Evan trudged through the plains with the rest of his fellow coalition in tow behind him. He knew of course that he wasn't necessarily leading them, nor did he feel that sense of satisfactory in doing so. He was much too tired for that. It could have been because it was still nightfall and the fact he wasn't used to being awake so late into the night, but his internal clock was running on full swing after the rest they got in the Astral Plains.
Now that he thought about it, how much time had passed since they've began their little crusade southeast? It felt like minutes of pure trailblazing, but it could have been hours. He wasn't sure. Though he was definite that even more time passed for those left behind, namely Chef DK and Poopenschmir.
How long could it have been for them? Days, maybe a week? He knew Nathan was gone for only thirty seconds, and only came back six hours later. He was partially worried to what they would come back to if the chef and doctor were left unattended like last time.
'Now that I think about it, maybe it would have been best to leave someone else behind with them…'
A tug on his heel snagged him back to reality before he caught himself about to trip over an overground root. He looped his foot over it and looked back. "Watch where you guys step."
"Thank you." Freya was mindful to Evan's warnings. She looked down at her feet, seeing the same root that Evan was about to trip over. She stepped over it, but it was an overstep that almost made her fall forward. She would have landed in the dry dirt had it not been for Evan catching her.
"Easy!" He pressed onto her stomach and pushed her up. He was genuinely surprised. Before, he paid no heed, but now he was noticing it.
She was heavy.
"Sorry. Thank you, Evan," Freya thanked.
"Yeah, don't mention it." He retained any comments about her attire possibly unsuited for long-winded travel, but it was too late at this point. He marched on with the rest of the party.
Corrin turned towards Gunter, who was riding his armored steed at a steady pace. "So Gunter, are we closer to Izumo?"
Gunter looked towards the sky. The stars were shimmering dimly as the approaching lights of daybreak were just towards the horizon. "By my accounts young Lord, I would imagine we'd be well on the way."
"Well can you imagine a little better? Cuz, fo, it feels like we'd be dragg'n on our heels for hours!" Damon complained.
"Rest assured, Sir Damon, we're well on our way," Kaze reassured.
Damon shot him a raised brow. "…so, does, like, all've you'z talk like dat around here?"
Kaze returned the inquiry. "How so?"
"Fo', don't act like you don't know what I'd be talk'n about. Like all your 'Sir' and 'Lord' stuffs, all dat."
"It's a means of formality for us." Azura prodded into the conversation. "Here, we have many who are of status. It's a known nature to address them as such to show respect."
"Pffft!" Damon rolled his head and shrugged. "Man…aitz. Well, let me tells you about my respects." He held up his Glock pointed towards the sky at eye level, wiggling it. "See dis? If you see dis and you ain't dead yet by it, considers dat showing my respects to you."
Sakura flinched in shock. Even though she didn't know Damon for a while, she knew that he was at least an ally of theirs. But still, knowing that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot even an ally who rubs him off the wrong way made her pace slow down some. She subconsciously began clutching her staff tighter.
"Hmph! Not to worry, Lady Sakura! We'll make sure you're protected well!" Hana justly insured.
"She's right. For the pride of my family, I won't allow any scoundrels to make such claims! They'll have to deal with me!" Subaki followed.
Hearing her retainers' attempt to comfort her, Sakura managed a small smile. "T-thanks, you guys-OH!" She felt a tight embrace from beside herself. Once again, she felt Audino hugging her affectionately. "O-oh, Audino. Uh, thank you…hehe…"
Evan glanced back at what he heard behind him. If they both really wanted to protect her, they should catch or find Pokémon willing to cooperate with them. Of course, he wasn't one to voice such thoughts like Keith would, but he had a feeling that's what the International Policeman would say at a time like this. Fate had it that at least he was willing to adapt and carry around a weapon and shield of his own. Experience truly was its own virtue of survival.
Up ahead, Felicia stopped and pointed at something ahead. "Look!"
Everyone stopped and looked out at the dirt landscape before them. "What's up now, fo?" Damon inquired. "Something to shoot at?"
Corrin blinked. "Not quite…look, I see it!"
Up ahead, the party halted at the sight of a medium-sized rock that was being bench-pressed by something underneath. It was a small, pale blue humanoid that had red eyes that looked intensely focused as it levered the rock up and down, as though it were an actual weight. From the way that its small but tense muscles strained, the rock must have been hefty. Though humanoid and the size shorter than Sakura, the creature had a small tail and feet with no toes.
Even from afar, they could hear its breathing heavily from working out.
"Is that what I think it is?" Felicia's eyes widened as she had an inkling of what it could be.
"I believe that you might be right, Lady Felicia," Gunter chimed.
Corrin turned towards Evan. "Evan…"
"Yeah, I got it." Evan reached back, holding up his PokeDex to get a thorough analysis of what this Pokémon was to the others…even though he knew himself.
"Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Always brimming with power, it passes time by lifting boulders. Doing so makes it even stronger."
The entry made Freya cock a brow. "Well, it's definitely proving it." She eyed the constant lifting the Fighting-type did.
"So that's the strength of one of these Pokémon…" Subaki admired the Machop's work ethic so much that he was blindsided by a shadow that flew over his head. When he looked up, his eyes met a little round, blue bird fluttering close by.
Said bird didn't go unnoticed by Evan, as once again he had an epiphany. He recognized the avian Pokémon from when he was first freed from Nohrian captivity. The bird that found a subtle place to roost in a dry patch of grass was none other than a Rookidee.
Everyone watched as the little blue bird found itself in a comfortable place to relax. For being in a place far from its own world, it didn't seem too far off for normal. Like the Machop beside it finding itself comfortable in activities to keep it idle, Rookidee blinked, and it focused on snatching up a worm that poke out of the ground. A lucky coincidence.
"Well, I'll be damned. To think that we've found two without trying," Gunter mused.
"That's true," Corrin frowned. "But…the ray is in Nathan and Keith's hands. How are we going to get them to the Astral Plains?"
"Maybe we don't have to."
The words slipped out of Evan so abruptly that it garnered everyone's attention. He stopped and looked around at everyone. He knew Corrin had Riolu to work with, and Azura had Brionne, and Gunter had Larvitar as a faithful contender. Now that he had time to digest it, the coincidence was just too good to be missed.
He turned towards Hana and Subaki. "Hey, Hana, Subaki, you guys want a Pokémon of your own, right?"
"Do we?" Subaki sounded shocked, but he caught himself slipping and coughed it out. "I mean, why, if that is all well and done. I would be humble to accept an open invitation."
"Well, if Milady insists that it would help in our endeavors ahead…" Hana muttered low, glancing away.
Sakura felt uneasy again. "Er, uh…i-if you guys absolute want, I guess it would be alright. B-Brother Corrin said that we need all the help we can get."
That was all the cue Evan needed. He turned towards Freya and nudged her with the back of his fingers. "Hey, mind giving me a hand with this one?"
"Hm? Oh, okay." Freya obliged to Evan's request. The two started towards the two Pokémon, making sure to be subtle while maintaining a distance as the former held up a Poke Ball first, followed by Freya.
"(97…98…)" Machop labored in breathing as she felt her muscles ache, but in a good way. "(99…100!)"
With a final shove, the Superpower Pokémon shot the boulder off atop her. It crashed into the ground beside her before shattering down the middle in a near-perfect split. She flipped onto her feet and stretched her arms overhead to relax the tension in her muscles. "(Oof, I needed that. Ha! Now, since my arms are all pumped up, I can go for that 5k run!)"
Nearby, the Rookidee swallowed up the worm whole, letting out a small sigh. "(Ha~, that tastes satisfying. Huh?)" She turned towards the Machop. "(Oh, hey, where did you come from?)"
Machop raised a brow. "(Uh, here? I was just benching some rocks…wait, how long were you there for?)"
"(Hm…a minute. Why?)"
Machop blinked twice before responding. "(…huh, I take it that your Ability ain't Keen Eye, is it?)"
"(Hmmm…nope!)"
"Alright Butterfree, go!"
"Go, Snom!"
Machop and Rookidee turned their heads at the shouts. They saw energy flourish out of two capsules that looked identical, and out came Butterfree and Snom. The two Bug-types respectively appeared beside one another before their Trainers.
"(Huh?! Woah! Where did these guys come from?!)" Rookidee quipped.
Machop shot her yet another look. "(Uh…from those ball things, duh? Geez, somebody should give you an Ability Capsule.)"
"(Well, I don't know about that…but that worm is looking tasty!)" Rookidee chirped happily as she eyed Snom. The worm she had before was just the appetizer.
Machop looked at Butterfree, scoffing. "(Well, I was looking for a workout, so I guess you'll do just fine.)" She took a combative stance. "(Bring it on!)"
'Good, we've got their attention.' Evan looked back over his shoulder to check if Hana and Subaki were observing. They were glued to the scene. "Make sure you pay close attention guys, this is how you battle with Pokémon!"
Machop didn't waste any time. She raised her right fist as it glowed white. The Rookidee eagerly jumped up and down before skittering towards Freya's Snom with her beak ready to peck her repeatedly.
"Butterfree, Electroweb!" Evan commanded.
"(Yeah, I gotcha!)" Butterfree fluttered in the air as she spewed a yellow, silky thread from her small mouth. It outstretched into a huge net that blanketed over Machop and Rookidee. With both too close to evade, they were snared by the livewire thread and electrocuted on the spot. Rookidee especially felt her word turn black and white at the super-effective usage.
"Nice job, Butterfree!" Evan praised, before turning towards Freya. "Freya, the assurance?"
Freya smirked. "I got you. Snom, use Struggle Bug!"
Snom complied, giving a nod of understanding before her body expelled bright green-yellow grubs that shot through the air like actual flies. They swarmed through the air above the trapped Rookidee and Machop, buzzing loudly before they swarmed onto them. They collided with their bodies in bright green explosions, causing pellets of bright bombs to go off that diffused the Electroweb's hold on them.
"Oh, fo! Dat be a nasty ass combo dey get!" Damon commented.
"Incapacitation followed by assault. Evan and Freya aren't beating around the bush, are they," Azura noted.
"Yeah…still," Corrin looked on, seeing the two wild Pokémon looking borderline beat. "You think they overdid it that one time?"
Machop and Rookidee were grunting harshly, barely able to keep themselves upright. Two blue auras back-to-back enveloped their bodies, depleting their Speed and Special Attack. This was the opening that Evan signaled for the two retainers. "Alright Hana! Subaki! Now's your chance! Throw your Poke Balls and try to catch one of them!"
"Wait, Poke Balls?" Subaki questioned.
"Um, I believe he means one of those capsules that weird doctor gave us before we left," Hana simplified.
"Oh…er, I knew that! Hold on!" Subaki reached back and took out a Poke Ball. "Alright then! Watch this, Lady Sakura! Hrah!"
Rookidee barely broke from her daze. "(Ugh…what happened-wait, is that a ball?)" Her inquiry earned her a clean strike to the face, which caused it to open and draw her inside. It plopped to the dirt with a thud and began rolling about.
"Oh yeah? Well watch this!" Hana followed his example, using as much power in her arms possible to make the ball fly in a straight path towards Machop.
"(Gngh…lucky shot…I-I just wasn't recovered from my warm-up, that's all,)" she assured, but was too late. "(Huh? Oh no…)"
Like Rookidee, she was smacked in the face with the Poke Ball, square between the eyes. The impact made her recoil enough to where she almost fell over. She was drawn inside the capsule above and clamped shut. However, the capsule made a noticeable shudder in midair before it fell to the ground.
As to where Subaki's Poke Ball shuddered but three times, Hana's only shuddered once. They both clicked at the same time to signal the new additions to their rosters.
"Yes!" Subaki exclaimed.
"Excellent! How was that, Milady!" Hana boasted.
Sakura smiled brightly. "Congratulations, you two! I'm so happy for you!"
Hana beamed with pride. "Naturally! See? We told you that we can be dependable!" She was met with a warm and surprisingly tight embrace from Audino out of nowhere. "Uh, t-thank you…?" Her cheeks blushed. 'She's so warm and fluffy!'
"Well, guys, that's usually the general basis of how one captures a Pokémon, through battle anyway. It usually helps to use something like a status move to further the chances of a successful capture, but we kinda need the resources, so…" Evan went over and picked up the two Poke Balls for them. He casually tossed them back towards their new Trainers; Rookidee towards Subaki, and Machop towards Hana, as per their captures. "There you guys go!"
"Thanks you, Sir Evan!" Subaki humbly nodded. "You and Miss Freya have been most useful to us! We won't forget this act!"
"It's all good, but, uh, I think it's best if you guys heal them. You never know when you might need them in a place like this," Evan looked back at his Butterfree, who fluttered with an upbeat hum.
"He's right. Let's make sure that they're well before we head out," Corrin advised. "Azura, can you help us out?"
Azura nodded. "Why certainly."
"I'll help, too!" Sakura assured.
As the group proceeded with tending to their new comrades' health, Felicia stood close by, smiling contently. She then noticed a vague yet notable glint on something close by. "Hm? What might that be?" She sauntered over towards a rock, where she saw something that sat in a dry patch of grass.
In the patch, it was a rather large, gray-colored egg. When Felicia leaned in closer, it had dark blotch marks on it. She looked at it genuinely confused.
"Huh…what's an egg of this size doing all the way out here?" She looked around, seeing that there was nothing but dirt and wasteland terrain stretching for miles ahead. Even as dawn approached and more light shined, it didn't bring any parental figures to light. "Oh my, what's gonna become of you…? It'd be such a waste…"
"Hm? Is something the matter, Lady Felicia?" Gunter asked.
"GAH!" Felicia hiccupped, swiftly turning back while holding the egg behind. "Ah! Oh, i-it's nothing! I just thought I saw another Pokémon was all. Turned out to be a rock, hehe…"
Gunter smirked, chuckling. "Well now, quite the observant eye. These Pokémon may take different shapes and sizes. Make sure not to overlook if you find any."
"Right, of course!" Inwardly, she was relieved that Gunter didn't look into it too deeply. She turned back towards the egg, seemingly more invested. 'It'd really be such a waste…maybe I should bring it along such to be sure it's okay.'
"Fo, can we be going now?! Daylight be coming, and we ain't anywhere!" Damon complained.
"Almost done!" Azura chimed.
The Alolan gangster sighed. "Man…pfft, knew I should've went with dat other guy instead. At least he don't mess around." He shrugged and sauntered closer towards the group. "Oh wells, not my problem. At least de pop ain't after me."
In the depths of the wilderness, the sun was still barely breaching the point of daybreak, yet wildlife and its inhabitants were already in their routine.
Amongst the wildlife inhabitants was a young male Nidoran. His small frame leaped through the tall grass, stopping every few paces to check his surroundings. His large ears stiffened as he could make out various sounds of various other creatures in the distance. So far, nothing too close to be considered a threat.
The Nidoran sniffed the grass in hopes of finding a fresh batch to graze on. "(No…not here.)" He started towards his left, sniffing the grass there. "(Mmm…no.)" He moved towards his right and sniffed, immediately recoiling. "(Bleck! Definitely not!)"
He scattered himself through the woodland area, not knowing that there was something watching him from underneath the cover of bushes and shrubs. It remained so quiet so as to remain undetected by the creature's in-depth hearing.
Meanwhile, Nidoran focused intensely on the morning grass, until he saw dark grass that had a firmer, yet very moist-conducted leaves on them. "(Mmm! Those look appetizing!)" He took to his heels and hopped a few paces closer to sniff the patch of grass. After finding it untainted, his eyes widened with relief. "(Oh, now this is what I'm looking for! Come to papa!)"
He began grazing and chewing on the thick, nutrients-rich grass like his life depended on it. As he was savoring his meal for the morning, he was engrossed in his grazing that he was vulnerable – the perfect chance for something to come up to him slowly.
Nidoran's ears twitched, picking up shrubs stirring. "(Huh? Who's there?!)" He glanced around, but got no sign of anything. His ears remained stiff and thumped like a nerve for a few seconds before choosing to resume his grazing.
With him back to his meal, the creature moved closer, causing more shrubs to stir.
"(Show yourself! Who's there?!)" Nidoran, now fully aware, turned around and glared at the bushes not too far from him. "(I know you're back there! If you ain't coming out, I'll make you! I hate it when my breakfast is interrup…ted…?)"
He trailed off as he noticed a silhouette rising up from beside him, gradually getting taller to where its shadow cast upon his entire body. As he slowly turned to face it, his ears drooped as his eyes sharpened.
"(…oh shit.)"
The figure sprung onto him, leaving a loud cry to echo through the woodlands.
A Bunnelby was using his ears to dig into the dirt, looking for anything underneath to eat. As he was doing his own thing, he heard a loud snap of a twig right behind him. It caused him to turn around.
"(Huh? What's going on?)" He whipped around, only to come face-to-face with another Bunnelby that stared at him blankly. "(Oh…hey.)"
"(…)" He waited for a response, but the fellow Bunnelby only twitched his whiskers. The wild Bunnelby felt uncertain about this guy.
"(Uh…you good, bro? You hungry or what?)"
Suddenly, the Bunnelby turned away and started hopping off. This surprised the other Bunnelby. "(Hey! Hold up! Us Bunnelby have to stick together!)" He hopped off after it in a hurry. He hurried along as the quiet Bunnelby hopped through two bushes overlapping one another. When the wild Bunnelby hopped on through, he met lush grass and a sight to behold. "(Huh? What the…?)"
Before him, there were various other Bunnelby herded in the center of a clearing full of bright, lush, healthy grass. They all were looking rather tamed, if not oblivious, to what was going on around them. The Bunnelby that had just arrived blinked in shock, but quickly got over it when he saw the numerous other rabbits like him.
"(Woah…I-I didn't think I'd see others of myself…wait for me!)" He hopped in a rush to join his new comrades in the soft, soothing grass. Touching it alone felt warm and inviting. He swore he felt a sense of peace as he sat quietly and basked in the crowd of other Bunnelby.
Meanwhile, the Bunnelby that had led him twitched its ear again, before jumping over a log and hopping out of sight. In an adjacent bush, a very small opening through the underbrush gave way to a plastic gun's tip aimed directly at the baker's dozen of Bunnelby.
A finger clicked and pulled the trigger, causing a bright green beam to fire at high speeds towards the corralled Pokémon in the field. They all were too lost in minding their own business and nibbling on berries when the ray engulfed all of them at once. In a massive flash, they all vanished out of sight, leaving the clearing completely vacant.
From the bushes, Nathan emerged and cocked the gun to prepare its next charge. "Got them!"
From an adjacent bush, Keith also stood on his feet, smirking. "Nice shot, Nathan. You've really got the hang of using that thing, haven't you?" He turned towards side sides. "Excellent work, both of you."
The shrubs shuddered before the field's lush, grassy terrain began to slowly fade away, revealing instead plain grass that only had leaves plucked from nearby low branches to give them a more soothing texture. The illusion lifted as soon as Zorua backpedaled and shook the grass off her body.
"(Hmph! A bunch of idiots if you ask me. They were really that desperate of a place to cozy up, they should have made a fire.)" She lifted her chin and scoffed at the simple play.
The silent Bunnelby from before hopped its way over towards Keith's side before shifting its form. It morphed into none other than his Ditto, who wiggled in place with a smirk and squirm in its gelatinous frame.
Keith and Nathan sauntered out of hiding and reconvened with each other.
"You see? We used that little bait trick quite often on our missions. Caught a number of suspects and victims with that play," Keith chimed. "Of course, if needed, Mightyena would go in for a quick bite if it was dire, but we didn't need to do that, did we."
Nathan was indifferent, his gaze saying it all. "Sure."
"Now then, that should about cover the Pokémon in this area, save for the ones that are adept to flying and harder to track." Keith turned towards Nathan's direction. "How's your Wimpod doing on that part?"
A large amass of caws echoed from the distance, followed by a squeamish hiss that was heading their way.
"Well…guess that answers your question," Nathan deadpanned, before readying the Astral Transporter.
In the short distance ahead, Wimpod scuttled across the grass as quick as his feet could carry him. Behind him was a large flock of winged Pokémon, ranging from Taillow, to Fletchling, Fletchinder, Pidgeotto, and even Staraptor. Wimpod dared not slowed down, for if he did, he would be on the menu.
"(C-COME AND GET ME YOU BEAK-FACED FREAKS!)" he taunted, baiting them to follow him. "(W-WHAT'S THE MATTER, TOO SLOW TO CATCH A MESELY BUG LIKE ME!?)"
That seemed to have ticked off numerous amounts of the flock as their caws and scowls sound agitated. Wimpod yelped before zooming in a straight path right towards his Trainer.
"(THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING! SHOOT! SHOOT!)" Wimpod cried out as he passed by Nathan.
Nathan had the transporter aimed at the head of the enclosed flock – a Staraptor with its talons bared and barreling right for him! He was undeterred as he was careful to shoot. As soon as he pulled the trigger, a swift, dense ray launched directly at it, landing a clean hit in the center. With the rest of the flock clustered so close that their wings were nearly touching, they were transported along with the Staraptor in numbers well in dozens, all in one fell swoop.
The tip of the gun sizzled, which Nathan blew on. "Killed two birds with one stone…or rather, a whole flock with one shot.
Wimpod was finally able to take a breather, panting heavily as he recovered from the long-distance he covered. He looked like he had seen a ghost. "(Oh Arceus…I thought I saw my life flash before my eyes…like eighty times!)" he squealed.
Ditto looked at him and tilted its body. It suddenly morphed and began taking shape of Wimpod himself. It started skittering around in a circle over and over in front of him while making a mocking cry of its own. This earned a snicker from Zorua.
"(It's not funny!)" Wimpod whined.
"(You're right, it's amusing,)" Zorua teased.
Wimpod shuddered in annoyance, but before anymore mental stress could be piled onto him, Nathan intervened. "You did a good job, Wimpod. Sorry to have put you through that. You good?"
Wimpod turned back towards him. "(Huh? Oh, uh…I-I think so. But, can we take a break? I don't think my legs can carry me that far again…)"
Nathan stared at his Wimpod in silence. Though he didn't understand what he said, he eyerolled and stuck out his leg, to which Wimpod eagerly accepted as his levity. He swiftly sprinted over, crawled up his leg, and made himself comfortable on Nathan's draped cape over his shoulder as a sound perch.
"That was good thinking, using your Wimpod to lure all those Flying-types below the trees," Keith smirked. "You're quite the resourceful thinker. Almost like a fellow detective."
"Flattered." Nathan didn't sound like he agreed. "Alright, now that should be all of them in this area."
"Well, that was the third sweep over a few kilometers at least. If nothing else, we should head to a new area and continue from there." Keith's notion was brought on with the sun peering through the woodland trees in the distance. Even though he was blind, he felt the warmth of the sun. "Ah, a warm morning. Something fortunate to wake up to."
Nathan looked over at the sunrise, looking indifferently as ever. Although, if one looked closely, he seemed a little calmer. "…guess so."
Keith chuckled. He stretched out his hand and Ditto took liberties with turning into his cane again. "Now, daylight be burning. Try not to get too raptured in the scenery, you might go blind. Haha. We don't need that, do we?"
Nathan frowned, glaring at Keith's back. He sighed low enough so he didn't hear him. His patience was starting to wither from his banter. Though he understood that it was to lighten the mood, it didn't mean that he gave a shit. He just soldiered on behind the policeman as he took charge and pulled out a Poke Ball.
"Mightyena, sniff them out!"
Emerging from her capsule, Keith's Mightyena led them with a dutiful stance. "(Right!)"
The morning itself was adventurous to say the least. With intuitive thinking on both parts, Keith and Nathan were using their energy to collect as many wild and lost Pokémon as they possibly could. Using Ditto as a scout to turn not a Pidgey, it would scout ahead of them, and using Mightyena's keen sense of smell, they would be able to tell how far exactly they were. Zorua contributed by either becoming illusions of a Pokémon's species to lure them in, or make illusions to help blend Nathan in so he could shoot them without alerting them.
Currently, a Doduo was pacing swiftly across the tall grass in an effort to escape. When it saw a gap in the underbrush ahead, it didn't hesitate to beeline right for it. Although, when a Mightyena lunged out and bared its lightning-coated fangs at the twin-headed bird, it immediately reconsidered and took a sharp turn and ran to its left.
As the Doduo was making its getaway, it passed by a bush when said bush suddenly produced sand that spat in their faces. The Doduo staggered and shook its heads in distress as the sand took it by surprise. Meanwhile, the bush slowly faded to reveal Zorua and Wimpod beside one another.
With it disoriented, Nathan leaned beside a tree and fired at the Doduo. The ray struck it, sending it to the Astral Plains.
"Got it."
"And that's why am early Bird Doduo is easier to catch than a Run Away Doduo," Keith chimed, making his presence known. "Good work, everyone. Nathan, is that all of them?"
Nathan turned his head and scanned the area around them. From the looks of it, he didn't see anything in sight. "Yeah, we're good…for now."
Keith nodded. "Then I suppose we should take a break. We could use it with all the work we've been doing. It'll give time for the Transporter to recharge, too."
"(Yes! I'm starving!)" Mightyena barked, wagging her tail.
"(About time! I was starting to get annoyed with all the damn illusions you've been making me do all morning!)" Zorua complained.
Keith meekly chuckled. "Alright, alright. Let's just calm down now. We should have some fresh water saved up, and some berries, too."
Nathan didn't voice his opinion and chose to go along with it. The small group found a valid, secluded clearing, where there was a sizeable boulder and log adjacent toward one another. Nathan sat on the log, while Keith rested on the rock. Luckily for them, they were able to pack some freshly grown berries such as Oran Berries, along with some packaged snacks and loafs of bread they got from the pantry before they departed for their end of the job at hand.
With them eating, so did the Pokémon as they settled for their share. This also gave them room to relax and talk.
"(Ugh, I'm sooo~ tired. Have I done enough already?)" Zorua complained.
"(C'mon, don't be like that)," Mightyena insisted. "(Our Master's counting on us. Besides, what do you have to complain about? You hardly do anything compared to me and Ditto.)"
Ditto squeaked out a giggle before it transformed into Zorua. It let out a whimper and comically cried as it fell onto its back, whining like a baby. All just to irritate Zorua.
"(Oh haha! Very mature of you!)" Zorua huffed. "(At least I'm nobody's personal cane to handle me. And unlike you, I don't have to use Transform to be a copycat. How's that for natural selection?)"
The comment seemed to have struck a chord as Ditto-Zorua picked its head up and looked stunned. It gradually reverted back to Ditto and dropped towards the ground in offense.
Zorua lifted her head triumphantly. "(Hmph, just as I thought.)"
"(Wow, that was pretty harsh)," Shelgon chimed.
"(Y-yeah. Glad that we don't throw beef at each other like that)," Wimpod was relieved to have Shelgon as a calm and reliable ally. If he had someone like Zorua as his technical teammate, he'd feel more stress than safe.
After taking a bite of his bread, Keith lifted his head. "So, Nathan."
In the midst of dining on some packaged greens, Nathan lifted his head. "What?" he asked flatly.
"Do you mind checking our inventory? I'm sure that we picked up a number of items that we need to account for."
"Gimme a damn sec, alright?" He sat his package of greens beside him and pulled out the items that they have come across their way through this whole ordeal. Even by Nathan's nonbiased opinions, even he was mildly surprised with what they were able to come across along the way.
In his right hand, discs containing a variety of TMs and TRs were grouped together. There were quite a few, but Nathan read the labels of the TMs first, which read 'TM 02: Mega Kick' and 'TM 96: Smart Strike' respectively. The TRs were another story themselves, them being 'TR 18: Leech Life' and 'TR 21: Reversal'.
In his left hand, however, there was a strange item that read 'Scope Lens' on the back. It looked awfully lot like a locket that attaches to the side of one's head, with a set of lenses with a pinpoint red dot in the center. In addition, Nathan had a bag of what was labeled 'Heal Powder', which was said to help in healing a Pokémon's status condition. And lastly, there was a rock in his hand that felt unbreakable, labeled as a 'Hard Stone'.
"…got all that?" Nathan briefly read off the labels for Keith to keep track of. Though ironically neither had a pen nor notepad on them.
Keith nodded. "Mhm, I see…or rather, I don't?" he smirked.
"I get it, you made that clear the last fifty times." Nathan blatantly scowled.
Sensing the clear annoyance in his tone, Keith cleared his throat. "Right, sorry…must be my bad memory, hehe." He heard a shift, but it was Nathan turning away. "I wished that I had tea on hand…but I suppose that this will do." He held up the small container of water in his hand. "I'd be happy to share some with you if we had some."
"I'm fine. I just drink water."
"That so? A rather bland lifestyle…but healthy."
"Tea makes you piss too much."
Keith smirked, chuckling. "Well…can't say you're wrong. That would be a problem when we're on the job. Speaking of which, the others should be well on their way to Izumo. Let's hope they're not running into any trouble."
"Knowing the shit luck we've been getting, I think you just jinxed them…and us."
Keith chuckled. "Well, that would be most unfortunate, would it? I hope that you will be there to cover for me," he teased.
Nathan furrowed his brow and held back his teeth. He was able to tolerate Keith's company this long because at the very least when in such situations, his composure and resources were what made him reliable. However, when he was off duty like this, it irritated the Hoenn resident. He knew that it was just Keith's way of being sociable, but that didn't mean Nathan had to like it. He was already at his wit's end with this policeman's nonchalant attitude. For now, he just resumed his small salad and tried to be at as much peace as he could.
There was an awkward silence that fell between the two trainers. Nathan didn't seem to mind, but Keith certainly felt discomforted by this air between them. The International Policeman did his best to clear it.
"So…what's Hoenn like?"
Nathan glanced at him, but seemed disinterested. "It's good. Half the region is land, and the other half is seawater."
Keith sneered. "So you say. How's the region? You know any places you'd recommend?"
"Tourists like Slateport City. Others like Lilycove City, too."
"Hm…what are those like?"
Nathan shrugged. "Beaches. Can't say that I've been there, though."
"Really? How come?"
Nathan shrugged. "Never really bothered. Just busy doing my own thing."
"Hm…and, uh, what might that be?"
Nathan eyerolled, tired with the rounds of questions the policeman gave him. "Exercising."
This piqued the blind man. "Really? Just exercising?"
"Yeah, that's right. Gotta filter myself somehow. Not exactly a lot to do in Verdanturf Town."
"That so…" Keith raised a brow. "You sound quite the strong character. Bet you get a lot of girls with all the workouts you do on a daily basis." Even though he said that, he thought back to their past battles. 'Now that I think about it, he's pretty physical. Even if he doesn't have enough skill to fully use large swords, he can still carry them with no problem.'
Nathan shrugged. "Never bothered. Always hung out in the route raising my Bagon back then." He turned towards his newly evolved Shelgon, the two sparing glances of each other.
"Really? Sounds like you should get a new hobby."
"I don't tell you how to live your life, do I?" Nathan spat back.
The sudden crudeness in his tone alarmed the majority of everyone there. To a certain standpoint, Nathan sounded offended by how nonchalant Keith went and said that. In turn, that left Keith frozen with the tension between them thicker than ever. The International Policeman always had a hunch on the people he is accustomed to; Nathan's reaction was something he knew was something far below the still waters.
After gathering his bearings, Keith cleared his throat. "Ahem…right, you sure don't."
Nathan didn't bother with a response. He just focused on his package salad and chewed away. Shelgon and Wimpod noticed their Trainer's demeanor was a lot more colder towards Keith than before.
"Nathan…I apologize in advance, but…did I say or do something to offend you?" Keith asked, his tone sincere.
Nathan kept his head down, but his glare was fixed up at him. "Aside from you not knowing when to shut up, can't really say."
Keith paused as he heard Nathan eating away. He realized something else that troubled him. "You know, I've just realized something…you're rather distant compared to everyone else."
Nathan eyerolled again. "Well, at least someone actually pays attention to me."
"It's my job. I need to make sure everything is accounted for. That includes personnel. Nathan…you don't exactly have an opinion on a lot of what the group discusses. Not that a lot of people would complain, but is there a reason you prefer solitude?"
Before Nathan could give his response, the bushes shuddered close by, alerting everyone there.
"Do you hear that?" Keith asked.
Mightyena shot up on all fours, her thick coat of fur prickling. "(Who's there?! Show yourself! Now!)"
"(Oh please don't let it be another bird, oh please don't let it be another bird…)" Wimpod silently pleaded towards the bushes.
The small group was on their guard when they saw the shifting intensify. Suddenly in a burst of speed, a young male Nidoran burst out of the bushes. He panted heavily as he looked to be out of breath, like he was running from something.
Nathan blinked. "A Nidoran."
"A Nidoran?" Keith blinked. "Must have missed one…how is it?"
Nathan looked at the small Poison-type from the appropriate distance. Even from such a standpoint, he could tell that the quadruped creature looked worse for wear. His ears were seen twitching and moving in every direction towards every sound made. He scanned his surroundings, giving everyone a cautious yet aggressive snarl with his poisonous barbs sticking outward. Upon further inspection, he noticed just how bruised and scraped he was where his right leg was.
"Looks like it got hurt…got a Super Potion?"
Keith reached for his supplies and pulled out one of the few that he still had on hand. Nathan took it and stood up, all while making sure to stay careful and calm.
Nidoran looked around, seeing the many faces of the Pokémon glaring at him. "(Who're you!? You wanna have me for a snack, too? Huh!?)" he snapped sharply.
"(Uh, n-no! I swear! You don't even look tasty!)" Wimpod assured cautiously.
Mightyena started barking. "(Hey, pinhead! Back off! Unless you definitely want a bite taken out of you.)"
"(Oh brother, here we go)," Zorua groaned.
Nidoran had his barbs fixed on Mightyena. "(Just try me, you flea-bitten mutt!)" He spread his legs and opened his mouth, unleashing venomous, purple barbs that fired like projectiles at everyone in front of him. Before the barbs made contact, however, the scuffle was blocked off by a translucent forcefield that absorbed the barbs. The barbs eventually let up, allowing the barrier to diminish.
"(You both need to relax, right now)," Shelgon calmly instructed.
Nidoran hissed, looking angrily at him.
"Alright, that's enough." Everyone turned their attention towards Nathan as he stepped forward. He stood a few meters away from the glaring Nidoran with the Super Potion in full view. "Look buddy, I get you're scared. Does it really look like we wanna pick a fight?"
Nidoran's ears twitched as he glared at the other Pokémon. Ditto and Zorua seemed indifferent, as opposed to Mightyena, who looked ready to pounce at the given chance. Shelgon looked as calm as the human, and Wimpod as cowering behind him. "(T-that doesn't matter! I'm just trying to get through! Better stand back if you know what's good for ya!)"
Shelgon stepped forward. "(If we wanted to hurt you, we would have done so by now. I advise that you reconsider your thinking before someone else gets hurt.)"
"(Er, yeah! What he said!)" Wimpod added. "(Besides, you started it! What did we ever do to you!?)"
Nidoran gulped, his barbs still poised to strike. "(Er, well…)"
Nathan continued. "We won't hurt you…unless you want to start something, then we'll be sure to finish it. Now, do you want help, or not?" He held up the Super Potion again to show his intentions.
Nidoran looked around at everyone, but the longer he pressed the matter, the deeper the realization sank. Realizing that he was outnumbered, he was tempted to make a break for it away. But this human was offering him help. It was tempting. Plus, if he tried something his poison could be very effective.
Reluctantly, the Nidoran lowered his poisonous barbs on his back and gradually drew closer towards Nathan. Nathan in turn kneeled down with the medicine. "Alright, hold still. Heads up, this will sting for a few seconds. Bear with me." He began applying the Super Potion on Nidoran's exposed wound. The oils and remedies sprayed caused him to yelp and grunt, unintentionally making his barbs prod back up. However, after a few seconds like Nathan said, the pain and soreness on his leg began to diminish.
Nidoran grunted and jumped away, getting some space. "(Bah! That stung…huh?)" He noticed how his leg was notably nimbler now. "(Hey…I can feel it again! I feel so much better!)" He looked back at Nathan. "(Huh...guess you're not bad after all.)"
Nathan reached over towards his packaged salad and placed it in front of Nidoran. A quick sniff was all the Poison-type needed to know that it was fresh. He wasted no time eating his fill while Nathan looked calm, but also cautious.
'Did he manage to reason with the wild Nidoran?' Keith heard the exchange from start to finish. From the hissing, to Nathan's common sense plea, to the spray, and finally to the sounds of munching leaves. 'It must have been a male Nidoran. They're more hostile than the females. He must have an ideal sense of patience with Pokémon. And yet with people…'
"Hey…" Nathan called out to Keith. "You asked me before, didn't you? About why I don't like people?" He paused to glare at Keith. "It's simple…it's because of idiots who'd rather kiss asses than show sympathy."
"What?" Keith sounded more confused than shocked. Nathan simply ignored it and continued.
"I don't try to give others a hard time. But if they don't stop to consider that, you expect me to just sit there and take that disrespect? Newsflash, I ain't nobody's bitch! Just because you feel a certain way doesn't make mean I have to agree, or be your personal outlet! You're so damn curious about me? Just come out and say it! No bullshit!"
Once again, the atmosphere grew silent with a dense tension. The Pokémon froze up and looked on as Nathan was looking directly at Keith. Even Nidoran, who was in the midst of his meal, stopped and stared in shock at Nathan's demeanor.
Feeling where this was going, Keith composed himself before clearing his throat. "Very well then…Nathan, tell me…what happened to make you feel this way?"
"You really wanna know? I'll give you the abridged version…because this chapter's length can't afford a flashback." He paused as he gathered his words. He shrugged and scoffed.
"Alright…well, to be blunt, I was in middle school, 7th grade actually. I was picked on quite a bit. Not sure why though, I didn't bother anyone. A lot of people were okay with me, but there were some who just liked to mess with me. I ignored their harassment for a while until they started stealing my literature books, not admitting to it and getting me into trouble. I tell them to stop, but they just pester me even more. I tried talking to the teachers about switching seats, but the class was full, and rearranging seats meant switching up the whole class, which was a hassle for everyone. When that didn't work, I went to my parents, but…they didn't believe me. Nobody took me seriously…nobody."
Keith remained silent. But his lips were parted to show his mounting bewilderment.
"My folks said to talk to the teachers, which I did, but they didn't do anything about it. The bullies in particular went as far as openly mocking me and throwing paper at the back of my head when no one was looking. I could take that, sure…but my patience was thinning. One day, it went south for me when I returned a paper ball at the kid. It missed. And the teacher caught me and I was suspended for two days. All because of something as simple as that. They didn't even give me a chance to explain for fuck's sake!
"My parents told me to write an apology letter, but I wasn't in the wrong. They told me otherwise that it was 'the right thing to do'. I refused, and so they wrote it up for me. I gave it to the kid and you know what he did? He crumbled it up behind my back and chucked it again. I still remember the scoff he gave me, and how NO ONE told him to stop…and the line was crossed one day when I was giving a presentation in class. We were doing children's book reports in front of the class, and the kid openly mocked my report, stuff like 'Can this be anymore childish?', and 'Your book is lame!'. I turned to the teacher and asked her to do something about him, but you know what she did? She said, to me, 'Ignore him, Nathan. Your stopping is gonna cost you some points.'. And, well…I snapped."
"Snapped how?"
Nathan glared down at the grass, looking like he was ready to tear it out of the ground. "…I threw the book right at her face. She fell to the ground, and I yelled 'SOME EDUCATORS YOU ALL ARE, BITCH!'."
The way he yelled the last part made everyone stiffen. Even Nidoran, who was calmed before, looked startled at Nathan.
"After that, I walked right out of that school. I got yelled at by my parents, telling me to apologize, but when I tried to explain my side of the story, my Mom smacked me across the face. So you know what I did? I pushed her down on her back. She hit her head and cried. My Dad tackled me, and I headbutted him, and I started to just…lose it. It was like everyone was deaf to my pleas for sympathy…so I just threw it all out the window. It was a hellish day.
"So yeah, that's what happened." Nathan finished his tale so blatantly, all while Keith was completely still, looking stunned beyond words. To say he was stunned would be an understatement. Nathan continued. "I guess you can say I lost my empathy for people. I tried the easy way to resolve things, I tried being considerate…and look what happened. After that, I got some charges, got expelled on the grounds of voluntary violence, and my family sent me away to some distant relatives in Verdanturf Town. Never contacted them again." He shrugged. "Honestly, it's better this way. There wasn't anything left for me back in that world. So, imagine my rage, when I find myself in another world, where there's a war with two sides who are equally as deaf as they are stupid!
"I am not afraid to break somebody's face if they're going to just jump the gun and claim they're right based on biased bullshit! The only real way for any human to learn their lesson is the hard way. At least, that's how I learned. The day that you let someone walk all over you, is the day you become a bitch! And I'm telling you, I AIN'T NOBODY'S BITCH!"
Nobody said anything in response.
"That's why I always listen to both sides of the story before I make my judgement. I don't care how you International Police do your business because you look at the facts about criminals, rather than try to understand why they became criminals. Maybe they were people who never got a say or shown empathy…people like me."
Keith was completely speechless. He knew Nathan had his reasons for not being such a social Butterfree, but he never the measures being this severe. The things he said before came back at him with a vengeance. No wonder why he worked out so much, it was his filter.
No, it was more than that. Now that he heard Nathan's side of the story, he got a whole new perspective of him. At heart, Nathan was someone who tried to care, but after realizing his joking and teasing attitude on him, he realized he was not in his favor. It just reminded him of everyone who didn't take him seriously.
Keith lowered his head, feeling a tinge of remorse for him.
"Now you."
"What?"
"You heard me. You've heard my side of the story. Now it's your turn. That's only fair."
Keith realized what Nathan meant. A tinge of uneasiness fell upon him. "It's…something that I'd rather not say to my peers. I hope you can understand."
"I won't unless you spill your guts, moron. You didn't comprehend what goes inside my head until I laid it out for you." Nathan shot him a glare, trying his damnest to hold back his impatience. "I'm your ally, that doesn't make us friends. If you're afraid of being judged like that, don't bother. Get it off your chest so we can get on with our lives."
Keith was hurt that Nathan didn't see him as a friend, but to a degree he understood his open-minded demeanor was to help the other. Though he was quiet and composed at first, he kept his head down as he somberly gave in.
"Well now…where do I begin?" He paused before beginning his tale. "I guess you can say that I know what you're talking about when you're kept in a corner all your life with no alternatives. That's what my grandfather did to me and my parents at least."
Nathan remained silent. He knew there was more to this, so he let Keith continue.
"You know, I wasn't always an International Policeman. I actually joined…just so I can make amends for what I've done. To the Pokémon and people I have hurt. I was actually a Pokémon Hunter." He sourly chuckled. "Pretty shocking, right? It was the family business. We lived comfortably from all the funds that my grandfather ascertained from his clients throughout the years. It didn't occur to me to how we became so wealthy, I guess I was still so naïve and young at the time to understand. But you know…I was still a young boy with dreams. For as long as I could remember, I've always been fascinate about the International Police. How they're in the shadows, able to stop the bad guys. Heh…my biggest mistake back then was not knowing how to keep my mouth shut."
Mightyena, Zorua, and Ditto glanced at each other before looking back at Keith. He was looking more dejected and tormented than he was earlier.
"When I told my parents about what I wanted to be, they tried to dissuade me. I didn't know why at the time though, shouldn't parents encourage their children to chase after their dreams? Then again, that rule never extended to grandparents, I guess." He looked up at the morning sky. "My grandfather was quite the manipulator. He played things out so clean to where I could follow in his steps by choice…even if it meant ending my parents in a car crash."
Nathan showed no visible reaction. He instead kept a straight face as he was realizing the perspective of a young kid whose dreams were crushed by reality.
"I was so heartbroken…they told me to dissuade from that, and after they died, I just took that as a sign. My grandfather taught me everything he knew about Pokémon hunting. It was so ingrained to me that I could still dream of it even to this day. But deep down, my conscience still wanted to pursue justice. My heart couldn't take it. I knew this all had to stop. So, one night, I was making an attempted escape, but it didn't go so well…" Keith shook his head and grinned somberly. "My grandfather was ahead of me by another step again. He knew that I had seen too much. He already took away my parents…but I guess he wasn't satisfied with just that when he blinded me."
Keith lifted his shades, revealing his eyes to Nathan. His amber eyes were in full view, but they were blurred, and had no light. Again, Nathan was without words.
"Freedom isn't free…being blind was the price that I had to pay for self-justice. I managed to get into contact with the International Police in the end, and put my grandfather behind bars for a long time. Then I was given rehabilitation, and I got to pursue my dreams by studying under Looker. He's a good teacher. Learned a lot from him.
"But still, to know the lengths that humans would go for the sake of setting motions in their favor is something that frightened me for a long time. I want to help as many people and Pokémon as I can as part of my job. But also…I guess you can say so I can sleep better at night."
Nathan was silent for a minute as he processed everything Keith had said. When all was said and done, he closed his eyes and scoffed. "Looks like we both have family drama."
"That we do. Only I didn't get the easy way at first. You actually had that choice. You've tried the easy way…but you were pushed too far." Keith closed his eyes and lowered his head, snickering at the irony. "…yeah, I think I'm finally understanding your logic now, Nathan. Why some criminals are here now…because they didn't have anybody to lean to before making bad decisions."
Nathan hummed. "We're both victims of injustice."
"Yes…I agree."
The faint sound of another rustling was close by. Alarmed, Nidoran's ears stiffened and began doing their job at locating the source. "(Someone's here!)" he quipped. "(Over there!)"
All eyes turned towards the sounds of rustling intensifying behind Keith. Gradually, behind the International Policeman, something came into view.
Slowly emerging before everyone's eyes was a small, inorganic Pokémon with a body of deep green/blue and dark blue, having a body that was entirely of metal. Its shape was completely ovular with the six edges ending with bulbous ornaments, much like the one on its center. It had two dark eyes with yellow irises that blinked slowly. On its back was an emblem that resembled an herb.
"What is it?" Keith questioned, his tone heavily on guard.
Nathan furrowed his brow. "It's just a Bronzor."
"A Bronzor, you say?" Keith turned as Ditto morphed into a cane and flew right into his hands. He used the makeshift cane to feel around in front of him until he felt something flat and metallic. "Oh, pardon me. Sorry about that."
Bronzor barely felt the bump and blinked. "(It is no trouble. I assure you of that.)" It looked around, seeing the many Pokémon gathered about. "(Oh, fellow acquaintances. Do pardon my intrusion. I was minding my way when I heard what could be described as a commotion around here. Is your party the source?)"
Shelgon, who remained calm during the whole exchange, spoke up. "(You can say that.)"
"(Uh, p-please tell us you'll come quietly…uh, please?)" Wimpod insisted, remembering their mission.
"(I swear, you better not try anything funny, metal face! I'll bite you so hard that you'll need to see a blacksmith to smooth out those dents!)" Mightyena barked threateningly.
Bronzor turned to the two respectively. "(To answer your structure accordingly, even though you asked nicely, I am uncertain of your motives. And as for you, I believe it's best to not make such assumptions. I bear no harm…though if it is a need, I shall defend myself.)"
The wild Nidoran fastened his stance and readied poisonous barbs, but one look from Nathan made it clear not to jump the gun. He remembered what Nathan spoke of before and, despite how it went against his nature, he backed off…for now.
"Another straggler?" Keith turned towards the Bronzor. "You must be lost, too, aren't you?"
Bronzor's eyes flashed. "(Yes, unfortunately I have ended up in this unfamiliar land with a number of our kind.)"
Keith managed a small grin. "You're a patient one. Glad to know that there are some wild Pokémon out there taking this rather well." He turned towards Nathan and Nidoran. "And others that need convincing otherwise by others who have a grasp of that virtue."
Nathan gave no response. Instead, he and Nidoran exchanged looks with each other.
The small tension in the air intensified again when Nidoran's ears stiffened again. He turned back in the direction he came from. "(Someone else is coming!)"
"(Please don't let it be another bird, please don't let it be another bird…)" Wimpod chanted.
"(Dude…get a grip. Like birds would make that kind of a ruckus in bushes)," Zorua scoffed.
"(I concur. However…)" Bronzor glanced up at the rustling shrubs. "(I fear that it may be something worse than that.)"
The bushes shriveled, and slowly, a large silhouette began rising before everyone. Their eyes all widened as the silhouette's shadow cast over Nidoran, his expression being a mixture of anger and partial fear. He backed away a few paces as the tower figure presented itself before everyone.
It was a large, serpentine Pokémon that resembled an oversized purple cobra. It had narrow eyes and had a pattern on its hood that resembled an upturned face. There was a carved black smile on the pattern, with yellow, red, and black patterns for the two eyes. There was a black arrow on top with two small red eyespots added.
The massive cobra flicked out her tongue, smelling the many whiffs of the surrounding populace. "(Fresssh meat)," she hissed, before looking down at Nidoran. "(Ah, there you are, you little morsssel.)"
Hearing the hissing, Keith stood upright. "A Pokémon?!"
"An Arbok," Nathan quipped. "Looks like we need another sweep after all." He readily cocked the ray.
"(Crap…not you again! I thought I got away from you!)" Nidoran sniped.
"(It attacked you?)" Shelgon inquired. '(That would explain his wound from earlier.)'
"(Yeah, it almost got me, too.)" Nidoran spread his legs, his poisonous barbs sticking out. "(You wanna eat me that badly, just try it! I'm ready for you this time!)"
Arbok hissed at the smaller Poison-type's attempt at a threat. It was amusing. She hissed a chuckle. "(Delighted to.)" She opened her mouth, showing her many rows of sharp fangs to the many Pokémon present. She lurched forward, expelling a blast of violet-colored acid that spread towards everyone in front of her.
The corrosive fluid went across in a horizontal mark in front of everyone. Nidoran, Shelgon, and Wimpod all instinctively pulled away to avoid the offensive spray. They looked at the grass melting with hot, purple steam exuding from the bubbling remains.
"(Gah! I-it can melt us!?)" Wimpod shuddered in fear. If he didn't have a reason to be afraid before, he most certainly did now.
"An attack?" Keith clenched his fists. "Ditto, Transform!"
Ditto squirmed with a high-pitched squeal. It morphed and expanded its body to match that of the wild Arbok. Its pink body became hard scales that mimicked the wild Arbok to a tee. Ditto-Arbok let out an open hiss in retort against the offensive serpent.
"(Playing copycat? How…deliccciousss.)" Arbok smirked as she opened her jaws wide. Her fangs glowed bright white as she slithered at breakneck speeds at Ditto-Arbok, via Bite.
"Mightyena! Zorua! Provide interference!" Keith commanded.
"(Right!)" Mightyena barked.
"(Ugh, whatever)," Zorua eyerolled.
As Arbok threw herself with hunger in full swing, she was about to take a bite of the fake version of herself when a bright set of fangs lunged from her right. She instantly pulled back to avoid the lightning coated around Mightyena;s teeth. As she rushed by, that left her back exposed for Zorua to reappear and smack the back of her head with her tail. The combo ran its course and caused Arbok to grunt in retort.
Ditto-Arbok took aim and hissed aggressively at the stunned foe. It instinctively used one of the many moves she had, being a glowing red pattern on her belly. The pattern brightened up by the second, facing the wild Arbok until her body stiffened in place. She grunted heavily as static enveloped her, indicating paralysis.
"That must have been Glare. That's quite the nifty move to have." Keith turned towards Nathan's direction. "Nathan, the ray!"
Nathan heard him loud and clear and readied a shot. However, Arbok glanced over and saw the foreign device targeting her. When Keith fired a ray, the Cobra Pokémon swerved around the beam to evade it. She hissed at Nathan mockingly with her tongue out.
'Shit, it's fast!'
Despite the paralysis, Arbok was still maneuverable. She opened her mouth and craned her head around to expel more Acid. The violet, corrosive substance sprayed into the Pokémon. Shelgon instinctively got in front of Wimpod and Nidoran, manifesting a Protect that took the steaming adhesive. Mightyena and Zorua, however, were not so lucky. Their fur was doused in the substance, instantly getting into their skin. Even though it wasn't super-effective, having fur they valued really stung to have it all seared. Literally.
"(GAH! That burns!)" Mightyena howled, pulling herself away.
"(Eep! My beautiful fur! You're ruining it!)" Zorua snapped, glaring daggers at Arbok. "(You bitch!)"
Arbok paid no heed. She just added insulted to injury when she opened her jaws again to expose her glowing white fangs. She bit down on Ditto-Arbok by its tail, sending waves of pain through the copy. She hurled the fake version into Zorua and Mightyena and caused all three to floor.
Bronzor continued observing, looking indifferently at the situation. "(Hm, it would appear that this one has a degree of experience.)"
"(Oh yeah?! How's about this then!)" Nidoran spread his legs, his eyes brightening up. "(Leer!)" The piercing gaze fixed onto Arbok, forcing a blue aura to depreciate her Defense stat.
The static continued flourishing on Arbok as she turned towards Nidoran and the rest of Nathan's Pokémon. A wave of green energy emitted from the top of her head down towards the tip of her tail. What looked like a very light coating of her body started shedding off her that gradually dwindled the paralysis from her body as a whole. Until finally, the paralysis static was no more.
"(D-did she just shake off her paralysis!?)" Wimpod panicked.
Arbok snickered. "(Sssorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to do better than jussst stun me, dears. You sssee, my Ability is Shed Ssskin. I'll recover from such trouble you causse. Now, who wants to be my breakfassst?)"
Nidoran stiffened his barbs and glared at the cobra's taunting. Nathan looked between the two and frowned. He was picking up a serious vibe that reminded him much of when he was threatened and taunted for someone's pleasure. It annoyed him. He knew what he had to do.
"(Come here, you prickly rodent!)" Arbok made a break for Nidoran, her fangs glowing once more for Bite.
"Wimpod, Sand Attack! Shelgon, Hydro Pump!"
"(Coming through!)" Wimpod scurried in front of Nidoran, flicking his tail to send a wave of dirt into Arbok's face. The cobra went through the sandy wave and immediately recoiled when it got into her eyes. A wave of blue aura signaled her accuracy depletion, which showed when she missed Nidoran by more than a few meters on his left.
This gave Shelgon an open shot to fire a high volume of pressurized water from the opening in his shell. The torrent violently flourished and blasted Arbok, sending her flying off the ground and smashing into a tree. She gawked in pain as she hit the ground with a thud.
Nidoran looked back at Nathan, looking visibly stunned. "(Wait, what're you-?!)"
"Don't focus on me. You wanna get this snake off your back, don't you?" Nathan offered. "You're gonna need more help."
Nidoran blinked, but the gesture didn't go without appreciation. He turned back towards Arbok, who was gradually getting back up. Shelgon and Wimpod carried Nidoran's flanks as they stood against the offensive Poison-type.
"(I'll be sure to…tenderizzze you all for that!)" Arbok opened her mouth, unleashing another blast of Acid at all of them.
"Pull back!" Nathan ordered. Shelgon and Wimpod did as told and scooted back to avoid the adhesive liquid. Nidoran did too, surprisingly. They saw the acid melt the grass and sizzle the dirt before them. "Wimpod, Screech!"
Wimpod gulped as he shuddered. Despite being scared, he was bold enough to step up to the challenge. His antennae rattled violently as he emanated a loud, earsplitting shriek that sent distorted soundwaves rippling after Arbok.
Arbok, however, saw the ranged soundwaves coming and slithered a safe distance away. She opened her mouth to show her swerving forked tongue as she unleashed a Screech of her own in return. The soundwaves shot through the air back at Wimpod, enveloping him in a dense blue aura that lowered his Defense by two stages. With him immobile, she opened her jaws and went for yet another Bite for the stunned insect.
"Shelgon, Headbutt!"
Shelgon lowered his shell-hardened body and leaned forward. He pounced forward just as Arbok got too close and landed his cranium against her sharp fangs. With the lowered Defense of Arbok and higher level of Shelgon, the Headbutt won over and pushed Arbok backwards.
"(Well now, seems that this is getting interesting)," Bronzor chimed. It turned towards Keith and his Pokémon and quickly came to an appropriate decision. "(Perhaps I shall partake in this endeavor.)"
Arbok shook her head as she visibly shuddered. The effects of Headbutt left her flinching.
Levitating in for an opening, Bronzor put itself between the team and the opponent, surprising everyone.
"That Bronzor?" Nathan voiced his surprise.
"What's it doing?" Keith inquired.
Bronzor faced the wild Arbok as its face glowed purple. It began releasing kinetic, psychic waves ranging from purple, to pink, to a dreamy white that reached towards the cobra. The hypnotic, mesmerizing waves reached Arbok and immediately took effect.
"(What is…I feel so sssleepy…)" The cobra started to lose consciousness. Before she had the chance to pull away, it was too late. Her eyes shut as she slumped towards the ground with herself being fast asleep.
"It's asleep," Nathan stated.
"It must have used Hypnosis…quickly! Before its Ability activates!" Keith called out.
"(Oh yeah, it's payback time!)" Zorua chimed.
"Go!" Keith ordered. "Mightyena, Snarl! Ditto, Acid! Zorua, Pursuit"
Mightyena and Ditto-Arbok reared themselves back at the same time. They lurched forward, sending purple bark waves and a stream of violet acid at the sleeping Arbok. The attacks met her at the same time, dousing her in a sizzling purple smoke and an echo wave alike that buffered her. A blue aura enveloped her, reducing her Special Attack due to Snarl's secondary effect.
"(This is for burning my fur, bitch!)" Zorua closed the gap in haste, stamping Arbok's face with a hind leg.
Arbok fell over, but despite the damage that she sustained, she didn't show signs of being knocked out. In fact, waves of green energy were emitting from her top and went down her body, gradually making her eyes flutter open. It was now or never!
Nathan looked down at the Nidoran, who looked on guard. They exchanged looks before Nathan nodded. "Do it."
Nidoran grinned, feeling satisfaction. He dug into the ground and lowered his head as his horn glowed bright white. He charged forward with all his might at Arbok with his Peck just as Arbok's Shed Skin had fully dispelled the sleep affliction.
"(Hngh, what-?!)"
"(Eat THIS!)" Nidoran stabbed Arbok straight in the forehead. The force was strong enough to where Arbok's already fatigued body. The force caused a serious recoil that caused the cobra to fall backwards and thud on her back before Nidoran.
She laid before everyone with her mouth wide open, her eyes completely spiraled to signal her fainted state.
"Alright, got it from here!" With time to recharge, Nathan picked up the Astral transporter and aimed at the fainted Arbok. He fired a quick shot at the target and this time, it didn't miss.
In a bright flash, the Arbok was out of sight, being transported to the wilds in the Astral Plains.
"Got it!" Nathan announced.
Keith managed to relax. "Thank goodness. That was actually troublesome…let's hope we don't run into that one again in the Astral Plains."
"(Y-yeah, me too…)" Wimpod shuddered.
"(She was a slippery one, I'll say that.)" Shelgon's statement was followed by him turning towards Nidoran and Bronzor. "(Thank you both for your help.)"
Bronzor tilted its body to nod. "(It is no hassle. It was my pleasure to be of assistance to you.)"
Nidoran's ears twitched. "(Um…t-thank you guys. I mean it. I think I would have been that thing's breakfast if you guys weren't around…)" He turned towards Nathan. "(You really do understand my situation.)"
Nathan kneeled down, looking at the Nidoran in the eye. "You're good now, right? You wanna go to the Astral Plains, too?"
Nidoran shook his head. "(And risk being snake chow again? I don't think so)," he smiled, stepping closer to him. "(I think I like you guys. Mind if I tag along with you?)"
"(You really don't mind?)" Shelgon inquired.
"(Yeah, if it's with this guy, I won't complain. Okay, so maybe I was scared at first, but he's kinda cool. Think I can learn a lot from you all.)"
"(Well, I say that works for me! Safety in numbers after all!)" Wimpod hissed. "(Oh, right. What about you?)"
Bronzor floated close by, nodding. "(I feel adequate as of now. You all seem like a well-balanced group of individuals. I believe that if this were a trial, I would surely have passed.)" It floated closer towards Keith. "(I would like to offer my services if that is what you'd like of me.)"
Getting signals of what was happening, Nathan turned towards Keith. "Looks like they want to come along with us. That Bronzor's shined on you."
"You think?" Despite not being able to see, Keith reached his hand out in front. When he felt Bronzor move to have its top touched by his hand. He took that as a sign. "Heh…very well then. Guess it can't be helped, can it?"
"Guess not." Nathan didn't look impartial, but his tone hinted that he was in agreement with the sift sentiment that Keith had.
"Here, catch." Keith tossed a Poke Ball Nathan's way. When Nathan caught it, he looked at the capsule in hand to find that it was a completely different color. It was more of a soothing pink with creamy yellow accents. The normally black rims were instead purple.
Nathan raised a brow. "A Heal Ball?"
"Just in case that Super Potion didn't fix Nidoran up fully. It would be convenient to save some Potions if we come across anymore, don't you agree? As for me…" Keith held up a standard Poke Ball. "This will do nicely."
Nathan shrugged. He didn't mind. Both he and Keith held out their capsules towards the two Pokémon, who obliged to touch them. They were converted into energy and openly went inside them. The capsules closed shut, and after some rattling, they both clicked, signaling their captures.
Keith smiled at the Poke Ball in his hand. "Welcome to the party, Bronzor. I hope we get along well from here on."
Nathan stood up, readying the transporter gun. "We need to move out. Stayed too long in this area."
Keith nodded, his tone turning serious. "You're right. We need to do another sweep. Who knows what else is out here besides those one."
Nathan turned away, but Keith felt had to get something out.
"Nathan."
He stopped and looked back. "What?"
"Listen, I know I come off as brash sometimes, but I hope you-"
"Just shut it. I know what you're gonna say." Nathan eyerolled before he gave Keith a plain look. "Look…don't mention it. If it means anything to you…you're alright."
This alleviated Keith by some. He stuck out his hand "So then…we're cool?"
The corner of Nathan's mouth made a small smirk. He reached out and shook it. "…yeah, we're cool."
Keith smiled. "But seriously though, we should look into getting you some hobbies than just working out."
"Sure, as soon as you get laser-eye surgery."
"Touché."
The two found themselves on the move again. However, unlike before, the tension that was there was no more.
In Nohr, there was no such thing as a sunrise. The sky was a constant darkness. The same dreaded feeling was what enveloped King Garon as he sat on his throne. The news about Corrin had just gotten to him only recently, and even know, he sat with a begrudging frown on his face as he thought of this setback.
"So…Corrin still lives…and he has allied himself with that kid with these animals…" His tone was more matter of fact than angry. "So he has learned the truth then. However, there is no need for worry. My plan is already in motion." A crude smirk crossed his face. "It matters not who it is. Be it Corrin or that boy, their fates are all sealed. It is impossible for anyone to stop me know."
King Garon was a lot of things. Merciless, forceful, and very demanding could be amongst the top of that list of qualities that make him a force to be reckoned with. However, while patience was not one of his virtues, for something as grand as the world – no, even more than that.
Wherever these creatures came from, there were sure to be more from there. As well as other people who may have the knowledge to utilize them. If he could subjugate as many of them under him as possible, not even the likes of Hoshido would be able to stand against him.
"This world shall be mine…and then, the source of these animals, I shall harvest that for myself! It is inevitable! Mwahahahaha!"
His monologue didn't go unheard of, however. Outside the doors to his throne room, Elise had her head pressed against the thick double doors. She was hearing what her father was saying aloud, but she didn't understand what he meant. This world? These animals? What was going on?
"Father…who is he talking to…?" she muttered. "And…what did he mean that Corrin's fate is sealed? I need to talk to Xander about Father…"
"Elise…it isn't wise to intervene."
Elise gasped as she turned around. To her shock, she found Camilla standing before her, a frown on her face. "Camilla?"
"I understand. I do not like this at all, either. There is something amidst about Father…something unworldly."
Elise frowned. "What do we do?"
The older sister thought for a moment. "It would be too hasty for us to act on what we don't know. If we do, it may bring more trouble onto Corrin. We have no choice but to hold back and see what happens."
Elise didn't like that idea. She wanted to do something right now, but she knew Camilla had a point. If she acted irrationally, not only could Corrin be in trouble, but hers as well. And Camilla was given levity only once; she might not get another chance again.
"I…I understand." Elise looked down, frowning heavily.
Camilla didn't like this anymore than she did. But, in truth, this was probably the best course of action. Normally, whatever her father said goes. However, his recent behavior was something to be warranted. It wasn't like him to have his doors closed like this.
She then remembered something that Nathan said before that rung in her head. 'If Father won't let us in…should he truly be trusted?' She knew she couldn't dawdle on that prospect forever. She turned away and walked off. "I am resuming my creature's conditioning. And I believe that Leo had just set out recently to deal with a certain matter in Izumo. I'm sure Xander is already aware of the situation…try to keep yourself at bay for now."
Elise obediently nodded. "Okay…"
Camilla sighed as she made way out of the reception hall and down a flight of stairs. She made way towards a corridor into a private room, where there, she stood before her creature.
The Pokémon looked almost identical to Nidoran. However, this one had shorter ears and was more upright. She had large red eyes, bucked teeth, and two small whiskers on either side of her face. The most notable difference regarding her, however, was how her skin was a pale blue instead of purple.
"I'm sorry to have made you wait…I hope that these accommodations are better than a cell." Camilla frowned at her Pokémon, who defensively shuffled in place. "I'll be as gentle as I can, but for your safety, it's best that we try to cooperate. So please, bear with me."
The female Nidoran shuffled in place, looking uncertain. But she slowly approached Camilla as the woman kneeled to her. Nidoran sniffed her hand curiously. It was a start at least, for Camilla of course.
She may not fully understand the situation, but she was showing empathy for this one. If this could guarantee her safety, then it was progress.
"Come with me…we have to resume your training." Camilla walked out the door, with the female Nidoran scurrying behind her.
Party Data
Nathan
-Shelgon (Male)
Lv: 32
Item: Dragon Fang
Nature: Calm
Ability: Rock Head
Moves: Headbutt, Hydro Pump, Protect, Dragon Breath
-Wimpod (Male)
Lv: 28
Item: None
Nature: Bashful
Ability: Wimp Out
Moves: Struggle Bug, Sand Arrack, Defense Curl, Screech
-Nidoran (Male)
Lv: 14
Item: Poison Barb
Ability: Poison Point
Moves: Leer, Poison Sting, Peck, Focus Energy
Keith
-Ditto
Lv: 26
Item: Quick Powder
Nature: Quirky
Ability: Limber
Moves: Transform
-Zorua (Female)
Lv: 23
Item: Wise Glasses
Nature: Sassy
Ability: Illusion
Moves: Fake Tears, Extrasensory, Feint Attack, Pursuit
-Mightyena (Female)
Lv: 24
Item: Black Glasses
Nature: Rash
Ability: Quick Feet
Moves: Snarl, Fire Fang, Assurance Thunder Fang
-Bronzor
Lv: 23
Item: Metal Coat
Nature: Docile
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Payback, Imprison, Gyro Ball, Hypnosis
Hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! This one was more focused on Keith and Nathan's side of the story, and diving just a little into their characters and what made them the people who they are currently. As a bonus, they got themselves a Bronzor and Nidoran on their side!
Next chapter we'll have the main group as the main focus once more. And as you know, it's gonna be a long one since chapters with the main group take up so much.
Still, as always, I appreciate any feedback! Thanks for reading!