#gigalith gets these side things on its face too

[waywardstation]

When I put up my merch polls, someone filling it out asked for something with Ingo and Emmet’s teams, including Ingo’s gurdurr and Emmet’s boldore, because they’re often excluded.

It got me thinking about those two pokemon, and I like to think that at a time when Ingo would get back from Hisui, he’d see that gurdurr and boldore evolved when he was gone. And when Conkeldurr finally sees his trainer again, he’s very excited to see that they match!! Same goatee!!!!!

[agonyaster]

hello depot agent fandom im so glad all six of you could make it

fun little thing about @pigdemonart’s depot agents….. i love cloud and ramses so much you dont get it

also on ao3!

…

The inside of the subway boss’s office is neat and orderly at first glance with its swept floors, a desk shining with polish and smelling of lemon varnish. But Ramses had been standing there for quite some time and his eyes were wandering to the mug of cold coffee and the sticky rings of condensation it left behind, layers of dust collecting on top of the filing cabinets, scattered piles of paperwork; all of it showing the story of just-there neglect.

Just as he finds himself wondering if he went into the wrong office despite the nameplate outside, the door swings open and bangs against the wall with enough force to make him jump. 

“Aha, there you are!” Ramses turns to see the boss standing in the doorway, head held high as she gives him a quick once-over. “C’mon, follow me! I’ve got way too much to do and you're both here to make my life easier.”

She’s out the door just as quick as she came in and Ramses is forced to follow, like a Ducklett trailing after its mother. He’s not the only one, another fresh-faced agent greeting him with a smile as she trots after their boss.

“Just double checking— you’re Cloud and Ramses?” she glances over a shoulder to see their nods and mumbles to herself. “Perfect, perfect. I’m Indira, but I hope you know that already.”

They chuckle in unison as Indira digs around in her pockets and pulls out four pokéballs, tossing two to each of them and flashing a cheeky grin.

“Now while I’d love to stay and chat for a bit, show you how to work the coffee machine and all that, we’ve got work to do. Those,” she points to the pokéballs, “are officially licensed, battle-ready pokémon owned and managed by the station. The multi line leaves in just a few minutes.”

Indira grins, something wild burning in her eyes as she stares them down. 

“It’ll be your first chance to impress me.”

“I don’t plan to disappoint,” Cloud says, and Ramses can feel the intensity rolling off of her in waves as she sets her shoulders and rolls out one of her wrists.

A pang of worry hits him in the gut as Ramses watches the boss’s grin grow wider and flick two pokéballs into a hand. He’s stepping between them and chuckling lightheartedly before he even really knows what’s going on. 

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but how about we save it for the battle?” 

They seem to agree, shrinking down and turning away from each other for the train to come in. Indira doesn’t stay quiet for long, letting out a sharp whistle and beckoning another agent over. The man smiles pleasantly and waves in greeting before coming to a stop beside the boss. 

Mere seconds later, the train rattles to the platform and they all enter. It’s only then, as he throws out a pokéball, completely oblivious to what laid inside that worry starts to bubble in his gut. He forces it down as Indira calls out an attack to her Darmanitan, the agent next to her instructing his Gigalith to go in for a follow-up after a moment's hesitation. 

The battle isn’t quick, but it isn’t too long either, Darmanitan pounding its chest victoriously as everyone returns their pokémon to their balls. When the subway stills beneath their feet, Indira breaks out into a smile and salutes them, Darmanitan copying her with glee. “Look at you two go! Already better battlers than Sonny!”

The agent who battled with her laughs awkwardly. “Thanks, boss.”

The subway doors open with a pneumatic hiss and they all file off, Indira dashing to meet her next train, Sonny motioning for them to follow him. 

“Ramses, is it?” Cloud asks, raising a brow. 

“That’s right.”

“Well, it was an honor to battle with you. I hope we can work together more in the future.”

“Ditto.”

…

“Is Indira ever going to replace this thing?” Cloud wonders aloud as she smacks the side of the coffee machine. “It’s been like this for how many years?”

“Probably not,” Ramses’ voice answers, making her jump. “Will thinks she’s waiting for one of us to break and replace it ourselves so she doesn’t have to use part of the budget to pay for it.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Say what you want about her, the woman is consistent.”

The machine pitifully spits out the last of her coffee and Cloud grabs the cup, taking a quick sip as she wanders over to the table where Ramses is sitting. “How’s Manectric adjusting to domestic life?”

“Oh, she loves it. Gets to do nothing but sleep and eat and rip up my pillows,” he chuckles. “Keeps trying to eat the Pidove that perch outside throughthe window, but she’s learning. My parents and Issac are spoiling her rotten.”

“Well, you can add me to the list,” Cloud tosses a rubbermaid down on the table, the contents rattling inside. “And before you ask, people can eat them too.”

He grins and pops the lid off, biting into a cookie with a content hum. “You know who would appreciate some of these?”

“Who?”

“Julia.”

“Who’s that?”

Ramses cocks his head to the side, mischief glimmering in his eyes. “Don’t you remember her? She’s the one with the Furret?” 

She does. “No.”

“Really? Short brown hair, decently tall, wears her Furret as a scarf sometimes-“

Of course she remembers the scarf Furret. It was adorable, so much so that kids pointed and cooed every time she stepped into the station. “Seems impractical in this weather.”

“-always seems to be asking about you.”

Heat rises to her cheeks. “How about we stop talking now?”

He starts to stroke at his beard, but it does little to hide the growing smirk. “I got to chatting with her the other day— works in Castelia! Some absolutely lovely restaurants there, perfect for-”

Cloud marches forward and snatches the tin of cookies off of the tabletop. “You don’t deserve these.”

All he does is laugh.

Cloud huffs and barges out of the break room, the radio on her hip instructing her to head towards the singles line, to which she complies. Weaving through the crowds of people with purpose, greeting a few of the passengers she recognizes with a smile and a wave.

She spies a pair of boys standing hand-in-hand and rocking back and forth on their heels as they wait at the platform. They’re completely identical, same height, same messy gray hair, the only differences Cloud can spot are their clothes and expressions— one dressed in orange, the other in navy blue, one smiling and one frowning. They seem familiar in a way she just can’t quite place.

“Make sure you-”

“Stand behind the yellow line, yes!” the frowning boy in navy overalls finishes. “We’ve performed our safety checks, no need to worry!” He points down to their shoes, proudly showing off how yes, they were standing behind the yellow line.

Cloud chuckles and gives a slight bow. “Well, hats off to you, Mr…?”

“Ingo!”

“I am Emmet,” his brother adds on.

Hearing their names, everything clicks. Years worth of breakroom chats about family outings, photo after photo being shoved under her nose as he gushes about the boys pictured.

“Here on your day off, Sonny?” Cloud asks, straightening up and giving him a sly smirk. “Didn’t know you missed us that much.”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. We’re just heading to go visit my brother up in Opelucid!” he says with a dismissive wave of the hand.

Cloud hums, suddenly aware of the container tucked under her arm. “Say, does that brother of yours have a sweet tooth?” A nod. “Perfect! You can have these, then. No use in me keeping them around.”

Sonny grabs the tin and rips off the lid, trotting over to his sons who each take one that they immediately cram into their mouths, Sonny included. 

“Just carrying those around?”

“They were supposed to be for Ramses but… he doesn’t deserve them.” Cloud explains with a shrug. Her eyes slide over to look at the woman, who’s smiling fondly. “You’re Ella, aren’t you? I’ve heard a lot of stories.”

“Only good things, I hope.”

Cloud scoffs. “Please, I don’t think Sonny has ever said a bad thing about you. Don’t think he knows how.”

The rattling of the approaching train drowns out Ella’s laughter as she steps forward grabbing the tin and pressing the lid back on. 

“Say thank you to Cloud, boys,” she instructs, and when the three all turn to face her and salute, Cloud can’t stop herself from bursting into laughter. 

…

The heavy smell of mildew and minerals hangs in the air like a thick fog, the calls of Zubat fainter than he ever remembers them being. His eyes burn as he scans the tunnel walls, illuminated with a yellow-tinged glow coming from the lantern in his hand.

“I swear, why is Indira still making us do these inspections?” Cloud asks, rising from her crouched position and popping her back with a hiss. “She’s got plenty of younger agents who need to learn how to do this crap.”

Ramses tries for a laugh, but all the dust that’s made its way into his throat makes it come out more as a wheeze. After a moment to recover, he tries again. “I’m sure she would just pair one of the twins with Isadore and watch them bicker through the cameras. Nothing would end up getting done and we’d have to do it anyway.”

She grumbles, but nods in agreement anyway.

“Besides, this is our only chance to get away from those crazy kids.”

Cloud snorts. “Speak for yourself, I’m escaping, don’t you remember?”

Ramses groans, and Cloud’s teasing grin grows. “Don’t remind me. You get two whole weeks of a tropical vacation while I’m stuck here babysitting.”

“Aww, don’t be too sad! I’ll be sure to bring you a souvenir.” She jabs him playfully in the ribs, his startled cry sending a pair of Zubats fleeing into the darkness.

“Honestly, you should be bringing me along; I’m the reason you and Julia got together in the first place. You never would have talked to her if it weren’t for my thoughtful encouragement.”

“Well, argue your case to the in-laws and have them buy you a ticket if it matters to you that much. It’s their anniversary party.”

Ramses only sighs. As much as he loves Julia, her parents are a lost cause. Too out of touch for his tastes. He’ll stick to the city, thanks. “Maybe Issac and I should take an anniversary trip one of these days.”

“Dragons know you deserve it.” Cloud clicks her pen, scribbling down a few notes on the report sheet. “I don’t think Alola would be your thing, but Jules and I went to Kalos for our honeymoon and it seems like something you would like.”

“Well, I’ll look into it.” Ramses throws a pokéball at a Rattata scuttling across the tracks. “Is it just me, or are there more of these around than normal?”

She shrugs and crouches back down, mumbling under her breath as she inspects the tracks, writing down a few more notes. “I think we’re good for this section, yeah?”

With a nod, they’re heading further down the tunnel, the sound of their footsteps echoing off of the walls. The familiarity of the scene soothes him, comforts him right down to the marrow of his bones. How many times have they done this, and how many more will they?

They come to a stop at the next checkpoint, the lantern and the clipboard trading hands as Cloud stoops down and shoos away a curious Spinarak.

“Indira’s getting up there in years-” he starts.

“You say that like we aren’t.”

“-who do you think she’ll be promoting? You think she’ll ever retire?” Cloud pauses, face pensive as she speculates an answer. “Personally, I think she’ll go with the twins.”

The thought of those boys being his bosses sends a pang of nostalgia right through his heart. It seems like just yesterday they were toddling around, each hanging onto one of their mother’s legs as they came up from Anville to visit their father during his lunch break.

“Both of ‘em?”

“Honestly? Yeah. You know how much they love the subway, more than she does— which is damn hard to do. We need something new, and two bosses means the lines wouldn’t have to run on such a strict schedule.”

Cloud nods, her hair bouncing. “You’ve got a point. I don’t think they would let her get away with promoting just one of them, either.”

“How do you think Isadore’s gonna take that?”

“Horribly,” she says without a lick of hesitation. “He’s a good kid, just… not her taste for a successor.”

“You think he’ll quit?”

“Nah. He’ll get bent out of shape for a bit, sure, but he’ll stay. I’m sure of it.”

Cloud nods in agreement and stands back up, adjusting the lantern in her grip. “Alright. We’re all good. Time to head back?”

“Sounds perfect.”

…

When she pushes open the door to the employee lounge, Cloud can’t really say she was expecting her former boss to be leaning against the counter, chatting with one of her coworkers and eating the cookies she brought in for Cameron’s birthday. She can’t really say she wasn’t expecting it, though, so she just waves absentmindedly and heads to make herself a cup of coffee.

Pouring herself a cup and mixing in the sugar, Cloud takes a long, slow sip before feeling the sting of a curious pair of eyes on her. 

“Hey, you old hag,” she greets with a mischievous smile.

“Good to see my favorite employee just got bumped down a rank.” Indira grins back, all teeth. “I leave and you go and lose all your manners.”

Cloud pulls her into a hug so tight she hears Indira’s spine pop as she squeezes, alongside Jackie’s amused hum as they watch. Pulling away after a few seconds, Indira’s eyes turn back to the counter.

“Ooh, the boys finally replaced that old hunk of junk?”

She snorts, in awe of the audacity of this woman. “It’s not like you did anything about it. How many agents retired cursing that old thing on their way out?”

“I had bigger Magikarp to fry when I was in the captain's cabin! The things I sacrificed so my successors could have a long and prosperous career.” Indira shakes her head. “And if I had to guess, probably around six.”

Sinking down into a chair, Indira props her feet up on the table and Cloud joins her, staring down into her mug. 

“How’s retirement treating you?”

“Oh, it's lovely! Just came back from Johto— you ever see the Sprout Tower? Lovely place. Liepard had the time of his life playing with the Bellsprout.” She twirls a lock of gray-streaked hair around her finger. “What about you? Anything new?”

“Trust me, never a dull moment,” a lazy voice comments, and Cloud doesn’t even flinch. After so many years, you get used to it.

Indira cackles. “You still workin’ like a dog, Jacks?”

“If nobody else will, it falls to me.” They jerk a thumb towards Cloud. “She and Ramses have been slacking lately.”

“Have they now?”

“When you’ve been here as long as we have, you learn to let the young ones do all the hard stuff,” Rames tuts. “Someone’s gotta know how to do it when we’re gone.”

Jackie shrugs and breezes out of the break room with a salute.

“Ramses! My love, how have you been?” She claps her hands together excitedly. “You and Issac just got back from Kalos, didn’t you?”

“We did!” His face falls the slightest bit as he scratches at his cheek awkwardly. “He caught a Flabébé that I think he loves more than me.”

“Don’t feel bad. Jules did the same to me with the Meowth she got in Alola a few years back.” She cringes, thinking of all the ties she’d lost to its claws. 

“And that, my friends, is why I’m still a bachelorette.”

“You’re not allowed to be in here.”

All three of their heads snap over to the door, where Isadore is standing, arms crossed and tapping his foot.

Indira beams, shooting up out of her seat. “Hey hey hey, Dori! How’s life been treating you?”

“Please don’t call me that.” Isadore pinches the bridge of his nose. “Acting familiar with me won’t change the fact that you’re not allowed to be here. Please leave.”

She flaps her hand dismissively and pulls a card out of her pocket, frisbeeing it his way. He catches it mid-air and examines it with a frown.

“This ID is expired.”

“So?

Isadore huffs again and marches over to the table, grabbing Indira by the elbow, dragging her towards the door.

“We’ve gotta do dinner sometime, you two!” she calls over her shoulder as Isadore shoves her out into the station. “Bring Jules and Issac too, I haven’t seen them in ages!”

“Give us a date, time and place and we’ll be there!” Ramses chortles as he waves her off.

As soon as Isadore lets her go, Indira’s sprinting through the station, catapulting herself over a turnstyle. “Full steam ahead!”

Ramses strokes at his beard. “I don’t know how she does it.”

“Me neither.” Cloud shudders. “My knees hurt just looking at her.”

[naomisimagines]

I really enjoyed your responses to the requests I sent in! Especially that Raihan being interested in the the trainer SO. Very cool twist on it! Could you do a part 2 by chance? Like the time for the reader to challenge Raihan has come and there is a bunch of anticipation for the match, not just from the fans but for Raihan and the SO. Perhaps Raihan is finally going to make a move regardless of how the match ends and properly confess.

thanks for coming back for another request, it is much appreciated!!

~~*spoilers for Raihan’s Gym Team

~~

The day had finally arrived

You stood in front of Hammerlocke Stadium, clutching your newly evolved Goodra’s Poke Ball in your hand

A crowd had gathered around upon noticing your arrival into the city 

Your and Raihan’s match was highly anticipated at this point

He had been seen at all of your recent matches, simply lounging in the press box with a smug smirk on his face

Even your match in Circhester!

Pretty much everyone in Galar knew that Raihan had his eyes on you

You could hear the whispers of the crowd from behind you now

“Wow, that’s the Dragon Trainer Raihan’s been looking out for!”

“Oh my goodness! I can’t believe it’s actually them!”

“This is going to be the most intense match in the Gym Challenge so far!”

“I can’t wait to see what kind of strategy they’ve come up with this time!”

You blushed slightly, grateful for all of their kind praise

But you knew there was no more stalling, Raihan was waiting for inside of the stadium

You knew, deep down, that your strategy was going to prevail

You had prepared it especially for him

And you were even going to use one of his own Pokemon against him!

So, without wasting another second, you charged into his stadium, prepared to take him down once and for all

As you were sliding on your uniform, you couldn’t help but blush at the thought of actually going into battle against Raihan

On one hand, you had looked up to and respected Raihan for many years

But now, on the other hand, Raihan had become a good friend of yours

Well, and of course, your attraction to him too, but that was a one-sided deal for sure

What the media and the public didn’t know was that Raihan had accompanied you all the way from Route 7 to Spikemuth

Cause after you had parted ways in Hammerlocke, Raihan had come running after you once again

You sighed as soon as you saw him, and he had sarcastically retorted back, “What, not excited to see me again sweetheart?”

“No, not at all,” you said back blandly, “Why are you following me everywhere?”

He smirks at you, before answering, “Well, I gotta be completely prepared for our match, don’t I? Can’t have the rival to my throne of best Dragon Trainer beating me in my own Gym, can I?”

“You sure can,” you say, a challenging smirk rising up on your face, “Cause I’m going to beat you fair and square when it’s time. I’ll be the one taking the victory selfie!”

Raihan just laughs at your words and answers, “Man, it’s real fun to rile you up! But… I hope you can back up those words this time, cause you’ll be in trouble if you don’t!”

The two of you bantered like this all the way until Circhester, where he just somehow magically disappeared or something… you’ll never know

And he had come chasing after you once again on your trek to Spikemuth

But after your battle with Piers, Raihan had disappeared, and Piers had walked up to you

“Hey uh,” he had started, “I’m not the best with words and all, but I’ve seriously never seen Raihan so dedicated to getting to know someone… And honestly, I doubt this is all just for one battle. I’d watch out, he’s probably got some outlandish idea in his brain again. Oh well, what do I know… good luck with that one, kid.”

Needless to say, you were pondering over what Piers had said as you walked back to Hammerlocke

But you had mostly forgotten about it as you had re-entered the Wild Area, as your spirit reignited in you and you were pumped to plan out your strategy to take him down

And now, here you were, striding into Hammerlocke Stadium, ready to take him down

As the two of you walked out from opposing side of the stadium, you already saw the cocky smirk present on his face

You tried to look as confident as possible, but a smile kept trying to come onto your lips

And as the two of you faced off in the center of the stadium, Raihan smirked even wider before saying, “Come on y/n! I can literally see you trying to hold back a smile over there!”

Without hesitating or realizing, you blurted out, “Well that’s cause I’m excited to battle you, okay?!”

For once, Raihan completely freezes and doesn’t say anything 

Someone from the crowd calls out, “Wow, Raihan’s been defeated by someone other than Leon! And not even in a Pokemon battle!”

The crowd goes up in an uproar at the comment, and Raihan’s eye twitches before he blushes deeply and turns around without another word

You wordlessly dart to your spot, and turn around just as the feral look returns to Raihan’s eyes

“Alright, let’s go Flygon and Gigalith!,” he yells, the crowd screaming in excitement as he does so

You smile before exclaiming, “It’s our time to shine! Go Goodra and Milotic!”

The crowd cheers once again as your Pokemon land on the ground 

He quirks an eyebrow at you from across the way at your choice of Pokemon, but you smirk back at him just as Gigalith’s Sand Stream ability kicks in

You take in a deep breath quickly before yelling, “Alright Milotic, let’s go! Use Hydro Pump on Gigalith! And Goodra, use Dragon Pulse on Flygon!”

You hear Raihan yell commands at the other side of the field, but the sandstorm raging through the stadium is making it hard for you to perceive things

However, you watch as both of your Pokemon land super effective hits on his Pokemon

And even manage to take them down in one hit!

You and the audience cheer out in surprise as Raihan saltily returns his Pokemon

The sandstorms fades slightly, and Raihan calls out to you, “Wow, you really trained up your team, didn’t you? Don’t think you’re going to get away with this!”

You smile back at him confidently, and return your Goodra to its Poke Ball before calling out your Flygon in its place

He calls out his final two Pokemon, his Sandaconda and his signature Pokemon, Duraludon

You were going to have Milotic deal with Sandaconda and Flygon deal with Duraludon

Raihan smirks wildly, before calling out, “Bring the storm Duraludon! Let’s send everyone in the stadium flying!”

Your heart started pounding wildly as you watched Duraludon Gigantamax 

You and your Flygon shared a look before you yelled, “We’re not backing down now! Let’s go, Flygon! Dynamax!”

As Flygon dynamaxed, Raihan exclaim, “You’re using one of my own Pokemon against me? You got guts sweetheart!”

You smirked and yelled back, “Yeah, but you’re about to feel our power! Flygon, use Max Quake!”

The earth shook with the power of Flygon’s attack, and you knew Duraludon took quite a hit

Milotic then used Hydro Pump on his Sandaconda, managing to knock it out, but Duraludon was still standing tall

Raihan smirked and yelled, “This is my chance! Alright, Duraludon, use Max Wrymwind!”

You watch as Flygon takes the hit, clearly flinching at the force of the move, but you cheer out as she shakes it off, crying out again

Raihan blinks a couple times in surprise before you command Flygon to use Max Quake again

His Duraludon was already weak, so your hit did massive damage, and you cried out in happiness as the sandstorm completely faded and you saw Raihan’s shocked and impressed face, complete with a little pout

The two of you walked towards the center of the stadium and the cheers of the crowd are practically shaking the entire building

As you both stop in front of each other, Raihan says, “I’ve never seen a crowd go so wild after a match! You really are something, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

“Ah, come on Raihan, that was wayyy too easy!,” you say sarcastically, “You got a soft spot for me or something?”

“Aww come one, don’t call me out like this sweetheart,” Raihan says smirking, raising his hand to tilt your chin upwards slightly

“Of course I do, I do like you after all.”

“How about I take you out for a real date tonight?,” Raihan says cockily, “That is, if you’re up for it…”

“Sweetheart.”

~~

Masterlist

~~

[bunnyswriting]

That Darn Smile

Paring: Raihan x Reader

Content level: Just some cute fluff

Notes: Ooooo first story, wow I’m rusty lol. This got a lot longer than planned, but it’s no biggie. Anyways! Quick dragon man story, just some cute stuff, nothing major so far (also I had no beta reader and wrote this in the middle of the night)

Masterlist

It hadn’t been all that surprising to you when you got a sudden call from you good friend, Leon. The Galarian Champion had been your friend for quite some time now, ever since a trip you took to his home region six years ago to study under Professor Magnolia.

What did surprise you, however, was when you got in call and heard how frantic he was. You managed to calm him down and ended up getting into a video chat, knowing he found it easier to explain things to you when speaking face to face.

He explains it all to you: the upcoming finale of the Gym Challenge and the chairman who’d gone rogue and nearly destroyed to entire region by summoning an ancient legendary pokemon.

“Luckily there was a very talented young gym challenger with me- his name’s Victor, he’s more or less Hop’s rival. He was able to capture Eternatus but these last 24 hours have been absolutely…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words.

“Exhausting?” you offered with an understanding smile, leaning on your desk as you looked up at your floating rotom phone.

“Yes! And the Gym Challenge finale is still going to happen today, I’d never cancel it- but we have no idea what to do about the chairman. He’s turned himself in, as well as the majority of his staff who the police are considering his co-conspirators,” he continued on, taking off his signature sports cap and pushing his purple bangs back.

You mulled over everything he’d told you in your mind and sat back in your seat, glancing over when you heard a curious cooing noise besides you. You turn your head and meet the eyes of your trusted Dragonair who slithers besides you and lays her head on your shoulder.

You smile gently as you run a hand down her side before speaking again. “So, before you continue, let me guess what you’re going to say next. You’ll explain that there’s no one else to take on the position of chairman at this moment in time and you’ll need at least a temporary replacement until you can find someone to permanently fill the role. You’re coming to me, as both a friend and professional, in the hopes that I can perform the duty of chairman due to my experience running the Indigo League here in Kanto for the last two years,” you rattled off, and once you saw the somewhat-shocked look on Leon’s face, you knew you’d hit the mark.

A grin slowly makes its way onto his face and he quickly nods, “that’s exactly right, (name). Professor Oak’s already reached out to Magnolia in order to recommend you, and so has Juniper after your studies and work in Unova. So… will you do it?” he finally asks, and you can hear the slight desperation in his voice. 

You’re his best option right now.

“Well... it is the off season for the league in Kanto right now and the majority of our gym leaders are on vacation. I’ll still have to find someone to take over for me while I’m gone, but that shouldn’t be too hard, I’m sure I can get in touch with Oak’s grandson,” you mused, tapping a finger to your chin as you seemingly thought aloud. 

You glance back over at Leon and sigh, clasping your hands together with a cheeky smile. “Well Lee, just book me the next ticket out of Kanto and you’ve got yourself a temporary chairwoman.”

The man looks like he could practically jump up and out of his seat with excitement and he grins wildly, “Yes!! I won’t be able to thank you enough for this, (nickname)! I’ve already checked the tickets, there’s a flight at the airport just outside of Celadon city in a few hours, think you’ll be able to make it in time?”

“Oh it’s no issue, I can call a cab within the hour. I’ll be in Galar before you know it, you just go and get ready for that battle of yours, champ,” you assure him, excited for what’s to come.

The two of you exchange goodbyes and as soon as you end the call you jump up, bounding around your house and making all the necessary preparations. You pack a luggage bag of makeshift clothing, toiletries, and anything else you might need for at least two weeks of being abroad. You call Blue, Oak’s grandson, and let him know that you’ll be needing him to fill in for you for a little while- he has no issue with this, and accepts the job in his regular cocky fashion.

Before you know it you’re up in the air, your Dragonair settled into her pokeball on your hip, and you stare out the window and watch clouds and ocean go by as you imagine all that awaits you in Galar.

---

After a not very brief five hour flight you’d touched down in Wyndon airport, just a few miles north of the actual city itself. As soon as you step out of the plane and take your rotom phone off airplane mode, you’re bombarded with a sudden rush of notifications you hadn’t been able to receive while up in the sky.

You skim all your messages, a few were from Blue letting you know all was alright in Kanto, a few were from your family and friends wishing you a safe landing, and the more recent ones were from Leon letting you know he wouldn’t be able to pick you up from the airport himself.

You momentarily wonder why, but when you look around the sudden realization hits you.

Every person in the airport around you is glued to their phones, watching the little screens with excitement.

The Gym Challenge finale match was underway, it’d started as you were approaching Galar.

You reread Leon’s message and see he’d assured you that a friend of his would be there to pick you up instead.

With a shrug of your shoulders, you pat the pokeball on your belt to let your Dragonair know all is okay, before heading onto baggage claim to retrieve your luggage.

Minutes later you have you bag in tow, lugging it towards the exit. You walk out curiously, smiling as soon as you feel the bright sun on your skin, the crisp air refreshing you after hours of being cooped up. 

Curious, you glance around, searching for whoever might be here to pick you up. Leon never specified which friend it’d be picking you up, all he said was a ‘friend’, and if he wasn’t in the middle of a very important battle right now you would’ve already called him with questions. 

However, it doesn’t take you very long to figure out who your guide will be. 

Down the road a bit you’re able to spy a tall lad jogging in your general direction. His skin tone was on the darker side, and his fashion sense was rather flashy- with a bright orange bandanna around his head and a slightly oversized dragon themed jacket covering his torso.

You recognized him quickly; Raihan, Galar’s very own dragon tamer, and Leon’s longtime rival.

You decide to make it a bit easier for him and meet him halfway by walking towards him.

“(Name), hey, I’m-” he begins, but you’re quick to cut him off and spare his breath.

“Raihan, no need to introduce himself, as a fan of dragon-types there’s no way I wouldn’t know who you are. Also you’re a friend of Leon’s- or should I say rival? Maybe both,” you reply with a bit of a laugh.

Now that he’s standing before you you’re able to fully realize his height- and he practically towers over you. He looks down at you with a bright grin and you can practically feel the energy emanating off of him, but his eyes are what catch your attention the most.

They’re a striking and almost electric blue, and you don’t quite realize that you’re staring until he points it out himself.

“Enjoying the view, sweetheart?” he asks with a confident smirk, and you blush as you avert your eyes to the ground. 

He laughs a bit, and you pout at how he finds your embarrassment amusing. 

“Hey now, no need to be shy, I’ve heard a lot about you too- mostly from Leon, he thinks you’re a genius,” he explains, which makes you glance back up at him.

“Wait really? What’s he said-” you ask, interest piqued, but you’re cut off by a growling noise.

Your face flushes when you realize the noise came from your own stomach.

You and Raihan make eye contact before bursting into laughter, yours being a bit more shy as you wrap an arm around your stomach.

“I guess a five hour flight will leave your fuel tank pretty empty, huh?” you mutter, shoulders slouched.

A hand gets placed on your shoulder, making the blush on your cheeks somehow even redder, and you glance up to see Raihan smiling down at you, “no worries, happens to the best of us. I know a great cafe nearby, we can swing by for a bite to eat and maybe watch Leon’s match- if it hasn’t already ended, he tends to wipe out the competition.”

“Does the competition which gets wiped involve you?” you ask with a bit of a cheeky look, grinning when you see how the comment took him aback.

“Hey now, there’s a reason I’m the eighth gym leader, I’ve nearly beat Leon on several occasions,” he retorts, quick to defend his pride.

“Oh I have no doubt, you’ll have to let me see those dueling skills of yours,” you suggest, patting the pokeball on your hip.

The smile on his face is infectious, and you find yourself smiling up at him in return at no time.

---

An hour later you’re sat atop one of the hills in northern Wyndon, the stadium out in the distance. The sounds of the crowd can be heard miles away, but that’s not your main focus right now.

No, your focus is the bombastic and confident man before you, who’s in the midst of telling the story of a rather exciting battle he had not too long ago. You’d been getting to know each other and already blended rather well, being a little more than friendly right off the bat.

“- so there I was, two pokemon left- my Gigalith and Duraludon. The bastard I’m battling is getting cocky, thinking he’s so clever with a team of fairy types. Clearly he’d forgotten that my star gigantamax-er is half steel. So I gigantamax, Duraludon grows to the size of a skyscraper, and I whip out the move Max Steelspike!” he explains, reliving the story with such vivid energy that you feel like you’re there watching the battle yourself.

“Do you wipe the rest of his pokemon?” you ask with a smirk, his energy contagious enough to get you incredibly invested.

“I wipe the rest of his pokemon!” he exclaims and you giggle, laying back and leaning into the grass.

Raihan takes out his rotom phone and flips it open, letting it float above both of you as he takes a seat beside you. “Smile for the camera, sweetheart,” he says with a wide grin, bearing those sharp canines of his.

You blush upon hearing that little nickname but decide to just go along with his request, putting up a peace sign with one hand and giving a closed eye smile. 

You hear the audible click of a picture being snapped and the phone floats back to him and he grabs it to quickly show you the photo. “Oh, this is a good one, definitely getting posted, you look adorable,” he teases you.

“You don’t look too bad either, handsome,” you reply smoothly, feeling comfortable enough to flirt with the renowned ‘dragon tamer’.

You notice a slight jitter in his movements, your little comment catching him off guard, but he’s quick to bounce back with his confident personality. “Well that’s a change- earlier you could barely stare at me without getting as red as an Applin, now you’re flirting?” he muses, putting his phone away as he lays down in the grass next to you.

Your eyes meet and you get to stare into his, still a bright blue in spite of the setting sun.

“Ah well, I’m think I’m past the initial intimidation. You have a bit of an… overpowering presence,” you admit, giggling a bit as he quirks an eyebrow at you..

“Is that so?” he asks, folding his arms behind his head as a grin settles onto his face.

“Oh yes,” you murmur with a nod, turning your head to face him, “but I’ve gotta be careful with how much I feed that ego of yours. If I compliment you too much you might just end up exploding.”

He feigns hurt and and clasps a hand to his chest, gripping the front of his jacket, “oh, sweetheart, you wound me!” he exclaims dramatically, moving his other arm and wrapping it around your shoulders, tugging you closer to him.

You recognize this tactic, he just wants to make you flustered and get a rise out of you, but you refuse to give in. In fact, you decide to one up him.

“I wounded you? Oh I’m sorry, maybe this will help,” you reply, leaning up in his arms and planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Now you’ve got him.

He stutters over his own words momentarily, and you’re able to see the faint blush on his cheeks.

A smile quickly replaces his shocked expression though, and you find yourself grinning back all the same.

You didn’t know how long you’d be in Galar, but so long as he was around you knew you’d be just fine.

[the-endless-storm]

Nuzlocke Shield Part Six

Part Five

After a bit of training to get everyone up to the same level, and hitting up the move Re-learner, I went back to Route 9 to explore and fight trainers. Everything was going well, until a Cloyster managed to get a lucky 5 hits with Icicle Spear and knocked out Ddraig. Blast it.

Ddraig is KO'd

With Ddraig out for the count, I rely on Chamomile before going back to Spikemuth and sneaking in.

I take Spritz out of storage and evolve him into a Vikavolt. He does have a good SAk boosting nature, so there is room for him to work out well. I don’t have much in terms of Dark beating Pokemon, so I lead with Bullseye to fight Marnie and pray for the best.

The battle animation for Mudsdale using Body Press is one of the worst. It spins around, kicks out it’s back legs then flies up and lands on the enemy Pokemon with its back legs still kicked out. Looks absolutely ridiculous. Still knocks out Leipard in one shot, so I can’t complain.

Bullseye's Stamina kicks in with a Crunch from Scrafty which means Body Press will do more damage. Two hits take out Scrafty.

Toxic rock gets a Sucker Punch in first, more Stamina for me, but swallows an earthquake whole and suffers for it.

Morpeko starts with Torment, which technically should have stopped me using Earthquake (as I’d just used it) but it doesn’t stop me one shooting the little Pikachu knock off.

Ah Spikemuth, the poor man's Po Town. I get that Team Yell are just meant to be over eager fans, but the whole city on lock down just doesn’t cut it. They are officially the worst 'team' and really don’t deserve any kind of promotion. Any other team would have kidnapped Gym Challengers by now.

Team Yell always come out in pairs, and this game really dropped the ball on having more double battles. A handful of trainer battles here and there, one here in Spikemuth and Raihan's Gym and that's it. I love Double Battles (and Hoard Battles and Rotation Battles but let’s not open up old wounds) I want more.

Ok, I might love Double Battles but obviously my lack of doing them often enough has rendered me incapable of doing them properly.

I swap out Chamomile for Pina Colada so Bullseye can Earthquake and hit both Pokemon, with the grass type tanking the hit. I don’t take into consideration a Poison Fang from Draipion which leaves Pina hanging on with a mere 10HP. Luckily, Bullseye knocks the other two out, but that could have been a disaster again.

Time to heal up and use the first Ether of the game to give Bullseye enough PP to spam Body Press for the battle with Piers.

A single Sand Attack from Scrafty has had me miss more than I’d have liked, and Malamar did some hefty damage with various attacks, but they both fell. I heal up and let Obstagoon have a first hit, which is then followed its Obstruct. Thanks to Bullseye's Stamina having maxes out my defence, the harsh drop doesn’t do much, and Body Press knocks out Obstagoon in one hit.

Skuntank leads with Toxic, Earthquake leaves it on a silver of HP, but it doesn’t do enough damage to me again and falls the next turn.

Dark Badge get!

Oh you want me to come help with a disaster on Route 9? I'd love to.

Oh never mind, Leon is here. I guess I’ll back inside then.

Considering the big deal they made at the start of the game about Leon being unable to find his way around, he does a great job of immediately running in the direction he's meant to go in. It would have been hilarious if he ran off down the wrong way, then stopped and doubled back. Having said that..

When a game that tells you “wild Pokemon started dynamaxing all over the place” but fails to show it is such a cop out. Ruby and Sapphire making it sunny or raining everywhere on the map was a far more effective way of showing the disaster taking place than just a couple of characters running around talking about it. They couldn’t even manage an actual “Ka-BOOM” and had to put it in a text box. Such a disappointment.

Speaking of characters talking about it, Hop is hanging around on the outskirts of Route 7. Yep, more talking about wild dynamaxing Pokemon. Thrilling.

Route 7 I’ve already done the encounter, so let's just shoot back to Hammerlocke with a quick trainer battle on the way.

Bullseye is the first of my team to reach level 50.

I have done a lot of cycling around, picking up items, selling and buying potions and heals and levelling up Spritz. Now everyone is at level 50 and I'm going to face Raihan.

As I said about double battles before, I remember that Raihan's gym rookies are all weather based battles. For the Rain Dance battle I’ll use Spritz and Pina Colada, as the latter's Swim Swim will come into play. Pelipper eats a Thunderbolt, Sligoo falls to a Bug Buzz and Energy Ball combo. Next!

Otis should do well in the next Sunny Day battle as he has Flash Fire, and Bullseye can do some heavy damage even without using Earthquake.

Turtonator's Shell Trap is a little tricky, and Bullseye got burned on the first turn. I focus on knocking out Ninetales so I can get both pokemon to attack the Turt'. It's going to spam Shell Trap which is hurting Bullseye but that just means Stamina is going to keep boosting Body Press' damage, so the battle is over before I need to use more potions.

Last up, Hail. Otis is out again along with Cyanide. Cyanide's Quick Draw lets it go first and it knocks Hakamo-o out with a single Psychic. I forgot it was a fighting dragon, so that was a spot of luck on my part. Otis' Fire Lash has the desired and expected effect on a x4 weak Pokemon. Raihan is up next.

It's cool that the Hammerlocke Stadium isn't a standard stadium like all the others and is obviously the castle, but having the battle take place in the same area as all the others is disappointing. I would have loved to see more themed Gyms rather than repeats of the same thing every time. This is why long time pokemon fans were so disappointed with Sword and Shield.

I heal up and swap my team around a little, this match might be difficult. I'm leading with Bullseye and Cyanide. No Quick Draw to start but Stamina lets Body Press do half damage to Gigalith and Icy Wind from Cyanide levels the HP of Flygon down to the same as Gig.

A Crunch from Flygon hurts Cyanide, but he takes it. Another Body Press gets rid of Gigalith and Icy Wind knocks out Flygon. So far so good.

With Raihan brining both Pokemon out at the same time and Gigantamaxing Duraldon straight away, I Dmax Bullseye and swap Cyanide out for Pina Colada. Hopefully Pina can tank any ground attacks. Max Duraldon uses Max Quake in Pina and takes out a third of his HP, and Sandaconda attacks it too, but it stays alive with only 12HP! I heal Pina and continue to attack Duraldon with Max Quakes and Knuckles. Duraldon is tough, it is tanking these attacks.

Ok, GMax Depletion looks amazing, I have no idea what it's done though. Pina has been untargetted so knocks out Sandaconda with a single Energy Ball. The Dynamaxing will be over both both sides after this turn so I can focus all my attacks on Duraldon. Another Energy Ball and Body Press finally knocks it out.

Dragon Badge get!

Final Badge get!

Time to call it. I have to do my AC dailies too. Next time, Wyndon!

Also, if you’re enjoying reading my Nuzlocke progress, you should check out Mattoyaki’s own playthrough which he started after reading through mine. His has pictures and he’s set a lot more rules against himself that in hindsight, I should have used too. You can find his Part One here.

Current Team

Bullseye - Mudsdale (lv 52)

Otis - Heatmor (lv 51)

Chamomile - Polteageist (lv 51)

Cyanide - Slowbro (lv 52)

Pina Colada - Ludicolo (lv 51)

Spritz - Vikavolt (lv 51)

Boxed

Joltik   |   Slowpoke   |   Charjabug   |   Croagunk   |   Oddish   |   Snorunt

Sizzlepede   |   Sneasel   |   Chubcoo   |   Lombre   |   Pelipper   |   Carcoal

Machoke   |   Dubwool   |   Shelmet   |   Sandaconda   |   Delibird   |   Cramorant

Jigglypuff   |   Chansey

Losses

Bandit the Nickit - Knocked out by a fat squirrel

Gumball the Tympole - Devoured by a centipede with a moustache

Castlevania the Rookidee - Torn apart by a cute mole

HaagenDazs the Vanillite - Murdered in an act of revenge by a smelly frog

Ddraig the Druddigon - Speared by a selfish shellfish

Wild Area Tracker

All but Axew's Eye

Isle of Armour Tracker

Final Part

[epic-summaries]

British LegendsxPokémon - Oneshot

The muses gave me random inspiration and I wrote this. It became an exercise in worldbuilding. Think of Druids as Proto-Professors and Knights as Masters.

I hope this is a little good, it’s the first time I write a story in a few years. I better start practicing again because this was fun.

The Pokémon Squire

Arthur fidgeted with his golden hair. It was time for him to start his quest to become a knight. He was ten now. It was a special time, since this was when a child became a squire and received their first Pokémon. A child’s first Pokémon was very important, not just because they would be given a companion for life but also because they would be judged on that first Pokémon. It was the Pokémon which best described and represented you as a person. If someone received a Timburr, they were bond to become builders. Anyone with a Happiny were going to be healers. A Smeargle meant you were going to be an artiste. Anyone getting a Gible, you were going to be a knight. If you received a Pyukumuku, you probably weren’t going to do much in life.

That morning, Arthur’s father Sir Ector, the leader of their town, started the ceremony. Arthur was awaken at sunrise. Then was forced to have a special berry drink, made to bath in river, dressed in the ceremonial robes of eighteen colours (each representing a Pokémon type), he was given a Mew amulet, then his family brought him to edge of the forest. The ceremony was there for luck. Everyone wanted the best Pokémon for them.

Arthur’s mind raced. What if his Pokémon hated him? What if Arthur wasn’t worthy of them? What if he got a weak Pokémon and his father would be disappointed in him? If Arthur wanted to do anything in this world he couldn’t get a Finneon. Sure, they are beautiful to look at but they were not much use in battle. Kay would make fun of him. His father would be disappointed. Arthur needed a strong Pokémon if he wanted to do anything in this world. He wanted to be a Pokémon knight.

A Lucario walked out of the forest. Arthur looked back at his father and brother. Ector nodded proudly and Kay gave him a thumbs up. Torchic jumped up and down in front of Kay. Arthur almost felt calm enough to laugh.

He followed the Lucario into the forest.

Arthur had been in this forest many times. He normally liked to watch the Pokémon. The Cartepies and Treeckos climbing the trees. Brelooms fighting over territory. Seedots hoping in and out of view. At night, you had to be careful because Murkrows would try to steal anything shiny on your person. A few days ago, Arthur saw a Raichu hurrying up her littler of Pichus. However, Arthur didn’t notice anything on this walk. He was concentrating on Lucario like his life depending on it. He didn’t want to get lost. A person could be surprised how easily the dark blue fur could melt into the forest.

The two of them reached the Druid’s chapel after what seemed like days to Arthur. They called it a chapel but it was nothing like the man made religious buildings in town. This was the spiritual heart the forest said to have been touched by a Mythical Pokémon. There were different legends told around the campfire. Most people said the chapel was made by Celebie. Once Arthur heard the cave was made by a Victini celebrating a victorious Brutus. Another said Manaphy blessed it after an ancient ground Pokémon created it.

Guarding the chapel’s entrance was a Drampa. It wasn’t Arthur’s first time seeing that Drampa. Drampa liked to play with the child of the town. Arthur was the first one brave enough to take a ride with him. Then Kay went on a ride, saying if Arthur could do it, he would too.

Absol was sleeping near Drampa. He was kicking his left leg while making a yelping noise. He was dreaming. Arthur felt better that Absol was sleeping. He didn’t have to warn about a disaster.

Xatu stood unblinkly watching something. No one knew quite what she was watching. Was it the past? Was it the future? Was it both? Did she see far off lands? Only Xatu knew.

The last Pokémon protecting the cave was Torterra. Torterra’s head slowly followed Lucario and Arthur when they entered the cave.

Arthur could feel the spiritual strength of the chapel. The walls were covered with paintings. Arthur recognized Arceus creating the world and Mew. There was a scene of Celebi riding Keldeo. There were scenes of humans and Pokémon living together, working side by side or battling. There were Pokémon he recognized, like Sceptile, Flygon and Politoed. But there were also Pokémon unrecognizable to him, like a colourful rock bird or a beautiful icy long neck reptile. Arthur recognized Rhiannon riding a Musdale, Julius Caesar riding his Bravery claiming this island for himself. There were moments from modern history as well, Aurelus and Uthyr riding on Reshiram and Zekrom reconquering the island from Vortigern. The chapel was filled with history and meaning. It was truly awesome.

Merlin towered in front of a bundle of sticks. Ninetails sat dutifully beside him. A few of her tails were moving Merlin’s long cloak.

Lucario lead Arthur in front of the bundle of sticks. He stopped Arthur from walking anymore and then joined Merlin on the opposite side of Ninetails.

“Welcome.” Merlin studied Arthur with his amber eyes. Arthur bowed. “Today you start your journey to become Pokémon knight.”

Arthur nodded.

“Flamethrower,” commanded Merlin. Ninetails open her jaws and a flame shot out. In seconds the bundle of sticks caught fire.

Arthur took a step back. The heat of the fire was making him uncomfortable. He was sweating and to push his golden hair back.

Merlin raised his arms and looked to the skies. The look on Lucario’s face made it seem like Merlin was just being dramatic.

“By Holy Arceus and his anointed child Mew, I call upon the spirit of the cave and forest, send me the destined companion of this new squire.”

Plop.

Arthur felt something plant-like on his nose. His eyes took some time to adjust to the thing that appeared in front of him. He stared into very large blue eyes. Eyes which looked both young and old. Where did it come from? How did it get here? Arthur didn’t see anyone else in the chapel.

The eyes closed and moved away. It giggled and flew in a somersault. It was green and small. It’s head was huge for its tiny body. Its large eyes were circled in black. The back of its head triangled in a leafy tip. It was adorable. It was Celebi.

Celebi giggled again and flew around Arthur. They lightly poked on different parts of his body. Arthur tried to follow them but Celebi was to fast. They zipped and zoomed until they landed and sat on Arthur’s head. Celebi played in his golden curls. Their feet were in Arthur’s grey eyes. Then they made a cooing sound and an egg fell from the top of the cave and into Celebi’s hands. They pushed on Arthur’s head to only make it back to where they started.

Celebi cooed once more and gestured to Arthur to take the egg in their hands. Arthur took it.

Celebi exploded in flurry of coos and laughter while flying around the campfire. When they made it to the top of the fire, Celebi waved goodbye and disappeared.

“You are now a squire.”

Arthur looked at the egg. He couldn’t guess what was in it.

Arthur rode on Torterra on his way back to the town. He spent the entire time looking at the egg. He would put it up into the few pieces of light breaking through the trees. It was not see through.

Waiting for him were Kay and Bedwyr. Torchic chirped while Scorbunny sped up and hopped onto Torterra. Torterra didn’t seem to mind. Scorbunny looked at the egg and knocked on it. Arthur brought it closer to him.

“It will hatch when it’s ready,” said Arthur.

Ever since that day, Arthur watched the egg day and night. He walked everywhere with it. Someone told him that walking with the egg would make it hatch faster.

“Arthur!” called his father. “Drop the egg and come do your chores.”

“What if it hatched while I’m gone?”

“It won’t.”

“But…”

“Chores, now.”

Arthur put the egg in a safe place and joined his father in his chores. He didn’t pay attention to them and often did the same task twice.

“Stop worrying so much,” said Ector. He always seemed to sense what was wrong with his sons.

“You got a Kangaskhan and Kay got a Torchic. What if I get a Sunken or a Bidoof? What if Celebi thought I was weak and unworthy?”

Ector chucked. “Then it will be the best Bidoof it can be. Here’s a secret, the raw strength of the Pokémon doesn’t matter. I’ve seen a Hydreigon fall from the sky because of bad training. I’ve seen a Minun defeat a Gigalith. You can have a strong Pokémon but without love, friendship and compassion, a Pokémon can never truly be it’s best. So, if you get a stereotypically weak or strong Pokémon, you need love it and encourage it to be its best or that egg will never will never be the best it can be.”

Arthur hugged his father. “When did you see Minun defeat a Gigalith?”

“It was a weird tournament. That Minun won the tournament.”

After his chores, Arthur ran to his egg. Scorbunny and Torchic were both trying to keep it warm while Kay was practicing his swordsmanship.

“You’re getting better,” said Ector.

Kay beamed with pride. “Watch this! Scorbunny, Torchic you know what to do.” Kay held out his sword, the flat side perpendicular to the ground. Scorbunny ran towards Torchic, picked him up and threw him to Kay’s sword. Torchic made a couple of power kicks in the air and then landed on Kay’s sword. Scorbunny ran towards Kay and three of them made a finishing pose.

Ector and Arthur clapped. Arthur whispered into Ector’s ear, “Kay will have a strong team not because his Pokémon will evolve into strong Pokémon but because they have a strong bond.” Ector gave him a pat on the back and nodded.

Arthur ran around the castle. If walking made them hatch faster, then running must have doubled the speed. It had been a week. It had to hatch.

Arthur waved to Griflet, Lucan and Bedwyr trying catch Bedwyr’s new Zubat. Lucan and his Mime Jr. were trying to make barriers to keep Zubat in the great hall. Bedwyr and his Abra were trying to teleport around. Griflet was five and was just happy to be there.

“Don’t…” Lucan had started to say but Arthur had already ran into Mime Jr.’s barrier.

“Are you okay?” asked Griflet.

Arthur nodded. “Where’s my egg?”

Mime Jr. had quickly made another barrier and stopped it.

Arthur felt a tang of relief. Then he heard scratching. Oh no. What? Did the egg get hurt? Is it cracked?

Arthur raced towards his egg. It didn’t look crack but it was moving. Arthur could hear something scratching from within. Wait?! Arthur’s Pokémon was hatching! It was time!

Arthur gently put the egg on the floor. The baby inside scratched and clawed until a little white paw cracked the shell. Arthur hurried up and helped it out.

A pair of fiery brown eyes met with Arthur’s grey ones. Growlithe made a light whine and closed his eyes. Arthur slowly moved his hand and pet his fur. He finally took precious Growlithe in his arms. He was so tiny, like a three week year old puppy. The fur was a little gross and slimy but it was nothing Arthur couldn’t wipe off. And honestly, he barely noticed it. He had a beautiful little puppy cuddling soundly in his arms.

“Is it normally gold?” Griflet asked Bedwyr, who just finished putting Zubat in his Pokéball.

He had golden fur like Arthur had golden hair. They really were meant to be together.

[hyper-writes]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Race for the Cure: Chapter 6

Hey guys! Just the little reminder to please consider commenting/reviewing this chapter/story if you wouldn’t mind. It’s a great motivator for me!

“C’mon you two, you’re holding us up!” Swellow cawed as she circled back around to the group, having flown ahead to determine the best path for the group to take.

“C-Can’t we rest for a sec? Oooghhh, my stomach’s killing me…” Nuyt whined, his head low as he uttered a half-hearted belch. Kro didn’t look much better themself, they almost looked even more green in the face now.

“Well then maybe you shouldn’t have scarfed down yer dinner last night.” She replied, landing at the front of the pack with a huff. “We’re on a schedule, so pick up your feet and let’s get going.”

“Swellow, it is much better to use positive reinforcement with children.” Doc suggested from his spot on Manetric’s back, a smile on his long snout at the certainty of his statement.

“Alright, be my guest.” Swellow responded, flying up to a nearby tree where she then perched herself. “My wings need a preening anyway.” She then proceeded to run her beak along her flight feathers.

“Yes, well…” Doc muttered, sighing heavily before he turned his attention towards Manectric. “You can rest too, it’d be best if I was on their level after all.”

Manectric gave a stout nod, easing down into the grass with a content purr. Doc hopped off his companion’s back and scurried over to the kids. “How we doing back here? You said your stomachs were hurting you?”

Kro flopped onto their side with a pained moan, holding their belly as Nuyt spoke up. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up..!”

Doc cringed anxiously before laughing it off timidly, “Oh, don’t be silly. I know just the thing for tummy aches.” He glanced around the immediate area before sighing heavily. “Swellow?” She grunted gruffly in response, not looking up from her work for a moment.

“Do you know if we have any heal seeds?” Doc asked, catching Manectric looking over to him before nosing through their bag.

“Shouldn’t you be asking Mani?” She grumbled, and lo and behold the blue pokemon uttered a bark to Doc.

“Oh, excellent! May I see them?” Doc scampered over to the other, though once he was there he noticed that there was only one seed. “Oh dear...is there a way we could cut this in half?”

Manectric moved Doc’s paws so he would be holding either side of the seed; then they rested their fangs over it, pausing for a moment before bringing their maw down around the seed. The heal seed split in half and Doc only flinched a little. “Perfect! Good thinking Manectric!”

But just as the sandile was hurrying over to the duo, he noticed that Nuyt was looking over to the bushes on his left. The pup’s expression was unreadable, but his fin was trembling ever so slightly. “Are you okay son?”

Nuyt jumped a bit, turning his attention to Doc before whispering. “What is that?”

“H-Huh? What’s wha--?” Doc was unable to finish when a blinding light caused him to wince, “What the--!?”

“S-Sorry! My gem does that sometime--” Nuyt looked over as he heard a low growl, finding that it was Kro who was making the noise. They were hunched down and their vines prepped beside their tense body. “Kro, what’s wron--?”

His answer came not from his companion, but from a black figure that launched itself at them. His eyes widened as a memory flashed in his mind; this was just how Gigalith had died.

Though he and Doc were swiftly yanked out of the monster’s path by familiar vines. Kro slid them both back behind them, freezing as the raptor-like creature hissed at them. The massive leaf on its head trembling as those vacant red irises stared them down.

“KRO RUN!” Nuyt screamed as the creature once again leapt, this time aiming for the frozen bulbasaur.

However, the figure never made it. For Manectric was right on it, running at incredible speed before slamming into the monster. Then, the figure burst into flames. But the worst thing, was its scream.

It sounded like a million voices crying out at once, each of them more bloodcurdling and anguished than the last.

Manectric pushed the flailing body away from the group, and in an instant Swellow dove for it. Braking midair before rapidly flapping her wings, the gust of wind from this move put out the fire. Leaving nothing but...bones?

Kro stared at the remains in horror, visions of Gogoat flashing before them before they began to cry. Though no one seemed to notice, Manectric and Swellow were too busy examining the bones. “Hmm, looks like a Grovyle. Weird, all of them went to that one village right? Something about getting back ‘to their roots,’ or some other nonsense.”

Though, Nuyt did finally notice their tears and he nuzzled under their chin gently. He couldn’t help the shocked glare he gave Swellow and Manectric, “You killed them!”

“Geez, you’re welcome…” Swellow growled, this is when Doc stepped in.

“I know it is scary, children. But in his condition, it was only humane to put him down.” He started, flicking his tail which signaled Swellow to fly up and do a quick once around of the surrounding forest. “He was infected. Horribly ill with no known cure. He was suffering.”

“B-But…” Nuyt glanced back to his friend, seeing them weakly wiping the tears from their eyes. They looked towards the pile of bones, then back to Nuyt. “I-I...u-understand..?”

“It’s alright, son. Here,” Doc held out the split heal seed to the both of them. “This will hold you over until we get over the mountain.”

Nuyt sat on his bum, taking both halves in his fore-paws before holding one out to Kro. They both ate their respective piece at the same time, feeling a warmth build up in their chests that broke apart the lump of anxiety that had nested there.

Just then Swellow swept in over them, “All clear!” She called down.

“Come, let’s keep moving.” Doc said deciding to stay on the ground with Kro and Nuyt while Swellow led the way.

“And that was just one procedure!” Doc grinned while all five of them laid around a small fire; it had taken a lot of work to clean all of the snow off the cliff on the mountain, but it was worth it for a secure night’s rest.

“Eh, don’t believe him kids. He’s known for his short tales.” Swellow commented with a smirk, finishing off her apple as Nuyt tilted his head towards her.

“Don’t you mean ‘tall tales?’” He asked, to which he got silence before Swellow and Manectric burst out laughing.

“Oh, very mature you two.” Doc sighed while Nuyt looked between the three adults with a confused expression.

Though once the chortles died down, Nuyt broke the silence once more. “I got a story.”

“Oh, this’ll be good.” Swellow quipped, chuckling when Manectric lightly punched her on her wing.

“Alright, one more story. Then it’s time for bed.” Doc smiled, curling his tail off to his side and shifting his hind legs so that they too were beside him.

“Okay! It’s a really good one.” Nuyt said confidently, he didn’t notice it but Kro opened their eye to look up at him. Only now were they the slightest bit interested in what was going on around them.

“So a long time ago, there were these things called humans--”

“Oh arceus, not this shi--” Swellow started, but she was quieted by Manectric’s paw on her beak.

“Go on, Nuyt. I am very interested in this already.” Doc encouraged gently, shooting his comrade a glare when Nuyt wasn’t looking.

“Um, where was I…? Oh, right!” Nuyt patted his paw onto the stone below before continuing, “So humans were these weird creatures, with flat faces and they like didn’t know how to talk. And they had no moves, but fought all the time!”

“Pfft, what animals…” Swellow muttered, which Doc and Manectric nodded in agreement.

“They were all split up too, not like us. They had different homes that kept to themselves mostly, it was really weird. Like they’d trade and stuff but no tribes liked the others?” Nuyt continued, obviously he was getting off track so Doc prompted him gently. “Anyway, the planet was getting really sick from all the death and gunk in the air. So these big lizard things--”

“Sceptiles?” Doc corrected uncertainty.

“No, like they were kind of like Salamences but more like a snake too? But yeah, these creatures united together and brought balance back to the planet. And everything was getting better, the humans slowly disappeared and the first pokemon started to arrive.”

“Uh, huh. Very interesting, now can we go to bed?” Swellow yawned, though Nuyt shook his head quickly.

“I’m not done yet! It gets really good!” He insisted, to which Doc once again shushed Swellow and prompted the mudkip to finish. “Ok, so everything was going great. But then the leader lizard got in a fight, they died in that very battle. After that the ancient pokemon built a statue to honor their savior.”

Swellow scoffed at the choice of words, what a joke. Like some creature could have saved all pokemon, but the glares from her fellow adults kept her from interrupting any further.

“Many years went on, until one pokemon predicted that a terrible dark age would cloud the planet. All pokemon would fall victim to a horrible plague, and the only way they’d survive it is if that great creature returned to bring balance back once more.” Nuyt said the last part with stars in his eyes, Kro smiled up to their friend before uttering a soft chuff.

“Huh, that’s a great story, Nuyt.” Doc praised the shiny pokemon, earning a proud grin from the pup. “But, now we should all be getting to bed.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Night Doc, Manectric, Swellow.” Nuyt said, nuzzling up to Kro’s side and sighing contently when the bulbasaur rested their paw over his side. “Night Kro.”

Kro purred gently, the two of them falling asleep within minutes of closing their eyes. Swellow watched them for that time and five extra before turning towards Doc. “What a load of garbage, as if pokemon need help from some freak.”

“Swellow, I think Nuyt is just projecting. He wants to believe that something is out there that can stop this disease,” Doc retorted. “He’s young, let him and Kro believe. This is a terrible time to grow up, these little things make all the difference.”

Swellow paused for a moment before resting her head on her back, “Yeah whatever you say, Doc…” And with that, they too fell asleep. Comforted by the gentle crackle of the fire.