POKÉMON: INFINITE LEGACIES
THE CIPRYS REGION
CHAPTER 16
LOVE WORKS IN MARBRONG WAYS!
Flame sipped at his orange juice while brushing sleep from under his eyes. "I shouldn't have stayed up so late," he groaned, having been training Litten, Eevee, and Oriota in the Pokémon Centre's training area till the early hours.
His stomach rumbled.
He answered by shovelling toast and egg into his mouth. "Quiet you," he mumbled between mouthfuls.
His stomach had nothing more to say.
He glanced out of the nearest window. Between the village's small buildings, trees were visible in the distance: Whistltree Forest. Not long to go now though, he thought. He'd arrived at the Pokemon Centre on the outskirts of Whistltree Forest yesterday evening.
And so, his first gym battle was nearly in sight. He thought of Declan, assessing what he knew about the Whistltree Gym Leader. It wouldn't be easy, of course, but he was confident he and his team could win. Last night he'd been perfecting Litten's Flame Charge, Eevee's Double Kick, and judging Oriota's strength. Until Oriota gains some more experience, Litten and Eevee are probably my best bets.
He noticed a young girl passing his booth in his peripheral vision. "Hey!" she said suddenly, turning his way. "You're the boy from the TV!"
Flame might have jumped if he wasn't grinning at his new-found fame. "That I am."
"Who got crushed by Alyssa."
His grin faded. "I wouldn't say 'crushed'."
"How many Pokémon do you have?"
"Three, why?"
She grabbed hold of his t-shirt and tugged. "Come with me."
"One sec." Flame collected the remaining toast and egg on his fork, and with one bite, shovelled the last of his breakfast into his mouth. "Ready," he announced, grabbing his orange juice with his left hand.
Flame got up and out of the booth. The young girl, probably five years younger than him, led him into the lobby and out of the Pokémon Centre. The doors did their usual swish as they approached. The girl walked into the open doorway and nearly bumped into someone heading inside.
A grin burst onto Flame's face. "Selina!"
Surprise widened Selina's purple-pink eyes. "Flame!"
"What are you doing here?" they said in unison.
Flame adjusted his headband. "I was heading to Whistltree, but—"
The girl tugged at his sleeve. "Hurry."
"I think I've picked up an admirer along the way."
Selina smiled. "Well, I'm heading that way too. I need to ask Nurse Joy to heal my Pokémon first, but there's a bridge out of town—once I'm finished here, I'll meet you there?"
Flame nodded. "Yeah, sure! See you later."
Selina walked to the counter where Nurse Joy greeted her. Flame stared after her for a moment.
"Hurry," the girl repeated. "No time to talk to girlfriend."
"Whoa-whoa-whoa, girlfriend?! She's not my girlfriend," Flame said a little too quickly. "Besides, aren't you too young to be talking about that?"
The girl grinned cheekily at him. Flame followed her away from the Pokémon Centre, through a collection of the village's markets stalls, and to the bridge, incidentally, out of town where he'd agreed to meet Selina—but there was one problem . . .
The girl pointed at it. "Battle that Pokémon," she said, "and move it."
Hmm, I might have bitten off more than I can chew, Flame thought, staring at the smooth white-surfaced Pokémon that was blocking the bridge. He got out his Pokédex.
"Marbrong—the statue Pokémon. Marbrong have great patience; they stand guard over temples and other historic sites. It doesn't take Marbrong long to fall asleep, which might make it seem like they're being negligent in their duty, but if trouble comes their way, they are capable of waking at a moment's notice and striking down the perpetrator."
"There's a few in Festivalight, but looks like this one doesn't have a temple to guard," Flame commented. "Type?"
"Dual-type: Rock and Normal," his Pokédex responded.
"That might be problematic," Flame muttered. He picked out his Luxury Ball from his pocket and enlarged it. "Help me out, Eevee!" He threw the Luxury Ball high into the air.
The Luxury Ball popped open mid-air, to the awed expression of the young girl, and the freshly released energy shot down to the ground in a blaze of light, akin to a Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack.
Eevee materialised from the energy in a matter of seconds. "Eevee!" she exclaimed happily, chest puffed out and chin raised.
"Eevee, Swift! Let's go!
Eevee grinned. She leaped into the air, her tail glowing. In mid-air she spun, swishing her tail-tip at Marbrong. Stars appeared and floated in a stream of light towards her sleeping opponent. As each star blasted against Marbrong, a mini explosion rippled through the air. Eevee landed gracefully, looking pleased with her attack. Flame watched Marbrong curiously as the last star blasted against Marbrong's large frame. He waited for Marbrong to wake up and counter, but the statue Pokémon remained unmoved—still asleep.
"Great," muttered Flame. "Well, this should work—Eevee, try Double Kick!"
Eevee scurried onto the bridge and then, reaching her target, turned so she was facing away from Marbrong's flank. Energy concentrated at her hindpaws, pouring from her pink paw pads like steam. And then, with a determined yowl, Eevee kicked out at Marbrong with both hindlegs. Her hindpaws thumped against Marbrong's flank, but to no effect.
"What the?!" Flame exclaimed. "That should have been super effective!"
Embarrassment bristled Eevee's fur. "Eevee," she hissed. "Eevee! Eevee! Eevee!"
"Marbrong . . ." snored Marbrong. "Marbrong . . ."
Eevee huffed and padded back to Flame. "Ee-vee!" she complained.
"Yeah, I know," he soothed. "It's not your fault."
"Where's your boyfriend from TV? He stronger than you."
Flame sighed. "So, I have a boyfriend now, do I? And, no, Frost is not stronger than me."
"But I am."
Flame spun around. "Selina, you're here already! But, don't you worry, we can handle this." He dug out two more Poké Balls. "Litten, Oriota—help me out here!"
"Litten!" Litten growled, as if expecting to battle a gym leader's Pokémon rather than helping clear a bridge. "Litten," he added flatly a moment later, sounding disappointed.
"Oriota!" Oriota chirped. His wing hadn't completed healed yet, so the small yellow-feathered Pokemon was between hopping on the ground and fluttering slightly in the air at the moment.
"Yeah, don't worry. Flame is a super, super strong trainer," Flame heard Selina telling the young girl. "He can handle that Marbrong all by himself . . ."
"Litten, Flame Charge!" shouted Flame. "Oriota, Thunder Shock!"
Litten's forehead glowed and flames began to spread across his glossy black fur.
Oriota cried out his name. His body glowed and started to crackle with sparks.
Litten darted forwards as a small yellow bolt of electricity shot out from Oriota's body. Thunder Shock hissed against Marbrong just before Litten's Flame Charge struck. Smoke and tiny explosions echoed out. Litten's fur smouldered from the impact and the last of the flames, but he swaggered back towards Flame. He gave Eevee a confident look as if to say, Ha-ha, Eevee. I beat Marbrong, but you didn't!
Eevee muttered something back and then turned away decisively.
Oriota remained more level-headed, his gaze still on Marbrong because, once again, the statue Pokémon looked unaffected by their attacks.
"Not again!" Flame muttered.
Litten glanced back and saw that Marbrong was still snoring away. As did Eevee, who'd turned back around and was now laughing at Litten.
"Eevee!" she exclaimed.
Litten arched his back and hissed.
"Stop fighting you two!" snapped Flame.
Both Litten and Eevee fell silent at once. Oriota flinched a little, but hopped closer. All three of his Pokémon were lined-up beside him, waiting for his instructions. Flame considered what to do next. How on Ciprys would it be possible to wake Marbrong up and move him off the bridge? He sighed.
"You don't need to do this alone," Selina said suddenly.
Before he could say otherwise, Selina had tossed her Poké Balls into the air. "Come on out, guys!"
Drifloon appeared from her Dusk Ball. Floating in mid-air, she smiled happily at Flame. When Selina's Eevee appeared, Flame's Eevee broke formation and hurried over to say hello. The Eevee rubbed their heads against each other's thick neck fur and started to chatter away. Rowlet appeared, cooing loudly and pruning his plumage. As soon as Litten saw Rowlet, his throat rumbled in the beginnings of a growl. Eyes wide, Oriota stayed close to Flame.
Selina looked at Flame. "You ready?"
Flame nodded. "You bet! Eevee, Double Kick! Litten, Flame Charge! Oriota, Thunder Shock!"
"Drifloon, Gust! Eevee, Bite! Rowlet, Leafage!"
The two Eevee and Litten dashed towards Marbrong while Drifloon, Oriota, and Rowlet fired off their attacks from beside their trainers. Drifloon swirled her arms, gathering energy and creating a tornado, which she sent hurling towards Marbrong. Oriota and Rowlet released their attacks at the same time. The wind currents around Gust collected Thunder Shock and Leafage, sparks and razor-sharp leaves spiralling round the tornado—the power of Flying, Electric, and Grass combined. Litten, masked in flames, crashed into Marbrong's flank. A moment later, the two Eevee glanced at each other and then unleashed their attacks: Flame's Eevee turning and kicking out with both hindlegs and Selina's Eevee leaping forwards and biting down with glowing and extended fangs. The three of them withdrew, veering out of the way, as their allies' combined attack erupted against Marbrong's flank. Smoke seeped from the air around the impact.
But had they done it?
"Whoa!" Flame exclaimed as their Eevee and his Litten re-joined the rest of their Pokémon. "That might have been the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
Focused on Marbrong, Flame hadn't noticed that a small crowd had gathered behind them. They commented positively and applauded. Flame turned and blushed a little, but Selina watched Marbrong. The battle wasn't over yet.
All eyes, human and Pokémon, turned to Marbrong. The statue Pokémon remained still . . . but only for a moment longer! The giant-sized Pokémon sat up slowly and turned his head to look at the battling Pokémon, their two trainers, and the small crowd. He looked at the bridge that had just been his bed. He said, "Marbrong," and stood up, yawned, and stomped around. He padded off the bridge and entered the treeline that marked the perimeter of the Whistltree Forest.
"We did it!" cheered Flame, looking at Selina and their Pokémon.
The applause came again.
"Yay! Now can cross!" the young girl said happily.
Selina smiled as she congratulated her Pokémon and Flame's.
Footsteps sounded behind them. Flame turned. He almost facepalmed himself. "Oh no," he mumbled.
A familiar face raised his eyebrows suggestively. "I see you've finally joined the club, eh, my friend?"
Flame and Selina looked at each other at the same time. "What . . . ?"
Pierre grinned. "She is beautiful and your girlfriend, right?"
"No way!" Flame blurted. Didn't we go through this earlier!
Selina glared at Flame. "You think I'm not beautiful?"
"That wasn't what I meant." Flame held out his palms defensively.
Selina still glared.
"Help me out, buddy," he whispered, glancing down at Litten.
Litten mrrowed mischievously.
"A lot of help you are," Flame mumbled.
Another familiar face stepped up to them, and Flame really did it this time: He facepalmed himself.
"You betta not be flirting with my boy, hun?"
Selina laughed. "Flirt with him? Please."
"What you trying to suggest, girl?" Kristen retorted. "We were the couple of the year."
Flame leaned closer to Selina. "They were the only couple," he whispered into her ear.
Selina laughed again. And then so did Flame.
Pierre's face reddened. "You're just jealous! Everyone was!"
Kristen snarled, "I think we betta teach them a lesson in love, hun!"
"Tremendous idea, my love," said Pierre.
"We challenge you posers to a couple's tag battle!" they challenged as one.
"We're not in a relationship . . ." Flame shook his head. "What don't you two wackos understand?"
"You're not scared of them, are you, Flame?" Selina joked.
"Please, please battle!" pleaded the young girl. "So fun to watch!"
"Well . . ."
Selina laughed. "C'mon, Flame, let's show them the power of our love and crush them!"
Flame half-smiled. "That works for me."
Pierre grinned. "You and your girl are going down, Flame!"
Flame shook his fist up at the sky. "Argh!" he sulked. "Can you stop with the relationship jokes already?!"
"That was actually quite fun," Flame admitted later that day back at the Pokémon Centre. "Our Eevee work well together. And their faces when their Charmander and Torchic fainted—priceless!"
Selina looked at Flame seriously. "Maybe it's a sign?"
He didn't catch on. "Of what?"
"Our love."
Laughter filled their booth.
"Pierre and Kristen," Flame pondered. "Those two are pretty harmless, but they were some of the strangest in our class." He shrugged. "That's what love does to some people, I guess."
"Yeah."
Flame rapped his fingers against the underside of the table that separated them. "Since we're both heading to Whistltree, do you, like, want to—"
"Travel together?"
Flame rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah."
Selina shrugged. "Might as well. Unless I get any other boyfriend offers, you'll do for now."
Flame grinned. "You're not so bad yourself."
"Ooh!" Selina said suddenly. "I almost forgot. This is from the old couple we helped." She delved into her bag and handed him the old lady's gift. "I thought you'd want the orange one—matches your name."
"Thanks, but what it is? And please don't say a symbol of our love."
Selina smiled. She showed him hers, rounded and green. "They're called Apricorn, and they're pretty rare."
"Rare, you say? They sorta look like Poké Balls."
"Well, a friend of mine in Whistltree specialises in them. She's told me in the past Apricorns were how the first Poké Balls were created."
"Oh yeah. I had a lecture on it, I think, but it was unbelievably boring and I must have fallen asleep." It was late, dark outside, and Flame couldn't stop himself from yawning.
"I think that's your cue to go to bed," Selina giggled.
"You're probably right. See you in the morning."
"See ya."
Author's Notes:
This chapter was a little slow to write first draft-wise, but it was a good first draft, and I'd just first-drafted the previous chapters before this. Because of the change in tone, this was fun to write. I could throw so more jokes in. Hope they hit the mark!
I skipped the Flame and Selina-Pierre and Kristen battle because I wrote it in impromptu fashion (I originally had the former classmates in this chapter assist Flame and Selina, but I decided their six Pokémon would be enough) and I didn't want this chapter to massively exceed 2,000; I wanted a shorter chapter, and I think it's nice for a change to narrative gap a battle (it made sense this time, I think, too).
Anyway, I'll stop talking now and say, "Happy Valentine's Day!" (That's why I released this and the last two chapters three days in a row—this one was a perfect chapter for today.)