Riley ran forward, hoping he could catch the Punk Girl. But all of his worry was for naught. She landed comfortably in the sand and started making sand-angels. "I've really got to let go of all my stress and see the good things in life again," she sighed with confidence.
Riley sighed. He, too, let go of his stress. He climbed up the rock face that the girl had been sitting on. There was a strange-looking sight on the top of the rock face. There was a natural rock wall, but there was no way Riley could scale it himself. He was upset about it. What was hiding up there that was making him so curious? He punched the cliff with his fist and immediately regretted it. Yowch!
Next to where the girl had been sitting was a PokeBall. Or maybe it as a PokeCache Capsule? Riley opened it to see what it was. It turned out to be a Darwing feather. Odd. He decided to climb back down the sloped rock and talk to the girl.
"Oh that?" she said, looking up at Riley from the towel she'd set up in the sand. The sun was setting and it left a beautiful orange glow in the desert sky. The murderous heat calmed down, now relieving Riley with a comfortable, dry chill. He observed many of the Pokemon that had been wandering the sands scurrying back to their nests, dens, and whatnot as the sun set and the moon rose. Too, he observed that a handful of other Pokemon replaced them, these ones seemingly nocturnal.
"That's just an old feather that fell off one of the birds around here. It's useless to me, but I figured someone'd like it. Hey, I have a friend-"
Riley knew where this was going. There was no way he was keeping that feather as a decoration.
"She's a Schoolgirl, all obedient and stuff," the good-hearted Punk Girl explained. "She lives in Sherrow City, which isn't far from here. She works in the Ice Rink's Box Office. She'd like it. Could you deliver it for me?"
Riley agreed. He now had a side-mission! Who knows, maybe he'd get something out of it. And he wasn't greedy enough to turn down someone in need anyway. He went off in the direction of Sherrow City. But not without a nocturnal Pokemon encounter! This Pokemon was a wolf-like Pokemon with intimidating red eyes. It had sharp stones in its body in many places.
"Roc-ly!" it roared, moving its hair out of its eye and bearing its sharp teeth at Riley.
"Vekt-cor!" Corvekt cawed, readying itself. It charged up its Leaf Blade at the same time the opposing Lycanroc used Shadow Claw! The attacks collided, and the Pokemon kept trying to strike each other, each attack being blocked! Until Corvekt landed its sword, striking Lycanroc in its rock-covered ribs, and causing it to nearly faint! But it still had some vigor left in it! It reared its back up while charging Chomp!
It pounced on Corvekt and chomped its teeth down hard on its wings, ripping off several of its feathers! Corvekt screamed in pain, but attacked back! It used Aerial Ace, landing a direct hit on Lycanroc's skull! And Lycanroc was down!
"Ola, trainer," said a fellow Pokemon Trainer. This one wore a vest and stained short-shorts. She was stylish, even when forced to wear a Breeder uniform. Underneath her denim vest, which had a PokeBall design on it with "Certified Pokemon Breeder" in lettering too small to be read unless your eye were directly contacting it, she wore a stained white t-shirt that was the same as Riley's, only in a female fit.
Her skin was tanned and her hair was platinum blonde. It was an odd juxtaposition, but Riley wasn't the kind to judge. She had a PokeBall in her hand, and one sitting in a basket of berries that she had.
"I'm Maria. Believe it or not, the cacti in the Osuyasa area produce berries sometimes. Because of how they're grown, I find my Pokemon love the taste of them more than other berries. Wanna see?"
Before waiting for an answer, she sent out her Pokemon! It flopped around on the ground, unable to do anything but that. "Kar-arp." it chirped.
Riley sent out Corvekt. The corvid-like Pokemon prepared for battle and-
Splash.
The Magikarp splashed the sand around it up into the air, doing absolutely nothing.
Corvekt took mercy on it, using its Leaf Blade lightly as to not overpower the Pokemon. Magikarp, as to be expected, fainted.
"No! It's okay, Magikarp! Here, have a berry while you recover!" Pokemon Breeder Maria smiled, giving her Pokemon a berry as she'd promised. She picked the PokeBall out of the berry basket and threw it onto the battlefield.
The Pokemon that came out was Voltorb. It rolled around a bit, trying to find its balance on its fully-spherical body. It did. Corvekt used Aerial Ace, but it wasn't very effective! Voltorb held on long enough to use Self Destruct!
Its body burst into flames, the blast hitting Corvekt and causing it to faint! But still, when the smoke cleared, Voltorb had held on through the attack. "Thank Arceus for Ursa Berries, ha!" she laughed, almost in a mocking fashion at Riley. "They allow a Pokemon that has a self-destructing move to survive it with only a sliver of health! You planning on making a comeback, kiddo?"
He was! He sent out Subterrain Darwing, who used Earth Power! Underneath the Voltorb, rock and magma shot up! Voltorb fainted!
"Darn... I guess you were planning on making a comeback..." she sighed, discouraged, burying her face in her fingerless gloves. "Here's your prize money."
It was the most prize money Riley had received from a Pokemon Trainer yet! Not counting the Gym Leaders, who were entirely too generous. Riley's face was beaming when he saw how much money had been put in his hand.
"Here, I'll give you access to this cactus. It's still got a bunch of great berries on it! Oh, and have this." Her frown turned upside down as she handed Riley a small red and gold berry that had a glimmer to it. "It's an Ursa Berry. It's a single-use item that a Pokemon can hold. If that Pokemon uses a self-destructing move, it will survive with only a sliver of health left. However, the Pokemon League deems that you can only have one Pokemon on your team hold it at a time."
She gave him another berry, as well. "This is a Shuca Berry. It will be helpful in the desert, because a Pokemon holding it will be able to withstand 50% more of a super effective Ground-type move than usual."
Riley proceeded to Sherrow City. There was a long, winding canyon path between the wide-open Osuyasa Desert and Sherrow City. There were no wild Pokemon on this section of the desert, but there was a trainer.
"Hey!" they shouted, gaining Riley's attention. "I'll bet you you're not gonna beat me!" It was a hiker girl! Riley waved. He'd take her on, sure.
"Then it's a battle we've got! Go Ninjask, and Shedinja!"
Both Pokemon looked similar. One, Ninjask, was a large cicada-like Pokemon that had glaring red eyes and a black underside with fast-flapping white and red wings and a gold backside. The other Pokemon, Shedinja, looked very similar to its partner, only it had skeletal eyes and a halo above its head, its wings dried out and stuck bonily to its back.
Riley sent out Flaradillo and Bluntooth. Flaradillo used Flame Wheel on Ninjask! But the speedy Pokemon dodged the attack!
Bluntooth used Ice Beam, hitting it right in its face! But it took absolutely no damage. Riley gasped, as did Bluntooth!
Ninjask used Aerial Ace! It was super effective on Flaradillo, causing it to faint! Riley clenched his fist, stress setting in.
Shedinja used Shadow Ball! It spun itself around, and out of a gaping hole in its back, black liquid dripped out. The ectoplasmic fluid formed a ball, and Shedinja turned around again, pushing it with its forehead towards Bluntooth, who had been critically hit by it!
Riley sent out Darwing's Muddyfoot form. It planted its feet in a layer of mud on the rocky ground and stretched its back, ruffling its neck feathers. Riley had it use Air Slash on Ninjask! It was super effective, and the Ninjask's wings stopped flapping, making it drop straight downward. The hiker girl withdrew it before it could collide with the rocky ground.
"Bluntooth!" cried the Pokemon with that name. It was stressed out by how low on vigor it was. "Tooth!" it whimpered. It used Superpower, but as it went to attack Shedinja, the Pokemon just went invisible, and the feline Pokemon slipped right through it!
The opposing insect used Leech Life. It bit into Bluntooth and sucked its blood. The little orange creature couldn't handle the attack, and fainted.
"Wiiiiiing!" Darwing practically screamed. It glared at Shedinja. It would take it down itself, if it was going to be that way! It flapped its wings, building up force, then slashed them forward! The momentum from the motion caused the force to rip through the air! Air Slash! It hit Shedinja, and the Pokemon immediately disintegrated, returning to its PokeBall as a flurry of dust.
Her jaw dropped. "Oh..." Her bag also dropped. "You figured out my strategy, I guess..."
Riley smiled, pumping his fist across his chest. He adjusted his bandanna as if it were a tie, then recalled Darwing, who was still ripe with vengeful anger.
"Here." The dazed hiker dropped a handful of money into Riley's hand. She straightened her posture, stomped her foot down, and pumped her gloved fist to the side. "As Polleniah's song goes," she began. "Time to shed my old skin and show the world what's really inside!"
He walked through the Entrance Gate of Sherrow City. He was actually quite surprised it could afford to keep one, since it wasn't one of the biggest cities is Chinocko. He made his first stop at the Pokemon Centre. He smiled at an ice cream truck that was sitting outside the irregularly-large Pokemon Centre building as he went inside. He gave Nurse Joy his Pokemon to heal. "Hey again, Riley. That was your name, right? How are you?"
He did answer, but she continued talking anyway.
"Good, good," she smiled. "Yeah, it's been slow lately. Guess that means people aren't working their Pokemon as hard! Which is totally a good thing!"
Riley smiled. It was a good thing.
"Here are your Pokemon back, dear." Nurse Joy handed Riley his six PokeBalls. He immediately went to put two of them in the Virtual Paradise. He deposited both Darwing. Raising six Pokemon was just too much for him at this point in his adventure. He would keep more Pokemon on his team in the future, but he just couldn't take care of so many with his current experience.
He stopped by the Ice Rink, and talked to the girl in the Box Office. "Yeah? Hey there," she waved.
He showed her the Darwing Feather.
"Ah! It's beautiful! It's a Subterrain Darwing, right? Those are only found in the desert! Can I keep this?"
She seemed knowledgeable of the feather's origin. Riley would let her keep it.
"Oh thank you, tank you!" she grinned, holding the feather close to her heart. "Here," she said, holding out an egg-shaped, prickly object. "It's a Painted Pineco. Don't worry, it's not live. When Pineco evolve, they leave exoskeletons behind. It's a traditional to paint these leftover skeletons. If you could deliver it to someone, I'd like that."
Riley shifted his weight, urging her to tell him where she wanted him to go. "I'd deliver it myself, you see, but I'm stuck in this glass box. I need it delivered to Sandra. I used to babysit her, and I wanted to send her a gift for her birthday, but it's now too late for that. Thank you!"
...
Sandra? All the way in Suncoast City? This delivery would have to wait.
"Hey Riley!" smiled Lillie, the white rose. "Have this."
It was a grey PokeBall that looked like it would fit perfectly in the Pokemon Caller. She popped it inside RIley's Pokemon Caller and it clicked into place.
"It's a Ferrothorn that can use Ferrothorn Elevator. With it, you can scale tricky rock walls. Oh, me? I just got here. I took the plane back to Vancine City, then walked here." She hopped on her heels. "Guess what! Me and Saturnius got our first Gym Badge, and it was the Hourglass Badge! With it, we can ride planes for free!"
Riley smiled. "Consider this my gift of gratitude for protecting me back in Eclisse City. And..." But after that, Lillie started mumbling, unable to get her words right. "I'll see you later, then," she grinned, waving goodbye. And then Riley watched Lillie walk in the direction of Osuyasa Desert. Gosh, he hoped she'd be safe if she got into any more trouble.
He headed into Tempura Forest and looked at the pond in the middle of the path. On the other side of it, there was a trail that he couldn't pass before because he lacked Lapras, or a Pokemon Caller at all for that matter. He sent Lapras out onto the still pond waters and hopped on her back. Immediately, he was spotted by a trainer who was sitting on a rock on a tiny island in the middle of the pond.
"Heya!" they shouted with a bit of a street-type slang. "How'ya doin'!?"
Riley put his thumb up. He was alright.
"Alriiiiiight!" the super enthusiastic forest goer exclaimed. "Let's have a great battle!"
He knew it. Riley knew that was where this was going. Challenge accepted!
"Go Whirlpearl!" the Photographer shouted, sending a PokeBall into the clear waters. When the Pokemon came out, a whirlpool immediately surrounded it, and everything in the pond was pulled towards it! Riley jumped back onto the land, then sent out Corvekt! He pointed his PokeDex at the aforementioned Whirlpearl.
"Whirlpearl. The Seashell Pokemon. Water- and Rock-type. This Pokémon protects a large pearl with its life. Found only in the saltiest waters, Whirlpearl can use its pearl to summon vicious whirlpools and water cyclones to defend itself. Despite being so small, sailors have told stories of them for generations."
Geez, even if it was really tiny, it was really intimidating! Corvekt tried to use Leaf Blade, but Whirlpearl had used Protect! It was undamagable inside its hard shell!
Whirlpool was deep black. It had what sort of looked like a keyhole on its upper lip that made it look like a treasure chest when its shell was shut. When it was open, there was a huge, white pearl inside as well as an intimidating face with large, triangular teeth and pointed eyes on the underside of the top shell.
It used Whirlpool! Its pearl glowed brightly as it summoned the water of the pond to attack Corvekt. The black bird had been caught in the whirlpool, and was being pulled toward its center! It was encased by the water as Whirlpearl rapidly attacked it. Corvekt flew out of the water, significantly damaged.
But it was the bird's turn to attack! It slashed its Leaf Blade into the water and the vines slithered around through the pond until they found Whirlpearl. Then, they slashed it like they were claws and retracted back into Corvekt's sword.
But Whirlpearl survived! It used Aqua Ring, and it used the clear waters around it to heal a little bit of the damage it had taken. Meanwhile, Corvekt was already charging its next Leaf Blade! It flew over the water, its sword in its beak and dipped deep into the water. The green-glowing wooden sword collided with Whirlpearl, causing it to faint!
"Aw man!" the Photographer grunted, slumping his shoulders over as he looked down through his sitting knees at the water below him, seeing his reflection. "I been beaten. But I'm still doin' alright. Right?"
Riley proceeded. He hopped off Lapras at the other side of the pond and was relieved to see there were no other trainers. But there was no Professor Maple either. Where was she? Well, there was a rock wall. Ferrothorn Elevator would help him explore Tempura Forest more.
He sent out Ferrothorn, a huge iron Pokemon with barbed vines that it used to grab things and to move with. It stuck the vines to the rock wall, making sure its body stayed horizontal so Riley could climb on. The Trainer did, and they began climbing directly upwards.
"Oh!" gasped some woman in a black coat. "It's you! Good!"
Ah, now that Riley's mind had a chance to process the situation, he saw that it was Professor Maple. So this is where she was. "It's good that you're here," she smiled, swiping her finger across her tablet. "As promised, I'll explain why I had you come here.
"There's a Pokemon in this area called Rawbbit. It's an invasive species of Pokemon that is large enough to feed on many of the Pokemon in this area. And those it cannot feed on, it poisons. It came from a southern region, south of Chinocko but north of Unova, where it was well-managed in its numbers by prey and predators that kept it in check, but in Chinocko the situation is different.
"I asked you to come here to help me catch as many of them as possible so we can keep them managed. But don't worry, we won't be doing this alone. I've enlisted the help of three others." She took a brief breath after her long explanation and checked her tablet. "They should be here quite soon."
Lilly walked up, smiling as she usually did. "Hi Maple," she grinned, waving and walking closer to the professor and the trainer. "Riley!"
Another familiar face arrived, that of Eric. His trench coat had gotten a little dirty, but who's clothes wouldn't get dirty if they spent most of their time around Pokemon. Riley was growing fond of Eric, thinking about how much his research must be helping Pokemon. More than his own efforts, Riley was sure.
"Ah, Riley." Eric put down his own tablet and made eye contact with Riley. "I-..." The cobalt-haired Pokemon Conservationist blinked, clearing his throat. "It's a pleasure to see you again. I'm honoured to be working with you to help Pokemon. It's a great cause that more people need to follow as passionately as you and I."
He turned to Maple, "And dear Professor, I am most honoured to be working with you to manage the population of Rawbbit and Roarbit in this area! I fester a strong dislike for them, as they draw enjoyment out of the suffering of the Pokemon they ruin the lives of, but I digress. Rehabilitating their behaviours takes plenty of attention and work- it's exhausting- but it can be done with a Trainer's passionate heart."
"Hi guys!"
"Hi Lillie, with an -ie!" Professor Maple smiled, urging her to come over. "Alright, now we're all together. What convenient timing, too!" She put away her tablet into her black uniform pocket and pulled up the boots that she had worn for this project. She explained the situation to the three others that had just gotten here, and they all nodded, excited to their part.
"I'll take the route across the rope bridge to the east," Eric instructed. "It will be the area with the most strong Roarbit. I will take care of them as to not stress you all out by their power."
He sent out a Lucario. Wow! A Lucario! Riley didn't even know Eric was a Pokemon Trainer! Much less that his Pokemon were so strong! The Lucario obediently followed behind Pokemon Conservation Eric, its tail swishing cutely as it padded along the moist, grassy ground.
"If he's taking that route, then I'm taking the west!" Lilly declared, skipping on her feet with the same adorable excitement as always. She took Moreel out of its PokeBall to take on the Dragon- and Poison-type Pokemon that was causing trouble in the area. "Look! There's even a treehouse that we get to climb up to get up the cliff!" She ran off, Moreel stretching its body out horizontally to raise its aerodynamics to keep up with the excited girl.
"I'll go up into the trees. I've heard that Rawbbit like to hide in the trees here. And I don't think we should take on the strong Roarbit like you guys, because Saturnius isn't big on fighting. Good luck, though," Lillie smiled, "my friend Riley."
"And Riley, I'll take the pond in the middle of the norther section of this forest area. Flaradillo would be weak in those conditions, so I'm leaving you in charge of the big tree with the winding roots. Good luck!" This message came from Professor Maple, who gave Riley a satchel full of PokeBalls before taking to the swampy but beautiful pond that was to the north of where they were standing. And so, he was the only one left standing there. He took the northern path, which led to a huge tree that had winding roots that had a railing built into them, like a walkable ramp.
Before long, he found himself faced against a Pokemon! It was Rawbbit, like he was looking for! It hopped out from a hole in the tree that was big enough for Riley himself to walk through. "Flarar!" Flaradillo called out as it was sent into battle!