Chapter 13 – LOVE
by acti_nerdingtonCRASH!!!
“GOOD MORNING!”
…
“IT’S MORNING! WAKE UP! TIME TO GET UP, BUCKAROOS!”
Stomp, stomp, loud stomp, quiter in the distance stomp.
Rickety and Lexxi both slowly stir from their beds, heads peeking out just above the covers. Lexxi tiredly gazes over towards Rickety. “You think Treasure Town ever files any noise complains against the guild?”
Rickety gives a weak shrug. “I ‘unno, since we’re so deep underground I think they’d complain about earthquakes than sound. That voice is loud enough to make buildings fall.” He visibly shudders, scrunching his eyes shut. “I dread to think what’ll happen if he ever evolves into an Exploud.”
“Ahem.” Chatot clears his throat loudly as the guild gathers together in their usual spot, his feathers ruffling slightly. “Before we get to today’s news, I’ve an announcement to make. You may notice that Team Skull isn’t present during this meeting, and there’s a reason for that.”
Lexxi and Rickety glance at each other, arching eyebrows.
“Due to a variety of factors that we can’t publically disclose, the guildmaster has terminated our agreement with Team Skull, and not only will they not be accompanying us on this expedition, but they are no longer permitted within the premises of the guild either.”
The members of the guild begin to chat amongst themselves, but Lexxi and Rickety are left the most intrigued and equally baffled. “Did we cause this?” Lexxi asks, tilting her head as she glances up at Rickety.
“Maybe?” Rickety glances back at Chatot and Wigglytuff before returning to Lexxi. “I mean, hey, I’m glad those jerks are gone, but right after they tried to ambush us? Pretty coincidental, not gonna lie.”
“Maybe they finally figured out they were trouble and threw them out. All the more for it, I guess.” She sighs in relief as she turns back to face Chatot and the guildmaster. “At least that’s one less thing for us to worry about.”
Chatot glances back at the guildmaster, who hands him over a slip of paper. “Now, since any potential plans with Team Skull are no longer in action, we’ll be able to get to our expedition much sooner! In fact, our goal is to set out tomorrow! Which also means, we’ll be announcing the expedition members today!~”
“Oh my gosh, already?!”
“Hey hey! Will we even have enough time to prepare?!”
Rickety and Lexxi lean forward excitedly, Rickety especially as he listens as closely as he can. “Oh my gosh please please please please please-“
“You’ll have plenty of time to prepare. Those who get picked can focus on getting ready instead of working to the day. But without further ado! Let’s get into the list, shall we?~ Please come forward if you hear your name called!” Chatot clear his throat once again, eyes beginning to skim down the paper. “Our first member on the expedition list is… Loudred!”
“YES!” The room rumbles, the other members of the guild all visibly flinch as Loudred makes his way over to the front of the room, standing next to Chatot and Wigglytuff. “Of course, it’s only NATURAL that I get picked!~”
“Aren’t you basically staff?”
“Somebody’s definitely getting employee of the month privileges…”
“Let’s see here, next up is… Corphish!”
“Wah?!” The Corphish blinks a few times, glancing back and forth. “Hey hey! Me?! I don’t know what I did to get picked, but I’ll take it, hey hey!” He skitters his way over to the front with Loudred, though does glance at him warily on occasion.
“Next we have… Oh! Well isn’t this a surprise! Our next member on the list is Bungie!”
The Bidoof gasps as his eyes go wide with excitement. “M-Muh, me?! “G-Golly, I’m goin’ on the expedition?!” His body begins quaking with excitement as he trembles in place.
Chatot lowers the slip of paper down a bit, staring at Bungie quizzically. “Err… Is something the matter? Come along, step up!”
Bungie lets out a nervous chuckle, smiling sheepishly. “Gosh, I- Y’know I’d love to step up with y’all, but, I’m feelin’ a might overwhelmed and uh, I can’t get my legs to move, eheheh…”
Chatot blinks, but nods. “No matter, we’ll move along, then. Next up are… Chimeco and Sunflora!”
The two Pokemon look at each other, confused and surprised. “Us?” Chimeco tilts her head. “Well, I’m not complaining, I don’t believe I’ve ever been picked for one of these.”
“Eeek, neither have I! This is great!”
With that, the two also step up along with the other members.
“And… I do believe that’s it!”
Rickety’s expression falls slightly, his limbs hanging limply at his side. “Oh…”
Lexxi gives Rickety a few reassuring pats on the back. “We tried our hardest at least, right? No use getting worked up about it.”
“Mmnnhh…” Rickety sighs, rubbing at the back of his head. “Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right.” He smiles sheepishly. “Maybe we’ll get picked next ti-“
“Hold on a moment, everyone.” Rickety and Lexxi’s attention is pulled back to Chatot as he stares back down at the paper, his eyebrows furrowing. “It, er, appears I might have missed some members, my apologies. The guildmaster’s handwriting is so sloppy and scrawled I can barely make it out.” Muttering that last bit to himself, Chatot continues. “The remaining members on the list are Diglet, Dugtrio, Crogunk, Xero, Zorora, Rickety and Lexxi… Wait a minute.”
The two’s eyes widen, turning back to face each other with equally excited expressions on their faces. While that’s going on, however, Chatot’s eyes are quickly going back and forth over the paper before turning back to face Wigglytuff. “Guildmaster! T-This list seems to include…” He glances back at the rest of the members before returning to Wigglytuff, feathers flapping. “Everyone in the guild!”
Wigglytuff simply keeps smiling that same smile he always seems to have as he nods his head eagerly, big ears flopping around as he moves. “Yup! Of course it does!~”
Chatot flaps his wings more frantically as he starts squawking inbetween words. “Then that makes the entire selection process completely pointless! A-And furthermore, won’t that mean we’ll be leaving the guild empty?! We can’t just leave it unattended like this! What if-“
“We’ll lock it up nice and tightly!~” Wigglytuff interrupts, that smile still on his face.
“T-That’s besides the point! We haven’t done an all-member expedition team in… Ever! What if something goes wrong?! Surely you must think that we’ve too many members, don’t you?!”
Wigglytuff simply shakes his head. “You can never have too many friends with you!~ More friends equals more fun!~ The more friends we have, the more fun we’ll have on the expedition!~”
“Of all the things you could’ve chosen to spring on me…” Chatot sighs, rubbing at his temples with his feathers. “Okay, so… Let’s get this schedule cleared up. You each have the whole day to yourselves to gather supplies and anything you may need on the trip. Tonight, after everyone is all ready to go, we’ll explain where our destination is and settle on teams. Be sure to inform me when you’re ready.” He ruffles his feathers slightly, letting out a quiet huff. “Dismissed! Remember to make sure you’re all as prepared as can be!”
While many of the guild members head off to prepare, a few of the members do stick around to chat with each other about their excitement.
“I can’t believe we got picked!” Rickety says as he practically bounces up and down, tail wagging eagerly behind him. “I mean- If everyone got picked we would’ve gotten picked anyway but- Gosh I’m SO happy we get to go!”
Bungie chuckles nervously, smiling sheepishly. “You’re tellin’ me. I’m still reelin’ a little bit from it myself! I never thought I’d have been picked in a million years, but here I am!”
“Did you guys SEE the look on Chatot’s face when he realized the guildmaster invited everyone?” Zorora chuckles with a big dumb grin on her face. “I thought his feathers were gonna go white! He was not prepared for this at all. But hey! We all get to go! I’ve been really itching to go on another expedition, I haven’t been on one in forever!”
Xero muffles a laugh. “I’d say there’s a reason we haven’t been on an expedition in such a long time, but that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”
Zorora’s eyes narrow, pointing a claw at Xero. “You said you wouldn’t bring that up again.”
The Kirlia gives a playful wink. “Just a reminder, sweetie.~”
“Either way,” Dugtrio burrows up to the rest of the group. “If we’re all going, it’s likely that the guildmaster may be testing us as well. I’d like to propose for the best outcome and making this expedition a success, all the apprentices work together as one.”
Lexxi smiles and nods. “That’s for the best. We’ll all work together and make this trip the best we can!~”
The fading light of the setting sun shines through the windows as the members of all guild all regroup back on the second floor after an incredibly long day of shopping and prepping. Chatot’s eyes sweep over the crowd, making sure not a single member is absent. “Alright, it seems like we’re all accounted for… Alright then! Let’s get to explaining, shall we?~”
He clears his throat, feathers ruffling. “First, our goal; exploration of Fogbound Lake, a lake far out to the east that, as its name would imply, is perpetually surrounded by a dense fog. So while it’s rumored to have been seen by many, its existence has never actually been confirmed, and it’s been pondered whether or not it even exists to begin with.”
Lexxi tilts her head to the side. “So, our goal is to find out whether or not Fogbound Lake is real, right?”
“Exactly!” Chatot nods in response. “But on top of that, there’s another rumor that Fogbound Lake, should it exist at all, holds a treasure deep within. So if it turns out to be real, we’ve got our sights set on that, as well.”
“Treasure huuuuuuuuuuunnnnttt…” Rickety tries his best to hide his excitement in silence, though he’s clearly jittering in place at the thought. “Treasure huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunt!”
Chatot raises his feathers into the air and unfurls a Wonder Map, pointing to a particularly cloudy region of the map with a feather. “Right here, southeast of Apple Woods is where Fogbound Lake is said to be. As you can see, our guild is quite a ways away from the lake.” He taps on the other side of his map with his right feathers. “We’ll be setting up a base camp just at the foot of the highlands that we’ll all meet up at.”
Chatot closes the map back up, stashing it away. “Now, travelling in one big group would complicate things and greatly restrict movement, so we’ll all split up into teams and take our own routes to the base camp!~ For starters, the guildmaster and myself will be travelling together as a pair.” He glances at the guildmaster with a smile. “That would be acceptable, yes?~”
Wigglytuff’s face goes all pouty, lips being pushed out as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I have to go with you agaaaaaaaaaain? How boring!”
“Guildmaster, please.” Chatot’s feathers puff up as his brows furrow. “Please don’t be difficult about this, you know this is a key part of our strategy.”
“Hmph!” Wigglytuff playfully huffs and turns away, face all scrunched up in mock frustration. “Meanie.”
Chatot sighs and rolls his eyes, turning his attention back to the guild. “Anyways… The first team will be Sunflora, Loudred, Diglett and Croagunk-“
“NONE OF YOU BETTER WEIGH ME DOWN!” Loudred suddenly shouts, then smiles. “Got that?~”
Sunflora huffs, rolling her eyes. “You’re one to talk…”
“…Yes, well, the second team will be Dugtrio, Chimeco, Corphish and Bungie.”
The four look amongst themselves, seeming rather chipper about it.
“Well, we’re a solid group, aren’t we!”
“We’ll most definitely do our best!”
“Golly, I’m still amazed I’m even going at all. I won’t let any of you down!”
“Hey hey!~”
“And finally, for our last team, Lexxi, Rickety, Zorora and Xero.”
“Oh HECK YEAH!” Zorora shouts from the group, waving over Lexxi and Rickety from the other side of the line. “Road trip with the newbies!”
Rickety reciprocates the same energy, waving a hand eagerly back to Zorora. “Road trip with the newbies!”
“We all depart first thing in the morning! Let’s all be sure to get plenty of rest for the road ahead!~”
The early morning sun was just beginning to rise over the sky, casting its early shadows over the landscape, the sky still a nice, rosy shade of orange. Though of course, with it still being fairly early, it meant that it was still decently dark out. Such a circumstance was enough for a certain band of troublemakers to stake out just outside the guild.
“Wasn’t they supposed to not go for a few more days?” The Zubat whispers from his spot in the bush, trying his best to keep still without disturbing the branches. “The guildmaster told us we wasn’t supposed to be headin’ off for at least three days more!”
The koffing huffs, his smoke faintly trickling through the leaves and branches. “Probably had less baggage to carry without us, meant they could start traveling earlier. The absolute nerve of them to-“
“Easy there, fellas.” Chief signals them to quiet down. “Think of this on the bright side. They’re headin’ out earlier, which means we don’t gotta wait to roll out either, means we’ll be gettin’ our paws on that treasure faster.”
Koffing and Zubat both glance at themselves, and their lack of paws, hands or really anything they could reasonably hold anything with, then back down at Chief, who’s gaze narrows a bit. “…Y’know what I mean.”
The ground begins to rumble slightly as the guild begins to make their way down the steps to the entrance, Team Skull retreating a bit further back into their bush, their eyes following each and every one of the guild members as they quickly rush out on their expedition.
“See those brats at all, Chief?”
“I’m lookin, I’m lookin’… Aw, they got that Zoroark with ’em, and that Kirlia too. They’ll see us comin’ from a mile away.” He huffs angrily. “That spoils some of the fun.”
“Are you freakin’ serious?!” The Zubat lets out a quiet groan. “Why couldn’t they’d gotten paired off with the Bidoof fella or somethin’?! We could’ve stood a chance against them!”
“So, that makes following Chatot and Wigglytuff a mistake, that group with the Loudred guy will alert everyone if they spot us… Guess the only chance we got is with the team with the Dugtrio.”
“It ain’t the most excitin’, but it’ll have to do.” Chief sighs as he watches the teams all split off from each other, carefully stepping out of the bushes and gesturing to his team. “Alright boys, let’s go! Vamoose!”
“OH YEEAAAHH!” Zorora sprints forward ahead much, much faster than the rest of the group, with Rickety desperately trying to catch up. The team had plotted a route along the seacoast, having made it to a nice little cliffside that fully showcased the open sea in all its beauty as the morning sun reflected off its shimmering waves. “You smell that air, everyone! MMMNNN! That’s the smell of adventure right there! Beats staying cooped up in that guild. Maybe with Team Skull gone it’ll finally air out while we’re away!”
Rickety tries to sprint up to Zorora, panting a bit heavily as he reaches the cliffside, having to double over a bit as he looks up at her. “Z-Zorora, I know you’re just as excited about this as I am but we need to stick together! What if we get separated?!”
Zorora snickers softly, grinning down at Rickety. “Oh come on, little buddy, you can’t tell me you won’t be able to see a giant towering Zoroark wandering around ahead of you?”
“That’s besides the point!” Rickety pouts. “You don’t need to call me little, I’m a bit taller than a normal Riolu, you know!”
“I’m still more than twice as tall as you, dude!”
Lexxi and Xero, meanwhile, hang back a bit while they let Rickety and Zorora bicker each other out for the time being. “Maybe it’s just the expedition, but Rickety seems like he’s really coming into his own as a leader, isn’t he?” Lexxi says, muffling a giggle to herself.
Xero chuckles softly as she leans against the wall of the cliff. “Probably the excitement of adventure bringing it out. I know you two have only been at the guild for a short time, but I’ve noticed the two of you have been growing quite a bit.” She smiles, glancing back at the two of them. “Especially Rickety over there. He seems much happier when he’s around you.”
Lexxi’s ear flicks as she glances back at Xero. “Huh? I mean, I can see, but I feel like you meant something more than that, didn’t you?”
Xero’s lips curl up into a smile, her hair covering one of her eyes. “I’ve been around my fair share of other Pokemon, Lexxi. Some encounters have been more intimate than others, to put it in lighter terms.” She muffles a giggle to herself. “But those are private. I’m sure you can guess why.”
Lexxi blinks a few times, letting that stir around in her head for a moment before it finally clicks. “O-Oh- I think I get it. You don’t need to go into that, don’t worry.”
Xero muffles another quiet laugh to herself. “I figured it wouldn’t be your thing anyway, but I can tell when something in particular ignites a flame in a Pokemon, to describe it. Not to make any assumptions or anything, but the way you and Rickety interact with each other? You’re quite unlike any other team in the guild.”
“Really?” Lexxi tilts her head to the side a bit, arching an eyebrow. “I mean… Yeah, we’ve really close to each other despite how long we’ve known each other and… I guess I might’ve had some thoughts too but they’ve been more intrusive if anything.” She briefly glances back at Rickety, who’s still arguing with Zorora, trying to swipe back the map she’s holding up high above him. “I care for him, I respect him, and I admire him for all he does and wants to do, but I think I’ve just been more confused if anything.”
She glances back at Xero, tilting her head. “Do you feel the same way about Zorora?”
“Oh no, not at all.” She laughs to herself, shaking her head. “The two of us might flaunt with each other from time to time, but we both know our relationship is strictly professional. We’re much too different from each other to settle down for anything romantic together.” She turns back to face Lexxi. “You say you don’t know, and to be quite honest, it seems he doesn’t really know either. Maybe you just need a little more time to figure it out.”
“Hmm…” Lexxi hums, rubbing at her head a bit. “I guess, but, why bring this up?”
“Just to say I’m not opposed if anything does end up blooming between the two of you.” Xero smiles. “I think you two would be great together, but that’s just me, personally. Just something for you to think about, is all. Just try not to let it distract you too much on our expedition, hmm?”
Lexxi chuckles softly. “Well, you’ve got it in my mind now, not like I can just turn that process off. I’m blaming you if I end up getting distracted.”
“Oopsie.~”
After Rickety finally gets the map back from Zorora, he lets out an exhausted sigh and heads back over to Lexxi and Xero, with Zorora following behind him, snickering to herself. “Hoooookay, sorry to keep you guys waiting. Let’s take a moment to go over our plan again.” He opens up the Wonder Map, tapping a spot just below the Hot Springs. “Right now, we’re here. For now, our goal is to try and cut through the mountains and maybe rest up for a little bit here.” His paw slides over to a series of mountainous peaks presented on the map. “Then after that, we should be able to make a beeline for the camp.” He glances back up at the rest of the group with a smile. “All sound good?”
Lexxi nods and smiles in response. “Sounds great!”
Xero nods as well. “No complaints from me.”
Zorora peeks her head around Rickety, still smirking. “Well what the heck are we all waiting for? Come on, let’s get moving!”
“Is it just me, or do all of our trips end up with us having to venture into some dark cave or something else of the sort?” Lexxi asks as she keeps herself close to the cave wall, still able to faintly hear the roaring of the sea’s waves behind them.
“The Apple Woods wasn’t dark, or a cave, but yeah, really seems like that, huh?” Rickety chuckles softly as he glances back at the rest of the team. “It just seems to come with the job description. I think we’re almost out, though! Just a bit further!”
Zorora scoffs in a faux annoyed manner. “We better be. Haven’t been able to run around since we got in this place. Hate how cramped it all is.”
“How ironic.” Xero chuckles softly. “And here I thought you liked getting up close and personal.”
“For battling, dummy! Not for navigating and all that boring junk!”
Lexxi muffles a chuckle to herself, leaning against a wall, but… Wait this wall feels loose TOO LOOSE WAIT HOLD ON-
She lets out a yelp as the wall ends up crumbling, sliding down a small slope. “Ouughh…”
Rickety quickly hops back to check in, peaking his head inside. “You alright, Lexxi?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” She sits herself up, shaking the rocks and dust off of her. “Just wasn’t expecting… That?” Her attention is pulled away when she sees a light shining down from the ceiling, the collapsed wall having led to a small secret room. Though it wasn’t the light that caught her attention in particular, but rather, what the light seemed to reveal.
Sitting against the wall of the cave lay a necklace.
It was simplistic in its design, colored a deep red and shaped like a heart, albeit one with angled edges rather than the rounded curves one would typically see.
“…No way.” Rickety mutters to himself as he hops inside the secret room, Xero and Zorora peeking in behind him.
“Found some sort of secret treasure, you two?” Xero asks.
“Could you two hurry it up with whatever you found? I’d rather not be stuck in this cave any longer, thank you.”
“Just give us a few minutes, okay?” Rickety glances back at the two. “It’s important, I promise.”
Lexxi walks over closer to the necklace, reaching her stubby little limbs down to pick it up. She recognized the material, feeling it to be the same as Rickety’s necklace. Her heart drums loudly in her chest as she flips it over. Engraved on the back of the necklace in big, bold letters was the word “LOVE” written in the same style as “TIME” was on Rickety’s necklace.
An overwhelming feeling of dizziness washes over Lexxi as she scrunches her eyes shut. “Tapping out… Got another dizzy spell coming.” She manages to mutter out before her vision goes white.
They’re in the air.
Some sort of vehicle, maybe? It’s big and huge, but it’s silent, quiet. Maybe only a quiet hum, but it’s so muted it may as well not be there.
They’re gazing down at some sort of barren landscape littered with only the occasional town or city as they pass over it.
“Feeling lonely, Traveller?”
A voice.
Very synthesized sounding, mechanical.
The Traveller turns to look at their visitor. It’s an android. Very feminine, her body slender, bright red. Cords and cables protrude and hang down from the back of her head, acting like hair.
“Not for long.” The Traveller says, looking back at the window once again.
“In a wasteland like this?” The android asks him, leaning in just a touch closer to him. “How could you not be? Doesn’t it seem… Miserable down there?”
“It doesn’t look like a wasteland to me.”
“But how does it feel?”
The Traveller falls silent, their gaze lingering out the window down at the barren planet below.
“Longing for comfort, longing for solace, longing for refuge.” They sigh. “…Empty, I suppose.”
“The feeling is only natural, Traveller. As is, in this place where humanity once lived and loved.”
The Traveller only sighs, their metallic voice tinging as they lean against the window a tad more.
“Do not worry. You’ll find what you’re looking for. And when you do…” The android extends her hand, the chains of that same heart necklace wrapped around her fingers. “You’ll need to have this.”
The Traveller extends their hand, letting the necklace fall into their palm. They glance up at the android and give a single nod.
“Thank you.”
The vision fades.
Lexxi gasps as she’s suddenly pulled back out of the vision, panting a bit as she gazes down at the necklace. Rickety is sitting beside her, having waited for her.
“What’d you see this time?”
Lexxi shakes her head a bit to clear her mind up. “Not much, but I learned a lot.” She glances back down at the necklace, a stubby limb tracing over its smooth surface. “Saw the same person from the last vision, though they were with someone else. A girl, an android, I could tell that much from her.”
“She said that they’ll find whatever they’re looking for, and that in order to find it, he’d need this necklace.” She flips the necklace back around again, gazing at the letters etched into the back.
Rickety tilts his head as he leans in closer. “Isn’t that what the other guy said too?” He looks down at his necklace, then back at the necklace Lexxi was holding. “Maybe that means they all go to the same place. Every time we learn more about these things, the more important they seem to become. And the more mysterious they become too.” Rickety’s smile returns. “I really think we’re on the verge of a breakthrough. We can tell for sure that there’s more of these out there, somewhere!”
Lexxi chuckles weakly, nodding. “Bit by bit, Rickety. Bit by bit.” She holds the necklace out to Rickety, offering him to take it.
Rickety, surprisingly, shakes his head. “You’re the one who found it, you deserve to keep it for yourself.”
She blinks a few times, glancing down at the necklace before placing it around her neck. “Hmm… You know, it doesn’t look too bad on me.” She smiles. “Thanks, Rickety.”
“It looks good on you.” He smiles back. “It suits y-“
“You two done playing charades in there?” Zorora calls from behind. “In case you’ve forgotten we kinda need to, y’know, MOVE!”
Rickety stammers, laughing nervously. “R-Right! Heh, sorry! We’re on our way back!” He helps Lexxi back up onto her fours. “C’mon, gotta make it to our camp before dusk at least.”
By the time the group had managed to make it out of the cave, the sun was already beginning to set off in the distance. Figuring it’d be too late to go further and that trying to traverse the mountains at night would be too dangerous, they’d set up camp, a warm fire crackling as they sat around.
“Hmmm… Say,” Xero glances over at Lexxi and Rickety, tilting her head. “It’s still quite a bit of time before it’s truly dark out, and there’s a very likely chance we may end up in a mystery dungeon or two while we’re searching for the lake… Perhaps we could teach you some new tricks while we’re still awake?”
“Huh?” Rickety leans forward. “Like private tutoring?”
“It ain’t exactly private our here given, you know,” Zorora gestures all around them. “How freaking open this place is, but we could probably teach you better if we do one on one! How about it, eh?”
Lexxi and Rickety glance at each other, then turn back to the two and nod. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” Lexxi responds.
“So.” Xero smiles as she sits herself down in front of Lexxi. “Where do we start? Our typing and movesets vary quite a bit, and I’m admittedly not sure how much I can teach you, but we’ll figure something out.” She places her hands together and leans forward a bit. “What’re we looking for here, hmm?”
Lexxi’s tail idly swishes back and forth, tapping at her chin in thought. “Hmm… I can handle myself in one-on-one combat just fine, I think it’s just dealing with multiple opponents that I’ve been struggling with. We haven’t run into another Monster House, but if we ever do I’d like to have an edge on something.”
Xero nods, humming to herself as her eyes glance over Lexxi. “That might prove a bit difficult. There aren’t a whole lot of physical or special attacks that a Skitty can learn that hits multiple opponents that I know of… But there is something I can teach you.” Her smile grows. “And it just so happens to be something I know of naturally.~”
Lexxi’s ears flick, perking forward as she leans in closer, listening intently.
“Now, you might be a normal type and you definitely don’t have access to the same psychic prowess that I do. And while I most definitely can’t teach you to emit swirling rings from your eyes or another of the sort, I can at least teach the second best option I can.” Her smile grows a bit. “Sing.”
Lexxi tilts her head. “…What’s singing supposed to do? You mean something like Perish Song? Or…?”
“There are a number of ways to entrance a Pokemon, Lexxi. Using your voice just so happens to be one of them, and singing is one of the best possible ways to go about it.” Xero leans back a little as she explains. “You won’t be able to make them do anything you want them to, but you can at the very least lull them to sleep and leave them wide open to attack.”
Lexxi blinks a few times. “Huh. I never really considered myself the singing type, but… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
…
Lexxi learned Sing!
“Have you ever just wanted to go absolute ham, Rickety?” Zorora asks with a big dumb grin on her face. “Have you ever just wanted to go freaking NUTS like a Mankey trapped in a neverending fight with a sleeping Dewdong?”
Rickety’s expression immediately turns to that of confusion as he tilts his head, staring up skeptically at the Zoroark. “I, uh, I don’t think I quiiiiite get what you’re talking about but, I don’t know? I mean it’d be nice to just try and go for it sometimes, but I keep trying to be careful and-“
“Well sometimes you need to forget about being careful, man!” She chuckles softly. “Sometimes you just need to go for it! Just go in and get it DONE! You run in, swipe at them, come back, go in, swipe, come back again.”
“Uhh… Okay, I think I can make use of that-“
“Just be careful where you’re swiping, because you’ll keep missing if you’re not looking. Had something like that happen one time. I was facing against a Pokemon- I don’t remember what, I swiped, I missed, and then I swiped, and then I missed again, they got me good, I fainted,”
“Zorora-“
“I woke back up, found the jerk, tried swiping again, I missed, took a Max Elixir to pep myself back up, I swiped, I hit something, but it wasn’t what I was aiming for so I guess I missed-“
“Zorora I get it!”
“Whuh?”
Rickety just stares up at the Zoroark in pure confusion. “I’m… Not really sure where you were trying to go with that, but I think I learned something.”
Zorora scoffs to herself. “Was it to not miss?”
“….More or less.”
…
Rickety learned Fury Swipe-
KRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT!
Rickety’s eyes widen as he hears a horrible tearing sound, he blood running cold as a pit of dread forms in his stomach. “Oh no.”
“The heck was-” Zorora turns around, being tugged back as a vicious force of wind begins to blow against them. “HOLY FREAKING-” A rift has opened up right next to their campsite, this one much bigger than the one Rickety and Lexxi had encountered at Mount Bristle.
“We gotta go!” Rickety starts making a break for it with Zorora, trying to make it back to their campsite. “GUYS COME ON! WE GOTTA-!”
KRRRZZZTT-ZZZZZZZZZ
Without warning, the rift grows in size greatly, the force of the wind pulling them in becoming inescapable.
There’s no hope of running away from this.
Xero quickly turns to Lexxi. “What’s-“
“J-Just hold on! We’re in for a triiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip!”
All four of them are sucked into the rift in a matter of seconds, electricity crackling out before just as quickly as the rift had arrived, it had vanished.
As if nothing were ever there.
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