SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Table of Contents:
Arc 0: Starting a Journey- Chapter One
Arc 1: Casteel City- Chapter Three
Arc 2: Forest Grotto- Chapter ???
Arc 3: ???- Chapter ???
Last edited:
Pokémon Adventures Beyond!
Arc 0: Starting a Journey- Chapter One
Arc 1: Casteel City- Chapter Three
Arc 2: Forest Grotto- Chapter ???
Arc 3: ???- Chapter ???
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
An Oshawott yawned tiredly, reaching around his nightstand for his contacts. He felt a container push against his paw before he grabbed it and opened the container. He sat up as he put the contacts in, allowing for his sight to be cleared. He took a look around his neatly organized room before his eyes rested on a backpack in the corner of the room.
He immediately remembered why it was there, he had agreed to go on a journey with his childhood friend. He smiled with exasperation, knowing that his friend would’ve already been awake by now.
This was Oliver, an anxious yet smart male Oshawott, who was fifteen years old. He often enjoyed his time reading books, solving puzzles, and solving riddles that others found too hard. But as Oliver’s stated before in the past; “If something’s too hard, you’re just not looking deep enough.”
The Oshawott sat up on his bed, his gaze switching to a framed photo of him and his parents, a Samorott and a Primarina. He smiled at the photo, picking it up and walking over to his blue colored backpack, which had been packed with books and supplies necessary for survival. He put the framed photo in the bag, making sure it wasn’t crushed by the other things he packed.
Meanwhile, a Pikachu rushed around his room, packing anything he thought he would need into his black backpack. He made sure to pack a tent and some berries, but he realized that he didn’t have much he wanted to pack for the journey. He let out a sigh as he picked up his surprisingly light bag and put it on his unmade bed.
This was Jacob, an enthusiastic, excitable, and sometimes competitive male Pikachu, who was also fifteen. He spent his time looking for adventure with Oliver in their small village. He always liked running around and greeting everyone he knew. But today wasn’t the day for that, he was prepared to go on a journey.
Jacob slung his backpack over his shoulders, running out of his room in a dash.
The Pikachu ran into the kitchen, where his mom was sitting. It was a Sylveon, named Erika, who smiled happily at him. “...You remembered, huh?” she gave a sad smile.
Erika the Sylveon was a popular singer back when she was a teen. She always wanted Jacob to be a singer and performer, but Jacob took the same route as his late father, a battler.
“Of course I did!” Jacob exclaimed, clenching both of his paws in excitement. “I finally get to go on the journey I always wanted!”
“Yeah, and you fulfilled the condition that I set.” She walked over to him. “And you know how our family is with keeping promises.”
“Right…” The Pikachu smiled nervously.
“If you break a promise, you must go hell and back…” The two stated in unison, “Because that’s our code; Our family pact.”
The Sylveon began to tear up and her feelers wrapped around the Pikachu. “...You know I love you, right?” She nuzzled him affectionately.
“Yes. I know, Mom.” Jacob chuckled, returning the hug.
“Please come back alive, okay?” Erika asked, breaking the hug. “Wherever you go and whatever you do, just know I’ll be always rooting for you.”
The Pikachu realized that his mother was intentionally rhyming her farewell speech, an exercise she used to try and have Jacob come up with rhymes on the fly. Although he was used to it, it still slightly annoyed him.
“Mom that’s enough, please no more rhymes.” He groaned in irritation. “You’ve already done it one too many times.”
The Sylveon laughed, wiping the tears in her eyes with her feelers. “...You really are my son.”
Oliver waited at the meeting point, tapping his foot. The Oshawott looked around the rural landscape of the village he and Jacob lived in. He looked at the dirt and grass that covered the ground as the hot sun beat down on his head. He leaned back against a brick wall that blocked nearby dirt from falling into the area.
Kanet Village wasn’t really as much “with the times” as other places in the Sinnoh region. It didn’t really have any technology or restaurants. It had vendors, centering around basic needs like food and supplies. Frankly, the village wasn’t connected to others at all, being considered one of the “poor areas” in Sinnoh.
He let out a nostalgic sigh as he looked around the area. He remembered when the two fell off of the stone brick wall behind him, and ended up in the village’s infirmary. He looked over to a nearby food vendor, at which both Oliver and Jacob had bought berries and rice so many times.
Oliver knew he wouldn’t be seeing his home for a while.
Suddenly, a Pikachu ran from a corner, two Oran berries in his paws. He seemed to be excited, yet still in a slight state of panic. “Ollie, catch!” He threw one at the Oshawott, who fumbled a bit with it.
“An Oran berry?” Oliver asked, looking down at it. “But aren’t these the ones to be from the really expensive vendor near your house?”
“Yeah.” The Pikachu replied, looking around as he ran in place. “Can we… Um, go now?”
“How did you afford this?” He inquired.
“Get back here you damn mouse!!”
“Simple, I didn’t.” Jacob answered nervously, beginning to run again. “You’ll never get me alive, Mr. Peterson!!”
Suddenly, a livid Excadrill rounded a corner, full intent to catch Jacob. He suddenly appeared in front of the Pikachu with a glare. “You should know by now that you’re not faster than me.”
“Busted…”
Mr. Peterson stared down the two as he put them in his vendor tent.
“Causing a disturbance in the village…” The Excadrill walked between Oliver and Jacob, “...Stealing berries from my shop. What won’t you stop at, Jacob?”
“I dunno, Drew. You make it too easy sometimes.” The Pikachu replied with a laugh. “And c’mon, we’ve known you for years. You can’t just let two berries slide?”
“I would but, I can’t.” He shook his head. “I have a reputation to uphold. And it’s Mr. Peterson to you.” The Excadrill huffed.
“I have an idea.” Oliver spoke up.
Suddenly, the Oshawott began to shovel different berries into Jacob’s backpack Both the Pikachu and Excadrill’s eyes widened as they looked at him.
“Oliver are you crazy?” The Pikachu shouted.
“Do you want me to chase you down and kill you?” Mr. Peterson asked loudly. He then gasped in realization.
---
“Get the hell outta here!” Mr. Peterson tore the tent down in anger, chasing after the two. Jacob slung his backpack over his shoulders as he gave a wide grin.
The Pikachu and Oshawott exchanged a smile as they hurried out of the village, dropping a few berries in the process. They both looked back at Mr. Peterson, who shot the two a quick smirk before going underground.
The Excadrill suddenly surfaced from the ground, nearly grabbing Jacob’s backpack. Other Pokémon who lived in the village watched this unfold, knowing that it used to happen on the daily. Each Pokémon who lived in Kanet Village knew that they were heading out of their journey, so they all watched them run through the village.
A few Pokémon then noticed Mr. Peterson’s smile before smiling themselves.
“Get outta here, thieves!” A Delphox smiled, throwing a Pecha berry at Jacob, which the Pikachu caught.
“Damn kids, you’re gonna make us all broke!” A Lucario chuckled, throwing his metallic trash can at the duo.
The two jumped over it before the Pikachu turned back to him and stuck out his tongue.
“Don’t ever come back!”
“Find somewhere new to live!”
The residents began to boo and jeer at the duo, who just kept a smile on their faces as they ran. Eventually, when they made it to the end of the village, they both could hear a collective shout from the residents.
“Come back soon!”
Oliver and Jacob both gave a grin, waving back at the village as they ran off to a new adventure. The two made some distance before stopping to catch their breath. The two put their paws on their knees as they exhaled heavily.
“Okay… Where to now?” Oliver asked, looking at the Pikachu. “Is there anywhere you want to go specifically?”
“Not a clue.” The Pikachu remarked bluntly, looking at his best friend.
The Oshawott let out an exasperated groan, looking down. He blamed himself, as he thought he should’ve known that Jacob would be like that. “So what do we do?”
“How about we go through that really large forest?” Jacob pointed over to the forest that sat not too far for them, connected to their village in the distance by a dirt road. “There should be something on the other side.”
“That really doesn’t make sense…” Oliver remarked, giving a deadpan expression. “...But we don’t really have any other choice.”
“Forest it is!” The Pikachu pumped a paw in the air as he began to walk towards the forest, followed by a reluctant Oliver.
The two steadily approached the forest, Jacob leading with a carefree swing of his arms. He admired the look of the outside area leading into the forest. The grass that was spread on both sides of the dirt road became noticeably darker. Wind pushed against the two’s fur as they observed the exterior of the forest.
The Oshawott glanced over to Jacob, who looked back at him with an inquisitive smile. Both felt a bit unsure about this decision, but there was nowhere else to go. The Pikachu let out an exhale before walking closer.
“Okay… We’re doing this.” Oliver thought as he quickly followed behind his best friend.
Oliver jumped at the sound of a twig breaking, caused by Jacob. He looked to the Pikachu with a sigh before looking behind him. As expected, no one was behind him. Although the Oshawott knew that it was irrational to be scared of what could happen, he still was wary of everything around him. Except for Jacob, who stood in front of him. At least he had one Pokémon that he wasn’t scared of. He knew that the Pikachu would never try to hurt him. Would he? No, he wouldn’t.
On the other hand, Jacob looked around at all of the amazing sights of the forest. The way the overhang let sunlight through only in a few select places made him smile brightly. He took a look behind him to see Oliver, who was walking strangely close to him.
“Are you doing okay, Ollie?” The Pikachu asked, giving a confused expression. He studied his best friend’s slightly worried expression. “You’re looking a bit pale there…”
“I’m fine.” The Oshawott cleared his throat, his eyes darting around. “I’m totally not scared or anything…”
“Don’t worry.” Jacob gave him a comforting smile, patting his back. “I don’t know how far we’re away from the end of the forest, but we should be out by the end of the day.”
“Yeah…” Oliver nervously smiled, letting out a shaky sigh. “...We’re almost out of this place…”
A rustle could be heard in the distance, piquing the two’s attention. Oliver jumped at the noise, taking a few steps back. Jacob focused on the bush and around it, making sure there wasn’t anything that could hurt them.
Two ears popped out from the bush, making the duo flinch. The Pikachu looked back to Oliver for a moment, the two silently agreeing to run if anything happened. The bush continued to shake, as well as the ears sticking out from it.
Suddenly, a little Pichu ran out of the bush, immediately crashing into Oliver. The two tumbled against the ground, letting out a groan a few feet away. Jacob’s guard lowered as his shoulders relaxed. He could instantly tell that the Pichu wasn’t a threat.
The Pichu jumped off of Oliver, his expression panicked and anxious. “U-Um… Have you seen a Pa-Pachirisu around here somewhere?” He spoke quickly, panting in exhaustion.
“Run that by me again?” Jacob asked, helping Oliver up. “Have I seen a what?”
“A… Pachirisu…” The Pichu sighed, slowing down his speech. “About my height, large white tail with a blue stripe running in the middle? Yellow cheek-sacks like mine and your red ones?” As he spoke, he gestured to the different parts of his body where her features would be.
“We haven’t seen her.” Oliver shook his head, looking down at him. “Maybe we can help you find him or her. What’s his or her name?”
“Um…” He hesitated, looking around nervously. “...Her name is Ritsu.”
“Where did you see her last?” The Oshawott inquired, looking down at the Pichu with concern. “I think that maybe if you go where you saw her last, then we could track her from there.”
“We were playing hide-and-seek, but it started around three hours ago…” He looked down with a worried expression. “...I don’t know where she could be, she’s a really good hider.”
“Let’s go to where you first started the game, then.” Oliver put a paw on his chin. “Going to the beginning could lead us somewhere. Also, we could rule out wherever you’ve already checked, depending on what she’s like.”
“She’s very fair when it comes to this.” He answered, beginning to walk. “She doesn’t often move during any of our games.”
“Then let’s keep looking.” The Oshawott stood up straight, “Judging by his expression and slightly damp fur, he must’ve been looking for her frantically for a while, ruling a lot of the area around their beginning point out…”
As Oliver was analyzing the situation, Jacob walked over to the Pichu before crouching to his height. “...So what’s your name, and how old are you?”
“My name’s Pixen. I’m Nine…” He looked down nervously.
“Wait… Where are your parents, then?” The Pikachu’s ears perked up.
“I don’t know…” He sighed, looking back up at his evolved form. “...I hatched, and I was alone. But then Ritsu and her parents found me. I don’t care about my parents. I love Ritsu’s family.”
“Well, that’s good.” Jacob smiled.
Pixen’s eyes began to water, remembering his friend. “R-Ritsu… I miss her so much…” He put his paws over his eyes, beginning to weep quietly. “I don’t know what I would do if I never saw her again…”
“Hey.” The Pikachu put a paw on his head, petting it softly. “We’ll find her. You’ll see her again. I’m Jacob, and over there is Oliver.” He pointed over to the Oshawott, who was still deep in thought.
“H-How do you know?” He looked up to Jacob, his face wet and snotty with tears.
“You see Oliver over there?” He gestured to the Oshawott. “He’s going into his ‘superthink’ mode. He’s really smart and stuff when it comes to working out problems.”
“Let’s go.” Oliver told the two chus. “We need to go back to where the game started. I’ll explain when we get there.”
The Oshawott’s presence was noticeably more noticeable, his confidence towards his own knowledge finally taking over. He signaled for Pixen to lead the way with a concerned frown. Meanwhile, Jacob smiled and patted Oliver on his back.
“Let’s go find us a Pachi.”
---
Walking through the forest, Jacob and Oliver both had to occasionally reassure and comfort Pixen, who was constantly whimpering about his worry for Ritsu. He was nearly inconsolable at times, crying and having brief moments of extreme panic. Currently, the little Pichu was sleeping, having to be carried by Jacob.
“All of that crying must’ve really knocked him out, huh?” The Pikachu remarked, looking over to Oliver.
“Yeah, he really needed that nap after that.” The Oshawott nodded softly. “And Arceus knows that we needed it, too…” He glanced back to the Pichu, who was sleeping peacefully.
“So do you have a plan?” Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I was thinking that if Ritsu stays in one place during hide and seek, then we just look where he hasn’t.” He answered, “It’s pretty simple, actually.”
“Yeah, that sounds like the only thing we can do right now.” The Pikachu nodded. “And we better find her fast… Pixen’s tears are all over my back.”
Suddenly, Pixen jolted from his sleep, falling off of Jacob’s back. He landed with a thud against the grassy floor. “Ow…” He whimpered.
“Are you okay, dude?” Jacob looked back to him. “Are you still… Sad over Ritsu?”
“No!” He shook his head. “I’m just really worried, okay?”
Oliver looked at the Pichu’s face. His cheeks were a slight shade of red.
“Pixen… Are you… Blushing?” The Oshawott’s eyes widened as he crouched down to him. “Do you like Ritsu?”
“Like?” Pixen tilted his head slightly in an innocent manner. “Of course I like her, she’s my friend.”
Why wouldn’t he like her? She’s his only friend. His best friend even. The Pichu’s face scrunched up for a moment, wondering if Oliver’s statement had a different meaning. But what would that be? It was a simple question. Does he like her or not? He does. She’s a good friend, nice, friendly, pretty… Wait. Pretty?
“What I mean is…” Oliver sighed, “Do you want to kiss her and things like that? Kind of like your parents?”
“Ritsu’s parents…?” The Pichu put a paw to his chin, looking down at the ground. He remembered seeing Ritsu’s parents kissing in their kitchen.
“So… Like kissing Ritsu?” Pixen asked, beginning to understand. “I don’t really know about that…” His cheeks went a deeper shade of red as he imagined it.
“So you do, huh?”
The Pichu gulped nervously, looking back up at Oliver. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
Meanwhile, Jacob was struggling to grab a berry from a tree, trying to stock up on more berries. He and Oliver had eaten most of the berries gifted to them from the village. He had climbed to a branch nearest to the berry.
As Jacob continued to struggle, the Oshawott let out a sigh. “...Tell her how you feel, okay?” He smiled down at him. “You wouldn’t want to hold in your feelings forever.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Pixen nodded.
“So let’s go find her.” Oliver stood up straight before looking over to Jacob. “Let’s keep moving.”
He immediately remembered why it was there, he had agreed to go on a journey with his childhood friend. He smiled with exasperation, knowing that his friend would’ve already been awake by now.
This was Oliver, an anxious yet smart male Oshawott, who was fifteen years old. He often enjoyed his time reading books, solving puzzles, and solving riddles that others found too hard. But as Oliver’s stated before in the past; “If something’s too hard, you’re just not looking deep enough.”
The Oshawott sat up on his bed, his gaze switching to a framed photo of him and his parents, a Samorott and a Primarina. He smiled at the photo, picking it up and walking over to his blue colored backpack, which had been packed with books and supplies necessary for survival. He put the framed photo in the bag, making sure it wasn’t crushed by the other things he packed.
Meanwhile, a Pikachu rushed around his room, packing anything he thought he would need into his black backpack. He made sure to pack a tent and some berries, but he realized that he didn’t have much he wanted to pack for the journey. He let out a sigh as he picked up his surprisingly light bag and put it on his unmade bed.
This was Jacob, an enthusiastic, excitable, and sometimes competitive male Pikachu, who was also fifteen. He spent his time looking for adventure with Oliver in their small village. He always liked running around and greeting everyone he knew. But today wasn’t the day for that, he was prepared to go on a journey.
Jacob slung his backpack over his shoulders, running out of his room in a dash.
The Pikachu ran into the kitchen, where his mom was sitting. It was a Sylveon, named Erika, who smiled happily at him. “...You remembered, huh?” she gave a sad smile.
Erika the Sylveon was a popular singer back when she was a teen. She always wanted Jacob to be a singer and performer, but Jacob took the same route as his late father, a battler.
“Of course I did!” Jacob exclaimed, clenching both of his paws in excitement. “I finally get to go on the journey I always wanted!”
“Yeah, and you fulfilled the condition that I set.” She walked over to him. “And you know how our family is with keeping promises.”
“Right…” The Pikachu smiled nervously.
“If you break a promise, you must go hell and back…” The two stated in unison, “Because that’s our code; Our family pact.”
The Sylveon began to tear up and her feelers wrapped around the Pikachu. “...You know I love you, right?” She nuzzled him affectionately.
“Yes. I know, Mom.” Jacob chuckled, returning the hug.
“Please come back alive, okay?” Erika asked, breaking the hug. “Wherever you go and whatever you do, just know I’ll be always rooting for you.”
The Pikachu realized that his mother was intentionally rhyming her farewell speech, an exercise she used to try and have Jacob come up with rhymes on the fly. Although he was used to it, it still slightly annoyed him.
“Mom that’s enough, please no more rhymes.” He groaned in irritation. “You’ve already done it one too many times.”
The Sylveon laughed, wiping the tears in her eyes with her feelers. “...You really are my son.”
---
Kanet Village, Sinnoh
Kanet Village, Sinnoh
Oliver waited at the meeting point, tapping his foot. The Oshawott looked around the rural landscape of the village he and Jacob lived in. He looked at the dirt and grass that covered the ground as the hot sun beat down on his head. He leaned back against a brick wall that blocked nearby dirt from falling into the area.
Kanet Village wasn’t really as much “with the times” as other places in the Sinnoh region. It didn’t really have any technology or restaurants. It had vendors, centering around basic needs like food and supplies. Frankly, the village wasn’t connected to others at all, being considered one of the “poor areas” in Sinnoh.
He let out a nostalgic sigh as he looked around the area. He remembered when the two fell off of the stone brick wall behind him, and ended up in the village’s infirmary. He looked over to a nearby food vendor, at which both Oliver and Jacob had bought berries and rice so many times.
Oliver knew he wouldn’t be seeing his home for a while.
Suddenly, a Pikachu ran from a corner, two Oran berries in his paws. He seemed to be excited, yet still in a slight state of panic. “Ollie, catch!” He threw one at the Oshawott, who fumbled a bit with it.
“An Oran berry?” Oliver asked, looking down at it. “But aren’t these the ones to be from the really expensive vendor near your house?”
“Yeah.” The Pikachu replied, looking around as he ran in place. “Can we… Um, go now?”
“How did you afford this?” He inquired.
“Get back here you damn mouse!!”
“Simple, I didn’t.” Jacob answered nervously, beginning to run again. “You’ll never get me alive, Mr. Peterson!!”
Suddenly, a livid Excadrill rounded a corner, full intent to catch Jacob. He suddenly appeared in front of the Pikachu with a glare. “You should know by now that you’re not faster than me.”
“Busted…”
Mr. Peterson stared down the two as he put them in his vendor tent.
“Causing a disturbance in the village…” The Excadrill walked between Oliver and Jacob, “...Stealing berries from my shop. What won’t you stop at, Jacob?”
“I dunno, Drew. You make it too easy sometimes.” The Pikachu replied with a laugh. “And c’mon, we’ve known you for years. You can’t just let two berries slide?”
“I would but, I can’t.” He shook his head. “I have a reputation to uphold. And it’s Mr. Peterson to you.” The Excadrill huffed.
“I have an idea.” Oliver spoke up.
Suddenly, the Oshawott began to shovel different berries into Jacob’s backpack Both the Pikachu and Excadrill’s eyes widened as they looked at him.
“Oliver are you crazy?” The Pikachu shouted.
“Do you want me to chase you down and kill you?” Mr. Peterson asked loudly. He then gasped in realization.
---
“Get the hell outta here!” Mr. Peterson tore the tent down in anger, chasing after the two. Jacob slung his backpack over his shoulders as he gave a wide grin.
The Pikachu and Oshawott exchanged a smile as they hurried out of the village, dropping a few berries in the process. They both looked back at Mr. Peterson, who shot the two a quick smirk before going underground.
The Excadrill suddenly surfaced from the ground, nearly grabbing Jacob’s backpack. Other Pokémon who lived in the village watched this unfold, knowing that it used to happen on the daily. Each Pokémon who lived in Kanet Village knew that they were heading out of their journey, so they all watched them run through the village.
A few Pokémon then noticed Mr. Peterson’s smile before smiling themselves.
“Get outta here, thieves!” A Delphox smiled, throwing a Pecha berry at Jacob, which the Pikachu caught.
“Damn kids, you’re gonna make us all broke!” A Lucario chuckled, throwing his metallic trash can at the duo.
The two jumped over it before the Pikachu turned back to him and stuck out his tongue.
“Don’t ever come back!”
“Find somewhere new to live!”
The residents began to boo and jeer at the duo, who just kept a smile on their faces as they ran. Eventually, when they made it to the end of the village, they both could hear a collective shout from the residents.
“Come back soon!”
Oliver and Jacob both gave a grin, waving back at the village as they ran off to a new adventure. The two made some distance before stopping to catch their breath. The two put their paws on their knees as they exhaled heavily.
“Okay… Where to now?” Oliver asked, looking at the Pikachu. “Is there anywhere you want to go specifically?”
“Not a clue.” The Pikachu remarked bluntly, looking at his best friend.
The Oshawott let out an exasperated groan, looking down. He blamed himself, as he thought he should’ve known that Jacob would be like that. “So what do we do?”
“How about we go through that really large forest?” Jacob pointed over to the forest that sat not too far for them, connected to their village in the distance by a dirt road. “There should be something on the other side.”
“That really doesn’t make sense…” Oliver remarked, giving a deadpan expression. “...But we don’t really have any other choice.”
“Forest it is!” The Pikachu pumped a paw in the air as he began to walk towards the forest, followed by a reluctant Oliver.
The two steadily approached the forest, Jacob leading with a carefree swing of his arms. He admired the look of the outside area leading into the forest. The grass that was spread on both sides of the dirt road became noticeably darker. Wind pushed against the two’s fur as they observed the exterior of the forest.
The Oshawott glanced over to Jacob, who looked back at him with an inquisitive smile. Both felt a bit unsure about this decision, but there was nowhere else to go. The Pikachu let out an exhale before walking closer.
“Okay… We’re doing this.” Oliver thought as he quickly followed behind his best friend.
---
Wild Woods, Sinnoh
Wild Woods, Sinnoh
Oliver jumped at the sound of a twig breaking, caused by Jacob. He looked to the Pikachu with a sigh before looking behind him. As expected, no one was behind him. Although the Oshawott knew that it was irrational to be scared of what could happen, he still was wary of everything around him. Except for Jacob, who stood in front of him. At least he had one Pokémon that he wasn’t scared of. He knew that the Pikachu would never try to hurt him. Would he? No, he wouldn’t.
On the other hand, Jacob looked around at all of the amazing sights of the forest. The way the overhang let sunlight through only in a few select places made him smile brightly. He took a look behind him to see Oliver, who was walking strangely close to him.
“Are you doing okay, Ollie?” The Pikachu asked, giving a confused expression. He studied his best friend’s slightly worried expression. “You’re looking a bit pale there…”
“I’m fine.” The Oshawott cleared his throat, his eyes darting around. “I’m totally not scared or anything…”
“Don’t worry.” Jacob gave him a comforting smile, patting his back. “I don’t know how far we’re away from the end of the forest, but we should be out by the end of the day.”
“Yeah…” Oliver nervously smiled, letting out a shaky sigh. “...We’re almost out of this place…”
A rustle could be heard in the distance, piquing the two’s attention. Oliver jumped at the noise, taking a few steps back. Jacob focused on the bush and around it, making sure there wasn’t anything that could hurt them.
Two ears popped out from the bush, making the duo flinch. The Pikachu looked back to Oliver for a moment, the two silently agreeing to run if anything happened. The bush continued to shake, as well as the ears sticking out from it.
Suddenly, a little Pichu ran out of the bush, immediately crashing into Oliver. The two tumbled against the ground, letting out a groan a few feet away. Jacob’s guard lowered as his shoulders relaxed. He could instantly tell that the Pichu wasn’t a threat.
The Pichu jumped off of Oliver, his expression panicked and anxious. “U-Um… Have you seen a Pa-Pachirisu around here somewhere?” He spoke quickly, panting in exhaustion.
“Run that by me again?” Jacob asked, helping Oliver up. “Have I seen a what?”
“A… Pachirisu…” The Pichu sighed, slowing down his speech. “About my height, large white tail with a blue stripe running in the middle? Yellow cheek-sacks like mine and your red ones?” As he spoke, he gestured to the different parts of his body where her features would be.
“We haven’t seen her.” Oliver shook his head, looking down at him. “Maybe we can help you find him or her. What’s his or her name?”
“Um…” He hesitated, looking around nervously. “...Her name is Ritsu.”
“Where did you see her last?” The Oshawott inquired, looking down at the Pichu with concern. “I think that maybe if you go where you saw her last, then we could track her from there.”
“We were playing hide-and-seek, but it started around three hours ago…” He looked down with a worried expression. “...I don’t know where she could be, she’s a really good hider.”
“Let’s go to where you first started the game, then.” Oliver put a paw on his chin. “Going to the beginning could lead us somewhere. Also, we could rule out wherever you’ve already checked, depending on what she’s like.”
“She’s very fair when it comes to this.” He answered, beginning to walk. “She doesn’t often move during any of our games.”
“Then let’s keep looking.” The Oshawott stood up straight, “Judging by his expression and slightly damp fur, he must’ve been looking for her frantically for a while, ruling a lot of the area around their beginning point out…”
As Oliver was analyzing the situation, Jacob walked over to the Pichu before crouching to his height. “...So what’s your name, and how old are you?”
“My name’s Pixen. I’m Nine…” He looked down nervously.
“Wait… Where are your parents, then?” The Pikachu’s ears perked up.
“I don’t know…” He sighed, looking back up at his evolved form. “...I hatched, and I was alone. But then Ritsu and her parents found me. I don’t care about my parents. I love Ritsu’s family.”
“Well, that’s good.” Jacob smiled.
Pixen’s eyes began to water, remembering his friend. “R-Ritsu… I miss her so much…” He put his paws over his eyes, beginning to weep quietly. “I don’t know what I would do if I never saw her again…”
“Hey.” The Pikachu put a paw on his head, petting it softly. “We’ll find her. You’ll see her again. I’m Jacob, and over there is Oliver.” He pointed over to the Oshawott, who was still deep in thought.
“H-How do you know?” He looked up to Jacob, his face wet and snotty with tears.
“You see Oliver over there?” He gestured to the Oshawott. “He’s going into his ‘superthink’ mode. He’s really smart and stuff when it comes to working out problems.”
“Let’s go.” Oliver told the two chus. “We need to go back to where the game started. I’ll explain when we get there.”
The Oshawott’s presence was noticeably more noticeable, his confidence towards his own knowledge finally taking over. He signaled for Pixen to lead the way with a concerned frown. Meanwhile, Jacob smiled and patted Oliver on his back.
“Let’s go find us a Pachi.”
---
Walking through the forest, Jacob and Oliver both had to occasionally reassure and comfort Pixen, who was constantly whimpering about his worry for Ritsu. He was nearly inconsolable at times, crying and having brief moments of extreme panic. Currently, the little Pichu was sleeping, having to be carried by Jacob.
“All of that crying must’ve really knocked him out, huh?” The Pikachu remarked, looking over to Oliver.
“Yeah, he really needed that nap after that.” The Oshawott nodded softly. “And Arceus knows that we needed it, too…” He glanced back to the Pichu, who was sleeping peacefully.
“So do you have a plan?” Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I was thinking that if Ritsu stays in one place during hide and seek, then we just look where he hasn’t.” He answered, “It’s pretty simple, actually.”
“Yeah, that sounds like the only thing we can do right now.” The Pikachu nodded. “And we better find her fast… Pixen’s tears are all over my back.”
Suddenly, Pixen jolted from his sleep, falling off of Jacob’s back. He landed with a thud against the grassy floor. “Ow…” He whimpered.
“Are you okay, dude?” Jacob looked back to him. “Are you still… Sad over Ritsu?”
“No!” He shook his head. “I’m just really worried, okay?”
Oliver looked at the Pichu’s face. His cheeks were a slight shade of red.
“Pixen… Are you… Blushing?” The Oshawott’s eyes widened as he crouched down to him. “Do you like Ritsu?”
“Like?” Pixen tilted his head slightly in an innocent manner. “Of course I like her, she’s my friend.”
Why wouldn’t he like her? She’s his only friend. His best friend even. The Pichu’s face scrunched up for a moment, wondering if Oliver’s statement had a different meaning. But what would that be? It was a simple question. Does he like her or not? He does. She’s a good friend, nice, friendly, pretty… Wait. Pretty?
“What I mean is…” Oliver sighed, “Do you want to kiss her and things like that? Kind of like your parents?”
“Ritsu’s parents…?” The Pichu put a paw to his chin, looking down at the ground. He remembered seeing Ritsu’s parents kissing in their kitchen.
“So… Like kissing Ritsu?” Pixen asked, beginning to understand. “I don’t really know about that…” His cheeks went a deeper shade of red as he imagined it.
“So you do, huh?”
The Pichu gulped nervously, looking back up at Oliver. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
Meanwhile, Jacob was struggling to grab a berry from a tree, trying to stock up on more berries. He and Oliver had eaten most of the berries gifted to them from the village. He had climbed to a branch nearest to the berry.
As Jacob continued to struggle, the Oshawott let out a sigh. “...Tell her how you feel, okay?” He smiled down at him. “You wouldn’t want to hold in your feelings forever.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Pixen nodded.
“So let’s go find her.” Oliver stood up straight before looking over to Jacob. “Let’s keep moving.”
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
Wild Woods, Sinnoh
The trio finally approached a clearing in the middle of the forest. Pixen’s ears lowered as they same to a stop. Oliver noticed the Pichu’s subtle action before letting out a sigh. He put a paw on his forehead, wiping off a bit of sweat.Wild Woods, Sinnoh
“This is where you guys started your game, right?” The Oshawott asked, looking back at Pixen.
He nodded in response. “...Yeah.”
“Okay, now all we have to do is figure out where we haven’t searched yet.” Oliver smiled, “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“I haven’t looked there…” He pointed to his left. “And I haven’t checked over in that direction.” He pointed to his right.
“Then we should probably…” Jacob looked between the two directions. “We should probably go right.” Pixen and Oliver silently agreed before beginning to walk towards the direction Jacob picked.
“AHHH!!” A high-pitched and feminine voice shreaked in the opposite direction.
“Ritsu!” Pixen exclaimed, turning around.
“I meant left!” The Pikachu shouted, the heels of his right foot digging into the ground as he turned around. “Go!” He jumped off of his right foot and into a quick sprint.
Pixen’s speed was strangely quicker than his evolved form, dashing past him with a worried glare. Oliver was at the back of them, unable to match their speed. The Oshawott wasn’t really known for his speed. He often lost races against Jacob.
Meanwhile...
A young Pachirisu groaned in pain, being crushed under a Charizard’s foot. She tried to pull herself out from under him, but was unable to.
“Please stop…” She croaked, her voice sounding thin and raspy.
“Once you learn your lesson, I’ll let you go.” The Charizard snarled, the weight of his foot going down harder on her. In the corner of her eye, she could see a Charmander peeking from behind a tree. That Charmander smiled devilishly, his razor sharp pointed teeth showing.
The Pachirisu would’ve given him a dirty glare, but couldn’t push through the pain. She could only groan in pain, hoping that someone would come and save her from this before she dies. She clawed at the ground as she heard her back crack.
Nearby, Pixen could hear the Pachirisu’s groans increase in volume as he, Oliver, and Jacob approached the area. The Pichu’s worried expression only became stronger as they all ran up to where the groans had been coming from.
Pixen was the first to arrive, a distance away from Jacob and Oliver. He panted as he looked around. He then saw a familiar Pachirisu, being crushed under a Charizard’s foot.
“Ritsu!” The Pichu shouted, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he saw the Pachirisu. “Don’t worry, I’m coming for you!”
“No!” Ritsu shouted as Pixen began to run. “Don’t come any closer! Please stop! You’ll get hurt!”
“Don’t worry…!” Jacob shouted from a distance, jumping from the top of a tree. “He brought friends!” Electricity began to surround the Pikachu before he shot it towards the Charizard.
Suddenly, a scalchop blocked the attack, reflecting it towards the ground. Pixen and Jacob both looked back to see Oliver approaching quickly.
“Oliver? Why would you do that?” Jacob looked back to the Oshawott, his eyes widening in confusion. “I had a clear shot.” The Pikachu hit the ground, stumbling a bit. As Jacob spoke, he put his backpack down near a tree, Oliver doing the same.
“Jacob, you can’t control your Thunderbolt!” He answered, running up to be next to Pixen and Jacob. “If you hit that Charizard, then Ritsu would be struck underneath. Even if she’s the same type as you, you can’t guarantee that she’s not already weakened.”
“When you think about it like that, you’re right…” The Pikachu shot Oliver a smile. “As always, good analysis.”
As Jacob talked to the Oshawott, a Charmander snuck up from behind. He wore a toothy grin as he stepped forward, ready to pounce on the three. Oliver could notice a presence behind them, gripping his scalchop nervously.
“Jacob, enemy!” The Oshawott shouted, looking back and throwing his scalchop towards the Charmander. The shell-like object missed it’s target before he shot a flamethrower towards them.
The three jumped out of the way quickly, looking at the Fire-type Pokémon in front of him. Oliver could see his scalchop flying off and hitting a tree.
“My scalchop!” Oliver ran towards his scalchop before the Charmander went to go follow him.
“I don’t think so.” He was quickly stopped by Jacob moving in front of him. “Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am.” He snarled, “I’m not gonna let you guys gang up on my Dad. You’re gonna have to get through me.” The Charmander shot a glare at the Pikachu.
“I’m just gonna call you Lizard.” Jacob told him, a smile on his face.
“My name is Richard!” He retorted loudly, gritting his teeth together. “Now, I’m gonna get rid of you so Dad can have his prey.”
“Prey?” Pixen asked loudly in the background.
The Pikachu’s laid-back expression formed into a light glare, not wanting for a friend of Pixen’s to be crushed and eaten.
“Pixen! When Ollie gets back, you and him get Ritsu out of here.” He told the Pichu. “I’ll handle him.” The Pikachu flicked Richard’s forehead before beginning to run away.
“Get back here!”
As the Charmander chased Jacob, Oliver ran back over to Pixen with a confused expression. “Is Jacob planning to take him on alone?”
“Yeah, he wants us to get Ritsu out of here.” The Pichu replied. “So we should probably focus on that right now. What do we do?”
“We need a physical or special attack. But the special attack can’t hurt Ritsu.” Oliver explained, “But a direct attack is also dangerous… We could get hurt if we’re not careful.” The Oshawott noticed that his legs were shaking, an action that he tried to suppress.
“What moves do you know?” Pixen asked, his eyes focused on the Charizard crushing his friend.
“I only know Razor Shell…”
“I know Tackle…”
“We don’t have much firepower between the two of us…” Oliver thought. “An attack from the front would be either blocked or countered. So we need an attack from behind.”
The Oshawott gulped down the lump in his throat before letting out a shaky exhale. He moved closer to the Pichu before whispering something in his ear. Pixen nodded, his gaze slightly moving to the Pachirisu below the Charizard’s foot.
“Ritsu! I won’t let you die!” Pixen shouted as he and Oliver jumped forward. The Oshawott put a paw on the scalchop stuck to his chest. He pulled it off before realizing how close they were to the Charizard.
“Stop, Pixie!” She screamed, the two ignoring her pleas.
“Pixen, now!” Oliver shakily shouted.
The Pichu performed a quick backflip before his body began to glow a white color. He looked towards the Charizard in front of him before dashing forward. The Pichu struck the ground in front of him, missing his attack. His attack picked up a lot of dirt and dust, slightly clouding the area. He let out a soft whimper, knowing that he would be attacked soon.
The Charizard gave a devilish smile, charging up a Flamethrower. Pixen realized that he was nearby his friend, who looked at him worriedly.
“Why didn’t you run?”
“Because I couldn’t just leave you behind.” The Pichu gave her a soft smile. “And… I’m getting out of here with you.”
“But… You missed.” The Pachirisu reached out to grab one of Pixen’s paws.
“I know. Oliver!”
An Oshawott appeared behind the Charizard, his scalchop gripped within his paw. He dashed towards the center of the Charizard’s back as Pixen began to try and pull Ritsu out. The Oshawott was suddenly struck in the stomach, sending him flying upwards. Oliver groaned in pain, being forced to twirl in the air from the attack.
In the sky, Oliver gave a pained smile. “If we both attacked, then we would’ve been finished. Attacking one at a time would produce the same result.”
In the small moment the Charizard attacked Oliver, his balance shifted a bit.
“So in order to win… We both had to be the decoy.” The Oshawott looked down at Pixen. “He was the decoy to let me on the other side of Charizard, and I was the decoy…”
The Charizard’s shifted weight, it gave just enough space for Ritsu to be pulled out.
“...To get Ritsu out!”
Pixen picked the Pachirisu up before beginning to run away from the Charizard.
“Luckily, I didn’t have to fight…”
With Jacob
Jacob avoided another Flamethrower from Richard, the attack barely grazing his fur. The Charmander huffed before running over to the Pikachu, beginning to use scratch. Jacob avoided most of the strikes from the Lizard Pokémon before his paw began to glow a white color.
The Mouse Pokémon ducked another attack before reeling his paw back and giving an uppercut to Richard’s jaw, sending him flying into a tree. “Dynamic Punch!”
As the Charmander shakily stood up, his eyes began to glow a scarlet color. He bared his teeth while he wildly charged at Jacob. The Pikachu tried to avoid all of his attacks, but received a hard hit to the right side of his head, sending him to the ground. His sight blurred, his right ear rang, and he could feel the grass below him suddenly impact with his body.
Jacob’s eyes remained widened as his body was stuck motionless. “C’mon… I can’t move!” He shouted in his mind. He could see Richard approaching slowly, his eyes still glowing red. “No… Ollie and Pixen are fighting for Ritsu, I can’t let them down here!”
The Pikachu realized that he was unable to breathe. The impact from the strike or the impact from hitting the ground so suddenly must’ve winded him.
In his blurred vision, he could see an orange figure looking back at him, the figure’s eyes gone from it’s face. Jacob could faintly make out two yellow circles on the sides of it’s face. Suddenly, the figure reached up and touched the Pikachu’s forehead with a large, brown paw.
Not… Yet!
The figure’s paw pushed Jacob’s head back, narrowly avoiding a sudden kick from Richard. The Pikachu stood up, feeling a stinging pain in his right arm. His cheeks were sparking large amounts of electricity.
Who’s voice was that? Jacob took in deep breaths of air, stepping away from the Charmander. What was that? The Pikachu couldn’t figure out whether that voice that rang in his head was his or someone else’s. It was his own will, that’s what he was thinking at that moment… But why was the voice so foreign to him?
Jacob tried to move his arm, but it jolted with pain each subtle movement. Was it… Was it broken? No, then he wouldn’t be able to move his arm at a certain point. He could still move his whole arm, but it felt like needles were piercing him from the inside with each movement. It was sprained…
Richard’s eyes were still glowing the same scarlet color as before, and was now heading straight towards Jacob. The Mouse Pokémon charged electricity in his cheeks before shooting it towards him. Jacob’s eyes widened at the large bolt of electricity that shot out towards the Charmander. The Pikachu staggered back, taking in deep breaths.
Richard’s body was stung with electricity, his body twitching uncontrollably. He growled loudly, now wanting to tear Jacob to shreds. The mental image of seeing the Pikachu being physically ripped apart amped him up even more.
“I’m not done yet!” The Charmander shouted, running back at Jacob with blinding speed. The Pikachu jumped back quickly, his left paw beginning to charge up a Dynamic Punch.
“I can’t punch with my right paw… My right arm burns…” He clenched his left paw. “I hope I can punch as well with my non-dominant arm…” He reeled back his left arm before swinging it at Richard, managing to land a solid hit to his gut.
“Come on…!” He clenched his left paw once more, swinging his paw at the Charmander’s face.
“Is that all you got?!” Richard shouted, closing his hand and throwing a jab at the Pikachu’s face. Jacob managed to barely avoid the attack before giving his gut a third Dynamic punch, sending the Charmander flying into a tree.
Dirt and smoke emerged from the impact, clouding the area around where Richard landed. The Pikachu groaned again, holding his right arm close to his body. When the smoke cleared, Jacob could see The Charmander standing up once again.
The Pikachu gritted his teeth together, preparing for another round. Richard’s scarlet-eyed glare could be seen fading. Sparks flew from Jacob’s cheeks as he glared down his opponent. The two stood in silence for a moment before he heard a groan.
Just then, Richard fell to the ground, his scarlet eyes fading.
Jacob’s glare slowly evolved into a bright smile, realizing that he won his fight. The Pikachu lost his balance and fell on his back, breathing heavily. “...I win.”
Meanwhile...
Ritsu happily nuzzled Pixen, faint sparks flying from her cheeks. She hugged the Pichu, letting out a content sigh. “...Thanks for saving me, Pixie.”
“It’s no problem.” Pixen smiled, returning the hug. “I would’ve done the same for you.”
“But… Where’s your friends?” The Pachirisu asked with wide eyes. “We have to get out of here.”
“Jacob, that Pikachu from earlier, is going against that Charmander.” The Pichu answered, “Oliver was knocked away by that Charizard.”
“We need to get out of here.” Ritsu grabbed Pixen’s paw before beginning to run. “I’m a little hurt, but we could get home.”
“No.” Pixen pulled his paw away. “We have to go back for Oliver. He and Jacob worked hard just to give you the opportunity to escape. We need to help them now.”
“U-Um… Pixen?” The Pachirisu began to shudder. “...Behind you…”
“Hm?” The Pichu looked back before seeing a familiar Charizard looming over the two small Pokémon. “...Oh no…”
The Charizard then began to prepare a Dragon Claw while reeling back his arm. He let out a loud roar as he began to swing his attack close to the ground, kicking up some dirt along his path.
Pixen looked at Ritsu before quickly standing in front of her. He held his small arms out as he faced forward. “I won’t let you!”
As the Charizard’s attack closed in, the Flame Pokémon didn’t notice an Oshawott above him. He had his Razor Shell activated as he quickly fell down. Oliver looked for a good area to attack, but he couldn’t find one in his frantic state.
“I have to attack! But where? When? How?” His breathing quickened. “C’mon… Think!”
With adrenaline pumping throughout his body, the Oshawott suddenly used Razor Shell on the Charizard’s head. This stopped his movement and pushed his head down. Oliver then hit the ground in front of Pixen and Ritsu, his feet digging into the ground. He then suddenly jumped back up to send another Razor Shell attack at his jaw. While still in the air, he attacked him one more time, pushing him back a few meters.
“Oliver!” Pixen exclaimed. “I thought you had been sent flying!”
“I was.” He answered, breathing frantically. “When Charizard attacked me, I used my scalchop to take most of the impact. When in the air, I used Razor Shell and made a ring below me at high speeds to slow down my fall.”
“Wow… You’re really smart.” Ritsu remarked.
“Well it’s nothing.” The Oshawott blushed at the complement. “I just read a lot of books and stuff like that…”
“No, books can’t give you knowledge like that. You’ve gotta be a prodigy or something!” The Pachirisu exaggerated.
“Prodigy?” Oliver smiled, “I don’t really think I would be one of those-”
“He’s getting up.”
“What?” The Oshawott and Pachirisu looked over to Pixen, who was pointing over to the Charizard.
“You…” The Charizard snarled, shooting a glare over at Oliver. “Come here!” He suddenly kicked off of the ground, flying towards them. The Oshawott tried to run, but was quickly scooped up by the Charizard at quick speeds.
Oliver yelped as he was lifted into the sky, accidentally dropping his scalchop on the way up. The Charizard smiled devilishly, looking down at Pixen and Ritsu, who only were seen as dots below.
“Have you ever heard of a Seismic Toss?” The Charizard smiled devilishly. The Oshawott began to shake at the question. “Good. You shouldn’t have messed with my food.” The Flame Pokémon suddenly started to fly downwards, cutting through the sky.
Meanwhile, Jacob was shakily standing up. He could faintly see something at the corner of his right eye. He turned to get a better look, and saw that Charizard from earlier flying downwards. But why would he be taking a nosedive straight for the ground?
That question was instantly answered when he saw a familiar Oshawott struggling to get out of his grip.
“Ollie!” The Pikachu shouted, his eyes widening. “Don’t… Don’t you…” He tried to run towards them, but immediately fell to the ground, his injuries stopping him.
“Don’t kill him! Don’t kill my best friend!” He screamed, not caring if it was futile. Jacob put a paw into the ground, pulling himself forward. He gritted his teeth together as he continued to slowly crawl towards the Charizard, who was quickly approaching the ground.
“Don’t kill him!! Damn it!!” Sparks wildly flew from the Pikachu’s cheeks. His eyes began to glow an orange color.
“Hello?” A masculine and strangely familiar voice asked, his voice echoing through his head. “I really hope this works.”
“Dad?” The Pikachu’s eyes widened.
“When you’re hearing this, Jacob… I’m most likely long gone.” The voice let out a sigh. “But… I can see you.”
“What?”
“No, it’s not some type of psychic link or me watching you from the afterlife…” The voice continued, “This was a message I implanted in you along with your power.”
“I was given a special opportunity from a friend that allowed me to see when exactly you would use your power in a seriously dire situation.” He explained, “Now’s the time.”
“I hope you take these words… And implant them deep within your heart.” He spoke, “Your power isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing.” He paused for a moment. “You’ve been given the ability to protect. To save. To keep the ones you love safe.”
The Pikachu struggled to stand, his body flowing with electricity.
“Clench your paws.”
Jacob planted both of his feet on the ground, clenching his teeth and paws. He let out heavy breaths, his power seeming to not be fit for a Pikachu.
“Wipe off your sweat.”
He dug his heels into the ground, the electricity flowing within him making his sweat evaporate.
“Take a deep breath…”
The Pikachu jumped off of his right foot, dashing through the forest.
“...And just dive in.”
The electricity surrounded him as he ran, his eyes glued to the Charizard who was nearing the forest floor. He quickly entered a clearing, dashing right past Pixen and Ritsu, jumping off of the ground. He kicked up a considerable amount of dirt as he jumped.
“Your mother is waiting for you at the end of your journey. Keep your promise…”
He neared the Charizard and Oshawott, clenching his right paw, but slightly flincing at the pain.
“Strike!!” The Pikachu swung his paw towards the Charizard’s face at blinding speeds, managing to land the attack on his cheek and grabbing Oliver’s paw instinctively.
The superpowered attack sent the Charizard flying into another part of the forest.
“...Son.”
--
--
Jacob suddenly woke up, breathing heavily. He looked up to the sky, which was orange. The Pikachu sat up, putting a paw on his forehead. He noticed that it was his right paw, which was bandaged.
“Jacob!” A voice exclaimed, approaching quickly. It was a familiar Oshawott, who stopped right in front of the Pikachu. He was followed by Pixen and Ritsu, who both looked at him with concerned expressions. Oliver held his and Jacob’s backpacks in his paws, slight weighed down by them.
“Is it my arm?” Jacob asked, knowing why they were so concerned.
“Jacob…” The Oshawott looked down at him with a fearful expression.”...I don’t know what you did, but I don’t think you should ever do it again.”
“Huh? Why not? I saved your life, dude.” The Pikachu gave a confused expression.
“That punch earlier…” He looked away for a moment. “...It shattered your whole arm and paw.”
Jacob looked down at his bandaged arm and paw. “Why can I move it then?”
“We managed to find some really good healing berries.” Pixen answered, walking over. “It healed a little, but you’re still really hurt.”
“When we get to the next town, we gotta go to the infirmary.” Oliver continued for the Pichu.
“Okay. But don’t worry!” The Pikachu looked up to his best friend with a smile. “We’ll just figure this out.” Jacob reached out his left paw up to him, wanting some help up.
“...We always do.” The Oshawott grabbed his paw, helping him up and giving him a hug.
“You know it, man!” He patted the Oshawott’s back.
Meanwhile, the Pichu and Pachirisu looked at each other with smiles. Ritsu looked away for a moment before moving closer. “Hey, Pixie?”
“Yeah?” The Pichu looked back at her confusedly.
“I just wanted to say thanks for getting me out of there.” She smiled, “I also wanted to let you know that…”
The Pachirisu grabbed Pixen by his paws and pulled him closer, giving him a kiss on his cheek.
“...You’re my hero.” She blushed lightly.
As the Pichu blushed heavily, Jacob and Oliver both looked over to them with smiles.
“I think it’s time for us to get going now.” The Oshawott smiled sadly, slinging his backpack over his shoulders. “We got way off track to the next city. Like way off track.” He chucked briefly.
“We’ll miss you.” Pixen smiled up at them, his paw still being held by Ritsu. “Thanks for helping me find her. And Oliver, thanks for helping me get her out.”
“It’s no problem.” The Oshawott gave him a kind smile.
“Get better soon, Jacob.” Ritsu looked up at him, grinning happily.
“Don’t worry, I will.” The Pikachu laughed as the two began to walk off. “I’ll be back in full form before you know it!” He pumped his right paw into the air, wincing in pain.
“Sure you will…” Oliver remarked sarcastically, smiling at Jacob’s antics.
“Onto the next adventure!” Jacob put his left arm around the Oshawott’s neck happily after picking up his own backpack.
As the two walked into the distance, the two bickered and laughed as if their lives weren’t just at stake. They talked and wondered about their next adventure, approaching the end of the forest. The duo simultaneously pumped their paws into the air, Jacob wincing in pain as Oliver laughed.
Preparing for their next adventure, they both smiled happily, looking towards the future... As the journey continues.
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Oliver reached the outside of the forest, looking up to the starry sky. He smiled brightly at the sight. They had finally made it out after a few more hours of travelling.
Their first day travelling hadn't been so bad. All they did was take a stroll through a forest, befriend a Pichu, have a life or death fight for the life of a Pachirisu, break an arm, and leave happily.
Okay, maybe their first day had much to be desired.
The Oshawott let out a shaky sigh to himself, finally letting himself calm down. Oliver hadn't exactly been a fan of going against a Charizard on his first day far from Kanet Village, but he knew that it was a good experience for the both of them. He now understood the dangers of being out alone. At least he thought he did.
A familiar Pikachu left the forest after him, his right arm and paw freshly bandaged. It was Jacob, who wore a soft smile as he approached the Oshawott. "Finally, we're out." He sighed. "What's up next?"
Jacob, although being down for any adventure thrown at him, was a little glad that they left the forest before he sustained any more damage. His arm hurt slightly, stinging a bit each time he moved his arm.
"Sleep." Oliver looked over at the Pikachu with an irritated expression. "We have to get some sleep for the night."
"Oh come on..." Jacob complained, "But it's right there!" The Pikachu pointed over at a city that they were overlooking from the cliff they were standing on.
"Woah..." The Oshawott's eyes widened as he looked over at the lights in it. "I know that place. It's... Casteel City."
The lights of the multiple buildings and areas in the city glowed through the night, the areas around it lightly covered by the light. The two Pokémon stared at the large city with wide eyes.
"See? Can't we just head over there?" The Pikachu asked.
"Okay, fine." He sighed, putting a paw on his forehead. "We can go now."
"Yes!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, springing off of the ground and beginning to run towards the cliff overlooking the city.
"Hey, wait up!" Oliver dashed after him, secretly sighing to himself.
Late in the night, Oliver and Jacob both walked through the city. They gazed at the various sights and areas, both smiling softly at the lights. Everything in Casteel City seemed to be colorful and bright, a place that Oliver seemed to like especially.
"There should be a hotel around here somewhere..." The Oshawott thought out loud.
"It might be that way." Jacob pointed towards an alley which visibly led to another part of the city.
"No... Not that way..." A figure from the shadows thought. "Damn tourists..." A pebble flew from the shadows, striking the ground in front of the Oliver's feet.
"Huh?" Oliver looked down at the pebble confusedly. "Where'd that come from?" He looked around for a quick moment before shrugging.
Even though Oliver shrugged off his confusion, he was now a bit suspicious of the area around him. He gazed around everywhere in the area, not seeing anyone. When he looked over to the alley Jacob pointed at, he could see a faint figure standing there before fading into the darkness.
"C'mon, Ollie." The Pikachu told him, beginning to walk through the alley. "It should be on the other side."
"Right." Oliver followed behind quickly, trying to shorten the distance between him and Jacob. He looked at the area he saw the figure at when he passed it, but didn't see anything.
The mysterious figure had jumped up, jumping off of the wall before landing on a ledge higher up. The figure looked down at the two, eyebrows furrowing in exasperation. Her exasperated expression suddenly faded when she noticed that both Pokémon were injured.
She saw the Pikachu's right arm, which was bandaged from his paw up to his shoulder. She could see the slight spaces between the bandages where the Pikachu's fur was scuffed and messy.
The Oshawott seemed to be faring better, but not by much. He had various light bruises and scratches spread across his body. His fur was a bit dirty as well, scuffed up by a decent amount of dirt.
The figure jumped down, quietly landing behind Oliver and covering his mouth. The Oshawott let out a muffled gasp, trying to squirm out of the figure's grip.
"You're the smarter one out of you two, am I right?" The figure asked, her green hand covering his mouth. "Then you need to get out of here now."
"Hm?" Oliver quietly asked, his eyes widening as his eyes darted around.
"You don't want to stick around here..." She continued, "Run away before-"
"Sophie!" A voice shouted, startling Oliver. The hand quickly left the Oshawott's mouth as she looked back.
Oliver looked back as well, only to see a feminine Snivy standing there. When he took a good look at her face, he noticed that it seemed slightly panicked, along with a coldhearted glare. She was looking towards the entrance of the alley, where an Umbreon, a Cranidos, a Crobat, a Monferno, and a Drifloon stood.
"You caught them before we could!" The Drifloon whined, "No fair!"
Jacob looked back to see Oliver being held by a Snivy. His eyes widened as he quickly dashed over. "...Hey, let him go!"
The Pikachu's left paw began to glow a white color as he jumped towards the Snivy. "Dynamic Punch!" He swung his paw towards her, only for the attack to be avoided swiftly. His attack hit the ground, kicking up a bit of concrete.
"Oliver, let's run!" Jacob grabbed Oliver's paw with his left paw, pulling him towards the exit of the alley. The Oshawott was still stuck in a daze, extremely confused.
Why would that Snivy want to help them? She's a part of that group, too. But why did she sound so serious? And if she had been watching them the whole time, then they would've already been caught. Was she the one to throw that pebble, too?
When the two were about to leave the alley, the Umbreon suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Not so fast." He spoke, turning around and using one of his hind legs to kick Jacob in his chin, sending him flying backwards and into Oliver.
The two tumbled against the ground, letting out a simultaneous groan. Oliver looked over to the Snivy, who was looking back at him with a regretful expression. When she saw that he was looking at her, she looked away, biting her tongue.
The Monferno stepped up, blocking Oliver's sight.
"Lights out, buddy." He smiled, reeling his paw back and punching his face. The impact knocked him out instantly, sending him straight into unconsciousness.
A familiar Snivy woke up from her nap, a feeling of regret in her stomach. She could see the Pikachu and Oshawott's frantic expressions right before they were knocked out. The Oshawott went out easily, Trevor being able to knock him out with a punch to the face. The Pikachu didn't go down as easily.
The Pikachu resisted capture and tried to fight everyone in the group. Especially Trevor, who was being a bit cocky about knocking The Oshawott out. They were only able to take him down after pinning him down and punching his head.
The Snivy shook her head, putting her hand on her forehead. This Snivy was a fifteen year old female named Sophie, who was relaxing in her room. She was trying to shake her unfamiliar guilt off.
Every time her group captured someone, they would look at the Snivy with anger. When Sophie looked at the Oshawott, she could see the panic and confusion in his eyes, even after being attacked.
Sophie sat up from her bed, wondering what would happen to them. She knew that the gang she had been living with had been on edge since they were almost caught by the police a few months back, but taking innocent people and keeping them in cells? That was a little uncalled for in her eyes.
She walked out of her room, immediately being greeted by a familiar Drifloon.
"Good early in the morning, Sophie!" She greeted the Snivy happily, twirling in the air. That Drifloon was a sixteen year old female named Lana. It was also the same Drifloon to complain when Sophie had found that Oshawott and Pikachu before her.
"Early in the morning?" Sophie asked confusedly, looking up to her with a deadpan expression.
"Yeah it's like, two in the morning right now." She answered quickly. "Everything okay?" She looked at her expression. "You seem a little more depressed than usual."
"I was never depressed." The Snivy rolled her eyes, walking past her.
Ever since she was little, Sophie hadn't smiled. Lana had known her ever since Sophie was three, and hadn't seen a smile from her at all. Maybe once or twice, she might've cracked a smirk, but whenever Lana questioned it, it was always denied.
"Then why don't you smile?" Lana slowly floated behind Sophie.
"Because I don't feel like it." She calmly retorted. "Anyways, where are those two tourists we caught in the middle of the night?"
"Well that Oshawott's being held in a regular holding cell downstairs..." The Drifloon looked up to the ceiling. "...The Pikachu's being held in solitary confinement. He's been resisting ever since he woke up."
"Solitary confinement?" The Grass Snake Pokémon lowered an eyebrow in inquiry. "I guess he's done for."
Even though Sophie had a long running history with the gang and their location, even she had no idea where solitary confinement was located. She looked down at the floor, her glare sharpening a bit.
"The Oshawott's still asleep in his cell, so no one's bothered him."
"I'll see you later, Lana." Sophie walked quicker, rounding a corner to the left. "I'm going to talk to Bianca about training."
When she walked through the hall, she crossed paths with a familiar Monferno. It was Trevor, the same Monferno to knock that Oshawott out.
"Yo, Sophie!" He smiled, giving her a friendly greeting. "I thought you'd never leave your room after getting back a few hours ago."
"Mhm."
"Speaking of a few hours ago, that was insane!" Trevor exclaimed, "That Pikachu put up one hell of a fight back there. I thought he was going to escape."
"Mhm."
"So quiet and collected as usual." The Monferno sighed, "I guess it was a bit dumb to be worried about you. You never change."
"Why were you worried?" She looked at him, her indifferent expression remaining.
"I've known you ever since you got here." He replied, "That little emotionless Snivy was like my little sister. I taught her the ropes of this place."
"Right."
"Get some food." He put a paw on her head, "You're probably starving right now, but you're not showing it."
"Well you got that right." The Snivy removed his paw from her head "I'll get some food." She began to walk off. "Thanks."
"No 'prob!"
---
Sophie walked into the main room, where multiple Pokémon were laughing and talking to each other. Some were drinking excessively, and others were picking fights. The Snivy sighed at their antics before seeing a Dragonite on the other side of the room.
Some of the drunken gang members greeted Sophie happily, to which she only waved back. A few tried to convince her to join them and have a good time, to which she bluntly denied.
She walked over before tapping the Dragonite's back. "Bianca."
The Dragonite looked behind to see a familiar Snivy standing there with a deadpan expression. She smiled at the sight of her disciple. "Oh, hello Sophie. Come here to actually relax for once?"
"No." She replied, giving an exasperated look. "Can we do a little bit of training?"
"Training? But this is your day off." Bianca tilted her head slightly. "You just recovered from Dragon-Type training two days ago."
"I'm feeling like fighting today." She looked up to her. "I'm not really in the best mood, Bianca."
The Dragonite looked at the Snivy's expression before giving her a smile. "Fine, then. Let's do some training."
---
Outside the gang's large base, which was a whole apartment building, Sophie stood in a grassy field across from Bianca. She had built up a glare on her face, thinking about the events that unfolded the previous night.
The Snivy gritted her teeth as her right eye turned red, the eye taking on a thin black pupil. Her right hand seemed to grow scales and turned a violet color. "...Okay, I'm ready."
"Just make sure you don't overdo it." Bianca took a fighting stance. "You haven't really mastered your transformation yet."
"Got it." Sophie's violet hand extended into glowing purple claws. "Okay... Dragon Claw!" The Snivy lunged at Bianca before swinging her attack at the Dragonite's face.
Bianca quickly ducked the attack before using Dragon Tail on her stomach. Sophie groaned in pain before grabbing the Dragonite's tail and vaulting over it. She extended her Dragon Claw before attacking Bianca's chest.
The Dragonite groaned in pain as Sophie's hand turned to it's normal color. The scales continued to grow up her arm and on the right side of her face. The Snivy groaned, trying to control herself.
"Don't strain yourself." Bianca told her as her right eye glowed brighter. "You'll never control this side of yourself if you keep straining yourself."
"I know..." The Snivy sat down on the grass as Bianca approached her.
She let out heavy breaths, her eyes closed in exhaustion. She gripped at the grass below, her body slumping.
"What's even got you so troubled lately?" The Dragonite sat next to her. "You usually don't lose control of your Dragon Side so easily."
"I'm just wondering about those two Pokémon we caught last night."
"Why would you care about them?" She raised an eyebrow. "Hm... They do look around the same age as you... Has one of them caught your eye?"
"What the--no!" Sophie shouted, a glare forming on her face. "It's just strange to me how they acted when we subdued them."
"How did they act?"
"Well for one... That Oshawott didn't fight back. He was compliant up until the point where that Pikachu tried to attack me." She answered, "And after that, he still didn't try to fight or resist. He just watched everything unfold."
The Snivy looked down at the grass, her glare only slightly sharpening. Why wouldn't he resist? Why was it bothering her so much?
"I just don't know why it messes with me so much." Her right eye began to change back to normal. "Maybe it was because... They were already injured..."
"What?" Bianca's eyes widened. "Injured?"
"Yeah." Sophie sighed, "The Pikachu had a bandage wrapped around his right arm, while that Oshawott had various scratches and minor bruises."
"That's odd..." The Dragonite put her paw on her chin. "...Well you can find out what happened if you want."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I know where that Oshawott from before is being held." Bianca told her, looking up to the sky.
"Wait what?" The Snivy looked over to the Dragonite confusedly. "How and why do you know that?"
"Don't even worry about it." She shook her head slowly. "Do you want to know where he's held or not?"
"Yeah."
"Down in the basement, he's in hall E." She replied quickly. "Go talk to him if you're so concerned."
"Whatever." The Snivy began to walk off, an exasperated glare on her face.
The sun began to rise from the darkness, lighting up the area. Sophie looked back at the sunrise, which Bianca was already watching. The Snivy let out a silent sigh, watching the orange colors of the sunrise.
Sophie could feel the warmth of the sun wash over her body as a warm wind blew by, picking up multiple blades of grass. The grass danced in the wind, one blade briefly touching her face. The scales that were previously on her body finally faded as she relaxed her body.
"Now this is a sunrise, huh Sophie?" The Dragonite asked, knowing that the Snivy never left.
"I guess this is."
"This is the type of sunrise to start a new beginning in a lifetime." Bianca told her with a smile.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, don't worry about it." She spoke dismissively. "You can go if you want."
"Okay...?" Sophie confusedly began to walk off, occasionally looking back at the sunrise. "A new beginning in a lifetime?"
"What does that even mean?"
Their first day travelling hadn't been so bad. All they did was take a stroll through a forest, befriend a Pichu, have a life or death fight for the life of a Pachirisu, break an arm, and leave happily.
Okay, maybe their first day had much to be desired.
The Oshawott let out a shaky sigh to himself, finally letting himself calm down. Oliver hadn't exactly been a fan of going against a Charizard on his first day far from Kanet Village, but he knew that it was a good experience for the both of them. He now understood the dangers of being out alone. At least he thought he did.
A familiar Pikachu left the forest after him, his right arm and paw freshly bandaged. It was Jacob, who wore a soft smile as he approached the Oshawott. "Finally, we're out." He sighed. "What's up next?"
Jacob, although being down for any adventure thrown at him, was a little glad that they left the forest before he sustained any more damage. His arm hurt slightly, stinging a bit each time he moved his arm.
"Sleep." Oliver looked over at the Pikachu with an irritated expression. "We have to get some sleep for the night."
"Oh come on..." Jacob complained, "But it's right there!" The Pikachu pointed over at a city that they were overlooking from the cliff they were standing on.
"Woah..." The Oshawott's eyes widened as he looked over at the lights in it. "I know that place. It's... Casteel City."
The lights of the multiple buildings and areas in the city glowed through the night, the areas around it lightly covered by the light. The two Pokémon stared at the large city with wide eyes.
"See? Can't we just head over there?" The Pikachu asked.
"Okay, fine." He sighed, putting a paw on his forehead. "We can go now."
"Yes!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, springing off of the ground and beginning to run towards the cliff overlooking the city.
"Hey, wait up!" Oliver dashed after him, secretly sighing to himself.
---
Casteel City, Sinnoh
Casteel City, Sinnoh
Late in the night, Oliver and Jacob both walked through the city. They gazed at the various sights and areas, both smiling softly at the lights. Everything in Casteel City seemed to be colorful and bright, a place that Oliver seemed to like especially.
"There should be a hotel around here somewhere..." The Oshawott thought out loud.
"It might be that way." Jacob pointed towards an alley which visibly led to another part of the city.
"No... Not that way..." A figure from the shadows thought. "Damn tourists..." A pebble flew from the shadows, striking the ground in front of the Oliver's feet.
"Huh?" Oliver looked down at the pebble confusedly. "Where'd that come from?" He looked around for a quick moment before shrugging.
Even though Oliver shrugged off his confusion, he was now a bit suspicious of the area around him. He gazed around everywhere in the area, not seeing anyone. When he looked over to the alley Jacob pointed at, he could see a faint figure standing there before fading into the darkness.
"C'mon, Ollie." The Pikachu told him, beginning to walk through the alley. "It should be on the other side."
"Right." Oliver followed behind quickly, trying to shorten the distance between him and Jacob. He looked at the area he saw the figure at when he passed it, but didn't see anything.
The mysterious figure had jumped up, jumping off of the wall before landing on a ledge higher up. The figure looked down at the two, eyebrows furrowing in exasperation. Her exasperated expression suddenly faded when she noticed that both Pokémon were injured.
She saw the Pikachu's right arm, which was bandaged from his paw up to his shoulder. She could see the slight spaces between the bandages where the Pikachu's fur was scuffed and messy.
The Oshawott seemed to be faring better, but not by much. He had various light bruises and scratches spread across his body. His fur was a bit dirty as well, scuffed up by a decent amount of dirt.
The figure jumped down, quietly landing behind Oliver and covering his mouth. The Oshawott let out a muffled gasp, trying to squirm out of the figure's grip.
"You're the smarter one out of you two, am I right?" The figure asked, her green hand covering his mouth. "Then you need to get out of here now."
"Hm?" Oliver quietly asked, his eyes widening as his eyes darted around.
"You don't want to stick around here..." She continued, "Run away before-"
"Sophie!" A voice shouted, startling Oliver. The hand quickly left the Oshawott's mouth as she looked back.
Oliver looked back as well, only to see a feminine Snivy standing there. When he took a good look at her face, he noticed that it seemed slightly panicked, along with a coldhearted glare. She was looking towards the entrance of the alley, where an Umbreon, a Cranidos, a Crobat, a Monferno, and a Drifloon stood.
"You caught them before we could!" The Drifloon whined, "No fair!"
Jacob looked back to see Oliver being held by a Snivy. His eyes widened as he quickly dashed over. "...Hey, let him go!"
The Pikachu's left paw began to glow a white color as he jumped towards the Snivy. "Dynamic Punch!" He swung his paw towards her, only for the attack to be avoided swiftly. His attack hit the ground, kicking up a bit of concrete.
"Oliver, let's run!" Jacob grabbed Oliver's paw with his left paw, pulling him towards the exit of the alley. The Oshawott was still stuck in a daze, extremely confused.
Why would that Snivy want to help them? She's a part of that group, too. But why did she sound so serious? And if she had been watching them the whole time, then they would've already been caught. Was she the one to throw that pebble, too?
When the two were about to leave the alley, the Umbreon suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Not so fast." He spoke, turning around and using one of his hind legs to kick Jacob in his chin, sending him flying backwards and into Oliver.
The two tumbled against the ground, letting out a simultaneous groan. Oliver looked over to the Snivy, who was looking back at him with a regretful expression. When she saw that he was looking at her, she looked away, biting her tongue.
The Monferno stepped up, blocking Oliver's sight.
"Lights out, buddy." He smiled, reeling his paw back and punching his face. The impact knocked him out instantly, sending him straight into unconsciousness.
---
???, Sinnoh
???, Sinnoh
A familiar Snivy woke up from her nap, a feeling of regret in her stomach. She could see the Pikachu and Oshawott's frantic expressions right before they were knocked out. The Oshawott went out easily, Trevor being able to knock him out with a punch to the face. The Pikachu didn't go down as easily.
The Pikachu resisted capture and tried to fight everyone in the group. Especially Trevor, who was being a bit cocky about knocking The Oshawott out. They were only able to take him down after pinning him down and punching his head.
The Snivy shook her head, putting her hand on her forehead. This Snivy was a fifteen year old female named Sophie, who was relaxing in her room. She was trying to shake her unfamiliar guilt off.
Every time her group captured someone, they would look at the Snivy with anger. When Sophie looked at the Oshawott, she could see the panic and confusion in his eyes, even after being attacked.
Sophie sat up from her bed, wondering what would happen to them. She knew that the gang she had been living with had been on edge since they were almost caught by the police a few months back, but taking innocent people and keeping them in cells? That was a little uncalled for in her eyes.
She walked out of her room, immediately being greeted by a familiar Drifloon.
"Good early in the morning, Sophie!" She greeted the Snivy happily, twirling in the air. That Drifloon was a sixteen year old female named Lana. It was also the same Drifloon to complain when Sophie had found that Oshawott and Pikachu before her.
"Early in the morning?" Sophie asked confusedly, looking up to her with a deadpan expression.
"Yeah it's like, two in the morning right now." She answered quickly. "Everything okay?" She looked at her expression. "You seem a little more depressed than usual."
"I was never depressed." The Snivy rolled her eyes, walking past her.
Ever since she was little, Sophie hadn't smiled. Lana had known her ever since Sophie was three, and hadn't seen a smile from her at all. Maybe once or twice, she might've cracked a smirk, but whenever Lana questioned it, it was always denied.
"Then why don't you smile?" Lana slowly floated behind Sophie.
"Because I don't feel like it." She calmly retorted. "Anyways, where are those two tourists we caught in the middle of the night?"
"Well that Oshawott's being held in a regular holding cell downstairs..." The Drifloon looked up to the ceiling. "...The Pikachu's being held in solitary confinement. He's been resisting ever since he woke up."
"Solitary confinement?" The Grass Snake Pokémon lowered an eyebrow in inquiry. "I guess he's done for."
Even though Sophie had a long running history with the gang and their location, even she had no idea where solitary confinement was located. She looked down at the floor, her glare sharpening a bit.
"The Oshawott's still asleep in his cell, so no one's bothered him."
"I'll see you later, Lana." Sophie walked quicker, rounding a corner to the left. "I'm going to talk to Bianca about training."
When she walked through the hall, she crossed paths with a familiar Monferno. It was Trevor, the same Monferno to knock that Oshawott out.
"Yo, Sophie!" He smiled, giving her a friendly greeting. "I thought you'd never leave your room after getting back a few hours ago."
"Mhm."
"Speaking of a few hours ago, that was insane!" Trevor exclaimed, "That Pikachu put up one hell of a fight back there. I thought he was going to escape."
"Mhm."
"So quiet and collected as usual." The Monferno sighed, "I guess it was a bit dumb to be worried about you. You never change."
"Why were you worried?" She looked at him, her indifferent expression remaining.
"I've known you ever since you got here." He replied, "That little emotionless Snivy was like my little sister. I taught her the ropes of this place."
"Right."
"Get some food." He put a paw on her head, "You're probably starving right now, but you're not showing it."
"Well you got that right." The Snivy removed his paw from her head "I'll get some food." She began to walk off. "Thanks."
"No 'prob!"
---
Sophie walked into the main room, where multiple Pokémon were laughing and talking to each other. Some were drinking excessively, and others were picking fights. The Snivy sighed at their antics before seeing a Dragonite on the other side of the room.
Some of the drunken gang members greeted Sophie happily, to which she only waved back. A few tried to convince her to join them and have a good time, to which she bluntly denied.
She walked over before tapping the Dragonite's back. "Bianca."
The Dragonite looked behind to see a familiar Snivy standing there with a deadpan expression. She smiled at the sight of her disciple. "Oh, hello Sophie. Come here to actually relax for once?"
"No." She replied, giving an exasperated look. "Can we do a little bit of training?"
"Training? But this is your day off." Bianca tilted her head slightly. "You just recovered from Dragon-Type training two days ago."
"I'm feeling like fighting today." She looked up to her. "I'm not really in the best mood, Bianca."
The Dragonite looked at the Snivy's expression before giving her a smile. "Fine, then. Let's do some training."
---
Outside the gang's large base, which was a whole apartment building, Sophie stood in a grassy field across from Bianca. She had built up a glare on her face, thinking about the events that unfolded the previous night.
The Snivy gritted her teeth as her right eye turned red, the eye taking on a thin black pupil. Her right hand seemed to grow scales and turned a violet color. "...Okay, I'm ready."
"Just make sure you don't overdo it." Bianca took a fighting stance. "You haven't really mastered your transformation yet."
"Got it." Sophie's violet hand extended into glowing purple claws. "Okay... Dragon Claw!" The Snivy lunged at Bianca before swinging her attack at the Dragonite's face.
Bianca quickly ducked the attack before using Dragon Tail on her stomach. Sophie groaned in pain before grabbing the Dragonite's tail and vaulting over it. She extended her Dragon Claw before attacking Bianca's chest.
The Dragonite groaned in pain as Sophie's hand turned to it's normal color. The scales continued to grow up her arm and on the right side of her face. The Snivy groaned, trying to control herself.
"Don't strain yourself." Bianca told her as her right eye glowed brighter. "You'll never control this side of yourself if you keep straining yourself."
"I know..." The Snivy sat down on the grass as Bianca approached her.
She let out heavy breaths, her eyes closed in exhaustion. She gripped at the grass below, her body slumping.
"What's even got you so troubled lately?" The Dragonite sat next to her. "You usually don't lose control of your Dragon Side so easily."
"I'm just wondering about those two Pokémon we caught last night."
"Why would you care about them?" She raised an eyebrow. "Hm... They do look around the same age as you... Has one of them caught your eye?"
"What the--no!" Sophie shouted, a glare forming on her face. "It's just strange to me how they acted when we subdued them."
"How did they act?"
"Well for one... That Oshawott didn't fight back. He was compliant up until the point where that Pikachu tried to attack me." She answered, "And after that, he still didn't try to fight or resist. He just watched everything unfold."
The Snivy looked down at the grass, her glare only slightly sharpening. Why wouldn't he resist? Why was it bothering her so much?
"I just don't know why it messes with me so much." Her right eye began to change back to normal. "Maybe it was because... They were already injured..."
"What?" Bianca's eyes widened. "Injured?"
"Yeah." Sophie sighed, "The Pikachu had a bandage wrapped around his right arm, while that Oshawott had various scratches and minor bruises."
"That's odd..." The Dragonite put her paw on her chin. "...Well you can find out what happened if you want."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I know where that Oshawott from before is being held." Bianca told her, looking up to the sky.
"Wait what?" The Snivy looked over to the Dragonite confusedly. "How and why do you know that?"
"Don't even worry about it." She shook her head slowly. "Do you want to know where he's held or not?"
"Yeah."
"Down in the basement, he's in hall E." She replied quickly. "Go talk to him if you're so concerned."
"Whatever." The Snivy began to walk off, an exasperated glare on her face.
The sun began to rise from the darkness, lighting up the area. Sophie looked back at the sunrise, which Bianca was already watching. The Snivy let out a silent sigh, watching the orange colors of the sunrise.
Sophie could feel the warmth of the sun wash over her body as a warm wind blew by, picking up multiple blades of grass. The grass danced in the wind, one blade briefly touching her face. The scales that were previously on her body finally faded as she relaxed her body.
"Now this is a sunrise, huh Sophie?" The Dragonite asked, knowing that the Snivy never left.
"I guess this is."
"This is the type of sunrise to start a new beginning in a lifetime." Bianca told her with a smile.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, don't worry about it." She spoke dismissively. "You can go if you want."
"Okay...?" Sophie confusedly began to walk off, occasionally looking back at the sunrise. "A new beginning in a lifetime?"
"What does that even mean?"
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
???, Sinnoh
???, Sinnoh
"Ow..." Oliver woke up groggily, his sight seeming to be upside down. The Oshawott groaned in pain, feeling a sharp pain on the side of his head. He quickly realized that he was propped against a cold wall, his feet facing up towards the ceiling. He tried to move his arms and switch his position, but noticed that his paws were cuffed behind his back.
"Where am I?" He asked in his head, trying to squirm out of his uncomfortable position. "My head is pounding... Where's Jacob? What happened?"
Oliver thought for a moment, beginning to remember the events that unfolded before he woke up. That Snivy covered his mouth and told him to get out of the alley he and Jacob were moving through. She was cut off by a Drifloon complaining about how she found them before they did. Jacob tried to get the two out of there, but failed. He was knocked out by a Monferno soon afterwards.
"Why are we being held here?" He thought, "Did we do anything wrong?"
His eyes darted over to his slightly open backpack which was laid on the floor, it's contents slightly spilling out of it. He could clearly see the picture of his parents he brought along with him to look at whenever he was feeling homesick.
And he was really feeling homesick at this point in time.
He still couldn't wrap his head around what happened after they had left Wild Woods. Even before that, too. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that all of their journey so far had been filled with disaster. They still had the opportunity to meet Pixen and Ritsu, who thankfully hadn't tried to kill them.
The Oshawott then noticed a green figure from the corner of his eye. When he focused his sight, he saw a familiar Snivy standing there from the other side of the bars. She seemed to wear an indifferent expression.
The Snivy opened the cell door before walking in. She walked closer to Oliver and kneeled down to him.
Oliver shut his eyes, expecting to be harmed in some way. He could only feel his body move and the feeling of lightheadedness. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was seeing normally.
"Oh... Thank you--"
"Don't thank me." She bluntly cut him off. "You just looked like you needed help." The Snivy stood up, beginning to walk away.
"I'm Oliver."
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, hearing him introduce himself. She had a short battle in her head, weighing the options of introducing herself to him.
"I'm Sophie."
---
Sophie walked through the halls of the upper levels, thinking about her brief interaction with Oliver.
"Oliver."
She wouldn't admit it to herself, but for a moment, she trusted the Oshawott. He seemed to be sincere when he thanked her for putting him in a more comfortable position. His eyes looked so innocent. It was strange to her.
Everyone that she had met before had eyes that told a story of a rough history. She could see it, the way their eyes rested, and even down to the way they blinked. Oliver's blinking rate was rapid at times, while his eyes rested in a wide-eye state. The sometimes rapid blinking rate could indicate high stress or even being on the verge of tears.
It couldn't be all an act, right? Oliver couldn't fake sincerity, despite being visibly stressed. But why would he have the need to fake anything?
The Snivy's thoughts were suddenly cut off by a familiar Monferno walking up. "Yo, Sophie."
"Hm?" She looked at him with a sideways glance. "Do you need anything, Trevor?"
"Well I wanted to tell you that one of the higher-ups wanted to see you." He explained, "I think it was something about 'guard duty' or something like that."
"Okay then." Sophie nodded, "Take me there."
"Let's go." He walked ahead of her, quickly leading the Snivy over to where she was called from.
The two walked into the main room, where Sophie immediately saw an Infernape sitting down on a couch in silence, his head looking down towards the floor. That Infernape was named Quincy, often regarded as the right hand man to the boss of their gang. When the Snivy laid her eyes on him, a cold sweat built up on her forehead.
Quincy was the one to take her in with the gang after she was in an orphanage at three years old. He was like an older brother figure to her, even though they didn't talk too often. Sophie walked over and tapped his shoulder.
"Finally..." The Infernape looked up at Sophie. "Took you long enough."
"Well I was in the basement." The Grass Snake Pokémon mentioned, giving him a cold stare. "I wasn't going to run here as soon as you called."
"Fair point." Quincy sighed as Sophie sat down next to him. "Anyway, I was going to ask you to do something."
"What is it?"
"Before I do... Trevor, leave." He noticed the Monferno hiding behind the couch, wanting to listen in to their conversation.
"Dammit!" He exclaimed in a hush shout. "Okay, fine..." Trevor sulked and trudged out of the room, dragging his feet along the way.
Once Quincy heard the Monferno's footsteps fade, he looked back to Sophie. "You seem pretty interested in that Oshawott you caught last night."
"I was just wondering why he and his friend were injured, is all." She replied, not missing a beat. "Also, he looks around my age, so I was interested to know how others around my age would act."
"Aren't Trevor and Lana around your age?"
"Yes, they are, but they're still members of this gang." The Snivy sharply answered, "So not exactly normal."
"Okay then, how about this?" Quincy began, "I'll have you look over that Oshawott to make sure he doesn't do anything suspicious. As for the Pikachu, I can't tell you where he's being kept. But he's being watched by Binks."
"Binks!?"
Binks was an Emboar, regarded as the leader of the gang for as long as Sophie stayed there. That Pikachu must not be having a good time down there.
Meanwhile...
Oliver tried to reach for his backpack, but was unable to due to the handcuffs shackles around his wrists, which were bolted tightly to the wall. He could only comfortably remain in a sitting position with his paws behind his back.
The Oshawott let out a sigh, looking down at the cold, concrete floor. "This isn't good... I can barely move out of this position." Oliver then looked back to the shackles bolted to the stone wall. "If I just knew Water Gun, I could have eroded the wall or rust the metal shackles to break them..."
He then noticed movement outside of his cell. He looked over to see Sophie, that somewhat nice Snivy from earlier. She brought along a wooden chair with her, confusing the Oshawott a bit. She also had a small, yellow bag slung around her shoulders.
"Um... Hi, Sophie." Oliver greeted her hesitantly, shaking a bit in fear.
"Hey." She returned the greeting, putting the chair down on the opposite side of the room from Oliver. She sat down in the seat gently.
"Why did you bring a chair?"
"I have orders to be your warden, so you won't pull anything stupid." She answered, not missing a beat.
"Orders? From who?" He asked, picking up on the first part of her statement.
Sophie noticed that the Oshawott is fairly observant when it comes to statements. He seemed to be a smart guy. The Snivy took a mental note to watch her words around him.
"That's none of your business." She sharply replied, putting her yellow backpack down, leaned up against the side of her chair. "Anyway, what were you doing out so late at night?"
"That's none of your business." Oliver looked away, shrugging his shoulders.
"Funny guy, are we now?" Sophie reached into her bag, pulling out an orange colored pistol.
"N-No!" He quickly shook his head in response. "I just thought it wouldn't be fair if I told you things about me when you refused to reveal anything about yourself.."
"Right."
The Snivy aimed the pistol at Oliver, coldheartedly shooting it at his chest. The Oshawott grunted for a moment before looking down. A cylindrical, metallic object could be seen on his chest. A red, furry substance was at the end.
"A tranq dart?" His eyes widened, looking back up at Sophie. "...Which type is it?"
"Sedative." She answered, putting the pistol back in her bag. "You know a lot, don't you?" When she looked back over to him, he was already asleep.
---
A noticeably long period of time passed before Oliver began to wake up again. He opened his eyes, noticing that he was facing down to the floor. He could also feel a small bit of drool on the corner of his mouth. His mind seemed strangely clear, feeling refreshed from his impromptu nap.
When the Oshawott lifted his head back up, he could see Sophie still sitting across the room, but looking at a mirror she was holding parallel to her chest. Oliver's eyes widened as he noticed that the Snivy's right eye was red, and had a strange, thin black pupil.
His breathing quickened. What exactly was she? Why is her eye red, and her other one is green? Was he supposed to say something? Pretend that he was still asleep? Oliver gulped nervously before opening his mouth to speak.
"S-Sophie?"
Her right eye suddenly locked onto the Oshawott before quickly using Dragon Claw. Oliver saw the attack before quickly leaning as far as he could to the left. The attack struck the wall, making it crack. He let out a shaky sigh, looking at the purple claw in the wall.
"Please don't kill me!" Oliver exclaimed, "I won't tell anyone about your eye, I swear!"
The Snivy sighed, her purple claw reverting back to it's normal green hand. "...Fine."
"Sorry for asking, but what happened to your eye?" The Oshawott asked, looking up at her.
"It isn't your business." She retorted calmly, beginning to walk away from him.
"You'll feel better if you talk about it." Oliver told her, "...I know it's a cheesy thing to say, but It's true."
The Snivy's glare softened as she turned around. Sophie realized that if Oliver was ever tricking her, she could kill him easily. She let out a sigh, briefly weighing her options.
"I... Don't know." She sat down in front of the Oshawott. "I never knew. Before I was three, I can't remember much."
"Have you ever tried to look for your origins?" Oliver inquired, "There has to be someone who knows about you."
"You think I haven't tried?" She spat. "I've looked everywhere around Casteel City. But how would I even look if I don't know what I'm looking for?"
"You have a good point." The Oshawott looked down.
The two remained in silence for a few seconds, both of them avoiding the other's gaze.
"Sophie?" Oliver asked, cutting through the silence. "Why were Jacob and I captured by you? Why are we here?"
"My gang's been on edge since some of us got arrested for theft." She answered without hesitation. "Any Pokémon that passed by would be captured by my group, and would be interrogated for answers as to if they're looking for us."
"Isn't that a little counter-productive?" The Oshawott asked, "If they weren't looking for your gang, and they got caught, then you just revealed your location."
"Our location? Do you even know where we are?"
"Umm..."
"That's what I thought."
"Where's Jacob anyway?" Oliver asked, "And how long do you plan to keep us here?"
"Jacob's in solitary confinement, but I don't know where." She told him. "We plan to keep you two until one of two things happen."
"What are they?" The Oshawott's eyes widened
"One; You both join us." She told him, "Or two; One of our members will come here and erase your memories."
"Jacob would never allow any of those two things to happen." Oliver told her, a soft glare developing on his face.
"But what about you?"
The Oshawott paused, those three words replaying in his mind briefly.
"Would you join us?" The Snivy tilted her head softly, her serious expression unchanging. "It's not too bad here."
"I'm sorry, but I wouldn't." He looked down, "There's still a lot of things I have to do in Sinnoh. Our adventure is barely beginning."
"I thought so." Sophie stood up, walking towards her backpack. When the Snivy reached in, Oliver's blood went cold.
Was she going to pull out that tranquilizer pistol again? Why wouldn't she? He just rejected her proposal to stay with her gang. That must've hurt her pride in some way. He closed his eyes tightly, expecting to be put to sleep again.
But all he could hear were a few thumps on the ground in front of him. He opened his eyes to be faced with five Oran berries in front of him.
"It's been two and a half days already. You must be starving."
Oliver's eyes began to water as he looked down at the berries.
"What? Are you allergic or something?"
"It's just that..." He whimpered, a shaky smile on his face. "...I really needed this. Thank you, Sophie."
"Yeah, yeah." She began to walk off, "Don't think this makes us 'friends' or whatever." While Sophie left the cell, she could hear faint chewing. Her expression lightened as she walked off.
---
The Snivy yawned as she walked upstairs, exhausted from her day. She was instantly greeted by Lana and Trevor, who seemed to be more irritating than usual to her.
"So... You were down there for quite a long time, Sophie." Trevor stated, "Care to explain where you were?"
"That's none of your business."
"Don't be such a buzzkill." Lana complained, "We know you were down there watching that Oshawott. He seems really nice. He even brought some kindness out of you."
The Snivy's eye twitched softly at the statement, "You were watching?"
"Every minute of it." The Drifloon nodded, "Even when you talked to him about your right eye."
"...I'm going to go talk to Quincy." Sophie quickly walked off, leaving the Monferno and Drifloon behind.
Sophie walked into the main room, where she saw a familiar Infernape laying down on a couch. He seemed to be eating something, his eyes closed. Although he appeared to be asleep, Sophie knew that he was trying to avoid a conversation,
"Quincy." She told him, to which he didn't respond. "I know you're awake."
"Damn it!" He sat up, facing the Snivy. "Why do you have to be so observant?" Quincy groaned for a moment before collecting himself. "What do you need?"
"I wanted to request you release the Oshawott and Pikachu."
"Are you insane?" Quincy asked loudly, his eyes widening. "Binks would kill me if I allowed something like that! What's gotten into you?"
"Compassion, emotion, feelings..." A voice from behind the couch answered, revealing to be Trevor. "I could go on."
"Shut up." Sophie glared at him, punching his head.
As the Monferno hit the ground in pain, Quincy looked back over to the Snivy. "Seriously, what's up with you?"
"Well the Oshawott shows no signs of any malicious intent." She replied, looking down. "He seems pretty innocent."
"I'm sorry, Sophie." He looked away. "There's nothing I can do. I can't just go against Binks' orders like that."
"I understand."
The Snivy stood up and walked off, her expression unchanging. No matter how much she tried to stop herself, she couldn't stop thinking about the new friend she had made.
"It's been two and a half days already. You must be starving."
Oliver's eyes began to water as he looked down at the berries.
"What? Are you allergic or something?"
"It's just that..." He whimpered, a shaky smile on his face. "...I really needed this. Thank you, Sophie."
"Yeah, yeah." She began to walk off, "Don't think this makes us 'friends' or whatever." As Sophie left the cell, she could hear faint chewing. Her expression lightened as she walked off.
He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be here, on the verge of getting his memory erased. She wasn't even sure if Oliver would remember her name. That was the first friend she'd ever made on her own. This was the first Pokémon outside of her gang that she knew on a first-name basis. He even knew about her eye.
Her teeth gritted together. So what if he was? He was just like any other prisoner. Just an innocent soul trying to get out of that place. Then why did she feel so guilty? It's not like she has a say in any of it.
It's not like she can change it.
With Oliver...
The Oshawott was finally able to break away from the wall, his shackles breaking and hitting the floor. This finally allowed Oliver to move his arms for the first time in days.
"It must've been when Sophie attacked the wall..." He thought, looking at his paws. "When the attack hit, it weakened the wall."
The Oshawott slowly walked over to his backpack before sweeping the scattered objects that were previously on the floor into his bag. Oliver was lost in thought, looking between the bars of the cell door, and the picture of his parents still on the floor.
"I gotta get out of here."
He walked over to one of the corners in the confined room, picking up his scalchop. Oliver dusted the fur on his stomach off before putting his scalchop on it. It seemed to perfectly stick to his fur. He then walked over to the door, which was locked.
The Oshawott put a paw on his forehead, thinking about any option to get out.
"Razor Shell could work, but that would alert the gang members..." He thought, "I don't know any other moves, so I'd probably have to wait until I'm about to get my memory erased, and take a chance there. Yeah... I'll stick with that plan."
His face scrunched up.
"But of course, I don't know where Jacob is..." He began to pace around the cell room. "He's too durable to be killed, but considering his attitude, he must be nearing that territory while he pisses them off..."
He smiled briefly.
"But he's a tough nut to crack. He'll last for a while longer... I hope."
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The bright sun shone in the clear blue sky, shining down on a Pikachu and Oshawott.
"Yay!!" Jacob shouted, running through a meadow. He was followed by a younger Oliver, who wore a shy smile as he followed behind him. "I win!"
"No fair!" Oliver jokingly pouted, catching up to his best friend. "You ran on all fours!"
"Maybe." Jacob rolled his eyes with a bright smile. "But I guess you're right." The Pikachu leaned back, landing on his back. He moved his arms slightly, feeling the blades of grass below his arms.
"So my Mommy was talking to your Mommy this morning..." Oliver began out of nowhere, laying down next to him. "Did she kick you out this morning because you asked about your Daddy again?"
"It's not my fault that Mommy's so greedy about telling me who Daddy was!" The Pikachu suddenly began flailing his limbs.
"Maybe it's hard for her to talk about."
"You sound like a grown-up."
"Maybe she just forgot or something." The Oshawott tried to convince him. "You should say sorry."
"No!" He shouted, crossing his arms with a pout. "Mommy should say sorry first!"
"But your Mommy is probably really sad about your Daddy." Oliver argued, "It must make her sad to think about."
"...I guess you're right." Jacob sighed dramatically. "Thank you Ollie."
"You're welcome."
The two laid there in silence for a while, looking up at the blue sky. The two wore indifferent expressions as the only thing that could be heard was their soft breathing.
"Ollie?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we stay friends forever?" The Pikachu looked over to him with a smile.
"Where'd that come from?" Oliver asked confusedly, looking back to Jacob.
"I just wanted to ask, since I'm gonna do something big when I grow up."
"Something big?"
"I'm gonna go on a journey around Sinnoh." The Pikachu declared with a bright smile. "Maybe even the whole world!"
"You're dreaming really big, Jacob."
"So... Do you wanna come with me?" Jacob asked, looking back up to the sky. "It'll be really fun!"
"Eh... Why not?" The Oshawott shrugged with a bright smile, "I'll come with you. We'll be friends forever, anyway."
"Yeah!" Jacob exclaimed, holding out a paw and bumping it against Oliver's.
A familiar Pikachu coughed loudly, breathing slowly and shakily. His arms were bound to a high point on a wall, leaving him dangling from it. The Pikachu had various bruises around his body, the most apparent one being a bruise on his forehead, leaving a throbbing lump.
Out of pity, his right arm had been healed. He was able to move it without feeling any pain aside from the pain emanating from the multiple bruises on his body.
The shackles were tightly bound around his wrists, made out of a strong metal. The Pikachu remained a soft glare as he looked forwards and out of his cell. He hadn't heard much since he was imprisoned, but he knew that it was solitary confinement.
As you've already probably guessed, this was a severely beaten Jacob. He had been in and out of consciousness for the past two days, a severe contrast from the lighthearted treatment his best friend had been getting.
His ears perked up when he heard movement.
"Have you finally calmed down from your little 'tantrum'?" An Emboar asked cockily, walking into the room.
Jacob, a little agitated at the Emboar's question, stuck his tongue out at him.
The Emboar's eye twitched briefly at the non-verbal taunt. He walked over to the Pikachu, who wore a faint glare. Once he had been a few feet in front of him, Jacob's once slightly open eyes widened before his body began to surge electricity.
"Now!" The Pikachu's feet pushed off of the wall, leaving a few cracks in it. He managed to plant his feet on the wall above his head as he snapped apart the shackles that were once around his wrists.
Jacob looked over at the Emboar before jumping off of the wall and right at him. He reeled back his right arm before charging an intense amount of power in it.
"Strike!" He tried to punch the Emboar, but the attack was sidestepped. The Emboar quickly punched his gut, sending him up to the ceiling.
The Pikachu groaned in pain as he hit the floor, his body not allowing himself to move.
"That power of yours is still... Unrefined." He kneeled down to Jacob's height. "It reminds me of a certain Snivy."
The Pikachu's ears perked up at the mention of a Snivy. He couldn't help but think about the one that caught them in that alley and got them into this mess. Jacob wondered where Oliver was, and if he was okay.
"You seem to have a strange resolve, kid." The Emboar continued, "There probably is something you're striving for. Kind of like me."
"Don't compare me to you." Jacob gave the Emboar a deadpan expression.
"I'm not saying that we're the same. I'm saying that we aren't different." The Emboar told him. "Just like my gang is striving for our goal."
"And what's that?" The Pikachu asked.
"Taking over all of Casteel City."
"You monster!" Jacob shouted, trying to sit up. "I should've known better than to listen to you!"
"The real monsters are what you have to worry about." He looked away briefly. "I'll take over Casteel to protect it. We might be petty thieves now, as a cover-up, but soon we'll be the leaders of this place."
"Real monsters...?" The Pikachu thought for a moment. "Aside from your slightly flawed logic, the world is pretty peaceful nowadays. What are you talking about?"
"Since you're losing your memory soon, I don't see a problem of telling you." The Emboar shrugged.
"Right..." Jacob rolled his eyes.
The Pikachu was informed early on that the Emboar's gang were planning on erasing his and Oliver's memory as soon as one of their members returned. As if he would let that happen to either of them.
"Nobody really knows why, but some Ghost-types have been coming together." The Emboar told him.
"Well they are going extinct, maybe they just want to be with their own type." Jacob put a paw on his own stomach.
"Probably wrong." The Emboar looked away.
In the past few decades, Ghost-types have been seeming to fade from existence. Both Jacob and Oliver were aware of this fact from a young age, but were never told why. The Pikachu and Oshawott often theorized the reason as to why, but only came up with childish answers.
"What's even going on with the Ghost-types?" The Pikachu inquired, "Why have they been going extinct anyway?"
The Emboar's expression darkened. An awkward silence began to fill the room as the two looked at the other. He let out a faint sigh before standing up.
"When I erase your and your friend's memories..." He finally spoke, "...It'd be best for you to go back home and don't get involved."
---
The Emboar huffed, walking through the halls of solitary confinement. "At least that Pikachu didn't fight me this time..." He took a look at his left paw. "Those 'strikes' of his really tear me apart."
He crossed paths with a Sceptile, who quickly stopped in front of him. "She should be here shortly to perform the erasure, Binks."
"Finally..." The Emboar's serious demeanor faded, "I can't stand watching after that brat of a mouse."
"It seems that you have taken a slight liking to him." The Sceptile continued, "I've never seen you tell someone to not get involved with affairs of Casteel City. Most of the time you just kill them."
"What can I say, Alan?" Binks shrugged, letting out a huff. "He reminds of when I was a kid. Full of raw power, just waiting to be controlled."
"You do bring up a fair point." Alan thought for a moment, "You both are thoughtless, stubborn, and rash."
"Just what are 'ya 'tryna say?" Steam blew through Binks' nose as he glared at the Sceptile.
Meanwhile...
Sophie quietly walked through the halls of the regular holding cells, looking around for a familiar Oshawott. She was planning to give him another visit, hoping to see him a few more times before he has his memory erased.
She couldn't stop a strange feeling in her stomach, however. She was thinking and re-thinking over the words Quincy said to her.
"I'm sorry, Sophie." He looked away. "There's nothing I can do. I can't just go against Binks' orders like that."
She quietly scoffed, shaking her head. Surely there could be something she could do. There was no way she would let that happen to him. Prisoner or not, he was still kind enough to talk about her eye and try to provide solutions. The least she could do was help him out.
But first, she needed to know where that Pikachu was.
She walked through the halls and into the main room, where she immediately spotted Binks. Aside from him and Alan, no one was around. The Snivy thought for a moment before quickly ducking under a nearby wooden table.
"You've really been wailing on that Pikachu lately." Alan told Binks, sitting down on the couch. "It's like you two fight all of the time, aside from today."
"At least he was actually tolerable today." Binks replied, slumping in his seat. "I had to move him to the lower decks just to keep him at bay."
"The lower decks?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. "That's all I need to hear." The Snivy suddenly jumped from under the table and rolled over to a wall. She then stood up and turned off the already dim light.
The room went pitch black, making Binks and Alan flinch. The Snivy managed to manuver her way past Alan, but accidentally bumped into Binks while she walked.
"What the?" Binks asked, going to reach down to whatever hit him.
Sophie could feel the Emboar's paw approaching, and immediately backed away. Her right eye glowed for a quick moment, allowing her to have a decent impression of the dark room. She navigated around until she felt her hand touch a doorknob.
"Jackpot."
As Binks turned the light back on, the Snivy entered the room and closed the door quickly. She let out a sigh of relief before shaking her head. She couldn't let her guard down just yet, she had no idea what that Pikachu was even like.
He could be a monster for all she knows.
---
"Oh, hello." Jacob greeted with an indifferent expression on his face. "Are you the one who's supposed to erase my memory?" His wrists were shackled against the wall once again, leaving him dangling from a high point on the wall once again.
"You know about it?" Sophie asked, walking up to him.
"Yeah, that Emboar told me yesterday. Or was that a few hours ago...?" He looked down in thought. "There's really no telling how long I've been here for."
"Do you know Oliver?" The Snivy quickly interrupted him.
"Yeah I know him, he's my best friend." The Pikachu told her, "How do you know him, though?"
"Well... I'm his warden." Sophie looked away briefly. "I'm the one who watches over him everyday and keeps him alive pretty much."
"Is he doing okay?" Jacob quickly questioned her, concerned for his friend.
"He's fine, trust me." She calmed him down quickly. "But what about you?"
"Huh?"
The Snivy's eyes widened, realizing what she just asked. She put a hand over her mouth as she briskly walked out of the cell, leaving Jacob there confused.
"What about you?" She thought to herself, her eye twitching faintly. When had she become so open to talking about someone else's feelings? When had she been so open to talking at all?
Oliver. It had to be him. Ever since he had got there, she'd been changing in terms of demeanor and tact. It was almost like the Oshawott was rubbing off on her. She was hanging around him more often than she was supposed to, that had to be it.
It was a strange feeling, knowing that Oliver knew one of her deepest secrets. She hated to admit it, but she was growing a small amount of trust for him, despite the two's current positions.
"Um... Snivy?" A voice asked, snapping Sophie out of her thoughts.
The voice belonged to Jacob, who was still extremely confused from her sudden leave of his cell. The Pikachu tilted his head confusedly, wondering what happened to her.
Sophie coughed, walking back into the cell slowly.
"What happened?" Jacob asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"It's none of your business." She shook her head, sitting down in front of him.
The two remained in silence for a while, averting their gazes from each other. The Pikachu began to softly bite his tongue with his canine teeth, the only parts of his body that didn't hurt when they were moved.
"So... When do we get to leave?" The Pikachu cut through the silence, looking at the Snivy with a slightly hopeful expression.
"After you get your memory erased." Sophie replied, her expression unchanging. "When else would we let you out?"
Jacob sighed dramatically, looking down. "...It was worth a shot."
"Oliver is really the smart one out of you two, huh?"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I think he's smarter than you."
"Wow." The Pikachu remained still with wide eyes, "You don't hold back on what you wanna say..."
"I'll just take that as a compliment."
"Anyways, where is this place?" Jacob asked her. "Oliver and I need to get back to Casteel City."
"We're close to there." She answered, looking directly at him. "But that really won't matter later on, with the whole 'mind erasure' and the 'master class' things that I have to deal with."
"Master Class?"
"You seriously don't know what that is, either?" Sophie sighed, "Where do you even come from anyway?"
"From Kanet Village." The Pikachu answered blankly.
"Wow, no wonder." The Snivy gave him a deadpan expression. "Kanet Village is pretty detached from all of the other cities and towns..."
"So what is the Master Class?"
"Okay." Sophie let out a long sigh, dreading the long explanation she would have to give. "The Master Class is the top of the World Cup. Before the Master class, you have to fight your way up in organized events across cities to advance your rank."
"What are the ranks, and do they have any conditions?"
"The ranks are the Basic Class, where battles can happen anywhere as long as you have a battle bracelet on you." She began. "Then the Normal Class, where battles are limited to battles inside of cities in what are called the 'Normal Class Battle-Zones'. Although they're made for normal class battles, Basic Class Pokémon can participate there too."
Jacob nodded, taking brief pauses in his mind to digest the details.
"Next is the Hyper Class, where battles often take place in what is called the Hyper Class Fest'." The Snivy continued to speak. The Hyper Class Fest, or HCF, takes place in multiple towns, one happening each month. You can battle around the city, and the event is sometimes broadcasted on tv."
"After that is the Ultra Class, where battles are fought in official matches, based on a point system." Sophie told him. "Last is the Master class, which is different from the others. A lot of the matches fought there are purely for glory."
"That sounds pretty cool." The Pikachu smiled, "Once I get out of here, I should try doing that while Ollie and I travel."
"Travel?"
"Oh, Oliver and I are travelling around Sinnoh." Jacob explained, "This is actually the first town we've been to so far."
"I guess you two weren't so lucky."
"Yeah..." The Pikachu's ears lowered. "...I have to apologize to Oliver by the end of this."
"Apologize?"
"I asked him to come along with me on this journey..." He looked down. "We've been met with nothing but disaster."
"What are you talking about?"
"As soon as we left Kanet, we met a Pichu who was looking for his friend." Jacob began to explain. "When we found the Pichu's friend, we had to fight against a Charizard and a Charmander."
The Snivy nodded, listening intently to the Pikachu's explanations.
"I took on the Charmander alone while leaving Oliver and the Pichu to get the Pichu's friend out." Jacob sighed, "I ended up spraining my right arm in that fight." He looked down at his right paw.
Sophie's eyes widened at the statement. She was always wondering why his whold arm and paw was bandaged while he was in that alley. But why was his paw bandaged the most out of the rest of his arm?
"After I won the fight, I looked up to see Oliver being taken to the ground by that Charizard." The Pikachu continued, "Then this... Power awoke inside of me. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs before I charged forward. I didn't know how I was gonna get up there, until I was."
"I clenched my right paw, and punched that Charizard right in the face." Jacob sighed, "But... A full-powered strike like that shattered my arm and paw."
The Snivy looked away for a moment, taken aback.
"When I woke up, my arm was healed a bit by a berry that the Pichu and Oliver found." The Mouse Pokémon told her. "I could see that Oliver was a bit shaken up, though."
Sophie remained silent as Jacob let out a long and shaky sigh. The Snivy finally spoke up when she felt it was necessary."
"You and him have been through a lot, huh?" Sophie asked, looking away. "I guess that this is just another drop in the bucket for you."
"I guess it is..."
"But are you really going to just call it a day and let us erase your mind?" She questioned, her eyebrows furrowing. "Oliver's counting on you being okay."
"Huh?" Jacob's ears raised.
"Oliver told me that you would never let that happen." The Snivy told him. "Are you telling me that he's wrong?"
"I never said anything about-"
"Are you going to just give up on your adventure like that?"
"But-"
"Give up on Oliver?"
"No way!" The Pikachu's ears shot up as he glared at Sophie. "This is our journey! And sure we almost died and got kidnaped by you guys, but I'll never lose my memory like this! If I'm gonna lose it, then it will be for my friends or my mom!"
As Jacob ranted, electricity began to surround him.
"You think that I'm just gonna give up? No way!" His eyes began to glow orange. "This is my life, and you're not gonna take it away from me!"
The Pikachu's paws suddenly sent a shockwave outwards, and against the wall he was leaning on. This broke the shackles that were just recently put on his wrists. Jacob flew forwards from the recoil and crashed into the adjacent wall.
Sophie gasped at the sudden display of strength, her right eye glowing red for a quick moment.
Jacob groaned, standing up shakily. He was confused at the shockwaves he sent from his paws, feeling a slight pain in them. He looked at his paws before looking over to Sophie.
"I told you that I wouldn't give up..." The Pikachu gave a toothy grin.
"I can see that." The Snivy's shocked expression changed back to a deadpan one. "Just don't get yourself killed."
"You can count on it." He clenched his right paw. "Tell Oliver that I said hi, and that...
...We're not throwing in the towel just yet."
"Yay!!" Jacob shouted, running through a meadow. He was followed by a younger Oliver, who wore a shy smile as he followed behind him. "I win!"
"No fair!" Oliver jokingly pouted, catching up to his best friend. "You ran on all fours!"
"Maybe." Jacob rolled his eyes with a bright smile. "But I guess you're right." The Pikachu leaned back, landing on his back. He moved his arms slightly, feeling the blades of grass below his arms.
"So my Mommy was talking to your Mommy this morning..." Oliver began out of nowhere, laying down next to him. "Did she kick you out this morning because you asked about your Daddy again?"
"It's not my fault that Mommy's so greedy about telling me who Daddy was!" The Pikachu suddenly began flailing his limbs.
"Maybe it's hard for her to talk about."
"You sound like a grown-up."
"Maybe she just forgot or something." The Oshawott tried to convince him. "You should say sorry."
"No!" He shouted, crossing his arms with a pout. "Mommy should say sorry first!"
"But your Mommy is probably really sad about your Daddy." Oliver argued, "It must make her sad to think about."
"...I guess you're right." Jacob sighed dramatically. "Thank you Ollie."
"You're welcome."
The two laid there in silence for a while, looking up at the blue sky. The two wore indifferent expressions as the only thing that could be heard was their soft breathing.
"Ollie?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we stay friends forever?" The Pikachu looked over to him with a smile.
"Where'd that come from?" Oliver asked confusedly, looking back to Jacob.
"I just wanted to ask, since I'm gonna do something big when I grow up."
"Something big?"
"I'm gonna go on a journey around Sinnoh." The Pikachu declared with a bright smile. "Maybe even the whole world!"
"You're dreaming really big, Jacob."
"So... Do you wanna come with me?" Jacob asked, looking back up to the sky. "It'll be really fun!"
"Eh... Why not?" The Oshawott shrugged with a bright smile, "I'll come with you. We'll be friends forever, anyway."
"Yeah!" Jacob exclaimed, holding out a paw and bumping it against Oliver's.
---
???, Sinnoh
???, Sinnoh
A familiar Pikachu coughed loudly, breathing slowly and shakily. His arms were bound to a high point on a wall, leaving him dangling from it. The Pikachu had various bruises around his body, the most apparent one being a bruise on his forehead, leaving a throbbing lump.
Out of pity, his right arm had been healed. He was able to move it without feeling any pain aside from the pain emanating from the multiple bruises on his body.
The shackles were tightly bound around his wrists, made out of a strong metal. The Pikachu remained a soft glare as he looked forwards and out of his cell. He hadn't heard much since he was imprisoned, but he knew that it was solitary confinement.
As you've already probably guessed, this was a severely beaten Jacob. He had been in and out of consciousness for the past two days, a severe contrast from the lighthearted treatment his best friend had been getting.
His ears perked up when he heard movement.
"Have you finally calmed down from your little 'tantrum'?" An Emboar asked cockily, walking into the room.
Jacob, a little agitated at the Emboar's question, stuck his tongue out at him.
The Emboar's eye twitched briefly at the non-verbal taunt. He walked over to the Pikachu, who wore a faint glare. Once he had been a few feet in front of him, Jacob's once slightly open eyes widened before his body began to surge electricity.
"Now!" The Pikachu's feet pushed off of the wall, leaving a few cracks in it. He managed to plant his feet on the wall above his head as he snapped apart the shackles that were once around his wrists.
Jacob looked over at the Emboar before jumping off of the wall and right at him. He reeled back his right arm before charging an intense amount of power in it.
"Strike!" He tried to punch the Emboar, but the attack was sidestepped. The Emboar quickly punched his gut, sending him up to the ceiling.
The Pikachu groaned in pain as he hit the floor, his body not allowing himself to move.
"That power of yours is still... Unrefined." He kneeled down to Jacob's height. "It reminds me of a certain Snivy."
The Pikachu's ears perked up at the mention of a Snivy. He couldn't help but think about the one that caught them in that alley and got them into this mess. Jacob wondered where Oliver was, and if he was okay.
"You seem to have a strange resolve, kid." The Emboar continued, "There probably is something you're striving for. Kind of like me."
"Don't compare me to you." Jacob gave the Emboar a deadpan expression.
"I'm not saying that we're the same. I'm saying that we aren't different." The Emboar told him. "Just like my gang is striving for our goal."
"And what's that?" The Pikachu asked.
"Taking over all of Casteel City."
"You monster!" Jacob shouted, trying to sit up. "I should've known better than to listen to you!"
"The real monsters are what you have to worry about." He looked away briefly. "I'll take over Casteel to protect it. We might be petty thieves now, as a cover-up, but soon we'll be the leaders of this place."
"Real monsters...?" The Pikachu thought for a moment. "Aside from your slightly flawed logic, the world is pretty peaceful nowadays. What are you talking about?"
"Since you're losing your memory soon, I don't see a problem of telling you." The Emboar shrugged.
"Right..." Jacob rolled his eyes.
The Pikachu was informed early on that the Emboar's gang were planning on erasing his and Oliver's memory as soon as one of their members returned. As if he would let that happen to either of them.
"Nobody really knows why, but some Ghost-types have been coming together." The Emboar told him.
"Well they are going extinct, maybe they just want to be with their own type." Jacob put a paw on his own stomach.
"Probably wrong." The Emboar looked away.
In the past few decades, Ghost-types have been seeming to fade from existence. Both Jacob and Oliver were aware of this fact from a young age, but were never told why. The Pikachu and Oshawott often theorized the reason as to why, but only came up with childish answers.
"What's even going on with the Ghost-types?" The Pikachu inquired, "Why have they been going extinct anyway?"
The Emboar's expression darkened. An awkward silence began to fill the room as the two looked at the other. He let out a faint sigh before standing up.
"When I erase your and your friend's memories..." He finally spoke, "...It'd be best for you to go back home and don't get involved."
---
The Emboar huffed, walking through the halls of solitary confinement. "At least that Pikachu didn't fight me this time..." He took a look at his left paw. "Those 'strikes' of his really tear me apart."
He crossed paths with a Sceptile, who quickly stopped in front of him. "She should be here shortly to perform the erasure, Binks."
"Finally..." The Emboar's serious demeanor faded, "I can't stand watching after that brat of a mouse."
"It seems that you have taken a slight liking to him." The Sceptile continued, "I've never seen you tell someone to not get involved with affairs of Casteel City. Most of the time you just kill them."
"What can I say, Alan?" Binks shrugged, letting out a huff. "He reminds of when I was a kid. Full of raw power, just waiting to be controlled."
"You do bring up a fair point." Alan thought for a moment, "You both are thoughtless, stubborn, and rash."
"Just what are 'ya 'tryna say?" Steam blew through Binks' nose as he glared at the Sceptile.
Meanwhile...
Sophie quietly walked through the halls of the regular holding cells, looking around for a familiar Oshawott. She was planning to give him another visit, hoping to see him a few more times before he has his memory erased.
She couldn't stop a strange feeling in her stomach, however. She was thinking and re-thinking over the words Quincy said to her.
"I'm sorry, Sophie." He looked away. "There's nothing I can do. I can't just go against Binks' orders like that."
She quietly scoffed, shaking her head. Surely there could be something she could do. There was no way she would let that happen to him. Prisoner or not, he was still kind enough to talk about her eye and try to provide solutions. The least she could do was help him out.
But first, she needed to know where that Pikachu was.
She walked through the halls and into the main room, where she immediately spotted Binks. Aside from him and Alan, no one was around. The Snivy thought for a moment before quickly ducking under a nearby wooden table.
"You've really been wailing on that Pikachu lately." Alan told Binks, sitting down on the couch. "It's like you two fight all of the time, aside from today."
"At least he was actually tolerable today." Binks replied, slumping in his seat. "I had to move him to the lower decks just to keep him at bay."
"The lower decks?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. "That's all I need to hear." The Snivy suddenly jumped from under the table and rolled over to a wall. She then stood up and turned off the already dim light.
The room went pitch black, making Binks and Alan flinch. The Snivy managed to manuver her way past Alan, but accidentally bumped into Binks while she walked.
"What the?" Binks asked, going to reach down to whatever hit him.
Sophie could feel the Emboar's paw approaching, and immediately backed away. Her right eye glowed for a quick moment, allowing her to have a decent impression of the dark room. She navigated around until she felt her hand touch a doorknob.
"Jackpot."
As Binks turned the light back on, the Snivy entered the room and closed the door quickly. She let out a sigh of relief before shaking her head. She couldn't let her guard down just yet, she had no idea what that Pikachu was even like.
He could be a monster for all she knows.
---
"Oh, hello." Jacob greeted with an indifferent expression on his face. "Are you the one who's supposed to erase my memory?" His wrists were shackled against the wall once again, leaving him dangling from a high point on the wall once again.
"You know about it?" Sophie asked, walking up to him.
"Yeah, that Emboar told me yesterday. Or was that a few hours ago...?" He looked down in thought. "There's really no telling how long I've been here for."
"Do you know Oliver?" The Snivy quickly interrupted him.
"Yeah I know him, he's my best friend." The Pikachu told her, "How do you know him, though?"
"Well... I'm his warden." Sophie looked away briefly. "I'm the one who watches over him everyday and keeps him alive pretty much."
"Is he doing okay?" Jacob quickly questioned her, concerned for his friend.
"He's fine, trust me." She calmed him down quickly. "But what about you?"
"Huh?"
The Snivy's eyes widened, realizing what she just asked. She put a hand over her mouth as she briskly walked out of the cell, leaving Jacob there confused.
"What about you?" She thought to herself, her eye twitching faintly. When had she become so open to talking about someone else's feelings? When had she been so open to talking at all?
Oliver. It had to be him. Ever since he had got there, she'd been changing in terms of demeanor and tact. It was almost like the Oshawott was rubbing off on her. She was hanging around him more often than she was supposed to, that had to be it.
It was a strange feeling, knowing that Oliver knew one of her deepest secrets. She hated to admit it, but she was growing a small amount of trust for him, despite the two's current positions.
"Um... Snivy?" A voice asked, snapping Sophie out of her thoughts.
The voice belonged to Jacob, who was still extremely confused from her sudden leave of his cell. The Pikachu tilted his head confusedly, wondering what happened to her.
Sophie coughed, walking back into the cell slowly.
"What happened?" Jacob asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"It's none of your business." She shook her head, sitting down in front of him.
The two remained in silence for a while, averting their gazes from each other. The Pikachu began to softly bite his tongue with his canine teeth, the only parts of his body that didn't hurt when they were moved.
"So... When do we get to leave?" The Pikachu cut through the silence, looking at the Snivy with a slightly hopeful expression.
"After you get your memory erased." Sophie replied, her expression unchanging. "When else would we let you out?"
Jacob sighed dramatically, looking down. "...It was worth a shot."
"Oliver is really the smart one out of you two, huh?"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I think he's smarter than you."
"Wow." The Pikachu remained still with wide eyes, "You don't hold back on what you wanna say..."
"I'll just take that as a compliment."
"Anyways, where is this place?" Jacob asked her. "Oliver and I need to get back to Casteel City."
"We're close to there." She answered, looking directly at him. "But that really won't matter later on, with the whole 'mind erasure' and the 'master class' things that I have to deal with."
"Master Class?"
"You seriously don't know what that is, either?" Sophie sighed, "Where do you even come from anyway?"
"From Kanet Village." The Pikachu answered blankly.
"Wow, no wonder." The Snivy gave him a deadpan expression. "Kanet Village is pretty detached from all of the other cities and towns..."
"So what is the Master Class?"
"Okay." Sophie let out a long sigh, dreading the long explanation she would have to give. "The Master Class is the top of the World Cup. Before the Master class, you have to fight your way up in organized events across cities to advance your rank."
"What are the ranks, and do they have any conditions?"
"The ranks are the Basic Class, where battles can happen anywhere as long as you have a battle bracelet on you." She began. "Then the Normal Class, where battles are limited to battles inside of cities in what are called the 'Normal Class Battle-Zones'. Although they're made for normal class battles, Basic Class Pokémon can participate there too."
Jacob nodded, taking brief pauses in his mind to digest the details.
"Next is the Hyper Class, where battles often take place in what is called the Hyper Class Fest'." The Snivy continued to speak. The Hyper Class Fest, or HCF, takes place in multiple towns, one happening each month. You can battle around the city, and the event is sometimes broadcasted on tv."
"After that is the Ultra Class, where battles are fought in official matches, based on a point system." Sophie told him. "Last is the Master class, which is different from the others. A lot of the matches fought there are purely for glory."
"That sounds pretty cool." The Pikachu smiled, "Once I get out of here, I should try doing that while Ollie and I travel."
"Travel?"
"Oh, Oliver and I are travelling around Sinnoh." Jacob explained, "This is actually the first town we've been to so far."
"I guess you two weren't so lucky."
"Yeah..." The Pikachu's ears lowered. "...I have to apologize to Oliver by the end of this."
"Apologize?"
"I asked him to come along with me on this journey..." He looked down. "We've been met with nothing but disaster."
"What are you talking about?"
"As soon as we left Kanet, we met a Pichu who was looking for his friend." Jacob began to explain. "When we found the Pichu's friend, we had to fight against a Charizard and a Charmander."
The Snivy nodded, listening intently to the Pikachu's explanations.
"I took on the Charmander alone while leaving Oliver and the Pichu to get the Pichu's friend out." Jacob sighed, "I ended up spraining my right arm in that fight." He looked down at his right paw.
Sophie's eyes widened at the statement. She was always wondering why his whold arm and paw was bandaged while he was in that alley. But why was his paw bandaged the most out of the rest of his arm?
"After I won the fight, I looked up to see Oliver being taken to the ground by that Charizard." The Pikachu continued, "Then this... Power awoke inside of me. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs before I charged forward. I didn't know how I was gonna get up there, until I was."
"I clenched my right paw, and punched that Charizard right in the face." Jacob sighed, "But... A full-powered strike like that shattered my arm and paw."
The Snivy looked away for a moment, taken aback.
"When I woke up, my arm was healed a bit by a berry that the Pichu and Oliver found." The Mouse Pokémon told her. "I could see that Oliver was a bit shaken up, though."
Sophie remained silent as Jacob let out a long and shaky sigh. The Snivy finally spoke up when she felt it was necessary."
"You and him have been through a lot, huh?" Sophie asked, looking away. "I guess that this is just another drop in the bucket for you."
"I guess it is..."
"But are you really going to just call it a day and let us erase your mind?" She questioned, her eyebrows furrowing. "Oliver's counting on you being okay."
"Huh?" Jacob's ears raised.
"Oliver told me that you would never let that happen." The Snivy told him. "Are you telling me that he's wrong?"
"I never said anything about-"
"Are you going to just give up on your adventure like that?"
"But-"
"Give up on Oliver?"
"No way!" The Pikachu's ears shot up as he glared at Sophie. "This is our journey! And sure we almost died and got kidnaped by you guys, but I'll never lose my memory like this! If I'm gonna lose it, then it will be for my friends or my mom!"
As Jacob ranted, electricity began to surround him.
"You think that I'm just gonna give up? No way!" His eyes began to glow orange. "This is my life, and you're not gonna take it away from me!"
The Pikachu's paws suddenly sent a shockwave outwards, and against the wall he was leaning on. This broke the shackles that were just recently put on his wrists. Jacob flew forwards from the recoil and crashed into the adjacent wall.
Sophie gasped at the sudden display of strength, her right eye glowing red for a quick moment.
Jacob groaned, standing up shakily. He was confused at the shockwaves he sent from his paws, feeling a slight pain in them. He looked at his paws before looking over to Sophie.
"I told you that I wouldn't give up..." The Pikachu gave a toothy grin.
"I can see that." The Snivy's shocked expression changed back to a deadpan one. "Just don't get yourself killed."
"You can count on it." He clenched his right paw. "Tell Oliver that I said hi, and that...
...We're not throwing in the towel just yet."
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
???, Sinnoh
???, Sinnoh
In the dead of night, a familiar Snivy was rummaging through her room.
Sophie put a familiar, yellow backpack on her bed. She let out a brief sigh as she looked at it. The Snivy looked around her room, quickly locating a flashlight in her closet. It was old, and mostly covered with lint and dust. She wiped off the flashlight, hoping that it would work.
When she pressed the button on it, it flickered a bit before covering the targeted area with a dim light. She looked at the emitted light with a deadpan expression, before reluctantly nodding.
"Good enough..." She thought, beginning to walk out of her room.
She gripped the flashlight in her hand, wondering why she was doing this. She knew it was the right thing to do, but when was she ever concerned about doing the right thing? It wasn't like her to do things like these.
The Snivy walked out of her room, only to be immediately met by a familiar Drifloon and Monferno.
"Sophie?" Lana asked, moving closer to her. "Why are you up so late? We're not on night patrol today."
"I could ask you the same, Lana." The Snivy replied, lowering an eyebrow. "Why are you up at this time, too?"
"We heard noises from your room." Trevor interjected, "Don't start thinking that you're slick." He gave a deadpan expression.
"Well, it's nothing. I just needed some water." Sophie told the two, beginning to walk off. "You two can go back to bed."
As she walked off, Lana and Trevor looked at each other with confusion.
When Sophie rounded the corner, she instantly let out a shaky sigh. She was almost caught before she even did anything. After taking a moment to breathe, the Snivy was hit with a sudden wave of guilt.
Lana and Trevor, despite the clear differences between her and them, were still her closest friends. She hated to lie to them about what she was doing in her life, but knew that it would be for the best that they don't risk getting involved.
She looked around the dark hallway, turning on her flashlight to navigate it. She scanned the light over the door at the end of the hallway, seeing that it led to the main room.
A determined glare developed on her face, knowing that as soon as she crossed the main room, there would be a thin line between keeping a good reputation, and being confined to her room until further notice.
She shook her head softly, walking over to the door leading into the main room.
---
Sophie quietly walked into Oliver's cell, crouching down to see that the Oshawott was sleeping. She also noticed that Oliver's shackles were broken from the wall. The Snivy confusedly looked at the wall, realizing what had happened.
"S-Sophie?"
Her right eye suddenly locked onto the Oshawott before quickly using Dragon Claw. Oliver saw the attack before quickly leaning as far as he could to the left. The attack struck the wall, making it crack. He let out a shaky sigh, looking at the purple claw in the wall.
"Please don't kill me!" Oliver exclaimed, "I won't tell anyone about your eye, I swear!"
It must've been then.
Sophie let out an exasperated sigh, tapping the Oshawott's head in an attempt to wake him up. She continued to do so until she heard a soft groan.
"Sophie...?" The Oshawott asked, groggily lifting his head.
"Hey, Oliver." The Snivy greeted, her cold expression softening a bit. "Are you doing okay?"
"I'm fine..." Oliver answered, sitting up from the floor. "...But why are you even up this late at night?"
"How do you know it's late at night?" Sophie inquired quickly.
"Well I noticed that it gets a bit colder whenever you leave to go to sleep." The Oshawott told her. "Also, the areas under your eyes are slightly darkened..." He commented.
"Nevermind that." The Snivy quickly interjected, rubbing the areas under her eyes. "I have to tell you something."
"What is it?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.
"So that member that's going to erase your memory..." The Grass Snake Pokémon began to sweat nervously, "...She's coming tomorrow morning."
Oliver's eyes widened. He was put into a quick state of shock for a moment. But as quick as the shock filled his mind, he felt a different feeling in his chest.
"Doesn't that mean... I won't remember you after tomorrow?"
"You will." Sophie shook her head, "Because I won't let that happen to you and your friend."
"What do you mean?"
"...I'm getting you out of here. Now."
"Wait... You mean...?"
"I'm going to try and help you escape."
"Oh, thank you, thank you!" The Oshawott excitedly jumped towards her, hugging the Snivy. "You're a lifesaver!"
"Hm... Yeah." A small and unnoticeable smile formed on Sophie's face as she returned the hug.
---
Oliver and Sophie both snuck out of the cell, looking around to see if there was anyone around. The Oshawott slung his backpack over his shoulders, making sure to tighten the straps. Once Sophie registered that they were alone, she instantly dashed off, grabbing Oliver's paw and pulling him with her
"Where are we going?" The Oshawott asked, trying to keep his footing.
"To your friend's cell." She answered determinedly. "Hopefully he's there."
The two continued to run through the halls of the basement in silence, only their faint panting and light footsteps could be heard. Oliver decided not to speak for a while, as he was a bit confused by the Snivy's actions.
They weren't enemies, but it wasn't like they were exactly friends either. They were friendly, sure, but Sophie seemed to make it clear to him that they weren't friends. Why was she helping him now? Why hadn't she done it sooner?
"Sophie."
"Huh?" The Snivy looked back as she ran, looking at the Oshawott. "What's wrong? Do you need to stop?"
"No..." Oliver shook his head. "...I just wanted to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"Why are you doing this?" He asked reluctantly, "Isn't this a deliberate act of betrayal to your gang?"
"Technically, I'm not a member of the gang."
"What? You're not?"
"Yeah, I was somewhat roped in with this gang." Sophie explained, "I didn't really have anywhere else to go, so I just began to live with them."
"Oh... But that still doesn't explain why you're doing this." Oliver told her. "We barely know each other, and you don't really consider me a friend."
"I don't. But you and him still don't deserve this."
Sophie knew she was lying. No matter how hard she tried to hold up her long-standing coldhearted demeanor, she couldn't deny that she had grown quite fond of the Oshawott. She could actually tolerate whenever she was around him, and considered him her friend.
But she couldn't tell him that. He would grow attached to her and end up getting mixed up in her mess. It was a little selfish, but one of the reasons she was trying to break Oliver and Jacob out was so that she wouldn't get attached to either of them herself.
The duo stopped at a spiraling staircase leading downwards.
"Is down there where Jacob is?"
"Yes, and no."
"What do you mean?" Oliver looked at her confusedly, adjusting the backpack rested over his shoulders.
"On the way down the stairs, there's a secret passage leading to solitary confinement." She answered, "It's hard to see, since the door is made out of the same material as the walls."
As Sophie spoke, she began to walk down the tattered concrete steps, followed by Oliver. The Snivy scanned the wall with her hand, focusing on the slight bumps on it.
Eventually, her hand traced over a part of the wall, which was dented inwards. "...Found it." She pulled on the dent lightly, causing a door in the wall to open.
Oliver noticed that as the door opened, it harshly rubbed against a stair the door was leveled with. "Who made the design for this? It's really bad.." The Oshawott commented as Sophie walked in.
"The gang did themselves." The Snivy told him, gently tugging him into the hidden hallway, as well.
Once Oliver was in the hallway, Sophie went to quickly close the door. The Oshawott looked down the hallway, and noticed a cell. When Oliver looked a bit closer, he could see a familiar Pikachu sitting down against the wall.
"Jacob!" The Oshawott immediately ran down the hallway and towards the cell, gripping his paws on the cell bars.
"Huh... Oliver...?" The Pikachu looked up to see Oliver looking back at him. "Hey what's up, dude?"
Sophie walked over before unlocking the cell, allowing Oliver to run in. As the Oshawott slid to a stop in front of Jacob, Sophie walked up as well with her usual flat expression.
"Thank Arceus you're..." Oliver looked at all of the Pikachu's bruises, "...Somewhat okay."
"Yeah." The Pikachu chuckled, rubbing the back of his head softly. "I might've... Resisted them a bit."
The duo laughed for a moment before Jacob quickly stopped.
"Wait, what are you doing here?" He asked quickly, "Same for you, Snivy. What are both of you doing in this place?"
"Snivy?" Sophie raised an eyebrow, before remembering that she had never told Jacob her name. "It's Sophie."
"I'm Jacob." The Pikachu grinned, standing up. "So why are you guys in here and not in some cell?"
"Sophie's planning to break us out of here." Oliver explained, "Once we figure out how to leave, we'll be finally safe again."
Sophie flinched at the Oshawott's cheerful explanation. She knew that they were going to leave eventually, memories or not. But up until she decided to plan an escape for them, she was counting on them losing their memories, and Sophie would originally forget about them over time.
Before the Snivy could speak up, the three suddenly jumped at the sound of the entrance to the hallway leading up to the cell opening.
"Shit." Sophie cursed, looking around for a solution.
"Oh no... What do we do?" Oliver looked around, pacing back and forth. He then noticed something on the ceiling. "Guys!" The Oshawott quietly exclaimed, "I have a plan."
The hidden door opened, revealing to be a slightly agitated Binks. He let out a huff of hot air from his nose, beginning to walk over to Jacob's cell.
While the Emboar approached, Oliver managed to break something on the roof using his scalchop, along with the help of stacking on top of Sophie and Jacob.
Earlier, Oliver had spotted an air vent at the cell's top. It was directly above, so they had to stack and open it up. Once Oliver had broken two parallel screws on the vent, it opened up, the other two screws keeping it hanging.
The Oshawott quickly climbed into the vent, followed by Sophie, who jumped up and grabbed Oliver's paws to pull herself in.
"Jacob, come on!" Oliver quietly shouted, hoping that Jacob would grab his paw.
Jacob looked between Binks, who could nearly see the Pikachu, and his friend Oliver, who wore a panicked expression. The Pikachu dashed towards a wall before jumping off of it and slamming the vent shut.
"Go without me." The Pikachu told the two as he hung from the vent. "I'll be fine for now." He let go of the vent before landing on the ground.
"The idiot." Sophie sighed, crawling to be in front of Oliver.
"That was actually a smart move, Sophie." The Oshawott told her with a nervous smile. "By this time, people must be figuring out that I'm not in my cell anymore, so it would raise a higher alert for both of us to be on the loose."
"I guess you have a point." The Snivy began to crawl through the vents, Oliver shuffling behind.
Meanwhile, the Pikachu fell to the floor as Binks finally walked up to his cell.
"Why were you hanging from that vent?" The Emboar asked, "Were you trying to make another escape?"
"Yeah, but the vent's too strong to open..." Jacob groaned dramatically, sitting down."
"You're damn right it is." Binks huffed cockily, "Our gang built this place from just some random hotel. You'd need some type of tool to open that."
Jacob chucked, thinking about Oliver's scalchop.
"What are you chucklin' about there?" The Emboar asked loudly, "You know that in just a few hours, you'll have your memory erased. Same for your friend."
"Sure." The Pikachu joked, rolling his eyes with a confident smirk.
"You seem pretty sure of yourself, huh?" Binks asked, his eye twitching slightly.
"I guess you could say that." Jacob let out a content sigh, putting his paws behind his head.
---
The two climbed out of the vent, appearing to be in a dark room. Soon after Sophie climbed out, she turned on the light, showing the Oshawott that it was a bathroom.
"Sophie?" Oliver asked, climbing out after her. "Why did you lead us to the bathroom?"
"This is the closest place to my bedroom."
"How do you know that?"
"I used to go into the ventilation system a lot when I was younger, so once I could recognize where we were, it was easy to navigate."
"Oh, okay." Oliver nodded, slightly unsure as to why Sophie would be in the vents when she was younger. "You lead the way."
The Snivy nodded, turning the light back off before slowly opening the door. Once she realized that the hallway lights were still off, she let out a sigh of relief, non-verbally signaling Oliver to follow behind her.
The Oshawott nodded, staying behind her as they quietly moved through the hallway. Once the two approached Sophie's room, she opened the door, only to see Lana and Trevor sitting on her bed.
"Sophie, there you are!" Lana exclaimed, "We've been meaning to talk to you-" Before the Drifloon finished, The Snivy slammed the door shut.
"What's wrong?" Oliver asked.
"Back to the bathroom, go!" She exclaimed in a hush shout, pushing Oliver to run back. She held the door closed, and once she saw Oliver enter the bathroom, she let go of the door and ran back herself.
Trevor and Lana both came out of the room, seeing the bathroom door shut down the hall. The Drifloon and Monferno both looked at each other, giving the other a nod. The two then began to walk over to the bathroom door.
While they walked over, Sophie pinned herself against the door, making sure that it wouldn't be opened by anyone.
"What just happened?" Oliver asked, taking deep and heavy breaths.
"Lana and Trevor were just in my room..."
"Who?"
"The only two Pokémon here that I consider actual friends." After the Snivy spoke, there was a knock on the door, making her jump. "Get in the vent."
"What?"
"Get in!"
The Oshawott quickly nodded at her commanding expression, opening the vent before crawling into it. After he crawled in, Sophie dashed over before closing the vent back up and letting out a sigh.
Soon after, Trevor opened the door, looking into it. "Sophie?"
"Yes?" The Snivy turned around, trying her best to put on her usual uninterested face.
"We've been worried about you lately." Lana told her. "Whenever we try to see you, you're either holed up in your room, or down in the cells to watch that Oshawott."
"I've been busy." The Snivy replied, "I was given an actual assignment to carry out, and I've been putting all of my effort in to accomplish that."
"But this morning, you were acting all strange." The Monferno interjected, "You were sneaking around, saying that you needed some water. It was weird, because you always keep a stash of food and water in your room."
Sophie's expression darkened. She hadn't expected them to actually remember that she would do that. The last time they've been in her room before that night was a few years prior.
"I needed some cold water. I had a nightmare."
"I thought you never got nightmares." Lana gave her an inquisitive expression.
"Well, there's a first time for everything." Sophie quickly replied. "Listen, you two. There's nothing to be worried about. I'm just fine."
"Well... If you say so." Trevor shrugged, walking out.
"Just... Stay safe, alright?" Lana smiled nervously.
Sophie nodded in response. Soon after, the two left, going to their individual rooms.
Once the Snivy knew they were gone, she let out a sigh of relief. "Oliver, you can come out, now."
The Oshawott opened the vent hesitantly, looking around. "Your friends are gone, right?"
"Yes." Sophie answered, helping Oliver up. "All I have to do is get you back to my room, and we can make a new plan on how to get Jacob back. Understand?"
Oliver nodded in confirmation.
"Good." The Snivy looked out of the door. "Follow me."
Sophie turned off the bathroom light, making the whole area become pitch-black. She grabbed Oliver's paw in order to not get separated, and quickly ran through the hall until they reached Sophie's room.
She let Oliver go in first before looking around and walking in herself. The Snivy walked through the dark room, eventually turning on a lamp in the far right corner.
"Wow..." Oliver looked around. "...Your room is so... Tidy."
"What'd you think it would look like?" The Grass Snake Pokémon raised an eyebrow, looking at the Oshawott.
"Maybe a bit more messy.." Oliver commented as Sophie reached into a nearby drawer, pulling out two Oran berries.
"Well, I guess you were wrong." Sophie bluntly spoke, throwing over the Oran berry to Oliver. "Eat up. We have a long morning tomorrow."
"It isn't morning now?" The Oshawott questioned.
"No." The Snivy climbed onto her bed before pulling out a device from under her pillow. "We have about six hours before it hits seven in the morning. I'm setting an alarm for seven-thirty."
"Wait... Are you going to sleep?"
"No, we're going to sleep." Sophie replied flatly. "You can have the other side of the bed after you finish that berry."
"How can you be so calm about having me in here?" Oliver asked, "Wouldn't you be the first to be asked about me when they realized I escaped?"
"No. They would only check for you on the date of when it's planned to have your memory erased, tomorrow, and all I have to do is come up with a feasible lie."
"Oh, fine then." The Oshawott nodded, biting into his Oran berry. "...So what are you going to do after we're gone?"
"I decided that I would stay here, and maybe begin to look into my history." Sophie explained. "I know I've been dancing around it, only looking into how I can use my abilities. I want to know where they come from."
"That sounds like a pretty good goal." Oliver smiled.
"Honestly, I hope I can figure out my history." The Snivy continued, "...So I could build a future that I'm proud of."
"Wow..." The Oshawott's eyes widened. "...That's pretty poetic when you think about it."
"I guess so."
"I hope that one day I can find a goal to chase after."
"You don't have one?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. "What about travelling?"
"That's more of Jacob's goal." He answered, "I just came along because I didn't have much to do, and because it sounded fun."
"Hm..."
"So no, I don't really have a goal."
"So?" Sophie asked, "You don't necessarily need a goal to reach in order to travel. Just doing it for fun is more than what others can say about their accomplishments."
"I guess you have a point." Oliver took his backpack off and opened it up.
"What are you doing?" Sophie asked.
"I haven't taken out my contacts in days." The Oshawott put his contact case down in front of him. "That can't be good for my health." Oliver took out the contact that was in his left eye, putting it in it's container.
"I didn't know you wore contacts."
"Yeah, well that's how it is." He shrugged, taking out the other contact. Once he put both contacts into his case, he let out a satisfied sigh.
"We should probably get to sleep now." Sophie tucked under her covers. "We have a long morning ahead."
"You're right." Oliver put his contact case into his backpack before climbing onto the other side of the bed.
"Night, Sophie."
"Goodnight, Oliver."
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
???, Sinnoh
???, Sinnoh
Sophie shot up from her bed at the sound of an alarm, quickly turning it off so nobody could hear it. She looked over to the other side of her bed, where a familiar Oshawott was sleeping soundly.
"Oliver." She spoke, trying to wake him up.
Oliver only curled up more, letting out a few indistinct mumbles as he slept.
"Oliver." She quickly slapped the Oshawott, instantly waking him up. Oliver shot up, looking around frantically and confusedly.
"Huh? What happened?" Oliver asked in his slightly delirious state. "Did we get caught?"
"No, it's just time to get up." The Snivy replied, climbing off of the bed. "We really don't have much time."
"Right." The Oshawott stumbled off of Sophie's bed, immediately looking around for his backpack. In his blurry sight, he saw his blue-colored backpack, and immediately reached for it. "So do you have a plan?"
"I've got a decent idea." Sophie replied as she watched Oliver pull out his contacts.
---
Once Oliver had his contacts in, the two snuck out of Sophie's room, both looking around cautiously. The hallway seemed to be empty and dim, only the newly risen sun peeking through the windows providing light to the area.
The Snivy rubbed her eyes, signaling for Oliver to follow behind her to the bathroom. The two made a silent dash towards the bathroom, making it in without being seen.
"The vents again?" Oliver asked her.
"That's the only way to sneak into Jacob's cell."
"Why's that? Can't we just take the same route in?"
"No." She shook her head. "Knowing them, on the date of the memory erasure, they guard the cells with high security."
"Doesn't that mean some Pokémon might be looking for me now?" The Oshawott raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, it does." The Snivy replied, "And now that you've 'escaped', they're going to be extra hard on your friend. Maybe even interrogate him using torture."
Oliver gulped at her answer, remaining silent. He knew that Jacob was a bit hardheaded, so he wasn't really worried about him telling them about anything. But the Oshawott also knew that his hardheadedness could buy him a lot of torture.
"Are you doing okay?" Sophie noticed his silence, and wanted to know what was up with him. He had been asking tons of questions before she brought up the prospect of Jacob getting tortured.
"Y-Yeah... I'm just a bit worried about Jacob." Oliver replied, "Maybe if we had been a little faster, Jacob and I could've already been out of here."
"That is true..." The Snivy nodded, "...But there really isn't any use in wasting time thinking about what we could've done, focus on what we have to do now."
"Thanks." The Oshawott smiled at her.
"No problem." Sophie's unenthusiastic expression remained, "Now get in the vent before we're seen."
"Right, right." Oliver nodded, climbing into the vent. Sophie followed behind him, making sure to tightly close it before turning to Oliver.
"Do you know the way there?"
"Um... Not exactly." The Oshawott looked around nervously. "You shout get in front's Sophie."
The Snivy nodded, climbing over him. "Let's get going."
Oliver nodded a response as they began to navigate the ventilation system once again.
With Jacob
A familiar Pikachu groggily opened his eyes. He tried to lift his head, but his neck resisted with the motion, as he had slept in an uncomfortable position the night prior. He groaned a bit, feeling himself getting carried.
"Finally awake?" A voice asked, making his ears perk up.
"Uh...?" Jacob tried to say, but his whole body felt strangely weak.
Jacob was currently being carried by Binks, who wore a confident smile as he let hot air blow from his large nose.
"Don't try to speak or anything like that." The Emboar told him. "I put a sedative on your back, and as long as that's there, you won't be able to resist."
"Wha...?"
"You might be trying to ask why, and I'll tell you." Binks spoke, "Today's the day where I finally get you out of my fur. Mind erasure day."
"Oh no..." Jacob's eyes widened, "I'm an easy target like this... I need Ollie and Sophie to get here fast. I'm useless in this position.."
The Pikachu clenched his teeth together and closed his eyes, trying to see if his attacks were limited by the sedative as well. His cheeks sparked a small amount of electricity, signaling that it would take a little bit of time, but it was possible to summon his electricity.
"Okay..." Jacob smiled to himself. "If I can control my Thunderbolt in this state, then I might have a chance to stall for time."
Meanwhile...
Sophie and Oliver crawled through the vents in silence, occasionally looking around at the metallic walls around them that they were only barely able to crawl through comfortably.
The Snivy thought for a moment before speaking up. "Hey, what's up with your friend's power?"
"Huh?"
"Your friend. He has some strange abilities."
"Oh... I don't know what it is." Oliver looked at her, "Neither does Jacob. We've seen small sparks throughout our childhood, but not like the one recently."
"What was the one recently?"
"The one where he shattered his right paw and arm." The Oshawott looked down. "That one was the most explosive and powerful."
"True, your friend told me about it." Sophie nodded, "It was two days ago when he told me, I think."
The two suddenly went silent, not sure of what to say next. Oliver was thinking over the fight with that Charizard again, and how Jacob saved his life. Sophie was thinking over the odds of meeting someone with strange abilities as well.
"So... What about you?"
Oliver's ears perked at the sudden question. "What?"
"Do you have any strange, powerful abilities that your friend knows about?" Sophie asked, looking back at Oliver.
The Oshawott let out a faint sigh. "No, I don't." He replied, a note of hesitance in his voice, "I've just been... Normal ever since I was hatched. Both parents, no strange abilities, decent childhood, anything a normal Pokémon would grow up with."
"Really?" The Snivy asked, "I'm not trying to be mean, but your friend said you went against that Charizard before he did. I'd expected that you had some untamed, strange ability, too."
"Well no." Oliver interjected. "I just use strategy and knowledge to my advantage. Nothing else."
"What about attacks?"
"I only know Razor Shell."
"Oh..." Sophie seemed a bit shocked, "Well then-" Her voice was suddenly overlapped by another.
"What do you mean the Pokémon Sophie was looking after escaped?"
The two stopped crawling, hearing the voice coming from a vent door in-between them.
"We mean that the Oshawott escaped somehow."
Both Oliver and Sophie turned their attention to the vent door, looking through it and down into the room. It revealed to be a familiar Infernape, talking with Trevor and Lana. The Snivy's nonchalant expression became a bit more panicked.
"When's the last time you saw Sophie?" Quincy asked the two, which made Sophie flinch a bit.
"The last time we saw her..." Trevor looked down before seeing something in the corner of his eye. His pupils suddenly darted to the vent door, allowing him to see Sophie and Oliver looking back at him with shock.
The Monferno's eyes widened slightly as he looked directly at Sophie. The Snivy's breathing quickened slightly as she looked back at Trevor, knowing there was no use in trying to duck, as he already saw them.
Time seemed to pause for Oliver, Sophie, and Trevor as they all simultaneously exchanged glances with one another.
Oliver could feel his soul shake as he looked Trevor right in the eye. He began to sweat nervously, his heart rate accelerating. Sophie was preparing herself for any situation that could happen as a result of being seen.
Trevor, meanwhile, was beginning to understand why Sophie started acting off all of a sudden. No wonder why she said she had a nightmare the night prior, no wonder earlier that night she said she needed some cold water.
She was helping him escape.
"What are you looking at, Trevor?"
The Monferno snapped out of his thoughts, looking back towards Quincy. "...Nothing."
"Whatever." The Infernape shook his head. "When's the last time you saw Sophie?"
"Last I saw her, she..." Trevor began to sweat. "...S-She was going out to buy some... Lady stuff. But you didn't hear that from me, 'cause I'm not a snitch."
Sophie's eyes widened, looking down at the Monferno.
"Okay then. That means that Oshawott escaped on his own." Quincy put a paw on his chin. "Thanks for letting me know." The Infernape walked off quickly.
Trevor let out a sigh as Lana looked at him confusedly. "...Sophie never told me about that."
"Don't worry about it." The Monferno shook his head, glancing back to Sophie and Oliver. "She'll be fine."
"O...Kay?" Lana sighed as she left the area.
After a few minutes of silence, Trevor sighed with relief. "...Sophie, you can come down now."
The Snivy jumped down, followed by Oliver, who she had to catch from hitting the floor. She let out a faint sigh before putting him down. "Thanks for that."
"It's no problem." Trevor smirked, "If you wanted to run off with your boyfriend, then why didn't you say so?"
"Don't push it." She gave the Monferno a faint glare.
Trevor shivered before waving his paws. "Alright, alright, jeez." He nervously smiled, "Anyways, why were you and him crawling through the vents? Why don't you just... Escape?"
"Well, Oliver has a friend here. A Pikachu." Sophie replied. "He was in solitary, and we were planning to get him out today."
"Well you two better hurry up then." Trevor spoke, "The erasure is starting in like.. Half an hour."
"Huh?" The two asked simultaneously, Oliver sounding a bit more concerned than Sophie was.
"Yeah, you two didn't know?" The Monferno looking between them. "They're in that large room nearby the back exit. Sophie knows where it is."
"Shit... We have to go now." Sophie looked up at the vent. "Trevor, boost us up."
"Right." The Monferno picked up Sophie throwing her up in the vent before picking up Oliver and doing the same. "Good luck trying not to get caught. I'm heading to the erasure room."
The Snivy raised an eyebrow. "Sure..."
---
Crawling through the ventilation system of the gang's base, Sophie seemed to be moving a bit faster than before. She was invested in letting Oliver and Jacob get out at this point, and wasn't going to back away at the most dire part.
The two finally made it to the vent above what was apparently named "the erasure room", looking down through the vent opening. They both instantly recognized a familiar Pikachu, who was sitting down on a wooden chair, his limbs tied down with a few ropes.
"There he is." Sophie told the Oshawott. "I guess my work here is done, then." The Snivy began to crawl away through the vents.
"Wait, Sophie." Oliver verbally halted her. "...Aren't you coming?"
"I told you already, I'm staying here." She answered. "I said I would get you out, not help you save your friend. You could've been back in Casteel by now, why are you going back for him?"
"I'm going back because he's my friend, Sophie." The Oshawott replied, giving her a determined look. "I know you grew up different than me, but in Kanet Village, we hold our fellow residents close."
Oliver silently opened the vent door, allowing cold air from the room to enter the vents.
"I guess this is goodbye then." Oliver sighed, looking at her with a faint smile. "Thanks for getting me out of there, I really appreciate it."
"It's..." She wrapped the Oshawott into a faint hug. "...It's no problem, my friend."
Meanwhile...
Jacob let out a faint groan as he tried to apply small amounts of his remaining electricity to the ropes tied around his arms, but after multiple attempts, he was unable to. He could see a Gardevoir approaching him from behind, and nearly gasped in shock.
The Gardevoir placed a single hand on his head, and her eyes began to glow a purple color. But before she could begin her process, a Razor Shell came flying at her from behind. She quickly dodged that attack before putting a hand up diagonally behind her.
She managed to catch Oliver with her Psychic, holding him up.
"Oliver?" Jacob tilted his head back to look at him.
"Hey, Jacob."
"So you're the escaped Oshawott, aren't you?" The Gardevoir asked, looking back to face him. She continued to hold him up with her Psychic.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Because holding you with my Psychic can make it easier to erase your memory." The Gardevoir's eyes began to glow purple once again.
"How did you see me coming?"
"Future sight."
"Heh..." The Oshawott smiled smugly. "...I thought so."
Suddenly, the Gardevoir felt a sharp pain in her back, making her eyes widen. Her Psychic weakened on Oliver, allowing him to hit the ground.
"Dynamic Punch!"
The Gardevoir was launched slightly by a figure, revealing to be Jacob, who had managed to break out of his ropes.
"What?" The Gardevoir looked at the Pikachu with confusion. "How did you escape while you were under the sedative?"
"That's what I want to know." Binks approached them from behind.
"Well, it's common for any Gardevoir to know Future Sight, so I simply aimed my attack at Jacob's sedative behind her." The Oshawott answered, smiling a bit. "If she hadn't been able to use Future Sight, she would've taken that attack to her back, and received a physical attack to her head by me. A gamble that I wouldn't be able to lose."
Suddenly, the two were charged by Binks and a few other members who were silently spectating, making the two jump and back up.
Meanwhile, a familiar Snivy was watching all of this happen, debating what she should do. Oliver was her friend. She couldn't just do him like that. After all of this, she couldn't even gather the courage to save him when he's in trouble? What kind of friend would that make her?
She closed her eyes tightly, coming to a decision.
"Yeah, I don't think they would've listened to your explanation, Oliver." Jacob smiled nervously. He then realized that the Oshawott wore a fearful expression. "But that was a good plan, don't worry."
"That's not what I'm worried about..." Oliver pointed forward, showing his best friend that they were surrounded.
"Oh..."
"Leave them alone!" A voice calmly exclaimed, jumping down from the vent. Suddenly, there was a familiar Snivy standing between them and the gang members.
"Sophie?" Binks looked down at her. "What are you doing?"
"...I'm going back for my friends." The Snivy answered before quickly turning back to Jacob and Oliver. "...When I say 'three', you make a break for it."
The two nodded.
"Three!" She suddenly launched a Leaf Blade to their left, making any Pokémon in that direction jump out of the way and clear a path for them.
Oliver was the first to start running, followed by Jacob and Sophie close behind.
"Run for the exit!" Sophie exclaimed before she quickly felt a tug on her tail, pulling her back.
It turned out to be Binks, who wasn't willing to let Sophie leave just yet. The Snivy let out a groan in pain, alerting both Jacob and Oliver.
"Go without me!" Sophie yelled at the two. "Don't miss your chance, go!"
Both stood there, unsure of what to do. They were mere steps away from freedom, but what would having freedom really mean without the one that gave it to you?
Oliver seemed to be thinking by the same logic, and sprung off of his feet in order to reach Sophie. He ran forward before pulling up his scalchop and throwing it towards Binks, throwing off his balance.
The Oshawott noticed a familiar Monferno jumping towards them. "Jacob, hold him off!" Oliver shouted, to which Jacob nodded and tackled the Monferno to the ground. Oliver then grabbed Sophie's hand and pulled her behind him.
"Oliver... Why?" Sophie asked quietly.
The Oshawott turned back to her with a shaky smile, "Y-You just looked like you needed help..."
The Snivy's eyes widened, remembering that statement from when she had just met Oliver. She had no time to think about it, however, as Binks was approaching quickly.
Sophie began to prepare an attack, but a paw resting on her hand from in front of her stopped her. It was Oliver, who wore a determined expression.
"I was always too scared to act on my instinct, or my 'gut', as Jacob calls it."
Oliver saw a punch from Binks approaching, and avoided it, stumbling back.
"But now, I think I finally understand what Jacob meant when he said going with his gut would always work out."
The Oshawott picked up his scalchop, avoiding another attack from Binks. He then jumped up and over the Emboar.
"He has a goal, a dream to chase after. He doesn't have any time to stand around thinking."
Oliver threw his scalchop towards Binks, which he easily dodged. "You thought I'd fall for that?" He asked as Oliver landed on the ground.
"But... I'm not him. I'm different from him... We don't react the same."
The Oshawott ran towards his scalchop, avoiding a quick Flamethrower from Binks.
"But what I can do..." Oliver grabbed his scalchop before water began to surround him. "...Is think with my head!" Water completely surrounded Oliver as he suddenly launched towards Binks. He slammed his head into the Emboar's stomach.
He had learned Aqua Jet.
Both Oliver and Binks let out a groan, Oliver not used to the attack just yet, and Binks taking the attack head-on.
Once The Oshawott took a moment to recover, Sophie took a look around at the area. Soon enough, Oliver was back to normal, and turned to Sophie, who looked a bit confused, and Jacob, who was still pinning a compliant Trevor down.
"Now's our chance!" Oliver shouted, alerting both of them. They simultaneously nodded, and made a break for the exit.
---
Casteel City, Sinnoh
Casteel City, Sinnoh
Once the trio were a decent distance away from the base, they all immediately collapsed from exhaustion. They all looked up at the blue sky, and the sun that was high up in the air. The three all let out heavy and exhausted breaths.
"We're out..." Sophie spoke in disbelief.
"Of course we are!" Jacob sat up excitedly, "There was no way our journey was going to end there."
"It would've ended if it wasn't for Sophie saving us." Oliver sat up as well. "Thanks again."
"Well..." The Pikachu stood up. "...We should head to some type of medic vendor."
"Medic vendor?" Sophie stood up, helping Oliver up as well.
"Jacob, there's no medic vendors here." The Oshawott laughed faintly. "There's something called a Pokémon Center in each town."
"Okay, then let's head there." Jacob grabbed his backpack from the ground, which he had managed to grab on his way out.
The two began to walk off, but suddenly stopped when they realized that Sophie wasn't next to them. "Sophie, are you coming?" Oliver asked.
The Snivy felt faint tears prick the corners of her eyes as she stood up and smiled. "Yeah."
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
Casteel PKMN Center, Sinnoh
Casteel PKMN Center, Sinnoh
As Oliver and Sophie waited for Jacob's injuries dealt during when they were captured to be healed, they sat on one of the couches in the waiting room. Sophie occasionally glanced over to Oliver, who seemed to be looking at a framed picture of something.
"What's that?" She asked.
"Oh, it's just a picture of my parents." Oliver replied, "Sometimes I take it out to just look at, because I know one day I'll start getting homesick."
"You have a good point..."
The two sat in silence, avoiding the other's glances by looking anywhere else.
"Why did you take me along?"
"Huh?" The Oshawott's small ears perked up. "What?"
"I'm asking why you decided to take me with you." The Snivy looked down, "The gang I was living with might try to track us down again to find us."
"But that won't matter."
"Hm? Why not?"
"Because you're strong, Sophie." Oliver gave her a friendly smile. "So is Jacob. Even if they do find us again, we'll have a fighting chance against them. Especially if you and Jacob learn more about your powers."
The Snivy remained silent, thinking over the explanation Oliver had just given her.
"And we decided to bring you with us because you're kind of like us." The Oshawott continued, "You have a dream you're aspiring after too, right?"
"To uncover my history." Sophie nodded.
"Then what would be better to see that around Sinnoh?" Oliver asked, "What if your history goes beyond Casteel City?"
"I never thought about that..."
"Then think about it while you travel with us." The Oshawott put a paw on her shoulder. "Welcome to the insanity, Sophie."
The Snivy smiled faintly at his statement. "Thank you-"
Before Sophie could finish, she was interrupted by the Pokémon Center's chime, signaling that a Pokémon was healed. Soon after they heard the chime, a familiar Pikachu walked over, his body seeming completely healed.
"Hey, guys." Jacob walked over cheerfully, sitting down next to Oliver. "I'm finally healed from all of that stuff, we should get going."
"I don't know..." Oliver looked towards an electronic clock above the front desk. "It's nearly noon, so maybe we should rent a room here and wait until morning to head out."
"You have a good point, but there's just one problem..." Jacob smiled nervously.
"What?" Sophie looked over to the Pikachu.
"Unless Sophie has a secret supply of money on her, we're dead broke."
"Dang it... How are we going to get a decent supply of money then?" Oliver put a paw on his chin.
"Well the Basic Class supplies cash prizes as an incentive for batting early on." Sophie interjected nonchalantly.
"Wait, are there any Battle-Zones around this town?" Jacob asked, his eyes widening.
"Yes, there's one." The Snivy replied.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Oliver asked confusedly.
"I'll explain on the way." Sophie answered, "But for now, we need to get Jacob registered before we can go to one of the Battle-Zones."
"Okay. So where do I register?" The Pikachu looked around the Pokémon Center's interior.
"You just go back to the front desk to apply."
As soon as Sophie answered, Jacob seemed to disappear in a dash to the front desk. "Hello? Hello, I'd like to apply!"
"He's fast..."
---
Casteel City, Sinnoh
"Woah... This bracelet thing looks pretty cool." Jacob smiled, looking down at a metallic bracelet that had a similar look to an electronic watch.
While Jacob examined his newly gifted battle bracelet, Sophie and Oliver were walking behind him, the Snivy finishing up her explanation.
"Okay, so are you planning to go to the Master Class then?" The Oshawott asked.
"Nope, not really." Sophie replied, "I only joined it to get stronger and train my abilities. What about you? Why didn't you sign up?"
"I don't really feel like battling, especially after what just happened."
The Snivy nodded before Jacob turned back to face them.
"So where are these Battle-Zones anyway?" The Pikachu questioned, looking at Sophie.
"We're right by one." Sophie pointed forward and at a building that seemed to have no ceiling. "Welcome to the Casteel City Battle-Zone, boys."
Both Jacob and Oliver looked up at the building with wide eyes, gasping in awe.
"C'mon you two!" Jacob began to run over to the building, "Let's get us some prize money!"
"Is he always like this...?" The Snivy looked over to Oliver.
"Pretty much, yes." The Oshawott smiled nervously, running forward as he grabbed Sophie's hand. "It's pretty much better when you just go with it."
---
Now inside the Battle-Zone of Casteel City, Oliver looked around and noticed some stands surrounding one standard Pokémon battlefield. "...So are the fights organized?"
"No." Sophie shook her head. "You put your battle bracelet on those hooks near the battlefield, and there will be a referee who puts in the results."
"What happens if you're knocked out of bounds?" The Oshawott asked.
"In the Ultra Class, it would be a problem." She answered, "But anywhere else, it's just treated as a show of strength."
"How do I battle?" Jacob looked around.
"Just hook your bracelet to one of the hooks, and it'll put you in a system. The ref will call you up after that. If you want to request a specific battle, just go to your bracelet and pick from the challenge menu."
"Okay then." The Pikachu excitedly walked over to the hooks, followed by Sophie and Oliver.
Meanwhile, a Buneary seemed to be watching the trio. "...New challengers today?" She thought, watching the three walk over to the hooks. "Wait... Just one." She noticed that the Pikachu was the only one with a battle bracelet.
Sophie felt a gaze landing on her, and her eye turned to look at the Buneary. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw the Buneary, something that Oliver noticed.
"Hey, Sophie?" The Oshawott looked back, "Are you okay?"
"Don't look, but there's a Buneary in the stands..." The Grass Snake Pokémon told him, a note of urgency in her voice.
"Okay?" Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Maybe they just want to battle here, what about them?"
"That Buneary... Doesn't have the best reputation." Sophie explained, "She's a great battler, but something about her is just off..."
"How do you know?"
"Because I battled her before."
As Jacob put his bracelet on the hook, getting himself registered for a few battles, the Buneary walked down the stands, her bracelet lighting up a blue color. This signaled that she was about to battle.
The Pikachu went to go sit in the stands, waiting for a match of his own, passing by the Buneary. The two exchanged a brief glance, the Buneary's glance seeming to be a bit sharper.
The three sat down on the edge of the stands, watching the battlefield as both the Buneary and a Turtonator walked onto it. The Buneary stood on the left, while the Turtonator stood on the right.
"Okay!" A referee, which was a Gallade, walked to the side of the battlefield. "I want a good, clean match out of both of you! Is that clear?"
"Yeah." The Turtonator spoke, preparing to fight.
"Clear." The Buneary nodded, revealing a feminine voice.
"Good, this will be a match between Basic Class participant Ivan..." The Gallade spoke, "And Normal Class participant Dawn."
"Normal Class?" Jacob asked confusedly, "She isn't in the Basic class like me?"
"Apparently not anymore." Sophie looked towards the battle. "She might've improved..."
"Battle, begin!"
The Buneary, which was now identified as Dawn, ran forward and towards The Turtonator. Ivan immediately turned around, preparing some attack.
"Shell Trap..." Oliver thought, his eyes narrowing. "...Her momentum is going to bring her close to Ivan's shell, but if she could maybe redirect her momentum...?"
Dawn didn't stop to move out of the way, however, she only slid in-between the Turtonator's legs. She then jumped up, using Double Kick on Ivan's chin.
"Between the legs?" The Oshawott's eyes widened.
The Turtonator stumbled back, a bit dazed from the initial attack. Meanwhile, Dawn didn't want to give him a second to breathe. She immediately charged up a Quick Attack, running towards Ivan.
Ivan managed to recover from Dawn's attack sooner than she had estimated, and he swung around to hit her with a Dragon Tail. The attack managed to hit, launching her back to the other side of the battlefield.
The Turtonator then charged up a Focus Blast as Dawn was flying back, planning to hit her as soon as she hit the ground.
The Buneary focused her gaze onto Ivan, trying to anticipate when he would launch his attack. Once she hit thr ground, she made sure to not slip outside of the battlefield before noticing an attack headed her way.
"Hm..." Oliver took notice how Dawn made an effort to stay in the battlefield, despite there being no particular penalty for not doing so. "She stayed in..."
"Within the World Cup, there are a few unspoken agreements between the battlers." Sophie spoke, still looking at the battle. "One of them are that allowing yourself to get pushed out of bounds is a show of respect for the other."
"So, Dawn doesn't respect him..." The Oshawott lowered an eyebrow.
"It's because she's confident in her abilities, and often thinks that she's the best of them."
"Then why is she still in the Normal Class, then?"
"She doesn't battle as much."
As Sophie finished her statement, Ivan was pushed out of bounds, fainting while he hit the ground.
"Ivan is unable to continue!" The referee shouted, "That makes Normal Class participant Dawn the winner of this match!"
"Wow... She's pretty strong." Jacob gasped, his eyes widening.
"Next up are participant Patrick and participant Jacob!" The referee continued. "You have five minutes to prepare and be on the battlefield, or you're disqualified!"
Dawn walked away from the battlefield, going back to sit on the stands. "A few more battles, then I'll go home. Beating the crap out of others is getting tiring."
"Good luck with the match, Jacob." Oliver smiled as he watched Jacob walk off. Sophie waved, non-verbally wishing him luck as well.
The Buneary noticed that the cheerful Pikachu from earlier would be battling. She put a paw on her chin, curious to see how he would fare against his opponent.
Jacob walked to the right side of the battlefield, while his opponent, a Luxio, stood on the left.
After going through the formalities, similar to the match before them, the referee raised his hand. "Ready... Battle begin!"
The Luxio began the battle by immediately running towards Jacob, his sharp teeth bared at him. His teeth began to glow red for a moment before they ignited into small flames.
Jacob quickly avoided the attack before clenching his paw and swinging it at the Luxio's side. The Pikachu smiled, thinking he had the upper hand, but he felt something hit his chest, sending him flying in the other direction.
Jacob slid to a stop, clenching his stomach. "What happened?" The Pikachu's eyes darted around the Luxio's body, looking to find what he was hit with. His eyes finally settled on the Luxio's tail, which seemed to be coated in a metallic substance.
"Iron tail!" Jacob's eyes widened, "I should've known..."
The Pikachu shook himself off, charging at the Luxio. He clenched his paw once again, it becoming a glowing white color for a moment.
"Dynamic... Punch!" He went to jump on the Luxio with the attack, but it was avoided, making the attack hit the ground. The attack made a faint cloud of smoke surround the two.
"What type of battler is this?" Dawn raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. "His attacks are so obvious to avoid, no wonder he's a rookie, he's kind of trash."
Suddenly, the Luxio came flying out of the dissipating dust cloud, hitting the ground with a cry of pain. The Pikachu walked over to the Luxio, panting quietly.
"Hm... I see." Sophie nodded.
"What do you see?" Oliver looked over at her.
"After Jacob's attack hit the ground, he carried the momentum over to change it into an uppercut."
"But doesn't Dynamic Punch end as soon as the attack hits anything?"
"He must've dragged his paw through the battlefield on the way back up as a loophole."
The smoke completely cleared, revealing that Sophie's assumption turned out to be correct. There was a line where the battlefield was kicked up, from Jacob's initial impact, to when he dragged his paw.
The Pikachu reeled his paw back, it glowing white for a moment before he decked the Luxio in his face, but the Luxio only swung back with his claws bared, and Jacob was barely able to avoid it, jumping back.
Jacob quickly hit the ground, but was only met by the Luxio, which was quickly in front of him. He seemed to be surrounded with electricity as he rammed his head into the Pikachu's chest. Jacob let out a stifled groan, flying back.
The Pikachu then stabilized himself midair, quickly slapping the red sacks on his cheeks. This jump started a quick Thunderbolt, that the Luxio was unable to avoid because of the recoil of his previous attack.
Jacob knew that his Thunderbolt wouldn't do much, but he at least knew that it would at least paralyze him for a moment. And a moment was all he needed.
He quickly landed on the ground, just inside of the battlefield, before quickly running towards the Luxio on all fours. Once Jacob reached him, he went in for a finishing blow, but realized that the Luxio was able to charge up an Electro Ball in his mouth, which was now right in front of Jacob.
The attack managed to hit the Pikachu, kicking up a lot of dust and smoke from the attack.
Oliver clenched his teeth together, wincing in second-hand pain.
Suddenly, a pair of orange eyes could be seen appearing from the Luxio's left side. His glowing eyes soon flickered and vanished before the Pikachu reeled his paw forward, punching the Luxio's face with his glowing paw.
"Dynamic Punch!"
He sent the Luxio flying out of the side of the battlefield, soon visibly fainting.
"Patrick is unable to continue!" The referee announced, "The winner of this match is Basic Class participant, Jacob!"
"Yes!" The Pikachu pumped his right paw into the air excitedly.
Oliver clapped his paws together, happy for his friend. Sophie also clapped silently, gaining a bit of respect for those impromptu stunts Jacob pulled. She wondered how far he would really be able to go with that reckless fighting style of his.
She then noticed that Jacob's left arm was quickly bruising. She immediately deduced that he might've completely given up on avoiding the attack, using his non-dominant arm to take the full attack instead.
But how he was able to recover so quickly and get to Patrick was beyond her.
"Hm..." Dawn hummed, looking down at Jacob's cheerful celebration. Her expression seemed to sharpen. "That attack hit him head-on... Why did that not knock him out right there?"
---
After losing his second match, and winning his third, Jacob managed to collect a sum of 100 Poke, more than enough to book a room for him, Oliver, and Sophie. In between Jacob's matches, Sophie noticed that Dawn was doing better than she did the last time they met.
"Back to the center?" Sophie asked as Jacob walked over to her and Oliver.
"Yeah, we have enough to book a room for a few nights." The Pikachu nodded in response. "Let's get going."
The three began to walk out, but suddenly, Jacob's battle bracelet beeped loudly three times.
"What the...?" Jacob's brows lowered in confusion.
"Wait... I know that sound." The Snivy looked at Pikachu. "You've been challenged."
"Challenged?" The Pikachu asked loudly, "But who would want to challenge..."
Jacob was cut off when he heard the referee begin to speak.
"Basic Class participant Jacob, you've been challenged to a one-on-one battle against Normal Class participant Dawn."
The trio's eyes widened, looking back to the stands.
A familiar Buneary was looking back at them from the stands, her paw freshly removed from a small red button on her bracelet. Her expression remained unchanged, staring down all three Pokémon, especially Jacob.
The Pikachu could only stare back, confused as to why a strong battler like her would want to challenge him among everyone else.
Sophie sucked her teeth in an agitated manner. She had tried to get Jacob out of there before Dawn pulled anything, but she was too late. She hadn't known Jacob for long, but what she did know was that Jacob loved to take risks.
"Jacob, do you accept?" The ref asked, witnessing the staredown going on between both parties.
A small beep could be heard from Jacob's bracelet, all three of them looking down at it. It was a small notification, showing them that Jacob had, in fact, been challenged. She even put stakes on the battle.
It was an all in.
This meant that she would challenge him for all of the money he had won that day, and if she lost, she would give him all of hers. Jacob seemed on the fence about this decision. He knew it would be a big inconvenience if he lost that battle, leading to them having to stay and have Jacob battle more, or them sleeping on the streets for the night.
The Pikachu looked between his two friends, giving them an unsure expression. Oliver nodded with a smile, believing in his friend, while Sophie shrugged, not really caring how things went.
Jacob nodded, looking back to his bracelet's tiny screen. He hovered a paw above the screen, just centimeters away from it. He sighed before tapping his paw on the screen.
"I accept!"
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
Casteel Battle Zone, Sinnoh
Casteel Battle Zone, Sinnoh
Jacob stretched his arms and legs, letting out a few grunts. He was preparing for a battle. Specifically, a challenge battle against Dawn. He seemed to wear a little bit less than his usual lighthearted expression. He watched a few of Dawn's battles, knowing that he would have to be as mentally and physically prepared as possible.
"Are you sure about doing this?" Sophie asked as she and Oliver watched him stretch.
"There's no backing out now that I've accepted." Jacob replied.
"Yes there is." The Snivy's eyebrow lowered. "Listen to me, you don't know what Dawn's about. She's not who she seems."
"I'll find out when we battle." The Pikachu told her confidently.
"Whatever." She shrugged, sitting back next to Oliver. "It's your death, you should choose how you go out."
"There's no use in trying to convince him to change his mind." Oliver chuckled, looking at her. "It's like he has a one-track mind, and when his course is set, there's no veering off."
Jacob walked towards the battlefield, smiling softly. He wondered how he would be able to fare against her, especially after he saw how she battled against that Turtonator earlier. Once he reached the battlefield, he stood on the right, waiting for Dawn to come.
Meanwhile, Dawn sat on the stands, looking at Jacob's carefree smile. She was a bit confused, as she didn't really know why he was smiling. Was he just a happy person?
She stood up, walking down and to the left side of the battlefield and looking at Jacob.
The Pikachu's smile seemed to fade a bit as they both looked at the other. Jacob was getting a bit nervous. This wasn't a life-or-death fight like what happened with Lizard and that Charizard. He couldn't just go all-out like he did against them.
And what would his mother think if she knew he was going around fighting girls?
Jacob shook off the thought as the referee began the battle formalities. The Gallade raised his arm, beginning to speak. "Okay!"
"I want a good, clean match out of both of you! Is that clear?"
"Yeah." Jacob nodded, clenching his paws.
"Yes." Dawn replied, cracking her paws lightly.
"Good, this will be a challenge match between Basic Class participant Jacob..." The Gallade gestured towards the Pikachu before turning to the Buneary, "And Normal Class participant Dawn."
Oliver looked between them, beginning to think. From what he's seen from them, he knew Dawn had the upper hand first and foremost, with more experience than Jacob, but has she been through anything similar he and Jacob have gone through?
"Are the combatants ready?"
Both Dawn and Jacob prepared to battle, nodding their heads.
"Battle, begin!"
The two dashed forward, eventually meeting in the center of the battlefield. They both reeled back an arm and swung it at the other, clashing their paws. They remained like that for a moment before Dawn went for a hit in the gut, which Jacob was barely able to avoid.
Jacob swung his tail at her, which Dawn grabbed.
The Pikachu yelped before Dawn planted her feet, swinging him around in circles at high speeds.
"Hm... She knows Circle Throw as well..." Sophie thought aloud. "Depending on her other two attacks, Jacob might just be screwed."
"What if those are her only two attacks?" Oliver looked at her.
"Unlikely." The Snivy looked over to him. "She's been doing this for years. And having only two attacks in this, like Jacob, is a huge disadvantage."
Dawn threw Jacob towards the left side of the battlefield, making him tumble on the ground for a moment before he got up and quickly used Thunderbolt. Dawn stood still before using a Thunderbolt of her own.
Both Thunderbolts clashed together, cancelling each other out with a small explosion. This kicked up a lot of dust, making a small cloud of smoke. Jacob wiped his eyes before he saw the cloud in front of him moving in an abnormal formation.
It was Dawn, who jumped from the smoke with a glowing white aura. Jacob could recognize the attack.
"Quick Attack?" He thought, his eyes widening. Before he could think about it further, he jumped out of the way of the attack, barely avoiding it. The Buneary quickly stopped to try and continue the attack towards Jacob.
As soon as Dawn got close enough, Jacob reeled back his paw, the paw beginning to glow a white aura as he punched Dawn in the back of her head.
The Buneary was sent flying to the other side of the battlefield. Instead of hitting the ground, she landed on her feet gracefully.
Jacob breathed heavily with exhaustion. He knew that battling Dawn wouldn't be the same as battling a Basic Class participant, but this was ridiculous. She didn't even look remotely tired. She had the advantage, but now, they both know each other's attacks.
Meanwhile, Oliver was deep in thought, thinking about both of their fighting styles. It was clear that Dawn had the upper hand when it came to both fighting style and attacks. He put a paw on his chin.
"Maybe if Jacob could activate that strange power of his..." The Oshawott thought, "...He could out-strength her."
Dawn smiled confidently, "Another easy win." Her guard lowered a bit. "He just managed to get a lucky shot in there."
Both of them exchanged a glance before digging their feet into the ground and jumping forward, continuing the fight.
Dawn took the first move, using Double Kick on Jacob's stomach, which he took the full impact of. He slid back before realizing that she was going to use the attack again. The Pikachu clenched his paw before it was surrounded with a while aura.
"Dynamic Punch!" He managed to quickly block both kicks with the attack, creating a gust of wind. Jacob then quickly grabbed one of her legs before quickly throwing her back.
The Buneary hit the ground before quickly dashing forward at Jacob, using Quick Attack. Jacob went to dodge left, he was quickly intercepted by Dawn, who had anticipated his movement. She slammed her head into Jacob's chest, sending him flying back.
Jacob groaned in pain, clutching his stomach as he squirmed on the ground.
"Easy." Dawn smirked, beginning to walk away.
"I'm not..." A voice spoke, making the Buneary stop in her tracks. "...I'm not..."
Dawn looked back to see Jacob shakily standing up, smiling shakily. "I'm not done with you yet, Dawn." He strained, standing up straight.
The Buneary's expression darkened. "Why isn't he down?" She thought, beginning to lose her cool.
Jacob prepared for battle once again, smiling shakily. Meanwhile, Dawn's teeth were clenching together in frustration. "How many attacks could just one Pikachu take?" She began to walk towards Jacob.
"This girl is strong..." Jacob thought, breathing heavily. "...But I can't lose this money!" He began to walk over to Dawn.
Both of their slow walks quickly evolved into sprints and they approached the other.
"I'll make sure you don't get back up this time!!" The Buneary shouted loudly, a note of hostility in her voice.
"What?" Oliver flinched, "Sophie, is this the version of Dawn you were talking about earlier?"
"Mhm." She nodded. "Around these parts, she's called the 'Hopping Terror'. The reason for that name is that a gentle Buneary is so unexpectedly hostile. I have no idea why she's like this. The Buneary species are generally docile."
"Maybe she's just different." The Oshawott looked over at her.
"Yeah, that might be the case."
Dawn growled loudly as she swung her paw at Jacob's head, which he managed to duck. Jacob went in for a punch to her chin, but before the attack hit, he was suddenly hit from the side of his head.
It was Dawn, who had managed to land a seemingly lightspeed kick to the side of the Pikachu's head. Jacob slid a few feet before opening his eyes to see that Dawn was trying to end the match with a Double Kick from above.
The Pikachu rolled out of the way of the attack before quickly standing up and backing away. The Buneary quickly rushed Jacob, using her Quick Attack to raise her speed. Jacob put up his arms in front of him, ready to block an attack, but Dawn quickly slid behind him before punching him in his back.
Jacob groaned in pain, his pupils shaking from the impact.
The Buneary then grabbed his tail, beginning to swing him around in circles. She smiled a toothy grin before throwing him towards a nearby wall at full speeds. "You fought well, but you're finished!"
Jacob blocked his face as he made contact with the wall.
---
Jacob found himself in a dark place, his body throbbing with pain. Being thrown into a concrete wall like that must've made him black out for a moment. Although he was aware of the current situation, he was unable to move. His arms were pinned down by pieces of concrete that fell onto his arms.
"Not... Yet..."
The Pikachu tried to struggle.
"I won't be finished yet..."
He tried to move his arms.
"Let me... Go!"
His eyes began to flicker an orange color as he continued to struggle, illuminating the small space he was in. He continued to kick his legs, trying to get his arms out.
"Push...!!"
Meanwhile...
Oliver winced in second-hand pain, looking at the rubble produced from Jacob's impact with the wall. The rubble was covering anything he could've seen, so whether Jacob was still in the match was up to chance.
Dawn stood in the center of the battlefield, breathing heavily. The fight obviously took a lot out of her. She looked at the rubble produced from her opponent's impact, and smirked with confidence.
"Participant Jacob!" The ref shouted, "We will be giving you ten seconds before you're disqualified from the match!"
"Do you think Jacob's really done?" Oliver asked, looking over to Sophie, who was covering both of her eyes. "...Sophie?"
"He's... Not out..." Sophie spoke, looking up at Oliver and revealing her right eye. The eye was glowing a scarlet color, it's pupil thin running vertically.
"Your eye..."
"It's reacting to some strong energy..." She explained, "The only place it could be coming from is Jacob."
"Hm..." The Oshawott hummed as the two looked over to the rubble, which was beginning to glow. "...That's Jacob, then?"
"Probably."
"Three seconds remaining..." The referee spoke as the rubble began to shake. "...Two."
Suddenly, the rubble burst open, and a familiar Pikachu came flying out. It was Jacob, as anyone could easily guess, but he seemed a bit different. His eyes were glowing orange.
Everyone looked at him in shock, including Dawn, who thought she had already won the fight. The Buneary's expression quickly changed back to a hostile glare.
"This fight isn't over, Dawn!" Jacob spoke, beginning to fall down and towards Dawn.
The Buneary realized that Jacob was reeling back a paw before he got closer to her. She managed to avoid Jacob's punch, but could feel a strong wind push against her fur. The Pikachu planted his feet on the ground before spinning and decking Dawn in her face.
"Strike!"
The Buneary slid back before falling onto her back, holding her cheek. "....Where did all of this strength come from?" Her cheek hurt to the touch.
Jacob groaned in pain, holding his right paw. It stung with pain, just like back in the forest. But... It hurt less. He could punch again. He could still fight.
The Pikachu clenched his paw, smiling softly at the familiar strength. He seemed more used to the pain. He looked over to Dawn, who was standing up once again. The two looked at the other, ready to fight once again.
The two dug their feet into the ground, jumping at the other once again. Earlier, it seemed that Dawn had the upper hand in the fight, but now, Jacob's power was allowing him to have the edge.
The two traded blows for what seemed like an eternity. The two were both beginning to run out of stamina. But the longer the match proceeded, the more the two wanted to win. Dawn slid down before delivering a Double Kick to Jacob's gut, sending him flying back. The Pikachu slapped his cheeks before delivering a discharge of electricity.
This Thunderbolt seemed different than usual, as it was nearly twice the size of any of his normal Thunderbolts. Dawn tried to counter it with her own Thunderbolt, but Jacob's was too powerful and broke through, hitting Dawn directly.
---
A light shadow was cast over Dawn, nearly blocking the light from above. She slowly opened her eyes, being met by a smiling Pikachu. Before she heard anyone officially say it, she knew that the battle was over.
She flipped herself over, and tried to stand, but was unable to.
Jacob held out a paw, giving her a soft smile. "Good battle, Dawn."
The Buneary's teeth clenched together, looking down as she reached out a paw towards his. Jacob's smile seemed to brighten as her paw approached his, but soon faded when it was slapped to the side.
"I will beat you next time..." She snarled, glaring at the Pikachu.
Dawn shakily stood up before huffing and beginning to trudge off. Jacob shook his head with an irritated sigh before turning around to walk back to Oliver and Sophie. As he turned around, his legs suddenly buckled, making him begin to fall.
He was suddenly stopped by Oliver and Sophie, who put their heads under Jacob's arms for support. "...Huh? Guys?" He asked tiredly, "How... Did you know I was gonna collapse?"
"Sophie said she felt your power suddenly fade." Oliver answered with a nervous smile, holding up Jacob's right arm.
"You put way too much into that fight." Sophie spoke bluntly, holding up Jacob's left arm. "At least you won."
"I'm so tired..." The Pikachu whined as he was helped off of the battlefield. "...Back to the center now?"
"Yeah, we have to get some rest." Oliver nodded. "It's been so long since we've had a decent sleep in a good bed..."
Sophie looked away at the statement, looking down at the ground. "...Let's just go back to the center."
"Right, right..." Jacob yawned.
"Is your arm okay?" Oliver asked as he and Sophie helped him out of the building.
"It hurts, but less than last time." Jacob replied, "I guess I'm starting to get used to the pain."
"That's not a good thing..." Oliver chuckled as he and Sophie continued to help Jacob walk into the night of Casteel City.
---
Casteel PKMN Center, Sinnoh
Casteel PKMN Center, Sinnoh
After finally booking a room in the Pokémon Center, and checking Jacob out for any injuries, all three flopped onto their respective beds while using the fourth bed to hold Jacob and Oliver's backpacks. The trio all let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
"Finally... A bed..." Jacob smiled, picking at the bandage wrapped around his arm. "I've been waiting for this..."
"Yeah, after all that's happened, I think we deserve this..." Oliver smiled, sitting up. "...But what do we do next?"
"What do we do next?" Jacob asked, sitting up. "We find more adventure, of course!"
"That's probably a bad idea." Sophie sat up as well, "We probably should wait a little so Jacob's injury can heal somewhat."
"How long are we talking?" Jacob raised an eyebrow.
"I'd say about... Two days." The Snivy replied. "Didn't you two just get to Casteel City before we... Kidnapped you?"
"Yes, why?" Oliver adjusted his body so he was sitting against a pillow.
"We should probably take those three days to explore around." Sophie explained, "There's a lot of things you two don't know about this place yet."
"You have a point..." The Oshawott put a paw on his chin.
"Then it's decided!" Jacob exclaimed, "We stay here for a while before setting out to new adventures!"
---
Later on in the night, Jacob awoke silently. He sat up from his bed, looking around slowly. He got up from his bed, walking out and onto the balcony of the room. Oliver woke up to the sound of movement, and almost instantly realized that Jacob was gone.
The Oshawott walked onto the balcony, where he saw Jacob sitting on the railing, looking up at the sky above.
"You okay, Jacob?" Oliver asked, sitting next to him and looking at the sky as well.
"Yes... No... I dunno, to be honest." The Pikachu answered.
"What's wrong?"
"This power of mine..." Jacob looked down at his bandaged paw. "...I can't but help but wonder where this power came from in the first place."
"Why is that?" The Oshawott looked over at him.
"I can tell... That this power isn't supposed to be mine." The Pikachu explained, "But I keep wondering why I have it."
Oliver listened to him silently.
"I mean... I know that voice said that it was 'to protect' and all, but it's not like there's much to protect others from."
"Voice?"
"It's just so weird..." Jacob put a paw on his forehead. "...I want to learn how to use this power, but how can I learn to use it if I still can't activate it properly?"
"Didn't you activate it against Dawn earlier?"
"I didn't activate consciously. It just did." The Pikachu looked over to Oliver. "I was just as surprised as everyone else, but I just rolled with it."
"Luckily, that won you the match."
"Yeah..."
"But Jacob, whatever you're dealing with, I'll help you." Oliver smiled, "I can even help you make some really cool moves. Doesn't that sound good?"
Jacob stifled a laugh, "You know me way too well..."
"Why wouldn't I?" Oliver laughed, "You're so simple minded."
"And you're not?" The Pikachu joked, lightly punching the Oshawott's arm
The two laughed loudly, Jacob's worries being washed away by the glee he felt from talking with his best friend.
"Hey, Ollie?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you..."
"For what?"
"Being right here with me on this adventure."
SinningFlame
Bug Catcher
- Pronouns
- He/Him
---
Casteel PKMN Center, Sinnoh
Casteel PKMN Center, Sinnoh
Sophie was the first to wake up, getting out of bed with her usual uninterested expression. She looked over to Oliver and Jacob's beds before realizing that they weren't there. She raised an eyebrow before walking up to the balcony, where both Jacob and Oliver were asleep on the floor nearby the railing.
The Snivy let out a silent sigh before picking Jacob up and putting him in his bed. She soon walked back over to Oliver before putting him in his bed as well. As she put him on the bed, she gazed at his sleeping face.
"Go without me!" Sophie yelled at the two. "Don't miss your chance, go!"
Both stood there, unsure of what to do. They were mere steps away from freedom, but what would having freedom really mean without the one that gave it to you?
Oliver seemed to be thinking by the same logic, and sprung off of his feet in order to reach Sophie. He ran forward before pulling up his scalchop and throwing it towards Binks, throwing off his balance.
The Oshawott noticed a familiar Monferno jumping towards them. "Jacob, hold him off!" Oliver shouted, to which Jacob nodded and tackled the Monferno to the ground. Oliver then grabbed Sophie's hand and pulled her behind him.
"Oliver... Why?" Sophie asked quietly.
The Oshawott turned back to her with a shaky smile, "Y-You just looked like you needed help..."
Sophie's hardened expression seemed to soften as she remembered what the Oshawott did to help her. She hadn't known what being friends with someone the same age as he would've been like. But she was glad that he was her friend now.
She dug into Oliver's backpack, knowing that he must've had some type of notebook in there. Her intuition was correct as she pulled out a small, black-colored notebook from inside. She opened the notebook from its back before neatly ripping out a piece of paper.
She quickly put the piece of paper down on the notebook before beginning to write on it. Once she finished, she put it on top of Oliver's face softly, so she wouldn't wake him up.
She silently walked out of the room, closing the door behind her softly.
---
Walking down the streets of Casteel City, Sophie was a bit on edge. She didn't have Oliver's kindness and Jacob's hyperactive nature to balance out her paranoia towards being out and about.
It made her feel a bit uneasy to be on her own. She knew that either Binks, or some of the other members of that gang could easily just pick her up and run off.
After all, Oliver, who was objectively weaker than her, had to protect her from Binks not too long ago...
Of course she was grateful for what he did, but it also made her feel wrong about it. How Oliver risked all of their progress just to go back for her.
She let out an almost faint sigh before continuing on her path.
Meanwhile...
Oliver's eyes opened slowly to be instantly met by a piece of paper laid on his face. The Oshawott reached up to his face to gently lift the paper from his face before sitting up.
"What...?" He asked himself, looking down at the paper. It was a note from Sophie, who, now that he looked around, wasn't in the room.
The note read; "Oliver and Jacob, I decided to go out for a bit to collect a few things. Don't worry, I'll probably be back by this evening. For now, you two just relax. ~Sophie."
The Oshawott let out a faint sigh, thinking about where she was going. He hoped that she hadn't just left him and Jacob behind. But she wouldn't do that... Right?
He hopped off of his bed, looking over to a sleeping Jacob. The Pikachu's mouth was slightly open as a faint snore came from him. He then walked over to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.
He could visibly see the blatant worry in his own eyes, his eyebrows seeming to be stuck in a furrowed position, as if they had been pinned to the tops of his eyelids. The Oshawott turned on the sink, splashing some water on his face.
"It's Sophie... She'll be fine."
The cold water from the sink seemed to wash away both his grogginess and worry as he looked at the mirror with a faint smile.
He turned off the bathroom light before going to wake Jacob.
---
Sophie sneakily jumped from a roof, into her previous living space. Her old bedroom. Everything was left how she liked it. Her bed was exactly how it was when her and Oliver began the operation to rescue Jacob and get out of the base.
She noticed a familiar green backpack, leaned up against the frame of her bed. When she looked through it, it contained the tranquillizer pistol that she used to knock Oliver out. She briefly looked at it before throwing it aside, allowing it to hit the floor beside her.
The pistol then hit her dresser, shaking it enough for a small piece of paper to fall. Sophie noticed this, and knew that she hadn't placed any paper on her dresser. She picked up the piece of paper, her eyes widening as she did. It was a letter addressed to her.
It read; "I knew you'd be back sometime soon. But I also knew that this was going to be temporary. That's why I want to see you one more time before you depart. I'll be waiting in our usual place. ~Bianca."
The Snivy's eyes widened. She couldn't believe that in all the madness, she forgot about her dragon trainer, Bianca. She hadn't seen the Dragonite since their last training session, so she wondered what she thought about her now.
She packed her items in her green bag before hoisting it over her shoulders and heading out of her bedroom, taking one last look at it. Her expression softened as she closed the door, making sure to keep it unlocked.
Soon after leaving her room, She climbed into the vents before crawling through them. As she was crawling through the vents, she wondered how the rest of the gang were dealing with her "betrayal" of sorts.
Climbing out of the vent near the exit to her usual place to meet Bianca, she hesitated to open the door leading outside, despite the risk of still being in the base. Bianca was one of the only ones she could trust, and she was a bit concerned to know how she felt about her recent rebellion.
Once outside, she walked over to a familiar Dragonite, seeing her standing with her back turned to Sophie. Once she reached the Dragonite, she flinched once she turned around to face Sophie.
"Uh..." She hesitated, "I'm sorry-"
The Snivy was suddenly punched in the stomach, making her cough and sputter. Once she looked back up to Bianca, her stomach still firmly clutched, she could see her wearing an angry expression.
Did this affect her more than she thought? Sophie staggered back, her breathing rasped and shaky.
"I don't want to hear you apologize." Bianca spoke calmly. "You know what you did, right?"
"Huh?" Sophie looked up at the Dragonite.
"Do you know what you did?"
"...I just did what I felt was right."
"Exactly."
"Wait... What?" The Snivy looked at her mentor with wide and confused eyes.
With Oliver
Oliver and Jacob walked through the streets of Casteel City, both having agreed to see some of the sights of the city. Oliver seemed to be a little more reserved than usual, sometimes spacing out a bit too much to even answer some of his friend's questions about the city's sights.
"Ollie!" Jacob shook the Oshawott, a bit concerned for his friend.
"Gah! Huh?" Oliver snapped from his thoughts, realizing that they were in a completely different area than where he remembered.
"What's up with you?" The Pikachu asked, looking at him confusedly. "You've been spacing out for like... Ten minutes now."
"I have?" He asked, his eyes widening. "Oh, it's nothing..."
"Is it about that note Sophie left?" The Mouse Pokémon asked suddenly, making Oliver flinch.
The Oshawott looked down, thinking about it for a moment. He let out a sigh before looking back at Jacob.
"Yeah." He nodded, "I know she'd probably be fine, but I just hope she didn't leave us for good under false pretenses."
"You do have a good point there..." The Pikachu nodded. "...But where else could she go? Didn't she betray her gang back there?"
"She told me that she was only living with them." Oliver informed him, "She had nowhere else to go."
"Hm." Jacob's expression seemed to darken in thought before eventually nodding. "I guess that makes sense, based around how she got us out of that place."
The two eventually fell silent, only walking forward as they individually looked around at the sights.
"Hey, Jacob?" Oliver suddenly asked, "Can I ask you something?"
"What's up?" The Pikachu tilted his head confusedly.
"What do you plan on doing once you finish adventuring?" The Oshawott questioned, "It isn't something that will last forever, you know."
"I know it isn't." Jacob sighed, "But I never really thought about it. Getting older, finding a mate, getting married, or even having kids..."
"I get what you mean." Oliver nodded, "It seems so far off, that it doesn't even seem like in the same lifetime."
"Yeah, it's a lot to think about." The Pikachu nodded, "Especially the kids part. I know that my mom really wants grandkids... She's just waiting until I hit twenty to start asking." He chuckled.
"She is?"
"Your mom is, too." The Mouse Pokémon quickly interjected. "I heard her and my mom talking about what it would feel like to have grandkids a few years ago..."
"Well, I guess that's something I have to think about." Oliver laughed, "But maybe far into the future..."
"Yeah..." Jacob looked down as Oliver suddenly stopped. He noticed a strange movement from his right.
"What was that?" Oliver thought, his eyes narrowing.
"Ollie? What's up?" Jacob asked, noticing his expression.
"I think we might be being watched." The Oshawott answered, "There was a sharp movement in that alley over there. But don't look."
Jacob, not hearing the last part in time, was already looking towards the alley, where the movement sped up and ran in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" The Pikachu shouted, quickly running after the figure. Oliver sighed before running after him.
They chased the shadow to the end of the alley, where it quickly jumped up the wall, vaulting over it's peak.
"Man... That was a high jump..." Jacob gasped, looking up as he ran towards the wall. "But not one I can't do!" He jumped, only making it halfway up the wall. He flailed to try and reach the top, but began to fall down.
A familiar paw grabbed Jacob's, making the Pikachu look up confusedly. "...Ollie? How'd you get up?"
"Aqua Jet." He replied with a smile. "It gets the job done here. Now let's go!" He pulled him over the wall before the two jumped down to see the shadow round a corner into the midday light of Casteel city's sidewalks.
"They're getting away!" Jacob shouted as the duo ran after the shadow.
They slid out of the alley, running after the shadow. With light on their side, they could get a good look at the shadow that was in the not-so-far distance. Unfortunately, they were covered by a black-colored cloak.
"We're losing them!" The Pikachu exclaimed before Oliver let out a sigh.
"Hop on." The Oshawott told him.
Jacob didn't argue or ask any questions as he jumped onto Oliver's back. The Oshawott clenched his teeth together before water surrounded him, allowing him to fly across the sidewalks at high speeds.
Jacob held on tight as they glided across the sidewalks, dodging the occasional Pokémon walking the sidewalks.
They saw the cloaked shadow round a corner, Oliver soon doing the same. But when they did, they realized that they were heading straight towards what seemed like a wedding between two Raichu, the streets were even reserved for it.
The shadow quickly ran through the chairs, pretty much unnoticed. Oliver knew that he wouldn't be able to avoid them, but was still trying to get Jacob to his target. He still knew that he had to stop, though.
"Oliver, jump over it!" Jacob shouted.
"I don't have enough control for that yet!" Oliver shook his head. "I have to stop!" He quickly put his feet on the ground, quickly coming to a stop. However, the momentum sent Jacob flying diagonally up, barely missing the wedding.
As he flew, Oliver could hear an audible; "Noooooooooo!"
---
Back at the center, Jacob looked at Oliver with a light pout. The Oshawott was sweating nervously, trying to avoid his gaze.
"What the heck, dude?" Jacob suddenly asked.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Oliver defended himself. "It was a wedding!"
"Good point." The Pikachu suddenly calmed down, laying down on his bed.
Oliver shook his head with a light smile before heading out to the balcony to watch the sky. He wore a light smile, thinking about everything that had happened. From getting kidnapped, meeting Sophie, and now going on adventures around the city.
He found it a bit strange that he had been there for nearly a week, but it felt like it had been a longer amount of time. Maybe it was because he didn't realize how much fun he was having with his friends. Well... Maybe not when he and Jacob got kidnapped.
This adventure made him wonder a bit. Where would this lead him, Jacob, and Sophie next? Would Sophie actually stick around? If they made a friend here, and two back in the woods outside of Casteel City, who would he make friends with next?
Through all of his thoughts, he realized how much he would want to talk with his parents. He wondered how they were without him in the house, and if they were thinking about him as well. It was too bad that they didn't have a Pokémon Center in Kanet Village, so there was pretty much no way to contact them unless he went back personally.
He let out a sigh. Maybe one day he'd be able to contact other places from his home village.
He began to think about his life back home.
Beginning of Flashback
"Oliver!" A light, melodic voice called to him from the main room as he was reading one of his favorite books.
"Coming, Mom!" The Oshawott shouted back, placing a Sudowoodo bookmark on the page he left on before heading out of his room.
He walked into the main room before seeing his mother, a Primarina, sitting on the couch.
"What did you need?" Oliver looked around. "Is anything wrong?"
"Come here." She motioned for him to sit next to her.
The Oshawott complied confusedly, sitting down next to her. He looked up at his mother with a confused look before she began to sing a melody.
Oliver continued to look up at her, drowsiness in his eyes as he began to fall asleep on his mother.
---
Later on, Oliver's father arrived back, and walked into the house. "Olivia? Oliver?" The Samurott asked, walking in.
"Good afternoon, honey." Olivia, Oliver's mother, smiled.
"Don't tell me you put him to sleep again." Michael, Oliver's father, let out a sigh as he sat next to her, leaving a sleeping Oliver in the middle.
"Well, with you out all day, I needed some company." Olivia pouted childishly, looking at the Samurott.
"I have to work and help keep the village safe." Michael replied, "You and I both know that."
"Yeah..." She looked down, "...I know."
"Hey, but I'm here now." The Samurott replied with a smile, moving closer. "I get to see your face again."
"Aw..." The Primarina blushed, covering her mouth. "...You always know how to flatter me."
As the parents kissed the other, Oliver woke up from his sleep, looking up at them.
"What the...?" The Oshawott's right eye twitched, "You guys! Not in front of your son!"
End of Flashback
Oliver let out a faint sigh, chuckling from the memory. "I should visit them sometime..."
Meanwhile...
The Dragonite laughed at one of her previous statements. "This Jacob fellow seems like quite the riot!" She exclaimed, "But what about that other Pokémon? There was an Oshawott too, right?"
"Well, yes..." Sophie looked away.
"What's his name, then?" Her mentor asked with a faint smile.
"His name is Oliver." Sophie responded, "As you already know, he's an Oshawott."
"What's he like?"
"He's kind of quiet and submissive." The Snivy answered. "He always listens to whatever anyone says, despite how smart he is."
"Why do you sound so frustrated about it?"
"I'm not." Sophie replied flatly, looking back forward. "It's just... I don't understand why he's so submissive."
"There's a lot you need to understand about the Pokémon your age, Sophie." Bianca told her, lightly patting her back.
"I just don't get anything..." The Snivy sighed, "So much is going on... I'm a bit taken aback."
"Let me tell you something, Sophie." The Dragonite smiled, looking forward to observe the scenery. "The mind of each and every Pokémon is unique. Think of them as snowflakes."
"Hm..." She nodded, watching the scenery as well.
"No matter what others say, no two minds can truly think alike." She continued. "You'll never get the opportunity to see inside someone else's mind, to see how they really think."
She listened silently, thinking her words over.
"There's no way for you to understand how Oliver feels." Bianca told him. "But asking is never out of the question. My point is, before you try and theorize why he's like the way he is, realize that you can never know."
"You always have the longest lectures..." Sophie let out a soft sigh. "...But I get it. I'll talk to him whenever I get the chance."
"That's my Sophie." She chuckled.
The Snivy wore an almost faint smile as she stood up and began to walk off.
"Oh, and Sophie?"
"Yes?" She stopped, not bothering to look back at her.
"Good luck on that journey of yours." Bianca told her with a smile. "No matter what, you'll always be my student."
She tried to blink away an irritation in her eyes as she walked off. "Thank you, Bianca." She looked back, only to see a sunset forming behind Bianca.
"Yeah... This truly is..."
"....A sunset that marks a new tomorrow."