Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.
pokemonking0924 - Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. In the original script, I was actually going to have Wildfire to be a three-legged ponyta and Charles' makes him a prosthetic leg to run with. However, I thought it was a bit dark so I decided to change it. I don't know if there is an official biology guide to Pokemon, but I thought my idea was plausible.
It was quite emotional and, you're right, it is like that scene from Cars. Yep, the group will split up again until they meet up again at Cinnabar Island. I feel like I've been writing too many chapters based on previous TV episodes so I'm excited to do some original stories. Hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Djinn - Thanks so much, I've been eager to write about a ponyta for a while. Hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
SkullGreymonX - Indeed it was. I did base some elements of Wildfire's condition on asthma, but, as you said, I made it a bit more severe. A tag battle at Viridian City sounds like a good idea. I have to go over some older episodes to get some ideas on how to write it. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - Thanks you so much, that's really kind of you.
Sonic07 - You're quite right about the race. Charles and Wildfire are going to go through a lot of training so he can improve throughout this journey. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - Yeah, I didn't want to completely copy the episode since that's not in the spirit of this story. As far as I know, Team Rocket have been known to break the forth wall throughout the show so I included it here. Thanks for reading.
Kunoichi69 - He definitely will get the attention he desperately needs. Perhaps he'll like to complete in a few battles on their journey. The next chapter is about two nidoran and one Tangela in the Safari Zone. I hope you'll enjoy it.
PokeNarrator - It's no problem. It was nice of you to suggest them. I know it's a little late, but Happy Halloween to you too.
Guest2 - Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't think Lara's ponyta was given a name in the episode so I thought I give him a name to distinguish between him and his younger brother. It's a shame about Alice. From what I guess a racer has to stay on their own Pokemon for the duration of the race otherwise they are disqualified. But, in in terms of distance, Alice definitely would have one.
Jigglipuff is going to be interesting. At first, I thought that Charles would be immune to her Sing, because of his ability to talk to Pokemon, but then I realised that's rubbish because Pokemon are put to sleep as well. I'll think of something. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
FartNinja - Thank you so much. Conversations between multi-headed Pokemon is tricky, but worth it. I'm also glad you enjoyed some of the jokes in this chapter like the whiteboard. A good question about Alice's Pokemon handcuffs, but you'll have to keep on reading to find out. Haha. Hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - They sound great, thank you very much. I'll be sure to keep a note of them.
Guest - The crystal Onix sounds interesting, I'll be sure to include it. 15 does make sense; I'll probably change it closer to the time.
Biker - I guess you're right. However, if they come across the Bridge Biker Gang, Alice might have an opportunity to show off some skills.
Thank you for reviewing :)
Chapter 35: Romancing the Nidoran
The Safari Zone
In Eastern Kanto, far away from any human town or city, was the Safari Zone; hundreds of square miles of protected jungles, forests and wilderness that is home to many rare Pokemon. It was a peaceful area where Pokemon are free to roam and live in relative harmony. Of course, trainers were allowed to enter and capture any Pokemon they desire with thirty special yellow and green camouflage-patterned Safari Balls. However, to preserve the fragile landscape, battles are strictly forbidden and could result them being thrown out permanently.
The team along with Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu had entered the Safrai Zone the day before; costing them 500 Pokedollars each to enter. Since the two groups had different objectives (with Ash wanting to go to Cinnabar Island as quickly as possible and Charles wanting to stay in the Safari Zone a bit longer) they said their goodbyes and parted ways; promising they will meet up again sometime. After a few miles of trekking through the wilderness, the team had found a small a clearing and decided it was the best place for their base camp as there was a river nearby for water and plenty of shade just in case it rained.
It was the next morning and if a stranger were to stumble upon the camp right now, they would be greeted with the strange sight of a human/Pokemon Yoga class. Charles was standing leading the class with his hands pressed together above his head and his left foot to the side of his right knee in a Tree Pose. Flo and almost all of the Pokemon were grouped in front of him doing the same pose or something similar based on what they physically can do. They had started doing these classes ever since Charles had brought Wildfire back from the Corral; continuing his training to expand his lungs so he wouldn't fall victim to his condition again. He had picked up several books on breathing techniques in the previous town and apparently Yoga was very beneficial. The other Pokemon soon joined in as well as Flo as she thought it would make her more active in the mornings. Alice had yet to join them; preferring to write and draw in her notebook in the mornings.
"Okay, everybody breath in for 5...4...3...2...1," he calmly said as the others inhaled deeply.
Charles opened one eye when he heard a noise from the class and saw Hurricane began to fidget and squirm as he held his pose. Charles couldn't blame him as the only thing that butterfree didn't love was standing in place for any period of time, but he didn't have to join in if he didn't want to. Charles decided to ignore it and closed his eye again.
"And then breath out for 5..."
Hurricaine began to shake.
"...4..."
His wings beating faster and faster and sweat began to drip down his face.
"...3..."
("Mmmmmpppppffffff") Hurricane squeaked, keeping his mouth closed as tightly as possible.
"...2..."
"FFFFFFFFFRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Hurricane suddenly shrieked as he leapt into the air, unable to put a lid on his excitement.
The sudden cry made everybody jump in fear and Wildfire immediately collapsed on his side in shock, destroying the calm and peaceful morning they were sharing.
("Hurricane,") Miko complained as Flo tended to Wildfire, ("What was that for? You scared everybody...including Wildfire.")
("Sorry, I couldn't help it,") Hurricane said as he moved about it the air wildly, ("I didn't know Yoga involved doing nothing. I can't sit still for that long. How do you guys do it?")
Tomoe shook her head and pointed her leek up at him, ("If thee can not stayeth still for long wherefore didst thee want to joineth this gentle lesson?")
("I wanted to support Wildfire by joining,") he whined, ("And help him achieve his Fire Breathing Technique.")
("It's just 'breathing technique'. Fire Breathing Technique is something completely different,") Benny pointed out.
Charles chuckled as he reached out, caught Hurricane and gently hugged him, "That's very nice of you, Hurricane. I'm sure Wildfire really appreciates it."
("I...do,") the ponyta coughed out as he slowly recovered.
Seeing that he was alright, Charles turned to his class, "This is a good place to have a small break. Make sure you drink water and eat something before we begin," he told them. As soon he said that, the Pokemon sat down on the grassy ground or went over to their water bowls to re-hydrate themselves.
Sitting not too far away, with her back against a tree, Alice hummed to herself as she began to sketch Wildfire into her notebook with observational notes. She has sketched everybody on the team so far and highlighted some traits that either she picked up or Charles had told her. She was just shadowing the ponyta's fiery mane when suddenly the bushes to her left rustled. She looked up in astonishment and frowned in confusion.
"Huh?" she uttered as she stared at the area with a small frown.
Suddenly, the bush rustled again, making her stand to her feet and stare out into the forest. She kept an eye on the bushes, but whatever it had been that was making the noise had obviously disappeared, making the area seem eerily silent.
"Curiouser and curiouser," Alice hummed before Flo took notice of her.
"Hey Alice," she called out, catching her attention, "Is something wrong?"
"No. I think I just spotted a wild Pokemon," Alice replied as she began putting away her supplies, "I'm going to go out there and investigate," she returned all of her Pokemon, except for the growlithe, "Come on, Apollo. I need your sharp nose for this one."
("Of course, master,") Apollo happily barked in reply as he began to sniff around the area.
"Alright, but don't go too far. This place can be dangerous," Flo called to her as Alice began to follow Apollo into the forest.
"I promise I'll be back by lunch time," Alice replied over her shoulder before she and her Pokemon disappeared into the trees.
Flo watched her leave before she turned back to Charles, "Actually, I think I'm going to take off as well," she told him as she returned all of her Pokemon, except for Manitari and Alette, "Mani is going to help us find some medicinal herbs we can use. We shouldn't be too long."
Charles nodded in understanding, "Okay have fun. We're going to stay here a little longer."
"We will," Flo called out with the paras at her feet and the clairfairy perched on her shoulder, "Let's go, Mani."
("Of course, dear. This way,") Maintari softly said as she led them into the forest.
Charles watched her leave for a few seconds before turning to his Pokemon, "Okay, Wildfire are you feeling well enough to continue."
The ponyta shakily got to his feet and nodded, ("You bet'cha. Let's do this-")
("BOO!") Hurricane shouted from behind his head, causing Wildfire to whinny in fear and collapse on his side again.
"HURRICANE!" everybody shouted at him.
("What? He said he was ready,") the butterfree said in a clueless tone.
Meanwhile, Alice continued to follow Apollo through the forest, pushing through shrubs and low hanging branches in order to get through. After a few minutes of searching, Alice sighed and rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, whatever it was, it's now gone," she told herself, "Come on Apollo. Let's get back to a clearer part of the forest before we get los-"
Suddenly, Apollo snapped his head up at a bush and took a deep sniff. He leapt back and gave a warning growl, peaking Alice's interest. She got behind him and stared inbetween the leaves of the bush.
"Do you find it?" she asked, earning a growl from Apollo in confirmation. She kept her eyes on it, edging slowly towards it, "Okay, I know you're in there. Come on out."
They waited...
...and waited...
...and waited until a round blue thing jumped out, making them both jump. Alice tripped on her feet and almost fell backwards, but caught herself in the last second; just in time for the thing to land right in front of her. She looked down and was surprised to see a Pokemon that she recognised; it was a tangela, a Pokemon who conceals itself in a tangle of vines so that only its eyes and feet are shown. The Grass type Pokemon shook its vines as if it was laughing, jumping from foot to foot merrily.
("Scared you! I scared you guys good!") he giggled happily, ("That was fun let's do that again!")
Apollo gave him a warning growl, ("Silence that laughter and apologise at once!") he barked.
("Make me,") the tangela mocked, earning another growl from the growlith.
Alice, however, reached down and petted Apollo's head, "Now, now. Calm down. It was just a joke," she calmly told him. Taking the 'Charles Approach', Alice kneel down to the tangela's height and gave him a warm smile, "Hi there. You really gave us a fright. My name's Alice, it's nice to meet you."
The tangela blinked in surprise before looking away shyly, ("Yeah, whatever.")
Alice took his bashfulness as a good sign and giggled slightly, "You know, I know somebody who has tangela on their team and they looked pretty strong. I would love to have a tangela on my team as well. You get fed everyday, a nice warm bed...oh and I can take care of your vines, if you like. Would you like that?"
The Pokemon looked up at her and hummed thoughtfully. On one vine, he doesn't have to scrounge for food anymore and he guessed it was nice to be part of group. But, on the other hand, he was not one to simply give himself over to anymore. If she wants him, then she has to earn it. The tangela gave a mischievous giggle and leapt backwards, shaving its vines at her aggressively, much to her confusion.
("You want me to join!") the tangela cackled, ("Defeat me in battle and I might consider it.")
Alice blinked in confusion before she noticed that Apollo was going into his battle stance, "You want a battle?" she asked, earning a nod from the Grass type. After a few moments, she frowned in determination and stood up straight, "Fine. Let's battle," she said with an eager smile.
(Battle Start)
Alice pointed at the tangela and gave her command, "Apollo use-" suddenly she stopped when she realised something, "Wait. We can't battle."
(Battle...End?...Really? Already?)
The tangela and Apollo looked up at her strangely, wondering why they couldn't continue.
"Sorry, but Pokemon battles are strictly forbidden in the Safari Zone," she told them, "I don't want to be kicked out on my first day by one of my aunts. Is there another way I can prove myself to you?"
The tangela shook his vines thoughtfully before the mischievous glint appeared in his eyes once again, ("I guess you just have to catch me, don't you? If one of those...weird capturing devices of yours hits me, even for a split second, then I'll allow myself to be captured. How does the sound?")
Alice raised an eyebrow wondering what it was thinking before she heard Apollo yip from down beside her. She looked down and saw him pointing at one of the Safari Balls on her belt with his nose. She immediately understood what the Grass type was saying.
"Oh, I see," she said taking off one of the Safari Balls, "You want me to try and catch you," she said with a confident smirk, "Just to let you know that I used to be a pitcher in my town's junior baseball team, so I'm not holding back."
("Hit me with your best shot!") the tangela called out, its vines rustling in anticipation.
Alice gripped the Safari Ball in her hand before rearing it back to just beside her head. She raised her left knee to her stomach before she twisted her entire body and threw the Safari Ball as fast as he can...
...the tangela simply dodged to the left, allowing the ball to sail past him and into the bushes behind him.
Alice gulped nervously as she saw how easily the Pokemon was able to evade her capture, "That was just a practice," she said, taking another Safari Ball off her belt and preparing another throw, "Take this!"
Again, much to her astonishment, the tangela leapt over it without to much effort. Alice frowned in annoyance as she reached for another Safari Ball and tossed...and then another one...and then another one. Each time, tangela would avoid capture; either by just jumping out of the way or using its vines to push himself to a certain area. Eventually, with a mischievous cackle, tangela leapt over backwards over another Safari Ball and landed in the bushes behind it, disappearing from view. Alice and Apollo ran over to find him, but the thickets and nettles were to dense.
Alice growled and took a step back, "Fine, I'll play his little game," she said, grabbing another Safari Ball, "He can't hide from us forever."
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Flo walked leisurely behind Manitari as the paras scuttled calmly around and pointed to any herb or mushroom that would be great for healing sick Pokemon. Flo would then proceed to pick them and give it to Alette who would then store it in Flo's backpack.
"This is nice," Flo sighed as she past a mushroom to Alette, "No travelling, no drama, no Team Rocket. Just us picking up some supplies. I can't wait to start experimenting," she said with an excited squeal before she looked over at Alette "Is the bag almost full? It's starting to get heavy."
The clefairy investigated before replying with a sound nod, ("It's pretty full.")
"Great," she said before taking Manitari's pokeball off her belt, "Mani, that's enough for now. We're going to head back."
("Okay dearie,") the paras softly said before she Flo put her back in her pokeball.
Flo hummed happily to herself and was about to turn away when she suddenly heard something from the bushes. It sounded like two Pokemon taking to each other; curiosity taking ahold of both of them, Flo made her way to where the noises were coming from. She looked over and saw, between two trees, were two nidoran one of them (the male) had purple-coloured leather skin and a large horn growing out of his head. The nidoran (female) however looked similar to its male counterpart but it had blue scales and a slightly shorter horn. The two seemed to be in some of sort of stand off; both of them staring into each other's eyes competitively.
"What's going on?" Flo whispered.
Alette shook her head in confusion, ("I have no idea.")
Eventually, the two nidoran snorted proudly, turned the heads away before marching in opposite directions. They saw the male nidoran head over to where they were watching and so Flo decided to follow him. They found him sitting by a tree with him staring at the ground sadly; he released a depressed sigh as if he was disappointed with himself. Slowly and carefully to not scare him away, Flo made her way over to him an kneeled down to his height.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The nidoran looked up at her and Alette before lowering his head again, ("Don't worry about it, human. Even if you did understand me; it's my problem to deal with.")
Alette jumped down from Flo's shoulder and landed next to him, ("Come on now. You can tell us. It seemed like you were having some trouble with the other nidoran. Does it have something to do with her?")
("Yeah, it does,") the nidoran sighed,
("Oh, did you two have an argument?")
("ARGUMENT!") the Pokemon shouted in her face, making the clefairy lean back slightly, ("How dare you! That implies I hate her! Which can't be further from the truth!") he cried before hearts appeared in his eyes and he gave a lovesick sigh, ("She's the most wonderful Pokemon in all the world. The spines on her back are the sharpest, her whiskers are so dainty and she's so smart. I can listen to her all day.")
("R-right,") Alette uttered with a sweat drop, not expecting such a response.
Flo raised an eyebrow curiously, "Err...Alette, what's going on?"
Alette turned to her before she pointed at the nidoran. She then made a heart shape with her stubby fingers before pointing towards the direction where the other nidoran went. Flo's eyes widened in realisation.
"Oh my goodness," Flo squealed happily, pressing her hands to her cheeks, "You love her! That's so cute!"
("Stop shouting, please. She'll hear you,") the nidoran gulped nervously.
Flo giggled and gave an excited smile, "Oh, I see. You were just nervous about confessing to her. You must tell her right away."
The nidoran shook his head at her in utter fear.
"Huh? Why not."
The nidoran's face paled, ("If I'm the one to confess first then I'll be at a disadvantage. I can't lose to her so easily.")
Alette raised a curious eyebrow, ('Lose?') she thought.
Flo, mistook, his actions for just being nervous and gently petted his head, "Now, now. There's no need to be nervous. Why don't we help you. I've read a lot of magazines with tips on how to get your crush to like you..." she trailed of when she saw the teasing look on Alette's face. She adopted a sheepish expression and began playing with her hair ringlet,"...they...they were in the...waiting room in my mum's Pokemon Center, I...I only read them whenever I was bored...you know as a joke. Haha," she said with nervous laugh; Alette rolled her eyes in response, "...anyway, the point is I can give you pointers. What do you say?"
The nidoran raised an eyebrow at that, ("Appealing to your crush, huh,") he hummed before he smirked, ("That sounds perfect.")
Camp
The yoga class had ended and Charles had decided to put everybody back in their pokeballs to have a little rest while he and Benny prepared lunch for everybody. Charles was chopping up the vegetables while Benny was perched on a stool and using a large ladle to stir a boiling pot of strew. Charles, having finished slicing the carrot and put into the pot as well, looked around the area in slight concern.
"They've been gone for a while, you know. You don't think they've gotten lost, do you?" he asked.
Benny shook his head as he continued stirring, ("No, I think they're fine. They've got their Pokemon with them if they run into trouble.")
"Yeah, I suppose," Charles agreed, "Hey, have you seen the news about the new region. I think it's called Paldea or something like th-"
A sad sigh interrupted him as they turned to see a female nidoran walk out of the bushes not too far away. The brother's blinked in surprise before Charles realised he hadn't scanned a nidoran with his pokedex before. He quickly did so.
Nidoran (Female): Although small, its venomous barbs render this Pokemon dangerous. The female has smaller horns.
They could clearly see how distraught she was; her sharp eyes stared at the ground, her ears are lowered to the sides of her head and she dug her front claw into the ground in irritation. Charles and Benny shared a unsure look before the eldest of the two placed a lid on the pot and casually walked up to her.
"Hello there," he greeted, catching her attention, "We couldn't help, but see that-"
To their shock, the nidoran gave him a disgusted look as if he was a piece of filth, ("Tsch, why are you approaching me. How creepy is that,") she spat.
Charles cringed and gave strangled cry before he slowly backed away, "Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."
Realising what she had done, the nidoran's face soften into an apologetic look, ("Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm really bad at first impressions,") she hurriedly said as she trotted over to him, ("Other Pokemon say that my prickly personality drives others away, but I can't help it.")
("You really give the term Poison type a new meaning,") Benny commented.
Charles quickly recovered and sat down beside the Pokemon, "Don't worry, I get it. Is this the reason why your upset?"
The nidoran shook her head, ("Not quite,") she said before her eyes widened in surprise, ("Oh, you understood me.")
"That's right. I was born with this ability," Charles said with a small smile.
The nidoran gave him another look of disgust, ("Oh, so you've always been a freak of nature.")
"Hrrk!" Charles cried as another insult made him cringe.
("Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that as well!") the nidoran cried out, ("Oh, I'm so bad at this. No wonder he doesn't like me.")
Charles and Benny raised a curious eyebrow at that.
("Who doesn't like you?") the pikachu asked, causing the nidoran to blush.
("S-shut up! I didn't say anything of the sort,") she snapped in embarrassment, looking away from them, ("And I don't need you two butting in, so go away.")
...
...
...
...
"...Would you like to talk about it over a bowl of vegetable stew."
...
...
...
...
("...maybe.")
A few minutes later and the nidoran was eating her stew they had served for her whilst telling them what had happened. Apparently, she had gotten into another argument with a nidoran she was in loved with and was upset about the whole mess. Fair to say, Charles and Benny are not exactly...experts in this sort of thing and so they decided to just sit and listen as she talked about him in a lovesick manner.
("...oh, you should see him. He's so gorgeous. Those beautiful, intelligent eyes, his horn is so sharp and, best of all, he doesn't leave me whenever I accidentally insult him,") she drawled with a small sigh before she sipped her strew again, ("This is really good, by the way. I didn't know a human were capable of doing something like this.")
Charles, now used to her backhand comments, gave an awkward a smile while Benny glared at her.
("Hey! I helped as well.")
("Oh great, potential pieces of fur in my meal,") she sniffed.
("...I now understand why other Pokemon find you unappealing.")
("I fully understand,") the nidoran sighed, ("But you can see why he's so important to me now.")
Charles tilted his head in confusion, "I'm sorry. I don't understand. If you like him then why don't you ask him on a date...or just simply confess to him?"
The nidoran flinched at that and turned her head away, ("It's...not that simple.")
("Charles frowned in concern and scratched his cheek thoughtfully. He shared an unsure look with his Pokemon brother, wondering what to make of the situation. What can they do? The nidoran won't tell them what is the problem so how can they provide a solution...")
Charles raised an eyebrow in confusion as he heard a new voice from somewhere. He looked around the area, trying to spot where it was coming.
("...the human looked around the area in puzzlement. Wondering what is going...")
'Is somebody...narrating my movement?' Charles asked himself.
("...little does the human know of the new character right above his head; documenting his every move and speaking them out loud...")
Charles looked up and spotted, perched on the tree branch above him, was a Pokemon he's only seen in books before. It was an avian-like Pokemon that looked similar to a parrot. It had a black feathered head which is resembled a musical note and a tail feather that was shaped like a metronome. It had a brightly coloured feathers with blue wings, a yellow chest and a green body as well as a ruff of white feathers around its neck. It had a pink hooked beak which opened up whenever it spoke to reveal a pink tongue.
("...suddenly, Charles looked up to see a new mysterious Pokemon,") the Pokemon narrated, ("his mind began to race faster and faster as he tried to figure out what it was. But there was no way he can figure it out in time.")
"Wow, a chatot," Charles gasped happily.
The chatot fell silent for a few seconds before he said, ("...he finally figured it out. Is nothing going to stop this boy?")
Charles rolled his eyes and took out his pokedex:
Chatot: The Musical Note Pokemon - It can learn and speak human words. If they gather, they all learn the same saying.
"I didn't know you can get chatot all the way out here. There mainly found in Hoenn," Charles remarked.
"Found in Hoenn!" the chatot repeated back with a squawk before replying in pokespeech, ("We like to migrate from place to place.")
("Oh, not you again,") the nidroan sighed.
("Anyway, can we help you?") Benny asked with a raised eyebrow.
The Pokemon shook his head, ("Oh no, carry on. I'm just enjoying my favourite show.")
"Favourite show?" Charles asked.
Chatot flew down and landed beside him, ("Oh yes, it's really good. Do you want me to recap what's going on.")
"Err...sure."
"Sure! Sure!" the Pokemon squawked before clearing his voice, ("Sorry about that. Natural compulsion. So there are these two nidoran who are both in love with each other. One of them is a sharp tongued ice queen and the other is strong and intelligent. Both are made for each other, but there is one small problem.")
("Which is?")
("They are both tsunderes who want the other to confess first!") the chatot announced.
"Tsun-what?" Charles asked in confusion.
("A person or character whose emotions change from indifference to volatile when dealing with a love interest,") the chatot explained while the nidoran looked on miserably at his brashness, ("They don't want to admit they undying love first because, if she does it first, he will think of her as weak and emotional. But if he admits it first...") he jumped onto Charles' shoulder and whispered so the nidoran couldn't hear, ("she'll see him as feeble-minded and will have to suffer the dreaded 'You're so adorable',") he said, doing a perfect imitation of the female nidoran, "So they have been coming up with different schemes to get the other to confess. It's an emotional roller coaster of love traps and mind games and I can't wait for the next episode!")
...
...
...
("I know he just described what is going on, but I still have no idea what he's talking about,") Benny commented.
"I have to agree..."
"Have to agree! Have to agree!" the chatot repeated
"...why doesn't one of you just confess and get it over with. Why do you have to make yourselves miserable?"
("Because,") the nidoran said with absolute determination in her eyes, ("In a relationship, the one who falls in love first is the loser! That's just a fact! Therefore, the one who confesses first is the loser. I will not have my pride tarnished by confessing first,") she growled as sparks of fire lit up in her eyes, ("That's why I will have to make him confess first. But no matter, how many romantic scenarios I come up with, no matter how many Pokemon I bribed with berries to leave us alone, no matter how many of scheming I use, that male will not admit his feelings for me. But I have not given up yet. He may have one the battle today, but there is always tomorrow and the day after that to make him confess. After all, love is game, love is a battle, you can even say that love is wa-")
("Okay, we get it now,") Benny interrupted, ("But tell me this: how long has this been going on for?")
The nidoran blinked, ("Err...I'm not quite sure.")
("Three months, eight days, eleven hours and 32 seconds,") the chatot replied, ("And I've watched every second of it.")
("Didn't you say you were migrating with your flock?")
("I stayed behind to watch this,") the Pokemon replied, earning a strange look from Benny.
Charles leaned down and petted the nidoran gently on the head, "So, you have been doing this for over three months now and you still haven't gotten closer to a confession. I know that this is the last thing you want to hear right now, but maybe you should stop all of this."
("What!? How dare you suggest that I surrender!")
"Not surrender. Just call a...ceasefire. I may not know a lot about this subject, but I personally think you've forgotten what you are fighting for. Don't you want him to be your mate?"
("Well...yes, but,") she stammered.
"Don't you want to spend the rest of your lives with each other."
("Of course, I do.")
"Then maybe you should talk to him about it...like mature Pokemon. This game your playing is only making you frustrated and tired. The only thing your doing is providing him entertainment," he said, pointing his thumb at the chatot.
"Entertainment! Entertainment!" Chatot squawked happily.
Benny sweat dropped, ("You're not exactly self-aware of anything, aren't you?")
The nidoran was about to argue before she thought about it. It was exhausting coming up with different schemes, so why was she subjecting herself to it. After a while of thinking, she gave a sad sigh.
("I...suppose you're right. But how can I do that after so long.")
Charles gave her a confident smile, "Don't worry, we'll be helping you," he told her, as Benny nodded in agreement.
("Tsch,") the nidoran tutted in disgust, ("As if I would need help from somebody with the fashion sense of clueless machoke and a Pikachu who thinks his fur colour makes him so unique.")
"Hrrk!" Charles and Benny cried as they fell onto their hands and knees in despair, a dark gloomy cloud forming over them.
("Ah! Sorry, I would really appreciate your help is what I meant to say!") the nidoran urgently apologised.
("Haha! Another brutal insult from the ice queen,") the chatot said in a singsong voice.
The nidoran looked up at him, ("Would you please shut up. You're voice is annoying...and I mean it this time.")
("Hrrk!") the chatot cried as he fell onto his wings and knees next to the other two.
Another Part Of The Forest
Meanwhile, Alice, now with all of her Pokemon out of their pokeballs, were standing at the side of a clearing admiring the project they have been construction for the past hour. Clearly, Alice was no match for the tangela's speed and battling him was out of the question. This was why she was forced to do more...drastic measures.
"Alright," said turning to her Pokemon, "You might be wondering what this was all for?" she was met with simple firm nods in reponse, "Well, for only just this once, I am taking a leaf out of Team Rocket's book. We are going to try and trap the tangela which will give us the upper hand and capture him. Behind me are three traps," she said pointing behind her at a rope that was hooped around a bowl of pokefood; one end of the rope trailed off into the bushes nearby, "Just where the bowl is, we have a rope trap that will hopefully ensnare our new recruit. This will activate as soon as the culprit steps into the hoop," she then pointed the the ground at where there were a neat circle of leaves, "If that fails, then underneath that is a pitfall that will trap him," she then pointed upwards at where a large net was hung over the two traps, "And if that fails, we have out net. Is everybody clear?"
The Pokemon cried out in understanding. Apollo and Tomoe, being the loyal ones of the group, were more then eager to serve. However, Ruby, who was floating in her tank, was more skeptical about everything. Atlas didn't completely understand what was going on and was just going with the flow.
("Tis a shame we must such barbaric methods,") Tomoe muttered, ("But a warrior must adapt to any challenge they face.")
Apollo shook his head, ("I did suggest my stake out idea from when we were going after Mahad, but...the idea was unsatisfactory.")
("I...have to...agree with that,") Ruby whispered shyly.
("Oh yeah! Let's do this thing!") Atlas cried as he flexed his muscles.
"That's the spirit," Alice said, "Now Tomoe, you're are lookout. Atlas you're going to release the net, but only when I say 'go'. Apollo, Ruby you're with me," she clapped her hands together eagerly, "Alright, let's get into places."
They immediately got into their places. Atlas leapt behind a tree and held the rope in readiness, Tomoe put her leek in her bean and flew up to a tree branch and scoped the area, Alice picked up Ruby's tank and jumped into the bushes followed closely by Apollo. They all sat and waited; none of them daring to make any sort of sound.
From above, Tomoe kept watch on the scenery below, keeping an eye on every single thing that moved. Suddenly, she spotted something down below and smirked proudly when she saw the tangela heading through the bushes towards their position. She subtly waved a wing, alerting everybody that the Pokemon was getting closer.
"Perfect," Alice whispered as she grabbed hold of her Safari Ball, "we only have to wait a few more seconds before-"
Suddenly, a pidgey flew in from seemingly nowhere and landed just outside the rope trap. It cocked his head in fascination at the sight of free food and began pecking at it.
"Oh no," Alice whispered in alarm.
("Cease that once!") Apollo called out as pounced out of the bushes after him, ("Master has worked hard on this trap!")
Alice eyes widened in shock, "Wait, Apollo don't-"
But it was too late. Apollo ran towards the pidgey, causing the bird Pokemon to squawk and fly away before it could be caught. However, the growlith accidentally placed two paws within the rope loop and-
TWANG!
Apollo yelped as the rope tightened around his paw and pulled him into the air, making him dangle from the tree. In his shock, Apollo accidentally released a flamethrower from his mouth which set fire to the bush Alice and Ruby were hiding behind.
The young Officer yelled in fright and backed her and the tentacool away from it. However; Ruby was so scared that she instinctively released a spray of water out of her tank. The jet of water sailed upwards into the trees and smacked an unsuspecting Tomoe in the back of the head. The farfetch'd squawked in surprise and made her drop the leek.
("No!") Tomoe cried, more concerned about her own leek then whatever hit her.
("Huh? Did somebody say 'go'?") Atlas pondered out loud, completely oblivious to what was happening due to him being behind a tree. He gave a shrug and released the rope he was holding, ("Alright. Don't worry bros, I've got you.")
Alice had just finished putting out the flaming bush and was in the process of helping Apollo when the heavy net fell on her, pulling her to the ground painfully. She groaned in pain and struggled with the rope, but it was getting her even more tangled. She stopped when she heard giggling and looked up to see that tangela watching the catastrophe in amusement.
("You have to try better then that,") he mocked, his vines shaking as he laughed.
Alice growled, "He's right there! Somebody stop him!"
Hearing her yells, Atlas jumped out from behind the tree, took a moment to process what was going on, before sprinting at the Pokemon.
("Don't worry! I've got thi-ah!") he yelled out as he ran straight into the pitfall trap, landing at the bottom with a loud thud, ("Whoa. Who turned out the lights, bro?") he questioned from the bottom of the pit.
The tangela laughed even harder, ("See you around, human,") he chuckled before he leapt back into the bushes.
"Hey!" Alice yelled as she immediately reach for her Safari Ball on her belt.
She stretched her arm through one of the holes in the net, reared back her arm and tossed the ball into the bush the tangela disappeared into…
…imagine her surprise when she heard the Safari Ball hit something which was followed by a flash of red light from somewhere in the bush.
Ding!
Her eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, did I catch him," she gasped. She eventually managed to get herself out of the net, helped Apollo and Atlas out of their traps before she parted the bushes apart to see the Safari Ball. She picked up the Ball and smiled proudly, "I caught him! Woohoo!" she cried, jumping up and down victoriously.
After calming down a still frightened Ruby and cleaning the ink off the back of Tomoe's head, she presented the Safari Ball to her team.
"Well, the plan didn't go exactly…smoothly. But what matters is the fact that we caught our tangela. Well done everybody," she congratulated, earning a round of cheers from her team, "now, let's welcome our newest member," she said, opening the Safari Ball and releasing the Pokemon, "welcome to the team…"
She trailed of when she saw that, instead of the Grass Pokemon she was expecting, there was an entirely different Pokemon. The short, fuzzy Pokemon by her feet looked around curiously around, the antennae on its head twitched slightly.
"…venonat?" Alice finished in bafflement, along with the rest of the team
…
…
…
….
("Hey dude, welcome to the team,") Atlas greeted with a friendly wave.
Alice, Apollo and Tomoe face-faulted in disbelief while Ruby just sighed wearily. The venonat looked around in confusion, not quite sure what is happening.
("Err…hello? Who are you guys?") she asked in a squeak voice.
Alice recovered from her fall and kneeled beside the Bug Pokemon, "Sorry, that was rude of us," she apologised before she noticed something unusual about the venonat. Instead of being bright red like the one at the Fuschia City Gym, her eyes and mandible mouth was blue and, if she looked closely, she could see that her fur was slightly darker, 'Huh? Do different venonat have different coloured eyes? I mean this is the second venonat I ever come across so it's possible,' she thought before she remembered something, "Wait! You're a venonat. Venonat's eyes are like radars."
("That's…right,") the venonat answered unsurely, not quite sure where she was going with this.
Alice smiled happily, "Venonat, I'm really sorry for accidentally capturing you and everything, but I need your help. We're looking for a tangela and I need you to track him down for me. Please."
The venonat twitched her antennae thoughtfully before she nodded, ("Well, since you asked so nicely, yes I'll help you.")
Alice pumped her fist in the air when she saw the Pokemon nod in agreement, "Yes! Thank you so much. Can you sense where he is now?"
The venonat concentrated on searching for the tangela from within the forest. She hummed thoughtfully before she finally spotted him not too far away.
("I've got him,") the venonat squeaked happily.
("Excellent. Lead on noble venonat.") Tomoe eagerly encouraged.
("Alright, this way!") the Bug Pokemon cried as she leapt into action…
SLAM!
…and immediately into a tree.
("Ow!") she shouted in pain, bouncing off the tree and onto the ground, making the others sweat drop. She shook her fuzzy head and squinted at the tree before her, ("Huh? How long has that been there?")
("It has always been there? It's a tree,") Apollo stated matter-of-factly.
("Oh right,") she said, turning towards him, ("I knew that.")
("Umm…I'm over here,") Apollo said, ("You're currently talking to a log.")
The venonat hummed in surprise and squinted again to that she was in fact facing a log. She turned away, ("Yeah, I knew that. Come on, he went this way,") she told them as she began to leap away.
However. she didn't get very far before she tripped over a tree stump, making her fall flat on her face. They watched her attempt to navigate through the treacherous forest, cringing every time she tripped on something or run into another tree.
Alice gave a weary sigh, "Great. An entire Safari Zone of Pokemon…and I manage to catch the only one that's farsighted."
Another Part Of The Forest
Meanwhile, Flo was currently with the male nidoran, placing a small bow tie around his neck that she just made. She gave a happy hum and clapped her hands together in delight while Alette watched on with an unsure look
"Aww, you look so dashing," she said, "now do you remember what I told you?"
("Err...yes. Yes, I do,") he answered hesitantly with a nod.
"Great. Now all you have to do is wait for her to arrive," she told him, pointing towards a small clearing on the other side of some bushes, "Wait over there for her. We'll be waiting here just in case, okay?"
The nidoran frowned slightly before he gave a confident nod and headed to the clearing, ready to meet the female nidoran.
Alette gave her trainer a questioning look, ("Are you sure about this?")
Flo noticed the look and said, "Don't worry. He'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen."
("If you're sure,") the clefairy replied before they both peered through the shrubs and waited as well.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the clearing, Benny perched on top of Charles' head, sniffed the air before pointing to a particular direction, ("I can smell another nidoran over there,") he informed them, ("It might be him.")
The female nidoran hummed in worry in Charles' arm, but she immediately calmed down as Charles petted her head reassuringly, "Hey, your going to be fine. All you have to do talk to him. You have done it plenty of times."
"Plenty of times! Plenty of times!" Chatot exclaimed from the tree branch above them, ("Oh, but what happens if something goes wrong or somebody interrupts them. I can't wait to see what happens. I'm on the edge of my branch.")
("Don't you have anything better to do?") Benny shouted at him.
Charles gently placed the nidoran on the ground and gave her an encouraging nod. She gave a small sigh before adopted a confident look on her face and trotted through the hedges and into the clearing; Charles, Benny and the chatot watched on eagerly. The female nidoran stepped into the clearing and spotted her crush waiting for her in the middle; she frowned in confusion as soon as she noticed him wearing the bow tie, but decided to ignore it for now. The male nidoran perked up as soon as he spotted her and cleared his throat.
("Well hello there, madam,") he greeted with a bow of his head, remembering the tips Flo taught him, ("What a fine afternoon to meet you on.")
("…Yes…I suppose,") she replied hesitantly, ("Why are you speaking like that?")
("Why how else would I greet such a lovely lady like yourself.")
("…Right. Listen, I need to talk to you,") she said as she trotted over, ("It's about-")
("Would you like something to eat?") he interrupted, ("Maybe something to drink or-")
("No, thank you,") she cut him off sharply, ("It's quite important so please listen to me. You see-")
("You look wonderful today!") the male nidoran exclaimed suddenly.
("What?")
("Well, not just today. You always look wonderful…no matter what day it is…Monday to Sunday…always…") he stammered lamely while the female nidoran gave him an unimpressed look. He glanced back at where Flo and Alette are hiding nervously, ('I don't think this working.')
From the side of the clearing, Charles and Benny watched on in slight confusion.
"What's going on?"
("He's not letting her get a word in edgewise,") Benny hummed.
"Going on! Going on!" the Chatot repeated loudly.
Charles gave the chatot a soft glare, "I don't mind you doing that but can you please be a little quieter.
("Sorry, sorry. It just happens naturally. However, this is really weird. That nidoran is totally OOC.")
"OOC?"
("Out Of Character. I'm not sure I like this change,") he explained before he picked a berry of a nearby tree and began eating it, ("And I'm fairly sure she won't like it either. You want me to narrate again?")
"No, thank you."
Back with the nidoran, the male gulped nervously as none of what Flo had taught him seemed to working. He tried complimenting her, asking her about her day, offering her berries and other sort of seemingly romantic gestures, but none of them seem to work. In fact, she seemed angry at him for some reason.
('Oh Arceus! What am I going to do? No matter what I do seems to anger her. Does she find me unattractive? Oh no! What if the reason she wants to talk is to say that she doesn't want me around anymore!? No, I can't think I can handle that! I might actually cry and then she'll definitely say...') she imagined her, pressing one of her paws up to her mouth and smirk sadistically at him. He then heard the illusion say, in a cruel tone, 'How Adorable'. He gulped and frowned in determination, ('I can't let that happen. I can't let her win.')
Meanwhile, the female nidoran was thinking of only one thing, ('Why is this idiot not letting me speak?')
Flo and Alette, from their hiding place, watched on in concern. It was clear that none of what they taught the male nidoran was working. Flo grimaced slightly as she saw the female nidoran just look grumpier and grumpier every second he talked.
("Maybe we should have taught him to shut up for a few seconds,") Alette sighed, shaking her head in disappointment.
Flo hummed in concern, "I don't get it. The female nidoran should have been wooed by now with the tips I gave him. Sure, those magazines are a little outdated, but come on," she frowned slightly, "Why is she getting annoyed. They're not that bad."
"This is bad," Charles murmured from the other side of the clearing, "What is wrong with him. Let her speak."
On either side of the clearing, Charles and Flo pokes their heads above the bushes they were hiding behind, staring down at the two nidoran in concern. Out of the corner of Charles' eye, he spotted something pink and glanced upwards. While Flo thought she saw a familiar hat poking above the bush across from her and looked up as well.
They eyes met across the clearing.
They blinked in confusion; not quite registering the other for a few seconds. Eventually, Charles frowned an pointed at her.
She did the same; tilting her head to the side in bafflement.
'What are you doing here?' he mouthed.
'What are you doing here?' she mouthed back.
He pointed down at the nidoran, 'I'm helping the female nidoran,' he mouthed.
She did the same, 'I'm helping the male nidoran.'
'With what?'
'Getting the female nidoran to confess her feelings for him.'
'Confess?' Charles mouthed before his face fell in realisation, "Oh, now I understand what's going on."
"Going on! Going on!" the chatot related loudly.
A little too loudly, it would seem, as both nidoran jumped in shock at the cry. The male nidoran gave his crush a baffled expression.
("Was that that chatot? Did you bring him here?")
("Of course, I didn't,") the female nidoran snorted, ("Why would I bring him? Besides, he would bother us less if you scared him off already.")
He frowned irritably, ("I don't know if you haven't noticed, but I don't have wings. How am I supposed to chase him off?")
("Well, can you at least do something useful for once.")
("What's that supposed to mean!")
From the bushes, Charles and Benny glared up at the chatot, who had the audacity to look sheepish.
("Whoops,") he uttered.
("You know what, forget it,") the female nidoran fumed as she turned around and stormed away, ("you're so pathetic. Don't ever talk to me again.")
The male nidoran's eyes widened in horror, ('No, no, no. I'm losing her. This is way worse then her calling me adorable.')
Flo, seeing what was happening, panicked and began picking flowers from the ground around her, "Some women like flowers. It must be the same with Pokemon. I just need to give these to her and she'll forgive him?' she thought desperately before she chucked the small bouquet over the hedge.
The flowers fell in front of the male nidoran, making him jump in surprise and for the female nidoran to turn around. Once she saw the bouquet, she gasped and tears formed in her eyes.
("Did you..pick those flowers?") she uttered.
"I think it's working," Flo whispered to herself.
The male nidoran gulped and shook his head, ("No, no, no...that was-")
He didn't get any further then that before the female nidoran ran at him and whacked her horn underneath his jaw, sending him flying back much to Flo's shock. The male nidoran grimaced in pain before he looked up at her; tears streamed from her eyes as she looked down at him in utter betrayal.
("How could you do that to me?") she sniffed sadly, before she ran away, sobbing all the way, ("Don't ever talk to me again, you jerk!")
("No that wasn't me!") he cried out.
But it was too late. She had already disappeared into the deep forest. The male nidoran whimpered in sorrow and slumped onto the ground, feeling like he had been completely defeated. Flo and Alette leapt our off the bushes and ran up to him, petting his head gently. Charles and Benny followed suit and slowly walked up to them with his arms crossed in front of him.
"Alright, what just happened."
One quick explanation later and Flo was on kneeling on the ground with her head bowed in despair; a dark rain cloud floating above her head.
"I can't believe I messed up so badly," she uttered as Alette petted her head, "She was trying to confess and taught you those terrible dating tips."
"Where did you get those dating tips in the first place?" Charles asked.
"Never you mind," Flo grumbled.
The male nidoran sighed sadly, ("It's fine. It wasn't entirely your fault. I though it was a good idea at first. I should have admitted my feelings ages ago.")
The clarfairy turned to him, ("Now, there's no point in feeling for your self. You need to think of ways to help make up with her.")
("Make up?")
("Of course, you're not going to just sit there and mop, are you?")
("That...was the plan, yes,") he admitted.
Benny leapt down from his shoulder and petted his shoulder, ("Now is the opportunity to do something. Don't leave it too long all you lose her.")
Charles kneeled down beside him, "Maybe, you can do some sort of grand gesture. Is there something or somewhere she really likes?"
("I think so,") he said before he nodded firmly, ("Yes, I know the exact place. But I have no time to plan anything else.")
"You have us to help. Don't we, Flo?"
The young Nurse Joy jumped to her feet and gave the nidoran a confident thumbs up, "I may have messed up before, but I won't do it this time. I'm really sorry about all of that; I hope you trust me to set things right," she said to the nidoran. The Pokemon frowned slightly before he nodded firmly, "Thank you," she said gratefully before she looked up at the sky, "It's getting pretty late, so let's use it to our advantage."
Charles and the three Pokemon gave her a questioning look, "How do you do that?" Charles asked as Flo reached into her rucksack.
"With these," she declared, pulling out a pack of fairy lights from her rucksack.
"Huh? How long have you had those...and why?"
"There's no time to explain. Let's get to work!" Flo proclaimed eagerly.
They all sweat dropped at that.
("I think there's plenty of time for an explanation,") Benny said.
Riverside
"I've got you now!" Alice called out victoriously, her hand gripping the Safari Ball tightly and ready to throw it at the tangela.
She was currently edging across a fallen tree that was stretched across a shallow river; one one side was the forest and on the other the face of a cliff in which the Grass Pokemon was pressed up against. Alice was the only thing stood between him and his escape into the forest; there was no way for him to scale the cliff face nor anyway of getting past her. Alice had trapped her.
However, her Pokemon, who had remained on the riverside, were more concerned then excited about their trainer finally capturing the tangela.
("Err...master, maybe you shouldn't cross the tree,") Apollo yelped in worry.
("Mine instincts as a warrior telleth me that thou may slip,") Tomoe added.
Atlas nodded in agreement, ("Yeah, come on back, bro!")
("She seems fine to me,") the recently caught venonat said.
Ruby turned to her and sweat dropped, ("You're...looking the...wrong way,") she meekly told her.
The venonat promptly jumped around, ("Oh right, I see now.")
Alice, hearing their cries, waved over her shoulder at them, "Don't worry. I've got this," she said before turning her attention back to the Pokemon in front of her, "I've tried being nice, but now you have given me no choice. Now surrender yourself."
From within the tangle of vines, the tangela frowned thoughtfully. He had to admit that he was having fun, but maybe it was time to call it quits. He was about to admit defeat when he suddenly got an idea, causing him chuckle quietly.
("Fine, you've got me. I give in,") the tangela said, giving a fake sigh as he wandered across the tree bridge.
Alice smiled and leaned down to greet him, "It was a good game. I was actually having fun at tim-"
Suddenly, before she could finish her sentence, the tangela used the opportunity to push himself off the tree and leap over her head. He landed on her back, much to her surprise, and pushed off her and doing a samusault in mid-air before landing on the river bank. He had escaped capture once more.
He was in the middle of congratulating himself when suddenly-
KER-SPLASH!
He turned around and cringed when he saw the human fall into the water face first, making a mighty splash. Her Pokemon team gasped in horror while he gulped nervously.
("I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to knock you in-")
His apology stopped midway when Alice raised her head out of the water. Her eyes were lit up in rage, her body began to shake and she gritted her teeth, causing him to take a few steps back in nervousness.
"THAT'S IT!" Alice screamed as she jumped out of the water; a Safari Ball in each of her hands, "I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THAT!"
The tangela turned on his heels and sprinted away in fear; quickly followed by a furious Alice as she threw Safari Ball after Safari Ball at him.
("I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!") he cried as he ran for his life.
The rest of the Pokemon, with Atlas carrying Ruby and Tomoe making sure the venonat was heading in the right direction, swiftly pursued them to, hopefully, calm their trainer down before she does something she regrets.
Somewhere In The Forest
("What are you doing? Where are you taking me?") the female nidoran grumbled as Charles carried her in his arms, ("Just leave me alone.")
("We promise this is good,") Benny encouraged from Charles' shoulder, ("We're sorry that last time didn't turn out so well, but we've done something that would make things up for you.")
The nidoran rolled her eyes, ("What are you talking about, rodent? Nothing's going to change my...")
Charles pushed through the last shrub and stepped into a clearing; what she saw made her trail off. It looked like she had stepped into something from a fairytail. In the branches of the trees, little lights were strung up, making the entire area glow warmly. This was further heightened by the beautiful orange skies as the sun began to set below the horizon. On the ground, luscious green grass and beautiful, multicolored flowers bloomed abundantly, making the entire scenery look vibrant. Finally, in the middle of it all, was the male nidoran, sitting and waiting for her to make an appearance.
("...mood,") she finally uttered as she took in the wonderful sight, ("What is all of this?")
Charles didn't respond and just placed her on the ground before taking his leave. He crept around the clearing to where Flo and Alette were hiding and gave them a thumbs up.
"It looks wonderful," Charles complimented, "well done, Flo."
The pink haired girl gave a small smile, "It's the least I can do," she said before turning to her Pokemon, "how's our captive doing?"
Alette peered around the tree they were hiding underneath to where a rather rather grumpy Chatot was sitting with his wings tied to his side and his beak closed with a cloth. The clarfairy turned back and gave her a nod in response.
"Good, let's hope this works," Flo murmured as all of the them turned their attention to the two nidoran.
The female nidoran sighed in frustration and made her way to the other Pokemon, ("What is all of this.")
("Don't you remember what this place is?") he asked.
She shrugged, ("It looks like every other place in this forest. Let me guess, you brung me here so you destroy more of these beautiful flowers.")
The male nidoran flinched slightly before he shook his head, ("I guess it does look a little different since last time,") he mused, making the female nidoran raise her eyebrow. He gave her a small smile, ("This is where we first met.")
The female nidoran took a step back in surprise and looked around the area once more, ("No way, this is the place. It looks so different.")
The male nidoran gave her a small smile, ("Yeah, it is. I first saw you over there, scolding some Pokemon for picking the flowers here. At the time, there were only a few patches here and there. I wouldn't have thought much about it, but…") he trailed off slightly; he looked down at the ground as he was remembering that day, ("…there was just this joyful glint in your eyes; a spark of passion and determination whenever you talked about the flowers here. I never seen something like it before; such firefly commitment in the way you spoke. Especially, when you explained how your mother-")
("How my mother used to take me here,") the female nidoran finished, ("she told me how each flower must be treated with respect,") she gave a mournful sigh, ("they remind me of her,") she then glared at him, ("You knew that and yet you decided the give me picked flowers.")
The male nidoran shook his furiously, ("Oh no. That was not me. I would never have done something so insensitive.")
Charles, Benny and Clefairy gave Flo a look.
The pink haired girl gulped, "Why do I get the feeling I totally messed up."
("I've actually…um…well,") the male nidoran gulped at what he was going to say, the image of the female nidoran giving him the 'How Adorable' line. However, he took a deep breath, shut his eyes tightly and finally said, ("Every since that day, I've been…taking care of the area. Giving the flowers everything they need to flourish and grow…just for you. Just so I can that spark once more and make you happy. I did all of this because…I love you.")
Silence fell as soon as the words left his mouth. The tension was so thick that it would take a weavile's claw to cut through it. He waited for her reaction; waited for the snide comment; waited for the rejection; waited for the 'How Adorable'.
However, the only thing he heard was a gentle sob.
He opened his eyes and saw, to his shock, tears roll down the nidoran's cheeks; her mouth was slightly open as if she was dumbfounded about what he said. He, at first, thought he did something wrong until the female nidoran finally spoke.
("You…did this…for me. You remembered all of this,") she said, making him nod his head nervously. A smile graced her lips as she gave a gentle giggle, ("This is what I love about you. You put on a brave front, but, on the inside, your such a gentle soul; somebody who I can always depend on. You're so adorable. I love you.")
She had called him adorable, but, for some reason, it didn't feel like she was mocking him nor was she trying to patronise him. It felt she was giving her honest opinion of him; a sweet sentiment that made his heart felt light again just like the day they first met.
The female nidoran felt the same way, but for a different reason. His care and attention was what made her fall for him. He didn't judge her whenever she accidentally insult him or call him names. He was amazing; a Pokemon she would be willing to spend the rest of her life with.
("You love me?") the male nidoran asked in disbelief.
She giggled, ("Of course I do, you moron. We really should have done this much sooner.")
("We really should have,") he agree wholeheartedly.
From their hiding spot, Charles, Flo, Benny and Alette smiled at the heartwarming scene. Even though Flo didn't understand a word they were saying, she knew that something wonderful was happening before. Unconsciously, she edged towards Charles with a small blush.
The nidoran smiled at each other, both enjoying the peaceful moment between them as they stood in the brightly lit clearing.
("So,") the male nidoran said softly, ("Does that mean you want to be my mate?")
The female nidoran giggled, ("I would love-")
("I'M SORRY!")
The lovely atmosphere was shattered like glass as a tangela shot out of the bushes screaming his head off in fear. He ran blindly, tripped on a root before rolling between the two nidoran and crashing into a tree. Everyone stopped and stared at the Grass Pokemon suddenly intruding on their moment, but it was nothing compared to what stumbled out of the bushes after him.
("WHERE ARE YOU?!") a familiar blue haired girl yelled as she tumbled out of the bushes.
Her face was caked in mud; her clothes were completely soaked; they were twigs and leaves in her hair and her arms and legs were covered in scratches caused by low hanging branches. She looked like some sort of monster or some wild creature; with a dangerous manic glint in her eyes, a vicious smiled on her face and a Safari Ball clutched tightly in her hand.
Her friends' faces dropped into shock and horror, 'Is that...Alice!?' they collective thought.
Alice spotted the tangela, who was still feeling a little dizzy from crashing into the tree, and gave victorious laugh.
"NO WHERE LEFT TO HIDE! I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" she bellowed before reared back her arm and threw the Safari Ball the tangela.
The tangela squeaked in fear as, this time, the Safari Ball hit him dead on and sucked him into the Safari Ball in a beam of red light. The Safari Ball only shook once before it dinged to signal a successful capture.
Alice reared her head back and cackled manically, "VICTORY IS MINE!" she declared triumphantly as she laughed into he evening sky...
...however, the laughter soon died down once she noticed her surroundings. She especially noted, the two cross nidoran glaring up at her and the fact that her friends had revealed themselves from the hiding place and were giving her a strange look.
She blinked absently before finally saying, "Oh...am I interrupting something?"
Camp
Later on, as it was getting dark, they returned to their campsite ready to have dinner then turn in for the night. All of their Pokemon were having eating their meals, talking to each other or playing together under the watchful eyes of their trainers. As Alice was cleaning herself up, Charles and Flo were sat by the campfire watching the nidoran couple sitting not too far away whilst nuzzling each other affectionately.
"They are pretty cute together," Charles mused.
"Yeah," Flo agreed with a sheepish smile, "I feel bad for almost ruining it. This is the last time I give dumb dating tips."
Charles glanced over to her and gave her a warm smile, "You did nothing wrong. Just bad timing. Besides it was your idea to set up the entire date, the lights and everything. It was sweet of you to help him," he told her honestly, causing her to blush slightly.
Flo gave a small smile, glancing at the how happy the nidoran looked and then back at Charles, 'Maybe...I should do the same,' she thought to herself. She slowly reached to place her hand on his, but then stopped suddenly, 'No. This is completely different. I'm not making myself miserable by not admitting my feelings. Relationships can wait. I'm happy just the way I am now. All I want to do is travel, go on adventures, discover new Pokemon and, overall, have fun with my friends,' she thought contently as she retracted her hand, 'Besides, he's too focus on Pokemon to be interested in other girls so I still have time,' she thought with a giggle.
Charles glanced over at her in slight concern; wondering why she started giggling to herself. He decided it was best not to ask.
("Charles,") the female nidoran called to him from beside her boyfriend, ("You mentioned you were a trainer earlier. Does that mean you partake in Pokemon battles?")
"Yes, it does. Why do you ask?" he asked.
She stood up and walked up to him, ("Well, I can only assume, judging by what I have learnt so far, that your battle advise is better then your relationship advise.")
"Hrrk!" Charles cringed.
("Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to say that,") she apologised, ("I was only asking if I can join your team. It does sound quite interesting.")
The male nidoran's eyes widened in shock, ("Wait. You're not leaving me already, are you?) he glared up at Charles, ("How dare you steal her away from me!")
"I'm not doing anything," Charles murmured with a sweat drop.
("Of course I'm not leaving you,") the female nidoran told him reassuringly, ("I want you to come with me,") she glanced up at Flo, ("Why don't you join her team? That way we can travel together.")
"Charles what's going on?" Flo asked curiously. He explained to her what they were discussing, making her hum thoughtfully, "Well, I guess you can. I might need a strong Pokemon to help protect my future pokecentre from potential thieves," she said before nodding her head, "Alright, you can join my team."
The female nidoran gave her an intimidating glare, ("He may be part of your team, but he's mine. Know your place and keep your disgusting hands off him,") she threatened.
"Hrrk!" Flo cried, feeling like she just got punched in the gut.
"Her insults break down even language barriers," Charles uttered in awe.
The two swiftly caught their Pokemon in their own Safari Balls. Charles had decided to call his female nidoran Azure while Flo called her male nidoran Tyrian. As soon as they were caught in their Safari Balls, a clean Alice came out of her tent with tangela and venonat following her. She sat down beside them before reaching out her hand to prevent the Bug Pokemon from running into the campfire.
"Looks like you've also had a productive day as well," Charles observed.
Alice sighed, "Tell me about it. Still, at least I was able to catch Ambush over here," she said, petting the tangela's head.
The newly named Ambush grumbled, ("You just got lucky, that's all.")
("Now, now,") the venonat said, ("Nobody likes a sore loser.")
("I'm over here.")
The venonat squeaked in surprise before she turned around to face the tangela, ("I-I knew that.")
Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw the venonat, "Oh wow. Alice, you caught a shiny Pokemon."
"What!? A shiny!?" Alice gasped, looking towards the venonat, "That's what shiny venonat look like. That's so cool," she reached over and petted the Pokemon's furry head, "I guess that's what makes you so special, Oracle."
("Thank you...") the newly named Oracle said before she squinted at Alice, ("...blue...thing?")
Alice promptly returned the two Pokemon to their Safari Balls and placed them on her belt, "Can't believe I caught two Pokemon in one day. Looks like I won," she said with a cheeky grin.
"Hey! Who said it was a competition," Flo complained.
"I did just now," Alice replied with a giggle.
Charles chuckled as well, "I guess so. But we still have plenty of time in the Safari Zone. Who knows what we are going to encounter?"
"Plenty of travelling and exploring," Alice added.
"New Pokemon and people we're going to meet," Flo said.
Benny, having finished his dinner, leapt onto Charles' shoulder, ("So many adventures that will test are limits.")
"But no matter what," Charles finished, "As long as we stay together, we will have such an amazing experience. Let's continue to explore the Safari Zone tomorrow."
"Yeah!" everybody chimed in, before they all burst out laughing, happy with the lives they live.
...
...
...
...
"Oh by the way," Alice said, rubbing the back of head sheepishly, "I may have...err...used all my Safari Balls up already. So would it be alright, if I borrowed some of yours? Haha!"
Charles, Flo and Benny face faulted as Alice chuckled in embarrassment.
Ah well, as long as they are having fun, that's what's important.
Somewhere In The Forest
The next day, Chatot flew over and perched himself on a branch overlooking a clearing where most of the nidorans' love battles would take place. He hopped over to a the truck, pulled a few leaves away from a tree hollow where he stored berries ready to consume.
("Right,") he told himself, ("Snacks. Check. Best seat in the forest. Check. Now all I have to do is wait for the show to begin,") he said excitedly.
("Hey Chatot!") a voice from down below, caught his attention. He looked down and saw an oddish from the local area, ("Didn't you hear. The nidoran left with a couple of humans yesterday.")
...
...
...
("Aww,") the avian Pokemon sighed sadly.
That's it! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
If you hadn't guessed by now, I based the two nidoran's relationship on Kaguya's and Miyuki's relationship from 'Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'. I even put some references to it in the chapter. I would like to say a special thank you to PokeNarrator for suggesting Azure for the female nidoran and Ambush for Alice's tangela. I would have gone for your other suggestion for the male nidoran, but I thought Tyrian suited him better; named after tyrian purple (the colour Roman Emperor's wore). I decided to keep to the Greek mythology theme Alice had for her team when I named her venonat Oracle. She's farsighted which means she can still use her radar eyes for anything in the distance, but anything closer is just a blur to her. I guess it's also a reference to Barbara Gordon in the Batman comics.
BTW I hadn't deleted Leaf's Potential Pokemon List below; I still have it saved in my files. It just looks a little neater now. Please feel free to add any Pokemon suggestions for her.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I decided, since it's nearing the end of the year, to mainly focus on this story. So look out for more updates.
Thanks for reading :)
Potential Pokemon List:
Charles
Gastley
Drowzee
Goldeen
Tauros
Aerodactyl
Onix
Grimer
Hoothoot (Johto)
Octillery (Orange Islands)
Pinsir
Salamance (Hoenn)
Metagross (Hoenn)
Dewgong
Elekid (Johto)
Poochyena (Hoenn)
Chikorita (Johto)
Flo
Psyduck
Kangaskhan
Cubone
Jolteon
Shellder
Weedle
Igglybuff (Johto)
Exeggcute (Orange Islands)
Qwilfish (Orange Islands)
Slugma (Hoenn)
Snubbull (Johto)
Miltank (Johto)
Beautifly (Hoenn)
Alice
Rattata
Poliwag
Spearow
Lickitung
Mr Mime
Spinarak (Johto)
Umbreon (Johto)
Rhyhorn (Johto)
Wobbuffet (Johto)
Nosepass (Hoenn)
Swinub (Sinnoh)
Smeargle (Johto)