Raven: Hello again! Raven here!
Verto: Let's just get to the reviews. We have three this time.
Raven: Brightclaw237, I'm glad you enjoyed! Shieldliger001, I hope you got some sleep.
Verto: You must be Anna-matronic's sister TheGoldenPidgey. Raven here is anxious because she hasn't been able to get in touch with her and she didn't review.
Raven: Verto!
Verto: Raven! Anyway, aww! You didn't do me in that pic!
Raven: She probably doesn't even know who you are!
Verto: It's called Google Translate!
Raven: … Ugh. Anyway, chapter start.
Chapter 13
Eelektrik's POV
Ugh! Where were they? Rachael and him had been waiting for half the day! The Normal Fighting Zone was open to the sky, with a light gray rock, which resembled that of marble, made up the majority of the mountainside. Unlike most of the zones, which used the actual mountains for housing, the pokémon here built their houses out of carved tree wood. The grass was lush, with beaten paths leading in many different directions. Trees, while not near as common as they are in the Bug and Grass Zone, were still somewhat common, though they were apparently right below something Rachael called a tree line, whatever the heck that was.
Meanwhile, Rachael was pacing around the small cave opening they had found to hide in. It'd be stupid and suspicious to loiter around all day, so they hid. Rachael left every few minutes to fly around and look for signs of her friends. The Normal and Fighting Zone was much smaller than most other zones due to the much warmer temperature and many of the normal and fighting types belonging to a second element with a different, usually more comfortable area with which to live.
Finding the brat had been surprisingly easy since she had actively been searching for him. He found her almost as soon as he entered the zone, the two of them leaving almost immediately. He was only able to recognize her thanks to her black feathers, though. She had apparently evolved while he was gone, though how that happened, and how she got that strange claw pendant she refused to share.
"I don't understand why this is taking them so long… do you think something happened to them when they went to get Absol?" She fretted for the hundredth time, shuffling her wings up and down nervously.
"Kid, for Arceus' sake. Like I said, I'm sure they either A: made it in then had Ditto ring them out, and now he has to rest. B: Ditto made a big show out of it, and a few of them need to rest. Or C: need to find a safe way to get two humans up a mountain of human-hating pokémon." Eelektrik recited, circling the cave walls.
"Then I'll go search for them again," she unfurled her wings, edging to the cave entrance. "Kid, you just went searching ten minutes ago. I'll come too. Let's at least make it look like we're picking berries from the bushes." She nodded, and they left for the fields, which were at the bottom of a large hill on the plateau. It was too warm to grow them elsewhere due to the nearby Fire and Dragon Zone.
It was a rather large orchard, but not as large as the one Eelektrik saw at the Flying Zone. They also had much less variety in their berries, seeming to grow mostly sitrus and lum berries. The end of the shrubbery was where the Bug Grass Zone began, with an abruptly dense foliage of lush trees climbing over the highest point in the Normal Fighting Zone, despite being much lower.
Eelektrik and Rachael cautiously picked a few berries from the unpopular cheri berries. They were very well-liked by the fire types and electric types, but for some reason, the bird kid seemed to like them too. She happily ate a few while scanning the entire mountain, yet managing to be nonchalant about it. If only he could act as calm as she could, everything would be so much easier.
Eelektrik noticed Rachael freeze as she gazed intently at the forest.
"Something up?" Eelektrik asked, trying to be calm, though he was already sparking from excitement. He stared in the direction Rachael was, though he couldn't see much. Her vision had to be considerably greater than his, though.
He had watched for several more seconds before he noticed slight motion coming from the forest. Rachael's face lit up a moment before Eelektrik was able to make out the shape of two humans and some other Pokemon.
"Rachael? Rachael!" Hannah shouted, though her voice was kept quiet. She ran right by Eelektrik without so much as a glance as she went to hug Rachael. Maybe she was finally starting to get over the "incident." "Thank you, Eelektrik!" Eelektrik flinched at the unexpected gratitude.
"Uh… y-yeah. Don't mention it." He stuttered, averted his eyes. "What took you so long?"
"We had to hide in a water cave for a while so we could all recover a bit. We're okay, though." Hannah informed.
"Um… Hannah… are you holding Danny?" Rachael asked awkwardly. Eelektrik noticed Hannah was holding an unconscious Zorua in her arms.
"Yeah. Danny strained himself getting helping us get Absol out. The fairy energy from the Fairy Zone didn't help either. I see you evolved! Awesome!" Rachael seemed embarrassed.
"Yeah. It's a long story we don't have time for." Michael, Absol, and Ditto in the form of a Servine cautiously watched from the covering of the trees.
"Yes, anyway!" Eelektrik interrupted. "How do we plan on getting through the Fire and Dragon Zone to reach Electric Zone? And don't say you'll just fly right up to the Ice Zone. It's protected with a special barrier as a last resort just in case some humans somehow fly through. The only way there is through the Electric Zone, which is past the Fire Zone."
Ditto smiled. "I think we all know there is no way we are sneaking past them. Let's fly by them right into the Electric Zone!"
Michael gave a few nervous coughs while Absol sat down with a deadpan expression.
"How would we do that?" Rachael asked, shuffling her feet. "Even though I evolved, I doubt I'm strong enough to carry anyone."
"What's the most powerful non-legendary winged Pokemon you can think of?" Ditto asked, looking pensive.
Michael tapped Hannah on the shoulder, making some weird gestures with his hand. He patted the dirt, first.
"Um… ground?" She guessed; Michael nodded. He then made a flying gesture with both of his paws.
"Flying?" Michael shook his head. "Dragon?" Michael nodded eagerly.
"So… ground dragon type? Ring any bells, anyone?" Rachael's face lit up.
"Oh, a Flygon! That would be an excellent choice since he can learn a few rock type moves and he resists fire!" Ditto smiled wider.
"Perfect! Rachael, can you fly on your own? I'll have to carry two humans, an Absol, an Eelektrik, and a Zorua. I can do it, but we'll need some help taking care of the Pokemon." Rachael nodded nervously.
"Y-yeah. I still can't use attacks, but I think I can help."
"Wonderful. Let's do this!" Suddenly Ditto morphed into an unusually large Flygon. "Hop on and hold on tight!" Hannah unzipped the biggest pocket of that huge backpack and put Danny gently in it. It was large enough to hold him comfortably, and she left a small hole to allow him air. She blushed.
"I don't have a better idea, okay!" She declared to the skeptical Michael. He rolled his eyes, mounting Ditto like one would mount a Rapidash. He used his legs to gain a tight grip on Ditto, while Hannah was right behind him doing something similar.
"I fear Eelektrik and I may have difficulty staying on," Absol admitted, with a slight amount of nervousness in his voice. Hannah smirked.
"Let's see what else Danny packed…" She mumbled, opening up the smallest pocket of the bag. She found a long, coiled rope that made Eelektrik nervous.
"Eelektrik, how tightly can you hold onto a rope?" Hannah asked while unraveling it.
"If I electrify and magnify it, I can hold on almost indefinitely with my mouth." She smiled, holding up the middle of the rope.
"Absol, can I cut this on your horn?" He nodded, as she used Absol's sharp horn to cut it quickly. "Alright, so we can tie Absol's two back legs to Ditto as well as a separate one for Eelektrik!"
Absol quickly hopped onto Ditto, with his front legs in front of Ditto's wings, and his hind legs behind them. Hannah dismounted, wrapping Absol's legs in rope, tieing them firmly to Ditto. She then tied the other rope the same way, except with one large knot at the end of the line to help with grip.
Eelektrik sighed, grabbing on to the rope with his mouth, sending electric shocks through it, as the circulation kept his grip firm. Hannah remounted.
"Ready?" Ditto asked them, turning his head to face them. Everyone nodded. Eelektrik could only watch as the ground disappeared below him. He heard Hannah let out a yelp of fear. Eelektrik had never flown before, and it was mildly terrifying. He managed to use the electricity from the rope to keep himself from flapping in the wind like a flag, but it was still difficult. He watched Rachael fly up to them, trailing them deftly. For a human, she was decent at flying, though if what she said about not being able to attack was true, she had to be a dud in fights.
The fire types and dragons noticed them immediately. Four Pokemon charged them all at once. Elektrik saw a Charizard, a Talonflame, a Salamence, and a Dragonite. They all looked furious.
The Talonflame lit himself on fire with a flame charge, quickly passing their other attackers. Ditto launched a dragon pulse that Talonflame dove away from. Ditto veered too sharply to the left nearly throwing the humans off his back. Eelektrik could feel a blazing heat where Ditto had once been as dragonfire flooded his vision.
Eelektrik could only watch as the Talonflame drew nearer and nearer, until suddenly, Rachael dove underneath him, flipping upside down. She did something Eelektrik couldn't see, yet the Talon flame spiraled out of their way, falling quickly to the ground with Rachael.
The three other Pokemon fired flamethrowers simultaneously, the wall of burning doom reaching them in seconds. Ditto responded by flying upwards quickly, letting out a short yell of pain as the flames graced his stomach. Eelektrik let out a terrified shriek as he felt himself falling. The flames must have burnt up the ropes!
Eelektrik closed his eyes, unable to do anything to hold himself on. He felt a sharp pain in his tailfin. He twisted up to see a struggling Absol gripping his fin in his mouth, keeping a weak grip on Flygon.
He suddenly heard a loud cry of pain from Michael, though nothing seemed to have hit him. He was hunched over, breathing deeply.
"No! It's his transformation! It's hurting him!" Hannah shouted desperately, though she sounded winded, even over all the howling wind.
Flygon barreled to the right, throwing Eelektrik into Absol, twisting them to the side, making him lose his balance. He started slipping. Eelektrik watched as a blue paw twisted itself onto the ropes still entangling Absol's legs. Michael looked strained, though he continued tangling the cord around his arm, so Absol stayed securely on Ditto. His eyes squeezed shut, while Hannah did her best to keep him steady, though she was also hunched, and appeared to be breathing heavy, much to Eelektriks bewilderment. Eelektrik scanned the grounds since he was dangling backward.
Rachael was flying upwards to help them, apparently having defeated the Talonflame. She landed heavily on the assaulting Dragonite's wing, tearing her talon through the thin membranes, then yanking upward, causing the Dragonite to spiral out of control as well. They quickly flew past them, Rachael abandoning the occupied dragon to assist with the Charizard. This time, she landed on his tail, using her wings to fly to the right, pulling his tail out of position, causing them both to start falling.
Eelektrik's heart skipped another beat as dragonfire from the Salamence scorched his side, missing by half an inch. Ditto continued flying upwards. Eelektrik saw the Salamence quickly closing in on them.
"Throw and catch me!" Eelektrik shouted to Absol, who was struggling to maintain his grip. He immediately used any strength he had to throw Eelektrik upwards, as he unleashed his most powerful thunderbolt attack, which directly hit the blue dragon, causing him to stop mid-air. Eelektrik felt his tail be caught once more by Absol, who used his horn to launch a dark pulse in the direction of the Salamence, though he effortlessly dodged, making a quick recovery.
Rachael caught up with them, apparently having used her unique strategy to incapacitate the other two attackers. Suddenly, Hannah slumped over, quickly losing her balance on Ditto. Michael grabbed her leg with his arm, jamming it to his side, barely keeping an unconscious Hannah on board.
"It's the altitude! She can't take it!" Rachael shouted, grabbing Hannah's shirt collar with her talons, flying upwards in an attempt to balance her. "Ditto! Time to go down!"
"Hang tight! We're almost to the caves! Eelektrik! Give me directions to some safe place!" Elektrik did know a place, but Ditto would have trouble getting there as a Flygon. Rachael quickly flew to the Salamence, using the same strategy as before to twist his wings awkwardly, giving them time to descend. She caught up and grabbed back on to Hannah right as they approached the caves.
"Left! Right! Up! Left!" Eelektrik called directions to Ditto, who quickly flew in the expansive caves. After several more directions, they reached a small, yet deep lake.
"Its and underwater lake! Transform into a water type and follow me with the others!" Ditto turned into a Floatzel, grabbing onto Hannah and Michael, while Rachel grabbed the life preserver around his neck. As a last minute thought, Rachael zipped the backpack all the way, to keep water from reaching Danny. Absol seemed fine with swimming on his own. It wasn't far.
They all submerged, Eelektrik faintly sparking to allow light. They swam for about twenty seconds until Eelektrik suddenly swam back upwards, everyone intaking deep breaths all at once as they reached Eelektrik's cave. Rachael quickly grabbed the bag and dragged it a safe distance from the water. She unzipped the bag. The Zorua kid fell right out, still sound asleep and relatively dry. The bag must be able to resist water. Ditto transformed once more into a Flygon, gathering some loose rocks. He arranged them in a circle, then lit the ground with dragon flame, bringing more light than Eelektrik could provide.
The cave was just how he left it. The odd, blue, magnetic walls made it easier for him to move any way he wished, while his few possessions remained untouched. This was a lesser-known cave, after all, and he didn't allow anyone to know where it was until today. There was a small spring with drinking water, some chiseled makeshift boxes with metal items in them, most of which boosted electric type powers. A small blue, water droplet shaped stone still glittered in the box when he checked its contents. It was a mystic water he found, which boosted the power of water type moves. He grabbed it, wrapping it around one of his fins.
Michael continued to groan, laying on his stomach in agony. Everyone else that wasn't unconscious was exhausted. They all decided to rest.
Eelektrik didn't know what time it was when he woke up, but he heard the sound of sloshing water. His excellent vision allowed him to make out Hannah, who had her legs dipped in the water. He hovered over to her. She turned to watch him warily, though she didn't seem to be as terrified anymore.
"Hey," She greeted in a whisper. "Thanks for helping us."
"Uh… I'm only doing it to get home." He quickly answered, trying to shut down the praise.
"How did you get to the forest village, which is so far away from your home, anyway?" Hannah asked, watching him curiously.
"I need a thunderstone to evolve. I'm sure you know that." Hannah nodded. "Well in the Electrik Zone, you need to earn those. I was outside the mountain, doing patrol. It's one of the more dangerous jobs, but you get far more recognition for it. A trainer found me and caught me, though."
"Oh… I'm sorry," Hannah awkwardly comforted. Eelektrik snorted.
"Don't worry about it. Well, I lost my water typing for a good while thanks to that idiot, and he gave me a stupid nickname." Eelektrik wasn't sure why he was telling her all this. He never got this buddy-buddy with anyone.
"You're a water type?" Hannah asked, surprised.
"It's what being shiny does for me. That's why I can breathe underwater. But those stupid pokeballs take away any shiny abilities."
"Why is that?" she asked, dragging a finger through the water pensively.
"Shiny Pokemon get their abilities from their more fine-tuned connection to the natural energy of the planet. When a Pokeball catches a Pokemon, it turns them into data. Even when they're let out, a small part of them stays data to keep them linked to the Pokeball, which throws off their connection with the energy."
"Huh… that explains it…" Hannah muttered. "What was your trainer like?" Eelektrik snorted again.
"He was a moron. He knew next to nothing about battling, though he wasn't too rough with me since I'd fight back, he would regularly harm his other Pokemon if they lost a match. I got away from him eventually, though." Hannah gasped.
"Th-that's horrible!"
"Yeah. I have this nickname, at least. I don't tell it to anyone, but they serve as a badge of honor, as it were, for Pokemon who escaped humans."
"Can't they mean good things?"
"If they were given by a decent human, I suppose so." Eelektrik waded into the water carelessly.
"What was the nickname?" She asked. Eelektrik debated for a moment whether or not he should tell her.
"It was… Lolectrik…" he conceded after a few seconds.
"Lolectrik… you should keep that name. It's a nice one. Consider it a nickname from me, if it helps." Eelektrik froze.
"Why don't you hate me?" He asked suddenly. "You know everything I did to you, yet here you are, giving me a nickname, despite the scars all over you."
"I used to be scared of you, but I can't blame you for what you did. I mean, I am a human, after all."
"Then allow me to apologize formally… please…" He begged. He couldn't stand being in debt. He unraveled his mystic water pendant from his fin and set it one the rocks in front of Hannah.
"Here." He bowed his head. "I'm… I'm sorry." Hannah scooped up the item, putting it around her neck.
"I accept your apology. Thank you, Lolectrik." Arceus, he was glad she wasn't one of those people who never wanted apologies.
Lolectrik.
Lolectrik.
He hadn't gone by that name in years, yet here he was, using it again.
Lolectrik.