The Corei Quest Chapter 42~1
Well, well, people! It's been quite the while hasn't it? My postgraduate course coming to a close (Thanking God for the Pass), aikido sessions, and mass laziness has spurred me on to present this (not quite a meat feast) but entree smoking hot and fresh off the presses! Time to sort out some appreciation and whatnot before we get to the MEAT. XD
DanceswithMagikarp: Looks like the right way to me. Welcome to the journey, and I hope you enjoy your stay! By the way, passing the word of a new chapter is going on the PM list. And guess what? You're in!
DarkSpace2010: Hopefully this mashup will pass muster then.
Ugliduck99: Should be long done by now, but will be sending a PM out in a couple of minutes, or soon.
So, before we get into this chapter, the Light make an appearance. Not that I would tell you otherwise, but their appearance has nothing to do with the Colorado tragedy and my heart goes out to EVERYONE affected.
DISCLAIMER: Tempest, Josephine Harris, Rachel Savina, Paul Oak and Zurax are all property of Legendarian Mistress. And without further ado, Chapter 42.
Chapter Forty Two: Year of the Cows
The sound of brisk footfalls echoed down the corridor leading to the captain’s cabin of the
UAS Hydro as their owner made their way towards it. A burly sailor or two, engrossed in their daily duties walked by, proffering a nod or a cheery salute which Lieutenant Shrader replied in equal measure. When left to the silence of her march, however, the young lieutenant’s face fell back into the lines of businesslike concern. Whatever could the matter be?
Stopping outside her destination, she raised a hand to knock twice on the door. Her captain’s voice within, however, drew pause from her.
“That’s basically what happened... an assignment on Western Isle? They’re what?”
The incredulity in Tony’s voice at that last statement made Shrader lose her head temporarily and open the door without a formal introduction to see her captain look up from his PokéNav and, breathing a sigh of relief, say, “Yes, I understand the situation... we’ll add it to our current mission. Out.”
Ending the transmission, Tony leaned back and exhaled. Fixing his lieutenant with a beady eye, he said, “You could have knocked first.”
“The summons sounded urgent, sir,” Shrader replied, her tone measured, expecting a dressing down.
“It is,” Tony assured her wearily. “Close the door behind you, please.”
Shrader obeyed quickly and returned to attention before the young man.
“Y’know, you can relax, Shrader,” Tony said slightly bemused.
“Of course, Sir,” Shrader replied, relaxing into an “at ease” position.
“Yesterday was interesting, to say the least,” Tony went on, deciding to be satisfied with Shrader’s actions. “Haley wins her first Trigello badge... Sapph gets attacked by his own Pokémon... two run off and evolve while a third does so on ship...”
“Quite the run up, Sir,” Shrader concurred.
“Quite,” Tony said, turning in his chair to survey the deck below, where a small group of Pokémon and their trainer were surrounded by sailor activity all around. “Where is Ms. Kent now?”
“In the training hall below deck, Sir,” Shrader said. “Working on her Lapras’s aim.”
“And Roni?”
“Sulking on the bridge, Sir,” Shrader replied, the thinnest of smirks dancing upon her lips.
Tony allowed himself an unsympathetic chuckle at his co-worker’s plight before returning back to business. “You overheard my transmission from Ocean?”
“It was from Ocean, Sir?” Shrader said in some surprise.
“Did you?” Tony pressed.
“J-just the ending, Sir.”
“Very well,” Tony said, standing up as well to pace the room in front of the window. “According to sources from Ocean, a threat has been discovered on Western Isle.”
“Threat, Sir? What nature of threat?”
“Its nature isn’t confirmed,” Tony went on with a nod. “But we’re certain Team Shadow is behind it.”
“Any information on the target?” Shrader asked.
“Fairy Tales Farm,” Tony said shortly. “Although this could be a false trail.”
“Our orders are to investigate?”
“Yes,” Tony said with a sigh. “Seeing as we dock at Western Isle in less than an hour and Haley has an appointment with the suspected target, Ocean felt it prudent for our regiment to handle this.”
“How many?” Shrader inquired.
“You... and one other.” Tony said guardedly.
“Just two?”
“Discretion is key, Lieutenant,” Tony said with a wan smile. “Ocean’s words. You’ll accompany Mr Manson and Ms Kent on their business when we dock and await further instructions from Ocean.”
“Sounds a bit much, Sir,” Shrader said wearily.
Turning towards his lieutenant with a taut grin, Tony replied, “Why else would I trust you with it?”
Shrader saluted once and left the room without a further word. Tony’s smile fell as he looked back towards the bridge and watched Sapph rise to his feet and saunter towards the rail of the Hydro’s fore, Western Isle rapidly approaching.
“So that’s Western Isle,” Sapph said rubbing his injured hand lightly.
<Calculations and analysis of our distance to destination and current transportation velocity depict our estimated time of arrival to equate...> a series of mechanical beeping ensued from the boy trainer’s right. <One hour, forty seven minutes, twenty one seconds and... forty four microseconds from the end of this update.>
Exhaling slightly, Sapph turned to what looked like a cluster of hovering magnets and said grimly, “Well, your evolution certainly didn’t affect your nature much, buddy.”
<What did you expect, Sapph?> A small violet quadruped called up sunnily as it made its way towards them, stopping short of the rail. <At least he isn’t commenting on the glorious weather we’re getting!>
<Atmospheric conditions are: temperature, twenty three degrees Centigrade. Rainfall, zero millimetres. Wind speed: three kilometres per hour, thirty one degrees north-northeast. Pressure; one point oh-one-three bars per hectopascal ,optimuuuuuuuuummmmmmm.> Mighty droned instantly.
Sapph turned towards his sweat dropping team mate and said drily, “You were saying?”
<Oh, shut it, Sapph,> Lavender replied, her forked tail cutting a path through the ship’s slipstream lazily. Turning back, she called out, <Come and join us, Hunter! The weather’s great! Even Mighty says so!>
<I’ll respectfully declines,> a large black and white wolf said blearily from the shade where he had been, until a moment ago, snoozing peacefully.
<What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll melt?> Lavender ribbed her team mate joyfully.
<I’ll enjoy it more where I am, thank you,> Hunter rejoined, opening a coffee brown eye a crack.
“Well, at least he’s more social now,” Sapph said to his Espeon with a smile.
What seemed like a large green and tan dragon and a tiny by comparison red, white and gold blob resembling a tiny sun above a cloud floated over and in response to a series of musical notes the lager Pokémon made, said, <Like, it’s time to change the dressing on that hand, man.>
“Already?” Sapph groaned in protest.
<Actual optimum time for substitution of sterilization material applied to right upper forelimb and extremity estimated at seven minutes, twelve seconds and...>
“OK, OK, I get it! Return, guys!” Sapph groaned loudly, eliciting a couple of chuckles from those nearby and a halfway smirk from an otherwise unflinching Hunter, before he raised five pokéballs to suck their contents back in.
<Thanks, Mighty,> Lavender said cheerfully as Cloude and Diamond vanished in flashes of red light.
Left to his thoughts once more, Sapph made his way below deck towards the infirmary turning a corner just as Haley came up the gangway engrossed in conversation with the entity known as Black Cherub.
“...and you’re sure you want me off this case?” She said in hushed tones as she mounted the deck and walked towards the fore rail.
“Indeed. We’ll need you to keep an eye on Mr Manson. Almost as much as we need you at the Trigello finals,” Black Cherub’s voice said.
“If Mr Manson is contacted, we need someone we trust to keep a tab on him the moment things start to go south. Be sure to maintain your cover though. The game would be up if anyone caught on.”
Haley turned an eye towards Western Isle and as the ship’s slipstream sent her white jacket hither and thither, said softly, “Understood. White Seraph, out.”
***
After another hour at sea and the brief altercation from Roni, Sapph, Haley and Shrader disembarked and walked into a town that recalled Haley’s attire during her early travel days. A point Sapph was quick to call on.
“Would you just look at this place?” Sapph remarked as they turned yet another corner and passed a man leading a Bouffalant drawn cart. The bull turned his wild-haired head towards their retreating backs as he went on “It looks just like a scene out of those movies my dad can’t seem to stand.”
“Meaning what, Sapph?” Haley said tersely. She was somehow drawn to the peaceful atmosphere Western Isle City was bringing and wasn’t ready to take any nonsense from Sapph, despite Black Cherub’s warnings.
“Wow, calm down, Haley!” Sapph said, raising his palms defensively. “My dad’s never been much for the movies where the hero was a rebel, or a vigilante or anything like that.”
“You mean like you,” Haley said, a slight sneer inflected in her retort.
Bristling at the comment, Sapph replied hotly, “What was that? Geez, Haley... you’re awful challenging all of a sudden. You really ought to...”
“Here’s the Pokémon Center, you guys,” Shrader interjected not a minute too soon. They had indeed arrived at what was the town’s Pokémon Center; an extremely large yet rustic-looking log cabin with double saloon doors as opposed to the conventional sliding glass variety. Sapph closed his mouth but looked no less mutinous at the interruption. Haley seemed a bit subdued, but no less belligerent as she turned to the undercover AGENT and muttered “And why are we here, lieutenant?”
“Directions.” Shrader replied simply, opening the swinging doors for her younger companion. “We still don’t know where the dojo is, after all.”
Haley was about to say she knew EXACTLY where the dojo was, but remembering her present company and the need for secrecy, flounced off past the pair and into the Center. Sapph sighed and attempted to slouch in after her but a firm but gentle grip held him in place.
Not looking around at the older woman, Sapph muttered “What is it, Shrader? All I was gonna say was that she ought to lighten up a bit. She’d be more... attractive for it, I guess. Meh, she doesn’t deserve to know anymore.”
Leaving a surprised Shrader in his wake, Sapph sauntered into the cooler building and noticing an interesting battle on hand on the Pokémon arena backstage.
Two small quadrupeds waged battle on the chalk field out back. Both looked like evolutions of Eevee. One in fact was the spitting image of his old Eevee Lavender, before her evolution to Espeon. Barring the distinct lack of a ruff and being leaner and over three times taller than the Evolution Pokémon, it looked every bit an oversized Eevee. It gathered golden energy into its mouth and fired it at its opponent who leapt nimbly out of the way.
Landing lightly, this Eeveelution couldn’t look anything less like an Eevee. Its smoky grey fur and face were dotted with ethereal green eyes that seemed a size too big for its head. Its scrawny form seemed ready to separate into a million wisps of gas as a ring of small violet flames glowed sinisterly and multiplied. With what seemed like a ghostly cry and a command from its trainer, a young looking boy with jet black hair, it fired its attack towards the winded foe, striking it on its side with a sharp squeal.
Curious as to what they were, he had barely made four paces towards the back of the room before his arm had been seized again in a similar albeit much more painful pincer grip.
Turning back wearily to expect Shrader restraining him again, he was surprised when a burly young man in his midteens drew Sapph close til they were face to face and growled, “You’re not welcome, here, pardner.”
Choking a bit on the youth’s tobacco breath, Sapph spluttered for a moment, gasping “Hey, what’s your deal?”
“We don’t want no Pokémon murderer around these parts,” the big guy went on, his grip tightening slightly. “Do we understand each other, Sapphire Manson?”
“Not really,” Sapph wheezed, the smell of tobacco becoming a bit much for him. “I was only gonna go watch, anyways...”
“Like hell you were...” the guy went on before Shrader’s cool voice said quietly. “I’d let go of him if I were you, sir. You’re making a scene.”
“Bah, no one wants him here anyways,” the kid said in his gravelly voice. “Who’s gonna help him anyways? You?”
Shrader was on the point of answering when Sapph said a bit loudly, “Why should she? Never seen her before in her life.”
Shrader stared at Sapph incredulously as he returned his aggressor’s hard gaze. Slapping his arm free, the Johton trainer straightened his anorak and said, “No need to show me out, I was just leaving anyways.”
Walking out of the door, he passed Shrader and whispered, “Stay with Haley. I’ll see you back on the Hydro.”
Shrader looked stunned a split second longer before her face hardened theatrically and she flounced off towards the young Coreian girl who had missed the entire exchange behind her back as she asked the local matron for directions and to arrange a matchup for thirty minutes time.
Thanking her helper, Haley turned to see Shrader behind her and Sapph nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Sapph?” She asked in slight surprise.
Thinking fast, Shrader said loudly, “Who? Don’t worry about that crazy fan boy, Ms Kent. I just reminded him that he had better things to do with his time.”
Shock and anger clouded Haley’s expressing for half a minute before she smoothed the lock of gray hair out of her identically-shaded eyes and said in a low growl, “Damn him...”
Outside the Pokémon Center, Sapph walked back towards the ship his mind on what had just transpired and hoping Shrader had told Haley an interesting enough cover story to get everybody else off her back. Clenching his bandaged fist tightly, Sapph cursed how quickly gossip seemed to spread through the archipelago. Tentis may be away for analysis back in Olville Town, but he supposed the stigma of his Tentacruel’s actions wouldn’t let him into another Pokémon Center for the rest of their Trigello tour.
Pondering why he was being nice to Haley, who was still grating on his nerves, Sapph turned a second corner and saw a redheaded figure that pretty much stopped him in his tracks. Her long hair was tied back in a wavy ponytail and her greenish eyes seemed fixed on something the wall blocked from his vision. Her moving lips brought another vision to his mind of a memory that happened barely over a week ago. One that set his heart racing and his mind into total shock...
Barely more than a week ago, in a deserted corridor of the White Cliffs Pokémon Center, those lips had given him his first ever kiss.
As he struggled to unstuck his mouth, the pretty ginger nodded to whatever she was looking at behind the wall and walked off behind the wall. Sapph, rooted to the spot, bade her to wait before action returned to his body. Forgetting the
Hydro entirely, Sapph tore off after her in the direction he’d seen her disappear to, only to see an empty, narrow alley connecting two busy streets.
That was... Zeta, right? Sapph thought through a loud peal of brain buzz.
Where was she headed, I wonder? And just who was she talking to, or about?
Sapph ran up the alley and turning left and right frantically saw nary a shred of red that reminded her of the captivating lass. Shaking himself out of his momentary mindlessness, Sapph said to himself, “Damn it... what is coming over me today? First I try to be nice to Haley, then I go chasing someone who looks like... you know what? Forget this. I need a walk. But first...” Sapph he muttered as many people started to give him very fishy and distrusting looks as they made their way about their business. “I need to find the dojo.”
Turning towards an old man who sat outside one of the many wooden houses that lined the street, he said “Excuse me, sir? Which way to the dojo?”
But the man slept on, totally oblivious to the question.
Sapph was about to ask again loudly when a louder voice rang out, “You again? Why don’t y’all give it up and leave already?!”
Sapph groaned and turned towards where he’s heard the voice before and saw the same youth form the Pokémon Center ambling up towards him. And even worse, he had friends.
“How about we show this guy a lesson, eh, boys?” He called out loudly to his small posse who looked every bit as mean as he presently did. “Y’all about to find out,” he directed to Sapph, rubbing his knuckles menacingly as they drew closer, “just what happens to outsiders who decide to hurt ma sissie’s Pokémon like your Tentacruel did to her Volbeat!”
Last month, Sapph would have released all his Pokémon and taught this goon and his pals a few lessons painfully well. But since his meeting with the mysterious Dwayne on the White Cliffs beach, he’d learned to go with the flow. And, surrounded with civilians on all sides, realized they were the only ones who’d get hurt unintentionally. They were also the reason this bozo hadn’t caught him yet. A fact he’d best capitalize on.
Ducking and weaving towards the middle of the street, Sapph pulled a pokéball off his belt and releasing it wordlessly, ordered a Sandstorm attack of his team pacifist Diamond, who happily obliged, kicking the sandy street into an uproar in a split second.
Everyone around shrieked and covered their eyes, including the big guy and his flunkies. By the time the sand had abated however, Sapph was gone.
“Maybe next time, buddy,” Sapph murmured from about forty feet above the street, straddling the Mystic Pokémon’s green back. Turning towards his mount he added, “Let’s go for a little flight, ok, Diamond?”
Giving his assent in a musical cry, Diamond flapped his humming wings once and took off towards the island’s rolling green countryside.
***
During Sapph’s “adventure”, Haley and Shrader made their way out of the city’s southwestern gate and onto a country road that separated miles upon miles of pasture land. In addition, all this land seemed sectioned off into smaller areas by picket fences, barbed wire and low hedges.
Shrader had her navy blue jacket in the crook of her arm and walked beside the oddly quiet Haley. The singing of Swablu above completed the picture of serenity the countryside painted around them as they passed the distant wooden structures which followed the colour theme of Electrodes, or inverted pokéballs.
Wanting to strike up a light conversation, Shrader coughed a little and asked Haley, “So, any idea where we’re headed, Ms Kent?”
“Nurse Joy said to look for a man named Alf, from the Fairy Tales Farm,” Haley said, not looking around. Somehow despite the glorious weather, Haley had a fair share of grim gloom about her.
The Fairy Tales Farm, hmm? Could this be a coincidence? Shrader thought to herself as the two ladies fell back into silence as a herd of Doduo and Dodrio ran past on the other side of a nearby field.
After another ten minutes walk, Haley’s feet drew to a halt and she announced, “Well, here we are. Now to find Alf...”
Before anymore could be said a loud voice called out, “Howdy there!”
Shrader and Haley turned to see what looked like a white hot burning blur coming up the road they’d just come in on and closing in on them remarkably fast. A second or two later revealed its true nature as the same voice yelled out, “Whoa, Jewel!”
Coming to a smart stop before them, Haley and Shrader looked up into the roundish face of a young man with sandy blonde hair and the makings of a scrubby beard on his chin. He seemed comfortably seated upon a seat of flames and his energetic palomino whinnied a little impatiently at their stop.
“Th’ name’s Donald and this here’s Jewel,” the young man said, hopping off his Ponyta yet keeping a secure grip on her bridle. Sweeping his straw hat off his head and giving both ladies a courteous bow and a roguish wink, he added, “Which of y’all would be Haley Kent? We received a call while we was finishing off a delivery and all...”
Before either woman could answer, another one’s voice called out, “What has Ol’ Alf told y’all about running off like that, Donald?!”
Unnoticed by either one of the humans, a cart drew up, drawn by another magnificent white horse. Two feet taller than Jewel and sporting a sharp horn atop its crown, if Jewel’s mane and tail were alight, this new creature’s own were positively blazing. Despite drawing a heavy looking cart and two riders, it tossed its white head proudly and gave the Ponyta a disapproving glare which Jewel seemed in good grace to feel abashed enough to acknowledge.
“Aw, c’mon, Macenzie! Jewel wanted to stretch is all,” Donald said wittily. Turning towards the duo who were starting to feel forgotten, he introduced them, “My cousin Macenzie, everyone calls her Mac ‘round these parts. And her old man, Ol’ Alf. These here folks were lookin’ fer ya, Uncle. Seems one of them’s Missus Kent.”
Shrugging off the slight remark, Haley stepped forwards and said, “That’d be me. So, shall we get to it?”
“Well, wouldja look at thuh manners on this one, Pop?” Mac said in a pompous tone, a challenging edge to her voice and her steel blue eyes . “No regard fer manners at all!”
“Now, now, Mac,” Alf said in a strong voice which told a different story to his age. “You too, Missus Kent. How about a round of Moo Moo Milk first then, eh? That was a long delivery, and Ol’ Alf don’t move much faster than ‘e used to.”
Fifteen minutes later, the Fairy Tales Farm staff had the wagon put away securely and Jewel and the Rapidash returned to their stable before settling in their kitchen with their guests and a bottle of fresh milk opened before each of them.
Mopping his broad face with a checkered handkerchief, Alf sat back and said to the visitors, “Now, Missus Kent. You wanted a battle for our Barnyard Emblem?”
Setting her bottle down, Haley said calmly, although with a hint of daring, “If you’re up to it, Ol’ Alf.”
“Very well, but I must point out the pre-match traditions we have here at the Fairy Tales Farm.”
Shrader’s eyes narrowed slightly as Haley echoed, “Pre-match traditions?”
Mac scoffed from the counter top and tossing a sandy blonde pigtail over her shoulder laughed, “Unless y’all too scared.”
“Knock it off, Mac! It’s nothing too serious,” Donald said to Haley in a gentler voice than he’d just employed on his cousin. “We just wanna know which Pokémon and format we’ll be using fer the battle is all.”
Haley and Shrader exchanged a puzzled look as Haley said, “Pokémon? Format?”
“A regular light bulb, she is,” Mac snickered.
“That’ll do, Macenzie,” Alf said firmly and Mac grew sour. Apparently, using her full name was something of a no-no.
“Here at the Fairy Tales Farm, we pride ourselves on a great selection of Pokémon to use, and great skill in usin’ them. Challengers may end up facing one to all three of us in battle. We leave the choice ultimately up to fate, and the challenger.”
Haley nodded slowly as Donald reached into the counter and drew out a small plastic bowl full of small plastic cups and placed it in front of Haley and Shrader, saying “First trial is to pick the Pokémon you face.” Seeing the look of incredulity spread all over Haley’s face, Donald smiled and added “Honest.”
Watching Haley and Shrader stare at the bowl and each other in turn, Mac said loudly, “Whassamatter? Too simple for ‘city slickers’ like yourselves?”
“Settle down, Macenzie,” Alf said firmly.
With another mystified glance at Shrader, Haley reached into the bowl and after a few seconds of rummaging brought out a small plastic cup and handed it over. Donald took it, split it open along the seam and unfurled a small slip of paper.
Looking towards his family, Donald said, “Looks like she’s takin’ the bull by the horns, y’all.” Turning back towards Haley, he showed her the slip of paper he’d taken from the sphere. Haley and Shrader looked at it and immediately understood Donald’s choice of pun. A small black pictogram of a bovine head stood printed on it and Haley felt a sense of foreboding similar to what Sapph felt when Herbert told him he was facing Grass types for his seventh Gym battle. Was something up?
She didn’t get long to muse over it as Mac took the bowl off the table and replaced it with a similar one, this one having much fewer plastic cups within it. With a smirk, she announced, “Now y’all have to decide to pick the battle format. As like last time,
ya highness,” the last three syllables uttered with a slight chuckle.
Bristling slightly, yet no longer confused, Haley thrust her hand into the second bowl and brought out another little cup. Thrusting it at the older girl, Haley sat back defiantly and awaited the verdict.
As Donald did before her, Mac opened the ball and mutely handed it over to Haley, who took it back and stared at the single word printed on it in bold capital letters:
DOUBLE.
“Well, now tha’ that’s all agreed on,” Alf said, rising to his feet. “Shall we get this battle started then?”
Leading the way out, the cousins, Haley and Shrader finished their milk and got up to follow him out to a pasture out back. Grabbing Haley by the upper arm as she made her way out, Shrader hissed conspiratorially, “So, Miss Kent. Got a plan?”
Turning back and smiling, she said with a trace of cockiness, “Of course I do. There are only so many bovine species of Pokémon on the planet. Two thirds of them favour attack over defense.”
Looking mildly impressed at Haley’s insight, Shrader let her arm go and said, “So this will be a plan of attrition?”
Haley merely smiled and continued out onto the field, leaving Shrader to walk up to the fence encircling the field to watch Haley take her place on the opposite end of the pitch and Alf, away from Mac and Donald.
“Ah’ll be referrein’ this here shindig,” Alf announced in a loud voice. “It’s to be a double battle fer thuh Barnyard Emblem! Both sides may use no more than two Pokémon! Ah’ll call it when either side’s Pokémon can no longer fight! Is zat clear?”
“Yep!” Haley nodded.
Flashing another one of his toothy grins, Donald called, “You got in, unc!”
“Let’s ride already!” Mac said impatiently, readying a sphere of her own.
“Then go!” Alf commanded, raising his hands to signal them to release their choices.
Four balls went spinning into the air and released their contents onto the grassy ground below. What looked like a large shelled sea monster with a single horn and large dewy eyes formed besides a large yet squat amphibian with what seemed to be several pieces of golden armour covering its aqua blue body. Its thin whiskers quivered as two creatures as large as itself formed across the grass to them. Donald’s was pink with black spots, hooves and head, not to mention a bit on the pudgy side (not that Blitzkrieg could say any less for himself). Four pink udders waddled on its yellow underbelly as it jogged in place next to her partner, a fierce looking bull with a tan hide and shaggy chocolate mane not unlike a lion’s. Three tufted tails whipped in the breeze as it snorted and pawed the ground, standing before his trainer, as eager to battle as Mac.
“The challenger, Haley Kent, has chosen Voltog and Lapras! The leaders Mac and Donald have chosen Tauros and Miltank! Let the battle commence!”
***
Fluffy white clouds breezed by Sapph and Diamond as the latter carried his trainer out of town and into the countryside. Straddling the Mystic Pokémon just behind its wings, Sapph’s blue eyes took in the patchwork scenery of fields and mountain below as Diamond slowed his gallop to a lazy drifting sort of flight.
“You know something, Diamond?” Sapph asked his mount rhetorically. “Being up here is
really peaceful.”
Diamond let out a musical note of assent as Sapph leaned back on Diamond’s long back slightly and went on, “No worries, no badges, no cares at all. Just you and the breeze... hey,” he said suddenly as the air around him seemed to drop in temperature despite the pleasant sunshine. “Is it just me or is it getting...”
Sapph never managed to finish his statement as a flurry of snow streaked upwards towards them, straight into Diamond’s flight pattern.
Sitting bolt upright once more, Sapph grabbed for Diamond’s neck as the Flygon let out a squeak of terror and dived down and away from the particularly uncomfortable updraft of snow. The good news was, though narrowly, Diamond did manage to avert a collision at the last possible second.
The bad news: Diamond had gotten out of the way so fast; he and Sapph went into a violent tailspin straight towards a nearby pasture.
“Oh, no,” Sapph said as the torque of their spin increased and his breakfast began to rise up his throat. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no... WHOA!” He yelled as Diamond managed to scoop Sapph off his back and into his thin, stripy arms, break the spin and with a superhuman effort right himself all in the space of a matter of seconds and with less than two feet to spare. Despite all this, there was no braking at their speed and it took a long run in the dirt and a very sturdy apple tree in their path to bring them to a final stop.
Slumped in a dazed heap, Sapph would have happily closed his eyes and rested if a low bellow and a long tongue slapped saliva all over the side of his face. Groaning as he rose to his feet, Sapph rubbed the back of his neck as a somewhat stout and shaggy haired bull of sorts took a step back and gave him and his feebly-stirring Pokémon a cautionary reprieve; the broad, gold-ringed horns jutting from its peculiar afro lowered in its defense.
Sapph took one look at its yellow, angular eyes and, quickly putting two and two together, realised the only reason he and Diamond were not on the end of those horns was because they had taken the weird creature by surprise. That distinctive pawing of the ground and feral snorts said one thing, and that it was time to go.
Returning Diamond to his pokéball and taking a run at the fence, Sapph heard the bull release a murderous bellow and felt the ground quake as it began to bear down on him. Quite the distance separated Sapph from salvation, but in his adrenaline rush, the distance was nothing as Sapph took the fence at a vault and the creature took a furious swipe at him with a toss of its head.
Next second a voice up the road hollered, “Hey, city slicker! You alright?”
Sapph nodded in a daze as the dust around him swirled and the bull let loose another aggrieved roar at letting its mark escape and returned to the pasture mutinously as its owner, a squat looking woman in overalls and dark hair in a bright red head kerchief ran up. Grabbing Sapph by the arms, which were splayed out in front of him and hoisting him up bodily, she dusted him off profusely apologizing as two other girls ran up to them, a boy sauntering along bringing up the rear and looking supremely unconcerned.
The shorter girl with a head of sunshine gold came up to them as Sapph told the woman wincing gingerly, “I didn’t plan to wind up there. I’d say I just got blown in, but it wouldn’t be funny, would it?”
Clapping her hand to her mouth, she exclaimed ”Oh, no! I’m sorry, but I think it was our fault!” Turning to the woman she added “My friends and I were having a mock battle a bit up the road and a Powder Snow attack went off target and must have hit you. You weren’t flying, were you?”
Turning to the girl as her female companion, a redhead with her hair done up in a ponytail and a smirk marred with apologetic eyes caught up, Sapph nodded and added “On a Flygon.”
“Darn,” the first girl’s friend said with an apologetic glance at Sapph and turned back to the boy who had pulled out a phone and was in the middle of a call. “That sounds rough. Damn it, Paul! Get off that damned thing and apologize!”
“What, now?” The boy said into his phone, only sparing the others a look of disdain and a glance at the girl as if to rudely ask her to make him, interrupted whoever was on the other line with a sharp, “I don’t care what you were told, I don’t need to answer to you...”
Sighing at Paul’s reaction, the young Johton turned to the farmhand and asked, “By the way, just what kind of Pokémon was that? It’s definitely not a Tauros. Believe me,” he added, his mind going back to his father’s back in Cherrygrove Town. “I’d know.”
Clearing her throat, the oldest lady said, “That there’s a Bouffalant, son. Bash Buffalo Pokémon. They basically charge down anything that doesn’t have an afro. Mainly why I wear mah hair this way.” She completed, pointing to her wild frizzy locks. “Guess you were lucky enough to run into one.”
“Lucky, hunh?” Sapph grumbled, giving the Normal type a fish eye. “What you have a herd of them?”
Nodding, the woman replied, “The rest are just napping over yonder,” as she pointed towards the field where about two hundred yards off, a positive gaggle of at least forty Bouffalant were resting. “The one that chased you was the runt of the herd, not to mention a little sick. That’s why he’s alone.”
Gulping at the thought of the whole herd playing Pin the Tail with him, Sapph turned away from the Bouffalant’s jeering smirk as shaking her head in exasperation, the blonde turned back to them and, effecting introductions, said, “I’m Josephine Harris, and these are my friends Rachel Savina and Paul Oak. Paul may come across as a jerk, but...”
“He’s only a complete dick,” Rachel interrupted casting the chestnut-haired boy a dark look. “Ignore him. And speaking of ‘ignoring’ stuff, it’s gonna take quite a bit to ignore that.”
Gesturing at Sapph’s butt, Sapph, Josephine and the woman took one glance and all turned scarlet in unison.
“I, uh, have some of my older kid’s old work pants back at the farmhouse,” the woman said shiftily. “They should help, y’know... I mean, it was mah Bouffalant’s fault an’ all.”
“Yeah, uh... Consider it on us, kid,” Rachel said. “You wouldn’t be in that field at all if it weren’t for Paul and his stupid Liquizzle’s Powder Snow attack... hey, where is the little nuisance?”
All four of them looked around for the other boy who was until just then on the phone, and now, nowhere to be found.
Remembering Kamren during the early days of his journey a bit forcefully and feeling a bit of a draught on his bottom, merely shrugged at his absence, and said to the three ladies, “Thanks a lot. I’m Sapphire, by the way. Sapphire Manson. And don’t...
ask.” He added firmly as both Josephine and Rachel opened their mouths in questioning.
***
A tan and brown bull charged across the field outside the Fairy Tales Far house towards a large grey-shelled creature, the hue of its head fur an identical hue to its target. The young Coreian challenger recognized the attack as Zen Headbutt and was in no hurry to have her Pokémon take damage so early.
Pointing at the stampeding Wild Bull Pokémon, Haley commanded, “Tempest, create a wall with Psychic!”
<I do believe this may hurt,> Tempest said conversationally as the Tauros came closer, its three tails almost lost in the growing dust cloud in its wake. A glow of blue arrested the Water type’s eyes and Tauros was brought to a sudden stop, his head glowing violently as it collided with a wall of seemingly nothingness.
The force of the impact blew both Tauros and Lapras backwards a bit, the former bellowing as it received what seemed to be the brunt of the exchange, Tempest’s eyes squeezed shut, her ‘slight’ injury nothing to laugh at itself.
Seizing her moment, Haley rallied Tempest’s battle partner and announced, “Now that it’s stunned, Blitzkrieg! Use a Thunderpunch attack!”
Using the Lapras’s head as a springboard, the amphibian ran up her shelled back and launched himself into the air and at the dazed Tauros, its beefy arm reared back and alight with lightning.
“Y’all know what to do, Miltank! Protect Tauros!” Mac said with a snap of her fingers.
Blitzkrieg made to lay his electrified limb deep into the Tauros’s thickened skull before a ball of energy took Blitzkrieg totally by surprise and, appearing out of seemingly nothing, surrounded the grateful Tauros and absorbed the energy from his attack. Blitzkrieg bounced off the shield from the recoil and the ball of power surrounding his opponent blinked out of sight in time with the identical one that surrounded his partner Miltank.
“Grr... blocked again! Blitzkrieg! Take the bull by the horns and use Vital Throw on the Miltank!” Haley commanded.
“Thanks, cuz!” Donald called, giving Mac the thumbs up. “Let’s show our appreciation, Tauros! Zen Headbutt, on the Voltog!”
<Okidoki, Haley!> Blitzkrieg said in a dopey yet commanding voice as he rushed towards the wrong-footed Miltank, flexing his stubby fingers and preparing to throw her for a loop. A pair of horns glowing a bright blue stopped him and catching him in the side, threw the amphibian for a loop himself, Tauros’s Zen Headbutt catching him completely unawares.
<Ugh!> Blitzkrieg grunted as he went flying to crash in a heap at Haley’s feet.
<Blitzkrieg! Are you alright?!> Tempest called back in a worried voice.
“And now, to go on thuh attack,” Mac said spiritedly. “Rollout on Lapras, Miltank!”
“Eyes front, Tempest! Beat it away with Surf!” Haley countered a beat too slow as the failed Vital Throw failed to hit its mark.
Tempest let out yet another bellow and a positive wave of water seemed to erupt out of the very ground at her ‘feet’ and quickly towered to a massive twelve foot. A second bellow caused the wave to close in on the Milk Cow Pokémon who has revved itself up into a ball of rotating fury and had taken off like a cannonball towards the Water/Ice Pokémon and the wall of water.
“Here it comes, Miltank! Up the revs!” Mac called out in a brazen cheer.
Her moo of assent muffled by the spinning, Miltank seemed to spin even faster as a pocket of wind burst out of nowhere and sliced
through the water, creating a clear pathway through towards a frightened Lapras. The thud that resounded as Miltank’s rollout met the side of Tempest’s neck was anything but pleasant. Both Pokémon separated again from the force of impact and while Tempest held one of her flippers at an odd angle and her neck in what seemed to be a lot of pain, Miltank unfurled itself and grinned at the damage she’d caused.
“Keep up tha’ pressure, Tauros! Iron Head attack!” Donald whooped.
“Tempest, hit him with Psychic!” Haley called in a slightly harried voice.
Tauros bellowed again in acknowledgment and as it cantered around the edge of the battlefield and whipped himself into yet another frenzy with its tails. The three purple spot between Tauros’s eyes glowed a platinum silver colour and metallic energy exploded from within covering the charging bull as it took off towards the stagnant Lapras, his entire body taking on a steely shine.
In a slight panic, Lapras’s eyes turned blue and psychic energy was expelled in an effort to divert the oncoming rush of tan and brown fur and horn, which now resembled a thundering silver sculpture. The attack, which hit home, did little against the ‘aura’ of energy that was nonetheless dispelled just before the Iron Head crashed. Horns locked as Tempest noticing the ineffectiveness of her manoeuvre, had lowered her own horn to meet the Tauros’s own.
The headbutt caused both Pokémon to make noises of pain, the Tauros’s muffled through grit teeth as the two grappled with each other.
“All right, Miltank!” Mac hollered. “Keep it rolling!”
“Not this time, Mac! Blitzkrieg, intercept with Vital Throw! Tempest, follow with Ice Beam!”
The Miltank ran in place for a couple of seconds before curling up into a wrecking ball of about seventy five kilos and rushing the Lapras while her partner kept it occupied.
A blue and yellow Pokémon had other ideas and leaping off the ground landed in the great ball of destruction’s path. Planting his feet firmly, the Voltog spread his arms out wide and with a grunt, caught the spinning Miltank in its grasp. Not waiting for the spin to end, Blitzkrieg somehow raised the Miltank off the ground, above his head, and with a yell of exertion, chucked her back in the direction she had rolled in with as much force as he could muster.
The tank flew through the air and hit dirt hard, uncurling at once and clutching at its head with pained moos, a little cross-eyed from the impact.
Distracted from the roughhousing Blitzkrieg had administered, no one noticed Tempest, a fact she played to her advantage and building up a powerful Ice Beam in her horn, unleashing it upon a stunned Tauros at point blank. Not even bothering to aim.
“Did he freeze?” Haley half-demanded as the air went cold and the Wild Bull Pokémon created deep runs in the ground first with its back, and then with its hooves as he found his feet halfway through flying back towards Donald and Mac.
“That was a direct hit,” Shrader murmured more to herself than Alf who was nearby. The old farmer chuckled and said “Now, now, li’l lady! Mac and Donald are tougher than that! Besides, Missus Kent forgot summat...“ he added with a roguish twinkle in his eye.
Haley blanched and screamed “NO!” as the vapour began to clear and Tauros’s silhouette stood winded by the attack, but still strong and very much in the fight. “How come! I had him cold!”
Safeguard! Shrader thought to herself grimly as she recalled Mac’s Miltank using the technique on both herself and Tauros before the latter began its Zen Headbutt attack.
That’s their strategy!
“Shall we end this then, cuz?” Donald said with a sidelong glance at Mac.
Nodding, Mac concurred, “That Voltog’s a bother enough, Donnie.”
“Well, then... while they can’t see, Tauros... GIGA IMPACT!” Donald commanded.
“On your guard, Blitzkrieg! Tempest, use Psychic!” Haley commanded in a panic as she saw a purple and gold-streaked hue the size of a ten foot tall pokéball begin to form in the mist.
The Voltog and Lapras readied themselves, power building up in the frog’s hind limbs to dodge at a moment’s notice and the large ‘dinosaur’ preparing to utilize another psychic assault on her opponent as soon as he made an appearance.
“Oh, no ya don’t, Princess!” Mac tutted. “Miltank, y’all use Protect on Tauros again!”
The comet of purple and yellow burst through the mist right at Blitzkrieg, who let loose a yell of shock and dived to his right, the attack clipping him as it passed and causing him to flip over in pain. Hitting the ground at a barrel roll, Blitzkrieg rolled out of the way and called out, <Fire at me, Tempest! At, uhh... me o’clock!>
Tempest obliged and launched the Psychic attack in Blitzkrieg’s general direction. But two pinpricks of ocean blue energy seemed to sprout from nowhere as the Tauros’s attack ended and the psychic energy smashed harmlessly into a ball of energy shielding the Normal types and their caster from the damaging technique yet again.
“Great job, girl!” Mac cheered. “Now use Rollout again!”
“I don’t think so... Princess,” Haley countered in a tone that mimicked Mac’s mockingly. “Blitzkrieg, go with Thunderpunch again while Tauros can’t move!”
“No, Tauros!” Donald cried out as the mist finally cleared to reveal Blitzkrieg’s arm juiced with power once again as Miltank rolled itself into a ball again and with a screeching like tires diverted from its attacking Tempest to focus on protecting its partner.
Wagging her finger at the leaders’ end she tutted and said “Whoever said I was aiming for Tauros?”
Mac and Donald’s eyes widened as Blitzkrieg turned on a dime and with Miltank nearly on top of him, unloaded his attack clean into the side of the spinning bovine, causing Miltank to unfurl in sheer pain and go flying into a skid across the field.
“Whut thuh?!” Mac gasped as Donald blanched at Haley’s sudden change of targets.
Haley simply smiled and said, “Now this one’s for Tauros. Tempest, use Thunderbolt and give it everything you got! Blitz, make sure it hits!”
Not quite understanding Blitzkrieg’s role in the command, the Transport Pokémon did as she was bidded and gathering lightning to the tip of her horn once again, fired a Thunderbolt at the bull Pokémon and was aghast to see it miss its mark.
“Ha! Missed!” Mac taunted as she saw the lightning attack sail over her cousin’s Pokémon’s head.
Haley just smirked knowingly.
The lightning hit a different point than was originally intended and Donald balked in horror as Blitzkrieg’s Thunderpunch, raised over its head, took the energy and with a girly giggle, the Voltog croaked, <I’MA FIRING MAH LASERS! PEW, PEW!>
Lowering his fist at the Tauros, the Thunderbolt (and there’s no better word for this) arced around like a boomerang and caught the Tauros full in the back, eliciting a roar of pain from the large bovine as the field lit up more fiercely than the night sky during a tremendous fireworks display.
“Tauros! Can you go on?” Donald yelled in a panic as the flashes died away and Wild Bull Pokémon’s breathing became severely laboured. Its legs gave out beneath it, slumping on the ground in near exhaustion and convulsing with electricity.
“Help him out, Miltank! Milk Drink!” Mac cried out.
Damn it! Haley gasped as the Miltank who had gotten back to its feet in all the confusion of the Thunderbolt and wincing slightly, hurled a ball of creamy white liquid at her ailing team mate. The milk hit Tauros in the face and surrounded his head in a ball of white which shrank rapidly as Tauros gained second wind. Rising to his hooves once more, Tauros stomped the ground and let loose a rejuvenated bellow as his tails whipped around.
“Atta boy, Tauros! Now, Giga Impact!” Donald cried out with aplomb.
Tauros turned to Haley’s appalled Pokémon and was about to charge up energy once more when his body convulsed violently and his body literally lit up with dancing yellow bolts of static electricity.
Pumping her fist, Haley cheered “Yes! Paralysed at last!”
“No! Not now!” Mac and Donald cried out in unison.
“Oh, so that Safeguard’s run its course then, hunh?” Alf said to himself. “Tha’ was either perfect timin’ or sheer dumb luck on Missus Kent’s part, wouldn’t y’all agr-? Hunh?”
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Mac looked over at Tempest, whose eyes were dimmed from the effort she’d just exerted and decided to change tactics as well. “Miltank, hun? Use Rollout on the Lapras again!”
“Oh, crap, Tempest’s open!” Haley blanched. “Blitz, cover Tempest and use Vital Throw!”
The Miltank began to run in place, kicking up a storm of dust as she built up speed for a Rollout. However, before she could curl up, a weary-looking frog with lightning-tipped feelers was in front of her, its eyes narrowed dangerously.
<You... leave... Tempest... ALONE!> Blitzkrieg bellowed, his powerful left grabbing at Miltank's ear and dragging it down into the dirt face first and not very kindly. The blow stunned the Milk Cow Pokémon and its legs stopped flailing as it flopped back upright from the force of the blow. Not letting go, the Voltog followed his first assault with a right rising fist to his target’s creamy-coloured, unguarded belly, knocking all the wind out of her.
“Miltank, no!” Mac screamed as her Pokémon’s eyes went out of focus and spit began to form at her mouth. “Call it off already!”
Blitzkrieg, however, wasn’t done. Seizing his opponent’s right ear as well, Blitzkrieg rolled backwards and planting one sturdy and flat foot into her belly, lifted Miltank’s one hundred and sixty pounds plus off the ground and slightly into the air directly above him.
It’s not enough?! Haley gasped to herself with grit teeth as Blitzkrieg stunned all spectators by bringing both feet together and, with an air of finality, kicked out at the falling pink Pokémon both feet catching it in the horned head and sending it flipping high into the air.
“Guess not,” Haley muttered as her Electric Frog Pokémon got up again, panting furiously as Miltank fell back to earth. “Just what was that attack anyways? It wasn’t Vital Throw...”
Storm Throw, her Pokédex supplied on its own accord.
Power, forty. Accuracy, one hundred percent. Storm Throw unleashed a barrage of fierce attacks and ends with a bodily throw that guarantees a critical hit whenever used.
“So Blitz’s Vital Throw evolved into Storm Throw? Not bad for a ‘city slicker’, hunh?” Haley said mockingly at Mac before realizing that Tauros was gone. “Hey, where’s his...?”
The Tauros was bearing down on the weakened Voltog with its head alight with blue energy when a wave of water cascaded on it and forced the bull to lose its footing and slide off course, missing his mark again.
<Attacking from the rear is cowardly, you wimp!> Tempest snarled as her eyes went back to their regular coffee brown, her impromptu Surf attack scoring a good amount of damage.
<Thanks... Tempest,> Blitzkrieg replied wearily, flashing the thumbs up in appreciation.
<Thank you for the cover, Blitzkrieg,> Tempest said modestly.
“Not that this matters right now, guys,” Haley cut in with a slightly worried voice. “But did either of you see where Shrader’s gone?”
*contiinued next post*
