Chapter 7 - A Friend In Need
"No! I don't want to! Please don't make me!"
"Damn it! Will you let go of that wall!"
Eve had her eyes screwed tightly shut, almost as tight as her grip on the door way and Wolf's own grip on her mid section. Behind their struggle, a faint trace of steam rose from the bath tub in their room, lending the air a slightly humid feel. Neither of them noticed, their attention focussed completely on the fact that Eve would not let go of the door way. Wolf put one foot onto the wall and pulled with all of his strength, feeling the Chimchar starting to give. A second later she did, Wolf's weight prevailing and causing her to let go of the door way, along with the only thing keeping them both in position. Stumbling back, Wolf's legs hit the bath tub and threw him completely off balance, the trainer falling into the hot water and throwing drops all over the room. Eve took the chance to try and squirm out of his grip, but he was determined. Rolling onto his side, he lowered her into the water stomach first to keep the flame of her tail out of the bath. Once she was in and thoroughly soaked she stopped trying to break free, instead turning a sullen gaze to her trainer, who merely returned a stern look. The effect he wanted was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was also dripping wet and his clothes were heavy with water.
"Eve, I know you don't like the bath." He said, reaching over for the bottle of soap and squirting a generous amount onto her back. "But everyone's complaining. I try to let you get out of having a bath too often, but you stink. It's getting on everyone's nerves." She didn't respond, maintaining her disgruntled attitude while Wolf scrubbed her fur, his fingertips running along her back in the manner he knew she liked most.
"Besides," he added, grimacing. "I'm in here too, even though I don't want to be." Finished with her back he began scrubbing her head, the foam from the soap getting thicker the more he rubbed. "I have to sit here, in my wet clothes, and clean you. The quicker we can get this done, the less time you have to spen- what's that?"
"What's what?" Eve asked, distracted from her sulking by his question. He moved one finger along a patch of the longer fur on her head, Eve wincing a little as something hard pressed against her scalp. She could feel him parting the fur, trying to get a clear look at what he had found.
"Huh." He said lightly, having just seen what he had found. "That explains why you've never evolved. There's a tiny shard of everstone lodged in your fur." Eve turned to look at him, surprised at what he had found.
"That stone that keeps pokemon from evolving?" she asked. "Like what Ivysaur has in his collar?" Wolf nodded, looking at the shard thoughtfully.
"Do you want me to take it out?" he asked suddenly, the question taking her off guard. She stood up and turned towards him, looking him squarely in the eye.
"You mean, I have a choice?" she said curiously. Wolf nodded, waiting patiently for her answer while she considered the choice. On one hand, she would be able to get much stronger than she could ever be if she stayed as a Chimchar. As a trainer Wolf would undoubtedly be happy with that prospect, and they could win many battles and they would be happy. On the other hand, one of the first things Wolf had told her was that it was her choice if she wanted to evolve or not. He had stayed true to his word in letting her decide, and by this point she couldn't imagine being anything other than a Chimchar.
"You don't have to decide right away, Eve." He added quickly, seeing the deep thought in her eyes. "Take as much time as you like." She shook her head, staring at him in a determined manner.
"I want to evolve." She said, standing up taller to Wolf's eyes. He simply nodded, smiling warmly at her. Whether or not she evolved wasn't an issue to Wolf, so long as she was happy. Slowly, he untangled the shard from her fur, working it out of the knots that had built up over time. Once it was loose, he removed the shard and pocketed it, watching as she began to glow with the pent up energy of evolution. Her form began to grow, though it didn't stop after the first change. She began to grow again, only stopping when she was approximately Lucky's size. Her tail grew, the flames disappearing only to burst into life on her head. Her limbs lengthened, her torso grew, and once the glow faded Wolf saw that she had completely skipped her first evolutionary step to evolve into Infernape. He beamed at her while she inspected her new form, running her hands along herself as though she couldn't believe it.
"Wow..." she breathed, turning back to Wolf in awe. "Is this... me?"
"It sure is!" he grinned, giving her a big hug in celebration. For a minute they simply held each other, until Wolf finally drew back with another grimace on his face.
"I should have made you wait until after the bath before letting you decide." He muttered, more to himself than her. "Now I have more work to do." She giggled, turning to let him get back to bathing her.
***
The next morning Wolf stood out the front of the pokemon centre, looking over the various buildings of Pummelo Island and up the hill towards the massive, ancient looking colosseum sitting on top of the island. He glanced down at his hand again, where the four badges of the Orange League sat glistening in the sun's early rays. Ever since he'd spent time with Lucky and Caelas, his passion for battling had returned and he had won the final three in short order, though he had not been rash in earning them.
He remembered well the water based challenges of Mikan Island, smiling as he recalled how worried he'd been that Squishy would be far too enthusiastic, now knowing that she had performed both the water gun challenge and the race against Sissy and her Blastoise with great grace. He was quite proud of her efforts.
He remembered the exhilarating race down the slopes of Navel Island's mountain in a sled made of ice, with Jazz, Happy and Ivysaur all helping to get them across the finish line before Danny, the good natured gym leader who had tactfully ignored the truly vile stream of obscenities coming from the trainer as they climbed the mountain.
He remembered watching Serenity and Eve tracking and knocking down all of the targets with ease as part of Rudy's test on Trovita Island, culminating the next day in a battle that pitted like types of pokemon against each other, where Serenity and Eve once again proved themselves powerful enough to win the battle without needing to fight the third match.
He remembered battling Luanna in the doubles battle on Cumquat Island, using the stadium she had in her deluxe hotel to stage his challenge. The battle had come right down to manoeuvring, Wolf trying to keep Squishy safe from Alakazam's psychic attacks by using Happy as the shield and Squishy as the sword, aiming a torrent of hydro pump and water pulse attacks at Marowak only to have them diverted by their psychic adversary.
He smiled to himself, glad that his pokemon had been able to win their challenges with little difficulty. It was a testament to how much they respected him, Wolf showing the same respect by claiming little of the glory for their wins. Now they stood on the cusp of victory in the Orange League, the only thing standing between them and their goal the Orange Islands champion himself. Leaving himself with that thought, he walked back into the pokemon centre. The match wasn't for another week, and he wanted to get some training in.
***
"You're doing well, Squishy!" Wolf called out, encouraging the Milotic's efforts in her target practice. As he watched, she sent a water pulse attack to smash against one of the bulls eyes, the wooden circle coming apart in a shower of splinters and water drops. She squealed happily, turning to Wolf with a pleased expression. The rest of his pokemon were putting in just as much effort, sending razor sharp leaves, jolts of high voltage electricity, ethereal blobs of ghostly power and pulses of psychic might to blow apart a multitude of targets. It took him a second to notice that no flames had been joining the attacks, and he looked over to where Eve was struggling to get her attacks right.
She looked at the target across from her with some desperation, trying hard to send a stream of fire to burn it, but no matter how much she tried, the flames seemed to flicker and die before they'd even made it half way to their destination. She could only look on hopelessly, sinking to her knees in defeat. She had always been able to use flamethrower as a Chimchar. Why couldn't she use it now?
Wolf knelt next to her, putting a comforting hand on her back. She looked up to see a kind smile on his face, but looking past she could see the other pokemon had stopped their training and were looking at her as well, but with more unwelcome expressions of pity. Wolf followed her forlorn gaze, grimacing when he noticed the other pokemon.
"Guys, take five." He said, glancing at his watch. "I'll call you all for lunch." Recognising the dismissal, Serenity gathered the others and quickly shepherded them away. He watched them go before turning back to Eve, startled to see tears forming in her eyes.
"Why can't I do this?" she wept. "I should be able to do this easily! What is wrong with me?" His gaze turned stern, though he started stroking her back to try and help make her feel better.
"You're just not used to your new form yet." He said, hoping he could make her feel as though she wasn't to blame. "You'll have the hang of it in a couple of days, I promise." She sniffed, moving closer to him and letting him hold her.
"Is everything alright, young one?" a voice sounded behind them, Wolf and Eve turning to see a familiar old man standing behind them to go with a term only one person had ever called him. With short curly grey hair, circle rimmed glasses and a well travelled mauve karate uniform on, Wolf's eyes lit up to see him again.
"Mr Moore!" he said, getting up to shake Flannery's grandfather's hand. He grinned back, Eve standing up in confusion and looking between the pair. "It's been a while. How have you been?"
"Well enough." He replied. "I'm surprised Flannery didn't tell you that I was going to be in the Orange Islands for my poetry, considering you will one day be a part of our family." Wolf choked at the mention of any sort of marriage, his horrified look meeting with a grin from the old man that told Wolf he was only kidding. "I saw your Infernape's attempt at a flamethrower. Is something wrong?" Eve looked down, embarrassed. Wolf took her hand, stroking it to comfort her.
"Eve's just evolved, and from a Chimchar no less." He replied. "If I had to guess, I think skipping the Monferno stage meant that she didn't get a chance to adjust to her new form." He nodded, seeing the problem. Digging around in his bag, he pulled out a poke ball.
"Typhlosion, I choose you!" he said, calling out the fire pokemon. Typhlosion appeared next to Eve, standing tall and awaiting instructions from Moore. Smiling at Wolf, he gestured to the pair of fire pokemon. "I'm sure Typhlosion and I could help her get back up to speed." Wolf's eyes shone as he heard the proposal. He may have won their gym battle back in Lavaridge, but Moore was still a highly skilled trainer in his own right.
"That would be fantastic!" he cried, his enthusiasm for the idea even taking Eve. "How about we begin after lunch?"
***
"Welcome pokemon fans! Pummelo Stadium is charged with excitement as the first challenger in quite some time has come to take on Pummelo gym leader Drake! Facing him is a well known trainer from the Hoenn region, Wolf O'kai!"
The crowd erupted in cheering as Wolf and Eve entered the stadium, Drake walking in from the opposite end. He was roughly a foot taller than Wolf, with spiky black hair and dark blue eyes, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, a dark red sleeveless jacket and a pair of jeans that looked newer than Wolf's own. They approached each other and the base of the stairs, where a league referee waited to greet them. Both trainers shook hands, and though both kept a firm grip neither of them resorted to trying to crush the other's hand.
"Welcome to the Orange League championship match, Wolf." Drake greeted him, an expectant smile on his face. "The other members of the Orange Crew told me you'd be quite a challenger." Wolf grinned back.
"Not often a gym leader hears of a challenger, is it?" he asked, getting a quick laugh from the champion.
"I suppose not." He admitted. "But all that means is that this will be a very exciting match." The trainer nodded in agreement, before they both turned to the referee.
"This will be a full six on six battle." He explained. "When three of either trainer's pokemon are unable to battle, there will be a field change. The first field," he gestured behind them, where the ground had opened up to allow a new field to rise up from the depths of the stadium, covered in rocks with a large pool of water in the middle. "Will be a rock and water field. Only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokemon. With that, choose your first pokemon, and good luck to you both." Wolf and Eve moved to their side of the field, leaving Drake to do the same, though he was not surprised to find Mr Moore waiting for them.
"Good luck to you, Wolf." He said, Wolf giving him a thumbs up in return. Wolf watched as Drake drew out a poke ball, knowing the match was going to be tough.
"I hope this one leaves a good impression!" he called out, throwing the poke ball and letting the pokemon inside appear in a flash of white light. When it appeared, Wolf saw a formless pink blob staring at him from the opposite end of the field.
"A Ditto." Wolf muttered, not letting any outside noise distract him as he chose his pokemon.
"Happy, you're up!" he shouted, the dark type appearing to oppose Ditto. Drake smiled, knowing that there was nothing that was truly effective against Ditto.
"Transform!" he called out, watching as Ditto reformed itself into a mirror image of Happy. The Umbreon blinked, surprised to see herself across the field. Wolf frowned.
He might be able to copy Happy, but he doesn't know any of her moves. he thought to himself. That gives me the advantage.
"Happy, faint attack!" he called out, letting the Umbreon slip through the rocks in a mesmerising pattern that kept Ditto from moving out of the way.
"Ditto, use faint attack as well!" Drake countered, the shapeshifter mimicking Happy's slippery advance through the rocks. They collided, though Happy had the advantage in that she had trained with this sort of attack. Ditto was knocked back, although the strength was dimmed by Ditto's restructured cells. Wolf knew that this wouldn't be won on strength alone.
"Ditto, use faint attack again!" the champion yelled, watching as Ditto moved back in to attack again. Wolf let it get closer, his smile growing.
"Confuse ray!" he cried out, far too late for Drake to call off the attack. A spark of white light shot between Happy and Ditto, the shapeshifter stopping mid strike and careening into a nearby boulder. The impact was damaging, but Wolf needed to finish this quickly.
"Shadow ball!" he yelled, Happy unleashing a ball of accumulated shadow into the transformed Ditto, blowing it into another boulder and throwing up a great plume of dust. When the smoke cleared, Ditto was back to its original form and knocked out.
"Ditto, return." Drake said, the pokemon disappearing in a red lance of light. He looked over at Wolf, smiling as he dug out his next pokemon. This was going to be very interesting.
***
"Serenity, teleport!"
Even as Dragonite's tail came slamming down, the Gardevoir disappeared and the massive scaly tail struck nothing but the sand. She reappeared behind the dragon, looking determined if not perky.
"Now use ice punch!" he cried out, the pokemon lashing out with a fist surrounded by sub zero air. Dragonite however was much too fast, and Serenity only clipped its foot. It wasn't enough, Dragonite turning with amazing speed to face the stunned Gardevoir.
"Use thunder!" Drake cried, the dragon unleashing a powerful electric blast at Serenity which hit its mark, Serenity crying out in pain. When the attack ended she fell to the ground, knocked out by the final attack. Wolf grimaced, knowing that while she had been unable to stop the rampaging dragon, she had at least worn it down.
He stared at the pokemon, breathing heavily but otherwise looking as though Wolf's pokemon had done little more than annoy it. When Dragonite had first been called out he knew it was going to be tough, but the sheer bloody resilience it had displayed was staggering. Taking out the wounded Ivysaur in short order, the dragon had faced off against Jazz and taken out her while absorbing her powerful electric attacks. She had caused some damage, but not enough that Serenity was able to finish it. Now it was wounded, but still far from ready to give up. It had come down to the final pokemon for both of them, Wolf turning to Eve.
"Eve, you're up." He said, the Infernape gasping at him.
"Are you sure?" she asked, and he could hear the faint note of fear in her voice. "I know I can do my old moves, and even the newer ones, but that Dragon-"
"Is weakened." He interjected, Eve falling silent as he spoke. "I know you can do it." She saw the faith he had in his eyes and nodded, hoping he was right as she entered the field. It would still be an uphill struggle as far as type difference went, but sometimes even a disadvantaged pokemon could come out on top.
"Eve, flamethrower!" he cried out, wasting no time in taking the offensive. If he could keep Dragonite on the back foot, Eve would ultimately win. She spewed forth a torrent of superheated fire, bathing the dragon in them and chipping away at its remaining strength.
"Dragonite, slam!" Drake countered, the pokemon's wings blowing the flames out of existence as it flew towards Eve and tackled her full on, the Infernape flying back to land near Wolf. She struggled to her feet, the attack having done much damage. Dragonite however, was ready to launch its next attack.
"Hyper beam!" Drake said, hoping for a quick finish to the final round. Wolf gasped, his eyes widening at the imminent hyper beam. She wouldn't be able to dodge it, and the attack would most likely knock her out in one hit.
"Eve!" he cried out as the attack lanced toward her. "Endure!" He wasn't sure whether or not she had been able to react in time when the attack hit, throwing sand and dust up over the entire field. He growled, the outcome of the attack something that had an unnatural hush descend over the crowd until the dust began to settle. Wolf's eyes widened as he saw that she had heard him, standing with her arms covering herself even though she was still badly hurt. This was the moment he had been waiting for, now that Dragonite needed time to recover from its attack Eve could try and finish this.
"Flamethrower!" he yelled again, and she complied by breathing forth more flames to keep the dragon pinned down. "Now mach punch!" Breaking off the fire attack, she chased the final burst to where Dragonite still stood, launching herself forward to bring her fist slamming into the side of its head. The dragon pokemon fell back, although while Eve jumped back Wolf could tell it still had some fight left in it. It was now or never, and Wolf was ready to use the trump card Mr Moore had given him.
"Eve! Blast burn!" he cried out, hoping that she could use the attack properly. It had been incredibly hard for her to learn, and Wolf hoped that in the heat of battle instinct would kick in and allow her to get it perfect without thinking. She took a deep breath, trusting that Wolf knew what he was doing, before blowing a single white hot ember towards her opponent. Tense moments followed as everyone watched the spark shoot between them. Wolf stood in apprehension, waiting for the spark to land. Would it fizzle like it had in training, or would it follow the example Typhlosion had given them?
After what seemed like an eternity, the tiny spark contacted Dragonite's chest. It exploded violently into life, coating not only the pokemon but a large section of the field around it in white hot flames. Dragonite roared, desperately trying to cool the flames with its wings, but succeeded in doing very little to stifle the blaze. Wolf could barely see the pokemon through the flames, forced only to see through his arms to prevent himself being overwhelmed by the heat.
Tense moments followed while the flames finally died down, Wolf gasping again as he saw that Dragonite was still standing. Eve was down on one knee, worn out from both her wounded state and from using an attack as draining as blast burn. His arms fell limply to his sides as he took in the dragon, defiance still in its eyes.
"It's over..." he whispered, knowing that Eve didn't have the strength remaining to fend off an irate Caterpie, let alone the immensely powerful pokemon that stood in front of her. They had all battled so hard for this cup, but it looked like things weren't going to favour them.
Dragonite moaned, trying to take a step towards Eve, before it buckled under the weight of the punishment it had taken from Wolf's pokemon. Slowly it fell forward, collapsing on the ground with a dull sounding thud. Silence greeted the fall of Drake's mightiest pokemon, until the referee finally called out the result.
"Dragonite is unable to battle." He declared to the stunned crowd, the trainer and the champion. "Infernape is the winner, which means the victory goes to Wolf O'kai!" Wolf stood, absorbing the words of the referee, until he was convinced that he hadn't imagined things. Letting out a great whoop of triumph, he ran out onto the field and grabbed Eve, holding her in a great hug and twirling her around.
"You did it Eve!" he shouted, the Infernape only able to smile wearily back at his praise. Mr Moore and Drake both approached, the old man beaming in a self congratulatory manner while Drake's own smile was an exasperated one.
"Congratulations Wolf." He said, offering his hand to the veteran trainer out of respect for his abilities. "You've won the Orange League challenge." Wolf beamed back, taking the proffered hand in a display of sportsmanship.
"I'm happy to admit that that was the hardest battle I've ever been in." He said, Drake sensing the truth behind his words. "I'm just proud of Eve for pulling through, and of all my pokemon for their efforts." The champion nodded, his smile more sincere now that he saw that Wolf was a highly skilled trainer.
"You've earned victory today." He said, before turning to Moore. "Are you his grandfather?" The old man put one hand behind his head, laughing.
"I probably will be someday!" he said, Wolf spluttering at the implied mention of marriage. Drake laughed at the reaction, and soon they were all laughing merrily.
***
That night, the team had returned to their room in the pokemon centre, healed up and ready for some sleep after the day's events. Wolf led Eve into his room while the others found comfortable spots on the floor, Serenity managing to get the couch all to herself. Once they were inside, Wolf guided her to the bed and she sat on the edge, Wolf sitting next to her and holding her hands.
"I'm really proud of your effort today, Eve." He said, smiling at her while she grinned back. "You even pulled off blast burn, which was tough enough in itself."
"You've been praising me all afternoon, Wolf." She murmured, blushing furiously. "I think you've done enough for a while."
"Maybe." He whispered back. Now he was rubbing her back, holding her closer to him. She looked up to find his face mere inches from hers, his breath ghosting over her cheeks and sending shivers of pleasure through her. He moved to lean in, but he was stopped by her fingers on his lips. He moved back, confused. She was still blushing, but her eyes looked saddened.
"Wolf," she said, a trace of reluctance in her voice. "As tempting as this is, and as much as I like you, I... I don't think I'm ready for this just yet. I'm sorry... but I only just evolved, and I don't ever want to rush something like this... I just..." Now it was Wolf's turn to cut her off, putting a single finger on her lips.
"Eve, I understand." He replied, drawing back from her personal space. "The last thing I want to do is make you do something you don't want to. It's your choice after all." He gently laid her back, pulling the blanket over her body and letting it fall on her. "Maybe some other time, but only if you want to."
"Hey," she said, watching as he stood up and headed to the door. "Where are you going?" He turned back, one hand on his neck in embarrassment.
"Thing is... I kinda worked myself up for this." He admitted awkwardly. "I know you don't want to, so I'll have to find someone else." Feeling a little guilty, he slipped out of the room and left her to sleep, the Infernape feeling a curious mix of relief and guilt at his feelings. She didn't like refusing him, but she just wasn't ready for that sort of thing. She fell asleep in the bed, comforting herself with the thought that he respected her choice.
"Damn it! Will you let go of that wall!"
Eve had her eyes screwed tightly shut, almost as tight as her grip on the door way and Wolf's own grip on her mid section. Behind their struggle, a faint trace of steam rose from the bath tub in their room, lending the air a slightly humid feel. Neither of them noticed, their attention focussed completely on the fact that Eve would not let go of the door way. Wolf put one foot onto the wall and pulled with all of his strength, feeling the Chimchar starting to give. A second later she did, Wolf's weight prevailing and causing her to let go of the door way, along with the only thing keeping them both in position. Stumbling back, Wolf's legs hit the bath tub and threw him completely off balance, the trainer falling into the hot water and throwing drops all over the room. Eve took the chance to try and squirm out of his grip, but he was determined. Rolling onto his side, he lowered her into the water stomach first to keep the flame of her tail out of the bath. Once she was in and thoroughly soaked she stopped trying to break free, instead turning a sullen gaze to her trainer, who merely returned a stern look. The effect he wanted was somewhat ruined by the fact that he was also dripping wet and his clothes were heavy with water.
"Eve, I know you don't like the bath." He said, reaching over for the bottle of soap and squirting a generous amount onto her back. "But everyone's complaining. I try to let you get out of having a bath too often, but you stink. It's getting on everyone's nerves." She didn't respond, maintaining her disgruntled attitude while Wolf scrubbed her fur, his fingertips running along her back in the manner he knew she liked most.
"Besides," he added, grimacing. "I'm in here too, even though I don't want to be." Finished with her back he began scrubbing her head, the foam from the soap getting thicker the more he rubbed. "I have to sit here, in my wet clothes, and clean you. The quicker we can get this done, the less time you have to spen- what's that?"
"What's what?" Eve asked, distracted from her sulking by his question. He moved one finger along a patch of the longer fur on her head, Eve wincing a little as something hard pressed against her scalp. She could feel him parting the fur, trying to get a clear look at what he had found.
"Huh." He said lightly, having just seen what he had found. "That explains why you've never evolved. There's a tiny shard of everstone lodged in your fur." Eve turned to look at him, surprised at what he had found.
"That stone that keeps pokemon from evolving?" she asked. "Like what Ivysaur has in his collar?" Wolf nodded, looking at the shard thoughtfully.
"Do you want me to take it out?" he asked suddenly, the question taking her off guard. She stood up and turned towards him, looking him squarely in the eye.
"You mean, I have a choice?" she said curiously. Wolf nodded, waiting patiently for her answer while she considered the choice. On one hand, she would be able to get much stronger than she could ever be if she stayed as a Chimchar. As a trainer Wolf would undoubtedly be happy with that prospect, and they could win many battles and they would be happy. On the other hand, one of the first things Wolf had told her was that it was her choice if she wanted to evolve or not. He had stayed true to his word in letting her decide, and by this point she couldn't imagine being anything other than a Chimchar.
"You don't have to decide right away, Eve." He added quickly, seeing the deep thought in her eyes. "Take as much time as you like." She shook her head, staring at him in a determined manner.
"I want to evolve." She said, standing up taller to Wolf's eyes. He simply nodded, smiling warmly at her. Whether or not she evolved wasn't an issue to Wolf, so long as she was happy. Slowly, he untangled the shard from her fur, working it out of the knots that had built up over time. Once it was loose, he removed the shard and pocketed it, watching as she began to glow with the pent up energy of evolution. Her form began to grow, though it didn't stop after the first change. She began to grow again, only stopping when she was approximately Lucky's size. Her tail grew, the flames disappearing only to burst into life on her head. Her limbs lengthened, her torso grew, and once the glow faded Wolf saw that she had completely skipped her first evolutionary step to evolve into Infernape. He beamed at her while she inspected her new form, running her hands along herself as though she couldn't believe it.
"Wow..." she breathed, turning back to Wolf in awe. "Is this... me?"
"It sure is!" he grinned, giving her a big hug in celebration. For a minute they simply held each other, until Wolf finally drew back with another grimace on his face.
"I should have made you wait until after the bath before letting you decide." He muttered, more to himself than her. "Now I have more work to do." She giggled, turning to let him get back to bathing her.
***
The next morning Wolf stood out the front of the pokemon centre, looking over the various buildings of Pummelo Island and up the hill towards the massive, ancient looking colosseum sitting on top of the island. He glanced down at his hand again, where the four badges of the Orange League sat glistening in the sun's early rays. Ever since he'd spent time with Lucky and Caelas, his passion for battling had returned and he had won the final three in short order, though he had not been rash in earning them.
He remembered well the water based challenges of Mikan Island, smiling as he recalled how worried he'd been that Squishy would be far too enthusiastic, now knowing that she had performed both the water gun challenge and the race against Sissy and her Blastoise with great grace. He was quite proud of her efforts.
He remembered the exhilarating race down the slopes of Navel Island's mountain in a sled made of ice, with Jazz, Happy and Ivysaur all helping to get them across the finish line before Danny, the good natured gym leader who had tactfully ignored the truly vile stream of obscenities coming from the trainer as they climbed the mountain.
He remembered watching Serenity and Eve tracking and knocking down all of the targets with ease as part of Rudy's test on Trovita Island, culminating the next day in a battle that pitted like types of pokemon against each other, where Serenity and Eve once again proved themselves powerful enough to win the battle without needing to fight the third match.
He remembered battling Luanna in the doubles battle on Cumquat Island, using the stadium she had in her deluxe hotel to stage his challenge. The battle had come right down to manoeuvring, Wolf trying to keep Squishy safe from Alakazam's psychic attacks by using Happy as the shield and Squishy as the sword, aiming a torrent of hydro pump and water pulse attacks at Marowak only to have them diverted by their psychic adversary.
He smiled to himself, glad that his pokemon had been able to win their challenges with little difficulty. It was a testament to how much they respected him, Wolf showing the same respect by claiming little of the glory for their wins. Now they stood on the cusp of victory in the Orange League, the only thing standing between them and their goal the Orange Islands champion himself. Leaving himself with that thought, he walked back into the pokemon centre. The match wasn't for another week, and he wanted to get some training in.
***
"You're doing well, Squishy!" Wolf called out, encouraging the Milotic's efforts in her target practice. As he watched, she sent a water pulse attack to smash against one of the bulls eyes, the wooden circle coming apart in a shower of splinters and water drops. She squealed happily, turning to Wolf with a pleased expression. The rest of his pokemon were putting in just as much effort, sending razor sharp leaves, jolts of high voltage electricity, ethereal blobs of ghostly power and pulses of psychic might to blow apart a multitude of targets. It took him a second to notice that no flames had been joining the attacks, and he looked over to where Eve was struggling to get her attacks right.
She looked at the target across from her with some desperation, trying hard to send a stream of fire to burn it, but no matter how much she tried, the flames seemed to flicker and die before they'd even made it half way to their destination. She could only look on hopelessly, sinking to her knees in defeat. She had always been able to use flamethrower as a Chimchar. Why couldn't she use it now?
Wolf knelt next to her, putting a comforting hand on her back. She looked up to see a kind smile on his face, but looking past she could see the other pokemon had stopped their training and were looking at her as well, but with more unwelcome expressions of pity. Wolf followed her forlorn gaze, grimacing when he noticed the other pokemon.
"Guys, take five." He said, glancing at his watch. "I'll call you all for lunch." Recognising the dismissal, Serenity gathered the others and quickly shepherded them away. He watched them go before turning back to Eve, startled to see tears forming in her eyes.
"Why can't I do this?" she wept. "I should be able to do this easily! What is wrong with me?" His gaze turned stern, though he started stroking her back to try and help make her feel better.
"You're just not used to your new form yet." He said, hoping he could make her feel as though she wasn't to blame. "You'll have the hang of it in a couple of days, I promise." She sniffed, moving closer to him and letting him hold her.
"Is everything alright, young one?" a voice sounded behind them, Wolf and Eve turning to see a familiar old man standing behind them to go with a term only one person had ever called him. With short curly grey hair, circle rimmed glasses and a well travelled mauve karate uniform on, Wolf's eyes lit up to see him again.
"Mr Moore!" he said, getting up to shake Flannery's grandfather's hand. He grinned back, Eve standing up in confusion and looking between the pair. "It's been a while. How have you been?"
"Well enough." He replied. "I'm surprised Flannery didn't tell you that I was going to be in the Orange Islands for my poetry, considering you will one day be a part of our family." Wolf choked at the mention of any sort of marriage, his horrified look meeting with a grin from the old man that told Wolf he was only kidding. "I saw your Infernape's attempt at a flamethrower. Is something wrong?" Eve looked down, embarrassed. Wolf took her hand, stroking it to comfort her.
"Eve's just evolved, and from a Chimchar no less." He replied. "If I had to guess, I think skipping the Monferno stage meant that she didn't get a chance to adjust to her new form." He nodded, seeing the problem. Digging around in his bag, he pulled out a poke ball.
"Typhlosion, I choose you!" he said, calling out the fire pokemon. Typhlosion appeared next to Eve, standing tall and awaiting instructions from Moore. Smiling at Wolf, he gestured to the pair of fire pokemon. "I'm sure Typhlosion and I could help her get back up to speed." Wolf's eyes shone as he heard the proposal. He may have won their gym battle back in Lavaridge, but Moore was still a highly skilled trainer in his own right.
"That would be fantastic!" he cried, his enthusiasm for the idea even taking Eve. "How about we begin after lunch?"
***
"Welcome pokemon fans! Pummelo Stadium is charged with excitement as the first challenger in quite some time has come to take on Pummelo gym leader Drake! Facing him is a well known trainer from the Hoenn region, Wolf O'kai!"
The crowd erupted in cheering as Wolf and Eve entered the stadium, Drake walking in from the opposite end. He was roughly a foot taller than Wolf, with spiky black hair and dark blue eyes, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, a dark red sleeveless jacket and a pair of jeans that looked newer than Wolf's own. They approached each other and the base of the stairs, where a league referee waited to greet them. Both trainers shook hands, and though both kept a firm grip neither of them resorted to trying to crush the other's hand.
"Welcome to the Orange League championship match, Wolf." Drake greeted him, an expectant smile on his face. "The other members of the Orange Crew told me you'd be quite a challenger." Wolf grinned back.
"Not often a gym leader hears of a challenger, is it?" he asked, getting a quick laugh from the champion.
"I suppose not." He admitted. "But all that means is that this will be a very exciting match." The trainer nodded in agreement, before they both turned to the referee.
"This will be a full six on six battle." He explained. "When three of either trainer's pokemon are unable to battle, there will be a field change. The first field," he gestured behind them, where the ground had opened up to allow a new field to rise up from the depths of the stadium, covered in rocks with a large pool of water in the middle. "Will be a rock and water field. Only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokemon. With that, choose your first pokemon, and good luck to you both." Wolf and Eve moved to their side of the field, leaving Drake to do the same, though he was not surprised to find Mr Moore waiting for them.
"Good luck to you, Wolf." He said, Wolf giving him a thumbs up in return. Wolf watched as Drake drew out a poke ball, knowing the match was going to be tough.
"I hope this one leaves a good impression!" he called out, throwing the poke ball and letting the pokemon inside appear in a flash of white light. When it appeared, Wolf saw a formless pink blob staring at him from the opposite end of the field.
"A Ditto." Wolf muttered, not letting any outside noise distract him as he chose his pokemon.
"Happy, you're up!" he shouted, the dark type appearing to oppose Ditto. Drake smiled, knowing that there was nothing that was truly effective against Ditto.
"Transform!" he called out, watching as Ditto reformed itself into a mirror image of Happy. The Umbreon blinked, surprised to see herself across the field. Wolf frowned.
He might be able to copy Happy, but he doesn't know any of her moves. he thought to himself. That gives me the advantage.
"Happy, faint attack!" he called out, letting the Umbreon slip through the rocks in a mesmerising pattern that kept Ditto from moving out of the way.
"Ditto, use faint attack as well!" Drake countered, the shapeshifter mimicking Happy's slippery advance through the rocks. They collided, though Happy had the advantage in that she had trained with this sort of attack. Ditto was knocked back, although the strength was dimmed by Ditto's restructured cells. Wolf knew that this wouldn't be won on strength alone.
"Ditto, use faint attack again!" the champion yelled, watching as Ditto moved back in to attack again. Wolf let it get closer, his smile growing.
"Confuse ray!" he cried out, far too late for Drake to call off the attack. A spark of white light shot between Happy and Ditto, the shapeshifter stopping mid strike and careening into a nearby boulder. The impact was damaging, but Wolf needed to finish this quickly.
"Shadow ball!" he yelled, Happy unleashing a ball of accumulated shadow into the transformed Ditto, blowing it into another boulder and throwing up a great plume of dust. When the smoke cleared, Ditto was back to its original form and knocked out.
"Ditto, return." Drake said, the pokemon disappearing in a red lance of light. He looked over at Wolf, smiling as he dug out his next pokemon. This was going to be very interesting.
***
"Serenity, teleport!"
Even as Dragonite's tail came slamming down, the Gardevoir disappeared and the massive scaly tail struck nothing but the sand. She reappeared behind the dragon, looking determined if not perky.
"Now use ice punch!" he cried out, the pokemon lashing out with a fist surrounded by sub zero air. Dragonite however was much too fast, and Serenity only clipped its foot. It wasn't enough, Dragonite turning with amazing speed to face the stunned Gardevoir.
"Use thunder!" Drake cried, the dragon unleashing a powerful electric blast at Serenity which hit its mark, Serenity crying out in pain. When the attack ended she fell to the ground, knocked out by the final attack. Wolf grimaced, knowing that while she had been unable to stop the rampaging dragon, she had at least worn it down.
He stared at the pokemon, breathing heavily but otherwise looking as though Wolf's pokemon had done little more than annoy it. When Dragonite had first been called out he knew it was going to be tough, but the sheer bloody resilience it had displayed was staggering. Taking out the wounded Ivysaur in short order, the dragon had faced off against Jazz and taken out her while absorbing her powerful electric attacks. She had caused some damage, but not enough that Serenity was able to finish it. Now it was wounded, but still far from ready to give up. It had come down to the final pokemon for both of them, Wolf turning to Eve.
"Eve, you're up." He said, the Infernape gasping at him.
"Are you sure?" she asked, and he could hear the faint note of fear in her voice. "I know I can do my old moves, and even the newer ones, but that Dragon-"
"Is weakened." He interjected, Eve falling silent as he spoke. "I know you can do it." She saw the faith he had in his eyes and nodded, hoping he was right as she entered the field. It would still be an uphill struggle as far as type difference went, but sometimes even a disadvantaged pokemon could come out on top.
"Eve, flamethrower!" he cried out, wasting no time in taking the offensive. If he could keep Dragonite on the back foot, Eve would ultimately win. She spewed forth a torrent of superheated fire, bathing the dragon in them and chipping away at its remaining strength.
"Dragonite, slam!" Drake countered, the pokemon's wings blowing the flames out of existence as it flew towards Eve and tackled her full on, the Infernape flying back to land near Wolf. She struggled to her feet, the attack having done much damage. Dragonite however, was ready to launch its next attack.
"Hyper beam!" Drake said, hoping for a quick finish to the final round. Wolf gasped, his eyes widening at the imminent hyper beam. She wouldn't be able to dodge it, and the attack would most likely knock her out in one hit.
"Eve!" he cried out as the attack lanced toward her. "Endure!" He wasn't sure whether or not she had been able to react in time when the attack hit, throwing sand and dust up over the entire field. He growled, the outcome of the attack something that had an unnatural hush descend over the crowd until the dust began to settle. Wolf's eyes widened as he saw that she had heard him, standing with her arms covering herself even though she was still badly hurt. This was the moment he had been waiting for, now that Dragonite needed time to recover from its attack Eve could try and finish this.
"Flamethrower!" he yelled again, and she complied by breathing forth more flames to keep the dragon pinned down. "Now mach punch!" Breaking off the fire attack, she chased the final burst to where Dragonite still stood, launching herself forward to bring her fist slamming into the side of its head. The dragon pokemon fell back, although while Eve jumped back Wolf could tell it still had some fight left in it. It was now or never, and Wolf was ready to use the trump card Mr Moore had given him.
"Eve! Blast burn!" he cried out, hoping that she could use the attack properly. It had been incredibly hard for her to learn, and Wolf hoped that in the heat of battle instinct would kick in and allow her to get it perfect without thinking. She took a deep breath, trusting that Wolf knew what he was doing, before blowing a single white hot ember towards her opponent. Tense moments followed as everyone watched the spark shoot between them. Wolf stood in apprehension, waiting for the spark to land. Would it fizzle like it had in training, or would it follow the example Typhlosion had given them?
After what seemed like an eternity, the tiny spark contacted Dragonite's chest. It exploded violently into life, coating not only the pokemon but a large section of the field around it in white hot flames. Dragonite roared, desperately trying to cool the flames with its wings, but succeeded in doing very little to stifle the blaze. Wolf could barely see the pokemon through the flames, forced only to see through his arms to prevent himself being overwhelmed by the heat.
Tense moments followed while the flames finally died down, Wolf gasping again as he saw that Dragonite was still standing. Eve was down on one knee, worn out from both her wounded state and from using an attack as draining as blast burn. His arms fell limply to his sides as he took in the dragon, defiance still in its eyes.
"It's over..." he whispered, knowing that Eve didn't have the strength remaining to fend off an irate Caterpie, let alone the immensely powerful pokemon that stood in front of her. They had all battled so hard for this cup, but it looked like things weren't going to favour them.
Dragonite moaned, trying to take a step towards Eve, before it buckled under the weight of the punishment it had taken from Wolf's pokemon. Slowly it fell forward, collapsing on the ground with a dull sounding thud. Silence greeted the fall of Drake's mightiest pokemon, until the referee finally called out the result.
"Dragonite is unable to battle." He declared to the stunned crowd, the trainer and the champion. "Infernape is the winner, which means the victory goes to Wolf O'kai!" Wolf stood, absorbing the words of the referee, until he was convinced that he hadn't imagined things. Letting out a great whoop of triumph, he ran out onto the field and grabbed Eve, holding her in a great hug and twirling her around.
"You did it Eve!" he shouted, the Infernape only able to smile wearily back at his praise. Mr Moore and Drake both approached, the old man beaming in a self congratulatory manner while Drake's own smile was an exasperated one.
"Congratulations Wolf." He said, offering his hand to the veteran trainer out of respect for his abilities. "You've won the Orange League challenge." Wolf beamed back, taking the proffered hand in a display of sportsmanship.
"I'm happy to admit that that was the hardest battle I've ever been in." He said, Drake sensing the truth behind his words. "I'm just proud of Eve for pulling through, and of all my pokemon for their efforts." The champion nodded, his smile more sincere now that he saw that Wolf was a highly skilled trainer.
"You've earned victory today." He said, before turning to Moore. "Are you his grandfather?" The old man put one hand behind his head, laughing.
"I probably will be someday!" he said, Wolf spluttering at the implied mention of marriage. Drake laughed at the reaction, and soon they were all laughing merrily.
***
That night, the team had returned to their room in the pokemon centre, healed up and ready for some sleep after the day's events. Wolf led Eve into his room while the others found comfortable spots on the floor, Serenity managing to get the couch all to herself. Once they were inside, Wolf guided her to the bed and she sat on the edge, Wolf sitting next to her and holding her hands.
"I'm really proud of your effort today, Eve." He said, smiling at her while she grinned back. "You even pulled off blast burn, which was tough enough in itself."
"You've been praising me all afternoon, Wolf." She murmured, blushing furiously. "I think you've done enough for a while."
"Maybe." He whispered back. Now he was rubbing her back, holding her closer to him. She looked up to find his face mere inches from hers, his breath ghosting over her cheeks and sending shivers of pleasure through her. He moved to lean in, but he was stopped by her fingers on his lips. He moved back, confused. She was still blushing, but her eyes looked saddened.
"Wolf," she said, a trace of reluctance in her voice. "As tempting as this is, and as much as I like you, I... I don't think I'm ready for this just yet. I'm sorry... but I only just evolved, and I don't ever want to rush something like this... I just..." Now it was Wolf's turn to cut her off, putting a single finger on her lips.
"Eve, I understand." He replied, drawing back from her personal space. "The last thing I want to do is make you do something you don't want to. It's your choice after all." He gently laid her back, pulling the blanket over her body and letting it fall on her. "Maybe some other time, but only if you want to."
"Hey," she said, watching as he stood up and headed to the door. "Where are you going?" He turned back, one hand on his neck in embarrassment.
"Thing is... I kinda worked myself up for this." He admitted awkwardly. "I know you don't want to, so I'll have to find someone else." Feeling a little guilty, he slipped out of the room and left her to sleep, the Infernape feeling a curious mix of relief and guilt at his feelings. She didn't like refusing him, but she just wasn't ready for that sort of thing. She fell asleep in the bed, comforting herself with the thought that he respected her choice.