"Finally! It's so good to book a room at the Pokemon Centre that we will be staying in tonight." Rina threw her arms up in joy as the group exited the Centre, having rented out a room tonight with two bunk beds in it. They had travelled a couple more hours that expected after waking up, due to Tizzy and Andy having a few arguments about the way she had him tied up. They were happy to finally be in Pastoria City after the long walk.
"There isn't much to d-do here..." Andy stated. Over the past few hours he'd become more talkative and louder; probably because Rikki urged him to get over being quiet and shy.
"Well, I want to check out the Great Marsh. There is apparently a few rare Pokemon and there is one in particular I'm interested in." Rikki said to the group, letting them know about her plans which would last only about an hour.
"That sounds cool! Me and Sparky might just tag along." Rikki smiled at Rina, glad for the company.
"Well me and Tubbykins certainly will not be coming along. It's too muddy in there and I don't want to ruin my shoes! I might just go and play or something like that! And where ever I go, Andy goes." Within seconds Tizzy was pulling Andy off to a different part of the city, much to his dismay. When Rikki explained the Great Marsh outing he seemed quite interested but now it looked as if he wasn't going there any time soon.
"It's just me and you then! We probably won't be in there long because you only get a certain amount of time." Rikki said.
"Well it'll pass time anyway. Besides, me and Sparky can battle a few Pokemon in there." The two then headed to the gate which was right next to the Pokemon Centre. As soon as they entered a woman wearing a green safari outfit greeted them.
"Hello, will you two be catching the Pokemon or just simply looking?" The woman asked. Rina didn't know much about the place so she left it to Rikki to answer the questions.
"Well I want to catch a few, and my friend here wants battle the Pokemon in order to level her Pokemon up." The woman frowned at Rina.
"I'm sorry dear but we no longer allow travellers to battle the Pokemon in there." Rina groaned and said it wasn't fair.
"But I was here a few months ago and I was allowed to battle them. Why is it different now?" Rikki questioned the woman who was becoming agitated.
"The Pokemon League made the rule because too many of the Pokemon were becoming injured. Here are thirty Safari Balls and some bait. You are only allowed to use these items to catch the Pokemon and if a member of staff witness you attacking the Pokemon with one of your own you'll be disqualified. When your time is up or you run out of Safari Balls an attendant will announce for you to come out. That will be five pounds please." Rikki handed over the money and the Safari Balls and bait was placed in Rikki's hand and the woman stalked off, huffing.
"Well that's just great. How am I supposed to catch that rare Pokémon with just some bait?? That's nearly impossible." Rikki complained while glaring at the woman from earlier. Rina simply smiled and pushed her towards the entrance.
"Come on. It can't possibly be that hard."
-
"This is so hard!" Rina moaned and Rikki smirked at her. Rina wasn't actually catching anything but while watching Rikki she realised just how hard it could be to catch a Pokemon without weakening it first. They had only be in there for roughly ten minutes and had encountered several Pokémon, but they were all common. None of them were worth catching (but Rikki chucked balls at them anyway) except from when Rikki had seen a Tangela and thought it was quite cute. She had fed it some bait but the Tangela ate it and ran off before Rikki could even grab a Safari Ball.
They were currently near the middle of the marsh and hadn't seen that rare Pokemon that was meant to be here. Come to think of it, Rikki hadn't even told Rina what the Pokemon was.
"What Pokemon are we even looking for...?" Rina asked. Rikki turned to face her and smiled.
"A Tropius!" Rikki declared happily. Rina muttered the Pokemon's name over and over until she remembered what that was. The girls were getting bored and tired, and Rikki only had seven Safari Balls left; having used them all on other Pokemon.
"They're pretty rare in the Sinnoh region." Rina commented as they decided to take the tram into the deepest part of the forest.
"Yup, and that is why I want one! I done some research and they are supposedly hard to find in this place so I figured they would be in the deepest part." A few other passengers were sitting with them and snickered at Rikki, talking amongst themselves and saying things like "she'll never find one of those." Rikki glared at them and sat in silence while they rode the tram for several minutes until they finally reached the end. When the tram stopped Rina and Rikki hurried off and Rikki declared that she would find a Tropius no matter what.
Walking through more mud and grass was making Rina get angrier. Her shoes were going to need serious washing later. They probably only had around fifteen minutes left before their time was up, and things weren't looking so good. More common Pokemon scampered past, some avoiding the Safari Balls being thrown at them while others gladly sat there in front of a trainer, wanting to be caught.
"I'm getting really bored now Rikki. Can we hurry up? I'm all muddy and I'm in desperate need of a shower and something to eat!" Rina complained, staring at her muddy shoes and feeling her stomach rumble.
"You can go back to the Pokemon Centre if you like, and I'll see you later. I just really want to try and find a Tropius. But honestly, if you wanna go back then I don't mind." Rikki replied while looking around for any signs of a Tropius. Rina sighed. Rikki was being nice about it, how could Rina leave her alone now to search for a hard to find Pokemon?
"Nah I can wait. Besides, with the both of us looking there is more chance of spotting one." Rikki thanked her and they carried on walking in any direction that they decided to go in. After a few more minutes of walking they came to a clearing and found two Tropius eating fruit off of a tree.
"That's it! That's a Tropius! Now I can finally catch one!" Rikki screamed happily. One of the Tropius got scared of the screaming girl and flew off with amazing speed. The other one was oblivious to the screaming and carried on eating. Rikki and Rina carefully approached it, trying to be as quiet as possible, so they didn't startle it. Rina suddenly sneezed loudly but the Tropius didn't even turn its head. It simply carried on eating still unaware of the girls approaching it from behind.
"Hi, do you want some of this food? I'm sure its tons nicer than that fruit." Rikki bribed the Pokemon with the bait. Rikki waited for the Pokemon to turn around and look at them but it didn't. Rikki and Rina exchanged confused glances and Rina said "hi" a bit louder. Still no reply. Rikki shouted at "Tropius" but it didn't even budge. It just carried on keeping its back to them and eating. Rikki became agitated and walked in front of Tropius. Only then did it take notice of her. Rikki introduced herself and offered the bait once more. Tropius blinked at her and stayed still.
"Rikki, I think it's deaf." Rina suggested.
"You know, you could be right. Or maybe its just not friendly." Rikki said while staring at the Tropius; who stared back.
"So this is the deaf Tropius. That man wasn't kidding when he told me about it." Rina and Rikki turned to see Nicholas inspecting the Tropius from the side.
"You." Rina growled.
"Me." Nicholas snickered. He then looked at Rikki. "Who's the new friend? And why aren't you with Sky anymore?" Nicholas asked.
"That's Rikki, surely you remember her now." Nicholas thought about it and then nodded. "And what makes you think me and Sky aren't travelling with each other?"
"I saw her yesterday passing through Pastoria. She was with another girl and when I questioned her she simply said "I have new friends." Nicholas noticed Rina's expression and thought she was jealous but said nothing.
"Long time no see." Rikki stated simply while keeping an eye on the Tropius. Nicholas simply looked at her and didn't reply.
"So this Tropius really is deaf? Rikki this one could be hard to train, are you sure you want to catch it?" Rina asked her friend.
"Sure, it will be a challenge but it will also be fun!"
"Hold on. I was planning on catching this one. When that strange old man told me about it I just had to see it. So I suggest you leave now and find another one before you run out of time." Rikki was about to protest but it was too late. Nicholas had already chucked his Safari Ball, hitting Tropius on the side and pulling it in. Rikki gawped at the ball as it shook three times and made a dinging noise, showing that Nicholas had caught the Tropius. He picked up the ball and laughed at Rikki who was looking quite upset.
"Nicholas, that was mean! Rikki really wanted a Tropius and you didn't even let her catch one!" Rina shouted at him. Rikki looked angry now and was shooting daggers at Nicholas. Nicholas shrugged and said it was Rikki's fault for being too slow. He then walked off, feeling proud of himself.
"That jerk. Come on we still have time, lets go and find that other one." Rina suggested while putting her hand on Rikki's shoulder. She seemed to have calmed down and agreed. They walked a few steps but a ranger came up to them and said their time was up. Rikki tried to reason with him but he refused to let her stay longer and so he led them back to the entrance of the Great Marsh.
-
"So then he caught the Tropius?" Andy asked.
"Yep. He's such a jerk. I really wanted it." Rikki growled. The group were sitting in the lobby of the Pokemon Centre, waiting for Rina to come down before they got something to eat. She had gone up to have a quick shower, which Rikki had already done.
"We should rob him for it! Tubby would be great at that!" Tizzy suggested kindly while still holding the rope attached to Andy's waist. Was she ever going to let him go?!
"We could get arrested for that..." Andy said to her, making her pout.
The conversation died down and Rikki was glad to see Rina approach them with Sparky on her shoulder. They all made their way to the small canteen that was in the Pokemon Centre and ordered their food. They found a large table and sat round it, also making sure to feed the Pokemon. Tizzy had taken two trays of food; one for herself and an extra large portion of various foods for Tubby.
"Andy I love you!" Tizzy giggled every now and again which made him blush every time she announced her feelings. When he didn't reply she forced him to say "I love you" back making other customers "aww" at them. Rikki and Rina ate in silence, slowly becoming disturbed by the kisses Tizzy planted on his cheek every two minutes. Poor guy.
"You're challenging the gym later right?" Rikki asked while taking a bite out of her cheeseburger. Rina swallowed the food in her mouth before answering.
"Yep, I think I'll go when I'm done eating. Although I'm pretty worried. I heard the gym leader has a Quagsire which is part ground type and none of my Pokemon have a good chance against it." Rina looked down at her Pokemon who were eating and conversing with the other Pokemon.
"I'm sure you'll do fine." Rikki encouraged her friend. It seemed Rikki had gotten over the whole Tropius ordeal.
"You could always use my Ivysaur against Quagsire. I'm sure he wont mind helping you out." Andy suggested. Rina smiled at him.
"Thanks but no thanks. It wouldn't be very fair to my Pokemon; knowing I used a Pokemon that belongs to someone else instead of them in a gym battle.
-
Pokemon's POV.
(Well hello there pretty thing.) Monferno moved his food bowl over to Flareon and he winked at him.
(What...?) Flareon tilted his head and Glaceon looked on in amusement.
(You sure are cute, wanna be mates?) When Monferno said "mates" he didn't mean friends, he meant the other kind of mates... Flareon looked shocked and slapped Monferno with his paw.
(I'm a guy!) Flareon shouted, catching the other Pokemon's attention. They all laughed at the embarrassed Monferno but he quickly shook it off and moved towards Glaceon.
(Do you come here often?) Monferno grinned at Glaceon who backed away.
(Umm, no not really...) Glaceon replied, shooting her brother a scared face.
(Want to be mates?) Monferno asked, placing his paw on Glaceon's paw.
(After you chatted up my brother?) Glaceon laughed. (No thanks, mate.) Glaceon carried on eating and Monferno grumbled. He then looked at the other Pokemon, desperate to find a mate. He spotted Sparky innocently eating the rest of her food, enjoying every bite. He shuffled over to her and tried to make his fur look nicer.
(Hey there. Wanna be ma-) Monferno started but Sparky interrupted.
(Get lost, player.) Sparky said simply then carried on eating.
-
The four teenagers watched as their Pokemon laughed at Monferno, who was shuffling from Pokemon to Pokemon. Of course, they had no idea what was going on but they watched anyway. Rikki groaned and sternly told her Monferno to behave.
"What's going on...?" Andy asked curiously.
"He is a bit of a flirt. He falls for nearly every Pokemon we come across." Rikki told him. They had finished eating and were now waiting on the Pokemon to finish their food.
Once the Pokemon were done eating, Rina and Andy gathered up the bowls and handed them back to Nurse Joy. They then chucked away any rubbish they had and recalled all their Pokemon, except Sparky of course; who sat on Rina's shoulder as usual. With the group no longer hungry and muddy, they headed out of the Pokemon Centre and made their way to the shop.
"I'm going to just buy some supplies before I have my battle." Rina entered the shop and Rikki decided to go with her. They picked up several potions and full heals and a pack of Pokeballs. They payed for their supplies and left. When they got outside they witnessed the first argument between the two love birds.
"Come on Tizzy! We aren't even dating! Just let me out of this rope. I wont run away I just want my personal space back!!" Andy screamed. Tizzy was red in the face and shouted back.
"What was that?" She said sweetly. Andy sighed and muttered "nothing."
'He gave up arguing quite quickly. I wonder if this happens often...?' Rina wondered. Once Andy had calmed down they headed toward the gym. They were about to enter but Rina was stopped by Nicholas.
"Let's have a full Pokemon battle; six Pokemon each." He said suddenly. Rina blinked and looked confused.
"What brought this on?" She asked.
"Well I know you're challenging gym's like me and I want to see how strong your Pokemon are before you battle Crasher Wake; the gym leader. Or are you too scared?" Nicholas smirked.
"No! I just don't have six Pokemon. And I just want to battle the gym leader anyway."
"I think you won't be ready. He sure was tough, especially that Floatzel of his. And you can borrow one of your friends Pokemon. Come on, I just want a full Pokemon battle with someone, and you are my rival. Plus, Crasher Wake is out for the rest of the day. Something about a Croagunk festival." It was then that Rina noticed the sign on the door of the gym and sure enough it said he wasn't available until tomorrow.
"You can always borrow one of mine. I want to see you beat the crap out of him!" Rikki quickly said. Rina caught on that Rikki was still mad at him and so she reluctantly agreed.
"Good. Meet me at the Pokemon Centre tomorrow around ten." Nicholas waved quickly and walked off.
"Well that was unexpected..." Rina said to her friends.
"Hey, let's go to the festival! Do you think they will have candy floss there?!" Tizzy asked, sounding like an excited kid.
"Maybe. I don't really like Croagunk though... They give me the creeps." Rina shivered and Rikki nodded.
"But, candy floss!" Tizzy grabbed Rina's hand, who then grabbed Rikki and she pulled them all towards the festival, following any signs that told people where to go.
"Tizzy, you can't force them to go. Croagunk kind of creep me out as well. Do we have to go?" Andy asked, while struggling with Tizzy who was pulling him along like a dog.
"Yes we do! We don't have to see the Croagunk, I just want to get some candy floss and I wonder if they have any machines where you win cute teddies?!" Tizzy squealed.
"I don't think it is that kind of festival, Tizzy." Tizzy said it was and dragged them to the festival. There was no way of getting out of this...
A/N: I'm not quite sure if Tropius is rare in the Great Marsh or not but I decided it would be for my story (:
So Nicholas appears and catches a deaf Tropius that Rikki wanted. I sense tension between those two in future. The full on battle was inspired by the last two episodes of Pokemon where Paul and Ash had a full on battle. Also, Sky is mentioned again and apparently has a new travelling friend!
Monferno is a bit of a flirt eh? (; Ahaha, he fell for Flareon who is a guy! Awkward...
Also we see some "relationship" problems between Andy and Tizzy. You may not know this but you probably do, but anyway, Tizzy has basically forced Andy to be her boyfriend. Although I think later on in the story they might just become an official couple (; I will have to have a word with Crazy Amazing... Oh! Speaking of Crazy Amazing! She showed me a drawing at school today of the characters from this story! (She asked me first before she drew it of course.) Once she uploads it to her computer I will put it onto my profile :D So when I tell you its up there, go check it out! Its amazing. Review please?