p class="MsoNormal"The only positive of this situation was that she'd finally found a suitable name for the fighting type move, that being 'Whale Tail'. It was not only was fitting for a water type but also alluded to 'whaling on someone'; which is to hit them, so she thought it was cleverer than 'Bitch Slap'. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They'd been forced to perfect the move against Absol. Turns out a Pokemon with a trainer was exponentially stronger than a wild Pokemon, as proven to them by Absol and Arezu./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Absol, who they before could beat (albeit with some difficulty), now thrashed her Pokemon nine times out of ten. Absol was old, experienced, and willing to work with Arezu which was a perfect storm to make a sparring partner they couldn't beat. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She only set one of her Pokemon up against the Absol at a time, she needed one battle ready Pokemon in the field, so now while Vaporeon was recovering from their latest foiled attempt to beat Arezu, she had Quilava curled up in her lap while she sat astride Lord Wyrdeer. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Warden Mai graciously let her (read: forced her to) bring the noble to the Mirelands 'because he was getting bored'. Undoubtedly the noble was highly intelligent, moreso than her probably, and it must be boring being marooned in one area. After making sure he was alright with trekking through mud, they set off to survey the Mirelands. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""There!" She exclaims, already nudging Quilava awake and returning him to his Pokeball as she spots her target. The gracious noble comes to a stop and she swings herself over off of the saddle and lands with a notable lack of grace on the ground, sinking immediately ankle deep into the fetid mud. Grim. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She struggles forwards and then hides behind a rock outcropping, waiting patiently for a Hippopotas to wander close enough to where she's hidden, snorting and snuffling through the marsh. She wanted to catch a male and a female for Anthe. Akari never cared for fashion at all but Anthe was very kind to her, even making her a new survey uniform for free after the first one burned and melted courtesy of the Alpha Rapidash. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her scars were very sensitive to the rough texture of her uniform though, and Anthe took up the challenge of modifying her uniform after she saw Akari wincing and shifting in her clothes, exclaiming something about 'Fashion should not come at the cost of comfort darling!' and disappearing into her workshop. Anthe reamerged two days later with a uniform that felt silky smooth against her skin. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Of course, Akari protested and said she couldn't possibly accept this for free, Anthe had suggested she do a little favor and find her a pair of Hippopotas, who were sexually dimorphic and were sure to be an inspiration to the seamstress. Akari wasn't gonna question her- she knew nothing of fashion or making clothes, and she did owe Anthe. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"All of this is to say that despite being splattered in pungent mud and stinking to high heaven, she wasn't annoyed at all. This was a favour for Anthe and she'd suffer through a lot worse for that woman. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"That being said, if the little bastards could come a little closer that'd be great. She resigns herself to waiting. It's a torturous ten minutes before the little herd of Hippopotas wander close enough for her to heft a heavy ball at some of them, striking while their backs are turned. The ones not captured just stare nonchalantly, seemingly unaware of anything going on. Huh, not much survival instinct in these creatures. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"So absorbed is she in her captures that she doesn't notice anything amiss until theres an earth-shaking thundering behind her, and she whirls around and backs up with almost supernatural speed just in time to avoid the toothy maw snapping shut inches from her face. She struggles backwards in the viscous mud, hand fumbling for Quilava's pokeball. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Hateful red eyes like crucibles flash as the putrid gaping mouth cracks open again. Fuck. It's an Alpha Hippowdon, how in the hell did it manage to sneak up on her? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She's braced for pain as she can't get to Quilava's ball quick enough, and anyway Quil would be a terrible matchup against this and they'd lose, when neon fuschia light engulfs the entire hippo. Then, despite its incredible size and weight of no doubt several hundred kilos, she sees it be lifted in the air and then hang there suspended like a two tonne balloon, before being unceremoniously launched into the nearby river. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her savior stands seven feet tall, chest heaving and horns crackling with remnants of psychic energy. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her own breath stutters and her heart pounds, adrenaline pouring through her body and making her hands tremble. She gives up on trying to tame the tremors and drags herself to Lord Wyrdeer's side, slumping heavily against the noble. He doesn't mind her, even turning his body so as to better support her diminutive noble keeps glaring out at all the wild Pokemon who are now staring at them due to the commotion, but with the Alpha Hippowdon floating gracelessly downstream, there wasn't anyone up to challenge them. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"God, that was terrifying. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She breathes heavily for a moment still before gently patting Lord Wyrdeer's rump, running her hands through his dense, healthy fur. It springs back up immediately, and it smells earthy when she presses her face into it. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I'll have to give you a pamper session for this, haha." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Lord Wyrdeer rumbles deeply at that, a pleased sound. It's embarrassing to rely on the noble to keep her safe but sometimes her team isn't enough. They have a fairly limited range of who they're strong against, Quil and Vee that is. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I need another team member, it's not safe. Plus it's not fair that Rei has three Pokemon and they're all so cute! I want something as adorable as his Buneary…" She laments, not too serious, but Lord Wyrdeer's ears perk up, and she feels the psychic tendrils touch against her mind, flashing a series of images:/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A clearing in a wooded cedar forest with monkey grass and pale blue myrtle and ground pine growing among the dry rocky headland and rich dark soil peppered with glossy green leaves, and then more impressions- a calf, with all the paternal fondness a noble could have for them, and then a grown, ferocious bull with daunting antlers and a feeling of pride and admiration./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She mulls over what he's trying to say. He doesn't literally mean she should find a Stantler fawn as her team member (she doesn't think there's a Stantler herd in the Mirelands anyway) but rather more it was representative. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Are you saying that in this place i'll find a Pokemon that's cute and then grows up to be super strong!?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She can feel her excitement rising, doubly so when Lord Wyrdeer shrugs his massive head in a so-so gesture. So she mostly understood his message correctly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's go then!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her earlier fear forgotten, she levers herself up and over onto the saddle, to the feeling of fond exasperation from the noble. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"God forbid she be excited about having a strong and also cute Pokemon. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She chatters and stares while the noble makes his way through the Mirelands, seeing a solitary bird swoop above and lazy Croagunk complain in shallow pools. They trot through the Mirelands, up the undulating hills that slowly grow more populated with trees. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"There's bird-chatter above and the low hum of insects all round, and Lord Wyrdeer pauses seemingly arbitrarily beside an ancient towering cedar. The clearing must be up ahead, which is why he paused. Not a stealthy creature, Lord Wyrdeer is. She dismounts before asking;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You're saying this Pokemon is up ahead?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He snorts and nods before he curls all seven feet of height up into a tight ball, settling a crowned lofty head on a bed of soft creeping juniper. Alright. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Quil is eager to be at her side again, though he quietens once she explains the situation, adorably eager to be stealthy as they crunch leaves and twigs underneath their feet. Before they break through a line of trees she can already feel a presence ahead of them- there is a low hum like tv static all around, growing only louder as they tread onward. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They pause neatly hidden in a copse of trees, and she sees a specter of death, four feet tall and humming with malice. An Alpha Vespiquen. Around her the bumbling, fat fuzzy bodies of the Combee bump into each other, twirling and spiraling like drunken dancers. Her eyes light up with excitement, and she turns to Quilava and says in hushed conspiratory whispers;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, when her back is turned we get a surprise round, so hit her with a Flame Charge, okay? She's probably going to be faster than us, so you'll want those speed boosts." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Quilava nods, the plan settling in his mind. His haunches tense and he settles in for the moment to strike. This is incredible- the Combee must be what Lord Wyrdeer meant with the small, cute Pokemon and the Vespiquen the powerful evolution. She supposes she could try and catch a female Combee, but how cool would it be to have an Alpha Vespiquen from the get-go?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The alpha turns her back fully to them and she signals for Quilava to attack. There's a burst of light in the low twilight of the trees as his body blurs and he ricochets forward like a derailed train and slams with pinpoint accuracy into the Vespiquen. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"All the Combee in the clearing startle and scatter, while the Vespiquen screeches an unearthly chorus. They don't let the noise or chaos deter them, Quilava's body already swaying side to side as the residual energy of that attack settles and speeds him up./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Again!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"And faithfully, Quilava's little body blurs and heats, slamming into the dazed and surprised queen with prejudice, then landing a few feet away from her. Before she can get out another command, the Vespiquen trills, and the clearing floods with an artificial sweetness. An aggregation pheromone, calling all the fleeing Combee to the clearing and they immediately set sights on Quilava, hurling themselves bodily at him. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Protect." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A shimmery translucent shield materializes and the attacking Combee bounce off it painfully, but a few sneak around and batter Quilava from the side, despite him flaring his flames to deter them. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"So that is what Attack Order looks like in real life. /p
p class="MsoNormal"br /"Ignore them! Barrel through it with Flame Wheel!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The shield is dropped and the Vespiquen looks to be readying an attack herself, but Quilava is now twice speed-boosted and skims an attack against her that singes her long pinchers and wings. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Unfortunately as soon as Quilava lands she is there- driving her stinger into his unprotected back before retreating. He snarls and shakes himself off, but she sees the oozing purple wound he bears and…. Yep, he's poisoned. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"God damnit. They need to end this soon. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Confusion!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"His eyes narrow with psychic energy, and the Vespiquen who's arms had been glowing with green jewel-like energy suddenly falters, before lashing out and hitting two of her own Combee's with the attack. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Vespiquen looked rough. If she wanted to capture it she would need to… ah. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Will-O-Wisp!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Quil spits out a globule of purple spittle, but then materializes two balls of fire which spiral and circle each other enticingly, before making contact with the Vespiquen and leaving a nasty char behind at the site of impact. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She's got a featherball in hand, ready to fly when-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A sickeningly spicy-sweet smell fills the clearing and the singed, weary Combee fly up and form a wall in front of the Vespiquen who turns her back to them and flies into the thicket of woods./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Flame wheel, scatter them!" She calls as she herself rushes into the clearing, ducking around the Combee who were not expecting her and launching the featherball directly at the head of the alpha, where it hits and envelops the Pokemon in a bright light before snapping shut./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The ball stays suspended in the air, shakes once. Twice. Drops to the ground with the Vespiquen securely inside. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Combee had turned to look at her and are thus completely blindsided when Quilava slams into them, and they, without guidance from their queen, scatter and rush into the safety of the trees. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""We did it, Quil!" She exclaims, already digging in her bag for a pecha berry. Upon finding one she gently coaxes Quilava into eating it and pockets the ball containing the alpha. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She stokes Quilava's head, scratching under his chin like she knows he loves as they both bask in their victory today. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Unfortunately their celebrations are interrupted by a loud churring, croaking noise. They both turn to look at it and Akari honestly cannot tell what she's looking at. It's what looks like a very big garlic or head of a mushroom came to life; covered in lichen or mold or something, with tiny clawed feet and no arms. A face consisting of nothing more than a frog-like mouth and two beady eyes, this was truly one of the most bizarre creatures she's ever seen. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It makes its way towards them, but as she senses no ill intent and she's infinitely intrigued by this strange creature, they allow it to approach uncontested. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It toddles its way over and stares up at Quilava who is nestled in her arms with big wet eyes, croaking out some excited sounds and she gets the psychic impression of awe-admiration-inspired. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Haha Quil it looks like you've got a little fan! Did you see our battle?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The little garlic creature now turns to her and babbles incoherently, but seemingly affirmatively. It stumbles forward and nuzzles into her pack, which she had laying on the ground. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey hey don't touch that!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Does it want a treat?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It lets her pick it up gently, seemingly forgetting the pack and clambering into her arms, wiggling with excitement and nudging Quilava with those same awe-filled eyes. Quilava stares at her with absolute confusion, unsure what to do with this overly friendly garlic. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It was a fairly large creature, fat and rotund, and she feels it drool on the sleeve of her uniform as it wiggles gracelessly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What do you want?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It struggles in her arms till she's forced to drop it, and when it turns to face her she's greeted with a torrent of incoherent croaking guttural sounds and a psychic image of their own battle, seen much lower to the ground and mostly just vague impressions, but there's feelings there- fear-terror at the Vespiquen and awe-adoration at seeing them defeat her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh! You just wanted to thank us for getting rid of the alpha?" she chuckles, rising to her feet and brushing off her uniform while Quilava takes the chance to escape, pressing his snout into his Pokeball and returning. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She begins to walk away but has to pauses when she hears a disgusting snuffling snorting sound behind her, and sees the little bulb creature following her. It sounds like a pug. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Why are you following me? I don't have treats for you." It's true, all she had were medicinal berries and concoctions. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She continues walking, intent on making it to Lord Wyrdeer when the little thing gives a keening cry as though it were in pain and she turns back to it, thoroughly confused now. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She crouches down in front of it and spreads her hands. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What do you want, little guy?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It stumbles forward and bumps against where she has Vaporeon's and Quilava's Pokeballs hanging from her belt. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Those are Pokeballs, they house my team." She explains, knowing that wild Pokemon of this era have no idea what Pokeballs are for the most part./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It gurgles happily at this, moving to gnaw on her hand when it comes within range of its mouth. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Wait…./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Do… do you want to join my team?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Pokemon cries out happily at this, jumping as much as its fat little body will allow. Oh my god, of all the Pokemon to want to willingly join her team it has to be this rotund little idiot. It doesn't seem to have any battle prospects either. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Now is around the time she regrets promising to take in every Pokemon that would be willing to have her as a trainer. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She doesn't go back on her promises though, not even in the face of a gummy drooling mouth and a body of indeterminate matter and the ambulatory skills of a child's first clay figurine. How did this thing even survive out in the wild? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"All this goes through her head as she takes a deep breath and digs out a normal Pokeball she had carved ages ago. She holds it out for the Pokemon and only releases her breath once it presses into the ball, disappeared and rattles the Pokeball once. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Uh…. welcome to the team, whatever the hell you are, I guess. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She walks back to Lord Wyrdeer in a daze, and he uncurls with a grace that really shouldn't be possible for a creature his size, and stretches, coming to his feet. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Did you…did you mean this creature when you said I'd find a cute Pokemon in this parts?" She asks, presenting the happily drooling garlic thing to him. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He snorts and tosses his head as if to say 'I never said it was going to be cute.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"That smug fucker. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"_/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Turns out the garlic creature was called a 'Shroomish' which… confused her. She emknew /emwhat Shroomish were, but they looked so radically different in real life than they did in the game. The Shroomish in the game were adorable little balls of… emsomething… /emwith cute little frowny faces. This deformed head of lettuce currently drooling in her lap was emnot /emthe same Shroomish she saw in the game. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She's sitting on an uprooted tree trunk, half sunk in the swampy mud, jotting down some notes about the sentient mushroom in her lap that was now her third team member. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Alpha Vespiquen, while not hostile, was blatantly uninterested in joining her team, and expressed that she would not follow Akari's orders in battle…. Which wasn't ideal to say the least. So she released the queen bee after she patiently sat to be recorded in the PokeDex, and had to contend with the fact that this Shroomish was her third team member./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her two other Pokemon were bewildered by Shroomish, Vaporeon received similar hero-worship once Shroomish saw her battle. Neither knew really what to make of Shroomish, much like Akari. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Turns out the reason he could survive in the wild despite seemingly no battle capabilities was his incredibly potent poison, among other spores. For defense the little Shroomish could secrete a cloud of spore that could cause nearly any side-effect, from plain poisoning to paralysis to sleep. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"This she could work with. Despite not having much maneuverability for battling, Shroomish could take down enemies triple his size if they worked on it. She'd been writing up training plans and schedules for him. Anything to make him slightly less pathetic in battle. Shroomish were ambush predators and were in no way optimized for frontal combat, which left their first battle attempt against a baby Shinx frankly quite embarrassing. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It's impossible to believe or even imagine that this thing could turn into a Breloom at some point, so she tried not to acknowledge it lest her brain start hurting. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The fat little chicken in her lap snorts loudly in his sleep, snuggling closer against Akari. Despite his complete incompetence in battle he threw himself into training and battling with a fervor and gusto she had yet to see from either of her other two Pokemon. Akari couldn't help but be endeared by Shroomish, despite his whole… everything. He truly emwanted /emto be a battler of Vaporeon or Quilava's caliber, and she'd be a terrible trainer if she didn't help him achieve that dream of his./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Wake up Shroomie…" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She pats his side roughly, enjoying the dull thudding sound immensely. It helped that Shroomish seemed to not mind Akari slapping him like a bongo, just to hear the sound shudder through his dense little body. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"His awakening is everything but elegant, but once he sees Akari he lights up. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay so I thought we could work on increasing the distance of your spores first, before we attempt to modify or change anything about them, and of course it'd be good if we could somehow increase the fire rate of your Bullet Seeds- I don't think you're up for close range fighting just yet.." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She muses aloud to her captive audience. He wiggles in her hand, and looks out across the terrain, particularly at the Croagunk. Oh he wanted to fight one? Hm well he did have poison heal as his ability…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Their tranquility is interrupted by a shout, the words lost to the wind. She turns to look and sees Rei struggling across the wetland. What in the world could he want? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Akari! Hi! I just came from talking to the grandma from Pearl clan and then that merchant,Volo, and we need to go get a wall fragment!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emWhat? /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He has his newest capture, Togepi, clutched in his hands unceremoniously, and is trampling through the thistles and puddles without truly paying attention to where he's going. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Some bandits, the Miss Fortune Sisters, apparently, had stolen an ancient wall carving from some ruins and we need to get them back so grandma will like us!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emWhat in the goddamn? /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He closes the distance just as Togepi bit his hand viciously, causing him to drop her. The unrepentant Togepi then waddled as fast as her stubby little legs would allow her, and Akari let Shroomish go lest he also wiggle out of her hold. Togepi and Shroomish had become fast friends, perhaps bonding over their similarly unwieldy rotund shape. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ow! How can she bite so hard without any teeth?" Rei laments, grabbing his injured hand. It really is a shame all his Pokemon are so sassy, they're all so cute. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Never mind that, who were you talking to? The grandma from Pearl Clan?" She couldn't recall anyone like that…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes! Warden Calaba, remember?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Warden Calaba… he couldn't mean that irritable grumpy old woman who told Akari to leave her alone? Why would she be asking for Rei's help?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Did she ask you to retrieve this wall fragment?" She asks, incredulously. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, no. She just told me it was missing, but then Volo said that it was taken by the Miss Fortune Sisters who are a bandit gang! They robbed him too, and he's really interested in ruins so he told me to go get the wall fragment back!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It takes her a second to untangle his words and make meaning of them. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"What… what does any of this have to do with her? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What does any of this have to do with me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Rei pouts so hard it's a wonder his face doesn't freeze like that. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You have to come with me of course!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He doesn't explain why she has to go with him, just staring demandingly. Fucking… sure, lets go hunt down some bandits for a warden who hates them. It's probably better if Rei doesn't go hunting down bandits on his own. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The second she showed a sign of letting up Rei let out a cheer, already babbling on about how there was a suspicious campfire Volo told him about. She listens absentmindedly, picking up Shroomish all while staying out of finger biting range of Togepi. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Rei annoys her, but doesn't emannoy annoy /emher, in fact she's fairly sure this is what having a brother would be like so she doesn't begrudge him when he rambles and blunders around in conversations- doesn't shove him off when he presses into her space like an overexcited puppy. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Together they trek to where Rei claims the campsite is, Shroomish in her hand and Togepi returned to her ball after she got too rowdy. They venture near to the Galaxy Team campsite, turning to walk up the river. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"True enough, there is the remains of a burnt out campfire, a smokey tang lingering in the air still. Whoever was here left not too long ago; if this really was the bandit's hideout then they can't be too far off…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She swivels around and almost instinctively chucks Shroomish at the three figures who appeared out of nowhere from behind them, which probably wouldn't have gone over well. She's prepared to see grizzled, dangerous bandits and is therefore stumped when the three people facing here are just… they're just girls. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They look to be her age, or slightly older. Sure, they're more ragged, perhaps intentionally ripping and scuffing up their clothes but they aren't the knife wielding, scarred up individuals she was expecting. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Can't underestimate them though. With Pokemon anybody could be a sizable threat even if physically unintimidating. The shortest one with two tight pigtails speaks first. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Why you snooping round here for, Galaxy Team? You're hunting us down hahhh? Bet you follow every order the big man gives you like the obedient little dogs you are!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her voice is grating, a drawl punctuating every sentence. So- she seems to have something personally against Galaxy Team, which doesn't bode well for her and Rei. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You are probably looking for the wall fragment. Arceus knows that batty old woman was obsessed with it, I can't see why though, it's worthless." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The one on the right speaks now, her accent radically different from the black haired girl who spoke before. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Sisters, let's introduce ourselves first before beating these fools into the ground. I am Charm, the eldest sister. You'll do good to remember my name." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The gray haired woman does look to be the oldest, and she introduces yet another distinct accent into the mix. Also, is that a Construction Corp's Uniform she's wearing? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her and Rei haven't said a word since the verbal steamrolling of these three began. The girl with pigtails then strikes a pose, claiming; /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I am Clover, the middle sister and your worst nightmare!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Isn't that a tad dramatic? She straightens back up and it's only then she notices that all three of them have Pokeballs hanging from their belt- moreover all three have the same rope securing the ball as she's seen on Captain Zisu, and the other guards. What does that mean?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I am Coin, the youngest but the deadliest." The remaining one states. What an introduction. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""We don't need your names to smash you into the dirt, Galaxy Team scum! Coin, take the girl and I'll deal with this fool." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Oh shit they're getting right into it, as the two girls respectively each approach her and Rei, and she's faced with the blue haired one, Coin, was it?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" Her opponent reaches for a Pokeball before she has time to gather her wits and Shroomish jumps down on the ground before her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ha! You're going to fight me with that pathetic ugly lump? It doesn't even look like a Pokemon! Toxicroak, let's douse them!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"That's not great. Truthfully Shroomish is not the best option for this- she hesitated even facing a Croagunk with him let alone a Toxicroak. However, she was not going to let anybody insult her Shroomish. He may be a fat drooling idiot but he was emher /emfat drooling idiot. They'd fucking show her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Stun Spore!" She calls out, and Shroomish happily spits out a potent puff of electric yellow powder before the other girl is even finished talking, Akari pulls her scarf around her mouth but the powder ends up hitting the Toxicroak fully in the face, and the frogs eyes screw shut in pain as the dust ends up in its eyes and the bandit recoils too instinctively. Good. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The fun thing about actually living in the Pokemon universe is that many of the game rules simply didn't apply here, such as only one status being applicable to a Pokemon at a time. It made battling a lot more versatile. With this in mind:/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Flare Spore!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A noxious cloud of vermillion red powder is released and settles on the Toxicroak's scaly skin, immediately fizzling and burning where it made contact. This does unfortunately startle the other trainer into action before they can get in another status. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Enough of that! Taunt!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Oh that's not great. "Don't fall for it!" She yells in vain, but the arrogant, mocking jeers of the Toxicroak infuriate even her- Shroomish has no chance. Their attacking moves aren't great against a Toxicroak, but they will have to make it work. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Bullet Seed!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The noise of the globs of hard shelled plant matter hitting the Toxicroak with an intensity like a machine gun was kinda horrifying. Despite this the Toxicroak waged through them, one arm up to shield its still watering eyes and the need for close range combat became immediately apparent as its trainer yelled out-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Sucker Punch."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Immediately the fist of the foe Pokemon is enveloped in dark, potent energy. Shroomish finishes a final bout of his attack as the fist smashes into him, sending the little bulb flying. He tumbles in the air, and impacts the wet ground with a dull thud. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Again!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fuck. Taunt into Sucker Punch was evil. They had no way to counter it. Unless.. Shroomish had learnt Quick Attack from Vaporeon at some point. Maybe…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Shroomish, Quick Attack away from them!" Just in time too, Shroomish's little body emblurs /emas he all but launches himself to the side just as Toxicroaks fist smashes into the dirt where he was lying. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She gets a look at her Pokemon and its not great. He looks incredibly worn out and there's still remnants of dark type energy where the hit connected. All that from one attack?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They don't have time to do anything before the Toxicroak's powerful hind muscles are bunching up and he's springing forward and its fist is coated in noxious purple energy, and yet again it slams its fist into Shroomish and sending the little Pokemon flying towards Akari. He skids to a stop in front of Akari and doesn't move afterwards. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""HAH! Take that Galaxy Team scum!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fuck. Her rage boils over. She didn't accept Shroomish into her party, train and nurture his fighting spirit just to be taken out by a fucking emgimmick /emof all things. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Get. Up. Shroomish. You have got to win this." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The little shroom hears her and struggles upright, looking into her eyes with watery, scrunched up eyes of his own. She sees the fire ignite in his eyes. Finally. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Taunt should have worn off by now. The other trainer was too busy crowing her victory, so;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Spore!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Arrogance cometh before the fall, and all that. The enemy trainer Pokemon pair don't expect their retaliation and are thus hit full force with a cloud of misty, fog-like spores that immediately make the Toxicroak's eyes grow heavy. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"With three conditions stacked up the Toxicroak is looking very messed up, despite being hit only once by an attacking move. The paralysis makes its chest rise and fall very harshly, the burns have eaten away at more of the skin and now the whole Pokemon slumps over, deeply asleep. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""No! Toxicroak get up!" Coin echoes Akari's statement unknowingly, though to much lesser effect. The Toxicroak stays down and Akari grins slyly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Giga drain" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Shroomish glows sickly pale green and a shroud of similar green is lifted from the Toxicroak like swarm of insects taking off and is then siphoned into Shroomish, who looks invigorated from it. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Coin is staring haplessly, unsure as to what to do. "Again!" Akari yells, and the procedure repeats except this time the Toxicroak dissolves into bright light and automatically recalls itself into its Pokeball. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""YES! SHROOMIE WE DID IT!" Akari crows delighted, already rushing forward and scooping up the Pokemon into her arms. Who dares call her Pokemon useless? She feels bad for doubting him. He wasn't what she was looking for in a party member, she thought he was weak at battling but no! He just needed to play to his strengths. God she loves this fat little idiot. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Shroomish for his part just drools happily into her hands, and Coin looks on at this baffling scene aghast. She turns her back, shrugging and looking up at the sky despairingly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, that'll teach me not to underestimate you. Still better than being a Galaxy Team grunt." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Akari comes down from her euphoria at winning the battle to see her opponent retreat to the safety of her oldest sister's side, who had been watching them with a critical eye. Then all three turn in sync to see Rei and Clover's battle wrapping up. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"His Buneary looks to have taken a few hits, her whiskers frozen and the ground around them layered with shards of ice, but the Abomasnow looked worse for wear. As she sees the little bunny jettison her entire body at the Abomasnow with what looks to be a fighting type move, she can see why. In fact it's this final fighting type attack that brings the massive Pokemon down, in a sort of David and Goliath situation, with a thunderous crash. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"As the other bandit recalls her Pokemon furiously, Charm speaks. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""The wall fragment is not worth this squabble. Take it, but tell me why you two sought it with such fervor?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her voice is melodious, and speaks with a graceful cadence, as she hands over what Akari assumes to be the wall fragment to Rei, who then beats her to answering. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""To help Warden Calaba." Well, maybe for him. She wasn't too eager to help that old bat. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Charm seems to read the hesitation on her face. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Really now? Galaxy Team will jump the second the Clans tell them to, those spineless cowards. Surviving everyday is a challenge for some of us, we have no time to play nice with those religious fanatics." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She brings a hand up to her mouth and recites;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Why is it, in the days of Spring, /p
p class="MsoNormal"Beneath the soft caress of the sun,/p
p class="MsoNormal"The blossoms tremble and fall,/p
p class="MsoNormal"Spirits lashed by uncertainty?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Then, in parting says; "Your days are numbered, Galaxy Team fools." The three of them then turn tail and run./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Well. That was anticlimactic. Least they got the wall fragment back. Oh and of course-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh my goodness you did so well Shroomish! You won your first battle! You can brag about it to Quil and Vee later, can't you?" She says in an obnoxiously high tone people usually adopt when speaking to cats. She continues to babble nonsense at the empty-expression shroom in her hands until Rei clearing his throat behind her snaps her out of it. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Uh, we should probably give this back to Warden Calaba…" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Sigh, they should. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""After all, we need to quell Lord Ursaluna's frenzy!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" The question slips out of her without her permission, and her hands around Shroomish tighten subconsciously till he squeaks. Whoops./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah! That's why I had to get the wall fragment! I needed to find it so Warden Calaba would let me help calm Ursaluna." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fuck, how can he be so eager! Does he not remember what happened last time they tried to calm a noble? Her hands tremble so badly she almost drops Shroomish. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Rei, I can't- fuck I can't go through that…" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"What if she dies this time? What if Rei dies? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He seems to catch onto her distress and hurries to calm her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, it's alright. We're both so much stronger than we were back then. And now we know not to bring so many people, we'll be fine. You don't have to come if you don't want to." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"And leave him to face an enraged noble on his own? Fuck no. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Something settles under her skin. Scared or not she's not letting Rei face a noble on his own while she still breathes. She shakes her head resolutely. They need to return this piece of shit wall fragment to the Warden before she loses her courage. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""No. Let's go talk to the old witch and deal with a noble having a tantrum, it's nothing we haven't dealt with before."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Rei can tell she's being flippant to cover her anxiety, but doesn't call her out on it. He's nice like that./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They'd been forced to perfect the move against Absol. Turns out a Pokemon with a trainer was exponentially stronger than a wild Pokemon, as proven to them by Absol and Arezu./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Absol, who they before could beat (albeit with some difficulty), now thrashed her Pokemon nine times out of ten. Absol was old, experienced, and willing to work with Arezu which was a perfect storm to make a sparring partner they couldn't beat. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She only set one of her Pokemon up against the Absol at a time, she needed one battle ready Pokemon in the field, so now while Vaporeon was recovering from their latest foiled attempt to beat Arezu, she had Quilava curled up in her lap while she sat astride Lord Wyrdeer. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Warden Mai graciously let her (read: forced her to) bring the noble to the Mirelands 'because he was getting bored'. Undoubtedly the noble was highly intelligent, moreso than her probably, and it must be boring being marooned in one area. After making sure he was alright with trekking through mud, they set off to survey the Mirelands. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""There!" She exclaims, already nudging Quilava awake and returning him to his Pokeball as she spots her target. The gracious noble comes to a stop and she swings herself over off of the saddle and lands with a notable lack of grace on the ground, sinking immediately ankle deep into the fetid mud. Grim. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She struggles forwards and then hides behind a rock outcropping, waiting patiently for a Hippopotas to wander close enough to where she's hidden, snorting and snuffling through the marsh. She wanted to catch a male and a female for Anthe. Akari never cared for fashion at all but Anthe was very kind to her, even making her a new survey uniform for free after the first one burned and melted courtesy of the Alpha Rapidash. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her scars were very sensitive to the rough texture of her uniform though, and Anthe took up the challenge of modifying her uniform after she saw Akari wincing and shifting in her clothes, exclaiming something about 'Fashion should not come at the cost of comfort darling!' and disappearing into her workshop. Anthe reamerged two days later with a uniform that felt silky smooth against her skin. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Of course, Akari protested and said she couldn't possibly accept this for free, Anthe had suggested she do a little favor and find her a pair of Hippopotas, who were sexually dimorphic and were sure to be an inspiration to the seamstress. Akari wasn't gonna question her- she knew nothing of fashion or making clothes, and she did owe Anthe. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"All of this is to say that despite being splattered in pungent mud and stinking to high heaven, she wasn't annoyed at all. This was a favour for Anthe and she'd suffer through a lot worse for that woman. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"That being said, if the little bastards could come a little closer that'd be great. She resigns herself to waiting. It's a torturous ten minutes before the little herd of Hippopotas wander close enough for her to heft a heavy ball at some of them, striking while their backs are turned. The ones not captured just stare nonchalantly, seemingly unaware of anything going on. Huh, not much survival instinct in these creatures. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"So absorbed is she in her captures that she doesn't notice anything amiss until theres an earth-shaking thundering behind her, and she whirls around and backs up with almost supernatural speed just in time to avoid the toothy maw snapping shut inches from her face. She struggles backwards in the viscous mud, hand fumbling for Quilava's pokeball. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Hateful red eyes like crucibles flash as the putrid gaping mouth cracks open again. Fuck. It's an Alpha Hippowdon, how in the hell did it manage to sneak up on her? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She's braced for pain as she can't get to Quilava's ball quick enough, and anyway Quil would be a terrible matchup against this and they'd lose, when neon fuschia light engulfs the entire hippo. Then, despite its incredible size and weight of no doubt several hundred kilos, she sees it be lifted in the air and then hang there suspended like a two tonne balloon, before being unceremoniously launched into the nearby river. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her savior stands seven feet tall, chest heaving and horns crackling with remnants of psychic energy. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her own breath stutters and her heart pounds, adrenaline pouring through her body and making her hands tremble. She gives up on trying to tame the tremors and drags herself to Lord Wyrdeer's side, slumping heavily against the noble. He doesn't mind her, even turning his body so as to better support her diminutive noble keeps glaring out at all the wild Pokemon who are now staring at them due to the commotion, but with the Alpha Hippowdon floating gracelessly downstream, there wasn't anyone up to challenge them. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"God, that was terrifying. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She breathes heavily for a moment still before gently patting Lord Wyrdeer's rump, running her hands through his dense, healthy fur. It springs back up immediately, and it smells earthy when she presses her face into it. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I'll have to give you a pamper session for this, haha." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Lord Wyrdeer rumbles deeply at that, a pleased sound. It's embarrassing to rely on the noble to keep her safe but sometimes her team isn't enough. They have a fairly limited range of who they're strong against, Quil and Vee that is. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I need another team member, it's not safe. Plus it's not fair that Rei has three Pokemon and they're all so cute! I want something as adorable as his Buneary…" She laments, not too serious, but Lord Wyrdeer's ears perk up, and she feels the psychic tendrils touch against her mind, flashing a series of images:/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A clearing in a wooded cedar forest with monkey grass and pale blue myrtle and ground pine growing among the dry rocky headland and rich dark soil peppered with glossy green leaves, and then more impressions- a calf, with all the paternal fondness a noble could have for them, and then a grown, ferocious bull with daunting antlers and a feeling of pride and admiration./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She mulls over what he's trying to say. He doesn't literally mean she should find a Stantler fawn as her team member (she doesn't think there's a Stantler herd in the Mirelands anyway) but rather more it was representative. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Are you saying that in this place i'll find a Pokemon that's cute and then grows up to be super strong!?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She can feel her excitement rising, doubly so when Lord Wyrdeer shrugs his massive head in a so-so gesture. So she mostly understood his message correctly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Let's go then!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her earlier fear forgotten, she levers herself up and over onto the saddle, to the feeling of fond exasperation from the noble. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"God forbid she be excited about having a strong and also cute Pokemon. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She chatters and stares while the noble makes his way through the Mirelands, seeing a solitary bird swoop above and lazy Croagunk complain in shallow pools. They trot through the Mirelands, up the undulating hills that slowly grow more populated with trees. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"There's bird-chatter above and the low hum of insects all round, and Lord Wyrdeer pauses seemingly arbitrarily beside an ancient towering cedar. The clearing must be up ahead, which is why he paused. Not a stealthy creature, Lord Wyrdeer is. She dismounts before asking;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You're saying this Pokemon is up ahead?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He snorts and nods before he curls all seven feet of height up into a tight ball, settling a crowned lofty head on a bed of soft creeping juniper. Alright. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Quil is eager to be at her side again, though he quietens once she explains the situation, adorably eager to be stealthy as they crunch leaves and twigs underneath their feet. Before they break through a line of trees she can already feel a presence ahead of them- there is a low hum like tv static all around, growing only louder as they tread onward. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They pause neatly hidden in a copse of trees, and she sees a specter of death, four feet tall and humming with malice. An Alpha Vespiquen. Around her the bumbling, fat fuzzy bodies of the Combee bump into each other, twirling and spiraling like drunken dancers. Her eyes light up with excitement, and she turns to Quilava and says in hushed conspiratory whispers;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, when her back is turned we get a surprise round, so hit her with a Flame Charge, okay? She's probably going to be faster than us, so you'll want those speed boosts." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Quilava nods, the plan settling in his mind. His haunches tense and he settles in for the moment to strike. This is incredible- the Combee must be what Lord Wyrdeer meant with the small, cute Pokemon and the Vespiquen the powerful evolution. She supposes she could try and catch a female Combee, but how cool would it be to have an Alpha Vespiquen from the get-go?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The alpha turns her back fully to them and she signals for Quilava to attack. There's a burst of light in the low twilight of the trees as his body blurs and he ricochets forward like a derailed train and slams with pinpoint accuracy into the Vespiquen. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"All the Combee in the clearing startle and scatter, while the Vespiquen screeches an unearthly chorus. They don't let the noise or chaos deter them, Quilava's body already swaying side to side as the residual energy of that attack settles and speeds him up./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Again!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"And faithfully, Quilava's little body blurs and heats, slamming into the dazed and surprised queen with prejudice, then landing a few feet away from her. Before she can get out another command, the Vespiquen trills, and the clearing floods with an artificial sweetness. An aggregation pheromone, calling all the fleeing Combee to the clearing and they immediately set sights on Quilava, hurling themselves bodily at him. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Protect." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A shimmery translucent shield materializes and the attacking Combee bounce off it painfully, but a few sneak around and batter Quilava from the side, despite him flaring his flames to deter them. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"So that is what Attack Order looks like in real life. /p
p class="MsoNormal"br /"Ignore them! Barrel through it with Flame Wheel!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The shield is dropped and the Vespiquen looks to be readying an attack herself, but Quilava is now twice speed-boosted and skims an attack against her that singes her long pinchers and wings. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Unfortunately as soon as Quilava lands she is there- driving her stinger into his unprotected back before retreating. He snarls and shakes himself off, but she sees the oozing purple wound he bears and…. Yep, he's poisoned. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"God damnit. They need to end this soon. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Confusion!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"His eyes narrow with psychic energy, and the Vespiquen who's arms had been glowing with green jewel-like energy suddenly falters, before lashing out and hitting two of her own Combee's with the attack. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Vespiquen looked rough. If she wanted to capture it she would need to… ah. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Will-O-Wisp!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Quil spits out a globule of purple spittle, but then materializes two balls of fire which spiral and circle each other enticingly, before making contact with the Vespiquen and leaving a nasty char behind at the site of impact. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She's got a featherball in hand, ready to fly when-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A sickeningly spicy-sweet smell fills the clearing and the singed, weary Combee fly up and form a wall in front of the Vespiquen who turns her back to them and flies into the thicket of woods./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Flame wheel, scatter them!" She calls as she herself rushes into the clearing, ducking around the Combee who were not expecting her and launching the featherball directly at the head of the alpha, where it hits and envelops the Pokemon in a bright light before snapping shut./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The ball stays suspended in the air, shakes once. Twice. Drops to the ground with the Vespiquen securely inside. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Combee had turned to look at her and are thus completely blindsided when Quilava slams into them, and they, without guidance from their queen, scatter and rush into the safety of the trees. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""We did it, Quil!" She exclaims, already digging in her bag for a pecha berry. Upon finding one she gently coaxes Quilava into eating it and pockets the ball containing the alpha. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She stokes Quilava's head, scratching under his chin like she knows he loves as they both bask in their victory today. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Unfortunately their celebrations are interrupted by a loud churring, croaking noise. They both turn to look at it and Akari honestly cannot tell what she's looking at. It's what looks like a very big garlic or head of a mushroom came to life; covered in lichen or mold or something, with tiny clawed feet and no arms. A face consisting of nothing more than a frog-like mouth and two beady eyes, this was truly one of the most bizarre creatures she's ever seen. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It makes its way towards them, but as she senses no ill intent and she's infinitely intrigued by this strange creature, they allow it to approach uncontested. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It toddles its way over and stares up at Quilava who is nestled in her arms with big wet eyes, croaking out some excited sounds and she gets the psychic impression of awe-admiration-inspired. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Haha Quil it looks like you've got a little fan! Did you see our battle?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The little garlic creature now turns to her and babbles incoherently, but seemingly affirmatively. It stumbles forward and nuzzles into her pack, which she had laying on the ground. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey hey don't touch that!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Does it want a treat?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It lets her pick it up gently, seemingly forgetting the pack and clambering into her arms, wiggling with excitement and nudging Quilava with those same awe-filled eyes. Quilava stares at her with absolute confusion, unsure what to do with this overly friendly garlic. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It was a fairly large creature, fat and rotund, and she feels it drool on the sleeve of her uniform as it wiggles gracelessly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What do you want?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It struggles in her arms till she's forced to drop it, and when it turns to face her she's greeted with a torrent of incoherent croaking guttural sounds and a psychic image of their own battle, seen much lower to the ground and mostly just vague impressions, but there's feelings there- fear-terror at the Vespiquen and awe-adoration at seeing them defeat her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh! You just wanted to thank us for getting rid of the alpha?" she chuckles, rising to her feet and brushing off her uniform while Quilava takes the chance to escape, pressing his snout into his Pokeball and returning. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She begins to walk away but has to pauses when she hears a disgusting snuffling snorting sound behind her, and sees the little bulb creature following her. It sounds like a pug. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Why are you following me? I don't have treats for you." It's true, all she had were medicinal berries and concoctions. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She continues walking, intent on making it to Lord Wyrdeer when the little thing gives a keening cry as though it were in pain and she turns back to it, thoroughly confused now. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She crouches down in front of it and spreads her hands. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What do you want, little guy?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It stumbles forward and bumps against where she has Vaporeon's and Quilava's Pokeballs hanging from her belt. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Those are Pokeballs, they house my team." She explains, knowing that wild Pokemon of this era have no idea what Pokeballs are for the most part./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It gurgles happily at this, moving to gnaw on her hand when it comes within range of its mouth. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Wait…./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Do… do you want to join my team?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Pokemon cries out happily at this, jumping as much as its fat little body will allow. Oh my god, of all the Pokemon to want to willingly join her team it has to be this rotund little idiot. It doesn't seem to have any battle prospects either. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Now is around the time she regrets promising to take in every Pokemon that would be willing to have her as a trainer. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She doesn't go back on her promises though, not even in the face of a gummy drooling mouth and a body of indeterminate matter and the ambulatory skills of a child's first clay figurine. How did this thing even survive out in the wild? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"All this goes through her head as she takes a deep breath and digs out a normal Pokeball she had carved ages ago. She holds it out for the Pokemon and only releases her breath once it presses into the ball, disappeared and rattles the Pokeball once. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Uh…. welcome to the team, whatever the hell you are, I guess. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She walks back to Lord Wyrdeer in a daze, and he uncurls with a grace that really shouldn't be possible for a creature his size, and stretches, coming to his feet. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Did you…did you mean this creature when you said I'd find a cute Pokemon in this parts?" She asks, presenting the happily drooling garlic thing to him. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He snorts and tosses his head as if to say 'I never said it was going to be cute.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"That smug fucker. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"_/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Turns out the garlic creature was called a 'Shroomish' which… confused her. She emknew /emwhat Shroomish were, but they looked so radically different in real life than they did in the game. The Shroomish in the game were adorable little balls of… emsomething… /emwith cute little frowny faces. This deformed head of lettuce currently drooling in her lap was emnot /emthe same Shroomish she saw in the game. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She's sitting on an uprooted tree trunk, half sunk in the swampy mud, jotting down some notes about the sentient mushroom in her lap that was now her third team member. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The Alpha Vespiquen, while not hostile, was blatantly uninterested in joining her team, and expressed that she would not follow Akari's orders in battle…. Which wasn't ideal to say the least. So she released the queen bee after she patiently sat to be recorded in the PokeDex, and had to contend with the fact that this Shroomish was her third team member./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her two other Pokemon were bewildered by Shroomish, Vaporeon received similar hero-worship once Shroomish saw her battle. Neither knew really what to make of Shroomish, much like Akari. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Turns out the reason he could survive in the wild despite seemingly no battle capabilities was his incredibly potent poison, among other spores. For defense the little Shroomish could secrete a cloud of spore that could cause nearly any side-effect, from plain poisoning to paralysis to sleep. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"This she could work with. Despite not having much maneuverability for battling, Shroomish could take down enemies triple his size if they worked on it. She'd been writing up training plans and schedules for him. Anything to make him slightly less pathetic in battle. Shroomish were ambush predators and were in no way optimized for frontal combat, which left their first battle attempt against a baby Shinx frankly quite embarrassing. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It's impossible to believe or even imagine that this thing could turn into a Breloom at some point, so she tried not to acknowledge it lest her brain start hurting. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The fat little chicken in her lap snorts loudly in his sleep, snuggling closer against Akari. Despite his complete incompetence in battle he threw himself into training and battling with a fervor and gusto she had yet to see from either of her other two Pokemon. Akari couldn't help but be endeared by Shroomish, despite his whole… everything. He truly emwanted /emto be a battler of Vaporeon or Quilava's caliber, and she'd be a terrible trainer if she didn't help him achieve that dream of his./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Wake up Shroomie…" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She pats his side roughly, enjoying the dull thudding sound immensely. It helped that Shroomish seemed to not mind Akari slapping him like a bongo, just to hear the sound shudder through his dense little body. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"His awakening is everything but elegant, but once he sees Akari he lights up. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay so I thought we could work on increasing the distance of your spores first, before we attempt to modify or change anything about them, and of course it'd be good if we could somehow increase the fire rate of your Bullet Seeds- I don't think you're up for close range fighting just yet.." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She muses aloud to her captive audience. He wiggles in her hand, and looks out across the terrain, particularly at the Croagunk. Oh he wanted to fight one? Hm well he did have poison heal as his ability…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Their tranquility is interrupted by a shout, the words lost to the wind. She turns to look and sees Rei struggling across the wetland. What in the world could he want? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Akari! Hi! I just came from talking to the grandma from Pearl clan and then that merchant,Volo, and we need to go get a wall fragment!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emWhat? /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He has his newest capture, Togepi, clutched in his hands unceremoniously, and is trampling through the thistles and puddles without truly paying attention to where he's going. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Some bandits, the Miss Fortune Sisters, apparently, had stolen an ancient wall carving from some ruins and we need to get them back so grandma will like us!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"emWhat in the goddamn? /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He closes the distance just as Togepi bit his hand viciously, causing him to drop her. The unrepentant Togepi then waddled as fast as her stubby little legs would allow her, and Akari let Shroomish go lest he also wiggle out of her hold. Togepi and Shroomish had become fast friends, perhaps bonding over their similarly unwieldy rotund shape. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ow! How can she bite so hard without any teeth?" Rei laments, grabbing his injured hand. It really is a shame all his Pokemon are so sassy, they're all so cute. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Never mind that, who were you talking to? The grandma from Pearl Clan?" She couldn't recall anyone like that…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes! Warden Calaba, remember?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Warden Calaba… he couldn't mean that irritable grumpy old woman who told Akari to leave her alone? Why would she be asking for Rei's help?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Did she ask you to retrieve this wall fragment?" She asks, incredulously. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, no. She just told me it was missing, but then Volo said that it was taken by the Miss Fortune Sisters who are a bandit gang! They robbed him too, and he's really interested in ruins so he told me to go get the wall fragment back!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"It takes her a second to untangle his words and make meaning of them. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"What… what does any of this have to do with her? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What does any of this have to do with me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Rei pouts so hard it's a wonder his face doesn't freeze like that. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You have to come with me of course!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He doesn't explain why she has to go with him, just staring demandingly. Fucking… sure, lets go hunt down some bandits for a warden who hates them. It's probably better if Rei doesn't go hunting down bandits on his own. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The second she showed a sign of letting up Rei let out a cheer, already babbling on about how there was a suspicious campfire Volo told him about. She listens absentmindedly, picking up Shroomish all while staying out of finger biting range of Togepi. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Rei annoys her, but doesn't emannoy annoy /emher, in fact she's fairly sure this is what having a brother would be like so she doesn't begrudge him when he rambles and blunders around in conversations- doesn't shove him off when he presses into her space like an overexcited puppy. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Together they trek to where Rei claims the campsite is, Shroomish in her hand and Togepi returned to her ball after she got too rowdy. They venture near to the Galaxy Team campsite, turning to walk up the river. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"True enough, there is the remains of a burnt out campfire, a smokey tang lingering in the air still. Whoever was here left not too long ago; if this really was the bandit's hideout then they can't be too far off…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She swivels around and almost instinctively chucks Shroomish at the three figures who appeared out of nowhere from behind them, which probably wouldn't have gone over well. She's prepared to see grizzled, dangerous bandits and is therefore stumped when the three people facing here are just… they're just girls. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They look to be her age, or slightly older. Sure, they're more ragged, perhaps intentionally ripping and scuffing up their clothes but they aren't the knife wielding, scarred up individuals she was expecting. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Can't underestimate them though. With Pokemon anybody could be a sizable threat even if physically unintimidating. The shortest one with two tight pigtails speaks first. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Why you snooping round here for, Galaxy Team? You're hunting us down hahhh? Bet you follow every order the big man gives you like the obedient little dogs you are!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her voice is grating, a drawl punctuating every sentence. So- she seems to have something personally against Galaxy Team, which doesn't bode well for her and Rei. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""You are probably looking for the wall fragment. Arceus knows that batty old woman was obsessed with it, I can't see why though, it's worthless." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The one on the right speaks now, her accent radically different from the black haired girl who spoke before. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Sisters, let's introduce ourselves first before beating these fools into the ground. I am Charm, the eldest sister. You'll do good to remember my name." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The gray haired woman does look to be the oldest, and she introduces yet another distinct accent into the mix. Also, is that a Construction Corp's Uniform she's wearing? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her and Rei haven't said a word since the verbal steamrolling of these three began. The girl with pigtails then strikes a pose, claiming; /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I am Clover, the middle sister and your worst nightmare!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Isn't that a tad dramatic? She straightens back up and it's only then she notices that all three of them have Pokeballs hanging from their belt- moreover all three have the same rope securing the ball as she's seen on Captain Zisu, and the other guards. What does that mean?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I am Coin, the youngest but the deadliest." The remaining one states. What an introduction. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""We don't need your names to smash you into the dirt, Galaxy Team scum! Coin, take the girl and I'll deal with this fool." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Oh shit they're getting right into it, as the two girls respectively each approach her and Rei, and she's faced with the blue haired one, Coin, was it?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" Her opponent reaches for a Pokeball before she has time to gather her wits and Shroomish jumps down on the ground before her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ha! You're going to fight me with that pathetic ugly lump? It doesn't even look like a Pokemon! Toxicroak, let's douse them!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"That's not great. Truthfully Shroomish is not the best option for this- she hesitated even facing a Croagunk with him let alone a Toxicroak. However, she was not going to let anybody insult her Shroomish. He may be a fat drooling idiot but he was emher /emfat drooling idiot. They'd fucking show her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Stun Spore!" She calls out, and Shroomish happily spits out a potent puff of electric yellow powder before the other girl is even finished talking, Akari pulls her scarf around her mouth but the powder ends up hitting the Toxicroak fully in the face, and the frogs eyes screw shut in pain as the dust ends up in its eyes and the bandit recoils too instinctively. Good. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The fun thing about actually living in the Pokemon universe is that many of the game rules simply didn't apply here, such as only one status being applicable to a Pokemon at a time. It made battling a lot more versatile. With this in mind:/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Flare Spore!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A noxious cloud of vermillion red powder is released and settles on the Toxicroak's scaly skin, immediately fizzling and burning where it made contact. This does unfortunately startle the other trainer into action before they can get in another status. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Enough of that! Taunt!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Oh that's not great. "Don't fall for it!" She yells in vain, but the arrogant, mocking jeers of the Toxicroak infuriate even her- Shroomish has no chance. Their attacking moves aren't great against a Toxicroak, but they will have to make it work. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Bullet Seed!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The noise of the globs of hard shelled plant matter hitting the Toxicroak with an intensity like a machine gun was kinda horrifying. Despite this the Toxicroak waged through them, one arm up to shield its still watering eyes and the need for close range combat became immediately apparent as its trainer yelled out-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Sucker Punch."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Immediately the fist of the foe Pokemon is enveloped in dark, potent energy. Shroomish finishes a final bout of his attack as the fist smashes into him, sending the little bulb flying. He tumbles in the air, and impacts the wet ground with a dull thud. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Again!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fuck. Taunt into Sucker Punch was evil. They had no way to counter it. Unless.. Shroomish had learnt Quick Attack from Vaporeon at some point. Maybe…/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Shroomish, Quick Attack away from them!" Just in time too, Shroomish's little body emblurs /emas he all but launches himself to the side just as Toxicroaks fist smashes into the dirt where he was lying. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She gets a look at her Pokemon and its not great. He looks incredibly worn out and there's still remnants of dark type energy where the hit connected. All that from one attack?/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"They don't have time to do anything before the Toxicroak's powerful hind muscles are bunching up and he's springing forward and its fist is coated in noxious purple energy, and yet again it slams its fist into Shroomish and sending the little Pokemon flying towards Akari. He skids to a stop in front of Akari and doesn't move afterwards. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""HAH! Take that Galaxy Team scum!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fuck. Her rage boils over. She didn't accept Shroomish into her party, train and nurture his fighting spirit just to be taken out by a fucking emgimmick /emof all things. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Get. Up. Shroomish. You have got to win this." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"The little shroom hears her and struggles upright, looking into her eyes with watery, scrunched up eyes of his own. She sees the fire ignite in his eyes. Finally. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Taunt should have worn off by now. The other trainer was too busy crowing her victory, so;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Spore!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Arrogance cometh before the fall, and all that. The enemy trainer Pokemon pair don't expect their retaliation and are thus hit full force with a cloud of misty, fog-like spores that immediately make the Toxicroak's eyes grow heavy. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"With three conditions stacked up the Toxicroak is looking very messed up, despite being hit only once by an attacking move. The paralysis makes its chest rise and fall very harshly, the burns have eaten away at more of the skin and now the whole Pokemon slumps over, deeply asleep. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""No! Toxicroak get up!" Coin echoes Akari's statement unknowingly, though to much lesser effect. The Toxicroak stays down and Akari grins slyly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Giga drain" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Shroomish glows sickly pale green and a shroud of similar green is lifted from the Toxicroak like swarm of insects taking off and is then siphoned into Shroomish, who looks invigorated from it. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Coin is staring haplessly, unsure as to what to do. "Again!" Akari yells, and the procedure repeats except this time the Toxicroak dissolves into bright light and automatically recalls itself into its Pokeball. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""YES! SHROOMIE WE DID IT!" Akari crows delighted, already rushing forward and scooping up the Pokemon into her arms. Who dares call her Pokemon useless? She feels bad for doubting him. He wasn't what she was looking for in a party member, she thought he was weak at battling but no! He just needed to play to his strengths. God she loves this fat little idiot. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Shroomish for his part just drools happily into her hands, and Coin looks on at this baffling scene aghast. She turns her back, shrugging and looking up at the sky despairingly. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, that'll teach me not to underestimate you. Still better than being a Galaxy Team grunt." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Akari comes down from her euphoria at winning the battle to see her opponent retreat to the safety of her oldest sister's side, who had been watching them with a critical eye. Then all three turn in sync to see Rei and Clover's battle wrapping up. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"His Buneary looks to have taken a few hits, her whiskers frozen and the ground around them layered with shards of ice, but the Abomasnow looked worse for wear. As she sees the little bunny jettison her entire body at the Abomasnow with what looks to be a fighting type move, she can see why. In fact it's this final fighting type attack that brings the massive Pokemon down, in a sort of David and Goliath situation, with a thunderous crash. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"As the other bandit recalls her Pokemon furiously, Charm speaks. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""The wall fragment is not worth this squabble. Take it, but tell me why you two sought it with such fervor?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Her voice is melodious, and speaks with a graceful cadence, as she hands over what Akari assumes to be the wall fragment to Rei, who then beats her to answering. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""To help Warden Calaba." Well, maybe for him. She wasn't too eager to help that old bat. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Charm seems to read the hesitation on her face. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Really now? Galaxy Team will jump the second the Clans tell them to, those spineless cowards. Surviving everyday is a challenge for some of us, we have no time to play nice with those religious fanatics." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"She brings a hand up to her mouth and recites;/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Why is it, in the days of Spring, /p
p class="MsoNormal"Beneath the soft caress of the sun,/p
p class="MsoNormal"The blossoms tremble and fall,/p
p class="MsoNormal"Spirits lashed by uncertainty?" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Then, in parting says; "Your days are numbered, Galaxy Team fools." The three of them then turn tail and run./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Well. That was anticlimactic. Least they got the wall fragment back. Oh and of course-/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh my goodness you did so well Shroomish! You won your first battle! You can brag about it to Quil and Vee later, can't you?" She says in an obnoxiously high tone people usually adopt when speaking to cats. She continues to babble nonsense at the empty-expression shroom in her hands until Rei clearing his throat behind her snaps her out of it. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Uh, we should probably give this back to Warden Calaba…" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Sigh, they should. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""After all, we need to quell Lord Ursaluna's frenzy!" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" The question slips out of her without her permission, and her hands around Shroomish tighten subconsciously till he squeaks. Whoops./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yeah! That's why I had to get the wall fragment! I needed to find it so Warden Calaba would let me help calm Ursaluna." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Fuck, how can he be so eager! Does he not remember what happened last time they tried to calm a noble? Her hands tremble so badly she almost drops Shroomish. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Rei, I can't- fuck I can't go through that…" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"What if she dies this time? What if Rei dies? /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"He seems to catch onto her distress and hurries to calm her. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey, it's alright. We're both so much stronger than we were back then. And now we know not to bring so many people, we'll be fine. You don't have to come if you don't want to." /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"And leave him to face an enraged noble on his own? Fuck no. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Something settles under her skin. Scared or not she's not letting Rei face a noble on his own while she still breathes. She shakes her head resolutely. They need to return this piece of shit wall fragment to the Warden before she loses her courage. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""No. Let's go talk to the old witch and deal with a noble having a tantrum, it's nothing we haven't dealt with before."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"Rei can tell she's being flippant to cover her anxiety, but doesn't call her out on it. He's nice like that./p
