Author's Note:I didn't do anythig to modify the cursing in here, so the filter is going to catch them. That being said, there's a lot of langauge in here, for my normal writings. I think you'll agree with Janie its justified, but still abnormal for me. There's also an innuendo there or two. For thse of you wondering, the odd chapter title comes from the contrasts of the different sections.
Sides of a Coin
WT CH 29
Flip back to 28?
Beldum didn’t turn around to look. He didn’t have to. The creature was following him, he could hear its warlike shrieks right on his flank. An odd series of syllables, actually. A few of them were repeated, although he couldn’t think of any creature by the name of “dammit”, maybe Miitdam? Medicham? Kinda the right color, perhaps. He thought once it said “goddam”, but he didn’t think Goldeen were that fast on land. In a way, the shrieks were out of place, almost a mixture of fear, shock, frustration, panic, anger, concern, and sheer terror. None of those were really suitable for some sort of bipedal red and cream animal that was keen on ripping his head off and slurping out his insides with a long, warm tongue.
He plunged through the green trees, but the monster was somehow still behind him. In his fear, he hadn’t felt her grab him, and had never looked back to see her. He was really and truly hoping to lose her through sheer speed.
He shot over a large pond, startling some FarFetch’d and another monster like the one following him. It seemed to be oddly angry he scared away the Farfetch’d, maybe the second monster was planning on eating the ducks?
---
Janie had had about enough of this rocket ride. She was amazed she’d hung on this long, but her hands were sweaty and starting to slip on the metal hide of her Beldum. Being newly hatched, he was rather small still, and there wasn’t much for her to grab on to. He hands were now resting on a cowling around his back end, but she was hoping maybe she could get her hands up underneath the wing over his ball turret neck, where there were more edges. Maybe too, if she could get her legs around his body, she could leverage him down.
Across the water, they plunged again into thick bushy trees. Biting her lip and mustering up some courage, Janie pushed against the air current. She couldn’t waste any time, trying to change her grip put her in a vulnerable position. Janie put every muscle she had in her arms to sliding her hand up the runaway’s flank, still trying to clutch his rough outer layer and not let go.
---
Beldum, like a lot of steel types, don’t have a lot of sensitivity in their bodies. They counteract this with a strong mental presence, but for a newborn fleeing for its life, there isn’t much of that either. Thus, Beldum wasn't acutely aware of the hand sliding up his flank; with as much ducking and weaving he'd done through low-hanging trees and bushes, he didn’t think it was anything more than debris and forest rubbing against him, if he thought anything about it at all.
He started thinking more about that when four thin digits weaving their way between the back of his head and his shoulder, looking for purchase to grab onto, like the fin protecting his ball-jointed neck.
"YAHH!!! IT'S GOT ME!"
---
Gizmo was perched on my arm smiling as I stepped out of the breezeway.
"Ditto, di?"
"Oh, today you want to fly? The day I actually need to take the bicycle?"
"Ditto. Di di."
"Yes, I am well aware they fold up. Hold still, this stupid lock's swollen, Gonna have to pull on it."
"Dit di di dito di."
"Don't give me that 'my joints ached' bit, you don't even have joints."
“Ditto dit. Di ditto Ditto.”
"I! WHA? I... don't even know how to respond to that. Hold on, someone's coming up the drive. Looks like a depot taxi, must be the guy coming for Cayna and I's things."
"Ditto di?"
"There's not a chance in the Distortion World I'm letting you disguise yourself as a travel bag."
"Ditto dit."
"SIT. Yes, right there on my arm. And don't torment the poor attendant."
Gizmo pouted, a long, floppy lipped pout.
The station agent pulled up in a fairly retro wood paneled station wagon. Probably a company car, since it didn’t match the eighteen year old driving it. Exceptionally well, but he... well, he still looked like he'd be more at home behind one of Dodge's new Magnums as opposed to the old, probably well used, wood-paneled car he was driving.
"Good Morning sir." the young man straightened his pea-green blazer as he got out.
"Morning!"
"Is that a blue Ditto?"
"Sure is."
"Wow. So cool! Oh, right, the bags. The instructions said in the breezeway?"
"Yes."
"Ditto dit. Dito Ditto."
Yes, Gizmo. In the breezeway... That I just locked..." I facepalmed myself with my free hand. "Pardon me, I need to undo the deadbolt, because I'm an idiot. And stop beaming Gizmo."
Fortunately, it unbolted more readily than it originally locked. The station agent and an eager Timburr in a matching green cap grabbed our two suitcases, and propped the door open with his little wooden railroad tie.
"These all the bags?"
"You expecting more? We're only going for the weekend."
"well, er, uh, but I'm used to, well, there's only so much stuff one can cram into a Fibber Magee bag, and, I, nevermind sir. We'll have these locked away safely for you. Yours is the four pm train, correct?"
"Sure is. Thank you."
"No no, thank you for riding with us."
"Dit di di di ditto di. Ditto di dit."
"oh boo hoo. You had three other days we could've flown besides the one day this week we got rain,
somebody made the dicision to pour out of their pokeball and puddled on the stoop."
Guinivere stuck her head out of a window as the station wagon drove off. "Was that the train guy?"
"Yep. You've got the whole day to get Jovi ready for her date."
"Good. Between you and me, I think I'll need it."
I had to let out a little chuckle. " You want to ride in with us?"
"No thanks, I'll teleport over. You want a lift?"
"Appreciate it, but I actually enjoy seeing the Pokemon in the ranch."
"Wuss."
"What?"
"You're afraid of teleporting, of putting your life in the hands of a Pokemon, right?"
"That's not it at all. I trust Gizmo with my life all the time. Moto too, and the others less directly. I just like seeing the Pokemon... oh alright, and knowing where my atoms are. I'll pass on the instantaneous travel, but thank you for offering."
"Your loss. I'll lock up here then. Have a nice day, Glover."
"Ditto dit? Di di ditto..."
"No, I hadn't forgotten, and I'm not going to reward you for staying on my arm. What do you think I am, a sucker?
The loveable little glob gave me a big, toothy grin. Impressive, considering he had to form the teeth. "Uh huh, I know that look. Forget I asked. Twelve years I've known you; you tormentive little toddler."
I could swear his smile got bigger, except that would've cut his body in half.
"No. I'm riding through the forest to work. But if its any consolation, I'll let you flap in the breeze off the back."
"dit... ditto di!"
---
"Wou-...Would you.. slow.. down, Tally? Some of us have three left feet!" Spinarak cried.
Tally didn't acknowledge; didn't turn back to look. As the heavy backpack bounced on her back, Tally vaulted over a thick limb and dove down a Nidoran trail.
"Tally," called Cassie as she swooped along behind the dog in the air,
"You think maybe we should slow down a bit?"
"We're fine. Gotta get to Janie."
"Tally, we're no good to her if we get to her worn out."
"Tiny's right, Tally."
"See? Even Cassie agrees with me."
"Yeah, and the Spinarak wants a break." said the Spinarak.
Tally barely slowed down.
"We'll stop later. I can't afford losing the scent now."
Tiny held his head with a stinger as he chased the Herdier.
"I'd hoped I'd been done with String Shot when I'd evolved." He told himself. Coughing up a wad of spit and sticky webbing, Tiny hurled the glob at Tally's legs. The shot landed, and Tally tripped over the goopey mess.
"You moron! What in the hell did you do that for! Every minute we waste we risk losing Janie."
"You're not making sense. You don't exert yourself in the wild like this without caution."
"And we don't let our human go unprotected either! It's our job to protect her, but I wouldn't expect a Wild like you to care." Tally snarled, biting on the sticky glob with flaming fangs.
"You think I don't care? We've been together how many sunrises now, and you think you're the only Pokémon who can care about a human?"
Well, I seem to be the only one here who hasn't given up on Janie so far."
"Cool it, both of you." Cassie said, drenching the party with a small but effective Rain Dance.
"No one's given up on anyone. Our Janie's tougher than any one of us here, and smart enough to not forget about staying hydrated. How many times does she stop us for water breaks? To make sure we aren't cramping? And she's attentive to every scratch we get in battle, or just playing in the bushes, right?"
"Well, I guess she is, Cassie."
"And for good reason. She'd be very upset if we got ourselves hurt. So listen to buzzbrain over there, and stop occasionally. If we lose her scent, the two of us who can fly will look for something. She'll be fine, so long as we're fine."
"Well, alright. But Cassie?"
"yeah?"
"Did you have to make it so muggy now?"
"Serves you right." the little cloud giggled.
Tiny finished pulling his snare off of Tally's hind flanks.
"Everyone ready?"
"Well, not exactly." Spinarak panted.
"But I don't want to hold you guys back."
"I'll carry ya Spinarak," Tiny said.
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure. No one in our little hive gets left behind. Tally? Lead the way."
"Alright." Tally said to the group, adding to herself:
"I'm sorry Glover. I failed."
---
Janie was raised to be polite and respectful. She was raised that certain words had a time and place, and were not be used frequently. So she regretted the stream of words that poured from her mouth the last time she hit the ground. She was sure that falling from the sky was a valid time to be colorful, but that didn't shake the feeling of her parents' stares drilling into the back of her head from another hemisphere.
Falling from the sky. She'd have snorted, if every part of her body was screaming in defiance; including several parts she was sure she hadn't developed yet, and now thanks to plowing into the ground at twenty miles an hour, probably never would. Like Father like Daughter, although this didn't feel quite as dignified as the story her father told her about being shot down by a cranky Regirock over the Hoenn Desert.
"God damn!" Every finger felt jammed and numb. Most of her right arm did too, which concerning because her left arm hurt like hell. Which meant one of them was broken. And smart money, was on the one that wasn't talking to the rest of her nervous system.
"Son of a. Alright, Janie. Take stock. What happened? You reached to grab Beldum. You missed; no, he rolled out of your hand. The change in weight sent the both of you spiraling."
Janie's vision started to clear from 1950's television static to blurry. "You tried to control your tumble, probably twisted your arm." She told herself.
Janie tried to move her head.
"****! OW! "Alright, it’s not broken Janie, just sore." She squeezed her yes tight and slowly opened them. "OW! Ow ow ow ow." She was face down in the ground, but from what little of herself she could see, nothing eas sticking out through her skin. A good first sign. There looked to be several somwhat risqué tears in her clothing, considering how many shreds in them in general it wasn't surprising, but she'd have to change or hope no one saw her.
"Dammit. MY backpack's back at camp. Alright, Janie. You need to get up." Slowly, feeling returned to her left arm. It hurt like hell, but she felt like she could prop herself up long enough to get on her feet.
That might take some time, given how shaky she felt. "Best not to rush it."
She practically crawled up the side of a thick oak tree, trying to get herself underneath herself while leaning on its weight. "Alright, right leg feels okay, let's see if I can ****! GODDAMIT!"
"Stand up." She finished, lying fetal on the ground. "I'm gonna need a crutch. Maybe a thick branch."
"Beldum? Where are you?"
---
"Morning Glover! Have a nice bike ride?"
"Sure did Aiden. Thought I'd come help with feeding."
"Thanks! With Jovi out today, I could use the help."
Aiden was around back, near one of the stylistic wooden sheds where the ranch equipment was stored, including the electric equipment. The wooden structrures were surprisingly stable. They kinda had to bem considering they were a part of the Petting Zoo, nursery grounds, and a common spot for the larger ranch Pokemon to lean up against looking for some love and attention.
"Can you believe it? Our Jovi, on a date."
"Nope, it's kinda terrifying. Maybe the Mayans were right... You're jealous, aren't you Aiden."
"Me? Jealous? We practically grew up together! She's like sister to me!"
"Oh, you mean the kind of sister you bribe someone's half demented Porygon Z into hyjacking her webc-"
"HEY!-" I masked the rest of his repsonse with the sound of metal feed canisters being dropped into the bed of an offroader.
"I'll head up the mountain road. See you in a while."
---
"OW! Guin! That hurts!"
"Sorry, didn't mean to pull so hard. You've got some nasty rattails in your hair. When's the last time you've really combed it out?"
"Uh, ten years ago? maybe only eight?"
"I figured. Hold still dear, this isn't going to be pretty."
"I thought I was supposed to be pretty for my date?"
"You will be. If you survive."
"What? OW!"
---
"Beldum? Where are you?"
The little hatchling flinched. The monster wasn't that far off. He'd managed to lose it, for the time being, but for his first flight, he didn't think it had gone too bad. That monster hadn't roasted his body over a fire, popped off his head and scooped out his innards. Nothing was broken, although a lack of bodyparts helped that quite a bit. The little Beldum wriggled his three toe claws.
"Yep, still there. Now, let's see about getting out of here. If I can jet off, maybe I can get out form under this heavy tree. Uhh, hmm. Just like last time. Just like you did before. NRRGH!
He didn't budge.
"Come on, you can do it. Something inside you spun. You made power around you... NRRRGH!
Nothing.
"Perhaps I exhausted my supply. Maybe I need to sit tight, make more."
"Beldum! Are you around here? Where are you Beldum?"
That sounded closer.
---
"Whee!"
This had to be the best day of Moto's life. He'd been sitting idly in his Pokéball, twiddling the end of is little lightning rod arms in absence of true thumbs hoping but promising himself that being good had its rewards. And it paid off. The human had, of no coercion, no prior begging, offered Moto the chance of a lifetime.
He got to drive the ATV.
Now, granted, an ATV is nothing near a monster truck, or the
Kyogre that sits in Gateon Port, but Moto could be satisfied with the simple things every once in a while. The important part was that it had an electric motor, and that he'd been trusted with it. He could live with a top speed of fifteen miles an hour. That trailer was kind of annoying, he'd never get accustomed to having a tail with no feeling in it; a tail that just drags along behind you obediently until you try to turn, but another small price to pay.
"Moto, take a left up here, please."
"Rotom tom? Ro Tom Ro rotom."
"I know the main track doesn't turn for a while, I want to go by and see Vin's big oak tree."
"Ro."
"Ah."
And so he did. With a bit more caution perhaps than was typical for him, but he was finding it was almost as much fun to play by the rules as it was to... well... be him. So he slowed down, hit a turn signal, and tapped his little horn as he turned.
"Rotom ro?"
"Trailer's still fine, Moto. You're doing excellent."
---
"Beldum? Where are you?"
Janie was leaning on a tree branch. She'd found a good, sturdy, straight one with plenty of leafy branches on the end, which with some creative work with a pocket knife, made a soft end to rest under her arm.
The knife was about the only thing Janie had on her. Her Grandfather had promised her to carry it
on her.
"The best knife is the one you have" He'd told her. She was wishing she'd applied that logic to a few other things.
It felt like hours, although Janie was fairly certain it had only been a few minutes since she'd been able to get mobile. Although, how long between her landing and her waking up, she didn't know.
"That was a doozy of a landing." She told herself as she hobbled through trampled undergrowth. Janie's crutch was working admirably. She was proud of herself for that one small ray of logic amongst the tussle of twigs.
"Well, this is where the trail veers off. He must be out that way somewhere. Beldum? Where are you?"
---
A pair of eyes were already studying the ATV as Moto and I pulled up. It smiled, and uncoiled itself from the limbs it was resting on, winding slowly down the layers of the tree. By the time Moto had pulled off the trail enough to allow anyone to pass, Vin's head and neck collar were already sticking out of the tree.
"And a pleasure to see you again, as well."
"Perior, Sur."
He stretched won a little closer to me; I patted the side of his muzzle. "Been a while."
"Sur."
"You hungry?"
"Sur."
"I thought as much. I grabbed a bit of meat for you before I left." I took a cooler out of the trailer, and unwrapped the paper from the small slab of raw food. Vin stretched out his long forked tongue and licked my face; thankfully before he coiled it around the meal.
"Surperior Sur?"
"No, not today, I'm not in need of ya. I had thought about taking you with me to the Unova region, but I know you've stated before your home and you subjects are here now."
"Sur..." It was tempting him. Really tempting, but he finally shook his head after some deliberation. "Surperior, Sur."
"Thought so. I'm heading up to the mountains, of you want to tag along."
"Surperior!" He seemed to like that option, at least, for he disappeared into the tree quickly. Rustling movements leapt across the trail from tree line to tree line, and unbelievably quickly for a creature of his size and moderate age, his head popped out three trees down.
"That's my Vin." I smiled, remembering why I chose him as a grass type in the first place.
"Tom Rotom?"
"Sure, Bonaparte’s pond would be on the way back. We can stop there.
---
Gateon's Research Facility is nestled a ways back into a forest, which is itself wrapped around the corner of a stubby mountain range. Geologists will tell you this mountain range is a part of the same Donner Range Mt. Battle's volcano is on, and was cut off by a glacier, forming the Sierra River. The important part of it though, is that the combination of Mountain, River, Forest, and Stream, as well as a close proximity to the sea, means Gateon has one of the best natural ranches in the world.
Vin didn't let a dissipation of the forest slow him down; he hit the side of the mountain slithering, only pausing to wait for Moto and I to catch up. The big constrictor fanned himself with his tail for a little bit until Moto pulled off under a lean-to. Several such slanted metal roofs lined the mountain trails, they were deflection shields for roaming Golem.
I didn't waste too much time, we had several stops to make, and Pokémon, even domesticated ones, like to be fed.
Onwards to Chapter 30!