[attr="class","samjermain"]The redhead just scoffed in response. Broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. A small smile played at her lips—that bit would stop him from doing it again. “It’s fine.” She muttered to herself as her eyes swept over their surroundings. “I’m just not much of a Madeline.” She didn’t fit that name. It was something that meant to embody all of her dad’s hopes of a perfect princess. The kind of child who’d be found walking two-by-two in a preparatory school.

At his confusion, the smoker sighed. “Amigo.” A simple, single-word answer she hopes sparks his Swiss cheese memory. “You really should be more careful on social media, bud.” She murmured as she gently stroked her Obstagoon’s static-filled fur. This didn’t do much to dissipate his nervousness. She fiddled with the stale pack of cigarettes in her pockets. After months—twenty-plus years?--of not smoking, this dusty jacket presented an opportunity. “If I was anyone else, you could have hurt my feelings.” Her thoughts turned to a familiar face. “Be really messed up if you were the straw, you know?”

As the rolling thunder drew out a whimper, the leather-bound woman turned to face her BFF. Her earlier question received a nod. Yakuza disappeared in a burst of red light—a rare thing for the free-roaming dark type. Most days, she forgot he had a ball at all. It hadn’t been until a toddler tried absconding with him that the carrot top even tried catching him.

“You can supervise.” Though she didn’t let him play puppeteer with her limbs, the taller woman followed his boarding instructions. Once settled in, she gave the Garchop a pat. Albeit a gentle one; these things had teeth for skin. As the thing took off, her thighs would lock tightly around the dragon’s back. Broad hands then clung tightly to the horn of his saddle as the dragon took to the sky.

Each jolting step was accompanied with the chink of shifting glassware. Though she’d deny it, there was a few moments when she screwed her eyes shut.

Though she couldn’t hear Josh, she could make out what he was trying to say. At least it seemed easy enough to put together with the thing in his hand and the bipedal caution sighs below. “What are you trying to go in there for?!” She shouted as heavy boots kicked the Garchomp into the dive. “I’m here to get some plants.”

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]Well, for all that innocence, this girl was pretty shameless. Not a chuckle or blush at the mention of the badger’s zebra dong. “Yeah, it’s a load of crock.” Madd shook her head. If she knew which Pokemon had put that in his head, she’d strangle them. The redhead nodded along. “Pretty sure none of them would do it on purpose—” They’d probably think it was a nut or something. The last comment drew out a snort—it took everything she had not to burst out laughing. “Salty.”

The smore was withdrawn from the fire. “Here, Yakky, hold this for a—” Before she even cleaned the skewer, the smoke vanished with a ferocious crunch. Then, he whimpered as molten marshmallow burst across his tongue like an overinflated below. “Serves you right, asshole.” As the sky darkened, Andrea’s exclamation stopped the bickering from getting out of hand.

Instantly, the pair turned toward her. Yakuza scooted closer to the fire—as if heat and flickering shadow was enough to ward off the supposed ball-snatcher. “It looks like it.” Madd whispered. Suddenly, her heart began to pound. “Yeah. Or, at least, I don’t find the stuff until morning.” A hand dipped into her pocket, fingering her Ampharos’s pokeball.

But that last comment stops any idea Madd had at stealth. She immediately burst out into guffaws—soon enough she was breathless. It didn’t help that Yakuza swooned in concert with the laughter. “You know what, kid? You’re not half—” A big fuzzy elbow slammed into her ribs. As she turned to face him, she saw what he did.

The reeds at the pond’s edge move on a windless night. Something left an indent in the muddy ground.

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]The distant calls of the other woman earned a raised brow. The bubbliness of the voice seemed out of place in this serene, shimmering grotto. It raised with a crescendo, the epitome of feminity. Then, it started pointing out rocks. Which, in a place like this, would take forever. Someone sounds like a crystal fiend. Not one to rain on a stranger’s parade though, Madd held her tongue.

But it seemed approaching was the very thing on Desiree’s mind. When the other girl rounded the corner, Madd’s eyes instantly shot to the Clefairy. A small smile appeared on Madd’s face at the sight. Feelings of warm nostalgia threatened to bubble up like the dredges of last night’s hangover. But soon enough, memories of her childhood companion were replaced by conversation. “Yeah. I’m trying to stock a pond.” Hopefully, some fish here would like to see actual sunshine. “Expand city kid horizons or something.”

As the redhead reached for the feedbag in her jacket, the Obstagoon clung more tightly to his. “Goon.” Bushy brows descended to cover crimson eyes as he let out a curt grunt. “Come on, Yakuza. That stuff’s going to make you—” Shaking her head irritably, the redhead passed her extra bag over. “Just try not to overdo it.” The last thing she wanted was to get a bunch of Zubat or leave the cave a soggy mess.

When Desiree brought up familiarity, the ginger nodded. “Yeah, me too. Was it Amigo?” The second that app went up, she’d started drunken swiping. It got her a couple of friends, but a hell of a lot of dick pics. But she vaguely recalled someone like this. Any lingering awkwardness faded as a cigarette was offered. She should have said she didn’t smoke anymore. Maybe played DARE agent.

But she didn’t. Even if she lived an extra 20 years, peer pressure was still her siren’s song. And, it was just one cigarette. “Yeah. Thanks.” With surprising gingerness, she plucked the stick from the other girl’s fingers. It seemed a good exchange for the bait. Just as she took her first drag, the waterfall exploded—drenching her in the process.

A weird-looking Toxapex and a headless dragon had rolled down to start tussling in the water. With a sigh, Madd lifted a hand to push sodden hair out of her face. “Someone needs a get-along sweater.”

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]When he entered, Madd lifted a hand in greeting. The book hidden beneath the countertop is shoved out of sight. “Welcome to Fisherman’s Friend." The redhead forces a smile—basic customer service face. “Let me know if you need anything.” She glanced at the specials paper. “Tuesday’s means two-for-one fake lures.” But, she doubted the guy heard her.

This place wasn’t exactly swimming in employees. The pay wasn’t bad, but the shop smelled vaguely of fish, and there wasn’t a lot of room for extra hands. So, after Noel entered, the redhead flicked off the window light. Once he skedaddled, it was time for a PB&J and a small can of cold Coke. As she returned to her rickety barstool. But as minutes ticked by, a look of irritation crossed her face. Pushing the stool over, she tried to peer down the aisle, but the boss’s nautical decor got in the way.

Then, she heard the muttering. Straightening her vest, she made her way to where he was making a mess of her stock. “It depends on what you’re trying to catch.” She brusquely points at one of the packets. “This one’s algae-based. Great for Barboach and Tynamo.” Her hand slid over to a darker packet. “Basculin and Arrokuda go crazy for the pressed blood worms.” She figured the ‘BIG BEAST’ one spoke for itself.

But, aside from her own Blastoise, the pond wasn’t exactly swimming in titans.

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]“Already tried what?” Maddie blinked at him—her eyes full of confusion. Then, it hit her. Milo thought she’d had the gall to go up there and punch the controlling bastard. That just his voice wasn’t enough to freeze her like a Deerling in traffic. All those furled fists ended up limp at her side. And, Kole McKenna didn’t even need his Malamar to make her heart quiver. “Oh, yeah. I’ve tried cleaning his clock before.” She laughed. “Pretty sure it had zero effect." At his invitation, the girl’s eyes widened.

It sounded magical but scary too. The look she gave Milo was nothing but admiration. “Where would you go?” All the places in the world was an big menu. And, her dad was a total homebody. She’d never gone anywhere but grandma’s house. But she realized that didn’t answer his question. “I’d have to think about it.” Little did she know this night would be the figurative nail in the coffin.

At the talk of smoothies, Madd wrinkled her nose. “My mom lives on those damned things.” But hers were brown, green, and grey. Some kind of protein, vegetable powder thing. But there was a time she’d gone strawberry and banana. And, as she looked at her crepe, she knew Milo was right. Not that she would ever admit it. “I like banana, dude.” The chocolate just made it more rich.

“The weather’s not always nice up here.” The teen reassured Milo as she lowered herself slightly. “And, who knows, boys grow slower anyway.” Maybe he’d be sweeping her off her boots one day. Any further talk of his overcompensating ended as five Pokemon jumped into view.

On the screen behind them, another Her eyes swept over the assortment in front of him. The Gulpin held her attention first. It looked like a weirdo—the perfect thing to shake up the forced girly-girl image. “I think—”

But then she sees the Mareep. It’s sniffing at a discarded plate. She reached for it only to receive an angry bleat in response. The sheep charged the table in a shower of sparks. The thing was fiesty and ill-tempered. Dad would hate it. Obviously, she loved it. “I think just this one’s more than I can handle.” A bit of chocolate banana was offered to it.

It wolfed it down with a suspicious, steely glare.

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]Seeing the glances people threw the guy’s way made her want to dropkick someone. Last she checked, scars weren’t fucking contageous. And, they weren’t some sign of moral depravity either. Aubre looked like a patchwork quilt, and she was the nicest, most selfless person she knew. Most pretty people were dicks. All that dick and all those compliments went to their heads,

Madd was glad the guy seemed to have tough skin. “Sorry for making you wait.” She smiled softly at him. Yakuza stared at the scars around her shoulder. But instead of disgust, he’d see admiration. Those things were a total chick magnet in his eyes. Battle scars in the Pokemon world were like fat wallets in the human one. “I had to drive around forever to find a spot.” Then, of course, there was the amount of time it took her to find ice and cool stuff to drink. Beachgoers here had stripped the shops to the bones.

At the name, she smiled. “Madd, please.” Between the skull bikini and the biker body, she doubted she fit anyone’s image of a Madeline. “Same goes for you. I love the name.” She danced around a couple of gossiping women. As they drew even, he found their destination. “It gives us a sand-free place to set up camp too.” One that wouldn’t leave her annoyed by dirt and grime. “Good eye, hot stuff.” There’s a wink as she moves toward the dock.

Similarly to Mav, people give her a lot of dirty looks. But the redhead just offers up a smile and steely-eyed glance in return.Yakuza just offers up a toothy grin in return. Turning over her shoulder, the girl offers up a grin. “What kind of stuff do you do for fun?” Her? Work a few extra hours and binge the occasional horror franchise.

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]The noise of pain below made the ginger wince. Amber eyes glared at her Obstagoon as he lifted a paw to his muzzles. “Aw. Great.” Madeline muttered to herself. Grabbing onto a scraggly tree, she leaned over the edge of the hell. But from this angle, she couldn’t tell if that ‘ow’ was evidence of involuntary manslaughter or a dumbass tripping over his own shoes.

With a sigh, the ginger threw herself off the side of the cliff. Rocks rained down beneath her as she slid toward the lower level in this hellscape. With a grunt, she landed heavily a few feet from Raphael. “You all right, bud?” Her voice was filled with a faux roughness. An intimidation technique is no different from the explosive expansion of a Qwilfish. Judging by the fact that blood wasn’t gushing out his skull, the rock hadn’t hit anything vital. Thank Arceus.

Before she could formulate an apology, a balled-up pig rolled up on them. Earth flew from behind it like a slug’s trail. “Move!” She shouted at the rock-kicker. Following her own advice, she stumbled out of the way. A few old ballet classes helped her dance around a stone pyre. The pig smashed into the stone wall. Giant shards fell around it like rice at a wedding. “Yakky! Snarl.” Dropping another rock he’d picked up, the Obstagoon let loose a discordant, irritating sound.

Behind the redhead—obscured by the rock—a Clobbopus peeked out.

As the Emboar released another Rollout, the trainer threw a Pokeball at it. All of its rock wrecking was going to leave them stuck in a landslide. As it disappeared, Yakuza threw a grumpy glance her way: Bitch, I had it. That look said.

Catching Emboar

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]With a final glance at the emptied glade, Madeline ducked into the portal. This last step ended with a loud clang as her boots landed on the ship’s bridge. Around her is something out of Star Trek or Star Wars. A million different buttons beep up at her from the silver terminal. “What the—?” Amber eyes jerked to the sky above her—an endless sea of stars. “Wow.” Nothing else can express the beauty of this place.

After a moment of silent awe, she turns her attention to the terminals itself. None of this was real. Even if it was pretty sweet, and she had a job to do. Walking over to the nearest desk, Madd manages to get some text up on the screen. “I’m glad it’s not in Klingon.” Sure, she watched Star Trek when she stayed home from school, but she wouldn’t call herself a nerd. “It looks like this place was heading to some place called the Ascended—” Something white flashed across the ship’s skylight.

“What was—” The entire ship shuddered as a hand clutched on its thrusters. One of its sharpened gold points stabbed through the ship’s hull. A sharp hissing filled the air. Like a child with a bathtub toy, they suddenly found themselves frozen. Her hand slipped to her belt, ready to try and get these assholes off her ship. But she turned to Lykaios for confirmation. Not all aliens were chest bursters after all.

The hand flies toward them after peeling the ship like a tin can.

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","itemcolstr"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]Another day, another egghead looking for weird plants. Still, they paid well, and we’re too scared of her to cheap out. Which kind of hurts Madeline’s feelings. Farigiraf’s were huge and people didn’t clutch their pearls at the sight of them. It wasn’t her fault that she looked like a linebacker.

When Josh arrived, Madeline couldn’t help but smirk. It’s that asshole from Amigo. Nice. A large bag was slung over her shoulder. With each step, it was easy to make out the noise of glass grating against plastic. Every one of the dishes had already been labeled. A pair of pruning shears hung from the bag’s handle. Orange eyes roved over the motley group of Pokemon before her. As always, her Obstagoon stood at his shoulder.

Then, the goth-emo cowboy said the forbidden word. “Madd.” The Rocket grunt quickly corrected. His introduction was met with a little snort. Who introduced themselves that way? Talk about a braggart. “And, I know who you are. You called me a rude ass, remember?” She’d also watched the battle between him and her baby cousin. It’d been a riot to watch.

Looking down at her own belt, she debated on tossing out her Crobat. But its spindly wings couldn’t hold her weight for long. “Thanks.” She nodded to the Garchomp as she mounted up. Yakuza, meanwhile, shuddered. Heights weren’t really his thing. “I’ll put you back if you want.” As the currents crackled around him, the Obstagoon nodded.

They’d been in this place all of 10 minutes and every inch of his hair stood on end.

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]

[attr="class","samjermain"]Ironically, if Lurch had refused, she’d have just done it anyway. Uncle Joel had tried to imbue her with a respect for plants. One that carried beyond what she could roll up and take a puff of. The only reason she didn’t have a bunch of them was an inability to keep them alive. “Thanks.”

With a bit of help from her Blastoise, Madeline gives the tree a good soaking. As the moisture leeches into the roots, the sound of cracking can be heard. She and her Obstagoon turned to face the statues as they burst free from their shells like weird amalgamation gargoyles. Fearing an attack, she tightened her hands into fists. Yakuza, meanwhile, shrunk back behind her. Glowing stuff was typically bad news where he came from.

Madd has never felt more like a fairytale princess. All the glowing Pokemon—glowmon?--turn to her in gratitude. She nods in return. “You’re welcome. Just try to stay out of trouble, all right?” Sure, this was all fake, but it never hurt to be polite.

The portal opened directly behind the tree. Seemingly spooked by the giant glowing door, all the Pokemon darted off. Suddenly, the place was just an empty field with a glowing tree. With a smile—cheeks red from embarrassment—Madd turned to face it. “Pretty boys, first?”

[attr="class","samjerpoke"]