Chapter 14 - Watermelon
The morning after the contest, the trio left Floaroma Town. The trek on Route 205 took them the whole day, and by the time the sun had set, they arrived at the entrance to Eterna Forest.
"Don't mind camping in a forest?" Cyan wondered as the group set down their bags around a makeshift campfire. They had released all of their Pokémon, who enjoyed the coolness of the forest floor.
Phoenix shrugged. "Caves are dirty. Forests can be too, but I showered this morning. One night should be fine. I bought dry shampoo."
The two looked at Yurie. She was quiet throughout the day, only choosing to talk if she had been spoken to. She was no longer outwardly angry, but the boys knew to not bring up her father again. She sat down next to her bag, writing in her notebook. When she noticed that the two were staring at her, she stopped and brought the notebook to her chest.
"Writing a letter?" Phoenix wondered.
Yurie nodded. "Yeah. I want to talk to him about what happened. Writing down everything soothes me."
"Maybe I should write my mom and friends," Cyan said. He titled his head, sighed, and laughed to himself. "I'm sure she'd be happy to know that I'm not getting into any trouble!"
Phoenix sat down on a small portable chair he had brought. He stretched his long legs out in front of him. "Yeah. I haven't talked with my parents in a long time. Actually, I haven't been back home since I competed in the Vertress Conference."
"I couldn't imagine not going back home," Cyan commented. "Well, I think my mom would try to drag me back if I didn't."
The three were quietly momentarily. They all thought of their families back in their home regions.
Then, Cyan spoke. "Actually, do you know the history of Eterna Forest?"
"It has a history?" Yurie wondered.
"Yeah! So, supposedly, there used to be a very strong Pokémon that lived her centuries ago! It was so strong, some people considered it to be a god!" Cyan explained.
"I like these kind of stories. Go on," Phoenix said.
Cyan grinned. "I don't know if you'll this story, Nix. Because, this story, is a ghost story!" He waved his fingers out in front of him, but Phoenix stared at him with a deadpan expression. "Anyway, the Pokémon was the guardian of this forest. But, it was an angry guardian. If any human dare get too close, the Pokémon would attack, and often, it would take people's lives!"
"What happened to it?" Yurie asked.
"Humans wanted to see what the forest held. After all, if something is going through all of the effort to protect the forest, then there's gotta be something precious here, right? A mob of humans came to the forest and attacked the Pokémon with every weapon that they could manage. The Pokémon fought back. And, as if it were some sort of divine intervention, lightning struck the Pokémon. The mob took their chance and slayed the Pokémon."
Yurie grimaced. "I don't like this story."
Phoenix nodded. "Yeah, me neither. No ghosts."
Cyan grinned. "Well, it is said that the Pokémon did not die. Instead, it was immediately reborn as a ghost Pokémon that could control electricity! It attacked the mob, and no one made it out alive. Some say that the Pokémon still haunts this forest to this day! However, as time has gone on, the Pokémon has lost its vengeful ways."
Phoenix shrugged. "That is an interesting story. But, it is only a story. I looked up Eterna Forest before we came today. Turns out that an old rich guy used to live here. He built himself a fancy chateau. Eventually, the old dude passed away, and they turned the chateau into a hotel. However, it's hard to maintain that kind of business in a forest. From the sounds of it, the chateau is abandoned. There are Ghost-type Pokémon sightings, but that's about it."
Cyan's shoulders slumped. "My story was way more interesting."
Yurie couldn't help but smile. "Well, I think after spending so much time around flowers, it might be fun if we try something a bit more exciting! What do you say we go on a ghost hunt?"
Cyan perked up. "Yes! That sounds fun."
Phoenix was quiet. He looked from side to side and then at his two companions with a cautious expression. "You can't be serious? Ghosts ain't real."
"But ghost Pokémon are!" Yurie and Cyan said in unison.
The three packed up their belongings once again. Yurie and Cyan led the charge through the forest while Phoenix stayed being them and moped. No matter how many times they teased him about being scared, he never admitted to it. Insead, he'd come up with excuses like he hated the forest or he just wanted to rest.
Phoenix did insist that they keep their Pokémon out of their Poké Balls. He justified it by saying that all of them needed to stretch.
"So, where is the chateau?" Cyan asked.
"It's supposed to be in the northernmost of the forest," Phoenix answered. "But, from the sounds of it, it's off the regular path. Maybe we should stick to the road so that we don't get lost."
Yurie checked her Pokédex's compass. It pointed them direclty north. She grinned and walked off of the path, disappearing into the darkness of the trees. Torchic stopped momentarily, but then followed. Next was Minun, who also followed. Last was Eevee. She looked from side to side. Something about the forest gave her a sense of adrenaline. She followed Minun.
"Yurie," Cyan said.
She didn't respond.
"Yurie!" Cyan called again. "Nix, I think Yurie has gone missing!"
"What?" Phoenix exclaimed. His eyes went wide, and he dashed to the trees. "It's those darn ghosts! I warned you two, but you wouldn't listen!"
"Boo!" Yurie cried as she jumped out from behind one of the trees.
Phoenix screamed louder than either Cyan or Yurie thought he could. He flailed his arms and legs around before collapsing onto his backside. Cyan and Yurie burst into laughter and raced to their friend. They tried to help him up, but he refused and immediately stood by himself.
The laughter slowly died down, and Phoenix remained silent.
Yurie pat him on the shoulder and looked at him with a deadpan expression. "Okay, but seriously, we're gonna go off the path for a bit."
The three continued with their Pokémon off the path. They walked north, following Yurie's compass. And eventually, they entered the northern part of the forest.
Eevee suddenly came to a stop. She looked to the right, finding a small open clearing. In the distance was a massive rock covered with moss. It seemed to glow and give off an aura that only Eevee could see. She felt pulled in by the rock. She took one step, but then Yurie's words broke her from her spell.
"Eevee? You alright? We're headed this way!"
"Swee?" Eevee cooed. She smiled at Yurie and followed her.
"I think that's the chateau," Cyan exclaimed. He pointed past the trees and to a few faint lights. "It's in business?"
"Let's go check it out," Yurie said.
"Look, I admit it! I'm scared! Ghosts freak me out. Not ghost Pokémon, ghosts! Now, can we please just get back on the road? I'm sick of the forest!" Phoenix pleaded with them.
Yurie and Cyan stopped. They looked exchanged looks with each other before smiling at Phoenix.
"If you want to stay right here, we'll be back in five minutes!" Cyan said.
"Five minutes! You gotta be kidding me!" Phoenix shouted. "Fine! I'll go with you!"
They slowly maneuvered through the trees until they came to a dilapidated gate. They pushed on it, forcing it to move in a way that it wasn't built for. As soon as they were on the grounds of the chateau, the air became cool. They paused, but Cyan and Yurie quickly built up the courage to continue. Phoenix stayed put. He kept an eye on the gate.
"I swear it moved by itself," he mumbled.
"How far are we going?" Yurie asked. Her pace slowed, and she inched behind Cyan.
"I don't know," Cyan answered. He stopped as they reached stone steps. The steps had been cracked, and the forest's moss, vines, and shrubbery started to take over.
Cyan and Yurie both held their breath as they climbed the steps one by one. Every new step carried more weight until they were only a few feet away from the wooden double doors of the chateau.
"We made it this far," Cyan said as he reached out. "Might as well see who's home."
He grabbed the handle of the wooden door, and in an instant, all of the lights in the chateau turned off. The two trainers froze.
"Run!" Yurie screamed. She whipped her body around and let her wobbly legs carry her. She jumped down the concrete steps as though she was walking on air and ran past Phoenix. Her Pokémon followed.
Cyan let go of the handle and backed up a few feet. The lights did not turn back on like he hoped. However, he now heard a terrible static coming from the inside. One door slowly cracked open. Cyan did not wait to see who it was. He ran backward down the steps and dashed for the gate. Fear made him feel as though his legs were no longer apart of his body and working together. He grabbed ahold of Phoenix, and the two returned to the darkness of the forest.
The trainers and their Pokémon ran haphazardly through the trees. There was hardly any light from the moon or the stars to guide their path, so they just had to run on instinct. Eventually, Yurie's legs could not take her any farther, and she stopped in a small clearing. She collapsed to her knees and breathed heavily.
Cyan and Phoenix joined her, both collapsing nearby.
"That was terrifying!" Phoenix exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm good on ghost hunting," Yurie added.
Cyan began to laugh through deep breaths. "Awesome! This is so fun!"
Yurie looked around the small clearing. She breathed through her nose and then stood up. "Um, where are we?"
Phoenix through his hands in the air. "I told you! I told you two! We're nowhere near the path! If we would have just stayed on the path, there would be zero chance of getting lost!"
Cyan stood up and dusted off his backside. "Yeah, but if we didn't go on our ghost hunt, then I wouldn't be feeling this adrenaline right now! There's no adrenaline on the path!"
"I didn't take you for an adrenaline junky," Phoenix said as squinted his eyes and looked around the area and at the trees. "I have no idea what to look for."
"The exit for Eterna City is northeast! We just have to head that way. Eventually, we'll find something," Yurie said. "Or, we can camp here until morning. What do you say?"
Before Phoenix could answer Yurie, a nocturnal Pokémon hooted in the trees. It's cry echoed throughout the forest, only to make other Pokémon respond with calls of their own.
"Let's just find a path and get out of here. I don't care if takes all night, but there is no way I'm sleeping in the forest," Phoenix snapped. "I'm so over you two right now!"
"Over us?" Cyan wondered.
The three had traveled long enough to know that they needed light. Phoenix and Yurie opted for small flashlights, but Cyan surprised them with a miniature lantern. It didn't do well to light up the surrounding area, but it allowed Cyan to see a few feet in front of him. He mostly relied on Yurie and Phoenix's lights.
They followed Yurie's compass while they slowly weaved through the trees. They walked for roughly thirty minutes until they reached yet another clearing. Yurie shone her light down one side of the clearing, turned and shone her light down the other end.
"Is this the path?" Cyan wondered. He lowered his lantern, which had already lost most of its gas.
Phoenix kicked the ground. He expected for his foot to stop against a patch of grass but was instead relieved by the scraping sound of rocks. He dropped to his knees and touched the ground with his hands.
"Yes! We found it! We're gonna live!" he exclaimed.
Cyan and Yurie exchanged looks.
Phoenix stood up, dusted off his hands, and reached into his bag to pull out sanitizer. Her quickly cleaned himself and then put his hands on his hips. He smiled at the two and said, "Good job! I'm happy now! We should probably just walk to the exit of Eterna Forest tonight. But, in the meantime, no more jump-"
Suddenly, something fell out of the tree that Cyan stood next to. It bounced against the ground and rolled toward Yurie and Phoenix. The three trainers screeched. Cyan dashed to his friends, running by hiking up his knees aggressively with every step. The three trainers grasped onto one another and looked at the object as it slowly started to stir.
"Is it a ghost?!" Phoenix asked.
"Maybe just an apricorn!" Cyan suggested.
Yurie hesitantly pulled away from the two. She observed the creature before pulling out her light blue Pokédex. She opened it and scanned the Pokémon.
"Cherubi, the Cherry Pokémon. The small ball holds the nutrients needed for evolution. Apparently, it is very sweet and tasty," the Pokédex chimed.
Yurie looked at the picture on her Pokédex and then to the dark figure in front of them. "It's so cute! I want to catch it!"
"This thing almost made Cyan soil himself, and you want to catch it?" Phoenix asked.
"Yes!"
"I didn't almost soil myself," Cyan muttered.
"You wait right there, Cherubi!" Yurie said. She turned to her four Pokémon and looked them over. "Who wants to help me catch a new friend?"
The four Pokémon exchanged looks, and without much hesitation Torchic, Minun, and Eevee all stepped forward. Piplup watched and suddenly became frustrated. He chirped aggressively and pushed his way through the three so that he stood in front of Yurie.
"Piplup? You wanna try to battle with me?"
"Pip-lup!" the Pokémon said as he puffed out his chest.
"Great! Let's do it! Use Peck!" Yurie ordered.
Piplup lowered his head and started a headlong dash toward Cherubi. The wild Pokémon appeared confused by what was happening. It hadn't yet fully processed that it dropped from the tree. Before it could register anything, Piplup jabbed, forcing Cherubi to roll backward. The Grass-type came to its feet, found balance, and glared at Piplup. It lowered its body and started to shake. A thick yellow powder released from its body, and with one violent shake, the powder was tossed into the air. It fell onto Piplup, who was left confused by the attack, but he felt nothing.
"That's gonna be a problem. Let's get defensive! Use Charm!" Yurie instructed.
Piplup stood up as straight as he could. He locked eyes with Cherubi. He stepped forward and winked, releasing a pink mist from his body. The mist connected with Cherubi, but the Pokémon didn't appear bothered. Instead, it started to rock back and forth. Bright energy formed around its body, taking the shape of long green leaves. Cherubi howled, unleashing the leaves forward. They battered into Piplup, forcing him into a defensive roll.
"We'll be okay! They're weak right now!" Yurie said, trying to reassure her Pokémon. "Use Peck one more time!"
Piplup looked at Cherubi, and white energy allowed his beak to extend a few centimeters. He attempted to step forward, but yellow sparks emitted from his body, leaving him incapable of movement.
"Oh no," Yurie muttered.
Cherubi howled, and red energy surrounded its body. It suddenly grew almost double in size before returning back to regular.
"Peck!" Yurie called.
Piplup groaned and started to run as soon as the sparks faded away. He rammed his body into Cherubi and began to peck in succession. Cherubi screeched from the attacks, but it shook its body, throwing Piplup away. Cherubi glared at Piplup and started to focus. Once again, green energy appeared around its body, taking the shape of a multitude of leaves.
"Dodge it! Use Peck!" Yurie ordered.
Piplup shook his head. He reeled back and unleashed a straight stream of water from his mouth. The water connected with the leaves, but they tore through the stream with ease. They continued on their path until they connected with Piplup, tossing him backward. He landed directly in front of Yurie, his body limp.
"Why won't you listen?" Yurie asked as she withdrew him. "Minun, you're up! Use Electro Ball!"
Minun ran from behind Yurie and leaped into the air. She did a forward roll, instantly releasing a ball of electric energy toward the ground. It connected with Cherubi and imploded in on itself. Smoke filled the area but quickly faded away, revealing Cherubi's unconscious form.
"Here's our chance!" Yurie exclaimed while drawing a new Poké Ball from her belt. "Poké Ball, go!"
She threw the ball, and it bounced off of Cherubi into the air. The top half opened, absorbing Cherubi within a couple seconds. The ball fell to the ground and started to rock back and forth. It took a moment, but eventually the ball stopped and clicked, letting out its signature ding.
"We did it!" Yurie cheered. She ran to the Poké Ball, and her Pokémon followed along. The surrounded her and bounced up and down while Yurie held the ball high in the air.
"Today has been a fun day," Cyan said as he watched the group.
Phoenix glared at him.
The three trainers and their Pokémon continued north up the path. It was already late in the night, and their stride slowed with every step they took. By the time that the sun began to rise and the trees started to thin out, the three trainers were only left to drag their feet.
Phoenix had found himself half asleep, but upon seeing the sign, his eyes widened, and he found the energy in himself to raise his arms into the air.
"We did it! We made it out!" he exclaimed.
Cyan was not as excited. He adjusted his silver BayStaryu hat so that it kept his eyes shaded from the sun. "Do we set up camp and take a nap or just keep going?"
Yurie dropped her bag to the ground and sat on a nearby stone. "How long until Eterna City?"
Phoenix looked to the valley ahead. In the distance was a large city surrounded by trees. "Maybe an hour or so?" He looked at his exhausted friends and couldn't help but smile. "I think we can take a small rest and then power through until the Pokémon Center."
Cyan replied with a grunt.
Yurie nodded. She lethargically unzipped the top of her bag and pulled out half of a large green fruit. It had been sealed tightly with plastic wrap before they left Floaroma. She held it out to Phoenix, as though she was making an offering.
"That's why you're so tired. You carried around half a watermelon in your bag," Phoenix exclaimed. He took the melon and used his pocket knife to slice it into individual pieces. He handed his friends and all of the Pokémon their own slice. Then, he pulled out his portable chair, sat down, and watched as the sun took its time to come over the horizon.
"It was a fun day."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
A small rest chapter from any real drama. The next chapter will also be battle free, and I'll get to explore what Eterna City looks like.
For now, what do you think about Cherubi joining Yurie's team?
REVIEWS:
pokemonking0924 - "Yurie was certainly brutal during this contest battle due to how upset her father made her but she regrets how she won this way. Not to mention what she said and her friends to her father after the battle, he deserved everything they told him off for but Cyan certainly gave him some good advice and hopefully he'll take it. Yurie certainly experienced an emotional roller coaster this contest but once she gets past this she'll be stronger for it." - Yeah, I enjoyed writing Cyan and Phoenix stepping up to bat for Yurie. However, I do think that her father coming into the picture made it a hard contest to write...