Green was sat up against the trunk of a tree, getting dressed. She wormed her sweatpants up over the wide curve of her hips. Her hands trembled, fumbling with the waistband. The cold air nipped at her bare chest. Although she felt the nip, the feeling of cold escaped her. Her whole body was hot, warm from her skin right to her core. The result of her thumping heart. Lightheaded and with a throbbing pulse of pain between her legs, she couldn't stop smiling. With a long sigh of relief and a few spontaneous giggles, she felt around for her shirt.
"Grav!" Graveler exclaimed.
Close by her side, Graveler held up her shirt, clasped in his rocky hand. He was beaming a relaxed smile. His eyes locked with hers, occasionally glancing down at her bare breasts. Green took the shirt from his grasp. She leaned forward, moving her back away from the rough bark of the tree behind her and kissed him gently on the top of his body.
"Thanks, buddy."
Graveler chuckled and shifted his eyes down at the ground, fidgeting his two lower pairs of hands. Green watched him and giggled before slipping the long-sleeved shirt over her head. The end of the shirt rolled down her chest and caught on the bust of her large breasts. With a tug, the shirt slipped over her torso. Without her chest wrap, the rough fabric scratched at her nipples. Green looked around and found the chest wrap crumpled in a pile a few feet beside her. She snatched it up and scrunched it into a ball in her fist as she struggled up off the ground. Her legs trembled unsteadily as the throbbing between them flared. Steadying herself with a hand against the tree, she laughed at herself. Any discomfort was worth the pleasure that had come before. Even the thought of it made her giddy.
"PRIIIIIMEAPE!"
"MAAAACHOKE!"
In front of her, a few feet away Machoke and Primeape clashed. They slammed into each other, their arms locked as their heads smashed together. Their feet staggered and skidded as they battled to pull the other to the ground. With a mighty heave and a roar, Machoke threw all his body weight against Primeape and brought them both crashing to the ground. They landed with a thud and struggled some more. Primeape jostled and fought to break from Machoke's grip while Machoke's huge arms bulged to keep him locked down. It only took a few moments for them to go still. Laughter erupted from both of them. They let go of one another and playfully shoved each other as they got back to their feet. Together, they glanced at Green and lowered their roaring laughter into quiet, hungry snickers. Green blushed and pursed her lips as her chest tightened. Another throb of pain coursed through her, clearing her mind and setting her back on track.
She left them to their wrestling and turned on her heel. Graveler followed after her, sticking close to her side as they made their way back to the cave. Ever since the orgy, he had never been far from her. Once Primeape and Machoke had recovered their energy they were up laughing, making what Green assumed had been jokes in their language and giving each other playful punches as they cleaned themselves off. While Graveler remained by her side, cuddling up against her shoulder as she caught her breath and recovered her strength. Once she had it back and begun the arduous task of cleaning herself up, he still remained with her. At first, Green thought he was just getting off on watching her clean cum out of herself but when he began to help her clean up it made her think differently. He had touched her so delicately as he helped her, moving his hands lightly only where they needed to be. On top of that, he had looked to her as if asking for permission anytime he touched her. Green never refused him, she needed all the help she could get. Cleaning everything up so that any evidence of what they had done had taken forever but it needed to be done. She couldn't have Jackson wandering over here and finding a patch of dried cum on the ground.
Green and Graveler approached the cave. Gently, Green pushed open the curtain of vines covering the cave's entrance and made her way inside. She took slow steps, careful not to make a sound. Graveler imitated her the best he could, although his flat feet combined with enormous weight made being quiet, a challenge for him. Eventually, Green just gave up on being quiet and hurried through the long tunnel that lead to their sleeping area, praying she didn't wake anyone. With a half-jog, she ducked through the entrance to the small chamber that made up their sleeping area. Immediately, she froze. Abby was waiting for her, sat upright against the wall on her sleeping bag with a smirk.
"Enjoy yourself?" She asked with a laugh.
Dratini snickered on her shoulder. Green's face flushed as she stammered back a response.
"You heard that?" She groaned.
"Heard that?"
Abby scoffed and shook her head.
"You guys were making enough noise to wake the dead!"
Green immediately shot Jackson a wide-eyed look. Thankfully, he was still fast asleep a few feet away from Abby, curled up in his sleeping bag.
"Not him though, little guy sleeps like a fucking rock."
Abby leaned over and nudged him, prodding the back of his shoulder. He didn't react, not so much as a groan or a mutter in response. Green sighed and let her shoulders droop.
"Thank god," She plopped down onto her sleeping bag on Abby's other side.
She reached over to her hiking bag propped up against the wall and began rummaging through it. Graveler waddled over and sat down with an echoing thud in the gap between Green and Abby. Abby crossed her arms and looked him up and down with a smirk.
"Have fun?"
If Graveler could have blushed he would of. His eyes widened and he ducked his gaze down away from Abby's, making her howl with laughter. Once she was finished laughing, Abby got up, picked up her small backpack and sat down on the end of Green's sleeping bag. She flashed Green another smirk.
"Sooo, you didn't answer! How was it?" She asked.
Green giggled and flipped her off.
"Fuck off pervert, you know how it was."
Abby placed a hand on her chest and gasped.
"Wow I. Am. Offended, I meant the training! Get your mind out of the gutter," A small, sly smile spread across her face.
Green shook her head as she pulled out the portable healing machine from her bag.
"Uh-huh, sure you did. It was okay, Graveler and the other two made some progress," She held up Elekid's pokéball and clenched it, "Elekid got hurt though," She muttered.
Abby furrowed her brow and peered down at Elekid's pokéball as Green placed it inside the machine.
"How badly?" She asked.
Green averted her gaze.
"Pretty bad… It was my fault. I pushed him too hard."
Abby glanced at Dratini and chewed her lip.
"Yeah, I guess it happens sometimes when you train Pokémon for battle." She replied, solemnly.
"Yeah, it does." Green agreed as she flipped on the healing machine.
A moment of silence lingered amongst them. Only the hum of the healing machine and the dripping off of a few small stalactites filled the air. Eventually, Abby piped up again.
"Well hey! The others made some progress right? That's good!"
Green sighed and gave a small, thin smile.
"Yeah, we're getting stronger."
Abby grinned and sat up tall.
"Exactly! At this rate, there won't be a ranger anywhere who can beat you!" Abby declared.
"Abby…" Green began but Abby cut her off.
"And if I can match your pace, we'll both be unstoppable in no time!"
Green frowned and fidgeted with the drawstring of her sweatpants.
"Abby, the people chasing us have decades of experience. I've only been a trainer for two weeks and you've only ever battled pokémon once, and lost." Green had to fight back tears as she spoke those words.
She didn't want to crush Abby's hope but it was the truth. Abby however, stayed firm.
"So? I've seen you battle! You're strong! I know we can beat them when the time comes!" Abby exclaimed.
She reached out and squeezed Green's wrist. Abby's voice dropped to a hush.
"Good things happen to good people. We have to win, we're due this victory."
Gently, Green pulled her wrist away and gave a sharp nod.
"I hope you're right," She muttered before fishing through her bag for clothes.
With clothes in hand, Green turned her back on Abby. She glanced over at Jackson and when she saw he was still asleep, lifted her long sleeve shirt over her head. Abby let out a whistle.
"Damn, they were rough with you huh?" She noted, stifling a laugh.
Green looked over her shoulder at her back. Red hands marks littered her pale skin, some with fingers, some with three, some with five and some with only a thumb. She looked down at the front of her chest, finding them on her breasts and stomach too. A chuckle escaped her and Green let herself relax a little.
"They get really intense when they're horny," Green said.
She smiled at Graveler as he stared at her chest.
"Not you though huh buddy?"
Graveler's eyes whipped up to meet hers, wide to the point of bulging.
"G-Graveler!" He stammered.
That got a laugh from Green and Abby, as well as a soft snicker from Dratini. As Green tied her chest wrap up behind her back, Dratini slithered off of Abby's shoulder and moved in front of Green. He studied her, cocking his head side to side, his eyes never leaving her face. Green scratched the top of his head as she slung her other arm into a button-up plaid shirt.
"Tini," He cooed and beamed at her.
Green giggled as she slung in her other arm and began buttoning up her shirt. She turned her torso and opened her mouth to ask Abby a question before she froze.
"Oh! Sorry!" Green exclaimed.
Abby was half-naked, halfway through the process of slipping a new t-shirt over her head. She laughed as her head popped through the neck hole.
"I don't mind, nothing you haven't seen before," She said with a shrug as her arms popped out through the sleeves.
Green blushed and turned around timidly to face her. Whatever she was going to ask Abby had escaped her mind as it was now focused on not trying to stare as Abby slipped off her shorts and pulled a skirt from her bag. Abby chuckled and shook her head, flashing Green a smirk.
"We totally need to fuck our pokémon together again," Abby said nonchalantly.
Green swallowed her nerves and nodded.
"Y-yeah we do, last time was amazing."
Abby sighed as she slipped on her skirt. She lay back on the rock floor of the cavern.
"Super amazing!" She shot Graveler a grin, "wasn't it?"
Graveler curled up slightly as he smiled back at her.
"Graveler," He replied with a sheepish chuckle.
Abby giggled and sat back up, cross-legged. Dratini slithered back over to her and she held out a hand for him.
"What do you think huh?" She asked, bringing Dratini up to her eye level as he slithered onto her hand.
Dratini smirked and flicked his tail back and forth.
"Dratini…" He murmured in a low voice.
Abby giggled again with raw excitement and kissed him. As they kissed, Green slipped off her pants and panties to get into a new pair of underwear and pants. She struggled to get the shorts over her hips, their width stretched the elastic waistband to its absolute limits. Only being afforded room to breathe as it slipped over the curve and nestled just below her belly button. Abby broke her and Dratini's kiss and jumped up to her feet.
"Alright pack your stuff up! We've gotta get going soon, we have a long day ahead of us!" Abby declared and set her sights on the still sleeping Jackson.
As Green pulled on some socks and tied up her hiking boots, Abby crouched down beside Jackson with Dratini on her shoulder. She shook him, roughly. It did no good. He stayed still like a statue and gave a quiet snore. Abby glanced to Dratini with a grin.
"Give him a small zap, just a little one don't hurt him," She instructed.
Dratini snickered and slithered down over to Jackson's face. His hands were peeking out of the top of the sleeping bag, just the fingers clutching at the opening. Dratini opened his mouth and zapped Jackson's hand with a tiny little bolt of electricity. It made a popping sound as it zapped him but astonishingly, he still didn't wake. Dratini and Abby looked at each other unsure.
"A bit more?" Abby suggested with a shrug.
Dratini opened his mouth again, zapping Jackson again. The bolt popped from his mouth with a crack. Jackson's whole body jerked and his short, brown hair stood up on ends. He awoke with a groan. With half-opened eyes, he sat up and patted the ground around him. Dratini snickered at him and slithered back to Abby.
"What?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Abby reached out cautiously and touched his shoulder, a small shock zapped her and she pulled her hand away.
"Are you okay?" She asked, looking him up and down.
Jackson moved his hands down away from his eyes. When he saw Abby his eyes widened and he scurried back out of his sleeping bag, pressing his back up against the wall.
"I- uh, yes uh-" He stammered.
Dratini's smirk dropped into a neutral, half-frown. He lay his head down on Abby's shoulder and looked away, uninterested. Abby raised an eyebrow as she stood back up.
"Okay," she said wearily, "well get dressed and pack up, we're leaving soon."
Abby turned away from Jackson and began rolling up her sleeping bag. As soon as her back was turned on him, Jackson slumped down and mouthed a silent sigh. His eyes lingered on Abby as he began packing up his own stuff, rolling his sleeping bag and stuffing his pillow into a bag that was almost the same height as him. He had slept in his clothes, Green saw. A pair of light-brown khaki shorts and a brown, button-up shirt with two breast pockets. All of which was covered in various brown and green stains from dirt and grass.
"You should get changed, your clothes are filthy," Green suggested as she rolled up her sleeping bag.
Jackson's eyes darted up from Abby and met Green's, narrowing as they did. He scowled at her.
"No way! Not with you watching!" He refused.
Green rolled her eyes as she stuffed her sleeping bag into her backpack.
"I'll turn around, now get changed. You need clean clothes."
She did as she said and turned around. Abby glanced at Jackson with a giggle and did the same.
"Fine…" Jackson muttered.
While she waited for Jackson to finish, Green looked around her sleeping for anything she might have left behind. She'd gotten everything, the only thing left outside the bag was her healing machine. With that, she zipped up her bag and waited patiently, kneeling before her hiking bag.
"Okay I'm done," Jackson eventually said.
Green turned around to find him in a pair of blue shorts and a white singlet, with his usual wide-brimmed safari hat on his head. He folded his arms at her.
"Happy?"
Green smiled and took a step towards him. She bonked the top of his safari hat.
"Yes, now let's get going."
Jackson swatted at her hand, making her giggle. She moved back away from him and faced the small fire pit in the centre of the cavern. Green gave it a few stomps, just to ensure that no embers remained before making her way down the cave's tunnel entrance. Graveler rolled after her, keeping close to her side. Abby stopped in front of Jackson and smiled at him.
"Nice outfit," She said before following after Green.
Jackson blushed and hid his face behind the brim of his hat.
"Thank you," he mumbled.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and followed them out of the cave.
Outside, the rising sun attacked Green's eyes as she exited the cave through its curtain of vines. She shielded her eyes with one hand, keeping the other by her side, grasping the healing machine. Oranges and yellows danced around the grey, ashy fire pit outside the cave. Tall, black logs of charcoal lay scattered in a heap with tiny flickers of red embers within. In the distance, the sounds of Machoke and Primeape play fighting boomed. Green cupped her free hand around her mouth and shouted to them.
"Machoke! Primeape! Time to go!" She yelled.
Her voice echoed through the forest, racing off into the expanse of sparse woods before them. The booming stopped, followed by a brief moment of silence which was quickly filled by the thundering of footsteps. Machoke and Primeape barrelled towards them from the forest, pounding the ground hard as they raced each other. Primeape was in the lead, leaving Machoke behind in a hail of small pebbles and tiny twigs scattered about the forest floor. He skirted around the desolate fire pit and came skidding to a halt before Green and the others.
"Primeape!" He declared and banged on his chest.
Machoke joined him a few moments later, huffing and puffing. Primeape hopped from foot to foot, he usually narrowed, glaring eyes closed into excited arched as he celebrated. Machoke smirked and punched him lightly in the arm with a laugh. He turned his attention to Green and held out her pokéball belt to her. Abby giggled as he did, which Green chose to ignore.
"Thanks, buddy," Green patted Machoke's arm as she accepted the belt.
She looked over at Jackson as she clipped the belt around her waist. He was busy fidgeting with the plastic capsules of his own belt. Green took his moment of distraction and gave, stood up on her toes and gave Machoke a quick peck on the cheek. He chuckled and leaned down, returning the kiss and standing back up before Jackson lifted his head. With everyone sorted and ready to go, the group began heading back towards the southern forest. However, after only a few steps Green stopped. The question she had wanted to ask Abby suddenly came back to her.
"Abby, can't we just fly to Lavender Town on Gyarados?" She asked.
Before Abby could respond Jackson raced up to her side, jaw hung open.
"You have a Gyarados?!" He exclaimed.
Abby laughed and nodded. She swung her bag around to her front and unzipped a small pocket on the side, fishing out a pokéball.
"Yeah I do, I'll-" She began.
Jackson reached out, grabbing at the ball. Abby pulled it back out of his reach just in time.
"Let me see!"
Abby smiled patiently.
"I'll show you when we're closer to water okay?" She spoke softly.
Jackson gazed at the ball and chewed his lip with a huge grin plastered on his face.
"Deal!" He nodded.
With that, Abby turned her attention back to Green.
"He's not used to flying, he barely got me here. I don't trust him with carrying more than person yet," She explained as she stuffed his ball back into her bag.
Green shrugged and turned around.
"Oh well, I thought it was worth asking. Let's get going then."
With the matter resolved, the group finally began to head out back through the southern forest. They made their way down the forest's narrow, barely visible path. The thick, short trunks of the southern forest's trees closed in around them, blocking any sight of the forest beyond. Their canopies, thick and tangled reach low overhead, barely a foot away from Machoke's head. Not that he noticed or cared, he was too busy racing down the path with Primeape or stopping to try and see who could make the biggest crack in a tree. He always won. Soon, the group climbed through the gap Machoke had made previously. Graveler cleared the mess of tangled roots left behind in the gap by curling up and crashing through them, snapping them away like twigs. Allowing for the group to pass through the toppled trees easily.
Soon, the forest opened back up as they exited onto Route 11. The route stretched eastward, a long valley of tall grass. The short thick trees of the southern forests formed walls on either side, making any attempt to skirt around the Route extremely hard. Primeape and Machoke were more than pleased to be in such an open space. They raced through the tall grass, burning away their limitless energy. Graveler and Dratini stayed by Green and Abby's side. Dratini napped on Abby's shoulder, basking in the rising morning sun while Graveler waddled along contently. The route stretched on for quite a while in a uniform straight line towards the east. By the time the walls of short thick trees began to close in and the blanket of knee-high grass turned to patched tufts, the sun was well into the sky. It beamed down on them, hot and dry. Green was thankful she hadn't chosen jeans or a jacket to wear. Although, the long sleeves of her button-up shirt were annoying her. So, she decided to roll them up to her elbow.
After a few minutes of walking across the increasingly silty and gravely ground, the smell of salt wafted through the air. Faint at first, but the further they went the stronger it got. The valley walls of thick were growing narrower and narrower although nowhere near as tight as the path they'd travelled through the woods. The grass beneath their feet was now no more, instead, they trod across a ground made of silt, gravel and fine sand. As the smell of salt got stronger and the trees drew in closer, the fine sand dominated the silt and gravel until it was all that remained. Only when the trees threatened to force them back into a single file, as they had in the woods, did the world abruptly open up again. Green and the others stepped out from the valley and were met with the infinite expanse of the Eastern Kanto sea before them. To the left and right of the small path they stood on, water sloshed against paper-thin sandbanks that dropped down like cliffs below the water. The thick, short trees lined the sandbanks, stretching on for miles north and south, forming a wall that separated the land and sea. The group would have been forced to turn back if it weren't for the winding series of boardwalks that stretched across the top of the water close to shore. Supported by long wooded poles, plunged into the deep water below they served as the paths towards both Lavender Town to the north and the southern Kanto countryside.
Machoke took a timid step onto the boardwalk. The boards creaked beneath his feet and he froze, staring down at the water below the gaps between the boards. He gulped. Primeape, who had been staring wide-eyed at the water huffed as Machoke took his step. He stormed past Machoke and stomped out onto the boardwalk a few paces. Again, the boardwalk creaked terribly. The boards wobbled beneath his feet and began making creaking, splintering sounds. Primeape's pointed, triangular ears stood up tall and he bellowed out a cry. He turned and scurried back across the boardwalk to land. Together both fighting pokémon stood a few paces back away from the boardwalk, eyeing it cautiously. Green unclipped their pokéballs.
"You guys want to go in?" She asked, offering the pokéballs to them.
In sync, they both nodded, cringing as the water sloshed against the steep sandbanks and sprayed a fine white mist on them. Green returned them and clipped the pokéballs back to her belt. As she was about to make her way out onto the boardwalks, a tug on her arm stopped her. Graveler's trembling hand clamped around her wrist. Green crouched down and unclipped his ball.
"Sorry, did you want to back in to?" She petted the top of his body.
Graveler nodded, whimpering as more water sprayed into the air. Green returned him too and clipped his ball back to her belt. She looked down at the boardwalk as she rose back to her feet. A good call, she figured. If Graveler had taken a step onto it, Green didn't doubt it would have collapsed underneath his enormous weight.
As Green was returning her pokémon, Abby strode out onto the boardwalk and opened out her arm. She inhaled deeply through her nose as the sea breeze hit her in the face, beaming wildly as let her breath out through her mouth. Jackson rushed after her and ran into her path.
"Show me Gyarados! We're at the water now!" He demanded, his eyes wide with wonder.
Abby grinned and pulled Gyarados's ball from her bag.
"Alright! As promised, a Gyarados!" She held up Gyarados's ball high above her head, basking in Jackson's adoration.
Green joined them, looking further down at where they needed to head along the winding boardwalks. A group of fishermen, sat on the edge of the boardwalk up ahead were watching them. They rested back on their elbows, holding their fishing rods between their legs. Their faces were covered in rough stubble, their hair was windblown and their eyes were sunken with the grogginess of freshly abandoned sleep. One covered his mouth as he yawned and smacked his lips once it had passed. The sight of them drew Green's attention to the water below. Sure enough, it was teeming with water pokémon. Red Magiakarp floated along lazily atop the water, a few swum vigorously below the water. They chased Horsea, small pokémon with a tube-like mouth that swam upright with their curled tails, and evaded Goldeen who was trying to skewer them with their horns. A massive Seaking, a huge orange fish with white frilly fins, jetted through the water sending everything scattering as it ran down Pokémon with its huge horn. Besides the fishermen, they had a basket, full of Magikarp and Goldeen. Green was distracted from her observations when an explosion of bright red light blinded her, forcing her to shield her eyes. She heard the fishermen cry out at the same time, as well as Jackson who shouting excitedly. A roar cut through the air.
"GYAAAAARADOS!"
When Green's sight returned, she was met with the sight of Gyarados plunging down into the water a few dozen feet away from the sky. Water shot up high into the air as he splashed down, spraying seafoam and mist everywhere. Jackson was right on the edge of the boardwalk where it split into its northern and southern directions, teetering on the edge as he craned his neck to follow Gyarados down into the water.
"So cool!" He cried.
Green followed him out to the boardwalk intersection, wanting to make sure he didn't fall in by accident. As she did, she turned her head towards the fishermen, expecting to have to apologise for the disturbance. To her surprise and relief, they were on their feet just as close to the edge of the boardwalk as Jackson. With the same, gleeful grins on their face. Gyarados leapt from the water, twisting in the air as he crashed back down with a spectacular splash. He dove beneath the water, disappearing for a few moments before rocketing back up with a shower of seafoam. His whole body left the water, lingered in the air for a moment and crashed back down. Lazily, he floated on the surface and drew in a mouthful of water. He spat it out in an arc above his head and let out a deep, thundering laugh.
"Gar gar gar!" he laughed.
A laugh so loud and powerful it shook the boardwalk and rattled Green to her core. Green looked down, expecting to see the pokémon feeling. They were, at least the Goldeen, Horsea and Seaking were. The Magikarp however, were all still, facing Gyarados. Even the ones who had previously been floating on the surface were now alert. They did not swim or make any attempt to move, they only bobbed up and down with the current of water. Their eyes were glassy as if fogged over by mist. Abby moved up beside Green, standing shoulder to shoulder with her behind Jackson. Dratini's eyes sparkled as he watched Gyarados, flickering with deep purple sparks. He launched from Abby's shoulder, lunging through the air past Jackson and into the water. Abby ran after him, watching with a wild grin as he sped off through the water towards Gyarados. She placed her hand on Jackson's shoulder.
"So? Watcha think?" She asked.
Jackson looked up at her and for a split second was gushing excitement, until he noticed Abby's hand on his shoulder. His eyes widened at the sight and he pulled back, turning into a stammering mess.
"I- uh, it's- uh it's cool?"
Abby looked back out at Gyarados, grinning madly.
"It sure is!" She exclaimed.
Heavy footsteps approached. Green turned to see one of the fishermen storming towards them down the boardwalk.
"Is that your pokémon?!" He pointed at Gyarados.
Abby whipped around to face him and shrunk back, her mad grin dropping into a small timid frown.
"Yes…" She answered in a small voice.
The fisherman's eyes sparkled.
"Wow! What are the chances? Meeting two dragon trainers in one day!" He exclaimed, delighted.
Instantly, Abby stood back up tall and began grinning madly again.
"There was another dragon trainer here?!" Her eyes were sparkling now too.
The fisherman grinned and nodded. He pointed behind him, towards Lavender Town.
"Sure was! A pretty intense looking dude too! The guy had orange hair like fire this tall!" The fisherman raised his hand a good few feet above his head, "He was with a woman too with pointed glasses and hair, like blood!"
The fisherman's arms flailed and his face twisted into exaggerated expressions as he talked.
"You guys must be trainers too right?" He asked.
Jackson ran forward and pointed at himself with a thumb.
"Yup! I'm way better than her!" He pointed at Green.
Green opened her mouth to refute that but was cut off by the fisherman's guffaw of laughter. He slapped his belly and threw back his head.
"Oh ho! I bet you are, little guy! Practically a Red in the making huh?" He ruffled Jackson's hat as Jackson beamed with pride.
The fisherman leaned against his fishing rod, clucked his tongue and shook his head as he took in Green and the others.
"So many trainers today. Before those other guys, some crazy looking dude came through!" He lowered his voice a whisper and placed his hand next to his mouth, "I swear he didn't have any pupils."
Jackson's eyes lit up and he swung his massive backpack off his shoulder, unzipped it and fished out his notepad. He flicked through it before arriving at the desired page.
"That sounds like Elite Four members!" He held up a page to fishermen full of illustrations and notes.
The fisherman tapped the notepad with a finger and nodded.
"Yup that's them!" He squinted to read, "Lance, Lorelei and Will."
Jackson chuckled and flipped a few more pages forward.
"Well actually Will isn't part of the Elite Four anymore, he got fired a few years ago for breaking the Plateau's rules," Jackson noted, a little too gleefully.
Green remembered that incident all too well, she had been watching live when it happened. She shuddered and pushed the memory away. The fisherman laughed again.
"You're like a little, walking encyclopedia huh?"
He stood up and whipped his fishing rod up over his shoulder.
"Well, been a pleasure meeting you folks but I'm gonna let you get back to your journeying. There's fish to be caught and only so many hours in the day!" With that, he turned, waved and returned to the other fishermen who were watching Gyarados play off in the distance with Dratini.
Dratini was a speck compared to Gyarados but it was still easy to see where he was. The purple flares he was firing were unmistakable. They shot through the air like comets, exploding into big balls of purple energy a good distance ahead of him. Abby couldn't take her eyes off him. She cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Nice one Dratini!"
Abby ran ahead down the boardwalk, surefooted as ever on the unstable boards of the boardwalk. Jackson stuffed his notepad back into his bag and ran after her, his eyes glued to Gyarados and Dratini. He tripped and stumbled a few times but never lost his footing entirely.
"Wait up!" He shouted.
Green followed them at her own pace. Her mind was elsewhere. On Tiberius, on all the ways she needed to get stronger to stand up to his inevitable attack. Her mind was on Erika, on the challenges she would pose, on how to beat grass types with her team, on how half her team would be useless again grass types. Her mind was on where they were going to sleep tonight, on what food they would eat, on how much money she had left. The world disappeared around her as her mind raced. Her mind span, screaming with worries and doubts until the chime of her healing machine snapped her back to reality. The machine stopped its droning hum, the golden light enveloping Elekid's ball flickered away. She took a deep breath and pushed away all her worries, focusing on making sure Elekid was okay after what happened. Elekid's ball was warm to touch as she popped it from its socket. Green aimed the ball carefully, making sure to release him on a stable plank.
"Elekid?" He buzzed once released.
He looked around him and scratched his head. Green bent down to pick him up but he jumped back out of her reach. She frowned.
"I'm sorry about what happened, you alright?" She asked.
Elekid cocked his ears to the side.
"Elekid?" He asked.
"You know, when the boulder smashed you in the face," She clarified.
Saying it out loud made her grit her teeth. Elekid stared blankly at her for a moment before shrugging.
"Elekid," He replied neutrally before turning around and running off down the boardwalk.
Alarmed, Green chased after him.
"Hey! Are you mad or not?" She called after him.
Elekid skidded to a halt and turned back around. He folded his arms and looked up at Green with a scowl.
"Elekid!" He made a show of shaking his head.
Green grinned ear to ear and lunged at Elekid. His eyes widened and he tried to scramble away but Green was too quick. She picked him up and hugged him to her chest. His round, toe-less feet waggled as he struggled to get free.
"Thank god!" She exclaimed, "I thought you were going to hate me after that!"
"ELEKID!" Elekid yelled.
A yellow bolt of electricity arched between the holes in his ears and then shot at Green's chest. It zapped her, she cried out and dropped Elekid who promptly landed with a thud and a smile on the boardwalk. Green, however, was still grinning.
"Yes! You used a thunderbolt! Great job buddy!" She exclaimed and gave him a thumbs up.
Elekid blinked at her, bewildered for a moment before grinning back.
"Elekid!" He pumped his round fists in the air as he charged another thunderbolt.
He aimed it at Green and she raised her hands out in front of her.
"Whoa! Appreciate the enthusiasm but not zapping me okay buddy?"
Elekid shot her a mischievous grin and lowered his head, pointing his ears at her. Green laughed and took a step back.
"Okay okay! I won't hug you anymore if you don't zap me anymore!"
Elekid raised his head and the bolt between his ears flickered away. He beamed at her.
"Elekid!" He agreed and ran off down the boardwalk towards Abby and Jackson.
Green shook her head and let out a sigh.
"Fuck me," She muttered with a chuckle and followed after him with a light jog.
Up ahead, Abby and Jackson were crouched down on the edge of the boardwalk. Abby was pointing down into the water, saying something. The explosion of one of Dratini's energy blasts muffled Abby's voice from Green's ears. Abby looked up at Jackson as she said something, beaming at him. He averted his gaze, looking away down at the water, staring at nothing in particular. As Green got closer and the thundering roar of the explosion died off, Green could make out what she was saying.
"They're the only other pokémon in the region with actual dragon typing. So training one is a super important part of the trial," She explained.
Green came up from behind and crouched down between them.
"Whatcha lookin at?" She asked, peering over the edge.
The pokémon who had been frightened off by Gyarados's appearance had returned and resumed their usual routines. Even the Magikarp had begun to snap out of their trances. Although it was happening in a noticeable wave. As Gyarados moved away, towards the north the Magiakarp furthest south snapped out of their trance, followed by the ones north of them and then the ones north of them. The Goldeen and lone Seaking weren't wasting any time, snatching up the Magikarp still frozen in their trances and gobbling them up. Abby pointed into the water.
"I was just telling Jackson about how I need to catch a Horsea."
Green laughed and gestured to Dratini with a nod.
"You might need a pokémon if you want to do that. Catching a Horsea isn't gonna be as simple as catching a Magikarp," She gave Abby a pat on the shoulder and stood back up.
Abby nodded and got to her feet too.
"Good call," she popped her fingers into her mouth and let out a loud, piercing whistle.
"Dratini! Come back, I need your help!" She yelled.
The small thin that was Dratini in the distance whipped around in the water and began speeding back towards them. Gyarados turned to follow but Abby raised both hands and waved them at him.
"No it's okay Gyarados! You keep playing, you'll scare the pokémon off!"
Gyarados seemed more than pleased at the instruction as he leapt up and dove down below the waves. He shot back up, crashed down with a giant splash and flailed on the surface of the water as he laughed. Dratini sped back towards them, skimming across the top of the water as if slithering along the ground. Abby held out her arm for him and he leapt up onto it with a splash of water. His tail coiled around her forearm, stopping all his momentum.
"Tini!" He greeted, huffing and puffing to catch his breath.
Abby scratched him between his fin-like ears as she swung around her backpack and fished through it. She pulled out a small plastic zip-lock bag full of pokéballs. Jackson however, stopped her.
"Hey uh, um," He pulled out a tube from his own bag, full of light-blue pokéballs.
He held it out to her. Abby stopped and considered the tube.
"What are these?" She asked, putting her bag of pokéballs back inside her backpack.
Jackson chewed his lip as he struggled to find the words. Green decided it would be easier just to speak for him.
"They're dive balls, they're for catching water pokémon," She explained.
Jackson glared at her and took a step forward, stepping in front of Green.
"Cause the thrusters that move the pokéballs through the air don't work so well in the water, the dive balls have special thrusters made for underwater movement," He chimed in.
He popped open the tube and tipped it over, letting a dive ball roll onto his hand. Along the bottom, the white half of the ball there were a series of small little holes, each covered in a mesh grate. Abby took the ball from his hand and studied it curiously.
"Huh, cool," She smiled at him, "Thanks, Jackson."
Jackson blushed and fumbled his hands.
"Y-You're welcome!" He said a little too loudly.
Abby giggled and turned her attention back to the water. She studied the water, scanning it with her eyes. They jumped from Horsea to Horsea, as if evaluating each one. Eventually, she pointed.
"There Dratini, that one! Go!"
The Horsea she was pointing at was busy trying to fight the lone Seaking. He blew a jet of glowing, blue bubbles at him which popped with violent bursts against his red scales. The Seaking whipped around, ready to skewer him with his horn but by the time Seaking had turned around Horsea was on the other side. Dratini nodded, narrowed his eyes and leapt back into the water. He plunged down below the water, sending the surrounding pokémon scattering. All accept the Seaking and Horsea. Seaking lowered his head, pointing his horn at Dratini. When Dratini responded by charging a shot of purple energy in his mouth, the Seaking reconsidered and hurried away, leaving only Horsea behind. Dratini's and Horsea's eyes met, they both narrowed at each other. Horsea charged at Dratini and began charging blue energy in his tube-like mouth. He went left, moving around to attach Dratini from the side. Dratini whipped his head around, following Horsea's movement and fired the blast of purple energy into Horsea's path. However, as soon as the purple flare shot from his mouth, Horsea swiftly propelled himself to the right with a flick of his curled tail. A jet of blue, glowing bubbles fired into Dratini's face. They burst in rapid succession, violently throwing Dratini's head back and forth as if he had been pummelled by countless invisible fists. Horsea laughed In Dratini's face, making a trumpeting sound with his snout.
"Get close Dratini, fire it point-blank!" Abby called out.
Dratini's eyes sparked purple furiously. He charged another shot in his mouth and swam towards Horsea like a missile. Horsea drew in water and fired it back out, creating a jet stream to propel him backwards. Dratini gave chase and the two pokémon zipped through the water, eyes locked with narrow glares. Horsea zigged and zagged, trying to shake Dratini off his trail but Dratini was too nimble. No matter how sharply Horsea turned, Dratini's long body allowed him to snap around at a moment's notice. One good flick of his tail and all his momentum was shifted. Dratini drew closer and closer to Horsea until they were only a few inches apart. It was then that Dratini let loose his attack, opening his mouth wide to let the flare of purple energy fire. As he did, Horsea uncurled his tail and flicked it up, causing him to flip backwards out of control. But, he also caught Dratini under the chin, knocking his head up as he fired. The flare shot up out of the water, exploding a few feet above the surface with a deafening bang. Green and the others all slapped their hands against their ears, covering them as the explosion rattled them. Horsea wasted no time and fired another jet of bubbles at Dratini, sending him flying headfirst up out of the water. Abby held out her arm.
"Okay enough! Come back Dratini!" She yelled.
Dratini slunk back along the surface of the water with a scowl. Horsea popped up behind him as he leapt back onto Abby's arm. He made a farting sound with his tube-like snout, turned around and waggled his tail at him. Dratini's eyes widened and flared a deep purple. Abby however, giggled.
"Thunderbolt, Dratini."
Horsea's eyes widened and Dratini's scowl turned into a smirk. Before Horsea could move he fired a thick, yellow bolt of electricity from his mouth. Miraculously, Horsea managed to actually dodge it. Not that it mattered. The bolt hit the water, charging the surrounding area with electricity. Horsea locked up and began to seize as he was fried by electricity. After the current passed through him, he went limp and sank beneath the water. Abby wasted no time, she hurled the dive ball into the water. Thin jets of bubbled fired from the small holes along the bottom of the ball, propelling it down after the sinking Horsea. It gave chase, bumped into him and popped open. A thin red beam of light fired from within the ball and hit Horsea, materialising him away with a flash. The ball clasped shut and floated to the surface. It rocked once, pulsing white. A second time, pulsing again. Finally, a third time with another pulse. This pulse was followed by a chime and a clicking sound. The jets on the bottom of the ball fired, launching it back into Abby's waiting hand.
"Yes!" Abby exclaimed and hugged the ball to her chest, "one step closer," Green heard her whisper to herself.
Green offered the healing machine to her and Abby gladly accepted, placing the ball in the machine with a wide grin.
"Congrats!" Green cheered.
They hugged and Green felt Abby's racing heart in her chest. Abby turned to Jackson and held out her fist to him. Timidly, Jackson bumped his fist against hers. Grinning as he touched her.
"Elekid!" Up ahead Elekid was waiting, arms crossed and tapping his foot.
Green laughed and waved the other two along.
"Let's get going, he gets zappy when he's upset."
With that, the group made their way north, towards the Lavender Valley.