Written Story Hoenn Mature Hack Mon Lost Month

[Spectacles]

Ah this was such a great chapter!! It really is about time something went right for Himiko, though I doubt it will last long...It's cool hearing the team's official nicknames and hearing them get to talk to Himiko. And a good gym too! This was so refreshing!

 

[Leon Yorunaki]

Spoiler: Sweet words inside

@Vivace:

there's still plenty of time for him to make up for it. Maybe.

Well, that's your chance to see that
Good call on the cheerful villain part. Not quite sure if it applies here, as I'm not sure if Darlan will appear later...
And if you're like that for gym 2, wait for the next ones...

@Spectacles: Nothing like a sweet chapter for a change, right? We know Himiko deserves things going right for once... what do you mean it won't last long? How long is long?
Let's hope it's long enough...

Spoiler: 16 - Present

The sun was at its peak. And so was Himiko, leaving the Pokémon Center after a team check-up due to the last gym challenge. With that newfound hope from her second badge, she was sure the following days would be much better than the previous, feeling that she was finally doing things right.

Without anything else to do on Dewford Island, she headed to the docks to purchase the earliest ferry ticket to the mainland.

If she wasn’t so eager to leave, she could probably have picked another destination — and would probably have done so if given a chance to check where she was going.

But, to be fair, nothing could spoil that moment for the girl. Not even him.

Because, when boarding for Slateport, there was only one person she didn't feel like talking with at that moment. Someone who, of course, found the girl just as she hopped in, waving in her direction.

Ignoring him wasn’t a choice worth making.

“Hi, Brendan!” She approached slowly, kind of not wanting to be there.

“Hey, look at you! Now that’s the Himiko I like to see…”

“Thanks, I guess…” She couldn’t understand why he was grinning back at her. After everything that happened earlier that morning, the best she expected from Brendan was indifference. Still, the boy kept smiling, pretending they had not argued just a moment before…

“No, seriously! I feel you have changed a lot in those few hours…”

“I know, right? I was out of control, couldn’t handle all those things over my head…”

“Wanna talk about it? We’ll have a lot of time for…”

“Crook!”

A brownish pokémon appeared beside them; Himiko could only catch a glimpse of it before it went hiding behind Brendan, but it was enough time for her to notice the big leaf on top of its head and the slender body. He was, for obvious reasons, scared of Himiko — and the reciprocal was true.

“Calm down, Sam!” Brendan held his pokemon’s arm. “She won't hurt us!”

It was with the name that she realized who he was. The same pokémon who had killed the Skiploom in that battle. The creature who brought the girl into a storm of rage no one could bring down. Who, just like Fuu, had recently evolved — and she had just called for the psychic pokémon's help in order not to overreact at that moment.

“You know he’s scared of you, right?”

“Hey, your Ralts evolved!” Brendan felt the same energy looking at Himiko’s face and decided to change the subject before anything happened. “Mind if I take some notes?”

It was a good plan, despite the awkwardness of that moment. The boy had pulled out his notebook, making some sketches and scribbles about the Kirlia. Just like Himiko, Fuu was embarrassed — the pokémon had technically been caught by Brendan, as an egg, something he barely explained when talking about his odd appearance.

“This is not your usual Kirlia, that’s for sure,” he said, trying to sketch the pokémon’s face. “Darkened skin, single horn... I guess those are of paternal descent? Excuse me, may I look closely?”

As Brendan reached for the Kirlia’s arm, unsure whether to call its extremity a hand or a claw, Himiko tried to get his attention back.

“You sure love your job, don’t you?”

“Of course I do!” He then spoke, and Himiko could feel the fire burning in his heart as he did. “You know, it’s crazy to think I can help shape the world as we know…”

“That sounds just like you…” She faked a laugh at his enthusiasm, not quite captivated by it, but also trying not to spoil it for him.

“By the way, I have a few other things to tell you… with some luck, we’ll have a lot of time for that…”

“Some good news, I hope…”

“Of course… come with me, let’s find some seats!”

The ferry soon departed, with fewer passengers than one would expect from its size; it meant they had enough free space to keep their main pokémon out of their balls. Despite the differences, Samuel and Fuu were doing great together — something just as surprising as the pair of trainers being nice to each other.

“Dad called not long ago,” Brendan said when they were a bit more comfortable. “He has some updates about your Sentret.”

It took her a few seconds to remember which pokémon he was talking about, being the sick creature she had caught on her first day of travel.

“Did it recover yet?”

“I wouldn’t use this word so lightly like that, but he’s much better now.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s not like other Sentret, and not just by appearance.” Brendan went on, treading carefully not to overwhelm the girl. “Dad tried his best, but he’s not an expert, so he called a friend of his in Johto who agreed to take a look at the matter. And, to their surprise, he got healthy in a matter of days once he was sent there.”

“Well, as long as he’s better, I’m happy for him.”

“Glad you think that way. They’re still trying to understand him better before sending the pokémon back… shouldn’t take more than a few days now.”

“I’m just happy it’s working out. He looked so sick when I caught it…”

“You can bet he’s in good hands…”

And, soon enough, they were talking about other stuff. Himiko knew how Brendan was talkative and loved rambling about his assistant job or how he planned to take over as a main researcher in the future, but he was also a nice partner to talk about anything else. The pair were going out so nicely that no one would believe they had gone over some heated arguments to the point where he had to slap her back into reality only a few hours before.

And, as time passed and evening came, the ferry docked in Slateport City before they could think about it. Both of their pokémon were close to their trainers, now resting and ready to be called back for the landing.

Brendan was actually waiting for that moment.

“You know,” he whispered. “I’d be careful with that Kirlia if I were you.”

“Fuu is a nice pokémon. You don’t need to worry about him.”

“He’s not a pure breed, you know?” He continued, realizing he should have been a bit more subtle not to sound offensive. “Hybrids are sometimes harder to deal with, pokémon like him tend to go erratic at times… not to mention there’s no pokédex to help you learn about him.”

“I get what you’re trying to say…” she replied with a beat. “But you’re worrying a bit too much.”

“Don’t take it for granted, okay? You can always count on me or Dad if anything happens. There is a reason I wanted to study that one out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Look, we’re arriving!”

They could see the Pokémon Center lights from a distance; both of them planned to stay the night there and go out early in the following morning. Himiko would go straight to Mauville, as expected from someone in the Circuit, while Brendan decided to stay a day or two to help with research at the Oceanic Museum. That meant both of them should go to bed early for a change.

At least Brendan would.

Himiko kept two of her pokéballs with her, staying outside the shared sleeping room to avoid other people. If anything, she would need to be alone at that moment, at least to prevent people from giving her the stink eye.

Fuu, being called out together with the scared Igglybuff, would agree she deserved one.

“I know there’s something wrong with you…” Himiko started, looking at the baby pokémon. “Wanna talk?”

“I’m… I’m scared!”

“It’s okay, buddy. I’m here to help you!”

“No…”

“Come on, Himiko!” Fuu chimed in mentally, not wanting to be heard by the other pokémon. “Can’t you see he’s scared of you?”

It should be obvious, even more so after hearing it for the second time on the same day, but the girl failed to realize the reasons for it. Her Kirlia knew it, as did anyone else on the team with a little empathy — which was pretty much everyone else.

“I wanted to be safe…” the baby went on. “I thought trainers would protect their friends… but now mommy is gone and…” his voice faltered a bit as he sobbed.

“Come on, Helio, you need to be reasonable!” Fuu tried to circumvent the situation. “Wendy’s death wasn’t her fault, and you know it!”

“It doesn’t matter. I just want to get away from her!”

“Uh, you don’t expect me to release you, right?” Himiko replied. “You’re just a baby, I couldn’t do that to you!”

“You’re mean!” Helio shouted, inflating himself as he got angry at the girl, which would be cute if not in a tense situation like this. “I hate you!”

Himiko wasn’t in the mood for that, either, calling the Igglybuff back to his ball. Not that she didn’t expect him to be difficult to handle after he avoided her in the morning, but that was a bit too much for her to take on.

I’m so stupid… what else did I expect?

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself…” Fuu tried to comfort the girl, despite knowing it wouldn’t work.

“Can you leave me alone for a moment? Please?”

For once, Her voice didn't sound like an order, and, despite knowing it wouldn’t be his wisest decision, the psychic felt the girl needed some time alone and went back to his ball. Himiko needed to organize her ideas to make a proper decision and, for the better or worse, no one could do it for her. And there was no easy way out.

She pondered a bit, without any decent conclusion. The trainer even considered releasing the pokémon somewhere in the city, a hideous option on its own. The other option was to try and fight against his reluctance, hoping he would be able to get over it, as it should be her job as a trainer.

Without being able to settle it between two terrible possibilities, she went for Brendan, hoping he could give her a pointer, but he was already asleep when she entered the room.

To be fair, that was something she should already be doing. And it took much longer than she had planned to call it a day, as she kept rolling from one side of the bed to the other, taking a long time of suffering and painful thoughts until she gave in.

曖​

Worries were never a good sleep companion, and Himiko had one more of those to go through the night with.

Needless to say, she couldn’t rest, but the lack of weird dreams was a victory on its own. But, since her problems from the day before didn’t magically disappear, she had no reason to cheer.

Neither did she have someone to share her problems with, since Brendan fulfilled his promise of leaving early. That meant a silent and thoughtful breakfast despite the usual chattering at the communal table. Her mind inevitably drifted to everything that happened the day before, from how she woke up from that nightmare, going through that reality slap she had from both Brendan and Fuu, then the gym battle, and eventually settling things up with the boy.

And, as she did it, a solution to one of her problems just popped in as she thought about how much the boy liked working as a researcher with his father.

Why didn’t I think about Professor Birch earlier?

It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes for her to engage in a call to the lab, being immediately reminded about how long she had gone contactless.

“Hello, Himiko!” Birch answered in his usual cheerful tone. “I’ve been worried about you. How are things going?”

“It’s all going well; I’m in Slateport now… I hope I’m not bothering you with a call like this.”

“If anything, you should be calling more often.” He was trying not to sound too concerned about the girl, but doing a terrible job at that. Luckily for him, she didn’t pay any attention to that. “Tell me, how is that Ralts going?”

“He evolved not long ago… Brendan took a lot of notes about him already.”

“Oh, of course! He told me he’d be around there for a day or two… Did he tell you about your Sentret already?”

“He did, I guess…” Himiko started, but soon realized she didn’t want to sound so dismissive. “He mentioned you sent him to an expert of sorts in Johto…”

“Mr. Elm says that one didn’t adapt well to Hoenn,” that reply was much less energetic than his usual tone. “But he’s been doing great so far, and I guess it’s what matters, right?”

“Good to know, I was worried about the poor one…” Himiko made a pause, preparing herself to go into the meat of her problem. “But I think you can give me some advice on another matter.”

“Of course! What’s troubling you?”

“I caught an Igglybuff three days ago, and he is… how can I put it… I don’t think reluctant is the right word, but it should come close.”

“I see. Can you elaborate?”

“You know, I have this feeling he doesn't like me, or maybe just doesn't want to be with the rest of the team. I don’t want to force him into it, but he’s just a baby, I can’t just release him back into the wild…”

“Well, you just said it, he’s a baby.” Birch’s voice still sounded cheerful, and Himiko felt he was underestimating her problem. “It’s not easy to earn their trust, especially when they are far from their family. It can be done, but it’ll take a while for him to feel at home, you know?”

“I have a feeling it’s not going to work.”

“There are other possibilities. Maybe he never wanted to go with a trainer, or he may be scared of you or one of your other pokémon. As I said, trust takes time…” he then lowered his voice as he understood what the girl meant by that call. “And I feel you’re the one not up to it.”

Himiko meant to reply, saying it wasn’t true, but she couldn't. Not only would it be a lie, but his spot-on analysis was so open and straight that she couldn’t react properly. Not only because of the circumstances, but also because he was an Igglybuff. If things went well, he could evolve soon enough, and the last thing the girl needed was a walking reminder.

As if I need another reason… It’s better if I get him away from me…

“Why don’t you send him to the lab? I can take care of him for a while if you want.”

“That’s… a good idea, I guess…” Himiko let a huge breath out. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Please, Himiko. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to train every pokémon you catch. You can be a bit more open-minded about it.”

“Thanks… I’ll keep that in mind.”

She couldn’t hide her hasty smile as she set up the pokémon transfer after that call. Not only did she solve the most urgent situation with her team, but it also ended up going much better than she initially expected. And, on top of that, being on good terms with both of the guys in the Birch family.

Happiness didn’t last long, however, vanishing before she could even leave the Pokémon Center.

When packing for her leave, she found out that someone had messed up with her belongings. She had no reason to suspect a theft, given she had left her bag inside the sleeping room — and it would be hard to reach it without raising suspicion from the other trainers there —, but both of the handles of her bag were twisted. And Himiko was really picky about that tiny detail.

She emptied the contents over the bed, carefully checking for everything she had been carrying with her, but there didn’t seem to be anything missing. Pokédex, PokéNav, clothes… not even a penny missing.

When she went for her pokéballs, however, she realized there was something wrong. Rather, the empty ones, since she had left all of her pokémon in the nursery, yet to retrieve them.

She had found one more pokéball than the ones she should have prepared. And it had already been initialized, which means there was a pokémon inside it.

The sight of that pokéball immediately brought Himiko a decade into the past. She didn’t get to see the explosion, but news about it went on for a full week, with investigations into how and why that old couple destroyed their own house with an exploding Electrode while inside. Forensics concluded it happened due to an accidental release of said Electrode instead of their companion pokémon, but they had no clue how that pokéball ended up there.

With that being said, Himiko placed the unknown sphere in a separate pocket of her trainer belt since the wiser option of reporting it to the pokémon center staff never crossed her mind. Not that she believed in that worst-case scenario from the past. But she didn’t want to put her beliefs to that test.

Spoiler: Author Notes

Don't worry, our baby is safe.
In all seriousness, this boxing is happening much earlier story-wise than it happened in gameplay. Helio was a decent pokémon, sure, but couldn't keep up due to a shallow movepool and not enough bulk to justify its presence on team. So, once I got a specific catch to counter a following battle (and a full team at that point), it wasn't that hard to make that decision on who to box.
However, Himiko doesn't think like that, and would never choose teammates because of strength (or at all). Instead, she has her own reasons for not wanting a pokémon from that line on her team. I've given some hints already, hope it's not too subtle.

Spoiler: Team Composition

Current Members:

Fuu (Kirlia ♂) - Lv. 23 - Bold | Synchronize

Monk (Bellsprout ♂) - Lv. 22 - Bold | Chlorophyll

Nuri (Swellow ♂) - Lv. 25 - Mild | Guts

Deceased

Stardust (Zigzagoon ♀) - Lv. 4~6 - Bold | Pickup

Basker (Poochyena ♀) - Lv. 4~12 - Bold | Run Away

Bully (Beautifly ♂) - Lv. 7~20 - Serious | Swarm

Wendy (Skiploom ♀) - Lv. 9~18 - Lax | Chlorophyll

Boxed (won't be shown later)

Helio (Igglybuff ♂) - Lv. 21 - Bashful | Cute Charm

 

[Vivace]

Hell yes, that's what I'm talking about! Himiko and Brendan spending some time together, without something going horribly wrong :D

I don't think enough is said for your Professor Birch, because my god man, he's the most wholesome professor I think I've seen in a storylocke! He's exactly what Himiko needs in a world where it's so hard to find someone really trustworthy.

I'm curious who the Mauville leader is, and what they're like, since I don't know anything about this hack. Are they going to be nice, or is Himiko gonna have to fight for her pokemon's lives again?

 

[Spectacles]

“I thought trainers would protect their friends… but now mommy is gone and…” his voice faltered a bit as he sobbed.

Aww poor Helio...That's a tough situation all around, and I think Himiko boxing him might be a good resolution both in story and to explain gameplay.

Forensics concluded it happened due to an accidental release of said Electrode instead of their companion pokémon, but they had no clue how that pokéball ended up there.

Oh wow! Dang, what a way to go. I never thought of this being a way to put a hit on people in the Pokemon world, but it makes total sense. I hope the same will not happen to Himiko, and I'm curious to see what's in this new mysterious Poke ball!

 

[Leon Yorunaki]

Spoiler: (insert something witty here)

@Vivace: Let's be fair, both of them deserved that nice moment. As for Birch, I didn't plan for him to be this much, but it really does justice for what I had planned, and is especially nice for Himiko as there's no one who needs someone like Birch more than her.
As for the last question... why not both?
@Spectacles: I actually tried a bit too much to make him useful... But with a limited moveset, scarce TMs at that point of game (pretty much unlimited since they are sold at various marts, but still), I couldn't make Helio useful. As for Himiko and the mysterious pokéball, why would I make her life easy, right? As with Delibird's move, you never know it that present will heal or hurt...

Spoiler: 17 - Thunder Wave

A few hours had gone by without any unusual events as the morning reached its end. Himiko was slowly getting used to the long distances she had to cover, but, judging by her early weariness, she wasn’t quite there yet.

Her pokémon, on the other hand, would take much longer to adjust to her travels, owing to her reluctance to let them out. It wasn’t uncommon for a trainer to keep all of their pokémon in their balls, even though it was wise to have at least one of them outside as a walking companion and bodyguard. Himiko would take neither, preferring to keep them — and, most importantly, her mind — at rest.

And that was only possible due to the harsh conditions of that trek between Slateport and Mauville since the main pedestrian road between the two cities was under repair. Instead, she had to face the woods — hopefully avoiding the wetland zones — and, if all went well, she would be able to reach Mauville before sunset. No wild pokémon crossed her path during all of that time, which Himiko saw as a blessing. As strange as it was, considering how deep into the wilderness she went, it was one less thing to worry about as she was about to cross a clearance area.

As she considered taking a quick break to reapply her sunscreen, her instincts went up. It was a bit too peaceful and quiet for what she had prepared for, and she felt something was about to break that monotony.

And then she tripped over her own feet, almost failing to protect herself from hitting her face in a muddy puddle.

With nothing to blame but her own sleep deprivation, she stopped at the place, trying to recompose herself before pressing forward. Her suspicious side wanted to pin it on something — anything —, but the place was completely silent.

And then Himiko realized she didn’t need to be alone.

“There’s no one else to blame but you, Himiko,” Fuu said, immediately after being released from his ball. “I mean, when was the last time you rested?”

“I did go to sleep early yesterday, you know?”

“Wrecked as you are now? Doubt it.” He went on, his scolding making the girl regret her choice of calling him out. “Shouldn’t you eat something and take a break?”

She didn’t answer. Rather, she did the opposite of that, standing up to push herself. The last thing she wanted was to sleep in the wilderness, something she would need to do if she was unable to reach Mauville on time.

It didn’t take her ten steps forward for the girl to stumble again.

“I told you, Himiko! Don’t overdo it or you’ll regret it later!”

“Are you sure you aren't messing with me, Fuu?” She went on, doubting herself for the second fall. “I trust my own feet to know something’s odd.”

“I would never hit so low.”

“Says the one who knocked me out for three days straight…”

“Come on, Himiko, you know I had no other option!” Fuu didn’t seem angry at the answer; if anything, he was mildly annoyed. “Seriously, I thought you’d be over…”

At that point, however, he had to stop talking for a bit, or he’d hit the puddle as well. His legs faltered just as he got himself distracted, and it took all of his concentration to stand still.

“Now you won’t tell me you’re also tired!” Himiko laughed at how odd the Kirlia was as he held on to an impossible position if not for his psychic powers.

“Ssh, Himiko, you’ll scare him!”

If anything, she realized she had someone to blame, and that should be a wild pokémon around. The more she thought about what had just happened, the more sure she was about being hit by some sort of move. Not a crippling attack like a Thunder Wave, but something weaker, meant to troll and not incapacitate the target.

And, while Himiko couldn’t find any wild pokémon in her sight at first, she eventually managed to locate that trickster creature camouflaged in the short grass growing around them, his green fur meshing with the landscape.

At least when he wasn’t trying so hard not to laugh at them.

Fuu just looked at his trainer, and a quick glance was enough to know he had been given a blank check.

The next thing she saw, the Electrike was floating with his tail pointing downwards, around ten feet above the grass. Without warning, he started spinning in place, fast enough to make him dizzy but not quickly enough to give him nausea.

“Come here, Himiko. You so want to hear this…”

Coming closer, she touched the back of Fuu’s head, still surprised at how those wild grunts immediately turned into a wobbly and squeaky voice:

“...me down, you nitwit! Can’t you take a joke?” His squeaks went louder and out of control — just like the kid he was. “Put me on the floor and I’ll show you what I can do to pea-brained jerks like you!”

Himiko didn’t know exactly what made her grab an empty pokéball from her bag. Facetiously, to some extent, but seriously considering catching the damn thing to try and teach him a lesson.

“Going for a cheap shot now? Take that glob back and we can…”

To be fair, it was quite a hard catch. As she threw the ball at the Electrike, it took more than a minute of wibbly-wobbly until it stopped with a confirmation beep. As a result, the girl released the pokémon once more to finish scolding him.

“T’was just a gag, moron! Way to take the fun out of ‘function’, yano?”

“If you don’t want me to put that fun into ‘funeral’, you better listen to me!”

“You’re boring!” The Electrike sighed at first, wasting a second or two until it clicked for him. “Wait, did you just throw the joke back? Can you understand me?”

“More than you think.”

“That makes things easier,” the electric said. “I’ll make it loud and clear: I’m not going with you!”

“And what makes you think you have an option?”

“What makes you think I’ll obey you?”

“Fuu does.” Himiko smiled, and the Electrike was only mildly annoyed at it when he spun in the air again.

“It stopped being funny the first time, yano? Alright, alright, we can make a deal.”

“Good to see you can still think. Should we be going then?”

“Whoa whoa, calm your Spheals! I haven’t gone through my terms yet!”

Himiko was going to argue against it, but Fuu stopped her before she could open her mouth. “Let him talk.”

“Better yet, I’ll show you my terms.” His face went serious for the first time since he was caught, but it didn’t last long enough to make an impression. “As soon as Mr. Matchstick here lets me down!”

“Fine, I’ll give you a chance,” Himiko replied, allowing Fuu to release the electric pokémon. “But I swear, if this is some kind of prank, I’ll make you regret it painfully!”

“Come on, can’t you trust me?”

“Not yet, but I’m willing to try.”

“Follow me then.”

The trio went through a narrow opening into the woods, far from the main path. The Electrike, leading the way, was moving graciously despite the odd turns they had to take, probably used to that trail. Fuu was following him, in front of Himiko, but the girl kept holding his arm in case the electric pokémon would say something important.

Which, except for the last word, happened.

“Damn, how did I end up being caught?”

“Your fault, mate,” Fuu replied. “Trolling around random trainers? It could have gone way worse.”

“I get the girl trying to scold me, but you?”

“You know you could get yourself killed that way, right?”

“Cut a slack, you’re not my dad!”

“Stop it, both of you!” Himiko intervened. “Fuu, you don’t need to make things worse for him!”

“Ha, see?” the Electrike jocked. “Better listen to your trainer!”

“That goes for you too, unless you want me to back off from our deal!” Himiko was starting to lose her temper, which wasn’t even that big, to begin with. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“Ikazuchi, m’lady. Kazu for the intimates.”

“So, Ikazuchi…” Himiko stretched the most of each syllable, playing back with him. “You’re the newbie here, so you better behave or…”

“For Gulpin’s stool!” he shouted back, ignoring the trainer. “They’re at it again!”

“What?”

“We better go! Quick!”

Ikazuchi dashed through the path, giving the duo no other choice than to follow him. Not like she ever wanted to get into any sort of mess, which was pretty obvious by how the Electrike reacted suddenly, but she couldn’t stop thinking how the earlier she got it done, the earlier her leaving would also be.

If the sparks coming out of the hole that pokémon crawled into were any indication, it wouldn’t be an easy task.

“I feel it’s better to stay away from that,” Fuu whispered.

“If you know what’s going on, please tell me because I don’t!”

“Most likely a territory fight. We shouldn’t even be here.”

“You know I didn’t want to come either.”

“Yet you did.”

“I know…” She spoke, and the pokémon could feel she wasn’t well. It didn’t hurt him as much as when he was just a little Ralts, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel her sorrow. “I don’t want another Bully or Monk or… what was the Igglybuff’s name again?”

The Kirlia sighed. “Helio.”

“You get it. I want to earn his trust before anything bad happens…”

“I commend you for that. I just worry you’re going a bit…”

His answer came before he could even finish the sentence; the small explosion that flared from the hole Ikazuchi had just gone into was proof they were pushing it too far. And that wasn’t even taking into account the rounded shape being launched roughly in their direction from said grotto.

It was a Squirtle — emphasis on the was, judging by the cracked shell.

Himiko couldn’t help but stare at the suddenly big opening, sizable enough for everyone to see how wide — and crowded — it was inside. Ikazuchi was leading a group of apparently seven Electrike against a small horde of assorted pokémon.

And as she took notice of the crew, the reciprocal was also true.

“Beware, there’s a human around!” The deep voice warned them, but Himiko couldn’t perceive which of those it belonged to. It was the cue for them to stop fighting each other and stare at the girl and her Kirlia menacingly, trying to scare the duo out, which would probably work against a random passerby.

“Leave that girl alone, ‘kay?” Ikazuchi chimed in but didn’t get a chance to explain himself as he had to dodge a flame thrown at him.

A Charmander stepped in. “You shut the hell out! You and your crew have no right to whistle here!”

“What the jolt? It was your mother who started all of this!”

“Bold of you to say that!” Another Squirtle around added, probably mad after seeing one of his species being killed a moment before.

“Look,” another of the Electrikes, a female one, retorted. “Mahuika went in and burned our nest. It was only fair we attacked her!”

“She wouldn’t have to if you didn’t steal our eggs first!” It was the Charmander again. “And even if you didn’t, it gives you no right to kill her!”

It was at that point that Himiko stopped paying attention to it, mainly because it became harder to make any sense out of that fight when they started attacking each other, ignoring her presence for more than a minute.

It only changed when that very Charmander was tossed aside by some of the Electrike, landing somewhat close to Himiko.

“Please, Kirlia, help us…” it was more of a plea than anything else. “They’ll get everyone killed at this rate.”

To be fair, he didn’t want to partake in the confusion and promptly ignored the fire pokémon. And he wouldn’t act if his trainer didn’t give a conflicting order.

“Fuu, I want you to stop them!"

“You know this isn’t our business!"

“You prefer these guys to kill each other!?” Himiko shouted back.

In a bit of a shock, the psychic set up some sort of a translucent barrier between the two groups, trying to stop the fight without harming anyone. The act, more than the screen itself, was what sent everyone back to square one, staring again at the girl and her partner.

“Thanks, I’ll handle it from here.” The Charmander bowed quickly before turning back to the other pokémon on the daunting task of reconciling the groups.

Despite his heated speech, however, they weren’t paying it much attention.

“Why did you involve that human in our matters?” It was a Chikorita to ask. Despite his peaceful look, the harsh voice was a sign that he wasn’t joking around that mess.

“Blame it on me, fella!” Ikazuchi replied. “It’s been some time, I thought we needed some external help to settle it.”

“That would be a first for a brat like you,” the Charmander countered. “But you thought wrong!”

“Shut up! You’re so stuck up on yourself it’s disgusting!”

“I dare you to try, twerp! Oh, right, now you’re being disciplined, that girl won’t let you!”

At that point, none of the others cared about fighting; watching those silly kids throwing offenses at each other was too good to pass up. Ikazuchi, however, still tried to hit the Charmander with an electric move that did nothing but bounce on the screen placed between them. As it turned out, he had to keep attacking with words.

“Why don’t you ask one of your Squirtle friends to wash that dirty mouth?”

“Remember to thank your lord and her puppet later so I can’t wash yours myself, lil’ puppy!”

“I’d be careful around her, jerk!”

“What can she do about it? Lock me in the puppyhouse with you?”

Himiko got fed up with that strife, however, and her options were quite limited. She couldn’t call Ikazuchi back to the pokéball because of the protective screen Fuu was holding between them — and she expected those creatures to take up the fight the moment it was lifted. On the other hand, silencing the Charmander would mean she’d draw the anger of the whole crew the moment she attacked the fire pokémon.

She was so aggrieved by his last words, however, that she felt the need to do something about it by hitting the back of his head with the first thing she could reach.

An empty pokéball.

Everyone — including Fuu — gawked at the girl, astonished at her foolish attitude. Ikazuchi couldn’t help but burst into laughter as the ball was shaking wildly, the Charmander trying to break through the capture device.

Maybe, if he wasn’t tired from the fights before, he could have been able to.

“No way she did that!” One of the smaller Charmander in the crew disclosed, not as quietly as he thought.

“Serves him right!” The older Chikorita from before jumped in. “That means I’ll handle things from now on… and that starts with you, Kazu!”

Before the Electrike could realize it, there were some vines around his neck, not quite hurting the pokémon, merely as a warning that, if the Chikorita wanted, he could get him done.

“Be thankful that this human got your back this time! You know I should have killed you long ago.” The grass pokémon menacingly stared at him. “You're the one to blame for this war! Get the crap out of here, because if I see your face again I'll choke you to death. Am I clear?”

It was hard to measure the Chikorita's anger from the distance Himiko was from them, but she could feel the tension of that moment just enough to know it would be for the best if she left immediately after the Electrike was tossed aside in her direction.

“As for the others,” the leaf pokémon went on. “I am willing to try a truce…"

"Let's get out of here, ‘kay?” Ikazuchi whispered as he got close enough not to be heard by the others.”

“I guess so…” Himiko turned her back to the small crowd of pokémon, willing to leave without bothering with whatever decisions would come. “Want to go back to your ball?”

“Not yet.”

He rushed through the same path they had gone down, putting himself — and the other two as well, forced to keep up with his pace not to get lost — at a distance from his pack.

And, when he was sure no one else would hear him venting, he did.

”Are you nuts?” Ikazuchi cried out loud. “You just ruined everything! Why the jolt did you catch Nagrev!?”

“He was just igniting the discussion. It seemed like the right thing to do”

“Are you insane? Nagrev was the only reason they hadn’t killed each other yet!”

“And I think that Chikorita can handle it much better for them!”

“You're silly! Silly!” Ikazuchi let a few sparks fly, poorly reacting to her reasoning. "Teluk is a sucker, no one respects him!”

It didn't take long for Himiko to connect the dots, however.

“Why do you care so much? Aren't these your enemies?”

“Even enemies can respect each other without making it a war, yano?”

“Something tells me what worries you is having Nagrev around…”

“You're wrong!” The Electrike couldn't hide his blush, squeaking at her sudden sight. “He's strong enough to handle that fight! You never needed to…”

Himiko burst out laughing. Judging by their earlier, heated discussion, she knew enough those two were fighting that way for a long time.

“Come on, Kazu! I've known you for two hours and it's glaring to me that you love him!”

“Shut up!” He muffed a laugh.

Maybe the Electrike was right to assume that the fight wouldn't end. But Himiko couldn't care enough about that. Her only worry at that moment was being sure she would never reach Mauville on time, which meant she had to redo all of her plans, including trying to find a place safe enough to spend the night.

Curiously enough, Ikazuchi would soon share those thoughts.

Spoiler: Author Notes

I'm not giving my little friends enough screen time, so what shall I do? Of course, add some more!
Ikazuchi had been caught way before than it shows here. He was part of the team who beat Darlan back in Dewford, so you if you're wondering how I got him leveled up so fast, that's why.
Meanwhile, Nagrev was the Altering Cave catch. Of course I was silly and added all the starters to that place no one cares to explore unless you want to get Zubat out of your catching list (or, otherwise, have a guaranteed catch for Crobat if you like using the line). All of them conveniently at lv.15 so they can evolve at proper levels if you want.
As long as these two are alive, let's hope they don't try killing each other

Spoiler: Team Composition

Current Members:

Fuu (Kirlia ♂) - Lv. 25 - Bold | Synchronize	Monk (Bellsprout ♂) - Lv. 24 - Bold | Chlorophyll	Nuri (Swellow ♂) - Lv. 25 - Mild | Guts
Ikazuchi (Electrike ♂) - Lv. 24 - Serious | Lightning Rod	Nagrev (Charmander ♂) - Lv. 15 - Naive | Blaze

Deceased

Stardust (Zigzagoon ♀) - Lv. 4~6 - Bold | Pickup	Basker (Poochyena ♀) - Lv. 4~12 - Bold | Run Away	Bully (Beautifly ♂) - Lv. 7~20 - Serious | Swarm
Wendy (Skiploom ♀) - Lv. 9~18 - Lax | Chlorophyll

 

[Spectacles]

“Wrecked as you are now? Doubt it.” He went on, his scolding making the girl regret her choice of calling him out. “Shouldn’t you eat something and take a break?”

I love Fuu the self-care sensei.

“T’was just a gag, moron! Way to take the fun out of ‘function’, yano?”

“If you don’t want me to put that fun into ‘funeral’, you better listen to me!”

This interaction is great. I love Kazu already!

It was a Squirtle — emphasis on the was, judging by the cracked shell.

Aw poor turtle baby :( That's cool that you put all the starters in that cave though! And with a Charmander on your team, your team is really starting to look so cool and diverse!