Chapter 12 - Hello, Stranger Danger
"Oh… Hello," a voice said behind him.
Slub started with a scream, before turning around.
"What!?" Slub shouted, unsuccessfully trying to stay calm.
A short man in an… the best word would be eclectic, outfit had seemingly come out of nowhere. Slub's immediate reaction was that he looked very out of place in the middle of a tropical forest in Hoenn. He had a big yellow coat with giant wooden buttons around his shoulders draped over a blue jogging suit jacket with a zipper. His trousers were also of the jogging variety and he wore expensive looking trainers. Shoes, that was, not actual Pokémon Trainers. His face had wrinkles around the eyes and a styled curly mustache. His hat, sort of fez-like thing, had a long braid hanging off it ending with a little bow with a Poké Ball on it. All this was accompanied by a backpack the size of a small yard sale. There was something ever so slightly familiar with him, but Slub just couldn't quite place him.
"Hello. Hello," the man said again. and walked around the log to sit down on a stone in front of Slub.
"I am pleased to finally make your acquaintance in… shall we say, calmer circumstances."
His accent was prevalent, but he talked slowly and enunciated every word clearly. The unique cadence aside, Slub had no issue understanding him.
"My name is Ruì Qí. The people of my home town call me Qí Gē. You may do so if you wish.
"Alrighty… Hi… Qí Gē." Slub stammered, suddenly having to be social again.
Man, that is a challenge to pronounce. It sounded a bit like Shigeru, but without the final syllable. Or so Slub thought anyway.
"I came from a country to the west to search for rare Pokémon that are not found in my home country."
Slub took a moment to visualize a world map, but as he did, a sudden cluster headache made the mental image distort uncomfortably, it burned away like an old film that got jammed in the projector. He figured it was better to not think too hard about it, and just roll with it.
"Alrighty, a sensible choice, I suppose," Slub said, rubbing his eyes.
"I have a special interest in the Pokémon of different than usual, colors."
"If you're here to try and steal my Magmar, you got another thing coming, you… cobsot!?" Slub once again felt that weird sensation in his chest. This sudden burst of confidence that came out whenever the safety of his Pokémon was on the line."
"Please, rest assured I am no criminal or a thief of any sort." The man raised both hands trying to signal calm. "Rather, I am here to present you with a gift, and ask for a small service in return, should you wish to assist me."
Slub was standing ready with Magmar's Pokéball in hand.
"Um… Ok… I guess." Slub said. "What could you possibly want from me?"
"As I am interested in acquiring a vast collection of differently colored Pokémon. I have observed you wielding your Magmar in several battles."
Several mental images flashed before Slub's inner eye. The crowd when he battled the kid with the silly name in front of the florist. The café he had coffee at with Isla after the Bramblin incident. The Harbor Stadium when he won… "won" against Finley. Qí Gē had been there every time. The crowd, the neighboring table and… The other, bigger crowd.
"Huh. My very own stalker. I'm almost flattered," said Slub.
"He he he. You are very amusing, Mr. Slub." Qí Gē chuckled in a mechanical staccato manner.
"Please, just Slub is fine."
Qí Gē resumed his explanation.
"In my search for these Pokemon I have tried various methods for increasing the odds of a Pokémon being hatched with a different color.
"Pokémon hatch… from eggs!?" Slub yelled out, re-interrupting once more.
Qí Gē went silent and blinked for a moment, before producing another odd laugh.
"He he he. You are a very funny man Mr. Slub. I shall get to the point."
"Please, just Slub," said Slub, again.
The man took out a pink Poké Ball. A type that Slub had never seen before, and unleashed a pink blob. It's hard not to know a Ditto when you see one, even for someone like Slub. The blob unleashed a happy "Meeeee" noise upon its release then stood around looking up at the humans.
"I simply wish for my Ditto to see your Magmar and transform into a copy of it. I hope by doing this that the genetic structure of Ditto will in some manner include that rare trait that triggers the offspring to be differently-colored. It is… Just a hypothesis for the moment, but I am intrigued by the idea."
They stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
"You did the who with the whatnow?" Slub said confused. Qí Gē raised an eyebrow.
"I hope that the breeding partner of Ditto will produce eggs that hatch into differently colored Pokémon thanks to Ditto's genetics mimicking those of your differently colored Magmar."
"Uh…" Slub was getting confused, tired and slightly worried, which was a fun, spicy blend.
"No no, I apologize. My speech can be, shall we say, inelegant sometimes. I just wish for my Ditto to see your Magmar for a moment, harmlessly imitate it, and then I shall leave you with a reward."
Slub thought for a moment.
"All right, but if you do anything crazy I'll burn this forest to the ground. I've done it before and I'll do it again."
Qí Gē stared somewhat worried at Slub, before unleashing another awkward stammering laugh.
"He he he. Please do not worry."
Slub hit the button on Magmar's Poké Ball and it popped out with a signature "Boo!".
"Ditto, kindly use Transform."
Within a moment a perfect copy of Magmar stood before them and looked straight at the original.
"Boob!?" Magmar said and pointed a claw at the copy whilst looking at Slub.
"Yeah, that's Ditto alright. The semblance is canny," Slub said.
"Excellent," said the man. "I have trained my Ditto in the art of maintaining its transformation for a great length of time so for now I shall say goodbye and thank you. Please accept this gift." The man retrieved his backpack from his back and took out a blue and silver amulet the size of a small spoon. He handed it to Slub.
"I mean it's pretty and all." Slub said, accepting it.
"That is a rare charm usually bestowed upon people who perform some kind of extraordinary task related to the catching of Pokémon. I got it in my youth, but I don't think the luck it is supposed to bestow actually is real… The markets in my home country are flooded with bootlegs, but that one was given to me by a League representative. Regardless, consider it a good luck charm."
He withdrew his pink-Ditto-turned-shiny-pink-Magmar into its pink abode. Magmar kept staring at the copy until it vanished, then it looked confused. Slub made sure to have not broken eye contact with either to ensure he took the right one, which wasn't really a worry since the Poké Ball would only have worked on the Ditto anyway. But it never hurt to make sure, he thought. Qí Gē turned to walk away while waving his hand.
"Farewell, Mr. Slub. I shall forever remember you as a helpful friend."
"Uh, bye. Thanks for the… thIng," said Slub and tried to remember if anyone had ever called him a friend before. He placed the amulet around his neck and tucked it safely into his shirt. He didn't immediately feel any more fortunate, but it couldn't hurt… Unless it was radioactive or laced with some kind of lethal contact poison in which case…
He didn't have time to consider the, somewhat unlikely, scenarios, nor his thoughts on them, any further. There was a reason for this. That reason being that a giant brown creature came leaping out of the bushes prompting a simultaneous scream from Slub, Magmar and despite being some distance away, Qí Gē.
"Me oh, my, you're a big one," said Qí Gē. Slub ripped the Pokédex from his pocket and pointed it straight at the imposing foe.
Ursaring - Hibernator Pokémon - Normal Type
Ursaring has a keen sense of smell and can be found in forests, where it uses its powerful claws to forage for berries and honey… and other things. It is known for being fiercely protective of its territory, and its cubs. If faced with a rampaging Ursaring [ADD MORE HERE LATER]
"Oh that's helpful!" Slub shouted and slammed the Pokédex shut and shoved it down a random pocket. He quickly leapt back trying to gain some distance and then pointed to Ursaring.
"Magmar! Thunderpunch!" he yelled on autopilot, before kiting sideways to try and give the giant brown killing machine an even wider berth.
Magmar made a leap off a log to close the distance, rolled forward in a fancy somersault and struck Ursaring straight in the ring with a zappy uppercut. While such a direct hit should have dealt a great deal of damage, Ursaring was undeterred. It let loose a terrifying Roar. Magmar spooked and spun around, it began running back to Slub.
"Figy Berries!" Shouted Slub. Any ideas, Qí Gē?
"He he he! Time for Pokémon Battle! Fēnglínglíng Shénmì Shǒuhù!" he shouted and threw a Poké Ball.
"Didn't get a word of that," Shouted Slub.
"You mind yourself and I shall back you up," Qí Gē affirmed.
"Fair dues," Slub answered, refocusing on the battle, already in progress.
Out came a Chimecho. They were common enough in Hoenn for Slub to know about them. Slub noticed it was green, rather than the usual light blue. That wasn't the important part though. The Chimecho let out a rattling noise and suddenly a veil of energy covered both it, and Magmar, who stopped running and seemingly came to its senses with a new sense of bravery. It turned back to Ursaring. It was now down on all fours and biting at the green dreamcatcher. Chimecho fidgeted back and forth in the air, deftly dodging its moves.
"Magmar! Fire Punch!"
Magmar ran to the side of Ursaring, as it kept biting at Chimecho, and delivered a burning blow straight to its sternum. It roared in pain and swiped its claws fiercely, hitting Magmar straight, and slamming it into the ground with a thud and a quack.
"No!" Screamed Slub, leaping over rocks and logs to try and reach his Pokémon.
Slub saw Magmar's torso heaving up and down as its eyes stared out into the air. A huge mark visible on its body.
"Zhìyù Língshēng!" Shouted Qí Gē and Chimecho made a strange ringing noise that felt invigorating, even to Slub. Magmars eyes shot open and it leapt to its feet, surprising even Slub who'd almost reached it.
"Dunno what you did, but it worked!" Slub yelled.
"He he he." Qí Gē laughed as it appeared to be his main method of communicating.
"The Healing Bell of Fēnglínglíng is quite something!"
"Here it comes again! Watch out!" Slub shouted as both he, and Magmar, leapt aside from the Furious Swiping attacks of Ursaring.
"Smokescreen!" Slub shouted as he dragged Magmar by the hand.
Magmar looked back and spewed black smoke from its bill. The duo managed to create some distance between themselves and Ursaring. They could hear it roaring and coughing but thankfully the noises had gotten farther away. "Keep going!" they heard Qí Gē shout from somewhere, even farther back.
For about ten seconds they ran between trees to try and avoid it, but the monstrous Strength of Ursaring let it break through the trees as if they were twigs.
Magmar and Slub split off on each side of a wide tree. Ursaring followed Magmar who, momentarily distracted, managed to run straight into another wide tree. Pinned against it, Ursaring rushed in and charged up an attack. Slub saw what was about to happen and within moments of the terrified Magmar being smashed against the bark, Slub threw himself to the ground, pointed the Ball flat against the ground, between the legs of Ursaring, withdrew Magmar, the shrinkage beam striking it somewhere on its lower legs, but it counted. Then the moment it was safely clear of the attack, Slub reunleashed it behind Ursaring, as the bear smashed the tree to matchsticks.
"Magmar, do your thing." Slub said, rolling clear of what was about to happen.
Magmar knelt down, fire charged in its left hand and electricity within its right. Then, it began a volley of a dozen punches into Ursaring's back over and over, causing it to topple forward, roaring in pain.
"Good job, Magmar! Man, I need to give that move a name one of these days!"
The scorching and electrified marks on the back of Ursaring had clearly done a great deal of damage. Alas, it wasn't enough. While it had momentarily stopped it in its tracks, it didn't last long. It spun around and roared, causing both Slub and Magmar to pull back.
"Time to mix things up, he he," Shouted Qí Gē who'd just arrived. He flung another Poké Ball. "Shīfùyòu Bōdǎo Dàn!" he shouted.
"Come again?" Slub answered.
A big elegant white and pink, bipedal, catlike Pokémon with long flappy hands appeared beside Slub and immediately began charging a ball of energy between said hands. It kept doing this for a few seconds. "Mr. Slub! Attack it now!"
Slub and Magmar were barely escaping Ursaring's attacks by the skin of their teeth but they could only keep it up for so long. Hearing the suggestion, Slub threw caution to the wind.
He grabbed Bramblin's Great Ball and flung it straight at Ursaring.
"Mega Drain!" he shouted as Bramblin appeared from the ball and latched onto Ursaring's shoulder. Energy began flowing through its vines as its thorns latched deep into its fur. If Ursaring was already furious, it had now gotten to the stage of absolute rage.
"Magmar! Fire Punch!" Slub shouted before throwing himself to the ground again. Magmar bravely resisted several Fury Swipes from the Ursaring before unleashing yet another elemental punch to the seemingly indestructible opponent. Ursaring stopped in its tracks for one moment, before roaring and rising to its hind legs, preparing for a massive Body Slam. "Koooo!" Qí Gē's Pokémon cried in a loud whine before unleashing the bright purple ball of energy it had been charging, hitting Ursaring straight in the jaw. Its head snapped to the side. Bramblin was flung off to goodness knows where, and Ursaring crashed down, shaking the leaves off the trees in the surrounding area as its relentless rampage finally came to an end.
Magmar stood breathing heavily on the forest floor, looking at its fallen foe. It had taken a beating and looked absolutely exhausted. Not one to waste an opportunity presented by being assaulted by wildlife, Slub pulled a Premier Ball from his bandolier, embiggened it and threw it at the giant brown pile of fur.
"With this thing on our team, we can really start doing some damage," Slub grinned just as the ball impacted.