Chapter 27: Ending a Double Battle with a Clang!
"Uhh...what?" That was all that Julia was able to blurt out, the moment the three togetics' eyes met. Tokiko was their child? How did they even come to that conclusion? How could they know right off? This was all so confusing. Even Jasmine was flummoxed. "Shouldn't they get a DNA test or something to actually confirm it?"
"Well…" Jasmine put a hand on her chin, ruminating. "I hear that pokemon have a stronger sense of kinship than humans do," She replied hesitantly. Julia could tell from the unsure tone of her voice that not even she really understood. "I do hear that pokemon have the ability to figure out which pokemon are their children. But I don't know how true that is."
That wasn't the only odd thing the two girls noticed. Angela and Angelo were chirping like happy fletchlings, their tiny wings flapping up and down, all smiles. Tokiko, on the other hand, stared at them with a strange look on her face. Julia wasn't sure what it was. Was it confusion? Was she disturbed? Unsure? Curious? Tokiko's eyebrows furrowed, looking as though she was sizing them up in an accusatory manner, like they did something they shouldn't have.
"Tokiko…?" Julia crept closer. "How do you know they're your parents?"
"Chokikko…" ("I can feel it.") Tokiko mused. Julia's eyes widened slightly. Her normally happy friend's voice adopted a strangely bitter, resentful tone to it. Very unlike her. Tokiko was never bitter or resentful. She was always happy or smiling, even during battle. Always looking on the positive side of things. Angela and Angelo were all smiles, flapping their wings and waving their arms back and forth.
At one point, Angela turned to Jasmine. "Chokikko choki choki?" Angela squeaked, but Jasmine tilted her head to one side.
"She's asking if she and Angelo can stay out of your double battle with Perrine and Caiseal," Julia translated.
"Sure. I don't...mind…" Jasmine replied, finding herself flummoxed before turning to Julia. "Wait...is that what they really said?"
It took a brief moment for the implications to set in. Julia let out a choked irk sound upon realizing what she just did. 'Oh no! I translated what her pokemon said and she doesn't know I can understand them!' She screamed in her head. Anxiety seized her from the inside. She was sure there was no way Jasmine would believe that she can understand pokemon speech. But at this point, there was no denying or hiding it. Reluctantly, she told Jasmine the truth. She expected to hear Jasmine say one of the following:
"What? You must be pulling my leg! There's no way someone can talk to pokemon!"
"I don't believe you. Are you telling lies?"
"You're deluding yourself, thinking you can talk to pokemon."
Oddly enough, she was met with a curious stare from the white clad maiden. She didn't have that look or stance that said she didn't believe what she said. Her stomach didn't turn itself into a knot, like it usually did when she told others about it. Instead, Jasmine flashed her signature soft smile, raised her index finger like a teacher, and asked, plain as day, "Do you have any psychic type pokemon?"
"Whaaaaa?" Julia raised an eyebrow. Where in the world did that question come from? That was a first. Not once in her whole entire life did anyone say something like that when she told them she could talk to pokemon. It almost blew her mind. "No…" She answered. "What does that have to do with understanding pokemon speech?" She asked, looking at Jasmine like she had steelix coming out of her ears.
"You'd be surprised," Jasmine began. "There have been a lot of confirmed cases of people understanding pokemon speech through exposure to the energy that psychic type pokemon produce," Immediately, Julia leaned closer, her green eyes glowing with a desire to learn more.
"Is that true?"
"I know a gym leader in Kanto named Sabrina who can understand pokemon through her psychic powers," Jasmine elaborated, beaming. "I hear that if people interact with psychic type pokemon throughout the majority of their life, they can develop psychic powers such as telepathy or telekinesis, or the ability to read pokemon's thoughts!"
"That can happen?!" Julia found herself aghast. Her hands flew to her cheeks. She had no idea such a concept was possible. A light bulb flashed in her head. Her parents owned some psychic pokemon. She definitely remembered playing with one yellow pokemon who always held a pendulum in its hand, but it wasn't very often, and she didn't have a close bond with it like she did with other pokemon. There was another one she played with often, a green fairy-like pokemon, but that was the only other one she could think of.
What if...what if that was how she could talk to pokemon? Could that be the answer she always yearned for all this time? Where had Jasmine been all her life?
Unable to hold back her bubbling joy, smiling so big her mouth seemed to take up her whole face, Julia leaped onto the white clad maiden, throwing her arms around her. She threw herself at the woman with such force that she almost fell over, had she not managed to hold herself up in the nick of time.
"Miss Jasmine Pitt, I love you!" Julia announced for all the Pokemon Center to hear. She didn't care that some people turned their heads to stare at her with raised eyebrows, narrowed eyes, or even dirty looks and the occasional gossip. She was just too happy to have potentially found the answer to the question that had always plagued her for most of her young life. "You're officially my favorite gym leader!" She shouted in a loud, cheerful voice.
Unlike most people, Jasmine didn't mind the younger girl's abundance of joy. All she did was giggle, happy that someone admired her. Seeing that Jasmine didn't mind, the rest of the people in the center went about their way.
Unbeknownst to the two girls, however, the three togetics all sat down on some soft chairs in the lobby, talking amongst themselves. The tension around them was thick. None of them had smiles on their faces despite togetic being classified as the happiness pokemon. Tokiko's stomach felt as though it was tied into knots, and she folded her lips tightly. All Angela and Angelo did was stare down at the soft fabric they were sitting on.
Finally, Tokiko was the first to speak. She looked her parents' straight in the eye and asked, in a low, bitter voice, "...Why did you not keep me?"
Silence. Angela and Angelo didn't answer. It made the togetic's body run cold. Tokiko balled her little arms into fists and clenched her teeth. She had known that she had come from someplace else, but never bothered to really think about it. Julia and the others had raised her from scratch, and Tokiko had accepted all of that from the beginning. She figured she had no need to know who her birth parents were, as long as Julia and the others loved her.
But now...all of the questions came rushing into her mind, overwhelming her, drowning her in unease and...bitterness. Why didn't they keep her? Did they not love her? Did someone take her from them? If they did love her, why hadn't they searched for her? Did they ever think about her, even for a second? Tokiko wanted answers, and she needed them now.
"Did...did you love me at all?!" Tokiko blurted out without meaning to. She didn't want to sound angry, but her voice just came off that way.
Again, Angela and Angelo didn't answer. A brief silence fell upon them until Angela spoke. "We're sorry," She confessed, her voice trembling. "We had children before you. Lots of them. Sometimes, when Jasmine was away and couldn't take us with her, she would send us to the Goldenrod City pokemon day care."
Angelo finally found his voice. "We laid many eggs. But the humans would always take them away from us, no matter how much we begged," Angelo explained, his voice also trembling. "We wanted to keep them, you included. We wanted to have a family. But…" He paused for a moment, and a sob escaped his mouth. "There's a human law that decrees that in order to prevent overpopulation in care facilities, eggs are usually given away to trainers, researchers, or other caregivers."
Tokiko's bitterness dissipated. So that's what happened. They might have had to give her up against their will. Angela continued on from there. "We lost so many children...so many children…" Her voice caught in her throat for a moment. "...that eventually...we just stopped getting attached to the eggs we bore," She looked down, covering her eyes with her hands. "We just let them take our eggs away. This time...we didn't beg or cry or protest. Hardening ourselves...we thought it'd make it easier to deal with it."
The more Tokiko heard, the more her stomach tightened the knot it made for itself. She could tell from the way they hung their heads down and their dejected faces that they certainly didn't enjoy letting people take their eggs away, even if it was to prevent potential crises. Angelo in particular was biting the tips of his hands, like he was nervous about something.
"There were other concerns they had, too," He pulled his hands out of his mouth. "We never met our parents," He confessed. "The caregivers were concerned that since we were cared for by humans and other pokemon, not our kinfolk, we wouldn't know how to care for our eggs and children properly. They thought we'd become bad parents or neglect or abuse whatever children we had."
"So...you never wanted to give me up?" That was all Tokiko could ask. No other words she had came out, even though there was so much she wanted to tell them.
Angela shook her head. "We wanted to see you hatch so badly. You and all the children we had before you. We wanted to raise you, feed you, sing to you, teach you how to fly…" A single tear streamed out from one of her eyes. "But we gave up on ever being able to fulfill those dreams. We didn't think we'd ever see one of our children ever again."
Tokiko could imagine why. They had lost all hope. Gradually, the pieces all came together.
"Then we saw you, and…oh, you have no idea how happy we are!" Unable to hold it back anymore, Angelo threw himself on his daughter, trapping her in a hug. Tokiko's nose could touch her father's chest. The faint scent of dust from the battlefield wafted into her nostrils. "You look so well...and you've evolved…"
Soon, all three togetics couldn't hold back tears. They didn't cry out loud, as they wanted to be considerate of the other trainers and pokemon around them. All Tokiko could do was stroke her father's side with one hand. Her entire being was enveloped by a strange warmth. She could feel their love brimming forth from their bodies. Her previous anger left, her heart opening the gate to shame. She couldn't believe she had been angry with them over something that wasn't their fault. Guilt weighed down on her.
"We love you, even though we just met," Angela said, stroking her fully grown daughter with one hand. Finally, Angelo released his daughter from his embrace. "But we can see that the girl Julia has treated you very well. You're happy with her. We can feel it."
It was true. Julia was all Tokiko had known, and was the first person she saw upon hatching. Of course Tokiko would view Julia as her mother. Togepi are known for imprinting on the first thing they see upon birth.
"As much as we'd love to have you stay with us," Angelo continued on. "It'd be wrong to take you from your trainer, the person you know so much better than us."
Her heart went out to her parents. Their feelings were genuine. She could feel it in her soul. Tokiko had an inkling as to why Angela and Angelo wanted to stay out of the double battle. "...I wouldn't mind…" She decided. "...spending the day with you and getting to know you. I'm sure Julia won't mind. If…" Tokiko averted their gaze. "If that's okay with you, of course."
It took only a second for the two to smile so big, their cheeks began to hurt. "We would like that," Angela approved. A smile burst forth on Tokiko's face.
Julia and Jasmine watched in silent awe. The sight of a happy, reunited family warmed their hearts. "...I think we should leave them be," Jasmine suggested in a soft voice. "They probably want to get to know each other."
"Nothing wrong with that," Julia agreed with an affirmative nod.
It was here that Hikaru crawled up on Julia's shoulder, watching the togetic trio palaver on and on about the time they missed and the adventures they had. Hikaru smiled at them from afar, happy that Tokiko reunited with her parents. But...something else bubbled up in the shiny pikachu's heart. Something Hikaru didn't want to feel, but it kept nagging at her like an annoying caterpie trying to eat leftover food they wanted to save.
Jealousy.
All sorts of thoughts began to swirl in Hikaru's mind, none of them happy. Why does Tokiko have parents that love her and I don't? Her family didn't abandon her. They loved her despite not knowing her and being separated. Why couldn't my parents love me? Why can't they be like them? What did Tokiko do to receive her parents' love? What was so special about her? Realizing these awful thoughts were plaguing her mind, Hikaru shook her head to force them out. No. She shouldn't be jealous of Tokiko, she told herself. Tokiko was her friend. She shouldn't resent her over something like this. Besides, she vowed to never think of her real parents ever again.
The guilt that accompanied the jealousy was instantaneous. Hikaru immediately regretted even thinking such thoughts about her friend. 'What am I doing? I can't envy Tokiko over this,' She told herself.
Once everyone was healed at the Pokemon Center, the three kids and their pokemon went to the back of the center to train. Well, Julia just sat and watched. Tokiko and her parents accompanied them, wanting to spend some alone time together, which nobody seemed to mind. Now, Perrine and Caiseal were engaged in a mock battle. Mallow and Flippy versus Florian and Luminita.
"Mallow, use Bonemerang, and Flippy, use Water Gun!"
"Florian and Nita, use Vine Whip and Bubble Beam!"
"Baaaayeeeef!" A slender vine shot out from one of Florian's leaves, knocking away Mallow's bone, sending it rolling across the field. Flippy's geyser of water collided with Luminita's barrage of bubbles, evenly matched.
"Now, Florian! Body Slam!" Perrine swung her hand upward.
Before Caiseal could give Mallow a command, the leafy dinosaur leaped in the air with a high jump before slamming right down on the brown pokemon. Florian proved to be quite heavy, and despite Mallow swinging his arms and legs around, he couldn't wriggle himself out.
"It's okay, Mallow! You can do it!" Caiseal encouraged. Finally, Mallow managed to pry himself out from underneath the leafy dinosaur's body.
"Nita, use Water Gun!" Perrine exclaimed.
"Chooooou!" The angler pokemon wasted no time shooting a geyser of water at the lonely pokemon, soaking him to the bone. But Mallow hung on and spun his bone around, pulling it out against the water. Rotating it like a propeller, the water spread out all over the place. Flippy just stood there, soaking up the sun and what remaining water Mallow was managing to repel.
"Nice one, Mallow!" Caiseal praised, flashing a thumb's up.
"Alright, I think that's enough for now," Perrine said. "Good job, guys."
"Yeah, really," Caiseal added. "You were great out there."
"Bay!" Florian flashed a smile.
"Cubone!" Mallow waved his bone around like he wanted more.
"Chinchou!" Luminita jumped up and down, waving her little fins around.
"Quaaaaaaag…" As usual, Flippy didn't have a care in the world.
All of a sudden, both Mallow and Florian found themselves enveloped by bright white lights. They glowed with such intensity that everyone had to cover their eyes. It didn't take long for both pokemon to grow in size and gradually change shape. Soon, Mallow reached up to Caiseal's waist, and Florian grew taller than both Julia and Perrine combined. Finally, the light dissipated, and out came brand new pokemon.
Florian's yellow skin had changed to a bright, soothing spring green, and the leaf on his head was replaced with two long, yellow antennae. His neck stretched long and far, about as long as Perrine herself, and his golden eyes were brimming with joy. The leaves that circled his neck had blossomed into a large flower with pink, white, and yellow foliage that spread outward, as if to absorb every ray of sunlight it could.
On the other hand, Mallow didn't change much. The cracks in his skull have disappeared, the spikes protruding from it looked sharper and more polished, and his eyes were a sharp brown color, just like his hide. His yellow belly was still there, only it had black lines going across it, and a small brown spike shot up from just past his tail. The bone in his hands was longer, and complete, resembling a real bone this time.
"Megaaan!"
"Marowak!"
"Holy cheese!" Perrine's heart soared. She leaped on her evolved friend, throwing her arms around the flower circling his neck. "You evolved, Florian! You did it!"
"Man, look at you, Mallow!" Caiseal kneeled down to Mallow's level and examined him closely, pride welling up in his heart. "You're a marowak now, just like you dreamed!"
"Mega!"
"Marowak!"
Julia couldn't help but join in on their joy, happy that two of their friends evolved. But she pulled out her PokeDex to examine them. She had seen meganium before, since her mother has one, but was sure her PokeDex would pick up Florian's presence even if she just wanted to look at Mallow's data.
"Marowak, the bone keeper pokemon. It originally began as a small and weak pokemon, but became adept at using its signature bone club, it's key weapon. It throws its bone like it's a boomerang in order to knock out targets, and because of this, it became more vicious over the ages. No one knows where marowak collect the bones they use. Recent studies have shown that cubone evolve into marowak when they finally manage to get past their grief over their mother's death. Rumors say that there are graveyards just for marowak, and they supposedly get their bones from there, but there is no solid evidence to confirm it. They use their bones to pound on boulders, tapping out messages to others, similar to Morse Code."
"Meganium, the herb pokemon," Julia thought that Florian looked more like a flowery dinosaur than a herb. "Meganium's breath has the power to revive dead grass and plants, and the fragrance emanating from its flower petals could soothe any angry, hostile emotions. Anyone who stands beside it becomes refreshed, just as if they were relaxing in a sunny forest. In times past, the aroma that meganium gives off has been used for many medicines that have been used to treat fatigue, depression, and nervous meltdowns. As a result, they are often used in psychiatric facilities to calm hostile patients. They are popular among gardeners, and many civilizations have used meganium's powers to build towns and cities out of what were once barren deserts."
"Oh yeah!" Perrine nuzzled Florian's head as he lowered it to her level. "We are SO gonna knock Jasmine dead in our battle later!"
"Mega meganyuuuu!" Florian warbled cheerfully.
Caiseal balled his fist. "You ready to rock, Mallow?"
Mallow imitated his trainer, just like he always did. "Marowak!"
Before long, the kids found themselves taking a break, rejoicing in Mallow and Florian's evolutions. Perrine even found herself riding on Florian's back like she was a jockey, and the herb pokemon was too glad to run around and let his trainer experience the thrill of riding on a big friend. The ocean wind pushed Perrine's wavy orange hair behind her, caressing her skin. Florian couldn't stop smiling as he carried Perrine around. His trainer proved to be quite lightweight, since she was smaller than he was now, and the pressure she put on his body didn't faze him one bit.
"Hey! Can I ride on him, too?" Julia asked, curiosity taking over. "I wanna ride him!"
"Pikachuuu!" Hikaru jumped up once, wanting to ride the green flower dinosaur also.
"Woooooo!" Perrine whooped, raising her fist to the heavens. "This is awesooooome!"
Once Perrine got off, Julia and Hikaru got their turn. Soon, everyone wanted to ride on Florian's back. Thankfully, they didn't ride on him for long, as Caiseal and Perrine's gym battle was afoot.
Finally, the moment of Caiseal and Perrine's double battle arrived. Jasmine stood on her side of the battlefield, with all of her pokemon sans Angela and Angelo sitting behind her. Angela and Angelo sat with Tokiko on the bleachers to watch them battle, along with Julia and the rest of her pokemon. With this being the case, Jasmine decided to have a four-on-four battle with them. Caiseal and Perrine stood side by side on their half of the battlefield. Jasmine held her hands out like she was expecting God to talk to her.
"Alphonse. Argentine," Jasmine called. "Come forth," The magnemite and magneton hovered onto the arena, their magnets rotating.
"Hey, Mallow! Show them what you're made of!" Caiseal threw his pokeball, allowing the newly evolved Mallow to materialize onto the arena.
"Marowak!" Mallow spun his bone around, taking on a battle stance.
"I'm counting on you, Kitsune!" Perrine released the fox pokemon from its pokeball. Once the light dissipated, Kitsune descended to the battlefield with a grace of a noble lady, her glossy yellow coat shimmering under the fluorescent lights.
"Niiiiine!"
The determined gleam in Jasmine's eyes returned as she made the first move. "Alphonse and Argentine, use Magnet Bomb!"
"Maaaaaag!" Alphonse and Argentine held their magnets upward, the electricity they generated creating many spheres of silvery white light in varying sizes. Once they were fully generated, Argentine and Alphonse pointed their magnets at Kitsune and Mallow. The spheres of light came charging right at them.
"Deflect them!" Caiseal yelled. Mallow understood and spun his bone like a baton, knocking away every magnet bomb that came his way.
"Blow them away with Flamethrower!" Perrine cried.
"Niiiine!" Kitsune shot a stream of fire that completely consumed the magnet bombs, reducing them to nothing. Some of the flames managed to scorch both Alphonse and Argentine. Their steel hide was soon covered in burns. But they still kept hovering in the air.
"Use Metal Sound!"
"Magnaaaaa!" Both Alphonse and Argentine generated an ear bleedingly high pitched screech, like nails scratching against steel. Immediately, Julia could feel her ears being ripped apart, like someone was cutting her ear drums with a knife. On instinct, her hands flew to her ears in a futile attempt to block out the sound. Not even her thin hands could muffle the awful screeching noise. Hikaru's ears twitched, as she sensed her trainer's pain. She hopped onto her trainer's shoulder and hugged Julia's head, using her body to cover Julia's hand.
"Pi-pikachu!" She told Julia reassuringly.
"Knock them out with Bonemerang!" Caiseal exclaimed.
"Maro...wak!" Mallow threw his bone like a boomerang, watching it fly right past the two magnet pokemon. Before long, the piercing metal sound finally ceased. Argentine was quick to hover toward Kitsune, but Alphonse didn't move away in time. The bonemerang struck the small magnet pokemon across the back, sending him to the ground.
"Alphonse! Can you continue battling?" Jasmine asked.
"Magnemite…" Alphonse replied in his robotic monotone voice.
"Use Flamethrower again!" Perrine commanded.
Once more, Kitsune fired another stream of flames. This time, both Argentine and Alphonse hovered away, evading the blazing fire storm. Perrine fixed her gaze onto Jasmine. Despite her innocent looking demeanor and appearance, it was foolish to underestimate her. She learned this as she watched Julia battle her, more so when her steelix, Amandine, managed to Mega Evolve.
Jasmine held her hand out, taking on a battle stance. "Argentine, use Thunderbolt on Kitsune! Alphonse, use Magnet Bomb on Mallow!"
"Magnaaaaaa!" Argentine's magnets rotated so fast, they generated a flash of electricity. The elegant yellow fox attempted to dodge, but one lightning bolt struck her, sending electricity surging all throughout her body. Kitsune fell to the ground, the burning sensation in her body paralyzing her. Her muscles tensed right up.
Mallow fared better than she. When Alphonse generated metallic spheres of light, he shot them right at the fallen Kitsune. The skull pokemon leaped in front of his paralyzed friend and whacked every single sphere right back at Alphonse, like he was a professional baseball player. They came so fast, both Argentine and Alphonse were given no time to dodge. Magnet Bombs exploded right as they made contact, leaving rust marks on their metallic surface.
"Atta boy, Mallow!" Caiseal exclaimed. He gently elbowed Perrine before whispering, "Don't worry. We can do this. Didn't Kitsune learn a new move recently?" He told her reassuringly.
A new move. Perrine hadn't thought of that. She had made the discovery earlier today, when she and the others were training. She had looked at her PokeDex, only to find that Kitsune had learned a new move. Perrine had been so excited that she told Julia and Caiseal about it like she was a happy little kid who won a prize. Perhaps this was a good time to use it. But with Kitsune being paralyzed, she knew there would be a chance that it wouldn't work.
"Niiiiine…" Despite her body going numb, Kitsune pulled herself back on her feet, even as Mallow continued to whack Magnet Bombs away from her.
"Kitsune! Do you want to keep battling?" Perrine asked, holding her hands over her mouth so her friend could hear her. "You can switch out if you want!" As much as she wanted to win, she knew her pokemon's feelings were important as well. If Kitsune didn't want to battle, especially in her current state, then it wasn't worth it to make her get seriously injured.
Oddly enough, Kitsune turned toward her trainer, giving her a solemn nod. "Ninetales!" That told Perrine all she needed to know.
"Use Thunderbolt!" Jasmine commanded.
"Toooon! Miiiiite!" Both Argentine and Alphonse generated bolts of lightning that came out from their rotating magnets.
"Send them right back, Mallow!" Caiseal bellowed. Using his bone like a baseball bat, Mallow deflected the lightning bolts. This time, both bolts of lightning struck Argentine and Alphonse. "Now use Rock Smash!"
"Marowak!" Mallow's free arm glowed in an orange light as he leaped from the ground, ascending toward the two magnet pokemon with ease. Once he got close, Mallow punched Alphonse right in the face with his glowing arm. Alphonse found himself running right into Argentine, with the two of them collapsing onto the dirt.
"My friends!" Jasmine's hands flew to her mouth.
"Kitsune! Use Flamethrower on yourself!"
"Niiiine!" Like in the battle with Chuck, Kitsune doused herself in fire, allowing the flames to dissolve into her fur, turning into much needed energy.
Now, the golden opportunity. "Now use Heat Wave!"
The yellow fox stood on all fours, her mouth and nine tails glowing in fiery red lights. Soon, a gale of blazing, fiery wind spilled forth from her body, trapping the entire arena in flaming air. The temperature in the room suddenly skyrocketed to boiling levels. Julia found herself covered in sweat. No matter how much she waved her hands in front of her face, the intense heat didn't dissipate. Alphonse and Argentine were helpless, trapped in the boiling wind. Finally, Kitsune ceased the attack. The two magnet pokemon fell to the arena, with X-shaped marks on their eyes.
"Alright!" Caiseal cheered, throwing his fist in the air, jumping up once. "We did it!"
"Good job, Kitsune!" Perrine was quick to throw her arms around her paralyzed but stubborn friend.
"Niiiine!"
With a sad smile, Jasmine recalled both magnet pokemon. "You did great, my friends," She gestured for Ampere and Amandine to march onto the battlefield before facing the kids. "I'm impressed. Your determination astounds me. But can you stand up to my friends?"
"Kitsune? Do you want to take a break?" Perrine asked gently. She could tell Kitsune was still paralyzed. The fox's legs were shaking, numb from the electricity. "I don't want you to get seriously hurt."
"Nine nine," Kitsune nodded this time, allowing Perrine to put her back in her pokeball.
"Alright, Florian!" Perrine pulled out another pokeball and threw it onto the battlefield. "We can win this!"
The newly reborn Florian hopped out from the pokeball, descending onto the battlefield with his large feet making a loud thud. The rumbling sound it made reverberated all throughout the arena, almost making Mallow and Ampere lose their balance. Amandine was unfazed, as all she did was stare down at them with her red eyes.
"Steeeeeeelix…"
"Think you can go on, Mallow?" Caiseal asked.
Mallow turned back to face his trainer, nodding affirmatively. "Marowak!"
"Let our battle begin!" Jasmine announced, clasping the Key Stone on her dress with her thin hands, closing her eyes as if she were engaging in prayer. The Key Stone glowed in a light that shined with the hue of a rainbow after a downpour. "Amandine, my dear friend! "Unleash the power of our bond and take on a new form! Mega Evolve!" The light from her brooch flooded into the stone on Amandine's brace.
Once more, Amandine's appearance changed, in tune with Mega Evolution. Perrine and Caiseal suspected that she would Mega Evolve her steelix. If she had done it with Julia, who was to say she didn't do it with other trainers she battled with as well. They knew one thing for sure: they couldn't underestimate this steelix. Who knows what kind of increases in strength Amandine might have received from having Mega Evolved.
"Florian, start off with Razor Leaf on both of them!" Perrine made the first move. Florian made sharp leaves fly out from the foliage circling his neck. Ampere curled himself into a ball, avoiding the leaves. Since Amandine was so big, she didn't have that luxury, and being half-ground type, the leaves managed to slice through her hard, rocky body.
"Ampere and Amandine! Use Iron Tail!" Jasmine cried.
"Steeeel!"
"Paaaar!"
Both of their tails glowed in silver, steely lights as they charged right at Florian and Mallow. "Hold them off!" Both Caiseal and Perrine shouted in unison. On cue, Florian coiled thin vines all around Amandine's tail, managing to hold it off just a little bit. Since Amandine's tail was so heavy, Florian's vines almost gave out under the weight, but he didn't dare let the tail hit him, even for a second. This time, Mallow didn't fare as well. He tried to defend himself with his bone, but Ampere's tail managed to knock his bone away. Ampere took the opportunity to slam Mallow with Iron Tail, sending the bone pokemon rolling on the dirt.
"Marowaaaaak!"
"Mallow, no!" Caiseal cried. Thankfully, Mallow managed to get back on his feet.
"Ampere, use Confuse Ray!"
The light pokemon's eyes glowed in an eerie red light, which then generated into a red ball of light that circled around both Florian and Mallow. The two pokemon tried to knock it away, Mallow by swinging his bone around and Florian with Razor Leaf, but it was too late. Before long, their minds were asunder. The two pokemon wobbled all around, unable to keep a balanced stance.
"Awww no!" Caiseal ran his hands through his hair. "I can't risk this!" He pulled Mallow's pokeball out. "Mallow, return!" A red light shot out from the pokeball, forcing Mallow back inside. Caiseal didn't want to risk Mallow hurting himself in the battle.
Perrine, on the other hand, was in turmoil. 'I want to switch Florian out, but none of my other pokemon can stand up to steelix or ampharos!' She thought. As much as she wanted to use Luminita, she was an electric and water type, and despite having an advantage over ground, Amandine's ground attacks could still defeat her. Kitsune and Fukuro were definitely a no go. She thanked her lucky stars that she sent Baloo to her parents. With Amandine being a steel type, using a fairy type was not an option.
Thankfully, Caiseal had a back-up. "Go, Flippy!" The quagsire leaped onto the arena with her signature smile, unfazed by the chaos happening before her.
"Quaaaaaaag."
A hand on her shoulder pulled Perrine out of her reverie. "It's okay. We can win this," He told her reassuringly. It didn't do much to ease her doubts, but she knew she needed to get through this battle. Perrine gave him a solemn nod.
"Sorry, Florian! You're gonna have to endure this for a while!" Perrine told her friend ruefully.
"Megaaaaaaa," Florian kept shaking his head in an attempt to shake of the confusion. But so far, nothing was working.
"Amandine, use Earth Power!"
The diamondized snake gave off a mighty roar as the earth beneath Florian and Flippy suddenly exploded, giving off a ray of light that shot through them both. Thankfully, Flippy managed to get back on her feet by shooting water at Amandine, defying gravity to set herself back on solid ground. Caiseal commanded that Flippy use Mud Bomb on both of them. Flippy generated two spheres of muddy earth, shooting them at both Amandine and Ampere. Once they made contact, the bombs exploded, trapping Ampere and Amandine in sticky mud.
"Florian! Use Petal Blizzard!"
"Megaaaaann!" Not having gotten over his confusion, the flower circling his neck glowed in a pink light as a storm of petals surged through the arena. Julia and her pokemon, Angela and Angelo included, ducked underneath the bleachers, avoiding the petal blizzard. Since the petals came so fast, Ampere and Amandine could only cover themselves, but they could feel the foliage slicing through their skin or hide. Not even Flippy was spared.
"Alright! Flippy!" Here was Caiseal's opportunity. "Use Earthquake, and make it count!"
Flippy wasted no time. She stomped on the ground with her large feet. The entire arena rumbled. Ampere fell on his stomach, unable to get up, as the rumbling evolved a pounding that shook the entire gym. Even Amandine was unable to stop herself from feeling the effects of the attack. Soon, rocks came shooting up from the ground, piling up on both Ampere and the diamondized snake. Julia and the pokemon kept hiding under the bleachers, the former with her hands on her ears, remaining as still as a statue, her eyes squeezed shut, blocking out everything.
"Vine Whip, Florian!" Perrine commanded.
Instead of slapping Amandine with his vines, Florian suddenly began slapping himself in the face. He struck himself at least six times. Finally, his mind became clear. "Now use Petal Blizzard once more!"
"Iron Tail!" Jasmine cried.
"Water Gun!" Caiseal exclaimed, intending to end this battle.
On cue, Florian called forth yet another tornado of flower petals that overwhelmed everyone and everything around him. This time, Flippy managed to leap into the air with grace as she blasted water at Amandine, trapping her in place. Not even Ampere was able to hold off the barrage of flower petals that sliced through his yellow fur.
Finally, the pounding of the earth ceased. Nobody moved. Amandine and Ampere were down on the ground, unconscious and dormant. The tension in the gym was so thick, one could easily cut it with a knife. Ampere had no energy to stand up anymore. Amandine's Mega Evolution dissipated, and she returned to her normal form.
That was all the confirmation Jasmine needed.
"It seems I've been defeated once more," Jasmine mused, recalling both of her pokemon.
Defeated. Their anxiety had suddenly morphed into a joy that bubbled right over. Before they realized it, Caiseal and Perrine were cheering, rejoicing, and hugging each other, jumping up and down. "WOOHOO! Aw yeah! We did it! We wooooon!"
"Mega mega?! Manyuuuuuu!" ("Can I sleep now? I'm tired!") Florian complained as he slumped on the ground, his legs weary from standing. His cheeks still throbbed from slapping himself with his vines. But he was at least happy that doing so knocked him back to his senses.
"Quaaaaaag," ("We'll have plenty of time to rest, Florian. Just enjoy the moment for what it is.") Flippy told him without a care in the world.
Perrine and Caiseal called their pokemon back. "You guys were great," Perrine said.
With an odd joy in her heart, Jasmine ambled over to the two children. Julia found it safe to leave the bleachers. Her ears still rang, but she found it safe to uncover her ears. "You guys did it!" Julia hugged both of her friends.
"Here," Jasmine held out two Mineral Badges. "Proof of your victory."
The two kids took the badges without hesitation. "Thanks, Jasmine," Caiseal bent forward, leaning in a graceful, grateful bow.
"Hey! I was gonna do that!" Perrine complained. Soon, everyone was laughing, even Jasmine. Angela and Angelo flittered over to her, joining them in their celebration. "Anyway, next up is Mahogany Town!" Perrine raised a fist in the air.
"Awwww! Do we have to go?" Julia asked, her voice adopting a subtle whine to it. "There's so much I wanna do here, and I wanna talk to Jasmine some more!" The girl wasted no time running over to Jasmine's side, like she was a little sister wanting to imitate her elder.
Jasmine flashed a sweet smile, enjoying the younger girl's company. "I don't see why not."
Before long, Jasmine and the kids got their pokemon healed at the Pokemon Center before she decided to treat them to a meal at the Olivine Cafe. Late in the day, it was full of sailors and fishermen, with some ordering beer and getting so drunk they raised their voices. As much as Julia wanted to enjoy a nice dinner with her friends and her new favorite gym leader, the drunks were so loud, it seemed as though their voices were like explosions overwhelming her ears. She kept her ears covered the whole time.
"Are you alright?" Jasmine asked kindly, noticing Julia's discomfort. Julia kept eyeing the drunks with an expression that told them, "Keep it down! We're trying to relax here!" But yelling at them wouldn't do any good. Messing with a drunk was never a good idea.
"They're really loud," Julia said, taking a bite out of some spaghetti she ordered. "Sorry. I'm kinda sensitive to loud noise, people yelling taking the number one spot."
"I do apologize on their behalf," Jasmine said as she bit on some grilled garlic shrimp. "They do get loud when they drink. Ahhhh, grilled garlic shrimp is my Nirvana! I am SO saving some for Amandine and Angelo!" She suddenly crooned as soon as she swallowed a piece of shrimp. Perrine and Caiseal found themselves staring at the glowing steel maiden. They were sure they saw stars and hearts fluttering around her. The woman's cheeks turned red with delight.
"Wow. I never realized...how suspiciously similar those two are," Caiseal noted. It was true. Julia and Jasmine were quite alike. Both were rather shy but fawned over their favorite things, in Jasmine's case, her favorite grilled garlic shrimp, were nice to others but firm when they needed to be, and loved their pokemon. No wonder Julia liked her.
After that, they went to the library, the last stop for the day, as Jasmine wanted to pick up a book. Coincidentally, Julia found a book she wanted to read and checked it out. With that, they said their goodbyes and watched as Jasmine went back to her gym. When they checked into the Pokemon Center as night fell, Perrine, Caiseal, and their pokemon were sure Julia was lost in some happy dreamland. She kept staring at the ceiling with the book she rented in her hands, eyes sparkling like morning dew, with a smile so big it seemed almost radiant.
"You're...quite happy," Caiseal took some steps back, admittedly a little unsettled by Julia's state of absolute bliss. Not because he hated it, but because he had never seen Julia so unabashedly joyful before. He had seen her be happy before, but he could tell she always seemed a little guarded around new people, which was no surprise, since she was shy and anxious around strangers.
'Tch. Real nice, Caiseal,' He scolded himself sharply. The shame that accompanied his thoughts was instantaneous. 'You're freaked out about someone being happy and not guarded when you yourself can't trust people for the life if you.'
"Of course I am!" Julia sprang up like a jack-in-a-box, holding the book to her chest. "I just met the most awesome, beautiful, amazing, kindest, smartest, sweetest, and understanding gym leader I ever met! For once, she didn't claim I was lying when I told her I could talk to Pokemon! Oh my goodness, where has this woman been all my life?!" She palavered on and wouldn't stop for a full ten minutes, gushing about what a great person Jasmine was.
"I think this is the first time I've ever seen you go ga-ga over someone," Caiseal mused. Perrine was in the shower, so the two of them were alone in the same room. No, they're not going to sleep together in the same room. He could understand why she gushed about Jasmine. The woman had been nothing but nice to them since they arrived. He overheard their conversation about Julia's ability to talk to pokemon and the possible causes of it. Soon, a smile tickled his face, as now he was genuinely happy for her.
The book in Julia's hands caught his attention, giving him pretext to change the subject. "What's that book you have there?"
"Oh! This?" She looked down at the book. The large, thick, brick-like book's cover was a light green transitioning to a pale, sunny yellow. A girl in a green dress and a green, fairy-like pokemon with an onion shaped head stood on a dirt path that led to a dark green forest. The title of the book read The Maiden and The Voice of the Forest in shiny, gold letters that reflected the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The author was apparently named Augustine E. Montmorency. "This is my favorite book of all time!" She showed it to Caiseal. "I already have a copy at home, but it's been so long since I read it, and I've been craving it for a long while."
He immediately thought about asking, "Then why rent it when you can easily read it at home? Why even read it again when you must have read it hundreds of times?" But Julia already gave him the answer, and he thought it rude to talk to her like anything she did was strange, so he simply asked, "What's it about?"
"Ohhhh! It's one of the best stories I've ever read!" Julia began. "It's about a girl named Jezebel who lives in a forest town with her parents and siblings. Her parents loved her very much, and she was actually a very privileged girl. She always got good food, books to read, pokemon to play with, all that stuff. But she isn't liked by her classmates because she was born with a tumor on her face, and even though she got it removed, she was left with a big scar on her face, and her parents didn't have the money to get it removed. Kids bullied her like crazy, and one day, things got so bad she ran away crying into a forest. That's when she finds a rare pokemon stuck in a trap. Taking pity on it, she manages to free it, taking it to her parents so they could take care of it. This one here!"
Julia opened the book to show him a page that depicted a watercolor picture of the pokemon in question. It was a cute fairy pokemon, with large, blue eyes shaped like ovals, with an onion shaped head, translucent wings, small curled antennae, long arms that stretched farther than its body, and stubby feet. The upper half of its body was light green, but the lower half was a normal, forest green.
"Never seen that pokemon before," Caiseal mused. Mallow and Hikaru crept closer to get a look for themselves. "What is it?"
"A Celebi!" Julia announced. "A rare pokemon that can travel through time and protects forests and villages! It actually exists, you know! Anyway, after she and her parents nurse Celebi back to health, Jezebel and Celebi eventually become great friends. They spend lots and lots of time together and become super close. But one day, an evil sorceress using dark magic tracks them down, putting them under a spell and taking them to a dark place called Monde Noir, where there is no sun, moon, or stars, and everyone has to suffer under Neesha's wrath. Jezebel and Celebi are appalled by what Neesha has done, and decide to band together and save not just Monde Noir, but their world as well, from a future of darkness. Along the way, they meet other friends as well. The first friend they make is Marianna, a girl from a wealthy family but never felt comfortable at home. Her parents wanted her to marry a prince that she didn't like, and she wasn't good at anything girly or princess-y at all. She left her kingdom to become an archer and help people she felt were impoverished or treated badly by her royal parents. She and Jezebel become best friends! There's Anoush, a man who at first tries to use Jezebel and Celebi to go back in time and save someone he wasn't able to protect, almost breaking infamous taboos. He almost betrays them, but learns the error of his ways and becomes their friend. There's also Xanthe and Gaspar, twin siblings who at first seem like happy twins but are deeply troubled because they did something that ruined their hometown and got people killed, so they hide a lot of sadness. Together they strive to stop Neesha and restore the world to its original state and I love it so so so so much!"
Finally, Julia was out of breath from talking so much, and her throat became somewhat dry. With that, she stopped talking and let herself be absorbed in the book. Caiseal just rubbed his head with one hand.
"Pika pika."
"Marowak."
"You knock yourself out, then," Caiseal mused with a sheepish smile on his face.
"If you want, when I'm finished I'll let you read it!"
"No thanks. Doesn't sound like my kind of thing."
"Boooo!" Julia complained. "You're seriously missing out on a masterpiece in ancient and modern literature!"
Caiseal didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't mind. It was about time he took a shower for the night anyway. With that, the kids stayed in the Pokemon Center for the night, eagerly awaiting the new day to come.
OH MY GOD, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon! Generation seven is a go! I totally called it the minute Magiana (or Magearna or whatever the heck its called) was revealed! Just in time for Pokemon's 20th anniversary! Happy (belated) 20th anniversary, Pokemon! I wonder if they'll make new Eevee evolutions? I wonder if there'll be Pokemon that'll be a good muse, like Sylveon was for me when it was first revealed? Ohhhhh I want November 2016 to get here alreadyyyyyy!
Also, another filler chapter next time. But it'll reveal more about Perrine and her life before starting her journey, so hopefully that'll be a good appetizer before the Red Gyarados arc begins. I have BIG plans for the Red Gyarados arc. Look forward to it, peeps!
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Volt Tackle
Aqua (Azumarill, Female, Mild Nature)
Ability: Thick Fat
Attacks: Superpower, Bubblebeam, Play Rough, and Water Gun
Tokiko (Togetic, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Magical Leaf
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Fire Fang, and Scary Face
Rina (Nidoran, Female, Bold Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Scratch, and Bite
Rino (Nidoran, Male, Modest Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Peck, and Horn Attack
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Vine Whip, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Tackle, Fairy Wind, Bullet Seed, and Acrobat
Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: Scratch, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain
Luminita (Chinchou, Female, Naive Nature)
Ability: Water Absorb
Attacks: Supersonic, Water Gun, BubbleBeam, and Electro Ball
Fukuro (Noctowl, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Psybeam, Peck, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
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, Earthquake, and Slam
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, and Haze
Viole (Gloom, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Sludge Bomb, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Stacey (Pinsir, Female, Serious Nature)
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Attacks: X-Scissor, Swords Dance, Seismic Toss, and Double Hit