I told you guys I'd get another chapter out in a week. It's another long one, so I hope that you're ready to read... after these optional walls of text.
Anyway, based on reader reviews, people seem cool with elemental pokémon variants, which is great, because I was going to play around with that regardless of whether or not the sixth gen introduced the concept. I'm still on the fence about mega evolutions, but I got time before I need to make a decision. Since items aren't used in battle in this universe, it makes the concept of making your pokémon mega evolve with tech seems a bit… no. Some people have suggested that I do what the anime does by having them mega evolve like Ash-Greninja, which isn't a bad idea (somebody likened it to "unlocking unused pockets of DNA" that allow for temporary evolution, which I think is good). The big issue I have is who I would mega evolve. Right now, Cody has two pokémon with confirmed mega evolutions, and I think having them both mega evolve would be a bit ridiculous, so I'd have to choose. Additionally, is it even worth sticking to mega evolutions for those that are confirmed? Let's say Laurence unlocks it for his Machamp: I'd have to make something up and I don't know if I want to.
Finally, there's Brooke… this is a character who I've been very nervous about debuting. Adding new characters to anything is a risk with fans of the story. It gets even riskier when that character is a love interest. On top of that, some people have told me before via reviews that they didn't like the social drama in this story and that they only want the focus to be on the pokémon… which is a fair desire. But I want to balance both, which is a struggle. I try to have at least one pokémon battle per chapter, but there is going to be a lot of social "stuff" mixed in. So far, I've been lucky that people haven't been complaining about Brooke. Either people are cool with her or they don't like her, but they're just being nice. I'm open to constructive feedback about the character, so long as you're nice about it. But enough of me talking.
Cody: Bastion (Wartortle), Colossal (Pupitar), Elesa (Zebstrika), Antonia (Skarmory), Cortez (Lampent), Reflet (Eevee)
Heather: Somnos (Poliwhirl), Feathers (Pidgeotto), Nadine (Nidorina), Bella (Gloom), Smaug (Vibrava), Crescent (Lunatone)
Jared: Charmeleon, Servine, Feraligatr, Haunter, Fearow, Onix
Chapter 46: Two Chases
Brooke hadn't heard anything pertinent from Michelle since reporting to her about the Regice. No information on why the discovery was so important and why her supervisor had been so frantic. Soon, she was back into the routine. Things weren't too boring though. Admittedly, Brooke knew she was high-maintenance and she didn't care for camping, but she simultaneously loved being outside again. It wasn't like she had a choice though with this job, but that was okay. She was battling again, actually picking up one win against a newer trainer, which was fun. Cody was fun to be around, and his friends were okay. That being said, she didn't talk with the other two all that much.
She had tried talking with Heather a few times, but she sensed a bit of resistance. She theorized that maybe it had to do with her and Cody having had some sort thing for each other at some point, but she didn't know for sure. Cody wasn't comfortable talking about that and she knew that asking Heather could push her away even further. Luckily, it wasn't information she needed to have, but she wanted it anyway for curiosity's sake. Plus, it was good to know everything possible about the target.
However, she still couldn't get Cody to talk about the Brotherhood. That was one of her goals, after all: figure out Cody's current perception of the Brotherhood and assess whether or not he posed any sort of threat. Unfortunately, he would never bring it up on his own, and she wasn't allowed to. The existence of the Brotherhood was still mostly a secret, as the only people who knew it existed were the Brotherhood members themselves, I.I.'s CEOs, and anybody who got in the way. If she mentioned the Brotherhood directly, there was a chance that Cody would put two and two together and figure out that she was one of them. Since he was offered recruitment, he knew people his age were involved with the organization, and if he was paranoid like his dossier suggested, he might assume she was involved. She could lie and say that they were watching her too, but that was still a risk. The only thing she could really do was listen. She had brought up the Haven Houses several times, as they were becoming commonplace now, and according to his file's description about what he knew about the Brotherhood, he knew the kitchens were a subsidiary and recruitment bases for the organization. However, mentioning them never elicited a significant response.
Today, she had a new approach: Jared. She had barely any conversations with him and he seemed perpetually disinterested with her. So she decided to talk with him and see what she could find out. She wasn't expecting much though, as she knew he wasn't talkative. She knew a few other things about him overall through Cody and Heather. He was her age, a talented trainer (the group's best), a Baptist, and he was constantly working to eventually gain custody of his little sister. A respectable person, albeit not incredibly interesting in her opinion.
When she found him that afternoon at the rest stop, he was busy with his Onix. The huge pokémon was initially terrifying, but outside of battle, he was a gentle giant. Jared was sitting by his pokémon with a polishing cloth, cleaning every crevice as the rock snake sat there quietly. He had an open bottle with black cream inside that he occasionally dabbed the cloth in.
"Hey, whatcha doin'?" She knelt down next to him, and smiled, but the look she received… a bit annoyed.
"Hey Brooke." He immediately focused back on his pokémon. "It's polishing day."
"Polishing day?"
"Yup. Every pokémon should be cleaned from time to time. I do this once a week with Onix here."
"But why would you need to clean an Onix? He's just a bunch of rocks, right?"
"Like I said, every pokémon. Even with pokémon like Grimer and Muk, you have to make sure they have the proper pH balance or they'll get sick. Besides, I'm doing more than just cleaning. Take a look." He handed Brooke the bottle of polish. The label read "Onix Polish Plus".
"What's this? I don't get it."
"Onix Polish is good for a healthy coat, basically. But more than that, it contains additional minerals that will advance his evolution."
She looked at the bottle, puzzled. "That will help him evolve?"
"Exactly," Jared answered, smiling some as he took the bottle back. He seemed to relish in the fact that somebody took interest in his work. "See, it typically takes decades for a wild Onix to evolve into a Steelix. Pokémon typically evolve quicker when they're trained, though not always, depending on the species, method of evolution, and the individual pokémon. When with a trainer, an Onix will evolve into a Steelix after about ten years or so. But if I apply this metal coating to him on a weekly basis, giving him the essential minerals he needs, the time is cut by about eight years, which is incredible. This guy… sometime in the winter, he should evolve if we're lucky."
"Wow." Brooke was amazed. She touched the side of the Onix, which had been heated by the summer sun.
"I'm sure you didn't come over here to listen to me talk about my chores," Jared answered, focusing back on his work. "Did you need to talk to me about anything in particular?"
"Actually, yeah. I asked Cody about-"
"If this is about Cody," he interrupted, "I'm staying out of it. I'm sure he's told you about our newest truce?"
"Look, I just wanted to know about why he doesn't sleep well-"
"Ask Cody, because I don't know."
"Okay… I know he's uncomfortable about talking about it, so-"
"Or ask Heather, if he won't talk to you. She…" he scowled, "she might know..."
She could sense something off in his tone. "Does that bother you? That she might know?"
"No, why would that bother-" He dropped the polish cloth and turned a suspicious eye to Brooke. "What's your deal?"
"I have no deal. I just know you and her are dating and she spends a lot of time with him, so-"
"No, it doesn't bother me. I mean, why would it? She's allowed to have friends." He shook his head. "Look, what I'm doing isn't interesting. I think Cody went fishing, so maybe he needs some help."
"Fishing?" Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that he's not a vegetarian?"
"Of course he isn't," Jared answered, rolling his eyes. "He's been sneaking beef jerky all week." He turned back to the Onix and kept polishing, so she took that as her cue to leave.
"Fine, fine. I'll see you later, Jared."
She knew Cody wasn't a vegetarian from the moment that he blurted out that he was, but that didn't bother her. Jared however… he was incredibly defensive about the topic of Cody and Heather. So much so, that his good mood seemed to drop the moment she brought it up. Really though, she had little reason to care about him. In a few weeks, he would be out of the picture anyway. However, his agitation suggested that Cody and Heather were closer than he would have liked. She would have to start talking with Heather more. It was a longshot, but perhaps she'd have information that would be relevant. Or not. At this point, she was looking for anything she could report back to Michelle. This mission wasn't exactly turning over anything as juicy as she would have hoped.
"Dibs."
"What do you mean dibs?"
Cody sighed, and took a deep breath. "Jared, when somebody calls dibs, it means that they're claiming-"
"I know what dibs means!" Jared hissed loudly, though not loud enough to scare away what they were looking at. They were all crouched behind a bush, looking at the interesting pokemon that they had found. "You can't call dibs on this!"
"What, why not? I've done it before!" he whispered back.
"Because you can't call dibs in this situation!"
"Why the hell not?"
"Because maybe I want it!" Jared whispered back, his agitation expanding.
"Or maybe I want it," Heather chimed in in a whisper from the other side of Jared.
"Not you too," Cody groaned. "And you," he directed back at Jared, "you said that you were happy with the number of pokémon that you have right now. I'm the one who had to give up on catching that Zangoose because I didn't have a place to send it until the research center accepted me! I need to catch something. I need to catch this!"
"Do you even know what the word "need" means, you-"
"I don't get why you guys are fighting over a bug-type," Brooke said, finally breaking her silence. "Bugs are gross. Besides, that one is ugly. Look at the color-scheme."
"Good lord, the color-scheme is why they're fighting over it and why I want it," Heather clarified, her tone now being infected by the present agitation.
"But why? A dirt-brown, puke-green bug-type? Ugh, I don't get it. At least the other two look a little nicer."
"Okay, Brooke, let me explain." He dug through his pack and pulled out his handbook and flipped to the page he was looking for. "Aside from nuances in coloration, a Venipede is typically red with a dark-green abdomen. Sure, you have a few that differ in color. Maybe one is a bit more red or a bit purple, but this one is special. According to this book, we're looking at a shiny." He pointed back at the three bugs that were foraging in the loam for even smaller bugs. Two of the Venipede had regular coloration, but the third stood out like a sore thumb. Like the other two, it had yellow eyes with a slanted brow, two long antenna, a hump-like protrusion for a back, two additional feelers on its rear, and dark circles on its sides. It was supported by multiple, short legs.
"Shiny?" Brooke asked. "What do you mean? Like a different color pokémon? Like your Lampent?"
"No, not quite," Cody continued. "Shiny pokémon are incredibly rare. See, pokémon come in multiple colors, depending on their genetics, the region they're found in, and so on. Cortez is gold-colored, but that's supposedly based on specific circumstances. But shiny pokémon like that…" He nodded towards the brown Venipede. "Shiny pokémon are of a unique coloring that is never found otherwise and can't be replicated through breeding. Additionally, their skin or fur are unique, as they shimmer in the sun. See?" Sure enough, the Venipede's carapace was sparkling, unlike his companions, whose skin only reflected the light somewhat. "They're very rare though. On top of the condition being uncommon, shiny pokémon in the wild are often picked off by predators because they stick out like sore thumbs. Maybe this one blended in with the dirt well enough."
Brooke nodded, smiling. "So it's rare. I get it. You should capture it. You did see it first."
"Not if I capture it first," Jared shot back, softly, as not to alert the pokémon. "He may have saw it first, but I identified it as a shiny before anyone else."
"Hello, we wouldn't have seen it at all if I hadn't suggested we stop here for dinner!" Heather whispered loudly. "I want it!"
"Then we're at an impasse…" Cody groaned, shaking his head. There was no way he would back down from this. He had been wanting a good bug pokémon for awhile now, and this Venipede was it. He hadn't seen any in the wild until then, but he remembered Izzy's Whirlipede, a pokémon that he thought was cool. And the final evolution… he would be relentless in capturing this one. "I'm going to catch that thing right now."
"If you try, I'm not going to sit back and let you do it," Jared retorted, picking a pokeaball off his belt. "I'm capturing it."
"Oh, are we doing this now?" Heather quickly took a pokeball in her hands as well. "I'm down!"
"Me too!" Brooke exclaimed under her breath, pulling a pokeball of her own.
"Hey, you said you hate bugs!" Cody stated, kind of annoyed at her sudden change of heart.
She winked at him, giving him another cute smile. "I do. But if I catch it, I'll give it to you."
"Hey, not fair!" Heather said, suppressing her urge to shout.
"The lady can do whatever she wants with her pokémon!" Cody shot back, grinning the smuggest grin imaginable. The odds were in his favor now and he'd take whatever he could get.
"So… en garde?" Jared asked, readying his throwing arm. "I mean, if-"
"Go! Get the brown one!" Cody had already released Antonia into the clearing. He was willing to play dirty to catch this rare Venipede.
"Skreeeeeeeeeee!" The beautiful, steel bird let out her cry and the three Venipede cowered in her presence, each of them making a series of clicking noises. They would start running soon if they didn't act fast. The Skarmory flew towards the bugs, who scattered in multiple directions.
"Mean Look!"
The three bugs tried to flee, but each direction they tried to run, the crazed face of a purple ghost popped up, laughing like a madman. They couldn't escape and when the reality set in, Jared's Haunter emerged next to Antonia. The ghost had gotten huge since his evolution, as he was a giant face with two hands that floated next to his body. Jared seemed to have gotten over his dislike for ghosts, as this being had grown incredibly tough. Next, Somnos the Poliwhirl and Goro the Pancham were released into the clearing. The four pokémon were more than a match for the three Venipede, but Cody knew that this would be more complicated than a straight battle or catch. His mind was already whirling with ideas on how he'd have to win this.
"Hypnosis!" Heather called out first. Somnos ran forward and began spinning the swirled pattern on his stomach. Two of the Venipede, including the shiny one, escaped, but the third was entranced into a state of slumber. Of the two that got away, Goro tackled the non-shiny one and began wailing on it. It was just the shiny one now, and by the grace of Arceus, it dodged Antonia's first hit. Haunter took advantage of the first dodge and struck the shiny bug with a Shadow Punch. It wasn't strong enough to take the Venipede out, but it did knock it dizzy.
"Let's end this," Jared shouted, and threw a pokeball.
"Steel Wing!" Cody ordered, and just as the pokeball opened up to absorb the brown Venipede, the iron bird struck it at the hinge with her wing, shattering it.
"Are you kidding me?" Jared roared, turning his reddened face to Cody. "Those things aren't cheap, you know!"
"Hey, no rules against that," he laughed.
"Then there's no rule against this. Shadow Punch!" On command, Haunter punched Antonia in the face with his shadowy fist. The Skarmory let out an ear-splitting screech before ramming her body into the big, purple pokémon's face. But then, she was punched again, this time by Somnos. But before the frog could strike again, Goro tackled the much bigger pokémon. All the while, the three Venipede stared, unsure of what was going on anymore. It was in this confusion that Brooke took advantage and threw the only empty pokeball she owned... and it hit the wrong Venipede.
"Damn it!" she shrieked, clenching her fist as the ball began wiggling. "Cody, I'm sorry, I tried to-"
"No, it's okay. Just keep up the pressure!" He was focused on his Skarmory, who was fighting off both Somnos and Antonia now, as Somnos had just blasted the tiny Pancham away with a searing Scald. Of course they're teaming up against me now. He could have thrown another pokémon into the mix to even the odds, but he wouldn't, knowing that he needed to divide his attention between his pokémon and the shiny Venipede, who was currently outrunning the burned Goro. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pokeball that Brooke had thrown had stopped wiggling. She had just caught a pokémon that she didn't want to begin with.
Okay, time eliminate the opposition. "Bring the Haunter down!"
Antonia flew at the ghost, who made himself intangible at the last second before trapping the Skarmory in a Night Shade. Meanwhile, Somnos landed a Body Slam on the shiny Venipede. He only hit the bug's abdomen, but it was enough to slow the shiny down for a moment.
"Alright, my turn!" Heather chucked a pokeball at the shiny Venipede and unlike Jared's ball, the light poured out of it and swallowed up the target. However, that was as far as she got, as the injured Goro used the last of his strength to rip the ball open with his bare paws, releasing the bug again.
"Not cool!" Heather shouted, shooting a venomous glare at Brooke.
"All's fair!" Cody reminded her in aggressive glee. By now, Antonia had broken free from the Night Shade void, completely pissed off. With all her force, she slashed the Haunter right in the face. Jared's ghost was strong, but not as strong as the ironclad beast who knocked him out. The moment the purple spectre fell, the remaining two Venipede ran away from the clearing.
"Cody, you idiot!" Jared barked, raising both fists in fury. "Haunter was the only thing keeping those Venipede from running until you ordered Antonia to take him out! Now nobody gets to capture it!"
"Speak for yourself!" Cody replied, topping his response with an obnoxious wink. "Antonia, follow it!"
"Skreeeee!" The bird flew up to the height of the trees and began flying straight through the canopy after the Venipede.
Cody, grinning from ear to ear, released Elesa into the opening. Quickly, he pulled Brooke over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, before hopping on his Zebstrika, pack and all. "Sorry guys! Wish me luck!" With a quick tap of his heels to the zebra's side, he signaled her to run into the thicket.
It didn't take long for Elesa to catch up with Antonia, who flew a few yards above them, but he knew that this couldn't go on forever. Elesa wasn't used to carrying him for long distances, and with the inclusion of his gear, the weight would drain her quickly. Meanwhile, despite all the attacks it took, the shiny Venipede kept running. As it seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, it was almost as if the little pokémon was getting faster and faster as it ran. Whatever the case, the day had been mundane and now it was amazing. Chasing a shiny pokémon was something that not every trainer would have the chance to do and he would chase the Venipede to the ends of the earth if he had to, just so he could rub it in Jared's face.
What the...? Oh shit! "Elesa, slow down!" He tugged at her mane, which slowed her down.
"Neeeiiiiiigh!" She skidded to a halt at the edge of the thicket right next to a wide trail. The trail itself wasn't why he stopped but what was on it. Looking up and down the trail, he saw a magnificent sight: dozens of Torterra, extending far beyond his vision going up and down the path. The gargantuan tortoises, each with towering trees on their backs and giant ridges on the edges of their shells, walked slowly down the trail, their steps causing a noticeable rumble below Elesa's feet. Gargantuan... that was an understatement. Some of them ranged between seven to nine feet tall, and that was only the shell, not including the rocky-ridges on the edges. The trees on their backs grew even taller. Between the beasts walked the much smaller Grotle and even smaller Turtwig, though they were less impressive.
Oh wait. Cody reached backwards into his pack for the map. Unfolding it, he remembered where they were: the Eastern-Torterra Trail, one of three in Skitrex. They had passed the central and western trails in the past year, but they had never seen a Torterra or its pre-evolutions, aside from a few trainers who had them. Since there was only one herd per trail, they were pretty easy to miss, despite how large they were, as the trails ran for hundreds of miles.
A large Torterra with a towering pine tree on its back stopped mid-trail and looked at Cody and Elesa. "Rooooooh." It's low-pitched roar was one of indifference. Torterra were generally peaceful creatures, as in the wild, there was little that could harm them, especially when they traveled in large herds. The awesomely-sized beast began walking again, unwilling to hold up the tortoises behind it. Following right behind it were a few Turtwig, one of which had a thick scar over it's right eye. Like the Torterra before him, the tiny, scarred tortoise tried to roar, but it was more of a bark.
"So… let's go between them?" He hopped off his Zebstrika's back and gave her a reassuring pat in the nose. She nuzzled him playfully in return and he felt his hair rise even higher. Everytime he rode his pokémon, she charged him up with static electricity. He just wished there was somebody nearby he could poke with a static-filled finger. Carefully, he led the zebra between the slow-walking tortoises and none of them seemed to mind. Thankfully, they didn't see them as a threat.
"Skreeeeeeeeeee!"
"That's our cue!" As soon as the boy and his pokémon were off the train again, he hopped on her back again and she galloped up a short, steep cliff and they continued through the woods. The screech did not sound like it was from too far away, so Antonia did not get much farther than them since they lost her. She must have had the bug cornered.
"Just a bit further! I- Whoah!" After leaping through another set of trees, Elesa flew into a deep gulch. She landed on her feet, but the landing hurt her rider. Cody struggled to slip off his electric horse, wincing in pain. He shook it off, trying to figure out where he was. "What the…" The gulch was completely barren, stripped away of all grass, trees, and rocks. What it was filled with: holes. There were holes everywhere of various sizes, some only a foot in diameter, and others that looked big enough to fit one of the Torterra that they had just passed. In the middle of it all was his Skarmory, who stood still, staring into one of the biggest holes of all.
"Hey, is it in there?"
Antonia didn't seem to hear him. Instead, she extended her neck horizontally and growled. In the same moment, Elesa let out a stressed whinny, rearing up on her back hooves while waving her front legs. Something was wrong. Below his feet, he felt another low rumble, and this time, it wasn't the Torterra.
"Tlock tlock tlock." A clicking noise bounced off the earth.
He saw a Venipede emerge from one of the small holes. It wasn't the shiny one they were chasing, but it had come out to see who had entered the gulch. Then another Venipede appeared from another hole. And another, and then a dozen more. And then several dozen after that.
Shit. They were surrounding him, though they were all still pretty far away, all clicking at him en masse. Then, from the somewhat bigger holes emerged roughly a dozen Whirlipede. The much larger nymphs were shaped more like big, purple wheels, each adorned with red circles on their armor and large, malleable horns extending outwards. Their half-closed yellow eyes staring at Cody, Antonia, and Elesa.
His dread rose further as four titanous, red centipedes emerged from the four biggest holes. The final forms, these Scolipede, stood on four legs, as their other legs were too small. Their maroon armor, adorned with purple circle patterns ran up and down their large bodies, and their lengthy antenna-horns on both their heads and tails looked even sharper than the Whirlipede. The way their eyes looked half-shut made them look perpetually bored, but they were all looking at the intruders. All the bugs were clicking at them now, the biggest of them throating a low, rumbling growl. Cody suddenly remembered that while these centipedes were omnivores, they preferred fresh meat over all.
His mind was running a mile a minute now as he was running through all the scenarios in his head. He wanted to return Elesa to her pokeball, hop on Antonia's back, and fly out of there, but he knew that wouldn't work. The Venipede line was fast, and he knew that if they swarmed him and his Skarmory, they would be torn apart (or at least he would be). Elesa was right next to him, but with the bugs surrounding them, they would swarm her, being that she would be weighed down by Cody's weight and the pack. And unlike his Skarmory, the Zebstrika had no armor to protect her. He only had one option: fight. But that wouldn't be easy. Individually, he knew his strongest pokemon could take any of the wild Scolipede, but these pokémon would be fighting to kill; not for sport. On top of that, it wouldn't be a fair fight with all the pre-evolutions swarming them. And if things weren't hard enough, he only had two pokémon out in that moment. Any sudden moves, and he'd be dead before he drew his next monsters. He needed a distraction and he had one in mind. He was just hoping it would work. If he had a choice, he'd rather not die that day.
He closed his eyes. "Elesa, Flash!"
Even with his eyes closed, he felt the blinding light burn his eyelids. When he finally opened them, he saw that it had worked. Every Venipede, Whirlipede, and Scolipede had been blinded, and now they were all clicking confusedly as they ran and rolled into each other. Since many of them had been underground before coming up to find new prey, the flash of light hurt their vision even further. Unfortunately, Antonia was temporarily blinded as well, but it didn't stop her from randomly slashing her armored-wings at the various bugs in front of her. But Cody knew that he had a moment. He unleashed the rest of the pokémon on his team: Bastion, Colossal, Cortez, and Reflet. Upon release, they were slightly stunned at the current predicament. Although he was probably looking for reassurance, the look that Bastion gave Cody screamed "what have you done this time?". Reflet cowered next to Cody's side, but she would have to fight. They all would.
"Go!" And the battle of the swarm began. All six of his monsters rushed into battle, gaining the upperhand over their blinded foes. But once the centipedes regained their vision, the fight truly began. As the engagement continued, Cody took note of how his pokémon seemed to focus on specific targets.
Ever the blood knights, Antonia and Elesa seemed to be enjoying the dire situation. Antonia especially, as she hacked and slashed through the waves of Venipede and Whirlipede. Her main target, however, was the biggest, baddest Scolipede in the group, whom she fought with a devil-may-care aggression. Given her training and elemental advantage, the Skarmory could have easily beaten the wild beast quickly if it weren't for the swarms of Venipede that continuously hurled themselves at her and latched onto her armor. Their bites couldn't pierce her steel, but they weighed her down enough to be an easy target for the Scolipede. Meanwhile, Elesa was also laying a beat down on her Scolipede of choice, although she had to deal with Whirlipede on the ground. Additionally, she had no armor defense for resisting bug bites, so occasionally, she would light herself with sparks to knock the Venipede off her skin.
Colossal seemed to be less frantic than his team members in this fight, as there was no way any of the bugs could break through his stoney skin. Whenever one of the Scolipede or a cluster of Venipede surrounded or latched onto him, the Pupitar would blast them off with a Dark Pulse or a Stone Edge. He took his time, slowly working the enemies that swarmed him.
In theory, this fight should have been easy for Cortez. His fire attacks should would have allowed him to defeat any of these wild bugs quickly. However, with so many bugs swarming him, the golden Lampent was forced to spend a lot of the fight blasting the minor attackers away from him, as he did not have the endurance that many of his fellow pokémon did, with low defenses and such. Still, every enemy he hit with a Flame Burst had to retreat. His fight with the Scolipede was mostly him dodging, but he made every hit count.
Bastion was just as tough as his comrades, but his smaller size and lack of super-effective moves against bug-types relegated him to crowd control. He danced around the chaos protecting Cody and his fellows from attacks from the smaller bugs. He tended to aim for the Whirlipede, as while they were few in number, they posed a significant threat.
Even Cody was forced into the fight, as occasionally, a Venipede would get close to him and he'd have to kick them away. However, most never got that close, as Reflet was defending her trainer with aggression and determination that he had never seen in her. While she couldn't knock much of a dent into the Whirlipede, she managed to keep multiple Venipede with well-placed Tackles, Quick Attacks, and Take Downs.
Even though he had far more important things to concern himself with, Cody kept scanning the field for that shiny Venipede. Where is it? Where did it- There! Among the masses, he saw the shiny dart by. He followed it circle the field, and he noticed by then that most of the Venipede had retreated back to their holes. The Whirlipede were weakly rolling towards their foes, and the Scolipede were running out of gas. But Cody's monsters were all exhausted by this point. And that was when two fresh Scolipede emerged from the holes, observing what was left of the commotion.
Oh damn it… His pokémon had a decent shot of taking down the two new Scolipede and the rest of the injured Venipede line, but that 5% chance of failure was still scary, as they were exhausted from the swarm. But when the shiny Venipede ran by Antonia, the Skarmory's second wind kicked in. Looking to finish the job, she flew after it in pursuit.
"Skreeeeeeeeeee!"
"Okay, time to run!" As fast as humanly possible, he recalled all of his remaining pokémon, save Elesa. He gave her a quick whistle, and when she arrived at his side, he hopped on and they rode after Antonia. This time, the swarm of centipedes was scattered and too exhausted to attack them as they rode away. However, the two fresh Scolipede, two of the injured ones, and a large collection of exhausted Venipede and Whirlipede gave chase.
Following the Skarmory, Cody kept looking back over his shoulder for his pursuers. He couldn't see them, but he could hear them crashing through the brush and trees, stampeding over the earth. Meanwhile, he could hear Elesa's gasps as she galloped. Not only was she not used to carrying so much weight on her back from both Cody and his gear, but she was covered in welts and bug bites after fighting off the swarms of Venipede, Whirlipede, and the one Scolipede. Clearly, she was running on less than half a tank. As the sounds of the aggressors got closer, the young trainer searched his mind for a new plan. If he had to fight them, he'd be at a severe disadvantage in the woods. Colossal had probably taken the least damage in the swarm battle, but he wasn't powerful enough to hold off all of them. Cortez might be if he was allowed to go all out, but in the previous battle, despite his wicked attitude, he did not want to hurt his trainer or fellow pokémon by erupting the entire gulch in a blazing inferno. And Cody did not want him doing that in the woods. Starting a forest fire would be his last ditch option.
Come on, what should I do? I need something! And then, he unintentionally stumbled across the answer. Elesa leapt out of the thicket again and over the Torterra trail, over even the tallest of the Torterra. When she landed, she neighed in pain, as the leap led into a far fall that hurt her on impact. Cody instinctively slipped off to check on her for injuries. No broken bones in her legs, but she wouldn't be able to carry him anymore. He'd continue on foot if he had to, but to his surprise, he didn't have to. As the centipedes crashed through the trees at the edge of the path, they crashed into two of the Torterra, and that was when hell broke loose. The normally peaceful pokémon erupted when their procession was interrupted, and suddenly, they were moving with more agility than was expected from giant tortoises. The train had stopped and ten Torterra surrounded the four Scolipede, roaring and striking them with Body Slams and Wood Hammers. The big centipedes tried to fight back, but they were outnumbered and overpowered. Meanwhile, the Venipede and Whirlipede were overwhelmed by the numerous Turtwig and Grotle.
"Roooooooooh!" A Torterra with a big maple tree on its back reared up on its hind legs and crashed forward into the earth. The sudden, violent quake knocked both Cody and Elesa off of their feet, as well as the other bugs, but simultaneously, jagged chunks of earth erupted beneath the feet of the Scolipede. The other Torterra followed in suit. One Venipede managed to squeeze past the commotion, charging straight at the trainer, but before Elesa could squash it, she was saved the trouble by a Turtwig, who tackled the bug. It was the Turtwig with the scar, but as quickly as he struck, he disappeared back into the fray on the trail.
After the tenth quake, the Scolipede used what little energy they had left to flee, as did the pre-evolutions, almost as quickly as they had arrived. Once they were all gone, the Torterra seemed to calm down instantaneously. Slowly, the ten Torterra began to pat down the path they had roughed up with their feet.
"That was… convenient." He stood up, and signaled for Elesa to stand with a pat on her neck. But now, he had to track down Antonia again. He hadn't heard her in awhile, so hopefully she wasn't too far away. And hopefully she didn't eat the shiny Venipede. She often ate wild pokémon she caught, so it was possible that she thought it was dinner. But before he could call out for her, the Skarmory flew in like a jet, landing right in front of him. She looked sickeningly smug, despite her exhaustion, and rightfully so, as in her beak, she held the wriggling, shiny Venipede by the tail.
Cody beamed. His pokemon had gone beyond the call of duty for the day, and how he'd have his eighth member of his team. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a premier ball. It was just like a regular pokeball in terms of strength and function, although it was bright white with red grooves instead of black. In his opinion, it was the perfect ball to catch the first pokémon of his second year with. That, and while he instinctually could tell which pokeballs held which members of his team, a little bit of color coding wouldn't hurt.
And that was when Antonia began bobbing her head and launched the Venipede into the air. She would swallow the bug when she caught it again, so with a mixture of panic and adrenaline, Cody through the premier ball and caught the terrified Venipede before it landed in his pokémon's beak. On the way down, the ball bounced off the tip of Antonia's beak and onto the ground. What was surprising was that the ball didn't even wiggle before it sealed. Maybe the Venipede decided that staying in the ball was a better option when compared to being eaten.
Yes! A shiny! I can't believe it! He reached down and picked the pokeball off the ground, grinning like an idiot. He followed by giving Elesa a kiss on the forehead and Antonia a kiss on the top of her armored beak. His Skarmory replied with an icy, death glare. She didn't seem to understand why she spent so much time pursuing this Venipede, only for it to be snatched from her right out from under her nose. "Sorry. You can find more food later," Cody assured her with a chuckle, but the glare did not subside in the slightest.
"There you are!"
He looked over his shoulder to see the others arrive. Brooke looked happy to see him, Jared looked like he didn't care, but Heather looked exasperated. She didn't even seem to notice the herd of Torterra behind him.
"Hey, guess what I caught?" he asked, triumphantly, holding the white pokeball for all to see. Instead of getting a response of congratulations or jealousy, he took a punch to the ribs. "Oh come on, just because I caught it and you didn't-"
"Forget about the Venipede," Heather interrupted, her face reddening slightly. "Cody, you just ran off. We didn't set up camp, we had no specific places to meet up anywhere, the cell reception out here is terrible; how did you expect to find us after you ran off like that?"
He shrugged. "I… I don't know. Things usually have a way of working out, you know?"
"That's really shitty reasoning."
"I think you would have been fine," Brooke chimed in, only to receive a dirty look from Heather, who then looked over at an exhausted Elesa, who looked exhausted.
"What happened to her? What did you do?" She was clearly suspicious.
"Well… we might have followed the Venipede back to its nest, where we might have been attacked by multiple Scolipede, Whirlipede, and Venipede, and-"
"You're gonna get yourself killed! Do you ever think? I swear to God, you're-"
She stopped as he hugged her. He felt her loosen up significantly after that, but he could tell she was still pissed. When he pulled away, he tried to console her. "Look, everything's okay."
"Yeah. Still…" Her expression was softer now, but she still looked annoyed. "Where are we anyway?"
"Eastern Torterra Trail," Jared answered before Cody could. He had not paid any attention to the conversation, as he was more interested with the Torterra who had finished patting down the path they quaked. "They're heading north. We follow this trail for a few miles and we'll probably find a ranger station. There's bound to be at least one on this trail. From there, we can figure out how to get back to a path that will bring us to Ashlin. We can try going back the way we came, but I don't know if we'll find exactly where we went off trail."
"Wait, hold on." Cody pulled out the map and frantically searched for the trail with his finger. When he found it, he followed the twisting trail north until… "We can take this trail to Ashlin. I mean, it doesn't take us there directly, but once we're nearby, we'll see the city lights."
"Let me see that." Jared walked over to look at where Cody was pointing, and he scowled. "It's shorter, but we've been walking all day. I know you like to travel at night for some weird reason, but we need to rest. We're better off-"
"We don't have to walk." Without looking at them, Cody motioned towards the Torterra with a sideways nod of his head.
Jared looked puzzled. "I don't get it."
"These things walk slowly, but they can go for days without stopping for a rest. They'll probably walk all night. We just hop on their backs and ride north until we see Ashlin. Easy peasy."
"Can… can you do that?" Brooke questioned with slight uneasiness. "They look pretty strong… and giant."
"Exactly," Cody replied, nodding. "Look, these things are herbivores and they're tortoises; you can't get much more peaceful than that, and people have riding them since the beginning of forever. Hell, small pokémon literally build nests in the trees on their backs. As long as you don't bother them, they don't care. They're like the hippies of the pokémon world."
"Cody," Heather interjected, "people ride tame Torterra. But wild ones-"
"No, he's actually right for once," Jared cut in. "The Torterra line is peaceful. There are hermits who actually live on the backs of these things." He frowned. "But if we ride these things, what if we're asleep and we miss Ashlin?"
"We stay up in shifts, like always."
"Cody, you can't build a campfire on these things though. It's gonna get cold-"
"So, bundle up," he suggested. "Come on, this is exotic. It's cool. Let's do something cool for once!"
"What, you chasing a Venipede into a nest of Scolipede wasn't cool enough for you?" Heather answered, still peeved, but a bit less so.
"Look, if you guys worry about us somehow getting separated or something, I'll take the whole watch." He reached into his gear, dug around for a few seconds, and pulled out a small bottle of caffeine pills, which he shook. "I just really want to do this."
"Cody, maybe that's not such a good idea," Brooke said, stepping in. "You told me earlier that you only had three hours of sleep last night."
He saw how worried she was, so he forced another smile on his face. "Hey, it's cool, I'll just sleep when we get there. Or-"
"I'll stay up with you," she suggested, "just in case you need a break."
"Fine, fine." He looked back at Jared and Heather. "Sound fair? Besides, you have that creepy-ass Lunatone of yours, who's nocturnal. Have it stay up and be on guard or whatever if you don't trust us. Fair?"
"Eh… I'm in," Jared said, almost ashamed of the admission.
"Yeah… just don't do anything else stupid?" Heather asked. She smiled a bit now, but she seemed exasperated overall.
"Alright…" He looked over at the Torterra train, which had begun walking again. "Pick a tortoise and let's go."
Okay, this is really cool. Cody and Jared were right: the Torterra were peaceful and they didn't seem to mind the teenagers just hopping on their backs and relaxing. The biggest of them were several tons, and compared to the large trees on their backs, what was a few hundred more pounds? They were also much larger than she had expected. Large enough to set down their gear and enough room to sit down and get wrapped up in their sleeping bags, which Heather and Jared used as blankets so they could sit closer to each other. On either side of them walked more Torterra, Turtwig, and Grotle, all of whom seemed to regard them as non-threats. Of course, when they traveled in large herds, what did they have to fear? Additionally, they were able to sit under a large pine tree that grew out of the left side of the Torterra's back. They didn't need shade, but it was nice nonetheless.
The evening sky was painted a lovely red and orange, and it looked like September might turn out to be an Indian summer; a rare thing in Skitrex. It wouldn't be long until the cold set in. Luckily, the gyms in the eastern isles were slightly more south and were hit straight on by warm currents of water. Maybe it would be slightly more pleasant for her and Jared. Cody though… he would be braving the winter alone, unless he found another group or unless Brooke decided to keep traveling with him… that worried her more than the winter storms themselves.
She still had nothing to justify these fears, but something was up between them. She distinctly remembered how agitated the two of them seemed after arriving back from the research center the previous week, but she didn't know why. On top of that, after today with Cody running off into the wilderness and almost getting eaten alive… somebody needed to look after him and keep him in check, and that person wasn't Brooke. She almost seemed to encourage his behavior sometimes.
"Don't tell Cody I said this, but this was a really good idea," Jared admitted. For the first time that day, he seemed relaxed. Sitting on the back of a Torterra was like sitting on a boat on mildly choppy day at sea. Some people might have even gotten seasick on that mountain trail, but not him. Earlier, he compared the experience to that of a rocking chair.
"Yeah..." Heather looked at him briefly and smiled before cuddling up closer to him. She then kept staring at the Torterra in front of her. It was roughly two and a half Torterra ahead of her, and between the two tortoises was a collection of Grotle and Turtwig, walking in a disorganized cluster. The Torterra ahead had towering weeping willow tree growing from its shell. The long, flowing leaves and the fading light gave Cody and Brooke a bit of privacy. Heather had tried to hear what they were saying (if they were saying anything), but the heavy footsteps and occasional grunts of all the tortoises drowned out all other noises beyond their shell.
"These are magnificent creatures," Jared mused out loud as he dragged his fingers across the mossy shell of their mount. "They can live for hundreds of years, you know. They don't always live that long, especially up here during the harsh winters, but they never stop growing. There's a Torterra in Tibet whose shell is nearly twenty feet long from tip to tip. They say she's over a thousand years old."
"Hm?" Heather answered. She was listening, but she didn't show it.
"Ancient Torterra were even larger," he continued. "The largest Torterra shell of an ancient one that was found was nearly seventy feet long, also in Tibet. There's a forty foot long one on display at the Skitrexian Natural History Museum up in Lockwood Heights, my hometown. Ancient natives believed that these Torterra eventually became the mountains that we travel through today." He chuckled to himself. "Of course, they also believed that Earth wasn't round, but on the back of an even larger Torterra. Still, it's a pretty story."
Heather looked over at him again, head tilted. "How do you know all this stuff?"
He shrugged. "I read books, I watch documentaries. That sort of thing." He paused for a moment, taking his finger and twirling some of her chestnut-colored hair around it. She loved when he did that. "I just wanted to get your attention and break you out of the funk you're in."
"Funk?"
"Yes, funk," Jared reiterated. "I'm not dense, you know. You've been glaring so hard at the Torterra in front of us for the past fifteen minutes that I'm surprised it hasn't caught on fire."
Silence. He was good at reading her and she had nothing to say in return.
"What do you hope to accomplish?" he continued, his voice showing that he was already tired with the subject. "Do you still think that that girl is bad news?"
"It's more than just that," she began, not knowing where she'd end. "He seems pretty cool with the fact that he was almost devoured by a swarm of centipedes. I know you want to stay out of his business, but-"
"But what?" Jared interrupted. "Look... Cody is a jerk, and jerks live forever. Plus, I hate to admit it, but while he's rash, he's also smart. I don't think he'll ever get into a situation that he can't handle."
"You don't know that."
"And you can't protect him forever. Even if you could, it's not your responsibility."
"... I know. But he's my friend."
"Your friend. Not your child." Jared sighed, looking off to the side. "Besides, in a week and a half, if we both win, we'll be heading east and then south-east. Much better than being up here in the winter. And him..." He shrugged. "Unless he gets over his pride and comes with us, he'll be fine. I mean, he spent an entire winter outside with a Skarmory and he did that on his own. So don't worry so much."
I still don't like it. But she smiled anyway. "You're right, he'll be fine." She snuggled up even closer to Jared. "And we'll be fine."
She kissed him. It felt good to kiss him. Jared was never one for public displays of affection, and since they were rarely ever alone, actually kissing him was something that she cherished. But now that they were alone on the back of a giant tortoise and with Cody and Brooke off in their own little world ten yards ahead, silenced by the stomps of the reptiles, they had their solitude. Slowly, the kisses got deeper, but it wasn't long before she reached the invisible barrier. She respected Jared's religious beliefs, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't perpetually frustrated by them. But they had been together for almost a year, so this frustration, mixed with curiosity and a bit of ambition got to her. We're under a blanket. Nobody can see us. And it's not like they're going to notice. Cody's off in his own little world anyway. Slowly, she moved her left hand from his shoulder to his chest, and then his abdomen, and then his pants. That's when he caught on.
"Heather..." He took her hand by the wrist and gently pushed back. "You know I can't-"
"Why not?" she whispered back, looking sad, but feeling slightly annoyed. "We've been together for so long and all we do is kiss. Don't you want to... you know... do anything else?"
"Yes, but that's not what-"
"Of course." She immediately scooted away, crossing her arms. "I don't know what I was thinking. What, are we supposed to wait five years until-"
"Heather, I told you when we first started dating that-"
"I know what you told me." Except back then, she didn't take how she would feel months later into consideration. "I just... I need to think."
Another long silence followed, this one lasting longer and being more awkward than those that preceded it. She wouldn't even look at him to make a visual assessment of how he was reacting, but she heard him sigh again.
"I'm here if you want to talk."
She didn't respond. She just needed a distraction. She reached for Crescent's pokeball and released the Lunatone in front of her. The moon pokémon floated off to the side of the Torterra, staring intently at its trainer.
[A lovely night indeed. Who calls me to such a wonderful evening, where tortoises tirelessly trot a trail topwards?]
"Topwards?" Heather groaned at the alliteration. She was in no mood for her pokémon's flowery speech. "Pretty sure that's not a word."
[The lady speaks ill of my words?]
"Look, you know that thing I've been having you do?" She nodded sideways towards the Torterra in front of her. "Do it. I'll break out the rock polish tomorrow if you do. I know how you like that."
[Indeed. I shall listen and not speak, for the boy does not approve of my presence.] Slowly, the Lunatone meandered towards the willow tree Torterra.
If Heather had any comfort that night, it was that she had control over something. Of course, Crescent had not brought forth any relevant information yet, but maybe that time was the charm.
It had been a great day. Having a capture contest with his friends, chasing a shiny Venipede into a nest, risking getting eaten alive, catching that coveted pokémon, and now, he was riding on the back of a willow tree Torterra with a a beautiful girl, under a full moon and a cloudless, starry sky that was not blotched out with smoke and lights. It was a pretty romantic setting, although it was largely platonic. Despite the flirting, Brooke kept a certain, indescribable distance. But now, she was resting her head on his lap as she took a nap, so he considered that a win. Bastion rested by his side and Goro had climbed the willow tree for a better view. At his feet, the two Venipede that they had caught earlier were scraping up the moss in the tortoise's shell for a late night snack. From time to time, he saw Heather's Lunatone float by. Thankfully, the thing didn't start talking, so he didn't care. He was tired, but he enjoyed traveling with the herd of tortoises.
He had found out that the term "herd" was incorrect. According to the handbook, a group of tortoises was referred to as a "creep". Whatever they were called, he love turtles and tortoises. Something about their simple, calm nature was soothing to him. It's why he loved Squirtle, as they were all that, with a smidgen of being fun-loving pranksters.
Cody handed Bastion a piece of kibble, and the turtle snatched it from his hand before happily tossing the piece in his mouth. All the while, Cody stroked his pokémon's protruding, fluffy ears before his friend returned to his shell to sleep. Though his Wartortle had grown more mature, he was a loyal and faithful companion, as he would be for life. That was another thing he loved about turtles and tortoises: some of them could live for hundreds of years. When you trained turtles or tortoises, they would be your companions for life.
The Torterra in Skitrex had adapted to living in the cold climates, which was why roughly fifty percent of them had pine trees on their backs, as opposed to other types of flora. Compared to Torterra living in warmer climates, these Torterra were slower, but they were also bigger and sturdier. Like with Skarmory, natural selection had done its job. A Skitrexian Torterra could withstand the harshest of winters, and this translated to battling as well. They were still weak to ice attacks, but they could endure them much better than their sunny-weather counterparts.
By the Torterra's side, he saw the little Turtwig with the eye-scar walking. Like his golden Lampent and his new, shiny Venipede, this Turtwig stood out to him. He wanted to catch it, but there were two big reasons why he wouldn't. One was that he'd be fined. He already had seven pokémon with him, following his Venipede's capture, and usually, having seven for a hot second after capturing one wasn't a problem. But having eight would lead to him being fined, no matter what. It was a fine he could afford, but money was tight. The second reason was that after seeing what happened to the centipede swarm, he didn't want to enrage these tortoises. Capturing a Turtwig from the creep could set these gentle giants off, and it was not worth the risk. No, one unique pokémon was enough for the day.
Cody gave a pat to the gargantuan pokémon's shell, wondering if it could feel the pat at all. Taking a piece of kibble out of his treat bag, he gingerly reached forward (taking care not to wake Brooke) and offered it to his Venipede.
"Tlick tlick tlick tlick!" The centipede immediately moved into a defensive position, arching its back, and began clicking at him. It wasn't being aggressive, but it wasn't being friendly either. Just cold.
"Trying again?" Brooke asked groggily, sitting up and stretching her arms out.
"Yeah, it's weird," Cody admitted, shrugging. "Pokémon usually accept food after you catch them, even if they don't like you. This one though is different… or indifferent. I don't know." He remembered that Izzy had a Whirlipede the last time he saw him. The two had exchanged numbers, so maybe he'd call him up for some advice. He looked over at Brooke's Venipede, who hadn't even noticed the interaction. "So, have you thought about what you were going to do with yours?"
"No... I don't know what to do," she sighed. "I really don't. I didn't even want the shiny one."
"You could train it," Cody suggested with a wink. But he knew her answer.
"I don't like bugs," she answered, shaking her head. "Besides, I really shouldn't have a fourth pokémon. I don't even win enough to support the three I have already." She looked over at the regular-colored Venipede and then back at him. "Do you want it?"
"What, me?"
"Yeah, I know you already have one, but having two couldn't hurt, right?"
"Hmm…" Cody hadn't considered that. Many trainers, especially those who weren't able to travel, often had two or more of the same pokémon. Gym leaders often did this, as they were constantly raising new pokémon at different levels. Professional trainers who had been in the game long enough also did this, as as their team members grew older, they would often start training a new monsters to eventually fill their place. This wasn't a problem with all pokémon, as some of them lived long lives, remaining youthful for a long time. Plus, trained pokémon typically lived longer than wild ones, due to extensive medical care and training. However, nothing lasted forever. He thought about pokémon, such as Elesa. Trained Zebstrika could live up to forty years. Judging by what he had read about the species, she would likely peak within the next ten years, show significant declines at twenty, and retire at around thirty. Turtles like Bastion would be ageless, likely battling without tire until he passed one hundred. In later years, he would eventually tire, but Cody figured that he himself would be long gone by then. Perhaps somebody else would have to care for his pokémon when he passed? Or maybe Bastion would retire to a Blastoise sanctuary where he could spend his elder years in peace and quiet? He didn't want to think about it right then.
But he shook his head. "No, probably not a good idea right now. I'd probably end up favoring mine because it's shiny, and that isn't right." He looked backwards at the Torterra behind them, though he couldn't see much with the willow leaves blocking his view. "Maybe Heather or Jared would like it."
"Yeah, maybe." She scooted closer to him, placing her hand on his knee. He was wearing shorts, so he could feel her skin against his. Soft.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" he pondered softly. "It's a little bit personal, but-"
"Cody, please, we've been hanging out for a few weeks. We saw that… that Regice that could have killed us. You can ask me whatever you want." In the dim light, Brooke's grey eyes still shined and Cody felt a bit more comfortable asking what he wanted to ask.
"You said you couldn't afford four pokémon, implying that you can afford the three you have. The question is… how?" There was no easy way to ask the question, so he kept stumbling through it. "I mean, we have enough money to get by out here because we do pretty well for ourselves, battle-wise, but-"
"But you're wondering how I make it out here on my own because I'm a bad trainer," Brooke interrupted bluntly. The magic of the night seemed to dissipate and her face grew cold.
Backtrack! Backtrack! "No, that's not-"
"Come on Cody, I know I'm not good at this," Brooke interrupted again, this time smiling a little bit. "Since we've met, I've only won one battle. My only good pokémon is Goro, and he can't carry my team. It took me six tries to win a first tier badge, and I honestly got lucky."
Okay then. He didn't know how to respond to that. "Look, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I'm just… curious. And I guess I wanted to know, if that's okay." Silence. An awkward one too. "Look, forget I said any-"
"You've been very sweet to me, Cody… sweeter than I deserve, really…" Her smile fell again, as she looked away.
Cody touched her shoulder. "Hey, don't say that. You wanted help getting to Ashlin, so-"
"I appreciate that, but you… You're nice, even though I've been teasing you."
"Teasing me?"
Her smile grew sad. "You don't think that I've been leading you on in anyway?"
That confirmed it. All the flirting and physical contact she was making without any action beyond that, aside from that one time she kissed him. It felt that she was leading him on, but he didn't take it too seriously. He had to focus on training anyway and he liked the attention. So he was trying to be nice.
"Some people tease. I have a lot to worry about right now, so it didn't bother me much. Besides, I won't be seeing you again after next week, so… I guess I'm a little disappointed, but it's not a huge deal." Disappointed was a good way to put it. But saying all that made him feel a lot better.
"Wow." She paused for a moment. "Your outlook on that actually sounds healthy. I mean, I feel better that I didn't just sweep the rug out from under you." She nodded her head, smiling again. "I'll tell you about the whole money thing if you want. It's been rough, but I made it."
He softly nodded in return. "Only if you're okay with it."
"I am," she answered. Taking a deep breath, she began her story. "After my parents died, I was living with my aunt and uncle. That's a longer story for another day, but let's just say that it wasn't working out. I would have lived with my sister, but…" She paused for a moment, searching for the words. "That wasn't going to work either. Another long story. But I was only fourteen and like a lot of people, I wanted to be a trainer." She seemed to smile at the memory. "I thought "how hard can it be?" Everybody was doing it after all to some extent. Even kids who don't go traveling for badges trained them casually, and so could I, I decided." She looked up at the tree at Goro, who sat atop the willow tree, looking at the stars. "We didn't have a lot of money, but my parents had left me some. College savings and whatnot, but I decided to use it the way I wanted to, and my aunt and uncle didn't stop me. I think they were just happy I was leaving. I used a good chunk of it to buy Goro from a Pancham breeder, thinking that if I bought a tough, foreign pokémon, I would do well, regardless of how much I understood battles.
"Needless to say, things didn't go so well. Goro was good, and we won a lot of one on one battles, but that was it. Most trainers don't like one on ones, you know? It's too polarized. And I had been lucky that Goro had a natural sense for battling, because I sure didn't. When I caught Sunny and Kisses, I wasn't able to train them well enough to compete at the first tier, especially in Ashlin, since they were both weak to fire-types, so that gym was a no go. On top of that, battling didn't come easy to them like it did for Goro, so we started losing a lot more. Goro couldn't carry the team in three on three battles, so we lost a lot of money. The only reason I was able to win the Cerebral Badge was because on the sixth time I challenged for it, one of the gym leader's apprentice's pokémon, the Meowth, broke it's leg in a freak accident at the beginning of the match, so Goro only had to fight two pokémon after Kisses and Sunny lost, and thank God that that's a normal-type gym, so he had the advantage."
She looked down, sad again. "Even though I had one the badge, I was out of money, and it was clear to me that I wouldn't win another. Not when I only had one good pokémon and I couldn't train the other two, let alone a fourth, which I would have needed to catch to compete for a second badge. But I couldn't go crawling back to my relatives' house after I had left with the promise that I'd be great. I tried to hustle money out of one on one battles with Goro, but even when we did get those opportunities, we didn't always win. So, I spent a lot of time in those Haven Houses that had been springing up and working odd jobs here and there. But it wasn't easy, so I started joining up with other traveling trainers. But initially, I never stayed with any group that long. After losing a few battles and going broke, most groups saw me as a liability and a leech for resources, so they'd dump me. After a few failed attempts to join groups as a trainer, I'd join them as a girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?" Cody asked, curious.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Brooke answered with a despaired groan. "I'd find a group with a male trainer who was single and strong. I'd date the guy, and then it didn't matter if I was good or not. As long as I kept a guy happy, everything was okay." She looked away from Cody at this, her gaze falling. "I was never lucky with stuff like that though. All the guys who I ended up with were douchebags. Eventually, I'd get sick of them and move on. I haven't done that in awhile now."
"Awhile?" Cody questioned. He didn't need anymore details on that, but it did raise another question. "You seem to have money right now though. How did that come about?"
She looked him dead in the eyes and smiled devilishly. "Gambling."
"Like… cards? Slots? Races?"
"Cards," she answered. "I'm not all that good with probability and that sort of thing, but I'm really good at telling when people are lying and when they're wearing a poker face. So a few games of Texas hold 'em, and I was set for awhile. It's running out though, and honestly, that's my fault. I tend to splurge a little bit when I get money. Bad habits."
Wow. That's a lot. Cody had had his own share of troubles on the road, but poverty had never been one of them. Even with a tight budget, finding a place to sleep and a good meal to eat were never of concern. Of course, he knew that a lot of trainers struggled with that, and Brooke was a survivor. A stubborn survivor; too stubborn to go back to a home she hated, but a survivor nonetheless. He was impressed, but she didn't seem to proud of her past, especially the dating portions, so he kept a neutral expression.
"Why didn't you tell me this stuff before?" he asked, slightly leaning forward on the tortoise's shell with interest.
"You never asked," she admitted with a giggle and a shrug. "But also, while I've been paying for myself since I started traveling with you guys, if you tell people that you survived by leeching onto other groups, you tend to get shunned."
"Fair enough." Admittedly, if he had known all of this beforehand, he may have been skeptical, but it was too late for that now, and he was glad she was finally telling him this stuff. A lot of the times, he felt like he was doing most of the talking, but that was only because she was always asking him questions about himself. That, and because she had only told him basic information about herself up until that night.
"So…" he continued, "when we arrive at Ashlin and you go to see your family, what happens next?"
Brooke sighed, placing her head in her palm. "I don't know, Cody. If I work things out with them, I guess I'll stay. If not, I don't know. I could try to get a job. Maybe through the Haven Houses. They've been known to hire trainers who-"
"No, don't do that," Cody briskly interrupted. He wasn't about to tell this girl about the organization associated with the Haven Houses. Due to lack of evidence, he'd sound like a conspiracy theorist. But he figured that she was better off away from them, for obvious reasons. "Look, if things don't work out and you don't mind spending the winter outside, you can travel with me." Did I just say that?
"With you?" She seemed skeptical. "You're sweet, but I don't know if you'd want that. I'm not like Heather or Jared. I don't win much, and I'm almost dry on my card money. That's money that I might not be able to replenish."
"That's okay. I'll… I'll help you get better." His conscious was screaming at him now. Why was he making this offer? As much as he liked Brooke, she was right: she was a liability, and he really couldn't afford any distractions, especially in the coming months after Jared and Heather left. If he couldn't find any groups to travel with, it would be just him and her, and unless she got lucky with the cards again, he'd have to pay her way as well. On top of that, she was incompetent in the wilderness. Did he really want to go through all of this, especially for a girl who admitted she was teasing him?
On the other hand, he had to admit that he would be lonely without her. Remembering back to his first few weeks as a trainer when he was traveling by himself, he constantly longed for somebody to talk to and provide additional security. As much as he loved the company of his pokémon, at the end of the day, they still functioned at a lower social capacity. The only pokémon he had who could really understand what he was saying was Cortez, but not only could he not talk back with him, but the Lampent was an asshole. If he couldn't find a group to travel with, was she worth bringing along, just so he wouldn't feel abandoned?
"You'll help me get better." She didn't seem convinced. "I wouldn't get your hopes up. And what if things don't get better for me, moneywise?"
That's probably likely. But he gave her a weak grin. "Brooke used Leech Life. It's super effective."
That was probably the new number one on the top ten lamest jokes he had ever told. He could only hope that she would get that that was his way of saying that he'd still be willing to help her. And that seemed to be the case, as she laughed.
"God, that was lame. You're hilarious." She took his arm and pulled him close. "How are you still a virgin?"
Shit, where did that come from? That brief moment where he felt good for making her laugh instantly evaporated, as he felt as if somebody had thrown a Ferroseed at his stomach. He felt his blood rushing to his cheeks, so he forced his mouth to move. "Uh- W-what makes you think I'm a virgin?"
She gave him that look: that mischievous grin and raised eyebrow. "You just told me."
What? She was playing mindgames with him, and if he tried to convince her otherwise, she'd see right through his attempts. All he could do was sit there awkwardly with only the sounds of the tortoise march to break the silence.
"Hey, hey now." She gave his arm a squeeze. "There's nothing wrong with that, you know. Besides, you're young."
"Not much younger than you," he reminded, trying to smile, but feeling so inadequate. He honestly had no idea what to say next and he was desperately looking for some sort of distraction.
"Can I ask you something though?" Her jovial tone seemed to have died on the spot.
"Sure, anything." Anything for a new topic, following that awkward conversation.
"I've noticed that you have a lot of trouble sleeping."
His blood froze over at that comment.
"You never sleep soundly. And on a lot of nights when you're on watch, you don't wake anybody up for their shift; you just keep watching. Is there a reason behind all of that?"
When his blood thawed out, he wasn't sure what to say. But he felt awful. After all of the things she had told him about herself, he couldn't reveal his secret. His darkest secret. He wanted to though, but he knew better. He had nobody to talk about it with, now that Madame Stella was preoccupied with other matters. It was even worse, now that he was having the nightmares almost every night. None of them were as traumatizing as some of the ones he had before, but they were persistent. Darkrai was no longer talking to him as much as he used to, but instead, kept filling his head with pain, despair, and distraught. That was all a part of his system, apparently. Even on nights when Darkrai didn't show up, he still had nightmares. Sleep was no longer a time time to escape from reality. Rather, reality was his escape. But he couldn't tell her this. He only knew her for a short time and he had no idea how she'd react.
"Brooke… I'm sorry. I'm not ready to talk to you about it. I'm sorry, after all that you told me, I can't-"
She pressed a single finger to his lips and gave him a gentle shush. "All in good time, Cody. Whenever you're ready, I'm willing to listen."
And that's when he saw it. As they passed the high rising pine trees, on their right, they saw Ashlin in the distance. It was lit up like a Christmas tree, extending out through the suburbs and the highways. To the north of the city was a large mountain that emitted light through the top. It was a volcano; one that wouldn't erupt. That was where the next gym was located. Where his fifth badge was waiting for him. With his free hand, he stroked the back of Bastion's shell. In a fire gym, it would be the turtle's time to shine.
"There it is," Cody whispered to Brooke.
"You know… I've never seen my home from up here," Brooke said, breathlessly. "You know, from the mountains… on the back of a Torterra in the middle of the night. So beautiful." She looked around for a moment at the tortoises that surrounded them. "How do we get down?"
"Up ahead," Cody answered, shining his flashlight on the map and following the trail with his finger. "There's a ranger station coming up. We hop off there and follow the trail to a bus stop. We'll catch a ride in and get to the pokémon center. Hopefully, they'll have room for us to sleep, but our pokémon need their rest regardless. Worst comes to worst, we'll sleep on the couches, because I don't want to look for a motel this early in the morning." He looked up to see Goro, still enjoying the mountain air up in the tree. Meanwhile, the two Venipede had stopped their foraging to stare at the lights. Having lived their lives deep within the forest, they would have never seen such a sight.
"You know, if you hadn't let me travel with you guys, I never would have gotten to see stuff like this… a shiny pokémon, a Regice, a herd of Torterra that we got to ride." She reached forward to stroke the tortoise's shell. "Thank you," she said to the reptile who barely noticed their presence. She turned to Cody, slowly caressing his cheek with two of her fingers. "And thank you, Cody Storm." Slowly, she moved her fingers to his chin and gently pulled him in for a kiss. The last time she kissed him, it was so quick that he had barely any time to react. This time though, the kiss was slow and open-mouthed. He felt awkward, as it had been over a year since he had really kissed somebody like that. But it felt nice, even if this was another example of her teasing him. When she pulled away, he felt his mouth hanging open.
"What was that?" he asked, feeling a little bit stunned.
"I don't know. I just felt that you wanted it, you know?"
He didn't know what to say to that, other than that she seemed to know what he was thinking before he did. He pulled her into a soft, warm embrace, which he wouldn't relinquish until they reached the ranger station. Even if he only had a week left with this girl, he was glad that she had made him feel a little warmer, when nights provided him with so little comfort.
Spoiler alert: Both of the Venipede are male. And I don't have good names for either of them. I want to avoid people names, mythological god names, etc., as that's overdone, even by me. So leave suggestions in the comments or private messages. Update soon, I hope!