Back to Basics
Two sets of pawsteps lay in the damp soil, one larger, one smaller, leading away from a gap in a white timber fence. From behind the border sat rows of suburban homes, yellow brick and gray stone with pale violet shingles, rounded windows gazing out over lush flowering gardens.
Old leaves swirled lazily from upright branches, green with patches of brown, floating down to earth as the wind swept through the woods.
"Haha! You didn't have to scare that poor human boy, you know," snickered the Vulpix as the Electrike trotted after him into the trees, away from the houses. "He just wanted to feed you a few scraps from his dinner plate."
The Electrike gave him a nasty look. "Well, maybe I don't like the taste of processed Flaaffy chops," replied the dog, tiny jolts of electricity darting between his paws. "Especially after they've been gnawed on like that." He shuddered, shaking his head. "Agh!"
The fox yawned. "Hey, food is food, and the humans have a lot of it," said the Vulpix, glancing back to the Electrike, who looked more uncomfortable than angry. "This one time, I found this soft white patty in a human's trash, with this yellow eye in the middle. It came from their kitchen garbage, but it tasted just fine. I think it was egg!"
"Egg? Eggs don't look like... 'patties'," said the Electrike, pausing to scratch behind his green-and-yellow ear with a hind paw. His eyes followed the subtle incline of the land through the gaps in the branches overhead, trees gradually rising towards the jagged mountain in the distance. "Have you even seen a real egg, anyway?"
"Sure I have! But you really should try some of what I had," said the Vulpix. "It was good stuff, too. It was sorta salty, but also kinda peppery." He licked his chops, salivating for a moment. "And there was this red creamy stuff on it, too. It tasted like Tamato, but a little sweeter."
The Electrike stared at the Vulpix, his eyes hardening slightly. "If you're trying to get me to eat some of that 'pit-za' stuff again, it's not going to work," said the dog, giving him a look. "That stuff tastes awful. Sorry."
"I told you, that pizza wasn't done right!" protested the fox. "It was undercooked and doughy, and the cheese hadn't melted, and-- oh, never mind."
He sniffed at a nearby flower, then opened his mouth wide and ate the entire bulb, petals and all. "So what're you gonna do today? I heard there's some Taillows nesting by the lake. Wanna come watch a mother feed her hatchlings?"
His eyes lighting up, the Electrike glanced to the Vulpix. "Taillows? Now, that sounds like a meal," said the dog, licking his chops as the fox chewed and swallowed the remnants of the flower. "So which way is this lake? Are these birds, um, plump and fat?"
The Vulpix rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Oh, come on," chortled the fox, his tails fanning down as he hopped up onto a nearby stump. "Really. Do you ever think about anything other than your stomach?" As he said this, he reached up with a paw for a plump Magost berry, dangling from a nearby branch.
The Electrike was unamused. "Hey, look, I don't ask for much," said the dog, rising up onto his hind legs, forepaws on the side of the Vulpix's stump, looking up at the fox questioningly. "I like a nice, fat bird, freshly caught. I'd like one, three times a day, but just once a week is good too!"
The dog fell silent as his nose picked up muddled scents, wafting through the trees. "Hey, do you hear that?" said the Vulpix, hopping down from the stump, his ears twitching. The duo looked at each other, then glanced towards the mingled barks and shouts, the scents of fur and iron, approaching in the distance.
Abruptly, a Poochyena crashed out from the bushes and tumbled out onto the ground, startling them both. "Look out! Coming through!" yelped the dog as he raced past the Electrike and the Vulpix and off into the woods, wide-eyed and panicking. The two barely had time to glance back and dive into the shrubbery before a pair of heavy human boots came trampling after the dog.
"Well, that's not something you see every day," said the Vulpix as the human hunter chased the Poochyena further down the path, shouting and waving a large net. A sly grin spread on his muzzle as he glanced back to the Electrike, whose eyes had narrowed, his snout up towards the air. "Say, you wanna go chase them?"
The Electrike watched silently as the human swung his net at the yipping Poochyena and missed. "Oh, tempting," said the dog slowly, carefully tasting the air. "But I think human would give me indigestion..."
Old leaves swirled lazily from upright branches, green with patches of brown, floating down to earth as the wind swept through the woods.
"Haha! You didn't have to scare that poor human boy, you know," snickered the Vulpix as the Electrike trotted after him into the trees, away from the houses. "He just wanted to feed you a few scraps from his dinner plate."
The Electrike gave him a nasty look. "Well, maybe I don't like the taste of processed Flaaffy chops," replied the dog, tiny jolts of electricity darting between his paws. "Especially after they've been gnawed on like that." He shuddered, shaking his head. "Agh!"
The fox yawned. "Hey, food is food, and the humans have a lot of it," said the Vulpix, glancing back to the Electrike, who looked more uncomfortable than angry. "This one time, I found this soft white patty in a human's trash, with this yellow eye in the middle. It came from their kitchen garbage, but it tasted just fine. I think it was egg!"
"Egg? Eggs don't look like... 'patties'," said the Electrike, pausing to scratch behind his green-and-yellow ear with a hind paw. His eyes followed the subtle incline of the land through the gaps in the branches overhead, trees gradually rising towards the jagged mountain in the distance. "Have you even seen a real egg, anyway?"
"Sure I have! But you really should try some of what I had," said the Vulpix. "It was good stuff, too. It was sorta salty, but also kinda peppery." He licked his chops, salivating for a moment. "And there was this red creamy stuff on it, too. It tasted like Tamato, but a little sweeter."
The Electrike stared at the Vulpix, his eyes hardening slightly. "If you're trying to get me to eat some of that 'pit-za' stuff again, it's not going to work," said the dog, giving him a look. "That stuff tastes awful. Sorry."
"I told you, that pizza wasn't done right!" protested the fox. "It was undercooked and doughy, and the cheese hadn't melted, and-- oh, never mind."
He sniffed at a nearby flower, then opened his mouth wide and ate the entire bulb, petals and all. "So what're you gonna do today? I heard there's some Taillows nesting by the lake. Wanna come watch a mother feed her hatchlings?"
His eyes lighting up, the Electrike glanced to the Vulpix. "Taillows? Now, that sounds like a meal," said the dog, licking his chops as the fox chewed and swallowed the remnants of the flower. "So which way is this lake? Are these birds, um, plump and fat?"
The Vulpix rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Oh, come on," chortled the fox, his tails fanning down as he hopped up onto a nearby stump. "Really. Do you ever think about anything other than your stomach?" As he said this, he reached up with a paw for a plump Magost berry, dangling from a nearby branch.
The Electrike was unamused. "Hey, look, I don't ask for much," said the dog, rising up onto his hind legs, forepaws on the side of the Vulpix's stump, looking up at the fox questioningly. "I like a nice, fat bird, freshly caught. I'd like one, three times a day, but just once a week is good too!"
The dog fell silent as his nose picked up muddled scents, wafting through the trees. "Hey, do you hear that?" said the Vulpix, hopping down from the stump, his ears twitching. The duo looked at each other, then glanced towards the mingled barks and shouts, the scents of fur and iron, approaching in the distance.
Abruptly, a Poochyena crashed out from the bushes and tumbled out onto the ground, startling them both. "Look out! Coming through!" yelped the dog as he raced past the Electrike and the Vulpix and off into the woods, wide-eyed and panicking. The two barely had time to glance back and dive into the shrubbery before a pair of heavy human boots came trampling after the dog.
"Well, that's not something you see every day," said the Vulpix as the human hunter chased the Poochyena further down the path, shouting and waving a large net. A sly grin spread on his muzzle as he glanced back to the Electrike, whose eyes had narrowed, his snout up towards the air. "Say, you wanna go chase them?"
The Electrike watched silently as the human swung his net at the yipping Poochyena and missed. "Oh, tempting," said the dog slowly, carefully tasting the air. "But I think human would give me indigestion..."
Frantically, the Poochyena scurried down the bridge, muzzle smeared with bacon grease. Reaching the far side, he glanced back to his furious pursuer. The pup's paws were growing sore, but he couldn't stop here!
"I've got you now, you filthy mutt," shouted the chasing man, spatula in one hand. "Scaring my kids, snatching their food, knocking everything over! How did you even get in through that window?"
Bark-bark-bark. The Poochyena yipped as he tripped over a large root and hit the ground, hard. Scrambling to his paws and turning around, the little dog backed away as the man advanced on him, glaring. Oh dear. He'd really screwed up this time.
Suddenly, a burst of hot air swept past the Poochyena's ear. The man yelped and grabbed his foot as tiny glowing embers swirled around his left leg. "Ow! Hot!" he shouted as he hopped around the clearing, shaking his fist. "Stupid, stupid--"
"Here! Come with me!" called a voice. Blinking, the Poochyena yelped as a blur of red fur suddenly tackled him, the duo tumbling down toward the river.
Up on the bridge, the Electrike sprang out from the bushes, colliding with the human. "Gah! More vermin!" cried the man, clutching his crackling arm as the hound barked at him. "Stupid little--"
Coming to a stop on the bank, the Poochyena got to his paws, confused. A large piece of bark was floating on the water, tethered to a nearby stump. "Well? What're you waiting for?" laughed the Vulpix, pushing the Poochyena onto the bark-raft. "You won't have a better chance than this."
The Electrike snapped at the man's hand, forcing him back. Ducking a clumsy kick, the green dog darted around the man, spraying his back with sparks. "Yeah! You give him your all, Tendon!" cheered the Vulpix from behind the Poochyena. "Go, go!"
The Poochyena's eyes widened as the Vulpix began loosening the raft's knot. "Wait! What're you doing?" he protested. "A-are you kidnapping me? Where are we going--"
"Off we go!" Tails waving happily, the Vulpix pulled the rope free as the river swept the little raft downstream. At the same time, Tendon sprang down from the bridge and landed on the raft, leaving the irate father behind.
Terrified, the Poochyena clung desperately to the raft as they crashed down through the rapids. White, frothing waves splashed over the raft, drenching his fur in cold. Tails dipping into the water, the Vulpix began to paddle, guiding the raft through the roaring river.
"Perfect timing, Chance," called Tendon above the spray, paw-fiving the Vulpix, the raft rising and dipping on the sloshing water. "The big one's coming up!"
The Poochyena yelped as they went over a large boulder, shutting his eyes. Both Tendon and Chance gave great whoops as the raft momentarily went airborne, landing with a great splash.
The Poochyena slowly opened his eyes. Gasping, he stared around the river, awed. The water droplets around his eyes caught the sunlight like tiny crystals. The trees, the brush, the earth--the entire forest seemed to be sparkling.
"Probably our fastest time yet," said Chance happily, steering the raft over to the shore. Securing the raft to some reeds, Tendon climbed onto land. Glancing back, Chance poked the Poochyena. "Hey, you coming, buddy?"
Snapping out of his reverie, the Poochyena stared at them both. "Sure," he said with a nervous laugh, following them onto the shore. Chance's tails were dripping wet. "Sheesh. You guys are crazy! Wouldn't you have died if you fell off?"
The Vulpix looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nah, I'm not a Charmander or anything," said Chance as they entered a small clearing. "I won't die if I get splashed with water. Besides, how would I steer the raft if my tails couldn't get wet?"
Tendon grinned as Chance pawed through some nearby bushes. "Besides, it's summer, the water isn't too bad," said the Electrike. "Take time to stop and eat the Taillows, as they say! Anyway, the name's Tendon, and he's Chance."
"Oh! I'm Quip," said the Poochyena. "Nice to meet you!" Something in Quip's bones told him to get as far away from these two as possible, but he was feeling very, very curious.
Chance poked his head out from the bushes in a flurry of food wrappers. "Got some bad news," he called to Tendon, holding up a soup can. "Some Zigzagoon broke into our stash again. This is all that's left."
"Aw sheesh, again?" grumbled the Electrike, taking the can. "Well, this is better than nothing. I'll go load up the raft." Leaving the clearing, Tendon headed back down to the river.
Silence. Quip watched as the Vulpix began to gather some small sticks. "So, um... what do you guys do all day?" asked the Poochyena.
Chance blinked. "Us? Not much. We eat, we sleep. We wander around and play tricks on other Pokemon." The Vulpix winked at Quip. "What about you? You were being chased by that one human, right?"
He blinked. "Oh, haha, yeah," said Quip sheepishly. He scratched his head. "I was trying to find my way home, but... I guess I went into the wrong house--"
The Poochyena fell silent as Tendon returned, his fur bristling. The Vulpix glanced up. "Chance!" called the Electrike. "The raft's gone!"
"I've got you now, you filthy mutt," shouted the chasing man, spatula in one hand. "Scaring my kids, snatching their food, knocking everything over! How did you even get in through that window?"
Bark-bark-bark. The Poochyena yipped as he tripped over a large root and hit the ground, hard. Scrambling to his paws and turning around, the little dog backed away as the man advanced on him, glaring. Oh dear. He'd really screwed up this time.
Suddenly, a burst of hot air swept past the Poochyena's ear. The man yelped and grabbed his foot as tiny glowing embers swirled around his left leg. "Ow! Hot!" he shouted as he hopped around the clearing, shaking his fist. "Stupid, stupid--"
"Here! Come with me!" called a voice. Blinking, the Poochyena yelped as a blur of red fur suddenly tackled him, the duo tumbling down toward the river.
Up on the bridge, the Electrike sprang out from the bushes, colliding with the human. "Gah! More vermin!" cried the man, clutching his crackling arm as the hound barked at him. "Stupid little--"
Coming to a stop on the bank, the Poochyena got to his paws, confused. A large piece of bark was floating on the water, tethered to a nearby stump. "Well? What're you waiting for?" laughed the Vulpix, pushing the Poochyena onto the bark-raft. "You won't have a better chance than this."
The Electrike snapped at the man's hand, forcing him back. Ducking a clumsy kick, the green dog darted around the man, spraying his back with sparks. "Yeah! You give him your all, Tendon!" cheered the Vulpix from behind the Poochyena. "Go, go!"
The Poochyena's eyes widened as the Vulpix began loosening the raft's knot. "Wait! What're you doing?" he protested. "A-are you kidnapping me? Where are we going--"
"Off we go!" Tails waving happily, the Vulpix pulled the rope free as the river swept the little raft downstream. At the same time, Tendon sprang down from the bridge and landed on the raft, leaving the irate father behind.
Terrified, the Poochyena clung desperately to the raft as they crashed down through the rapids. White, frothing waves splashed over the raft, drenching his fur in cold. Tails dipping into the water, the Vulpix began to paddle, guiding the raft through the roaring river.
"Perfect timing, Chance," called Tendon above the spray, paw-fiving the Vulpix, the raft rising and dipping on the sloshing water. "The big one's coming up!"
The Poochyena yelped as they went over a large boulder, shutting his eyes. Both Tendon and Chance gave great whoops as the raft momentarily went airborne, landing with a great splash.
The Poochyena slowly opened his eyes. Gasping, he stared around the river, awed. The water droplets around his eyes caught the sunlight like tiny crystals. The trees, the brush, the earth--the entire forest seemed to be sparkling.
"Probably our fastest time yet," said Chance happily, steering the raft over to the shore. Securing the raft to some reeds, Tendon climbed onto land. Glancing back, Chance poked the Poochyena. "Hey, you coming, buddy?"
Snapping out of his reverie, the Poochyena stared at them both. "Sure," he said with a nervous laugh, following them onto the shore. Chance's tails were dripping wet. "Sheesh. You guys are crazy! Wouldn't you have died if you fell off?"
The Vulpix looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nah, I'm not a Charmander or anything," said Chance as they entered a small clearing. "I won't die if I get splashed with water. Besides, how would I steer the raft if my tails couldn't get wet?"
Tendon grinned as Chance pawed through some nearby bushes. "Besides, it's summer, the water isn't too bad," said the Electrike. "Take time to stop and eat the Taillows, as they say! Anyway, the name's Tendon, and he's Chance."
"Oh! I'm Quip," said the Poochyena. "Nice to meet you!" Something in Quip's bones told him to get as far away from these two as possible, but he was feeling very, very curious.
Chance poked his head out from the bushes in a flurry of food wrappers. "Got some bad news," he called to Tendon, holding up a soup can. "Some Zigzagoon broke into our stash again. This is all that's left."
"Aw sheesh, again?" grumbled the Electrike, taking the can. "Well, this is better than nothing. I'll go load up the raft." Leaving the clearing, Tendon headed back down to the river.
Silence. Quip watched as the Vulpix began to gather some small sticks. "So, um... what do you guys do all day?" asked the Poochyena.
Chance blinked. "Us? Not much. We eat, we sleep. We wander around and play tricks on other Pokemon." The Vulpix winked at Quip. "What about you? You were being chased by that one human, right?"
He blinked. "Oh, haha, yeah," said Quip sheepishly. He scratched his head. "I was trying to find my way home, but... I guess I went into the wrong house--"
The Poochyena fell silent as Tendon returned, his fur bristling. The Vulpix glanced up. "Chance!" called the Electrike. "The raft's gone!"