Chapter 3- First Catch?
"I have made a continuous and severe lapse in judgment!" Lynn shouted as she sprinted. Numerous Pokémon were now chasing her, causing an intense cacophony of wings behind her.
The adrenaline in Lynn's body caused her to grip the ball in her fist hard and sprint harder. Her thoughts focused on a single question as she was booking it. Why me?
It hadn't been this way when Lynn first arrived in Floaroma Meadow. The meadow only had a single house belonging to the longtime caretaker family. A gentle breeze caused the many flowers to sway. She was careful not to destroy too many flowers as she made her way over to the area Adelaide had spoken about.
When she arrived, it was empty, save a few Starly eyeing her down. She made her way over to those trees, hoping to talk to some Starly, but most of them flew away at the disturbance.
"Hey, would any of you be willing to be my starter? I could train you to become a powerful Staraptor." Lynn pleaded, doing her best to imitate the move Baby-doll eyes.
One of the Starly straight up scoffed at her before flying off. The rest stared at her blankly, entirely uninterested in her proposition. Lynn thought of any food options before realizing she hadn't bothered to buy anything to bait them with.
Alright, someone has to want me. I mean, just look at me; I am a promising prospect any Pokémon would want as a trainer. Lynn's thoughts hyped her up.
The Starly in the vicinity did not seem to agree, entirely ignoring Lynn at this point. All she could do was sigh and look for another area where Starly gathered. She went slightly further eastward, away from the meadow and towards the thicket.
There she found a new flock, who mostly did the same as the previous flock. Quite a number flew away while a few stared at the uninvited guest. None of them looked like they particularly wanted her to be there, but she once again gave her sales pitch, this time hyping herself up to them.
"I am a great cook. You would have plenty of time to fly openly since I camp so much. I mean, c'mon, I am quite the promising package." Lynn was confident at least one would look her way.
The gazes from the Starly betrayed her expectations, as most gave her an 'is this chick serious' kind of look. It seemed like the previous scoffing Starly flew here as it once again scoffed and laughed at her, before flying off.
You rat bird. You're cutting deep. The Starly's endless judging gazes affected her thoughts and bruised her ego.
Lynn still waited to see if any Starly were willing to follow her, but none seemed interested. All of them had gone back to talking to each other or looking for food. Lynn sighed, looking up at the sky and praying it wouldn't keep going like this and that at least one Starly would accept.
Lynn entered deeper into the thicket, moving slightly south to not enter the Staraptor's direct nest. As she was looking up at the trees, she failed to see a Wurmple underneath and tripped. Preparing for the worst, Lynn quickly scuttled away, only to see the Wurmple entirely unaffected.
The disappointed look the Wurmple gave her made Lynn feel like she was being called a loser in Pokémon. It continued scuttling, slowly looking back, and giggling. At this moment, Lynn was glad she didn't understand Pokémon speech, but she felt sorely defeated.
"Even a bug makes fun of me. And here I was, turning my nose at bugs. It seems I need to get a guide for a different Pokémon." Lynn muttered faintly as she continued her trek. She wanted to try at least a bit more before heading back empty-handed.
As Lynn continued further, she found a few Oran berries. They were a little too ripe, with various bruises, but she figured it was a good bait. She plucked three and made her way to an area with a small flock of Starly.
Many of them looked like they were from the previous flocks she encountered and ignored her. Lynn did not know how she could tell, but either instinctively she knew or her ego was making her delusional. This time, she decided on a softer approach with no sales pitch.
"Hey there." A couple Starly looked over at Lynn. "I'd like Starly to be my starter. We could be fantastic together. I brought some Oran berries. I hope you'll give me a chance." The Starly seemed far more receptive once they heard there was food involved.
However, after looking at the berries she carried, many immediately went back to a judging stare. Lynn didn't know if she could read their minds, but it felt like they were saying, "Really? This is the best you could do?"
Her prayers seemed to be answered as a single Starly flew down to inspect the berries. Lynn almost cried tears of joy; she was so happy. The Starly seemed very familiar, though. It must have been from one of the previous flocks. She opened her hand to proudly give Starly the Oran berries, but her attitude changed when it slapped them out of her hands and scoffed.
It was the rat bastard bird. Lynn almost punched the bird right then and there but refrained. It flew off, mocking and jeering as it did so. The other Starly seemed to lose respect for Lynn as they watched, with most turning away. A few presumed gluttons were only checking to see if she would leave the Oran berries so they could steal them once she left.
Lynn swallowed her pride and picked up the berries, to the dismay of the gluttons. Most of the Starly had flown away from her, and she was really doubting if flying types were for her.
If even the Starly don't want me, what hope do I have for any sort of stronger flying type? Lynn's pessimism from her past life started encroaching on her thoughts. She had tried to stay optimistic and excited, as it was her dream to be in the Pokémon world. The Starly had reality checked her, showing that she wasn't the hot stuff she thought she was. This was quite unlike the various fan works she read where they made their main characters Arceus' gift to Pokémon.
Lynn shook her head to empty her busy thoughts. At this deep into the Floaroma Thicket, she was very off route. Most of the Pokémon were low-leveled, but a wrong step could leave her in an alpha's territory. Even the guardian or soldier Pokémon could easily take her out.
Lynn followed Cheyenne's memories of stealth in the woods. It was by no means perfect, with the occasional crack of a branch, but the nearby Burmy didn't seem to notice her. She made her way further, trying to follow the edges of the area Adelaide had mentioned. After a bit of time, she saw another flock of Starly in the distance.
Lynn stopped moving, trying to figure out what method she would employ. This would be her last attempt before she cut her losses and traveled back to Floaroma for the day. Her previous attempts taught her she had to appeal to something about Pokémon; food was probably the best option.
Maybe I should try to befriend them like I would a girl in my previous life. Lynn nodded at her thoughts. I will show those Starly the past-life charisma. Lynn rubbed her hands together like an evil villain. She made her approach to the Starly, seeing that around half were from previous flocks she encountered.
"Please, please, please, please!" Lynn shouted with desperation. The tears in her eyes were real, coming from the judgment she had received from all the failed attempts. She held one of the Oran berries on one knee as she begged the Starly. This worked for her past life, so it should work now.
The faces of the Starly were incredulous. They couldn't believe their eyes. Some of the Starly used their wings to block their eyes before unblocking them, just to make sure they were seeing things correctly. After a few moments of realizing this was real, many only looked at her with pity in their eyes.
Lynn ignored the pitying gazes that burned into her soul and continued the waterworks. The Starly were looking around at who to sacrifice to make Lynn shut up. After a moment of realizing none of them were willing, they looked at her awkwardly.
The awkward atmosphere continued for a couple of minutes, with a few Starly choosing to fly away. Gradually, each individual Starly flew away out of cringe at the display. Only one Starly remained, and it scoffed, putting a wing at its beak to make fun of her. It turned its head around, ready to take off.
Lynn had it with this Starly. "It's the same fucking rat." She tossed the Oran berry hard, perfectly sniping the Starly in the back of the head.
The wet sound of the Oran berry colliding with the Starly was disgusting. The Starly put a wing on the back of its head to make sure it really happened. The slow turn of its head combined with the shocked look gave the impression that Starly was saying, "Is this bitch serious right now?"
Lynn's tears had stopped by this point, her flight or fight taking out her singular poke ball. I mean, if the Safari Park can use rocks, an Oran berry should have a similar catching effect, right? Little did Lynn realize, the Starly would not flee or eye her down. It was ready to fight.
A white streak began the minute Starly leaped off the branch. Lynn's mouth became the 'X' shape once more. Sensing the danger, Lynn booked it at her top speed, trying to put trees between her and the Starly.
This Starly was well versed in battles within the forest, as the trees posed little difficulty as an obstacle. Lynn tried to comically circle around a large tree continuously, but the Starly quickly caught on and switched directions, slamming into the girl's face. The white streak faded as the Starly flapped above Lynn, ready to strike again.
Lynn had been thoroughly rocked by Starly. When the attack hit, her head felt like it hit a brick wall, and she fell headfirst right into the ground. Her head was throbbing, with frequent waves of pain radiating from both sides. She opened her eyes to an angry Starly waiting for her to get up. It looked at her with disdain for only being able to survive one move.
In retaliation, Lynn got up and tried to karate chop the bird. It scoffed angrily, easily dodging the hand before giving a slight peck in retaliation. The Starly's intent wasn't to damage but to thoroughly humiliate Lynn as a person. Lynn withdrew her hand and started throwing a flurry of blows. Lynn threw a haphazard mess of punches and kicks in retaliation. The white streak appeared as Starly dodged the slew of attacks Lynn threw with relative ease.
Starly went in for another quick attack, which caused Lynn to flinch and karate chop at a weird angle. It surprisingly struck the bird on the side of the head, sending it to the ground. Lynn took this opportunity to quickly grab the poke ball and throw it.
The karate chop did little damage to Starly, stunning it more so than anything. When it got up to see the poke ball, its wing took on a pale blue hue and sliced directly through it. Lynn's mouth once again took on the 'X' shape as she stood there, slightly defeated.
This Starly was toying with me. It sliced through a poke ball. That shit is metal. There was no way this was the average Starly. As if in synch with her thoughts, the Starly turned a bright white and grew quite large. The original feather cowlick became longer, the chubby body became slicker, and its face was far more stern.
The Staravia was not amused by Lynn's attempt to catch it. The aura emanating from it made Lynn take a step back in fear, and she froze. Staravia took this brief chance to attack, becoming a blur of white. Lynn couldn't react like she could when it was a Starly, and she took the attack directly to the gut.
Staravia had been quite kind with the new blow, as it pushed her to the ground rather than hitting Lynn full force. With its newfound power, it could've easily pierced her body and sent her flying. It still hurt; Lynn's tears were a testament to that. She rolled hard on the ground, getting dirt, grass, and small branches in her hair and shirt. Her backpack flew off in the attack, along with her hat, getting launched a few feet away from Lynn.
Lynn felt defeated as she lay there on the ground. Staravia took this chance to peck her head right in the middle of the forehead. It was chastising her, only pecking enough to leave a red mark before stopping.
Staravia's stern face gradually eased up; it tapped on Lynn's face with her wing as if it were trying to say, "Don't try that shit again."
When Lynn got up, it nodded toward her and took off. Lynn wanted to say something to it, but lay back down for a bit to catch her breath after it left. The throbbing waned, and the forehead pain was negligent; her pride hurt more than anything. Her gut hurt broadly when she got up, but she was fine as she lay there.
All Lynn could think about was how much she underestimated Starly. She underestimated how much of a pain they could be and how kind they were to simply ignore her and not outright attack. In hindsight, the starter cut scene of Diamond and Pearl made way more sense. She also realized the Starly and its flock must have frequently interacted with humans because their expressions and gestures were extremely human-like.
Lynn got her bearings, stood up, and put on her bag along with her cap. There was a brief pain in her gut as she got up, but it felt more sore than painful when she stood up straight. Her delusions of catching a Starly were now sorely broken, like her ego. She began the long trek back to Floaroma Town, downtrodden. She took the direct path back to Floaroma Town rather than head toward Floaroma Meadow to avoid seeing the Starly flock.
Damn, my only poke ball broke. Lynn was a little downcast. She had wasted her only ball, only for it to break and become unusable. That was when she remembered Mars. I don't know if I should really trust the gift, but free poke balls are free poke balls. I don't know what she will ask of me in the future, but I'll take what I can get. Lynn rummaged through her bag to find the box.
Lynn was pleasantly surprised to see a bag of twenty small marbles. Mars seemed to be quite generous with her gift. They were half blue, half black, with a yellow crescent moon in the middle. Unfortunately, no flying-type Pokémon could easily be caught in these poke balls, but they could be her signature later on. A sigh left her mouth as she put them in the poke ball compartment in her bag for ease of use.
Lynn was careful to avoid large groups of Pokémon as she walked back. There was a small pack of Shinx, a group of Dustox and its kin, and a lone Budew that seemed to bask in a small area of sunlight. The first two noticed her, but paid her no mind as she quickly distanced herself from them. The Budew seemed to be in its own little world with its eyes closed.
The pain in her head finally stopped. If she poked at where she got hit, or the back of her head, she could feel the nasty bruise, but otherwise the throbbing had stopped. She massaged the back of her head to ease the knot she could feel forming. As she did, she heard a loud thunk noise. At first, she thought she was hallucinating from massaging her head. Yet, the sound was insanely realistic; it was as if somebody or something had directly dropped onto the ground nearby.
When Lynn looked around, all she saw were trees. She wasn't even sure how a Pokémon or person would've gotten so close without her noticing. In the slight distance was a larger tree, where she assumed the culprit lay. When she made her way over, she noticed three large hexagons merged with wings; the color matched her eyes, a red-orange. The red-orange and black stinger on the bottom pointed straight to the sky. The Pokémon was face down in the dirt, with no semblance of life.
Combee… and a shiny at that? This could be the moneymaker I have been waiting for. Lynn's thoughts devolved into rampant greed about all the things she could do with the money from selling this. Wait, is it even possible to sell this? Wait again… Isn't this thing a flying type? Lynn pondered the questions. Well, I better see if it's worth the trouble.
Lynn made her way as silently as possible to the flying hexagon honeycomb. When she put her hands on it, she realized how large the Pokémon was. Each hexagon was larger than her hand. Cheyenne's memories only ever recalled this Pokémon as about the total size of her hand. She honestly wondered what they fed the bee to become this large and whether it could fly.
On closer inspection, there were marks that looked like it had been stung and bitten; there were small streaks that looked like wind cuts on its back. It seemed to have gotten into a fight with other bug types. The battered Combee was just like her. It was like they were meant to be. Lynn did her best to get a decent position to grab the Pokémon without hurting it. When she finally managed to get an angle to flip it, she realized it was very heavy. With a huff, Lynn flipped it over and gasped
On the head of the lowest honeycomb stood a red marking. A female Combee? This Combee really is just like me. Her thoughts were now focused on the thought of a Vespiquen. Adelaide had said they likely suppressed them so they couldn't evolve, but what if this one wasn't? This could be my chance. Lynn's choice hardened when she realized it was barely breathing.
A moon ball entered her hand. She clicked the center button to enlarge and tapped it on the bee Pokémon. The ball shook once with the red dot before promptly stopping all movement. A white sparkle emanated from the center circle; the Combee was caught. Lynn wasn't even sure she should keep it, but she did not regret catching it.
It feels a little wrong to abuse the trust of a hurt Pokémon in order to train it. I can't afford to be picky, though, as even the Wurmple laughed at me. It is a flying type too. Lynn was a little conflicted about the thought. However, I need to get this to a nurse immediately to save it. Her conviction steeled as she got ready to run southeast.
The conviction instantly dropped when she saw a swarm of Combee. Each of their eyes was red, and it seemed they noticed Lynn catch the Combee as their eyes all stared at the moon ball clutched in her hand. The swarm was likely the culprit for the marks on the caught Pokémon. They were out for this Combee's blood.
Lynn wore her signature 'X' mouth as she started booking it toward the north. Cheyenne's picnicker survival memories kicked in. Remember, your best bet for a swarm of bugs is to head towards water. Their wings don't work as well, so they won't chase. Lynn felt like she was getting Professor Oak's bike speech, but was grateful as she began the sprint towards the river on Route 205.
The swarm of Combee were not as keen on letting Lynn go. The few that were faster than her came together to make literal honeycomb walls to block her. After making walls, they would strike down hard on the ground like Mario thwomps. Lynn was having to move around the Combee obstacle course, which didn't allow her to sprint straight. The swarm would then push the Combee walls over as they passed, breaking up and giving chase again.
I knew about Beedrill in the anime, but I didn't expect these fucking bees to be this dangerous! Lynn wanted to strangle herself after thinking Combee was weak. These were menaces.
The game of obstacle rats and large bee swarm continued. The Combee behind her had chances to bite because she kept getting stopped by the walls that threatened to box her in. With their sole focus on aiming for the ball, her hand took the brunt of the damage, with skin poking up and slight bleeding. It got a little dangerous when she almost got boxed in, but her small size let her jump through a missing Combee-sized hole in one wall.
The sprint eased when the adrenaline started fading. Even with the pain, Lynn's body could not keep up with the demanding situation. Lynn could feel her chest heaving; a burning in her lungs from the lack of oxygen threatened to stop her from running. When she was about to give up, she made it to the Starly territory.
Here, a large flock of Starly had gathered. They looked at each other and laughed as if they were gossiping. When they looked back to see Lynn sprinting, a Staravia in the pack pointed and laughed. The laugh was promptly cut short, and its eyes almost bulged out of its skull when it saw the horde of Combee behind her.
The Starly and Starvia prepared themselves for a fight. The scary energy from before emanated off the Staravia once again, but the Combee moved undeterred. The Combee hive mind was solely focused on getting to the unusual Combee ball. Surprised, the flock began gathering flying-type energy in their wings before flapping them hard
Lynn used a Combee wall that appeared in front of her as a cover for a moment. The wall slowly lifted off the ground, forcing Lynn to brace herself against the grass. The large gusts of wind petered out, giving the Combee swarm time to react accordingly. A Combee's individual gust was not as powerful, but through sheer numbers, it was a howling gale. The gale threw Lynn forward. Lynn's free hand grabbed her hat before hugging her backpack. The other hand, which had now become clammy from gripping the ball, pressed the ball against her hip inside her shorts pocket.
Lynn's coordination wasn't quite there to land on her feet, but she landed on her knees. The dirt and grass that entered her socks didn't deter her, as she quickly got up and continued running. She noticed the Starly and Staravia flung around, trying to catch themselves in the air. The Staravia was the first to brace itself against the horde. It stood powerful and ready to take down every bee in its way. It was then brutally defeated by hundreds of bug bites, going down. The weaker Starly were flung further back, giving them time to notice Staravia's predicament. The ease with which their strongest was taken out left them shocked, and they began running with Lynn.
That was how Lynn got herself into this predicament. The wings of Starly flapped constantly in an attempt to escape the Combee. Lynn's adrenaline spiked after watching the Starvia that thrashed her get annihilated. The Combee couldn't quite catch up anymore, but they were now yelling Combee angrily in sync. The sound would haunt Lynn's nightmares if she survived.
Lynn's sense of time was all over the place; her only thought was to run. When the thicket opened up, she was afraid it was going to end up directly in Floaroma Meadow, yet to her surprise, it was the river on Route 205. A tear left her eye as Lynn thanked Arceus, took a deep breath, and dove in.
After diving a few feet, she noticed some of the nearby Combee dove in with her. The clear water path behind them made them look like bullets being shot in. That was short-lived, as the Combee realized they couldn't keep doing this. They hovered above the river, waiting outside for Lynn to come up.
The Combee would never get their wish, as Lynn was getting dragged by the undercurrent. If Lynn could cry underwater, she would've.