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4 Supposed to be 3
Topic Started: Sep 29 2017, 07:41 AM (93 Views)
Key2Dawn
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Derpceus is Here
Trainer Ara
((Back to visit friends we go.))

A quiet squeak escaped Daisy as she appeared to dance between the swift slashes of Koko's Leaf Blades. it was astounding to watch, and inspired aw in both Jay and Trevor as they momentarily forgot the drinks in their hands. As if to further impress them, the small Dedenne's ear twitched a few times, then stopped where she was to press herself as close to the ground as possible; even her tail laid flat on the hard earth.

It seemed she was just in time, too, for a sudden Shadow Ball flew over her head and smashed into the unsuspecting Forest Pokemon. As the Grass-type stumbled back, Daisy spun in place to face the opposing Alakazam, and immediately sprang up to avoid a second Shadow Ball. By the looks of it, the small mouse was making her way to the large fox with a Tackle in mind, and when she succeeded to Tackle the Alakazam, Trevor laughed.

"She still knows Tackle?"
"Tackle is a perfectly fine move!"
"Ara, Tackle is so basic..."

Upon Jay's trailing off and Trevor's continuing to laugh, Ara cutely pouted at both of them before breaking into a grin. All right, so maybe it was just a little ridiculous that his starter still knew such a weak and basic move. But! Tackle never failed them since they powered it up with a good amount of training. A proud grin formed on the young man's lips as he watched Daisy, the smallest of the three battling Pokemon, appeared to handle herself rather well.

Even the others commented on this, for it was genuinely surprising. How could something so small and more-likely-than-not weak keep up with the two fully evolved Pokemon? By the looks of it, neither Alakazam nor Sceptile seemed to understand this either, which convinced both to power themselves up. While one calmed his mind to encourage a sharper sense of focus, the other shook herself and stretched to loosen her muscles.

They needed to be stronger and faster if they wanted to catch this mouse. Of course, having endured a few years of adventures with Ara, the Dedenne absolutely welcomed their determination. As if further egging her friends on, Daisy happily waved her tail, and watched as both opponents focused on the Tail Whip. Apparently some things never changed, and the one-track minds of both Chase and Koko were among them.

With the two clearly distracted, Daisy let out an adorable battle cry. With the skill bestowed upon her after years of perfecting it, the mouse snatched and tossed up objects before she deftly flicked her tail to send them hurtling at her opponents. As if on cue, Chase immediately countered with a Teleport, then went for a Psychic aimed for Daisy previously sat. Unfortunately for him, the fairy was already on the move, having chased the object aimed for Koko.

He should have known the mouse was quick to move, and made to readjust his attack as Koko instinctively bat the hurtling object away. To the Sceptile, the plan was obvious, and she was prepared to take on Daisy's Tackle. That known, the green Pokemon prepared a Dual Chop, and thrust an arm forward to strike the approaching mouse.

"They're really getting into it," commented Jay as he reached for a bag of chips. "So, what happened next, Trevs?"

At that, Ara reluctantly looked away from the battle to return his attention to Trevor. Much to his amusement though, the eldest Trainer appeared entirely fixated on the battling Pokemon. He even threw a fist into the air as he continued to watch, which made Ara turn back at the battle. By the looks of it, Chase managed to catch one of the opponents in a Psychic, except that opponent was Koko instead of Daisy. Not that it actually mattered, if Ara thought about it, since it was a free-for-all match-up.

The problem was, Koko was about to be tossed aside as Daisy went in for a Tackle. Like this, Koko escaped the Tackle thanks to having been caught in the Psychic, Daisy landed easily on her paws, and the green glow which had been around Koko shot in the wrong direction. It was the Sceptile's attempt to use Giga Drain on Daisy, but because Koko's attention shifted to Chase when she was caught in the Alakazam's attack, the advanced life-absorbing move landed on Chase instead.

This left Daisy to her own devices while the much larger Pokemon focused on each other. It seemed the aim of their match-up was to see who would outlast the other, though the bipedal fox appeared to have the advantage. Psychic was a powerful move, and gave control over Koko's body to Chase. The Pokemon was also well aware of Daisy, and how she seemed to be charging up with electricity.

Chase couldn't let Daisy get away with whatever she was planning, and with a wave of a spoon, prepared to throw the Sceptile at Daisy. Luckily for the Dedenne, she was a little thing, which made her a difficult to target to hit. A risk was to be taken by the little fairy, and the Pokemon unleashed the built up Thunder Shock on Chase. Because of this, Chase was confronted with a choice: take the Thunder Shock and keep hold of Koko, or drop the Sceptile to defend himself.

"Light Screen!"

Chase reacted immediately. With a flick of the wrist, the fox released Koko and threw up a translucent yellow wall before himself. With this, the Thunder Shock was mostly absorbed, and left little to nothing for the Alakazam to endure. While Chase proudly smirked at Daisy, Koko let out a grumble from having been so unceremoniously dropped. When she hit the ground, her own concentration on Giga Drain was interrupted, which meant Chase was safe from even the Sceptile. By the looks of it, the three were back where they started: relatively well-matched.

"That's so cheap," complained Jay while Ara laughed. "Psychic is too strong, Trevs! And why did you jump in, too?"
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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Key2Dawn
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"Oh come on, Jay. Trainers are supposed to participate in battles as much as their Pokemon," grinned the most experienced Trainer as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. He knew he was in the wrong for having interrupted the battle, and though he did defend himself automatically, at least he apologized. "Okay. Back to the Haxorus then."

At that, the Trainers flashed each other grins as Trevor resumed the story. It seemed he had quite the adventure with the dragon, which inspired Jay to interrupt him with concerns. As far as the youngest Trainer was concerned, Trevor was far too careless. Ara couldn't help but laugh at that; careless? Perhaps for the young brother, handling a Haxorus with lack of tact was careless, but to Ara? That was just another day for a regular Trainer.

"Ara," a quiet voice murmured near the Trainer's ear. Thankfully Ara was both difficult to surprise, and very familiar with the voice which whispered his name. It was Alastor, which meant the ghost made his decision about Chase and Koko.

"Hmm," hummed Ara as he contently watched Jay and Trevor interact. It seemed neither of them noticed the spirit beside Ara, which meant his partner was invisible again. Well, that wasn't much a surprise. Alastor disliked being seen if it was unnecessary, and it was very rarely necessary.

"I want to see the rest of their teams."
"Hmm. There's a thought."

Upon Ara's response, the other Trainers paused what they were doing to look at him. This was what the blond wanted, however; he wouldn't answer Alastor's questions so obviously when in company of others, after all. When Trevor asked what Ara was talking about, Alastor's request was voiced by Ara, and the other Trainers smiled. It seemed they were fine with sharing what their teams looked like, though both admitted to having few Pokemon.

"This is Didi," announced Jay as he revealed a Pidgey. "I got him recently. Koko and I haven't really been collecting much."

"Immune to ghosts," murmured Alastor, though he didn't sound even remotely interested with that minor advantage.

By the looks of it, the bird was a very recent capture. Though it appeared to respect Jay as its Trainer, it didn't look particularly prepared for even the simplest of battles. Though nothing was said on the matter, Ara silently agreed with Alastor on the usefulness of this Pidgey: not useful at all. Though its immunity could be handy, it wasn't as if the ghost-types would use only ghost moves. It seemed Jay was out of the question.

This left them with Trevor, and both invisible Pokemon and visible Trainer looked to him with expectation. There was a grin apparent on Ara's lips, and it seemed to emphasize his interest in what the other caught after so long. Once Trevor was done explaining to Jay the best way to handle Pidgeys, the eldest Trainer proudly pulled out two Poke Balls, then tossed them up to reveal his arsenal. Ara, though surprised by the choice, was not disappointed.

It seemed Trevor was traveling with a Houndoom, which he promptly announced to be Ryan, and a Nidoqueen, who went by the name of Lana. Alastor hummed thoughtfully beside Ara, which made it seem as if the Trainer himself hummed. Did the ex-cop approve of these Pokemon? Though Trevor appeared to have only three Pokemon, it wasn't a bad set-up.

"I like the Houndoom," decided Alastor. "But-"

He was promptly cut off there as Jay perked up and pointed at the battling Pokemon. Because Ara was straining his hearing to listen to the quiet ghost beside him, he completely missed what the boy said. Curious to see what was up, both Pokemon and Trainer turned their attention to the battle at hand, and matching grins formed on Alastor's and Ara's lips.

"Go Daisy go."

Once again, Daisy and Koko were locked in a dance of the Sceptile swinging Leaf Blade after Leaf Blade as she chased the Dedenne, who was using the momentum of her Tackles to avoid getting hit. The whole while they were doing this, Chase was waving both spoons at hand. He was creating Shadow Balls with both hands and hurtling them at the larger grass-type in hopes of making contact.

Frustratingly enough for the Alakazam, Koko's Agility from earlier helped her dodge the ghost attacks while she continued to chase the smallest fighter on the field. This dance, dangerous yet hypnotizing, appeared to draw quite a bit of attention from others who were passing by in the grassy park. Apparently it wasn't often the residents of Jujine Town watched two fully evolved Pokemon and a non-evolving Pokemon battle it out, and without the orders of their Trainers.

While Jay and Trevor cheered their Pokemon on, Ara thoughtfully looked to the passersby. It was oddly strange to him, seeing all these people and not having to worry about their intentions. Despite this though, his eyes still sought out likely targets, and his mind estimated the probability of one or another getting kidnapped by Triviai Nyktelios. Whom would he have to try to save this time? He shouldn't think like that, Ara knew, but it seemed he wasn't able to resist.

Best to focus on the battle. Get my mind off of them. There was no chance, after all, of encountering those deranged murderers here in such a safe town. Besides, no residents of Jujine Town would be worth their time, and most people who came by were looking for Pokemon to start off with weren't in the riches. It was definitely the best place to be if someone wanted to hide from the kidnappers.
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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"Ara your Dedenne is so cool!"
"Hm?"

By the time Ara actually returned his attention to the battle, whatever Daisy did to entice gasps and exclamations of excitement passed. Thankfully Alastor was closely watching the match, and he was ready to fill the Trainer in on the events. According to the ghost, Chase decided it best to adjust his tactics a bit, and aimed a Shadow Ball at Daisy instead of Koko. It wasn't spot-on, Alastor would inform his Trainer before expanding. Chase's calculations on the direction and speed of Daisy's movements were eerily precise, and he aimed the ghost attack where he expected Daisy to move.

The difficulty was, he wasn't the only one of the three who was thinking ahead of the game. Apparently the little Fairy knew it was to happen eventually, which meant the Pokemon was actually buying time while she danced with Koko. By Alastor's speculation, Daisy spent much of the dance listening for the Shadow Balls and trying to guess where they were all going. Though he wasn't sure what tipped the mouse off, Alastor admitted he was as impressed as the rest of the audience.

When the Shadow Ball made its way toward the electric fairy, the Pokemon made sure to stand her ground just long enough to barely avoid another Leaf Blade. As the arm passed her by though, Daisy turned quickly enough to whip her tail after it, and used the Tail Whip to catch onto the arm. As far as the spirit was concerned, that must have hurt. Koko's arm was still in Leaf Blade-mode, after all.

Despite the pain, Daisy hung on, and she used the momentum of that swing to pull herself away from the fast-approaching Shadow Ball. Up she went, Tail Whip having sent her flying while Koko spun in surprise and confusion of what just happened, with sparks of electricity and the cutest smile. With a cry of triumphant determination, the Dedenne unleashed the charged Thunder Shock on Alakazam while still in mid-air.

Chase was a good target for it too, despite the Light Screen that ate up some of the power. Below the now-descending-Dedenne, Koko was unfortunate enough to have taken the brunt of the Shadow Ball that time, which temporarily stunned the Sceptile. It was good thing for Daisy though. The mouse, having not thought too far ahead, was lucky enough to land on the Grass-type and scamper off while the much larger Pokemon was still mildly dazed.

"But why is it still using such basic moves?" Here, both Ara and Jay looked to Trevor curiously as the eldest Trainer spoke. "Tackle? Tail Whip? Thunder Shock? Daisy's clearly as strong as the rest of them. Why such weak attacks?" Now that the lack of more powerful moves was, once again, brought to the table, Jay and Trevor both looked expectantly to Ara. To their surprise, his gentle smile was readily available, as if he predicted their questions.

"It's to keep her creative."
"Huh?"
"What does that mean?"

Ara's gentle smile never wavered as he prepared himself to explain. Perhaps it was on the extreme side of paranoia, but Ara wanted to make sure his team never forgot the basics. After his and Daisy's fiasco with trying to learn Psychic, a rather complicated move when one didn't know the basics of Confusion, it occurred to them both that the basics really were fundamental in just about everything, if not absolutely everything. Without the basic concept of how to do this, that and the other thing, how was one supposed to advance?

So he made sure his Pokemon never forgot the basics, and the difficulties of having to rely on such weak and simplistic attacks. Because they were working with such self-crippling moves, the odds of victory were heavily stacked against them. The answer to this problem was obvious: be creative.

"Like when Daisy used Tail Whip to get so high," continued Ara. "It was a creative way to not only escape Chase's Shadow Ball, but to also give her time to charge up and throw a Thunder Shock right back in retaliation." While the others voiced their understandings, even with the uncertainty in Jay, Ara glanced thoughtfully back at the battle. "Besides, like this, they won't get lazy or, worse, arrogant, with power."

"That," began Trevor before he paused to think it through one more time; "makes a lot of sense, actually." Jay seemed to agree with him, for the youngest boy in the group nodded, as Trevor went on to voice his thoughts on the strategy. "That's, like, the exact opposite of what I've been doing." He'd then remind Ara how, after they first met, he wanted to help Ara teach Psychic to the Dedenne.

It was a clear effort to speed up the process of getting stronger, and one which didn't work out in Daisy's favor since the fairy wasn't capable of learning it. But still, the point was there: In Trevor's desire to quickly become strong, he skipped over the basics and enjoyed the brute power of his team. Now that it came to mind, he was unable to resist confessing the possibility of this being his greatest weakness. It seemed, despite his team of three fully evolved Pokemon, he didn't have more than two badges.

"Time to go back to the basics?" Jay inquired, which made Trevor chuckle sheepishly. "I admit though. I didn't even think about any of that. I just thought it was cool how Koko was getting stronger and better at battling!" This, Ara pointed out, was why Koko was unable to catch Daisy despite having used Agility to speed up. With the way the Sceptile rushed head-first into battle and wildly swung at the Dedenne, it was clear she was just as used to brute strength as the Alakazam.
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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A thoughtful silence surrounded the three boys as they continued to watch the battle. How different Ara was compared to the other two, and all the more apparent as their Pokemon continued in their efforts to best each other! Of course, it was as serious as the three fighters could manage when Daisy was constantly finding something to coo over, and even less so when the Trainers themselves weren't participating. This did make them all wonder though. How different would this battle be if it was to be serious?

"Hey Ara," Jay suddenly piped up, which effectively startled the older boys back into the present. Once the youngest was sure he had the others' attention, he continued. "You have more Pokemon, right? Could you tell us about another one you caught?" When Ara admitted another capture was related to the murderous kidnappers, Jay hesitated. "You know a lot about them, don't you? Could you tell us more about them too?"

Here, Ara visibly hesitated. It wasn't a pleasant story, how his run - in led to his third Pokemon. In all honesty, none of his encounters with the Triviai Nyktelios were pleasant, and none would ever be pleasant. Even their eventual defeat wouldn't be a picnic, though it might be satisfying and relieving. Still, if he didn't have to look back to any such scenarios, then Ara would prefer to not.

But Jay and Trevor were both looking to him with uncertain expectation. Didn't they realize how painful it was, having to recall such things? Of course not. They didn't know any of the pain at all; not unless Ara shared even a small fraction of it. A thoughtful hum escaped the Trainer as he considered his options. Was it wise to share this information with them? On one hand, it could encourage one or the other to fight these monsters, but on the other...

Well, Ara still wasn't sure if he wanted their assistance in handling this threat to all life. Trevor was certainly a seasoned fighter after two years, but Jay? He was much too young still, and his innocence was too precious to shatter with this quest. It was best to let them continue on with their lives without this burden. Perhaps it was also best to not share the tales of Ara's encounters with the kidnappers.

"Share one story with them," whispered Alastor, which made Ara visibly tense. He didn't want to do this, but the ghost never steered him wrong. What was the ex - cop getting at, encouraging such a memory? Maybe they were thinking along the same lines about Trevor and Jay. A story and nothing more. Yes, Pokemon and Trainer were surely on the same train of thoughts. They were better off letting these two Trainers live normal lives.

"All right," relented Ara as he smiled warmly at his companions. "But it's not pretty, so bear with me." A long pause followed as he steeled his will. "We were on the mountains again, and I was caught." There was a pause as Ara tried to figure out where he felt safest to begin. He certainly didn't want to dive right into the story, if only for the sake of his own health, but how was he to ease himself into it?

At the time, it wasn't as though the trainer made an effort to find the kidnappers; he just wasn't very good about avoiding them. Having been so new to the whole case, Ara wasn't sure how he was supposed to go about handling the news. It wasn't until he spotted a couple of rich kids that an idea dawned on him: These two were potential targets.

"I didn't know," breathed the trainer as russet-gold eyes darkly flickered. "I couldn't have known," he quietly added. Tense silence permeated the atmosphere as Jay and Trevor nervously looked to one another. It seemed they weren't so sure they wanted to know what happened next. Still, Ara pressed on, and it was difficult for him to stop as the memories burned into his thoughts; shadowed his eyes.

"I knew what the kidnappers were capable of, and I knew, from the moment I saw those innocent kids, that I needed to do something. Because if I didn't, who would save them? Who would stop the maniacal laughter as the largest and brutish kidnapper untied the bag just to let the girl's head stick out of the bag? Stop the guy from tying it at her neck and easily hefting her over the shoulder? Get him to set the girl down instead of toss her around like she was a rag doll for the entertainment of being able to do it?"

Ara's voice cracked then, and he was forced to take a shuddering breath as he saw the girl before him: squirming and trying to roll away, but only to be kicked back into place. Quietly, almost as if he meant to share it with only himself, the trainer added:

"To save her from burning alive?"

If the others said anything, then Ara didn't hear them. All he could hear was the girl's terrified whimpers first as she pleaded to be released and promised to give them anything they wanted, then the screams of fear which turned into gurgling pain as she was tossed, then engulfed in the flames. Those deep, chocolate brown eyes turned black in seconds as the air became toxic with the stench of burning flesh.

If the others said anything, then Ara didn't immediately hear them. All he could hear was the girl's terrified whimpers first as she pleaded to be released and promised to give them anything they wanted, then the screams of fear which turned into gurgling pain as she was tossed, then engulfed in the flames. Those deep, chocolate brown eyes turned black in seconds and the air became toxic with the stench of burning flesh. In the distance, Ara could see the girl's phantom standing in the same, crisp bag. Even in death, she was still screaming.

"They... they set people on fire?" It was Jay who eventually spoke up, though his voice sounded strained. Trevor, despite how ashen he appeared, tried to be quick about dismissing the idea. They both waited for Ara to reassure them it was just ‘speculation’. Anything but the truth. Still, Ara failed to respond, and it wasn’t until a second, even more timid, “Ara?” that the trainer looked to him. By the shadows in his eyes, it seemed the boy was truly haunted by his past. If not for Alastor’s gentle coaxes for Ara to come back to the present, then the trainer may have remained lost in his memories. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Ara comprehended what Alastor repeated.

“They kidnapped two to three people at a time,” was the shaky explanation as Ara struggled to focus on his friends. “To start their ‘party’, they burned one person alive. Not with any extreme hatred for that person though. That was just the luck of the draw. For the rest of the night, the other two have to breathe in the acrid odor while they’re… tortured, essentially..” The youth stopped here, though not because of his nightmarish memories. This time it was Trevor who spoke up, and the eldest trainer requested Ara say no more. With nothing more to add, as well as the need to recharge from the horrors, the trainers all fell into an uncomfortable silence. One by one, they looked over to watch the three starters continue their mock battle.

At this point of the match, the three Pokemon were getting just tired enough to visibly slow down, though it was clear Daisy was the most tired. Having been both the smallest and most sought after of the three, it came as no surprise that the little fairy was to be the most tuckered out. Even the Dedenne’s choice of moves made it more than apparent that she needed to rest, for her attempt to dodge were fewer and fewer. Still, at least the fairy was trying to stay in the game.

A game which appeared just about finished.

Koko, being the first to respond to Daisy’s exhaustion, decided this was the time to get as much extra energy as she could. While the Sceptile ran through a list of moves to use in her head, Chase decided this was as good of a time to Recover. Though the Alakazam didn’t really take much damage, he was still breathing deeply. Apparently he used one- too many Shadow Balls, and too quickly. While the two prepared, Daisy’s ears thoughtfully twitched. She needed to be ready as well, but she had just enough energy for one attack, maybe two if she combined efforts. But she needed to stay still and rest for as long as possible.

Determined to buy herself time, the Dedenne quickly glanced around until she spotted a rock. This could help, though she wasn’t sure how just yet; Koko would be involved for sure. That involvement would be now, for the Sceptile’s eyes lit up just as Daisy’s tail brushed the rock close enough to grab. In what could have only been desperation, the tiny fairy tossed the rock up, then spun to Tail Whip the rock towards Koko.

Just in time, luckily.

The Hoenn starter’s mouth pursed and spit out several seeds in attempt to use Leech Seed. The timing, however, was not in Koko’s favor, for the seeds met with the rock hardly a foot away from her, which prompted the seeds to burst into vines around the Sceptile herself. Though it had no effect on the Pokemon as far as absorbing energy went, getting entangled in her own vines proved both mortifying, and surprisingly tricky to escape. Koko, wanting to get out as quickly as possible to brush off the mistake, tugged and pulled at the vines, which made the things automatically tighten. As the Sceptile grew frustrated with her own Leech Seed, she managed to further entangle herself. It seemed that Pokemon was out of the battle until she could free herself. This left just Chase and Daisy. The two, suddenly aware that one of them would ‘win’, wearily eyed the other. One of them had to make the first move, but it was clear they decided sizing up each other’s exhaustion was priority. It was also clear Daisy was still at a major disadvantage.
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Trainer Ara

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Still, the fairy didn’t wait long to show that she still wanted to play. Alastor and Ara were watching again, and the Dedenne wanted them to see just how far she could go before having to take a nap! Determination bid her charge up another Thundershock for the finale. As she did this, the Alakazam’s eyes narrowed, and the psychic type lifted a spoon to charge up another Shadow Ball. This was to be his last, as he was too tired to make another, and the size of the ball revealed his own exhaustion. It was as large as a Poke Ball, but this just meant it was more concentrated than any of the others. If Daisy weren’t careful, this might accidentally knock her out.

The challenge was happily accepted.

Daisy, after voicing a teasing squeak, lurched forward in an attempt to pick up speed from a Tackle. It didn’t help much, especially in comparison with how fast the Shadow Ball cut through the air. The Tackle hardly lasted a few steps before Daisy was forced to tumble to a halt so she could try to avoid the ghost move. There was no chance of it missing though, so the fairy did the only thing she could: twist her body mid tumble and pray her electrified Tail Whip had enough momentum to hit the ball back, much like a game of baseball. It worked at the very least, but not without leaving Daisy slumped on the ground in pain; little thing was hugging her tail to make it feel better.

At the same time as Daisy rebounded the Shadow Ball, Chase had lifted his second spoon to aim a Kinesis. If he could just get the fairy with this, as the Shadow Ball was supposed to be a diversion, then the match was his; on one hand, it worked. Even as the electrified Shadow Ball slammed into his own chest, Daisy made the mistake of having watched her opponent. There was no missing the Kinesis, and the Dedenne was immediately struck with a sense of confusion, mingled with immense vertigo. Every attempt to get was met with the world tilting or her stepping on her own tail. It seemed the match was to be Chase’s, if he could just break out of the unfortunate combination of exhaustion and paralysis. While the three Pokemon each struggled with their own conditions, the trainers finally resumed their conversation.

Koko VS Daisy VS Chase


“You said you were caught before,” Trevor began, albeit slowly as he tried to figure out how he wanted to put thoughts into words. “Is that why you know all of this?”

“This, this relates… how you got one of your Pokemon?” Jay added, almost as if he were hoping to change the subject. Unfortunately for the youngest trainer, this was, in fact, related to how Ara acquired one of his Pokemon, and the blond admitted to as much. Russet gold eyes observed the youngest member at the table for a moment as he considered how best to move on from what he just shared. Finally, the youth decided it best to just chug through the encounter with the murderous kidnappers as quickly as his memory would allow. After a deep, stable breath, the trainer went on.

“I’ve encountered them several times over the years,” began the trainer as his eyes darkened with memories of the lost. “I don’t remember why, but I was separated from my team when I was first caught.”

He was already up in the mountains before he ran into the kidnappers, and Ara honestly didn’t expect a run- in with them. It seemed he lost track of time and didn’t realize there was a full moon that night. By the missing persons reports and the help of a ‘retired’ officer who used to run the case with his still investigating partner, Ara knew the basic pattern of when to expect kidnappings and when to expect Triviai Nyktelios to appear on the mountains. It was by his own initial discovery of the kidnappers that he learned where the kidnappers habitually performed their nightly offerings to Trivia.

It was an accident to encounter them. The youth was already at the site where the party was to be held. He looked at everything: from the scuffing of another night’s victim having tried to fight back to the replenished firewood in the firepit. Years worth of ashes were piled high in the pit, and after a bit of poking around with the end of his hiking boots, Ara recoiled when he realized there were still crisped bones in the firepit. How devastating, he thought, to have parts of yourself left behind in such a horrid grave.

What would be ruder, he wondered; to leave the bones buried in ashes, or to grab them so they could have proper burials? Ara honestly didn’t know what to do about that, especially when further disturbing the ashes would give away the fact that someone rummaged through the place, and wished Alastor was there to advise him. Before he could decide to walk away for the time being, as it was getting late and his team was sure to wonder where the boy was, the sounds of something dragging barely touched onto his hearing. Just as he spun around to confirm his fear, the boy’s gut was kicked, and he nearly forgot how to breathe.

Physically, Ara wasn’t half bad, and normally was able to hold his own against others; having worked on a ranch all his life had its perks. But that kick? There was nothing human about it. It felt more like a Pokemon Sucker Punched him in the gut. Crippled by this, Ara proved to be as easy of prey as the other two victims, and he was deftly stuffed into a body bag with only his head sticking out. It was then he discovered why the victims never managed to escape the bags: the ankles were tied together, the lower legs tied together, the wrists, and there was even a wrapping around his forearms so he couldn’t possibly hope to pull away.

The trainer was trapped. Fear lit his eyes as he desperately squirmed and wiggled, as if such actions would loosen the knots. To his growing terror, it seemed as though the ropes only tightened around him, and the boy would have started hyperventilating if not for the equally terrified looks he received from the other two kids. By the looks of them, they were also trainers, but definitely rich kid status. One was a girl, she couldn’t have been older than sixteen, with ruined curls in her auburn hair and grass green eyes watery with tears. The other, perhaps eighteen, was a male. His bag was significantly tighter than Ara’s own, but for good reason. The teen appeared to have been blessed with a body builder’s physique, though that clearly didn’t save the dusty- haired youth from this cursed way to die.

For these kids, he needed to find someway to get free. Before he could even begin to think straight, laughter erupted from nearby, and the trainer’s blood went cold. Ara recognized that chilling, maniacal laughter. It was the same woman who first ordered for Ara’s death back when he and Alastor first met. The deranged ringleader who always sounded possessed.

“Rounded up three anyway,” the woman purred; eyes as black as a moonless night scanned the unlucky kids. “What shall we play with first?” Immediately, the only female victim whimpered, which seemed to have drawn the attention of the bulkier male kidnapper. “Sounds like we have a volunteer!” The five kidnappers cheered as the victim immediately started to shriek in horror. Before the sturdily built man could grab the girl, he was tripped by the captured rich boy. Despite being the most heavily tied up, the boy still managed to wriggle and roll in the way.

“Back off you creeps,” growled the boy as he looked to their kidnappers with the haughtiest gaze he could muster. It was rather honorable in Ara’s book, but it was also completely futile. The unlucky rich kid was easily kicked out of the way, but it was strange. Perhaps it was just the fading light tricking Ara’s eyes, but he could have sworn he saw a stream of darkness lead the kick before it connected. What was that?

“You’ll get your turn,” gruffed the sturdy man as he grabbed the girl from around her throat. The rich girl’s whimpering quickly turned to strangled gagging as she fought to get air into her lungs. “I offer this bag of meat to get the night rolling,” announced the brute just before he twisted his body to swing the girl into the lit bonfire. At first, no sound left the girl as she initially tried to regain air in her lungs, but it wasn’t long until the nightmare began. Her screams turned to screeching and evolved into harsh, ragged choking as the flames tasted her hair, her face, her body.

The remaining captives were petrified as they watched the five murderers happily laugh and dance and jab at the burning girl. Ara knew, from that moment on, he’d never forget this night. This was what Alastor wanted to protect him from all that time ago. Suddenly, Ara felt far more grateful for having been saved that night. But now? Now the boy wished he didn’t stray so far from his small team. Russet- gold eyes would never unsee how the girl’s hair practically dissipated from existence; how her face tightened so much, it cracked and blood attempted to escape but only to be burned into nonexistence. He’d never forget how the girl’s eyes seemed to bulge right out and the tongue dried into a husk as she continued to cough and try to scream. This went beyond just damaging the internal systems of her body: this was devastating her chances of ever recovering.
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Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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But no one ever recovered from an encounter with Triviai Nyktelios. No one ever lived to recover.

By Ara’s opinion, the worst was just about to begin. It was now the rich boy’s turn because of his attempt at heroism, and Ara didn’t want to know what they’d do to that unlucky boy. It was horrible enough knowing that the girl was still writhing in the fire, undoubtedly wishing she would just die, but the second chorus to the nightmare made everything even more unbearable. Why wasn’t this just a nightmare for Ara to wake up from? Is this what the others thought before they were sadistically removed from the world?

Wide, russet- gold eyes were unable to look away as a rope was tied around the rich boy’s neck; the knot formed at the back. At first, neither boy knew what to expect from this strange action, but then Ara noticed one of the females slide down the outcropping Ara once climbed to escape these fiends. Though it was difficult to see, the trainer knew there was something on the outcropping to look for; he just didn’t know what. It wasn’t until the second male tugged on the rope towards the outcropping that Ara guessed what was about to happen.

“No,” croaked the terrified trainer as he watched the rich boy struggle to free himself. It took several beatings from two of the girls and the remaining guy to get the boy to give up, and by then, the free end of the rope was slipped through a belay device and tugged on until the rich boy was hanging from his throat. “Oh Arceus, no,” Ara barely managed to get out as his breath hitched in his throat. What were they going to do? Where was this going? The answer was darker than the trainer imagined.

This time it was one of the women who stepped up to the plate. A knife was deftly spun by her hand as she approached the rich boy, and Ara could have sworn he saw the woman’s shadow twitch out of sync with her body. What was going on? Whatever it was, Ara didn’t see another inconsistency in these murderous kidnappers. His focus was entirely on what the woman was using that knife for, and Ara wished he wasn’t present as the rich boy’s screams permeated the air. As Ara watched, the body bag which hid the rich boy’s physical features was carelessly cut open, and the trainer instinctively winced as he noticed not only the flowing blood, but how deep the cuts appeared.

That was just the beginning though. Nothing prepared either trainer for what the woman planned to do next. She didn’t waste a second to slice at the boy’s shirt until it was ragged with blood and tapering off his body. Once skin was visible, the five murders cackled with joy. They seemed to know what was coming, and Ara felt himself try to shrink into his body bag to hide away from whatever terror awaited the unlucky rich boy. Ara didn’t have the chance to blink before the rich boy’s grunts turned into bit back screams. The woman, in a movement that appeared quite calculated, sliced just beneath the boy’s collar bones. From there, the real horror show began.

Meticulously, as if with years of practice, the woman slid the knife into where she cut the boy, placed a hand over the boy’s chest, and methodically skinned the rich kid’s torso. The screams the boy made were sure to haunt Ara even in his own afterlife.

Every slow, deliberate drag of the knife was horrifying to watch, but Ara was unable to look away. This wasn’t morbid curiosity. This was frozen trepidation. He couldn’t move, could barely even breathe, as he watched the skin be peeled off, tossed around, cooked over the still burning girl. Blinking was barely an option because even in the darkness behind his eyelids, he saw the stark red stain the ground, the woman, her clothes. Ara believed the taste of it was in his mouth and he gagged. Arceus, did he gag! What little the trainer had in his stomach was now gone, and the boy was left to retch on the sidelines until the ringleader turned toward him.

“Your turn girlie,” purred the woman, which caused Ara to panic and retch even more. He didn’t want to die. Petrified, Ara allowed himself to be dragged toward the bonfire, though he did his best to appear as small as possible when the ringleader pulled out a knife of her own. It wasn’t like what was being used on the rich boy, which Ara could now see to be a legitimate fillet knife. This was a carving knife, and by Arceus, Ara didn’t want to know if it was about to live up to its name. Pity it wasn’t up to him.

“Alastor!” Ara cried out as he tried to squirm away once the body bag was cut off of him. “Daisy!” He continued to shout before he was brutally kicked in the gut. Ara’s lost his breath immediately and as he struggled to regain it, the youth found himself staring up at the rich boy. There was now what appeared to be a log- sized stake sticking out of the boy, and Ara watched as the light faded from the poor soul’s body. He should have been dead, Ara instinctively knew, but something kept that kid on the brink; cursed to endure the torture for as long as the kidnappers wanted.

While Ara helplessly stared up at the hanging youth, he watched the rich boy’s lips barely move. There was no way for him to have known if the action was a figment of his own imagination, but Ara saw the meaning in the fading light of the other boy’s eyes: Run, the boy wanted to say; run and never look back. Oh, how Ara wanted to run! The trainer stood no chance alone. No chance at all. Alastor must have been alone, too, when he died to these fiends. Would Ara become like his Gastly partner and be cursed to wander these mountain sides?

A sharp, searing hot pain exploded in Ara’s chest and stole what little breath he regained. Gut- wrenching screams were elicited from his unexpected lips, and for a long moment, the trainer wondered who was actually making such animalistic cries. It didn’t sound like him at all. Russet- gold eyes, at first unseeing in the darkness of having blacked out to the pain, zeroed- in on the knife which just barely touched him. The blade, that terrible blade, was glowing red. Ara couldn’t make sense of why; not immediately.

Then the knife’s tip sank a bit into his skin, and Ara felt his entire body fight itself in reaction. Flashes of scorching flames licked at his affected skin while the extremities went numb from the icy grip of undulated shock. The knife’s blade sat in fire. It sat in fire, and was now burning Ara’s skin as it carved fast- closing scars onto his chest; his sides; his collar bone. The ringleader knew what she was doing to make this particularly agonizing. She was quick, swiping at Ara’s flesh in one- to two- second bursts as she sadistically painted lines on Ara’s flesh. Every swipe cauterized the very wound made, and gave the trainer hardly any time to adjust to the pain. Each burst was a fresh wave of agony.

Why didn’t he pass out? Why couldn’t he black out again? All he could do was scream; scream until his voice gave out and he was left to writhe and cry out in silence.

Ara!”

…?

“Come back, Ara,” a voice whispered into the youth’s ear. Suddenly, the blond trainer was back at the table with his friends, Jay and Trevor. The voice must have been Alastor’s, though he was quiet now that the boy was definitely back to the present. Relief washed over the features of the three trainers as they realized they were all together again.

“Sorry, I must have spaced out,” was the sheepish excuse as Ara scratched his cheek. The others didn’t press the issue, thankfully. They were clearly just glad to have him back.

“I’m going to have nightmares for ages.” Though it was meant to lighten the mood, Jay’s tone was too serious to be taken lightly. Trevor agreed as well, and Ara barely managed a shaky chuckle as he realized this was definitely because of his story. Yes, there was no doubt about it in trainer and ghost’s minds: These two weren’t going to be involved in the troubles Ara and Alastor fought against.

“You don’t go hunting for them, right?” This time it was Trevor, and for a moment, Ara considered the question. Yes and no, but the look in his friend’s eyes seemed to warn against the very idea. Because of this, Ara firmly shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to get into a bit of an argument about his misadventures chasing down Triviai Nyktelios. “Good.” Though Trevor visibly relaxed, it was clear the youth was still ill at ease. “Maybe you should avoid the mountains for a while.”

“It’s already dangerous enough with the kinds of Pokemon that hang out up there,” piped up Jay as he smiled at the now- approaching Sceptile. With the mock battle over, Koko decided to carry the still confused Dedenne over while Chase settled by his own trainer. Once Daisy was nuzzled in Ara’s arms, the youngest trainer continued. “But I hear the Pokemon up there are really worth it! Did you guys ever get a Pokemon from up there?” Here, Trevor sheepishly admitted that he never tried, and then the two paused. Ara had yet to say something, and when they looked to him, the youth adorned his neutral smile.
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“Actually,” began the blond as he raised his shoulders in a light shrug. “I did catch a Pokemon there.” When the two visibly perked, interested, Ara’s smile warmed just a bit. “It was actually after I was rescued from the kidnappers.”

Interestingly enough, it was Ara’s own team who saved him. Alastor, the Gastly who was always around but rarely seen, made a battle plan to rescue the trainer. The ghost was first to enter the fray, and he didn’t hesitate to knock out the murderers closest to the hanging rich boy. He used the poisonous gasses to do it; focused the gasses to envelop the kidnappers’ heads until they passed out. That was one male and one female down, but their falls didn’t go unnoticed. The remaining male, having watched what happened, was mid shout before Daisy interceded.

From a perch in a tree, the Dedenne launched herself at the man’s face and latched onto him. Hardly a second passed before he was down and paralyzed from a Thundershock. Now there were only two women left, and it was chaos. The ringleader needed to collect her bearings while her remaining companion snatched a burning stick from the bonfire to use it against Daisy. Luckily the fairy wasn’t alone; Alastor was quick to hurry her out of harm’s way. Once the two Pokemon were better situated, they split up to handle specific opponents.

Alastor’s target was the ringleader, for only the Gastly would be able to help Ara up and away from this criminal scene. The details were a bit fuzzy for Ara himself, but he thought it strange how the ringleader was able to relatively hold her own until Daisy stepped into the picture to help out. As soon as the Fairy was involved, the leader of Triviai Nyktelios was forced to back down, but not without swearing to capture Ara and finish what was started. With the lunatic woman no longer trying to carve into the trainer’s torso, the Gastly did his best to drag the numbed and freezing boy away from the torture site.

It was difficult work, mildly put.

Ara was barely able to get his legs to function, and balance was out of the question. If Alastor wasn’t quick about it, then the shock Ara’s body was fighting would end the unlucky trainer. Unfortunately, the shock was quickly winning this fight for Ara, as the youth’s dizziness was getting the better of him. The trio was forced to find somewhere to rest until the boy could recover. There was no telling the time when they finally stumbled into a cave, but because of the hour, even Daisy was too fatigued to register their whereabouts. It was the ghost who recognized the immediate danger of their chosen location, and the ghost’s old habits that ushered the trio into a crack in the wall large enough to fit the boy sitting- up once they were in. The entrance required Ara to be dragged, but that meant no one would see the trainer inside.

Now it was up to Alastor and Daisy to care for their trainer, but where were they to begin? Daisy didn’t know how to treat injuries, as she grew up exclusively in the care of the professor. Whenever anyone was hurt, the professor used a Potion or something to make the Pokemon feel better. There was no way the fairy could be of any assistance figuring this out. It came down to the Gastly to make another battle plan, which he supposed was to be expected. The Gastly saw his own fair share of injuries, both on himself and on his partners back when he was alive. First thing was first though: the shock. They needed to soothe the trainer’s body back into functioning order again, which meant improvising on medicines. The issue, however, was Daisy. The Dedenne was so dearly attached to her trainer, she couldn’t bear to see the poor guy like this, so Alastor improvised with the Pokemon. Daisy was sent out to find something, anything, that would help with Ara’s burns. They were lucky no blood spilled, but on the other hand, maybe that was also unlucky? Whatever the case, Daisy needed to find natural remedies in the wild.

It was a daunting request, go into the wild alone, but Daisy was determined to do this for Ara. She was certain her Pickup ability was handy for something, and this must have been why she was born with such an innate ability. With a quiet promise to return and an affectionate nuzzle, Daisy dashed out of the crevice in the wall of the to head into the night. There was no time to waste. While she was away, Alastor turned to Ara and lowered himself to try to catch the trainer’s golden eyes. They were significantly darker now, almost black with fear.

“Hey kid,” murmured the deceased officer as he thoughtfully bobbed in the air. At least Ara was trying to focus on him. Was the Gastly’s voice kind of soothing him? A long shot, but it was at least something to work with; better than doing nothing. “Stay with me, okay? We’re going to get through this. Just… you know, focus on me, and focus on breathing.” There was a short pause as Alastor thought about what more to say. It seemed like Ara was trying to focus on him, but the ghost definitely couldn’t tell. Should he keep going? Well, he didn’t really have anything better to do.

“I ever tell you about my life before I became a ghost?” Alastor paused, almost as if he were expecting a reply, then thoughtfully went on. The Gastly wanted to pick something more cheerful to share with his trainer partner. Anything to get the kid’s mind off of what he just witnessed and endured. “I was born to a pretty rough life. Was a regular thief on the streets as a kid; didn’t matter what it was. But I was saved by a woman. Set me on the right path shortly after we met. I was in my early twenties at the time and had nothing going for me, but when I proposed, she said ‘yes’.”

There was a fond smile as Alastor thought about his wife. It was strange how all these memories flooded back to him so easily, and even stranger that he never thought about his wife until now. How much of his life did he still not remember? It must have been a lot, because he currently failed to recall what thefts he participated in. Actually, could he even remember his wife’s name? A moment of panic flashed in his green eyes until he looked down at Ara and paused. Those russet- gold eyes were now staring fixedly up at him. Alastor had the kid’s full attention by the looks of it. He needed to remember the name. It was right there on the tip of his tongue. What was the name…?

“Life wasn’t the same after that. With the help of her brother, Vince, I was able to get into the police academy and become a cop. He had to hide my records, but it’s not like all officers are shining stars of society.” Alastor managed a chuckle then, and to his great relief, inspired the slightest smile on Ara. This was definitely good progress. “We had a pretty good thing going for us. We were staying in an apartment, I was staying out of trouble, and she was working in a floral shop. Whenever we had a day off together, we traveled. Took the high road. Took pictures too.”

“...Stor…” Alastor paused when he heard that, then quickly moved closer to Ara to see if it really was the boy who just spoke. “Ame…? N-... ame…?” There was a moment’s silence as the two regarded each other. Alastor so desperately wanted to remember the woman’s name, but he couldn’t seem to place it. As the two studied one another, Alastor tried to recall what his wife even looked like, and thoughtfully frowned as he envisioned the woman. Dark, wavy hair; hazel eyes which changed colors with the seasons; laughter always shining in the eyes.

“June,” whispered the Gastly. “Her name was June.” A smile was shared as the two considered the name and though they didn’t say a word, they agreed it was a good name. “Want to hear about our mishap with Shellos and Shelmets?” When Ara’s smile widened just a bit, Alastor jumped into the story. They’d continue like this until Daisy’s return, which proved to be some time later.

Daisy was trying her best, but she really didn’t know what to look for; berries? Leaves? The fairy decided to start with berries. Pokemon were familiar with berries, and berries supposedly helped them recover from things like energy and the like; could that help humans too? But which berry was good for what? The Dedenne didn’t know. Perhaps there were nearby Pokemon who could help her out. Settled on asking around, Daisy gathered all the berries she could hold in her cheek pouches, then darted back to the cave. The plan was to find Pokemon near the cave entrance so she’d be able to dart in and out with her berries.

To her surprise, she actually ran into Pokemon immediately. It seemed they were on their way to the cave like her, and despite better judgement, Daisy eagerly ran to them for guidance. The Pokemon were tall, very tall, and looked squishy. When they stopped to regard the tiny fairy, the two looked to one another uncertainly as a bit of goo slowly dripped from them. They were both Goodras, which meant this little Dedenne might prove to be a threat. But one of them was clearly unsure about the idea.

Where was Daisy’s family? A closer look revealed just how young the fairy actually was, and the two dragons thoughtfully deliberated what to do. It wasn’t until Daisy inquired about what berries were good for healing and for burns that the two wild Pokemon paused. This little fairy was trying to save someone dear to her, that much was clear, and it was enough to soothe the pair’s concerns. Without hesitation, the larger of the two leaned down to see what all Daisy gathered. It seemed the fairy failed to find anything specifically for healing, but at least she gathered several Rawst Berries. These would help immensely with a burn.
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Trainer Ara

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Still, at least Daisy managed to find something to help Ara! Thrilled to have the berries, Daisy thanked the two Goodras, and offered the remaining berries as a show of gratitude. Before she could disappear into the cave though, the smaller Goodra bid the Dedenne keep all the berries. Even though they wouldn’t help with healing, they’d at least provide a bit of energy and nutrients. A pleased word of thanks was shared once more, and then Daisy was inside the cave. As the Goodras stepped inside, they watched as the Dedenne hurried into a crevice in the wall. It seemed there were new neighbors in town, though the Goodras didn’t particularly mind.

Daisy seemed sweet enough. The pair of dragons would just have to inform the others in the den of the new fairy neighbors.

Hidden within the crevice, Daisy arrived just in time to hear Alastor finish another story about a puppy Growlithe having hidden in their apartment to avoid its owner. Once Daisy spat all the berries out, Alastor looked over the choices as his fairy companion explained what each berry did. It was immediately agreed that they used the Rawst Berries first. Daisy needed to be the one to feed it to Ara though, lest Alastor accidentally poisoned their trainer. After a moment of consideration, the Gastly settled on lifting Daisy so she could hold out the berry for Ara, then they watched as Ara struggled to even chew the berry.

“How do you feel now?” Even as he asked this, it was clear Ara didn’t feel any better. His body wasn’t sweating, but it was definitely burning up. What else could they do to help the trainer? It was a long shot, but Alastor was desperate. “Chew it up Daisy. Then spread it on his scars.” With that said, the Gastly set his friend down and worked to tear off the human’s shredded shirt. Once it was completely removed, Daisy spat the berry juices onto the scars, and both Pokemon flinched when Ara moaned. “Rub it in, Daisy.” There was audible hesitation in his voice, but they needed to do something.

As Daisy reluctantly spread the berry over her trainer’s wounds, Ara’s moans quieted into sighs. Thank Arceus this was working. While the Dedenne continued, Alastor moved to study Ara’s expressions. He wasn’t as pale as before, but the deceased officer could tell they needed to do more to help their unlucky trainer. What helped with shock? It depended on the kind of shock, but because there was no spillage of blood, the ghost hoped this was emotional.

“I know it’s late,” began Alastor as he slowly moved away from the trainer to regard the Dedenne. “But I need you to head out one more time. Flowers and herbs. We need to soothe his nerves too.” It was another long shot, but so far the Gastly wasn’t doing too bad at getting the ball rolling. Maybe they’d be able to leave the den sooner rather than later. It was hopeful thinking, which was unlike Alastor, but he didn’t want to lose this kid. He watched too many innocent trainers be killed just for being rich, and Ara didn’t even belong in that class. This trainer was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“We’ll get you through this, kid,” whispered Alastor as Ara slowly drifted to unconsciousness. “We’re partners for life.”

For the next few days and nights, Daisy worked tirelessly to hunt down appropriate berries and flowers. Because of how often she darted in and out of the den, the local dragons quickly became used to her presence, and even allowed their offspring to venture out and about again. They were further relieved to see how the small Dedenne carefully avoided the Goomys scooting around the den, and soon enough, the fairy was viewed as a welcomed neighbor.

“I wasn’t always awake for it,” recalled Ara as he affectionately pet his sleeping starter; “but the few times I was able to register the noises outside of my hiding place, I think Daisy really got along with the dragons.” Here, the trainer warmly smiled at his friends. “They were so comfortable with each other’s presence, one Goomy actually followed Daisy into the crevice!”

It was sometime in the afternoon, perhaps a week or two after the run- in with Triviai Nyktelios, when the Goomy followed Daisy into the crevice. The Goomy was young, among the most recently hatched, and thought the fairy was the most curious little thing it ever saw. Because of this, the baby dragon was often seen following Daisy around; even the Dedenne took notice of the Pokemon. None of the older dragons were worried though, for they were all well accustomed to the fairy’s living with them.

Daisy, aware of her straggling admirer, made sure to never stray very far from the dens. Though young herself, she still knew better than to lead the silly little thing too far from the others. On this particular day, Daisy was pleasantly surprised to see the baby Goomy trying to find something as well. It was rather cute to the fairy, especially when she realized the dragon was looking for berries and other natural medicines. Between the two of them, they were able to gather a lot more than usual, and that was the start of their friendship.

This friendship, of course, came as a major surprise to both Alastor and Ara. How was it a dragon and fairy were friends? As much as the two wanted to question how safe this was, they figured it best to let the two of their fun. Daisy desperately need something good right now, and if it meant befriending their dragonic neighbors, then so be it. This wasn’t an immediate decision, however. When the Goomy first appeared in the hiding place, Alastor was alarmed. Ara was resting in a fitful sleep, so it was up to the Gastly to make sure this little glob of goo didn’t harm the trainer.

While the ghost and fairy argued about how safe the Goomy was, they both failed to notice the dragon slither closer to Ara to look at the human. This was the first time the Pokemon actually laid eyes on a human, and it wasn’t entirely sure what to think. By the time the other two realized anything amiss, the baby dragon had already decided to poke its face against Ara’s, which effectively woke the startled trainer.

“Wha- what is?” Russet- gold eyes peered down at the Goomy as the other two turned their attention to him. “What’s going on?”

“Ara,” breathed the Gastly. This was the first time their trainer managed an actual sentence in forever, and it was such a relief to see the youth able to speak again. It seemed their treatments were working after all. “It’s a Goomy,” the cop was quick to explain. “It seems Daisy is fond of it.” As if to emphasize his words, the Dedenne hurried over to Ara and dropped off the berries before quickly chittering about the dragon.

“Friendly,” wheezed the trainer before he coughed. Ara’s throat was so dry, he was forced to eat a gathered Pecha Berry to moisten his throat. “It’s friendly, so it’s fine,” was the final decision, though the two males did share the look which decided to not question the strange friendship too much. With it agreed that Daisy could be a fine friend with a dragon, life went on with Ara slowly recovering, Alastor sharing his life stories, and Daisy gathering what could be used to help with the recovery. Once in a while, the Goomy would also return to help and play with the little fairy. It seemed the parent Goodras weren’t too worried about their child since it returned every time it was called.

“We’ll have to visit when we can,” announced the weak trainer as a fond smile graced his lips. Daisy and the Goomy were playing tag in the small, open space available to them. This was, of course, for Ara’s entertainment as much as their own, for the Goomy was certain it must be quite boring in the crevice. “The real question is, why haven’t the dragons done anything about me yet?” This was directed to Alastor. Without the ghost, the trainer would never know what was going on outside and what was being said.

“They are unaware of your presence,” replied the Gastly as he peered thoughtfully at the wall. It was a long moment before the Pokemon continued. “Not because you’re a secret between the two either. Just cause they’re kids and they haven’t spilled the beans.” Though they didn’t share a look, Alastor was certain Ara understood what the deceased officer was getting at: It was only a matter of time. Would the dragons still be so friendly with Daisy if they knew there was a human hiding in the crevice? Or would they attempt to trap the three inside to die? Arceus save them if it was the latter.

For the time being, their secret remained intact. The Goomy visited more and more regularly, and occasionally spent the night with Daisy because of a bad dream only Daisy seemed able to soothe. It was all very sweet until a second Goomy wriggled its way into the crevice to investigate where its sibling kept hiding. Suddenly the crevice felt a bit too cramped for so many Pokemon in one hole, but only Alastor seemed to mind. Ara thought it was cute how Daisy was gathering friends and insisted the Gastly cool off.

“Let her have her fun,” insisted the youth. “She deserves it, even when she isn’t working so hard to save me,” chuckled Ara as he mashed some berries into a painstakingly- carved wooden bowl. It was getting easier to eat, though Ara still didn’t have much of an appetite since the incident. As the small Pokemon raced around and crawled over Ara, the trainer flashed a smile up at Alastor. “Need to keep the cheer going, right?”
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That was almost too painful to think about for Alastor.

“A couple Goomy evolved earlier today,” was the eventual comment from the Gastly; best to alter the subject than fret about the future and its uncertainties. Ara must have agreed with the sentiment as well, for the trainer adorned a thoughtful smile as he nodded for the ghost to continue. “Daisy was present for it, of course. It seems the dragons are quite fond of their ‘lucky fairy’.” Upon the quotation marks Alastor made in the air via the poisonous gas, Ara laughed, then succumbed to a coughing fit. As great as it was to have all the berries and their juices, they really didn’t do the job as well as plain water. Was it possible for the trainer to fall victim to dehydration still? Alastor wasn’t sure, but he wanted to believe Ara was fine.

“Daisy,” called the ghost; his tone was unintentionally sharp, but at least it made the children freeze in their tracks. “Take that outside. Ara needs to rest.” As the three Pokemon hurried to head out, Alastor made sure to add, “And congratulate the recently evolved while you’re out! For Ara.” There was no way to say whether or not the Dedenne heard, but at least the Gastly made the request. Once it was just Ara and himself, the latter turned. “Another story to pass the time, kid?”

As Alastor prepared to share more of his past, Daisy twitched her ears to listen for the newest Sliggoo triplets. Though Alastor mentioned only these evolutions, Daisy was proud to admit to herself that she witnessed several evolutions before today’s, as well as greeted new eggs and hatchlings. Overall, the fairy was definitely as comfortable with these dragon families as they were the fairy. Once the small party was back in the main den, the lead Goomy paused. It seemed there was something going on towards the back. Was another nest hatching?

Excitement rippled through the three as they raced to see what was happening, and they weren’t disappointed. There was a group of Goomy happily jiggling next to the eggs they were the most excited to see hatch, and the eldest, what appeared to be an albino, perked up upon spotting Daisy. Eagerly, the dragon motioned for Daisy to sit closer. The fairy was there when this albino dragon was born, and it wanted its newest siblings to meet the Dedenne. None of the others disagreed with the sentiment; even the golden Goomy who originally sat beside the albino happily scooted over to let Daisy in.

Once the Dedenne was settled between the two dragons, everyone hushed to watch the eggs. In all the excitement and good humor about getting Daisy in place, a couple eggs began to crack. One by one, different colored feelers poked through eggshells to explore the world. Purple, white, tan; Daisy was amazed by how many different colors there were for Goomys. Not once in the fairy’s life did she encounter a different colored Dedenne. Was Daisy as unique as the albinos and golden dragons? As the Goomys pushed their ways out of their respective shells, the parents leaned in to make sure they were the first the babies’ eyes noticed. Everyone else made sure to back away enough to avoid being spotted, but once everything was done, Daisy was ushered up front.

The latest hatchlings took a liking to her immediately. Despite being a fairy and having an underlying strange scent, the Dedenne was covered with the scents of all the other dragons in the den. The baby Goomys instinctively understood there was no need to fear this fairy. It was almost a pity they weren’t yet allowed to play with Daisy. The parents wanted to help them get used to moving around, and they needed to be on a strict eating schedule so they could build up their strength. There was no time for games until they were settled into their home.

Not that Daisy seemed to mind. She needed to gather berries and whatnot for Ara anyway. After a promise to play with everyone another day, the Dedenne turned to get back to business. The following days went on much the same after this: gather natural medicines with the help of several Goomys, play in the den with everyone, and watch as dragons either evolved or hatched. It was honestly a very pleasant way of life to the Dedenne, though some nights seemed to surprisingly chilly because of damp fogs regularly rolling in and out of the area. When Daisy asked about this, she was happily informed of their altitude, which she didn’t really understand until eventually asking Alastor about it.

“Basically,” the ghost tried to sum up, “we’re very high. Higher than where Triviai Nyktelios even were, so it’s more likely to be cold and the weather’s probably weirder up here.” That seemed to satisfy enough of the Dedenne’s curiosity to get her to nod, though it wasn’t until Ara pulled the fairy closer for a hug that the Pokemon dropped the subject. Alastor, noting how much effort that seemed to take, glanced thoughtfully at the entrance. “How you holding up kid? Any chance we’d be able to head back to town soon to get you checked?”

“I think I can make it,” was the slow reply as Ara stiffly pushed himself to sit up. “We can try tonight if it’s safe.” As much as the trainer just wanted to lay down and sleep forever, he knew he couldn’t afford it. Too much time was already lost with him suffering in the cracks of a dragon’s den- actually, how much time did they lose? Two weeks? A month? There was bound to be a full moon coming up, which meant more victims would be terrorized til they died.

“We should get going as soon as possible,” grimaced the youth as the light in his eyes dimmed from memories. “And think of plans on how to save people.” Before anything else could be said, Ara watched as Alastor visibly shrank away from the crevice opening, though he did so through squinted eyes. “What’s going on?” Though he wasn’t normally one to complain, it was disorientating how bright the light streaming into his hiding place became. “Why’s the den so bright?”

Sunny Day,” breathed Alastor, having recognized the move from when he babysat a Growlithe. “The Goodras!”

“Go!”

Nothing more needed to be said. Daisy was already out of the hiding place before Alastor even registered the light to be a Pokemon move, and when the Gastly himself phased through the wall to see what was happening, he was momentarily stunned by the chaos. Half the den was soaked by what must have been a Rain Dance in response to the Sunny Day, but the whole den appeared a mess with nests destroyed and scattered, the walls cracked or crumbled, and Goomys struggling to escape the madness. Before Alastor could decide what he needed to do, as he wasn’t much of a fighter himself in this state, he noticed Daisy ushering a handful of Goomy his way.

He needed to cover his partner. Silently, the Gastly darted passed the Dedenne to slam against a human and glared down at the person. The human was given no chance to speak before he went stiff in terror from meeting Alastor’s Mean Look. A shrill squeak is what separated the two, though the human failed to move for a brief moment. The Gastly wasted little time on each foe he found, and never allowed himself a second to question why there were even humans invading the den. It was Mean Look followed by Hypnosis, and occasionally finished with a Spite. But even with his best effort, there was one scenario he couldn’t handle, and wasn’t able to avoid: A Pokemon battle.

A flash of red light signalled the arrival of a tamed Pokemon, and when green eyes located the trespasser, a Shadow Ball slammed right into the deceased officer. By the gods, that was both unexpected and uncalled for- actually, maybe it was called for since Alastor was a Pokemon and not human. Either way, the ghost found himself suddenly incapable of much more than turning invisible and ‘limping’ back to the crevice. Why was he suddenly so exhausted and, dare he admit, weak?

“What’s happening out there?”

“Humans. Goomys in cages. Poke Balls, poke balls everywhere,” wheezed Alastor as he dropped beside the trainer. When the Gastly looked up, he was surprised to see four Goomy crowded in his arms, trembling and trying to hush each other to keep from whimpering. Two of the Goomys were the dragons Daisy often played with inside the hiding spot, but the others? Alastor didn’t recognize the albino, and certainly not the shiny pressed against it. “It’s chaos.”

“You’re hurt,” murmured the trainer before he nodded toward the berries. “Eat the yellow ones. They’re Sitrus.” As the Gastly slowly drew a berry to himself to eat, Ara held the four Goomys closer and looked to Daisy. They needed a game plan for this situation which they didn’t understand. There were humans attacking and capturing the dragons. Ara was sure there was a word for this, there must have been a word for it, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. What could they do when Daisy was too weak to take on several opponents, and Alastor was clearly bested by something powerful?

“Daisy. Alert the other dragons. Usher them to safety. Alastor, when you’re well again, cover her tracks. We need to save as many as we can. We need…” Here, the trainer peered down at the huddled Goomys and offered them as reassuring of a smile as he could despite the pain he was in from having them pressed against his scars. “Do any of you know Rain Dance?” None answered immediately, but after an encouragement from Daisy, the albino nodded in acknowledgement. “I need you to use Rain Dance every time it gets really bright. Can you do that? To help your parents?” Once Daisy translated, the albino Goomy straightened as much as it could, then nodded one more time. Carefully, Ara let the largest Goomy out of his grasp and watched it slither towards the crevice entrance to peer out.

“I’ll make sure he’s not noticed,” assured Alastor as he went invisible now that his energy was renewed. Slowly, almost reluctantly, the ghost slipped through the wall to see what was happening in the den. He needed to make sure no one spotted the Goomy below. An easy enough concept to grasp, but to execute? Good luck to him. “Rain Dance now,” suggested the Gastly. Just as rain clouds started to form above, the ghost Licked a Pokemon who got too close to the crevice, and nearly gagged. That was nasty.

“It’s working,” breathed Ara as the light from the den dimmed. “Daisy, this is the time. Go for it.” There was no hesitation as the Dedenne darted passed the albino Goomy and between the legs of an Avalugg. The trainer prayed for no one to notice the daring fairy. “Everything will be all right,” murmured Ara as he smiled down at the remaining three dragons. “We’ll take care of everything. Promise.” Though he was sure the young Goomys didn’t understand, he hoped they were able to interpret his tones as soothing and reassuring. The normal Goomys, at least, were calmed by his voice. It seemed they were familiar enough to get the gist of the human’s words. “You’re all safe.”

Outside, Alastor developed a signal with the albino Goomy and together, they turned the tides of the battle. It was felt by the strangers too, though they seemed unable to pinpoint the culprits’ whereabouts for their failing plan. By whatever deity was real, Alastor hoped the fairy was able to convince all the remaining families to escape while they still could. The main den was a massive mess, and while Alastor felt bad for what they’d have to clean, he wondered if there was a way to convince them to travel to a different part of the mountain to regroup.

“We got enough of em,” shouted one of the guys closest to the den’s entrance. “Le’s just bail outta this place ‘fore we really get creamed!” This would have been a relief to Alastor if not for how many dragons were actually captured. There must have been twelve crying Goomy in the cage sitting at the back of the truck, and who could say how many of the Sliggoo were stuck in Poke Balls? “That Rain Dance’ll mess up all up in a split!”

“I can’t get out,” one of the guys inside called back. Alastor wasn’t confident, but he suspected that was a human he might have Licked. Urgh, that was a disgusting thought. “Help me out of here, bud!”

“Not a chance,” spat the lone woman in the party. It was the first time the Gastly actually noticed her, and to his surprise, there was a Froslass staring right at him. Could that Pokemon see him? Why wasn’t it attacking? Whatever the reason, Alastor was relieved. “You’re on your own once you’re inside, remember? That was the contract.”
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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“Bullshit,” shrieked the paralyzed male. “We’re a team, Jules! You can’t just leave me behind!” Whatever the woman, Jules, was about to say, she seemed to have decided against it. The confusion inspired by this action was soon replaced with horror as Alastor watched one of the Houndooms turn to the fallen man and snarl at the guy. It took all of four seconds for the situation to dawn on both human and ghost, and neither of them seemed pleased with what was about to happen. “You’re a wench, you know that?! A wench!” This was followed by a gargled scream as the Houndoom snapped forward to Bite at the guy’s throat.

“I pity the replacement poacher,” huffed the man who was seated beside Jules. “Going to be a bitch to train another idiot.”

“At least they’re easy to find,” replied the woman as indifferent eyes watched the murdered poacher be burnt to a crisp by the Houndoom’s close- range Flamethrower. “Let’s get out of here.” With that, the remaining two men recalled the Pokemon mid- battle, and the woman threw the truck into first gear to get started on their escape.

It was suddenly quiet in the main den, and for a long moment, all Alastor could do was stare at the charred human corpse as he processed what he just learned. Those were poachers, and they weren’t above sacrificing their own lackeys to get the job done. Did they always target dragons, or was it specifically these ones because Goomy were supposedly the weakest dragons in existence? It wasn’t until Daisy returned that Alastor snapped back to reality. To his immense surprise though, the Dedenne was closely trailed by a horde of Goodra and Sliggoo.

Too little too late, thought the ghost as he passed through the wall to inform Ara of the happenings. By the time he was finished with the brief report, Daisy dashed in to let the Goomy know it was safe to return outside. None of the dragons moved though. Instead, they peered up at Ara and appeared to wander what to think about him. After all, here was a human who wasn’t trying to steal them away, but instead smelled strongly of the Dedenne. They must have wondered how it was possible.

“Go ahead,” urged the trainer as he flashed them that familiar, reassuring smile. “It’s all right.” The shiny Goomy was first to leave Ara’s arms, and the only. The remaining two stayed snuggled up against the trainer’s chilled chest and refused to budge. They both felt safe in his arms. He did, after all, provide them shelter during the chaos outside of the hole in the wall. Ara felt safe to them, which meant the youth needed to find a way to get them out. The first thing he did was look to Alastor and Daisy for help.

“Try sticking them out the hole,” suggested the ghost. “When they see the Goodras, they’ll do the rest.” There was a pause as the two considered the idea and possible options, but this appeared to be the only viable one. “I’ll help you up if you need.” And Ara did need it. Slowly, with quite a bit of awkward maneuvering, they finally managed to lay the trainer down on his side.

The two Goomy were now lying beside him, and they looked fully prepared to wait for him to do all the work. Ara didn’t mind one bit, and instead requested Daisy to inform the Goodras about the Goomys needing reassurances that it was safe outside. Once the fairy was gone, Ara gently lifted one dragon, and carefully lifted the Pokemon towards the exit. The first Goomy wriggled out of his hands immediately, which Ara decided was because the Pokemon saw its friends and possibly family members. This was definitely going to work out.

His second attempt, however, didn’t go nearly as well. Ara’s heart nearly stopped as he felt something grab his wrists when he held the second Goomy out of the crevice. Suddenly, the trainer was dragged out from the hiding place and held aloft in view of all the remaining dragons. Pokemon and trainer alike stared at one another with wide, shocked eyes as they assessed each other. Before Ara could say anything to try to defend himself, the Goodra holding him by the wrists pulled him close to cradle the startled trainer close.

“Alastor…?”

“Goodra are pretty loving Pokemon,” was the quiet whisper beside his ear. “They probably see the good of your deeds and not your being a human like those poachers.” At the very least, the ghost hoped this was the fact of the matter. It was to his greatest relief that the Goodras confirmed as much by preparing a nest large enough for Ara to lay in. After listening to the conversation between dragons and fairy, Alastor assured Ara the Pokemon would take care of him. “Get some rest kid.”

And rest Ara did, though not without physical therapy. As the younger dragons cleaned up the main den, the parental figures often fussed over Ara’s progress. The youth was constantly checked upon, to the point of the dragons even calling on other wild Pokemon for assistance. At one point, the shiny Goomy before raced Daisy and their friends into the den, and they were bursting with excitement. An Audino appeared soon after them, and the parent Goodras were more than delighted to see the traveling normal- type. This was excellent news, though Ara didn’t quite understand it. Still, he felt their relief at the sight, and visibly smiled to join their merriment.

“It looks like that Audino is a natural healer,” explained Alastor as he lazily appeared beside the resting trainer. “He’ll double the speed of your recovery.”

“That’s great!” Ara breathed a sigh of immense relief. “I can’t believe how long it’s taken for my body to recover though. Almost feels like I was Cursed or something.” A strange thought, but the two often mulled over the sights Ara claimed to witness during his time of torture. If what he said was true, then Triviai Nyktelios was far more dangerous than they initially believed.

There wasn’t much time for them to further discuss their plans about the murderous kidnappers though, not since they left the crevice. Ara was in a constant whirl of dragons offering him natural remedies, the Audino checking on his condition and being held up as he practiced putting weight on his legs. It must have been a good month before the trainer was able to walk on his own, but neither the dragons nor the normal- type gave up on him. And like this, he was able to finally get to know all the Goomys. Every night, the trainer found his little nest filled with Goomys who wanted to meet and learn about him. After all, how often did a friendly human appear?

“Shall I tell you a story?” Ara couldn’t resist the affectionate grin forming on his lips as he gently ran his hands over the Goomys; the slime oozing off of them didn’t bother the youth at all. “About the Skiddo and the sweet, gentle girl by a river?” There were no protests to be heard, not even from the evolved dragons, and so the youth went ahead to share a treasured memory.

“The river was her favorite place to play, you see, because there was always adventure to be had. Her imagination was boundless, and one day, a Skiddo she was in charge of decided to visit the river too. The girl was role- playing her favorite story, one about traversing the wilds and finding the most beautiful sights. When she noticed the Skiddo, you know what she did?

“Instead of pausing her game, she decided to include the goat! Together they danced and splashed around the river almost all day! By the time they returned, the girl was fast asleep on the Skiddo’s back and had to be carried to bed. They were both wearing flower crowns and had small, woven trinkets like they were awards.”

As Ara went on to describe the adventures this girl imagined with the Skiddo, he found himself slowly trail off. These were real stories, and made the youth’s heart ache for the sweet girl back home. How was his sister doing, he wondered, after all these years? She was sure to be on wild adventures now, and not the imagined sort. Would they recognize the other if they ever passed by, or would they continue on their way like strangers?

“I miss her, you know,” Ara went on to say as the Goomys all peered up at him with wide, wondering eyes. “She’s my little sister, and I used to go on those adventures with her when I wasn’t pruning Gogoat and Skiddo manes, or brushing their fur to keep them properly groomed.” A moment of quiet followed as the trainer thought more about his childhood. While he knew that he spent all the time he could have with Vila, the trainer still felt it wasn’t enough. “I really want to find her someday,” murmured Ara as he smiled fondly at all the dragons.

“We can look for her when you’re well,” suggested Alastor as he and a couple Goodras made their way over. “How are you feeling?”

“Ready to walk,” was the cheerful reply. Russet- gold eyes looked to all the Goomys snuggled and comfortable in the nest with him; “come on guys, let me up.” There was a playful chorus of protest even as the Goodras each reached for an arm to help Ara up. “We can share more stories later, so go play with Daisy all right?” Upon mention of the Dedenne, the Goomys perked up and raced to find the fairy. Only one chose to remain behind, the same golden Goomy who hid in the crevice with him. The Goomy often hesitated to leave Ara, though the human wasn’t sure why. The only times the dragon left his side without hesitation was to visit with Daisy or with Alastor.

“You’re getting stronger,” commented the Gastly as he and the Audino followed as closely as the Goodras allowed. After a quick word from the normal type, the ghost flashed a smile. “He says you’ll be good to go in a day or two.”

“That’s great,” was the somewhat strained reply. It was almost strange, how weak he felt, but he supposed it was because he didn’t recover in a more conventional way. “Then straight to town and we’ll look for Vila.” It was at this moment that the shiny Goomy perked with interest, though Ara didn’t immediately notice. “Though I am going to miss this place. Staying with these dragons really made me feel at home.”

Alastor didn’t respond, though Ara decided to take that as an agreement. They never said it out loud, but there was a mutual agreement about how safe they actually felt when surrounded by all the dragons and the dragons’ friends. It was nice to not have to worry about Triviai Nyktelios for a while. Once allowed to rest, though still standing with the help of the Goodras, Ara cast a thoughtful look towards the entrance of the cave. He probably missed a lot of current events, majority of which involved the kidnappers.

“We need to be stronger,” sighed the trainer as he shook his head. “We need more than just you, Daisy and me.” At that, the shiny Goomy immediately bumped against Ara’s ankle, which caused everyone to look down at the Soft Tissue Pokemon. After a few gurgles and squeaks from the Pokemon, Ara looked over to Alastor for an explanation.

“He… he wants to go, too.” Alastor was at a loss for words as he tried to comprehend what this was about; why would any Goomy willingly tag along with a trainer? It seemed he was to get this answer immediately after thinking it, for one of the Goodras even questioned the smaller dragon’s motives. Green eyes appeared to sober as understanding and empathy shone; Alastor didn’t blame the Pokemon one bit for the decision. “He wants to save his parents and siblings from those humans.”

Silence permeated the air as everyone considered the Goomy’s words. The shiny wasn’t particularly young, having been the second oldest from its own nest, but it wasn’t old enough to strike out at the world on its own either. But with a trainer, it was probable that the Pokemon would be able to accomplish its goals.

“And then what?” Ara inquired, which made even the Goomy pause in confusion. “After you get revenge, what then?” It took a moment for the Pokemon to all understand what Ara meant, but when the idea dawned on everyone, they looked to the basic stage Pokemon in expectation. What would Goomy do once it defeated those humans and saved its family? Would it leave Ara just like that, or would it choose to stay with the trainer to do more? After a few moments of silence, Ara shook his head. “No,” decided the youth. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to help. But you’re blinded with revenge. I won’t support bloodlust.”
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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“You didn’t take it?” Jay was astounded by Ara’s apparent decision, and was backed by Trevor’s equally startled insistence about how great a dragon was to have on a team. “I would have taken it!”

“I did take him,” insisted Ara as the trainer laughed. “He’s on my team even now, actually.” When both of his friends stared at him in obvious puzzlement, the youth flashed the two his best smile. “We worked it out, you see. I mean yeah, we did eventually find the poachers and take care of what needed to be done, but that was way after Aster joined.”

“What convinced you to take it in the end?” Trevor, having been the most avidly interested in the prospect of their being friendly dragons in the mountain, couldn’t resist pressing the story. By what Ara could tell, it seemed the eldest trainer was considering acquiring a dragon of his own. This thought made the blonde hesitate for a moment. “Especially if you felt it only wanted revenge on those poachers?” Before the blonde trainer was able to reply, Jay piped up with an endearing request for Ara to continue. How could Ara turn that down?

“It actually took a lot of convincing on my part to accept Aster,” Ara admitted after a sigh of defeat. “If not for Alastor and Daisy convincing me, I would have left the Goomy behind.”

The golden Goomy worked hard to get Ara to let it join, but the trainer was adamant throughout his healing process. At the beginning, the Goomy worked hard to show off its power by training with Daisy, though it eventually cooled off with the Dedenne’s insistence. The fairy assured the Goomy that it was strong for a little one, but that wasn’t the only important aspect Ara focused on. The Pokemon needed to prove that it wasn’t driven by just vengeance. It needed a better reason to lay its life on the line than just avenging its family.

Goomy avoided Daisy for a few days after that, but it still didn’t give up. Its next attempt was with Alastor, and the dragon was sorely disappointed. Alastor gave the Pokemon little to no attention as he drifted about, deep in thought. It wasn’t until the blasted slug spat Bubbles at it that the Gastly spun on and scowled down at it. Even though Alastor made it a point to not use Mean Look, his expression was still terrifying enough to get the Goomy to back down for a while.

“I left it alone the whole time,” continued Ara as he thought back to the conversation he and Alastor had about the Goomy. “I had to. It needed to cool off. When I decided it was ready to listen, I was strong enough to leave for town.” The day he was prepared to leave, it rained, almost as if Arceus itself was trying to convince Ara to take the Goomy along.

All the goodbyes were said, and though the Goodras still fussed over his health, they seemed to agree that he was able to at least make it to the nearest town. Most of the Goomys were disappointed to see Daisy leave, but with promises from Ara to visit, the dragons all visibly calmed. Only the shiny Goomy was missing from the goodbyes, though no one was surprised. The Pokemon’s absence was boiled down to disappointment in failing to convince Ara’s team to let it join.

“Imagine my surprise when, maybe a mile down from the den, Alastor decided to inform me then that we were being tailed.” Ara laughed as he recalled how, when he turned around to see what the Gastly meant, a lone Goomy paused. “It wasn’t the least bit surprised that we noticed it, and you know what it decided to do? It attacked with Bubble!”

Without orders, Daisy hopped off Ara’s shoulder and immediately released a Thundershock to counter the Bubble. The Goomy wasn’t done there though, and immediately followed up with an Absorb. It seemed the Pokemon wanted a battle, and though Ara found it unnecessary, he let his Dedenne accept the challenge. The trainer wouldn’t interfere though. He wanted to observe and confirm a suspicions about the dragon. His lack of orders, however, came as a surprise to Daisy, which caused the fairy to hesitate just long enough to be caught in the Absorb.

It was quickly made clear that the Pokemon was on her own when Ara still failed to offer a counter attack. Because of this, the fairy decided to Charge up in preparation for whatever was to be next. There was little chance of Daisy being able to Tackle her opponent in this rain, as path was slick with loose pebbles and puddles, so she decided her best chance was to use Thundershock when the time was right. The Goomy appeared to be in agreement with the sentiment, though the elements were definitely in its favor.

A Muddy Water was issued forth after a short period of concentration on the Goomy’s part, which elicited a sigh from Ara. The attack looked good and had decent form, but it wasn’t strong. It barely reached Daisy and was easily side- stepped by the Dedenne. With the Muddy Water avoided so simply, the Dedenne took a single step forward and prepared to unleash a Thundershock before Ara ordered her to wait. The fairy didn’t hesitate to comply, and was even quick to readjust her aim as requested.

Suddenly, the sky was lit with the charged Thundershock, and the light nearly blinded the Goomy. Just as it started to open its eyes, it was struck by lightning which came from the sky; Daisy’s Thundershock grew into a devastating Thunder because of the weather conditions. There was no denying Daisy’s strength in that moment, and Goomy slumped in obvious defeat.

Daisy VS Goomy

“The difference is devastating, isn’t it?” Ara inquired as he slowly made his way towards the dragon. “You’re fueled by hatred for those people who kidnapped the others. Do you know what fuels Daisy and me?” Though the dragon didn’t respond, it did at least look up to show it was listening. “Each other. We want the best for each other, so we work together. We give each other strength and support, through thick and thin. If you can’t give your 100 percent like that to everyone you have left, then how are you going to give 100 percent to those you’ve lost?” Silence was the only answer as Goomy visibly considered his words. “If it came down to it, between defeating those humans or saving Daisy or me, would you still choose defeating them?”

Still there was no answer, and Ara shook his head. His suspicion was confirmed, and the trainer was done with this conversation. There was no way he’d take this dragon with him. It would only get itself killed or worse, get Daisy killed. Ara would struggle to forgive himself if he ever put Daisy in that kind of danger- though, he supposed he already doomed the sweet Dedenne by trying to stop Triviai Nyktelios. If the fairy would just stay in her Poke Ball whenever he did that though, things would be so much safer for the little thing.

Ara shook his head a second time, though mostly to clear the fog in his mind. After a brief “goodbye”, the trainer turned to take his leave, then hesitated once more. Alastor was thoughtfully looking behind Ara, and after a moment, the trainer glanced back again. To his immense surprise, an albino Sliggoo was making its way over. Daisy perked up immediately when she noticed the Sliggoo: It was her friend, the albino Goomy, evolved. Once the Sliggoo reached the shiny Goomy, it helped the smaller dragon up, then led it over to Ara and the others. To Alastor, Sliggoo began to speak.

“Alastor…?”

“Sliggoo here, Sliggoo wants you to take Goomy along.” Ara immediately opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out, so he slowly closed his mouth and motioned for the ghost to continue. “Says Goomy’s losing its way but with you, kid, you could help him back on track.” There was a pause as the trainer considered this request. He still wasn’t sure about it, it was clear, so Alastor decided now was the time to step up to the plate.

“Listen kid,” began the ghost as he instinctively bobbed in the air when he meant to shrug. “Those guys, they’re poachers. Seen their type before. We leave them be, they’re just going to strike again.” Alastor’s deep green eyes stared hard into Ara’s russet- gold as he paused to make sure the trainer was listening. Once he felt the silence lasted long enough for the words to sink in, he went on. “That’ll make things worse for this little guy. Say we take him along, show him the ropes. With the right influence, he’ll grow up seeing clear as day gain. If I could get back on track, sure this kid can too.”

With Alastor’s peace made, everyone turned to see what Ara would say in response. There was a long moment of consideration before Ara finally sighed. How could he say ‘no’ to Alastor? Besides, Daisy was so fond of the Goomy. If the Dedenne asked, then Ara would certainly cave. After another moment’s deliberation, the trainer nodded once. Though he still wasn’t certain about this, he supposed there was nothing to be done. It was clear enough that the dragon planned to track those poachers with or without him anyway. It was for the best they brought the Goomy along at this rate.

“All right,” sighed the trainer. “But Goomy,” here, Ara stepped forward and peered down at the dragon with the most serious expression he could muster in his current exhaustion. “You have to prioritize your teammates. No matter what happens, don’t throw your friends away. Okay?” There was no way to say for sure if the Goomy understood at the time, but it agreed with little hesitation.
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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Derpceus is Here
“I caught a cold immediately after Aster joined the team,” admitted Ara as he sheepishly scratched his cheek. “But I guess it was worth it in the end.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” breathed Jay; his eyes alight with wonder. “It’s hard to believe you don’t have any badges yet.” At that, Trevor sharply glanced over. While the older trainer silently agreed, he believed it rude to make such remarks. Before he could reprimand his little brother though, Ara waved the comment off.

“I really have been slacking, haven’t I?” The youth laughed then, which encouraged smiles from the others. “But you know, I think I’ll fix that. The best way to see how my team’s growing is through a gym match.”

“You should head to Liloville and challenge Lilly, the gym leader there!” Jay was eager to share his knowledge about the kind leader in charge of the gym there, and even went on to admit how much he admired the woman. “You’ll probably really love it too, because it’s basically a garden full of flowers!” At that, Ara visibly perked up, which made Trevor laugh. “I mean, other than Alastor, your Pokemon are all named after flowers right?”

“Right,” admitted Ara. “You know, that sounds like a great idea. Maybe I’ll head that way soon,” he went on to decide after Alastor murmured an agreement to at least browse the gym. The ghost made sure to also note how late it was getting, and Ara couldn’t resist glancing at his phone to check the time. “We should probably get going though. It’s getting late, and I have to get back to my travels.”

“Wait,” Trevor requested just as Ara made to stand. “Ara, promise me you won’t chase those kidnappers.”

“I won’t,” was the immediate reply. An enigmatic smile was pleasantly settled on the trainer’s features as he prepared to take his leave. “I’d rather not chase after my tormentors, you know?” Though it was clear Trevor wanted to press further, the eldest trainer visibly hesitated. There was something unsettling about Ara’s smile, and after a moment, Trevor decided to let the conversation slide. “Hope to see you guys around,” cheered Ara before he took his leave. Once his back was turned on the others, the smile changed to match Alastor’s. Russet- gold eyes glanced over just as the Gastly formed beside him. “Chasing them?”

“We’re hunting them.”
Trainer Amethyst

Trainer Ara

Wanderer Rina
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Aki
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Thread Assessment
 

Story EXP: 595
Battle EXP: 590 to Daisy | 150 to Goomy
Other Rewards: Congratulations, you caught a:
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Level: 9
Moves: 4



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Evie
Xaviero
Jasper
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