Chapter 1.2: The heist.
An: Testing out some things.
Drought.
I wake up, stretch, and do my daily routine.
…
After finding no anomalies, I started heading towards the river to drink and mingle.
Jumping from tree-branch to tree-branch I eventually reached the area where the branches are now too spaced out for me to jump across without using a quick attack.
Normally I would have just dropped down into the ground and started walking instead of using a quick attack to assist my movement and jump across in order to save energy.
But unlike yesterday where I walked like a peasant, this time I didn't slow down but instead I started moving even faster to build myself some momentum causing the trees to shake as snow stuck in the branches were shaken off.
'I couldn't make that gap before, but that was me 20 days ago, this is NOW!' I thought, hyping myself up.
As I jumped forward, everything was in slow motion.
I can see the swaying of the trees in my periphery, the fur on my forelegs being blown back, and myself gliding into the air.
After what seemed like forever, time finally sped up as the jump ended with me landing on the branch.
I didn't stop.
I kept on jumping forward while yipping in joy because I managed to move across a large distance with only my physical prowess alone without the assistance of moves.
Which means I am getting stronger, bit by bit.
And I remember Ninetales can live for thousands of years.
"Oh yeah!" I shouted in glee.
Finally reaching the river, I swaggered in with a spring in my step. I quickly drank in my fill of water and looked around on who's currently at the riverbank.
Looking around, I see Ivy waving at me but Exeggutor is sadly nowhere to be seen.
Normally, this would annoy me since that would mean no free breakfast. But remembering that I'm getting stronger in this dangerous world just gave me a small smile.
"Hey Drought, you're in a good mood even without Exeggutor today." Ivy greeted me.
I nod to her. "Good morning Ivy, I'm just feeling good today that's all."
Once I sat down I activated my ability since even if I don't get free food to restore my reserves, Ivy is a friend and I'm not gonna let her freeze in the cold while I'm around.
When she realized I wasn't going to answer her question, we just sat there in silence basking in the warmth as the other pokemon nearby were now moving closer to our radius.
Ivy's used to me not talking much except when I'm asking her and Exeggutor for information so she just started making small talk with the other pokemon.
Some pokemon tried talking to me but we didn't have anything in common to talk about so I just faded in the background.
The gathered pokemon gossiped to each other about mostly… useless things to me, but I got some confirmation that the ursaring is in hibernation and the last sighting of the Persian was very far away from where I live.
Knowing where that laser throwing mountain lion is a must, after all.
After an hour of no Exeggutor, I stood up and turned off my ability and prepared to leave much to the disappointment of the other pokemon.
'Damn freeloaders.'
"Hey Drought." Ivy called out to me.
I turn to her and tilt my head, urging her to continue.
"Wanna forage food together?" She asked.
I blinked because I actually never had an interaction with anyone outside the river unless killing them counts.
"Sure." I nodded to her.
With that, I followed after Ivy on her usual path when leaving the river.
After a little bit of walking, Ivy led me to an area of the forest where ferns and other shrubs are more commonplace but due to it being winter, the once dense underbrush is now a wall of sticks with some remaining leaves covered in snow.
'Still can't believe I'm experiencing snow for the first time.'
…
I'm currently watching Ivy comb through the rows of sticks with the use of her vine whips while occasionally taking a bite at the tip of a branch.
I joined after her in a few minutes after I'm confident enough that I know what's edible and what isn't.
Why didn't I ask Ivy to teach me how, you might ask?
Because while pokemon can talk to each other, they have a "learn it yourself mentality" and teaching moves or knowledge to other pokemon especially not one from the same species is seen as an intimate thing only done by those who have an accord between both pokemon or long time friends/mates.
Exeggutor agreed to teach me Protect because I befriended him first, and I'm apparently good company even though I don't talk much except if it's about trivias and move theory.
Huh… Maybe that was it.
After a bit of foraging, I managed to dig up some of my favorite tubers and even a large mushroom.
Looking at the sky, I see the sun is at its highest meaning it's about 12 noon if I had a clock.
"I'm bored, can we do something else after this?" I asked Ivy who was busy on her corner, searching for food.
"Other than foraging for edible ferns and mushrooms, maybe we can use that nose of yours to look for truffles underground." Ivy answered me while sifting through the shrubbery, meaning we have nothing else to do.
"That's it?" I asked as I stopped searching.
She stopped and looked at me."Yeah? what else were you expecting."
"Nevermind, but I do have an idea where we can get a more substantial meal though." I said to her as I walked in a different direction.
"Where are we going?" Ivy asked me as she followed.
"Heh, you'll see." As I gave her a smirk.
After some walking, we eventually reached our destination and Ivy was not pleased with where I brought her.
Where did I bring her, you might ask?
The beedrill colony.
A little piece of gossip I got from the river pokemon earlier gave me confirmation that the ursaring is currently hibernating which means the beedrill colony would be left unguarded especially with the cold forcing the bug pokemon to conserve energy and the ones awake would be sluggish.
Normally bees and wasps are supposed to hibernate in winter, but pokemon are built or tougher stuff so they're still active.
"This is a very dumb idea." She said to me.
I just shrugged. "I'm guessing you don't want some honey-"
A wine whip was suddenly at the end of my snoot, shutting me up.
"I haven't said we shouldn't do this, have I Drought?" Ivy asked me with a serious look in her eyes.
'Note to self, Ivy likes honey.'
Cue mission impossible theme.
"We're not going after a large colony so don't worry, I don't want the bear to wake up and start hunting us down. We're gonna target one of the smaller hives since a smaller hive disappearing in the winter won't be suspicious and the main cluster can bounce back once spring hits anyway." I explained to her.
She thinks for a bit then nods at my logic.
"You are going to use a razor leaf to knock down a hive and carry it off with your vines while I fight them off if they have the energy to give chase."
She nods. "Where do we meet and how do we split the loot?" She asked in seriousness.
'It's adorable that she's drooling while in serious mode.' I thought to myself.
"You can keep most of the honey while I lay claim to the beedrill and Kakuna." I answered her.
"Got it."
And with that, we started lurking around the edges of the colony to get a feel of the defenses and plan our approach.
…
We finally found our target after some scouting.
Unfortunately, beedrill are more resilient than the bees on earth and while they are affected by the cold, it's not enough to cripple them.
The hive we picked for our target has the least amount of guards awake but it also has the smallest hive.
Problem is, the beedrill below aren't in hibernation where they pile on top of each other for warmth, but are only sleeping in separate trees meaning they can all instantly wake up and swarm us.
To pull this heist without a hitch, we need to take out the sentries without alerting the hive and let me tell you, the ones awake right now are the strongest members in this group especially if they can stay active in this temperature.
After some discussion, Ivy came up with an idea.
She'll start using sweet scent to attract individual sentries since they are spaced out enough from each other that she can lure away one beedrill then we slip in the gap in their perimeter then make a break for it.
Following the Keep It Simple Stupid principle.
"I like it, let's move." I said to her as we got to our spots.
The operation "get honey." started with Ivy letting out this very nice scent that I couldn't find the correct word for, but all I know is that it got me pretty hungry and happy.
'A weird combination but aight.' I thought to myself.
Eventually, the scent finally reached our beedrill victim as it twitched and started moving closer to investigate.
Normally, the sentry would raise an alarm before investigating but with the winter in full swing, food will be scarce which would make this particular beedrill a hungry pokemon and we just rang the dinner bell.
So it won't have qualms of going solo at the prospect of a free meal before reporting it in.
With Ivy confirming the beedrill had taken the bait, she started moving away into the secluded killzone as I followed them from the branches stalking the beedrill.
As the beedrill reached the proverbial x, I jumped down like an assassin's creed character and slashed it from the back.
The beedrill goes down with a surprised buzz as its wings and back was torn wide open, green blood staining the snow.
"Let's move." I said to Ivy who was approaching.
Ivy nodded at me as we started running through the gap left open in their defenses.
We reached the hive cluster and after a few seconds of waiting for any response, Ivy now extended her vines in anticipation for the hive.
She fires her razor leaf at the branches holding the hive in the air and catches it with her vines in one smooth motion.
Quickly looking around, my body tense, prepared to fight off any attackers as my mouth glowed orange, ready to fire.
…
Nobody showed up to kick our asses.
'Blue-balled, but I'll take it.'
After confirming that the beedrill aren't showing up to swarm us, I turn to look at Ivy and give her the "All clear."
Only to see her in the distance running off with a skip on her step.
"Hey wait up." I whispered as I ran after her.
After reaching a good distance away, we finally cracked the hive open like an egg to split our loot.
I took a small portion of honeycomb for myself and had it act as a makeshift cup while I started piling up the immobile kakuna for me to eat.
I turn and see Ivy gorging herself on the honey and it seems like she's not planning to save some for later.
'Might as well join her.' As I crack one of the kakuna open.
After deciding to join her in the festivities, I'm currently slurping one of the kakuna like you would an egg.
Fun fact. While Kakuna and Metapods can normally move, it turns out they enter some kind of deep sleep while in winter. The one I'm currently slurping had the fright of its life..
Another Fun fact. You can find out the age of a kakuna when you crack them open.
While it's a little bit gory, a newly evolved Kakuna will be like a soupy mess while a later staged cocoon will have an incomplete form of a beedrill.
Pretty similar to an egg to be honest, except eggs don't have the little bugger inside conscious.
Sounds disgusting you say? Too bad I eat balut and its delicious.
The only disturbing thing for me is that I don't feel anything about eating the kakuna alive even when the more developed ones freaked out and tried to escape me.
Luckily Ivy was too busy with her food to comment on it.
I think.
…
After a couple of hours have passed we finished eating and are now on a slow and relaxed walk towards the river to drink and clean ourselves.
"I never felt so stuffed before, especially in winter." Ivy said in satisfaction.
"I'm surprised you didn't save some honey for later." I said to her.
She shrugged. "I would've had to share it with my siblings if that happened and besides, I'm friends with you and I'm pretty sure we would be doing this again."
I just nodded at her logic. 'She's not wrong.'
"You know, we've known each other for at least a moon cycle but I seem to not know anything about you and everytime you tell us stories about yourself it's something crazy and stupid!" Ivy scolded me.
"In my defense, that pidgeotto had a very nice house therefore I must have it." I replied to defend myself.
"What about the raticate you almost killed?" She deadpanned.
I tilt my head. "I didn't know anything about that part, all I know is I got it badly burnt and I was giving chase until I lost it."
"The very same raticate drinks at the river by noon and she told us the story about this rabid pokemon that likes to burn pokemon alive." While rolling her eyes at the last part
"And you don't believe her?" I asked with a smile.
She shook her head. "Considering she pointed in the direction where you usually come from and that you're a fire type capable of holding in the move sunny day for hours, I already had a good idea who this rabid pokemon is."
"I'm not rabid." I mumbled.
She just laughed. "No, but you sure like picking fights with stronger mon and you do know that vulpix normally eat berries and the rare rattata?"
"Rare rattata? They're pretty common, I eat one every 2 days." I tilt my head in confusion.
"There! that's what I meant." She said while using a vine whip to point at me.
"Is there something I'm missing again?" I asked her.
She sighed. "Go ask exeggutor, he likes teaching you and I don't have the right words for it."
"Kay." as we went on with our walk.
After stumbling our way back, we finally reached the river somewhere around noon.
We quickly drank water then splashed ourselves into the water to wash off the dirt and grime.
I then created fire at the tip of my tails and used it to fan us, helping dry and warm us both.
With both of us being stuffed to the brim, Ivy and I decided to hang out at the river for a couple of hours so we could digest our food because fighting on a full stomach at night sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Our peace and quiet got interrupted by various voices calling out to us.
""Big sis Onion!""
We both turn and see a pair of bulbasaurs across the river running to our spot.
"Onion?" I asked Ivy with a smile growing in my face.
I can see her eyes twitch in annoyance and gave me a look that promised pain. "Don't ask."
"No promises." As my ears twitched and I just smiled at her.
She huffed as the pair of bulbasaur now reached us.
""We've been looking everywhere for you/ We thought you were dead!"" They both said simultaneously.
Before they could continue, Ivy used her vine whips and shushed them. "One at a time."
After the twins nodded, Ivy let their mouths go and after a quick exchange in whispers on who goes first, the bulbasaur at my left talked.
"It's almost sundown and you still weren't back, we got worried." The bulbasaur said, avoiding eye contact.
'I guess that's Ivy's younger sister.' I thought, as the left bulbasaur has a similar tone to Ivy's but a bit higher pitched.
The other bulbasaur spoke up with a slightly deeper tone, identifying it as a male. "Yeah! And who's he?" While gesturing to me with his vine whip.
"Name's Drought, I'm a friend of Onion here." While giving Ivy a smirk who just slapped the back of my head.
'Worth. it.'
"Ooh!/Are you two a thing?" They asked me at the same time.
Before I could reply, Ivy just glared at me which translates to "Shut up Drought. And no, he's just a friend." and sighed.
"I'm fine I can take care of myself, but now I have to look after you two on the way home." As she deflates.
"Why don't I walk you three home? Strength in numbers and all that." I offered to Ivy as an apology.
She was about to deny my offer but took a second look at the "innocent" baby faces of the bulbasaur and sighed again.
"I'll take the front while you guard the rear and flanks I guess." Ivy walked off, with her vine whips coiling around the midsection of the twins like a seatbelt.
"So Drought, how did you and our sister meet?" The male bulbasaur I now Identified as Thorn.
I just shrugged. "Met at the river, and she was one of the few who bothered to talk to me when I was asking questions."
The other one who calls herself Bloom gasped. "Does that mean you're also friends with Exeggutor?"
"Yeah?" I answered while tilting my head.
Ivy, who's familiar with my mannerisms, answered my question. "Exeggutor barely speaks to anyone, we're pretty much the exception to that."
"Hn." I grunted.
The three of us kept on talking while Ivy added in her commentary from time to time.
After reaching a part of the forest where the trees are big enough for me to be climable again, I gave Ivy a quick warning that I'll be going into stealth and intercept anything that tries to approach them.
She wished me luck as I set off into the canopy.
The three grass types have slowed their pace and are now quiet while their eyes are now searching for movement.
While the trio were now wary of their surroundings, I was in my element as I jumped from tree branch to tree branch making minimal sound.
Then I realized there was no sound, no background noise and everything was too quiet.
I tensed in preparation.
Then suddenly my ears twitched in a direction causing me to reinforce myself with normal type energy as I started using quick attack, speeding myself up.
My premeditated attack was successful as I crashed into a meowth, and with my momentum, I sent it flying back.
Another meowth pounced at me with its claws extended making me identify the move as fury swipes but I without the element of surprise, I just backed up and dodged the first swipe while I returned the favor with slash, cutting through its claws causing it to yowl in pain.
I then fired a point blank fire shot in its face since it was busy screaming in agony causing it to get knocked out.
A quick look around and I see no other meowths coming out, I turn around and see Ivy with the twins just slack jawed.
"What?" I asked them.
Ivy shakily spoke up. "N-nothing, I know you said you've gotten into fights before but it's a different story up close ya know?" While the twins are nodding.
I just shrugged. "Are these guys part of a pack or are they acting alone?" I asked her.
Ivy hummed in thought. "These two are new here, and if they're part of a pack then we would still be fighting so I'm pretty sure we're in the clear."
I nod. "How far are we from your home?" I asked as I hid my paws in the snow to hide the dim glow of my claws.
"Close enough that you won't need to walk us all the way and you did scare off any attackers so I think we can split off from here."
Using a paw, I waved at her. "Goodbye, take care." Which I quickly hid since it was still glowing.
Ivy saw it but didn't comment on it, since it was herself and her siblings that were about to be attacked.
""Bye Drought!"" The trio of them waved at me and left.
After the three are out of sight, I notice the second meowth I sent flying off now looming at a safe distance away looking at the downed pokemon next to me.
I tilt my head. 'Do I finish the downed one or go after the conscious mon.'
'Decisions, decisions.'
I could've just run away and left, but two dead meowths would mean two potential persians are dead and considering I don't want my competition to learn from their mistakes, I raised my paw as if to gesture I would swipe down on the downed pokemon.
Thankfully, the meowth had a moment of weakness and tried rushing me at the prospect of me planning to finish off its friend.
Tunnel vision is a bitch since the poor meowth didn't even notice me firing off a fire shot.
'Boom, headshot.' As the charging meowth got hit, while I took advantage and pounced with my claws extended, tearing through burned fur of the second meowth with slash.
I then finished off the first meowth then left in a hurry, using quick attack to enhance my movement.
…
After finally reaching home, I did a quick double check of the surroundings for any anomalies as I planned to sleep since today has been a productive but exhausting day.
Interlude Ivy.
Life as a grass type pokemon in the winter season would have been a miserable existence especially with the scarcity of food being added meaning more pokemon competing with each other for scraps of food.
But here she was, stuff to the brim from HONEY of all things!
Ivy has experience with winters before and she's used to hungry pokemon trying their luck with her siblings since she's now too big and has experience in battles.
At least that was what she thought until she saw her new friend dispatch those two meowth earlier without breaking a sweat before she could even react.
Speaking of friend, she couldn't help remembering that young innocent looking Vulpix she met that day at the river asking things that should have been known to every young pokemon before going to a public space alone that she thought that she was being fucked with.
Of course her attitude changed when she found out that Drought, the vulpix was self raised and literally has no idea about etiquette and the unspoken rules of the forest.
Her other friend Exeggutor especially took pleasure in teaching the young fox their ways especially with how he took their information like a goldeen through water.
And then the cute unaware fox slowly but surely turned into one of her biggest worries like her younger siblings!
What in distortion's name would you ever think challenging a pidgeotto just because you liked his house is a good idea!
He won of course, and he has the scars to prove it too!
And then I hear about that raticate crying about the rabid fire breathing pokemon she just encountered.
Rabid fire breathing pokemon? It sounds like she knows that guy.
She sighed. "What a troublesome fox."
"Hoh, having boy troubles I see?" A voice startled me out of my musings.
""MOM!"" As the two twins rushed towards Mother.
"I was getting worried why you three aren't home yet, and then I heard a story about two upjumped meowth trying to attack my children." Mother muttered with a growl.
While the twins went to their favorite sleeping spots, Mother interrogated me of what happened.
"It seems you made an interesting friend, my daughter." She commented.
She snorted. "I think you mean a massive headache." As she headed off to sleep.
Writing barrel ran dry, I have no idea what else to do in the winter season so after this I'm gonna do a skip on the rest of the winter and give a summary on what he achieved.
Drought's Log:
Things I've learned.
River truce: In the absence of predatory water pokemon, the river will be treated as a neutral ground where no one is to hunt. Ponds, lakes don't count if there is a bigger source of water.
Element weaknesses: Fire beating steel will only work if the fire is hot enough, steel immunity to poison is just very high resistance.
Common sense vs game logic: Pokemon species matter, not just the typing itself.
Trait: A physical adaptation some pokemon develop for doing a task over and over.
Ex. Grass type pokemon that prefers to feed on sunlight will grow larger leaves etc.