When Giovanni and Brock arrived back at the Viridian Gym entrance, Ash came out to greet them with his usual high levels of unabashed enthusiasm. Brock did not respond in kind. His head slumped, and he barely acknowledged his friend’s presense at all. “Listen, I should probably get back to the training room,” he said, … Continue reading
When Paulo had recommended visiting the volcano area for more badges, Rosa assumed it was just to get some distance between them. Now as they hiked under the ashy sky, she suspected Paulo had far more sinister motives. Clearly, his endgame was to melt them all before they could compete with him for the PML … Continue reading
Rather than stand outside where it could potentially rain again, Flint suggested they move the group inside for their awkward discussion. Maybe have some snacks, if Cynthia had them around. Aaron wholeheartedly agreed and the frowning guy they’d met when they’d arrived–Flint hadn’t caught his name–volunteered to go into the kitchen and throw something together. … Continue reading
The water hybrid didn’t last the night. Fi knew it was coming. This one had been ill even before they’d stolen him away from Giovanni. But that didn’t make losing him any easier. Pierce had been with her when it happened, stoic as usual. Mostly Fi had dragged him along to monitor the instrument readings … Continue reading
Koko had no idea what to expect from getting badges. He knew what they were, of course, and he knew that the goal in most places was to get eight of them. But he also knew that for each plucky teenager who blasted through the gym battles and stood poised to claim the championship, there … Continue reading
The novelty of not drowning wore off pretty fast. Grimsley experimentally flicked his tail, impressed at the amount of force it could generate for relatively little effort. He moved through the water–not exactly gracefully–but with enough control that he didn’t smack himself into any rocks. Or angry water Pokémon. He was alive, but the big … Continue reading
On the opposite end of the island, another resident of Alola was having bigger problems than awkward restaurant encounters. Alolan Kahuna Nanu woke to find himself laying face-down in the sand. Not something he made a habit of. Ugh. What happened this time? He let out a groan and got to his feet. He didn’t … Continue reading
Cynthia drilled Ingo on every little detail surrounding Jubilife Village for at least an hour. She might have gone on longer if his gurgling stomach didn’t interrupt her next question. “Oh, dear,” she said, lowering her notepad–which she’d gotten seven pages deep in already. “Perhaps we should break for lunch?” “Perhaps,” Ingo said with a … Continue reading
That brat Agent Fiora had certainly left a mess in her wake. That was Lexi’s first thought when she’d been promoted three months ago. No longer was her study limited to Team Rocket’s grass-type laboratory. Instead she was to take over the entire hybrid clinic. This would have been a very exciting step in her … Continue reading
Barry, Rosa, and the other not-members-of-Team-Break did manage to get out of the rain quickly. Koko found a nearby cave, ripe for exploring. Ripe for a lunch break, too. The clouds outside shifted into one of those paradoxical weather events–with the sun peaking back out and shining brightly even as the shower continued. Brock perked … Continue reading