Hours later, after the sun had set and the warmth in the air had been replaced by a nipping chill a brilliant fire blazed. Its flames danced and whipped with the gentle night breeze, illuminating the surrounding camp is not just light but a soothing warmth. A leg of ham was hanging above the flames, skewered on the snapped off branch of a tree. The flames licked at the meat, searing the skin, boiling the fat and toughening the meat within. Surrounding the fire, the trunks of trees that Graveler had toppled lay, serving as seats. Surge sat on one, lounging back with Darcy on his lap. His hand was planted firmly on their stomach, caressing the firm muscles gently. They both laughed happily, joking with Abby who sat across from them on her own log. Abby was dressed in some of the new clothes Green had bought for her. A small, white crop top with a pokéball symbol on the front and a fresh pair of denim shorts free of tears or stains. Dratini was coiled around her neck, basking in the warmth of the fire lazily, oblivious to the world around him. Graveler was closer to the fire than any of them. He was sat so close that the flames licked at his stone skin. The heat must have been intense but it didn't seem to bother him as he let the warmth soothe his exhausted muscles. Meanwhile, Mankey sat alone in the branches of a nearby tree sulking. He'd made a small nest from sticks, leaves and feathers he'd found lying about. He was tucked up in it, staring seethingly out at the meadow. His eyes were locked onto the field of flowers. Away from the rest of the group, Machoke was still in his hut, cross-legged and eyes shut firmly. A vein pulsed in his temple, throbbing as he strained to sense the rock-type energy around him. Green was knelt before him, watching him with a concerned look. Machoke slammed his fist against the ground and let out a frustrated sigh. Green leaned forward and placed a hand on his thigh.
"You've done enough for today," She assured him gently, "come on, let's go join the others, there's meat there waiting for you."
Machoke gave her a reluctant look. Green sensed the bruise to his ego, knowing the feeling all too well herself now. She scooted forward and kissed him softly, placing both hands on either of his thighs.
"Learning something new takes time, don't let it get you down okay?" Her voice was sweet and gentle, whispering against his lips.
Machoke grasped her waist and pressed his forehead against hers. He pulled her up onto his lap.
"Machoke…" He sighed, a smile forcing its way onto his lips.
Green giggled and grasped his shoulders, sitting up straight as she straddled him. She moved a hand up to his neck, over his jaw and onto his cheek, caressing it with her thumb.
"If you want, I'll make you feel a whole lot better tonight," She said with a sly grin.
Machoke's small smile grew larger. He chuckled and gave her hips a squeeze.
"Oh, you like that idea?" Green prodded his chest playfully.
Machoke nodded, eyeing her breasts hungrily. Green hopped off Machoke's lap, swinging her leg over him. She stood up and pointed over to the campfire.
"You better get going then huh?" She smirked as Machoke immediately got up.
"Machoke!" He exclaimed and hurried back over to the others.
He sat down beside Abby, who greeted him happily. Darcy stiffened in surge's lap, trying their best not to stare at Machoke. Their eyes still found themselves wandering to gaze at his powerful muscles, however. Green sat down beside Machoke a little stiff herself. Now that they were where Surge and Darcy could see them, she felt a bit hesitant to be physical with him. Even though she desperately wanted to cuddle up to him. Instead, she sat up straight on the leg, her hands in her lap.
"So, how do you think today went?" Surge asked her.
He reached for the leg of ham and turned it so the other side faced the fire. Green looked around at her pokémon, lingering for a moment on Mankey up in his tree. While she felt good about the direction they were heading in, she couldn't escape the fact that they hadn't made a whole lot of progress. While Mankey was getting a solid grasp on using fighting energy, he still wasn't thinking while fighting. While Graveler's ground attacks had gotten a little more consistent they still weren't quite there and Machoke hadn't made any progress at all. She bit her lip and reluctantly admitted what she thought was the truth.
"It could have been better," Her eyes darted down the ground, avoiding both her pokémon and Surge.
Surge nodded and sat up properly on his log, looking at Green over Darcy's shoulder. Darcy noticed the sudden serious atmosphere and hopped off Surge's lap.
"I like the honesty, but why?" He pressed further.
Green glanced around at her pokémon.
"Because we haven't made much progress," Green replied
"Yes, but there's more to it than that," Surge added.
That stumped Green, for the life of her she couldn't see what he was talking about.
"The work you did with Mankey was great, you gave him a real challenge to overcome but these two," Surge gestured to Machoke and Graveler, "you left them on their own with no real objective beyond getting stronger. You didn't even guide them beyond a few words of encouragement, your role as a trainer is to be a guide for them. To correct their mistakes and show them how to overcome their weaknesses."
Surge's words hurt to hear but Green didn't reject them. She sucked in her pride and accepted that harsh reality.
"Sorry," She replied ashamedly.
Surge got up from his log and sat beside Green, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"There's nothing to be sorry about Kid, getting things wrong is a part of getting stronger. Hell, I made plenty of stupid mistakes when I was first training." He assured her, laughing at himself.
Green raised her eyes from the ground and gave him a small smile.
"Really? Like what?" She asked.
Surge laughed and clutched the back of his head, smirking sheepishly.
"Too many, I got myself electrocuted constantly when I first started training my Raichu, back when he was a Pikachu. Once I got myself shocked so bad every single hair on my body was standing up stiff, straight and singed." Surge chuckled.
Green laughed, along with Abby and Darcy. Machoke and Graveler chuckled too, shooting each other glances.
"Anyway, don't let a little bit of failure stop you. You just gotta pick yourself up, ask what went wrong and do your best to overcome it." He added.
Green nodded along, feeling a rush of determination. She looked back over at Mankey, she knew there had to be a way to through to him. Machoke put his arm around Green and pulled her close to him, holding her waist firmly. Green felt a jolt of fear as he did and looked up at Surge, studying his face to see his reaction. There wasn't one, his face didn't change at all. He just continued to look down at her with the same comforting look. Although the sudden look of fear on Green's face did change his expression. He raised an eyebrow at her curiously before realisation flooded his face.
"Oh, don't worry you're fine," He laughed, tapping his pokéball belt.
Along with the sixteen badges of the Kanto and Johto gyms, there was a smaller pink badge with a pokéball symbol. The same kind of pin Nurse Joy had given Green in Cerulean. Her eyes lit up excitedly.
"You're a pokésexual too?" She asked.
Surge nodded, glancing over at Darcy with a grin.
"Yeah but I prefer humans, I mostly just wear the pin to let other pokésexuals who come to train at my gym know that it's a safe place for them." He answered.
Darcy got up from their log and joined them, sitting on Surge's lap. They wrapped their arms around Surge's neck and lay their head down on his shoulder.
"Doesn't mean he won't indulge from time to time though," They added slyly, making Surge blush and laugh shyly.
Green giggled, her heart fluttering in her chest as the image of Surge fucking entered her mind. Only increasing as she watched Surge grasp Darcy's waist, putting his large muscular arm around them. She clung to Machoke's arm and averted her gaze, trying to fight off the urges screaming in her mind. Thankfully Abby interjected, leaning forward to look past Machoke at Surge.
"Hey Surge I've been wondering something, how come people call you a Lieutenant?" She asked.
The question brought Green's eyes right back to Surge, despite how horny she was. She hadn't really questioned it until now but now that the question had been raised she was curious to know the answer. Darcy looked up at Surge awkwardly, patting his arm comfortingly. Surge looked away uncomfortably, considering how to answer.
"Well…" He began, pausing again.
Darcy hugged his upper arm, pressing their cheek again his shoulder.
"It's alright baby, take your time," They whispered comfortingly.
Surge sighed and continued.
"Before I was a trainer, I was a ranger-" He began.
"A ranger?" Abby interrupted, the fear in her voice evident.
Green tensed up too, looking back and forth between them wearily. Surge shot her a strange look before his eyes widened slightly. His eyes went back and forth between Abby and Dratini.
"A girl and a dragon," He muttered.
Abby shot up to her feet, ready to make a run for it. Dratini on the other hand didn't so much as lift his head from Abby's shoulder. He gazed at Surge blankly, yawned and closed his eyes. Machoke's grip on Green tightened, his whole body tensing up beside her. Graveler looked back and forth between Surge and Abby with a bewildered expression.
"Whoa! It's okay calm down, I'm not with them anymore! If they're after you I've got no interest in helping those bastards!" Surge exclaimed, looking just as frightened as Abby.
Surge rose to his feet along with Darcy. Darcy stepped in between them, their eyes wide with fear.
"Abby it's fine! He's not with them!" Darcy's voice was tight and coarse.
Abby ignored Darcy and looked at Surge sceptically. She gave him an accusing look.
"Why? Why'd you stop being a ranger?" She asked suspiciously.
Surge plucked the one pokéball from his belt and held it out to her, beginning to look a bit panicked.
"Because I wanted to be a trainer!" He took a step towards her.
Abby's face softened slightly but she still took a step back in response.
"If that's true you would have been disowned, how'd you know about me then?" She asked.
Surge gave a pained sigh. He plopped back down onto the log and stared at the ground.
"I was disowned, to chase my dream I had to give up everything. I only heard about you cause I'm on the city council, we got an alert to be on the lookout for a girl and a dragon," Surge explained.
Cautiously, Abby sat back down, this time on the adjacent log.
"You gotta believe him, Abby, we're not gonna give you up," Darcy pleaded.
Surge looked up at her, their eyes meeting through the dancing flames.
"You did the same didn't you?" Surge's voice was low, a tense hushed whisper.
Abby nodded, keeping quiet still. Surge chuckled lightly.
"And I thought wanting to train electric types broke ranger traditions, dragons? You're crazy."
A small smile crept onto Abby's face.
"Yeah well when I told my dad, this one attacked him," Abby replied, gesturing to Dratini.
Dratini smirked sheepishly. Darcy sat down wearily beside Surge as he laughed harder.
"God, no wonder they freaked the way they did!" Surge exclaimed.
Abby laughed and gave a nonchalant shrug.
"What did they do when you left?" Abby asked.
The stiffness in her body had left in place of her usual relaxed self. Surge shook his head and grabbed a stick off the ground, poking at the fire with it. Embers flared and spat as the stick poked into the flames.
"Not quite as bad as your situation but still, they weren't happy. When I was doing my gym challenge they'd have rangers following me, keeping me up at night with noise, harassing me while I tried to train. Hell, they even tried stealing my pokémon while I slept once." Surge clenched his hand into a fist around the pokéball he was holding.
"We showed them what for though," Surge grinned wildly.
Abby giggled and Darcy looked at her hopefully.
"So, are we good?" Darcy asked.
Abby nodded, looking at Surge approvingly.
"Yeah, I feel like I can trust you now. Deserters have to stick together right?"
Surge chuckled and nodded too. With that, the tense atmosphere around the camp disappeared and returned back to normal. The rest of the night went on without a hitch, the group joked, laughed and shared more stories from their past as they ate their ham. Eventually, the time for sleep came. Abby was first, ducking into the tent with Dratini. Graveler found the muddiest part of the riverbank that he could, embedding himself into it, curling up and falling asleep. Machoke returned to his hut, leaving only Surge and Green still awake.
"Are you sure?" Surge asked as he stomped out the dwindling fire.
His heavy boots smothered the dying embers, snuffing out their dim glow. Only the stars and the moon above in the clear night sky lit up the meadow now.
"Yeah it's fine, sleep with Darcy. I don't mind sleeping out here with Machoke," Green insisted as she rose from her log.
She walked over to the tree where Mankey was. She looked up at him anxiously, getting ready to say something. Surge's hand on her shoulder stopped her, however.
"Let him be," He whispered, "You've got all of tomorrow to get through to him," He assured her.
Green relented and turned to smile at him. Ignoring the still present voice of anxiety in the back of her mind, Green hugged him, pressing her cheek against his chest.
"Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it."
Surge was taken aback at first, his hands hovering above her back. However, they came down, returning the embrace.
"Don't mention it Kid, now get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow," He insisted.
Green pulled back and stood up straight with an exaggerated stern face.
"Yes sir!" She exclaimed and made her way over to Machoke.
Surge shook his head and laughed as he ducked down and pulled back the tent flap. Green was grinning to herself as she approached Machoke's hut. Although her heart was beating rapidly, she had felt Surge's doing the same.
As soon as the warmth of the morning sun touched Green's skin she was awake and raring to go. Normally, she'd need a few minutes or even an hour to wake up. Especially with the throbbing pain in her groin Machoke had given to her last night. Today, however, she pushed through her pain and grogginess, her determination to make progress lighting a fire under her. She tossed Machoke's black briefs at him, hitting hi, in the chest with them. He awoke with a startle, groaning sleepily. He rolled over, not even the sight of Green standing above him naked was enough to get him up.
"Come on buddy, get dressed we've got a long day ahead of us!" She declared, beginning to gather up her scattered clothes.
Although Machoke was trying to fall back to sleep, his now raging hard-on wouldn't let him. He sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He slipped his briefs back on, the black partially hiding the enormous bulge. Still, it wasn't enough to stop Darcy from gawking at it as they poked their head out of their tent. Machoke caught them staring and raised an eyebrow at them, flashing a smirk at them. Darcy's face went bright red and they quickly ducked their head back inside. Meanwhile, Green stuffed her used clothes into her dirty clothes trash bag and hastily grabbed new ones from the other. She grabbed them at random, not concerned with coming up with a nice outfit. She ended up with a pair of pink shorts, a yellow t-shirt that her large breasts turned into a crop top and no chest wrapping. Again, she ignored the slight discomfort and hurried over to Graveler. She patted the top of his curled up body.
"Wake up buddy! Time to get going!" She instructed cheerfully.
Graveler uncurled and looked up at her groggily, coming face to face with her exposed midriff. His eyes widened and he suddenly found the energy to get going. He sprung up out of the mud and rolled back over to the camp, joining Machoke around the empty fire pit. Finally, she set her eyes on Mankey's tree. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran back across the meadow and stood below his tree.
"Mankey! Come on, time to get up!" She called to him.
In response an acorn flew down at her, hitting her on the forehead. Green shrugged and turned her back.
"Alright then, nice of you to let that Raticate wake up before you," She called out, a smirk on her face.
Immediately, Mankey popped up from his nest.
"Mankey!" He cried furiously and leapt from his tree, chasing after Green and clambering up onto her shoulder.
Green joined Machoke and Graveler by the empty fire pit, standing before them with a confident smile.
"Alright, now that we're all awake let's go over what we're going to do today. So clearly my approach yesterday didn't work but I've come up with a new one!"
Green pointed at both Machoke and Graveler.
"I want you two to work together. Graveler, I want you to help Machoke with channelling rock-type energy. Once Surge is awake we can focus on your training too. As for you," Green looked over at Mankey on her shoulder, "you're going to sit still and watch, you need to get it into your head that there's more to fighting than throwing your strongest attack at the opponent."
Mankey scoffed and turned his nose up at her.
"Mankey!" He declared defiantly.
Green gave him a stern look.
"It's that or spending the day in your pokéball buddy."
Mankey considered the two options. He sighed and relented.
"Mankey…" He muttered.
Green nodded approvingly and turned back to Machoke and Graveler with an excited grin.
"Go on, get started you two!" She exclaimed.
Machoke and Graveler looked at each other before getting up off their log. Graveler sped off into the meadow, rolling as fast as he could. While Machoke followed behind him sleepily, stretching out his arms and yawning. Green was about to chase after them when Darcy hurried out of the tent in nothing but Surge's shirt. It was so big on them, that it came down to their knees.
"Wait!" They called out, running up to Green with Elekid's pokéball.
"Can you let him tag along? I want him to watch your pokémon train, he might get something out of it," Darcy asked, their doubt still clear on their face.
Green smiled at them warmly and accepted Elekid's pokéball.
"Yeah sure, no problem. You can come along too if you want," Green offered.
Darcy looked out at the field and nodded wearily.
"Okay," They agreed, "I'll just get dressed first," They added.
They turned around quickly, hurrying back into the tent. Green looked down at Elekid's ball thoughtfully as she made her way across the meadow. She stopped and released him. He appeared before her and scowled at her sceptically. His eyes scanned her up and down before he took a step back. He sparked electricity at her, shooting a few sparks at her legs. Green considered him for a moment, ignoring the small singes on her thighs. She smirked at him.
"What? You think you're tough?" She asked, not waiting for a response before walking past him.
Elekid stared at her dumbfounded as she walked away. He chased after her.
"Elekid! Elekid!" He buzzed angrily.
Green ignored him, not so much as looking down at him as he ran around her feet trying to get her attention.
Graveler sped up to a particularly large boulder, skidding to a halt and uncurling. He considered the boulder before smiling approvingly. He turned back to Machoke who was still slowly making his way over. Graveler waved him over.
"Graveler!" He called out enthusiastically.
Machoke sighed and picked up the pace, jogging over to him. He looked at the boulder sceptically before gesturing back to his rock hut.
"Ma?" He asked.
Graveler looked over at the hut disapprovingly before gesturing back at the boulder.
"Graveler," He insisted.
Machoke shrugged and sat down next to the boulder. He crossed his legs and shut his eyes, beginning to focus on the energies around him. However, Graveler immediately broke his focus.
"Grav! Graveler!" He cried out.
He grabbed Machoke's wrist and pressed his hand against the rock. Machoke gave him a confused look. Graveler sat down beside him and placed his own hand against the boulder flat.
"Graveler," He said, gesturing to his hand with his lower pair.
Machoke followed the instructions and placed his hand against the boulder, looking back at Graveler for approval. Graveler nodded but gestured to his other hand. Machoke moved that up to, now placing both hands against the boulder. Green joined them with Mankey on her shoulder and Elekid running around her feet. Machoke closed his eyes again, trying to focus on the energies around him. Graveler looked up at Green with a proud grin, folding his arms victoriously. However, to both Graveler's and Machoke's disappointment, nothing happened again. Machoke opened his eyes and slammed the ground, orange sparks flying from his fist. Graveler stared at him dumbfounded, trying to process what went wrong. Green placed a comforting hand on Machoke shoulder and crouched down beside him. She considered the problem before her, gazing at the boulder thoughtfully.
"Try channelling your fighting energy while you do it," She suggested, appearing confident.
Truthfully, it was a complete shot in the dark but the logic made sense to her. Perhaps having energy already fowling through his body might somehow make his spirit more open to accepting a new one. Machoke sighed and placed his hands back on the boulder. He shut his eyes and ignited his hands with orange flame. The ridges along his forearms began to pulse with an orange glow, orange sparks spitting off his body. Both to Green's shock and pure amazement, a few brown sparks flew from Machoke's hands too. A brown glow began to form beneath his palms that slowly began to grow and creep over the surface of the boulder. Machoke opened his eyes and when he saw the brown glow a giant grin appeared across his face. His eyes then abruptly erupted into brown flames, the flames around his hands and wrists turning brown too. Even the glow in his forearm ridges turned brown. The glow quickly enveloped the entire boulder, creating a brown aura around it. Machoke strained, clenching his jaw as he tried to move the boulder. It shifted and rocked slightly but no matter how hard Machoke tried he couldn't lift it. Eventually, he cried out and pulled his hands away, the flames extinguishing in an instant. The aura around the boulder snapped away, leaving Machoke looking defeated again. He was about to slam the ground again when Green lunged at him, hugging him with an ecstatic grin. Mankey leapt off in fright, landing on the ground beside a now bewildered-looking Elekid. Elekid stared at Machoke blankly, a slight hint of wonder in his eyes.
"What are you upset for? That was great buddy!" Green exclaimed.
Machoke sighed and returned the embrace, holding Green against his chest.
"Machoke…" He muttered, staring past her at the boulder.
Green pulled back and stood up before him, grinning enthusiastically.
"You'll get there, you just need to practice. You didn't start out as a Machoke did you? You had to earn that by getting stronger and stronger with your fighting energy."
Machoke nodded, grinning excitedly.
"Machoke!" He agreed with a booming shout.
Green giggled and stepped aside. He placed his hands back on the boulder, this time igniting his hands with a brown flame straight away. He surrounded the boulder in a brown aura, trying again to move the boulder. He strained and struggled, only getting a tiny moment before the aura snapped away again. Undeterred, Machoke tried again. Green patted Graveler on the head.
"Good job, you're a great teacher," She encouraged, getting a proud smile out of Graveler.
She raised her head and looked back over at the camp, considering going over there to wake Surge up. However just as the thought crossed her mind, Surge, Abby, Darcy and Dratini crawled out of the tent. All in the midst of getting dressed still. Surge fiddled with his belt while Darcy hopped as they pulled up their thigh high socks and Abby fastened the button of her shorts. Green waved to them.
"Surge!" She called out, "come here I need your help with something!"
Surge started making his way over to her without a hint of tiredness. Darcy ran ahead of him, now dressed back up in their black and yellow Pikachu cosplay. Although the tail was now noticeably missing.
"Elekid isn't causing trouble is he?" They puffed, trying to catch their breath as they approached.
Green's mind went to the small singes on her thighs. She smiled and shook her head.
"Nah he's fine, see?" She gestured to Elekid who was still watching Machoke.
Darcy watched him curiously.
"That's not like him," They observed, a hint of hope in their voice.
Elekid took notice of Darcy's voice and whipped around immediately. He scowled, buzzed angrily and ran off into the meadow, disappearing into the grass. Darcy gasped and went to go after him but Green caught their arm.
"Let him be, he won't go far," Green assured them.
Sure enough, Elekid's ears were sticking up out of the grass only a few feet in. Mankey scampered up to Green and climbed back onto her shoulder with a bored expression.
"Mankey…" He muttered.
He looked over towards the flower field longingly.
"Not yet," Green said.
She turned to face Surge as he approached.
"How can I help?" He asked, glancing over at Machoke with an approving look.
Green beamed at him and gestured to his belt.
"Can Graveler spare with your pokémon?" She asked hopefully.
Surge smirked and placed his hand on the pokéball.
"Can he?" He asked back.
Green returned the smirk.
"Yes, he can," She responded.
Surge nodded happily and plucked the pokéball from his belt.
"Right answer," He replied before opening the ball.
Electrode was released before them. Electrode buzzed excitedly and immediately leapt at Surge, knocking him over onto his back. He bounced on Surge's chest.
"Electrode! Electrode!" He buzzed ecstatically.
Surge laughed and clutched Electrode with both hands, causing all the hair on his body to stand on end.
"I'm excited to see you too!" He laughed, having to push Electrode off him to stand up.
Electrode rolled around rapidly, unable to stay still. In his energetic frenzy, he accidentally ran into Graveler, bouncing off him with a thud. Graveler stared at him tensely.
"Graveler…" He muttered, narrowing his eyes.
The huge grin on Electrode's face vanished as he recognised Graveler. His eye narrowed too.
"Electrode…" He muttered back.
Green giggled and stepped in between them.
"Well, seems like you guys are already in the mood huh? Graveler, I want you to train your ground attack against Electrode. Use that anger and channel it into getting your attacks more consistent." She instructed
Graveler slammed his fists together and curled up, speeding off to a flat open part of the meadow. Electrode rolled after him, zipping ahead and arriving first. When Graveler arrived, Electrode poked out his tongue mockingly and started doing circles around him. Graveler swiped at him, completely blinded by anger. Mankey watched them gleefully from Green shoulder as she ran after them, clenching his fists excitedly.
"Relax buddy! Save it for the sparing!" Green called out with a laugh as she approached.
Graveler stopped, still seething but able to calm himself down just enough to stop blindly swinging. Mankey's huffed and returned to looking bored. Electrode stopped too and dashed to the other side of the flat area, getting into position. Surge sat on a small boulder behind him, watching with an amused look. Graveler took his position too moving over to where Green had set up. She was standing a little way up the central hill of the meadow, getting a view over the entire battle area. Darcy joined Surge by his boulder, leaning on his shoulder and watching the pokémon curiously. Behind Green, in the grass Elekid's ears followed them. Green pretended not to notice.
"You watch this closely okay?" She said to Mankey sternly.
Mankey sat down on her shoulder and folded his arms, reluctantly doing as he was told.
"Electrode, all you gotta do is dodge alright? Don't attack him, it's just sparing right now," Surge instructed.
Electrode grinned wildly, sparking his body excitedly. Graveler took a wide stance, readying himself.
"Alright, go for it Graveler!" Green commanded.
Graveler yelled furiously and raised his foot into the air. Electrode rolled out, dashing back and forth across the flat open area. Graveler followed him with his eyes, keeping his foot up in the air. Electrode didn't take the bait, continuing to roll back and forth rapidly. Graveler went to slam down his foot, causing Electrode to jump. However, at the last second, Graveler stopped his foot and smirked. His foot burst into light brown flame, light brown sparks flying from his body. As Electrode was about to land he stomped for real, crying out angrily as he did. An enormous shock wave erupted towards Electrode, tearing a huge scar through the ground. Smaller shock waves followed, shooting out in a ring around Graveler. The ground shook all around, rustling the leaves of trees and shaking the nearby boulders. The main shock wave hit Electrode as he landed, a ring of light brown energy erupted on impact and sent Electrode flying into the treeline, smashing right into a tree's trunk. He crashed right through the trunk, snapping it as if it were balsa wood. The tree toppled over, crashing down on top of Electrode. To everyone's surprise, the impact was enough to knock out Electrode in one go. Surge recalled him and grinned wildly at Graveler, who in return was staring at the toppled tree in stunned disbelief. He wasn't the only one, Mankey was perhaps more shocked than anyone. He was up on his feet now, watching Graveler intently.
"Way to go buddy! Now keep up that same energy every time! Try doing it again!" She called out.
Graveler nodded and took aim at a tree. Again, he ignited his foot with light brown flame and raised it into the air. He began breathing hard, huffing and puffing to psyche himself up. With a furious cry, he slammed down his foot again, splitting the earth just as violently as before. Again, smaller shock waves shook the ground around him. This time when the main shock wave hit the tree, rather than just toppling it, it was ripped from the ground and sent flying into the air over the top of the other trees. It flew back into the forest, disappearing down into the forest with a crash. Pidgey and Spearow flew away, screeching unhappily.
"Nice!" Green exclaimed, "keep using that anger, imagine Electrode in your head each time you do it!"
Graveler smirked at the idea and slammed his fists together.
"Graveler!" He exclaimed and stomped again, creating another small earthquake and sending a second tree flying.
Green turned her attention to Mankey.
"You see that?" She spoke gently, "Graveler thought about when to use his move, rather than just throwing it out immediately. That's what you need to do."
Mankey didn't react at first, his eyes still fixated on the tree Electrode had crashed through. A grin slowly formed on Mankey's face. He turned to face Green and clenched his fists, beaming wildly at her.
"Mankey!" He exclaimed, starting to hop from foot to foot, "Mankey! Mankey! Mankey!" He cried frantically.
Green giggled and scratched behind his ears.
"Come on, let's go show that Raticate who's boss!" She exclaimed.
Mankey's eyes lit up happily. He leapt from her shoulder and raced through the meadow, climbing the hill towards the flower field. Green began to chase after him when she noticed Abby approaching with Dratini on her shoulders and stopped to greet her.
"Hey! How'd you sleep?" She asked cheerfully.
The question made Dratini snicker and Abby blushed grasping the back of her head awkwardly.
"I didn't get a whole lot, there wasn't a lot of sleeping going on in our tent last night," She admitted with a laugh.
Green scoffed, placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow at her.
"Fuck, lucky you!" She giggled, "what gives through? I thought you weren't into humans?" She asked.
Abby shrugged, bushing even harder.
"Well up until recently that's what I thought too, but I think I might actually be attracted to both," Abby replied nervously.
Green smiled warmly and approached her. She gave her a hug.
"Hey don't be embarrassed, it's normal for your understanding of your sexuality to change. Like, for the longest time I thought I was a lesbian but one day I tried looking at stuff with guys in it and I loved it!" Green assured her.
Abby giggled and hugged her back.
"Thanks, Green."
Green pulled back and beamed at her.
"No problem, tell me about last night later alright? I gotta catch up to Mankey!" She turned and ran off up the hill after Mankey, leaving a slightly bewildered Abby behind.
At the top of the hill, Green found Mankey waiting for her.
"Mankey!" He cried impatiently, bubbling with excitement.
Green laughed and crouched down in front of him.
"Yes, yes! You can go soon I promise, just listen to me one more time okay?" She made be firm with him while keeping her voice gentle and inviting.
Mankey sighed reluctantly but scampered over to her, sitting before her attentively.
"When you get out there it's okay to get angry, just make sure you're always thinking alright? Stop, and watch your opponent, always be watching. You need to predict their next move and counter it!" She instructed.
Mankey nodded along and hopped to his feet when she finished.
"Mankey!" He declared.
He looked back at the flower field hopefully. Green nodded, confident that he understood now. His eyes, while desperate to get going, spoke to her. Something about him was clearly different.
"Go on then," She allowed.
Mankey beamed excitedly and took off towards the field. There was a brief moment of silence now that he was gone, quickly filled by the crash of Graveler hurling a tree through the air. However, in that short moment of silence Green swore she heard something. As Graveler charged his next attack another window of quiet was opened. Her suspicions were confirmed as a timid sounding buzzing could be heard somewhere nearby. Green looked around for the source, eventually spotting Elekid. He was cowering behind the large tree on top of the hill, hiding behind its thick trunk. Again, the boom of Graveler's ground attack roared out and Elekid winced, buzzing unhappily as the electricity between his ears sparked frantically. Green got up and made her way over. In his fear-ridden state, he didn't seem to notice as she approached. She scooped him up into her arms, getting a small shock the burned her forearm. Green winced but didn't drop him. Instead, she sat down with her back against the tree, facing the field of flowers. She soothingly ran her finger over the black bolt symbol on his front.
"It's alright," She cooed, "You're safe up here," She assured him.
Elekid, now recognising what was happening froze in her arms. Green braced, gritting her teeth as she expected another shock. It didn't come through. Instead, Elekid wriggled out of her arms and ran around the tree. His ears poked around the trunk as he peeked at her, his eyes narrowed and untrusting. Green didn't push the issue any further and turned her attention back to Mankey, letting Elekid watch her.
Mankey ran through the grass frantically, his eyes blazing with a determined excitement. He came out into the same small clearing where he'd fought Raticate before. Apart from the crater where he had been slammed down, it was empty. Mankey glared at the crater, the embers of hatred beginning to burn inside him. He sniffed the air, turning his fine sense of smell to find Raticate. The air was full of all kinds of smells but Raticate's was unmistakable. He followed the smell trail, darting back into the grass. Along the way he passed the half-eaten carcass of a Butterfree, beginning to rot in the intense summer sun. The sight only added fuel to the embers of his hatred, fanning them into a kindling blaze. Further and further Mankey ran, orange sparks flying from his heels and hands as he ran. The smell was getting more intense as he drew nearer. The cries of Rattatta suddenly hit his ears, followed swiftly by the Rattatta with the white line across his back being hurled over Mankey's head. He crashed down behind him, rose shakily to his feet only to collapse again. More wounds covered his body, the same wounds Mankey had suffered to his hand. They bled profusely, staining the Rattatta's purple fur, red. Mankey's rage ignited into an intense flame of hatred and he burst out from the grass into another clearing. Before him, Raticate and the large Rattatta were doing battle. Rattatta lunged at Raticate, white flames pouring from her mouth as they enveloped her bared teeth. Mankey could see the intense rage in her eyes. Her body was also covered in wounds but it didn't stop her, she continued to fight on through whatever pain she felt. Raticate whipped his tail at her but she caught it in her mouth, slicing through it brutally. Raticate shrieked with anger as a third of his tail was bitten clean off. Rattatta landed and cried out triumphantly, the flames in her mouth flaring wildly. Raticate growled angrily, his hair sticking up straight as he was overcome by rage. His mouth burst into black flame and his giant teeth let off a powerful black glow. He lunged. Rattatta dodged but Raticate predicted it, catching her head in his jaws. His teeth sunk into her, the white flames in her mouth extinguishing instantly. She squirmed and struggled, fighting to get free. A sickening crunch followed and her squirming stopped. Her decapitated body fell to the ground and her head slid down Raticate's throat. Mankey cried out in protest, his hands and eyes bursting into intense orange flames. Raticate turned and stared at him hungrily, a crazed smirk on his face spewing black flames up above his head.
Mankey felt the impulse to lunge at him, to hit him as hard as he could but he remembered Green's words. The flame of hatred within him didn't dwindle, still burning just as intense. Even as Mankey stopped and watched Raticate, holding back from attacking. The two pokémon circled each other, stalking around the outside of the clearing. Mankey kept an eye on his tail, even at two thirds, it was long enough to reach him. This time it was Raticate who attacked first. He lunged at Mankey, his glowing black teeth bared ferociously. Mankey sprang into action, nimbly dodging to the side. He used the momentum of his sideways dash, spun around and re-directed it back at Raticate, kicking him hard in the side of the head. Orange sparks flew on impact as Raticate's head was snapped to the side. The black flames in his mouth momentarily extinguished as he staggered in dazed confusion. Although Raticate looked dazed, his tail still snapped at Mankey as if by reflex. Mankey saw it coming and jumped over it, bringing his foot down on it hard. Raticate cried out angrily, the flames in his mouth re-igniting. His eyes burst into flames too, burning a deep dark black. In a crazed rage, Raticate launched himself at Mankey, biting at him frantically. Mankey dodged again but Raticate wasn't giving him any room, each dodge was followed swiftly by another bite. Although it made him flare with rage, Mankey kept focused and kept dodging, waiting for an opening to present itself. Frustration flared in Raticate's eyes as another bite missed.
"Raticate!" He cried angrily, his black flames surging intensely.
In his rage Raticate opened himself up, lurching back his head to cry out. Mankey swiftly capitalised, driving his fist up into Raticate's jaw with a devastating uppercut. The impact crashed Raticate's jaws together, cracking his teeth. Raticate screamed in pain, blood gushing as one of his teeth fell apart in his mouth. Mankey felt no sympathy and decided to pursue this time, keeping a careful eye on Raticate's tail. The black flames in Raticate's mouth and eyes extinguished as he writhed in pain, looking down at his shattered tooth in horror. Mankey lunged at him, striking the side of his head hard. Again and again, he slammed his feet and fists into Raticate's head. He flipped about between each strike, dodging Raticate's feeble attempts to retaliate with his tail. As the blows made Raticate weaker and weaker, Mankey only got angrier and angrier. He could feel himself losing control, the tight reigns he had on his hatred loosening. The burning flame of hatred in him grew into a roaring inferno and Mankey let loose. He pummelled Raticate, sending a flurry of powerful blows at him. Each rapid strike sent orange sparks flying, cracking like thunder against Raticate's skull. The inferno within felt as if it were growing too large to contain and Mankey's body felt as if it might burst from the raw rush of pure unrestricted anger. Then, for a brief moment, it felt like it had. As if his body had just combusted and exploded around him. Raticate's eyes widened with terror as Mankey's body began to glow white all over and grow rapidly in size. The glowing white silhouette of Mankey's body tripled in size, towering over Raticate as he feebly tried to crawl away. Mankey's skinny arms and legs grew thicker, his round body grew larger and his fists and feet doubled in size. His tail shrunk away until there was nothing left of it. The glow abruptly stopped and an orange flame enveloped his entire body. He drew back his fists and yelled up at the sky.
"PRIMEAPE!" He roared in a deep, menacing voice.
Raticate yelped and hobbled away towards the grass. With a violent burst of orange essence, Primeape was in front of Raticate. He kicked him up into the air and punched him hard, a ring of orange essence erupting on impact. Raticate flew through the air, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Primeape chased after him, running beneath him and intercepting his limp body just before it crashed down into the grass. He punched Raticate down into the ground, creating a puff of dirt on impact. Primeape raised his foot and began stomping on him, roaring wildly, utterly overcome by blind rage. Blood coated his leg, splattering into his shaggy white fur. Eventually, after a few brutal moments of stomping, Primeape began to calm. He stopped, panting heavily as he looked down at Raticate's mangled body. He grinned and turned to face Green. She was on her feet, cheering wildly. He threw up his fists triumphantly and let out a mighty cry, the orange flames peaking high up above his head. With that, all of his energy had been spent and he abruptly collapsed, the flames on his body going out immediately. The beam of his pokéball hit his body immediately as Green returned him. Again, she clutched the ball to her chest. This time, with uncontrollable glee. The excitement she felt was so intense that it froze her body, plastering a wide grin on her face. Behind her, Elekid had stepped out from the tree. He gazed up at her, awestruck. However as Green turned around, raring to hurry back to the others the look vanished from his face, forced away. As if Green's excitement couldn't grow anymore, as she hurried past Elekid she heard Machoke cry out triumphantly.
"MACHOKE!" He roared.
He was standing, arms outstretched in front of him completely consumed by brown flames. The boulder which he had struggled with hovered before him, enveloped in a brown aura. Green squealed with delight and raced down the hill. Elekid, for reasons he didn't quite understand followed after her.
"You did it! You did it!" Green cried as she approached Machoke.
Machoke beamed at her proudly and flung his arms up above his head. The boulder flew into the air, the brown aura around it disappearing. It arched up through the air before crashing down into the meadow, embedding into the soft dirt. Machoke gave an exhausted sigh and fell back onto his ass, trying to catch his breath. Green rushed over, flung her arms around him and kissed his cheek, ignoring how sweaty he was. Graveler rolled up to join them, smirking proudly at Machoke.
"Machoke," Machoke laughed humbly, seeming to blush from all the praise.
Green let go and stood before her two pokémon. She clipped what was now Primeape's pokéball to her belt and grinned at her pokémon wildly. She looked up at the sun, it was hanging directly above them.
"See that? We've still got half a day left to work with, what are you guys doing slacking off?" She asked jokingly.
Machoke and Graveler chuckled, grinning back at her. Machoke rose to his feet and flexed his arms.
"Machoke!" He declared.
Graveler joined him, slamming his fists together.
"Graveler!" He declared.
Green giggled excitedly.
"Great! Let's get even stronger then!" She declared.
Back over by the flat area, now torn to shreds by Graveler, Surge watched Green and her pokémon. A proud smile on his face.