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17 - Caffeine and Alcohol

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #17: Someone has a little too much to drink...

"I'm way too hungover to deal with this right now..."

Steven grimaced as a gleaming streak shot through the Ever Grande sky. The morning sunlight did little to help the searing headache he was currently battling. Last night was his five year mark of becoming Champion, so of course he and the Elites celebrated accordingly. He was first to wake, although not unscathed from the night's merriment, and now he had an even bigger issue on his hands.

Another flash of polished steel zipped by accompanied by an ear piercing shriek and Steven winced, not just because it made his head pound even more, but because his accidentally-caffinated Skarmory would wake the whole League at this rate.

"Skarmory," his voice was weak as he tried to flag down his hyperactive flyer, "You can fly around, but please stop screeching."

He winced again as the rebellious pokemon did exactly what it was told not to do, and it buzzed by its trainer again. Steven ducked out of the way just in time, and as Skarmory looped high on the follow through, another voice sounded from behind him.

"What in the world is going on out here?" Glacia was incredulous, although looking just as haggard as Steven.

"I'm sorry, Glacia. It's Skarmory. He got into my morning coffee..."

"He what?"

"I set the mug down for only a moment to look for the asprin, and when I turned back around, he had drunk the entire thing... I mean I knew he liked bitter berries, but this..." Steven hung his head in defeat. "I don't know how long it takes for caffeine to wear off in pokemon..."

Glacia gaped at Steven's explanation before both trainers had to duck out of the way of another over-enthusiastic dive bomb. As they picked themselves up off the ground, Glacia had a particularly nasty look aimed at the Champion.

"Well you better sober up in a hurry or else we're going to get cut to ribbons! Where's its pokeball? Just return it until it calms down."

"I... I don't know where his ball is... I think I misplaced it during the party last night, and I can't recall where I put it." Steven brought a hand to his aching head and did his best to look apologetic.

Skarmory gave another giddy screech as it did a loop-de-loop high overhead, and Glacia covered her eyes with her hand, trying to will away her hangover with sheer frustration. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

"What's all the ruckus?" Drake arrived just as Glacia lost the battle of wills to keep her from strangling Steven on the spot. Instead she simply snapped a finger in the Champion's direction. Drake's gaze followed her point with a quirked brow.

"Ah, this is my fault. Skarmory's a bit wound up this morning. Sorry for disturbing you."

But Drake just chuckled and tipped his cap back with a finger so he could watch the energetic steel type barrel roll to its heart's content, cawing and cackling with joy. "It's no problem at all, lad."

Something in the older trainer's demeanor had Steven peering at him suspiciously, "You look awfully cheerful for such a rude awakening..."

Drake grinned and slipped his pipe out from his pocket, "What's the matter? Hurting a bit after last night?"

"And you're not? Sidney is dead to the world and probably will be for the better part of the day. He was trying to keep up with you." Glacia's voice was tight; her pride may have taken a bit of a blow seeing how well Drake was faring compared to the rest of them.

Striking a match and puffing his pipe to life, Drake simply shook his head with a twinkle in his eye, "I wouldn't be worth my salt if I couldn't drink you youngsters under the table."

Steven opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then thought better of it. Still shielding his eyes, he turned to head back into the building. "I'm going to lay down. Skarmory will tire itself out eventually."

"Hey, wait!" Glacia was hot on his heels, "It's your pokemon, don't just let it misbehave like this!"

Steven grumbled some kind of retort to that, but Drake didn't quite catch it. Instead he simply grinned and reached for his belt.

"You've finally got yourself a playmate, Flygon. Go have some fun."

His speedy dragon burst free from its ball with a happy cry and Skarmory joined in with a shriek of its own.

Drake called out to the two pokemon circling overhead, "Extra treats tonight if you manage to wake Sidney up in the process."

It felt good knowing he wasn't just a veteran at pokemon battling.
 
18 - Bad News

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #18: Someone receives bad news from home.

The letter fluttered from Glacia's hand like a snowflake. Snaking its way to the floor from her shaky grasp, the letter wasn't quite like a snowflake when it landed; it didn't melt into oblivion. The words remained, still etched in her mother's crisp handwriting, and they wouldn't disappear no matter how hard she wished they would.

Her dress crinkled softly as she lowered herself into the closest chair to where she had opened the letter. From where she sat, she could still see the paper; black on white, although the contrast wasn't so clear from this distance. No, everything was becoming blurry, even the too-white knuckles that gripped the fabric in her lap. She blinked away the tears as swiftly as she could. Just like her mother, and her mother before that, the women of her family would remain strong. The ice queen of Snowpoint. What would they say if she was caught crying?

Phoebe, bless her heart, would probably share some words of comfort that her grandmother had passed down to her. Drake would probably just remain as impassive as ever. He of all people would know about keeping up appearances, the old softie. Sidney... Sidney would probably never let her hear the end of it, although it's not like she didn't have her own stockpile of ammunition to fire right back at him. Phoebe's Krookodile picture from their Alola trip came to mind... And Steven. The heir turned Champion, who had a youthful countenance but the eyes of a much more experienced man. He'd give her a quiet look that spoke volumes without ever uttering a word, and just like that, what she'd suspected for a while now would be abundantly clear. That she was not alone no matter how empty her heart felt with such a loss.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt at ease. The four people she trusted the most, the four people who placed an equal amount of trust in her. Surely they would understand if the cracks in her icy facade were visible for one vulnerable moment...

A slight tug at the hem of her dress brought her back to the present, and she wiped away a few more tears before glancing down at her visitor. Her Cubchoo had wandered in from the training area and was staring up at her with wide, concerned eyes.

"Oh, my darling," she scooped the bear cub into her arms and cradled it gently against her chest, "I hope my mood isn't upsetting you."

But the Cubchoo shook its head and simply snuggled deeper into her arms as it wrapped its paws around her neck in a tiny hug. Its nose was startlingly damp against her skin, but its quiet chuffing sent warm breath down her neck, and try as she might to stop it, her pokemon's sympathy opened the flood gates once more. Tilting her head forward, she buried her face in Cubchoo's fur and sobbed. Just this once, the ice queen would melt.
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
Reading these out of order a bit. My apologies.

I just read 17 and 18 and loved both. 17 was a very humorous story. I like the premise of Pokémon drinking caffeine. And 18 was just... *chef's kiss*. The stuff about Glacia's family and how the women must be strong, trying to not cry, thinking about her friends... good, good stuff.
No need for apologies, thank you for coming to check them out!

There's no "official" order to these little stories; they all exist in their own little bubble and there's not any real continuity from one to the next. The order they're posted in is simply the order I chose to curate them in the collection for variety's sake. Read here and there, jump around, the freedom of choice is yours!

I'm glad you enjoyed these two! This little collection was definitely an exercise in getting to know the Hoenn cast, with characters like Glacia and Sidney and Phoebe coming into their own (Glacia in particular has been so fun to write). They'll also run the gamut in terms of genre/emotion. I'm glad that the change in tone and subject matter worked between these two particular stories. Thanks again for reading, and if you decide to poke in again, I hope you'll enjoy those, too!
 
19 - Haunted Gym

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #19: Someone thinks their Gym is haunted, and calls Phoebe for assistance.

Never in her life did Phoebe expect to have someone cowering behind her as if she were a human shield, and never did she expect that someone to be the biggest, most physically imposing Gym Leader around.

Thankful that Brawly wasn't able to see her face, Phoebe rolled her eyes at how he tried to somehow get his whole body behind her petite form, gripping her shoulders with a level of terror that she didn't think was possible from the muscle-bound Leader.

With one shaking finger, Brawly pointed past Phoebe's ear over toward the far corner of his Gym. "It's over there. That's where I saw it."

"Brawly," she kept her tone gentle, "What exactly are you expecting me to do?"

His voice rose even higher in exasperation, "I dunno, talk to it or something? Tell it to stop haunting my Gym, man! I didn't do anything to make the spirits angry, I swear!"

Phoebe sighed, "The spirits aren't mad. In fact, I'm not sensing any ghostly activity here at all."

"What?!"

Brawly's shout was painful in her ear and she winced, but Brawly quickly realized how loud he'd been, and not wanting to rile up the spirits that weren't really there, he shrunk back down behind her again, voice in a strained whisper. "There's no way I can believe there's nothing there. I heard things... I saw things!"

Phoebe wrenched herself from the Leader's iron grip and spun to face him with a quirked brow.

"You called in one of the only people in Hoenn who can commune with ghosts, and you don't believe me when I say I can't find anything here?"

"Yes," Brawly squeaked out, sheepishly twiddling his fingers as he stared at anything that wasn't Phoebe or the cursed corner of the room.

Crossing her arms, Phoebe fixed Brawly with an expression that bordered between amused and frustrated. "What's it going to take to convince you that your Gym isn't actually haunted?"

"I mean, could you just perform an exorcism anyway? It'd make me feel a lot better."

Phoebe nearly sighed again, but an idea crossed her mind, and a sneaky grin flashed across her face. "Sure, we can do that for you."

"We?" Brawly gulped.

But Phoebe was already on the move, grabbing some chalk from the nearby free weights and drawing symbols on the floor before littering spell tags all along the lines. Of course, this wasn't actually an exorcism; she already had an idea of what might be causing Brawly's "hauntings". But that didn't mean she couldn't have fun with the skittish Leader in the meantime.

Brawly's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched Phoebe work, and he paled while slowly backing himself up until he was pressed into the far wall of the Gym.

When she was finished she moved to the center of the symbol and sat cross legged on the floor, eyes closed, but not quite all the way. She didn't want to miss the expression on Brawly's face. Slowly, Phoebe began to chant and wave her arms in airy, rhythmic motions. She began to chant faster and faster, until she felt that she'd put on enough of a show...

In a flash, several ghost pokemon burst forth from where she had hidden their pokeballs, and Brawly screamed. The Gym lights flickered and dimmed as the pokemon circled overhead, and Phoebe nearly burst out laughing when her Banette flew right over to the panicked Leader and licked him in the face. After stifling her giggling fit, Phoebe finally noticed that all the excitement had done him in; Brawly had passed out on the floor from sheer terror. At least now she could test her suspicion in peace...



"Ughhh," Brawly groaned as he sat up from the floor, rubbing his head gingerly. "What happened?"

His question was soon answered as a cheerful Phoebe popped into his field of view.

"Morning, sleepy head!"

"Sleepy head?"

"You fainted," she said with a smile, "But I have good news. I've caught your spooky visitor!"

"You did?"

"Mmhmm! Want to meet them?"

"What, wait, no way man!" Brawly quickly tried to backpedal, but Phoebe swung her arms out from behind her back and Brawly screamed again, cowering away from the "ghost" behind his hands.

"Shroom shroomish!"

Brawly cracked open one eye and found himself staring at a jolly green blob of a pokemon happily nestled between Phoebe's hands. She giggled.

"This little guy was hiding in your vents watching you train. I think he wants to join you so he can be a strong Breloom when he grows up."

Dumbfounded, Brawly reached out with one shaky hand to pat the friendly Shroomish on its petals.

"So... so there wasn't a ghost after all?"

Phoebe shook her head and the Shroomish chirped as it wiggled in her grasp. "Well, not ones that were living here..."

Brawly looked surprised for a moment before his gaze narrowed suspiciously. But before he could interrogate her about the exorcism, she thrust the Shroomish in his arms and danced out the door.

"Bye, Brawly! I promise I won't tell Roxanne that you're afraid of a little ol' ghost!"

As the Gym door slid shut behind her, Brawly found he couldn't stay upset with the mischievous Elite, so he just looked down at Shroomish and shook his head with a small smile.

"Not cool, man. Not cool."
 
20 - Ice Cream

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt# 20: Someone is convinced it's the perfect time for ice cream...

"Whew!"

Sidney let loose a sigh of relief as he plopped down on his backside and sprawled out on the floor, sweat sliding down his brow.

"That was an intense training session you guys," he beckoned to his teammates, and his pokemon gathered around their exhausted trainer looking nearly as overheated as him. "Good thing I came prepared."

He took a deep breath as he sat back up before jumping to his feet. Crossing the room quickly, he picked up an impressively sized ice chest and made his way back to his waiting partners.

"I come bearing gifts," he grinned as he tilted the lid open, and all eyes peered inside.

Mightyena gave a howl of excitement as Sidney slipped six generously sized ice cream sandwiches out of the cooler's depths.

"You guys worked hard, so let's celebrate with a treat to beat this summer heat!"

But whatever grin that graced Sidney's face quickly vanished as he caught sight of Absol's horrified expression. And then all hell broke loose.

His pokemon surged forward, eager to get at the sugary goodness, and Sidney disappeared under a barrage of fur, leaves, and feathers. Mightyena emerged victorious, grasping two bars in its jaws, but before he could make a clean escape, one of the sandwiches was speared through with one of Cacturne's needles. Shiftry chattered in dismay as another bar slipped out of its leafy grasp, plucked free by Mandibuzz's beak. A second Mightyena tried to slink away unnoticed with an extra portion as well, and Sidney did a double take as he spotted the imposter from his place at the bottom of the pile.

"Hey, Zoroark, I know that's you! You gotta share!"

Absol simply watched the chaos with a shake of his head, patiently waiting at the edge of the melee.

By the time Sidney scrambled to his feet, his pokemon had torn into their treats with varying degrees of success. The real Mightyena's coat was slathered in vanilla cream and it was happily trying to lap up the rest of the rogue treat with its tongue, all the while rolling on its back in delight. Cacturne was happily munching on its sandwich that was slowly leaving melting trails down the needle in its hands. Mandibuzz soon found that feathers and ice cream didn't mix, so it settled for picking at the melted puddle of stickiness that ended up beneath its talons. Shiftry had managed to claim Zoroark's extra treat, but had enjoyed it too quickly. Its ears twitched in distress as it fanned itself to try to rid the lingering brain freeze. Only Absol and Zoroark had managed to escape relatively unscathed, and they were contentedly enjoying their treat when the door to the chamber creaked open.

Sidney hastily tried to brush the dust and fur from his clothes as he scrambled to see who was paying him a visit, but he only succeeded in smearing more ice cream around, causing Mightyena to dash over and try to help clean him up too. Absol huffed a quiet chuckle as the rest of Cacturne's ice cream slid off its needle and plopped to the floor.

"Hey, Fee. Um, want some ice cream?"
 
21 - A Thoughtful Gift

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Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #21: Steven told Liza and Tate that they were always welcome to ask for advice, and not just when it relates to Gym business...

"So that's why you have to help us."

"We don't even know where to start."

"What do you get a pokemon that's 300 years old?"

"I don't even know what it's like to be 30 years old, and that's really old, but nowhere near as old as 300!"

Steven winced as he did the mental calculation on how soon he'd be nearing the twin's definition of 'old'.

Of course, this was only after he found himself sitting in his living room with a pair of flustered Gym Leaders standing across from him. Tate and Liza had called him asking for his council, and he was happy to oblige, but he hadn't expected to be roped into helping choose a birthday gift for the twins' pokemon. He had known that Solrock and Lunatone were ancient creatures, having been with the psychic family of Leaders for many generations. But he, too, was stumped by the twins' request.

"You know," he began gently, "Perhaps your mom and dad might have better ideas than me. Solrock and Lunatone used to be their pokemon."

Liza huffed and Tate's face fell.

"We already asked them!"

"They just told us to do something special."

"But what does that mean?"

"What's left that's special after 300 years?"

"I bet Solrock has met every pokemon in existence."

"And Lunatone probably has tried every treat there ever was."

"We're stumped!" both twins cried simultaneously, and Steven nearly chucked at their predicament, but that would have been rude.

So instead he opted for a smile that he hid behind the hand he thoughtfully brought to his chin.

"What if instead of something new, you gave them something old instead?" he mused.

"Huh?"

"Something old?"

Steven nodded as he elaborated, "Maybe not something that actually is old, but something that they haven't seen in a while; something nostalgic."

"Nostalgic?"

"You mean like when mom and dad go through our baby pictures to embarrass us?"

At this Steven did laugh, his own mind going back to the way his own father would bring out the dusty family photo albums whenever Wallace would stop by. But his laughter quickly died down as he thought back to the other pages of the album; the ones at the very front that his father would skip when there was company over. The ones that held a smiling stranger's face tight within their pages. The woman whose face felt so warm and familiar, and yet so foreign at the same time. Steven felt the silence of the room hang heavy as the twins picked up on his stirring memories.

Two concerned gazes were locked onto his own, and he quickly recollected himself with a small smile, waving their worry away.

"Ah, forgive me. When you're as old as I am, those baby pictures are especially embarrassing to remember."

The twins shared an uneasy look between themselves, but didn't press the Champion's thin lie any further. Instead, Tate chose to bring it back to the matter at hand.

"But we don't have any baby pictures of our pokemon..."

"They're 300 years old, remember?"

"Did they even have pictures back then?"

Steven smiled, "It's not the pictures that are important. Lots of other things can trigger meaningful memories. Sights, sounds, smells..."

The twins' faces scrunched deep in thought.

"What did it smell like 300 years ago?"

"I bet it smelled all musty, like the books at Mt. Pyre, or the bottom of an old cave -"

Cave...

"I may have an idea," Steven said, raising a finger as the thought came to him. He waved the twins in to a huddle as he brought out his PokeNav, calling a map up to the screen. "I'm willing to bet Lunatone and Solrock haven't been here in a long, long time..."



Tate and Liza had never seen their partners expressions light up like they did when they released them into the cavern. They had followed Steven's directions carefully, and armed with a picnic basket filled to the brim with treats, they had trekked deep into the cave before letting Lunatone and Solrock out of their balls.

Sunlight poured through the holes in the roof, carved by ancient meteors, and it danced through the shallow cascades of crystal clear water that fed the upper basin of Meteor Falls. The psychic pokemon's joyful calls echoed off the pale rocks as they spiraled slowly upward, taking in the sight of their birthplace. 300 years was a long time, and somehow the secluded area of the Falls had remained relatively untouched in all that time. Floating back down to their trainers, the ancient pokemon nestled happily into Tate and Liza's waiting arms, sharing 300 years worth of gratitude with their young partners.
 

Nubushi

しぶい
Pronouns
she/her
Partners
  1. slowpoke-hgss
  2. togekiss-nubushi
Hey there, I am here for a review of the first short story of this collection, prompt #1 (power outages).

I remember from your intro post your love of Hoenn and the Aggron line, both of which I heartily concur with, and like you, I really enjoy exploring the personalities and backgrounds of some of the more minor characters in the Pokemon world. So it was really a treat to read this short which sheds a spotlight on Hoenn's Elite Four and Champion, their personalities, and the way they interact with each other.

Hoenn E4 are one of the E4 that stuck less in my memory than others, but that's clearly simply due to my spending less time battling them than the E4 of some other games, as they all have plenty of personality and individuality.

Out of the Elite Four, Phoebe is the most memorable here. Like in the games, she's brimming with energy and has a positive personality. Aside from her brief squabble with Sidney (which kind of makes sense if you think about the similarity and mutual weakness of their pokemon types), she is mostly the one to see the bright side of things, inject positivity into the situation, and come up with a way to make the best out of the unfortunate situation. Her enjoyment of her pokemon type also comes across in her enthusiasm about the idea of telling ghost stories.

Glacia has a more quiet and refined personality, and is the one who at first just wants some peace and quiet, though she shows her class in her comment on the beautiful view of the stars. This fits with the image she projects in the games, and I'm guessing her comment about coming from a cloudy place is referring to the pokemon-world-version of England (Galar?), which likewise fits well with her image.

Sidney is a bit more rought around the edges, again, a logical choice given his appearance and way of presenting himself. Drake has the least time in the story, but comes across as straightforward and practical.

Out of all the characters, Steven in this story is really a treat to read because of the humor of his having on hand (not in his house, in the League) a caving headlamp, and using it. It totally fits with canon, and it's also totally amusing--like Lance and capes, the contrast between his elegance and his cave-exploring, rock-collecting habits is endlessly fun to play with. In your story, he also comes across as having a bit more of a fanciful side, which comes across in his leading the team to his favorite place which turns out to be the roof, for stargazing. These details, and the one about his lack of enthusiasm about Phoebe's ghosts, give him a really human side and round him out as a character, about as much as possible in a story this length.

Overall, I have only a few things to critique, but they are really nitpicks.

"Hey!"

"Oh man, you had to jinx it didn't you!"

"I didn't jinx anything! Weren't you the one who said it couldn't get any worse when we had to cancel the yearly outing because of the storm?"
It's stated just after this exchange that it's Sidney and Phoebe quarreling, but it's unclear which line is said by whom. However, it's ultimately not terribly important.

The Elites shared a puzzled look but decided to follow after their eccentric leader.
This sentence, the "decided to follow" part, seemed a bit summarizing and is also a bit of a contrast from the rest of the story in that it's an omniscient POV, summarizing a decision that happens inside the heads of all of the characters. While I think keeping it external (letting the characters' actions speak for themselves) would both give you a clearer, more dynamic image and also be a bit smoother, ultimately, this is a really minor snag in the story.

Ultimately, it's a fun exploration in which the personality of each character stands out clearly. The interactions among the Elites and Steven were a pleasure to read, and the lovely ending left me with a smile on my face, feeling almost as peaceful as if I got to enjoy that starry view myself. Looking forward to reading more!
 

Nubushi

しぶい
Pronouns
she/her
Partners
  1. slowpoke-hgss
  2. togekiss-nubushi
Prompt #2:

So here we have Steven at a presumably younger and earlier point in his career than in the first one-shot. While in the preceding story, Steven came across as comfortable enough with his co-workers to not be bothered by a little teasing and willing to share his favorite place with them, here he is shy to the point of being painful; one wonders how he was possibly able to survive any kind of public role he might have had up until now in connection with Devon Corp.

Wallace is obviously milking it, using Steven's stage fright as an opportunity to heighten his friend's nervousness with some increasingly wild and (one hopes) exaggerated claims. Still, there's more said in the omission ("pair of . . .") than in the actual spoken words, which just adds to the hilarity.

Overall, it's a very humorous short in which Wallace is merciless in stoking Steven's anxiety, but also in the end the one who will be there for him and help him face everything to come.

Prompt #3:

Another humorous short. Basically, the personalities are fairly consistent with short #1. Like that one, Phoebe comes across as upbeat and fun-loving, and Sidney as a tad irresponsible. (Lucky for him Steven is there to save the day!) Glacia, on the other hand, is showing her frosty side, though I suppose that fits in with this being an elaborate practical joke, and with the characters trying to make Sidney feel as terrified as possible before revealing that they have things taken care of.

The story begs a few questions, like do high-ranking trainers really go on vacation without taking any pokemon (for emergencies? to deal with wild pokemon? for transportation?) and introduces some world-building details about pokemon care, like that they do need to be fed even if kept in pokeballs (otherwise, Drake could just leave his dragons in their pokeballs to keep them from getting hungry) and the charming idea of an altaria needing a grooming appointment. But, with this kind of story it's best not to pick at straws too much and simply enjoy the humorous details--like Phoebe floating on her ghost pokemon--and the picture the story paints of a bunch of trainers tight-knit enough to call each other nicknames, know each other's flaws, and prank each other mercilessly.
 
22 - Nightmare

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
Note: This chapter is definitely horror themed. Originally written for Halloween, it is decidedly different than most of the entries in this collection.


Prompt #22: Someone has a nightmare.

The last time Steven could recall a day this peaceful, well in all honesty, he actually couldn't. At least not in recent memory. But here he was, alone with nothing but the sounds of the underground around him. A chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other, a small bag of spoils sat at his feet, and Steven sighed in contentment. The League had become stressful lately, what with the addition of a new Gym and the retirement of not one, but two Leaders, there was a fair amount of work to be done to ensure any ongoing League challenges would continue uninterrupted.

Which was why the situation struck him as odd. Shouldn't he be working right now? Steven's brow furrowed and he glanced at his watch. Strange, it was actually the middle of the night. Why was he still awake at this hour? Setting down his tools, he glanced around the cave and noticed his usual stash of supplies was absent. Perhaps he left them back at the surface, as it appeared this was only a small cave system. Dutifully, he picked up his meager equipment and headed out in search of his camp.

It was only as the mouth of the cave came into view that Steven noticed another oddity. His pokemon were conspicuously absent from his hip. A sudden tightness found its way across his chest. He could count on one hand the number of times Metagross had ever not been at his side, all the way back to when it was just a small Beldum. Where was his team?

Steven's pace quickened in time with his heartbeat as he neared the cave's exit.

But he never made it there.

The cavern floor suddenly began to shake beneath his feet, sending him stumbling. As he tried to pick himself up off the ground, a dull roar issued from the depths of the cave. Scrambling back to his feet he hazarded a glance backward to find the source of the noise, and his breath caught in his throat.

Somehow the omnipresent darkness of the cave had taken a more tangible form, crawling and scurrying along the walls and ceiling. The absence of light was curling and forming into pointed claws that raked at the stone leaving blackened gouges in their wake. Living, breathing darkness that threatened to swallow him whole.

As a paralyzing wash of terror flooded his senses, a small voice told him there was still a way out, all hope was not lost. He still had an escape route, and he willed himself begin to sprint toward the exit again, yet it never seemed to draw any nearer. The cave rumbled again, this time loosening bounders from the ceiling that came crashing down all around. Throwing his arms up to shield his face, Steven plunged forward; there was the daylight streaming in, he could still make it! Wait, wasn't it past midnight? What was going on...?

In his moment of confusion he had paused in his frantic escape, and when he went to resume his sprint, he found something stopping him. His leg was rooted in place, but it wasn't the falling rubble that trapped him. Something was holding him there, gripping his ankle with fearsome strength. Reaching down with both hands to free himself, he froze. Fingers made of stone had reached up from the cave floor and grabbed him in an unyielding hold. He kneeled down and pried at the lifeless grip, but it refused to budge. Panic began to rise in his throat, he was running out of time. The darkness was closing in, still roaring like an animal possessed.

As he gave another tug at the offending restraint, a second manacle circled his other leg, stony fingers digging into his calf. Wheeling around to try to free himself, something else grabbed at the back of his jacket and pulled, dragging him awkwardly to the ground where he was met with a cold embrace. Arms of stone reached up to snake around his waist and chest, and try as he might, he couldn't break free from their grasp as he was pinned helplessly to the earth.

And that's when the darkness caught him. Eyes wide with terror he watched the black beast descend, pouring in from all sides of the cave in a massive sickening wave. He tugged and writhed against the bonds that held him captive, anything to get away from this unknown enemy, but it was futile. The first inky knives sunk into the flesh of his leg and he cried out from the pain. Or at least he tried to. No sound would escape his lips as the creature dragged itself up his body, one searing, stabbing claw at a time until its deathly hands encircled his neck. He choked at the pressure, he could feel the breath leaving his lungs, unable to be replenished.

In one last terror fueled push, he tried desperately to shove the beast off him with the only hand that wasn't trapped by the very earth that betrayed him, but the shadows were as intangible as their normally benign counterparts. Grasping at the nothingness that was slowly squeezing the life from him, the stony hands finally caught his last flailing limb and anchored it to the ground with the rest of him. It was only then that the darkness decided to show its true face. Cruel teeth formed in a featureless visage that sneered down at its pathetic captive. A guttural growl mixed with an otherworldly screech emanated from the creature as it howled in his face, victorious.

Suddenly, the pair of hands around his neck loosened their hold. The long slender fingers reached up to gently caress his cheek as the faceless shadows leered down at him; the normally soothing gesture only served to panic him further and he tried to scream once more. Without warning, the shadowy hands forced their way into his mouth, prying it wide. He began to hyperventilate, but it didn't last long. Without warning the creature poured itself down his throat, the acrid darkness choking him. He was drowning in it now, his lungs filling with the nothingness. His body jerked involuntarily against the onslaught, and the edges of his vision began to swim in the inky blackness. This was the end, this is how he would die...



Metagross blinked one red eye open. It had been snoozing peacefully in its trainer's study, but a noise had disturbed its slumber. Slumped forward on the desk was its trainer, asleep on his paperwork. It wasn't a surprising sight. Metagross had seen its trainer push himself to exhaustion in that very chair countless times. But what was surprising this time was how he twitched and moaned ever so softly in his sleep. Metagross hadn't seen that sort of behavior very often. After the chair creaked from a particularly fierce shudder, it decided to keep a wary eye on its trainer. So when Steven gave a sudden jerk, toppling himself from the chair entirely, Metagross was quick to react.

Steven flailed for a moment, gasping for breath and blinking in confusion even as Metagross eased him gently to the ground with its psychic powers. He was quick to find his starter's concerned gaze, and he rubbed one shaking hand across his eyes.

"Metagross."

The way the name left his lips, it was as if he hadn't seen his partner in years. The sort of gratitude in one's voice that came from the deepest longing, the most heartfelt sincerity. Metagross could feel the emotion pouring from its trainer, and it reverberated a soothing tone in reply. It was here. It would always be here.

Steven shook his head to clear the lingering visions. "I-I'm sorry, it was just a bad dream."

But Metagross had seen enough to know it wasn't as simple as that. Its trainer never looked that rattled. As gingerly as it could, Metagross picked its way across the study until it was able to nestle up against its trainer's side. Steven's skin was clammy when he leaned his head against Metagross's steel hide. It rumbled a quiet note and it could feel its trainer nod in return.

"I'd like that, if you don't mind."

As his suit jacket was lowered gently across his chest, Steven's eyes closed, and Metagross was more than happy let its trainer fall asleep in its arms, just as he did for it all those years ago.
 
23 - Challengers These Days

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #23: A would-be Dragon Master, complete with costume, challenges the League

Phoebe was dutifully scrolling through the docket of challengers in preparation for any that might make it through Sidney's team. An Ace Trainer, those guys always came prepared. A Pokefan, they were one hit wonders, and most fizzed earlier rather than later. A Triathlete, interesting, since their pokemon were always well trained, but rarely had enough power to make it deep into the Elite. Flicking through the rest of the list, her eyes glazed over until one image popped up on the screen.

Immediately she bolted upright with a snort of laughter.

"Sidney, c'mere," she waved at the dark-type expert as she tried to hold in another laugh, "What is that?"

Only halfway interested at what Phoebe may have had to show him, Sidney leaned over with a casual glance. But when he caught sight of the screen, his eyes bugged out of his head before he too doubled over with laughter.

"Oh my god, Fee. I have no idea what that is! Maybe he's supposed to be a magician?"

Phoebe shook her head, still shaking with amusement. "I already read the brief, so I know. I just want to see if you can guess."

Sidney scratched at his ear in thought, but not without a ridiculous smile. "Gee, maybe he's one of those contest coordinator-turned-battlers, like Wallace?"

"Nope."

"Oh man, uhh, maybe he's..."

As Glacia strolled into the lounge, Phoebe cut Sidney off to wave her over.

"Let's see if Glacia knows!"

"Know what, exactly...?" the ice-type specialist trailed off, suspicious of the two younger trainer's antics.

"What this challenger is going for," Phoebe said with a grin, as she wheeled the tablet around for Glacia to see.

Her eyes went wide at the spectacle. "Oooh... I... Haven't the faintest idea."

Sidney laughed as Phoebe flung herself dramatically over the arm of the couch. "Someone go get Drake, he has to know," she moaned.

"We'd all know if you told us, Fee."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Sidney shrugged, but the gesture went unnoticed as the fourth and final Elite made his appearance.

"There shouldn't be any fun, we've got challengers coming today," he grated out, but not without a twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah, we know. Phoebe won't tell us who we're facing though."

"Really now?" Drake quirked an eyebrow.

"I'll tell everyone if you can't guess what this is on the first try," Phoebe said as she sat back up, holding the tablet out, and Drake plucked it from her grasp.

"This is what all the fuss is about?"

All eyes turned to the Dragon Master as he scanned the photo. Phoebe held her breath and latched onto Sidney's arm in anticipation. Even Glacia found herself leaning in, waiting for Drake's answer.

He remained silent for a beat longer before speaking up. "I have no clue what the heck that is."

Everyone deflated in defeat. "Fine, I guess I'll have to just tell you all..." began Phoebe, but in that moment, another voice sounded from over Drake's shoulder.

"Oh, looks like we're having a Dragon Master paying us a visit this afternoon."

Four pairs of eyes turned to meet the Champion as he glanced down at the tablet from behind his cup of coffee.

"A what now?" Drake's tone was dangerously low.

"A Dragon Master," said Steven matter-of-factly. "Or at least a self-proclaimed one. I've seen plenty of them when I train out at Meteor Falls."

Phoebe nodded dumbly, too shocked that of all people, Steven would be the one to recognize the outlandish outfit of too much spandex and gold piping, complete with a flowing cape.

No one spoke, so Steven offered a shrug, "When you're friends with Wallace for long enough, nothing really surprises you any more. Fashion-wise, I mean."

But Drake was still steaming. "I have half a mind to ask you lot to let him through so I can show him a thing or two about dragon training... But on the other hand, I wouldn't ask you to go through the embarrassment of losing to that."

"Hey Boss," Sidney piped up, "Maybe just this once Drake and I can switch places?"

"That's not a bad idea," chimed Glacia, "I'm kind of in the mood for a good old-fashioned humiliation match."

Steven's gaze narrowed as seriously considered it. "I'm willing to allow it just this once... Drake?"

Still muttering, Drake grumbled an affirmative before tossing the tablet down on the nearest table and stalking out of the room. "Only if you promise to let me call Lance about this. He's wearing tights for chrissakes."

"Well, I guess that settles it," Steven nodded, but not without a nervous glance at the retreating sea captain.

Phoebe grinned as she skipped out the door, "I'll bring the popcorn!"
 
24 - The Show Must Go On

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #24: A sprained ankle isn't going to keep Wallace from a contest. Everyone else thinks it's a terrible idea.

"I really don't think this is a good idea..."

"Nonsense, The Lilycove Summer Spectacular only happens but once a year!"

Both Lisia and Juan had gathered in Wallace's room, and they frowned down at the Gym Leader sprawled out on his lounge chair with a foot propped on some pillows and a nasty purple bruise peeking out from beneath an ice pack.

"Don't give me that, it's not as bad as it looks," he protested, wincing as he tried to wiggle the injured foot.

"Uncle Wallace, you can't even put any weight on it. How are you going to perform?"

"I'll... I'll figure something out. I always do!"

"Perhaps I should go in your stead," suggested Juan with a wistful look. "I'm worried the strain of a contest might hinder your recovery."

Wallace was about to deliver his protest when the door to the room opened and Steven blustered in, slightly out of breath.

"I came as soon as I could," he breathed, holding the walking boot out toward the water-type trainer, but he froze when he saw Wallace was not alone as he was lead to believe. "Oh, Juan, Lisia, I'm sorry! I didn't realized you were here too."

Juan's eyes slid from the boot to Wallace's innocent expression before addressing the room's newest member. "And you agreed to this despite your best efforts to persuade him otherwise, I assume?"

"Actually -" Steven gave an apologetic smile.

"He stepped in a divot in a cave in Sinnoh a few months ago and didn't want to cut the trip short," said Wallace airily, "Can we move past how much you disapprove of the idea so I can put it on and get going to Lilycove?"

Steven shot Wallace a look for ratting him out so heartlessly, but Wallace ignored it as he wiggled his hand expectantly. Ducking under Juan's disapproving stare, Steven moved to the end of the lounge and cautiously began to slide Wallace's foot into the boot.

Wallace put on a brave face, but even for how gentle Steven tried to be, he still sucked in a pained breath with every adjustment.

"I still think this is a poor decision," Juan said, his frown deepening. "I won't cover your Gym duties for you if this contest injures your ankle further."

But Wallace casually waved him off, "I fully accept the consequences of my actions. You worry too much, Master. I'll be -" he jolted with discomfort as Steven secured the last strap in place, "-fine."

"Mmhmm..."

Juan's skeptical look remained as Wallace swung his legs to the floor and rose unsteadily to his feet. The boot did an admirable job, but Wallace couldn't hide a grimace as he hobbled toward his wardrobe.

"Uncle Wallace... You're not seriously going to perform with that boot?"

Lisia's quiet voice froze Wallace to the spot. For how many times he had told her to listen to her mother's words, he certainly wasn't setting the best of examples. He turned, ready to deliver a 'do as I say, not as I do' speech, but the determination in Lisia's gaze caused the words to freeze in his throat.

"It's so hideous! We need to dress it up if you're going to wear it to the performance!"

Wallace couldn't hide the grin that crept across his face. "You're absolutely right, my dear!"

"You're not going to be wanting this back, are you?" Wallace asked as he turned toward Steven.

Steven shook his head. "I certainly wasn't planning on it."

"Brilliant! Now shoo!" Wallace waved everyone who wasn't Lisia out of the room. "We've got work to do!"



The next morning, Steven found himself grinning over his morning coffee. Splashed across the front page was a photo of Wallace at the Lilycove Summer Spectacular, perched atop his Gyarados waving to his adoring fans. Even in black and white it was hard to miss the brilliant sparkle of the glitter encrusted walking boot. No, he definitely didn't need it back now.
 

Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Heya, was going around to throw some reviews the way of people who'd stopped to give the time and energy to review my writing over the past few weeks when I remembered you gave me a nice one for Dragonspiral's Children back in Week 1. So that seemed as good a reason as any to leave a review for something with a comparable amount of words, so I decided to take a gander at a few pieces from your Hoenn short story collection.

Alright, enough preamble, time for some actual reviewing:

Prompt #1

"Awwwww!"


The collective whine rose from the sofa where two of the Elite were sitting around the TV. A particularly nasty storm had pushed its way through the region, and as it headed east, Ever Grande was the last place in its path. The broadcast had been interrupted several times by weather reports of how severe the storm was, but so far the power had held. But as of a minute ago the broadcast had been reduced to nothing but static.


"Well this sucks..." Sidney grumbled as he clicked through several channels, revealing that it was indeed Ever Grande's cable and not the station that went out.

Somehow I didn't peg Sidney as the type to moan about the TV cutting out like a disappointed child, but hey. Can't say it's not amusing. :V

Glacia peeked up from the book she was quietly reading and smirked. Perhaps there might be peace and quiet after all. Except that hope was shattered as a brilliant bolt of lighting crashed outside and all of the lights instantly flickered out.


"Hey!"


"Oh man, you had to jinx it didn't you!"

I think you might want to disambiguate these two lines since... yeah, I assume that's supposed to be Sidney and then Glacia, but I don't really know for sure since there's no hint at who's speaking first between the two.

Sidney: "I literally didn't say anything about the power though." >_>;

"I didn't jinx anything! Weren't you the one who said it couldn't get any worse when we had to cancel the yearly outing because of the storm?"


Glacia didn't even bother trying to stop Phoebe and Sidney's squabbling, since she couldn't see her book in the dark anyway. But a bobbing light appeared in the doorway, causing the two trainers to quiet down and turn to see who had joined their group.

Okay, yeah, you really want to disambiguate those speakers, since I didn't pick up on the fact that those two on the couch were Phoebe and Sidney. It could be something as simple as dropping "Glacia peeked up from the book she was quietly reading at Phoebe and Sidney on the couch and smirked." plus a speech tag in block two.

"Is everyone okay in here? This is some storm." Steven peered around, causing the beam of light to dance across the room.


"Are you wearing a caving headlamp?"

822923369149890622.png


This guy really likes his rocks. :V

"Yes, and?" His head flicked toward the sound of the voice, and Sidney winced as the light found his eyes.


"Steven, we're in the League building, not a cave."

Steven: "Again: Yes, and?"
Sidney: "So you're not supposed to wear it here!" >_>;

"It was the first thing I could find in the dark. I think it serves its purpose."


"Well I think it's a great idea," chimed Phoebe. "But that still doesn't help us since there's nothing to do without electricity."

You could play board games assuming that A: You have one, B: You have a strong enough portable lamp. :V

"It's a shame none of us have any electric pokemon," mused Glacia.


Without a word, Steven began to move, the bobbing of his headlamp giving away his position. He had already crossed the room and with a few small sparks, a fire crackled to life in the fireplace filling the room with a growing warm glow.


"Now why didn't I think of that?" said Sidney, rubbing the side of his head with one hand.

Part of me feels as if that fireplace ought to have been hinted at somehow earlier on. Since... yeah, while it's not unbelievable that it'd be there, it kinda comes out of nowhere.

"Because it's summer and it's plenty warm in here already," muttered Glacia as she put her book down on the table.

Well, now it's about to get even hotter.
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But Phoebe had already bounded over toward the fire and plopped down next to where Steven sat in one of the cozy armchairs. "Ohh! What a great idea, Steven! We should sit around and tell ghost stories!"

... Oh course Phoebe would want to tell ghost stories.
803821849384583219.png


"Ahh, only if you promise not to let your pokemon reenact the scenes." Steven waved a nervous hand to indicate he wasn't the biggest fan of her mischievous partners, causing Phoebe to giggle.


"Sorry about that! They can't help themselves sometimes."

Translation, that'd be "no promises", Steven. o<o

By now Sidney and Glacia had gravitated toward the fire, and everyone settled in for what promised to be a quiet night. But quickly the conversation picked up, and before too long, enthusiastic stories filled with laughter floated through the darkened rooms of the league. Hours passed without any sign of the power being restored, but no one seemed to mind.


Eventually, the conversation turned to the one Elite who was missing.


"Where is Drake anyway?" asked Phoebe.

Sidney: "... Why is it our assumption he'd be here again? He has his own life and Pokémon, you know."
:what:

Phoebe: "... Because this entire series is about members of Hoenn's Elite Four getting up to shenanigans?" :?

"He was supposed to be on his way back from Meteor Falls this evening, but I'm sure the storm ended up delaying his plans," said Steven.


"I hope he didn't get caught out in it..."


"He sure didn't." As if on cue, the dragon master stepped into the room holding a small flashlight.

Phoebe: "See?"
Glacia: "That's... some really convenient timing." .-.
Phoebe: "Oi, don't question it. We were getting to my ghost stories."

"Drake! You made it! And you're looking rather dry." Phoebe swept her gaze over his captain's coat that didn't have a drop of water on it.


"Storm's over. Been over for a while now."


"What, really?" Sidney was definitely surprised.


"I guess we were so caught up in our fireside tales that we hadn't noticed," said Glacia.

I... admittedly did a double take there and had to go back and check to notice... yeah, a couple hours really did go by. It might make sense to expand the paragraph about them telling ghost stories with a couple anecdotes of a couple things such as Phoebe's Pokémon sure enough acting out her story or something like that, since something about a single paragraph didn't really sell the sense of time going by all that well.

"But the power's still out," moaned Phoebe, dropping her chin into her hand.


"Well, you can always join us around the fire," offered Sidney, but Steven interjected.


"You said the storm's over? I may have a better idea." The Champion rose from his chair at the cryptic statement, and donned his headlamp once more. "It's one of my favorite places in the whole building."

Sidney: "... Please tell me you're not going out to collect rocks now of all times."
Steven: "... No promises."

The Elites shared a puzzled look but decided to follow after their eccentric leader.


A short walk later, the group found themselves standing on the roof of the League building, the cloudless post-storm sky spread before them with no electric lights to obstruct their view of the stars.


"Amazing," breathed Phoebe. "This view is even better than the one from Mt. Pyre."

:sceptical:


I have to question how true that claim is since Mt. Pyre also has elevation going for it. But hey, no light pollution for a night.

"Aye, it certainly rivals the ones on the open ocean, too."


"It's okay, I guess -ow!" Glacia elbowed Sidney.


"I think it's lovely, Steven. It was always cloudy where I grew up, so it was a treat when we got to see the stars."

Steven: "... I'm sorry, why would that be again? I thought you just grew up in a place that got a lot of snow." .-.
Glacia: "What do you think snow falls from, Steven?" ^^;

Steven just smiled, face upturned towards the heavens. Silence settled over the group, letting the sound of the waves filter up through the air, unobstructed by the sounds of civilization. They remained that way for some time until the hum of the nearby air conditioning unit stirred to life.


"Power's back on," murmured Sidney.


And no one could have cared less.

I mean, yeah. I'd be a little indifferent too with a lightshow like that. Though I have to wonder how long the view will last before all the lights on the ground drown the view out.

Prompt #2

"Wallace, what is that?"

Wallace didn't even have to look up to know that Steven was hesitantly peering out the window. He could hear the commotion outside from where he sat. [ ]

"Oh, it's just your fan club."

"My what club?"

"Fan club. You know, a horde of adoring followers that get together to stalk your every move."

I feel that your paragraph about the commotion outside might benefit from some more hints as to the sort of commotion or the nature of the noise, since just a 'commotion'... doesn't disambiguate it from the likes of a garbage truck pulling up outside, whereas I'd expect a crowd of rabid fans to make noises associated with masses of people.

Also, it appears your spacing is different between this Prompt and the prior one. You might find it worthwhile to standardize those in one direction or the other.

Steven: "... I'm sorry, why do I want this again?" ._.;

Steven leaned back from the window and rolled his eyes.

"I know what a fan club is - wait, did you say stalk?" The tinge of alarm edging into his voice was not lost on the water-type trainer.

Wallace simply nodded. "Mmhmm. Not to mention their ultimate goal is to profess their everlasting and undying love for you. It's something that as a Master Coordinator and Gym Leader extraordinaire I deal with on a frequent basis." It was all so matter-of-fact.

Steven: "... I think that I want to disappear into a cave right about now. A really, really deep cave."
:uhhh:


"You do? Wait, what? Undying love?"

This was too much fun.

"Oh all the time, Steven. In fact I've signed so many body parts I can't even begin to tell you which one was my favorite."

"Body... parts...?" By now, the young heir had turned a sickly shade of pale.

I can't tell if Wallace is this much of an attention hog or if he's playing this up deliberately to mess with Steven. I assume it's the latter from the "This was too much fun" line, but... yeah, it's amusing to imagine either way. :V

"Sure! Hands, arms, cheeks," Wallace began to tick down on his fingers, "This one time there was a magnificent pair of... oh, and even the occasional baby!"

>dat implication

Steven: "... Starting to think that I might need to start looking into mineshafts instead. Since... yeah, I want to get really far away from these 'fans'."
:uhhh:


Steven was nearly shaking by the time the list was finished. "Wallace... I can't go out there."

"Of course you can! If you can stare down the most fearsome trainers in the region without breaking a sweat, surely you can handle a few excited admirers."

Steven: "That doesn't involve getting mobbed by random rabid strangers!" O_O;
Wallace: "Meh, close enough."
476581281094828033.png


"That's different and you know it," Steven protested, albeit a bit weakly, and Wallace offered a sincere smile.

"You're going to have to get used to it at some point, you know."

"Ahh, you're right... It's just..." Steven ran a hand nervously through his hair, "I'm not really very good at talking to people."

"You talk to me all the time."

Steven: "Crowds of people, Wallace." >_>;
Wallace: "So just pretend they're all me. Can't be that hard, right?" ^^;

"You're my friend, Wallace. Of course I can talk to you."

But Wallace was having none of Steven's stalling. As the Champion leaned over to peer out the window once more, Wallace got to his feet and stealthily closed in on his friend. Once he was close enough, the Master Coordinator threw an arm snugly around Steven's shoulders and in one motion whisked the pair of them to the door.

"Then we'll face these fans together! Just think of me as your translator."

dis_gon_be_good.gif


Stumbling a bit under the sudden movement, Steven barely had time to react before Wallace's hand was on the doorknob.

"Wallace, no, wait -"

The door was thrown open with fanfare, and Wallace dragged Steven out into the throng.

"Hello lovely citizens, behold, your Champion!"

Steven groaned.

Surprised there's not a whole lot of mention of how the fans are reacting since... yeah, you'd think that they'd all make quite the racket there, but it doesn't come through in description.

Prompt #3

"Oh crap oh crap oh crap!"


Sidney muttered to the beat of his footsteps as he rushed through the halls of the Pokemon League.


"Oh, I'm so late," he moaned as he pushed past Phoebe's chamber.


"Late for what?"


Sidney ground to a halt at the innocent question, and Phoebe's head poked curiously out the door.

I... think that this could've used a bit more description, since the sequence is a bit "disembodied heads" for my tastes. And you certainly have room to fluff things out a bit to better drive an image into your readers' heads.

"There's no challengers today, so where are you off to in such a hurry?"


Sidney sighed heavily. "I promised I'd feed Drake's pokemon while he was away. He told me they had a very particular schedule, and of course I've gone and messed it up."

I imagine their mood can basically be summed up as the following right about now:

384521039972925441.png


I mean, it'd explain why Sidney's sweating bullets here.
803821849384583219.png


Phoebe rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment, pondering something, but Sidney was frantic and already was on the move before she could speak her mind.


"I gotta run, sorry Fee!"


He hurried off toward the next chamber, beginning to feel a stitch in his side when suddenly he felt a cold wind brush by.


"Oh I have to see this," said Phoebe as she floated along side the jogging Elite. Wait, floated?!

That's... certainly different. I suspect that's her Pokémon helping out, but-

Shocked into stopping once more, Sidney gave Phoebe an incredulous look as she sat perched atop her Dusclops, giggling.

Yeah, I figured. :V

"That is so not fair..." he breathed out between gasps for air.


"Think Absol would let you ride him?"

Sidney: "No, and that's why it's not fair!" >_>;

"No way in he--" Sidney heaved another labored breath, "--who designed this place anyway?"


Phoebe shrugged, but a low rumble caught the pair's attention and they exchanged a glance before turning to look further up the corridor.


"That can't be good."


"Drake is gonna kill me."

Ah yes, it's
384521039972925441.png
time.

"Not if his dragons get to you first."


Sidney suddenly looked a woozy. Phoebe noticed.


"How late are you in feeding them? Sidney?"


"...The whole day."

... I'm surprised that Drake's lizards are being this quiet considering they've been denied food for a full day.
701630550720512120.png


"Ohhhh, I'm definitely not missing this."

eating-popcorn-pocorn.gif


But Sidney was already gone, sprinting toward Glacia's domain. He didn't get very far before he came across the ice type specialist standing coolly at the center of her battlefield. Phoebe silently bobbed up behind where he stood frozen under Glacia's chilling glare.


"Hello, Sidney." Her voice was sickly sweet and icy cold all at once. "Care to tell me why the back wall of my chamber is melting?"


"Would 'I'd rather not' be an acceptable answer?"

Sidney: "The occupants of the chamber next to yours might be getting a bit cranky right now?"
701630550720512120.png

Glacia: "Sidney, what did you do?" >_>;

"No."


Phoebe leaned in close and whispered, "We should probably tell her." To which Sidney shook his head vehemently in the negative.


"Tell me what, exactly?"


"Ohh, she has good hearing," Phoebe unnecessarily whispered again, and Sidney brought a palm to his face.

Sidney: "Uhm... well, you see, the thing is that I kinda... maybe..."
701630550720512120.png


"Tell you... that everything is totally under control and there's no reason to go into Drake's chamber whatsoever," Sidney grated out through a false smile.

Glacia:
40b.jpg


"Well, not unless you want to become a dragon snack."


"Phoebe!"

Phoebe: "What? It's true."

"Sidney forgot to feed Drake's pokemon and now they're grumpy."


Sidney shot Phoebe a nasty glare while Glacia gave a sarcastic round of applause.


"Marvelous. I've always wanted to see what a ravenous Salamence could do to a human." It didn't sound like Glacia was joking.

Sidney: "... Glacia, aren't you going to help me here? You train Pokémon that are type-effective against Dragon-types!"
:uhhh:

Glacia: "And I want to get an earful from Drake why when you made this mess?"

Phoebe chimed in, too. "I'll tell Steven he should start looking for a new Elite."


"Guys, this isn't helping."


"I already told you I'm just here to watch. You're on your own Sid."

Sidney: "Glacia, you literally can just freeze-!" O_O;
Glacia: "Yeah, nah. I'll start booking your funeral arrangements instead."

By now the two ladies had circled around behind Sidney, leaving nothing but air and melting ice between him and the door to his doom. His shoulders slumped and as he woefully trudged toward the door he made a silent promise; if he got out of this alive, for the rest of his life he'd never be late again. Ever.

e02e5ffb5f980cd8262cf7f0ae00a4a9_press-x-to-doubt-memes-memesuper-la-noire-doubt-meme_419-238.png


Eyes squeezed shut, he gingerly pressed against the door, slowly nudging it open. The roars got louder and he swore he could feel the heat of an angry dragonbreath rushing through the gap. Taking a deep breath, Sidney steeled his nerve. In one mighty shove he threw the doors wide with a terrified shout and barreled into the room.


The sight that greeted him left his jaw hanging inches from the floor.


Salamence was sitting calmly on the floor of the arena along with the rest of Drake's pokemon, but they weren't alone. Steven stood at the center of the group, giving each dragon an affectionate head pat.

Glacia: "Wait, what in the-? What on earth melted my back wall, then?" O_ó

"Oh hey, Sidney. Great timing, it's nearly time for Altaria's grooming appointment. You can handle taking her to Lilycove for me, right?"

Sidney: "... I'm so lost here." .-.

But Sidney hadn't moved, he stood lost in a stupor that only left him able to sputter incoherently.


Steven just smiled as Phoebe and Glacia giggled. "Drake called and said you'd volunteered to help me take care of these guys while he was away. I know you're sometimes the forgetful sort, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a little fun at your expense."

Sidney: "But the wall- and-"

"You... you... but... the dragons... and... the flamethrower...how..."


Phoebe gave him a playful nudge. "Maybe now you won't show up halfway through the next League meeting?"


"No," Sidney breathed. "Definitely not."

Narrator: "He'll totally show up halfway through the next League meeting again."

Alright, as for my overall thoughts...

I liked the stories in general. I personally never imagined a regional champion and E4 being this chummy with each other, but hey, it tees up some fun scenarios as a result, and this series owns them pretty well.

I admittedly am not sure how much it makes sense to dwell too much on criticisms since this series is complete offsite, but if you do give your series a once-over, I'd say that it could benefit from a bit more description in general, since it's hard at times to get a visualization of your take on things like the layout of Hoenn's Conference Building.

You might also want to involve Steven and the Hoenn E4's Pokémon in the plot a bit more. Like Prompt #3 did a pretty good job at working Drake's Pokémon in, but Prompt #1 basically had everyone except Phoebe's ghosts absent when they're in a circumstance where they're a bit limited on options for entertainment and Prompt #2 had no Pokémon in it at barring a couple passing mentions of training. Just some food for thought if you decide to do a future revision.

I admittedly am not sure what I'd have to say about future chapters of this series, since I don't want to get too broken record about things that I might not see eye to eye on with you. But on the whole, even if I had some quibbles, I enjoyed your imagining of Steven and his buddies in the E4, and I suspect this won't be the last review I write up for this series of yours.
 

Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Heya,

I felt like coming back and reading a few more of your short stories, since, hey, they had quite a bit of charm. Will be tackling a tranche of 3 tonight and leaving thoughts as I go along.

Prompt #4

Wallace was all out of sorts. He sniffled and ached and his head felt like it was inflated larger than a Drifloon. This wasn't supposed to happen. Sootopolitans never got sick! So with a dramatic huff he collapsed back on the sofa and reached for another tissue.

He had nearly emptied half the box before his Milotic Victoria found her way to his side, cooing worriedly at her trainer's condition. Her nuzzling at his face and neck was a relief; her scales were cool against his too-warm skin.

I think that you might want to emphasize that Victoria is Wallace's Milotic. Like it's a subtle tweak, but it makes it easier to understand what's going on as a reader.

"Ahh, my darling," he paused as a sniffle assaulted his nose, "I'm afraid I cannot join you in the pool today. This dastardly illness has done a number on me."

Victoria's eyes shimmered with concern and she curled up at the foot of the sofa in support. It was natural for his pokemon to be concerned, but a malady such as this needed more human support.

Guess it's time to call up a doctor, huh-?

Languidly he reached for his phone and dialed the all-too-familiar number.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings.

"Hello? Wallace?"

"Oh Steven, finally! I was worried something terrible had happened to you too."

... Or you could call up the eccentric rock collector. That works, too.

"Something terrible? What's going on, are you okay?"

"Steven, it's just awful! I have been bedridden with the most ~~wicked~~ wretched illness. My nose will not stop running and my head feels like it is going to explode!"

I think "wretched" sounds a little better than "wicked" in context there, but it's your call as an author.

To Wallace's surprise, the only thing that sounded through the receiver was a hearty laugh. After a moment, Steven composed himself.

"Sounds like you've caught yourself a head cold," Steven's voice answered. "Well make sure you get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids, it should pass in a few days."

Wallace was flabbergasted. "How could you make it sound so cavalier? I could be dying, Steven. Dying!"

Steven: "... Wallace, it's a head cold."
:what:


But the Champion only laughed again. "You're not dying, Wallace. I can hear it in your voice, you're just congested."

"But I feel so weak. What if it takes days to regain the strength to rise from my sofa?"

"It won't get that bad. Phoebe had the same thing last week."

"But Steeeven," Wallace practically whined.

I'd ask how Wallace ever got this theatrical, but... it's Wallace, so this isn't terribly surprising.
803821849384583219.png


"Wallace. Trust me I'd come and check on you if I could, but I'm in Kalos right now. I know it's not going to be fun, but you're just going to have to manage on your own."

"Kalos!?" Wallace moaned as visions of romantic elegance danced through his head. What he would give to have the chance to see it with his own eyes.

"Yes, Kalos. It's for League business, I promise. I wouldn't dream of coming here otherwise without bringing you along."

Translation: Steven's collecting rocks again. Likely Mega Stones. :V

Wallace simply uttered another pathetic moan to prove how much his heart ached, or was that his head?

"I'll be back in Hoenn in three days. You'll be my first stop when I return. I have to run now. I have faith you can make it until then." The hint of amusement in Steven's voice was lost on the moping Gym Leader.

Wallace: "... Steven, you don't need to mock an ill man right now." >.<
Steven: "Yeah, and you didn't need to shove me out in front of a crowd of rabid fans two prompts ago. Consider us even."

"Do hurry, Steven. This could be the last time you speak to me before I waste away..."

Steven:
youre_serious_futurama.gif


Steven laughed again. "Feel better, Wallace." And the call ended.

Oh hey, it's a more polite version of the exact same sentiment from the gif. :V

It had been several hours since Wallace spoke with Steven, and still no one had called to offer their concern as to why the Gym Leader had yet to show his face around town. Victoria still hovered nearby, gently fanning him with her tail. Wallace was thankful that her heart was as beautiful as her scales, but he still felt utterly dreadful, and the tissue box was now completely empty. Throwing one arm over his eyes he let the other sag off the side of the couch. His head was almost too stuffy to hear the subtle sounds of a key turning in the lock of his front door.

"Wallace? Are you awake?"

Wallace: "... I should probably be more concerned about someone suddenly unlocking my door with me inside with no indication of who's doing it. But oh this wretched head cold! The humanity!"
Victoria: "*... Yeah, the sooner this guy gets back into the water, the better.*" >_>;

His front door closed with a soft sound, and light click of heels moved their way across the room. Victoria cooed happily in recognition, causing Wallace to drag his arm aside and blearily look up at the visitor who now stood over him.

"Glacia?"

She smiled warmly in return. "Hello, dear. Steven called and told me all about your plight."

"He did?"

Glacia: "Oh, you know. Head cold, an acute case of theatrics. That sort of thing."
Wallace: "'An acute case of theatrics?' Glacia, I could be dying right now!" >_>;

"Mmhmm. Growing up in Snowpoint, I learned a thing or two about cold remedies." She brandished a bag filled to the brim with supplies. "I brought a few of the essentials with me, I hope you don't mind."

Somehow, I never imagined Glacia as being from Sinnoh, and I dunno if this is something introduced in newer gens, or something created wholecloth from your imagination, but it tracks and fits her pretty well.

Sitting up, Wallace suddenly was overwhelmed. He had spent all day just feeling sorry for himself and yet his friends had arranged for all of this without an ounce of pity; it was pure, genuine caring. It was humbling, to say the least.

"Thank you, Glacia."

She smiled again as she looked up from scratching Victoria under the chin.

"It's no problem at all, Wallace. That's what friends are for. Now how about a bowl of Sinnoh's famous noodle soup?"

[ ]

I feel as if things are cutting off really abruptly there. Maybe it would've made more sense to end on some sort of outro paragraph showing Glacia getting to work and Wallace getting in his two cents about it, but eh. It's a cute prompt even without it.

Prompt #5

Steven beamed with pride as he looked down on the five pristine eggs sitting on his kitchen table. He had overseen their delivery personally from the breeder he met in Alola. Each egg was the same, deep blue with flecks of silver, but each egg was different as well, with tiny grooves running along in unique spiderweb patterns. They would hatch soon, he could feel it.

Oh boy. Steven having to babysit 5 Beldum zipping around. What could possibly go wrong? :V

The next several days were laced with excitement. Thankfully the League was on a short recess so Steven took the chance to remain at home all week to keep watch, waiting for the big day.

It only had been a few days when the eggs began to glow. He stood in wonder as four baby Beldum materialized before his eyes.

Boy is it convenient timing that they're all hatching at the same time. Or maybe inconvenient timing since now Steven needs to deal all at once with five-

"Wait, four?"

Ah, right, missing one. But let's see where this is going.

But as he looked to the last egg, still sitting whole at the end of the line, the first baby Beldum let loose a shriek, whether it was hunger, excitement, fright, or otherwise, Steven would never know, as immediately the other three Beldum joined in their litter mate's crying.

Uh... considering that I'm pretty sure that Beldum can learn Screech the Move, that's... gotta be ear murder right about then.
:fearfullaugh~1:


Now Steven was used to the metallic cries of the species, but the baby pokemon had no sense of self control, and as soon as they began to screech, their voices compounded into an ear-splitting cacophony that reverberated around the room. He needed to get them outside, and fast.

Yup, I called it.

But the Beldum had other ideas, and now free from their shells, the little steel types quickly discovered their magnetic powers. Still shrieking in what must have been either joy or confusion they began to erratically hover about the space. Eyes wide with the wonder of discovering everything Steven's home had to offer, they tumbled about, bumping things from counters, dislodging items from shelves, and even latching onto things with their claws. As soon as Steven was able to pry one from the refrigerator door, another had stumbled upon his rock collection and he abandoned the first Beldum in an effort to keep the second from knocking over the glass casework.

Ah yes, property damage. One of the joys of dealing with kids. ^^;

In a frantic effort that had seen the majority of his furniture sustain some sort of damage, Steven finally wrangled all four Beldum into a manageable gaggle in his arms. No longer able to explore freely, the Beldum began to wail once more and Steven winced, unable to cover his ears lest he let the Beldum wander off again.

Steven: "... In retrospect, I should've brought earplugs for this occasion." >_>;

Their wailing cries continued as Steven wove his way through the disastrous state of his living room and out toward the yard. He could barely think straight with how badly his ears were ringing. Along the way, one of the babies decided that the human now cradling it in their arms must have been doing all of the work in keeping it above the floor, so it stopped its levitating. Of course, Steven was not prepared to hold the full weight of a steel pokemon, and the little one fell straight down to the floor, landing square on his foot. He yelled in pain; that had to be a broken toe, and his shout only served to make the Beldum cry louder in his arms.

Does he even have a living room at this point, or a collection of splinters and plaster chips? Since I'm pretty sure one Beldum zipping around would leave a mark on most living rooms. :V

Though ouch at that Beldum impact on his foot. So much for going spelunking for the next couple weeks.

Now hobbling to the back door, Steven roughly shoved it open, finally having managed to wrangle the four babies outside. He stumbled down the steps and the metallic cries of the baby pokemon in his arms served to startle a flock of Wingull into scattering into the air. In amazement, all four Beldum ceased their crying to watch the birds take flight, and then when the birds were out of view immediately began wailing once more.

I mean, on the plus side, Steven won't have bird problems for a while. Sure he might have a minor case of severe hearing loss in the longer term, but acceptable sacrifices.
803821849384583219.png


Finally relinquishing his hold on the Beldum, Steven reached to his belt and grimaced as he felt the throb of his injured foot. In a flash, Metagross materialized by his side, flinching at the high-pitched cries echoing through the treetops. It quickly located the source of said noise and then spun to face its trainer with an uneasy look.

Steven sighed. "Yup, these are them."

[Metagross rumbled a low note and Steven shot it a glare.]

"No way, you and I are in this together. It's a joint responsibility."

Given that Metagross has no intelligible dialogue, you might want to do something like drop in some additional body language that plays up the obvious "screw this, I'm outta here"-ness of its reaction. e.x. staring at the Beldum briefly before starting to float off from the scene.

Rumbling again, Metagross turned its gaze back to where the four babies had gathered in a cluster, still crying.

"Oh, I'm aware. Can you help me out?"

Rolling its eyes, Metagross nodded before letting out a deafening roar. Instantly the baby Beldum chirped in surprise, their crying now reduced to quiet chattering amongst themselves. With a low hum, Metagross lowered itself close to the ground, beckoning the babies near. Red eyes blinked at the metal monstrosity before them, looks of faint recognition dawning in their expression. Then hesitantly, the largest of the bunch floated over and nuzzled into Metagross's side. It hummed comfortingly, and when nothing bad befell their fellow hatchling, the rest follow suit.

I'm presuming that was a bit more polite than "Shut up!" there, but Metagross is cuter at parenting than any psychic tank crab has any right to be.

Steven sighed in relief and sunk to the ground, leaning back against his partner and listening to the quiet chattering of the babies.

"Thanks, Metagross. I owe you big time."

It grated a rumbling reply, and Steven had to laugh.

So what sort of favors does Steven's Metagross call in on him anyways? Since now I'm curious... :V

"Don't worry, you were never that bad. Trust me, I'd remember if you were that much of a terror."

Narrator: "He was absolutely that much of a terror."

Satisfied, Metagross hummed again and settled around the baby Beldum in a protective embrace. Thankful for the peace and quiet, Steven was content to just lay there until the sun slipped below the horizon.

Steven: "Er... shouldn't I be getting my toe checked out right about now?"
:fearfullaugh~1:


It was dark outside by the time Steven remembered about the last Beldum. He quickly and quietly got up and jogged inside as fast as his foot would allow. As he came back out to the yard, Metagross's red gaze followed him, fixated on the last egg tucked safely in his arms.

Steven smiled. "This one is being stubborn. Or lazy. I can't tell."

Metagross grated out a small chuckle as Steven settled back against its side.

"At least it can spend some quality time with its siblings now."

Be careful what you wish for, Steven.

But just as he leaned back to look at the stars, the egg began to glow. Steven and Metagross both watched in silent amazement as the yard was cast in a soft white light. When the light finally faded, Steven thought his eyes might be playing tricks on him; the new hatchling seemed to still be glowing in the nighttime air. Blinking several times to convince himself otherwise, it slowly dawned on him. This Beldum wasn't glowing, it was reflecting the pale moonlight in its silvery hide. A shiny Beldum. Steven grinned as its red eye drifted open sleepily and its golden claws flexed cautiously against his shirt.

Wow. Talk about lucky there.

"Hello little one. You're quite the looker aren't you?"

The shiny Beldum chirped once as it processed Steven's soft question, its eye slowly scanning its caretaker's face. And then it broke into a loud wailing cry, loud enough to disturb the other four Beldum that were sleeping beneath Metagross's watch. Soon five tiny pokemon were all screeching in unison and Steven could only laugh at the incredulity of it all. Good thing he was used to functioning on so little sleep.

... Okay, then again, maybe not. Hope you get used to wearing earplugs for a while, Steven.
868180567433297921.png


Prompt #6

"I still can't believe you talked me into this..."

"And I can't believe Wallace agreed to do this."

6f6.gif


Phoebe and Flannery exchanged nervous glances as they spoke in hushed tones. Wallace had been pacing at the edge of the pool for a while now, spouting off all the virtues of how water was the best way to hone a trainer's body.

"...So I hope you ladies are ready. My contest spectacular preparation regiment is not to be taken lightly."

Flannery: "Okay, seriously, I'm a Fire-type trainer. Why do I need to be here?" >_>;

Flannery felt the need to interject. "But we're not training for a contest!" Wallace gave her a sharp look, and she clammed up, muttering, "It's just it'll be summertime soon and... well... we're both single..."

Well that was certainly forward. Though I'm not so sure that "opposites attract" is a safe bet to make in a Pokémon setting.
822923369149890622.png


Phoebe nodded in agreement, although the expression on the Master Coordinator's face remained unamused.

"No matter the reason, I have taken your request quite seriously, so I hope you two will do the same."

Both ladies nodded, but not without some apprehension. Why, oh why had Phoebe listened to Steven when he casually mentioned Wallace's penchant for staying in shape? She had gone to Wallace looking for a few workout tips, but this was quickly turning into a boot camp.

inb4 it turns out that Wallace has prior naval service or something like that. :V

"All right, hop in," he commanded as he slipped into the pool himself. "60 laps should be a nice warm up swim. Then we move on to calisthenics!"

Yeeeeeeeeah, I'd honestly just cut and run at that point.
:fearfullaugh~1:


Wallace had already taken off to start his own laps, and Phoebe and Flannery shared a glance again before arriving at the same conclusion. As Wallace disappeared down toward the far end of the pool, Phoebe beckoned to some of the nearby Gym pokemon. Flannery slipped a few treats from her bag and in no time both trainers had their very own workout partners. Phoebe kicked along behind an all too cheerful Spheal while Flannery found herself a friendly Whiscash that was willing to give her a ride. The 60 laps passed smoothly, and somehow Wallace was none the wiser.

Oh. That's a bit less worse than I expected, since I thought that those two would have to personally swim 60 laps. I can already see Flannery's uneasy cringing throughout though.
803821849384583219.png


When everyone had finished their laps, and Spheal and Whiscash slipped away under the water unnoticed with a quiet thank you from the ladies, Wallace ushered the group into his private weight room where they could continue to train. As Flannery nervously eyed the intimidating weight machines, Phoebe nudged her with a sly wink and palmed two pokeballs. As Wallace launched into an explanation on the optimal circuit for toning muscle, Mismagius and Duskull quietly slipped into the shadows. Every pull up, push up, and bench press was suddenly much lighter for the the pair, and on more than one occasion Phoebe had to remind her pokemon to keep their snickering to themselves, lest the water-type Leader become suspicious.

... You two do realize that this is just going to make Wallace give you a tougher workout if he thinks you didn't break a sweat during all of this, right? >:V

At the end of the day, Phoebe and Flannery gave Wallace their thanks and when he offered to meet them again bright and early the next morning, they enthusiastically agreed with the promise that they'd have one more member to add to the work out crew.

Hmm, I wonder who they volunteer-

"So how mad do you think Steven is going to be when we drag him out of bed tomorrow morning?"

Oh, of course.
662499150147092533.png


"Not nearly as mad as when he finds out he doesn't have any pokemon he can sneak into the workout without Wallace knowing!"

Both trainers laughed a bit too maniacally. Who said getting in shape wouldn't be fun?

That's not getting in shape, that's torturing Steven while kicking your feet back and pretending to work out. Better hope that Wallace doesn't get wise anytime soon. :V

As for my overall thoughts... I'll spare you the structural issues spiel since I don't want to get too broken record about it, though in general the quibbles I outlined with Prompts 1-3 are also present in these prompts to varying extents, which is something to be mindful of in a v2.

Other than that, I... honestly wasn't too bugged by those quibbles most of the time since I was too busy having fun with the prompts. They're cute and wholesome fun, and the takes on the characters that star in them seem like fairly believable takes off their canon personalities. So congrats on turning on the charm, since it's really carrying your series here.

Great work @Panoramic_Vacuum . I'll be looking forward to shooting a few more of these reviews your way before Review Blitz winds down, since these little prompts are addictive. ^^;
 

Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Heya, back for another tranche of 3 of your prompts. Since what can I say? They're fun little breathers in between larger pieces that I'm getting through. Without further ado:

Prompt #7

Sidney scowled as he looked over the bow of Drake's boat. The pair of Elites were docked in Slateport when they had come across an unpleasant sight.


"Should we do something?"

We... kinda don't know what this unpleasant sight is. It might make sense to bring it up here at the jump for your readers, or at least give a hint that it's something that's negative enough to make him react as like a hint.

But Drake just remained silent, his captain's hat pulled low over his eyes, but aimed in a way that told Sidney he was staring at the same thing.


A trainer not much younger than Sidney was standing along the shoreline with his back turned to their ship. They couldn't see his face, but the Trapinch cowering on the sand in front of him told them all they needed to know. He was swearing and stomping and his voice carried over the quiet waters of the harbor.


"They told me you would grow up to be a dragon! Well you haven't, and I don't see how you even could! You're just some little bug thing. You don't even have wings! I can't believe that breeder lied to me... You're supposed to be a dragon, my dragon!"

Wow, rude. He's certainly not going to become a dragon anytime soon with that sort of quality of training.

Sidney winced and glanced at Drake. [ ]


"Even if we told him, do you think he'd treat it any better afterward?"

I feel as if it might have made sense to indicate what Drake's reaction was, even if it was a "no reaction" seeming pokerface. Since... yeah, seeing some amateur dweeb bully a Pokémon that he's spent years getting good at knowing the ins and outs of training I'd imagine wouldn't sit well with him.

Drake: "If you have to ask the question, Sidney..." >_>;

The only sign that Drake heard him was the way the brim of his hat dipped a little bit lower.


"I don't know if I can take much more of this. I might have to go down there..."

Sidney: "... To talk things out, I hope?"
:fearfullaugh~1:

Drake: "No promises it'll just be a talk."

As Sidney shifted to move, Drake's arm shot out across his chest, freezing the younger man in place with a surprised look. His other hand produced two pokeballs from the pocket of his coat. With a heave, both balls opened to reveal their furious contents. The pair of Flygon could sense the fear of their fellow pokemon. With a mighty pump of their wings, both dragons soared high over the harbor until their presence was a mere shadow on the ground.

Ah yes, inducing Mama Bear / Papa Wolf tendencies in giant draconic antlions. This is totally going to end well for the trainer being a dick to his Trapinch. :V

As the sun was blotted out, the incensed trainer paused in his tirade and glanced skyward, using a hand to shield against the bright light. Instead of a lazy Pelipper, he was greeted by two streaks of green and red that crashed to the ground in a cloud of sand. Eyes wide with shock, the trainer stumbled backward, pointing at the Flygon that now protectively flanked his pokemon.


"D-d-dragons!"

Trainer: "... How much of that did you two hear between me and my Trapinch again?"
:uhhh:


The Flygon put on a fearsome display, arching their wings and whipping their tails before issuing a mighty roar with narrowed eyes and bared fangs.

Flygon #1: "*Just enough.*" >:|

"D-don't k-kill me please! Ahhhh!"


As the terrified trainer groveled in the sand, one Flygon marched up to him and plucked him from the earth by the back of his collar. Another scream cut through the harbor air as he was lifted to eye level with the prickly dragon. He could see the reflection of his terror-stricken features in its protective eye covering, and he chose to focus on that instead of the rage burning in its gaze.

Drake:
200.gif

Sidney: "... Drake, not that this trainer wasn't a dick who deserved all of this, but isn't letting your Flygon manhandle a trainer like this this going to potentially cause legal problems for you?"
:what:

Drake: "It won't if I don't get caught."

Flygon leaned in close, its breath hot on the trainer's face and gave an indignant snort, causing the trainer to flinch out of fear.


"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't eat me!"


Flygon snarled and the trainer tried to curl into the fetal position as best he could.

I feel as if it might have made sense to show how this guy's Trapinch was reacting to all of this. Since, yeah. Big evolved counterparts showing up out of nowhere and coming to your aid by casually humiliating the bully you were afraid of all of 30 seconds ago seems like something that would draw more of a reaction.

"I believe that breeder now, I won't say those things to Trapinch again! I promise! Just please don't hurt me!"


The rumble in Flygon's throat still remained, but at the huff of its companion, it quieted down. Eyes still narrowed, it none-too-gently deposited the trainer back onto the sand on his backside. Immediately the trainer scrabbled for Trapinch's pokeball and recalled it before beating a hasty retreat.

So how damp was that patch of beach sand afterwards considering how the Trapinch trainer was reacting to this entire episode? :V

Sidney: "Prooobably a good thing that that guy didn't look out at us and notice you eating popcorn."
Drake: "What? Isn't an old sea dog entitled to have a snack here or there?"
476581281094828033.png


Sidney turned wide-eyed to the old sailor at his side.


"Ten pokedollars says that kid goes back and asks the breeder if he can exchange Trapinch for a Skitty."


Drake just grinned. "He wasn't cut out to be a dragon trainer anyway."

Sidney: "As satisfying as it was to see that jerk squirm, isn't that Trapinch going to have serious trust issues with humans after getting returned back to that breeder?"
:what:

Drake: "... He'll have a chance to get a better second roll? Plus it's better to work through issues like that while you're young, so..."
720106605982646283.png


Prompt #8

He had meant for it to be a surprise, he really did. But when the front door opened causing and the cloud of smoke to came rolling out of the kitchen and into the foyer, the Delcatty was out of the bag. Steven poked his head out of the kitchen with a nervous smile.


"H-hey, Dad."


Joseph blinked in surprise as he gingerly set his briefcase down. He certainly hadn't expected to arrive home thinking his house was on fire, and he certainly didn't expect his son to be the reason why the smoke detectors were beeping up a storm.

"Steven? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

Joseph: "And I thought you collected rocks, not started fires in the kitchen." >_>;

Steven wasn't one to just visit out of the blue. In fact, he rarely visited Rustboro at all. Joseph would always remind himself that it was the League duties that kept him away; the position of Champion wasn't only glitz and glamour, and he knew Steven took the responsibilities seriously. But somehow he also had a feeling there was another reason his son would avoid coming home... It's not like he had been a great role model in the first place, all those late nights at the office when Steven was young.


"Well..." Steven's voice trailed off into a nervous laugh, "Everything's fine, but I'm afraid my plan didn't quite work out like I had hoped."


"Your plan?"


Another sheepish laugh came from Steven, and it was then that Joseph really got a good look at his son. He had discarded his suit jacket in favor of a chef's apron, although it apparently did little to contain the mess. Splatters of grease, dots of tamato sauce and several other unrecognizable smears covered his arms where his shirt had been rolled back to the elbow. Puffs of flour dotted him from head to toe, including smudges all over one cheek. His hair was a mess, even more so than usual, and was it singed in a few spots?

Joseph: "... Might want to stick to collecting rocks, son." -_-;

"I guess it's not really a surprise any more but..." Steven beckoned him into the kitchen, and Joseph's eyes went wide. "Uhh, happy birthday, Dad. Sorry about the mess."

Steven: "I... assumed you'd have been more interested in a birthday meal than another rock, but..."
:fearfullaugh~1:

Joseph: "Well, a rock certainly would've been less eventful, that's for sure..." -_-;

From the state of the room, it was impressive as to how Steven had escaped relatively unscathed. But sitting just beyond the carnage, ready to be served in the formal dining room, was a three course meal for two. It didn't look great, most of the dish was burned around the edges, and the appetizer had definitely seen better days, but Joseph recognized it as one of his favorites. Perched just beyond the plates was one of the saddest looking layer cakes he had ever seen, complete with lopsided hand-piped letters.

Steven: "... Surprise?" ^^;

Steven had lingered back at the kitchen door, and he began to panic as he saw his father's shoulders begin to shake.


"Sorry Dad, I thought it would have been a nice treat to repay you for all the times you made me something special on my birthday, but I really screwed up-"


But his apology was cut short by his father's boisterous laughter.


"There's nothing to apologize for," he said in between more chuckling fits, "This was a wonderful surprise."

Joseph: "Well, it certainly isn't a birthday I'll forget anytime soon."
Steven: "(Phew, so I dodged a bullet by not getting him another rock.)"
846179647921324062.png


"It was?"


"Absolutely!" Joseph enveloped his son in a hug, messy apron and all. "I've finally found the one talent you didn't get from your old man!"

Steven: "... Not sure if that's the takeaway I wanted to get, but at least you're not upset, so... yay?" >_>;

Joseph broke into another round of laughter, and when he finished wiping a tear from his eye, he caught Steven's genuine smile.


"Well then I guess this wasn't a total disaster then," he said, running a hand through his messy hair.


Joseph clapped a hand on Steven's back, "Son, just having you home is present enough for me. But the maid is going to kill you when she sees this, so let's get out of here and get some dinner. There's this little Johtonian place I've been wanting to try..."

Well, it's the thought that counted. Even if they might need a new maid in the near future from their current one walking out at the sight of that disaster zone of a kitchen. :V

Prompt #9

Sidney decided this was the first and last time he ever wanted to see a Garchomp with a confused expression on its face. But that's precisely what he saw when he walked into the practice arena. Cynthia's Garchomp and Glacia's Walrein sat on the battlefield side by side in bewildered silence as they watched the real combatants duke it out.

Sidney: "Wait, why is this the first and last time I'd want to see a Garchomp look like this again?"
:what:

- Cue Garchomp tilting her head with a toothy open-mouthed expression -
Sidney: "Er... right, could've done without seeing the mouth of saw-like teeth." ._.;

Both women had left their respective trainer's boxes and marched across to meet at the center of the field. Mere inches from one another, they yelled and gestured about something that left Sidney as baffled as their two pokemon.

eating-popcorn-pocorn.gif


Walrein: "*Human battle! Human battle!*"
Garchomp: "*Aren't we supposed to be confused right now?*"
Walrein: "*We're allowed to be both confused and amused, you know.*"

"We should probably try to break that up," said Phoebe as she sidled up beside Sidney, eyes glued on the warring trainers.


"You couldn't pay me enough to stick my neck out there..."

Sidney: "Especially since, you know. One of those two is a regional champion..." >_>;

Phoebe winced as a particularly nasty tone cut through the air.


"I don't think Cynthia's visit is off to a great start."


Sidney shook his head in agreement, "No one told me that a Sinnohan temper would put even my attitude to shame."

Bold to say that when Candice is canonically ultra-hot-blooded. I'm pretty sure it's an adaptation to warm themselves in the freezing winters. :V

"What's this about a Sinnohan temper?"


The two Elites turned to find Steven standing behind them, looking on curiously.


"Oh, uh, it's nothing, really." Sidney tried to play it smooth, but Steven had already peered past the duo and spotted his Champion counterpart.


"Cynthia's here? Why didn't you say so earlier. I'll have to kindly ask Glacia to stop harassing our guest."

de7.png


And with that, Steven casually strolled down to the arena floor and began to approach the two women.


Sidney gave Phoebe a worried glance and she returned the gesture, unable to figure out if Steven was foolish, brave, or equal parts of both.

road-to.gif


It didn't take long for them to find out, as the shouting match intensified for a brief moment before quieting down, and after only a short while longer Steven returned to join the Elites looking frazzled, yet relieved. Sidney glanced down at the battlefield over Steven's shoulder and gaped when he saw the enraged trainers had already calmed down and were having a civil conversation.


"But, how?"

... Okay, I'm mystified too at how Steven pulled that one off. .-.

Steven merely smiled as he straightened his lapels. "Let's just say I had a bit of diplomatic help."


Phoebe blinked in stunned surprise; she had never expected someone as quiet as the Hoenn Champion to be able to quell the hot-tempered trainers. But as Steven walked past the two stunned Elites, she saw exactly where his help had come from. Trailing behind the Champion was his Carbink, happily bobbing in his wake.


"Wait a minute..."

Sidney: "Steven, what on earth did you do?"

Steven paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder with a sly smile, "Did you know that Confide works when used outside of battle too?" Carbink gave a happy squeal as it circled around Steven's feet. "This little one is quite a good listener."


Phoebe just stared at Steven in utter surprise, while Sidney's jaw hit the floor.


"Oh, and we'll be hosting Cynthia for a welcome dinner tonight at seven. Don't be late!" And with a wave, Steven slipped out the door.

inb4 the Confide wears off 30 seconds after Steven bounces.

Sidney leaned over to tap on Phoebe's shoulder, startling her from their stunned silence.


"Remind me to borrow that TM from Steven for the next time Glacia wants to kill me."


Phoebe simply nodded, but made a mental note to do the same.

So something was learned that day! :V

Alright, as for my overall thoughts. I thought that these three prompts were pretty cute and varied, my favorite one was probably Prompt #7, but seeing bullies get their comeuppance is always a cathartic premise in general. I do feel that there were a couple points where a bit more description or keeping certain characters in mind more would've made for a more interesting read that didn't fully come through, kinda like how the Trapinch basically just completely falls off the radar in Prompt #7 even though it's out and about the entire time up until the very end, but everything still worked well enough as-is.

Though good job @Panoramic_Vacuum . Hopefully you also get some feedback on this series from other writers this week as well, since even with a few areas where there's room for improvement, they're cute little fluff pieces, and good pick-me-ups for when you need something to put a smile on your face in a short period of time. ^^
 
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Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Heya, back for another tranche of these short stories. Picking up with a triplet, since it's a good way to get a healthy smattering and a nice palette cleanser in between reviews that require a bit more crunch to yeet out.

Prompt #10

Phoebe smiled as she draped the Reaper Cloth around Dusclops' shoulders. The ghost type gave a happy shudder as the spirit energy flowed through its frame and with a gleeful cry, its body began to glow. As the bright light faded away from Dusknoir, a pair of blue eyes that peeked through the doorway squeezed shut and fled with a muffled, heartbroken squeak.

Oh? I take it that there's a common assumption that fundamental personality changes upon evolving aren't unheard of among Pokémon in this series? Since admittedly, I wasn't quite sure why the observer would be so dismayed.

Dusknoir quickly proved to be a strong addition to Phoebe's team, and it motivated the rest of the Elite on to work hard with their partners as well. Sidney's Vullaby finally kicked its disobedient streak and made progress in leaps and bounds. It evolved later that month. Drake's Fraxure was getting taller by the day and its tusks had begun to take on the wicked curve of their signature axe-like form. Dragon types were stubborn, but both trainer and pokemon knew it was only a matter of days before Fraxure would shed its juvenile armor. Even the Champion himself was spurred into action, and his progress was apparent in the green tinge that quickly began to show in Archen's growing plumage. One afternoon it burst into its first real flight, evolving into a full fledged Archeops.

Huh. I'm impressed at how you're worming in little worldbuilding deets into this series, since the whole idea of "start to take on features of your next morph just before evolution" feels like a neat quirk. Definitely also handy for eyeballing how far along a Pokémon is for its stage of development.

But Glacia huffed in defeat as, yet again, after a fierce training session her two Snorunt still had not evolved. It wasn't as if they hadn't shown any improvement. Their omnipresent shivering had lessened; a sure sign that their bodies were harboring plenty of stored energy. One of the Snorunt even had tufts of thicker fur peeking out from beneath its cloak. It would become a Glalie soon, she could feel it.

And when the day came and a bright light engulfed her two partners, only one Glalie emerged in the end. It hovered proudly, getting used to the feeling of its new body, but its partner stood next to it, still clutching its cloak in two shivering hands, eyes dejected and downturned.

Shouldn't have cheaped out on that Experience Share, Glacia. :V

"What's the matter, little one?" Glacia asked as she kneeled down before her pokemon. It averted its eyes from its trainer, and Glacia gave a reassuring smile.

"There's no need to be ashamed. You'll evolve when it's your time. We'll keep working together until that time comes."

inb4 it doesn't want to evolve or something like that.

But the little Snorunt still seemed agitated, and it dashed out of the training chamber without another word. Glacia frowned as it fled, but she wouldn't chase it. If Snorunt needed time alone, then she was happy to let it be in peace.

It wasn't until later that night when the rest of the League was asleep that a pair of tiny footsteps pattered down the hallway toward Phoebe's chamber. As quietly as it could, Snorunt nudged the door ajar and peered into the darkness inside. Dusknoir floated peacefully, eye shut in slumber, and Snorunt let out a chattering sigh of longing. It hadn't kept its volume low sufficiently quiet, however, and a single red eye drifted open at the sound. As it took notice of the open door, the hallway stood empty with only the remnants of a nervous squeak echoing down the corridor.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yGfQak-q9M


For the next week, Snorunt made itself scarce around its trainer, but not around the other Elites. Every so often it would pass through the common area and brush by, seemingly looking for something or someone. When Phoebe finally asked it why it was running from Glacia, Snorunt panicked and took to hiding in one of the closets, only peeking out the door when it heard someone new come into the room.

... Can't tell if this 'mon doesn't want to evolve or else specifically wants to become Froslass and doesn't want to become a Glalie. I could honestly buy either direction at this point.

Until, one day Glacia had been talking with Steven in the common room, and Snorunt peeked its head out into the room once more. It sniffed the air and trained its eyes onto the Champion. In one swift motion it burst from the closet and launched itself at the unsuspecting trainer. With one paw it batted at the man's jacket pocket, and as he stumbled backward in surprise, a small shiny item tumbled to the ground. It bounced with a couple of clatters, but before Glacia could admonish her pokemon for the uncharacteristic sneak attack, the little Snorunt had gathered the gleaming stone in its paws. Turning its blue eyes up to meet its trainer's, a bright light surrounded the ice type and it closed its eyes peacefully as it felt its body change.

Oh, so it did want to become a Froslass after all. Cute, though shame the language barrier made it so hard to communicate its desires.

Things felt lighter all of a sudden. More airy. The ever present chill was still there, like a draft that snaked its way down an unprotected collar. But there was something else too. Something otherworldly. Something that sent a tingle up the spine, but not from the temperature.

Both Steven and Glacia looked on as Froslass took shape. Sharp blue eyes slowly opened and the dual type pokemon circled her trainer in an icy swirl. Glacia offered a polite curtsy to her new teammate, and Froslass trilled a happy cry in return. She smiled as she gently took one of Froslass's paws in her hand, she now understood.

Glacia: "(Boy is it a good thing that I didn't press you to go back to training after you skipped out on me, since boy would that have gotten awkward quickly.)" ^^;

When darkness once again settled over the League, Froslass floated down the hallway and silently drifted through the door. She paused nervously next to Dusknoir, the larger ghost already awake and waiting for her. Shyly, Froslass reached out with one hand and Dusknoir gently cupped it between its two larger ones. Leaning in, the pokemon met with a soft nuzzle, and the air sang as their spirits danced as one.

A grim reaper expy and a yuki-onna have no right to be this cute together. And yet, they are.
784725534470963221.png


Prompt #11

The mood was tense as the two trainers left the Lilycove Art Museum. There was a traveling exhibition on display for only a short time, and it came was highly recommended by the local critics. So of course Wallace was determined to go see it and Steven wouldn't have dreamed of turning down the invitation to join him, if only for the fact that because if he did had, he would've had to hear about his declination for weeks.

And yet in the end he feared he'd still be getting an earful for an entirely different reason.

c6f.gif


"The nerve!" Wallace huffed as they strolled down one of the city's winding paths, practically stomping his feet as they went. "I can't believe they'd do such a thing!"

Steven ventured a nervous glance at the incensed Leader. He didn't find the exhibit to be of such great offense, but he knew to keep those thoughts to himself. Instead he chose his words carefully.

"It was an... odd choice."

"Odd?!"

What on earth got Wallace into such a tizzy anyways? A sculptural exhibit of Milotic dressed up as clowns?
803821849384583219.png


Clearly he didn't choose them carefully enough.

"I could hardly call what we saw something as tame as 'odd'. More like 'garish'. Honestly, Steven, I have half a mind to write a strongly worded letter to the curator..."

Steven: "Wallace, you realize that the definition of 'art' these days literally covers blank canvases in a room. Maybe you should consider being a bit less-" >_>;
Wallace: "No, absolutely not! It was an absolute travesty! A travesty, I say!" >:(

It was time to talk his friend off the ledge.

"I don't think that's really necessary, Wallace. It was just the one piece in the collection, right?"

"You're missing the point, Steven. It only needed to be one piece to ruin the entire thing!"

... I'm starting to think that it really is a sculpture of a Milotic in a clown costume at this rate.
803821849384583219.png


"I mean, art is all a matter of taste, no?" Steven tried to defuse the situation with a lighthearted shrug. It didn't work.

"Are you saying I lack the intricacies of good taste?" Wallace's voice climbed a few notes higher, and Steven winced.

"No, no, not at all," he raised his hands defensively as Wallace's narrow gaze was now aimed at him. "I'm merely suggesting that the artist is the one who is lacking."

Wallace eyed him for a moment longer before looking away, content to simply sniff and hold his head high.

... Nice save there, Steven. :V

"You don't need to suggest what I am already aware of."

At this Steven sighed in relief, able to deflect Wallace's anger back at the initial target.

"Well, needless to say I won't be giving that particular exhibit a glowing review."

"Thankfully I don't think the papers will be asking any of us for our thoughts on the matter."

"Oh, I'd love to give them a piece of my thoughts..."

iu


Though I get the feeling that the punchline to all this buildup is going to be quite something. :V

Steven sighed again. He was fighting a losing battle, and as much as he hated losing, this was one his friend would never concede. But that wouldn't stop him from trying one last time.

"Wallace, you can't be that surprised with an exhibit title like 'Pokemon: A Circus of Wonder'."

... Holy moly, I just was joking about the Milotic clown being the punchline.
822923369149890622.png


At this, Wallace wheeled around on his heel, practically sputtering, "Why not the charismatic ringleader, or the dazzling trapeze artist, or the mesmerizing contortionist?!"

Just the naming of the rest of the exhibit pieces began to recall the image in Steven's mind, and he found it more and more difficult to keep a straight face at the memory.

"Why? Why did they have to paint my darling Milotic as the clown?!"

868180567433297921.png


Wow. I'm impressed that I got that close to the actual punchline.

The hand over his mouth did little to stifle the laugh that Steven could no longer contain.

"I'm sorry, Wallace," he tried to backpedal at the Master Coordinator's furious expression, but his eyes still twinkled with mirth. "But you have to admit, they did portray her as a magnificent juggler."

... How does a Milotic juggle anyways?
720106605982646283.png


A flock of Wingull took to the sky at Wallace's cry of rage, and Steven found it too hard to hold in his laughter as he ran for what was quite possibly his life.

Note to self: Don't bring unflattering depictions of Milotic anywhere in sensory range of Wallace. :V

Prompt #12

"So, uh, how are things going for you in Hoenn so far?"

But Norman was in no mood for small talk, and he didn't move from where he stood, arms crossed.

"You're the one here for the Gym inspection, you tell me."

Sidney shifted at the Gym Leader's forwardness before quickly consulting his clipboard.

Sidney: "I'll take that as a 'not great', but moving on." -_-;

"Uhh," his eyes scanned down the checklist, "H-how's your win loss ratio been? We can't go having the newest Gym in the region being thought of as the pushover."

Sidney's attempt at humor was lost on Norman, who just stared back impassively. "It's fair."

Norman: "Isn't it literally our jobs to lose to kids so that they can get their badges? I'm pretty sure that in Origins we were depicted scaling our teams relative to our challengers."
:what:

Sidney: "Look, you need to win enough so that way we don't have to deal with literally a thousand entrants at the Conference this year, alright?" >_>;

"Oookay..."

He scribbled a note down on the clipboard, not because it was important, but because he felt like he had to.

"Look," Norman started with a sigh, "I know you're just here to do your job -"

"So let me do it."

Yeesh, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Did Sidney take a hard L to Bruno coming through on a visit or something? :V

The younger man's tone had taken a firm edge, and he caught Norman's surprised expression. It was his turn to sigh.

"I know, it's gotta suck that the League has all these rules and regulations. If I'm totally honest, I don't really care how many trainers you give a badge to or not. But if I gotta do this kinda stuff to help out the Boss, then I'm gonna do it."

Norman: "... You do know that if you hate this job that much, you can literally just make up something plausible-sounding for an inspection report."
:what:

Sidney: "Uh... yeah, I'm not dealing with that headache if I got something seriously wrong, thanks."
:fearfullaugh~1:


"What do you think of him?"

"Huh?"

"The Champion, Steven Stone. What do you think of him?"

Sidney found himself blinking in confusion.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Sidney: "... You are aware that this isn't going to help your inspection if you're not doing a good job-"
:sceptical:

Norman: "Look, just answer the question, alright?" >_>;

"Just wondering. I'm new to Hoenn, but you have to admit, having the heir to the wealthiest corporation in the region as head of the Pokemon League sounds awfully convenient..." Norman's tone wasn't accusatory, in fact it held as neutral as if he was having a conversation about the weather, but it didn't stop Sidney from bristling with defensive energy.

"Now listen here," he practically hissed through bared teeth, "No matter what you've heard, Steven's gotten to where his all on his own. I've seen it myself. I'd have nothing if it weren't for him, and I won't stand for anyone spreading lies that say otherwise."

I mean considering how another E4 literally had a high-ranking Team Evil operative on it and the Indigo League had a Team Evil leader on it... yeah, having a plutocrat's son as your champion is kinda smalltime.

"Relax," Norman's posture eased into a slouch against the nearest door frame, "I was just checking."

"Checking what?" Sidney was still on edge.

"Checking to see what kind of people the Champion had in his Elite. And what they thought about him in return. From the sound of it, Hoenn is in good hands. Now," Norman held out a hand, "Let me see that checklist."

That's... not a high bar to cross considering the likes of the Kalos League. Like I get the sentiment behind the statement, but...
:fearfullaugh~1:


"What?"

"Give it here, I filled out a million of these back in Johto. I'll walk you through everything as I go down the list."

Nodding, Sidney handed over the clipboard. As Norman gave the pages a cursory glance, Sidney froze and shook his head.

"Hey, wait a minute. I'm the one supposed to be doing the inspection!"

Norman just laughed and disappeared into the first chamber of the Gym with Sidney hot on his heels.

Well, that's one way to pass a Gym inspection, even if I'm sure that Norman got hit with the likes of an ethics complaint over this.
662499150147092533.png


Alright, so you walked me through the backstory of how these short stories came to be offsite, and with that in mind I think that I can cut some slack over stuff like length and whatnot. I do feel that both prompts #11 and #12 did feel like they could've been longer, though admittedly they kinda just worked as-is, so I'm not sure what I'd recommend for extending them.

And frankly I was kinda too busy having fun with the prompts to really notice those technical issues, since I was too busy d'awwing at prompt #10 and having a giggle at prompts #11 and #12 , so congrats there @Panoramic_Vacuum . I'll be looking forward to getting through a lot more of these little mini-chapters of yours, since they've got me hooked.
 
25 - Dark and Stormy

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #25: Sidney and Phoebe get caught in a thunderstorm.

Both Sidney and Absol wore the same scowl as the rain began to steadily increase. If Phoebe wasn't equally as soaking wet and miserable, she might have giggled at the way they both sulked as they helped load the last of the supplies onto the waiting ship.

A nasty storm was en route to Pacifidlog Town, and the two Elites had volunteered to aid in the evacuation of the floating settlement. It would surely weather the storm, but its occupants would be without power and food until the storm passed, and some of the more elderly residents might not be hardy enough to wait for the post-storm relief.

The storm wasn't supposed to pass through for another 24 hours, yet the wind had already picked up something fierce. "That's the last of 'em!" called Sidney, an arm raised to shield against the driving rain.

"Great!" Phoebe called back giving the ship's captain a thumbs up to signal he could push back from the dock. "Now let's get out of here too."

Dusclops had just released the last mooring of the ship when it froze in place, its red eye sliding over toward where Absol was standing, fur bristling with a low growl. Sidney already had noticed his partner's behavior and he cursed under his breath. Absol was sensing something, and it wasn't good. He turned to regard his fellow Elite with a nervous glance.

"Fee..."

Just as her name left his lips, the sky was split with a brilliant bolt of lightning, surprising even the steadfast Dusclops. Somehow, the storm had intensified in only a matter of moments, hours ahead of the forecast.

The floating walkways they both were standing on lurched as larger and larger waves began to roll through Pacifidlog. Phoebe strained to see her friend through the deteriorating conditions.

"Sid, we have to go now! The storm's too strong!"

She could see enough in the dusky light to make out him shaking his head.

"No good! Sharpedo can't carry us both in seas this rough. We'd never make it!"

For the first time in a long time, the icy grip of fear found its way through Phoebe's veins. "Then what do we do?" Her question just made it out before another flash of lightning and a crash of thunder cut her off.

Discomfort all but forgotten, Sidney regarded Absol's stern expression for a moment before nodding. "We have to get to the sturdiest building in town and ride it out!"

By now Phoebe had picked her way across the unsteady planks and reached Sidney's side. She might have been worried if it wasn't for the determined set of his jaw. If Sidney was convinced of the plan, then so was she.

"Okay."

"There," he pointed through the sheets of rain, "The PokeCenter is close enough to the center of the town that it should be protected from the worst of it."

Phoebe nodded as she swallowed the unease in her throat. Living on Mt. Pyre, she'd never had to deal with the ocean's rage from up close. If the seas around her home were ever this angry, she'd retreat to higher ground with her grandma and grandpa. In Pacifidlog, there was no such luxury.

Absol had already begun to bound toward the Pokemon Center, eager to get to sturdier ground, and Dusclops clomped after him.

"C'mon," said Sidney, and without thinking he reached back to grab Phoebe's hand to guide her along the floating walkways.

Phoebe was glad the wind was howling, so Sidney couldn't hear the small squeak she let out when his hand found her own. Quickly, the two trainers made their way through the growing storm. It wasn't much further to the PokeCenter...

Suddenly, Absol's ears shot upright, and he wheeled around in alarm to find his trainer's wide-eyed stare.

"Oh crap -"

Sidney barely had time to brace himself before the wave swept over the walkway he'd been standing on. The wood lurched beneath his feet, bucking him backward from the force, and Sidney definitely cursed as the cold, grey water reached up to greet him. A sharp tug on his arm jolted him from his single minded panic. Phoebe.

Dusclops was already on the move as his trainer was bowled over and into the churning sea. Its red eye was frantically searching the murky water for any sign of where she'd been tossed, but it came up empty. With a harried glance at Absol, Dusclops whispered a low question. But Absol's gaze on the waves didn't falter, and Dusclops had no choice but to wait.

Sidney's head broke the surface with a loud gasp, followed by a hand wielding a pokeball. Teeth grit in effort, he released Sharpedo and reached for its fin with the same arm. Absol's claws dug into the logs of the PokeCenter's platform, hackles raised until it caught sight of a splash of pink against Sidney's chest.

Arm wrapped protectively around Phoebe's thin frame, Sidney struggled to keep his head above the waves as Sharpedo hauled the two of them to the platform's edge. He told himself he'd never let go, no matter what.

Finally within arm's reach, Sidney called out, but Dusclops was already reaching down to pluck Phoebe out of the water. Shivering, she clung to her pokemon and watched helplessly as Sidney tried to reach for the platform himself, but was dunked under again by another wave. Sharpedo dipped beneath the surface and bobbed up beneath his trainer, getting him within reach of the platform once again. With one final push he dragged himself out of the water and lay panting for a moment on the deck. Blinking saltwater from his eyes, he was met with a soggy hug from Absol.

"Heh, I could use a little more notice next time," he managed to chuckle, and Absol only headbutted him harder. His hand flopped over on the soaking wood to recall Sharpedo from the angry sea. He lay there for a moment longer, before propping himself up on one elbow just in time to see Phoebe staring at him, unblinking.

"Sidney..." She'd wiggled her way out of her pokemon's grasp, although it didn't stop Dusclops from hovering protectively behind her. "You..."

But Sidney was quickly on his feet and swiftly wrapped his arms around her to ward off the bone chilling cold. "It's what anyone would have done."

Phoebe let him guide her inside the Pokemon Center and out of the rain, their pokemon following behind.

It wasn't until the doors slid shut behind them, reducing the storm's blustering to background noise, that she finally pushed back against his chest to look him in the face once more.

"You're not just anyone." She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought, conjured up by the panicked flash of their own mortality. 'To me.'

Sidney stared hard at her before pulling her into a tight hug, dipping his head so his chin rested against her shoulder. His voice was tight, probably for the same reason she couldn't choke out her own words. "Neither are you."
 
26 - Snow Day

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #26: Someone's Pokémon are bored. Very, very bored.

Glacia sighed as the notification flashed in her chamber. Sidney was victorious yet again. And yet again, another challenger fell short of giving her a decent battle that wasn't one against one of her colleagues.

She eyed her pokemon with a wistful glance before rising and sidling out of the room. Perhaps some fresh air would keep her from going stir crazy.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Glalie exhaled a frozen breath of disappointment as it floated around, leaving a small, frosted trail in its wake. Snorunt trailed in its wake, but not without slipping and sliding around on the frozen pathway. Finally losing its balance, Snorunt chattered in half-annoyance, half-amusement as it spun around on its backside before slowing to a stop at Sealeo's feet. The walrus pokemon looked down at its giggling visitor and its whiskers twitched in interest.

A loud bark of excitement cut through the chamber as Glacia's second Sealeo fired its icy wind on top of Glalie's ice path, reinforcing the structure before it dove head first, sliding past with surprising speed.

Snorunt chattered again and hopped back to its feet before launching itself behind Sealeo, snickering the whole way.

Glalie turned at the sound of the commotion, and it cried out as both Sealeo and Snorunt flew towards it, and all three pokemon landed in a giggling, dismayed heap.

Abomasnow looked up from where it sat and shook its furry head. If it joined in, one of its friends might end up as a pancake if it landed on top of them. But, it regarded the icy pathway with interest, perhaps it could participate in another way. Signaling to Vanilluxe and Walrein, Abomasnow stepped forward and began to concentrate its powers on the trail.

In the end, all of Glacia's pokemon got in on the construction action, and by the time they stepped back to admire their handiwork, the icy slide wound all around the chamber in a snaking, slippery path, complete with a loop-de-loop in the middle. Snorunt clapped its hands in glee and took off for the starting line with Sealeo hot on its heels. Abomasnow simply watched, hands on its hips.

The smaller pokemon slipped and spun all around the room, screeching and squealing with delight. It wasn't until Beartic tried to join in that the track finally gave way and shattered under its weight. With a dismayed rub of its head, Beartic immediately apologized and recruited Vanilluxe to help it repair the track.

Just as the track was back in working order, the door to the chamber creaked open, and every pokemon froze, afraid that perhaps their afternoon entertainment might have crossed the line. But Snorunt wasn't able to contain its momentum and Glacia soon found her arms full of a happy, squirming ice-type, and she couldn't help but smile herself.

"Have room for one more?"
 
27 - Sudoku

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon

Prompt #27: Someone is stuck on a crossword/sudoku/puzzle. The others are helpful.

Steven leaned back in his chair and tapped his lip with his pen. Brow scrunched in concentration, he hardly noticed when a curious face peered over his shoulder.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout, Boss?"

"Sudoku," mumbled Steven, not tearing his eyes from the booklet in his hand.

"Su what now?" Sidney blinked as he looked at the jumbled mess of numbers on the page.

"Sudoku," Steven repeated, still not aware of Sidney's vacant look. "It's a number puzzle."

"Heh, numbers and puzzles," laughed Sidney as he straightened up, "Never been my strong suit. So good luck with that."

"Mmm," Steven mumbled again, now rolling the pen between his fingers.

Sidney paused as he opened the refrigerator door, "Y'know you could just ask Metagross to solve it for you if you're stuck. I bet it's great with numbers."

Finally breaking his gaze from the page, Steven rolled his head to the side to regard Sidney's bright idea. "That'd be cheating. Besides, I do these for the challenge, not just so I can get them all done as fast as possible."

But Sidney just shrugged as he closed the door, snack in hand. "Like I said, not my cup of tea."

"What's this about tea?" Glacia asked as she stepped into the lounge.

"It's not about tea, it's about..." Sidney pulled a face, "Soduku?"

Glacia narrowed her gaze, "You mean Sudoku? I never took you for one who liked number puzzles..."

"He's not," grumbled Steven, back at his staring match with the paper.

"Ah, I thought as much," she said, gliding over to the table and taking a seat across from the Champion. "You know, I'm impressed you're completing it in pen. I usually have too many solutions in my head to trust the first one I write down."

Steven's eyes flicked up above the top of his booklet only briefly before going back to scanning the puzzle before him. "Mmm."

Glacia studied him for a moment longer before rising, "Now that I think about it, I could go for some tea."

"Put on enough for a second cup too, Glacia!" Phoebe's voice preceded her arrival to the lounge. "Oh hey, Steven, what're you reading?"

"Sudoku," said Glacia, putting the full kettle on the stove.

"Oh, my grandma does those all the time. Only the easy ones though. She said if she wants that much frustration she'd just talk to my grandpa."

Glacia chuckled, but Phoebe already turned her attention back to Steven, "Ohh, that one looks harder than the ones Grandma does!"

Removing the end of the pen from between his teeth, Steven looked up at Phoebe's surprised expression, "I finished the easier puzzles already. Only the hard ones are left."

The hissing of the kettle punctuated Steven's comment, and Phoebe quickly skipped over to the cabinet to retrieve two mugs for the tea. "Well, good luck then!"

"Mmm." Steven's pen ticked a steady rhythm against the tabletop.

"Why're we wishing people luck now? You going somewhere, lad?" Drake asked as he shuffled into the room, puffing away on his pipe.

"Nobody's going anywhere," sighed Glacia, retrieving the kettle from the stove.

"Steven's working on a tough Sudoku!" chimed Phoebe, readying the mugs for their tea.

"Ah." The Dragon Master's pipe puffed thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you'd pick such a noisy place to concentrate. I tend to prefer a bit less noise if there's deep thinkin' involved."

"It used to be quiet in here..." Steven mumbled, bringing the pen back to his lips.

"You're gonna have to speak up, the kettle's whistling up a storm," said Drake, a hand to his ear.

"Nothing," called Steven, loud enough to be heard.

Drake harrumphed as the kettle was emptied into two steaming mugs.

"Well, we'll leave you to it," Glacia said, mug cradled in her hands.

"Yeah, you got this!" called Phoebe as she brushed out of the room.

A solemn nod from Drake meant the last of the visitors were taking their leave, and Steven sighed. Finally some peace and...

"Hey, did someone make me a cup too?"

Steven had to use every ounce of willpower not to throw his pen at Sidney's head.
 

Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Whelp, originally when I fired up the doc that I had this review in, I had it as my outset goal to get current with your series by the end of Review Blitz. And then a fresh batch of three new prompts dropped on me while writing.

Now, my plan to get current hasn't changed, but how I'll get there has a bit. So brace yourself for a bit of a chonker tonight @Panoramic_Vacuum , since it'll take more than a little last minute update to keep me from catching up with this thing. >:V

Prompt #13

Glacia scowled across the table at Sidney as the Elites gathered in the lounge after another afternoon of challengers wrapped up sooner than expected.

"I'm getting rather tired of your winning streak, you know."

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm so good," Sidney offered with a casual shrug.

"You're robbing me of potential matches."

[ ]

"Look at it this way, if they couldn't beat me, would you really want to waste your time battling them?"

I feel like you probably want to show Sidney reacting a bit here, whether it's something like a nonchalant shrug or a more earnest attempt to smooth things over. Like it feels like something ought to be there, but it doesn't fully come through with just dialogue.

Glacia sat back in her chair in thought, "You have a good point..."

"Besides, now you have more time to sit back and read your book."

That sounds like a big downgrade from battling, just saying. And I'm sure that Glacia's team would agree. ^^;

But Glacia was soon frowning again. "I finished that book already, and the library won't be open again until tomorrow."

"Oh..." Sidney found himself scowling now too, but Phoebe's bright tone cut through the doom and gloom of a boring weekend afternoon.

"Now that all the challengers are taken care of, why don't we all play a game?"

- Beat moment -
Sidney: "Wait, we can just do that? Aren't we still on the clock right now?" .-.
Phoebe: "I believe the implication is that these challenges are by appointment and not drop-ins, so…"
720106605982646283.png


Drake tipped the brim of his hat back as he eyed the box cradled in Phoebe's arms. "Didn't have much else in mind for today. I'll bite."

Sidney: "... Wait, where on earth did you come from anyways, Drake?"
:what:

Drake: "Oi, this prompt opened up saying the elites had gathered in the lounge. Last I checked, I was still one, so…"

Sidney quirked a brow at the Dragon Master's sudden interest, and he leaned back in his chair with both hands behind his head. "Sure, I'm down. That makes three players, so maybe we can convince the ice queen too..." he trailed off with a glance across the table. Glacia was already glaring daggers at him.

Prooooobably shouldn't have called her an ice queen there, Sidney. ^^;

"Why not? I need someone to pulverize today since you hogged all of the usual targets."

Sidney: "I'm… regretting this invitation already."
:uhhh:


Sidney quickly averted his eyes from Glacia's fierce stare. "What do you have for us, Fee?"

Phoebe giggled nervously at the heated exchange, but she wouldn't be deterred. This was a perfect four player game after all. "It's a game my Gran got for me, she said it was great to play with friends!"

"Mmhm, friends," said Glacia with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.

Sidney: "... Is it too late to turn this into a 3-player game again-?"
701630550720512120.png

Glacia: "Yes, it is. Get ready for your whupping, challenger hog." >:(

"So how do we play?" asked Drake as he pulled a chair up to the table next to Glacia, unfazed by her bristly demeanor.

"Well," Phoebe slid open the box and spread out its contents, "It's basically a race to the end, and you have to avoid traps from the board and from the other players too!"

"Oooh, I like this game already."

Oh, so they're basically playing Mousetrap. :V

Sidney: "Doesn't the box say ‘for 2-4 players'? That means if Glacia doesn't want to-"
701630550720512120.png

Phoebe: "Sidney, it's most fun with 4 players. Knock it off already." >_>;
Glacia: "And you couldn't part me from this game for the world, Sidney."
:nyehehe:

Sidney: "That's what I was afraid of." ._.;

Sidney gulped as Glacia's gaze was locked back on him again. But as Phoebe passed out the pieces and set up the board and its respective cards, it wasn't long before tensions were running high between all four trainers.

"You've got to be kidding me," hissed Phoebe as Drake trapped her piece for a whopping two turns in a row.

Did Phoebe do something to mess with his dragons not long before this or something? Or is Drake just stone cold about kicking people while they're down? :V

Drake: "It was the most tactically sensible decision. Don't get so wound up over it, Phoebe."
:gardeshrug:


The Dragon Master kept his cool though, at least until Glacia sent him backward three spaces. Sidney snickered at the sudden change of target of Glacia's ire, but it was short lived as he abruptly landed on a spot that forced him to discard a card from his hand.

"Aw man!"

You… kinda brought that on yourself, Sidney. :P

As he sullenly laid his card down in the pile, a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. It certainly looked like the golden glint of a zipper...

"Hey, Fee. What was that just now?"

Phoebe's gaze shot up innocently as she drew a card for her turn.

"What was what, Sid?" she asked a little too sweetly.

>being so determined to win a board game that you're willing to bend the rules

Hoennese ladies and gentlemen, your Elite Four. >:V

"Oh nothing. It's just I thought I might have seen Banette float by just now. You wouldn't be thinking of using your pokemon to cheat now would you?"

"That's a mighty strong accusation there..." muttered Drake, but he too turned his attention toward the ghost-type expert.

Is this really that out of the question given that Phoebe has already been established to not be above having her Pokémon pull pranks on the others? o<o

But Phoebe wasn't going to stand for such insinuations. At least not without making one of her own.

"Don't think I haven't seen you tap Absol's ball for some disaster prevention."

Sidney immediately looked flustered. "That's not the same thing as having Banette look at other people's cards for you!" he shot back.

Sidney: "And Absol and I have a language barrier. Using his foresight isn't cheating if there's a skill barrier to taking advantage of it!" >_>;
Phoebe: "Suuuuuure it is."
:sceptical:


Somehow Glacia remained the most calm during the exchange. "Might I point out that neither of you have denied said actions..."

As both trainers flushed different shades of indignation and embarrassment, they quickly clammed up as they watched Glacia's expression melt into simmering anger. "First I get cheated out of a challenger battle, and now I get cheated out of a relaxing board game?!"

Drake:
giphy.gif


"Now hold on..." cautioned Drake as he made to try to move the game forward. But as he reached out for his card, a ghostly hand slid up from the tabletop and slipped a new card in at the top of the deck. Phoebe paled at Banette's misstep, and Drake scowled down at the board. "Never mind."

Drake: "Oi! It was funny when you were doing it to Glacia, but that's just rude!" >:|

Glacia was already on her feet, pokeball drawn, "Get back here you little sneak!"

In a flash, Glalie materialized and nearly overturned the table in an effort to chase after the now-fleeing Banette.

"Glacia, wait!" shouted Sidney, grabbing his own pokeball and releasing Absol just in time for it to block a haphazardly-aimed icy wind.

Note to self: Don't get between Glacia and her board games.
780304054227435550.png


Phoebe yelped as she too had to duck out of Glalie's warpath. Peeking back up toward the table, she groaned as she discovered that the board game was now completely frozen into a block of ice.

Whelp, so much for those four ever playing Not!Mousetrap ever again.
388785746544427018.png


Drake just chuckled at the mayhem, at least until Banette floated by and snatched the cap right from his head and used it to block another of Glalie's attacks. Eyes wide as his prized cap landed on the floor with a frozen thunk, an aggravated growl rose from the back of his throat.

"Salamence!"

Is there even going to be a lounge left after all of this?
822923369149890622.png


It was right at that moment that the door to the lounge swung open, and the Champion strolled into the room. If the chaotic state of the room didn't immediately alarm him, the roar of the mighty dragon-type certainly did. Barely two steps through the door, Steven's eyes went wide and he quickly turned to beat a hasty retreat, slamming the door shut behind him.

Steven:
pizza-fire-1435263526.gif


During Phoebe's next visit to her Gran's house, the older woman was shocked to see her granddaughter handing the board game back. The cards were all warped and waterlogged, and it looked as if a portion of the board had been singed... She stared up at Phoebe with a silent question, and the ghost-type specialist could only offer a sheepish laugh in response.

"Sorry Gran, you really should have said not to play with friends who aren't so competitive!"

And then Phoebe proceeded to never get another board game lent to her by Gran ever again. :V

Prompt #14

"...And all you have to do is tap here and it saves it for you automatically!"

Phoebe grinned up at Drake as she brandished her new PokeNav Plus for him to see.

"Plus it's got a new feature that lets us call each other too, so we don't have to use the old clunky League intercom any more."

Drake's mustache twitched, but he otherwise remained silent.

Drake: "... Doesn't literally every phone made nowadays do this as basic functionality? Including those newfangled Rotom Phones?"
:sceptical:

Phoebe: "... Those aren't mainstream in our setting yet? Especially if this is set anytime around the events of Gen 3."
720106605982646283.png


"Oh let me see it," sighed Phoebe as she held out her hand, and Drake complied, dropping the PokeNav he had been gripping in his pocket into her waiting palm.

She fiddled with the device for only a few moments before handing it back to the befuddled Dragon Master.

"All set! You should try it out for yourself though," Phoebe gave him a thumbs up of encouragement before she bounced out of the room.

Drake: "... Wait, if this functionality also works on old PokéNavs, why did you bother getting a new one?"
Phoebe: "Oi, some of us like being current with the tech curve."
826550123924029450.png


Slowly, Drake glanced down at the PokeNav in his hand and as he quietly stared, he felt a hand gently clap down on his shoulder.

"Ah, you've finally upgraded to the newest model," Steven smiled down at Devon's latest gadget, "My dad really worked hard on that one, I think you'll find its features really slick."

Oh never mind then, Drake did get a new model. I… did not pick up on that at all from the earlier narration. It might make sense to slip in a passing mention of Phoebe remarking that her model is ‘just like yours' or something like that to emphasize that both these two have PokéNav Pluses, since at first I thought Drake was still rocking a fuddy-duddy model.

Drake's gaze slid sideways to meet Steven's enthusiastic one, and the Elite's face remained stoic as he measured the Champion's words carefully.

But Steven didn't notice Drake's tight expression, and he gave his friend another pat on the back before slipping out the door. "Let me know how you like it!"

I can already tell that this is going to lead to shenanigans. :P

Drake watched him go and then jumped in surprise as the device in question began to buzz and blink. Staring hard at the screen, the song and dance quickly stopped and a face popped up on the display.

'Phoebe gave us your number!'

The Nav buzzed again, and a second face popped up.

'So now we can message you whenever!'

Drake scowled down at the twins' pictures staring back at him. Even the Gym Leaders were getting in on this, although he could hardly be surprised. They were young and plenty savvy to pick up the new Match Call system without much difficulty.

Drake: "... Wow, 2 minutes in, and I'm already regretting this PokéNav upgrade." >_>;

The PokeNav buzzed once again, finally not startling the veteran trainer so much, but what popped up on the screen gave Drake pause.

'Cant w8 2 chat ol sea buddy :-)'

With a groan, Drake was now staring at the device through the fingers of his other hand. He rubbed his brow and sighed. Somehow even old Briney had beaten him to the punch. He suddenly felt very weary, and he pocketed the PokeNav before shuffling back toward his chamber. Maybe Altaria could help him decipher exactly how to use this blasted thing.

"I'm getting too old for this shit."

… I'm shocked that Briney of all people is using chatspeak. Like you'd never expect it from his character, but it's definitely the cherry on top to this entire ending sequence.
803821849384583219.png


Prompt #15

Steven was only mildly worried when he hadn't heard from Wallace in several days. After all, the Gym Leader had his own life to live, and he was a busy man. But the silence of his phone was unnerving given the water-type master's penchant for contacting him out of the blue.
Given how much of a diva your take on Wallace is like, I can only imagine what those conversations are like.
388785746544427018.png

So when his text message was responded to with a single word reply, Steven really became worried. It wasn't long until he found himself standing outside Wallace's house with a box of his friend's favorite snack under one arm, quietly knocking on the door.

"Wallace? Are you home?"
Steven: "... Not really sure if I want the answer to be ‘yes' or ‘no' there."
701630550720512120.png

He felt a bit silly as he waited for what felt like too long for a reply, and in a snap decision he simply slipped out the hidden key and let himself in. It was only fair after Wallace had done the same to him so many times. As he set his parcel down on the kitchen counter, he noticed the strange silence of the house. Wallace always had on some kind of soft music if he wasn't simply chatting up a storm. Something was wrong...

Steven quietly moved through the house, determined to find what had happened to his friend when he came upon a closed bedroom door. Steven paused as a muffled sound made its way through the wood. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that it sounded like someone doing a very poor job at stifling some tearful hiccups. He brought his hand to bear and softly tapped on the door.

Steven: "Well that's not good…" ._.;

"Wallace? It's me. Are you okay?"

A particularly loud hiccup sounded, and Steven winced. He hadn't meant to startle his friend.

"I-I'm fine. You can go."

Steven: "... Wallace, have you been drinking? Since when do you drink?"
:what:


Steven pulled back from the door, blinking in surprise. Something was definitely wrong.

"You don't sound fine."

"My, Steven, you're quite perceptive."

644666732316721196.png


"Would you like to talk about it?"

"No, I would not like to talk about it. I doubt you would understand anyway..."

Translation: The two of them are going to talk about it anyways.

At this Steven frowned. Wallace never would turn down the opportunity to talk, let alone make an assumption that it was out of his friend's expertise.

"Well, I'm here and I brought your favorite..." he let the word trail off, and true to form he heard a rustling and the knob rattled as the door opened just a hair. Wallace's puffy, red eye poked through the crack.

"You brought cakes? For me?"

Steven: "Oh thank goodness, you haven't been drinking… I think. Though you look kinda… well, terrible." .-.

Steven nodded as he smiled, "I've been told I'm a good listener."

The door closed for a moment and Steven feared he'd pushed a bit too much, but when it swung open a moment later, letting the Leader shuffle out of the darkened room, he finally got a good look at the state of his friend. It was clear Wallace had been crying, for how long was unclear. His normally sharp attire was wrinkled and his shoulders sagged uncharacteristically.

Steven: "Okay, what happened?" -_-;

With a gentle motion, Steven placed an arm around Wallace's shoulders and steered him to the couch. Without a word he stepped into the kitchen and quickly returned with two plates that bore the sweets in question. Wallace opened his mouth to begin, but Steven stopped him, thrusting the plate into his hands.

"Eat first, then we'll talk."

Yeah, I'm not expecting those cakes to last long on that plate. ^^;

The two sat in silence as the treats were devoured, Wallace giving in at Steven's urging and having a second cake. It was as Steven was just finishing his first cake that Wallace set down his empty plate and sighed.

Yup. I called it.
868180567433297921.png


"She was seeing someone else on the side."

inb4 it turns out that Wallace is talking about his Milotic or something like that. :V

Steven's eyebrows shot up, but he remained quiet. Wallace continued.

"So, I broke it off. We're done. I just - I just feel so... empty," he sunk back into the cushions.

Steven's gaze never wavered and Wallace finally pried his eyes from the floor to meet his friend's. The lost expression on Wallace's face felt so foreign.

… Or it could be an honest-to-goodness romantic relationship that crashed and burned. I can't really tell right at the moment. :?

"What do I do now?"

Steven sat for a moment, pondering, before he answered. "You're going to sit right there, have another cake, and then figure out which pokemon you'd like to battle me with."

Wallace: "Steven, how on earth is that supposed to help right now?!" >.<

Whatever Wallace had been expecting, it hadn't been that. Steven smiled as he continued with a small shake of his head.

"You were right, you know. I don't understand, not to the level that would let me give you a helpful answer. I don't know what you should do from here. But what I do know is how to clear your head so you can think rationally about all this. So by the time we both finish another cake, I expect you to be able to tell me if you'll battle with Victoria or Phillip against Skarmory."

So in about five seconds given how fast Wallace is wolfing down those cakes?
868180567433297921.png


Steven: "Er… emphasis on we both there." ._.;

Wallace's mouth moved a bit in stunned silence at his friend's forwardness before his lips pressed into a determined line.

"I'm not getting you that cake either, so I'd hurry and get in here before I eat the rest of them," Steven called out from the kitchen.

21 words spoken seconds from disaster.

The couch was empty in a flash and as Wallace snatched the box of sweets from Steven's hands and he had to admit; he hadn't gotten the answer he had wanted, but he did get the answer he needed.

Yeah, I kinda figured.
775196514255503370.png


Prompt #16

"Ow ow ow ow."

Sidney gingerly sat up from the lounge chair and grimaced as his arm brushed against the side. The view from his room's balcony was too serene to pass up, but unfortunately the excitement of the previous day had caught up with him and he had fallen asleep, and now he was paying dearly for it. So far in their trip to Alola he'd been responsible, always wearing sunscreen, especially on his head, and finding some shade to rest in throughout the day. But his cat nap in the direct sun had proven to be too much. If only Absol had been by his side, it could have warned Sidney about his impending doom.

Oh, is this set after that holiday one-shot of yours, since that one ended on the note of part of the gang going out to Alola, and now here they are, so…

But instead, the entirety of Sidney's body was now almost the same color as his hair. Well... at least his front side.

He slipped inside his suite and flopped down onto the bed with a groan.

"Ow."

I'm wincing just reading that first paragraph.
663472557499875330.png


Mightyena's head perked up from its own nap and it stretched before slinking over to nudge its trainer's leg with its nose. Sidney didn't move. It hurt too much to move.

How is Sidney not yelping in agony from that nudge given that he's redder than a beet right now? :V

Mightyena's ears swiveled curiously and it nosed Sidney again, and he weakly tried to swat it away, his voice muffled by the comforter.

"Mph, stop. I'm alive, I think. Ow."

Oh, so he is feeling those nudges. Fun times there. ^^;

Upset at Sidney's obvious discomfort, Mightyena gave a concerned whine just as Absol strolled through the room. One look at Mightyena's expression confirmed its nagging suspicion, and it shook its head before sidling off into the bathroom to dig up the salve it knew was there for just this occasion.

Salve, huh. I mean, I guess disaster perception does give you a leg up on preparing for them, but I can't figure out if that's metaphorical or literal salve there… Or at least not yet.

It took Sidney significantly longer to get ready for the group dinner that night, and by the time he arrived, the meal was well underway. Everyone was seated around the table laughing and talking, but as he made his presence known, the table fell deathly silent. The only sound was Wallace's fork clattering against the table where he had dropped it.

Steven was the first to speak.

"Sidney. So, uh, glad you could join us. Help yourself to a plate, the buffet is over there."

Steven: "... Not really sure how you're standing right now. But if you could make it down here…" .-.

"Um, thanks," Sidney nodded and moved as carefully as he could to where the food was waiting.

A few murmurs ran through the table as he was filling his plate and he rolled his eyes. He had a pretty good idea what they were whispering about. Shuffling his way back to the group, he eased into his seat, but not before brushing his leg against the tablecloth with a sharp hiss. As he glanced around the table, the reactions were mixed. Steven's expression held nothing but empathy, and Wallace, he presumed, hadn't moved out of pure shock since he'd entered the room. But Phoebe was a different story. Her cheeks puffed out merrily and her lips curled into a thinly veiled grin. He could tell she was bursting to say something, so he rolled his eyes in indulged his fellow Elite.

Oh, so she's doing this face:

Sticker, smuglandit


Don't deny it either. :V

"What is it, Fee?"

"I just came up with the most brilliant idea for you, Sid."

Sidney's brow arched in confusion. That wasn't what he was expecting. Also, ow.

"Ookay?"

Sidney: "I can already tell that I'm going to regret this, but what is it?"

Phoebe nodded giddily.


c6f.gif



"It really came to me just now, although I'm not sure how..." she trailed off as her eyes traveled over his bright red face. "You should get a Krookodile for your team."

A snort immediately sounded from the other side of the table where Steven was covering his mouth with his napkin and Wallace's eyes had nearly doubled in size, but still hadn't moved otherwise.

That's at once hilariously cruel and some really solid advice there.
822923369149890622.png


Sidney's gaze narrowed as he eyed Phoebe suspiciously. "What makes you say that, Phoebe?" he asked slowly.

"Oh, no reason in particular," she said sweetly as she dug her phone from her bag and swiftly snapped a picture right in Sidney's face. "Maybe this has something to do with it though."

Sidney: "Not sure why I'm looking at the mirror when I'm sure that I already know what the punchline is going to be-" >_>;

Sidney's eyes grew ever larger than Wallace's as she spun the phone around for him to see the photo. He had completely forgotten he fell asleep with his sunglasses on, and the railing of the balcony was at just the right angle so that his sunburn was painted in nearly the same pattern as the dark type in question.

"Why me?" he moaned sinking his head into his hands as Phoebe giggled uncontrollably.

"Ow."

I mean, if you manage to get that Krookodile within the next week, it'll definitely be a ‘like trainer, like Pokémon' situation.
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Prompt #17

"I'm way too hungover to deal with this right now..."

Steven grimaced as a gleaming streak shot through the Ever Grande sky. The morning sunlight did little to help the searing headache he was currently battling. Last night was his five year mark of becoming Champion, so of course he and the Elites celebrated accordingly. He was first to wake, although not unscathed from the night's merriment, and now he had an even bigger issue on his hands.

Steven: "I didn't even know that we had drinkers on the team. But the more you know…"
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Another flash of polished steel zipped by accompanied by an ear piercing shriek and Steven winced, not just because it made his head pound even more, but because his accidentally-caffeinated Skarmory would wake the whole League at this rate.

"Skarmory," his voice was weak as he tried to flag down his hyperactive flyer, "You can fly around, but please stop screeching."

Oh yeah, that'll really stop it. Though I see that it's Steven who had a bit too much to drink last night. :V

He winced again as the rebellious pokemon did exactly what it was told not to do, and it buzzed by its trainer again. Steven ducked out of the way just in time, and as Skarmory looped high on the follow through, another voice sounded from behind him.

"What in the world is going on out here?" Glacia was incredulous, although looking just as haggard as Steven.

"I'm sorry, Glacia. It's Skarmory. He got into my morning coffee..."

… How much coffee grounds did this bird eat? .-.

"He what?"

"I set the mug down for only a moment to look for the asprin, and when I turned back around, he had drunk the entire thing... I mean I knew he liked bitter berries, but this..." Steven hung his head in defeat. "I don't know how long it takes for caffeine to wear off in pokemon..."

Glacia: "... Steven, what on earth was even in your coffee to make your Skarmory do this?" ._.;
Steven: "Espresso… and maybe a couple of caffeine pills for good measure?"
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Glacia gaped at Steven's explanation before both trainers had to duck out of the way of another over-enthusiastic dive bomb. As they picked themselves up off the ground, Glacia had a particularly nasty look aimed at the Champion.

"Well you better sober up in a hurry or else we're going to get cut to ribbons! Where's its pokeball? Just return it until it calms down."

Mood music for this moment:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPl_1RpBK_4


Good luck with that whole ‘recalling Skarmory' thing there given that it's doing its best Latii impression.
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"I... I don't know where his ball is... I think I misplaced it during the party last night, and I can't recall where I put it." Steven brought a hand to his aching head and did his best to look apologetic.

Skarmory gave another giddy screech as it did a loop-de-loop high overhead, and Glacia covered her eyes with her hand, trying to will away her hangover with sheer frustration. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

Oh, so I see the gang as a whole is hungover. Or at least Glacia and Steven are. Which probably doesn't portend well with everyone else. ^^;

"What's all the ruckus?" Drake arrived just as Glacia lost the battle of wills to keep her from strangling Steven on the spot. Instead she simply snapped a finger in the Champion's direction. Drake's gaze followed her point with a quirked brow.

"Ah, this is my fault. Skarmory's a bit wound up this morning. Sorry for disturbing you."

Steven: "At this rate, I'm starting to think that we should all just get someone with Sleep Powder to help us conk out until Skarmory goes back to normal." >_>;

But Drake just chuckled and tipped his cap back with a finger so he could watch the energetic steel type barrel roll to its heart's content, cawing and cackling with joy. "It's no problem at all, lad."

Something in the older trainer's demeanor had Steven peering at him suspiciously, "You look awfully cheerful for such a rude awakening..."

Drake grinned and slipped his pipe out from his pocket, "What's the matter? Hurting a bit after last night?"

I see that an old sea dog can hold his liquor significantly better than the rest of his peers.
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"And you're not? Sidney is dead to the world and probably will be for the better part of the day. He was trying to keep up with you." Glacia's voice was tight; her pride may have taken a bit of a blow seeing how well Drake was faring compared to the rest of them.

Striking a match and puffing his pipe to life, Drake simply shook his head with a twinkle in his eye, "I wouldn't be worth my salt if I couldn't drink you youngsters under the table."

>getting into a drinking contest
>with a sailor

Yeah, these guys totally brought all of this down on themselves.
:blepcat:


Steven opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then thought better of it. Still shielding his eyes, he turned to head back into the building. "I'm going to lay down. Skarmory will tire itself out eventually."

Looks like that Sleep Powder won't be necessary after all.

"Hey, wait!" Glacia was hot on his heels, "It's your pokemon, don't just let it misbehave like this!"

Steven grumbled some kind of retort to that, but Drake didn't quite catch it. Instead he simply grinned and reached for his belt.

"You've finally got yourself a playmate, Flygon. Go have some fun."

Steven: "What?! Drake! That's my Skarmory up there-!" O_O;

His speedy dragon burst free from its ball with a happy cry and Skarmory joined in with a shriek of its own.

Drake called out to the two pokemon circling overhead, "Extra treats tonight if you manage to wake Sidney up in the process."

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This guy is such a troll.

It felt good knowing he wasn't just a veteran at pokemon battling.

Better watch your back, Drake. Since I doubt the others are going to forget about this one. o<o

Prompt #18

The letter fluttered from Glacia's hand like a snowflake. Snaking its way to the floor from her shaky grasp, the letter wasn't quite like a snowflake when it landed; it didn't melt into oblivion. The words remained, still etched in her mother's crisp handwriting, and they wouldn't disappear no matter how hard she wished they would.

Uh-oh. That certainly sounded ominous. ._.;

Her dress crinkled softly as she lowered herself into the closest chair to where she had opened the letter. From where she sat, she could still see the paper; black on white, although the contrast wasn't so clear from this distance. No, everything was becoming blurry, even the too-white knuckles that gripped the fabric in her lap. She blinked away the tears as swiftly as she could. Just like her mother, and her mother before that, the women of her family would remain strong. The ice queen of Snowpoint. What would they say if she was caught crying?

Sidney: "Wow, she has a heart after all-?"
Glacia: "Sidney, shut up!" >_>;

Phoebe, bless her heart, would probably share some words of comfort that her grandmother had passed down to her. Drake would probably just remain as impassive as ever. He of all people would know about keeping up appearances, the old softie. Sidney... Sidney would probably never let her hear the end of it, although it's not like she didn't have her own stockpile of ammunition to fire right back at him. Phoebe's Krookodile picture from their Alola trip came to mind... And Steven. The heir turned Champion, who had a youthful countenance but the eyes of a much more experienced man. He'd give her a quiet look that spoke volumes without ever uttering a word, and just like that, what she'd suspected for a while now would be abundantly clear. That she was not alone no matter how empty her heart felt with such a loss.

Oh. I'm guessing this is a death within the family. That's certainly a
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feel since usually these one-shots are fairly lighthearted.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt at ease. The four people she trusted the most, the four people who placed an equal amount of trust in her. Surely they would understand if the cracks in her icy facade were visible for one vulnerable moment…

Glacia: "Well, Sidney's debatable, but let's not dwell on that too much right here and now." >_>;

A slight tug at the hem of her dress brought her back to the present, and she wiped away a few more tears before glancing down at her visitor. Her Cubchoo had wandered in from the training area and was staring up at her with wide, concerned eyes.

"Oh, my darling," she scooped the bear cub into her arms and cradled it gently against her chest, "I hope my mood isn't upsetting you."

I mean, it kinda obviously is, but hey, at least it wants to try and cheer you up. ^^

But the Cubchoo shook its head and simply snuggled deeper into her arms as it wrapped its paws around her neck in a tiny hug. Its nose was startlingly damp against her skin, but its quiet chuffing sent warm breath down her neck, and try as she might to stop it, her pokemon's sympathy opened the flood gates once more. Tilting her head forward, she buried her face in Cubchoo's fur and sobbed. Just this once, the ice queen would melt.

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Definitely wasn't expecting one of these to give me feels. Not that I'm opposed to the emotional variety.

Alright, a bit of a marathon session tonight, but I liked the spread of themes and vibes here. There was some of the expected comedic fare, along with a couple pieces that caught me off-guard with how much more serious they were in feeling. I actually feel that it helps the overall feel of the collection, since nonstop comedy admittedly wouldn't make your take on the Hoenn E4 feel as alive as it does without showing the other sides of the various characters.

I admittedly don't have a ton of complaints to raise beyond what I've already brought up about a couple places where I thought one thing or another being missing, though I suppose that's a mark of getting engrossed in these little short stories, huh? ^^

Good work, and I'll be looking forward to coming back and polishing off the rest in the next two days.
 

Spiteful Murkrow

Busy Writing Stories I Want to Read
Pronouns
He/Him/His
Partners
  1. nidoran-f
  2. druddigon
  3. swellow
  4. lugia
  5. quilava-fobbie
  6. sneasel-kate
  7. heliolisk-fobbie
Heya, back for another bigger tranche tonight. I was originally hoping to get everything done in a big bang tonight, but wound up running out of steam, so the proper RB sendoff to my series over your short stories will have to wait for another day. Well, three quarters of one given that the deadline is in the middle of the evening tomorrow for me.

But there’s no shortage of stuff for me to cover in the interim, so without further ado, let’s hop straight into some of those prompts:

Prompt #19

Never in her life did Phoebe expect to have someone cowering behind her as if she were a human shield, and never did she expect that someone to be the biggest, most physically imposing Gym Leader around.

Thankful that Brawly wasn't able to see her face, Phoebe rolled her eyes at how he tried to somehow get his whole body behind her petite form, gripping her shoulders with a level of terror that she didn't think was possible from the muscle-bound Leader.
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Well, you’ve certainly piqued my interest here. Let’s see where this is going.

With one shaking finger, Brawly pointed past Phoebe's ear over toward the far corner of his Gym. "It's over there. That's where I saw it."

"Brawly," she kept her tone gentle, "What exactly are you expecting me to do?"

- checks prompt -

Oh, this is going to be gold, I can already tell. :V
His voice rose even higher in exasperation, "I dunno, talk to it or something? Tell it to stop haunting my Gym, man! I didn't do anything to make the spirits angry, I swear!"

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I mean, it doesn’t take that much to get spirits angry in stories, just saying, Brawly. :P
Phoebe sighed, "The spirits aren't mad. In fact, I'm not sensing any ghostly activity here at all."

"What?!"

Brawly's shout was painful in her ear and she winced, but Brawly quickly realized how loud he'd been, and not wanting to rile up the spirits that weren't really there, he shrunk back down behind her again, voice in a strained whisper. "There's no way I can believe there's nothing there. I heard things... I saw things!"

Phoebe: “Are you sure that you didn’t just eat spoiled food the prior night or something? Since that feels like this is where it’s going.” >_>;

Phoebe wrenched herself from the Leader's iron grip and spun to face him with a quirked brow.

"You called in one of the only people in Hoenn who can commune with ghosts, and you don't believe me when I say I can't find anything here?"

Brawly: “Look, I know what I saw, man!” O_O;

"Yes," Brawly squeaked out, sheepishly twiddling his fingers as he stared at anything that wasn't Phoebe or the cursed corner of the room.

Crossing her arms, Phoebe fixed Brawly with an expression that bordered between amused and frustrated. "What's it going to take to convince you that your Gym isn't actually haunted?"

That’s what I wanna know, since when the word of a Ghost-type specialist isn’t enough to soothe you… :V

"I mean, could you just perform an exorcism anyway? It'd make me feel a lot better."

Phoebe: “... Seriously, Brawly?”
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Brawly: “Better safe than sorry!” O_O;

Phoebe nearly sighed again, but an idea crossed her mind, and a sneaky grin flashed across her face. "Sure, we can do that for you."

"We?" Brawly gulped.

But Phoebe was already on the move, grabbing some chalk from the nearby free weights and drawing symbols on the floor before littering spell tags all along the lines. Of course, this wasn't actually an exorcism; she already had an idea of what might be causing Brawly's "hauntings". But that didn't mean she couldn't have fun with the skittish Leader in the meantime.

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I see that trolling is just a general trend for your take on the E4 here. Since… yeah, this is ever so slightly mean.
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Brawly's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched Phoebe work, and he paled while slowly backing himself up until he was pressed into the far wall of the Gym.

When she was finished she moved to the center of the symbol and sat cross legged on the floor, eyes closed, but not quite all the way. She didn't want to miss the expression on Brawly's face. Slowly, Phoebe began to chant and wave her arms in airy, rhythmic motions. She began to chant faster and faster, until she felt that she'd put on enough of a show…

In a flash, several ghost pokemon burst forth from where she had hidden their pokeballs, and Brawly screamed. The Gym lights flickered and dimmed as the pokemon circled overhead, and Phoebe nearly burst out laughing when her Banette flew right over to the panicked Leader and licked him in the face. After stifling her giggling fit, Phoebe finally noticed that all the excitement had done him in; Brawly had passed out on the floor from sheer terror. At least now she could test her suspicion in peace…

Oh lol. Though this seems pretty par for the course for your take on Phoebe based off what she’s been depicted doing in past prompts.
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"Ughhh," Brawly groaned as he sat up from the floor, rubbing his head gingerly. "What happened?"

His question was soon answered as a cheerful Phoebe popped into his field of view.

"Morning, sleepy head!"

"Sleepy head?"

Brawly: “... How are you just okay right now when the last I saw you, you were surrounded by Ghost-types from nowhere?” ._.

"You fainted," she said with a smile, "But I have good news. I've caught your spooky visitor!"

"You did?"

"Mmhmm! Want to meet them?"

Brawly: “... No, not really.” o_o;;
Phoebe: “Too bad, you’re going to meet them anyways!”

"What, wait, no way man!" Brawly quickly tried to backpedal, but Phoebe swung her arms out from behind her back and Brawly screamed again, cowering away from the "ghost" behind his hands.

"Shroom shroomish!"

Brawly cracked open one eye and found himself staring at a jolly green blob of a pokemon happily nestled between Phoebe's hands. She giggled.

"This little guy was hiding in your vents watching you train. I think he wants to join you so he can be a strong Breloom when he grows up."

Brawly: “B-But the ghosts-! And-!” O_O;

Dumbfounded, Brawly reached out with one shaky hand to pat the friendly Shroomish on its petals.

"So... so there wasn't a ghost after all?"

Brawly: “Since I know I saw you surrounded by ghosts earlier.” ._.;
Phoebe: “Just a nightmare!”
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Phoebe shook her head and the Shroomish chirped as it wiggled in her grasp. "Well, not ones that were living here..."

Brawly looked surprised for a moment before his gaze narrowed suspiciously. But before he could interrogate her about the exorcism, she thrust the Shroomish in his arms and danced out the door.

"Bye, Brawly! I promise I won't tell Roxanne that you're afraid of a little ol' ghost!"

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She’s totally going to tell Roxanne, I can tell. :V

As the Gym door slid shut behind her, Brawly found he couldn't stay upset with the mischievous Elite, so he just looked down at Shroomish and shook his head with a small smile.

"Not cool, man. Not cool."

Well hey, at least he got a new teammate out of it. Even if I suspect Brawly’s going to be hearing a lot about this whole incident from his peers in the future.
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Prompt #20

"Whew!"

Sidney let loose a sigh of relief as he plopped down on his backside and sprawled out on the floor, sweat sliding down his brow.

"[That was an intense training session, you guys,]" he beckoned to his teammates, and his pokemon gathered around their exhausted trainer looking nearly as overheated as him. "Good thing I came prepared."

He took a deep breath as he sat back up before jumping to his feet. Crossing the room quickly, he picked up an impressively sized ice chest and made his way back to his waiting partners.

It… might have made sense to hint at what exactly they were all doing for training that even wore out Sidney, since it feels like there’s a story there that’s not really being told, even if it’s just a sentence in passing.

"I come bearing gifts," he grinned as he tilted the lid open, and all eyes peered inside.

Mightyena gave a howl of excitement as Sidney slipped six generously sized ice cream sandwiches out of the cooler's depths.

Can all of Sidney’s Pokémon even eat those without making a giant mess? :V

"You guys worked hard, so let's celebrate with a treat to beat this summer heat!"

But whatever grin that graced Sidney's face quickly vanished as he caught sight of Absol's horrified expression. And then all hell broke loose.

Whelp, sounds like someone’s going to be wearing ice cream in short order.
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His pokemon surged forward, eager to get at the sugary goodness, and Sidney disappeared under a barrage of fur, leaves, and feathers. Mightyena emerged victorious, grasping two bars in its jaws, but before he could make a clean escape, one of the sandwiches was speared through with one of Cacturne's needles. Shiftry chattered in dismay as another bar slipped out of its leafy grasp, plucked free by Mandibuzz's beak. A second Mightyena tried to slink away unnoticed with an extra portion as well, and Sidney did a double take as he spotted the imposter from his place at the bottom of the pile.

"Hey, Zoroark, I know that's you! You gotta share!"

So much for ‘sharing is caring’ on this team. Not that it’s not thematically unfitting for a team of Dark-types.
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Absol simply watched the chaos with a shake of his head, patiently waiting at the edge of the melee.

inb4 this guy snags the very last ice cream bar and leaves Sidney with bupkis. :V

By the time Sidney scrambled to his feet, his pokemon had torn into their treats with varying degrees of success. The real Mightyena's coat was slathered in vanilla cream and it was happily trying to lap up the rest of the rogue treat with its tongue, all the while rolling on its back in delight. Cacturne was happily munching on its sandwich that was slowly leaving melting trails down the needle in its hands. Mandibuzz soon found that feathers and ice cream didn't mix, so it settled for picking at the melted puddle of stickiness that ended up beneath its talons. Shiftry had managed to claim Zoroark's extra treat, but had enjoyed it too quickly. Its ears twitched in distress as it fanned itself to try to rid the lingering brain freeze. Only Absol and Zoroark had managed to escape relatively unscathed, and they were contentedly enjoying their treat when the door to the chamber creaked open.

Man can I call ‘em or what. I just knew that someone was going to be wearing that ice cream.
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I’m wondering if it would’ve made sense to divide this bit up a bit since it’s a long paragraph, though admittedly I’m drawing blanks as to clean divisions thematically.

Sidney hastily tried to brush the dust and fur from his clothes as he scrambled to see who was paying him a visit, but he only succeeded in smearing more ice cream around, causing Mightyena to dash over and try to help clean him up too. Absol huffed a quiet chuckle as the rest of Cacturne's ice cream slid off its needle and plopped to the floor.

"Hey, Fee. Um, want some ice cream?"

Phoebe:
door-closes-closing-door.gif


Prompt #21

"So that's why you have to help us."

"We don't even know where to start."

"What do you get a pokemon that's 300 years old?"

… A nice day out? Since when you live that long, I’d suspect that experiences start to become more valued than physical objects.
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"I don't even know what it's like to be 30 years old, and that's really old, but nowhere near as old as 300!"

Steven winced as he did the mental calculation on how soon he'd be nearing the twin's definition of 'old'.

Er… yeah, it’s a familiar feeling, honestly.
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Of course, this was only after he found himself sitting in his living room with a pair of flustered Gym Leaders standing across from him. Tate and Liza had called him asking for his counsel, and he was happy to oblige, but he hadn't expected to be roped into helping choose a birthday gift for the twins' pokemon. He had known that Solrock and Lunatone were ancient creatures, having been with the psychic family of Leaders for many generations. But he, too, was stumped by the twins' request.

"You know," he began gently, "Perhaps your mom and dad might have better ideas than me. Solrock and Lunatone used to be their pokemon."

Liza huffed and Tate's face fell.

Steven: “Wh-Wha-? Is there something wrong with asking your parents with advi-?” ._.

"We already asked them!"

Steven: “... Oh.”
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"They just told us to do something special."


"But what does that mean?"

"What's left that's special after 300 years?"

Yeah, I kinda called it about the ‘give them a pleasant experience’, since… yeah, that feels like that this is where this is going in short order.

"I bet Solrock has met every pokemon in existence."

"And Lunatone probably has tried every treat there ever was."

Have you two just tried taking them out on a nice playdate or something to float around and bum on the beach all day?
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"We're stumped!" both twins cried simultaneously, and Steven nearly chucked at their predicament, but that would have been rude.

So instead he opted for a smile that he hid behind the hand he thoughtfully brought to his chin.

"What if instead of something new, you gave them something old instead?" he mused.

Or that can work too. I’ll admit I didn’t think of that one. ^^;

"Huh?"

"Something old?"

Steven nodded as he elaborated, "Maybe not something that actually is old, but something that they haven't seen in a while; something nostalgic."

Tate: “Steven, we’re ten.”
:what:

Liza: “How do you expect us to know what a 300-year old Pokémon would find nostalgic?” >_>;

"Nostalgic?"

"You mean like when mom and dad go through our baby pictures to embarrass us?"

… Oh boy, this is going to be quite a birthday at this rate.
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At this Steven did laugh, his own mind going back to the way his own father would bring out the dusty family photo albums whenever Wallace would stop by. But his laughter quickly died down as he thought back to the other pages of the album; the ones at the very front that his father would skip when there was company over. The ones that held a smiling stranger's face tight within their pages. The woman whose face felt so warm and familiar, and yet so foreign at the same time. Steven felt the silence of the room hang heavy as the twins picked up on his stirring memories.

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I mean, there’s nothing explicitly said out loud, but those implications there…

Two concerned gazes were locked onto his own, and he quickly recollected himself with a small smile, waving their worry away.

"Ah, forgive me. When you're as old as I am, those baby pictures are especially embarrassing to remember."

Liza: “You didn’t look embarrassed, though.” ._.;
Steven: “... Embarrassment manifests in many forms, really.”

The twins shared an uneasy look between themselves, but didn't press the Champion's thin lie any further. Instead, Tate chose to bring it back to the matter at hand.

"But we don't have any baby pictures of our pokemon..."

"They're 300 years old, remember?"

"Did they even have pictures back then?"

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14


Might’ve had paintings, though.

Steven smiled, "It's not the pictures that are important. Lots of other things can trigger meaningful memories. Sights, sounds, smells..."

Oh. Clever workaround there, actually. Even if at some point, you wind up taking a leap of faith since a lot of historical annals even 300 years ago are kinda spotty on detail. ^^;

The twins' faces scrunched deep in thought.

"What did it smell like 300 years ago?"

"I bet it smelled all musty, like the books at Mt. Pyre, or the bottom of an old cave -"

Cave...

"I may have an idea," Steven said, raising a finger as the thought came to him. He waved the twins into a huddle as he brought out his PokeNav, calling a map up to the screen. "I'm willing to bet Lunatone and Solrock haven't been here in a long, long time..."

Ah yes, a field trip/vacation for a birthday present. Seems like a solid enough option.

Tate and Liza had never seen their partners expressions light up like they did when they released them into the cavern. They had followed Steven's directions carefully, and armed with a picnic basket filled to the brim with treats, they had trekked deep into the cave before letting Lunatone and Solrock out of their balls.

Sunlight poured through the holes in the roof, carved by ancient meteors, and it danced through the shallow cascades of crystal clear water that fed the upper basin of Meteor Falls. The psychic pokemon's joyful calls echoed off the pale rocks as they spiraled slowly upward, taking in the sight of their birthplace. 300 years was a long time, and somehow the secluded area of the Falls had remained relatively untouched in all that time. Floating back down to their trainers, the ancient pokemon nestled happily into Tate and Liza's waiting arms, sharing 300 years worth of gratitude with their young partners.

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D’aww, glad to see that Steven’s counsel paid off for those two, since that definitely seems like a birthday that their Solrock and Lunatone will remember.

Prompt #22

The last time Steven could recall a day this peaceful, was… well in all honesty, he actually couldn't. At least not in recent memory. But here he was, alone with nothing but the sounds of the underground around him. A chisel in one hand and a hammer in the other, a small bag of spoils sat at his feet, and Steven sighed in contentment. The League had become stressful lately, what with the addition of a new Gym and the retirement of not one, but two Leaders, there was a fair amount of work to be done to ensure any ongoing League challenges would continue uninterrupted.

Not that everyone doesn’t eventually need a day off eventually, but that sounds like kinda a bad idea to just allow your champion to duck off and go commune with his rocks in a distant region on short notice. ^^;

Which was why the situation struck him as odd. Shouldn't he be working right now? Steven's brow furrowed and he glanced at his watch. Strange, it was actually the middle of the night. Why was he still awake at this hour? Setting down his tools, he glanced around the cave and noticed his usual stash of supplies was absent. Perhaps he left them back at the surface, as it appeared this was only a small cave system. Dutifully, he picked up his meager equipment and headed out in search of his camp.

Well that’s not ominous at all…
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Steven: “That’s weird, I could’ve sworn I just had my stuff right here…”
:what:


It was only as the mouth of the cave came into view that Steven noticed another oddity. His pokemon were conspicuously absent from his hip. A sudden tightness found its way across his chest. He could count on one hand the number of times Metagross had ever not been at his side, all the way back to when it was just a small Beldum. Where was his team?

Steven's pace quickened in time with his heartbeat as he neared the cave's exit.

But he never made it there.

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Uh-oh.

The cavern floor suddenly began to shake beneath his feet, sending him stumbling. As he tried to pick himself up off the ground, a dull roar issued from the depths of the cave. Scrambling back to his feet he hazarded a glance backward to find the source of the noise, and his breath caught in his throat.

Somehow the omnipresent darkness of the cave had taken a more tangible form, crawling and scurrying along the walls and ceiling. The absence of light was curling and forming into pointed claws that raked at the stone leaving blackened gouges in their wake. Living, breathing darkness that threatened to swallow him whole.

Well that’s terrifying. Even if I’m pretty sure that this is all just a dream here.

Steven:
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As a paralyzing wash of terror flooded his senses, a small voice told him there was still a way out, all hope was not lost. He still had an escape route, and he willed himself to begin to sprint toward the exit again, yet it never seemed to draw any nearer. The cave rumbled again, this time loosening bounders from the ceiling that came crashing down all around. Throwing his arms up to shield his face, Steven plunged forward; there was the daylight streaming in, he could still make it! Wait, wasn't it past midnight? What was going on...?

… Have you tried pinching yourself to wake up there? :V

In his moment of confusion he had paused in his frantic escape, and when he went to resume his sprint, he found something stopping him. His leg was rooted in place, but it wasn't the falling rubble that trapped him. Something was holding him there, gripping his ankle with fearsome strength. Reaching down with both hands to free himself, he froze. Fingers made of stone had reached up from the cave floor and grabbed him in an unyielding hold. He kneeled down and pried at the lifeless grip, but it refused to budge. Panic began to rise in his throat, he was running out of time. The darkness was closing in, still roaring like an animal possessed.

Steven: “This isn’t real! It’s all just a dream… just a real bad dream…”
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As he gave another tug at the offending restraint, a second manacle circled his other leg, stony fingers digging into his calf. Wheeling around to try to free himself, something else grabbed at the back of his jacket and pulled, dragging him awkwardly to the ground where he was met with a cold embrace. Arms of stone reached up to snake around his waist and chest, and try as he might, he couldn't break free from their grasp as he was pinned helplessly to the earth.

Well, that’s certainly some vivid imagery there, even if I have no idea what’s going on in this (presumably) dream sequence there.

And that's when the darkness caught him. Eyes wide with terror he watched the black beast descend, pouring in from all sides of the cave in a massive sickening wave. He tugged and writhed against the bonds that held him captive, anything to get away from this unknown enemy, but it was futile. The first inky knives sunk into the flesh of his leg and he cried out from the pain. Or at least he tried to. No sound would escape his lips as the creature dragged itself up his body, one searing, stabbing claw at a time until its deathly hands encircled his neck. He choked at the pressure, he could feel the breath leaving his lungs, unable to be replenished.

Was this prompt originally written around Halloween? Since it certainly is a lot spookier in vibe than any of the prior ones I’ve read thus far. Not complaining, though it does make me curious as to if there’s a story behind why this is such an outlier.

In one last terror fueled push, he tried desperately to shove the beast off him with the only hand that wasn't trapped by the very earth that betrayed him, but the shadows were as intangible as their normally benign counterparts. Grasping at the nothingness that was slowly squeezing the life from him, the stony hands finally caught his last flailing limb and anchored it to the ground with the rest of him. It was only then that the darkness decided to show its true face. Cruel teeth formed in a featureless visage that sneered down at its pathetic captive. A guttural growl mixed with an otherworldly screech emanated from the creature as it howled in his face, victorious.

Moral of the story, kiddos. Keep your Pokémon out at your side and at the ready. Oh, and maybe sanity-check your room for the likes of Haunter chilling to eat your nightmares.

Suddenly, the pair of hands around his neck loosened their hold. The long slender fingers reached up to gently caress his cheek as the faceless shadows leered down at him; the normally soothing gesture only served to panic him further and he tried to scream once more. Without warning, the shadowy hands forced their way into his mouth, prying it wide. He began to hyperventilate, but it didn't last long. Without warning the creature poured itself down his throat, the acrid darkness choking him. He was drowning in it now, his lungs filling with the nothingness. His body jerked involuntarily against the onslaught, and the edges of his vision began to swim in the inky blackness. This was the end, this is how he would die…

Whelp. F. Guess that’s the end of the series, huh-?

- Looks up at prompt premise -

Right. Let’s see what’s really going on here.

Metagross blinked one red eye open. It had been snoozing peacefully in its trainer's study, but a noise had disturbed its slumber. Slumped forward on the desk was its trainer, asleep on his paperwork. It wasn't a surprising sight. Metagross had seen its trainer push himself to exhaustion in that very chair countless times. But what was surprising this time was how he twitched and moaned ever so softly in his sleep. Metagross hadn't seen that sort of behavior very often. After the chair creaked from a particularly fierce shudder, it decided to keep a wary eye on its trainer. So when Steven gave a sudden jerk, toppling himself from the chair entirely, Metagross was quick to react.

Metagross: “*Uh… Steven? You okay there?*” ._.

Steven flailed for a moment, gasping for breath and blinking in confusion even as Metagross eased him gently to the ground with its psychic powers. He was quick to find his starter's concerned gaze, and he rubbed one shaking hand across his eyes.

"Metagross."

I’ll admit, I’ve never thought about the premise of how major characters like regional champions would react to the like of severe nightmares. Though it’s a cute imagining here given how Steven’s flagship ‘mon is ready to just swoop in to come to his trainer’s aid after noticing that something’s wrong.

Metagross: “*Steven, have you been getting into funny food and drink again? You didn’t get into another drinking contest with Drake, did you?*”
:what:


The way the name left his lips, it was as if he hadn't seen his partner in years. The sort of gratitude in one's voice that came from the deepest longing, the most heartfelt sincerity. Metagross could feel the emotion pouring from its trainer, and it reverberated a soothing tone in reply. It was here. It would always be here.

Steven shook his head to clear the lingering visions. "I-I'm sorry, it was just a bad dream."

Metagross:
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Steven: “Look, I’ll be fine okay? Even Champions get nightmares sometimes.” >_>;

But Metagross had seen enough to know it wasn't as simple as that. Its trainer never looked that rattled. As gingerly as it could, Metagross picked its way across the study until it was able to nestle up against its trainer's side. Steven's skin was clammy when he leaned his head against Metagross's steel hide. It rumbled a quiet note and it could feel its trainer nod in return.

"I'd like that, if you don't mind."

As his suit jacket was lowered gently across his chest, Steven's eyes closed, and Metagross was more than happy to let its trainer fall asleep in its arms, just as he did for it all those years ago.

Well that’s certainly one way of paying past care forward. Though that’s gotta suck for all the trainers with Pokémon with smaller bodies than them, since no big, bulky psychic crab to call a pillow and cuddle up with in protective comfort.

Not that that’s Steven’s problem here. :V

Prompt #23

Phoebe was dutifully scrolling through the docket of challengers in preparation for any that might make it through Sidney's team. An Ace Trainer, those guys always came prepared. A Pokefan, they were one hit wonders, and most fizzed earlier rather than later. A Triathlete, interesting, since their pokemon were always well trained, but rarely had enough power to make it deep into the Elite. Flicking through the rest of the list, her eyes glazed over until one image popped up on the screen.

Not that it doesn’t make for a funny gag about trainer archetypes, but I have to wonder how it is that these guys can just pick out trainer classes by eyeballing them like that.

… Meh, won’t question it too much. ^^;

Immediately she bolted upright with a snort of laughter.

"Sidney, c'mere," she waved at the dark-type expert as she tried to hold in another laugh, "What is that?"

Only halfway interested at what Phoebe may have had to show him, Sidney leaned over with a casual glance. But when he caught sight of the screen, his eyes bugged out of his head before he too doubled over with laughter.

"Oh my god, Fee. I have no idea what that is! Maybe he's supposed to be a magician?"

I’m guessing they drew a Juggler or something like that given how much they’re having a giggle at their challenger’s attire.

Phoebe shook her head, still shaking with amusement. "I already read the brief, so I know. I just want to see if you can guess."

Sidney scratched at his ear in thought, but not without a ridiculous smile. "Gee, maybe he's one of those contest coordinator-turned-battlers, like Wallace?"

Yuuuup, my money’s definitely on ‘juggler’.

"Nope."

"Oh man, uhh, maybe he's..."

As Glacia strolled into the lounge, Phoebe cut Sidney off to wave her over.

"Let's see if Glacia knows!"

Actually… I just realized… flamboyant, draws comparisons to Wallace… that sounds kinda like the ye olde timey Dragon Tamer sprites. Like it’d look doofy as actual everyday attire, but you’d certainly run into them going to an E4.

"Know what, exactly...?" the ice-type specialist trailed off, suspicious of the two younger trainer's antics.

"What this challenger is going for," Phoebe said with a grin, as she wheeled the tablet around for Glacia to see.

Her eyes went wide at the spectacle. "Oooh... I... Haven't the faintest idea."

I’m wondering if it’d have made sense to describe attributes of what this trainer and his/her attire looks like, or if that’d undercut the whole buildup to this sequence. Since… yeah, the challenger here’s a little hard to get a bead on beyond “flamboyant and everyone finds it looks ridiculous”.

Sidney laughed as Phoebe flung herself dramatically over the arm of the couch. "Someone go get Drake, he has to know," she moaned.

"We'd all know if you told us, Fee."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Phoebe’s still the same giant troll as always, I see.
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Sidney shrugged, but the gesture went unnoticed as the fourth and final Elite made his appearance.

"There shouldn't be any fun, we've got challengers coming today," he grated out, but not without a twinkle in his eye.

Sidney: “Aren’t we supposed to be having fun on our jobs? Like how else are you supposed to have a passion to go up and take on challengers?”
:what:

Drake: “No, you’re supposed to prepare yourselves and crush them into the battlefield ground. ‘Fun’ is what you do off-duty...”
Sidney: “... Agree to disagree, but anyhow, can you take a cop at what’s up with this challenger?”

"Yeah, we know. Phoebe won't tell us who we're facing though."

"Really now?" Drake quirked an eyebrow.

"I'll tell everyone if you can't guess what this is on the first try," Phoebe said as she sat back up, holding the tablet out, and Drake plucked it from her grasp.

"This is what all the fuss is about?"

Sidney: “Wait, what? You could ID the trainer class just like that? Drake, what are we dealing with here?”
:what:


All eyes turned to the Dragon Master as he scanned the photo. Phoebe held her breath and latched onto Sidney's arm in anticipation. Even Glacia found herself leaning in, waiting for Drake's answer.

He remained silent for a beat longer before speaking up. "I have no clue what the heck that is."

… Or not. Though I’m really curious as to who this embarrassingly-attired mystery challenger is. :V

Everyone deflated in defeat. "Fine, I guess I'll have to just tell you all..." began Phoebe, but in that moment, another voice sounded from over Drake's shoulder.

"Oh, looks like we're having a Dragon Master paying us a visit this afternoon."

Oh, so it was a- Wait a minute…
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‘Dragon Master’? Isn’t that what Lance goes around styling himself as?

Four pairs of eyes turned to meet the Champion as he glanced down at the tablet from behind his cup of coffee.

"A what now?" Drake's tone was dangerously low.

"A Dragon Master," said Steven matter-of-factly. "Or at least a self-proclaimed one. I've seen plenty of them when I train out at Meteor Falls."

Drake: “... Steven, how do you know this and not me when I’m a Dragon Master myself?”
:what:

Steven: “... Have you tried getting off your boat a bit more often?”
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Phoebe nodded dumbly, too shocked that of all people, Steven would be the one to recognize the outlandish outfit of too much spandex and gold piping, complete with a flowing cape.

… Can’t tell if that’s Lance or his discount knockoff. Otherwise… yeah, that’s definitely a presence to see coming down the hallway. :V

No one spoke, so Steven offered a shrug, "When you're friends with Wallace for long enough, nothing really surprises you any more. Fashion-wise, I mean."

I can hear Wallace seething from all the way out in Sootopolis right now.
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But Drake was still steaming. "I have half a mind to ask you lot to let him through so I can show him a thing or two about dragon training... But on the other hand, I wouldn't ask you to go through the embarrassment of losing to that."

I mean, I dunno if other Dragon Masters would find Drake’s sailor getup to be subtle and classy themselves, but you can’t deny the sea dog has a point there. :V

"Hey Boss," Sidney piped up, "Maybe just this once Drake and I can switch places?"

"That's not a bad idea," chimed Glacia, "I'm kind of in the mood for a good old-fashioned humiliation match."

>when your getup is so tacky that the E4 are going out of their way to embarrass you

There’s an achievement for this, right? :V

Steven's gaze narrowed as seriously considered it. "I'm willing to allow it just this once... Drake?"

Still muttering, Drake grumbled an affirmative before tossing the tablet down on the nearest table and stalking out of the room. "Only if you promise to let me call Lance about this. He's wearing tights for chrissakes."

Not sure if Lance would have a giggle alongside Drake there or be offended since… Lance’s getup isn’t exactly subtle either.
803821849384583219.png


"Well, I guess that settles it," Steven nodded, but not without a nervous glance at the retreating sea captain.

Phoebe grinned as she skipped out the door, "I'll bring the popcorn!"

E4:
eating-popcorn-pocorn.gif


Shame we never get a solid view of the would-be Dragon Master challenger, but eh. Some things also work well when left up to the imagination.

Prompt #24

"I really don't think this is a good idea..."

"Nonsense, The Lilycove Summer Spectacular only happens but once a year!"

Both Lisia and Juan had gathered in Wallace's room, and they frowned down at the Gym Leader sprawled out on his lounge chair with a foot propped on some pillows and a nasty purple bruise peeking out from beneath an ice pack.

"Don't give me that, it's not as bad as it looks," he protested, wincing as he tried to wiggle the injured foot.

Lisia: “But you literally can’t move your foot right now.” :|
Wallace: “It’s only a flesh wound!” >_>;

["Uncle Wallace, you can't even put any weight on it. How are you going to perform?"]

"I'll... I'll figure something out. I always do!"

You probably want to explicitly state that it’s Lisia making the comment there, since I actually couldn’t figure that out myself until looking at the next line after this block and seeing that it was explicitly assigned to Juan and then doing a process of elimination.

Juan: “And how many of those past times involved a foot injury?” :|
Wallace: “... There’s a first time for everything?”
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"Perhaps I should go in your stead," suggested Juan with a wistful look. "I'm worried the strain of a contest might hinder your recovery."

Wallace was about to deliver his protest when the door to the room opened and Steven blustered in, slightly out of breath.

"I came as soon as I could," he breathed, holding the walking boot out toward the water-type trainer, but he froze when he saw Wallace was not alone as he was led to believe. "Oh, Juan, Lisia, I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were here too."

Wallace: “Steven, help a friend out here, and tell these two that I need to go on with the Lilycove Summer Spectacular.” >_>;
- Beat moment -
Steven: “Okay what happened to you Wallace?” -_-;

Juan's eyes slid from the boot to Wallace's innocent expression before addressing the room's newest member. "And you agreed to this despite your best efforts to persuade him otherwise, I assume?"

"Actually -" Steven gave an apologetic smile.

"He stepped in a divot in a cave in Sinnoh a few months ago and didn't want to cut the trip short," said Wallace airily, "Can we move past how much you disapprove of the idea so I can put it on and get going to Lilycove?"

Juan + Lisia:
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Wallace: “... Just saying, some support right about now would be nice, Steven.” >_>;

Steven shot Wallace a look for ratting him out so heartlessly, but Wallace ignored it as he wiggled his hand expectantly. Ducking under Juan's disapproving stare, Steven moved to the end of the lounge and cautiously began to slide Wallace's foot into the boot.

Wallace put on a brave face, but even for how gentle Steven tried to be, he still sucked in a pained breath with every adjustment.

Steven: “Er… Wallace, are you sure that you need to go to this contest?” ^^;
Wallace: “Yes, why is this even a question?!” >_>;

"I still think this is a poor decision," Juan said, his frown deepening. "I won't cover your Gym duties for you if this contest injures your ankle further."

But Wallace casually waved him off, "I fully accept the consequences of my actions. You worry too much, Master. I'll be -" he jolted with discomfort as Steven secured the last strap in place, "-fine."

Narrator: “He won’t be fine.”

"Mmhmm..."

Juan's skeptical look remained as Wallace swung his legs to the floor and rose unsteadily to his feet. The boot did an admirable job, but Wallace couldn't hide a grimace as he hobbled toward his wardrobe.

"Uncle Wallace... You're not seriously going to perform with that boot?"

Lisia: “You do realize that you look ridiculous with that thing on and that it’s going to affect your scoring for your outfit, right?” >_>;

Lisia's quiet voice froze Wallace to the spot. For how many times he had told her to listen to her mother's words, he certainly wasn't setting the best of examples. He turned, ready to deliver a 'do as I say, not as I do' speech, but the determination in Lisia's gaze caused the words to freeze in his throat.

"It's so hideous! We need to dress it up if you're going to wear it to the performance!"

Juan: “... Lisia, are you serious?!” >.<
Lisia: “I mean, if he’s dead set on going anyways, he might as well not instantly fail on costume scoring.”
720106605982646283.png


Wallace couldn't hide the grin that crept across his face. "You're absolutely right, my dear!"

"You're not going to be wanting this back, are you?" Wallace asked as he turned toward Steven.

Steven shook his head. "I certainly wasn't planning on it."

"Brilliant! Now shoo!" Wallace waved everyone who wasn't Lisia out of the room. "We've got work to do!"

Oh boy, that boot’s going to be quite something by the time those two are done with it.
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The next morning, Steven found himself grinning over his morning coffee. Splashed across the front page was a photo of Wallace at the Lilycove Summer Spectacular, perched atop his Gyarados waving to his adoring fans. Even in black and white it was hard to miss the brilliant sparkle of the glitter encrusted walking boot. No, he definitely didn't need it back now.

662499150147092533.png


I’m surprised that Wallace still pulled off a decent performance in that thing, though I guess that’ll be a new fixture around Wallace’s house for a long while. :V

Alright, for my overall thoughts. I liked the spread of prompts tonight. I certainly wasn’t expecting a horror-themed one to crop up in tonight’s tranche, let alone one with as vivid of description as it, but this series has a way of always finding ways to surprise me.

I do feel that a couple of these prompts could afford to have some extra detail thrown in, such as the Dragon Master one not giving a firm idea of what the challenger looked like, and the one involving Wallace forcing himself to keep going to the contest since I kinda got thrown a bit by not picking out who was saying what, but there wasn’t anything structural that was significant enough to keep me from enjoying this chunk of your series, and I think that everything hit the notes they were intended to.

Kudos, @Panoramic_Vacuum . I’ll be looking forward to rounding out this series tomorrow, and hope the feedback’s been fun and helpful for you thus far. ^^
 
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