Pokémon: Adventures in Sinnoh Chapter 17: Eggs and Balloons, a pokémon fanfic

They left Ricky's house the next afternoon after being fed by his exceptionally hospitable mother yet again. Shaking hands with the young boy, they stepped out into the street and headed towards the Woodsthrone Gym under a cloud-covered sky, a cold-but-refreshing wind gently blowing through the circle of trees that sheltered the town. They did not speak until they passed the last house at the edge of town and their feet met the road that led to the building where Nick's fourth badge was waiting.

'I still think that town's weird.' admitted Jay a few steps out of its boundary.

'A little… but they're good people.' smiled Nick. 'Plus, I got something out of it.'

'Yeah, you did…' muttered Jay, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

They walked a little further and the gym came into a clearer view between the crowded trees.

'So, which of us is going to challenge Ant first?' asked Nick.

Jay looked to the ground in thought for a moment.

'Maybe we should wait and see which of us he wants to challenge. I don't mind, really.'

'Me neither!' replied Nick, happy that there was no conflict regarding the matter. He had thought that Jay would have been eager to defeat the Leader first to catch up with him.

He had spoken to his mother on the telephone before leaving the house. She seemed happier, but still with a tone of exhaustion in her voice. He had told her about his new Pokémon and his accomplishments, and she told him she was proud and that they missed him. He missed them too and, occasionally, his thoughts drifted back to Twinleaf Town and the memories it held. He did not yearn to be home, however; he could not disappoint Professor Rowan by giving up on the Pokédex, and Elekid, Nosepass and Shellder depended on him now – Skorupi could probably have taken care of itself. He was eager to use his new team-mate in battle after seeing its capabilities the night before. These thoughts of home and away, as well as small-talk with Jay, occupied his mind until they reached the doors of the gym, only to discover that, like the one in Hearthome, it was closed, a sign in the window apologising for any inconvenience.

'Oh, no! You've got to be kidding me!' growled Jay, peering through the glass and into the darkness.

'Is there no one in there?' asked Nick, a shadow of disappointment across his face.

'Not a soul,' replied Jay quietly, shaking his head, 'And this notice doesn't say why, or when it will be open again. What's with the Sinnoh Leaders?'

He turned back to face Nick.

'I guess we should go to the next town.'

'Where's that?' asked Nick, tilting his head slightly.

Jay looked at his Pokétch and pressed a few buttons on its interface.

'Pastoria City. It's further along this road, to the East.' he answered. 'Flannery told me about the Gym Leader there. I can't remember his name, but he uses water-types.'

Nick looked to the East. Vast, marshy fields formed the road, with clusters of overgrown trees dotted across the landscape; it would surely be teeming with grass- and water-type Pokémon. Something else caught his eye, however; something high in the sky, far off in the distance. It was too far away to see clearly, but it looked like a balloon-like object drifting on the wind, with a small child hanging from its string.

'What is that?' asked Nick, turning to Jay. His rival was staring intently at it.

'I've no idea… It looks like a kid flying in the air…'

Without words, they started following the downhill path to their next destination, eager to find out more about this strange sight.

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Not too far away, Pearl sat under a tree on a country path, resting her head on Wailmer's massive body. She was flicking through the entries in her Pokédex, the screen displaying pictures of various creatures.
'We saw over twenty new Pokémon at the Hearthome Contest,' she said proudly, 'The Professor will be pleased.'
'Waiii!' the whale gurgled happily.
Pearl smiled at her rotund friend and then turned to appreciate the long, care-free grass blowing in the wind. Mount Coronet looked down from afar, the river running past them surely originating from far up on its mysterious summit. She felt relaxed; only when she was alone with her Pokémon could she truly be herself. After a few more minutes of serenity, she stood up.
'We'll go to Solaceon Town and see the Pokémon Ranch,' she told her partner, 'Then we'll head back West to Canalave City and try to go visit the steel-type Pokémon on Iron Island.'
No sooner had they started walking than a young boy approached them, cradling a round object with both arms, his face smiling in joy.
'Hey, are you a trainer?' he asked excitedly.

'Yes, why?'

The boy's spirits were not dampened by her stony reply.

'There's a guy at a stall further up this road and he's selling Pokémon eggs!' he exclaimed, 'Look, I got one!'

She looked at the egg in his arms.

'May I see that?'

'Well, I dunno…' replied the boy, 'My mommy says not to let strangers see my things in case they run off with them.'

'I won't steal it,' she said, half-smiling, 'Here, you can hold one of my Pokémon.'

She offered him the Pokéball containing Kirlia. Warily, he held out the egg and grabbed hold of the ball before fully releasing it from his grip. He stared at it intently, while Pearl did the same to the egg. It was not warm like she knew an egg should be, and was covered in a multi-coloured, chalk-like substance.

'Did the man say what kind of Pokémon was inside?'

'Not really,' replied the boy, looking up from the Pokéball, 'He just said it was a really rare, powerful one! Maybe it's a legendary Pokémon, like Celebi, or Manaphy!'

Pearl suddenly looked at the boy, slightly taken aback that he knew of such creatures.

'I doubt a travelling salesman could ever capture those rare Pokémon.' she stated. She had read about them long ago; no trainer had ever caught them, and only few people around the world had encountered them. The boy looked slightly disappointed. She looked at the egg sceptically for a few more minutes before giving it back and taking back Kirlia. She noticed that her hands were now covered in the colourful dust.

'Well, see ya! I'm off to take care of my egg!' chirped the boy, running off towards Hearthome, clutching it tightly. She watched him go, her mind full of doubt, before turning to Wailmer.

'I don't think that is a Pokémon egg…' she affirmed, shaking her head and wiping her hands, 'Come on, Wailmer. We'd better check this out.'

They followed the well-trodden path that the child had come from for a short while, the river and clouds moving the same way. Turning a corner round a remarkably thick tree, they found what they had been told of. A tall, incredibly gaunt man stood behind a display of ramshackle, wooden shelves that were lined with what were supposedly Pokémon eggs. The man turned and caught Pearl's gaze. A thin smile spread across his face, which was more beaten than the road on which they stood. His thin, curling hair – or what there was of it – that rested on his shoulders blew slightly in the wind as he spoke in a foreign accent:

'Hello, friend of mine! I see you have Pokémon – I have what you are wanting!'

'You do?' she asked, not yet confronting him.

'Yes!' he beamed back, 'Eggs of rare Pokémon! Pokémon like you never did have seen! Price is very good, yes!'

Pearl wandered over and began to examine the eggs. They were all covered in different markings, but all of them looked as dubious as the one that she had seen earlier. Touching one, her hands were again dirtied by a substance. There were several gaps in the display; unfortunate trainers had obviously fell for the scam and purchased the ones that had sat there.

'You are interested, yes?' said the man hungrily, leaning on the tabletop.

'Yes.' she replied. 'I'm very interested in why you are selling fake eggs to trainers?'

The man jumped back in a ridiculously melodramatic fashion, trying to look shocked.

'Fake? N-No! These eggs, r-real they are! Bred from rare P-Pokémon!' he stammered nervously.

'What's in this one, then?' she asked, lifting up a crudely-painted purple egg.

'I say a rare Pokémon! P-Perhaps a Croagunk or a Wynaut or…'

Crrrrrrrrrrack.

Pearl squeezed the egg and it broke into several pieces, falling apart and falling to the ground in a plume of purple dust. Her eyes did not leave the man's face. He was sweating profusely.

'I have been tricked!' he gasped, 'Man who sell me eggs, he gave me! Not my eggs to begin with!'

'Give it up.' sighed Pearl.

Wailmer moved forward and moaned in an intimidating manner.

'I sorry! I sorry!' he snivelled, eyes full of fear at the sight of the creature.

Pearl looked disgustedly at the man.

'I won't take you down right now and take you to the police if you give me the money you took from the other trainers.'

The man, now trembling, cleared his throat before nodding slowly.

'You can have…'

He reluctantly reached into his pocket and a quivering, veiny hand offered her a thick handful of notes.

'Water Gun!' she cried as she snatched it.

For a split second, the man's eyes widened before a huge jet of water blasted him several yards away. Soaking wet, he struggled to his feet in a pathetically undignified manner and took off at speed. The shelves were also hit by the force and collapsed, the eggs rolling off and shattering on the ground.

'Good riddance to bad eggs.' smirked Pearl, counting the money. Wailmer looked at it curiously.

'We'll hand this in at a Pokémon Centre so they can return it to its rightful owners.'

She stuffed it into her pocket and surveyed the broken fake eggs. They were strewn across the grass, a mess of sickly colours and fragmented pieces. One, however, was not broken. It was light green and more natural-looking than the others, a scale-like pattern just visible on its shell. Most curiously, however, it was moving. Very slightly, but it was moving.

'Wailmer, look… I think… I think that one is real!'

She slowly approached it, bent down, and lifted it into her arms. Warmth radiated from it, and feeble movements could be felt below its surface. She smiled at it.

'I don't know how a real egg ended up in his collection,' she wondered, 'But I guess it's ours to take care of.'

'Waaaah!' grinned Wailmer as she pulled it close to her chest, shielding it protectively with her arms.

The boys had lost sight of the flying child by the time they reached the village at the bottom of the hill. Its streets were lined with thick wooden boards that served as pavements on the wet, marshy ground. Their shoes and socks were muddy from walking through it on their way here; living in the middle of it would have been terribly unpleasant for the inhabitants of this area.

'I've heard about this part of Sinnoh,' gritted Jay, stomping his feet on the boards to get the dirt off of his feet, 'The Great Marsh. It's great for plants and Pokémon… just not for people.'

'Hey, look at that…' muttered Nick, not listening to Jay. His eyes had fell on a forlorn, auburn-haired woman putting up a poster on the wall of her house. It showed a picture of a smiling young boy, a mop of brown hair sitting on his freckly head. As she moved back from it, he saw that reported the child as missing. They slowly approached the woman.

'Are you okay?' asked Nick sympathetically.

She turned to look at him. Her hair was the same colour as that of the boy in the poster, and tears lined her similar eyes.

'It's my boy… He's missing, like the other kids.'

'Other kids?' asked Jay. His voice was louder than Nick felt was appropriate.

'The children in town have been going missing one-by-one for two days now.' she sniffed.

They looked across the streets. They had not noticed until now, but the walls of almost every house and shop were plastered with pictures of missing children. Some had been wrinkled by rain, some looked new; like they had been put up today.

'It's those Drifloon…' she seethed, a single tear running down her plump cheek.

'Drifloon…?' muttered Nick, taking out his Pokédex.

'Drifloon.' it began, displaying a picture of a round, purple body topped with a white wisp of hair, spindly legs dangling from it. Tiny black eyes sat above a yellow cross of a mouth. 'A ghost- and flying-type Pokémon. The way it floats aimlessly in the breeze has led people to call it The Signpost for Wandering Spirits. It is said to carry away children who hold its legs.'

'Foul, evil creatures!' snarled the woman, tears now gushing from her burning eyes, 'Evil, evil monsters!'

She stormed away, tears falling onto the rest of the posters she was carrying. They waited until she was out of earshot before talking again.

'Do you think Drifloon is the thing we saw carrying that kid earlier?'

'It must be.' replied Jay. 'Do you feel an adventure coming on?'

'Let's go.' smiled Nick.

They left town the way that they had came and headed for the forest that the balloon Pokémon had hovered over. A group of closely-huddled, stern-looking men standing under the canopy of a store watched them as they went.

'Gah! This mud!' moaned Jay, pulling his foot from the sucking ground.

'Oh, stop complaining.' grinned Nick, looking not to his companion but to the sky. They had been observing it for some time now, but had seen nothing more than the blanket of clouds that stretched over Southern Sinnoh.

'Nothing…' he muttered.

Skarmory appeared from above the trees and swooped down to stand by its dirty trainer.

'Did you see anything?' he asked it, brushing his ankle.

The bird cawed sadly and looked down. Time passed and their feet and necks began to ache from walking and looking up.

'Perhaps it's time to give up and get going to Pastoria.' sighed Jay, rubbing his sore back.

'Yeah,' replied Nick sadly, 'I guess… hey, look!'

Coming towards them, a fair distance away and very high up, was a Drifloon. As it got closer, they could make out its carefree face as it enjoyed drifting, its legs flapping lazily.

'There's one!' finished Nick.

'Hey, get over here!' shouted Jay.

The Pokémon looked down at them and, strangely, floated closer.

'Flooo?' it chimed inquisitively.

'What did you do with those children from the village?' demanded Nick in his most intimidating voice, his fists clenched.

'Drif-looo!' sang the creature, beginning to spin in circles.

'No time for games!' shouted Jay, 'Let's show this thing we mean business, Nick!'

With a nod, Nick threw a Poké Ball. It hit the ground at the same time as that of Jay. After the bright flash, Skorupi and a Pokémon that Nick had never seen appeared. He looked to Jay who grinned back.

'Luxio.' he said of the small, lion-like creature glaring at Drifloon, its black mane crackling with electricity, 'My Shinx evolved.'

Nick admired the Pokémon as Jay made the first move.

'Spark!'

A thin line of electricity shot from Luxio. A sudden gust lifted Drifloon up and out of the way of the disorientated attack.

'I'll try,' nodded Nick, 'Skorupi! Pin Missile!'

But nothing happened.

'Skorupi, I said use Pin Missile!'

The scorpion yawned loudly, before dropping to the ground and resting.

'What are you doing?' spluttered Nick, 'Get up and attack!'

The Pokemon looked at him over its shoulder, shrugged, and turned back to its slumber. Nick looked at it, wide-eyed and embarrassed. Jay grinned devilishly.

'I think you gave it a rude awakening.'

Nick approached his Pokemon and knelt down beside it.

'Why won't you battle for me, Skorupi?' he asked calmly.

The Pokémon turned its head away, eyes still closed. Nick reached his hand out to touch it supportively.

'I wouldn't do that if I were…'

Skorupi's eyes opened as he touched its back, and it spun around on the spot, its extended tail hitting Nick's feet and knocking him over into the dirt.

'…you.'

Nick, getting frustrated, got up and glared at the giggling scorpion.

'That's not funny, Skorupi! I'm your trainer and it's my job to look after and train you! Won't you please listen to me?'

'Ssssss-kah!' it hissed, looking away.

Nick was distraught as he returned it to its Poké Ball. He walked back to where Jay was, looking at the sopping wet ground, unable to bring himself to look at his rival.

'It happens, man,' said Jay softly, as though fully aware of Nick's sadness, 'Sometimes they just need proof of how much you care for them before they'll start to trust you. You should have seen me with Ekans when I first got it…'

'How did you get it to obey you?' asked Nick, looking up and absent-mindedly fixing his collar.

'That's a story for another time – we need to go after Drifloon!'

Nick looked up to see the balloon monster floating away over the forest. Without speaking, the boys sprinted after it, moving as quickly as they could in the marsh. Their surroundings quickly became dark as they dashed between the damp trees. Nick could understand why Drifloon lived here – it was the perfect setting for ghosts. The balloon was moving surprisingly quickly through the dripping canopy, but they did not lose sight of it.

'I… can't keep… running in this swamp!' panted Jay.

Nick ignored him and continued leaping over the branches and mud that made up the ground. Eventually, Drifloon lowered down from the air and stopped before a massive, moss-covered rock that was almost as tall as the trees. They halted in their tracks a few feet away from it and took a step back when it began to glower at them.

'Dri-floooo!' it howled.

The scene was instantly filled with an Ominous Wind attack. The purple fog chilled the boys to the bone as it hit their faces, and they lifted their arms to shield themselves. Drifloon did not ease up at all.

'Luxio… Spark…' gasped Jay, his voice almost a whisper.

The electric-type sprang from behind him and sent a bolt of lightning tearing through the wind and hitting Drifloon. It twirled around, disorientated, before leaping over the rock and out of sight.

'Don't let it get away!' cried Nick as the mist dissipated.

They quickly ran round to the other side of the rock and saw something they had not expected to see.

Sitting around a wide blanket were a group of children, each of them happily eating fruit. In the centre sat a tiny Drifloon, much smaller than the ones that were circling the scene protectively.

'What the…' muttered Jay, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. At his words, the children all looked up at the trainers.

'More guests!' piped one little boy, purple juice and seeds dripping down his chin from the food he was chewing.

'Did you guys come for the party too?' asked a red-haired girl from behind a freckly face.

'Party?' asked Nick.

'This little Drifloon, it's his party.' smiled another boy. Nick recognised him as the son of the woman who they had met earlier. 'They brought us kids from town to play for a few days. I don't think he has any friends out here in the woods.'

'Floo!' chimed the baby Drifloon. It danced happily in the middle of its new playmates.

The Drifloon they had chased appeared by Nick's side and looked at him hopefully. He nodded to it; he understood now that it was trying to prevent them from ruining the party.

'Your parents are all really worried about you,' he began, kneeling down and petting the baby Drifloon, 'I think it's time you said goodbye for now.'

The small Pokémon stopped nuzzling his hand and looked up sadly.

'You can always come visit your new friend again.' smiled Jay, folding his arms. Luxio stood by his feet licking its paws disinterestedly as drops of rain began to fall all around.

'I guess we should get home, everyone,' said the red-haired girl, getting to her feet, 'Bye bye Drifloon, we'll see you soon!'

She knelt down and hugged the little creature, as did the other children. Then, without question, they approached the pack of adult Drifloon and held onto their legs.

'Come on, trainers!' she smiled.

The original Drifloon and another moved above Nick's head.

'Uhh…' he stuttered, looking to Jay for reassurance. His rival, however, was already being hoisted into the air by two yellow Drifloon. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he lifted his arms and, clenching his fists, felt his feet leaving the ground. Several seconds later he opened his eyes and saw the laughing faces of the children as they swung happily from the Drifloon. Below, the baby jumped gleefully, two adults sitting beside it.

'This is one way to travel!' grinned Jay as the fresh air and rain above the trees hit their faces. The balloon creatures began to move towards the village. Nick, who had never liked heights, kept his eyes closed as much as possible during the short journey, while the children spoke to each other as though they were not levitating several hundred feet above the ground. Only when he felt himself start to descend did he bravely venture from behind his eyelids. They were landing on the stretch of road where they had first saw the Drifloon that was now carrying him. He had never been more thankful than when his feet touched the muddy ground again.

'That was some ride.' laughed Jay as he dropped to the ground, stumbling.

'I'm just glad it's over…' moaned Nick, stretching his arms. They ached after handing on to the Pokémon for so long. He turned to the children. 'Well, we'd better get you ho-'

'There they are!'

He looked towards the village to see a large group of angry men approaching, several of them clutching rusty pitchforks, their eyes burning in rage.

'Let's get 'em!' snarled a bearded man.

'Wait! What are you doing?' yelled Jay, standing in their way.

'Those balloons stole our children and now it's time for them to pay!' replied the same man.

A roll of thunder crashed in the darkening clouds above.

'But your children are back!' pleaded Nick, afraid of what was about to happen.

'And for good!' growled a skinny man whose moustache was thicker than his body. He, along with the others, ran towards the Drifloon, his weapon held high. He swung it at the scared balloons who cowered and drifted out of the way.

'Hey! Leave them alone!' cried Nick.

'Drifloon, fly away! Or attack!' added Jay, sounding just as concerned.

The Pokémon did not obey, but continued to dodge the pitchfork without defending or attacking.

'Why won't they…?' muttered Nick.

Before he could finish his sentence, one of the creatures was struck with the side of the object and fell to the ground, its eyes sorrowful, its body immobile. A flash of light streaked across the sky followed by a low rumble. The attacker looked down at the beaten Pokémon in a protective paternal anger.

The red-haired girl ran from the huddled group of children and began tugging at the man's leg.

'Daddy, please stop!' she sniffled.

'Get out of the way, Jessica!' he snarled in reply.

It was raining heavily now, the child's face wet with both tears and rain.

'The Drifloon are our friends!'

She squelched through the mud and knelt down in front of the Drifloon, hugging its battered body, pressing her face into its plush frame.

'Those monsters kidnapped you!' bellowed the father, unmoved, 'Your mother and I… You don't know how we felt. We thought you'd been stolen from us forever!'

The little girl looked up from the Pokémon into her father's livid eyes.

'No, they took us to play with them!' she sobbed. 'Please don't hurt them!'

At this point, the rest of the children approached her and the rest of the Drifloon descended to their level, floating by their sides affectionately and pleadingly.

'But…' sighed the man, lowering his weapon.

Nick stepped forward.

'There's a baby Drifloon living in the woods,' he began, walking in front of the man and catching his attention, 'It's lonely without other young friends, so the others took your children to play with it for a while. They were never going to harm them.'

'It still doesn't give them the right to take our kids away!' panted the man. It was unclear whether he was calming down or rage was rebuilding inside him.

'No, it doesn't,' replied Nick slowly, 'But you can't attack them like this for it. After all, they were trying to be good parents to their young, and I think you can appreciate that.

There was silence apart from the rain falling and some children sniffling. After a moment, the man dropped the pitchfork into the mud and stepped over it towards his daughter.

'Jessica…'

She ran into his arms and was hugged, as the rest of the men approached to pick up their own children, many of whom were holding Drifloon like balloons.

'Sage words, dude.' grinned Jay, approaching Nick's side. Nick gave a small smile and nod in return. The men couldn't have failed to understand and forgive that the Pokémon were just like them; they cared for their young above all else.

'But how come the Drifloon didn't attack or defend themselves?' asked Jay, looking inquisitively at the yellow ones who had carried him here.

'I guess they didn't want to prove the men right; that they were vicious, evil creatures who stole children.' decided Nick.

The rain had lightened and the clouds above were now a more acceptable shade of grey. Looking back down, they saw the man standing before them, holding his smiling daughter's hand and cradling the injured Drifloon in his other arm.

'We're going to nurse this little guy back to health.' he smiled.

'Flooo…' it cooed.

'Trainers, thanks for helping find our children and stop us from doing something terrible.' he continued. 'Why don't you come back with us and let us repay you. I bet you wouldn't say no to some food and a hot bath!'

'It beats a mud bath…' moaned Jay, wiping the dirt of the Great Marsh from his trousers once more.

There was laughter all round and, together, they headed towards the village as happy balloons swayed in the air above them.