Freya Stark
I led the way into the Pokémon Center and walked over to Jay as she finished putting her pókeballs away and let Curse jump into her arms. "Have all the fun without us why don't you. So, did you get to battle the champion?"
"Of course not. We wouldn't stand a chance, not to mention our pokémon were completely wiped out." She responded, looking slightly frustrated by that fact. "Or did you forget what I told you over the phone about Valhalla attacking?"
Of course I hadn't forgotten, in fact Ivan and I had been shocked when we came across the destroyed grassy area in Sacred Valley- Josef didn't seem to care too much- and picked up our pace to meet her and Soren. "No, but you could've had a chance after they were healed."
I had her there by the look on her face. Instead of pressing the subject though, I turned away to go pick up my own pokémon up from being healed from what little damage Pichu had taken from battles we had with wild pokémon, though Ivan had the chance to battle a trainer on his way to Xelen. Pichu was glad to be back in a town and I watched him explore the Pokémon Center after I finished greeting him.
"So where did Soren go?" Ivan asked.
Jay motioned to the door. "He went to find a place to eat, he should be back soon."
"Unless he got lost." Josef commented without looking up from his video game. "Or attacked."
"He is fine." Jay snapped, though I noticed her glance towards the door momentarily. "He hasn't been gone that long."
I nodded. "Exactly, besides what idiot would attack someone in a small town like this? No one would stand for it."
"Earthquake." Josef muttered before screaming insults at the characters on his screen.
Ivan laughed at his joke. "Well he does have a point there."
Jay and I laughed with him for a second before going silent as we waited once more. I picked up Pichu as he ran over, finally done with his exploration, and reclined on the couch. "You know, we should stock up on more snacks and water while we're here. Where's the next town?"
Jay took out the map. "Vrard is a day and a half if we make good use of our time but you're right about the water, we'll be going through Haunted Desert, though if we stay on Arid Trail it should be faster."
"Unless we get lost in a sandstorm." Josef responded.
"Will you shut up? If we get caught in a sandstorm we can take shelter."
I cleared my throat before the two could start and argument. "Well then, why don't we go stock up on supplies? Josef, you can come with me to get the water, and Jay, you and Ivan can check on some snacks. Pichu, you can stay here and lead Soren to us when that slowpoke gets back."
"Chu!" He jumped happily at being involved.
I walked out of the Pokémon Center, dragging Josef behind me by the sleeve of his blue jacket, and walked towards the Pókemart a few buildings down. The other two would be close behind us considering this seemed to be the only store in town- nothing unusual about that though, they were everywhere- but we should be on the opposite side of the store so we could avoid any further arguing.
Getting the supplies only took a few minutes and we ran into Soren on the way back to the Pokémon Center, which we went inside to drop off our things and to get Pichu, before following him back to the small diner at the edge of Sandhill. The food was actually very well made for such a small place and was obviously popular considering the number of people there, then again, I didn't blame them. The food was like something homemade unlike other restaurants I had been to, thought they had great food as well. Even Josef didn't seem to have anything to complain about... well, not until I started bothering him by moving my arm under his and hitting his chin.
"Will you cut that out?" He grumbled.
"But... I'm your grandma!" I heard the others laughing as well as I made my hand into a crude puppet mouth and moved it into his face.
"Gah...!" He ducked around it and grabbed his drink to avoid any more torment, knowing we wouldn't purposefully make a mess everywhere.
By the time we were finished eating most of the people in the restaurant probably thought we were the most annoying trainers they'd ever met but they didn't outright complain about us. We headed out for Arid Trail once we all paid our share for the food and I took the lead with Jay, who was looking down at the map she had pulled back up. It was getting late and the air was cooling off quickly but I didn't mind, we had slept outside enough by now that I was used to it. I was just concerned about managing to stay on the path in the dark... perhaps we should wait until morning, that would be the logical decision.
"Shouldn't we wait until we can see?" I spoke my thoughts out loud as we reached the beginning of the trail, it wasn't too late to turn back and go to the Pokémon Center.
Jay shrugged. "We could, yeah, but that would mean walking through the boiling heat all day. Then again, it gets freezing out there at night... So I guess the question is: do you want to walk in the cold or in the heat?"
"At least in the cold we can add more layers." Ivan reasoned. "I mean, some of us could walk without shirts if we got to hot walking in the daytime but-"
"What do you mean some of us?" I smirked. "If I get hot I'm taking my shirt off!"
"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing that." Josef commented, though I wasn't completely sure if he was joking.
Jay started walking again. "Night. I choose night."
I followed her, laughing at her reaction, before falling silent as we went farther and farther away from the lights of Sandhill and into the dark of Haunted Desert. I thought back to Esme, if she had stayed with us she would've been freezing in that dress of hers; everyone here had a jacket to wear and I was still feeling a slight chill through that as the sun finally disappeared behind the Everlasting Peaks in the distance. That was where our final destination was: Valo, the city on top of the mountains. Though I wasn't sure how tough the gym would even be by the time we got up there with all the wild pokémon and trainers we could battle on the way.
It was nearly dawn when the first sandstorm hit and I held my arm over my face to prevent sand from blowing straight into my eyes. We needed another break, or to get some rest in general, but with the storm I doubted we would be getting any sleep soon. I felt Pichu burrow deeper into the hood of my red jacket to hide from the sand as well and managed to catch a glimpse of Curse tucking her face into Jay's arms as Jay shielded her, guess this is what we got for letting our pokémon out but it could be worse. At least it wasn't too dark anymore.
"Anyone see a place to take shelter?" I shouted, though it was muffled by my arm and the wind.
Josef was about to respond-probably something sarcastic like always- but ended up with a mouthful of sand he had to spit out. Idiot, that's what he got for not covering his mouth.
"I can barely see anything in the storm." Soren shouted, at least he knew how to not ingest sand but seriously... that was really obvious.
I did my best to roll my eyes and glare at him. "Well no dip Sherlock, if I could see anything then I wouldn't be asking if anyone else could!"
That seemed to shut him up for a moment, only a moment though, before he spoke again. "I was just answering your question."
"Rhetorical questions don't require answers." I snapped back.
Jay glanced over at me. "Didn't sound rhetorical to me."
"I didn't ask you." I responded before whirling to face the other direction as Ivan tugged on my sleeve. "What?"
Ivan pointed to a large outline just off the path. "We could try behind those boulders."
"It could be a trick of the sand." Jay said as she looked over at where he was pointing. "... or a wild pokémon taking shelter. Hippowdon can look like boulders in a sandstorm like this."
"Well, it's the only thing we've got at the moment." I replied and changed course to walk towards the rocks. "I don't care if it's a pokémon or not, I'm taking shelter before my lungs fill up with sand."
No one seemed to argue against it as I led the way over to the dark outline, though I had to admit, I was glad it was boulders and not a wild pokémon. While I doubted a pokémon would attack during a sandstorm like this it could've happened... some were known to be territorial after all. We all seemed to relax slightly as we settled down, pressed against the rocks and each other to avoid the sand swirling madly around us. I knew this wasn't going to protect us from the sandstorm completely but at least now I could see and breath without my arm over my face. Pichu seemed happier too now that we were tucked in together safely.
"You should go back in your ball for now." I told him as I took out his pókeball and recalled my pokémon. "Just until the storm passes."
"Whenever that is going to be." Josef commented. "I can't even play my game or it'll get sand inside and ruin my tablet."
"Cry me a river why don't you?" Jay leaned forward so she could look around me at him. "And after that you can drown in it. You'd probably sink right to the bottom with your weight."
"Fat floats." Josef smirked slightly. "If you had anything on those bones of yours maybe you would know that."
Jay scowled. "At least I have bones. You're probably just a blob of fat that hardened over time from all the fresh fat piled up on it."
"Oh, that hurt so badly, yeah, I'm going to go cry now." He touched his chest in a dramatically sarcastic manner.
"Can you two shut up?" I pushed both of them back against the rock. "No one wants to listen to you throw insults at each other the entire time we're stuck here."
"Whatever..." Jay turned away and started fixing Curse's purple bandana, which had been used to block the sand as well as keep out the cold during the night.
Josef didn't say anything else and instead continued eying his bag, obviously wishing he could play his video games without risking getting sand in the tablet. At least Ivan was being mature about the situation and Soren was already sleeping from what I could tell, which wasn't a bad idea actually. I leaned back further against the rock before looking over at Ivan. "Wake me up when the storm is over... or whenever you need a break."
I slept peacefully for a while despite the storm around us but woke up to Soren shaking me, Ivan groggily getting up, and Josef back on his games again. I looked around, not failing to notice Jay was missing from our group and started to wonder if she had deserted us during the storm. My slight feeling of betrayal and annoyance disappeared however when she walked back out from the other side of the rocks we'd taken shelter behind, though now she had Ralts and Curse at her side.
"The path is still clear as far as I could tell, we shouldn't get lost." Jay looked over at me. "Ready?"
I stood up and stretched before fixing my jacket and looking around; Haunted Desert was quite nice looking- almost beautiful with the sun gleaming on the sand- now that the sandstorm was over. "Yeah."
"Good." Jay seemed to look relieved to hear we would be leaving, not that I blamed her, she looked kind of beat already and we hadn't even been walking yet. "We should get to Vrard by sun down."
Soren glanced back the way we'd came. "Does anyone else get the feeling we're being followed?"
Jay scoffed. "You're just being paranoid after that Valhalla incident. If someone was following us we would see them from a mile away, nothing can hide in a place like this... Unless it was a pokémon, like sandile or cacturne."
Yeah or several other types of desert dwelling pokémon but I wasn't about to continue making a list when we could be walking. It wouldn't bother us if it was a pokémon anyway... it hadn't yet after all. I fixed my bag and started walking back over to the surprisingly still well defined trail, letting the others settle into place behind me. We kept a pretty good pace despite the heat, though it did help that we were all rested up of course, but I was concerned for Jay. She hadn't said anything outright but she was looking ill like she was obviously not used to the heat... Curse didn't seem as affected but her ears and tail were drooped as she let her trainer carry her. I casually looked over at the other three, they all looked pretty beat- Josef wasn't even playing on his tablet anymore- but didn't look as sickly as Jay. I shook off the thought, she was pale to begin with, if she wasn't complaining of not feeling well I was probably just imagining it.
After walking for several more hours I could make out the outline of a city ahead of us and quickened my pace slightly before looking back to make sure the others were keeping up, which turned out to be a no. Josef was trudging through the sand looking like he wanted to fall over and sleep- then again when didn't he, he was always on the lazy side- and Soren was carrying Jay, who still managed to look indignant despite being nearly unconscious from the heat, while Ivan carried their bags. I mentally sighed before noticing something just behind the group burrowing under the sand towards us. At first I thought it was possibly a mirage but on closer inspection and squinting slightly I confirmed it was indeed something moving towards us.
"Guys, we have company." I warned as Pichu jumped onto the ground from my shoulder in preparation for a battle.
The others turned and spread out as they backed away from the approaching pokémon and Soren put Jay back on her feet, helping her stand with one hand while the other one reached for a pokéball. Curse jumped down off Ivan's bag and ran in front of her trainer as the mound of sand changed course towards Soren. I looked down a Pichu before glancing over at Ivan as he sent out Skiddo.
"Trap it and get it above ground!" Ivan ordered. "Skiddo, use your vine whip to get it out of the sand."
"Pichu, shock it once the pokémon comes into sight!" I went along with Ivan's plan, hoping this wasn't going to be a ground type opponent.
"Blind it with sand attack, Curse." Jay shifted and stood up straighter, more alert now that something was happening.
"Viper!" The vine whips missed the target but a wild seviper still surfaced, looking furious at being trapped and even more angered with Pichu's weak attack hit its tail as it thrashed from the sand in its eyes.
"That's the same one I was fighting before!" Soren shouted. "I told you we were being followed!"
"Shut up and help us." I snapped.
Soren pulled out a pokéball. "You want to finish what you started? Fine, Slash, use quick attack!"
A white and red blur shot out as he released his zangoose and the seviper went rolling across the sand a few feet from the new attack. I took a step back to allow more room for the battle but Soren spoke again before Ivan and I could give any other commands to our pokémon.
"No, it wants to fight Slash, I'll battle it."
"Don't blame me if your pokémon faints." I responded. "Pichu, come back for now."
"Nice job Skiddo." Ivan returned his pokémon to its ball and backed up as well.
Jay didn't give a command but Curse was already running to her trainer, easily hopping onto Jay's shoulder, and watching the battle. I wasn't too fond of the whole watching part but apparently, and unsurprisingly, Josef wasn't considering he hadn't even tried helping us. Glancing at him showed that he wasn't even watching the battle anymore, he was just playing on his video games again. Idiot.
"Slash, get in close with another quick attack and then use fury cutter." Soren had a good strategy, simple, but efficient. I would have to figure out a way to get around that next time we battled.
The seviper hissed and I saw its tail glowing in anticipation of the close range but Slash still managed to block the poison tail with his claws before pushing back and landing his fury cutter. The wild seviper gave a screech and we all quickly moved to cover our ears, Josef dropping his tablet in the process, and then proceeded to use poison tail again. Slash slumped onto the ground before shakily rising to his feet again and using quick attack, following that up with scratch. Soren recovered a few seconds later and nodded, seeing the battle hadn't been lost yet.
"Good, now use leer and then fury cutter again."
Slash responded instantly and I felt Pichu flinch slightly at the leering glare Slash gave the seviper before launching at it again. The battle continued in the brutal fashion of dodges and attacks before finally coming to a halt as Slash collapsed into the sand, paralyzed by seviper's glare. The snake like pokémon slithered forward once more, trembling from the damage it had taken, before a red and white ball bounced off its head and it disappeared in a flash of white light. Was Soren really thinking of catching it? A zangoose and seviper on the same team would never work in battle, not unless the trainer was very skilled and at the moment I was positive none of us could do that. The pokéball clicked though, which meant Soren would have to deal with that problem no matter what now unless he just let them out separately each time... a pain when we fed them or something but his problem.
"The idiot. If they start fighting at any point during our journey I swear..." Well I wasn't sure what I'd do. But he wouldn't like it. I waited for everyone to get their things around again, laughing when I heard Josef complaining under his breath over losing the game, before speaking up. "Alright, let's get going. We're almost out of water and I want to get to the next town before we all start passing out from heat stroke or something.