The human in black didn't look half as surprised as I expected him to be, his green eyes scanning me up and down curiously.
"So...You're Echo, huh?"
I approached warily, keeping Rotom floating behind me and clinging to the egg I held a bit more tightly.
{...Who wants to know?} I inquired.
"Y-yeah! Who wantzzz to know, huh, pal!?"
"Hm...So you have sense enough to be wary. Not bad...Shame you're so easy to spot."
I looked back over to Hau, and he just shrugged in response. Both of us were fairly confused by all of this.
"Anyway, yes. I know some things about you..." he continued. "...But at this point, who on this island doesn't? You can imagine that when a Pokémon Trainer with scales, teeth and claws like sickles comes to town, word spreads pretty quickly."
I gave off another nervous chuff. This human gave me a bad feeling about things.
"Anyways, enough about you...I'm Gladion. Me and my partner, Null, are training to get stronger...But nowadays, most of our time gets used up doing small jobs for Team Skull."
So I was right! He WAS one of those Team Skull thugs!
As soon as he said their name, I narrowed my eyes, got into his face and let out a threatening hiss. I knew he'd already beaten Hau; if I hadn't stepped in, he might have made off with his Pokémon!
{Get out of here,} I snarled at him, and to my delight, he was actually taken somewhat aback this time. {And if you ever cross me or any of my friends again...}
"Jeez, what even ARE you!? Don't you have to be able to SPEAK to be a Trainer? How did you even qualify?!"
I stopped snarling when he said that, and his words whittled away at the sharp anger I'd developed.
...He had a point.
"Hey!" Hau intervened. "You got some nerve, pal, talkin' to her like that! I'd even go as far to say she's got more humanity than you Team Skull punks!"
Gladion scoffed at him.
"Do you actually think I ENJOY doing dirty work for them?" he retorted. "I don't like them any more than you do, but I'm stuck doing it until Null and I are strong enough to fend for ourselves...Which brings me to my second point."
He pulled a Poké Ball out of his pack.
"Battle me, Echo. I won't take no for an answer."
He tossed the capsule and released his first Pokémon: a Zubat. It let out a screech upon entering the battlefield.
"Well, are you gonna send out your Pokémon or just stand there holding that egg like an idiot?"
I gave him an irked craw, then carefully placed the egg down at Hau's feet.
{Make sure nothing happens to this while we fight, alright?}
"Whoa, cool! Where'd you get this? The Nursery? What do you think's in it?"
{I don't know. Just keep it safe, alright?}
"It's safe with me, pal!"
I nodded in satisfaction, then dug out one of my own Poké Balls and sent out Red to handle the situation.
"Rucha!" he squawked.
{Red, we've got another Zubat. Kick this off with Aerial Ace.}
He nodded, a confident smirk spreading across his beak as he fired up his attack. The Zubat's wings started to glow also, but it wasn't fast enough to land the first hit, and our Aerial Ace came right at it, landing two swift, solid strikes on the enemy. Before either of us knew it, the Poison-Type had stopped flapping its wings, and it fluttered lazily to the ground before its master.
"Zubat. Return," he ordered, sucking it back into its ball and pulling out his next one. "Alright, Null. Show her how it's done!"
He called out his second Pokémon, which was...
The strangest-looking thing I'd seen yet!
It was on all fours, with claws in the front and paws in the back, a fish's tail, a large axe head of a crest coming up out of its head and a face obscured by a tight-fitting mask, covering all of its head except for its peering grey eyes. It emitted an eerie-sounding growl upon its emergence.
Even the cocky and confident Red was put off by the sight of it. The Pokémon just...didn't look like anything natural.
{Red,} I commanded. {Try a Karate Chop and see what it does.}
He approached the enemy Pokémon with a glowing fist at lightning speed, landing the attack and dealing a considerable amount of damage...But it wasn't enough to K.O. it in just one hit, and the opposing Pokémon retaliated with a Tackle attack, slamming into Red with the downward-sloping spike on the front of his crest. We were happy to learn that this "Null" creature wasn't as strong as it looked, only doing so much to Red with its Tackle, and he was able to brush it off quite well.
{One more Karate Chop, Red! We've got it right where we want it!}
He was already within close quarters of the opponent, and he fired up his claws again and sent them flying right across Null's chest as they glowed red with fury. It staggered back upon the blow, trying to keep itself standing, but it was of no use, as its legs gave way and let it fall to its side in a faint.
We beat it.
{Excellent job out there, Red!} I called to him, and he swelled up with pride, fluttering back over to my side and sounding off a victorious caw.
Gladion, however, was visibly frustrated by his loss.
"Urgh...! Not again...How annoying!"
He huffed out a sigh as he returned his fainted partner back into its Poké Ball.
"...Looks like we've got a ways to go, still...And here I thought I could take you on. Guess you're stronger than I expected...Ugh...It's not like me to slip up like that."
{So...You say you work for Team Skull, but you don't actually consider yourself...one of them?} I asked him as I returned Red to his own ball. Rotom seemed a bit hesitant to translate my question, I noticed; maybe he was intimidated by this Gladion character.
"That's about right," he said to me. "And since I'm not a hundred percent on their side, I'll give you a piece of advice: I'd watch my back if I were you. Once word of the little incident on Melemele Island reached the boss, he sent out an order to all the grunts telling them to pitch a battle with you if they see you, wherever and whenever...You know what I'm talking about, right?"
I looked down at the black claws on my hands; the blood from then had long since washed off, but I could still see it. I nodded solemnly.
"Look...I know that guy. And he's the type to pick a fight whenever he gets the chance...I'd say he probably deserved it. All of these freaks are hooligans. Whenever they send me out to do something, I at least make sure nobody actually gets hurt...Anyway, keep an eye out for them. And once you take on the Ula'ula Trials, if ever, that's when you ESPECIALLY need to be lookin' over your shoulder. That's where they're little hideaway is, and they've turned that town into their own personal playground. I hope you've got a plan for a strong enough team, because even if you could beat me, just a Hawlucha and whatever's in that Egg ain't gonna cut it."
"Hey!" Hau called out to him again. "She's got a Dartrix too!"
"And that thing downed Captain Lana'zzz Totem Wishiwashi with just one Razzzor Leaf! I should know! I was there! Zzrt!"
"...Huh. I guess that IS fairly impressive...But still. You've got a long way to go...And so do I. So don't go pitching battles you know you can't win. You'll just end up hurting your Pokémon...And they're pretty good Pokémon, so treat 'em right."
He turned to leave, heading back down the path towards Paniola Ranch.
"Oh. And for the record..." he added, turning to face me one more time. "...I think 'Echo' is a bit better than 'Scarface', so don't hesitate to teach anyone who calls you the latter a lesson if you can."
Then he turned again, disappearing down the road. Hau and I exchanged curious glances.
"That guy's a piece o' work, huh?" he commented. He was sitting on the ground with my egg held securely in his lap. "Hey, at least he ain't in on the whole gangster thing, you know what I'm sayin'? Heck, I don't even think he even had the thought of stealin' my teammates; seemed to me like he just wanted to test his strength."
{I guess you have a point,} I admitted. {...I'd still be careful around him.}
"He gives off some weird vibes, doesn't he? You can kinda tell he's not 'bad', but he's, like...super edgy and stuff, am I right?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. So, uh, you wanna take this lil' guy?" he asked me, motioning down toward the egg. I answered by lifting it back up out of his hold.
"Wonder what it's gonna be when it hatches...!" Hau marveled, standing up and looking down at it as I held it.
And it was at that moment that I heard another noise come out of it, accompanied by a strong jerk to the side.
And then another.
And then on the third one, I heard a small cracking noise. Upon hearing it, I scanned over the tan-spotted shell.
There, just along the side of it, was a hairline crack.
{...I think we're about to find out,} I chittered.
"Oh, ho, DANG! Uh, should I watch this from a distance? Don't want it comin' out and having ME be the first thing it sees. Then it might think I'M its Trainer instead."
{Good point. Step a few feet away, please.}
I gently placed the hatching egg on the ground and sat in front of it, Hau doing the same at about two yards away. Rotom peeked out from behind me, and we all stared down at it intently as the tiny crack in the eggshell grew wider, longer, and more branched out, slowly but surely.
Finally, the crack stretched out all the way along the middle of the egg, and the shell began to part. I kicked my legs back behind me and lied down, my head on the ground and my neck stretched out, the tip of my snout sitting just inches away from the egg as the Pokémon inside continued trying to chip away at its casing.
And then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped. For several seconds, there was no movement. Had it started losing its strength? No...It couldn't give up now, it was so close!
{Come on, now...} I gurgled to it. {You've got this. You're almost there!}
Finally, as though the creature inside understood me word for word, the movement started up again. The shell chipped away along the break going around the egg, and from one of the holes forming along it, something began to push its way through.
I found myself looking at a tiny brown paw.
It tapped against the hole it was forming, making it bigger, and the top half of the egg began to split away even more as the baby inside tried to lift its head up and out of it. As it readied to emerge, it made another small noise, now much more clear without the shell muffling it.
"...V...vui..." it squeaked.
The egg tilted forward, and the Pokémon's head finally pushed against the top of the eggshell hard enough to make it fall away, and then it tumbled out onto the ground.
And at that very moment, the sun peeked out from behind the parting clouds and shone down on it.
The newly hatched Pokémon had a tawny brown coat and a puffy, tan mane around its neck, and its long, pointed ears drooped a little with fatigue. Its bushy tail was tipped with a curved pattern, which was the same tan color of its mane, and its little black nose sniffed the air, leading it stumbling along on its short legs...
Right to my own snout.
It collapsed onto my nose, its little forepaws pressed up against it, and for the first time, its tired eyes pried open, looking right into mine. They were a gentle brown, as opposed to my bright yellow ones.
"Eie...vui?"
It cocked its head curiously at the sight of me, its long ears finally perking the way they should. Hau carefully stepped forward to behold the scene for himself.
{Welcome to the world, little Pokémon,} I chittered softly to it. I wasn't really sure what to say to it, but I knew I could just sit there and stare at it. {I'm...I'm going to be raising you. Does that sound alright?}
"Eievui!"
The newly hatched Pokémon nuzzled its nose against mine. Its voice was weak, but I could still sense the excitement in it, and it looked back up at me and smiled.
It smiled.
"Do...d-do you know what she said?" Rotom buzzed, his large, blue eyes glossed over with tears.
{It's a she?}
"I can tell by the tail pattern!"
{What'd she say?}
"She...She called you 'mama.'"
My eyes widened. This tiny Pokémon had only just emerged from the egg and she'd already stuck to me like glue. Was this actually happening?
{Is...Is that what you think of me as?}
"Eievui," she confirmed, tapping it paw against my nose in a playful manner. "...Vuui~!"
The creature yawned, then slowly curled up just behind my head, her bushy tail curving around her and forming a fluffy brown ball. That was the selling point; I began spilling my own tears of joy. I was a parent. I'd never been more happy.
Hau approached a bit more again. He was safe to do so, now, as the Pokémon had already imprinted on me.
"Wow...Hey, I'll be right back. I'm heading over to the Nursery! Got somethin' to show ya!"
He stood back up and made a mad dash for Paniola Ranch, leaving me, Rotom and the newly hatched Pokémon alone...
I suddenly realized that I didn't know what kind of Pokémon it was.
I cleared my throat, then quietly chattered to my PokéDex.
{Rotom,} I ordered. {Care to scan the new teammate?}
"Bzzt! It'd be my honor!"
He quietly buzzed in front of the snoozing creature.
"Scanning...Scanning...Scan complete!
"Eevee: The Evolution Pokémon! It has an unstable genetic makeup, and is very eazzzily influenced by its surrounding environment. Because of its remarkable adaptability, it hazzz the potential to evolve into a total of eight possible different forms! Zzrt!"
{Really? She could be one of eight possible Pokémon when she evolves?}
"That'zzz right!"
{How will we know what she'll be?}
"Well, that depends on how you raise her! I hear that in some cases, it even dependzzz on the location or time of day!"
{Is that so...? Well...I guess we'll find out when the time comes.}
I looked down at the little Eevee, reminiscing of everything that'd just taken place.
{I'm actually surprised at how well she can walk already,} I marveled, remembering how she's just picked herself up on her short little legs and followed my scent to reach me. {When I first hatched, I could barely move, but she could get up and move right away? To say the least, I'm in awe.}
"Same here! And she'zzz surprisingly graceful for a Pokémon that just hatched!"
{Yeah...Graceful...}
That was when it hit me.
{That's it, then. That's her name.}
"Pardon?"
{Her name is Grace...because she's the very embodiment of it.}
"Oh, wow...Fitting! I like the way you think!"
{Well, you're the one who gave me the idea.}
"Aw, come on, Echo, you're flattering me!"
"Hey, fellas!"
{Huh?}
"Bzzt?"
"Vui?" Grace squeaked, having been aroused by Hau's call. She saw him coming, and immediately looked worried by him.
"E-eievui..." she trilled nervously, looking to me for an answer as to who this human was.
{He's a friend,} I assured. {He won't hurt you.}
She nodded, but still seemed wary of the human as he skidded to a halt just in front of us.
"Guys, I'm back! So, Echo, remember how I caught a Pokémon just yesterday before we battled last?"
I nodded.
"Well, I didn't get to show him to you then since he was so rowdy, but since then I've gotten him trained up okay! Had to stick 'em back in the P.C. for a bit, though; little guy still hasn't warmed up to me all the way, so he can get a little...uh...uppity. But we're getting somewhere! Here, check it out!"
He pulled a Poké Ball out of his pack and tossed it, releasing what was inside.
It was another Eevee, but this one was notably bigger and stronger, and the pattern at the tip of its tail wasn't as curved as Grace's, being more jagged.
"Vui, eievui!" it chippered.
"We've both got Eevees now! Ain't that awesome!?"
I nodded excitedly. It was an unexpected surprise, but a welcome one.
"Vui...?"
Grace seemed skeptical of Hau's Eevee, which had now caught sight of her and was curiously approaching. The former curled into herself more tightly the closer the latter came, and while I knew Hau's Eevee was only satisfying its curiosity, I still kept a close watch on he scene to make sure nothing went wrong.
"You wanna be friends with her, bud?" Hau suggested to his Pokémon.
"Eievui!?"
Right when he said it, Hau's Eevee scrambled to get away from mine, much to Grace's relief. He returned to his Trainer, sticking his nose up and emitting complaints.
"Eie, eievui, eievui vui, eievui!" it protested.
"What's his issue, Rotom?" Hau inquired, not knowing why his Eevee seemed so against the idea.
"He says he doezzzn't want to be friends with her," he answered, seeming a bit amused by the older Eevee's bantering.
"Why's that?"
"Becauzzze, quote, 'she's a girl, and girls are gross.'"
"Vui, eievui!" the male Eevee confirmed with a nod. Grace narrowed her eyes at him in contempt.
"Real mature, Eevee..." Hau commented. "Oh, well. Maybe he'll change his mind down the road!"
"EIEVUI!" his Pokemn denied.
"Ah, get back in your ball, you. Why don'tcha save your anger for the battlefield?"
He returned his Eevee back into his Poké Ball.
"I'm gonna see how well we fare in the Brooklet Hill Trial. Captain's name is, what was it...Lana, right?"
I nodded.
"Thought so. Okay, I'll catch up here in a while, maybe give you some space with your new teammate. See you guys!"
Hau ran back up Route 5 in a hurry. Grace sat back up and watched him leave, curiously cocked her head, then turned to face me. She didn't seem quite as intimidated by all of the new faces anymore, having gotten to know them some now.
"...Eievui?"
Whatever she said, it made Rotom burst into a laughing fit.
"No, no, no, y-you've got the wrong idea, kiddo!"
{What'd she say?}
He rose a blocky appendage to his face to stifle his giggles.
"She, uh...She thinks Hau's her dad."
{What!?}
Now it was MY turn to laugh, and it came out a gurgle of a chatter.
{No, Grace,} I corrected her. {Hau is just a friend. A good one, though.}
"Maybe consider him more of a cool uncle! Zzrt!"
The Eevee then looked over at my PokéDex, then pointed to him with her small, brown paw.
"Vui, Eievui?"
This time, the Electric-Type laughed so hard he dropped right to the ground. Considering the topic we were on, I was fairly sure I knew what she just asked.
{Neither is Rotom,} I chortled. {Or Dartrix, or Red.}
"Vui?" she uttered, tilting her head the other way and standing all the way up, her long ears pointed upward in a curious manner.
To answer her, I stood up and pulled the Poké Balls I had stored away from my pack.
{Come on out, team. You have a new friend.}
The two bird Pokémon emerged, and when they materialized, they looked down at the Evolution Pokémon standing by my side.
"Rrrroo?" Dartrix trilled, scanning over the mammalian creature. In response, Grace sniffed the air to get his scent, then cautiously approached him.
An intrigued smile formed across his beak, and he extended one of his wings for her to inspect, to which she nudged it a bit with her tiny black nose.
"Eie, eievui!" she greeted him, positioning herself underneath his wing in trust.
"Rucha..."
Red, however, seemed skeptical about her, scratching the back of his head with his claws.
{What's the problem, Red?} I asked him, to which he gave his answer, which was translated by the ever faithful Rotom.
"Ooh, I see what he's getting at. He'zzz not sure how well she'll fare against enemies right off the bat. She just came out of the egg, so she's probably not a hundred percent up-to-snuff in termzzz of fighting capability."
"Vui..." Grace pouted, narrowing her brown eyes at Red some. The Hawlucha simply shrugged in return.
{Well, how do you propose she learn?}
He pondered for a moment, scarlet wings folded over each other, then perked back up and snapped.
"Haw, lucha!" He answered, pointing to himself.
"Oh, izzz that your idea, huh? Red wants to know if he can show her the ropezzz the next battle he pitches! He is part Fighting-Type after all, and what better Pokémon to teach a rookie the basiczzz of battle than one with a Type centered around it? Bzzt!"
{That's...actually not a bad idea, Red. When do you propose we start?}
"Eie, vui!"
To my surprise, Grace actually seemed eager to begin.
"Right now?" Rotom questioned. "Are you sure you don't wanna hang out and relaxzzz a bit longer? You did just hatch."
"Vui, vui, eievui!"
Despite having emerged from the shell mere minutes ago, she seemed rearing and ready to learn to fight, as all Pokémon did.
{Well, should we make our way to Wela Volcano Park, then?} I suggested.
"I'm on it, boss!" the PokéDex buzzed, displaying the map on his screen.
"We can get to Wela Volcano Park through a branch off of Route 6! All we need to do izzz pass through Royal Avenue and head out the northern exit!"
{Great job, Rotom. Grace, I have a Poké Ball here for you.}
I dug one of the two Poké Balls I had on me out of my pack, and placed it in front of the Eevee for her to inspect. She sniffed it curiously, but then nodded in understanding as she touched her nose to it, letting herself be turned to red mass and be encapsulated. The ball clicked, and she was in. I returned my other two Pokémon before turning to head down Route 6, my PokéDex's map displayed in front of me.
{Alright, Rotom. Lead the way.}
...
It was a particularly busy street, and a well-developed one, as well. The landscape was well-trimmed and blossoming with trees and flowers, there was a convenient Pokémon Center along the side of the road, a Malasada Shop across from it, a nice fountain, and...
{Wow...What's that place, Rotom?} I asked, pointing a claw towards the giant, flashy building along the stretch of the pavement.
"Oh, that's the Battle Royal Dome! Trainerzz go there to participate in Battle Royals!"
{Battle Royals?}
"It's tense! Four players go head-to-head, each fending for themselvezzz! You don't know who's gonna go after who until it getzzz into the nitty-gritty! It makes me excited just thinking about all that action...Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we give it a shot while we're here? Who knowzzz? You might end up liking it! Bzzrt!"
"Hmmm..." I hummed. {I don't know. It sounds a little intense. Going up against three other Trainers at once?}
"Well...If you say so! But if you ever change your mind, you can always come back to give it a go! Bzzrt! In the mean time, I think I should warn you; Wela Volcano Park izzz hot! You might want to stop and prepare for the heat!"
I nodded, then went along the dirt path towards the Malasada Shop, eyeing the fountain on the other side of the path from it. I took a cautious sip; the freshwater in the pond was cool and clean, so I kept at it.
"Wow...You must have been thirsty. Hey, don't drink too much, or you'll turn into a living water balloon! Zzt!"
At that notion, I finally rose my head, then splashed the water across the scales on my face before going back the way we came onto the main road.
We passed the dome, ran past a large store of some sort, and then turned north along the path. The air grew hotter, and the ground dryer.
{Oh, boy...We'd better take it easy. Do you think there are some strong Pokémon here, Rotom?}
"Oh, you bet! Let's go see if we can find some! To the west!"
We turned west, and the ground grew warmer. Patches of dry grass were dispersed across the rocky plain, and I smelled all sorts of unfamiliar Pokémon throughout the area.
I pulled out two Poké Balls, releasing Grace and Red out into the open.
{Alright. Rotom, how well would Dartrix fare in battle around here?}
"Not well; Grass-Types are weak against Fire-Types! And there are lotzzz of Fire-Types in thezzze parts!"
I nodded, keeping my starter Pokémon safely tucked away as we approached the first patch.
{You know the drill, Red; we show Grace how it's done, then see how well she does on her own. Got it?}
"Lucha," he nodded.
{Okay. Let's see what we get in here.}
I stepped into the grass, pointing my nose down to try and sniff something out. Something rustled in the grass just a foot or so away, and I barked to get it to come out.
And out of the grass it sprang!"
"Fletch!"
It was another bird Pokémon, with a small, ashy grey body and a bright red head.
{Another Flying-Type?} I complained. {Well...It'll work for practice. Show 'em what we're made of, Red!}
The Wrestling Pokémon leapt out to face his opponent, beating his clawed fists together.
{Now, watch closely at what we do,} I alerted my Eevee. She nodded in understanding and stood along the sidelines.
{Alright, Red! Go right in for an Aerial Ace!}
He spread his wings and took to the air, and the smaller bird Pokémon was too slow to dodge his double-hitting attack. Being as weak as it was, it fainted in an instant.
{That was an easy one,} I remarked. {Grace. Do you think you can take the next one?}
Her eyes were wide at what she'd just seen, but then she shook the shock out of her head and nodded
{Alright. Let's find you someone to go up against.}
I nosed around the grass a bit more, and it didn't take long to disturb another Pokémon. This creature was no bird, however; it was a slightly bigger, stockier creature, and its face was hidden behind an old skull that it wore. It threatened to attack by drawing back the bone in its hands.
{Erm...Grace? Maybe we should find another-}
"Eievui!"
She wasn't quite so cautious; she wanted to battle this Pokémon regardless of how strong it was.
{Well...If you're sure. But I'll pull you back in if it starts to look hairy. What kinds of attacks do you know? Any?}
"Vui, Eievui!" she confirmed with a nod, then turned and began to growl at the enemy. The Pokémon backed away some, the grip on its bone club lessening slightly.
"Ooh! She's using her Growl Attack! It makezzz a Pokémon's attack power weaker! Good way to start off!"
{That might get us somewhere. Keep it up!}
For something so small and young, I was surprised with the noises that came out of her; they were very intimidating...to the enemy Pokémon, at least. I thought it was cute.
Eventually, it had backed away enough and loosened the hold on its weapon enough that I thought we could go in for an attacking move.
{Grace! You don't happen to know the move Tackle, do you?}
She sent a smirk in my direction, then stiffened her feet, pawed at the ground, then charged at the wild Pokémon, sending it flying back.
"CUBONE!" it hollered as it was knocked onto the dusty ground. But it got right back up, the bruise on its middle superficial.
{Wow...Not bad! Rotom, is this thing called a, um...'Cubone?' That's what it cried out.}
"I already got a scan on it! Allow me!"
The image of the Pokémon flashed across his screen.
"Cubone: The Lonely Pokémon! It wearzzz the skull of its deceased mother on its head to hide itzzz face. When in cries for her, it might accidentally attract predatorzzz, like Mandibuzz! Bzzrt! Ah...Poor fella."
{Do you think it might want to come with us?}
"Cu, cubone!" the Pokémon declined staunchly, giving me an angry glare.
"Oh. Uh...He sayzzz he'd rather stay here and be tough than turn into a wimp. Because that what he says we are."
I rolled my eyes; sounded to be like it was jealous of my Pokémon, but too proud to admit it.
That was when the Cubone drew in towards Grace for another attack.
{Tackle! One more time!}
The Eevee tackled, and the Cubone halted upon the impact. But it wasn't enough to get him to stop, and he drew his bone back and thwacked it against my Pokémon's side.
"Eievui!" she yelped as she was thrown down to the dirt.
I barked for her, digging her Poké Ball out as she got up from being knocked over and hurt some. She yelped in protest, not wanting to have to stop fighting yet, but I got her back in the safety of the capsule before she could argue too much, then sent Red back out.
{Red! Karate Chop!}
He swiftly obeyed, taking what was left out of the opponent with a swift chop of his claws. I actually felt somewhat bad for the poor Cubone as he ran off into the tall grass again; if only he'd given us the chance...But it seemed he'd rather be by himself than travel with us, so I decided we shouldn't bother him anymore.
Once that was said and done, I took Grace back out of her ball in order to assess her battle damage. There was a tender spot where the Lonely Pokémon had landed his bone club, but other than that, there wasn't much of anything to be concerned about.
And even after that, she was STILL ready and rearing for a challenge.
{I don't know, Eevee. The Pokémon around here seem a little strong for you.}
"Eievui, vui, vui!" she insisted. I let out a low gargle of a sigh at her response.
{We'll try this one more time, but if you take anymore damage, we're turning around and going to the Pokémon Center for a while. Besides, I'm starting to regret having come here in the middle of the day...}
Even with the generous amount of water I'd given myself not too long ago, the rays of the sun paired with the already present heat of the volcano were adding up and doing a number on my own energy.
{Just...One more, and that's it, alright?}
"Eievui..." she finally, albeit reluctantly agreed.
I reached down and gave the top of her head a light scratch, which lifted her mood again in a hurry. Then, with her and Red alongside me, I kept nosing my way through the tall grass, in search of just one more Pokémon we could battle against.
Finally, I felt the end of my snout bump up against something. But whatever it was...didn't seem to move. Maybe I'd collided with a rock? But it felt a little too...smooth and soft to be a rock. In fact it felt more like my own scales than a-
"Heh heh heh heh..."
That was the giveaway. It LAUGHED.
And then, it sprang up out of the bushes with much poise and grace, revealing its slick, black and red form. It had peering, mischievous eyes, and emitted a very oddly sweet aroma from the bright red glowing spot on its back.
The Pokémon beckoned for us to battle it, curling one of the digits on its slippery-looking hands toward itself.
{I don't like the looks of this one. Rotom. Scan.}
"Will do!"
"Salandit: The Toxic Lizard Pokémon! It emits a sweet-smelling poisonous gas from the sac on itzzz back and tail to attract both prey and challengers! The malezzz will do whatever the females tell them, including giving them most of their food! Becauzzze of their malnutrition, male Salandit can't evolve. What a shame! Zzrt..."
{Is this one male?}
"Scanning...Scanning...Yep! It is!"
{Let's see how well Grace does against it; doesn't look quite as sturdy.}
"Eievui!" she agreed, standing her ground before the enemy. The wild Salandit rolled his eyes, then, fired up something in his mouth.
"Hey, be careful, bucko! Thozzze flames can't only burn; they can poison!"
{I'll keep that in mind. Grace, try a Tackle attack!}
She honed in on the opponent, but couldn't reach it in time before he spat out a small, flaming projectile at her. She staggered some upon the impact, but still stood.
"Eievui...!" she snarled. "Eie-VUI!"
That was when she kicked up a good, big puff of dust from the ground and sent it flying into the enemy's eyes, blinding it!
"Sal-!? Grrrrack!" it exclaimed, trying to wipe the sand from its eyes.
"A new move! Sand Attack! That'll come in handy! Bzzt!"
{Keep it up! Let's show this guy who's boss!}
My Eevee, determined as ever to win the fight, kept kicking up sand into the Salandit's face, and the Toxic Lizard Pokémon tried to counter the attack by continuously rubbing its eyes. But it wasn't of much good; by now, they were so red and irritated he wouldn't be able to see well regardless.
{Now! Let's show this guy our Tackle!}
But before Grace could start running, the Salandit called out, its alarmed scream echoing across the park.
"Crrraaaaaug!"
A few moments passed, and then, out of the grass, another Salandit came to aid the first!
It eyed its comrade, rolling its eyes as its pathetic state, then turned to look at us. There was a flicker of...respect in its gaze. It seemed impressed with how much we'd been able to do to the first Salandit so far. How odd, compared to what we'd first seen of the species.
But that didn't stop it from facing off against us, and the Pokémon aimed another attack, firing it up. An almost smoky smell began to emit from its mouth.
{Grace! Dodge! Off to the side!}
She obeyed in a huff, just in time to avoid the spiral of thick, disgusting smog coming at her.
{Now! Tackle on the first Salandit!}
She followed that command, too, sending the enemy Pokémon careening into the dry grass. It still had energy left to fight, but I heard it run off; I guessed that it'd decided not to take any more risks than it saw necessary. Now it was just the second Salandit we had to worry about.
{Sand Attack!}
The Eevee tried to turn in time to fling dirt into the wild Pokémon's face, but before she got the chance, she was enveloped by yet another puff of smog.
{GRACE!}
"Eievui!"
When the attack cleared, it revealed that she was still standing, but the pained, almost contorted expression on her face indicated something was wrong.
"Vui...Eie-Eievui..." she strained, not looking at all well.
"AUGH! She'zzz been poisoned! We gotta wrap this up and take 'er to the Pokémon Center to get rid of that!"
{Oh, no...}
But Grace didn't give up just yet; with one swift sweep, she sent another puff of dust out, finally landing the hit on it. The Salandit staggered back, and just like the last one, tried to rub the dirt out of its eyes, but with little success. I called Red onto the field to step in for Grace.
{Alright. Let's show this Pokémon who's boss.}
"Actually, if I might make a suggestion, my scannerzzz indicate that THIS Salandit is a female! And there aren't a lot of females compared to males, so if you wanted to catch it, now'zzz a good opportunity! Besides, if you do, you can REALLY, LITERALLY show her who's boss!"
{REALLY, now?} I drawled. {Well, then...Grace! If you can manage it, try one more Tackle Attack!}
"Vui, vui, eievui!"
Despite having been poisoned, she mustered up all of her strength, then sent her little self slamming right into the slender Pokémon's middle. Both of them fell onto the dry ground, and the Eevee pinned the opponent down into the dirt, pressing her paw down on her scaly face.
"Eie...Vui..." Grace huffed, an angry spark flashing in her brown eyes.
Then, without any warning, she opened her mouth and bit right into the soft scales on the enemy's neck, causing her to cry out. It seemed to me more like a revenge move than an actual Pokémon Attack, but either worked for me if it meant catching the creature.
I reached for my last Poké Ball, then barked for my fighter to get off of the target. Once she stepped away, I hurled the capsule at the Salandit, and when it hit, the Pokémon was drawn into the ball and trapped. It wobbled once.
Then twice.
Then thrice.
I shut my eyes in anticipation.
{Come on, come on...stay in...!} I crawed.
Click.
{...Did...Did we get it?}
I opened one of my eyes to look where the ball had landed. There it sat, as still as a stone.
We caught it.
"Ya did it, bucko! Knew you had this one in the bag!"
I went over and scooped the ball up; there was a Salandit in there, all my own.
"Vui, eievui!" Grace cheered, but then twitched a bit, wavering a bit where she stood.
I stashed the Salandit's Poké Ball away, then scooped Grace up in my clawed hands and raised her up to eye level; for having been poisoned, she seemed in high spirits.
{That was pretty good, what you did out there,} I praised. {Now that you're a little stronger, maybe you'll be up for battling normally?}
"Eievui," she agreed, tilting her head forward and pressing her little wet nose against the end of my snort. She curled up in my hold as I carried her out of the park and back towards Royal Avenue. Red followed close behind, and Rotom floated alongside me, as usual.
"So, about that Salandit," he told me. "There was something about her a little different from the first one, wazzzn't there?"
{Besides the gender, you mean?}
"I mean, she DID seem kind of impressed by the way we'd taken down that first guy, wasn't she? And besides the Smog Attackzzz...well...she DIDN'T really try to put up that much of a fight. And come to think of it, she didn't seem that amuzzzed by the Salandit who called for her. Do you think she might have WANTED to be caught?"
{Huh...I don't know. If she did, it might make things easier for us, I can say that.}
"Well, the femalezzz pretty much have it made; they probably don't think to battle that often...I dunno. Doesn't that sound like it'd get boring after a while?"
{You do have a point.}
"If that'zzz the case, then I can tell you one thing. Our new teammate is in for a thrill ride! Kzzrt!"
{Yeah...New teammate...Don't you think the team is coming along well so far?}
"Abzzzolutely! And it's diversifying pretty well, too! We've got Grass, Flying, Fighting, Normal, Fire and Poison-Type moves on our side now! That'zzz some good variation!"
{Heh...So, do you think Dartrix might be jealous when he finds out he didn't get to fight out there?}
"I can tell ya now; considering the trial we're takin' on next, jealous izzz the LAST thing he'll feel about it! Ha!"