The Doomed Sprout
Chapter 5
« I thought I had made it clear I wasn't interested in joining you ». The voice was booming and powerful, yet the Pokemon in the forest below all lay dormant. Telepathy was quite a unique feat of communication.
« C'mon, that's not how you make friends, I told you this ! », the Pokemon seemingly unfazed by the hostility in the conversation. « You know you aren't finding anything like what you want right now, and I'm giving you the answer ! »
« I am not bowing down to anyone, I told you that »
« Wellllll… actually I was thinking the other way ! It'd be way more fun if you could fight him ! »
There was a silence for a few minutes. The bubbly Pokemon seemed uncomfortable.
« ...Is that a no ? »
« I admit that I'd love the chance, but failure would mean my death. Is that not a ploy to take me out ? ». The voice was devoid of the usual pride they were so accustomed to.
« As if I needed one for that, silly~ », the Pokemon giggled. « No, I have been told by a pretty little fairy something very interesting to you. A nice way for you to train to get there, if you will ! »
« ...I am listening »
« It'll require you to go to multiple places, but if you first start in Volso Canyon, there is a Pokemon that has received a certain blessing from him, making her all-powerful. More of a curse, really, but you can use it to your advantage. I'll give you the other locations as you keep going, of course~ »
The pair stood still for a while longer, communicating in secret, before the bubbly one disappeared, teleporting away. From the forest, a wild Spinarak grew curious, getting closer to see the strange Pokemon that stayed. That is all it saw, before being blasted away with the power emanating from the Pokemon flying away.
The hunt had begun.
As the sun rose on yet another day, Fen was struggling to understand how, on a new planet with new wildlife that apparently is a one-to-one replica of a random popular game in his… her own world, after learning of their carnivorous diets, she still manages to wake up to a very fluffy sparkling companion inches away from her head and get embarrassed by that. At the very least it wasn't Lumin.
« Sera, could you get off of me, you're creeping me out. And if one of my spikes pierces you, you'll get poisoned », Fen said while groggily pushing her away.
« Sorry, it's how my nest falls asleep. You're pretty warm, for not having fur ! ». She was smiling brightly, though moved away a few steps, her paws crackling the dry leaves.
« So I've learned… Lots of things I need to learn, really, and you said you'd help. Hope you're still up for that ? »
« Yep ! You keep me safe with Lumin, and I teach you the ropes to survival. I know the deal ! »
Fen smiled. Sure, Lumin was probably a more threatening Pokemon, but there was no way to tell how good he actually was in combat, or as a teacher, not to mention it's hard enough getting him to do anything out of the ordinary. Sera showing actual intelligence should hopefully mean whatever she does can be adapted to a Nidoran with even more intelligence. (Sorry Sera, but following strangers inside a dark cave ? Come on…)
The Nidoran got off of her leaf bed, happy that she'd not need to climb down an entire tree each morning, and even happier to start the music, much to Sera's enjoyment. This song was a lot more upbeat, giving the both of them a smile. They looked at each other, as the Eevee cleared her throat.
« So… To start this session, let's see your endurance... »
Hours pass in the blink of an eye, with two Pokemon doing laps together and burrowing in the ground and doing anything that isn't fighting because « surviving matters more than winning a fight » or whatever. While Sera was making complete sense, Fen's pride was struggling to accept that her few victories over other Pokemon were circumstantial. The Eevee had heartily laughed at how much she struggled with fighting Fearows that weren't even able to use moves, a situation where « even a toddler would win », according to her. While Fen had a hunch that moves were important for a fight, she still held onto the idea that basic scratches could do actual damage, but apparently, the Pokemon's body actually breaks while doing those, it needs that aura to protect its muscles.
Eventually, they did come to a consensus to train at least a little on channeling that aura to use moves, much to the Nidoran's delight. They decided to take a break as it had been a few hours already, and the iPod seemed to have run out its battery. Upon realizing this, Fen noticed something peculiar : Lumin was still nowhere to be seen. Although she's not known the Shinx for long, his presence did help her feel more safe from wild Pokemon, even though they're all technically just that. She stood up and started exploring the plains.
« Where are you going, we're just taking a small break, not the day off ! », asked Sera, looking up at the Nidoran.
« Lumin's missing, I know his family's nearby, I want to see what's going on »
« Entering a Shinx's den doesn't seem like a good idea… Don't get too close ! »
« I'll be fine, the trees are close enough if I need to escape. Do you know what a Shinx's den looks like ? ». Fen was showing a confident face, though she felt disturbed at her own actions. Surely he was just oversleeping.
« Essentially a carved-out hole or an isolated spot near cliffs. They don't hide the entrance all too much since they're predators »
« Alright, thanks », Fen said earnestly.
« You're welcome ! », came the reply. Fen squinted at her before walking off.
It didn't take long for the entrance of the den to be found. Fen had seen the Shinx leave for the night before, and just followed that direction, alongside recognizing the smell thanks to her new body, though she didn't expect to almost fall right into the hole after barely two minutes of walking. Guess she really was in their territory since the start, it's strange that she'd not seen any other Shinx besides Lumin, perhaps they don't hunt in packs, it's not like the information she has is all that clear on Pokemon hunting methods…
A light snore stopped her train of thought, when she realized that she was idly staring at the very Pokemon she was looking for. Lumin was sleeping soundly on a leaf bed, albeit a much more crude version of what she'd been doing the past few nights. His face seemed at peace and made him look honestly quite adorable if we were to forget his personality. Still, she couldn't let him sleep, he needed to get adjusted to seeing Sera more if she were to remain here as a teacher, as well as proving to the Eevee that she did have control over his actions. Somehow. In fact, she should really ask about that while she's not around Sera, so as to not freak her out.
« Wakey-wakey, little hunter », said Fen, grabbing the leaves and pulling them up.
Lumin rolled over on the dirt, grumbling, though eventually woke up and spat out some of the dirt that stuck to his mouth. He looked around in confusion, alert.
« Where-...You managed to sneak up on me ! », he let out, surprised.
« More like you were too deep in your sleep to sense me coming. C'mon, it's already midday. »
At this, the Shinx seemed genuinely frightened, looking at the sky to confirm Fen's statement.
« That never happened before… I could've been in danger »
Fen waved a leaf at him, which he dodged. « I've not seen any Pokemon in these plains, Lumin, pretty sure you and your family are scaring them off. Doubt anything desperate enough would attack you, especially over me since I am soooo tasty according to birds... »
Despite the bad experience, Fen still giggled over her joke, before exiting the hole.
« Come on, now. We've got things to do before your family notices I'm here »
That seemed to have an effect, as Lumin stood up and leaped forward, inviting the Nidoran to follow him with his tail, which Fen understood.
« So… How come I've not seen any other Shinx, despite how close your den is to my resting spot ? A little warning about that would've been nice, by the way », Fen asked, poking the Shinx's fur.
« I am the only one that hunts. I bring enough food for the whole litter, so the parents protect the den instead ». Fen could notice a hint of pride in his statement. Apparently, he was good at his job.
« Don't remember you doing a good job with me, lil guy. I guess you weren't hungry », the Nidoran teased, albeit unconsciously slamming her brain for antagonizing him.
Lumin just stood still for a moment, before giggling.
« You weren't even a threat, I could see all your actions, and knew you'd not harm me even if you wanted to. You only hurt me after an entire night of rest, and by attacking me in my sleep »
« I didn't mean to, to be fair », Fen replied humbly, though inside, she was containing her surprise to seeing an actual giggle from the otherwise stoïc Pokemon, and figured this was the perfect time to peer more into her furry companion.
« You know… I've always wondered, what makes you stay with me when we could've split up after I gave you the Pecha berries. Yet you're here »
« It gives me something to do »
The Nidoran waited for a few moments, before realizing that was the entire answer.
« Wait, that's it ? You just see it as a way to pass time ? Couldn't you just hunt more ? »
« Hunting only takes time if you aren't proficient at it. My pack says I am very proficient, since I rarely miss prey or lose a fight. I had to find ways to spend my time »
« Couldn't you just sleep, then ? ». Fen's first perception of Pokemon here is that they acted in an animalistic way, though she was pretty sure looking for things to do out of boredom wasn't something animals did often.
« I used to ». Lumin's tone was suddenly back to his stoïc self.
« What do you mean ? »
« I am not to talk about that »
The pair went back to walking silently, Fen's attempts to restart the conversation failing one after the other until she eventually gave up. Lumin was clearly not interested in going any deeper into the matter, as he looked away.
The training with Sera continued after that, with the Shinx keeping watch on the both of them, occasionally giving tips about how to channel aura properly, albeit most of his suggestions were about bites and jabs, not so much spikes. Nonetheless, the basics were the same for every Pokemon, and Fen couldn't really complain about not having a Nidoran teacher, especially since both of her teachers were essentially there just because they were either bored or curious, she needed to use their presence as much as possible. Fen's understanding grew, and she understood that the mental pull she was doing to shoot those Poison Stings was more of an instinctive shortcut than a proper use of the move, which explained why she couldn't shoot it very far. The Nidoran, following the instructions by Sera and Lumin, focused on the energy in her chest, sensing how it pulsed, and focusing some of that energy in a pathway towards the tip of her head, creating a small flow that she'd be able to send impulses through to shoot more rapidly and precisely. The exercise itself was extremely tiresome, despite her body not having really done anything, so she chalked it up to ''magic fatigue'' and called it a day. The next day, she'll get to actually use that pathway, probably on a tree because she was absolutely not ready to go into the forest to fight actual Pokemon. Nor did she want to.
« How's the battery looking like ? », she asked, turning to see Sera fiddling with the iPod.
« That's the green line, right ? Well, I still see it, is that good ? »
Fen held back a snicker. « Good enough. Keep charging it up for… I guess until you feel like you need to go to sleep, Lumin ! »
The Shinx nodded absently, looking at the patch on his paw, confused as to how his using Charge was beneficial to anything else but himself. That Nidoran kept making him think, and he wasn't quite used to it just yet. The leaf bed she's shown him has proven quite comfortable too, and he's been sleeping soundly ever since, even if he worries about being infected by the two of them. Fen could be heard lightly snoring under the moonlight, and some shifting sounds were coming from his right, where Sera had taken refuge, sleeping in the same leaf bed he was thinking about. The Eevee wasn't comfortable with his presence, and he wasn't comfortable with hers yet, so he appreciated her taking some distance. Eventually, he stood back up, walking a few steps before remembering to remove the patch from his leg. It was time for him to rest, back at the den's entrance. Everyone should be asleep by now.
As it turned out, that assumption turned out to be Lumin's biggest mistake.