[X] My Assistant

[Living Arrow]

Travelling back to Port Barley after the events at the Petropolis Grand Invitational had been a long and gruelling affair for Lori. Well, it had involved public transport which inevitably meant sharing elbow room with all manner of undesirable and social reprobates. If she was not worrying about her bag being stolen from off of her shoulder, the young Trainer was replaying the events of the tournament again and again to find the moment that had made her act so foolishly.

*Who really thinks they can play the hero and go down some stupid hole to save random people they’ve never even met before!?* She demanded of herself for the fiftieth time as the stench of body odour from her latest ravel companion drifted her way. Holding back a gag, she politely turned her head the other way and cried inwardly. *At least Cesc smelled good!*

*Hey! Stop thinking about him, dammit!* Lori blushed in spite of herself, heat rising in her cheeks to decorate her skin with blotches of ruby embarrassment.

The coach pulled up to a stop at the edge of the town in the later hours of the sunny morning, a couple of miles from her final destination, and freedom announced itself as the coach doors clunked open.

*Close enough!* Lori told herself, springing up from her seat without a backward glance for the stinking hobo next to the window. Cuddling her bag close to her chest with one hand while squeezing the length of her intensely red hair in the other, she hurried to the front of the vehicle.

“Thanks!” She smiled and bowed her head politely to the driver (a sweet old man who she doubted spoke any English) and skipped down the steps to the sidewalk. The coach pulled away with the hiss of its brakes releasing to leave her drinking in the fresh air of the coast. It had been a while since she had been in Barley, and the town hadn’t changed a bit, but she felt like a different person to the rookie that had picked fights with bullies on her first day in the town.

*Never again, Lor.* She reminded herself of the boys that had threatened to cut off her hair when she’d defended another beginner trainer at the bus station. She shuddered at the memory, pushing those thoughts down to her toes where they couldn’t plague her thoughts anymore.

“Pipster,” Lori clicked open the green-capped Pokeball of her Piplup and grinned as he materialised in front of her, “we’re back in Barley.”

“Lup, Piplup!” His cheery reply was a welcome change to the dismal mutterings of the ‘people’ on the coach.

“And you know what that means, right?” She prompted him. A blank expression was her response. She rolled her eyes and pumped her fists energetically, the infectious enthusiasm of her naturally bold demeanour finding its way back to the front of her otherwise woolly teenage brain. “It means we get back on a ferry and go to Fidona! That Gym badge won’t win itself, y’know?!”

“Lup!”

“So, let’s go!” Lori cheered, breaking into a run down the final slope into the town with her Penguin Pokemon close on her heels.

[A Kitty Cat]

The man in black that had stepped forward to challenge Marwan tossed his pokeball in front of him and let loose his surprisingly young looking Rattata. The tiny purple mouse pokemon stood firm as it readied itself to fight.

“My Rattata may be new but he'll bury your pokemon in the ground!” shouted the thug. Marwan tried not to frown as he realized he was being forced to fight what was essentially a baby pokemon. Marwan pulled out a ball at random from his pouch and released the pokemon inside. To Marwans surprise he had released his Flabebe.

”Maybe this will be a little more even...”

The small fairy type was floating softly in the wind and trying to hide what it could behind the small flower it clung to. The demeanor between the two pokemon on the field could not have contrasted any differently, the overly aggressive mouse and the shy fairy.

“Rattata use tackle!”

Without even a word from Marwan Flabebe glided upwards on the wind and easily avoided the attack from the Rattata as it slid to a stop underneath.

“Flabebe, respond.” Marwan called out, he knew Flabebe only had few move and Marwan didn't have the heart to try and be aggressive in this fight.

Flabebe stopped its “leaf on the wind” style movements and instantly dropped like a stone. While the rattata tried to dodge out of the way it took the majority of the tackle straight to its hind quarters. The rat was clearly dazed and severely injured by the attack but was more than able to continue the fight.

“C'mon don't make this pokemon suffer anymore. This is wrong!” Pleaded Marwan to the thug but it only managed to strengthen the anger that fueled this fight. Round after round of tackles came from the Rattata and round after round found Flabebe fairly easily floating around her opponent, occasionally she'd move a little to late and receive a bump here or a scratch there but nothing major. Marwan knew that both pokemon would be worn down fairly quickly if this fight continued and didn't want to put the strain on his own pokemon, Marwan knew that the only way to keep his Flabebe safe was to end this fight now.

“Flabebe, lets wrap this up.”

Flabebe quickly closed the gap between her and Rattata, the tired rat was lacking the energy to try and move before two vines flung from Flabebe and made short work of the Rattata. Before one could blink the Rattata was down for the count.

“Damn it.” Cried the man in black, “Get back here!”

Marwan figured that was the end but was surprised as the thug pulled out another pokeball.

“This time is for real!” he cried out as he let loose what Marwan assumed was his strongest pokemon. The flutter of wings from the orange-red body surprised Marwan as the Ledian. After the pitiful performance that was forcing a baby pokemon to try and fight an actual healthy looking pokemon was the last thing that Marwan expected to see.

“Your little Flabebe is no match for Marley!” the thug yelled out.

”Marley? what is he talking about?” and then it hit Marwan like a pile of bricks. This was the thugs personal pokemon. He went from a baby pokemon to one that he clearly had a connection with. Now Marwan felt like a bully try to beat up this mans favorite pokemon.

”It would be like someone beating up Growlith. I can't do that to him under these circumstances. I just can't.”

“We don't need to do this. Don't make your friend fight.” Marwan tried to plead with the thug to end the fight.

“Shut up! Get that stupid flower Marley!”

The Ledian took off straight at Flabebe, its fist glowing a light blue as it charged in. Flabebe had no time to try and react as the Ledian unleashed all its pent up energy out of its fist and straight into the body of the tiny fairy pokemon. Flabebe skidded across the ground to the foot of its trainer.

In that instant, as Marwan watched his baby come crashing down at his feet he lost all regrets about finishing the fight. Anyone who could use such an overpowered attack on such an innocent and weak pokemon clearly couldn't be reasoned with.

“Natu, you know what you need to do.”

Marwan released the small bird as he pulled Flabebe into his arms. The psychic pokemon knew what was going on, it made the rare movement of taking a look at its trainer before focusing in on the Ledian like it normally would. Natu was ready to fight.

This post has been edited by A Kitty Cat: Jul 1 2014, 03:47 PM