Pre-battle applied advantages
Article 13
1. No Pokémon is allowed to enter the battle with pre-applied enhancing status effects.
2. No Pokémon is allowed to start the battle with any form of armor or something akin to protective cover.
3. Pokémon that naturally possess a form of armor are exempt from the previous rule.
xxxxxxxxxx
I've Been Around
xxxxxxxxxx
Episode seven – Rock throw
xxxxxxxxxx
As the morning mist began to dissipate outside, and the Pokécenter was engulfed in the orange rays of the sunrise, a slender beam of light found its way through the blinds of a particular capsule. Nestled within, a girl slept soundly with her knees tucked to her chest, oblivious to the world stirring around her. Tickled by the sun's gentle touch, Risa stirred, her lashes fluttering open. The first thing that greeted her was the pale white roof and the blonde tendrils that lay scattered across her vision. The all too familiar voice of Callahan followed soon after.
She raised her arms and stretched, groaning softly as she bumped her elbows against the ceiling. She crawled on all-fours and peeked through the blinds. Callahan was already stretching and regaling a group of fellow travellers with one of his many outlandish tales. She didn't recall them having caught Mew yesterday, nor having battled any other of the common legends, but the younglings seemed to drink up his every word.
The girl merely shook her head and suppressed a chuckle as she watched the other travellers behind Callahan attempt to tune out his stories and focus on getting some more sleep. She ruffled through her hair before she started unfastening the buttons of her pyjamas.
Once clothed, she opened the blinds and swung herself out of her capsule, turning around to fetch her socks.
"Ah, morning!" called Callahan embarrassed. "I was just telling these kids about yesterday, you know, when we caught…"
"Mew, yeah, I heard you say something like that." Risa balanced on one foot while she pulled on her socks. "It was a real battle right? What kind of color was it, again?"
"Ha.. ha… ha…" Sweat poured down his face. "Y-you know, I couldn't really get a good look at it 'cus it turned invisible every few seconds."
"Ah, is that right?" Risa said smugly.
Callahan laughed awkwardly. "Say, is that your stomach I hear rumbling? Oh, wow, mine's too! Sorry, kids, gotta scram! Long day ahead of us, you see? Let's go, let's go...!"
xxxxxxxxxx
Inside the cafeteria, Risa and Callahan were sitting at the open window looking out west onto the foggy meadow. The early morning was peaceful. Wooloo were grazing over the silver plains, splattering through creeks to approach four elderly backpackers who were handing out bread. Callahan gazed away until the view became obscured by a Wooloo that halted right in front the window, placing its black snout onto the windowsill.
"Fine…" Callahan sliced off a piece of his pancake and held it out. The Wooloo silently took it and trotted off.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Risa while she opened a tiny capsule and sprayed some strawberry jam over her pancakes.
Callahan talked with his mouthful, covering his lips with his hairy hand. "We're ahead of schedule, so nothing to worry 'bout, yet. I think about—" He swallowed exaggeratedly, "catching a few Pokémon further up the road. I still need to find myself a team."
"Right. Hey!" She shooed away a Wooloo that started to lick past her elbow which she leant out of the window. "Got any in mind?"
"Nope. It'll work out in the end."
Sighing, Risa leaned back and cocked a brow. "Rather than saying that everything will work out in the end, saying 'I won't give up' sounds more genuine, wouldn't you say?"
"I'll make it work. After all, I'm the greatest trainer there ever was."
"Right. Aannddd, how many days do we have until we get to the ferry?"
"I'd say we'll reach it this evening if we're lucky." Risa actually looked up at that surprised. "Meaning, we'll be heading to the new region when we're going to sleep. Unbelievable, isn't it? Just stop worrying, it'll be fine. This is the easy part. The real trip will start afterwards. You should simply spare your energy for now and enjoy the scenery." As if he were eating fish, he held the pancake above his mouth and swallowed it without chewing. How he didn't bloody choke on that was beyond her.
With that, the two set off again.
The door of the Pokécentre automatically swung open to make way for Callahan. One of his hands adjusted his beret, while his other was collecting some crumbs from the breakfast from his cheeks.
"Let's go, Risa. It will be uphill from here."
"Yup…" the blonde muttered while hovering behind the older man. She quickly flicked her finger behind the back of her shoes to adjust her socks. Her backpack shifted higher onto her back, but the girl didn't even seem to mind. It seemed like her body was getting used to the daily strain.
Callahan gave a quiet nod as he finished wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He studied the road ahead. It was broad and zigzagged up the mountain for a little while until it turned east, where the road suddenly turned a lot more steep and dangerous. The left side hugged the mountain, while a steep gravel cliff loomed on the other side, with a small forest beneath it. The once broad path thinned, and he could almost imagine themselves shuffling past it while pressing their backs to the mountain.
He adjusted the backpack strap on his shoulder. Well, let's get this show on the road, he thought to himself. "You ready?" he said while inspecting Risa.
"Sure."
"Alright."
With that, they began climbing. Callahan led the way, and Risa followed in his steps. Risa's eyes met Callahan's. "Say, sir. I never asked. What kind of job did you have?"
"Where's that coming from?"
"No reason in particular, just wondering."
Callahan inspected her before he released a sigh. "I was an associate at a law firm. I studied spreadsheets all day– spreadsheets filled with articles that intersect with one another, case law, all that jazz. I was the guy that had to find the loopholes in the law or contracts of our clients."
Risa's coltish legs suddenly stopped moving. "You were a lawyer?"
Callahan stopped as well, turning around. "No, I was a jurist. I was never allowed to represent our clients in court. To be honest, I've never seen the inside of a courthouse, never looked a real judge in the eyes– I was just the man behind the scenes."
"Hmm, I figured you for something else."
"Like what?"
"A comedian."
Callahan scoffed before resuming his climb, watching the stones glimmer in the sunrise as if they were wet. "I'm not interested in amusing others– except for Kellie, that is. My previous job was fine. It was dull but it wasn't stressful. And even though I found it boring most of the time, a small part of yourself always enjoys something you're good at, even though it makes you want to pull your hair out in boredom."
Risa jogged to catch up with the man. "So, what kind of laws did you study?"
For some reason, Callahan didn't feel it in him to lie. "I was a bit of an all-rounder, you know, but I mostly focused on reading inbetween the lines, open standards and unwritten law in particular."
Risa looked confused. "Unwritten law? I thought you could only be convicted for something that was written in the constitution or something?"
Callahan held a lopsided smile as he beckoned Risa to follow him to the side of the road near the edge of the precipice. "This sure is a steep drop," he stated to himself as he put one of his feet against a moderate sized rock. "There are unwritten rules humanity abides by. Let me give you an example. It is an unwritten rule that one should not push boulders off a high place," he stated while dully pushing the rock off the cliff.
The boulder bumped and bounced down the mountainside while gathering speed. It rolled a short while before falling straight down into the woods that lay way down below.
Risa watched in mild fascination.
Callahan followed the rock fall all the way down, whistling until he heard a faint thump sound below. Callahan triumphantly made a fist bump in the air and released a triumphant shout. He turned around to Risa. "See? Let's say that someone walked there, down below, then they would be dead. So, it's an unwritten rule that mountaineers don't do that."
"So… we must not do that," Risa said with a monotonous voice.
"Exactly."
A silence fell between the two. Risa raised a brow at Callahan. Realisation settled on Callahan's face before he nodded to himself, collected himself, and without another word, settled into a jog.
xxxxxxxxxx
Sudowoodo's heart pounded in his rocky frame as he darted through the thick forest. With a shriek he leaped to the side as a sharp onslaught of water shot at the place where he had been a second ago. He ducked and weaved around trees and bushes, throwing his body against the hard bark of a pine to get just a glimpse of refuge behind some protective cover; a momentary shield from the ferocity of the Golduck's assault.
Sudowoodo looked behind him, just in time to see the Golduck whirl around and use Aqua Tail to cut straight through the trees in front of him. He threw himself to the ground, dodging the attack that as in slow-motion narrowly passed him overhead. A drop of sweat formed and splattered apart on the grass. Time sped up again. He scrambled back in a mad dash.
All his cover was getting cut away left and right. Sudowoodo's eyes darted around, searching for a glimmer of salvation amidst the chaos. He knew that the relentless chase couldn't continue forever. The trees, once his perfect cover, were gradually thinning. The open expanse ahead offered no place to hide. At the end of it lay the mountainside. It was too steep to climb. Panic began to grip Sudowoodo as he realised the inevitable.
He turned around to flee in another direction. Just as he turned, the pursuing Golduck unleashed a powerful torrent of water. The merciless assault crashed into Sudowoodo like an explosion, breaking off tiny chunks of his body and sending shards of pain radiating through him. The force of the water slammed Sudowoodo against the mountainside. He was pinned with no way out.
He knew it, and he could see in the eyes of his pursuer, that it was thinking the same thing. A dark smile formed on the Golduck's beak. It hurled its head backwards, empowering a massive and final attack.
Sudowoodo gave the surrounding a final glance.
No escape. The end of the road.
He closed his eyes, and relaxed his body in a last farewell to the world.
In the darkness of his mind, a familiar rumbling sound reached his ears. A sense of familiarity washed over him, recognizing the sound of rolling rocks descending from above. Sudowoodo's heart leaped with a flicker of hope, and his eyes shot wide open.
A massive rock hurtled down from the sky and crashed upon the Golduck with an unyielding force.
Bones snapped and splintered, a cry of pain pierced the air.
Sudowoodo looked up. All the way at the top of the mountainside, he could see a figure clad in red. With his sharp hearing and enough concentration, he could detect a victorious yell and the figure punching the air in victory. Sudowoodo was mesmerised, and kept looking long after the figure had disappeared.
During this time the cries in the background had become whines. Then gurgling. At one point the forest fell silent once more. But it was not the same as before. The aftermath of the brutal encounter lingered in the air. Sudowoodo could feel it as well. The realisation shook the walking tree out of his trance.
With a shock, Sudowoodo reeled from his own injuries. There was a slight crater in the middle of his body. It would grow back in time. The best thing about rock-Pokémon was their significantly higher pain tolerance compared to other types, owing to their lack of skin, organs, and other sensitivities that afflicted other types.
In an instant, his pain had all but faded, and it released a sigh of relief.
With that out of the way, his eyes started to move to his previous pursuer. He halted his eyes before they could reach the fallen rock. He sharply turned his head to the skies and walked with large steps past it. He kept moving until his vision was filled by the green lush canopy of the forest.
There, he finally let himself relax. Breathing heavily, the Sudowoodo leaned against a nearby pine, a newfound sense of relief washing over him. It was mixed with relief and fear. He knew that he wouldn't have survived the encounter had things been different. Most Pokémon in the wild were simply left to Arceus' mercy. And there wasn't much left of that. But he... he just thought that he had seen a glimmer of it. Somebody had saved him.
A warm feeling filled his chest. It is nice to be saved, to be protected by someone, isn't it?
Summoning his courage, Sudowoodo braced his feet deep in the dirt before pushing himself off the tree.
He had narrowly escaped the clutches of the Golduck. This time, he had to start a chase himself; a chase to find, and thank the hero that saved him. With new determination, Sudowoodo leaped over tree roots and creeks.
As it darted through the forest, Sudowoodo's eyes locked with the edge of the mountainside. He would find his savior. He just had to follow the trail.
xxxxxxxxxx
The sun was setting, casting a warm golden glow upon the leaves above Risa's head. Dust swirled at the cuffs of her jeans. The path they traveled was a small dirt trail that meandered through the forest. It had taken an entire day of climbing, but they finally had put the mountain behind them.
A peaceful silence had settled between the two travellers.
As the landscape transitioned into dusk, their path led them deeper into the woods. Risa was lost in her thoughts until Callahan's voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Risa, don't want to scare you, but we're being followed." His voice was nonchalant, but held a quiet intensity.
Risa didn't doubt the truth in that statement. The man's posture held its usual slouch, but his eyes possessed a sharpness that she hadn't seen before.
"It's been following us since we entered this forest," Callahan continued.
"Is it—?"
"No," Callahan interrupted. "I don't think it aims to do us any harm. The thing would've done it a long while ago if it wanted to. And for the record, the creatures in these parts are mostly peaceful. Especially around this trail. If we headed north, we could have gotten into trouble. But 'round here? Nah. Still makes me feel uneasy, though."
"So, what is following us?" Risa questioned, looking around for a sign of the perpetrator.
"I've only seen glimpses of it. Like there," Callahan said while turning and pointing in a certain direction. A rustle in the underbrush could be seen. "It hides in the foliage."
"If it isn't harmful, shouldn't we just let it do its thing and move on? It's gonna be dark soon," Risa said as she clutched the straps of her backpack.
"No. Let's just confront the thing," Callahan stated, readjusting his beret. "I know you're there!" Callahan shouted. "Come out! We won't hurt you."
Suddenly, a pair of glowing eyes materialized through the foliage, fixated on Callahan and Risa. The Pokémon took a tentative step forward, its now visible presence a relief to the companions.
Callahan's protective stance softened. "It's just a harmless grass Pokémon," Callahan puffed out.
"Rock, actually," Risa stated, still eying the creature curiously. "Sudowoodo are rock types; they just look like grass-types to protect themselves. Quite clever, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah," Callahan said while brushing her comment away. "Let's go, I still want to arrive at the harbor while everyone's kitchen is still open." He pointed at a sign, with the words 'Oceanview City' carved into it.
Risa, on the other hand, was more interested in the cute creature that had found the courage to approach the duo.
"You've been following us this entire time, right?" Risa asked as she squatted in front of the Pokémon. "Don't remember your name, though," she said playfully. She chuckled as the Pokémon quickly pronounced it. "Sudowoodo. Gotcha. You want something from us?" Sudowoodo nodded exaggeratedly before he pointed at Callahan's Pokéballs that hung on his utility belt.
"I think it wants you to catch it," Risa said.
Callahan rolled his eyes and walked past the Pokémon.
"Go home. Why don't you find someone else to bother? We're not going to carry deadweight around. Got too few resources to spare for a damn walking stick."
Sudowoodo frowned, his legs blurring into a rapid flurry of speed as he caught up and abruptly halted Callahan in his tracks. He tugged at his arms while trying to yank something out of his pocket.
"Su-dooooo-wooo-dooooo!"
"I think it's saying, 'Try me,'" Risa remarked, her tone laced with mild curiosity as she observed the interaction.
Try me with what? Was it going for my wallet? Callahan retrieved it out of his pocket and gave the Sudowoodo a look as if to ask whether this was what it wanted. It nodded. Callahan sighed and withdrew a bronze coin and flicked it high into the air, sending it flying higher than the top of the nearby pine tree.
A cocky smile graced Sudowoodo's lips as he closed his eyes and materialised a tiny pebble above his head, before opening his eyes and firing. The shot made several Pidgey fly from their nests in shock. Risa gave a small smile before swiftly reaching out and capturing the coin before it hit the ground.
"See?" She smiled and tossed it to Callahan, who hummed when he held it before his eyes. A hole had appeared in the exact middle of the coin, allowing him to see through it and look at a certain Pokémon who appeared more than a little proud of his achievement.
Before the Sudowoodo could say anything, Risa jogged up to Callahan. "And?" she asked. "What do you think?"
"Nothing much," Callahan said and smirked. "We've just got ourselves our very first Pokémon."
xxxxxxxxxx
A/N: Next chapter is called, 'the end of the prologue'. We're leaving this island once and for all! I'm so hyped! I can't wait! See you all Monday!