Avery's Pokemon
Umbreon
Name: Evangeline, or Eva
Gender: Female
Nature: Rash
Kirlia
Name: Lady
Gender: Female
Nature: Modest
Buneary
Name: Chastity
Gender: Female
Nature: Adamant
Furfrou
Name: N/A
Gender: Male
Nature: Hardy
Surskit
Name: Sprite
Gender: Female
Nature: Quirky
Hardy the Hiker had a lot to teach me, despite being a sweaty old mountain man. I wasn't about to turn my nose up at him. He was loud and rambunctious, sure, but when we started walking and talking, Hardy actually seemed a hell of a lot smarter than the people I'd been dealing with lately and I was in a rough spot right now. I welcomed any and all assistance, and besides, I found his presence strangely comforting – An older man with a normal personality, at least outwardly, though I felt a niggle of distrust in the back of my mind that I couldn't shake. I'd felt it since the mansion, and I sensed it would take a long time before it'd ever really fade.
Hardy knew way more about Pokedexes than I did. Before he started hiking, seventeen years ago, he worked at a Pokedex development firm in Unova. That life never suited him, but it helped him a lot in his travels. It made me a little warm knowing he felt a desire to pass his knowledge onto me, a mere stranger and future opponent. He spent a decent amount of time patiently teaching me how to use the handheld device properly.
I now had access to various different shortcuts and settings, making my experience with the Pokedex an easier, more personal one. Hardy helped me set up a voice-command function for the machine, which allowed me to boot it up via voice alone. While it couldn't scan a 'mon that way – that aspect of it was manual- I could ask questions that my Pokedex, now answering to Dexxine, might be able to answer. I chose a soft-sounding female Dex voice, and a dark theme so the harsh white lights were easier on my eyes.
"The Pokedex is an interesting machine- Because of the decreasing price of its basic models all over the world, it's expected that you have one. You have to know at least a little bit about this stuff if you're going to make it as a trainer nowadays."
I nodded along as Hardy went off about Pokedexes, only half-listening.
"Life was a lot simpler without them, I'll admit. Some would argue it was worse."
I cut in here. "Yeah, my mom said that when she was a kid most people didn't have a dex. Seems like my mom and most of her generation are laborers and career men who gave up being a trainer. Kinda sad."
"Yep. In those days rich folk, anyone with connections to Pokemon professors, ace trainers, and so on had dexes but everyone else was piss out of luck. It usually gave them an unfair advantage. There were always people protesting outside my work, demanding free pokedexes for their children cause they couldn't afford them. Part of me always wanted to start tossing them out the window. Why not? That's why I'm glad things have changed. A lot of people have at least some version."
"Sure," I shrugged, "Don't be fooled, though. Just because the Pokedex is cheaper nowadays doesn't mean everyone has one. And I don't think it's a good thing that most people are forced to settle for a way older model with far less functions and impractical mechanics. If I didn't pay my way through the Hearthome Coordinator Trainer's School, which was funded by a bunch of huge names, I never would've been able to get the PK41 crimson model that I have."
His eyebrows shot high. "PK41? The most recent Kanto model?!"
"I guess so!"
Hardy gasped, "Let me see that!"
I let the guy hold it. It quivered in his hands, and he stared at it with awe in his eyes. "This is unbelievable. The soft, subtle weight. The satisfying way it fits in the hands. The high def screen. PK41's have a 3D hologram program built into them, correct?"
He'd lost me. He noticed my slack expression and cleared his throat. "Well, we're here anyways…so," The old hiker reluctantly handed my Pokedex to me and mumbled something to his graveler. It sounded something like "lucky bastard." I found myself grinning.
We finally reached the spot Hardy claimed was "perfect for an intense battle" and I have to admit, I agreed with him. Well worth the fifteen minute hike. The setting was nice – a lush, wide mountain slope that stared proudly across the Sinnoh region from its high peak. This part of the mountain was a mixture of flat tops and steep hills. Me and my team couldn't help but roam to the very tip of the mountain steep. From here, I could see the city of Hearthome- my home and the misty blue sky. The sun was so strong here that there was little snow unlike other spots on the mountain, just emerald grass, and steep, rocky walls far behind us.
There was just enough space for a makeshift, moderately-sized battlefield between Hardy and I, though the battlefield was not flat. Seemed like Hardy didn't care, because the huge, tan-skinned hiker had already taken his place and was currently stuffing his face, snacking while I prepped.
I chose Eva, Chastity, and Sprite to battle for me this time. Hardy chose the rules, but kept them simple for me. He picked best of three, single- style battles with a four-move lock. While we were walking, I'd taken a peek at all my Pokemon's moves, so I had a somewhat good feeling about this.
My Pokemon seemed to like the spot Hardy chose too. Eva, Furfrou, and Chastity stared out into the Sinnoh wilderness together, their bodies pressed together for support as they sat at the edge of the slope. They'd clearly never see anything like it. Sprite was less impressed, and she didn't seem to like heights, because she clung to my shoes and shivered, nervous-like, glancing back and forth between me and her friends. As for Lady, she had no interest in sightseeing at all. She was just watching the rest of the group, expression and eyes unreadable.
"Umbreon..?" Eva murmured nervously as she left the pack and approached a different edge of the mountain slope, this one much steeper. She pushed a rock over the side, and it went tumbling down, rolling along the stone wall, until it fell into the deep, dark forest directly below us, and disappeared.
I watched in confusion as Lady slowly approached her from behind- and suddenly pushed on her hindquarters with one dainty, pointed foot, causing the Umbreon to jerk slightly forward, her paws suddenly dangling over the side. Eva instantly steadied herself, but she gasped in terror, glancing back at the Kirlia with anger in her eyes
"Umbri!" My starter hissed, lunging at Lady with her claws extended. She slashed at empty space, because Lady had always backed away. She backed right into my hand. With a glare, I picked my Kirlia up by the back of her neck, glaring down at her.
"I saw all that, what the hell do you think you're doing? You almost killed her."
The psychic-type squirmed in my grasp, shaking her head. "No I didn't. I was just playing~ Master, put me down."
"Apologize to Eva first."
Lady got a hate-filled look on her face. It made me a little sick to see.
"What, you think you're too privileged to apologize to her, Lady? What if you pushed her off for real? Do you think she would've survived? Or do you just not care?"
My Kirlia sighed in resignation, like I was nothing more than a nuisance. "Kirlia kirl," She murmured in Eva's direction.
"There, now. Put. Me. Down. Now. Master. "
I didn't expect Lady to take that kind tone with me of all people, or to glare at me with such a rebellious expression. I glanced at Eva, who just met my gaze and sighed, nodding slightly. I suppose there wasn't much we could do at the moment, considering Hardy was waiting for us. Locking my jaw in aggravation, I set Lady down on the ground and turned away. She trotted off, satisfied, and took a seat nearby in some dense grass to spectate the upcoming battles - which she already knew she wouldn't be a part of.
She glared at Furfrou, and beckoned him over. "Kirlia kirl."
"Furfrouu," the dog Pokemon grumbled.
"Kirlia!"
The Furfrou sighed and laid down behind her. Smiling with pleasure, Lady leaned against his thick-furred side, slightly closing her eyes. She was seriously using Furfrou as furniture?! Lady needed an attitude adjustment, big time, but nothing I did seemed to affect her. I think she genuinely thought she was smarter and better than everyone else here. Her ego had skyrocketed because of her encounter with Darkrai. The big spooky guy had been going easy on us, I was sure of it, and I wished she would realize that. If Darkrai really wanted us to be dead, we would be, along with all the others who actually did die that night.
We were lucky, that's it. I ignored Lady and Furfrou for now.
"You done farting around now kid!?" Hardy asked, he seemed unimpressed by the display. I felt embarrassed. Could he tell my Kirlia had no respect for me?
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"Then let's do it, Ruck, show 'em what you've got."
His Graveler, apparently named Ruck, sauntered forward. The Graveler grunted its Pokemon name, punching its two lower fists together, then roared even louder. I'd already seen a Graveler, they were all over, a fairly common rock-type that could be found in most regions. Even so, I decided to scan him with my dex real quick. Dexxine started chattering, her robotic voice much more flattering now.
Graveler, the Rock Pokemon.
'Oh, so literally Ruck the Rock. Nice.'
Graveler is a slow walker, so it moves in other ways. Often seen rolling down mountainsides, this Pokemon sees obstacles as something to roll over, not to avoid, Graveler's move so fast they will crush buildings, trees, and unwary travelers without a care. If it needs to stop, a Graveler will run itself into the side of a mountain. It's favorite food are moss-covered rocks- a wild one will eat a ton of rocks everyday.
Hmm. I'd never conceptualized a Graveler eating before. I knew they did, it was just weird to think that Ruck, like Lady, Eva, etc, mated, ate, and evolved despite seemingly being a literal rock. How did Ruck breed when he had no no visible genitals? Were they inside him, did they reproduce in a different way? With Eva, I could just pull her legs apart, peer between them and bam- pussy. Same with Lady, Sprite, Chastity – did a female graveler have a…?
'WAIT- I need to focus! This shit does not matter.'
I cleared my throat, red-faced and embarrassed by my own train of thoughts. "Ready Eva?"
My Umbreon stepped in front of me. There were a few yards between her and the Graveler which stared at her, eyes narrow. "Umbreon!"
"Let's get it! Ruck, rollout"!
The battle started before I could blink.
Faster than I ever could have expected, the Graveler launched itself forward. I realized then and there, that Hardy had given me the high ground, an obvious advantage against him. Ruck had to roll up. It's dense, gray body was a blur, it almost made it look easy as it steadily scaled the hill and made it to where Eva was waiting, hunched down and hissing. It was slow, so easy to avoid.
"Eva, d-dodge!"
Eva leapt out of the way, easily avoiding Ruck's first attack.
"Eva, pursuit!"
Eva's black-furred body blurred, and with a cry, she darted forward, chasing after the rock-type. She slammed into it, but it had little to no effect on him. Instead, she herself was thrown back, skidding as she barely landed on her feet. Her ring patterns glowed and she hissed. Without waiting for a command, Eva began to attack. They were savage, quick attacks, but they were obviously pointlessly, because the Graveler seemed unfazed.
"Eva, try double kicking it!" My Umbreon nodded, and leapt into the air.
"Rollout, Ruck, away this time!"
As Eva slammed her feet downward, dropping like an anchor through the air, the Graveler began to move. It rolled back down the hill, hastily avoiding Eva's double kick. Eva began to follow him.
"Eva, wait! Keep the high ground it's the only way we'll – damn it!"
My starter Pokemon was not listening. She'd raced down the hill after the Graveler, teeth bared, and I had no choice but to try to change my tactics.
"Rollout, again!" He grinned at me.
"Eva, dodge aga-" Eva ignored me, instead, she raced toward the Graveler throwing up a faint, weak wall.
She just used protect!
But, it was far too weak, and the creature easily shattered it, easily colliding with Eva and sending the dark-type sprawling back once again, struggling to stand on her slender legs. Her golden rings glowed again, and she hissed loudly.
"Eva! Listen to me, if you use protect properly, I think we can win th-"
My starter was having none of it. Maybe she was embarrassed, maybe she was so focused she just couldn't hear me, either way. Instead of attempting to protect again, Eva instead started to try and dodge the Graveler. It turned into something out of a game. Like a damn pinball, the graveler went up and down the hill, over and over, narrowly avoiding Eva each time. Every time the Graveler reached the top of the hill it let its weight stop completely, and it rolled back down even faster.
Why was a rock moving this fucking fast!? And what the hell could I do about it!? It'd made the mountainside it's fucking skating ring! Ruck rolled a perfect half-circle along the rim of the mountainside, nearly falling off, before coming back around, shooting toward Eva once more. Eva leapt out of the way again and again, but the rock-type was fucking relentless. It seemed inevitable that Ruck would hit Eva. I watched in awe as the Graveler rolled all the way off the side of the mountain, tumbling down it. It hit a sloping wall, and using that curved surface, it launched itself back in our direction.
This time, I saw it in Eva's expression. There was no way this one was missing. She was done. She had to listen to me. I got a flash of PTSD to my battle with that kid in the woods and his stupid Bibarel, the guy had spammed the same move! And I still didn't know how to handle it!
It was now or never. Ruck came rolling back up the hill, then stopped, dropping straight down toward her.
"C'mon kid, you've had plenty of time to prepare! Show me what you've got!" Hardy yelled.
I trembled, and quickly spat out a command. "Eva, protect!"
The Umbreon glanced back at me, wide-eyed and confused."Umbri?" She had no clue what I was talking about. But she had just used it!
"Eva, you have to-"
"UMBRiii!"
With mind-numbing force, the Graveler slammed straight into my helpless Umbreon. She was sent sprawling, tumbling a few feet in the dirt, landing right at Lady's feet.
The Kirlia stared down at the umbreon unamused, and crossed her arms.
"Using protect, being defensive, goes against Eva's very nature, master. She's rash and immature, are you sure you shouldn't have picked me for this battle?"
'Oh shut it for once, Lady!'
"Hmph."
"Eva! Are you okay?!" I sprinted to her.
"U-Umbreon…" My starter dragged herself up, yelping in pain. She was limping as she crawled forward again, her fur bristled, even if I wasn't a doctor I could tell that she'd seriously hurt them. My heart ached, and I found myself questioning if battling was worth it again. But as if reading my thoughts, Eva glanced back at me with a determined look.
Hardy crossed his arms, and Ruck came to a crashing stop beside him, slamming into the mountain wall nearby. The hiker was staring at me with a look of disbelief in his eyes. I guess he didn't expect his graveler to sweep my Umbreon off her feet like that. I felt a little pathetic. "Can't believe it, this really is your first actual battle, huh? I can tell."
"I already told you that," I snarled at him.
"Simmer down, and learn from this. I'm going easy on you, you know." The bearded man grumbled. That made this even more humiliating! "Now, show me how you handle this! Ruck, superpower!"
What was that?
The Graveler began rolling forward, launching itself into the air, coming straight for Eva.
"Make a barrier like before, Eva! Do it, use protect for Arceus's sake!"
Eva grit her teeth, and her ring patterns glowed vividly, far brighter than before. Her body glowed, and a faint, blue barrier appeared before her.
"It has to be stronger Eva!"
My Umbreon's expression was desperate as she fortified her protection, just as the graveler made its way to her. It threw all four of its arms back, and slammed them down into the wall. I sighed with relief as the barrier held.
"GRAV!" The Graveler wound its arms back again, slamming them forward, determined to break through the wall with its super strength. Eva flinched, the barrier flickering slightly as she stepped back, eyes wide.
"Grav! Grav! GRAV!" The persistent bastard just kept punching!
Defense wouldn't work anymore! I had to attack!
"Eva, double kick, you need to land it this time!"
"Ruck, toss some dirt in her face, sand attack!" The Graveler did just that, kicking rocks and dirt right at Eva. The Umbreon wasn't expecting it, and the rock-stuff got into her eyes. She hissed in displeasure, scratching at her own face, trying to get it out.
"Eva, calm down, he's right in front of you!"
But she wasn't listening. She was too focused on how irritating the feeling of sand in her eyes was, and I can't say I blamed her. That being said, because she was so focused on it, when Hardy yelled "Sand attack, again!" she was standing helplessly before him as the Graveler grabbed two scoops of dusty dirt, and pushed them right into Eva's watering eyes.
The Umbreon leapt away, shaking her head, doing everything she could to clear the rough stuff from her eyes, but she couldn't. It was stubborn, nothing but water could help her out here. Shit.
"Now, Ruck, seismic toss!"
"Eva! Behind you! Protect!"
But my Umbreon didn't care, or maybe couldn't. I flinched as the Graveler rolled right behind her, wrapping both of its upper, buff arms around her with all its strength, roaring "GRAVELER!" as it proceeded to roll forward, and then launch itself using a slight slope into the air. It proceeded to drop like a, well, rock, crushing down on my starter with its entire weight.
To say Eva lost was an understatement, she was rendered almost entirely unconscious, eyes firmly shut. I ran to her, and picked her up.
"You did good," I whispered, stroking her head, using some of our water to wash out her eyes. It wasn't just my bottled water leaking down her cheeks though, anybody could see that Eva was crying. It broke my heart to see her sad. I was so proud of her for lasting as long as she did. "That last protect was amazing," I whispered.
"Umbri?"
"I really mean it," I promised, kissing the top of her head. She visibly relaxed, smiling, and I applied some potion to her wounds. I returned Eva to her pokeball so she could rest.
"Hmm, that was surprisingly easy, I expected more of a fight from a second stage like her!"
I scowled. He could say what he wanted but Eva's last protect really had been something special. She'd managed to persevere against not one, but three, superpower's. "She's new to this stuff, don't be a dick."
"You're right! You know, I remember when Ruck was just a boy, and I challenged the local gym leader! He sure did roll out- straight out of the damn ring! Immediate disqualification!"
How could I stay upset when he'd just admitted something like that to me? It was impossible not to like this guy.
Ruck rolled his eyes and grunted under his breath. "Grav…"
"You know I'll never let you live it down! You did great, old friend, now return!" The Graveler was returned to its ball, and Hardy grabbed a different one from his belt. "Ready for round two, Avery?"
I glanced back at my Pokemon. They had all been observing the battle, and I could tell by the look in their eyes that they didn't have much faith in our odds. I had a feeling I had something to do with it. Either way, Chastity nodded as she hopped forward.
"Bunnneary! Bun!" She swung with both her ears, jumping from foot to foot, clearly excited.
"Avery, kid, the reason I wanted your Umbreon to last a bit longer is the rest of these battles will be well...just don't be too hard on yourself. Yami, you're up!" My eyes widened when I saw the Pokemon that appeared. A Pokemon from Hoenn this time, a Hariyama. I had always wanted a Hariyama at some point. I was already familiar with it, but I scanned the fighting-type anyway.
Hariyama, the Arm Thrust Pokemon.
One hit from this powerful Pokemon's open-handed, straight arm punches can break a telephone pole in two. It has a habit of challenging others without hesitation, and loves to match power with big-bodied Pokemon. It's known for its fantastic strength, but as they grow older, most Hariyama start to spend their time training young Makuhita. Although they are competitive, they also value honor and etiquette in battle.
Yami bowed, smiling and throwing both its arms outward like shields, standing directly across from Chastity. Clearly challenging her. It slowly moved its three-fingered hands back and forth, as if waiting for incoming strikes.
There was no way Chastity was beating this, but I wasn't about to break her pride and stop her from trying. Especially when she determinedly stepped forward.
"Chastity, try to- '' Before I could even get any more words out of my mouth the seven foot tall fighting pokemon began to rush straight towards Chastity surprising fast for a fat ass. The battle was starting. "Chastity, keep your distance and bounce away!" Chastity's ears perked up when she heard bounce,turning to face me smiling with a sultry smile. She stared down at my crotch.
You horny little slut! Not that kind of bounce!
Hardy raised a brow.
"Now isn't the time, turn around! Turn around!" Chastity was laughing, batting her eyes at me, as the shadow Pokemon loomed over her. Her laughing slowly faded as her emotion switched from joy/teasing to pure fear and anguish. I think she thought she'd be quick enough to jump away even from a short range, but when she tried to jump away, the Hariyama simply grabbed the head of the bunny pokemon before she could properly react. There was such a terrifying size difference, Hariyama's hand enveloped her entire head, her ears sticking out of its fist like plants from the dirt.
"Yami, fake out." Yami simply let go of the buneary, this brought some relaxation to Chastity and I, for just a second. Suddenly, the massive hand smacked downward, slapping the living shit out of Chastity. The Hariayam then picked the bunny up and threw her, slamming her into the nearby mountain, the impact making a shallow crater which she laid in, whining softly. She was shocked by the blow, but Hardy wasn't done.
"Now Yami, seismic toss!" Baffled by how quick he switched gears, I felt the taste flee my mouth. What move could Chastity possibly use that could save her from this? Hariyama ran straight for her again. My buneary's eyes were watering, her whole body sore from the previous battery. The tiny Pokemon was picked up again, then quickly slammed down by the almost 600 pound pokemon.
"Again!" The Hariyama drew its arms back for another fierce strike.
'Not that move again!'
"Chastity, get away while you can!"
My Buneary just managed to dodge the first lunge by Yami, throwing her battered body through the air. She landed hard, rolling a few feet. She was panting, face and body bloodied as she pushed herself up, barely standing on her feet.
"Hardy, I think I'm ok with losing this-"
"BUN!" Chastity snapped, glaring at me. Her face was literally swollen from the abuse she'd been victim to, but it was like she didn't care. "Buneary, buneary!"
Lady's sudden voice in my head had an amused tone. "She wants to do this, master."
Yami smiled at the smaller Pokemon, nodding in respect. Chastity visibly brightened, perking right up. Pokemon were really something, I certainly wouldn't want to keep fighting if I got my ass beat like that. Hardy glanced at me. "I'll stop the battle if you want, but I can promise you this, your Buneary won't forgive you."
"…" I sighed. If Chastity wanted to be an egomaniac and get her shit slapped around I guess it wasn't my place to stop her, I certainly wasn't a good enough trainer, I don't know if anyone is, to defeat a Hariyama with such a low-level Buneary no matter what her egg moves were. This Hardy guy really wasn't pulling any punches with me, and I wasn't sure how much I liked that fact. The experience difference between us was insane, and while I was trying to learn from it, I was also now battling the crippling thought that I really was just incompetent and that I was fucking all of this battling shit up.
"Aghh! Ok, fuck, Chastity, quick, bounce! In the air!" No room for silly jokes this time.
My Buneary immediately listened to my command, bunching her hindquarters, and then launching herself straight into the air. She curled her ears together, bunching them, and came back down.
"Rock tomb, Yami!"
The Hariyama placed a hand on his left thigh before raising his thigh high and slamming down onto the ground, unearthing great, sharp slivers of rock that protruded in the air like towers. Meanwhile, Chastity was jumping and was about to try to land safely in this arena of rock spears. Needless to say, Chastity collided with multiple pieces of sharp stone, tumbling through the air, again much like a pinball and Chastity didn't even reach the ground before Hardy followed up with another command.
"Finish her off with a close combat."
Time seemed to slow as the Hariyama sprinted forward, jumping into the air. All I could do was stare. Stare as those massive hands closed and slowly began to pummel Chastity with punch after punch, and my Buneary could do nothing but just be brutally assaulted. When blood started coating Hariyama's hands, it finally relented, letting itself fall from the air. Landing back onto the ground, dirt moved everywhere from the impact as he placed his hand on his right thigh, lifted it up and slammed it down again. "Yama!"
Chastity came crashing back down. I went to her as fast as I could, leaping forward to catch her fragile, beaten body in my hands. I skidded to a stop on my knees, clutching her against me. It looked a lot worse than it was from afar. It seemed like Hariyama had held back some of the pack in its punches, because now that I was holding her, I could see Chastity was at least not permanently damaged. That didn't make me less angry though.
"You didn't have to go so hard, you know!" That was two down for me, and none for Hardy…
The Hariyama bowed once again, and sat down, crossing its legs. It seemed to be waiting for something.
"Thank you my good friend," Hardy murmured as he returned the fighting-type.
"I'm talking to you fatty!"
The hiker glanced at me. "Huh, yeah? Well, at least your Pokemon wanted a real battle."
That meant it was Sprite's turn. The tiny blue water-type was literally quivering on her four slender legs as she walked out in front of me. She was feeling the same as me.
"I might just forfeit this one," I murmured.
"Where's your spirit, kid?" Hardy pulled out a green can from his bag, beginning to sip it. "Ya want one. It's Spryt." He was right, that's what the side of the can said it was.
"I- what? No dude, I don't drink soda."
"It's from Unova. Good stuff."
"Anyways, this isn't about spirit-"
"No, it's about Spryt." Hardy was clearly amused with himself.
"You know, I'm really starting to fucking hate you old man, be serious."
"But I am serious. It's Spryt, and it's damn good."
"Hardy, I don't. Want. Any damn. Spryt! How the hell am I supposed to beat you?! You're way better than me! What was the point of challenging me? If you're guzzling down soda, you clearly don't need money."
Hardy shrugged. "First, I won a life-time supply of this shit. That's why I'm trying to pawn some of it off. Figure it out, or don't. Maybe beating me isn't the point here. Maybe you could learn something else from me. Maybe that's why I challenged you in the first place!" I blinked.
Well, maybe that was true. The love between him and his Pokemon was certainly something to be admired, at the very least.
"Now," He crushed the can against his forehead and tossed it aside. Sprite and I glanced at each other. "Kelsey, it's your turn now." Kelsey was another Pokemon from the Unova region, a Conkeldurr. It held two huge slabs of concrete in its arms and glowered at the two of us like Sprite and I were nothing. Then, it's scary face suddenly split into a grin.
"Conkel!" The fighting-type greeting, eyes twinkling, showing off its huge muscles.
The bug-water type hesitantly walked forward.
Hardy took the first move again. "Don't hesitate, squash that bug Kelsey, use dark swing!"
The conkeldurr lifted its pillars, and began to swing without a care in the world, this way and that. it was suddenly a very scary game of whack-a-mole. Sprite was fast as a feather, that much was true. She leapt this way and that, ducking under and hopping over each individual swing, bending and weaving around the much bigger, older, slower Pokemon. It wasn't exactly a strategy that was going to make us win, but it was definitely the best training sprite could possibly get.
"Keep swinging, Kels, you'll smoosh it eventually!"
Sprite was so used to the pattern of leaping, that she was completely unprepared for it when Hardy changed up his strat entirely. I have to give it to her, she was agile as fuck. I didn't expect her to last as long as she did.
"Kelsey, now's your chance! Hit it with a stone edge!" The conkeldurr roared.
Sprite landed right in the middle of the rock tomb field. She glanced up, terrified, as the conkeldurr smirked. The conkeldurr began to rip out huge, sharp, slabs of stone, throwing them toward Sprite like they weighed nothing. She did her very best, and she even managed to avoid some of them, but one stone's edge sliced straight into her leg, and she hit the ground, even harder than Chastity had, her body limp and bleeding. If it wasn't for the natural durability of Pokemon I think she would've been seriously hurt.
I returned her. Well, that was it. Kinda pathetic. I think the humiliation showed on my face because Hardy gave me a pitying look.
Lady stepped forward. "Master, I refuse to sit back and let you accept defeat. I don't know why you didn't give me a chance. They're all just- they embarrassed you. So, I'll take care of this!"
Apparently my Kirlia had lost her patience. She wanted to win and she was determined to do it, and quickly. Furfrou started barking as she dashed onto the battlefield, her eyes glowing as she twirled on her feet, facing her new opponent.
"Hey, girl, you can' just-"
Lady smirked, and her red eyes lit up. The can of Spryt exploded in his hand.
He went silent. "Ok. Oh Fuck... Fuck it." He tossed it aside. Pulling out a new one this time, cherry flavored, and glared at the Kirlia. "Damn it, fine, you want to battle? Kelsey, show her who's boss! Bulk up!"
The Conkeldurr began the battle by stalking towards Lady. Despite the fighting-type being nearly double her size and seemingly made of pure muscle, Lady showed no fear. My Kirlia just stood there, a faint smile on her face. I think anyone who looked at her could recognize the insufferable arrogance she was radiating.
Kelsey's muscular body started glowing as it slowly moved forward, watching Lady's ever move. As I watched, one hand switched to a more defensive position, the other ready to swing at any moment. Bulk up made its attack and defense raise by one rank, so he was much more of a threat now.
"Lady, make some distance between-"
"Master, I've got this. Don't interfere." Her eyes radiated a familiar red light as she once again used her psychic powers. She easily lifted the huge fighting type in the air with her telekinesis. It landed with a groan a yard away, aggravated. It clambered back up to its feet instantly, and picked up speed, coming straight for her in a fit of rage. It lifted its pillars up, and slammed them down toward her.
"Dodge him," I ordered, but Lady just smirked at me.
"Master. Just watch."
"Kirlia, kirl!" Lady stopped the conkeldurr mid-swing, staring straight into its eyes. She then released a barrage of psychic attacks, lifting her hands toward him and twirling, her entire body body and especially her ruby eyes glowing with a faint, familiar pink energy.
"Kelsey, prepare yourself to hold tight!" Hardy shouted.
Calling Lady's attacks bloodthirsty and savage was an understatement, and the Conkeldurr could do nothing in return. Every time the fighting-type tried to swing, I could see Lady forcing her way into its head, causing its blows to miss or to not be delivered at all. The conkeldurr was getting more frustrated by the minute, confused. It shook its head.
"Grrrrr, CONKEL – DURR!"
It broke free from its confusion. While there was a type advantage, and Lady was on the offensive, I realized now what Hardy meant. I don't think he ever planned for me to win, I think he was trying to signal with his previous statement that this wasn't something I was supposed to try to overcome, but instead study. Hardy had a lot of interesting, unique tactics. The conkeldurr was now holding back its attacks entirely, focusing instead on forcing Lady out of its head.
Still Lady didn't relent. That was a big mistake on her part.
"Kelsey, bide your time! You've got this!"
I had a bad feeling about this. Lady had a smug look on her face and she let loose a plethora of devastating psychic-type moves. They all hit home, colliding straight into the Conkeldurr with a burst of vivid light. But, they didn't break him. Instead, the Pokemon kept standing, using its great concrete pillars to keep itself up, its muscular body dripping with sweat. Its body started to glow as the assault continued.
"C'mon Kelsey! Just a little bit longer!"
Lady was starting to become annoyed. "Kirlia! Kirl!"
A beam of energy shot from her hands, a strong psywave hitting the Conkeldurr. The humanoid creature grabbed a crimson and orange sash wrapped around its right bicep, closing its eyes and exhaling deeply. The conkeldurr's body was glowing so brightly now it almost seemed like it was made of pure light. The huge, muscular humanoid let out a strange inhuman roar and with a swing of its thick, strong arms it raised its pillars high, swinging downward with great force and shocking speed. I didn't even have time to get words out of my fumbling mouth, and Lady's crimson eyes widened.
I stammered, forcing the words out hurriedly, "Lady, get away! Dodge it, quick!"
But she was frozen up, she couldn't believe he didn't fall to her attacks, and by the time my words registered in her mind it was too late and the conkeldurr's twin weapons came crashing down!
"Kelsey! Stop!" Hardy roared, stepping forward.
With a flick of its wrist, the conkeldurr changed the direction of its swings and the huge weapons slammed into the ground right beside my beloved kirlia. The ground was ripped open, exploding with a splash of dust and rock that sprayed the area and Lady's soft, delicate frame. She was covered in dirt now, some of it getting in her eyes, and even from a distance I felt the impact, which sent intense, painful vibrations through my legs and feet. It didn't surprise me when Lady dropped to her knees, frightened, staring up at the conkeldurr, suddenly unsure of herself.
Hardy stood there with his arms crossed. The huge hiker was staring at Lady with an unreadable expression, meanwhile she trembled and shivered like a paper doll. I wanted to scoop her up and comfort her, but Hardy held up a hand to me.
"Give me just a moment, son."
His soft words reeked of good intention, and I stepped back. Maybe Lady would actually listen to him, since she didn't listen to a damn word I said. Hardy knelt in front of my Kirlia. "That fear you're feeling right now little Kirlia is the looming, inevitable despair of an ill-prepared foe. Pick your battles wisely, and you'll grow to be a wise and old Pokemon, or die a fool. Some people don't take to battles like the sort you just picked with me very kindly. Some might just take advantage of your weakness and smash you into a pile of stinking flesh. And there will be no one there to stop you, because as you noticed- your friends were defeated too. Ain't that right?"
Lady looked like she didn't want to be listening, but she was frightened, so she was. She nodded. He was right. If Hardy was a member of Team Salvation, we'd be thoroughly fucked.
"I don't mean to scare ya lass." He patted the top of her head, and she flinched away, her eyes narrowed with distaste. He chuckled, but stopped touching her and stood. "I hope you're listening too, kid."
"I am." I muttered.
"Good. You need to become a better trainer, and fast. You're new, it's excusable, to an extent but you're hilariously bad at…" Hardy sighed, and shook his head, scratching at his thick, dense beard.
"Hilariously bad at what? Say it."
"Well, your voice quivers like a petal in the wind, kid. How can you expect anyone to follow orders like the ones you give?" When I didn't respond he shrugged. He glanced at his conkeldurr, "Have fun, Kelsey?" The panting conkeldurr smirked and nodded. Hardy grinned back, "Then Kelsey, return."
Lady was still silent, seemingly just processing everything. Her red eyes were racing back and forth, and she wasn't looking at anything or anyone in particular. Her body posture spoke volumes about her current mental condition. She was completely and utterly humiliated, and she hated Hardy. I could see that in her eyes as she stared at the hiker. To lose to a fighting-type pokemon after - in her own eyes- defeating a Darkrai and bragging to me was probably utterly inconceivable to her.
Hardy hooked conkeldurr's pokeball ball to his belt. "Perhaps I'm being too harsh…it's just that...Avery, I've been backpacking for seventeen years. From Unova to Sinnoh, all over, and back again -you both are incredibly exceptional, so don't look so down. Just learn."
Lady turned to me. Her eyes were huge and sad, and before I could say anything – or scold her for running into battle without permission- she ran up to me, hugging my leg. I gently picked her up, and the tiny Kirlia's body was wracked with violent shivers as she sobbed into my neck. When she looked up at me I could see an endless well of confusion and fear looking back at me. Perhaps her run in with Darkrai truly had made her think she was unbeatable, some kind of unstoppable force. But she was just a Kirlia. A strong Kirlia, sure, but untrained and young. Kelsey appeared to be a wizened old battle mon, with special training to take out someone just like Lady. I could see from Lady's solemn expression that she considered this a personal defeat. I was even more alarmed that she wasn't trying to speak directly to me, like she was avoiding my mind. Maybe suffering the same fate as all the Pokemon she'd berated was just a humiliation too much for her to bear.
I was pretty fucking humiliated myself. I hadn't even been close to taking out a single one of his mon's. I had to become better, I wanted to. For so many different reasons. That was, at its core, the point of all this right? Not just escaping, but being able to actually have an impact on, well, anything. Hardy's comment on my inability to command property was ringing in my head like an echo chamber. It rang with an uncomfortable, familiar truth, something I'd already known. I'm a pushover at times, emotional, and somewhat weak-willed when faced with a lot of conflict. With my cursed bad luck, I had more than my share of conflict, but that wasn't anything I could control.
Hardy really was right. What Lady and I were feeling right now is exactly as he described, the shame and sadness of being completely ill-prepared and fucked over, something I've been feeling for the past weeks, months, my entire life.
I held Lady tight. "You did great, sweet girl. We both learned a lot from this." I kissed her cheek. "We're going to train and become even better, okay? Together?"
Lady stared into my eyes, and then looked suddenly away, a flash of something unreadable on her face. She finally spoke in my mind again, something I actually found comforting. Though her words were the opposite.
"Master, I'd like to be returned now. "
"Huh, Returned? You mean, to your pokeball?"
She nodded. Lady hated her pokeball, she always forced her way out when I wasn't looking, yet she was asking to be put in it? Did her defeat disturb her that badly?
"It's okay that we lost."
The Kirlia said nothing, but her eyes said it all. She was completely and utterly miserable, unmotivated, and angry. A million negative emotions shone back at me from those twin ruby pools, and even my gentle touch on her head and my arms wrapped around her brought her no comfort. She stared back at Hardy for a second, her teeth clenched, then tsked and glared at me.
"I'm waiting, master."
"Lady, c'mon, don't be like that. I promise it's ok that we lost to him...I didn't even think we'd win, the fact that you got so close-'' Her gaze burned even hotter, and I realized there was no way I could change her mind. It made my chest ache, when did my words start meaning so little to her?
"Fine Lady." I returned her, and for the first time in a while I had none of my Pokemon out. They were either unconscious, or unfit – mentally or otherwise- to stay outside their ball right now, save my Furfrou who'd passively observed the battles the entire time.
"Disobedient teenage girls certainly are a force to be reckoned with, huh?"
I sighed. True, that perfectly described Lady.
"You're right about that," I sighed, shaking my head. I had no clue what to do with Lady lately, I was never very good at communication.
"She's moping because you are, kid. Your words were of little comfort because your face says it all. You're disappointed in yourself, so she is too. And vice versa. I'm sure all your other mon's feel the same way, too. It's normal, for now, just get better. Get good at battling."
Straight-forward enough. I laughed quietly. I was about to respond, when suddenly, a couple loud, demanding barks broke through the air.
Hardy and I both glanced over. Furfrou was up and about now, his ears pushed back as he stared at me. My eyes widened, I could see from the look on his face, there was a special fire in his eyes, what he was trying to communicate. He wanted a chance to compete, a chance to battle, too. I hadn't even considered using him…
"Well, well, I think he wants a go, too." Hardy chuckled. "Your Pokemon are stubborn and determined to fight for you til the bitter end, huh?"
"I guess so," I laughed, "are you sure, Furfrou?"
The normal-type nodded "Furfrou furfrou!" He was determined, Hardy was right.
"Fuck yeah!..."I felt a rush of adrenaline and excitement at one more chance to prove myself, but of course, that was only if Hardy agreed. We'd gone well beyond the original, single styl battle format we'd agreed to. "Umm, would that be okay Hardy? One more round?"
Hardy rubbed his chin, contemplating, his deep brown eyes serious as he thought. "I'd love to. But, this time, you better get serious kid!"
I glanced at Furfrou. "Sound good to you?"
My Furfrou woofed his agreement, his tongue lolling from his mouth. He was so excited just by the idea of battling? In a way, he, Eva, and Chastity were similar that way. It seemed Sprite had no interest in battling at all, and Eva was just having a hard time in general. She was a defensive pokemon, stat wise, but it was in her nature to attack relentlessly, mindlessly. She didn't know how to adjust, or have patience, yet.
Though Lady egging her on probably didn't help.
"Then let's do this!" I nodded.
"Furfrou fro!" Furfrou yipped and rubbed his warm, fluffy body against my legs.
Hardy almost seemed envious as he observed Furfrou's display of affection, and the thickset trainer grabbed another ball from his belt, tossing it forward. "Go, Suzy!"
Like with the rest of his Pokemon, the name was hardly fitting. I couldn't judge him that much considering my Furfrou didn't even have a name yet. But I certainly didn't expect the Pokemon that appeared. I didn't even know what it was, other than well, not a "Suzy." In my opinion.
Suzy was a huge, squat rock covered in red crystals, standing on three strong legs, tipped in the very same crystal. Its eyes, seemingly hidden in its rock frame, appeared to be dull black stones set into its huge skull. It stared passively at my Furfrou, unmoving. Suzy didn't have a very animated personality on the outside apparently she just sat there, waiting for a command.
"Feel free to scan that one, kid! Suzy's from my home region, Unova! One of my first, in fact!"
That explained the unfamiliarity. I scanned the creature, and quickly read the details now displayed. According to my pokedex, the Pokemon standing before me was a second-stage evolution known as a Boldore. Native to the Unova region, a rock-type Pokemon.
'Never would've guessed that.' I chuckled.
"Alright, Furfrou." I had glanced briefly at Furfrou's move set earlier for the hell of it, and quickly planned what might be useful against the Boldore. Hopefully, Furfrou would be able to recognize the commands I gave him and pack the moves with a punch. "You ready?"
"Furfrou!" He howled, hopping forward, his fluffy head pointed downward. For such a regal looking Pokemon, though mine was wild-furred and shaggy, he sure was ferocious. He bared his teeth, his wagging tail the only sign of his softness. Hardy grinned at the display of ferocity, and swung his arm through the air.
"Now I'm pumped up! Let's do this!"
I didn't wait for him to take first command this time. I threw my arm forward, "Furfrou! I know you're cute as fuck on the inside, I can tell! Start this shit off with baby-doll eyes, quick!"
"Bol boldore?" Suzy grunted in confusion.
Hardy reacted instantly though. "Suzy, stop his approach with a rock blast!"
"Boldore!" The rock-type roared, obeying, and it stomped its feet onto the ground. It gripped the upturned stones chunks with its strange, strong legs and began to throw them in rapid succession.
"Furfrou, you're faster! Duck under them!"
He dashed, his shaggy pelt roughed up by the wind, and dipped his head as three huge rocks flew right past his head. His ears twitched, tail wagging, as he successfully dodged all three. Two more were coming in hot, however, and he didn't seem to be aware of them. They were launched much lower than the first three were, and Furfrou was still crouched down. The boldore was a little bastion, trebucheting its stones from a safe distance, too far for Furfrou to even get his stat decreasing moves off!
"Furfrou! Quick, jump on top of that stone, and use it to get even higher! We're changing the plan!"
I didn't expect him to obey such complicated directions. I'd assumed all of Hardy's Pokemon were obeying his because they were so experienced, but his previous words were ringing true in my soul right now. It's because I was sure, absolutely sure, that I could win this. Furfrou and I could do this, and nothing was gonna stop me this time! I had faith in him, I knew what he was capable of, I'd seen it firsthand in the mansion gardens!
I was right to have faith. Hardy's eyes nearly bulged from his head as Furfrou bunched his feet beneath him, and with a determined bark, the dog leapt into the air and onto one of the incoming rocks blasting his way. His claws scrabbled on the stone as he leapt onto another projectile, putting him at an impressive, and rather intimidating, ten feet in the air – well above the boldore.
"Boldore! Iron defense!"
"Furfrou, before he gets the chance! Rock smash!"
"Furfrouuu!" He howled as he launched his body downward, slamming straight into the rock-type. The boldore yelped in pain.
"Bol BOLDORE!" Suzy squealed as she tumbled several yards back, crashing against the nearby wall. Trembling with rage, she shook herself off, and stood up.
"Now, Furfrou, hit her with those cute eyes! Lower that attack!"
The boldore was still picking herself back up – Hardy's command of "Suzy, hurry, forget the iron defense, rock blast again!" came too late.
My Furfrou sat himself down right in front of the Boldore. Even I had to admit, he was an incredibly beautiful dog. . His eyes were huge, warm, dark pools, and they stared innocently, irresistibly down at the boldore, who quivered shyly, bashfully looking away.
"Now, Furfrou! Leap behind her, and rock smash again!"
Furfrou slammed down, knocking his body once more into the rock-type, as the Boldore began to emit a terrifying glow. I could have not let Furfrou get so close to her, but there was a reason I wanted to. The pokedex informed me that Boldore only ever faced one way, it was one of their weaknesses. Because of that, the type of moves Hardy would be forced to use when I got that close had to change! Suzy couldn't exactly use a backwards rock blast, and Furfrou was much quicker! I had a feeling I knew exactly the move Hardy was about to use. I just hoped I was right, and my gamble would pay off.
"Boldore, doesn't matter how fucking ridiculously cute that son of a bitch is, take him out! Explosion!"
'YES! Hardy, your dumb ass is mine now!'
But, Hardy couldn't know I was prepared for this outcome, otherwise he'd switch up his plan entirely. So, I had to act a little. I fake panicked. "F-Furfrou!" I cried out, and the dog looked back at me. I met his eyes, and nodded subtlety once. He seemed confused for a fraction of a second, then he realized what I was asking of him. To have faith. He nodded. "Furfrou run away and -
I clenched my fists, heart slamming against my chest with excitement, and grinned. "Use dig!"
My Furfrou began to dig desperately, pawing his way into the dirt relentlessly. But, he had to dig quickly if he was going to survive. The Boldore was a literal ticking time bomb, one about to go off at any second- and there was no way Furfrou would survive the impact. He had to avoid it entirely. He burrowed under just in time.
Hardy's eyes widened. "That stinking dog! You son of a -"
The boldore erupted in a huge, glowing explosion. The light rippled outwards, and both Hardy and I were thrown backwards, tumbling onto the ground. Holy shit, Suzy's explosion was no joke! The explosion literally knocked Hardy and I on our asses, tossing me several feet, and I groaned. Shit. My body ached as I forced myself up.
As I stood up, I was blessed with the sight of Furfrou appearing from the dirt with a victorious howl, tossing his head back and barking his victory to the sky. His pale, cream-colored pelt was covered in a coat of dirt, grime, and dust, but his eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked back and forth between me and Hardy, tail wagging like a madman. At that moment, I knew I'd found my new best friend.
"Dusty," I declared, "I'm going to call you Dusty."
Furfrou raced toward me, tongue lolling out, barking happily. "Dusty, you...WON!"
I met him halfway, feet pattering on the dirt, and threw my arms around him. He was incredibly heavy as I lifted his warm, muscular body into the air, spinning him around in a circle.
"You did it, you adorable silly dog! You did it!" Out of all my Pokemon, it was him I expected to win the least, I'd never planned on even giving him a shot.
"Frou! Furfrou!" He yipped, tongue and saliva streaming from his mouth, eyes wide with excitement as I couldn't spin him around like I was a child and he was not the weight of a bag of bricks. Until my back started to ache, which didn't take long. I set Furfrou, now named Dusty, down- and he sat down next to me, leaning against my leg.
"Well well well, now that- that was a battle. That is exactly why I wanted to fight you, kid. I'm happy to see I wasn't wrong about you. You're the real deal. You did great, Suzy, return." The battered Pokemon was put back in its ball, and Hardy came close and threw an arm around me. "I mean it kid. You're! The! Real! Deal!"
I had expected a compliment, but I hadn't expected high praise like that. Hardy's ruddy cheeks were red, and he was smiling like he was truly happy.
"What do you mean – real deal? Like, a good trainer?"
"More than that, a future champion."
First, I did a spit take. Then, I burst into hysterical laughter. But Hardy wasn't joking, he just stared blankly back at me.
"Wait, you're serious? How could you possibly know that?"
Hardy grinned. "Because I met another champion before. The former champion of the Unova region! In fact, it was her that inspired me to become a better trainer! She thoroughly beat me, and she had the same glint in her eyes that you do. The same glow."
That was a huge load to push on me, a career choice I had never in my entire life even slightly considered, and it certainly didn't sound appealing to me now. That being said, I still knew quite a bit because of my damn sister, who was hell of a lot more likely to become the champion than me. She was the only reason that I knew who Hardy was talking about. "Err, so you met...Hilda, right?"
"That's the one! Friendly one, that girl. Convinced me to help her get through the caves with just a bat of her eyes. I was helpless," he sighed
"Any other famous trainers you know or have met?" I asked in amusement.
Hardy nodded. "Kind of. On the way to meet one, in fact, my cousin Roark! I reckon you're headed the same way."
My jaw dropped. This fat yet buff, hairy, dirty, and admittedly talented, guy was Roark's cousin? And he'd met THE Hilda? Furfrou and I met eyes, then glanced back at Hardy. I set my normal-type mon down, and stared at him. "Then, that means you're headed to Oreburgh too, right?"
"Before you get any funny ideas, I'm not escorting you! You realize I won four out of our five battles! You're lucky I'm not a bully that expects actual payment!"
Shit, that was true. I had been about to ask him to go with me, and I bit back a retort at his quick rejection. Maybe I wasn't a hot girl like Hilda, but I was worth keeping around! And the guy made me curious, not going to lie. He seemed like a good person, but maybe I should leave it at that. I tried one more time.
"You sure you don't want to travel with the apparently future champion?"
"Sorry boy, I'm an old man now. I prefer to travel alone, but both our Pokemon need healing, and I'm not quite done with you yet. So follow me."
I was going to give at least part of what I owed him, but Hardy ended up taking none of my money. He demanded no payment, save my company for a little while longer. It seemed like my newest acquaintance knew his way around the area like a native. As we traveled, I wondered what other mon's he'd acquired over the years, and how long it'd taken him to get used to traveling in the wild, region to region, like he did. Did he even have a place he called home?
Hardy led me to a small, ancient looking building just outside one of the many cavern entrances that led to Oreburgh. It was a ram-shackle place, poorly built and dimly lit when we entered. According to the sign outside this was supposed to be an inn. I never would've expected one to be here. It was practically hidden, far away from where most of the easy, well-known entrances to Coronet were, of which there were many.
A bag of wrinkles and pale, thin skin with deep-set, sunken eyes stared at us from behind a short counter. She was barely taller than it, her thin frame stooped over, and an equally ancient, bent-backed Toxicroak sat on the counter next to her, wheezing softly, its cheek sacs slowly inflating and deflating like a dull heartbeat. Not going to lie, the pair were a bit creepy, but Hardy seemed unfazed by them.
"H'yup Gran! Two rooms for one night, please!" Hardy greeted as he handed her a wad of pokebucks.
"Mm." She nodded, and took the money.
"Croaaaak," The toxicroak wheezed, pointing its hand toward a long, wooden corridor with various doors. I'm assuming those were the rooms. I walked away with Hardy.
"I can afford my half, you know? Didn't have to pay for the whole thing."
"I have a feeling I have a lot more cash than you kiddo, so don't worry about it. Enjoy one free night inside, and prepare for the fact that if you want warm nights like these in the future, that tent or yours won't do it. You need to start battling, and make money, if you're going to survive traveling. That's the reality."
Zoey had said something similar. Apparently my kid sister was right. Speaking of Zoey…
"Well, thanks Hardy." "Do you mind if I take my leave for a bit? I need to do a couple things."
The hiker shrugged. "Sure, I don't care. From here on out, we're traveling individually."
"Right."
I guess I must've seemed a little lonely because he smiled and slapped me on the back. "Chin up, Avery. We'll meet again." He turned, chose a room, and closed the door behind him.
The call didn't go through immediately, it rang for a few long seconds before Zoey finally answered. "Hey big bro!" Zoey's smiling face appeared, and my heart was flooded with immediate relief upon seeing her. I'd been worried Salvation might go for her for some dumb reason, but my kid sister was safe. And so was her girlfriend. Alice, Zoey's best friend and now girlfriend, was currently curled up next to her, their fingers and legs entwined.
I had only seen Alice a few times, but I was impressed with my sister for landing such a cutie. The girl's hair was a shaggy, deep dark mess that hid her eyes, but she had a slender body and when she pushed her bangs back to peer at me I realized she wasn't just cute, she was beautiful.
"Zoey! I'm so happy you picked up! I see you're with Alice...Does that mean you've finally got off your ass and started your journey?"
Her eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth, like she wanted to say something. Then she noticed my shit-eating grin and smiled wryly, letting loose a sigh. "You're a douche, Avery. But yeah I did start it, kind of."
"Kind of?"
"Alice and I decided we want to start somewhere new. Somewhere more fun. And away."
Well, that didn't exactly help with my confusion. "So…where?"
"Uhh…" Zoey turned the camera, and I gasped when I realized what she meant. I could see now that she and Alice were not alone and she was now pointing her camera out a small, circular window. My sister was flying on a plane somewhere!
"Wait, Zoey, where the hell are you going?" It was my first instinct to be on the offensive, but there wasn't exactly a reason for her to have to stay in Sinnoh, so I dialed it back and cleared my throat. "Did you tell mom?"
"Yeah, though she was so busy getting dicked down by her stupid boyfriend that I don't think she even heard me. Do you think she even cares about us?" I could read the bitter coldness in Zoey's tone clearly.
That particular question I'd asked myself often, and it was one I knew the answer to. Of course mom loved both of us, but showing our love in a healthy way didn't exactly run in the family. Seeing my mother with that machamp had forever changed her in my eyes, but it didn't nullify every precious memory, every tender moment, every love-filled meal from over the years. It just made me not want them anymore.
Zoey has never been a fan of mom, and when we were younger, way younger, she'd been our dad's perfect little girl. The phantom memory of the man, forcibly pushed into the back of my mind, had always prioritized Zoey over me. So, in those years of our lives, I had been raised by mom and she had been raised by dad. It wasn't a fact I liked to think about often, as part of me grew sick with envy. When dad left, Zoey blamed my mom, even at such a young age. The relationship between my mom and Zoey soured, I worked, and now...well, things are the way they are now.
Not exactly a healthy family. I'm sure Zoey expected me to hate mom too, after seeing her with the machamp, but...I didn't hate mom. I just hated that she wasn't the mother Zoey and I deserved.
"I think...yes, she cares about us. But that doesn't matter. I want to hear more about where you're going, and why."
"Alola! Mom's boyfriend has a house here that he's going to rent to us."
"Zoey, this is starting to sound familiar-"
"C'mon Avery, it's not even slightly the same! No creepy guy is going with us...it's just going to be our place, Alice and mine. And her siblings."
"Alice has siblings?"
"No, I lied." Zoey rolled her eyes, "Yes, she has siblings, I'm pretty sure I've told you that before! I'm going to take care of all of them." She grinned at me, determined, her brown eyes holding mine. That's what made me relax… noticing her brown eyes. Apparently my kid sis had done away with her usual shinx-golden contacts. Her dark eyes held a maturity that I had to respect, and honestly I was just glad she was getting away from Team Salvation, and Jackson Wainwright.
"I'm a call away, you understand me?"
Zoey nodded. "I understand- but I've gotta go now big bro, we're not supposed to be on anything electronic while we're flying! The flight attendants are glaring at us!"
"I love you."
"Love you too, bye!" She hung up.
Did my sister know what she was getting herself into? Moving in with her girlfriend and her siblings that fast, in another region? Hopefully her relationship was healthier than mine. The truth was, I couldn't give my sister any shit for what she was doing. She wanted to take care of the girl, meanwhile I was… here. And I didn't even know where Juliet was.
I shook the thought of Juliet and Angel away.
I didn't want to face them right now.
The room was awash with the warm, colored glow of many different Chandelures, floating next to various stained glass windows, each with different art etched into them. Classical music rang out from the central sound system, and the chatter of nearly a hundred people echoed from across the room. All kinds of people were attending this party. Juliet didn't recognize anyone though, she wondered if she would later. She walked up to the bar, which was huge. Five or so different bartenders were hustling behind the counter, serving drinks to the drunken customers that leaned over it, always demanding more.
Multiple Pokemon, mainly Ambipom and Machamps wearing bowties, also worked behind the bar serving drinks. They, and their human coworkers, were working in fluid motion together, clearly used to being a team.
"A Creamy Kick Sunrise, please," she requested as she walked up, leaning on the bar with one arm.
The bartender in front of her turned around. She almost blushed when she saw his face. He was a handsome man, to say the least, his jet black hair pulled back in a low ponytail and a soft layer of scruff on his chiseled jaw. Vivid tattoos ran along his right arm and hand, which he placed on the counter in front of her. He had his long-sleeved white shirt pushed back to show his forearms, and his pants were just tight enough to be very flattering. Did she mention he was also the perfect amount of muscular?
"ID lass?" He had a heavy accent Juliet didn't recognize at first.
She smirked. "Oh come on, this is a pokefucker vacation. If you don't care that I like pokepussy you shouldn't care that I want a bev."
He was silent for a moment, warm eyes unblinking, then he grinned. "Right, sure, I'll serve you. If ya tell me your name." Ahh, there it is- he was from Galar. She could hear it clearly now.
Juliet threw a hand over her mouth to hide her laugh. His face grew slightly slack as he watched her, and Juliet smirked under her hand. Guys were like pudding around her, especially wearing what she was now- a ruby, crystal-coated dress that swept down to her ankles, the top low cut and revealing a fair amount of cleavage. The head of the Solaceon news station, and her captor, Dane Sullivan, had given her this dress. For whatever reason, he wasn't keeping her locked up, and he was encouraging her to roam around and meet people. The situation was complicated, to say the least.
"Well, my name's Juliet. Juliet-"
"Harmon, and she's taken." A second voice rang out. Juliet rolled her eyes.
Dane Sullivan came up behind her, grinning. He was as slimy as she remembered, his longish black hair flowing down his shoulders. He was wearing a full brown-suit, a staraptor feather tucked into the pocket. He put an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. "I'm so happy to see you did what I asked. It suits you…"
She forced his hand off her thigh, and gave a pleading look to the bartender.
"Doesn't look taken ta' me," he mumbled.
"Well, you're wrong. Go away, grunt," Dane smirked, "and bring my bitch her drink."
He walked off with a scowl, muttering under his breath. Juliet certainly needed a drink right now. Dane's hand was coincidentally back on her thigh. She let it stay there. But, one wrong move and she'd let Angel out, and he'd lose his hand. Dane smiled fondly at her, pushing his rectangular glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You look amazing in that dress, I mean it."
"The party hasn't officially stared yet? So who are all these people?"
Dane shrugged. "Fanclub members, people rich enough to arrive early. Workers with a day off. Etcetera, what a boring question."
Or maybe these people dancing and drinking were people like Dane himself. Crooks. "Dane, you told me you'd tell me where my sister is. Where is she?"
"Always business, never pleasure, with you. Relax, you'll see her soon. I promise. I need you to be good until then, can you promise me that?"
Juliet grit her teeth. This bastard was so patronizing. Was he really going to let her see her sister soon? Was Amara really okay? The younger Harmon sister didn't exactly have a lot of power here, so she nodded meekly. "I'll be good."
"Lovely. Enjoy the party," He leaned over and kissed her tan shoulders, running his lips along them. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." He walked off, all smug and full of himself. She clicked her tongue, digging her nails into her palm. It'd taken everything in her not to punch that bastard in the face when he kissed her.
The bartender from before slid an orange-and-cream colored drink across the counter, topped with some fruit garnishes. Her drink had arrived. "I hate that guy," He said, "pointy-mustached prick."
Juliet couldn't help it. His words combined with his accent made Juliet burst into a fit of laughter. The guy blushed at her reaction, scratching the back of his head.
"That funny, eh?"
"I just…I don't think I've ever actually talked to someone from Galar. Your accent's really something."
"Thanks?"
Juliet stared at the drink as she leaned over, inspecting the inside. It smelled good, very fruity.. "This isn't roofied or anything right?"
"Nah, I think if I wanted you I could get ye without drugs." He grinned at her.
Juliet had to admit, she liked his cockiness. She took her first sip. It was... amazing, to say the least. A perfect splash of orange and something else, it almost tasted like candy. She pulled away with a gasp. "Arceus, this tastes like heaven."
"Best bartender in the whole damn Galar region, ya know?" His expression was smug.
"Oh yeah?! Then why the hell are you so slow?" The tattooed guy yelped as a different bartender, a crimson-haired girl, whipped him with a towel. He practically leapt away, holding up his hands in defense.
"H-Hey now! Can't rush perfection now can yeh?!" He scowled as he walked off to keep himself busy.
The red-haired girl grinned at Juliet from across the bar. Shit, she was hot too. And muscular. And she had that lovely Galar accent. And tattoos. Of course, hair that red only came out of a bottle, but it suited the girl, and her jade-green eyes stared boldly as she inspected Juliet.
"Ya just arrived? Haven't seen you before."
"Yeah," Juliet smiled. "Something like that. I'm Juliet Harmon. And you?"
"Cassandra," The redhead said, "and that dipshit ya just met is meh boyfriend, Viktor."
"I-I wasn't flirting with him," Juliet suddenly blurted. She had no idea where that came from.
"Never said ya were~" The bartender stared at her, saying nothing for a moment, then it almost seemed like she'd come to a decision. "Hey…listen, I've a question for ya, Juliet~"
These two Galar fucks were killing her with their accents! When Cassandra said her name, it sounded so sickly sweet on her tongue. Juliet literally shivered. Anxious, she drank more of her drink. She wished she had Angel out right now, she wanted to hold the Absol for comfort. The truth was, if Juliet wasn't in control, she wasn't very good at socializing. And when this woman, Cassandra, stared at her knowingly, winking it made her feel very, very powerless.
"Hey, we're going to be off our shift in an hour. How about ya hang out with the two of us?"
"I…I shouldn't.." Juliet whispered.
'Why not? Do it. C'mon…look at that girl, you always wanted to be friends with someone as hot as her. Make it happen!'
"You sure?"
"No," Juliet admitted, "I'm not. I guess I'm just…I'm worried about my boyfriend."
"Well, he's not here right now. So you should hang out with me and mine. Sound good?"
That's true. And why wasn't he? Where was Avery right now, was he even thinking about her? "Maybe…"
Cassandra grinned. "It's a date then," the redhead purred. For now, Juliet needed to get away for a moment, and breathe.
"See ya later lass," "See ya later love," the pair of bartenders chorused as she walked off in a flustered hurry.
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