Petalburg Woods was in turmoil. Instead of squishy mud or firm moss, the ground was covered in sleek ice that not even lava could melt. Waves of thick hail pelted the forest, knocking Silcoon and Cascoon off the trees and into the snow with a thud. A group of Shroomish jumped into a nearby hole, huddling up together to try to stay warm. Meanwhile, a colony of Slakoth hung from the trees, fast asleep without a care. Snow piled up by the minute, instantly freezing branches and stray leaves.
"Kiiiiiiii-yuuuuuuu"
As if to make things worse than they already were, a ghastly white figure floated through the hailstorm, its freezing blue eyes peering through white crystals and pale clouds. Razor sharp icicles blasted from its gaping jaw, slicing clusters of hail into fine dust. Thin twigs cracked and fell through the air, leaves falling off and breaking into pieces.
A cool breeze flew through the outskirts of Rustboro city. Flowers rustled from the bushes, with a handful of petals dancing in the wind. A Taillow and Wingull flew in the skies, chasing each other in tandem, as the sun beat down on the path.
Currently, Tank and Kidd were relaxing near a large boulder. Kidd posed in front of the boulder, holding Aries in one hoof and Gemini in the other. Tank stuck his tongue out as he tried to draw the three of them. Who knew trying to draw left-handed would be so freaking hard?
"How's it looking?" Kidd asked as he took one step forward.
"It's coming along," Tank said, focusing on getting the pose right. Yep, one foot forward, left arm ahead. "Um, Aries, can you smile for me?"
"Pi-kachu!" Aries chirped before giving a wide smile.
She thought about sticking her tongue out, but thought it'd be too silly.
Benedict and Jojo looked on in awe, watching two trainers battle on the bridge. Swablu flew above the two of them, curious on the battling style of the two Pokémon below him.
One of the trainers, a blue kangaroo with brown hair, hollered, "Now! Kerokero, use Low Sweep!"
The blue frog Pokémon roared as he bobbed and weaved in his spot.
"Poli-WRATH!" he swept his leg across the bridge, tripping up his opponent.
"Vigo!" The Vigoroth grunted as he stumbled backwards, trying not to fall off the bridge.
The other trainer, a dark brown bear wearing camouflage bomber jacket, crossed his arms.
"Don't lose your footing, Vigoroth" he commanded. "Thunder Punch!"
Vigoroth backflipped, flashing a cheeky grin before sprinting across the bridge. His right fist glowed a blinding shade of yellow, with teal lightning bolts wrapping around his arm.
"Use Dive!" The kangaroo pointed ahead at the lake.
"Poli!" Poliwrath torpedoed into the lake below him, swimming under the bridge. Vigoroth stumbled across the bridge, the sparks on his arm fading away. He darted his head around, looking for the other Pokemon. Where'd he go?
As if on cue, Poliwrath leaped out from under the lake. A stream of water torpedoed behind his body. The frog Pokemon punched Vigoroth in the chest, slamming him down on the bridge.
"Roth….." Vigoroth groaned as he passed out on the bridge. The planks of wood swayed below his body.
The bear frowned as he returned Vigoroth to his Poke Ball, "That was something else, Rooney" he then asked "How'd you get a Poliwrath of all Pokémon?"
The kangaroo adjusted the drawstrings from his hood, and groaned to himself.
"He was a gift from my ex" he sighed, gritting his teeth afterwards.
"Oh" the bear gulped. This wasn't the time to ask about details. "Well if I were you, I'd train just a bit more before running off and challenging Butch. You know Butch's not the type of guy to just battle atop a lake!"
"Got it" Rooney nodded. He looked over his shoulder; hey, what was that kid doing here? "Um, can I help you two?"
Benedict jolted up, while Jojo stayed calm. "Did y'all say you were trainin' to battle Butch?" he asked.
"Yep" Rooney nodded. "You taking on the League too?"
"Sure am!"
Benedict pointed to himself. "How many badges do you got?"
"Four, of course" Rooney shrugged before pulling out a dark red case and opening it. A photo fell out of his hoodie, showing an eagle posing with a Hawlucha on his shoulders. Rooney scrambled to catch the photo, stuffing it back in his pocket.
Benedict reached out to touch the badges. They were the same ones he had too, but looked much shinier.
"Well" he said. "I actually wanted to ask 'bout somethin' else!"
The bear looked around, sneaking off to head into Rustboro City.
"If it's about the photo, don't" Rooney warned him.
"Huh? What photo?" Benedict tilted his head. "I meant if y'all and your Pokémon could teach Jojo that move you were usin'!"
"Oh!" Rooney gasped in surprise, before sighing in relief. "Yeah, I think Combusken can learn Low Sweep. Follow me, um. What was your name?"
Benedict introduced himself, "Oh, I'm Benedict Sussex! And this here is Jojo!"
"Com-BUSKEN!" Jojo cawed as he flashed a V-sign at the Poliwrath. The frog Pokémon closed his eyes and chuckled, amused by the bird's antics.
"Just follow me, Benedict" Rooney told him. "I know a good place to practice Pokémon moves!"
The two animals headed to a secluded patch of grass, their Pokémon posing in front of them.
"Now," Rooney explained, flexing one of his arms. "The trick to mastering Low Sweep is to aim for the ankles."
"Huh? Why the ankles?" Benedict asked.
Rooney rolled up his pant leg and pointed at his shin, "Shin bones are pretty hard. You do NOT want your Pokèmon kicking there!"
"Ohhhh, that makes sense!" Benedict gasped as he snapped his fingers in approval.
"Just watch what my Pokemon do, alright?" Rooney cracked his knuckles before pointing. "Kerokero, use Low Sweep!"
"Poli-WRATH!"
Kerokero posed in a martial arts stance. He lifted his right leg slightly, spun in his spot and extended his leg, kicking the air. A small gust of wind blew below his foot, rustling the grass below him.
"Great job out there!" Rooney cheered on his Pokemon. He looked back at Benedict, "Alright, it's Jojo's turn."
"Y'all got it!" Benedict shouted before turning to his Pokémon. "Jojo, use Low Sweep!"
"Combusk!" Jojo cawed out.
He adopted the same stance Poliwrath did, his claws shining under the bright sun. Jojo took a deep breath in, then hopped up in his spot. He turned to the right as he kicked through the air, successfully slicing the grass into thin blades that flew into the air.
Jojo and Poliwrath high-fived afterwards, Poliwrath carefully avoiding his claws.
"Hmm…." Rooney held a paw up to his chin. "A little higher than expected, but he's got the spirit."
Benedict chuckled a little, "Well he does jump up pretty high when usin' Double Kick"
"Hey, you gotta start somewhere!" Rooney nudged him with his elbow. "Though normally you'd start low then go higher."
"So like flying?" Benedict asked.
"Yeah, sorta like flying," Rooney shrugged.
Swablu flew down from the air, sitting down on Benedict's head and pretending to be a hat. Jojo stuck his tongue out at Swablu. Rooney covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh from the sight.
Tank and Kidd came running up, panting heavily as they met back up with Benedict.
"Hey what'd I miss?" Tank asked.
Rooney put a paw on his own chest, "I was teaching your friend's Pokemon a new move. You guys taking on the league too?"
"Nope, no way" Tank shook his head. "I just research Pokémon!"
Kidd flipped his hair and adjusted his scarf, "And I'm a coordinator."
"Interesting" Rooney noted, tapping his foot against the ground. "You guys going through Petalburg Woods?"
"Yeah, how come?" Tank asked.
"Well I saw the weirdest thing there" Rooney explained. "I saw this glowing blue light, similar to a Pokémon evolving. Then the whole place froze up! If you guys are going to Petalburg City, try not to freeze your asses out there!"
The boys stepped into the Petalburg Woods, gasping in surprise. Everything in the forest was either frozen solid, covered with snow or pelted by the hail. A shuffle of Zigzagoon scurried past them, trying their best to avoid the snow, while a pack of Poochyena curled up together under a tree.
Benedict threw his hood over his head, tightening the drawstrings so only his face and bangs were visible.
Tank zipped his jacket up, shivering from the sudden temperature change. Kidd took his scarf off, then wrapped it around Tank's neck. The two of them gently smiled at each other, ready to take on the winter hellscape.
The boys trekked through the heavy snow, cringing as chunks of snow fell into their shoes. It was sunny out on Route 104, so what happened in the span of a day?!
"Kiiiiiiii-yuuuuuuu" a feminine voice sung into the forest, her voice piercing through their bones.
Tank shivered and shook some snow off his head, "Sounds like someone in trouble," he noted.
"Yeah, right" Kidd shook his head. "I think it's a wild Pokèmon!"
Benedict shuddered. "At least it doesn't sound like an Ariados…"
"Um, Benedict?" Tank pointed out. "I don't think Ariados can cry out THAT loud. Plus, Ariados usually sounds a little more…guttural?"
"Well it has to be an ice type!" Kidd brought up. "I don't remember Petalburg Woods being this cold. Ugh, maybe someone released one here..."
"Or an accidental evolution, like what Rooney brought up!" Benedict brought up. "Tank, are there any Pokémon that change to an ice type upon evolvin'?"
"Yep" Tank listed off several Pokémon. "Dewgong, Cloyster, Glaceon, Galarian Mr. Mime, oh, and Crabominable! But I think those would be pretty hard to find here… A-ha! It's gotta be a Pokémon owned by someone from another region!"
The boys kept walking through the snow, stopping at a frozen pond. The pond's ice was thick enough that it could handle footprints, but translucent to the point one could see several Magikarp frozen in their spots. Their beady eyes darted around in their spot.
"Kiiiiiiii-yuuuuuuu" The voice sung again, growing louder by the minute. They were close…
The snow piled up faster, footprints fading away in the harsh wind. A wild Ariados darted between the trees, frost latching onto her strings.
The boys stopped walking, frozen in their spot, but not from the pounding hail.
A slender white Pokémon hovered before them, white crystals dropping from her bony arms. A blue and beige stone sat atop her head like a crown. Her piercing blue eyes gazed ahead, like she had planned them to walk into her trap.
"Kiiiiiiii-yuuuuuuu" the ice type Pokemon howled as she held her arms out to the sky. A flurry of snow danced around her body, smaller tornados forming in her hands.
"A Froslass?" Tank gasped in surprise. What would an ice type like this be doing in the woods? Was she cruelly released by her past trainer, or the result of training gone wrong?
Benedict rummaged through his Poké Balls. Jojo would be perfect, but he'd end up setting the whole forest ablaze. Asuka was an option, but she was part flying type…Frieza? No, wait, electricity could spark a fire too. Makoto would be fun to use, but he probably couldn't survive all the hail. But you know who could?
"Kenshiro!" he hollered as he threw a Poké Ball in the air. "Come on OUT!"
"Lai-RON!" Kenshiro roared as he landed just inches into the snow. Some of the snow melted once it made contact with his iron skin.
Benedict whispered to the group, "We gotta aim for that rock on her head"
"Are you insane?!" Tank gasped. Most of his Pokemon were weak against Ice types! Unless….Hey, wait a minute, let's go crazy! He pulled out one of his Poké Balls, "Martagon, let's go!"
"Li-lyaaaaaaaaa!" Martagon roared as he landed on top of Kenshiro's head, whipping his tentacles around like a metalhead at a mosh pit.
Kidd smiled at his boyfriends. This is nothing a little teamwork can't handle!
"Aquarius!" he held a Poke Ball above his head. "Spotlight!"
"Marsh-TOMP!"
Aquarius roared as she clapped her flippers together, then flexed her biceps.
Froslass chuckled to herself as she held her hand towards her mouth, delicately brushing her fingertips against her jaw. What were these little runts going to do against a mighty Pokémon like herself, hmm?
The boys looked up at the Pokemon and shouted,
"Aquarius, use Mud Shot!"
"Martagon, use Confuse Ray!"
"Kenshiro, Rock Slide!"
Froslass chuckled as she easily dodged every single attack, from blobs of mud to orbs of light to boulders. Her body glowed white, the hail cloaking her from any attacks. Piles of snow fell off the trees, smothering the Pokémon attacks into nothing.
The boys looked at each other in concern. Did any of their Pokémon have moves that could somehow attack past the hailstorm? Wait a second, this Pokémon looks to be part ghost type!
Tank returned Martagon to his Poké Ball, then held out another one, "Grevillea, go!"
"Nuz-LEAF!" Grevillea cried out as she frontflipped in the air, landing on top of Kenshiro's back.
Tank pointed ahead, "Grevillea, Feint Attack!"
"Nuz, nuz!"
Grevillea jumped up in the air, a black aura glowing around her body. She torpedoed through the frigid air, then struck Froslass in the back.
Froslass seethed from the surprise attack, reaching her hand up to make sure the icy rock was still atop her head.
Her eyes glowed white as she blasted a dark purple blizzard of snow through the air. Countless Pokemon were blasted by the indigo snow, some of them landing against the trees.
Grevillea groaned as she crashed against one of the branches. She shivered from the intense blizzard, ready to call it a day.
Tank held his Poke Ball out, returning Grevillea back to safety. "Lotad, go!" he yelled as he held out a third Poké Ball.
"Lo, lo!" Lotad sang as she landed on top of the snow.
"Lotad, use Mist!" Tank shouted as he popped his shirt collar.
"Lo-taaaaaaad!" Lotad cried out as she spewed a clean white cloud from her back.
The mist cleared up the air, exposing Froslass in the middle of her blizzard. She stood out like a vegan in a barbecue restaurant.
Kidd flipped the tails of his scarf and hollered, "Aquarius, Rock Slide!"
"Marsh-TOMP!" Aquarius clapped her flippers together. She flexed her muscles, forming a fistful of boulders in each flipper. She threw her arms back, then hurled the boulders at Froslass.
The boulders barrelled through the air, picking up speed by the second. Froslass yelped as the boulders exploded against her body, throwing her against the nearest tree.
The ice Pokemon gritted her teeth as she hovered in front of the tree. She spit a mouthful of black blood from her mouth, then wiped the rest from her mouth.
Benedict shivered before yelling, "Kenshiro, use Iron Head!"
"Lai-RON!" Kenshiro dashed across the ground, his head glowing silver as he picked up speed. He leaped over a pile of snow, threw his head back and headbutted Froslass through the air. Silver sparks gleamed under the sun, twinkling as Froslass torpedoed through the woods. Instead of trees, she landed against a spider web. The thin strings tangled in their spot, wrapping Froslass in a light cocoon.
"Ki-ki-ki-ki…" Froslass twitched as she tried to free herself from the web.
A particularly large Ariados dove from the canopy. Purple goop dripped from her fangs. She hissed at the Pokémon in her trap; this was no Beautifly or Dustox. How were her babies supposed to eat THIS?!
"Ki ki ki ki!" Froslass screeched before biting down on the silk strings. She pushed the silk away, then flew through the forest like a silver bullet.
Ariados seethed in her spot, her eyes glowing black. She crawled back up the canopies, pulled three Spinarak onto her back, then used String Shot on the trees. The spider Pokemon swung through the canopies, like a Unovan superhero flying through Lacunosa Town. Despite her best efforts, Froslass was much faster.
"Ki ki ki ki"
Froslass hissed, her eyes twitching as she hovered in front of the boys.
The ice Pokémon lowered her head, flashing a murderous grin. Her indigo fangs glowed against the white air. She held her hands out to form a blue orb of swirling blue water.
"Yuuuuu-ki-ki-ki-ki" she droned as she fired the water orb into Kenshiro's face. The steel type Pokémon yelped as he scrambled backwards, trying to block the water from his face.
Benedict facepalmed. It's no surprise an Ice-type would know water moves too!
"Kenshiro?" he called out. 'Have y'all had enough?"
"Lairon…." the iron armor Pokemon shook his head twice, before spitting some water out of his mouth.
"Got it" Benedict nodded. He returned Kenshiro to his Poké Ball, then looked at the other Poké Balls. But who'd be the best pick…Asuka could resist Water Pulse, but would she be able to handle the blizzards?
"Blu blu BLU!" Swablu sang as he flew in front of the boys. He spread his wings out, forming a plain white cloud above the skies. The blizzard gradually faded, turning into diamond dust that fell to the ground.
"Now hold up" Benedict gasped in surprise. "Swablu, y'all wanna join in?"
"Swa-BLU!~"
Swablu sang again, ready to battle. No type advantage was gonna stop him today!
Froslass shuddered. This pesky bird just had to ruin everything! She glared at the small Pokémon, then held her hands out to blast a frigid wind across the forest.
Swablu yelped as he flew away from the icy wind.
Benedict held his arm out, "Swablu, use Astonish!"
"Swab!" Swablu shouted. A purple aura formed around his wings and antennae. He flew above Froslass's head, making a sharp turn to headbutt her neck.
Froslass hissed and flinched backwards, trying to swat Swablu away from her face. The bird Pokémon stuck his tongue out, taunting her before flying back onto Benedict's shoulder.
"Her guard's down!" Tank shouted. "Lotad, use Water Gun!"
"Lo-TAD!" Lotad blasted a powerful stream of water into Froslass's face.
Froslass held her arms up, attempting to block the water from her face. She ducked in her spot, the blast of water knocking the icy crown off her head. The icy rock tumbled to the ground, consumed by the feet of snow.
Kidd pointed ahead and commanded, "Aquarius, use Mud Shot!"
"Marsh-TOMP!" Aquarius cheered as she jumped to the right. She held her flippers out, shooting fistfuls of mud through the air. Mud splattered against Froslass' chest, instantly freezing and clinging to her pale white skin.
Footsteps echoed behind the boys, heavy panting following behind. A familiar face approached them. Hey!
Roald ran up to the boys, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Froslass!" he gasped before scolding her. "How could you run off without–"
Froslass screeched at the top of her lungs. She blasted another blizzard through the air, turning Roald into a living popsicle. He darted his eyes around in horror; how could his own Pokémon betray him?!
Benedict jumped up; okay, since when did Roald have a Froslass of all Pokémon?! The gang could thaw him out later!
"Ariiiiiiiiiiiiii"
What the heck was that?! Benedict grabbed onto his hood, his heart pounding against his chest. His breathing slowed down as he tried to calm himself down.
An Ariados jumped down next to him, carrying a trio of Spinarak on her back. To most trainers, this was an ordinary bug type Pokémon. But to a certain trainer from Castelia City? This was a fate worse than the Distortion World.
"What's wrong?" Kidd hollered as he continued to battle.
"This is the same Ariados that tried to eat me!" Benedict yelled back.
"Blu?" Swablu flew in between both of them. With one of his wings, he waved hello to the spider Pokémon.
—-
"Hey, so can you tell me what's going on?!" Swablu asked. "Are you gonna eat my friend?"
Ariados scuttled back one step, "What?!" she gasped. "Fuck no! I have fatter Feebas to fry with that Froslass!"
"You do?" Swablu chirped. "What did she do?"
"Yes!" Ariados flailed her two front limbs around. "Look, you probably didn't know this, but he accidentally threw a rock at me. Sure, I might've overreacted, almost trying to eat him and all, but I'm sorry!"
Swablu tilted his head to the right, " Are you sure that you're sorry?"
"I already said yes!" Ariados gasped. "Look, I've been trying to eat bigger Pokémon for my babies so they can grow up strong. I didn't mean to freak your trainer out. Besides, I'd be dead already if I ate a trainer alive. You know how us wild Pokémon are, right?"
With one of her front legs, she pointed at the sleeping Spinarak on her back. "I was TRYING to get a nice Dustox for them to feast on, but that blizzard-wielding bitch went and ripped up my net!"
"Wow" Swablu gasped. "I wouldn't blame you. Tell you what, I'll tell him that!"
—-
Benedict awkwardly chuckled, "A blizzard wielding bitch? Wow, that Ariados has a way with words."
Swablu nodded in agreement. He looked back at the spider Pokémon. He was no longer the bratty trainer who threw rocks when losing, he was brave enough to take on even bigger Pokemon like Electivire, even if he lost. Ariados deserved another chance, she was just trying to lead her forest after all!
"Yknow what?" Benedict declared. "Ariados, y'all can join us!"
Ariados bobbed her head in joy, delighted at the prospect of battle. She climbed up a nearby tree, placing the three Spinarak in an empty nest before scuttling back down to battle.
"Kiyuuuuuuuuuuu–" Froslass howled as she formed a wave of royal purple haze under her arms. A lavender aura surrounded her body, powering up the haze. The ice type pointed ahead, blasting ominous winds through frigid air.
Benedict thought quickly; this looks like a Ghost-type move, and Swablu looked to be a Normal type…A-ha! "Swablu, fly through the wind and use Peck!"
"Blu blu!"
Swablu lowered his beak and darted through the purple wind. He flew a sharp turn upwards, then dived down to peck Froslass's forehead.
Froslass yelped before slapping Swablu away from her. The bird Pokemon ricocheted backwards, landing into a pile of snow.
Tank yelled, "Lotad, use Secret Power on the wind!"
"Lo-TAD!"
Lotad's body glowed magenta pink. She planted her feet into the snow, forming blue and pink orbs above her lilypad. The orbs transformed into a flurry of pale blue boulders. She threw the boulders across the forest, the icy rocks melting in their wake and dissolving the purple wind.
Kidd hopped up onto a nearby boulder, "Aquarius, use Muddy Water!"
"Marsh-TOMP!"
Aquarius held her flippers out. She twirled in her spot, jumped in the air and karate chopped the snow. A wave of murky brown water blasted from her flippers, melting the snow around her. She pushed her flippers ahead, blasting the muddy water into Froslass's face.
The thick murky water weighed Froslass down. She couldn't float as high as usual, thanks to the dirt weighing down her arms. The ice Pokemon panted as she tried to fling the mud off her body.
Ariados hissed. She crawled up the nearest tree and snuck through the canopies. The spider Pokemon popped out in front of her opponent. Her two front legs glowed purple.
Froslass's eyes widened as she slowly backed away. She thought this battle would be a cakewalk, not ending with meeting the matriarch of Petalburg Woods herself.
Ariados howled an ear-piercing scream as she slashed at Froslass's chest. Sparks of black energy flew off her body.
The ice Pokemon screamed as she crashed against the earth. A small crater formed in the mud below her, and several twigs got caught in her fur. She coughed and spat out mouthfuls of dirt, wheezing before passing out from the super effective attack.
Ariados scuttled back to the group, chattering in celebration of her victory. Benedict kneeled down to pet her on the head. Her skin felt smooth to the touch, and she was holding back her poison abilities just for this moment. He thought about catching her for a moment, but shook it off. She had her Spinarak to raise after all!
"Ari, ari!" Ariados chirped, thanking him for inviting her to battle.
Benedict stopped petting her, so she could climb back up the tree. She lifted her babies onto her back, waved goodbye to the group, then swung back into the deeper end of Petalburg Woods.
Roald gasped as the glacier melted around him, water dripping down his sleeves. He panted in his spot, slowly warming up to the temperatures. His head pounded as he remembered everything that happened: the shining blue light of a Dawn Stone, a defiant roar, and a flurry of snow pelting his body.
Melting ice fell to the ground, some of the ice landing against Roald's head. The penguin shook it off, clapping his wings together to shake off the remaining snow. Everything was bizarre; where did all the Pokemon go?!
Froslass laid in front of him, passed out from the battle. If she didn't freeze him in his spot, she'd already be resting in her Poke Ball.
Chunks of ice flew off the glacier, melting in the sun. After thirty minutes, Roald was freed. He kneeled down, panting in his spot. He held his Poke Ball out, returning Froslass to safety. He could always go to Rustboro to get her healed up, and hopefully calmed down.
"Thank— thank you guys…." he heaved, feeling woozy from the drastic temperature change. He waddled to the closest tree, grabbed onto a branch, and threw up. Chunks of red and yellow vomit splattered across the grass. Kidd stepped back, afraid of getting bile all over himself. Benedict was busy playing with Swablu, tossing a small ball towards him.
"Do you need a doctor?!"
Tank yelled to him.
Roald heaved as he finished puking
"No, no I'm fine" he assured the group, wiping some gunk off his face.
Benedict hollered, "Seriously, what happened?!"
Roald took a deep breath in, his heartbeat slowing down. "It's a penguin thing. We can't deal with rapid temperature changes that well."
"No, I meant with the Froslass" Benedict shook his head. "How'd y'all get one anyways?"
"Oh, her?," Roald explained. "Well, my girlfriend gave me a Snorunt, we were training for a gym battle, and someone left behind a Dawn Stone in the woods. Snorunt grabbed it, evolved into a Froslass, and then she went crazy!"
"Your girlfriend gave you a Snorunt?" Tank asked.
"Yes she did" Roald continued. "She saw that I had a Ludicolo, and suggested I do a weather team!"
"A weather team, huh?" Benedict asked. "How's that gonna work?"
Roald looked down at his Poké Ball, "Well, it's like this. Some Pokémon do better in different weather, and I thought it'd be fun to try out. I got the idea after my Lombre evolved in a rainstorm. Oh, I've also been taking on the league, but I only got two badges so far..."
"Hey that's not bad at all!" Benedict assured him. "In fact we were headin' to Petalburg so I can finally battle Butch!"
"Sounds fun" Roald said. "I was gonna head back to Rustboro so I can get ready for my next gym battle."
—-
Route 104 cleared up. The smell of sea salt lingered in the air, while waves crashed against the small beaches.
Benedict looked over at Swablu. The bird Pokémon was nuzzling up against his hood, his wings tucked close to his body. One thing was on his mind: he had to catch Swablu.
He held an empty Poké Ball out, "Wanna get in?" he asked.
"Swab?" Swablu tilted his head before chirping and flapping his wings. "Blu blu blu!"
With his empty Poké Ball, Benedict tapped Swablu on the head. The Poké Ball absorbed Swablu in glowing red light, then rocked three times before stopping. Three white stars shot out from the top.
Benedict looked down at his Poké Ball. "Welcome to the team, Coffret," he whispered.
"Coffret, huh?" Tank asked. "How'd that one come up?"
"Well, I watched some Pretty Refresh a few years ago," Benedict explained. "An' one of the seasons had an Altaria named Coffret in it!"
The Route 104 cliff quaked in its spot. Dust billowed from the cracks, while a group of wild Wingull flew off the ground and into the air. Rocks tumbled down the cliff, catching everything in their drift.
The boys yelled as they slid down the steep cliff. Sand blew in their faces, as they tumbled to the flat plane of Route 104. They stopped when the ground turned green, relief to be out of that horrifying forest. After taking a few minutes to recover…
"Y'all know what this means?" Benedict asked the two of them.
Kidd raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "That we survived another day with a violent Pokémon attack?"
"Not just that!" Benedict shook his head. "Look!" He pointed ahead at the cluster of buildings near the skyline. The buildings were framed by a burning orange sunset, with navy blue clouds floating in the sky.
"Is that what I think it is?" Kidd gasped in awe.
"The one and only," Tank smiled to his boyfriends. "Petalburg City. In that case–?"
"Let's GO!"
Benedict cheered before skipping down the worn down road. His hood flew down at one point, leaving long strands of red hair billowing in the evening air.
Kidd and Tank looked at each other, then rushed across the path.
They dashed through the dirt trail of Route 104, eagerly chasing after Benedict. Trails faded into concrete roads, framed by green bamboo fences and flowering bushes full of blue hydrangeas. Petalburg City welcomed the boys back, as the journey continues.