Third chapter of the week, promised didn't I?
| Riolu POV |
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
I glance nervously at the swarm of Beedrill buzzing above me. Weedle — my tiny, horned guide — is perched proudly atop his Beedrill steed like he owns the place.
"Wee! Weedle!"
Well... alright then. I really should get around to finding that team rocket Meowth or something. He could probably teach me the Pokemon language... right?
I shuffle after him, paws fidgeting as we approach what I can only describe as a literal fortress of hornets. Massive honeycombs hang from the towering trees, the air thick with the constant, thrumming buzz of wings.
[New Location Discovered: Beedrill Hive]
Warning: Proceed with Caution (or Die. Mostly Die.)
"Comforting," I mutter, eye twitching. "New location? Wait, do I have a map?"
Turns out, yes, yes I do. A mostly greyed-out map of the Hoenn region pops up in front of my eyes. Yay... I get to deal with idiots who have no idea how the world's weather and ecosystem works. Future problems for future me. I'll figure it out later.
"Wee?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm right behind you."
As we move deeper, I realize something weird. Despite being, you know, not a murder bee, none of the Beedrill even care. Some glance over curiously. But most just... buzz by, carrying giant globs of honey or wrestling oversized berries... Ohhh wonder what stats I'll get from those shiny yellow ones.
But seriously though, how much more walking do we need to do? I'm already tired since my last battle... okay trashing, I got absolutely cooked by that bird, happy?
It feels like I'm being escorted?
Like some kind of weird, adopted honorary Beedrill... I look down at my paws, cub? Larva? I glance at Weedle. Worm? Pokémon biology is weird.
Weedle tugs at my paw with a little jab.
"Wee!"
"Yeah yeah, I'm right behind you."
I follow him toward a slightly secluded alcove near the base of one of the trees. It's nothing fancy — just a patch of soft moss and a hollowed-out tree stump — but compared to, you know, sleeping out in the open and getting murdered by every passing bird?
It's five-star luxury.
"Is this for me?"
He gives a proud little nod, puffing up like he'd just presented me with a legendary Item.
Emotion wells up in my chest. No joke — this is the nicest thing anyone's done for me since I hatched. No more angy birbs trying to peck my eyes out... hopefully.
"I— Thanks, buddy," I whisper, giving him a gentle head pat.
Weedle makes a pleased "Weee~" noise and scuttles off, probably to go brag about his weird Riolu to whoever bugs consider family or friends.
I plop down into my new little moss bed, staring up at the gaps in the canopy where sunlight trickles through.
Finally...A moment of peace.
...
Not.
I barely shut my eyes before I feel something squirm under the moss.
"WHAT THE FU—"
I leap five feet straight up, flailing wildly.
Out pops a confused-looking Wurmple, blinking up at me.
"...Wrong neighbourhood, bub. The address you're looking for is ten blocks that way," I say, pointing in a random direction.
The Wurmple stares. I stare back. It nods.
Then, slowly, the Wurmple just slinks away into the bushes without a word.
"...First birds swooping from above, now worms digging up from beneath me?"
Confused and more than a little worried, I dust myself off and properly collapse into my claimed territory.
[New Achievement Unlocked: Territorial Tyrant]
You claimed a bed! It's kinda gross, but it's yours.
+1 Level
[Level Up! Lv. 4 ➔ Lv. 5]
[New Move Learned: Circle Throw]
And there's achievements too? Wow, this thing is handy. Is there like... a tutorial or something I can look at to figure out all the functions?
...
No reply. Kind of expected that, not gonna lie.
[Name:]
[Race:] Riolu
[Nature:] Adamant
[Abilities:]
Inner Focus (prevents flinching)
Prankster (priority to status moves)
Anticipation (senses foe's move)
[Level:] 5
[Move Set:]
Endure
Quick Attack
Cross Chop
Detect
Circle Throw
[Stats:]
HP: 44
Attack: 73
Defense: 44
Sp. Atk: 39
Sp. Def: 44
Speed: 66
[Items:] None
Oh cool, all my stats went up. Would they have gone up by 31 each level if I had max IVs? No, that would have been broken in the games.
[Every 1 IV point = +1 additional point on level up]
Oh cool. So cool. And I have a grand total of 1 IV per stat. By the time I'm max level, I doubt any one of them will even break 200. Do I even have a level cap? Eh, more stuff for future me to worry about, now I just want to rest.
(I know how IVs and EVs work, EVs will be about the same, but since I'll be scaling his stats to lore levels of pokemon, and a normal Lucario... yeah he wouldn't stand a chance.)
I curl up in the moss, my body sinking into the soft green comfort. The air is warm, the sounds of the hive humming gently around me. For the first time in a while, I feel at ease, no birds overhead or fear of getting suffocated in my own egg.
I close my eyes, ready to rest. Just a few hours of peace, then I'll get back on track.
But sleep doesn't last long. The peaceful quiet fades into the unfamiliar buzzing of restless energy within me. My body twitches with the need to move, to improve. To train.
I open my eyes, blinking at the soft glow of the morning sun filtering through the tree canopy. It's time. Time to shake off the comfort and do something about my situation.
With a groan, I stretch my limbs out and roll to my feet. My muscles ache from yesterday's battle, but it's the good kind of ache. The kind that tells me I'm still alive.
"I need to get stronger," I mutter, "I won't let myself be weak forever."
Without another thought, I push forward, determined to train. Whether it's working on my moves or learning new tricks, today's the day I take the next step.
I take confident strides towards the outskirts of the hive, some Beedrills acting as guards glancing at me momentarily before going back to their buzziness.
I wander for what feels like forever, following my map towards a question mark that I hope isn't a Spearow gathering, after dodging a couple of trees and awkwardly stumbling over a rock or two, I finally find a small pond.
[New Location Discovered: Water-type pond]
Warning: Don't drown!
Really? That's the best name you could have come up with? And shut up! I-I know how to swim! A couple of fish Pokémon waddle lazily through the water, a threesome of Psyducks following each other in a tight circle as they clutch their heads with confused expresions, Meanwhile some poliwags are chasing eachother and shooting water all around their tails making little ripples on the surface.
Hmm... Are pokemon edible? Would they give me stats too? I think I remember Ash trying to eat a Magikarp once. Yeah, no. I'm not desperate enough for that yet. But I do wonder...
| Random Poliwag POV |
I see it, a strange-looking yellow Pokémon — like a tall Pikachu — standing at the edge of the pond, its eyes scanning the water like it's deciding if it's Breakfast time yet or not. I stare at it for a second, trying to figure out what it's up to. Its gaze is locked on the pokemon in the pond, but something about the way it looks at us...
Wait.
No. That's definitely a hungry look.
Before I can even process what's going on, it turns its gaze to me. Those eyes—they're practically glowing with hunger.
I... I'm outta here!
In a flash, I scurry back into the depths of the water, my little swirl tail making a splash as I dart away from the creepy-looking Pokémon. Nope. Not today. Maybe I'll try to come back later... when it's not here.
| Riolu POV |
Phew, that tadpole swims fast. I probably wouldn't have been able to catch it anyway.
I sigh in disappointment and turn away from the pond, looking for a good tree to sit under. Gotta figure out this Aura thing before I lose my mind. I've managed to ignore it for a while, but I don't think feeling other Pokémon's moods is exactly normal. Outside of Psychic-types at least.
I find a tree with a nice patch of shade and make my way over, sitting down with a soft thud. I lean back, letting out a long breath as I close my eyes and try to center myself.
Focus...
I focus, trying to reach out with my senses, feeling the flow of everything around me. The sound of splashing water and rustling leaves fades into the background as I concentrate. It takes a moment, but I feel it. A pale blue pulse, radiating through everything.
I open my eyes, and there it is—a soft, glowing aura, thrumming in the air around me. I can feel it, feel the moods of the nearby Pokémon. It's like I'm tuning into the world around me, happiness from the tadpoles playfighting, the slight pain those ducks must be feeling... ouch, sucks to be them... and the overall peaceful nature of this little pond I stumbled upon.
I glance down beside me as I feel a particularly panicked aura, huh didn't know grass can feel fea—
THWUMP.
I freeze.
Wait—what was that? My heart skips a beat.
I look down, eyes widening as I realize there's a tiny Oddish, frozen in shock, staring up at me as I almost sat right on it.
I jerk back, scrambling to get off the little thing. My paws fumble beneath me, and I stumble as I move too fast.
The Oddish doesn't move at first, its little leaves twitching nervously, and I can feel its pulse—its aura—pounding like it's about to explode.
I curse under my breath and quickly step back.
*Danger? sleeping powder?*
Shit—
But before I act on what crucial info my ability provides, the Oddish leaps up, its tiny body trembling, and then—FSSHHHHP!
A blast of pinkish powder sprays right into my face.
[Oddish used Sleeping Powder!]
I cough, swatting the air, as the powder settles on me, my body feeling heavy and sluggish. My vision blurs, and I shake my head in frustration.
"Well... this sucks..." I mutter, trying to fight off the grogginess before I fall flat on my face. The sound of light footsteps coming towards me and the fleeing Oddish echo in my now ringing ears, is that a human?
Word count: 1782
Thoughts? is it too slow paced? Too fast? Too many puns? Any unneeded jokes or descriptions? Did I Yap too much?