Chapter 3: Down the Nickit Hole
"That's Nickit's scream!" Stacey shouted as she charged back to the fence. The two boys and Joshua followed suit. Because his feet were longer, Joshua easily outpaced the children and Skwovet kept up with Joshua, gliding across the emerald-green grass.
"Please, stop it Dubwool! Why are you acting like this?!" Ms. Savage called out. But, soon after, she let out a surprised cry. I hope Dubwool isn't acting out again… Joshua hoped as he arrived at the fence. The fence was now in shambles as the panes were thrown skewed on the ground. Joshua looked over the mess, surprised at how much damage a Pokémon could do. As Joshua stood Looking up, Joshua saw Dubwool dive for Nickit as it made a beeline for the house. With its massive horns, Dubwool delivered a hard, decisive blow to Nickit's side and sent the little creature sprawling onto the lawn grass. The Nickit let out a pained screech as it hit the ground.
Joshua watched with bated breath as Ms. Savage put herself between the aggressive Dubwool and Nickit. Scrambling to its paws, Nickit, watched the Dubwool with wide eyes and bared teeth. Sharp whines permeated the air the Pokémon stared each other down.
When Ms. Savage finally caught sight of the kids and Joshua, she tried to wave them off.
"Kids! Stay back and don't come any closer! Dubwool is acting out and I don't need you guys getting hurt!" Ms. Savage warned.
"Not without rescuing the baby Nickit! They need our help!" Billy Bob said as he rushed towards raised house.
His sudden movement caused Dubwool to give a low bleat, before shifting her weight and aiming her lowered head at the young boy. Racking her hoof across the ground, she stirred up a cloud dust and charged at him with a vicious Headbutt.
Nickit gave a warning, but surprisingly, it was Skwovet who took charge. With a defiant cry, he flew across the grass and bowled into Dubwool with tremendous power, knocking her to the ground.
Not even fazed by the commotion around him, Billy Bob crouched near the house and peered under it. The cries from the babies grew softer, and instead, they became soft chirps. Reaching under the house, Dubwool gave a protective grunt before rising to her feet. She aimed her horns at Stacy and Greg, who had stayed just outside the yard. Joshua saw their eyes widen with fear, but before he could respond, Skwovet had already put himself in between the Dubwool and the two little children.
Ms. Savage took this delay, to leave the injured Nickit, and run straight towards Billy Bob to get him. Joshua took a deep breath and went towards the injured Nickit to help it. As he did, he wearily kept an eye on the action going on.
Skwovet faced Dubwool with bared teeth and a wide stance. Dubwool rose to its feet and lowered its head, preparing for another attack. Without warning, Dubwool charged, sending a mass of dirt and grass into the air. With a defiant breathy hiss, Skwovet stood his ground, and waved its massive tail about rapidly. Come at me, you stupid, bumbling lug! I'll take ya! Joshua imagined the Skwovet was saying. Its bravery, and frankly, overconfidence amazed Joshua.
But, instead of hitting into Skwovet, Dubwool simply jumped over it and headed straight for where Billy Bob and Ms. Savage was. In an effort to stop Dubwool, Skwovet chased after it, only to be kicked away by Dubwool's powerful legs. Grunting as it hit the floor, Skwovet quickly recover, and gave a taunting call before bolting out the yard. Clearly, its efforts to entice Dubwool to follow failed.
Gritting her teeth, Ms. Savage unhooked a Pokeball from her waist and tossed it into the air.
A white light erupted from its center and a Pokémon that Joshua had never encountered before soon took form. The Pokémon was a brown mole-like creature with markings that looked like gaping wounds and claws that were reminiscent of a pointy shovel. It had sharp blades in the middle of its claws and similar claw like structure on its head, which was very reminiscent of a hood.
The Pokémon glared at Dubwool who stopped in its tracks, returning the fiery glare. Neither Pokémon broke their gaze as they tried to make the other one submit. But, neither Pokémon was willing to submit to the other.
"Excadrill, Drill Run!" Ms. Savage ordered. The new Pokémon grunted and leapt into the air. Clasping its claws together, it spun about rapidly, basically turning itself into a mini tornado, and headed straight towards Dubwool.
Dubwool bellowed as it turned around, and kicked its legs up, hitting Excadrill with a swift, hard kick. The impact was enough to redirect Excadrill away, and send it flying across the yard. It hit the ground with a dull, yet painful sounding, thud. Readjusting itself, Dubwool aimed its horn at the little boy who fell to the ground as he stared directly at the Pokémon. His eyes were round with horror as Dubwool slowly stepped closer to him.
Ms. Savage kept her eyes on Dubwool as she picked up Billy Bob, who made no attempt to get away. Joshua watched as Dubwool raked its hoof against the ground, and snorted. Backing up slightly, Ms. Savage seemingly spotted an opportunity to escape, because when Dubwool lowered its head again, she ran.
Stopping herself short of running into the house, Dubwool turned and watched as its owner left. She scanned the area, before kneeling and giving little comforting calls towards the noisy Nickit kits. Joshua felt a pang of sympathy as Dubwool obviously tried to console the babies. She had just wanted to protect the baby Nickit under it care. A noisy grunt came from behind Joshua, and he looked behind him to see Nickit was struggling to its feet.
Joshua flinched as he heard Dubwool give a cold cry and turned around to see it staring at him from across the yard. It obviously wasn't happy that Nickit was still around, and the noisy chattering from the kits wasn't helping to sooth anyone.
Joshua looked to where Stacey and Greg were last, and he saw that they were gone. He figured that Ms. Savage had probably helped to lead them away.
Well, it seems like I'm going to need to be creative about this… Joshua thought as he wearily watched Dubwool. Joshua finally noticed that Excadrill had risen to its feet, and it was now staring at both Joshua and Dubwool. Just from the way it was looking, Joshua could tell that it was a stubborn Pokémon who would not easily be commanded. It was waiting for Joshua to make the first move.
For now, his goal was to protect the mother Nickit and get her outside the fence. From the way Dubwool was acting, the babies would be safe with her. The mother Nickit, on the other hand, was seen a threat that Dubwool wanted gone. With a sharp breath, Joshua broke eye contact with Dubwool and turned all his focus to Excadrill.
They made eye contact, and Excadrill stared at him. Joshua lowered his gaze in an act to beg, no, plead, with the Pokémon. He knew it was going to take both their skill sets to even get away. His smarts as a human and its power as a Pokémon. In a silent gesture, Excadrill gave a silent snort and fixed its gaze on Dubwool. Joshua gave a small smile, and also turned his gaze and thoughts towards Dubwool.
"I need you, Rotophone." Joshua said, and his phone flew out his pocket.
Without even being told, it displayed Excadrill's moves. A wide array of moves appeared on his phone, which slightly confused Joshua.
Normally Pokémon could only use four moves in a battle. He had watched countless battles, and had even had practice battles at school, and they could only use four moves.
But, it suddenly dawned on him that this was a manufactured rule by the Pokémon League. His dad had once remarked on how in his battle career, he had a battle to defend his honor. In that battle, Joshua counted the moves his dad used when he retold the story. He remembered that one Pokémon had used five moves, and when Joshua asked how, he simply remarked that it wasn't a battle that was sanctioned by the Pokémon League.
Okay, so Pokémon do know more than four moves! They just can't use more then four in a battle. Joshua thought as he glanced through the list. As he did, a single move caught his eye. It was the perfect move for an escape. With a brief nod, the phone flew back into his pocket, and he turned back to Excadrill with a burning look of determination.
"Okay, Dig!" Joshua ordered.
Silently, the Excadrill leapt into the air and turned itself into a mini drill again. It crashed into the ground, sending a shower of dirt and debris flying, and opened up a deep hole.
Startled by the sudden movement, Dubwool snorted and backed away from the hole. It steadied itself before it locked eyes on Joshua and the mother Nickit. These two were the only problem in its territory now, and it aimed to get them out. Raking its hoof against the ground, it charged forward, ready to gore Joshua. Joshua inhaled slightly as he tightened his body, ready to jump either away or onto the raging beast.
As the Dubwool got closer, Joshua made a decision to jump on its back to protect the weak Nickit behind him. Without any hesitation, he threw himself on the Pokémon's back and grabbed onto its fur.
"Wool!" it cried with unbridle rage as it tried to buck Joshua off. Joshua grunted as the rough ride jolted him all over the place, with his arm repeatedly hitting his jaw, causing both to ache. His bag tumbled across his back, and to his surprise, it shook. He suddenly remembered that Dreepy had been resting in his bag since he left the train.
"Dreep!" a muffled disgruntle cry arose from the sports bag.
I'm rather gobsmacked that little Pokémon could sleep through all this commotion! How did it not wake up from the racket? Joshua wondered as Dreepy gently floated out of the bag and onto his head. Giving its usual calm face, it stuck its tongue and watched Joshua carefully.
"Do you mind helping me? I need you to protect the Nickit children." Joshua hissed, as the Dubwool continue its mad frenzy of bucking.
Dreepy simply yawned and rubbed its right eye with its fin before looking over at the place where the Nickit kits were crying softly from. Giving a playful smile, Dreepy took off like a lightning bolt and hovered over the house. One kit let out a yelp of surprise, which cause Dubwool to stand still with its legs splayed apart, and to grunt.
Taking the precious few seconds this allotted him, Joshua turned himself around and grabbed onto Dubwool's horns. Raking its hoof across the ground, it took aim at the Dreepy and raced forward.
"Oh no you don't! We're going this way!" Joshua yelled as he pulled the horns to the right, causing it to veer off course and just miss Dreepy as it squeaked and ducked under the house.
That was really close! Joshua clung onto Dubwool's horn for dear life as it kicked its hind legs out, trying to loosen his grip.
"Dubwool!" it cried, running and wildly kicking.
It reared up on its hind legs and attempted to shake Joshua off that way. But, it didn't count on how heavy Joshua was, and it tumbled over onto its side, scrambling and kick wildly in attempt to right itself. With all its flailing, its sharp hoof caught on Joshua's jean leg and created a gash. Joshua let out an excruciating scream as blood began to a tide of crimson began to pool around the wound.
Finally righting itself, Joshua still clinging on it began to run wildly. Tiredness began to claim Joshua's feeling in his hands, and he felt himself begin to slip off. His holds on the horn became weaker, and Dubwool sensed it. It wildly hopped about, kicking its legs, and was moving towards the direction Nickit was. Nickit squeaked a little and tried to rise, but it soon collapsed back into a tired heap. It was too exhausted to move from it spot.
"Dreepy, please –" before Joshua could finish his sentence, Dreepy sprung into action and darted towards Nickit. Quicker than his eye could follow, Dreepy zoomed in front of the Wooloo, and flew Nickit out of its path. Dubwool let out a surprised bah before skidding to a halt, jolting Joshua from back and caused him to fall on his side, with his back facing Dubwool.
"Woo…" a threating rumble came from Dubwool as Joshua head its hoof moving. Joshua wanted to run. To escape. But, his body was bogged down with fear and fatigue. His body wasn't responding to anything he was trying to say. He was screaming at his body to move, but it refused.
The hooves got closer, slowly. He could hear them plod closer. They made the grass lightly crunch beneath the hoof. Its hot breath soon on the back of his neck, and Joshua couldn't even suppress a shiver from wracking his body. It was small, but it was noticeable to the Dubwool.
A cry sounded from far away, and Joshua could hear soft paws coming over to Dubwool. Cute and tiny yips sounded and soon, Joshua felt warm, and fluffy fur on the back of his neck. Joshua let out a silent sigh of relief, as the baby Nickit distracted the Dubwool as Joshua finally forced himself to lift himself into a sitting position.
But, as he did, a hole opened up right in front of him. Excadrill popped it head out the hole, grumbling a little as he did. Fighting back the ache in his body, Joshua managed to get closer to the hole without drawing Dubwool irate. Excadrill snorted and disappeared inside the hole. Joshua blinked, a little surprised by this action, until a sudden force hit into his back and push him into the hole.
Thankfully, Excadrill caught him before he hit the ground. Looking up, Joshua spotted Dreepy floating about with its signature goofy grin. I can't wait to get rid of that little creatine… Joshua thought miserably as the little creature picked up the ragged Nickit and dropped it on his lap.
"Alright, do you mind looking after the kits and Dubwool, Dreepy?" Joshua asked. With a nod, and a goofy salute, Dreepy darted off.
Cradling Nickit, Joshua climbed out of Excadrill's claws and rested against the wall of the cave to steady himself. His whole body ached, and he aimed to get his good footing back. After a few moments, he felt himself getting some strength back. Looking at Excadrill, he caught it peering at him curiously. When it noticed Joshua's gaze, it turned around, pointed at the tunnel that it had dug.
"Drill." Excadrill said as it walked down the tunnel.
Joshua followed closely behind as he put his unused hand on the tunnel. Soon, the light from above faded away and the inky blackness gradually filled his sight. Joshua closed his eyes to keep himself from panicking from the narrow walls and dark space. He flinched as the close wall scrapped up against his shoulder, but he kept walking, using Excadrill's footsteps as a guide.
They continued to walk through the tunnel until he heard Excadrill's steps stop. Joshua stopped as soon as he heard the footstep stop and opened his eyes. Light shown down from a hole that was in front of them. It slowly flooded into the cavern that Excadrill dug.
Slowly wrapping both arms around Nickit, Joshua moved over to the entrance, squinting his eyes as he came closer to the painfully bright sunlight.
"Oh, thank Calyrex you're alive. I was worried that something had happened to you." Ms. Savage said as she poked her head over the hole.
Looking up, Joshua just gave a rather sheepish grin.
"Yeah, I managed. I was able to get away from Dubwool with only a scratch," Joshua admitted. The cut on his leg only stung a little bit, so it hadn't been as bad as he expected.
"Well, don't just stay down there," Ms. Savage gestured with her hand for him to come, "get up here."
Nodding, Joshua used his shoulders to manipulate the bag that was hanging on his back to swing across to his chest. Nickit groaned a little as Joshua carefully opened the bag without dropping her and placed her in the back. Quickly zippering it up, he fixed it back on his back. Excadrill bent down and Joshua used his back as a stepstool to crawl out the hole. As he scrambled to get a foothold, he caused loose dirt to come loose, and he heard Excadrill grumble in annoyance. Soon, the signature sound of a Pokémon shaking off its fur echoed through the hole. Finish removing the dirt from his fur, Exadrill leapt out the hole with ease, and sat beside Ms. Savage.
"Great, now that you're out of that hole, I can scold you!" Ms. Savage began, a frown etched into her face
"Young man, you are quite possibly the most reckless person I've met. And I've met a lot of people! No one I knew would ever dream of jumping onto a charging Dubwool's back! Those horns are powerful enough to shatter bone! Even Hop, who once went a roof to jump into a bed of hay with Eugen and Freya that was below them, has more sense!" Joshua flinched under her critical words. He didn't like being compared to Eugen at all but being compared to Eugene doing something stupid was a different kind of pain. But, Ms. Savage soon turn the frown into a begrudging smile of respect.
"Yet, I've never met someone Excadrill readily trusts either. Excadrill is my most stubborn Pokémon, and one who takes pride in the fact he won't let anyone boss him around. The dear always seems to try to one up me, except when the situation is extremely dire, and I really need his help. So, the fact he not only helped, but listened, amazed me."
"All I told him to do was Dig… He did the rest of the work himself," Joshua admitted, looking over at Excadrill to silently say thank you. As he turned his head to speak to the trio, he noticed them staring up at him with adoring eyes. Joshua gave a shy smile under the pressure and wonder why they were giving him such a cute look.
"Ummm, you were super cool over there, Joshua! While we were leaving, we stayed close to make sure you were safe, and the way you handle Dubwool was so cool! The way you jumped on its back was something just out of a movie!" Greg exclaimed.
"And it's not to be replicated!" Ms. Savage snapped, causing Greg and Joshua to shrink a little. "That was a moment of tension and would normally be a very stupid idea. Even then it was a very stupid idea! I don't want to see none of ya'll do it again!" Ms. Savage scolded, sending a fierce glare towards the three children and Joshua. The heat from her sharp look was enough to make everyone recoil and become silent with remorse. With a sigh, Ms. Savage turned her attention towards where the town was.
"Anyways, I need to have Dubwool removed. I'll call Nurse Joy, and she'll-"
Before Ms. Savage could finish, Joshua blurted out, "No, you can't! Dubwool just misses its babies!"
"Misses her babies? Dubwool is a Pokémon who hasn't seen her babies since they hatched. She can't possibly be acting out because she misses her babies." she replied indigently. "I think you're being way too naive. Pokémon don't feel in the same way we do."
"How else would you explain her acting out? She wasn't territorial before her children were taken away, but she is now, right? It makes sense that she misses her baby since she took Nickit's children and tried to raise them as their own. Are you just going to ignore the fact that your Pokémon is suffering?" Joshua challenged as he looked Ms. Savage in the eye.
Joshua's heart was pounding. This was the first time he had ever stood up to an adult. To him, their word was always sacred to him, and to go against it was something he could never bear to.
But, this time, he had to do something. He couldn't just allow a Pokémon to suffer because of his inaction. In order to protect the suffering Pokémon, he had to stand up to Ms. Savage, no matter what. Even if it meant displeasing her.
Ms. Savage held her gaze, her eyes searching his. After a few tense moments, she finally sighed and broke eye contact.
"Alright, I'll allow the Wooloo to visit her. But, if she's still violent, she will have to go with Nurse Joy. Do we have a deal young man?" Ms. Savage asked. Joshua glanced at the kids. Stacey seemed a little nervous, playing with dress. While Greg and Billy Bob were both staring at him with pleading eyes.
"We have a deal, Ms. Savage," Joshua said, nodding his head. "I just want to do everything possible to resolve this without too much pain. And, I can't help but think of how those Wooloo must feel being separated from their mom..."
Joshua's mind drifted to his mom. He hadn't seen her in at least two years and his heart ached to see her again. Ms. Savage must have seen a pained look on her face, because her demeanor softened, as did her voice.
"You know, you remind me of a trainer from long ago. When teaching him advance battle techniques, I always found his methods of going easy on his opponent unorthodox. But, then I found out that he did that as a way to hide his guilt for hurting another trainer's Pokémon so badly that he injured the poor thing's foot. You're not around your mom too much, are you?" Ms. Savage asked, her voice almost as gentle as his mom's.
Joshua's face began to sting as he forced himself to hold back his tears. He didn't have time to be crying or to be feeling remorseful about his mom being absent in his life. Joshua simply nodded his head as he tried not to cry.
"Well, I'm sure she's proud of you. After all, it's not every day that someone comes to help some kids out and then tries to help a Pokémon who is the one who started the problem. Most people don't see a charging Pokémon and think it's misunderstood." Ms. Savage observed.
"That's only because I knew what happened… I would be just as judgmental if I saw it charging at me with no context," Joshua acknowledged.
"Okay, that's fair enough. Now, Joshua, I need you to watch these kids while I go to Mr. Barker and retrieve the Wooloo. Whatever you do, don't go back into the yard. Excadrill, watch them as well." And with that, Ms. Savage walked off. The kids sat down to wait for Ms. Savage return, and Excadrill carefully guarded them, its eyes locked on the distant, broken fence.
Stacy began to slowly bite her nails, while her brothers both played in the dirt to pass the time. Taking this time to get relaxed, Joshua plopped himself down and placed his sports bag on the ground gently. He could see that Nickit was still rested, as the thick fabric followed its movements as the Nickit recovered.
Minutes passed by as the group sat before Joshua's bag began to shake vigorously.
Joshua unzipped his bag fully so Nickit could exit it, and the little Pokémon immediately hopped out of his bag. Shaking itself, it scanned its surrounds for a moment before baring its teeth at Joshua. It stepped in front of the trio, and a vicious growl rose in its throat. Stacy was the first to reach out and pet its head to calm the little Pokémon.
"Nickit, it's okay. Joshua is here to help you get your babies back." Stacy cooed, causing Nickit to cease her growling and look at Stacey blankly. "We know how much you're hurting with Dubwool causing you so much misery, but we're here to help."
Nickit glanced between both Joshua and Stacey before she shook her body and turned towards the destroyed fence. Oh, not again! All she needs to do is stay and this will be fixed! Joshua thought as Nickit's body stiffened. In an instant, she was off, and Greg yelled after her.
"Nickit! Come back!"
Skwovet finally popped his head out from a tree that was next to where everyone was sitting and scuttled down the tree. It pointed to itself proudly while sweeping its tail back and forth.
"Skwo! Wo! Skwovet!" it said proudly.
Excadrill made a grunt of acknowledgement and began to dash after Nickit. Joshua assumed that Skovet was saying he had everything under control. So, trusting him, Joshua just nodded and turned to speak to the kids, who seemed worried.
"Alright, you three, stay here and I'll get Nickit back." Joshua explained as he grabbed his bag. Before the three could voice their objections, Joshua already sped off.
Soon he came upon Nickit staring down Dubwool, even though it was obviously weaker. Nickit's fur was bristling in a threat display as it gave a warning yip.
Gritting his teeth, Joshua knew that this match was close to hopeless. Dubwool had not taken a single attack, while both Excadrill and Nickit had taken some heavy damage. But, since Nickit wasn't going to stop until her kits were safe, Joshua was going to do his best to support her in that endeavor. Dubwool gave a massive bellow, causing Joshua to slightly flinch, but stand his ground.
"Nii!" the same baby Nickit from cried as it popped it head out from the side of the Dubwool. Its attention was on its mom, and the joy in its eyes were on full display. Giving a comforting bah, Dubwool tried to nudge the little baby back, but it evaded the gentle nuzzle, and playfully swiped back at Dubwool's snout.
The mother Nickit gave a loud warning snarl as it crouched, ready to attack the Dubwool. Blocking the baby from view with its fluffy body, Dubwool lowered its head ready to charge. Before Joshua could even call out for the older Nickit to stop, it charged at Dubwool, a white aura beginning to form around it as it sped up.
That's Quick Attack! Joshua realized as Nickit flew directly at the Dubwool, who lowered its cranium and caught the weak attack head on. With a snort, Dubwool reared its head up and brought it down on the little Nickit with a white aura covering it, causing it to cry in pain. And then it swung its massive head, knocking the mother Nickit away.
And that was a savage Headbutt…. Joshua realized as the Nickit landed a near a tree. It didn't even twitch when it landed. In fact, it had stopped moving! Taking a closer look, Joshua checked for breath, and found that its chest was still rising.
She's just fainted, thankfully… Joshua thought in relief, but that feeling didn't last long. The little baby Nickit came scampering over towards its downed mother, letting out a high-pitched wail.
Dubwool gave a surprised bleat and sprinted after it, which only frightened the little baby even more. The Nickit turned around on its heel, and gave a warning cry, telling Dubwool to back off.
"Nickit!" it yowled, surprising even Joshua with its courage. He had expected Nickit to flee, or even bury its face in its mother's fur in anxiety, but, it looked like it was ready to fight the Pokémon who hurt its birth mother. Seeing this small Pokémon stand up to a bigger one, made Joshua questioned if that's how he looked to others. Some small boy standing up to things that could obviously hurt or maim him.
Dubwool stumbled back a little, confused at what to do now that the little baby it was taking care of was now standing up to it. But, it soon regained its footing and tried to move past the baby towards the mother. The little Nickit wasn't having it, and it blocked its path.
Nickit narrowed its eyes as it rose its muzzle the sky, letting out a soul burning howl. Excadrill looked stunned for a moment, but then it gave a rather wild look. Raising its snout to the sky, it let out a piercing call.
"Excadrill!" it cried.
"I don't think I've seen this move before..." Joshua muttered to himself as he counted each individual cry Nickit made. Both it and Excadrill glowed a brilliant red, and with each additional howl, they grew stronger. After the sixth and final howl, the glows died down and both Pokémon seemed eager to battle the Dubwool. Getting the message, Joshua stared back at Dubwool who still seemed dumbfounded.
"Alright, get that Dubwool away from the Nickit! Excadrill, use Brick Break!" Joshua ordered, and with loud roar, it charged forward, its claws growing a brilliant silver. With only a few moments to respond, Dubwool whirled around and caught the claws with its massive horns. It flinched after taking the very hard hit, but it stood its ground and its fur began to glow orange. Using its head, Dubwool was able to toss Excadrill back with enough force to hit the fence and the mole Pokémon hit the ground with a harsh thud. Excadrill eyes closed, and even from where Joshua was standing, he could see the signs that it was unable to move for a while.
Joshua watched as Dubwool took a wobbly step towards him, clearly weakened, but still itching for a fight.
The little Nickit growled and rushed in front of Joshua, its hackles raising as it prepared to fight. Dubwool was on shaky breaths as it rushed forward, clearly aiming on jumping over Nickit and hitting Joshua in the chest with a Headbutt.
Nickit stood its ground and waved its tail, ready to attack. It waited for an order as it kept it eyes on the charging Dubwool.
"Okay, finish this with a Quick Attack!" Joshua ordered and without hesitation the Nickit charged forward. A white aura gathered around it as it slammed itself into Dubwool's chest, knocking it back and sending it sprawling onto its back. It laid there, unconscious. Joshua couldn't tell if it had fainted or if it was just recouping its energy.
Nickit snarled before rushing back over to its mother and licking her face. The mother Nickit arose and slowly got its feet, but then it collapsed again. Joshua rushed to the mom's aid to pick her up. He knew that she needed to see Nurse Joy soon, so he scooped her up in his arms.
"Kit..." it cried pitifully.
"Don't worry Nickit, we'll get you to Nurse Joy, and she'll have you feeling good as new," Joshua cooed.
As he did, he froze when he heard hoof beats thundering towards him! Evidently, Dubwool had not fainted completely yet, and it was still rearing for one last attack. Turning around, he saw the rampaging Pokémon come barreling towards him and the young Nickit. Nickit froze with fear, its whole body shaking as it tried to move. Its eyes were wide, and it softly whimpered as the Dubwool headed straight for them. Joshua didn't fear much better as he froze to his spot as well, his body failing to listen to him.
"Flygon, Steel Wing!" a familiar voice called out, and blurry green figure knocked into Dubwool, sending it sprawling across the forest floor. Joshua gulped as he realized whose voice that was and who that Flygon belonged to. Turning around, he saw Raihan who had his arm crossed and his foot slowly tapping.
"A-ah, long time no see Raihan… It's rather pleasant weather we're having here..." Joshua stuttered as the little Nickit hid behind him. It peeked out from the side of his legs at newcomer.
"Don't 'long time no see' me, mister! You're absolutely grounded for that little stunt you pulled! And then getting attacked by a Dubwool?! You sure do know how to get into a lot of trouble for such a little boy!" Raihan scolded, which caused Joshua to shrink slightly. Raihan normally bright blue eyes were raging with furry today. Just the sight of them trapped Joshua in place. He was in so much trouble because he had done a lot of bad things. Swallowing his pride, Joshua figured he might as well let his feelings be known.
"I know Raihan… I'm really, truly sorry… I was going to come back to apologize, but I got sidetracked..." Joshua shook a little as Raihan continued to stare him down. "I fully accept my punishment. But, I want to see that Dubwool is reunited with her children and I want to help Nickit get better. She got hurt really badly… as did Excadrill..."
Raihan blinked in surprise, "Really? I was fully expecting to go all strict dad on you to teach you a lesson, and you seem to already know what you did wrong. Well, I guess under those circumstances, a harsh punishment would be ineffective… But, you did run off and get into trouble, so you need some punishment..."
Raihan placed his hands on the back of his head, probably deciding on the best way to punish Joshua.
The baby Nickit slowly crawled from behind Joshua, and over to Raihan. The little Pokémon cautiously sniffed at his shoe, and when it was satisfied that he wasn't going to attack it, it took a hold of his laces with little teeth and pulled at them. Joshua couldn't suppress a chuckle as Nickit tried to wrestle with Raihan's laces.
"Woah, woah! You don't want to do that little one!" Raihan chuckled, picking up the little Nickit. It cried out in frustration as it was taken away from its source of fun. "Seems you found a curious little Pokémon."
"Actually, that's a still a wild Pokémon Raihan. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if Joshua here decided to capture it, but that's a different discussion," a voice said. Turning to face the source, Joshua saw Ms. Savage with a man he had never seen before. He was short, had a long, curly mustache, and seemed to be quite older than Ms. Savage. "This is Mr. Baker. He's the one who adopted the Wooloo."
"Yes, I was worried that being weaned off their mother so young might be traumatic. But, I figured that Pokémon didn't care about that stuff and took them anyways. I regret my decision now… and I wish to allow the Wooloo to see their mother until both grow too old to need each other," Mr. Baker announced as he unlatched three Pokeballs from his belt and tossed them forward. Three Wooloo emerged from their Pokeball and surveyed their surroundings.
"Hey, Laburina, I didn't know that you were living here now. You'd think a mentor would call every once in a while to check up on their favorite student," Raihan said ruefully. "Maybe then you would know that Joshua was my cousin."
Ms. Savage rolled her eyes. "Ah, yes, everything is now clicking together. The stubbornness, the unwavering kindness towards Pokémon, the unshakable trouble making behavior! I should have immediately guessed that he was your cousin!"
The two were interrupted by a panic bah as the Wooloo finally noticed their unconscious mother. Ms. Savage casually walked over to it and pulled a Revive out of her pocket. She opened its mouth and placed the yellow diamond into it.
"Loo..." it muttered, as its eyes flitted opened and slowly rose to its feet. Its eyes widen as it saw its little children crying and nuzzling her wool. With what seemed to be a smile, the Dubwool nuzzled all of her children and licked their faces tenderly.
"Ah, it seems you were right Joshua. I haven't seen her with such a peaceful look in ages!" Glancing over at the Nickit in Joshua's arms, Ms. Savage made her way over to him.
"Anyways, deary, you can give mama Nickit to me and I'll take care of her. A Revive, plenty of Oran Berries, and some rest will have her fully recovered in no time. And, as an apologize, I'll even adopt her and her little kits," Ms. Savage said as she gently took the mother Nickit from Joshua's arms. "Raihan, you should be proud of your cousin. He's growing up to be a good lad. Maybe a bit reckless, but you weren't much better in your youth. I remember that one time, you snuck out with Leon and Sonia to watch the firework in the Wild Area, and when you came back, you were all dirty and your clothes were all in tatters! I just can't believe that you three got into so much trouble that night!"
"I know, I know! You've already read me the riot act that night. Gah, remembering the night I had to clean the whole Gym, even the pitch. It still sends shivers down my spine, even to this day..." Raihan grimaced a little, obviously not liking that punishment at all.
"Well, I hope that you'll let Joshua go on his journey still," Ms. Savage glanced at the baby Nickit in Raihan's hand with a meaningful look. "Who knows. Maybe he found a partner that matches him in the amount of gusto he has."
"Nick!" Nickit cried cheerfully, as he looked at Joshua with big, expectant eyes. Leaping out of Raihan's grip, it sat in front of Joshua and wagged its tail.
"Can I capture it, please Raihan? It can be my starter, so you don't need to make a whole speech about how a trainer with no Pokémon can't capture one!" Joshua pleaded, clasping his hands together. Raihan shifted slightly from the uncomfortable, begging look that Joshua was giving, but he was not going to relent. After a few seconds of silence, Raihan sighed and gave a defeated look.
"Fine, you can catch it with the Premier Ball your sister gave you as a gift, but you're still not allowed to be a trainer for two more days. That's part one of my punishment. So, that means, you're not going to immediately get Nickit. You'll have to pick it from the lineup of three other Pokémon, with two other trainers picking their starter. The second part of your punishment is that you have to write a 500-word apology letter to Eugene. If you agree to those terms, you can capture Nickit."
"That's fair. I'll get to work on that letter as soon as we get home, and I can wait two days. Although… I'm not sure how I feel about Nickit maybe not being my starter… but, I have trust that we'll be together for a long time!" Joshua exclaimed, and gave Nickit a nod. The little fox squealed with delight as it crouched down, ready to be captured.
Quickly taking his new Premier Ball out of his bag, he aimed it at the Nickit. When he was ready, he narrowed his eyes, and lobbed the ball at Nickit. Nickit chirped and jumped into the air to intercept the ball, since Joshua had been a bit off in his aim. As the ball hit the little fox in the chest, it opened up and absorbed into a reddish-purple light. The ball shook three times, before it settled down and hollow sound was emitted and the button turned green, letting everyone know Nickit was captured.
XxXxXxX
The sun began to set by time Raihan, and Joshua had said their goodbyes to everyone. The Quirky Quintet, now the Obtuse Octet thanks to Nickit's kids joining the squad, were all now reunited, and Joshua had plans to see them tomorrow as 8:00 AM at the library for a scavenger hunt. Joshua had retrieved Dreepy from the yard, and then he left Postwick with Raihan.
The two walked down the road, Joshua grinning ear-to-ear at the thought of now having a Pokémon, even though Raihan had it for safe keeping. As they continued to walk down the route, Joshua paused as he heard a faint Pokémon call from overhead.
Raihan immediately put his hand on his Flygon's Pokeball and looked up to see if there was a threat. Joshua looked up as well, and instead of seeing a Flying-Type Pokémon, a feather softly floated down from above. Catching in his hand, Joshua examined it.
The jet-black feather caught the light in an odd way. It was an iridescent feather that reflected the setting sun. So, depending on the angle that Joshua turned it, the feather glowed various shades of orange as well. But, something else caught Joshua's eyes.
It was the tuft of fuzzy feathers at the bottom of the feather. Just before the edge of the stem, was this red fuzz with some even having black bands on the red fuzz. Touching it, he expected it to feel like any other fuzz, soft and easily to bend. But, instead, he found it was a little more rigid then most down, and it felt more akin to the undercoat of fuzzy Pokémon.
"I wonder what it belongs to..." Joshua muttered as he slid his finger along the bottom edge of the rigid feather. The bristles were tough, and they felt as if something strong was reinforcing them.
"Well, we can always give it to Hop to examine. He could use the practice in identifying different kinds of Pokémon. I'll have him look into it tomorrow, and then he can get it back to you when you see him for your first Pokémon," Raihan said as he took the feather from Joshua.
I'm pretty sure that's fur and not downy …. If it is, the feather couldn't have some from something that flies, obviously. But, I don't know of a single Pokémon that has both fur and feathers. Case Study would have covered it by now, I think. Joshua began to go through the possibilities. Maybe it's a hybrid Pokémon; either man-made or through natural breeding. If it was through natural breeding, the feather probably belonged to a Corviknight that passed by. So, the Corviknight would have needed to have a parent that was in the Field Egg Group, I believe those are the ones that mainly have fur. Joshua tried to wrack his brain around what could possibly produce the feather, but nothing was really sticking out. He was not an expert in the Egg Group. Besides, something just felt off about the feather to Joshua. It felt… a bit different from anything Joshua had ever seen. Even non-purebred Pokémon kept most of their body features such as feathers and fur. I wonder if it's man-made. Maybe someone stitched Pokemon together. Like a Thievul and Corviknight. Joshua mused.
Additional Tidbit: The black bands on the red fur, is a reference to the agouti gene [which it wouldn't be called in this fanfic due to the agouti being a real-life rodent. The gene would most likely be referred to as the Sentret gene in-universe]. The agouti gene is what gives animals color variation in their fur and feathers. It leads to different shades in animals' pelts, stripes, and spots. Humans have an agouti gene, but it doesn't code for striped hair. In this fanfic, it does code for striped hair in humans, but it's recessive and only a very small population of people have the gene anymore [about 2%, about the same percentage for green eyes]. In certain populations, it's more common [about 5%, about the same amount of people have hazel/ amber eyes].