Jasmine's Nuzlocke
Rules
If a Pokemon faints, it dies.
You may only catch the first Pokemon per route.
All Shiny Pokemon may be caught.
No legendaries may be caught.
You must nickname all your Pokemon.
Unless, of course, it was traded to you and you can't.
You must make up characteristics and personalities for your Pokemon.
If you run out of Pokemon, it's game over. You die. Goodbye.
I must record the game in a story.
Some parts may be comics, others may be written. Most will be written,
however.
Story Progress: Oreburgh
Game Progress: Veilstone
Hadrian (by me)
Rules
If a Pokemon faints, it dies.
You may only catch the first Pokemon per route.
All Shiny Pokemon may be caught.
No legendaries may be caught.
You must nickname all your Pokemon.
Unless, of course, it was traded to you and you can't.
You must make up characteristics and personalities for your Pokemon.
If you run out of Pokemon, it's game over. You die. Goodbye.
I must record the game in a story.
Some parts may be comics, others may be written. Most will be written,
however.
Hadrian the Grotle (Male), Sorrel the Bidoof (Female), Celandine the Staravia (Female), Cascade the Magikarp (Female), Elva the Abra (Female), Mason the Geodude (Male)
Empty
Story Progress: Oreburgh
Game Progress: Veilstone
"Go! I'll be fine," I shout to my Ekans. The rain beating against my face almost drowns out my words, but the snake Pokemon nods reluctantly slithers into the last lifeboat. I'm the last one on the ship. I'm about to get on with my Pokemon when a deafening roar drowns out my thoughts. The lifeboat breaks away from the cruise liner as the huge ship flips on its side. I catch one last glimpse of Asher, my Infernape, before being thrown into the icy waters alone.
"Jasmine! Get down here! I have something for you!" Gavin shouts. I roll my eyes and get out of bed. I check the clock- 6:00 A.M. My mom's Glameow glares at me as I walk down the stairs. "Jasmine! Come with me! Now! I'll fine you 10 million Pokedollars if you're late!" With that, he dashes out of the house. I look around, dazed. My mom's not even awake yet. I slip out the door, mostly to escape the Glameow's gaze. I hear Gavin yelling at his parents. "Going on adventure!" he shouts. I hear a crashing sound above me. Gavin breaks through the window and hits the ground with a thud.
"What was that all about?" I ask him.
"Faster than going out the door!" he shouts, dusting himself off. He rushes off to Route 201. I sigh and follow.
"You're seven and a half seconds late! But whatever! We're going to run through the tall grass full of dangerous Pokemon," he says, pointing to the field in front of us. Suddenly, a Pokemon pops up out of the brush. "See? We wouldn't want to run into one of those, now would we?"
"But it's a..."
"Dangerous Pokemon!"
"...Bidoof," I finish.
"I see you like Pokemon!" a voice says from behind us. I whip around, feeling for Asher's Pokeball and expecting a challenge. Then I remember- I'm not a trainer anymore. I sigh and turn to the older man.
"Professor Rowan!" I exclaim, recognizing the beard and mustache.
"The one and only! Lucas, come here," Rowan says. A teenage boy with a weird hat joins the professor. "Give them some Pokemon!" he orders.
"Them?" Lucas asks.
"Yes, us!" Gavin exclaims. He rushes in and grabs the briefcase from Lucas. "Ladies first!" I reach into the bag and take out a Pokeball. A Turtwig.
"I'll call you-"
"Hey, Jasmine! How 'bout a battle? I'll win for sure!" Gavin shouts. He throws his Pokeball to the ground and a Chimchar pops out. I remember when Asher was a Chimchar. I send out Turtwig.
"Chimchar is faster, but you have better defenses," I remind my Turtwig.
"I know, I know," he sighs. "Let's win!"
"Chimchar! Let's end this quickly! Use Leer!" Gavin shouts.
"Use Tackle!" I order. The Turtwig rams its head into Chimchar's belly, knocking the wind out of it.
"End it with Leer!" Gavin says. I turn to the Turtwig.
"Just keep on using Tackle, okay?" I say, yawning.
"We can beat them! Use Leer!" Gavin says. Turtwig's defenses are really low now. I share my concerns with Turtwig.
"If he hits you just one time, you could be seriously hurt!" I shout.
"It's fine!" the Turtwig replies. It Tackles Chimchar. Chimchar only has a little health left, but Turtwig's defenses are so low a single Scratch could end him.
"Okay, Chimchar! We're going to win! Use Leer!" Gavin orders. The Chimchar sighs and uses Leer. I chuckle to myself as my Turtwig uses Tackle for the knockout.
"How did you beat me? My strategy was foolproof!" Gavin says.
"Not quite," I reply, smirking. I turn to Turtwig. "You need a name. How about Hadrian?" I ask. He nods. I return home with Hadrian to tell my mom I've decided to go on another journey.
I wake up and stretch, accidentally hitting the Glameow on the head. She hisses at me and stalks off. "Morning, Hadrian," I say. Hadrian looks up at me with an impish grin.
"Morning!" he says quickly before rushing downstairs. I sigh and follow him. When I get to the table, he's already refusing several types of Pokemon foods. My mom's getting frustrated.
"Well, what do you eat?" she says, putting away the bags of food. "I wish Pokemon could communicate with us," she says.
"Oh, depends on my mood. Sometimes I enjoy some nice roasted Iapapa berries on a stick. Other times, I prefer spinach salad with Nomel berry dressing," he says. Hadrian gives me that grin again.
"What?" I ask.
"Oh, nothing," he says casually. "Just thought your mustache looked very nice this morning." I roll my eyes.
"Oh, sure. Only Jigglypuffs do that, and they don't live around here," I say. But then I notice my mom's looking at me funny. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. A large, curly mustache had been sloppily drawn on my face during the night. I rush to the sink and wash it off. I turn to Hadrian and glare at him. "You'll pay for this someday!" I mutter. He just grins wider.
"Well, now that that's all fixed up, here's some Chesto Berry pudding and some Oran juice," Mom says to Hadrian, glad to change the subject, "and I've got some oatmeal for you," she says to me, handing me my breakfast. I eat mine quickly, as does Hadrian.
"Can I go on my adventure now?" I ask. She nods. I turn to Hadrian.
"You want anything else to eat?" I ask him.
"Let's leave already," he says impatiently. We rush out the door almost as fast as Gavin on his way to lunch.
"Where are you going?" Mrs. Figworth yells after I accidentally overturn her potted plants.
"On adventure!" I shout over my shoulder.
"Jasmine! Get down here! I have something for you!" Gavin shouts. I roll my eyes and get out of bed. I check the clock- 6:00 A.M. My mom's Glameow glares at me as I walk down the stairs. "Jasmine! Come with me! Now! I'll fine you 10 million Pokedollars if you're late!" With that, he dashes out of the house. I look around, dazed. My mom's not even awake yet. I slip out the door, mostly to escape the Glameow's gaze. I hear Gavin yelling at his parents. "Going on adventure!" he shouts. I hear a crashing sound above me. Gavin breaks through the window and hits the ground with a thud.
"What was that all about?" I ask him.
"Faster than going out the door!" he shouts, dusting himself off. He rushes off to Route 201. I sigh and follow.
"You're seven and a half seconds late! But whatever! We're going to run through the tall grass full of dangerous Pokemon," he says, pointing to the field in front of us. Suddenly, a Pokemon pops up out of the brush. "See? We wouldn't want to run into one of those, now would we?"
"But it's a..."
"Dangerous Pokemon!"
"...Bidoof," I finish.
"I see you like Pokemon!" a voice says from behind us. I whip around, feeling for Asher's Pokeball and expecting a challenge. Then I remember- I'm not a trainer anymore. I sigh and turn to the older man.
"Professor Rowan!" I exclaim, recognizing the beard and mustache.
"The one and only! Lucas, come here," Rowan says. A teenage boy with a weird hat joins the professor. "Give them some Pokemon!" he orders.
"Them?" Lucas asks.
"Yes, us!" Gavin exclaims. He rushes in and grabs the briefcase from Lucas. "Ladies first!" I reach into the bag and take out a Pokeball. A Turtwig.
"I'll call you-"
"Hey, Jasmine! How 'bout a battle? I'll win for sure!" Gavin shouts. He throws his Pokeball to the ground and a Chimchar pops out. I remember when Asher was a Chimchar. I send out Turtwig.
"Chimchar is faster, but you have better defenses," I remind my Turtwig.
"I know, I know," he sighs. "Let's win!"
"Chimchar! Let's end this quickly! Use Leer!" Gavin shouts.
"Use Tackle!" I order. The Turtwig rams its head into Chimchar's belly, knocking the wind out of it.
"End it with Leer!" Gavin says. I turn to the Turtwig.
"Just keep on using Tackle, okay?" I say, yawning.
"We can beat them! Use Leer!" Gavin says. Turtwig's defenses are really low now. I share my concerns with Turtwig.
"If he hits you just one time, you could be seriously hurt!" I shout.
"It's fine!" the Turtwig replies. It Tackles Chimchar. Chimchar only has a little health left, but Turtwig's defenses are so low a single Scratch could end him.
"Okay, Chimchar! We're going to win! Use Leer!" Gavin orders. The Chimchar sighs and uses Leer. I chuckle to myself as my Turtwig uses Tackle for the knockout.
"How did you beat me? My strategy was foolproof!" Gavin says.
"Not quite," I reply, smirking. I turn to Turtwig. "You need a name. How about Hadrian?" I ask. He nods. I return home with Hadrian to tell my mom I've decided to go on another journey.
I wake up and stretch, accidentally hitting the Glameow on the head. She hisses at me and stalks off. "Morning, Hadrian," I say. Hadrian looks up at me with an impish grin.
"Morning!" he says quickly before rushing downstairs. I sigh and follow him. When I get to the table, he's already refusing several types of Pokemon foods. My mom's getting frustrated.
"Well, what do you eat?" she says, putting away the bags of food. "I wish Pokemon could communicate with us," she says.
"Oh, depends on my mood. Sometimes I enjoy some nice roasted Iapapa berries on a stick. Other times, I prefer spinach salad with Nomel berry dressing," he says. Hadrian gives me that grin again.
"What?" I ask.
"Oh, nothing," he says casually. "Just thought your mustache looked very nice this morning." I roll my eyes.
"Oh, sure. Only Jigglypuffs do that, and they don't live around here," I say. But then I notice my mom's looking at me funny. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. A large, curly mustache had been sloppily drawn on my face during the night. I rush to the sink and wash it off. I turn to Hadrian and glare at him. "You'll pay for this someday!" I mutter. He just grins wider.
"Well, now that that's all fixed up, here's some Chesto Berry pudding and some Oran juice," Mom says to Hadrian, glad to change the subject, "and I've got some oatmeal for you," she says to me, handing me my breakfast. I eat mine quickly, as does Hadrian.
"Can I go on my adventure now?" I ask. She nods. I turn to Hadrian.
"You want anything else to eat?" I ask him.
"Let's leave already," he says impatiently. We rush out the door almost as fast as Gavin on his way to lunch.
"Where are you going?" Mrs. Figworth yells after I accidentally overturn her potted plants.
"On adventure!" I shout over my shoulder.
"You're not my first Pokemon, you know," I say to Hadrian.
"I know," he replies. I stop short.
"How?" I ask. All evidence of the fact that I used to be a trainer went down with the ship! How could Hadrian know?
"I watch television," he says matter-of-factly. That makes sense. I suppose the Professor would've known about the sunken cruise ship. Every Pokemon had been rescued- everyone except a trainer named Jasmine, who is still missing. Gavin's shout interrupts my thoughts.
"Come with me!" Gavin yells.
"Ok, coming," I say, rolling my eyes. We run to the Verity Lakefront. I've been here so many times- mainly because I like to sketch the Pokemon here in my free time, but the view still takes my breath away. Gavin points to a sketchy-looking man with blue hair staring out into the waters of the lake. Figures-- Gavin wouldn't come here for the scenery. Gavin runs up to him. I stay hidden in the bushes. I catch bits and pieces of their conversation. Something about world domination, recruit, capturing the legendary lake Pokemon. I frown. What's this all about? I've heard the legends of the legendary Pokemon of the lakes, but to capture them? Absurd! I turn to Hadrian. He shrugs as best as a turtle Pokemon can. Eventually, the man calls on his Noctowl to use Fly, and Gavin leaves the clearing, walking slowly for perhaps the first time in his life. I leave the shelter of the bushes, wondering about the blue-haired man. He seemed somewhat familiar. Looking out across the lake, I hear a voice, or at least I think it's a voice. A violet figure flies across the surface of the still waters, leaving ripples of light in its wake. I blink and it's gone. The voice remains in my head. But it could have just be the wind.
I arrive at Sandgem town. Lucas looks up from his Pokedex. I remember my last Pokedex. I had almost completed it- I only needed a few more entries, mostly from Hoenn and a few from Kanto. The Pokedex would be crushed and waterlogged at the bottom of the sea by now, its precious data lost.
"Hi, Jasmine. The professor wants to see you," Lucas says. I nod and follow him into the lab. The professor is talking with one of his assistants. He glances over to me and excuses himself from the conversation.
"Jasmine! There you are! I wanted to see you! A few questions! One: Have you named your Pokemon?"
"Yeah, his name is Hadrian."
"Two: Will you complete the Pokedex?"
"Uh, sure," I say hesitantly.
"Good! Here, take it!" Professor Rowan says, almost relieved. He hands me a Dex. "Now go with Lucas and he'll teach you how to catch Pokemon!" I already know how, but these tutorials end with free PokeBall giveaways, so I follow. I just sit and eat my lunch while Lucas demonstrates. I begin to doze off.
"Jasmine! Did you pay attention?" Lucas asks scoldingly.
"Uh, yeah," I say drowsily.
"Then what did I teach you?"
"What is this, elementary school?"
"Just answer!"
"Um, you weaken a Pokemon, then you throw a PokeBall. You can catch a Pokemon more easily if it's sleeping or paralyzed or something, right?" I say. This is too easy. Lucas sighs and gives me six PokeBalls. I turn and run to Route 201, eager to catch my first Pokemon. The moment we step into the grass, the Bidoofs find us.
"Hadrian! Get all but one!" I say. He attacks the mass of Bidoofs, knocking out Pokemon after Pokemon. I throw a PokeBall blindly into the fray. Soon, Hadrian returns to me, panting. He carries the PokeBall on his back.
"Here, take it. I hope I never battle a Bidoof again," he gasps.
"You will, you will," I say with a chuckle. I take it and send out the Pokemon. An average female Bidoof. "Wanna join?" I ask it. The Bidoof stares blankly at me.
"You mean it?" she says. I nod. "Because I saw a boy earlier today. I ran up to him. He had a Chimchar, I think. I asked him if I could join him, but he said I was weak... But you want me to come with you?" she says, looking up at me hopefully.
"Of course," I say, patting her head. Could that have been Gavin? Why would he be so cruel? He'd always been in awe of even the smallest Zubats that hung out at the edge of the forest back in Twinleaf. "You have a name?" I ask the small rodent Pokemon.
"I really like the name Sorrel, if that's okay with you," she says.
"Well then, Sorrel, Hadrian," I say rather dramatically, "it's time to grind!"
"I know," he replies. I stop short.
"How?" I ask. All evidence of the fact that I used to be a trainer went down with the ship! How could Hadrian know?
"I watch television," he says matter-of-factly. That makes sense. I suppose the Professor would've known about the sunken cruise ship. Every Pokemon had been rescued- everyone except a trainer named Jasmine, who is still missing. Gavin's shout interrupts my thoughts.
"Come with me!" Gavin yells.
"Ok, coming," I say, rolling my eyes. We run to the Verity Lakefront. I've been here so many times- mainly because I like to sketch the Pokemon here in my free time, but the view still takes my breath away. Gavin points to a sketchy-looking man with blue hair staring out into the waters of the lake. Figures-- Gavin wouldn't come here for the scenery. Gavin runs up to him. I stay hidden in the bushes. I catch bits and pieces of their conversation. Something about world domination, recruit, capturing the legendary lake Pokemon. I frown. What's this all about? I've heard the legends of the legendary Pokemon of the lakes, but to capture them? Absurd! I turn to Hadrian. He shrugs as best as a turtle Pokemon can. Eventually, the man calls on his Noctowl to use Fly, and Gavin leaves the clearing, walking slowly for perhaps the first time in his life. I leave the shelter of the bushes, wondering about the blue-haired man. He seemed somewhat familiar. Looking out across the lake, I hear a voice, or at least I think it's a voice. A violet figure flies across the surface of the still waters, leaving ripples of light in its wake. I blink and it's gone. The voice remains in my head. But it could have just be the wind.
I arrive at Sandgem town. Lucas looks up from his Pokedex. I remember my last Pokedex. I had almost completed it- I only needed a few more entries, mostly from Hoenn and a few from Kanto. The Pokedex would be crushed and waterlogged at the bottom of the sea by now, its precious data lost.
"Hi, Jasmine. The professor wants to see you," Lucas says. I nod and follow him into the lab. The professor is talking with one of his assistants. He glances over to me and excuses himself from the conversation.
"Jasmine! There you are! I wanted to see you! A few questions! One: Have you named your Pokemon?"
"Yeah, his name is Hadrian."
"Two: Will you complete the Pokedex?"
"Uh, sure," I say hesitantly.
"Good! Here, take it!" Professor Rowan says, almost relieved. He hands me a Dex. "Now go with Lucas and he'll teach you how to catch Pokemon!" I already know how, but these tutorials end with free PokeBall giveaways, so I follow. I just sit and eat my lunch while Lucas demonstrates. I begin to doze off.
"Jasmine! Did you pay attention?" Lucas asks scoldingly.
"Uh, yeah," I say drowsily.
"Then what did I teach you?"
"What is this, elementary school?"
"Just answer!"
"Um, you weaken a Pokemon, then you throw a PokeBall. You can catch a Pokemon more easily if it's sleeping or paralyzed or something, right?" I say. This is too easy. Lucas sighs and gives me six PokeBalls. I turn and run to Route 201, eager to catch my first Pokemon. The moment we step into the grass, the Bidoofs find us.
"Hadrian! Get all but one!" I say. He attacks the mass of Bidoofs, knocking out Pokemon after Pokemon. I throw a PokeBall blindly into the fray. Soon, Hadrian returns to me, panting. He carries the PokeBall on his back.
"Here, take it. I hope I never battle a Bidoof again," he gasps.
"You will, you will," I say with a chuckle. I take it and send out the Pokemon. An average female Bidoof. "Wanna join?" I ask it. The Bidoof stares blankly at me.
"You mean it?" she says. I nod. "Because I saw a boy earlier today. I ran up to him. He had a Chimchar, I think. I asked him if I could join him, but he said I was weak... But you want me to come with you?" she says, looking up at me hopefully.
"Of course," I say, patting her head. Could that have been Gavin? Why would he be so cruel? He'd always been in awe of even the smallest Zubats that hung out at the edge of the forest back in Twinleaf. "You have a name?" I ask the small rodent Pokemon.
"I really like the name Sorrel, if that's okay with you," she says.
"Well then, Sorrel, Hadrian," I say rather dramatically, "it's time to grind!"
"I think we can take Route 202," Hadrian says, panting. He's about level eleven, and he's learned Absorb already, and Sorrel's level eight or so.
"I guess you're right. But I like to be prepared just in case. Let's heal you two up and get going. I'm looking forward to a new team member," I say. We walk to Sandgem and heal at the Pokemon Center.
"Can we go to the beach?" Sorrel asks me. She looks up at me, hope shining in her dark green eyes. "I never went there," she adds, "and I hear it's really pretty!"
"Sure," I say. When we get there, Sorrel gasps.
"It's so big! And blue!" Sorrel exclaims. She runs up to the waves. A small one rolls in and laps at her feet. I have yet to see someone enjoy the ocean as much as she does. I decide to rest while we can-- it's been an exciting first day. As I sit down on a smooth rock, I notice something glinting in the sand. I pick it up. It's a bottle of Antidote, which could come in handy later on. I stuff it in my bag.
"How'd you find that? I've never known a human to be that observant. But then again, you must be pretty special," he says thoughtfully. I turn to him.
"What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"You can talk to Pokemon. I have yet to meet a human with that talent. What's more, you hide this instead of flaunting your ability about and making money off it, like most humans would do," Hadrian says. He stares out at the sea.
"Oh. I never thought of that. You see, once in school, a few kids were trying to catch a Hoothoot. I wondered why the other children didn't stop bothering it. It kept telling them to go away, they had woken it up and it just wanted to sleep. I told them to stop, that it didn't like what they were doing. But they asked me to prove it. I realized that they didn't understand the Pokemon. I--"
"Was afraid?" Hadrian cuts in.
"Well, yeah, I guess so," I reply.
"Yeah, I suppose I'd be scared too. They'd think you were crazy. I guess I understand," he says, nodding. We sit in silence for a while, watching Sorrel play in the sand. She's built herself a little sandcastle, a small hill of sand with a shell on top, surrounded by a moat. I look for my watch, but I don't find it because my Poketch was lost in the shipwreck. It must be time to go, anyway. I call Sorrel, and we head home for dinner.
The next day, I decide to go to Route 202. Hadrian points out the two, no, three, trainers I knew we would find here. I step into the tall grass, hoping desperately for a Shinx. Instead, I see a small Starly. "Hadrian, Absorb!" I whisper. The Starly hardly notices us. "Absorb, once more!" The Starly begins to turn around. I throw a PokeBall before it can make a racket and scare all the other Pokemon away. The Starly's female. I name her Celandine, for the flowering plant that signals the arrival of birds in the spring. When I let her out of her PokeBall, Celandine looks confused. She glances around, her eyes coming to rest on Hadrian.
"Hey, welcome," Hadrian greets her.
"Um, hi," Celandine replies.
"No need to be afraid. Jasmine's cool," Hadrian reassures the startled bird Pokemon. He introduces her to Sorrel.
"Hi!" Sorrel says cheerfully. I let them get to know each other while I check my Pokedex for Celandine's stats. She's a bit small for a Starly, but her feathers are in good shape and her wings are strong. I decide to look at Sorrel's data, too. She's an average Bidoof, except for her eyes, which are green instead of brown. I decide to check on Hadrian, too. He's large and strong for his level. That's good. His shell is moist, also a sign of health. I look up from my Pokedex to see Celandine right in front of my face. I jump a little, and Hadrian laughs.
"Sorry, my idea," he says with a smirk.
"Should've known. Should've expected it, too," I sigh.
"Can we train now?" Celandine asks. She's gotten over her shyness quickly, it seems. I nod.
"We should be going on. We can't spend the whole time training, after all!" I say cheerfully. Hadrian looks over to the hill.
"Remember the trainers...? Can I...?" he asks hopefully.
"Sure," I say hesitantly. Hadrian grins and runs off. I take Celandine and Sorrel and hide in the bushes to watch. Hadrian climbs a tree above the trainer, who's staring blankly ahead. He uses Absorb to create little wisps of energy. I have to give him credit for resourcefulness. He then sends them to float around the young trainer's face. The trainer jumps back, hitting his head on a low branch. I chuckle and step out of the bushes. "Seems you're a little tied up there," I say.
"Yeah, well, you wanna battle?" the trainer says. He gets up and brushes himself off. He doesn't wait for an answer. He sends out his Starly. I send out Celandine, then switch for Hadrian. We defeat him easily with Tackle. The same can be said for the other two.
"Don't let him see us," I whisper to the team. Lucas is just standing there. I bet he's looking for me. Sure enough, Hadrian runs up to Lucas.
"Looks like Jasmine's here," Lucas says. I groan.
"Hello," I say. I cast a withering glance in Hadrian's direction. He shrinks a little, but maintains his grin.
"Hi," Lucas says casually. "Gavin's in there," he says, pointing to a trainer school. He walks off. I hate that place. Too many kids who want to battle. I decide to go train first- Gavin might want a battle, too, and he probably got stronger. I tell the team this, and we start off for the Route 204, when suddenly a guy in a trench coat dashes out from behind the Pokemon Center. He reminds me of someone, but I just can't place it. Could it be...? He glances at me and drops a paper on the ground. I pick up the paper. It's blank, except for a large yellow G. I remember this symbol. I thought someone had taught them a lesson. What had happened since then? I turn to my team.
"Keep and eye out for sketchy characters," I say to my team, folding the paper and putting it in my pocket.
"I want to catch a Pokemon here, so Sorrel goes first," I say to the team.
"Why?" she asks.
"You're less likely to land a one hit knockout," I say. I step into the grass and spot a Wurmple. I nod to Sorrel. She rams into it, crushing it.
"Oops," she says sheepishly. I sigh.
"No new team members here. Let's try the Rugged Path, shall we?" I suggest. We avoid the trainers and make it to the Rugged Path safely.
"I hope we don't-- ack!" Hadrian yelps. I rush over to him.
"What happened?" Celandine asks, alighting on my shoulder.
"I was going to say, 'I hope we don't have to catch a Zubat!'" Hadrian says in an irritated tone after peeling something off the side of his face.
"Well, you're out of luck, then," I say, chuckling. I pick up the small Zubat that flew into Hadrian and capture it. "I'll name him Indigo," I say.
"Well, in any case, we should go train," Hadrian says grumpily.
"Oh! I forgot to go and collect items!" I exclaim. Hadrian had just defeated a Budew. I begin to run off when I realize that Hadrian doesn't look so good. "Ah! Sorry!" I apologize to Hadrian. I root through my bag for that bottle of Antidote. "Here, drink this," I say, holding the container up to his face.
"Do I have to?" he says.
"Well, I guess not, but wouldn't you prefer this to a painful death by poison?"
"I guess," Hadrian says. I give him the medicine, which he drinks reluctantly. "Stupid Budews," he says, trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth. Celandine chuckles softly from her perch on my shoulder. I begin the search for items. First, I stop at an apartment complex. A girl with a Pikachu and Pachirisu is sitting at a table. I look expectantly at her. She holds out her hand silently. I take the item in her hand. A quick claw.
"Use it well," the Pikachu says to me. The Pachirisu nods in agreement. I pocket the item and quickly leave before anyone else sees me. Then I remember another person giving away free stuff. I rush to the gate on the other side of town.
"Why are we doing this? I'm tired!" Sorrel gasps. She isn't exactly the fastest, or slimmest, Bidoof I've ever seen. Actually, that award probably goes to my other Bidoof, Chomper, that I'd caught two years ago. The sadness of being separated from my Pokemon reignites in my heart. But I dismiss it for the sake of the task on hand.
"You want free items?" Celandine replies.
"Well, yes, but--"
"Then stop complaining and keep running!" Celandine says. When we reach the gate, the fisherman is still there.
"Hi," I say. He looks up.
"Here's an Old Rod! Go fishing and get out of my hair!" he orders, thrusting a beat-up fishing rod into my hands. I think he's tired of people coming and asking him for fishing tips and equipment. I decide to go fishing in Twinleaf town, since I'd like to try to catch the rare Pokemon on the other side of the lake on Route 218 instead of wasting my chance on a common fish Pokemon.
"Well, this looks like as good a spot as any for fishing," I say. I peer into the water and see a few Magikarp near the surface. I cast out as far as I can. I hear a door open, then my mom's voice calling me.
"Jasmine! You're home! Why?" she asks me.
"Fishing," I say, stating the obvious.
"Well, then, come in when you're done. I'll have a special lunch for you and your Pokemon," she says. I turn back to the lake. Nothing's coming remotely close to this side of the pond. After a while, I've had enough.
"Indigo, just go catch one for me," I order. Indigo nods quickly and snatches a small female Magikarp from the shallows. I take it from him and look at it. Somehow, she seems more intelligent that most Magikarps. It peers back at me with bright eyes. "Your new name's Chelsea," I say to it.
"I'm partial to the name Cascade, if it's all the same to you," she replies. I'm startled by the courage she displays through her readiness to speak after being snatched out of the water and dropped into a strange human's hands.
"Right, then. Cascade, welcome to the team," I say. I turn to the rest of my Pokemon. "Time for lunch, I suppose," I say to them. Sorrel, looking even more exhausted than before, merely nods in agreement.
"I guess you're right. But I like to be prepared just in case. Let's heal you two up and get going. I'm looking forward to a new team member," I say. We walk to Sandgem and heal at the Pokemon Center.
"Can we go to the beach?" Sorrel asks me. She looks up at me, hope shining in her dark green eyes. "I never went there," she adds, "and I hear it's really pretty!"
"Sure," I say. When we get there, Sorrel gasps.
"It's so big! And blue!" Sorrel exclaims. She runs up to the waves. A small one rolls in and laps at her feet. I have yet to see someone enjoy the ocean as much as she does. I decide to rest while we can-- it's been an exciting first day. As I sit down on a smooth rock, I notice something glinting in the sand. I pick it up. It's a bottle of Antidote, which could come in handy later on. I stuff it in my bag.
"How'd you find that? I've never known a human to be that observant. But then again, you must be pretty special," he says thoughtfully. I turn to him.
"What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"You can talk to Pokemon. I have yet to meet a human with that talent. What's more, you hide this instead of flaunting your ability about and making money off it, like most humans would do," Hadrian says. He stares out at the sea.
"Oh. I never thought of that. You see, once in school, a few kids were trying to catch a Hoothoot. I wondered why the other children didn't stop bothering it. It kept telling them to go away, they had woken it up and it just wanted to sleep. I told them to stop, that it didn't like what they were doing. But they asked me to prove it. I realized that they didn't understand the Pokemon. I--"
"Was afraid?" Hadrian cuts in.
"Well, yeah, I guess so," I reply.
"Yeah, I suppose I'd be scared too. They'd think you were crazy. I guess I understand," he says, nodding. We sit in silence for a while, watching Sorrel play in the sand. She's built herself a little sandcastle, a small hill of sand with a shell on top, surrounded by a moat. I look for my watch, but I don't find it because my Poketch was lost in the shipwreck. It must be time to go, anyway. I call Sorrel, and we head home for dinner.
The next day, I decide to go to Route 202. Hadrian points out the two, no, three, trainers I knew we would find here. I step into the tall grass, hoping desperately for a Shinx. Instead, I see a small Starly. "Hadrian, Absorb!" I whisper. The Starly hardly notices us. "Absorb, once more!" The Starly begins to turn around. I throw a PokeBall before it can make a racket and scare all the other Pokemon away. The Starly's female. I name her Celandine, for the flowering plant that signals the arrival of birds in the spring. When I let her out of her PokeBall, Celandine looks confused. She glances around, her eyes coming to rest on Hadrian.
"Hey, welcome," Hadrian greets her.
"Um, hi," Celandine replies.
"No need to be afraid. Jasmine's cool," Hadrian reassures the startled bird Pokemon. He introduces her to Sorrel.
"Hi!" Sorrel says cheerfully. I let them get to know each other while I check my Pokedex for Celandine's stats. She's a bit small for a Starly, but her feathers are in good shape and her wings are strong. I decide to look at Sorrel's data, too. She's an average Bidoof, except for her eyes, which are green instead of brown. I decide to check on Hadrian, too. He's large and strong for his level. That's good. His shell is moist, also a sign of health. I look up from my Pokedex to see Celandine right in front of my face. I jump a little, and Hadrian laughs.
"Sorry, my idea," he says with a smirk.
"Should've known. Should've expected it, too," I sigh.
"Can we train now?" Celandine asks. She's gotten over her shyness quickly, it seems. I nod.
"We should be going on. We can't spend the whole time training, after all!" I say cheerfully. Hadrian looks over to the hill.
"Remember the trainers...? Can I...?" he asks hopefully.
"Sure," I say hesitantly. Hadrian grins and runs off. I take Celandine and Sorrel and hide in the bushes to watch. Hadrian climbs a tree above the trainer, who's staring blankly ahead. He uses Absorb to create little wisps of energy. I have to give him credit for resourcefulness. He then sends them to float around the young trainer's face. The trainer jumps back, hitting his head on a low branch. I chuckle and step out of the bushes. "Seems you're a little tied up there," I say.
"Yeah, well, you wanna battle?" the trainer says. He gets up and brushes himself off. He doesn't wait for an answer. He sends out his Starly. I send out Celandine, then switch for Hadrian. We defeat him easily with Tackle. The same can be said for the other two.
"Don't let him see us," I whisper to the team. Lucas is just standing there. I bet he's looking for me. Sure enough, Hadrian runs up to Lucas.
"Looks like Jasmine's here," Lucas says. I groan.
"Hello," I say. I cast a withering glance in Hadrian's direction. He shrinks a little, but maintains his grin.
"Hi," Lucas says casually. "Gavin's in there," he says, pointing to a trainer school. He walks off. I hate that place. Too many kids who want to battle. I decide to go train first- Gavin might want a battle, too, and he probably got stronger. I tell the team this, and we start off for the Route 204, when suddenly a guy in a trench coat dashes out from behind the Pokemon Center. He reminds me of someone, but I just can't place it. Could it be...? He glances at me and drops a paper on the ground. I pick up the paper. It's blank, except for a large yellow G. I remember this symbol. I thought someone had taught them a lesson. What had happened since then? I turn to my team.
"Keep and eye out for sketchy characters," I say to my team, folding the paper and putting it in my pocket.
"I want to catch a Pokemon here, so Sorrel goes first," I say to the team.
"Why?" she asks.
"You're less likely to land a one hit knockout," I say. I step into the grass and spot a Wurmple. I nod to Sorrel. She rams into it, crushing it.
"Oops," she says sheepishly. I sigh.
"No new team members here. Let's try the Rugged Path, shall we?" I suggest. We avoid the trainers and make it to the Rugged Path safely.
"I hope we don't-- ack!" Hadrian yelps. I rush over to him.
"What happened?" Celandine asks, alighting on my shoulder.
"I was going to say, 'I hope we don't have to catch a Zubat!'" Hadrian says in an irritated tone after peeling something off the side of his face.
"Well, you're out of luck, then," I say, chuckling. I pick up the small Zubat that flew into Hadrian and capture it. "I'll name him Indigo," I say.
"Well, in any case, we should go train," Hadrian says grumpily.
"Oh! I forgot to go and collect items!" I exclaim. Hadrian had just defeated a Budew. I begin to run off when I realize that Hadrian doesn't look so good. "Ah! Sorry!" I apologize to Hadrian. I root through my bag for that bottle of Antidote. "Here, drink this," I say, holding the container up to his face.
"Do I have to?" he says.
"Well, I guess not, but wouldn't you prefer this to a painful death by poison?"
"I guess," Hadrian says. I give him the medicine, which he drinks reluctantly. "Stupid Budews," he says, trying to get the foul taste out of his mouth. Celandine chuckles softly from her perch on my shoulder. I begin the search for items. First, I stop at an apartment complex. A girl with a Pikachu and Pachirisu is sitting at a table. I look expectantly at her. She holds out her hand silently. I take the item in her hand. A quick claw.
"Use it well," the Pikachu says to me. The Pachirisu nods in agreement. I pocket the item and quickly leave before anyone else sees me. Then I remember another person giving away free stuff. I rush to the gate on the other side of town.
"Why are we doing this? I'm tired!" Sorrel gasps. She isn't exactly the fastest, or slimmest, Bidoof I've ever seen. Actually, that award probably goes to my other Bidoof, Chomper, that I'd caught two years ago. The sadness of being separated from my Pokemon reignites in my heart. But I dismiss it for the sake of the task on hand.
"You want free items?" Celandine replies.
"Well, yes, but--"
"Then stop complaining and keep running!" Celandine says. When we reach the gate, the fisherman is still there.
"Hi," I say. He looks up.
"Here's an Old Rod! Go fishing and get out of my hair!" he orders, thrusting a beat-up fishing rod into my hands. I think he's tired of people coming and asking him for fishing tips and equipment. I decide to go fishing in Twinleaf town, since I'd like to try to catch the rare Pokemon on the other side of the lake on Route 218 instead of wasting my chance on a common fish Pokemon.
"Well, this looks like as good a spot as any for fishing," I say. I peer into the water and see a few Magikarp near the surface. I cast out as far as I can. I hear a door open, then my mom's voice calling me.
"Jasmine! You're home! Why?" she asks me.
"Fishing," I say, stating the obvious.
"Well, then, come in when you're done. I'll have a special lunch for you and your Pokemon," she says. I turn back to the lake. Nothing's coming remotely close to this side of the pond. After a while, I've had enough.
"Indigo, just go catch one for me," I order. Indigo nods quickly and snatches a small female Magikarp from the shallows. I take it from him and look at it. Somehow, she seems more intelligent that most Magikarps. It peers back at me with bright eyes. "Your new name's Chelsea," I say to it.
"I'm partial to the name Cascade, if it's all the same to you," she replies. I'm startled by the courage she displays through her readiness to speak after being snatched out of the water and dropped into a strange human's hands.
"Right, then. Cascade, welcome to the team," I say. I turn to the rest of my Pokemon. "Time for lunch, I suppose," I say to them. Sorrel, looking even more exhausted than before, merely nods in agreement.
"I wish we'd just stop training already!" Hadrian groans.
"Jasmine knows what's best for us," Cascade replies briskly. "Besides, how do you think I feel? I only know Splash! I can't even gain experience for myself!"
"Yeah, well, all right," Hadrian growls. I look up from my book.
"Oh, stop arguing. We'll go in a minute. Just let me finish this chapter," I say.
"But that's what you said almost an hour ago!" Hadrian complains. I decide to ignore him. Celandine alights on my shoulder.
"What are you reading?" She asks.
"Just a book on Sinnoh myths," I answer.
"I know some myths. I've never heard humans talk about them, though. Would you like to hear them?" she offers. I nod. She hops off my shoulder and sits down in front of me, folding her wings neatly. Sorrel and even Hadrian come over to listen. "There came to be an orb of darkness, a sphere devoid of light. It hung in the sky like a great thundercloud. All the creatures of the Earth feared it," she began. "Once, two brave dragons decided to find out why the void was there and what it could do. The first flew up to it and peered inside. There, it saw the vast vortex of possibility, of time, of what was and what will be. He was driven mad. But he also became very clever. He could now understand how to control the arches and towers of time. He built a palace of steel and froze it in time so that it would never fall," Celandine said grandly. She hesitated. "That's all I remember," she said sadly. I remain silent, pondering how this could be true. With modern science, we just developed a way teleport items and PokeBalls via the PC-Systems. But the Pokemon in this legend can do much more. It scares me.
"That was very nice," I say to Celandine. "Now let's go find Gavin, 'kay?"
"Finally," Hadrian sighs.
Gavin's still at the trainer school. I walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder. He jumps a little and whips around to face me.
"Jasmine! You're late! I've been waiting for you!" he scolds. I sigh.
"Aren't you going to battle me?" I ask.
"No, but they will!" Gavin says, pointing to two little kids playing with their Pokemon. I walk over to them.
"Hi! Wanna battle?" the little girl says. She sends out her Bidoof.
"Okay, Cascade, you watch Celandine battle. Celandine, you know what to do," I order. I hold Cascade up to watch the battle, which is over in a few minutes anyway. The little boy walks up to me.
"My turn! My turn!" he says eagerly. He sends out his Starly. It's a little bigger than Celandine, but it doesn't look very high leveled.
"Same as before. Celandine, wing attack!" I command. Celandine nods. She darts up to the larger Starly and slaps him in the face with her wing.
"Oi! Watch it!" the other Starly grumbles. He bashes his head into Celandine. She avoids the brunt of the attack and retaliates quickly with Quick Attack, pushing the other Starly into the wall for the knockout. She turns and flies up to her perch on my shoulder. The little boy rushes over to his Starly and calls him back into his PokeBall.
"Here, take this, strong trainer," the girl says, handing me a bottle of Potion. I thank her and take my Pokemon to the Centre for the night.
I awake to the chatter of the other Trainers at the Centre. I sit up and stretch, groaning. The beds here aren't the best. I listen to the conversations for a moment.
"The new Poketch 5!"
"It's got tons of new apps!"
"Yeah, and the first customer gets one free!" I perk up at the thought of a free Poketch. My old one had been useful, and new apps would be welcome. I wake the team and slip through the crowd and out the door. I arrive at the Poketch building.
"Hello there! The first one to find three clowns wins a Poketch!" he announces. I nod and turn to my team.
"Celandine, find one. I'll find the other two," I say. "We'll meet back here!" I call, dashing off to the TV station. A clown in mustard-colored attire stands creepily in a corner. I approach him warily. He hands me a ticket. I take it and run. Goodness, I hate clowns. I find the second and race back to the Poketch company, where Celandine is waiting. I cash in the tickets and claim my Poketch. I open it up and try to log in under my old account. The Poketch beeps. Error: Identity invalid, the screen reads. I sigh and create a new account. I flip through the apps. Just the basics- an app for look at my team's health and status, a calculator, and a pedometer. I close up the Poketch and return to the Centre.
"I smell something," Sorrel says, turning in circles and sniffing the air. "Smells like food," she comments. She follows her nose down the hall. Hadrian, Celandine, and I follow her to the cafeteria. I grab a few Pokedollars from my bag and but breakfast for the five of us. Sorrel scarfs her food down quickly. Celandine eats like a bird- that is to say she eats half her bodyweight in cereal. Cascade happily eats her scone. Hadrian questions the legitimacy of the bacon I'm eating. I somewhat agree with him- it doesn't have the usual smoky flavor of real Grumpig bacon. I decided it must be fried bologna.
"Let's go," I say. Celandine nods and perches on my shoulder. Cascade jumps in my arms, and Sorrel leaps to the floor, almost landing on her feet with an oof. Hadrian lands more neatly on the floor. We leave quickly, eager to get going.
The minute we step onto Route 203, Gavin finds us and challenges us to a battle. I send out Cascade to watch the battle and Celandine to battle Gavin's Starly.
"I'll go first! Starly, use Growl!" Gavin commands. I smirk. Is he going to use his strategy again?
"Celandine, Wing Attack!" I order.
"Quick! Counter with Growl!" Gavin shouts. The Starly visibly rolls its eyes and gives a halfhearted growl. My suspicion is confirmed.
"Wing Attack," I command. Celandine finishes the Starly. Cascade nods her approval. Gavin scratches his head, wondering why his 'foolproof' plan didn't work. He sends in his Chimchar.
"Celandine, continue," I say. Celandine yawns and uses Wing Attack.
"Use Leer!" Gavin orders. I'm not worried.
"Wing attack once more!"
"Leer!"
"Wing Attack!"
"Chimchar! Use your ultimate attack- Leer!" Gavin commands. His Chimchar sighs and glares at Celandine. She uses Wing Attack for the win. I almost take my Pokemon to the Centre, but realize it's pointless because all Gavin used was Growl and Leer. I'm pretty sure he needs to go back to the Trainer School.
"Jasmine knows what's best for us," Cascade replies briskly. "Besides, how do you think I feel? I only know Splash! I can't even gain experience for myself!"
"Yeah, well, all right," Hadrian growls. I look up from my book.
"Oh, stop arguing. We'll go in a minute. Just let me finish this chapter," I say.
"But that's what you said almost an hour ago!" Hadrian complains. I decide to ignore him. Celandine alights on my shoulder.
"What are you reading?" She asks.
"Just a book on Sinnoh myths," I answer.
"I know some myths. I've never heard humans talk about them, though. Would you like to hear them?" she offers. I nod. She hops off my shoulder and sits down in front of me, folding her wings neatly. Sorrel and even Hadrian come over to listen. "There came to be an orb of darkness, a sphere devoid of light. It hung in the sky like a great thundercloud. All the creatures of the Earth feared it," she began. "Once, two brave dragons decided to find out why the void was there and what it could do. The first flew up to it and peered inside. There, it saw the vast vortex of possibility, of time, of what was and what will be. He was driven mad. But he also became very clever. He could now understand how to control the arches and towers of time. He built a palace of steel and froze it in time so that it would never fall," Celandine said grandly. She hesitated. "That's all I remember," she said sadly. I remain silent, pondering how this could be true. With modern science, we just developed a way teleport items and PokeBalls via the PC-Systems. But the Pokemon in this legend can do much more. It scares me.
"That was very nice," I say to Celandine. "Now let's go find Gavin, 'kay?"
"Finally," Hadrian sighs.
Gavin's still at the trainer school. I walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder. He jumps a little and whips around to face me.
"Jasmine! You're late! I've been waiting for you!" he scolds. I sigh.
"Aren't you going to battle me?" I ask.
"No, but they will!" Gavin says, pointing to two little kids playing with their Pokemon. I walk over to them.
"Hi! Wanna battle?" the little girl says. She sends out her Bidoof.
"Okay, Cascade, you watch Celandine battle. Celandine, you know what to do," I order. I hold Cascade up to watch the battle, which is over in a few minutes anyway. The little boy walks up to me.
"My turn! My turn!" he says eagerly. He sends out his Starly. It's a little bigger than Celandine, but it doesn't look very high leveled.
"Same as before. Celandine, wing attack!" I command. Celandine nods. She darts up to the larger Starly and slaps him in the face with her wing.
"Oi! Watch it!" the other Starly grumbles. He bashes his head into Celandine. She avoids the brunt of the attack and retaliates quickly with Quick Attack, pushing the other Starly into the wall for the knockout. She turns and flies up to her perch on my shoulder. The little boy rushes over to his Starly and calls him back into his PokeBall.
"Here, take this, strong trainer," the girl says, handing me a bottle of Potion. I thank her and take my Pokemon to the Centre for the night.
I awake to the chatter of the other Trainers at the Centre. I sit up and stretch, groaning. The beds here aren't the best. I listen to the conversations for a moment.
"The new Poketch 5!"
"It's got tons of new apps!"
"Yeah, and the first customer gets one free!" I perk up at the thought of a free Poketch. My old one had been useful, and new apps would be welcome. I wake the team and slip through the crowd and out the door. I arrive at the Poketch building.
"Hello there! The first one to find three clowns wins a Poketch!" he announces. I nod and turn to my team.
"Celandine, find one. I'll find the other two," I say. "We'll meet back here!" I call, dashing off to the TV station. A clown in mustard-colored attire stands creepily in a corner. I approach him warily. He hands me a ticket. I take it and run. Goodness, I hate clowns. I find the second and race back to the Poketch company, where Celandine is waiting. I cash in the tickets and claim my Poketch. I open it up and try to log in under my old account. The Poketch beeps. Error: Identity invalid, the screen reads. I sigh and create a new account. I flip through the apps. Just the basics- an app for look at my team's health and status, a calculator, and a pedometer. I close up the Poketch and return to the Centre.
"I smell something," Sorrel says, turning in circles and sniffing the air. "Smells like food," she comments. She follows her nose down the hall. Hadrian, Celandine, and I follow her to the cafeteria. I grab a few Pokedollars from my bag and but breakfast for the five of us. Sorrel scarfs her food down quickly. Celandine eats like a bird- that is to say she eats half her bodyweight in cereal. Cascade happily eats her scone. Hadrian questions the legitimacy of the bacon I'm eating. I somewhat agree with him- it doesn't have the usual smoky flavor of real Grumpig bacon. I decided it must be fried bologna.
"Let's go," I say. Celandine nods and perches on my shoulder. Cascade jumps in my arms, and Sorrel leaps to the floor, almost landing on her feet with an oof. Hadrian lands more neatly on the floor. We leave quickly, eager to get going.
The minute we step onto Route 203, Gavin finds us and challenges us to a battle. I send out Cascade to watch the battle and Celandine to battle Gavin's Starly.
"I'll go first! Starly, use Growl!" Gavin commands. I smirk. Is he going to use his strategy again?
"Celandine, Wing Attack!" I order.
"Quick! Counter with Growl!" Gavin shouts. The Starly visibly rolls its eyes and gives a halfhearted growl. My suspicion is confirmed.
"Wing Attack," I command. Celandine finishes the Starly. Cascade nods her approval. Gavin scratches his head, wondering why his 'foolproof' plan didn't work. He sends in his Chimchar.
"Celandine, continue," I say. Celandine yawns and uses Wing Attack.
"Use Leer!" Gavin orders. I'm not worried.
"Wing attack once more!"
"Leer!"
"Wing Attack!"
"Chimchar! Use your ultimate attack- Leer!" Gavin commands. His Chimchar sighs and glares at Celandine. She uses Wing Attack for the win. I almost take my Pokemon to the Centre, but realize it's pointless because all Gavin used was Growl and Leer. I'm pretty sure he needs to go back to the Trainer School.
The grass parts to reveal a sleek, yellow, foxlike Pokemon- an Abra. "Don't attack," I order Sorrel. She doesn't hear me, but doesn't seem to want to attack anyway. There's something about that Abra that makes the both of us uneasy. I realize with growing discomfort that instead of being shut, her eyes are open and glow violet, contrasting with her glossy golden fur. The Abra's gaze cuts into me like knives. Sorrel whimpers.
"Human," the Abra's voice resounds in my mind. A beautifully sad melody accompanies the voice. I get the impression that if I'm not careful, I could drift off into the void of her endless consciousness. "Human, why do you come here? Why here, to the domain of the free ones?" she asks in a rebuking tone. I don't answer. I can't. I don't have a reasonable response. The sound of her voice reflects her hatred for humans. "For if you have come to take us captive, I will avenge them," she continues.
"I--" I begin. I look away.
"You hide shame. Why? What is your past? What is your motives?" the Abra asks. I feel her consciousness enter my memories. I feel her sifting through my mind as easily as rummaging through fallen leaves. I feel my body fall to my knees. Then I realize I'm not inside my body, but floating above it, almost detached. I begin to panic. The Abra withdraws. My soul is returned to my body. I sit up, gasping for breath and in a cold sweat. "You... You are not like the others... I pity you..." The Abra says. Her cold, violet eyes reveal nothing. I look down at Sorrel. She's crouched low to the ground, trembling with fear and concern.
"Master?" Sorrel squeaks. I give her a weak but reassuring smile and return my attantion to the Abra, who studies me as if I were a puzzle that was impossible to solve. She spoke finally.
"I will assist this one on her quest," she announces to no one in particular. She walks up to me and bows her head. I blink.
"Do you have a name?" I ask.
"Yes," she answers, "but you would not understand. You may choose a name for me in your tongue, if you choose to,"
"Then... How about Elva?" I suggest, referring to a character in a book I once read.
"This is reasonable," Elva replies. I begin to take out a PokeBall to capture her, but she holds up a clawed hand.
"There's no need for this," she says warningly. I warily return the PokeBall to my bag.
"Okay, here's the plan," I begin. Four pairs of eyes turn to me. "Elva, you'll watch Hadrian battle for experience," I say to the fox and turtle Pokemon. They nod simultaneously. I turn to Sorrel. "You'll be up first next battle," I say.
"Okay!" She says cheerfully, and returns her attention to a pair of Beautifly dancing in the sky.
"Celandine, you'll be fending off wild Pokemon," I say.
"Can't I battle trainers? Gavin's Pokemon weren't the most exciting duo to battle," she says.
"Sorrel, you okay with battling wild Pokemon, then?" I ask.
"Sure," she replies absentmindedly, gazing at the pair of Beautifly. Celandine chirrs happily to herself.
"Right. Indigo, you're on cleanup duty," I say to the bat Pokemon perched the stem on Hadrian's head.
"Are we all ready to start?" I ask. A general murmur of agreement answers me. I turn and start down the lush green Route. I had just began to admire the scenery when a battle cry drew my attention to the side of the path. A young girl calls me over. A challenge.
"Elva, you watch. Hadrian, your turn," I say. Elva comes to stand beside me while Hadrian walks out onto the field. The girl pulls out four PokeBalls from her bag. This could possibly prove difficult. However, my apprehension disappears when she sends out a level four Bidoof. Hadrian stands still, waiting for orders.
"Wait for the Bidoof to make the first move," I order. Hadrian nods. He presses himself closer to the ground, bracing himself for an attack.
"Bidoof! Use tackle!" the girl says cheerfully. The Bidoof hops over to Hadrian and jumps on his head.
"Absorb!" I shout. The leaves on Hadrian's head begin to glow. Little wisps of energy float around the Bidoof. It notices the shiny green blobs and chases after them, popping them like bubbles. I blink. Even Sorrel was more serious than this during battles.
"Yay! Now use growl!" the girl squeals. Her Pokemon abandons chasing the last Absorb wisp and dashes back to Hadrian, squeaking playfully. Hadrian's had enough. He rams into the smaller Pokemon, defeating it with ease.
"Oh no!" the girl cries, recalling her Bidoof. "This wasn't a battle, but now it is!" she says defiantly. She throws another PokeBall. A Budew pops out. It senses its trainer's anger and glares at Hadrian.
"Tackle!" I order. Hadrian lowers his head and charges up to the Budew. It nimbly avoids being crushed at the last second.
"Tackle, again!" I command. This time, the Budew isn't so quick. Hadrian pins it to the ground with his foot. The girl returns her fainted Pokemon to its capsule and sends out a Starly. It smiles confidently, as does its trainer.
"Great job, Hadrian," I say.
"Thanks," he says. He returns to my side. Elva nods her approval as well.
"Celandine, your turn," I say. She glides to the ground and faces the smaller bird Pokemon, who shrinks under her gaze.
"Tackle," the other trainer says, either oblivious to or unfazed by the obvious difference in power. Her Starly bashes into Celandine's wing. She cringes.
"You'll be fine! Wing Attack!" I command. Celandine folds her injured wing to her body and uses her good wing to whack the opponent to the ground. The girl silently withdraws her Starly and throws another PokeBall. An Abra appears. Elva watches it closely. It just floats a few inches off the ground, sleeping.
"Indigo, your turn!" I say to him. Celandine returns to her perch as the bat Pokemon takes his place on the field. "Use Leech Life!" I command. Indigo flies at the Abra with astounding accuracy, considering that he's blind.
"Dodge with Teleport!" the girl commands confidently. The Abra disappears, reappearing a few feet to the left. Indigo crashes to the ground with a thud, getting a mouthful of dust. He spits out the dirt and quickly rights himself.
"Leech Life again! Not so hastily!" I say. Indigo darts up to the Abra and latches onto its arm.
"Eek! Quick, Teleport!" The girl shrieks. The Abra dissolves, taking Indigo with it. They flicker in and out of existence here, there, on top of that tree, in the lake... Finally, the Abra stops, panting for breath. It prepares to Teleport once more when it looks at Indigo, still latched onto its arm, and promptly faints. The little girl sighs and recalls her Abra. "I'd have won if Abra knew more moves," she mutters.
"Don't worry- you're still better than Gavin," I say, smirking. Indigo smiles and flies back to his place on Hadrian's head. I turn my attention to the cave mouth that has come into view.
"I don't like caves," Sorrel says with concern.
"Neither do I," Celandine adds.
"Well Oreburgh's on the other side. An the gym," I tell them. Everyone but Sorrel seems heartened by this comment.
"Human," the Abra's voice resounds in my mind. A beautifully sad melody accompanies the voice. I get the impression that if I'm not careful, I could drift off into the void of her endless consciousness. "Human, why do you come here? Why here, to the domain of the free ones?" she asks in a rebuking tone. I don't answer. I can't. I don't have a reasonable response. The sound of her voice reflects her hatred for humans. "For if you have come to take us captive, I will avenge them," she continues.
"I--" I begin. I look away.
"You hide shame. Why? What is your past? What is your motives?" the Abra asks. I feel her consciousness enter my memories. I feel her sifting through my mind as easily as rummaging through fallen leaves. I feel my body fall to my knees. Then I realize I'm not inside my body, but floating above it, almost detached. I begin to panic. The Abra withdraws. My soul is returned to my body. I sit up, gasping for breath and in a cold sweat. "You... You are not like the others... I pity you..." The Abra says. Her cold, violet eyes reveal nothing. I look down at Sorrel. She's crouched low to the ground, trembling with fear and concern.
"Master?" Sorrel squeaks. I give her a weak but reassuring smile and return my attantion to the Abra, who studies me as if I were a puzzle that was impossible to solve. She spoke finally.
"I will assist this one on her quest," she announces to no one in particular. She walks up to me and bows her head. I blink.
"Do you have a name?" I ask.
"Yes," she answers, "but you would not understand. You may choose a name for me in your tongue, if you choose to,"
"Then... How about Elva?" I suggest, referring to a character in a book I once read.
"This is reasonable," Elva replies. I begin to take out a PokeBall to capture her, but she holds up a clawed hand.
"There's no need for this," she says warningly. I warily return the PokeBall to my bag.
"Okay, here's the plan," I begin. Four pairs of eyes turn to me. "Elva, you'll watch Hadrian battle for experience," I say to the fox and turtle Pokemon. They nod simultaneously. I turn to Sorrel. "You'll be up first next battle," I say.
"Okay!" She says cheerfully, and returns her attention to a pair of Beautifly dancing in the sky.
"Celandine, you'll be fending off wild Pokemon," I say.
"Can't I battle trainers? Gavin's Pokemon weren't the most exciting duo to battle," she says.
"Sorrel, you okay with battling wild Pokemon, then?" I ask.
"Sure," she replies absentmindedly, gazing at the pair of Beautifly. Celandine chirrs happily to herself.
"Right. Indigo, you're on cleanup duty," I say to the bat Pokemon perched the stem on Hadrian's head.
"Are we all ready to start?" I ask. A general murmur of agreement answers me. I turn and start down the lush green Route. I had just began to admire the scenery when a battle cry drew my attention to the side of the path. A young girl calls me over. A challenge.
"Elva, you watch. Hadrian, your turn," I say. Elva comes to stand beside me while Hadrian walks out onto the field. The girl pulls out four PokeBalls from her bag. This could possibly prove difficult. However, my apprehension disappears when she sends out a level four Bidoof. Hadrian stands still, waiting for orders.
"Wait for the Bidoof to make the first move," I order. Hadrian nods. He presses himself closer to the ground, bracing himself for an attack.
"Bidoof! Use tackle!" the girl says cheerfully. The Bidoof hops over to Hadrian and jumps on his head.
"Absorb!" I shout. The leaves on Hadrian's head begin to glow. Little wisps of energy float around the Bidoof. It notices the shiny green blobs and chases after them, popping them like bubbles. I blink. Even Sorrel was more serious than this during battles.
"Yay! Now use growl!" the girl squeals. Her Pokemon abandons chasing the last Absorb wisp and dashes back to Hadrian, squeaking playfully. Hadrian's had enough. He rams into the smaller Pokemon, defeating it with ease.
"Oh no!" the girl cries, recalling her Bidoof. "This wasn't a battle, but now it is!" she says defiantly. She throws another PokeBall. A Budew pops out. It senses its trainer's anger and glares at Hadrian.
"Tackle!" I order. Hadrian lowers his head and charges up to the Budew. It nimbly avoids being crushed at the last second.
"Tackle, again!" I command. This time, the Budew isn't so quick. Hadrian pins it to the ground with his foot. The girl returns her fainted Pokemon to its capsule and sends out a Starly. It smiles confidently, as does its trainer.
"Great job, Hadrian," I say.
"Thanks," he says. He returns to my side. Elva nods her approval as well.
"Celandine, your turn," I say. She glides to the ground and faces the smaller bird Pokemon, who shrinks under her gaze.
"Tackle," the other trainer says, either oblivious to or unfazed by the obvious difference in power. Her Starly bashes into Celandine's wing. She cringes.
"You'll be fine! Wing Attack!" I command. Celandine folds her injured wing to her body and uses her good wing to whack the opponent to the ground. The girl silently withdraws her Starly and throws another PokeBall. An Abra appears. Elva watches it closely. It just floats a few inches off the ground, sleeping.
"Indigo, your turn!" I say to him. Celandine returns to her perch as the bat Pokemon takes his place on the field. "Use Leech Life!" I command. Indigo flies at the Abra with astounding accuracy, considering that he's blind.
"Dodge with Teleport!" the girl commands confidently. The Abra disappears, reappearing a few feet to the left. Indigo crashes to the ground with a thud, getting a mouthful of dust. He spits out the dirt and quickly rights himself.
"Leech Life again! Not so hastily!" I say. Indigo darts up to the Abra and latches onto its arm.
"Eek! Quick, Teleport!" The girl shrieks. The Abra dissolves, taking Indigo with it. They flicker in and out of existence here, there, on top of that tree, in the lake... Finally, the Abra stops, panting for breath. It prepares to Teleport once more when it looks at Indigo, still latched onto its arm, and promptly faints. The little girl sighs and recalls her Abra. "I'd have won if Abra knew more moves," she mutters.
"Don't worry- you're still better than Gavin," I say, smirking. Indigo smiles and flies back to his place on Hadrian's head. I turn my attention to the cave mouth that has come into view.
"I don't like caves," Sorrel says with concern.
"Neither do I," Celandine adds.
"Well Oreburgh's on the other side. An the gym," I tell them. Everyone but Sorrel seems heartened by this comment.
"Ugh, this tunnel goes on forever!" Sorrel complains.
"And ever!" Celandine adds.
"And ever!" Hadrian finishes.
"I hate Oreburgh Gate! More than I hate battling Gavin!" I shout, more to the cave and its inhabitants more than to anyone else. We've been trudging through this dark, dreary cave with lots of pitfalls and too many Zubats to count. And they weren't the cute, little, soft, fluffy kind like Indigo- they were dark, silent, and evil kind that dive-bombed your face and snatched bits of your hair and clothes. If you weren't being mauled by the bats, you stepping on the Psyducks that just sat there spitting water everywhere. The cave was damp and smelly, and no gym badge was worth the trouble.
"Oreburgh Gate? Bah! This is the gate to death!" Indigo says. I look at him, surprised.
"But you're a Zubat. You're supposed to live in caves," I reason. He looks at me, annoyed.
"Yes, most Zubats live in caves. But the ones you see outside at night don't simply fly out of caves at dusk. I'll have you know that I am a forest Zubat," he says arrogantly.
"Then why were you in the cave when we found you?" Hadrian inquires. He has a point.
"You're a nosy lot. Fine, if you must know, I was looking for special cave mushrooms to heal a wounded friend," he says, sighing. This quiets me.
"The Zubat's friend is fine," Elva speaks up, "although she would be doing better if Indigo had brought the mushrooms," she adds. Does this mean that I took away so many Pokemon from their families? How many lives have I ruined? I promise to myself I'll never catch more than one Pokemon in an area. I'll be less likely to mess up some Pokemon's life. But what I've done already...
"Look! A light!" Sorrel shouts.
"No light in this awful place," Hadrian says glumly. Still, a faint glow illuminated the gloom ahead. I blink-- it must be wishful thinking. The light doesn't leave. I begin to walk toward it, then break into a run.
"We're almost out of this place!" I shout. The team follows me out into the sunlight. I throw my arms up and feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
"You're acting like a little girl," Hadrian comments.
"Well, there's Oreburgh," I say, ignoring Hadrian's remark. Sorrel mutters something about the residents. A boy of nine or ten approaches us.
"Come with me. I'll give you a tour," he says, grabbing my wrist and yanking me forward. I sigh and follow. Oreburgh isn't anywhere near as grand as Jubilife. The ground is dusty and the sky is littered with clouds of black smoke, the source of the latter being a large coal mine south of the town. There's also a museum, filled with coal and a few fossils, a Pokemart, and a Pokemon center. The last stop is the gym, where Gavin's waiting outside.
"Jasmine!" he shouts. I cringe. I had hoped he wouldn't notice me. "Jasmine, guess what? I lost! You know my awesome strategy? Well I used it, and Roark cheated! He cheated and won!" Gavin yells angrily.
"Wonder how that happened?" I mutter. Hadrian smirks and Celandine chuckles softly.
"Anyway, I'm going to go train now," Gavin says. He runs off.
"Good riddance," Cascade pipes up. I smile at the Magikarp.
"We'll try to get you lot to level fifteen or so each, except Hadrian," I say.
"Why?" Hadrian asks.
"So you can be level twenty or so and one hit knockout all the gym's Rock-types," I explain. Hadrian grins at the prospect of sweeping the first gym.
"We'll try to catch new team members in the Oreburgh Mines now," I say. I'm not eager to go into yet another cave, but a Rock-type could prove useful.
I take a break and stare down at my hands, torn and blistered from rummaging through rocks looking for one Geodude or even an Onix.
"Let's give up already and get out," Celandine sighs, alighting on a rock. Looking for Geodude, apparently, was harder work than I had imagined. Elva looked up and opened her eyes.
"They're everywhere," Elva sighed in an exasperated tone, "and yet we cannot find them! I'd abandon this futile mission if I didn't think it would serve us well if we succeeded!" she cried, smacking her hand down on a rock. The rock began to move. It uprooted itself from the ground and stared at us. Elva jumped back.
"Hadrian, weaken it with Absorb!" I order. Hadrian enthusiastically throws several volleys of Absorb wisps. They quickly surround the Geodude and spirit it away to the bottom of a large ravine. I gulp, looking over the edge into the darkness.
"We'll, uh, catch another Geodude later. For now, let's grind," I suggest. Elva nods.
"We've got an awful lot of training to do," she murmurs.
"You realize we skipped a whole Route," Hadrian says. I sit up and look at him.
"I totally forgot! Why didn't you tell me this before?" I ask.
"I dunno. Just kept forgetting to tell you," he replies.
"Well, I guess we'll be going there next," I say, standing. "Come on, you lot, we're going to go catch another Pokemon, and maybe find a training ground without a Geodude infestation," I say.
"That'd be nice- I haven't battled anything except those measly little Zubats since we started training in that awful tunnel," Celandine says, yawning and stretching. She flutters up to perch on my shoulder. Elva opens her eyes and comes to us silently. Sorrel and Cascade hop over to the group.
"Speaking of Zubats, where's Indigo?" I ask suddenly.
"Coming," the blue and purple Pokemon says sleepily. He flies out from a nearby tree, probably the only tree in the whole city. We walk briskly to Route 207.
"Maybe we'll catch a Ponyta," I realize outloud. I smile hopefully.
"I'd like that," Celandine comments. The thought of a great fiery steed heartens me. I don't pay attention to where I'm walking, though, and I trip on a rock. A Geodude, in fact. I always have had the worst luck with Geodudes.
"Celandine?" I sigh. She flies into the air and dives down to strike the Geodude. It doesn't do much, but it has the intended effect. The rock Pokemon turns its attention to Celandine. I'm about to throw a PokeBall to catch it when the Geodude speaks.
"Cut it out!" he complains. "I know you want to catch me an' all, but whacking me upside the head isn't helping," he reasons. I can't help but thinking that whacking a Geodude upside the head would be the only way to whack them because of the fact that a Geodude is just a head with a pair of arms.
"Does that mean you'll come with us if we stop whacking you?" Sorrel asks hopefully.
"Sure," the Geodude says calmly. "An' I know you humans like the whole nicknaming thing. I think I've grown to like the name Mason," he finishes. I tag him with my PokeBall.
"Welcome to the team," I say.
"Thanks for the welcome an' all," Mason says, "but shouldn't we be trainin'?"
"And ever!" Celandine adds.
"And ever!" Hadrian finishes.
"I hate Oreburgh Gate! More than I hate battling Gavin!" I shout, more to the cave and its inhabitants more than to anyone else. We've been trudging through this dark, dreary cave with lots of pitfalls and too many Zubats to count. And they weren't the cute, little, soft, fluffy kind like Indigo- they were dark, silent, and evil kind that dive-bombed your face and snatched bits of your hair and clothes. If you weren't being mauled by the bats, you stepping on the Psyducks that just sat there spitting water everywhere. The cave was damp and smelly, and no gym badge was worth the trouble.
"Oreburgh Gate? Bah! This is the gate to death!" Indigo says. I look at him, surprised.
"But you're a Zubat. You're supposed to live in caves," I reason. He looks at me, annoyed.
"Yes, most Zubats live in caves. But the ones you see outside at night don't simply fly out of caves at dusk. I'll have you know that I am a forest Zubat," he says arrogantly.
"Then why were you in the cave when we found you?" Hadrian inquires. He has a point.
"You're a nosy lot. Fine, if you must know, I was looking for special cave mushrooms to heal a wounded friend," he says, sighing. This quiets me.
"The Zubat's friend is fine," Elva speaks up, "although she would be doing better if Indigo had brought the mushrooms," she adds. Does this mean that I took away so many Pokemon from their families? How many lives have I ruined? I promise to myself I'll never catch more than one Pokemon in an area. I'll be less likely to mess up some Pokemon's life. But what I've done already...
"Look! A light!" Sorrel shouts.
"No light in this awful place," Hadrian says glumly. Still, a faint glow illuminated the gloom ahead. I blink-- it must be wishful thinking. The light doesn't leave. I begin to walk toward it, then break into a run.
"We're almost out of this place!" I shout. The team follows me out into the sunlight. I throw my arms up and feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
"You're acting like a little girl," Hadrian comments.
"Well, there's Oreburgh," I say, ignoring Hadrian's remark. Sorrel mutters something about the residents. A boy of nine or ten approaches us.
"Come with me. I'll give you a tour," he says, grabbing my wrist and yanking me forward. I sigh and follow. Oreburgh isn't anywhere near as grand as Jubilife. The ground is dusty and the sky is littered with clouds of black smoke, the source of the latter being a large coal mine south of the town. There's also a museum, filled with coal and a few fossils, a Pokemart, and a Pokemon center. The last stop is the gym, where Gavin's waiting outside.
"Jasmine!" he shouts. I cringe. I had hoped he wouldn't notice me. "Jasmine, guess what? I lost! You know my awesome strategy? Well I used it, and Roark cheated! He cheated and won!" Gavin yells angrily.
"Wonder how that happened?" I mutter. Hadrian smirks and Celandine chuckles softly.
"Anyway, I'm going to go train now," Gavin says. He runs off.
"Good riddance," Cascade pipes up. I smile at the Magikarp.
"We'll try to get you lot to level fifteen or so each, except Hadrian," I say.
"Why?" Hadrian asks.
"So you can be level twenty or so and one hit knockout all the gym's Rock-types," I explain. Hadrian grins at the prospect of sweeping the first gym.
"We'll try to catch new team members in the Oreburgh Mines now," I say. I'm not eager to go into yet another cave, but a Rock-type could prove useful.
I take a break and stare down at my hands, torn and blistered from rummaging through rocks looking for one Geodude or even an Onix.
"Let's give up already and get out," Celandine sighs, alighting on a rock. Looking for Geodude, apparently, was harder work than I had imagined. Elva looked up and opened her eyes.
"They're everywhere," Elva sighed in an exasperated tone, "and yet we cannot find them! I'd abandon this futile mission if I didn't think it would serve us well if we succeeded!" she cried, smacking her hand down on a rock. The rock began to move. It uprooted itself from the ground and stared at us. Elva jumped back.
"Hadrian, weaken it with Absorb!" I order. Hadrian enthusiastically throws several volleys of Absorb wisps. They quickly surround the Geodude and spirit it away to the bottom of a large ravine. I gulp, looking over the edge into the darkness.
"We'll, uh, catch another Geodude later. For now, let's grind," I suggest. Elva nods.
"We've got an awful lot of training to do," she murmurs.
"You realize we skipped a whole Route," Hadrian says. I sit up and look at him.
"I totally forgot! Why didn't you tell me this before?" I ask.
"I dunno. Just kept forgetting to tell you," he replies.
"Well, I guess we'll be going there next," I say, standing. "Come on, you lot, we're going to go catch another Pokemon, and maybe find a training ground without a Geodude infestation," I say.
"That'd be nice- I haven't battled anything except those measly little Zubats since we started training in that awful tunnel," Celandine says, yawning and stretching. She flutters up to perch on my shoulder. Elva opens her eyes and comes to us silently. Sorrel and Cascade hop over to the group.
"Speaking of Zubats, where's Indigo?" I ask suddenly.
"Coming," the blue and purple Pokemon says sleepily. He flies out from a nearby tree, probably the only tree in the whole city. We walk briskly to Route 207.
"Maybe we'll catch a Ponyta," I realize outloud. I smile hopefully.
"I'd like that," Celandine comments. The thought of a great fiery steed heartens me. I don't pay attention to where I'm walking, though, and I trip on a rock. A Geodude, in fact. I always have had the worst luck with Geodudes.
"Celandine?" I sigh. She flies into the air and dives down to strike the Geodude. It doesn't do much, but it has the intended effect. The rock Pokemon turns its attention to Celandine. I'm about to throw a PokeBall to catch it when the Geodude speaks.
"Cut it out!" he complains. "I know you want to catch me an' all, but whacking me upside the head isn't helping," he reasons. I can't help but thinking that whacking a Geodude upside the head would be the only way to whack them because of the fact that a Geodude is just a head with a pair of arms.
"Does that mean you'll come with us if we stop whacking you?" Sorrel asks hopefully.
"Sure," the Geodude says calmly. "An' I know you humans like the whole nicknaming thing. I think I've grown to like the name Mason," he finishes. I tag him with my PokeBall.
"Welcome to the team," I say.
"Thanks for the welcome an' all," Mason says, "but shouldn't we be trainin'?"
"Who's going to be leaving the team?" I ask suddenly.
"Whaddya mean?" Mason asks. "What's happened?"
"Well, there are seven of you lot now," I say. Mason raises a stony eyebrow and folds his arms. "There can only be six Pokemon registered on a team. If you wanna be on the team, someone's got to leave," I explain. I call out the rest of the team and tell them about the problem.
"Jasmine, if you don't mind, I will leave," Indigo offers. Sorrel and Celandine gasp simultaneously. Hadrian opens one eye, exhibiting the most interest he's shown all day. Elva sighs.
"Why?" Cascade says.
"Well, you remember my friend I mentioned yesterday, right?" Indigo says, shifting uncomfortably. We nod. "Well, she wasn't just a friend... She was kind of..."
"Your mate?" I ask. Indigo nods.
"And you want to go back to her?"
"Yes. And my children," he adds.
"Your children? Why haven't you mentioned them before?"
"He didn't want to make you feel guilty... He wanted to be stronger and defend his home from the Galactic ones, and revealing his motives would make you feel bad about keeping him," Elva murmurs. Indigo turns to face her.
"How do you know these things?" Indigo asks warily. Elva's uncanny abilities unnerve me, too.
"I know many things," Elva replies quietly. Her violet eyes narrow, and once again I feel her gaze pierce my soul, as if she's looking for something. "You have many things to share as well," Elva says to me.
"I'm so sorry," I say, returning to the topic at hand.
"It's fine. She won't mind," Indigo dismisses my apology.
"Well, I guess we'll escort you back to your home," I say. I almost regret it, since we'd have to go through the Oreburgh Gate again.
"I will teleport us there, if you wish," Elva offers. I silently thank her with a nod. Elva's eyes begin to glow brighter. She stands and clasps her paws. I give a startled cry as a large pair of ghostly hands encompasses the team. Suddenly, the temperature drops. Shadows close in on us. They take form, slowly creating what looks like the face of a huge dragon the size of the Goldenrod Department Store. I want to scream, but no sounds come out. Then, we're on the outskirts of Jubilife. I stand and wonder how Indigo endured an entire battle hanging on to an Abra while flashing in and out of the dark place. The rest of the team is silent. Except Sorrel, who's curled in a ball on the ground, shivering and mewling. I stoop down and pat her head. She looks up at me with fearful green eyes.
"Is it gone?" she whimpers.
"Yes," I say. I pick up the terrified rodent Pokemon. She relaxes a little.
"I suppose I'll be going now," Indigo sighs. He flaps his wings a few times to gain altitude. "Thanks for everything," he says.
"Ah, don't mention it," I say, biting my lip.
"Twenty Pokedollars says Jasmine's gonna cry," Hadrian taunts. Elva glares at him.
"Farewell, Night-With-Stars. May the air rise under your wings and the nights be long and dark," Elva says. Her voice seems different, somehow. I realize that she sounds like Indigo... Could she be speaking the Zubat language? And why Night-With-Stars? "Yes, Jasmine, I was speaking in his tongue," Elva adds. I shiver. I wish my thoughts could remain my own.
"Thank you, Elva. Goodbye, Jasmine, Sorrel, Hadrian, Cascade, Mason," Indigo says. He begins to flit away into the darkening sky when another form joins him. They hover there for a moment before returning to my group.
"Jasmine, this is my mate, Color-of-Forests," Indigo says, referring to the female Zubat at his side. Her name is fitting, as her fur is a glossy forest green, and her wings are light brown-- a Shiny. I pull out my Pokedex and take a quick picture of the pair for the Professor.
"Who is she?" Color-of-Forests asks.
"She's my trainer. I know what happened to Most-Silent-of-Nights, but don't worry. This one is not like the other," Indigo says reassuringly. "By the way, she understands us," he adds.
"Oh, well then," the surprised Zubat says. "Hello, human, what is your name?" she asks politely.
"Jasmine," I reply. She nods.
"How come your name has to do with color when you can't see?" Hadrian asks rudely. I shoot him a withering glance. He smirks.
"I thank you for granting my dear Night-with-Stars the chance to return to me," Color-of-Forests says, ignoring Hadrian's comment. So when Elva had said Night-With-Stars she had been referring to Indigo's real name. "I was afraid he'd been taken by... by..." she hesitates.
"Hush, Color-of-Forests. No need to bring back bad memories," Indigo, or rather Night-with-Stars, says comfortingly. Color-of-Forests nodded gratefully.
"Remember, you are always welcome here," she says. I nod and turn to walk away.
"Wait!" Night-with-Stars calls. I pause. The couple flies over to me.
"A human lost this," Color-of-Forest explains. She drops a small flash drive in my hands. Upon reading the label, I discover it contains a Hidden Machine tutorial for using the move Rock Smash. I put it in the HM in my bag.
"Thanks," I say. I pat Night-With-Stars on the head. He smiles and flutters off without a word.
"Jasmine?" a gruff voice asks. I look down to see Mason at my feet.
"Yeah?" I murmur.
"I hope you're as good to all your Pokemon as you were to Indigo," he says.
"Whaddya mean?" Mason asks. "What's happened?"
"Well, there are seven of you lot now," I say. Mason raises a stony eyebrow and folds his arms. "There can only be six Pokemon registered on a team. If you wanna be on the team, someone's got to leave," I explain. I call out the rest of the team and tell them about the problem.
"Jasmine, if you don't mind, I will leave," Indigo offers. Sorrel and Celandine gasp simultaneously. Hadrian opens one eye, exhibiting the most interest he's shown all day. Elva sighs.
"Why?" Cascade says.
"Well, you remember my friend I mentioned yesterday, right?" Indigo says, shifting uncomfortably. We nod. "Well, she wasn't just a friend... She was kind of..."
"Your mate?" I ask. Indigo nods.
"And you want to go back to her?"
"Yes. And my children," he adds.
"Your children? Why haven't you mentioned them before?"
"He didn't want to make you feel guilty... He wanted to be stronger and defend his home from the Galactic ones, and revealing his motives would make you feel bad about keeping him," Elva murmurs. Indigo turns to face her.
"How do you know these things?" Indigo asks warily. Elva's uncanny abilities unnerve me, too.
"I know many things," Elva replies quietly. Her violet eyes narrow, and once again I feel her gaze pierce my soul, as if she's looking for something. "You have many things to share as well," Elva says to me.
"I'm so sorry," I say, returning to the topic at hand.
"It's fine. She won't mind," Indigo dismisses my apology.
"Well, I guess we'll escort you back to your home," I say. I almost regret it, since we'd have to go through the Oreburgh Gate again.
"I will teleport us there, if you wish," Elva offers. I silently thank her with a nod. Elva's eyes begin to glow brighter. She stands and clasps her paws. I give a startled cry as a large pair of ghostly hands encompasses the team. Suddenly, the temperature drops. Shadows close in on us. They take form, slowly creating what looks like the face of a huge dragon the size of the Goldenrod Department Store. I want to scream, but no sounds come out. Then, we're on the outskirts of Jubilife. I stand and wonder how Indigo endured an entire battle hanging on to an Abra while flashing in and out of the dark place. The rest of the team is silent. Except Sorrel, who's curled in a ball on the ground, shivering and mewling. I stoop down and pat her head. She looks up at me with fearful green eyes.
"Is it gone?" she whimpers.
"Yes," I say. I pick up the terrified rodent Pokemon. She relaxes a little.
"I suppose I'll be going now," Indigo sighs. He flaps his wings a few times to gain altitude. "Thanks for everything," he says.
"Ah, don't mention it," I say, biting my lip.
"Twenty Pokedollars says Jasmine's gonna cry," Hadrian taunts. Elva glares at him.
"Farewell, Night-With-Stars. May the air rise under your wings and the nights be long and dark," Elva says. Her voice seems different, somehow. I realize that she sounds like Indigo... Could she be speaking the Zubat language? And why Night-With-Stars? "Yes, Jasmine, I was speaking in his tongue," Elva adds. I shiver. I wish my thoughts could remain my own.
"Thank you, Elva. Goodbye, Jasmine, Sorrel, Hadrian, Cascade, Mason," Indigo says. He begins to flit away into the darkening sky when another form joins him. They hover there for a moment before returning to my group.
"Jasmine, this is my mate, Color-of-Forests," Indigo says, referring to the female Zubat at his side. Her name is fitting, as her fur is a glossy forest green, and her wings are light brown-- a Shiny. I pull out my Pokedex and take a quick picture of the pair for the Professor.
"Who is she?" Color-of-Forests asks.
"She's my trainer. I know what happened to Most-Silent-of-Nights, but don't worry. This one is not like the other," Indigo says reassuringly. "By the way, she understands us," he adds.
"Oh, well then," the surprised Zubat says. "Hello, human, what is your name?" she asks politely.
"Jasmine," I reply. She nods.
"How come your name has to do with color when you can't see?" Hadrian asks rudely. I shoot him a withering glance. He smirks.
"I thank you for granting my dear Night-with-Stars the chance to return to me," Color-of-Forests says, ignoring Hadrian's comment. So when Elva had said Night-With-Stars she had been referring to Indigo's real name. "I was afraid he'd been taken by... by..." she hesitates.
"Hush, Color-of-Forests. No need to bring back bad memories," Indigo, or rather Night-with-Stars, says comfortingly. Color-of-Forests nodded gratefully.
"Remember, you are always welcome here," she says. I nod and turn to walk away.
"Wait!" Night-with-Stars calls. I pause. The couple flies over to me.
"A human lost this," Color-of-Forest explains. She drops a small flash drive in my hands. Upon reading the label, I discover it contains a Hidden Machine tutorial for using the move Rock Smash. I put it in the HM in my bag.
"Thanks," I say. I pat Night-With-Stars on the head. He smiles and flutters off without a word.
"Jasmine?" a gruff voice asks. I look down to see Mason at my feet.
"Yeah?" I murmur.
"I hope you're as good to all your Pokemon as you were to Indigo," he says.
