So it has been a little while since the last chapter. Sorry about that, I'm in the middle of five straight weeks of nursing placement! But here is the next chapter :) hope you enjoy.
Location – Hoenn three badges.
Age – 13.
Route 111.
"And then the crazy thing decided to wait!" Felix flailed his arms a little to convey his confusion, and relief, that his story took such a turn. "Monologuing all about 'It'll be so much sweeter if they get here to watch' I mean, what the hell was that?"
"Sounds like a seriously messed-up pokémon," Tristan said. "But I'm glad it didn't kill you. I'd never have met you then, and I'd be really sad about that."
"How would you know to be sad?" Malissa countered back. "If you'd never met short-stuff, you'd never have known."
"Well yeah," Tristan allowed. "But-"
"Imagine if trainer-friend hadn't caught me!" Joey gasped, circling around the assembled masses as they walked onward. "I'd still be stuck with the CRAZY humans! I'd not be allowed to change the weather whenever I wanted too, and would have to listen to them and stuff. That'd suck so much!"
"See," Tristan said. "Joey get's that-"
"I know I'd be worse off if I was still in the wilds," Tyson, the scizor having rejoined the team the previous day, interrupted. "I'd be dead for one. Although..." he rubbed his head with a pincer, looking Felix up and down. "I remember that little incident. That specific incident with the psychotic pikachu happened after I joined the team. Not long too... suppose I'd still be alive then."
"Comforting," Felix drawled. "Always lovely to hear, thank you Tyson."
"You're welcome."
"Haha, you are funny," Zephyr laughed, fluttering down to perch on Tyson's shoulder. "I like that. Keep doing it please."
"I'm not sure what I did," Tyson replied, mentally stopping himself from shrugging and displacing the taillow. "I simply speak truthfully."
"Yes," Felix agreed. "Speaks his mind. A lot. No holding back. Just says whatever."
"I was led to believe that it was an admirable quality?" Tyson replied, innocence filling his tone.
"No." Felix stood his foot down. "I'm not having this conversation again."
"You do tend to appear foolish." Tyson nodded. "A wise choice."
Tristan took this moment to remind everyone he was still there. "Well I'm happy that Felix is still alive. I hope he stays this way forever. No evil pikachu is going to get you on my watch," Tristan said heatedly.
Smiling that one of them was on his side, Felix scooped Tristan up and gave him a hug. "Thank you. At least someone here loves me."
"You're alright," Malissa said.
"You saved me from the crazy humans!" Joey reiterated. Again.
"Our combined power shall rue all our enemies days, crazy electric pokémon might be a little bit of a problem, but nothing the swift Zephyr cannot handle!" The aforementioned bird grandstanded.
"It is true that Keira isn't here, but what is love anyway?" Tyson asked.
"So does this kind of thing happen a lot?" the sixth member of their team finally spoke up. "Psychotic human-killing pokémon? Anything else I should know about?"
"Well..." Felix began, tilting his head and glancing to Tyson. "There was all the other pokémon attempting murder of us."
"The attacks from Team Rocket," Tyson added.
"The zombie-ghost-monster-thing from the beyond."
"The beedrill war."
"The thing with a lugia and a trio of legendary birds."
"That water city that tried to eat us."
"The other zombies. Also that city raised the dead too! Zombie trifecta."
"That candle pokémon that tried to eat our souls."
"The plane crash I was in."
"One cave-in I was in. Two others I've only heard of."
"A muk nearly dissolving me."
"Falling off a cliff."
"Adrien trying to eat me and Keira."
"The boat sinking."
"The-"
"Okay!" the questioner cut in. "I get it. You're obviously desensitised to this stuff if you can speak so casually, but some of us might need some time to grow accustomed to it." Huffing, she gestured to the younger members of the team.
"Are you okay?" Tristan immediately said.
"Are you sure you're not dead?" Malissa asked. "Or undead? Since you seem to run into that kind of stuff a lot."
"Oh my gosh!" Joey squealed, changing the weather for only the third time that day. To hail.
"Th-that's not scary," Zephyr claimed, fluffing out from what was clearly a display of masculinity. "I can tell you of four times WAY scarier than that that I went through. First there was..."
"Guys it's okay," Felix assured. "It really doesn't happen that often. Most of them weren't even connected to me, I just, sort of, stumbled into them or had them come to me. It's no big deal."
"If it happens randomly, how can we possibly prepare for further incidents?" the newcomer asked. "I would be more comfortable if my, and everyone else's, relative safety had at least a plan."
"Isolde." Felix knelt down to his newest addition. They had only recently reached Route 111, just having left Mauville City. "Are you okay with all this?" Felix asked. "We only met a few hours ago, you sure you don't want to get to know us all a little more before we continue on?"
The kirlia gazed back with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But of course I wish to come along. There is nothing left for me here, and I certainly cannot survive on my own. It is well understood among pokémon that being with a human is the best way to become safe." Isolde performed a small curtsy before glancing past Felix with a smile, directed right at Tristan. "And if something amiss does happen, well, it isn't like I will be alone. You have plenty of pokémon to defend us all with, even more than this assortment would imply."
It had been quite an afternoon. Felix was coming to decide it was something odd about Hoenn. The region had some of the friendliest, or outright directest, pokémon he had ever met. Getting approached by a kirlia was an interesting way to begin to day; Tristan had immediately bounded over, tripped, made her laugh and spent only ten minutes speaking to her before the kirlia asked to come along.
Part of Felix wondered what it was with his pokémon that led multiple of them to effectively recruit other pokémon of their own volition to the team. Not that he could ever say no. Tristan had recently evolved into a marshtomp and was still getting used to walking around on two legs, but remained utterly, endearingly, positive that sidling up to Felix and muttering an embarrassed request to bring this kirlia along with them, couldn't be refused.
Shira hadn't been a problem though, so Felix was happy to dig out a spare pokéball for the kirlia, quickly naming her Isolde to match the mon that brought her into their ever-growing group.
Isolde had accepted the capture device with barely a rock of the pokéball and was immediately let out to get to know the team, sidling up timidly to Tristan and remaining by his side as the conversation moved on from the quiet kirlia to matters relating to Felix's constant threats to his life.
It would be some time before she would say the same of Felix as Tristan had earlier that day...
You know, when I first started giving names to my pokémon, I had a lot of trouble. The Hoenn Team was the first proper one and only Zephyr was easy to name. I ultimately named the gardevoir I had on team Isolde, to match the swampert named Tristan, but I originally was going to call her Jade. Dunno why, just seemed like an alright name. I like Isolde more though, even if she acts nothing like the mythological Isolde :P
So these do seem to be getting a wee bit smaller. Ultimately due to the fact that out of all the pokémon Felix has already caught, and possibly even those yet to come, Isolde was the easiest. Her conversation with Tristan was scarcely more than a "How do you do?" before she asked to come along. No hidden agenda to her abrupt appearance or eagerness to join up with a human, oh my word no, not at all...
However! While I cannot say for certain how long the next chapter will be, the final seventh member of the Hoenn Team has much more planned in mind! So never fear.
