The trees rustled as the winds blew through the ever-flowing foliage, whisking residual leaves into the breeze. However, the winds weren't the only thing that were making the trees rustle. Every couple of trees or so within the mountains had some form of feint sound. Underneath the canopy, there was a lone person, revealing himself to be Nic as he flew through the trees with grace rivaling that of a ninja. Befitting his adept jumping prowess, he flung from tree to tree, maneuvering without a single step mistook.
Once he had reached the clearing, he jumped down from the lowest branch, landing on a knee and rising to his feet. While sitting around a campfire, Erza and Vanessa turned towards Nic, their surprise at how fast he was.
"You're here." Vanessa said, though it sounded more of surprise than of a sound statement.
"That was fast." Erza acknowledged.
Nic turned towards the side, showing the large basket strapped to his back. "Yeah, sorry for not being here sooner. It's not easy picking the right kinds of berries when there are Gulpin living in this area. I had to make it quick before the ripe ones were taken."
"Well I'm just fortunate we didn't have to deal with Swalot." Vanessa spoke. "I heard those Pokémon would eat anything." She heard rumors or tales of poorly trained Swalot and their misfortunate appetites, though these tales were told just as jokes, so she wasn't necessarily bothered. She knew Swalot wouldn't swallow people…at least that's what she had hoped.
"Swalot don't live around here. I've checked." Nic assured. "And even if that were the case, they'd be heading to southern Kalos. Now…" Nic sat the basket down, kneeling to pop the lid open. Inside was an assortment of Pecha Berries, Oran Berries, Sitrus Berries, and Cheri Berries. "Who's hungry?"
"Looks delicious." Erza smiled.
Nic sat down in the grass, his back pressed a log as the fire roared. He sighed in relief. "I'm hoping this lasts us by tomorrow. We should be reaching Camphrier Town by tomorrow."
Erza gave Nic a smirk. "Well I suppose if a certain someone had quite the voracious appetite, maybe we'd have it up to two days." Of course she was teasing him. She never would say anything about his appetite; it's still better tames than Natsu's monstrous gut.
Nic looked away in embarrassment, red in his cheeks as Erza and Vanessa laughed.
It was just another day for the trio traveling in Kalos, nothing too complex for their day. While they did bypass Lumiose City, it didn't mean they could still take in the sites. The trio made it through the southern boulevard and on towards Route 5, but rather than take the actual route, Nic imposed another, more clandestine, path towards the mountains north of Route 5. They all agreed, and there they trained in secrecy. With the group having their own stomachs depleted, and dusk on the rise, Nic volunteered to get dinner.
Sitting over the campfire, the trio sat in silence, enjoying their small company while it lasted. As the berries were being consumed, an Oran Berry being chewed on by Nic went deaf when the sound of shrubs churned.
"Hm?" On his guard, Nic instantly whipped around on his feet. "Who's there?!"
Erza and Vanessa instantly looked on, their eyes narrowing as the shrubs churned left and right.
"How many are there?" Erza asked.
The Aura Mage retained an easy sensory with her powers, but she kept calm. "5. It must be a horde."
Nic clutched his fists. "Been awhile since I saw one of those…"
The bushes continued to rustle, eventually bursting forth with five green blobs with yellow protrusions on their heads appeared. They all had black diamonds on their back, and their puckered up mouths were met with blank eyes as well.
"What are those?" Erza inquired.
Vanessa did the honors and pulled out her PokeDex. The hologram of the Gulpin appeared on the screen and began analyzing.
"Gulpin, the Stomach Pokémon. It has a small heart and brain. Its stomach comprises most of its body, with enzymes to dissolve anything."
The five Gulpin slowly squirmed their little guts forward, slowly gathering in front of Nic, Vanessa, and Erza. They all looked rather defensive, if not hungry.
"What's wrong with them?" Vanessa asked. "Their aura isn't showing any curiosity. Their actually…angry?"
"Probably because I got to their food before they did." Nic guessed. "You think giving them a share would suffice them?"
All the Gulpin followed the middle Gulpin, which wiggled its antennae and signaled for them to attack. By the looks on their faces, the prospect of a peaceful resolution seemed out of the question.
Erza stepped forward. "If that's the case, then allow me to deal with this predicament. I have been needing of some experience, so if I may?"
Nic and Vanessa looked towards the other, not at all bothered by the alternative set. Sure it may not be the most ideal solution, but it's perhaps the most basic form of defense for a Trainer. The Pokémon does battle against wild Pokémon and gain experience. They showed no signs of cowardice as they watched Erza step forward.
Erza pulled out a Poke Ball and threw it with gusto. "Alright, Fletchling, let's do this!"
The Poke Ball popped open, and summoned forth into the fray was Fletchling, flapping her small wings and looking down at her five green adversaries. "(Let's go!)" She chirped.
"(Attack! Make them pay!)" The middle Gulpin shouted. At his command, all the Gulpin nearby had begun opening their puckered mouths wide open, the length momentarily startling Erza and Fletchling as they never saw mouths open that wide before. The Gulpin either released purple gas or yawned out pink bubbles that mixed in with the poisonous gas.
"Fletchling, Agility!" Erza commanded. At her command, Fletchling began to flap her wings and sail around the poisonous gas and bubbles, staying careful so as not to get struck down by one on mistake. Using Agility, she nimbly ascended and dodged the numerous chances taken, eventually retaining a glide-like position in the air.
One of the Gulpin looking up to her took the chance and its antennae glowed, via Pound. The Poison-type took a leap off the ground, springing after Fletchling with its Normal-type move. Retaining caution, Fletchling shifted left and dodged Pound, carefully examining Gulpin as it fell back to earth.
"Now, Fletchling! Tackle!"
Fletchling folded in her wings and she dived down onto Gulpin's back. The Tiny Robin Pokémon went head first into the Stomach Pokémon's back. The impact was so powerful that it made Gulpin fall faster towards the ground. It landed with a painful thud, making dust expel from beneath, just briefly before dissipating. The one Gulpin was lying on the ground, defeated and in shock.
"(You'll pay for that!)" The head of the horde looked up and opened his mouth, releasing an intoxicating blast of poisonous gas up towards Fletchling.
Erza clutched her fist and narrowed her eyes. "Dodge, and use Quick Attack!" Her Fletchling thankfully did as told and turned around in time to see the intoxicating cloud come at her. She dodged by flying in a swift arch around, earning frustrated ire from the Gulpin beneath. As her body was outlined in light blue, she soared downwards with numerous afterimages following in pursuit.
Three Gulpin went lunging after her with a familiar glow of Pound as well. All three met Fletchling in midair, her entire body meeting the three thick antennae in a glowing ripple of aura. The airwaves around them momentarily broke apart as the four Pokémon were interlocked in a battle of stamina, but it didn't last long as all four broke apart and landed on the ground. Fletchling's little feet touched the ground as all three Gulpin landed beside one another.
"(Fire!)" The head Gulpin shouted.
Erza reached forward. "Use Tackle!"
Flapping her wings once, Fletchling arose a few inches off the ground and tucked in her small wings. She dived at the middle of the three Gulpin, whom was about to open its mouth. Fletchling managed to get a hit square in the head, creating another ripple that exerted outwards and the Gulpin shot backwards, flying back into a tumble against the grass.
The horde leader looked on with surprise as he watched the Gulpin tumble backwards until stopping behind him. He looked shocked as he saw the second Gulpin had been defeated as swirly eyes were present.
"That's two down." Nic examined.
Fletchling backed away and retained an airborne position in front of Erza, as she was trained to be. She knew by experience that she had to keep a safe distance, otherwise being close-range all the time would've been a terrible quality that could backfire. Thankfully the training paid off and she saw more pink bubbles exert from the two Gulpin doing battle.
"Agility, one more time!" Erza commanded.
Fletchling flapped her wings once more, this time skyrocketing to evade the slow-moving bubbles. She was seen meters high above, the altitude surprising the wild Gulpin completely.
"At that height, their Yawn nor Poison Gas will be able to make contact." Vanessa pointed out.
"(We're full of surprises. Let's show them, Erza.)" Fletchling insisted.
Erza stood tall as she gave yet another command. "Fletchling, Tackle!" Once again, Fletchling tucked in her wings and she began to dive down onto her foe. With her overwhelming speed, she was but a rapid bullet that was too quick for another Gulpin, erupting into a dust cloud. As the two remaining Gulpin tried to find space to jerk away, they watched as the Gulpin that was just hit fly out of the dust.
"(What?!)" The leader exclaimed.
The Gulpin thudded and laid on its side, passed out from the harsh blow.
"That makes three." Vanessa said.
Fletchling flew in a long arch around the two remaining Gulpin, gliding with swiftness from her two Agility utilized. She moved with such speed that the Gulpin were afraid of where she would strike next. Not wanting to take another chance, the two Gulpin looked towards another and nodded. They looked back at Fletchling, who was up ahead and ready for the next command. Their mouths opened with Poison Gas, expelling out and gushing in profuse amounts.
Erza and Fletchling's eyes widened at the sight. "What's this?" Erza's inquiry was directed towards the Poison Gas that shrouded the two Gulpin. An intoxicating veil that kept her from advancing.
"Looks like they're playing defense with a status move. That's impressive." Nic stated. "This'll make the advance much worse for Fletchling. If she wants to get an attack in now, she'll have to either draw them out or dive right in."
"She could also wait it out, but by then who knows how long that shall take." Vanessa added.
Erza analyzed the situation and made sure to watch carefully. She was aware that Poison Gas could very well poison Fletchling if she got too close, but knew that with cover, the Gulpin could regroup and counter. The knight was low on options, and so she had but little incentive to go off of.
"(Erza!)" Fletchling chirped as she looked back at Erza. The Normal/Flying-type was nodding her head, confirming that she knew what was best.
"Fletchling…" Though shocked, Erza knew the risks and had to charge right in. It was bold, but then again, she couldn't have the advantage lost. Knowing what had to be done, she reached forward. "Let's do it! Fletchling, Quick Attack!"
Fletchling's body had a light blue aura around it and she twirled towards the smoke cloud. Afterimages followed in her wake as she dived downwards and zoomed with incredible speeds. A rapid bullet zipped in a straight line through the gas cloud, the small winds created from her incoming making a hole in the gas cloud that she took full advantage of.
A white burst of energy erupted from the Poison Gas cloud, immediately dissipating the gas and reducing it to smoke. As the gas/smoke dissipated, Fletchling flapped out of the coverage, arching back up into the sky. However, as she flew around, she winced as purple bubbles arose from her body, indicating poison.
The two Gulpin from before fell onto their backs, attaining more damage than intended as they were trying to pull themselves together. The horde leader shook his head and looked up, bewildered as his foe was poisoned yet still flew about freely. "(Curses…)"
"Let's go! Peck!" Erza followed up.
Fletchling tried to power through the poison and arched into a steep dive, her beak glowing white in the process. With a loud chirp, she went crashing down on one of the two Gulpin, creating a flash upon impact. The Poison-type shot back from the Peck attack, slamming into a nearby tree with a gruesome thud. It fell over with swirling eyes.
"(Gah! What?!)" The head Gulpin looked back up towards Fletchling, who flapped overhead. He saw Fletchling wince as she sustained poison damage, but kept herself stable. He looked unsound as the Normal/Flying-type flapped above.
"(So…what's it going to be…?)" Fletchling struggled to say. She knew she the tough act would only go so far, but it's what keeps her from faltering towards the ground.
Angered and cornered, the Gulpin grunted and made its antennae glow, indicating Pound. In move of desperation, he jumped up and whipped the Pound overhead, scoring a flashing hit on Fletchling.
Fletchling faltered backwards, but she straightened out and shook her head to snap herself out of it. "(You…!)"
Erza reached out for Gulpin. "Let's finish this! Peck!"
As told, Fletchling's beak glowed again and went flying for Gulpin. The Stomach Pokémon enacted a move of desperation by opening his mouth and exerting Yawn. The bubbles went after Fletchling, but even though they hit her, they did nothing to help. She was already poisoned, meaning Yawn was futile, and they popped against her incoming Peck.
The Tiny Robin Pokémon dived square in the center of the forehead, creating a white ripple that sent the leader of the horde flying backwards. The Gulpin shouted outwards as he flipped constantly until he too slammed into a nearby tree. The thud was equally as potent as before, and just like before, fell next to the other Gulpin with swirly eyes.
Erza crossed her arms, smiling with pride. "Well, looks to me that this battle is over." She said.
"(Yeah, think so.)" Fletchling replied, flapping in front.
As the wild Gulpin were starting to come around, they groaned and looked back at their targets. With no energy in them to fight, they were met with not just Fletchling, but the dominating glare of her Trainer. Looking at Erza, they all instantly panicked and scattered off, away from the campsite.
"Congratulations, Erza." Nic cheered. "That was really great battle against a Pokémon horde."
"I'll say, it's never too easy dealing with hordes. Take it from me." Vanessa implied.
Erza looked back at them, giving both smiles of sincerity. "I truly am grateful for this experience. Thank you both." She looked towards her Fletchling, who flapped beside her. "And thank you, Fletchling. You were executing your attributes very well."
Fletchling perked a proud smile. "(Aw, thanks. I-!)" She winced again, toxic bubbles rising.
"Fletchling!" Erza gasped, remembering the poison. "Hold on. Nic, pass me the Pecha and Oran Berry, please."
Nic looked into the basket he carried to the campsite, getting but two berries out. One was blue, and the other was like a pink peach in the shape of a heart. "Here, these should help."
"Thank you." She was given the two items and faced her Fletchling. "Now Fletchling, eat these, won't you?" She extended out the Pecha Berry first. "This should heal your poison first."
Fletchling flapped until she landed safely on the ground. Erza bent down and gave her the small Pecha Berry, which the bird accepted. She raised her head and swallowed the berry. As it went down, a green wave enveloped her body, rippling upwards for a second until vanishing, along with the poison.
"And here, this Oran Berry should make you recover some energy."
Again, Fletchling accepted and ate the berry. She closed her mouth on it and another green flash enveloped her body. In an instant, she felt her energy come back, her eyes brightening up at the nutrients received.
"(Alright!)" She chirped, rising up again and flapping with her energy back.
Erza nodded in approval. "Good, then it looks like you're doing well."
Fletchling nodded in confirmation. "(Mhm! I feel better than well actually…)" Suddenly, Fletchling began to stiffen up. Her body was beginning to envelop in what seemed to be an odd energy of blue caliber. The sudden glow surprised all three, making their eyes shoot wide open.
"Fletchling?!" Erza gasped.
Fletchling didn't respond. Instead, she began to spread her wings, keeping position as her body parts were beginning to expand.
Nic couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was happening. "Erza. You're Fletchling…" He trailed off, witnessing the change that was occurring.
Vanessa couldn't speak, for she was witnessing another change in evolution. She was already accustomed to it, sure, but she never saw Erza's Honedge evolve. Seeing her Fletchling evolve was more than enough to surprise her.
Everyone watched as the glow enveloped the camp. As odd as it was, the temperature arose a couple degrees. Fletchling's wings expanded, as well as her stick legs. Her tailfeathers especially grew more, and a tuft jutted from the back of her head.
As the energy field around the evolving creature began to collapse, the avian spread her wings, dissipating the glow. Shards of bright blue went everywhere, shimmering almost like embers as the new form cried out loud.
Fletchling had now gotten much taller, with orange feathers covering her head and back. Her stomach feathers were gray. Her wings were black, with yellow ends. Her eyes were fiercer than they were innocent, showing her renewed battle demeanor.
Vanessa was beyond ecstatic. "Erza, Fletchling evolved!"
"It looks like Fletchling is now a Fletchinder." Nic noted. Like what Vanessa did before, he pulled out his PokeDex, showing a holographic version of the newly-evolved avian.
"Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon. The hotter the flame sac on its belly, the faster it can fly, but it takes some time to get the fire going."
"Fletchinder?" Erza repeated. She muddled over the new name given by the new form that was her bird. She looked back at Fletchinder, seeing her flap in place with a placid disposition. A smile crossed her face. "A proud name befitting you burning ambition. What a splendid occasion this turned out to be."
Fletchinder looked happily towards Erza. "(Thank you. I promise I'll work much harder from now on.)"
Nic stepped forward, his face also crossed with a smile. "Well I'm very proud of the achievement made this night. I say as a token of this experience, why don't we all eat our fill? What do you say?"
Erza put a hand to her chin. "Well, now that you mention it, I am rather famished after such a battle." She flashed him a smirk. "I'd be happy to take you up on that offer."
"(Yeah! I'm starving!)" Fletchinder chimed.
Vanessa's face showed great joy. "Then let's make tonight a meal we'll most certainly remember."
As all of them dug into the huge number of berries that night, the stars twinkled overhead, shimmering with brightness with their satisfaction. The Pokémon and Trainers had a meal befitting their appetites; but more so, befitting the strength they would need to tackle new challenges for the days that lied ahead.
Here's an update for August. Sorry for the small wait, but work and A Contender's Bonds are always important you know. I was very fortunate to have made this chapter before my shift because I have a very busy schedule this upcoming week.
So here's another key development this chapter, which was Erza's Fletchling evolving into Fletchinder. Let me know what you guys thought about the horde battle and Fletchling and Erza overall working together. Until next time!
