Pokémon: Adventures in Sinnoh Chapter 10: Pearl's Whale of a Time!, a pokémon fanfic

Pearl leaned back on the rough bark of the tree and pulled her feet up and out of the way of the water. The lake was peaceful, reflections of the sky's lazy clouds drifting along its silver-blue surface, a cold but not unpleasant breeze making the long grass of the area dance and cooling the sweat on her brow. It had been a busy day observing wild creatures for the Pokédex, but she was sure the professor would be very pleased with her progress. Smiling to herself, she cast her handmade fishing rod out just past the shallows. She didn't expect to catch anything with such a tool – she never had – but it was a relaxing hobby after her work had been completed. As she moved her black hair out of her face, she felt a slight tug on the wire. Taking a moment to comprehend what was happening, she gripped it with both hands as the tugging increased in frequency. Had she hooked a Goldeen? A Tentacool? An old shoe?

'Grrrraaahhh!' she growled as the struggle to reel in the catch became more and more and difficult.

Suddenly, she felt her feet leave the ground and the wind darting past her as she was tossed high into the air and pulled towards the water. Her mind raced as she braced herself to land in the cold waters, but the surface on which her body impacted was dry, warm and rubbery. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself sitting on a large buoy, bobbing slowly in a circle of ripples.

'What the…?' she gasped. Looking over the side of the object on which she sat, her eyes were met by two black beady ones. 'You're a… Wailmer?'

'Waaa-hooooo!' it bellowed in a guttural, goofy voice.

'Put me back on the riverbank!' she snapped.

The huge Pokémon giggled and began to rush around the lake, Pearl holding onto its skin for dear life, screaming as it dragged her in several directions before stopping abruptly and catapulting her back to the sandy ground that it had dragged her from. Shaking her head and groaning, she pointed her Pokédex at the laughing whale:

'Wailmer, the Ball Whale Pokémon. Despite its intimidating size, it is a very playful Pokémon that enjoys bouncing after drinking gallons of seawater. It attacks by spraying water from the nostrils on its head and its mouth.'

'I don't care how playful you are, you scared me!' Pearl shouted, frowning at the Pokémon. 'And look, you've made my clothes dirty too!'

Wailmer's large toothy grin dropped and it moaned forlornly. Pearl's eyes saddened as she realised that it was probably just trying to make friends, as its species were not native to West Sinnoh.

'What are you doing here? Wailmer don't live in this area.' she asked in a softer tone.

'Waaaaaaaai…' it bubbled, tears forming in its eyes.

'So you're all by yourself?' she sighed. She was not used to feeling such compassion; her relationship with Pokémon had always been one of steel determination and professionalism. Somehow, this clumsy ball had made her lower her emotional guard.

'I'm… sorry that I yelled at you.' she mumbled.

The Pokémon cheered and a spout of water erupted from the top of its head, its large fins flapping and causing mighty splashes. Pearl began to laugh, but then noticed a strange symbol on its left fin; a circle within a circle, the inner one containing two crossed lines.

'What's that?' she asked.

The creature stopped flailing and held still. The emblem seemed to be tattooed into its thick skin.

'Who did that to you?' cried Pearl, angry that someone would do this to a creature.

Wailmer's face turned sad again momentarily, before it spouted more water. It suddenly rolled itself onto the bank, grabbed the girl in its fin, and raised her up onto its bulbous head again.

'Wait, what are you do-'

The end of her sentence turned to a scream as her new friend bounced into the water and tore down the river, laughing loudly and disrupting the peace.

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'So, I finally get to hear from you.' rumbled Professor Rowan's voice down the telephone line.

'Yeah… sorry I haven't been in touch.' laughed Nick nervously.

'How is the Pokédex coming along?' asked Rowan. Nick was glad that he did not seem too angry about the long interval since their last contact.

'Great, I think…' started the boy, 'I've caught a Nosepass and a Shellder and seen quite a few Pokémon. I even saw a lot of ghost-types in Mauheru Town.'

'I'm glad to hear it. Pearl is doing very well too.'

A funny feeling ran through Nick's stomach.

'Professor… how many others are working on a Pokédex for you?'

'Just the two of you at the moment.' replied the professor instantly. 'But there are others who have helped me in the past who are still trainers and scholars. In fact, the famed Professor Drasil helped me in his later years until…'

The phone line went silent.

'Until he disappeared?' asked Nick.

'Yes. How did you know about that?'

'A scientist in Oreburgh told me.' he replied.

'Professor Drasil helped me create the Sinnoh Region Pokémon Index – the Pokédex – over twenty years ago.' began the old man. Nick listened intently. 'While I was never one for fieldwork, Drasil enjoyed long expeditions to find rare creatures and observe distant habitats.'

'So how did he… not come back?' asked Nick, trying not to sound insensitive.

'That I do not know.' sighed Rowan. 'The last time I ever heard from him, which was around ten years ago, he only mentioned going deep into the wilderness of Sinnoh. He was very secretive with his work; he only talked about it his discoveries when he had completed his research. I think he thought he might look like a failure if he made promises and then didn't deliver.'

'I see…' breathed Nick.

There was a moment of silence.

'Pearl tells me you're challenging gyms.' said the professor. There was the sound of a smile from the other side of the line. 'Battling leaders' rare, powerful Pokémon will help our database.'

'Cool!' exclaimed Nick excitedly. 'I have two badges, and I'm about to challenge the Eterna City leader. That's where I am now.'

'Gardenia, a grass-user.' stated Rowan.

'My Shellder knows an ice-type move.' beamed Nick, looking fondly at the ball containing his newest ally.

'That may be,' began the professor, 'But Shellder is a water-type which means it's weak to grass attacks. Just be aware of that.'

Nick's smile faded. He had not thought of that; would Shellder be defeated before it could even use Icicle Spear?

'Anyway, Nick, I have work to attend to.' said Rowan, and with a click, his voice ceased.

Nick put down the receiver and paced back to the square, cushioned seats of the Eterna Pokémon Centre. He looked at Shellder's Pokéball again, and with the push of a button, it appeared on the floor in front of him. It looked up with its large, gazing eyes.

'Hi, Shellder.' smiled Nick. He had not introduced himself to the new team member yet. 'I'm Nick, your trainer. How are you?'

'Shell!' it squeaked, and a small jet of water hit Nick's face. It giggled as Nick dried his face with his shirt, its long tongue wriggling with glee.

'I guess that means you're happy.' grinned Nick. He had the feeling Shellder was going to be a handful. 'We're going to be challenging a gym today. Is that okay with you?'

'Shellder…' it chimed. It seemed happy enough with the idea.

'Here, let me lift you up.' he smiled.

The creature snapped its shell at Nick's outstretched hand as he went to pick it up. For a moment he worried that it did not like him, but then it giggled again and bounced up on his lap. Its long tongue pointed up and licked its trainer's cheek.

Eterna City was clean and beautiful. Its gleaming windows and marble structures were surrounded with lush plant life, the encompassing valleys crowded with green trees and overlooked by a sky dotted with ambivalent clouds. His stay in the Pokémon Centre had been comfortable; he had eaten and slept soundly. Olive had thanked him for his company during the trek through the forest and wished him luck in the gym battle. He found the building with relative ease. It was much larger than the Mauheru Gym, blending in with the offices and apartment buildings of the area. With a deep breath, he pushed his way through the clear glass doors and was instantly greeted by a man at a desk.

'Hello!'

'Oh, hi.' smiled Nick.

'Nick from Twinleaf Town?' grinned the man. His red hair hung to his shoulders and his face was half-hidden behind a large beard, askew, circular spectacles balancing on his pointed nose.

'Uh, yeah… how did you…?' gasped Nick.

'Gardenia is expecting you. Come over here.'

Nick slowly walked over to the desk and signed a form to verify his identity and the Pokémon that he had with him.

'Confident?' grinned the red-haired man, revealing a gold tooth.

'Yeah, I think so.' replied Nick, placing the green pen down on the desk.

'Take a seat for now. She won't be long.'

Nick carefully sat down on some leather armchairs in the middle of the room and quietly observed the place. The carpets were a dark green colour, the purple walls surrounding several potted plants and small trees cluttered around the vicinity. He did not care for the decorations, but one thing in particular was playing on his mind: how did Gardenia know he was coming? Perhaps Olive had tipped her off – she did know the Leader after all. He feigned interest in news reports on a small television that the red-haired receptionist was watching. It documented discoveries of more possible evolutions of the Eevee species, the closure of a nearby cycling path and the re-opening of some faraway lighthouse. Only one story caught his full attention, however; it regarded sightings of criminal suspects re-entering the Sinnoh Region by sea who had evaded capture or interrogation. Before he could fully comprehend what he was hearing or seeing, some automatic doors ahead of him slid open and an electronic voice spoke:

'Challenger. Please enter the arena.'

The man turned and looked at Nick, and gestured him onwards.

'Good luck, kid.'

Nick stood up, and with another deep breath, left the horribly-decorated room.

Apart from the light coming through the doors he had passed through, the room was in complete darkness. He hoped that the floor was not composed of uneven terrain like that at Flannery's gym, as he was sure he would have tripped over any invisible rocks or craters. He stood still, waiting for his opponent to reveal herself. Eventually, a familiar voice spoke from somewhere in the dark void:

'I've been waiting for you.'

A spotlight sparked into life, revealing the source of the disembodied words. Standing on a steel platform lined with flowers was a red-haired woman with a lime-green cloak hanging from her shoulders.

'You…' gasped Nick.

'That's right,' replied Olive with a smirk.

'You were the leader this whole time?'

'The way you battle…' she sighed, closing her eyes, 'Your tactics, style and compassion for your Pokémon… the way you took down Flannery, and your heroism and expertise in Eterna Forest… I simply had to return to my gym and battle you myself.'

Nick's jaw was still directed towards the floor.

'And now!' she continued, throwing her arms out, 'I, Olive Gardenia, accept your challenge for the Forest Badge!'