Into the Blue

Kite’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of rain drops pelting the window next to her bed. She gave a quiet groan and rolled over, to find a pair of curious eyes in her face. She gasped shrilly, before realizing that they belonged to her beloved Pokémon. “Oh... What is it?” She asked, yawning at the same time. Chu’nyan growled playfully, grabbing a lock of her trainer’s red hair between her tiny fangs and pulling. “Ah, okay, okay.” She sighed, sitting up.



“Are you ready to go... Broadcast?” She asked, smiling at her Duskull’s new name. She looked down, only to discover the tiny ghost Pokémon deflated on her lap. “Broadcast...?” She asked, nudging him. A small sound of protest rose from the pile of cloth, and she smiled.



“I guess you must be tired... I figured you were nocturnal, since you stayed up all night, watching me...” She said, reaching into her bag, which lay on the floor beside the bed. “Here we are...” She sighed, having found his Pokéball. Calling the Duskull into it, she then got to her feet and headed for the bathroom to bathe.



As the door closed behind Kite, Chu’nyan settled herself on the now unoccupied pillow for a good grooming. This was how she often started her mornings; by licking her fur clean, and contemplating the day ahead. The Eevee’s bright green eyes closed while she licked her chest fur, and she recalled the events of the previous day. She still felt a little sore from the battle she’d had with the enemy’s Growlithe, but lucky for her, the Duskull they’d met a couple of nights earlier had tagged along and managed to save them. As Chu’nyan picked bits of grass, dirt and dried blood away from her wounds, the Pokéball containing said Duskull trembled, and out came the blue-eyed Pokémon, glancing anxiously around for his new trainer. He looked over to his companion Pokémon, who lifted her tail in the direction of the bathroom door, as though telling him that that’s where Kite was now. Eagerly, he floated across the room and through the door to greet his trainer.



The bathroom was full of steam by then, and Kite could be heard moving around in the shower behind a plastic curtain, decorated with cartoony-looking Pokéballs. Without another thought, Broadcast flew through the curtains and watched intently as his trained scrubbed herself clean. When she turned to rinse out her hair, she gave a terrified squeal, obviously startled by Broadcast’s sudden appearance. “Ah, Broadcast!” She gasped, exasperated. “You scared me!”



The Duskull only started at her, a smile in his eye, and glided over to bury himself in her smooth, wet skin, the water drenching his cloth-like body as he clung to her. She sighed, smiling all the while and lifted her arms to cradle him. It became increasingly clear that this Pokémon had no knowledge of personal space, but even so, Kite wasn’t embarrassed in the least at him seeing her naked- he was her Pokémon, after all.



The rain greeted them once they left the Pokémon center, eliciting a small smile from Kite. She’d always loved the rain, though her best friend Chu’nyan did not. With an irritated growl, the tiny white Pokémon tugged on her trainer’s sock, demanding to be picked up.



“Okay, okay, here.” Kite said, kneeling down and opening her messenger bag to let Chu’nyan crawl inside. Once her Eevee was safely in the bag, she lifted it onto her shoulder again and continued on her way toward the Fuchsia City gym. As Kite made her way through the puddles that covered the sidewalk, Broadcast floated at her side, mumbling some kind of cheery tune. It seemed that the party’s new addition was most excited to visit the gym, and with confidence to boot.



Upon walking through the gym doors, Broadcast paused in his float, drawing out a curious tilt of the head from Kite. “What’s the matter, Broadcast? You’re not nervous now, are you?” She asked, proceeding into the arena at the center of the building. “Hello...?” She called out, hoping the to reach the leader of this gym. Kite winced, hearing a terrified wail coming from behind her.



Before she’d even had a chance to turn around, the ground gave way underneath her, and she fell through a wide crevice, screaming all the way down. The second she hit the bottom, she gave a pained yelp, having landed square on her rear. “Ow...” She grumbled, the initial shock of the fall wearing off. Something shifted in the darkness in front of her, and again, Kite gave a loud, blood curdling scream.



Overhead, Broadcast found himself face-to-face with a rather smug looking Sableye, whose claws were coated in a fine layer of dust, following her dig attack, which caused the Duskull’s beloved trainer to drop out of sight. Without faltering, even in the slightest, Broadcast began conjuring up a particularly large shadow ball attack. Little did anyone know, that the tiny ball of cloth known as Broadcast the Duskull had lived many centuries, and had, without a doubt, found the time to muster plenty of skill and power- just the stuff he needed to defend his first and only trainer.



“Hey, are you all right?” Came a startled voice. Kite looked up and squinted, though she could barely see through the darkness. “Who’s there?” She asked nervously. She listened as the other party shuffled around for a moment, before speaking again. “Here we go...” They said, and suddenly, there was light. “You’re... Janine?” Asked Kite. The girl standing opposite her nodded, the shadows on her face twitching in the tiny light of the match she held. “Here,” Janine said, offering her hand to the grounded trainer. “Ah,” Kite sighed, getting back to her feet. “Thank you.” The other girl nodded again, then turned her head upward, to stare out the distant hole the Pokémon from before had created.



“Wow... We must be way below ground, if there’s no light...” She observed.



Kite winced. “If I may... what’s going on here?” She asked, rubbing her bruised hind quarters as she spoke.



“I was challenged to a battle by this kid and his dad’s Pokémon.” She said simply. “But it seems the boy can’t even control them yet...”



Kite sighed, slightly relieved. “Oh good... I was afraid we were going to get some kind of smackdown...” Janine gave a loud chuckle, which was cut short by the match’s tiny flame burning hot against her fingers. “Ouch...”



“Oh, are you okay?”



“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s get out of here. Ariados!”



A brief flash lit up the well, and before it went dark again, Kite recognized the two silhouettes of Pokémon- both of the spider Pokémon, Ariados. “Grab on,” Said Janine, just as one of them crawled over to her, nudging her leg. “Oh- Okay.” She said, nervously clinging to the large bug Pokémon as it began its ascent up the steep wall of the well. Within seconds, both girls had reached the top with the help of the two spider Pokémon, and crawled out into the light of the gym.



“Gengar, no!” Came the squeal of a young boy’s voice. Kite whipped her head around, only to have her gaze greeted by that of a Gengar’s, whose huge eyes were filled with irrevocable mischief. Instinctively, Kite screamed at the top of her lungs, which clearly irritated the ghost Pokémon, as it lifted its two paws to plug its ears, the huge grin it previously wore morphing into an unbelievable wince.



Kite stumbled backwards, mid-scream, an unexpected gale whipping itself about her body, and not a second later, the Gengar had gone. The entire building shook with an incredible crash, which sent the Pokémon flying through the wall, so forcefully, that even its ghost-like body tore a hole all the way into the light of the outdoors on the other side.



Both she and Janine stood staring, mouths agape at the destruction in the side of the gym. The boy- whom Kite assumed was the Pokémon’s new trainer- bolted out the hole after Gengar, his defeated Sableye limp in his arms. “Oh no! My dad’s Gengar!” He squealed frantically. Slowly, Kite turned her head and spotted Broadcast, his single blue eye staring furiously after the boy.



“Is- Is that your Pokémon...?” Asked Janine, staring with equal disbelief at the Duskull. “...Broadcast!” Kite chirped, throwing her arms out to her sides. The Pokémon looked startled for a moment, but once he recognized his trainer, flew over and into her arms. Seconds passed, before Kite realized that her bag was trembling.



“Oh! Chu’nyan!” The girl exclaimed, remembering her Eevee that had been tucked away in her bag, and now sat shaking, her green eyes staring wildly at the massive space in the wall her fellow Pokémon’s attack had brought about.



“Excuse me,” Said Janine from behind them. Kite turned, smiling as Broadcast clung protectively to her. “Oh sorry. We came here for a battle...” She said, trailing off at the other girl’s sheepish expression.



“I think it’s safe to assume you guys would have me beat... My Pokémon would be at a huge disadvantage, I think... And I don’t believe we’re up for any more excitement today.” Janine said, sighing as she reached into a pocket. “Take it.” She said, presenting Kite with the Soul Badge. Broadcast made an amused little sound from Kite’s arms, and drifted over to take the shining, heart-shaped badge from the Fuchsia Gym Leader. “You earned it, little guy...” She said, a hint of uneasiness in her voice. “Hey, Ah- what did you say your name was...?”



“Kite.” She replied, smiling at her Duskull’s enamored expression as he stared at the badge. “Right,” Janine said. “Kite, I have your uh, prize money in the back... wait here.” Chu’nyan stuck her head out at the sound of the word “money”. Squirming out of the bag, she landed evenly on her paws and stared up at her trainer with big, sparkling eyes and a wagging tail. “That was easy, don’t you think?” Kite asked, grinning. “We owe this victory to Broadcast...” She said, glancing up at her Pokémon.



“I had no idea you were so amazing.” She admitted, embracing the tiny Pokémon once again. Janine returned a moment later, holding a bundle of bills. “Wow, you must really mean a lot to each other.” The leader said, handing over the prize money. “I can tell you guys will be together for a long time.”



~~~~~



The sun set beyond the ocean’s waves, and by that time, Kite and her little party were settling down in their cabin for the evening. In a matter of hours, they’d achieved their goal, and were now riding a ferry, destined for the Orre region. As she lie there, staring back at her Duskull’s exhausted form- a pile of grey cloth- Kite smiled, wondering just how she came across such a sweet, yet powerful Pokémon. With Chu’nyan curled up at her feet, Kite quietly leaned over and lightly kissed the forehead of Broadcast’s mask. “Good night, Broadcast...” She whispered, closing her eyes for the night.



A light went on briefly in Kite’s cabin a few minutes later, and the ferry boat gave a sudden, exaggerated bob as it journeyed on through the dark waters.