Chapter 7 Fallout

  Upon finishing his bow, Ian tensed up. What about Tupp? "Sawsbuck, we gotta find Tupp," Ian said, turning back around, walking quickly across the stone bridge, eyes peeled for friend or foe. Sawsbuck gave a hum of acknowledgement and began scanning the tree line at the end of the bridge as well. Hopefully that Dwayne guy booked it. Ian saw plumes of smoke in the sky, but Zapdos had seemingly disappeared.

  As Ian and Sawsbuck took their first steps off the bridge and into the dirt of the forest, Ian noticed all of the plants shift like an inch. "What is going on here?" Ian asked as he watched the Oran Berries of the tree in front of him expand and ripen in front of his eyes. It's like those nature documentaries that record a flower blooming over half a day but it's happening in seconds. Ian felt his stomach rumble, and he made his way over to the tree, grabbing some of the low hanging fruit and stuffing the rest of the suddenly ripe Oran Berries in his pocket and keeping a handful of them for Sawsbuck, who eagerly began munching on them out of his hand.

  Ian watched with fascination as all around him the phenomena happened, the grass lurched upwards with growth underneath them, the bushes and shrubs began to flower, and the tree branches creaked as their wood grew spontaneously. He turned to Sawsbuck, who stepped back in fear, watching all of the plants around it grow so rapidly. "Nothing to be afraid of bud, they're just plants," Ian said, putting his hand on the back of Sawsbuck's neck, giving it a soothing scratch. Sawsbuck seemed to calm a bit, but still looked a bit tense. "C'mon bud, it's okay," Ian said, urging Sawsbuck to move forward. Sawsbuck hesitantly did so.

  As they got to the riverbank, the same phenomena continued happening. Flowers rushed to bloom as Ian and Sawsbuck got close. This is really strange. Ian turned around, figuring the effects would wear off. Instead, all of the plants kept their flowers, and the path behind them had become demarcated with a higher level of grass. Little white flowers sprouted every few feet and Ian just looked on in bewilderment. He turned to Sawsbuck's legs, seeing if it was using some move or special ability, but nothing had the typical glow showing a Pokemon was using a move. Then he noticed a flower sprout up right where Sawsbuck picked up its front hoof, then again, and again- "Is this Grassy Terrain?" Ian asked Sawsbuck, who had a blank look in its now versant green eye. "You know as much as I do at this point, right?"

  "IAN! YO!" Tupp's voice bellowed out from deeper in the forest.

  Ian sighed in relief, finding strength in his aching muscles to jog over to Tupp. "Tupp you're alive!" Ian rejoiced.

  "Bro, you're alive. When that dude went after you I thought you were a goner..." Tupp paused, seeing Sawsbuck still by Ian's side. "Is that Deerling?"

  Ian nodded. "Is it safe here? Are Surge's guys still around?"

  "Nah man, after whatever you did that dude, I saw him running back to the road. Zapdos moved on too," Tupp said.

  "That's good..." Ian said, sitting down.

  "What'd you do to him, yo? Obviously Deerling here must've whooped some ass," Tupp said, taking a seat and pointing at Sawsbuck.

  "Hard to explain... Want some Oran Berries?" Ian asked.

  "You got some?" Tupp asked.

  Ian nodded, taking a few out of his pants pocket and handing some over while he ate one himself. "I'm still in disbelief man," Ian said, still chewing. "I went into the Lake of the Sunne."

  Tupp's eyebrows rose. "And you're alive? I call BS, yo."

  "Can't blame you," Ian said with a shrug. "I figured maybe he wouldn't follow me if I went in there, but he did."

  "And Deerling just whacked out and evolved?" Tupp asked.

  Ian shook his head. "Not at all man... Guy cornered us with his Machamp, smacked Deerling, it had a broken leg, and he was about to have Machamp take me out and he just... stopped."

  "You forreal?" Tupp asked.

  "So, Tapu Bulu came in through the ceiling or something and spooked him. Tapu Bulu then seemed like it was gonna take me out instead, but Deerling intervened or..." Ian's mind struggled to get the details straight. It was a pretty crazy event.

  "And then what?"

  "Tapu Bulu's hand changed color, and it touched Deerling, made it light up with some special power and then..." Ian paused. "It evolved."

  "Wow what the hell-" Tupp yelled abruptly as he flailed from his seated position. Ian noticed a vine had begun to grow underneath him. "Fuck is that?" Tupp asked.

  "It's happening around Sawsbuck, I'm not really sure what's up, but all the plants are growing super fast wherever it goes," Ian explained.

  "That's like what they say Tapu Bulu does," Tupp added.

  Oh yeah, Tapu Bulu's ability is Grassy Surge, which makes Grassy Terrain form around it... Ian turned to Sawsbuck, who was bent over munching carelessly on some recently grown plants. "Sawsbuck, do you have the Grassy Surge ability now? That's not normal, right?"

  Sawsbuck lifted its head up to look at Ian, still mindlessly chewing before returning to its meal.

  "You know, that would make sense..." Ian paused. If Tapu Bulu causes plants to grow exponentially faster, I see why it lives in the middle of a desert.

  "Can you make it stop? All the plants growing be freaking me out," Tupp said.

  "I lost its ball around here somewhere," Ian said.

  "You lost the pussy ball?" Tupp asked.

  "Something like that-"

  Tupp gasped suddenly, and Ian turned before gasping himself. There stood the floating Tapu, its red headpiece and dark colored body with fierce, deep blue eyes. It extended one its arms and a Heal Ball came floating out to Ian.

  "T-thank you, Tapu Bulu," Ian stammered bowing, noting Sawsbuck did as well.

  "ROOOOOOOOOOOOO," Tapu Bulu bellowed loudly before flying back across the river.

  "Bro did you see that?" Tupp asked in disbelief.

  Ian held up the Heal Ball in his hand. "It literally gave me the Heal Ball back, of course I saw it."

  "Bro... you really met that thing. Like for real…" Tupp said in shock.

  "It saved me and Deerling man," Ian said. "Very glad it did, I'm not sure why."

  "Bro ain't nobody gonna believe this yo," Tupp said.

  Ian shrugged. "I still kinda don't believe it either." Sawsbuck gave a concerned whine, and Ian turned to his evolved partner. "Scratch that, you're the proof." Sawsbuck's whining turned higher pitch, and Ian could tell it was more of a cheer.

  "Hyde's gonna be pissed yo," Tupp said.

  Ian smirked. "Well, considering I almost died twice in there, I'm not gonna rub it in his face." A thought then occurred to Ian and looked around. "Bro, is anyone else around here?"

  "Ain't seen no one," Tupp said. "But let's get moving. They might be looking for us."

  "Good idea," Ian said as he recalled Sawsbuck into the Heal Ball.

  ***

  A half hour's worth of walking later, Tupp and Ian had gotten close to what they thought was their rendezvous point when they spotted something familiar above the trees. Selene's Toucannon. It squawked, diving immediately down to the two lost trainers.

  "You gonna bring help here?" Tupp asked.

  Toucannon tilted its head slightly and squawked some more before turning perpendicularly and extending its wing, pointing to the base of the hill they'd come down. "That's where they're waiting for us?" Ian asked.

  Toucannon nodded, squawking some more before flapping its wings and lifting itself in the air. The bird Pokemon became their aerial guide, gliding slightly ahead of the duo as they walked.

  "So Tupp, you only got two Poke Balls?" Ian asked, a thought that had been pestering him coming to the forefront of his mind.

  "Yeah bro," Tupp said. "Guzma said I ain't gotten my two Pokemon strong enough in battle to deserve a third."

  Ian grimaced. He's been born and raised in the Pokemon world and he's not a good battler? Or at least he was impressed by me... Perhaps having a near autistic knowledge of the battling system and base stats for all Pokemon ended up being helpful. "Any idea on how to impress him?"

  "If I had an idea I would've done it by now, yo," Tupp admitted.

  "Good point," Ian said. Next order of business, getting a Poke Ball for Tupp from whatever the Driftwood Guild is...

  They were about halfway up the incline they came from when Toucannon dove down ahead of them. "That's them!" Selene called out from a still hidden location. As Ian and Tupp closed in, Selene and Rapp appeared from behind a nearby boulder.

  "Newbie made it back!" Rapp said in shock.

  "Tell Hyde I'm sorry, but I'm still alive!" Ian called out with a smile on his face.

  "Y'all ain't gonna believe what happened yo!" Tupp said. "We saw Tapu Bulu!"

  Plumeria emerged from behind the boulder with her arms folded and an irate scowl on her face, Hyde close behind her. "How?" Plumeria asked skeptically.

  "Ian went to the Lake of the Sunne and Deerling evolved but he lost the ball-"

  "Ian did what?" Plumeria demanded.

  "He uh..." Tupp stammered.

  Ian stepped forward. "I was being chased down by one of Surge's guys and his Machamp, I figured he'd get spooked and leave if I just went in the entrance."

  "I told you very specifically not to go in there," Plumeria said like an angry teacher. "That's it, I'm done with you. When we get back to Po Town, you're off my fucking squad."

  "Wait Big Sis, you gotta see this," Tupp said, turning to Ian. "Show her Sawsbuck and how it grows plants hella fast."

  "Don't care," Plumeria said, turning away.

  "Tapu Bulu brought Ian's Heal Ball back to him," Tupp said, almost pleading.

  "What?" Plumeria asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "Tapu Bulu did something nice for once?"

  "Deerling and I were cornered," Ian explained. "Then Tapu Bulu came in and scared the dude off, then turned to us... Its hands started to glow and Deerling started to glow and then boom, Sawsbuck appeared."

  "Tapu Bulu blessed your Deerling?" Plumeria demanded.

  "I guess?" Ian asked. "If that's what you call it."

  "Show me," Plumeria said coldly.

  Ian grabbed the Heal Ball and opened it, revealing his majestic, freshly evolved Sawsbuck to the squad. They gawked in pure surprise, and Ian noticed the gravel underneath their feet start to move as flower stems and grass sprouted from underneath.

  "Wooooah..." Rapp watched in surprise.

  "Sawsbucks don't normally get that large, do they?" Selene asked.

  "I don't think so," Ian said.

  Plumeria's attention turned to the ground as she watched more plants sprouting out from underneath. "It really blessed your Deerling..." Plumeria said in disbelief. "I've heard about the other Tapus blessing Pokemon, but never Tapu Bulu."

  Ian caught Hyde's mouth still agape, but his eyebrows furrowed. This may be about to get interesting.

  "I need to take a piss," Hyde growled suddenly, turning around and storming away from the group.

  Ian gave a silent cheer and re-focused on Plumeria. "Can you tell me more about these blessings?"

  "The last one I heard was an Oricorio on Akala Island," Plumeria explained. "It was extremely powerful, way more than other Oricorio, and it loved to challenge trainers. But that was decades ago. Its old dwelling became where the Battle Royal dome is now. "

  Ian turned to Sawsbuck and whistled. "You hear that? You're even stronger than other Sawsbuck." Sawsbuck just stared at Ian blankly. Maybe not yet at least.

  "But that doesn't change the fact you're reckless and keep getting repeatedly bailed out," Plumeria said. "I know you just got here and this seems like a whole different world for you, but there are consequences for your dumbass actions, and I'm not going to be responsible for you getting killed." Plumeria then marched up the incline, leaving Ian in stunned silence.

  "Why we going back up there?" Tupp asked.

  "The bikes are still on the other side," Selene said.

  "Shit, forgot about that," Tupp said, starting to follow Plumeria. Ian recalled Sawsbuck, the wind being taken out of his sails. He looked out wistfully to the forest they'd come from and began the slow walk up the hill. He suddenly heard a loud, bellowing male voice screaming in frustration. Hyde's definitely not too stoked about this development.

  ***

  Crossing the gap was much less painful this time around, and once they were on bikes again Ian felt a silence come over the squad. Ian wasn't sure if the silence came from exhaustion or just the group dealing with the emotional fallout of the afternoon's events, and he was too afraid to ask. Riding got easier when they got back to the road, even if they were now pedaling against fiercer wind than they rode with earlier. It's kind of funny how Alola was one of the games to not have bicycles in it and here I am biking around the place. The silence lasted until the sky darkened overhead and drops of rain began to sprinkle on them.

  "Hey Big Sis, how bad this rain gonna be?" Tupp asked.

  Plumeria held her hand out and looked up to the sky. "Nothing crazy, but not fun to ride in. We should find shelter soon."

  Shelter ended up being a familiar place, the wooded area Ian had caught his third party member. Litleo's Hollow seems like a good name for this spot. The trees weren't particularly large so they didn't offer a lot of shelter from the rain, but sitting underneath a branch proved better and safer than riding through the rainstorm. Ian sat with his back on a tree trunk watching on as Selene, Tupp and Rapp played rock-paper-scissors to pass the time.

  "Hey dumbass," Plumeria's voice said softly, taking a seat next to him.

  "Hey, soon to be former boss," Ian said, not realizing how lifeless his voice sounded. I don't think I'm cool enough with her to call her Big Sis like the others do.

  Plumeria smirked. "I might've been a bit harsh back there," she began.

  "But you weren't wrong," Ian admitted. "I've been reckless."

  "You've gone through a lot the past few days," Plumeria said. "I'm sure your mind's pretty messed up."

  Ian chuckled. "That's a nice way of putting it." He paused, thinking about all that had happened the past few days: emerging out of the Ultra Storm, the catching challenge, and the seemingly doomed struggle he'd miraculously survived. Not even mentioning what happened that damn night.

  "Maybe you're very good at hiding it, but you aren't as mopey as most other Fallers when they show up in Po Town," Plumeria said.

  Ian smirked. "I just don't think about it, it's too painful. Plus I've had plenty to distract me with recently."

  "Distractions, that's what we are?" Plumeria asked seriously, her piercing yellow eyes narrowed in on him.

  Ian shook his head. "No, it's just..." Ian sighed, his heart getting tense as the image of Suzy and Alex kissing came back to him. "I had probably the worst night of my life before I woke up here."

  "Really?"

  "I was closing after a rough shift and I went looking for a mop bucket and then boom, my girlfriend of four years is making out with this D-bag coworker of ours," Ian explained. "I stormed out and my boss called me, saying if I didn't go back I was fired. I was just about to get a promotion and start saving up for an engagement ring too..." Ian felt his eyes begin to water, but he blinked back tears. "Went right to bed, took a while to fall asleep and..." Ian's voice trailed off.

  "That's when you woke up here?" Plumeria asked in disbelief.

  "Yeah..."

  "That's rough buddy," Plumeria said. "Kind of explains why you act like you have a death wish though."

  Ian laughed for a few moments, blinking back more tears. "It's not quite that," Ian said. "But there is this 'screw the consequences' mindset I've been in. That's not even mentioning I don't think it's hit home for me that I'm probably never seeing my mom again."

  Plumeria said nothing, but something in her eyes told him that she was sorry and cared. She put her arm out tenderly and rubbed his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Ian."

  Ian smiled, hiding the tear falling down the cheek facing away from Plumeria. It took him a few seconds for him to find his words, but he wiped the tear from his cheek and turned to Plumeria. "I see why everyone calls you Big Sis."

  Plumeria smirked. "It's all part of the job."

  Ian nodded. "Sounds pretty demanding."

  Plumeria's smirk turned into a full smile as he held eye contact with her. "It sure is," Plumeria said casually before dipping her voice into a more serious tone. "How about you do one more mission with us, and if you don't do any stupid stuff, I keep you around. Sound fair?"

  Ian nodded. "More than fair actually."

  "Okay," Plumeria said. "And this whole Sawsbuck ability thing, there are some developing berries on that tree over there," Plumeria pointed close to where Tupp, Selene, and Rapp were sitting. "Think Sawsbuck can grow some for us? I'm sure we're all pretty hungry."

  "That's an idea," Ian said, grabbing Sawsbuck's Heal Ball and standing up. He ignored the raindrops hitting his skin and tossed Sawsbuck's ball casually, fixing his eyes on what he realized was the berry tree and saw in moments how the unripe, green fruits suddenly expanded and changed color from light green to light blue with green leaves on top. Blue strawberries? No, Rawst Berries. "Anyone want some Rawst Berries?" Ian asked, starting to pick the fruit from the tree.

  "Is a pig's pussy pork?" Tupp said crassly, getting a chuckle from the girls. Ian started lightly tossing the strawberry lookalikes to his fellow Team Skull members and took a bite of one, feeling a bizarre chill on his tongue for a moment. So that's why they heal burns. Plumeria got up next to him and snatched a berry from his hand.

  "What about Hyde?" Ian asked.

  Plumeria shrugged. "Let him sulk. I'm sure he wouldn't want it from you anyways."

  Ian shrugged. "Might be worth a shot."

  Plumeria glanced to make sure the other squad members hadn't snuck up on them and leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "I think he's got something against you Unovans," Plumeria explained. "He threw these same tantrums when we picked up a Unovan last month."

  "Oh..."

  "Just a thought on my end," Plumeria said.

  "Gotcha," Ian replied.

  ***

  The rain held for another hour or so, and it was now late afternoon when the group hopped back on their bikes and finished the final stretch to Po Town.

  "Ian, when we get back to Po Town, you're coming with me to Shady House," Plumeria said. "Selene, go get Tom for me. He needs to hear this too."

  "On it Big Sis," Selene said as the group pulled up to the now closed gates of Po Town.

  Plumeria started hand-signing unenthusiastically at the dark window next to the gate and moments later the gates opened with a clangor of metal screeching, only for Rook with his noticeably muscular physique to appear just beyond the gate. "You're late, Plumeria," Rook accused as the squad walked their bikes to the wall just inside the gate.

  "Things didn't go according to plan," Plumeria said.

  "I heard. Pete's squad's guy beat you here," Rook said, eyeing the rest of Plumeria's squad. "Everyone made it back for you? Color me surprised."

  "Come with me to Shady House, gotta tell Guzma and Tom something important," Plumeria said.

  "Are we at war with Surge then?" Rook asked grimly.

  "No. At least I don't think so," Plumeria said.

  "Then it can't be that important," Rook said.

  "It is that important. Come." Plumeria grunted, and Rook rolled his eyes but did so, giving instructions to the guards behind him.

  As the squad made their way up The Spine, there were a number of Po Town's denizens eyeing them suspiciously, most eyes centered on Plumeria. Perils of leadership, I guess. Ian felt a pang of guilt as the heart-to-heart with Plumeria replayed in his mind. Selene eventually split off to get Tom, and when they got to the intersection at the end of The Spine, Guzma was already in front of Shady House, arms folded and a scowl on his face. Guzma's little Larvesta hung from the front doors, clinging on for dear life as it had started to slide down to the ground.

  "Everyone but Ian, go," Plumeria instructed.

  Hyde gave an audible "Hmph," but the rest complied quietly.

  Rook spoke first. "So what's all this about Plu?"

  "Don't call me that," Plumeria retorted.

  "I'm older than you, I'm not calling you Big Sis," Rook fired back.

  "Call me by my name then," Plumeria said, frustration evident in her voice.

  "You two done or should I get you a room?" Guzma asked sourly.

  Because Plumeria was in front of Ian, he couldn't see the look Plumeria gave Guzma, but it was enough to make Guzma chuckle.

  "So first order of business, what's pizza boy doing here?" Guzma asked, indicating Ian. It's almost endearing at this point.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "Pizza boy got chased down by one of Surge's goons," Plumeria explained. "He figured the only way to get away from his pursuer was to go into the Lake of the Sunne..."

  "Ha! Never happened, guarantee it," Rook chimed in.

  "What's all this about?" Tom asked as he strode into the informal Team Skull cadre meeting.

  "It looks like Ian here ran into Tapu Bulu and it blessed his Deerling," Plumeria continued. A hush fell over the group as the island guardian's name hit their ears.

  "Big claim," Rook said.

  Guzma eyed Ian skeptically. "Show us."

  Plumeria turned to Ian and gave a nod. Ian reached for his Heal Ball and tossed it into the air, revealing Sawsbuck in a flash of red light. Sawsbuck's majesty lasted for only a moment, as it became spooked from being the center of attention and moved its hooves about fearfully.

  "So what?" Rook teased.

  "Look beneath you, Rook," Guzma pointed out.

  The already unkempt lawn in front of Shady House began sprouting even longer grass and weeds, with a couple dandelions growing out of the grass well. Flowers appeared on a bush to the side of the house, and Ian noticed Guzma's Larvesta hit the ground with a comical thud.

  "Do Sawsbuck normally have the Grassy Surge ability?" Tom asked.

  "No," Ian said. "Usually Sap Sipper or Chlorophyll."

  "Blessed by Tapu Bulu... I never thought I'd see the day," Tom said. "My grandpa told me he got to see the Alolan Raichu blessed by Tapu Koko in his youth. He said it was a wondrous sight to behold."

  "Not bad, pizza boy," Guzma said. "Pretty sure this is the first blessing Tapu Bulu's ever given out."

  Plumeria nodded in agreement.

  "So this Grassy Surge ability..." Tom began. "How effective is it for plants?"

  "Berries that weren't even halfway mature ripened in just moments of exposure," Plumeria said.

  "I assume we're all thinking what I'm thinking?" Tom asked, to which the Team Skull heads all nodded in solidarity. "This could be the answer to our coming food crisis."

  "We should go to Palmer's Ranch and get those seeds then," Rook said. Something tells me this meeting just became so important I shouldn't be here... Better not draw any attention.

  "We don't have the laborers to harvest like that," Tom said. "Certain Team Skull squads would have to assist, especially those with Pokemon suitable for it."

  "Well we don't have the ability to defend those swathes of land," Rook said. "We barely have enough to keep the wall fully stationed."

  "Let's not get hasty here," Guzma said, stepping into the center of the meeting. "We don't even know if Sawsbuck here's special ability works like that over time."

  "We can try it out with the berry grove just outside of town," Tom said.

  Plumeria stifled a laugh. "Last time Ian and this Pokemon were there they nearly died."

  "That's what you get for hanging out too long on Ariados' turf," Guzma said, pride filling his voice.

  "Boss, with all due respect..." Tom began hesitantly. "...if we have a chance to fix the food crisis, we need to pursue it to the best of our ability."

  Guzma snorted. "Alphas aren't like normal Pokemon, they have to be out in nature to keep their alpha power boosts," he explained. "I keep Po Town safe, and Ariados must be at full strength for that to happen. End of discussion."

  Tom's head hung low when Guzma finished speaking.

  "Boss," Plumeria spoke up. "Maybe we could rotate Sawsbuck to be on the opposite side of the creek that Ariados is on at the time."

  Ian gulped. Something tells me Sawsbuck isn't going to be too keen on going near Ariados again. Plus I don't want anything to do with it myself.

  "We gonna need food, boss," Rook offered. "Plumeria's idea really doesn't sound that bad, and Ariados still gets to do its thing."

  Guzma grunted, but stepped back. "We'll give it a try tomorrow."

  Plumeria stepped forward. "Thanks boss..." Plumeria paused, treading delicately. "I heard there might've been fallout from the incident today with Surge?"

  "Driftwood already reached out," Guzma said. "Said Surge will send someone here to talk tomorrow. I doubt it'll be anything big. Surge is too preoccupied with going back and forth with Malie City."

  "He might just be waiting to starve us out," Rook said. "We run out of food, he promises us food, we become his bitches. Breon's trying the same thing."

  Guzma's attention turned to Sawsbuck and eyed it curiously. "Let's hope pizza boy's little miracle here can bail us out of this."

  Ian smiled, giving Guzma a nod. "We'll do our best," Ian chimed in.

  The meeting ended shortly after that with Guzma picking up his Larvesta by its horns and carrying it inside as it scrambled helplessly in protest. With the sunset just beginning, Ian had a certain burning desire for knowledge. What are Sawsbuck's new capabilities? Ian and Sawsbuck made their way to the cul-de-sac on Backstreet in the corner behind Shady House, as inches of unkempt grass and various plant life grew suddenly with Sawsbuck's mere presence.

  Ian felt a big grin shining through him as he got to the space he'd unofficially declared his training spot empty. Tupp did say something about some people watching us out here last time, right?

  "Alright Sawsbuck," Ian said authoritatively. "What are some new moves you learned?"

  Sawsbuck's antlers began glowing grown, and suddenly looked much sharper. Sawsbuck then leapt forward, ramming its antlers into the great tree trunk in the front yard. Green energy then seemed to flow back out of the tree and into Sawsbuck's horns. That's the horn thing. Horn Leech, right?

  After Sawsbuck pranced around the front yard with extra vigor, it got back into a fighting stance, channeling pink energy to its head and antlers. Psychic Type Energy? Zen Headbutt! Sawsbuck charged to the tree, crashing into the trunk as a high pitched psychic whine hit Ian's ears for a moment. A deep gash in the outer wood of the trunk showed evidence of the attack's might, only for Sawsbuck's horn to grow a light green, and fresh wood crawled across the gash, re-sealing it. That's nifty.

  Sawsbuck seemed to tire a bit, but pranced around the yard one more time before getting into position. Sawsbuck's hooves glowed with a light brown energy and stuck them in the ground almost like it was going to use Sand Attack. Instead, Sawsbuck's whole body then took on the light brown glow and it charged forward, moving mounds of dirt like a bulldozer. Bulldoze, that's an easy one.

  "Yo bro!" Tupp's voice called from behind Ian as Sawsbuck began to pant. "Just got back from the Pokemon Center, you back here training again?"

  Ian nodded. "Yup Tupp! I wanna see what Sawsbuck's capable of now."

  "Bro, what happened at the meeting? You got to hear everything, right?" Tupp asked.

  "I mean, yeah..." Ian said, and began explaining about Tom wanting to use Sawsbuck's Grassy Surge ability to grow food way more rapidly, when he got to Guzma's initial rejection of the berry grove idea, a thudding bass note came from the house directly behind the two. "What the..?" Ian asked in bewilderment.

  Tupp rolled his eyes. "It's these guys, great..."

  "What guys? The guy watching us from last time?"

  "You'll see yo," Tupp said sourly.

  The sub-woofer got louder as the windows that weren't busted on the house rattled as the bass rattled in Ian's eardrums. From one of the second story windows came a tall, uniformed Team Skull member who swaggered on the shingles before flipping a hand sign and posing. Once he took his position, another climbed out of the same window, this one a bit more unsteadily as he swaggered, nearly tripping on the shingles of the overhang. Once he steadied himself, another one, notably shorter than the other two but not wearing a skull cap came out, showing his blonde hair and wearing a pair of sunglasses. This one struck a pose between the other two, emphasizing he was the de-facto leader of this little group. He's trying really hard to look cool, whoever he is.

  The short guy in the middle opened his mouth to start talking, but all Ian could hear was the overly loud rumble of the bass. "Can't hear you!" Ian shouted, pointing to his ear.

  Whoever the sunglasses guy was realized what was up, and pointed the clumsy one back inside. Ian gave Tupp a look as if to say "are they serious?" The bass finally lowered, with the two guys standing on the shingles waiting awkwardly as the clumsy one gracelessly stepped out of the window once more. He went back to his spot and stumbled, falling forward and nearly falling off, a hand on the gutter managing to save him... If only for a moment as the material groaned and creaked before the section of gutter the clumsy one held onto completely detached from the house, dropping the hanging Team Skull member onto the front yard.

  Ian and Tupp bursted into a fit of laughter. "That's rough, dude," Ian said. The fallen member of the trio ran for the front door, but it was locked. He then scurried around to the back of the house.

  "How 'bout you shut ya' faces right now, 'fore we chop ya' up like a wasted cow!" The Team Skull member with sunglasses started saying rhythmically. Wait, is he rapping?

  "Hey idiots, who the fuck are you guys?" Ian called out.

  "Who are we?" The short blonde guy in sunglasses called back over the bass. "You end up on Backstreet, you gonna deal with us! Excited guy down there is Versez, and to my right is the muscle, that's Flexx!" He paused for dramatic effect as he lowered his sunglasses. "And they call me Lil'Dizz."

  "And who are we!?" The taller, muscular guy named Flexx called out rhetorically.

  These guys can't be serious, can they?

  "You bettuh' pray for mercy, cuz we da'..." Lil' Dizz paused for dramatic effect, then flipped his hair back, and then said in as dangerous a tone he could muster: "...Backstreet Boyz."

  Ian keeled over in another fit of hysterical laughter, not sure he could believe what his ears had just heard. At a point, Tupp's hand went to Ian's back. "Hey bro, you kinda pissing them off."

  Ian shook his head. "I was not ready for that, not gonna lie," Ian said, trying to regain his breath.

  "Fuck's your problem?" Flexx asked from atop the overhang.

  "Guys... I didn't mean to laugh so much..." Ian paused to stifle another cackle. "I'm a new Faller around here, and back home there was this boy band-"

  "I don't give a fuck about no boy bands, yo!" Lil' Dizz called out angrily. "You come to this street, our street, and disrespect us like this? You beggin' for a fight yo!"

  Ian turned to Tupp, who shrugged. "Yeah, we kinda gotta do this bro," Tupp said.

  "You know these guys?" Ian asked. "They strong?"

  "I dunno the clumsy one," Tupp said. "But those other two, yeah. They pretty strong."

  "Put 'em up, Tupp, new guy!" Lil' Dizz said, he and Flexx were taking a Poke Ball out apiece. "Double battle, one 'mon a piece!"

  Ian turned to Tupp, feeling a bit nervous. I haven't been in an organized fight like this...

  "Bro we gotta," Tupp said, grabbing a Poke Ball from his belt. Ian figured Sawsbuck had enough time to catch its breath and decided he might as well go with it.

  "A'ight asshat, listen up," Lil' Dizz began. "When we whoop yo' ass, you gettin' on your knees and kissing my fuckin' feet."

  "That's oddly specific!" Ian called back. "I agree as long as you don't touch yourself while I do it!"

  Lil' Dizz tensed with anger and muttered something incoherent.

  "And if we win?" Tupp asked.

  The two Backstreet Boyz on the overhang looked at each other uncertainly and shrugged. "We let you leave, how 'bout that?" Lil' Dizz called back.

  "How about we get to train here in the front yard?" Ian replied. "Just us two, no other friends or anything."

  Flexx eyed Lil' Dizz, and they both nodded. "Fine! You using that oversized bush down there?"

  "Yeah!" Ian called back, suddenly a faint green glow came across the battlefield.

  "That's first choice then, I'll go second!" Flexx said, grabbing a Great Ball and tossing it off the house's overhang. After a flurry of red light, an Electabuzz materialized, its yellow and black body emitting sparks as it flexed.

  "Third, Scrafty!" Lil' Dizz called out, sending a Poke Ball out, revealing the vandal looking Pokemon with a red mohawk atop its orange skinned head, A yellow, rubbery material covered its torso, only to drop and reveal more orange skin.

  "What's going on here?" Ian asked.

  "We're taking turns revealing, since we know what you got already," Tupp said.

  I guess there is honor amongst Team Skull members, no matter the beef.

  "Golbat, get out here!" Tupp announced as Golbat appeared in a flash of red light. "You ready?" Tupp asked.

  "Yeah, GO!" Flexx yelled.

  A cacophony of orders were called, with Ian staying conservative and yelling "Leech Seed!"

  The four combatants sprang into action, Golbat charging in first, wings aglow with a Wing Attack. Sawsbuck's Leech Seed was able to land unhindered on Electabuzz, who was charging up a Thunder Punch and diving to defend Scrafty. Scraft glowed with Dark Type Energy and dodged the streaking Golbat like it was in The Matrix. Golbat slowed out of sheer surprise, and its hesitation was met with Thunder Punch from Electabuzz, smacking it into the ground. That sure does happen to Tupp's Golbat a lot, why is he sending it charging in headfirst for a battle like this?

  "You gonna join the fight, yo?" Tupp asked, slightly annoyed.

  I wanted to play it safe and wait them out, looks like I won't get that chance. "Sawsbuck, Bulldoze!" Sawsbuck charged through the battlefield, aglow with light brown energy as the shaking ground made Scrafty and Electabuzz lose their footing, leaving them sitting ducks as the wave of dirt and dust washed over them. Golbat managed to make it in the air but not looking great. "Poison Fang that son of a bitch!" Tupp yelled out. Why not Air Cutter? I know you got it Tupp!

  Golbat's fangs glowed a deep purple, diving into the dust where the two opponents who were still getting out of the piles of dirt they'd been were buried in. Scrafty gave a pained bellow while Sawsbuck made a clean getaway, Ian noticing green bubbles of energy had flowed from the vines now hanging off of Electabuzz and going to Sawsbuck.

  "Perfect! Sawsbuck, Leech Seed Scrafty too!" Ian ordered, sending another large green pellet across the battlefield, and bursting, wrapping little vines around Scrafty.

  "Really bro?" Tupp said in frustration. "You gonna get in this at all?"

  Ian rolled his eyes, trying to tune Tupp's critique from his mind.

  "Shock Wave!" Flexx ordered. Electabuzz raised its hand and fired a bolt of electricity to the sky before Golbat could move, striking it down from the sky.

  "Scrafty, finish it with Crunch!" Lil' Dizz ordered.

  "Horn Leech!" Ian called out desperately.

  Golbat was near helpless, and while Sawsbuck was fast, Scrafty had the initiative. It caught the falling bat in its jaws, now cloaked in Dark Type Energy and chomped on it, Golbat eliciting a pained screech before going limp. Sawsbuck's Horn Leech rammed into Scrafty's exposed torso, puncturing it and sending it careening into the house's wall, with green bubbles of energy getting absorbed into Sawsbuck from Horn Leech and both Leech Seeds. Scrafty got up, glowing in red energy as it cheered savagely in victory.

  Tupp recalled Golbat with a grunt, and Ian caught a sour look in his peripheral vision as Sawsbuck withdrew to its side of the field. Even if I win this, the conversation afterwards will not be fun.

  "Now it's two versus one, suckah, and Scrafty's all Moxie'd up!" Lil' Dizz taunted.

  Aw shit, Scrafty's attack just went up.

  "Ain't laughing now bitch! This why we the Backstreet Boyz!" Flexx piled on.

  Ian grimaced, taking a deep breath, readying himself for the next round. Both opponents have taken some real hits, and Sawsbuck's probably even better than it was at the start of the fight thanks to all of the leeching. Ian studied Scrafty for just a moment, noticing a purple tinge of color in its face. It's poisoned, I got a chance! Just gotta stall.

  "Sawsbuck, prepare to dodge!" Ian ordered.

  "Electabuzz, Swift!"

  "Scrafty, Brick Break!"

  Ian expected some movement, but Sawsbuck stood in place, almost dancing rhythmically as dark pink energy flowed through its legs. What is- it's Agility! The energies suddenly dissipated and Sawsbuck bolted left, Scrafty missing by just a few precious seconds. Some star-bolts of Swift did collide with Sawsbuck's body, resulting in mini explosions, but Sawsbuck seemed mostly unphased. Take out Electabuzz and Scrafty won't last a while, it's Speed is de-buffed and Sawsbuck will run circles around it.

  "Sawsbuck, Horn Leech Electabuzz, finish it!" Ian shouted. Sawsbuck was already en route, antlers aglow before Ian even finished the sentence.

  "Electabuzz, hold on and Thunder Wave!"

  What? Shit! Sawsbuck connected, its antlers piercing into Electabuzz and the two slammed into the house's wall harshly. C'mon, go down! Electabuzz clearly was struggling and on its last breath, but Sawsbuck tried to break free from Electabuzz's grip, and then sparks of electricity erupted around the both of them. There goes Sawsbuck's speed advantage. Electabuzz collapsed shortly after.

  Before the Thunder Wave had fully faded, Scrafty was midair, its head aglow with dark red Fight Type Energy as it wound up its neck and threw its head into Sawsbuck's torso, connecting with the brutal Brick Break, shaking the surrounding area and causing his blessed stag to yelp desperately.

  Sawsbuck hobbled away from the wall, which now had an indent from the blows. Looks like he got the wind knocked out of him or something. Really can't play keep away anymore.

  "Torment!" Lil' Dizz ordered. Scrafty suddenly glowed with more Dark Type Energy and when it dissipated, it flared up around Sawsbuck, freaking it out. Dammit, no Horn Leech. Maybe try Bulldoze? Needs to be a knockout blow.

  "Scrafty, finish this, one more Brick Break!" The lead Backstreet Boy commanded.

  C'mon Ian, think of something. I bet he's never washed his toes. "Double Kick from above!" Ian belted out desperately. Sawsbuck mustered what strength it had from its strained breathing and leapt, two front legs aglow in the same energy as Scrafty's head. Scrafty wound up its neck one more time, ready to launch its dome forward for the commanding blow, but Sawsbuck's hooves slammed into Scrafty's exposed torso, crunching the body against Scrafty's legs. Scrafty's head still went forward, giving Sawsbuck's legs a glancing blow but with enough force to knock Sawsbuck off balance.

  "What the...!?" Lil' Dizz shouted in disbelief.

  Scrafty tried to claw its way back up, and Sawsbuck's neck suddenly fell under the weight.

  "Ha! That's it, that's ma-"

  Green bubbles of energy suddenly floated from Scrafty to Sawsbuck, making Scrafty collapse in the dirt, while Sawsbuck regained enough strength to struggle onto its hooves again, rather unsteadily as it did so.

  "FUCK!" Lil' Dizz shouted.

  Ian pumped his fist before recalling his victorious stag. This victory doesn't feel that great though. Ian eyed Tupp, who had watched the rest of the match sulking in silence.

  "Ay that was a good fight though," Lil' Dizz said.

  "It was a crazy fight," Ian said, stepping closer to the house's overhang where the Backstreet Boyz still stood. "I didn't mean to disrespect you guys like that. It's just been a really crazy few days. That's my bad."

  "I hear you, yo," Lil' Dizz said, still slightly bitter.

  "It didn't help that..." Ian pointed to the clumsy guy. Versez? "...the gutter came down with him."

  Versez gave a nervous wave and nodded. "You ain't wrong fella. Guy who fights like that got my respect," Lil' Dizz continued. "But you prolly wanna go check on your boy. You owe him after that fight."

  "I owed him my life before the fight! I'll see you around Backstreet Boyz!" Ian replied, turning around and seeing Tupp walking away, clearly in the dumps. Ian hustled to catch up and lowered his voice. "Hey man..."

  "Ain't gotta say nothing, you won..." Tupp uttered lowly.

  "We never practiced double battling, and I didn't know everything Sawsbuck could do," Ian explained.

  Tupp shrugged in response, staying quiet.

  "Look, I don't know how to handle double battles, I've never been in one-"

  "You never even been in one?" Tupp said, anger in his eyes. "You still beat 'em one vs. two, so I guess fuck me, yo." Tupp turned away, clearly agitated.

  Ian sighed, smacking his palm against his head. Real smart Ian. I gotta give him some time... Why's it I win the first fun Pokemon battle I've had and I feel like I lost?