I can't believe how stupid I was last night. Not to mention that I nearly started blabbing after two drinks, Vivienne thought tartly as she headed into the market with Magnar. She had been glad that Liam hadn't pestered her about it, seeing that it wasn't his place. They barely knew each other, but that incident on the beach had made her wonder. Her suspicions leaned toward police officer, but he wasn't as overbearing and none of the officers in Slateport recognized him.
Whoever he was, perhaps he was just taking some time off and their meeting had just been by chance. Law enforcement or no, it didn't change anything for her.
Slateport's outdoor marketplace had been inside the flight brochure as a place you had to visit. When they approached the bazaar, she could see why.
Handmade soaps, toys, bolts of fabric, herbal medicine, fresh food, milk, and other pokemon products. The aroma emitting from the plethora of wares brought to inspect the varieties. She bought Magnar and her other pokemon handmade biscuit treats, purchasing an additional one for Bjorn. Despite his lax owner, the mass of fur was a big bundle of love and friendliness. Vivienne didn't mean to buy as much as she was, but when a bauble caught her eyes, she quickly flitted over to it to find out how much and decide on whether she could carry it or not.
A kimono stand had garnered her attention, an elderly woman explaining each of the prints to her, as she had assigned meaning to specific shapes, colors, and patterns.
"You know, there is going to be a festival up in Lavaridge Town in a couple weeks. Everyone woman wears a kimono, it is tradition. You look like you're traveling, perhaps I can interest you in one of these? The lavender with hints of sage green would go beautifully with your hair," the crone pulled the pearl white based fabric out, lavender flowers were patterned on it with sage green leaves, a dark sage sash to go around it.
Vivienne had never worn a kimono and hadn't the slightest idea of how to wrap it properly. Her father's family was from a different culture. "Could you show me how to put it on? I'm afraid I've never worn one before."
"Of course! Of course!" the old woman brought her behind the stand and showed her a handful of times how to put it on and wrap it. All kimonos were the same size and were wrapped the same, which meant the one wearing it would be the one responsible for wrapping it perfectly to fit their form. "For not wearing a kimono, you learn quite fast."
Vivienne chuckled, folding the kimono up and placing it on the counter. "I've always been told I'm a faster learner."
"Do you wish to take it? It looked so lovely on you, the purple brought out your eyes."
"Yes, I'll take it. I should be up in Lavaridge with plenty time to spare before the festival if it's in two weeks."
"Which way are you going?" the woman asked as she began wrapping the gown in brown parcel paper.
"Through Mauville?" she said uncertainly.
The woman clicked at her and shook her head "Oh no, the bike path and roads to Mauville are under construction. The only way there is the long loop around past Oldale and Petalburg City, a temporary bridge had been put up so people can make their way that way."
"What happened over there that's caused such a large block?" she asked curiously.
"News says that there was an explosion over there on the bike path, collapsed it down into the walking strip beneath it and killed a few people, not to mention what pokemon lived in that area. It's been deemed unsafe for anyone to take that way for now and that's why the detour bridge was put up."
"How unfortunate..." Viv sighed, more sad that she now wouldn't be able to get to Mauville as swiftly as she had hoped. It would have only taken a day from Slateport to walk there, but with this news it was going to possibly take weeks.
"You look like you're a strong young lady. Up past Rustboro there's a path that goes right through a tunnel, pops you out by a small town, but I've heard that's in disrepair too. I'd trust the long way, which isn't too long. Took me a little over a week to make the full loop when I was in my prime and the tunnel hadn't been created yet. You get to see a lot of the countryside too. Mauville City isn't much but dangerous these days, but the other towns are certainly more traveler friendly."
"Thanks for the heads up, I would have walked straight into that barricade and been very disappointed. How much do I owe you for the kimono?" Vivienne asked politely, smiling at her.
"I'll throw in the sandals and socks for free too, so the tally comes to 80,000 Poke."
The woman smiled so kindly, but the one Viv had on her face nearly vanished. Designer clothing was more expensive than that, but not by much. And yet, Vivienne still paid for it without faltering, tucking the parcel away to be utilized once they arrived for the Lavaridge festival.
I hope that it's worth 80,000 Poke, she thought grudgingly, stopping by a tea stand to grab herself some bubble tea.
"Hey, how's your morning so far?" Liam appeared from seemingly nowhere, which he had a habit of doing by now.
Viv checked her watch and raised an eyebrow at him. "It's nearly lunch... but good. Unfortunately, I found out that the road to Mauville City is blocked and the only way to get there is to go the long way around."
"Oh yeah, that's right," he muttered, rubbing his jaw. "Well, you're here researching berries, that long loop with certainly bring us through some prime berry picking land."
She hadn't forgotten that was here excuse for being in Hoenn, but it sounded stupider when he repeated it. "Do you know how to go around that way?"
"Of course I do, you just follow a road."
"Hm, if it's that easy I don't see why you're needed then."
"As a man shield if I remember correctly."
"Worked out really well last night," she retorted glibly.
"You could have waited for me," he reminded her delicately before changing the subject. "I hope you didn't buy anything in the market, it's extremely overpriced."
Vivienne didn't reward him with an answer, but she was aware of that after purchasing her kimono. "I bought some freshly made biscuits for my pokemon. I got one for Bjorn too, if that's alright?"
"You got one for Bjorn?" he glanced over at the Arcanine who had already begun salivating. "I have to warn you that once you give him a treat, he won't leave you alone."
"That's fine," Vivienne reached into her satchel to retrieve the treat. Magnar closed in on her when the paper bag began rustling. "You already got yours, chubbers."
Approaching Bjorn, she offered him the biscuit. The canine was salivating so much that it was dripping onto the ground. He politely waited until Vivienne told him he could have it, gobbling it up, careful not to hurt the treat giver. He then proceeded to lick her fingers clean and thanked her graciously by following up with her face. Magnar became slightly protective at that point, only drawing back when he heard Viv's giggling.
She dug her fingers into his thick, cream colored mane and scratched him. Bjorn leaned forward, pressing his massive head against her chest as she pet him, letting out little noises of pleasure as she pet him.
"How did you do that? Are you some kind of pokemon whisperer? You've turned my ferocious partner into a puddle of fur."
"Large pokemon that bear loads, such as people, often had tight muscles in their neck and shoulders," she informed him, releasing Bjorn from her grip. She wiped off some of the excess drool from her shirt.
"So it was a massage? My shoulders have been hurting a bit, I could use one as well. Purely for medical reasons, of course," Liam grinned, reaching over to rub one of his shoulders.
Vivienne couldn't tell if he was pretending or not, but either way, she scoffed at him. "Well, if you're done in Slateport, we can make our way to Oldale before sundown."
"Yeah, I've got nothing else to do here," he shrugged.
The group made their way out of the city, the line breaking into a warm, tropical forest. They met a few trainers along the way that insisted being battled, forcing Liam to succumb to their desires. The bike path's entrance had a sign hanging on it, depicting that it would be closed until further notice. A good portion of the grass was tall, trees hiding the sun until mid-noon where it beat down on them relentlessly.
At the fork between the route to Mauville and the detour, a young man came careening around the corner and crashed into Magnar.
"Woah! Woah there, watch where you're going!" Liam shouted as Vivienne grabbed a hold of Magnar to keep him from lashing out.
"I-I-I-" he stammered, taking a step back to regard them. His lip was busted, eye swollen and blackening, brow bleeding.
"Are you alright?" Vivienne asked him, holding onto Magnar who was beginning to settle down.
The kid was probably 14 or 15 years old, messy auburn hair, and was dressed like a trainer. He blinked back tears. "Some guys beat me up and took my pokemon after I lost a battle against them. They were trying to tax the bridge. I need to get police! They have my pokemon!"
"Hey now, slow down. Are you injured anywhere else?" she asked him.
"It doesn't matter! I need my pokemon, I need them-"
"Kid, shut it. We'll help you out, just talk to her. She's a doctor," Liam ordered.
Dropping his eyes to the floor, he nodded slowly. Vivienne guided him over to a boulder where he could sit, retrieving a medical kit she had in one of her saddle bags. She released a few new pokemon, a small Alolan Vulpix and a Brionne.
Viv first washed her hands, Brionne supplying water that was somewhere in between a normal water gun and scald. She took cotton swabs and alcohol and cleaned up the young man's face, using small bits of tape to close up his wounds on his brow.
"What's your name?" she asked him, cleaning up his lip.
"Jacob," he winced in pain from the sting of the alcohol.
"What happened exactly?" Liam asked, observing from a distance, letting the doctor do her work.
"I was just trying to head to Oldale to make a loop around to Mauville City when a pair of thugs in matching red outfits stopped me. Told me that I had to pay a tax, either Poke or one of my pokemon. I refused, since they were asking for a lot of money... And they battled me, beat my pokemon, and then when I refused again they..." he trailed off, dropping his eyes.
Red outfits? Vivienne glanced back at Liam, wondering if he was thinking that Team Magma might have been behind this escapade. There had been a point in time where an unknown trainer had dissolved both gangs back when they were trying to resurrect primal pokemon. Team Aqua remained dissolved. Vivienne remembered meeting Archie when she was little, he had been the nicest of any of the gang leaders. From what she knew about him, he wasn't in it for the drugs or money, he had truly thought bring Kyogre would be the beginning of a better world.
What was worse, the delusions of a man wishing for Utopia or a man who did everything for money and personal gain?
Her father was likely funding Maxie, bringing Team Magma out of the shadows and back onto the streets.
Vivienne turned and picked up her Vulpix. "Hold Tinsel, she'll help put some ice on your eye to take the swelling down," she directed.
Jacob took the pokemon, holding the small fluffy creature close to him. Tinsel acted as both comfort and an ice pack, nosing his swollen eye before huffing out a cold breath. Cradling the pokemon close, he pressed his face into her fur, and sat on the stone while Vivienne approached Liam, removing her latex gloves.
"Sounds like Team Magma," Liam grumbled in a low voice between them.
"We have to deal with them, who know who else they beat and stole from. There's a pokemon professor south of Oldale, right? If we find any additional pokemon, the professor should be able to find out who they belong to and return them, no?"
"I wonder how strong they are, that kid has to have a few badges under his belt. Grunts aren't usually that strong, especially those put on bridge toll duty."
Vivienne pursed her lips. In Kanto, a formula to make pokemon stronger had been in the works. The injections were like steroids, but tenfold in power. However, years ago it had still been in clinical trials because of how unpredictable the pokemon became. They were too aggressive and even the best trainers couldn't keep them in check. She had been hoping to get her hands on some of the serum so she could work on an antidote or anti-serum to reverse the effects.
"I've got my own suspicions on how, but we'll have to see for ourselves," Viv told him, glancing back at the trainer. "Hey Jacob, we're gonna get moving. Why don't you lead the way?"
Vivienne returned Periwinkle, the Brionne, back to her poke'ball. Jacob stood up, holding Tinsel close to him. The Vulpix continued to touch back to his eye, which had already reduced significantly in swelling. Flanking the young man, she stayed close to him, for comfort's sake. She knew what it was like to nearly lose a pokemon, she could only fathom the emotions that were rushing through him.
It took them about twenty minutes before the trees cleared out and a running river sprawled out before them. At first, no one appeared to be guarding bridge until they drew closer, a pair of figures materializing from behind some trees.
Liam could remember the days when Team Aqua and Magma had both been forces to reckon with. In his youth, he had been pestered by them along the road, but they'd never done more than demanded a battle, which they often lost. Now they were getting handsy, beating up a trainer after he'd lost and stealing his pokemon. He knew that Magma was back on the streets, but he didn't expect it this close to Slateport, a city without any of their influence.
When the two grunts closed in behind them, Bjorn let out a low, rumbling growl.
"Well, what have we here? It'll be 20,000 Poke a person to cross this bridge, plus an additional 5,000 Poke per pokemon," one of them said.
"And who are you? You don't look like you work for the government, why would they hire two Team Magma grunts to collect a toll?" Liam asked them as they circled round, blocking the path to the bridge.
"We've got to make an honest living too. This is how we reform ourselves, helping pay for the construction going on over by Mauville," a grunt shrugged.
"Honest living? You call beating up a trainer and taking his pokemon, honest?" Vivienne questioned sharply.
The Magma grunts glanced at the boy holding the Vulpix. "Oh, this kid again... You see, what happened was..."
"-He didn't have the money so we told him to beat us in a battle. Couldn't do that much, so he came at us, fists flying. We confiscated his pokemon and defended ourselves. Nothing more than that. We were gonna give the police his pokemon once we turned in the tax money," the other filled in nonchalantly.
"Y-yeah! That's what happened. So what're you gonna do, pay up right? You all look like you've got the money to spare."
Liam was going to speak, but Vivienne sauntered up to the both of them. She was reaching into her satchel.
Is she really going to give them money? he wondered.
"I'm so sorry that he caused trouble. Which one of you did he come after?" she continued to dig through her bag.
"I did," the stout one confessed, grinning to himself as if he'd be rewarded more.
Oh, he was rewarded, but not with money. Vivienne's fist flew from her bag, a solid right hook, catching him between his nose and mouth. From Liam's angle, the form was absolutely perfect, blood spouting from his mouth and nose, dripping down his chin like a river of red.
"For being attacked by a young man, you're surprisingly unscathed. I figured I'd change that," she retorted, flexing her fingers. Magnar closed in the distance, the other grunt was about to react, but reconsidered when the feline snarled at him, lips curling to reveal needle-like teeth.
"What the fuck! I think she broke my nose! What're you doing! Attack her!" he covered his nose, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"I didn't break your nose," she told him haughtily, glancing at her knuckles disdainfully. "I'm a doctor, I could have broken it in a way that shoved the cartilage into your brain and killed you. It's just a flesh wound. Now, we're going to need this young man's and anyone else's pokemon you've stolen, along with the money you've been 'collecting'. I'd rather keep anymore pokemon from getting harmed, so let's figure this out peacefully. I'll give you your chance to do as I say."
"No man, these aren't normal trainers. Just look at her pokemon, it's definitely pit-bred," the tall one stammered, frightfully looking between her and Magnar.
"Fuck you! Maxie will hear of you being a little bitch. Don't think he rewards people, he's buckled down since the old days. Plus we've got these," the bloody grunt pulled out a pair of poke'balls.
Liam had never seen a ball like those that he held; purple and yellow molted, he threw them, releasing a pair of pokemon. Bjorn darted forward to join Magnar, both of which put themselves between the Magma members and Vivienne. What was released from the balls were monstrosities, both of which were too high of a caste of pokemon for mere grunts to have.
An Altaria and Manectric stood before them, but they were miscolored and grossly out of proportion, various limbs larger than others, bubbled and puckered. Somehow, they had been genetically altered, and misery was plain on their faces as they leered at them with bloody, scarlet eyes. No wonder Jacob hadn't been able to defeat them, these were not normal pokemon.
Vivienne drew an additional poke'ball out, beckoning Magnar back. A Shiinotic emerged, waddling its way toward the pokemon in front of it. The mushroom head glanced up, made a little peeping noise, and glanced back at Vivienne uncertainly. After receiving a reassuring nod, the Shiinotic rounded, raising its tiny arms as it gave a cry of determination.
The battle began, the Altaria making its move first. Dragon breath emitted from its beak, gladly taken by Shiinotic who absorbed it and gave a merry cry, taunting the Altaria with a little dance. Bjorn passed overhead, flame building in his chest, unleashing heatwave on both opponents.
Staggering back from the attacks, Manectric countered with thunderbolt. Shiinotic chirped and threw up protect, blocking both he and Bjorn from the attack. Altaria, countering its previous strategy, beat a wing attack in Shiinotic's direction.
Liam was unable to order Bjorn to get there in time and the grass pokemon took the full brunt of it. Nearly certain that Shiinotic had fainted, he was about to send Bjorn in when Vivienne grabbed his arm.
"Draw Bjorn back," she told him.
Shiinotic was clambering back to his feet, the lights on the top of the cap beginning to flicker uncontrollably. "Bjorn, get back!"
Spore was unleashed in a torrent, smacking the opponents full force. Rendered unable to fight, Shiinotic hobbled over and poked each of them, helping himself to the health he had lost from the attack.
Liam crossed the field, approaching the grunts. "So, we'll be taking back the pokemon you've stolen-" he didn't even get to finish his sentence, the duo dropping the bag they had stuffed with their prizes. Retrieving their pokemon, they bolted off in the opposite direction, back down the road toward Slateport City. Bending over, he inspected the contents, finding over a dozen poke'balls and the money they had managed to pocket. "Jacob, why don't you come over here and grab what's yours?"
The pokemon they had fought had certainly been stronger than what grunts usually carried, but they lacked the true strength of a pokemon that had been trained to evolution. Altaria's attack should have KO'd Shiinotic and yet, the strange little guy had managed to get up and put them to sleep.
Jacob collected a few poke'balls and left the majority in the bag. "Thank you, thank you so much," he remained kneeling as he clutched the balls close to his chest. Tinsel let out a little mew beside him, cocking her head at him.
Vivienne drew up behind them. "Hopefully, they know better than to come back here," she commented, eyes set on the path they had fled down. She bent down and picked up Tinsel, stroking the plush white fur.
"Those pokemon..." Liam drawled.
"Definitely forced evolution. They should have been much stronger than that. They appeared to be mutated from the rapid maturation as well," she kissed the top of Tinsel's head, keeping the lower part of her face buried in the pokemon's fur.
Collecting their belonging, the party picked up and moved across the river. The forest thickened around them, daylight fading. Jacob accompanied them, a smile on his face as they traveled. When it became clear they weren't going to make it to Oldale before sun down, they picked a spot off the path to set up camp. With how clear the night was, tents didn't even need to go up.
Jacob retired first, curling up in his sleeping bag with his Seviper. Vivienne had restored his pokemon back to health and he had taken to snuggling with them, elated to be surrounded by the creatures he loved.
"You've got a hell of a right hook," Liam commented, leaning against Bjorn as he sat by the fire.
"He was so pleased with himself, as if beating up some kid was something to be proud of," she grumbled, flexing her hand as if she were recalling punching him.
"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" he asked her.
"Nowhere," she mumbled, not looking up at him as she spoke.
She's lying. Avoiding eye contact as well. I bet she knows how to do more than land a solid punch. Her athleticism, the scars on her body... he thought, but simply shrugged. "Pretty good hook, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that."
"Don't cross me then," she told him sweetly, dropping her hands into her lap. "How are your shoulders faring? I know you mentioned it earlier."
"A bit stiff still, but don't worry about it-"
Getting up, she plopped down behind him. "Don't worry about it? I'm a doctor and I help people."
"And punch others in the face," he reminded her as she placed her hands on his shoulders.
"When they deserve it," she sighed, her fingers digging into the tense muscles.
Liam relaxed, the years of tension bundled up in his shoulders that he tended to clench. Just thinking about where the tension came from reminded him of his job and that the woman behind him was supposedly working with Team Rocket. Why would she had beaten the grunts? Had she guessed his identity and was playing along to fool him?
"Yee-OUCH!" Liam cried, trying to turn, but Viv had some sort of nerve pinched and he was unable to contort. "What are you-"
"These muscles are so badly balled, I have to get real deep in there. Stop wriggling, the faster I do this, the less pain," he could hear her trying to mask her laughter, each cry of pain reflected by a snicker. "I swear, it will feel better after!"
After, Liam's shoulders just felt raw and sore. Vivienne returned to her seat by the fire and smiled at him. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had expected the massage to be more sensual, but with the mischief in her eyes, it seemed she knew what he had been hoping.
"I'm going to sleep," he told her grumpily. "My shoulders better feel good in the morning."
"And if they don't?" she challenged lightly.
"I'll..." he broke off, trying to think of what he would do. "You'll regret it."
Additional content: Thanks so much for reading everyone. Below I've linked a pin board for the fandom. Feel free to check it out or leave it here. More images will be added as the story progresses.
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