Chapter 504: Great Marsh Encounters (2)
~Platinum B. POV~
[Sinnoh Region, Pastoria City – Great Marsh (Area 5)]
*Slosh-slosh*
The silence of the marsh was heavier now that Diamond and Pearl were gone. Only the soft slosh-slosh of our boots and the distant cry of a Carnivine broke the stillness. I felt a knot of anxiety in my chest.
Three balls. Only three.
If I failed now, I would have to face Crasher Wake without the proper advantage. I would fail my father's expectations. I would fail my quest.
Azure said softly, knowing what I was thinking, "You're overthinking."
He was walking slightly behind me, watching our surroundings with keen eyes. I replied, trying to regain my composure, "I am a Berlitz. We are taught to calculate every outcome. But this... this luck-based capture system defies calculation."
Azure grinned, a playful glint in his eyes as he said in a mischievous tone, "Maybe you're just bad at it, Platinum. We spent all that time practicing on the routes, and you still throw like a Wooper."
I felt my cheeks burn. I turned and pouted at him with a rebuttal, "That is uncalled for! I have improved significantly!"
He challenged, pointing toward a thicket of Roselians, "Prove it."
There, sleeping peacefully on a sun-drenched mossy patch, was a Roselia. Its red and blue roses were vibrant, and the scent they gave off was heavenly.
I breathed as I asked, "A Roselia. Perfect. Azure, do I... do I need help?"
Azure crossed his arms, leaning back as he stated with a curious expression, "Nope. This one is all you. Just breathe."
I stepped forward. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Breathe. Focus.
I reached for a Safari Ball. I didn't want to use food or mud; I didn't want to wake it. I aimed for the center of its body.
I threw...
*Whoosh*
The ball sailed through the air... and passed a good three inches above Roselia's head. Missing entirely…
*Clatter*
The Safari Ball hit a stone behind the Pokémon. The Roselia jumped, its eyes snapping open with a yelp, "Rose!"
It looked at me, then at the ball, then back at me. It looked insulted. It turned tail and began to sprint away through the tall grass.
I cried out, "No! Wait!"
Panic seized me. I didn't think; I just reacted. I grabbed my second-to-last Safari Ball and hurled it with all my might. The Roselia was faster.
*WHACK*
It skidded to a halt, spun around, and with a graceful, practiced motion, it used its foot to kick the ball right back at me!
Azure shouted, "Look out!"
*Whooosh*
I ducked as the ball whistled over my head. My heart was racing as I exclaimed, outraged, "It... it kicked it? How dare it!"
The Roselia disappeared into a thicket of brambles, leaving me with one ball left. I sank to my knees in the shallow water, the rubber suit feeling like a lead weight.
I whispered in defeat, "I failed. I'm down to my last shot—"
*Click*
*Click*
*Wiggle*
We both froze. The sound wasn't coming from Roselia's direction.
It was coming from behind us, where the kicked ball had landed. Slowly, Azure and I turned around…
*Riggle*
In a patch of particularly murky, dark water, a Safari Ball lay half-submerged. It was shaking violently…
*BON*
Then, with a definitive click, it went still. I asked, bewildered, "Did... did the Roselia's kick catch something?"
We walked over to the ball. As we got closer, a pungent, overwhelming odor hit us. It smelled like a mixture of old gym socks and rotting garbage.
Gasp!
I covered my nose with my silk sleeve, asking, "What is that stench?!"
Azure winced, pulling his shirt over his nose as he replied bluntly, "I think you found your Pokémon."
I picked up the ball and released the inhabitant to see what I had 'caught.'
*Pop*
In a flash of light, a blue, bipedal Pokémon with a massive, drooling purple flower on its head appeared. It looked perpetually dazed, its drool dripping into the swamp. I said, pulling out my Pokédex, "A… Gloom?"
Opening the Pokedex, it revealed its info to me as it stated out loud, "[Gloom, the Weed Pokémon. The fluid that leaks from its mouth isn't drool; it's a nectar that it uses to attract prey. It smells truly awful.]"
I scrolled down to its specific data as I muttered its other status info, "It's female... and its Hidden Ability is... Stench."
The Gloom blinked at me, a thick drop of nectar falling from its lip, "Gloo-oom... (So… what now…?)"
I looked at Azure, trying to maintain my dignity even though I was currently being gassed by my own Pokémon. I stood up straight and tucked the ball into my belt.
I said confidently, my voice muffled by my sleeve, "See? I captured my Pokémon. Just as intended."
Azure stared at me for a beat, his expression one of pure, unadulterated amusement as he bluntly stated with an amused grin, "Platinum... the Roselia literally kicked that ball into a Gloom that was minding its own business. You didn't catch it; you were the victim of a drive-by capture."
I snapped, though I could feel the blush returning, "Silence! The result is the same! I have my Grass-type!"
/////
~Azure S. POV~
[Sinnoh Region, Sunset, Pastoria City – Great Marsh (Area 1)]
I let Platinum have her moment, even if 'her moment' smelled like a landfill. We trudged back toward Area 1 to meet up with the boys.
The sun was now a deep orange sliver on the horizon, painting the marsh in shades of fire and shadow. As we reached the platform, I saw Diamond and Pearl waiting for us. They looked... surprisingly successful.
Pearl shouted, waving a damp Safari Ball, "Hey! You guys made it! Check it out! I got an Exeggcute! I'm calling her Coco!"
Diamond nodded, a rare look of pride on his face as he happily said, "And I found a friend too. He was eating some fruit near a tree."
*Pop*
He tapped his ball, and a massive, leafy dinosaur-like Pokémon materialized as he introduced his new Pokémon, "This is Branch the Tropius."
I said calmly, genuinely impressed, "Whoa, nice catch, Dia."
Tropius was a rare find even for a veteran. Especially here in the Safari Zone, plus the kid finally has a flying type to move around now.
Then, Platinum stepped forward. She had a triumphant—if slightly strained—grin on her face, happily said, "I, too, have been successful."
*Pop*
She released her Gloom. The effect was instantaneous.
"Cough! Hack!"
Pearl gagged, clutching his throat as he yelled from Gloom's Stench, "Ugh! What is that?! Did something die in here?!"
Diamond's nose wrinkled as he said in an uncomfortable tone, "It smells like... like spoiled Moo-Moo Milk."
The boys looked at the Gloom, then at Platinum, then at the Gloom again. Pearl managed to wheeze out polite words of praise, "Con... congratulations, Lady! Cough! She's... uh... she's very healthy...?"
Platinum ignored their suffering, lifting her chin high in a proud tone, "She has the 'Stench' hidden ability. It will be a perfect tactical advantage against Crasher Wake. If he cannot breathe, he cannot command his Pokémon."
Platinum shot me a death glare that clearly said, 'If you say a single word about how this happened, you are fired.'
I raised my hands in a mock gesture of surrender, an amused grin plastered on my face as I said cheekily, "Hey, don't look at me. It was a very... tactical capture."
Diamond asked, waving the air in front of his face curiously, "What about you, Azure? Did you find anyone you clicked with? You said you didn't want to just catch anything."
Pearl wheezed through his fingers as he added, "You didn't throw a single ball while we were together. Did you strike out?"
I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck as I replied happily, "Well, truth be told, I noticed someone following us about halfway through Area 5. A stowaway."
Diamond asked, "A stowaway?"
I nodded my head, agreeing as I looked toward the shadows of the tall grass near the station, and I said bluntly, "Yeah. It's been tailing us since the train ride. I think it liked the energy I was putting off. You can come out now. I know you're there."
*Rustle*
The grass parted, and a mass of tangled, blue vines stepped out into the light. It was a Tangela, its small red-booted feet tapping nervously on the wooden platform. It looked at me, its large eyes reflecting the sunset.
The group gasped. Tangela were notoriously shy and rarely approached humans in the Great Marsh. I explained, "It's been tailing us for a mile. I think it recognized something familiar to its homeland… let's see…"
*Shiii*
Using a subtle fragment of the Viridian Force, I projected a sense of calm and a home aura. The Tangela tilted its head, its vine-like appendages twitching. It felt familiar to the Pokémon in the Viridian Forest.
So, I was right then. This Tangela was a native of the Viridian Forest. No wonder it followed me; it must have sensed my Viridian Force due to the closeness of the Viridian Forest. I suppose I have my new Pokémon.
I reached out, subtly channeling a bit of that soothing, forest-born energy toward the Pokémon. The Tangela's vines wiggled happily. It stepped forward and reached out a single vine, gently tapping the Safari Ball hanging from my belt.
*Click*
The ball opened, drew the Pokémon in…
*BON*
… and clicked shut instantly.
No struggle. No rocking. Just a mutual agreement.
The group stood in stunned silence. The silence that followed was broken only by the distant sound of a Yanma's wings buzzing.
Pearl shouted, his jaw dropping in disbelief, "That's it? It just... it just caught itself?! I spent nearly all my balls on a bunch of Pokémon missing, and yours just signs a contract?! Is it... is it really that easy for you?"
I said shamelessly, picking up the ball and shrinking it down, "It's all about the connection, Pearl. And maybe a little bit of luck."
Platinum exclaimed, "Luck?!"
Pearl's eye twitched, exclaimed, "I call BS!"
Diamond shrugged, commenting, "Seems legit."
He shivered as Platinum and Pearl shot a glare at him. Diamond whistled innocently, "Whew… oh look a… uh… flying Poffin!"
Pearl sighed, shaking his head, exhausted. Platinum muttered, looking at her Gloom, who was currently dripping nectar onto her rubber boot, "… I think the 'luck' in this marsh is heavily biased."
Diamond added, glancing pointedly at Platinum's Gloom, "And the lack of smell."
I said shamelessly, clipping the Safari Ball into place, "Sometimes… It's all about the connection."
Platinum said, her voice regained its icy composure as she turned toward the train, "Right… We have our Pokémon. We have our goal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a bath. A very long, very soapy bath."
As we boarded the Marsh Train for the final ride back to the gates, I looked out at the Great Marsh one last time. The swamp was glowing under the moonlight, a wild, untamed place that had humored us for a day.
I looked at my companions—the hot-headed Pearl, the gentle Diamond, and the evolving Platinum. We were a strange bunch, but as the train whistled—CHOO-CHOO!—and began its trek back to civilization, I knew one thing for sure.
Crasher Wake wasn't going to know what hit him. Especially if he had to smell that Gloom during her battle.
Hahaha… I laughed that to myself.
Then I checked Tangela's status info.
[Tangela the Vine Pokémon. Tangela can ensnare and entangle anything that moves too close to it with its vines. The vines constantly jiggle and sway, unnerving enemies and causing a tickling sensation if ensnared. Tangela's vines will snap off easily and painlessly if the target pulls on them, so it can quickly escape. The vines of Tangela are said to have a refreshing flavor and scent. In Galar, its vines are used as herbs. Tangela has been sighted in temperate grasslands and swamps, and has been known to playfully swing on tree branches using its vines.]
|Name: Tangela (Vine Pokémon)
|Type: Grass
|Tera: Grass
|Level: 27
|Gender: Male
|Held Item: None
|Ability: Regenerator (Hidden Ability)
|Nature: Relaxed
|Moves: Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Growth, Ingrain, Absorb, Vine Whip, Mega Drain, Energy Ball, Constrict, Bind, Confusion, Knock Off, Acid Spray, Double-Hit, Amnesia (IM), Rage Powder (EM) (0 Moves left to learn)
Observing Tangela's info, I nodded lightly as I'll need to teach the little guy Ancient Power to evolve. Just gotta grind him to match the rest of the team.
At the very least, the Sinnoh Dex Holders can keep up with the rate we're going. I can hope they train hard enough for the true big bad to happen.
/////
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter!