Title: Onward We Go
Fandom: Pokemon (Gen VI)
Rating: G
Length: 600 words
Prompt: Joyful Days with the Monsters
Author notes: Six perfect drabbles! And this actually isn't my in-game team, haha. I considered making a drabble set for them, but it seemed more fun to write about Pokemon I'm not as familiar with.
Summary: The road to The Elite Four is long and winding. It's easier when you don't have to travel it alone. Six 100-word drabbles, each focusing on a different member of Serena's team.




[Greninja]

They came squelching out of the river together, wet and shivering. Serena's clothes were soaked (Lumiose Boutique's latest, ruined) and Almond resembled a drowned rattata. The meowstic yowled and sent a pulsating psychic blast towards Ripple, who was happily splashing in the water.

Her greninja took the attack easily and looked up at them with a cheery, long-tongued grin. Serena really tried to be strict, but she could never stay angry at that smile.

“Well, we're already wet. I guess there's no reason we can't take a swim.”

Unfortunately, Serena wasn't part dark-type. She actually had to dodge Almond's attack.


[Lucario]

“Like this?” Serena curled her fingers into a half-open fist, trying to mimic her lucario.

Benji shook his head and prodded her hand with one paw. Serena tightened her pose. Another poke. A bit tighter.

Finally, after examining her form with his piercing gaze, Benji nodded. Quickly, before she could mess something up, Serena struck. This time, unlike dozens of times before, there was a sharp crack when her palm met the board.

“I did it! Benji, you're amazing!”

As fearsome as he could be, Benji didn't look so frightening when he was wagging his tail and licking her face.


[Meowstic]

Debris clouded the air, making Serena's eyes water. An awful shrieking noise, like tearing metal, echoed around her.

“Almond!” Serena called, making her way to the sound's source. Her arm was bleeding where the wild pokemon had attacked her. She wasn't sure she could move it.

Almond was glowing with violent energy. Serena dropped to her knees and ran her good hand over her fur.

“Almond, Almond, I'm fine. You can stop now.”

The glow faded. Her meowstic's ears finally closed.

She held Almond tight, and tried not to look over at the thing that had once been a steelix.


[Charizard]

The chocolate was a bit melted by the time night fell, and the graham crackers had gotten rather crumbly, but that was perfectly all right. The stars were shining high above them, and the forest air was crisp and clear; there was nothing that could ruin a night like tonight.

Charmer stretched out lazily as the six of them collected kindling, smoke trailing from his nostrils and his eyes half-closed. They built the bonfire around him, piling twigs and brush and larger pieces of wood against his tail and watching with glee when it caught.

Charizard flame s'mores were delicious.


[Gengar]

Serena woke to a paralyzing weight on her chest. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and it was only with great effort that she could force out words.

“Penelope, if you don't cut this out right now, you'll be eating dry food for a month.”

Cackling, her gengar reformed from the shadows. She didn't look very sorry, Serena thought sourly, but she was used to that by now.

When she'd first caught Penelope, she'd been terrified her newest teammate would murder her in her sleep. It still seemed like a possibility, sometimes, but... eh. There were worse ways to die, right?


[Tyrantrum]

The tyrantrum roared with fury. His jaws were gaping open, revealing each enormous, serrated tooth, and his tail was lashing back and forth with barely-contained power. A flock of pidgey took to the sky in terror.

Serena stood before her pokemon, armed with a frown, a bucket, and a sopping wet sponge. “Come on, Fang, stop being a baby. Everyone else already got theirs.”

Finally, with a great rumbling sigh that reverbrated through her whole body, Fang crouched down so she could reach his head.

“Thank you,” Serena sighed fondly, and began to scrub.

Bath day was always a trial.