Hours after the battle with Fantina ended, I still felt the rush of adrenaline throughout my veins. My heart raced at an all-time high as I buzzed about the streets. Paul was out shopping for supplies in preparation for the next road-trip (I know right, already!) and I wanted to explore the depths of Hearthome. So, I went on ahead like I usually did when we were travelling and made sure to check on the grouchy trainer every so often as to not to lose him.
The streets were swarmed with traffic and pedestrians. I was getting better at distinguishing sounds though and more particularly, the certain thud of light footstep amongst thousands of the same kind––it was honestly just pure instinct.
"There you are," Paul muttered mostly to himself, giving a side-glance when I did my routine check-in. He was entering a pharmacy with the extremely creative name of "Pokèmon Pharmacy". As far as I could tell, it was pretty similar to a Pokèmart except more specialised with medical supplies.
"Whatcha doing?"
Paul doesn't answer me, as usual. As sad as it sounded, I had gotten used to not receiving a reply whenever I asked a question. He didn't understand me as I could him. But then again, he never was an ideal conversationalist. If the encounters with Ash and co. said anything about his personality, it was that Paul was not a people person.
Instead, the trainer found other ways to communicate; he shoved a suspicious-looking chunk of reddish dough into my mouth. Looks like there were samples of all these colourful pastries set out on a table with a selection of berries next to each example.
Ahh, poffins! My internal Poke-dictionary started spouting useless information that would have never been used in my own world.
Poffin (n): plural, poffins - a type of food which originated from Sinnoh. Despite similarities with the word 'muffin', these edible substances bear a closer resemblance to cookies or oval-shaped buns. They supposedly increase certain stats via the nutritious component of its core ingredient, berries. It was not to be confused with "puffin", a type of bird which looked like a rip-off penguin (no offence to anyone who may like puffins) or "puffing", a word which described breathing in short gasps.
I started chewing the odd substance in my mouth. Paul watched me expectantly; it wasn't all that bad. Until it was.
...I need water. Fast.
I dropped to the ground like a dead fly, making choking sounds as I slowly died.
Ohwmagodhowcanitbesofreakingspicybhjdhbsmabwqxhqwbxj-
Paul muttered under his breath. "That's weird. I thought that Pokemon with the 'naughty' trait were supposed to like Spicy poffins..."
"WHAT DID YOU FREAKING SAY?!" I roared, offended by the personality typing, before immediately going back to rolling on the ground, "How... is it... so fudging hot?! Blah! I don't even think that it's even edible!"
.
.
.
It took about five minutes of flailing around until Paul could get me to stay still and drink some water. Unfortunately, I didn't learn my lesson as I was curious to see what type of poffins Chesto and Oran would make. The purple-haired monster from hell also seemed intent on making me try all these samples as well. Free food, right?
Blah! Too bitter! It tastes like medicine, ughh!
Nope. I spat it right out all over Paul. I could distinctly hear something exploding in the background (aka Paul) but I was too focused on my forever-scarred tongue to really care. I have to say, though, I took great pleasure at hisvery, very amusedface. He decided that the only way punish naughty Pokemon was to continue feeding them dodgy poffins.
And so the cycle continued.
.
.
.
Sooooooouuuuuuuuuuur!
My face scrunched up as I spat out the freshly baked yellow treat. And it landed on Paul. Again. He frowned as he went through a bunch of tissues to get stuff out of his hair-hah, I think he's actually getting used to my antics!
I don't mind sour candies and stuff but this was just a whole new level of sour. Seriously though, it tasted as if someone had just cooked a fresh lemon and served it whole!
"Not sour either..." Paul muttered.
.
.
.
Dry. I mean, this blue treat wasn't terrible. It had a good balance of sweet yet a kinda tangy after taste, like those Smith chips I used to snack on back home. Yet, this poffin was just... too dry.
It made my throat hurt in the same way that dreaded spicy thing did.
Paul took this in stride and I swear he was taking notes in the corner of my eye. "I guess that's a no. That leaves..."
.
.
.
Sweet.
Normally, I like sweet stuff. I had the biggest sweet tooth as a human and I loved all sorts of desserts from classical creme brulee to cheap chewy candy, I ate whatever I could get my hands on.
Ehh... too sweet.
For some reason though, when I ate this pink-coloured poffin, there wasn't that feeling I remembered. I guess it had to do with my 100% natural and absolutely completely healthy diet that consisted of berries, berries, berries... and that was it. All I ate were berries. Damn, when was the last time I had fried chicken...?
Paul seemed to sense my dissatisfaction and tugged at his longish hair in utter anguish. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
"Excuse me."
"WHAT?!" He turned before flinching at the sight of a young woman, glaring at him with hands-on-hips.
"Well, SIR, if you keep on disturbing other customers by yelling every two seconds, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. Immediately." She threatened. Seeing as this was my fault, I approached the lady with the intent of distracting her. Seemed like it works since she said afterwards, "Oh, aren't you cute?"
I preened at the praise. Pharmacy Lady scratched at a spot underneath my chin. "Have you considered the combination range?"
"What."
"The combination range of poffin mix. Although a bit more expensive, these DIY packs are more specific to a Pokemon's needs by combining two basic flavours instead of one. If you're struggling to find a type that your Zubat likes, perhaps a mixed-poffin would do the trick." Pharmacy Lady explained calmly, "Hmm... I'd suggest Dry and Sweet for your Zubat, just from its reactions alone."
Surely enough, I sample a piece of a Dry and Sweet poffin and it instantly melted in my mouth; not too sweet yet not overly dry either. Just perfect for my taste buds.
We left the store with a hefty bag of the pre-made stuff. I didn't realise Paul was trying to buy poffin mixture for my taste specifically but he probably just wants to raise my stats, "You know, Paul."
"Yes?"
"I approve." Since Paul wasn't getting the drift, I continued. "You and Pharmacy Lady? I totally ship it if, ya know, you ever wanna get together with anyone. And I've even created a name for it; paulacy shipping! Ahh, young love..."
He looked at me as if I were insane.
(Which, I mean, fair enough...)
I pestered Paul for some ice-cream on the way back to the Pokècentre. I whined so loudly, I bet the whole of Sinnoh could've heard me before Paul gave in. How he put up with an annoyance like me, I would never know.
He bought two cheap icy-poles (I couldn't really complain since it wasn't my money) and handed a brown, cola flavoured one to me. Except, I was a bat, and I couldn't just hold up the wooden stick. I ended up having an icy-pole stuck in my mouth with no way to escape the cold other than to just bear it.
Ever had brain-freeze? Now multiply that by a million.
Yeah, didn't think so.
It was freaking cold! I bet it was as cold as Articuno's lair! My whole body had become frozen by the time it melted. If that was how the frozen status condition felt, I never wanna go to Snowpoint City ever. I was still shivering as we entered the Pokècentre's main lobby area, flapping my wings statically as I tried to regain body warmth.
"Here, take a pamphlet!" Some mascot guy (I couldn't tell what company he was from with a Pokeball for a head) held out a flimsy folded sheet to Paul before going off to do the same with other newcomers I read over Paul's shoulder and froze.
Hearthome City Tag Battle Championship
From Saturday to Monday!
Hurry, Spots Limited to 32 Participants––Register Today!
Oh crap.
I... had completely forgotten about this arc. This multi-episode section of the anime revolving around Ash and Paul becoming an unlikely pair in a tag battle competition. It was such an important moment in the anime because it really deepened the rivalry between the two.
Paul would release Chimchar;
Ash would take in Chimchar;
And later on, Paul would lose to the Pokemon he abandoned, all grown up and evolved when he didn't have the patience or love to take care of it. That would one of the most famous battles in the entire anime, set at the Lily of the Valley Conference. Of course, there were months until that event would take place.
What was more important was this competition which added a tank's worth of fuel to the fire of their rivalry. And Charry...! Oh, poor Charry! I didn't want him to go.
"I'd like to extend my stay for another four days," Paul told the nurse at the front as he handed over his Pokedex for scanning.
"Sure, I can do that! It'll take five-thousand Pokedollars out of your account."
Five-thousand––?! I never really paid attention to the boring stuff that Paul does but Arceus, that was expensive! They meant each night was exactly one thousand, two-hundred and fifty... wait a second, if one potion equalled to three-hundred, that would approximately mean that one night in the Pokecentre would be equivalent to roughly four potions!
That should be super cheap then! Especially if the Pokedollars are representative of the Japanese Yen. That would be around 50 for four days and nights, 12.50 for each from where I live... still, how much to Pokemon trainers make?
I never even considered that before; perhaps that was why Paul camps outside as much as possible and only has the bare minimum on his travels.
Unfortunately, though, the conversion of currency from Earth to the Pokeworld only distracted me momentarily. I was back to moping around the minute we entered the room; I greatly preferred the outdoors to this boring place.
The silence was unbelievably unsettling. Not even the ticking of a clock.
I took my place on the ceiling fan as Paul went in for an early night who, while he didn't snore, his breathing toned down to small puffs every time he exhaled.
My world spun slowly as I latched myself upside down and saw nothing but the same dull-coloured walls wherever I looked. It was nauseating and I got off only a moment later with a loud sigh. There was just no way I could sleep like this.
Whenever I couldn't sleep, I normally went on walks around the house or outside. As a Zubat, I flew around in the dark. But inside this cramped room? Nothing.
Charry...
Paul would release Chimchar for being too weak. Since I'm such a pain in the neck, wouldn't he release me too?
It was a depressing thought. Sure, I never liked 'belonging' to someone as Pokemon and would have much rather spend my life being free... but I would've hoped that maybe, Paul and I bonded through the past two months or so. We travelled together, ate together and I even won my most gym badge with him.
I flopped onto the single bed where Paul was resting. I dragged the blanket around me to form a cocoon of sorts and counted Mareep. One. Two. Three... Four...
Before I knew it, Sunday had arrived. There were still two hours until the Hearthome City Tag Battle Championship officially began yet the whole stadium was already jam-packed. Paul had arrived pretty early, clutching the number "5" in his hand and I was surprised that there so many others already waiting in the arena.
He'd registered the next morning afterwards despite my pleas not to. Looks like this was gonna happen one way or another.
It was apparently a requirement that all trainers brought out one of their Pokemon during the starting period which didn't really matter for Paul because I was always out twenty-four seven. I hovered around (but kept close to a certain violet blob) and keenly kept my eye out for the other competitors. Half of it was because it would be highly useful if I could get a sense of my future opponents if I were to battle. But more importantly, I wanted to know when Ash would arrive with Dawn and Brock.
After all, they would be teaming up with each other––a fail-proof recipe for guaranteed disaster. Ash, who valued Pokemon as precious friends and Paul, who saw Pokemon as nothing but tools to get stronger. It was virtually impossible to see them ever getting along.
Ten minutes until the start was when I first heard that familiar voice from my childhood t.v. show. It was from the other side of the battlefield yet I could recognise the cheery laughter and upbeat footsteps thumping on the rugged ground from miles away.
I also recognised Conway who stood off to the side as Paul did. He had a similar mop of hair to said trainer as well, except it was a dark green shade. His clothes reflected that green palette of his in the form of a long tee and sleeveless vest.
Conway had a Slowking next to him which was much taller and larger than any human there. Although he was kinda odd, I remember Conway being a respectable guy who might've even had a crush on Dawn. I could tell he was thoroughly analysing the other trainers in the arena but that creepy vibe he seemed to radiate made shivers go up my spine. I swear I felt his eyes on me at one point.
"It's battle time!" The main host of the competition exclaimed, "Get ready for some actiooooon!"
There was an immediate cheer from the crowd. He was a rather old, sophisticated man with a neat moustache and bushy eyebrows. He wore a hideous brilliant purple suit and had on one of. those fancy top hats of the same, if not a shade darker, colour. He then went on to introduce himself as Enta and provided the context of the competition. I droned out that part as it was nothing but pleasantries. He proceeded to explain the rules which I found rather standard; work with your partner, no items in battle, yadda yadda. It was as straight forward as it could get.
"Simple, isn't it?" Enta said, "Now, time for the fun stuff! You all have your registration cards with you, each depicting a unique number from one to thirty-two. If you look to the screen above, your partner and your opponents for the first round have already been decided through a lottery. Find your number and the one next to it to find your partner!"
It was tough, squinting at the screen in broad daylight when my eyes were clearly meant for the dark. The fact that the light reflected off of it didn't help much either. Thankfully, I had a human with a pair of decent eyes; "We're in H Block."
Since Paul was number five, that meant whoever had fifteen would be his partner.
...Yep. I'm pretty sure that was Ash's number.
And surely enough, as we walked around, Paul spotted a Pikachu on top of a certain red cap. It was quite cute seeing Pikachu holding up a card that was as big as his face but I guess Paul disagreed. The second he spotted the number he was looking for, he froze.
"Tch. Just my luck," He clicked his tongue and strutted towards Ash, "Of course you had to be number fifteen."
"Oh! Hey there, number... five... what?!" Ash's mood immediately sobered, "Oh, hey Paul."
Paul pointed a nasty finger at Ash, "Whatever. Just make sure you don't get in my way!"
"Hold on! That's no way to talk to your Tag Battle partner!"
Sheesh, seeing this in real life... the mood was tense and I'm sure that as a child watching this, I would've felt peeved alongside Ash. Paul was a mean ol' bully to other everyone else including his own Pokemon. But as an outsider, now one of Paul's Pokemon?
"Take a chill pill!" I yelled, smacking a wing on Paul's face, "You're how old? Learn to at least tolerate each other!"
"It's Zuzu!" Pikachu cried out. Hey, that nickname is reserved especially for Charry and only Charry!
I was about to voice out my thoughts when Pikachu suddenly pounced towards me. Who was flying two metres off the ground?
"Are you insane." I yelped as I was caught off guard. I managed to wrap my tails firmly around his body though and carried him effortlessly around, "Try not to give me a heart attack next time, you cheeky little brat."
"Hehe, sorry!" He didn't sound very sorry, that was for sure! I made sure to do an extra-twirly spin as I flew around and Pikachu laughed at the sensation. For me, flying was second nature but for the electric-type, not so much.
Paul, used to my antics, rolled his eyes. I supposed that he had to just learn to cope with it since I wasn't going to stop anytime soon. I heard Dawn in the background mentioning how the two humans could learn a thing or two from us. I totally agreed with that statement. Paul kept on provoking people and Ash got too easily provoked.
"Everyone has found their partners, I assume?" The host called out, "I will now continue on then. In a tag battle, the real key to success is to create the spirit of partnership between both trainers and their Pokemon! And so, the team that emerges victorious shall be awarded an item that reflects the core values of this competition."
I had never heard of anything like the sound of the Soothe Bells ringing. I knew what they were, held items that increased the friendship stat of the Pokemon that carried it. They were like some sort of magical wind chime which echoed so gently throughout the speakers. The entire audience was captivated by the chime and so was I.
"Now, the battle festivities won't begin until noon so take the time to practice with your partners. To the audience, I say thank you for coming! Feel free to take this time as a break to go to the bathroom or grab a snack; just follow one of the many blue signs into a corridor; we have staff who can assist you are lost." What an amazing host.
Still, there were only thirty minutes until the battles started though Paul and Ash did nothing useful during. While other teams spent the time talking strategy, introducing their Pokemon and practising combos, these two spent the entire time glaring/ignoring/bickering (a.k.a. Paul insulting Ash directly or indirectly, then Ash telling him to "take that back").
At least I was having a fun time with Pikachu?
"Hey Zuzu," Pika-brat started as I lapped around the arena. We zig-zagged between trainers (scaring the heck out of some) and I showed off some cool aerial tricks.
"What?"
"You think our trainers will ever get along?"
"Those two?" I took a single glance at the pair death-glaring one another; the tension was thick, it was like a black cloud of doom was hovering over them, "...of course. Not. Unless one or the other decides to mature a bit, nothing is gonna happen."
The fuzzy yellow Pokemon wiggled below me. I thought he was uncomfortable or something so I changed my grip before he perked up, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. Go ahead." I said, biting back a retort that he had already asked a question.
"Do you like Paul?"
Now that made me shocked. I was so caught off guard I nearly dropped Pikachu, "Uhh. Um. I don't really know. What brought this up?"
"It's just... Ash and I, we've been together a long time. We're buddies, ya know? And like Ash, I will never get Paul's training methods ever. You seem to be fine with Paul though." Pikachu rambled on, "I dunno what I'm tryna say. Maybe Paul isn't such a bad guy if you are on such good terms with him."
I couldn't find any words to say to that.
"I'm sorry––"
"No! No no, it's fine." There was a bit of awkward silence between us after that.
Then the battles started. As our tragic duo was in H block, Ash and Paul would be battling last so there was just a period of playing around. Halfway through Dawn and Conway's battle with a lass and gruff man, Paul brought Charry out of his ball. He planing for some last-minute training––though, what good would that do...
I felt dejected thinking about the eventual release of Charry. Eventual but in fact, it was really soon. I decided that I'd go with Charry if Paul chose to release me as well. Charry and I were close, it was only natural that I wanted to go wherever he went. Especially with Paul's attitude towards the chimp Pokemon.
But Pikachu's words from earlier came back to me. Maybe Paul isn't such a bad guy if you are on such good terms with him.
"A weak flame thrower from a weak Pokemon." Paul reprimanded, "How can you expect to fight when you can't even control your fire at all?"
"I thought that it was amazing!" Ash rebutted just as I was about to raise hell, "There was amazing firepower from that move!"
Like this, it was easy to see where the differences came about.
Finally, it was Ash and Paul's turn to battling in the final round of the Tag Battle Competition. Ash let his trusty Pikachu into battle whereas Paul chose Chimchar, just as expected. They were a terrible matchup for the opponent's Rhydon and Magmar though. I hanged around in the outlined rectangular box where the trainers were supposed to be. Eying Paul and Ash standing side-by-side, facing the same direction instead of towards each other was weird, to say the least
"Get ready, Paul! This is gonna be tough," Ash commented, mentally noting the typing of their opponents.
Paul snorted, "With Pikachu? Tough is right."
"Chimchar isn't such a great matchup either!"
"Well, who asked you?"
I facepalmed as Charry and Pikachu glanced at each other uncertainly. Man, this is gonna go terribly...
As soon as the match started, Ash commanded Pikachu to use thunderbolt on Magmar. Which wouldn't have been such a terrible move if Rhydon weren't there as well; the drill Pokemon absorbed the electricity Pikachu let out with its ability, Lightning Rod.
Rhydon made use of the yellow mouse's momentarily shock to use Megahorn and land some decent damage. Pikachu would be completely useless in the fight if it weren't for the fact that this came from an anime and nothing made sense in an anime.
"Forget it! You're just in the way!"
"Give me a break! I don't care what you say, I'm in this tag battle too, you know!"
Ughhh... why do these two idiots have to be so hard-headed?!
The Magmar used Fire Plume next, engulfing the entire ground to be covered in thick, hot smog. It was a move that affected everyone in the arena except for the user and this included its teammate. As a ground/rock type though, it had little to no effect on Rhydon. Impressive strategy! Anything would be considered better than the teamwork shared by these two trainers anyway...
"Chimchar, let's go!" and "Dodge it, Pikachu!" were exclaimed at the same time.
I suddenly realised what Paul was trying to pull off.
From training, it was one of his tactics to essentially 'power-up' a Pokemon by letting them get hit by a move of the same typing. In this case, Chimchar is a fire type making Fire Plume a perfect opportunity to practice this skill. It wasn't something ever mentioned in the game (except for some abilities like flash fire) and honestly, it seemed like suicide to me.
I wouldn't let myself get hurt from a flying or poison move to power up my own! That would be pointless in the long run as all the damage would accumulate and I would just tire out faster. Instead, I would dodge those type of moves and use the chance to catch my opponent off guard with my speed.
From Charry's powerful fire thrower, I guess the previous fire move really did give him a boost. But fire is still super ineffective to Rhydon and it barely did anything to it. Charry must've been shocked by that as he paused mid-air, enabling the enemy to hit him with a brutal Hammer Arm.
Paul growled in frustration. Meanwhile, Ash jumped in swiftly with, "Pikachu, use Iron Tail, now!"
Rhydon stepped back a few steps from the sheer impact. That was amazing when you consider the weight of such a bulky Pokemon versus the size of Pikachu. The other tag team quickly recovered though and changed strategies; Magmar raised up a spherical shield using Protect and then Rhydon proceed to use Surf.
How is it actually possible for that much water to appear in an instance? Surely, the was a better explanation other than a pond of water just suddenly coming into existence. Fire is one thing. CHUNKS of the FLIPPING OCEAN was another!
What shocked me was when Paul decided to say, "Chimchar use Flame Wheel!"
"That's nuts!" Ash cried, "Chimchar is gonna get creamed!"
I definitely agree!
"A bold move using Flame Wheel but also a foolhardy one. How will they get out of this pinch now?" The referee (who was also the host at the beginning) commented.
Seeing tremendous waves rush over towards me, I feared for my own safety. How was Chimchar, a 'mon that was time times weak to water, survive that?
Ash must've had a flash of inspiration, thank Mew. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
I don't know how they are on the same wavelength the way that they are but Pikachu's immediately on board. The electric mouse Pokemon leapt high into with his tail glowing towards the incoming water and somersaulted repeatedly, kinda like Chimachar with his Flame Wheel. The Iron Tail cut through the water at the perfect angle with just enough force that it disrupted the entire wave.
A white line moved upwards (which, again, should not have been physically possible) and somehow managed to shock Rhydon who had been surfing on the water he manipulated. Losing concentration, the drill Pokemon fell back and the water fell back to the ground in a fellow swoop.
H2O dispursed in all directions and soaked the earthy terrain of the whole battlefield. Charry, who been spinning whilst burning alive, paused to peer curiously at the sight.
Another Iron Tail to the falling Rhydon and bam, he was knocked out! This was bellowed by Enta and the audience began clapping in excitement, "What a move! He covered for Chimchar and scored a direct K.O.! As such, Rhydon is unable to battle!"
I hope I wasn't the only one visibly gaping at the scene. There were so many ways that could've went wrong. Many things were just wrong with what I had witnessed. Why is no one questioning this?!
Magmar's trainer panicked, "Fire punch!"
"Alright! Keep up Pikachu and use Volt Tackle!"
"Chimchar, Dig!" Paul wasn't one to be distracted and quickly got back in the game.
The Volt Tackle and Fire punch collided with a shocking (hah, get it?) clash, both forces not willing to give way. They were at an impasse. Only, one side had a forgotten card up their sleeve.
Chimchar had dug his way toward the two and popped out of the ground. The little monkey raised his tiny fist and gave Magmar a hard Mach Punch uppercut. The force was enough to send him flying across the battlefield and completely knocked it out.
"Amazing! Since Magmar is unable to continue battling, moving on to the next round is Ash and Paul!"
There was loud applause but I knew better than to cheer at this moment. That was a terrible tag battle with little to no teamwork, except at that last moment. Even then, it was more of individual people fighting and not a duo that was required of doubles battle.
"From now on, stay out of my way!"
"Face it, we have to work as a team! That's what a tag battle is all about!"
"Hmph."
Training with Paul that night was hell. Not necessarily for me, but for Charry. I'd always berate myself for being a terrible human and friend every time. How could I let this happen time and time again?
From Leaf Storms and Thunders to Hyper Beams and Shadow Balls to Focus Points and Earthquake, it was all too much for the small, baby Pokemon. The onslaught of moves came from Terracotta (Torterra), Murkrow, Elekid and Ursaring, our newest companion that Paul stored in the PC until recently. The only thing I could really do was use Aircutter to either misdirect or weaken the attack.
If it weren't for Charry's insistence, I would've ceased this brutal torture ages ago. Then again, I knew this specific practice session was important for the plot. Ash would soon appear and Charry would be taken to the Poke centre for healing. But that didn't stop the ache in my heart every time my friend huffed in exhaustion and was knocked around like some plaything.
"Paul! What's up with your training?"
He spared a moment's glance at the trainer behind, before turning back to his Pokemon, "Chimchar. Flamethrower."
Exhausted, the monkey opened his mouth for a stream of scorching fire to escape. He must've been dizzy from the storm of moves he had to endure and aimed directly at humans-if I didn't do something quick, they would receive the brunt of the attack.
I dashed through the air and let out one fellow gust of air at just the right timing. The force of my wind set the flames off course and burned the trunk of a random tree.
"Wow, that was close!" Ash laughed lightheartedly which was pretty impressive seeing that he would've been literally turned to Ash if it weren't for me, "Man, that was super cool, Zubat! And Chimchar, your flamethrower has gotten way more powerful!"
"Really?" Charry blushed the praise. Seriously, he's just too good for this world.
Ever the party pooper, Paul cut in a rare happy moment, "We're not through yet!"
"What are you doing, Paul? Why is Chimchar the only one you put through such intense, special training anyway?"
"It's none of your business!"
"Yes, it is! If you don't remember, we're a Tag Team!"
"Your point?"
It was only then that I noticed a particular trio hidden in the bushes; the magenta hair, crappy uniform and talking Meowth were a huge giveaway of Team Rocket. These idiotic three were as famous as they could ever be because, really, who could actually hate them?
"Wouldn't you know it, it's the rude twerp," Jessie commented.
"Training Chimchar likes it's the end of the world," James added on.
"I wish that guy would lighten up!" Meowth sounded sympathetic as he said this, frowning at the scene.
Of course, I couldn't help but add my own little in-put to this conversation, "Yeah, I totally agree."
The reaction was unnaturally yet hilariously in sync as a chorus of yelps proceeded by 'shushes' echoed throughout the forest. They wrestled each other, trying to shush the other one up. It was like a bunch of children in a playground trying to fight over who'd use the swing next.
"Gah!"
"What the-?"
"When did you get here?!"
"Shhhhh!"
"Sorry!"
Looks like they were completely caught off guard! I guess they didn't expect me to be here. They are always doing the stalking after all. I can always depend on Team Rocket to cheer up my mood, huh...
Meowth eyed me, "Really?"
"Oh, I guess I said that aloud again." I murmured, "I have a habit of doing that."
"Aye, I hear ya! I do that often too." Meowth said, "You're that dude's Pokemon as well, right? Must be rough..."
"Yeah..."
"You're always trying to protect Chimchar despite the fact you'll get in trouble. I think you're really tough for puttin' up with all that, even though you don't have to. Meanwhile, I'm just a silly cat that the boss kicked out, stuck with these two morons."
There were various noises of complaints but through it all, I couldn't help but be surprised; Meowth... is trying in his own way to cheer me up.
I cracked a smile, "You're a good 'mon, Meowth. Thanks!"
"Don't go thanking me! I'm a part of team rocket, you know!" Well, who would've known? Meowth is just a cute tsundere. I used my wing to give an affectionate pat to the scratch Pokemon's soft head although I may have done it a bit too hard and he ended up getting one of those comical red lumps.
When I looked back to the scene though, that brief moment of delight rapidly turned into worry. Chimchar collapsed on the ground. Elekid taking a step forward. "Wake it up with Thunder!"
I darted as quick as a missile.
Pikachu had the same idea but I was faster. I didn't really think, only acted on pure instinct. If I had thought it through, I would have realised that Thunder would have been extremely ineffective on Pikachu as both the move and the 'mon were electric-type. I, on the other hand, was a flying/poison type and therefore, extremely weak to the typing.
So, uhh. It hurt. A lot.
Everyone seemed surprised at my appearance; the shocked cries of Pikachu and Charry, who were right behind me. as well as Paul and Elekid on the opposing side. Ash would run in soon after the lighting strike faded into the dark.
Miraculously, I was still conscious. I had lost strength in my wings and tumbled down ungracefully but was caught by a warm pair of arms. I wanted to knock out right there and then but the stubborn side of me wouldn't let that happen. So, painfully, I got back up and flapped my wings slowly. Then, I glaredat the purple-haired trainer. Like, really glared at him.
And then I blacked out.
Holly, Brock's tag team partner and a flying-type specialist, said, "Damn, I'm impressed by Brock! I thought he was flirting with Nurse Joy at first but boy, was I wrong! He really knows his stuff!"
Alongside Holly, Ash and Dawn watched Brock patch up the two injured Pokemon from behind a glass pane. Chimchar slept as dead as a log having been thoroughly worn out. Zubat reacted violently to the treatment despite being unconscious and thrashed around threateningly the second the cooling spray touched its skin.
Brock struggled for a bit, being bitten multiple times throughout the process, but managed to finally calm down the panicked Pokemon with some soothing words.
"They'll be alright," He asserted professionally as he exited the room, "Both of them need to rest though."
"What a relief! I'm glad to know that they'll be okay!" Dawn spoke, maintaining the two Pokemon in her vision.
"We should tell the news to Paul." Brock said, "Zubat and Chimchar are both his, after all."
Ash frowned, "Right..."
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"You had a severe training session with Chimchar, huh. And for your information, no, Ash didn't have to say anything. I was the one who treated Chimchar and Zubat," Brock brought up to an uncaring Paul. He continued after a short pause, "At this point, Chimchar will either get a lot stronger... or just emotionally scarred for light. I'm afraid that the later is more likely."
Brock and Paul sat face to face in one of the Pokecentre dining booths, made up of a plain white table and uncomfortable orange seats. Ash, Dawn, Conway and Holly sat on a long table next to theirs as they all curiously waited around for Paul's side of the story.
"Why do you find the need to push so hard anyway?" Brock asked, "I'm not asking because I'm Ash's friend. I'm asking because I'm a doctor and I'm concerned about Chimchar's safety."
"Believe it or not, we all want the same thing for Chimchar." He finally let out.
Ash blinked, tilting his head to the side, "I don't get it."
"The first time I saw Chimchar... I'll never forget it," Paul recounted his annotate as if it were an exhilarating narrative, like a comic book with Chimchar as the main protagonist. How he went training Elekid out in the forest when he witnessed five Zangoose interrupted, all chasing after the lone baby Pokemon. Paul didn't know if it had been a fight for food or territory, but either way, Chimchar was cornered on a cliff and heavily outnumbered; its life was at stake. And then...
"It released the most fearsome, brilliant flame I had ever seen. And from then on, I just knew I had to have it."
I had a knack for pranking my fellow Poke-mates on Paul's team. Charry, being so timid and all, was a great 'mon to scare the living daylights out of because he had such funny reactions. It reminded me of my scardy-cat friend from school back in the day.
At this moment though, I couldn't even bring myself to do anything.
Charry laid in his medical cot, battered and bruised. Potions could only do so much to such severe damage and fatigue built up over months of harsh training. This was important to the plot. I knew that. Paul would release Chimchar by the end of tomorrow right after the second round of matches and Ash would offer to take Chimchar on and Chimchar would accept and from then on, Ash would help nurture probably the best fire-Pokemon he owned; they would defeat Paul once and for all in the Lily of the Valley conference in the most electrifying battle to date. For Arceus' sake, I knew this.
That didn't make seeing my best friend in pain, suffering and unconscious any easier. I kept telling myself, 'just a little bit more Marella, it's only time'. But now? When that time's coming?
I'm scared. I'm freaking terrified.
What happens if it all goes down wrong?
What happens if it doesn't even happen?
What happens if it does happen?
Worst of all, I didn't know what I would do. It should be obvious, right? Go join Charry and leave Paul, it's not like I have to stay with Paul. I could steal my own ball for goodness sakes! But it wasn't just that and it wasn't that easy. I'm not like Charry. There's no path set out for me, some side-character that didn't even exist in the canonical story. If tomorrow carried out as it did in the anime, then Charry would be on Ash's team, alongside Pikachu, Turtwig, Aipom and Starly. There's room now but when Ash catches Gible and Gliscor, and when he decides he needs to change his team to defeat the more difficult gyms... there won't be room. I'll be sent to the PC box and spend the rest of my life in Professor Oak's lab.
And that was the thought that I pondered over for the rest of the night as I stayed awake, keeping watch over Charry, and the morning after. I spent the rest of the day mindlessly as battles played out in the background. People, places, faces-everything just kept moving yet I remained in the dullness of my own world. For the longest time, I simply did nothing.
The thought had come across to Paul multiple times. Day after day, it had become all the more clear. He was wasting his time with Chimchar. The Pokemon had great potential, the type of potential that-if brought out to it's fullest-would be a mighty force to reckon with in the league. But now, after the train-wreck of a battle that had occurred in the tag-team tournament, Paul would finally admit; this wasn't working.
So, as he held Chimchar's Pokeball in his hand, he no longer thought about the pros and cons of releasing Chimchar back into the wild but the matter of the next Pokemon to replace the fire-type on his team.
It was a great shame for Paul. Months of planning and training, pouring all of his efforts and focus on the one Pokemon but had nothing to show for it. He prided himself as a trainer yet he couldn't even do what any trainer ought to do. He had failed. He gave up on Chimchar.
But Ash didn't. He took over the battle with ease, commanded a Pokemon he'd never before and won. Paul had intended it to be a lesson of sorts but seeing that was probably what made the decision set in stone.
Why Paul had even tried to such an extent, he didn't know. Perhaps it was his own stubbornness. The urge to keep pushing and to prove that he was right to that darn Ash Ketchum who kept preaching about love and friendship. Like that could get anyone anywhere in the world. Paul had learnt the hard way how tough it was in big leagues; his Pokemon needed to be the best of the best to have any hope of keeping up with a Champion.
If I did release Chimchar though, would Zubat leave too?
Paul had half the mind to realise that Zubat could have left him ages ago if it wanted to. It was definitely smart enough to escape a Pokeball on its own and there was no way that it didn't realise it had the opportunity either.
Said Pokemon was hanging around a corner in the waiting room long after his match had ended. That was odd. Zubat was normally hyperactive during the day. If not watching his battles and being an absolute nuisance, Zubat would be flying around the area and causing havoc all over. Zubat would, even after disappearing for an entire night, always return to him without question.
"Oi. Crazy Bat."
Then, "The battle's over."
"Wake up."
It made no sign of hearing him. It pretended not to hear Paul sometimes and found great pleasure in irritating him as much as it possibly could. Somehow, Paul got the impression that this was different. Serious.
"Zubat!" He called it aloud once again, a tad bit too loudly even to him. It dropped dead to the ground as if gravity had increased tenfold. Before the bat could actually hit the ground, it jaggedly made a turn-upwards and awkwardly flapped its wings to get a hold of itself. His Zubat was many things but a flimsy flyer was not one of them.
"What's up with you today?" Paul asked.
It made a short shrilly sound that had none of the usual carefree and often amused undertone before drunkenly heading off to the direction of the exit, almost nicking a wing on the door frame. There was definitely something wrong here.
As if it knew that Paul had made up his mind.
This is happening.
I ran away from Paul and he didn't chase after me but I just knew where he had gone. I wasn't ready to deal with the situation so I flew away. I don't think I'll ever be ready. Of course, they weren't waiting for me-I wasn't Dialga or anything legendary like that, just a boring old Zubat. I had to go and see for myself just where this story was heading.
"So that's it?" I heard Ash say, "All that 'special training' to 'bring out his fullest potential' and now you're just going to give up?!"
"Yeah. That's it." Paul said. " I don't even know why I bothered in the first place."
Oh fuck. This is actually happening.
"Chimchar has been nothing but hard-working and loyal to you! I've seen it first hand."
"So what? Hard-work means nothing without results. That's not going to get me to where I need to be. I've already wasted enough time as it is."
"That doesn't mean you can just disown it like that! He's your Pokemon!"
"Not my problem anymore."
Charry was absolutely miserable. Like he wanted to protest yet decided against it. I wanted to intervene, to shout, to scream a million things all at once. I wanted to tell Paul what a complete and utter fool he was and tell Charry to stand up for himself, prove this imbecile wrong. But when Paul started to walk away and Charry dejectedly stare at the ground, I understood. Paul didn't just give up on his Pokemon, Charry had given up on himself.
I flapped my wings yet remained in the same spot. I didn't know whether or not I should move forward and follow him or stay where I was. I was an outsider overlooking events that I had no part in.
The trainer only managed a few steps away before he stopped. Paul stared at the capsule in his hand. He held it, good and hard, before finally tossing the old Pokeball behind him.
It bounced once, rolled slightly afterwards before hitting Ash's foot. I knew the exact moment he had made up his mind when his grimace turned into something like bitter determination. Just like the boy from my t.v. shows, Ash grabbed the Pokeball and knelt down to Charry and said, "If you don't mind, Chimchar... come with us!"
Charry glanced at the Pokeball and then up to Ash. He made a disbelieving sort of noise and stood there, frozen. Ash gave a reassuring nod and slowly but surely, the pokemon held his claw to the Pokeball. A pact had been made.
It was a touching scene. It reminded me just why I loved the cartoon when I was a child and believed in the most childish of fantasies. Like the notion of good and bad and how everything was either one or the other.
"Are you sure, Ash?" Dawn questioned.
"You're taking up a huge responsibility," Brook said
"I'm sure."
But now, living in the moment, I can't help but look at the back faced towards me.
"And you too," Paul said. He stood aloofly yet one foot was tilted sideways like he was one step from turning around. Did he want to turn around? I could never really read Paul's character. Not when he was a 2D character and sure as not in person, when I couldn't even see his face. I wondered who was talking to. I looked around at the faces before me. At Chimchar and Twirtwig, Ash and Pikachu, Dawn and Brock. But the only person that his sentence could apply to... was me. It was all too sudden when I realised exactly what he was trying to say.
"If you want to leave with him, go ahead. I don't care."
A/N: Sooooo... cliff hanger! Please don't kill me you guys XD
This chapter has been a long time coming so I really hope you enjoyed this killer of a chapter!
If anyone you are interested in a [Role-Swap!AU Omake] for this fanfic, I've written a special solely for Quotev to celebrate 300/400 Hearts! Feel free to pop over there for that––and, once we reach a milestone over here I'll consider doing another special :D
But uh honestly, it has been a long while. I don't know how many people are still interested in this fic but regardless, thank you all so much for supporting me. It's been a very tough year and a bit and I'm always terrible at updating my fanfictions but I really hope you all enjoy! Have a great day, everyone :)
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Thanks for Reviewing/Favouriting/Following:
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(So uh. Oh my god. There are so many names. This is what I get for not updating in a while huh. If you happen to not see your name or a comma is in the wrong place, please do message me! It is currently 1:15 AM and I apologise for any mistakes, my brain is not exactly functioning right now and I'mma fall asleep any second now––)
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Response to Reviews:
Blaze2121 - I'm glad you enjoy the elements I've added to the fic! And yeah, while I haven't thought about ships, Zuzu messing around with the gang by getting people together sounds like something she'd totally do. XD
DG2 - Imagining Zuzu as a Golbat and swallowing Paul's head... bwahahaha! Hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Rideku - Zuzu's still a Zubat, to answer your question! :D
UnknownLookout - Aww, thank you!
juste leave me alone - I haven't taken French classes in years which I'm sure was pretty clear in the previous chapter, haha. Glad you found it funny though!
Yeahleash - I see you found my puns just a WEEDLE bit funny!
Naruto 89 - The leagues not until a while away but hmm, could be...
Blue Mapple - So, you bring up a good point! This is kinda intentionally though and I hope this chapter answer your question. Why not? Zuzu doesn't really know herself! :O
Aryen-Dono - That nightmare scenario you were describe... is happening right now! Oh no! I'd be interested to know what you think is gonna happen next chapter :D
Magainita - Whoa, this was a lengthy review! Such a detail analysis, I enjoyed reading it quite a bit; I put quite a bit of detail into the MC, Marcella or Zuzu, and I'm glad to know that those details are being noticed! I know the Pokémon anime doesn't have the greatest reputation so it's nice to know that you enjoyed my take on it! Hope to hear you thoughts about this chapter :D
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So, this chapter was NATU shabby, huh?
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What do you guys think though; what will Zuzu do?
:O