Araquanid loomed over him, its huge, spider-like head, peering down at him, unblinking. Cashe slammed the panic button again. It did nothing in response to being pressed. Cashe had to trust it was working properly. He scrambled back, digging his feet into the soft dirt of the bank to create distance and felt to the ground, hard, his foot still caught up in the webbing that lined the shore.
Beside him, Emilia was swearing and backing up, her hands reaching for a pair of pokeballs. Lindon was already throwing one forward, the steely gleam of Magneton emerging from a flash of red light.
Araquanid twitched as the new threat came into view, it’s head moving unnaturally fast as it shifted to face Magneton. Cashe kicked his leg, taking advantage of the pokemon’s distraction, using his free foot to slip his caught boot off and scrabble away from the massive pokemon. He stumbled away, half running, half crawling through the mud as he tried to create distance between himself and the imposing pokemon. Emilia had tossed her pokeballs now, Omanyte and Vullaby emerging from their balls.
As soon as Cashe was clear, Lindon acted, ordering Magneton with a shouted, “Thunder Wave!”
Magneton whirred in affirmation, charging up the attack for a fraction of a second before releasing a slow wave of electricity at Araquanid. The attack hit, passing over the monstrous pokemon and causing it to let out a keening warble of discomfort, the water bubble around Araquanid’s head disrupting the sound.
“Vullaby, Taunt! Omanyte-”
“Wait!” Cashe shouted, interrupting Emilia before she could do too much.
“What?” Emilia didn’t turn to look at him right away. She barked out a quick set of directions so that Omanyte and Vullaby covered them before whirling around to glare at Cashe, “Wait for what?”
“I want to catch it,” Cashe gasped, pulling himself to his feet. He pulled Primeape’s ball from his belt and tossed it onto the fray. His unshoed foot squished on the firm ground of the island and he fell to one knee, “Araquanid won’t accept its defeat if you and Lindon help too much.”
Lindon shot over a worried look, “I already attacked!”
“Just pull back,” Cashe said, “Let me handle it.”
“You only have a few minutes until a Ranger gets here.” Emilia warned, holding up both pokeballs in her hands and returning Omanyte and Vullaby to them with a quick shout. Lindon did the same, leaving only the snarling form of Primeape between them and Araquanid.
If the huge pokemon intimidated her, she showed no sign of it. She screeched out a cried of challenge as soon as she left her pokeball, beating her chest and thrashing her head through the air. The Araquanid seemed confused and surprised by the sudden retreat of Magneton and the appearance of the small, enraged form of Primeape. It turned to face her, its giant legs moving laboriously over the reeds to find purchase in the deep water of the pool it made its home.
“There is webbing all around it, Primeape, you have to be careful,” Cashe warned as the pokemon sized each other up, “If you get caught in it, you’ll be in trouble.”
“Ape.”
Cashe nodded, “Okay. Get in there! Thunder Punch!”
Primeape shrieked and leapt forward with a burst of motion. Electricity gathered around her fists and she jumped into the air, flying directly at Araquanid’s face. Araquanid’s response was slow, firing off a burst of thick webbing at the ground a split second after Primeape took to the air. The ground turned white as the web spread over it, covering a huge area and almost reaching where Cashe and his friends were standing.
Primeape screeched as she flew through the air, bringing both hands down on top of Araquanid;s bubble. It cried out again as the electricity coursed through it and Primeape flipped off its body, executing a neat backflip as it returned to the ground.
“Primeape, no!” Cashe groaned as she landed in the middle of the thick webbing that now covered the side of the island.
The web stuck to her feet and legs, clinging to her fur as if attracted by some incredible magnetic force. However, where the thick web’s strength had been enough to hold Cashe in place, it was only enough to slow Primeape down. She twisted, tearing out a hole in the web around each leg. Tangled masses of the web still clung to her legs, interfering with her movement, but she was not stuck in place.
“Cashe, look out!” Emilia shouted.
Cashe looked up from Primeape. Araquanid had recovered from the attack and was gearing up for one of its own. It was moving slowly, hindered by the damage Primeape did to it and the ongoing effects of Magneton’s Thunder Wave, but it managed to lunge its head forward in an aggressive thrust, large bubbles forming from the large bubble of water around its head.
“Primeape, Bubble Beam incoming!” Cashe warned. Primeape noticed the attack in time, dashing to the side and tearing through the webbing that layered the ground. The web caught and stuck to her further, but she had little trouble moving through it, ripping it apart as she moved. Power billowed from her as her Defiant ability activated over and over and the webs slowed her down, empowering her attacks. They still slowed her, however, and Araquanid was able to track her movements with ease, the thick beam of bubbles flying from its head to connect with her.
The attack was more powerful than it looked, the bubbles exploding on impact with Primeape and sending her tumbling back, further through the tangled webs. She cried out in anger, her rage building, her eyes glowing red. She bounced up from the ground, tearing thick webbing from her body, taking large chunks of fur with it. It stuck to her hands, however, only succeeding in enraging her further.
Araquanid took advantage of Primeape’s state, stepping out of the water and onto the island, closing the distance to her. Its long, pointed legs stepped between the stitching of its webs, effortlessly avoiding getting tangled in the trap. Continued to fire Bubble Beam as it moved, the attacks peppering Primeape and staggering her where she stood.
“Primeape, Rage Fist!” Cashe shouted.
The words triggered something in Primeape and she roared, slamming her fists together. They erupted in deep, gray, ghostly energy, waves of power rolling off of them and dissolving the webbing around them instantly. Araquanid flinched at the sudden burst of spirit from its opponent, cutting off its attack momentarily. The small gap was all Primeape needed, and she jumped forward, clearing the web around her and slimming down on top of Araquanid’s back.
Araquanid cried out and its legs buckled, sending it down to the ground. Primeape struck again, sending more dark energy into it as it topped to the ground. Araquanid collapsed with a great thud, its body quivering on the ground as Primeape stood atop it, triumphant.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
She screamed out her victory, took a step forward, and promptly passed out, tumbling onto the ground.
“Now, Cashe, before it recovers,” Emilia said, watching the twitching bug type pokemon warily.
Cashe nodded, tossing out a pokeball and returning Primeape to hers. The pokeball bounced off of Araquanid and split open. With a flash of light, the enormous pokemon disappeared into the ball. It twitched once, twice, three times, and lay still.
***
The Ranger arrived only a few minutes after the conclusion of the battle, swooping in on the back of a Dragonite that brushed the reeds of the pond with its belly as it came in low to the ground. It was the first time Cashe had seen one in person, and it radiated an aura of power contained by a steady calm. It was nothing like the aggressive edge that Salamence had, but it was still deeply unnerving, giving Cashe the impression of a shifting mountain every time the pokemon moved, making him shiver, despite the pokemon’s gaze being filled with kindness.
The ranger hopped off the back of his Dargonite, popping the helmet from his head. He had gray hair, buzzed short and wore a pair of aviator sunglasses on his eyes. He was dressed in a thick flight suit and carried a backpack lined with pokeballs on his back. He looked more like a fighter pilot than a conservationist, but then again, maybe Rangers were the fighter pilots of this world.
He sauntered over to Cashe, Lindon, and Emilia where they lay against a tree, waiting for him to show up. He gave Cashe’s socked foot a curious glance, before finding his answer in the tangled webs by the reeds.
“Please don’t tell me you called me out here because your shoe got stuck in an Ariados web.” He said by way of greeting, “Or are you lost?”
“They aren’t Ariados webs, but now that you mention it, we might be lost,” Cashe said, frowning to himself.
“They are Araquanid webs from an Araquanid,” Emilia said.
“We were attacked by one,” Lindon added.
“So where is it now?” The ranger said, peering stern faced down at Cashe.
Cashe patted a pokeball on his hip. “Caught it.”
The ranger smirked, “I know. Saw the whole thing from the air.”
“You know?” Lindon said.
“Wanted to see if you would lie,” the ranger said, “Nothing wrong with capturing a pokemon that isn’t on the list. It's all I would do anyway, but if you don’t tell me about it, that’s a problem.”
“So you give us the opportunity?” Emilia said, “Asshole.”
“I’m not the one wasting the Ranger’s time,” The ranger smirked, ignoring Emilia as she swore at him and turning to Cashe, “Your Primeape isn't far off is she? Noticed she fainted there at the end.”
“Far off?” Cashe said.
“You know, because she’s fainting?” The ranger said, speaking as if he was talking with a child.
“The Pokemon Center said they couldn’t find anything wrong with her.” Cashe said, “You know why that’s happening?”
“You don’t?” The ranger scoffed, “It’s what triggers Primeape’s evolution. They put more and more energy into Rage Fist until they can’t put in any more. It’s what pushes them over the edge. How do you have a Primeape with Rage Fist and not know that?”
“You don’t have to be mean about it,” Lindon said.
“So?” The ranger said. He put his hands on his hips, “Listen, are you guys lost or not? Because I’ve got important things to do.”
“We’re not lost,” Cashe said, “Please leave.”
“Sweet. Glad I could help.” The ranger rolled his eyes and hopped back onto his Dragonite, taking to the skies seconds later.
“What the hell was that?” Cashe said, glancing over at Emilia in disbelief. The entire interaction with the ranger only took half a minute. The reeds were still shaking from when Dragonite passed over them. But in those few seconds, he managed to ruin the mood completely.
“Are all rangers like that?” Lindon said, his voice echoing Cashe’s own feelings. Lindon turned to Emilia, “Is your sister like that?”
“No, of course not,” Emilia said, frowning, “I’m probably not. I haven’t seen her in a couple of years. She’s been on duty for a long time. But she was never like that.” Emilia peered off in the direction the ranger was headed. “She wouldn’t be like that, right?”
***
Daryl led the way through the forest, which he felt was unfair. He was enormous compared to Connie. Any branches, webs, or anything else in their path would catch on him and never her. At least if she went first the mess would be split somewhat.
He pulled a twig out of his hair. It was covered in sap and didn’t want to come. He was pretty sure there was a part of it still there. He tossed it to the side, grumbling under his breath.
He and Connie had entered the edge of Pinwheel forest shortly after Colston entered the shop. It didn’t take long for them to find a trail of crushed pine needles and broken branches in the forest floor. Colston had made no attempt to cover his tracks, and it would likely be pointless even if he had. From the look of things, the path Colston took was used regularly for months. No amount of hasty preparation was going to cover that up.
The path led to a thick copse of trees and bushes that look all but impassable, but after a bit of careful scrutiny, Daryl was able to find a narrow path between the trees. It was where they were now. The branches scratched against his large body as he pushed through them. Connie followed less than a step behind so she would not be hit by the branches as they moved back to their natural positions.
She made a noise of complaint as she stepped in yet another pile of forest refuse, staining her shoes and pants. She tugged on Daryl's shirt from behind.
“No,” Daryl said.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“No.”
“But you’re going there anyway! And you’re already dirty. We don’t both need to get dirty.”
“I need both my hands to move branches out of my way.”
“I can hang from your back!”
“You choke me when you do that.”
Connie grumbled something that Daryl missed. He was about to ask her to repeat it when his hand pressed up against something new.
“Connie quiet,” Daryl hushed, “there’s something wooden ahead of us.”
“Really?” Connie said. He didn’t have to look back to know she was looking around at the forest, “How unexpected.”
“I mean something besides the trees,” Daryl whispered, “A gate or fence.”
He let his hands wander over the flat wooden surface in front of him. It was obstructed by the thick branches of the trees of the path, but before long he found a small latching mechanism on the right side of the door. Pressed on it and there was a metallic click.
The gate creaked and swung open, letting Daryl and Connie push through and enter the hidden grotto. The grotto was a small space, maybe one hundred square meters at most. A thick layer of moss carpeted the floor of the grotto, creating a pleasant surface to walk across. Trees towered overhead, reaching hundreds of feet into the sky, almost blocking the sun completely. What little light filtered through was dim, casting an eerie glow throughout the area. The grotto was lined with a tall, wooden fence, cutting off all paths of entrance or exit, except for the gate they came through. At the center of the grotto was a small pile of berries. It was wrapped in a cocoon of bark that matched the trees of Pinwheel forest. Next to the pile was a polished steel doll.
It gleamed silver as the dim light of the grotto played over it, reflecting off its many angled surfaces. It was standing up, apparently without support and facing away from the gate. The doll was humanoid, is the vague shape of a child wearing a steel dress that billowed out around its hips and legs. A golden pattern was carved into the dress shining unnaturally bright in the low light of the grotto. Two, needle-like legs poked up from the bottom of the dress, on top of which a small steel ball was placed instead of a torso. A pair of arms protruded from the ball, attached by a pair of ball shaped joints. On top of the torso, the doll’s head was in the shape of a gear, with a pair of A pair of large, steel fins curving out and away from it, resembling a pair of Bunnelby ears.
Connie yelped as she spotted the doll, pulling herself close to Daryl as she hid behind his massive frame, “I knew it was alive!” Connie whimpered, “It’s going to get me!”
“It’s not-” Daryl froze as the doll moved, its head whipping around at the sound like a Noctowl honing in on its prey. Its eyes glowed bright red as its torso and then its dress and legs swung around to face them.
*****