Author: the_very_best | The other two lakes supposedly harboring legendaries didn't pan out. If this one doesn't either, Bella's going to have to befriend someone who's got a Pokémon that knows Dive so she can check out the lake bottom, or pick a new lead. Zag can happily swim her around all day long, but he can't get them under the water.
...Huh. She didn't know there was somebody living here. But that's definitely a building. She can only see it because she's high above the ground, riding Rachis, but yes, in the dense forest around Lake Acuity is a lone structure, definitely artificial.
She steers Rachis, and the Pidgeot obeys.
They land neatly outside the tower, and she turns the handle on the front door curiously. |
Author: poeticterms | The handle resists at first, but then the door swings open of its own accord. |
Author: toblameforit | Inside is a great big pile of angular blue-and-pink pokemon, with a boy about her age somewhere in the middle.
"You guys are pointy!" he protests, reaching out to gather them into his arms. "I love you, but I would rather love you one at a time."
"Poryporypory," they chorus, and he gives up with a laugh and hugs them some more. He hasn't noticed Bella yet. |
Author: the_very_best | "Hi!" says Bella. "...How in the world do you have so many Porygon? Both in the sense of where did they come from and in the sense of why aren't they feral?"
Bella's approximately the sort of person you expect to invite herself into your house: obviously a trainer (five full, one empty Pokéballs on her belt; practical outfit decorated with designs of same; backpack; half a dozen gym badges pinned to one strap and her Ace Trainer guild pin attached to the other) but a cut above the usual hiker or backpacker who'd be likely to come through this area in a typical day. Her Pidgeot, sometime denizen of the empty Pokéball, is standing outside the door, looking very regal. |
Author: toblameforit | "Hi yourself!" he says, looking up in surprise. "Uh, I'm Tony. Tony Stark."
"Porporpory," say the Porygon, and he absently pats one on the head. It snuggles into his hand. |
Author: the_very_best | "Pidge," says Rachis, outside, peering through the door at the smaller Pokémon.
"Bella Swanna," says Bella, peering curiously at the flock of Porygon. |
Author: toblameforit | "My dad invented them," he explains. "I guess you could say they're friends of the family." |
Author: the_very_best | "...Ohhh, and I bet they're safe feral because as long as you're designing from scratch might as well put that in," nods Bella. She returns her Pidgeot to her Pokéball in a casual over-the-shoulder move. "Makes sense. How come you're all the way out here? I wasn't expecting habitation for miles around." |
Author: toblameforit | He shrugs. "Lived here all my life. Guys, could you let me up?"
"Poryporypory!"
Tony sighs. "Guys."
The Porygon reluctantly unpile from him. Two of them scoot over to investigate Bella, bumping their angular noses lightly against her shins. The rest disperse as Tony gets to his feet and dusts himself off. |
Author: the_very_best | "You busy? I expect to be around the lake for a few days - I'll camp, I'm not asking for a place to crash, but if you've been here that long anything you can tell me to supplement my map could be handy." |
Author: toblameforit | "I am... basically unbusy," says Tony. "What do you wanna know?"
He shoos three Porygon out from under a desk; they retreat with a chorus of "Gongongon..." |
Author: the_very_best | "Geographical pitfalls, what I should expect from the weather, any neat little hiding spots I might find Pokémon lurking in that would be easy to miss." Pause. "Also, if you are particularly unbusy and you've got anything that knows Dive, I'd like to peek at the bottom of the lake if my check of the surroundings doesn't turn up what I'm looking for, but that could easily be a bit much to ask and I can just poll the guild about a double-up if the answer's no." |
Author: toblameforit | Tony shakes his head. "Sorry, I don't think we've got anybody. Geography, though, that I can do."
He sits down at the de-Porygon'd desk and does something that calls up a three-dimensional holographic map of the lake area. It fills most of the large empty space in the middle of the room. |
Author: the_very_best | "Nice tech," approves Bella, peering at it and comparing against the map on her Pokétch. She swipes between the map and a notetaking application to take down the features that catch her eye. |
Author: toblameforit | An additional few keystrokes bring up a dotting of symbols across the map and a small legend explaining what sorts of notable features they mark. |
Author: the_very_best | "Thanks! Ooh, that looks like a good camping spot there." |
Author: toblameforit | "Hey, no problem," he says cheerfully. |
Author: the_very_best | "D'you just collect feral Porygon or do you train too?" asks Bella. |
Author: toblameforit | "Little bit," he says. "Nowhere near as hardcore as you." |
Author: the_very_best | "So you don't wanna have a little match, then? I'll pretend I'm not carrying half the team if it helps," Ace says. |
Author: toblameforit | He snorts. "Try upstairs," he suggests cryptically. "Half your team could probably still wipe the floor with me." |
Author: the_very_best | "Upstairs?" Bella asks. "Who's upstairs?" |
Author: toblameforit | "Some...one who might take you up on a match?" he says hopefully. |
Author: the_very_best | "Half my team or the whole thing?" she asks with interest.
Some random kiddy trainers will battle her (truncated team list) just to see how an ace handles her Pokémon, but she can usually only pull out the stops against one of the Gym Leaders - there's two she hasn't gotten to yet - or other guild members. Sooner or later she'll sweep the Elite Four, but only when she's come up empty on all the leads in Sinnoh and wants internationally-recognized cred. (You beat anybody's Champ, you are good to go, here there anywhere.) |
Author: toblameforit | "Only one way to find out," he says, pointing at the stairs. |
Author: the_very_best | Bella laughs and ascends, tracing the outline of Zag's Pokéball's button. |
Author: bitofafiction | In the stairwell, the faint sound of violin music is audible from higher up.
All the way at the top of the tower, a boy who looks exactly like Tony is standing at a window with a view of the lake, playing beautiful music. |
Author: the_very_best | Bella waits for him to stop. Pretty music!
Presently he does stop.
"Hey!" Bella says. "I'm Bella Swanna. I'm gonna be around exploring the lake for a few days, introduced myself to your twin and the feral Porygon flock, he doesn't wanna match but he thinks you might?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "He is correct," he says, turning to face her fully and putting the violin away in its case on a table under the window. |
Author: the_very_best | "Cool. What ruleset do you like? How many do you carry?" asks Bella. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Four. What ruleset do you like?" |
Author: the_very_best | "I like Ace standard all-out one-place full-team, with advance switch-trucing so people aren't showing off their encyclopedic knowledge of types all day wearing out the hinges on their Pokéballs. If you've got four full-team'd hardly be fair. So if you don't care, the only question is what've you got and how do we avoid swapping in an eternal cycle against each other's type weaknesses?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Ditto, Zebstrika, Dragonair," he says, "and, surprising no one, a Porygon-Z with the unfortunate nickname of 'You'. And yourself? I saw your Pidgeot as you flew in." |
Author: the_very_best | "Yep, that's Rachis," says Bella. "Plus a Linoone, a Rapidash, an Umbreon, a Sawsbuck, and a Mienshao. Relay pick three on three?" she suggests. "I'll toss first, no switching till the show's over?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Agreed." |
Author: the_very_best | "Linoone first," says Bella. "Name of Zag. I don't give out genders in advance anymore until I'm sure whoever I'm playing with doesn't have a strategy based on infatuating them." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Perish the thought," he says. "Dragonair first for me." |
Author: the_very_best | "Hmm." Bella glances between Rachis's ball and Dusk's, then says, "Umbreon." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Zebstrika." |
Author: the_very_best | Bella looks Tony's-twin-who-has-not-introduced-himself over assessingly, gauging the likelihood of something in his lineup knowing a gotcha move, then says, "Rapidash." |
Author: bitofafiction | Tony's-twin-who-has-not-introduced-himself smiles. "Porygon-Z." |
Author: the_very_best | "All right then," says Bella, grinning. "Outside?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Certainly." |
Author: the_very_best | Down the stairs! Ace goes ahead and releases Zag en route, and he heels without having to be told.
"Noooooone?" Zag says, sniffing the air and inspecting Sherlock.
"You're gonna knock his Dragonair around, Zag," says Bella. (She can't really understand what Zag says, but she can make good guesses.)
"Linlin." |
Author: bitofafiction | Sherlock laughs.
As they cross the ground floor, Tony is still working at that same desk, although he's shut down the map display. The Porygon are nosing into various corners of the room; several of them zoom up to Sherlock as soon as they spot him, and he gives each one a pat on the head before continuing. |
Author: the_very_best | Zag sniffs at the Porygon too. "Linoone?"
"Leave 'em be, Zag," Bella says. "Hi again, Tony!" And: "You know, I don't think I ever got your name?" to Tony's unintroduced twin. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Sherlock," says Sherlock. |
Author: the_very_best | Bella likes old books, but not books that old. "Cool," she says, "nice to meet you, let's fight!"
She pushes her way past the door and stands ready. Zag, chittering to himself, stands in front of her and rears up on his hind legs. |
Author: bitofafiction | Sherlock produces a previously unseen Pokeball and releases his Dragonair from it.
"Aaaair," she croons, bobbing her winged head up and down. |
Author: the_very_best | "Ice Beam," says Bella smugly.
But she isn't smug for long; while Zag gets in the first hit, the Dragonair's first attack is one that does no direct damage but leaves him bewildered. He bites his own forefoot and scratches his own side - taking attacks all the while - before he gets another Ice Beam in. Said attack leaves the Dragonair hanging on to consciousness by a thread - and she does lose consciousness - by -
"Oh, that is irritating," sighs Bella as she naps and her various signs of damage disappear -
"I hate it when people do that," she exclaims, half-laughing, when the opposing Pokémon sleep-eats a berry and opens her eyes again.
Zag's in poor shape, due to his early misfortunes.
"Well," Bella says, "you can only do that once without wasting time -" and she pulls out a potion bottle, spritzes Zag, and says, "Snap out of it."
(Potions fix damage, but not mental scrambling, and saying "snap out of it" doesn't actually help - confusion is Bella's least favorite status problem and she has rigorously tested unorthodox methods of handling it with a cavefull of Goddam Zubats - but it makes her feel better. It is a complete coincidence that Zag does choose this moment to snap out of it.)
Two Ice Beams later, these consecutive and funneled through Zag's Metronome to give the second an added boost, the Dragonair is done for.
Zag's not looking so great, though.
"Who's next?" Bella asks. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Watson is next," he says, and sends out his Zebstrika. |
Author: the_very_best | Watson the Zebstrika makes short work of Zag the Linoone, who does get one Headbutt in first but finally succumbs. Bella pulls him back and sends out her Umbreon.
Electric types are quick, Zebstrika no exception, and Dusk takes a hit after she tells him to Dig but before he's gotten safely underground.
The hit is -
"You're one of those, no straight-up power contests for you," she snorts, when Watson returns to his Pokéball of his own accord after Volt Switch and replaces himself with the Porygon-Z.
Dusk and the Porygon-Z "You" have a prolonged fight; You knows two offensive moves, one of which Sherlock knows better to use against a Dark type, and they're fighting defensively with plenty of uses of Conversion 2 to turn Dusk's attacks ineffective. Fortunately for Bella, no two attacks Dusk knows are the same type; if You turns psychic-type in response to Psychic, then next turn it gets a Faint Attack upside the head, and if it turns steel-type in response to that, she can order a Dig. Inconveniently for Bella, You also knows Recover. She doesn't resort to Dig after all, because You could recover more damage than the attack would do in the added span of time.
And of course it's getting in the occasional Tri-Attack through all this, and Dusk does not know Recover. Dusk faints, after Sherlock judges correctly that You can finish the Umbreon off in one more hit rather than spending the time on another recovery.
"You're good," Bella says as she releases Fireflower in Dusk's place. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Yes," says Sherlock. "I am."
You recovers itself some more. |
Author: the_very_best | Fireflower takes it down anyway. While she has no movespace spent on recovery-type moves, she is carrying Leftovers to nibble on, and the defensive style and one lucky hit with a Fire Blast despite the chancy nature of that attack leave her fully intact and raring to go when it's time to send the Zebstrika out again.
"No more switching," says Bella. "Any more tricky bits up this one's sleeve?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "No comment," says Sherlock.
But as it happens, no. Unless you count Thunder Wave. |
Author: the_very_best | Thunder Wave is standard enough that it doesn't even get under Bella's skin. And Fireflower makes up for her reduced rate of attack - and Watson's relatively increased rate of attack - with overwhelming literal firepower and routine nibbles of her Leftovers.
It's close. The Rapidash wins.
"Good match," approves Bella, patting Fireflower's burning mane affectionately and then returning her to her Pokéball. "I almost lost, that hasn't happened in a while without me taking massive handicaps." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Yes," says Sherlock. "I can tell." |
Author: the_very_best | Bella laughs. "Do you just hunt the wildlife for practice, all alone out here? I'd expect more straightforward strategy if that were it." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Largely yes. And then of course there is Tony, when he can be bothered." |
Author: the_very_best | "He any good? He didn't wanna match with me." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Don't let him fool you—he's a brilliant strategist—but his team doesn't get much exercise unless I borrow them." |
Author: the_very_best | "Got his mind on other things?" Bella asks, sitting down on the ground and looking up at the sky. "That's fair, I'm just lucky that my project requires a team that can take me anywhere so I've got a good reason to focus on them much of the time." |
Author: bitofafiction | "What, pray tell, is your project?" |
Author: the_very_best | "Looking for legends. That's why I'm here, it's supposed to have Uxie around somewhere." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Have you found any yet?" |
Author: the_very_best | "Nope, not a one. If this lake's a bust like Valor and Verity, I find another ace who's got Dive in their party moveset, we look at the bottoms of the lakes, if that doesn't turn up anything either I fly south, check Kanto and Johto and Hoenn." |
Author: bitofafiction | "And what do you plan to do if you find one?" |
Author: the_very_best | "Some of 'em can talk, and they're all smart, smarter than even particularly bright ordinary Pokémon like Zag, so, first port of call is striking up a conversation. I want to figure out how and why they're immortal." |
Author: bitofafiction | "To what end?" |
Author: the_very_best | "To see if I can replicate it. I have to display a creditable effort towards beating the region Champ to remain a member of the Ace Trainers in good standing, but my endgame looks more professorial than like retiring to a little off-league gym on an island," she laughs. "Beating the Champ would just be for the international passport that sort of accomplishment buys; I'd be able to go anywhere." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Sounds like fun." |
Author: the_very_best | "Well, after a fashion. Lots of hopeful flying to this location or that, hiking for days, finding rocks and plants and wild 'mon, and giving up and going back to civilization for a tournament or to visit my parents or to restock on potions." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Sounds like it would be fun, if you managed it," he amends. |
Author: the_very_best | "Yes," agrees Bella. "Yes, it would. So that's me; what do you do, besides keep your Pokémon and Tony's too in shape and play the violin? Or is that the sum total?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "You have more or less described my existence, yes." |
Author: the_very_best | "Eh, at least it's not just one thing, gotta be well-rounded." |
Author: bitofafiction | "I also read books." |
Author: the_very_best | "Me too, what do you like?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Elderly literature. But really, anything I can get my hands on." |
Author: the_very_best | "Yeah, it's a bit of a hike from here to the nearest bookstore, has Tony at least got something that flies?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Tony has nothing that doesn't." |
Author: the_very_best | "So he doesn't have one of the flock of Porygon picked out special, or his is evolved all the way too?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "He has a Porygon2 named Dummy. He built it a jetpack." |
Author: the_very_best | "A jetpack? That's adorable," laughs Bella. |
Author: bitofafiction | "He was," Sherlock explains, "afraid it would get jealous of the other three." |
Author: the_very_best | "Pfffft." |
Author: bitofafiction | "It is every bit as adorable as it sounds, yes." |
Author: the_very_best | "It sounds ludicrously adorable. My 'mon aren't jealous of Rachis. I kinda am, but she lets me ride her, so it's not that bad." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Neither is Dummy. Tony, of course, argues that this is because he applied the jetpack before any such feelings could develop." |
Author: the_very_best | "Does Dummy tend to use its jetpack much?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Oh, yes. It plays tag with Ampere—that's his Emolga." |
Author: the_very_best | "Ha, that's probably what I'd have named an Emolga if I had one. I seriously considered it, they're a killer type combo, but ultimately I prefer stuff that evolves, and I had my balanced team of six by the time I was anywhere they could be caught anyway." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Tony did his rounds with an imported Charmander." |
Author: the_very_best | "If it can fly now, without having its own jetpack, then I would expect he did all right in his time." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Yes indeed he did," says Sherlock. "We're not much for half-measures in this family." |
Author: the_very_best | "Is it just the two of you?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "Yes." |
Author: the_very_best | "I'm sorry." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Thank you." |
Author: the_very_best | "You're welcome. Can I ask what happened or would you rather not talk about it?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "They left a few years ago, intending to be gone for a few days, and did not return. That is all we have ever been able to find out." |
Author: the_very_best | "That really, really sucks," sighs Bella. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Yes it does." |
Author: the_very_best | "I'm gonna go set up a campsite. I'd offer you a rematch against the other half of the gang but I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night with a Bibarel nibbling on my toes and all the gang tuckered out." |
Author: bitofafiction | "You could stay in the tower," he offers. "Where the major hazard is curious Porygon, which can be excluded by closing the door." |
Author: the_very_best | "Oh, cool. Of course, yours are tired too, but maybe you could borrow a couple of Tony's." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Indeed I could." |
Author: the_very_best | Bella plucks Juu's Pokéball from her belt and tosses it and catches it. "I'm stuck with what I've got, but if you tell me what you're going to swap in I'll know what to lead with and how screwed I am by my limited selection," she grins. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Charizard and Skarmory." |
Author: the_very_best | "A little bit screwed," concludes Bella. "All right. I'll toss Rachis to start, you saw her, and the others are my Sawsbuck, Branch, and my Mienshao, Juu." |
Author: bitofafiction | "Candle and Spike," he says cheerfully. "Just a moment."
And in he goes to borrow some pokemon from Tony. |
Author: the_very_best | Bella, and a preening Rachis too, are waiting for him when he returns. |
Author: bitofafiction | Presumably he has two more pokeballs on him somewhere, but like the ones he habitually carries, he's concealed them from view.
"Shall we?" |
Author: the_very_best | "Oh yes."
The Skarmory isn't as hard-hitting as some 'mon Bella's fought and beaten, but none of Rachis's attacks do more than lightly dent it; damn those Steel defenses and the fact that Fireflower and Zag are out of the game. Fortunately, Rachis - like everyone else on this half of Bella's team, as it happens - knows a healing move. And Spike the Skarmory does not. Bella settles in for the long haul. As an added bonus, using Roost leaves Rachis not-technically-Flying long enough to drastically cut the value of each Rockslide.
Ultimately, patience and roosting wins over solid defense - and Rachis knows one gotcha, of sorts. Bella sends her Pidgeot high into the sky, preparing to divebomb the Skarmory with Fly - the Skarmory predictably follows suit so as not to be there - and the Fly does not hit - but the ensuing Twister does. Dragon-type isn't any more effective against a Skarmory than Flying-type, but it can hit a nigh-invulnerable 'mon - and do double damage when it does.
Spike spirals dizzily to the ground, and faints.
"Nice, Rachis," Bella tells her Pidgeot approvingly. |
Author: bitofafiction | Sherlock grins.
Out comes Candle. |
Author: the_very_best | Candle's tougher than the Skarmory. Rachis tries and she gets in one solid Fly, but cannot recover enough with each Roost to stay conscious through a lucky Overheat, and she collapses before making much progress.
Out comes Juu the Mienshao. This is not a great type combination on Bella's end. But it's not going to be overwhelmingly to Sherlock's advantage either, because - as Spike so deftly proved moments ago - Flying types don't like rock. And Juu knows from rock. Bella can't afford to have Juu throwing type-ineffectual Drain Punches to heal herself by tiny increments, and half the Stone Edges miss when Candle's preparing to Fly, but Juu's the more experienced 'mon. Juu hangs on by a thread at the end. Candle faints.
Sherlock has no choice but to send out his Ditto, Mycroft, next. It's a Ditto, so Bella knows exactly what it's going to do, but before it changes shape - and type - Juu throws a Drain Punch. Fighting versus Normal, it's almost surprising that it's not a one-hit knockout of Mycroft. Juu looks better at the end of it. Then, Mycroft looks like Juu. And the Ditto can Drain Punch, too. They wind up in a fistfight. Juu loses.
Unfortunately for Bella, Branch the Sawsbuck has a Normal secondary type and Mycroft is now Fighting. Bella has heard that some Ditto can only be something they're looking right at. This one apparently does not have that handicap. At least Juu softened it up, because Mycroft has Drain Punch and Branch has a problem.
But Branch is not offensively handicapped against a Mienshao-transformed Ditto, and he holds a Big Root, that makes his every Horn Leech significantly better at restoring what he loses. The Pokémon end their battle in a healing-attack brawl. Branch's advantage beats Mycroft's. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Good match," says Sherlock. "I'll give Tony back his wounded warriors so he can hug them better." |
Author: the_very_best | "Good match," Bella agrees. "Does hugging them help?" She hugs Branch 'round the neck, partially hiding her face in summer-leafed antlers, without waiting for a reply either way.
"Sawwww," says Branch. |
Author: bitofafiction | "Tony has never been inclined to let that stop him." |
Author: the_very_best | Bella giggles. "So where am I crashing till the gang's ready to fend off wild'uns?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "The top floor's ours, but you have your pick of the rest. We have an astonishing number of guest rooms for a tower in the middle of nowhere." |
Author: the_very_best | "I'm astonished," deadpans Bella. "How come?" |
Author: bitofafiction | "We used to have guests." |
Author: the_very_best | "I guess that makes sense." Since her best guess is that they stopped coming after the absent parents died, she doesn't pry further. "Well, I really appreciate the place to stay. I camp 'cause I have to, I don't actually like it. When I'm in spitting distance of towns I'll fly an hour from my lead site to stay in a guild hostel or a Pokémon center." |
Author: bitofafiction | "You'd have to spit from quite a height around here to reach a settlement larger than the tower." |
Author: the_very_best | "Yeah, that's why I have my camping gear on me, I did not expect you." She releases Branch from the hug and returns him to his Pokéball. |
Author: bitofafiction | Smiling, Sherlock steps back inside. |
Author: the_very_best | She follows him and checks out the available rooms. |
Author: poeticterms | The rooms are plentiful and very nice. There is also a fairly extensive library occupying an entire floor halfway up the tower. |
Author: the_very_best | Ooh, a library. She picks a room just above that, divests herself of her backpack, and goes to have a look at the titles on the shelves. |
Author: poeticterms | They're divided about evenly between fiction and nonfiction, and both collections are of excellent quality. |
Author: the_very_best | Cool. She thinks nothing of helping herself to a nice old novel and reading it. |