Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rising volt tacklers were breezing through the air, safely drifting while on high alert to track down The Explorers. So focused in fact that they hadn’t seen the stray Aurora beam hurdling up at their wings, bursting the air ship down until it came crashing to a halt in a clearing. Thankfully everyone and the Pokemon had used Friede’s Charizard and Orio’s Metagross before they were hit in impact and gravely wounded. Shaken up drastically they had to watch the ship implode on itself, a mushroom cloud billowing from where the boxes burst.

“No! No! No! Our ship! Thats going to be a fortune to fix!”

Friede gasped while using his aviator jacket to cover his nose from the gas as Roy covered his and Fuecoco’s noses as well.

“Take us down, Charizard.”

He sighed as Charizard and Metagross landed on the ground.

“Don’t worry, Friede! I’m sure we can call up some flying taxi to get us to a hotel or something!”

Orio smiled weakly, none of them had service, or the battery life to finish a call. Face it, they were stranded indefinitely. Or were they? Just on the cliff side a 17 year old girl sat with the suicune that busted their ship. Stroking its head and crest carefully.

“Sadly, we hit the wrong ones, Tsunami…”

The girl softly cooed behind her mask as Suicune closed its eyes and leaned into her hand.

“But don’t worry, we’ll get the Explorers next time. We might as well help them.”

She stood slowly, Suicune or, Tsunami watched as their trainer slid down the cliff side with ease as they followed. Mane swirling in the rushing wind. Their impact in landing scaring the Volt Tacklers as Charizard growled, everyone going on alert, Charizard’s flamethrower getting extinguished before it left his mouth by Suicunes countering aqua jet.

“I mean you no harm.”

The girl spoke apathetically. Staring at the others blistering wounds and burns.

“Tsunami just had a… misfire. We believed you were The Explorers. Which you aren’t as I see now.”

Friede still stood tall as did, Molly, Murdock, Orio and Ludlow. Protecting the three children behind them.

“Tell us who you are and what you want from us.”

The white haired man said while coughing on fumes from the smoke.

“As I said. I mean no harm. Tsunami, put out the smoke with an Aqua Jet.”

She said as Suicune shot out the flaming ship with another Aqua Jet.

“See? No harm no foul. Now I can lead you all to my camp or straight to a hospital and or Pokemon center.”

“Like we believe strangers.”

Murdock muttered, his Rockruff growling and yipping pitifully at Tsunami.

“Look, I apologized, now do you want help or not?”

“How about we get a name to the mask.”

*Friede spat in response.

“Alright, alright, I understand. Cru. Cru’s the name. A painful pleasure to meet everyone. It’s soon to be storming and you don’t want to be near a fallen ship during those. Follow me at your own convenience because I’m leaving.”

She muttered while walking away, white hair that reached her small of the back waving away as her side bangs tied on her chest by a sky tumblestone piece shaven into a clasp. Everyone, despite fear, followed due to exhaustion and pain. Who was she? What did she want from them? Was she secretly working for The Explorers or was it an honest mistake? Who knows.

Chapter Text

”how stupid can I be? Did I really have to be so nice? I could’ve just left them to fend for themselves.. I’m that kind of person, at least. I am now. Where did things go so wrong?”. That’s how Cru spoke to herself as she lead everyone through the woods. Her trusted Suicune carrying a sleeping Liko, Sprigatito and Hatterene on its back. It would be adorable if the said suicune hadn’t almost killed them. Friede however wasn’t putting his guard down especially since he had Roy and Fuecoco on his back, neither was Charizard. He was trusted with protecting these kids he wasn’t going to let some masked girl hurt his crew.

“Friede, calm down, you’re hurting yourself.”

Murdock, trying to stop his friend from pulling something on top of his bleeding, softly suggested, Dot, his niece held in his arm as her Quaxly and Tinkatink lagged behind with Ludlow, Orio, and Molly as they kept the back secured.

“I can’t trust her, Murdock, I just can’t. It’s too… convenient. Who is she? Why does she have a Suicune? And who trusted her with carrying, Liko!”

“You need to calm down. Friede.”

Molly whispered as her Metagross kept stomping along, scaring away the bird Pokemon that inhabited that part of the woods

———————

”do they think I can’t hear them? I can. But it’s not hurtful. If I were in their shoes I would be just as confused, scared or angry as they are. But, it’s not Tsunami’s fault. They did what I requested.” Cru thought to herself, silent to everyone around as Tsunami rubbed against her shoulder in a way of saying “I’m here” as Cru let out a weak huff and held Tsunami’s head gently.

“I know you’re here, Tsunami… I’ll always know that.”

“pokemon don’t ask about what’s under the mask. They don’t ask about if you got a banged up face or just if you want to look different. They just, care. I shouldn’t have done this without the gang. Astella’s gonna have my ass for this. I miss my friends, these guys are little bits of buzzkills.” She let out a giggle at a memory of her friends trying to cliff jump on top of Flure’s Sawsbuck. Quickly masking it by a cough.

“We’re a while away. Might as well make camp shouldn’t we?”

Murdock suggested as Cru and Tsunami stopped mid step.

“I guess we should. Tsunami, get us a shaded spot. Clear it out.”

she patted the Suicune’s crest as it nodded and advanced forward with everyone following shortly behind. However, Orio strayed back.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“No, I’ll rustle some food, you’re in good hands with Tsunami.”

Cru responded to her before abruptly leaving through the bushes. Walking around on the hunt for berries and other things to eat. Her ever beloved Flareon, General Pyr leaving its pokeball on its own to be beside Cru. The flareon was decorated in ribbons of its battle victories like a real general.

“General. How about we go take down an Ursaring for some protein?”

she chuckled as Pyr cried in agreement. Sniffing out for the powerful normal type before running, followed by Cru’s speedy follow. Ducking behind a pile of rocks to watch the Ursaring bound about.

“That’s not a big one but it’ll do. No red eyes either. Score.”

the white haired trainer smirked below her mask as he brandished a small knife as her Flareon got ready.

“Overwhelm it with a Trailblaze boosted Flame Charge, boy.”

she ordered as Pyr charged with a grassy Trailblaze bursting through the ground and chaining it to a Flame Charge, knocking the Ursaring down onto the ground, disorienting it as Cru ran up, plunging it into the beasts neck as it started fighting back against its blood loss, swatting and clawing at the two for over 30 minutes, roaring and shaking Cru around, knocking her mask off before finally spilling its last pints and collapsing. Allowing her to go to a stream and clean blood off, glaring at her own reflection with disgust and acceptance. It revealed a revolting sight, her face was completely skinned. Shades of red over took her face, two massive scars forced her left eye shut completely as her right eye had skin over the bottom of it and a little on the top, a scar ripping on her nose, cheeks gashed apart and open by pokemon teeth stuck tearing through her cheeks as the tears showed a little of her regular teeth. All the teeth stained with dry red. Her breath hitching as she plunged it into the water to stop crying. “Stop crying you little bitch. STOP IT! YOU DID THIS! YOU COULDN’T OUTRUN THE GARCHOMP! ITS YOUR FAULT!” She screamed to herself in her mind as Flareon sat beside her, licking at her scarred arms and trying to purr. She pulled her head out, shaking as she held onto her Flareon, sobbing.

———————————— THE ASCENDED BASE

“… something just happened.”

a girl with pale green hair and tanned skin said as she got up from her napping spot under a tree with her Leafeon and Sawsbuck perking up as their friends giggled.

———————————— THE CAMPSITE

they were able to all come together and build shelters with ragged cloths and sticks they found along with a campfire. Tsunami lied behind the kids, watching the adults with knowing eyes of gleaming rubies and sheds of blood of crimson.

“Where’d the, Cru girl go?”

Molly questioned while holding her grumbling stomach

“She said she was getting some food for us, then just up and left.”

Orio responded

“Let’s hope she gets back fast, I’m famished.”

Murdock sighed, looking at all the smaller pokemon as they ran around

“At least they’re having fun.”

Friede muttered as Charizard wrapped around him, head on his lap.

“Looks like their back- DEAR ARCEUS!”

everyone jumped back as Cru dragged a gutted and bloody Ursaring. Dropping the normal type and already starting to roast it.

“What. It’s food. Eat.”

Cru, spat as everyone slowly got cooked pieces and ate slowly like the meat would come back to life and eat them instead. She tossed Tsunami an arm as they caught it and ate happily as did Pyr.

“We’ll get to Levincia tomorrow morning, everyone eat and get some sleep.”

maybe she wasn’t so bad. Maybe she was just scared and untrusting like everyone else was right now. Maybe just a little odd in her ways.