RECAP: Mari and Castform, (Morf,) have been training in the Dewford Forest. Mari has been carrying around an egg of unknown species and is expecting it to hatch soon, so they are now staying in the Dewford Pokemon Center. Unbeknownst to Mari, in a forest far away, an ancient civilization is awaiting its Savior and the salvation of its people.
Chapter 10: The PoisonAfter healing Morf at the P.C. the two ate dinner and went to bed early. At five in the morning, Morf was awakened when Mari kicked her off the bed.
"Morf!" Mari said.
"What?" hissed the Pokemon as she got off the floor and went to her.
"It's hatching!" she shrieked.
"What?" Morf said, her eyes now wide awake. She looked at the red-orange egg and saw several cracks in its shell.
"C'mon!" Mari jumped out of bed and almost landed on her knees, but grabbed onto the bed and pulled herself up. She picked up the egg and, still in her pajamas, ran for the door. "We gotta get Joy!"
A Chansey was manning the reception counter.
"Chansey," said Mari, "Wake up Nurse Joy. My egg is hatching!"
The pink egg waved its arms in delight and ran into the back. A few moments later a half-asleep Nurse Joy arrived. "Your name's Mary, right?"
"Mari," she corrected. "But my egg is hatching, see?" She laid the egg on the table, revealing that the cracks were fracturing out into the rest of the egg.
Joy led them into a back room labeled "Hatching Room." Several padded tables were inside the dimly lit room with chairs all around. Joy motioned for Mari to put the egg on one of the tables. The three sat, watched, and waited. After a few minutes, a piece of egg chipped off leaving a small hole in the egg. A flash of orange fur could be seen inside.
"Is it a Vulpix?" Mari whispered.
Morf moved in closer to get a better view.
A large cream-colored paw pushed out through the hole, making it bigger. A small black nose poked out and sniffed the air.
"It's a Growlithe!" Mari squealed.
The paw thrust itself out again and again, breaking out of its cage. Both paws began to work now, and Mari caught a glimpse of its face.
"It's so cute!" she said and reached for the egg.
"Uh-uh," Joy said, holding her hand out . "No helping. It needs to do this on its own."
Mari put her hand back in her lap.
With a kick of the baby's rear legs, the egg shattered, uncovering a Growlithe.
Mari squealed, but before she could scoop it up, Joy grabbed it and gently opened its mouth with her finger, looked in its ears and eyes, and felt its body. "It's a boy," she announced, "and he's very healthy."
"Thank you, Joy!" Mari stole the pup from Joy. The orange fur ball wriggled in her arms. "Oh, you are so cute! Isn't he cute, Morf?"
Morf leaned over Mari's shoulder. "He looks so soft!"
"He is! Pet him!"
She gingerly stretched out her had and stroked his back. "Wow."
Nurse Joy excused herself, and Mari soon took her two Pokemon back up to their room. It took quite awhile for her and Morf to sleep, but the pup was exhausted from the strain of hatching and was soon out cold.
The following day, Mari carried out her promise to Morf and took the day off. They decided to make a day out of seeing the Dewford sights—the shopping district, Dewford Hall, a speedboat race—they eventually ended up at the beach. The girls jumped in the water, while Growlithe made a sport of chasing Corphish into the water. One of the bolder crustaceans stood its ground and Mari snatched her puppy up just in time to save it from the Corphish's wrath. The day ended too soon, and Mari announced that the following day they would get back to business.
"Reiki," Stanzi called as she jogged up to her friend on the remote forest trail.
"Oh, hi Stanzi," he replied. "I didn't know anyone was out here."
"Yes, that is why I wanted to talk to you here. I have been thinking about the journey to our homeland."
"Who hasn't?"
She continued. "We cannot find our brothers alone."
Reiki stopped. "By 'we' do you mean you and me or the whole village?"
"The village, Reiki! We have lived separate from the world's flow of time for so long that we no longer remember what the world contains outside this forest!"
"Stanzi, you are not saying I think you are."
"We may need the help of an outsider."
"Are you mad?" He took a step back. "Our people have not had direct contact with the outsiders for centuries! We don't even remember how to speak their language!"
"I know," Stanzi said. "But we may need to find a way to communicate. Just . . . be prepared. It may happen quickly."
"The villagers would never agree to such a thing."
"Which is why I speak to you alone."
Mari woke up early with her companions and returned to the Dewford forest campsite. Even while eating lunch, Mari could not stop cuddling and playing with Growlithe. "Isn't he cute?" she would murmur to Morf. Castform thought he was cute too, but was getting tired of Mari's infatuation.
"When are we challenging the Dewford Gym?" she asked during Growlithe's after-lunch snooze.
Mari looked up, her eyes focused on something other than Growlithe for once. "Soon. But let's catch another Pokemon first."
"Another one?" Castform exclaimed.
"Yeah, Growlithe's too young. I won't be able to even start training him for at least a week or two. You don't want to wait that long, do you?"
"No . . ."
"I was looking at my PPD last night. I think I'd like a Shroomish."
"A what?"
Mari showed her a picture in the PPD. "It's type is weak against fighters, but I really want one and I might not have another chance for awhile. Its powders might be useful in any case.
After putting the sleeping puppy into his Pokeball, the hunt began. They wandered through the forest for over an hour. Morf was about to suggest they take a break when Mari exclaimed, "There!" Morf almost jumped out of her skin.
Beneath a tree was a large green mushroom with eyes. It woke at Mari's cry and stood up to look at them.
"Go, Morf!" Mari instructed.
"Where?"
"Attack it!"
"But it's just sitting there so peacefully."
"Okay Morf, but you—" Mari was interrupted by a shout from the Shroomish. It had its eyes on them, standing at the ready with a scowl on its face.
"There, it's ready to fight," Mari said. "Now are you ready?"
Morf turned to it.
"Tackle!"
Before she could reach her target, the wild Pokemon had launched itself into the air and slammed into her.
"Ah!" Morf cried, her head finally snapped into the game. First blood had been drawn and her conscience was clear for what followed. She plowed the shroom into a tree. It grunted as it slid down to the ground.
Morf went for another tackle, but the bud on top the mushroom cap pooped open, spewing a spicy-smelling powder into her face.
Mari covered her face with her sleeve. "It's poison! Ember!"
Morf's throat and eyes caught fire. She couldn't see, couldn't breathe. She felt her opponent slam into her back, forcing her face-first into the grass. She had heard Mari tell her to use Ember, but could not imagine more fire in her throat.
The air was beginning to clear, as were her eyes, but she suddenly felt like she was going to vomit. Her opponent again struck her, digging her deeper into the ground. It had to stop! Morf picked herself up and blinked furiously, trying to focus her sight on the Shroomish. She saw it charging at her, its face in a snarl. Inside her body she forced heat to build up, and pushed the fire out of her stomach and up her seared throat and launched it at the Shroomish. It screamed at the impact of the fire ball and fell on its back. 'Serves you right.'
Mari threw a ball at it, and before the Shroomish was locked inside, she ran to Morf's side. She retrieved a spray bottle and began poison treatment.
"I'm going to be sick," whispered Morf.
"I know." Mari continued spraying her wounds. "This should help. Want to rest in your Pokeball while I walk back to camp?"
She nodded.
When Mari released Morf at the campsite, she was worse, almost white, beaded with sweat and breathing heavily. Leaving her belongings behind, Mari ran all the way to the Pokemon center.
Nurse Joy had never seen a Castform before Morf, much less treated one. She tried a higher dose of antitoxin anyway. Shroomish poison was not fatal, but Morf was dying anyway.
"I can only imagine that her body just doesn't work like other Pokemon," Joy said. "Not even like a Ditto's. I'm sorry Mari, there's nothing I can do for her."
Mari called the only person in the world who knew Castform physiology. "Dr. Ghilbee?"
"Yes, Mari, how are you and Castform?"
"She's sick, poisoned by a Shroomish, none of the antitoxins are working, she's dying!"
"Send her to me now. Do you have a sample of the poison?"
"I have the Shroomish."
"Send me both."
She did. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Route 119?"
He nodded and hung up.
More Author's Notes: Thanks for reading and please drop me a review!