Chapter 10
Shake Stick At God
(-¤-)
It took the rest of the day and several breaks for Luke to snack and rest, but we made it. He was currently napping away in his pokeball, poor guy was all tuckered out. We had arrived around sunset, a perfect time to set up camp and get Jack some training in. Not anything too rigorous, mostly agility training, I had him dashing around in more and more complicated patterns to help him nail down turning and momentum. Luke dragged me around all day so his training was done.
I had passed a tiny rundown pokemon center on the way, it was just a few miles away from the power plant. Both of these places were itching at my mind, I felt like they were important but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. Maybe they were in the anime and something happened? Its been awhile since I had sat down and watched the whole thing and now I can't ever do it again. Damn it, I hope I remember whats so special about this place or it was gonna drive me up the wall.
My tent was set up on top of a hill over looking the dozens of windmills. They were situated along a mountian side. Each had three blades that were twice the length of a school bus. They spun constantly yet lazily, each taking about eight seconds to complete a rotation. I have no idea if thats considered a good speed or not.
Something about the valley caused the place to constantly experience some speed of strong wind, of course that also made the area prone to sudden storms and wind erosion. In some areas the wind was so strong that any trees that grew there formed with there trunks leaning completely sideways. Intresting place, makes sense to build a wind farm here.
I woke up at the ass crack of dawn the next day, driftloon tended to hunker down in the night and midday, only really moving around in dawn and dusk. They would travel in large groups looking for anything they considered prey, which is weird considering they don't have mouths. They fed on the panic and fear that living beings experience while being hoisted up to ridiculous heights. They can eat regular food but no one is quite sure how they do that. You'll find alot of confusion surrounding ghost types, they're weird even for this worlds standards.
Groggy and wanting nothing more than to go back to bed I crawled out of my tent and got started on breakfast, instant ramen. I splurged a little on my last supply run for something with some form of flavor, even if that flavor was just salt.
I let out my team and Bob, who was immediately in my face. I didn't react much because he had done this every morning and just like before he got slapped away by Jack. Luke was stretching out and giving his wings some test flaps, he's probably sore from yesterday, but thats fine. He was only needed to bring the driftloon down to Jacks ass kicking level, after that he could just tail the flock. Nothing too hard on him today.
Bob buzzed back up angry as ever, despite his pissiness dude never actually made a move to leave. I'm not sure it had occurred to him yet. He would just buzz around the campsite while he was out and harass us. I usually made sure he was fed and then stuck him back in the ball.
"Hey asshole" Bob turned to face me, already getting ready for a fight, "I decided what to do with you, first chance I get I'm gonna trade you for something that won't front on me every chance it gets. After that we'll never see each other again." He actually made a face that wasn't utterly pissed at that, infact it looked mildly surprised. "Yeah, I wasn't plannin on keeping you."
He huffed and went to go bother Luke until his food was ready. What a little wad, I know I haven't been the nicest trainer to him, but he had fucking started it and I was going to finish it.
I hope today goes well, and god damn it what was so fucking important about that fucking pokemon center?!
(-¤-)
"Use pound!" Jack dashed forward and jumped at the (undead?) ballon.
We had found the flock drifting over a wooded area, all linked together to prevent getting seperated from one another. Despite being flying types they weren't actually very good flyers. So it just took Luke a good pass with air cutter to seperate one from the pack. After that he dragged it down here for Jack beat down. One foresight later and it was now vulnerable to normal type moves.
The driftloon was thrown back by the hit. It was unsteady now and seemed to be sinking closer and closer to the ground as the battle went on. I figured now was as good a time as any. I chucked the pokeball, marveling at the perfect throw I had just pulled off. It struck with a light tap, popped open and sucked the ghost inside.
I waited with baited breath as the ball jumped back and forth trying to contain the odd little spookster, and after a time of struggling the ball rang with that beautiful 'click' and I had me a new and temporary teammate.
"Hell yeah! Lets get a couple more, that'll be enough to fill up our party." As I finished my sentence a powerful gust of wind blew through the area, almost knocking me to the ground. I looked up to see the group of driftloon Luke had been corralling get blasted by the new current and carried off over the much denser woods nearby.
"LUKE, GO AFTER THEM!" damn it, I cant let rare pokemon like those get away from me, not after the honey fiasco. I booked it after them, watching Luke try to catch up with the purple things. Jack hopped on my shoulder as we went into the forest, I almost immediately lost sight of them through the canopy.
I knew what direction they went and so long as the wind keeps going straight we should meet up ahead. Worst case scenario Luke loses them, and we head back to the field, easy enough.
Or, it should have been. These woods were huge, and I lost my bearings as quickly as I realized that without Luke with me, I had no aerial navigation. So, yeah, I'm lost.
"Hey Jack" he turned to me "do you remember which way we came from?"
He stood taller and surveyed the area before giving me a slow shake of his head "Bun."
"Tan fuckin fastic, now what?" He grunted listlessly at my rhetorical question.
I guess we get to play the wander around in circles game now, worse come to worst I'll just start screaming, Lukes got good ears he'll probably hear me. Jack definitely will but that helps significantly less.
So thats what we did, wandered around looking for a giant bat or a path, for like an hour. I'm pretty sure Lukes given up on the driftloon by now in favor of looking for me. I breifly considered letting Bob or my new balloon steer me in the right direction, but Bob would rather fist fight me despite his lack of hands and driftloon was a recently caught ghost type. Ghosts were known for dicking around with people, they had a move called spite for fucks sake. So aimless wandering it was.
We eventually came across a pond absolutely covered in mist. Dead tree limbs jutted up from the water and the whole place seemed serene, eerily so. I couldn't hear a single pokemon any where, no bugs buzzing, no birdsong, just peaceful quiet. And that horrible feeling that I was forgetting something was back with a vengance. I closed my eyes and stomped in frustration. This place was important, but what was it?! Shitty pokemon center, power plant, pond. What was I missing!? Nothing had happened all day, the only thing I had done was... catch a driftloon.
It hit like a brick. There was a episode about Nurse Joys little girl trying to get to her dad in a storm with her driftloon. She got blown off course and got stranded in the mountains. Her sister ran off to a pond, this pond, to ask for help. To ask-
My eyes snapped open and my jaw dropped at the glorious beast in front of me. A lean and powerful body supported by four muscular legs held with other worldly grace and dignity. A lavender mane billowing in the non existant wind seemed to flow like a calm stream. Twin ribbon like tails on either side framed its body with gentle motion and the beautiful crest atop its head seemed almost like water, frozen in time, pure, pristine, and deep as the ocean.
"Suicune" my voice was just barely over a whisper. I stood in front of The North Wind, a living god.
Its cool crimson eyes regarded me with unknown intent. Was it angry that I had invaded its space, curious as to why I was here, or perhaps judgeing me for some unknow value.
Everything I had done up until now, in this life and the last seemed so insignificant in the presence of this embodiment of nature. I was weak, Jack was nothing to it, nothing we could do could even scratch this divine beast. It simply waited, did they want me to do something? Did it care?
When I left would it even bother to remember me?
I felt it again, that fire. Suddenly the sight of this creature of purity and serenity filled me with that blood boiling heat. Staring down Tauros was nothing like this, just a sloppy attempt at what I felt now. It wouldn't remember me, why should it? I was just some kid that wandered into its yard, thats all, and as far as it was concerned that was all I would ever be.
It was so clear now, I was afraid of being forgotten, by time and history, that someday my existence would just be gone. But this being in front of me, it would live for eons, for an eternity. I would roam the lands far beyond my lifetime. And it would remember everything in its life that held a shred of importance. From freinds to enemies, to anything that could bring it down.
Legends were powerful, more so than any normal pokemon. They embodied nature at its peak, and they knew the power that came with the title. Whenever a legend was taken down in the movies or show it was due to some cheat level tech or by the claws of another legend. No normal pokemon can take down a god. (Well, except pikachu.) If I could take one down it would be a miracle, something that beast would always remember, as either a fluke, or a worthy foe.
If I could take down a pantheon, what would they think of me then.
"Listen here!" I snapped, the beast narrowed their eyes at me but didn't move beyond that, "I'm gonna be the best trainer to ever live and your gonna remember that!" I jabbed my finger at them, "We ain't much right now, but one day I'll come back here, with a team that can bring down mountains! And you best be ready for me, because I'm not looking to catch you! I don't wanna be freinds! The next time we step foot in this grotto we're gonna KICK YOUR ASS!" I felt Jack dig his claws into my shoulder and hiss at them with the same ferocity, a testament to his trust in me.
"MY NAME IS ALICE FUCKING THORN! AND I'M GONNA BE THE WORLDS FIRST AND ONLY LEGEND BUSTER, YOU GOT THAT YOU OVERGROWN MUTT!"
I shook with adrenaline, that fire spread throughtout me, pushing me to just fight it, to do the impossible and bring it down in what would be a fight worthy of a gods memory. That feral grin split my face in two, teeth sharp and ready. The spirit was willing, it could do anything, it could win!
But the flesh was weak.
We didn't have the skills to take down a legend, and probably wouldn't for a long time. But it was a goal, and if the games were to be believed then with enough training and grit the even God could be brought to his knees.
Suicune raised its head and stepped forward, slowly, and gracefully like water trickling through a stream. It walked until my neck had craned up to maintain eye contact. Their eyes drilled into me, intense and ancient. We stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, but I didn't back down, I knew my destiny now. I knew that right now if I showed any weakness, if my soul faltered for even a moment then it would forget me.
Fuck that.
It nodded, almost imperceptibly and then with speed unlike anything I had ever known it dashed off. One moment it was there and the next I was alone with Jack in a grotto. Bird song returned in an instant, the distant calls of pokemon filled my ears and that beautiful serenity was replaced with a pale imitation.
So, that was my goal, not championhood like so many trainers before me. I was going to find as many legends as I could and I was going to defeat them.
And they would never be able to forget me.
The fire had died down to a simmer, but it hadn't gone away. I don't think it ever would again.
I had a purpose now, a goal and a way to attain it. This is what I would work for, what I would bleed for. Pokemon respected power, they recognized it as something to be coveted and legends were no different. If I brought one down, not with cheap tricks or gadgets, but with pure power and skill, then they would be forced to recognize me as something remarkable, something to respect, as someone to remember.
I wouldn't catch any of them, that was cheap and would make this whole thing moot. A legend can beat a legend. If Palkia won against Dialga then that wouldn't prove anything, just that a masterball can be thrown like anything else. But if a lopunny brings down a god, then does that not make him something more. Is it not more glorious to achieve that power from your own sweat and soul than to simply be formed with it.
Ok I might need to chill a bit, I'm starting to sound like super villian. But my point still stands, gods had asses and I had a need to kick them.
(-¤-)
It was midday by the time I made it back to the field. I saw Luke sitting sadly on a lone rock before he saw me.
"LUKE, YOUR NEVER GONNA BELIEVE THIS SHIT!" He jolted up and whipped around at my voice. A giant grin filled his face and he propeled himself towards me with happy bat noises. When we met up he flew around me happy to be back together, what a sweet dude.
"WE MET SUICUNE! THEYRE LIKE THIS RESURRECTED GOD THING!" and Lukes smile was dropped in favor or total confusion. "AND THEN I THREATENED THEM!" For the first time since I had caught Luke he looked concerned.
"Yeah dude! But it gets better, I know what our goal is gonna be!" I danced in place, the scope of the situation was just starting to hit me, "We're gonna be legend busters!"
Luke glanced at Jack, who nodded with a nasty smirk. That might be the happiest I've ever seen him.
My bat looked worried.
But only for a moment, whatever negative emotion he felt seemed to wash away in the face of my enthusiasm, a smile split his face as he cheered. I'm not sure he totally understood what I had just said but that was fine.
Lets see, suicune is a minor god, a mythical I think. Most legends were, they would be the easiest to take down. And thanks to my years of playing pokemon and watching the anime I knew where alot of them hung out. Finding them wouldn't be a huge issue for a good chunk of them, however some of them required me to cause some shit to happen. Rayquaza would only come down if Groudon and Kyogre got in a pissing match or when Deyoxis flys through its territory. Dialga and Palkia would only appear after Team Galactic summons them. And I think I need to time travel to meet Arceus.
Alot of these things are time sensitive, and I have no way of telling how much time I have until they occur. Not until I find Ash and get an idea of how far he is on his journey. The best thing I can do for now is build my team up and issue challenges to any legend I can find.
I racked my brain for possible teammates, there were alot of contenders, the anime had been full of interesting and uniquely strong pokemon. And I had a few in mind already, they were a good ways away but would prove to be powerhouses if I could nab them.
I knew at least two in sinnoh alone that would be absolutely perfect for my team.
But first thing's first, gotta get a license for them. Wouldn't want to dethrone a god without the proper paperwork after all.
(-¤-)
Alice Thorn
Apr 11
Team
Jack
Buneary
Moves: Pound, Foresight, Frustration, Sweetkiss, Defense curl, Baby doll eyes, Quick attack, Jumpkick.
Ability Limber
Luke
Golbat
Moves: Absorb, Super sonic, Astonish, Bite, Whirlwind, Wing attack, Confuse ray, Air cutter.
Ability Inner focus
Bob
Combee
Moves: sweetscent, Gust, Bug bite, Struggle bug.
Ability Honey gather
Driftloon
Moves: Minimize, Astonish, Gust, Focus energy, Shadowball
Ability Unburden
940¥
In Box
N/A
So yeah, thats her goal for the story. Its not gonna happen immediately, or soon, but eventually shes gonna come back here and tempt fate yet again.
Of course she has to survive until then to even have a chance.
This chapter took me awhile, I just couldn't figure out how to end it. It sat unfinished in my phone for like, three weeks before I finally had something I was happy with.
Don't forget to leave a review!
