Growing dangerous purple aristoloches

Traffic jams, honking horns, the air becoming unbreathable in this glass cage where the ventilation systems could no longer keep up. This was what the people of Mauville called the terrible hour, when many of the workers and shopkeepers finished their day and went home, creating these monstrous congestions of cars.

It wasn't the most welcoming of greetings for the young trainer and her fake pokemon. Ash was also careful to keep his mouth shut, and even Serena avoided breathing in too much of the polluted air.

"Let's go say hello to Wattson," the young girl suggested.

Ash simply nodded as her friend picked up her tablet and headed for the gym. Will it be open? the former trainer wondered. But there was another, more important question running through his mind as he carefully checked his trainer's progress. Well, it seems to have healed, he reassured himself.

As Ash had suspected, the gym was indeed closed. Late hour? Or just a leader with something else to do. Still, it would be good if Wattson didn't take his cue from the leaders of Sinnoh.

"I'm tired of doing everything! Hurry up!" they heard someone shout.

The two friends exchanged glances. The voice could only be the electric old man. And indeed, they found him a few streets away, hard at work on the electrical installations normally hidden in the walls. He was wielding a small orange device, staring at the changing numbers on the case.

"Serena? Are you back? Nice of you to come and say hello. No, it's not working! You should be able to see it on your screens!" he shouted into the Xtransceiver.

The young girl felt sorry for the poor ears of the leader's interlocutors.

"Perhaps we'll leave you to it," she suggested, taking a step back.

"I'm almost finished," Wattson assured.

And that almost sounded like an order as he stuck his nose back into the wires.

"By the way, Serena, well done on winning the contest," he said without turning around.

The young girl thanked him, not expecting him to look.

"Although I would have liked to see Plusle and Mi... Yes, go on, we're on the right track now."

"Don't worry, next time it'll be their turn."

"I can't wait to see them sparkle," the old man laughed. "Ah, that's good! We'll finally be able to breathe!"

Serena waited a while for the leader to tidy up the mess he'd made.

"Char," Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he smelled the clean air.

With the job done and the ventilation systems back up and running, Wattson decided he'd done enough for the day. Until his Xtransceiver rang, causing him to sigh deeply.

"Here we go again," he said, switching on the nasty device.

He listened to the new complaint with a distracted ear, making apologetic gestures to Serena for making her wait again. Wattson rolled his eyes, there was a lot of talk, but it was always slow to get to the point.

"What exactly is the problem?" the leader grumbled.

"We just wanted to let you know that there has been a slight disruption to the telephone network in and around Lavaridge Town."

"But it's fixed now?" the old man sighed.

"Actually, the problem solved itself, but since the line goes through Mauville's servers..."

"Servers that are running slowly at the moment, yes I know. Look, kid, we're working on fixing that and dealing with our own outages. So your phone stories... Well, you know, you have to prioritise things in life."

"Yes sir! So we're not going to worry about that right now?"

"What do you want to deal with? You said it was already taken care of," the leader was annoyed. "Anyway, I have to go, I have guests tonight."

Not wanting to waste any more time, the old man hung up. He was fed up with all the problems caused by the slowing down of the servers. It seemed like it would never end. He slapped his cheeks and tried to remember his reputation as a happy grandfather.

"Serena, Charmeleon, you're having dinner with me tonight, and that's non-negotiable," he finished with a hearty laugh.

Serena suspected he would also offer to let her stay the night. Something she wanted to avoid, given the old man's snoring.

"We don't want to disturb you and the Pokemon Center..."

"What are you talking about?" he said, starting to walk towards his apartment. "We need to celebrate your victory in the contest properly."

"Char," Ash agreed.

You're obviously not the one who's going to spend the night plugging your ears, the young girl lamented.

The door to flat 13 was wide open and the old armchair and television had not moved from their places. On the other hand, there was now a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and heaps of papers and electronic gadgets piled up on the tables or any other piece of furniture that would hold them.

"I've been pretty busy lately, so don't mind the mess."

When Serena asked him how the repairs to the power station were going, he couldn't help but think back to the pile of resignations in his room. He could understand that all these events had demoralised the less hardened workers, but he hadn't expected Adele to be one of them.

"All because of that damned Team Magma," the old man lamented.

Ash looked up sharply at the words. Team Magma? Were they back in action too? What's wrong with everyone these days? the former trainer growled.

"Team Magma... Could they be related to Team Aqua?" asked Serena.

"In the sense that they're dangerous individuals who threaten Hoenn for their own ends, yes, they're of the same ilk. These thugs have hacked into my AI to copy its operating algorithms," the man growled.

"Do you know what they're after?"

Wattson gave the young girl a suspicious look before asking:

"Why are you so interested?"

"Well, I've faced members of Team Aqua before, but Mr Briney wouldn't tell me much about them, so..."

The old man frowned. The young girl's statements added weight to the reports that the Sea Gang had also reformed.

"It's normal not to want to get involved. It would be too dangerous if you took it into your head to confront them."

Serena puffed up her cheeks, offended by the old man's remark.

"They weren't that strong. My pokemons defeated them easily," she grumbled.

Ash grimaced; she hadn't realised that the two henchmen she had faced were probably at the very bottom of the organisation.

"You beat them with your little Charmander," Wattson sneered.

This time, it was the shapeshifter's turn to be offended.

"Charmander wasn't my only pokemon. And now that he's evolved, he's much stronger!"

"It's still a charmeleon, and it won't help you defeat these criminals," the leader sighed. "Listen, if you want to know everything, a few years ago these two organisations awakened Groudon and Kyogre, but quickly lost control. At that time, we narrowly averted disaster with the help of some trainers. Now they seem determined to pick up where they left off."

"So..."

"So that's a problem gym leaders are going to solve without involving a young coordinator," he cut her off.

Serena started to protest, but the leader didn't give her time:

"You saw what happened at the power station."

The coordinator clenched her hands on her dress, the memories coming back far too violently for her liking.

"So what do you think? Do you want to risk the safety of your friends again?" Wattson added, just to make sure the trainer wasn't being stubborn.

"No, I wouldn't. Of course not."

With that, the discussion was over and all Serena had to do was think about her next destination. Wattson suggested that she travel to the north of the region. That would allow her to enter a contest in a small town just beyond the desert, and then follow it up with a competition in Fallarbor Town. The journey was likely to be longer than usual. However, Serena decided to stay with Wattson for a few days before leaving. Ash didn't understand this decision, as everyone in the team was in good shape. Was she still suffering from her leg? But he didn't get the impression that she was complaining about it on the way back... So why wait?

"We'll leave in three days," the young girl decided, ignoring her friend's opinion.

The shapeshifter spent the first day sighing, clearly demonstrating his boredom at sitting idly by in the leader's house. Although the young girl noticed his behaviour, she didn't change her plans. Ash was still groaning when a strange odour disturbed his nose.

He opened his mouth and brought the new molecules to his palate. Iron? he wondered. Not quite, the smell was different from simple inert metal, as if mixed with other elements. Ash watched the young girl sitting on the sofa, there was no doubt that the odour was coming from her. The salamander racked his brain to find out what was going on, but it was all in vain. Hoping to solve the mystery, he approached the trainer. He noticed that her skin was paler than before, and not only that, her face seemed more tense.

"Charme?" he asked, giving up trying to understand.

"It's not dinnertime yet," Serena misunderstood.

Ash shook his head in the negative and pointed at the girl.

"Mel, charme," he explained.

"No, I'm not sick," the girl suddenly realised. "I'm just a bit tired, but it'll pass soon."

Ash wasn't really convinced. The trainer, not wanting to be questioned any further, slipped into the bathroom and stayed there for a long time. Ash waited for her, arms crossed, thinking about what might have happened to his friend. Especially as the smell seemed to be concentrated on her thighs or something. Serena finally reappeared, but the iron atmosphere had subsided. More and more incomprehensible to the former human.

"Mel!" he growled.

Serena could feel the tension in her friend's voice. She was reluctant to talk to him about it, it was probably less embarrassing to explain it to a pokemon than a human, but still.

"Listen, Charmeleon, there's nothing to worry about."

No sooner had she finished her sentence than she felt her lower abdomen twist, and she couldn't keep a look of pain from her face or her hands from pressing down on her belly.

"This is not the time," she lamented.

But she could no longer hide the truth from her fire pokemon, especially when she saw his panicked face. She took a deep breath and explained:

"At a certain age, girls start to lose blood."

"Charme!" Ash panicked.

"It's not dangerous," she reassured him, "and it only happens for a few days once a month. It's just embarrassing, tiring and a little painful."

Serena winced again as she felt another spasm deep inside her.

"Very painful," she admitted. "But it's the first time it's been so intense..."

Ash looked at her. He didn't think she had to go through this every month. Had it been the same for his other friends? In any case, Serena had hidden it well when they travelled together...

The shapeshifter blamed himself now, convinced that in the past he'd had to push her to keep going when she wasn't in shape. There must be a way to ease the pain, Ash thought. Serena continued to hold her stomach, her face tense and her breathing a little faster than usual.

"Charmeleon?" she asked as he climbed onto her lap.

Ash still wasn't sure if what he was about to do was a good idea, but it was worth a try. He curled up into a ball and pressed himself against the girl's stomach before raising his own temperature. He waited in this position, not moving a muscle, and as if by magic, he felt Serena's breathing calm down and her previously contracted stomach relax.

"That's nice," the young girl sighed, placing a hand on the back of the living hot-water bottle and letting her body sink into the soft sofa.

Ash's temperature had risen again, and this time it wasn't on purpose. He had acted with the sole intention of calming his friend, but once again he found himself far too close to her. I should just accept it, he sighed inwardly. Serena's stomach tightened again and the former human quickly adjusted his temperature to ease the pain. He continued this little game for the next few days, until by the end of the third day he was adjusting his body heat as naturally as he breathed.

"You really don't have the character of a normal Charmeleon," she sneered.

She scratched the head of the pokemon as he slept in her lap, and yet he continued to give her the benefit of his effects. Serena closed her eyes again, letting herself be soothed by the gentle warmth that hadn't left her in days. She wanted to stay like this for a while longer, with her friend beside her, her reptile who wasn't very good at dancing and who probably didn't understand much when she talked to him about elegance and beauty.

"Perhaps you would have been happier with a trainer like Ash," she said in a whisper.

She stopped caressing him, a sad little smile playing on her lips. He and you are so much alike... You wouldn't have hesitated to become his pokemon if you'd known him. As for me... I think it would be enough for me to see you grow together.

"Cha," the fire monster muttered.

Serena thought he had woken up, but the fake pokemon kept his eyes closed, his face distorted by a few grimaces. The trainer ran her hand over the reptile's scales again. The shapeshifter breathed a sigh of relief as a slightly satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"You really are strange," the young girl thought as her heart warmed.

The trainer watched as the huge mountain towered over the landscape. However, the plumes of smoke rising from the summit left no doubt as to the true nature of the rocky peak.

"Maybe we'll see Moltres up there," she joked.

Serena stopped. A group of people wearing outfits she had seen before were making their way along the path. And she suspected they weren't there for sightseeing.

"Team Aqua," she muttered.

It would probably be best if she took Wattson's advice, stayed out of this mess and continued on her way.

"Char?" Ash asked.

Serena was surprised. For once, the pokemon was waiting quietly beside her, even though his eyes never left the men in the sailboats. But she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't stay still for long.

"We can at least try to see what they're up to. But no fighting," she explained.

A simple mission at first, with all the trees and bushes lining the road, but it soon turned into a nightmare when there were only a few scattered rocks to hide them. Serena winced as her pokemon forgot to pull his tail back in, exposing his flame on the grey ground. She tapped him on the shoulder, and Ash let out a small shriek as he realised his mistake.

"Shhh!" the trainer shouted, reminding him that they were in the middle of a tail.

What were they going to do about it now? These henchmen weren't likely to be any stronger than the ones they'd already faced. Then again, there were more of them, and that didn't encourage her to jump into the fray. Keep an eye on Charmeleon, she told herself again. She was still expecting the pokemon to jump out from behind the rocks and attack the group of bandits. But her friend remained calm, too calm for Serena to consider normal.

Still, Ash didn't feel like being a hero. He watched his trainer and the henchmen in turn, torn between the idea that he didn't want to let his enemies do what they wanted and... It's dangerous, he thought, staring at the young girl.

"What are they waiting for?" muttered Serena, casting a discreet glance from her hiding place.

Ash followed her example and noticed that the gang of fake sailors had stopped moving. His scales bristled. The air! The movements of the air had changed!

"Char!" the fake pokemon shouted.

He had already stopped worrying about being noticed as he grabbed his trainer's bag to pull her back. Pristine white fangs closed in, narrowly missing Serena. The mightyena growled, its snarling eye fixed on the prey that had eluded it. It opened its mouth again and lunged at its opponent, but not fast enough to prevent the reptile from spitting out his flames. The hyena leapt backwards and landed nimbly on the rock, not a hair on its body burned. The monster growled again, digging its claws into the brittle rock.

"Did you really think we hadn't noticed you?" a man announced as he rounded the boulder.

The henchmen surrounded them with their pokemons, ready to get rid of the troublemakers as soon as the order was given.

"Magcargo, Flamethrower!"

The first attack was launched. Much to their surprise, however, it was a member of the gang of thugs who was hit.

"Who are you?" shouted one of the criminals.

A young woman with fire-engine-red hair and a flame-patterned tank top flashed a mocking smile before answering:

"I'm Flannery, Lavaridge Town gym leader and currently your worst nightmare!"

"You dirty..."

The henchman couldn't finish his sentence, caught in the full force of the reptile's Flamethrower.

"Don't forget me!" cried Serena.

A torrent of water and fire rained down on the grey earth surrounding the volcano. The fighting monsters kicked up thick clouds of dust, which were just as quickly dispersed by new attacks. Ash breathed a sigh of relief as his two opponents finally fell. But now was not the time to rest, he had to help Flannery... The former human couldn't believe his eyes. The magma snail was already finished on his side, with a dozen pokemons lying unconscious around him. The flames from his shell warned the henchmen that, despite his slowness, he would have no trouble stopping them if they tried to escape.

"Now, tell me what you're doing here. Or I'll burn you to the ground!"

At this last remark, the henchmen trembled, as did Serena. Ash was the only one who remained calm.

"We have nothing to say to you!" one of the men shouted.

But a rock that fell next to him shattered his confidence.

"We were just told to come to Mt. Chimney," one of the unfortunate men replied, sweating.

"Is that lie true?" growled Flannery.

"It's true, I promise you, have mercy, Miss!" the speaker shouted in terror.

This time even Ash felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn't remember Flannery being so frightening. When he had first met her, she had been an inexperienced leader who had just won her title. Still, he'd had a hard time beating her back then. How would it be if we fought again?

"I think you should avoid challenging her," Serena murmured, feeling the monster's fiery gaze.

Maybe not as a pokemon, but when I'm a trainer again...

He was jolted from his thoughts as a henchman threw a small ball in their direction. It exploded in the air, spreading opaque smoke and a sickening stench. The gym leader may have ordered Flamethrower attacks at every turn, but that didn't stop the sailor-clad bandits from fleeing.

"Charmeleon! Are you all right?" the trainer worried as she saw her friend collapse to the ground.

He'd probably be better once the smell had gone, but for now...

"Charrrr," he groaned, putting his paws to his face.

But Serena was about to have another problem on her hands, as Flannery came up to her and growled a few insults at the runaways.

"We're... we're not with them!" the young girl hastened to point out, as if it would determine her survival.

The leader sighed before sweeping her eyes across the volcanic plains and saying:

"I'm away for a few days and these losers take advantage of it to do what they want. But now that I'm back, they'll be gone in no time!"

Serena dared not speak or move for fear of causing the volcano that had taken on human form to explode. Charmeleon, help! she thought, looking at the monster still on the ground.

"What's your name, by the way?" asked Flannery suddenly, seeming to forget her anger.

"Se... Serena."

"And you have a Charmeleon, it's a good fire pokemon," she exclaimed as she crouched down beside the salamander.

Ash gave a strained little smile as she began to stroke his head. He took a step back under the leader's astonished gaze. It was rare that she didn't win the sympathy of a fire type, but she wasn't going to be defeated so easily. She tried to touch the reptile again, but the shapeshifter slipped nimbly through her hands.

"I'm not going to hurt you... I know! Charmeleons usually like to be petted here."

Ash sighed as he let her touch the back of the growth on top of his head. He had a feeling that the leader wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't make an effort.

"Ah, there you are! I knew you'd like it," Flannery congratulated herself.

It's nicer when it's Serena... he thought, looking at his friend. Why are you frowning? I didn't do anything! Ash suddenly panicked.

"There's probably other vermin on the volcano..." the leader thought. "Would you like to come with me and burn them?" she asked, turning to the coordinator.

"I'm not sure..."

"I'm counting on your help, Serena."

The guest shivered, afraid of what the leader might do to her if she had the audacity to refuse. The fire trainer began to move forward as Serena kept her eyes on the reptile. She knelt down beside him and stroked his head.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"Mel," he agreed.

They followed Flannery as she carried out her plan to burn every sailor she met on her way to the top of the volcano. Serena and Ash didn't feel they were really needed, as the leader had no problem getting rid of the men and women who tried to stop her.

"Serena, were you planning on challenging the Lavaridge Gym?" the woman asked, bored of seeing no henchmen for a while.

"No, actually I'm..."

"It's true that you'd better train Charmeleon a bit more if you want him to fight. From what I've seen, he still lacks firepower."

Ash grunted. He did what he could. Besides, he had won a contest, so he couldn't be that bad.

"He hasn't been evolving for very long," Serena said in her friend's defence.

"All the more reason for you not to neglect his training. Besides, the next henchmen will be taken care of by Charmeleon, so he'll be able to improve."

"Putting him in danger is not training!"

This time, even Flannery couldn't keep up with the Kalosian's look. But she quickly regained her composure and replied:

"I don't think Charmeleon would want a trainer who runs away at the first sign of trouble."

"I'm not running away, it's just..." the coordinator stammered, her face pale.

"Charmeleon, what do you mean? You want to get stronger, don't you?"

Ash swallowed as he felt the two stares weigh on him. He could sense Serena's concern, while Flannery had no doubt about her answer. Getting stronger? Memories of the power station made his scales tingle. One day, he would be human again, but for now, as a pokemon, he had to improve. He had to make sure he was no longer a burden to her.

"Mel," he finally agreed in a whisper.

The leader smiled victoriously before turning to Serena:

"It is in their nature to always strive to become stronger. Now it's up to you to help him blossom."

The trainer moved her hand to her blue ribbon. She hesitated for a moment before asking Flannery:

"Do you think I should do gym fights?"

Ash almost stumbled when he heard her say that. His friend had never shown any particular interest in winning badges, so he couldn't understand her sudden change of heart.

"Don't you? Isn't that what you're doing?" the leader asked.

The young girl shook her head negatively before explaining:

"I'm a coordinator and... I wonder if contests are really enough for him," she explained, lowering her head towards the reptile.

"Contests?" repeated Flannery, looking curiously at the fake pokemon. "To be honest, Charmeleons aren't usually used in this kind of competition."

"It's true that it doesn't come naturally to him," Serena admitted, "but he puts a lot of effort into it."

She smiled in her friend's direction and Ash couldn't help but lower his head as he felt his cheeks warm.

"That's what surprises me. I don't mind a Charmander, but as soon as they evolve, they lose interest in contests. It annoys them and they don't hesitate to show it. I've lost count of the number of coordinators who've lost control of their Charmeleon or Charizard in the field.

Serena winced at the thought. She was beginning to worry that her friend really didn't like this discipline and that she was forcing him to do something he didn't want to do.

"But you know, a trainer who can't win his fights in the gym doesn't get any more respect. If you're not used to it, it can take a while to prove yourself and... I don't know if Charmeleon will have enough patience," the leader finally admitted.

So what exactly was she supposed to do? If she didn't prove herself, if Charmeleon didn't think she was worthy of him, then he would leave and...

"Char?" asked Ash, sensing her friend's unease.

The young girl shook her head. He was still here for now, and he was willing to wait, to give her a chance. She had to do everything she could not to disappoint him.

Serena kept thinking about it until they reached the cable car, the only way to get to the top of the volcano from the route they had taken. Getting rid of the henchmen blocking the entrance wasn't too much of a problem, but what followed was strangely more difficult.

Flannery was tapping her fingers angrily on the seat of the cabin, evidence of her irritation at the slow progress. Serena stepped back a little, it was hard to imagine what was going through the mind of this explosive girl. Ash, for his part, struggled to keep the red fabric clean. The glass cage, suspended from thin electric wires, swayed in the violent gusts of wind. Where can I put myself? Serena cried silently, torn between the thought of being hit by accident or being covered in a foul-smelling substance. Fortunately, she reached the top without any of her ideas becoming reality.

"They won't last long!" shouted Flannery as she ran towards the first minions that caught her eye.

"Maybe we shouldn't split up..." Serena tried.

In vain, the leader was already lost in the smoke of the volcano.

"Come on, Charmeleon, cheer up," Serena encouraged, worried about being left alone.

She took her friend's upper body in her arms to help him up. But the fake pokemon put his hands over his mouth, making it clear that she'd better get out of the way.

"You really do have a problem with transport," the young girl said.

Ash replied with a plaintive groan, begging her for a few more minutes. Serena rubbed her arms. It was warm in here and yet she couldn't help shivering. Flannery probably doesn't need us, but you wouldn't like it if I didn't go and help her. The young girl took a deep breath and her heart gave a few irregular beats before returning to a calmer rhythm.

I will be a trainer worthy of you, I promise.

Notes : Do you know the anime Slayers? It wasn't my generation and I found the DVDs in a second-hand shop and it was a real crush. But I think one of the moments that contributed to my attachment to the heroine and the universe was when she found herself without power, simply because of her period. And strangely enough, I don't think I've seen many anime that talked about that or used it as a handicap, even though it's something that appeals to a lot of people. And the fact that this invincible witch found herself in trouble because of it, not to mention her embarrassment at having to explain what was happening to her not-so-bright new travelling companion, made me feel like I could share it with her and say: "That's so true! x)".

So I took the idea and put it into my own fanfic, creating a nice little moment between our two friends, and I hope you didn't find it too boring ^^'.