"Lopunny, use Ice Punch!" Dawn shouted as we ran.
Lopunny jumped to our rear and unleashed a frost-covered barrage of punches at the horde of Ghost-types that attacked us. A group of Gastly went down easily.
We were walking through the forest, being guided by my sense of direction, when suddenly a horde of Ghost-types ambushed us. We were then forced to flee.
Meanwhile, Dawn and I were dodging waves of Shadow Balls that were shot at us. These Ghost-types seemed to really love using Shadow Ball. But since it was so predictable it was easy to dodge and counter. The only problem were the numbers. Sure, we could defeat many at once, but some were smarter than others and dodged our attacks.
"Play Rough!"
Lopunny threw kicks and punches at a group of Shuppet, Misdreavus, Gastly, Drifloon, and Golett. Some were knocked out, while others were only damaged.
Naturally, I was putting in work as well.
"Eevee, Mimic, use Play Rough. Kirlia, Psychic. Hatenna, use Psybeam."
Eevee fought by Lopunny's side, the two throwing kicks at the Ghost-types. Two Misdreavus, three Drifloon, and five Golett were defeated by Eevee's attack. Lopunny knocked out ten Ghost-types in total. Kirlia's Psychic blasted five Gastly backward, taking them down in one hit. Hatenna's Psybeam initially didn't hit the Drifloon she was aiming, but it hit the tree next to them. As expected, the Psybeam was absorbed into the tree, but when it was released again, it hit them by sheer luck. It went down just as easily.
They were easy to deal with, but they were wearing down our Pokemon in the process. We needed something that would knock them all out at once.
Hatenna was caught unawares as a Hex approached her. Blackish-purple wisps surrounded her and struck.
"Watch out!" Dawn shouted. "Lopunny, jump in front of Hatenna!"
Lopunny sped at Hatenna and took the attack for her, canceling it.
"Hatenna, Psybeam!" I ordered.
Hatenna released a beam of purplish energy at the Gastly, who simply opened its mouth and let out a wave of purple and blue light that overpowered the Psybeam and hit Hatenna. I cursed. It used Night Shade, and since it was a Ghost-type move it canceled out Hatenna's Psybeam, which was Psychic-type.
Hatenna cried out in pain and couldn't react as the Gastly launched a Shadow Ball at her.
"Eevee, Quick Attack through it. Then Mimic and Shadow Ball."
Eevee launched herself through the Shadow Ball, and it fizzled out behind her. She then launched her own Shadow Ball and took down the Gastly.
I took a quick breather but was forced to roll to the side as a Night Shade was launched at me.
"Dawn, we have to keep running," I said. "We will get overwhelmed if we stay put."
"Yeah, I can see that," Dawn said grimly. "Lopunny, come on! Fall back!"
Lopunny, who was going on a rampage, heeded her Trainer's orders and hopped toward us, dodging the attacks that were able to hurt her and allowed the attacks that couldn't damager her hit her.
"Kirlia, Teleport the others to us," I ordered.
Kirlia nodded and quickly grabbed Hatenna and Eevee, teleporting next to us before the wave of Shadow Balls could hit them.
Dawn, our Pokemon, and I continued tearing through the forest, jumping out of the way of attacks. I had a particular close call when a Shadow Claw almost severed my head. I continued running as if nothing had happened.
I jerked my head backward when I felt an approaching attack. A Night Shade was following us and would overtake us in about two seconds.
"Quick! Dive to the side!" I yelled.
Dawn didn't hesitate. She dove at the same time as me. Our Pokemon, except Eevee and Lopunny, dodged as well. We tumbled to a stop behind a tree, where our Pokemon were ready to jump out and use guerilla warfare to defend us.
Instead, a Misdreavus and a Drifloon floated on either side of the tree. I felt them charging up their attacks. But we were faster.
"Kirlia, Psychic."
"Lopunny, Ice Punch!"
Kirlia bashed into the Misdreavus with a wave of purple and blue psychic energy, while Lopunny struck the Drifloon with an ice-covered fist. Both went down.
Then I had an idea.
"Kirlia, use Psychic on the tree," I ordered.
Kirlia looked at me with an understanding look. It was reckless to give up our only source of cover, but it was our only choice. Besides, I've always liked unorthodox methods, they were usually the difference between life or death when making a split-second decision. Unpredictability made it easier to defeat your opponents.
"Lia!" Kirlia shouted as she waved her hand, her psychic power flinging the tree at the remaining Ghost-types, who were caught unawares. The tree smacked all of them, finally defeating them once and for all. As expected, the fallen tree disappeared and the trunk standing in front of us grew back into that same tree.
I sighed in relief. "Good job, Kirlia."
"Kirlia!" she said happily and hugged me. I smiled and rubbed her head.
Dawn looked at me with a curious look. "He cares about his Pokemon," she muttered.
I ignored her and looked around. "You think there are any more coming?"
"I hope not," Dawn sighed. "It's getting tiring running around."
"Well, it doesn't look like anything is coming—" I froze as I felt a powerful presence. "We got company."
"How do you know?" Dawn said, unaware of the grinning face that suddenly appeared behind her.
"Dawn, behind you!" I shouted. "Kirlia, Psychic!"
Kirlia teleported in front of the Pokemon and smacked it with Psychic. It grunted with pain and was knocked to the floor. It was damaged, but it wasn't down just yet.
It stood up and its grin widened, as if amused. It was dark purple and round.
I realized that it was a Gengar and cursed. Damn it, this wasn't good. Gengar was a particulary powerful Pokemon and was very dangerous in its own right. While it wasn't evil, per se, this one wasn't friendly by any means.
Dawn looked at the Gengar and flinched. "Lopunny, Ice Punch!"
"Lopunny!" Lopunny jumped in front of us and threw a frost-covered punch at Gengar, who simply grinned.
Without preamble, Gengar blurred toward Lopunny and punched her in the gut, making her fly to the ground.
"Shit, it knows Sucker Punch," I grimaced. "Kirlia, Psychic."
"Kir," Kirlia said frigidly, launching a powerful Psychic.
Gengar simply snickered, "Gen, Gen, Gen," and used another Sucker Punch, bringing its fist back, presumably to brute force its way through the Psychic.
"Teleport."
Kirlia suddenly disappeared. Gengar looked behind it and found Kirlia there. It was about to attack her again, but the Psychic Kirlia had fired hit it, making it groan as it was pushed back.
"Lopunny, Play Rough!" Dawn ordered.
Lopunny's pink eyes flashed. She sped toward Gengar and threw a frenzied flurry of kicks, the sheer force of the strikes made dust billow around them, making it reminiscent to a cartoon.
Meanwhile, Gengar fought back with Sucker Punches, which Lopunny seemed to fare against pretty well. They exchanged a variety of blows, until Gengar overpowered her and struck her with another Sucker Punch, flinging her backward until she found herself tumbling to the ground painfully.
Gengar was about to attack her again, its red eyes glowing, but Hatenna stepped in.
"Psybeam!" I shouted.
"Tenna!" Hatenna cried as she released a blueish-purple beam of psionic energy, which sailed through the air rapidly until it hit Gengar point-blank, pushing it back. It struggled to gain ground, but ultimately failed when the beam exploded, staggering it.
"Now, Eevee, Shadow Ball."
"Vee!" Eevee conjured an ominous dark purple sphere, flinging it at Gengar, occasionally vanishing as it moved closer.
Gengar glowered at. It was about to dodge, presumably by floating.
"Lopunny, use Mach Punch!" Dawn shouted.
I looked at her, dumbfounded. Why was she using a Fighting-type move against a Ghost-type? I thought she knew that Ghost-types were immune, as she did a good job not using them throughout any of the fights.
Lopunny shot at Gengar, as fast as a bullet, and threw a punch at it. But before it collided, Lopunny simply stopped, and the force of the move made the air burst, making Gengar flinch, distracting it for a second.
But that second was just enough for Eevee's Shadow Ball to bash into Gengar, causing it to slam into a tree.
"Gengar..." it said as it stood up once more, dazed.
"Let's finish it with one last attack," I said. "Eevee, Shadow Ball, Hatenna, Psybeam, Kirlia, Psychic."
"Good idea," Dawn nodded, her face flashing with irritation at Gengar. "Lopunny, use Ice Punch."
Every Pokemon launched their attacks. Kirlia sent out a wave of psychic power. Eevee launched a sphere of purple ghostly energy. Hatenna released a beam of blue and purple energy. And Lopunny leapt to punch Gengar with an icy fist.
Gengar simply grinned and slipped into the shadows, the sheets of darkness swallowing it whole. All our attacks, as powerful as they were, simply hit the empty space that Gengar used to take up, exploding at the spot that it hit.
"Don't let your guard down," I said, frantically looking around me. "it could come out of anywhere."
Dawn grimly nodded. "It's tricky, that's for sure. Most Ghost-types are, though."
A grinning face appeared in front of us, half-cloaked by the shadows. "Gengar!" it taunted.
"So that's it, huh?" I glared at it. "You just wanted to toy with us? You were holding back this entire time."
"Gen, gen, gen," it snickered. It promptly disappeared, leaving us irritated.
"I'm getting tired of this," Dawn shook her head. "Ghost-types attack us and now one of them is playing with us. What is going on?"
"That's what I would like to know, too," I grunted. "But this Gengar is strong. I have a feeling that this Gengar is going to be a pain in the ass moving forward."
The thing that unnerved me the most was that Gengar only showed one move. The other three were complete enigmas. This thing was going to be tough to take out. So far the strongest Pokemon I've fought was that Nidoqueen, and this Gengar was stronger than that.
I needed to get stronger.
"Let's keep moving," I said, already beginning to walk. "The more terrain we cover, the better."
"Wait up!" Dawn said, hurrying to catch up with me. "Can't we take a break? We literally just got chased by dozens of Ghost-types!"
"Stop fucking complaining, it's so annoying," I growled, making her flinch. "Haven't you noticed yet? The longer we stay, the more dangerous things get. We can rest later, but we have to move. I have a feeling more dangerous things are going to attack us. The sooner we find your Piplup and whatever is causing this shit, the better." I didn't mention that I needed to find Trinity, I knew she'd be fine on her own.
Dawn sighed. "Fine. You're right. We can't take risks."
I gave her a sidelong look. I couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Maybe I was a bit anti-love, but I was still a guy. Don't judge me.
"Then let's get going," I said, continuing to lead the way.
She nodded, but then seemed to realize something. "How do you where we're going?"
I flinched at the question. "Let's just say... I have a bit of a sense for these sorts of things. I suspect that it comes from my mom."
"Are you really Cynthia's son?" Dawn wondered.
I let out a tired sigh. "Yeah, I am."
"How does it feel?"
I was slightly taken aback by that question. Casting an ambiguous look at her that betrayed no obvious emotion, I said, "Exhausting. They all expect me to be like her. But I'll surpass her. I'll show them all."
Dawn stayed silent for a second, which prompted me to glance at her curiously. She was smiling slightly, much to my surprise.
"Vali?"
"Hmm?"
"What are your goals?"
My face adopted a faraway look. "Why do you want to know?"
Dawn shrugged awkwardly. "Because the goals of a person say a lot about them."
I looked at her strangely. "True enough," I genuinely chuckled. "Well, if you really want to know, I guess I can tell you. I have three goals: become the Champion of a region, defeat my mother in a battle, and beat Ash Ketchum and usurp him."
"You want to be the greatest Trainer in the world and beat Ash?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Pretty much."
Dawn giggled. "You know who you remind me of?"
"Let me guess, Ash?" I grumbled.
"Yeah," she nodded. "When the two of you set goals for yourselves, you would stop at nothing to achieve it. You give me those vibes."
"You're right," I admitted. "I would do anything."
"Do you look up to Ash?"
"No," I shook my head, "I have other, personal reasons as to why I want to defeat him."
Dawn smiled. "Then don't give up. Giving up on your dreams just means that you were never meant to achieve them in the first place."
My eyes widened. "That's... that's wise."
I looked at Dawn and realized just how easy it was to talk to her. She was like Trinity, in a way. Dawn didn't annoy me as much as most people did, and she didn't treat me any differently because of my circumstances.
"By the way, what are your goals?" I asked.
Dawn's smile widened, as if she was happy that I asked that question. "I want to be a Top Coordinator, like my mom."
"Oh yeah, you're a Coordinator, too," I recalled. "I didn't know your mother was a Top Coordinator, though."
Dawn tilted her head in confusion. "How do you know I'm a Coordinator?"
With all my might, I willed myself not to flinch. "After following Ash's history, I learned about his rivals and traveling companions."
"Oh," she nodded. "That make sense."
What I didn't mention was that I also took a look into their backgrounds just in case one day they get in my way of humiliating Ash. Knowing the plot, I was going to have meet them.
Dawn and I walked in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was pleasant, actually. The tenseness in the air was gone, replaced by an air of familiarity.
Until we saw the Drifblim.
We entered a clearing domed by eerie trees that seemed to glitch in and out of existence. The webbed cracks in the wood seemed to shift in a multitude of complex patterns. The grass went from being lush green to yellow and weathered then back to green.
The weirdest thing was the purple balloon-like Pokemon that floated in the middle of it, looking at us with dotted red eyes.
"A Drifblim," I muttered, suddenly cautious.
"I haven't seen one in a long time," Dawn said, looking at Drifblim curious.
"Blim?" Drifblim inspected us, staying still. It didn't attack, which was a good thing.
"You know," Dawn said, "I kind of want to catch one."
"I don't think that's a good idea..."
"Eevee..."
"Lopunny."
Both Pokemon shook their heads, as if warning us.
"Rotom, scan the Drifblim."
Rotom switched on and glared at me. "Oh, so you only call me when you need me? Why don't you scan it yourself, asshole! Just 'cause you're with a pretty girl you're so fucking cool that you can boss me around?"
I sighed. "You were literally put into the Pokedex to serve a Trainer. Now do your job."
"Fine!" Rotom rolled its eyes. "Drifblim, the Blimp Pokémon and the evolved form of Drifloon. Because it travels on wind currents, Drifblim's movements are unusual and unpredictable. It can also be said that a man took a ride on a Drifblim and never came back. Have fun, losers! Hope you get dragged away!" Rotom shut its eyes, signaling that it was turned off.
My eyes widened. "Shit, Dawn, stop!"
Dawn looked at me with a look that told me she wasn't paying attention. "What? It's literally a balloon. Imagine all the combinations I can do for a Pokemon contest." She walked to Drifblim and held out a Pokeball. "Wanna come with me?"
"Dawn!" I yelled but it was too late.
Drifblim slapped Dawn away with its thin arm-like appendages. Before I could react, it grabbed me and took me to the air.
"Vee!" Eevee cried out as she fell from my shoulder.
"HOLY SHIIIIIIT!" I yelled as it took me hundreds of feet in the air. Turbulence slapped at me as we were going faster and faster until Dawn and our Pokemon were just dots. Wind blew through my hair, disheveling it.
"Damn it, Dawn!" I shouted. "This is all your fault!"
"Drif," Drifblim snickered, flashing me a sinister smile filled with malice.
I glared at it. "I'm not defenseless, you damn bastard! Go, Kirlia!"
With my free hands, I let out Kirlia, who looked at me in shock as she fell. She quickly regained her composure and her eyes began to glow. With a powerful Psychic, she bashed Drifblim so hard it dropped me. That was the good news. The bad news was that I free fell hundreds of feet in the air.
"AHHHH!" I yelled as the ground came closer and I threatened to splatter to the ground. But before I died, a hand grabbed me, and then I felt a wave of nausea. I blinked when I realized I was safely on the ground.
"Lia," Kirlia snarled at Drifblim, who was still floating in the air. Kirlia used Teleport and vanished. An explosion shook the air above me and I saw something fall next to us.
Drifblim's unconscious figure landed beside me, completely limp.
I looked at it and sighed in relief. Then I realized its red eyes were blinking.
Dawn, on the other hand, was standing still, looking at Drifblim blankly. That wouldn't so bad if it wasn't for the fact that she was standing like five-feet away.
"Oh you gotta be fucking—" I was interrupted as a beeping sound came out of Drifblim, causing me to spring to action. I tackled Dawn to the ground as Drifblim exploded. I felt the force of the explosion smash into me. I pushed Dawn away as I was propelled ten-feet away.
My head was spinning and my ears were ringing. "Ow..." I groaned.
"Eevee!" I heard Eevee's panicked voice as she rushed to my aid.
"Lia! Kirlia!" Kirlia frantically picked me up with Psychic, checking my injuries.
"I'm fine, guys..." I said dazedly.
Lopunny was checking on Dawn, who shook her head, her blank eyes lightening back to its original color.
I recovered my breath and walked up to her, glaring. 'What the fuck is up with you!? You put us both in danger you dumbass!"
Dawn flinched, looking terrified. "W-What, what are you talking about—"
"What am I talking about? Bitch, you let that Drifblim attack me!" I growled. "Fucking worthless. Useless."
"Punny!" Lopunny said indignantly, glaring at me while standing at her Trainer's side.
"Vee!" Eevee growled, rushing to my defense.
Kirlia gave Lopunny a murderous look. "Kirlia..."
"But, I-I didn't..." Dawn stammered.
"Don't play dumb, you little..." I trailed off when I realized what happened. "No, it wasn't you..."
Dawn looked shaken. "That's what I'm trying to say!"
"Drifblim used Hypnosis," I gritted my teeth, looking at the floor. "It wasn't your fault..."
I let go of my anger and sighed. Dawn looked at me cautiously.
"I'm sorry..." I said softly and turned away. "I let my anger get the better of me.
"Lop?" Lopunny had a surprised look.
Eevee and Kirlia didn't want to stop glaring, though, so I petted them. "They didn't do anything wrong, don't blame them."
Eevee tentatively jumped on my shoulder and looked at me worriedly.
"It's fine," I insisted.
Kirlia refused to go back to her Poke Ball, holding my arm while looking at me with worry.
I turned away. "Let's go, we wasted time." Without another word, I kept walking.
We walked for twenty minutes in tense silence when Dawn spoke up again.
"Vali..."
"What?"
"I'm sorry for that," Dawn said miserably. "I-I made the mistake of not being careful enough."
"it's fine," I said. "You're not to blame."
"I feel guilty..." she admitted. "You could have died and it would be my fault.
I stopped and looked at her with small, reassuring smile. I haven't had a genuine smile in a long time, so it was all I could muster. "I'm alive now, aren't I? If anyone should be sorry it should be me. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"About that," Dawn said cautiously. "You seemed like a whole different person when you were angry. You seemed so composed before I didn't think you could look that angry."
"Normally I take pills," I said, "but I guess they wore off."
"Anger management pills?" she asked with surprise.
"Mhm," I nodded, reaching into my backpack, taking out a pill. "I forgot to take it." I then proceeded to take it, sighing at the feeling of my emotions being suppressed.
"By the way, Vali, why did that Drifblim explode?" Dawn asked.
"It's Ability, Aftermath."
"Aftermath?"
"When the Pokemon with the Ability faints, it does damage in return. That makes it really dangerous to fight. It just so happened that Drifblim can have that Ability."
"Wow, you know a lot about Pokemon," Dawn noted, impressed. "I didn't know about that Ability."
I flashed a mirthless smirk. "I make sure to be knowledgeable. Hell, knowledge just saved our lives."
Dawn smiled. She then looked at me and then flinched, as if surprised. Her face flushed in slight embarrassment.
"What?" I asked.
"Vali... your hair."
"What do you mean?" I grabbed my hair, which fell just past my shoulder. With a start, I realized that my hair tie was gone. "Damn it."
"I'm sorry, it's just that... you look better with your hair down," Dawn admitted.
I sighed. "I don't like having my hair down."
"Why not?"
"It feels better to have my hair tied."
"Oh, that makes sense."
I looked around but found no immediate threats. "Let's continue. I don't want to be here longer than necessary."
Dawn nodded enthusiastically. "Me neither. This place keeps trying to kill us."
We picked up the pace, but this time we were more on guard. We wouldn't get surprised like that again.
Dawn placed a warm hand on my shoulder as we walked. "Oh yeah, Vali."
"What's up?"
"I forgive you, by the way," she smiled.
"Thanks, I guess," I said nonchalantly.
Dawn giggled slightly and walked ahead, Lopunny following suit.
I shook my head. "Weird girl," I muttered and followed her.
Our journey through the forest was far from over.
***
Trinity's POV
The Ghost-types kept falling one by one.
"Pikachu, Thunder Shock!"
"Pika... CHUU!" Pikachu jumped up and fired multiple arcs of electricity at the trees, letting them absorb them.
"Lett," a Golett, which was a rocky Ghost-type Pokemon, bellowed, throwing a fist that was engulfed in shadows. It was obviously Shadow Punch. Before it could hit Pikachu, a Thunder Shock hit it and knocked it out.
A Haunter attempted to use Shadow Claw, but Kirlia bashed it with Zen Headbutt, pushing it back. Angrily, the Haunter launched a Shadow Ball.
"Double Team."
Kirlia split into five. All of them dodged the Shadow Ball and continued charging at Haunter.
"Zen Headbutt!"
Four of the Kirlia headbutted Haunter, staggering it for long enough for the original Kirlia to jump above Haunter, who slashed at Kirlia with another Shadow Claw.
"Disable."
Haunter's Shadow Claw deactivated, which gave Kirlia an opportunity to strike.
"Confusion."
Kirlia's red eyes flashed and finished the battle with Confusion, which blasted Haunter into unconsciousness.
I grinned at Kirlia, who smirked at me back. Then I turned to Pikachu, who was fighting a Golett and a Drifloon. Golett was trying to smash him with Hammer Arm while Drifloon was sniping him with Air Cutter and Shadow Ball.
Pikachu avoided the Air Cutter but got hit by a Shadow Ball, which staggered him for enough time to let Golett hit Pikachu with a Hammer Arm, making him cry out as he flew backward. Golett crackled with electricity, a telltale sign that it was paralyzed. Static affected it.
Despite the paralysis, Golett charged up another Shadow Punch.
"Damn it! Kirlia, protect Pikachu!" Zen Headbutt!" I shouted frantically.
"Kir!" Kirlia, anxious to protect Pikachu, leapt at Golett and headbutted him with a semi-translucent half-sphere of purple and blue energy. It grunted in pain, and since it lost its concentration, Shadow Punch was canceled.
From the air, Drifloon fired another Shadow Ball, aiming it at Kirlia, who had his back turned.
"Pikachu, cut it with Iron Tail!"
Pikachu fixed his eyes on the flying Shadow Ball and lunged. His metallic tail flashed and sliced the Shadow Ball in twain. Both halves exploded individually.
Golett blocked Kirlia's Confusion and countered with a Shadow Punch. It was slower due to the paralysis, but the backlash of Golett's parry made Kirlia flinch. The distraction was enough for the Golett.
But just before Golett could hit Kirlia, Feebas struck it with an Ice Beam, freezing its arms.
"Good job, Feebas!" I praised. "Pikachu, finish it with Iron Tail!"
Pikachu jumped at Golett and struck it with Iron Tail, making a crumbling sound as it did. Golett fell on the ground, unconscious.
"Loon!" Drifloon said angrily and fired a stream of Air Cutter at Feebas.
"Ice Beam."
Feebas released a blast of frost, destroying the Air Cutter while still continuing its course. Drifloon glared in irritation and swiftly dodged the Ice Beam.
It was so annoying when it floated in the air. It was so fast that moves like Thunder Shock or Ice Beam were easily dodged.
Then I had an idea.
"Kirlia, use Confusion to launch Pikachu into the air!"
Kirlia nodded and his eyes began to glow. He waved his hand and Pikachu was launched upward at Drifloon, whose eyes widened.
"Thunder Shock!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu released a stream of electricity, which crackled as it threatened to voraciously swallow Drifloon.
As I expected, Drifloon dodged with ease, giggling mockingly. But the Thunder Shock hit the edge of a tree and was promptly absorbed.
"Iron Tail," I ordered.
Pikachu retained his momentum. His tail shone like steel and he jabbed at Drifloon, who deftly dodged to the side.
But the Iron Tail was just a feint. The Thunder Shock was launched back at Pikachu, who absorbed it with his tail. He brought his tail downward and, faster than it could react, struck Drifloon, discharging all the electricity.
"Drifloon!" Drifloon cried out as it slammed into the ground, going limp. It was down for the count.
I looked around and smiled in satisfaction as I saw that there were no more. We had defeated them all, which were about twenty in total.
"Good job guys," I said to my Pokemon, who took quick breathers. I didn't blame them, they had all been fighting nonstop for hours now.
Pikachu tiredly jumped on my shoulder. "Pika..."
I petted him with a smile. "You really put in the work, buddy."
"Pikachu," he smiled with satisfaction.
Kirlia and Feebas looked at me expectantly.
That forced a smile out of me. "Yes, you're right, you all did great as well. Like a proper team. I like that."
They made proud sounds, grinning at me.
"How about we find some place to rest? We've been on the run all day."
They all nodded. Kirlia and Feebas followed me as I walked through the sea of ghostly trees.
***
We walked for thirty minutes, not finding any place that could provide us shelter. We sure as hell didn't want to rest out in the open. So we continued to search.
I stopped when I heard a pained sound, like a Pokemon that was hurt.
"Did you all hear that?" I asked, frowning.
"Kirlia..." Kirlia nodded, which told me that he sensed it. He shared his sensation with me, and I looked at the direction he was indicating.
I walked in the direction. Thirty-feet away from where we were just standing, I saw a sight that made me mad.
"Chop..." a pained voice croaked.
A Misdreavus, Yamask, and Gastly all snickered as they fired Shadow Balls, Hex, and Acid Spray at the defenseless Pokemon that was sprawled on the floor, spasming in pain.
The Ghost-types seemed to be enjoying Machop's pain.
My Pokemon looked as angry as I felt. With an unspoken agreement, we jumped out of our hiding spot and attacked.
"Kirlia, Confusion! Feebas, Ice Beam! Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" I shouted, my tone dripping with venom.
The Ghost-types were completely taken by surprise. Kirlia's Confusion smashed Misdreavus into a wall. Feebas's Ice Beam froze the unsuspecting Yamask in a block of ice. And Gastly was blasted with ten thousand volts of electricity. All of them laid unresponsive on the floor. Or so I thought. Misdreavus proved to be tougher than the others. It glared at us and fired a Hex at Kirlia, who glared and used Disable.
"Drevious?" Misdreavus seemed shocked when its attack disappeared.
"Kirlia, Confusion," I said coldly. "Then Pikachu, finish it with Iron Tail."
Kirlia glowered at Misdreavus with piercing red eyes, picking it up with Confusion, then proceeded to slam it into the ground multiple times.
Pikachu, in a frenzy, ran at Misdreavus and flashed his tail, slamming the Iron Tail into Misdreavus, making it crash to the ground, finally unconscious.
"Ma... Chop," Machop said weakly, looking at us with both surprise and skepticism. It got up and began to limp away, before collapsing once again.
"Be careful," I said and rushed forward to help it. "You'll hurt yourself." I placed my hand on its back to check its injuries.
"Chop!" Machop glared at me and slapped my hand away. I didn't blame it, it probably thought that we were here to torment it as well. But it did raise a question as to why it was here in the first place.
Rotom turned itself on and floated beside me. "Allow me to scan it. Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Machop have muscles that never tire, no matter how much they exercise. Machop have enough strength to throw 100 average-sized adults."
The Pokedex showed me that it was male. I looked at Machop with a worried glance.
"Please, I'm only trying to help you. I wouldn't have helped you if I didn't want to."
Machop turned his head away, looking at the unconscious Ghost-types with deep hatred. But there was something else in his gaze... a fire that refused to be put out—it was the look of someone who wanted to grow stronger. I knew that feeling.
"You believe that you're weak," I noted.
Machop looked at me and nodded solemnly. "Ma, Machop." He clenched his fist.
I smiled ruefully. "I know that feeling. I feel it every day. I have a rival, and..." I sighed, "I always feel that he's stronger than me. But I want to catch up to him. He tells me that he's the one who should catch up to me, but I don't believe that. I see that same feeling inside of you. You want to grow stronger, right?"
Machop's eyes widened. "Chop..." he nodded.
"I can help you," I said earnestly, smiling, "we can grow stronger together. Join me."
He looked at me, then to my Pokemon. They gave him encouraging nods and words, welcoming him. Machop looked back at me, and that same fiery look I saw before came back to his eyes. He nodded and walked to me.
"Let me fix you up first."
For about ten minutes I checked his injuries and healed him with potions. His injuries were really bad—his body was littered with bruises and burn marks. There were other things I probably missed due to my inexperience. I needed to learn how to take better care of Pokemon.
Machop was good as new soon afterwards. He smiled at me. "Machop!"
I couldn't help but smile. "Welcome to the team," I held out a Poke Ball. "Now all you got to do is let me catch you."
Very enthusiastic, Machop touched the Poke Ball and was promptly sucked up by it. It didn't even shake before it clicked, signaling his capture.
"Come out, Machop!"
Machop came out of the Poke Ball. Pikachu, Kirlia, and Feebas all cheered. They came to Machop and welcomed him to the team. He seemed to be embarrassed by the attention. I smiled at them, sure that they would grow strong together.
I snapped back to reality as my eyes wandered to the tortured purple sky above. It didn't exactly reassure me. But it reminded me that we had to find shelter. I looked at my team.
"We should get going and find shelter to rest in. I don't know about you guys, but my legs can't go on much longer."
All but Machop agreed. He looked at me with vigor, ready to battle. I wasn't surprised. His muscles can't tire, after all.
We continued to the forest, more worried than before. I remembered briefly wondering what Vali was doing.
Knowing him he probably found a girl in the forest and quickly became annoyed by her. That thought made laugh a little bit.
Back to traversing the forest we go.
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I didn't notice how much chemistry Vali and Dawn have until I finished writing the chapter. Welp, how will this turn out? We'll see. While romance will be a part of this story, it will me subtle at first. Let's just say Vali is going to be annoyed, as he always is.
Next chapter will be even crazier. We haven't seen the last of that Gengar, and Trinity is going to have tough challenges to face as well.
I've meant to give Trinity a Machop since the beginning of the story. I think he fits well with Trinity's personality. Same thing with Feebas.
I'm very excited to write the rest of this arc. Since this is the first task, I want to make it special. It's also going to be fairly long. It's supposed to be prelude of what's to come, the beginning of a very difficult road. But they will have a hell of an adventure in the process.
Damn, 7.5k views? Last chapter we had like 1k less. Thanks guys! We are so close to our next milestone, 10k, about three-quarters. We are growing much faster than I expected.
As always, make sure to comment your suggestions for Pokemon, characters, and locations you want to see in the future. I want to see what you guys want to see. Let me know down below!
Well, that's all for now. See you guys next chapter.