June 8th, 1978, 1330
After encountering the Chansey—who Ellie had since dubbed "Annabelle"—we had packed up our camping equipment without much issue. It had taken us only a few minutes to get everything sorted out and erase our presence as much as possible. Since we had only been there for one night, we had hardly left much of an imprint on the land.
It wasn't necessarily a law where we were. Still, the rangers strongly encouraged trainers to clean up anything they brought into relatively untamed areas of Kanto, like routes fourteen and fifteen. Some of the more commonly trafficked areas were strictly patrolled by rangers to ensure that trainers didn't destroy the environment more than absolutely necessary. After all, Pokémon battles had the potential to devastate entire ecosystems if things became too out of hand.
Depending on the violation, trainers could expect a small fine, but if things went too far, it was common to hear of licenses being suspended.
Our previous campsite had been a decent-sized clearing that overlooked the ocean to the south. It had a nice grassy patch separating it from the looming jungle, giving us clear lines of sight to spot any approaching pokémon.
Besides the Chansey that came out of nowhere today, we had only briefly spotted much of the usual: a few Rattata, a decent-sized Raticate, and the briefest glimpse of what I suspected was a Gloom. I was glad the pokemon hadn't come looking for trouble. The poison type was notoriously stupid but was dangerous in its stupidity. They could quickly pump out seemingly limitless clouds of various colorful spores that had effects ranging from mild paralysis to lethal poison.
According to Sula's map, which I was hopefully reading correctly, we were approaching Route thirteen's eastern edge. Once we hit the coast, we would turn northwards towards Vermillion City on route twelve. On paper, the rest of the journey to Vermillion appeared simple. In practice, things were different.
The route we had been traveling for the last few days was well-kept and usually at least ten meters wide at all points. It was hard-packed and easy to travel on for pokémon and trainers alike. There hadn't been too many issues with mud, and we hadn't had any problems beyond unavoidable day-to-day issues, like finding firewood or enough food to feed our pokemon.
However, The trail we were going to start on was much less traveled and commensurately degraded. It was a narrow, winding road that passed through a dense section of forest that would be tough to manage in the best conditions.
And these were not the best of conditions.
A few moments after we had made our way into the forest on the poorly maintained route, I felt heavy raindrops lazily splashing onto the surrounding vegetation. The trees here were much taller than we were used to, and the dense canopy absorbed any light that might have passed through the dark clouds.
I couldn't keep my eyes from darting every which way nervously. I hated the lack of visibility. We could inadvertently run into a rogue Vileplume that could melt us in seconds or slip and fall, only to come face to face with a snoozing Lickitung hungry for its next meal. Things were already risky enough without the thick raindrops, and I felt my mood deflate further as the weather worsened.
The initial trickle swiftly developed into a rolling sound that seemed to drown out everything and anything, including my own thoughts.
But we were used to this; it had been raining off and on for the last few days, so this was nothing we weren't prepared for. I braced for another wet afternoon, hoping the squall would recede before it made the dangerous route even more impassible.
Then came the wind.
It started as an eerie howling noise, subtle enough that I first thought my ears were playing tricks on me. Before long, though, the wind became a force of nature that drowned out any possibility of having a decent conversation. It sounded like the forest was screaming at our trespass.
The heavy raindrops were hitting us like tiny glass marbles, stinging even through the hardy clothing I usually wore. If I hadn't been experiencing it, I might have been impressed at the sheer ferocity of the storm.
Together, the rain and wind created an exciting form of weather that I dubbed "horizontal rain," a unique condition only achievable by hitting wind speeds that made it difficult to stand up on flat ground.
I sighed, unable to hear the disappointment in my own voice over the sound of weaponized water destroying the forest around us.
"Mare, should we try to set up the tents and wait it out? It's getting nasty out here, and I don't think we can even keep the younger pokémon out in these conditions," called out Dani in concern. She was clasped tightly to her Scyther, ostensibly holding him up, although it looked like he was doing more than his fair share! Venonat was perched on her shoulder, huddled tightly to her neck to retain warmth.
Her voice was thick with an emotion that could only be fear.
The experienced trainer had been riding Geralt for the first part of the journey, as she usually did, but had returned him when his hooves kept slipping in the increasingly mushy ground.
Geralt had nearly fallen several times before she had reluctantly returned the aging fire horse, unwillingly to risk injury merely to stay out of the swamp the trail was becoming.
After that, she and her other pokemon banded together in support. In general, we tried to keep our pokemon out as much as possible, both for deterrence and training. This was pushing it, though, especially for the smaller pokemon that couldn't maintain their body temperature as consistently. Her suggestion made sense in the context, although I was annoyed at our pokemon losing out on a character-building opportunity, which I had long since learned to love.
At least I was still training, I noted with amusement as I pushed my soaked bangs out of my eyes for the hundredth time in the last hour.
Dani's boots were now coated with mud, and she had tied her sopping-wet hair in a tight knot to keep it out of her face. Her face was cold and expressionless as she slogged onwards. If she was afraid, she wasn't showing it in anything but her voice.
I looked back at her, nodding absently at the suggestion before turning back to keep an eye on my footing.
I could feel my face scrunch with distaste as I considered our options. From Sula's map, I knew we were relatively close to the golden star next to the hot-springs symbol, but I needed to figure out what to look for, especially with our currently limited visibility.
On the other hand, we were at genuine risk of injury or even hypothermia as the constant contact with wind and moisture slowly but surely drained our body heat.
"I think we should keep going," interjected Ellie before I could respond. "There's, like, no chance that our tents will even remotely hold up in this situation. We should keep moving and hope we find shelter."
Ellie practically screamed to be heard over the rain, and I was lip-reading more than listening.
"She's right. As much as I loathe the thought of continuing through these conditions, we'll have better luck finding a spot with cover or just getting out of the area entirely. I don't even think the rain covers would do much with the angle the rain is coming at," I yelled back with a helpless shrug of my shoulders.
"Still, let's at least return everybody but Eon and Nana; they should be enough to keep watch. I think. Hopefully. Look at Larvitar; the poor guy is freezing," Dani suggested as she gestured at the tiny pokémon, who clutched my leg fruitlessly to stay warm.
I sighed and knelt down to rub some warmth into his little shoulders. His turquoise flesh was cold to the touch. "Yeah, good call, Dani. Ellie, you too. No point in keeping the little ones out like this."
"Yessir," saluted Ellie, still somehow finding the poise to humor us even as the storm screeched in protest.
We reluctantly returned all of our pokémon except Nana and Eon, but I could tell it made Dani uncomfortable to do so. There was something uniquely comforting about having your pokémon nearby, even if they were shivering masses of overpowered wet animal.
Nana, in particular, looked quite miserable. He had always been a dependable pokémon, but I knew he hated being wet like this, even if he didn't show it much to the others. I could still only barely notice his discomfort after years of constant exposure. There was something subtle about the way he held himself that was just a tiny bit different from usual.
On the other hand, Eon's eyes were sharp and focused; ever since Larvitar had hatched, she had approached everything with a gravity absent when it was just Nana and myself. Her normally gleaming coat was weighted down with moisture, yet she seemed as elegant as ever. She was currently warily scanning the sides of the trail in case we ran into something abruptly.
She must really want to protect the others, I thought with pride. Not that a tiny Eevee would be much of a deterrent to one of the fully evolved pokemon I had heard frequented this part of the route. Sula had warned me about this area; apparently, a Poliwrath and Vileplume had been spotted the previous season. The fully evolved forms were far more dangerous than their middle-stage evolutions.
"Nana, Eon. Scout ahead to ensure we're not about to run blindly into any pokémon fleeing the storm. If you spot anything, return immediately to notify us so we can alter our course accordingly," I ordered. "Be careful. If you see something you can't handle, just get back here so we can overwhelm them with numbers or run if necessary."
The two pokémon shot off after nodding their understanding of the orders, ignoring the water that cascaded on them as they came into contact with the dense brush alongside the trail. We began hesitantly following after them, trying to make some ground despite the environment's efforts to stop us.
Dani whistled in appreciation at the discipline. "I know I've said it before, but that's some fire-type you have. There's no way I could convince Geralt to run into an absolutely drenched forest like that. Got any tips?"
I smiled awkwardly, knowing my answer wouldn't be helpful, but at this point, the conversation could at least distract us as we pressed on.
"No tips from me. He's been like this from day one. If you met his sire, you might understand. I'm certain Kiriel's Arcanine wouldn't be caught dead, even blinking in hesitation at a single order, no matter how dangerous or unpleasant it might be. Nana compares himself to that, so of course, he won't balk at a little water. I'm confident that even if Kiriel ordered him to spontaneously become a water type, he would do his best."
"Guess I'll have to meet him sometime," Dani shouted, and I nearly tripped at the thought of inviting Dani into the compound.
No way I'm letting her get anywhere near Sula or Kiriel. I would die before I let that happen,I silently vowed.They would tell her every embarrassing thing I've ever done! I would practically melt from shame.
I caught myself before the minor slip turned into a major fall, but I apparently wasn't smooth enough to avoid notice.
"You okay, Mare?" asked Ellie with concern. "It's not like you to trip! I've seen how you move. You're like a Persian or some other agile pokémon that I can't think of right now. It's kinda freaky, honestly."
Dani's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Freaky, how so?"
"It's hard to describe, like, it's almost like he glides over things? He's super quiet at night, and I haven't seen him stumble besides that one time he tripped on a rock in the creek in front of that Poliwhirl on the second morning. He barely managed to get away before it punched his face in," explained Ellie in detail. She mimed throwing a haymaker and barely avoided slipping from the awkward-looking movement.
I could feel my face burning at the story, even in the cold. Leave it to Ellie to choose this particular moment to remember little things like that.
"Can we move on from this? It's slippery, people fall. I'm people. Sometimes, I fall, too. Let's just keep moving," I said brusquely, moving even further ahead of the other two.
"Somebody's grumpy," teased Ellie as she settled behind me. "Should I tell her more about it? Or about how you almost started crying on the first day?"
"Definitely grumpy," agreed Dani, although I could tell she was still curious about Ellie's comment.
"Moving on!" I shouted while storming off ahead of them. I was grateful that the storm mercifully drowned out the giggles I knew were following me.
We need to add a boy to our group, and soon. I've spent enough of my Arceus damned life being teased by girls, I thought with a shake of my head as we continued our trek.
I might've managed to catch myself before I took a tumble, but Anabelle did not. Not that I could blame her, considering her paddle-like arms did little to stop her large mass, even in the best of circumstances.
"Chansssssssssss," the healing pokémon wailed in shock as she finally slipped while we were making our way down a particularly steep slope.
"Anabelle!" Ellie cried out worriedly.
She tried to catch Anabelle and even got her fingers on the edge of the pokemon's dress, but all that did was tear a massive rent in the garment. Anabelle tumbled down the incline, landing in a tearful, soggy mess. Ellie darted down after her, narrowly avoiding a similar fall.
"Chans,chanssey-chans," our newfound friend sobbed as she beheld the torn article, holding it up to the sky as if to protest the storm itself. The green shirt was torn nearly in two and saturated with the cloying mud inundating the trail.
"It's okay, shhhh," Ellie comforted soothingly. "Cry if you need to, but we can get you a new dress as soon as we get out of this storm. I promise."
The pokémon looked up at Ellie hopefully. "Sey?"
Ellie knelt down and gathered the poor girl in her arms for a hug, completely ignoring the pasty coating of mud that now liberally coated her own clothing. Ellie calmly stroked Annabell's back as she wept at her loss.
Dani looked at me uncertainly, and I shrugged resignedly as if to say, "Ellie's gonna be Ellie."
We stood awkwardly in the pounding rain for a few moments until Ellie calmed Anabelle down enough to continue. It had been a few long minutes until her sobs gradually subsided.
I sidled over to Dani carefully. "I wish I had a big sister like that. There is no way Sula would be caught dead doing something like that for me. She'd probably laugh at me and wait for me somewhere nice and warm."
Dani sidled back, moving close so I could hear her over the rain.
I gulped at the close contact.
"I wish I had a big sister like that, too. It shames me to admit that there's no way I would do something like that for either of my little siblings, no matter how cute they might be," she admitted. "Ellie's something special, isn't she?"
I nodded back. "Yeah, she really is. We're lucky to have her. She might still be a rank amateur, but at least she's got natural talent in spades."
I knew what Dani meant. Ellie was different. Even after my heartfelt admission a few nights ago, I was still adapting to the entirely different level of compassion and empathy Ellie seemed to naturally exhibit.
Not naturally, I corrected myself. From being the only child standing between two fighting parents. There was no need to take away from her efforts.
Ellie held Anabelle's hand through the rest of the storm, patiently helping the pokémon navigate the treacherous trail.
Watching them warmed my heart; Ellie might not have caught Anabelle officially, but she was already hers regardless.
Nearly four hours later, the storm finally abated. I didn't think we had actually made it that far, maybe five miles at the most, but it had felt like ages. I was cold and tired, hungry, and just generally miserable. Not that I would let that show or say anything. I knew better than to show blatant weakness like that.
Although we had been searching for anything remotely resembling shelter, we had found none. We simply continued down the path, ardently hoping for a reprieve from the relentless waves of water.
As we shuffled onwards, the rain and wind gradually slowed down before stopping entirely. It wasn't sunny by any means, but the tumultuous cacophony of noises had finally departed, and we could at least hear our thoughts once more. My voice had long since grown hoarse from the constant shouting the storm required from us to be heard.
Dani and I had emerged largely unscathed, having enough dexterity to catch ourselves before we fully lost our balance. There had been a number of close calls, but we had both avoided anything more than a knee in the mud at most. I was grateful for my well-made leather boots. Even after hours in the rain, my feet were still comfortably dry.
Ellie and Anabelle were not so lucky.
Anabelle's normally light-pink fur was dyed a dirty brownish-grey from the multiple spills she had taken over the last few hours. Ellie faired a little better, and she was coated top to bottom with a thick layer of the sticky, foul-smelling substance the trail had devolved into.
Nonetheless, they were somehow beaming brightly. Power of friendship and all that bullshit, obviously. Ellie had clearly grown up watching ridiculous pokemon anime.
On the other hand, although she didn't fall nearly as much, Dani looked worse for wear; the poor woman was soaked to the bone and was shivering uncontrollably. Her lean and muscular physique was clearly doing her no favors in these conditions. Everyone wants to be fit until they freeze to death in the rain.
"Let's stop for a rest," I suggested. "Nana, would you please take a moment with Dani so she doesn't break her teeth? My mouth hurts just listening to you."
Nana emerged from the brush nearby. Steam rose from his fur as he raised his external temperature to prepare for the well-practiced technique. Although I was by no means a fire-type specialist like my sister, I firmly believed that traveling in the wilds without a fire type was negligent in the extreme. They were beyond valuable in situations like this, or even in just starting a fire or scaring off the abundant grass types in Kanto.
"M-mare, I'm c-completely f-fine. This i-is u-unnecessary," Dani managed to protest weakly.
I shook my head. "This is non-optional. Nana, steam dry, please. Dani, grab onto him and hold on for a few minutes until you're dried off, at least for a bit."
Dani wrapped her arms around Nana gingerly as if she was afraid he was going to burn her or something. "Ugh. He s-smells l-like wet d-dog," she complained.
"Lithe! Growlithe," Nana growled defensively.
"And so will you! But you'll smell like a slightly drier wet dog, at least. And hopefully, you'll stop shivering, more importantly," I said in a faux chipper tone. I found that cheer, even false cheer, tended to help improve the mood.
"S-Sorry, Nana," Dani apologized contritely. "T-thank you."
I nodded in satisfaction at the gratitude; it was only proper to thank pokémon for their assistance. Especially such a fluffy and reliable one such as Nana.
I found my tight shoulders relaxing in contentment at the sight of Dani hanging on to Nana as he "steamed" both of them until she finally stopped shivering.
My enjoyment of the tranquil scene was interrupted as Ellie shouted at me from somewhere around the next bend in the trail.
"Mare," Ellie bellowed excitedly. "Mare! Come look at this, quick!"