Morning came quickly. Astra sighed as the sun hit her face, blinking as the light slid across her eyes. Yawning, she sat up and stretched, blinking as a loose piece of towel fell on her face. She scowled, pushing it back into place. These things itched! She wanted her robes back; as much as she preferred to not wear anything, at least the cloth from the village didn’t prickle!
Slipping out of the sheets, she scratched her flanks and looked to the side, frowning. May was still asleep? Hopping down to ground level, she walked around and crouched down.
“May, time to get up,” she said, poking her companion on the head.
“Nnnn,” May grumbled, snuggling deeper into the covers.
“May, it’s time to get up! May. Maaaaaaay!”
“Uuuugh,“ she moaned, flipping over and shielding her eyes from the light with an arm. “What time is it?”
Astra glanced at a clock. “6:30.”
“…Astra why.”
“I’ve been sleeping in a bunch of towels all night, I don’t know where the laundry is, and it’s getting really itchy. Plus, we’re setting out for Rustboro, right? I want to get started! I wonder what it’s like...”
May groaned again. “Alright, alright. It should be illegal to get up this early, I swear.”
One trip to the laundry room and other morning duties later, May and Astra left the hotel, one bleary-eyed and the other exuberant.
“I don’t get how anyone can have this much energy before nine,” May yawned. “Is this another ‘lived in a cave’ thing?”
Astra shrugged. “I dunno, is being dead on your feet a city thing?”
“Nnng.” May rubbed at her eyes, then peered around at the buildings surrounding them. “Is there a—there is! Wait here for a hot minute, I’ll be right back.”
What? Where was she going? Astra watched confusedly as May dashed into a nearby store. She emerged a while later holding a large steaming paper cup and a bag, looking much livelier.
“What’s that?” Astra questioned as May jogged back.
“Coffee!” May proclaimed, taking a sip. “Nectar of the gods, waker of the dead. I’m assuming you’ve never heard of it?”
Astra mutely shook her head.
“Thought as much. Want to try? It’s hot, so don’t burn yourself.”
Taking the proffered cup, Astra took a whiff. It smelled very…earthy? Heeding May’s advice, her first mouthful was cautious, but the heat was still a small shock. But then the taste finally registered; Astra’s eyes bulged, her whole body shivering at once as the extreme bitterness assaulted her tongue. She swallowed with difficulty, the foul liquid leaving an awful aftertaste as it went, then handed the cup back to May with a grimace.
“Ugh, why do you drink that!? It was so bitter!”
“It can be like that the first few times.” May agreed. “It really helps me wake up in the morning and when I pull all-nighters.”
“I’ll take your word for it. Aah, I can still taste it…”
“You’d probably want more sugar or cream in yours.” May paused to finagle with the plastic bag, and pulled out what vaguely looked like two absurdly thick brown mushrooms. “I got muffins too!”
Astra accepted one of the muffins warily. “It’s not going to taste like the coffee, is it?”
“What? No, they’re almond poppyseed,” May replied, biting into hers. She frowned at Astra when she still looked hesitant. “Oh, come on, it’s not going to bite you. Just try it, sheesh!”
Might as well, Astra reasoned. Her eyes widened as she bit down, teeth gliding through the crust as through it wasn’t there. It tasted sweet, but also slightly nutty; it almost dissolved on her tongue as well, the insides fluffy as a cloud. Yet again human food had exceeded all expectations.
“This is really good!” Astra grinned at May through a mouthful of muffin. “Thank you!”
May waved her off. “No big deal. It was two for one and we hadn’t had breakfast yet anyway.”
The two of them were approaching the outskirts now, the skyscrapers having been replaced by single stories a while back. This was where the city gave way to route 104, or so May said.
“It’s supposed to be a pretty small route,” she explained, finishing off her drink and tossing the cup in a trash can. “But it runs straight through the Petalburg Woods so it twists all over itself due to the cliffs. It shouldn’t be a problem for us, though.” She glanced Astra’s way. “That sort of place is all old news to you, eh?”
Astra hummed in agreement. “All of this is so strange to me,” she indicated the city around them. “It’ll be nice to be somewhere familiar again, even if it’s still a long way from home.”
“I bet there’s a lot of cool Pokemon to capture too!” May added. “Do you have anything you’re on the hunt for?”
Astra knew that she would have to acquire more Pokemon, but aside from purchasing a pokeball at the Pokemart she hadn’t given it much thought. “I’m not sure what to look for,” she admitted. “Do you have any advice?”
“Hm. Well, I’m out to widen my type coverage personally. I’ve already got my Torchic and a Poochyena,” May said, counting off on her fingers. “So I’m thinking of getting one or two Water types, a Grass, and maybe a Flying type.”
“You have a Poochyena?” Astra asked, surprised. Did she already have it during their battle?
“Yeah, I got her on the way to Petalburg,” May confirmed. “She’s a real goofball, and someday she’ll be a giant fanged wrecking ball! I can’t wait!”
“R-right…” Astra mumbled, looking away. She had vaguely hoped she’d never have to see one of those dogs again. Like most of the villagers, she was rather unnerved by Poochyena—terrified, even. They were completely immune to even the most powerful Kirlia’s psychic abilities and had a tendency to hunt down villagers for food. They couldn’t even hear anything you said unless you spoke aloud, and the only thing a Poochyena would ever hear that way would be a scream.
“I only have Treecko right now,” she said, getting back on track. “What did you mean by type coverage?”
“You really came into this blind, didn’t you?” May sighed. “Uh, well, Pokemon come in about…seventeen types? There’s, Fire, Water, Grass, Flying, Psychic—"
“Psychic?” Astra asked, taken aback. She was psychic; did that apply to her? Did she have a type? When did that happen!?
“Haven’t heard of them?” May asked, amused. “Psychics are kinda weird. They move things around with their mind, teleport from place to place, fire balls of energy and mess with their enemies’ heads.”
Astra stared at May in betrayal. She wasn’t weird! “What’s so important about types anyway?” she asked with a trace of a huff.
May raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. She tapped her chin in thought. “It’s kinda like rock paper scissors. You know, rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock, yeah?”
Astra didn’t know, in fact. How did paper beat rock? What were scissors? “Sure,” she lied. “So it’s like that?”
“Yeah, some Pokemon just have an inborn advantage over other types. Like when we fought? Your Treecko is a Grass type and my Torchic is a Fire type, and Grass is weak to Fire. So when Torchic hit Treecko with an Ember, boom!” May mimed an explosion with her hands, “Fight over. There’s this whole chart that explains it but hell if I can remember it all.”
So everyone had a type, and every type was weak or strong against something. This was more complicated than Astra had thought. “So you want to have a lot of different types to cover every weakness?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Does everything have a type?” she asked.
May nodded. “Mhmm. Some even have two.”
Did it work like that for humans as well? Astra gave May a considering look. “Do you have a type?”
May stared at Astra in wide eyed shock before her face scrunched up and she doubled over, bursting into laughter. “Astra oh my god.”
Oh no, what did she do wrong this time!? It was just a simple question! “What? What’d I do?” she asked with alarm.
“You just—you don’t know!” she gasped, still reeling. “You just spat out the cheesiest, most cornball pick up line in history like it was nothing. Oh, oh my sides. That couldn’t have been more perfect if you tried!”
Astra blinked, confused. “Pickup line…?”
“Hah, you know! Some stupid one liner idiots say to try to flirt with girls.” May’s grin gained a gleeful edge. “Or maybe you already knew?”
Astra turned completely red as she realized what May was getting at. “I—that was—I was—no!” she burst out, flailing her arms wildly. “No, no! I wasn't! No!”
“Oh Astra,” May gasped out, acting shocked. “I had no idea you felt that way!”
“May, no!”
“A heartfelt confession? I hadn’t thought you so bold! How could I possibly decline?” May swooned.
“Aaaagh!” Astra cried out, burying her face in her hands. “I didn’t mean that!”
“Pfft, yeah, I know.” May chuckled one last time, patting Astra on the back. “I’m just messin’ with you.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You know you love me!” May said, eliciting a flat stare. “Hehe. Anyway, people don’t have types—not like Pokemon, at least. Wouldn’t that be cool, though? I could be a Flying type and soar up to the clouds, or be a psychic and teleport everywhere instead of walking!”
Astra felt a bit of pity at that. Every adult back in the village enjoyed teleporting to some extent; it made transporting water or wood easier, and you were never more than a quick flash from your favorite hangout spot. Not walking anywhere was completely ludicrous, though; even the best couldn’t teleport that frequently.
“Teleporting sounds nice,” she agreed. Even if May never got to experience it, Astra was very much looking forward to learning.
May hummed. After a moment, she reiterated an earlier question, “So, any idea what you’re gonna capture now?”
“Well,” Astra said, thinking aloud, “I’m still not sure. I don’t know much about what’s out there, so I suppose I’ll just do what you’re doing and work it out as I go.”
“Winging it? Sweet, that’s always a fun time.” May grinned. “Hope it goes better than last time I tried it.”
Astra glanced at her curiously. “What happened last time?”
“Threw a guy off a bridge.”
“You—what!?”
May whistled innocently, completely ignoring her baffled companion.
“May, what do you mean threw off a bridge? May? May!”
----------------------------------------
An hour or so later found them walking in silence, May in good spirits and Astra fuming at May’s stubborn refusal to elaborate. They had long ago left Petalburg itself behind; the winding trail of Route 104 stretched far ahead, bristling with possibilities.
“So,” May sounded out, breaking the silence. “What exactly is in that case you have there?”
“The—oh!” Astra reached backwards, fetching her instrument. “It’s a violin.”
May looked at Astra, askance. “A violin? Didn’t you say you lived in the woods? Where did you get a violin? Why do you have a violin?”
“It was before I went to the gym,” Astra explained, opening the case. The polished wood of the instrument gleamed in the sunlight. “I came across an elderly man named Trevor who was performing on the sidewalk. I listened to him play and he offered to teach me a little bit, and I was so quick at learning that he let me keep it.”
“That… are you screwing with me?” May asked, completely confused. “Who just gives away a violin? And—wait, are you telling me you learned how to play in just one day?”
Astra frowned. “Do you think I’m lying?”
“It’s—well, I don’t know! I thought it took like, years to learn that sort of thing.”
Lifting the violin out of its case, Astra stored the box back in her back and balanced the instrument on her shoulder, bow in hand. “I can prove it, if you’re so skeptical,” she challenged.
“Oh, I gotta see this. Go ahead.”
Tugging her mask into place, Astra pulled her sleeves back, layering the image of human hands over her own. She paused, considering. What to play, what to play…
A movement of her arm and mind in concert, and a series of chords began to sing through the air. Evoking adventure, a new day to see, a new road yet traveled; wonder and mystery as well! Of course, she didn’t hit the strings quite right a few times, and walking while playing was doing her no favors…still, even if it was simple, it mimicked what she heard in her mind well enough.
May looked suitably impressed. “Wow, way to prove me wrong,” she remarked, listening intently. “This is pretty good!”
“Oh, I absolutely agree!” said a voice. Both trainers blinked, the performance guttering out. In front of them stood a woman in a green sundress and a wide-brimmed hat, looking out from under the shade of a parasol. She smiled at them, applauding softly. “I must say, you are a splendid player. Well done!”
“Uh. Thank you?” Astra replied, uncertain. Who was this?
“You are very welcome! Ah, but let me introduce myself,” the woman said, giving a small bow, “My name is Cindy. I practice Pokemon training in my spare time, and I am out today to give my dearest pet some exercise. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Ah, a fellow trainer like Rick. She knew where this was going. “I see. My name is Astra!”
“Name’s May. You said you were looking to fight?” Anticipation was laced into every word of May’s sentence.
“Oh yes. But my word; two trainers at once? This must be fate! It is unfortunate, then, that I do not have enough Pokemon for a double battle.” Cindy hummed. “In that case, I think I can only fight one of you. Astra, was it? I would request that you face me.”
She was challenging her? Well, she was more than happy to oblige. “You’re on!” Astra exclaimed, grinning.
May grumbled as she moved off to the side, disappointment evident on her face. “Kick her ass, Astra!”
Astra nodded as she and Cindy moved opposite one another. Holding bow and violin in one hand, the Ralts reached back with her free one to grab Treecko’s pokeball. Cindy looked on with a glint in her eye, retrieving her own ball from the basket.
“Come on out, my darling!” she cried, tossing her ball into the air. A Zigzagoon burst into existence, yipping happily and running around its owners legs.
Astra followed suit, Treecko materializing in a flash. “Let’s go, Treecko!” Her Pokemon crouched low, observing as his opponent settled into its own lowered stance.
“Oh my, what a cute creature!” Cindy exclaimed. “Ah, but it is no match for my darling. Use Headbutt!” she declared, brandishing her parasol forward.
Astra felt a smile creep along her face as the battle truly began. Anticipation, like lightning, coursed through her body as she connected with Treecko. “Side step and tackle,” she ordered, tapping her foot.
Treecko nimbly darted to the side at the last second as his opponent charged, Zigzagoon passing by so closely that his ankle brushed up against his foes' fur. A moment later Treecko’s shoulder impacted Zigzagoon with a mighty crash, knocking it to the ground. The striped Pokemon thrashed wildly, forcing Treecko to back away as it recovered and growled at him.
And so the fight continued on. Astra’s hands shook gently as she sent out orders and snatched strategy from thin air. This energy, this burning focus—Astra loved every minute. Split-second decisions that could decide the course of a fight, the thrill when her small plans worked, the feeling of frustration when Zigzagoon got a hit in; there was nothing else like it. This feeling, this moment, she needed to…needed to...
Without thinking about it, she returned the bow to her free hand and strummed its length across the strings of her violin. It started sharp, dozens of tiny notes flowing directly into a bombastic introduction, leading into a theme of conquest and battle! It sang freely, tales of victory and drama told equal in measure. Yes, it said: this is your moment; let your heart beat freely, for this is where your tale shall be told!
Treecko, seemingly bolstered by the melody, dodged yet another wild charge from Zigzagoon, raking a glowing green palm across his opponent's side. Zigzagoon howled as its energy was drained.
Cindy grimaced, eyes wide as she searched for a way to save her beloved pet. “Sand attack!” she commanded.
Her Zigzagoon spun madly, clawing up a great deal of dirt and sand and hurling it towards Treecko in a huge cloud. Treecko braced himself, covering his eyes with his arms, but the fine grains slipped through his meager guard regardless. He cried out as the debris scraped across his eyes, blinding him.
“Now headbutt once more, while he cannot see!” Cindy exclaimed, voice exultant in her small victory
Astra grinned, and sent Treecko her own vision of the battlefield. “Absorb,” she ordered, raising the tempo of her song to a fever pitch.
No longer sightless, Treecko jumped backwards into the air, Zigzagoon missing him completely. Flipping through the air, he landed upon his foe’s back and dug glowing fingers into his side. Zigzagoon screeched as it felt the last of its energy being drained away, staggered forward, and finally collapsed upon the ground.
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May applauded from the sidelines. “Hell yeah!” she cheered, walking over and clapping Astra on the back. “That’s how you do it!”
Astra rubbed the back of her head, grinning. “Thanks!” Treecko ran up to her and she rubbed the top of his head. “Good work!”
Cindy sighed in disappointment as she recalled her Zigzagoon. “Well done. I must say, you are quite a unique trainer. That musical accompaniment was extraordinary; if only all of my battles could be that dramatic. Tell me,” she continued, “Were you perhaps directing your Pokemon through that music? I could not hear you issue any commands at all.”
“Ah…”
Seeing Astra freeze up, Cindy smiled. “Oh? Perhaps that is your secret technique? That is okay, you do not need to share it with me. I am merely a passing acquaintance, after all.”
“Are we done here?” May asked, tapping her foot. “I’d like to at least get to the woods today.”
“Yes, of course.” Cindy held out her pokedex and transferred Astra’s winnings over. “Do you plan to take up the violin professionally? I would love to attend a performance. I believe there is a musical contest in Slateport in a couple weeks, wIll you be there?”
Astra looked at May, who shrugged, irritated. “I just got here like, not even a week ago. Don’t ask me.”
She turned back to Cindy. “It’s the first I’ve heard about it. I’m not sure. If we ever go there I’ll look into it, but I’m focused on becoming the Champion right now.”
“I understand. I hope you will consider it; I feel that you would do admirably.” Cindy bowed once more and walked past them, heading towards Petalburg. “I wish both of you a good day. Farewell!”
“Goodbye!” Astra said, waving. May grunted by her side, already starting to move.
“Using music to command your Pokemon, eh?” she asked as they began to move along the trail again. “It was decent, but you just got that thing yesterday, right? There’s no way you trained your Treecko to do that sort of thing that fast.” Her eyes narrowed as a suspicious frown crossed her face. “Plus, you didn’t even have it out when you were fighting me and Brendan, and both here and there I never heard you tell your Pokemon what to do. So, what gives?”
It was a tricky question. How does one command Pokemon without saying anything? The real answer was, of course, telepathy—but revealing that would be a horrible decision, so she had to come up with a convincing lie. Luckily, having been asked this a few times, she had come up with a good answer.
“I can throw my voice.”
“You can… throw your voice?” May repeated, skeptically. “What, like a—like one of those guys with the puppets?”
“A… what? No. Or, um. Maybe?” Astra shook her head. “I actually do tell my Pokemon what to do, but I can make it so that only they can hear it,” she explained. “It’s really hard, but it lets me not worry about my opponent planning around my commands until it’s too late.”
“Oh.” May blinked. “That—that’s pretty cool, actually. How does it work?”
Telepathy wasn’t true speech, of course; sound did not travel over the air when she talked, but if she made a slight adjustment...
“It’s a secret~!” she said, making her ‘voice’ come from the opposite side of May in a quiet whisper.
May yelped, swinging her fist through the empty air behind her. She gaped at nothing as Astra giggled, then whirled back around. “Oh fuck you!” she spat, giving her amused companion a light shove. “That was creepy as shit!”
“The look on your face! Hehehe!” May shook her head as Astra continued to laugh.
“God damn,” she grumbled for a moment, but her face brightened up quickly. “I bet you could just make people freak the hell out whenever you wanted, huh?” May poked Astra, grinning. “Imagine you see some guy sitting at a table; you could just whisper some ominous bull at him like, ‘The Dark Hour cometh!’ and watch him panic.”
“Aah, that seems mean. But yes, I could!”
“Hah! We gotta try it on Brendan next time we see him.”
Astra tilted her head. “You really like messing with him, don’t you?”
“Eh?” May coughed, and looked away. “He just makes it so easy, is all.” She said, waving Astra off. “Don’t get any weird ideas.”
“Oh? What weird ideas am I not supposed to be having, eh~?”
May glared at her. “Fuck off.”
Astra just laughed.
----------------------------------------
They came across two more trainers in the next couple hours, both of whom May fought. Astra stood off to the side and performed on her violin, but the pieces were often cut short; May wasn’t wasting any time today. Both Torchic and Poochyena made short work of any challengers.
It was also the first time Astra had seen the dog. It had circled around her, sniffing for a few moments before growling. Astra had backed away as May whapped it on the head, scolding the Poochyena harshly. After that, it mostly ignored her, instead focusing on chasing Treecko around in an animalistic version of tag.
Astra, for her part, took down the few wild Pokemon that had jumped out of the bushes, most of which had been Zigzagoons and Wurmples.
“What makes them just attack people out of nowhere like that?” Astra asked once, Treecko resting on her shoulder after beating an aggressive Wurmple into the dust.
“Nngh, Brendan would probably know more about that kind of stuff than I do,” May admitted. “I think they just want to get stronger? Or maybe it’s a territory thing. Tch, I wish something cool pops up soon; I want a full roster, damn it!”
Eventually the trees surrounding the well-traveled path became sparser and sparser, and before they knew it they emerged into an open field, a beach spreading across the horizon to their left. The ocean sparkled like a gemstone, the waves scattering sunlight across the air.
Astra stared at it in wonder. There had always been the ocean to the south of her home, but it was very far away, and consisted of a precarious cliffside that was too dangerous for Ralts like her. It was beautiful! Was that sand? She had never seen so much in one place before. There was also what appeared to be a large platform made of wood extending over the water at the far end. A…pier. It was called a pier. There was a large boat chained up to it.
“I wonder if I could catch anything good in the ocean,” May mused from her side. “I think I see a couple trainers down there too! C’mon Astra, let’s hit the beach!”
Astra nodded, grinning. She had never been to a beach before! They found a set of stairs nearby, which May descended at speed. She raced ahead, kicking up a small cloud as she dashed across the sand. “Hell yeah!” she cheered, spinning in a circle. “Feels just like Olivine! Come on,” she looked toward Astra, who hadn’t made it down yet.
Astra went to join her, took one step onto the beach, and fell flat on her own face when her leg sank straight into the depths. She lifted herself off the sand, sputtering as it clung stubbornly to her cloak. In the distance, she could hear May laughing at her misfortune.
Scowling, she pushed herself up, but paused as her leg sunk into the sand yet again. She glanced at May, confused. Why…? Oh, she thought, staring at May’s shoes. Astra didn’t have any feet to speak of; the ends of her legs tapered down into a small nub that she walked on. So if she walked normally, her legs would just pierce into the loose sand like a spear. Okay, she could deal with this, just had to hold the sand together… She stood up after a few false starts, then took off at a wobbly hobble across the sands, making the sand under her compress just enough to walk on.
May stood at the edge of the ocean, gazing across the water. “Have a nice fall?” she asked as Astra closed the distance.
“Fantastic,” Astra replied, brushing stubborn grains out of her robe without much success. “Ugh, I’m going to have sand in my face forever.”
“Sucks to be you,” May teased, still scanning the sea. “Hm. I think I see movement out there. Well!” she exclaimed, dropping her pack and rooting around inside. “I said I needed a water Pokemon, what better place to look than the ocean!” A moment later she found what she had been looking for, pulling out a rather battered-looking fishing rod.
“You’re going fishing?” Astra asked, inspecting the rod as May practiced throwing it. She was more familiar with the ‘jam a spear directly into the fish’s soft, delicious flesh’ method, but that wasn’t the most conducive for live catches, she supposed. “I guess I could do with a break. Don’t you need bait for that?”
“Nah,” May replied, casting the line deep into the ocean. The bobber wobbled on the surface, riding the small waves. “The ball on the hook works like bait. It came with the rod.”
They watched the bobber bob. “Where did you get this thing?”
“Oh, someone abandoned it next to a river back on 103.” May shrugged. “Dunno why, it still works okay.”
Astra hummed, settling on the shore. Sitting back, she enjoyed the warmth of the sun radiating across her robes, resting her feet upon the sand. It was nice to sit back for a little while. May joined her after a few moments, nothing immediately biting at her hook. The wind blew softly, smelling of salt and brine. The sound of gentle waves was only interrupted by far off caws of wild Wingull.
She was just beginning to fall asleep when May’s line went taut. “Hah, caught something!” she yelled, suddenly on her feet and dragging the old rod backwards. The line swung back and forth wildly out in the water, but May’s persistence and strength were gradually forcing it towards land.
“Now, let’s see what you’re made of!” she shouted, yanking the pole back with an almighty pull. The water’s surface broke open, a small blue shape shooting out of the ocean and landing on the shore. The creature’s body was similar to a giant blue upside-down egg, with something like a cape covering its back and sides. Three red orbs were embedded within its head, two large ones taking up the left and right sides, with a smaller one between its eyes.
Said eyes were glaring at them angrily, its two tentacles raised up in defense as it spat out the fishing rod’s hook. “Tenta tentacool!” it chittered.
“A Tentacool?” May’s face fell. “I was hoping for something a bit more exciting than that.”
Astra looked up from her pokedex, having scanned the creature when it appeared. Apparently the thing was poisonous. Wait, hadn’t they eaten some at that sushi place? How had they dealt with the toxins? “Are you going to try again?”
Shaking her head, May grabbed a pokeball and tossed it out. “Nah, it’s fine; I don’t want to spend all day fishing. ‘Sides, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it can’t be awesome. Time to get a new party member! Go, Poochyena!”
May’s Poochyena materialized in a flash, the dog instantly sighting its opponent. “Yena…” he growled, crouching low. The Tentacool splashed the water with its tentacles, as if daring the dog to step forth.
“Alright Poochyena, Bite that sucker, full speed!”
Poochyena shot off, the water violently parting in his wake. The Tentacool’s eyes gleamed, its tentacles glowing a sickly purple. As the dog closed in, the Tentacool lashed out, both tentacles striking its opponent with painful, poisonous impacts.
Yet Poochyena was undeterred. WIth a mighty bark, it leapt forward and clamped its jaws on the Tentacool’s head. The gelatinous creature screamed, tendrils wrapping around the dog and squeezing. Poochyena whined, but its jaws held firm. The Tentacool’s head bled fiercely, the water becoming stained a crimson hue as it struggled.
“One more time, give it all you got!” May shouted. “Bite!”
Poochyena redoubled its efforts, and dug its teeth ever deeper into his opponent’s head. The Tentacool’s screech intensified as the pain became too much, loosening its hold in shock. Utilizing its new freedom, Poochyena slipped out of the constricting hold and began to shake the Tentacool like a ragdoll.
“Right, Poochyena, let go!” May commanded, readying a pokeball. WIth a sharp jerk Poochyena released its prey, and the Tentacool went flying, impacting the shallows with a wet plop. The Pokemon shakily rose up, bleeding profusely and in great pain, but still it refused to back down. The fire in its eyes had yet to flicker, preparing itself to enter the fray yet again even as May’s pokeball struck it dead center.
It dissolved into red light, the pokeball capturing the light with a click as it fell into the shallows. It shook once, twice, thrice… May grinned as a small chime sang through the air.
“Persistent little fucker, aren’t you?” she said, picking up the newly-filled pokeball. She spun it on her finger, smiling. “Welcome to the team, squidface.”
“Congratulations!” said Astra. She looked at May as she started to fuss over Poochyena, a small frown crossing her face as she considered the scene. May already had two more Pokemon than she did; she would have to find some more of her own if she wanted to keep up. A Zigzagoon or Wurmple didn’t appeal to her in any capacity. As for a Poochyena…personal distaste aside, she sincerely doubted that was possible, seeing as they nullified all psychic activity. Which was her only method to communicate.
She sighed, brushing the sand from her robes as she stood. Nothing for it but to keep her eyes peeled. Something would turn up eventually. “Hey May,” she called out. “Do you wanna pick a fight with those trainers down the beach?”
May just grinned as she came back ashore, shaking excess water off her shoes. “Do you even need to ask?”
Astra shook her head, amused. The two of them continued down the beach, a fierce debate on who got to fight first filling the air.
----------------------------------------
A few hours and several thoroughly humiliated trainers later, the two friends had returned to the well-worn trail, and now peered at the skyline as the sun hovered over the horizon.
“Gonna be dusk soon, we’ll want to stop for the night,” Astra commented.
May grunted, poking at her pokedex. “Why did they even make a map this shitty?” she groused, snapping it closed and tossing it into her pack. “I think the woods are just up ahead. Let’s at least reach the entrance before we stop.”
“Fine by me.”
They walked in silence for a time; May gazing at the sky and Astra carefully searching her surroundings. Surely there must be an interesting Pokemon hiding somewhere around here? She didn’t want to end the day empty-handed, but it was becoming increasingly likely she would have to as the evening wore on. A sudden onrush of densely packed trees and tall grasses appeared in the distance, the path forwards becoming increasingly more rough.
May brightened up at the sight. “There it is! We’ll get closer to the boundary and set up camp offroad.”
Astra nodded despondently. “Sounds good.”
May turned to look at her, frowning. “You doing okay? Sounding kinda sad there.”
She sighed. “I dunno. It’s just, you’ve caught two more Pokemon than me. I feel like I’m falling behind, you know? I’ve been looking all day, but I haven’t seen anything interesting to catch either…”
“Ah, well, don’t worry about it!” May patted Astra’s head, smiling. “There’s probably a shitton of Pokemon in the forest. You’ll be swarmed by options before you know it!”
Astra shot her a sour look, shaking May’s hand from her hat. “Mmm,” she hummed, disgruntled.
Something to the side caught Astra’s eye. A few berry bushes stood among the underbrush, their pink leaves gently ruffling in the breeze. Tiny, brightly-colored red and yellow fruits hung from the branches. Leppa berries!? These were very rare! Capable of curing psychic fatigue, they were in high demand and hard to get—or at least they were around her section of forest. Yet here they were, sitting in the open for anyone to snag.
“One minute,” Astra said, rushing toward the precious fruit. “I want to grab a few of these.”
“Leppa berries?” May asked, noticing the bushes. “Good idea. We’ll be fighting our way through the forest all day tomorrow, our Pokemon will need those to keep going.”
Grabbing her knife, Astra cut a berry from its stem—only for something to pop right out of the bush right after it. They both froze for a moment before the creature caught sight of the berry in Astra’s hand and narrowed its eyes. It roared, rocketing out of the bush and knocking Astra aside, careening into the trail. It held its prize aloft in triumph. “Marill!”
Scrambling to her feet, Astra quickly brought Treecko’s pokeball to bear, calling her companion to the field as she examined her attacker. Its body was naught more than a great blue sphere with a white belly, four limbs even nubbier than her own serving to keep it in a bipedal stance. It sported a wire-like jagged black tail with a large blue ball attached to the end of it, and atop its head were two giant round ears.
“You just got knocked on your ass by a Marill” May crowed, her snickering like tiny needles in Astra’s ego. “You were all like ‘Wah!’”
“Shut up.”
The Marill had finished its ill-gotten berry, and was now side-eyeing Treecko as it licked its hand. Astra considered the blue rodent in turn; could this be the opportunity she sought? Though she had never personally met one of their kind before, some of the Kirlia that patrolled the forests had occasionally told tales of the creatures; their surprising strength and constitution at the forefront of discussion as they nursed dark bruises.
She grinned to herself. Time to make a new friend. “Alright Treecko; bring that berry thief down! Tackle!” Treecko leapt forwards, closing the distance with rapid, hopping steps.
The Marill hissed, tail twitching. “Maaaar—" it said, wrapping its tail around its round belly like a belt. “—rill!” it screamed, spinning rapidly; its jagged tail extended to full length as it unwound, the ball on the end hurtling through the air like a wrecking ball. Treecko’s eyes widened at the sight, then comically bulged as it cannoned into his side at full force. Astra winced as her Pokemon went flying backwards, scraping across the rough dirt.
Treecko rolled for a moment before regaining control of his body, crouching as he came to a stop. He held his side, and Astra felt the pain through their telepathic bond; a few more of those and Treecko would be done for. “Are you okay?”
“Tree,” he growled. Determination.
“Heh. Right, time to get serious. Close in!”
Treecko darted forth once more, eating ground rapidly. The Marill swelled up in response, enlarging itself to an enormous size before leaning forward and unleashing a jet of water directly at its opponent. He was undaunted however; bracing himself, Treecko hit the torrent head-on. Even slowed, he did not stop moving, advancing step by step as the attack scraped at his skin.
Inexorably, the Marill’s stamina ran out and the Water Gun dropped as the rotund Pokemon was left wanting for air. Instead, all it received was a glimpse of Treecko an instant before his tail slammed it to the ground.
Drain!
Spiky tendrils emerged from Treeckos hand at the command, and the Marill screeched as thick streams of green energy were torn from its body. It thrashed wildly, tail swinging like a demented flail. Treecko grunted as the blue ball crashed into his side again, sending him reeling backwards. The Marill recovered swiftly, its tail smacking the ground rapidly.
“Marill MARILL!” it shouted, wrapping its tail around its body once more.
May hissed as Treecko shook off the impact. “Ooh, you pissed it off!”
Astra shook her head. “Almost got it, just a little more. Treecko, rebound!”
Treecko’s eyes lit up, and he readied himself, digging his feet into the earth and crouching low. The Marill finished winding up and spun, its improvised flail hurtling at Treecko with massive force.
Braced, Treecko faced the oncoming sphere head-on and seized the limb from out of the air even as it drove itself directly into his torso. The sheer force of the impact drove him back several feet yet he stood firm; a wheeze of pain was the only indication that it had effected him at all.
“Marill!?” the blue Pokemon cried, wobbling erratically as its center of balance was upended. It tugged at its tail, but Treecko refused to let go. “Mar-marill!” Its pulling became frantic as Treecko took one step backwards, two steps, three—
“Now!”
Spinning in place, Treecko simultaneously released the Marill’s ball and hammered it with his own tail in time with its tugging. The Marill had just enough time to look absolutely flabbergasted before its own tail impacted its face like a meteor.
It teetered for a moment, big blue ball stuck in its face, before slowly falling backwards, dislodging the sphere with a comical pop. “M-ma...rill…”
A second orb struck its prone form and it dissolved into red light; the pokeball absorbing Marill and hitting the ground with a soft clink as it clamped shut. It wobbled—once, twice, thrice…
And with a sharp click, it was over. Sighing in relief, Astra recalled her exhausted Treecko and retrieved her new Marill, smiling at the little pokeball it was contained within. “Welcome to the team.”
“Holy shit,” May said, applauding. “That was the best thing I’ve ever seen. Did you see its face when it got hit by its own tail? That was priceless!” She laughed, giving Astra a thumbs up. “Congrats on the Marill!”
“Thanks.” Astra shrank the pokeball and tucked it into her pack. “Let’s go find a good spot to set up. I’m getting hungry.”
----------------------------------------
Fifteen minutes later, they both stood in a clearing. As the one who knew the most about living outdoors, Astra told May to work on starting a fire while she left to go gather materials to create a shelter for the night.
“Eh?” May asked as Astra made to leave. “Do you need to do that? What about our bedrolls?”
“Our what?” Astra asked in return.
May facepalmed, ending the argument.
Astra gathered several long branches covered in leaves. Quickly fashioning temporary ropes from tall, interwoven grasses, she located the biggest tree nearby and set up a tent, tightly fastening every branch to each other and covering the gaps with a thick layer of greenery, with soft grasses spread inside as bedding. She looked upon her work with a smile. Neither wind nor rain would knock this thing down! It was even big enough for two.
Wiping her brow, she turned back to the clearing whereupon instead of a crackling blaze she found May vigorously swearing at an excessively large stack of logs. Astra squinted in disbelief; she’d been working on the tent for half an hour now, there should already be water boiling!
Peering over her companions shoulder, her eyes boggled as she saw May cradling an exhausted Torchic. The logs looked rather scorched but not much else. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to get this fucking thing to light up, but it’s. Not. Working!” She punctuated her last words by punching the wood, then swore again, clutching at her hand.
Astra gaped at this. “You—no! You’re supposed to—why are you trying to set fire to a log!?”
May scowled. “Fires are supposed to be made from logs; that’s how they always look!”
“You don’t know how to make a fire?”
“Well, I’ve never had to. Besides, I have Torchic, this should have been easy!” Torchic warbled sadly in her lap. May winced. “No, no it’s not you, I’m sorry, it’s the stupid wood.”
“I’ll say. You’re supposed to start with twigs and grass, not…that.” Astra eyed the wood pile. Half of them looked damp; even disregarding the inefficiency, no wonder it hadn’t worked. She sighed. “I’ll go grab some starter.”
Ten minutes later, she had gathered a pile of dry grass and wood shavings and snapped a stick in half. Carefully carving a hole into one, she lined it with the finest shards of wood and inserted the other stick into the hole. “Now,” she instructed May, who was watching, “Place the stick between your hands, push downward and turn it back and forth really fast.”
“Right, right, I’ve seen this.” she muttered, focusing on the two sticks. Slowly, but with increasing speed, the stick revolved inside the hole. Soon smoke began to form and May gasped. “It’s working!”
“Keep going; don’t let up or it won’t last long enough. You’ve got this!”
When the ember was sufficiently hot, May took the burning stick and jammed in a small pile of kindling. Nothing happened at first, but then slowly smoke began to rise, and a bright glow began to snake throughout the shavings. Twigs were added, sticks, a branch-
“HEEEELL YEEEEAAAAH!” May shouted in triumph, the flames crackling merrily upon her logs. “Look at this shit! I made fire! It’s amazing!” she cheered, punching the air. “I am a primal force of destruction! Fear me, for I am a blazing goddess!”
Astra quirked an eyebrow. “Let’s not get too carried away.”
May chucked and sat down, warming herself in the flickering light. Astra scooted closer as well. They both stared at the flames as a true night sky twinkled up above.
“Thanks,” May said, “For showing me how to do this. I’ve never really had the opportunity to try. Heh, is this what it’s like for you? Out of your depth all the time?”
“Mmm, yes. I don’t know a lot about city life. Bikes, sushi, elevators, the shower! All of it was so unfamiliar. It’s a little scary,” she admitted. “Being surrounded with things you don’t know anything about and can’t understand; but…it’s exciting too, because it’s new.”
“Yeah, all this, what we did right here? That was fun! I’ve never really had an outdoorsy experience before. My mom was more into beauty salons and TV. I mean, she’s nice and supportive and shit, but she didn’t really know much about this type of thing.” May sighed, poking at the fire. “I just wish that—that I—why didn’t—" she struggled with her words for a moment before slumping. “I wish I could have done this sooner.”
They sat in silence yet again, before she turned back to Astra. “Still, now that I’m out here, I’m glad I could do it with you.”
They both smiled at each other, the warmth of the fire chasing away the dark.
A loud whine from their stomachs interrupted the moment. May shot Astra a sheepish look. “I don’t suppose you know how to cook, too?”
Astra groaned, head falling into her hands. It was going to be a long night.