Private/Closed Pokémon Zaffre

[~Nilion~]

Rather than retracting his nails, Grendel excitedly just ripped them from the earth, before charging forward towards the falling enemy.
Rather than wait for the two to land, Grendel jumped a solid eight feet into the air, aiming to meet the flying Pokémon and pin it between himself and Toto.

If it worked out, he’d quickly take a two-handed slash as the bird pokemons back.

 

[Hecotoro]

"Use the lil water mon', Otto!" Tobby called out confidently.

The Pidgeotto stretched out his wings and flipped in the air, slamming Toto with his right wing and sending him flying towards Grendel. The flying type once again took to the air, like if moving around was no issue for it. Toto meanwhile wasn't about to let Grendel slice him up, he summoned his Metal Claw and clashed with Grendel, snapping at him with his mouth, before both bouncing off each other. The Totodile landed safely, but he seemed pretty upset as he glared at the bear Pokemon.

"Sorry!" Ria called out, unsure if it was her fault they crashed into their teammates.

Toto felt more upset as his trainer apologized, thinking it wasn't her fault or his. He rushed towards Grendel, Metal Claw out and slashing at the bear Pokemon, wanting to get rid of him before continuing the battle.

"Toto stop!" Ria called out, but her Pokemon wasn't listening.

 

[~Nilion~]

Grendel paused in place and stared at the croc with confusion. He’d assumed that they were on a team- but apparently it was a free-for-all.

Rather than dodge, Grendel deactivated his Fury Swipes and took the Metal Claw head on- being slashed right across the chest.

“…Teddi…” The small bear Pokémon suffered a deep gash from the impact- but didn’t seem anywhere near ready to give up. Instead, he used the moment of contact to his advantage, getting an iron-clad grip on the paw Toto used to slash at him.
He looked up at the annoying little Totodile with a malicious grin, as his body was coated in the familiar black aura of Payback.

“Grendel…” Q said in an assertive tone, despite being incredibly worried about what was gonna happen next.

“Ursa!!!” Not letting up on his grip at all, Grendel sent his head sailing forwards, aiming to slam Toto with a point-blank headbutt that would be twice as powerful as his own Metal Claw.

 

[Hecotoro]

Toto seemed really to fight back, preparing to Aqua Jet directly into Grendel. The water swirled around his body as he was about to shoot forward, when a red beam reached out and grabbed the Pokemon, returning him to his Pokeball. Ria looked at the sphere moving furiously in her hand. She gave the Pokeball a worried look and then turned to Q.

"Sorry, that was probably a terrible idea."

"Now don't go getting all pouty, trainin mon's ain't as easy as it seems. You got a feisty lil one there, maybe you need to stop-n-be a sweet lil thing and show em who the trainer is." Tobby raised his hand as the Pidgeotto landed majestically on it. "Seems those two don't get-along there. Probably should figure dat out if y'all plan on being together-n-stuff."

 

[~Nilion~]

Q felt a rush of something he genuinely hadn’t experienced in a long time. He was angry.

“Ria! The first day we meet your Totodile almost genuinely injured me! Now it HAS injured Grendel! I’ve tried to be understanding- but you can’t control your Pokémon at all, and it’s now gotten to the point where I worry about my well-being around your ‘wild Pokémon’. We’re done.” Q scooped Grendel up into his arms, grabbed a potion from his bag, and disappeared through the tree line, back onto the main road.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria stood there silently and avoided making eye contact with Q, like a kid being scolded by their parent. She felt ashamed and a failure as a trainer and a friend. She finally looked up, only to see Q disappearing behind the trees. She didn't know what to do then. Should she return Toto? Maybe she wasn't cut out to be a trainer, at least not the correct one for the Totodile. She had never felt so useless and defeated. The feelings began to bubble up in her throat as her eyes began to get watery, but Tobby walked up to her and broke the silence.

"Yer fren look'n pretty upset. Seems yer lil Totodile der is too much for ya to handle. Have you considered trading him? Sure you can get a much calmer Pokemon in return, lots of trainers looking to score a lil fella like him."

Ria looked at Tobby, a bit confused until she understood what he was suggesting. Trading? Maybe someone out there could handle Toto and in return she would still have a Pokemon to travel with her. It felt like the right thing to do, for both her and Toto. She thanked Tobby for the advice and moved further into the woods, too embarrassed to run into Q at the main road. Upon a small clearing she sent out the Totodile, who emerged with an upset look and wouldn't look Ria in the eyes.

"I know you're mad at me, it's okay. I'm just not the right trainer for you and I probably knew that for a while now, just didn't want to admit it. So, Toto, I mean, Totodile, you're free to choose what to do next. I can find a strong trainer that can give you all the battles you want and help you grow properly or I can release you back into the wild if that's what you prefer." Ria sat down and crossed her arms, she laid her eyes on the water Pokemon, trying her best not to cry. "Just, whatever makes you feel better, whatever makes you happy, okay? I promise I won't be mad or anything, I'll respect your decision."

The Totodile gave the trainer a bewildered look. He couldn't believe what she was saying! It wasn't his fault she had decided to travel with someone else without her permission or that it included a smug bear that got on his nerves. But fine, he didn't need her, he didn't need anyone. With one long angry glare at Ria, the Totodile growled and then turned around. He walked away disappearing into the bushes nearby and out of sight. Ria took his Pokeball out and looked at it, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore as a few fell upon the red surface of the sphere like object in her hand. She placed the item on the ground, stood and began to walk away in the opposite direction.

 

[~Nilion~]

The walk through Route 38 was long, silent, and awkward. Grendel and Lumos both walked outside their pokeballs, passing occasional looks towards their trainer.
It wasn’t uncommon for Q to get that way when arguing with Grendel, but they didn’t often see it in on display around others. He certainly was mad.
Rather than pestering him, the pair found themselves remaining quiet in an effort to let their trainer think.

“…hey guys. How about we let the new guy join us,” Q finally broke the silence while pulling a Pokémon from his inner pocket before releasing the small spider Pokémon out next to the group. The whole team gave the slightly nervous Spinarak a friendly wave as Q continued, “Now we gotta think of a name. Something relating to you- it’s gotta have a nice ring. Webster?” Q asked allowed while looking around at the group.
Spinarak shook his head vigorously, clearly not a fan of it.

“Litwik- wikwik!” Lumos began point at Spinarak’s horn while jumping up and down in place.
Spinarak just looked on, a bit confused by all the energy and excitement.

“No, not Spike- that’s too easy. But good thinking Lumos, and I I’ve got the right idea. Let me think… bug, poison- bug, poison. Sion. Zion- no. Venom. Ven. Venny. Vence… what about Vence?” After a good bit of pacing, Q turned to the group with another suggestion.
Both Grendel and Lumos gave a nod of approval before looking back to Spinarak.

Vence? He’d never considered the idea of having a nickname. He didn’t hate it- it sounded sharp. Could he be a Vence? Why not?

“…Spinarak!” The newly named Vence nodded in approval, happy to settle with that name.”

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria walked through the forest, lost in thoughts. She was confused and feelings were erupting all over, not allowing her to focus on the path she was walking. Had she done the right thing? Was Toto going to be okay without her? Someone like him, will probably pick a fight with a Pokemon much stronger than him and that could end his life. If that did happen, that would be her fault. She had to be the one to train him, she was responsible for him and now, he was gone. Ria stopped in her tracks, she shouldn't give up on Toto, it wasn't right. She needed to go back and help him through whatever is causing him feel so much anger.

"I'm going back." Ria told herself as she turned around and noticed she had no idea where she was. "I'm sure I just have to walk back the same way I came from, right?" The blue haired girl looked around, suddenly feeling panic as she didn't recognize anything around her. "I hope he doesn't mind." She looked at her phone and sent her current location to Q.

Bzzzz

Ria heard a loud buzzing sound around her. The sound getting louder and louder, it seemed to be coming from all over. She tried to run towards the way she had came from, but the buzzing only increased no matter which way she tried to run to. Finally, the source of the noise was revealed. A few Kakuna dropped from the nearby trees while two Beedrill emerged, flying around the girl, one staying in her sight and the other one behind her. Ria gulped, her heart beating loudly as she placed her hand over the only Pokeball she had available. Iggly couldn't defeat a Beedrill, not alone two and some Kakuna. But she had no other choice. She moved her hand away, she wasn't going to allow Iggly to become the next meal for these bugs. As the buzzing got louder and the bug poison Pokemon crept closer, Ria closed her eyes, ready to take whatever they were going to do to her.

 

[~Nilion~]

Da-Ding!

Having received a message, Q clicked a button on his X-Gear, causing the bulky little watch to flip open and flash to life.
It was Ria. She had sent him a message with nothing but latitude and longitude points. Confused, he went ahead and punched the coordinates into his map function, revealing her to be way off the path on Route 38…

“Teddi…” Grendel could tell it was from Ria by Q’s facial expression. In truth, the little bear didn’t want them to split up, so he was curious to know what she needed.

“I assume she’s asking for help- though I’m sure her savage little Totodile can handle it. We’re headed to Ecruteak.” Q roughly slapped his X-Gear closed and began trudging forward down the path.
After a few seconds of walking, he looked back to see Grendel and Lumos hadn’t taken a single step, leaving only Vence at his side.

“…what?”

Rather than respond, the pair just kept staring at him, with Grendel point inf over his shoulder, back the direction they had come from.
Q was angry- but his Pokémon weren’t gonna let him make the wrong decision.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria prepared for the pain that was incoming from the attack, but instead she felt a splash of water on her back. She opened her eyes and watched as the Beedrill behind her was blasted away by a Water Gun attack coming from Toto, who stood valiantly next to Ria. He didn't look at her though, still too proud to do so. The other Beedrill was already on the move though, using it's pointy tail to dive towards the duo with Poison Sting. Ria used her hips to push Toto out of the way, causing the poison covered stinger to slash the right side of her shirt just under her ribs.

"Toto!" Ria scooped up the Totodile, who seemed upset about the decision but no matter how much he struggled her grip was tight. "Water Gun!" She slightly squeezed the water type Pokemon, using him as some sort of weapon as he shot another Water Gun, blasting away the Beedrill that was attempting to attack them again.

Toto got on to what she was doing, he had the water power to keep them away, while Ria kept her eye on the other one trying to circle around them. Again she squeezed his belly as she quickly spun around and blasted the Beedrill away. The attack didn't seem to be doing much, but since both Pokemon couldn't attack the same time, it gave Ria and Toto enough time to react and keep them away. The combination was working great, blasting away their attackers successfully with the combination of the trainer and her Totodile, that was until Ria dropped the water Pokemon.

She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her torso. The attack from earlier had actually caused more than enough damage. It had left a cut on Ria and the poison was starting to spread, giving the trainer a burning sensation as it moved throughout her belly. Toto looked nervously at the girl crying as she curled up next to him. The buzzing of the incoming attack snapped him out of it as he used Metal Claw to stop the bug Pokemon from hitting his former trainer. As soon as he landed though the other Beedrill was already on the move, hitting Totodile with a Twinneedle, hitting the crocodile twice before flying across and allowing the second attacker to make his move. Things were looking bad as Toto defended Ria from the attack once again with Metal Claw, but was hit again by the second attacker. They were coordinating too perfectly and Toto wasn't going to be able to take that many more attacks.

 

[~Nilion~]

“Get em, guys!”

A familiar voice rang through the tree-line nearby, and as it did so, one of the Beedrill had a wave of super-heated air coming flying towards it from behind. It was Lumos’ Ember.
As this occurred, Grendel hopped out of the bushes nearby, aiming to sink his Fury Swipes into the back of the second Beedrill.

“She’s lucky they convinced me.” Q stepped out of hiding as the attack was made. He remained a distance away with Vence in his arms.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria was now on the floor curled up, the pain spreading from her abdomen to her chest. She gripped her sides, trying to create pressure on herself, which somehow helped the immense pain a tiny bit tolerable. Meanwhile, Toto was on his las breath, having taken several hits and used several moves to keep the Beedrill from Ria. The water Pokemon stumbled backwards as he felt the energy from his body fade, he couldn't force himself to use another attack, he was ready to receive the finishing blow.

“Get em, guys!”

Toto looked around, surprised at the sight of familiar faces joining the fight and rescuing him from his demise. Tears swell up on the Pokemon's eyes, despite how rude and mean he had been, they came back to save them anyways. He took in a deep breath and stood his ground, ready to fight anything that came at Ria.

The two Beedrill each took the attack that was sent to them and thanks to Toto's damage from before, they seemed pretty tired. They buzzed each other a few times and decided it was time to retreat. The Kakuna moved quickly back into the trees and the evolved forms followed, hoping the intruders would leave soon, otherwise they would charge into battle once again.

"Call Will." Ria reached for her phone, if anyone could get to them quickly it would be her speed dial, but as her hand touched the electronic, she passed out.

Toto, worried, rushed over to Ria and began shaking her with his small arms. A storm of feelings, mostly guilt and fright, began to twirl inside the small water type as he began to beg for help, unaware of the antidote inside his trainer's bag.

 

[~Nilion~]

Grendel rode on the Beedrill’s back for awhile as it tried to fly away; violently slashing at the bug pokemons wings, before hopping off and allowing it to sporadically fly away.
The small bear proceeded to slap his puffed out chest with his tiny paws while shouting at the fleeing bee pokemon…

“What happened?!” Q yelled whole scurrying over to Ria, who seemed to be fading into unconsciousness just as he reached her.
The trainer lifted her hands, revealing a small puncture wound, akin to a wide needle, or-

“Beedrill poison. It’s okay- she’ll be okay.” Realizing what had happened, Q quickly began rustling around through Ria’s bag till he found an antidote. Carefully, he applied a generous amount directly on the wound. After which, he slipped duffle bag off and retrieved a dried Pecha Berry from it and his water canteen. He crushed a portion of the berry into a fine powder, and poured it into the canteen lid, before filling it up with water to dissolve.
He waited for Ria to begin regain consciousness so she could drink.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria opened her eyes to see Q and Toto looking at her. She was alive? She reached for the water and drank it like if she had been without water for days. Toto seemed relieved to see Ria reacting, even taking a few steps back and then sitting down, trying to stay awake after the beating he took. Sadly for him, his Pokeball was nowhere to be found, which meant he was stuck walking until they found it.

"I knew you loved us deep down." Ria said with a smile after drinking the water given to her. "My instinct told me to contact you first." She looked at Q. "Thank you!"

Toto felt the need to point out he defended her until they arrived, but instead he looked at the two Pokemon that helped out and nodded, his way of saying thank you. He then stood up and waddled towards his trainers, who picked him up and brought him in to a big hug. Toto didn't struggle this time, he just enjoyed the moment.

 

[~Nilion~]

Q couldn’t help but internally cringe at Ria’s comment. They’d been friends for a day, sure it was an action-packed day, but a day nonetheless.
He hadn’t even intended to come back till he realized Grendel and Lumos wouldn’t allow him to walk away. Of course… it would be best to keep that to himself.

“Well I was probably a lot closer than anyone else. It’s a good thing you messaged me when you did- Pokemon poison couldve left you totally incapable of getting out of here.” Q reached out and helped the Totodile trainer onto her feet, taking care not to rush her.

“…so… Ecruteak City, yeah?”

—————

After walking for about an hour, the pair finally reached the front entrance into Ecruteak. The city itself was almost entirely hidden behind the wall of trees surrounding it, and the front gate was relatively tall; obscuring the groups view of the town until they actually passed through the entrance.

“Wow…” Q now understood why the entrance was the way it was. Entering the city felt like one was stepping into another era.
Various old-fashioned homes and shops all sat packed tightly together along either side of the towns wide dirt roads. At the far end of the town, two towers could be seen, one was an incredibly complex combination of carved wood and etched brass. It was easily comparable to glitter lighthouse in sheer height.
The other? Burnt and battered beyond repair, but still oddly beautiful.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria eyes widen at the view of the famous Johto city, Ecruteak. She held the Igglybuff in her arms a bit tighter, not wanting to have her precious baby Pokemon blown away by the wind.

"It looks great." She said out loud before looking over at her traveling partner. "Want to get a cup of coffee? I'm buying."

Despite traveling with Q again, Ria still felt bad about the incidents they have had together, specially the one involving her Totodile. The water Pokemon had behaved a lot better, but Ria was the kind of person to feel guilty until she found a new reason to feel guilty for.

 

[~Nilion~]

“Sure, why not?” Q gave Ria a small nod and smile, before turning his attention back to beautiful skyline. It was around mid-day at this point, not too late for a cup of coffee.

~~~

A brief walk through the beautifully aged city would eventually lead the pair to a small, hole-in-the wall coffee shop. Q opted to get a light roast, as well as a few Oran Poffins for his team.
After getting his things, he made his way over to one of the nearby standing tables to get sole shade under its large parasol.

“Teddi-“ Grendel reached for the poffins, only to have Q swipe them off the table where they laid.

“Grendel- if you take Lumos’ snack again, you won’t be getting anymore poffins for a month, got it?”

“Teddi?!” Grendel said sarcastically while pointing to himself in an over exaggerated fashion. The pair just stood and stared at one another for a long moment, before Grendel finally dropped his arms and let out a long sigh, “Ursa…” he muttered while giving a small nod in agreement.

“Alright. Here ya go.” Satisfied with how Grendel Ah sealed himself, Qhanded both Lumos and Grendel a poffin each. But when he tried to give one to Vence, the small big Pokémon simply stared at it, uncertain what to do. Q took note of this and immediately gestured to Grendel and Lumos, who were both gleefully enjoying their treat, “it’s food, buddy. Made with berries. Give it try.” As the burgundy haired tinkerer finished speaking, Lumos looked over to the bug and have him a big smile whilst nudging the poffin closer to him.

“Spina-?” Vence inspected the poffin carefully, before taking a small bite, “-rak!” With a small chirp of excitement, Vence proceeded to begin chowing down on his snack with the others.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria opened her mouth wide along with the Igglybuff she was feeding a puffin to. The small baby Pokemon knew how to eat on her own, but she always got a kick out of Ria's faces when feeding her, which had turned into her favorite hobby while eating. Meanwhile, Toto sat next to them, watching them closely while sipping on a juice box. Despite offering to get some coffee, Ria had opted for a lemonade, which was really refreshing under the afternoon sun.

"Ah!" Ria said before giving Iggly the last piece of puffin. "When are you gonna have me stop feeding you like this?"

The pink balloon chirped and giggled as she finished chewing the last piece of the delicious treat. Now with her quick snack out of the way, she could finally go out and play. Iggly inhaled some air, causing her to increase a bit in size and started to floating around. Ria had been prepared, tying a string from the Pokemon's foot to her wrist and let her enjoy the small wind that allowed the pink Pokemon to float around with no worries in her mind. Toto just looked at Iggly, concerned the string might snap and his friend would be carried away by the winds.

"Are you going to challenge the gym?" Ria spoke up before taking a drink from her beverage.

 

[~Nilion~]

“…that’s a good question. I was pretty nervous about the aspect of losing at first- but after the day we had yesterday?” Q paused, taking a look over at his team. They didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered after what happened- almost like they had been expecting a wild adventure. If they could handle that, they could certainly handle challenging a gym.
The trainer took a deep breath as he continued, “I suppose I’ve got no excuse not to try.”

“Teddi!” Grendel shouted enthusiastically while pumping his paw in the air.

“Do you still have that disc with instructions for Protect? Would be a good move to have going into a gym battle.”

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria reached into her backpack and pulled out the white colored TM with a playful smile. "Want to race to see who gets to use it first?" She giggled after and offered the item to Q. "Kidding! I don't even know how to use it. What Pokemon are you going to use for the gym leader? I don't know if Iggly is ready for another match, she has barely even had any battle experience."

Toto sighed, he didn't need Iggly to risk getting injured. If he had to take on this so called gym leader on his own, he would. He knew he was strong, he had proven so several times, so why did his trainer think they needed any more help? He had defeated that Aron from before, this time he would pay more attention to Ria though, to make sure they don't surrender.

 

[~Nilion~]

“Well if you feel like Iggly lacks in experience, teaching her Protect would be a good way to start training-“ Q paused for a moment, taking the disc from Ria so he could give it a closer inspection. It was a simple, off-white disc with nothing but ‘#17’ written on the front in bold.
In truth, he’d never actually used a TM before, but his Mom had told him a good few thing about them- wouldn’t be too difficult, “We just gotta watch the instructional video with the Pokémon we want to teach it, then practice the move for a bit. I believe the PC’s at Pokecenter’s can play discs like these.” Q went ahead and passed the disc back to Ria, before turning his attention to his three Pokémon.

“You’re all probably wondering who I’m gonna teach Protect, huh?” Q looked on at his trusty companions with a small smile.
Grendel stood their with his nose pointed confidently to the sky. Of course he was gonna get taught the new move- he was the strongest member of the team.
Lumos looked on with excitement and suspense; she didn’t know if she was gonna get taught the new move, she was just excited to see it.

“Vence. I think you should learn Protect.” Grendel and Lumos’ jaws were on the floor.
Vence, who had just polished off his Poffin, wasn’t even aware of the conversation at hand. He looked around at the group with his big, innocent eyes. He was being- what? Taught a new move? Could a trainer actually do that? No wonder wild Pokémon liked being captured sometimes; free snacks and new attacks.

“Teddi! Ted-teddi?” Grendel flung his arms up and shouted, gesturing back and forth between himself and Lumos. He clearly wasn’t happy about the new guy getting special treatment. He’d put in a lot of effort, and he felt he deserved a new move- and if not himself- Lumos.
Lumos was honestly in shock to hear it wasn’t Grendel.

“Look- I know you think I’m being unfair, but hear me out. You know that you’re not effective against ghost types, even with Payback it’s not a guarantee you’ll be hit with a physical attack…” Q hesitated a bit as we to continue, tossing Grendel an extra poffin as he did so, “…and considering all that, I think it would be best if you… sat out during the gym battle.” Grendel slammed the poffin down and shot to the edge of the table, his nose nearly touching Q’s. The little bear Pokémon was furious. The pair simply stood there for a long moment, having an intense stare-off.

“…Grendel…” Q spoke up quietly while leaning back away from his angered Pokémon before continuing, “…you are an incredible little fighter, with a lot of natural talent. Truthfully, I know you’d probably overcome the obstacle at Ecruteak’s gym. I just… I wanna make sure I’m actually a capable trainer. I want you guys to be able to rely on me, just as I rely on you. If I can beat the gym with a brand new team member? Then I’ll know for certain that you and I can do anything.”

Rather than explode into a fit of rage as he normally would, Grendel just continued to stare with a look of bitter confusion.
After what felt like an uncomfortable amount of time, the small bear Pokémon let out a huff of annoyance, before snagging the poffin off the table.
He sat towards the other end of the table, facing away from the group while nibbling at the sweet treat.

“Thank you, Grendel. I’ll make it up to you.”

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria was probably as shocked as Grendel when she heard he wasn't going to participate in the battle. "Seriously?" She looked at Q, clearly confused. "No Grendel? Not even as a back up?" She then turned to Toto, who didn't like the idea that was forming in his trainer's head. "I don't think I can leave Toto out. Anyways, you're right, Iggly is better to learn Protect."

Despite wanting to learn a very useful move like Protect, Toto had to agree that protecting Iggly was priority. He was okay with that decision, hopefully she wouldn't need to use Iggly to win a battle as long as he never lost.

"Okay, we're ready!" Ria declared while Iggly floated around her, giggling as if she was having the time of her life.

 

[~Nilion~]

“Then let’s get training!”

Several Hours Later…

The sun had begun to set over Ecruteak; Q and Ria had spent the second half of the day studying the video guide and training out in the battlegrounds near the Pokémon Center.
It had ended up being a bit more complicated than he’d originally predicted, but Q was seeing progress.

“Alright- Vence, Lumos- we almost got it. Let’s run it back one more time!” The burgundy haired trainer had clearly been putting in the effort. His jacket and duffle had been stripped away and tossed to the side; a thin layer of sweat coated his entire body.
Both Lumos and Vence were looking pretty worn out as well, filling the still air with the ragged sound of labored breathing.

“Wiiiiik!” As Q gave out the command, Lumos quickly charged up an Ember and sent it soaring directly toward Vence.

“Spin?! Araaaaaaack~” The small bug Pokémon nervously clenched up his body as the scorching hot attack came flying towards him. As he did so, a translucent white barrier formed around Vence, totally deflecting Lumos’ Ember attack.

“Yes! Vence, that was perfect! You totally got the hang of activating it on command.”

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria sat down at the edge of the field with her legs out stretched as she drank from her water battle. Iggly had struggled at first, but managed to get the move right. It was tougher for Toto to help out, afraid he would seriously injure the baby Pokemon, but they managed to avoid any damage.

"You got this Vence!" Ria cheered on along with Iggly joyfully floating around her trainer. "You guys make a great team!"

Toto rolled his eyes. He didn't need a team. He felt he was great all on his own. The Totodile shot a quick glance at Ria and Iggly. Okay, maybe he could use a team, but only them two. He wasn't about to try and get along with anyone else.

 

[~Nilion~]

With a satisfied sigh, Q trudged over to Ria and plopped down on the ground next to her.

“Alright guys, we can break for the night. Great work from both of you.” The pair disappeared in a flash of red light, with Q deciding it would be best to let his tired Pokémon rest peacefully in the pokeballs.
Grendel had spent most of the time off training by himself. He chose to vent his frustrations out on the nearby trees. He’d gotten through about two and half before Q told him to cut it out.
He spent the rest of the night much like Toto, pouty, but complacent.

“You too, Grendel. If you don’t wanna get in the pokeball, that’s fine, but you gotta come on,” Q quickly jammed his jacket into his already full duffle bag, before turning his attention to Ria, “We got the cash- let’s get a room at the Pokecenter tonight.”

————

“Good evening and welcome to the Ecruteak Pokémon center! I’m nurse Joy, how may I be of service?” Nurse Joy gave the pair a small bow as they passed through the automated doors.

“Hi- I was wondering if you could heal up these two…oh! And we also wanted to each get a room for the night- if that’s not a bother…” All the confidence the burgundy haired trainer had been displaying these last few days would quickly melt away as he was faced with the task of talking to another stranger.
While he managed to avoid stammering entirely, he definitely hesitated for an awkwardly long time. He just hoped the others weren’t too focused.

“Why, it’s not a bother at all! Pokémon Centers are here to aid training like you 24/7, all year-round. I’ll just need you to scan your trainer ID’s. It’s 1500P a night.” Nurse Joy swiftly slipped Lumos and Vence’s pokeballs onto a tray, then pressed a few buttons on the monitor next to her, causing a digital card scanner to pop out in front of the pair.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria yawned as she received Iggly's Pokeball back from nurse Joy. She looked down at Toto and smiled. She still didn't have a Pokeball for him and she wanted to get him a special one. Sadly, the ones she had seen on sale so far just didn't seem to fit right and Toto didn't seem to mind walking around all the time, probably cuz he could take better care of Ria that way.

"Well I'm going to register and go to sleep. Can't wait to sleep on an actual bed." Ria waved at Q as she headed off to her room.

Once inside she let Iggly out so she could play with Toto while she registered for a gym battle. The two Pokemon always seemed to enjoy each other's company, Iggly always loving her time floating around while Toto chased after her, making sure she didn't run into a light bulb or something. Ria felt a bit weird seeing them acting so innocent and the next day they would be battling their hearts out.

"Okay, tomorrow at 1. Gives us time to eat breakfast and get some training in before our match, sound good?"

Toto and Iggly both agreed. They joined Ria for a quick shower and a meal before going to bed, all three sharing the same spot and falling asleep quickly and peacefully.

 

[~Nilion~]

Q’s heart sunk as he listened to Ria’s plans for the next day. He knew that they’d been out there doing all that work so that they could challenge the gym… but it still caused a sudden wave of anxiousness to wash over the young man.
He took his Pokémon back and went up to one of the PC’s for registration.

“1 o’clock, huh….” On one hand, he thought it would be best if he scheduled his battle for after Ria’s… but at the same time, he didn’t even bother to challenge Jasmine’s gym, “She doesn’t deserve to lose her first badge a second time…” Against his own desires, Q scheduled his match for noon, hoping that it would give Ria an edge by allowing her to see Morty fight ahead of time.

“All set. Goodnight.” Q gave one finally goodbye before trudging off to his room.
Much like Ria, he took the opportunity to shower and eat before finally going to bed well past eleven.

—————

Despite his stress, Q slept pretty good that night thanks to burning up most of his energy during training.
It was around 9 o’clock when Q woke up, and at that point, Ecruteak was already bathed in the warm, golden light of a clear, sunny sky,

“…alright guys, wakey-wakey!” Q groggily rolled over in his bed, nighding Grendel awake with his foot while tapping Vence and Lumos’s Pokeballs.

“Wiiiiik~”

“Raaaaaaack~”

Both Pokémon let out satisfied yawns while stretching their bodies out.
Vence was surprised, he didn’t really know how he fit in that little ball, but it was best sleep he’d ever gotten. He felt so tranquil and relaxed, almost as if he was always dreaming.
Humans were fascinating creatures… he can’t believe his pack had been so scared of them.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria woke up the following day, took another quick shower to try and calm down, ate a healthy breakfast and rushed towards the practice fields outside the Pokemon Center.

"Toto, Aqua Jet, Metal Claw, and then Mud Slap!"

She had decided to learn the actual name of the moves her Totodile knew and so far it seemed they had gotten it down. Toto launched forward with water swirling around him in the blink of an eye, then his claws grew a metallic silver color as she slashed down against the ground before coating his tail in water and slamming it against the ground, sending mud flying across the field. Toto felt stronger than ever and for the first time, he felt Ria knew what she was doing.

"That was great! Toto you're so cool!" Ria rushed over with a water bottle in her hands and handed it over to Toto. "Okay, so we know our strategy right? Iggly will give us all the help she can and you have to go in strong and take the win!"

Toto drank down the water and then gave Ria a thumbs up. He actually felt confident about the gym battle, he just needed for Ria to have his back and he felt he could win anything.

 

[~Nilion~]

Rather than spending the start to his day attempting to refine his skills more, Q decided it would be best if he and his team just… had a nice morning. He knew the battle ahead would be stressful no matter how much he prepared, so he instead opted to simply try and not think on it till it was time.

He ordered breakfast for delivery, and made sure to get something for each of his Pokémon.
He flipped on the rooms TV and set it to the Battle Network channel, as Grendel and Lumos always requested. Vence hadn’t ever watched a TV, but it didn’t take him long to find entertainment in seeing much more experienced Pokémon duke on the small screen.

As the trio happily snacked on their breakfast and watched the television, Q sat at the small table in the corner of the room with his X-Gear off his wrist and disassembled on the table.
With all the things he’d been through the last couple days, he was certain the internal were gonna need a good cleaning. And right he was.

“Augh- man… I knew the keys felt sticky.” Q groaned as he pulled a small strand of dried Spinarak webbing off the internals with a set of tweezers.

“Ra-ah-ah-ah-am~“ Vence glanced over to Q and gave a sheepish grin as he discovered the webbing. He clearly still felt a little guilty about the attack.

“It’s okay buddy, I know you didn’t do it…” Q swiftly began snapping the pieces back in place, every individual part producing a loud, satisfying click to show it had been firmly locked on. As he finished, he turned to locked eyes with Vence, who was still staring, “Bet it happened when one of the guys there tried to web my arm. But it’s okay. No permanent damage, see?” As Q finished speaking, he powered on his X-Gear, causing all three screens to open up and flash to life.

“Rak!” Vence gave him a nod and a smile before turning his attention back to the tv.
It had been a nice morning. Success.

———

After a little more than two hours of lounging about, the young tinkerer gathered his Pokémon and headed to out to meet up with aria at the battlefield.
It didn’t make much searching; she was out doing exactly what he’d expected, practicing with Toto.

“Hope I didn’t hurt her feelings too bad…” Q thought to himself as he approached, discreetly fiddling with his X-Gear as to calm his nerves before he spoke, “Hey, we gotta go. My gym match is in like twenty minutes.”

 

[Hecotoro]

"Really?" Ria stopped, standing still like if she was trapped in head lights. "You're going first?" She finally moved, looking a bit confused, but seemed to come to acceptance with the reality of it in a few seconds. "Okay! I'm going to get some water and freshen up a little and I will catch up, if you're going to battle first we're going to cheer our hearts out!" She rushed over and hugged Q quickly before breaking into a sprint back to the Pokemon Center.

Toto gave Q a firm nod and then blasted after Ria with Aqua Jet, even in a simple moment he was still trying to squeeze in some last minute training.

 

[~Nilion~]

Q went rigid as a board when Ria wrapped around him, not expecting her reaction in the slightest.
Once she’d run off, and the color began to return to his face, Grendel popped out of his Luxury Ball in a flash of red.

“Te-heheheheheheh-di!” The small bear Pokémon laughed hysterically while point at his traumatized trainer, before ushering for Q to follow him towards the gym.
Maybe the shock is exactly what he needed to get his head in the game.

———

From the outside, Ecruteak’s gym didn’t look much different than Goldenrod’s; a sleek, monotone building stamped with a Pokeball emblem.
But upon entering, he was met with an environment so eerie, he could only compare it to a graveyard late at night…
It was a massive, barely lit room with large, ancient pillars encircling a sunken dirt battlefield.

“…uh….h-hello? Morty here? I’m Qu-Quentin. Here for the gym challenge at noon, if that’s okay.”

 

[kyuukestu]

“Quentin, was it?”

A man’s voice rang out from the darkness, followed by an ominous wind. The wind howled through the wooden halls of the gym, dying down abruptly as ghastly flames ignited on either side of Quentin. They flickered to life in pairs, eerie illumination revealing the gym in all its glory, section by section until it finally ended at the gym leader.

“Good of you to have come, my name is Morty, Ecruteak’s gym leader. My Pokémon and I have been awaiting you; if it’s all fine by you, let’s waste no time in beginning.”

The Gym leader made his way to the battlefield central to the gym, the ghostly lights dancing across his signature scarf.

 

[~Nilion~]

Hesitantly, the young man waded out onto the battlefield. He knew Morty used ghost types… he just hadn’t expected a Pokémon gym to give off vibes like this one.
Fortunately, he was snapped back to his senses as Morty wasted no time with formalities, ushering Q into battle.

“Right… well, I’ll go ahead and send out my Pokémon, now…” Q awkwardly fumbled a Pokeball out of his jackets inner breast pocket and tossed it out into his side of the field, “Let’s do this, Vence!”

“Raaaaaaak~” In a flash of red light, a small, angry looking Spinarak appeared from the pokeball. It’s eyes were affixed on Morty.

“Juuuuust breathe…”

 

[kyuukestu]

From his position in the Gym Leader’s trainer box, Morty gave a subtle not. He approved of the boy’s nervous courage and would thusly respond. “Be warned, my Pokémon and I are more disciplined than anyone! Go, Misdreavus, lead off with Growl!”

The Screech Pokémon took to the battlefield, sucking in a deep breath that seemed to go nowhere; then, she released a nails-on-chalkboard cry, and the ghost candles around them flickered in response.

 

[Hecotoro]

Ria finally made it to the gym, just to hear that Vence had been sent out. She moved to the bleachers on the side, a little freaked out by the decorations of the gym, mostly attracted by the field that seemed to glow on and off. She felt a bit of excitement, thinking of standing where Q was, facing the ghost gym leader.

"You can do this Vence and Q!" She called out.

 

[~Nilion~]

“Block it with Protect! Then use Infestation!” As Q shouted out his commands, Vence quickly clenched his body up, causing a translucent forcefield to form around the small big.
The effects of Growl were negated, and Protect flickered out just as Misdreavous stopped with its horrendous noise.

“Spin! Spin! Spin! Rak-“ Suddenly, dozens of tiny, insect-shaped dots comprised of orange, bug-type energy emerged from beneath Vence and immediately began attempting to swarm and cling onto Misdreavous.

 

[kyuukestu]

To utilize a crucial protect against growl...Quentin was a cautious boy, Morty decided. In that case...”Forward Misdreavus, Confusion!” Paying no mind to the encroaching swamp, Misdreavus relied on its innate resistance to bug-type energy to weather the attack. Its eyes glowed with the light of psychic power as it floated forward to dish out its own attack, seeking to twist and rend the Spinarak’s mind into a muddled mess.

 

[~Nilion~]

The flurry of small, orange bugs would jump up and crawl across Misdreavous’ wispy body. They would proceed to all occasionally pepper the ghost pokemons form with tiny, little bites.
At the same time, Vence’s mind was wracked with the damaging affects of Confusion, causing him to stumble backwards while shaking his head violently.

“Hold it together, buddy! Strike back with Nightshade!” Q was visibly nervous, but he attempted to keep a firm, even tone as to not let his Pokémon hear his uncertainty.
Thankfully, Vence managed to survive the Confusion without becoming confused himself, and quickly set his sights back on the Misdreavous.

“Spiiiiiiin~” The small bug types eyes shined with a dark purple glow as a barely visible, rippling shockwave of energy was launched outward towards his target.

 

[kyuukestu]

A calculated play, it seemed. Night Shade allowed the opponent to deal fixed damage; it was rather useful when consistent damage was needed, and compounded with the chip damage from infestation, it would steadily wear away at Misdrevos’ health. However, ”Misdreavus, Confusion!”

Misdreavus was strong and confusion dealt super effective damage, if Quentin thought he could win by trade blow for blow, then he was sadly mistaken. Spinarak would assuredly fall first.

 

[~Nilion~]

“You can take it!” Q clenched his teeth as a second super effective Confusion landed its mark on Vence. Thankfully, Nightshade had also hit its target, but with less effective results.
Vence was sent reeling from the mental blow he’d just received. His head felt foggy and his body felt weak. He didn’t know if he could stay on his feet for much longer…but then…that all faded.

“Raaaaak!” Vence’s eyes ignited with a deep orange glow as he was overtaken by the power of Swarm. He stared daggers at the Misdreavous, ready for his next command.

“Oh…I totally forgot about Swarm. Alright Vence, let’s keep it going! Infestation once more, then be ready to defend with Protect!” Q knew Vence likely couldn’t survive another hit. This was it.
His fear melted away, being replaced by determination. He had something to prove.

“Spinarak!” In a flash, Vence spawned another round of orange, insect-shaped energy which would quickly swarm Misdreavous. Only this time, the insects were about fifty percent bigger and moved much faster.
Vence just watched on to see how Misdreavous would respond to the increased assault.