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A Winkle in Reality: Chapter 16.
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 15:00:18 +0000 UTCSurely, a little bit of bad weather isn't enough to trouble our intrepid hero. How could it, with such nice, calm, and friendly companions?
Surely, a little bit of bad weather isn't enough to trouble our intrepid hero. How could it, with such nice, calm, and friendly companions?
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Weather was a truly unpredictable thing. One moment it was dry, if cloudy and with an underlying promise of thunder.
The next, a torrential downpour without equal fell from the heavens like the wrath of God, less droplets and more rivers of rain hurling towards the ground. My clothes were instantly drenched like I'd jumped in a pool and the Pokémon weren't much better. Siren seemed to enjoy it, slowly turning her face upwards and blinking at the precipitation. Betty acted like she was being attacked, jaws snapping at the streams as they hit her, whining with displeasure as her teeth clamped around nothing and more and more kept coming, running into her eyes and blinding her, making her abandon her efforts in favor of shaking her head to try and get it out.
Sol, however, behaved like he'd been shot. His joy at getting a name and the anticipation of training vanished faster than the dryness had, turning to horror and dread as his fur was immediately soaked. He howled in dismay as the water kept falling and ran like Giratina was after him, paws kicking up mud as he headed for the nearest tree. I was right on his heels, the wet dirt clinging to my pants as I felt the ground become looser and looser beneath my feet.
The tree Sol had picked to hide under was a monster of its kind, an ancient walnut tree-esk growth that reached high towards the sky. The close branches provided decent cover, though the liquid made its way down the leaves and gathered, pouring in wrist thick streams in spots. Getting under it, I spit what had made it into my mouth out, wiping my face, only to have to wipe it again when Sol shook furiously, trying to dry himself off.
“Sol, come on! Not towards me!”
The Growlithe whined again, nearly vibrating with how he kept shaking, though the water clung tightly to his pelt. Taking pity on him, and having had enough of being sprayed with wet dog juice, I recalled him right as Betty stumbled in with me, covered from head to toe in mud. I barely managed to shield my eyes before she did her best Sol imitation and sent the thick earth mix flying all over.
I wanted to reprimand her, but it would have fallen flat since I wanted to do it myself.
“Holy fucking shit, that was sudden!” I exclaimed as Siren slowly moved closer, levitating a comfortable distance above the mud. She stopped right before the tree, content to bask in her shower. I left her to it. Now that we'd be moving around, there was no certainty that we'd find a lake or river everyday.
I'd let her enjoy it while she could.
Now that I thought about it, I did remember the thunderstorm from the anime. It was while Ash and Pikachu were dealing with the Spearow flock.
I'd completely forgotten about it during the excitement.
“Guess we'll wait a bit, see if it clears up. You okay, baby?” I asked Betty. Turning to look at her, I was confused to see her looking upwards at the branches above us.
At least I was until I looked the same way and saw over a dozen Kakuna hanging from the wood. An equal or even greater number of Beedrill swarmed around threateningly, sharp, glistening stingers directed at us.
Oh. I'd thought the buzzing sound was just the rain. Apparently not.
I held up one of my hands slowly, while the other one crept down for Betty’s Pokéball. I'd have to act quickly before shit turned sideways.
“Hey. Sorry, we didn't see you there. That's our bad. We'll leave right awa-”
It was too late. One of the giant wasp Pokémon hovered too close for Betty’s comfort. I opened my mouth at the same time as she did, yet the Fire move formed quicker than my words.
“STO-”
A torrent of Embers struck the Beedrill, sending it falling to the wet ground with a splat! The remaining balls of fire continued on, hitting the tree trunk and a single spark gracing one of the hanging Kakunas.
Everything stopped for a second, like the world itself was giving us a moment of silence for our incoming demise.
“ICE BEAM! EMBER! RUN!” Even as I screamed I sent Sol back out of his ball, and not a moment too soon. Like missiles, the Beedrill dive-bombed towards us, thick poison dripping from the tips of their stingers. The previously quiet background humm became an all encompassing buzz that could be felt as much as heard. Thankfully, whatever mechanic that gave Pokémon a limited understanding outside their ball had informed him that something was wrong, so it only took him a second to get the idea, while I swiftly whipped a Repel out of the quick-to-access side pocket of my back pack, the incredibly concentrated stinky liquid my only option for helping directly.
I couldn't punch a giant wasp.
Fire and ice erupted as we started a fighting retreat, steam and icicles left in our wake. Betty and Sol stayed in front of me, waiting for a break in the swarming Bug-Types before hurrying after me as I led the way back towards the road. Siren stayed out in the open, the hammering sky-flood giving her Water moves a boost in power as she could draw from the surrounding liquid rather than having to make it all herself, while also giving her quite a speed boost thanks to Swift Swim. In fact, she was currently the fastest on the team with Sol constrained by the slippery surface, sliding around on the mud like it was ice, repositioning as needed.
Unfortunately, she quickly had to abandon Ice Beam. Super effective it might be, yet not only did the downpour leech much of the energy as the drops froze on contact, but much like Squirty's Water Gun, it was a narrow beam. The incredibly agile Beedrills had little issue flying out of the way with their jerky, erratic movements. The species weren’t the fastest in a straight line, yet near unmatched in maneuvering. Instead, Siren switched to the Water Bullets she’d shown off against Goldeen, an Ember-esk Water Gun that fired like a machine gun. The bullets snapped fragile wings and broke thin exoskeletons on every hit, wounded Pokémon falling to join their burned brethren.
“ROAR!” It took a moment for the command to sink in, but once it did, Sol left the defense to Betty and Siren on the sidelines as he took a deep breath.
Roar was an interesting move. As far as I remembered, in the games it forced wild Pokémon to flee and trained ones to switch out. In the actual Pokémon world, it functioned more like a stronger version of the ability Intimidate. Every living creature had an instinctive fear of large predators, even other predators. Roar and Intimidate tapped into that, convincing the targets that they were facing something huge that was going to eat them. It had worked to great effect on Squirty earlier.
Sol Roar’ed, the shockwave blowing back the rain drops and washing over the swarm. They slowed for a second, yet shook it off in record time, coming at us with even more fervor if anything.
Unfortunately for us, we were facing Bug-Types. Not only did the semi-hivemind that many species of that Type had lessen the effect, but Bug-Types in general were highly resistant to mental alteration. I'd never call a Pokémon stupid or a simple animal, yet Bug-Types were the closest. Much like insects on earth, they were highly specialized and acted more or less entirely based on instincts.
And most often, those instincts came down to two things: protect the nest and kill the intruders.
Two of the wasp Pokémon managed to sneak past the defensive line and made for me faster than I could bring the spray around. I went to dodge, yet before I had the chance an Ember washed over them, sending their charred, unconscious bodies careering past me. The protective action cost Betty, as her moment of inattentiveness allowed another Bug to rush her. A needle point coated in venom, carried by incredible momentum, sank past the Dragon-Type's thick hide half an inch deep. Betty didn't take kindly to that, wrapping her jaws around the insect Pokémon's head and snapped them closed.
CRUNCH!
Green and brown liquid dripping from her mouth, Behemoth let out a roar and met the rest that saw their chance. A stinger broke on her head plate as she met the charge with a Headbut. The recoil let her grab the Beedrill with her mouth and turning towards another incoming, she sent the first into the second, carried by an Ember that roasted them both. With another roar and a bloodthirsty smile, she eagerly sprinted forward, rejoicing in the chance to fight and kill to her heart's content. If I had the chance, I'd have told her to stop. Using lethal force against wild Pokémon, while not illegal or anything, was not a great way to make them stop attacking. But there was way too much going on and we couldn't afford her holding back anyway.
With Betty swiftly losing track of their task and simply reveling in the carnage, Sol was left as my only close range defender, snapping at everything that came close, wide Embers bursting from his mouth nearly every second. We were almost out of the clearing at that point, but our progress was slow. We were forced to stick to the trees, seeking shelter from the rain. Normally I'd have said fuck it by that point and just accepted the wetness, yet Sol was a Fire-Type. While not as vulnerable as something like a Charmander or Slugma, water, even non-Type water like rain, was still not great for him. He'd not be able to keep up the rate of fire that was necessary. Roasted Beedrills littered the area around him, almost all alive, though there were a couple dead, yet they kept coming. Every tree we passed under seemingly had a fresh supply of Bug-Types waiting in the canopy. For every one we took down, two more seemed to take its place. The original dozen or so had long since fallen to teeth, flames, or water, but over twice that number replaced them. I watched frustrated as Sol got pierced in the side and then the other side when he turned to address it. A fast Ice Beam from Siren removed one and a Bite the other, as Sol tried to dodge between both the swarm and the small waterfalls. I couldn't help, busy keeping the few stragglers of me, plus my own Pokémon would be affected by the Repel if I used it too close.
Though we couldn't completely escape the environmental effects.
A cry alerted me to trouble. In the midst of her killing frenzy, the wet ground and her weight had betrayed Betty. She'd slipped on one of the mud patches left by the thick streams coming down from the trees, falling onto her side and flailing around, trying to get up on the unstable surface. The swarm took its chance, two, three, four lances hit her back and side, right before the beam from her Pokéball recalled her and re-released her by my side. She swayed for a moment, the multiple venom injections starting to take effect even despite her size. The close call appeared to snap her out of the blood rage and she stayed close to my side, allowing Sol a little more room to move.
Despite how grim things seemed, we were actually doing okay. We'd left the clearing behind and had to move around the thickening forest, but so did the Beedrill. A smart commander would’ve used our slowed pace to flank us, but the Bug-Types were driven by pure piss and vinegar and came straight for us, making it much easier to predict their path. Insects hit the earth with quiet splats! in ever increasing numbers, and for the first time, it seemed like we were making a dent. I could even see some turn back around as we moved further and further from their nests.
If it had only been the Beedrill, I'm pretty sure we'd have won.
A Gust of pressurized wind hit me from the side and lifted me off my feet, the Repel flying from my hand. I splattered into the mud, hands and feet scrambling for stability. A flash of blue energy informed me that the offending Pidgey had been struck by an Ice Beam. However, there was no time to take it in as before I'd managed to get back up, a white blur lept at me, purple fur and protruding front teeth of a Rattata glowing with a Quick Attack. My eyes barely managed to widen before a yellow blur hit it mid air, Sol Tackle’ing the rodent, accepting a Razor Leaf to the side from an Oddish hiding in a bush that withered from the retaliating Ember.
Back on my feet, I lashed out with an arm instinctively, allowing the Vine Whip of a Bellsprout to hit it and wrap around it. The small Grass-Type tried to pull me off my feet, completely blind to the rampaging Dragon-Type that came up beside it, it's whole body disappearing down Betty’s gullet. Another Gust sent us skidding through the mud, though I'd managed to keep my footing, the furious Butterfree falling to an Ember shortly after, Betty roaring in victory, glee, and fury as she threw herself back into the fray.
It was complete pandemonium. The desperate and careless fight with the Beedrill swarm had agitated the locals and convinced them that we were a threat, so they were coming out in force from every angle. Most problematic, they were coming from the direction of the road, blocking our escape.
Siren gurgled painfully, a Razor Leaf carving a grove through her scales. The Beedrill had mostly left her alone, the heavy rainfall knocking their light frames around and clinging to their wings, but the Grass-Types weren't as limited. For everyone Siren flash -froze, another stepped up, vines, leaves, and green Absorb’s making her dodge frantically. Sol tried to help out, but a Mankey fell from the tree branches onto his back, forcing him to the ground and landing a quick punch to his ribs before the Growlithe shook it off and faced his new opponent.
It was too much. There were too many of them. 40 or more wild Pokémon had fallen, yet there was no end to them.
We needed a new strategy.
Betty agreed with me, coming out of nowhere behind the Mankey and chomping down on its shoulder, her huge mouth easily engulfing half its torso. Sol got the idea quickly and bit a leg himself. Pulling in opposite directions, the monkey Pokémon ripped limb from torso with a wet tearing noise. Blood covered my two Pokémon, clinging to Sol's fur while Betty’s was swiftly washed off her hide.
Roaring again, with increasing amounts of anger, Betty drew in a huge breath, her chest expanding far past what I'd seen from her. I expected a monster of an Ember.
I was wrong.
An ocean of green tinted blue flames poured forth as Behemoth opened her mouth. The fire bellowed out like the eruption of a volcano, going from nothing to dominating everything in sight. From the sodden ground to the weeping sky, it all vanished behind the blanket of pure might. The few remaining Beedrill, the agitated Pidgeys, the Grass-Types, everything was sent flying back as the Dragonbreath uprooted bushes and tore thick branches from trees.
I desperately spun around and shielded my eyes, fearing the steam explosion fire of that magnitude was surely gonna cause, yet it never came. There was steam, a lot of it, but not the amount I'd expected. Neither was the suffocating heat anywhere to be found, despite me being less than 10 feet from the point of origin of the at least 30 feet tall, and who knew how long, cone. Warmth, yes, yet not unbearable.
Suppose that was the difference between Fire-Type and Dragon-Type energy.
Waiting until the flickering light behind my eyelids subsided, I cautiously turned back to see Betty panting heavily, looking quite loopy as she swayed on her feet, blinking tiredly. Before her, the aftermath of her attack was laid bare, the very rain itself halting for a second before resuming.
I'd seen evidence of the power Pokémon could wield. Flame’s ludicrous speed, Champy's stone shattering strength, Proton's Gyarados’ horrific Hyper Beam, the Rocket Lab. Maybe it was because Betty was my Pokémon, but I couldn't help but put the Dragonbreath in the same box.
Steam and smoke clung to the upturned clumps of earth, a widening foot-deep trench of stripped topsoil and hard baked earth carving through the landscape so long that I couldn't see the end through the trees. The closest of said growths were leaning dangerously, exposed roots ripped from the ground by the force, everything but the very tops of the canopies leafless, wood scorched. All grass in the vicinity was withered, shrubs left as little more than smoldering sticks.
The Pokémon of Viridian Forest weren't in much better condition. Beedrill twitched on the suddenly dry ground pathetically, thin wings bent and crumpled, Pidgeys matching them. Bellsprout, Oddish, and a single Rosalia that I hadn't noticed were slowly struggling to get up. Their plant-like bodies were dry and wrinkly, the Rosalia in particular looking sad, its flower skirt burnt and shrunken. Rattata breathed shallowly and quickly, laying still beneath the trees they’d impacted.
Blinking from his own shock, Sol growled deep in his chest and lowered himself, prepared to pounce on his enemies while they were weak and off guard, uncaring of the rain that doused his inner flame.
“Sol, enough.”
He twitched forward and nearly fell, not expecting that. Spinning his head around so he could see me out of the corner of his eye without turning from the Pokémon, he whined in confusion.
“They're done. Come here boy, let's get a look at those wounds. Again. You too Betty, that's a good girl. I’m so proud of you, that was amazing!”
I didn't actually know for sure that it was over, but gazing out over the devastation, I knew that at least this group couldn’t go on. They might’ve been willing to lay down their life for their young, but it was by no means their preferred option, especially against the kind of force Betty just displayed.
Injecting both of them with an Antidote and a Potion apiece, I sprayed their wounds with another of each bottle, sharing the medicine between them. I didn't understand the science behind it, but Potions contained some sort of coagulant to stop bleeding and promoted increased production of new blood cells. Higher tier Potions, like the Super Potion I drenched their injuries in, also somehow induced rapid cell division, if not full-on fucking regeneration with shit like Full Restore, speeding up the natural healing factor most Pokémon had to some degree massively.
The Professor had gone on a rant about Cinnabar working on straight up limb replacement, which they wouldn't let him in on, like the Ditto research. It was one of the few times I'd seen him actually angry. Oak could, and had, gone on for hours about Blaine being egotistical, selfish, vain, and so on. Pretty sure he called him a meanie once.
Having a little left in the bottle, I used it on Siren as she came floating over wobbly, still keeping a close eye on the locals as they slowly got off the ground. The cut from the Razor Leaf closed up rapidly, but it would be some time before her scales grew back. My Feebas was exhausted, her half lidded eyes almost closed as she rested in the mud. She hadn't taken any hits other than the Grass move, but the extensive use of levitation and attacks had drained her. Something to work on in the future. The fight couldn't have lasted more than 10 minutes at most, likely less, which wouldn't be enough in the future.
All in all though, we got off easy.
Betty struggled to keep her eyes open as the medicine took hold. The high doses of poison, wounds, and the treatment of them, combined with the massive new attack she pulled out of her ass had completely tuckered her out. She yawned as I praised her for her performance and slowly leaned more and more forward. She would’ve fallen over if not for me recalling her.
She'd be fine after some rest, though heading back to Viridian, for the third time, was probably a good idea.
Sol bounced back with incredible speed. He was obviously tired and hurt, favoring his left side after the Mankey punch, yet he was on his feet and alert. He didn't even seem to mind the rain as much as before, less and less drops falling on him.
I looked up at the sky. The storm was lightening, the booming thunder moving further and further away. The tropical level downpour slowly decreased as well. It was still raining, just not to a painful degree.
Standing up, I gazed over the destruction my dumbass decision to head into the forest had caused. Sure, not everything was my fault, but it could’ve been avoided.
It was a reckless decision. The Rocket Lab should’ve taught me what wild Pokémon were capable of, yet my time at the reserve had apparently made me complacent.
It was a dangerous world I found myself in, and I had a responsibility now to keep my team safe.
Turning to leave, I hesitated, looking back at the wild Pokémon. Many of them were in rough condition, not to mention the already dead ones.
The world was dangerous, yes, but that didn't mean I should be a dickhead.
I caused the mess. I could at least help clean it up. Just like a party. With maiming and murder.
So a great party.
“Here.” I sighed, fishing another Potion out of my bag and approaching one of the worst wounded Rattata. It laid on its side, legs twitching as it struggled for breath. Based on the way part of its chest was weirdly sunken, it likely had more than one broken rib.
Some of the other Pokémon made weak attempts at postering, yet a single growl from Sol made them stand down. It was the work of moments to press the needle through the purple fur and press the trigger, shooting half the bottle into the small creature. Thankfully they were clean breaks, and nothing had been pierced or misaligned. It wouldn't mend the broken bones, not a regular Potion anyway, but it should allow the Rattata to move around gingerly.
It depended on the species of course, but few wild Pokémon made it long if they couldn't move.
Moving away from the Rattata, I allowed the rest of the onlookers to see that he was better, that I'd helped him. Shaking the rest of the healing item in my hand, I raised an eyebrow.
"Who's next?”
-—------------------
By the time we made it back to the main road, the rain had nearly stopped completely. I'd spent all but two of my Potions on the defeated Pokémon, more than what I'd bought at Viridian earlier in the day, but I thought it was worth it. Sol was still by my side, dragging himself along with a limp, yet unwilling to leave me like I eventually convinced Siren too. Thankfully, as the sun shone brighter and brighter, so did he. I wondered if it was an unconscious use of Morning Sun, or just something inherent to his species, yet he undeniably perked up along with the weather.
I theoretically knew of the loyalty Growlithes were capable of but it was something else to see it in action. Betty was a Dragon. She'd proved that killing her opponent was her first resort. Sol, however, had grown up in the privacy of Oak's reserve, surrounded by safety and comfort. I hadn't expected him to be so willing to put them down permanently.
Something I needed to address soon. It was fine when our lives were on the line, like in the forest, but ideally it wouldn't be something they resorted to without my word.
Sighing with relief as my feet hit the hard packed earth and stone of the so-called Viridian Path, I looked despondently back in the direction of the city while giving Sol some scratches.
“Guess we have to head back again. At this point, we might as well just stay the night. G-Arcues fucking damnit” I sighed again. I had such lofty dreams of progress that morning and all we'd managed was walking back and forth.
And fight, which wasn't a waste in terms of training, but I’d really prefer actually seeing where they were at in a more peaceful setting, before doing shit like that again.
Turning to begin walking, I made it about eight steps before noticing that I was walking alone. Spinning back around, I found Sol sitting in the middle of the road, staring at me.
I patted my thigh.
“Come on boy!”
Rising to his feet, the Puppy Pokémon started trodding in the opposite direction.
“Sol! Viridian is this way!”
All I got was a bark as he continued. Jogging to catch up, I raised an eyebrow at the stubborn expression on his face.
“What, you don't wanna?”
The Growlithe shook his head with a huff.
“We should get you checked at the PokéCenter again, you and Betty took some nasty hits. Come on, you liked Nurse Joy, right? Let's go see her-”
“WOOF!”
Speeding up, he made it clear that he was done with the conversation and had made the decision.
I'd gotten used to sighing, so it didn't surprise me when the noise left my lips again along with a snort.
“I guess you're the boss. Apparently.”
I wouldn't trade my team for anything, but I fucking wished they were a little easier to manage.
At least it allowed me to stay ahead of Ash. If the storm was clearing up, then he and Pikachu had dealt with the Spearow and was about to see-
My eyes widened. Holy fucking shit I nearly forgot!
“WAIT! SOL, WAIT!” I didn't take the time to see if he heard me, sprinting for the nearest tree.
I rushed up the branches with speed that would make a Mankey jealous. Several times I had to jump and catch myself, the muscle I'd built up with Champy doing wonders for me. The earlier thoughts about being more careful with wild Pokémon vanished in my eagerness, a startled Pidgey flapping away with furious screeches of displeasure that I could only imagine were insults as I nearly kicked it on the way up. The thinning wooden arms forced me to slow down, yet my head poked up through the canopy in record time.
Wedging a foot in between two sticks, I fumbled to get my PokéDex out as the tree swayed in a gentle breeze. Hitting the video button, I twisted and contorted my body around, frantically searching for my target.
“Come on bitch, where are you?” I mumbled under my breath. The skies were completely clear by then, the sun bright and warm. The rays warmed my skin and clothes and I could almost feel the moisture evaporating from them. Flying-Type Pokémon took off from the various trees, rejoicing in the chance to stretch their wings after being stuck in shelter.
Yet, no matter where I looked, I couldn't find what I was looking for, though I had trouble seeing half the time. The sun seemed to be trying to make up for lost time and reproduce all the illumination that had been hidden by the clouds.
I squinted through the blinding light. Shit, that was really bright actually and was intensifying further. I raised my hand to shield my eyes when through the luminescence, I saw a small dark spot. I couldn't look at it for more than a moment before new, fake spots appeared in my vision, yet there was definitely something flying in my direction, the sun seeming to trail behind it.
The temperature rose higher, from pleasantly warm to toasty to even a little uncomfortable. Sol howled below me, a high pitched yet strong sound I hadn't heard before, yet I paid him no attention as the dot finally came close enough to not have the sun directly behind it.
The exact shape was hard to make out as it soared so high above that few would notice it if they didn't know to look, but the effects were evident. Two streams of color, red, green, blue, purple, kaleidoscopic rainbows emerged from either side of the red and gold body, merging behind it and painting the sky like a Smergle on psychedelics. The figure was vaguely bird-shaped, yet flickered like fire, growing and shrinking randomly, its form not confined to something as simple as flesh. Somehow, the oppressive heat calmed at its presence, not colder, but less abrasive, like the sun embraced me and warmed me from the inside as well as outside.
Flying-Types of all sort, Pidgey evolutions, Spearows, even a few Swellow that I hadn't known could be found in Viridian Forest, all rushed up as high as they could to follow the iridescent figure, flapping their wings as hard as they could yet instantly left behind. In a matter of seconds, Ho-Oh itself was gone, only the trailing rainbow remaining to remind the world that it wasn't a dream.
I let out a breath I didn't know I'd held, feeling slightly drunk as energy coursed through my body, any weariness from the ordeal in the forest gone at the sight of the Legend.
I didn't know what to say or think. That was far beyond anything I'd expected.
Fuck.
If that was a Legendary from a distance, what the fuck were they like on the ground?
I barely remember the climb down from the tree, only my feet hitting the suddenly almost dry earth. Sol met me, hopping around and barking cheerfully. All traces of tiredness or limping were gone, like he'd never been touched or fought in the first place. Hell, I'd say he was in better condition than he'd been that morning. Maybe better than I'd ever seen him.
I absentmindedly petted him as he licked my face only to dash off and run in circles and come back, my mind occupied with what I just saw.
There was a Pokémon legend that said that anyone who saw Ho-Oh was promised eternal happiness. I wished that was true, but at the same time, I feared what that would entail.
Nothing came without a price. And I'd learned that in the Pokémon world, that price was mostly blood and death.
—----------------------------------------------
The sunset was a glorious red, painting the sky with pink streaks as a few dots of light began growing clear in the incoming darkness, the stars arriving in step with the sun's departure. Standing up from my crouch I cracked my back, looking at my erected tent with satisfaction. It wasn't anything fancy, merely some triangular canvas with enough room for two people, three if they squeezed, but would get the job done. Checking over everything else, I nodded to myself when it was all there. Small circle of rocks with the driest wood I could find, three bowls filled with Poké food, basic carnivore blend for Betty and Sol and aquatic for Siren, plus three bowls of water.
Now I just needed the Pokémon themselves.
The three of them emerged from their balls with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Siren ignored her bowls completely, preferring to float over and drop into my lab as I took a seat. Betty yawned and leaned down so her short arms could rub her eyes, looking so sleepy I thought she might fall over on the spot, yet as soon as she saw the food she rushed at it and stuck her whole snout into it, small pebbles of kibble flying everywhere as she ripped into it.
Sol, on the other hand, appeared with great excitement that was instantly squashed when he noticed the sun was setting. He'd been extremely hyperactive after Ho-Oh passed over us, running around barking and sniffing everything. I'd kept him out of his ball for a while, counting on the recent storm to keep other travelers at bay for a time, but had to recall him eventually.
I wasn't going to keep him, or Betty, hidden forever but if low level Pokémon like the ones we met earlier could almost take us out, I didn't like our hypothetical chances with poachers.
“Don't whine. Light the fire and then come here.” I held up the cheap brush I got in Viridian. “You need some care.”
In a flash the campfire caught fire, smoke rising from the damp material. We were a couple hundred yards away from a designated camping spot, hidden by the trees. It might seem insane to venture off the beaten path again so soon after the near catastrophe last time, but the campsites were well used and the wild Pokémon knew to expect humans to frequent the area. Those that wanted privacy stayed well clear.
Siren drifted over to get something to eat, allowing Sol to take her place and collapse onto my legs with a huff. Starting at the top of his back, I ran the brush through his pelt, almost immediately hitting a clump of blood matted fur that had made a knot. Reaching for my kanteen, I poured a small amount onto him and began untangling it.
If there was one thing I had an abundance of, it was water. Orre had taught me that lesson.
“There's something I need to talk to you guys about.” I began, getting an offended glance from Siren. “And girls, sorry. Mostly girls actually. Anyway, it's about the fight earlier.” Siren kept her attention on me, while Betty didn't seem to hear me before I flicked a rock near her head. Sol was trying to stretch far enough that he could reach his food bowl without getting off my lab, tongue lapping at the edge. I pulled it closer and jostled him a bit. “Hey, pay attention. This is important.”
Satisfied that they were listening I kept going. “First off, I'd like to say that I'm very proud of you. You did great. Especially you, Betty, Sol. This was your first real fight and you did very well. Not perfect, and we'll get to that, but overall it was good. You too Siren, but I already knew you could handle it.”
Betty screeched with pride, standing tall with food specks around her mouth and constantly descending eyelids. Filling her stomach drained what little energy she had left. Siren gave me an eye smile in return and Sol panted happily, coughing soon after as he inhaled his food. Hitting him on the back, the small wet piece flew out, and he returned to eating with the same enthusiasm.
“However, a couple of notes.” They refocused, making me nod in satisfaction. “We'll go over individual performances in the morning. I think we are all too tired right now. But I need you to listen to this. It's important.” Making eye contact with all of them one by one, I tried to enforce the seriousness. “Our lives were in danger today. In situations like that, I can't and won't blame you for doing what you need to do to keep us safe. Yet you cannot do it without my permission again. Do you understand? I'm talking to you in particular Betty, and you too Sol. Today was fine, a good job in fact. But going forward, lethal force is not allowed unless I tell you.”
Sol gave in quickly, pressing closer to me and gazing up at me with big wet eyes as he sniffled apologetically. I ruffled his ear and went back to brushing. I hadn't been terribly concerned about his response. His kills had either been accidental or towards the end of the fight, when things started looking grim. For how lazy and stupid he sometimes came off, he had a decent head on his shoulders.
Betty, on the other hand, caught a second wind through pure outrage. She glared at me like I'd stolen her food, stomping her feet and screeching in denial. Her food and water bowl went flying, the contents spilling everywhere and mixing together into slob.
“Betty. Betty! BETTY! ENOUGH!”
I hated yelling at her, yet there really wasn't much choice when she got into one of her moods.
“Come here!”
Her screaming stopped as she lumbered towards me, yet the glaring remained. She towered over me from my seat, something I'd normally be wary of. Most guides on raising Dragons talked about the importance of keeping a dominant position and not letting them feel they had the advantage, especially when they were young. It could lead to a growing sense that they didn't need to listen, that they were bigger and stronger.
Many Trainers had been injured or even killed from relaxing too much around Dragon-Types that hadn't truly integrated into their team. Most Pokémon settled in within days, or weeks, maybe a month, yet Dragons could take years.
But I'd known her for years already and I wasn't sure that was the kind of relationship I wanted us to have. Sure, not being eaten was a priority, yet Betty seeing me as a stronger predator and obeying out of fear or merely respect wasn't what I wanted.
I wanted her to stay with me because she wanted to. Because together we could be greater than apart. Because she respected me, yes, but respected me because she knew that I wanted the best for her and she wanted the best for me.
And that would have to start with giving her a little slack. Not too much, she would act out in that case, just small things that showed that I trusted her.
With my safety at least. The safety of others was the whole issue.
“I've told you before, I don't make the rules. The League does. And the League doesn't like killing when it could’ve been avoided.” My words didn't have much effect, as they hadn't when I'd occasionally told her over the years. “They'd take you away from me.”
That got a response. She bared her teeth and roared into the night, blue dragon fire flickering in her throat, making the silent forest briefly come alive as everything in the area scrambled to get away from the angry Dragon. She stomped her feet again and posed, arms out at her sides and mouth open, a raspy hiss sending a clear message.
She'd kill them if they tried.
“I know, I know. I wouldn't let them either if I could help it, but that's the thing. We can't stop them. There are thousands of League Pokémon and they’re all stronger than us. We have to follow their rules.”
She settled down, still fuming yet I knew that I scored a point there. Following the strong was deeply ingrained in her DNA.
Outside of her view, I waved my hand at Siren, telling her to stand down. She'd been staring at the Bagon since her little tantrum started, tense and ready if she needed to intervene. I appreciated it, but it was somewhat counterproductive to what I was trying.
“Come here, baby. Sol, switch.” The Growlithe whined at having to move, yet slid from my lab to the side without getting up. Betty took his place, sitting between my legs at my direction so I didn't have to support her full weight. Using both hands, I dug my thumbs into her neck, right under the base of her skull. She sighed in relief, a low rumbling growl vibrating from her chest, like the Dragon version of purring. Bagons developed a lot of tension there from carrying around their heavy head and bashing it into everything they saw.
“One day, we'll be strong enough to do whatever we want, just not yet. And when we do get there, I hope you will listen to me on this issue regardless.” I mumbled as the lizard went boneless under my ministrations, leaning back against me. “We'll take it one day at a time, yeah?”
Betty ended up falling asleep where she was sitting and was quite grumpy when I had to get her up for Sirens turn. For a second I feared she’d restart her bullshit, yet she merely grumbled and shuffled over to lay against Sol's own snoozing form. Using a Mareep cloth, I rubbed some saltwater solution into Siren's scales. It contained vitamins and minerals that would help the protective plates stay healthy, strong, and prevent them from drying out during extended periods of time outside of a body of water. Her eyes closed and for a time, I was the only one awake as I cared for my team.
By the time I was done, the sun had fully set and only the skittering of Bug-Types and Hoothoot hoots from the darkness disrupted the stillness. I couldn't move without Siren waking from her daze, yet I managed to slink into my tent without disturbing the others. Creeping into my sleeping back, Siren by my side, I sighed and closed my eyes.
What a day. I doubted I’d fall asleep anytime soon.
Rustling by the tent entrance made me snap my eyes back open just in time to see a yawning Sol push his way in, followed by a bleary eyed Betty.
“No, guys, this is my tent, there isn't room for-!”
They didn't care. Within seconds I found myself buried in fur and scales as the two adult human sized Pokémon squeezed into the barely two-man tent.
Sighing again, I had to spit out a mouthful of fur while Betty rested her huge head on my stomach. I swore I could hear Siren laughing at me from somewhere behind the big yellow pelt wall.
It was kind of cute, but it really wasn't a sustainable solution. Maybe I should look into getting a bigger tent. Maybe a-
I didn't even register closing my eyes before I fell asleep, cradled in safety.
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Little bit of murder, little bit of cuteness. Sums up this story fairly well, actually. Next chapter, another familiar face appears.
Thank you for reading.
Comments
wretched Cat
Another great chapter. Betty is going to be an absolute monster as a salamance, maybe she needs a tyranitar or tyrunt boyfriend, lol. ( I forgot the name of tyrunts evolution. )
