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It wouldn't be completely inaccurate to say that the pair of them had gone looking for trouble. Georgia would say it was looking for adventure, to which most who knew better would say is the same as looking for trouble. To which Georgia would quote the rules for the care and upkeep of Pokémon and say 'Enrichment'. Which would fail to appease anyone, but would bring the conversation to a grumbled halt.
Of course, at the time, as the trainer walked through the forest, she had no idea she'd be making such a defence later.
An ominous chuckle carried by whispers of wind echoed around Georgia, vicious and twisted sounding. A warning call of danger that told those less confident in a fight to stay back. The galarian native shook her head in a display of minor amusement. "Careful Spook. Don't want to draw the attention of anything you can't take on."
Her partner banette stepped out of her shadow from where it was cast Infront of her, their pink eyes staring at her with an insulted look upon their ghostly face. "BanETTE!" Spook corrected, their rather punk looking choker gleaming in afternoon light as they puffed up their chest. Georgia chuckled lightly at the display, but bowed her head.
"You're right of course, it's them that should be worried about your attention. Not the other way around." She told the ghost type with a smile.
"Ban."
"Sorry, our attention." Georgia amended, her smile growing broader for a moment at Spook's inclusion of her. The banette's zippered mouth turned into a grin as darkness seemed to reach out towards them, covering the ghost type for a moment, only to retreat and leave no sign of Spook.
Whatever weird shadow space it was that certain pokémon could be sometimes travel through, banettes were notably good with it. Other Pokémon, even the ghost types that where known for being tricky and complicated could typically only dip into it for a moment or so before they were ejected - your standard shadow sneak - it was only really banettes that consistently held the ability to linger in it long enough to use the sort of technique labelled phantom force. There are a few other instances of other 'mons using the technique, a lot more since it was originally documented, but many had considered it to be exclusive to the Marionette Pokémon for a long time.
Spook loved utilising this 'realm' that overlapped the normal one. Georgia hadn't quite realised how much until Kalos, having spent years assuming Spook just spent a lot of their time just outside of her peripheral vision. But now her sense for them had improved, she spent a lot of time noticing how their presence seemed to jump around a lot, going from the grass to the branches of a tree to the shadow of a rock.... It was fascinating.
Considering how the little ghost had a stranglehold on the role of 'most intimidating' of her partners, she was glad for the insight. More ammunition for when she had to explain to a crying child that the ominous spectre with piercing pink eyes and a zippered mouth wasn't going to hurt them. Really changed her perception of Spook from fiendish rogue who can has the utmost control when it comes to stealth and nowhere else to 'adhd gremlin almost entirely driven by impulse possessing little to no self control'.
Which had made it even more obvious something was up when Spook just stopped.
"Spook?" She asked as she turned back, walking towards where she'd been when the Banette stopped keeping up with her. There was a delay before they appeared before her, though still looking off to the left of the direction the pair of them have been travelling.
"banette." Spook said, their voice quiet, and loaded with anticipation. Georgia followed their gaze.
"Something strong in a clearing that way?" She repeated, her brow furrowing in thought. "I know there is at least one Totem Pokémon in the forest, though I had thought we weren't heading in the direction of the trial site, unless we've gotten majorly turned around.
She remembered the excitement from her team when they'd discussed the Totem Pokémon of Alola. Bigger, stronger, filled with more energy. Sounded like the alpha Pokémon you could find if you left the settled regions and ventured deeper into some of the true wild areas. Except, they had to be a lot less vicious than the territory leaders out there if kids were permitted to challenge them. Reportedly they're quite honourable, which is a trait they could have just developed in response to the tradition of the trial challenge to be fair.
“Ban-banette.” Spook stated, pulling her from her thoughts about how well received it would be if she started suggesting that Alola’s exclusive Totem Pokémon might just be alphas.
“You want to go fight.” Georgia said with a smile and a slight shake of her head at the mon’s behaviour. Truthfully, so did she. Spook wasn't really good at holding back, or interested in it. Which meant that she tended to use them in fights against wild Pokémon with the same sort of attitude, rather than against a trainer’s Pokémon who might not be prepared for such an attitude. But that meant that Spook’s opponents didn't tend to have the most refined skills, a Totem however? A wild Pokémon with greater strength than usual and a history of testing trainers? Now that would be a good challenge.
“You realise that even if we’re right about it being a totem, and we win, we won't be able to claim one of those fancy crystals for those Z-Move things, as we aren't part of the challenge that the Totems serve as challenges on?” She clarified, knowing that the whole party had gotten excited after Regal's description of the one Tapp, Rupp, and Razzle utilised.
Spook let out a noise that was remarkably similar to a snort considering they didn't have a nose. Georgia chuckled. Looks like this one of her team at least was more interested in competing against the local specialty than with it. Which was fair considering she and Spook had their own niche. Though she had a feeling at least one of the others was interested.
—
Firstly, the large red-orange Pokémon they had come upon appeared to be using a tree trunk as a punching bag. Secondly, the clearing that Spook had been right about the totem being in was not natural. A dozen or so tree trunks lay scattered around, having apparently broken due to failing to hold up under the large creature's vicious blows.
“Sure you don't want me to give it a scan?” Georgia whispered to Spook, who gave her look of disappointment. “I'm not doubting our assumed types. Wings like that with what looks like an insane set of abdominal muscles is a clear bug/fighting type - though I guess it could have gone down the drapion route - but the damn thing is like eight foot tall. Both totems and bug types have a tendency to call in others for help. Neither of us know this Pokémon, what if that is just the kid of a bigger stronger one.”
There was the slightest moment of pause, then “Nette.” Spook acquiesced.
“Oh I'm allowed to bring in the others if this thing does am I?” She responded with a slight smirk, thankfully that the powerful thrumming of the mystery mon allowed her to conspire with her partner. She really hoped this thing was a totem and thus an oversized version of the usual thing, if this was an onix/steelix situation she would cry. Well, no, but if that did turn out to be true she'd consider crying as she threw out-
“Baaaaan.” Spook interrupted, causing Georgia’s face to twist slightly in incredulity.
“You can't just veto bringing out Bouncer, she'd be great at this!” She exclaimed, the world going quiet after she did so. Spook raised an ‘eyebrow’ at her.
“Banette.” They said with the tone of someone who knew they'd won.
“Oh don't give me that, you've never once given a damn about fire in forests. You just don't want her stealing your win!” Georgia countered.
“Ba.”
“I know that doesn't change things but- wait. The buzzing.”
Georgia and Spook turned almost in synch as they realised the buzzing of the Pokemon's wings had stopped. The trainer was met with essentially a single frame of vision with a a tree trunk in it and then it was parting on either side of her, Spook straining in front of her with a purple claw splitting it down the middle. It didn't escape her attention they the attack was aimed directly at her.
The artificial wind caused by the thrown trunk had blew her hair fully out of her face, meaning there was nothing to hide the sheer shock on the woman’s face. “By the heroes.” She said breathlessly. “They let children fight these?” But she didn't have any time to contemplate that because the current problem was going straight for Spook.
One huge fist came crashing through the air aimed at her partner’s head, and than started to pass right through the Banette and came towards her. But a limb wreathed in darkness caught the large bug type from within its guard, Spook having bypassed it nicely by phasing through the threat’s arm, smacking straight into the underside of the fucker’s chin. Sending it involuntarily backflipping through the air before it caught itself with its wings beating with that dreadful thrumming once more. Seemingly having decided that the ‘stealth’ it had employed in halting the wings before was no longer warranted.
Georgia could see the hate in its eyes as it looked down on her. Its long syringe-like mouth pointing unerringly at her, but its eyes focused on Spook. Or at least, she thought they were. The insectoid warrior flexed, bringing it's fists up to its chest, it's neck and biceps bulging- no. All of it was bulging. It's muscles throbbing with a fiery orange light as she actually watched them get bigger. Bulk Up. Fuck.
“Two can play at that game.” Georgia murmured, a glow coming from under her shirt began, quickly echoed by the crystal on Spook’s choker turning dark, a shadow spreading over the banette’s form, as the key stone pendant that hung around the trainer’s neck activated. “Spook, no holding back.”
You know I never do. Came a ghoulish psychically projected response. From beneath the shadows coating their form, two pink eyes blazed, their limbs started peeling open as if the ghostly might previously contained within the cloth-like form had now outgrown it.
Their huge opponent didn't wait for the transformation to be completed. Lunging towards Spook with arms akimbo ready to crush her partner between them, a dark green aura around them which said that the wild ‘mon has figured out with that initial failed hit that it couldn't use it's fighting type moves. Smart, but not smart enough.
The moment before it reached the mega evolving banette, Spook blurred and was suddenly behind it in their full mega evolved form, ominous and dangerous, their zippered smile fixed into a grin. Ghastly purple flames leaving the ghost type’s body and enveloping the predatory bug, who immediately managed to turn even as the burn settled in. It's sharp syringe-like mouth cutting round wrapped in dark purple energy smashing into Spook and sending the banette hurling backwards.
The 7’0” muscle-bound figure then quickly turned its attention on Georgia. Raising a glowing fist as it did so, clearly planning to put down the trainer while the Pokémon was recovering despite the burns it was suffering from.
“Spook, harass!” She called out, trusting - no - knowing that it would take more than a non-STAB dark move to cause her partner issues for long. Particularly in their mega evolved form.
It flew towards her with intense speed, Spook blurred through the air faster, smashing into the insectoid and changing the ‘mon’s momentum as it skidded off it's trajectory, going a good meter or so to the side before steadying itself. Once it had done so, it looked around, but the banette was gone again.
There was no hesitation as it refocused on Georgia, who was just stood there smiling, the burning running through its body and its natural instincts overruling any higher thinking. It raised its fists again and shot towards her. This time she didn't see a blur, she just saw the aggressive Mon smash into the ground.
It landed on its feet, and though those feet were now speared ten inches or so into the ground, it's legs hadn't buckled. Pretty impressive, or at least it would be if it hadn't whined a moment later as it's body continued to burn. Despite her unfamiliarity with this particular specimen, Georgia could read the fury in its posture as it rose from the ground. Flexing once more as it did so, its muscles swelling even further.
Instead of rushing her again, it simply began to move towards her. Weathering the burn with no small amount of pain as it forced itself to take it's time. Obviously attempting to bait out another attack from Spook with a plan this time, which was smarter than it had been, but still not brilliant. It met Georgia’s gaze as it hovered closer, but with no attack incoming it began to bulk up for the third time.
Despite it being a trap, they probably couldn't afford not to trigger it.
With a discrete signal from Georgia like the ones she had been employing thus far, there was another blur. This time though, the trainer felt her heart jump into her throat as the blur stopped. Spook was on the ground, struggling beneath two arms glowing with bug type energy. Its needle like mouth stabbed into her partner. Through the bond forged by mega evolution she could feel it sapping Spook’s vitality to try and undo the damage dealt to it so far.
“Spook! Antiset!” Georgia shouted, desperation tinging her voice. The banette let out a horrific screech.
And. The Bug. Flinched.
That was all Spook needed. Taking the opportunity the moment it came, a massive attack smashed up through the pin and crashed into the insect's chest. Screech and Foul Play as a combination hit hard, especially against the sort of opponent that juices on boosting moves.
The bug was sent crashing into a tree. Unable to take its own boosted strength. The dark typing might not be the most effective, but with that sort of strength behind it, that didn't really mean anything.
Spook failed to get up despite blasting smashing the bug away. The transformation into the mega evolved state shook. Georgia could see the stone threatening to reform as the little ghost’s body trembled as it fought to retain the energy.
Then, their opponent, this totem- No. This Beast started to get up again.
“Spook…” Georgia called nervously, a pokeball in each hand. Though in the moment she wasn't sure if one was to return the Banette and one to summon another, or if they were both ready to release a fresh partner.
“Ban.” Spook stated, pushing themselves up off the ground, hovering shakily less than a foot in the air as the huge red beast, still being licked by flame, rose on steady wingbeats. Looking battered, but certainly healthier than her partner.
“Spook-”
“Ban.” Spook snarled, cutting her off. A spectral spike formed in their hand and they slammed it through their own head. Immediately the mega evolution dropped, and so did the Banette. Falling to the ground unconscious.
“SPOOK!” Georgia was immediately sprinting to the ghost type, not caring that it put her closer to the Beast without anything between them now.
Their opponent stopped for a moment at this, momentarily surprised, and then moved to continue. Then, another spectral spike appeared slamming through the bug warrior’s head with a vengeance, and it dropped too having finally succumbing to the combination of attacks, Spook’s curse finishing it off. The trainer barely even noticed.
She was knelt in the grass with, hunched over her partner, in one arm she cradled the banette like a baby, with the other she pulled an emergency revive capsule, ripping the cap off with her teeth only to pour it through the teeth of Spook’s zippered mouth. “You crazy fucking spirit.” She cursed, “You know I hate that move.” She continued even as they started to come back around.
“...nette?” Spook murmured, Georgia rolled her eyes at the question.
“Yes, you took it down..” She told them struggling not to smile at the question. “Your prize is a full check out at the Pokémon centre you little menace.” The ghost type started to complain, but Georgia cut them off. “No no, no arguing. You know the rules. If you get knocked out, you get checked out. Doesn't matter if you did it to yourself - especially since I had to use a revive. You know these are just stop gap measures that often conceal issues until they become real problems.” She lectured sternly.
“Banette.”
Georgia’s eyes narrowed at the comment, “Doesn't matter if I'm quoting Fennel you little shit. You and I both know she has a nursing certification on top of her academic doctorate so don't try and pull that with me. You knew the consequences when you decided to be stubborn and martyr yourself to take down whatever that thing was yourself.” she said, gesturing at the unconscious seven foot tall figure lying on the ground.
“Ban?” Spook asked, turning their doll-like head to look at their former opponent.
“No I've not scanned it yet. Too busy worrying about you.” She said with a roll of her eyes, putting the empty revive capsule down for a moment and fishing out her dex, it'd gotten the Alolan data packet from Professor Burnet a few days ago, but hardware wise it was still in the Kalosian style, sliding open to reveal the touchscreen. Her original fell victim to an ice beam that may or may not have been deliberate. But the showcase trainer who may or may not have had his buneary shoot her dex had been rather snooty about the previous galarian one, and had provided her with this replacement claiming that she had insurance for such things. Georgia hadn't been able to contest the incident further without losing the offer, so she hadn't.
The Dex scanned their fallen foe and then immediately flashed a warning notice up on the screen. ‘ULTRA BEAST DETECTED, AUTHORITIES ALERTED. IF IT HAS NOT NOTICED YOU, STAY HIDDEN. HELP WILL BE THERE SOON.’
Georgia and Spook exchanged apprehensive glances, and then, less than a minute later half a dozen hardened operatives teleported in with what looked like specially trained Abra. All of them sending out partner Pokémon immediately on arrival before looking around and just, pausing, for a moment. After that moment passed though a pair moved over to inspect the Ultra Beast. Several sci-fi looking pokeball devices being brought out by each of them. Another three moved to establish a perimeter and check the surroundings. The last of the team, a woman with dark brown hair and an assortment of rock based jewellery adorning her form, came over to Georgia. A large lycanroc padding at her side.
“Miss Georgia I believe?” She opened with, but it wasn't really a question. “My name is Kahuna Olivia, can you tell me what happened here?” The Island Leader that Georgia now realised she recognised from the research she did travelling in asked.
—
“I have to ask, does UB-02: Absorption-” Georgia began, now that Olivia had explained more about what she and Spook had faced.
“Call it Buzzwole, the official categorisations don't really roll off the tongue.” Olivia said with an easy smile. The woman seemed to be impressed with Georgia and Spook, remarking ‘ah the Nanu method’ when she'd heard they'd used foul play to turn the beast’s strength against it.
“Okay, does Buzzwole really pose enough of a threat to warrant this reaction?” She asked, wondering how lucky she must have gotten if an elite four equivalent had showed up, with a team of other trainers, at the sighting of one.
“Depends. Its power can increase dramatically based on how much it has fed and fought recently. You got lucky, looks like you caught it just as its feeding cycle kicked in again. With the potential for scaling, combined with the fact that Ultra Beasts don't just come in singles? Better to bring a team and take it down like that rather than having lower numbers and risking it increasing its power by giving it more of a chance. It's not fair, but it's safer.” Olivia explained.
“That makes sense.” Georgia said with a slow nod, processing the Kahuna's words. “Am I in trouble for not scanning it sooner?”
“What?” Olivia asked, caught by surprise at the question. “No, not at all. I mean it would have been a big issue if you'd died, but that didn't happen. Though you've served to prove that we need to make sure all visitors know to read the information that came with the Alola data packet for their dexes.”
Georgia winced, “I'm sorry. I was really preoccupied when I came out of the meeting with Burnet and sort of forgot.” Olivia gave her a motherly reassuring smile which seemed a little out of place receiving from someone who was so close to her age, but then the Kahunas did have an ‘everyone’s parent' vibe, culturally.
“Don't worry, truthfully since you came to Alola earlier than most, you might have saved some people by showing us how clearly we need to highlight this for people.” Olivia told her calmly. “We'll get your statement again on the way to the Pokémon center to get you and your partner checked out, and then you should be okay. Though I'm going to ask you to stay in Konikoni City for a bit in case have any extra questions for you.” She told Georgia as she gestured for one of the other members of the team to come up as she turned away to oversee other efforts.
“Hi, my name is Looker.” Said the rather plain looking man as he pulled out a pen and pad. “I’ll be taking your statement if that's alright. As opposed to Kahuna Olivia, I may stop you and ask questions as we go. It isn't anything to worry about, just making sure all the relevant details are recorded.” He said with a mild but pleasant manner.
Georgia nodded, and then started again from the top.