“Ditz do something!”

Elena let out her shrieking command, if you could call it that, from roughly eight feet up a tree. She was currently suspended there by a shockingly durable and sticky silk web. She dangled upside down, suspended to a nearby branch deep in the Ilex forest where the old-growth trees still shrouded the whole area in a dusk-like shade. 

She had called out to her companion who was currently on the forest floor, struggling to wade through the tall grass that had formed here. It made the perfect place for a web trap like this to be delicately draped and ready for wandering prey to fall into. Ditz was a Spinda, and as such, her balance naturally teetered about. It was fortunate for her, given that various strands of string were descending from the canopy above. Her bizarre movements as she waded towards her trainer helped allude most of the webs being formed.

The culprit, Ariados, or more accurately, about a dozen of them. The people of Azalea had been complaining about them for some time now, about how they were a menace to the local and beloved slowpoke population. Elena had been more than happy to help, and the enticing prospect of a rugged and dangerous Ariados added to her arsenal only made it all the better. Unfortunately for her, that prized Ariados was currently making its way towards her. It was everything she imagined it would be: it was big for an Ariados, the average of which stood about three feet tall. This one was a head and cephalothorax taller than the average, and it had a mean look to its eyes, which felt empty and soulless in its many kinsmen currently. He was currently scuttling up the branch that Elena was dangling from. Even in distress, she had to admire its gracefulness, even despite its bulk. She showed her admiration by screaming.

Ditz did not appear to be in any better of a situation. They were agile and unpredictable, but numbers prevailed, and silk strands had entangled the tiny red bear, pulled taut to keep them in place. Then, Ditz got an order.

“Rapid spin!”

Ditz grinned wickedly, then became a blur. She spun like a top, and all the silk strands, once held tight by the massive spiders in the trees, were suddenly spinning with her, flung this and that way as their silken strings broke. Ditz wile like a spinning top, the speed of their movement blowing the grass around her. 

Elena smiled enthusiastically at the victory. She had learned to take these small victories; each one was pivotal in a real victory in the long run. Most of the ariados where routed now, but Elena started to notice herself getting tugged upwards. That small boost in morale was swiftly crumbled when she saw the massive arachnid reeling her in like a netted fish. It was determined and brave, too! Elena screamed again.

A rock came flying by them, barely missing the Ariados and causing it to pause. Ditz had grasped a clot of the earth below her, held together by the grass roots that weaved together like a sheet. She already had another, and this one found its mark. Not the Ariados, but the web it was holding. It lost its connection to the web, and Elena shrieked the whole way to the forest floor.

Ariados took this opportunity to escape, bouncing from branch to branch as it ran away. Bravery was one thing, but recklessness was a step too far. Ditz stumbled after her trainer, falling over herself as she clambered onto Elena, trying to rip the trap off of her.

“It’s getting away!” She shouted, pulling with all her might to free her arm from the webbing. The little fuzzy ally seemed to already be on the same page. It stopped helping Elena escape and reached for a pokeball at her side and pressed the button with its paw. 

A roar echoed through the woods. A massive serpent emerged from the ensuing beam of light. The gyrados looked down at Elena and gasped audibly, rushing to fling her off the ground and onto his back. Elena smiled again. Another minor victory and one step closer. Ditz hopped on too, clutching onto one of his dorsal fins. Elena pointed forward, vaguely at the rapidly shrinking silhouette of the Ariados. 

“Hurry! We need to catch up!”

Hurry, they did. The massive serpent glided through the air with ease, letting branches break and crumble against its body like these oak trees were balsa. Ariados was agile, it was brave, and it was a brute, but it wasn’t fast. Fynn was. He was a bullet, and he was rapidly catching up. Once they neared him, Elena shouted with all her might.

“Hydro pump!”

A torrent of water blasted from Fynn’s mouth, hitting the Ariados hard and blasting it higher into the air. The moment the water dissipated, and the Ariados started falling, a pokeball tapped it mid air, and the Ariados was sucked inside. The pokeball descended to the forest floor, and the team descended with it. Elena heard the telltale [i]click[/i] of a pokeball successfully capturing it’s target. She started to dance, and when Ditz joined her she scooped up the little spotted bear and spun her around. Fynn circled the dou and merrily hummed a tune. Another exciting adventure. 

Then Elena heard something else that made her cut the celebration short. A ring tone, a chirping one she did not hear often. It was her mother’s tune. Elena rushed to her pocket and flipped the device open, thrusting it to her ear urgently.

“Hey, Mom, everything alright?”

She could hear a clamoring in the background, but that was par for the course. When you have five kids in a small house, it always sounds like a commotion. Her mother’s tone sounded urgent, faintly concerned, but with the twinge of excitement. 

“Oh yes, dear. You got something in the mail”

[hr]

“Fyyyyyyyyyynnnn!” 

Elena yelled the Gyrados’ name, though it was hard to make it out through the rushing wind. It sucked the breath out of her the moment she spoke up. Fynn was going fast, and she was struggling to hold on, even with the silken ropes her newest party member had sewn to keep her in place. She didn’t try to say his name again. Fynn was enjoying himself, and he was pushing himself too. She never saw him like this; the freedom must have been a nice change of pace. 

Without the money for a plane ticket, this was her next best idea. She was already regretting it. This whole thing felt like such a long shot. She had barely scraped by on her 6th gym badge in Johto. That was only after a dozen tries. Who thought she had any chance in a big tournament like this? Still, the excitement burned hotter than the gelid winds over the open sea. A new region, a chance to make a name for herself, it was all so exciting!

These thoughts occupied her, it kept her from thinking about how horrible her hair would look after this. Or how the breeze was making her cheeks flap backwards to expose her gums. Or how she had fallen of her ride and was plummeting towards the sea. Uh-oh.

“Fyyyyyynnnn!”