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shatteredvioletnuzlocke · 3 months

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Chapter 4: Turo's Dragon (Patch)

After trying their best to keep up with Nemona’s footsteps, the two escaped the dangers of the cave and made it to the comfort of the outside. Patch was too caught up in the recent of events to process what was happening in the present. Those Houndour nearly killed me! If not for Nemona I would have been dead by now! Why was I so close to the ravine? Why did I follow that weird Pokemon into the cave?! If I hadn’t fallen I would have been safer!

“Alright Patch… time to stand by yourself,” Nemona huffed as she let go of the trainer’s arm.

Patch plopped onto the ground, the weight of their thoughts making them heavy. I almost died… and it was my first day as a trainer. Was this a mistake? I am meant for this? They just lay staring into the cerulean sky, squinting against the glare of the sun; only isolated with regret. Until they were met with the face of their fiery companion.

“Fuey?” Tamarind warbled, tilting his head with concern.

“Tamarind…” Patch murmured.

Relieved to see their fire croc safe, the trainer scratched the underside of his snout. This pleased Tamarind who thanked their trainer with delightful purring.

“Thank you…” they sighed, trying to speak in longer sentences.

“You feeling better Patch? You just kind of froze down there, did one of the Houndour bite you?”

Patch rubbed one of their legs, knowing they could’ve been brutally attacked. They only got lucky because Nemona reacted faster than they did. Could they ever be as skilled as her? They certainly couldn’t be a champion.

“No…” The trainer tearfully admitted, “I just get stuck when so much is happening around me. I know that’s bad … but I…I.”

Patch became too choked up on their tears, their face squeezed and their teeth clenched together. It was embarrassing to be so emotional in front of a champion and Patch could tell that their sudden sadness phased Nemona greatly. Nemona must think I’m such a child! They pressed their palms against their face, hoping to shield any dignity they had left. Why am I like this?! There’s no way I’d make a good trainer now! Tamarind put their little arms around their trainer and they could sense immense warmth coming from the little crocodile. Thank you, Tamarind. They wondered if their unworthiness as a trainer meant they would have to return Tamarind to Clavell.

Then Nemona sat beside them.

“Hey it’s okay,” she spoke softly, “You’re safe now that’s all that matters.”

“B-but,” Patch’s anxiety began to leak out of their mouth, “does this mean I’ll… be… be a bad trainer?”

“Oh please, not everyone can be an expert trainer on their first day!” Nemona smiled, “If that were true, everyone in Paldea would be champion rank!”

Her words rang sour in Patch’s mind, did that mean they couldn’t level up to Nemona? She seemed like a beacon of everything the new trainer wanted to be: confident, adventurous, strong, cunning. Maybe if they became a champion too, they could look at themselves in the mirror and see someone exceptional. Yet they knew that it wasn’t meant to be, they couldn’t even muster up the courage to battle another trainer.

Nemona got up, threw their bag against the green grass, and unzipped it. She pulled out a plastic container of Oran berries.

“Here,” she handed a berry to the distraught trainer.

The berry was big enough to fit their hand and a vibrant blue shade, it was perfectly ripe. Personally, Patch never ate Oran berries but they want didn’t to be rude. They bit into the berry’s soft skin and saw that it had white inner flesh. Yuck! The trainer was met with a flavorless, watery sensation. It was good, but it wasn't for them, especially since it felt a little slimy. They preferred bitter flavors like Nanab or Rabuta berries.

The trainer noticed that Tamarind was staring fondly at the partially bitten oran berry, his stumpy tail wagging with intrigue. As to not seem wasteful, they were happy to give the rest of the fruit to the little crocodile. They held the oran berry to the Fuecoco, who immediately scooped up the whole thing with his jaws and devoured it in just one chomp. Blue juice began to smear and drip from his white mouth. Tamarind’s eager appetite made their trainer cheer up. I may be a bad trainer now, but at least I have this little guy.

“Argggghhh!” a booming voice groaned from the cave’s depths.

Pierce entered from the cave, her maroon and white fur completely unscathed from any new bite marks or burns. It made Patch wonder what became of the Houndour, did Pierce give them any wounds to remember… if any of them made it out? Then out of the cave’s hollow, the large, metallic dragon treaded out with its head lowered. Only something was different about it, it changed. When Patch first encountered the mysterious Pokemon it walked on all four of its legs. Before they entered the cave its back legs became jet engines that allowed them to hover off the ground and they were glowing. Now they were back to walking on all fours again, but they didn’t seem as lively as they had been before.

The dragon came to a halt when it couldn’t keep its balance any longer, like Patch they fell onto the grass.

Nemona ran to the strange creature.

“Mon down!”

“Wait, Nemona!” Patch stood up and hurried to the champion, “We still don’t know what it is!”

The black-haired girl knelt beside the dragon, placing a hand on its odd glassy head. The dragon bore a prominent crack on its casque and a piece of it was already chipped. It resembled the shape of a lightning bolt and seemed to extend down to the dragon’s silver jaws. No wonder it’s in so much pain. Patch imagined if they had a similar scar they would be in the dragon’s same position.

“I saw it in the cave,” Nemona explained, “When it looked different, it was protecting you from the Houndours and the Houndoom.”

Protecting… me? Patch could only remember loud barking, their heavy breathing, and their fast heartbeats. Everything they saw was blurry, It all happened so fast, even though it was a few minutes ago.

Nemona rubbed her left hand against the dragon's head, being just as careful to avoid touching its wound. As she gently petted it, Patch noticed that stands of her black hair began to stand up. The dragon’s eyes weren’t like any other Pokemon they were familiar with, they were a deep black with blue flashes flickering in them. That can’t be normal. Patch studied the dragon further, there were light purple lines along its hindquarters. Along those lines, white particles flowed like bubbles in a lava lamp. Could… could that be its blood?

Patch looked back to Nemona, now even her ponytail stood up. It was like she was under the effect of static and the dragon was generating electricity. The champion went to touch the Pokemon’s weird spikes, only to nearly get shocked by a small bolt of energy.

“Yipe!” Nemona jerked her hand back, “It’s okay… it’s okay.”

“Are you hurt?” Patch panicked.

Nemona’s ponytail fell back down, and she held her left hand tight, “I’m fine… a small jolt like that can only sting ya!”

The champion reached into her pocket and pulled out her Roto Phone. She almost got electrocuted and she calls that nothing? Patch took the precaution of recalling Tamarind back into his Pokeball before something else could happen. With the day they were having a volcano might as well erupt. After a moment of scrolling Nemona turned back to the trainer.

“I… might know what it is?” She handed her phone to Patch.

Her phone was set to the Pokedex app, on the page of a green Pokemon leaping through a field. They tapped on the image to read its dex entry.

Cyclizar, The Mount Pokemon, a Normal and Dragon type.

It can sprint at over 70 mph while carrying a human. The rider's body heat warms Cyclizar's back and lifts the Pokémon's spirit.

The dragon’s black head and tail somewhat resembled a Cyclizar, but that was the only two traits it shared. Instead of having green scales, its body was bluish-violet with silver accents and metallic skin. They doubted that it was any smaller than five feet and three inches, if not bigger. While it was a dragon, Patch doubted it was far from a normal type.

“Do Cyclizars know electric attacks?” Patch asked.

“A lot of Pokemon learn all kinds of moves,” Nemona shrugged, “I can’t tell for sure. Maybe this is just a convergent species…of Cyclizar? Whatever it is, we should help it!”

Nemona rummaged through her bag once again and retrieved a cubed spray bottle of green liquid. A full restore potion, they thought, People spend more money on those than they do for the Hospital! Nemona sprayed the potion on the dragon’s head, making sure to spritz the directly on the crack. Tiny potion droplets slid off but the crack remained at the same size. The champion sprayed it again and the same happened.

“Maybe it’s expired?” Patch chimed in.

Nemona turned the bottle around, “It can’t be I just bought it.”

Patch thought back to the beach, Before the dragon changed it ate something… My sandwich. What was in it? Bacon? Lettuce? Pickle? Can pickles secretly cure the weak?!

“Uhh,” Patch bashfully improvised, “Do you have a sandwich, Nemona? Something for them to eat?”

“No… I don’t,” Nemona furrowed her brow, “I have some extra Oran Berries thought.”

Nemona placed an Oran berry in front of the beast, purring noises could be heard even though it wasn’t moving. The blue flashes from its black eyes then stood still and formed into blue rings and they were oddly pixelated. It nudged the berry and swallowed it one bite.

“I wish I had something bigger,” Nemona sighed, “it would need to eat at least a thousand berries given its size.”

Despite this, the supposed Cyclizar managed to pull itself up feebly.

“Woah!” Nemona was astounded, taking a step back to give it some space.

The beast attempted to raise its neck but jerked back once more tiny sPatchs emitted from its head.

“Arrrrg!” The dragon winced in a roar.

“Calm down!” Nemona cried.

She offered the dragon her last Oran berry but it didn’t seem to respond as it shook about. As Patch heard the Pokemon’s cries, they recognized it sounded helpless and afraid. While all Pokemon spoke in only growls and chirps, Patch felt could only communicate in non-verbal moans when they were the most vulnerable. They’re stuck.

The brown hair trainer, gestured to Nemona to hand them berry, “Let me try.”

The champion had a worried look on her face, “Patch, are you sure?”

Patch was aware of the perils they had been through that day. They couldn’t retrieve Tamarind before falling off the ravine. They couldn’t be quick enough to run from the Houndour in the cave. Worst of all they couldn’t even deal with two tiny Tarantula’s on their own. This could be the chance where Patch could turn their terrible day around.

“I’m sure,” Patch nodded.

With an Oran berry in hand, they held it out to the crouched Pokemon. After a few moments, the dragon’s growling turned to purring in Patch’s presence. Its throat was so raspy its voice mimicked the sound of a revving engine.

“Shhh,” they hushed the dragon, “You’re okay now, just have another bite.”

The blue rings in the dragon’s eyes became larger and padded closer toward the trainer. Titling its head, it licked the berry from Patch’s hand with its tongue being stiff yet oily. They knelt to wipe their hand against the grass.

“Arg!” The dragon nuzzled Patch’s shirt.

“Aw… you’re welcome,” Patch petted it back gently.

Patch became fond of the mysterious Pokemon, I wonder if this means if I should catch it? It's already so friendly to me. Before the new trainer had the chance the violet dragon began to slowly tread down the dusty road.

“Wait where are you going?” they tried to catch up to the dragon.

Nemona and Pierce followed soon after, and the four of them walked along down the road. Passing by mounds of terracotta rock, with the sounds of Houndour howling in the distance which made Patch a little nervous. The dragon’s footsteps eventually became faster as the group neared toward a lighthouse by the edge of the ravine.

“Agrias!” the violet Pokemon bellowed.

Patch caught up to the dragon, who was whipping its tail against the ground. It seemed chipper about something but what? Was it going to beg the lighthouse keepers for food? Out of the lighthouse’s doorless entrance, a young man peered out.

The young lighthouse keeper had long, well-brushed blond hair with hints of brown streaks. His locks covered the right half of his face, and so a single teal eye was exposed, giving the man a sense of mystery. His outfit was the same shade of purple and white Patch was wearing indicating he was an Uva student.

“There you are!” He hurried to the dragon, “Did you walk all the way here?!”

The blond-haired man seemed to recognize the mysterious Pokemon, but the metal dragon only backed away as he approached. So that’s its trainer, Patch thought disappointedly.

“Arggg…” the dragon anxiously growled.

“Hey, I know you!” Nemona spoke up, “I’ve seen you around… Arnold! Is this your Cyclizar?”

“Arven!” he turned to the champion, “And just what are you doing around Kapheria? Because if you-”

Arven turned back to the Cyclizar, his teal eye drew back as he noticed its wound. His hands trembled, his mouth gapped open.

“YOU BROKE HER!?”, The young man’s voice boomed like a Loudred.

Oh shit!

“No!” Nemona corrected him, “She broke herself.”

“Kapheria belongs to my father, she can’t be broken!” he yelled at the champion.

Patch sympathized with the dragon’s shrunken body language and knelt to pet her. Kapheria… that’s a beautiful name for a beautiful Pokemon. Kapheria’s metallic body was smooth and slightly warm from the Paldean sun. She uncurled her tail and purred softly as the brown-haired trainer rubbed her back.

“So?” Nemona became tense, “Just take her to a Pokemon center!”

“That wouldn’t work! Her body is of a completely different genetic material STOP PETTING HER!” Arven redirected his anger toward the unassuming trainer.

Patch’s eyes shrank, and their now red face became just as cold as their frozen body. They placed their hand behind their neck awkwardly trying to hide it. I didn’t mean to I’m sorry They felt like crying even though their eyes were dried out from before.

“The point is…” Nemona raised her voice, “She got the crack when she crash-landed on the beach, all we’ve done is try to help her! Just ask Patch.”

Arven kept his gaze on the nervous trainer, squinting his single eye with suspicion. Why put me on the spot like that? They quickly thought back to first seeing Kapheria on the beach, but they were too afraid of her at the time to pick up on the finer details.

“Well then,” Arven sighed as he dug into his pants pocket, “Come Kapheria!”

He pulled out a common Pokeball and went to retrieve the dragon. But as the pale blue beam of the Pokeball neared, Kapheria scampered away and hid behind Patch.

“Agrias!” the dragon winced.

“It’s okay Kapheria,” Patch pleaded.

Arven pushed the trainer away and tucked the Pokeball back in his pocket.

“Kapheria,” he spoke softly, “What’s wrong? It’s me… Arven.”

“Maybe she hit her head hard,” Nemona muttered to Patch.

Arven held his hand out to touch Kapheria’s head, but she ran back to Patch with her tail between her legs. The metal dragon relied on the brown-haired trainer like a shield.

He went back to scowling at them, “Why is she following you around like that? She barely knows you!”

“I don’t know!” Patch shook under the pressure, “but if she belongs to your dad maybe we should get him?”

There were still so many questions the young trainer wanted to ask. What was Kapheria? Why wasn’t she listed in the Pokédex? Why couldn’t she be healed? Why did she fall out of the sky? Avren quietly grunted to himself as he pulled out his Roto Phone, its case was decorated with a pattern of flowers. Then a flat voice spoke through his phone’s speaker.

“Arven?” the voice asked, “Why are you calling me? Is Kapheria with you?”

The violet dragon began to perk up with its tail slapping the ground. Wait, his dad isn’t here? Then why was Kapheria all by herself? It seems like anything close to an answer brought up another question.

“Well, she flew in just like you said,” Arven began to blush, “but she only made it as far as the beach and crashed…”

Arven’s dad took a moment to process the information but remained silent.

“She’s okay now!” Arven went on, “But she… cracked her head.”

Patch sympathized with the blond-haired man, they knew that a father’s temper was harsh.

His dad finally spoke, “Show me.”

Arven clenched his teeth, tapped the screen, and turned it horizontally. He pointed his phone camera at Kapheria who was creeping toward him very slowly. Suddenly his phone slipped out of his hands and began to levitate. It swished around in the air, oogling the dragon.

“I see,” Arven’s father observed, “Quite a large fracture… already lost a good chunk…”

“Excuse me?” Nemona cut in.

“Who is that?” Arven’s phone turned its screen around.

An older man was depicted on the screen, he looked to be around his early forties. He had the same broad face shape as his son and the same brown hair color in Arven’s streaks. His hair was styled back with the sides of his head shaved but he let his beard grow out around his structured jawline.

“I’m Nemona,” the champion introduced herself, “you are?”

“Professor Turo Morales,” the man on the phone replied.

“Well…” Nemona eyed Arven smugly, “My friend Patch found her on the beach. But then we both tried to heal her! And this weird static keeps coming out of her head.”

“No wonder why she looks like that…” Turo explained.

Kapheria pranced over to the phone, over the moon to see her trainer’s face. She lashed her silver tail happily against the dusty road, rubbing her body beside Patch.

The professor had an astonished look on his face, “Patch was it?”

“Uh…yes?” Patch asked confused.

“It seems as though my Pokemon is fond of you…” he pronounced, “She’s usually flighty around new people… yet she's instantly attached to you.”

Patch felt a sense of honor, it was easy to bond with a Pokemon but not one as mysterious as Kapheria. It made them all the more excited about the Pokemon they could potentially catch.

“I know this might seem sudden, given I just met you,” Turo proposed, “But would you be interested in looking after Kapheria for me?”

“What?!” the three trainers said in unison.

“But why? Patch stammered, “Wouldn’t you-”

“Father!” Arven glossed over Patch’s words, “I thought you wanted me to take care of Kapheria for you? This stranger has only known her for less than a day. I’ve known her much longer to understand her.”

He tried to prove to his father by trying to grab one of the curved horns on Kapheria’s shoulders. While she tried to pull away from the blond hair trainer, he managed to wrangle a single horn which made her wail in distress. It was only when Arven let go of her that the violet dragon began to settle down.

“Arven… the whole point of sending Kapheria out was for her to integrate into society. She’s been cooped up in the lab for years. Now that she’s been damaged, I want to make sure she’s comfortable and safe without me.” he clarified to his son, “If she feels comfortable around Patch, then let it be.”

Patch was flattered to be thought of so highly, yet they felt the need to decline Turo’s request. They already had enough going on with learning to be a trainer, looking after their own Pokemon, and beginning their semester at Uva. Taking care of a large, metal dragon seemed like an extra chore.

“But, Dad!” he pleaded desperately.

Arven’s phone flew toward Patch before they could get a say in the matter.

“Patch, you have nothing to fret over,” Turo explained, “Now that she’s already warmed up to you, caring for her will be very low maintenance.”

They took a moment to think, Low maintenance sounds good, but what if I catch more Pokemon? Would I favor my own Pokemon over someone else’s? The worried trainer turned to Kapheria, empathizing with the pain of her crack. It would be hard to ignore Pokemon that’s hurt.

Patch nodded, “Alright..”

“Magnificent,” the professor rejoiced in the most monotone way, “Arven will give you her pokeball, I’ll check in with you now and then, Salutations!”

The screen changed to black, and Arven’s phone dropped to the ground. What does he mean he’ll check in with me? Patch felt a vibration in the pocket of their shorts. Upon pulling out their phone they received a text from a contact labeled “Turo”. This can’t be him, we didn’t even get the chance to exchange numbers!

“Looks like you got yet another teammate!” Nemona congratulated.

A mix of excitement and anxiety filled their head. They had a feeling that taking care of Kapheria would help them become a better trainer. Then Arven turned to them, looking more aggravated than before.

“Listen,” he began to scold, “You are only watching Kapheria! She is not yours to boss around! So don’t you dare send her into battle!”

The blond-haired student spoke in a very patronizing tone, but Patch couldn’t help but feel intimidated by his temper.

“Wouldn’t dream of it…” they smiled anxiously.

Arven crammed Kapheria’s Pokeball into their hands and huffed as if he was holding back the rest of his frustration. He stormed away from the trainer, kicking against the road with each step.

“You know if you want your dad’s dragon that badly, we can battle for her!” Nemona called out to him.

Patch panicked, “Nemona!” That’s the last thing I need!

“I’ll fight on your behalf,” Nemona whispered to them.

“Violence doesn’t solve anything as much as you think it does!” he grumbled.

“Woah okay,” she laughed it off, “you at least want to join us, we’re heading to campus?”

Arven didn’t answer and stormed into his lighthouse. Patch began to feel bad for the grumpy student. Perhaps they got in the way of his plans, but he did seem eager to look after Kapheria. Maybe I should give her to him next time I see him again?

For the time being, Kapheria had been through a lot so she deserved a good rest. Patch eased the dragon with some scratches on the back.

“Kapheria,” they said softly, “I’m going put you back in your ball. I promise I’ll let you out later.”

“Agg…” the dragon hummed. Kapheria’s Pokeball seemed to be an older model. It resembled your typical, common Pokeball but it was a little heavier with a chromium sheen; it had to be a least ten years old. Patch gently pressed the lock button against Kapheria’s head and the light of the Pokeball absorbed her. Within an instant, she was gone. Welcome to my team… for now.

<- Chapter 3 - Chapter 5 ->

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