| Enough of this Schist | Tiger's Eye | Rock Hounds |
| Diamond in the Rough | Fool's Gold | Rolycoly |
| Fallen Star | Deep Strata | Petroglyphs |
It's been a while since I played bingo, so I hope diagonals aren't cheating
Two writing prompts and one art which I'll be posting here rather than starting their own thread. Let me know if the format is too obnoxious like this and I can edit.
Fallen Star
“Look, mama! A shooting star!”
Gently, the young mother pulled her child away from the window and into her lap. The Litleonid shower had been quiet so far tonight, but that was no reason to doubt her daughter, even if the sky was already dark again by the time she’d looked for herself.
“Did you make a wish?”
“I did!” the little girl exclaimed, blissfully unaware of the smudged nose-prints she’d left behind on the glass. “I wished for daddy to come home!”
For a brief moment, the mother paused. Then she wrapped her arms around her daughter. The girl wriggled, trying to press close to the window again, but the mother held her close for a little longer. “That’s a good wish,” she whispered, planting a soft kiss atop her daughter’s head. “A good wish.”
Her eyes drifted back toward the night sky, looking past the clouds that hid the infinite beyond. He was out there. Somewhere.
After the meteor incident, there had been a call for scientists, for brave adventurers, for people willing to travel into space to study the great unknown, to conduct the research to keep the planet safe.
Her husband had been one of the first to volunteer. It hadn’t been a surprise; he was a Birch, after all. Overeager adventure practically ran in their blood. That, and their first date had been to see the Litleonid meteor shower all those years ago. It had been a strange moment of calm they shared in the aftermath of what had very nearly been the end of things… He’d seen firsthand what man’s ignorance could bring upon the world. And he’d seen what otherworldly forces could save it.
So had she, but as he’d said to her the day he left for Mossdeep, she had other responsibilities. Namely their daughter, but also the region. Hoenn couldn’t very well send one of their Gym Leaders into space. Who would face all the eager challengers then?
So she’d stayed behind, tucked away in Littleroot with his family and hers, and their daughter, safe and sound. It wasn’t fair. But the day the sky had threatened to fall and she’d flown off on Rayquaza’s back, he must’ve felt the same way, too.
A small smile danced across her lips. It was his turn to be the hero.
In her lap, Bella squirmed her way out of the hug so she could look out the window again. May smoothed her daughter’s hair, letting her eyes drift back to the inky darkness outside. He’d be watching the shower from up there.
With a flash, a bright streak cut across the sky, and Bella let out a squeal.
“Mama, mama, did you see it?”
May’s heart fluttered. The same thrill when they’d watched the stars fall over Mossdeep that night, hand in hand.
“I did, sweetie.”
Bella craned her head until she was looking straight up from where she sat in her mother’s lap. Her blue eyes danced with anticipation. “Did you make a wish?”
May couldn’t help but laugh. Her daughter’s expression was exactly like Brendan’s had been that night. She would bet her old champion title he was smiling the same way now, watching the same meteors fall from his tiny space shuttle window.
“I did.”
Fools Gold
Presenting Pyrite the shiny Steelix
and lastly
Rock Hounds (because who can resist a good double meaning!)
Roxanne was winded well before they made it to the crest of the ridge.
The heat wasn’t the problem; she was used to Hoenn’s subtropical climate. Maybe it was the time change. Or the fact that she hadn’t been on a serious hike in years, what with the school’s busy schedule and class prep for the next year over the summers. Yes, that’s the excuse she’d use when she made it to the top of the hill. The stitch in her side made its presence known, and she sucked in another labored breath. If she made it.
To her hiking partner’s credit, he held his tongue when she finally dragged herself over the last outcropping and deposited her pack on the ground with a thump. She followed shortly after, breathing hard. He smiled, pulled a fresh water bottle from his pack and placed it next to Roxanne’s side, and turned back to the trail guide he’d been consulting. Despite beating her to the summit by several minutes, he was perfectly content to give her as much time to rest as she needed. Roxanne closed her eyes and would have laughed if she still wasn’t catching her breath. That was the thing with being friends with Steven Stone. You never knew if you wanted to hug him or smack him at any given moment.
When finally she no longer felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest, Roxanne pulled herself together and joined Steven at the large rock in the middle of the clearing. He’d moved on from the trail guide and was now pouring over the map he’d brought with them. It was spread out over the top of the boulder, and Roxanne could see a plethora of handwritten notes from his last trip to Alola.
“So, not such a bad hike, right?” he said, laughter twinkling in his eyes.
Roxanne would have kicked him in the shins if she’d had any energy left. “Maybe for you and your legs that are seven miles long!”
This time Steven laughed out loud. “I’m sorry. I’m so used to hiking by myself. I’ll try to be more cognizant of my pace from now on.”
Twisting the cap back on the now-empty water bottle, Roxanne peeked over Steven’s shoulder at the edge of the cliff beyond. “It’s all right. Besides, someone said hiking up Ten Carat Hill instead of through it would be worth the trip, and I’d like to believe him.”
“It is, trust me,” Steven said with a smile. He folded the map back up and tucked it into the pocket of his vest. “Leave your stuff here and follow me, quietly.”
“Quietly?” asked Roxanne, not very quietly. “Are we going to scare the rocks off or something?”
But Steven ignored her and made his way to the overlook behind them. She followed, and when he motioned for her to kneel at his side, she did. They were shoulder to shoulder as they peeked over the top of the rocks and into the valley below.
Roxanne’s hands flew up to stifle a gasp. Below, a verdant valley of swaying grass and rocky steppes sprawled out before them, nestled within the arms of towering cavern walls, nearly sheer in some places. A gentle breeze rolled across the valley floor, sending waves through the reedy prairie grass.
“I never would have guessed this was here,” she whispered, eyes still wide at the sight, like finding an unhewn gem peeking out from a crack in a rock.
Steven smiled, keeping his voice low. “Only the locals know about this place. Farthest Hollow they call it. I thought you’d appreciate it after spending all day in the caves.”
“As much as I loved seeing the Carbink nest, and that subterranean lake, and those crystal formations—” Roxanne caught herself before she sighed with contentment, “I do appreciate this view very much. It’s beautiful. The strata here are incredible. There have to be at least thirty layers in that one cliff—”
Steven’s hand shot out, cutting her off. “Wait,” he said, slowly pointing at a patch of grass at the base of the cliff in question. “Look.”
Roxanne scowled at the interruption, but as she watched the rustling grass, her expression softened. It wasn’t the breeze moving the grass... Something white, bushy, and vaguely tail-shaped peeked out above the dry grass, the tip of a smaller one poking up beside it. She leaned in for a closer look.
“What… what is that?” she asked, but Steven shook his head with an excited grin, gesturing for her to be patient.
The bushy, white, tail-looking-thing shuffled through the grass a bit more, and the smaller one bobbed along beside it. Then it stopped at the edge of the tall grass, sweeping from side to side once… twice…
A snout emerged from the grass, then a head, and then the entire body of the most elegant pokemon Roxanne had ever seen.
It was wolf-like but smaller than a Mightyena and much more slender. Its lithe form was covered in sandy fur that blended almost seamlessly with the grass of the valley floor. A full white mane matched the fluffy white tail they had first glimpsed, but that was where the softness ended. Sharp blue eyes were set in its angular face, and its ears were tall and pointed, swiveling this way and that to pick up sounds in the breeze. Ringing its neck like a regal collar were four spikes of rock, their obsidian edges glinting in the sun. Roxanne couldn’t tear her eyes away.
And then the grass between its front paws rustled, and out popped the most adorable pokemon Roxanne had ever seen. The small pup sported the same fluffy tail and coloring as its mother, but its features were softer and rounder, like it hadn’t yet been chiseled and weathered by time and experience. An innocent tilt of its head sent its button ears flopping, showing off the glint of tiny obsidian pebbles beneath its shorter mane.
The puppy leaned down to sniff the ground and ended up tumbling head over heels in a squirming, wiggling puppy mass at its mom’s feet. Roxanne couldn't help letting out a squeak of delight. She clasped her hands over her mouth, but Steven’s grin told her he had already noticed.
“It’s a Lycanrock,” he explained, “and the pup is a Rockruff.”
“Lycan...rock?” Roxanne paused, and when she spoke again the excitement in her voice was palpable. “Rockruff?”
Steven nodded. “They’re rock types.”
Roxanne’s eyes lit up, and Steven backpedaled as best he could.
“I promised the locals we’d leave this family alone, but I do know of a breeder in Hau’oli City—”
In one swift motion, Roxanne was on her feet and striding back to their meeting point, shouldering her pack. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
Laughing, Steven ran a hand through his hair, bewilderment clear on his face. “So much for staying to enjoy the view. You’re going to beat me down the mountain, aren’t you?”
“Steven,” Roxanne began, pointing her index finger skyward like when she gave the students a lecture back at the school, “there’s a Rockruff puppy out there that can’t wait to meet its new trainer. What kind of person would want to keep them waiting?”
“Surely only the worst kind of person,” replied Steven, grin stretching wider at her mock seriousness.
“Then you understand why we have to go now.” Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and hopped over a small outcropping, disappearing down the trailhead with a wave. “Last one to Hau’oli City owes the other dinner!”
Thanks so much to Negrek for putting on this fun event! I had such a
gneiss time with my prompt fills.
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