Review Responses: Professor Yuki - I'm suddenly afraid of you.
harison86 - Excuuuuuuuuuse me?
awyeah21 - Axel's a special case. Trust me, it would make sense if you knew his backstory. But this ain't his story, so I ain't telling what it is. It has been told though. When? You'll have to figure that out yourself.
Chapter 14: Ellen
"Is he awake yet?"
"Is he even alive?"
"Is he magic?"
I opened my eyes with a headache worming its way around in my brain. I found myself staring up at a a shadowed wood ceiling. The light flickered, and the reason was obvious. I felt the warmth of a fire radiate directly into my body. I lay in a cot, my back aching from the roughness of it. I sat up in the bed when I realized I was no longer in the desert. Now fully aware of my surroundings, my eyes darted around the small hut, eventually focusing on a young woman standing next to the fire pit.
Her hair was a thick brown and cut extremely short. She wore tattered robes with holes cut in them every few inches. Three children clung to her ankles. Two boys and a little girl. Each hardly looked eight years old. I initially pulled back from them before the woman gave me a warm smile. I was still wary though, I was ready to fight anyone who tried anything funny.
"Hello. What is your name?" The woman asked. I didn't respond. "Are you alright?" I stayed quiet. "Can you tell me where you came from?" No answer from me. "Please?"
"Mother asked you a question!" The shorter boy scolded me. "You're being very rude!"
I wasn't listening. My eyes were darting to the exits. The vacant and dark doorway as well as the open wooden window frame that led out into the dark of night.
"Now now," the woman reprimanded her child. "Remember. We live in Opelucid Village. We do not have hostilities for no reason."
Opelucid? I thought.
I bolted from the cot and climbed out the window. I sniffed the air as I dashed away from the wooden hut. The atmosphere...it smelled fresh, like pine trees. The dew on the grass beneath my bare feet had an air of freshness to it. Yes, it was definitely early in the evening. I got on all fours, like a wild beast and then began to run like one. West was where I needed to go. But to know where that was, I'd have to wait until morning.
I was coming up upon a forest. Perfect. I climbed up the nearest tree with strength that hardly surprised me. I took refuge in the branches and shut my eyes, waiting patiently for morning.
And then I was cold again. I'll make a long story short this time. I was in the blackness. I was freezing. Two soft and very comfortable things wrapped around me and I was instantly warmed.
"You're close now..." The voice told me. And it may have been the haziness of the dream, but it almost sounded...excited. "I can sense your presence."
"Not to sound like a broken record but, who are you?"
"I will tell you."
"But not now, right?"
"No. Not now. I just wished to see you once more, before you reach the city, my friend."
"But why? Why are you-?"
"I am very sorry. But I cannot tell you. Not until you've reached Nacrene City."
"Why-?"
"The Nacrene museum. I'll be waiting."
"Ugh..." I blinked awake with a rotten taste in my mouth. Grogginess had set in, and I wasn't exactly in a sleeping position that was good to my spine. I was leaned up against a tree, and it took me a moment to remember why.
The splashing noises were like a cure for amnesia. I opened my eyes wide. I yawned and recalled what I was doing here. It had been a week since the last run-in with Yuki. It had been a further walk to Nacrene City than I thought. It had been the perfect opportunity to train a little bit though. In fact, we'd trained so frequently that we had taken a break so I could let everyone out to stretch their legs. It was a nice spot. Open clearing in the forest cover, with a pond for Witt to swim around in. Tony was making a game out of it, coming as close as he could to the water before Witt tried to splash him away. Joel was taking one of his traditional naps in the branches above my head. And as for me, I guess I had dozed off while polishing up the egg in my lap. Wait, was I forgetting someone? It sure felt like it as the sunlight filtered through the leaves above my head, splaying across my eyes like a pair of glasses.
"Mhm," Iva made a small noise in her sleep. I turned my head to my side. Yipes! She hadn't been napping against me before I fell asleep. But she was sure there now. She really had warmed up to me. And cuddled up to me for that matter. This was ridiculously sudden. Not that I was complaining or anything. Better than her giving me black eyes atop black eyes, that's for sure.
I leaned back and relaxed. These dreams just kept getting weirder. First it was just the person who refused to be seen in that cold and desolate void. But now, it was like the dreams were becoming a series of books. Last time I'd been in a desert, but somehow I was...I was...dang it. It was already fading. I hate it when dreams do that. It's especially frustrating when you know it was interesting.
Oh well. I had a healthy egg, it was a brilliant day, and I had a Snivy that wasn't trying to snap my neck. Overall, life was good. And I wouldn't change it for the world.
"BLITZ! BLITZ! BLITZLE!"
"SLOW DOWN!"
"Yeah! Slow down already!"
Oh great. The world must have heard that little comment. Because life was being mixed up. It was as if a bolt of lightning was charging through the clearing in front of me. And in a way, it was. A Blitzle was stampeding it's way towards the clearing. I could see him coming from the right, and boy, he was really punching it. He was charging ahead faster than I put my hat on in the morning. And I had clocked myself in at three seconds.
But wait, the Blitzle wasn't alone. But it's not like he didn't want to be. There was someone riding him. The electric zebra was trying with all his might to buck him or her off. And I, still half asleep, just sat there staring confusedly at the approaching figures. They blasted past me and kicked up a wind current as they did so, knocking my hat clean off. Now, he was going to fast for me to see the human on his back. But I definitely saw the pokemon clinging to his tail for dear life.
"Zorua...?" I said simply.
But that was to be the least of my worries since Iva just woke up. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. That was quite a wind current. And when she stood up, boy was she steamed! She heard the hoofbeats of the Blitzle that had caused it, and she was already on it. She leaped away, getting on the trail in a heartbeat.
"Wait Iva-! Crud!" Well, there went relaxation time. I grabbed the egg's open case and carefully placed it inside. I put the top back on the case and stored it away in my bag. I then snatched up my pokeballs and recalled the three still with me as fast as I could. "Sorry guys. Party's over. Wait up Iva!"
I went after her, into the forest. And I was lost in seconds. The only thing that guided me through this labyrinth of tree cover were the leaves on Iva's tail. I would see them just as they vanished behind a tree. Whoever was trying to pilot this Blitzle's path, they apparently didn't feel like going in a straight line. I made a remarkable amount of twists and turns into the unfamiliar shadowed woods. Iva's tail was the only thing guiding my way. But on the bright side, I was quite used to running by this point. What with Iva's former attempts on my life and all the practice I got in chasing after Alicia. It was no chore to keep up.
Eventually the forest cover began to dwindle. The forest became less and less of a maze, and pretty soon, it wasn't just Iva's tail I was following, but Iva herself. I turned behind one last tree and...there went the forest. I emerged in a field. But it was a poor excuse for a field since there was a lake right next to it. And on the other side, I could see it.
"Hey! Cool! Nacrene City!" It was still a little far, but if I hurried I could reach it by tonight. Awesome! It almost made me forget that I was chasing someone. And for a minute, I actually had. When I finally remembered Iva, she was already closing in on the Blitzle and his 'rider' on the lakebed. I didn't know what she was doing and I didn't care. On the plus side, we were making record time. Wait, what was I saying? For all I knew, Iva could be going rogue again.
But today, like the past few days, she surprised me. Once she was close enough, Iva got her Vine Whips ready. And though the Blitzle's legs were nothing but a blur, she used her vines and managed to coil them around one. For a split second, I grinned. And then that grin came crashing down into an expression of horror when Iva's eyes widened and she collapsed. The Blitzle was stronger than her apparently, since her vines came untangled from the leg like a shoelace, only making the Blitzle stumble. Not trip over completely.
"Zorua! Now's your chance! Use Grass Knot!" I heard the girl hanging on for dear life shout back to her Zorua. And two seconds later, surprisingly, the Blitzle tripped, his maw slamming into the grass below. "Yee-haw! Looks like I wrangled me a Blitzle!"
Yeah. Because of Iva. I thought while crossing my arms. She wasn't very observant if you ask me. And speaking of Iva, she was still getting up. I ran over to her, fast as I could. I reached to help her up but she gave me a glare and got up herself. I backed up a little, knowing not to bother her when she got like this. Trust me it's a bad idea to cross her. But the good news was, she didn't seem mad at me. No she turned her glares of hatred at the group of creatures before her. I didn't know why she was so crabby. The Blitzle had just been going too fast.
"Alright! Zorua! We did it! We caught a Blitzle!" Was she serious? She hadn't caught that thing just yet. In fact, she was so sure she caught it, that she stepped off the zebra. And he got up right away. And the girl was too busy pumping her fists in the air to notice that her 'wrangled catch' was getting away. But lucky for her, her Zorua did. The tricky fox pokemon slid in front of the electric type, blocking his escape.
"You know, it would help if you had tossed a pokeball!" I shouted sarcastically at the girl, who's face I still couldn't see because her back was turned.
"Oh yeah! Forgot about that!" I rolled my eyes along with Iva. Now she had to battle that Blitzle since he had gotten up. Luckily, it seemed I didn't need to point this out to her. She was getting ready for the upcoming fight. And by getting ready, I mean she jumped right in.
"Zorua! Use Shadow Ball!" Zorua prepped the ball of darkness at her maw, but Blitzle was ready to respond. The zebra's body sparked up with electricity, and in the blink of an eye, a ball of electric energy began to form at his lightning bolt-shaped horn. The attack suddenly turned into a beam which aimed at the Shadow Ball, not only colliding with the attack, but pushing past it and charging towards Zorua.
"Dodge that!" Zorua complied, diving out of the way just in time. I was suddenly in wonder. That was one powerful electric attack. It certainly was worthy of me bringing out my pokedex.
"Charge Beam. An attack that can raise the user's electrical power."
Awesome. I was considering catching this one myself. But I was an honorable man. And the girl got to him first. Besides, I already dealt with one pokemon that didn't want to be with me. I didn't feel like pushing my luck with another.
"Ooooooh! I'm tired of this!" Blitzle must have heard her and tried to end it. He got another Charge Beam ready, but this girl wouldn't have it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. She unfurled it, making sure the contents were facing towards Zorua and away from me. "'Kay Zorua, transform into this!"
Zorua looked it over, blinked, then nodded. She jumped in the air and started flipping at an alarming rate. And suddenly Zorua was wrapped in a bright pink aura. I pulled back in surprise, and did so once again when Zorua stopped this little trick. Because Zorua was no longer there. Instead there stood a blue and black mole with a white face and large brandished claws. A Drilbur to be precise. But even though I recognized it, I still felt like bringing out the pokedex for fun.
"Zorua. The tricky fox pokemon. Zorua changes into the forms of others to surprise them. Apparently, it often transforms into a silent child."
Oh great. My pokedex was going faulty. That's all I needed. That clearly wasn't Zorua. Well, N would be happy I guess. This thing was glitching out on me. I gulped. The professor would kill me if she knew I just broke her prototype pokedex. But then again...maybe I didn't. An idea began to form in my head. I was feeling smart today. Zorua was a shape shifter. Ha. I hadn't broken the pokedex after all. I knew I wasn't incompetent.
I may have figured it out, but Blitzle was still out of the loop apparently. He was suddenly concerned. He was backing away when he saw the ground type illusion before him. It appeared that he really thought there was a Drilbur in front of him. Which means he thought that his attacks wouldn't work. Pretty sneaky.
"Grass Knot!" Blitzle might have been trying to get away. But he hardly had an escape route when two strands of grass behind one of his back hooves suddenly grew like magic and tied themselves together. Blitzle's hoof was caught on the knot and the zebra tripped backwards, landing on his back, dumbfounded.
"Wrap it up with Shadow Ball!" Zorua did away with her disguise and became Zorua once again. I knew it. She had shape-shifted. But she no longer needed that form. Blitzle was helpless before Zorua's Shadow Ball. The impact came and Blitzle was knocked twenty feet towards me, tumbling all the while. He'd fainted.
"AH!" The girl suddenly shouted. I had to jump back again. She was suddenly freaking out verbally as she searched through her backpack for something. "OH NO! WHICH ONE DO I USE?"
"What's happening?" I shouted the question as she continued to fumble in her bag. She should have hurried up. Bllitzle was already beginning to stir.
"I...I don't know which pokeball to use!"
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? JUST USE ONE?"
"Oh. Ha ha. Right! Duh!" Ugh. Sometimes I think crazy people just flock to me. After some more digging, the girl pulled out a pokeball and enlarged it. But it was no ordinary pokeball. Instead of having a red half opposite the silver one, this ball was green. And around the button of this pokeball, there were tiny red splotches. I recognized it immediately as a friend ball. A pokeball that made the captured pokemon friendlier. I was lucky to even see this thing before she threw it. She was quick with her hands. "Friend ball go!"
She missed.
Yes, I'm darn serious. The pokeball was tossed in a beautiful arc, and looked like it was right on target. But all it did was land with a thud next to the twitching Blitzle. I facepalmed, as did Iva. I heard a sigh. I opened my eyes, seeing that it was Zorua who now shook her head, as if this had happened a billion times before.
"Whoops. Missed again." The girl said, rubbing the back of her head. Zorua appeared to take pity on her and approached the pokeball. She nudged it with her nose, pushing it into the Blitzle and activating the catching sequence. It opened up wide and converted Blitzle into red energy. The red energy then flowed into the ball, causing it to snap shut. The ball began to rock, blinking all the while. It rolled...
...once...
...twice...
...thrice...
"Ding." The ball stopped shaking. The capture had been successful.
"YEAH!" The girl cheered as she dashed towards her pokeball. Zorua hopped up onto her shoulder and snickered in joy. And she had a right to. She'd battled expertly. And the trainer had been no slouch herself. She spun around and posed for her catch.
And I nearly fainted myself.
"We caught us a Blitzle!" Alicia declared to the heavens. Okay, something here didn't add up. Since when did Alicia have a Zorua? And since when was she this enthusiastic about...every...thing...oh. Yeah, I'm an idiot. That wasn't Alicia. I facepalmed again. I couldn't believe I was that stupid. Of course it wasn't Alicia. It was her sister. Ellen.
"Oh. Hello. Don't I know you?" Ellen said politely as I approached with Iva climbing onto my shoulder.
"Uh...yeah. It was back when-"
"Yeah. You're the hot dog salesman aren't you?"
"What? No I'm-"
"Well I know you tried to sell me something. Don't tell me, I'll get it."
"I really doubt you will." Admittedly, I said that comment softly enough so that she wouldn't hear. But it was true nonetheless.
"Hmm. Was it my new socks? No that's not it. Uhh, that empty water bottle, no you don't look crafty enough to pull that off-"
"A-hem!"
"Right, sorry. Wait...you're from the contest aren't you?"
"Yes. I am. I'm the guy who-"
"You're part of that rotten Team Plasma, I knew it!"
"Finally you...wait WHAT?"
"First you take my sister and now you've come for me! Well I'm not buying it!" Ellen grabbed her pokeball and returned Zorua to it. I saw her reach behind her back, where I guess she kept her pokeballs, and replaced the pokeball with a friend ball. "Blitzle I choose you!"
"Wait wait! Hold on a minute here-"
"Your silver tongue won't sway me!" What is this? The middle ages? Whatever. She tossed the friend ball, and in an oddly weakened flash of light, Blitzle emerged. You would think, since she just caught him, that he would be a little hostile towards her. But no. He just stood there. Stomping and snarling at me of all people.
"Just listen, I'm not-"
"-not a threat? As if! I know you Plasmas! You sound like you're doing good! But sound sound and reality are two different things!"
"Gah!" I facepalmed once again. I was getting nowhere with this. "Fine then! If this'll prove I'm not-"
"Not what? Crazy? Guess what! You're dead wrong!"
"...Iva. Can you please handle this?" Iva nodded, gracefully leaping off my shoulder and landing before Blitzle with style. "Fine. Since you obviously won't listen to me-"
"I'll never listen-!"
"Iva use Leaf Tornado!" Iva jumped and her tail started vibrating, preparing for Leaf Tornado!
"Blitzle use Double Team!" Darn. Ellen was playing smart today. Blitzle's form began to vibrate, and in seconds, two pairs of Blitzle had appeared beside him. And then two more. And then two more. Long story short, we were in a pickle. Iva was confused. Her teeth were clenched and she wasn't sure which one to hit.
"Iva! Use Vine Whip on all of them!" Iva spun in midair so that she had a good shot with her vines. They shot at the clones of Blitzle. And the moment they made contact, the zebra clones disappeared in a puff of black smoke. And when the smoke cleared...there was no longer any Blitzle there. Clone or otherwise. "What the-?"
"Ha! Now Roar!" I was confused. How could she be attacking? And since when could a Blitzle learn Roar? If I recalled right, you couldn't even tutor that move to them. But forget that! I had to find out where the attack would be coming from. I looked to my left. Nothing but a rock. I looked to the right. Nothing but the lake. I was confused. Or at least, I was until the sound of a massive roar came from my left. Iva was hit with the sound wave before she had any hope of reacting. Suddenly, my new friend was converted into red energy and was zapped back into her pokeball with no choice in the matter. And once she was back in, Witt's heal ball opened wide, releasing him into the battle.
"Huh?" Witt looked at his surroundings, confused. I was a little stumped myself. I looked to the left again. There was Blitzle! How did I miss him? Uh oh. I just realized. Roar gave us a terrible matchup. If Blitzle landed an attack, we were in deep trouble. He'd have to keep that scalchop handy for defense.
"Witt! Water Gun!" Witt may have been confused. But if there was one thing Witt wasn't, it was slow on the uptake. He shrugged his confusion off with an evil grin and and blasted water at Blitzle with surprising force.
"Ah! Get out of there!" Huh? Why was she so concerned? Blitzle was really booking it to get away from Witt's Water Gun. That was weird. He looked genuinely concerned he might get hit by that water attack. But it wouldn't affect him too much.
"Okay Witt! Since they're running scared, let's drive 'em towards the lake!" Witt complied, chasing Blitzle while continuing to pump Water Gun at his feet. Blitzle kept running, and I hoped it stayed that way. Blitzle reached the edge of the water and dug his hooves in to stop. It was Witt's time to shine. "Witt! Use-"
"Hold up a sec! I wanna try something!" Well that was rude. Interrupting me like that. But it was all for a good cause. Witt turned off the Water Gun and placed the tips of his arms together. He slowly spread them apart and water began to form between them. The orb of water built up, more and more, until I was able to recognize it as-
"You learned Water Pulse? Awesome!" I shouted as Witt set it loose. Ha. And it looked like Blitzle couldn't do a thing to counter it. He was backed into a corner and that Water Pulse was coming in way too fast. Finally, I would land a hit.
"Shadow Ball! Quick!" A shadow ball built up at Blitzle's muzzle and he launched it with gusto. The attacks collided, knocking Witt flat on his back from the shock wave.
Wait...Blitzle used...Shadow Ball...WAIT A SECOND!
"HEY! SOMETHING'S FISHY HERE!" I shouted to no one in particular. Ellen gulped. And she had every reason to. I was figuring out her little ruse. I brought out my pokedex and started searching through the entries.
"Uh...Uh..." Ellen was panicking. She wasn't sure what to do. So she just said the first thing that came to her head. "Shadow Ball!"
"No dice! Witt, use Water Gun and blast that Shadow Ball right back!" Blitzle shot his projectile, and Witt used his own weapon of destruction. Shadow Ball began on a straight and true course, but the Water Gun's propulsion was far too strong. The Shadow Ball rebounded like a basketball, plummeting back and striking Blitzle, staggering him. "Follow up with Water Pulse!" Witt wasted no time in launching a Water Pulse and knocking him into the water.
"YEAH! Way to go Witt!" I praised my otter friend as he snickered maniacally. I'd find it weird, but hey I was used to it. "Yeah! Guess that battle with Alicia wasn't a total loss! Frillish got you to learn Water Pulse!"
"Alicia?" Ellen spoke up. "Hey...you battled my sister?"
"Yes," I said impatiently. "She's kind of after me."
"I don't get it." Ellen crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Why is a Plasma member after another Plasma member?"
"Gee." I was getting sarcastic at this point. "It's almost like, I'm not a member of Team Plasma."
"Yeah...that is strange and- ...oh," Ellen's face slowly became plastered with realization. It was satisfying to see that, albeit a little awkward.
"Yeah." I crossed my arms right back at her as she audibly gulped. She was finally getting it. I never met anyone with a worse memory. Well, maybe Cheren. He couldn't even remember my name.
"Oh no! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed as she bowed in a sense of apology. I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment, as did Witt. Though I think he might have just been trying to make fun of me. I may have been mad, but it didn't call for such a large apology. "Why didn't you speak up earlier?"
"Well I tried, but you have a tendency to-"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Joel and her together would make a perfect pair. "I assume too much. I know. It happens all the time, I'm sorry. And I'm also sorry...for my sister."
"Your sister?"
"She's, um, after you isn't she?"
"It's complicated. Don't worry about it. But you're not your sister. Why should you be apologizing?"
"Well, she is my sister-"
"So what? You're not responsible for the choices she's made."
"But...well...I guess not. Thanks."
"Hey no prob."
"Any way I can make this up to you?"
"Well, if I'm being honest, I kinda want to finish this battle."
"Why?"
"Mostly 'cause it was just getting good. Is Zorua still good to go?"
"Yeah, she'll be just...HEY! How did you know that was Zorua?" Ellen was going on just as 'Blitzle' emerged from the water and shook violently so that the fur fell off his body. "That illusion is perfect."
"This," I replied simply, holding up my pokedex. "I looked up Zorua. I know she can expand her illusions outside the pokeball she's in. Which is how you made it look like Blitzle's. And the clues were obvious. I mean, I don't think Blitzle can learn Roar or Shadow Ball at all."
"Yeah that was a dead giveaway, wasn't it?" Ellen shook her head in disappointment as Blitzle jumped up and was suddenly surrounded with the pink aura of the illusion. And when Blitzle landed, Blitzle was no longer Blitzle. But a smirking Zorua. "But if you want a battle, we don't need illusions to do it! We're pretty strong on our own you know! For example, use Roar!"
Zorua roared all right. Admittedly, it was a little squeakier because of how smaller Zorua was, but she still roared loud enough to throw back Witt a few feet before he was zapped back into his heal ball. And we came full circle when Iva's pokeball burst open, releasing one very irritated snake. She glared at Zorua, somehow aware that that snickering little fox was what she had been fighting earlier. But surprisingly (and quite pleasantly) she waited for my word before attacking. It was so great to finally have her on my side.
Okay, I've lost these last few battles, I thought to myself, remembering my scrapes with Alicia and Yuki in which I stood absolutely no chance. Time to get back on track. I'm gonna win this one. That's all there is to it!
"Iva start us off with a Leaf Blade!"
"Stop it with Grass Knot!" Iva crouched, getting ready for her jump into Leaf Blade. But before she could make the big leap, Zorua's eyes glowed green for just a moment. And when they did, two strands of grass beneath Iva seemed to react on their own, as if by magic. They grew at an insane speed, almost like someone hit the fast forward button on life. The strands of grass gained sentience as they quickly rose above Iva's head and tying themselves together. And as a result of this knot, Iva's jump was interrupted and she was sling-shot-ed back to the earth, slamming into the dirt with a thud.
"Crud. That's one tricky move," I said to myself with clenched teeth. Iva got up and slashed at Grass Knot with Leaf Blade just to get revenge. "Okay Iva, use Vine Whip! Get her from a distance!"
"Double Team!"
"Crud! Forgot about that!" This Zorua must be all about the tricks. Because a couple seconds later, I was dealing with more Zorua clones. And I just knew that if we swept through all of them, she'd just trick me by turning into a rock or something. Then attack when I wasn't expecting it.
"Oh doofus," I heard Iva say as I started to get frustrated. That feeling all but vanished when I saw Iva's face. She was smiling. Not only that, but she gave me a wink. She wasn't worried. I didn't get it. Well, I didn't until I put an ounce of brainpower into it.
Yeah. It was time to trick the trickster. Iva lashed out with Vine Whips blazing. Ellen grinned. She thought she knew what was coming. But no one was expecting this.
"Now stop!" Iva complied, ceasing the journey of her vines just before making contact with the clones. You want to know why I stopped? Because one Zorua had just stepped back, almost to avoid the vines. I knew it. That was the plan all along. And now the real Zorua was gonna pay for that little stunt earlier.
"Eep!" Ellen exclaimed, her Zorua looking just as flustered by our little ruse as her.
"Ha! Use Vine Whip on that one!" Iva's vines were faster than Zorua's feet. They wrapped around her tail, as she tried to get away from their grasp. But it was no good. Iva slowly rose the struggling fox above her head, dangling her several feet in the air.
"Grrr. How'd you do that?"
"Elementary my dear Ellen! Back when Zorua turned into Blitzle, you used the same strategy. The disappearing clones keep me distracted, while Zorua takes all the time she needs to transform into a rock or something. But you need to dodge the Vine Whips so you don't get damaged. So we got as close as possible without actually attacking. A fake out. To see who'd flinch first!"
"Ooooh. You're good. But not good enough! Shadow Ball!"
"You're in our world now missy!"
"Yeah? Well no matter what, I still won't lose!"
Ellen: Here I am in the spotlight!
We're ready to put on a show!
Zorua: LET'S GO!
(Zorua fires off Shadow Ball, Iva dodges by jumping, keeping her grip on Zorua.)
Ellen: When I'm not sure I can do it,
When I really don't know...
Zorua: Come on!
Ellen: When I get that feeling,
I know I just focus with all, that I've got!
I trust my partners to win!
Here we are in the final light!
(Zorua claws at the vines, making Iva let go and giving Zorua the upper hand.)
On this stage I stare off into the crowds,
Their cheers only echo for me.
They make me feel I can do anything,
Just gotta believe in all I haaaave!
(Iva uses Leaf Tornado, landing a hit on Zorua.)
Iva: I won't lose!
No matter what! I've the skills to face anyone!
(Iva wraps Zorua in a Vine Whip, tossing her and causing some more injury.)
I'll keep fighting until I reach end!
I cannot give up now!
(Iva, still holding Zorua down with Vine Whip, uses Leaf Blade, scoring a direct hit.)
Black: Tomorrow, I will look back,
With a bright smile on my face!
(Zorua stumbles after being released from Vine Whip.)
Because I know that, we have won!
(Ellen panics.)
Ellen: I won't be losing today!
(Zorua faints.)
Iva: And I win!
"Zorua!" Ellen shouted as she sprinted towards her fallen fox. She brought out her pokeball while at the same time stroking her reassuringly. "You did awesome! You had him on the ropes. Rest up now!"
She was rather chipper about this. Wish I could be so happy after I lose. Then again, was that really a victory for me? I kind of cheated, what with using two pokemon and all. On the other hand, she forced that change by using Roar. I was really going to have to think hard about this later.
"Iva that was fantastic," I praised her as best I could. Hey, couldn't have her going back to the dark side if you know what I mean. I don't know why I was worried though. Our first winning battle together and she had been stellar. Light must be very tricky with me, because I swear, I saw a red tinge on her face again. Oh well, my imagination.
"That was great. Glad you asked me to finish that!" Ellen said as she approached, clipping her pokeball to her belt. "But...who are you again?"
"I never properly introduced myself actually. My name is Black. And I'm a pokemon trainer from Nuvema Town. I'm aiming for the Unova League tournament."
"That's great. I'm Ellen, and I'm aiming to be Top Coordinator. Though, right now, I'm not sure I can even call myself a coordinator."
"Hey, losing to me can't be that bad, can it?" I was genuinely depressed by this comment. I thought she was insulted by my victory. On a side note, Iva took this time to leap onto my shoulder once again, calm and collected as ever.
"Oh no no no no. Sorry. I just mean that I'm not that good yet."
"Not that good? I saw your performance back in that contest. You got a perfect score!"
"That was all luck! That was the only routine I was ever able to work out on my own. Well, Zorua helped. But we had years for that one! Now I don't know if I can even enter another contest!"
"Why's that?"
"Some contests are doing triple performances now. I don't even have the three pokemon necessary."
"Didn't you just catch a Blitzle?"
"Yeah, so? That just means I have two now!"
"Wait...that Blitzle's the first pokemon you ever caught?"
"Yeah. That a problem?"
"So you only have two?"
"Two's the max. I need to catch one more. Luckily I have enough pokeballs to do it!" She slipped off her pack, zipped it open and showed me the contents. And I never seen as many pokeballs in my life. It was filled to the brim with the devices. All types were in there. Fast balls, heavy balls, love balls, premier balls, the works. They were all jumbled together and shuffled around, like she didn't even want to bother organizing them.
"Whoa! Where'd you get all those?"
"Hee hee. I'm from a family full of inventors and techno nerds. I'm not one, but my uncle makes pokeballs. And he gave these to me for my journey. You can even have some if you want. I have too many."
Well that explained the extenso and how Alicia came across it. She must've made it.
"Th-Thanks, but...really?"
"Yeah sure, take 'em." I helped myself to a pocket-full or two. I had lost all my empty pokeballs when I got away from Yuki. To have some spares was a Godsend. I was good and stocked up again. And I had barely scratched the surface of her gigantic pile of pokeballs.
"Hey. You said you need three pokemon. But I bet not every contest will need a triple performance. Couldn't you go to one of those?"
"Oh. Actually, it's not just the contests I'm worried about. Do you know Axel Igaul?"
"'Course I do! He's my hero!"
"Well, he gave me this pass at the contest. A pass to his competition. But I need three pokemon to compete! So I got to catch another one before the boat leaves!"
"Oh yeah. He told me he gave you one! I got one too!"
"You did?"
"Yeah. I'm headed there right after I get my Basic Badge from the Nacrene City gym."
"No kidding? The gym? That's where I got my strategy from."
"What strategy?"
"Roar of course. That gym leader Lenora does it all the time."
"Really?" That was big uh-oh. A Roar strategy. That could be nothing but trouble. "Man. We might have to work for this one, huh Iva?"
I cringed when I turned my head to Iva. The good news is, she wasn't mad at me. The bad news? She was glaring at Ellen. Almost like she had a vendetta against her or something. Okay, note to self. Find a way to keep Iva calm. Iva glanced at me for a second, seeing my uneasy face and she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. If you ask me, it's like she was trying to strangle me or something. It was getting kind of hard to breathe.
"Say, I've never seen a real gym battle before."
"Well, not much to tell, really. I've only done one and I barely got through that. They're tough, I'm tellin' 'ya."
"Hmmm. Y'know I could do with a demonstration."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Yeah. It could help me out with my contests too. I've decided. I'm tagging along with you to your gym battle!"
"Say what?"
"It'll be fun! You can teach me all about those awesome battle skills of yours, and I can teach you about contests! We'll be Ellen and Black! The perfect duo!"
"Hey don't just decide for me!'
"What's to decide? Come on, let's go!"
"Wah!" I exclaimed as Ellen grabbed my arm and started running down the lakeside, dragging me along with her. "W-Wait! Hang on! I didn't say-"
"You don't mind do you?" Ellen asked as she turned back to me and winked. I felt my face go hot again.
"Uh...well...I..." I really wasn't sure how to respond to that. Girls just don't do that to me. At all.
"It's settled then, let's set off!"
And we did set off. Because we'd be together through more than just that gym battle. From that point on, my adventure wasn't very lonely. Because I would learn more from Ellen than I had anyone else. Because she would become not only a great travelling partner, but an amazing friend as well. And I'm thankful that I met her. Each and every moment, I'm thankful.
Well, except for when she tripped and brought me down with her.
"Ouch!" I shouted as I landed on my chin. The bone felt as though it had been knocked up a couple notches in my head. I turned my head back so I could see exactly what Ellen had tripped on.
I blinked in confusion. As it appeared, two pieces of grass had tied themselves together, trapping her foot beneath them and making her trip. Funny. That looked a lot like Grass Knot. But Zorua was in her pokeball...wasn't she?
"Heh," I heard Iva's voice. It sounded rather smug. I felt her feet on top of my head. She must've moved there before we fell. Funny. It was like she was expecting it. Wait a minute...
"Iva?" My eyes stared at the Grass Knot that had tripped Ellen. "Did you-?"
Iva said nothing.
End of Chapter fourteen!
Well, like I said, updates are a little more spaced out than usual. You don't mind do you folks? I still don't have a new computer yet, and I won't for a very long time. Sorry that's just the way it is.
Anyway, it seems Black finally met someone who'll stick with him. That's good, right Black?
Black: Yes! Now I'm not alone in my suffering!
Oh don't worry. I still have plenty of ideas on how to get you alone. Nyhehehehehe.
Black: Aw maaaaaan.
And yes. Ellen will be travelling with Black. Ha! No more fillers from me! This chapter's actually important! HA HA! And no, Ellen's not the OC I've chosen to be the travelling companion. She's my creation after all. The choice of OC has been made, and like I said earlier, the team shall be completed in Castelia.
Featured Song: May/Haruka's Theme (An English version by me): I Won't Lose
Next Chapter: Heist at the Nacrene museum