Here's the next chapter, hope you'll enjoy it.
Guest - Oh definitely. In this case, her mental attacks are just as harmful as he physical attacks.
Pokenarrator - Thank you so much. I'll make sure that Ash's tauros are in Safari Balls. I think they changed it in the anime, because that episode where he caught them was banned, so the creators needed to make it a bit more canonical. Although, it's still a little confusing. I'm glad you like the chatot; I was hoping to write that he would fly back to Hoenn, but a lot of people seemed to enjoy him. I think he might follow them for a little while. Thanks for reading.
Djinn - Thank you so much. Being shortsighted myself, I can, somewhat, relate to Oracle and her accidentally bumping into things. I'll consider making the chatot a recurring character; it could be interesting. Thanks for reading.
pokemonking0924 - Oh definitely, I've got some things planned for the nidoran couple and maybe the chatot. I'm glad you like the new additions to everybody's teams and each of their distinct personalities. I think in the next chapter, I'm going to reorganise the teams so some of the newer Pokemon have their turn in the spotlight. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Guest - I suppose. I'll think about it. We still have a while until the team go to the Orange Islands.
Sonic07 - Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Alice does tend to...bite of my then she can do sometimes, but at least she's determined no matter what. In this chapter, I'll explain what happens to Pokemon captured in Safari Balls when the team slot is already filled up and where the nidoran couple are. Thanks again for reading.
Guest2 -I'm glad you like the yoga idea and, you're right, Ichigo would definitely enjoy it as part of his training. Everybody seems to like the chatot so I'll be sure to include him more in future chapters. Thanks so much for reading.
SkullGreymonX - I'm glad you enjoyed the chatot. I don't think that's going to be last we see of him. You've got a point about Ruby not being able to squirt ink, I'll be sure to change soon. Thanks for reading.
Kunoichi69 - I'm quite proud about the nidoran and I'm glad you enjoyed them as well. Your analysis of them is spot on. I'm also glad you like them exploring the Safari Zone, but the question on who will get the next Pokemon...well, you have to read to find out. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you like this chapter.
Guest - You've got a point. Wow! Thinking about it, it's been ages since I watched Ed, Edd and Eddy. I remember it having an awesome theme song.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, thank you so much for reading. It makes me so happy to know that you enjoyed the chapter so much.
Guest - [Charles tosses a pokeball at Flo and watches it bounce off her]
Flo: "What was that for?"
Charles: "Just testing a theory."
Thank you all for reviewing :)
Chapter 35: The Cubone Ranger
Safari Zone
It was another lovely day in the wilderness of the Safari Zone and the team were trekking through the great trees and green foliage in search for one particular species of Pokemon: Kangaskhan.
Although they have seen them in pictures and books before, they had never really seen them in person and so it was a perfect opportunity to set out on this expedition. Charles and Benny were curious about how they organised their herds and study their migration pattern, Flo wanted to see if the Pokemon's motherly nature could provide her tips for taking care of Pokemon and Alice...well, she just wanted to see cute baby kangaskhan. As vibrant forests slowly transitioned into humid jungle and hilly landscapes, the team followed Alice as she held her newly caught venonat, Oracle, in her arms and used her sensor like eyes to track down the kangaskhan herd. She would have let her Oracle walk, but, after seeing the venonat fall into a ditch for the fifth time within an hour, she decided that this was the best.
Alice had kept her Pokemon that she caught in the Safari Zone with her since she only had six Pokemon with her. Azure the nidoran was transported away since he already had six Pokemon already, but, instead of going straight to the Corral, she had to be sent to the the Safari Zone Rangers HQ. It was a legal requirement for any trainer who has caught any Pokemon in the Zone to have them tested for a health check-up before allowing to leave. The team's Pokemon had to go through the same process as the entered in case they were carrying any potential illness that could disrupt the ecosystem. As soon as the team leave, he will be able to pick up Azure from the HQ so long as her tests are cleared. Flo had sent Tyrian over to the HQ as well despite only having five Pokemon on her. This was because she reckoned they would like to stay together as much as possible.
They were travelling into a valley where Oracle sensed the Kangaskhan herd can be found; the venonat's antenna twitched eagerly, ("We're getting close Just head straight on.")
Charles nodded in understanding before turning to Alice, "Oracle says we're getting close."
"Great. Thank you Oracle," Alice said, giving the Pokemon a small hug, "You're perfect for tracking...we just need to work on you not running into things."
("I'm not that bad,") Oracle muttered with a small huff.
"Ow!" Flo gasped suddenly, "Sorry, can we stop for a second. I've got a stone I my shoe," she said.
They group stopped as she limped over to a nearby tree and leaned her back against it to take her shoe off. The thin tree she was leaning on shook slightly and rustled the leaves above their heads. However, they became confused when they heard a loud , annoyed buzzing coming from the branches.
"Huh? What's that?" Alice asked.
Suddenly, dropping down from the tree, four insect-like Pokemon surrounded them on all sides. They had round yellow heads, with red eyes and grey antennae poking out the top, attached to a yellow mid-section which was attached a round thorax. At the bottom of the thorax was a pointed sting and it had two black stripes. Sprouting out of he mid-section was a pair of insect-like wings as well as four limbs; two arms and two legs. At the end of each arm was a sharp silver spike which gleamed menacingly in the sun.
At the sight of them, Alice yelped and hid behind Charles, almost knocking Benny of his shoulder, "Ah! Beedrill!"
Charles took a step back away from the closest beedrill and took out his pokedex:
Beedrill: Flies at high speed and attacks using its large venomous stingers on its forelegs and tail.
He then held up his arm, shielding Alice and Oracle from the beedrill, "I didn't know you were scared of beedrill."
"I'm not necessarily scared of them. I just don't like needles," she muttered, keeping a close eye on each of them.
("Hey! This is our tree! Get your own!") one of the beedrill threatened.
("Yeah! That's right! Lousy tree thieves!") another beedrill yelled at them.
Charles held his hands up in defence, "We're not here to steal your tree. It was just an accident."
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to step into your territory," Flo apologised.
("That's what they all say,") the third beedrill said, ("I say we teach these humans and Pokemon a lesson.")
Benny rolled his eyes, ("Come on. We didn't do anything. You're the ones that's overreacting so why don't you guys buzz off.")
"Benny," Charles warned.
The beedrill grew irritated at that, ("You know 'buzz off' is pretty offensive to us,") one of the beedrill growled, ("just for that we're going to sting you even more now.")
Charles gave his brother a dull look, "Did you really have to do that?"
("Worth it,") Benny shrugged as the beedrill began to fly closer and closer to them.
The team huddled together and faced against the the beedrill. Charles was ready to give out orders to attack while Flo and Alice got their pokeballs off their belts ready to battle. However, before anybody could make a move, they heard a yell from atop a nearby cliff.
"Halt you beedrill!"
Startled by the declaration, everybody, including the beedrill looked up and saw a silhouette of a boy a few years older then them standing on the edge of the cliff, standing with his hands on his hips and his chest stuck out like a superhero. He had jet black hair, fair skin, brown eyes which was covered by a black domino mask. He wore a khaki jacket and shorts, big, black boots and a brown Stetson hat on his head. He smirked proudly, giving off an aura of confidence and determination.
"Have no fear, innocents! For the ranger is here to save you!" he proclaimed, "there is no problem I can't solve, no foe I can't defeat, no extreme I can't withstand. Through scorching sun, wet rain and chilling snow; my power will shine through and justice shall prevail. I am here to save the-"
"Sorry to interrupt, but are you going to help us or what!?" Alice called out to him, making him jump in surprise.
"Right! Right! Sorry," he apologised sheepishly, before he cleared his throat, "Okay, Silver. Let's give these beedrill a taste of your power," he said before pointing down at the swarm dramatically, "Use your signature move: Bonemerang!" he proclaimed.
...
...
...
...
The humans and Pokemon down below looked at each other in confusion, while the boy flinched slightly as a head of sweat ran down his face.
"Are you…talking to us or…?" Flo questioned by the ranger shook his head.
"Ahem, I said, use your signature move: Bonemerange!" he repeated, a little louder this time.
….
….
….
….
Everybody down in the valley sweat dropped at the awkward pause. They were not entirely sure what was going on; the mysterious ranger seemed to be expecting something to happen.
("Do you think he's alright?") Benny whispered to Charles.
"I don't know. It's quite bright out so maybe he's suffering from sun stroke," Charles suggested.
("Poor guy,") Oracle murmured, earning a nod of agreement from the brothers.
The boy looked behind him with a panicked look on his face and began whispering urgently to somebody they couldn't see, "Silver, that's your cue," he reminded before he frowned, "What do you mean you don't want to do it?" he questioned before he sighed, "but we're rangers we need to help them. So please use you're Bonemerang attack."
Thunk!
Out of nowhere a white club hit him square in the eyes, making him see stars and stumble backwards over the edge of the cliff. He tumbled down the rocky cliff face slamming and bumping into every large stone as he went until he landed in a heap not too far away. His clothes were dirty, his hat was slightly torn and his black domino mask had fallen off his face.
"Ow," he uttered with swirls in his eyes.
Thunk!
The white club landed and bounced off his head, making him face palm the ground. The white club clattered on the ground beside him, but, now they had a better look at it, they could clearly see that was a large bone with one side of it sharpened to a point.
One of the beedrill tilted his head before turning to his friends, ("You want to sting him instead?")
("Sure.")
("Why not.")
("Sounds good.")
Instantly, the swarm flew away from the team and began surrounding the knocked out boy, readying their pointed arms so they can pounce on him. The others merely looked on in bewilderment before Flo sighed and pointed her thumb at him.
"I guess we have to save him now," she muttered as she got out her pokeball.
"It would seem so," Charles hummed, "Benny use Thunderbolt," he ordered before the shiny Pikachu leapt off his shoulder and shot an bolt of electricity at the swarm, hitting two of the beedrill.
"Use Flamethrower," Alice ordered as soon as Apollo was released from his pokeball. He spewed a jet of flames, hitting one of them in the mid-section.
Flo released her clefairy and pointed at the beedrill, "Alette use Disarming Voice."
Alette opened her mouth and released a shrill cry that hit the last beedrill, almost knocking it out of the air. The swarm squeaked in fear of the attacks and flew away, not daring to tackle with them for any longer. They watched them fly away before they looked back at the boy who was just waking up; his eyes flickered open to see the swarm fly away, causing him to smile, despite the pain he was in.
"Aha! Another sensational win for the rang-"
("Geronimooooooooo!")
They looked up in time to see something brown jump off the edge of the cliff and fall towards them. The thing landed on the boy's back, making him painfully face palm the ground for the third time. The thing turned out to be a small, bipedal, reptilian Pokemon. It had a brown scales that covered most of its body and a white scaled underbelly and a thick tail. Over its head was a white reptile skull that covered most of its facial features except for its triangular eyes. The skull itself had two short blunt horns protruding from the back and a pointed tip at the front.
"Aww, it's a cubone," Flo cooed in delight as the Pokemon leapt off the boy's back and picked up the bone club.
Charles took out he's pokedex:
Cubone: It wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.
"He's really cute," Alice said, "I never seen one in real life before."
The boy shakily raised his head, his eyes swirling around, "Yeah...he sure is a cute one."
The cubone glared back at him before thwacking him with his bone club, causing him to cry out in pain.
A Few Minutes Later
"So the neam's Clayton- Ow! -Reid, it's nice to- Ow! -meet you folks- Ow!" the ranger, now known as Clayton, greeted them with a friendly wave. He was currently sitting on a nearby rock and having his head bandaged up by Flo while the others stood over him, "Good thing- Ow! Ow! -we were in the area, you guys- Ow! -could have been injured- Ow!"
"I think you fail to see the irony in that," Alice commented.
"You mentioned you were a Safari Ranger," Charles said.
Clayton smiled proudly, "That's right. Us Safari Rangers protect the delicate ecosystem of the Zone from hunters and other ne'er-do-wells and maintain peace among the Pokemon groups."
Flo finished dressing his injuries and gave him a skeptical look, "No offence, but I thought you would have to be a little bit older to able to do anything like that. What are you thirteen? Fourteen?"
Clayton winced slightly at that, "Well, I'm not a Ranger...yet. I still have to go through a bunch of training. But I live just next to the Zone and I come here every other weekend and holidays. Oh and I wear Khaki like a Ranger does...that's a step in the right direction."
"...Yeah...sure."
"Oh and not only that, but I've already got my Pokemon partner. We're going to strive to become real Rangers in the future, isn't that right Silver?" Clayton said, calling out to the cubone sitting on a rock with his back towards him. The Pokemon glared at him over his shoulder before looking away with an annoyed huff, "Aww, he's just shy, that's all," he said with a nervous chuckle.
Alice looked between the grumpy cubone and the sheepish Clayton thoughtfully, "Right. So, how did you guys meet?"
"Ha! A good question. I remember it as if it was yesterday," he said.
("It was yesterday, you moron,") Silver muttered.
-Flashback One Day Ago -
Somewhere In The Safari Zone
Clayton was trekking through the dense jungle, admiring the nature and Pokemon around him with a Safari Ball in his hand.
"This is so cool," he said to himself before he shook his head, "No Clayton. You need to concentrate on finding your Pokemon partner. Let's see," he looked around the tree and bushes and saw a few caterpie about the place, "A Bug type Pokemon might be best for the environment..." he looked at the ground where a few diglett and dugtrio had gathered, "...or maybe a Ground type. I heard they're pretty strong..." he bent down and looked under a bush, accidentally scaring some bellesprout, "...or maybe a Grass type. They can use plenty of moves..." he looked up at the sky and saw fearow fly over his head, "...then again, a Flying type might also be effective for surveillance work. Oh, there's so many to choose fr-AH" he screamed as he tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face.
The Safari Ball flew out of his hand and landed in a bush. He heard the sound of the Ball opening up and looked up to see a red flash coming from the bush. He gasped, jumped back onto his feet and ran over to it; he pushed aside the branches and saw, just in time, the Safari Ball shake a couple of times before it gave a light ding noise, signifying a successful capture. He stared at the Ball for a few seconds in awe before he gave a broad smile and leapt into the air.
"I did it! I caught a Pokemon!" he yelled as he picked up the Safari Ball, "Now let's see what I've got."
He opened the Safari Ball and a cubone appeared in a flash or red light. The Ground type Pokemon looked around in confusion while Clayton pumped his fists in the air.
"Oh yeah! A cubone. I can't believe my luck. I think I'll call you Silver," he told the Pokemon, earning an annoyed glare from the cubone, "Now Silver. Why don't we go out and have an adventur-"
THWACK!
Clayton fell onto his back as cubone's bone club hit him square in between the eyes, "Ow," he uttered.
-Flashback End-
"...And we've been friends ever since," Clayton said, causing everybody else to sweat drop.
("Friends?") Charles and Benny heard Silver spat, ("Yeah right. How would you like it if somebody caught you and forced you to travel around with them, you clumsy oaf.")
The brothers shared a look, clearly there was some conflict between the trainer and his Pokemon.
"Now enough about me, where are you guys heading off to?" Clayton asked with a broad smile.
"We're on an expedition to find the kangaskhan herd," Charles answered.
The young wannabe Ranger's eyes widened, "No way. I know exactly where they're herds are. I know the Safari Zone like the back of my hand, so let me lead you to it."
"You really don't have to," Alice told him, "My venonat can show us the way."
"Oh it's no problem at all," Clayton told him with a dismissive wave of his hand, "It's a duty of a Ranger to help any guests get through the Safari Zone safely," he told them before his face turned pale, "Besides, that last hit was really hard and I'm really scared I'm going to pass out all on my own."
"Oh right. Then of course you can," Alice said in concern.
Kangaskhan Valley
Reaching the bottom of the valley, the team plus Clayton and Silver hid themselves in the tall grass and observed the heard of kangaskhan from a distance. They had to be weary about getting too close as kangaskhan mothers are not too keen on anybody getting close to their young. Kangaskhan are giant, bipedal marsupials with brown hides and creme bellies. They have creme coloured ears, red eyes, and a rounded snout as well as two strong arms and legs and a large tail. On their bellies are pouches where they keep their young. The young kangaskhan look similar to their mothers, but they are far smaller; have light purple hides and they eyes are black. The kangaskhan were simply grazing on the grass out in the open or talking to each other while their young played together under the vigilant eyes of their mothers. Charles took out his pokedex and scanned the new Pokemon:
Kangaskhan: If it is safe, the young gets out of the belly pouch to play. The adult keeps a close eye on the youngster.
Alice pulled the binoculars away from her eyes and gave a cute squeal, "Aww the babies are so cute," she whispered, "I wonder how long they have to go before they evolve."
Charles glanced at her, "Oh no, they don't evolve. The kangaskhan and baby are just one Pokemon."
Alice blinked in confusion, "What?"
"Yeah, it's kind of like a slowbro. They are technically two Pokemon combined together."
"Well not really, because they are attached to each other. Those are two separate Pokemon," Alice said pointing at both the kangaskhan and their young.
Charles hummed, "Yes…and no. It's hard to explain.
"Shhh" Flo whispered, "Don't ruin the expedition with technicalities."
Alice hummed curiously before she placed the binoculars over her eyes once more. She looked at at one baby kangaskhan in particular away from the other other babie. It was cutely looking around a hollow log; poking its little head into one end and cooing in delight. However, she then saw it yelp and leap back and began scratching his face as it tried to remove a splinter stuck on her nose.
"Oh no," Alice whispered, catching the others attention, "that baby kangaskhan hurt itself."
Charles took the binoculars from her and looked for himself, "I see. Poor thing. Don't worry though, its mother would help it. It's not like we can't rush in and come to its rescue."
"What was that!?" Clayton yelled as he got to his feet, earning panicked looks from the others, "A Pokemon in trouble! As a Ranger, I cannot ignore it!" Come on, Silver!" he cried as he charged head on to the herd.
"Clayton!" Charles whispered as loudly and urgently as he can, "Clayton! Stop! You shouldn't-" but it was too late, he was already gone, "Did he not listen to what I just said?"
("Welcome to my world,") Silver muttered distastefully.
Clayton sprinted across the grasslands whilst rummaging through his bag pack; he produced a First Aid Kit from out of it and held it proudly in the air.
"Have no fear, Pokemon! A Safari Ranger is here!" he yelled as he approached the baby kangaskhan.
The young Pokemon was, understandably, surprised to see a human running up to them, brandishing a green box above his head and took a few steps back in fear. Clayton stopped before it and placed his hand on his hips.
"Aha! I see that you have a splinter!" he declared, not noticing the large shadow falling over him, "Well, don't worry, young one, for I will…"
Clayton trailed off when he felt a large hand grip the scruff of his collar and lift him off his feet. The hand slowly turned him around until he was face to face with the snarling face of a kangaskhan; her eyes glaring daggers at him.
"…help…you…" he finished with a terrified gulp. He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, so this must be your child, then. I probably shouldn't have…approached," he uttered nervously, earning a growl from the mother Pokemon. He stuck out his hands and waved them in front of him in panic, "Wait, wait, wait! I'm a Safari Ranger; I wasn't going to hurt your baby. Silver, back me up here," he looked down at the ground, but was surprised to see that the cubone wasn't there, "Huh? Silver? Where did you go?"
The kangaskhan cocked an irritated eyebrow at him, causing him to shake in fear. Luckily, before the large Pokemon could so anything to him, Charles and the others ran up to them.
"Wait, please," he calmly called out, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm, "I'm really sorry about him, madam. He just saw your child injured and ran in blindly. He really didn't mean no harm."
The kangaskhan looked down at him curiously before glaring at Clayton. She eventually sighed and dropped him back onto his feet.
("Fine. But don't do it again,") she firmly scolded him before turning her attention back to her baby, ("Oh sweetie, what's wrong? Did you hurt yourself again?") she gently said as she scooped the young Pokemon in her arms.
("It really hurts, mama. My nose hurts,") the baby kangaskhan squeaked.
("Oh sweetie, you have to be more careful,") the kangaskhan softly scolded, before she rocked her in her arms, ("There, there. Everything is going to be alright.")
Silver watched the mother comfort her child in her arms from afar and sighed sadly, ("I miss my mum,") he uttered as tears formed in his eyes.
Charles cleared his throat, alerting the kangaskhan to his presence, "If you like, we can help you take the splinter out of her nose," he nodded his head at Flo, who seemed surprised by being called out, "My friend belongs to the Joy family. Have you heard of them?"
("Vaguely,") the kangaskhan answered, observing the pink haired girl.
"Well, she knows everything about medicine. You can trust her."
The Pokemon frowned skeptically but before she could say anything else, the baby kangaskhan waved her hands around in excitement.
("I want the human to help me, mama! She looks fun!")
("But sweetie-")
("Please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeaaaaaaasssssseeeeee!") the baby kangaskhan chanted.
The elder Pokemon sighed, ("Fine, fine,") she said before turning to Flo and holding out her child for her to take, ("Please be careful with her.")
Flo gave her a confident smile and reached up to take her, "Thank you for trusting me-"
"Have no fear!" Clayton yelled as he snatched the baby kangaskhan away, "Us Rangers are knowledgeable on all kinds of medicine and treatment. I'll take care of the young one here."
"Clayton," Alice said, looking from the furious Flo and the kangaskhan and then back to him, "maybe you should let Flo deal with her."
Clayton, oblivious to the glares on him, placed the baby kangaskhan on a nearby rock, "It's a duty of a Safari Ranger to help every Pokemon and nurse them back to health. This shouldn't take too long," he glanced over and saw his cubone standing next to the First Aid Kit he dropped earlier, "Silver please hand me the First Aid Kit..."
...
...
...
"...Good call, Silver. It's best I get it myself and...famaliarise myself with all the equipment," Clayton sheepishly said as he went over and picked up his First Aid Kit for himself.
He retrieved the kit and kneeled in front of the baby kangaskhan with his backed to them, "Okay, stay still," he told them as he got to work.
The others watched on in concern; seeing him pull out an assortment of gear and equipment from his First Aid Kit and using it on the Pokemon. He was making a lot of noise as he did so, muttering to himself as he went on.
"I probably need more disinfectant...oh and more bandages...Wait, so what's this do?... Oh, it should be fine...more disinfectant...where's the thingy?...what's it called?...I could do without it...I need more bandages here...here...oh and probably there...wow, this disinfectant smells terrible...I should probably check the Use-by-date on it...one more thing there...and finished!" he declared, standing up and presenting the young Pokemon, "What do you think?"
The others, especially the mother Pokemon, stared in absolute horror at the baby kangaskhan. She was covered, from head to tail, in clumsily wrapped bandages with only her eyes peeping out of the wrappings. The baby Pokemon looked around in confusion, uttering frightened squeaks as she did.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" Flo yelled at him.
("She looks like she's been mummified,") Benny commented.
Clayton gulped and scratched the back of his head, "I may have...overdone it...maybe a little."
"A little!? She only had a splinter!" Alice cried.
Clayton clicked his fingers, "The splinter! Of course! I knew I was forgetting something."
("Mama,") the baby kangaskhan said in a slightly muffled voice, ("Now it hurts everywhere.")
The kangaskhan growled threateningly at Clayton who took a step back in fear. However, he really should be more worried about Flo.
"Clayton," Flo said sternly, "Where did you learn all your 'medical knowledge'?"
The wannabe Ranger gave her an oblivious grin, "Medical dramas mainly. But don't worry, I only watched the real ones. You know, the ones written by real doctors."
Flo's eye twitched in fury. Without looking away, she reached out her hand to the cubone, "Mind if I burrow your club?"
Silver passed it to her without a single hesitation. She reared her arm back and threw it at him.
THWACK!
Clayton was on the ground, competently unconscious...again; a noticeable swelling appearing on the side of his head. Flo picked up the bone club and passed it back to the cubone before approaching the baby kangaskhan.
"Now why don't we get you all fixed up, okay," she told her sweetly, earning a happy squeak from the young Pokemon.
A few minutes later and Flo had not only unwrapped the baby kangaskhan from her bandages but also removed the splinter from her nose, much to the Pokemon and her mother's delight. The baby kangaskhan seemed to have taken a liking to Flo as she was on her shoulder and playing with one of her hair ringlets, causing Flo to giggle in delight.
"Well, I see you're much better now," Flo kindly said before she gently picked her up and passed her back to her mother, "Thank you for trusting me. I know how precious she is to you."
("She really is,") the kangaskhan agreed as she placed her baby in her pouch, ("Thank you so much for all your help, human.")
"I think we should be going now," Charles said as he looked at the other kangaskhan looking at them suspiciously, "I think the herd are a little on edge with us around."
"Besides we should probably deal with him," Alice said as she and Benny dragged a still knocked out Clayton away from the herd while Silver trailed on from behind.
"Hmm I suppose," Flo said before she scratched the baby kangaskhan head, "Goodbye, sweet heart. You be good to your mother now. And be sure to stay away from dangerous places."
To her surprise, the young Pokemon began to whine sadly, ("I don't want the nice human to go,") she squeaked before looking up at her mother, ("Can she please stay around for longer. Please, please, pleeeeassseee!")
The kangaskhan seemed surprise by her child's pleas. She has always been a curious child; always getting away from her to explore the wilderness around them and (very often) getting hurt because of it. However, this was the first time she wanted a human to stay with her. It wasn't as if she was against the idea; the pink haired girl was much nicer then the humans she has ever met. After a while of thinking, the kangaskhan eventually nodded.
("Okay, but make sure to ask the nice human politely,") she told her, getting the baby kangaskhan to squeak in delight.
The baby reached out and took Flo's hand, ("Please stay with us for a little longer, nice human.")
Flo frowned in confusion, leading to Charles to step in, "She wants you to stay with them for a while," he explained to her.
Her eyes widened in surprise, "What? Really? Am I allowed."
"I think the herd will be fine with just one human about. Besides, you've already one their trust."
Flo hummed before she looked up at the elder kangaskhan, "Well, if you say it's alright then okay. I can stay a little longer."
("Yay!") the little Pokemon cheered as she leapt into Flo's arms, ("Let's go! I want to show you all my favourite places!")
Flo and the elder Pokemon giggled at the young one's excitement, "Aww, you're too cute," she said as she looked back at Charles, "You see in a while."
"Have fun," Charles called back to her as he watched them leave towards the herd.
He smiled and turned to where Alice and Benny had set off, just in time to see another kangaskhan hopped passed him in the opposite direction. From the Pokemon's pouch, a young boy with spiky blue hair and wearing a crudely made tunic popped out of it.
"Kangaskhan! Kanga!" cried the boy, waving his boomerang in the air as he went by.
"Huh," Charles hummed and merely kept on walking, completely unfazed.
...
...
...
...
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and look back at the kangaskhan.
"Wait. What?" he uttered in shock. He tried to find the blue haired boy again, but he and the kangaskhan he was riding in was nowhere to be seen among the herd of Pokemon. Eventually, he shook his head, turned around and kept on walking, "I must be seeing things," he told himself, feeling slightly baffled.
Jungle Clearing
"You doing alright?" Charles asked Clayton, the wannabe Ranger was currently sitting on a log with an ice pack on his head, "Or do you need another ice pack?"
"I'm fine," Clayton said with a cheery smile, "Wow! Silver, must have hit me especially hard that time. I can' revenge remember it. Haha!"
Charles, Benny and Alice shared unsure a look.
"Yeah...Silver was the one who hit you," Alice said, covering for her friend. She glanced back at the cubone who was sitting with his back to them, "Speaking of him, Silver kind of looks a little grumpy."
"Oh no," Clayton laughed, "he's just tired, that's all," he told them. However, the laughter soon died away and he began to look glum. He gave a wary sigh and held his head in his hands, "Actually, I have to tell you guys something. I don't know if you guys have notice anything...but I'm starting to think Silver doesn't like me."
They resisted the urge to roll their eyes at that.
"Really? I honestly couldn't tell," Alice dead panned sarcastically.
"I know right. I had my suspicions, but I'm now completely certain he doesn't like me," Clayton replied, not picking up her tone.
("Good grief,") Benny muttered, voicing Charles' and Alice's thoughts.
Clayton sighed, "I don't know what to do. I've tried everything to show him how exciting the life of a Safari Ranger is. I even tried to make it even more fun by dressing up like a hero...but nothing seems to work," his eyes fell to his feet, looking down at them with a sorrowful expression, "I just want to bond with him. All the other guys in my class manage to become friends with their Pokemon. So, why can't I?"
Charles, Alice and Benny looked down in him sadly. He wasn't a bad of a person, per se. Excitable. Yes. Oblivious. Yes also. But he does have good intentions and it's clear that he cares for the cubone quite a lot.
Charles leaned down and placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, "You're not doing anything necessarily wrong. I think the problem is that you're not listening to him."
"Listening? But he doesn't talk to me."
"There are more the one way of listening, especially when it comes to Pokemon. When you do all your Ranger activities, do you think he wants to do any of them?"
"He's just shy, who wouldn't want to become a Safari Ranger? They are so cool."
"Do you actually think that or are you trying to convince yourself that?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.
Clayton was about to retort, but after a few seconds he shook his head, "I guess I am trying to convince myself. But I love being a Ranger. I'm really good at it...I just wanted a friend to share that love with...Pokemon or human."
"We understand," Charles told him honestly, "but forcing somebody to do things is not right at all. You need to create an emotional bond first which will then lead to a friendship. That way you can learn from each other and become closer. And I think I might now how," he said, standing up straight, "The best way to test yours and your Pokemon's trust is through a battle. Have you ever had one?"
Clayton shrugged, "Not really. But I know every move Silver can use."
"Great," Alice said, pointing her thumb to herself, "Why don't you and I have a Pokemon battle. Right here, right now," she declared, catching the cubone's attention.
"But what the no Pokemon battles rule?" Clayton asked.
"That's only against wild Pokemon; there's nothing saying you can't battle other trainers," Charles pointed out.
Alice nodded, "Exactly. But, to be on the safe side, let's try and avoid the destroying the Pokemon's habitat."
Clayton frowned in concern, but the Silver jumped in front of him and gave Alice a competitive look.
("Alright, you're on! I'm going to show you how strong I really am,") he cried out, waggling his bone club.
"Huh? Silver, you want to battle?" Clayton uttered before he frowned in determination, "Alright, let's do this.
In only a few minutes, Clayton and Silver were stood on one side of the clearing and facing Alice who was stood on the other side. Charles and Benny were stood in the middle, acting as referee for the battle.
Charles looked at the two sides before announcing, "This is a Pokemon battle between the (future) Safari Ranger Clayton Reid and his cubone against the (future) Officer Alice Jenny and her Pokemon. It will be a simple one vs one match where the loser is the Pokemon that has fallen unconscious first. Substitutions will not be allowed," he turned to Alice, "Can the competitor release her Pokemon."
Alice smiled, took off one of her pokeballs and opened to reveal that she was battling with Tomoe, "Fight as best you can, Tomoe."
The farfetch'd eyed her opponent before she smirked confidently and readied her leek, ("For the sake of mine master, we shall not yield until we deliverth the final blow.")
"Do your best Silver!" Clayton cheered, earning an annoyed groan from the cubone.
("Don't patronise me,") he muttered before he too readied his bone club.
("Interesting move by Alice,") Benny commented, ("It looks like she's relying on Tomoe's Grass types moves for this match. Not only that, but Silver's Ground type attacks are have no effect on Flying types; taking out most of his moves sets.")
Charles hummed, "Something tells me that Alice is planning something else," he whispered back before he raised his hand in the air, "If both challengers are ready; then let the battle begin!"
(Battle Begin)
Clayton instantly made the first move, he pointed at Alice and commanded, "Silver use Bonemerang!"
The cubone reared its bone club to above his head and threw it at Tomoe. However, they were already prepared for this.
"Tomoe use Cut and deflect it," Alice called out.
The farfetch'd sliced her leek upwards and parried the bone club before it could hit her. The bone flew back towards their opponents. However, because it flew a little too high over Silver's head, Clayton was forced to duck before the club smashed him in the face again. The club sailed over his head and collided with a tree before bouncing off it and falling onto the ground. Clayton gulped nervously, his life flashed before his eyes at the thought of getting hit by the bone. Charles gave Alice and Tomoe a look, causing them to flinch slightly.
"Please try not to injure the trainer both of you," he sighed.
"Sorry."
("We apologise.")
Clayton gave them a nervous wave, "It's fine."
Alice shook it off and focused on the match, "Tomoe leap into the trees. Try not to let him spot you."
At her command, Tomoe flew up into the trees and hid herself among the large leaves. She zipped left, right and in circles, not taking a moment to stop at any tree for a second. Clayton and Silver tried to track her down, but she was too fast.
"Now use Fury Cutter!" Alice called out.
Suddenly, bursting out from the leaves of one tree, Tomoe flew towards the unsuspecting cubone and began to ferociously swipe at him with her leek. Luckily, Silver was able to get his bone club up in time to stop the attack from doing any sort of damage.
"Use Headbutt to get the Pokemon off of you," Clayton ordered.
Silver reared his skull-covered head back and tried to headbutt Tomoe, but the farfetch'd had jumped away a split second earlier and flew up into the air, her leek clasped firmly in her beak.
"Use Air Cutter, Tomoe," Alice ordered.
Tomoe began to beat her wings rapidly, creating silver air slashes that hurtled towards Silver. The cubone raised his club in front of him which took the brunt of the attack, but the force still pushed him back a few feet.
"Great work, Tomoe. We're really putting them on the ropes," Alice called out, making the farfetch'd gave a curt nod in agreement.
Clayton hummed thoughtfully before his eyes widened when he thought of an idea, "Silver use Fling at the farfetch'd's head," he ordered.
Silver raised his bone club back and threw it at the airborne Tomoe. The farfetch'd flew down and allowed the club to fly right over her head; avoiding it by mere inches. However, that had only been a distraction for Clayton to give his next move.
"Use Headbutt!" he commanded as the cubone rushed at her headfirst.
"Tomoe take the hit," Alice ordered.
Tomoe raised her leek sword and met the attack; the force of it sending her back and making her land on the ground elegantly. The farfetch'd glared at her opponent as the bone club flew back into Silver's hand.
("Clever. Rather uncouth, but clever nonetheless,") she muttered.
("Damn, it didn't work") Silver grumbled in disappointment.
"Now that was interesting," Charles hummed, "I didn't think Clayton had it in him to such a thing; considering this is his first battle with Silver."
("Using Fling to distract Tomoe and then following it up with an attack when she didn't have a chance to move. That's not bad. Shame that Normal type attacks are not effective on Tomoe and the fact that she's pretty tough.")
"Not bad," Alice commented, "But we're not done yet. Tomoe use Sword Dance."
Tomoe held her leek sword in front of her and took a deep breath, focusing all her energy. She then began to twirl her leek around herself in what looked to be a dance; getting faster and faster as a intense energy began to build up inside her until she came to a stop.
Clayton knew he had to finish this match soon or else Silver will be easily defeated by the powerful farfetch'd. He thought of something.
"Silver, let's do this! Use False Swipe!" he ordered.
Silver took a deep breath, readied his bone club before sprinting towards Tomoe at blinding speeds. He could feel the power build up in him, becoming greater and greater with every step he took. However, Alice and Tomoe had other ideas.
"Meet Silver halfway and use Knock Off!" she ordered.
The farfetch'd, being the faster Pokemon, sprinted at Silver before the cubone realised what had happened. In a split second, she raised her leek and swiped the club out of his hand, sending it flying in the air, much to the Pokemon and Clayton's disbelief. The club landed a few meters away, too far for him to go after it; he was utterly defenceless and Alice knew that.
"Tomoe into the trees and don't stop moving," she ordered as the farfetch'd leapt into the trees and out of sight. Clayton and Silver tried to track her down but she was merely a blur, "you might be wondering why I used Tomoe. Well, just like her, I bet Silver relies heavily on his weapon. So take that out of the occasion and he's left exploded."
"Oh no," Clayton gasped.
Alice smirked before she raised her hand into the sky, "Tomoe use Aerial Ace!" she commanded
Tomoe zipped out of the trees and into the sky, blocking the sun from their view and casting a shadow over Silver. She eventually took a nose dive and plunged downwards towards the helpless cubone and with one fell swoop she hit him with the side of her wings; the sheer force of it making him fly backwards and skid to a halt on the ground.
After a few seconds, Charles and Benny went over and saw the swirls in the cubone's eyes. He raised his arm towards Alice.
"Silver has fainted. The winner is Alice Jenny and Tomoe," he declared, causing Alice to whoop in joy and for Tomoe to proudly smirk.
(Battle Finish)
"Silver are you alright!?" Clayton cried out in panic as he ran up to his Pokemon and lifted him into his arms, "I'm sorry Silver. I should have done better."
Alice and Tomoe immediatly jogged up to them, "Is he alright? I only used Aerial Ace because it wouldn't be effective on a Ground type. I didn't think he was going to be hit that hard."
Clayton sighed and shook his head, "No, it's fine. Well done, you fought really well."
Silver groaned in pain and opened his eyes. He noticed that he was in the arms of Clayton with him looking down at him. It didn't take him long to remember the battle and he grew angry instantly. He leapt out of his arms and landed on the ground next to him, snatching his bone club as he did so.
("Defeated by a Flying type move, how humiliating,") he grunted in annoyance before he glared at Tomoe, ("It was his fault. I should never have listened to him. I would have defeated you otherwise.")
Tomoe raised an eyebrow, ("There is nobleness in defeat, dear sir. Do not be bitter to thy opponent.")
("Whatever. I hate this!") Silver growled as he ran off into the forest.
"Wait! Silver! Where are you going!?" Clayton cried out in worry.
But there was nothing he could do. Silver swiftly disappeared into the jungle, nowhere to be seen. Clayton stared in the direction he took off for a few seconds before he sighed sadly.
"Now he hates me even more."
Meanwhile
Silver used his bone club to whack away the bushes out of his path, grumbling bitterly to himself as he went along.
("Stupid battle, stupid human, stupid...everything...I hate everything!") he shouted before he bowed his head sadly, ("I want my mum. Why did she have to leave me. It's not fair,") he sobbed, ("I WANT MY MUM!")
In his anger and sadness, he raised his bone club and whacked another bush that was in front of him.
THUNK!
("Huh?") the cubone uttered in confusion as his bone club collided with something hard.
Suddenly, the horned head of a tauros pushed its way through the leaves of the shrub, making Silver step back in surprise. Its eyes were red in anger, it snorted a jet of air from its nostrils and it dug its front hooves into the ground. Their was a noticeable swelling on the tauros' nose and it didn't take the cubone long to figure out what he accidentally hit. Silver gulped and took a few steps back from the irate Pokemon, shivering in fear.
("Mother,") he yelped meekly.
The others, who were desperately trying to find Silver among the thick foliage, heard a loud bellowing moo from somewhere deep in the jungle, making them stop in shock.
"Huh? What was that?" Alice asked.
Charles hummed, "It sounds like a-"
Suddenly, a large tauros burst out through the bushes and charged at them wildly, kicking his rear hooves in the air and shaking his horned head dangerously.
"-Tauros!" Charles shouted as he grabbed Alice and Clayton and pulled them out of the way of the rampaging Pokemon.
Clayton heard another sound coming from the tauros; he looked upon the Pokemon's back and gasped when he saw Silver clinging to the tauros' mane for dear life.
"Silver!" he cried.
("HELP ME! HELP ME!") Silver shouted as the tauros suddenly took off again down the hill, making the bone club fly out of the cubone's hand.
Clayton caught the club in mid-air and gaped as he watched the Pokemon charge away from them, "Oh no, this is bad."
"You're telling me," Alice said, recovering from the sudden attack, "We need to save Silver."
"Yes, but not only that," Clayton gulped as he pointed in the direction of the bovine Pokemon, "But the tauros is heading in the direction of its herd. If other tauros see it panicking then the rest will follow suit. We might have a stampede on our hands and Silver's caught up in the middle of it."
("Then we have no time to lose. We need to go after him,") Benny said.
"I agree," Charles said, "But how. We haven't got any Pokemon we can ride...and the one we do is still very ill."
"Leave it to me," Alice said as she opened one of her other pokeballs to reveal her machoke, "Atlas, we need you to chase that tauros whist carrying us. Do you understand?"
("You got it, bro,") Atlas happily agreed as he bent down, ("Hop on.")
While Alice climbed onto his shoulders, Charles, Benny and Clayton shared a confused look.
"What about u-" Charles began to say before he was, unceremoniously, grabbed by Atlas by the back of his coat and lifted off his feet with Benny griiping tightly to his hat. Clayton was also given the same treatment by in Atlas' other arm.
("Alright, hold on tight, bros!") Atlas cried as he sprinted after the rampaging tauros.
Charles, still dangling in mid-air and occasionally getting his by branches and leaves, looked up at Alice who was sitting comfortable on his shoulders, "I don't suppose you want to switch-"
"Nope," Alice simply replied, causing Charles to sigh in defeat.
The tauros sprinted through the trees and the plants, trampling everything in his path and scaring the smaller Pokemon. All the while, Silver clung to its mane as tightly as he can which only served to infuriate the tauros further.
("Get off me!") the tauros bellowed, ("Get off me now!")
("No! Please! I'll die if I let go!") Silver cried in fright.
The bovine Pokemon didn't listen and continued to charge through the jungle. He finally reached the edge of it and charged down the grassy hill to where the tauros herd would gather to graze. However, as they heard the furious cries, some of the head looked up to see one of their own charging towards him.
("What's be doing?") one of the tauros said.
("He looks like he's running away from something, but I can't see what,") another tauros mused.
One of the tauros, who too was busy eating, looked up at that, ("He's running away from something? Is it dangerous?")
("Danger!?") a tauros said, also not listening to what was happening called out, ("Did somebody say there was danger!?")
("Damn! I hate danger. I'm going to move away,") another tauros decided before he started to trot away.
("Hey, where's he going?")
("He said there was danger somewhere. I'm going after him. I'm not taking any chances.")
("No, me neither.")
("Nor me.")
One by one, like a chain reaction, the tauros began to run in the same direction as their fellow Pokemon; spooking themselves with herd mentality. What started as one rampaging tauros turned into a wild group of tauros before turning into a ferocious stampede of angry, confused and very strong Pokemon.
And in the middle of it all, literally and figuratively, was Silver who feared for his safety more then ever.
Suddenly, the tauros he was riding on bucked and made him lose his grip and was thrown off of him. He bounced on three different tauros before finally landing on one tauros and grabbing his fur tightly; this time he wouldn't let go.
Atlas and his cargo burst out of the tree line and began running after the stampede across the grassy plains. Due to his strength, Atlas was able to keep up with the herd, but was unable to get to Silver. Alice searched the herd before spotting the cubone on the tauros in the centre of the stampede, however there was no way of getting to him.
"I found him," Alice called down to them, "but we need to slow the stampede down before we can do any of that."
"That's not going to happen," Charles told her, "you have to let them calm down on their own. It should take…maybe a few hours."
Clayton looked ahead to where the stampeded was headed and gasped, "I recognise this place. We don't have a few hours," he told them, "We're heading straight to the kangaskhan herd."
Their eyes widened in shock.
("Flo is still down there,") Benny pointed out.
"As well as a dozen baby kangaskhan," Charles muttered in horror. He searched the herd for any ways to stop them before his eyes landed on the tauros that Silver had previously been clinging onto. He was kicking, mooing and whipping himself and others with his tails and acting way more violently then the others, "I think I have an idea. That tauros over there is making the others angrier. Perhaps calming him down would encourage the others to do the same."
"Yeah, but how are you going to get there?" Alice asked.
("Don't worry, I got you,") Atlas said.
"W-what do you meAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!" Charles yelled as the machoke hurled him and Benny over towards the tauros.
"ATLAS!" Alice yelled her Pokemon.
Charles and Benny landed roughly on one of tauros in the herd, knocking the wind out of him. However, he grabbed hold of its hide and prevented himself from slipping off. Benny jumped off his shoulder and helped pull him up as well. Charles took a few seconds to recover before looking up and seeing where the tauros they needed to stop was. Said Pokemon was at least twenty meters away with a couple dozen tauros in the way.
("He's all the way over there,") Benny muttered as he grabbed hold of his shoulder, ("How are we going to do it.")
Charles thought for a moment before steadily and shakily climbed to his feet, balancing upon the bovine Pokemon's back, "I guess we have to do this," he said before leapt onto the next tauros, grabbing hold of its fur for balance, "sorry about this," he apologised to the Pokemon.
He repeated the process; leaping and landing on the back of the tauros as he and Benny made their way over to the wild tauros. There was close calls; almost slipping off or falling and gouging himself on one of the horns, but Benny was there to either push or pull him back before he got hurt.
Clayton and Alice watched them from the sidelines, obviously concerned for them. The wannabe Ranger turned away and spotted Silver still clinging on. Fear and worry filled his heart, but then that fear turned into determination as he gripped his fist around Silver bone club. He straightened his hat on his head before looking up at Atlas.
"Machoke throw me as well. Towards where the cubone is," he ordered firmly.
Alice's eyes widened in shock, "What!? Absolutely n-" Atlas promptly throw Clayton into the stampede as well, "ATLAS!"
("Whoa! Sorry, was I not supposed to do that?") he asked back in confusion.
Kangiskhan Valley
Meanwhile, Flo was enjoying her time with the kangaskhan. The kangaskhan, once they saw she wasn't a threat, allowed her to stay with their herd for a while. The mother's were very...well, motherly towards her; making sure she was fed and taking extra precautions she was safe. The children were friendly and delightful and she must of spent ages playing with them all. They especially enjoyed playing with her hair ringlets or going through her rucksack. The baby kangaskhan who she helped was very attached to her, always trying to gain her attention from the others and bringing her to her favourite spots along with her mother, of course.
However, Flo was sitting and relaxing on the ground with the herd with the baby kangaskhan in her lap when she felt the ground tremble underneath her. She frowned slightly and looked around, seeing the other kangaskhan had noticed as well. She placed the baby kangaskhan down on the ground and stood up.
"What is that? Surely it can't be an earthquake," she told herself.
Suddenly, she spotted a giant dust cloud in the distance. She reached into her rucksack and pulled out her own pair of binoculars and looked through them and gasped at what she saw.
"It's a stampede," she muttered, "we need to get out of here."
It seemed like the kangaskhan were ahead of her, because they were already ushering their young into the pouches and began jumping away. Flo was about to follow suit when she noticed the kangaskhan from earlier look around frantically. She looked around as well and instantly understood her panic:
Her baby was gone.
They were unaware that that baby kangaskhan was hopping towards the stampede: her curiosity getting the best of her.
Back with Silver, the small Pokemon was still holding on as tightly as he can, but the fur was starting to slip through his stubby. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes tight as tears poured from his eyes.
("Help me,") he whimpered, ("Mum please come and help me.")
"Silver!"
The cubone's eyes snapped open when he heard the voice; he looked around and, much to his utter disbelief, saw Clayton clambering and jumping on the backs of the tauros over to him. He could see the sweat on his face and his hands dirty and bruised, but yet there was a fire in his eyes; a determination so strong that it shocked Silver a little. He had never seen him like this.
Clayton leapt onto the tauros next to the one Silver was riding's back and landed on his stomach painfully; he looked up but saw that the gap between him and Silver was too far to jump or reach for him. He gritted his teeth, reached as far as he can and called out to him.
"Silver! You need to jump!"
("Are you insane! I'm not doing that!") Silver shouted back, shaking his head at him.
"I know it's dangerous, but I'm going to catch you! I promise!"
The cubone shook his head again, ("No way! I'm not doing that! You're going to drop me like the clumsy human you are!")
Clayton hummed in worry before he reached into his pocket, pulled out the cubone's club and showed it to him, "I've got your club!" he shouted at him, making Silver look up at him, "I caught it and saved it for you! I know I can be clumsy and hard-headed and a little bit annoying and I especially know that I haven't been treating you very well! I was just excited to have a partner that I realised...I wasn't considering your feelings!" his eyes looked down at the ground as zoomed by, "I'm really sorry! I really regret it now! However, right now you have to trust me to catch you! Not because I'm ordering you to, but because I don't want to see you hurt! Please Silver! Just trust me this once!"
Silver stared at him, contemplating what he said. He looked down at his bone club in his hand before looking down at the hard hooves that hammered the ground. He was asking him a lot from him, but in order to get out of this situation...he needed to trust him. He narrowed his eyes, shakily got to his feet and focused on Clayton. His legs began to shake in fear, but he took a deep breath and tried not to think about falling. He took another deep breath...
...3...
...2...
...1... and leapt off the tauros back towards Clayton.
He felt the air whip his head, the sound of hooves and mooing grew even more intense and his heart almost stopped as he flew through the air...
...and into Clayton's arms.
The wannabe Ranger hugged the cubone tightly to his chest, tears of joy coming to his eyes, "I've got you," he uttered, "I've got you."
Silver was, at first, repelled by his comfort, but he then, slowly and surely, got used to it and hugged him back.
He was safe.
However, there was still one major problem and Charles and Benny were doing all they can to stop it. They reached the wild tauros and leapt onto its mighty back; as soon as they landed the tauros was doing everything he could to knock them off.
("GET OFF ME! GET OFF ME!") he mooed as he tried to shake them off.
"Please calm down. You're not in danger," Charles told him as comfortingly as he could muster, "You're going to get somebody hurt."
("GET OFF ME!") the tauros bellowed, not listening to him at all.
("This isn't going to work!") Benny yelled in his ear, ("We're not getting through to him.")
Charles gritted his teeth as he tried to think of what to do. The kanagskhan herd was quickly approaching and Flo was stuck in the middle of it all.
Suddenly, he thought of an idea.
He didn't like it at all, but he had no choice.
Charles took a Safari Ball off his belt and pressed the button to expand it, "Benny hold on tightly. I'm going to catch the tauros."
Benny looked at him disbelief, ("But you-")
"We don't have a choice. It's the only way of stopping him!"
The shiny pikachu gave him an unsure look before he nodded reluctant and held on tightly. Charles lifted the Safari Ball up and slammed it down on the tauros' back. Instantly the Safari Ball opened up and, in a beam of red light, sucked the Pokemon into the ball and Charles managed to catch it before it fell under the other tauros' hooves. However, since the tauros they were riding on disappeared, the two brothers began to fall to the ground...
FWOOSH!
...suddenly a large hand grabbed the back of his coat and pulled Charles and Benny up and over the herd and away from getting injured. Looking up, they saw that Atlas, with Alice still on his shoulders, had grabbed him as he leapt over the stampede, using his herculean strength to bound over the entire tauros herd. Atlas landed on the other side of the stampede and stumbled a little with the landing, but at least they were safe. He placed Charles down on the ground and gave a thumbs up.
("Saved you, dude!")
"Thanks Atlas," Charles said with a cheery grin before he heard a ding coming from his hand. He looked down and saw the Safari Ball had successfully captured the tauros. Immediately, the Safari Ball began to glow brightly and disappeared from his hand, having been teleported to the Safari Zone HQ, causing him to sigh miserably, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to forcefully capture you."
"Oh no," Alice uttered, catching his attention, "the tauros are not slowing down enough."
He looked up and saw she was right. It did look like the tauros were calming down a little, but, despite the main aggressor being gone, they were still stampeding.
There was nothing they could do.
The mother kangaskhan and Flo detached desperately for the baby Pokemon in a panic, checking every patch of long grass, every potential hiding place and even up some trees. Flo hummed in frustration and concern, the stampede was almost here and the needed to make sure the little one is safe.
Suddenly, they herd a startled squeak nearby. The mother instantly recognised it and hopped over towards it.
("My baby,") she gasped as Flo followed quickly behind.
They eventually found her with her desperately trying to pull her leg out of diglett hole she accidentally hopped onto, but once she spotted her mother she gave a happy and relieved squeak.
("Mama!")
("Oh, my sweetie,") the mother kanagskhan cried as she looked closely at the hole she was stuck in, ("why are you out here?")
("I wanted to see the cloud,") she said, referring to the dust cloud, the tauros were kicking up.
The stampede was getting closer and closer; Flo could practically see the tips of their sharp horns gleaming in the sunlight. The mother kangaskhan frowned crossly before she stood before Flo and her child, her arms outstretched as if she was protecting them from the oncoming tauros.
"What are you doing?" Flo gasped, "you can't take all of them."
The mother kangaskhan looked at her over her shoulder, ("I'll do anything to make sure my child is unharmed. You concentrate on digging her out. I'll cover you.")
Flo seemed reluctant at first, but decided that it was best to help the baby kangaskhan and began to dig her out of the hole.
Meanwhile, Clayton had managed to sit upon the tauros' back with Silver in his arms. His eyes widened when he saw the kangaskhan mother, her baby and Flo about to be hit by the stampede. Clayton gritted his teeth before he got an idea.
"Silver, I need you to do one thing for me. Both Pokemon and human lives depend on us," he told the cubone.
Silver blinked thoughtfully before he nodded in determination.
"Good," he said before he held him above his head and nodded to a tauros at the front of the herd, "hit that tauros on the far right on the head with you bone club. Are you ready!?"
Silver nodded and focused all his attention, his club raised above his head. He gave a definite nod. Seeing that he was ready, Clayton took a deep breath and yelled:
"Use Bonemerang!"
Silver launched the bone club high into the air, spinning like a wheel as it went. It arched to the left and began to hone in on the tauros...
...it got closer...
...and closer...
...and closer until...
SMACK!
The bone smacked the tauros on the right side of his face. Slightly stunned, the Pokemon automatically veered to the right with the force of the blow, knocking the tauros next to him. That tauros also hit the one its left and then he hit the tauros on its left, creating a shift in the stampede's movement. Remarkably, the herd began to veer to the left as one tauros hit the other and soon the other tauros behind them began to follow.
The herd was only a few meters away from the kangaskhan before they suddenly changed direction, completely avoiding them from being trampled on. The kangaskhan, her child and Flo awed as dozens of tauros had missed them by mere meters.
Seeing the change in direction, Clayton and Silver cheered victoriously and hugged each other.
"We did it, Silver! We did it!"
("We sure did!") the cubone cheered happily.
Clayton smiled and petted his head, "You and I really do make a good-"
Suddenly, the tauros they were riding on sharply turned along with his herd and, due to not holding on, both Clayton and Silver was tossed into the air by the force.
("YOU IDIOT! WHY DIDN'T HOLD ON!")
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Clayton yelled as he and Silver hurtled to the ground.
THUMP!
They were suddenly caught by a pair of very strong and tough arms; they looked up to see the face of the kangaskhan mother looking down at them as she cradled them in her large arms.
She raised an eyebrow at them, ("Every time there's trouble, you're always around,") she muttered.
Clayton gave her a sheepish smile, "Haha, thanks for that."
Later on, as the sun began to descend into the horizon, the team and Clayton and Silver were on the edge of the Kangaskhan herd, making sure that everything was alright with them. Although, they were a little shook up, the large Pokemon were absolutely fine, much to everyone's relief. Currently, Flo was hugging the baby kangaskhan goodbye while her mother was nearby, looking at the scene sadly.
Flo eventually pulled away and smiled down at the baby, "You take care now and be nice to your mother, okay?"
("Okay,") the baby kangaskhan sighed as Flo handed her back to her mother, ("Mama, does she really have to go?") she sweetly asked from her mother's pouch.
("Yes, sweetie. Although it was nice meeting her, she has to go now,") she gently told her child.
The baby kangaskhan bowed her head sadly, ("But I don't want her to go.")
The kangaskhan hummed thoughtfully; she did help protect her during the stampede so it was only natural that she'll grow attach to the human. She as well liked her as well and really appreciated it when she took the splinter out of her nose. The mother kangaskhan frowned slightly before looking up at one of Flo's pokeballs attached to her belt. Coming to a decision, the mother pointed at the Safari Ball, much to Flo's surprise.
"You want me to catch you two?" she asked in disbelief. The kangaskhan nodded definitely as the baby kangakhan jumped up and down in joy. Flo smiled, took a Safari Ball off her belt and tapped the kangaskhan on the nose, "Of course, you can come. Any Pokemon's welcome to join."
Both kangaskhan were sucked into the Safari Ball; the ball shook a few times before making a ding to signify a successful capture.
"Wow, a kangaskhan," Charles said, "that means you have six Pokemon on your team. You need to start team rearranging like I do if you want any other Pokemon to join your team."
Flo sighed happily, "I just know that's going to be a hassle," she said as she put the Safari Ball back on her belt.
Alice, meanwhile, turned to Clayton, noticing that the cubone was hanging by his side rather then staying at a distance, "It looks like you two have finally made up."
"I know. It feels great," Clayton chuckled.
Silver rolled his eyes humously, ("Don't get too we're not friends yet.")
("Yet, huh?") Benny pointed out.
("S-shut up!")
"So, what are you two going to do now," Flo asked.
Clayton hummed and scratched his chin, "I'm thinking of going home for now. I really want to introduce Silver to my parents," he looked down at the cubone sheepishly, "If that's alright with you."
Silver thought for a moment before nodding his head in confirmation.
"Yes," Clayton said before he turned to Alice, "Hey, next time we meet, I want a rematch and this time I'll win."
Alice giggled, "Don't be too sure about that. Tomoe and I are unstoppable."
"We'll see about that. For a Ranger can tackle any task with ease!" he declared before he and Silver turned and began walking away, "See you guys! Thanks for everything!"
"Bye!" they called back, watching him and his Pokemon make their way across the grassy plains.
They too began to walk away in the opposite direction. They had set out to find the kangaskhan, ran into a swarm of beedrill, met up with Clayton and his cubone silver and stopped a dangerous stampede. Overall, it had been a busy day for the team, but now they were heading back to their camp to get some rest for the next big day of adventuring. After all, there was plenty of things to do in the Safari Zone.
...
...
...
...
"Okay," Alice said as they walked into the jungle, "Explain to me again about the kangaskhan."
"Right, so kangaskhan refers to both the baby and their mother," Charles explained.
"But they're two separate Pokemon," Alice countered.
"Yes...and no. They both come from the same egg, you see."
"From the same egg?"
"Yes."
"This Pokemon hatches from its egg and, despite being a baby itself, already has a baby."
"...yes."
"Where did the baby kangaskhan come from?"
"The same place the mother kangaskhan comes from."
"From the egg?"
"From the egg."
"You see how ridiculous that sounds."
"Well, not entirely ridiculous because we just met an entire herd of kangaskhan."
"And all of them came from eggs."
"All from eggs."
"Along with their children?"
"All from eggs."
"Has anybody seen this happen?"
"What? The eggs hatching or the eggs being laid?"
"...both."
"Yes, to the first one, but no to the second."
"Nobody has ever seen a Pokemon lay an egg?"
"No, they just turn up."
"And we have yet to discover why?"
"It's a complete and utter mystery."
"...Alright, we'll cross that bridge later. How do the kangaskhan react to having their children hatch and already having children?"
"I have yet to ask them, but you have to remember that kangaskhan is both the mother and child. The mother isn't just the kangaskhan...but they are separate Pokemon...in some ways."
...
...
...
...
"Alright, explain it to me one more time."
Benny and Flo sighed miserably, hearing their two friends argue and ruin the peaceful atmosphere, "Right now, I feel like staying back with the kangashan herd."
("So do I?") Benny agreed with a roll of his eyes.
And that's it. Thank you for reading.
I'm particularly proud of the title of this chapter, just like I was with 'Do Porygons Dream Of Electric Mareep'. It turns out I have a lot of fun coming up with titles.
Clayton Reid was created by taking the first name of the actor 'Clayton Moore' and adding the surname of the character he played 'John Reid' in the Lone Ranger. Silver was, of course, named after the Lone Ranger's horse.
If you would like to suggest names for Flo's kangaskhan please put them in your reviews.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks for reading :)
Potential Pokemon List:
Charles
Gastley
Drowzee
Goldeen
Aerodactyl
Onix
Grimer
Hoothoot (Johto)
Octillery (Orange Islands)
Pinsir
Salamance (Hoenn)
Metagross (Hoenn)
Dewgong
Elekid (Johto)
Poochyena (Hoenn)
Chikorita (Johto)
Flo
Psyduck
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)
Omake - Daily Life Of Victor Soul's OCs
Victor Soul's House
It was the afternoon when Lewis Fleetwood from 'The Disappearing Hero' strolled down the hallway to his room. However, he stopped short when he saw Charles hanging just outside Victor Soul's writing office. Frowning curiously, Lewis approached his fellow OC.
"Hey Charles," he greeted, making the younger boy jump in surprise, "What are you doing? You look like you've been sent to the headmaster's office."
"Oh hey Lewis. I'm just listening in on Victor writing my next chapter. He's been working on it for hours so it must be good," he told him.
Lewis leaned in and placed his ear against the door.
Clack-dy Clack Clack Clack Clack-dy!
He heard the sound of somebody rapidly typing on a computer keyboard. He pulled away and nodded.
"Wow! He's typing really fast."
"He really is."
"No, like…unusually fast. He's not even taking a break to think. Have you heard him stop at all?" he asked as he pressed his ear against the door once again.
Charles frowned and pressed his ear against the door as well, "Now that you mention it, it does seem a little-"
Click! Whhhuuuuuuurrrrr! Click! Clack-dy! Clack! Clack!
The two pulled away from the door in surprise when they heard the clack interrupted for a few seconds, replaced by the sound an video would make when rewinding. They shared a confused look before Lewis disappeared using his quirk to teleport into the office. The door opened from to reveal an annoyed Lewis holding up a tape recorder.
"This was taped to the door," he said passing the recorder to him, "Victor is not here."
Charles inspected the recorder and pressed the play button, almost instantly, the clacking sound began to play, causing him to sweat drop.
"So, if he isn't here, then where is he?"
"Found this on his desk," Lewis said holding up a slip of paper, "I think I might know where he is."
Charles looked closely at the paper slip and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. It was an advertisement for a new film coming out; a film titled:
One Piece: Red.
Cinema
In a darkened room, Victor munched on a bucket of popcorn whilst reclining on a chair, his eyes glued to the cinema screen in front of him.
"This is such a great idea," he whispered before turning the the person in the seat next to him, "do you really think that trick worked?"
Edgar Cipher, another OC and designated 'bad boy' of the bunch, reached over and grabbed a handful of popcorn, "Sure it will," he told him before muttering, "just as long as they don't hear it rewinding itself."
"What was that?"
"Just saying how hot Uta is," he replied casually.
Victor rolled his eyes, "You think every women you see is hot."
"Hey, you wrote me," Edgar pointed out.
Victor shrugged in defeat before turning his attention to the screen, "You know One Piece is a cool anime…do you think I should write another sto-"
"Don't you even think about it," Edgar sharply cut him off, "you have five other stories to complete first."
Victor sighed and crossed his arms, "It was just a suggestion," he muttered.
This is basically why I hadn't updated in a while. At least the film was awesome.