"Owww…", Chloe groans as she falls to her knees, dazed after being slammed into a tree by a powerful Water Gun. Her Smokescreen is clearing as she recovers her bearings, putting her in clear view of all her opponents. "Dang, no choice but to fight now," she thinks to herself as she readies an attack...
Following the stream she heard yesterday brought her to a beautiful pond, one that all the forest Pokemon use as a watering hole, but it's clear the family of Poliwag and Poliwhirl living here don't take kindly to trespassers at their home. She thought she'd be able to sneak in for a refreshment while they were distracted by some Scyther on the far side. As she knelt down to refill her canteens, a hidden Poliwag emerges from the mud, surprising her with a Double Slap. The commotion nabs the attention of his family, giving the Scyther a moment to flee and letting every Poli focus fully on the lone Fire type. Fleeing is her best option since she knows she'll never be able to beat them all in battle. She looses a Smokescreen all around her, stopping the approaching amphibians in their tracks, confusing them as they try to figure out why day just turned to night. She has no issue seeing through her own attack, on account of her parents having trained her in advanced techniques for her age, so she seizes this opportunity to flee. She thinks she's in the clear as she reaches the edge of where the smoke is beginning to fade, but a Poliwhirl is waiting for the intruder, hitting her with a Water Gun as soon as she notices him. With water dripping from her orange scales, a flame forms at the back of her throat as she struggles back to her feet, staring down all of her adversaries through the clearing smoke as she does so. She unclenches her jaw to release her attack on the family charging towards her, but a sudden bright light halts her from unleashing anything. Time seems to stand still for a second as everything falls silent and she brings her arm up to shield her eyes from the unexpected Thunderbolt that strikes in the middle of the Polis, scattering them all about. Then the silence breaks as the air cracks with the sound of thunder, the ground scorched at the site of the strike and a tingling sensation all around Chloe.
"What was that?", she thinks to herself. She hears some rustling in the bushes near her, and looks over to see an Electrike emerge with sparks crackling off of her green fur.
"Hey! Pretty close call. Lucky for you I was around," the canine says with a wink.
"Uh… yeah, thanks," Chloe says with a puzzled look. "Who even is this?"
"No problem! They're really no trouble, at least for me. But this fight ain't over yet." The Electrike rummages about her bag, pulling out a Sitrus Berry. She extends her paw, handing the berry to Chloe. "Here, replenish your strength. These are a lot better roasted, but we don't have time."
Chloe takes the berry, and the green dog turns around to see two creatures hop out of the pond. "Oh boy," Chloe thinks. She takes a bite out of the Sitrus Berry, and can feel it recharging her energy. "Thanks," she says before finishing it off.
"Yep, those things do wonders. The name's Julie, by the way, but everyone calls me Jules," the Electrike says with a smile.
"I'm Chloe. Got a plan for this pair?" Now she can tell that the creatures from the pond are a Politoed and a Poliwrath. They're assessing what has happened to their family, and do not look pleased with the conclusion.
"Those two there are the parents of this crew, and based on past experiences I'm guessing they won't be too friendly with us. What moves do you know? Looked like you were prepping an attack before I barged in. A blue-flamed Charmander has got to know something special."
Chloe blushes from embarrassment. Her oddly colored fire is always a sore spot when meeting someone new. "Nothing effective, I'm afrai-" Chloe can't finish her sentence as Jules uses a Quick Attack to move them both out of the way of the Politoed's Hydro Pump. Poliwrath launches at them with a Dynamic Punch. The duo splits, leaving the punch's target, the tree behind them.
"About those moves…" Jules shouts as she slams the Poliwrath with a Quick Attack, sending the foe towards Chloe. Her arm glows with a bright steel-colored hue, as Chloe instinctively reacts with a Metal Claw, launching her target back into its pond. Politoed watches as his wife splashes into their home.
"Whoa. And you said 'nothing effective'," Jules teases as she pokes Chloe's side with her muzzle.
"Well I was thinking damage wise."
The Politoed starts moving about rhythmically as his wife crawls back onto shore.
"Uh oh. I hope your tail can survive a drizzle." Chloe looks at Jules with a confused look after that statement. "He's doing a Rain Dance. Probably shouldn't let him." She shoots a Thundershock his way, but the Poliwrath jumps in to block it, knocking herself out to save her husband. "Hmph. Now about your other moves?" she inquires again. "Anything from a distance?"
"Smokescreen and Fire Spin are all that could do anything."
"Great! Hit them with that smokey-ness!"
With clouds forming over their heads, Chloe shoots a Smokescreen at her foe. Politoed is startled by the sudden darkness and stops his dance, causing the clouds to dissipate and the sun starts peeking through again.
"Perfect!", Jules exclaims with sparks flying from her back. "Now to make sure that doesn't happen again." She launches a Thunderwave at the Politoed, paralyzing him from any further attacks.
"I-is that it?" Chloe asks.
"Nah, not quite. We should knock him out, just to be safe. Lemme see that Fire Spin."
Chloe readies her flame again, this time unleashing the vortex at full power, trapping the frog in its spinning heat. Jules is dazzled by the display. "Oh cool, your attacks are blue fire as well," she says as she brings her focus back on the fight, sending a Thundershock coursing through the air, knocking Politoed back into the pond it calls home. "Well, that was fun," she quips as she rests against a tree.
"It's over now?" Chloe gasps, collapsing against the same tree to catch her breath.
"Yep. It never takes much. They're not that strong. Just gotta knock 'em back to their senses."
"That wasn't 'strong'," Chloe thinks. "What does she consider tough then?" "Why didn't you just hit those last two with another Thunderbolt? That first strike was very impressive."
"Hmm? Oh, my first hit. Yeah, that wasn't a Thunderbolt. I haven't learned that technique yet."
"You're kidding!? But it was so powerful; much stronger than your later bolts."
"Those last ones were just Thundershocks, and the first strike was the same. If I don't use my electricity for a few days, it builds up. Then when I release it, well… that happens."
"So, what's your story?" Jules asks her battle partner. "What brings you down this way? I haven't seen many Charmander, and definitely not one with blue fire. How'd you get that anyways?"
"Oh, uh…" Chloe stammers as she stares at her tail.
"I didn't mean anything by it! I think it's super cool. No need to be ashamed of what sets you apart."
Chloe grins, "Thanks for that, it's nice to hear from someone new. I'm not really sure about my fire. It's just always looked like that, ever since I was born. As for why I'm down here, I'm on my way to Xatu in the Great Canyon. I finally made it out of that forest after a week."
"Oh, so you're from that mountain village?"
"Monsé Crossing, yeah. What about you? Why are you out here?"
"Just getting some ingredients for supper when I heard a commotion. My curiosity got the better of me. But hey, at least I got to meet you - ooh! You should come with me for supper tonight! I'm sure my family would love to meet you."
"Umm, I uh…" Chloe is caught off-guard by the sudden offer.
"Come on!" Jules leaps to her feet, pulling Chloe's arm. "You'd need to eat anyways, and no one wants to eat by themselves. Follow me, it's this way."
"All right, okay, no need to pull so hard."
They walk along what could pass for a 'trail' through a field of tall grass towards Jules' family home. "What's your reason for wanting to see Xatu? That's quite the trek. I'm assuming you have a purpose for it."
Chloe gets a worried look on her face. "My older sister, Cassie, got real sick a few years ago. We were hoping Xatu might have some help to offer up."
"Aw, I'm sorry. I assume you've tried other cures? My mom makes up a great elixir whenever I get sick."
"I don't think it's that kind of sick," Chloe says with a chuckle.
Jules looks down from embarrassment. "Oh."
"Don't worry, I appreciate the advice. My parents did try that at the start. They tried Miltank's milk and Chimecho's Heal Bell. My dad even managed to find a Blissey to share her egg. These all helped for a bit, but nothing worked out long-term. Then dad heard word of Xatu when we moved out here. He thought it wouldn't hurt to try everything, since nothing has helped Cassie permanently."
"Are you searching out Xatu by yourself then? It doesn't seem wise for you to be out here alone."
"I have no other choice. Dad left six months ago and hasn't made it back yet. Cassie has been getting worse ever since he left, so Mom has to try her best to take care of her. All that leaves is me."
"Hmm," Jules mumbles as she gets a spark of an idea.
"Mmm, something smells delicious," Chloe says as they hit a small grove of trees. Smoke is rising from a small hut nestled in front of a hill between some trees.
"Here we are! That's my dad there," Jules says pointing towards a fluffy tail poking out from behind some plants of their garden. Chloe sees a pair of equally furry ears twitch above the plants before a Wartortle stands up.
"Glad you're back. Did you get a good haul today?" He asks his daughter while turning his head up from his work.
"Yep!" She replies enthusiastically, "I got some Sitrus, Pecha, Oran, and Rawst berries. Also picked up a Charmander on my way back. Can we keep her?" She says jokingly.
"I believe that would be up to her," he says laughing. "Pleasure to meet you. My name's Carl."
"Oh yeah a pleasure. I'm Chloe," she says extending her arm for a handshake.
"My, so polite. I might need your help teaching my daughter there."
"Hey!" Jules is slightly angry at first, but realizes he might be correct. "Anyways," as she turns her head towards Chloe, "those two there are my siblings, Aqua and Scarlett," she says motioning towards a Plusle being chased by a Minun on the hill.
"Actually, it was your daughter that saved me today. I'd be glad to repay the favor."
"Oh, did she now?" He looks down at the Electrike who now has a proud smile on her face.
"It was no big deal. I'm not even sure I was required. You should see her attacks, dad. They're awesome! I'm gonna go give these to mom so she can finish supper."
"Well I'd like to see that display at some point. I'm very intrigued to see what kind of a punch that blue fire of yours is packing."
"Dad!" Jules turns to shout at the Wartortle as she's walking towards her home. "Don't bring that up! She's shy about that."
Carl brings his attention back to the lizard, who is now staring at the ground with her hands behind her back. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't even think that through before blurting it out."
"No… it's fine," Chloe says quietly as she brings her tail around, with her flame diminished.
Sensing that he's upset his daughter's friend, he begins to tell a story of his own.
"I myself was an extremely late evolver. As I'm sure you know, I'm still not into my final stage. And there's nothing wrong with that, despite what others will try to convince you of. Seeing my friends evolve all around me was rough. Some were even fully evolved while I was still just a Squirtle, and they loved to point that out… especially a particular Gengar," he shudders just speaking that name.
"So what did you do?"
"Well it took some time for me to realize I could turn what I was convinced was my weakness into my strength. Even now, I'm not upset I'm not a Blastoise. Sure, I'd gain some strength and power, but I'd always need to watch my surroundings. I'm far more nimble and agile at this size, which they grew to be envious of. It took finding some good friends for me to learn that you need to embrace what sets you apart, not try to hide it." Finishing his last line with a smile, "Because frankly, in both of our cases it's impossible to hide."
Chloe laughs as her flame goes back to full strength without her noticing.
"There we go, that's what I like to see. Now how about I introduce you to the twins. Scarlett! Aqua!" He shouts to the mice wrestling on the hill. They pause their playing as their ears perk up when they hear their dad calling for them. They sprint over rather quickly saying "Hi!" in unison.
"This here is Chloe, your sister's new friend," he explains to his kids. Chloe waves to the twins, who are now standing on either side of the Wartortle.
"I'm Scarlett!" The female Minun said energetically, followed by her brother saying "I'm Aqua!" before they run off to play again.
"Those two never sit still," their dad says with an exhausted sigh. They don't get very far before Jules shouts out the door "Supper's ready! Git in 'ere."
The twins stop in their tracks, turning around to sprint the other direction towards their home now, with Carl and Chloe following not far behind. "Well, this is our humble abode," Jules says to her friend when Chloe walks through the entryway. "It's nothing special, but it works." Scarlett and Aqua dash to one side of a raised, square-ish stone slab in the middle of the room set with bowls and spoons.
"I like it. We just live mostly in a cave, so this is an improvement to me," Chloe says as she sits down on the far side opposite to the twins.
"Hey, that gets the job done too," the Electrike says while heading back towards the fireplace to help her mom get the food. Chloe sees a larger canine that has blue fur accented with yellow stirring the pot that's cooking. Jules helps her bring the pot over to the table while Carl sits down at the end to the right of Chloe.
"Hello dear. I'm Jess, the mother to this crew," the Manectric states as she sits down at the open end opposite of her husband. "Jules was telling me all about what happened today while she was helping me."
"Well excuse me, I haven't had this much excitement in months," the Electrike retorts with a grin while sitting down beside Chloe.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am. Thank you very much for having me tonight."
"Please, don't be so formal. Call me Jess. And it's our pleasure. I'm happy our daughter did some good for once," she says with a teasing smirk towards Jules.
"Hey! I found Aqua and Scarlett for you last year." Everyone turns to look at the pair who are now busy chowing down, but stop for a second when everyone gets quiet.
"Really? You couldn't even wait for our guest to be served?" Their mother scolds.
"We were hungry," mumbles the Plusle while wiping his mouth, giving the family a chuckle. Everyone else gets served and eats as well, discussing what had happened throughout the day.
"So Jules tells me that you're on your way to hopefully meet Xatu all by yourself. Why is that? The world isn't very safe to be journeying alone anymore." The Manectric questions her guest.
Carl chimes in with "Yeah, I was waiting to hear your story."
"I don't have a choice. My dad set out a few months ago to try and find a cure for my sister. He hasn't returned yet, and my mom has to stay back with her, so all that leaves is me," the Charmander replies with a slightly worried look.
Jules waits a few seconds before adding in "Well I was thinking… maybe she doesn't have to be alone." Her parents turn to her with a somewhat confused look. "Maybe I could travel with her!" She finishes with enthusiasm, and the confusion turns to surprise. Chloe is startled by the request as well.
"But you're both so young," is Carl's initial response.
"I know, but Chloe's very talentedl. You should see her dad. I don't think she even needed my help with the Polis. And I'm nearly the age you were when you first met mom, and that was when you were traveling on your own."
"Those were completely different circumstances. The world has changed drastically since then. Besides, you can't even make it through Mt. Steel yet. I really don't think you're prepared for the rest of the country."
"Well, what if we can make it through there together? Would that prove to you we're strong enough?"
"I hardly think finishing an old dungeon that Chloe has an advantage against is a proper testament to her strengths." Carl turns to his wife and asks "What do you think, honey?"
"I have to agree with your father here. I'm not comfortable letting two children travel by themselves. It seems like Chloe doesn't have a choice, but you, however, do," she says while looking at her daughter.
"Oh c'mon, we can ask Aunt Alli. I'm sure she's itching for another adventure after all these years. You'd trust her, right?" Jules is pulling for every excuse for her parents to permit her to go, and it might just work. Her parents sit in silence for a few seconds thinking all of this over. "So is that a 'yes'?" The Electrike questions; the silence is killing her. The silence finally breaks when Jess asks her guest "Who are your parents, by the way?"
"Oh, um…" Chloe had been keeping her head down, trying not to get involved, but looks up to answer her friend's mom. "Arkus and Catherine," she answers.
"Really?" Carl and Jess question in unison with a shocked tone, then turn to look at each other at this revelation.
"Yeah, do you know them?"
Carl looks back down to the bowl of food in front of him, while his wife answers in a serious tone "We… might have crossed paths a few times."
"Is that… a good thing?" The not-knowing is still killing Jules.
"I think if you kids are done with your meal, it might be best for you to head to bed. Your mother and I can clean this up, and we'll discuss it further in the morning," Carl says, again with a serious tone.
"...Okay," Jules replies with disappointment. She and her siblings say their good nights, and hug and kiss their parents before heading to their room. "Come on, it's behind this curtain," Jules instructs her friend while pulling the curtain aside to allow entry, revealing a short hallway leading to two rooms on either side.
"Thank you very much for letting me spend the night," Chloe says before ducking behind the curtain.
"Oh, our pleasure sweetie. Get a good night's rest now," replies the Manectric, who has already made it to the sink. Her husband joins her, bringing the rest of the used dishes over.
"Can you believe your daughter? What are we going to do with her?" he questions his spouse.
"I'm not sure we could stop her if we wanted to. We might as well try to at least have some say over how she travels. You did tell her she could journey eventually."
"Well… yeah, but I didn't mean this soon. I thought she would wait a few more years. Or at least until the ferals stopped being so aggressive."
"As much as I'd enjoy watching you attempt to stop her, I think it would be best if we give her our blessing. Show her we believe in her."
"When have we never not believed in her?'
"We haven't, but that's not how she'd see it. Besides, at least this way she won't be alone. I take a lot more comfort from that."
"Do you really think we can trust Chloe? Or her parents for that matter, after what they did?"
Jess pauses from her cleaning for a minute to contemplate what her husband just asked. "...I do still trust them, honestly. But even if I didn't, we shouldn't hold that against Chloe. You heard the passion in her voice when she explained why she was out here. It's not possible to fake that. Jules might have been onto something about your sister though. I would really like to get Alli's opinion on this, seeing as how she knew Catherine and Arkus much better than us. She's also much more familiar with the state our country is in; she'll tell us honestly if she thinks they'd be prepared."
"...Maybe you're right. I'll go talk to her tomorrow."
"Well of course I'm right. When have I ever been wrong?" she says jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Hah, do you want me to grab the list? I don't think we have that much time," he fires back.
The Plusle and Minun dash ahead of Jules and Chloe into the room on the right. "Well that's our room," the Electrike says annoyed. "I wish I had my own room."
"I share a room with my sister, too. I've always enjoyed it though," responds Chloe.
"Well it's not constant, but sometimes it would just be nice to have a place that's my own. That's partly why I wanna travel."
Aqua and Scarlett hop into a set of small bunk beds to the left-side of the bedroom. There's a tiny bed on the opposite side, just large enough to fit an Electrike. "I hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor," Jules says to her friend as she hops into her bed.
"Not at all. I'm just happy to be indoors," replies Chloe as she grabs her sleeping bag out of her bag, along with her journal. "Do you think your folks will let you travel with me? This past week has been a bit lonely," she asks her friend as she sits down beside her bed with her journal and begins to write with the glow from her tail.
"I'm not sure, to be honest. I genuinely hope so, but I guess we'll find out in the morning. Say, what are you doing with that book, anyways?"
"Oh, this? Uh… it's a journal my dad made. I'm just writing what had happened today."
"Why? Won't you remember?"
"Well, yeah. But it's not for me; my mom asked me to keep a record of my adventures. Since she couldn't travel with me, she figured reading it in my own words when I get back would be the next best thing."
"Oh cool. I wonder if I should do that too."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," Chloe remarks jokingly.
"Heh, fair enough. Anyways, goodnight. And you too, kiddos," Jules directs across the room to her siblings who are still busy wrestling with each other. Their sister's words grab their attention and make them stop. "Goodnight!" they say in unison as Scarlett climbs to the top bunk. "And goodnight to Jules' new friend, too," Aqua adds.
Chloe grins, "Goodnight guys, and thanks again for letting me stay."
"No problem," Jules responds in a sleepy tone while she closes her eyes.
Day 6: ...it was pretty fun working alongside someone in a real fight. It helped greatly that she had a type advantage, being an Electrike. She took me back to her house after we won, and her mom had made one of the best stews I ever had (it might even be better than yours). It was a good time until she asked her parents, Carl and Jess, if she could travel with me. I really hope they accept her offer; having a buddy today was very enjoyable. They didn't seem too happy with the idea, especially after I told them who my parents were. You're gonna need to tell me what happened with you guys sometime. Anyways, they said they'd discuss it tonight and let us know in the morning. So I guess I'll find out tomorrow if I get a partner or not.