Chapter Four: Sapph's First Capture

Sapph and Mongle left the Pokémon Centre fully healed two days later. For some reason which Sapph and Nurse Joy couldn't place a finger on, Chansey looked rather cross.

Mulling over Chansey's weird expression as he walked along the streets of tired old Olville Town, Sapph was careful to give Gus's Speedy Repairs a wide berth. He'd only noticed his blunder after checking his change and felt that somehow that Gus wouldn't accept a plea of ignorance from him any time soon.

Itching to get on the road towards new cities and catch new Pokémon, Sapph made to leave town at once. However as he passed the blue-topped Pokémart, he thought he heard his conscious (the part of it that sounded like his mother) begin to berate his reckless eagerness.

Okay, stupid…just WHAT THE HELL D'YOU THINK YOU'RE FLIPPIN' DOING! You're supposed to be a trainer, right? Right?! So get your be-hind into that shop and get some provisions for the journey right now, buster! You hear me? Not when you feel like it, now! NOW, Sapphire!

Sapph froze outside the glass door to the trainer convenience store, feeling a twinge ofit-makes-sense-so-stop-being-a-stuuborn-Rhyhorn-and-do-as-you're-told! With a groan, Sapph went in.

Mongle popped out of his pokéball as Sapph left the Pokémon Mart about ten minutes later (the shopping was made easy with the help of the cheerful office assistant), his bag now home to three potions, three antidotes and five more pokéballs.

Hey, Sapph! Seen the Chansey nurse around? Mongle asked a little too flippantly.

"Nope, she did look rather ****** off at something or someone," Sapph said thoughtfully. "She seemed really sore at something, kept rubbing her knuckles…"

Really? Mongle asked in a slightly worried voice.

Mongle must've noticed his tone, for he quickly rearranged his face to look as though Sapph's words were news to him as his trainer spun around to look at him in suspicion. Sapph seemed to buy his Pokémon's innocence act for he went on, humming a little as Mongle jumped onto his shoulder, reflecting on what may have happened earlier that morning…

-Flashback-

The Pokémon Centre, the previous evening…

The ward was half filled with convalescening Pokémon

"Dinner time, everyone!" Nurse Joy sang out, as Chansey entered the ward with a tray laden with bowls of Pokémon food.

Alright! the Pokémon inmates cheered.

This is for Ditto… Chansey murmured, placing a dish before what looked like a foot tall blob of pink Jell-O with eyes, one of them patched up.

Why thank you, Nurse Chansey! May I add that you look totally radiant this evening! Of course, you always look that sweet… Ditto said with a fruity, unctuous voice.

W-why, thank you! Chansey said, blushing in a way that was distinct even with her pink cheeks. Well, uh, this is for Torchic…

A small, orange chick with ruffled yellow feathers on its small wings and three similarly coloured feathers sticking out on its head looked up gratefully and chirped Thank you very much, Nurse Chansey.

…this is for Rattata…

Thanks, Nurse Chansey a tough looking rat with vivid purple fur and shockingly large incisors said with a shifty grin that made it look fairly rugged.

…this is for Oddish…

Thanks so much, Nurse Chansey, a small, purplish Grass Pokémon said. With a tuft of long green leaves on the top of his head, it resembled a weed on legs.

…this is for Zigza…

Thanks, Nurse Chansey a small, spiky raccoon with alternating cream and brown striped fur, a masklike shock of black fur around its eyes said appreciatively. With a slight limp in its left foreleg, Zigza moved towards his dish to eat.

…and this is for Poley…

Thank you, Nurse Chansey another small Pokémon said. This one had a prominent white tail which stuck out from the backside of his dark blue body. With fishlike eyes, puckered up lips and a thick, black swirl showing through its white underbelly, the Water Pokémon resembled a cross between a large newt and a larger tadpole.

…and this, she said for the first time with a trace of irritation. …is for…Mongle. She plonked the last dish down a little too forcefully and turned to leave.

Gee, thanks, Mongle said a little sarcastically, peering into his plate. Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but where's the salad? Can't do a meal without the…

Not one word, you, Chansey warned him coldly. Not. One. Word.

Just[/i] loving[/i] your sense of humour, N.C.! Mongle called cheekily as the Egg Pokémon waddled towards the door.

And I'm just loving the prospect of not giving you and chocolate and vanilla swirl pudding, Mongle Nurse Chansey said with an uncharacteristic evil grin.

No,no! Anything but my ultra-gummy chocolate and watery vanilla swirl pudding, anything but that! Anything! Mongle pleaded in a falsely melodramatic voice, groveling at her back as she closed the door with a snap.

Hey, chicken, fork it over, a Ditto threatened a nearby Torchic after the Egg Pokémon nurse had left the room.

The Torchic, being of a Timid nature, chirped fearfully and scuttled off to hide behind the other, somewhat tougher Pokémon who were in the middle of eating their own meals.

Mongle, who'd, looked up from his meal without taking a bite turned to watch the Ditto, who'd after already eaten his own food, began to gobble up the Little Fowl Pokémon's food too.

The Torchic burst into tears as the others tried to console it. All except Mongle, who seemed to want no part of the discussion, rolled his eyes and maintained a stony silence as he turned to watch the Transform Pokémon greedily stuff his face.

That Ditto, an Oddish with one of its root legs in a cast said angrily, glaring at the glutton.

You can't just take another Pokémon's food, greedy! Poley, with a plaster on top of his dome said.

You did that yesterday! Zigza said indignantly.

D'you guys mind? I'm trying to eat here, the Ditto said indifferently.

Why'd you keep picking on Torchic anyways? the Rattata with its tail all bandaged up asked furiously.

'Cause he's a Chicken, duh! Ditto said in his indifferent tone.

Mongle watched the pathetic scene for a moment and, realizing that the others wouldn't and/or couldn't do anything about it, made to stand up.

Hey, why do you have to steal Torchic's food every day? Mongle said softly.

See previous answer, the Ditto waffled, his mouth full.

I-it's OK guys, Torchic said quietly, turning to go. My trainer will be back for me soon, so it doesn't matter.

As he passed Mongle, who'd shaken his head and turned to his meal, his stomach gave off a loud rumbling. Torchic flushed embarrassedly. As did the others for they'd almost finished their own food and couldn't help their companion.

Mongle heard it though and sighed. Hey, Torchic, he said brightly.

Ye-yeah? the Little Fowl Pokémon said tremulously, still blushing at his unspoken hunger plea. He turned to see Mongle pushing his untouched plate towards the tearful chick.

Here, Mongle said to the victim, nodding in a way that silently told him to eat up.

B…b…but, the Torchic stammered, looking up at the Leaf Squirrel Pokémon as he rose to leave.

You really don't your trainer wouldn't want to see you all hungry when he comes to pick you up, do you? Mongle asked, still smiling.

But, what about… Torchic went on, still unsure.

Well, I gotta watch my weight, Mongle went on, twisting his head to each side as he stretched. You gotta pack it on if you want to evolve into a heavy hitting, fast-paced Blaziken. So dig in, he went on, interrupting the Little Fowl Pokémon's protesting look in a mock dangerous voice, Before I make you. Got it?

Winking in a reassuring way, Mongle sloped out of the room, making a point of smacking the Ditto upside the head and into the food it had coerced illegally from one of his new friends with a well-placed Pound attack.

That's for bullying Torchic, He told the Ditto as it struggled to get out of the dish he was eating from.

The other Pokémon all laughed at the bully as he finally climbed out of the dish spluttering.

And if you try it again, I won't go so easy on you, Mongle smiled grimly as he left to look for Sapph and see if there were any more of his favourite, cinnamon chocolate chip cookies left in his backpack to munch on.

Spitting out some of the food from his mouth to stop himself from choking, he glared at Mongle's retreating back and said coldly, You'll regret that, rat.

[/i]The Pokémon Centre, Dawn…[/i]

Chansey was making its rounds when one of the inmates, the Naughty Ditto decided to show up in the middle of the next corridor, grinning in a way that spelt trouble as he saw his chance to mess Mongle's rep up.

Now, what're you doing out of bed, dearie? Chansey said kindly as she saw Mongle's shadow peek around the corner.

Yo, Big Momma! How's about a fitness run? the Ditto asked cheekily mimicking Mongle's voice.

What did you say?! Chansey said, dropping her paternal front and showing who she thought was Mongle her true, terrifyingly brutal nature as she rubbed her little pink hands together in malice.

Oh, nothing really, Mongle went on, plainly aware that he was about to hit another sensitive nerves. Only that pink and white is an awful colour for any Pokémon of your build.

Well, I never! the Chansey nurse started, recoiling at the harshness of these words.

Gone jogging? Well, [/i] that [/i]at least explains the waist size, the Ditto went on, seriously riling the Egg Pokémon up.

That's it! Get back here! Nurse Chansey yelled, waddling towards the receding shadow at full speed and rounding the corner to see Ditto-Mongle slap his butt at her before running off.

In the ward, the real Mongle woke up suddenly as images of a life on the violent waves of the sea broke in on his dreams.

Need a leak, Mongle sighed drowsily as he hopped down from his bed and left the other sleeping Pokémon for the wash room.

No sooner had Mongle closed the toilet door behind him than the fake Mongle ran around the corner, leading an angry Chansey with taunts like: That's it, work it! Keep it up and you'll have a bod as cute as Nurse Joy's in no time!

Soon, though, it looked like Chansey had cornered Ditto-Mongle at last in front of an open janitor's closet.

Now I'll make you pay, Chansey said, sweating profusely as she stomped towards her quarry.

For whipping you into shape? No way, Sister! Ditto-Mongle laughed, running into the closet.

Your mine! Chansey roared. In a blind rage, she raced towards the end of the corridor where she suddenly noticed that the floor had been littered with moth balls. Too little, too late, Chansey tried to stop and slipped on them heavily, sliding right into the cupboard.

A loud crash of pots, brooms and buckets rang throughout the centre. Sapph and Nurse Joy ran out into their respective corridors, wondering if a reckless burglar had made the noise.

Helped by the cupboard and narrow corridor, Chansey's scream would haunt the darkened corridors of the Olville Pokémon Centre for years to come.

MONGLE! YOUR TAIL LEAF IS MINE!!!!! Chansey roared, looking like a Skittles explosion as she crushed mothballs beneath her feet as she emerged into the corridor.

Several corridors away, the real Mongle, just about to rejoin the other Pokémon in the ward froze with cold sweat cascading down his back.

I think I'll spend the rest of the night with Sapph, He said, racing for cover under Sapph's bed as Chansey prowled the corridors, a broken broom handle in her hands and a reeking stench of mothballs leaving her path easy to follow.

-End Flashback-

"Not to mention as though she'd fallen through a rainbow," Sapph went on slowly. A sudden thought suddenly hit him as he looked back at his Pokémon, "You don't know anything about anything, do you?"

No, and I have no idea why her feet smelt like a mothball factory, either, Mongle said innocently, jumping off Sapph's shoulder.

"What?"

Nothing, Sapph, nothing, Mongle replied hastily. So! When do we eat?

"Didn't you eat breakfast this morning with the other Pokémon before leaving?" Sapph asked bemused.

Well, no. I was too busy hid-I mean looking for you so we can get going, Mongle created in midsentence.

Sapph let the subject drop, feeling he didn't really want to know what Mongle was hiding.

The weather seemed to improve as Mongle scampered along the path happily as Sapph trudged along behind, smiling at his Pokémon's antics. Looking up at the Kent villa, he decided to say goodbye to Mrs. Kent and see if Haley was still home.

[/i]At least before my stupid conscience starts calling me Sapphire again[/i], Sapph thought only a little tetchily.

"Hey, Mongle! We're going this way for a moment! Okay with you?" Sapph called.

Yeah! Hey, wait up Sapph! Mongle called following Sapph as he sped up the road. He caught up and overtook Sapph halfway uphill.

[/i]Wow, Mongle is fast! [/i] Sapph thought as he raced Mongle to the Kent Residence. [/i]Who'd have thought a Grass Pokémon could run like that? [/i]

C'mon, slow Moe! What's keepin' those ol' legs of yours pumping? Mongle called back at his trainer from the front steps of the villa.

[/i]Well, at least as fast as his mouth[/i], Sapph went on, rolling his eyes as he huffed and puffed up the hill.

Upon reaching the top, Sapph steadied himself for a few moments breathing heavily while Mongle pulled of a series of crazy back flips around Sapph in a circle, keeping up a tirade of junky fitness chatter.

C'mon, Sapph! You gotta feel the burn, be da burn! No pain, no gain! You gotta work it, work it, work… Mongle chattered on and on until Sapph, tired of the high pitched annoyance, recalled it in a huff.

"I was 'working it', stupid," Sapph grumbled as he raised his hand toward the bronze door knocker as knocked three times. "I was working to keep my cool."

A redheaded maid opened the door and asked, "May I help you?"

After his mouth working furiously for a few moments to get comprehensible speech, Sapph was finally able to babble out "I-i-is Mrs. Kent home?"

"Yes, she in," the maid said, looking at Sapph as though he was some weird and slimy three-legged, five-eyed, fishy-mouthed alien. "And you are?"

"Why, if it isn't Mr. Manson!" a familiar voice said in a surprised voice.

Sapph looked around the curvy maid to see the familiar friendly form of Lucinda walk by with an armful of fresh laundry.

"It's OK, Harietta, he's a friend of Miss Haley," Lucinda told the other maid as she left to resume her activities.

"Hi, Lucinda!" Sapph said cheerfully, raising a hand in greeting.

"Mrs. Kent's in the garden. Please come in, Mr. Manson," Lucinda said cheerfully, leading the way into the house.

"Thanks. Erm, and Lucinda?" Sapph said as he followed her over the threshold.

"Yes, Mr. Manson?"

"Calling me Sapph's fine. All my friends do," he said a little embarrassedly.

"Alright then, Mr. Sapph," Lucinda said cheerfully.

Sapph sweat dropped.

They found Mrs. Kent in the back porch, sipping lemonade and watching her Pokémon frolic out on the grounds.

"Sapph! Hello!" Mrs. Kent greeted jovially. "You left in quite a hurry the other day! Where have you been then? Haley and Kamren both left yesterday!"

"At the Centre." Sapph replied. "This is Mongle, by the way," he added as Mnogle chose that moment to come spiralling out of his pokéball onto the grass, causing Mrs. Kent's Pidgeot to take flight in mild alarm.

Hi, you're really pretty! Mongle piped.

"Well, isn't he lovely? By the way, Sapph you left something…"

"Erm, I did?" Sapph asked, puzzled as Mongle jumped onto the table as scooped up an armful of cinnamon chocolate chip cookies and proceeded to stuff himself silly.

Mrs. Kent nodded and called for a maid. Lucinda came out, carrying a book and an envelope. Leaving them on the table, she nodded to Sapph and Mrs. Kent and left.

"But, Mrs. Kent, isn't that…" Sapph started, staring at the green trainers' manual.

"Yes, but I'd like you to have it. Haley and I already know it off by heart and Kamren would never read it if I gave it to him…" Mrs. Kent said matter-of-factly. "What's in the envelope is yours, too. Don't lose it now!"

Mongle, after stashing a small horde of the cinnamon goodies for later, jumped onto Sapph's shoulder to see as Sapph pulled a slip of paper out from the envelope. "Wow, a Bike Voucher! Thanks, Mrs. Kent!"

"You're quite welcome, dear. Well, I suppose you'd better run along now. Good luck and take care!" Mrs. Kent said with a graceful smile.

"Bye! And thanks again!" Sapph said, turning to leave.

She's really nice to you, Sapph! I wonder if Burner's trainer got one too? Mongle mused as they passed the outskirts of Olville Town and headed for the EverWood Forest.

"Who cares? Anyways, we've got more important things to think about now!" Sapph said cheerfully.

What's that? Mongle asked, surprised. He was beginning to like Sapph more and more.

"Like catching some more Pokémon for our team!" Sapph said eagerly.

Am I on your team, Sapph? Mongle asked curiously

"Of course, buddy! You're number one!" Sapph grinned at Mongle. "Well, here we are!" He said, turning his head to look at the forest before him. "Okay, you best return for now so you can rest up for any battles we may encounter in there, alright?"

If you say so, Mongle said with a yawn, returning to his pokéball in a flash of green.

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Half an hour later, Sapph wandered around aimlessly looking for wild Pokémon, getting steadily more and more grumpy.

"Haven't caught a thing all day," Sapph said irritated. "I wonder why…" he added as he reached for the book Mrs. Kent had just given him. As he found the section on catching Pokémon, his Pokédex came on and quoted the book word for word as Sapph read.

To catch a Pokémon, use a Pokémon, stupid, the Pokédex chided before switching itself off. Sapph ignored the remark on his intelligence as he snapped the book shut.

"'To catch a Pokémon, use a Pokémon'? Makes sense. Hmm, maybe Mongle can help me look, or sniff out some Pokémon," Sapph thought, enlarging his Grass Pokémon's pokéball. Tossing it lightly into the air, Sapph called, "C'mon out, Mongle!"

The orb burst open in midair, expelling a beam of green light from within. The light momentarily formed a green spiral which shot to the lower branches of the forest canopy and fell down the middle to form Sapph's first ever Pokémon.

What's up, Sapph? Mongle asked, looking around at his trainer.

"How the hell could two Zigzagoon, two Pidgey and a Rattata all escape when I[/i] try to catch them?" Sapph said moodily.

Your aftershave? Mongle asked jokingly.

"Anyways…Think you can sniff out some wild Pokémon for me?" Sapph asked him, rubbing his temple exasperatedly.

Lassie, I ain't, Mongle joked. Anyways, if you wanted really wild Pokémon, you should have tried angling for that Chansey…

Sapph chuckled as he joined Mongle in looking around in the bushes for a decent Pokémon for him to catch.

Say, Sapph? What kind of Pokémon are we after here? Mongle called to his trainer, his short nose buried in a shrub.

"I'm not too sure which species live here yet…" Sapph muttered, pawing his way through some bushes "…but some aerial support would be good right now. Seeing as you're a Grass type, according to the book, a Flying type can easily handle the Bug types you'd have a problem winning against right now."

Oh-kaaaay… how's that one? Mongle asked, pointing to a small blue and red bird perched on a low branch nearby. The bird had a white underbelly, a short yellow beak and two erect tails. It turned to face Sapph and Mongle with a shrewd expression on its face.

"Hey, that's a Taillow!" Sapph said while consulting his Pokédex. "According to the Pokédex, they're really rare here!" Sapph flipped the Pokédex shut and turned to his Pokémon with a determined expression on his eager face. "Okay, Mongle, let's get it!"

The Taillow heard them. Glaring at Mongle as if to say 'So, you guys want a piece of me, hunh?' it flapped its wings to get some air and dived at Mongle beak first.

That's a Peck attack, Sapph thought. "Mongle, jump aside now!" He commanded.

The Leaf Squirrel Pokémon using its entire agility prowess, barely managed to avoid taking a heavy hit. He heard from Sapph that he was weak against such attacks too. Mongle scampered up a tree with the Taillow close behind. Reaching the topmost branch, Mongle leapt towards temporary safety in the next tree, beginning a monkey like game of tag in the many crisscrossing branches.

AAAAWAHAHWAHAWHAHAWHAHAW! Me, Mongle, King of forest! You, dumb… Mongle jeered, forgetting to look where he was going and consequently flying smack into a tree trunk

Ouch! Sapph thought, blushing slightly as he winced at the sight of his Pokémon slamming into the tree.

…birdie. Mongle said dizzily, toppling backwards off the tree as the Taillow zeroed in on its target. Fortunately, Mongle's snapped out of its stupor in time to grab a bamboo sapling and catapult itself back into the trees over the Flying Pokémon's head. The Taillow turned tail and with a wide, swooping movement sped around the clearing whipping up a strong gust of wind and back up at Mongle as the Leaf Squirrel Pokémon scampered along a tree branch to the end, where the Tiny Swallow was suddenly waiting.

"Mongle, jump!" Sapph yelled as the Taillow dived in with another Peck attack.

At the very end of the bough, Mongle used the springiness of the branch to push himself higher, all in all enabling him to get over the Taillow's head again and to swat it under the wing as it tried to pull back.

You'll regret that, the Taillow vowed, its wing joint throbbing painfully as it dived back into the lower tree branches to continue its frantic game of Nail the Mongle on the Butt.

Now what? , Sapph thought slightly panicked, that Taillow is hardly slowing down at all! And to make things worse, all Mongle can do now is… erm… Sapph thought, suddenly realizing that he didn't know any of Mongle's attacks yet. Scrambling for his Pokédex, he flipped it open and frantically punched buttons that would make it recite Mongle's move set.

Finally, the Pokédex droned: Mongle's attacks: one, Growl. Two, Pound.

Growl and Pound…and Growl's useless against such a fast opponent, so all I can do is have Mongle Pound him…

Mongle dodged another of Taillow's fierce dives narrowly as he swung around a branch and coming to a halt on top of it, breathing hard.

But how? How?! Sapph thought desperately, watching the battle above him. The Taillow's still too fast for him to land a hit…it's only the tree branches that are…wait! That's it! "Mongle, swing around on the branch ahead of you and hold tight!" Sapph called out.

Just when it seemed the Tiny Swallow Pokémon would catch him, Mongle grabbed the branch ahead of it and started swinging around on it. Taillow, taken by surprise by this tactic and going too fast to stop, blitzed past Mongle into the trunk of a nearby tree beak first.

Hah! How'd the tree taste, Birdy? Mongle taunted, while still spinning on his branch like a trapeze artist, as the Taillow struggled to get free.

"Good job, buddy! Now Pound him to the ground!" Sapph called out, readying all the empty pokéballs he'd bought that day.

This one isn't getting away! Sapph thought determinedly

Whilst still twirling, Mongle launched himself off the branch and used his greatly increased speed to slam Taillow's beak free. Dizzy from the blow to its head, the bird fell into a bush at ground level.

NOW! [/i] , Sapph thought. He threw the enlarged Pokéball at the bush, yelling "Go, Pokéball!"

The Pokéballs hit the bush and disappeared from view. A series of bright red flashes filled the bush, as it quivered angrily. A few tense seconds later though, it went still as a 'ding' went off, signalling a successful capture.

"YES! WE DID IT! WE CAUGHT A TAILLOW!" Sapph cheered, reaching for his Pokéball and doing a little victory dance. Mongle smiled and shook his head in a slightly bemused way at the crazy antics of his friend and trainer as he clambered down from the tree.

You took your time! What took you so long in giving me a battle command? Mongle said, panting hard.

"Oh, my instinct as a trainer just kicked in at the right time, Mongle. There was no need to worry," Sapph reassured his Pokémon, cutting his little jig short.

Anyway, nice idea with the Pound thing, Sapph, Mongle said tiredly.

"Relax, I knew what I was doing half of the time, especially at the end of it," Sapph went on in his soothing voice, though his face had a shifty look upon it as he turned towards the bush to polish his newly occupied pokéball . "Besides, the plan worked!"

Well, if you…hey, wait a minute, Mongle started to say, a light bulb going on in the back of his mind

Suddenly a suspicion hit him as he turned to stare at his trainer.

Hang on, he said shrewdly, turning an accusatory finger and tone of voice on his trainer, You really had no idea what you were doing half the time, did you? C'mon, fess up!

"You know I meant that statement metaphorically," Sapph said, taking a stab at an airy tone, but messing the effect up with the shifty look that was on his face as he made the embarrassing remark.

"Hey!" a voice called from the other side of the bush, stopping Mongle's next accusation. Sapph and Mongle tensed slightly as a boy younger than Sapph appeared holding a Pokéball and a frown on his face. The boy wore a yellow tee shirt and blue shorts with a matching blue cap on his head.

"Did you knock that Taillow into my way?" he asked angrily.

"Hunh?" Sapph said, totally lost. "What do you mean?"

"This!" he yelled, throwing the Pokéball to release… the Taillow!

What the- Mongle gasped.

"Whoa! If you got that, what did I get?" Sapph gasped.

"See for yourself! D'you know how long I spent in here trying to find one?" the kid huffed, returning the beaten Taillow and marching off back into the undergrowth.

Sapph was totally bewildered as he looked at Mongle. "What d'you reckon's in here?" He asked, hefting the newly-filled Pokéball.

Let's see. Mongle replied, also as stunned as Sapph felt.

Sapph nodded and threw the Pokéball. A shape appeared as the light died down. The creature had six short legs and a round head and body. With three black dots on his red back and a yellow underbelly, the creature's two short black antennae twitched. It turned slowly to face the two friends. It gave a squeak of shock and flew for cover behind the nearest tree. All the twosome could see after that where its two round black eyes Who…Who…Who are you g…guys? it squeaked in a high-pitched voice, a tinge of deep pink under them on its face.

Sapph felt his jaw drop.

"So…instead of a lofty Taillow…" he began.

…We caught a timid Ledyba! Mongle finished, equally shocked.

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It took a bit of persuasion from Mongle to make Ledyba leave the safety of his tree trunk. It now hovered on its fine wings before Sapph who sat on a log and still looked stunned at this turn of events.

So you were sleeping behind the bush when that Youngster found you, right? Mongle asked.

Y…y…yes. The Ledyba nodded.

The Taillow must have fallen from the tree in front of you just before he would've caught you then. Mongle said to Sapph.

"I get it. So when I threw my pokéball, I must have gotten Ledyba instead of the Taillow." Sapph nodded numbly.

Who is he? I…I…is he tame then? Am I safe? the Five Star Pokémon stammered, shooting a shy glance at Sapph.

Yep. He's tame… Mongle chuckled.

"Hey!"

…except when he's ticked off. Mongle finished.

"I'm not ticked off! Well, what do you want to do Ledyba? I caught you, but if you'd rather stay here than with Mongle and me…" Sapph began

No, no, I'd love to come! I…I've never really had friends who would have wanted me around up till now… Ledyba trailed off, blushing even more.

"You…you mean…"

I don't think he means he was unwanted, Sapph. I'm guessing he was too shy to make many or any friends at all. Mongle supplied. Right, Ledyba?

Ledyba nodded mutely.

Sapph looked sadly at Ledyba, thinking 'So would Mongle have ended up that way if I didn't want him?' He knew what to do now. "So I guess that means…" he began slowly.

Ledyba looked up, puzzled.

…That we've got a new team mate! Mongle chirped

Sapph nodded cheerfully, holding out Ledyba's pokéball. Ledyba blushed some more but managed to direct a smile directly at Sapph this time.

Sapph smiled back, pondering.

Well, he thought. I got my 'aerial support' now; I guess… he's so shy though! Guess I've got a tougher job ahead of me than I thought! I wonder how many more surprises Corei has for me?

Aloud, he said "Who wants lunch?"

ME! Both Pokémon happily exclaimed.

An hour later…

I changed my mind, Mongle groaned queasily, spots popping before his eyes. I never want lunch again.

I don't think it was that bad, Ledyba said fairly. A little dry and tough, but it was nice for Mr. Sapph to cook for us.

"Ledyba, Sapph is just fine," Sapph said cheerfully as he packed up their mealtime things. He was already bonding with his new team mate and felt this was the beginning of a new, lifelong friendship.

Mongle, however, felt that the recently ended meal was the beginning of another trip to the bath room…

Just what is your stomach made of anyways? Mongle asked incredulously, staring at the
Bug Pokémon. Sapph's cooking is so terrible, no one can really call it edible.

Those words were a little strong, weren't they, Mongle? Ledyba asked uncertainly.

Just then, Mongle twitched convulsively. Clutching his stomach, he moaned, Oh crud, I gotta go! as he dived for a nearby bush.

"C'mon, Mongle, let's go!" Sapph called impatiently, having secured his knapsack firmly back on his back.

Quit yellin' Sapph… you'll upset my stomach again, Mongle groaned as he emerged from a bush a full five minutes later, sweating profusely.

Um, there goes another Taillow, Ledyba said, pointing towards another blue and red bird, similar to the one Sapph and Mongle tried to catch earlier that day

"Alright! Let's get it, guys!" Sapph yelled enthusiastically.

You go get it, I feel like I've been paralyzed by diarrhea! Mongle sighed, curling into a ball.

Sapph and Ledyba returned about five minutes later after a frantic scuffle with the bird Pokémon in the shrubbery. Both seemed to have gotten pecked about the head quite savagely.

Who'd of thought there would be a flock of them? Ledyba said wearily.

"Aww, man, I never want to see another one of those things as long as I'm in this forest…hey, where were you buddy, you… are you OK, Mongle? What's wrong, buddy?" Sapph asked in a slightly worried tone as he crouched to examine him.

Your Creamed Corn mash is what's wrong with me! Mongle quipped touchily as Sapph lifted him up gently in his arms, before retching loudly.

Indignant yells of protest filled the air through a solid acre of forest.

UGH! Eeew, that is so gross, Mongle! Ledyba screeched.

"Yeah! Geez, couldn't you have done that in a bush or something!" Sapph added in disgust.

You want gross? Oh, I'll give you guys gross! Get back here! Mongle yelled enraged at the injustice of Sapph's words.

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How's that? Did you guys like the battle sequence? Don't forget to criticize! Thanks!

P.S.: oh yeah, i have no lawyer so too bad! Mwa...ha...ha!
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