“Yawn…” Lilith covered her mouth. “If that’s all, I’ll be going now”
“Wait! I haven’t even thanked you yet!” he choked, exasperated.
Wendell hated the greedy people who used their positions to buy their way into fame and out of trouble. His initial interpretation of her had been synonymous, even if he was a touch misguided. Lilith knew how it looked from an outside perspective, but didn’t bother correcting him. She had given into the fear of judging people long ago. It just wasn’t worth the effort.
“No need.” Lilith waived her hand, disliking the attention she was being shown.
She had used Wendell to pull the rich kid down a peg which in turn put him in the boy’s cross hairs. It wasn't like she had targeted him specifically, but he had been affected by her deception. She was ready to throw him away like a tool, but Wendell looked at her with his big soft puppy dog eyes. He had been fooled yet still looked at her in admiration.
The misguided attempt at imprinting on her had to stop. She and Absol gave a forceful, if not a tad harsh goodbye, casting them out into the wilderness once more. He was a big boy who had to learn how to take care of himself.
“See ya soon!”
Wendell, Tepig, and his newly caught Roselia all waved her goodbye. They all headed back towards safety Lilith on the other hand escaped back to her tent. Absol snuggled up to her as the two tried to sleep once more. She was really tired of getting woken up, even if it was partially her fault.
Lilith hid inside her sleeping bag until Dusk. They didn’t crawl out until the familiar feeling of darkness set around them.
“Come on! You can do it!” Lilith encouraged Absol.
They got up, dark and early. The one thing they had neglected thus far was Absol’s Ability. Abilities were notoriously either easily trained or the hardest to master. Some Abilities came to a Pokemon like a second nature, while others had to be repeated over and over until even the tiniest bit of progress was made. Absol happened to be the latter.
At first, they couldn’t even manifest any power. She knew two of the three abilities her species could possess off the top of her head. Pressure was an otherwise lackluster ability, but looked forward to how it could be manipulated in her favor. Super Luck was on a whole other level. Increased critical hits was something she couldn’t even comprehend. Guaranteed Crits through, moves like Slash and Night Slash were something else entirely.
She could catch glimpses of the monster her partner could become. That was, if anything appeared at all. Nothing touched the air like pressure was said to do. How was she to even tell if Super Luck activated? Frustration overtook her, as she didn’t even know what she was looking for. Who was to say that something was already active, but she just didn’t see the signs?
“Ahh.” Lilith ran her fingers through her hair.
Absol came and gave her a friendly nudge, calming her down. She had become much more quick to anger since their recent defeat. Her lack of knowledge despite having just spent a month cramming info into her brain was frustrating to an uncomfortable degree.
She had sought council with Shirley in the weeks after Absol’s birth. She was eager to add another card to her repertoire, only to find out that most only formed later in life. Lilith took little stock in what she said, considering herself a chosen one. They continued to try and manifest any indication at all, yet nothing came.
The duo flopped around in failure, continuing their headstrong charge. The two continued to try and push their limits until each was tired in their own right.
It took a long while, but the duo finally gave up for the night. Lilith slogged back to camp in defeat. She shoved the tent aside and rummaged around for her belongings. The other equipment was laid out, hiding the much smaller bundle of fabric.
“What an object.” She mumbled at the bag.
It still amazed her how much she could fit inside its tiny looking exterior. She reached inside, having a much easier time finding what she was looking for. Her arm emerged from the front pocket with a can of food in hand. She ripped off the pull tab and threw half the contents into a bowl.
The duo dined on their harvest, the contents conspicuous colors. Absol lapped at her plate full of Berry mash in delight. The agglomeration of tastes sweetened her tongue. The mass was specially made for Pokemon consumption. Lilith didn’t seem to mind, anything that was good enough for her partner was good enough for her. Absol gave a new meaning to licking the bowl clean, having finished much earlier.
Lilith took her time, eating to her heart's content. No side effects had presented themselves since her change in diet. The labels didn’t specifically dissuade human consumption, so she saved the cash for other things.
With their feat complete, it was time for their hunt. Pokemon in the area had yet to stand a challenge. It was frustrating having stormed off, only to find nothing she was looking for.
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Despite that, the dense forest around them held many more Pokemon than they were used to. Their new found numbers didn’t equate to strength. Patrat tried ambushing them by the dozen as Purrloin stalked the underbrush. They all seemed to learn the lesson in an instant. Absol was not to be trifled with. They simply couldn’t match her power, considering all of them had no stars.
“One!” Lilith called out.
Communication was key. Absol liked to jump into battle, but found herself easily distracted. They had been testing out a new command system for a while now, hoping to help shift her focus when needed. It helped to practice with lower level Pokemon. Absol had trouble shifting on the fly if she was already losing. That wasn’t to say that Pokemon were stupid, just that they were built for battle. Instincts were followed rather than thinking things through. They couldn’t have Absol falling into any traps, leaving her helpless.
When Lilith called out 1, Absol would employ a hit and run strategy designed to play to her mobility and power. 2 was the command to fight head on, while 3 was to wait and look for openings to set up. 4 was their code to designate a Pokemon they couldn’t fight at their current level. Each situation had many different variables, so the less in depth their strategies went, the more flexibility they created.
Lilith never designated which move should have been used where, but they did talk after each battle to know what Absol had done well, and where she could have improved. If a different move could have been used in a certain situation, then she would tell her. They weighed the pros and cons and talked through their problems.
Lower level practice was everywhere. Despite her current misgivings, the main goal wasn’t power. Instead, they took advantage of the weaker Pokemon and practiced their teamwork.
Many Foongus stuck to the trees and sent spores everywhere. Absol darted between the trees dodging the spray of attacks. Mega Drain never landed, as the Pokemon were incredibly slow. They scattered moves all around, increasing the difficulty. Even surrounded by 5 Pokemon, she wasn’t worried.
“Magic!” Lilith shouted.
Yellow powder filled the air as they tried Paralysing Absol into submission. The move they practiced the least, Magic Guard, came in handy. When the move activated, the spores bounced right off her body and became harmless. Lilith pumped her fist as the opening. Their way of thinking was starting to blend, as Absol took the same opportunity.
Absol targeted one of the lone mushrooms for defeat. She bit down onto the Foongus. His tiny body fell to her powerful jaws. One less mushroom stuck to the trees.
Lilith watched as the occasional Absorb found its target. Numbers were their biggest obstacle, proven quite plainly by their last defeat. It was a different variation on the problem, but the same problem, one in the same. If the battle continued for too long, the tiny amounts of chip damage would start to accumulate.
“Come on!” She mumbled, cheering her partner on.
Absol dashed through the trees, finishing off the fungi that dared challenge her. It was a long and arduous process, but one that paid off in the end. Her sleek red and white form was the only one left standing in the end.
“Which way do you think?” Lilith came over to congratulate her.
It was time to move on, with unconscious Pokemon littering the ground. Absol wanted something stronger. Their latest battle was interesting, but not close enough for her taste. Lilith agreed, so they headed deeper into the underbrush. The further they strayed from the path, the stronger her targets became. It didn’t take long before they found a fearsome foe.
“Snap!” Something fell from a nearby tree.
Both turned towards the sound, ready for a battle. The foliage was dense and nothing could be made out. They both squinted while trying to make out any movement. Nothing seemed to appear, so in their infinite wisdom, they crept closer to see what had caused the commotion. The closer Absol got, the more an outline appeared. The more outlines that appeared.
Hidden in the underbrush was a Pokemon. Leaves covered his body in camouflage and only his head could be seen. His entire body was small and round like a ball. She couldn’t see underneath due to his vest of leaves. Lilith squinted to try and get a better look at the Pokemon. They walked up even closer until she recognized the Pokemon that sat only meters away.
‘Oh no!’ She thought.
“Four!” Lilith whispered.
The two tried backing away slowly. The Swadloon stared at them intently. Before they could back up too far, his body shook. A strange noise resembling a call opened up the forest.
“Run!” Lilith screamed.
Both turned tail and ran. She had learned what a swarm of Bug types could do. What one couldn’t do individually, the swarm made up for in quantity. The trees around her came to life as Sewaddle lowered themselves down from their vantage points. String covered their bodies as even more shot out towards the fleeing duo. If they were hit with any, the consequences would be dire. The attacks formed a wall of sticky adhesive that looked to stop all in its tracks.
Lilith had recognized Swadloon just in time. Usually only an evolved species could command their lessers in the swarm, so any Sewaddle they found clumped together were relatively harmless. When hundreds of them appeared out of nowhere, that was a problem. The duo took no effort concealing their tracks as they sought only to leave the domain of the Bugs.
Neither glanced back as they were running. She didn’t want to see the Sewaddle that swung from their trees to chase them. The duo charged recklessly, not looking where they were going. It didn't matter because anywhere would be better than their current predicament.
The occasional Sewaddle would swing too close, but any that did were met with Absol’s fangs. Their surroundings turned the further they traveled. Less trees surrounded them, leaving less Pokemon able to continue the chase. Only a few dozen Sewaddle swung down and landed on the muddy ground. The small group stared them down. The duo let out a sigh of relief. Swadloon hadn’t bothered to chase, and with their current numbers, they might be able to take them head on.
The small Pokemon squeaked all together. They talked amongst themselves as Absol decided to stand her ground. One of the swarm stepped forward and jumped up and down. The small creature squeaked out a long rant, which would have been cute if not for the series of events that had led them there.
The message was quite clear however. Neither would want to return to such an area given the threat. The sentiment was quite clear, so the Sewaddle turned and fled back to their forest one by one. The one to step forward was the last. He glanced at them once more before hopping back home.
‘Where the heck are we?’