Chapter 10: Greed
Whoo, I have reviews.
InsaneTyranitar - Thanks for the review. To me, Aiden isn't exactly a "rival" as he himself doesn't give a damn about Carrie - to him she's just some girl who has a bunch of Grovyle that she hasn't evolved.
The thing you mentioned in the spoiler would, to me, be worse than killing a character off. Bear that in mind.
Was chapter 9 really shorter physically? It was roughly the same length - about 8/9 pages - in Word, so I don't think so. Of course, you're right about it being shorter content-wise.
DarkPersian479 - Tell me about it; my parents hate the idea of me talking to strangers online so I don't think I'm technically allowed to be on this forum. But oh well. ^0^
Oh, and welcome back. =D
Nothing particularly comment-able in your review so I'll just say thanks. ^^;
So yay, chapter 10. This is the longest chapter yet, being a good few Word-pages larger than any previous ones, but it seems that these slightly longer chapters may become the regular length in future.
Enough rambling.
Chapter 10: Greed
Luminous blades knifed through the air, striking a white-feathered chest. A squawk of surprise and pain escaped the victim’s large yellow beak as its wide eyes glanced fearfully towards the lithe, green assailant. The Taillow hovered in midair for a moment with frantic beats of its navy wings, before retreating in a flurry of red, white and blue feathers. The last thing visible of the Pokémon was a forked tail, flicking up and down to aid its flight as it raced away through the trees.
Carrie sighed and looked bluntly at Velotus, whose leaves were dimming and reforming their natural shape. This was not the first time he had attacked a wild creature since their setting off, nor was it the first time he had stared into the distance, having overpowered his target, and remained utterly unsatisfied.
Velotus shook his head rapidly as though clearing his thoughts before continuing through the woods, oblivious to the looks he received from humans and Pokémon alike. Carrie mutely walked after him, hearing movement on either side of her from four of her Pokémon following her lead. She reached to her shoulder and gave Raptola a reassuring stroke as he stirred uncomfortably, watching the older Grovyle ahead.
The rustling of Theo’s boots in the undergrowth could be heard from behind. It seemed the man had neglected to mention the short stretch of forested ground on their route before it opened up into much barer land. Carrie wasn’t complaining, but she did wish he would stop pretending not to be there, halting and continuing without comment. The breaks had been common, as the forest was thick with wild Pokémon, and Velotus had taken it upon himself to attack everything he saw.
Carrie caught a glimpse of white, a tiny flash of movement between the trees. She looked at Velotus in the hope that he had not seen, but it was clear that he had. His eyes were fixed ahead; his body was tensing and beginning to power him forwards with swift, purposeful movements.
This was not the Velotus she had known, the one that had shown so much enthusiasm in the simple joys of battling. This was a creature single-mindedly obsessed with gaining more power.
Utterly fed up of chasing her Grovyle, Carrie was at least thankful that this time his quarry was in the direction they were headed. Raptola bobbed on her back as she jogged after him, wondering vaguely which Pokémon would be the victim this time, which creature would take one or two hits before fleeing in fear. The slim figure of Crescent raced ahead of her, ready to break up the fight if needed – earlier, Velotus had almost killed a defenceless Cascoon which had been unable to escape.
The trees seemed to part like curtains as they grew ever sparser towards the forest’s outskirts. Carrie rushed to where Velotus stood in time to see him slashed by a pair of claws on the end of a muscular white arm, leaving a sore mark across the green band on his stomach.
Without missing a beat, the Grovyle slipped towards his ape-like foe, deftly ducking between its long flailing arms, and delivered an upwards swipe to its wide jaw with his blade. The Vigoroth grunted and countered with a well-aimed punch before leaping about energetically on the spot, its brown-ringed eyes looking more than a little mad.
Carrie watched Velotus as he bared his teeth and prepared to latch onto the wild monkey. Another slash, this time to the face, knocked him back.
She knew that the battle had to stop before either combatant was too badly hurt. “Velotus,” she said firmly.
The Grovyle had begun to glow, but on his trainer’s words the light subsided and he twisted to look at her.
“Stop this.”
Velotus’ gaze grew more piercing, yet his cloudy expression was harder to read. “
But I need to –”
“
You don’t.” Foliano approached his fellow Grovyle, his solid features pacifying. “
Velotus, whatever it was that hurt you, this isn’t going to help.” Behind him, Ivyx took a step forward as well, though less confidently than her mate.
Empathy’s lilac paws padded towards Velotus as the cat gazed emphatically into his eyes. “Speon esp espeon,” he purred in a velvety voice. The Grovyle glared back, clearly disagreeing with whatever had been said, but the Espeon did not waver.
Carrie stepped forwards, Crescent at her side, and looked imploringly at Velotus. Even Raptola’s face was silently begging him to stop. Like a caged creature, his frustrated eyes locked onto his trainer followed by each of her Pokémon in turn. He gave the Vigoroth, which was still dancing wildly on the spot, a final sideways glare before grudgingly withdrawing his glowing blades and walking away towards the edge of the forest.
Her Pokémon fell back as Carrie led them wordlessly in Velotus’ direction. She glanced back to see Theo spray a half-empty Hyper Potion at the Vigoroth as it loped away, though most of the vapour missed. He shrugged and pocketed the bottle. “At this rate, we’re going to have exhausted our supply before we even reach the desert,” he told her with a sigh.
Carrie believed that this would have been quite the feat, as Theo had insisted on stocking them up to the ears with potions bought in Verdanturf before heading out. “Don’t they have a Mart near the desert?” she asked.
“No, just a Pokémon Centre, and a small one at that.” By this time, Theo had caught up and was walking a few paces behind Carrie. The indication that he actually existed made a nice change. “We shouldn’t be too long in the desert, though,” he continued. “It’s quite long and thin in shape – we can cross it quickly then go up the less sandy ground on the other side.” Carrie nodded, barely registering the words.
The shadow from the canopy above, which had become increasingly sporadic, finally receded altogether. Carrie found herself in wide, rolling foothills with rocks and grass scattered across the ground. A little off to her left and far into the distance stood the tall, imposing Mount Chimney, Hoenn’s dormant volcano. Being in such open space after so long spent in enclosed forests or cities was a breathtaking sensation, and she almost instinctively approached a lone tree, the one familiar thing left in the wilderness.
Sitting down in the tree’s shade, Carrie watched as Crescent eagerly dashed towards a pale rock a good distance away. He placed himself atop it and stared out at the craggy slope ahead, the mane of fur below his neck rippling in the breeze. She smiled. Mountains were the Absol’s natural habitat; he must have been overjoyed to be somewhere which felt like home once more.
Theo, too, seemed far more alive than he had been previously. He stood framed by the clear sky, taking in lungfuls of air and gazing around at the impressively vast array of scenery. Carrie detected his aura of belonging with a hint of envy; the best part of the journey for her was over now.
Her Grovyle were more subdued, unsure where to go in the endless space. Raptola had jumped off his trainer’s back for the time being and was playing idly with a pebble in the ground. The more mature pair stood side by side, surveying their surroundings.
Where was Velotus? Carrie doubted he would have stayed in the forest to be left behind. She tried to think like him, to work out where he would go in this wilderness. After a moment’s thought, she tilted her head back to gaze directly into the boughs of the tree. A pair of yellow eyes stared back at her. Velotus scowled and leapt down from the branches before scuttling away to sit himself on a rock, much like Crescent had done only without such contention.
“
He looks embarrassed,” commented Ivyx.
“Mmm,” Carrie agreed, frowning. “Do you think that was too much, us crowding round him in the middle of a battle?”
“
We had to stop him,” Foliano stated reasonably. “
There was no point to it.”
Carrie turned to look at her Grovyle’s calm face. There had been a point to the battles; she did not believe that Foliano wouldn’t have figured it out by now. “D’you really think?” she asked, scrutinising his reaction.
The Grovyle’s eyes flickered towards his team-mate on the rock, then looked at the ground.
Satisfied, Carrie gazed out at Velotus. She contemplated his actions for a moment, then turned to look for her Espeon, who was relaxing in a clump of grass a few metres away.
“What did Empathy tell him?” she asked, addressing Foliano again.
“
Not to battle while his mind is in chaos. Fair point, but I can see why he wasn’t pleased.”
Carrie sighed. Just a day ago, the thought of anyone telling Velotus not to battle would have been laughable, not to be taken seriously. But a single rash action, and the consequences had changed him.
The same could be said for Carrie herself.
She looked up at the sound of Theo approaching, though his boots made less noise on the barer ground. “We should get going now,” he began. “We’ve wait –”
He was cut off as Crescent rushed past him in a blur of speed towards his trainer. Behind him, fluttering on tiny wings, was a pearly-white fairylike creature, its tiny eyes fixed on the Absol. Everyone turned to look at it. The sudden attention caused it to halt in its flight, its egg shaped, patterned body hovering in midair as its triply crested head twisted around, confused.
Crescent’s dark face glared out at the Togetic from underneath his white fur. “Absol,” he breathed, his voice low and resonant.
“
He said she wants him,” translated Foliano, shooting his trainer a wary glance.
“She – what?” Before Carrie could begin to make any sense of things, another flicker of movement caught her eye. A slim green figure – Velotus – was dashing towards the bewildered Togetic from his rock, and she noticed with dread that his blades were primed. “Velotus, don’t!” Carrie ordered, jumping to her feet.
The Grovyle skidded to a halt metres away from his target and turned his head to look at Carrie, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “
This time it’s different. It has a trainer.” With that, he focused on the Togetic once more, leapt, and delivered a sweeping strike to her round body.
“Trainer?”
Ignoring the fairy Pokémon’s squeal of pain, Carrie began scouring the horizon for any sign of another human. She soon found it: a figure was running towards them, distant enough to have been out of sight just moments ago. It was a woman, judging by the maroon dress that flapped around her ankles as she ran.
A high pitched, rhythmic chant of, “To, gi, to, gi,” drew Carrie’s attention back to the battle. The Togetic was flicking her tiny arms from side to side, muttering in deep concentration while Velotus watched apprehensively. With a final “Tic!” the fairy pointed her fingers to the sky and waited. A golden sphere materialised around her small form, translucent yet apparently solid.
On the ground, Velotus’ right arm crackled with sparks of electrical energy, their yellow glow merging with the green luminosity of his blade. He leapt at his foe and swung his shrouded fist, but the gleaming barrier resisted. Gravity had taken over before he could force his way through, and he landed unsuccessfully below the unharmed Togetic, the electricity fizzling out of existence.
Undeterred, Velotus prepared for his next move as the sound of footsteps heralded the arrival of the mystery trainer. It seemed that despite her choice of clothing, the woman was a strong runner as she covered the ground with considerable speed, her long, lilac hair rippling just as much as her dress. She came to a halt beside her Pokémon, watching in horror as a cyclone of leaves formed out of nowhere and swirled around the Togetic.
“Joy? What’s happening?” the woman asked, a sharp yet worried edge to her voice. Her Togetic was squeaking in distress as the foliage battered her body; the leaves had penetrated the protective sphere, unlike Velotus’ previous attack.
The Grovyle stood directly beneath his foe, in the eye of his own storm, staring up at the fairy. Carrie couldn’t tell through the twirling mass of leaves whether his expression was of his characteristic delight in battle or simply of grim lust for power.
She was about to command him to stop when the storm subsided of its own accord, the foliage dissipating into nothing. Velotus’ face remained inscrutable as he stepped back to allow himself a better view of the Togetic inside the golden shield.
The strange woman fixed the Grovyle with a glare of contempt and muttered, “Joy, use Yawn on it.”
The Togetic, whose name was clearly Joy, perked up at the command despite her battered shape. She opened her tiny mouth surprisingly wide, exhaling a fine cloud of mist which floated through the golden barrier as if it didn’t exist and approached Velotus.
The raptor could only watch, confused, as the vapour surrounded him. He inhaled, then seemed to realise his mistake, coughing and choking in an attempt to rid himself of the soporific cloud. Slowly, his eyelids began to droop and a yawn of his own forced its way from his mouth. He stubbornly tried to remain awake but soon lost the battle with sleep and collapsed to the ground.
Carrie knew what a Yawn attack was; she knew its effects. But she felt, with a twinge of guilt, that not warning her Pokémon about it had been the best thing to do.
With a smug glance at the sleeping Velotus, Joy fluttered towards her trainer as the sphere of light faded. All at once the Togetic’s composure seemed happier, more cheerful.
“I thought you had found something?” hissed the woman, just loud enough for Carrie to catch her words.
“Tic,” Joy replied, pointing a tiny arm at Crescent.
She wants him? Thinking on the earlier words, Carrie stepped protectively towards her Absol and placed a hand on his furry body.
The woman’s pale blue eyes flickered onto Crescent, then to Carrie as she stroked her Pokémon. “Ah.” Suddenly the woman took on a more formal composure, drawing herself to her full height. “Forgive me,” she said smoothly, her voice now sounding as elegant as the dress she wore. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vanessa Swift, and this is my companion, Joy.” She indicated her Togetic, who smiled. “And I must say, that is a marvellous Absol you have there.”
Carrie shot Crescent a sideways glance, and received a look of puzzlement from her Pokémon in return. Though he was
her Absol, she’d never considered him to be superior to any other member of his species. Turning back to the woman, she muttered, “Thanks.”
Vanessa’s eyes were now scanning the other Pokémon around Carrie as she stood beneath the lone tree. The woman glanced over the Grovyle without comment before noticing Empathy. The psychic cat was still resting among the grass, but his eyes were open and alert. “And an Espeon, too? Impressive,” she said.
At these words, Empathy leapt to his feet and glared at the maroon-clothed figure in front of him. “Espeon,” he hissed, more threateningly than Carrie thought he ever could be.
An awkward pause followed as she wondered what to say; clearly, thanking the woman again would not go down well with Empathy. The silence was abruptly broken as Raptola stood up with an indignant squeak of, “
What about me?”
Vanessa looked down at the small raptor; Carrie felt she could detect a distinct hint of superiority about her manner. “But Grovyle,” said Vanessa, “well, the fact that you own four of them speaks for itself.”
“Gro?” Raptola piped, a sound roughly amounting to, “
Huh?”
Carrie gazed fondly at her Grovyle. “She means that four of you makes you better,” she told him, fake assurance in her voice. Satisfied, Raptola beamed at Ivyx and didn’t notice his trainer giving Vanessa an annoyed stare. It was countered with a perfectly cool, confident gaze, befitting the woman’s pale hair and eyes.
Vanessa’s face regained its polite expression as she surveyed both Carrie and Theo. “And whom do we have the pleasure of meeting?” asked the woman smoothly.
Carrie raised her eyebrows, allowing Theo the chance to step forward and speak. “I’m Theo, and this is Carrie.”
“And we really need to get going now,” she interrupted, before Theo could continue as he had looked ready to do.
“We can wait a while longer, can’t we?” he asked Carrie.
“But –”
“Only I want to finish the battle Velotus started,” he insisted, turning to the maroon robed woman, “with you, Vanessa, and… Joy.” He spoke loudly and deliberately, preventing Carrie’s immediate protest.
Undeterred, she spoke up the moment his voice petered out. “What? We don’t have
time to hang around battling people.”
Theo looked her in the eye and said evenly, “I still have Pokémon to train. Not everyone’s life stopped when Archopy flew over a forest.”
Vanessa, who had been observing the argument with boredom, suddenly looked curious.
Carrie glared stubbornly into Theo’s eyes, riled at the implied insult. Then she caught sight of Vanessa’s thoughtful face, and realisation dropped. “No…” Carrie breathed, taking a step backwards and recalling the woman’s reaction to Empathy and Crescent. Frustration overtook her, and she glowered at Theo more powerfully than before. “Fine!” she yelled. “Have your battle!”
With that, she plonked herself resolutely underneath the tree, ignoring Theo’s “What did I do?” look.
The damage had been done.
Idiot! she fumed to herself.
That careless idiot! There they were with a woman clearly hunting rare Pokémon, and Theo had to let slip about Archopy. A Pokémon never seen before by humans. The only one of its kind.
Idiot, Carrie repeated in her mind, less fiercely this time as the worry seeped in. What would happen if Vanessa found out what Archopy was? What would happen if she reached it first?
Yes, Theo had been an idiot. It helped to pile the blame onto someone else – for once, something
hadn’t been her fault – but now their mission was far more urgent. Now, they had even
less time to waste battling.
Scowling, Carrie turned to the battle as it got underway in the vague hope that it would distract her. Neither trainer was her favourite person in the world at that point, so she opted to observe and mentally root for whoever stood the most chance of winning. If they did, it’d probably be over quicker, and she could get out of there.
Theo’s Anorith lay on the ground, staring blankly ahead in front of his trainer. Opposite, Joy fluttered cheerfully as she awaited an order. Carrie knew her types; she wanted Anorith to win.
Vanessa began the commands with a cry of, “Ancientpower!”
“Use Ancientpower, too,” Theo said with less enthusiasm; perhaps he knew that his Pokémon wouldn’t be spurred on either way.
The air around each of the two battlers shimmered as rocks materialised from nowhere. Joy twirled on the spot as she summoned her attack; though motionless, Anorith’s collection of boulders was considerably larger. With a dramatic “Tic!” and a slight twitch of the trilobite’s claws, the two armadas of rocks charged at each other through the air.
The collision produced a wide variety of crashing, cracking and crumbling noises as most of the boulders smashed each other to pieces. Several softer thumps were heard as Joy was pelted with many of Anorith’s rocks; a few small pings heralded the striking of some rather pitiful pebbles on the trilobite’s armour. He didn’t react, though whether due to his apathy or the possible fact that he hadn’t felt them was unclear.
Vanessa gave her Pokémon a worried glance. Joy’s earlier scrape with Velotus coupled with the beating she had just received were clearly putting strain on the Togetic, who fluttered painfully much lower to the ground. The Grovyle slept on a few metres away from the fight; the trainers must have moved themselves before beginning.
“Ancientpower again,” Theo ordered. Carrie silently approved – this would get it over with quickly.
A flicker of frustration swept across Vanessa’s face as Anorith’s surroundings shimmered again. “It seems we should try a Metronome,” she stated, sounding strained.
Joy nodded and screwed her eyes shut in concentration, frantically muttering “To! Gi! To! Gi!” in time with her twitching fingers. Above the trilobite, the mass of rocks vibrated in preparation for the attack. Joy pointed to the sky with a desperate “Tic!” just as the boulders began to fly towards her.
Orange flames flickered around the Togetic’s mouth, but it was too little too late. The onslaught of rocks pounded the helpless Pokémon, who was too deep in concentration to avoid it. With a squeal, Joy’s soft white body thudded against the bare ground.
All three humans watched earnestly as the Togetic struggled to rise. After a few moments, Joy’s eyes flickered open, but Vanessa had already pulled a black, striped Luxury Ball from her pocket. “I should not have risked it,” she said regretfully. “I’m sorry.” The Pokémon’s fallen figure dissolved into red light as she was sucked into her comfortable home.
“Theo wins, then,” Carrie announced. “Let’s go.” She began to stand, but was subdued with a wave of Vanessa’s hand, now holding an Ultra Ball like the one Carrie used for Crescent.
“Ah,” the woman said. “But your Grovyle there counts as another Pokémon for your side, which I believe gives me the right to use a second of my own.” She tossed the ball into the air, eyes fixed on its path as it burst open.
The shower of light which emerged formed into a long, slender serpentine shape, displaying blue skin and a white underside once the brightness had subsided. A pair of feathery ears flicked on the Pokémon’s rounded head, the sapphire orbs bedecking its throat and tail gleaming in the sunlight. The Dragonair’s black eyes gazed indifferently at its shrimp-like foe as it floated, wingless, in midair.
“Nair,” it uttered, sounding almost bored.
Carrie glanced at Theo in silent protest, but he merely shrugged. Resentfully, she resumed watching the battle, changing her allegiance to Dragonair, who looked to stand a better chance of victory.
“Now,” Vanessa ordered, a cold, detached air to her which Carrie had not noticed before. “Aqua Tail.”
“Protect, then Metal Claw,” Theo told his Pokémon with a hint of urgency.
Dragonair closed its eyes lazily as a shimmering blue aura shrouded its tail, seeming to flow around its smooth skin like liquid. Anorith remained staring straight ahead while a murky green shield formed, surrounding his small body.
The dragon coiled itself like a spring, before its eyes flickered open and it lashed out at its foe. Its blue and white tail swept through the air, trailing droplets of water, and the twin orbs at the tip slammed into the translucent barrier. Though the shield reverberated from the impact, Anorith remained unhurt underneath.
The greenish barrier retreated the moment Dragonair’s watery aura faded. Instantly, the trilobite’s claws became encased in a silver sheen and slashed the dragon’s tail with surprising speed for something Carrie had barely seen move. Dragonair let out a pitiful cry and slithered disdainfully away through the air.
Glaring in contempt, Vanessa appeared to be holding back and allowing Theo the next move.
He obliged. “Ancientpower!”
“Twister,” came the woman’s immediate response.
As Anorith mutely assembled his rocks once again, Dragonair hummed softly and flicked its tail. Dust and loose vegetation was pulled from the ground into a twisting, spiralling tornado which slowly grew in size.
The array of boulders flew into the Twister as the serpentine Pokémon positioned itself defensively behind it. Dragonair appeared pleased – until the largest rocks hurtled through towards it, striking its vulnerable form. Another high-pitched cry came from the injured Pokémon, but its trainer’s face remained unchanged. Reluctantly, Dragonair waved its tail, and the tornado crept upon its foe.
Anorith showed no sign of alarm as the swirling mass of dust and grass engulfed him. Light clattering noises were heard from within; Carrie could only assume that the smaller Ancientpower rocks hadn’t made it through the storm. As Dragonair grew visibly tired, the Twister dissipated, revealing that Anorith now almost comically faced his trainer. Blankly, he dragged his body around to the right direction with his claws.
“Dragon Rush,” ordered Vanessa without missing a beat.
“Er… Metal Claw?” Theo offered, taken aback by the suddenness. Anorith’s craggy limbs duly began to shine silver, but Dragonair was already upon him. Glowing with a fierce red energy, the dragon had darted through the air and was smacking its foe with its head, its tail, anything it could reach with.
“Move into Aqua Tail.”
The heated glow of Dragonair faded, being replaced with the shimmering liquid from before. It hovered still as it changed, allowing Anorith to land a few slashes with his shining claws. The dragon winced but raised its orbs above its head, breathing heavily.
“Protect!” Theo called desperately, but in vain. Before the confused trilobite could summon a barrier, the full force of Dragonair’s watery tail had slammed into his black carapace.
Hit by both orb and liquid, Anorith gave a grating hiss of, “Rith!” – another first, Carrie noted – before slumping to the ground, less animated than ever. Theo looked closely at his fallen Pokémon, then decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, recalling him with a sigh.
Battered, panting, the Dragonair floated back towards its trainer. No words of praise were offered as Vanessa returned it to its ball, and only the slightest hint of satisfaction showed on the woman’s face.
“Well,” she began, breaking the post-battle silence. “I must be off. I have… business to attend to.” With a glance at Theo, she swept away towards the rocky slope in the distance.
Carrie sprang to her feet the moment Vanessa was out of earshot. “So do we.” Theo gave her a confused look. She returned it with a disdainful glare. “How could you be so stupid?”
“What?”
“You,” Carrie said slowly, pointing at Theo, “had to go and tell her –” she indicated the maroon figure disappearing from view – “about Archopy.” She finished by aiming her finger directly upwards. Her blue eyes pierced into his.
“I didn –” Theo began to protest but stopped abruptly. A look of horror passed across his face, his eyes wide. “Oh, sh*t.”
“At last, he gets it,” Carrie muttered to herself as her eyebrows rose. She turned away from him to face her Pokémon, who looked back at her with a mixture of expressions ranging from worry to innocent confusion.
“So,” she breezed with fake merriment. “Who wants to wake Velotus?”
* * *
Vanessa gazed out over the screen of a laptop at the wide mountain scenery. The revitalised Joy hovered happily near her shoulder, having been healed by one of the many potions her trainer kept in the large tent she sat beside. Below her, far off in the distance, Vanessa could see two figures along with several Pokémon slowly travelling across the open space.
The man, Theo, had let slip something significant; the girl’s impatience and barely concealed frustration had indicated as much. Vanessa glanced back down at her laptop, which was running a search for sightings of unidentified flying Pokémon, specifically around forested areas. Technology like this was invaluable for one who sought uniqueness, sought to own things that few others owned.
A beep from her computer coupled with an excited squeak from Joy heralded the completion of the search. Appearing on the screen was a fuzzy photograph, along with a caption detailing that this unknown Pokémon had been seen flying over Petalburg Woods only the previous day.
Vanessa scrutinised the blurred image before her. It appeared similar in shape to a bird Pokémon and had some kind of crest on its head, but something about the feathers looked odd. Though the quality was poor, she could make out the various shades of green and the long tail streaming behind it.
This was a creature she had never set eyes on before, and that alone made it desirable.
Logically, the Pokémon would have come from Petalburg City, seeing that it had flown over the adjoining forest. That made its most likely place of origin the MemorCorp laboratory on the outskirts of town. Vanessa had dealt with the corporation several times previously. They had offered her Pokémon revived from fossils on occasion, but the asking price had been low enough for her to deduce that the species were far too easily obtainable.
This, however, was clearly an exception. Assuming that this creature had hailed from MemorCorp – and there were no other likely possibilities in the area – it must have been revived from a kind of fossil never found before. If that was the case, it would be the only one of its species alive. Truly unique.
Raising her eyes from the screen, Vanessa surveyed the two strangers far below. A smirk passed across her face; it was all too obvious where they were headed.
“Our little lead can be put off for the moment, Joy,” she declared with a content grin. The Togetic fluttered closer and smiled in unison with her trainer. “This new lead takes priority.”
Snapping shut her laptop, Vanessa, with minor help from Joy, set about packing up the tent in order to move on. Those people needed to be followed – at a safe distance, so that they would not suspect a thing. And once they led her to her prize, she would move in first.
She would claim Archopy for her own.
~~~
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I would particularly like to know opinions on the new character.
