Chapter 12.5: A Swarm At The National Park!
After the Ruins of Alph fiasco, the kids returned to their trek to Ecruteak, but they wanted to sit down somewhere and talk some things out. They found the National Park nearby and decided to take a break there and let the pokemon play some more. It was a spacious, halcyon park with tall grass, flowers, and a round fountain right in the center, all closed off by a solid white fence. If one were to look at it from above, they'd notice that the grass and fountain were arranged to resemble a giant pokeball.
"So...let me get this straight," Caiseal said, kicking his legs back and forth to get the kinks out. Too much walking made his feet hurt. "You're saying you can talk to pokemon and understand everything they're saying?" He kept giving Julia a confused yet disbelieving look.
"Pretty much, yeah," Julia replied, holding her hands up to keep Caiseal out of her personal space. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."
Perrine pulled out a comb and pushed it through her orange hair. "I didn't believe it myself at first," Kitsune snuggled up next to her beloved trainer, begging for her to brush her hair.
That feeling came back again. That feeling of coming off as a little liar. Julia found herself trembling as Caiseal looked away in displeasure. "Pheh! That's the biggest load of crock I've ever heard!" As usual, such talk stabbed Julia right in the heart, twisting so the blood would rush out.
"B-B-But it's true!" Julia argued. "I...I don't know how to prove it, but I'm not lying!" A subtle whine peppered her voice, not that she wanted to come off as whiny.
"Dude! Nobody in this world can talk to pokemon!" Caiseal snapped. "Are you sure you're not making this up just to get attention?" He insinuated without even the tiniest ounce of hesitation.
Making it up. Just to get attention. The anger that seized her was instantaneous, and the blood flowing in her veins boiled to the point of eruption. She stood up and screamed, "I AM NOT MAKING IT UP NOR AM I TRYING TO GET ATTENTION!" She got so close to his face that their noses almost touched, and Caiseal jumped with fright as soon as she yelled.
"Julia! Quiet down!" Perrine told her as she pushed herself in between them.
Julia didn't care if they were in a public place. Mom and Dad weren't here to tell her that she shouldn't yell in public. In her mind, Caiseal deserved it for accusing her of wanting attention and for lying. She hated it. She hated it so much. Any time she told people she could talk to pokemon, their responses were always disbelieving laughter or accusations of telling falsehoods. All of them painful. Smothering her. Drowning her. Pulling her back to those horrible, lonely days when she had no friends. Already, she could hear their scornful laughter.
"No way! You're faking it!"
"Nobody can talk to pokemon!"
"You're a weirdo! Are you cracked or something?"
"Man, you really are retarded!"
Even her voice came back. The voice she thought she had finally managed to escape from. Amoretto. "First you scream your lungs out over nothing, then you go around telling lies?! Stop being difficult and behave yourself!"
Hikaru's fur bristled, and she hissed right at Caiseal, scaring him into walking backwards about two steps. It was as though she sensed the agony in her trainer's heart. "Alright, break it up now," Perrine said before turning to Caiseal. "Look, Caiseal. I don't know how to explain it or prove it. I don't really get it myself," She told him in a firm voice that was not in the mood for nonsense. "But I can assure you that she's not lying. She hasn't lied to us before, and accusing her of such was totally not cool," She then turned to Julia. "Julia, it's great that you're sticking up for yourself. But there are better ways to go about this. I think you both need to cool off."
"Me?!" Caiseal's found himself taken aback. "Cool off?! She's the one freaking out at me like some crazy person!"
"You're the one accusing me of lying!" Julia snapped back. The pokemon stopped to observe what was going on. Apollo and Ladybug looked at each other with worried faces, like they suspected something bad was happening. Even though they were right, they weren't sure what to do about it. "I'm not some person who goes around telling people stuff that's not true!"
Perrine put a hand on Julia's shoulder. She did the same with Caiseal. Julia shivered, but she knew why she did it. Perrine wanted them to calm down, for their own sake. With this, the argument was over. The orange haired girl let out a sigh. In a way, she had suspected this would happen. Nobody's going to just believe that she can talk to pokemon. Even she herself had some trouble believing it. Of course Caiseal wasn't going to believe it. But him accusing her of trying to get attention was uncalled for.
The argument finally stopped when Julia noticed something. "What's that?" She pointed to a small booth being set up by a man dressed in red. He held up a sign over it that read, 'Bug Catching Contest! Sign Up Here!' in big red painted letters. A smile touched Julia's face. Bug Catching Contest. She remembered reading about it in a brochure back in Azalea Town.
"Excuse me!" She didn't hesitate to dash over to the booth. The man whipped his head around to face the smiling girl beneath him. "Is there a Bug Catching Contest being held today?"
"Yes there is, ma'am," The man told her kindly. "It doesn't start for another two hours, though. We hold it on Saturdays, once every two weeks," Caiseal noticed another man releasing some pokemon from pokeballs. Butterfree, caterpie, beedrill, and many others. "Whoever catches the strongest bug type pokemon gets a Sun Stone as a prize!"
Sun stone. Just hearing the word made Julia's eyes glimmer. If she had a sun stone, then Blossom could evolve into a bellossom instead of a vileplume. The urge to enter the contest seized her and she signed up for the contest. Caiseal and Perrine shrugged and signed up as well. Perhaps this would be good exercise and training. They recalled their pokemon so they wouldn't get mixed up in the contest.
"There is one rule, though," The man began. "You're only allowed to use one pokemon for the contest."
"Awww. That's no fair," Julia complained. "Oh well. Saoirse could use some training anyway, so I guess it wouldn't hurt."
"I'll use Fukuro. He's good at this kind of stuff," Perrine signed her name and Fukuro's on the signup paper.
"Geo can help me out here."
It didn't take long for a wave of people to swarm into the National Park like bug pokemon flying across the sky. Soon, the park was abuzz with people and their pokemon. Multicolored balloons were tied to the fences, floating aimlessly in their positions, giving the park a colorful, more cheerful atmosphere. The man from before held up a megaphone before shouting cheerfully, "Welcome one and all to the National Park Bug Catching Contest!"
Julia kept her hands over her ears as he was rather loud. Saoirse simply put a hand on her leg to reassure her. Her trainer appreciated the kind gesture. "Each trainer is allowed to catch one bug type pokemon! If you run out of Sport Balls, you're out of the contest!" The trainers went to get their Sport Balls at the man's behest. "If you catch your desired bug pokemon, meet back here and wait for the results! You all have exactly one hour before the contest is officially done!" The man fist pumped the air. "Now go out there and catch the strongest bug pokemon you can fiiiind!"
The swarm of trainers scattered all around the park. Caiseal smirked at the geodude next to him. "You ready for this, Geo?"
"Geo geodude!"
"Come on, Saoirse! Let's go find a new friend!"
"Snub snubbull!"
Perrine and Fukuro scurried off into the thickets without a word. 'I'll win this contest for sure! I just gotta find a super strong bug pokemon!' She told herself, with Fukuro close by, flapping his small wings to keep up. Creeping through the grass like a pokemon, she silently scoured the park for any pokemon worth catching.
One pokemon happened to crawl right in front of her within ten seconds. It was a small worm with orange fur, small eyes, a white horn on its head, a matching tail, small pink legs, and a pink mouth. "A weedle…" Perrine scanned it with her PokeDex.
"Weedle, the hairy bug pokemon. Weedle has an extremely acute sense of smell. It is capable of distinguishing its favorite kinds of leaves from those it dislikes just by sniffing with its big red proboscis. The stinger on its head is filled to the brim with a lethal poison that can easily kill even an unborn fetus within half an hour. The younger the prey, the faster the poison kills them. They are often found in forests eating large leaves. For the most part, they are docile and only attack when absolutely necessary," A pink female sign appeared.
"Weedle?" The hairy bug tilted its head to one side, gazing at the girl and owl confusingly.
"Nah. I don't think a weedle will win this contest," Perrine mused.
"Hoothoot!"
With that, Perrine and Fukuro went to find other bug pokemon. All they came across were caterpie, weedle, and metapod so far. One young bug catcher already caught a metapod despite his weedle getting injured at points. One girl snagged a paras with her trusty oddish. "Yay! I caught a paras!" The girl squealed, hugging her sports ball like it was a plush doll.
"Man...we're getting nowhere…" Perrine complained.
Fluttering wings caught Fukuro's attention. "Hoothoot!" The owl pointed to a big tree nearby. A lone butterfree sat on a branch contentedly, distracted by some berries hanging from the tree.
"Wow! A butterfree!" Perrine pulled out her PokeDex despite having seen one before.
"Butterfree, the butterfly pokemon. Butterfree have the ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can even search out, extract, and carry honey from flowers that are blooming over six miles from its nest. The wings are protected by a rain-repellent dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain. Its wings are covered with poisonous dust. If you see one flapping its wings, be careful not to inhale any of the dust," A blue male sign appeared.
"Fukuro, use Peck on that butterfree," Perrine whispered. Fukuro let out a trill before flying in front of the butterfly and pecking its face with its beak. "Freeeeeee!" The hapless butterfree flapped its wings once to try and escape, but Fukuro was too fast for him. However, before Perrine could throw her sports ball, one already hit the pokemon. The sports ball trembled. One, two, three...POP! Butterfree broke out of the capsule and flew away.
"Awwww, man! I almost had it!" One little boy complained.
"Uugh! I can't believe you! I saw that butterfree first!" Perrine shouted. Fukuro simply facepalmed with one wing.
"I wonder if there are any rare bugs around here?" Julia asked, walking alongside some wildflowers with Saoirse trotting by.
"Snub snub," ("I don't know. I've never been here before.") Saoirse replied.
As soon as they passed by a small bush, the leaves on it rustled. Julia and Saoirse got into a battle position. Instantly, the color was sucked right out of Julia's face as a fluffy purple ball leaped out of the bush. Said purple ball of fluff turned around, its large, red eyes looking straight at the girl. "YEEEEK!" Julia fell on her rear and scrambled behind the confused snubbull.
"Venonat!" The fluffy purple ball of fur shrieked in a high pitched yet robotic voice. The creature had two long antennae bobbing back and forth, with a pincer-like mouth between its eyes. Two small, beige hands flapped up and down, and the ball waddled about with its two long feet. "Venonat?"
"Get away from me!" Julia screamed like she was trapped in a pit full of beedrill, using her PokeDex as a shield, holding it right in front of the confused venonat.
"Venonat, the insect pokemon. Their large eyes, which are actually a collection of many smaller eyes, function as a radar, allowing it to see in the dark. Poison oozes from all over its body. It catches and eats small bugs at night that are attracted by light. They usually sleep in holes in large trees," A pink female sign appeared, not that Julia cared.
Like a lost child, Julia wailed and clutched Saoirse tightly. "SAOIRSE MAKE IT GO AWAAAAAY!" All Saoirse could do was sweat drop as the venonat suddenly marched right toward them, not out of instinct or malice. Just out of simple curiosity. As soon as she saw her coming close, Julia yanked Saoirse off the ground and sprinted away from the area. The fluffy venonat was in hot pursuit.
She passed right by an unsuspecting Caiseal, who had his eyes on a large brown bug pokemon. He had already pulled out his PokeDex to examine it even though Geo cracked his knuckles. "Pinsir, the stag beetle pokemon. With its horns, it digs burrows to sleep in at night. In the morning, damp soil clings to its body. Pinsir has a pair of massive horns. Protruding from the surface of these horns are thorns. These thorns are driven deeply into the foe's body when the pincer closes, making it tough for the foe to escape. Grips and tears at its enemy with the two pincers on its head. Enemies with hard bodies are gripped and tossed," A female sign appeared.
"Piiiiiiin!" The brown pokemon hissed, showing off its horns.
"Geo! Use Rock Throw!"
"Geoduuude!" The sentient rock made boulders appear out of thin air and threw them at the pinsir.
Caiseal pulled out a Sports Ball. "You're mine, pinsir!" With a swift throw, the Sports Ball bounced off of the pinsir. The pokemon turned into light before being sucked into the capsule. Trembling from side to side, the pokeball blinked once before the pinsir broke right out. "Dangit!" Caiseal hissed. "Geo, use Tackle on it twice!"
"Geeee!" Geo threw himself at the pinsir before it could land an attack, ramming his body into the stag beetle's hide. The first blow wasn't enough to knock it out, as the pinsir used its thin arms to catch Geo before it could hit her. But since Geo's arms were stronger, he was able to pry them off before ramming himself at her again. This time, the blow made the pinsir fall on her back.
"Stay inside this time!" Caiseal threw the sports ball at pinsir, and the pokemon was sucked inside the capsule. Finally, after the pokeball wobbled around for a bit, the blinking light stopped. Caiseal couldn't resist the urge to scream and jump into the air. "Awwwwright! We caught a super cool pinsir! Yeah!" He rejoiced like a little kid getting a new toy.
"Geo!" Flashing a big smile, the sentient rock threw himself at Caiseal, his hard arms wrapping right around Caiseal's neck. Despite his rock hard surface and strength, Geo was careful not to ram Caiseal so hard that he hurt him and made him fall to the round. Caiseal returned the affectionate gesture and jumped around with his friend.
"You were awesome, dude! You're the man!" Soon, the two were spinning around in circles with their hands joined together.
"Geodude dude!" ("I know I'm the man, Cash!")
Once they calmed down, Caiseal picked up the pokeball. "Well, it looks like we're done here. How long did that take?" He pulled out his PokeGear and checked the time. It was fifteen minutes past five. "Hey. We made pretty good time, didn't we?"
"Geo!" ("We sure did! That was fast!")
"Think we should turn in and tell the contest guy we got our catch?" Caiseal asked.
The big rock nodded twice in agreement.
"Alrighty then. I hope we get the first prize," The boy mused to himself, marveling at his glorious capture. "By the way, I wonder how Perrine and Julia are doing," All Geo did was shrug, as he had no idea where they went. "I hope they're doing okay."
"Geodude." ("Me too, man.")
Unlike Caiseal, Perrine wasn't having any luck with pokemon. She tried to catch two more butterfree, but two other trainers caught them before she could. She even went after a beedrill, but it was too tough, and managed to break out of three sports balls before it flew away. The normally calm and mellow girl found herself growing frustrated with every failed capture. After even a kakuna got away, she found herself screeching and stamping her foot on the grass. "Uuuuuugh! I don't believe this!"
"Hoothoot…" Fukuro hopped two steps back to stay out of her way, cowed by her unusual change in demeanor.
"We have another forty minutes to get our catch, and I'm almost out of sports balls!" Perrine pulled out her remaining sports balls. There were eight in all. In her mind, she knew she was going to have to make good use of the ones she still had. If she ran out, she was out of the contest. "What are we gonna do?"
Rustling leaves caught Fukuro's eye. "Hoothoot hoothoot!" ("Perrine! I hear something over there!") The bird pointed to a bush right in front of him. Perrine adopted a catching stance with a sports ball in hand. A venonat popped right out of the bush, examining its surroundings closely.
"Venonat! Venonat!"
"Hehe…" A cocky smirk touched her face, brimming with determination. She raised her sports ball in hand, ready to throw…
"GYAAAAAAH!" A piercing scream suddenly scared the venonat into running off into another bush.
"Hey! Come on!" Perrine almost ran after it, but her foot got caught on a rock. She didn't trip and fall, but it was enough to let the venonat run away. She whipped her head around to see what made her catch run away, only to find a cowering Julia sitting on her knees, rocking back and forth with her hands on her ears. A sympathetic Saoirse was stroking her back with one paw.
"Julia?! What the heck?!" Perrine yelped, making no attempt to lower her voice. Against her better judgment, frustration seized her. "I was gonna catch that venonat!"
"I can't stand poison types!" The brown haired girl cried.
With an irritated grunt, Perrine ran into the thickets once more, with Fukuro trailing behind her. As angry as she was, she didn't feel like sticking around. Not just because she wanted to catch something and get the contest done and over with, but because she didn't want to say something to Julia that she might regret. She figured leaving her alone with Saoirse would be the best choice, as she was in no mood for sticking around and comforting her.
It did prove to be a good choice. After a half hour of whimpering and rocking herself back and forth, she finally calmed down. "Snubbull?" ("Are you feeling better now?") Saoirse asked, her large eyes brimming with concern.
Julia used one arm to wipe her tears away. "Yeah. Sorry, Saoirse. I'm scared of poison types. They freak me out!"
"Snubbull snubbull snub snub." ("We fairy types are weak against them, so I understand.")
She stood up and stretched her legs out before doing the same with her arms. Her green eyes stared up at the blue sky, unmarred by any clouds that came their way. "We haven't caught anything, have we?" Saoirse shook her head. "We'd best keep going. We still have another fifteen minutes left."
Leaves in a nearby bush rustled, catching both of their ears. Julia and Saoirse whipped their heads around to check. A large, bright green scyther flew out of the thicket, descending onto the sidewalk. The scyther stopped to examine its surroundings. Julia's eyes widened with delight. "Wow! A scyther!" She exclaimed, before a hand flew to her mouth. This was definitely a pokemon to catch. But she didn't want to scare it away. Using her PokeDex, she confirmed that this scyther was female, and at a very high level.
It was too risky to try and attack it, she assumed. Julia decided to be reckless for once. Take a chance. She pulled out a sports ball and threw it right at the scyther. The pokeball bounced on the back of its thorax, and scyther turned into light before being sucked into the capsule. Julia crossed her fingers, praying to the Gods that the scyther would stay inside. The pokeball wobbled side to side, with the light blinking. One, two, three...click! The pokeball stopped wobbling, and the light vanished.
"Yay!" She jumped into the air with a cheer. Saoirse did the same, rejoicing in their capture. "I got a new friend!" She ran over to grab the ball...only for it to be swiped away by another set of hands. "Wha-?! Hey!" She looked up to find a tall boy looming over her. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, with messy black hair hiding underneath a big beige hat. He was wearing a red shirt underneath an unzipped dark green hoodie, baggy black jeans, and large suede sneakers. Standing by his side were two pokemon, a sandshrew and a bird pokemon with a brown head, a pink beak, and red wings.
"This scyther deserves someone better than a wimpy little girl," The boy hissed.
"Give her back!" Julia leaped at him to take back her scyther. Unfortunately, the boy in front of her kept moving away, holding the pokeball high in the air.
"You'll have to take it from me, idiot!" The boy sneered.
"Snubbull!" Saoirse glared at the boy before ramming him on the back with her head, sending him to the ground. The pokeball fell out of his hand, rolling right at Julia's foot. She was quick to grab it and make a run for it. "Come on, Saoirse!" The pink bulldog ran right alongside Julia.
"You're not gettin' away from me, brat!" The boy growled, standing back up. "Spearow! Peck that kid and get that sports ball!"
"Spearooooow!" The spearow flapped its wings before soaring right toward Julia and Saoirse. The girl clutched the sports ball so tight in her hands that she felt as though her fingers would dig into its surface. The spearow flew close to her head and pressed its beak on a lock of her hair, yanking on it like it was a rope toy that dogs would play with.
"Ow! Owowowow!" Julia stopped in her tracks. The pain from her hair being pulled felt like someone was sucking it through a vacuum cleaner. "Get off me!"
"Snubbull!" Once again, Saoirse headbutted the bird, sending it flying at a nearby tree. They didn't stop to see if it was okay, as they took off like scared rabbits.
Thank goodness for the contest helper that was sitting on a nearby bench. As Julia ran for her scyther's safety, she couldn't help but remember the two pokemon the boy had. He had two of them, not one. As far as she knew, only one pokemon was permitted to escort you throughout the contest. Plus, he tried to take her catch by force. Julia was not going to let him get away with his blatant disregard for the rules. "Excuse me! Sir! Please help!" She cried, running right up to him.
"Goodness!" He almost dropped a half-eaten jelly donut, only scrambling to catch it before it fell on the dirt. "I see you caught your pokemon."
"Sir! Someone broke the rules!" The man gave her a quizzical look before she explained it to him. "Some boy in a green hoodie tried to steal the pokemon I caught, and he had two pokemon with him, not one."
"What does this boy look like?" The man asked as he went back to his booth, with Julia following him. She remembered he had black hair, a big beige hat, and described the other clothes he wore, along with the two pokemon he had. The man looked through the signup sheet. One name and pokemon stood out to him. "Hmm...the only trainer with a spearow that's listed here is someone named Lorenzo Moretz, and he's wearing a green hoodie and a beige hat."
"There you are!" Speak of the devil, Lorenzo and his sandshrew and spearow popped right out of a thicket. "You better gimme that scyther right-" Seeing the contest helper right there with her made him unable to complete the sentence. The contest helper saw the spearow and sandshrew right next to him. Immediately, the man approached Lorenzo with a stern expression.
"Lorenzo, is it? Only one pokemon is permitted to enter the contest with you, not two, and it is forbidden to steal another contestant's pokemon, young man," The contest helper told him without mincing words. "The evidence is overwhelming. You are hereby disqualified."
"WHAT?! That's no fair!" Lorenzo whined.
"You brought this on yourself, boy. Your blatant disregard of contest rules will not be taken lightly. Come with me," The contest helper took the boy by the arm and escorted him away from the scene.
A sigh of relief escaped Julia as she plopped down on a bench. "Phew! That was crazy!" She looked down at the sports ball in her hands. "Don't worry. You're safe now. That kid won't take you away from me," She nuzzled the sports ball against her cheek.
"Alright! Time's up, everyone! Gather round!" Another contest helper exclaimed, as the final bell rang, signaling that the contest has ended. All trainers who participated in the contest, sans those who were disqualified, gathered at the center of the park, in front of the fountain. "Today's contest was great! Now it's time for judging!" Another man handed the contest helper a paper. The helper looked it over before looking at the contestants.
"I wonder who won?"
"I hope it's me!"
"My paras is gonna get me first place for sure!"
"Awww. I know I lost. I can just feel it."
"It's okay! If we don't win, there's always next time."
"I'm definitely showing up next time!"
"Please let me win!"
The anticipation was swelling. Even Julia couldn't help but feel like she was being suffocated, trapped by the crowd of people. "Did you catch anything, Perrine?" She asked.
Perrine let out a disappointed sigh. "Nope. Not even a caterpie. I ran out of sports balls. Oh well," She shrugged. "It's not the end of the world."
"I caught me a pinsir," Caiseal showed the girls his sports ball. "I'm gonna name her Stacey, after an actress from a movie I like."
"Which one?" Perrine asked.
Before he could answer, the contest helper exclaimed, "The winners have been decided! Come forward if your name is called! Coming in third place is…Caiseal Brownstone, who caught a writhing pinsir!"
"Whooooo!" Caiseal cheered like he was at a football game. "Oh yeah!" He stepped up front in order to bask in everyone's applause. "Eh. Third place is fine," He mused to himself. Geo nodded in agreement.
"Second place goes to...Satoshi Miyamoto, who caught a wriggling butterfree!" A shy, mousy-looking boy with black hair stood up and bowed politely with a soft smile.
"And now, the first place winner of this week's Bug Catching Contest is…" Julia looked down at her sports ball. Winning didn't even cross her mind. She was never one to win any contests. Even so, she still made a new friend, so whether she won or not, that was okay. Already, she had accepted her loss.
But then! "Julia Parisa, who caught a whopping scyther!"
Pandemonium broke out within a millisecond. The roars of clapping hands and cheering contestants brought Julia back to the present. She was sure her ears were playing tricks on her. But the contest helper said she won. First prize. "Come on, Julia! Get up here!" Caiseal gestured for her to come forth. On impulse, she stood right in between Caiseal and Satoshi.
The smiles on their faces, their wild rejoicing, the joy in the air...Julia covered her ears to block out the sound, but the intense joy in her heart was overflowing. She wanted to break into song. This had never happened before in her whole life. For a moment, she thought she had entered another dimension. All of a sudden, an orange stone shaped like a sun was held to her face by a contest helper. "In honor of your glorious victory, I present you the grand prize, a sun stone."
Julia looked at the sun stone, then at the helper, then back at the stone, then at the helper. Was this sun stone really, truly hers? She thought she was mistaken at first. She wondered if she really deserved it. But she didn't want to be rude, and she did want a sun stone from the beginning, so she just took it with a simple yet quick, "Thank you," Satoshi received a yellow Sitrus berry, and Caiseal an Oran berry. The pandemonium finally stopped.
Lorenzo glared at the girl with angry eyes, brimming with hatred. Nobody even noticed him there.
"I...I...I can't believe it…" Julia mused right as she, Caiseal, and Perrine went back on the road to Ecruteak. "I...I really won…"
"Man, you're really having a hard time believing it, aren't you?" Caiseal exclaimed. "Go on and smile. Scream it out loud. Be proud!"
She took what he said literally, startling the two with a joyful yet piercing screech. "YEEEEES! WOOHOOOOOO! I won I won I won I won I won I WOOOOOOON!" She leaped in the air thrice before spinning around like a top, laughing merrily with a bright smile on her face. Even Hikaru, Tokiko, and Saoirse joined in her rejoicing.
"Jeez. Keep it down!" Caiseal hissed.
Perrine rolled her eyes. "You're the one who told her to be proud of her win."
"Good point."
Finally, Julia allowed herself to be lost in her sheer joy. Her cup of happiness was full, yet the unexpected victory was the final drop that made it completely overflow. She never expected to win, yet she won by a landslide. Unfortunately, her happiness was short lived. "Pheh! I knew you'd gloat, you stupid show-off!"
Everyone turned their heads to find the green hoodie kid from before, the one named Lorenzo. He crossed his arms, with his spearow on his shoulder. Julia stopped spinning to get a good look at him. "You're gonna give me that scyther or else. It was mine!"
"Uh, I caught it fair and square," Julia told him in a stern tone of voice. She wondered if she sounded like her mom when she would scold Amara.
"You got me disqualified!"
If there was one thing Julia knew she hated, alongside pokemon abusers, it's people accusing her of stuff that weren't her fault. At least, not intentionally. "It's your own fault for breaking the rules!"
"Jeez, who is this kid?" Perrine whispered.
"I heard he tried to cheat. Someone said his name's Lorenzo," Caiseal replied, having heard some of what happened from Julia.
The scraggly haired boy pulled out a pokeball. "How about we battle for that scyther? One on one, you and me!" Lorenzo demanded.
"Absolutely not!" Julia snapped. "First off, I don't even have my scyther with me! She's at home, and I am NOT going to just let you take her from me!"
"Oh, whaaaat? You too chicken? Or you afraid you gonna lose like a little baby?" Lorenzo taunted, using a petulant, childish voice. He folded his arms to make them resemble chicken legs, and made cursory chicken sounds. "Bok bok bok!"
"Hey! Shut it, bozo!" Caiseal yelled. Right then and there, a light shot out of one of Julia's pokeballs. Out came a very angry Tsubasa, who cawed and cooed at Julia.
"You want to battle him?!" She yelped, taken aback by Tsubasa's insistence.
"Coo coo coo!"
"Well...if you say so…"
"Go, totodile!" Lorenzo threw his pokeball, and out came a totodile, baring its large teeth. "Use Bite!"
"Wing Attack, Tsubasa!"
Soaring into the air, Tsubasa's wings glowed in a harsh white light as she threw herself at the tiny blue alligator. Twice, she rammed the totodile, enough to make him fall on his tail, giving it no chance of ever laying its large teeth on her. If there was one thing Tsubasa was proud of, it was her speed and small size.
"Totodile! Use water gun on that rattata with wings!" Lorenzo shouted.
"Hey! Stop calling names! It's rude!" Julia shouted back.
"Shut up!"
"Diiiiile!" The totodile warbled, shooting a blast of water from its mouth. Tsubasa flapped her wings twice, flying to the left, dodging the geyser. But she could feel some droplets dampening her tiny tail. She was glad her wings didn't get wet, and this wasn't vanity on her part. If her wings were wet, flying would be impossible.
"Tsubasa! You can do it! Use Quick Attack!" Julia told her reassuringly.
The tiny bird descended to the ground, her whole body shining white, sprinting right toward the angry totodile. "Use Scary Face!" Lorenzo commanded. Totodile bared its sharp teeth, and its eyes suddenly grew small, straight out of a nightmare. Unluckily for this little alligator, the brave little pidgey was not deterred, and still managed to ram right into totodile's nose, sending him rolling on the dirt.
"Dangit! You're supposed to be weak, stupid!" Lorenzo didn't mince any words, balling his fists and waving them right at Julia, like he wanted to punch her lights out.
Perrine facepalmed. "Arceus, this kid is really self-absorbed, isn't he?" Even Fukuro couldn't help but facepalm with one of his wings.
"We can do this, Tsubasa!"
"Coo coo!" ("I'm not losing, y'hear?!")
"Use Tackle!"
Tsubasa streaked across the dirt, flying right toward the stumbling totodile. "Use Bite to stop it!" Lorenzo roared. Upon command, the totodile opened its large maw, ready for Tsubasa to fly right in. Immediately, Tsubasa and Julia knew what Lorenzo planned to do. However, since Tsubasa was flying with great speed, she found herself unable to stop. Before Julia could command that she dodge, Tsubasa flew right into totodile's maw, and the alligator clamped his mouth right on the bird.
"Coooooo!" Tsubasa warbled. The alligator's large teeth were already digging into her wings, skin, and feathers. She flailed her talons back and forth, making a futile attempt to claw at the totodile's mouth to break free. It didn't work, as they were too short.
Fright and dread immediately seized Julia, and she found herself unable to move. "TSUBASA, NO!" She screamed hysterically, horrified at the sight. Even though she suspected things like this would happen in a pokemon battle, she had hoped she wouldn't see such horrible uses of attacks. Another reason why she hated pokemon battles with all of her being. Tsubasa struggled and flailed in totodile's mouth, flapping her paralyzed wings in yet another failed attempt to break free.
"How do you like that?!" Lorenzo boasted.
"Let her go right now!" Julia cried.
A mischievous smirk touched his rugged face, as though he enjoyed seeing her suffer. "I will if you gimme that scyther. If you don't, your puny rattata with wings dies!"
Everyone's mouths fell agape. He's threatening to kill Tsubasa if she doesn't hand over her scyther? Caiseal found himself shouting, "Alright! This battle's over!" He stormed over to Lorenzo and slapped him across the face. "You're not being fair! You can't threaten to kill someone's pokemon, especially during a battle! What kind of trainer are you?!"
"Mind your own business, you goody two shoes!" Lorenzo snapped, shoving Caiseal back with one hand.
"You better let Tsubasa go right now! You're not getting Julia's pokemon and that's final!" Perrine screamed angrily, her voice seething with hatred.
"Shut up shut up shut up!"
Julia found herself falling to her knees. All she wanted to do was fly into the battle, pull Tsubasa out of there, and save her from that totodile. No battle was worth letting her pokemon die, and in such a painful manner, no less. "Coo coo coo coo!" Tsubasa warbled. Julia translated it as, "I'm okay, Jules! I can beat him! This is...nothing!"
"Tsu...Tsubasa…"
"Coo coo coo coo coo cooooo?!" ("You're not seriously gonna let this guy walk all over you, right?! Don't hand scyther over to him no matter what! If you do, I'll never forgive you! You love pokemon, right?!")
Yes. She truly loved pokemon. She practically grew up with them. They were like family to her. Her equals. If she handed her scyther over to Lorenzo, she would basically be going against everything she ever learned, knew, and practiced. No. This battle was a sham. Even if she lost, no way was she going to let this self-centered kid get what he wanted. "Tsubasa! Use peck on his tongue! Bite it as hard as you can!"
"What?!" Even Caiseal and Perrine found themselves dumbfounded. What kind of command was that?
Unorthodox as it was, Tsubasa got the idea. She dredged her tiny beak deep onto totodile's tongue. The pain was enough to make the totodile spit her right out. She flew right to Julia, knowing she would want to give her a big hug. "Tsubasa! You're okay!" Like she thought, Julia took Tsubasa into her arms and squeezed her tight. Even in spite of Tsubasa's mischievous, naughty nature, she still loved this boastful little pidgey.
"Yow!" All of a sudden, Tsubasa used her beak to yank on a lock of Julia's hair. "That hurt!"
"Coo coo coo coo!" ("Win or lose, I'm not letting you hand scyther over to that pompous idiot!") She warbled sharply.
"I get it, Tsubasa! I never intended on handing my friend over to him!" Julia explained. This was good enough for Tsubasa, and she let go of Julia's hair. "Wanna win this?"
"Coo coo!" ("Of course! Battling is my raison d'etre!") Tsubasa cawed before landing back on the battlefield and shouting at Lorenzo, "This rattata with wings is gonna send you to Arceus's doorstep!" She spread her tattered wings and sent the totodile and Lorenzo a glare that could easily kill him were it any fiercer.
The area suddenly turned dark. Tsubasa's wings, and her whole being, shined with a new radiance. The ordinary looking bird became extraordinary as white light consumed her whole being. Her body grew two sizes, her wings grew twice their length, looking more magnificent than ever, her talons grew a few inches, and the feathers on her tail and head increased in length. Gradually, the light faded, and Tsubasa now had a set of pink feathers crowning her head, and her tail was now pink and yellow. Her wings were about the same size as her body, her talons were sharper, and she looked to be about Apollo's size.
"Pijoooooooo!" Tsubasa announced her glorious rebirth with a fiercer, angrier-sounding squawk.
"Tsubasa! You...you evolved!" Julia shrieked after a brief moment of awestruck silence. Not even Lorenzo and his totodile could speak, as they too were speechless from the glorious evolution.
Tsubasa turned around and let out a noble laugh. "Pijoooohohohoho!" ("Am I awesome or whaaaat?!")
"Pheh! So your lame bird evolved. Big freakin' deal!" Lorenzo hissed. "Totodile! Use Water Gun again!"
"Tsubasa! Use Gust to deflect it!" The large bird flapped her wings vigorously. However, instead of generating a simple gust of wind, her wings glowed in a purple light, and she brought forth a large, purple tornado that sucked totodile right in.
"Whoa!" Caiseal exclaimed. "That's not Gust! That's Twister!"
"You learned a new move?!"
"Pijo pijoooo!" ("It seems like it!")
The poor, hapless totodile was caught in the twister, swirling all around, unable to break free. The perfect chance. "Finish it with Wing Attack, my friend!"
Oddly enough, Lorenzo wasn't even scared. In fact, a smile touched his face, like he had something planned. "Totodile! Break out of that twister and use Ice Fang!"
'Ice Fang?!' Totodile used his tail to break out of the twister. His large teeth glowed in a light blue hue, right as Tsubasa came close. As soon as she got close enough, he dug his fangs onto her body. The twister dissipated, and both Tsubasa and the totodile fell to the ground.
"Tsubasa!"
"Pichuuu!" "Choki choki!" "Snub snubbull!" Julia and her friends ran over to the fallen Tsubasa. The trainer cradled the bird in her arms.
"You okay?"
Tsubasa raised one of her wings. "Pijooo…" ("I'm not...done yet...I wanna beat him bloody…")
"Hehehe!" Lorenzo stomped over to the girl and her friends. All of Julia's pokemon adopted battle stances. Julia held Tsubasa tight, glaring at his hat with anger in her eyes. "Looks like I won! Now hand me your scyther!"
"No!"
"I SAID give it to me!"
"NO! No, no, no, no, no, and NO! I am NOT handing scyther over to you and THAT IS FINAL!" Julia screamed in the loudest voice she could muster.
Lorenzo clenched his teeth together and rolled up his sleeves. "Looks like I'm gonna have to take it from you!"
Immediately, Tsubasa flew over to the pompous kid and pecked at his face repeatedly. "Ow! Owowowow! Get offa me!" Lorenzo recalled his totodile and waved his arms at Tsubasa's face in an attempt to push her off, to no avail. Tsubasa was ruthless and pecked at the boy's face non-stop. Normally, Julia would disapprove of such bad behavior. However, in this case, she felt Lorenzo deserved it, and made no attempt to stop Tsubasa. In her mind, Lorenzo wasn't a trainer she felt deserved any kind of respect whatsoever.
"Fine! Be that way! I can catch another one anyway!" Lorenzo shouted before darting off into the sunset.
Tsubasa returned to Julia's side despite her injuries. "You were awesome, Tsubasa!" All of a sudden, once again, Tsubasa pulled on Julia's hair with her beak. "Ow! Stop that! Why do you have to be such a brat?!"
"Pijooooo!" ("Because that's what makes me so awesome!") Not only that, she suddenly flew away.
"Hey! Tsubasa! Get back heeeere!" Julia found herself and the pokemon giving chase as Tsubasa streaked across the orange sky.
Perrine and Caiseal couldn't hold back laughter as they followed them from behind.
However, none of them realized three large pokemon watched them from behind a set of trees. Their silhouettes made them resemble large beasts, dogs, even. One of them resembled a large, yellow tiger with black marks streaking its body in all sorts of shapes. Protruding from its back was a purple, cloud-like fluff that curled at the ends, and its white tail resembled a thin thunderbolt with a spiky ball at the end. It had a light blue mustache underneath its nose, and two long fangs grew out from its mouth.
"It is my child...my child is alright. Thank goodness," The yellow beast growled under its breath.
"Raikou...is that the shiny pichu you told us about?" A blue beast with a purple mane asked. Said beast had a large, crystal shaped crest on its head, with two white, streamer like tails flowing across its body.
"Yes. Yes it is. She is doing well...and befriended a human. I'm surprised."
"I don't trust humans, to be honest," A brownish red beast piped in. "The trouble they have caused is absolutely reprehensible."
"Entei, you needn't be so cynical," The blue beast growled. "While it is true there are cruel humans in the world, there are just as many good people as well, like those children."
Raikou watched as Julia chased after Tsubasa. However, his gaze locked onto Hikaru, who followed her trainer happily. A smile touched his large face. "Pichu, my child...I only pray that your happiness is eternal…"
"We must go to the tower," Entei suggested. "Mother is awaiting our arrival."
Raikou and the blue beast nodded in agreement, and leaped in the direction the children were heading. The orange sunset painted the sky a myriad of beautiful colors, matching the beasts' mythical leaps into the air. It was as though they were one with the scenery.
So...do you guys have any favorite pokemon out of everyone's teams? Hikaru? Tsubasa? Apollo? Florian? Kitsune? Mallow? Take your pick! I'd love to hear it!
Random Fact: I was originally going to give Julia a shiny togepi, along with a shiny pichu, but I ditched the idea. That would have been way too convenient and made her come off as too special. I don't want her to become a Mary Sue.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pichu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Tail Whip
Tokiko (Togepi, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Protect
Tsubasa (Pidgeotto, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Tackle, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Twister
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Lick, and Scary Face
Ladybug (Ledyba, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Early Bird
Attacks: Tackle, Comet Punch, Flash, and Safeguard
Blossom (Oddish, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Mega Drain
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Vulpix, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Chikorita, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Growl, and Poison Powder
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Tackle, Fairy Wind, Bullet Seed, and Sleep Powder
Chirin (Mareep, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Charge, Cotton Spore, and Tackle
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Round
Fukuro (Hoothoot, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Confusion, Peck, Hypnosis, and Echoed Voice
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Cubone, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Club, Headbutt, Growl
Apollo (Quilava, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Tackle, Quick Attack, and Smokescreen
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Gun, Mud Bomb, Mud Slap, and Slam)
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, and Haze
Viole (Oddish, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Geo (Geodude, Male, Brave Nature)
Ability: Sturdy
Attacks: Tackle, Rock Throw, Rock Polish, and Defense Curl