Incarnated Whisp
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Chapter 113 - Team Interlude
🕑 Added 2024-11-09 00:14:52 +0000 UTCAt times, Typhlosion had trouble believing she was no longer a Quilava. It wasn’t that nothing had changed, it was just her sheer amazement at how her evolution had happened at all.
Evolving from a Cyndaquil had been a change in form, but the difference between a Cyndaquil and a Quilava had been minor at best. Looking back at it, she had stayed small. Both forms had been weak. As a Cyndaquil, she had been more liable to produce smoke than flame, and her attacks as a Quilava had only seemed impressive due to fire’s tendency to spread.
But now that she was a Typhlosion?
As she stood in the field of tall, swaying grass, she could feel the fire burning inside her. A furnace of energy swirled with heat and shadows, all of it completely under her control. Before, she had to focus to use her moves, but now, when she held up a paw, it took only the barest application of will to conjure a wisp within it. From there, darkness coiled around her held-out limb, shaping itself into a nasty-looking Shadow Claw.
Flames wrapped around her neck like a warm hug, enhanced to a greater temperature by the Charcoal she kept hidden within her fur. With a mere thought, her blaze increased, and she knew she could conjure a swarm of wisps through sheer instinct alone.
Sam had warned her that other Typhlosion could move faster and better sustain hits, but those were only marginal differences at best. As a Hisuian Typhlosion, she was capable of more powerful special attacks. She had also gained an improved understanding of a second Type—the Ghost Type, the same Type to be shared by every member of the team.
But she was still growing. She needed to get used to her new senses if she wanted to maximize her strength.
“Mis.”
Case in point, she hadn't expected a haunting voice to speak up beside her, and she looked over to see Misdreavus sitting in the air. Typhlosion grinned at her friend, smiling and exposing her sharper teeth in what was a light taunt.
Misdreavus just rolled her eyes. She didn’t quite care that Typhlosion was so much larger than her now. Still, Typhlosion snickered as Misdreavus drifted out to wait roughly a dozen feet ahead. Her quick comment hadn’t been a simple hello. No, Misdreavus had been reminding Typhlosion that they were out here for a reason.
To spar.
To practice.
To battle.
To get stronger.
There was no sense in waiting, so as soon as the two of them were ready, they began.
Typhlosion’s feet blurred across the grassy earth, launching her forward with the energy of a Quick Attack. Misdreavus, used to her tricks, replied with an angry Mean Look that challenged Typhlosion to not escape.
She was forced to skid to a halt, and Typhlosion's plans to circle around were now blocked before they could even start. She swerved to change her approach and rushed directly at Misdreavus with that same Normal Type energy converted into something else.
Quickly, Typhlosion’s Double Team became a false squadron of herself that faced Misdreavus in an intimidating line.
Misdreavus just laughed. Though surrounded, she wasn’t one to be trapped.
Rather than attack from range, Misdreavus went on to surprise Typhlosion by flying forth to meet that mass charge. Her Shadow Sneak allowed her to dive down and race right beneath those false shadows, disrupting them one by one like stars winking out in the night sky.
Typhlosion knew Misdreavus was about to find her within her line of copies, so she stopped bothering to hide and lunged. She dug a Shadow Claw through the ground to wind up her attack, catching and peeling away Misdreavus’s Shadow Sneak like removing an out-of-place sticker from the cover of a book.
Misdreavus tried to reply with a Psybeam.
Typhlosion didn’t dodge; she took the attack head-on.
Unlike how she had been as a Quilava, Typhlosion now had the power of a fully evolved Pokémon at her side. She felt the Psybeam smash into her stomach, but she kept running, and she jumped right through Misdreavus without using any move in particular.
She didn’t unleash an attack because she didn’t need to. This was only a spar, after all. That fake, final hit was victory enough, and as Typhlosion landed and turned to face her friend, Misdreavus breathed out in a sigh to accept her defeat.
Typhlosion snorted again, grinning at her friend after a match well fought. Misdreavus rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too. The exchange had been quick, but they were both ready to spar one another several times more.
They’d get stronger. They’d keep training. Typhlosion felt as though she could run for miles.
But she also knew it was better to pace herself. They hadn’t been out here for long. They still had plenty of time to battle throughout the coming days.
Still, it was fun to let loose. It was even better to try out her new power against a friend.
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Later, when they’d both battled themselves out and had practiced all their moves, Misdreavus let herself settle onto the ground as Typhlosion fell back next to her.
Truthfully, Misdreavus knew she’d lose their battles before any spar had started. She’d been familiar with Ghost Type energy for much, much longer than Typhlosion, but she hadn’t dedicated herself to reaching that same mastery like Typhlosion had.
There were times that Misdreavus thought she was falling behind, but she knew in her heart that she wasn’t. She was still expanding her moveset, and Typhlosion had the benefit of evolution. The gap between them was only temporary; she’d catch up with enough effort, and it’d be sooner rather than later that Sam would procure her a Dusk Stone to give her the chance to evolve.
But right now, she was tired. She could feel the movement of her body slow. Misdreavus didn’t have the stamina of Primeape or the boisterous energy of Haunter. She was a single Pokémon, one more used to hiding and searching rather than battling, but it was nice to have the chance to do whatever she wanted now that she had joined up.
Above, the sun hadn’t quite set, but the sky was already turning shades of red and orange. Similar colors came from the lingering embers on Typhlosion’s neck, yet her flames never once spread to the grass thanks to her exceptional control.
“Mis,” Misdreavus said.
She told Typhlosion that they had a good battle.
Typhlosion chuffed in response, almost self-defeating. She might have won, but she hadn’t won enough to her liking. As timid as she could be sometimes, that girl always sought to outdo herself. She would have fought more if it wasn’t for where they were.
If there was anything that Sam had ensured they understood, it was that they should always find time to rest. Although, Misdreavus was pretty sure he just said that as an excuse to read his books.
She chuckled to herself and floated a bit higher, drifting closer to her friend. Ghost Type Pokémon didn’t always get to experience warmth, but Typhlosion’s flames were different. They made the air around them comfortable in a different way from the cool comfort of darkness. It was nice to linger and relax, feeling the heated breeze pass through her ethereal flesh.
She closed her eyes.
...It was times like these that Misdreavus remembered some of her fondest moments. Her first and most important scare. Her time spent traveling between and through enormous trees. A night spent at a campsite set at the edge of a lake so impossibly clear that she could see thousands of sunken stones just beneath its surface.
“Come on, I know you can do it! Just one more try! You already know Astonish, so Shadow Claw shouldn’t be that hard, right?” a cry echoed out.
Misdreavus opened her eyes at the sound of Sam’s voice, and Typhlosion lifted her head. Sam’s words were encouraging, but in a way, each one also carried concern.
Misdreavus and Typhlosion both glanced over to where Sam was desperately gesturing with his arms. Trevenant sat before him, root-like legs stabbed into the earth, otherwise not giving a response.
The tree Pokémon wasn’t attacking, and he wasn’t leaving, either. However, he wasn’t listening to Sam. He rarely did. At best, he used a handful of moves to practice before calling it for the day.
“...Typhlosion,” Typhlosion whispered.
“Misdrea,” Misdreavus replied.
Misdreavus would have thought Typhlosion would be more annoyed, but she sounded just as concerned as Sam. Even after everything that happened, she was worried for Trevenant. She was worried for Sam. She was worried about what the two of them must be feeling and how neither had yet to properly get along.
But if Misdreavus knew anything, she knew Sam. It was easy for her to place her faith in him, even if he was dealing with quite the obstinate Pokémon. She did her best to reassure Typhlosion; Misdreavus knew in her heart that Sam would figure something out.
Trevenant just needed time to adapt. He’d come around once he realized how nice it was to have friends.
Typhlosion voiced her concerns, but Misdreavus closed her eyes once more. She didn’t feel a need to worry, as it was Trevenant who came here on his own. If he hadn’t wanted to be captured, he wouldn’t have left his ball. He just needed to get used to the change, as obviously, he wanted to stick around.
Misdreavus was glad that she did.
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From a nearby shadow, something else watched the same situation with narrowed eyes. Haunter pressed himself deeper into his pool of darkness, staring out as Sam released a frustrated sigh and walked away.
Haunter’s trainer ended up setting up a pot above the campfire as yet another day of training came to a close. Typhlosion and Primeape needed to eat, but Misdreavus and Haunter only needed snacks at most. Trevenant would get his sustenance through his roots sucking up nutrients and other stuff from the earth.
“Gas.”
“Gas!”
“Gastly!”
As Haunter sat and observed, many voices whispered out from all around him. Each one encouraged him, sharing the plans they thought he should follow.
Honestly, Haunter cackled at a few of them. These guys were really great.
With his careful tutoring, he knew they’d become even more cleverer! But for this, Haunter already had a plan of his own.
When he was confident no one but the Gastly were watching, Haunter slipped out of the shadow to move through the darkness, phasing into etherealness to the point of becoming nearly invisible. He was a mist, one easily mistakeable for a real ghost. However, he knew no one would make that mistake here, so he stayed to the side at the edge of the forest where he’d certainly go unnoticed.
Unfortunately, as he slunk past and through the nearby trees, one of Typhlosion’s ears flicked his way. He ignored the stare she sent at him, only responding with a single wink. He slipped deeper into the shadows from there, carefully staying silent as he slunk toward their shared campsite from the other side.
His target, Trevenant, didn’t move and didn’t react. The glow in the tree Pokémon’s red eye had vanished in the equivalent of being closed. Trevenant wasn’t paying attention to any potential approach, and he certainly paid no attention to the shadows reaching out like fingers poised to grab.
Those shadows were Haunter’s red carpet. They were his unseen path that guided him to his target. He moved slowly, and all the while, the campsite went unchanging. Trevenant rested, Primeape trained, Misdreavus relaxed next to her friend, and Sam cooked. Only Typhlosion and the mass of Gastly watched him leave the floor, unseen.
Haunter’s plan was simple; Trevenant needed a chance to lighten up. If their newest potential friend was going to be so stubborn, then Haunter needed to show him he could relax!
Carefully, he floated a hand up and out to tap on Trevenant’s shoulder before immediately dropping into the floor and zipping away. Trevenant's eye slowly regained its glow in the equivalent of it opening up, and the Pokémon looked behind him.
No one was there.
It was only when Trevenant turned back around that Haunter let himself be seen. Using his speed, he could pass through the shadows just fast enough to get to the other side of Trevenant, where he jumped out with a wide grin and hands splayed out to his sides.
“HAUNTER!” he shouted.
His voice shook Trevenant’s leaves. The entire clearing went still. Haunter could already picture all of the Gastly laughing in the shadow.
A good scare like this always provoked a reaction! Once Trevenant got over his shock, he’d realize it was okay to laugh, and then the Pokémon would feel way more comfortable with everyone here. Haunter was sure of it.
But there was nothing.
Not even a peep.
Trevenant just stared at where Haunter maintained his dramatic pose before letting his eye fizzle out to return to his torpor.
Grumbling, Haunter slumped. From a nearby shadow, a few Gastly called out their names, telling Haunter that he’d get him next time.
“It’s alright, Haunter,” Sam said. “Trevenant just needs space. He was willing to work on a few of his moves today, so please let him rest.”
Haunter met Sam’s gaze. The boy tried to smile.
Unfortunately, Haunter wasn’t able to return that cheerful look and quickly turned away.
“Misdreavus.”
Haunter responded to that quip with a far-too-wet raspberry and slunk off into a shadow before his reaction could be seen. Several Gastly joined him to start chatting rather excitedly, giving him so many ideas on how he could go about it next time, which did help—somewhat.
This scare might have failed, but he just needed to be patient. All the Gastly speaking to him right now were right. This attempt might not have succeeded, but eventually, Trevenant would lighten up. There, Haunter would be waiting, absolutely prepared to make the Pokémon laugh.
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But between all of the Ghost Types and all of the concern and all of the attempts to get Trevenant to do something, one Pokémon didn’t bother. He didn’t see the point.
Primeape threw a punch. And then another. And another. His fur became dampened by the sweat built from the attacks thrown into the air.
A heat grew in his chest with every subsequent fist. He watched each motion carefully to search for ways he could still improve.
That one punch could have been stronger.
The next could have been faster.
Primeape’s imaginary opponent moved limberly, and Primeape knew he needed to work on his aim.
Honestly, at times, Primeape was almost jealous of Ursaring. Redi pushed the bear more than Sam pushed him, but Primeape would never accept a trade of trainers. Sam might not have had the physical expertise needed to train a Fighting Type, but Primeape didn’t care. Sam had given him the support he needed, and Sam had a dedication that few trainers ever had.
No, if Primeape failed to get stronger, it would be his fault, not Sam’s. It would be Primeape’s fault if he fell behind. It would be Primeape’s fault if he failed to stay in line with the rest of the team.
He was weak.
He knew that he was weak.
Primeape knew that he’d always been weak.
If there had been one thing that had reminded him of that fact, it had been witnessing Typhlosion’s drastic increase in power that came from her evolution. That Infernal Parade of hers was a move he’d never be able to avoid. Even Rage Fist, his ultimate attack, was nothing in the face of those overwhelming flames.
Feeling the pressure rise in his chest, Primeape threw even more punches, trying to get that feeling out of his head. He could feel the heat building inside him. He could feel his anger growing. It burned and it burned, knowing that no matter how clever he’d been, knowing that no matter how many Mankey had looked up to him, that all of it had been taken away the moment he failed to defeat—
“PRIMEAPE!”
He roared as an image of a certain Pokémon flashed before his eyes. It looked too much like his own visage for him to ever feel comfortable with the sight of that face. His glove smashed through the illusion and carried him forward. He fell, huffing and puffing as he landed in the dirt.
He felt eyes on him. Judging eyes.
Concerned eyes as Sam glanced up from the campfire, but Primeape just shook his head.
Not now.
Not yet.
Primeape knew they needed to talk, but he had no plans to talk until they were closer.
So Sam went back to preparing their meal, quietly acknowledging Primeape’s wishes. Primeape stood up to shake the dirt and sweat off his body. Practically all of his training so far had been to let him master his anger, but he couldn’t do that right now with all these infuriating thoughts swarming his head.
He recognized he could have kept practicing. He recognized he could have kept trying to ignore the pain in his chest.
But he wasn’t going to bother. There was no point. He was getting too caught up in his thoughts, and he knew Sam wouldn’t approve.
Primeape marched away from his groove in the earth to deposit himself on a short, nearby hillside. He breathed, attempting to calm down, but an ember of rage lingered in his chest.
That smoldering anger would never go away. For his species, it would always be there. Primeape could still try to get it under control, which he’d been doing every night and day since Sam first showed him that sketch in his book.
Closing his eyes, Primeape focused on feeling the cool grass press against his legs. The setting sun warmed his fur and evaporated the lingering moisture. He used the lazy wind as a tool to find his center, and he let the smell of a good dinner give him something to look forward to.
It was easy to distract himself and to stop thinking, but it was harder to acknowledge his thoughts without being consumed by his rage.
“...Typhlosion.”
The voice that came toward Primeape was barely a whisper, carried to him by the same breeze he was using to relax. He peeked open an eye to see Typhlosion staring at him, but faced with her commanding gaze, Primeape looked away.
Typhlosion didn’t.
Her stare seared into his back, its burn almost as strong as one of her Fire Type moves. Not once did she let up, even through a whisper from Misdreavus next to her, and it eventually became too much. Annoyed, Primeape grunted and stood up.
Doing that let him see what she had been trying to point out—Trevenant was also staring.
Ever since Sam had caught that tree Pokémon, Trevenant barely listened. At best, he’d train a few moves for a short period but withdraw almost immediately after. Trevenant’s capture hadn’t been like any other team member’s capture. There had been no heartfelt moment. No proper battle to earn the right to train him.
Well, there had, but fighting Typhlosion didn’t count. Not as a Grass Type against those flames. No, Trevenant had come here on his own and had decided to stick around on his own, but to Primeape, it was likely Trevenant was only here because he was confused.
It was pretty obvious that the tree Pokémon came because he felt a need to follow, to move on and grow stronger by leaving his home, but it was also pretty obvious that the Pokémon didn’t understand why it felt that way in the first place.
When Primeape looked back to the other Pokémon, Trevenant looked away as fast as he could. Though he had only a single eye, Trevenant’s expression was more than familiar enough to Primeape.
They both wanted revenge, but there was a difference between them. In a way, Trevenant was here for guidance, but he didn’t even know the questions he needed to seek.
Did he need to know what that difference was? Did he need to know what his actions had meant? Or was it that Trevenant wanted to know why he had fallen into such a dark place—meanwhile, Primeape hadn’t. They wanted the same thing, but Primeape wasn’t letting his desires control him.
Not yet.
Rolling his eyes, Primeape grumbled as he understood why Typhlosion had been nagging him so much. She’d already helped out other Pokémon in the past, but she didn’t quite yet have the confidence to fully take on the role of a guide. Recognizing she wanted him to help Trevenant, Primeape stood up.
Really, some Pokémon were just too dumb. The answers Trevenant wanted were pretty obvious as far as he was concerned.
Grunting, Primeape stomped over to where Trevenant sat, moving over to deposit himself at the Pokémon’s side. They tried to hide it, but everyone here watched him walk over and sit down. It wasn’t until he snorted that they were told off and hurriedly turned away.
A silence fell over the clearing. A few tense moments passed.
Annoyed, Primeape kept his arms crossed. He didn’t want to help until Trevenant asked for help, but the stupid Pokémon was instead trying to pretend to not care. He was fine with that, and Primeape let the “nothing” pass between them for several minutes longer. Mostly.
Eventually, he had enough of this. This situation was exhausting.
He looked up at Trevenant and spoke his thought:
Trevenant was braver than him, but Trevenant was also very dumb.
And he brought his gaze back down to earth, trying to re-enter his meditative state regardless of the surprised stare coming from the single, red eye above his head. There were layers to Primeape’s statement—that Trevenant actually dared to stand up for himself instead of running away, that Trevenant had the right to do what he had done but not in such an aggressive manner, and that the reason Trevenant came here was because he needed support. Having Pokémon listen to him was one thing, but having friends help him find a better path was entirely something else.
Really, Primeape was the wise one between all of these ignoramuses, and he sniffed while peeking an eye open toward Typhlosion, asking if that was enough.
She looked annoyed with him for some reason, but she didn’t have anything to say. She did, in fact, look away, finally giving Primeape the chance to rest.
He let himself linger there even though he could feel Trevenant tensing next to him, waiting for more. But Primeape said nothing, and in the end, Trevenant settled down into that same torpor from before.
However, for some reason, it felt different, as if Trevenant did understand at least one part of what Primeape had tried to imply.
“Food’s ready!”
When Sam’s voice eventually echoed out around the campsite, Gastly crowded around to try to steal away cut pieces from a plate “forgotten” at Sam’s side. Typhlosion and Misdreavus both got up to walk over, and Haunter left his hiding spot to snag a spoon from Sam’s personal plate.
Primeape waited for everyone else to gather before rolling forward to stand up.
Trevenant watched him go.
When Primeape finished inhaling the soup from his bowl, he noticed that Trevenant had joined their group for the first time. Silently, Sam handed the quiet Pokémon a fresh berry with a hopeful smile on his face.
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Author Note:
Pokémon included in this chapter:
n/a
Comments
Thomas Downing
Thanks for the chapter! Loved this team interlude!
Steven
Thanks for the chapter
Drasolvent
With Tevenant, that's 2 side quests done, Grass for FWG core (yes I'm still Basculin coping) and finding a Kalos mon to show Restaurant Lady. As for Primape, wild guessing it's Chucks for a dramatic 8th Gym badge. Iirc Mankey was found in Olivine? Not a stretch to have jumped on a boat from Cianwood.
DoomlordSteve
So Primeape has some beef with another Primeape? Interesting.
