“Ppppppppprrrrtt.”
David blinked awake. The sound strange enough to disturb any hopes of sleep.
“Flops! Ugh. That was- ugh.”
Who was that... Georgio. The ranger.
David rubbed his eyes and began the familiar maneuver around the tent. He opened the flap with a familiar hiss and-
“Oh christ.”
He closed the flap as quickly as he could. It didn’t work. The smell had invaded as soon as it could, securing a foothold that no man could repel. Now David was locked in with what tasted like the rotting corpse of a fish. He had to escape.
A new attack from a pungent ammonia-like odor greeted him as he tried to make his escape. He had to blink to clear tears from his eyes, the smell was so bad. Scrambling from the pop-up tent, which was awkward while carrying a pokeball, David fixed his eyes on the top of a sand bank and ran. There was no clear path. He had to dodge around craters in the sand, thin tripwires securing defensive structures, and embers from a previously roaring fire. Holding his breath, it felt like a marathon, and when he finally reached the summit of the dune, pulling himself up with hands and feet, there was nothing he could do but lay there and gasp.
The cold breeze pulled at his skin, sucking heat from his frame in combination with the salty-dew sand beneath him. The air was fresh, and every breath was a relief.
“Sorry!”
David turned his head back towards the camp. Georgio waved from the top of the next dune over, face apologetic.
Down in the valley below, a small navy-blue creature was hunched over between the tents. In its two white-mitted hands was a bag of some kind, held up to its mouth as it funneled the contents in.
Poliwhirl, or Flops as Georgio had introduced his Pokemon last night.
“I think it’s the swamp water,” Georgio called over. “It didn’t agree with him.”
David laid his head back against the damp sand and groaned. Frog Pokemon farts. Frog Pokemon farts had woken him up. What was his life?
After five minutes, Georgio judged it safe enough to test the air. He hesitantly crept down the dune, testing the air with every step. David watched the Ranger’s progress with a shiver. That lovely fresh wind was less welcoming after five minutes of sitting still in it.
Down by the first tent, Georgio took a deep breath before relaxing his shoulders. “It’s safe.”
The Ranger immediately went to scold his Pokemon and try to wrangle the bag of food off of them. David tried to avoid looking too closely at the pair as he made his way down the dune. Poliwhirl’s belly was the same white as its mitten hands, but was decorated with a spiral that undulated the more that you looked at it, capturing your attention if you weren’t careful.
Another tent hissed as he reached the campsite. Maggie stepped out of hers without a word and walked away from the camp. There was a flash of light, then a big puff of sand as she released her own Pokemon.
Seconds after the mini sand explosion settled, three heads popped, one by one, out of the sand. They looked around curiously, before sliding across the same to Maggie. It was unnerving to see how they moved through the sand like it was water. The heads were quite snake-like, if that snake was the size of an adult anaconda, which didn’t help. However, instead of baring scales they had smooth pale brown skin, with beady eyes and a nose pink enough that a mole was the only comparison you could make.
There were quite a few Pokemon with multiple heads, David mused. Dodrio was the first he’d met, the heads always warring. All the similar Pokemon he’d met since had seemed to agree with themselves more, Exeggcute and now Dugtrio. Were they all hiveminds, or was the grounded bird simply more argumentative?
A faint vibration from the pokeball in his hands cleared his thoughts. Cloudburst was waking up, perhaps sensing the other Pokemon around them. He needed to change quickly before she woke.
Cloudburst announced her arrival with a loud chirp that was far too energetic for the normally anti-morning bird. It made David wince as the two other, older and stronger, Pokemon turned her way. There was also the third tent, the final Ranger, Bret, that he’d yet to meet who hadn’t woken up yet.
She spread her wings and stood tall.
Poliwhirl tossed a few punches into the air. Dugtrio’s heads began to pop up and down in the ground.
David groaned. A Pokemon fight was the least thing he needed now.
Georgio’s right hand clamped on a pokeball at this waist. “Oh, not you too. Give me a minute.”
“Piiiiidge-otto!“
”Dugtrio!” The sound echoed from three mouths.
“Poli.“ The Water type pushed his belly forward, forcing David to look away.
All three Pokemon looked away from each other.
A loud groan, like that of a bear finding an empty jar of honey, came from the third tent. The tent shook a little as the inhabitant began to stir.
David glared at Pidgeotto.
Maggie walked away from them all, her Dugtrio sliding across the ground beside her.
“My arse is burnt and bruised. There had better be a good reason I was in the hot seat., Georgio, or I’m going to kill those Aces when-” The voice was muffled by the tent and then the zip as it hissed open. “Oh. Who’re you?”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Bret supported his upper body on thick arms that were covered in uneven patches of bristly brown hair. His skin was darker than any that David had seen in Kanto before. The third Ranger of the group had a round face, with full cheeks that were currently twisted in suspicion as he eyed the preening Pidgeotto.
“Morning Bret!” Georgio called cheerfully from the other side of the camp. “How was your hibernation?”
“I don’t see you crossing the peninsula in one day and night,” Bret grumbled as he stood out of the tent, not taking his eyes off David for a second. He wasn’t a tall man, with legs nearly twice as thick as his arms. “You didn’t answer my question. Who's this?”
“David.” He dodged a snip from Cloudburst, who was more interested in the other Pokemon than she was food at the moment.
“A traveler who ran into us last night. He brought some nice calcots to the fire yesterday.” When Bret only grunted and didn’t look away from David, Georgio continued. “There’s leftovers if you’re hungry?”
Apparently, the thought of food was enough to sway the balance as Bret finally turned away and ducked into his tent to grab something. “You bring the bags for Wallop?”
“Behind my tent,” Georgio confirmed.
Apparently dismissed, David brushed Cloudburst’s head aside and set about packing up. He’d set out some food for her when she wasn’t occupied with the new Pokemon. Everyone in the camp settled into a routine. It was quite easy to get work done when the Pokemon were busy sizing each other up.
Then a loud thump disturbed the peace.
David dropped the poles he was packing and spun.
Bret dropped another large sack to the ground with a thump. Now dressed, he wore dark-gray pants and a top like the other Rangers, but the only red he wore were his boots. Instead of the red sleeveless jacket, he had a bulky tool belt strapped around his waist. “Maggie!” he shouted. “If your Kettle wants anything, she’ll get here quick.”
David let his hand fall from Venonat’s pokeball, but he kept watching out of curiosity.
Apparently not waiting, Bret stepped away from the two sacks on the ground and slapped the toolbox at his waist. The world flashed a short pulse.
It got hot.
Cloudburst squawked in anger and distress.
David blinked to clear the flash from his eyes, it didn’t help. The light wasn’t going away.
“Oh stahp it Wallop,” Bret shouted.
The light began to fade.
Bret wasn’t tall, but his Pokekmon was. When it raised its head to snicker at the Ranger, its ears were a full head and a half above him. The flaming mane was taller still. It was a horse, but unlike any that David had seen before. Its coat was a uniform cream from the end of its sock to the tip of its... horn?
The burly Ranger slapped the side of his flaming unicorn, and David had to pinch himself and do a double take. Physically shoving the Pokemon aside, Bret ducked down and cut open one of the sacks.
Rapidash, the Fire horse Pokemon. It was a different experience in person.
“No,” Bret grumbled, shoving his Pokemon’s head away. “You’ll wait for Splash.”
Wallop snickered at him, sending embers to settle against the skin on Bret’s arms. A few of the wire-y hairs caught light. Those bald spots suddenly made more sense.
David didn’t get time to adapt to the new Pokemon when two more arrived. The first was signaled by a rumble in the ground. It originated from Maggie’s direction.
Wallop tossed its head, tapping its front teeth against the ground.
The rumbling grew louder.
Bret slapped his hand against his tool belt again. A brighter flash split the world.
“MAG-mar.”
This Pokemon was strange. It stood upright, shaking clawed hands in the air. Flames licked around every inch of its skin. A wide beak protruded from its head, and spines grew from its back. It was as if someone crossed a Psyduck with a Nidoran, then lit the result on fire.
The temperature rose again, making David doubt Bret’s sanity for owning such a Pokemon.
David didn’t have long to stare, as the rumbling grew closer and a light-gray boulder erupted from the ground. The giant rock’s surface was uneven, the texture of cement covered in pebble stones. It rose from the sand like a balloon shark, higher and higher until the center mass left the ground and was supported by two short legs.
All three Pokemon faced off in silence, fighting an unseen battle.
Bret cut through the final sack. “Have at ‘em.”
The two Fire Pokemon dived in, claiming both bags in an unspoken agreement. The Graveler, Kettle, didn’t care, walking straight in between the two. She pressed forward using the weight of solid stone to make her case. The flames on both Fire types flared, but living cement cared little about the heat.
Power. The sheer amount of power between the three Pokemon was astonishing.
David nearly fell over as something shoved him. Catching himself with one arm, he looked at Cloudburst. She tucked a wing in, and gave a slow squawk.
“What was that for?”
She squawked at the discarded tent poles, and the rest of his belongings. Including her food. It seemed she’d had enough of sizing up the other Pokemon.
“Fine, fine. Getting to it.”
-.-
“So where are you off to David?” Georgio asked.
David cleared his throat, setting his spoon down in his bowl. The other two Rangers ate on, unbothered and uncaring about the conversation. “I’m just heading north for now. It’ll be Vermillion or Lavender, but I haven’t decided yet.”
“North! Fantastic.” Georgio proclaimed, looking at his two companions for some input, and finding little.
David was starting to understand why the friendly Ranger had been so happy to see him. Georgio was outgoing to the point of being a chatterbox, and the other two Rangers were not. He’d been dying for a conversation.
“Although, I would recommend-”
Bret cleared his throat loudly.
Georgio scoffed, but stopped there.
David’s brow furrowed. What did they know? It sounded like Georgio was going to warn him about something before Bret gave him a warning. But what? It was so suspicious and blatant that David needed to learn more.
“What about yourselves? Why are you heading north, and at such a pace?”
Bret hadn’t been kidding when he said burnt earlier. The crispy remains of yesterday’s pants had been used to scold Wallop after the Rapidash had eaten.
“We’ve been called to-”
Bret coughed again.
“We’re going north,” Georgio finished grumpily. “We won’t be going quickly though.”
Bret stopped eating, staring at Georgio in consternation.
“You should join us!” Georgio announced. “It’s easy to get lost in these dunes.”
Bret’s face twisted, but he didn’t say anything.
“I don’t know-” David said, getting more than he’d expected in his questioning.
“Nonsense. We’d love the company.“
David tried to back away a few times more, but Georgio was having none of it. The friendly Ranger was so insistent that David nearly felt bad for trying to refuse. It didn’t take long before he found himself agreeing to travel with them.
Staring at his porridge, and wondering how he’d allowed himself to be convinced, David looked up into the cold, hard eyes of Maggie.