Chapter Text
In all of their time of having Miraidon in their possession, neither twin ever thought they would end up riding it.
Yet here they were sitting upon a wide saddle on its back as the draconic mount kept all fours planted on the ground as Rian blinked in confusion at the controls, or lack thereof. Miraidon's back featured a pair of side mounted handles for him to grab and steer with the right one able to crank forward for acceleration, much like a modern motorcycle. A wide plate that expanded into a screen remained blank and as he slowly twisted the throttle, Miraidon lurched forward.
This thing is more sensitive than it looks! It took him a couple of seconds to find the balance and tune to muscle memory, but they were coasting along the main road and into traffic of the lane where ride pokemon could move alongside mechanical automobiles.
Okay, now just to see where on this we can plot a course to Cortondo. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be on your RotoPhone while driving.
(RotoPhone sync complete. Settings saved for Trainer Rian. Awaiting directions to proceed with plotted course.)
Interestingly enough, the slot just in front at the base where the device could be fitted had slid the phone so that it was flush with the smooth outside surface. That same screen that he wondered what it was for begun to light up, projecting a forward facing point of view map, with displays of a speedometer, compass and a faint map of the road ahead. Cars and people passed them by, picked up and moving across as smoothly shaped icons, giving a soft warning if something were to pass by too close.
This is like a car, but unlike any car I've seen before.
He eased the throttle, moving Miraidon with the rest of the traffic. The trio continued to head south as he looked through the map. Not only did it contain a view of what was ahead, but the RotoPhone's map synced with it to destinations and suggestions appeared from restaurants, businesses to nearby pokestops and centros. All options had directions, along with distance, time it would take to reach and even accessing online reviews.
(Course plotted to destination. Items vital to enacting Protocol Three acquired. Awaiting directions to proceed with plotted course.)
"Huh?" Rian looked in confusion as the screen panned away to show a bird's eye of the newly acquired destination, a shop that was a few blocks away.
"What's wrong?" Jules looked over her brother's shoulder and gasped with surprise at all the new features on their mount. "What in the world?"
"I have no idea. This is all new to me." Rian held his hands up as if to shift blame away from his doing. As he moved forward with the traffic, the next turn started to take them further south, bypassing the main street that would lead to the western gate and towards Cortondo. Both of them began to wonder where exactly Miraidon was taking them. They hadn't programmed a course anywhere within the city.
(Proceeding the route to destination. Estimated time of arrival is seven minutes.)
"Well?"
Jules sighed. "I guess. The Treasure Hunt's only started and I don't really know exactly what to do despite us being pulled in different directions by Nemona and Arven. If you're wanting to take on the gyms and see about trying to get Champion rank, sure I'll support you the best I can."
"Aww thanks so much sis."
He got a smirk in return. "Only because you'd start to look like a fool dreaming on and on about roleplaying."
Why you! She gasped as he tried to turn around, but unable to fully while facing forward. Jules playfully smacked aside his vain attempt to grab her and laughed. In spite of the threat, it felt like they were their younger rambunctious selves, chasing one another around their home.
"But really. I'll do what I can to help you achieve your dream." Jules told him softly. "And keep you out of trouble. It's my duty as your sister."
"What? I'm the older one here."
She was about to retort something when the screen on Miraidon's display lit up, highlighting a building on their left. It didn't take them long to figure out where they were going.
Rian glanced at it from where they were. "A cyclizar ride gear store?" Well I guess it makes sense since Nemona said it looked like one earlier.
He steered Miraidon off to the side away from traffic and slowed to a stop. Automatically, the mysterious dragon pokemon's legs extended down and made contact with the ground, immediately stabilizing and preventing it from falling on its side. As they dismounted, Rian returned Miraidon to his ball.
The store was virtually empty, save for a couple of employees working at the counters. Judging by the logo and lack of accessible merchandise on shelves, they had to guess that this was one of the higher end boutiques with it more evident that anything available was behind glass barriers. Mannequins were on both static and rotating displays with angled lights. Jules saw Rian caught notice of a Joavany Castro poster advertising his endorsed popular line brand of protective gear for cyclizar riding.
One of the saleswomen greeted them and asked if there was anything that had caught their interest.
"Well, uh…no?" Rian said. "Look to be fair this is where our navigation thing took us, but neither me or my sister have any clue why."
"Oh." The woman looked puzzled. "You two have Uva uniforms, so you must be Academy students, I'll go and check to see if maybe there's an order that came in for you. What are your names?"
"I'm Florian or Rian Almeida-Araújo. This is my sister Juliana or Jules."
"Perfecto. Give me a moment and I'll be back." As the associate went to the storage, Jules looked at some of the displays showing off suits, helmets, saddles and other gear. Clearly there was a lot more investment into cyclizar riding than she expected. It made her wonder what else about it she was missing out.
"I still don't know why we're here in the first place." Rian said quietly. "I didn't touch anything and only thing that's been driving besides us is Miraidon."
"Could it?"
He shrugged. "I guess we'll see. There's still so much we don't know about it, so I reckon it's a possibility. The only other people who seem to know about it are Arven and his father."
He saw Jules' lip purse as she processed the information. Clearly her thoughts to Arven and the way he continued to belittle Miraidon proved evident that he did not favor it at all and that both the pokemon as well as his famous professor father were sore subjects he wasn't comfortable at all talking about. As much as she didn't want to hang around him as much as her brother, she knew that he was right in that maybe helping him and earning his trust would get them more information on Miraidon and why he despised it so much.
Still. Gives him no right to be a jerk like that and I'll jump in front if that's what it takes. Not on my watch.
Before she could say anything else, the saleswoman had returned and placed two large cardboard boxes at the central checkout counter.
"Would you look at that?" She gave them a smile. "Looks like a shipment came for you two just a half hour ago. The Pelipper Post Service is quick with their express delivery today."
The twins watched as she unboxed a pair of full-face helmets, putting the packaging aside and turned it so that they could inspect the gear.
"Woah." Upon closer inspection, they were definitely high grade riding helmets, featuring sleek curved visors and a matte material that was smooth to the touch. On either side close to the temple were riveted sockets meant for attaching accessories. It reminded him of a mix between a helmet worn by a professional driver and a military soldier. Both of them were in distinct colors; the one he found himself drawn to was a dark purple with silver trim while Jules seemed interested in the other one with an burnt orange and white pattern.
"Oh?" The woman's curiosity caught their attention as her eyes widened with surprise. "You two must be quite special! I've never seen these before!"
"What do you mean?"
"These helmets," she gestured up to the Joavany Castro advertisement that Rian had spotted earlier. "They're the latest model developed by ATX Riding for the PalMoto Grand Prix." The twins saw a flash of disbelief across her features.
"This can't be right…not only are they the latest model, but only drivers on the Grand Prix and their teams have access to these. They aren't expected to be for commercial sale for at least another year and they're...a lot of money!"
Rian and Jules glanced at each other, completely puzzled over their budding excitement. How was it possible they had gotten their hands on such rare and valuable pieces of gear?
We didn't order anything. So how?
"N-never mind that! Let's get you two fitted and on your way!"
The process to get the helmets fitted didn't take long. Rian and Jules received a crash course in donning and taking the helmet off, which turned out to be a little more of a complicated process. The visor would slide into the mold so that it was flush with the helmet's outer shell. To lift the faceplate, there was a release button roughly at the spot of the temple they would press to break the seal. The sockets provided a mount for devices such as the helmet cams the racers wore as well as a rangefinder which would provide distance along with other readings back to the driver's crew. Since the helmet was snugly fit on, the twins opted to carry their wide brimmed school issued hats strapped to their backpack.
Three sets of speakers were situated in the helmet as well, two on either side close to the ears and one centrally located right at the back of the head. The acoustics were fine tuned to be as accurate as normal hearing without the headgear with incredible clarity in picking up and receiving sound as if someone was speaking to them inside their head.
The woman had shook her head as the twins thought how they were going to have to pay off for such an expensive item, but she had to clarify multiple times that the helmets, shipping and services had been all-expenses paid. They were even shown the bill, but neither one recognized the purchaser on the details.
That only made things stranger as Rian and Jules mumbled a thanks and made a bewildered exit back onto the Mesagoza streets. He tossed out Miraidon again, who quickly stretched its back and bent down, assuming its ride form and steadying itself with its four legs.
(Ride mode engaged. Ready to transfer controls to Trainer.)
"Okay then." Rian was quick to jump onto the front seat with Jules behind him. As he did, Miraidon shifted to the established configuration in preparation to move out.
(Trainer Rian detected. Transferring controls to Trainer. Adjusting ride settings to preference.)
"Cortondo?"
"Cortondo."
(Compatible protective helmets detected. Syncing and associating with proper Trainers. Sync successful.)
The RotoPhone that had been placed into the device socket had given clean directions out of Mesagoza. Rian maneuvered Miraidon deftly through the traffic, sticking to the rider lane that was separate from the automotives and pedestrians. While it was still relatively new, he felt a welcoming sense of freedom that being able to drive a pokemon-machine hybrid brought. Being in command and the entire Paldea region at his fingertips through steering, accelerating and braking. He was open to go anywhere he wanted.
"So how is it controlling Miraidon?" Jules asked. So far the ride had been in relative silence since she didn't want to distract him while he was still getting the hang of the controls. While he would have never heard her voice over the rushing noise of air, the microphone picked it up from her helmet, wirelessly transferring it to the speakers for the quality clarity that ATX was known for. If he hadn't known better, his sister might've asked him that question in a dead silent room.
"Harder than it looks." They were moving on from the ground level traffic onto an elevated overpass that ran above the ground level. The inner city of Mesagoza had limited space before spilling out to the suburban areas beyond the gates that separated it with the Rio Narixa so the Ministerio de Transporte had opted to build ramps above the smaller roads to be able to efficiently have car traffic enter and exit without all the hassle of having others slow down to take exits on the less busy streets.
Miraidon hardly slowed down as it easily summited, but Rian was disappointed the speed didn't improve as he tried to gun the throttle. Wait, this is the fastest it can go?!
"When we get out of the city and on the roads to Cortondo, I…I'd like to try and drive."
He nodded. So far, Jules hadn't really shown an interest in driving the mysterious pokemon ever since they were aware it could be ridden. Just a smidge of it had been enough for him and it was technically her Treasure Hunt too.
As the West Gate was sighted, Rian's phone began to ring. At first he thought it might've been Cassiopeia, but found himself pleasantly surprised and smiling when Nemona's face popped up on the caller's ID. Upon answering, it transferred the call to the bluetooth in his helmet.
"Hey Rian! It's me Nemona!" His smile stayed at hearing her cheery voice on the other end.
"Hey Nemona, it's great hearing from you…even if it's just been what," a glance at the phone's clock. "An hour since we last saw each other?"
"Yeah! You decided to set out heading west from the school right, Rian? Starting from there you'll be pretty close to Cortondo. That's where you'll find the bug-type gym! You can go take on the gym leader if you want! In fact I recommend it since it's usually the first one in the circuit!"
Rian raised an eyebrow. "First one, so for newer trainers? You sure you're not pulling my arm?"
That earned him a laugh out of the older girl. "Nah never! I'm just glad you decided to spend your Treasure Hunt the right way!"
The right way. Oh she means going to find maría with Arven. Ah.
"Well, uh…always take the prettier friend's advice?"
"Ha! You're really funny! But you go and get 'em! I'm sure you can beat her Rian! Good luck, I'll call ya soon!"
The line clicked dead before he could utter a reply.
He felt Jules' shift in the saddle behind him. "Was that Nemona?"
"Uh, yeah."
He heard what sounded like a chuckle of amusement. "Bro, I think you might actually have a shot with her after all."
Yeah fat chance. Maybe an aipom might fly out of my ass while we're at it too.
Jules had been around him long enough to know that his lack of an immediate reply meant he was thinking on her words. While it had been a bit of a stab, she sort of sensed that maybe Nemona could've had a hint of a thing for her brother. Either way, it was enough to get his thoughts back on her.
"What makes you say that?" He finally asked. They had passed through the West Gate, quickly joining the traffic outgoing to the suburban areas.
His sister paused for a moment. "Well, all things considered. She's been awfully perky in the morning, especially when you've come around. Then to top it off, she decided to call you and not me."
"Oh. Yeah, that does kinda make sense."
Even with the helmet concealing her face from him, the body language showed his sister's unbridled amusement of the interaction. "Advice from the prettiest person huh? I'm pretty sure Lexi Pearsall was the one who said that to you one time. I'm surprised you still remember it."
They made it out of Mesagoza well in the early afternoon to perfect weather after stopping for a brief lunch. Sun hanging in the sky with just a few clouds to occasionally pass in front for some much needed shade to cool off from a mildly humid day.
Mesagoza's suburbs quickly gave way to the Paldean countryside as traffic lightened considerably. Outside of the city, cars were less common but often the only means of efficiently going to the next town over. Trains and travel by air with commercial flights and flying taxi services were also available. The road stretched out and before long, the large capital city was gone over the horizon.
Rian was still a little irritated that Miraidon's top speed wasn't as fast as he had liked, going just under the hundred fifteen kilometer speed limit. However it was still fast enough that it made him nervous. Some of the accidents that occurred in PalMoto were stomach wrenching.
(Accelerators deployed…failure. Diagnosing failure. Accelerators offline. Error code: Zebstrika. Hadron Engine functionality 55%. Trainer status: Secure.)
(Trainer Rian. The intensity of your grip on the controls and your rising heart rate indicate you are under distress. There is no need to panic. I will not lose balance. Both you and your sister are bound to my prerogative of Protol Three. Calmness and a positive attitude will improve our driving conditions.)
Much of the central part of the Navarro Province was hilly, with winding slopes and rare flat surfaces. Since the climate was warmer and rainfall was more frequent on its west side, much of the land was devoted to farming and agriculture. A steady source of water trickled in from a half dozen springs located to the west, expanding as it approached Mesagoza as the Narixa. A portion of their drive west had the riverbank on their right.
Though it was just like how they had seen in pictures of Paldea's diverse landscape, there was something liberating as official pokemon trainers and fulfilling the same dream as countless before them. The freedom to go anywhere and do anything they wanted.
Jules made sure to use a moment to take it all in. Best part had to be forgetting the worries of schoolwork.
Now fully out in the wilds of Paldea, the entire environment came alive as pokemon of all sorts began to appear on the sides of the trails. Many of them were visible just a few meters into the grass, vanishing as the twins and Miraidon drew close. Overhead there were flocks of the familiar fletchling birds and hoppips twirling their leaf antennae lazily in the light winds.
"Say, if you're going to take on the Gym Leader in Cortondo," Jules started after an hour of silence while driving. "You might want to catch another pokemon. You've been awfully stingy since trying to catch that ralts when we first started."
Rian said nothing, but he pondered what she said. While many trainers often enjoyed the thrill of finding new pokemon and catching them on sight, he felt that having more and more options meant it'd be hard to pick favorites and assemble a team he could use to take on Champion Rank.
"Maybe I just haven't found the one yet?"
He could practically see Jules rolling her eyes behind her helmet's visor. "It's a pokemon, you're not looking for a wife."
"I know. I'll think of something."
"Maybe look at the type matchups? See the gym leader's specialized type and get yourself a pokemon that has an advantage."
That certainly was an idea. Once he was finished driving, he'd certainly take a moment to study his future opponent. Knowing your enemy helps a lot when you gotta deal with them.
He slowed Miraidon down as they spotted a distant centro pokemon just a half kilometer away and took the exit off the highway to stop. Multiple other walking dirt paths branched out away from the roads, allowing easy access for those that were traveling on foot.
While Jules asked the staff for help and directions, Rian brought out Baron, watching as he was busy engaging in the game of tag with Dani and Basil. Miraidon stood alert, glancing around as if trying to pick out potential threats.
I gotta figure out and catch something if I'm going to take on the Gym Leader. It's not gonna be good if I walk in with one pokemon. What if they have six? Opening his RotoPhone, he checked up on the information on the MApp market that Nemona had dropped for him over Cortondo.
"This bug-type gym is a recommended first stop for anyone considering taking on La Liga. Though sweet as a treat, this baker of bug-themed pastries shows a bold streak in battle. Gym Tier One."
"Bug types. Huh." Since Rian only had Baron, a water type that had an electric and grass weakness it wasnt a big need to worry about his current pokemon being weak to the gym leader's specialty type. Bug was neutral against water. During the introduction to the Battle Studies course, the rather energetic instructor had distributed out the current type charts that was recognized by La Liga and other Pokemon Leagues around the world. Rian made it a priority to start studying and memorizing it as soon as he could. Sure there was the common knowledge that fire was strong against grass which was strong against water which was strong against fire. But each type was unique, with no two having matching characteristics for different strengths and weaknesses.
"We're about maybe a little less than an hour away from Cortondo." Jules said as she joined her brother at the table, sliding him a blue agua sim gas bottle. "They said that there's multiple ways, but one of the Diez lugares de interés de Paldea is not too far away called the Gran Campo de Oliveiras. Could be worth a look if it's not too late. If we go off the beaten path, we might find some pokemon we wouldn't normally see out in the fields. If you're gonna shoot for La Liga and get that Champion Rank, it's a good start to see all your options."
Rian had to agree with her and used the RotoPhone's MApp to look up the location, spotting it to the east of Cortondo, situated on a hill that overlooked the basin where the city was located. While not a major detour, it'd put them behind a half hour at the very least.
The Diez Lugares de Interés de Paldea or Ten Sights of Paldea were big significant landmarks around the Paldea region that were among its most popular tourist attractions. Some were close to major cities while others were a bit of a trek. Rian recalled one booth at the club fair where it included tour groups that took other students on a multi-day trip to hit all ten sights back to back. Often, the first one that people would go on their journey was the Gran Campo de Oliveiras which he saw had been marked by a certain icon.
(Calculating route. Estimated travel time for Gran Campo de Oliveiras is forty two minutes.)
"Shall we?"
The route that Miraidon calculated and laid out for Rian to follow was a bit complicated to say the least.
It wasn't long after leaving the area of the centro pokemon when the hills began to give way to flat fields. The Narixa was much narrower and shallower as the spring pushed water eastward, providing the irrigative fuel that drove Paldea's demanding agricultural industry. Though the uneven terrain surrounding the basin made the amount of available fertile land even smaller, the rich soil with minerals and nutrients made it ideal for farming a variety of crops from berries to vegetables, all combined with a fairly consistent rainfall that was almost year round.
What amazed him was just how vast the fields appeared. They stretched for miles on end with varying stages, no two alike. Some were barren while others had just the beginning of saplings and fully matured plants with whatever fruit, root or product was ready to be harvested. Because of Navarro's lower, but consistent rainfall during three of the four seasons and the fresh water from the springs that fed the Narixa, the agriculture industry for Paldea was alive and well, more than enough to feed both the region as well as exporting it off.
The Gran Campos de Oliveira was said to be one of the oldest plantations back when the cultivating was in its infancy. In contrast to the rest of the active farming fields, the elevated plateau must've given it some meaning.
Miraidon's speed decreased as Rian had to almost drive past the entire east end of Cortondo and around towards the riverbank where another stream fed into the Narixa. To access the old orchard, slopes had been dug out close to the stream in ramps. There was no dirt road, but Miraidon struggled a bit as its front wheels reached the grassy patches.
(Engaging off-road mode. Hydraulics activated.)
Rian felt the pokemon's frame flex out and moved his seat back slightly so that he wasn't so hunched over. The relaxed posture helped him feel more comfortable when Miraidon was going over bumpy and uneven terrain. The wheels changed to a rougher and more grippy texture, providing far better traction but sacrificing the speed from before.
"You know, from the look of it. I would've never expected Miraidon to be able to do that." Jules said in amazement and Rian had to agree with her. Just adding on another thing the twins didn't know Miraidon could do and they had a feeling they barely scratched the surface.
The remnants of the Gran Campos de Oliveira came into sight at the far end of the plateau without any hint of what kind of buildings they formerly were. All that remained were brown, misshapen sections of rubble that looked ready to crumble and disintegrate at any time. A few decaying posts that likely were that of a fence dotted the area and the fields of the orchard had long been overrun with grass.
Now time to see what kind of pokemon we can find around here. Rian thought to himself, scanning the field and watching for movement. Almost immediately he spotted flocks of hoppip and fletchling flying together in the sky. On the ground, there were groups of skwovet and he even spotted a shroodle before it quickly vanished into the thicker grass as they approached.
He brought Baron while dismounting Miraidon. Even if they wouldn't catch anything, the best thing he could do to prepare for the gym leader was to get his pokemon stronger.
The first new pokemon that he spotted were group of small gray and white avian creatures with large wings of brown feathers. Upon sensing their presence, many of them scattered while one chirped rather noisily and swooped down.
"Here we go then!" Rian's mouth twisted into a grin, knowing a challenge when he saw one. "Let's get after them Baron!"
As his starter made quick work of the bird, he had opened up his Pokedex App to log the new entry.
Scanning…match found. Starly. Starling pokemon. Normal and flying type. They flock around mountains and fields, chasing after bug pokemon. Their singing is noisy and annoying.
Though Rian did lament a little at losing an opportunity to catch a flying type, as it would prove helpful against a bug type gym leader, he knew that there were still plenty of others.
Jules followed him as they explored more of the old decrepit plantation. Without the posts to indicate where the field formerly stood, it was just as part of the natural landscape as it had likely been before it was settled.
Further away, she spotted a group of sheep pokemon that were covered in thick coats of cream colored wool. They each had a striped black and yellow tail with a red bulb at the end. Like the starly, they bleated loudly enough to be heard from quite the distance away.
Scanning…match found. Mareep. Wool pokemon. Electric type. Its fleece grows continually. In the summer the fleece is fully shed, but it can grow back in a week.
"Careful Baron," Rian was in the middle of warning his pokemon when Jules looked up. Electric types are strong against water an-"
Baron quacked in protest and took off, running quick enough to startle the flock. Luckily, they had all scattered upon hearing the loud duckling. However many of them unleashed blasts of electricity that arced his way.
To Rian's surprise, the quaxly dodged several of the thundershocks, jumping up and over as they landed in front of his feet. He hit one with a pound, knocking it out and then used water gun to take another down.
However the mareep in its own instinct had gotten the better of him once he turned it on a third one that made the decision to stand and fight.
He readied a poke ball, sensing that it could be his opportunity. "Baron, water gun!"
But as he fired the stream of water, the brazen mareep launched a thundershock at the same time. Like a magnet to a sheet of metal, the jolt of electricity quickly joined through the water stream, abruptly cutting off Baron's attack. The quaxly was thrown back with a surprised painful yelp.
"Baron!" Rian cried. Before he could command his pokemon to get back up, the mareep was blasted with a flurry of leaves. To his right, Jules had stepped in, Basil in front crouched low and scanning the area in case something else came to challenge them.
Baron quacked softly as Rian gently picked him up and set him on his feet. Though still energetic and raring to go, he looked a little somber, maybe even a little embarrassed.
"It's okay." Rian reassured him. If he was going to make this work as a trainer, there were going to be lessons he and his pokemon were going to have to learn some lessons through the difficult ways.
Perhaps the first one was to take caution when facing off against a pokemon that held a type advantage.
"Thanks sis." He breathed out, setting Baron on the ground and standing up.
Jules gave him a reassuring nod. "Of course. If you're gonna get some training in, I might as well too."
The twins recalled Miraidon and crept closer to the ruins. There weren't other trainers around and the cries of pokemon were abundant carried through the air. Rian definitely began to understand where the reputation of a starly's annoying incessant chirping came from.
A closer look allowed them to see a small plaque that was inscribed at the end towards the drop. As they made their way over, they were able to see the clusters of buildings that made up the town of Cortondo.
"The Gran Campos de Oliveira one of the Diez Lugares de Interés de Paldea." Rian read out loud. Below the title was a little description of the history, the plateau where the Grand Olive Orchard was located had been among the first major plantation established, dating back nearly a millennium and had been chosen to be the exclusive source of olive products for the Paldean Royal family, from its beginning all the way to the Figueiredo Dynasty, the present ruling family of Paldea for the past four centuries. It was so important that there was a tall spire of a guard lookout still standing to protect it from attackers.
Just a couple hundred years ago, the field was decommissioned and the supply instead came from other orchards. Since then, it had been a very popular tourist attraction for its historic significance and spectacular view of Cortondo and the valley it sat on.
Other pokemon were lurking in the ruins as they got closer, several of them fleeing upon seeing the humans. Rian and Jules caught sight of a bipedal gold and brown pokemon with a short trunk and triangular ears.
Scanning…match found. Drowzee. Hypnosis pokemon. Psychic type. It remembers every dream it eats. It rarely eats the dreams of adults because children's are much tastier.
"That's not creepy at all." Jules remarked sourly as she glanced around. The two drowzee that they spotted had since fled. She quietly hoped that they didn't wander into Cortondo at night.
Rian's eyes went over the fields again by the ruins, seeing some movement close to the flowers that had begun to grow. A strand of hair that was a pale magenta color was wagging around as whatever pokemon remained busy in its task.
"This is it. I can feel it." Rian said to himself. At his gesture, Baron stepped forward and puffed his chest out, ready for the fight ahead. The pokemon didn't seem to notice them just yet. He still held the element of surprise.
"Alright, ready?" He whispered, getting a nod back from Baron. "Water gun."
Baron's approach was a lot less stealthy than he would've liked, but it was enough where the target had let out a gasp of surprise as he vaulted into the air to spray it with a firm blast of water. The attack tossed the creature against the wall, but it had recovered with a surprising amount of quickness and jumped out to confront Baron with an angered growl.
Now he could see it clearly, it was a small bipedal pokemon that was pink in color with milky gray eyes and short stubby limbs. Upon seeing the trainer and his pokemon, it raised and pointed a small object at them that resembled a rattle.
I've never seen that pokemon 's something about it that just…feels like maybe I could catch this one. He took out his Dex App and scanned it while readying a poke ball with his free hand.
Scanning…match found. Tinkatink. Metalsmith pokemon. Fairy and steel type. Female exclusive species. It swings its handmade hammer around to protect itself, but it is often stolen by pokemon that eat metal. It will remake the hammer again and again until it's satisfied with the result.
"We're catching this one Baron!" Rian told his pokemon. The quaxly brushed his coif, carefully eyeing the tinkatink as its expression finally turned to one of aggression. It raised the hammer rattle up and leveled it at Baron before rushing forward in a burst of speed that surprised both twins. As it got closer, the creature suddenly emitted a loud startling shout that was powerful enough to send a visible wave of sound that caused Baron to shudder and get knocked down to the ground. Even Rian and Jules jumped from it and the boy was barely able to look and see that the move was registered as astonish.
The tinkatink closed in, raising its hammer that gleamed in the sun and swatted Baron with it. Rian felt a prick as the first bits of sweat began to bead on his skin. He had to think of something.
This tinkatink is not afraid to fight up close and we won't win by dodging forever! Let's get some offense in!
"Baron, water gun!" Thankfully he had gotten his bearings after getting hit from the astonish and tracked his incoming opponent. The tinkatink was about to swing its hammer again when Baron let loose a stream of water from his bill. With no time to dodge, the small pink pokemon was again pushed back into the ground soaking wet with a pained cry.
"Good! Close in and use pound!" Rian shouted. "Let's see it fight up close!"
Baron shot forward, raising his wings and slamming them on top. The tinkatink paused before it started to wail and wave its arms about in an upsetting tantrum. As it did, the hammer began to glow and it abruptly switched to its other hand in preparation to bring it down on top of Baron's head.
Thankfully, Rian had assumed his stance to closely observe the battle. The sleight of hand passing as the rather young pokemon had assumed the behavior of a petulant toddler was nearly enough to fool him. Clever.
"Baron watch out!"
His pokemon reacted with a hiss of surprise and only had enough time to shoot a water gun at the hammer wielding hand to avoid getting bludgeoned. Though hastily aimed, the timing was perfect in hitting the closed fist. Tinkatink yelped and opened its hand on the hammer's handle in surprise after the water gun struck.
Causing it to fly out into the air where it landed in the field in a bed of yellow and white flowers.
For a second, both pokemon were stunned at the outcome, glancing to where the hammer had dropped and then to one another.
The same thought had crossed Rian's mind just from the time he spent observing. Tinkatink needed that hammer.
The shout was halfway out of his mouth when both pokemon made a mad dash to the flowerbed where the hammer had fallen. They ignored one another in their pursuit. One for its weapon of choice, the other to prevent them from acquiring it.
"Rian!" Jules exclaimed from his side. She had been trying to get his attention and snap him out of his fixation on the battle. "Catch it while it's distracted!"
Of course, I can't believe I didn't think of that! Rian cursed himself as he quickly brought out a poke ball from his bag. He thumbed the capture matrix and cocked his arm back to throw right as both Baron and the tinkatink had reached the flowerbed. The two pokemon engaged one another right away in a tussle as Baron lashed out with a pound, knocking the tinkatink back just out of the reach of its small hammer.
Rian lost sight of them and quickly sprinted after them, squinting to see if he could get a bead on the wild pokemon so that he could throw the poke ball.
The hammer had landed in one of the flattened flowers and as he had gotten close, there were small pokemon that scattered from the commotion, floating on lightweight white feathers. He paid them little attention, but Jules had her pokedex app scan it as she followed her brother close behind.
Scanning…match found. Flabébé. Single bloom pokemon. Fairy type. White flower form. Female exclusive species. When evening falls, it searches out a place blooming with flowers of the same white color as itself, and then it goes to sleep.
Rian had reached the flowerbed and the poke ball was in hand as he prepared to throw when something else caught his eye. The fighting had stopped as another pokemon had flown in from above and swooped down to snatch the hammer from the ground.
"Hey!"
Tinkatink had halted its attack on Baron, glancing up to see multiple small black and gold buglike pokemon that were hexagonal in shape with stubby wings that made a loud distinct buzzing noise. Several of them descended on the flowers, but Rian could see one carrying the tinkatink's hammer. As it flew up and out of their reach, fine dust trailed off through the air.
The hammer was covered in flower pollen. That's why that thing stole it.
More of the bug pokemon were gathering around the flowers. Each one was a triple hexagonal shape with the individual ones appearing to be an entity of its own. Two small antennae were located on the foreheads of the upper two while the lower one's head observed both the flowers and the trainers with curiosity.
Scanning…match found. Combee. Tiny bee pokemon. Bug and flying type. At night, combee sleep together in a group of about a hundred, packed together closely in a lump. The trio has been together from birth, it constantly gathers nectar from flowers to please vespiquen.
Baron quacked softly by his trainer's side and he glanced down from his phone to see the duckling tugging on his shoe. Nearby, the tinkatink had sat down on the ground, looking skyward at the multitude of combee that were gathering.
Something tugged at Rian's mind that told him not to capture the pokemon he was after. After losing its hammer, the last thing it probably wanted was to belong to a trainer.
We could always make a new one. If it works at it over and over until it's happy with the finished product, then maybe it's something we can work together on. But something tells me it kinda likes the old one.
Jules opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as Rian slowly walked forward and crouched down next to the creature.
"I wanted to catch you, as my first pokemon." He softly whispered. To her amazement, the tinkatink turned its head to glance at him. "But I saw how important that hammer is to you and it's kinda our fault. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to lose it."
Baron went to its other side and the three of them sat down to keep watching the combee buzz around them, going to and from the different flowers. It must've been normal since they also saw the drifting flabébé start to return from hiding.
"You were still really strong without the hammer. Kept me and Baron on our toes with that astonish."
Say, how would we get it back?
"Rian…I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Nah don't be. I'll get the hammer back."
Jules blinked at him. "You're gonna what?"
"Get the hammer back. Combee gather nectar. And they go back to their nests. We find out where the one who took tinkatink's hammer, we find out how we can take it back." He shrugged. "I'm pretty sure the combee didn't intentionally take it. Just happened to be covered in pollen and nectar."
"Yeah, but we don't even know where to start."
"Hmm," Rian put a hand to his chin and tried to think. Both Baron and the tinkatink had stopped to look up at him in curiosity. "Wait, you've got pokemon that might be able to help."
"Me?" Jules looked at him. "You mean Dani or Basil?"
"Maybe both. Dani might not have the nose of say a yamper, but I bet she'd be able to pick up some sort of scent and at least lead us there."
It's worth a try. She thought to herself while tossing out both her pokemon. Basil immediately nuzzled her ankles with his nose while Dani shook herself. They greeted Baron and gathered around the tinkatink. Interestingly enough, the creature was far less aggressive and not minding the humans or new pokemon when the hammer wasn't in hand.
The girl crouched down to her pokemon. "Dani, do you think you can see if there's a trace of this tinkatink's scent?"
The fidough paused for a moment before taking a second to sniff the tinkatink's side. She moved left and right before finally staring off in the distance.
Rian and Jules followed her gaze which was pointed at multiple taller trees that were close to another face of rock up the next hill. What worried them a little was that it was away from the direction of Cortondo.
"Okay, if it's in that direction then we might need a faster ride." Rian dug into his backpack and summoned Miraidon again. The large purple dragon creature greeted both twins happily before starting his transformation into ride capability.
(Ready to transfer controls to Trainer.)
"Alright vamos!" Rian quickly leapt on Miraidon's back, barely settling in as the driver's settings adjusted to his preference automatically. To their surprise, the tinkatink had climbed up step by step until settling just behind them. "We've got a lead, so let's get to it! We find the hive, we find tinkatink's hammer!"
(Inquiry. Accessing public Survey Corps files. Access complete. Searching for relevant information on combee. Narrow down to information regarding combee data recorded in Paldea.)
Miraidon's processes took less than a half second before it had obtained the relevant information it had sought. Rian steered and accelerated along with the off-road mode that cut through the taller blades of grass. Dani sniffed the ground every few meters and bounded forward while repeating the process. Each one gradually continued towards the distant hillside and trees ahead.
(My analysis indicates that there are thirty seven hundred and fifty three different combee hive sects with recorded presence in Paldea within the past one hundred and fifty years. Of that number; twenty one hundred and twenty four are exclusive to the region. Scanning…immediate presence is in the area of several dozen hive sects. Require further information to conduct analysis to render assistance to Trainer.)
"So say we find this hive," Miraidon had detected a big degree of uncertainty in Jules' voice. "What are you going to do then to get the hammer back? Ask politely?"
"Either that or we sneak in, grab it and get out before anyone notices."
(Trainer Rian exhibiting an unusual amount of confidence, however I calculate his plan to "sneak in, grab it and get out" has an eighteen percent chance of a resounding success. Accounting for other variables.)
Dani led them to the right end of the treeline where she stopped and showed that the trail must've gone cold. Around the closest gathering of trees, they could see one or two combee heading into what looked like a small gap in the middle. Rian moved so that they were out of sight and hopped off, crouching behind a large trunk to look. The tinkatink squeaked and sprinted up behind him.
It's wild how passive a wild pokemon is trusting of us.
Rian let out Baron as the two of them moved closer, using the crush as cover. Combee filtered in and out, one at a time and he could see that the gap in the rock was just big enough for Miraidon to squeeze through.
"Rian, you're not thinking that,"
"It has to be here." He corrected her. "Unless you doubt Dani's nose."
"Well…no, but are you sure it's the best idea to go in there alone?" She craned her head to look at the size of the rocky cliffs as they had gotten closer. "There's no telling how far down this cave could be."
"That's why I have you and Miraidon."
(I did not make this decision on his behalf.)
"We go quietly and maybe we can reason with the other combee that it took tinkatink's hammer by mistake. It just wants it back. Not like these are beedrill."
Jules had to admit that he was right. While not found in Paldea, beedrill were more common to the north in Kalos. Highly territorial and notorious for mercilessly attacking opponents with potent stingers, it was often the stuff of nightmares in woodlands and prairies of inexperienced trainers running into beedrill hives unexpectedly. Disturbing one often caused the entire hive to attack in a frenzy.
Combee might not be as aggressive as beedrill, but it still didn't make what Rian was going to attempt any less dangerous.
"Just…back me up?" He pleaded, still watching the hive's entrance. Activity hadn't slowed since they had arrived. "Look, I sort of made the mess of losing tinkatink's hammer and I feel really siento about it. I'd like to at least make it right if anything."
"Don't you think that's a little much? Isn't the whole risking your own business to help others a little bit excessive?"
"Jules, just say so if you don't want to help. I'll do this alone if I have to."
If he thinks this is what's gonna win that pokemon over…I swear there's no putting sense into him when it comes to trying to impress other people.
Rian waited just a little longer before he finally made his move, creeping across the open ground and putting his back to the rock wall. Behind him, both the tinkatink and Baron mirrored his actions. All of the combee continued without so much as a pause in their activity and they had yet to see any of them glance towards them.
Jules held her breath as he slowly and quietly slipped through the mouth of the cave and disappeared from sight.
Miraidon remained unmoving next to her, but it somehow must've sensed that she was quite uneasy about the whole thing. Raising its head, the data analysis had fully run its course.
(Scan complete. Sect identified based on match of wing and flight patterns…origins from Survey Corps data trace sect's ancestry to Ramanas Island, among the rarest for combee to be found.)
There was just so much data for it to sift through, but for one person to take days, weeks or even months, all of the public records and relevant information Miraidon needed to know was accessed within nanoseconds.
"I know Miraidon." Jules whispered, gently patting it on the side. "I'm worried too."
(Data unsatisfactory. Many variables remain unaccounted for. Acoustic signature less attuned compared to other common sects. Accessing database for protective countermeasures involving combee incidents. Access complete. Threat level raised. Be careful Trainer Rian. Protocol Three enaction possible. Awaiting further situational development to determine corrective action.)
"Mierda." Rian whispered. "It's kinda dark in here."
He had underestimated how quickly the lack of lighting had hampered his vision just a couple of meters in the crevice. It sloped up to an even narrower opening where he'd have to crouch down to proceed further. That wasn't an issue with the small hexagonal bugs as they effortlessly floated up, but he had to get on his hands and knees as the ceiling began to slant down.
Within the close walls of the cave, the buzzing noise of the worker combee had began to intensify more and more from deeper within. Rian kept quiet, still moving forward and taking out his RotoPhone's flashlight to help illuminate the way ahead. Parts of where his hands had touched didn't have the coolness of stone and he wondered if it was part of the actual hive material called propolis.
Oddly enough, many combee seemed to have easily spotted them, but made no attempts to attack or interact with the newcomers. Rian didn't want to overstay their welcome, but figured that one attacking would make their problems much much worse.
The tinkatink spotted something ahead as it crawled past him and Baron, jumping up and down in joy while running towards the bigger cavern.
Wait!
His eyes had taken the time to adjust to the darker conditions and he could see that tinkatink was focused on a small object placed on the ground in the middle. The small creature climbed over rocks, scurrying to the object and picking it up.
Tinkatink giggled and smiled, waving it. While doing so, Rian saw that the thick coat of pollen that had covered its metal surface billowed off like fine dust, picked up by his phone's light.
"Okay," he whispered. "We got the hammer. Let's get out of here before things get bad."
No sooner had the words left his mouth when things did indeed get very bad.
Tinkatink was so joyous in that it had finally gotten its long lost hammer, it never noticed an even larger shape at the far side of the cavern rotating around. Giant wings sprouted out of the creature's back and the glow of angered ruby eyes made Rian's stomach lurch.
The creature made a loud hiss of fury as suddenly the combee began to fly into a frenzy all around them. Many buzzed into the holes at the top of the cave while others came to stand between them.
Tinkatink yelped and tried to run, but it had dashed its foot against a raised section of the rock and tripped over in the haste to escape. The first couple of combee moved on the attack, one slamming into the small pokemon's side in a tackle.
Rian knew he had to intervene and was already jumping into action when a second one flew down in an attempt to make a second tackle attack.
"Baron, water gun!"
Just like when he fought the tinkatink originally, he shifted the aim in his bill to lead the diving combee so that it flew directly into the path. Baron waited for just a moment before launching a quick blast of water that had been a textbook shot. The combee cried out, fainting from the impact and was knocked off course into the ground.
"C'mon let's go!" Rian was on his feet and he ran over to scoop up the tinkatink before anyone else could react. The larger insect pokemon was watching him intently and he saw another glow from the center of its forehead.
Oh mierda. I'm starting to have it for caves because it's always something that's trying to kill me!
Hugging the tinkatink close to his body, he bolted for the way they came just as the bigger bug launched whatever attack it had been charging. A flash of light nearly blinded him before a teeth-jarring detonation caused the entire cave to shudder. Rian gasped, losing his footing just as he crested the top of the slope, but he had made it through. Baron jumped after him just as the big pokemon came in sight in pursuit of the intruders.
Now with a little bit more light, he could see the more defining features. It had the same coloration as the other combee with yellow and black patterns, but the body was bigger with a wider abdomen that resembled a dress. The wings on its back were much larger than a regular combee's and it had two limbs that ended in claws.
Rian blinked as his RotoPhone with the light still activated had picked up the new pokemon's signature. Scanning…match found. Vespiquen. Beehive pokemon. Bug and flying type. It is the evolved form of a female combee. Female exclusive species. It houses its colony in cells in its body and releases various pheromones to make those grubs do its bidding. Only intervenes if its hive is directly threatened.
"Look Your Majesty, it's a big misunderstanding." Rian said. "One of your worker combees took Tinkatink's hammer here and it just wanted it back."
The vespiquen hissed angrily and raised its arms to draw a pair of sharp claws. As it lunged down, Baron jumped to meet it, slamming his wings into the bigger pokemon's side. Vespiquen's slash was interrupted, though Baron was visibly shaking with unease as the queen rounded on him. Her forehead began to glow to fire another power gem.
"Baron, wing attack straight forward!"
Through his initial fear, Baron had nodded and spread his wings out, rushing to meet the vespiquen head on. She was again knocked off course and the power gem attack hit the ceiling, causing another thunderous explosion that sent head-sized chunks raining down. Several of the combee flying were struck by the falling debris. Baron jumped out of the way of another slash, rushing to rejoin his trainer.
"Go!" Rian took advantage of the distraction. Back from the depths of the cave, he could hear the buzzing noise of more combee as they began to grow in volume in response to being summoned to their matriarch's aid.
We've woken the hive!