lake acuity

[the_very_best]

The other two lakes supposedly harboring legendaries didn't pan out. If this one doesn't either, Bella's going to have to befriend someone who's got a Pokémon that knows Dive so she can check out the lake bottom, or pick a new lead. Zag can happily swim her around all day long, but he can't get them under the water.

...Huh. She didn't know there was somebody living here. But that's definitely a building. She can only see it because she's high above the ground, riding Rachis, but yes, in the dense forest around Lake Acuity is a lone structure, definitely artificial.

She steers Rachis, and the Pidgeot obeys.

They land neatly outside the tower, and she turns the handle on the front door curiously.

Comments

[bitofafiction]

In the stairwell, the faint sound of violin music is audible from higher up.

All the way at the top of the tower, a boy who looks exactly like Tony is standing at a window with a view of the lake, playing beautiful music.

[the_very_best]

Bella waits for him to stop. Pretty music!

Presently he does stop.

"Hey!" Bella says. "I'm Bella Swanna. I'm gonna be around exploring the lake for a few days, introduced myself to your twin and the feral Porygon flock, he doesn't wanna match but he thinks you might?"

[bitofafiction]

"He is correct," he says, turning to face her fully and putting the violin away in its case on a table under the window.

[the_very_best]

"Cool. What ruleset do you like? How many do you carry?" asks Bella.

[bitofafiction]

"Four. What ruleset do you like?"

[the_very_best]

"I like Ace standard all-out one-place full-team, with advance switch-trucing so people aren't showing off their encyclopedic knowledge of types all day wearing out the hinges on their Pokéballs. If you've got four full-team'd hardly be fair. So if you don't care, the only question is what've you got and how do we avoid swapping in an eternal cycle against each other's type weaknesses?"

[bitofafiction]

"Ditto, Zebstrika, Dragonair," he says, "and, surprising no one, a Porygon-Z with the unfortunate nickname of 'You'. And yourself? I saw your Pidgeot as you flew in."

[the_very_best]

"Yep, that's Rachis," says Bella. "Plus a Linoone, a Rapidash, an Umbreon, a Sawsbuck, and a Mienshao. Relay pick three on three?" she suggests. "I'll toss first, no switching till the show's over?"

[bitofafiction]

"Agreed."

[the_very_best]

"Linoone first," says Bella. "Name of Zag. I don't give out genders in advance anymore until I'm sure whoever I'm playing with doesn't have a strategy based on infatuating them."

[bitofafiction]

"Perish the thought," he says. "Dragonair first for me."

[the_very_best]

"Hmm." Bella glances between Rachis's ball and Dusk's, then says, "Umbreon."

[bitofafiction]

"Zebstrika."

[the_very_best]

Bella looks Tony's-twin-who-has-not-introduced-himself over assessingly, gauging the likelihood of something in his lineup knowing a gotcha move, then says, "Rapidash."

[bitofafiction]

Tony's-twin-who-has-not-introduced-himself smiles. "Porygon-Z."

[the_very_best]

"All right then," says Bella, grinning. "Outside?"

[bitofafiction]

"Certainly."

[the_very_best]

Down the stairs! Ace goes ahead and releases Zag en route, and he heels without having to be told.

"Noooooone?" Zag says, sniffing the air and inspecting Sherlock.

"You're gonna knock his Dragonair around, Zag," says Bella. (She can't really understand what Zag says, but she can make good guesses.)

"Linlin."

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock laughs.

As they cross the ground floor, Tony is still working at that same desk, although he's shut down the map display. The Porygon are nosing into various corners of the room; several of them zoom up to Sherlock as soon as they spot him, and he gives each one a pat on the head before continuing.

[the_very_best]

Zag sniffs at the Porygon too. "Linoone?"

"Leave 'em be, Zag," Bella says. "Hi again, Tony!" And: "You know, I don't think I ever got your name?" to Tony's unintroduced twin.

[bitofafiction]

"Sherlock," says Sherlock.

[the_very_best]

Bella likes old books, but not books that old. "Cool," she says, "nice to meet you, let's fight!"

She pushes her way past the door and stands ready. Zag, chittering to himself, stands in front of her and rears up on his hind legs.

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock produces a previously unseen Pokeball and releases his Dragonair from it.

"Aaaair," she croons, bobbing her winged head up and down.

[the_very_best]

"Ice Beam," says Bella smugly.

But she isn't smug for long; while Zag gets in the first hit, the Dragonair's first attack is one that does no direct damage but leaves him bewildered. He bites his own forefoot and scratches his own side - taking attacks all the while - before he gets another Ice Beam in. Said attack leaves the Dragonair hanging on to consciousness by a thread - and she does lose consciousness - by -

"Oh, that is irritating," sighs Bella as she naps and her various signs of damage disappear -

"I hate it when people do that," she exclaims, half-laughing, when the opposing Pokémon sleep-eats a berry and opens her eyes again.

Zag's in poor shape, due to his early misfortunes.

"Well," Bella says, "you can only do that once without wasting time -" and she pulls out a potion bottle, spritzes Zag, and says, "Snap out of it."

(Potions fix damage, but not mental scrambling, and saying "snap out of it" doesn't actually help - confusion is Bella's least favorite status problem and she has rigorously tested unorthodox methods of handling it with a cavefull of Goddam Zubats - but it makes her feel better. It is a complete coincidence that Zag does choose this moment to snap out of it.)

Two Ice Beams later, these consecutive and funneled through Zag's Metronome to give the second an added boost, the Dragonair is done for.

Zag's not looking so great, though.

"Who's next?" Bella asks.

[bitofafiction]

"Watson is next," he says, and sends out his Zebstrika.