Story Notes:
"This is just something I wanted to write" echoes the point of Vacation quite well. Some things might carry over into Hunt, but I'm going to leave this as more of a Chronicles style story. I'm happy to take some suggestions as well, so if there's something you want to see don't hesitate to bring it up when you comment. (keeping in mind I won't write things like rape, vore, scat, water sports)
A Bird in the Hand
"I can't believe you did that."
"Hey, I needed more."
"You never need rope. You always have heaps of rope. You never use any of it."
"She's right you know."
"Oh, cram it Ivysaur."
Wolf closed his eyes, keeping a hold of the new bundles of rope he had bought earlier that morning from Fortree's mart. Lucky and Ivysaur had joined him, though the discussion on rope hadn't started until Lucky realised that he had bought it. Now they were heading home, trying to make sure they got there before the rapidly approaching storm clouds hit.
"There's something odd about this storm." Ivysaur said, hoping to get the conversation back onto more pleasant ground. "There's no way in hell it was supposed to be anything but sunny today." Wolf nodded in agreement, having caught the weather on television that morning to hear more or less the same thing.
"You guys think something's up?" he asked, not bothering to slow his pace to glance at the blackened sky. Lucky shivered a little, though it wasn't cold.
"Probably." She offered, falling silent as she scanned the clouds. "What do you suppose that is?" Following where she indicated, Wolf and Ivysaur were now able to make out a growing spot on the horizon. As they watched, it grew steadily in size until they could make out a definite shape, that of a large yellow bird gliding towards Fortree with only the occasional beat of its wings. With each flap though, a rolling thunderclap shattered the silence and causing Wolf to start in recognition. He knew the identity of the approaching pokemon, his guess confirmed as it began to angle in his direction and the trainer could now make out more of Zapdos' details.
"Wolf, it has been quite a while." The legendary pokemon said as he glided down, using his wings to halt his descent and land in front of the trainer. "I hope you have been well."
"Yes thanks, Zapdos." Wolf replied, smiling broadly in greeting. "How about you?"
"Nothing to complain about." He replied, indicating with a tilt of his head to the pokemon standing next to Wolf. "Lucky, Ivysaur, how are you?"
"Pretty good, especially since I don't have to be a forest guardian." Ivysaur said, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he admitted it. Zapdos nodded in an understanding manner before turning to Lucky, who had a happy, yet faraway, look on her face.
"Very well." She replied, slipping one arm around Wolf's waist. "I got my wish, and more." Her eyes fixed on Wolf's own, letting the thunder bird smile in his own way.
"I'm glad to hear it, and I wish both of you every happiness." He said, inclining his head to the lovers. They grinned broadly back, before Zapdos spoke again. "Wolf, I've heard that you're becoming quite the respected trainer amongst humans. Would you like my help in maintaining your position?"
"You're offering to join me again?" Wolf asked, tilting his head with a half smile. "Well, the no-more-than-six-pokemon rule's already been broken, so you might as well join us." At the trainer's statement, Zapdos seemed to adopt a slightly mocking expression.
"Who said I would just 'join you?'" he answered, staring Wolf straight in the eye. "A powerful trainer like you certainly doesn't need a hand out, so if you want me you'll have to catch me."
"Wait, what?" he asked, confused. "If that's the case, why are you offering? By your own logic I don't need you, so-"
"Wolf, think about it." Lucky interrupted. "Great trainer you may be, but you've never actually captured a pokemon in the conventional way. You're seriously going to turn down a challenge like this?"
"Yeah!" Ivysaur added, his voice full of an easy confidence. "Let's catch this guy!" Looking into the adamant faces of his pokemon, Wolf could feel their belief in him and their desire to conquer the challenge laid at their feet infecting him. He turned to Zapdos, a smirk appearing on his face.
"You're on." He said, letting the legendary pokemon withdraw a short distance in order to start the battle evenly. "Ivysaur, you're up." The grass pokemon stepped forward, standing ready to take on Zapdos with calm certainty in Wolf's guidance. Zapdos hovered close to five feet off the ground, the accompanying thunder claps muted by the slow wing beats. Both trainer and grass pokemon stared at their quarry, waiting for the best opportunity to start.
"Ivysaur, razor leaf!" Wolf said as the thunder bird's wings were almost at their lowest point, Ivysaur sending a hail of sharp edged leaves at his opponent. Zapdos let himself drop below the flurry of razor projectiles before speeding towards Ivysaur, breaking off when the grass pokemon lowered his aim. He withdrew again, shooting a powerful thunder at his opponent once the torrent of leaves stopped.
"Ivysaur, vines in the ground!" Wolf yelled, Ivysaur complying by ramming the ends of his vines through the dirt. The thunder found its mark, though its damage was sapped as the connection to the ground with his vines grounded the high voltage electricity. Once it was over Ivysaur shook himself free of the shock, still taking some damage in spite of the ground absorbing the worst of it.
"Neat trick." Zapdos laughed, spiralling into a full dive at speed to take advantage of Ivysaur's suddenly fixed position. His beak glowed, sure indication that he was going to use drill peck against his pinned opponent.
"Just focus on one vine!" Wolf called out, the grass pokemon abandoning any effort in dodging to dislodge a vine and send it shooting at the thunder bird. Zapdos was approaching too fast to break off, the thick vine striking across one side and spoiling his attack. He retreated again, only to take careful aim and fire off a charge beam at Ivysaur. Wolf glanced at Ivysaur, knowing that dodging wasn't an option.
"Use leech seed!" he yelled, the pokemon sending a seed arching high in the air towards Zapdos while he was focussed on his own attack. The projectile hit Zapdos even as the charge beam made contact, though the sprouting parasitic plant caused the legendary pokemon to lose focus as it sapped his energy, Ivysaur once again spared the worst of an electric attack.
"Argh!" Zapdos groaned, falling out of the sky to land heavily a short distance away. Wolf saw the opening, knowing that Ivysaur was already primed and ready.
"Now use solarbeam!" he cried, the grass pokemon unleashing his stored solar energy at Zapdos, the thunder bird unable to avoid it due to leech seed. The attack detonated against Zapdos, the dust clearing to show the legendary pokemon struggling to rise. Not wasting time, Wolf grabbed out one of the new poke balls he had bought along with the rope, staring determinedly at the legendary pokemon.
"Poke ball go!" he yelled, throwing the object at Zapdos and watching as he disappeared inside. Wolf glared at the poke ball as it shook, as though he could make the ball capture quicker through sheer force of will. For what seemed like an eternity for the trio the poke ball shook from side to side, until it finally went quiet. Wolf walked over and picked it up, gazing at the poke ball in wonder.
"I feel like I should say something here." He said, still gazing at the poke ball.
***
"You lied to me."
Jazz glared sullenly at Wolf as everyone sat around eating breakfast the next day, having barely touched her own food. She had awoken to find that Zapdos was still there, and that he would be staying on as part of the team. Lucky had been the one to tell her, and had been forced to drop flat pretty quickly due to the Raichu's reaction.
"I most certainly did not." Wolf replied, skimming over a story in the paper about pokemon rangers. "You said you would be on perfect behaviour for an entire year if I asked Zapdos to stay for twenty minutes longer so you two could have some time together. It's your own fault for not finding out how long he was staying to begin with."
"Oh, don't try and turn this back on me." She snapped, turning her back to the trainer. "This is your fault and you know it." Wolf grinned ruefully, looking over to where Zapdos pecked at his own breakfast. He was at least trying to look guilty, since he hadn't told Jazz either.
"Don't worry Jazz." Wolf said, walking over and scratching her back, forcing the electric mouse to work hard at concealing how much she liked it. "While I'd appreciate you keeping your fur to yourself for a while, I think we can overlook that agreement in this case." Jazz didn't turn back to him, but Wolf could tell that she wasn't quite so angry with him anymore.
"Yeah, well..." she trailed off, not really having anything to say. Wolf smiled, glad that she wasn't upset anymore.
"Hey Wolf, what's pokeringer?" Lucky asked, the trainer turning to find the Lucario reading a story in the paper. He went back to his breakfast, glancing at the story as he sat down.
"I think it's that thing where flying pokemon compete in something that's a cross between soccer and an aerial bettle." He said. She read the last of the article, musing to herself.
"It says that there's a one day pokeringer contest coming to Fortree tomorrow." She said, glancing over at Zapdos. "Why don't you have a go at it?"
"You think we should?" he asked, prodding his cereal with the spoon. "I haven't got the faintest idea on things like wind currents."
"No better time to learn." She said.
***
An hour later, Wolf had finally given in to Lucky's nagging that he really should be doing something constructive instead of just lazing around the house for a couple of months. Zapdos had agreed with her idea, still feeling a need to prove himself a part of the team due to his recent arrival. However, training for the pokeringer contest was much harder than Wolf had anticipated.
In spite of a try again attitude and high levels of patience, Wolf hadn't been able to make any progress on learning about the wind currents and three dimensional manoeuvres that a pokeringer contest used as its basis. Zapdos had tried to explain to the trainer about feeling the wind and judging its speed and direction from that, but Wolf had proved to be a very inept student as far as that was concerned.
"Aaaah!" Wolf yelled, clutching at his head in frustration. "I have no idea what that's supposed to mean! Speak English!"
"It's very simple Wolf." Zapdos replied, a trace of testiness in his voice. "You simply wait for the headwind to abate, only proceeding when I can get maximum velocity from a tailwind." Wolf stared at him, one eye twitching as he once again failed to understand anything the legendary bird was talking about.
"Now what in the hell's a headwind?!" he howled, walking over to a nearby tree and thumping his forehead against it. "Does it mean you have to go up or something?" Zapdos was spared having to answer Wolf's question by the appearance of Lucky, who looked between the pair with a grimace.
"I take it that means the training's not going well?" she asked, looking sympathetically at Wolf. He gave her a look that suggested he wanted to hit something, though she knew he wouldn't.
"About as well as a Snorlax's diet." He replied acidly, slumping against the tree. "Maybe if he'd talk in a way I can understand, we-"
"Maybe if you had a brain you'd understand!" Zapdos shot back, Wolf prevented from replying in kind by Lucky pressing him back into the tree. He looked angrily down at her, watching her breathing heavily until he realised she wanted him to copy her. Taking a few deep breaths, Wolf felt his anger abating.
"Better?" she asked, Wolf nodding in response. She turned to Zapdos, giving him a placating look. "Zapdos, I know you mean well, but you have to remember that Wolf has had very little experience with flight before, and therefore won't be able to understand your technical terms straight away." Now she turned back to Wolf, placing one paw on his shoulder. "Wolf, you have to realize that right now Zapdos is trying to teach something to someone who is unable to fully appreciate it, so it's probably quite hard for him to explain it in a way you will easily understand. I would imagine it's like trying to describe colour to a blind person."
"Yeah..." Wolf sighed, nodding. "You're right Lucky, I'm sure we can figure out a way to do this." Zapdos nodded as well, conceding that neither of them had been acting civil. Lucky grinned.
"I'm surprised you didn't think of the easy solution though." She said. "I'm sure Winona's not doing anything."
***
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Summer Pokeringer Contest here in Fortree City!"
Applause erupted from the stands as Wolf glanced over the crowd, feeling somewhat out of place due to the event not being a standard pokemon league. Even with Winona's crash course in aerial manoeuvres he didn't feel like he was fully ready, taking a quick look at the Fortree gym leader standing next to him. She wasn't looking at him, though he could tell that she was full of confidence. He shrugged, conceding that this was her element.
What bothered him most was the way she had told him that she would be competing in the pokeringer contest just before he and Zapdos had left in the afternoon, a smug smile on her face. He couldn't shake himself of the feeling that she may not have given him a proper lesson because of that, although Zapdos had confirmed everything that Winona had told him was accurate. He had bought it, putting it down to her wanting a challenge during the contest. Now he was silently praying to anyone who'd listen for some luck.
Wolf wasn't listening to the announcer as he ran through the starting match ups, knowing he could find out when he went back to the waiting room to find them out himself. Scanning the crowd, he found where his parents, Lucky, Flannery, Serenity and Sephiria were watching the proceedings. When they noticed him looking they gave him an encouraging wave, stopping after he had waved back.
Now at least he felt some measure of confidence returning, taking a quick look at Zapdos' poke ball on his waist to steel his nerves.
***
It was fast approaching two thirty in the afternoon as Wolf waited for the Zapdos balloon to be fully prepared for the final match, his heart hammering against his ribs like a drum. He had managed to claw his way to the finals, though it hadn't done anything to build up confidence in his own ability to effectively compete. He was certain that it had been Zapdos' own legendary status and power that had carried the day so far, their opponents shaken by the prospect of facing such a powerful pokemon and therefore making mistakes they wouldn't have ordinarily. Prevented from talking with Lucky and the others, Wolf was far from his mental peak, and knowing Winona was his opponent wasn't helping either.
Wolf was waved over to the balloon by the attendant, climbing in and closing the gate behind him even as the balloon began to lift into the air. Clearing the gate, Wolf looked over to where Winona's own Skarmory balloon was rising from the opposite station, seeing the Fortree gym leader offering her prayers to the sky. He merely breathed slowly, trying to calm himself before the battle began. As the balloons reached their set height, Wolf reached for the poke ball at his waist.
"Zapdos, you're up!" he cried, releasing the legendary pokemon into the arena. In a flash of white light the thunder bird appeared, taking to the wind with no problem. Opposite him, Winona called out her Skarmory and the steel bird appeared opposite Zapdos, showing no signs of doubt about his opponent.
"We're not intimidated by Zapdos like your previous opponents Wolf!" Winona called out, her face reflecting her confidence. "You're going to have to work for this win!" Wolf nodded in response, his fears confirmed. Winona wasn't going to make amateur mistakes just because she was facing a legendary pokemon. Combined with her own expertise in flying manoeuvres and Skarmory's own resilience to physical attacks, Wolf's hopes for victory dwindled further.
"Begin!"
"Zapdos, get that ring!" Wolf yelled, hoping to end the match quickly and deny the gym leader a chance to retaliate. Winona waited patiently, her suspicions confirmed when a faint breeze began to stir her hair.
"Now Skarmory, use steel wing!" she said, watching as Skarmory rode the strengthening wind and letting his velocity build up to slam home into Zapdos. He cried out as he was knocked off course, Skarmory quickly getting back onto the wind current and riding it towards the ring. Winona hadn't counted on his resilience though, the thunder bird recovering swiftly.
"Drill peck!" Wolf called out, watching as Zapdos followed the same current to close in on Skarmory with his superior speed. Beak glowing, Zapdos launched his attack on Skarmory's back as he closed in on the ring. The steel bird took little damage, but was distracted enough to allow Zapdos time to grab the ring and disengage from the current. "Head for the goal!" Wolf yelled, the thunder bird spiralling into a dive to head for the goal posts with the ring grasped firmly in his beak. Winona and Skarmory weren't about to be outdone though, focussing on the altering wind currents to plan their next move.
"Dive to Zapdos' left and use swift!" she commanded, the steel bird using a stronger current to move level with Zapdos and launch a burst of stars at him.
"Bank right and climb!" Wolf called, the movement just saving Zapdos from Skarmory's attack even though it put him further away from the goal. Skarmory climbed after him, still shooting stars at the retreating form of the legendary bird. Zapdos jinked left and right, narrowly avoiding the attack but still unable to correct his course and get to the goal.
"Skarmory, use metal sound!" the gym leader shouted, the air being split asunder by the grinding sound of metal scraping together. Zapdos was unable to focus under the aural assault, the ring dropping from his beak as he cried out. Skarmory didn't wait for his trainer to issue the next command, shooting after the ring and catching it in his beak. Wolf growled to himself, wondering just what to do now. He looked at Zapdos, watching the thunder bird flapping frantically to regain his balance. As he watched, an idea came to him.
"Zapdos!" he yelled, amazed at his inspiration. "Flap your wings! Summon a storm!" Zapdos complied, the relatively clear sky becoming storm wracked in the space of a couple of seconds. As lightning split the sky and gale force winds howled though the arena Skarmory was blown off course, unable to adjust to the rapidly changing weather conditions in his dive. "Now dive Zapdos, then use thunder!" Wolf cried out, watching him follow a new down draft to close with Skarmory before unleashing a devastating burst of electricity at the suddenly vulnerable steel bird. The attack found its mark, the steel bird screeching as electricity danced over his form, dropping the ring. Zapdos saw his chance, diving at full speed to catch the ring in his beak and sling shot onto another current, speeding towards the goal. It was over in seconds, the thunder bird gently tossing the ring onto the post as he sped past.
"Gooooooooooooal!"
Wolf punched the air as Zapdos flew up to join him, the storm abating at his will. He grinned at the legendary pokemon, whose approving expression meant more to him than winning.
***
That afternoon Wolf and Winona were in the pokemon centre, joined by his pokemon, his family and Flannery as they all discussed the results of the pokeringer contest and waited for Nurse Joy to finish with Zapdos and Skarmory. Wolf had been expecting Winona's reaction, for she firmly believed that his narrow victory was due more in part to luck than anything else. Grinning, he had agreed that had he not changed the weather so suddenly that Winona would definitely have won.
"Perhaps we'll end up having another pokeringer match in the future." Winona said, getting up as Nurse Joy approached with their poke balls. She accepted Skarmory, smiling confidently at Wolf. "We won't be surprised by that storm next time Wolf, so I hope you keep practicing. You'll need it for next time!"
"I don't doubt it." He replied, shaking her hand before letting the gym leader depart. She had been right in that his victory had been due to luck, but as he turned back to his friends and family he smiled. That didn't mean there was no reason to celebrate.
"Hey, I needed more."
"You never need rope. You always have heaps of rope. You never use any of it."
"She's right you know."
"Oh, cram it Ivysaur."
Wolf closed his eyes, keeping a hold of the new bundles of rope he had bought earlier that morning from Fortree's mart. Lucky and Ivysaur had joined him, though the discussion on rope hadn't started until Lucky realised that he had bought it. Now they were heading home, trying to make sure they got there before the rapidly approaching storm clouds hit.
"There's something odd about this storm." Ivysaur said, hoping to get the conversation back onto more pleasant ground. "There's no way in hell it was supposed to be anything but sunny today." Wolf nodded in agreement, having caught the weather on television that morning to hear more or less the same thing.
"You guys think something's up?" he asked, not bothering to slow his pace to glance at the blackened sky. Lucky shivered a little, though it wasn't cold.
"Probably." She offered, falling silent as she scanned the clouds. "What do you suppose that is?" Following where she indicated, Wolf and Ivysaur were now able to make out a growing spot on the horizon. As they watched, it grew steadily in size until they could make out a definite shape, that of a large yellow bird gliding towards Fortree with only the occasional beat of its wings. With each flap though, a rolling thunderclap shattered the silence and causing Wolf to start in recognition. He knew the identity of the approaching pokemon, his guess confirmed as it began to angle in his direction and the trainer could now make out more of Zapdos' details.
"Wolf, it has been quite a while." The legendary pokemon said as he glided down, using his wings to halt his descent and land in front of the trainer. "I hope you have been well."
"Yes thanks, Zapdos." Wolf replied, smiling broadly in greeting. "How about you?"
"Nothing to complain about." He replied, indicating with a tilt of his head to the pokemon standing next to Wolf. "Lucky, Ivysaur, how are you?"
"Pretty good, especially since I don't have to be a forest guardian." Ivysaur said, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face as he admitted it. Zapdos nodded in an understanding manner before turning to Lucky, who had a happy, yet faraway, look on her face.
"Very well." She replied, slipping one arm around Wolf's waist. "I got my wish, and more." Her eyes fixed on Wolf's own, letting the thunder bird smile in his own way.
"I'm glad to hear it, and I wish both of you every happiness." He said, inclining his head to the lovers. They grinned broadly back, before Zapdos spoke again. "Wolf, I've heard that you're becoming quite the respected trainer amongst humans. Would you like my help in maintaining your position?"
"You're offering to join me again?" Wolf asked, tilting his head with a half smile. "Well, the no-more-than-six-pokemon rule's already been broken, so you might as well join us." At the trainer's statement, Zapdos seemed to adopt a slightly mocking expression.
"Who said I would just 'join you?'" he answered, staring Wolf straight in the eye. "A powerful trainer like you certainly doesn't need a hand out, so if you want me you'll have to catch me."
"Wait, what?" he asked, confused. "If that's the case, why are you offering? By your own logic I don't need you, so-"
"Wolf, think about it." Lucky interrupted. "Great trainer you may be, but you've never actually captured a pokemon in the conventional way. You're seriously going to turn down a challenge like this?"
"Yeah!" Ivysaur added, his voice full of an easy confidence. "Let's catch this guy!" Looking into the adamant faces of his pokemon, Wolf could feel their belief in him and their desire to conquer the challenge laid at their feet infecting him. He turned to Zapdos, a smirk appearing on his face.
"You're on." He said, letting the legendary pokemon withdraw a short distance in order to start the battle evenly. "Ivysaur, you're up." The grass pokemon stepped forward, standing ready to take on Zapdos with calm certainty in Wolf's guidance. Zapdos hovered close to five feet off the ground, the accompanying thunder claps muted by the slow wing beats. Both trainer and grass pokemon stared at their quarry, waiting for the best opportunity to start.
"Ivysaur, razor leaf!" Wolf said as the thunder bird's wings were almost at their lowest point, Ivysaur sending a hail of sharp edged leaves at his opponent. Zapdos let himself drop below the flurry of razor projectiles before speeding towards Ivysaur, breaking off when the grass pokemon lowered his aim. He withdrew again, shooting a powerful thunder at his opponent once the torrent of leaves stopped.
"Ivysaur, vines in the ground!" Wolf yelled, Ivysaur complying by ramming the ends of his vines through the dirt. The thunder found its mark, though its damage was sapped as the connection to the ground with his vines grounded the high voltage electricity. Once it was over Ivysaur shook himself free of the shock, still taking some damage in spite of the ground absorbing the worst of it.
"Neat trick." Zapdos laughed, spiralling into a full dive at speed to take advantage of Ivysaur's suddenly fixed position. His beak glowed, sure indication that he was going to use drill peck against his pinned opponent.
"Just focus on one vine!" Wolf called out, the grass pokemon abandoning any effort in dodging to dislodge a vine and send it shooting at the thunder bird. Zapdos was approaching too fast to break off, the thick vine striking across one side and spoiling his attack. He retreated again, only to take careful aim and fire off a charge beam at Ivysaur. Wolf glanced at Ivysaur, knowing that dodging wasn't an option.
"Use leech seed!" he yelled, the pokemon sending a seed arching high in the air towards Zapdos while he was focussed on his own attack. The projectile hit Zapdos even as the charge beam made contact, though the sprouting parasitic plant caused the legendary pokemon to lose focus as it sapped his energy, Ivysaur once again spared the worst of an electric attack.
"Argh!" Zapdos groaned, falling out of the sky to land heavily a short distance away. Wolf saw the opening, knowing that Ivysaur was already primed and ready.
"Now use solarbeam!" he cried, the grass pokemon unleashing his stored solar energy at Zapdos, the thunder bird unable to avoid it due to leech seed. The attack detonated against Zapdos, the dust clearing to show the legendary pokemon struggling to rise. Not wasting time, Wolf grabbed out one of the new poke balls he had bought along with the rope, staring determinedly at the legendary pokemon.
"Poke ball go!" he yelled, throwing the object at Zapdos and watching as he disappeared inside. Wolf glared at the poke ball as it shook, as though he could make the ball capture quicker through sheer force of will. For what seemed like an eternity for the trio the poke ball shook from side to side, until it finally went quiet. Wolf walked over and picked it up, gazing at the poke ball in wonder.
"I feel like I should say something here." He said, still gazing at the poke ball.
***
"You lied to me."
Jazz glared sullenly at Wolf as everyone sat around eating breakfast the next day, having barely touched her own food. She had awoken to find that Zapdos was still there, and that he would be staying on as part of the team. Lucky had been the one to tell her, and had been forced to drop flat pretty quickly due to the Raichu's reaction.
"I most certainly did not." Wolf replied, skimming over a story in the paper about pokemon rangers. "You said you would be on perfect behaviour for an entire year if I asked Zapdos to stay for twenty minutes longer so you two could have some time together. It's your own fault for not finding out how long he was staying to begin with."
"Oh, don't try and turn this back on me." She snapped, turning her back to the trainer. "This is your fault and you know it." Wolf grinned ruefully, looking over to where Zapdos pecked at his own breakfast. He was at least trying to look guilty, since he hadn't told Jazz either.
"Don't worry Jazz." Wolf said, walking over and scratching her back, forcing the electric mouse to work hard at concealing how much she liked it. "While I'd appreciate you keeping your fur to yourself for a while, I think we can overlook that agreement in this case." Jazz didn't turn back to him, but Wolf could tell that she wasn't quite so angry with him anymore.
"Yeah, well..." she trailed off, not really having anything to say. Wolf smiled, glad that she wasn't upset anymore.
"Hey Wolf, what's pokeringer?" Lucky asked, the trainer turning to find the Lucario reading a story in the paper. He went back to his breakfast, glancing at the story as he sat down.
"I think it's that thing where flying pokemon compete in something that's a cross between soccer and an aerial bettle." He said. She read the last of the article, musing to herself.
"It says that there's a one day pokeringer contest coming to Fortree tomorrow." She said, glancing over at Zapdos. "Why don't you have a go at it?"
"You think we should?" he asked, prodding his cereal with the spoon. "I haven't got the faintest idea on things like wind currents."
"No better time to learn." She said.
***
An hour later, Wolf had finally given in to Lucky's nagging that he really should be doing something constructive instead of just lazing around the house for a couple of months. Zapdos had agreed with her idea, still feeling a need to prove himself a part of the team due to his recent arrival. However, training for the pokeringer contest was much harder than Wolf had anticipated.
In spite of a try again attitude and high levels of patience, Wolf hadn't been able to make any progress on learning about the wind currents and three dimensional manoeuvres that a pokeringer contest used as its basis. Zapdos had tried to explain to the trainer about feeling the wind and judging its speed and direction from that, but Wolf had proved to be a very inept student as far as that was concerned.
"Aaaah!" Wolf yelled, clutching at his head in frustration. "I have no idea what that's supposed to mean! Speak English!"
"It's very simple Wolf." Zapdos replied, a trace of testiness in his voice. "You simply wait for the headwind to abate, only proceeding when I can get maximum velocity from a tailwind." Wolf stared at him, one eye twitching as he once again failed to understand anything the legendary bird was talking about.
"Now what in the hell's a headwind?!" he howled, walking over to a nearby tree and thumping his forehead against it. "Does it mean you have to go up or something?" Zapdos was spared having to answer Wolf's question by the appearance of Lucky, who looked between the pair with a grimace.
"I take it that means the training's not going well?" she asked, looking sympathetically at Wolf. He gave her a look that suggested he wanted to hit something, though she knew he wouldn't.
"About as well as a Snorlax's diet." He replied acidly, slumping against the tree. "Maybe if he'd talk in a way I can understand, we-"
"Maybe if you had a brain you'd understand!" Zapdos shot back, Wolf prevented from replying in kind by Lucky pressing him back into the tree. He looked angrily down at her, watching her breathing heavily until he realised she wanted him to copy her. Taking a few deep breaths, Wolf felt his anger abating.
"Better?" she asked, Wolf nodding in response. She turned to Zapdos, giving him a placating look. "Zapdos, I know you mean well, but you have to remember that Wolf has had very little experience with flight before, and therefore won't be able to understand your technical terms straight away." Now she turned back to Wolf, placing one paw on his shoulder. "Wolf, you have to realize that right now Zapdos is trying to teach something to someone who is unable to fully appreciate it, so it's probably quite hard for him to explain it in a way you will easily understand. I would imagine it's like trying to describe colour to a blind person."
"Yeah..." Wolf sighed, nodding. "You're right Lucky, I'm sure we can figure out a way to do this." Zapdos nodded as well, conceding that neither of them had been acting civil. Lucky grinned.
"I'm surprised you didn't think of the easy solution though." She said. "I'm sure Winona's not doing anything."
***
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Summer Pokeringer Contest here in Fortree City!"
Applause erupted from the stands as Wolf glanced over the crowd, feeling somewhat out of place due to the event not being a standard pokemon league. Even with Winona's crash course in aerial manoeuvres he didn't feel like he was fully ready, taking a quick look at the Fortree gym leader standing next to him. She wasn't looking at him, though he could tell that she was full of confidence. He shrugged, conceding that this was her element.
What bothered him most was the way she had told him that she would be competing in the pokeringer contest just before he and Zapdos had left in the afternoon, a smug smile on her face. He couldn't shake himself of the feeling that she may not have given him a proper lesson because of that, although Zapdos had confirmed everything that Winona had told him was accurate. He had bought it, putting it down to her wanting a challenge during the contest. Now he was silently praying to anyone who'd listen for some luck.
Wolf wasn't listening to the announcer as he ran through the starting match ups, knowing he could find out when he went back to the waiting room to find them out himself. Scanning the crowd, he found where his parents, Lucky, Flannery, Serenity and Sephiria were watching the proceedings. When they noticed him looking they gave him an encouraging wave, stopping after he had waved back.
Now at least he felt some measure of confidence returning, taking a quick look at Zapdos' poke ball on his waist to steel his nerves.
***
It was fast approaching two thirty in the afternoon as Wolf waited for the Zapdos balloon to be fully prepared for the final match, his heart hammering against his ribs like a drum. He had managed to claw his way to the finals, though it hadn't done anything to build up confidence in his own ability to effectively compete. He was certain that it had been Zapdos' own legendary status and power that had carried the day so far, their opponents shaken by the prospect of facing such a powerful pokemon and therefore making mistakes they wouldn't have ordinarily. Prevented from talking with Lucky and the others, Wolf was far from his mental peak, and knowing Winona was his opponent wasn't helping either.
Wolf was waved over to the balloon by the attendant, climbing in and closing the gate behind him even as the balloon began to lift into the air. Clearing the gate, Wolf looked over to where Winona's own Skarmory balloon was rising from the opposite station, seeing the Fortree gym leader offering her prayers to the sky. He merely breathed slowly, trying to calm himself before the battle began. As the balloons reached their set height, Wolf reached for the poke ball at his waist.
"Zapdos, you're up!" he cried, releasing the legendary pokemon into the arena. In a flash of white light the thunder bird appeared, taking to the wind with no problem. Opposite him, Winona called out her Skarmory and the steel bird appeared opposite Zapdos, showing no signs of doubt about his opponent.
"We're not intimidated by Zapdos like your previous opponents Wolf!" Winona called out, her face reflecting her confidence. "You're going to have to work for this win!" Wolf nodded in response, his fears confirmed. Winona wasn't going to make amateur mistakes just because she was facing a legendary pokemon. Combined with her own expertise in flying manoeuvres and Skarmory's own resilience to physical attacks, Wolf's hopes for victory dwindled further.
"Begin!"
"Zapdos, get that ring!" Wolf yelled, hoping to end the match quickly and deny the gym leader a chance to retaliate. Winona waited patiently, her suspicions confirmed when a faint breeze began to stir her hair.
"Now Skarmory, use steel wing!" she said, watching as Skarmory rode the strengthening wind and letting his velocity build up to slam home into Zapdos. He cried out as he was knocked off course, Skarmory quickly getting back onto the wind current and riding it towards the ring. Winona hadn't counted on his resilience though, the thunder bird recovering swiftly.
"Drill peck!" Wolf called out, watching as Zapdos followed the same current to close in on Skarmory with his superior speed. Beak glowing, Zapdos launched his attack on Skarmory's back as he closed in on the ring. The steel bird took little damage, but was distracted enough to allow Zapdos time to grab the ring and disengage from the current. "Head for the goal!" Wolf yelled, the thunder bird spiralling into a dive to head for the goal posts with the ring grasped firmly in his beak. Winona and Skarmory weren't about to be outdone though, focussing on the altering wind currents to plan their next move.
"Dive to Zapdos' left and use swift!" she commanded, the steel bird using a stronger current to move level with Zapdos and launch a burst of stars at him.
"Bank right and climb!" Wolf called, the movement just saving Zapdos from Skarmory's attack even though it put him further away from the goal. Skarmory climbed after him, still shooting stars at the retreating form of the legendary bird. Zapdos jinked left and right, narrowly avoiding the attack but still unable to correct his course and get to the goal.
"Skarmory, use metal sound!" the gym leader shouted, the air being split asunder by the grinding sound of metal scraping together. Zapdos was unable to focus under the aural assault, the ring dropping from his beak as he cried out. Skarmory didn't wait for his trainer to issue the next command, shooting after the ring and catching it in his beak. Wolf growled to himself, wondering just what to do now. He looked at Zapdos, watching the thunder bird flapping frantically to regain his balance. As he watched, an idea came to him.
"Zapdos!" he yelled, amazed at his inspiration. "Flap your wings! Summon a storm!" Zapdos complied, the relatively clear sky becoming storm wracked in the space of a couple of seconds. As lightning split the sky and gale force winds howled though the arena Skarmory was blown off course, unable to adjust to the rapidly changing weather conditions in his dive. "Now dive Zapdos, then use thunder!" Wolf cried out, watching him follow a new down draft to close with Skarmory before unleashing a devastating burst of electricity at the suddenly vulnerable steel bird. The attack found its mark, the steel bird screeching as electricity danced over his form, dropping the ring. Zapdos saw his chance, diving at full speed to catch the ring in his beak and sling shot onto another current, speeding towards the goal. It was over in seconds, the thunder bird gently tossing the ring onto the post as he sped past.
"Gooooooooooooal!"
Wolf punched the air as Zapdos flew up to join him, the storm abating at his will. He grinned at the legendary pokemon, whose approving expression meant more to him than winning.
***
That afternoon Wolf and Winona were in the pokemon centre, joined by his pokemon, his family and Flannery as they all discussed the results of the pokeringer contest and waited for Nurse Joy to finish with Zapdos and Skarmory. Wolf had been expecting Winona's reaction, for she firmly believed that his narrow victory was due more in part to luck than anything else. Grinning, he had agreed that had he not changed the weather so suddenly that Winona would definitely have won.
"Perhaps we'll end up having another pokeringer match in the future." Winona said, getting up as Nurse Joy approached with their poke balls. She accepted Skarmory, smiling confidently at Wolf. "We won't be surprised by that storm next time Wolf, so I hope you keep practicing. You'll need it for next time!"
"I don't doubt it." He replied, shaking her hand before letting the gym leader depart. She had been right in that his victory had been due to luck, but as he turned back to his friends and family he smiled. That didn't mean there was no reason to celebrate.