It kept replaying over and over in my head. All night did the memory last, every last brain cell analyzing each part of the scuffle and relentlessly identifying what I could've done better. Over and over, I saw Fenway flying through the air, already knocked unconscious. Coupled with the bothersome scene, one message played constantly, resounding in my head.
Don't let it happen again.
A simple message, essentially, but quite effective. So effective, that, when the morning sun finally cracked over the horizon, roughly twenty pages near the back of the book were filled to the brim with as much tactical know-how that I could muster in my weary state. Aside from the obligatory spelling errors or minor discrepancies that the lack of coherent thought may have relinquished, the inky ideas that had flooded forth provided an adequate recap for my memory banks. Type advantages, optimal IV builds and strategic competitive teams; the pages were so chock full they could be considered on par for a pokemon almanac. I had to admit, it felt comforting to have a pen in hand again.
Every hour I would switch concepts to keep the idea flow fresh in my mind, even sketching a tolerable-quality picture of Fenway as she slumbered peacefully. As her upper chest rose and fell methodically, I silently scrubbed my writing utensil upon the sheet with a vague representation of her outline. The dimly lit night sky provided no help in adding many articulate details, but I was nonetheless proud of my end result. A new diagram sat within the sea of information, thin arrows poking and prodding the sleeping caricature with bountiful rows of commentary on the lean yet impressive physique.
One arrow in particular had been made intentionally thicker than the others, pointing towards an area in the throat where I presumed the trachea was, around the midpoint of the neck. Following the inky trail I had left a modest notice, reading "Fire or Air?". I deduced the next training session available would make a perfect starting session to fill in the remaining points of interest. Perhaps I could quiz Calem on his know-how if his mother taught him anything on the anatomy of fire types; hopefully he was just the adamant learner that I was bargaining for.
Fenway began to stir in her sleep, a mewl slipping out as she shivered from a sudden breeze. Her legs tapped against the journal, bouncing the sheets before settling back into her docile ball. Sometimes I wondered if she knew just how cute she was.
My thought process drifted towards our previous little training 'session', if it even be categorized as such. A hands on approach would be needed for proper teaching, and I still felt compelled to berate myself for the careless judgement on the tree's tenacity against Fenway's unrelenting assault.
'Of all the times to forsake Pops' lessons, why did I have to make it then? I could have found a mahogany if I was just a bit more patient anyway. If there was one thing he drilled, it was the endogenous morphological processes they go through. It's just... so simple-'
A quick tail slap granted me a clearer conscience again.
The previously dormant fox pokemon in my lap now had a dreary eye leering towards me, an annoyed snort blowing across my leg. I scratched behind her large ears, slowly massaging the fur. A satisfied coo acknowledged the apologetic petting, a fuzzy head resting on my thigh again.
This mumbling needed to be reigned in. Eventually.
Closing my journal, I allowed my body to flop down onto the polyester "mattress" underneath me. My eyes drifted towards the twinkling stars overhead. Brilliant balls of gas illuminating the vast emptiness of space, each burning as bright as they could in a showy effort to retain stability. Wispy clouds strung themselves around the quilt of dark colors, thin gray outlines sliding loosely without a care in the world. Before now, the skies were always bloated or cloudy with one dominant color sitting lazily over us like a haze.
Now, an entire painting sat above us instead of one color. One grand portrait of this universe, glowing through a thin blanket of leaves and branches. Was this what my skies used to look like?
'If only Charlie could see this.'
With that one thought, the atmosphere was thrown back into a dull slump. Everything seemed to sit still at that moment, the gentle breeze ebbing off, the rolling clouds hitting the brakes with a sudden swiftness. My moment of relaxation was already tarnished.
I shook the new overbearing feeling of dread off my shoulders and rolled over. It was probably best not to think about him just yet. I could handle a lot on my plate, but the thought of him? It was too much for me. Just… not yet.
'Relax, Norman. Things are fine, and you're already making good progress. It would be best to sleep on matters anyhow. You need rest. You'll see everyone soon.'
My lips drew into a thin line as I leaned out of the hammock, slipping the journal and pen back into the bag. With the wonder being crushed so quickly, my body's exhaustion had once again caught up with me, this time maintaining a cast iron grip on each muscle. Not long afterwards I joined the pokemon on top of me in a dreamless slumber.
"Come on, Mr. Norman! We need to go, or we'll have to spend the night in the rain!"
A sharp sensation pricked my upper arm, jarring me awake. Muttering a few curses I swat at the general direction from which the sense had occurred, eyes still wrenched shut. I sat up and allowed for my still aching body to pop and groan in detestment, while searching blindly for the perpetrator.
My fingers began to slip through a smooth surface, scrubbing delicately against an uneven pelt of luscious fur. Then, my hand felt the same sensation as my arm, this time much more painful. I jerked my hand back and cracked my eyes open to slits, snarling out another slew.
"For the love of- I'm up, I'm up. You can cool your jets now."
Tired pupils struggled to dilate against the beaming morning sun, the overhead flora offering little protection from the rays that managed to trickle through. A burning sensation began to sting each time I tried to open my eyes, causing me to rub my eyes with a grumble. So far, my morning was off to a less than desirable start.
I felt two pairs of legs trot around my groggy figure and plop their rump down on my legs impatiently. Swinging my hand back around, I stroked the fluffy tufts of hair sticking out of a twitchy ear, a faint purr of pleasure vibrating on my fingers. 'Please lord, tell me she will outgrow this obnoxious biting phase… I'd be satisfied with a sign of some sort telling me it's only a phase, period.'
Shaking the tiny puncture wounds with an irritated grumble, I began to slosh out the side of my hammock and hop out, stumbling slightly. The loose ground underneath my toes began to stick to my feet, creating a light coating I brushed off while leaning against the tree my bag was propped on. A few blisters had begun to boil to the surface of my skin, but they were nothing I couldn't handle for another day or two. Hopefully, we would be arriving within the city long before my feet gave out from the mistreatment.
Calem continued to observe me as I meandered about, a speck of interest gleaming in his eye. "Are you still feeling any symptoms of jet lag, Mr. Norman?"
"In... a sense, you could say so. It was just a long day all around, yesterday. And if I recall correctly, I also remember stating that you don't have to call me 'mister'. It is only my first name in any case." I remarked, deflecting away from the previous day.
The aspiring ace simply shrugged and set a course through the brush to his own campsite with an energetic trot. Simply looking at the kid so spritely this early made me feel embarrassed with all the bravado that I had exuded last night about waking up in a timely manner.
As I buttoned my shirt from it's disheveled state, I heard a faint tip tap patter up to me. My eyes drifted to the fox whom I had saved a few short weeks ago holding my dust-encrusted black shoes in a soft bite. Our eyes met for a moment, prompting her to place the shoes down at my feet, refusing to break eye contact. A small smile crept along my mouth and I gave a curt nod, Fenway swishing her tail back and forth as she sat down a couple paces away.
Inspecting my shoes, I realized the backs were already beginning to lose their luster along with the soles starting to round off around the edges. My pristine button-down had gained a brown tint, a coating of dust courtesy of the wind's billows on it over my short journey. The corduroy pants were now riddled with wrinkles with the occasional splatter of grass remnants and dirt. It was nothing that I couldn't manage though; a bit of grime wouldn't hurt anyone, but a speedy trip to the local boutique would be a wise decision.
Fortunately, I had little difficulty freshening up to an acceptable level. I was putting the finishing touches on my rolled sleeves when my fingers drifted over my shirt pocket. A lick of orange was peaking out of the lining, reminding me I still didn't know how to properly finish my wardrobe. Maybe Calem knew a thing or two about clothing.
Straightening myself out, I unlatched my hammock from both trees and attempted to roll it into a neat form with Fenway standing on the alternate end to keep the comfort device from squirming about. Even though I hadn't gone camping, it was a logical conclusion to draw that it wouldn't be all too rigorous to pack, right? I'd seen plenty of hikers and campers carry similar equipment to their sites, so surely even an inexperienced man such as myself wouldn't have a conniption with returning the polyester to its package.
As fate would have it, there was a valid reason behind why the main characters in the anime bring sleeping bags instead of the suspended alternative. After ten minutes of vicious brawling, the wrinkles and air bubbles holed up within the hammock surrendered, allowing for us to have a few crucial moments to stuff the rolled menace into it's plastic containment. Pulling draw strings over a bag had never felt so relaxing yet stressful.
With a satisfied sigh, I shoved the wrapped hammock into my messenger bag and zipped the main pouch shut. My mind rewound to Calem giving out the wake up call, warranting a mental groan at the imagery of fumbling with the aggravating polyester in a downpour. While I loved the rain and didn't often pay it much mind, having to sleep in drenched clothing is another can of worms entirely.
Renewed motivation coursing through me, I threw my pack over my shoulder and allowed the leather to brush lazily on my waist. My pokemon companion sauntered by my leg, staring at me with a pleading expression. I was bent down halfway with arms extended when a moment of realization struck me. Fenway tilted her head at my sudden reluctance.
"On second thought bud, I'm going to have to veto today's shoulder ride." I said, lumping in an apologetic rub behind the ears. Fenway leaned in slightly to the gesture, pupils still searching my features.
I slid one hand into my pant pocket. "This route we're about to go down is bound to have plenty of other people and pokemon along with us. If someone were to challenge us while you were out, it would most likely be due to our opponents having the preconceived notion I'm a hot-shot trainer or they already have some other dastardly trick up their sleeve. On top of unfair battles, the place is practically a maze of gargantuan plants I'll have to wade through, and I'd rather not run the risk of losing you in some massive field. I'll let you out eventually, but for now it would be best for you to remain within the ball."
Fenway sat for a moment, eyes flicking back and forth on the ground in her poised stance as she wrestled with her confliction. With one last glance up to my placant expression she slowly nodded in acceptance with an added huff, lowering her head in preparation to return to her pokeball. I snapped the round device off my suspender node, pressing the button and watched as a thick red beam once again dematerialized the fennekin's form.
I snapped the ball onto my node again. Before I could set out to rendezvous with the kid, a sudden groan stopped me in my tracks. An aching feeling began to gurgle in my midsection, growing abundantly vocal.
I began to dig back around within my bag, searching around in one of my side pockets. My fingers wrapped around two vanilla yogurt protein bars, the sight of my small breakfast making my mouth water. I hastily unwrapped them and scarfed the food down as I strut out of the dense forest.
Calem, being the avid go-getter he was, was waiting patiently with his back turned to me, thoroughly invested in whatever he held. I didn't pay him much mind though as the soft crunching of pebbles shifting beneath my shoes alerted him to my presence when I walked past him. The boy whipped his head up, a calm smile gleaming from his relaxed features.
"Ready to go?" He asked jovially. A simple nod was all it took for him to trot up and fall in line beside me on the trail.
Swails of forest still enraptured us as we set out further and further into the route. A stern frown had squirmed onto my face now at the discrepancy. 'This is nothing like what Route 4 once resembled… there's no possible way it once held such a densely wooded portion along its path. Is it plausible we even went down the wrong road or path? No, that's impossible. Under no circumstance is there another route branching out further…'
"Not like the promotional pictures, right?" piped up a voice beside me.
"Precisely, it's nothing like wha-" Oh, oh shoot, I forgot. The mumbling problem was still a thing. That really needed to be fixed soon.
As in, exceptionally soon.
Firing off as many signals as I could from my brain to the rest of my body to relax, I pretended to fumble with my bag as if to withdraw an object. "Of course, course... Guess they only display the voguish areas, eh?"
Calem shrugged. "Sort of, I'm not much of a photographer so I can't say for sure. Speaking of, how did you come to Santalune if you've never seen this section of Route 4? It's the shortest route that passes by Odyssey Village, and the regional airport is in Lumiose."
I felt the nails on my right hand dig into my palm. Nevertheless, my expression remained neutral. "Keep in mind that Route 22 through the underbelly of the League is an option as well, you know. I prefer to take the scenic routes anyway. I must've missed this part of the touring pamphlet."
Calem hummed to himself for a moment, taking in the response. We ended up walking a few more paces before continuing the conversation.
"Norman?"
"What is it?"
"Which region are you from?" the protege asked, turning his head to reveal relaxed eyes and a lackadaisical smile.
I mentally stalled for a moment, matching Calem's gaze. 'Of course he decides now of all times. What do I- what should I even say? Obscurity may be best on this occasion. Question is, which region is obscure enough?'
"I'm sorry, is that a rough subject for you? I didn't mean to- you know." The future champ said, hastily shaking his hands.
I cleared my throat. "No, not at all. Merely lost in thought." I said, readjusting my bag. "Besides, I think we've arrived in the aforementioned 'scenic area' already."
Narrowly avoiding the query, we both turned to face the new beam of sunshine radiating down upon the starkly different landscape. The shift in plant life was an abrupt transition from shrubbery and trunks to rolling hills coated with all manner of yellow and red flowers. I was able to recognize only a handful of vegetation, hundreds of sunflowers, begonias, and even a few coreopsis peeking out among the natural bouquets.
Not only was the environment breathtaking, but I was also graced with something I had yet to see before in the world: wild pokemon. Or to be more specific, wild pokemon engaging in their day to day activities. Nevertheless, it was surprising to finally see the Flabébé drifting aimlessly among the richness. I even spotted an especially exhilarated Combee buzzing around a single sunflower that was a few inches taller than its surrounding counterparts.
'Oh, perhaps when I write about this in my journal I could use an analogous variation of Hades and Persephone, with somehow arranging a figure to stand in as Demeter. Hm… on second thought, would a Greek myth fit for inspiration? Perhaps something more Norse or Finnish? God, the possibilities!'
My mind continued to spew ideas left and right as a childish grin spread across my face, taking in the scene in full. The lighting of the sunlight glistening on the petals, each one perfectly hydrated and brimming with life, a few thin trees littered along the hills to provide shade; it was all utterly glorious. It was the kind of beauty bequeathed by Mother Nature that no amount of graphics could ever fathom accurately capturing. I could hardly contain myself from busting out my pen and paper on the spot!
A small breeze began to pick up, washing over the field as if a vast sea was standing before us. The occasional Budew would waddle out into view through one of the few parts between the flowers, allowing for me to observe their stubby forms. One rambunctious bud pokemon decided it best to try to roll down one of the grassy hills adjacent to the path, spinning out as it reached the bottom and careening directly into our path.
Calem and I both took a moment to study the tiny seed before it righted itself, shaking what loose sprinklings of dirt it could from the smooth leafy pelt it bore. The Budew took two steps to the left then right, trying to get a lay of the new setting that had been presented. Satisfied, the creature waddled to the right further, managing to do a complete about-face to reveal Calem and I observing it from a few meters away.
Two silky onyx ( the color, not the actual pokemon ) eyes blinked at us as the pokemon scanned the both of us, looking first to Calem. A twinkle of wonder sparkled in their pearly black orbs as they studied the young man, enraptured by his very existence. Judging by the personality displayed, I could only assume that this was at the oldest a mere juvenile.
Next, the Budew turned to study me. The moment it laid eyes on me however, their body began to squirm and its mouth began to tremble. Eyes flicking between the both of us, the poor pokemon seemed like it was ready to high tail itself out of the way before being bumped into by fellow Budew, this one slightly bigger than the other.
Unlike the first Budew, this new bulb pokemon had an elegant red blossom sprouting out their top half, luscious petals shaped like diamonds with rounded edges gleaming in the sun. Thin pollen-covered stomata jutted out the middle, some yellow specks floating off with the light gust. I had never seen a flower like the one growing off the creature, much less one with petals broken into two, spreading both up and down.
The newly arrived bulb let out a noise that was a cross between a chirp and warble, casting just a quick glance up to us before setting its sights back on their diminutive companion. The younger pokemon glanced up at the other, bodily tremors ceasing as they regained their senses.
The simplistic call seemed to be just what the young Budew needed, as the previously petrified pokemon brightened up just as quickly. Within seconds, the duo were bouncing happily together, as we had completely slipped the mind. Both pokemon then raced off back up the hill, stumpy legs bounding around before slipping back into the verdure.
A lighthearted chuckle rose from my chest. "There never was anything quite so gorgeous from where I'm from…"
The young man to my right began to snicker to himself. "What, never seen a Budew before? They're quite common in Kalos, especially in routes with consistently direct sunlight and a fair amount of precipitation. I'm more surprised you didn't know about them."
I huffed through my nostrils. "Of course I know what a Budew is, kid! I meant the route as a whole, obviously. You have to admit that the place is mesmerizing at least."
Calem shrugged off the remark, seeming to share my sentiment. "Now that I understand! I've seen pictures of this route before, but I never imagined everything to be so, so alive."
"Ha. I couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes I wonder how in the world areas such as this are created in the first place." I said, placing a hand on my hip.
Calem shot me a quizzical glance before turning back. "Our region was once part of a mighty superregion called Porstia around 6,700 years ago. At the same time, the tectonic pla-"
"I wasn't being literal, Calem." I interrupted, watching the teen scratch the back of his head sheepishly. "Although, I do have a soft spot for mythology. Have always loved that crazy lore, especially with all the different types of storytelling that ensue."
Stalks began to brush my pant legs as we stepped into taller grass, the occasional weed worming their way to the top. A little ways ahead I could make out a sign amongst a shorter patch of grass, it's thick wooden shaft embedded deep into the ground. The writing on the metal post head was too far away to decipher though. Another couple of meters away from the sign sat a thick wall of hedges that held a striking resemblance to those found in the games.
"You enjoy mythology?" Calem asked with an intrigued tone. His surprise warranted another amused snort out of me.
"Bah, you bet! I may not be a certified historian by any means, but you have to agree that the creativity in a legend is unrivaled by any other medium." I said, lightly bumping his shoulder. "Also, what's with the suspension of disbelief? Is it so hard to imagine that I like to dabble?"
The talented trainer tilted his head back and forth. "I'm sorry, it's just that… well, with your marks, the formal attire, and serious demeanor, I wouldn't have pictured you to be someone so casual?"
I had to keep myself from flinching at the mention of my burns, quickly transitioning to a more open demeanor by laughing off the situation. Best not to ruin the atmosphere anyway.
"What can I say? I am what I am. I would go on to say that the whole "looks can be deceiving" spiel would fit the bill as well, but I doubt there is much need by now." I commented while unconsciously itching at my arm.
Calem nodded, grunting in response. "Right. I think it may also be the cause of the lack of pokemon we've seen today. Aside from the Budew from earlier, we haven't encountered a single wild pokemon at all. Even when using repels, a trainer is bound to stumble into at least one encounter eventually. Personally, I was hoping that we'd find at least a couple tough pokemon to fight…"
As much I had hated the concept, I had to admit the kid had made a valid point. Thinking about my attire and features together, if I were a pokemon, I'd probably run away from me, too. However, there was one main counter argument that popped into my brain. While my appearance was certainly off-putting, it was doubtful that this was the only factor contributing to the alarmingly low rate of run-ins. Hopefully I'd figure it out soon, because it felt downright criminal to see the sap so deflated.
By now, my acquaintance and I had come upon the aforementioned sign that had jutted above the greenery, finally able to make out the inscription. As we approached the sign, my eyes affixed to the emboldened text, making out a special warning to trainers heading down the route.
"PLEASE READ!"
"Any and all trainers choosing to embark through the ROUTE 22 hedge maze are recommended to first have at least one guiding pokemon or map at their disposal, along with one readily available pokemon for possible wild encounters.
Any damage or injury sustained from failure to follow these procedures is NOT the fault of Lumiose Preservation Society (LPS) or any other volunteers other than the trainer's own fault.
Thank you for your cooperation, and happy travels!
-The Lumiose Preservation Society & National Gardener's Association"
"Talk about being cautious…" I sighed, raising an eyebrow at the odd sign. By the wording alone, I was beginning to have second thoughts on our presumed route. Getting lost in a maze would surely deduct a substantial amount of time from our journey, and with the impending storm that the kid had brought up, I wasn't exactly jumping at the opportunity.
Fortunately for me, just a few meters of following the outer layer of maze was a separate heavily flower-paved "path" stretching around the impressive walls of shrubbery. Rendezvousing back at the bedazzled entrance to the maze, I began to prepare what I could and reread the sign to make sure alternate routes weren't out of the question before turning back to my traveling companion.
Calem, on the other hand, seemed to pay little mind to the notice. In fact, he was practically brimming with optimism as he faced the leafy gates looming before us.
The skilled protege flashed a pursed smile to me. "Ready to go?"
I stalled for a moment. "Are you sure you'd rather take the maze, of all paths? I mean, I understand the enthusiasm; a giant hedge maze is enticing, after all. We're still in a time crunch though, and getting a move on while we can would be the wisest course of action. Besides, what if we wind up losing our sense of direction?"
"Time crunch? I thought you said you liked taking the scenic routes." He replied, cocking his head to the side with one hand in his pocket, body language practically shouting "why not, huh?".
I mentally cursed my past self for the poor choice of words and bit my lip. To my detriment, the young sap had already allowed for his heart to be set on taking his own way to the grand city of lights.
Fortunately for me, my brain had already conjured an idea. "It's not all that scenic with green as far as the very limited eye can see, wouldn't you say?"
"There's more of the route after the maze though, so there should be plenty of landscape to view there." Calem frowned.
My mind sputtered for a moment before drawing a rebuttal. "I have to take it all in at once, see? I can't simply forego part of a recipe when cooking, I have to add all the ingredients together at the right times!"
"You cook?"
"That's not my- Well not really, but everyone knows how recipes work. Urgh, you get the point."
Calem still sat with his frown, unwavering.
Sighing, I caved in. "Very well, you win. We can take the maze. But, I'm going to have Fenway out to keep me company on the off chance any unruly pokemon decides to stick around a bit too long. Is that acceptable?"
Elation lit up the teen's face behind his usually relaxed features, his shoulders rising ever so slightly. Calem gave me a customary thumbs-up, readjusting his own satchel across his lapel. I readied my bag as well and popped off the unique pokeball from my suspenders. A swift button push and out came the fire type pokemon whom I called a partner, materializing once again in her stream of light and matter.
"Fen fen!" she yipped, sniffing the air curiously. The tiny fox pokémon's face shifted in an instant to horror as pollen flooded her senses. It took her around three minutes to finally calm the irritated nasal cavities, her fur thoroughly ruffled from the sneezing and annoyance of light snickering. Fenway's gaze snapped up to the wall of greenery before her, then back to me.
I silently nodded and snapped the gray pokeball back onto a suspender node. "Ready to head in?"
"Absolutely!" Calem replied, eyes drifting down. "Erm, I'm not sure Fenway is, though."
Puzzled by the odd comment, I studied my partner. Sure enough, her fur was on edge and tail slowly wagging back and forth below her legs. Muscles in her legs began to ripple and her lips sank back into a snarl. An occasional twitch from the ear signaled she was listening for something delicate, although I couldn't hear anything.
The most peculiar aspect of all were her eyes. It was as though every single ounce of focus was scanning the entrance, finally locking on one position. Following her gaze, I felt my blood run cold at the unfolding scene.
What I presumed was a yellow tail with a black tip peeped out from the side of one of the hedge walls inside the maze, sitting perfectly still. I couldn't tell what sort of pokemon it was, but one thing was for sure.
It was a bird tail.
"Hold on Fenway, don't you dare even think about-"
I didn't have time to finish the thought before Fenway tore off through the brush and fired a low power ember at the mysterious pokemon. Due to the sudden noise, the unknown creature jerked its tail away, followed by startled peeps of fear as it darted away from the maze entrance.
I stalled for a moment to gather my surprise, then broke into a full sprint after my infuriated companion.
"Damn it, Fenway! Get back here!" I boomed as a startled Calem disappeared from my view and I zipped around the corner, catching the blurred forms of the two pokemon flying around a sharp right turn.
Blood pounded in my ears as barks and terrified chirps with the occasional whimper. I forced my legs to pick up the pace, rounding yet another corner. This time, I could barely make out the fluff of my partner's tail as it disappeared through another left.
I held out my hand to grab a vine in the grassy wall to keep from wiping out, scouring the dense path ahead of me for any sign of Fenway or the bird. To my detriment, however, I was met with two tiny fires smoldering on the ground, quickly spreading along the uneven ground.
'Shit, she's going to engulf the entire Route with fire!' I mentally swore, rushing to stomp out the embers and continue pursuit. Fortunately, they were still young and only took a few good steps to snuff out. Now, I had bigger problems to worry about.
Like how I had lost track of Fenway.
I slammed a frustrated fist against one of the hedge walls and huffed, the entangled vines shivering from the impact. While the newly blossoming scrapes on my knuckles hurt, my focus was now on the cross roads ahead. Being angry would get me nowhere.
As it turned out, the chase between pokemon was quite loud still, and thin puffs of smoke were beginning to rise above a couple of the hedge walls to my right. At least I still had leads as to their direction.
Wasting no time, I made a right only to be met by a cacophony of sizzling patches of charred flora and a lone lit vine along the wall. Ravenous flames were beginning to creep along the separate section, nearly reaching the wall of potential fuel.
Panic swelling in my chest, I lunged to the vine, grasping it. With my free hand, I twisted the organic fuse as far as I could, heat beginning to kiss my skin. A sick feeling in my gut was rising, but I ignored it as the fibers in the vine finally gave way. The flames on the vine crept alarmingly close to my pinky finger as I held it, causing me to drop it at the sudden pain.
The disconnected segment met the bottom of my shoe, earning a swift crunch before I took off once again. I called out to Fenway again, my effort being met with futility similarly to the first attempt.
A quick left net me another long corridor of torched maze, a four-way intersection ahead. Waving around its flower frantically sat a Flabébé, fanning out mini flames as fast as its skinny arms allowed it. My heart stung at the scene as I ran past, the poor pokemon struggling to keep itself from being blown away at my tailwind.
"My apologies!" I called out without looking back as I made another left. Once this conundrum was all over, Fenway and I were going to have a nice long chat for sure.
The commotion was dwindling now, and my body was begging for rest. I could feel more blisters rising in my feet after each launch, sharp sensations coursing through my limbs. With my pounding head, I was hoping desperately they were nearing a dead end.
Round a left, snuff the embers. Round another left, dodge the pissed off Combee. Make a right, stomp on the fire. It was almost becoming clockwork. No matter how fast I ran though, I just couldn't close the distance with the mystery pokemon and Fenway.
Something I had noted, however, was the growing damage that spread the further I ventured. More fires were burning, and larger patches of scorched earth were popping up. My fuzzy companion was as sick of this chase as I was, and it was showing.
Suddenly, as I was rearing a left, my entire world view shifted to the side. My brain had yet to process what had happened before I felt a tough impact across my right side, knocking the wind out of me. My eyes wrenched shut as I grit my teeth at the new pain surging in my right ankle.
'This is the last hindrance I need right now, I swear…' I sighed, hoisting myself up with wobbly arms. My leg attempted to give up once and crash me down to my knees, but with another wimpy heave I rose to my feet.
Stabilizing my breathing as best I could, I pressed on albeit in more of a speed walk than sprint. By now the rumbling duo were either too far away to make out anymore, or had stopped. I was hoping with all my being that the latter was true.
As I stumbled around yet another corner, I was met with the no longer blazing trail leading out an exit. Unlike the entrance however, this opening was less grand, and more akin to an employee's entrance due to the thin overgrowth creeping down slowly from the overhanging archway and taller weeds underfoot.
Outside the maze, I was met with yet another field, just as luscious as the one I had been met with when Calem and I had first arrived on the Route. If it were any other time, I would've reveled in the magnificence.
At the moment, I was a bit occupied making sure that Fenway didn't roast some poor creature alive and get herself lost.
The sea of tightly woven flowers had been parted into two sections, most trampled with broken stems beneath a flurry of paws stampeding over. Surprisingly, none of the crunched nor standing greenery had been set ablaze.
I continued to hobble through the torn path for what felt like an eternity. All the while I shuffled, my ankle refused to let me forget how it had been turned in the wrong direction. Pushing it much further would only net me a broken foot. It took all the willpower I had to keep from unleashing a slew of profanities that would make even a drill sergeant blush. My pain tolerance never was that great.
Eventually I came upon a small clearing amidst the plains. The path split open into an uneven circle of shorter weeds like dandelions and honey suckles that surrounded a stocky maple tree. The tree was sturdy towards the bottom but thinned out for branches toward the top, each one arcing off in its own direction with leaves meshing to fill in gaps. Among the blur of leaves however, sat a familiar yellow tail with a black tip, quivering in the midst of a shower of autumn red and brown.
I squinted up towards the tree, taking small steps as to not alert the creature to my presence.
'Yellow and black tail, where have I seen a bird pokemon with yellow and black? Pidgey? Wait, no. Come on Norman, think! Oh, there's a peep hole. So, more yellow, wide round butt, not many feathers at all, or are they just condensed? Actually those look more like scales- is that another tail? No, those are ears.'
I did a double take.
'THE TAIL WAS AN EAR?! Hold on, black and yellow, thin, flat, and long ears… Oh…shit.'
I grit my teeth at the unfolding scene as frustration further welled inside of me. "That absolute moron…"
As if I had called her by name, barks and yips piped up from the other side of the tree, followed by a hastily conjured ember flying through the air into the tree. The mini fireball struck against the branch underneath the mystery pokemon, causing it to yelp at the attack and shake violently. With one swift motion, the pokemon hopped into an adjacent, more exposed branch and smacked the lit branch off the tree to prevent it from spreading. The flaming limb came tumbling down in front of me, smoking the surrounding weeds. I quickly put out the stick before it could spark anything worse, and vehemently crept around the tree.
Standing in all her foxy glory stood Fenway, still bristling in blind rage. Smoke was building around the edges of her mouth as she prepared yet another Ember, this time much more powerful than the previous.
Before my partner foolishly cast the projectiles, I dove into her side and grabbed her. The sudden force temporarily knocked her prone in my arms as we tumbled on the ground. Flailing paws met my body as I attempted to restrain the resisting fennec, keeping a hand over her muzzle to keep her from causing any more damage and another around her waist as she squirmed on top of me.
Annoyed snarls escaped her as she lashed out wildly against me, nails slicing against my exposed skin. Her bucking eventually had her smack my injured foot, forcing me to cradle it with my own cry.
I turned up to meet a fuming fox glaring down at me as though I was a hostile stranger. "Calm yourself, Fenway! It's me! Norman!"
A hint of recognition flashed through the fox as her squirming stopped, her mind at last catching up to the present. "Lord, it sure took you long enough, bloody... ouch..."
The fox pokemon drooped her eyes as she simply stared at the exposed pokemon starstruck on the branch. Her entire form slumped down further the longer she stared as the situation hit her. While I was a hair's length away from releasing hell on earth to Fenway, I withheld the storm in favor of studying the poor sucker she'd pursued.
Through the vivacious shaking, just at first glance I could confirm my hunch. The pokemon had a large ovular head, the top half wrapped in two black strips of scales. The frills attached to the side of the head also cut off towards the ends with a fringe of yellow at the tips. The actual body of the pokemon was considerably smaller than the cranium, nearly the same size. In terms of proportionality it was confusing, but at that point I wasn't surprised.
Similarly, the torso, legs, and slick tail all shared the same color pattern as black tips adorned them rather than yellow. Two blue eyes locked with my own as I studied the animal.
It was as I had suspected. No avian.
I murmured to myself as I brushed off what dirt I could. "It's fine, it's fine, only a hair off schedule. This is nothing detrimental, Norman."
My attention shifted to the rattled pokemon. Cupping my hands over my mouth, I shouted, "You alright up there?"
Leaves rocked back and forth as a tremor was sent through the trunk. A high pitched trill sliced against my ears in response, causing me to recoil harshly. In a way, I was thankful I had received an answer. I cupped my hands back over my mouth.
"I get it, you are under a lot of distress! But look; no one is chasing you anymore and we won't do it again! I swear! See for yourself!"
Although it was brief, I could have sworn that I saw the head turn up from its cowering. Stubborn as a brick, this pokemon was. I scratched my scalp in contemplation, my mind beginning to cloud as my options thinned by the second. I didn't have much more time for this.
"If you want to come down, I'll just leave and you can get down on your own. That work for you?" I offered, shrugging my shoulders. Squinting, I could make out the outline of the animal hopping between branches, scrambling on a few, before utterly returning to its previous perch. A few seconds later a defeated trill sank through the foliage.
I sighed. "You can't get down, can you?"
A pregnant pause filled the area.
"Heeeeelio…"
"As I thought." I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose with my index and middle fingers. "I really am sorry, you know. My partner has quite the intense hatred for birds, and mistook you for one."
No response this time. Fenway let out a low pitched whimper, but it fell on deaf ears. I decided to try my luck again. "If you need help getting down, I can help you, but only if you allow me to do so. Otherwise, I can leave you to your own devices."
My bluff granted me another once-over before the branches shuddered for a brief moment. A groan built up in my throat.
'Just how deeply spooked is this Helioptile? Wild or not, there's no earthly way a pokemon could be this skittish from a teeny little fox chasing them around the bushes a couple of times.'
Finally acknowledging that the Helioptile wasn't going anywhere, I faced the now abashed fox behind me. Her tail was tucked firmly behind her legs, and she was lying on the ground curled into a semi-circle. It almost reminded me of a guilty child from how she averted her gaze.
My ankle flared up as I took a step forward to my partner, eliciting a wince. A tired grunt escaped my lips. I was in no mood for consolation or reprimanding her, I had lost enough time as it was. Perhaps I could make use of the open, vacant terrain instead.
Careful not to agitate the injury, I awkwardly hobbled over to the tree trunk and plopped down. My ears picked up more overhead rattling as I approached, but I paid no mind. Withdrawing my journal, I flipped through until I landed on the page I had sought.
During the semi-lucid skirmish of documenting I had the previous night, I had marked down two words, both surrounded by a plethora of question marks. I intended to hopefully clear off some of the marks. Now, there was only one matter left to deal with. Glancing over the rim of my journal, I spied said matter still curled up on the ground. I bit my lip, grimacing.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked, barely taking my eyes off the journal for a moment. Fenway's tail sluggishly peeled away from her face, pitiful eyes peering through. 'That drew her attention. Perfect.'
I let the journal flop into my lap. "You heard me. I'm going to be straight with you Fenway. I have always been less than awful at grasping how to provide motivation or providing comfort, so I advise you to not expect me to break into some long, invigorating spiel. If it grants any solace, I hardly care much at the moment that you threw us off course."
The worn fennekin withdrew from her curled state, sitting up right. Her eyes searched me over and over while her muzzle remained in a pursed straight line. 'Keep it up, Norman.'
"If anything, we're even now. I have failed you at filling the role of an optimal trainer, and you've now returned the favor by engaging in a foolish endeavor," I motioned with my hands. "Now I'll give you a choice: Either you stay over there and think about your actions some more and we leave, or you get up, brush yourself off, and let me show you what I have planned. Perhaps I may even do it like a true trainer would."
Fenway had long since stopped looking me over, now sitting ramrod while staring at me. I matched her gaze with my own aloof posture and blank expression. Repressing the urge to squirm was difficult as we sat, neither one of us making a peep. Even the Helioptile above us had stopped shaking. My hand sat lazily on my propped up knee, fingers tapping lightly.
I could practically smell the smoke plumes billowing out of the young pokemon's ears as the gears of thought went into overdrive. Although she couldn't fully understand my language, I knew all I needed was firm body language to tell her what I meant. Just a little more patience, and it would come to fruition.
Almost as if I had it on cue, Fenway blinked away her contemplation and shook her head around. I could feel a glimmer of pride crack through my chest as she lifted her haunches into a strong trot. The fox pokemon placed herself back down in front of me, staring so intently it felt as though I already had holes drilled through my skull. With a huff of air out my nostrils, I replied with a curt "good".
Unfortunately, my bag found it an adequate time to let me know of a certain vibration resounding from my bag. I held a finger up to Fenway and pulled the bag closer. With a swift release of the latch, a vibrating Poke-device thing met my gaze. A troubling thought then occurred to me.
I had no earthly clue how to answer the infernal contraption.
Grunting in frustration and slight embarrassment, I stuffed the device back into my traveling bag and tossed it aside. It was no big deal anyway; whomever it was calling could leave a message until I quizzed Calem on how they work. At least, I had hoped they had a messaging feature.
I shook out the worries. 'No, you can mull over that later. Now isn't the time.'
A quick glance over to Fenway put me back at ease, as I still had her full attention. I nearly allowed the blank exterior to falter for a moment in my relief, thankfully catching myself at the last second.
"Now then, if there are no more interruptions," I stated, clasping my hands together. "Let's get this ball rolling. We're burning daylight."
I shifted my posture to have my back up straight rather than slouched and raised a hand to scratch at the developing itch on the peach fuzz sprouting on my chin. "First thing's first: we're going to be making some vital additions to your repertoire. How about we go with Smokescreen?"
A puzzled expression was her response.
"What, did you think you couldn't learn that one?"
Fenway stared at her paws for a moment, unable to admit the truth.
"Nonsense! Practically any pokemon can, under the right circumstances." I stated simply as though it were common knowledge. Although she was still listening acutely, Fenway's tail began to swish back and forth rhythmically.
I pointed towards my throat. "Do you recall during our bout with Calem, when I had you create the massive dust cloud to obstruct Fletchling's vision so we could get the upper hand? Well that, by itself, is a Smokescreen." I held up my arms and spread them out slowly, as if mimicking a sizable explosion.
"Even then, if we wanted to really play dirty, I could've instructed for a Scratch that was angled up at Fletchling to mimic a shovel, so the sand would get into their eyes, effectively making for a great Sand Attack." I elaborated, holding my fingers pointed at my eyes as if to poke them. A twinkle of understanding shone within the tiny foxes' eyes, her pupils tracking every moment I made.
"You see Fenway, moves that people teach pokemon are like types of practiced techniques that most use as a reliable way to harness the energy within you as a utility, rather than just throwing out whatever comes to you first. However, most pokemon both in the wild and domestic forget one key ingredient to said moves: the fact that it's merely manipulating the power you already possess in a certain form, nothing more." I tapped the side of my head, then nudged Fenway's.
The fox sniffed the air for a moment, then returned her focus to her trainer. "If we're going to be a team and get back to reality, we'll have to bend the rules and what we once thought was possible. Thinking outside of the box, if you will. Which means our first act of business is move modification. Hopefully, my theory on them is correct."
"Fe-Fe."
I grappled against the tree, weary not to put any extra weight onto the ankle and sat down.
"Ready a normal scattershot of Ember at low velocities." I instructed. The tiny mammal blinked curiously at me, then withdrew her head and sank into a crouch.
A low growl began to bubble in Fenway's throat alongside the embers in a small lump. As the tiny fox built up the internal blaze, the growl began to reverberate closer to her mouth. A minuscule quiver broke along her lips soon after.
I took a moment to document the results, then focused back on the casting move. "Don't release it until I say. Stockpile more flames."
Fenway raised a brow, but nevertheless complied. Another low lump rose in the fennec's throat. The determined glint in her eye was still holding strong, although a small twitch of her tail betrayed that notion. By now, around twenty seconds had passed before she had begun preparation for the attack, far exceeding the longest of documented time frames required for using other fire-based attacks I'd gathered. Conjuring time would be a despicable hindrance, especially for combat usage.
As I watched the lump slowly rise to the tiny fox's maw, a curious feeling began to weasel it's way through my mind. I flipped back a handful of pages to my rough diagram, investigating it closely as if it were invisible ink, then observed my partner. 'Remember, Norman. Two birds with one stone. So far, everything matches up with my hypothesis. Besides, the squirt is pouring her heart into this for me. Here's to hoping Fenway can keep up her momentum.'
As if on cue, a tiny light pulled me from my train of thought. With an inquisitive squint, I peered up from my notes to find an unfortunate sight.
The tiny fox had curled her lips back into a determined glower, staring bullets into the spread of dew-covered, dead grass in front of her. With her teeth firmly clenched, I could make out from behind a few licks of flame escaping their cage and extinguishing themselves in the air soon thereafter. A slight tremble was reverberating through Fenway's legs, growing ever more apparent the longer she held the stance. By my estimations, she had accumulated the sum of about two fully charged Embers that had risen past her throat and were becoming alarmingly difficult to repress.
A bead of sweat was forming on my head. 'Only need one more charge. C'mon, bud.'
"Fe-e-en… kiii." mumbled the struggling pokemon between grunts, sending back an unsure glance. I sent back a gentle nod in response.
Squeezing her eyes back shut, the fox began to muster up a third and final set of embers. As the subtle lump began to materialize in Fenway's throat, plumes of smoke began to leak around the tiny foxes lips, coupled with minute flames. The trembling increased considerably, making the whole scene look as though the fennec was munching on a bonfire like a tough to swallow pill.
'So far so good. A bit of practice should help make the process flow much smoother in the future- but why do I feel like something is still missing from the equation?'
With the frustrating thought stored, I flipped my attention between the fox and my notes. Over and over, I glanced back and forth between paper and pokemon but I simply could not fathom what it was that I was missing. Was it that the charge time was too long? Or perhaps I was simply eager to document the outcome and felt unsatisfied with the amount of documentation? No, none of that seemed accurate. I began to gnaw on my pen's handle.
"What the hell am I missing...?" I whispered to myself. "It's right on the tip of my tongue, and yet- it still seems so distant. Urghhh..."
Just then, a foreign sensation slithered along my arm hairs. The sudden feeling caused me to reel back, allowing for my pen to drop down into my lap. I was befuddled as to what could've caused the odd brush along my forearm. Staring down at the spot where I was once situated, I was met with two lithe stalks of dandelions waving gently along the easy breeze. Had I flinched at a mere weed flower?
Pinching the stem of the still growing sprout and raising it up for inspection, I found the light green stem to be utterly barren of all signs of leaves or other limbs. Instead of miniature appendages adorning the flimsy rod of the plant from lack of leaves there were brown, frayed tufts along the stem.
I raised a brow at the intriguing development. The yellow weed flower didn't seem as though it was struggling much in terms of resource gathering, and was even progressing along as normal. On top of that, the flower showed few if any signs of wilting, with the colors perched atop the leaves still irradiating its own energetic prosperity. The stark difference between leaves and flower left me bewildered. Very few factors could cause a flower to prematurely lose their leaves, but the question was what had caused it to do so in such a short period?
"Fe-e-e-eh…!"
I had almost forgotten about Fenway. My hairs stood on end when the pleading cry broke out, and I whipped my head up.
A trembling Fenway stood in the grassy clearing, wobbly legs barely staying aloft. Puffs of flame continued to sprout along the edges of her mouth and a spray of smoke huffed out here and there like smoke signals. The little fox was still enduring the pain as best she could to hold the stance, now holding her head down to keep the mass of fire from regurgitating. I could only get a passing glimpse of her face, but one look at the fennec's scrunched features was all I needed to understand. She didn't have much time left.
My eyes also then took notice of the field located not far ahead of my partner. Scores of blossoming and brilliant buds showered the soft rolling landscape as far as the eye could see. A soft breeze began to flow through the hilly planes, cascading through the illustrious land of flora. My mind finally clicked the pieces together about the uneasy feeling.
'That wind would be just enough to turn this entire route into an effigy of hell itself and Fenway can barely hold out much longer. There's always a catch now, isn't there!?'
"Compose yourself for a few more seconds, bud! Things became complicated too quickly!" Choking down the protests of my ankle, I forced myself back onto my feet and took off towards my fuzzy companion. Her lips were beginning to recede, twitching wildly.
As I closed the distance between her and I, I could feel the heat emanating off of the tiny fox pokemon as though I had a hand over a boiling pot of water. Fenway swung her head up, a pool of light beaming out of her maw. My heart began to slam against my chest like a machine gun, each thump harder than the last.
With a sharp jolt from my leg, I sprang forward and wrapped my hands around the thin body of the fennekin. Her eyes shot open and she began to flail around with a startled "Fen?"
I whispered a hasty apology in my partner's ear before lobbing the pokemon directly up into the air with all my might. Fenway scrambled and kicked around for something to grasp onto to no avail, a swirl of surprise, pain, and aggravation crossing her face all at once. My heart seemed to skip a beat as I saw her swiftly plummet, my brain kicking my thoughts into overdrive.
Taking a deep breath, I called out my last command. "Quickly! Release all you have at the ground!"
Still spinning in her fall, Fenway tucked in her head for a moment. "Fenneeeee…"
Then, she let it all come out. "Kiiiiiiiin!"
The tiny fox pokemon opened up her mouth to reveal a swirl of sizzling embers only for them to spew rapidly out of her mouth as she fell. Leagues upon leagues of miniature bullets of fire rained down from the heavens upon the barren ground. Thankfully, I dove quickly out of the way of the barrage just in time, lest I became trapped within the blast radius.
Fireball after fireball soared to the ground at amazing speeds, each pitching into a small flickering trail of flames. With every new addition, the flames making up the "walls" burned even more brilliantly. Eventually, Fenway shot out the final ember to connect the string of Embers. As the last fireball connected with the ring, it acted as though a switch had been pulled and the ring erupted, each side converging on one another as the flames ate each other up. A plume of dust sprayed upwards in a cloud of debris, the flames nearly up to my hip in length.
Fenway plopped down in front of me, landing on all fours with a wobbly touchdown. Her back was arched straight and leg muscles tensed, yet she held her head high and mighty in the power stance. She turned to face me, a wide smile stretching out across her muzzle and tail swishing back and forth.
I was positively awestruck. My heartbeat had skyrocketed, my ears pounded, and my ankle screeched in agony, but one feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on rose above all the other raucous emotions.
I closed my slightly sagged jaw and stared silently at the fennec in front of me, then back at the now dissipating literal ring of fire. In all of my notes and sketches of potential testings, I had presumed that charging a move so far to the point of overloading would create a decently sized blast, but not a full on miniature bomb detonation. At best I had presumed it would make a blast radius of about one and a half meters, maybe even two, but the performance that had just unfolded blew those punitive estimations out of the park, almost literally. Although I was far enough away from the blast, I could easily tell it was large enough to fill an entire living room with scorching hot spitfire. Compared to a normal ember's explosion - which for reference is similar in size to a bathtub - I couldn't help but gawk.
A sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding escaped out my mouth amidst deep panting. The rush of brief fear and worry, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins slowly waning and the fact that I'm able to workshop moves with a living, breathing pokemon; it all felt so surreal. 'So… that's what it feels like to be a trainer?'
"I-It… it worked. It worked even better than I'd have dreamed." I murmured, gazing at the ring of scorched earth revealing itself through the cloud of soot.
A low cooing broke me from my awe. Fenway sat on her haunches, watching me like a hawk for any sort of reaction to her performance. I felt the foreign feeling well up inside me once again. It was almost prideful, a joyous waft of accomplishment for the move, but I didn't feel proud of myself for it. If anything, the move still needed to be workshopped like crazy.
No, it wasn't that I was proud of myself.
"Fennekin fen!"
I was more proud of my partner.
I ran a hand through my thick mop of hair. "Well, I wish that the initial test run would've been a less stress-inducing experience, and we have a mountain of dents to buff out. But, aside from all that, you-"
MOVE.
A sudden chill ran down my spine, cutting off my train of thought as I spotted a set of piercing crimson eyes staring daggers at me though the wall of flora. I had little time to flinch from the steely glare as two thick green blurs zipped out from the cover towards my partner and I.
I attempted to roll back and dodge out of the line of fire only to be met with a searing pain lighting up my left shoulder. A surprised grunt escaped my mouth as I stumbled back. Fenway had caught on from my face and reacted quicker than I did to the oncoming assault, leaping up as the blur zoomed past where she once was.
Adrenaline raced throughout my body as I met the gaze of the assailant once again. I tried to swallow down the climbing fear. 'Long, green strike. Vine Whip. The pokemon's so far away, yet it was still so outrageously speedy. This is going to be a struggle if we brawl... if only I wasn't already winded from the barrage of obstacles already.'
Fenway spun on her heels and sent a glare of her own into the brush, a small lump already festering within her throat. I tried to match her intensity as best I could, resisting the urge to shrink away.
The stand-off stare-down only lasted for around thirty seconds in total, but it felt like I was looking into the enraged orbs for almost half an hour. I was beginning to buckle from the anxiety of when the next attack would come, and getting antsy would do nothing to deescalate the situation. Taking a deep breath in through my nose and releasing it out my mouth, I tilted my head to Fenway while maintaining eye contact.
"Stand. Down. Don't move a muscle unless I give you the green light, understood?" I whispered to her. The tiny fox pokemon flicked her tail, a moment later I noticed the lump in her throat recede back down. I twisted my fingers, hoping she would listen to me like how she had when practicing our new unnamed move.
I rolled my tongue along my teeth, weighing my options. Fleeing was already out of the equation, and charging in head-first would only end in travesty. All I was left with was the hope that diplomacy could prevail, or even buy me time to contemplate any sort of crude strategy. With another calming breath, I spoke.
"If you will, please reveal yourself. I don't wish for this interaction to become any more eminently tense than it already is." I requested. It took all of my mental strength to keep my heartbeat from racing at breakneck speeds and regulate my breathing.
A brief moment passed before the sounds of stalks swishing back and forth met my ears. The set of intimidating eyes slunk back through the brush, followed by more rustling. Finally, the piercing oculi emerged from the barrier of sweeping greens along with the being they belonged to. I felt my eyebrow twitch slightly at the befuddling sight before me, numerous questions ringing out in my brain immediately.
Sharp, black rings surrounded the crimson orbs on both sides of the pokemon's skull, followed by a white ring that ran down into what resembled a goatee. A beady black nose huffed on the end of the assailant's muzzle as I studied the impressive pokemon. Two shining jet black horns adorned the top of the pokemon's head, both twisting back pointed at the spine similarly to a bicycle's handlebar. Stretching around the scruff of the neck to the nape was a luscious yet bristling mane of dense leaves, covering the entire back and finally fluffing out around the rump into a tail. Powerful tan legs stood perfectly flexed and ready, compact muscles rippling beneath the leafy fur. Orange hooves trot along the dusty ground, parking themselves in a parallel fashion as I met the red eyes again. Not only was the pokemon imposing, it was massive as well, being only a handful of inches shorter than I was.
I wasn't sure what it wanted, but one thing was set in stone: This Gogoat meant business.
Composing myself, I began to speak again. "I see you can understand me quite well, thank you. Now, I'm not sure why you are provoking my partner and I, but I think it would be best for both parties to head our separate ways."
The goat pokemon narrowed its eyes to slits. I felt my breath hitch for a moment.
"I apologize if I drew your ire in some way. I'm simply confused as to why you attacked." I attempted to explain but to no avail. Muscles began to tense up in the back legs of the Gogoat. My hands withdrew into tight fists, nails digging into my palms.
Then, for one moment, I saw the Gogoat's attention shift off of Fenway and I. The mount pokemon slightly lifted up it's head, peering at something behind me. A twinkle of curiosity sparked in my stomach, causing me to take a peek at what had drawn away the razor sharp focus.
All the way to my bag and journal, up a few branches and limbs, then finally to something embedded within the thick layers of leaves… what was this Gogoat looking for? The only things behind us were the tree, more open expanse, and- wait.
Perched above a mesh of other broken and singed branches sat a terrified Helioptile, still curled into a ball and clutching onto the bark with all it's might. Thankfully, the pitiful pokemon was still unscathed, but nonetheless still as shaken as when we had first arrived in the clearing. With a nervous gulp, I swiveled my head back to study the Gogoat. What met my view was my fears coming true:
Silent, seething rage roared within the mount pokemon's features, an accusatory frown adorning it's muzzle.
A glimmer of hope still dwelled in my chest that I could get through to the incensed goat and possibly better explain the precarious situation. "I promise you, neither my partner nor I have, will, or plan on laying a finger…"
"Goooooo-"
All at once, my blood ran ice cold.
"Shit."
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAT!"
I had a fraction of a second to scoop up Fenway and leap as fast as I could out of the way of the fully powered Double Edge that steamrolled right through where we once were. A stream of dust sprayed in every direction as the Gogoat firmly planted it's hooves into the ground, skidding slightly, allowing for the white energy that surrounded it to vanish into thin air. After I crashed against the ground, I winced at the rough landing and released Fenway from the vice grip I had held her in by my chest. My partner hastily sprang up from the ground and spread her legs into a ready stance.
I attempted to right myself as fast as possible, fearing another attack was already on its way. "Fenway, fire an Ember directly into the ground in front of you!"
As the Gogoat recovered from it's failed preemptive assault on us, a small lump rose within Fenway's throat and she reared back her head. A niggling feeling swelled in my gut. Something felt off about her conjuring up the Ember. While the fennec's stance and instructions were normal, I noticed how there was practically no light edging along the corners of her mouth as it usually would. Just as my partner went to fire the attack, my suspicions were confirmed.
With a mighty "Fen!", Fenway whipped her head forward and opened her mouth, and… nothing. Nothing had come out. A perplexed look coated the fox's features followed closely by a realization of horror when she broke into a coughing fit, hacking out wispy, putrid clouds of smoke. I cursed myself internally for overlooking such a simplistic oversight.
The move that I had concocted, while only theoretical, was possibly compatible with virtually any pokemon capable of creating fires or the usage of Ember. The process required the user to build up as many condensed balls of fire -or in Fenway's case, Ember- as they could. Then, in some manner, the user would then propel themselves to an angle to which each of the projectiles could be released sequentially so as to not collide with one another and cause a premature detonation. Once each of the projectiles have been fired in a circular arc, the user would then send in the last fully charged projectile into the remaining spot, effectively creating a closed circuit of heat to implode in on itself as the flames inside attempt to find oxygen to consume.
I had noted beforehand that pokemon fires and flames acted slightly separately from the usual ones I was more accustomed to. Instead of a steady stream of extreme heat or blazes, the pokemon can somehow opt to condense the fires into different varying shapes and sizes; for instance, Embers. Fenway's embers in particular are made entirely out of flames, yet still retain a shape and don't fizzle out when not connected to any tinder or fuel other than oxygen until it impacts another surface. Usual fires would extinguish shortly after creation in these circumstances, but for some reason, these fires didn't.
Since I had Fenway build these very same types of blazes in her throat and effectively forced her to stockpile them, she had to physically hold them all down and keep them from intersecting with one another and under control. This means that those same fires dwelled in her throat constantly, possibly even burning the tiny fox pokemon's throat since her body is not developed enough to have a tolerance for such quantities of fire. Due to Fenway's burns inside her throat, the trachea had begun to swell slightly.
That same swelling was restricting Fenway from creating anymore Embers, which was our main trump card we had against the overbearing enemy.
My teeth began to grit together in frustration from the unfortunate turn of events. 'A fennekin's best means of damage is through their Special Attacks, and I'm not sure if Fenway is experienced enough to have developed anything other than Ember. Gogoat's base physical stats are moderately high when it comes to Defense to top off it's already impressive strength it's shown. I can't even call for help since Fenway dragged us so far off the beaten path. Drat, I'm not sure there's many other decent options. Hold on, bud. This is going to be a rough haul.'
A torrent of dread crushed down any other thoughts as my eyes landed on the incensed leafy goat with a ring of white energy once again coating him. I began to scrabble out of the way of trajectory, anticipating another head-on Double Edge charge. Strangely though, the Gogoat didn't even so much as prepare to run, instead opting to lift his head and rise into a defiant stance. Unease set into my soul, a coalition of confusion running amok in my mind. Fenway continued to glare daggers into the enemy as well, awaiting my next command.
Curiously, the aura of white surrounding the Gogoat sloughed down to its front legs, the glow building more and more along the tan thighs and dark hooves. I squinted inquisitively, running through my memory banks to see if I could identify just what the pokemon was preparing. A trove of moves and abilities shot through my brain, the panic-induced state making me sort through them at lightning speeds. To my detriment, nothing was coming up that could be linked with white energy surrounding the user except for another physical move that requires a contact assault. Hyper Beam was out of the question as well since the energy was being transferred to the legs, not head.
I was at an enormous loss.
A low grumble met my ears as I continued riffling off possible outcomes to the preparation while attempting to stand again. I was beginning to run out of possibilities, when I remembered one single ™ move that could be taught to a Gogoat with the proper equipment. One that was technically a Normal type move, but had a twist. As if to confirm my suspicions, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the white sheen gain a greenish hue. I whipped my head behind me, the wall of flowers and flora not far away. 'Did it goad us into dodging this way just to unleash..?'
"Gooooooo!"
All at once, the green glow spiraled off of the legs of the Gogoat as if siphoning the life out of the grass below and condensed into a swirling, uneven ball in front of the pokemon's torso. I had little time to react before the Energy Ball was sent careening towards me, Fenway dodging out of the way just in time.
Fortunately for me, the ball took a slight dip as I tried to roll away, narrowly avoiding a direct hit. I had underestimated the destructive potential of the attack though as the condensed mass struck the ground behind me, a sudden shockwave erupting out behind me.
A surge of pain shot through my back as I was launched off my feet forwards into the dirt, tearing a new hole into my shirt and knocking the breath out of my chest. Gasping for air, another blur of green entered my vision. Using as much strength as I could muster, I rolled to my right, narrowly evading a savage strike from a Vine Whip. 'How the hell does it cast the moves so quickly?!'
Choking down the stinging sensations littering my body and the aches of my swelling ankle, I rose back to my feet again. I had been given enough time to recover despite a brief spill all thanks to my fuzzy companion's dexterous ability to swiftly bound around the astonishingly fast strikes. The Gogoat steamrolled forth, closing the distance with a short-lived Take Down followed swiftly by a singular vine sprouting from it's spinal foliage. Fenway bound out of the way of the Take Down first, followed by a backpedal just in time for the breakneck ivy to whiz by her face.
Although her dodging capabilities were impressive, Fenway wasn't able to completely avoid the onslaught. To my horror, as the fennekin jumped over a second low-sweeping vine, a third whip slammed into her flank while airborne, batting her towards me. The beaten fennec bounced one time on the ground before standing back up again, her legs wobbling violently but nevertheless sturdy as ever. Fenway hacked out a tiny splatter of blood against the dirt and bit back her lips.
I tried to steady myself as I analyzed the situation at hand. Both my partner and I had been damaged considerably with me barely able to put much weight on one of my legs and the latter hardly able to stand from just a single strike. Hell, I wasn't sure if it was just the adrenaline or not that was allowing me to keep from crumbling into a lump on the floor. To top everything off, we were completely outmatched in nearly every way imaginable.
Our moment of rest was sadly cut short as the foe fixed their sights on us. For a fraction of a second, I made the mistake of making direct eye contact with the mount pokemon. In that concise moment, I felt a foreign emotion detonate inside me. It was a mixture of terror and determination merging into one in an unstable cauldron of panic.
A speedy glance at Fenway's features gleaned the same result of overwhelming emotion, although hers was different from mine. Whether it was from her powerful stance despite her beatings or the deep scars beneath her slick fur peeking through I was unsure, but in that moment I came to a realization, and with it, an idea.
Before I could relay what I was thinking, the Gogoat re-positioned to be facing both of us directly and began to shake vigorously. A myriad of leaves began to fly off the pokemon's flowery coat, to the ground, then rising into the air like zombies from a grave. My chest tightened as I saw the leaves spin around one by one until they were paper thin discs rotating at extreme speeds. Then, one zipped by Fenway's ear.
"Start running around the right edge! NOW!" I hastily commanded.
Without wasting a beat, Fenway took off around the crude edge of the perimeter, a hail of Razor Leafs zooming by on her heels. Scores of flowers within the sea behind us began to flop down below the waves as the leaves had missed their target, still flying farther into the horizon to fell more hapless plants.
By the time the Gogoat had ceased the flurry, Fenway had made it to the other side of the clearing with only one leaf having embedded itself into her left upper thigh.
"Sand Attack when it gets in close again, then make your way back over to me!" I called, Fenway responding in kind with a yip.
With the bare-bones of the plan set into motion and the Gogoat temporarily distracted, I hobbled as fast as my legs would carry me to the trunk of the tree. I plunged my hand into the depths of my bag until my fingers brushed a smooth surface. Wrapping my fingers around two shrunken pokeballs and a spare Ether, I whipped out the items and placed them on the ground, clumsily stuffing my journal deep within the bag and slinging the satchel over my shoulder.
"Fenne!" barked Fenway, swiping a charged claw down into the dirt as the beast plowed through where she once was and skid on it's heels. A spray of dirt spat up into the assailant's eyes, a bleat of irritation ringing out as the pokemon thrashed it's head about to rid itself of the painful sting. With the new opportunity for disengagement, the tiny fox pokemon ran back to her trainer.
I began to massage my ankle as I crouched down beside Fenway, hastily unscrewed the cap to the medicine and offered it to my partner. "Listen up nice and well. I'm going to need you to charge as many Embers as you can again until I signal you to use them. When I do, leap as high as you can and then release it all at Gogoat. Got it? Just-"
A snort cut through my debrief like a hot knife through butter, causing both our heads to snap over to the now blisteringly ticked pokemon. From the looks of it, the mount pokemon had finished ridding it's eyes of the debris, now able to see the dead meat properly. Even though all of the dirt was gone from the reddened eyes, I felt a chill rock my spine. If I had thought that this Gogoat was mad before, now it was furious.
"You'll know the signal. I'll buy time just- get back!" I ordered, diving off to the side to avoid another barrage of Razor Leaf. 'Thirty-five seconds. That's all I need.'
Fenway spent no time waiting, immediately breaking into a sprint out of range of the Gogoat. Taking a deep breath, returned the death glare with one of my own, finally dropping the placant expression and allowing for my frustration to come to fruition. I dropped the now empty Ether bottle.
Wordlessly I pressed the middle button and pitched the pokeball with all my might, the ball enlarging as it sailed through the air. Taken aback by the sudden gesture, the Gogoat made a confused grunt before having the pokeball smash against it's snout. The mount pokemon flinched and placed its leg back behind itself almost on instinct, although the realization that I wasn't actually attacking it set in rapidly.
As I predicted, once the pokeball made contact with the Gogoat, instead of opening, the capturing device remained shut, a defiant red beam flashing once before being crushed by one of the hooves of the outraged pokemon. The leafy goat narrowed it's eyes to slits.
"I was always skeptical that your strategies were a bit too complex for an average wild pokemon."
"GOOOOOOOOAT!"
A light brown energy began to surround the Gogoat. I could spot the occasional vein even bulging from the pokemon's forehead as the eye began to twitch. The restrained rage facade the goat had shown before had completely dissipated now, a sincere load of aggression replacing it. Muscles in the pokemon's legs began to tighten and distort, as if they were enlarging at that moment. Ah, so it was already using Bulk Up. A shiver rocked me to the core as if I could feel the power coursing through every fiber of the beast.
I attempted to lift a finger, every neuron focused on getting me to somehow snap out of my petrified stupor. A mere twitch was all I could muster, a pathetic little twitch of my finger muscle. Nevertheless, I did the one thing I could. Keep talking.
"At this point, I can't possible imagine what is so difficult to understand that we brought no harm to your little friend. I'd say, it is a shame you're as dense as a Snorlax's ass, otherwise you would realize by now we only want to be on our way. I can barely even stand right now as it is…" I spat mockingly.
'Ten, nine...'
White light began to envelop the Gogoat once again. This time, it was only a thin layer surrounding the pokemon as it continued to bore holes into my skull with it's piercing scowl. An all new wave of horror washed over me as the shine amplified, finally kicking my body into motion.
'Eight, seven…'
The mount pokemon took off at breakneck speeds directly towards me, head tucked and ready to feel my body fall limp on from it's horns. With the last remaining courage I could muster, I jumped to my right, hearing a sickening pop coming from my foot. Ignoring the oncoming streak of agony, I hurled the second pokeball directly into the oncoming pokemon's face.
'Six…'
Time seemed to slow down as the device and I flew, every heartbeat sounding like an explosion from the blood rushing in my ears. I felt frozen, staring at the oncoming monster as if I were about to be run over by a stray train derailed from it's tracks.
'Five, four…'
Then, it all meshed into a blur. I came tumbling down on the ground, swerving my body around just in time to have the toe of my shoe nick the horn of the pokemon. The pokeball had struck the Gogoat in the eye, causing the pokemon to lose sight of me and swerve off to the left and barely miss. The mount pokemon went crashing into the trunk of the tree, a massive THUD reverberating across the horizon. A cry from atop the branches shook the branches with an added weak bolt of Thundershock striking down on top of the dazed goat.
'Three, two…'
I spotted Fenway out of the corner of my view trembling with her head held high and a swirl of flames and smoke licking her cheeks. The Gogoat had already recovered from it's miss and had spun back around, electricity still arking across it's plant coat as it stepped away from the base of the thick tree. The pokemon's retinas flashed a brilliant yellow as it began to hold said electricity within it's mane, logic thrown to the wind as a Wild Charge began to stockpile.
My eyes seemed to widen and nose wrinkled with intensity as I locked eyes with the beast of anger, seemingly contesting it's bristling rage.
My turn.
"NOW, FENWAY! RELEASE IT ALL!"
"Feeeeeeee!"
And before I knew it, a vast ocean of unrelenting Embers crashed down on the Gogoat.
Magnificent swirling vortexes encapsulated the distracted fool, a hail of hell itself being unleashed upon the poor Sap Sipper. A shriek of pain roared above the treelines as if calling out to the heavens, no angels available to save the wretched soul from the bounds of cruel punishment. A vague silhouette stood behind a wall of flames contorting rebelliously in feeble attempts to fend off the onslaught of fire. The sickening smell of charring plants sank into my nostrils, forcing me to pinch my nose as I witnessed the unrelenting ravaging. My stomach kept turning the longer I watched, flashes of pride and unease clashing inside my gut. A pounding headache was beginning to set in as well.
Attempting to right myself resulted in numerous spills, with the fifth try finally resulting in a successful outcome. I was gasping for air, debilitated, and in an egregious amount of agony, but somehow…
I had won.
I shook my head at the ridiculous situation I had been presented with. There was no way that was real. I simply couldn't believe that was reality.
A half awake Fennekin trudged up to me, a look of exhausted satisfaction plastered on her features. Even though her fur was ruffled and parted in extreme ways and there was a massive lash mark along her flank, she still had an air of relaxation about her.
Careful not to lose balance, I bent down and picked up the droopy-eyed fennec and slung her around my neck. A weak pur rumbled out her mouth before falling silent, letting me feel the soft rise and fall of her chest against my own dust-encrusted flesh.
By now the fires had finally extinguished themselves, extreme scorch marks creating a scarred crater where the torrent had taken place. When I curiously gazed back at the damages though, my relaxation immediately went down the drain and my heart shriveled into a pebble.
In the middle of the crater stood the foe which had caused the two of us so much difficulty, snorting heavily with a new adornment of marks and burns covering it's entire body. A singed leg stepped forth from the blast site, a carpet of shallow and minor wounds covering the muscly body of the Gogoat. My jaw hit the floor. Fenway had thrown positively everything she could've all at once at the bloody thing, and it could still move, moreover act like it was just any other attack!?
I felt like falling to my knees and hurling. It was all so… so ridiculously unfair.
"This- this has to be a sick joke..."
I was met with the same intense glare as before, now all the more menacing than it once was.
Then, as if an angel from heaven itself had come to my aid, the Gogoat turned it's attention from Fenway and I, opting instead to listen out for something in the far off distance. At first I picked up nothing out of the ordinary. A few motionless minutes went by, and then a faint voice funneled into my ears.
"...optile? Gogoat? Hellooooo…? Where are you two?" came a distant female voice.
I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. I was saved.
As the sound of the swaying brush grew closer, I watched as a woman dressed in gray khakis and a red and black sweat jacket peeled through the flowers. A massive camera sat above her bottom, tall brown leather boots complimenting the jet black jacket and camera case. A brushed-back head of brown hair with one exceedingly lengthy strand sticking out sat atop dark green eyes, thin eyebrows, and long eyelashes. The woman was panting heavily, presumably from chasing after her pokemon.
"Ah, Gogoat! There you…" The (who I presumed was a) news reporter trailed off, slowly taking in the new battle-torn environment around her. First, the slightly burned Gogoat standing before her, then to the crater in which the pokemon stood, then up to the tree that housed the still terrified Helioptile, then finally ending on me.
The woman's focus shifted between the Gogoat and I, narrowing her eyes on me as pieces in her mind began to click together. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I saw the lady begin to stiffen up in my presence.
"Excuse me, who are you?" the lady quizzed, maintaining the same skeptical frown.
"Someone who's been wrapped up in a misunderstanding, that's who." I bit back sarcastically.
The woman furrowed her brows. "I... see. I'm not sure I fully trust that statement though, what with the burn scars and trashed outfit."
I felt a nervous twitch spike along my neck.
"I promise you, there was nothing going on."
"Oh, really? Because it sure looked to me like you were going toe to toe with my Gogoat."
My eyebrow twitched. "Will you please listen to what I'm saying? I'm telling the truth; I have no ill intentions."
"Then riddle me this: what business do you have so far out from any Route? You don't look like a ranger to me, and certainly not an ordinary hiker. Why did my Gogoat feel the need to attack you if you truly were doing nothing malicious as you say?"
"My fennekin here has an extreme hatred towards anything avian and the like, and mistook your Helioptile's ear for a bird tail when first entering the maze, pursuing it into the deeper regions of the fields." I attempted to explain to the reporter. Unfortunately, the inquisitive expression lingered.
The woman began to make her way ever so gradually over to her Gogoat, an act of suspicion and an alarming sign for me. A nervous bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. A second brawl was going to be the death of me if one broke out and would be sure to raise cain for my plans
"...Ms. Alexa! Please wait up next time!" pleaded a familiar voice. My head swung to the side, hopeful this newcomer was who I thought he was.
"Sorry Calem, but if both of your pokemon take off suddenly without a word, you'd spare no second either!" She spat sourly to the young man stepping through the path of parted flowers.
I raised an eyebrow as Calem also began to survey the area, landing upon me with a vastly different expression from the Gogoat and it's trainer. A mixture of surprise and excitement lit up the teen's features.
"Mr. Norman?!"
I blinked. "Just 'Norman', remember?"
The reporter woman lifted an eyebrow this time to Calem.
"You know this man?"
The future champ nodded. "Remember the guy I was telling you about while we were searching together?"
The reporter turned back to me, expression softening, then molding into one of shock. "Wait, you're the one he's been talking about this whole time!?"
"Apparently so. Now do you believe me when I said that I truly wasn't doing anything harmful?" I challenged, allowing for bloated aggravation to seep through.
"Well, with all of what Calem has told me, your accounts do both match up thoroughly," she began, scratching her chin. "You just looked like a stereotypical bandit that lurks around in the high grass and works for the regional team, y'know? Still, I should've at least been able to put such together if you can damage Gogoat this much with only a fennekin."
'What is with the sudden shift in demeanor? Did her views toward me honestly change on the dime?'
Brushing off the unintentionally rude comment directed toward my appearance, I shook my head. "Thankfully, you are horrendously wrong about the criminal aspect."
"Absolutely! Norman and I are traveling to Lumiose to see if we could arrange a meeting with Professor Sycamore for him to give me my starter pokemon through the Starter Program and do… whatever it is that Norman has to do."
I rolled my eyes at the unsure response. "Precisely. Anyhow, I'd like to be going, Calem. We've squandered enough time as it is."
"Oh, Lumiose City? Funny you should mention that, a friend of mine and I just flew back to Kalos from another region and only recently arrived. Oh! Where are my manners?" The woman said, playfully slapping herself on the cheek as if to say 'whoops, slipped my mind!', walking up to me, and holding out her hand. "My name is Alexa, reporter for The Kecleon Caper. Pleasure to meet you."
I eyed the woman wearily. "I'm Norman. " I greeted, although not nearly as enthusiastically or joyfully as the reporter shaking my hand.
"While we're still on the topic, how did you train your fennekin so well? Gogoat and I have been side by side for years, and yet it looks like you put up a pretty sturdy fight. Maybe a gym leader, perhaps?"
I scoffed. "I think you're giving me way too much credit for-" I began before a sharp pain sliced through my leg and caused me to go down to a knee. A brief grunt had Calem shift into a worried expression.
"What's wrong? Are you still able to walk?" urgently spewed the boy.
"Mmph... yes, I'm fine. Although, I will say that walking on a bad ankle for the rest of the journey is going to be a hassle." I admitted. An idea then dawned on Calem, prompting him to quickly rummage through his bag and pull out a roll of white gauze-infused bandages. I nodded and gave a brief thanks before trudging away to plop down by the tree trunk.
As I began to remove my demolished shoes, I allowed for my shoulders to drop and sag.
If this is what the world of pokemon was going to have in store for me, I needed to get back home.
Fast.
Told you I hadn't dropped the series.
Anyway, sorry for the sudden hiatus, there was a plethora of personal issues that arose and I was unable to run this chapter by my editor for the second half of the chapter, so I do apologize for the sloppiness in the latter sections. I hope you all at least enjoy the extra long chapter in compensation, along with an extra look into Norman's journal.
Expect for the usual schedule to return again. Updates/full revamps for earlier chapters may be coming in the near future as well since I hate how I initially wrote them.
Until then, see you later homies.
