Hello and welcome to another chapter of Pokémon Journey: Hoenn!
Last chapter saw James and Nicola both get defeated at the hands of Hannah in the Tiane contest as the group started making their way down Route 115 towards Rustboro City.
Upload Date: 20th March 2018
Chapter 56: Swablu in the Mist
Kolath City, Hoenn
8:48am, 11th June 2006
"Try again, Blue – use Dragon Breath!"
"Keep up the pressure, Vortex – use Ancient Power!"
The cool, quiet morning air was broken by the sounds of battle coming from the practice arenas near the pokémon centre in Kolath City. Richard and Will had managed to get up early so that they could head out and do some training before they resumed their journey. After an uneventful trip down from Tiane Town, both had been pretty eager to give their pokémon some action.
Blue fired a blueish beam from her mouth. Across from her, Vortex whirled around. A cluster of boulders suddenly jerked up into the air around it. Controlling them with its power, it hurled them towards the bagon. Blue's attack was quickly blocked by the boulders, but she wasn't finished yet. Vortex had only just learned Ancient Power and it was still getting used to it – there were gaps to be exploited in its defences.
With a loud shout, she tore forwards, lowering her head. There was a loud thud, followed by a crack, as she smashed into the boulders head on. The first boulder shattered as she pushed through it, opening a route towards Vortex. She quickly fired another beam at it. In response, the baltoy fired a beam of psychic energy back at her. The two attacks collided, causing an explosion.
"That was pretty good!" Richard called over to Will. "Blue's really gotten the hang of using Dragon Breath!"
"She's keen to learn alright." Will nodded, giving the bagon a thumbs-up as she looked back at him.
"Looks like we still need to work a little on how we deal with Ancient Power," Richard said, leaning down to try and pat Vortex on the head – very difficult with all that spinning. "It was a great idea to aim for that weakness though – well-spotted, Blue."
Blue grinned proudly in response to the praise. She hadn't been with them long, but she was already making her mark on the team. She was working hard, perhaps even more so because of her defeat in Will's battle with James days before.
"I guess we should head back and meet up with the others," said Will. "I remember James mentioning that he wanted to get moving quickly today."
"We still need to have breakfast before we go as well," Richard sighed. "Oh well, we'll have some more opportunities to train some other time."
Beckoning to Vortex and Blue, the two trainers started walking back towards the pokémon centre. Though everything had been quite quiet when they'd first left, the city had been waking up while they were training. Trainers had started coming and going, either heading off to stock up on supplies or explore the city.
Walking back into the lobby, Richard and Will found James and Nicola waiting for them in the trainers' lounge. The two of them were looking at the guidebook, having been occasionally glancing up to look around for the others.
"You're back," James said as Richard and Will sat down. "How was the training?"
"It was great!" Richard grinned. "I think we've finally managed to nail down both Blue's Dragon Breath and Vortex's Ancient Power. I'm looking forwards to putting my new strength to the test when we get to the next gym!"
"That reminds me, we haven't been to a gym in a long time, have we?" said Will.
"I thought that we could try and find one in the guidebook once we get to Rustboro City," said James. "I know that contests have taken over a bit recently…"
"Never mind that," said Nicola. "We need to talk about today's plan."
"Have you got a complicated route planned for us today?" Richard asked, turning to look at James.
"It's more or less a straight road from here to Rustboro City," James replied. "The problem is the distance."
"How long until we get to Rustboro?"
"If we make good progress both today and tomorrow, then we could get there by tomorrow evening," James said. He frowned. "I'm not sure if we'll have the stamina to manage it though."
"We found several pokémon centres that are along the route," said Nicola. "So, we thought that it would be best to have a more relaxed journey and get into Rustboro a day later."
"I guess I don't really mind." Richard shrugged. "Whatever you think is best."
"Let's go with that then," said Will. "Otherwise there might be more early starts!"
As they laughed, Richard's stomach started rumbling loudly. It sounded like it was time for breakfast!
9:32am, 11th June 2006
"Right! I think I've got everything!" Nicola announced to herself as she finished zipping her bag shut. Another quick sweep around her room didn't turn up anything that she'd missed while packing – she was ready to go.
It really did feel like they were advancing quickly. The days when she'd reach the end of the day's travelling and wonder if she'd even be able to walk the following day were long behind her. It already felt like longer than it actually had been since they parted ways with Hannah at the turn-off into the mountains the previous day. Though Nicola had been sad to see her go, she knew that they'd get a chance to see each other again once they reached Gharnot Town.
The thought of the contest filled her with excitement – both Mia and Hannah had said that it was supposed to be a big one that attracted a lot of attention from coordinators in Hoenn. The opportunity to go up against so many others was pretty scary, but there was a part of her that was looking forward to it in a way that she hadn't felt before her victory in Kellen City.
Putting her thoughts aside, she stretched her arms and looked around so that she could look out of the window one last time before setting off to join the others.
"Huh?"
Much to her surprise, she couldn't really see anything from the window at all. The beautiful blue sky above Kolath City had gone – now there was just a thick whiteness that almost obscured the buildings on the opposite side of the street. Nicola had never known such a sudden and complete change in the weather.
Leaving her room, she quickly strode along the corridor and knocked on the door of the boys' room. It opened almost immediately.
"You've seen it too?" James asked as he saw her.
"Yeah." Nicola nodded. "I thought the weather forecast said it would be sunny all day today?"
"I guess this is another reminder that you can't always trust the weather forecasts," Richard sighed, gazing out of the window at the thick fog.
"I wonder what caused it," Will muttered. "It's weird for it to change this suddenly."
"No one else seems that bothered by it," Richard added, noticing that the people outside hadn't even really stopped walking.
"Is it normal for somewhere like here?" Nicola asked.
"I didn't see anything about this in the guidebook," James replied. "But I guess we could ask at reception and see if they know anything."
"I'll come with you," said Nicola as he walked out of the room.
"We'll finish packing for now," Will said. "Find out what you can and let us know!"
James and Nicola quickly walked towards the stairs and went down to the lobby. Unsurprisingly, there was already a small group of other trainers who had gathered there for information.
"I know that this must be very strange for you all, but I assure you that there's nothing unusual about this," the receptionist said. "Visibility will be lower for much of today, but it's still possible to travel. If you have any doubts, then you're more than welcome to wait here until the mist lifts."
"What's this about?" James asked one of the other trainers as the group started to disperse.
"Apparently a ton of wild swablu migrate across from the mainland around this time of year," the trainer replied with a sigh. "They leave a trail of mist as they go so that the other members of their flocks can follow them and that's what causes this fog."
"How long does it last?" Nicola asked.
"The receptionist was saying until sometime this evening. But it all depends on when the swablu are coming, so it sounds like it's going to be patchy until the migration stops."
"Did they say when that is?"
"Nope!" The trainer shook his head. "They've just left us to get on with it!"
"What are we going to do then?" Nicola asked as the other trainer left. "Should we stay here until it clears up?"
"I'm not sure," said James. He turned and started walking back upstairs. "I think it's probably best if we set off anyway. The fog isn't that thick, so we should still be able to travel today."
"We'll have to be careful though," Nicola sighed as she followed him.
Route 115, Hoenn
11:49am, 11th June 2006
It was amazing what a difference it made, having all of the surrounding landscape obscured by the dense fog. The group could see maybe twelve feet in front of them for the most part, but it was difficult to judge and it seemed to change constantly. The fog was becoming thicker and then lighter frequently. Every now and again, they'd see trees appearing out of the whiteness, as well as all the other objects that they normally wouldn't bat an eyelid over passing. They had to stick close together to make sure that they didn't lose each other in the fog.
"Are you guys still sure that this is a good idea?" Will asked.
"You know, I might be starting to have second thoughts myself," James replied, moving to the right as another tree appeared at the limit of their vision. He tried to peer into the murky fog, but it was impossible to make out anything in the distance. The fog was brightly lit though – it was surprising that the sun wasn't burning it off quicker than it was. That was the one thing that was keeping him going. Once they reached midday, surely the sunlight would be strong enough to burn off the fog. Even if it just made it much thinner, it would make their journey much easier.
"I don't think that we need to worry too much." Richard spoke up. "We deliberately chose a route that we thought would be safest, right? There won't be any cars and there aren't many pokémon sighting along this path either."
"That's true." James nodded. They had indeed been very careful about what route to take. That didn't mean that it was completely safe though and it didn't make it any easier to travel along either.
"Don't worry, guys!" Nicola grinned back at them. "If it's just the wild pokémon that are causing this, then it'll clear up once they've passed through."
"You say that, but it's been pretty constant so far," Will said. "How long until those wild pokémon finish moving through the area?"
"The receptionist seemed to be saying that they come in batches," said James. "I don't know how long it lingers here after they've passed though."
"In any case, what can we do about it?" Nicola asked. "We've already set off, so if we're going to head anywhere, then it might as well be the next town on Route 115."
"Yeah, it's not like we can just stop and sit around here while we hope for the weather to change," said Richard.
"Well, I think the visibility could have been worse," said James. "We can keep pressing on."
As they continued walking, they occasionally heard the sounds of flapping wings and chirping from somewhere out in the mist. It always passed by quickly without them seeing anything overhead though. They wondered what could have been making the sounds – it didn't sound like the taillow and wingull cries that they had grown used to hearing in Hoenn.
"Ah!"
Hearing Nicola's sudden cry, the other three quickly looked forwards towards her. A small, blue creature with wings that looked a little like white, fluffy clouds had come flying out of the mist. It let out a loud cry of surprise as it saw Nicola, seconds before it crashed into the side of her head.
"Are you okay?" Richard asked as he ran forwards.
"I'm fine, I think!" Nicola staggered slightly to the side from the force of the impact. The pain of the collision was quickly vanishing. The pokémon seemed to be relatively unharmed as well.
"Is that one of the swablu?" James pulled out his Pokédex.
"Swablu, the cotton bird pokémon. Swablu have light and fluffy wings that are like cottony clouds. These pokémon are not frightened of humans. They land on the heads of humans and sit there like a cotton-fluff hat. They constantly groom their cotton-like wings. They take a shower to clean themselves if they become dirty."
"Hey! Don't get mad at me!" Nicola yelped as the swablu, apparently angered by the collision, started jumping up and pecking at her clothes. She pulled back, but the swablu followed. She continued grabbing at her and chirping angrily.
Will laughed. "If it's bothering you, then why don't you just fight it with your pokémon?"
"I didn't want to get involved with it in the first place!" Nicola exclaimed, yanking her arm back to try and free her sleeve from the swablu's beak.
"The swablu probably wishes that as well," said James.
Nicola finally pulled herself free, only for the swablu to dive forwards and start pecking at her again. Growing more irritated, she pulled out a poké ball. "Go, Kipa!"
Kipa burst out of the ball and materialised on the ground.
"Oh? You're going to fight it?" Richard asked.
"Only because it won't leave me alone," Nicola replied, jumping back to put some distance between herself and the wild pokémon. "Use Water Gun!"
Kipa immediately fired a blast of water towards the swablu. She had anticipated the attack, however, and darted to the side at the last moment. With a shrill cry, she dived down towards him, hammering him with a flurry of small, but constant pecks.
"Stay strong, Kipa!" Nicola called.
Flinching under the barrage, Kipa bided his time. The swablu seemed to sense weakness and kept up the pace of attacks. She finally leaped backwards before diving in for a proper peck at the fin on the top of his head. At that moment, Kipa suddenly let out a shout and swung one of his arms at the swablu. He struck her with all the power he'd stored up while under attack, sending her flying backwards.
"What a hit!" James gasped. "That was a great move, Kipa!"
"Looks like we need to keep the pressure up," said Nicola, nodding at the marshtomp as the swablu regained her balance and started flying back towards them. She didn't look like she was ready to give up and she didn't seem the least bit afraid of Kipa's power.
With a shout, Kipa fired another blast of water at her. This time he scored a direct hit, but the swablu just kept coming, fighting her way through the jet of water with all her might. As Kipa ran out of breath, she suddenly bolted forwards and smashed into his forehead.
"That swablu really is tough," said Richard. "How is it keeping that up?"
"It must be strong," said Will, nodding approvingly as he watched Kipa and the swablu continue to exchange attacks. They both looked like they were starting to get exhausted.
"Alright, I've decided!" Nicola reached into her bag and pulled out an empty poké ball. Taking aim, she threw it at the swablu as she disengaged from Kipa. It glanced off her wing and popped open, sucking her inside before dropping to the ground and starting to roll.
Kipa and Nicola stared at it intensely as the rocking continued. There was suddenly a cracking sound and the ball split apart violently. The swablu burst back out and started diving towards Kipa again.
"Argh! It got free!" Nicola yelped, fumbling around for another poké ball.
Just before she hit Kipa, however, the swablu suddenly peeled off and started looking off down the road. Obviously, there wasn't much to see due to the fog, but she seemed to have detected something. Just as Nicola was about to throw her second ball, the swablu suddenly started flying off down the road.
"Huh?!" Nicola gasped. "You're not getting away!" She started running after the swablu.
12:03pm, 11th June 2006
As they ran after the distant, hazy form of the swablu, the group suddenly realised why she had been so keen to get away when she did. Beyond the fog, they could hear the snarls of aggressive wild pokémon, possibly poochyena from the sound of them. They'd been seeing other swablu scattered here and there every now and again, with a couple of the larger ones appearing to be rounding up the flock. Perhaps they'd ended up separated from each other in the mist that they themselves had created?
The swablu that Nicola had tried to catch continued flying with a purpose. Suddenly, they all saw dark shapes appearing out of the fog. A couple of swablu flew back in their direction in terror as a growling poochyena jumped up and snapped at their feet. The rest of the pack prowled around as well. They all tensed up as they spotted the humans.
It was the swablu who made the first move though. She immediately dived towards the first poochyena and pecked sharply at his ear. He yowled in pain and spun around to snap at her, only for her to move just out of range. She goaded him and his packmates into following her.
"She's leading them away from the other swablu," Nicola said, suddenly realising.
"So that's why she suddenly decided to leave," said James. He frowned. "I know that she's tough, but isn't she worn out from the fight with Kipa?"
"You're right!" Nicola exclaimed. "I should help her!"
"Are you sure?" Richard asked. "It looks to me like she's handling things quite well as it is."
Sure enough, the swablu had dived down to strike the poochyena, unleashing a heavy volley of pecks. The poochyena was spooked and started running, though its companions remained. The swablu was quick to move back into the air again though, clearly used to this kind of fighting. The poochyena would probably be able to kill her easily if they managed to get a hold of her, but she didn't seem the least bit fazed by them. A second, and then a third poochyena broke and fled under her uncompromising attacks.
Nicola could feel her admiration for this swablu growing more and more by the second as she weaved and dodged and struck back. It was impressive to watch, even if the fog made some movements a little difficult to make out.
However, it was clear that the swablu was starting to tire. She was also focusing too much on one poochyena at a time at the expense of the others – and those remaining had started to realise it.
"Look out!" Nicola suddenly shouted, noticing a poochyena preparing to leap from the swablu's blind spot.
The swablu reacted to her, spotting the poochyena and pulling away just in time. She dived down to strike her, but her attacks weren't connecting in the same way. It looked like she was at the limit of her strength.
At that moment, Nicola and Kipa sprang into action. With a shout from Nicola, Kipa sprang forwards. He blasted the nearest poochyena with water and sent him packing. He fired a stream of mud towards the next one. This one managed to dodge him, but the pack had clearly started to have second thoughts. They hadn't bargained on another tough pokémon getting involved. Half the pack had already fled as well.
As Kipa and the swablu began another attack, they finally decided they'd had enough and tore off into the fog. They quickly disappeared from sight, leaving just silence behind them.
"Great work, Kipa!" Nicola grinned. "You showed them!"
"Where did the rest of the swablu go?" Richard asked, looking around. Sure enough, there was no sign of the other swablu. Had they taken the opportunity to flee now that they'd been rounded up by the larger ones? In that case, what about the one who'd been left behind?
Worn out, the swablu let herself drop down and perched herself on the branch of a nearby tree. She started to clean her wings.
The group all exchanged looks. Wasn't she concerned about the fact that the rest of her group had left her behind? Was that normal for her? It was difficult to tell what the swablu was thinking as they watched her preen herself. She looked a little bruised and battered after the battle, but not especially injured.
"Hey." Nicola stepped forwards to address the swablu. "Why don't you come along with me?"
The swablu stopping preening her fluffy feathers and studied her with interest. Perhaps she was trying to size the trainer up. It was difficult to tell exactly what she was thinking.
"I'm training to take part in the Hoenn League," Nicola explained. "That means that I need to get stronger and fight strong opponents. It would be great to have your support."
The swablu finally gave an affirmative chirp. She looked quite confident – perhaps she was the kind of pokémon that liked fighting others? That would help explain the reluctance of the rest of the flock to wait for her – they wouldn't want to be dragged into any unnecessary fights.
Nicola held up an empty poké ball and patted it against the swablu's head. She was sucked inside once again. This time, the ball sealed shut with a click.
"Congratulations, Nicola," said James.
"Yeah, great work." Richard nodded. "Any ideas on what you're going to call her?"
"Hmm." Nicola pondered for a couple of seconds. "I think Blu would be nice."
"Blue?" Will asked. "Why are you giving it the same name as Blue? Won't that be really confusing?"
"I was going to spell it without the 'e'," Nicola replied. "Y'know, from 'swablu'."
"Yeah, but it sounds identical," Will said, continuing to frown. "I'm not sure that this is a good idea."
"I don't think it'll be that bad," James said. "It'll probably be pretty obvious which one we're talking about when we say it."
"I say you go with it for now," Richard said, grinning at Nicola. "If it doesn't work out, then you can always change it later."
"I guess we'll do that then," said Nicola. She smiled at the poké ball. She was certain that she'd be able to get much stronger as long as she was travelling with Blu.
"Hey! Looks like the fog's disappearing!" said Will.
Nicola looked around. Sure enough, the fog was getting much lighter and they were starting to see farther and farther into the distance. Up above, they could just make out a blue sky and the direct sunshine cutting through the mist.
"Come on then!" James called, taking the lead. "Let's get to the next town before the next flock of swablu come through here!"
The group set off again, continuing their journey down Route 115. Though the day had started rather uncertainly, it had turned out to be quite a nice one after all. It was days like this that made them truly appreciate travelling.
Curse my brother for deciding on a nickname that was extremely similar to one I already had planned for Nicola's pokémon! Still, I thought it could prove to be quite amusing to keep the swablu's nickname in place anyway. The main problem will, of course, be for the protagonists who will most hear the two names instead of seeing them – you, the reader, have the benefit of the spelling difference.
So, we'll keep things as they are for now and if you're finding the similar nicknames too confusing, then I can always have Nicola change Blu's nickname at some point (come to think of it, it would give an opportunity to delve into that part of pokémon training as well…)
Anyway, I don't really have much more I wanted to say about this chapter. The group will be back in Rustboro for next chapter, ready for the next phase of the journey. As a reminder, Chapter 15 of Johto Scrapbook will go up on Thursday and then after that Pokémon Journey uploads won't resume until April.
As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter and don't forget to leave a like on the Facebook page.
Until next time!
Team Listings:
James Burton:
Active:
Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, knows Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, knows Thunderbolt, Agility, Brick Break and Thunder Wave.
Nulin (Wingull): male, impish, highly persistent, likes sour food, water-flying type, Keen Eye ability, knows Ice Beam, Water Pulse, Supersonic and Aerial Ace.
Muro (Loudred): male, careful, loves to eat, likes bitter food, normal type, Soundproof ability, knows Howl, Stomp, Screech and Uproar.
Richard Winter:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, knows Thrash, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.
Chena (Mightyena): male, docile, capable of taking hits, eats anything, dark type, Intimidate ability, knows Take Down, Howl, Swagger and Bite.
Dish (Lombre): female, gentle, capable of taking hits, likes bitter food, water-grass type, Rain Dish ability, knows Rain Dance, Growl, Mega Drain and Nature Power.
Arro (Lairon): male, naïve, loves to eat, likes sweet food, steel-rock type, Sturdy ability, knows Metal Sound, Iron Tail, Iron Defence and Take Down.
Vortex (Baltoy): genderless, lonely, sturdy body, likes spicy food, ground-psychic type, Levitate ability, knows Rapid Spin, Psybeam, Mud Slap and Ancient Power.
Nicola Hewitt:
Active:
Kipa (Marshtomp): male, quiet, somewhat vain, likes dry food, water-ground type, Torrent ability, knows Take Down, Bide, Mud Shot and Water Gun.
Mushy (Shroomish): female, calm, likes to relax, likes bitter food, grass type, Effect Spore ability, knows Mega Drain, Headbutt, Stun Spore and Leech Seed.
Zaggy (Zigzagoon): male, adamant, quick to flee, likes spicy food, normal type, Pick Up ability, knows Tackle, Rest, Headbutt and Dig.
Tricky (Electrike): male, quirky, somewhat of a clown, eats anything, electric type, Lightningrod ability, knows Bite, Spark, Quick Attack and Howl.
Mule (Numel): female, docile, often lost in thought, eats anything, fire-ground type, Oblivious ability, knows Ember, Magnitude, Amnesia and Take Down.
Blu (Swablu): female, brave, strong willed, likes spicy food, normal-flying type, Natural Cure ability, knows Sing, Fury Attack, Peck and Safeguard.
Will Burton:
Active:
Toya (Wartortle): male, modest, very finicky, likes dry food, water type, Torrent ability, knows Rapid Spin, Bite, Water Gun and Ice Beam.
Turkey (Swellow): male, mild, alert to sounds, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Guts ability, knows Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Double Team and Fly.
Gulpy (Gulpin): female, mild, nods off a lot, likes dry food, poison type, Sticky Hold ability, knows Pound, Amnesia, Sludge and Poison Gas.
Blue (Bagon): female, adamant, proud of its power, likes spicy food, dragon type, Rock Head ability, knows Dragon Breath, Focus Energy, Ember and Headbutt.
