Disclaimers: Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Taijiri. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.
"The peace and beauty of a spring day had descended upon the earth like a benediction." - Kate Chopin
Vast White and Deep Black: Reunification
Chapter 11: The First Day of Spring
(Accumula Town, Pokemon Center, Szac's Bedroom, January 1, 2011, 10 a.m.)
The boy's eyes fought to stay closed, but soon found that feat to be impossible as a piercing green light shined through his eyelids and straight into his vision. He blinked repeatedly in an effort to make the light go away, but was soon forced to fully open his eyes and acknowledge the source of the light. The sight that greeted him was the friendly face of a man with long dark brown hair which partially covered his forehead. The man held a tubular device that was silver on the front end with copper plating underneath. Underneath that, the device had a black segment followed by a white handle, which terminated with an copper back end. The front end of the device also sported a green light.
The man spoke. "Well, top of the morning to you, Szac. Nice to see that you're starting to wake up. Oh, and Happy New Year!" The Doctor smiled and turned off the sonic screwdriver he was shining in the boy's face. "Hey Rory, he's up!"
The only other person in the room, apart from the Time Lord and the boy walked over with a clipboard in his hands, casting a brief glance at the egg case he set down on Szac's nightstand. "Had a relaxing sleep?"
Szac grumbled slightly. "Yeah, I guess so."
"That's good. You'll probably have to stay here for a few days to recover. Those branches did quite a number on you."
Szac sighed. "Well, that sucks."
Rory shrugged. "You'll just have to deal with it. Let's see now, those branches..." While Rory was talking to Szac about the boy's prognosis, behind him, the Doctor was observing the nurse's egg case, and noticed that the egg inside had began to shake, rattling repeatedly against the case. From behind Rory, the Doctor attempted to get the nurse's attention by waving his arms around wildly in a very animated manner, and occasionally jerking a thumb at the shaking egg, all of which went unnoticed by Rory. It was only when Szac began to chuckle that Rory stopped talking about his condition. "...so that cast will have to stay on your arm for... The Doctor's probably doing something stupid behind me, right?" The boy nodded with an amused smile.
Rory turned around to face the Doctor, who was still performing his shenanigans. "Hey, Rory! Rory! Rory!"
The nurse sighed slightly. "You know, you could have just tapped me on the shoulder, Doctor."
Szac looked puzzled. "How is it that he's the doctor and you're the nurse?"
Rory sighed. "He's not that kind of doctor." Rory rolled his eyes before turning to the Time Lord. "What is it, Doctor?"
The Time Lord turned to look at Rory's egg case. "Oh, well, your egg's shaking, mate."
Rory's eyes widened as he followed the Doctor's gaze, beginning to freak out as he saw his egg's movement. "What? Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This is bad, right? I know it's bad. I followed all of Professor Juniper's instructions too! I didn't expose it to extreme heat or cold, keep it in a safe spot, made sure it didn't get banged around too much, washed it everyday, gave the pillow a good wipe-off everyday, polished the case, and I even read to i-"
Rory was cut off as the Doctor slapped him hard across the left cheek. "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Behind the two men, Szac was laughing at the scene from his bed. "Your egg's hatching, not dying, for God's sake! It's just like eggs on Earth when they shake, for crying out loud!"
Szac perked up. "Earth? Where's that?"
The Doctor waved him off with a dismissive hand gesture. "Nevermind. Rory, take that egg out of the case already. Don't want the Pokemon becoming claustrophobic if it hatches in there. Can't be good for its health if that happens." Rory complied, removing the egg and its cushion and setting them on the floor. "Oh and grab the Pokeball on the lid so you can catch the Pokemon when it hatches." The egg shook several more times before it took on a white glow, eventually shaping itself into a young Pokemon.
"Audino."
The Doctor smiled at Rory's first Pokemon. "Ah, an Audino. Fitting on some subliminal level, Rory, since you're a nurse." Rory nodded and hesitantly reached his right hand out to Audino. The young Pokemon blinked twice before taking the offered hand and stroking it. The Doctor smiled. "Awww... Looks like she likes you already."
Still letting Audino stroke his hand, Rory stared at the Doctor. "How do you know Audino's a female?"
Szac looked slightly puzzled "Yeah, how? By the way, congratulations on your egg hatching, Rory, and sorry if I kept you up since you had to look after me and all."
The nurse muttered his thanks while the Time Lord cupped his chin. "Call it a hunch. If you want to prove or disprove me, feel free to use your Pokedex to check." Rory did as he was told, and found the Doctor to be correct. "Check her moves too. You may want to test out her battling strength later today." The nurse nodded and did as he was told.
Audino's moves: Pound, Sweet Kiss.
The Doctor scratched his head. "Two moves? Well, that is to be expected, since she just hatched and all. I'm sure she'll get stronger. Upon hearing those words, Audino walked slowly over to the Doctor and briefly gave him a hug.
Rory chuckled. "It appears that she likes you as well."
"I have a way with Pokemon."
Szac stared at the Audino. "I think you both do, judging by how comfortable she is with you two."
The Doctor beamed while Rory petted his new Pokemon, turning to face Szac. "Well, Nurse Joy or her Audino will be in here soon with your breakfast. You should probably eat up and get plenty of rest. I'll have to leave Accumula Town soon, but I've instructed Nurse Joy on how to change your bandages."
The Doctor straightened his bow tie. "We should probably get some breakfast ourselves, since the morning's close to over, and we spent much of our time awake today in here with Szac."
The boy looked slightly guilty. "I'm sorry about that."
Rory waved him off. "Oh, don't sweat it. Just doing my job. Say Doctor, any idea where the others are?"
The Time Lord faced his companion. "I believe Miri wanted to take a walk around town and somehow dragged Nathen off with her. Don't know how she did that, by the way. I think Nathen said something about going to the Battle Club as well. Violet and Faye are probably off training somewhere. They did ask yesterday if they could travel with us at least until we reach Striaton City, since they are challenging its gym."
Rory nodded. "Amy's probably still sleeping then. Not that I blame her, since we did come back to the Pokemon Center from the Battle Club quite late yesterday. Waking her up will be a chore, since she's such a heavy sleeper and not to mention incredibly grumpy when you do wake her up. "
The Time Lord shrugged. "Well, we should get ready for breakfast now." Removing two Pokeballs from his belt, the Doctor sent out Tepig and Oshawott, who walked over to introduce themselves to Audino.
Rory looked confused. "Uh, Doctor? Where's Snivy?"
The Doctor's face suddenly sported a mischievous smile. "Oh, I doubt Amy will be sleeping for long..."
(Accumula Town, Pokemon Center, Amy's Bedroom, January 1, 2011, 10:30 a.m.)
The first sight that greeted the Doctor's Snivy when she climbed into the room from the open window was Amy lying fast asleep in her bottom bunk bed, dressed in her pink nightie. Snivy climbed onto the side of the bed and peered at the woman who was peacefully sleeping. It slightly pained the Grass Snake Pokemon to disrupt her rest, but that feeling quickly faded away and was replaced by a smirk when she remembered the Doctor's instructions. Snivy shook from her mind the idea of the thoughts that would run through Amy's head after she was through with the woman.
As quietly as she could, Snivy climbed up one of the bedposts near Amy's legs. She continued her trek to the top bunk, which was occupied by Rory earlier. Hopping into the bunk, Snivy grabbed one of the messy thin blankets lying on the mattress, before throwing it to the floor. Taking one end of the blanket, Snivy leapt into Amy's bunk and tied it to the bedpost. Jumping to the floor again, the Grass Snake Pokemon took the other end of the blanket and hopped back into the woman's bunk, this time using that end to tie Amy's feet together, which were sticking out from the end of her own blanket. Snivy smirked as she made her way over to Amy's face before hopping onto the side of the bed.
The Grass Snake Pokemon dangled her tail down near Amy's nose and began to tickle it, eventually succeeding in getting the woman to sneeze. Snivy frowned when she noticed the Amy did not wake up, and simply turned on her side. The Grass Snake Pokemon's frown was soon replaced by another smirk however, when she noticed that Amy's right cheek was now fully exposed from her vantage point. Snivy swung her tail back like a baseball bat, before bringing it down to smack Amy's cheek hard. The woman's eyes snapped open as her hand went to cup her stinging cheek. Quickly turning her head, she saw Snivy dangling from the side of the bed, a smirk on the Pokemon's face. Amy screamed at being surprised by the Grass Snake Pokemon.
Regaining her composure, the woman glared at Snivy, hand still at her cheek. "What in God's name was that for?" Snivy simply stuck out her tounge at Amy before jumping off the side of the bed into the woman's bunk, before leaping off to land gracefully on the floor. Failing to notice that Snivy had tied her feet to her bed, Amy yelped as she fell out of her bunk and hit the floor hard while attempting to pursue the Grass Snake Pokemon. Snivy jumped onto the window ledge, and gave the woman a final smirk before making her escape onto a nearby tree. Amy looked at her legs, and finally realized why she had fallen out of bed.
"DOCCTTTTOOOORRRRRR!"
(Accumula Town, Pokemon Center, Szac's Bedroom, January 1, 2011, 10:45 a.m.)
Rory jumped as Amy's scream echoed throughout the building, while Szac almost choked on the cereal he was eating for his breakfast in bed.
The Doctor only chuckled. "Yep, if you ask me, Snivy makes a very convincing and persistent alarm clock. And any late risers should now be fully alert, thanks to Amy."
Rory gulped. "Amy will want to kill you now (1)."
Szac swallowed his food and trembled slightly. "Your wife sounds scary, Rory."
The Doctor looked at his watch. "Blimey, it's almost 11 a.m. Guess we'll be having brunch instead, courtesy of your wife, Rory."
The nurse nodded. "Alright. Have a good rest, Szac." The boy murmured his thanks and waved as the Doctor and Rory exited the room.
(Accumula Town, Pokemon Center, Canteen, January 1, 2011, 11:15 a.m.)
In the Pokemon Center's canteen, brunch for the group was, needless to say, initially tense and quiet. Amy sat across the table from the Doctor and Rory, repeatedly shooting dark looks at the Time Lord, which went unnoticed by their intended recipient for the most part, as he was too fixated on his pancakes. After the volatile awakening his wife received, Rory choose to stray away from both the firey woman and the unflappable Time Lord as much as possible, sipping his coffee in awkward silence. Their Pokemon all sat on the floor at the end of the table, each with a dish of Pokemon food.
The silence would soon be shattered by a news report from a widescreen television on the wall. "Reports have come in of a Zekrom sighting in Icirrus City earlier today. The Deep Black Pokemon's cloud struck several buildings with lighting, causing moderate damage. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the attack. This marks the first sighting for Zekrom in 2011, and certainly an eventful way for residents of Icirrus City to begin their year. No pattern of attack or intentions for such attacks from Zekrom has yet been established. The first Zekrom sighting in recent times was reported on March 7, 2010."
People at surrounding tables began conversing. "Funny how we've been getting all these reports on Zekrom appearing all over Unova, and not a single one on Reshi-" A loud thump was heard from under the Doctor's table, drawing a few brief stares from people in the room.
Amy yelped. "Ow! Doctor, you kicked me!"
The Time Lord looked rather sheepish. "Oh, sorry about that, Pond. These tables don't offer that much legroom." Amy scrowled at the Doctor.
By this time, the man had continued talking. "I mean, it is Zekrom's counterpart, and I wonder why it hasn't shown up yet. Isn't its role to maintain balance against Zekrom's destruction?"
Rory reached for his cup of coffee, tuning out the rest of the stranger's conversation. "Another incident by Zekrom. That's one heck-of-a-way to spend New Year's Day for whoever lives in Icirrus City. Where is it anyway?" The Doctor took out his Town Map, and switched it on, spinning the laptop-like device around so the nurse could see its screen, which now displayed an image of Unova.
He pointed to a dot on the southeastern part of the map. "We're here in Accumula Town." The Doctor's finger shifted to a dot on the northwestern part of the map. "And Icirrus City is right there."
Rory peered in for a closer look. "That's quite a distance."
"It is. It's highly likely that we won't set foot in it for a very long while. For Trainers starting their Unova journey from Nuvema Town, the Icirrus City gym is usually the seventh one they challenge."
Rory whistled. "Zekrom must have traveled quite a distance to reach there from Nuvema Town in four days."
"I wouldn't put it past a Pokemon like Zekrom to make that trip in even less time. It is one of Unova's most powerful Pokemon after all."
"We'll have to get there eventually, right?"
"Well, yes, if I am to obtain a badge there. There are only eight gyms in Unova after all, and obtaining all eight badges are needed to enter the Unova League, and perhaps find out more about why Zekrom is now free and roaming the region, when it was supposed to have been sealed away for its destruction."
Amy set down her orange juice and turned to the Doctor. "Say, Doctor?"
The Time Lord switched off the Town Map. "What?"
"Where did you get that..."
"Town Map."
Amy nodded. "Town Map. Where did you get it?"
"I, er, bought it along with my Xtranceiver here." The Doctor pulled up the sleeve of his tweed jacket to reveal the blue Xtransceiver he obtained the previous day, strapped to his arm just above his watch. "Already contacted Professor Juniper and gave her my number." Amy simply nodded. "The Time Lord continued."Well, fun fact. In addition to today being the New Year, it's also the first day of spring."
Rory scratched his head. "But it isn't even March yet."
"Yes, but in Unova, each season lasts for a month, and thus, each season occurs three times a year. The seasons begin and end at the start and end of each month. Spring in particular, occurs in January, May, and September. Consequently, summer happens in February, June, and October, autumn in March, July, and November, and finally, winter in April, August, and December."
Rory was puzzled. "Why is that the case?"
"I believe it's due to the fact that this world orbits its star four times faster than Earth does. Despite that fact, a year on this world lasts as long as one on Earth, as opposed to the four months one would think. Outwardly, both this world and Earth look rather similar."
"So why does a year here last twelve months instead of four?"
The Doctor tapped his fingers against the table. "The White Prince is why. He dictated that a year would span twelve months, though no one has any idea why he made such a declaration. It spread to the rest of the Pokemon world."
Rory nodded. "I see."
"Strangely, the other regions, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh don't seem to have a system of seasons like Unova. The climates in those regions remain relatively constant throughout the year. I suppose that's why it was easier for them to adopt the White Prince's declaration. Anyways, it won't do us much good if we spend the day cooped up in here, so I say we follow the others' example and take a walk around town."
(Accumula Town, Streets, January 1, 2011, 12 p.m.)
The Doctor enthusiastically walked out of the Pokemon Center with his Snivy perched on his left shoulder, his Tepig and Oshawott following at his feet, behind him was Rory and his newly-hatched Audino. Reluctantly bringing up the rear was a slightly sluggish Amy, who looked like she wanted to strangle the Doctor. Amy's Lillipup followed at the feet of her Trainer.
The Time Lord took a deep breath and inhaled the air. "Ah! The first day of 2011! And not to mention the first day of spring! What did Neltje Blanchan say again? Oh yes, 'Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?' There's nothing that can beat this feeling of renewal and rejuvenation!"
Amy scoffed. "Sure there is, Doctor. A relaxing sleep in a nice warm bed, which may I remind you, your Snivy stopped me from enjoying! And you kicked me in the shin at breakfast! I think I still feel it now! Were you wearing cleats?"
The woman glared at the Doctor and his Snivy, which the Grass Snake Pokemon responded to by simply sending a smirk in her direction. Tepig and Oshawott began to chuckle, and so did the Doctor. "Still grumpy eh, Pond? I'm sure that will pass once you get into the spirit of spring!"
"Somehow, I doubt that very highly."
The Doctor chuckled. "Well, to quote Jane Fonda, 'A man has every season while a woman only has the right to spring.'"
Rory chuckled. "How true."
Amy crossed her arms. "Can I exercise my right by returning to bed then?"
The Doctor shook his head in amusement. "Not the first time I've had to face a skeptic, now come on, time's a-wasting!" The Doctor walked off ahead, followed by his Pokemon.
While his Audino stared at the sights of Accumula Town in fascination, Rory turned to face his wife. "It's not that bad, Amy. As Susan J. Bissonette said, 'An optimist is the human personification of spring.'"
Amy groaned. "Oh, don't I know that..."
The Doctor stopped walking and turned around to face Rory and Amy. "Well, what are you two waiting around back for? Come along now. To Christina Rossetti, 'Spring is when life's alive in everything.' Can't waste that now, can we?"
(Accumula Town, Streets, January 1, 2011, 3 p.m.)
"Accumula Town really is quite a small town." muttered Amy after a few hours of taking in the town's sights.
The Doctor turned to face his companion. "That doesn't mean there is not much to see, Pond. Haven't your trips in the TARDIS taught you that?"
Rory shrugged. "Apart from the Pokemon, this place seems realtively similar to a town on Earth, actually."
"You have a point there, Rory. Speaking of which, I have an idea. How about a test?"
"A test, Doctor?"
"Yeah, a test of compatibility. That Audino's your first Pokemon. Why not see how much in sync she is with you through a battle? It'll help her get stronger. Besides, you kept commenting on how you couldn't battle yesterday because she was still an egg."
Rory appeared to consider the idea. "That could work."
Amy crossed her arms. "Hold on, you're just going to agree to that? He's a madman with a box (2)! Besides, Audino just hatched a few hours ago. Is she really fit to battle now?"
The Doctor turned to face his companion. "I assure you, Pond. Some Pokemon are capable of battling well from the moment they're born."
"Well, at least let me battle with Rory."
Amy half-expected the Time Lord to reject the idea, and was surprised when he clapped his hands a few times. "Bravo, Pond, you have just described the concept of the double battle, that's when each side uses two Pokemon in the battle. A great way for them to cooperate, I'll say. Now double battles, as I have said, involve four Pokemon, but the number of participating Trainers can vary. It can be two, where each Trainer uses two Pokemon, three, where a pair of Trainers each using a single Pokemon face off against a Trainer using two, or four, where each Trainer uses a single Pokemon. Some moves even work differently, being capable of striking multiple opponents, and some can even hit your teammate in addition to the opponents, so caution should be used when utilizing them, but none of our Pokemon know such moves right now. So how about it?"
Amy thought for a minute. "I guess that could work. What do you think, Rory?"
The nurse shrugged. "I'm up for it."
The Doctor beamed. "Excellent. There's a field up ahead, shall we?"
"Well, I guess you're up, Audino."
The Hearing Pokemon nodded and stepped forward. "Audino."
Amy gestured to her only Pokemon. "Get ready, Lillipup!" The Puppy Pokemon walked up beside Audino. A silent look between the two Pokemon affirmed that they were on the same side.
The Doctor crossed his arms. "Lillipup and Audino. Well then..." The Time Lord flicked his right hand in a beckoning gesture, signaling Tepig and Oshawott to walk forward and meet their opponents on the other side. Snivy stayed off on the sidelines behind her Trainer. "I'll give you lovebirds a few minutes to discuss strategy." The Time Lord crossed his arms and waited while Oshawott turned around and gave Snivy a wink, causing a faint blush to appear on the Grass Snake Pokemon's face, which she quickly tried to hide.
The Sea Otter Pokemon smiled and turned to his battle partner, speaking quietly out of Snivy's earshot. "Osha. Osha." "She so likes me."
Tepig chuckled. "Pig. Te. Te." "That was so obvious to so many Pokemon at the lab."
"Wott. Osha. Wott. Wott. Osha. Osha. Wott. Wott." "You know, before the Doctor came along, I was afraid that we would all be separated when different new Trainers would eventually come and select their starters."
"Tepig. Tepig. Te. Pig. Pig. Pig." "Yeah, I hear you, pal. That same thought crossed my mind too. I guess we owe a lot to the Doctor."
"Oshawott. Wott. Oshawott. Osha." "Then let's not disappoint him."
"Pig. Pig. Te." "Speaking of disappointing, you want to impress her, don't you?" Oshawott blushed. "Te." "Thought so."
"Osha. Wott. Wott!" "Hey, don't tease me!"
"Te. Te. Te. Pig. Tepig." "Oh relax, we're all friends here. Besides, I have a Lillipup's butt to kick."
"Oshawott. Osha. Osha. Oshawott?" "Still sour about your lost from yesterday, huh?"
"Tepig." "Yeah, so leave him to me."
The Doctor stared at the couple across from him. "Are you two ready now?" Rory and Amy nodded. "Then you may have the first move."
Amy scoffed. "Again, Doctor? Haven't you learned your lesson from last time?"
Tepig and Oshawott appeared to be offended while the Time Lord stared piercingly at the woman. "Don't get too smug, Pond."
Amy waved off the Doctor. "Whatever. Lillipup, use Take Down on Oshawott." The Puppy Pokemon nodded and lunged at the Sea Otter Pokemon.
The Doctor clicked his fingers. "Tepig, defend Oshawott by using Flame Charge to meet Lillipup's attack." The Fire Pig did as he was told, engulfing himself in a cloak of fire before charging at Lillipup.
Amy narrowed her eyes. "I could use some help here, Rory!"
The nurse straightened his frame. "Er, right. Audino, use Sweet Kiss on Tepig." The Hearing Pokemon moved to blow a kiss at the approaching Fire Pig Pokemon in a bid to confuse him.
The Doctor pointed at Audino. "Quick, Oshawott, use Water Gun on Audino!" The Sea Otter Pokemon shot a stream of water from his mouth and successfully struck the Audino, forcing her to cease her attack. At that moment, Tepig and Lillipup collided, and the Puppy Pokemon was forced backwards from the Flame Charge attack. Tepig reared his head back and struck Lillipup with it, knocking the Puppy Pokemon aside. "Oshawott, get in there and target Audino with Razor Shell. Tepig, use Ember on Lillipup." Oshawott removed his scalchop and charged towards Audino while Tepig shot a stream of fire bolts at Lillipup.
Amy's eyes widened. "Lillipup! Dodge that Ember and intercept Oshawott with Bite!" The Puppy Pokemon pursued Oshawott, causing the Ember attack to miss him in the process. Lillipup eventually overtook Oshawott and got in front of Audino, biting down on the Sea Otter Pokemon's hand holding the scalchop when he swung it down with a pillar of water attached to it to strike.
The pillar of water dispersed as Rory capitalized on the opportunity. "Audino, use Sweet Kiss on Oshawott." As Lillipup released his hold on Oshawott, the Hearing Pokemon blew a kiss, from which several pink hearts appeared from her mouth. The hearts swirled around Oshawott before making contact with him, confusing him. The Sea Otter Pokemon walked around in a daze, dropping his scalchop. "Now use Pound." The Hearing Pokemon nodded and her right arm took on a white glow, before she whacked Oshawott across the face with it.
"Lillipup, use Work Up and then Take Down." The Puppy Pokemon nodded and glowed crimson, before slamming into the Sea Otter Pokemon. Oshawott stumbled backwards and tripped on his dropped scalchop, falling flat on his back.
Snivy gasped, her face filled with concern, while the Doctor crossed his arms. "Tepig, help Oshawott by using Tackle on Lillipup." The Fire Pig Pokemon ran towards his target.
Amy narrowed her eyes. "Dodge it!" Lillipup attempted to follow his Trainer's command, but was unable to evade Tepig, who knocked him aside with Tackle.
"Now, use Ember on Audino." Tepig fired off his attack at point-blank range and it hit its target, forcing Audino to back away from his teammate. "Hmmm... Oshawott's still confused, so Tepig, use Flame Charge on Lillipup."
Amy looked intently at the flame cloaked Fire Pig Pokemon headed for her Lillipup. "The Doctor seems to view Lillipup as more of a threat right now, it seems. Okay then, you want to play it that way, huh?" "Lillipup, dodge it!" The Puppy Pokemon dashed out of Tepig's trajectory. "Use Work Up!"
"Ember!" Tepig veered out of his attack and shot fire bolts at Lillipup from his snout, hitting the Puppy Pokemon and causing him to stop using Work Up.
Rory saw his opportunity. "While Tepig's distracted with Lillipup, Audino, keep using Pound on Oshawott!" The Hearing Pokemon complied, repeatedly whacking the downed Sea Otter Pokemon with her arms.
The Doctor visibly tensed. "Tepig, use Tackle on Audino!" The Fire Pig Pokemon began charging toward the Hearing Pokemon in a bid to stop her assault on his teammate.
Amy was quick to respond. "Oh no, you don't! Lillipup, you use Tackle on Tepig!" The Puppy Pokemon immediately pursued the opponent he was designated in a bid to land his attack.
"Turn around and meet Lillipup with Flame Charge, Tepig." The Fig Pig Pokemon halted his Tackle before turning to face the quickly approaching Lillipup. He cloaked himself in fire and ran straight into the Puppy Pokemon, knocking him aside. "Now, use Flame Charge again, this time on Audino!" Tepig nodded and began to head for Audino, cloaked in fire once again.
Rory became alarmed. "Audino, get away from Oshawott so you can dodge that Flame Charge!" The Hearing Pokemon attempted to do as she was told, but Tepig caught up to her, successfully connecting his attack.
Snivy breathed a sigh of relief. "Tepig's Speed is boosted each time he uses Flame Charge, Rory, in case you were wondering." The Doctor turned to look at his Oshawott, who shook his head slightly, and slowly got to his feet. "Ah, looks like the confusion's gone now. Oshawott, retrieve your scalchop quickly!" The Sea Otter Pokemon nodded and began slowly walking towards his weapon, still feeling some residual effects from being confused.
Amy pointed at Oshawott's scalchop. "Oshawott's scalchop is the key to his strong Razor Shell attack. Separating him from it has to be a priority." "Lillipup, knock Oshawott's scalchop as far away as possible with Tackle! Any suggestions, Rory?"
The nurse nodded. "Just one. Audino, use Sweet Kiss on Oshawott."
The Doctor smirked. "Tepig, cover Oshawott and then use Ember on Audino." Taking advantage of his boosted speed, the Fire Pig Pokemon ran in front of Lillipup and shot off his Ember attack before being hit by the Puppy Pokemon's Tackle, giving Oshawott the opening needed to pick up his scalchop, just as Audino was struck by Tepig's attack, disrupting her Sweet Kiss. "And now, use Razor Shell on Audino, Oshawott." The Sea Otter Pokemon took advantage of the Hearing Pokemon's distraction, elongating a pillar of water from the scalchop in his hand, and striking Audino with it. The Hearing Pokemon staggered from the hit, before falling on her back with swirly eyes.
Rory's eyes widened. "AUDINO!"
Amy sighed. "Lillipup, use Work Up and then Take Down on Oshawott!" The Puppy Pokemon charged at the Sea Otter Pokemon, a crimson aura surrounding his body.
The Doctor stared at his Oshawott. "Quick, Oshawott, use Razor Shell again!"The Sea Otter Pokemon ran at the charging Lillipup and swung his scalchop back. Before he coud complete his attack, however, Lillipup hit him with Take Down, the Puppy Pokemon's Attack and Special Attack augmented by Work Up. Oshawott dropped to his knees and fell face first onto the ground, clearly unconscious. Snivy covered her eyes. "Well, Oshawott did take quite some damage from Audino's Pound attacks to him while he was confused. Tepig, Ember!" Tepig nodded and fired his stream of fire bolts at Lillipup from his snout, scoring a clean hit. "Tackle."
Amy gritted her teeth. "Dodge it!"
The Doctor stared smugly at his companion. "I think not." Tepig lunged at Lillipup, who attempted to do as his Trainer had instructed him, but could not evade Tepig due to the Fire Pig Pokemon's increased Speed. Tepig's attack make contact, forcing Lillipup back a few meters. "Flame Charge!" Tepig cloaked himself in fire and lunged at Lillipup, successfully hitting him again. "Ember!" A third attack from Tepig struck his opponent. Flames burst out from underneath the Puppy Pokemon's body, causing him to howl in agony. "Looks like Lillipup's now burned. Ember does have a small chance of doing that."
Amy crossed her arms. "Lillipup, use Bite!" The Puppy Pokemon dashed over to The Fire Pig Pokemon, fangs bared, before latching onto Tepig's side with them. Tepig's eyes narrowed.
"Tepig, use Flame Charge."
"Get away from Tepig, Lillipup!" The Fire Pig cloaked himself in fire. While Lillipup managed to leap away from Tepig in the nick of time, the Fire Pig Pokemon turned around and slammed into the Puppy Pokemon, who yelped as he was knocked a few meters into the air. Lillipup landed in a unconscious heap, his eyes swirly.
The Doctor stared at his companions. "Looks like that's that. You both did well for your first double battle."
Rory looked at the Doctor. "Are you implying that this is not your first double battle, Doctor?"
"Well, we'll see, now wouldn't we?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rory's question went unanswered as the Doctor had walked over to his unconscious Oshawott and picked him up, bringing the Sea Otter Pokemon to the sidelines and setting him down next to Snivy. Tepig followed his Trainer to join his friends.
Snivy rushed over to Oshawott, who was staring to regain consciousness. She lightly whacked him on the cheek with a vine from her shoulder. "Vy. Sni. Vy Snivy!" "Don't worry me like that!"
Oshawott's arm went to rub his cheek slightly as he chuckled. "Oshawott. Oshawott. Wott." "Didn't know you cared."
Snivy pushed Oshawott's arm away from his face and rubbed the spot she whacked him herself. "Vy. Vy. Sni. Vy. Sni." "I do, you silly oaf." The Grass Snake Pokemon gently rubbed the base of the Sea Otter Pokemon's chin with her other vine, causing Oshawott's face to go slightly red. The Doctor and Tepig beamed at the sight.
The Time Lord whispered to the Fire Pig Pokemon. "I definitely see something here, don't you, Tepig?" The Fire Pig Pokemon nodded with a smile. The Time Lord grinned. "I could work something out between them then." Rory and Amy walked over with Audino and Lillipup. "Ah, well I would say that the two of you have the perfect compatibility with your Pokemon. You're forming good bonds with them even though you only knew them for a short time." Audino and Lillipup walked over to the Doctor and bowed slightly.
Rory smiled. "So that was a battle. Well, I had fun, and it was a plus to battle with Amy." The woman blushed. "You've formed good bonds with your Pokemon too, Doctor."
The Doctor beamed. "Why thank you. Since we'll be starting off for Striaton City tomorrow, how about we relax on the grass for a bit? Maybe some cloud gazing? I haven't done that in a long while."
(Accumula Town, Field, January 1, 2011, 3:45 p.m.)
The Doctor smiled as he heard the cries of Pidove flying over himself and his companions. "Ah, the chirping of Pidove. Brings to mind that quote from Francis M. Chapman, who said that 'Spring would not be spring without bird songs.' Winter is over now, and Pliny the Elder remarked that 'From the end spring new beginnings.'" The Time Lord and his companions were lying on the grass with their Pokemon, looking up at the clouds. "Hey Amy, this remind you of our encounter with Vincent van Gogh (3)?"
The woman continued to look up. "I suppose he got some inspiration from doing this."
"I don't doubt that." The Doctor sighed contently. "'Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.', according to W. Earl Hall."
Rory pointed in the sky at a cloud. "I think that one looks like a Minccino."
The Doctor smiled and pointed at a different cloud. "Yeah? I think that one looks like a Beartic."
"What's a Beartic?"
"Don't worry, Rory. I'm sure you'll see one on our travels later on."
"I see. Must be a Pokemon then."
"It is."
Amy looked hesitantly at the sky, before pointing at a cloud. "I suppose that one resembles a Pidove."
The Doctor's eyes followed Amy's finger. "That looks about right."
Rory perked up. "You know, I wondered why Unova's cities and towns had cloud-derived names."
Amy looked at her husband. "Such as?"
"Think about it. Nuvema Town, Accumula Town, Striaton City, Nacrene City, Icirrus City... They all have what sound like types of clouds or cloud-related words in their names. So I asked Nurse Joy."
"And what did you learn?"
"It turns out that cloud gazing was one of the White Prince's favourite hobbies. He did it fairly often too. When he took the throne, Unova's settlements were all little more than armed forts scattered across the region. When the first of such forts became an organized town, he himself named it Castelia Town, now Castelia City. When other settlements followed and built themselves up from simply being armed forts, they also took on cloud-like names."
"Another contribution by the White Prince..." remarked Amy.
The Doctor sported a large smile that went unnoticed by the couple. He pointed to a cloud. "I think that one looks like Reshi-" The Time Lord abruptly stopped himself and closed his eyes, a single teardrop flowing down his cheek.
Rory turned to face the Doctor. "You okay, Doctor?"
The Doctor sighed. "I'm fine, Rory. Don't worry about this old man." Amy felt like pressuring the Doctor to finish his earlier sentence, but stopped when she saw a few more teardrops flow down the Time Lord's cheek. She got up and crawled over to the Doctor, holding out a white handkerchief, which the Time Lord quietly took. "Thank you, Amy."
The woman stared on. "Don't get me wrong, I've still ticked at what you did to me earlier today, Doctor, but it's still the first day of spring. 'No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.', that's what Hal Borland said, right?" A soft smile graced the Doctor's features as he wiped his eyes with the handkerchief, his companions and all their Pokemon silently looking on.
Author's notes: I suppose this chapter was partly an excuse to focus on the Doctor's companions and show off my ability to quote famous people. Well, I feel that I might have been neglecting attention on them lately in favor of showcasing OCs, so this is a break of sorts from that. Here's this chapter's glossary.
(1) This is a reference to a line used by Rory in the episode "Amy's Choice" when the Doctor accidently upsets some flowers in the couple's garden.
(2) In the episode, "The Eleventh Hour", Amy called the Doctor a "madman with a box" as one of her first impressions of him, something which he immediately enthusiastically confirmed.
(3) In the episode "Vincent and the Doctor", set during a trip to Auvers-sur-Oise in 1890 to visit Vincent van Gogh, the artist invited the Doctor and Amy to see things as he saw them, lying down on the grass to look at the night sky for inspiration.
If anyone's still interested, OCs are still being taken. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. Flames will be deleted.
For credits:
Szac Selthez belongs to Joker'sTwinBro-FlameOfRecca's.