Boulder Arc: 2

The joke was more amusing to the pokemon in the pond than Aria. She wiped the water from her face and tried to take her smile with it but it was too strong to remove. Styx was Aria's very first pokemon. It was hard to stay mad at him for long, especially when he just saved her from peril for the hundredth time. She looked over to the tentacruel floating on the pond's surface. He briefly ducked his shadowed eyes under the water in a silent mischievous giggle. Aria set the prank aside and walked over to the edge of the pond. Styx glanced up as his trainer approached the waters. He swiveled back and forth in excitement before floating into the shallows. His tentacles skimmed the muddy bottom. Styx was by no means small. His blue crested helmet had a 3-4 foot diameter. From the tip of his pincers to the top of his helmet, he was about five feet tall. Heavy training and good living (with just a touch of spoiled indulgence) created a pokemon beyond anything nature alone could ever produce. Styx had a set of pincers that rivaled the Jaws of Life. His helmet could have been dawned with honorary ribbons and a medal of honor for the feats he's accomplished. A volcanic red hue radiated from the orbs set into his helmet. It was deep with age and love that only decades spent together could create. This pokemon was experienced and a master at his craft. Aria stopped at the edge of the pond. She put her hands her hips in a way that demanded attention not obedience.

"You've saved me again, Styx," she said. "How many times is that now?"

The tentacruel sloshed the water with his helmet. He wiggled the tips of several tentacles above the surface. He was not gloating, merely expressing his enjoyment of their reunion. Battling was far less enjoyable than being with Aria. It had only been a few hours since Styx last saw her. It felt like days. Aria smiled while taking off her socks and shoes to retrieve him. He was too cute. Something moved behind them and motivated Aria to give the woods a weary glance. Arboks had a vengeful nature. It was hard to tell if the wild cobra was truly gone or not. It wouldn't be surprising if he showed up again at some point. Styx's carefree demeanor eased her fears. She would worry about it later. If there was any more danger, Styx was there to watch her back. He would make sure that none came to her.

"Are you ready to go to the festival?" Aria asked.

Styx lowered his flexible limbs back under the water. He replied with a deep rumble made from ultrasonic frequencies. It made the surface ripple and vibrate as if a stereo blasted music from underneath. The red orbs glowed faintly to compliment the tentacruel's version of a purr. The festival was exciting but it was not the motivation behind the affection. What made him enthusiastic was watching Aria step into the shallows towards him. She chuckled and unfastened the empty great ball on her belt.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said.

Aria waded up to the bottom of her knee. The mud pushing up through her toes was slimy but not deep. Just a few more steps and she would have nothing but water underneath. Over the years Styx had dug into the bank so that he could get closer to Aria when she was on the shore. It made for a steep descent. The tentacruel floated closer now that Aria was in the water. He raised his eyes to meet her gaze. The great ball enlarged.

"Ready? If we go now then we - whoah, hey wait!"

Styx reached out with several tentacles and cut her sentence in half. He wrapped them around sturdy legs and swam backwards, pulling Aria deeper into the pond. Before she could stop, the water was up to her torso. Styx's blue helmet was the only means of floatation. Aria clung onto it and struggled not to drop the great ball. The ground dropped away from her feet and she curled them up into the cloud of tentacles. Aria's protests landed her in the middle of the pond. She was at the mercy of her pokemon. Styx released his hold and Aria pulled herself three fourths of the way out of the water. It didn't really matter considering everything but her hair and face were drenched.

"What are you doing, Styx?" Aria asked. "Everybody else is ready. Don't you want to go to the festival?"

Styx submerged half his helmet and spun around. Aria held on tight as her legs dragged in the water. He slowed to a stop. She had to laugh. Styx always had one thing on his agenda that took precedence. Aria looked down into the orbs as if looking into his shadowed eyes.

"Do you want to play?"

Styx raised a tentacle or two out of the water. They poked Aria's side and hooked onto her pants. He attempted to pull them off. Aria quickly grabbed them when the cool breeze touched her undergarments.

"Hey, hey, stop that!"

Aria shooed away the tentacles. Styx reluctantly let go but brushed his smooth limbs against her legs as if encouraging her to stay. Nothing, not even the festival, would make him happier than to swim with his trainer. Aria debated the act. The weather was nice. The water was cool but not cold. She did have an hour or two to spare before the judicial office closed. They had yet to swim together today and Styx did protect her without any orders. Aria sighed. It was only heavy in the fact that it was fake.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll swim with you," she said. "But just let me take off my own pants."

Styx bobbed in silent victory. He floated over to the shallows to drop off his trainer. Aria slid off and waded to shore muttering over her wet clothes. She stripped to the bare minimum and tossed the rest higher up on the grass out of the splash zone. She set her pokebelt carefully to the side. Meanwhile, Styx busily swam back and forth. It was a pace just as much as it was a technique used to clear the pond of any debris that could get in his trainer's way. Aria glanced around to make sure no one was watching, even if the pond was hidden deep with the confines of her property. She was not afraid of being seen as much as having her pokebelt stolen.

Her pokemon were her life.

Aria walked back to the pond and into the shallows. A bra and underwear were perfect replacements for a swimsuit. Styx floated over again now that she was ready. Diving in lessened the chill. Aria resurfaced close to Styx and grabbed the ridge of his helmet. Styx touched her arms, legs, and torso in a way that paralleled a human hug. It was also a tool for conducting a status check on his trainer. He had to make sure that she was in perfect health. Styx could tell everything about Aria from the inspection. He could feel if she was stressed with tight muscles, recovering from a sprain or broken limb, tired, or energetic. They swam together almost every day which meant an inspection every day. The strength of their bond was unimaginable. When Styx was finished, Aria let go and swam out deeper into the pond. He followed her before dipping below the surface. He swam out in front of her from below. It was not deep enough to hide the glow of his orbs as they caught the light. Aria took a deep breath and dove in after him. She lightly tapped him on the helmet, resurfaced, and dove again.

A dive between Styx's pincers and through his tentacles produced a stream of bubbles. Even tentacruels could get ticklish. Aria pushed off of the blue helmet platform to the surface. Styx was well aware of Aria's time constraint. He knew how long she could stay under the water down to the millisecond. Aria slipped under the surface again like a falling feather. Poisonous tendrils wrapped around her but they were soft and pulled her down easier than how she slipped in. Aria was not sinking in water but gently meandering through space. The tendrils pushed her back up to surface. She tread water and took a moment to catch her breath. A few seconds later, a tentacle tapped and rubbed the soles of her feet. It was done in a rehearsed manner. Aria smiled. She put her arms in an arrow pointed to the sky and crossed her heels. Continuing with procedure, Styx gently wrapped the tentacle around her ankles. He pulled her down deep into the water to his level. Tentacles wrapped Aria in a blanket, spun her around, and released. Such tricks and games were common. Over the years, Styx learned what he could and could not do with Aria in the water.

For instance: floating on top of her = bad, forcing her down = bad, keeping her down too long = bad, pulling too deep = bad.

Through trial and error (and several scares) the two found a system that worked. It was a form of body language that communicated intent and response. If Aria was under too long, or there was something wrong, she would wriggle a certain way to indicate she needed help or to surface. Nothing was ever done without consent (mostly on Styx's part). Through their play, they rehearsed several acrobatic tricks like pulling, diving, wrapping, and throwing. It was hard at first. Now, commands were hardly ever used. Aria threw back her hair after another surfacing. Styx surfaced close and she grabbed on for a ride. A tentacle was placed on each arm to keep her in place. They spun under the sparkling chandeliers of an imaginary ballroom dance before sinking. Aria held her breath and they went under. The magic of the moment was strong and she did not want to leave it. Together they swam, dove, and played. It was routine interaction but none of it felt mundane. The water was never dead when Styx was in it. The only thing hindering their interaction was the fact that Aria needed to breathe air. She was once in possession of a rebreather: a device held in the mouth with two small air canisters to the side. It was a miniature air tank. With it, play was unlimited. Aria could breathe underwater for an extended amount of time. When it ran out, she didn't have the funds to buy another. It was not a common piece of equipment. Styx was the happiest pokemon in the world when she had it and Aria regretted not being able to own another. His favorite activity was holding her in his tentacles while lazily floating around. Under the water was even better. With the rebreather, it was possible.

Fatigue eventually put Aria on her back, looking into the sky and listening to the quiet hum of the water in her ears. Her smile was as soft as the clouds above. Today was turning out to be special in more ways than she thought. She watched Styx quietly disappear under the surface through the corner of her eye. He passed along the length of her body below. Aria timed her roll and curled in to catch his helmet. He stopped and steadily rose to the surface with Aria above him. She balanced her weight as his helmet broke the surface. She maneuvered around and sat on his helmet better than a top hat. They whizzed around the pond like a mini motor boat. Styx eventually slowed down to a leisurely ride and Aria slipped partially back into the water. Hanging onto her favorite buoy was the perfect way to recharge. She laid over his helmet, lightly hugging the pillow like crest. Her cheek pressed against an orb while her legs floated effortlessly behind. Aria dipped each finger in the water trolling by as if playing music. The surface rippled in clean rolling circles before mixing with Styx's wake. Her eyes grew soft like one ready to nap. She would have if it was any other day of the year. But the festival was in full swing and the judicial office would not stay open forever. She would have to get out but not without letting Styx know that his attention was appreciated. Aria patted the red orb underneath her cheek.

"I love you, Styx. I hope you know that," she said.

Aria looked down into the depths of his jeweled helmet. There was a glow deep within the orbs that never went out. It was warm and strong as if looking into a chamber of magma deep within the earth. It was distant yet right underneath your feet. The water around the two pulsated and rippled in another supersonic purr. Aria felt it in her legs. She smiled and squeezed Styx's helmet tighter. He did not have to say it in her language for her to understand.

"Alright, buddy, back to shore. We don't want to miss the festival do we?"

Styx silently agreed. He swam back to the shallows and dropped Aria off. She waded out and made a mental note to build a small shed to keep a towel and extra set of clothes in. Drying off naturally would take a lot longer but there was no use getting upset because her clothes were still a little damp. She would have to wait anyway. A sunny patch of grass spotlighted Aria and her clothes. Now there really was nothing to do but daydream in the sun. She normally let out the rest of her pokemon at times like this to enjoy the weather but they were already in their pokeballs calming down from the thrill of getting to go to the festival. Besides, it was nice spending some alone time with Styx. Aria made it a point to give each of her pokemon special one on one attention now and again. Styx continued to splash around in the pond. It was reminiscent of days gone by when he was still a tentacool, splashing around recklessly in some sort of imaginary game. Aria's gaze fell from the clouds to the pond. Styx had somehow gotten a hold of one of her shoes. He held it up above the water and swam back and forth as if it would help it dry. Aria giggled.

Styx would never seize to amaze her.

Aria sighed and pulled her legs up to hold her knees. Her fingers grazed several tender spots on her shins. When she was young, the residual poison on Styx's tentacles would have made her sick. Now, it only left a cool tingle after prolonged exposure. Drying in the sun almost made it disappear completely. Aria took another deep breath. She was ready to continue to the festival. It didn't take long to throw on her shorts and shirt. Styx floated over to their usual pick up/drop off spot clear of reeds and pesky stones. Aria walked over and unhooked Styx's great ball from her belt. They exchanged the shoe for an escort into the festival. Styx was withdrawn and the pokeball clicked shut. Aria tossed it lightly before minimizing it. Now that everyone was in place and both shoes were on, Aria went back up the trail. She glanced to her watch and realized that it was already late afternoon. Swimming and drying had taken up all of the time she allotted for watching the end of the battling tournament. The walk into town was long and it would eat up even more time. Aria's legs were her only means of transportation. Her parents had taken the family car when they left for business and the company truck was for emergencies and work. The land was too treacherous for a bike and Aria did not own any pokemon she could ride. Her walk turned into a jog. Transferring onto the road did not hinder her pace. In fact, it sped up because of the descent down the mountain. The gravely dirt path was slippery but Aria did not let that stop her. With each step, she grew closer to her goal.

With each step, she grew more and more anxious.

By the time Aria made it onto the main road, she was winded. She could see the festival going on in the center of town. Decorations and colorful lights rose above the trees and small buildings. She could see the arena and bazaar lining the streets. Dozens of people meandered around. Aria grinned. She had finally arrived in her little home town of Boulder.