In Progress Requiem

[Sidewinder]

First shot at a Fic. I'm hoping for any sort of a review that would help me refine my writing. I have a few chapters written and I'm really wanting some hard and honest feedback. Will rate the Fic (PG-13) for random violent battles and occasional swearing. The beginning starts off a bit slow, but stick with it, because what I have planned is sure to please.

Prologue​

He followed behind the other students, dimly aware of the tour guide spouting off facts and dates about the cave they were touring. His Abra had both spindly arms wrapped around his neck, head draped across the back of his own. The Abra, like most of its species, was largely lethargic, napping constantly; seeming more like an infant human than the psychic force for which it was named. The boy hiked the sleeping pokemon up to a more secure grip on his back, taking note that he was falling further and further behind the rest of the group.

The cave, like most in Hoenn, was filled with arching passageways and hidden tunnels, luring tourists and treasure seekers from all over the land to the small island where the cave made its home. Granite Cave, was unique in the fact that it was not only just found on the island but burrowed underneath it. Occasional gouts of water forced itself inside and flooded some of the tunnels, but all in all a worthwhile risk for those who wished to learn, and to those who wished to find the rare gems scattered throughout its recesses.

Ever since the adoption agency had placed the boy with his foster family, a successful pokemon doctor duo of husband and wife, he had found himself increasingly more withdrawn. The only enjoyment he ever looked forward to were the days when his new parents were away on business, which was becoming more and more frequent with the advances they made in pokemon restoration. They were kind, they provided, they listened, but he couldn’t connect with them. His parents were long dead, twisted and spirited away by the ghostly hand of death. They had given him his Abra however. He allowed himself a small smile at the thought; he and the pokemon had bonded extremely well over the last few months, becoming inseperable, becoming dependant on one another. The Abra had also lost its parents; his new parents being vague on how it happened, but nevertheless fate brought them together and they were both blessed for it.

The sounds of the tour group were barely audible, they had slipped far behind. Abra tensed.

The psychic pokemon rolled forward across the boy’s shoulder and hovered barely off the ground, a nimbus of black-purple energy glowing in its right hand. The pokemon cocked its head from side to side like a Pidgey, listening. The boy stayed frozen still, feeling his skin break out in chills as his thoughts swayed and teetered, unable to overcome the odd sense of fear that was boiling in his stomach.

They both reacted at the same time. Abra growled, and a sphere of psychic energy arced from its hand and struck a blur of pale cream and green that was dashing towards them. The boy clenched his fists and took a step forward, intending to get a better footing. His foot did not come back down. The blur spun in the air, reflecting the attack Abra had shot back to its source, knocking the Pokemon into its master, hurtling them both to the far wall. Before the impact struck, the boy felt a motherly warm hand grasp the back of his shirt and guide them through the wall, passing through solid granite like it was air. As the boy and his Abra were forced through the wall, he felt the hand drop them into pitch blackness.

His head struck the rocky floor as he rolled, the soft skin on his arms tearing easily on the ground as he rolled to a stop. Abra landed with a dull thump to his left, the pokemon crying out in alarm as the boy began to sob. A soft orb of white sprang into existence above the pokemon’s head, illuminating the immediate area and allowing the boy to focus his eyes. Abra limped towards his master, favoring his left leg. The psychic pokemon’s right leg bore a long gash up the side of its thigh, from which blood freely flowed. They put their arms around each other, Abra leaning on the boy for support. Even though the effort nearly threw both of them back to the ground, the boy swung the injured pokemon onto his back, mind reeling in utter disbelief at the sight that lay before them.

The floor was black as death, black as night, it seemed to reach up and absorb the light hovering above the two of them. An altar of matching color sat on the floor in front of the pair. It was well over twenty feet wide, with odd geometric shapes carved into the front face of it. On top of the altar was a tablet of equal proportions, standing upright, seemingly made of the same material as the rest of the object. Hieroglyphics were carved into the tablet in lines, some the boy recognized as pokemon, others as humans; but as he looked towards the top of the tablet, a jagged chunk was missing. It looked as if it had been roughly cut out using a massive serrated blade.

As the boy and his Abra looked in wonder at the strange object, a small stony flake, glistening slightly in the oily light of the conjured orb, began to skitter across the top of the altar, seemingly of its own accord. As the boy and his pokemon noticed the flake, they stiffened, perceiving a new threat. However, the flake stopped at the edge of the altar, just within reach of the boy. As he breathed out in relief, he took a step closer and stared at the small object. It was roughly about three inches long, and in the rough hewn shape of a diamond. As his breath reached the small flake, it began to glow. A bright neon green light shone from the flake, so bright in its intensity, the boy flung his arm up to shield himself. The small cavern the two found themselves in was illuminated in its entirety. The shapes on the tablet almost seemed to move in the ethereal green light that danced across its surface.

It was just then the boy heard a whisper. It was soft, delicate, even comforting. Other whispers joined the first, and the boy just knew the voices were coming from the flake, and that he wanted to touch it, to envelop himself in those voices, to hold them inside his body. He needed to touch the flake or they would go away, they would leave him and Abra in this darkness forever. He looked over his shoulder at his pokemon, whose small face was unmistakably and utterly terrified. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, and Abra began slowly shaking its head. The whispers began to lose their intensity, began to sound further away. Without a second thought the boy’s arm shot forward and he snatched the flake from the top of the altar.

The boy began to scream…

 

[Sidewinder]

Chapter 1

Twenty nine years later​

It was only because of the Pokeflect around his wrist that Dorian wasn’t roasted alive by the flamethrower attack the enraged Growlithe had just launched at him. While still experimental, the ‘Pokeflect’ had saved many from grievous injuries sometimes sustained in pokemon battles. Almost three years ago, scientists working for the Silph Corporation had learned how to replicate the effects of the pokemon move, Reflect, and Light Screen, and combined them. When activated, the wrist mounted device enclosed its wearer in a globule of light blue energy that had the ability to reflect all but the most powerful pokemon based attacks up and away from its wielder. Where before, trainers competing in Pokemon battles had to constantly be aware of attacks that missed their Pokemon and put them in direct danger, the Pokeflect gave trainers a sense of relevant comfort knowing that they were ‘generally’ out of harm’s way.

Dorian Dvakna, twenty-four, was far too thin for his age. At a bit over six feet he comfortably stood a few inches above most people he knew and met. With dark hair, and hazel eyes verging on brown, most would say Dorian to be handsome, though certainly not gorgeous, but rather somewhere between atrocious looking and the latter. By all accounts very ordinary, with his arms and legs toned from working at the local Pokemon breeders house in Cherrygrove City. His smile however, deterred any from thinking that he was anything but ordinary. His unnaturally straight and white teeth only showed confidence and capability.

He had been following the wild Growlithe for a little over five days. Tracking the bent and snapped underbrush, watching for small piles of feces, and sleeping in a tent for that time had put a determination in Dorian that he had not felt in some time. The small dog was perhaps waist high, and was beautifully layered with stripes of alternating orange, black, and yellow. While not extraordinary as a Growlithe, its god-like evolved form of Arcanine was close to legendary. He knew it would give him an edge when he finally decided to enter the competitive battle scene. This little Growlithe was doing everything it could to live up to its future namesake. Biting, slashing, and breathing torrents of fire at Dorian’s Nuzleaf; who was doing a pretty adept job at dashing back and forth, bouncing on his hands as well as his feet to stay away from the fire mutt until his master gave the order.

“bullet seed!’ Dorian roared.

Nuzleaf cartwheeled thirty feet to the right, and in one motion used his hands to launch himself into the air and spin, launching a barrage of glowing yellow and green pellets at the Growlithe. The first wave hit the dirt in front of the colorful dog, kicking dirt into its eyes; just as Dorian intended. The second wave hit the disoriented Growlithe square in the chest, causing it to shake its mane in an attempt to clean the dust from its eyes. Nuzleaf’s wiry brown body came down to embrace the dog from the air, rolling at the last second to send a roundhouse kick to the dog’s muzzle. The Growlithe was shunted backwards fifteen feet, with Nuzleaf hot in pursuit.

“Wait till it charges and faint attack!” ordered Dorian.

No sooner had he given the command, the Growlithe righted itself and charged his Nuzleaf, orange flame licking the pits of its nostrils. The small pokemon proved to be too quick for Nuzleaf however; as the grass type readied itself to dodge, the pokemon put on an extra burst of speed and speared the brown pokemon in the sternum, making an audible crack!

“NUZ!” the pokemon grunted.

Nuzleaf folded like dough and slid across the gravel, flipping end over end. Meanwhile, the Growlithe turned its attention back to Dorian, who jumped to the side to dodge a squirt of flame from the enraged Pokemon. Swearing, he rolled to his feet, having forgotten that his Pokeflect would protect him from the attack. Concern racked his face as he struggled to find his Pokemon. Before he could spot, there was a loud smack!

Nuzleaf landed another harsh kick to the Pokemon’s snout, sending it soaring across the ground like a poorly guided arrow. The grass type followed behind, purpose written across its scarred face; it jumped and landed on top of the Growlithe, using both legs to pin down the pup. Extending its arms, the Nuzleaf put one hand around the Growlithe’s throat, while the other snaked down to grab its right paw. Dorian jogged forward, aware of a growing throb in his right ankle, where he had twisted it to avoid the dog’s well placed flamethrower.

“You put up quite a fight.” Dorian said over the tired and struggling Growlithe. “It’s not often something is able to surprise Nuzleaf. Though I suppose he is getting pretty seasoned.”

Nuzleaf shot him a dirty look. Over the last several days, the grass type’s single leaf that rested on top of his head had taken on a burnt amber color, signaling the arrival of Fall. Though the leaf would not wilt, it annoyed the bandit striped Pokemon to no end to have Dorian tease him like a seedling stuck in sap.

“Thanks for humbling him.” Dorian winked, bringing a clenched fist to hover over the struggling Growlithe.

A green friend ball dropped out of his hand, falling towards the Growlithe in slow motion; the white button on the front tapped the dog’s forehead; the ball split in two, and the newest addition to Dorian’s rag-tag group of misfits turned into energy. Glowing intensely white, his form folded in on itself again and again, becoming more miniscule; and at the same time started to spin. As soon as the energy that was Growlithe became smaller than the ball, its two halves came back down in a mighty snap! Signaling a successful capture, and the reward to his hard work.

“Yeah that’s right.” he said as Nuzleaf got up and dusted itself off. “All in all I think that went pretty well.”

“Leaf?” the Pokemon retorted in obvious annoyance.

“Yeah you helped too I guess, although I think it’s also the fact that I’m just a real ‘Go-Getter’, the kinda guy that really overcomes adversity at all costs. Don’t you think so?”

Instead of replying, the grass type Pokemon reached into the right front pocket of Dorian’s jeans and pulled out another pokeball, this one having a scarlet top and ivory bottom. While Dorian reached down to pick up his newly captured pokemon, Nuzleaf drew back and threw the pokeball at his owner’s head. There was a loud thunk as it connected and opened, spilling out light.

“What the hell?!” Dorian exclaimed, bracing his hand against the growing lump on the back of his head. “You know I was just kidding. I never would have been able to do that without you.”

Nuzleaf smirked, looking towards the Pokemon that had been released from its glittering confines. The Trapinch was of average build for a member of its species. Around the height of Dorian’s knees, the Trapinch’s body was dwarfed by its monstrous head, which consisted of two sparkling eyes, a noticeable lack of a nose, and a gargantuan mouth that Dorian knew he could easily fit his head into. Its head was supported by a proportionally smaller body with four thick legs. The color scheme of this perpetually ecstatic Pokemon was a rich royal russet, which Dorian had always found pleasant.

“Ap!” it yelled. “AP, APAP!”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Dorian groaned. “Horrible injustice that you weren’t involved, I know, I’m sorry. Was that heartfelt enough? Or do I need to more careful with your delicate sensibilities?”

It was odd; both Pokemon were polar opposites in terms of facial features, but they were giving Dorian the exact same look of contempt. Rolling his eyes, Dorian tucked his newly captured Pokemon into his pocket, patting it once to reassure himself; then started back down the road towards Cherrygrove City, with the tree midget and space termite following close behind.

***************​

As his house came into view, situated at the edge of the tree line on the outskirts of Cherrygrove City, Dorian heard a soft growl behind him. Nuzleaf had stopped and was staring at Trapinch, concern racking its lined face. The giant Pokemon was shivering fiercely, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape.

“You okay buddy?” Dorian asked.

The fits Trapinch was experiencing had become more and more frequent since Dorian had used him to subdue a crazed Persian that had strayed into their camp while tracking the Growlithe. Pokemon evolution was no easy ordeal, and as much as Dorian wanted to wish the pain away, he couldn’t.

“Aap.” Trapinch moaned softly, swaying from side to side like a windblown leaf.

The tremors having subsided, Dorian breathed a sigh of relief. Taking out its pokeball, he returned the Pokemon in a flash of ruby light. Putting his Trapinch in the blessed restful stasis of its pokeball would hopefully give the troubled Pokemon some peace. Nuzleaf shrugged and started forward again, its carved wooden feet squeaking as they crunched on gravel.

“I’m sure he’ll be okay, it’s going to pass soon eno-“ Dorian started, as a violet glow suddenly enveloped his feet. He then experienced the unusual sensation of being yanked straight up and flipped upside down.

“You blithering idiot!” Shelton screamed.

“Oh God,” Dorian sighed, bracing himself.

The force of the hydro pump from his roommate’s Golduck hit him with less force than he imagined it would. Maybe the duck Pokemon was taking it easy on him on account of the verbal and possible physical abuse he was about to receive from Shelton. Regardless, the icy blast of water hit him square in the sternum at the same time the force holding him up suddenly evaporated. As he fell, he sighted Sheton’s Golduck sitting on the steps of their front porch, its bill marred with a mixture of anxiousness and forced regret. Silently thanking the sapphire avian for sparing him unnecessary pain, he connected with the ground headfirst.

His head collided not with the thump he expected, but with the clear crisp clink of silverware on glass. Dorian groaned, the pain shooting beautiful colors across his vision, which raced towards his cranium with abundant purpose. As he heard the stomps of his roommate getting closer, he rolled over to see what had lovingly kissed his skull. The object appeared to be stone, but only a square inch was visible, the rest was buried below the dirt path he was writhing on.

“You do realize what a complete and utter moron you are, don’t you?!” Shelton roared. “Not only did you get fired for missing five straight days of work, but I also found the receipt for the friend ball you paid THREE THOUSAND credits for!”

“I-“ he started, only to be cut off by the fiery glare thrown at him from her shocking azure eyes.

“Shut it!” she yelled. “Since I handle all of our bills and know EXACTLY how much you have in savings, I’m going to correctly assume you used your money for that ridiculous purchase instead of paying our rent.”

His head still ringing from the impact, he switched from looking at her, then back at the glossy black stone. It kept drawing his attention, calling out to him with its inky color. He switched back to Shelton, taking in her glowing, shoulder length blond hair, the slight curves of her shoulder and hips, and her ivory skin that was barely visible beneath the waves of red igniting in anger across her face.

“You’re right.” he stammered. “It was immature, and extremely irresponsible, but if you want to calm down for just a minute I can explain.”

“Calm down?” she asked. “Dorian, excuse me, ‘Idiot’, if we don’t pay rent, we get EVICTED. Even with your pea sized intellect, I’m sure you can understand that.”

“I do. However, some good came out of my obvious mental inadequacy.” he explained. “I caught a Growlithe.”

“That’s great Dorian, I’m glad that when we get tossed to the street we’ll have a nice warm Growlithe to live in.” she said, rolling her eyes and turning to Nuzleaf. “You hungry sweetheart?”

“Nuz!” he exclaimed, taking her hand.

“Judas!” Dorian hissed.

Nuzleaf smirked at his owner as Shelton lead them both back towards their home. Taking a breath, Dorian sat up into a crouch, turning back to the object embedded in the dirt. Extracting his knife from its sheath on his ankle, he slowly buried it to the hilt in the compacted dirt. Pushing down on the dagger, it popped free, softly glowing as it caught the light.

It was obviously handmade, evident by the lines and shapes carved into its face. One side of the stone was rigidly straight, while the other two sides looked like they had been sheared off of a larger piece. As he cleared away the rest of the dirt from the stone, he observed two shapes that were hewn into it below the vertical lines. One was arguably a human, judging from the shape. While the other had what appeared to be the antenna of an insect Pokemon. They were both unmistakably dead.

**************​

It had been almost three decades since a Granite Cave tour guide had found the unconscious forms of a small boy and his Pokemon at the exit of the cave. Since then, the boy had been transformed into a man. As much by life’s natural course, as by the small flake he had absorbed into his body years ago. After lying to those concerned about how he had gotten to the exit of the cave before the rest of the group; the boy began noticing strange happenings with his mental and physical state.

Days after the incident, he learned that his muscular strength was rapidly increasing; along with being able to run much faster and further than he previously could. Weeks after, he noticed he could now interpret feeling from other people and their Pokemon, picking up on their intentions and mental decision making without their knowledge. Months after, the whispers he had heard in the cave had returned, singing of love and affection, assuring him in his dreams that he wouldn’t be without them anymore. They also gave him instruction on his newfound gifts and how to enhance them.

Which was why he was in Vermillion city that day; to the famed Diglett’s cave he traveled, or rather, underneath it. The whispers had led him to a cave in the recent months, in the sand swept plains of the desert in Hoenn. The cave bearing another flake he took into himself. The cave he found near Route 111 however had something extra. A shard of stone from the enormous tablet he had seen in Granite Cave years ago. People the man walked past throughout the day forgot him as soon as he passed. A somewhat average looking man with long, wavy tan hair, an Alakazam keeping stride to his right. A curious jumble of thoughts passed across their minds as he walked; the sudden feeling that they were late, or had misplaced something of small importance.

The duo walked east of the city, the man allowing himself a small smile as he zipped up his jacket.

 

[Sidewinder]

CHAPTER 2​

The stone gave Dorian an odd sensation, like cold heat, but not on his skin. Rather, it was like he had swallowed the stone and whatever kind of feeling it was giving him was coming from his inside and radiating outwards. Shrugging, he tucked the foot long, macabre stone in his back pocket and headed into the house.

“I’m instituting a new rule,” Shelton began, crossing her legs and leaning forward. “From now on, all your decision making privileges have been revoked. Other than involuntary bodily functions you have to perform in order to survive, I want you on the sofa, sitting on your hands at all times.”

“Agreed,” Dorian said glumly.

He crossed the living room, spying two leaves lying near the bottom edge of the chipped coffee table. Which he knew was going to annoy him to no end until he could pick them up. Which was probably going to be quite some time since apparently from now on he was only allowed to sit completely still, and breathe.

The gangly adult sat down between his Nuzleaf and Shelton’s Golduck, who were both sleeping and taking up as much room as possible, leaving him about a pencil width’s amount of space. While not extravagant, the home was furnished quaintly. He and Shelton had both cosigned on a loan from Silph Co. to buy their furniture. Hardwood flooring, showing obvious signs of strain, lined the floors. They ended with tile as they touched the adjoining kitchen. The sofa, loveseat, and matching recliner were a royal violet, the latter having Shelton perched on it, seething at him like a predator.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Dorian explained. “You know I’ve always wanted a Growlithe. When I saw it, well, you know me. When I get focused on something I just lose track of everything else.”

“Actually, you’ve always wanted an Arcanine, so that point is moot,” she replied. “Maybe I overreacted ‘slightly’, but it was mainly because I barely had enough to cover the rent. Surely you can understand that.”

“I can,” he said. “And I’m sure the situation of third degree battery by Golduck only came about because you were a bit worried when you couldn’t get in touch with me.”

“Maybe,” she admitted.

“So we’re good?” he asked.

“After you pay me back,” she smiled. “With interest.”

“Any point in arguing?” he asked.

“Sure.” she replied. “What do you got?”

After a pensive look, Dorian said, “I request the right to argue for a lower amount after I’ve thought of a good enough excuse.”

“Request granted…Moron,” she said, flashing her teeth.

“Where’s the rest of them?” Dorian inquired, flicking his eyes towards the slumbering Pokemon.

“Machop is under the house again,” she answered. “We were out back pulling weeds, when that soulless Sunflora popped out and started terrorizing him again. Shuppet is in her usual spot.”

On cue, the small ghost type Pokemon phased herself through the nearby refrigerator door, multicolored eyes gleaming. “Shup-SHUP!” it cackled happily, drifting over to land on Dorian’s shoulder.

Indistinguishable from a grey bathroom towel, the point topped ghost Pokemon was Shelton’s latest capture. It was a pleasant enough Pokemon who didn’t get into much mischief, save for the odd habit of sleeping in the refrigerator and nowhere else. Shelton had caught the charismatic Pokemon partly out of wanting a new addition to her small family of Pokemon, and partly to break her Machop of its manic fear of everything but Her, Dorian, and their respective creatures. Its species usually synonymous with bravery and strength, Shelton’s Machop unfortunately fell far short. She still didn’t believe him, but once, Dorian watched Machop catch a glimpse of his own shadow following him, only to run screaming back to the house. Nothing however, terrified the fighting type more than ghosts. Even ones they saw when watching horror movies would send him sobbing back to Shelton’s bedroom.

“By the way,” Shelton said. “Your Uncle Ronnie called. I told him you would ring him back once you got home. He seemed pretty anxious to talk to you.”

“Thanks,” Dorian said, pushing himself off the sofa. “I’ve never heard him sound anxious about anything but rocks, so I’ll call him back now.”
He turned to walk back outside when Shelton’s voice stopped him.

“Hey dummy!” she called.

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she admitted.

“Thanks dummy, I’m sorry I worried you,” he said, grabbing his cell phone from the kitchen counter and excusing himself outside.

Opening his cell phone, he selected his Uncle Ronnie and waited as it rang. His father’s older brother worked as a curator at the Pewter City museum, which was a profession he excelled at naturally. Owing to his near genius IQ and love of all things made hundreds to thousands of years before he was born. It had been almost three months since they had last spoken, because of both their work schedules.

“There’s my favorite nephew!” his uncle exclaimed.

“Hey Ronnie!” he replied, a grin crossing his face.

“How you doing, hotshot?” his uncle asked. “Still driving the girls crazy?”

“Only Shelton,” Dorian replied.

“Ah! How’s my future daughter in law doing?”

“She’s really good. We finally set the wedding date; June, two-thousand and never!”

“Eh, we’ll see about that,” his uncle joked. “But, to the real reason I called. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

“That’s great,” Dorian said, his smile getting wider.

“My team and I are organizing a dig right outside Cherrygrove,” he explained. “We should be there in about a week, well, maybe a little longer depending on how fast we can get out of Pewter.”

“Sounds great. What are you going to be digging for? Oil seems a bit pointless at this point.”

“The Director has it in his head that one of the earliest human civilizations in Johto had a settlement situated to the east of Cherrygrove,” he said. “Judging by those small tourist trap ruin’s in that area, I’m inclined to believe he may have a point. You know which one’s I’m talking about, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do. Up in the woods on Route twenty-nine towards New Bark Town.”

“Anyway, he’s been obsessing over this ancient legend that’s been passed down from mouth to ear for centuries. Something about six ‘markers’, and a master tablet to which they belong. Once assembled and placed back on the tablet which they were broken off of, show the way to a terrifying treasure.”

“Terrifying?” Dorian repeated.

“Yes,” his Uncle answered. “The direct translation goes ‘Gathered together, split apart. give your world, to eat what remains.’”

“Do you believe there’s really a treasure?”

“I believe we’ll find remnants of the civilization, but an actual treasure, I’m not sure. I think it’s subjective on what they viewed as treasure at that time. I mean, it could have very well been diamonds, other precious stones, or objects they didn’t understand which they attributed mystical properties.”

“Ah. What about these markers? They’re just supposed to give you directions on where to bring them after you got them all?”

“Supposedly they’re supposed to do just that, as well as point to each of the other markers that are hidden. The only odd thing is how they describe the markers themselves.”

“How so?” Dorian asked.

“Well, from the limited amount of information we’ve gathered on the marker’s, they’re supposedly forged from metal; but out of a rare ore we think is obsidian. Though we don’t know for sure because there is so little discovered throughout the world today, only a few grams or so. We know that from their description, it’s jet black, weighing much less than other metal ore’s they would have had access to back then. From what the Director is thinking, he attributed it more to a hollow, glossy diamond, instead of metal.”

“These markers, would they be very big?” Dorian asked, his voice catching in his throat.

“Quite the contrary.” his uncle answered. “From the estimations we’ve done from the legend, they would only be a foot long, chiseled with glyphs depicting why they broke the tablet, and separated the pieces in the first place. As well as directions to the others.”

“Well,” Dorian grinned, plucking the small shard from his pocket. “I think I just saved you a trip.”



********************


The man and his Alakazam walked with purpose through the lower levels of Diglett’s Cave, shadows dancing ethereally across the rocky walls from the glowing ball his psychic Pokemon had conjured above its head. As he passed by a strangely large depression in the wall to his right, his jeans began to thrum not unlike that of a panicked and overworked heart. He had carried the shard he had found in Hoenn with him ever since he had discovered it, and now it was lightly pulsing from the inside. Looking at the shard and then back to the wall, he nodded. The vibrations from the stone ceased, signaling his accuracy.

“You ready?” he asked his partner.

The Alakazam sat down on the hard cave floor and sat cross legged. An eerie lilac glow emanated from under its feet as it rose to hover at eye level with its master. Nodding, the psychic type extended a tendril of though toward the man’s belt, lifting a pokeball from the holster at the man’s waist. Squinting its eyes, the Pokemon opened the ball, spilling light across the inside of the cavern, drowning the shadows that surrounded the two.

Armor plated feet, shins, and waist became visible first. Followed by a sizeable stomach, still armor plated, but with a different color. Two, three clawed paws with arms appeared next, which lead up to thickly muscled shoulders, surrounded by overlapping plates of substantial armor. As soon as the head became visible, a thunderous roar reverberated through the small cavern, spilling dust from the ceiling above. The Pokemon growled, confused by its surroundings.

“Take it down.” the man ordered, smiling at the Pokemon.

“Don.” the Pokemon agreed, returning the smile as best as its terrifying face would allow.

The single, wicked looking horn protruding from the Pokemon’s nose began to gyrate, releasing a high pitched squeal. Striding forward, the Pokemon took mighty swings at the wall, taking away chunks with every blow. The wall whimpered in protest, trying to hold its shape, struggling to retain the only purpose it ever had. With a groan, the wall slid forward into a pile of rubble at the Rhydon’s outsized feet, a gust of air billowing over the muscular Pokemon, betraying its secret of a small inner room. The man strode past the rock type, nodding his thanks as he passed, his Alakazam following close behind.

“Wasn’t as hard as I expected,” the man said to the floating Pokemon.

As the words left his lips, steel spikes shot out from either side of the room. Orange with rust, they cut through the air with determination towards the man, already halfway to him before he even noticed they had been released. The spikes stopped a few inches from the man, a violet globule of energy attached to each of the assuredly sharp points. With the Alkazam’s direction, they slowly slid back into the holes that lined the walls to the entrance of the hidden chamber. Turning around to face his savior, the man nodded, remembering a similar dilemma when the Pokemon had saved his life.

“So that’s three that I owe you now?” the man asked.

The Pokemon didn’t reply with a verbal affirmation, rather it held up four of its spindly fingers.

“Okay then,” the man said, sure that the psychic type had protected him from another danger that he had long since forgotten.

The man walked towards the back of the room, knowing what lay ahead. The space around the small pedestal in the center of the floor was like the other he had found in Hoenn, with its material closely resembling that of the shard he held in his pocket. At the top of the small, flat topped spire he saw another shard, standing upright on one pointed edge. On top of the splinter, glowing faintly, was the real prize. It was smaller than the two he had found in Hoenn, but it commanded just as much of a presence. Knowing he was safe with the two Pokemon guarding the entrance, he reached out with a hand to touch the small flake straddling the timeless relic. The flake sprang upward and drove itself into the man’s palm, causing a stream of burgundy blood to lazily drift down his arm as it burrowed itself into his flesh.

“That’s some-ahh,” he moaned, feeling suddenly weak at the knees.

The man’s Alkazam dropped to its two legs, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder to comfort him. The psychic Pokemon could feel the waves of anxious nausea streaming from his owner. The unease the Pokemon felt was magnified by the care and affection he had adopted towards the man since they had become partners so long ago. In truth, the flakes his master was absorbing gave the Alakazam a sense of fear. Something was innately wrong with the curious, oily flakes. Besides the pain caused by their entrance, the flakes only seemed to help the man with his physical and social dealings. However, the Alakazam maintained his suspicions about them, ready to step in if they gave him reason to act.

“I’m fin, I’m fine,” the man stammered.

“Zam?” his Pokemon questioned.

“No it’s okay, I promise.” the man assured his Pokemon. “That was worst than the last, but I’m good now. See?”

The Alakazam inspected the man’s palm. Except for the greasy line left behind by the seeping blood, the wound caused by the entry of the small flake had completely vanished. “Zam,” his Pokemon answered, satisfied.

“You worry too much,” the man said, wiping his moist brow. “I was fine the first two times, and this was no different.”

“Don?” a voice inquired from up ahead.

“Were coming,” the man called. “Ready?”

“Zam.”

“Alright then,” the man said, casually plucking the small black shard from its pedestal and putting in into his pocket next to the other.

The Alakazam floated back up to eye level with the man, its eyes flicking towards the towering rock type standing guard up ahead. The man nodded, and started forward, his legs feeling slightly weak. The Rhydon fell into step behind the two, its horned head swinging from side to side, listening for potential danger. They made it through the lower section and back up to the entrance of the cave without incident, threading their way through the cavern like serpents. It was only when faint traces of sunlight became visible did they notice something crowding the path.

“Dig!” a chorus of voices shouted in angry unison.

In a perfectly straight line, from wall to wall near the entrance, a procession of Diglett’s sat in wait. Their voices overlapped as they growled, making them appear to be more numerous in the dim light. Black eyes glinting, their growls echoing down the cave behind them, the assembled Diglett made no move to attack. They were obviously waiting for the intruders to act first, so they could judge the severity of the threat.

“Move?” the man questioned, bending down to pick up a small stone from the floor.

“Dig!” the Pokemon answered, red noses taking in the scent of the Rhydon and Alakazam.

“Didn’t think so,” the man said, rolling his eyes. “You guys are up.”

“Don.”

“Zam.”

By the time the sound waves of the two Pokemon were processed by the sensitive ears of the line of Diglett’s, it was too late. Jumping about two feet up, the Rhydon slammed his left foot down, followed by his right, each smacking the ground with a deafening clap! A skeletal crack raced towards the waiting Diglett’s, closely trailed by another crack from the Pokemon’s right foot. The first line stopped a few inches from the assembled Pokemon, sinking down into the rock. A fissure erupted in the ground along the Diglett’s, sucking them down to their noses. The second moving crack slammed into the fissure, causing the ground to exhale a squall of air as each side of the fissure collapsed back into itself, trapping the Diglett’s in place.

As this was taking place, the man’s Alakazam closed its eyes, levitating two silver spoons in front of its mustached face. The spoons began to rotate, a purple glow emanating from their handles. Suddenly, Alakazam’s eyes snapped open! A bell tone chimed as the spoons came to a stop, and a glittering sinister wave of black arced towards the Diglett’s. The wave washed over them gently, guiding them into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.

The trio started towards the entrance of the cave, unchallenged this time. Alakazam floated over the sleeping Pokemon as the man and his Rhydon gingerly stepped over them. The man didn’t know where they were going next, but he knew that the next time he slept, he would be told. He was always told where to go and how to better himself and his Pokemon. The voices would whisper to him in his dreams, guiding him towards additional power, guiding him to more knowledge, and eventually, guiding him to his destiny.

 

[Sidewinder]

Chapter 3​

Dorian burst through the front door with a rabid ferocity that made Shelton think he had recently adopted the mind of a crazed Mightyena. The speed in which he rushed through the kitchen, throwing fruit, nuts, bread, and bottles of water into their two packs was wonderful and impressive to behold. Sweat poured from his forehead in torrents as he woke Golduck and Nuzleaf, and proceeded to body slam them. His fanatical eyes finally centered on Shelton, lips moving without expelling sound.

“Dorian, for the sake of your health, I really need you to start breathing,” Shelton advised.

“Sorry, sorry!” he gasped, taking deep gulps of air.

“Alright out with it,” she commanded.

“Give me a second,” Dorian said, hunching over to take in another few gulps of air. “Ronnie told me about the dig, and the legend, and about the director!”

“You’re not making any sense. Did Golduck hit you too hard? Is that it? It didn’t look any stronger than usual.”

“This,” Dorian said, pulling out the black stone, "is what I’m talking about.”

Turning his hand over, the gangly youth dropped the shard into her outstretched hand. Gripping it lightly, Shelton turned it over in her palm, admiring how the stone caught the light. She followed the intricate lines, her eyes moving over the broken forms of Human and Pokemon alike. The scene depicted on the stone was odd, almost disturbing. However, even as the thought grew in her mind, it gently slipped away.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s called obsidian. Well, that’s what it’s made out of apparently.”

“Once again, what?”

“According to my uncle this stone was handcrafted from a metal ore that’s exceedingly rare nowadays.”

“That’s why you’re so excited?”

“Just sit down,” he said, motioning towards the recliner. She did as she was told, confused by his slightly desperate tone.

Bewilderment turned to interest, which in turn turned into full scale excitement as Dorian explained the events that just transpired. The apparently ancient piece of stone tablet that Dorian had found was no ordinary relic. Not only did it supposedly point to a treasure of infinite worth, but from what he said, the Pewter museum would pay dearly for the piece in his possession. His uncle was immediately convinced of the marker’s authenticity from the dozen or so pictures Dorian had sent from his phone. After the initial shock had worn off, his uncle had told Dorian about Pewter’s original plan for the site, and how his tenacious nephew could potentially profit from it.

Cutting him off mid sentence, Shelton asked, “So if I’m hearing you correctly, they were going to spend one-hundred thousand credits to move all of their excavating equipment here, but if were able to make it there before they leave, we may get some kind of finder’s fee?”

“Exactly. Ronnie thinks we could get up to a quarter of the moving expenses if he’s able to prove this thing is real.”

“So why doesn’t he just tell the director and we just overnight it to him?”

“Two reasons,” Dorian explained. “First, from the pictures, and the way I described the density and weight, he thinks this is the real deal. If for some reason he’s wrong though, it would damage the director’s opinion of him. Which I’m sure would set them back even more money than they’ve lost already by the constant revisions they’ve made to the location and paying for their outside consultants.

“And the second?” she asked.

“It’s a pretty big deal to him that this thing gets to him in one piece. According to him they have almost no idea where the others are scattered and this piece would be a huge help in recovering the other pieces. He trusts us more than a mail carrier to get it there safely.”

“You mean he trusts me,” she said, smiling coyly.

“Yes, he explicitly said that several times,” he admitted.

“Dorian, even if he got us ten percent of the cost, that would pay me back and both our bills for the next two months!”

“I know!”

“That’s why you’re so excited!”

“Exactly!”

“Any other time, I would call attention to the fact that were both yelling!”

“Same here, but this occasion calls for it!”

“Yes!” she agreed.

They jumped up simultaneously for an awkward air hug, floating back to the floor on a cloud of content exuberance. Golduck, Shuppet, and Nuzleaf were staring at them with puzzlement, obviously understanding most of what had passed between them, but not enough to decipher what it meant. Probably due to how quickly travel plans were flitting back and forth between them. Regardless, the three of them waited for the inevitable explanation to come their way.

“Wait,” Shelton said. “To get to Pewter by the time the team moves out, we have to leave now.”

“To be fair, we needed to leave yesterday, but I know a few shortcuts that will shave some time off the trip.”

“I’ll corral the group, you pack the bags,” Shelton advised.

“Done and done. Meet you outside in ten.” Dorian responded, grinning broadly.

Shelton used her allotted time to assemble their collective Pokemon, including Machop, who was now shrinking behind her every time Shuppet came into view. She gathered them all together, explaining about the trip to Pewter, and assuring them of the enjoyable time they’d have on the way. Shuppet was the hardest to convince, pouting profoundly at the though of leaving her refrigerator behind.

Dorian ran from his room to Shelton’s, gathering clothes and other essentials. When they were both full, he grabbed an extra battery for his phone, slinging it into his secondary bag which was full of enough food and camping supplies for at least seven days. Spying Shelton through the kitchen window, he blitzed through the front door, barely remembering to lock it behind him as he took a flying leap off the front porch to join them.

“Yahhh!” he yelled, promptly landing sideways on his left ankle and tumbling to the ground.

“Nu-uh-uh-zz!” Nuzleaf cackled.

“I have dominion over you,” Dorian reminded the grass type, getting up and brushing the dirt from his jeans. “And I am commanding you to not laugh when I inadvertently embarrass myself from now on!”

“Good boy,” Shelton smiled, patting Nuzleaf on the shoulder as the Pokemon blew its owner a raspberry.

“You know, sometimes I don’t know who your more loyal to,” Dorian said. “Don’t forget that I picked you off the ground when you were a Seedot and attached you’re worthless carcass to that tree in the backyard!”

“Nuzz.” the Pokemon said, dipping his head low in an obvious apologetic gesture.

“Ah I’m sorry man, I was just kidding. And I know I promised I wouldn’t bring that back up again,” Dorian relented, “We’re good right?”

“Nu-Nuz,” the Pokemon agreed, reaching out to shake his owners hand. As the Pokemon’s smiling owner reached down to grasp it however, the Pokemon leaped up and over Dorian; and in one motion twisted gracefully through the air, pulling the front of Dorian's shirt over his head and using his momentum to kick out his legs, sending him back to the ground.

“You insolent sapling!” Dorian exclaimed, getting up and dusting himself off for the second time. The faction of Pokemon gathered around laughed in whatever way their species allowed, even timid little Machop giving a quick giggle.

“Anyway,” Shelton said, not hiding her own hearty laugh. “You ready to do this?”

“We're packed and ready, got everything we need,” Dorian said.

“Let’s get going then.”

“Let’s do it!” Dorian announced. “Strap on the nitro!”

“Really?” Shelton asked, “Come on Dorian, we talked about this for like half an hour.”

“Come on, just give it a chance,” he pleaded.

“No. That catch phrase is never going to catch on. Besides that, its barely a catch phrase. Its just random words that have nothing to do with our current situation.”

“Fine,” he said, shouldering his pack.

“We’re clear then?”

“Yes, mother,” he grumbled.

“Now can we go?”

“Yuppers,” he said. “Let’s do it.”

“Are you serious?” she asked, frustration easily visible. “We talked even longer about that. Every single time you say ‘yuppers’, it causes me considerable mental pain.”

“Fine, but eventually you’ll be saying it too.”

“I seriously doubt it. And I don’t wanna hear any back talk from you either. Until we collect the money, I’m still somewhat pissed at you.”

“Okay then,” he replied. “Glad were off to such a good start. I’m really looking forward to going to Kanto with the Gestapo.”

“What did I say about talking back?” she asked.

“Last word freak,” he muttered, walking to catch up with Nuzleaf and Golduck.

“Heard that,” Shelton said, taking up place to his right.

Keeping a brisk pace, they soon passed the small hole where the source of his new luck had been buried. It was funny to Dorian how far his life had shifted today. Starting with the triumph of his successful Growlithe capture, to the domestic abuse administered to him by Shelton, then to the extreme financial gain he was about to attain. Stepping over the hole, a slight lime glint caught his eye. Bending down, he saw what appeared to be a shaving of rock, its surface oily in the intense sunlight. As he turned his head sideways, the small flake glinted again, the green color out of place amidst the red dirt of the road. Just as he was about to scoop it up, Shelton’s voice rang out from down the road, making him realize they had continued on without him. Shrugging the small flake out of his mind, he started back down the road, thoughts of fat stacks of credits making him smile.

**************​

The man’s Alakazam was poking him in the shoulder, signaling for him to pay attention to what was happening in front of him. The man had been daydreaming again, as was common after his chats with the voices. They always left him somewhat lethargic and inattentive after he woke from his dreams. Taking a breath, he shook his head, trying to snap himself back to reality.

“You won’t give me your name?” the curious clerk asked.

“What?” the man questioned, his Alakazam giving him a sharp pinch to the side.

“I asked for your name. You said you wanted to checkout?” the clerk asked again.

“Sorry,” the man said, pulling out his Hoenn resident identification card. “Ethan. My name is Ethan.”

“Wonderful,” the clerk said, switching back to a friendlier tone. The clerk ran the card through the scanner, charging the night stay in the hotel to the account registered to it. “Is there anything else we can assist you with Mr. Bernard?

“No, thanks though,” Ethan said, returning the card back to his wallet.

“Thank you for your stay, we hope you’ll think of us next time you’re in Vermillion.”

“Assuredly,” Ethan said, nodding to the clerk and moving towards the exit.

Skirting pass the other patrons walking in and out of the establishment, Ethan and his Alakazam went down the side alley of the hotel and adjoining restaurant, glancing quickly around for any signs of life. His preferred method of travel was not practical, and always drew attention. It was quicker than hiking for miles though, despite the slight physical toll it drew on his psychic Pokemon.

“Were going to Johto, outside Cherrygrove,” he told the mustached Pokemon. “Should only take us a day if we move quick.”

“Zam,” agreed the psychic Pokemon.

“You okay?”

“Alakazam,”

“You sure?”

“Zam!” the Pokemon exclaimed, rolling its eyes.

“Let’s go then,” Ethan said, sure that Alakazam was holding back more than it was letting on. It didn’t matter though, Ethan had much more pressing matters to deal with, and if the troubling situation on Alakazam’s brain really began to bother him, it would speak up. They kept no secrets from one another. Which was part of the reason why years later, they had remained as close as they were when they were young.

Nodding, Alakazam’s hands began to move in small circles, one facing towards itself, the other towards its master. The motions began to pick up speed, leaving wispy energy trails behind them as they spun. Alakazam grunted, and Ethan felt his feet lift off the ground. Pupils dilating, Alakazam pulled both of them up into the air, using only the power of its mind. The psychic type’s hands began to glow with a hearty purple aura, which it pointed towards the sky, shooting them up high above Vermillion City. The duo smiled at each other, both reveling in the feeling of absolute freedom. Facing west, they streaked towards Johto.

 

[Sidewinder]

Chapter 4​

“Trapinch, dodge!” Dorian yelled, sensing the water attack that was about to befall his Pokemon. His intuition proved to be correct. Less than a second later, a torrent of water was expelled from the mouth of the Marshtomp that he and Trapinch were in the process of battling.

“Ap!” the diminutive Pokemon agreed, rolling to ihis left and dodging the powerful jet of water.

“Use dig, and throw in some zigs!” Dorian commanded.

As the angered water Pokemon began spraying the whole road in frantic attempts to hit Trapinch, Dorian’s Pokemon plunged his head into the dirt, worming its body into the small hole it had created.

The Marshtomp swung its webbed hands menacingly at Dorian, challenging the human that had sent his Pokemon to attack it. Small eyes focused on the ground, the water type tried to track the erratic zigzags that Trapinch was burrowing all around it, knowing that if he lost it, agony would be its only reward. The small hump in the ground that was wildly circling the orange stomached Pokemon suddenly stopped. The Marshtomp took in a sharp breath, its gleaming cerulean hide drenched in sweat.

“Trapinch!” the ant Pokemon cried, bursting through the sloppy ground and striking the Marshtomp from behind. Bellowing loudly, the water Pokemon was launched upward, just to come spiraling back down as gravity exerted its unrelenting pull. As the Pokemon fell, Trapinch crouched down and leaped to meet the Pokemon in the air, twisting to bring its coiled back legs around. As the Marshtomp realized what was happening, the helpless Pokemon began to pinwheel its arms in a vain attempt to fly. There was an audible pop as Trapinch used both powerful legs to send a flying kick into Marshtomp’s stomach.

“Marshtomp!” it cried.

Sliding across the ground, the Pokemon righted itself and began to run away, doubled over in pain. Trapinch landed roughly right after it, roaring at the fleeing Pokemon and proclaiming its victory. Turning around with its approximation of a grin, the ground type Pokemon trotted back to Dorian and Shelton’s makeshift camp. Morning dew still covered everything, easing drops of water onto its bruised face. Early in the battle the Marshtomp had hit Trapinch with a well placed water gun attack. The force had hit him in the face so hard he almost retched.

Dorian and Shelton’s Pokemon were all out of their respective balls, clapping softly as Trapinch approached. Well, almost all of them. Shuppet had no hands so she swirled its weightless body around in the air in an attempt at congratulations. Machop too excluded from clapping, as he was much too occupied with having its arms wrapped around Shelton’s leg, watching Shuppet with its intense red eyes.

“Nice!” Dorian beamed, jogging up to meet his Pokemon. “I liked that double kick at the end, way to improvise.”

“Good job cutie!” Shelton joined in, spraying dry shampoo in her hair as she congratulated Trapinch. The lack of a shower was getting under her skin, causing her to burn through her cosmetics at an alarming rate. She was dressed in her usual combo of long sleeve shirt and jeans, never faltering from her style of casual, yet undeniable allure.

“Ap! Apap!” Trapinch responded happily.

“I was hoping that a win might finally make you evolve,” Dorian said. “It’s alright though. I know you’re as eager to get rid of those pains as I am. Maybe it’ll happen next time.”

As its owner reached underneath to scratch its underbelly, Trapinch felt an familiar sensation start tugging at its gut. Nipping at his owner’s hand, Trapinch closed its eyes.

“Really?!” Dorian started, snatching his hand away. “You love it when I scratch your belly…Oh.”

Trapinch began to growl loudly, tapping into the growing process that his kind was sometimes afforded. His skin suddenly transformed into sickly hues of yellow and green. His eyes began to bulge and turn a lustrous olive as his backbone began to stretch and wiggle trough the back of his thick hide. Crimson blood streamed down his sides as a pair of regal looking, rhombus shaped wings burst out from underneath his skin. Growling louder now, the bones in his face began to change shape, becoming thinner, narrower, becoming almost brittle in their lightness. As a pair of antenna burst out of Trapinch’s forehead, his new tail split in two, mirroring the shape and color of its new wings.

“Vibrava,” the dragon type hissed, his voice an eerie whisper. Arching its back, the newly evolved Pokemon beat its wings furiously, channeling the wind they produced all over its body, cleansing itself of the blood and fluids that had accumulated on its sparkling body.

“Yes!” Dorian exclaimed, clicking his heels together as he took a flying leap toward his Pokemon. Scratching the Pokemon’s stomach in the fashion it had grown accustomed to, he asked, “Feels better doesn’t it?”

“Brava,” his Pokemon nodded, swishing its new tail from side to side.

Shelton rushed up as well, their Pokemon following close behind. She then proceeded to shower the vibration Pokemon with praise. Their Pokemon all took turns speaking to Vibrava, even Machop, releasing one hand from Shelton’s waist as he inspected the newly evolved Pokemon.

Dorian was glad to know that his Vibrava would not be suffering the same pains as it did as a Trapinch, and that it was one day closer to becoming the mystical Flygon.

“Vibrava,” the dragon whispered, resting its head on Dorian’s shoes.

“It’s probably tired. That was quite an ordeal it went through,” Shelton explained.

“You’re right,” Dorian said, taking out its Pokeball. “I’m proud of you buddy.”

He returned the Pokemon to its Pokeball, hoping that it would find the rest it needed.

They had been traveling for almost two days, stopping on the far east side of Route 27 to make camp for the night. The area was quiet enough, save for the flock of Pidgey’s indignantly squawking at them from the shade of a nearby oak tree.

Shelton and Dorian gathered their supplies, packing up the collapsible tent and hurriedly shoving separate pieces in their bags. The Pokemon that didn’t want to walk were returned to their balls, leaving Shuppet, Machop, Nuzleaf and Growlithe out to stroll beside their owners. Downing their breakfast as they travelled, conversation soon turned to figuring out the fastest way to get to their destination.

“I think we should go through that new route they’re building to bypass the reception area and go straight to Route 22,” Dorian suggested.

“They said on the radio earlier that it’s not even close to finished yet,” Shelton countered. “Something about a roving gang of rock type Pokemon who are pissed at the construction crews. Apparently they’ve caused a ton of damage, setting them back almost a month.”

“But we're not part of the construction crew. Besides, it’s just the two of us. I doubt the Pokemon would perceive us as a threat if we just keep to ourselves and wander through.”

“True, but they haven’t even built the road yet. Right now it’s just a thirty foot wide path with a rock face to the left and a sheer cliff to the right.”

“Well, it’s a little edgy, but it will shave so much time off the trip. If we go through the reception area, it’ll take at least a day to get through all the checkpoints to get to Route 22. Plus, last time I checked, both our trainer cards are expired.”

“That’s only because those fascists at the registration office tried to charge us an extra fee for missing our appointment,” Shelton said.

“Regardless, I don’t want to waste time if we don’t have to,” Dorian said. “We’re more than capable of walking a straight line.”

Dorian noticed a tall sign a few yards up ahead, signaling with an arrow that they needed to start heading north to connect with Route 26. He rubbed his left eye to quell the slight itch that had developed, noticing two shapes zooming across the sky. He thought at first it was just some random bird Pokemon, until he noticed that both shapes were humanoid, moving with speed in the direction they were walking away from. The sight made him anxious for some reason; no flying type Pokemon he knew of had a body like that.

“Do you see that?” Dorian asked, touching Shelton on the shoulder and pointing towards the two shapes with his other hand.

“See what?” Shelton asked, scanning the sky.

“Those Pokemon,” Dorian explained. When he tried to find them again though, they had vanished. He stood there for another thirty seconds or so, but they had either sped up and gone further than he could see, or passed into the low hanging clouds that were gathering across the sky.

“What are you talking about?” Shelton asked, giving him a contemptuous look.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “Come on.”

********​

The feeling of the crisp, frosty air on his skin made Ethan shiver, instinctively crossing his arms against his chest in an effort to warm himself. They passed through clouds gracefully, moisture collecting on their bodies. The land below was a brown-green blur, the roads snaking through the trees like an endless Seviper. They had been flying across Kanto for a day and a half, crossing the border into Johto almost an hour ago.

Ethan’s Alakazam’s remarkable mental abilities made it possible for him to lift them telekinetically; shortening the time it would take them to cross the distance normally. Psychic energy lightly glowed around his chest, the anchor point that he was being carried from. His Alakazam was sitting cross legged in the air, eyes closed, not needing them as he felt the air and the land below with his astounding mental abilities.

“Kazam,” his Pokemon said, his words straining to reach Ethan over the howling wind.

Following his Pokemon’s pointing finger, he spied six figures on the ground below. They moved as a unit, keeping synch as they traversed the smooth path below. One of the figures, a human judging by the shape, stopped and looked at them as they flew past, the others in its group continuing their stride. As Ethan watched, the figure motioned to another human, pointing with one hand to where he and Alakazam were flying. Not wanting to be recognized, he called out to Alakazam.

“Through that cloud,” Ethan said, pointing to a nearby puff.

“Ala,” he grunted, giving them both an extra spurt of speed.

By the time the other human had looked up, they were inside the cloud, hiding them from prying eyes. Knowing that they were safe for the moment, Ethan relaxed. It was strange though; the first human had given him an odd sensation as he looked down at their group, a momentary feeling of anxiousness, as if the man or woman below had somehow wronged him.

“Keep us in the clouds until we get there,” Ethan told his Pokemon.

“Kazam,” the psychic type agreed, reducing their speed slightly for extra directional control. Moving them higher, they cruised at a slower speed, making sure to keep their presence hidden in the thick layer of clouds.

“Cherrygrove should only be about another two hours away,” Ethan said, sending Alakazam a mental picture of a small gravel path on the outskirts of the city.

Plucking the image of the gravel path from Ethan’s mind, the Pokemon ran through his memories of Cherrygrove City, trying to decide on an inconspicuous place to put them down once they reached their destination.

***********​

“Look kid, I’m not in the mood to battle you,” Dorian said, his mood bypassing annoyance and going straight to exasperation. “I don’t care if we locked eyes, I don’t have to adhere to your need to prove yourself. How old are you anyway? Twelve?”

“I’m fourteen!” the kid yelled. “It’s in the rules! If you look at me, and I look back at you, we have to battle. I’ll call the Pokemon Battle Association if you don’t!”

“What makes you think I care? Do you think that’s going to change my mind? Kid, before you threaten someone, you need to make sure you have something to take away from them.”

“You’re just scared,” the adolescent surmised. “You know Beedrill and I would pound you senseless!”

“Are you off your medication? I have at least twelve years experience on you,” Dorian said, bringing his head down to the teen’s level. “Where are your parents? I’m feeling the sudden urge to tell them what an annoying little bastard you are.”

“They’re back in Kanto, not that it’s any of your damn business!”

“And you said you were fourteen? What kind of negligent parents send their kids out by themselves at that age?”

“They have faith in me!”

“The only thing they should have faith in is that their son is about to get drop kicked in the head,” Dorian said, taking a step closer.

“Dorian, if you touch that kid I’m going to have Golduck toss you a quarter mile,” Shelton chimed in.

The roommates and their Pokemon had been nearing the end of Route 26, when a young boy had burst out from the bushes to their right, his Beedrill buzzing along behind him. Clad entirely in purple clothes, including his hat, the fair-haired youth had walked right up to Dorian and challenged him to a fight. Normally, putting an over confident youth in his place appealed to Dorian, but they were on a schedule, a timeline which would net him and Shelton a lot of credits if they stuck to it. The little punk had spirit, which Dorian admired, but schooling this kid in a match was not an option if it cost him his payday.

“I’m going to walk away now, count yourself lucky,” Dorian told the kid, motioning for Shelton to follow his lead. Turning away from the worked up teenager, he started walking forward, his anger beginning to subside. It was at that moment that the teen called him the one thing that put him over the edge.

“Coward!”

Turning around slowly, Dorian dropped his backpack to the ground, his eyes ablaze with righteous determination.

“Here we go,” Shelton sighed, lowering herself to the ground. Leaning her head on Machop’s shoulder, she said, “Can you at least make this quick?”

“Terms?” Dorian asked, his voice laced with venom.

“One Pokemon each, sixty credits to the winner,” the kid replied, stomping out a spot in the ground with his foot.

Striding forward, Dorian opened his wallet and deposited the agreed amount on the spot, his violet clad counterpart following suit. Taking up positions about sixty feet away from one another, the trainers each reached towards their wrists and activated their Pokeflects. A quick chirp later, and both of them were enveloped in a creamy blue glow. The kid started making small jumps up and down, pumping himself up.

“Twenty credits says he smokes you!” Shelton called out, moving herself in front of Machop and activating her own Pokeflect.

“Whatever,” Dorian whispered.

“I lead with Beedrill!” the kid yelled.

“Stop screaming, I can hear you,” Dorian said, rolling his eyes. Seeing a quick way to end the match, he called over Growlithe from where it was laying next to Shelton.

“Listen to me and we’ll get through this quick,” Dorian said, smiling at the dog Pokemon.

“Growlithe,” he barked, giving his new master a quick nod.

“Ready whenever you are, junior,” Dorian called, taunting the upstart kid. “Take some notes while this is going on. You might actually learn some-“

“PIN MISSLE!”

 

[Zexion]

This... is actually really good. To me, the location, emotion, and character description is great. Finally, an inspiration to continue my own Fan-Fic. Keep the chapters coming, Sidewinder.

 

[Sidewinder]

This... is actually really good. To me, the location, emotion, and character description is great. Finally, an inspiration to continue my own Fan-Fic. Keep the chapters coming, Sidewinder.

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it. I actually have ten chapters posted on another forum, so I'll be updating this pretty rapidly until I'm caught up here too. And if you like it so far, you'll like what's coming next. I've had alot of fun writing it ;)

 

[Zexion]

I've had alot of fun writing it ;)

That`s 1 of the top things when writing, enjoy it. the same thing can`t be said for music, but not the time

 

[Sidewinder]

CHAPTER 5
Cause​

The match was going badly for both contestants. The Beedrill was swift, zooming from right to left, anticipating the next attack. Scorch marks traced a line from its left side up to its twitching antenna, the wounds cracking audibly as it moved. Growlithe had not fared much better, wounded from Beedrill’s quick pin missile attack. Blood leisurely rolled down its mane where the points had struck. The liquid turned the ground an ugly shade of black where it landed, giving the sporting duel an almost sinister feel.

“Flamethrower!” Dorian yelled.

“Dodge!” his opponent shouted.

As Growlithe unleashed a stream of orange flame toward his target, the Beedrill flew up high, evading the hellish blaze. The Beedrill swooped down, unleashing another pin missile attack. Growlithe rolled to the right, catching a few of the barbs in his shoulder in the process. The rest slammed into the ground, some reflecting off Dorian’s artificial shield. Both Pokemon were obviously exhausted, judging from Beedrill’s drooping antenna and Growlithe’s labored breathing.

“Tackle the Growlithe!” the Beedrill’s trainer yelled.

“Use Tackle!” Dorian shouted, seeking to end the fight with outright brawn.

The Pokemon collided with a loud bang, the energy discharge between the two being thrown straight up in a cascade of heavenly white. Both Pokemon hit the ground hard, stirring up clouds of dust where they landed. Panting hard, Growlithe struggled to remain upright. Beedrill was of the same persuasion, its wings struggling to keep itself it up the air. With a mutual groan, both Pokemon collapsed. Neither would be able to finish, their wounds too draining to continue.

Dorian thought with the obvious type advantage it would have been a quick fight, but the kid had proved to be surprisingly intelligent. Especially when he used Beedrill’s wings to blow a flamethrower sent at it back to Growlithe, temporarily blinding the fire type and allowing it to land a strong blow.

“What was that about me learning something?” the kid called over to Dorian, recalling his Pokemon and retrieving his share of the money.

“Are you implying that you won?" Dorian asked, opening Growlithe’s pokeball and returning his Pokemon. “Because you obviously didn’t.”

“Neither did you,” the kid scowled.

“Well, I’m leaving,” Dorian stated. “Thanks for, whatever.”

“Right back at you, champ,” the kid fired back.

“You little bastard!” Dorian exclaimed, changing direction and stalking towards him.

“That’s enough!” Shelton interjected, stopping Dorian with a wave of her hand. “Let’s go.”

“Fine,” he said, knowing that Shelton’s wrath would be severe if he kept up with the unsportsmanlike attitude. He grabbed his credits from the ground and stomped back to the group.

After the kid had given him another dirty look, he vanished down the path that Dorian and Shelton had recently traveled through. After another thirty minutes of analyzing the mistakes he had made, the boy was a distant memory. Still there, but the urge to run back and smack him had abated somewhat.

Thirty minutes after that, the group finally arrived at the half finished road between Johto and Kanto which had been under construction for the last year. Its purpose was to save travelers the rigors of passing through multiple checkpoints at the reception gate to the Pokemon League. The association was extremely strict on people passing through, even on those who weren’t trainers. It was their way to make sure that no trainers took shortcuts to get to other lands if a region had reached its maximum capacity of battle-able trainers.

“Look at the gouges in those bulldozers,” Dorian said, pointing to the dilapidated machines.

“They said on the news that it was rock types that did it. The ones living where they were using those demolition charges to clear the rock,” Shelton explained. “The only reason Johto and Kanto sanctioned it was because of the headaches that the League was giving ordinary people who were just passing through.”

“Well, luckily we have Machop and Golduck with us. They should be able to keep us safe with their type advantage.”

“Well yeah, but we also have six Pokemon between the two of us, plus our Pokeflect’s. We’ll be fine.”

Dorian suspected some sort of ominous feeling to strike him as he weighed the options. He was sure they’d be fine. While the bulldozers had been partially destroyed during the construction, no humans had been hurt. Not only that, but he’d been up against groups of wild Pokemon before and escaped relatively unscathed. After another few moments of consideration he decided that the extra day of waiting wasn’t worth it. Not only that, but because both of their trainer card’s were expired, they would probably incur some kind of fine as well if they had to go through the reception gate.

“Let’s do it,” Dorian said. “If we go now, we can make Viridian by nightfall.”

Shelton grinned, “Let’s get the rest of them out.”

They released the Pokemon that were still in their balls, depositing them back into their pockets afterwards. Golduck took Machop by its right hand, leading it ahead of the group in an attempt to break the fighting type out of its comfort zone. The limping Growlithe and energetic Shuppet took up pace to the left, the ghost Pokemon dipping up and down in the air, trying to get Growlithe to chase it. Nuzleaf took up a position behind the group as a rear guard, and Vibrava hovered above Dorian’s head, bulbous green eyes scanning the path ahead.

********​

The path to the south side of Viridian City was shadowed by a sheer cliff face to the left, with a sheer seventy foot drop on the right. The road was basically a straight line, deep ruts marring the surface in some places where the machines had been doing their work. Uncompleted, the road was smooth in the beginning, but riddled with house sized boulders and sharp chunks of gravel where the dynamite had been doing its work.

The cliff face to the left began to shift. Slowly at first, almost accidentally, as if it was struggling to decide whether it wanted to keep its shape. White eyes opened along the expanse of the cliff, blinking slowly. Upon closer inspection, legs and arms became visible. The roughly hewn limbs made out of the same rock they were latched onto. The shapes communicated by moving themselves against the rocks, listening to the craggy vibrations that were made when they did so.

The colony of Graveler was tired, and they were angry. The humans had planted explosives in their homes, just on the inside of the mountain. They had killed two elderly Graveler by doing so. Their leader had stopped them from retaliating at first, believing the explosions to be some kind of accident. When the men and their horribly loud machines began to trickle into their new valley, however, they knew different. It was evident they were making another pathway, the ones that were spoken about by the Golem who left the inner sanctum to explore their territory.

In unison, the collection of eyes rotated right, taking in the shapes of two humans and their Pokemon approaching from the west. Fear gripped all of them at once, a reasonable reaction to the atrocities that had recently occurred. Breathing loudly, the Graveler moved their bodies against the rock faster.

Their leader silenced the scraping with a single slap of its hand against the rock. Moving its hands in slow circles, it laid out its plan.

The leader was anxious about the course of action he was taking. He had tried to convince the humans to stop destroying their home by crippling their machines. His kind had always strived for nonviolent resolution, but the elders dying had pushed the others too far. His station as chief was in danger if he didn’t act. The others had made that very clear after the murder of the old one’s had taken place. They would no longer stand idly by like pebbles as their way of life was crushed in front of them. They would no longer restrain themselves as the humans wrestled their mountain away from them.

They would have blood for the wrongs that had befallen them.

*********​

“In what world do you live in where a Clefairy could beat a Hitmonchan?” Shelton asked.

“All I’m saying is that if the Clefairy has metronome, it opens up the possibility that the type advantage will not matter,” Dorian explained.

The group had been walking for over an hour, nearing the halfway point of the new route. The sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks below soothed Dorian as he walked, allowing him to put his mind on autopilot as he argued his point with Shelton. Golduck and Machop were still leading the crowd, the fighting Pokemon letting his hand drag across the rocky wall, tracing the curves of the stone. Vibrava buzzed around the group in lazy concentric circles, drunk on its newfound ability of flight.

“What you’re talking about is such a gamble though,” Shelton continued. “Out of all the moves that could pop up, what are the chances that one of the type you need will show up?”

“Extremely slim I know, but gambling like that can yield unexpected results, and you know it.”

“On rare occasions that’s true, but ninety percent of the time, it’s not.”

“That’s where our styles differ. You calculate everything. Type advantage, skill set, move roster. Whereas I like leaving things to chance. Not only does it make it more exciting, but it leaves more to the imagination and you have the freedom to think eccentrically.”

“That might be why you lost against that Beedrill,” Shelton muttered.

“What was that?” Dorian asked, anger rising in his voice.

“Nothing,” Shelton said. “But you have to admit that sometimes taking a calculated approach can give you a better chance at winning.”

“Well obviously. I’m not saying I’m going to go against Cerulean’s Gym Leader with a crew of all fire types. But yes, I prefer to not weigh the odds and ratios all the time. I’ve found that leaving some things to chance keeps me on my feet.”

********​

As his trainer argued back and forth about their competitive style, Shelton’s Golduck stopped walking. A small chunk of rock had loosed itself from the cliff wall and rolled across his webbed feet. Picking the stone up, he looked up at the wall, seeing nothing that would have spurned it from its place in the cliff. Quacking softly, he tossed the rock off to the right, over the cliff and down to the water below.

“Chop?” Machop inquired, also having noticed the rock tumble down the rocky outcropping.

“Duduck,” the Pokemon replied, assuring the smaller Pokemon they were not in danger.

“Machop,” he said, satisfied in the older Pokemon’s response.

It was just then that the jewel in Golduck’s forehead flared with a sudden ruby light. His grip on Machop’s hand tightened, a feeling of dread gripping its formidable mind. As he looked back to his trainer to check her safety, a shadow fell across him and Machop. The rock wall to their left collapsed forward, the sound of rock on rock deafening to his sensitive ears. With a sharp intake of breath, the Golduck erected a psychic shield around himself and Machop, trying in vain to protect them. He was a microsecond too slow. The avalanche of rock buried Machop instantly, its cries cut short when its head went under the falling stone. The rubble pushed against his shield, which was protecting him from harm, but shoving him towards the edge of the cliff behind him.

“Duck!” he cried, summoning all his psychic power to stop the flow of rock.

For a moment, the rocks stopped, held in stasis by the sapphire Pokemon. As he was about to shove it back up the wall, a scream from further down the path broke his concentration. With a roar of defiance, the rocks loosed themselves from his mental grasp and struck his shield, sending him over the side of the cliff.

*******​

Shelton and Dorian had been walking along amiably when a rockslide had fallen from the left side of the path and buried Machop. Before she was able to process the situation, she watched Golduck try to save himself and Machop, erecting a psychic barrier between themselves and the rock, but he had been too late, Machop had been pulled under. As she watched, her Golduck pushed against the rock behind a blue shield of energy, trying to hold it in place. The rocks kept coming and pouring down, seemingly of their own accord. The sound slowed her decision making even more, her synapses struggling to overcome the roaring of the stampeding stone.

“STOP IT!” she screamed in frustration. As she dropped her pack she saw Golduck swing his head toward her, sweat breaking out across his oily feathers.

Her shout could not stop gravity however, and as she started forward, the rocks slammed into Golduck’s shield, sending him over the side and towards the crashing waves below. She screamed long and hard, tears streaming down her face, her eyeliner merging with the liquid to form lines of jet black. She ran, desperate to follow Golduck to wherever it took her. She saw Dorian’s Nuzleaf streak past her, white energy licking its rapidly moving legs. Vibrava was close behind, diving off the edge of the cliff to aid the flightless Golduck.

As she bounded across the uneven ground, her right foot slipped and got wedged between two sofa sized boulders. Her momentum carried her forward and her head struck the ground, motes of dirt flung skyward as she connected. Stars flew across her vision as she quickly sat up. Her head throbbed, the pain streaming down from her head to other parts of her body. In her dazed confusion she saw a shadow falling towards her. Further back, she heard Growlithe roaring, Shuppet screeching, Dorian swearing. The shadow kept falling, subtle features such as small spherical body and two powerful arms becoming visible. The shadow blotted out her vision as it connected with her head, forcing her into unconsciousness.

 

[Sidewinder]

Chapter 6
Effect​

Nuzleaf was running as fast as his body would allow, calling on reserves of energy in his belly to pump his legs faster. He had seen the wall collapse on his friends, Golduck trying to hold it back before he was overcome. What Nuzleaf noticed as Machop was pulled under the rampaging rock however, was that some of the rocks were moving and changing direction on their own. Five Graveler were rolling across the rock, stomping and pounding to pack the pile as hard as possible, burying Machop under an unimaginable amount of weight.

“Nuz!” he yelled as he reached the slope of the pile.

Three of the closest Graveler jumped into the air towards Nuzleaf to intercept, each grabbing handfuls of rock as their feet left the ground. Nuzleaf followed suit, using both legs to launch himself into the air. The Graveler threw the rocks they were holding, each handful tripling in size as they raced towards their target. Nuzleaf destroyed the first few with a bullet seed, twisting through the air to avoid the other harmful missiles.

“Grav!” the rock Pokemon yelled, taken aback by Nuzleaf’s graceful agility.

As Nuzleaf came back to the ground, he ran up the pile, meeting the Graveler as they touched back down. The first two took a thick wooden knee to the face, making them stumble backwards; while the third took a handful of brightly colored pellets to the forehead, the ricochets breaking off a piece of its rocky shoulder. Nuzleaf scaled a large boulder behind the third, flipping backwards as he got to the top. The single leaf on its head began to glow, a golden halo of energy building around the single stalk. As the three that had been pummeled by Nuzleaf realized what was happening, they quickly grabbed more rocks and chucked them towards him.

With a growl, Nuzleaf released the stored energy. By far not the most impressive solarbeam he had ever conjured, as he barely had enough time to even charge it; but the effect was exactly what he wanted. As a fiery inferno of solar light raced downwards towards the rocks where Machop was buried, the Graveler scattered. A deafening boom rang out as the solarbeam cut through the pile of rock, punching a twenty foot hole straight down. The rocks that were chunked at him by the Graveler’s were vaporized right before he ended the stream, allowing him to stop the attack and fall down into the newly made hole.

Diving headfirst, Nuzleaf rolled himself forward as he struck the ground, a small splinter of wood spiraling away from his foot as he landed. Gritting his teeth to get through the pain, he reached down with his right hand and pulled Machop out from under the last two feet of rock. His friend’s face was bruised and bloody, the consequence of the tons of rock that had buried him. Hand still attached to Machop’s arm, he pulled back and flung the fighting Pokemon out of the hole, just as the rock Pokemon he had injured crashed into him, slamming him to the ground and knocking him out.

*********​

Dorian’s mind was racing. The wall had collapsed right where Machop and Golduck had been walking. From his angle he couldn’t see what had happened, but Shelton had screamed and bolted, forcing his mind to race to the worst possibility. As he went to yell to Nuzleaf for help, his grass Pokemon flashed past him, already on the way. He saw a flicker of blue tumble off the side of the cliff, followed by the green shape of his Vibrava darting over the edge to follow.

As his eyes went back to Shelton, he saw her trip and fall, a puff of dirt rising from where her head had struck. He felt a terrible tug in his gut as it happened and he released his pack to run. It was just then that Shuppet wailed, the noise resonating in his eardrums like a nearby foghorn. He swiveled his head in the direction of her screeching just in time to see Growlithe loose a jet of fire from his maw, targeting a television sized rock that was falling towards him. The rock was shoved backwards in the air, its surface scorched and smoking. Growlithe roared his approval; the sound overlapping with the noise of Shuppet’s panicked yelling.

“Dammit!” he yelled aloud as a large shadow suddenly darkened his vision. Just as the shadow connected, he brought his hands together, activating his Pokeflect. The Graveler’s attack caught him in the stomach, the force sending him to his back. While the Pokeflect repelled actual damage from the attack, the motion of the two of them smacking together sent him sprawling.

As Dorian rolled to a stop, he shouted, “Growlithe, use flamethrower! Shuppet, shadow ball!” The attacks merged together as they hit their target, Growlithe’s flames turning a sickly shade of black and grey. The torrent of flames sent the Graveler back several yards, where it lay in a heap, body smoking steadily.

An explosion behind him lit up the surrounding area in golden light, heat rolling across Dorian’s back. As his hand went to his head to protect himself, he saw parts of the cliff face begin to fall, betraying the secret of Graveler and Geodude alike. Two of the creatures slammed into Growlithe, forcing him to the ground and immobilizing his legs. Another four tried in vain to wrap their arms around Shuppet, only to have the ghost Pokemon phase through their outstretched arms, leaving her unscathed.

Dorian jumped to his feet, his mind racing to think of a suitable attack plan. Just as he got up however, two sets of arms snaked their way around his body, pulling him into a bear hug. The arms made no effort to be gentle, squeezing his body roughly, leaving Dorian gasping for air. A constant growl vibrated against Dorian’s back, an obvious display of menace.

“What are you doing?!” Dorian yelled, struggling to break free of the creature’s grasp.

“Gravav!” the Pokemon accused, not squeezing tighter, but not loosening his grip either.

Shuppet meanwhile was firing balls of ghostly energy at random, safe high above from the reaching arms of the Pokemon below. The attacks were hitting the ground as often as the Pokemon she was aiming for. When one of her attacks would hit their aggressors a shout of pain could be heard, followed by scores of rocks thrown at her by the crowd below. She kept on unhindered though, phasing through the rock like it was air.

“Shup!” she screeched, halting her attack, her eyes riveted behind Dorian.

Dorian spun his head to the right to see Machop’s unconscious body flip out of the smoking crater further down the path. The fighting type roughly hit the ground, arms flailing wildly as he skipped across the ground. He laid there, eyes closed, his breathing coming in series of long gurgling gasps. As Dorian struggled to examine his injuries from afar, he spied three Graveler falling from higher up the cliff, disappearing from sight as they passed below the lip of the new crater.

“GRAVELER!” a new voice shouted.

Dorian turned his head towards the new voice and gasped. An overly large Graveler was holding Shelton’s unconscious body above its head, clapping its lower hands together for attention. From what Dorian could tell, the only injury she had sustained was a large cut across her scalp that was slowly seeping blood. The sight of the Pokemon holding her made Dorian struggle with newfound vigor, carelessly lacerating his skin on the sharp rock of Graveler’s body.

“Stop!” he shouted. “Let go of her and we’ll leave!”

The Graveler paid Dorian no attention. Swinging its rocky head upwards, it pointed at Shuppet, then back at Shelton.

“Shuppet,” the ghost Pokemon said, drifting towards the ground.

Satisfied, the Graveler holding Shelton motioned towards two nearby Geodude, gesturing towards a spot in the road about ten feet ahead. Nodding, both Pokemon began to beat the ground furiously, digging a hole about three feet wide. Once they were finished, the Graveler stood Shelton up in the hole, and proceeded to shove dirt in as well; effectively burying her up to her neck.

Dorian watched the scene unfold in horror, unable to understand what the rocky Pokemon was doing. Frantic, he started looking around, searching for one of their Pokemon to help.

Growlithe was being held down by two Geodude, his face scraping across the dirt as he tried to free himself. Machop was barely alive, holding on by sheer will alone. Golduck and Vibrava had not reappeared from the side of the cliff yet, filling his head with even more worry. Nuzleaf was nowhere to be found and Shuppet was hovering nearby, seemingly catatonic by the threat made to her by the Graveler who was obviously in charge.

Dorian couldn’t understand why this was happening. Obviously this was the same gang of Pokemon Shelton was referring to earlier, but before they had only attacked the machines building the road. There had been no violence against any humans or their Pokemon at all. He had always been very good at reasoning with people and Pokemon alike. He had been told on more than one occasion that he would make a good salesman from his talent with wordplay. It was clear however, that there was no way to talk them out of this predicament.

“Grav!” the leader shouted again.

As Dorian watched, the Graveler held up two of its fingers with one hand and pointed to a pile of rock off to the left with another. Keeping its hands in place, it bent down and scooped up two basketball size boulders at its feet, balancing each out on an outstretched appendage. The hand he was pointing with slowly came around and he pointed toward each boulder, stopping to make the symbol for two again. Then its last hand came back around and pointed at Shelton’s buried body.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Please, we’ll go. We won’t come back, I promise,” Dorian pleaded. “Please.”

Growing angry, the Graveler pointed towards the same small pile of rock again, then repeating the gesture of making the number two and making the same motions towards Shelton.

Dorian stared at the pile of rock, trying to understand the significance. As he studied the rocks, six blackened hands became distinguishable, along with a shattered leg, and a few broken ivory teeth.

“Bodies?” Dorian asked himself. Then, the realization of what was about to happen crashed down on his mind harder than the rockslide that had pummeled Machop’s body. The bodies were Graveler. Judging from their shattered flesh they had died from the demolition charges that the road crew had planted. “Two of you, for two of us.” That’s what the Graveler was telling him.

As he watched, the Graveler walked to his deceased brethren and stroked each of their bodies with one long crooked finger. Shaking noticeably, the rock Pokemon took a deep breath, composing itself. Turning around, with dark mud streaming from its eyes, the Graveler took aim at Shelton’s head.

“Gravgrav,” the Pokemon lamented, and threw the stones.

Before the stones reached their target, however, they halted in the air.

Suddenly, they reversed course, racing back towards the Graveler with increased velocity. One struck the rock Pokemon in the head, sending it stumbling backwards, while the other raced around to strike the Pokemon from behind, sending it face first to the ground. The assembled Geodude and Graveler stared at their leader in disbelief, not understanding, not able to process what had just happened.

Dorian however, knew the answer before they did. Looking up, he saw Golduck let go of Vibrava’s legs and fall to the ground below. He watched as Golduck lightly landed, one foot resting on either side of Shelton’s head. Golduck’s pupils glowed lilac, signaling the rage that was close to being released.

“DUCK!” Golduck yelled at Dorian, raising both of his webbed hands above his head.

Knowing he only had a moment, Dorian raised his arms as high as he could, struggling against the strength of the Graveler that was holding him hostage. As his hands went upwards, a multicolored beam of energy shot from the jewel in Golduck’s forehead. The beam hit Dorian’s right hand with uncanny accuracy, rebounding off his Pokeflect and striking his captor in the stomach. The arms holding him hostage loosened, allowing Dorian to wriggle free. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Dorian jumped up and spun, kicking the dazed Graveler backwards. The rock Pokemon stumbled, crying out in pain from the lingering effects of Golduck’s psybeam. Its feet carried it backwards, over the edge of the cliff and to the roaring waves below.

As Dorian turned back around, the rock Pokemon broke their stare and attacked, sending chunks of stone streaming towards Vibrava hovering above and Golduck below. Vibrava tucked his wings and spiraled downwards, catching slight nicks from the thrown rocks as he dived. None of the missiles even got close to Golduck though, as the psychic Pokemon stopped them in mid-air as they approached, leaving them hanging to serve as shields for other incoming rocks.

“Vibrava, use gust on the rocks!” Dorian commanded.

Coming to a stop in front of Golduck, the dragon Pokemon flapped his wings furiously, kicking up sand and gravel as a vortex was generated. The psychic force holding the wall of thrown rocks suddenly dropped its hold, allowing Vibrava to send the stones back towards their attackers. Five of the rock Pokemon were immediately out of the fight, either immobilized by the heavy rock, or the impact of the stones sending them off the nearby cliff.

Shuppet meanwhile, had snapped her mind back into the fight and was currently flying from Geodude to Geodude, latching onto their backs and using hypnosis to put them to sleep. The Pokemon that experienced this sensation cried out in fear as the ghost Pokemon reached into their minds and ignited their worst fears, causing them to flee to sleep like it was their own idea.

“Vibrava, don’t stop! Golduck, get her out!” Dorian yelled.

Vibrava began to gyrate, dragging the vortex of howling wind in a circle, creating a barrier their attackers were unable to penetrate. Golduck focused his mental power below his feet, feeling the earth below with his mind and slowly raising Shelton out of her temporary prison. He worked slowly, trying his best to keep the sharp rock underneath from cutting her as she rose.

Dorian ran, the wind from Vibrava’s sustained gust attack almost knocking him off his feet as he struggled to get further down the path where Growlithe was pinned down. The same two Geodude were still holding him down, reaching down to strike the struggling dog when he managed to gain some leverage. Dorian ducked to avoid a rock thrown at him from a nearby Graveler, forgetting again that the Pokeflect would have stopped the stone from harming him.

“Shup!” Shuppet screeched, materializing beside Dorian as he ran.

As the ghost Pokemon’s voice reached the two Geodude, they looked up in surprise, catching twin shadow balls launched from Shuppet in the process. The Geodude were blown backwards into the wall behind them as the attack hit, releasing Growlithe from their painful embrace. Growlithe turned and bathed his assailants with fire for good measure, making sure they were out of the fight.

“You good?” Dorian called to Growlithe, spinning on his heel and running back towards Shelton.

“Growlithe!” his Pokemon roared.

“Find Nuzleaf!” Dorian commanded. “Shuppet, help Vibrava and Golduck!”

Dorian followed Growlithe as he ran further down the path, following the scent of Nuzleaf. He hunched down as they passed the whirlwind of air around his Vibrava, taking note of the fact that Golduck had completely freed Shelton from the ground below and was holding her in his arms, shielding her from the occasional rock that made it through Vibrava’s barrier. Shuppet had taken place in front of the twirling dragon Pokemon, adding ghostly balls of energy to the whirlwind, hoping to injure any of the rock Pokemon that got too close.

“Nuzleaf!” Dorian called, hoping to somehow get his Pokemon’s attention.
He kept following Growlithe as the fire Pokemon led them to the edge of a large crater; one that Dorian was sure was the result of the explosion that had happened earlier. As Dorian and Growlithe began to climb the slope of the crater, Nuzleaf’s unconscious form was violently thrown from the confines of the hole. Nuzleaf’s body was traveling so fast that it hit Dorian directly in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground.

“GRAV!” a chorus of voices yelled. As Dorian got up and slung Nuzleaf over his shoulder, five Graveler jumped up from the inside of the crater, glaring menacingly at the trio below.

“Grooo!” Growlithe growled, puffing up his chest.

“Don’t be thick,” Dorian said. “You can’t take on five of them. Let’s go!”

Huffing regrettably, Growlithe followed his master, hearing the sounds of the Graveler stomping behind them in pursuit. As he ran, he saw more Geodude and Graveler closing in on them from all sides, the ones ahead of them stopping short of the deadly barrier of wind and spinning rock created by Vibrava.

“Golduck!” Dorian yelled. “We’re coming in!”

The duck Pokemon heard them and nodded, using his power of telekinesis to open a hole in the vortex to let them pass. The rocks and spheres of energy parted for the trio as they ran through, closing behind them with a loud clap. Dorian laid Nuzleaf down by Golduck’s feet, checking his Pokemon up and down for injury. His Pokemon was breathing steadily, the only tell-tale sign of injury being the small chunks of wood missing from his foot, arm, and shoulder.

They were all in Vibrava’s protective circle now, even the unconscious form of Machop, whose condition was rapidly declining. As Dorian watched, scores of Graveler and Geodude poured out from over the top of the rock face, joining the fray of over thirty rock Pokemon that were trying to penetrate the protective circle around them. Vibrava couldn’t keep this up forever; and as powerful as his and Shelton’s Pokemon were, they couldn’t take on that many at one time. His mind raced, desperate for a plan to end the madness, to keep them safe. He wasn’t strong enough to overcome the odds though; he wasn’t powerful enough to fight off his aggressors. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do.

“Vibravaaa,” his dragon Pokemon moaned.

As Dorian watched Vibrava, he noticed that the hurricane of wind keeping them safe was starting to die down, the rocks being carried by it being lowered closer to the ground. Just then, one of the shadow balls that Shuppet had conjured leapt off course and smacked into Dorian’s chest. He felt nothing as it glanced off of the protective shield of his Pokeflect, but yelled when it ricocheted off of him and struck Shuppet. The ghost Pokemon wailed as the orb struck her, sending her crashing against the ground.

“Ava,” Vibrava whispered, dropping roughly to the ground and falling into unconsciousness.

Dorian should have known that the strain of sustaining an attack for that long was too much for the newly evolved Pokemon. He felt a momentary flash of pride in his Pokemon that quickly evaporated as the rocks caught up in the vortex fell and revealed the outside of their circle.

Over fifty rock Pokemon surrounded them, the ones nearest to the front gasping for the air that had been sucked away from them by Vibrava’s attack. Most of them were growling, making their intentions clear. They would not stop, and they had the numbers to back it up.

“I’m sorry,” Dorian said to the crowd. “We had nothing to do with it.”

Gathering his emotions, he walked forward and stood in front of Shelton. Raising his fists, he waited. It would come in a moment. The inevitable tide of anger would wash across them and leave nothing behind. Dorian thought that at a moment like this, things would become simple. Clarity would chime in and he would know exactly what to do. Nothing came however, nothing to give him hope. He was with their Pokemon, and his mind was blank.

“Duduck,” Golduck stated, tapping him on the shoulder.

Dorian turned, vaguely aware that the rock type Pokemon around them were rushing forward. He watched Golduck gently stroke Shelton’s cheek, a peculiar milky glow beginning to take shape around his head. He placed Shelton in Dorian’s arms, pushing her against him to make sure he had a strong grip.

Faster than Dorian could think, he, Shelton, and their Pokemon were yanked upwards and shoved to the right, high above the incoming stampede of rock Pokemon. They flew through the air, being guided by Golduck’s formidable mind. Dorian saw everything, he felt all of it. His group was guided into the crater the earlier explosion had made, being pushed tenderly out of harm’s way.

Just before they passed below the lip of the crater, Dorian saw the rock Pokemon race towards Golduck, he saw the mauve energy around Golduck flare brightly as they reached him, and as the first attack connected, he saw the sapphire Pokemon explode.

 

[Sidewinder]

CHAPTER 7

AFTERMATH​

Dorian inhaled deeply, trying to calm down his swiftly beating heart. He looked around, taking an inventory of his group that was scattered around the crater. Growlithe was sitting a few feet to his left, licking Shelton’s face in an effort to wake her. Nuzleaf and Shuppet were lying beside each other, both still unconscious. Vibrava was staggering to his feet, shaking his head furiously in an effort to wake himself up. Looking past the dragon Pokemon, Dorian spied Machop.

The fighting Pokemon was barely breathing now; holding on beyond what Dorian thought was possible. His teal skin was covered in blood from the countless cuts that littered his frame. Not only that, but Dorian could tell that most of his bones were broken from the way the fighting Pokemon’s skin sagged in places where it used to be pulled taut.

Dust drifted down into the hole they were residing in, the aftermath of Golduck’s psychic explosion. Sunlight glinted off the particles as they fell, making it hard to see the sky against the endless wave of specks. The silence in the crater shocked Dorian almost as much as the battle that had just taken place. After going from the sounds and smells of the chaos that had broken out earlier, the silence seemed even more foreign. It put Dorian more on edge, as he kept expecting the other proverbial shoe to drop.

“Vibrava, just sit there,” Dorian said. “I think it’s over. If you keep it up you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Ava,” he acquiesced, falling back to his stomach and closing his eyes.

Satisfied that the newly evolved Pokemon wasn’t going to overexert himself, Dorian lifted himself up. Waving his hands to clear the puffs of dirt in his face, he walked over to Shelton and knelt down. Growlithe backed up as he approached, understanding that his approach of ‘lick and wake’ was failing.

“Growlithe, go find the bags we dropped!” Dorian ordered. “They have medicine.”

“Groo?” Growlithe asked.

“Bags!” Dorian shouted. “Get the bags!”

“Growlithe!” the fire type growled.

“Look, get the bags or I’m going to beat the hell out of you!” Dorian screamed.

After another menacing growl, Growlithe did as he was told, spinning around and scaling the side of the crater.

Dorian turned his attention back to Shelton, turning his head to gauge the severity of the cut on her forehead. It wasn’t very deep, but like most head wounds, it was bleeding profusely, obscuring her soft features under a veil of red. Using the sleeve of his shirt he wiped away as much as he could, stopping when the arm of his shirt began sticking to his skin. Able to see her face again, Dorian lightly shook her. It had no effect, as she stayed thoroughly rooted in sleep.

“Groo!” a voice called from above.

Dorian looked up as their bags landed beside him and Shelton, making a mental note to apologize to Growlithe once the situation was wrapped up. Digging through his pack, he came up with a vial of smelling salt. Usually used to wake a fainted Pokemon from unconsciousness, Dorian knew from experience that it had the same effect on humans. Ignoring the label on the vial that boasted the hazards of human inhalation, he broke the top and shoved it underneath Shelton’s nose.

“Huhhh!” Shelton exhaled, bolting upright.

Her head was spinning, the result of the smelling salt instructing her brain to release adrenaline into her bloodstream in torrents. Her breathing quickened, teetering on the edge of hyperventilation. Her eyes were wild, scanning left and right, catching glimpses of their bruised and battered Pokemon lying all around them. When she saw Dorian on his knees in front of her, she started sobbing. Springing forward, she grabbed his head in her hands, her questions coming in between frantic gasps of air.

“Where are they?” she cried. “Dorian, don’t lie to me. Where are they? P-please tell me, please tell me.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Dorian assured her, lowering her hands and pulling her close.

“No dammit!” Shelton shouted, breaking his hold on her. “Where are they!? Just t-tell me. Please tell me.”

“Machop is hurt really bad. The rockslide crushed him. Most of his bones are broken, but he’s breathing,” Dorian explained. “Shuppet’s fine, one of her attacks bounced off my Pokeflect and hit her, but I think she’s okay.”

“W-what do you mean, her attacks?” Shelton asked. “Why was she attacking you?”

“She wasn’t attacking me,” Dorian said. “She was protecting us. Shelton calm down, you have to calm down. Take a deep breath, I’ll explain, but you have to get your breathing under control.”

She did as she was told, halting the quick gulps of air and forcing herself to breathe more regularly. “What happened?”

Dorian took a breath; this was going to be extremely difficult. He recounted how the Geodude and Graveler had attacked, and how their leader had put Shelton into the ground to kill her. He went on to explain how Vibrava had saved Golduck, and in turn, how Golduck dug Shelton out of the ground. He told her quickly that he had gotten loose and gathered the others, all the while directing their Pokemon on how to protect them. Tears formed in his eyes when he got to the hardest part. Dorian told Shelton how outnumbered they became, and then how Golduck had saved them.

“W-what do you mean, he exploded?” Shelton asked, her voice catching in her throat.

“He’s dead Shelton,” Dorian said. “I saw, s-saw the energy discharge from his head right before the rock Pokemon hit him. He couldn’t have survived it. I mean, I saw it swallow his body.”

“I don’t believe you!” Shelton screamed! “Why did you leave him out there!?”

“Shelton, I didn’t leave him out there. He yanked us up, I had no control over it.”

“Why are you doing this to me!?”

“Shelton, calm down. I’m not doing anything. He needed to save you, so he made a judgment call. That’s it.”

“You’re lying!” she yelled, shoving Dorian backwards and jumping to her feet. “He’s not gone! He wouldn’t do that!”

“Shelton, you need to calm down,” Dorian said, taking small steps towards her, arms outstretched.

Shelton backed up several paces, her hands hooking into claws. Golduck couldn't be dead! He wouldn't leave her, not like this, not ever. She drug her hands across her scalp, trying in vain to tear the thought away. She looked around, studying the scene before her. Tears came faster when she saw Machop’s body, pitching her into even more despair. His frail frame was broken, his legs bent into odd angles. She rushed forward, only to stop in place. Golduck and Machop, both of them were hurt. Shelton knew Golduck wasn’t dead; it wasn’t even something she could comprehend. She was stuck in place, unable to decide what to do. She wanted to climb out of the crater and find Golduck, but at the same time she couldn’t just leave Machop. Indecision rooted her, turned her into molasses. Time slowed, her thoughts became even more muddled. Machop or Golduck, Machop or Golduck?

“Shelton,” Dorian whispered. “Go help Machop, I’ll go find Golduck. Give me his Pokeball.”

“O-okay,” Shelton replied, handing over Golduck’s Pokeball. “Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Shelton, he-“ Dorian started.

“Just tell him!” she screamed.

Upon seeing her desperation and how fast the tears were coming now, he nodded in agreement. He watched her sprint towards the far end of the crater towards Machop, grabbing her pack as she ran. Dorian swallowed to steady himself. His own emotions were welling up in his gut, and it took everything he had to keep them at bay. He had to be strong for Shelton now; he had to keep her stable. She was likely to fracture if something happened to one of her Pokemon, much less two. Dorian knew she was capable of a complete mental breakdown and that she was well on her way. He didn’t want to see the devastation Golduck had released on the other side of the hole; but if Shelton saw him go, it might calm her down enough to intelligently decide on the next course of action for Machop.

Dorian winced slightly as he climbed the gentle slope. The cuts on his arms from the Graveler who had held him hostage were burning in the dust filled air. Every time he grabbed a rock to steady himself on the climb, sharp slivers of pain raced across them. The lacerations were hardly severe, but as he flexed his arms, they widened, causing him even more pain. He straightened up quickly as he got to the top of the crater, unprepared for the sight that lay before him.

The psychic explosion Golduck had summoned had devastated the evolving road. The spot where Golduck had stood was a normal shade of dirt brown, but starting a few inches away and ending at Dorian’s crater shelter, the ground and rock had been burned black. Deep fissures had been carved in the ground and what was left of the rock wall to the right, their pattern jagged and chaotic. A few shapes moved here and there, rock Pokemon that had survived. Many though, had not been so lucky. Dorian saw piles of blackened rock everywhere, most of them so jagged he couldn’t tell if they were Pokemon at all. It was at that moment that he saw a strange light.
Scattered around the boulders and piles of former rock Pokemon, stones hypnotically glowed lilac. They thrummed softly like a heartbeat, radiating brighter, then dimmer in random sequence. It was actually quite magical to behold amongst all the devastation. The stones put his troubled mind at ease, soothing his thoughts as he walked past them. Careful to not touch any of the assuredly dead Pokemon, he reached down and touched one of the glowing stones.

“Ahh!” Dorian yelled, jumping back in surprise.

As his fingers had grazed the stone, an icy spike had driven itself against his mind. The pain was agonizing, assaulting his thoughts like a corkscrew being driven into his brain. As soon as his hand left it, the pain stopped, leaving Dorian shivering in a cold sweat. He passed the rock by his foot and tried to fit all the glowing stones into his field of vision. They no longer pulsed with soft light; their glow had grown darker, more sinister. They now flashed with a hungry vigor, taking their appearance from a low candle to that of a strobe light. Golduck’s explosion had done more than cripple the rock Pokemon threatening them; his psychic essence had bonded itself to the rocks all around, turning the road into a mental minefield. As Dorian shook his head to clear his mind, he saw Golduck.

The duck Pokemon was firmly embedded in the rock wall in front of Dorian. His tongue hung limp out of his open bill, saliva dripping down to pool on the ground below. Golduck’s lifeless pupils were dilated to the extreme, speaking volumes of the inactivity behind them. As Dorian kept looking up, he saw that the small jewel in Golduck’s forehead had shattered, leaving a gaping hole. Lavender psychic energy drifted lazily out of the gap in his skull, forming a bubble above Golduck’s head.

“Dammit,” Dorian muttered, no longer able to hold back tears.

They streamed from his eyes in waves, splashing against the blackened ground below. Hanging his head, Dorian raised Golduck’s pokeball and activated the return button. Just as a red beam leapt from the ball and arced towards Golduck, Dorian remembered that it was pointless; it was impossible to call back dead Pokemon.
Regardless of Dorian’s intentions, the red beam continued forward, striking the sapphire avian in the sternum. Golduck’s body morphed into solid energy and returned to his Pokeball. Dorian stared at the red and ivory ball in his hand, a few tears rolling sideways off of its glossy surface.

“What?”

********​

Shelton was crouched over Machop, the contents of her bag dumped into a pile by her side. She had sprayed the worst of Machop’s bloody wounds with potions and watched as his battered teal skin began to slowly knit itself back together. When the wounds on his arms, legs, and chest had closed back up, she balled up a spare shirt. Taking great care, she slid her hand under Machop’s head and pushed the shirt underneath, flinching when she saw that her hand was now covered in blood.

“No!” she sobbed, slapping her hands against the ground. “No, no, no!”

Tears began rolling across her cheeks again, called forth by another wave of emotion that racked her body. Shelton turned her head and dry heaved, cringing when hot bile caught in her throat. Breathing heavily, she turned back to Machop, trying to decide on her next course of action. She couldn’t roll him over to the side to assess the damage to his head without injuring him further, but she couldn’t let the injury to his head continue bleeding either. She sobbed harder when she realized that it didn’t matter, as most of his bones were broken anyway.

She looked up as she heard Dorian and Growlithe approaching from the left, her eyes darting to Dorian’s face and then to the pokeball clutched in his left hand.

“Is he-,” Shelton started, finding herself unable to finish the question.

“He’s alive,” Dorian replied, kneeling down next to her. “I don’t know how he survived, but we have to get him to Viridian right now.”

Whispering a prayer of thanks, she asked, “What about Machop?”

“We’ll have to return him and hope we can get there in time too.”

“If we put him in his ball, the stress of shrinking could kill him.”

“What do you think is going to happen if we just leave him out?”

“I know!” Shelton cried! “Just let me think for a second!”

“Did you spray the worst of the wounds?” Dorian asked.

“Yes,” Shelton said. “But I think he has a fracture in the back of his head because it’s bleeding really bad. We can’t flip him because he might go into shock.”

“Did you try just lifting his head to see how bad it is?”

“No, I think most of his vertebrae are broken, I didn’t want to risk it.”

“Okay, did you tr-“ Dorian began.

“I know what to do, Dorian!” Shelton yelled, shoving him backwards.

“Stop!” Dorian ordered. “I’m just trying to help. I c-can’t, I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m sorry,” Shelton said. “I’m sorry, I just, I don’t know, I don’t know.”

“Hey,” Dorian said, pulling her hand into his. “It’s okay. Let’s just take this one step at a time. Think back to class. What do we do?”

“I think that if we can mo-“ Shelton started, breaking off from her statement and uttering a small whimper.

Machop’s eyelids were fluttering. Shelton drew in a sharp breath and stopped moving, focusing all her attention on her broken Pokemon. As she watched, his eyelids opened again and quickly closed. He repeated this several times before they slowly slid open and stayed that way. As his eyes found Shelton, he let out a soft moan that was cut off by the sound of liquid sloshing in his throat.

“There he is,” Shelton cooed. “There’s my sweetheart.”

Machop didn’t reply, just stared at Shelton.

“I need you to do something for me sweetie. I need you to stay awake okay? Dorian and I are going to get you to the Pokemon Center in Viridian and you’ll be okay. I just need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?”

Again, Machop didn’t reply, he just kept staring at Shelton’s face.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Shelton said, her tears splashing across Machop’s chest. “If you stay awake for me I’ll sing you your favorite song. Remember your song?”
Machop’s eyes widened slightly for a moment, then started to work their way down again.

“I’ll just sing it for you then, and you can stay awake, and we’ll get you to the Pokemon Center, okay?”

Bending down closer to Machop’s head, Shelton sang, “Sunshine, my darling sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take, my sunshine away…”

Machop’s eyes closed completely.

“No Machop, no, no,” Shelton cried. “You have to stay awake. Okay? Okay?”

“Shelton,” Dorian said. “We have to chance it, if we don’t; he’s going to die right here.”

Ignoring Dorian, Shelton continued talking to Machop. “Sweetie you have to stay awake, okay? You have to fight it. You have to power through. I love you with all my heart Machop and I need you to fight. Please.”

“Shel-“ Dorian started.

“Shut up!” Shelton screamed. “Dammit Machop, just fight! Fight it! Your whole life you’ve been afraid of everything! I don’t know why and I don’t care, but this one time I need you to fight! Please!”

Caught up in the moment and not understanding that she may be causing even more damage, Shelton grabbed Machop’s hands and started squeezing them harshly. “Fight! Just fight it dammit! Fight!"

All of a sudden, Machop’s eyes flew open again. His body began to spasm uncontrollably, his hands tearing out of Shelton’s grasp and beating themselves against the ground. Machop bellowed, causing Dorian to grab Shelton and pull her backwards in alarm. As the pair watched, the pigment in Machop’s skin suddenly changed, becoming a creamy blue. His cranium split open and three bony crests forced themselves out of his skull, blood squirting out to form a halo around his head. The muscles in his arms, legs, and abdomen bulged unnaturally and expanded, becoming hard and thick. Inside Machop’s body, his bones snapped even more and repaired themselves instantly as his brain sent commands to flash generate calcium. Machop screamed again as the newly repaired bones stretched themselves, lengthening his torso and legs. With one final spasm, his face contorted, stretching itself wide, his mouth boasting two new pairs of razor sharp fangs.

“Choke,” Machop wheezed.

Shelton and Dorian stared in disbelief at the mound of muscle lying in front of them, mentally unable to utter a single word. Simultaneously, they both reached out to touch Machop, or rather the Machoke that had taken his place. When their fingers traced their way up and down his unblemished skin, they felt hard muscle, followed by strong, solid bone. Disbelief flashed across their faces as they probed every inch of the unconscious Pokemon, marveling in the power of his evolution.

“Shelton, I just, I think he’s okay,” Dorian stated.

“I think he is too,” Shelton agreed, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

“Look alright, I think we can put him back in his ball now. We have to get to Viridian though. Golduck is just as bad, if not worse.”

“What did he look like?” Shelton asked, looking away from Machop and up into Dorian’s face.

“Listen, we don’t have time, we have to go.”

“Okay,” Shelton said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “Let’s go.”

With the exception of the upstart Growlithe, they both returned their Pokemon to their respective balls and shouldered their packs. Shelton accepted Golduck’s pokeball when Dorian offered it, clutching it to her chest for safety. She stared at the shiny surface of the ball, whispering a quick prayer for her Pokemon’s health.

“Growlithe,” Dorian called, summoning his Pokemon to his feet.

“Groo,” Growlithe said sharply.

“I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier.” Dorian explained. “As you can imagine, I was a bit caught in the moment and I’m sorry. We have to get to Viridian or Golduck might not make it. Be mad at me if you want, but I need your help.”

“Growlithe,” the dog Pokemon huffed, keeping his fangs exposed.

“Good. I don’t know if there are any rock Pokemon left, so I need you to stay a little bit ahead and warn us if any more pop out. Can you do that?”

“Groogroo!” Growlithe answered, puffing up his chest.

“Thanks,” Dorian said, ruffling his mane. Turning to Shelton, he seized her hand and squeezed. He looked into her eyes and nodded, smiling as best as he could. She distractedly smiled back and wiped her eyes. Growlithe roared a challenge and started trotting up the side of the crater with Dorian and Shelton close behind. As the trio reached the top of hole, they started sprinting.