There weren't any people walking along the western route of Violet City, mostly because of the warning signs posted along the path. "Take Alternate Route," they said. They couldn't be read however, because someone or something had pushed them all down. People had passed the word on before it was too late, so everyone heeded the warning.
Well, almost everyone.
Four pokemon crept along the woodland trees. A Cyndaquil reluctantly led them on. To her left was a determined (and slightly shaken) white Rattata. To her right was a HootHoot who, if anyone looked at her, would notice the look of pure amusement at the happy face painted on her chest. A few steps behind them all was a Doduo. It held its trembling owner and walked beside Agility. Something shuddered. Pyra stopped the party's progress.
Agility raised a paw. Five claws. Four. Three. Two. One.
Everyone began to attack the trees, hoping to flush out their target. A particularly hard hit by Talon did it. The tree that had been attacked jumped away, turned to face the "warriors," and grinned. "Charge!" Agility shrieked. The battle was on.
Disclaimer: Pokemon will never belong to me.
Agility leaned against a tree, admiring the scenery. At long last, the journey had taken everyone's (including Korba's) stamina down to nothing. They were unconscious back at the Academy; for all matters concerned it was a blessing in disguise. "A morning away from everyone…" She expected to be tackled. Korba wasn't there. "I oughta do this more often." Something rustled in the bushes behind her. Agility paled, realizing she'd spoken too soon. She knew how this went. Some monster was hiding in the bushes waiting to attack her… Even though she'd been assured there were no pokemon in the general area. "Korba, is that you?"
"Korba, is that you?" The bushes responded in a voice not unlike Agility's. Her translator buzzed. Apparently the bush was a pokemon (it was an old translator, after all). Strangely enough, she swore she saw eyes peering out at her…
Agility scowled. "Who's there?"
"Who's there?" A rock growled back, vibrating to its own music. It sprouted leaves and became a flower. A dancing flower. Agility pondered this for a second, mouth halfway open to make some reply to the grooving plant. Something poked her. It was a tree. Agility slowly waved at it, and-
"Sudo!" Whump! Agility's face exploded in pain. A tiny brown deer with a speckled coat leapt free from the bushes. The very air rippled around two orbs on her antlers; the position they were in made them look like eyes.
Beep! Agility's pokedex had whirred to life. Curious, the Sudowoodo lifted it out of Agility's pocket. "Two pokemon identified. Sudowoodo and Stantler... Sudowoodo: The Imitation Pokemon. To avoid attack it poses as a tree, however it does know several formidable moves to any who threaten it. Stantler: The Big Horn Pokemon. It is important that neither trainer nor pokemon stare into the eye-like orbs in its antlers, for these orbs can cause hallucinations…" The Stantler nodded to the Sudowoodo and pranced away. The tree was pleased. He struck a pose.
"Whoa-oh! Agility, what happened to you?!"
The trainer in question dragged herself through the door of Earl's Academy. Her left eye was shut tight, dark and swollen from a punch. "I went for a walk… Talked to a rock who became a flower and waved at a tree." She gathered the strength to finish answering Korba's question. "…I got punched by that tree. It almost took my pokedex." Her voice ended in a high note of pain and disbelief. Agility dropped to her knees and felt around for her book. This accomplished, she scribbled a short message in it.
Every day we spend on this quest, something happens with ever-increasing stupidity… I blame this on Korba.
Korba giggled. "Forest of death! Everybody's gotta hear about this! Scavenger! Py-"
"No. For the love of all that is pokemon, let them sleep. Come on, we're saying goodbye to Earl and going on to the next town."
Korba stopped her. "But Agility… We can't leave now!"
Those were famous last words. "Why? Has Earl issued out another mission for us?!" Agility demanded. Her rage was blanketed by the dangerous glare Korba gave her. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"Agility, you have been wronged by another." Korba began, advancing on her. "Not only have you been injured, but a vital treasure has been taken from you! It matters not who took it, but how do we get it back!"
"Korba, they didn't take my pokedex, they just looked at it…"
"It matters not," Korba continued, her voice increasing in volume, "if they were friend or foe, man or beast, those nice people who heal your pokemon, or those mean people who won't give you their noodles even when you ask nicely! Those are mean people! They've already had eight servings!"
"You were the only one at the party who ate that many nood-"
"All that matters, Agility, is that we right what is wrong and make sure this tree never does harm to anyone again! There will be no thievery in Violet City! Not while Earl's Pokemon Academy still stands strong like the mountains and pure like the sunlight! On behalf of Commander Earl, the virtues of the Academy, and your honor, this tree will not be allowed to eat more than eight servings of noodles at any given time!"
Agility gave a wry smile as the pokemon awoke to investigate the noise. "And don't forget my pokedex."
"Suit up!" Korba snarled, readying the war paint.
"Agility, what happened to-"
"Don't ask, Gerald." Agility huddled behind Earl's desk to escape the chaos Korba was creating. Agility's face and arms were covered with black splotches of paint. Her usually brown hair had been victim to a heavy dose of white spray dye. This was Korba's idea of pity; she kindly hid Agility's black eye by transforming the trainer into a panda. "Can you tell me what kind of strategy to use against a Sudowoodo and a Stantler?"
Gerald winced at the sound of a screeching Rattata. He nervously fished a book out of a series of bookcases lining the wall behind him and typed something into a computer. "Well, the most recent Sudowoodo sighting was near Violet City, but it's pretty powerful… I hear it drove out all the pokemon that used to live there."
Agility sighed. "What about the Stantler?"
"Well that's a different problem altogether-"
The phone call ended there. It wasn't because Agility had received enough information, but because Talon leapt over the desk and into her lap. There was a big red smiley face on her chest. "This… Not good, no." Talon gasped, out of breath.
"I know, Talon, I know. But we've got to look on the bright side… Wherever it may be." Korba had found them at last, smashing a headband onto Agility's head. Panda ears. The outfit was complete. Talon could only stare on.
"Ah, it's about time we battled! Who do we wage war against?" Pyra was ready to release some pent-up energy. This excitement helped her ignore Agility's new costume.
"A tree, for the most part." Agility told her, heading for the doors to the Academy.
The Cyndaquil faltered. "Huh?"
"It punched me, almost took my pokedex, and made Korba think of all the noodles she ate last night." Agility smirked. She dared Pyra to tell this story at the Pokemon Center. "Onwards, warrior." Pyra only grumbled.
There weren't any people walking along the western route of Violet City, mostly because of the warning signs posted along the path. "Take Alternate Route," they said. They couldn't be read however, because someone or something had pushed them all down. People had passed the word on before it was too late, so everyone heeded the warning.
Well, almost everyone.
Four pokemon crept along the woodland trees. A Cyndaquil reluctantly led them on. To her left was a determined (and slightly shaken) white Rattata. To her right was a HootHoot who, if anyone looked at her, would notice the look of pure amusement at the happy face painted on her chest. A few steps behind them all was a Doduo. It held its trembling owner and walked beside Agility. Something shuddered. Pyra stopped the party's progress.
Agility raised a paw. Five claws. Four. Three. Two. One.
Everyone began to attack the trees, hoping to flush out their target. A particularly hard hit by Talon did it. The tree that had been attacked jumped away, turned to face the "warriors," and grinned. "Charge!" Agility shrieked. The battle was on.
Pyra charged first, hoping to get the first hit with her flames. The Sudowoodo remained standing and allowed the embers to seep into his glossy surface. When Pyra believed she scored a hit, she followed through with a tackle. It took a single punch to throw Pyra backwards. Scavenger and Talon leapt over her body, knowing she'd be back on her feet. Pyra proved them right by getting up… Just in time to see the Sudowoodo spew embers onto her teammates.
"The Sudowoodo, because of its ability to blend in with small trees, has eventually learned how to copy other things as well. The Mimic attack allows it to temporarily copy a pokemon's attack." Korba's pokedex informed them all too late.
Pyra barely avoided Talon's body as it crashed into the ground. Scavenger simply retreated and stiffened his tail, letting loose an ear-splitting crack that unsettled all the fighters.
Talon managed to get Pyra's attention. "Listen, Firebringer!" She began to devise a plan. The Sudowoodo took advantage of this and removed one of the huge green stones that served as his leaves. He pitched it at Pyra and Talon, who were only warned about it when Scavenger screamed for them to move. Pyra laughed and leapt on the projectile, pushing off towards the Sudowoodo to blast acrid smoke into his face. Talon moved at a slower speed but quickly executed her part of the move as well, eyes glowing and seeing past the smoke. The recoiling tree was outlined in red for Pyra and Scavenger.
The Sudowoodo began to panic now, garbling an unintelligible question to the bushes nearby. Something squealed and moved into the smoke, not affected by Talon's Foresight. Pyra ignored it and charged at the Sudowoodo. The smoke began to ripple and the Sudowoodo's image disappeared. "Talon! Where is the rock tree?!" Pyra yelled blindly into the smoke.
"In front of you, yes!" Talon said. To her the tree was still there, but Pyra could no longer see the Sudowoodo's form. Instead it changed into Agility.
"That's Agility!"
"No can tell difference between tree and leader?" Talon shouted in disbelief. "Scavenger fight now, yes!" The Rattata obeyed. But just as before, the smoke rippled. Scavenger hesitated as he saw Korba standing where the Sudowoodo had been.
Trekker shifted restlessly. Korba got off its back to let it battle, but Trekker went around the smoke and peered into a bush with both heads. The Stantler hid there. Her antlers were rippling with hypnotic waves, making sure neither Pyra or Scavenger could see their target correctly. The Doduo put a stop to it with a firm stomp. The Stantler lay pinned at her neck, stopping the hypnosis abruptly. She looked up to see two beaks about to strike.
By this time the Sudowoodo went back to the offensive. A large rock fell close to where Scavenger was standing. The Sudowoodo was throwing rocks and embers blindly into the smoke. "Ahh! H-He's throwing stuff at us!"
"Calm down, Scavenger. This smoke will clear quickly!" Pyra was right. The smoke thinned rapidly and left the battlefield. Now everyone could see each other in battle again, including the Stantler and the Doduo that chased her. The Sudowoodo was quick to throw a rock at the new challenger. Trekker fled to its trainer's side, leaping over the rock and ungracefully landing on its feet. With the fighting momentarily stopped, Pyra began to speak. "We will not rest until we avenge… We avenge…" Pyra slowed to a stop.
Scavenger asked the question on everyone's minds. "Um, w-why are we fighting?"
"Well, Agility mentioned something about noodles and some stolen item…" Pyra said. The battle was clouded in confusion. Agility suddenly perked up.
"Oh right! This Sudowoodo is also keeping pokemon from their homes! " The team mumbled among themselves and shrugged in agreement, continuing to fight their losing battle. Agility looked to Korba helplessly. "We aren't getting very far. You have anything that would help?"
"Uh…" Korba sat down and fished through her backpack for her pokedex. Out came several items, including the dye spray. Agility clapped her paws together with a coming idea. "Korba, I need Trekker for this."
"Meh? Why?" Korba asked the scheming panda.
Agility waved her off. "I just realized what you'd do in this situation… And I'm stupid enough to try it." Korba stared blankly at her. Agility took this for a yes. "Pyra! Get back here!"
Pyra's complaint was quick and angry. "I'm not tired, Agility!"
"Get back here! You're going right back into battle!" The Cyndaquil considered this and grudgingly ran back to her trainer. The Sudowoodo took this as a retreat and patiently fended off Talon and Scavenger in hopes of them leaving as well. Agility grabbed the yelping Pyra by her hind legs and the white spray before jumping onto Trekker's back. "Forward, Trekker!" The Doduo cheerfully did so.
Pyra struggled in Agility's grasp. "Agility?! What is the meaning of-"
"Just keep those flames burning, Pyra! Trekker, when we get close enough, I'm going to yell jump. Jump really high for me, okay?" Trekker nodded and continued charging. It first passed Talon, then Scavenger, then… "Jump!" Agility directed the white spray through Pyra's flames.
When the Sudowoodo looked up, a stream of flame sent him flying through the trees.
The entire battlefield quieted as Agility led Trekker back to his trainer. Something glimmered in Korba's eyes. At first Agility thought it was uncertainty, but soon she saw it was admiration. Korba proudly saluted. "Commander."
Agility kept on walking, calling her pokemon. "At ease, Korba. Come on everyone. We're getting out of this city."
The trainers ended up taking the southern route out of Violet City, but not before washing off Korba's "artwork." Unfortunately for Agility, her hair remained white as snow. After a period of screaming and raging about, Agility found herself adding to the short phrase in her book.
Everyday we spend on this quest, something happens with ever-increasing stupidity… I blame this on Korba.
…I wouldn't trade her for the world. On an adventuuuure…!
Commander Agility – Violet City
The pokemon that had been driven out of their homes came back with a vengeance, chasing away the Sudowoodo and his Stantler companion. The two invaders quietly moved on to a peaceful (and unoccupied) part of the forest.
A sound of an approaching trainer got their attention. "Ahh! Finally, I'm alone!" The trainer cheered. The Stantler waited in the bushes until the trainer came near. The Sudowoodo, having found someone new to annoy, struck a pose in victory.
~~~~
Author's Notes: My computer didn't catch another virus. No hurricane decided to play in my neighborhood. I wasn't sick. I wasn't away from the computer. My muses didn't run away. I haven't lost interest in the story.
The phrase "I'll finish it tomorrow" is a common one in my head, and tomorrow never really came… (Huh?) So, yeah. To all those who reviewed and/or read, I'm sorry about the delay and I thank you all. (There are certain reviewers who deserve huge thanks. You know you are. Hopefully…)