Another hour of walking along Route 204, and we decided to set up camp and take it easy. We'd been up since the morning and we'd likely make it to Floaroma by the afternoon the next day. The hike through the cave had taken a lot more out of me than I had expected. Once we got out of the Ravaged Path, I'd opted to recall Sableye for the time being. I wouldn't be able to walk and keep an eye on him at the same time, and there was no telling what sort of prank or trick he'd pull on me or Tyrogue, or Arceus forbid, another Trainer and their Pokemon.
I picked a spot slightly away from the main path, just within sight of the road but slightly obscured by the treeline. After messing around with the tent, I finally managed to get it set up with Tyrogue's help while Marshtomp had opted to take a nap. I walked over to the Water Type and nudged him with my foot, which caused him to grumble.
"Hey, come on, you still have work to do with Icy Wind. Give it a good effort then we'll have dinner." I told him.
Begrudgingly, he rolled over and stood up before walking away to practice. In a few minutes, frosty air was billowing from his mouth. It looked like he was making good progress.
While Marshtomp worked on his new move, I was going to take some time to talk with Sableye. We needed to be on the same page as far as what was okay in battle and how he interacted with other Trainers and Pokemon. I sat down in front of my tent with the little bag of stones and released the purple shadow creature. He looked around, slightly confused at all of the trees around him. Tyrogue had been shadowboxing near Marshtomp and stopped to glare at Sableye. The Ghost Type either didn't notice or didn't care and turned to me.
"We have to talk about battling, Sableye. There's rules in battles against other Trainers and their Pokemon. I don't know what you've done to defend yourself in the wild, but that's different." I explained.
Sableye sat down in front of me, cocking his head. I handed him a stone, which he happily gobbled up.
"Against other Trainers and their Pokemon? You can't kill. It's forbidden, and I'll be disqualified from the Circuit if that happens. You're allowed to hurt, maim, taunt and be tricky as much as you want though. Can you agree to that?" I asked him.
"Sable-Sableye…" he grumbled before nodding his head. I tossed a stone over his head and he jumped after it in an instant, which made me laugh.
"I'm glad we can agree on that. We're partners, so we have to work together." I told him before walking closer and kneeling down. "I don't mind you pulling pranks, but leave Tyrogue out of it for awhile, yeah? I don't want him to feel like you're picking on him. Try it with me or Marsh-"
That had been all of the encouragement he needed. Sableye had leapt at me, wrapping his legs around my neck and pulled on both of my ears. It felt like they were about to pop off with how hard he was pulling.
"Stop, Sableye, fuck, that hurts! Get off of me, you little shit!" I roared as I stood up and tried to swing him off.
Sableye cackled, enjoying this new game he'd come up with before a blast of water shot past my head and knocked him off. Marshtomp and Tyrogue were a few feet away, no doubt alarmed by my yelling. Sableye sat up before pointing and laughing at me, which sent Tyrogue into a fury. In an almost comical way, he stomped over to the Ghost Type and began yelling which Sableye was indifferent to. Marshtomp came over to check on me.
"I'm alright buddy, he was just fooling around. He didn't mean any harm by it. Thank you though." I offered him a fist bump, which he returned in kind. "I'll go and get dinner ready."
I filled up the two bowls with their kibble while I fished around in my backpack for the trail food that would be my dinner. I had jerky and protein bars and washed it down with water. While we ate, Sableye paced around the camp watching us. I hadn't considered it, but us all eating together might be a little strange for him. Occasionally, he would step close to Tyrogue or myself to see what we were eating. I offered him a bit of my protein bar which he took and promptly spat out. I knew that he ate rocks and gemstones but I wasn't sure if actual food would taste good to him.
Once we'd finished eating, I sat underneath a tree with a sketchbook and pencil in hand. Marshtomp and Tyrogue had resumed practicing while I began to make a rough sketch of Tyrogue. It wasn't the best, but it was okay. Suddenly I felt something heavy pressing resting on my head, and something purple began to obscure my vision. Sableye was perched on my head and obsessed with what I'd been drawing. He leapt from my head and pointed at the notebook then back to himself emphatically.
"Sableye, Sableye Sableye!"
"You want to draw? Or, do you want me to draw you?" I asked him.
He nodded his head, and I obliged. I took my time with it, even with the Ghost Type over my shoulder and head watching the entire time. On the page was a terrifying visage of Sableye, sharp teeth in a menacing grin. I handed it to him for his approval. I didn't have the most experience drawing Pokemon, but I did my best.
"Well, what do you think?"
Sableye scanned the drawing, examining my work before looking back up at me. A smile overtook his face before he offered the sketchbook back to me. Instead of taking it, I handed him my pencil.
"Here, give it a try."
Sableye plopped down onto the ground with the paper in front of him with the pencil gripped in his small purple fist. The Ghost Type scratched his head as he looked at the paper before examining the implement I'd handed him. He gave the pencil a sniff before biting into it, then deciding to slowly chew on it before I intervened, pulling it out of his mouth. Sableye looked stupefied that I'd done such a thing.
"It's for drawing, not for eating! Just try it.", I encouraged him before handing him the pencil again.
Sableye looked at me, then back to the paper before leaning over it. He turned his drawing away from me so I couldn't see it but I was content to just watch him. Occasionally, he would look up and around, steal a glance at me, then dive back into his drawing. After several minutes, he threw the pencil aside and proudly handed me back the sketchbook, clearly pleased with his work.
Etched upon it was quite possibly the most unhinged drawing I'd ever seen. It was like nightmare fuel crossed with a toddler's scribbles, and I couldn't make heads or tails of what exactly I was looking at. There were lines, contours, eyes and weirdly distorted limbs that made absolutely no sense. I chuckled a little at just how confusing the picture was.
"Sableye, what did you decide to draw?"
The Ghost Type jabbed a single finger at me as his grid spread from ear to ear.
He drew me?
I didn't see the resemblance in the slightest but I was still happy he'd chosen me.
"We'll hold on to it." I had a bit of an idea right then. "Actually, this can be your sketchbook. I'll pick up another in Floaroma."
Off in the distance, Marshtomp and Tyrogue were playing with their food bowls again. It looked like they were trying to toss them like frisbees but the awkward shape of them meant they sometimes fell short of where they wanted.
"C'mon, Sableye, we should join them." I told the Ghost Type.
He nodded emphatically and walked alongside me as I approached. I clapped my hands and spread them wide to show I was open for a pass. Tyrogue smiled, throwing the bowl to me as Marshtomp intervened and hit the makeshift toy midair with a Water Gun. I managed to grab it before it could smack me in the face. That would've hurt.
I collapsed the bowl and handed it to Sableye, who inspected it and sniffed it before looking up at me. Without breaking eye contact, he grinned and whipped the bowl sideways towards Marshtomp, who was more than happy to have another participant. We continued like that as the last of the evening sunlight petered out. At one point Sableye had his Night Shade join in the fun, but he had to stop eventually as the effort began to tire him out.
As it became too dark to keep playing, I recalled Marshtomp and Tyrogue who were exhausted and I had to admit I was pretty beat as well. I had been considering asking Sableye to keep an eye out during the night, but it might still be risky. He could run away or attack someone, or Arceus knows whatever else and I'd only had him for a day. I would just sleep with their Pokeballs near me, and if something happened they'd be right there. I recalled Sableye before turning in for the night.
A few hours later, I was awoken to the sound of fabric being ripped and torn. I nearly panicked and had to take a minute to catch my breath and steady myself. The sound was coming from outside of my tent to the left. I hadn't heard any heavy foot steps, so it couldn't be a person or a larger Pokemon. I did hear a rush of air and something landing on the top of my tent. More ripping and tearing.
I sucked in a breath through my nose before grabbing all three of my Pokeballs. Whatever was perched on the top of my tent was capable of flight and it sounded like it had wings. I grabbed the high-powered flashlight I kept next to me as I crept from the tent on all fours. As I stood up several feet away from my resting place, I released Sableye first, then Marshtomp and Tyrogue.
"Get up, both of you, there's something tearing up the tent." I told them.
Tyrogue yawned and rubbed his eyes while Marshtomp snapped to attention. Sableye looked at the tent, then back at me. I could barely make out my Pokemon and that was only because of moonlight breaking through the trees above me.
"Ready? Here we go."
I clicked on the flashlight and a bright beam lit up the remains of my tent. It was still standing but a good storm would easily get through it now. There were holes in the sides and top with fabric and mesh strewn around it. Perched atop it was a mass of black feathers, with a large amount of plumage on its head that resembled the brim of a hat. A yellow beak complete with piercing red eyes completed the ensemble. A Murkrow. It turned its gaze toward us before screeching and spreading its wings out larger.
Admittedly, it wasn't the best opponent for us to be fighting but we'd been ready for an airborne opponent since taking on Byron.
"Tyrogue, stay next to me and keep it away. Marshtomp, when it dives too close, slam it with Rock Throw." I rattled off to them before giving the order to attack. "Now Sableye, hit it with Flash!"
Far brighter beams of light shot forth, fully illuminating Murkrow, who'd now been beating his wings to threaten us and tell us to back off. The light broke forth past my tent and into the treeline as well. The Flying Type hated it, kicking off and taking flight as I tried to keep my flashlight trained on it. Sableye's Flash wasn't a continuous beam, more like an instantaneous burst of light. Murkrow dove at us, screeching at us as it picked up speed and its beak began to glow. In a moment, it became apparent that it was aiming at me but not before two fist sized stones shot out from the ground, one slamming into its wing and the other into its beak. With its momentum halted, the Dark Type fell to the ground and struggled to stand as it held its injured wing in an awkward way. Marshtomp must've really hurt it with that attack. The glare it gave me was menacing but I held up my Pokedex to scan it.
Murkrow, the Darkness Pokemon
Type: Dark / Flying
Evolutions: Honchkrow
Murkrow usually live in flocks referred to as "murders" with groups of at least 100 flying in at Honchkrow's call, the Pokemon that leads them.
They are avid collectors of shiny objects and are often seen as bringers of misfortune.
Ability: ?
Moves: ?
Shit. I couldn't just let it go now. If I set Murkrow free, it would come back with more friends than we could deal with. I could take down a single Murkrow, but if I had to face more than one, let alone a Honchkrow we'd be dead for certain. If I could catch it, I wouldn't have to worry about it calling for friends.
"Tyrogue, do you think you could get to my backpack and grab my Pokeballs?" I asked the Fighting Type.
Tyrogue frowned and glared at me.
"Really, now is when you've decided not to take orders?" I asked him, exasperated.
Tyrogue huffed and looked away from me, clearly displeased with my decision. I groaned and turned to my other Pokemon.
"Sableye, can you…" I began to ask but the Ghost Type was already on it, dragging my backpack through the flap of the tent and towards me. Murkrow shuffled from foot to foot and began backing away from us, holding it's injured to wing out to one side. It tried to fold the appendage back in, winced from the pain and held it out again.
I dug through my bag before finding a Pokeball and looking at the injured Flying Type.
"Look, if you just come with us we can heal your wing and set you free. We really don't want any more trouble with you-"
Murkrow wasn't having any part in dealing with me. It held its beak up high and began to screech and cry out, and I had to interrupt its mournful call by throwing the Pokeball at it. I slung the backpack over my shoulder and threw on my clothes as I snapped up any remaining possessions lying on the floor of my tent. The thing was fucked and we didn't have the time to pack it up anyway. I hated to leave it, especially because it was new and I'd used it exactly once but a tent was not worth dying over. As the Pokeball dinged, I grabbed it and clipped it to my belt. I recalled Marshtomp and Sableye before Tyrogue and I ran for the road. He was the only one capable of running fast enough as we took off down the road to Floaroma. There were still a few hours of walking ahead of us and the sky was still dark, but we had to keep moving. I clicked off the flashlight, as it wasn't necessary with the moon lighting up the trail ahead.
I knew Tyrogue was upset that I'd caught Sableye and now I'd brought another member in without warning as well. I hadn't even talked to him about the first one. While I was excited to have caught Murkrow, the feeling of elation quickly died down as we ran for what felt like an hour. My feet were beginning to hurt when I called out to Tyrogue to stop. He dug his heels in and stopped a few paces ahead of me as I caught my breath.
"I…I think we can go…at a light jog now. I think they…would've caught us by now…if they'd been on our tail…." I huffed.
Tyrogue wiped the sweat from his head and looked away from me, clearly displeased and pouting.
"Look, I'm sorry, ok? I know you don't like Sableye, I know he pulls pranks on you, but you have to trust me when I make a decision. If we'd let Murkrow go or tried to treat his injuries ourselves, it could've been a disaster. I'm sorry for not talking to you about it, but I can't stop for your approval of every snap decision I make." I told him. "Now, come on, we have to keep moving."
Tyrogue rolled his shoulder and stretched his arms over his head before settling into a jog beside me.
As the light of dawn settled over Floaroma, Tyrogue and I walked through the gate. The town was small but I could tell that it was just waking up. There weren't too many people active right now, but as we looked around for the red roof of the Pokemon Center, a man in green clothes that I recognized as the Ranger uniform stopped me. I wouldn't normally find this intrusive, but the man had a smile on his face like he had the best joke to tell me and I was the punchline. My feet were also killing me and I was covered in sweat. I had just jogged the last few hours without my boots. They were the only thing I'd left behind when we took off from camp last night.
"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!" the Ranger blurted out. He was an older man, probably in his forties and to say his hair was receding was an understatement. The paunch of his gut was threatening to cover his belt entirely, which I found odd. I had thought that physical fitness was a requirement of Rangers but I guess I didn't know everything. I stared at him with a blank, tired expression because I was exhausted and hoping he would see my face and what it meant and just take the hint.
He was not taking the fucking hint.
"Girlfriend kick ya out of the tent last night, champ?" he said in an underhanded tone that I guess I was supposed to find funny but I'd finally had enough of him.
"No, you pudgy loser, a Murkrow attacked my tent last night and I had to run before its family showed up." I snapped at him before walking past, but I rounded on him as he made to follow me. "You know, running?" I threw my arms in an exaggerated pantomime of running. "That thing you haven't done since before Cynthia was Champion."
Tyrogue covered his mouth as he laughed at the Ranger, who's face had turned a purplish-red color. His eyes were bulging and he looked like he wanted to strangle me. I left before I gave him any more provocation to do so.
Floaroma wasn't huge, but it had a road for cars to drive on and the air was noticeably much cleaner. I'd grown up in Jubilife so anything other than the air and noise of a bustling city was incredible. Not only that, but most people here actually owned their own homes unlike the tiny apartment I'd lived in most of my life. It only took a few minutes to locate the Center but I made a note of where the PokeMart was nearby.
I recalled Tyrogue as we approached the building and I stepped inside. I felt bad for the Nurse Joys that I was scuffing up their otherwise clean floor. A few Trainers pointed and snickered to themselves and their groups as I walked to the front counter, a hot wash of embarrassment and shame falling over me as I did my level best to ignore them.
The Nurse Joy at the counter gave me a once over before she raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Uhh, can I help you?" she asked, as I slid my Trainer ID onto the counter towards her.
"I need a room, please." I mumbled. "And do you think you could take my Pokemon as well? I just caught a Murkrow with an injured wing that might not be very happy when you let him out.
"Oh, of course!" She took the card, examined it and scanned it before sliding it back to me along with a room key. I handed her my Pokeballs as I took my ID and the room key. "You're lucky you got here, we're about to be full up with the tournament starting in a few days. Enjoy your room, we'll take great care of your Pokemon."
I thanked the nurse before taking the elevator to the second floor and heading to my room. The first thing I did was send my Mom a text letting her know I'd made it to Floaroma.
"Made it to Floaroma. I need new boots and have learned that Murkrow do not like me."
