Story Notes:
Sorry about the massive submission. Meant to get this done five days earlier, but I failed.Ok, so I'm nervous. I have no damn clue if what I wrote serves as an okay writing style. I've been fighting this pressure for a very long time but I don't get any feedback about my work to know if I'm doing well or not. Is this enough detail, too little, too much? Should there be more complex descriptions, more big vocabulary words to make me sound ridiculously extravagantly smart, or is that not even required for a good story? Or how about less dialogue or should there be more? Those are just a few things I ask myself every second I type. Lately writing has been very stressful because whenever I read a good story I think â��If I need people to appreciate my hard work then I should write like that.â�a33; I shouldn't think like that but since I'm left in the dark I can't help it. Am I good enough, or do I suck at some areas? What makes a good story? You tell me readers, please. Help me, I really need it.
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Another Fiscal Quarter
Mistakes are little to none when it comes to working with agriculture. Overlooking an issue is overlooking potential revenue. Mistakes are hard to avoid considering that natural elements are not in the control of private owners; unless someone was lucky enough to get their hands on a lugia which has never happened. Drought, overused soil, fires, heavy floods, and pesky pokémon are just part of the list of disasters.
Now, it's early in the second quarter for agriculturalists. Fires and droughts are the least of a farmer's concern now. With new life blooming across rich fields, rejuvenated critters want to claim a share of crops without permission. What does that call for? Hunting, trapping, and poisoning the thieves for taking their property which is planted over the "stealers" property theoretically. An issue of stupidity for many, yet a monumental one for passionate trainers, breeders, and other enthusiastic environmentalists forming organizations like Pokémon Ethical Treatment Advocates. Is there a better technique to take care of pokémon instead of poisoning them without hurting a farmer's profit or disrupting natural cycles? Can't there just be a compromise? Is it possible for farmers and pokémon to eventually form a link within these fields instead of using pesticide?
Nope, not today; not this morning. The rugged sounds from a choking crop duster momentarily disturbed what can be called at this moment a serene environment. The single engine prop landed across a strip finished with sprinkling acres of land where several dozens of organized rows of vegetation stretched out over many slight bluffs and hills. Now the blooming fruits and berries refracted the dew that would poison any critters upon consumption. It's a new form of protection for the owners of the modest ranch close between the wild woods of Pinwheel Forest and the fair landmark of Nacrene City. It's one of several measures that must be put in yearly each spring, summer, and early fall to prevent the common pests from picking "selfishly" at potential capital income. The other alternative, friendlier measure has been used by this family for the past two years now; a predatory pokémon: a fraxure.
Since having hatched from an egg beginning as an axew and starting off as the family pet, the little axe-jaw pokémon took it upon himself to help assist with the exterminations around the farmland by getting up with the sun each day to patrol the land. For the gray scaled, forest green armored dragon it was actually a friendly leisure for him and seen merely as a time to admire the nice emerald linear patterned scenery. The occasional early morning current trickled faintly through the flora allowing fluttering branches to welcome his nostrils to the assortment of scents provided by growing pears, apples, cherries, razz berries, oran berries, and such. The air was suddenly replaced however and with the young fraxure strolling through aisles of tall vegetation his nostrils began to burn from the bitter smell of poison coloring over the ambience like a mustard gradient veil of smog.
"'Oh I know how to protect my crops better, just lay them with poison since it's easy and cheap!' That doesn't make any sense, my old man..." The dragon type voiced his view with a slight chuckle. The strong chemicals nearly smothered his oxygen. It seemed very absurd that a good way to combat pests was with whatever poison was found in pesticide. Wouldn't that eventually contaminate the human food supply?
Wanting to leave he trekked through a thick hedge where the other side consisted of a dense pear tree field. His vermillion eyes lightly panned around as he walked in the dimly lit field. The large green drops hung adjacent to ghost white pedals of natural décor showing their early maturity. The canopy above from the thickly sprouted branches blocked off much of the morning glow. A positive grin lined around his gray, red-tipped tusk blades as he casually crossed his segmented arms. "Alright, first day of the season so come on out you scaredy patrat," he called out confidently. Continued past the trunks he continued to play exterminator. "Or how about you, fat pidove," he twisted with a smirk making up the criminal avian on the tree, "Or you, typical annoying bug," he darted with both flame hued index fingers pointing merely at the ground in front of him. "I have a new attack I wanna test on you pests!"
Done with his "action-packed" fantasy he seriously got back to touring the fields. He was only able to pick up cries of whimsicott and lilligant from afar. Nothing that involved buzzing disturbed his ears yet. He did feel a trembles of frustration in his growls from the occasional pidove call but the green canvas served to buffer out any far-ranged images.
He quickly stopped in his tracks once his ears did pick up possible noise. Two male voices were conversing beyond another hedge that separated another large field of pears. The little sentry suddenly pounced from excitement. Pushing through another hedge he headed towards the direction of the unrecognizable disturbance. The tones developed in volume and clarity as he walked further into the field, and only one last hedge concealed the perpetrators. Through the leafy wall, he silently scoped in on the pair who dozens of yards out. He defiantly didn't know who they were at a first glance. His pupils instinctively reshaped sharply into glassy narrow ovals; a sign of rising adrenaline when staring at potential pests.
"Huh...that's new."
In front of the concealed dragon's sight were not the normal neighboring pests he's so used to encountering. One appeared to be a very large meandrous black serpent with several golden markings that was tightly scrunched upward. The other was a big red bipedal bug with a pale yellow underbelly, insect to be specific according to the six limbs total and the pair of black antennae. The fraxure crept up closer to the pair being behind their view luckily. Seeing a few pear cores around the pair produced a low growl within the dragon. They were defiantly pests, but none he's ever seen which had him on observation. The serpent that was scrunched up and was mainly dominated by black scales with several golden hexagon markings throughout the top of his body. The insect was sitting appearing to pick at something in front of him. Other than the three large black spots on the shell and one on the back of the head the whole exoskeleton was completely infused with red pigment. What really caught the fraxure's predatory eyes though were their weapons. The sizable tail took on an intimidating shape of a long, red edged blade for the serpent, and his red javelin fangs running down his golden jaw was comparable to the serpent's head in length alone. As the insect ate one of his arms momentarily became completely exposed once the bug stretched. The hand looked like a clenched fists even though the pest loosened each appendage leisurely. The red shell along his back split apart to reveal translucent wings. Two possible belligerent pokémon. All of the fraxure's worries faded though when he saw the ledian throw a pear core lazily off to the side which landed near a large pile.
"What idiots!" Fraxure thought while snickering to himself, "Well I guess I'll just sit back and watch them drop dead, hehe."
Minutes passed and the pair got done with another pair of pears. The serpent used his tail to cut down another couple from the tree above. The serpent awkwardly accomplished biting into the piece of fruit using the side of its maw. The little fraxure was elated, but after they finished another serving his mood lowered like his smile. And to finish off the sequence, serrated teeth began to grit along his tusks once they finished a third serving in front of him.
"Hey, just what in the heck are you two doing alive! You're supposed to be choking by now!" The two turned towards the voice and saw a meter tall dragon sternly approach them. "That's it, you guys aren't supposed to be here so get lost!"
A brow rose on both their faces once their eyes fell over the little aggressor. They then turned towards each other in unison both feeling their cheek muscles quiver from the sight. "Ahahahaha!" Drake sharpened his glare from the spontaneous insult of their laughter. "Excuse me?" the serpent continued to ridicule, "What was that little guy? Are you telling us to get lost?"
The fraxure's jaw parted in shock from the bluntness of his words. "Don't push me. Don't even push me! Those pears you just ate are full of poison so you won't be able to defend yourself. For your sake just save your energy," he taunted with a smirk.
"Really now, but I feel high and dandy."
"But hey, that's probably because we're both, let's just say, experienced enough to take weak poisons. This is nothing!" the insect added with his ally. The serpent then slid forward with his upper half then his lower half followed scrunching up entirely again before repeating the process. The bug parted his shell before taking off to hover several feet above the ground. The fraxure became momentarily distracted by the cold stare the insect's large cerulean blue lenses gave off. "Yeah, I've grown resistant to many poison attacks, so insecticide won't do a thing, buddy."
The dragon continued to watch the serpent inch closer but was unaffected by his large size. Even though the serpent looked like he was a foot thick and possibly able to swallow his own friend the fraxure kept his confident composure. "Hehe, alright, I see where this is going," he smirked before slowly aiding in closing the gap between them, "I'm a fully trained pokémon, 'buddy', so get out."
"We're professionally trained, so we both urge you to shut that big jaw of yours before we break those tusks off," the serpent sharply hissed flicking his black tipped split tongue.
Now the two were in range being a few yards apart. "You've been warned!"
The fraxure sprinted strongly enough to kick up debris aiming to intercept the serpent first. The large serpent smirked with his enemy. Once close enough with his head already reared back, the dragon clenched his teeth and neck muscles to swing his head strongly to the side expecting his sharp tusk to impale his foe. However, he felt a strong resonating force along his jaw thrust him back away from his enemy along with the piercing noise of shearing edges wring his ears. The small dragon barely caught himself almost overwhelmed by the countering force. Once he recuperated his balance he saw the serpent's bladed tail teasingly swaying in front of his black scales seeing the blade almost entirely block off the whole length of his scrunched body.
"Ledian, let me handle this amateur," the serpent called arrogantly before beginning to straighten his serpentine body forward and low to the ground in an offensive approach. Viscous venom glistened brightly in gold along the tips of his fangs as he was now curving along the soil. He continued to keep his full lava orange scopes on the fraxure, his elliptical pupils holding the dragon within sight.
The farm dragon didn't let his taunt bother him though and instead felt a growl intensify within his chest. Running towards his enemy to make up lost distance he found the serpent's jaws gaping. Within a couple feet the fraxure got off his heels and only used his two maroon claws for added agility to rapidly spin towards the serpent using his tusks, claws from his spanned arms, and the blunt force of his tail to counter and add momentum. His foe slithered back to keep his head from those weapons finding his fangs are too long for a precise snap-down on the dragon. As the serpent decided to use his tail instead the fraxure waited for the right moment when the collage of blurring green turned into a blob of black, yellow, and the anticipated red. At the right chance the fraxure successfully bit down clamping his jaw onto the base of the serpent's tail while delivering a Slash Attack with his needle claws at the thinner hide before the tail. The serpent hissed intensely in irritation nearly losing control of his flailing by the scorching ferocity being inflicted around that small area. Aggravatingly lashing his tail out with exerted strength, the momentum caused the fraxure to slip off his tail flinging him causing him to collide into a violent tumble across the dirt.
"Yeah, Seviper, kick his ass!"
"Just go back from where you came! You're too young, kid," the seviper laughed with a flick of his long tongue.
The dragon faintly groaned from the throbbing that pulsed past the top of his muzzle feeling it spread throughout his cranium. His building anger however had him ignored the smaller pains along his arm joints and knees. Not wanting his pride to be offended he gathered up his own arrogance along with his feet as he roughly stumbled back up to his feet in a low stance.
As the dragon stood straight up his attention along with everyone else's turned towards the canopy. "Drake!" The fraxure turned back to his enemy with a growl upon hearing his name hoping the caller would go away. "Back off now, you're outnumbered!"
"Ohhh... why Colton, why do you have to humiliate me?" Drake groans shaking his head in embarrassment before pulling down on his tusks to exert his frustration.
Just then a dark blue, white under bellied avian swooped through the flora above to hover over the three. Everyone looked up becoming quickly distracted by the flyer. The taillow shouts, "Drake, just get away from those two! You don't stand a chance!" the bird panicked worriedly.
"Colton, go away!" the young fraxure told.
"Ha, you better listen to your friend, 'Drake'," the red insect mocked before flying low next to his partner, "You got lucky. Just run back to your comfy home, house pet!" The pair smiled and scoffed before flying and slithering away.
The taillow known as Colton landed next to his friend. "Why dude, why?" Drake demanded rhetorically, "I'm strong enough to take any typical pest now; I'm good enough." Drake continued to watch his enemies scurry off and through a hedge bush now completely out of their sights.
"Yeah, well those weren't typical pests," Colton countered, "I don't want to fly around one day and find you motionless. That would be tragic for little Maylene and her mom and dad and you know that!"
"Yeah I know, don't have to remind me, Colton. Whatever," Drake retorted as he turned towards the direction of the ranch before limping forward, "Let's get back home. I think I'm going to need some ointment...ouch."
Other than being attacked and beaten, that was almost identical to a routine morning for Drake...almost. The acres of fields he patrols are tended by the inhabitants of a modest ranch on one end of the grid organized orchard. Within the two story rectangle framed building lived a small, but tight family that likes to run their business as well as tend to pokémon as a hobby; not cattle pokémon since its fruits they're growing but merely pets or rarities which is something fairly uncommon. In the kitchen the sun light bathed the whole room through a series of windows with lavender drapes fixed to the side. The view of the irrigation tower, the large storage house, and the high hedges and trees that lined the orchard was shown through a smaller double-hung window on one side of the kitchen also where the exiting door was that lead to the other structures. There on the light toned wood floor was Drake who was dragging a smooth rock across one of his tusk where Colton was perched on the edge of the counter in front of that open window.
"I'm telling you those two are dangerous," Colton was speaking, "That serpent was a seviper which are poisonous, deadly, dangerous, nine foot long, toxic, hard-to-beat pokémon! His bug friend was a ledian and those are fighters. They're like flying, red, agile, midget machamp--"
"Blah- blah- blah- blah! Ever think about how brutal a fraxure... is?" Drake strained as he sheared the gray stone across his gray tusk effectively sharpening the blade. "I say bring it on. The poison isn't strong enough, so I'll get those two out one way or another."
"No, you can't just get the owner to use his rifle! He's not even the type to shoot a pokémon, I think. Those two, they're not from around here. I know Ledian is from Johto and Seviper is from Hoenn, so they must've been brought here and then shortly later abandoned by a trainer. Must be pretty stressful for those guys."
"Yeah, well I don't care, and I wasn't even going to let our owner know. It's going to be a while before I evolve again so I gotta try something. I just need to figure out a way. More poison is not going to solve anything since that ledian is just proof bugs are getting more resistant." Drake switched the rock around to polish his other tusk as Colton swooped overhead to land on the oval dark wood framed dining table where he got perched over Drake on the gray slate textured tiles.
"There has to be a better way than solving this problem all by yourself," Colton concluded before taking to the air again, "But if you're ever in dire trouble again I will get our master to try and intervene."
"But...I wasn't even in dire trouble today! I don't know what you're talking about," Drake joked.
He faced down the hall where Colton flew through rolling his eyes. Unknowing to anyone, outside the window Colton was in front of earlier a new intruder poked its head up from below the window. Heading up the sill the pokémon used its length to peak in through the open window. The new pokémon viewed Drake from behind. "Long time no see, eh Drake?"
The green dragon immediately dropped the rock and twisted towards the window about to shun the feminine tone. Peeking through the sill was unfortunately another pest but less fearsome looking this time. A smile was curved along the pale white underside of her lower jaw.
"Uh, who are you and what are you doing here?" Drake nearly threatened but stopped himself once he glimpsed at the appearance of the intruder.
The pokémon looked down exposing the pale green coloration of her silky scales found up her upper muzzle and head where the green coloration curved out in barbing patterns around the pair of definably squinted scarlet eyes which decoratively incased the shiny black rhombuses that many carnivorous pokémon adorn. Drake did not know who she was or why she dared to peak into his home but he planned to find out now in a friendly manner.
A gasp left her which was also accompanied by the long green, pointed appendages above her eyes lowering and spanning out like a reflex that a pair of ears do which showed the bright lemon interiors. Drake smiled slightly from the interesting features found on this tempting scaled creature. "You don't remember me little Drake? That hurts, how could you forget?"
Suddenly Drake slumped along with his lower jaw. "Oh no...Servine?"
"Make that Serperior now! I see you evolved too," she giggled, "Instead of a stubby little axew you're now a stubby little fraxure."
Drake turned his head for a moment to revolt mentally about the fact that he actually thought she was attractive for that time frame. "My old nemesis! Serperior though? Why do I have to call you that now? Jeez I couldn't recognize you from you're...matured voice. You're color is lighter and you're bigger!" Serperior smiled when she slithered further through the window just to show off her new looks. She barely managed to fit her new prongs through the frame but Drake already caught their size. "And you have those weird... peeling extensions now! They're like giant and darker green versions of those long ears of yours. You're neck is long- Where's your arms?" he marveled in shock. He wasn't used to someone that was his size just only a few months ago grow significantly larger than him.
"Oh don't be so naïve! I'm a serpent now," she laughed as she slithered in deeper showing off more than half of her new two narrowing boughs that curved at the tips near her ears. To Drake it looked like her neck sprouted out from the diverging prongs but he couldn't completely tell since not even a quarter of her body was through the window. That was a new blow for Drake who's used to chasing something with legs.
"Great, I don't even want to see what's all behind your neck then," Drake told before turning away with his arms crossed, "Either way, Serperior or not, I'm not glad to see that you're still around to harass my crops; not at all. Not a notta."
With his head teasingly turned away so he could ignore his long time most annoying pest Serperior slipped out a vine from within her bough and slowly approached him with the bulbous tip. With a smile, she manipulated the vine to lash out with energy where it firmly whipped Drake on the red tip of his tail causing him to skip with a shriek. Drake groaned roughly where he slowly turned towards the scaled pokémon while snuggling his tail against his front to protect it from her whips. "Oh please, you're completely thrilled," she smirked, "You should be sad about the fact that your owner just sprayed poison all over his own food, but whatever makes your job easier, right slowpoke."
Once Serperior finished her joke, another pokémon suddenly squeezed through the window awkwardly scrunching her golden spherical head through the window. Drake continued to look above the counter analyzing the new intruder seeing the large split leaf rooting behind her head along with a pair of yellow antennae embedded on top of her head. The bug type was recognized right away. "Leavanny..." Drake grimaced while shaking his draping head. He laughed softly, "The whole company is back..."
Leavanny looked at the fraxure who had his red claws clasping his hips and smiled at the disappointed pokémon. Nothing better than an enemy reunion. "Long time no see, Drake- Oh and you evolved over the winter!" the bug greeted joyously. Drake raised his head up seeing Leavanny place her leaf arms on the window sill, each having a large circular notch that defined the sharp-edged defense on the delicate looking appendages, "So watcha two up to?"
"Oh nothing, just telling Drake here that he's grown lazy."
"Hey, even if you're still a form ahead of me I can still catch you. Heck, you're a serpent so how much speed you got on me?" Drake challenged with a smirk, "You know I've always hated that mouth of yours, Servine--"
"That's 'Serperior' to you!" she mockingly interjected.
"No, but it's gonna be banana if you keep interrupting me. You're peeling thingies...they remind me of banana peels, haha," he chuckled.
"Oh, haha," the serpent mimicked sarcastically before further exposing both of her winding vines from within her "peels", "I still have these, so I wouldn't make fun of those if I were you." She lashed one vine towards thin air eliciting an acute snapping sound. She then flicked her tongue rapidly half a foot out her face as a mocking joke.
Drake immediately cringed from her joke. "Jeez, because of earlier today I hate serpents even more...Where's your fangs then?"
"Oh, I don't have fangs. Serperior are non-venomous I guess, so instead I have rows of sharp, little tini fangs. Wanna see?"
"No! Why did I even ask?"
"Oh relax, Serperior, I'm sure he's had enough scares from you today," Leavanny smiled.
"Anyways, 'Serperior', my job is actually a lot harder now. Just today I had to take care of two invading species, bastards. Well I took great care of them...momentarily that is, but they had it coming, so ha!"
"You mean that red flying bug and that black serpent? She's told me about them," Serperior pointed with a vine towards her friend.
"Yep, saw them myself. I've never seen their kind before. So if you took care of them at the moment, then what are you going to do for the long run, huh Drake, since you're pretty high and mighty now in your new form."
"Oh please, his head spike barely even tops over his owner's waist I bet. You stand next to him he'll be at your neck," Serperior teased.
"Shut up!"
"Don't tease the small dragon's size. Just because you're ten feet long now doesn't give you the right," Leavanny joked.
"Ten feet! How do you grow an additional eight feet?" Drake blurted, "I don't even want to know what the rest of you looks like! Anyways, can I continue without anymore rude distractions? I've been thinking all morning and I just need to find any way to get rid of them before falling back to plan B: letting my owner know so he can take care of it."
"Hmm," Serperior thought rubbing her lower muzzle with a vine, "I might be able to help, but with that comes a price," she offered with an implicative tone and an impish smile, "Why don't you come outside so we can discuss this face to face."
"Nah," he smiled before climbing up the kitchen counter below the window. Serperior and Leavanny simultaneously tried to retract their heads away but ended up getting stuck within the window. Chuckling, Drake carelessly pushed on Serperior forehead successfully pressing her through the opening thus allowing Leavanny to get through. "At least you two are still silly. Anyways, if you can actually help me get them out, how 'bout I just ship you three wagons full of poison-less fruit in the end. Actually if you try tonight I'll give you one wagon tomorrow morning as part of the cut."
"Well--"
"You got it! That's a deal, Drake," Leavanny interrupted nodding enthusiastically, "You two can meet tonight and discuss a plan. Just get all the sweetest treats you got!"
"Cool," Drake concluded as he placed his paws on the window's lift handle, "The deal is officially closed. I'll see ya in the field tonight, Servine, so don't miss it." With that he dragged the window down leaving no further discussion between them.
"Hey...darn it, it's 'Serperior'!" she yelled with added hissing. She saw the dragon smile and hop down before walking away from the kitchen. Serperior then turned to Leavanny elevating half her body up so her eyes could fall directly over the nurturing pokémon in a hard stare. Leavanny saw the embers that incased her elliptical pupils flicker from displeasure. "Why did you agree for? That's not what I wanted from him!"
"What?" her partner replied harmlessly, "Nothing better than a sweet berry after breathing the spring air. Why, what were you going to ask?"
Serperior pouted twisting away from her before slithering towards the hedge bushes that lined the fields. "Nothing, let's get back to the hive before his owners find us here."
As the two females left for their homes Drake kept his word and decided to stroll outside to the storage house. Swinging open the kitchen door he was greeted again by the brisk space and the green fields that were still present in the afternoon. The image and Serperior sudden visit reminded him of how he and Servine encountered each other last year. Although one was considered a pest and the other the exterminator, the two have grown to become acquaintances, if not that then friends even. It would be routine for him each day. He would walk in on her steeling a berry and once she was caught a long chase ensued through the green and colorful plains of the orchard. Each patrol he found the green pokémon stealing something and laughing about it as a taunt before zipping away and it was his duty to retrieve the fruit back which was not always the case. If she was a real nuisance then he would've decided to deal with her upon the first encounter long ago. Why is she not a nuisance? Not even Drake knows himself completely. Thinking about the whole memory, Drake planted a paw to his face as he lightly chuckled about their times last year.
His chuckle closed down however when something tickled his nostrils, the highly sweet aroma he's very familiar with. It's the one that Servine gave off naturally non-stop, and he would always catch that sweet scent whenever following close behind her. Just like most grass types, she secretes natural dew from her moisturized scales which presents a fragrance as a natural function to stay hydrated, similar to perspiration, and hers happens to be unfortunately for Drake very sweet and luring. His hand had traces of her dew from the small moment that he jokingly forced her through the window, and unless he washed his hands it wouldn't pass for hours.
"Gotta admit, winter felt a little lonely without her to chase," Fraxure chuckled to himself.
The routine, seeing her mischievously take something of his, her strong trail became engraved in his mental fissures. If he didn't find her taking anything for just one day a part of him would feel disappointed. It wasn't because that he may have failed to save some produce but it was more like something was missing about that day. If the evening came and she didn't take anything then things felt oddly out of place. That's how much she encountered him to cause such an impact on him.
"Psh, and I have to call her Serperior now! Forget that," he arrogantly told himself, "I'm not going to sound like her secretary, hehe. Stupid pests I have to deal with." In the storage structure he walked into the temperate units and scanned through several brown sacs. Dozens of colors stuck out to him each being a different berries and fruit of different textures and tastes. "Maylene's wagon should do the trick."
Later that night Drake kept his word and snuck out the ranch. Being very late he only used the remnant of the moon to give him some visibility in the thick fields of the orchard. The nice temperate air that fluctuated around him got him loosened up. He paced through a couple rows of fruit for ten long minutes. The fairly strong freeze didn't help him track any sounds that Serperior could possibly make. Growing late at night and already fatigued in his pulsating knees from his earlier battle he eventually grew impatient about the fact that he didn't really think this through when he closed off the deal to shut Serperior up. Where is he supposed to meet the regal pokémon? A half hour passed; just about the time for him to give up, until he caught a familiar scent that is. "I know that perfume smell..." he thought. Following the source of the grass type's smell memories of the scent fizzed within his sinuses once he noticed how strong the smell was now. The aroma was strong now, stronger than the times his nose was right behind her in their chases, but she still was nowhere. Now that she was fully matured her scent was tremendously potent. The high from the smell coaxed his emotions as he practically tasted swallowed the air. Drake nearly forgot why he was out there. With his breaths becoming shallow and his heart spiking his whole cardiovascular region felt the intoxicating effects... and his body seemed to have liked it.
"Over hear little Fraxure!" Drake staggered his spin towards the source of the loud whisper and heard the hedge bushes stir. Looking closely he cautiously approached the object that the moon's light highlighted out as Serperior's glistening head which was poking out of a brush. "Found you, about time too! We didn't exactly talk about a meeting place!" she continued to whisper.
"Why are you whispering, there's no one out here," he bluntly asked, "And how'd you even find me out here."
"I found you with this," she giggled before flicking her glossy tongue far in front of her.
He quickly backed away not wanting to get hit by the disgusting appendage. "Dialga, that thing is like a foot long; possibly a foot and a half!"
"Mmhmm, it's a cool sensory tool I got now. It allows me to taste the air; like a new nose! That means I can track you down easily now if I ever want to just by flicking my tongue out," she joked sticking her tongue out towards him again with a grin.
Drake sighed. "That's absolutely lovely," Drake joked sarcastically. "Anyways I just want you to do anything to get rid of those two pests. It's already bad enough that you're here," Drake told finishing off in a jokey manner.
"Really, aaaanythiiiiing?" she implied.
"Y...Yeah, anything. That just kinda bothered me the way you said that," he chuckled, "But whatever works."
"So I can try and use my new looks to entice that serpent but trick him out of here in the end?"
"Whoa, I thought you were just playing?"
"Leavanny suggested to me since we're both serpents."
Suddenly Drake broke out into raucous laughter. "Ahahaha...Looks? But...but then again what looks? You're just a big, green spaghetti noodle to me, but hey whatever you serpents are into, right!"
"Uh y...yeah," Serperior differently responded with a pliable undertone.
Drake didn't notice her gaze fall along with her long ears falling flatly so he kept his play up along with his laughter. "If push comes to shove...just don't fight them...I don't even know what you can do with--"
"Okay, okay, I get what you're trying to say, just shut up now," she chuckled only for a moment just to prevent her afflicted mood from emerging. Drake was too naïve to notice the sting his words was giving to the female... She felt like his jokes, even though they were just his jokes, abused her head with enough carelessness to have her fiery eyes glisten higher than normal. "I'm going to go now."
"Oh wait, before you go I've decide to give you a name. I'm not into the whole wild thing where everyone calls each other by the name of their kind."
"You gave me a name?" she reluctantly replied.
"Yes I did. I know it's something different but think of it as like earning a name when you've never been acknowledged enough to get one."
"Oh really now?" she glared.
"Yes, sorry but Serperior just sounds too much for me. How does Sarah sound?"
"Sarah?"
"Yeah--"
"That's all you came up with?"
"Yeah, well hey I tried other stuff like Samantha and Sammy and whatever just came off the top of my head that began with an 'S', but...Sarah just fits you," Drake smiled nonchalantly.
"How does a name fit someone...You know what, I don't even wanna know why just like how you don't want to know what the rest of my body looks like. I guess I have no choice but to accept it then," Serperior spoke.
"The rest of you probably looks like the area I'm looking at right now," he joked, "If you don't want it then--"
"No, no it's fine. Whatever, it's odd that you're going to be calling me that when--"
"No, don't think of it as a nickname. Think of it as your name that belongs to you and only you. You're officially known as Sarah and everyone knows you by that now." Serperior continued her glare as Drake loudly yawned stretching out his arms for his joints to pop. "Okay, I'm going to go brush my tusks and go to sleep. Good luck with whatever you're going to try and goodnight, Sarah." With a smile, Drake turned and headed back for the light source at the horizon.
With her ears still retracted in discontent, Serperior, or Sarah, halfheartedly coiled back into the brushes. "An official name huh...whatever. I still can't believe you joked like that to me, freakin' Drake. He's probably serious too..." she vented irritably. She slithered away from the hedge towards the Seviper's last known location. "Do you really think I'm just some fat noodle? Gah, how can you be so mean! It's not fair that my final form involves me having to lose my arms and legs. I don't even have an ass now!"
Several minutes into crawling to her destination Serperior vented enough to calm her mind so she could get into the seductive mindset. "Well, maybe he was thinking about me so much that he gave me a name since those are so important to him and people. Maybe he doesn't think I'm bad, hopefully," she still thought unable to keep her thoughts about Drake back. After all, he is the only scaled male creature around who gives her all the fun each morning.
After a while into her trip she arrived at the place her sources informed her about. Staying low to the ground she made herself discreet to any recent body heat on the soil around her scales. Every so often she pitched her head up to rapidly flick her tongue about, the long appendage acting like a relay point for any chemical aromas that was left by any occupier. A faint musk pinched her sensory glands in her jaw along with the salty residue of carbon dioxide, something only her kind can taste. The location of her target was confirmed as she heard and felt with her sensitive scales faint rustling ahead. Past a shrubby barrier ahead of her she was able to make out someone of serpentine shape. "O...okay, time to use the attraction I hope I have to get this guy out of here," she whispered unsteadily to herself.
"Serperior," a voice called out from behind the grass serpent, "I'm not too late am I?" Serperior found Leavanny quickly approaching her.
"No, just in time. So, I'm going to try and use the dirty old trick in the book on this male?"
"Good, that's exactly what you're gonna do. I'm going to go for his friend nearby."
"Are you being serious, Leavanny? You sound like you're being serious about this whole thing, and with spring just arriving new hormones will come with," Serperior smirked.
"Hah, you're speaking for yourself. I've been evolved for years unlike you, so it's you who should be worried about your hormones girl," Leavanny joked. "Alright, I'm going for his friend. Have a fun night out, hmhm."
Serperior waited for her giddy friend to completely vanish through the thick vegetation behind her before moving back into a close position by Seviper. Almost regretting agreeing with Leavanny on this planning there was no turning back now. She just desperately needed to speak to this serpent so her fears could go away. She took a deep breath, "Okay, here goes nothing."
Serperior began her approach emerging from the shrubbery silently enough to not stir the Seviper. Her upper midsection pounded once she saw the large serpent merely slithering through the night in a scrunching wave fashion appearing to observe his surroundings casually. Now she was at the point of no return being so close to her target. Serperior forced her apprehension aside and wore her cute face. A long grin crossed her muzzle; big positive elliptic eyes reflected her attitude, her ears slightly sprawled into vulnerability, and a meandering slithering motion matched to top it off as she closed in. However, even though she knew he was one of her kind her only true intention was to keep her words for Drake and forget about Leavanny's advice so she could just get this intruder out.
Seviper turned towards the new presence followed by his body slinking with. A slight hiss of the tongue escaped him in response. "Haven't seen you around here before," Serperior countered with a small giggle to back up her suggestive tone of unpolluted clarity, "New around?"
Seviper smiles at her words. "Why yessss," he hisses with masculinity stirred in, "I'm looking for an ideal den to get situated in..."Serperior didn't bother to wait for his answer beforehand. Her body already coiled around the proximity of the seviper. "Know what I mean," he implied.
"Oh yessss I do," she replied with a playful hiss of her own mentally giggling at the fun act to interact with her kind.
As Serperior cocked her head to side with her grin Seviper chuckled, but his joy disappeared as fast as it sparked. Through the predators near sights they found each other's expressions to be perpendicular. Seviper saw how easy his new friend was which in turn left Serperior to see rejection drawn across his face; how could that be? The dark serpent momentarily flicked his equally long tongue towards her proximity. "Now that's a chemical I've never tasted before; a very fine mixture." Serperior immediately recoiled her neck from a blush. "You wild pokémon are just too easy..." he begins with a smirk while sliding out of her semicircle.
Serperior watched him leave her zone. "Excuse me?" she concerned.
"Oh, nothing to worry about. You seem eager to want to know who I am."
Serperior quickly ignored his previous words. "Yesss, name's Serperior."
"Heh." Seviper sensed her wishes, but his status prevented him from being attracted to her straightforwardness, but he wanted to experiment with her devotion a little bit longer. "Seviper, it was good meeting you but it's getting exhausting for me to be out here. I'll just be a friendly guesssst and let you take me out and, oh, show me the sights around. That should give you enough time to think about who you're talking to." Seviper turned and slinked away through the shrubbery clearly trying to get away from poor, confused Serperior.
A very baffled and failed serpent was left in the small ally of vegetation. "Um...Okay?"
Serperior continued to look at his fleeting direction for a few more seconds. Her perplexed face remained as she turned around to face the direction where her hive was. Shaking her head from the misunderstanding she slithered off to her home; though she was also trying to shake away any welling moisture in her eyes. As she slithered it finally dawned on her that she failed at even attracting a willing male serpent which left her nose falling close to the soil along with her ear tips. If she felt confused about her appearance then now she really feels insecure. From Drake coldly calling her nothing but a noodle, to Seviper rejecting her without hesitation it all felt like hot iron searing through her chest. In all her confusion she brought up Drake's hurtful words and just having his tone mentally call in her head caused her to finally weep as she slithered her head close to the ground. Not only could she not attract someone like herself but she can't attract the one who she really wants above all, and the worst part is she doesn't even understand why. Can a farming pokémon and a limbless pest form an accurate link?
To Be Continued
Like I complained about in the AN; I want to know how this intro was. Review, feedback, and comments are what I need right now so please do one and I'll appreciate it.
Mistakes are little to none when it comes to working with agriculture. Overlooking an issue is overlooking potential revenue. Mistakes are hard to avoid considering that natural elements are not in the control of private owners; unless someone was lucky enough to get their hands on a lugia which has never happened. Drought, overused soil, fires, heavy floods, and pesky pokémon are just part of the list of disasters.
Now, it's early in the second quarter for agriculturalists. Fires and droughts are the least of a farmer's concern now. With new life blooming across rich fields, rejuvenated critters want to claim a share of crops without permission. What does that call for? Hunting, trapping, and poisoning the thieves for taking their property which is planted over the "stealers" property theoretically. An issue of stupidity for many, yet a monumental one for passionate trainers, breeders, and other enthusiastic environmentalists forming organizations like Pokémon Ethical Treatment Advocates. Is there a better technique to take care of pokémon instead of poisoning them without hurting a farmer's profit or disrupting natural cycles? Can't there just be a compromise? Is it possible for farmers and pokémon to eventually form a link within these fields instead of using pesticide?
Nope, not today; not this morning. The rugged sounds from a choking crop duster momentarily disturbed what can be called at this moment a serene environment. The single engine prop landed across a strip finished with sprinkling acres of land where several dozens of organized rows of vegetation stretched out over many slight bluffs and hills. Now the blooming fruits and berries refracted the dew that would poison any critters upon consumption. It's a new form of protection for the owners of the modest ranch close between the wild woods of Pinwheel Forest and the fair landmark of Nacrene City. It's one of several measures that must be put in yearly each spring, summer, and early fall to prevent the common pests from picking "selfishly" at potential capital income. The other alternative, friendlier measure has been used by this family for the past two years now; a predatory pokémon: a fraxure.
Since having hatched from an egg beginning as an axew and starting off as the family pet, the little axe-jaw pokémon took it upon himself to help assist with the exterminations around the farmland by getting up with the sun each day to patrol the land. For the gray scaled, forest green armored dragon it was actually a friendly leisure for him and seen merely as a time to admire the nice emerald linear patterned scenery. The occasional early morning current trickled faintly through the flora allowing fluttering branches to welcome his nostrils to the assortment of scents provided by growing pears, apples, cherries, razz berries, oran berries, and such. The air was suddenly replaced however and with the young fraxure strolling through aisles of tall vegetation his nostrils began to burn from the bitter smell of poison coloring over the ambience like a mustard gradient veil of smog.
"'Oh I know how to protect my crops better, just lay them with poison since it's easy and cheap!' That doesn't make any sense, my old man..." The dragon type voiced his view with a slight chuckle. The strong chemicals nearly smothered his oxygen. It seemed very absurd that a good way to combat pests was with whatever poison was found in pesticide. Wouldn't that eventually contaminate the human food supply?
Wanting to leave he trekked through a thick hedge where the other side consisted of a dense pear tree field. His vermillion eyes lightly panned around as he walked in the dimly lit field. The large green drops hung adjacent to ghost white pedals of natural décor showing their early maturity. The canopy above from the thickly sprouted branches blocked off much of the morning glow. A positive grin lined around his gray, red-tipped tusk blades as he casually crossed his segmented arms. "Alright, first day of the season so come on out you scaredy patrat," he called out confidently. Continued past the trunks he continued to play exterminator. "Or how about you, fat pidove," he twisted with a smirk making up the criminal avian on the tree, "Or you, typical annoying bug," he darted with both flame hued index fingers pointing merely at the ground in front of him. "I have a new attack I wanna test on you pests!"
Done with his "action-packed" fantasy he seriously got back to touring the fields. He was only able to pick up cries of whimsicott and lilligant from afar. Nothing that involved buzzing disturbed his ears yet. He did feel a trembles of frustration in his growls from the occasional pidove call but the green canvas served to buffer out any far-ranged images.
He quickly stopped in his tracks once his ears did pick up possible noise. Two male voices were conversing beyond another hedge that separated another large field of pears. The little sentry suddenly pounced from excitement. Pushing through another hedge he headed towards the direction of the unrecognizable disturbance. The tones developed in volume and clarity as he walked further into the field, and only one last hedge concealed the perpetrators. Through the leafy wall, he silently scoped in on the pair who dozens of yards out. He defiantly didn't know who they were at a first glance. His pupils instinctively reshaped sharply into glassy narrow ovals; a sign of rising adrenaline when staring at potential pests.
"Huh...that's new."
In front of the concealed dragon's sight were not the normal neighboring pests he's so used to encountering. One appeared to be a very large meandrous black serpent with several golden markings that was tightly scrunched upward. The other was a big red bipedal bug with a pale yellow underbelly, insect to be specific according to the six limbs total and the pair of black antennae. The fraxure crept up closer to the pair being behind their view luckily. Seeing a few pear cores around the pair produced a low growl within the dragon. They were defiantly pests, but none he's ever seen which had him on observation. The serpent that was scrunched up and was mainly dominated by black scales with several golden hexagon markings throughout the top of his body. The insect was sitting appearing to pick at something in front of him. Other than the three large black spots on the shell and one on the back of the head the whole exoskeleton was completely infused with red pigment. What really caught the fraxure's predatory eyes though were their weapons. The sizable tail took on an intimidating shape of a long, red edged blade for the serpent, and his red javelin fangs running down his golden jaw was comparable to the serpent's head in length alone. As the insect ate one of his arms momentarily became completely exposed once the bug stretched. The hand looked like a clenched fists even though the pest loosened each appendage leisurely. The red shell along his back split apart to reveal translucent wings. Two possible belligerent pokémon. All of the fraxure's worries faded though when he saw the ledian throw a pear core lazily off to the side which landed near a large pile.
"What idiots!" Fraxure thought while snickering to himself, "Well I guess I'll just sit back and watch them drop dead, hehe."
Minutes passed and the pair got done with another pair of pears. The serpent used his tail to cut down another couple from the tree above. The serpent awkwardly accomplished biting into the piece of fruit using the side of its maw. The little fraxure was elated, but after they finished another serving his mood lowered like his smile. And to finish off the sequence, serrated teeth began to grit along his tusks once they finished a third serving in front of him.
"Hey, just what in the heck are you two doing alive! You're supposed to be choking by now!" The two turned towards the voice and saw a meter tall dragon sternly approach them. "That's it, you guys aren't supposed to be here so get lost!"
A brow rose on both their faces once their eyes fell over the little aggressor. They then turned towards each other in unison both feeling their cheek muscles quiver from the sight. "Ahahahaha!" Drake sharpened his glare from the spontaneous insult of their laughter. "Excuse me?" the serpent continued to ridicule, "What was that little guy? Are you telling us to get lost?"
The fraxure's jaw parted in shock from the bluntness of his words. "Don't push me. Don't even push me! Those pears you just ate are full of poison so you won't be able to defend yourself. For your sake just save your energy," he taunted with a smirk.
"Really now, but I feel high and dandy."
"But hey, that's probably because we're both, let's just say, experienced enough to take weak poisons. This is nothing!" the insect added with his ally. The serpent then slid forward with his upper half then his lower half followed scrunching up entirely again before repeating the process. The bug parted his shell before taking off to hover several feet above the ground. The fraxure became momentarily distracted by the cold stare the insect's large cerulean blue lenses gave off. "Yeah, I've grown resistant to many poison attacks, so insecticide won't do a thing, buddy."
The dragon continued to watch the serpent inch closer but was unaffected by his large size. Even though the serpent looked like he was a foot thick and possibly able to swallow his own friend the fraxure kept his confident composure. "Hehe, alright, I see where this is going," he smirked before slowly aiding in closing the gap between them, "I'm a fully trained pokémon, 'buddy', so get out."
"We're professionally trained, so we both urge you to shut that big jaw of yours before we break those tusks off," the serpent sharply hissed flicking his black tipped split tongue.
Now the two were in range being a few yards apart. "You've been warned!"
The fraxure sprinted strongly enough to kick up debris aiming to intercept the serpent first. The large serpent smirked with his enemy. Once close enough with his head already reared back, the dragon clenched his teeth and neck muscles to swing his head strongly to the side expecting his sharp tusk to impale his foe. However, he felt a strong resonating force along his jaw thrust him back away from his enemy along with the piercing noise of shearing edges wring his ears. The small dragon barely caught himself almost overwhelmed by the countering force. Once he recuperated his balance he saw the serpent's bladed tail teasingly swaying in front of his black scales seeing the blade almost entirely block off the whole length of his scrunched body.
"Ledian, let me handle this amateur," the serpent called arrogantly before beginning to straighten his serpentine body forward and low to the ground in an offensive approach. Viscous venom glistened brightly in gold along the tips of his fangs as he was now curving along the soil. He continued to keep his full lava orange scopes on the fraxure, his elliptical pupils holding the dragon within sight.
The farm dragon didn't let his taunt bother him though and instead felt a growl intensify within his chest. Running towards his enemy to make up lost distance he found the serpent's jaws gaping. Within a couple feet the fraxure got off his heels and only used his two maroon claws for added agility to rapidly spin towards the serpent using his tusks, claws from his spanned arms, and the blunt force of his tail to counter and add momentum. His foe slithered back to keep his head from those weapons finding his fangs are too long for a precise snap-down on the dragon. As the serpent decided to use his tail instead the fraxure waited for the right moment when the collage of blurring green turned into a blob of black, yellow, and the anticipated red. At the right chance the fraxure successfully bit down clamping his jaw onto the base of the serpent's tail while delivering a Slash Attack with his needle claws at the thinner hide before the tail. The serpent hissed intensely in irritation nearly losing control of his flailing by the scorching ferocity being inflicted around that small area. Aggravatingly lashing his tail out with exerted strength, the momentum caused the fraxure to slip off his tail flinging him causing him to collide into a violent tumble across the dirt.
"Yeah, Seviper, kick his ass!"
"Just go back from where you came! You're too young, kid," the seviper laughed with a flick of his long tongue.
The dragon faintly groaned from the throbbing that pulsed past the top of his muzzle feeling it spread throughout his cranium. His building anger however had him ignored the smaller pains along his arm joints and knees. Not wanting his pride to be offended he gathered up his own arrogance along with his feet as he roughly stumbled back up to his feet in a low stance.
As the dragon stood straight up his attention along with everyone else's turned towards the canopy. "Drake!" The fraxure turned back to his enemy with a growl upon hearing his name hoping the caller would go away. "Back off now, you're outnumbered!"
"Ohhh... why Colton, why do you have to humiliate me?" Drake groans shaking his head in embarrassment before pulling down on his tusks to exert his frustration.
Just then a dark blue, white under bellied avian swooped through the flora above to hover over the three. Everyone looked up becoming quickly distracted by the flyer. The taillow shouts, "Drake, just get away from those two! You don't stand a chance!" the bird panicked worriedly.
"Colton, go away!" the young fraxure told.
"Ha, you better listen to your friend, 'Drake'," the red insect mocked before flying low next to his partner, "You got lucky. Just run back to your comfy home, house pet!" The pair smiled and scoffed before flying and slithering away.
The taillow known as Colton landed next to his friend. "Why dude, why?" Drake demanded rhetorically, "I'm strong enough to take any typical pest now; I'm good enough." Drake continued to watch his enemies scurry off and through a hedge bush now completely out of their sights.
"Yeah, well those weren't typical pests," Colton countered, "I don't want to fly around one day and find you motionless. That would be tragic for little Maylene and her mom and dad and you know that!"
"Yeah I know, don't have to remind me, Colton. Whatever," Drake retorted as he turned towards the direction of the ranch before limping forward, "Let's get back home. I think I'm going to need some ointment...ouch."
Other than being attacked and beaten, that was almost identical to a routine morning for Drake...almost. The acres of fields he patrols are tended by the inhabitants of a modest ranch on one end of the grid organized orchard. Within the two story rectangle framed building lived a small, but tight family that likes to run their business as well as tend to pokémon as a hobby; not cattle pokémon since its fruits they're growing but merely pets or rarities which is something fairly uncommon. In the kitchen the sun light bathed the whole room through a series of windows with lavender drapes fixed to the side. The view of the irrigation tower, the large storage house, and the high hedges and trees that lined the orchard was shown through a smaller double-hung window on one side of the kitchen also where the exiting door was that lead to the other structures. There on the light toned wood floor was Drake who was dragging a smooth rock across one of his tusk where Colton was perched on the edge of the counter in front of that open window.
"I'm telling you those two are dangerous," Colton was speaking, "That serpent was a seviper which are poisonous, deadly, dangerous, nine foot long, toxic, hard-to-beat pokémon! His bug friend was a ledian and those are fighters. They're like flying, red, agile, midget machamp--"
"Blah- blah- blah- blah! Ever think about how brutal a fraxure... is?" Drake strained as he sheared the gray stone across his gray tusk effectively sharpening the blade. "I say bring it on. The poison isn't strong enough, so I'll get those two out one way or another."
"No, you can't just get the owner to use his rifle! He's not even the type to shoot a pokémon, I think. Those two, they're not from around here. I know Ledian is from Johto and Seviper is from Hoenn, so they must've been brought here and then shortly later abandoned by a trainer. Must be pretty stressful for those guys."
"Yeah, well I don't care, and I wasn't even going to let our owner know. It's going to be a while before I evolve again so I gotta try something. I just need to figure out a way. More poison is not going to solve anything since that ledian is just proof bugs are getting more resistant." Drake switched the rock around to polish his other tusk as Colton swooped overhead to land on the oval dark wood framed dining table where he got perched over Drake on the gray slate textured tiles.
"There has to be a better way than solving this problem all by yourself," Colton concluded before taking to the air again, "But if you're ever in dire trouble again I will get our master to try and intervene."
"But...I wasn't even in dire trouble today! I don't know what you're talking about," Drake joked.
He faced down the hall where Colton flew through rolling his eyes. Unknowing to anyone, outside the window Colton was in front of earlier a new intruder poked its head up from below the window. Heading up the sill the pokémon used its length to peak in through the open window. The new pokémon viewed Drake from behind. "Long time no see, eh Drake?"
The green dragon immediately dropped the rock and twisted towards the window about to shun the feminine tone. Peeking through the sill was unfortunately another pest but less fearsome looking this time. A smile was curved along the pale white underside of her lower jaw.
"Uh, who are you and what are you doing here?" Drake nearly threatened but stopped himself once he glimpsed at the appearance of the intruder.
The pokémon looked down exposing the pale green coloration of her silky scales found up her upper muzzle and head where the green coloration curved out in barbing patterns around the pair of definably squinted scarlet eyes which decoratively incased the shiny black rhombuses that many carnivorous pokémon adorn. Drake did not know who she was or why she dared to peak into his home but he planned to find out now in a friendly manner.
A gasp left her which was also accompanied by the long green, pointed appendages above her eyes lowering and spanning out like a reflex that a pair of ears do which showed the bright lemon interiors. Drake smiled slightly from the interesting features found on this tempting scaled creature. "You don't remember me little Drake? That hurts, how could you forget?"
Suddenly Drake slumped along with his lower jaw. "Oh no...Servine?"
"Make that Serperior now! I see you evolved too," she giggled, "Instead of a stubby little axew you're now a stubby little fraxure."
Drake turned his head for a moment to revolt mentally about the fact that he actually thought she was attractive for that time frame. "My old nemesis! Serperior though? Why do I have to call you that now? Jeez I couldn't recognize you from you're...matured voice. You're color is lighter and you're bigger!" Serperior smiled when she slithered further through the window just to show off her new looks. She barely managed to fit her new prongs through the frame but Drake already caught their size. "And you have those weird... peeling extensions now! They're like giant and darker green versions of those long ears of yours. You're neck is long- Where's your arms?" he marveled in shock. He wasn't used to someone that was his size just only a few months ago grow significantly larger than him.
"Oh don't be so naïve! I'm a serpent now," she laughed as she slithered in deeper showing off more than half of her new two narrowing boughs that curved at the tips near her ears. To Drake it looked like her neck sprouted out from the diverging prongs but he couldn't completely tell since not even a quarter of her body was through the window. That was a new blow for Drake who's used to chasing something with legs.
"Great, I don't even want to see what's all behind your neck then," Drake told before turning away with his arms crossed, "Either way, Serperior or not, I'm not glad to see that you're still around to harass my crops; not at all. Not a notta."
With his head teasingly turned away so he could ignore his long time most annoying pest Serperior slipped out a vine from within her bough and slowly approached him with the bulbous tip. With a smile, she manipulated the vine to lash out with energy where it firmly whipped Drake on the red tip of his tail causing him to skip with a shriek. Drake groaned roughly where he slowly turned towards the scaled pokémon while snuggling his tail against his front to protect it from her whips. "Oh please, you're completely thrilled," she smirked, "You should be sad about the fact that your owner just sprayed poison all over his own food, but whatever makes your job easier, right slowpoke."
Once Serperior finished her joke, another pokémon suddenly squeezed through the window awkwardly scrunching her golden spherical head through the window. Drake continued to look above the counter analyzing the new intruder seeing the large split leaf rooting behind her head along with a pair of yellow antennae embedded on top of her head. The bug type was recognized right away. "Leavanny..." Drake grimaced while shaking his draping head. He laughed softly, "The whole company is back..."
Leavanny looked at the fraxure who had his red claws clasping his hips and smiled at the disappointed pokémon. Nothing better than an enemy reunion. "Long time no see, Drake- Oh and you evolved over the winter!" the bug greeted joyously. Drake raised his head up seeing Leavanny place her leaf arms on the window sill, each having a large circular notch that defined the sharp-edged defense on the delicate looking appendages, "So watcha two up to?"
"Oh nothing, just telling Drake here that he's grown lazy."
"Hey, even if you're still a form ahead of me I can still catch you. Heck, you're a serpent so how much speed you got on me?" Drake challenged with a smirk, "You know I've always hated that mouth of yours, Servine--"
"That's 'Serperior' to you!" she mockingly interjected.
"No, but it's gonna be banana if you keep interrupting me. You're peeling thingies...they remind me of banana peels, haha," he chuckled.
"Oh, haha," the serpent mimicked sarcastically before further exposing both of her winding vines from within her "peels", "I still have these, so I wouldn't make fun of those if I were you." She lashed one vine towards thin air eliciting an acute snapping sound. She then flicked her tongue rapidly half a foot out her face as a mocking joke.
Drake immediately cringed from her joke. "Jeez, because of earlier today I hate serpents even more...Where's your fangs then?"
"Oh, I don't have fangs. Serperior are non-venomous I guess, so instead I have rows of sharp, little tini fangs. Wanna see?"
"No! Why did I even ask?"
"Oh relax, Serperior, I'm sure he's had enough scares from you today," Leavanny smiled.
"Anyways, 'Serperior', my job is actually a lot harder now. Just today I had to take care of two invading species, bastards. Well I took great care of them...momentarily that is, but they had it coming, so ha!"
"You mean that red flying bug and that black serpent? She's told me about them," Serperior pointed with a vine towards her friend.
"Yep, saw them myself. I've never seen their kind before. So if you took care of them at the moment, then what are you going to do for the long run, huh Drake, since you're pretty high and mighty now in your new form."
"Oh please, his head spike barely even tops over his owner's waist I bet. You stand next to him he'll be at your neck," Serperior teased.
"Shut up!"
"Don't tease the small dragon's size. Just because you're ten feet long now doesn't give you the right," Leavanny joked.
"Ten feet! How do you grow an additional eight feet?" Drake blurted, "I don't even want to know what the rest of you looks like! Anyways, can I continue without anymore rude distractions? I've been thinking all morning and I just need to find any way to get rid of them before falling back to plan B: letting my owner know so he can take care of it."
"Hmm," Serperior thought rubbing her lower muzzle with a vine, "I might be able to help, but with that comes a price," she offered with an implicative tone and an impish smile, "Why don't you come outside so we can discuss this face to face."
"Nah," he smiled before climbing up the kitchen counter below the window. Serperior and Leavanny simultaneously tried to retract their heads away but ended up getting stuck within the window. Chuckling, Drake carelessly pushed on Serperior forehead successfully pressing her through the opening thus allowing Leavanny to get through. "At least you two are still silly. Anyways, if you can actually help me get them out, how 'bout I just ship you three wagons full of poison-less fruit in the end. Actually if you try tonight I'll give you one wagon tomorrow morning as part of the cut."
"Well--"
"You got it! That's a deal, Drake," Leavanny interrupted nodding enthusiastically, "You two can meet tonight and discuss a plan. Just get all the sweetest treats you got!"
"Cool," Drake concluded as he placed his paws on the window's lift handle, "The deal is officially closed. I'll see ya in the field tonight, Servine, so don't miss it." With that he dragged the window down leaving no further discussion between them.
"Hey...darn it, it's 'Serperior'!" she yelled with added hissing. She saw the dragon smile and hop down before walking away from the kitchen. Serperior then turned to Leavanny elevating half her body up so her eyes could fall directly over the nurturing pokémon in a hard stare. Leavanny saw the embers that incased her elliptical pupils flicker from displeasure. "Why did you agree for? That's not what I wanted from him!"
"What?" her partner replied harmlessly, "Nothing better than a sweet berry after breathing the spring air. Why, what were you going to ask?"
Serperior pouted twisting away from her before slithering towards the hedge bushes that lined the fields. "Nothing, let's get back to the hive before his owners find us here."
As the two females left for their homes Drake kept his word and decided to stroll outside to the storage house. Swinging open the kitchen door he was greeted again by the brisk space and the green fields that were still present in the afternoon. The image and Serperior sudden visit reminded him of how he and Servine encountered each other last year. Although one was considered a pest and the other the exterminator, the two have grown to become acquaintances, if not that then friends even. It would be routine for him each day. He would walk in on her steeling a berry and once she was caught a long chase ensued through the green and colorful plains of the orchard. Each patrol he found the green pokémon stealing something and laughing about it as a taunt before zipping away and it was his duty to retrieve the fruit back which was not always the case. If she was a real nuisance then he would've decided to deal with her upon the first encounter long ago. Why is she not a nuisance? Not even Drake knows himself completely. Thinking about the whole memory, Drake planted a paw to his face as he lightly chuckled about their times last year.
His chuckle closed down however when something tickled his nostrils, the highly sweet aroma he's very familiar with. It's the one that Servine gave off naturally non-stop, and he would always catch that sweet scent whenever following close behind her. Just like most grass types, she secretes natural dew from her moisturized scales which presents a fragrance as a natural function to stay hydrated, similar to perspiration, and hers happens to be unfortunately for Drake very sweet and luring. His hand had traces of her dew from the small moment that he jokingly forced her through the window, and unless he washed his hands it wouldn't pass for hours.
"Gotta admit, winter felt a little lonely without her to chase," Fraxure chuckled to himself.
The routine, seeing her mischievously take something of his, her strong trail became engraved in his mental fissures. If he didn't find her taking anything for just one day a part of him would feel disappointed. It wasn't because that he may have failed to save some produce but it was more like something was missing about that day. If the evening came and she didn't take anything then things felt oddly out of place. That's how much she encountered him to cause such an impact on him.
"Psh, and I have to call her Serperior now! Forget that," he arrogantly told himself, "I'm not going to sound like her secretary, hehe. Stupid pests I have to deal with." In the storage structure he walked into the temperate units and scanned through several brown sacs. Dozens of colors stuck out to him each being a different berries and fruit of different textures and tastes. "Maylene's wagon should do the trick."
Later that night Drake kept his word and snuck out the ranch. Being very late he only used the remnant of the moon to give him some visibility in the thick fields of the orchard. The nice temperate air that fluctuated around him got him loosened up. He paced through a couple rows of fruit for ten long minutes. The fairly strong freeze didn't help him track any sounds that Serperior could possibly make. Growing late at night and already fatigued in his pulsating knees from his earlier battle he eventually grew impatient about the fact that he didn't really think this through when he closed off the deal to shut Serperior up. Where is he supposed to meet the regal pokémon? A half hour passed; just about the time for him to give up, until he caught a familiar scent that is. "I know that perfume smell..." he thought. Following the source of the grass type's smell memories of the scent fizzed within his sinuses once he noticed how strong the smell was now. The aroma was strong now, stronger than the times his nose was right behind her in their chases, but she still was nowhere. Now that she was fully matured her scent was tremendously potent. The high from the smell coaxed his emotions as he practically tasted swallowed the air. Drake nearly forgot why he was out there. With his breaths becoming shallow and his heart spiking his whole cardiovascular region felt the intoxicating effects... and his body seemed to have liked it.
"Over hear little Fraxure!" Drake staggered his spin towards the source of the loud whisper and heard the hedge bushes stir. Looking closely he cautiously approached the object that the moon's light highlighted out as Serperior's glistening head which was poking out of a brush. "Found you, about time too! We didn't exactly talk about a meeting place!" she continued to whisper.
"Why are you whispering, there's no one out here," he bluntly asked, "And how'd you even find me out here."
"I found you with this," she giggled before flicking her glossy tongue far in front of her.
He quickly backed away not wanting to get hit by the disgusting appendage. "Dialga, that thing is like a foot long; possibly a foot and a half!"
"Mmhmm, it's a cool sensory tool I got now. It allows me to taste the air; like a new nose! That means I can track you down easily now if I ever want to just by flicking my tongue out," she joked sticking her tongue out towards him again with a grin.
Drake sighed. "That's absolutely lovely," Drake joked sarcastically. "Anyways I just want you to do anything to get rid of those two pests. It's already bad enough that you're here," Drake told finishing off in a jokey manner.
"Really, aaaanythiiiiing?" she implied.
"Y...Yeah, anything. That just kinda bothered me the way you said that," he chuckled, "But whatever works."
"So I can try and use my new looks to entice that serpent but trick him out of here in the end?"
"Whoa, I thought you were just playing?"
"Leavanny suggested to me since we're both serpents."
Suddenly Drake broke out into raucous laughter. "Ahahaha...Looks? But...but then again what looks? You're just a big, green spaghetti noodle to me, but hey whatever you serpents are into, right!"
"Uh y...yeah," Serperior differently responded with a pliable undertone.
Drake didn't notice her gaze fall along with her long ears falling flatly so he kept his play up along with his laughter. "If push comes to shove...just don't fight them...I don't even know what you can do with--"
"Okay, okay, I get what you're trying to say, just shut up now," she chuckled only for a moment just to prevent her afflicted mood from emerging. Drake was too naïve to notice the sting his words was giving to the female... She felt like his jokes, even though they were just his jokes, abused her head with enough carelessness to have her fiery eyes glisten higher than normal. "I'm going to go now."
"Oh wait, before you go I've decide to give you a name. I'm not into the whole wild thing where everyone calls each other by the name of their kind."
"You gave me a name?" she reluctantly replied.
"Yes I did. I know it's something different but think of it as like earning a name when you've never been acknowledged enough to get one."
"Oh really now?" she glared.
"Yes, sorry but Serperior just sounds too much for me. How does Sarah sound?"
"Sarah?"
"Yeah--"
"That's all you came up with?"
"Yeah, well hey I tried other stuff like Samantha and Sammy and whatever just came off the top of my head that began with an 'S', but...Sarah just fits you," Drake smiled nonchalantly.
"How does a name fit someone...You know what, I don't even wanna know why just like how you don't want to know what the rest of my body looks like. I guess I have no choice but to accept it then," Serperior spoke.
"The rest of you probably looks like the area I'm looking at right now," he joked, "If you don't want it then--"
"No, no it's fine. Whatever, it's odd that you're going to be calling me that when--"
"No, don't think of it as a nickname. Think of it as your name that belongs to you and only you. You're officially known as Sarah and everyone knows you by that now." Serperior continued her glare as Drake loudly yawned stretching out his arms for his joints to pop. "Okay, I'm going to go brush my tusks and go to sleep. Good luck with whatever you're going to try and goodnight, Sarah." With a smile, Drake turned and headed back for the light source at the horizon.
With her ears still retracted in discontent, Serperior, or Sarah, halfheartedly coiled back into the brushes. "An official name huh...whatever. I still can't believe you joked like that to me, freakin' Drake. He's probably serious too..." she vented irritably. She slithered away from the hedge towards the Seviper's last known location. "Do you really think I'm just some fat noodle? Gah, how can you be so mean! It's not fair that my final form involves me having to lose my arms and legs. I don't even have an ass now!"
Several minutes into crawling to her destination Serperior vented enough to calm her mind so she could get into the seductive mindset. "Well, maybe he was thinking about me so much that he gave me a name since those are so important to him and people. Maybe he doesn't think I'm bad, hopefully," she still thought unable to keep her thoughts about Drake back. After all, he is the only scaled male creature around who gives her all the fun each morning.
After a while into her trip she arrived at the place her sources informed her about. Staying low to the ground she made herself discreet to any recent body heat on the soil around her scales. Every so often she pitched her head up to rapidly flick her tongue about, the long appendage acting like a relay point for any chemical aromas that was left by any occupier. A faint musk pinched her sensory glands in her jaw along with the salty residue of carbon dioxide, something only her kind can taste. The location of her target was confirmed as she heard and felt with her sensitive scales faint rustling ahead. Past a shrubby barrier ahead of her she was able to make out someone of serpentine shape. "O...okay, time to use the attraction I hope I have to get this guy out of here," she whispered unsteadily to herself.
"Serperior," a voice called out from behind the grass serpent, "I'm not too late am I?" Serperior found Leavanny quickly approaching her.
"No, just in time. So, I'm going to try and use the dirty old trick in the book on this male?"
"Good, that's exactly what you're gonna do. I'm going to go for his friend nearby."
"Are you being serious, Leavanny? You sound like you're being serious about this whole thing, and with spring just arriving new hormones will come with," Serperior smirked.
"Hah, you're speaking for yourself. I've been evolved for years unlike you, so it's you who should be worried about your hormones girl," Leavanny joked. "Alright, I'm going for his friend. Have a fun night out, hmhm."
Serperior waited for her giddy friend to completely vanish through the thick vegetation behind her before moving back into a close position by Seviper. Almost regretting agreeing with Leavanny on this planning there was no turning back now. She just desperately needed to speak to this serpent so her fears could go away. She took a deep breath, "Okay, here goes nothing."
Serperior began her approach emerging from the shrubbery silently enough to not stir the Seviper. Her upper midsection pounded once she saw the large serpent merely slithering through the night in a scrunching wave fashion appearing to observe his surroundings casually. Now she was at the point of no return being so close to her target. Serperior forced her apprehension aside and wore her cute face. A long grin crossed her muzzle; big positive elliptic eyes reflected her attitude, her ears slightly sprawled into vulnerability, and a meandering slithering motion matched to top it off as she closed in. However, even though she knew he was one of her kind her only true intention was to keep her words for Drake and forget about Leavanny's advice so she could just get this intruder out.
Seviper turned towards the new presence followed by his body slinking with. A slight hiss of the tongue escaped him in response. "Haven't seen you around here before," Serperior countered with a small giggle to back up her suggestive tone of unpolluted clarity, "New around?"
Seviper smiles at her words. "Why yessss," he hisses with masculinity stirred in, "I'm looking for an ideal den to get situated in..."Serperior didn't bother to wait for his answer beforehand. Her body already coiled around the proximity of the seviper. "Know what I mean," he implied.
"Oh yessss I do," she replied with a playful hiss of her own mentally giggling at the fun act to interact with her kind.
As Serperior cocked her head to side with her grin Seviper chuckled, but his joy disappeared as fast as it sparked. Through the predators near sights they found each other's expressions to be perpendicular. Seviper saw how easy his new friend was which in turn left Serperior to see rejection drawn across his face; how could that be? The dark serpent momentarily flicked his equally long tongue towards her proximity. "Now that's a chemical I've never tasted before; a very fine mixture." Serperior immediately recoiled her neck from a blush. "You wild pokémon are just too easy..." he begins with a smirk while sliding out of her semicircle.
Serperior watched him leave her zone. "Excuse me?" she concerned.
"Oh, nothing to worry about. You seem eager to want to know who I am."
Serperior quickly ignored his previous words. "Yesss, name's Serperior."
"Heh." Seviper sensed her wishes, but his status prevented him from being attracted to her straightforwardness, but he wanted to experiment with her devotion a little bit longer. "Seviper, it was good meeting you but it's getting exhausting for me to be out here. I'll just be a friendly guesssst and let you take me out and, oh, show me the sights around. That should give you enough time to think about who you're talking to." Seviper turned and slinked away through the shrubbery clearly trying to get away from poor, confused Serperior.
A very baffled and failed serpent was left in the small ally of vegetation. "Um...Okay?"
Serperior continued to look at his fleeting direction for a few more seconds. Her perplexed face remained as she turned around to face the direction where her hive was. Shaking her head from the misunderstanding she slithered off to her home; though she was also trying to shake away any welling moisture in her eyes. As she slithered it finally dawned on her that she failed at even attracting a willing male serpent which left her nose falling close to the soil along with her ear tips. If she felt confused about her appearance then now she really feels insecure. From Drake coldly calling her nothing but a noodle, to Seviper rejecting her without hesitation it all felt like hot iron searing through her chest. In all her confusion she brought up Drake's hurtful words and just having his tone mentally call in her head caused her to finally weep as she slithered her head close to the ground. Not only could she not attract someone like herself but she can't attract the one who she really wants above all, and the worst part is she doesn't even understand why. Can a farming pokémon and a limbless pest form an accurate link?
To Be Continued
Like I complained about in the AN; I want to know how this intro was. Review, feedback, and comments are what I need right now so please do one and I'll appreciate it.