Route 119, a path of harsh conditions. Stinging snow, ravaging rain, searing sun, all in the span of one month. Unfortunately for the boys, they caught a week of rainstorms. Murky humid rain pelted everything in sight, from foundations to wild Pokemon. Thick bushes crackled under the wind, while multiple leaves danced in a small tornado. But how did they get here?
The boys hiked through the thick grass. Sweat dripped down their faces as the elevation ascended. It'd been only one hour since they lost cell service, but hopefully, it should only take a day to get to Fortree City, right?
Running water echoed nearby. The boys walked towards it and stopped in their tracks. A widening river poured downstream, with filthy whitewater and broken branches galore. Several rocks poked through the river's surface, but they were smothered in moss and moist to the touch. The only way to cross was over an old bridge. Wooden logs and coarse rope swayed across the body of water.
Tank led the way across the bridge. He looked down for a second, then back up. The last thing he needed to do is think about falling in, cracking his head open and drowning like the girl from a book he read in elementary school.
Kidd groaned as he stepped across the wooden bridge. Just one wave of water would break the ropes into literal threads. The withering wood creaked under his feet, literal inches away from snapping under his feet.
After checking to make sure the coast was clear, Benedict charged across the bridge. Once he made it across, one of the planks broke off and fell into the ravaging river.
The boys continued their hike. A colony of green chameleon Pokemon sneaked behind them, then disappeared before anyone could notice.
Minutes passed before another river stopped them in their tracks. Not a bridge was in sight, and it looked too deep to swim through, yet too shallow for Asuka to travel across. A herd of wild Goldeen darted through the transparent waters, ivory horns emerging from the stream.
Benedict pulled out his switchblade and started cutting some branches off a nearby tree.
"What are you doing?" Tank asked.
Benedict placed several branches together, brushing some stray leaves off the surface. "Makin' a raft so we can get 'cross the river!"
Tank carefully watched, "You know how to make a raft?"
"Sure do" Benedict explained as he grabbed some old rope and tied it around the logs. "I was in the Poké Scouts when I was younger. Well, until I was ten, then my dad pulled me out 'cause he blew my membership fees on Tauros fightin'. Great guy, am I right?"
Kidd looked closer at the raft. It looked much heavier to the touch, but was wide enough to fit everyone.
"There we go!" Benedict said as he tied the last knot together. "If we get some branches we can row with 'em!"
"Are you sure that's gonna work?" Kidd asked as he picked up a large branch with several leaves on the edge.
"Yeah, it'll be fine!" Benedict assured him as he dragged the raft to shore. Fortunately, the wood was hollow enough to float, yet sturdy enough to hold everyone's body weight. "An' didn't I just row that boat today?" he asked as he jumped on the raft's surface.
Kidd and Tank looked at each other for a minute. Then again, how else were they supposed to cross that river? Sure, Aquarius could lift them up, but she was still worn out from today's battle and needed a nice long rest.
Tank hopped on next, holding his hoof out to help Kidd on board.
"All aboard!" Benedict called out, snorting in laughter after his shoddy imitation of a sea captain. He crawled to the raft's edge and pushed it further away from shore.
The white raft bobbed in its spot as the river pushed downstream. Benedict threw the branch over his head before using the pole to push forward. Debris flew in his face, while warm water splashed in his hair. Light droplets fell from sky-high canopies, trickling onto everything like a chef's seasoning salt. Hold on a minute– warm water?
A downpour of rain smothered everything in sight. Droplets rippled on the river's surface, while eggshell-white backwash formed in front of them.
Relentless curled waves enveloped the boys and took them for a ride.
The boys screamed as they gripped the edges of their raft. The violent waves thrashed them around like swinging pendulums. Frothy white water drenched them from head to toe. It was a miracle the raft didn't break apart in their wake.
Tree branches and other debris thrashed in the whitewater. A particularly thin branch flew upwards and smacked Benedict's face. A small pink mark formed on his cheek.
"Benedict, stay low!" Tank yelled as he pulled him down. "Hold onto me, okay!"
"Got it!" Benedict nodded as he wrapped his arms around Tank's shoulders, shuddering as the river's speed picked up. At least the scent of his body wash was comforting.
Kidd grabbed a large branch, then used it to row forwards. Leaves blasted off the branch, lost to the whipping winds behind them.
After what felt like hours, the river finally settled down. The boys' raft bobbed in seemingly calm waters. Benedict crawled out of Tank's lap, sighing in relief as he watched a group of wild Marill swim through the water. Unknown to the group, the rope frayed into delicate strings that could break under even a lovers' touch.
A sharp blue fin darted across the water's surface, growing larger by the second.
"Guys! Look out!" Tank screamed as he jumped up.
The boys leaped from their raft. Tank grabbed onto a low hanging branch, Kidd stumbled onto a large boulder, and Benedict fell on a small beach. A Sharpedo torpedoed through the water and chomped down on the boys' raft. Chunks of wood and frayed rope exploded in the air.
Tank flailed his legs as he tried to hold onto the branch. Why did the rain make it so slippery?! Dread flooded his body as he slipped off the branch. He screamed at the top of his lungs, anticipating the worst until…
"Libra, use Psybeam!"
A beam of multicolored hoops formed in the air. As in on cue, the hoops linked into a thin net above the river. Tank sighed as he fell into the psychic net. He smiled as he looked over his shoulder. Kidd and Libra stood together on the boulder, calm smiles across their faces.
"Libra!" Tank yelled. "Can you move the net closer to Benedict?!"
"KaDABRA!" Libra shouted at the top of her lungs. With careful precision she hovered the Psybeam net over the river and towards the small beach.
She gradually lowered the net, then snapped her fingers to dissolve the Psybeam. Tank fell on his feet, then kneeled down to help Benedict off his feet.
Benedict wiped some dirt off his beak and face, "What in the world happened back there?!" he hollered.
Tank frowned as he watched the broken raft float down the river, "Just a wild Sharpedo, that's all!"
Kidd returned Libra to her Poké Ball, then jumped across several boulders. At the final boulder, he flipped across the air and stumbled on the beach.
"So" he asked the duo. "Should we keep going or call it a day?"
Tank looked up to the skies. Scarlet and violet streaks painted the fading grey skies, joined by faint gold and silver smoke. "I think we can keep going for a few more hours!"
Benedict adjusted his backpack. "Please tell me that means two and not twelve..."
Tank rolled his eyes and laughed, "You're so ridiculous, Benedict."
"Tell me somethin' I don't know!" Benedict yelled as he led the way.
The boys hiked up the growing hills. A dozen Linoone darted through the thick grass, while an army of Oddish waddled between trainers and wild Pokemon. Hoennian skies faded into pure darkness. A low rumble echoed through the entire forest, catching the boys off guard.
Violent rainstorms faded into damp fog, while gentle rain pitter-pattered through the forest canopies. A group of Azumarill danced in delight. The largest rabbit Pokemon stomped in a puddle and clapped his paws.
Tank stopped to snap a picture, then kept walking. As the boys' pace grew slower, the rain pounded harder. Canopy leaves flattened from the impact, slapping against the trees. The rumbling grew louder with each step, joined by faint crackling in the cloudy skies.
Kidd froze up in his spot and shuddered.
Benedict and Tank stopped walking and looked at him with a puzzled look on their faces.
"Did you guys not feel that?" Kidd asked them both.
"Feel what?" Benedict crossed his arms.
A blinding white light flashed twice, joined by an ear-piercing bang and painful crackling. Heavy branches slammed into the ground, as faint smoke wafted in the air. The boys screamed as they scrambled to hide in a green bush.
"THAT!" Kidd screamed as he trembled like a leaf. "I don't know about you two, but I am NOT walking in a thunderstorm!"
"I can't blame ya" Benedict shrugged. "But where are we gonna stay then?"
Tank looked to his left. Something strange caught his eye; a pile of red and brown maple leaves, in the middle of a tropical route. He crawled to the pile and pushed the leaves aside, revealing a deep dark hole.
"Guys, over here!" he whispered.
Benedict and Kidd walked over. Well this was strange, they both thought. What was this hole doing in the middle of a hill?
Tank moved the last of the leaves aside. He sat on the edge, then jumped into the hole.
"Tank!" Benedict yelled. "What's it like down there?!"
Tank looked around at the cavern. This was a nice surprise; it had to be an old Secret Base! Shamrock green walls and tawny brown floors welcomed him inside. The place was minimally decorated: a worn-down king-sized bed covered with just an old ratty tie-dye blanket, a nightstand missing a leg, a small cabinet with scratch marks on the door, and a plastic rack that wobbled in its spot. The only thing on the nightstand was a half-empty jar of olive oil, labeled "Superfine".
"There's not much in here!"
he yelled. "But we can stay here for the night!"
Benedict and Kidd jumped into the crater.
The crumbling floor cushioned their falling feet like nothing.
Kidd walked to the cabinet and opened the door. Yeah, Tank wasn't exaggerating about how little there was. He pulled out everything: a small book that's seen better days, a grey box that resembled an old gaming device, a black flip-book and a balled-up mess of black cables. He set everything down on the nightstand, careful not to knock anything over.
Tank set his backpack on the bed, then stripped down to his boxers.
Benedict blushed hard as he watched. "Tank?"
"What?" Tank shrugged as he carefully hung his clothes on the rack. Small drops of water fell to the ground. "I am NOT sleeping in wet clothes tonight!"
"Or any night, really" Kidd deadpanned as he looked at the old gaming device. He flicked the switch on the side; did it actually turn on?! A small jingle rang from the device.
He easily got sucked into the game; it was a story about a young elf stranded on an island and having to wake up a giant whale.
While Benedict hung up his wet clothes, Tank grabbed the jar of olive oil and opened it up. Oh, good, this was still edible.
Kidd looked up from his game, "…What are you guys doing?"
Tank held up the jar. "We're drinking this, dude. There's nothing here we can eat!"
Kidd cringed at the thought of drinking pure olive oil. Then again, everyone cleared off their food from Mauville City, so it wasn't like he had a choice.
"Hand it to me," he said as he turned off the gaming device and set it down.
Without another word, Tank handed him the jar.
Kidd took a deep breath. He threw his head back and started chugging the olive oil. The rich green liquid rushed down his throat like a waterfall. After three gulps, he slammed down the jar and shuddered. This was worse than that sake at the onsen. At least that's a liquid meant to be drunk.
"Was it that bad?" Tank asked. "I had a few cupfuls and didn't feel anything."
"Nah, Kidd's just screwin' with ya" Benedict shrugged. He took the jar next and drank his share of olive oil. At least this was the real stuff and not some weird hybrid oil. He slammed the jar on the nightstand.
Kidd rolled his eyes as he peeled off his wet clothes, "Do I look like I'd chug olive oil as a joke?"
"Would you punch us if I said yes?" Tank snarked back.
Kidd facepalmed before he hung up his wet clothes. "Why would I even punch you two!"
"No reason?" Tank shrugged.
"You're so ridiculous," Kidd snickered. He crawled up on the bed and sat next to Tank, wrapping his hoof around his wrist.
The boys scooted closer to each other. Tank pulled the ratty blanket up to his collarbone, then yawned as he tried to get adjusted on his own backpack. Well, at least he packed a few towels in there. That should be somewhat tolerable, right?
Kidd wrapped an arm across Tank's body. The faint smell of oak body spray comforted him enough to finally fall asleep.
Benedict tried to get comfortable, but found himself drifting in and out of sleep. The lumpy bed, complete lack of heat, dusty blanket and crackling sound of thunder were pure hell on his senses. Sure, it was nice sharing a bed with the ones he loved, but it was better when it was in heated rooms with everything a traveler could want. Occasionally he slipped in and out of consciousness, waking up to more rain and thunder.
Morning finally came.
Benedict woke up first, and immediately regretted it. His head pounded from a complete lack of sleep. He can even feel his neck about to crack from a single head turn. He pushed the pain away for now. He grabbed his backpack and zipped it open. At least his Poke Balls were safe and sound.
Tank groaned under his breath. The taste of his own breath made him gag, while the blanket scraped against his bare skin. He looked closer at the offending scrap of cloth; had it not been washed in years?! No wonder it smelled like Stunky spray and mildew!
Kidd yawned as he woke up. Strands of hair fell in front of his eyes, while his fur was uncomfortably damp.
"Mon dieu, that was horrific" he shuddered.
"At least y'all could sleep, I was fadin' in and out" Benedict deadpanned. "Bet Tank here slept great!"
"Not really," Tank sighed. "I think there's a reason the last guy left this base behind, and it wasn't because of the olive oil!"
Kidd rolled out of bed. He got up to the cabinet, grabbed the small book then sat back down on the corner of the bed.
"What's that?" Tank asked as he pointed at the book.
"Just a book I found here," Kidd explained. "It's pretty interesting, non?"
Tank leaned over to look at the book. The pages reeked of pulpy wood, while the half-assed handwriting was at least comprehensible.
Several pictures lined the book; all of them were sepia-toned. One picture showed a trio of animals: a rhino in a tie-dye tee and bell-bottoms, a chicken in a tube top and hot pants, and a goat in a distressed black suit. All three animals had a logo on their clothing: a red and blue circle with a white skull in the center.
—
Feb 27.
Dancing Bears concert in Fortree City! The feds tried to search us in old Mauville, but Magnolia punched a guy before they could "search" us. Man do I love her.
We packed our guitars and bongo drums, maybe we can write a song! I want to be as big as the Dancing Bears! I even saw something crazy: a pink tail in the bushes. We tried to chase it but the tail disappeared. Crazy stuff!
Feb 28
Indica helped us sleep real good! Finally had lyrics down for that song: "Moonlight and starlight, can't keep us apart. Roaming in my heart, may the day become night"
Magnolia loved it, but Kent said it was okay. He said, "Neil, it needs work. More soul!" Whatever that means!
Feb 29
Another good day. Think we should get going though. Us Bearheads need to see them before we get old and die!
-Peace and love, man.
—
Kidd looked at Tank, "Dancing Bears?"
"They're a Unovan band," Tank explained. "They played a lot of experimental music but stopped playing once the lead guitarist died of a heart attack. They're bigger than the Maximizers! But I find this part weird. I mean, a rhino, a chicken, and a goat? Do you think they were us in our past lives?"
"Like reincarnation?" Kidd asked. "It could just be a coincidence though."
Tank shrugged, "Yeah, could be. We should take the book with us, it might be useful for Fortree City!"
"Good idea" Kidd nodded. "If the rain doesn't destroy it, that is!"
Tank rolled his eyes. "The rain's not going to destroy our backpacks, Kidd!"
Benedict crawled out of bed. "Hey, bad news guys!" he yelled. "Our clothes are still wet!"
Tank and Kidd groaned at the same time. Was it seriously that damp inside the base?!
"We can put them in my bag!" Benedict assured them both, "We got clean clothes anyways."
The rest of the day was rather uneventful: hiking through trails, crossing wooden bridges, Damp moss soaked into feathers and fur as they kept going. So what if they had one bad night of sleep, there were more good ones coming up!
The boys rolled out of the bushes, got changed into another set of clean clothes. Hours passed as they hiked in the early morning, only occasionally stopping to pick berries to eat.
It was a miracle: a sparkling clear lake, and not an inch of rain to be found! Silky sand lined the lake's edge, with only small rocks to be found.
The boys stopped near a tree, discarded their clothes then jumped into the lake. Unlike the muggy rain, the lake's water was cool and refreshing on the skin.
Kidd dove underwater and pulled something out of the lake's bed. He popped back up and showed them what he found: a pastel blue scale with a glittering pink core.
"Hey, I've seen this before!" Tank yelled. "It's a Prism Scale!"
"A Prism Scale?" Benedict asked. "What's special 'bout it?"
Tank gently took the scale and held it up in the sky. "It's an item that falls off a rare Pokémon called Milotic. Sometimes if a Feebas picks one up, it can evolve. But then again that's in regions like Unova or Kalos. I heard Feebas in Hoenn and Sinnoh evolve differently."
Kidd took back the scale. "Maybe we'll find a Milotic in this lake"
The boys swam deeper into the lake. A pale blue fin emerged from the water's surface.
Kidd yelped as something brushed up against his leg. He dove underwater to see what brushed up. Maybe it was an old branch or an abandoned towel from another swimmer, or a dead body!
A brown fish Pokèmon faced him. It looked like it saw better days; rugged scales, torn fins, hollow dark eyes. The fish Pokemon blew a bubble underwater.
Kidd dived back up and souted. "I think I saw a Feebas underwater"
"You did?" Tank asked. "No way, I wanna see it!"
"Yeah, I'll show you." Kidd said before he dove back in.
Benedict and Tank looked at each other before joining Kidd underwater.
The same fish Pokemon looked at the trio, mouthing its lips to form a ring of water.
Kidd turned around.
What's going on?!
A small Carvanha screeched as it nipped the air. The piranha Pokèmon zipped like a bullet train, with only Feebas on its mind. Kidd stood in front of Feebas. He grabbed Carvanha by its yellow fins and hurled it away from the lake.
The wild Pokemon ricocheted through the air before barrelling face first into a nearby tree. Something snapped into pieces, but it wasn't a branch.
Feebas splashed his fins in the water like a child learning to swim, unaware of the carnage.
Kidd gulped. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't place what had happened. He swam out of the lake, not bothering to get dressed as he ran on shore.
He tiptoed towards the wild Pokemon, careful not to get his hooves shredded to ribbons. Why wasn't it moving?
He inched his hoof forwards and turned the Carvanha to its other side; bright lacerations lined its face. A branch penetrated through its skull, right between its head fins. The savage Pokemon couldn't move an inch.
Kidd's face went white. The implications hit him like a maglev.
"Guys!" he yelled as he waved to the duo "I think I killed it!"
"So? We can cook it and eat it!" Tank hollered back. "Just leave it for a bit and come back in!"
"Are you sure?" Kidd asked. "What if another Pokémon tries to eat it?!"
"Don't worry!" Tank assured him. "Most Pokemon here don't eat Carvanha!"
Kidd looked back down at the corpse. He covered it with a few leaves, then headed back into the water. The average Pokemon would just see leftover leaves from fall, right? Worries melted away as he splashed water into his own face.
As the sun moved away from the lake, pristine waters grew colder. While Feebas splashed in delight, the boys shivered from the rapid temperature drop. Feebas swam back to his friends, while the trio got out of the lake. After getting dressed, the boys noted something interesting: nobody or nothing had touched the dead Carvanha!
Benedict's stomach growled as he parted the leaves away. He gently picked up the piranha Pokémon before walking back to the duo.
"Hey guys!" he yelled. "Y'all hungry or what?"
Tank hollered. "Yeah. I'll get a fire started. I'm NOT eating anything raw tonight!"
"What about the other nights?" Kidd snarked. "Are those nights for eating raw Pokémon?"
Benedict rolled up his sleeves before sinking his switchblade into Carvanha's underbelly. Faint drops of blood got on the blade; this must've been a Carvanha that was going to die an early death. He gently parted the flesh and muscle, gagging as the metallic smell of organs flooded his beak.
Kidd tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Benedict gagged again, "Organs. Can't stand the taste of 'em, too bloody for me!"
"Huh," Kidd noted. "Back in Kalos, organs are the most expensive part of a Pokémon. Well, some of them. A few Pokémon livers can poison you, but Carvanha ones should be safe."
Tank grabbed a bundle of dry sticks and a flat stone. "I don't want to hear about poisoned livers, you two!" he yelled before focusing on rubbing two sticks together. His stomach churned in dread; food poisoning is the last thing he wanted on his mind, but it stuck to him like melted toffee.
"Well that's why I'm eating the liver!" Kidd hollered back.
Benedict rolled his eyes as he scooped out the organs and set them on a large green leaf. He dug around in the rest of Carvanha's body; geez, mostly skeletal and it was squishy to the touch. It had to be cartilage; Sharpedo traditionally had a softer skeleton!
"Tank!" he called out. "How's the fire's comin' long?"
"Pretty good!" Tank shouted. "It's just smoke right now, but we should have some sparks soon!"
Minutes passed as Benedict carved two holes in the carcass: one in the front and one in the back.
"Hey Kidd," he asked as he used another leaf to wipe off the blood. "Can y'all do me a huge favor and get a stick for me?"
A stick? Is this how some Unovans cook their meat?
"Oh!" Kidd jumped up in his spot. "Sure! It was just interesting watching you cut that fish up!"
He got up and looked around the lake's surface for a stick. After rummaging through several, he found the perfect one: smooth to the touch! He walked back to the campfire and handed it to Benedict.
"Hey thanks so much!" Benedict chirped before he grabbed the stick and pushed it through the Carvanha. Oh, good, the stick fits perfectly. He grabbed some spare berries and pushed them on as well, making sure they were close to the meat.
Kidd folded his arms behind his back. "Was this another Poké Scouts thing?"
"Nope!" Benedict shook his head twice. "There was a rotisserie guy on my street back in Castelia an' I watched him prep Basculin all the time! My ma and pa thought street food was 'trashy' so I never had any from him. At least," he winked. "Not when they were lookin'! Flora an' I got Ducklett from him a lot. He taught me way more 'bout cookin' than my ma ever did!"
Tank hollered, "Fire's ready, Benedict!"
"Comin'!" Benedict yelled back. He gently lifted up the stick and strolled to the fire. A pair of sticks stood nearby, with a fork in the middle. The crackling of wood and smoky scent were just what this dinner needed. He gently positioned the skewer so it rested on top, making sure the flame tips brushed against Carvanha's underbelly.
Kidd walked up to the fire. "Huh. And I thought this would take longer..."
"Guess it's just my lucky day" Tank laughed a little.
As the evening skies faded from vermillion orange to obsidian black, the fire doubled in size. Yellow flames shimmied and swayed in the cool evening air.
"So," Benedict asked as he slowly turned the Carvanha in its spot. "What's Fortree City like?"
Tank smiled a little. "It's really nice! Most of the animals there are good friends, and there's lots of fun stuff to do!"
"What kind of fun stuff?" Kidd watched the fire flicker against tonight's dinner.
"A lot of nature stuff!" Tank twirled on one foot as he went on. "Trees to climb, ropes to swing on. It's literally one big jungle gym! And there's even more: concerts in treehouses, Pokèmon cafes, and an all-organic co-op market!"
"What's the gym leader like?" Benedict asked.
Tank froze up just thinking about gym leaders. The last thing he wanted to think about was aniki...
"Celia? Well, I haven't met her yet, but last I heard, she's the only animal in Fortree City that can wield Mega Evolution!"
"No way!" Benedict got fired up. The Key Stone on his chain jingled as he pumped a wing in the air, "In that case, I'd love to battle her!"
"Of course you would" Kidd chuckled a little. "I do wonder what kind of Pokemon we might meet in Fortree..."
The boys watched the campfire continue to flicker. After clearing off their meal and picking out every little strand of cartilage, they grabbed some large palm tree leaves and used them for a makeshift tent. Ebbing waves and chirping Pokémon lulled the trio to sleep.
The sun creeped through swirling slate clouds. Raindrops fell from tree canopies and onto the ground.
Another grueling morning, the boys thought to themselves. To the surprise of none, everything was still damp. They got dressed for the day and finished the last of their Sitrus Berries. Before heading out, Kidd walked back to the lake and whistled.
The Feebas from yesterday swam to shore, beating his tail against the surface.
"I know this is sudden, but" Kidd asked as he held out his other five Poke Balls. He tossed them in perfect sync, releasing all five Pokèmon.
Aquarius grinned and flashed a peace sign, Libra twitched her nose and tossed her silver spoon, Gemini ran in a circle before waving her tail hello, Aries wiggled in her spot, and Scorpio stood on her back legs and roared.
"Do you….want to come with the rest of us?"
Kidd kneeled down to Feebas' eye level. "If you don't want to, it's okay!"
Feebas pursed his lips as he thought for a moment. Sure, he swam along countless Pokemon in Prism Lake, but it got rather monotonous just being there with only familiar faces. Prism Lake was getting too small for more than one Milotic after all!
He closed his eyes and nodded.
Aquarius and Scorpio roared in celebration, while Libra and Aries fistbumped in silence. Gemini pawed at the air, intrigued by the idea of a new friend as small as her!
"Then it's settled," Kidd held out his last Poke Ball. "Welcome to the team, Pisces."
The fish Pokemon inched closer to shore.
He tapped his forehead against the Poke Ball, allowing it to absorb him inside.
The Poke Ball rotated three times before stopping with a click.
Kidd stood up and held the Poke Ball close to his chest. He couldn't wait to get out of Route 119 and see what Pisces had to offer.
He turned around to face his Pokèmon, "Ladies? Are we ready?"
The five Pokémon roared like warriors. Kidd nodded as he returned everyone to their Poke Balls. He strolled back to the duo, "Okay, now I'm ready"
"Awesome!" Benedict cheered.
Tank led the way. "Let's get outta here. We're sure to be close to Fortree City now!"
The boys high-fived each other before walking away from the lake. All anyone could see for miles was trees. The trees were tucked away from civilization, their bark only marked by wild Pokemon. Tank found it to be a relief: he'd seen too many trees with hideous carvings in the bark, usually by couples that broke up in six months.
Something caught Benedict's eyes; rusty metal bars in the ground, with splintering wooden planks underneath. He walked on top of the planks, holding out his wings as he balanced himself on the bars.
Tank stopped walking, then joined Benedict on the abandoned tracks.
"What are you guys doing?" Kidd snickered as he watched them walk together.
"Walking on an old railroad, dude!" Tank stuck his tongue out. "Just like that one movie!"
"The one about those boys lookin' for the dead body?" Benedict joined in. "I watched that one all the time, it helped me learn Galarian!"
"Yeah!" Tank yelled back. "Well, hopefully we won't find a dead body!"
"You better not!" Kidd yelled. He adjusted his messenger bag before joining the duo with a skip in his step.
Wild Pokémon cries echoed through the forest, ranging from squawking Swellow to howling Heracross. Hours passed as the boys followed the rails, then stopped at a dead end. They walked away from the rails and started climbing uphill. Gentle rain pitter-pattered before pouring down, refusing to hold back for a couple of lost kids.
Warm rain pounded against the steep mountain. Coagulated mud splattered against feathers and fur, while pine needles fell into their hair. Handfuls of rocks slided in the mud, some of them falling against dead trees.
Kidd yelped as he tripped on a large branch. He fell face-first into the mud, then stood back up to cough it all out.
Benedict and Tank stopped in their tracks as they waited on him. Two minutes later, they were ready to go.
Hours passed as they scaled up the steep mountain. All was silent, except for sloshing footprints and roaring rain.
On a flatter slope, the boys stopped near an old picnic table. They picked some barely-ripe Hondew Berries, sat at the bench and scarfed down the fruit. Dark green juices dripped down their faces as they scarfed down the light meal.
Tank groaned as he pressed his back against the picnic table,
"Man. I don't even know how close we are at this point."
Benedict tried to tie back his greasy hair, but groaned as the hair slipped out of his hair tie. It wasn't worth it at that point, he thought to himself. "Well we saw a few tables, couple of fire pits, an outhouse or two so I know we're near an ol' campground"
Kidd ate another Hondew Berry. "That's odd," he said between bites. "I wonder why it got left behind."
Tank got up. He dragged himself to an old sign. Bite and claw marks littered the brown sign, and several letters were either faded away or stolen.
"Hey, I know this spot!" he gasped.
Benedict and Kidd looked at him. The picnic bench was too comfortable to climb off already.
Tank explained with childlike wonder in his voice. "This was the Mautree Campgrounds! See my mom and dad took me here once when I was five, but my dad ate a bad batch of berries, tripped out really bad, then we left after five hours. And we never went camping again!"
"Why'd it get abandoned though?" Benedict asked.
Tank kept going on. "Well, it got closed down the year after I went. Some jerk from Veilstone City released their Ursaring in the woods and it mauled a bunch of campers. Only two campers died, but I heard that Ursaring is still out in the woods!"
"Oh, yeah, great," Kidd snarked. "We're in the middle of nowhere and a wild Pokémon might try to kill us."
The boys wandered around the old trail path. Broken bottles and trash bags littered the worn down path. The faint smell of sewage and waste wafted in the air. A faint roar echoed from the heart of the forest.
Benedict stopped to pick up a sharp rock, then threw it down the path. He watched as it tumbled into a small pit. One less thing to trip on, he thought to himself.
A faint roar vibrated in the trees.
The boys kept walking through the woods. Claw marks lined more trees as they went deeper.
Another roar echoed, this time loud enough to scare Pokemon out of the trees.
Tank stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the ground; large footsteps were in the sand. Dread flooded him; were the group getting closer?
An ear-piercing howl was joined by the sound of cracking trees. Heavy footsteps stomped into the dirt.
"Over here!" Benedict whispered. He led everyone into a nearby shrub. Kidd and Tank tiptoed into the bush, careful not to make a sound.
The boys peeked out of the bush; a wild Ursaring stomped around the abandoned campground. A trio of timid Teddiursa followed their mother.
Tank watched for a few minutes; most Ursaring fatalities happened because some moron got too close to their offspring.
The bear Pokémon flipped over an old picnic table. She kneeled down and sniffed the air, then dug into the ground. After rummaging through the dirt, she found something interesting: white mushrooms with red and yellow polka dot caps.
She tucked the mushrooms under her shoulder fur, then led her children to a secluded area in the woods.
After half an hour, the boys wandered through the rest of the abandoned campgrounds. Tank pulled out another notebook and started taking notes, mostly on the Teddiursa line.
They left the campsite and forced themselves to keep going, even after a sharp temperature drop and darkening skies.
Kidd panted as he slowly lost energy. His feet throbbed as he forced himself to keep going. He started missing everything from civilization: warm food, hot showers, clean water, even a place to sleep that wasn't bumpy or right in the open woods.
"How much longer do we have to keep going?!" he yelled.
"I wish I knew that!" Tank hollered back. "I don't see anything this time! No bases, no bushes, no lakes, nothing!"
Kidd groaned in frustration. Were they really going to risk hiking ALL night?!
"Hey, wait a minute!" Benedict yelled as he pointed ahead. There was a large cavern, right near a large waterfall! Clear water trickled down the mountainside, billowing into foamy white steam.
The boys ran through the grass and towards the waterfall. A group of wild Magikarp tried jumping over the waterfall, falling face-first into the plunge pool.
Benedict snuck into the cavern. All he could hear was his footsteps and dripping water.
"Guys!" he yelled. "Coast is clear, no Pokemon in here!"
"Oh thank Arceus" Kidd sighed in relief. He pulled out his water bottle and refilled it; well this was pleasant enough. The water faintly tasted of early minerals.
Tank sat down under a tree and started drawing. Graphite scribbles turned into a Glameow and Skitty playing with a ball of yarn. After finishing the initial sketch, he closed the sketchbook and went into the cave. Benedict and Kidd were already asleep, their heads on their backpacks.
Maybe it was the waterfall…. Tank shrugged. He set his backpack near the cave's entrance, then laid his head on top of it. The roaring waterfall and cave dripping lulled him into deep sleep.
Hours passed before the boys slowly woke up. Harsh sunlight crept into the cavern, forcing everyone to look away. Oh joy, another day out in the wilderness. The boys took their time getting ready: clearing off the last berries, filling up water bottles to the brim, and checking their phones. There was still no service, but at least the batteries didn't need charging. But was that really a plus though?
Without any further due, the boys hiked through more abandoned trails. Broken signposts and barbed wire fences littered dirt paths. Tank stopped to look at something peculiar: cracked tombstones caked in moss, with only triangles inscribed in the face. Dried incense sticks lined the edge of each tombstone, having been long ignited.
"Draconids…" Tank noted to himself.
"Draconids?" Kidd leaned down to look closer at the tombstones. "Is that some sort of family?"
"Not quite, no" Tank shook his head. "They're a race of alligators and crocodiles who use Dragon-type Pokèmon. I learned about this in school; they were the ones who summoned Rayquaza after humans went extinct!"
"I wonder how they summoned Rayquaza though," Kidd noted as he looked closer at the triangle. Did that symbol have something to do with it, perhaps?
Benedict walked away for a few minutes, then came back with a bundle of red flowers. He kneeled down on one grave and set a flower on top.
Tank looked over in curiousity, "Hey, what brought this on?"
"Oh, it's nothin" Benedict shrugged as he placed another flower on a tombstone. "Just kinda sad seein' an abandoned cemetery. An' hey, we might meet a Draconid someday, so they might feel good knowin' someone cared 'bout the graves an' all that"
Tank placed a hoof on his heart. That was…surprisingly thoughtful. "Hand us some flowers."
"Sure," Benedict said as he handed them each a fistful of zinnias.
After the boys placed five zinnias on each tombstone, they walked away and looked in pride; now they won't be forgotten. Tank snapped a quick picture before leading the way; who knows, maybe they will meet a Draconid someday!
The boys wandered through the rest of the woods.
Two hours later, in an abandoned area...
"Is it me or does this berry taste off?"
Tank asked. He squinted closer; do Oran Berries usually have a pink core in the middle?
Benedict shrugged his shoulders and snarked, "Probably 'cause it's not ripe."
"No, it's not that, dude!" Tank shook his head. "I know this is an Oran Berry, but it tastes kinda bitter"
"Maybe we picked it too early," Kidd sighed as he finished his berry. Something tingled in his throat. He broke out in a coughing fit. The berry's skin scraped against his esophagus, and the table felt like it was levitating in the air.
Wait a minute. Levitating?!
The table's wood faded from cherry brown to viridian green. Pink flowers bloomed in the wood, then emerged to dance in a hypnotic rhythm.
Benedict looked around; the sky turned cinnabar red while black smoke billowed around him. He grabbed the table's edge and started drumming on the surface. The erratic rhythms pounded in sync with his heart, occasionally slowing down like a flatline before bouncing back like a jack-in-the-box spring.
Tank bounced in his spot and whistled along to the drumming. He bobbed his head to the rhythm, like the music flooded through the table like electricity. Midnight blue leaves danced in a tornado around him, joined by lavender stems and pastel camellia petals. His whistling grew more high-pitched.
Kidd covered his mouth with his hooves and started beatboxing. Blue, pink and purple bubbles hovered around his neck and shoulders. He reached out for a particularly large bubble, but frowned as his hoof phased right through it. Why didn't the bubble pop?
He looked to his right and snickered; Benedict and Tank were sitting on the ground, making flower crowns with several fistfuls of navy blue poppies.
"Hey, can, can I have one too?" Kidd asked as he stumbled off the picnic table. He wobbled in his spot. His feet felt like static, while his head throbbed.
"Yeah," Benedict reached up to hand a flower crown to Kidd.
Kidd put the flower crown on, giggled then sat down to join his boyfriends. He sighed in content as he looked deep in their eyes; were they always that rosy shade of pink, or was it the joy from the adorable flower crown?
Benedict snickered as he looked up in the skies. "Guys, guys, GUYS LOOK!"
Kidd and Tank looked up together; an onyx black cloud in the sky. Blue, green and orange sparks flickered in the core. Thunder rumbled in the pristine skies, joined by crackling sounds.
The boys watched in awe at the light show; white clouds darted around the clouds, joined by glimmering gold hoops that flickered in and out of existence.
Hours passed before the boys passed out under the picnic table. A dozen wild Gloom scurried near the picnic table, then ran away to another field. Moonlight shone above them, unaware of their morning ransack to come.
—
A horde of brown dinosaur Pokemon stomped through the dirt trails of Route 119. The wide green wings on their backs flapped in sync with the humid wind.
Their leader, noted by the pale blue fruit on his neck, chirped.
"Pleasant day, yes?"
"I say, my lord!" Another Tropius joined in. The dragonfruit pink fruit on his neck swayed. "We haven't checked our Nanab Berry fields today"
"Father, may I join this one?" a third Tropius asked. The fruit from his neck was much smaller than the others. "I'm excited to see our fields flourish!"
"Yes son,"
the leader nodded. "You may join us"
"Thank you father!"
Prince Tropius cheered.
The three Tropius split off from their group, soaring down to check their harvest.
—-
The boys ran towards the field. There it was; palm trees for kilometers on end! Tuscan sun yellow berries hung from each and every tree, cradling pink fleshy fruit.
Tank ran in-between several trees, his mind set on one thing only. At a lightning pace, he picked the ripe berries, hoarding them like a Murkrow building a nest of jewelry.
Benedict rolled up his sleeves and climbed up a Nanab tree. He parted some leaves and grabbed several fistfuls of berries, holding the stems with his beak as he climbed back down.
Kidd took his scarf off, then ran under some trees to catch any falling berries. While most of the berries fell into his scarf, one of them fell to the ground and splattered into mush. Guess that one was ripe too early!
Something pitter-pattered on the ground near them, but it wasn't another rainstorm. A burning sizzle echoed from the earth, followed by the rank stench of carrion.
The boys turned around to face an aggressive horde of Vileplume. All five grass-type Pokemon fanned out their flowers, then vomited purple sludge from their pistils. Acidic goop splattered against the fertile grounds, dissolving any sense of life. The boys backed away from their attackers, dreading the worst.
Benedict grabbed one of his Poke Balls. "Kenshiro, let's–"
Tank yanked on Benedict's wrist and yelled. "Dude, what do you think you're doing?!"
"Um, hello?!" Benedict snapped. "Kenshiro's a Steel type, he can handle Poison types just fine!"
"I know you want to battle them!" Tank warned him. "But you might rip up the Nanab Berry trees!"
Benedict glanced at all the palm trees. As much as battling five Vileplume at once would be fun, it would feel a little mean to rip up those fields. Other Pokemon did need to eat too…
"Yeah, I guess" he sighed as he put Kenshiro's Poke Ball away. "Isn't there anythin' else we can do?!"
"We could try not to get killed?" Kidd pointed out.
Benedict rolled his eyes. "Asides from that!"
More and more Sludge Bomb attacks swept the field. Several trees cracked from the harsh acid splattering them, falling over like dominoes. The ground caved in deeper, forming an empty moat that trapped the boys in their spot.
The quintet of Vileplume marched closer, their ruby red eyes locking into their targets. The plains would be all theirs, only for the Oddish line to thrive.
Kidd yanked Benedict and Tank closer to him. If this was how the three of them would die, then so be it. At least they'd die together, Kidd thought to himself. But how would anyone know they even died?! They were in the middle of nowhere, and Vileplume acid might melt their bodies before anyone can identify them!
Sharp billowing winds echoed before the boys.
Wait a minute….winds?!
Tank looked up and gulped; someone blocked them from the Vileplume!
A trio of brown dinosaur Pokemon surrounded them, guarding them like a valiant knight guarding his prince. The leaves on their backs fanned out to form a barrier.
The largest Pokemon took a deep breath in and roared.
—-
"What is your PROBLEM?!" he lashed out at the other Pokemon. "Are you trying to kill them?!"
The largest Vileplume, noted by the diamond-shaped dots on his flowers, scoffed. "They're getting in our way. Let us kill them, Lord Tropius"
"Absolutely NOT!" Lord Tropius stamped his front feet. His pastel blue fruit dangled, about to fall off from his rage. "You're the ones destroying our fields. You and your pack of hooligans should be ashamed of yourselves, Resia!"
Resia gasped as he placed a hand on his body.
"Well you never shared any berries with us!" he accused.
Lord Tropius wanted to slap him with his wings. "I DID share berries, but you and your lot kept terrorizing anyone else who dared to set a foot! The Kecleon clan, the Linoone legion, even the Azumarill are sick of your behavior!"
Resia threw up his arms and yelled.
"Screw them! You guys destroyed our base for these berries, so you owe us!"
"I don't owe you squat!"
Lord Tropius lashed out. "You've taken advantage of our kindness one too many times. I'm not giving any of you a single berry, so GET OUT!"
Resia gritted his teeth. "That's it!"
—-
The largest Vileplume stepped backwards, threw his flower forwards and blasted another Sludge Bomb.
Lord Tropius stood his ground. He fanned his wings to form a flurry of small tornados, then used his wings to throw the tornadoes at Vileplume's feet.
The five flower Pokemon stumbled backwards before the whirlwinds pushed them away from the field. One of the Vileplume hissed and screamed, but fell silent as he joined his brethren in the woods.
The smallest Tropius turned around and trilled. The boys didn't look terrified anymore, instead, they were much calmer, even grateful for him and his pack.
Tank looked up in joy.
"Thank you so much!" he yelled before hugging the dinosaur's neck.
Prince Tropius chirped and bobbed his head as he let the animal embrace him.
His wings fluttered in joy; these three had to be Pokemon trainers. He lowered his neck and nodded his chin. The boys looked at each other before each taking a piece of fruit. Unlike the more consistent Nanab Berries, Tropius fruit was unpredictable in every shape and form. Prince Tropius' fruit was not too tart, not too sweet, but absolutely perfect.
Lord Tropius turned around and trilled. He was always proud of his son, but seeing him so kind to strangers warmed his heart. In fact, he was now ready to ask the big question.
—-
"Son?" Lord Tropius asked.
Prince Tropius tilted his head.
"Yes, father?"
"I was thinking for a while…."
Lord Tropius looked to the skies. "I think you're ready to explore the rest of the Hoenn?"
Prince Tropius' face went white. "Father, are you sure! I've heard much about the rest of the region, but do you think I'm ready?"
"Of course I am, don't be foolish!" Lord Tropius raised a leg to point at his son's wings. "You've been flying for quite some time now, and I can handle the harvest from here. You're young, you should explore when you can, and I know these trainers would be quite the good fit for you!"
Prince Tropius gulped. A whole new world awaiting him...why pass up a fantastic opportunity! So many Pokemon sheltered their children forever, but here he was, granted with the privilege of traveling.
"Yes. Yes, I will!"
—-
Prince Tropius leaned his neck down and sniffed Tank's backpack. He nudged his cheek against the dusty fabric.
Tank reached into his backpack and pulled out an empty Pokè Ball; he had so many left over now that he wasn't catching like crazy. A new friend would be nice!
"Sure, you can join us!" he grinned as he showed him the ball.
Prince Tropius stomped his feet and roared in joy. He took the Poke Ball in his mouth and tossed it in the air, letting it absorb him whole. The Poke Ball landed in the dirt, rotated once, then stopped with a click.
Before Tank could pick up the Poke Ball, Prince Tropius released himself with a triumphant roar. The fruit Pokemon picked the ball up with his mouth and handed it to his new trainer.
"Cavendish..." Tank whispered to himself. He looked up to his new Pokèmon with shining dark grey eyes. "I'll call you Cavendish!"
Cavendish whistled in pure delight. It was such a refined name for a prince like himself! He arched his neck down, picked up Tank with his mouth and threw him onto his back.
Tank wriggled as he got comfortable on Cavendish's back. The brown scales were buttery smooth to the touch.
"Hey, guys!" he yelled. "Climb on here, will ya?!"
Benedict and Kidd looked at each other. Let's see...climb a big dinosaur Pokemon that can fly and get to Fortree City faster, or keep walking through Route 119, get lost and possibly die?
They climbed on top of Cavendish, nestling in between the grass-type's wide wings.
"Piuuuuuu!" Cavendish howled to his fellow Tropius, using a wing to wave goodbye before ascending into the Hoennian skies.
The boys cheered as the afternoon skies welcomed them. Cavendish hovered above and below countless clouds. He smiled as a group of Taillow and Swellow joined him in carefree rendezvous. Ahead of him, a flock of brown pheasant Pokemon flew ahead, led by one with a pink mask across its face.
"Is that?"
Tank gasped as he looked down from the skies.
A shiny blue and gold building, right on the outskirts of Fortree City! Balloons hung from the rooftop, while a silver satellite whirred from one of the corners.
"Cavendish!" Tank commanded. "Can you fly down for us please?"
"Pius-pius!" Cavendish roared. He made a sharp turn through a cumulus cloud and dive bombed through the skies.
The boys cheered like scientists making a breakthrough discovery. No more drinking dirty water, eating Carvanha meat or sleeping in strange places! Civilization was just minutes away!
Cavendish's wings fanned out before his feet skidded against the earth.
After crash landing against the ground, the boys hopped off their new friend. While Kidd smoothed out his coat, Tank returned Cavendish to his Poke Ball.
Tank charged to the door and tried to open it. That was odd, why was it locked?!
He tried again. First, he pushed with the force of a Donphan, then pulled like a game of tug-of-war.
With a small ding, the door wedged itself open.
The boys stepped into the institute. Fluorescent lights and sharp tiled floors welcomed them back to civilization. Book shelves and tables were flipped on their sides. Coffee cups were shattered on the ground, and it was obvious someone else used up the coffeemaker. Popped balloons and scattered papers lined the floor. Where'd everyone go?
Tank led the way up to the second floor. Strange, nobody else was there either. Rows of computers hummed in the room. Several chairs laid against the ground, with footsteps scattered on the tile. Framed photographs laid near the stairs, most of them with cracked glass. They checked the third floor, with a troubling sight in front of them.
Pastel grunts held employees hostage. Pink and purple rope bound everyone to their seats, and some of the employees even had duct tape across their faces. One in particular, a green pig with yellow glasses, kicked in his spot. A female grunt slapped him across the face.
"So," Judy asked as spun around on an office chair. She stopped with the heel of her boot, her face darkening in anticipation. "Where's the Castform?"
One of the employees, a grey mouse with blonde hair, barked out "Ma'am, we went over this! The Castform's Pokè Balls are in a safe in the basement, and we're not giving you the passcode!"
"Yeah right" Judy flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. "You're trying to stall me out, aren't you?"
"I'm NOT stalling you out!" the mouse lashed out. "What do you even need the Castform for?!"
"Let's see…." Judy tapped her paws together. "Castform knows the move Rain Dance, right? So, if you give us all the Castform, then they'll work alongside us to summon Kyogre and make Hoenn a better place for all Pokemon. Arceus, you make it sound like I'm planning to kill somebody, Petri."
"Do you have any idea on how stupid that plan is!" Petri screamed. Her head throbbed from the sheer stupidity of this madwoman. "I know Pokèmon need their habitats, but how does stealing our Castform even summon Kyogre!"
Judy scoffed. "It's called Pokèmon liberation, sweetie. Maybe all the Castform don't want to be cooped up inside all day and all night, using moves just to manipulate the weather. Maybe they want to join their fellow Pokemon, doing Pokèmon things like battle each other and breed and all that!"
She turned around, "My oh my! It's the gentlemen from Mt. Chimney. What a pleasant surprise to see you again!"
Kidd crossed his arms. "What do you think you're doing, Judy?"
"Pastel business" Judy brushed them off, like a neglectful mother sipping red wine. "What are you young men going to do about it?"
The boys pulled out their Poke Balls. Oh she was just asking to get her ass kicked in a Pokemon battle!
Judy squinted at the trio. "I see…." she said as she stood up from the chair, pushing it into the wall. The chair's back cracked against the tiled walls. "Look, I saw how you boys battled against those Cottage crooks" She clapped as a delightful smile spread across her face. "Very impressive. Which is why I won't be battling any of you."
Tank looked confused, while Kidd facepalmed with his free hoof.
Benedict's face went flat. "What."
"I just know that if I battle you three at once, I'd probably lose. It wouldn't be worth anyones' time then."
Judy sighed. "But I know some trainers who'd be more than happy to battle!"
She turned to face her team, then snapped her fingers.
"Filbert. Pick any two grunts, go downstairs and battle the boys for me, will you?"
The blue squirrel tipped his purple pirate hat.
"Geez, do it yourself already." he muttered under his breath.
Judy's eyes turned white as she stomped her foot on the ground again. Her braid flung in its spot, the blue bow almost falling off the end.
Filbert jolted up, then saluted his boss. "Schrod, Inger, follow me!"
"Anything for you Filbert!" "We won't let you down!" A pair of cats barked at the same time. Two of the cats– a blue cat with a mullet and a pink cat with large twintails– broke from the crowd and posed next to Filbert.
The six animals headed downstairs, faintly hearing Judy negotiate with the Weather Institute staff.
"I don't know why I keep listening to her every damn whim" Filbert muttered as he pulled a Love Ball out of his sailor's jacket.
"Sir, you could always quit,"
the pink cat whispered to her boss. "Lots of animals leave Pastel."
"Well it's different, Inger," Filbert hissed. "Judy is my childhood friend. If I cut her off now, she'd never forgive me!"
Filbert looked back at the boys. Battling any of them would be the spark he needed in his life, but dear Judy told him that the bird already fought off Dobie. "You, the redhead" he pointed at Benedict's greasy red hair.
"Yeah?" Benedict asked.
Filbert's eyes twinkled as he held out a Dream Ball. "Battle me!"
Benedict got fired up.
"With pleasure!" he shouted as he jumped up to toss his Poke Ball. "Freiza, come on out buddy!"
Freiza howled as he carefully landed on his feet.
"A Manectric? Interesting choice."
Filbert held out his Love Ball. "Say hello to Jellicent!" He shouted and released his Pokemon: a cutesy blue jellyfish Pokemon with white foam wrapped around his face.
Kidd and Tank walked to another area of the floor, smirking at each other as they held out their Poke Balls. They held each others' hooves as they tossed their Poke Balls at the same time.
"Victoria! Come on out!"
"Aries! Time to shine!"
"Lotad, loooo!"
Victoria squeaked at the top of her lungs.
"Pi-kachu!
Aries backflipped onto the ground, then winked and flashed a peace sign to her battle partner.
Schrod and Inger fistbumped each other before doing the same.
"Barboach, strut your stuff!"
"Kingler, show them your claws!"
A slender grey loach Pokemon yipped as she wriggled in the air, while an orange and white crab Pokemon clicked his pincers at his opponents.
Inger twirled one of her twintails in her paw.
"Kingler, use Amnesia!"
The crab Pokemon closed his eyes and held out his claws like he was calling out to Arceus. A faint white cloud of smoke formed from his chin, then engulfed his entire body. His mind cleared away, focused on Pokemon battles and nothing else. The cumulus cloud dissolved into steam, while Kinger's body glowed a faint shade of red.
Schrod held out his right paw, "Barboach, use Mud Sport!"
"Boach, boach!" Barboach barked as she twitched her facial whiskers. She whipped her tail fin in a small tornado. A twister of thin sand spewed into the air like an erupting geyser. The ground-type Pokemon picked up the tornado with her tail and slammed it on the floor. Watery mud caked the tiles
Aries yelped as she skidded across the slippery floor.
"Pika pika!"
Victoria dove under her feet and picked up her battle partner, nestling her in the basin of her lilypad.
Tank pointed ahead, "Victoria, use Bubble Beam!"
"Lotad!" Victoria opened her beak and fired a flurry of translucent blue bubbles.
The stream swept across the battlefield.
"Aries!" Kidd yelled as he grabbed onto his scarf. "Hop on a bubble and use Electro Ball!"
"Pika-pika!" Aries jumped away from Victoria and landed on one of the bubbles, placing her hand on the surface. She used her tail to fling more bubbles into Barboach's whiskers, then fired a blue and yellow ball of electricity in the air. With the nimble precision of her petite feet, she kicked the electric ball into Kingler's face.
Despite his best efforts to block it with his claws, the electric orb pushed him several feet backwards. He slid across the mud like a figure skater, repeatedly clicking his claws in distress.
"We should focus on Barboach first,"
Tank whispered to Kidd. "That way Aries can really shine against Kingler"
"Makes sense," Kidd nodded.
Kidd pointed ahead, "Aries, pick up Victoria and use Quick Attack!"
"Pika pika!" Aries grabbed Victoria's body and threw her on top of her back. The mouse Pokemon sprinted across the ground before jumping up and headbutting Barboach's underbelly. The ground-type Pokemon yelped as she slithered backwards.
"Barboach, use Water Pulse!" Schrod barked.
Barboach's whiskers twitched as she formed a swirling ball of water in her mouth. She opened her jaw, blasting a stream of blue and purple hoops of water.
Tank looked over his shoulder, then back at his Pokemon
"Victoria, fire an Energy Ball through the Water Pulse!"
"LoTAD!"
Victoria's entire body glowed green. She stood on her hind legs and fired an orb of glowing green energy. The orb darted through the hoops and exploded in Barboach's face.
The loach Pokemon swayed in her spot before falling face-first onto the tiled ground. She groaned under her breath before passing out cold.
Schrod gulped as returned Barboach to her Poke Ball. He placed a firm hand on Inger's shoulder. "Win for me"
"I will,"
Inger affirmed her battling partner. "Now, Kingler, use Crabhammer on that puny Lotad!"
The crab Pokemon threw his right arm back. Aries jumped out of the way and rolled behind him, lowering herself so he wouldn't spot her. Kingler hurled his claw forwards and slammed Victoria, pinning her against the floor.
"Aries," Kidd hollered. "use Iron Tail on his arm!"
Aries twirled in her spot. Her entire tail glowed silver before she swatted Kingler's arm. Despite slamming several times, the crab Pokemon refused to lighten his pressure. He used his left claw to slap Aries away.
"Pika!" Aries yelped as she crashed against the wall. Victoria yelped and whined as she wriggled underneath his grip. The suffocating pressure made her feel woozy. She tried to pelt his face with a Bubble Beam, but wheezed as the claw pinned her down harder. Everything was too much for her to bear, unless…There's a way out!
A blue and white light enveloped her entire body.
Kingler pressed down harder, but the blinding light threw his claw off. The water type scrambled backwards, fearing the worst. Aries jumped back on her feet to watch the evolution begin.
Victoria's silhouette morphed; she tripled in height, while her lilypad doubled in size. A head and body shot out of the bottom, joined by a pair of arms and legs. Fingers and toes formed from the tips of her limbs.
The light gradually faded into nothing. Victoria was no longer a lilypad on stubby limbs, now, she was a kappa with a lilypad for headgear.
"Lombre, lom!" she bellowed as she tipped her hat.
"Pika pika!"
Aries cheered in joy.
"Woohoo!" Tank shouted in celebration. "Victoria, congratulations!"
"Lomb" Victoria calmly nodded. She turned to face her opponent, beckoning her claws like she was saying "Come and get me, crab!"
Kingler clicked his claws in rapid succession. Oh, he was more than happy to take this arrogant kappa down.
Aries waddled back to the battlefield.
Victoria picked her up and threw her on top of her lilypad. Now it was time to return the favor!
Kidd and Tank smiled at each other, then looked back at their opponent.
"Energy Ball!"
"Surround it with Electro Ball!"
Aries and Victoria held their hands out at the same time, their limbs glowing brightly under the harsh lights. Electric yellow and lime green energy swirled together to create a glowing sun. The two Pokemon roared as they launched pure energy into Kingler's face. The crab Pokemon tried to swat the energy ball away, but screamed as he flew across the laboratory. He crashed against the wall, knocking over several framed photographs and smashing two windows.
"Kinggggg..." Kingler droned as he fell with a loud thud. He was completely wiped out, not even enough energy to click his claws.
Tank and Kidd high-fived each other twice. Aries and Victoria ran up to their trainers in delight, squeaking as their trainers hugged them to reward them for a great battle.
Inger's eyes twitched.
She bit her lip as she returned Kingler to his Poke Ball, then looked back at her coworker.
Schrod patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, you did pretty great! I mean, yeah, his Lotad evolved, but that was still a great battle!"
"I know," Inger sighed. "I wonder how Filbert's doing in battle. Is he-"
"Frieza! Use Thunderbolt!"
A loud flash and bang echoed just feet away. The four trainers ran to the other side of the floor.
Frieza howled and leaped into the air. His body glowed orange as a flurry of thin yellow thunderbolts rained across the battlefield. Jellicent ducked and dodged, but froze like a statue as one particularly strong thunderbolt pulsated into his entire body.
Jellicent went limp before falling on his back with a thud.
Frieza fell back on his feet, then ran backwards to nuzzle his trainer. Benedict laughed as his Pokemon yipped in delight.
Filbert glared as he tightly held onto his Poke Ball. His hat fell over his eyes, blocking his vision completely.
"Tch" he scoffed under his breath. "Clearly, I underestimated myself"
The squirrel pushed his hat up before returning Jellicent to his Poke Ball.
Benedict stood back up, returned Frieza to his ball, and walked up to Filbert.
"Hey, thanks for the fun battle!"
"Yeah, it was pretty fun" Filbert shrugged before muttering. "More fun than Judy's been in a while..."
Benedict tilted his head, with some strands of hair falling in his eyes.
"If y'all don't like Jude that much then why don't ya just quit?"
"You make it sound so easy, redhead" Filbert looked down at his Pokè Ball. "I can't quit on Judy now. I've been friends with her for twenty-four years. I can't just ditch her, you know."
Benedict facepalmed. Clearly he was being stubborn about the whole thing.
Judy and her cohorts strolled down to the next floor. She gasped as she crossed her arms, shaking her head in disapproval. "My oh my you sure made a mess in here! Must've been quite the battle!"
Filbert's demeanor turned on a dime. "Heh, it sure was Judy! Say, what happened? I thought you were trying to get the Castform?"
Judy shook her head. "Believe me, I tried convincing them to just hand them over. But all I got was no no no no no NO! Ugh, if only Julian was here! Last I heard he's still trying to sneak into Cottage's base!"
She looked at her grunts. "So, let's head out."
She smiled at the boys. "Maybe next time I'll battle you gentlemen. Cheers~"
Like a pop idol leading their fans, Judy led Filbert and the grunts out of the Weather Institute, leaving the boys in the middle of a trashed laboratory.
Several Weather Institute employees walked downstairs, cautious of anyone remaining behind.
Petri sighed in relief. "Coast is clear!" she yelled up the hallway before approaching the boys. Good lord they were a wreck; greasy hair, scraggly fur and feathers, cuts and bruises lining arms and legs, baggy eyes like they hadn't slept in days.
"What happened to you three?!"
Tank looked at the other two boys. "We've been through a lot."
"I see," Petri noted. "Say, since you boys helped us get rid of Team Pastel...is there anything we can do to help you?"
"We don't owe them a thing, Petri!"
A smarmy brown pig walked down the stairs. He wore a white headband, along with a white labcoat over a grey shirt and blue pants. He pushed Petri out of the way before jabbing a finger in Tank's chest.
"You're not welcome here. This institute is for employees only, so scram!"
Benedict and Kidd facepalmed from this guy's logic. They helped save the institute and this was the thanks they all got?!
Tank was a volcano ready to erupt. This— this complete and utter bastard had the nerve to tell them they weren't welcome, even after saving their asses from a Pastel ransacking?!
Tank took a deep breath in and screamed, "Do you have ANY idea what kind of hell we've been through?!"
Benedict and Kidd were caught completely off-guard. Now where did this side of Tank come from?!
Tank yanked the pig's labcoat collar. Spittle flew from his mouth as he lashed out.
"We spent five days in endless rain and mud, ran away from thunder that could fry us to death, had nothing to eat but barely ripe berries and stringy Carvanha meat, spent multiple nights sleeping in abandoned Secret Bases and bushes and caves, been ambushed by a horde of pissed off Vileplume, oh did I mention that we haven't had any chance to shower whatsoever, and you want us to get out?!"
"You don't understand" the scientist tried to defend himself. "It's company policy to—"
Tank cut him off, "Company policy to throw a bunch of minors into the woods to let them die?! Don't give me that Fortree City excuse either, buddy! It'll take us another day to get there, and that's only if rain doesn't sweep us away and drown us! Do you want our blood on your hands or NOT?!"
The chief, a lime green pig in yellow glasses, walked down,
"Now what's all the hullabaloo here?" he asked, as he gently touched a pink mark on his cheek.
"It's nothing, Cobb"
the scientist shrugged as he slapped Tank away from him. "Just some kid whining about company lodging."
The larger pig pushed his glasses in, "Excuse ME, Hambo! These boys are the ones who stopped Team Pastel from taking over our institute. If anything, we owe them for saving us"
Tank took a deep breath in and sighed, "Thank you."
Petri pushed her glasses in. "Seriously, you don't have to be a jerk to everyone around you, Hambo."
The brown pig sunk into his spot. To say this was humiliating would be an understatement?
"Fine. They can stay."
The boys sighed in relief. Even if it was just one night, this night would be the best one they had in a while!
Petri and Cobb looked at each other and smiled, watching as Hambo sneaked back upstairs to mind his own damn business. While he was excellent at researching weather phenomena, the two of them debated on firing him soon.
"If you three want," Petri offered. "I'd be more than happy to show you around the place!"
"Yeah, that'd be fine"
Kidd shrugged.
"Excellent!"
Petri led the way.
While she showed off everything on the first floors, passionately rambling about meteorology at the same time, the boys made some time to check their phones. A flurry of texts came in at lightning speed, mostly from an anxious Professor Nook. Tank assured him by sending several pictures and some updates that followed.
"...and that's why Castform was engineered by Silph. Co and presented to us as gifts for our hard work" Petri finished her last monologue. "Any questions?"
"I do, yeah!" Tank raised his hoof. "Can I see the Castform for myself?"
"Hmm..." Petri looked at her clipboard, then at the disheveled state the boys were in. "I was thinking tomorrow if that's alright"
Tank ran a hand through his hair. Sweet Arceus, his hair was greasier than a Unovan diner hosting a bacon special!
"Yeah, that's fine"
Petri scurried through the first floor; after rummaging through her comically oversized keyring, she found the right key and opened the door. The boys looked at the place in awe; a very cute suite with lots of care put into it.
The suite looked comfortable: a king-sized bed with warm orange bedsheets, a sunflower-print rug on the floor, pastel pink walls with framed photographs of Pokemon, cool blue floors, a large white table with a yellow and pink lamp on top, and some Pokemon stuffed animals on the floor. A beige door was swung wide open, revealing a stylish bathroom with all the standards, plus a shiny silver furo on top!
"I'll call you boys when dinner's here" Petri said before closing the door.
The boys looked at each other for a second. Kidd rushed for the bathroom, but Tank yanked on his scarf to stop him.
"Hey, what gives!" Kidd yelled. "I need a freaking shower NOW!"
"You're not taking another two hour one!"
Tank snapped back. "I only take seven minutes, so let me take one first!"
Benedict huffed and rolled his eyes. He walked to the table and pulled out one of the drawers: oh, this was cozy! Inside the drawers were several pairs of oversized white hoodies, each with a weather balloon on the back. After pulling out the hoodies, he took a good look at them; if he put one on it'd reach down to his knees. While they looked comfortable, were they meant to be put on Pokemon instead?
After the boys got cleaned up and put on their hoodies, someone knocked at the door.
Benedict swung the door open, "Howdy!"
"Howdy to you too" Petri chuckled. "I hope you boys enjoy ramen; we were hoping you'd join us for dinner"
"Yeah, ramen's awesome" Benedict looked at the bed. Kidd was in the middle of styling his hair, while Tank finished some notes. Ramen was the perfect food for that evening!
The boys joined several Weather Institute employees for dinner on the first floor. This ramen was a Mauville speciality; thicker noodles, simmered Pidgey bones to the broth, scallions, mushrooms and nori.
Cobb chuckled as the boys scarfed down their bowls, then decided to slurp his down at the same lightning pace. Steam billowed from his nostrils as he gulped down the addictive broth. He arched his head back as he slammed down the empty bowl,
"Impressive, no?"
Petri snorted. She gently picked up the noodles with her chopsticks "I'm sorry, are you trying to start an eating contest?"
"I don't know," Cobb lied. "I'm just saying, I can eat like a champion!"
Benedict almost choked on his noodles from pure laughter. "I don't think we could beat Apollo in an eatin' contest!"
"Yes you can!" Kidd snarked back, as he started on another bowl. "Don't listen to each other, please"
Tank blushed in pure delight. The tender Pidgey meat was a nice welcome from gristly chewy Carvanha. After that week, he never wanted to eat Carvanha meat ever again.
After dinner, the boys took a quick soak in the furo, then got ready for bed. Fluffy mattresses and downy pillows lulled them into quick sleep, leaving the boys so wiped out they didn't bother turning off the lights.
The next morning...
A single white puffball Pokemon floated throughout the Weather Institute, stopping in the boys' suite. The puffball took a deep breath in and blew a small cloud of powdery white snow.
Kidd jolted awake first and screamed.
Tank woke up up next. "Kidd, what's the matter?" he yawned, before looking up at the puffball of a Pokemon. "Oh, it's just a Castform" He held out a hoof. "Hey little guy"
"Powaaaa!" the Castform squeaked. It rubbed its little cheek against Tank's hoof, before shooting a small squirt of water into Benedict's face.
Benedict groaned as he forced himself awake. He blinked twice as he looked up from the bed: oh, one of those Castform that weather lady mentioned. "Huh. I didn't think it'd be so cutesy"
Castform pouted and tilted its head. It wasn't just cutesy, it was a proud part of the Weather Institute!
Petri knocked twice before opening the door. "Oh, there you are Izora! Please don't disturb our guests, dear"
"Powa..."
Izora sighed and pouted, trailing back to Petri's shoulder.
"I hope she wasn't too bad,"
Petri said.
Benedict shrugged.
"Well at least she wasn't settin' us on fire"
Petri chuckled. "She's done that before, but not anymore luckily. Interesting Pokemon, no?"
"Yeah," Tank looked closer. "Wait, fire?"
"Yes." Petri explained as she held the Castform in one hand. "Castform are peculiar Pokemon that can change form and type depending on weather. They become water-types in rain, fire-types in the sun, and ice-types in hail"
Tank asked, "But what about sandstorms?"
"We're..." Petri said as she looked at Castform. "working on that. Apparently Castform don't change types in sandstorms. We've talked to Silph Co. but they said the genetic molecules aren't stable enough for sandstorms."
The boys looked at each other; that's odd. Silph Co. genetically engineered Pokemon?
After getting ready for the day, the boys said goodbye to the Weather Institute employees and headed outside. They ran across a long wooden bridge, anticipating the best to come.
What bizarre adventures and arcane pasts await them in Fortree City, as the journey continues!