Another Road Repaved - Conception

Code of the Guardian

"Chi-pa..." Pachirisu hung her head, reluctantly nodding.

"Kiss. Togekiss!" The bird chirped sharply, pointing a wing towards Houndour.

"Pachipach..." Dragging her feet, the Squirrel picked up the berry chunk with her tail, walking over and placing it down by Houndour's muzzle.

"Togekiss is unbelievable... you'd think she's a mother," Dawn sighed. "She's a lot better at settling these things than I am..."

To Dawn's shock, Houndour sniffed at the Oran Berry, and bit into it. In several chomps, he was revitalized, back on his feet.

"He smelled that when he was unconscious!?" Dawn exclaimed. "Your sense of smell is amazing!"

"Dour!" The Pokémon barked, sitting up proudly with his tail wagging behind him.

"Y'know, you're actually kind of a softy," Dawn smiled. "Maybe we misjudged you."

As quickly as harmony came, though, it went again. Pachirisu was up in Houndour's face, chattering and shouting while holding her tail to show off the scorch he'd left. She was still angry about it!

"Pachirisu! That's enough!" Dawn scolded.

Houndour growled, leaning into Pachirisu's personal space. Sparks and embers started to fly in what Dawn feared would quickly end in them chomping each other alive!

"Houndour! Knock that off!" Dawn shouted, to no avail; both Pokémon ignored her. "This is hopeless... Wait a sec! I've got it!" Bundling up her fists, she shouted.

"HEY! BOTH OF YOU!"

Pachirisu and Houndour turned towards Dawn.

"If you guys can't settle this nicely, then maybe you should battle it out! Get the grump out of your system!"

Both Pokémon seemed to agree to this, making distance between one another. Dawn sighed in relief. "That was almost a disaster... Alright, Pachirisu! Spotlight! Let's show him your stuff!"

"Chi-pa!" Pachirisu cried, swallowing the remainder of her bounty, and exerted sparks from her cheeks.

"Now, use Spark!"

Pachirisu ran towards Houndour, blue lightning surrounding her body. But Dawn quickly noticed a problem; in the snow that reached up to her head, she ran at an extremely sluggish pace.

The damper on Pachirisu allowed Houndour to hop out of the way, and then snatch up the squirrel with a blazing Fire Fang. Chomping into her hide, he rag dolled Pachirisu and tossed her away.

"I love the snow, but it's doing our mobility no favors here," Dawn frowned. "Discharge!"

Pachirisu screeched in retaliation, unleashing a far-reaching bolt that electrocuted Houndour.

The dark-type shook off the shock, and spat a thick, poisonous cloud of gas that shrouded Pachirisu; it'd used Smog!

"Pachirisu!" Dawn exclaimed. She could hear her partner gasping for breath in its midst. "We've got to clear that nasty cloud away! Use a Counter Shield, Pachirisu, with Discharge!"

Pachirisu tucked her body into her tail, and started spinning wildly on her side, emanating wild whips of blue electricity. Lightning snapped at the toxins in the air and detonated, igniting a chain of explosions that looked like earthbound firecrackers!

Houndour hopped back, frightened by the chain reaction.

Dawn, on the other hand, was awestruck. "Wow, gorgeous! It's like a whole impromptu lightshow!" Clasping her hands together, she admired the fallout; the smog faded away, and Pachirisu was showered in crystallized snow and sparks. "It's too bad this isn't a contest... I've got to focus! Pachirisu, use Sweet Kiss!"