blueteamnovel Chapter 264
Chapter 264
Author's note:This chapter is triple length because it didn't feel right to split it at the time.
***
“Celebi! How many times do I have to tell you that stealing is bad!”
The hotdog floating in the air dropped onto the floor, much to the delight of a nearby Growlithe, as the stinky green onion poofed back into existence.
With an exasperated sigh, Nina walked over and secured the Mythical Pokemon in her embrace before apologizing profusely to the guy running the hot dog stand. “I am so sorry, sir. I’ll make sure to pay for everything that my friend took.”
Fortunately, the guy was kind enough to not pursue things any further. “Hahaha! It’s alright, that’s a naughty little fellow you got there. Make sure to keep a close eye on the little troublemaker, alright?”
“Of course, sir. Once again, I am so sorry about this.” Nina bowed while Celebi pouted.
“Celebi is not naughty! Celebi is the world’s cutest and most adorabliest ever!”
Nina sighed once more and gave the bratty little Pokemon a squish before paying the price for two hot dogs, the one Celebi dropped and an extra one to feed the thieving onion against her better judgement.
“Hohoho! I heard the rumours but I didn’t think you’d actually have a living Myth in your team.” Chuck said as Nina returned to him and Lilian. “Would’ve been great if I got to battle with her earlier.”
The image of Celebi uppercutting Rayquaza flashed through Nina’s mind as she responded with an awkward chuckle. “Celebi isn’t technically part of my team. She’s just a freeloader who’s following me around for some reason.”
“Celebi isn’t a freeloader! Celebi is the world’s bestest, cutest, most adorabliest Celebi!” The precocious voice resounded in the minds of the three humans, much to Lilian’s surprise.
“I-It… talks?” Lilian sputtered.
Nina smiled while she shoved the hotdog she bought into Celebi’s mouth. “Just eat this and behave already!”
“Yeah, most of the Myths and Legends you’ll encounter are perfectly capable of communicating with humans, as Master Chuck can attest.”
The Gym Leader nodded. “Yup! Took me by surprise the first time my old man brought me to go see Lugia. But this little one ain’t as bad though. At least I don’t feel like I’m being drowned in the ocean just by being near her.”
Nina nodded. “Yeah, Celebi has pretty good control over her powers. Now if only you had the same level of mental maturity, you little rascal…”
“Bi! Bibibi!!!”
The humans laughed.
“So, how many Star Badges do you have now, Aquarium girl?” Chuck asked.
“Three. Yours, Bugsy’s and Forrest’s”
“Heh. You’ve been bullying the young’ins huh? But that also means you’re cleared for the preliminaries. Congrats in advance for qualifying for the conference this year.”
Lilian seemed to wilt a little at her interim master’s words.
Nina smiled and gave the girl’s hand a little squeeze. “Thanks, Master Chuck. But I’m not done yet. I still have two Star badges I’m aiming for and I’d at least like a set of eight before heading into the conference.”
Chuck laughed. “Ambitious lil’ gal aren’tcha?! Well, if you have no problems beating me then I reckon you won’t struggle much with the others. Aside from Clair and Monty maybe…” He sighed. “Man, Misty’s never gonna let this go, huh?”
Nina responded with a commiserating smile. “No, unfortunately not.”
The man wilted. “Oh well, nothing to it. Just gotta send one of my apprentices to your Gym, I guess. What are your plans now then?”
Nina turned to address Lilian. “Hey, Lil. I was planning on heading to Violet City tomorrow because Azzy said she wants to complete the Trial of Ascension. But that’s tomorrow and it’s still quite early in the day. Wanna go out on a little trip?”
Lilian quivered and stared at her crush in disbelief. “Err… I mean, I-I…” But before she could get her words together Chuck chimed in on her behalf.
“That’s a great idea! I’m feeling a little too bummed for training today anyway. So you might as well take some time off.” He said with a cheeky wink. “Go and have fun! And come back tomorrow morning. Just make sure not to wear yourselves out too much, alright? And remember to return my Hawluchanite to me after you thoroughly cleaned it! Kekekeke!!!” And with that final cackle, the man turned around and walked away with a casual wave.
Nina smiled at the surprisingly considerate martial artist. “C’mon, Lil. I know just the place we can go to for a little getaway…”
***
“Nina!”
“Zuki!”
The Mermaid and the Kimono Girl threw themselves into each other’s embrace.
“Umb.”
“Es~”
Meanwhile their two Eeveelutions affectionately rubbed against each other on the side, black and pink melding into one intimate whole.
“Don’t say anything about her daddy issues. Don’t say anything about her daddy issues…” Nina chanted in her mind, to no avail, since she received a painful migraine from her mind-reading Espeon regardless.
“Are you okay, Nina?” asked a concerned Zuki.
“Mmhmm… All good.” Nina winced through a strained smile. “But more importantly, you look amazing, Zuki!”
“Hehe…” The no-longer-in-a-kimono girl preened at the compliment, stepped back and struck a few different poses to show off her casual fit; a pair of form fitting blue jeans and simple white blouse. She even let her hair down, the lustrous black strands falling to her waist with straight bangs framing her delicate face.
Even the young woman’s temperament felt different. Where Kimono Girl Zuki was austere and reserved, casual Zuki was unabashedly bright eyed and peppy.
“And this must be the fabled Lady Lilian Blackthorn!” Zuki added, after noticing the awkward teen shuffling her feet behind Nina. “A pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
Lilian did a little flick of her half-cape and cleared her throat at the sudden attention. “Yes, a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Zuki. I have always admired the work of the Kimono Girls. Aunt Clair has taken me to your theatre in Ecruteak on more than one occasion.”
“Oh my~ I’m flattered.” The young woman giggled. “I have to say, Nina didn’t mention she was bringing company to our little date today…” Zuki added with a wink, causing the Blackthorn girl to stiffen and pale at the insinuation.
Nina chuckled. “I hope you don’t mind, Zuki? I spent a little too much time getting to Cianwood and just so happened, Lilian needed a breather too. So I dragged her along.” The girl returned her friend’s wink in lieu of Lilian. “Feel free to send an invite to Morty as well if you’d like. I’ve been meaning to thank him for his help with Dhelmise anyway.”
Zuki clapped her hands together in delight. “A triple date! Excellent idea, Nina! I’ll give him a call right away — I’m sure he’d be eager to join us.” The girl let out a subdued squeal. “Oh I just can’t wait! I know just the place we can go to!”
However, the place they ended up going to was… “A Munchies?” Neon yellow arches, and a red and blue storefront. Sure enough, the place that Zuki took them to was the Pokemon World’s equivalent of a McDonald’s.
“Ess…” Espy hissed and shot a look at the Umbreon escorting her this evening.
“Umb…” Azuki wilted. Nina had a feeling that a fast food joint wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for his first date with Espy either.
“Oh babe, this is why I love you…” The group’s confusion was interrupted by an amused chortle from behind them.
“Morty!” Zuki practically flung herself into Morty’s embrace as the Ecruteak Gym Leader spun her around and smothered her in a deep kiss.
Lilian nervously tugged at her half-cape and flushed the same shade of red as her hair. It seemed the sheltered girl was not used to such blatantly public displays of affection.
Nina smiled and, for the sake of her squeamish friend, chimed in to interrupt their affection. “Hey, Morty! Good to see you again!”
“Nina!” Morty gasped as he struggled to catch his breath. “It’s good to see you too! And judging by the showy cape, this is the Blackthorn girl right?”
“Yup, this is Lilian. We were just hanging out today and I thought it might be nice to introduce her to Zuki.”
Lilian straightened at Nina’s introduction, as if she had just remembered her station. “Yes, I am indeed Lilian of Clan Blackthorn. On behalf of my family, I thank you for your eternal vigilance, Lord Morty.”
The man laughed. “Oh wow, bit of a Nosepass huh? But it’s good to see you too, Lilian.”
“Excuse me! I- You- Nosepass?!”
Nina chuckled and assuaged the uptight Dragon princess with a hug. “Morty’s just trying to break the ice. No need to overthink it, Lil. But still… I wasn’t expecting us to meet in a Munchies of all places.” She added, in an effort to divert the conversation.
Morty chuckled and affectionately pulled at his girlfriend’s waist. “Yeah, Zuki likes her junk food — mostly because her household doesn’t allow it. You should see her with a bag of chips, girl chews through them like a Skwovet.”
The young woman smacked at the man’s chest in a playful manner. “I’m not that bad!”
Morty smiled and gave her another peck on the lips. “It’s fine. I love you the way you are, babe. That said, it might not have been the best idea to bring your guests to such a casual spot. Not if you want Azuki to score himself a girl…” That last part was whispered into Zuki’s ear, causing her eyes to widen in realisation.
“Haha! Not to worry though.” Morty continued. “I know of a nicer place nearby that also serves burgers. They’re Pokemon friendly and have great vibes — you girls will love it!”
And right he was, because their next destination was… “A jazz club!” Nina’s eyes sparkled as they entered the dark underground space filled with the soulful mourns of a saxophone — saxophone being played by a very stylish (read: adorable) sunglass wearing Squirtle no less. Nina was barely containing her squeal at the way the stubby little turtle was dramatically swaying his tail to the sensual melody.
“Haha! Yup! Betcha you weren’t expecting a place like this in stuffy old Violet City huh?” Morty remarked. “But this place is actually quite popular, and between you and me, even Falkner likes coming here, not that you’d ever get that prude to admit it.”
“Is that why you’ve never taken me?” Zuki asked with a pout.
Morty smiled and responded with a kiss on her protruding lips. “Sorry babe, I figured you didn’t wanna risk running into your brother during a date. Not to worry though, pretty sure he’s not in the city today.”
A friendly waiter escorted them to an empty table by the corner and handed each of them a menu, even ones for Espy and Azuki, albeit filled with pictures instead of words, much to Espy’s consternation.
“Bi! Bibibi!” And sure enough, the prospect of food lured out a certain invisible gremlin who eagerly poofed onto Nina’s lap and snatched the menu from her.
The girl sighed. “Can you even read, Celebi?”
“Bi! Bibibibi!”
“A simple ‘no’ will suffice.”
Morty laughed while Zuki giggled. “I’m sure the mighty Voice of the Forest can manage. But if I may, your eminence, I would recommend either the James Hyde Lasagna or their Soul Burger — the fries are to die for. As for Nina, they make quite the mean little mushroom burger.”
The girl beamed. “That sounds great! I’ll have that then. Thanks, Morty.”
“Bi! Celebi!”
“And Celebi’ll have the lasagna. What about you, Lil?” Nina could see that the girl was not so subtly perusing the cocktail menu with a look of yearning. “I think they sell mocktails here as well, if you wanna have a taste.”
The other girl awkwardly cleared her throat with a nod. “Yes, a mocktail would be adequate. And I suppose I’ll have the steak to go with it as well.”
The rest of the table held back their mirth at the girl’s pretension and called for the waiter to put in their orders. Nina made sure to order some takeaway for the rest of her Pokemon to have a taste later as well.
“So Nina, how’s Dhelmise doing?”
The girl wilted at the question. “Better than before, kind of? But still not ready for battle yet.” Her Eldrith seaweed was still too aggressive and bloodthirsty. There were several times where training was interrupted because Dhelmise had somehow managed to get Sir Clodington in a Wrap and tried to suck the vitality out of him. “Azzy’s been doing her best to keep him in check, but there’s only so much she can do to hold back his more primal instincts.”
Nina let out a dejected sigh. “I gotta ask though, Morty… The souls that Dhelmise consumes… Where do they go?” It was a question that had been plaguing her since Dhelmise’s capture, one that she had been unwilling to confront until now.
The Gym Leader smiled with a gentle gaze. “If you’re worried that they might be trapped in some sort of eternal damnation, don’t be. The ego cannot survive for long without a physical form. The only exception to that is Pokemon Ghost-ification. So, they simply get broken down into Ghost Type Energy to nourish your Dhelmise’s spirit — same with most departed souls really. That’s why graveyards are so rich with Ghost Type Energy.”
Morty explained that Nina’s Dhelmise consumed souls for Ghost Type Energy in the same way that Azzy consumed dreams. And similarly, other Ghost Pokemon might have differing needs depending on the species. The Duskull line, for example, also consumed living souls.
“But that doesn’t make any sense.” The girl frowned. “I’m pretty sure regular old non-Pokemon ghosts exist as well.”
“The sort of ghosts people like to talk about on TV are, more often than not, echoes of the past — just mindless projections lingering in reality — not true spirits, per se. That’s not to say that they don’t exist. But those are extremely rare cases of the ego being anchored to some sort of medium through powerful emotions or extenuating circumstances.” Morty shrugged.
“I’m not gonna lie to you Nina, there’s still much that we don’t know about existence after death. But right now, the only form of reincarnation, or afterlife or what have you, that we know of is the mysterious process of Pokemon Ghost-ification. Your Dhelmise would fall into this category — it eats and digest souls in the form of energy. It does NOT assimilate them into its twisted existence. The prey consumed by Dhelmise would have long lost their ego upon death.” Morty further assured.
Nina fell silent in contemplation. As a wayward soul herself, she knew of at least one other form of reincarnation, if whatever happened to bring her into this world could be described as such. And if all Pokemon had equal chances of being reformed as Ghost Pokemon, how was devouring their souls for energy any better than condemning them.
As Nina continued to spiral deeper into her thoughts, the couple in front of her shared a glance. “Have you maybe considered trading Dhelmise away, Nina?” Zuki asked. “I had the thought when Morty was telling me about your ordeal… It just seemed to me like Dhelmise is ill-suited to such a gentle girl like yourself.”
“If you want,” Morty added. “I have a contact in Alola who would be very interested in getting hold of a Dhelmise, I promise they’ll treat your Pokemon right as well…”
“I dunno… It’s just… It doesn’t feel right.” Nina had always felt iffy about Pokemon trades in real life, like they were just some sort of commodity. This was not a game after all and Pokemon had their own feelings. “I mean how would you feel if your parents just gave you away to some random stranger without your consent?”
The couple went quiet at their friend’s words, they had never thought of it that way before.
“That may be the case with the rest of your team.” Lilian chimed. “But do you honestly think that ignorant Ghost-plant would care either way.” The girl scoffed. “For Pokemon of such… limited cognition, their first and only priority will, and always be, their next feed.”
Nina opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t think of much to say. Not with what she knew of Dhelmise.
“Lord Morty,” Lilian continued. “This Alolan contact you mentioned, would that be Lady Acerola by chance?”
The man chuckled. “Yes, though the Dhelmise will more than likely go to one of her apprentices should the trade go through — those buggers aren’t easy to find, even in their native region.”
Lilian nodded and proactively grabbed hold of Nina’s hand, a daring feat for the conservative girl. “Which means you’ll be able to leverage a current reigning member of the Alolan Elite Four to obtain a Pokemon much more suited to your principles.” Lilian’s face softened and met Nina’s eyes with an almost pleading gaze. “Anguish does not suit you, Nina. Confidence and boundless optimism, that is your norm.”
Nina responded with a wry smile. “I might not be as confident nor as optimistic as you’ve been led to believe, Lil. And besides, I’m pretty sure Bill’s running some studies with Dhelmise at the moment and I would hate to cut it short.” She turned her gaze back to Morty who had a hand clamped over Zuki’s mouth for some reason. “And if I do want to conduct a trade, I’d prefer it if I could meet the person I’m trading with face to face and assess their character… As unruly as Dhelmise is, I have a responsibility as their trainer.”
“Sure, that’s easy enough.” Morty nodded.
The girl chuckled. “And besides, I’ve not used Dhelmise in a proper battle yet. Seems like kind of a waste if I just trade them away without even trying, y’know?”
“That can be easily remedi—” Lilian began but was immediately interrupted by a chirpy Zuki.
“Oh, I know! We haven’t battled yet, have we, Nina? I’m sure Azuki’d love to bump heads with Dhelmise!”
Nina laughed, it was fascinating how much Zuki’s personality diverged from her kimono-clad persona. “I’m pretty sure Dhelmise doesn’t have a head, but alright. And I’m sorry, Lil. But I don’t think you’ll find much challenge with battling Dhelmise.” The other girl wilted but nodded in acknowledgement.
“Heh! A nice bout of after-dinner battling sounds fun to me,” said Morty. “I’ll ref you two. But for now, let’s dig in and enjoy the music.” He gestured towards their approaching food.
Meanwhile, the two Eeveelutions were lounging on a blanket by the humans’ table, tails entwined and completely oblivious to their conversation, too smitten by each other to care.
“Yeap, definitely daddy issues.” Nina was already looking forward to gossiping with Bill about Espy’s newest development.
***
“Phew… You can do this, Nina. Channel your inner Naruto…” Or was it Sasuke? She recalled Dattebayo’s whole schtick was that he couldn’t do any jutsus outside of shadow clones. “There was also that other character in that other manga… What was it again? Lobotomy something?”
After a lovely dinner followed by desserts, Nina and her friends made a quick trip to the nearest PokeCentre to transfer Dhelmise over before making their way to the Sprout Tower’s courtyard to battle away from prying eyes.
A looming black pagoda silhouetted against radiant moonlight, swaying menacingly as two trainers faced off amidst the silence of night and the rustling of trees. The scene was picturesque, like it was ripped straight out of the artistic mind of Akira Kurosawa himself.
“What do you think, Azzy?” Nina flashed a few Shadow Signs to her Haunter for approval. It was an unfortunate fact that Nina had been neglecting her troublesome Dhelmise in favor of the rest of her team, leaving the seaweed Pokemon to Azzy’s supervision most of the time.
Azzy jiggled her head a little in uncertainty and demonstrated the same signs from her end, before ultimately deciding it was probably just faster to semi-possess Nina’s arms and move her hands for her.
“Right… Like this?” Nina gestured once more, making sure to adjust her fingers accordingly.
“Haunt, haunt!” The haunter nodded and Nina giggled.
“Thanks, babe. I’m gonna need you to jump in if I mess up, alright?” Zuki’s Umbreon was a powerful one, well-trained and civil. But Dhelmise was savage, feral and wholly unpredictable. There was no telling what the eldritch creature would do if it ever caught Azuki off-guard.
Nina sighed. In truth, she had been subconsciously delaying Dhelmise’s debut, afraid of what might happen if either she or Azzy lost their grip on that steering wheel. But her friends were right, best to assess her chemistry with Dhelmise and where they stood in terms of its taming before deciding on anything.
“No point wasting any more time and resources if Dhelmise is a lost cause. No doubt Acerola would be able to give more concrete advice than Morty…” But she also doubted that the Alolan Elite Four would divulge her secrets so willingly. “Probably the reason why Morty hadn’t mentioned it.” The guy was too nice to deceive a kid like Nina.
“You ready, Nina?” Zuki called from her end of the field, her Umbreon poised regally in front of her while occasionally stealing glances at Espy by the side.
Nina breathed in deep and turned to face her opponent. “As ready as I’ll ever be… Azzy?”
At her human’s call, Azalea manifested a pair of greyish-blue Will-O-Wisp above Nina’s shoulders, basking the girl in an ominous glow and, more importantly, casting deep shadows over the field.
This wasn’t Nina’s attempt at cheating. She just needed shadows in order to communicate with her Dhelmise and Zuki had already agreed to the request beforehand. Just as she had agreed to treat the match like an intermediate screening battle and adjust her Pokemon’s behaviour accordingly — the Kimono Girl was the scion of a clan of Gym Trainers after all.
“Alllllright!” Morty called out with his hand raised. “This match will be between Trainer Zuki of the Violet City Gym, the most radiant beauty in the world, the purest soul in all of existence, the sun to my moon, the love of my life, the—”
Nina rolled her eyes and tuned out the lovestruck sycophant. “Urgh. Just fucking propose already!”
“— versus, Trainer Melina of the Cerulean City Gym!”
The girl huffed. “Well fuck me, I guess. Oh well… Better than wasting time.”
“Trainers! Are you ready?!”
““Ready!!!””
“Y-You c-can do this N-Nina!!!”
The girl looked over as she wound up her Pokeball arm, to see the comical and endearing sight of a red-face Lilian cheering into a megaphone that Alfred was holding for her. Nina smiled, “Thanks, Lil…” and threw out her Pokeball. “I choose you, Dhelmise!!!”
The anchor wielding Pokemon emerged in a silent flash, its steering wheel spinning around to appraise the foreign environment.
Nina quickly flashed a few Shadow Signs to calm her Dhelmise and commanded it to ready for battle.
“Aaaaand, BEGIN!” Morty dropped his arm and signaled for the start of the match.
“You know what to do, Azuki!”
“Umb!”
The light of the crescent moon high above almost seemed to bend around Azuki’s form as the Umbreon’s pitch black fur took on a pale silver sheen, the contrasting yellow rings adorning his body glowing more intensely in the aftermath.
An application of the move, Moonlight, most likely. And coupled with his Type Advantage, this was going to be an uphill battle. Not that it mattered, Nina just wanted to probe at her Dhelmise’s obedience.
With that in mind, Nina began flashing handsigns, casting the shadow of an expanding ball to get Dhelmise to use Growth — a feat that was only possible thanks to Azzy’s persistence.
During their initial encounter back in the wild seas of Route 32, Dhelmise only really knew a handful of moves — Anchor Shot ,Heavy Slam, Metal Sound, Giga Drain and Wrap. Such a limited arsenal was common among untrained Pokemon, but even then, it still came across as inordinately lacking.
To further compound that, Espy was unwilling to use her empathic abilities on the eldritch mind and Nina was also reluctant to waste any TM charges until she was sure that Dhelmise would obey. So whatever new moves that the feral Pokemon had learned since — Growth, Gyro Ball, Rapid Spin and Whirlpool — was purely a result of Azzy’s hard work.
“If only I could get Dhelmise to learn Swords Dance…” Nina sighed. A TM was the obvious solution but that would be dependent on Dhelmise’s performance today. The girl watched as the seaweedy bits of Dhelmise expanded and grew in length. Then, with another Shadow Sign, got Dhelmise to start spinning its massive anchor around.
“Just like inputting a combo in a fighting game.” Nina reminded herself. Dhelmise may not be sapient enough to memorize move combinations on its own just yet, but it did not mean she couldn’t manually set the Ghost-plant up. In this case, Dhelmise’s Rapid Spin could be chained either to a targeted Anchor Shot, a wide area Whirlpool or a devastating Gyro Ball.
“Azuki!” Zuki called out to her Umbreon, prompting him to bark out with a Growl and Snarl combo. The pain of the Dark Type Energy causing Dhelmise to cry out in a metallic screech.
Nina groaned. “Calm down Dhelmise!” She urged as she flashed another sign. This time, commanding the Pokemon to charge forth with an Anchor Shot before they lose momentum. And so it did, almost too eagerly, to pay back the pain it suffered.
“Umb.” But despite the oversized anchor shooting towards him at the speed of a cannon ball, Azuki just calmly dodged to the side as a hundred kilos worth of metal formed a crater where he used to stand.
“Don’t let up, Dhelmise!” Nina did another spinning motion with her hands and Dhelmise promptly whipped its anchor to the side for a Heavy Slam.
“Umb!” Azuki dodged once more, though just barely, since he wasn’t expecting such a prompt response.
“Probe it, Azuki! Target the main body!”
“Umb!” The shadows came to life and a rapid barrage of Dark Pulses bombarded Dhelmise.
“Reel it in!” Nina spun her hands faster and a Whirlpool formed around Dhelmise’s steering wheel to intercept the projectiles while allowing the seaweed Pokemon some leeway to retrieve its main weapon. The girl didn’t need to say her commands out loud but it helped her visualize the gestures.
A metallic shriek assaulted Nina’s mind once more as a number of Azuki’s Dark Pulse hit their mark. “We need to get close!” With a forceful gesture, Nina signed for Dhelmise to prepare a Gyro Ball. Or so she thought…
Instead, Dhelmise charged towards Azuki again with another Anchor Shot. “Shoot! Did I get it wrong?!”
As before, Zuki’s Umbreon dodged once more while Azzy admonished her human. “Haunt! Haunter!”
“I know, Azzy…” Nina frowned and tried the Shadow Sign once more, this time having more success as Dhelmise’s levitating steering wheel spun wildly and began rapidly reeling in its other half to form a deadly ball of steel and detritus.
“Sing, Azuki!” The Umbreon howled melodically and Fairy imbued soundwaves enveloped Dhelmise — Disarming Voice and Alluring Voice. But it was too late as the Gyro Ball’s momentum reached its peak and flung towards the Umbreon.
“Umb!” Azuki yelped, the deadly storm of steel just barely grazing his flank before he Quick Attacked out of the way.
“Haunter, haunt!”
“Great work, Dhelmise!” Nina and Azzy cheered like the proud parents that they were while the girl signed for a follow up attack.
On the other end, Zuki smiled. “That was great, Nina! Now let’s turn up the pressure a little and see how Dhelmise will cope…” The genial smile twisted into an ominous grin. “Azuki!”
“Umb!” And the Umbreon just… melted into the dark of night.
“Not good! Dhelmise!” Nina called and began frantically signing for another Whirlpool. But before the Pokemon could switch gears, there was a flash of silver darkness from the shadows and another grating screech of pain. Azuki had Crunch onto the chain of seaweed connecting Dhelmise’s anchor and steering wheel.
Nina tried to convey her next command but before she could, Dhelmise’s main body writhed and flailed, the strands of seaweed Wrapping around its assailant-now-turned-prey.
“Not good. Azzy!”
“Haunt!”
However, before Nina’s Haunter could intervene, the silver moonlight empowering Azuki flared and blinded everyone, including Dhelmise, who shrank away from the light and allowed the Umbreon to slip from its hungry grasp.
“Haha! Don’t worry, Nina.” Morty called. “Zuki’s Pokemon aren't so weak that they’d need protection. And besides…” The easygoing casanova assured her with a thumbs up and a confident grin. “I’m keeping watch. So feel free to let loose and push your Dhelmise as far as you dare.”
The girl sighed in relief and responded to the Gym Leader with a grateful nod. “Thanks, Morty… And thank you as well, Zuki. That being the case, I won’t hold back then.” With her confidence renewed, Nina formed another Shadow Sign and continued to direct her bloodthirsty eldritch seaweed with near-reckless abandon.
***
“Phew! That was a good workout!” Zuki beamed as she approached Nina.
“Yeah…” The younger girl sighed, looking like she had just ran a marathon. Except, it wasn’t physical exhaustion that was afflicting her but rather, mental stress. With how in tune Nina was with the rest of her Pokemon, she almost never had to struggle in directing their actions. “Even Brucey, back when he was a Golbat, was fairly obedient, all things considered.”
However, with Dhelmise, it really did feel like trying to control a character in a fighting game. Except, she couldn’t just button mash, and said character was also possessed by a rogue AI who would do its own thing if she were to even relax for a single moment.
By the end of their little sparring match, Dhelmise was so out of control that they had to call an end to the battle. “From what Espy and Azzy tells me, all that aggression is due to Dhelmise’s cumulative damage and from expending too much energy…” Basically, Dhelmise was simply too hangry to obey. “Good to know…” Nina mentally struck off ‘attrition’ from Dhelmise’s profile.
“Are you okay, Nina?”
Nina felt a moist palm wrap around her hand and looked up to see the concerned face of Lilian staring at her. “I’m fine… Just trying to gather my thoughts.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I think you did pretty well.” Morty chimed. “I’ve seen firecrackers do way worse than that.”
“Same here!” Zuki nodded with an assuring smile. “Azuki didn’t need to hold back as much as I thought he would. If Dhelmise had been fighting a larger and less agile opponent, the battle would have been a lot more even — you might even be able to win!”
Nina smiled and looked down at the Ultra Ball in her hand. “I guess… but as it is, Dhelmise is not ready for any serious battles against Gym Leaders yet. Not at the level that the rest of the team is at.” Which meant no Star or expert tier battles. “Also, most Fairy Types are quite wily.” And the whole reason why Nina caught Dhelmise to begin with.
“That’s just how it is with Pokemon training.” Morty shrugged. “‘Cept, that little bugger’s gonna need more hand-holding than most… So? Have you decided on whether or not you want to keep it?”
Nina returned Morty’s gaze and looked around at each of her friends; Zuki, supportive as ever with her affable smile, and Lilian with those expectant eyes, brows furrowed deep in concern.
“I… don’t know.” She eventually said. That last battle had been a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, Dhelmise did perform better than she expected. On the other hand, she doubted she could ever form any meaningful bonds with the Dhelmise. And for someone of Nina’s character, that last one was a big sticking point for her. “I don’t want to treat my Pokemon like they’re just some tools for battle…”
Lilian wilted at Nina’s indecision and pulled her into a tight hug, something that she greatly appreciated in this current moment.
“Oh well…” Morty continued. “It can’t be helped. It is a big decision after all. Just lemme know how it goes, regardless of if you want to trade Dhelmise away or not. No pressure or anything.”
Nina smiled. “Thanks again, Morty. You’ve already been a great help. But… I was actually hoping to ask if you could set up a meeting with Lady Acerola regardless. I think… I need a proper expert to weigh in on the matter.”
The man chuckled and responded with a thumbs up. “Sure, no biggie. Just FYI, I can’t guarantee her impartiality. Rola’s a nice girl and all but she’s still got her own motives and whatnot, y’know?”
Nina nodded. “Yeah. I expected as much. No worries, I’ll make sure not to take everything she says at face value.”
“That’s great! I’m you’ll make the right decision, Nina!” Zuki joined in on the girl hug, much to Lilian’s chagrin. “And… Since you’ll need somewhere to spend the night anyway, wanna come to my place and have a sleepover?” The woman proposed with maximum fervor.
“Err… I mean, I’d be happy to but don’t you wanna spend the night with Morty instead?” Nina asked as she looked towards Zuki’s boyfriend, eliciting an awkward cough from the man.
“Ahem! I’ll have you know, my relationship with Zuki is as pure as can be!” The woman in question giggled at her lover’s declaration. “So whatever you may be insinuating, I can assure you that I have never once acted beyond the bounds of propriety!”
Nina looked at Zuki with a face that just screamed “Seriously?” and received a happy nod in return. “Oh wow… he really must love you huh?”
“Yup!” Zuki exclaimed as she extricated herself from her friends and rewarded Morty with a passionate kiss.
Meanwhile, Espy and Azuki were completely disconnected from the conversation and stuck in their own world. It seemed that the Umbreon’s mighty battle prowess had earned the approval of his princess.
“Hehe… Baby Eevee fluff!” Nina giggled. Because in life, one could never get enough of baby Eevee fluff.
***
Author's note:
Originally, this chapter was supposed to be Nina and Lilian going on a date to Dragonite Island. But then I remembered this was technically still supposed to be a training arc, so I kind of have to showcase some Pokemon progress. Therefore, plans changed and I ended up highlighting Dhelmise instead.