Kanto Wilderness VII - Tragedy

There were five poachers in the camp.

Three of them were burly, with thick necks and thicker arms. They had many scars on their exposed flesh and one of them had tattoos depicting some sort of aquatic Pokémon on his neck. The other two appeared to be brothers with how similar they looked and Slate didn't rule out the possibility the third might be related as well. Or maybe brutish looking men congregated toward one another, Slate didn't know. But it was the last two men that made Slate pull Holly close to him.

“The short one is named Brad,” he whispered in her ear, wary of being overheard. Their Pokémon were in their Poké Balls but were ready to be used at a moment's notice. “The tall one I think is his father. I don’t see Ranger Trevor anywhere though.”

Holly frowned at the camp they were spying on. It was in a secluded cove and a sleek boat was anchored off to the side. The three burly men were loading crates filled with trapped Pokémon while Brad talked to his father. “How do you know his name?”

“Brad is the older brother of Lincoln who is very determined that I give him my Vulpix. Lincoln was called away by that man in the Pokémon Center in Vermilion,” Slate explained. “If Brad is here, Lincoln should be somewhere nearby.”

“I recognize the father. His name is Nathaniel Barnes and he's legally known as a Pokémon Hunter. He's been on Ranger watch lists for years because he somehow never fails a contract no matter how rare the Pokémon. If he's a Poacher I won't be surprised but it does mean Trevor is in league with them. Heads will roll over this.”

“I think it's worse than that,” Slate whispered. Holly shot him a look.

“How?”

“Lincoln outright demanded my Vulpix. He seemed to expect me to just hand her over, as if he's done that before. I think they might be Pokémon Thieves as well.”

Holly was silent at that. Slate glanced at her and wasn't surprised to see her jaw tense as she glared down at the men below.

“Alright, I'm going to engage the five below. I need you to hang out and keep an eye out for the youngest son if you're sure he's around here. If one of my Pokémon gets injured, Kadabra or Kirlia will Teleport them to you for healing. Slate, under no circumstances are you to go down there, do you understand?”

Slate glared back at Holly but she remained unmoved. “I can help,” he insisted. She gripped his arm, firmly but gently.

“And you will, by finding and stopping the youngest son and keeping my Pokémon alive. This won't be a polite Pokémon battle, Slate, these men will be trying to kill me. I can't look out for you at the same time. Please, stay back.”

Reluctantly, Slate nodded. “Alright.”

Holly squeezed Slate's arm another time. She then grinned at him. “Watch closely, you might learn something.”

She moved forward slowly, taking care not to rustle the bushes. Three Poké Balls appeared in her hands and she pointed them low to the ground to help hide the flash. Skarmory, Venomoth, and Raichu appeared looking expectantly at their Trainer.

“Venomoth, put them to sleep. Skarmory, help him get them all. Raichu, Shock and Awe if they release any Pokémon,” Holly said with a grin.

Her three Pokémon turned to the Poachers on the beach below. Venomoth's wings began to slowly flap, releasing a great amount of silvery powder that it somehow gathered around itself. Skarmory stood behind it with its wings wide and tense. Raichu moved up a nearby tree, gaining elevation to look down imperiously upon its foes.

And then everything happened all at once.

“Dad, someone's here!” Lincoln's voice shouted from the left.

From Slate's position he could just barely see Lincoln staring at Holly and her Pokémon but the young man wasn't looking at Slate at all. He realized that Lincoln couldn't see him from his vantage point and he wasn't going to give him time to. He moved forward without hesitation.

Holly realized that the element of surprise was gone and ordered her Pokémon to begin their attacks. Slate was dimly aware of Venomoth hurling great amounts of Sleeping Powder down at the Poachers with Skarmory assisting in throwing it further. It only caught two of the burly men despite this, while the three others moved to safety behind Brad's Charizard who burned the silvery powder away. Raichu immediately hit it with a Thunder.

Anything past this Slate was unaware of. He was almost at Lincoln when a twig broke under his foot, causing Lincoln to turn around just in time to catch Slate's fist to the chin. Both young men went to the ground.

Slate's hair stood on end and he rolled just in time to dodge a knife. It was held tightly by Lincoln who spat at him. And then the area around them was filled with crimson as Slate's Pokémon released themselves to defend their Trainer.

Lincoln, to his credit, didn't panic long as Slate's Pokémon lunged toward him. He released his Pokémon, one after the other to protect him. But Lincoln notably lacked the same bond with his Pokémon that Slate had, as they didn't release themselves to protect their Trainer.

Because of this, Slate's Pokémon were able to get ahead of Lincoln's ability to release his Pokémon. A Magby was blindsided by Flaaffy, while a Squirtle was quickly taken down by Vulpix's Ice Shards. Lairon squared off against a Raticate while Nuzleaf was practically run over by Machop and Scyther. But then Sneasel appeared.

The small Pokémon grinned savagely, ignoring Slate's Pokémon entirely, as it sped toward Slate. Its wicked claws found their mark in Slate's arm, digging in painfully. Slate roared in pain at the sudden attack and reacted instinctively: with his free hand he struck back with his trusty knife.

Sneasel fell to the floor with a thud to the forest floor. “Murderer!” Lincoln screamed. And suddenly Slate was five feet away, slammed into a tree.

The world slid out of focus and Slate was keenly aware of fighting close by. Chansey's small hands grabbed him, pulling him to the side, just in time to miss getting hit by a powerful Flamethrower. The world slowly slid back into focus.

The forest around them was on fire. The trees all around them were smashed apart and Slate could clearly see the beach now, unobstructed by foliage. And it was hell.

A towering Kangaskhan was roaring in rage as it stood over the unmoving form of its cub. The beach around it was destroyed and the boat was half sunk with a gigantic hole in its hull. Holly was trying to protect her Kadabra and Kirlia as they Teleported out the captured Pokémon to a safer location.

One of the poachers was dead, his head crushed underneath the Kangaskhan's foot. The other two were awake and rapidly retreating across the beach, vanishing into the forest.

Nathaniel was fighting Holly's Golem and Ponyta, using an Ariados and a Gengar. But it was Brad approaching on the back of his Charizard that caught Slate’s attention. Slate tackled Chansey to the side.

The world burned around them but they escaped with minor burns. Brad landed beside his brother, grabbing the younger man roughly from his position kneeling over his Sneasel. “Get on Charizard,” Brad ordered, his eyes not leaving Slate as Slate's Pokémon clustered around him protectively.

“He killed her,” Lincoln murmured.

“I know. I'll handle it. Charizard will take you to safety,” Brad said, handing his brother Charizard's Poké Ball. Lincoln climbed on the towering Fire-type, his Pokémon returned. A moment later he was gone.

Slate didn't bother trying to stop Lincoln from fleeing. He had nothing that could challenge that Charizard, that could force it to land. Maybe Scyther could cut one of its wings but it would tear through his Pokémon while they waited for that chance. Slate wasn't going to sacrifice his Pokémon for that possibility.

Brad's team appeared around him, leaving their Poké Balls without their Trainer's input. Primeape, Solrock, Mismagius, Pinsir, and Fearow all glared at Slate and his Pokémon. For a moment, the world stilled and then a roar from the beach started their match.

Machop tackled Primeape as it leaped toward Scyther. It landed a harsh blow but was quickly put on the defensive as Primeape fought back. Blows were exchanged one after another and Machop was forced to rely on meager technique to combat overwhelming force.

Scyther, free of Primeape's charge, slammed into Pinsir. Slate wasn't surprised considering how the two species were known for fighting one another. Despite having a longer reach, Scyther had issues with overcoming Pinsir's horns which kept locking on her scythes. She fell back to her Flying-type attacks to do damage.

Fearow roared a great and terrible challenge to Slate's Pokémon. Every flap of its massive wings forced Slate and his Pokémon back, save one. Flaaffy let out a furious bleat and threw attack after attack at the Flying-type, drawing its ire. It swooped down and picked Flaaffy up, flying high into the sky.

Slate had no time to track his missing Pokémon. Mismagius tried to attack him directly, ignoring the efforts of Vulpix to protect him. It was not until Vulpix landed an Ice Shard on the Ghost-type that it screeched in pain and tried to retaliate. Vulpix struggled to pin Mismagius down, throwing Ice Shard after Ice Shard in an attempt to trap her foe.

Brad's final Pokémon, a Solrock, floated ominously by its Trainer. Its eyes glowed a hellish blue and its attacks went not at Slate's Pokémon but Slate himself. The young man was driven to his knees by the Psychic-type as it attacked his mind directly. Slate screamed and lost awareness of the world around him.

It could have been a second or hours, but Slate eventually regained his focus. Lairon imposed himself directly in Solrock's path, blocking its vision of Slate and disrupting its attack with a Protect. And then Lairon charged, colliding with it in a clash of rock and steel.

A fist met Slate's face as Brad punched him. Slate found his arms pinned to the ground by the older man's legs and Brad continued his assault.

However Slate was not ignorant of being attacked.

Crying out would not aid him here nor would giving up. Struggling to survive, using everything available to him to do so, that's what Slate knew how to do.

Slate could not move his arms but he could move his hips and legs. He began to buck wildly to throw off his attacker, trying to twist his head to dodge any blow that came that way. But as he twisted his head to dodge one blow, Slate realized he did have one more weapon.

He sunk his teeth as deep into Brad's arm as he could, feeling warm blood gush into his mouth and down his face. Slate's next buck was successful in dislodging his foe, throwing him to the side. And now it was time for Slate to strike back.

Slate did not posture, did not monologue. In the wilderness you were often only given one chance to strike a sure blow to ensure your survival and if you did not take it immediately you died, plain and simple. Time after time Slate had learned this lesson.

And now he used that knowledge.

Slate's knife slid between Brad's ribs. A distant part of Slate's mind noted it was easier to do this to a human instead of a Wild Pokémon. Almost without realizing it, Slate's hands traced a familiar pattern, cutting deep and wide to end a life in the fastest manner. Brad went still underneath him slowly, struggling to the end.

A crash filled the clearing. Fearow's corpse landed on Pinsir, flattening it. A battered and bleeding Flaaffy climbed off its conquered foe, blasting Mismagius with a Thunderbolt. The Ghost-type gave a strangled cry as it collapsed, heavily smoking. And then it faded away in the smoke and shadow.

With Flaaffy's return, Slate's Pokémon rallied, attacking their foes ruthlessly. Lairon took down Solrock, crushing the Pokémon with its body and turning it into pebbles. Primeape, alone and outnumbered, stubbornly refused to admit defeat. It took several long moments for Scyther to position itself properly to end the Pokémon's life after Vulpix slowed it down.

Slate nearly jumped when a flash appeared in the clearing. Holly's Kadabra appeared heavily injured by Chansey, with a battered Kirlia supporting it. Slate belatedly realized that Chansey was trying to frantically heal a heavily bleeding Ponyta who whimpered in pain.

He turned his attention back to the beach. Holly was struggling with trying to reign in the Kangaskhan with her Golem, while her Raichu, Starmie, and Skarmory were struggling against a towering Electivire and Gengar. Ariados was nowhere to be seen while Nathaniel crouched behind a shattered boulder for cover.

“Take down Nathaniel's Pokémon,” Slate ordered his Pokémon in a raspy voice. Across the beach Slate could see several more cages, cowering Pokémon huddling behind locked bars. “Scyther, protect Chansey here. Lairon with me.”

Slate's Pokémon hastened to obey and Slate began to limp down the slope behind them. None of his Pokémon were in the best shape but there were still Wild Pokémon in danger, as well as Holly. There was no time to rest.

The sudden addition of Slate's Pokémon to the battle surprised both Trainers but Holly's Pokémon quickly adapted to the sudden aid. Flaaffy leading with Thunderbolt on Gengar certainly got everyone's attention, as did its follow up Thunder Punch. The light exploding from Flaaffy’s fist blinded those in the clearing leaving Slate and Lairon to focus on the captured Pokémon.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The first few cages were empty and Slate ignored them as he moved to one that surprisingly held an Ivysaur. It growled at him but Slate ignored it, focusing on the lock. It was large and thick and it would take far too long to cut through it. Fortunately, Slate didn’t need to.

“Smash the lock, Lairon,” Slate said, pointing it out. Lairon obeyed and broke the lock as directed, rearing up on his hindlegs before bringing his skull down on the metal. With a screech the lock was ripped off and the door was dented from the blow. Slate struggled to pull the door open but Lairon acted quickly, grabbing the bars with his powerful jaws and pulling. It tore open and the pair stood aside. “Get out of here, it's not safe!”

Ivysaur pushed past Slate cautiously but it growled at him. It pointed a long vine at the empty cages causing Slate to frown. “You want us to open those too? Fine. Lairon, take care of them.”

Lairon did so, breaking the locks quickly and pulling the doors open with his jaws. To Slate's shock the interiors shimmered, revealing several Kecleon who quickly vanished in the surrounding trees. Slate gave the Ivysaur a thankful nod. “Thanks.”

Ivysaur chirped before stomping to the other cages. Slate and Lairon quickly joined it, the latter smashing open locks to allow Slate to pull open the doors. Ivysaur coaxed a few of the more frightened Pokémon out, grabbing them with its vines protectively.

Slate opened the last door revealing a small pack of Growlithes. They growled at Slate but he didn't let it bother him, merely moving out of the way so they could escape. They did so but one of them was so busy keeping a wary eye on Slate that it didn't notice one of Kangaskhan's attacks go wide, hitting the cliff above. Rocks began to fall.

Slate dove forward, grabbing the startled Fire-type in his arms and throwing them both to safety. He released it quickly, letting it scamper away, and leaving Slate to marvel at its incredibly thick and fluffy fur.

Suddenly a blood drenched Holly appeared. “We need to go now, recall your Pokémon!” she said even as she spat out blood.

Slate did so, pulling them back to the safety of their Poké Balls. The beach was empty of attackers except for the rampaging Kangaskhan who began to throw out more and more attacks without a target in mind, focused on causing as much destruction as it could. Slate and Holly ran.

“Where's Nathaniel?” Slate asked between labored breaths. Holly jerked her thumb across her neck in lieu of answering. “Brad too. Lincoln escaped.”

Holly nodded but didn't reply. A weary Kadabra appeared with their missing Pokémon, before collapsing face down from its wounds and exhaustion. Both Trainers quickly returned their Pokémon and continued moving.

Unnoticed to both of them was the Ivysaur following them. Neither Trainer was prepared for two vines smashing into the backs of their heads, knocking them out. Ivysaur grabbed both with its vines and carefully dragged them in a different direction from where they had been headed.

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When Slate awoke, it was to a pounding headache. He tried to reach up to rub the pain away but was surprised to find his arms bound. He looked down and nearly flinched.

He was tied to the underside of a tree branch dozens of feet from the ground. Slate looked and spotted Holly a branch over, as well as the two escaped Poachers from the camp. He could hear the faint sounds of Pokémon but could see none.

“Holly, wake up,” Slate said. His throat was sore and dry but he ignored it. “Wake up!”

Holly stirred but didn't wake. Slate sighed. “Bill, put your clothes back on!”

“Hi, Bill!” Holly said cheerfully, her eyes snapping open. She screamed a moment later when she realized she was looking at the distant forest floor below. It took her a minute to calm down and in the meantime the two Poachers were woken up causing them to likewise shout.

Slate closed his eyes and tried to will his headache away. Despite his efforts it persisted and he opened his eyes back up. “Holly, can you reach your Poké Balls?” he asked. He couldn't feel his.

Holly wriggled slightly. “No, they're missing. Hey, idiots! Can you get out?”

The Poachers alternated between swearing at Holly and crying out for help.

“Well they're useless,” Holly muttered. “You alright over there, Slate?”

“I have a headache the size of Mt. Silver but I'm fine, I think. And I think I know who put us here,” Slate said, his eyes catching movement below.

“Who?” Holly asked.

Suddenly the air around them was filled with wriggling vines. All four humans struggled as the vines wrapped around them, pulling them free from their bindings and dragging them to the forest floor. As they approached they could see dozens of Bulbasaur and Ivysaur looking back at them. Holly and Slate, despite the situation, gasped in awe of their numbers.

The Grass-types carried the four humans a small distance, into a grove of some sort. More Grass-types lingered here but their attention was drawn to the massive Venusaur that sat in the center of the clearing, as though it were king. As the four humans were put in front of it, Slate realized that's what it was: a king and his people.

The Venusaur rumbled and the Grass-types gathered around. On two leaves Slate could see his and Holly's Poké Balls and he was relieved they were safe. Their backpacks were off to the side, their contents strewn about as the Grass-types had gone through them, searching for who knew what.

The Ivysaur that Slate helped rescue appeared before them and began to grunt and gesture with its vines. It pointed at the two Poachers and made several angry growls that Slate didn't need translated to understand. It was clearly explaining its capture.

It then gestured at Holly making grander gestures with its vines. Rustling and grumbling filled the air as the other Grass-types made their own contributions, waving their vines at one another and everything.

Finally the Ivysaur turned to Slate and made smaller gestures. It pointed toward itself and a few other Pokémon and Slate belatedly realized they were some of the ones he helped rescue. It then finally sat patiently before the Venusaur.

The grove was silent as the Venusaur contemplated Ivysaur's message. Slate was aware of two Poachers fidgeting but Holly was strangely calm by his side, as if there wasn't anything to be worried about. Then the Venusaur pointed a vine at the Poachers, before flicking it away.

Immediately a dozen vines apiece grabbed the two men, dragging them protesting and pleading into the crowd of Grass-types. Those cries were quickly cut off as bones broke and they were dragged further away. The clearing fell into a sickening silence as the Venusaur pointed at Holly and Slate.

Ivysaur suddenly stood before the two humans, growling and wagging its vines. Venusaur rumbled, not unlike an avalanche, but Ivysaur remained unmoved. Its long vines then snaked to the pile of Poké Balls and pushed one of them.

Kirlia was released in a blast of red light. The Pokémon was still heavily injured but stood with Ivysaur's help. Holly stepped forward, toward her Pokémon, but a dozen vines swarmed her in warning, not quite touching but the threat remained.

Kirlia gave her Trainer a trill in greeting but turned toward Venusaur. The massive Grass-type and tiny Psychic-type talked, rumbling and trilling back and forth. For a long time they talked, with Ivysaur chiming in occasionally. Slate looked at Holly and realized she understood what was being said.

“How do you know what's being said?” Slate whispered. Holly didn't turn to answer.

“Spend enough time with Psychic-type Pokémon and you'll be able to have them translate if they form a strong enough connection to you to pass on emotions and images. Some can even learn Telepathy but that's rare, they usually have to be born with it. Kirlia's been translating for me, even in her Poké Ball. The Venusaur is trying to decide if it should kill us.”

Slate looked around the clearing of Grass-types, the flowers and trees they maintained. With a tired sigh, he sat on the ground. “There are less beautiful places to die,” he said, admiring the view.

A Bulbasaur approached Slate, its eyes wide and curious. It poked him with a vine and Slate allowed it, even holding out his hand to allow it to run over it curiously. “Fingers are weird, aren't they?” Slate asked it.

A large vine, as thick as Slate's leg, appeared and gently nudged the Bulbasaur away from Slate. The vine pulled back to the Venusaur who grumbled at the tiny Grass-type. The Bulbasaur grumbled back and moved next to Slate to continue its examination of him.

“The Venusaur doesn't like his daughter getting so close to you,” Holly helpfully explained. Slate rolled his eyes.

“I figured that out myself, thank you very much.” Slate looked at the Bulbasaur. “Not all humans are as dense as she is.”

The Bulbasaur nodded sagely and began to run her vines through Slate's hair. The Venusaur's vine appeared again but the Bulbasaur nimbly jumped over it. “I think your dad doesn't like you playing with me. It's fine, you can go to him,” Slate said.

Bulbasaur stared intently between Slate and the Venusaur before huffing. She pointedly walked away from her father and sat next to Slate, wrapping her vines around him.

Venusaur huffed, giving a bellow, before turning away and slowly lumbering away. Kirlia danced over to her Trainer, hugging her.

“We're not plant food?” Slate asked. Holly chuckled.

“Between Kirlia sharing who we are and why we're here, and Ivysaur and Bulbasaur vouching for us, we're fine. Congrats by the way.”

Slate looked at her. “For what?”

Holly grinned. “For catching a Bulbasaur. Although it looks like she caught you.”

Bulbasaur gurgled, wrapping Slate tighter. He looked at Ivysaur. “Can you give me a vine?”

Ivysaur tilted its head before turning to Holly. It wrapped its vines around her, trapping the Ranger tightly. Holly mock glared but Slate could see the delight in her eyes. It looked like they were both walking away with Pokémon from this.

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They didn't leave the clearing for several hours. Slate took the time to repack his belongings while properly catching Bulbasaur. He released her quickly, as the Venusaur eyed him in distaste, and kept his distance from the massive Pokémon. He and Holly then turned their attention to healing their injured Pokémon.

They all required medical attention and Chansey and Slate went to work healing what they could. Once done, the two Trainers took care of themselves, washing the blood from their limbs and clothes.

“You should get a Psychic-type,” Holly told Slate as they scrubbed the blood from their faces in a nearby river. Slate was surprised to find trails of blood coming from his nose and ears.

“Besides the obvious, why?” Slate asked.

Holly rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, battle away. Psychic-types can help you learn how to defend your mind from attacks such as Solrock's. It isn't common but some Trainers do use their Psychic-type Pokémon for nefarious means. In a pinch the Psychic-types can protect your minds but you should really learn how to do it yourself to free them up for other things. You should be able to learn with their help..”

It was made clear to the two Trainers that while they could spend the night, they would need to leave in the morning. So they collected their belongings and quickly fell asleep with dozens of sleeping Grass-types all around them.

In the morning, to see them off, all of the Bulbasaurs and Ivysaurs gently touched their vines to their visitors. It was a strangely private and sacred moment for Slate to experience dozens of vines touching him lightly on the shoulder and arms in farewell, but it was Venusaur who surprised him the most.

The massive Pokémon touched each Trainer and their Pokémon once on the brow. He could almost swear he felt something pass from the massive Pokémon into him but rejected it as ludicrous. Nevertheless, the Venusaur's Blessing, as Slate privately called it in his mind, was appreciated and Slate gave it a small bow.

A moment later a dozen Exeggutor circled them. The odd Pokémon began to dance in dizzy circles, a face always watching them. Slate would later swear it felt as though the air was coming alive, like invisible trees and leaves and bushes were growing rapidly before collapsing upon them in a flash of green light.

Slate blinked the spots away. “Wow, that was the most pleasant Teleport I’ve ever experienced.”

“Yeah,” Holly was in too much awe to say more. The pair were silent for several minutes, listening to the noises of the nearby forest.

The moment passed and Holly shook herself. “Right. Let’s figure out where we are.”

Skarmory appeared and vanished a moment later with Holly’s instructions. Only a few minutes passed before it returned, squawking a message to Holly and gesturing with its beak in a specific direction.

“Right, we’ll start walking until Kadabra recovers enough to Teleport us the rest of the way. To a Ranger Outpost by the way, so don’t expect a hot shower.”

“I’ll settle for a camp bed after sleeping hanging from a tree,” Slate grumbled. Holly laughed and Slate joined in.

They walked quietly for a few hours, enjoying their surroundings. Vulpix and Kirlia walked by their Trainers, happy to spend time alone with them. Kirlia was so happy that she suddenly glowed.

Slate and Holly stopped walking, watching in awe as Kirlia evolved into a Gardevoir. The air practically sung with joy around her and she danced around her Trainer in graceful circles, trilling joyfully. Holly clapped excitedly, moving forward to hug her Pokémon in celebration.

It was what saved her life.

A blob of purple ooze flew through where she once walked. A Vileplume stood before them, glaring at them. It threw another Sludge Bomb at Holly and Gardevoir, which the newly evolved Pokémon turned to the side with a careless wave of her hand. Vileplume huffed and called out a cry.

The bushes on all sides rustled. More and more Vileplume and Glooms appeared, glaring at the Trainers. Slate belatedly wondered if they had wandered into their territory.

Slate released his Pokémon who let out a challenging cry. “Don't kill them! We're the intruders here,” Slate said.

“I'll try to get Gardevoir to calm them down,” Holly shouted.

Slate's Pokémon crowded around him protectively. Only Lairon was a true defensive Pokémon, a solid tank that Slate crouched behind. The Poison-type attacks slid uselessly off of his shell.

Slate’s Pokémon attacked from afar, trying to keep their foes at a distance. But with each moment they pushed closer and closer, and if something didn’t change they would not live long to regret it.

A bark from a bush caught Slate’s ear. He turned just in time to see a Growlithe poke its face through the leaves, fire dancing from its mouth. It unleashed it a moment later in a furious line, sweeping it across the line of encroaching Poison-types and pushing them away for a moment. The Growlithe barked once at Slate before vanishing back into the bushes. Despite the circumstances Slate grinned.

Holly called over to Slate from where she crouched beside her panting Skarmory. “Alright, Gardevoir can Teleport us out but just us! Recall your Pokémon, Slate!”

Slate did so, giving the bushes one last look. As Gardevoir put a dainty hand on Slate and Holly's shoulder, Slate realized he had his answer to what to do about Holly:

He would agree to her friendship for now because she told him the truth and fought with him. But he would always wonder how that friendship was being used against him. And one day, should she betray him, he would be ready.

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Time Tracker:

Days passed in Chapter: 2

Total Days: 96

Trainer Card:

Name: Slate

Occupation: Trainer, Healer, Trainee Joy, Field Healer

Ambitions:

* To find his long lost Starter

* To become a Generalist Master, a Master of all Types

Badges: Boulder(II), Cascade(II), Thunder(II)

Trophies: Inter-Regional Rookie Tournament Qualifier (3rd)

Carry Limit: 7/11

Key items: Lucky Pebble, Aron’s Rock

Pokémon: 7

Name: Scyther (F)

Type: Bug/Flying

Potential Moves: Counter, Fury Cutter, Air Slash, Focus Energy, Silver Wind, Agility

Core Moves: Rest, Swift

Name: Alolan Vulpix (F)

Type: Ice

Potential Moves: Moonblast, Ice Shard, Confuse Ray, Draining Kiss, Icy Wind, Mist

Core Moves: Swift, Rest

Name: Lairon (M)

Type: Steel/Rock

Potential Moves: Dragon Rush, Iron Defense, Rock Polish, Heavy Slam

Core Moves: Rest, Protect

Name: Chansey (F) (Non-Combatant)

Type: Normal

Potential Moves: Seismic Toss, Life Dew, Drain Punch, Calm Mind, Gravity, Heal Pulse, Soft-Boiled

Core Moves: Rest, Swift

Name: Flaaffy (M)

Type: Electric

Potential Moves: Charge, Thunderbolt, Cotton Guard, Thunder Punch

Core Moves: Rest, Endure

Name: Machop (F)

Type: Fighting

Potential Moves: Counter, Revenge, Poison Jab, Snore, Close Combat

Core Moves: Rest, Swift, Detect, Substitute

Name: Bulbasaur (F)

Type: Grass/Poison

Potential Moves: Ingrain, Sludge Bomb, Petal Blizzard, Trailblaze, Petal Dance

Core Moves: Rest