Green, Abby and Machoke had wandered through the fields of Fuchsia for hours. Just like the plains of Route 15, they seemed to go on endlessly. An infinite expanse of golden wheat and green stalks. Although it couldn't go on forever, Green thought. The Fuchsian skyline was drawing nearer, if slowly.
The path they followed was slick with mud. Green's weary legs had almost come out from under her more than a few times. She clung to Machoke's forearm and he more than happily obliged her, even securing her with a hand on her waist. Abby dragged her feet. Her eyes were drooped and her arms hung like noodles at her side. The setting sun bathed them in orange light.
"It's gonna be dark when arrive…" Abby said.
"If we arrive. Maybe we can ask a farmer for a place to stay."
"Hopefully not, begging a stranger sounds too exhausting. I just wanna collapse."
"I'll ask then, if we need to," Green giggled.
"Okay… thanks."
Abby yawned and stretched. The nearest farmhouse looked to be only a few minutes away but Green found herself agreeing with Abby. The uncertainty of a stranger's house versus the familiar rooms in the Pokémon Centre wasn't, an even competition. She would walk to the top of this hill before making a decision, Green decided. As they climbed the hill, Green nudged Machoke's hand and he rolled it over, showing her his palm. The wound where the circle of steel had been, had healed, crusted by dried blood.
"Sorry I couldn't heal it, buddy."
"Ma." Machoke shook his head and smiled.
He kissed the top of her head. A little tingle of warmth bubbled in Green's chest. She kissed his shoulder and that little tingle became a roaring surge. Machoke laughed and tightened his grip on her waist.
"Get a room," Abby laughed.
Green poked her tongue out at Abby and they both fell into giggles.
At the top of the hill, Green breathed a sigh of relief. Some ways away, but not too far, the muddy path became stone. A large sign stood beside the road, 'Fuchsia City, 20 minutes walk,' it read.
"Twenty minutes isn't too bad," Green said.
"Yeah, let's just get it over with. Screw sleeping in a farmhouse."
Precariously, they made their way down the muddy hill and ventured off down the stone path.
By the time they reached Fuchsia City, the sun struggled to peek over the rooftops to light their way. Tall, electronic lamps had flickered to life on the street's sides. Fuchsia was a healthy mix of city and village. While it had tall buildings, only a few reached the sky. Most of the tall buildings were at most a few stories, while the vast majority of houses were single-story. Each one looked the same. They had purple, sloped roofs made of clay tiles. Their walls were dark wood and their windows were shuttered by ornamental paper. Each had a small yard and inside each yard, a paper candle lamp was displayed on a balcony. The orange paper warmed the light, and together, the lamps cast a homely light over the city. Pokémon scurried about in the shadows. Nidorans, rodent Pokémon covered in purple armour, hopped and weaved between houses. Koffing and the occasional Weezing, large purple and round Pokémon with ugly faces slept floating above the roofs, drifting with the breeze like balloons. Each of their snores sent a puff of purple cloud into the sky. Where many gathered, a purple haze rolled along the street. Hoards of Zubat streaked above the city, screeching in a unified, head-throbbing chorus. By now, Abby had joined Green in leaning on Machoke. She could barely keep her eyes open. Machoke too was yawning and letting his eyes droop. So, Green watched for both of them, keeping an eye out for trouble. Fortunately, by the time she saw the glowing red roof of the Pokémon centre piercing through the purple haze, no trouble had found them.
"We're here guys," Green said.
"Good…"
"Ma…"
Green patted Machoke's shoulder, stood on her toes and kissed the bottom of his jaw before returning him to his Pokéball. The sudden absence of an arm made Abby stumble, getting a laugh from Green.
"Not funny," Abby said with a smile.
They entered the familiar setting of the Pokémon Centre. It was empty apart from the nurse behind the counter. Green knew she was a Joy instantly. Same heart-shaped face, same eyes, only her hair was different. The sides of her head were shaved down to a fine, pink stubble while the rest of her hair was tied back in one long, thick braid. She greeted them with a smirk.
"You guys were out late, huh? Gettin' up to trouble I bet."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Green said.
"How can I help ya?"
"Two rooms, please. And our Pokémon need healing."
The Nurse flipped on the healing machine.
"Late-night training?"
"Not exactly."
The Nurse took their Pokémon and put them on the machine. Her eyes widened.
"Not exactly? What the hell were you up to? Your Pokémon are really badly injured."
"We know…" Abby said.
"Sparring is one thing. But this- were you challenging Janine or somethin'? Like some kind of special after-hours challenge?"
"N-" Abby began.
"Yeah, my brother is friends with her dad. Red? You ever heard of him? We got a special exception."
The Nurse narrowed her eyes.
"Oh yeah… I saw you on TV. You guys attacked a ranger, right?"
"They attacked us," Abby said.
The Nurse grinned and handed them two keys.
"You guys are bad-ass. Get some rest, heroes." She gave them a playful salute.
"Thanks," Green chuckled.
Abby took the key without a word and together, she and Green turned in for the night, in separate rooms.
Green awoke to a bittersweet calm. The comfort of her soft, cloud of a mattress and the weight of her heavy sheets, cocooned her like a firm hug. But without anyone to share it with, it felt wasted. Oddly, Green had grown accustomed to waking up beside a warm body, or even several. A habit she could have never previously imagined herself developing. Invisible arms of warmth hugged her to the bed, forbidding her from rising. She fought them off with great effort and rose anyway. There was no time for relaxing. This wasn't a holiday. It was a journey and there was training to be done. Green woke herself up with a shower and went about her usual morning routine. However, she found herself taking a pause when it came time to dress. Today's training would be done on the beach, she had decided. So, she needed a swimsuit. Wearing it on the beach would undoubtedly be exhilarating but walking through the city in it would just be embarrassing. Green rummaged through her trash bag of clothes and found the baggiest shirt she owned, and a pair of sweat pants she didn't mind getting covered in sand. Immediately upon changing into her bikini, Green was greeted by its lack of support. Walking and even moving had suddenly become precarious without her chest wrap. A small price to pay for looking cute, Green reckoned. Still, she tied her chest wrap over the top of her bikini top before dressing and left to meet Abby in the lobby.
Despite the fact the sun was still rising, the lobby was packed. Trainers of all kinds of specialisations were strewn about with their Pokémon. Two fire-type trainers fought to keep their raging Growlithe from fighting. A water trainer calmly read a book as her Magikarp and Goldeen floated lazily through the air in spheres of glowing water. An electric trainer laughed as his Pikachu ran around in blindingly fast circles, while his companion, a psychic trainer, sat in solemn mediation with his Kadabra. The vast majority of people were all clad in purple robes and red face masks that only left their eyes visible. They were of all sizes, ages and genders. Koffings, Nidorans, Ekans and Golbats all accompanied them. One trainer, who had crow's feet flanking their eyes, was accompanied by a Crowbat. Each of them had the Indigo Plateau's insignia embroidered on their backs.
"Mornin', here for your Pokémon?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Yeah, a Machoke, a Prime-"
"I remember. How could I forget a hero, right?" Joy asked as she presented Green with a tray of six pokéballs.
"Thanks."
"No problem. They're all healthy again but I'd recommend taking it easy on 'em. Even after a night of healing they still need time to recover."
"Right."
Green began to attach her pokéballs back to her belt.
"So." Joy leaned on the desk with a smirk. "Here to challenge Janine?"
"Here to beat Janine."
"Nice! Don't underestimate her though, she ain't no push over."
"I don't plan on it," Green laughed.
Joy had a small pink pokéball pin on the collar of her nurse uniform, Green noticed. Every Joy was alike it seemed. Joy's eyes followed hers, and then they went to her belt and found Green's own pink pin. They both grinned at each other but Green didn't make move. Joy was cute, like every Joy, but today was for training. So, Green thanked her again before leaving to find Abby.
Green found Abby sitting in the corner of a booth far away from anyone else. Dragonair sat on top of the booth, behind the seats, basking in the rising sun. Passing gazes of passerbys lingered on him. He beckoned her over with a piercing gaze and Abby waved to her with a smile.
"Hey, you slept in," Abby said.
"Guess I needed it."
"Fair enough. Listen, sit down. I gotta talk to you about something."
Green slid into the booth and sat beside her. Beneath the table, Charmeleon was sitting between Abby's legs. He glared at Green.
"What's up?" Green asked, cautiously.
"I reckon we've seen the last of the rangers, for a little while at least. That guy you fought, his name is Alistair. He's some big shot ranger, a real celebrity amongst them. If they sent him after us it meant they were getting desperate and most likely, now that you beat him, my Uncle is gonna come after us himself. But that'll take time."
"Tiberius, right?"
"Yeah. A crazy bastard, but a strong trainer. We can't get separated again once we leave Fuchsia. On our own, neither of us stands a chance against him. Yet, anyway."
"Well, at least we can relax while we're here right?"
"Yeah."
Abby smirked.
"What Kerr and Flint did is a PR nightmare. I can only imagine the tantrum my dad threw when he found out. No way they come after us in a city again. Even Tiberius isn't crazy enough to piss off my dad."
"But you were?" Green laughed.
"Yup! Fuck him."
They both giggled and Dragonair snickered.
"I'm gonna head down to the beach to train, you wanna come?" Green asked.
"Uh, sorry," Abby looked around at all the staring eyes around them, "I wanna go somewhere quiet to train. There's too many people on the beach."
"Fair enough, no biggie."
"When do you plan on challenging Janine?"
"Probably tomorrow. Gotta get these guys warmed up first, all this ranger stuff has made us neglect training."
"Will one day be enough?"
"Nah, I wanna scout her out first. Figure I learn more if I stand a little bit of a chance."
"Fair enough, good luck!"
"Thanks," Green giggled.
Green hesitated before offering Abby a hug. At once, Abby accepted and they gave each other a firm squeeze. Strangely, that bittersweet feeling reared its head again. Green elected to ignore it and did her best to enjoy the moment. After their hug, Green reached over and pet Dragonair.
"Keep her safe, big guy."
"Air." Dragonair nodded and his eyes flickered purple.
Green got up and released Machoke from his Pokéball. On release, he stretched and yawned before greeting her with a sleepy smile.
"Ma?"
"Morning, buddy. You ready to do some training?"
"Ma!" Machoke pounded his chest.
"Well, come on then!"
Green made her towards the exit and Machoke followed close behind. Each of his slow, long strides thudded heavily beneath his weight. Green glanced over her shoulder to give Abby a parting smile but instead caught Nurse Joy staring hungrily. At first, she thought Joy was checking her out but it quickly became apparent that her gaze was on Machoke. She giggled and nudged him with her elbow.
"Looks like you've got a fan."
Machoke looked back. Joy smirked and raised her eyebrows at him.
"Ma…" Machoke blushed and clutched the back of his head.
"What do you think? You gonna hit that?"
Machoke shrugged and put his arm around Green's shoulder.
As soon as Green stepped foot outside, she was being yelled at. Of all people, Jackson was running down the street, finger pointed accusingly at her.
"You!" He shouted. "Don't you dare! No way you're beating Janine before me!"
"Hey, Jackson," Green laughed.
"Don't laugh this is serious! We're even on badges now and I don't plan on lagging behind anymore!"
"Well you're in luck, cause I'm not going to Janine, I'm going to the beach to train. Something you should probably be doing too."
"Of course, you'd need to train. If I'm not mistaken, you've only beat Brock and Erika the first time. You'd lose for sure if you didn't."
"Didn't you lose to Brock?"
"Shut up! I'm on a four gym win-streak! You're only on one!"
"Well, you're gonna be on a no-win, win-streak if you don't train."
"I'm more than prepared! See ya in Seafoam, from ahead!"
Jackson ran off and Machoke shot Green a puzzled look.
"Did he even heal his Pokémon?" Green asked.
Machoke shrugged and they both laughed as they headed off for the beach.
According to the map, Fuchsia beach was south of the city in an isolated out-cove. What the map failed to convey, however, was the distance. What Green had assumed would be at most a twenty-minute walk ended up taking over an hour. The decision to go barefoot would end up being an unfortunate one as the sun baked the stone paths. The walk became an agonising game of leaping and dashing between patches of shade. At least the streets were clean, Green supposed. The whole way there, Green felt like the clueless country girl that she was. Whenever she had wanted to go for a swim, or lounge on the sand, all she needed to do was follow the dirt path that split Pallet down the middle. No scalding hot stone and no amused, mocking stares. So when they finally arrived Green buried her feet in the sand. It was smooth as silk and as cool as a gentle stream beneath the surface. Green sighed as she took in the beach.
Abby had been right, the beach was crowded. People littered the shores as a thick clump in the middle while only dotting the beach's sides. They rested beneath the sun on towels, played in the sand and swam in the gorgeous, vast expanse of blue sea. White foam sprayed against the rocks that made up the beach's flanks. The rocks were tall, fearsome things the size of houses. Green decided on finding her own spot before getting out of her clothes. Squeezing through the crowd reminded her of Vermillion's streets. She was too short to be noticed by people amidst their fun, so it was up to Machoke to clear their path. He did so gently, with small nudges to people's backs or shoulders. The crowd parted and Green eventually made it to a less dense area. The crowd would get in the way of her training and she didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone.
Once settled, Green swung off her bag and got out her towel. She placed her belt on it and paused, hands prepared to lift her shirt. It felt oddly scandalous, undressing like this. A stupid thought for sure, after all, literally right beside her was a group of girls in swimsuits just like hers. She shook her head and banished the dumb thought before lifting her shirt over her head, followed by kicking off her pants. The sea breeze hit her with a soothing chill, washing over her midriff, shoulders and legs. After a moment, Green glanced around. Lingering, desiring gazes made herself aware of every inch of skin showing. Her heart raced and a small grin inched onto her lips. But, she ignored the urge to go and flirt with some of the admittedly very attractive people looking at her and instead picked up her belt.
"Alright, Machoke listen up. Let's-"
"Hey, you a trainer?"
A muscular man in nothing but shorts approached her with a hunger in his eyes.
"Yes, but I'm not int-"
"Same! Lemme help ya train, I've got three badges you know. I could give ya some pointers."
"No thanks, I-"
"Come on, babe. You really gonna be rude to me like that?"
"I have more badges than you, I don't need your help!" She shouted.
Anyone who wasn't looking at her was now. The man narrowed his eyes at her, he studied her closely. Machoke stepped in between them and loomed over the man. He took a step back, eyes wide and pointed at her.
"Hey! I know you! You're the chick who attacked that ranger. You're a fucking criminal!"
The people around them turned to face her.
"Yeah, it is! Green Isamu, Red's sister!"
Accusing gazes were accompanied by harsh whispering. The motion of the beach crowd seemed to freeze in place.
"You should be in jail!" The man in shorts yelled.
"Yeah!" One of the girls beside her yelled.
"Come on then! I'll defend the honour of the Indigo Plateau!" The man unclipped a pokéball from his shorts.
"Ma…"
Machoke began to step forward but Green caught his arm.
"No!" She hissed.
Green gathered up her stuff and dragged Machoke away. He obliged and followed but didn't take his eyes off the man.
"Slut!" He yelled.
Machoke tore away from Green and marched back.
"Machoke!?" He slammed his chest.
"Come on, big guy! You wanna thrown down?! My team's taken on way stronger than you!"
Another man came up behind him and grabbed the man's arm.
"Nathan, dude stop…"
Nathan shook him off and held out his pokéball.
"Raticate, go!"
The hoard of accusation and dissent peeled back, opening up the beach. Clearly, there was no avoiding this, Green thought. She dropped her bag and readied her belt. Without command, Machoke charged forward, fists ablaze with orange fire.
"Quick attack!" Nathan yelled.
"Counter!"
With a boom, Raticate flashed white and blinked on top of Machoke. His teeth were bared and glowing white. They sunk into his chest. Machoke didn't so much as flinch. His head became veiled in orange fire and he headbutted Raticate down into the sand. There was a sickening crunch as Raticate's back broke. He screeched, squealed and cried as he lay motionless embedded in the sand. Not a single hint of mercy crossed Machoke's face as he lifted his foot, veiled it orange and stomped Raticate. Sand exploded high into the air, mixed with blood. Once the cloud cleared, Raticate more resembled a popped balloon than a Pokémon. Green's stomach churned.
"Machoke! Hold back!"
"Don't you dare!"
Nathan returned what remained of Raticate at once, then tossed out his last Pokéball.
"Fearow, go!"
The huge, brown bird materialised in the sky with an ear-splitting screech. Light blue flames engulfed his wings. Green returned Machoke before he did any more damage.
"Stop this! You're not strong enough, you're putting your Pokémon in danger!"
"Shut up and fight! Bitch!"
Green groaned and released Electabuzz. A wild gleam flashed through Electabuzz's eyes as he laid eyes upon Fearow. He began to whirr his arms, creating two sparking circles of yellow electricity. Nathan smirked.
"Drill Run!"
The light blue flames engulfing Fearow's wings flared and spread across his whole body. With a single flap, the sky exploded with a ring of shimmering light blue energy. Fearow rocketed out to sea, flying miles and miles in the blink of an eye. He looped, swooped and began to return mere feet above the water. The light-blue flames turned brown. Hard, brown light formed around his beak into a whirring cone. The light-drill let off so much heat that the ocean turned to steam beneath him.
"Thunder," Green said.
"Buzz!"
Electabuzz looked to the sky and his eyes erupted with yellow flames. A high-pitched sound began to whine as dark clouds swirled above the sea. A moment passed. Fear approached rapidly. Another moment passed. Fearow got close to shore. The water flashed yellow and a deafening rumble roared. A huge yellow bolt struck Fearow from above. Fearow's screech overpowered the boom of thunder. He hit the water, blackened by scorched, jagged streaks. Fearow skimmed across the ocean for a few moments before being consumed by a crashing wave. He lay in the shallows, smouldering as waves swept over his unconscious body. Green returned Electabuzz without a word. Silence fell upon the beach. Nathan tossed his pokéball into the air and it zipped off to Fearow.
"You should be ashamed to be Red's sister! You're no hero! Criminal!"
Green reattached Electabuzz's ball and left, taking great effort to swallow her pride. She knew what she was. It didn't matter what they thought. But still, Green couldn't bring herself to meet the scornful looks that followed her as she left. Green walked the length of the beach until there was hardly a person in sight, and then even further. The walls of giant rocks forced her to stop. In between, two of the rocks was a gap that Green swore was large enough for her to fit through. She approached cautiously and peeked through. Beyond the rocks was an isolated area walled by looming rocks. It was as if someone had taken a beach, shrunk it to a tenth of its size and hidden it away. She had misjudged the gap. Crawling in didn't work, her hips caught on the sides and the rock scraped her shoulders. She tried turning sideways but it was too short, even for her. So, she cried crouching slightly while turning to the side. The rock scraped her knees and squished her breasts to her chest, but it worked, she got through.
The air somehow smelt sweeter on the little beach. Green found a small boulder embedded in the sand and lay down her towel, bag and baggy clothes. Then, she sat on the boulder and looked out at the crashing waves. She sniffled and let her eyes moisten. Crying wasn't an option, Green decided. That'd be giving them what they want. She looked down at herself, at her bikini. Maybe it was a bit small. After all, she had gotten it a few years ago, maybe her body had outgrown it, she admitted.
"Stop that," she hissed to herself, "you're letting him get to you."
She hopped off the boulder and snatched Machoke's ball from her belt. There was training to do. When Green released Machoke, the first thing she saw was the two puncture wounds on his chest.
"Oh, god…"
Green placed her hand on his chest and looked the wounds over. Dry blood streaked down his chest in two, thick streaks. The holes had stopped weeping but they were still teeming with wet blood. Machoke put his hand on hers.
"Ma…" He whispered.
"I didn't bring any potions, I wasn't planning on battling. Sorry, buddy. Maybe we should go back and-'
"Machoke."
Machoke shook his head and smiled at her.
"Don't act like you're fine. I can see you're not."
Machoke huffed and chuckled.
"Ma?" He gestured to his wound, "Ma!" He flexed his arm.
"Dumbass, what if it gets infected?" A smile crept onto Green's lips.
"Ma."
"Don't, 'ma', me. You'll get sick."
Machoke shrugged and Green shook her head with a giggle.
"I'm not gonna change your mind, am I?"
Machoke shook his head before placing his hands on her lower back. He pulled her in and Green sighed.
"Okay, fine. But don't complain if you get sick."
"Choke."
Machoke lifted her and kissed her, Green hung onto his shoulders as they kissed. She broke it and Machoke went for another but she stopped him with a light touch to his chin.
"We're here to train, remember?"
"Ma…" Machoke complained.
"There'll be plenty of time later, I wanna be ready for our first attempt with Janine tomorrow. We've been too distracted lately."
Machoke narrowed his eyes.
"Ma?"
"Later?"
Machoke nodded.
"Maybe," she said.
She giggled and gave him a peck, and he relented. Once on the ground, Green patted the boulder.
"You know the drill, let's keep practising your Iron Defence."
While Machoke got set up before the boulder, Green released Graveler. He exclaimed as soon as he saw her. His eyes widened, looking her up and down with alarm. Green laughed and patted his head.
"It's just a swimsuit, buddy."
"G-Grav."
If Graveler could blush he would have, Green knew.
"We're doing steel training, buddy. Give Machoke a hand, okay?"
"G-Grav."
Graveler veiled both pairs of his arms in brown flame. He raised them, and as if puppeting an invisible puppet, manipulated sand. A section of the sand before him glowed brown and raised into the air. It clumped together into a sphere. Graveler closed all four hands into fists and the sphere erupted into brown flames. The sand compressed and turned to stone. Graveler placed the new boulder beside Machoke's and joined his side.
"Grav?"
"Ma." Machoke nodded.
Graveler gestured to his chest and took a deep breath. He placed his two upper hands on the boulder and exhaled. The boulder burst into brown flames. Machoke copied, taking a deep breath and placing his hands on his boulder. As he exhaled, brown sparks shot from his hands. Then, both his arms and the boulder burst into brown flames. Graveler nodded, then shut his eyes. He furrowed his rocky brow and dug his fingers into the blazing boulder. Silver sparks shot from his hand. Then, the brown flames turned silver. Steel flooded from his hands and crawled over the surface of the boulder. Once it was completely covered, Graveler sighed and stepped back. The flames snapped away, leaving the boulder as a mound of metal.
"Your turn, Machoke," Green said.
Machoke shut his eyes. The muscles in his forearms tensed and bulged. Veins popped along his grey skin and his brown furrowed. After a moment, the boulder cracked beneath his fingers and they embedded into it. He strained further and a single sliver spark shot from his hand. Then another and another, then a shower of them. Machoke grunted and the brown flames flickered over to silver. Steel inched from Machoke's fingers, crawling at a painstaking rate over the boulder. With each hand on either side of the boulder, it took what felt like a lifetime for the steel to even get near to making any worthwhile progress. By the time Machoke's enormous stamina reserves had reached their limit and a bit beyond, two large circles of steel covered the boulder, leaving a thick gap of stone between them. Machoke gasped and dropped his arms. The silver flames snapped away. He gave a frustrated shout and kicked the boulder.
"Hey, calm down. You haven't even checked yet."
"Ma…"
Machoke stood and engulfed his hand in orange flame. He chopped the boulder, splitting it cleanly in two. He picked up one half and inspected its cross-section. A tiny, penny-sized circle of steel had managed to connect through the boulder. Machoke huffed and dropped the half. Green patted his arm.
"See, you got it all the way through. You're making progress. This isn't going to happen quickly. Crosstyping you into steel is already a big ask. The fact you can even manifest it at all is impressive enough."
"Grav!" Graveler agreed.
Machoke half smiled.
"That's better." Green kissed his shoulder. "Keep it up, okay?"
He nodded and gave her waist a squeeze. Green pecked him on the shoulder before turning her attention to Graveler. He was watching them, twiddling his lower hands.
"As for you, let's keep working on turning your body to steel."
"Grav!"
Graveler's nervous look was suddenly replaced by a confident one. He stretched out his hands and engulfed them in brown flames. Then, he concentrated and the flames turned silver. Steel flashed across his arms, turning his arms to solid metal from fingers to elbow.
"Hey! Nice work! Were you practising in your ball? That's way better than before!"
"Grav grav," Graveler beamed sheepishly.
"How far can you go?"
Graveler concentrated again. The flames leapt past his shoulders and crept onto his body. The steel followed, inching across his stomach where his lower arms ended, and his sides where his upper arms ended. He groaned and silver sparks popped around his eyes. The steel grew a few inches from his arm sockets but not further. Graveler sighed and the flames extinguished.
"Great work, keep working on it okay? I reckon you'll cover yourself by the end of the day."
"G-Graveler!"
Graveler clenched his fists and nodded.
"That's the spirit, cutie."
Green kissed the top of his head, despite the dirt and mud. The look of elation on his face made Green giggle. Next, Green released the rest of her Pokémon all at once. Primeape howled as soon as he saw her. He charged her, his wild eyes locked on her chest. As he went to grasp for them, Green slammed an open palm into his forehead.
"No! We're here to train!" She boomed.
"Prime…." Primeape growled, still eyeing her body.
"You'll listen or you'll go back in your ball."
Primeape lifted his eyes and narrowed them at her. He stood tall and loomed over her. Green kept a stern face. He huffed, blowing hot air into her face. Green didn't flinch.
"Ape…" Primeape huffed.
He turned from her and approached a boulder. Orange fire engulfed his fist and he smashed it into shards. Meanwhile, Electabuzz watched with a look of bewilderment. His eyes were too fixed on Green's body, scanning it up and down. Their eyes met and he immediately looked away.
"It's basic training for you, Electabuzz. Speed, strength, stamina, everything. Don't think you're on fifth gym level just cause you evolved."
"B-Buzz!" He nodded.
"Primeape!" Green yelled.
Primeape gave her his attention.
"Work using your fighting energy for speed. Empower your legs, high jumps, long leaps, front, back and side to side. I don't want you relying on Quick Attack for speed, I need you to be able to aim whilst going fast."
Primeape huffed, seeming disinterested.
"It'll help you learn a new move."
"Ape!"
Primeape sprang to attention.
"I'll show you once you've done fifty of each exercise."
Primeape nodded fiercely and got to work right away. His legs burst into orange flames and he started jumping. Each jump shook the ground with a boom and sent him high into the sky. Probably about fifty feet, Green reckoned. Electabuzz got to work too. He set up by the water's edge and revved his arms. A high-pitched whine filled the air with each thunderbolt he charged. He fired them off into the ocean. Each time a bolt struck the water, hundreds of tiny bolts snaked along the surface, making the water glow yellow. Meanwhile, Tyrogue had separated from the rest. He was by the wall of rocks, gazing up at one. As he pressed his hand against it, orange lines spread across the surface in jagged bolts. They glowed fiercely, basking him in orange light. Tyrogue grinned.
"Hey buddy, you ready to do some training?"
Tyrogue flashed her a glance before turning back to the rock. He made it glow again. This time, he frowned. Again and again, he made it glow, getting more and more frustrated each time. Green crouched beside him.
"Are these how Tyrogue evolve?"
"Rogue."
He nodded.
"Well if it's not working now, probably means we need to get you stronger."
"Ty!"
He faced her and nodded.
"That'll be your goal then. Don't worry about the others. They're training for an important fight. But you won't be in it, not unless you evolve."
Tyrogue nodded again.
"Now, which do you want to be? A Hitmonlee or a Hitmonchan?"
"Rogue…"
Tyrogue shrugged.
"Fair enough, no one knows who they wanna be straight away."
A small, half-smirk appeared on Tyrgoue's face.
"How about we go smash some rocks, huh?"
"Rogue!"
He took off in an instant and picked his victim. Orange sparks spat from his feet as he ran, leaving behind glowing orange footprints in the sand. He leapt, somersaulted and slammed the back of his heel down on a boulder. It cracked down the middle with an orange flash and split in two. Tyrogue landed gracefully. He grinned at the destruction and did a celebratory back flip.
"So nimble," Green said to herself.
She approached him and gave him an impressed face.
"Whoa, super strong buddy!"
"Rogue!"
"You like flip?"
Tyrogue beamed and nodded.
"Can you do a rolling kick?"
"Ty?"
"It's a flip kick. So, to do it, you roll head over heels, extend your leg and hit your enemy with the back of your heel while you're upside down."
Tyrogue's eyes lit up. He tried a tumble but ended up collapsing on himself.
"Rogue!"
He punched the sand.
"Try again. Giving up only makes your failure certain."
Tyrogue considered that for a moment before standing. He tried again and failed again. Although he scowled, he glanced at Green and stood.
"Keep at it. Give me a shout if you figure it out or need help."
"Rogue!" He nodded.
The training went on well into the afternoon and even to the beginnings of dusk. Green moved from Pokémon to Pokémon, observing, helping when needed and taking notes of all their improvements. As well as their weakness. Machoke had made considerable progress with steel manipulation. By the time the sky began to warm with infant dusk, he had created his first fully steel boulder. However, when it came to try and use Iron Defence he could only cover the back of his hand. Graveler had made good progress too. It seemed as if they'd made it into a competition, only accelerating their growth. Graveler could now turn his whole body to steel. While that gave him complete immunity to poison and a whole plethora of resistances, it made him even slower. Simply taking a step was a struggle for him. Not to mention that by practically becoming a steel type, he'd lost his resistance to fire and was now weak to it. The form would have its uses, but Green knew applying it to battle would be sketchy. Electabuzz had made perhaps the most progress of them all. He had mastered the weaving of quick attack with other moves easily, his speed had increased considerably and his electric power had at least doubled if not tripled. Although, he still needed to charge before using any, especially Thunder. Primeape had gained the speed Green had been hoping for. He worried her. He was was fully evolved and Green could see him reaching his limit before the end of the challenge. Still, he could now jump, leap, dodge and run almost so fast that Green couldn't see him.
Green sat on a boulder watching Tyrogue with the setting sun to her back. He tumbled again and again and again. By now, he had the tumbling part sorted out but each time he kicked he collapsed. After yet another failure, he struggled to his feet. Green approached and scooped him up gently.
"That's enough for today, okay?"
"Rogue…" he protested.
"There's no rush. Tomorrow is just a scouting challenge, we'll probably come back here to train. And even if we do beat Janine we won't leave until you're evolved."
Green expected him to smile but he didn't. He frowned and looked over at the rocks.
"Rogue…"
"Get some sleep, see you, tomorrow buddy."
Green returned him and then returned his ball to her belt. The rest of her Pokémon had gathered and were sitting in a circle, chatting amongst themselves. Suddenly all at once, they looked at her their eyes dropped to her breasts. The only one not to was Electabuzz who stared at the ground. Green chuckled.
"Perverts."
Graveler gave her a sheepish grin, Machoke laughed and Primeape continued to stare with intent. Green put her hands on her hips.
"Come on, time to get back."
Graveler rolled over to her and pointed to his Pokéball.
"You wanna get some rest?"
"Grav." He nodded.
"Alright." She returned him. "How about the rest of you?"
Machoke shook his head and stood, while Primeape continued to stare. Electabuzz glanced at her but gave no response.
"I know what you want," she said to Primeape. "Not tonight, another time."
Primeape's eyes drooped and his eyes enlarged. Green giggled.
"Sorry, buddy." She returned him.
"Electabuzz? How about you?"
When Green turned her gaze on him, he was looking at her body. Immediately he looked away and stammered.
"E-E-Electabuzz."
He pointed to her belt. Again, Green giggled.
"You're allowed to look, just don't touch without asking. Okay?"
He nodded and glanced at her breasts. She returned him and then all the balls back to her belt.
"Okay, Machoke. Let's get back. I'm beat."
"Ma."
He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. They strolled across the sand. It glowed orange beneath their feet. All around them, the rocks took up the glow. It twinkled faintly, flaring as Machoke approached the wall. He eyed the small hole Green had entered through and cocked his head. He took a step back and looked up at the top of the wall.
"Can you make that?"
"Ma!"
Machoke flexed his arm before crouching. His legs took on orange flames and he leapt over the wall. A thud shook the ground. Then, a scream. Machoke roared with laughter. Quickly, Green squeezed through the entrance. A figure garbed in purple robes was dashing away down the now sparse beach.
"Who was that?"
Machoke shrugged and pulled her to him again. The sight of the person reminded Green of her swimsuit.
"Hold on."
She squeezed out of Machoke's grip and swung off her back. She got out her baggy clothes and chest wrap and got dressed. Machoke gave her a disappointed look.
"Hey. I can't walk through the city in a bikini, people would stare."
Machoke smirked and raised an eyebrow. Green stammered.
"You think I'd like that, wouldn't you?"
Machoke laughed. Green punched his chest which only made him howl with laughter.
"I don't like sex that much, geez."
Machoke shook his head and hugged her to him. Green took hold of his forearm and his hands lowered to her hips. They gazed at one another and without a word, Machoke lifted her. They kissed once and then again, and again and then one long kiss. She could just stop, do nothing and things would take their course. He would take her right there, prying eyes be dammed. The idea excited her but oddly, Green found herself pulling away.
"Let's um, let's get back. It'll be dark soon."
Machoke smiled and put her down.
They walked back to the Pokémon Centre in silence. Inside, they bumped into Jackson in the halls. He looked awful. His face was pale, his eyes sunken and vacant. He was part way through opening his door when Green called to him.
"Hey, you good? You look sick."
"One pokémon."
"What?"
"She beat me with one Pokémon."
Tears brimmed in his eyes and he ducked into his room, slamming the door behind him.