The Saga of Team Supernova (rated PG 13)

[Slipomatic]

oh very nice... i love heated moments

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

@ Apotheosis: Oh, thanks for that! It's those things that get me since spell check doesn't pick up on those. I'll be sure to fix that right away.

Yes. Another beta chapter please. It's been a while since the last one. How many chapters do you have compiled now?

@ Blademaster_Jale: You know, I never though of it like that. I guess I named it team blue so the reader might feel its their team. I thought team blue would be a common name that people would choose, and that Pikachu would be a common hero. Based on a few poles I guessed that Treecko and Cyndaquil were also common. I could be COMPLETELY wrong though, oh well "Silly me!" =P
I do know though that I wanted a Kanto, Joto, and Hoenn rep, as well as each character to be a different type. That's my reasoning for it.

It may sound like a repeat of Team meanies, but the results are going to be COMPLETELY different. Just you wait... hehehehehehehe...

@ Slipomatic: Yep, heated moments are always interesting >=)

 

[Koridojo_Blaziken]

Awesome chapter! Need I rant more about how much I insanely LOVE this fanfic????

Hhmmmm,.....so this isn't classified as spam, lemme see if I can maybe interpret Team Blue's personalities based on what I've read here and what I remember from Nsider:

Dave: pretty relaxed and easy-going, friendly, a good leadership personality. Has a habit of forgetting stuff once in a while--particularly names.

Sceptile: somewhat cynical, and scary if you make him mad--but otherwise a good friend once you get on his good side. Will give his all towards the team's mission (whatever it may be)

Typhlosion: um....lethargic....relaxed....a bit of a 'hippie' on those rare occasions when he's actually awake. Is basically very mellow and laid-back.

Again, I'm just guessing based on what I've read of the fanfic at NSider ('cause it was farther along there...but oh well. ) I really think that--WAH!! *trips over Tyranitar's tail and does a face plant*

Tyranitar: *glares at me*
Me: ....OW. >.<;; I really need to stop doing that...

Anyways. What I was saying is that this is a really awesome story so far, and I can tell that it's only going to get better from this point.
(the little grammatical errors are even ocurring less and less. ) Nice job!

 

[Smart Alex]

@Koridojo_Blaziken: *helps KB up* Yes you do. ....your nose is bleeding....

@ FocusPrescenceEndurance: Really awesome chapter. Really awesome. REALLY. UBER.

Only (minor) complaint is...how you added that bit about Tristan discussing his linked moves with Torchic and Totodile at the end of the chapter. It kinda sapped out all the energy from the whole thing. Maybe you could've put it before the encounter with Team Surpreme...? o-oU Hey, j-just a sugestion.

(Hey, Focus. Have you considered posting this at Fanfiction.net?) 8)

 

[facetious]

Try not to use double punctuation, particularly "!?". That's amateurish at best, especially if you use it 20 times in each chapter.

 

[ultimate-trainer]

Hey I am a new viewer and this is awesome . I am definitely gonna to read the next chapter.BTW like what facetious said you should avoid double punctuation.

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

@ Koridojo_Blaziken: Pretty good. Of course, like you said, you've seen more of Team Blue than most people here. I'm not sure I'd call Typhlosion a hippie, but yeah, he's pretty lazy. Thanks!

@ Smart Alex: Hmm... I see your point. Of course I wanted to end this chapter on a slightly funny note, maybe I should have saved it for next chapter. BTW, you act like I'm gonna eat you or something. Relax, I don't bite.

@ facetious: I do use that quite often don't I? I guess all that video game dialogue, and manga has rubbed off onto me. They do do it quite often too. I'll see what I can do about it, though it doesn't mean I'll get rid of them entirely.

@ ultimate-trainer: Hey! New reader! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sometime this weekend.

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

Chapter 12​

Rescue Race! Rival Teams Face Off!​

“Brrrrr…” Torchic shuddered, as she buried her head deeper into her Pecha Scarf. “It’s so cold…”

Team Supernova was now marching on through the heavy snow in the early levels of Frosty Forest. The bright snow fell thick, blanketing the forest and mountains in a heavy, white layer that weighed down on anything it touched. It enveloped the entire forest with a white veil, hindering vision and casting a tranquil, yet eerie silence over the team. The snow was knee deep on Tristan, and rising the further they went. Trees sagged as they tried to bear the weight put upon them.

This kind of snow, Totodile mentioned, was unusual to this forest. Usually, the far-below-freezing temperatures would cause the snow would fall dry, light and powdery. Instead, the temperature was hovering around freezing, causing the snow to be heavy, damp and dense. Even here, one of the coldest places on the continent, the climate change was taking its toll.

“Aren’t you guys cold?” Trochic asked. She felt like she was the only one who had to endure this.

“A little…” Tristan answered.

“Me neither,” agreed Totodile, “It feels mild to me.”

“Well, I’m freezing!” Torchic exclaimed.

“I’m not surprised, Torchic,” Totodile said. “Being a fire type, what seems freezing to you, will only feel mild to us.”

“So, it’s like how you were extremely weak back in Uproar Forest, and Torchic was fine?” asked Tristan.

“Yeah,” Totodile said. It had taken some time, but he had finally managed to get over his poor performance in Uproar Forest. “It’s kinda like that. Different Pokemon are better suited for different dungeons.” Tristan was almost surprised that he’d taken the comment so well.

“Ah,” Tristan said, “so Torchic is better suited to hot and dry, while you prefer cool and wet. Is that right?” As he said this he glanced over at Torchic, eyeing her scarf enviously. In truth, he was rather uncomfortable as well. Not as bad as her, but his joints felt stiff and ached slightly as he tried to move them. Maybe ground Pokemon were susceptible to the cold as well. He wouldn’t address the minor issue, though, unless it got serious.

“Pretty much,” Totodile said bringing Tristan’s focus back on him. “Soon enough, we’ll all have a dungeon we drea-”

Before Totodile could finish, though, he was interrupted by a strange noise that filled the air. The sound of cracking emanated from the upper levels of Frosty Forest. Cracking, creaking, and shifting in a low rumble that resonated against the surrounding mountains. The sound didn’t last long before it faded again leaving the members of the team still and silent.

“What was that?” Torchic whispered, unnerved.

“Don’t know,” answered Tristan, “But it didn’t sound good.”

“Either way,” Totodile said, “we’d better keep moving. Who knows how far behind Team Supreme is.” With that, the three continued their approach to the center of the forest. Silence pressed against the team’s ears, like pillows, as the only sound they heard was the sound of their feet trudging through the snow. The snow in the air could be blamed for muffling a good deal of the sound, but that couldn’t explain the reason why they had encountered virtually no Pokemon yet. On rare occasions Tristan thought he could see the movement of a pale shadow in the distance among the trees, but he could never tell for sure. Tristan suggested that perhaps they were just lucky, but Totodile, who said it might actually be a sign of bad luck, dismissed it. Something here was obviously very wrong. It was as if all the life in the forest had been smothered out beneath the heavy thick blanket of snow.

The further into the forest they went, the thicker the snow fell. By now they were waist deep in the stuff. Soon the three found themselves walking single file, Totodile plowing in front, Tristan directly behind, and Torchic taking up the rear. Trying to break the silence, Totodile again tried to spark conversation. “So, Tristan,” he asked while looking back, “remember back when you told us you had some of your human memories back? During the storm?”

“Yes.”

“Well… I was wondering if you were ready to tell us yet. You’ve kept quiet ever since. It could help us to get to know you a little better. And perhaps find out why you became a Pokemon.” He glanced further back to Torchic, “Right, Torchic?”

“Too cold… don’t talk to me…”

Tristan thought a moment. Ever since his memories had returned, he hadn’t told anyone about them. He didn’t know why, he just wasn’t the type to tell people about his life story. He was also worried that he’d be mocked about it, perhaps people would’ve called him a loner. He glanced back and forth at his friends. This time was different. Tristan felt confident that he could tell Torchic and Totodile without the fear of being ridiculed. “Well…” Tristan started, “It’s not so much as memories, but more like feelings from when I was a human. I remember feeling… lonely. I don’t think I had any friends as a human.”

“No friends?” asked Torchic; temporarily forgetting she was frozen. She popped her head out of her Pecha Scarf. “Did nobody like you in the human world?”

“That couldn’t be,” Totodile replied, looking back again, “There’s no way people wouldn’t like you Tristan. You’re a good person, somebody had to like you.”

“I… don’t know exactly why I had no friends…” Tristan answered trying hard to make sense of the foggy memories, “But I get the feeling that it was out of my control. I couldn’t do anything about it. It’s not that people didn’t like me, rather, people just didn’t know me.”

“See, Torchic?” Totodile said, looking back smugly.

“I was simply asking! I never said Tristan was a bad person!” Torchic replied, annoyed.

“There was however, one person in the human world I remember being my friend.” Tristan continued, “but he seemed to have vanished from the world altogether and… I never saw him again as a human.” Tristan didn’t want to mention too much about Dave being his friend. He knew that they would try to help him meet Dave, when all Tristan wanted was to meet him alone. Tristan ended his explanation there.

“That sounds awful,” Totodile said with a frown. The frown though quickly changed to a smile, “Good thing there are people in this world who know you. Now you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

“Yeah. Thanks Totodile,” Tristan said gratefully. Totodile may not have realized it, but the words he’d spoken had a profound impact on Tristan.

“Well…” Totodile continued, “Since you spilled out your guts, I guess I could tell you a little about myself too.”

“Yeah,” Tristan said, becoming curious, “Why did you form a rescue team in the first place? I always wondered.”

Totodile started thinking thoughtfully of how he should start. “When I was a child,” he began, “my mother and father were part of the best rescue team in our village, Team Flash Flood. I’ve talked about them before. They worked perfectly together, so that’s how they managed to do such amazing rescues. I really admired them and always wanted to go on a mission with them ever since I could first walk. They always told me that they needed a third member, and when I was old enough, I could go on missions with them. But…”

“But what?”

“They departed for one particular mission,” continued Totodile, “to a dungeon called Western Cave. And… they didn’t come back. I waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually I had to live with my uncle’s family, but even then, months passed and they still hadn’t come back. They’re out there somewhere, and I started a team so that one day I can save my parents. Then maybe I can finally join them in their missions like I’ve always wanted to.”

“That’s a really good goal,” Tristan said, “I hope you find them.”

“Don’t you mean you hope ‘we’ find them?” Totodile asked, a grin spreading across his face once more.

“Hehe,” Tristan chuckled, “yeah, of course. When we find them.” Satisfied, Tristan turned back to Torchic, “How about you, Torchic? Why did you start this team?”

“Me?” Torchic asked, “well I… I…” Tristan could tell that she was deep in thought. She continued, though, by saying, “Just… because I wanted to help others. That’s it, that’s all.”

“It took a lot of effort to come up with such a simple answer,” Tristan replied.

“What are you talking about!?” she shouted suddenly, getting defensive, “Of course that’s why I joined this team! What other reason would I? Is there something wrong with wanting to help others?”

“No reason to snap at him, Torchic,” said Totodile, turning around in surprise.

“I was just curious…” Tristan said. He was taken aback from the outbreak.

“Oh yeah! Well, it’s none of your business!!” Her voice resounded throughout the forest, bouncing off the surrounding mountains, and echoing back. Moments later the ominous sound of cracking and shifting sounded again. This time the noise was louder, closer and lasted longer than before. The team even felt a slight vibrating on the ground beneath their feet. The sound ceased, leaving the team, once again, silent. The snow continued to fall innocently around them. A clump of snow on a nearby tree fell to the ground, making all three of them jump.

“Let’s keep moving,” Totodile insisted, “We still have a job to finish, then we should leave quickly. Something in this forest is really freaking me out.” Totodile didn’t even need to explain the last part, though, because the concerned expression on his face summarized exactly what he was thinking. He would jump and scan the scenery when he thought he heard the slightest and faintest sounds.

Torchic remembered how cold she was, and tucked her head into her scarf to try to keep warm. “Let’s j… just finish this q… q… quickly, okay?” she said shivering.

Again the team walked in silence. There still wasn’t a single wild Pokemon to be seen, and the deeper they went into the forest, if it was possible, the quieter it became. At one point they struggled against shoulder high snow. Torchic’s feathers were the only part of her visible as she walked through the trench her team members made. It was becoming late in the afternoon when they approached the summit of the mountain that centered Frosty Forest. It was the tallest of the surrounding mountains, and was where the letter had directed them to go. That was where they would find their client, Team Charge-Net. By now, they had reached the tree line, from here on they would be fully exposed to the elements. The actual peak of the mountain was hidden from view by low hanging clouds. It was hard to tell what to expect on the top. Now that they were closer to the center of the forest, it was also slightly colder. The snow was not as wet as it was before, but it was still heavy and dense.

“Looks like we still got a bit of a climb to go through,” Totodile commented gazing up at the summit.

“Brrrr… it looks freezing up there,” Torchic said, just imagining a snow-covered peak.

The team stood there a moment, gazing at the peak. “Well,” Tristan said, becoming impatient, “Let’s get going. We won’t get anywhere by just looking at it.”

“Yeah,” Totodile replied, “Sure thing.” With that, the three began their trek up the mountain.

“NOT SO FAST!!” a voice yelled from behind. “You’ve got a rank we want!” The three turned around to see Team Supreme not too far behind them. Machop cracked his knuckles, “Your bronze rank, that is!”

“How did you catch up to us!?” Totodile exclaimed, “We had such a big head start!”

“Oh that,” Machop laughed. “Fortunately for us someone already made a trail that was easy to follow.”

“Crap…” Totodile muttered, “We ended up helping them.”

“Either way,” Tristan said, clutching his bone tightly, “We’re not letting them get to the top first!”

“Ooh ooh, ah ah! You actually think you’re gonna beat us?” asked Aipom mockingly.

“Yep, it won’t be too hard,” Tristan replied casually, “Maybe we’ll break a little bit of a sweat, but it won’t take too much effort.”

“Haha, would you look at that,” Misdreavus laughed, “I think they’re underestimating us, Machop. Isn’t that cute?”

“A big mistake,” Machop replied, “A mistake that will cost them dearly!”

“You talk big for a normal rank team!” Torchic called down, once again ignoring how cold she was. “Let’s show these guys which team deserves the higher rank!”

“I’m all for that!” agreed Tristan.

“Ha!” Machop said, assuming a defensive stance, “C’mon then! Bring it!”

“Don’t say things you’ll regret!” Totodile shouted. As he said this he started running downhill towards the rival team. “We won’t feel sorry for you!” Tristan and Torchic immediately followed, coming up beside him.

“The only person you’ll be feeling sorry for,” Machop called back, also breaking into an uphill run, “is yourself!” Misdreavus and Aipom quickly joined him on either side.

The gap between the two teams closed quickly, as each team prepared attacks. “Exactly as we planned now guys!” Totodile said turning to Torchic and Tristan. “Time to freeze’em where they stand!!”

To be continued…

 

[Smart Alex]

w00t! First review on the new chapter!

I really liked how each of the team members shared a bit of their background history with the others. Very nice touch. Kinda makes you wonder about Torchic, though, don't it...?

Dun, dun, dun. Grand-scale clash between rival teams! Cool!

Zora: Yeah, suspenseful. If I was wearing boots, I'd be quaking in them. *pointedly taps feet on ground*
Me: ._. ............
Zora: No, seriously. He's that good of an author.
Me: Oh....for a second, I thought you were being sarcastic again. =3
Zora: Who says I wasn't?
Me: *slips and falls anime style*

Anyways. I just subscribed to this thread. Will be staying tuned.

Favorite quotes:
"...too cold...don't talk to me..."

"Crap..." Totodile muttered. "We ended up helping them."
Okay, there's my part. Now I'm gonna settle into a state of suspended animation (not) and wait for the next chappie.

 

[Koridojo_Blaziken]

(Totodile said the C-word! ....well, so do I, sometimes. Guess I can't criticize. =3)
...umm...oh, dear.....Smart Alex's post just about summed it up....o-o hmmm, what can I say so this won't be spam.....

Idea.

“Exactly as we planned now guys!” Totodile said turning to Torchic and Tristan. “Time to freeze’em where they stand!!”

I have a pretty good feeling I know what this means. PM'ing.

“NOT SO FAST!!” a voice yelled from behind. “You’ve got a rank we want!” The three turned around to see Team Supreme not too far behind them. Machop cracked his knuckles, “Your bronze rank, that is!”

....I just can't help but think. Maybe that could've been made into two seperate paragraphs? Like this?

"NOT SO FAST!!" a voice yelled from behind. "You've got a rank we want!"

The three turned around to see Team Supreme not too far behind them. As they approached the protagonists, Machop cracked his knuckles and said, "Your bronze rank, that is!"

I dunno, it was just sorta bugging me.....but otherwise, it was an excellent chapter, as always.

 

[Blademaster_Jale]

nice work, as always. you did a pretty good job of describing the freezing conditions; i really wouldnt want to be Torchic at that time. plus, the match between Supernova and Supreme looks to be quite promising.

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

@ Smart Alex: Hmmm... you'd think Torchic was trying to hide something wouldn't you? Either way, I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.

I assure you, next chapter will definitely be an... ... interesting battle... Hopefully the title can give you a clue of what's to come.

@ Koridojo_Blaziken: Well, I'm not sure. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention though.

@ Blademaster_Jale: Thanks! Yeah, I sure don't envy Torchic. As I probably wouldn't envy Totodile in Uproar Forest.

 

[Glitch]

Hallo! New Reader here!

...Well, I'm not exactly new. I've actually been a silent reader for a long time, actually. Been busy, been busy...

I can't really say much, since the words have already been taken out of my mouth.(er...fingers?)

I like the slight foreshadowing on Torchick's motives. She's gonna get fleshed out a bit more, hm? It makes you wonder.

I bet the Supernova vs. Supreme battle is going to be interesting. Totodile's got a plan, but let's see how it'll work out...

Now let's see if I can get off my lazy bum and get to finishing my own fanfic. @_@

 

[Apotheosis]

You know what would have been funny?

Birds, when they are cold, fluff their feathers out so they look quite pudgy. It might have added a little humor if torchic ended up trying this and looking silly.

 

[~*lopunny_diva*~]

(Y'know what, Apotheosis? ....you're right! )

Well....not much to say. It's already been nabbed out of my paws. Er, hands. I'll just say that the chapter was very well-written, and a very nice touch how you mentioned that certain types of Pokemon would fare better in certain environments. I'll be staying posted.

 

[.Bright Side.]

Why did you have to be unoriginl and give all the pokemon charachters excluding Tristan NO NAMES?

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

@ Glitch: Excellent. New readers are always welcome. Or silent readers as the case may be. I'm hoping the battle between Team Supreme and Team Supernova will be satisfying. Look forward to it!

@ Apotheosis: Oooooh. If only I'd thought of that. Indeed it would have made for a funny scene. Perhaps when I get a chance to edit over it when I'm later into the story I'll implement this. Thanks for the suggestion. (I'd actually never think of adding it.)

@ ~*lopunny_diva*~: Thanks. It seemed just seemed weird to me that every dungeon seemed to be fit for every Pokemon in the game. It would have been an interesting part of the game if some Pokemon were weaker in certain dungeons. It would have caused the player to choose his/her team wisely.

@.Bright Side.: Ah. Why? Yes that is a good question. One I used to ask myself. I've never been one to nickname my Pokemon and when I started my fanfic over a year ago, I just decided to name them their Pokemon names. Looking at all the other fanfics later on, I regretted that decision. Soooo... I came up with a solution for my little dilemma. I can't tell you yet though. But I will mention it later in the story. I hope that answers some questions. [EDIT] Dave also is a Pokemon with a name. It was originally supposed to be only the humans who had names.

 

[.Bright Side.]

Like you said, i asked that because not namign the Pokemno kind of hurt the fan fictin in my opinion, but REAL names, not flamy or icey or whatever. i really hate when people name their charchters that. >.<

Nice fic overall, i only read a few chapters, and when I get caught up I'll give a full review.

+1 reader

Edit:
I've only read the first 3 chapters, and I have some comments.

Ch1: After Tristan and Minun left Spearow, they just left it, without any explanation what happened to it. =\

Ch2: Like the Spearow, you gave no description to what happened to Plusle and Minun.
I thought you could have done better than “purple monkey” as a description.
Tristan put the badge around his neck? Please explain that.
When you switch point of view in the last part of the chapter, it would have been wise to use some asterisks. (*)

Ch3: It’s “Magikarp”, not Magicarp. Consider revising that in the sentence, “…I saw Magicarp and Remoraid falling from the sky as well.”

I'll read more later.

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

Like you said, i asked that because not namign the Pokemno kind of hurt the fan fictin in my opinion, but REAL names, not flamy or icey or whatever. i really hate when people name their charchters that. >.<

Nice fic overall, i only read a few chapters, and when I get caught up I'll give a full review.

+1 reader

Edit:
I've only read the first 3 chapters, and I have some comments.

Ch1: After Tristan and Minun left Spearow, they just left it, without any explanation what happened to it. =\

Ch2: Like the Spearow, you gave no description to what happened to Plusle and Minun.
I thought you could have done better than “purple monkey” as a description.
Tristan put the badge around his neck? Please explain that.
When you switch point of view in the last part of the chapter, it would have been wise to use some asterisks. (*)

Ch3: It’s “Magikarp”, not Magicarp. Consider revising that in the sentence, “…I saw Magicarp and Remoraid falling from the sky as well.”

I'll read more later.

Hmm... looks like I still couldn't iron out the bumps after editing them for the fourth time. Well thanks for that, I'll be sure to change those.

 

[FocusPresenceEndurance]

Chapter 13​

A Frigid Battle Goes Wrong! Relief and Regroup.​

If there was anything that Frosty Forest was ever known for, aside from the bitter cold, it would be its beauty. It was a serene, snow-covered vista, surrounded by a series of towering, majestic mountains. Truly, this was a spectacle for any eye to behold. It was also a disaster waiting to happen.

It was here, in this tranquil landscape, where two rival rescue teams were about to clash. As the opposing teams drew nearer, each side had already devised their own strategies to defeat one another. On the side of Team Supernova, Totodile stopped, Torchic kept running and Tristan split off to the side. “Okay guys, just like we planned!” he stated as he stepped forward. He initiated the attack, catching Team Supreme off guard with Scary Face. The attack worked like a charm as all three opponents slowed down to recover from the startling attack. “NOW!” he shouted over to Torchic, giving her the cue for her part.

Before Totodile even called out to her, Torchic had already started in on her attack, using as strong a Flamethrower she could, given the conditions. The attack, however, blasted the snow directly in front of her, not even touching any of the members of Team Supreme. She fell back to Totodile's side, panting slightly.

“Ha!” Machop laughed, as he and his teammates returned to their normal speed, continuing up the slope. “How can you expect to beat us with that terrible aim!”

“Just like that! My aim was spot on!” Torchic shouted back, smirking.

Totodile, as if using all his pent up frustration from all his encounters with Team Supreme, let loose with his fiercest Scary Face yet. Glancing back, Tristan shuddered slightly; glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of this attack. Team Supreme practically stopped altogether at this, stepping through a puddle of water created by Torchic.

“Hey!” Machop snapped, “Quit it!”

“Just try stopping me!” Totodile called back.

“You really want a pounding don’t y- WAHHHH!” He looked down to see his feet imprisoned under a thick layer of ice, the ice that was once the snow that Torchic had melted. Though the air was only hovering slightly below freezing, the land was still adjusting to the unnatural temperature. The cold stone of the mountain accelerated how quickly the water froze. “I can’t move!” he exclaimed, as he and Aipom struggled to escape.

“Ha! I told you you’d be frozen where you stood!” Totodile laughed, “Tristan!”

To the far right, Tristan approached, grabbing and hurling his bone towards the two stuck Pokemon with a powerful Bonemerang. It whipped through the air towards them, directly on course. But at the last second, Machop bent forward, barely avoiding the attack and Aipom merely deflected the bone using his hand-shaped tail. Tristan caught the bone again, returning to Totodile. “No,” he thought, “it didn’t work!”

It was Machop’s turn to smirk, as he cracked his knuckles. “It’ll take a whole lot more than that if you wanna beat us!” he yelled, as he raised a fist, punching the ground with incredible strength. The ice shattered into many pieces, freeing him and Aipom from its icy clutches.

“Nice trick,” Misdreavus spoke, appearing directly behind Torchic. “But you forgot that I don’t have any feet!” Torchic turned to see a grin on her face. “But we can’t have you doing that again. Can we?” As she said this, Spite took its effect on Torchic. Torchic couldn’t explain it, but she suddenly forgot how to use Flamethrower. Torchic retaliated with a quick Peck attack but missed as Misdreavus levitated high into the air, out of reach. “I’m ready!” she called down to her teammates.

“Now it’s our turn!” said Machop, already sounding triumphant. “Let’s see if you can handle this!” With that, Machop quickly grabbed the end of Aipom’s tail, using Seismic Toss to launch him high into the air. Aipom rose high into the air, even higher than where Misdreavus was ready and waiting.

Looking down on Team Supernova, Aipom grinned his usual wide mischievous grin. His tail began to shine brightly as he rapidly swung it back and forth. Many bits of energy seemed to flake off his tail, assuming the form of hundreds of tiny golden stars, which darted amidst the falling snow towards Tristan and his team. Misdreavus boosted, and enforced the attack using Psywave, which surrounded the stars in an aura of sparkling an dazzling colours. This caused the attack to come down harder and faster, but as a consequence, it also greatly dispersed it. Watching the stars approach, one would have easily become transfixed as a world of pain approached them.

Thinking quickly, Torchic used Sand Attack on the snow. Clumps of the snow were kicked into the air, acting almost as a shield protecting herself and Totodile from most of the stars. Tristan was unprotected by the snow, but spun his bone in the air rapidly, hoping the stars would hit the bone instead of his body. For the most part, this strategy worked, too. Like miniature bombs, the remaining stars kicked up the snow around them, greatly obstructing their sight.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tristan noticed a flicker of movement, and almost instinctively held up his bone in protection. The next moment, Machop’s hand came down upon it, with a powerful Karate Chop. The stress on the bone was huge, yet still it would not give. A moment passed when the two struggled, trying to overpower each other. Seeing this was going nowhere fast, Machop jumped back. His intention was to rejoin his team, but he jumped short, landing a short distance in front of them.

“Looks like you couldn’t touch us either!” taunted Totodile. “And you said we had a lousy attack!”

“I’m going in!” Tristan said, to both Torchic and Totodile. “I’m gonna finish this now with my linked moves.” Totodile nodded in agreement, and Tristan started into a sprint towards Machop. “TAIL WHIP! BONE CLUB!”

“Linked or not linked!” Machop yelled back, taking up Tristan’s challenge, “It won’t be good enough! KARATE CHOP!”

The two attacks met at the same time, both of them hitting their mark. Totodile, Torchic, Aipom and Misdreavus all winced at the sight of the impacts. Tristan had taken Machop’s strategically placed hand, to the bottom of his skull, the one place where his head was not protected by bone. He held his ground, wincing in pain as he glared at Machop. Tristan’s bone was pressing hard against Machop’s neck, where a painful bruise had already begun to form. He, too, stood his ground, refusing to surrender.

“… Give up yet?” Tristan asked sarcastically.

“Nope,” Machop answered flatly. “You?”

They continued to glare, trying to overpower the other even though each move had already canceled the other out.

A low rumbling began to shake the mountain. Directly above, from the slope of the mountain, the sound of cracking, shifting, and creaking could again be heard. This time, though, the sound was much louder and didn’t stop.

Suddenly, a loud CRACK echoed throughout the forest. Distracted from the battle, both teams looked up to see the cause of the noise. Close to the peak, an enormous slab of the new, wet snow had separated from the older, drier snow underneath. As the snow slid, it gathered volume and speed. A chain reaction was set into motion as more and more of the precariously placed snow broke loose. Moments later, what seemed like all of the snow on the mountainside had sheered off, and began hurtling towards two teams. Torchic, Totodile, Misdreavus and Aipom all cried out in horror, “AVALANCHE!!!”

Tristan and Machop could only stare at the oncoming wall of snow, both still holding the positions that they were left in. Before they could do anything, the beautiful but deadly force was almost upon them. All six team members were enveloped in the leading cloud of snow. A flash of blue! And everything whited out…

***​

Hours after the torrent of snow and ice came down mountainside, the air was still silent. The snow continued to fall blissfully, concealing evidence of anything that had happened. Soon, day turned into evening, bringing to the forest the first chills of night.

Totodile lay on his back, where he found himself to be surrounded by the toppled trees of Frosty Forest. He had woken up buried under a few inches of snow, and had to struggle be break himself free. He got up slowly and shook his head to remove the snow. Maybe this was how Torchic felt.

“Torchic!” he thought, alarmed, as his eyes darted from place to place. His focus, however, fell on someone completely different. “MACHOP!” he yelled. Machop had just come around from behind a fallen tree. Totodile quickly raised his claws defensively. “You wanna go?”

Machop, too, lifted his fists, as if forgetting the avalanche entirely. “Ready when you are!”

It took a second, but something in both their minds finally clicked. “Huh!” Machop said, confused, turning his head from side to side. “Misdreavus? Aipom?”

Totodile took similar actions. “TRISTAN!” he called out, “TORCHIC!”

“Where’d they go…?” Machop said, taking a step forward onto his right foot. His knee buckled under the weight and with a cry of pain he fell face first into the snow.

“Machop?” Totodile asked, showing a hint of concern, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Why do you care?” He pushed himself up to his feet once more, but no sooner than he was up he was down again in the snow. Frustrated he gave an angry shout.

“You shouldn’t move Machop, you’re only going to hurt yourself more,” urged Totodile, now even more concerned. “Come on, let me help you.”

“No way!” Machop snapped back, slapping Totodile’s hand away. “How can I trust you? For all I know, you will lead me to a cliff! Oh you’d be happy then, wouldn’t you?”

“I wouldn’t do that…” answered Totodile, offended. “Come on, we don’t have time for this. We need to find the others.” With that, Totodile took Machop’s right arm, and put it over his own shoulders, helping Machop to his feet.

Machop looked embarrassed, and ashamed. “Why are you helping me?”

“We’re both in trouble, and since we’re both on rescue teams, I’d say our comrades should be our first concern. Don’t you think?”

Machop didn’t answer at first. He closed his eyes, tilting his head down. “What happened…?” he eventually said. “What caused us to end up this way?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. We used to be friends. What happened?”

“Heh… it was so long ago. I don’t remember.”

“Hehe, me neither” replied Totodile laughing slightly, “It was probably something dumb, too.”

The two continued to walk, slowly but surely, back up the mountain to where they’d fought. Hopefully, the other members were heading there too.

***​

Meanwhile, Aipom had already recovered from avalanche. He’d managed to escape the last part by grabbing onto a tree with his tail, and hanging on for dear life as the snow carried it away. Now, he jumped from uprooted tree to uprooted tree, looking for his fellow team members.

Suddenly, something in the snow ahead of him caught his eye. Curiously, he went to investigate. There were three small yellow feathers sticking out of the snow. Intrigued, he quickly began to dig, wondering what he’d find. “Ooh ooh, ah ah!” he exclaimed, upon seeing what he’d dug up. “It’s Torchic!”

Looking at her half-buried body, it was clear that she was in terrible shape. She was unconscious and her feathers were cold and damp. No doubt that if she had been here any longer, her condition would have been serious. He pulled her out of the snow, lying her on her back.

“Ooh ooh, wake up!” he said trying to poke and prod her with his hand. This method proved highly ineffective. “Ooh ooh, I never wanted this to happen… what do I do?” His tail came from behind, handing him a Reviver Seed, “I was saving this for myself, but… she needs it much more than I do.”

Aipom attempted to put the Reviver Seed in Torchic’s mouth, but despite his best efforts, he couldn’t manage to get her to eat it. She just didn’t have the strength chew it herself. “Ooh. She’d hate me for this…” he thought nervously, stepping back slightly. He retrieved the reviver seed, popping it into his own mouth, and began to chew. As soon as it became manageable consistency, he kneeled down, bending over her. This was the hard part. He’d been hoping that the first time he ever did anything remotely like this it would have been with another Aipom, or Ambipom of the opposite gender. He closed his eyes tightly as he lowered his head. He’d forgotten what happened after that, but it was something he was thankful for not remembering. Soon, Torchic had resumed a healthy state. The warmth returned to her, but she still hadn’t woken up. From there, Aipom decided to carry her on his back and figure out what to do once he arrived where they had their battle.

***​

Misdreavus had almost managed to escape the clutches of the avalanche, attempting to hover above the danger zone. The turbulent wind, however, pushed her back into the snow. Thankfully she didn’t end up going far, and she managed to escape being buried. When the snow settled, she drifted back to the scene of the battle, or at least where she thought the battle was. The rough ride had disoriented her and it took a while before she came back to her senses. She knew that this would be the meeting point for the other team members, so instead of heading out to look for them she decided she would wait there.

The scene was devastating. The avalanche had ravaged through a large section of forest. From here all it looked like was a barren slope of churned up snow.

She didn’t know how long she waited, but soon enough, from one side of the clearing, two figures were headed her way, one leaning against the other’s shoulder. She turned the other way to see two more figures approaching, one carrying the other on its back. The two groups met where Misdreavus was waiting.

“Torchic!?” Totodile exclaimed seeing her unconscious body, “What happened? What did you-”

“Ooh ooh, ah ah, I found her that way,” Aipom interrupted quickly, as he tried to explain, “I didn’t do anything I swear! I even gave her a Reviver Seed.”

Totodile released Machop, who fell roughly on the ground. “Hey, I’m not a princess or anything, but you could’ve been a little more gentle.”

“Sorry,” Totodile answered quickly. His concern was mostly with Torchic. He thanked Aipom, and then made a few attempts to wake her.

“Machop?” both Misdreavus and Aipom asked, “What happened?”

He gave a slight shrug; acting as if he’d just noticed the injury. “Just a little knee problem, that’s all. Totodile… helped me get up here.”

After a minute of various waking methods, Totodile had finally managed to wake Trochic. “What… happened?” she asked, sitting up.

“You were unconscious,” answered Totodile, “Aipom carried you back here.”

“Aipom did?” she asked, thinking back. She did slightly remember seeing big purple ears when she was drifting in and out of sleep. She also thought she remembered being kissed, but… that part clearly must have been some weird dream.

The two teams stood to face each other, not sure how to proceed in this situation. “This doesn’t change a thing,” Machop finally said. “Right?” he added with a wink.

“Like I said,” Totodile said, grinning back, “Two teams in danger need to help each other.”

Torchic took a moment to glance around the mountainside. There was something missing. “Totodile…” she asked slowly. “Where’s Tristan?” Nobody on either Team Supreme nor Team Supernova had seemed to have seen any sign of him. Horror struck, Torchic asked, “You don’t… you don’t’ think he didn’t make it… do you?”

“NO,” Totodile shouted, making everyone jump in surprise. “Impossible! We’ll find him. How could a little avalanche like that take him out?”

“But where will we look?”

“If it helps,” Misdreavus spoke up, “When I was trying to escape the avalanche, I noticed a flash of blue. Not so long after, I saw a trail of shimmering blue ice heading towards the peak of the mountain.” Both teams exchanged looks, then gazed up to the mountain. The peak was still shrouded in clouds, but the wind up there had seemed to pick up.

“It’s worth a shot,” Totodile replied, looking up, a determined expression on his face. “Come on, Torchic.”

“We’ll help,” Machop said, staggering forward.

“You will?” Totodile asked, surprised.

“I owe you. If there’s one thing I hate it’s owing someone. I won’t let you get away until I’ve paid you back. Besides, it’s like you said, since we’re both on rescue teams, we need to try to help our fellow comrades first.”

“Yes,” replied Totodile, “We need as much help as we can get. Thanks.”

And so, in a temporary alliance to save a missing comrade, Team Supernova and Team Supreme, joined forces to search for Tristan. As the snow continued to fall, they began to ascend the rest of the mountain at the centre of the forest. Both Torchic and Totodile hoped that they would be able to find Tristan safe and unharmed at the top. A slight break in the clouds allowed a view of the sun, which was beginning to set on the horizon, causing the snow to reflect a reddish hue. It was a sight to behold, but the two teams, so focused on their task, did not stop to appreciate the view.

To be continued…