Pokedex One-Shots (PG)

[katkat]

Great Job!
May I suggest Goreybyss or Jirachi for later? (there are a ton of requests, and I don't want to overwhelm you)if their hasn't already been one... ( I haven't had time to read them all with school. oh well, another time)

[Ysavvryl]

Hey there! I did put the Indiana Vulpix idea up in the Adoption thread (I have another rather demanding story that I'm working on). So if you really like it, you're welcome to take it and run. As for this entry, it came to me as I was lost in the TV Tropes website.

Hi katkat! I'll put Gorebyss up in the request list.

Also, the autumnal equinox is coming up (first day of fall). Any suggestions out there for that?

In Process: Machoke (9/7)
On Deck: Kricketot/Kricketune, Kingdra, Meganium/Typhlosion, Cyndaquil/Yanma/Ralts, Gorebyss
Reserve: Raikou/Suicune/Entei (9/12)


FLYGON


Once upon a time, there was a cruel king ruling over these fair lands. His name was Labem Abem Vincen Winsem Tarquesveiden the Third, although it was rumored that he wasn’t the third of any line. He dealt out strict punishments, such as cutting out the tongues of those who made fun of his name and death to any who dared have a longer name. His reign was so terrible that even to this day, people hesitate before speaking of him. Partly because of his terror and partly because they have to remember how to say his name right.

After beheading his fourth wife for not singing to his command (she had a sore throat), King Labem Abem Vincen Winsem Tarquesveiden the Third announced that he was going to marry again. He had not gotten a suitable heir in any of his marriages and was determined to get a perfect son to follow him, one whom knew that his father was the best at everything. So he issued a decree, stating that he would choose his next wife in a singing competition.

“For my wife is not only to provide me with an heir,” he stated, “but to amuse me and do everything with grace and beauty. The best singer that I have ever heard was a mysterious maiden in the Whirling Desert, singing a wordless melody despite the endless sandstorms. Any man who find her or who finds a maid that can sing better than her will be granted a large sum of money, an estate along the Azurite River, and my eldest daughter in marriage.”

Now the people who lived near the Whirling Desert were amused by the decree. They heard the singing in the desert on a daily basis, but they knew it was no human. Instead, the song belonged to the desert spirits, elusive Pokemon that stirred up the sand into the multitude of cyclones that gave the Whirling Desert its name. But none of them would dare correct the menacing monarch.

However, there was one who dared to something more audacious than that. His name was Jack and he was a clever, if unscrupulous, man. He sold extremely weak fish Pokemon to travelers, claiming they were strong and powerful. He diluted medicines and hawked Gastrodon oil as a positive cure-all. And now he saw a golden opportunity that couldn’t be passed up.

For many years, he had trained one of the desert spirits himself. This Flygon was called Guinevere and she had helped Jack in many of his schemes. Whether capturing Gastrodons or watching out for knights, she did so unfailingly, believing it was best to do as her Trainer asked. She was a good-hearted Pokemon, although a little frightened of crowds. Jack instructed her on her part of the plan, gathered some of his friends to help, made a few bribes within the castle, and was soon set to claim his fortune.

The day finally came, with the competition for the next queen. King Labem Abem Vincen Winsem Tarquesveiden the Third brought each of the competitors into the throne room for their introductions. Despite his ruthlessness and advancing age, the large reward had drawn in plenty of con men. Low class cons, Jack thought to himself with some pride. They tried to bring in dim-witted or naive girls and passed them off as acceptable with heavy makeup, grand clothes, and specific instructions. There were even some ambitious women who thought they could gain the upper hand over the king. If they were half as clever as Jack, he thought, it might work for them. But obviously they weren’t.

Guinevere was settled into a chair, looking quite regal. The sand dragon had large red eyes that sparkled like stained glass, so Jack had accentuated that by subtly dulling her eyelids. While her wings naturally had a pretty look, he added inked floral designs to make her special. She also wore elegant jewelry: a gold collar with a ruby pendant, ruby earrings, and a diamond bracelet. As there was certainly someone in the castle staff that could identify true gems from fake, these pieces were real. Jack had tricked their previous owner into thinking they were fake, then traded ‘real’ fakes back to her.

With the clamor of a gong, a servant called out, “Next up, Princess Guinevere and her guardian, Jack Rivers.”

Jack waved to his Pokemon to follow him, then entered the throne room. With a grand bow, he addressed the court. “Your Eminence, the mighty King Labem Abem Vincen Winsem Tarquesveiden the Third, so wonderful to meet you at last. I am Jack Rivers and I speak for my pure-hearted but unfortunately changed ward, Princess Guinevere Terra A’Draken.” He waved his hands reverently towards his Flygon.

“Changed?” the king asked skeptically.

“Yes, your Eminence, changed. The lovely Princess had many jealous enemies and I was charged with protecting her. However, a wretched witch transformed her into a Pokemon under my nose. She was not able to hide her completely, though. As I’m sure someone of your God-sanctioned position can tell, Guinevere is still as regal, beautiful, pure, and lovely as ever.”

The servant, who was in on Jack’s plan, stated, “She must have been wonderful to be turned into this gentle dragon.”

“Quiet, you!” the king shouted. However, now that a servant had recognized the changed princess, he had to astound everyone and prove his power. “Guinevere is still exquisite and elegant. I wasn’t sure what you meant by changed, because she is certainly of royal descent. It is terrible that she would be mistaken for a Pokemon by the peasants, though. We will have to find a way to uncloud your eyes.”

“I knew the witch’s curse couldn’t fool you,” Jack said happily. “I have heard that it can be fixed by true love’s first kiss, although that may be a sentimental old wives tale. If not that, I’m sure you, in your deep wisdom and wide knowledge, that you would be able to find a way to restore her to her true form.”

“But sire,” one of his advisors whispered something more.

“Are you not worthy enough to see Princess Guinevere’s true beauty?” he demanded.

“I... there is something about her,” he hastily replied.

“But can she sing?” another asked.

“Of course,” Jack stated. “My lady, would you grant them their request?”

Guinevere nodded and took off from the ground. A Flygon’s song did not come from her throat, though; it came from her wings. While she carefully altered her beat speed, angle, and other factors, the humming of her wings produced haunting and sweet notes that were eerily like a woman’s wordless song.

After a few note changes, the king’s eyes were wide and his lips trembling. He jumped from his throne and shouted, “She’s the one I heard in the Whirlwind Desert! That song is unmistakable.”

Guinevere was a little puzzled, since her wing song was never the same twice. But Jack distracted the court from noticing. “It is unique, your Eminence. She has always sung like this, never saying a word we mortals on Earth can understand. But you cannot mistake her pure and loving heart for anything else.”

“We shall consider that, Mr. Rivers.”

At the end of the day, King Labem Abem Vincen Winsem Tarquesveiden the Third announced his intentions to marry the angelic Princess Guinevere Terra A’Draken.

-+-

Guinevere sighed and flew to another window. She had been in this castle for ten days now, without Jack. Other times when they pulled this kind of job, he would break into the victim’s house in order to retrieve her within three days. Often, she was replaced with a different Pokemon. This place was more secure than a commoner’s home. Still, ten days?

And it wasn’t just the waiting that was getting to her. Various people were trying to turn her from a Flygon into a human. She had never been a human and wasn’t that interested in becoming one. Especially not when she was expected to marry this king, who eagerly sought out flaws to punish his followers for. He seemed to enjoy their suffering more than their service.

While they treated her well on occasion, giving her excellent choices of meats, vegetables, and fruit, they also made her try all sorts of ‘cures’ for her condition. Bitter potions that disturbed her stomach, holy chants that required her to sit still or endure the whole process again, strange rituals involving needles, candles, and a spark-happy Pikachu... it was horrible. What had she done to deserve this?

Guinevere’s watch for her true Trainer got interrupted yet again by the king. “There she is. Leave us be.”

The servant bowed. “Yes, King Labem Abem Vincen Winsem Tarquesveiden the Third.” He went back down the hall and out of sight.

As he came over, Guinevere scratched her scales under her collar. While it had been fun to dress up, wearing these jewels was starting to irritate her. It was like how living in this castle had been fun for a couple of days. But now she wanted to go back to Jack. He let her fly about in the open on her own, if he had nothing for her to do. In the castle, there was always a guard watching her, and they didn’t let her fly freely outside.

The king stopped by the window she was perched in. “My lovely Princess, I hope you’re enjoying the view.”

Below her, there were soldiers practicing their skills at blades. Past the wall where she was really watching, there was a dusty old road leading towards her birthplace, the Whirling Desert. That is, it led there after four days of travel. She still hadn’t seen Jack, so it wasn’t an enjoyable view.

He placed his hand between her wings. “We really need to get you out of this cursed state. Announcements have gone out, but some of the imbeciles are already saying that we’ve been duped. But I know your story is true; I believe it and I will help you.” The king leaned in closer to her.

That was much too close. Guinevere ducked and hopped out of the window. Quickly, her wings caught up and she landed on the outer rim of the window. She had to watch him closely.

His eyes narrowed. “This is not the time to play coy, Guinevere. We need to restore you to your true self before the wedding. And I don’t want to accidentally transform you in thin air.”

“Your Majesty!” One of the advisors came running down the hall. “We have some troubling news about your daughter.”

“What is it? It can’t be so important that you have to interrupt my time with my betrothed.”

He glanced out the window nervously. “Actually, sir, we have word that Jack and your daughter escaped the winter castle and left the country by way of ship. They took all the gold you had given them, plus various treasures from the castle. And we’ve heard that before he left, Jack boasted that he had tricked you by getting you to marry a Flygon. She’s not a human under a curse, she’s a born Pokemon. And while he lost his Pokemon, he says it was a good trade-off.”

Feeling her heart broken, Guinevere cried out. So Jack had abandoned her this time? She was all by herself?

“WHAT?!” the king screamed. As his cheeks turned red in anger, he glared out at her. “Kill that worthless Pokemon!”

Guinevere flew off, but dove down past the wall. While archers were trying to prepare their bows, she stirred a strong cyclone from her wings. Dust from the old road swelled up and obscured the sight of those in the castle. Then the Flygon flew off for the Whirling Desert.

What was she to do, now that her Trainer had repaid her loyalty and obedience with abandonment?

...

Sapphire entry: Flygon whips up a sandstorm by flapping its wings. The wings create a series of notes that sound like singing. Because the "singing" is the only thing that can be heard in a sandstorm, this Pokemon is said to be the desert spirit.

[shac]

Aww!Poor Flygon!

LMFAO @ King LAVWT the Third! That was really funny!
And poor princess! She got to marry the con-man!

That was fun! Good Job!

[SugarPesticide]

His reign was so terrible that even to this day, people hesitant before speaking of him. Partly because of his terror and partly because they have to remember how to say his name right.

The bolded bit should be changed to "people are hesitant" or "people hesitate". Besides that, LOL.

Jack had tricked their previous owner into thinking they were fake, then traded ‘real’ fakes back to her.

XD

Poor Guinevere, betrayed so heartlessly. It was so sad! Which means I adored it XD Excellent job.

[growlithe_master]

nice story. that so sad about the flygon, poor flygon! ;_;

i loved that first paragraph, that was hilarious, great work! and nice shout out to the magikarp salesman! cant wait for the next story!

[katkat]

Great!

His reign was so terrible that even to this day, people hesitant before speaking of him. Partly because of his terror and partly because they have to remember how to say his name right.

Pure awesomeness XD

[asperger1981]

“WHAT?!” the king screamed. As his cheeks turned red in anger, he glared out at her. “Kill that worthless Pokemon!”

Who would like to remember this kind of king? Seriously.
More likely the tears of this flygon deleted the memory of this crappy ruler for good. don't you think?

[Ysavvryl]

I like Labor Day; it's a great reminder that we should appreciate the people who have the really neccessary, but unnoticed and undesirable jobs out there. Hey, is that show Dirty Jobs playing? Anyhow, if you see a Pokemon doing hard work in the games, it's generally a Machop or a Machoke. There's the one working in Vermillion, and the pair that helps the R/S/E player move in. And their entries show great dedication to any job given to them.

Any suggestions for a 'first day of fall' entry?

In Process: Raikou/Suicune/Entei (9/12)
On Deck: Kricketot/Kricketune, Kingdra, Meganium/Typhlosion, Cyndaquil/Yanma/Ralts, Gorebyss


MACHOKE


The scene could easily be described as comical, although it was the practical way. Max, a human construction worker, sat on the shoulder of a Machoke, connecting steel structures. With one arm, the Machoke held onto the main bulk of the device powering the riveter. With his other, he secured Max so he wouldn’t fall. That Machoke was also standing on the shoulders of a second Machoke, who made jibberish kinds of encouragements to the two above. Once this connection point was secure, they’d be able to move up to the next level safely.

Once he was finished with this column, he flipped his mask up. “Okay guys, let’s get down.”

While they doing so, the supervisor came in. “Hey Max, I’ve got a request for you: would you take one of Machoke to your home tomorrow? I’ve got a busy schedule.”

“You’re busy over the holiday?” Max asked. When he nodded, he answered, “All right, it shouldn’t get in the way. They’re pretty well-behaved.”

-+-

“MAX!”

Worried, Max shut his tackle box and went outside. “What’s wrong, dear?”

His wife was near the driveway, looking worried and angered. “Your co-worker is doing chest presses with the van.”

And indeed, the Machoke was lying on her back in the driveway while lifting the van with her arms and feet. It amused Max. “Oh, she’ll be fine. The Pokemon workers know not to hurt machinery.”

“Still, she shouldn’t be doing that.”

“Fine. Daisy, please put the van down.”

She gave a reluctant grunt, then balanced the van on both of her hands to curl into a sitting position. Careful to not scratch the bottom, she gently tipped the back wheels onto the driveway, then moved it back to rest on all four wheels. The Machoke then came over to them, smiling.

“It’s nice that your crew lets the Pokemon off for holidays too,” Max’s wife said. “But can’t they just relax?”

“That is her way of relaxing.”

“Still...” she tried to think of something, but couldn’t. “I can’t see why you guys named her Daisy. I mean, for a cute Grass-type, yes, but not a Machoke.”

Daisy laughed, entertained by her confusion.

“Look, why don’t I take her out fishing with me?” That way, Max thought, Daisy would be free to use the van as an exercise weight all she wanted. “You’re right about one thing: she’s not exactly used to domestic settings. The supervisor generally leaves her in the quarry to train.”

“Can I come fishing too?” Laura asked. Three months ago, she had been in a terrible car accident. She was currently restricted to a wheelchair and so far, hadn’t been interested in going out to do things she used to love.

“If you can get ready quickly,” Max replied.

“Thanks Dad!” She turned her wheelchair around and went back to her room to get her things.

“So you’ll have a quiet holiday.” He kissed his wife. “We’ll bring back dinner.”

“Chinese takeout?” she teased, making them both (and Daisy) laugh.

-+-

It was a nice day to be outside. The temperature was a little high, but tolerable under the trees. Around the shoreline, frogs, toads, and various amphibious Pokemon croaked and hummed, making a relaxing chorus. There were ticks, fleas, chiggers, and mosquitos all about, but a Super Repel lantern kept them at bay. Max had to take a spot by the dock, in order to lock Laura’s wheelchair down. It probably wasn’t a good fishing spot, but the day ahead looked to be a great one.

After an hour of just a single carp, Daisy came over. She waved her right hand to get Max’s attention, then tapped her left hand three times. It was a sign asking if he had anything for her to do. Even though Pokemon rights activists insisted on having working Pokemon out of their Pokeballs at least one day a week, so they could have a proper break, the Machokes didn’t like having a ‘proper break’. Their strength was their pride and they wanted to keep in top condition, no matter what.

Max tried to think of something, but he just wanted to fish. “Um, sorry Daisy, I don’t have anything for you to do at the moment.”

“Can she take me on a walk around the lake?” Laura asked. “I was thinking of catching a fish Pokemon for my first, but there aren’t any biting right now.”

“You’ve still got a few weeks before your tenth birthday,” Max reminded her.

“But you’d catch it for me, right?”

“Well that depends; we don’t have an aquarium for a fish Pokemon right now.”

“I’ll look around.” She leaned over to look at the locks on the wheels.

“And Daisy could take you around the lake, if you like. Just don’t go too fast now.”

The Machoke nodded, glad she could help. Then she picked Laura up out of her wheelchair. Max was afraid for a moment that she would stick her on her shoulders, like the Machoke did with the construction workers when they needed some more height. Instead, Daisy let Laura sit near her elbow and put her free hand to secure the girl there. That way, she didn’t have to strain her injured back in staying up straight.

“Hey!” Laura called out in surprise. She looked the Machoke in the face.

Max chuckled. “Don’t worry, she won’t hurt you. I’ve let them carry me up areas without scaffolding before. They’re trained to take a human’s safety in consideration.”

The girl then smiled, realizing the novelty of riding on a Pokemon. “Okay! I know the paths around here, so we won’t get lost.”

-+-

They got back home about quarter to six. “At least you brought home dinner,” Max’s wife teased, taking the Chinese takeout bags from him.

“Oh yeas, we caught some lovely egg rolls,” he joked. “But we had a great time. Spent most of our time walking the trails.”

“Did you? How did Laura’s wheelchair fare?”

“Well...”

“Daisy carried me,” Laura said, wheeling herself up the ramp. The Machoke followed behind her. “I thought she’d be a bore because she’s a working Pokemon, but she’s awesome! She pushed a boulder that was taller than Dad aside like it was made of styrofoam. And this Raticate was bugging us, so she punted it way over to the other side of that big meadow. And she didn’t once let me drop or feel unsteady.”

She seemed concerned. “Oh... I see.”

“It’s fine,” Max repeated. “I let them carry me while holding onto dangerous equipment. So I knew Laura was safe.”

“I want a Machop for my first Pokemon now,” the girl said happily.

“A Machop?” her mother asked. “That’s not really a girl’s Pokemon, is it?”

“Why should that matter?” Max countered. “She likes them, so why not?”

...

Sapphire entry: Machoke undertakes bodybuilding every day even as it helps people with tough, physically demanding labor. On its days off, this Pokemon heads to the fields and mountains to exercise and train.

[shac]

Hey Ysavvryl, nice Machoke story. I give you a 7 for this one.

As for the first of fall entry, I suggest an oddish family (gloom, vileploom, bellosom) entry.

[SugarPesticide]

A female Machoke?

DOESNOTCOMPUTEDOESNOTCOMPUTEDOESNOTCOMPUTE *brain explodes*

...

Sorry. But still, the idea of a female Machoke is WEIRD. o_0

While they doing so, the supervisor came in. “Hey Max, I’ve got a request for you: would you take one of Machoke to your home tomorrow? I’ve got a busy schedule.”

First bold part needs to be changed to "they did so" or "they were doing so"; second part needs a "the" added.

“Well that depends; we don’t have an aquarium for a fish Pokemon right now.”

Missing a comma.

I liked the reminder of Machop not being girly at the end, the repitition drives the point home. Excellent job ^^

For the equinox, maybe Solrock/Lunatone would work, to reflect the equal day and night?

[foxyman1167]

There's the one working in Vermillion, and the pair that helps the R/S/E player move in. And their entries show great dedication to any job given to them.

Actually in Emerald, the Machoke are switched with some Vigoroth. There are some Machop working in the Orebourgh Mine in DPPt to add to that.

Any suggestions for a 'first day of fall' entry?

Hmmm, maybe something that migrates, or something that has a different form because of weather, maybe Castform or Cherrim?

“Oh yeas, we caught some lovely egg rolls,” he joked. “But we had a great time. Spent most of our time walking the trails.”

I found this.

[ungulateman]

The start of Autumn? How about Chimchar - it's lovely and orange.

[Turtle Master]

I would suggest either "The last Bellosom Dance" or the Jumpluff migration or something that relates to a shiny Chikorita.

[katkat]

A Gligar if there hasn't been one.

Maybe trying to fly around and find a warmer climate?

I'm trying to think of somthing not very-predictable, so...

But it's your choice. I know it'll be good!

[Ysavvryl]

I think the Solrock/Lunatone has the best connection, with it being the equinox. So that's the one I'll do on the 22nd. Cherrim, Chikorita, and Bellossom, were all done by me at one point. Hah, and I made at least one person freak out over the female Machoke! You know I do that kind of thing on purpose...

So Heart Gold and Soul Silver came out in Japan today. Ignoring that my 'next game to get' is Scribblenauts... well I'm not sure which version I'll get. I had Crystal (battery died a couple years back, though) and I don't know of any version exclusive Pokemon that I really want to get. Cause the one Johto Pokemon I really want to get for an in-game team is... Mareep.

In Process: Kricketot/Kricketune
On Deck: Kingdra, Meganium/Typhlosion, Cyndaquil/Yanma/Ralts, Gorebyss
Reserve: Solrock/Lunatone (9/22), Kirlia/Alakazam (10/04)


RAIKOU, ENTEI, and SUICUNE


It was a quiet day in the rocky canyon. Too quiet. The warm humid air made local Pokemon more inclined to hide from the sun and wait for the cooler darkness. The river was running low and calm, its voice barely a whisper. Every now and then, a pebble moved out of place, causing a crumble which was as unnerving as the breaking of glass in this silent air. During the summer, afternoons like this could carry on seemingly forever.

Then a roar crashed through the silence, powerful enough that it seemed to split the heavens. Some of the hiding Pokemon freaked out; others woke up, wondering where the thunderstorm was. The way it rattles bones and set off rockslides made many think it was a multitude of thunder bolts instead of a single roar. However, there was just one source, and it darted down the canyon wall, raced across the river without making a ripple, and zigzagged up the other wall to a hidden vantage point.

Back on the other side of the canyon, a human ran up to the ledge excitedly. The hunter looked around, then realized his quarry was gone. Crestfallen, he cursed quietly and searched around for clues. Raikou chuckled to himself. Some humans were such fun to tease.

A strong howl then echoed through the canyon. It caused more panic and confusion, for it had the quality of a winter’s gale, out of place under the summer sun. However, Raikou and his hunter knew the significance of it. It was Suicune, calling for him. Raikou bounded out of the canyon and followed it east.

She was waiting on a ridge overlooking the canyon. Since her vibrant blue coat stood out from the yellow and tan rocks around them, she had picked a spot where she could observe anyone approaching her. “You need to come with me,” she said.

He nodded, then flicked his jagged tail. “We’d better talk on the go. There’s a hunter around here looking for me.”

“Ugh, teasing them again?” She got up and ran to the south, so he followed her. “Someday, you’re going to get into a lot of trouble doing that.”

“Aw come on” he pleaded playfully. “They have it coming to them.”

“It’s better just to keep two steps ahead. And you boys make me worry so much when you mess with them.”

“Fine. What’s the problem?”

“It’s Entei. You’d better come see for yourself.”

The two siblings raced along the rocky land, eventually coming to a grassland area. Raikou had to restrain himself to keep pace with his sister. While it wasn’t something he would complain or gloat to them about, he knew he was faster than them. Still, he admired the way Suicune ran. There was something fluid to her steps; she made a simple run into a beautiful thing. Maybe it was something to do with her association with water. Although, Raikou hoped it was something else that gave her that grace. If he could learn that kind of grace, maybe he could run even faster.

As the rocky desert area vanished into the horizon, Suicune stopped near a tall boulder. Their brother was there, lying half in the rock’s shadow. At first, it looked terrible. Entei’s long brown fur was never burned by fire, but now was dusty, knotty, and, at his paws, muddy. The protective pads of his paws were cracked and sore-looking. While his mane of smoke normally held together well, it looked thin with undefined edges. And as they approached, he didn’t stir. But the warmth of his body and the steady movement of his chest showed that he was deeply asleep.

“What’s he been running from?” Raikou asked.

“I don’t know,” Suicune replied. “I hadn’t seen him in months, so I started looking for him last week. I only found him like this an hour ago, and then I found you almost immediately. Of course, your loudness is hard to miss.”

“I talked to him sometime last winter. And I’ve seen him running around on occasion, but he hasn’t stopped to talk. I wonder if he stopped at all.”

“I know he likes to run, but if he hasn’t stopped, that isn’t good. We should wait for him to wake up and make him talk.”

“Good plan. Besides, this isn’t the best place to crash out.” He hopped onto the boulder and looked around. While the immensely tall grasses would hide them, it would also hide anyone approaching them. That is, if the Pokemon or person knew how to be stealthy around a grassland.

It was several hours before Entei stirred. He looked between the two of them for a minute before asking, “Am I in trouble?”

“That depends,” Raikou said.

“You’re a mess,” Suicune said. “We had to clean you up and straighten your fur. What happened to you?”

He brought his head up, but remained lying on his stomach. “I’ve been running around, that’s all. I didn’t think I was that messy.”

“Your paws were caked in mud and your smoke still looks feeble,” their sister insisted. “And the way your pads are, you need to spend a few days letting them heal back up. If you start to bleed at your paws, you could get really sick.”

“I’ll be fine. Actually, I need to get back to running.”

“Where are you trying to go?” Raikou asked. “And how long have you been running?”

Entei looked down at his paws; the mud was gone now and some of the knots had been removed. “Just around... it’s been a while.”

“How many months?”

“What’s going on?” Suicune said, pawing the ground and narrowing her eyes at him.

“I don’t know!” he snapped, snarling a bit. “I’ve got all this pent up energy inside and it builds up to where I feel like my heart is going to burst. I try burning it off by running, but it stays there, pushing me until I collapse. Once I wake back up, I have to start running again. It’s driving me bonkers.”

Suicune lowered her head, looking ashamed. “That sounds terrible, Entei.”

“I didn’t want to worry you guys. I know it’s wearing me down, but if I hold still, I feel even worse.” He closed his eyes and gasped quietly.

“Could it be connected to that volcano you normally hang around?” Raikou asked. “Because I went there the other day and got caught in an earthquake. That messed me up for a few hours.”

“Isn’t that the one people say he was born from?” Suicune asked. “How could that mistake affect him?”

“It does seem unstable when I pass by there,” Entei said. He got up; although shaky for a moment, he managed to control himself. “Would you two come over there with me?”

“Sure,” Suicune said, and the three of them took off to the northwest.

Past the canyon and over more rocky terrain, they came to Entei’s usual running grounds, a place called Red Mountain. To get there from the middle of the grasslands would take at least a week for most Pokemon, just a matter of minutes for them. Their fire brother led them up the volcano, although he was clearly struggling from his body being overstrained. Raikou made a mental note that if Entei refused to rest after this, he’d paralyze him or something to make sure that he stayed still.

Oddly enough, the volcano seemed strained as well. There was a bulge near the top that seemed to have grown more since Raikou had last been by here. The ground felt warm, even as they climbed above the tree line. At the snowy peak, the three beasts stopped to examine the surroundings.

“See, I think this place is getting ready to blow up,” Raikou stated. “And you feel like your heart is going to blow up, kind of. So they might be connected.”

“But I have nothing to do with this volcano,” Entei argued. “I just live here.”

Suicune sniffed at the snow by her paws, then shuddered. “Guys, I don’t feel so good myself. And the earthquakes around here would be bad on both of you. I don’t think we should have come here.”

“What’s the matter with you?” Entei asked, concerned.

“I don’t know; I feel like I’m under a lot of pressure somehow. And I really want to get away from here. Maybe we’re getting sick.”

“Well there’s water trapped inside this volcano too, isn’t there?” Raikou asked. “And it would be trying to find a weak point to escape from, just like the lava that’s building up.”

“But she only comes here to visit me,” Entei argued.

“You’re empathizing with your elements, that’s what I mean. I know I get all wound up as a thunderstorm is building, and it doesn’t get any better until the storm passes or breaks apart. So this volcano will probably affect both of you until it explodes.”

“You think my home is the problem?”

Suicune glanced off to the east. “There was this one time when I found a horribly dirty pond, choked with algae scum. I felt horrible and slimy, not to mention that my lungs seemed to weaken. I felt better when I purified that pond. So maybe it is the volcano.”

Entei paced around them thinking, although the build up of energy must have been antagonizing him. “But then what can I do about the volcano?”

“You could always make it erupt,” Raikou pointed out.

“What?!” Suicune asked, shocked. “Why would you suggest doing such a thing? Lots of Pokemon and humans could die if Red Mountain erupts. The local environment would burn to ashes, rocks and ashes would fall everywhere, so if they did survive, they would be out of a home... I bet you just want to make something blow up.”

“Actually, it would be pretty cool to see an actual volcanic eruption,” Entei said.

“Argh,” Suicune grumbled, putting her paw over her eyes. “Don’t you boys even care?”

“Well look at it this way,” Raikou said. “Red Mountain’s going to blow its top eventually, whether it’s helped along or not. If we leave it be, Entei’s going to be forced to keep running himself ragged until he gets hurt badly. And all the pressure will keep building, leading up to a bigger explosion. On the other hand, we can jump-start it now and get a somewhat smaller explosion. I mean, it’s still going to be massive and awesome, but not as devastating.”

“I guess that’s true,” she admitted. “Still, maybe we ought to ask one of the elder ones for advice.”

Entei snorted. “One of them? I’m getting a little sick of them calling us kids and shuffling us to the side. I can handle the volcano, and all of us would be able to run off and escape in time.”

“We could, but still...” her voice trailed off.

“Right then.” He turned around in the snow to face down the mountain. After taking a deep breath, he roared with a ferocity that echoed around the rocky fields below. His roar was like a wildfire exposed to new fuel or fresh air so it could burn forth with new strength. Some of the snow slipped and nearly started an avalanche.

But although they all tensed to run, there was no sign of an eruption.

Entei sagged down into the snow. “Maybe we are getting sick and weak.”

“Or maybe we should help you,” Raikou suggested.

“Well I can see where my encouraging the steam trapped in the rocks would help,” Suicune thought aloud. “But I don’t see how you, being connected to lightning, would help in the circumstances.”

“Erm, static?” he said weakly.

“Or maybe the sheer volume of his roar will destabilize the rocks,” Entei said, pulling himself back up. “He drowns us both out.”

“So are you with us?” Raikou asked their sister.

“I guess,” she replied. She started, followed quickly by Entei, then followed a few seconds later by Raikou. Suicune never did like roaring, so she always howled. Thus she was the last one going as well.

The mountain finally trembled. As the three of them raced down the slope, the lava and steam finally found a weak point caused by the three. Red Mountain erupted into a bulbous cloud of ash, rock, gas, soot, and lava.

-+-

What trees had been around Red Mountain were now blackened, stripped of leaves and branches. Any other plants had been scorched and knocked to the ground. And the volcano wasn’t through yet, as lava would likely pour from the collapsed volcano for weeks to come.

“I hope we did the right thing,” Suicune said, guiltily looking over a gray sooty pond.

“I’m sure it’ll work out,” Raikou reassured her. He turned to his brother. “How are you feeling now?”

“Exhausted, but a lot calmer,” Entei replied. He lifted his paw and sniffed at it. “But my legs are so sore now. Do you know of any spa around that would give me a paw massage?”

Despite being against setting off the volcano, Suicune laughed. Raikou and Entei soon joined in.

...

Emerald entry: Raikou embodies the speed of lightning. Its roars send shock waves shuddering through the air and ground as if lightning bolts were crashing down.

Entei Leaf Green entry: Volcanoes erupt when it barks. Unable to restrain its extreme power, it races headlong around the land.

R/S entry: Suicune embodies the compassion of a pure spring of water. It runs across the land with gracefulness. This Pokemon has the power to purify dirty water.

[SugarPesticide]

Hah, and I made at least one person freak out over the female Machoke!

Hey, it's a topless female with steroid-induced muscles. I'm surprised the boys aren't jumping all over that detail XP

Before I jump in: it's HGSS time! Yay~

“Aw, come on,” he pleaded playfully.

“Well, there’s water trapped inside this volcano too, isn’t there?”

“Well, I can see where my encouraging the steam trapped in the rocks would help,” Suicune thought aloud.

Bolded commas should be added in.

Entei paced around them thinking, although the build up of energy must have been antagonizing him.

'Tis one word ^^;

A strong howl then echoed through the canyon. It caused more panic and confusion, for it had the quality of a winter’s gale, out of place under the summer sun.

That detail gave me the chills. It's like for the moment it took me from the canyon to an icy tundra ...

“I don’t know!” he snapped, snarling a bit. “I’ve got all this pent up energy inside and it builds up to where I feel like my heart is going to burst. I try burning it off by running, but it stays there, pushing me until I collapse. Once I wake back up, I have to start running again. It’s driving me bonkers.”

I have absolutely no idea why that made me giggle, but it did. XDDDD

I love it! Especially with the necessary inclusion of a hunter chasing one of them even if it wasn't Eusine chasing Suicune lol and Entei's comment about the spa. A huge lion pampered in a spa ... what a ridiculous, awesome image.

Excellent job ^_^

[Ysavvryl]

Ah yes, the spa. There was an argument between Suicune and Entei about having him go to a healing springs (he didn't like the thought of going in water), but the spa comment seemed much funnier.

There's a game character in this. Guess who! Probably won't be that hard.

In Process: Kingdra, Solrock/Lunatone (9/22)
On Deck: Meganium/Typhlosion, Cyndaquil/Yanma/Ralts, Gorebyss
Reserve: Kirlia/Alakazam (10/04)


KRICKETOT and KRICKETUNE

A multitude of chimes and chirps filled the grassy meadow. Most everything was still colored with summer’s greens, but spots of yellow-green and red hinted at fall’s approach. While a few flowers continued to bloom, within a month they would begin to succumb to the approaching cold. Even if one ignored all those signs, the calls of the Kricketots only began after mid-summer.

“Whirrrr luuu laaaa,” a Kricketune called, getting a few answering chimes. But nothing quite like the sophisticated cry she had.

With her were a man and a boy. Her Trainer listened carefully. “Haven’t got one yet,” he stated quietly. “But they’ll be around.”

The boy tugged at his sleeve. “Dad, can I catch a Kricketot?”

He smiled and patted his son’s head. “You’re not old enough to have a Trainer’s license.”

“But Billy says he’s going to enter the Junior Kricketot Contest of the Thanksgiving Day Festival. I’m going to be nine in four months, so it won’t be that long until I can have a license.”

“Weeeeeh zii kahhh,” Kricketune sang, in a mournful tone for exaggerated effect.

“Oh yes, that will happen too soon,” the father joked. “Still, I brought you along to show you how things are done. If you just happen to catch a Pokemon during the demonstration, I could register it under my name until you get your own license.”

He grinned. “Great! So how do we find them?”

“Hold on, Derek,” he said, holding his son’s shoulder. “When you want to go catching Pokemon, you can’t just go out and find them. You have to let them come to you.”

“Why’s that?”

“You remember the stories your grandmother would tell? About why Pokemon come with humans and why we need to respect them?”

Derek nodded. “Yeah. Pokemon want to be stronger, so they go with Trainers, but then you have to respect them and not hurt them badly, or they’ll tell other Pokemon to avoid you and not help you out. And Pokemon do a lot of things that we don’t notice until they’re not done anymore, like keep forests safe and clear paths of rubble.”

“Yes, and also that if you take a Pokemon away from its home when it doesn’t want to, it will be depressed and dislike you for that. So you have to go into the tall grass and see which ones come looking for you.”

“But Mom says to stay out of the tall grass or wild Pokemon will attack me.”

“That’s true, which is why almost no one catches their first Pokemon themselves.”

“But I can be different, right?” he asked hopefully.

“Tika zeee,” Kricketune noted.

“We’ll see,” his father translated.

They walked through the meadow in silence for a few minutes. Derek watched anxiously for a Kricketot to approach them. Although they could hear the xylophone-like calls as the young Bugs chatted with each other, they couldn’t see a single one of them. They climbed over a natural stair formation to reach a higher part of the meadow just in front of Oreburgh Gate.

“Krrrriririririririri,” Kricketune called out. More calls answered her, but none like her.

“Why are you looking for a wild one anyhow?” Derek asked in a loud whisper. “She’s good enough for the Festival Kricketune Contest.”

“Yes, she is,” he answered. “But I want to enter the nearly-wild category this year and prove that I’m still one of the top Bug Trainers.”

The boy snickered. “Aw, come on Dad. You’ve been in the Elite Four for two decades now with Bugs. I don’t think anybody would doubt that you’re the best.”

“Well, I guess so. Still, I’ve never been in that nearly-wild group and I’ve heard rumors that Bugsy will be coming over for this year’s competition. I don’t want to have just one Kricketune if he shows up. If things go well, I might even get her and another to perform a duet.”

“What song are you gonna do?”

“Dueling Banjos, of course.”

“Tzsi si,” Kricketune chimed proudly. “Durri,” then she went into a scale of notes effectively mimicking a banjo.

“Chong,” a Kricketot answered, rustling through the grass. He found his way to the group, then shook his head to make his antennae clatter together. “Chi-chi-chi-chi-chong,” they sounded.

The father passed over a Pokeball. “Okay, you give it a try.” He looked to his Kricketune and mouthed, ‘Be nice to him.’

“Wurrriii,” Kricketune replied, hopping over to in front of Derek.

The boy thought over battles where he’d watched his Dad use this Pokemon. “Okay, use Sing.”

“Cho-chong,” the Kricketot said, scrunching in defensively.

Kricketune rubbed her limbs together, causing a clear mellow tune to play. However, it seemed to have no effect. The Kricketot stayed as he was, eyeing her.

“What’s it doing?” Derek asked.

“Using Bide. Remember that move?”

“Oh yeah. Sing again, Kricketune.”

Without a comment, she continued her soothing lullaby. This time, the Kricketot relaxed for a second. That was a mistake, as he fell asleep soon after.

“Good,” Derek said with a smile. “Now use Slash.”

Kricketune flicked her antennae, glancing back to her Trainer. He nodded slightly. With that assurance, she gracefully flew at the Kricketot and landed a full force blow with her arm. It had a sharp edge, both for creating music and for strong attacks. The little one didn’t stand a chance; he was knocked unconscious.

“A Pokeball won’t capture an unconscious Pokemon,” the father reminded his son gently.

His eyes were wide with disbelief. “What? What happened? Why’d it faint?”

“My Kricketune is too powerful for them. You should have asked for False Swipe. It’s a special move that has her hold back just enough to leave the Pokemon conscious no matter what state it’s in.”

“Oh.” His ears turned pink in embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”

“His kin will take care of him. Are you going to try again?”

Derek watched as another Kricketot came out to pull the unconscious one away. “Um…” he looked up at Kricketune.

She put her fore limb to her chest. “Kuu wen,” she sang, in a forgiving tone.

“Ye-yeah. If another one comes up to us, I’ll try again.”

...

Kricketot Pearl entry: It chats with others using the sounds of its colliding antennae. These sounds are fall hallmarks.

Kricketune Platinum entry: There is a village that hosts a contest based on the amazingly variable cries of this Pokemon.

[Deadly.Braviary]

WOW! An Aaron story? I'm doing one myself, although on all the Elite 4.

[shac]

I loved this one. Firstly because of the anime character references, and then because it was very nicely written. It was a bit short though. I like when you drag them!! I'll give an eight on this.

[growlithe_master]

huh. i never really thought of aaron being old enough to have kids. he only seems to be around 18 in the games and anime. i also liked how you mentioned bugsy, particularly because i always thought bugsy was a girl (he looks like a girl) and you talked about him with "he." so i liked how that reminded me of when i played gold and crystal. cant wait for the next story!