Storm Sworn
Summary: Found drifting at sea by a woman from her cruise suite, surrounded by a bright ring of Tynamo and residing inside an unfamiliar body, Aric Fisk doesn't know what to think about his old dreams becoming reality. But he learns fast it's not all rainbows and sunshine. Quite the opposite, really. And much too quickly in his opinion.
Note: I misnamed Elesa's Tynamo in the first chapter. He's actually Wonder, not Current, which is the female Emolga as you'll see.
The interlude is bigger than any previous ones. Enjoy.
- [ᛊ] -
Elesa held back a squeal of glee as she prepared Nessa's room for the evening to come. The dark-skinned girl's latest schedule would keep her away as always. Between training her weaker Pokemon, posing in pictures for an eventual Nessa-themed calendar this day, and using her rescuee as live practice, the younger girl wouldn't be back until the sun had passed the horizon. The blonde had made sure to study Nessa's ins and outs for this very day.
This time, it would be in her favor. It was Nessa's birthday. Truthfully, it was one of the major reasons Elesa had agreed to come on aboard.
If she wanted a break from the city, Anville Town was a train ride away, nevermind any other section of Unova. She would even be able to take her grandmother with her, instead of having to rely on paid help. No matter how much the old woman said she wouldn't mind the fresh hands, her grandmother was much too precise and fussy. Hopefully, she didn't act out with them around too much.
If she wanted to celebrate Nessa's birthday, anywhere would have sufficed. Regretfully, Elesa couldn't say the same for herself, having grown used to being rich and all. What could she say? Money made things easier.
The cruise they agreed upon was supposed to let the dark-haired girl to breathe. Instead, she had done the complete opposite. It had for a brief time intensified Elesa's worry and depression for her future. It was impossible not to see herself in Nessa's shoes. That was her future if she followed through and became the Gym Leader everyone was dying for her to become.
However, saving that boy—maybe, it wouldn't be fair to call him just a boy because he was malnourished and completely out of it but—had relit her with a passion she had nearly forgot: to save. Her grandmother shared stories about her parents. Her mother was a ranger, and her father enlisted in the corps. They had been called into duty to things as small as help down Pokemon stranded on rooftops to something as large as help evacuate trainers from the Forces of Nature.
She had been briefed on her eventual duties if she took over the gym. It was similar to her parents' responsibilities, she imagined. However, it was one thing to hear it. It was a whole other thing to feel it. And in her "first" stint as Gym Leader Prospect, she had succeeded.
She paused from her decorating to glance down at her hands with tearful eyes. Elesa then clenched her hands into fists before wiping her tears and returned to the task of decorating in silence.
The boy had no idea of anything at all really, and it broke her heart. They couldn't even trust him on his name. It was unlikely he would forget it—something so intrinsic to their person, most amnesiacs couldn't forget it—but his name was in no database. There had been no missing persons with his current description. All he had was the ruined clothes on his back, the scarred on his reddened skin, and the bed of eel Pokemon who ventured through the dangerous waters to see him back to civilization.
It had been eye opening to the volatile state of the world after she tried to ignore it when her parents were killed in duty.
She hadn't been able to travel far, much less camp when her grandmother relied on her so heavily. She had been lucky to live in the figurative center of Unova, where trains could take her to most places with ease. She had been lucky to miss out on the terrible rampages of Tornadus and Thunderus. Or completely circumvent the insects within forests. Then, there were the flooding swarms of Woobat within caves she had never dealt with. The violent Krookodile line in the desert. And so on...
They were all stories to her.
Her starter, Zebstrika who she referred to as Stripes (she had been a child at the time!), was the last thing her parents gave her before they left to never return. Her pair of loving Emogla's, Code and Current, were found in Nimbasa itself, having tried to steal her food and her beloved steed was having none of it.
She still remembered the day fondly. Stripes had caught them completely off guard by releasing himself and stamping them down with dual Stomps. Because of Stripes' main ability, Motor Drive, nothing the two of them could dish out could help them escape while pinned down.
After calming him down, she had fed the two and taken care of their injuries. They decided to stick by her, even going as far as to bat any Pidoves from doing the same as they had. As her day went by, her photo team had taken a liking to them and vice versa. The pair preened under the attention and loved the camera work, especially the female one she named Current.
Slapping a regular diet and a home for them? The two practically begged to be hers.
During one faithful Christmas, Nessa and Elesa had both gotten each other a Pokemon. She had bought a Feebas off a foreign angler when news of its gorgeous evolution had leaked into the modeling sphere. While the method evolution was unknown, she was sure Nessa could definitely figure it out. Nessa had gotten her a Chichou, a cute, round anglerfish from the deep. She named the Water/Electric Type Source—as he would be the source of her happiness when she and Nessa became bestest of friends, despite the distance.
The dark-skinned girl had felt the trade wasn't worthy, but Nessa had really underestimated how much Elesa loved cute Pokemon. If she weren't so busy with work and her grandmother, she would have a ton lying in wait. One of these days she would catch herself an Altaria! There was also Mareep! Maybe even a reclusive Vulpix or Zoura! Oh, and Whimsicott...
Elesa shook her head. She was supposed to focus on making Nessa's private birthday, separate from her birthday photoshoot, one to remember. Just like the time she caught Wonder, her Tynamo. The path to her cute, floating Tynamo, however, had been the closest thing to an adventure for Elesa.
She randomly decided to venture into the wild from the shore her photo crew deemed good enough for a photo shoot. The Tynamo had wandered from his family after a predator had scattered them. The girl had nearly missed the breathing Pokemon among the carnage. She ran back to demand a pokeball from the crew and disappeared back into the treeline with various shouts of confusion. She had then proceeded to nurse the Pokemon she named Wonder back to health. Honestly, it was a wonder the infant eel had survived, the Nurses had told her, but she was glad to have met the energetic eel.
For today, she left Wonder and Code in Nessa's care for a quick check up.
The brief look into a Gym Leader would see her repeat these feats and more. She was sure she could manage it.. she wanted to, even. She liked to imagine it would make her parents proud.
However, she wanted to be more prepared. It still shocked her that her inexperience didn't outright disqualify her in the running. Her battling skills were fairly good, she could admit, given her lack of innately strong Pokemon. Her commanding lead over her photoshoots and fans, compounded with ability to quickly read the situation and react accordingly, was nothing short of a politician, she was told by the longest reigning champion, Alder.
It made her feel a little more ready, but...
It did not prepare her for the white-hot beam that lasered through the room. Elesa threw herself from the new opening that filled the room with roars of Pokemon and waves, daring not to see the source. The attack burned her arms even though it hadn't been anywhere close to her.
Elesa squeezed her eyes through the pain. The lost boy had burns much more severe than these. They didn't even seem to be bothering him. If he could do it, she could handle this much.
She quickly patted her waist to see if she had any Pokemon on her for protection. Nothing. She scrambled for her purse. Right. Just Current, her female Emolga, and two empty pokeballs she kept just in case. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Still, she didn't regret leaving her starter Zebstrika and to assist her grandmother. There were plenty of trainers on board. Nessa, the good Doctor, the sailors...
The room shook again as another attack crashed against the ship, but the blonde managed to stabilize herself onto a dresser bolted to the ground and wall, as per water-treading norms.
When it calmed, she sprinted away.
Thankfully, both hers and Nessa's rooms were isolated on a higher floor given their fame, so she didn't have to storm through others. Again, the ocean vessel shook, but she grabbed onto the railings to catch herself. It didn't take her long to find a swarm of people panicking and running about.
It was then she realized she had been mostly deafened. Everything was coming through to her muffled. Her eyes widened as none of the people seemed to notice the ceiling collapsing inwards. Quickly, she released Current, who wasn't much of a battler; that was more of Code's thing.
"Swift on the people under the cracks!" Her Pokemon hesitated at the command. Elesa had told her to attack people, something none of them had ever done. "I just need you to displace them Current before the ceiling falls apart further," she reassured the flying squirrel.
Most Emolga didn't have the raw power to summon major gusts—at least, no one had done it. It went double for Current, who preferred photoshoots and contests. That was in Elesa's favor. Her Emolga had the precise control to summon multiple weak stars and direct them at people to push them out of the way.
On the other hand, her other Emolga, Code, had the power to summon a Light Screen to maybe hold back the crash briefly.
Her Pokemon nodded, putting away its worries for the matter at hand. The bright, spinning stars the size of Emolga blinked into existence around Elesa and Current, as the latter concentrated deeply. The number was growing rapidly. However, the ship shook again, disrupting the Emolga's focus. She was worried about her trainer.
However, said trainer held onto the railing, standing proud at the sight of the floating Pokemon. "I'm fine, Current." Elesa sent her a smile, which she hoped was reassuring. "Just focus on Swift, okay?"
It worked as the flying rodent nodded and sent the spinning shooting stars down into the crowd. For a moment, furthered screams pierced through Elesa's deafness. The reason behind it kept her mostly calm. Temporary pain would be better than serious harm. Still, her hands tightened on the rails, whitening her already light knuckles.
The people would understand.
"Keep it up, Current! If you can, direct the people towards the exit."
Being indoors often in the major city of Nimbasa and further tamed by Elesa, Current knew what to look for. And so, she summoned another bombardment of dulled stars that didn't spin to gently guide the people, instead of scaring them like the Pokemon had accidentally done the first time around. The first-time tweak to the move caused her to summon half the number of stars, but it wouldn't harm or cause further panic.
Her trainer noticed instantly.
"You're doing a wonderful job, Current. Thank you."
It filled the Electric/Flying Type with pride. However, the people down below still were slow moving and unsure about the stars. That was, until one person noticed the source of the stars and the person directing the Pokemon.
"Look, it's the world-famous model, Elesa! She's directing everyone!"
"Oh my god, she's so cool!"
"I heard she's becoming a Gym Leader!"
"She's a gym leader?"
"Isn't she only 19?"
"She's so gorgeous!"
"OOooOH, saved by Elesa?!"
The crowds quickly changed their tune and cheered. Although Elesa couldn't quite understand them with the lingering ringing in her ears, she waved and smiled down at them all the same.
"Please get to the exits quickly and safely!"
She bit the inside of her cheek, debating whether warning them of the ceiling would cause more panic or not. She could already spy some trampled people or those crushed by debris. There was a chance she could cause further panic.
In the end, she chose not to.
"Current, could you summon a platform for me?"
It was one of her special performances as a part-time coordinator. Refined through practice and with masterful control, Current would use a specialized star to carry her trainer around.
Said star platform materialized right before the rail that separated her on the second to the open air of the room. "Thank you. Just continue with guiding everyone, please. I'll be helping the people on the ground."
The Pokemon sent her a look Elesa didn't know how to place but nodded after a moment. She quickly put it out of her mind to look around. As she got closer to the lowest floor, the distressing sights only ranged higher. She swallowed back anything that rose from her throat and tried to focus on what she could do.
She ended up biting back a smile since channeling her inner Nessa seemed to help the most. Her friendship with the younger girl really was a blessing. Maybe, she could become a nurse of some sort too?
...Nah, that was too much work at the moment. Although, some further first aid knowledge should be nice. Elesa was fairly sure it was included in her future training as Gym Leader.
And so, once she landed, she ran to the nearest person. A child, sobbing over a large Pokemon that had presumably saved them. "Hi, uhm—" she cursed herself internally, "do you need some help, little one?"
The child, a girl she quickly realized, struggling over her sobs, barely managed to get across what happened. The Pokemon, a large Stoutland, had indeed saved her, acting as her guardian since her parents wanted to rest a little longer. Quickly, Elesa racked her mind.
"I can help your Pokemon." She couldn't. "I have a Full Restore in my purse." Her purse was filled with decorations and other useless things. "If you follow everyone to the exits, I'll make sure to return your Stoutland to your parents all healed up, okay?"
"R-r-really?!" The child perked up.
Elesa was glad the young girl didn't realize a stranger wouldn't know their parents.
"Mhmm~ Just try to find your parents as soon as you can."
"T-Thank you, Miss Model!"
Hopefully, the girl will find them soon...
With that, she ushered the child towards the nearest exit. There, a civilian man stood, helping Elesa escort other people. He sent her a nod as they found one another. There were a few others going out of their way to do the same ever since most of the people had already escaped.
Elesa could only nod back, numbly, before turning back to the rest of the carnage. She quickly shuffled to the next one.
A man was struggling to hold up a fallen stand construct over a woman. His lower legs had been crushed. There was a long piece of shrapnel sticking out of his throat. The woman beneath him was bloodied but unconscious. There was some minor resemblance to the child from before.
Her heart twisted. They had probably just found their daughter but were useless to do anything.
"I-I'm going to pull the woman from underneath you."
The man gave her the briefest of nods. She assumed it was hard with the metal sticking out of his neck. With that nod, blood dribbled out of his mouth. He couldn't talk, she realized.
"That was your child earlier?" she asked as she dragged the mostly unharmed woman out. Again, he nodded ever so slightly. This time, his eyes changed, and tears glossed over them. "I'll make sure t-they get reunited."
A part of her wondered if that's how her parents felt before they passed on.
The man from earlier slipped the woman from her grasp with a shaky smile and explained, "She's probably too much for a dandy, young lass like yourself." Elesa could only blink up at him. She was more surprised he could joke at a time like this. "This ain't my first rodeo, missus. I think you'd done a damn fine job, gettin' them to the exits."
The man paused, hearing silence from her.
"If you can't handle it, it's no hair off your chest. You'd done ye part. Others are coming." The girl shook her head, picking herself up. The man gave a long whistle, "ya models are built out of studier things, huh? I sought-cha darker friend pulling others to the deck."
Nessa.
She was doing the same as Elesa. Probably much more helpful too.
"They say the deck is the safest!" He yelled as he left, woman tossed over his shoulder.
Next came three men. She swallowed and corrected herself mentally. Two people now. She helped one of them up. The more able-bodied one stood on the other side to help carry the injured and slightly delirious man. Even then, they could only hobble slowly towards the exit. It was her fault. She may keep her body refined for modeling, but in practice? She was dead weight.
Suddenly, a voice called from somewhere, "Elesa, I got this!" A tall, teenage boy, covered in scruffs and tears but seemingly alright, gently took the arm over her shoulder, weighing the struggling girl down.
"A-Ah, thank you," she mumbled, cursing her physical weakness.
" "Don't worry about it!" " the three males said in tandem. The delirious one even mustered a smile through his pain.
The boy smiled brightly and tacked on, "you've inspired me to help."
Elesa steeled her expression to think of a reply, but the ceiling groaned as the ship shook again. The guys stumbled, but her outstretched hands helped stabilize them. "Please hurry. To the deck, that's where you'll find help."
They nodded, resolutely, and jogged off, gushing about meeting the talented model, Elesa. It only surprised her because she was sure there should be more pressing things at the moment. Fame had been something she become long been accustomed to.
Anyway...
She glanced at the cracked ceiling with a frown. Then, she retook the surroundings. Her eyes widened. There were handfuls of groups helping. Without any panic or rush of screams, people had decided to stay back. Some with helpful Pokemon too!
Ah, she shook her head. Trainers were supposed to do this. She had been excused from helping out during all-hands on deck calls since her Pokemon, except Stripes, weren't suited to them, and Nimbasa City was never short on hands.
Some had tried to defame her for it, but her fans and the city itself had reassured her. The latter stated her presence in the city was enough. She didn't quite understand it, but if that were how she could help best, she would continue to do so.
After thirty minutes of helping, she was left looking around for something to do. She couldn't find anyone else to help. She was glad and fulfilled as she plopped down, finally feeling the physical stress on her body. Her Emolga had finally returned to her, now resting in her arms but still alert and watching.
At that moment, she forgot about the ceiling.
Current did not. "Emol!" A lone star pushed her trainer as she took off out of Elesa's arms. Where they had rested, a great rock now sat, having thrown around heavy dust but no substantial debris.
The Pokemon swooped down, urging her trainer to leave. Elesa scrambled to her feet and pushed herself to run. Current took point, guiding the girl through the collapsing floor. It, however, hadn't watching it for herself.
Behind them, a device exploded, launching metal and rock into the air. One sizable rock slammed into the airborne Pokemon and left it unprepared for what came next.
Metal straight tore through winglike membrane. The Pokemon straightened itself but struggled to do so as it dodged more debris with Aerobatics. A series of explosions followed, making it multiple times harder.
"Current!" Elesa screamed in horror. She had flattened herself to the ground as to dodge the shrapnel. A bodyguard had taught her that when she questioned him what to do in various worst-case scenarios on a ride to a gala. She had never imagined using it. Still, a lot of the knowledge came in clutch.
The girl scrambled to her feet once the series of explosions died down and caught her Pokemon before it could slam into the floor.
Thankfully, other than the thin membrane being punctured, Current only had some minor bruises and cuts. It could heal from all of that. The Emolga, however, was also exhausted to the bone. The rapid Swifts had drained it a ton. The dodging and the damage had put her Pokemon out of commission.
She hugged her Pokemon to her chest and scanned the area. She swallowed. Her hands clutched her purse tighter. She had been lucky once more. There was a Galvantula trying to push off the jagged concrete that crushed its trainer. Next to it, a Luxio mewled sadly, crying for another person.
There was free more around doing similar things. One human was tearfully tugging at rocks to find their fallen Pokemon. On top of them, the broken ceiling from a higher floor still was begging to fall atop them. She was more than a little creeped out by Bug Type, but it certainly didn't deserve to die after helping out and losing their trainer.
None of them deserved to die. She had to do something, but she could only save so many.
"Current, Swift!" she begged, but her Pokemon had already fallen unconscious.
Instantly, she switched gears and stuff down her feelings by stamping a foot down. She then absorbed her Emolga into the corresponding pokeball and clutched the two empty pokeballs in her hands.
The former action drained her of some energy to power the return. It was why most trainers weren't allowed to hold more than six Pokemon at a time with rapid use outside capturing.
A part of her regretted not having more but again, she shoved it away as they weren't helpful, and tuned the balls to "return" after she captured a Pokemon with a twist of the button/knob. They should be sent into the PokeNet. Elesa quickly tossed her empty balls at the nearest Pokemon, hoping it would work. The debris should have crushed their pokeballs, disconnecting them from the PokeNet that would otherwise reject any other foreign pokeballs. She also hoped there was no cool down or something either that would delay or rebuff the recent captures.
Still, the girl couldn't afford to stay to double check her gamble. The whole room was going to destabilize and collapse. So with hope and regret, she turned back to the exit and slipped. She tried to catch herself, but she whiffed. With one arm clutching her bag, she fell on it.
She cried out in pain, stuck between cradling her forehead or her arm. As she rolled on her back, the blonde tied the snapped purse to her waist, struggling through the pain, and nursed the injured arm with the other. Fortunately, it wasn't broken. Bruised as all Reverse, but not broken. Maybe she shattered her elbow. She wasn't sure. It did, however, remind her of the burns she had on them. She had completely forgotten.
Otherwise, the throbbing on her head grew louder but was manageable for now.
The ship lurched—with it, her heart—as yet another beam tore the hull and into the room.
T-This.. is too much...
Tears pricked her eyes as she could only lay there as rushing water filled the room. At the very least, Current would be okay in her pokeball. Her other Pokemon would be safe with Nessa.
Eventually, she was completely submerged and struggling to hold her breath. For a split second, envy sparked within her. If she had been Nessa, she would know how to get out of this. At the moment, she couldn't even muster the strength to swim. Soon, she saw black spots as she lost the strength she had left.
Bubbles filled her vision as a Pokemon swiftly swam past her. She tried calling for it to turn around, but she only choked on water. A flash of blue light blinded her, lighting up the bubbles. And so her reflexive action did come in clutch. A familiar Floatzel descended upon her.
D-Dr. Osumi's..!
With that, she finally found it in herself to relax, and her prayers were answered. She would be saved.
As I waited for more Pokemon to take the bait, I directed Tynamo to launch Charge Beams. Tropius didn't mind the fact that we were aiming at the trees before moving onto particular branches when the former was too easy of a target.
After an hour or so, I finally remembered I could ask it questions. Like, duh. I had been treating it similar to a pet when they were shown to hold more intelligence time and time again. Even despite how young I was told these Pokemon were.
"Tynamo.. are you a boy?" The Pokemon shook its body side to side. A no, then. "A girl then?"
"Ty!" She cheered, leaping out of the water at me.
I laughed. Giggled even. It felt refreshing and soothing to do so, like I had finally gotten something right. I lifted it to my face, so it could nuzzle my cheek. I ignored the slightly slimy feel of its skin.
I apologized, lightheartedly, "I'm sorry to have kept saying "good boy.""
The eel only pressed against my nose with a soft "namo!" It had effectively booped me. My eyes misted as memories of my dog flashed through me. I would be missing my monthly visit to her grave, huh..?
The Pokemon in my palms drew me back with another boop and a tilt of its tiny body.
"I-I'm okay, girl." It flickered with energy. The memory of my dog did remind me of something though. "Would you like a name?"
The baby Pokemon blinked before slowly bobbing its entire body. A yes.
"Hmm." I lifted it even higher, so it was up to my eyes. Closely admiring the tiny eel, I requested it give a couple twirls. "Could you do some spins?" As readily as it fulfilled the other requests, it gave me some exciting spins and a few slower ones.
Oddly, it reminded me of something.
"Vita..." I mumbled.
It meant something like 'life' in Italian with a feminine undertone or something, and it was the name of the original and discontinued PlayStation handheld. It seemed fitting as the final electric eel from its bunch. It was a lil too cool for such a cute Pokemon, but come Eelektross, it should match the electric vibes of the final evolution.
"How's Vita sound, girl?"
The little thing could flicker with flashes as it cheered and spun in loops. "Ty ty tynamo!"
"Glad you like it, bud."
It continued to cheer. It went as far as to fling itself into the air with Spark a couple times. That left the other Pokemon I caught: a long-bladed silver fish that I had no idea about.
I crouched down to the pool of water, and the newly-named Vita instantly understood the mission, somehow. It slid into the water smoothly and circled the curious fish. Near it, Quintessa the Feebas watched with agape lips, more than a little curious as well.
Vita's actions quickly drew the fish from its mind.
"Hey, bud." The fish glanced up to me with its blank eyes. "Are you a, uh- boy fish?" It sent a slow nod, dipping its front half. "Cool. I have no idea what kind of Pokemon you are, but would you like a name in the meantime?"
It blinked before nodding again.
"I'll say a bunch of names slowly. Just shoot some water at me for me to stop.
Blade, y'know, for your sharp appearance. Oh, there's Knight, cuz you saved me a couple times. No? Okay... Uhh, Ascalon since we faced down a water dragon—"
A spray of water wet my face. I could only smile. Ascalon, huh? I pulled that one out my ass. It was a dragon-slayer sword from some religious belief.
"Thank you again, Ascalon, for saving me." I rubbed the ridge of its head, fondly. "I promise to help you recover."
The fish leaned into the touch and closed its eyes. It was much calmer than my Tynamo despite also being a relatively young Pokemon. I didn't mind. I was far gladder to have a name for the fish. It deserved nothing less for saving me when it could've easily stayed behind.
"Do you mind showing me some of your moves?"
The fish nodded under my hand before quickly distancing itself. As it did so, a sudden force pushed my hand away.
I vaguely recognized the move.
Aqua Jet.
The Sharpedo's had been using it to avoid attacks from trainers and opposing Gyarados' alike. Especially the oversized one. I could still clearly remember when it decided it was easier to go through the ice float rather than around.
"—Ty?" My "starter" drew me from my thoughts with a soft, worried cry.
"S-Sorry. That looked like Aqua Jet; it's how you got us away, right?" The fish blinked up at me with muted surprise before bobbing up and down. Honestly, I'm surprised I held on. It must've been the adrenaline, huh. "Continue, Ascalon." I cracked a grin at the name.
My Pokemon journey has finally begun!
It nodded. It proceeded to fling itself from the water, collecting water around the various blades on its body and slashing at the surface of the water.
It looked like something new? It couldn't be Razor Shell. There was no.. extraneous structure on the fish, but who knows if it actually worked like that—maybe Oak or the other professors, but that was beside the point.
"Water.. Water Slash?" I tested. From what I could remember, it seemed like Psycho Cut and Nigh Slash, but y'know, with water.
The fish nodded, but it was more hesitant than before. So, I was mostly right then. "We'll figure it out when we find civilization..." I mumbled, still dreading it. "Next?"
The silver fish shut its eyes. For a moment, it remained still, then the pink fins glowed with rapidly charging energy. It wiggled slightly, eyes sharper and with a renewed sense of.. something.
It was a buffing move, and it had been using it during their stay on the cruise and since returning. I had trouble placing it.
"Calm Mind?"
It blinked at me before shaking its body side-to-side. Yeah, it didn't really feel... psychic, like the times it brushed against me mentally, similar to Dr. Osumi's Slowking and Nessa's Starmie, named Pupil. Work Up and Bulk Up I'd imagine looked a little different.
What was a buffing move that most Pokemon learned at a pretty low level...?
"Focus Energy?" Ascalon nodded rapidly and tried to speak, but only bubbles left its mouth. It quickly disheartened the normally lethargic Pokemon. "H-Hey, it's okay. We'll get you to another doctor. I'm sure, Nessa or her friend would know where to go."
Why we couldn't reach out to Dr. Osumi was left unsaid.
The fish nodded with shut eyes, back to giving muted responses. It seemed to like using its move or practicing, so I realigned the conversation.
"You've shown me a Water Gun. That was four moves—technically, five." I grinned, "you know slash, right?"
The psychic fish was surprised by what I thought was a simple assessment. If it knew a water version of slash, it knew the basic normal-type kind. And I was right, given how it nodded and cleaved through water with a light glow. It was only noticeable due to the shade of the clouds and trees overhead.
That did answer a few things. Every attack carried some kind of "aura," and normal attacks like slash weren't just a swipe.
I dipped my calves into the water and sat on the edge of the pool. It was still cool in the humid sea air, thankfully.
"Anything else, buddy?"
The fish paused. Its fin blinked with energy—I assumed psychic—as it tried to brush against my mind. I sat patiently, trying to, I don't know, open my mind up? Either way, the fish gave up and swam a little further away.
I tried to guess a move, "Was that—"
A sinking feeling overtook me just before its pink fins widened until they touch edges, glowed. It spun rapidly, turning into a blur before my eyes. The sound of flesh being torn came to me distorted through the disturbed water. Suddenly, six clean-cut filets fell from it. All that was left were spikes that jutted from its spine.
Ascalon had cut away most of its body. The only reason the head didn't look silly or awkward, the pink fins had taken up so much space. The sections fell off as pale flesh. There were only small traces of blood, but it still didn't calm me or Tropius. I nearly leapt in if the new blades didn't freak me out. Honestly, I would've been surprised Feebas and Tynamo hadn't reacted upon seeing that if I wasn't so gobsmacked.
"A-Ascalon, you okay?"
Behind me, the big ol tree dino tentatively approached, rumbling with a "troo?"
Perhaps reflexively, the fish tried to respond. And for the first time since I've seen the thing, it worked. "Vell..." it trailed off with widening eyes. "VELUZA!"
It shot across the water with unforeseen speeds, cleaving through it like a living blade and one excited for speaking, instead of, well, blood like the Cavanhas. It continued crying its name happily, without a hint of pain.
Pokemon were weird, I decided.
I huffed down and patted one of Tropius' legs before it tried to catch the Pokemon who was a Veluza... It must be from a new generation. I'm surprised the Pokemon company could think of such a.. scary Pokemon.
Self-harm is no joke. Apparently, at least. Never tried it personally or knew anyone who tried, but it was kinda obvious.
"V-Veluza is your species?" I questioned, trying to gain its attention.
The fish made a sharp turn and shot my way. For a moment, I was worried about my legs, but it hadn't tried to hurt me intentionally—it had saved me plenty of times furthermore. So, despite myself, I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
It wasn't easy. I tensed my body and hoped to the Pokemon Gods I was right about it.
"Vel veluza!"
I had almost squeezed my eyes shut to prepare for pain as it stopped before me and seemed to notice my body language. It looked apologetic before turning back and shooting back away.
A-Ah, I scared him away?
But before I could explain myself, it returned, nudging its own flesh impaled on its spikes against my shin. "Luza.."
It was amazing how fast it became. It left me breathless and tired just from watching.
"For me?" The fish nodded, still brushing the piece against me until they fell off its spines. "T-Thank you, Ascalon, but are you okay?"
It spun in place and yelped, gleefully, "Veluza!"
Both Quintessa and my starter, Vita, inched closer to inspect the new form of Veluza. After some chatter, the Tynamo tried to playfully nib it with her mouth. That got me worried. Ascalon looked so vulnerable with it missing so much flesh. That couldn't be healthy, right?
"H-Hey, Vita." I waved a section of the filet. "Take this instead."
The eel swam to me but blinked down at the offered food. It bit into it once, only fit it to drag the flesh to the Feebas, who was still admiring the energetic Veluza.
"Fee?"
"Ty-nam!"
Easily, the rock-like fish took the bait from my eel. Quintessa seemed to like it after a bite, so it swallowed the rest whole. "Fe feebas!" It seemed to thank both my Pokemon. What a good, disciplined girl. Props to you, Nessa. Man, I need to keep reminding myself that these Pokemon are not just animals.
Still, I looked at the five leftover sections in my palms. I glanced back at the concerned Tropius. Maybe it'd like one piece. "Tropius, would you like to try some?"
"Pius?" The spiky red-leafed dino leaned its head down to stare closer at the offered meat. It sniffed once before chopping down on it.
Back then, I didn't know most Tropius never touched meat in their entire lives.
Tropius gleefully chewed on the rest, seeming to purr all the while. It came to a shock to all the Pokemon as well, having paused to watch Tropius' reaction. Veluza looked proud, as if it knew personally how good it tasted. And as the grass giant swallowed, the fruits on its neck grew slightly larger.
That was good to know.
But still... I glanced down at the four other filets. I knew it was possible to eat raw fish. In most places, you'd get some kind of virus or infection. But if properly looked after and prepared, it could be done healthily..
Maybe there was something in the box or I could just jam a stick through and start a fire. Hopefully, it wouldn't bother Tropius too much if I did that. Although, for now? I wasn't too hungry after watching that.
I could recall clearly how tough the scales were under my arm, nevermind the spines digging into my skin. Some had punctured. Thankfully, not too deeply. Before, I had been too busy trying to survive, but... seeing it self-mutilate, it didn't sit right with me.
Either way, with it as my Pokemon, I guess I would have to grow accustomed to this.. move, which reminded me of why it was shown.
"I have no idea what that move is," I scratched at my cheek, stuffing my feeling of uselessness, and watched it perk back to me. It had mostly fixed its speech problem on top of my lack of knowledge. "But, I'll be calling it Filet, is that okay?"
The fish spun with a happy cry. I'm not sure what I did, but it seemed like a green light. I'll take it. Seeing happy animals was always cute.
After more prodding, Ascalon didn't seem to know any other moves. However, with a closer look, the flesh seemed to be slowly but expanding from the gray spikes sticking out the side right before my very eyes. That was good. I wonder if it was possible to train that. It would put my worries to rest at least.
Someone had to worry over this suicidal fish. I glanced back at the Tropius, who prodded at the mostly calm fish. The supposed Veluza would still twitch every so often, as if it was having trouble remaining in one place. However, it didn't mind actively trying to for Tropius.
Man, what a good dino.
I glanced at the fruit around its neck. "Tropius," it paused to look my way, "do you mind giving Ascalon a fruit?"
"Pius!" It looked at me as if I were a genius (I'm not by the way) and quickly swiped at a fruit to detach it and pass it to the fish.
The fish only looked at it weirdly. It used its large top fin to slice off a small bit for it to eat. After eating it quickly, it shook its body side-to-side, and pointed its head my way, "Vel." Tropius frowned but listened to the fish and passed the offered fruit to me.
"T-Thanks?" I furrowed my brows at the fruit then my second Pokemon. "Do you prefer meat, Ascalon?" The fish shook. "Kelp?" Same response. "Seaweed?" Another shake. "Uhh, would you like some insects? They're like land crustaceans."
The fish seemed to ponder it but gave the same answer all the same in the end.
"Do.. Do you not eat?" It gave a slow nod. "Ah, just a little bit then?" It spun this time.
I'm getting better at this whole communication thing, huh? I tried to hold back my grin at the thought, but surrounded by Pokemon, it was but a moot point. It was a bit of a bumpy road to this point, but still, I'm glad to have met such kind Pokemon.
My eyes glanced at Feebas, who gave a cheerful gurgle at my expression before turning back to play with the silver, blank-faced Magikarp. And such kind people too... Ah, that reminded me of something else. Maybe- maybe I should reach land sooner so I could thank Dr. Osumi at her grave. She, despite my uncooperative attitude, had tried to help me overcome my mental issues, on top of looking after me for free.
I couldn't repay such kindness ever now. I stuffed back a groan. Look at me, making plans to hurry back to human interaction. I doubt anyone would go out of their way to look for a lost stranger like me, so rescue was surely out of the realm of possibilities. But I could save that for later. I didn't want to bring down the mood after Ascalon had finally gotten his voice back.
The rest of the daylight went by without much fanfare. I caught the silver Magikarp in the end. There laid one issue though. I have no idea how pokeballs work, but I hoped it put the Pokemon into a stasis of some kind. I was not trying to deal with any potential Gyarados.
I wasn't a complete asshole, though. I gave it the rest of.. Ascalon's flesh.
The kid's game would warn you about how dangerous it could be. Nevermind all the firsthand experience I now had with Gyarados. Feebas, thankfully, understood my reasons and surprisingly had no issues. I assumed it knew more about pokeballs than I did.
...which is kinda sad.
Anyway...
The fishing came up empty until the end. There had been nothing. Zero. Nada. Just the crashing wave. The only reassurance I had was this was only day one. There were plenty of extra chances later. Who knows what could be going on down under. For all I know, the fishies could be taking a break or something...
That was until the Sun had but a sliver over the horizon.
A brown seaweed-like sea horse of some kind that really didn't like me took the bait. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. Its eyes were glued shut, and it was bleeding blood and poison everywhere. It was injured, barely weighed a thing as it struggled against my reeling, and so it blindly attacked, having been dragged out the water. It had probably sensed the food somehow, free for the picking.
I would've tossed it back into the water if Tropius didn't look so concerned, and I couldn't help but relate to the little guy. It was pretty cute, given the circumstances. Cool too for a guy resembling brown seaweed or coral.
Still, I don't know if any of the Pokemon on hand could handle the poison. I asked Tropius to fetch a pokeball from the crate that I really should've brought out to look over it more. It quickly stampeded through the forest and into the cave. I held the struggling kelp seahorse just on the edge of the ocean water.
I didn't have to wait long before the galloping Tropius returned, ball in vine. Before I captured the feisty lil thing, I got it to eat one of Tropius' fruit. It took a couple tries and a good minute before it finished the entire thing. With that, it went back to blindly spraying poison everywhere.
It didn't get to do much damage before I recaptured the sea horse. Thankfully, the water had been left untouched as I had set it on the ground away from it. The trees and greenery nearby had withered away where any poison touched. It was still eating away at the wood and earth.
M-Maybe, I should've left it to its own devices.
Man, Pokemon could be so dangerous. And yet, kind people like Dr. Osumi and Nessa chose to heal the sick and injured. Kind Pokemon dragged me back to safety. I could pass forward the kindness for now, I guess.
Pokeballs made it easy anyway.
And without any storms, sleep came easy. Or well, as easy as it could with a massive fur-covered dragon slumbering not too far away. It could've been worse. After all, I had slept with the fishes twice since coming here.
...Not like that. Chill out.
- [ᛊ] -
Aes (A/N): Woah. This chapter came together in two days. Haven't had a muse like this in a while. Also, Veluza came in clutch for the food problem at the cost of itself. Poor thing (?)
I just thought it'll be cool to plan out a journey for gym leaders to become said gym leaders. It's a little.. different what I had actually imagined I'd write in that case. Still, Nessa gained depression (wasn't sure if I hinted at it well enough in ch3 so here I am plainly stating it) while Elesa is all fired up? They swapped places lol.
Only one more Pokemon left before they get back to civilization. How any of that happens will be a doozy.
I will admit all of the Pokemon so far besides Feebas and Drampa will be joining the team. Hopefully, it looks like a lot of fun with that so far.
Words: [8,360]
Edits: fixed wrong names and some minor editing
Reviews:
Anaruk1701: I was also thinking about Kingdra, but if you noticed this chapter introduced a pokemon similar to it. As for W. Tauros, it might've been a cool inclusion. However Paldea isn't planned for a long while and outside Veluza, and maybe a handful of other Pokemon, Paldean Pokemon won't be common. Miraidon is a peculiar pick! But, it was your first pick, Thunderus.
DarkDrawerJ: That's a lot bud. Thanks a bunch! For the first one, don't be so hard on yourself. I make most of the details for myself anyway~ I'm glad you like the characterization of the hoomans! FeelsR4Eva! Idk if I can do "too much" lightheartedness; Stormy's in the name for a reason, yknow~ But of course, it won't be all doom and gloom. I'm mainly trying to write a believeable isekai protag who doesn't already read isekai/ffn/etc. Also, I'm not trying to flex, I swear. I'm learning just as much as I continuously plan 3 separate pkmn stories and write them like a bingbong. I was going to slip in a conversation between the future gym leaders in the hospitial buuuttt the interlude was too long :) Just wait till Nessa pops up again. Shouldn't be tthat long of a wait, probably. Glad to see someone enjoy the Pokemon!
To everyone else, thank you for stopping by. It's been a blast rekindling my own love for Pokemon. I started reading ffn over in here too, yknow?
For now, putting this below. It will be slapped at the top and replace the summary there:
Aric Fisk's Team:
Tynamo (Vita)
Abilities: Lightning Rod (med.), Dry Skin (med.), Levitate (n/a)
Veluza (Ascalon)
Abilities: Sharpness (med.), Regenerator (med.), Telepathy (off)
Silver Magikarp
Abilities: Swift Swim (n/a), Rattled (low), Unknown (high)
Skrelp
Abilities: Poison Point/Touch (med.), Adaptability (high)
Elesa Camella's Team: (temp surname for now)
On her:
Female Emolga (Current)
Separated/With her grandmother:
Zebstrika (Stripes)
Chichou (Source)
Undetermined:
Male Emolga (Code)
Tynamo (Wonder)
Galvantula
Luxio
Nessa Rurina's Team: (revealed so far)
On her:
Drednaw (Archeon/Archie)
Starmie (Pupil)
Lombre (Lily)
Goldeen (Queenie)
Separated:
Feebas (Quin/Tessa)
Undetermined:
Toxapex (Vinni)