Author's Note: To the guest reviewer who ends their reviews with "as a fellow amourshipper i have this to say to you and to all my fellow amourshippers around the globe who support amourshipping, amourshipper and proud, remember that dudes and dudettes and keep up the good serenaandashshipping work dude" ... this is your last warning. Stop doing that shit or I won't accept your reviews anymore.
Chapter 5: The Song of the Sea
Kevlar Town
It was the next day morning, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky, not a single cloud blotting it. The sour taste of Serena's defeat at her first contest was no longer on etiher her or her friends' mouth, a good night of sleeping wiping it away and refilling them with the needed energy to continue the journey that it had just begun.
The group were now having breakfast at the cafeteria section of the Pokemon Center. The plan was to eat and then immediately head north to Nowtoch city. If they left the Pokemon Center early, they would be able to cross all of Owten Nook and reach Nowtoch City shortly after nightfall. Owten Nook wasn't a very long path, and with a good pace, they believed it could be crossed in a day.
Once they had finished breakfast and had all their Pokemon with them, the group was ready to leave. However, there was something that was going to delay their journey.
"Attention to Clemont, there is a videocall for you on Videophone 3!" Nurse Joy's voice said through the center's intercom system.
"A call to Clemont?" Ash asked, wonder who could be.
"Do you think it's dad, Clemont?" Bonnie asked.
"I had our dad fill for me as Gym Leader while I'm on Tandor," the inventor explained, already sensing Ash and Serena's incoming question.
The group walked towards the videophone in question, but when Clemont picked it up, the image that appeared on the screen wasn't that of the bearded burly man, but of a bespectacled girl with black hair combed in a pair of braids.
"Hello, Clemont. It's been a while," the girl greeted him.
"Lilia!" Clemont almost yelled. "It's such a surprise to see you! Not that I'm complaining but..." suddenly, a realization hit Clemont. "Wait a minute, Orangics! It was you, right? You suggested me to work on the new power plant they're building here."
Lilia giggled. "Guilty as charged."
"Oh, by the way, do you remember my sister Bonnie and my friends Ash and Serena?" Clemont asked, moving aside so Lilia could see them. Ash and Serena happily waved at the other girl, but Bonnie merely huffed and crossed her arms.
"Yes, I do. It's great to see you guys as well!" Lilia greeted back.
"By the way, how did you know I was here?" Clemont asked.
"I saw Serena on yesterday's contest on TV," Lilia began. "I didn't recognize her at first, even if her name and face rang a bell, then I remember she was one of your friends. Oh, by the way, Serena, I'm sorry that you lost that contest. Especially since you made it all the way to the finals."
"Thank you. But it's all in the past already," Serena said with a dismissive hand wave. "All that matters now is to make sure the same thing doesn't happen the next contest."
"So, I guess you want me to get to the plant as soon as possible, huh?" Clemont asked.
"Not at all," Lilia replied, much to Clemont's surprise. "With everything that happened on Lumiose, and the fact that you were on vacation in Kanto, none of us expected you to come to the region as soon as you did, so the work we need you for isn't ready yet, so if you want to take the scenic route, you're free to do so. Though, give me a call once you get close to Bealbeach City, okay?"
"I will," Clemont asked. "So, you know what I've been doing since we last met, but what about you, Lilia? What you've been up to? How did you end up on Tandor?"
"Well, it's a long story, but guess I have time to tell it since you're interested," Lilia began. "So, anyway..."
And thus Lilia started to tell Clemont everything she did right after the group parted ways with her, with Clemont listenting intently and nodding, drinking every word the bespectacled girl shared.
"You know," Serena whispered to Ash and Bonnie. "Maybe we should let those two some privacy to catch up."
"Fine," Bonnie said with a roll of her eyes. "Though let's hope Clemont doesn't spend too much time talking. We need to continue our journey."
"Come on, let your brother talk if he wants to. You heard Lilia, it's not that we're on a schedule," Ash said.
"What about Serena's contests? Those ARE on a schedule!" Bonnie protested.
"The closest town where a contest will take place is Moki Town, and the contest won't start until a week and a half. More than enough time to reach Nowtoch City and for Ash to win his badge," Serena said.
"Fiiiine..." Bonnie huffed, crossing her arms. It was obvious that she wasn't going to win this.
"Nene?" Dedenne asked in confusion, but Bonnie didn't say anything.
"Come on, let's take a walk through the town. With my contest, we didn't have the chance to see it," Serena suggested.
As they walked out of the Pokemon Center, they were greeted by a sunny and beautiful day. Even if it was early in the morning, people were already up and ready for their daily work. One of those people was a Tandor Ranger, wearing a distinctive green and black uniform, that was stapling a sign to a wooden post. Moved by curiosity, the group of three went to read it.
WANTED: RICHARD HUNTER
LEADER OF THE DUNSPARCE BIKER GANG
Wanted for: Vandalism, Robbery, Property Destruction, Pokemon theft and trafficking.
Considered dangerous. If he or any of his gang members are seen, do not engage them, and contact the Tandor Ranger Corps immediately.
The poster had a picture from the shoulders up of the gang leader. He was a burly and broad shouldered man in his early forties, with jet black hair, a pronounced widow peak, and a goatee of the same color. A scar crossed his left cheek without touching his eye.
"Hey Ash..." Serena began, as the gears in her mind began to turn. "Those bikers we saw the other day through the Lakeside Path..."
"They all were wearing jackets with a Dunsparce on their backs," Ash recalled.
"Pika..." Pikachu nodded.
"And they were heading towards this very town..." Bonnie feafully said.
"People here doesn't seem to be very worried about a violent biker gang being here," Serena said, looking around. "Though, maybe they didn't stop here and went somewhere else."
"Even then, we should go to a Ranger Station and tell them we saw those bikers coming here, just in case," Ash said.
They remembered passing in front of the Ranger Station when they first arrived at the town, being close to its border with Lakeside Path. It wouldn't take them very long to get there. However, when they were close to their destination, something drew their attention.
"Selkid! Selkid!" it was a brown haired teen boy the same age as them yelling something, they guessed it was the name of a Pokemon. "Selkid, where are you?"
They decided to check what was wrong with the boy, given that he looked clearly distressed. "Hey, is everything okay?" Ash asked.
"No, not really," the boy replied. "You see, I had an argument with my Pokemon, Selkid, and... well, I got so angry I wasn't even thinking, and I told her something terrible..."
"And she ran away, right?" Serena asked. The boy nodded. "That's awful."
"Say, how about if we help you find your Pokemon?" Ash offered.
The boy's face beamed with you. "You would!?"
"Of course. I think we all had an argument or two with our Pokemon, and many times we say things we don't mean," Ash said.
"Weren't we going to go to the Rangers to tell them we saw those bikers?" Bonnie asked.
"We can do that later. I think this is a bit more urgent," Ash said. Serena nodded in angreement.
"Say, uh..." Serena began.
"Maury," the boy said.
"Maury, was this the last place you saw your Pokemon?" Serena asked. Maury nodded. She then looked at the path that went out of the town and into Lakeside View. "Maybe Selkid left the town...?"
"Let's check the Pokedex. Maybe knowing more about the Pokemon will give us a hint on where she may be," Ash said, as she introduced Selkid's name on his Pokedex.
"Selkid, the Sea Nymph Pokemon. Water/Fairy. They gather together on rocky shoals and sing together as a harmony. Their human-like voices can be misleading because they sound like a child lost at sea."
A picture of Selkid appeared on the screen. It was a vaguely humanoid Pokemon with blue skin and a white face and underbelly. It had dark blue arms ended on stubs, tiny fin-like feet, and a fish tail. It had a teardrop-shaped head, black eyes, yellow cheek marks and a yellow ruff around its neck.
"Hmmm... given that Selkid's a Water-type, she might wanted to go to a place with water, and Lakeside Path has a river of crystaline water," Ash began to ponder.
"Let's check there first. Maury, you stay here and continue looking in case Selkid didn't leave the town," Serena advised.
"Got it," Maury said with a nod. "Oh, before I forget! Selkid is also carrying a jewel with her. Make sure it doesn't get lost, she's very attached to it."
"Don't worry, you can count on us!" Bonnie replied. "Right Dedenne?"
"Nenene!" Dedenne happily agreed.
"Okay, Lakeside Path is pretty big. How about if we split to cover more ground?" Ash suggested. "Serena, take Bonnie with you."
"Very well then. Let's meet at the town's entrance in an hour," Serena said, as she and Bonnie went into another direction, leaving Ash alone.
"Alright. Birbie, I choose you!" Ash said, releasing the Tandor little bird.
"Birbie!" he chirped. He looked around, and realized that they were back on his former home. "Birb?"
"Listen Birbie, we're looking for a lost Pokemon," Ash said, as he showed Birbie his Pokedex, which was displaying a picture of Selkid. "She looks like this. We're going to look from the ground, and I want you to look from above. Can I count on you, Birbie?"
"Bir!" the Eden Bird Pokemon chirped, and wasting no time, took off into the sky.
"Oh! Selkid is a marine Pokemon, so make sure to check the water!" Ash said, before he and Pikachu began their own search.
…
Lakside Path
Meanwhile, on another part of the route, a scared Water and Fairy-type Pokemon wandered around the unknown zone, trying to find a way home. She was protectively clutching a gemstone between her small arms.
"Selkid..." the Pokemon whimpered.
Selkid was lost, away from home, and very scared. She had seen many Pokemon around, but she wasn't familiar with either of those and didn't dare to trust them. They were all small and didn't look dangerous, but she knew that appearances could be deceiving.
Then she heard it. The sound of water running. Was there water in this foreign and strange place? Deciding it was her best lead, Selkid ran as fast as her little feet allowed her too, still clutching her jewel and making sure she didn't lose it. She didn't know why, but she had developed a strong attachement with the round, shiny item, and felt an overwhelming urge to keep it close to her.
As she ran, she couldn't just hear it, she could now see the running water! For the first time in what felt like ages, Selkid felt hope. All she need to do was dive into the water, and the road home would be an easy trip from there. And the moment she reached the shore of the river, she dived heafirst into it.
Though, rather that the sweet feeling of water enveloping her body, all what Selkid felt was pain as her face slammed against something wet and slimy, but definitely solid, bouncing her back to solid ground, dropping her jewel in the process.
"ROG!" somebody angrily said.
Selkid rubbed her pained face, before she looked forward and realizing that the wall she had crashed against wasn't a wall, but a Pokemon that was now stepping out of the water. It was large, with a bulky body ended in a tail supported by four robust legs. Its underbelly was purple, and had stripes of the same color on its back. It had red cheeks, and eyes of the same color.
And said eyes were looking at her with a hate filled glare.
"FOL!" the Pokemon roared, as he menacingly advanced towards Selkid, clearly taking Selkid crashing into it as a personal attack.
"S-Sel..." Selkid tried to apologize but the larger Pokemon wouldn't hear it.
It raised one of its forelegs, and its fingers started to glow with a sickly purple aura. Selkid's eyes grew wide upon noticing it was a Poison-type attack. Given the colors, it was obvious that this Pokemon was also part Poison. Just her luck.
"SEEEEEL!" Selkid wailed as she jumped away, just in time to avoid the powerful Poison Jab move.
Her enemy moved towards her once again, preparing yet another Poison Jab. It was obvious that it wasn't going to just leave her alone. Meaning that, even if she had no faith in her combat abilities, Selkid had to fight.
"Seeeel..." Selkid brought her arms together, summoning a small orb of water, before tossing it at her enemy. "KID!"
The orb of water sailed forward, but her larger enemy merely swatted it away with its other hand as if it was nothing, and thurst its other, poison-coated hand into Selkid, hitting her squarely in the gut.
"SEEEEEEEEEL!" she cried, the pain from the super effective attack being unbearable.
Before her vision turned too blurry to be of any use, she saw a round, dark blue Pokemon flying above her.
…
Meanwhile, at another part of the route, Serena and Bonnie were looking for the missing Selkid, without much success. They decided to stick close to the river, given that Selkid might be close to it.
"Selkid! Selkid!"
"Selkid! Where are you?"
"Nenenene!"
"Come on Selkid, come out, we just want to help you!" Serena called, before letting out a sigh. "This is useless. We've been yelling Selkid's name for a long time, but no sight of her."
"You know, if Selkid got into the river, she could have swim into the sea," Bonnie pointed out.
"No, I don't think she'd do that. Even if she's on bad terms with her trainer now, no Pokemon would abandon their trainer like that," Serena replied. "Selkid is probably waiting for Maury to come back to her and apolo-"
"SEEEEEEEEEEL!"
Serena was interrupted when she and Bonnie heard a high pitched cry of pain, which definitely wasn't human. The two girls traded a look.
"Serena, do you think...?"
"Only one way to know, let's go!"
As the two girls rushed towards the direction of the cry, they took no time to finally see Selkid, being beaten by a Pokemon that looked like a Fortog, but was much larger and had a more intimidating appearance.
"It's Selkid! And that other Pokemon is beating her!" Bonnie said, pointing at the battle.
Serena's hands quickly reached for one of her pokeballs, before tossing it in the direction of the two Water-type Pokemon.
"Pancham, go!" Serena said, as the Playful Pokemon emerged from the capture device, landing on the ground in front of Serena. "Pancham, protect that Selkid from the bigger Pokemon! Use Dark Pulse!"
"Pan-CHAM!" Pancham cupped his paws, before thrusting them forward, releasing a stream of dark and purple energy towards the blue and purple Pokemon, pushing it towards the edge of the river.
"Good job, Pancham!" Serena said, before pulling out her Pokedex. "Let's see what we're up against..."
"Folerog, the Long Toad Pokemon, and Fortog's evolution. Water/Poison. Folerog need to remain damp to survive, so they are found in areas with plenty of water such as rivers and lakes."
Meanwhile, Bonnie rushed towards Selkid, picked her up, and quickly rushed back to Serena's side.
"Serena, I have Selkid!" Bonnie said, as she ran towards the older girl.
"Well done! Quickly, give her to me," Serena said, taking the small Pokemon from Bonnie's arms, and cradling her on her own. "She looks badly wounded. That Folerog must give her quite the beating."
"Seeel..." Selkid whimpered.
"But... why? What did Selkid do to deserve that?" Bonnie asked.
"I don't know. Maybe This is Folerog's territory saw Selkid as an intruder," Serena said. "Though that doesn't matter now."
"Even then, that's not a reason to be such a bully!" Bonnie replied, glaring daggers at the wild Folerog, who was now snarling at Pancham.
"It seems that Folerog won't leave unless we force it to," Serena declared.
Folerog decided it was his turn to attack. Its dewlap swolled up, before it opened his mouth, releasing a wave of purple sludge from it. Pancham dodged it by making a few backflips.
"Well done, Pancham! Now use Arm Thurst!" Serena ordered.
"Pan..." Pancham jumped into the air, cluthing one of his paws into a tiny fist. However, instead of glowing white as usual, it glowed yellow and started to crackle with electricity. "CHAM!"
When Pancham's fist collided with Folerog, it produced an explosion of yellow sparks that electrocuted the Water and Poison-type Pokemon, causing it to cry in pain.
"Wait... that wasn't Arm Thurst! That was Thunder Punch!" Serena said, rejoicing over Pancham learning a new move. Especially one that was so useful with the situation at hand.
"First Sylveon and now Pancham! Your Pokemon are on fire!" Bonnie praised.
"Nenene!" Dedenne added.
…
Selkid didn't know what was going on anymore. She could hear the noise of a battle going on, but she didn't care. She was now between the arms of yet another human. Her instincts told her that she was in danger and she should leave, but she didn't have any strength left to do so.
Though... there was a part of her that didn't want to. Despite her whole body in pain, being wrapped in the arms of that human felt... nice. Warm and comfortable. And the more she basked in that sensation, the less her instincts told her she was in danger.
…
"Well done, Pancham! Now Stone Edge!" Serena said.
"Cham!" Pancham said, before he slammed both paws into the ground, summoning a row of rock pillars towards Folerog, slamming the Long Toad Pokemon back into the water.
However, contrary to what Serena was expecting, that wasn't enough to drive the angry and persistent Folerog away, as the blue and purple Pokemon crawled out of the water once again, looking even more pissed.
"Fole! Folerog! Rog, rog!" it began to loudly croak.
There were three splashing sounds, and Serena, Bonnie and Pancham saw how three Fortogs leaped out of the river and onto the grassy ground.
"Uh-oh. The bully called some friends for help..." Bonnie said.
"P-Pan!" Pancham said, taking a step back as the three newcomers quickly moved to surround him. He looked back at Serena with eyes that begged her to do something about that. "Pan, pancham!"
The Fortogs immediately fired several Water Gun at Pancham, who dodged them as well as he could by doing cartwheels, but he wouldn't be able to dodge forever.
"Sylveon, go! Protect Pancham!" Serena said, tosing a second pokeball.
The Interwinning Pokemon materialized in front of the little panda, and immediately encased herself inside an energy bubble, which managed to block the attacks before it disappeared.
"Sylveon, Pancham, watch out!" Serena warned.
"ROG!" Folerog loudly croaked, as it charged towards Sylveon, Poison Jab already prepared to strike.
"Pikachu, Electroball!"
Before Folerog could strike Sylveon, he was blasted by a sphere of yellow elecricity. Folerog croaked in pain as the electricity coursed through its body, causing all the Fortogs to look back at its bigger counterpart in worry.
That moment, Ash, followed by Pikachu and Birbie, arrived at the scene. The two Pokemon, noticing the battle, quickly joined Serena's Pokemon, ready to face the group of Water/Poison types from the river.
"Ash!" Serena said, rejoiced to see her friend.
"We got Selkid, but she was being attacked by those wild Pokemon!" Bonnie quickly explained.
"I see. It's a good thing that I send Birbie to explore from the sky, otherwise he wouldn't have find you guys," Ash said. "Alright, let's end this battle with the next move! Birbie, Gust!"
"Birb!" Birbie chirped, as he elevated into the air and started to flap his tiny wings, produced a decently sized tornado that moved towards the Folerog and the Fortogs.
"Pancham, Dark Pulse! Sylveon, Swift! Aim at the Gust!" Serena ordered.
"Pancham, cham!"
"Syl!"
Pancham and Sylveon fired a beam of dark energy and a flurry of golden stars at Birbie's Gust. The three attacks merged into a tornado of darkness and glowing yellow stars. The combination attack blasted the Folerog and the Fortogs, producing an explosion of darkness and golden stars, hurling the four Water and Poison type Pokemon back into the water. It seemed that this time they decided they had enough, as they quickly swam away without ever looking back.
"Let's hope they learned their lesson," Bonnie said, as he watched them disappear into the distance. She was about to rejoin Ash and Serena, who were setting Selkid on the ground, before she caught something glinting among the grass. Crouching down, she reached her hand to grab the item in question: it was a marble, dark blue in color with a pink core. Bonnie knew it was no ordinary marble, as she had seen many of its kind. It was a Mega Stone! "Cool!"
While Bonnie did that, Serena decided to focus her attention on the wounded Selkid.
"Good timing, Ash, Come on, help me with Selkid. She's very injured," Serena said, as she gently placed the Water and Fairy type on the grass.
"Sel..." she whimpered.
"Don't worry Selkid, this will make you feel fine," Serena said, as she looked for something on her backpack, before she pulled out a Potion. "Now this may sting a little."
Serena started to spray Selkid across her body, the Sea Nymph Pokemon flinching and wincing whenever the medicine soaked her. However, in a few seconds, as her body absorbed the medicine, the pain started to recede, and her strength started to come back little by little. She was a little confused on what had happened, but she didn't care. She was grateful she was feeling better.
"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked Selkid.
"Kid," Selkid replied, nodding weakly.
"I think Selkid feels a little better now!" Ash said.
"Hey guys, look what I found!" Bonnie said, as she ran towards the two teens, showing her finding.
Both Ash and Serena immediately recognized what the small marble was, and gasped in shock.
"Whoa! A Mega Stone!" Ash exclaimed.
"Where did you find it?" Serena asked.
"It was near the river. It was a good thing that I saw it, given how hidden it was between the grass," Bonnie proudly said, before taking a look at the stone. "So, what Pokemon do you think can use this stone to Mega Evolve?"
That moment, Selkid noticed the stone, and her eyes grew big.
"Sel! Selkid!" she began to cry, as she tried to reach the Mega Stone with her short arms. "Sel!"
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, before he turned towards Ash and pointed at the Mega Stone Bonnie was holding. "Pi, pika!"
"I think Pikachu says that Mega Stone belongs to Selkid," Ash said.
"Hey, didn't Maury said that Selkid had a jewel? Maybe that's what he was talking about?" Serena asked. "Maybe she dropped the Mega Stone when she was attacked by that Folerog."
"So Selkid can Mega Evolve? Cool!" Bonnie said, before handing the stone back to Selkid. "Sorry, I didn't know this was yours. Here, you can have it back."
A bit surprised that the human was returning her jewel so easily, Selkid merely grabbed it, clutching it against her chest, and nodded. "Selkid."
Bonnie beamed at her. "You're welcome!"
"Well, given that Selkid is safe and she has her Mega Stone back, let's go back to Kevlar Town," Ash suggested.
The girls nodded, and the group, plus Selkid, returned to the small town.
…
Turns out they didn't need to get to the town perse, as Maury had apperently grown tired of looking there, and was now looking for Selkid on Lakeside Path as well. He took no time to notice Ash, Serena and Bonnie walking towards him, and he quickly went to greet them.
"Hey!" Maury said, waving at them.
"Maury! We're back!" Ash said, waving back.
"And you found Selkid! Oh, you guys have no idea how much I owe you! I thought I had lost her for good!" Maury said.
"Yes. Thankfully, now you can tell her how sorry you...feel..." Serena began, as she felt something that made her lose track of her thoughts. "Selkid?"
Selkid was hiding behind Serena's leg, grabbing it with one arm while she held the megastone with the other. She was trembling, and looking at Maury with eyes filled with nothing but pure fear.
"Serena? What's wrong?" Ash asked.
"It's Selkid... she's shivering!" Serena said, before looking at Maury, anf fixed him with a hard stare. "Just... what exactly did you do to her that caused her to run away from you?"
"Um, I already told you! We got into an argument, and I yelled at her, and she ran away!" Maury said. "Now please, can you hand me Selkid back?"
Ash scowled. Serena was onto something. The Kanto native had seen enough arguments between a trainer and their Pokemon, and in almost every case, the Pokemon would be angry or upset at the trainer. But Selkid... she was paralyzed by terror.
"Ash, there's something here that doesn't feel right," Serena warned him.
"And I agree," Ash said, taking a step forward, placing himself in front of the girls as if to shield them from Maury. "Listen, let's head back to Kevlar Town, and come with us to the Ranger Station. I'm sure they can sort this mess out and-"
"JUST GIVE ME THAT STUPID FISH ALREADY!" Maury exploded.
"Selkid!" Selkid flinched, clutching Serena's leg even harder.
There was a moment of silence, as Maury realized he had screwed up big time with that outburst.
"You aren't Selkid's trainer, are you?" Bonnie accused him.
Maury merely looked down, and chuckled.
"Tell me, do you have any idea how much that dumb fish is worth?" Maury began. "Selkid live deep under the sea, and they very rarely come out to the surface. And when they do, they tend to flee whenever a human being gets close, so they're very hard to catch. That's why Selkid are so valuable.
"And that's not even counting that Selkid's evolved form can Mega Evolve! So a Selkid with a Mega Stone would sell for almost ten times its original value!" Maury's expression then went from demented joy to cold anger. "So you'll understand that, if I tell my dad that I lost such a valuable Pokemon, he'll be very, very mad at me. So now, please, return that Selkid, before I get very, very mad at you."
"You despicable... wait a minute, you're working with those Pokemon traffickers, aren't you?" Serena asked.
"Very smart. Now you understand why I can't go to a Ranger Station. Enough chitchat. You're giving me that Selkid and the Mega Stone, or things are going to get ugly," Maury said, as he walked threateingly towards them.
"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu seethed, as he released sparks from his cheeks.
"If you want that Selkid, you'll have to take her by force!" Ash shouted.
"Trust me, that won't be a problem!" Maury said, pulling two Pokeball. "Riolu, Primeape, KILL!"
"Braixen, go!"
"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said, before turning at Bonnie. "Bonnie, make sure Selkid is okay!"
"Got it!" Bonnie said, as she gently lifted Selkid and moved a few step back.
Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the ground, as Serena's starter materialized near him, while Maury's two Fighting types appeared before them. Much to Ash and Serena's befudlement, Maury's Pokemon were wearing what appeared to be some sort of mechanical device strapped to their chest with a red Omega symbol.
Maury then pulled a small remote from a pocket, and smirked evilly at his enemies. "You guys have no idea what you're fighting against," he sinisterly said, before pressing a button.
The devices hummed to life as the Omega symbols on them light up, and the two Pokemon hissed in pain, closing their eyes and cluthcing their bodies, but remaining in place. They opened their eyes to reveal they were now bloodshot, and Riolu's mouth was twisted in a demented snarl.
"What... what are you doing to your Pokemon?" Serena asked.
"Improving them. Now, attack! Primeape, Karate Chop! Riolu, Quick Attack!" Maury ordered.
The two Fighting types shot like rockets, Riolu slamming its whole body against Pikachu and Primeape smacking Braixen with an open palm, sending both Pokemon rolling backwards.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.
"Braixen!" Serena cried.
"Keep attacking! Riolu, continue with Shadow Claw! Primeape, Frustration!" Maury said.
"RU!" Riolu screeched, as it leaped into the air, raising a paw that was coated in ghostly energy. Primeape's body, meanwhile, started to glow red as it charged towards the downed Braixen.
"Quickly, dodge!" Ash said.
"You too, Braixen!" Serena added.
Both Pikachu and Braixen managed to move from the spot their were laying on before another attack could hit. Riolu's Shadow Claw opened a small crater when it hit the ground, while Primeape opened several bigger ones in his temper tantrum.
"Such destructive power..." Serena said in horrified awe.
"Do you like that? That's thanks to the Muscular Enhancer, a little gadget our science division has developed. Activating it is the equivalent of several Sword Dances in a row. It also increases a Pokemon's aggression, but keeps them fiercely loyal to their trainer. You cannot beat my Pokemon when their offensive power is so high, they only need one hit to beat yours!" Maury boasted.
"We'll see about that! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.
"Braixen, Flamethrower!" Serena commanded.
Pikachu's cheeks started to produce yellow sparks as his body build up electricity for the attack, while Braixen waved her ignited wand at the two Fighting types.
"Braix!"
"CHUUUUU!"
"Primeape, deflect that Thunderbolt with Thunder Punch, Riolu, push that Flamethrower back with Force Palm!" Maury ordered.
Primeape curled one of its hands into a fist, which was quickly coated in electricity, before thrusting it towards the incoming lightning bolt, deflecting it away, while Riolu's Force Palm generated such a powerful shockwave that it tore through the Flamethrower as if it was nothing, dispeling it instantly.
"You still don't understand how useless your Pokemon are against mine?" Maury taunted. "Primeape, Rock Slide!"
"PRIIIIII!" Primeape screeched, as it raised its arms, and summon a bunch of truly massive boulders above Pikachu and Braixen, before they launched themselves at the two Pokemon with the force of meteors.
Pikachu and Braixen ran in opposite directions in order to dodge the falling boulders, which were so big and heavy, the earth trembled whenever they impacted the ground. One of these boulders fell way too close to Braixen, and the resulting quake made them trip and fall facefirst.
"Braixen!" Serena yelled, as she saw how a gigantic boulder was about to crush her.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash called.
"PI!" Pikachu replied, as he dashed towards the incoming boulder while his tail glowed with a metallic sheen, jumped into the air, and smashed the large rock to bits with a tail strike, allowing Braixen time to get back on her feet.
"Riolu, Quick Attack on Pikachu!" Maury ordered.
As Pikachu landed on the ground below, he was slammed by a blue blur which turned out to be Riolu. Pikachu was smashed against Braixen, and the two Pokemon were sent rolling on the ground backwards.
"Briaxen!" Serena cried.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried as well, as one of his hands moved towards one of his other two pokeballs.
"You know, you could have been reasonable and give me that Selkid. But for making me waste my precious time, I think I'm going to take your Pokemon as well as a compensation, even if they aren't that great," Maury said. "Riolu, Blazing Kick on Pikachu!"
"RU!" Riolu once again jumped into the air, and raised a leg that was quickly coated in flames.
"Greninja, I choose-" Ash was about to say, but what happened next stopped his hand.
For some reason, while it was mid air, the fire around Riolu's leg petered out. Riolu then cried in pain, lost its balance mid-air, and crashed clumsily into the ground. The Emanation Pokemon tried to get back on its feet, but the moment it did so, it clutched its chest as if merely standing was causing it a great pain.
"Riolu! What the hell are you doing!?" Maury shouted.
Ash and Serena didn't know what was happening either, but they weren't going to let this opportunity slip away from their fingers.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Riolu!" Ash commanded.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, as he dashed towards the writhing Fighting type, leaving a trail of fading white light behind him.
"Primeape, stop that Pikachu with Karate Chop!" Maury shouted.
Primeape moved to intercept Pikachu, as his right hand glowed white, ready to smack the yellow rodent with it. But just like with Riolu, Primeape stopped dead on its tracks and clutched its body, as unbearable waves of pain coursed through their bodies.
"Not you too! What the hell's wrong with you!" Maury yelled, just as Pikachu slammed into Riolu, sending it tumbling backwards.
"Can't you see it?" Serena asked. "That device you forced them to wear made them much stronger. But increasing their strength so much in so little time must have put an immense strain on their bodies, and that's taking a toll on them!"
"Riolu! Primeape! I don't care how much you're hurting righ t now, get up and finish this fight!" Maury hollered.
"You know, I actually feel bad for doing this to your Pokemon, but you leave us no choice," Ash said, fixing Maury with a harsh glare. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Braixen, Fire Blast!"
"Pika-CHUUUUUUU!"
"BRAAAAAI!"
Pikachu released once again a powerful electrict blast, while Braixen conjured a huge mass of flames shaped like the kanji of fire. In their current state, neither Riolu nor Primeape were able to move to dodge the two attacks, which added to the harm the Muscular Enhancer was causing, they were more than enough to defeat them for good.
"No... no!" Maury said in desperation, as he hastily returned his Pokemon to their pokeballs, before stumbling backwards. "You... you have no idea what you just did today! When my father learns of what you've done, it will be over for you! You'll see!"
And with that, Maury turned back and ran away as fast as he could, not towards Kevlar Town, but towards the nearby forest, disappearing among the trees. Ash and Serena decided that chasing him wasn't worth the effort.
Now that the danger was gone, Bonnie finally let Selkid go, gently placing her on the ground, while Ash and Serena walked towards them. Serena crouched , and gently patted Selkid's head.
"That's why you run away from him, didn't you?" Serena asked Selkid. "Sorry for not realizing of that sooner."
"Selkid..." Selkid said.
"But don't worry, I promise you that I'll help you return to the place you belong, and failing that, to find you a place where you will be cared for and will make you happy," Serena vowed.
"I think we should return to Kevlar Town and go to the Ranger's Station," Ash suggested. "Besides telling them we saw the bikers, we should tell them about Maury working for them, and what he was planning to do with Selkid."
"Agreed," Serena said, as she stood up. "Let's go."
…
Later, Ash and Serena brought Selkid to the Ranger Station, while Bonnie returned to the Pokemon Center to fetch Clemont and tell him everything that had happened. They were attended by the same Ranger that they had seen earlier putting up the poster of the Dunsparce Gang leader, and told them about how they had seen them on their way to Kevlar Town.
"Yes, more people claimed they've seen a group of bikers that matches the description of the Dunsparce Gang. We will make sure no incident happens as long as they are close to the town," the Ranger replied.
"About that," Serena said, and motioned to Selkid. "We had an encounter with one of their associates, some kid named Maury. He admitted to us that he worked for them and that he was planning to sell this Selkid."
The Ranger took a look at the Selkid, who whimpered and hid behind Serena's leg.
"I see. Selkid are extremely rare and hard to catch. It fits among the Pokemon they'd target," the Ranger said.
"Maury said that his father was one of the traffickers. Though he didn't look like member of the gang himself," Ash pointed out.
"Perhaps they were testing him before they let him become part of the gang officially," the Ranger replied. He then shook his head in disappointment. "Boy, to think they'd fall so low..."
"What do you mean?" Serena asked.
"The Dunsparce Gang has been a fixture of Tandor for many years, but they weren't too bad. Their crimes were pretty minor, like instances of harrasment or vandalism, and most of the time they kept to themselves, and never harmed any Pokemon," the Ranger began. "But when they started to dip their toes in the world of Pokemon trafficking... well, it was quite the surprise. Oh well, there's no point in mulling over that. It's our job to put an end to their operations and see that their members face justice."
"Indeed," Ash nodded. "So, what about Selkid? What are we going to do with her?"
The Ranger smiled. "That's easy. Selkids live in the sea, and while they don't do well on the surface, their sense of orientation underwater is almost unmatched. All we need to do is bring Selkid to a river, and once she reaches the sea, she'll be able to return to her home on her own."
"A river? Like the one in Lakeside Path?" Serena asked.
The Ranger nodded. "For example."
"I guess that's what you were trying to do when we found you, right?" Serena asked Selkid. "If it wasn't for that Folerog, you'd be already on your way home."
"Selkid..." Selkid nodded, and lowered her gaze.
"Well, it doesn't matter! Come on, let's escort her back to the river so she can go back home!" Serena stated.
…
Lakeside Path
The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange light over the mostly green abd blue route, and soon shadows would follow.
At the edge of the river were Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, their Pokemon, the Ranger, and finally, Selkid. They were all looking at the white and blue Pokemon espectantly.
"Well, this is it," Serena said. "Get into the water, and you'll be on your way home."
"We made sure there are no more of those Pokemon that attacked you before!" Bonnie helpfully added.
"Fortog and Folerog are mostly diurnal Pokemon, so you won't run into any of them when the sun begins to set," the Ranger helpfully explained.
Still clutching her Mega Stone, Selkid took a step forward. She looked at the water, before turning around and giving one last look at the humans that had helped her. More specifically, Serena. She then looked at the Mega Stone as a whirlwind of conflicting emotions brewed inside her.
Selkid remember how she was forcefully dragged away from her home by those horrible humans. Being locked inside a cold, metallic cage, alongside other equally miserable looking Pokemon. She remembered the beatings she took when her captors tried to break her. Her finally escaping once she had the chance, only to run into those Poison-type Pokemon.
Then she appeared, like an angel send by the gods. She fought those Poison-type Pokemon, and then, alongside her partners, fought against one of her captors when he tried to claim her back. And now she was going to let her go just like that. Her recent experiences let Selkid believe that all humans were monsters, but this group had shattered her perception.
Taking one last look at the water, Selkid made a decision. Filled with determination, Selkid handed her Mega Stone to Pikachu, much to everybody's surprise, and walked away from the water.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, not knowing what to do with the jewel.
"Selkid? What are you doing?" Serena asked.
Once there was enough distance between them, Selkid turned around, put on a brave face, and held her arms in a fighting stance.
The Ranger smiled. "It isn't obvious?" he asked. "Selkid wants you to capture her. But she wants you to battle her first."
Serena gasped in shock, and looked at Selkid. "Is that true, Selkid?"
"Sel!"
Serena smiled, before her expression turned determined as well, ready to meet Selkid's challenge. Pancham's capture came to mind, how the little panda refused to join her until she proved her worth to him. Despite her fragile appearance, it seemed that Selkid was stronger than she let on,
"In that case... Sylveon, go!" Serena tossed the pokeball forward, releasing her Fairy-type. Selkid tensed up. "Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!"
Sylveon waved her feelers, raising a gust of sparkly pink wind towards Selkid. Selkid crouched down, and used her tail as a spring to jump into the air. While she was airborne, she brought her arms together, and fired an orb of water at Sylveon.
"That was Water Pulse!" Clemont identified.
"Sylveon, dodge!" Serena called, and thankfully, the interwinning Pokemon moved aside, letting the orb crash against the grass. "Now that she's mid air, Fairy Wind again!"
Sylveon repeated the same maneuver, but this time Selkid was unable to evade. The sparkly pink wind hit her squarely, pushing her backwards and making her crash against the ground on her back. Still, that wasn't enough to put her down, and Selkid quickly jumped back to her feet.
"SeeeeeeeelKIIIIIIIIIIID!" Selkid yelled, as her voice formed a sonic blast that sailed towards Sylveon.
"Sylveon, Protect!" Serena called.
"Syl!" Sylveon cried, before enacing herself inside a green protective bubble, which nullyfied Selkid's attack.
"And that was Hyper Voice!" Clemont added.
"I don't understand, that Selkid is really strong, how is that we had to help her deal with that Folerog?" Bonnie asked.
"Well, from what you've told me, Selkid appeared to be both scared and suffering from trauma, meaning that she wasn't in the right state of mind to fight. But now..." Clemont said, as he adjusted his glasses. "It seems that she cast all of that away, at least temporarily, so she can fight Serena at her best."
The battle continued. Selkid used another Water Pulse, which Sylveon countered with a Fairy Wind. Realizing that Sylveon was the stronger of the two, Selkid tried a different approach.
"Sel, sel, sel, seeeeeeeel..." Selkid started to intone a melody, as ethereal musical notes started to form around the battleground, slowly closing on Sylveon.
"That's Sing!" Serena said, as she noticed how her Pokemon was slowly falling asleep. "Sylveon, resist!"
"S-Syl..." Sylveon cried, trying to fight off the drowsiness.
"SeeeeeeeelKIIIIIIIIIIID!" Selkid interrupted her song, turning it into an Hyper Voice. Even if Sylveon wasn't completely asleep, she was impaired enough not to be able to move quickly, and the sonic attack hit her fully.
"Sylveon! Are you okay?" Serena called.
"Syl!" Sylveon cried. At the very least, the attack had snapped Sylveon fully awake.
"Good. Time to finish this. Sylveon, use Swift!" Serena ordered, motioning her hand forward.
"Syl-VEON!" Sylveon waved her feelers, releasing a flurry of golden stars that flew towards Selkid.
Selkid tried to run away in order to dodge them, but Sea Nymph Pokemon quickly learned that such attack was impossible to dodge as the stars homed on her, before she took the impact of the attack.
"Sel!" she cried in pain.
"Now, Monblast!" Serena ordered.
Spreading her feelers, Sylveon formed an orb of pink swirling energy, before launching it towards Selkid, who was getting back on her feet. The Water and Fairy type Pokemon was unable to dodge Sylveon's attack, and she was engulfed by an explosion of pink and white light.
"Pokeball, go!" Serena said, tossing an empty pokeball at Selkid.
The capture device found its mark, with Selkid being turned into pure energy and sucked into it. The pokeball fell to the ground, and wiggled for a few seconds, only to stop with a ding, signaling a sucessful capture. The Kalosian teenage girl walked towards the pokeball, and picked it up.
"Ta-da! I captured Selkid!" Serena said, holding the pokeball with both hands, as she showed it to the group.
"Awesome!" Bonnie cheered.
"Congratulations, Serena!" Ash said.
"Your first Tandor Pokemon!" Clemont pointed out.
"Good work, Serena. I'm sure you'll do a great job taking care of that Selkid," the Ranger said.
Given how long and frenetic day most of them had, they decided to return to the Pokemon Center in order to have dinner and get a good night of rest, so they could continue their journey the very next morning.
As they walked, Serena looked at Selkid's pokeball on her hand, and couldn't help but smile at the conversation she had with Ash a few days ago regarding her lack of Pokemon. Indeed, sometimes it was the Pokemon who chose the trainer, rather than the other way around.
…
Meanwhile, from an elevated terrain, there was blond woman wearing a sleveless blue jacket with a Dunsparce on its back. From her vantage point, the woman had been watching the whole chain of events without fear of being seen. Events that she found could lead to great success for her group if they played their cards right. She opened the Pokegear on her wrist and dialed a number.
"Richard? This is Amber," the woman, Amber, said, before her lips curved into a smirk. "I saw something in Kevlar Town that you're going to find mostly interesting..."
Author's Note: And after Ash, Serena catches her first Tandor Pokemon! One a little more exotic than Ash's regional bird.
Those who have played Uranium probably remember Maury (or not, he was a very minor character and his sidequest is very easy to miss), and while he was a jerk there, there he got hit with a dose of Adaptational Villainy. It's all part of a subplot I'm planning involving the Dunsparce Gang (did you think that the group seeing a bunch of bikers a couple episodes ago wasn't going to come into play later?)
And Lilia makes her debut! (sorta) Though, given that I mentioned Orangics on the first episode, the fact that she was the one who requested Clemont to be hired shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Still, it will be a while until she makes an appearance in the flesh, so to speak.
Well, Selkid is now safe and sound, and will be helping Serena with her contests. But at the same time, the gorup has drawn the attention of a bunch of Pokemon traffickers. I'm sure they'll be okay :)
Well, with this over, our heroes can continue their journey towards Nowtoch City, since Ash is getting really impatient for his first Gym battle in Tandor. In the meantime, don't forget to leave a review!