Last Vacation
a PokéCombat Academy story by Aelius


“C’mon, spikes! We don’t have all morning!”
Stiletto hurriedly stuffed her duffel bag with the last of her clothing for this trip, having procrastinated on packing earlier. The Sandslash grunted as she tugged the zipper, finally closing it as she heard her teammate Storm’s calls outside to hurry up.

The Jolteon was casually drumming his fingers on the steering wheel of his jeep as he waited. Sitting next to him was his Ninetales friend, Blaze, and occupying a spot in the rather tiny back seat was the Dragonair, Neon. The jeep’s top was folded down, exposing its riders to the cool, open air, save for the two surfboards strapped to the top of the roll cage.
Stiletto finally made her way out, pausing at the vehicle when she realized there wouldn’t be much room for her duffel bag.
“What’s with the lack of space? I thought you said cargo wouldn’t be a problem?” she protested.
Storm glanced to the backseat and replied, “There might be some space left behind the back seat. If anything, you can use some tie-downs back there to strap it in.”
The Sandslash sighed as she took the suggestion, using a couple of bungee cords to secure her luggage between the seat and the spare tire. She then hopped in beside Neon.
The Dragonair smiled and gave her a friendly, “Good morning, Stiletto.” Her rather proper tone and aristocratic accent were easily heard in her words.
Stiletto glanced up, never sure how to respond to her teammate’s perpetual optimism, “Oh, uh… hey Neon.”
Storm lowered a pair of sunglasses and put the truck in gear, “Alrighty, we’re off!”
As the jeep headed to the freeway, Blaze turned to face her leader as her thick hair waved in the wind, “Storm, I really hope you’re not going overboard with the accommodations this time. You nearly went broke with our reservations over Spring Break…”
Her friend regarded the concern with a laid-back smirk, “Relax, this trip’s expenses will be a bit modest this time around. I can’t promise a luxury experience or anything, but it should be comfy.”
Stiletto spoke up against the increasing wind noise, “Tell me again why we’re going on this little trip? I don’t think you were too clear on that…”
“I don’t think you were paying attention.”
“Whatever. You didn’t answer my question.”
“Like I said before, the new school year’s approaching and we all know we’ll be dealing with a new administration with different rules and regulations, tighter ones. I wanted to treat you all to one last little outing together before Team Indigo returns. Consider it a treat after being such an exceptional team and group of buddies.”
Neon tilted her head, “Well, far be it from me to protest, but you really did not have to do this, Storm. We have had such good times together already.”
“True,” replied the Jolteon, “… and I want to have one more ‘good time’ before we go back. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be having too much more fun now that this buzz kill of a new principal is heading the Academy.”
“Oh come now, Principal Aubtraum isn’t a complete buzz kill…” said Blaze, ignoring the bangs of hair pattering against her face. “His methods are just stricter and tied to the traditional role of an Academy dean.”
“Yeah, and you said it yourself, ‘introducing tighter rules in an atmosphere not used to them will cause problems.’ I’ve seen more students willfully throwing themselves into detention just in spite of him than I’ve ever seen in any school I’ve attended.”
Blaze simply shrugged, “It’s their choice.”
“Also true… but I really don’t wanna get back into that topic right now. This is a vacation, and the stresses of school are to disappear behind my jeep.”
“Amen to that…” Stiletto muttered, sitting back in the seat and smirking. “So, we gonna pick up some breakfast along the way or what?”
Storm rolled his eyes, “It wouldn’t matter; you’re always hungry…”
Blaze simply leaned back in the seat, letting her mind wander in the cool breezes coming through the open cockpit. Her mirrored shades hid the faraway look in her eyes as she contemplated the past few years at the PokéCombat Academy for Higher Learning.
She hated the realization that it seemed like yesterday that she and Storm were enrolling together as freshmen, and now they were on the verge of graduation as one of their class’s top-ten teams! Despite Stiletto’s grumbling, consistently holding onto the sixth spot for that long was nothing to snark at, and there will be more chances in the coming year to push that rank even higher. It was a shame Storm didn’t seem to be as motivated about it as he used to be. Maybe it was all that mellowing out after following his sensei’s rituals, or perhaps he was just losing motivation all together. She had even begun to wonder if he would drop out this close to the end of the year; a matter she would certainly try to talk him out of should it ever happen. She wouldn’t really mind such a talk, though; he was fun to chat with, and the many years they spent together were evidence of this. Even before they evolved, they had teamed up way back in elementary school, getting into trouble and general mischief, then getting sent to the principal’s office together on more than one occasion. Even repeated visits to the various school principals through their elementary and middle school years never really bothered her. She had encountered people far more threatening in the past, and by Storm’s side she never felt out of place even when being disciplined. They had long since abandoned more troublesome pursuits, however, favoring more noble methods of expending their talents in recent years. Even so, the one thing that never changed was—.
“Hey Blaze, anything here look appealing?”
The Ninetales was snapped out of her daydream as Storm showed her a number of drive-thru venues for breakfast. They were in town already?
“It’s a five-hour drive, so get something that will keep you full for a while.”

A breakfast of fast-food was a far cry from an ideal fighter’s diet, but at least it kept the perpetually-hungry Sandslash quiet for a while. Blaze’s concerns were left unquelled, however.
In a rare move, she decided to speak amidst the silence of the wind-blown cockpit, “So, what will you all do after graduation?”
She was met with more silence from the rest of her team, mildly surprised that the quiet fox actually initiated a conversation for once.
Storm answered first; apparently less astounded than the other two, “Oh, I dunno. Probably open up a surf shop, or something.”
Stiletto brushed crumbs from her face as she remarked, “A lifetime of battle training and you want to settle down into that?”
The Jolteon shrugged, “Don’t get me wrong; I love battling, too, but it’s not something I see myself going into as a career.”
Neon opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted as Storm continued his answer, having gotten another scatter-brained idea, “Maybe I could combine the two… open up a battle surf shop! Sell battling equipment and ultra-durable boards for use in the water for surf-wars and stuff. I could start a whole new trend!”
Blaze gave the slightest of smirks; she was long used to such ideas from him, and despite how crazy they sounded, they tended to work more often than anyone would care to acknowledge.
“Like that’s gonna catch on,” retorted Stiletto. “The way I see it, after all we learned at the Academy, a career in battling is the only way to go. I’ve already gotten the attention of a small town league near Fuchsia City. With any luck, I’ll have an invitation waiting for me after graduation.”
After another short silence, Neon decided she had the chance to speak up.
“I will probably return to the homeland overseas,” she said in her soft, poetic voice. “There’s great need for battle-ready volunteers for understaffed security forces in a number of shires. It will be good to use the skills I’ve learned.”
“Your parents will be proud, I’m sure,” said Blaze, calmly.
“I hope so…” replied the Dragonair with a bashful smile.
“Speaking of which…” muttered Storm, “How’s your cop application coming along, Blaze?”
The fox’s ears twitched a bit in the wind, “I’m still waiting for an answer.”
“Well, as long as it isn’t from the Saffron force. You’d be crazy to try that fresh out of the Academy.”
Neon leaned in, “What’s wrong with Saffron City’s police force?”
“Oh, the police are fine, but the mob’s got a stranglehold on that city. That… clan, I forgot their name, but I think they still have a presence there.”
“The Kwei-Fu-Ziko clan,” said Blaze.
“Yeah, just stay out of there and you’ll be fine.”
The Ninetales gave a subtle nod, “Indeed…”

After a few more hours of driving, they finally came to Olivine City, a bustling port town and Storm’s town of origin.
Stiletto looked about all the sidewalks crowded with people as they drove through the streets and couldn’t help but notice, “This isn’t the ‘tiny little town’ you told us about, Storm…”
“It’s a district a few miles past the outskirts, on the west end along the coast. It’s so isolated you can’t even see the city from it, but it’s still within its limits.”
Neon looked in awe at the tall lighthouse in the distance as they rode along. The structures had always fascinated her.
Stiletto, however, had only one thing on her mind, “How about we grab something to eat before hitting the beach house?”


Finally, the team made it to the tiny district far out from the bustling metro area.
Due to the extended time spent in the city itself (mostly from Stiletto’s appetite), the sun was already beginning to descend in the sky as they arrived at their destination.
Stiletto hopped out and lifted her shades to look at the rather worn-looking, two-story beach houses lining the small side road, “What decade were these built in?”
“They aren’t much to look at…,” said Storm as he unstrapped the surfboards, “but they’re cozy. A little bit bigger than a hotel room, though not quite as nice, unless you don’t mind interior design that went out with disco and bell-bottoms.”
Blaze smirked, “As long as the roof holds up I’ll be fine.”
Storm put the lease key in and opened the door, bringing the others into a clean, but outdated room. The carpet was a deep, faded blue color with tacky, pinstriped wallpaper of the same hue lining the entire interior. An old air conditioning unit droned rather loudly in one of the windows, and a television well past its warranty sat on wooden dressers across from a set of three beds with blue sheets and comforters.
“I take it you’ll get the entire upper loft to yourself…” Stiletto muttered to her leader with a grin.
“Well, I can’t share the same hotel room with a lady, let alone three; that would be un-gentlemanly of me. For what it’s worth, the A/C is broke upstairs.”
“Storm, we’ve showered together on more than one occasion…”
“Well… yeah, but this is different. I think.”
Blaze chuckled as she walked past, tossing her duffel bag onto one of the beds. She turned and faced the others, feeling uncommonly cheerful, “Well, I need to stretch my legs. Would anyone like to join me for a walk along the beach?”
“No thanks…” Stiletto casually replied as she hopped onto another bed. “I need to digest all that food I had for supper.”
Neon slithered to the sliding glass door in the rear of the hotel room, seeing nothing but beach sand and surf beyond the wooden patio, “A walk would be fine… but I’d much rather take a swim. That water looks refreshing.”
“I’ll walk with ya,” said Storm, walking back out to grab his luggage.
A quick trot up the outside stairway at the side and he was in the second-story room, which wasn’t much more than the downstairs floor. He could definitely come back to it later to settle in. He came down to find Blaze and Neon waiting for him at the back patio. The Ninetales was already in an electric-purple bikini, a more modest two-piece than what she wore over spring break, with a short tie-off skirt completing the look.

In a matter of minutes, Storm and Blaze were walking side-by-side on the beach, watching Neon swim and dive among the waves past the surf. The pink skies and puffy clouds surrounding the setting sun made for a gorgeous afternoon for them to enjoy.
“It’s kind of ironic how we split up the second we arrive here, despite this meaning to be a last vacation ‘together’,” said Storm with a wry grin as they walked.
Blaze chuckled again, brushing a stray bang of hair from her face, “We still have the rest of the weekend, don’t worry. Besides, have you ever known Stiletto to jump at the chance to go on a leisurely walk?”
“True… plus she hates water. Maybe I should’ve taken that into consideration when I planned this…”
“No, she’ll be fine. Back during Spring Break we discovered her talent for building sandcastles, remember?”
“Ah yeah, I can’t believe I forgot about that. At least it’s a step up from making pit traps in the sand when she gets bored.”

In the water, Neon paused from her swim to watch her two teammates walking along. The Dragonair smiled as she noticed how calm they looked together, like they always have.
Blaze looked particularly content. Way out here, far from the prying eyes of fellow Academy students normally studying her every move to find an exploitable weakness, the Ninetales finally seemed to be able to let down her guard. And why shouldn’t she? This was just a casual vacation away from all the battles and competition; she deserved relaxation just as much as the others, if not more so. It was here that Neon finally noticed what she always suspected had been there in the first place. It was subtle, as usual, but she could see it even this at this distance; the look in Blaze’s ruby-red eyes made her feelings evident every time she glanced at her Jolteon friend.
Neon smiled and let out a quiet, “Awww…,” then dove back down below the surface.


* * *


Stiletto slowly opened her eyes to the muffled sounds of a battle outside. Murmuring something into her pillow, she slowly got up. It was way too early in the morning for fighting; who in the world was out there?
The Sandslash groggily walked out to the back deck, shielding her eyes from the morning sun as she found Neon leaning on the railing. She was watching two figures farther out on the beach sands.
“Who’s fighting?” asked Stiletto.
Maintaining the cheerful smile of a morning person, the Dragonair replied, “Storm and Blaze; it’s part of their exercise routine.”
Stiletto blinked, “Seems like they’ve been doing this more often nowadays.”
“Storm wanted all four of us to, but he didn’t want to wake you up.”
The two teammates watched in silence as the Jolteon and Ninetales went at it with seemingly no inhibitions. Every move appeared to be a real attack; no pulling punches, no holding back, and no concern for safety.
“They’ve been training together for so many years that they can go all out and not worry about harming the other too much,” said Neon. “They can read each other perfectly.”
Stiletto nodded, “Yeah… I bet that makes it harder and harder to battle each other.” She turned to face her partner and added, “You’d think that would apply to more than just battles.”
Remembering what she saw yesterday, the Dragonair chuckled, “It might, but to be honest I have never seen it myself. I imagine everything is kept in the arena.”
The Sandslash smirked, “Either that or Storm’s still burnt about his luck with women.”
Their attention was drawn back to the sands as Blaze, through her dodges, called out in response, “The problem was them, not him.”
Oblivious to the conversation, Storm paused, “Who’s them—ack!”
He quickly ducked, narrowly missing a round kick from his vixen teammate.
Stiletto cupped her hands around her mouth and replied back with a half-sarcastic, “Quit eavesdropping when we’re talking about you!”
Neon glanced at the Sandslash with a confused look.
Blaze and Storm slowed down to halt their battle, then walked over to the other half of the team, both panting heavily.
“You gotta guard that left leg better,” said Storm, putting a hand on her shoulder as they walked, “That’s three times in one session you fell for those sweeps.”
In a friendly tone, Blaze replied, “At least I’m recovering a lot better this time. Speaking of which, you seemed to have forgotten the benefits of rolling…”
“I haven’t fought on sand since Spring Break, cut me some slack,” Storm laughed.
As the two reached the deck, Stiletto spoke up, “I thought this was a vacation; what’s with the battling?”
Storm shrugged, “Just an early morning workout. Neon and I are gonna hit the waves as soon as the tide’s right.”


Before long, the sun was high, the sky was deep blue, and the waves were perfect for surfing. Storm was already riding them like a pro, with Neon weaving behind him.
Over on the beach, Blaze was laying back on a towel, sunning herself as her mirrored shades reflected the cloudless sky above. Beside her, Stiletto was working on another sand sculpture.
“So what’s up with you being so frisky lately?” asked the Sandslash.
Without even turning her head, Blaze responded, “What do you mean?”
“C’mon, we all notice it. Ever since we left yesterday you haven’t been your quiet, brooding self.”
“It’s a vacation away from the hassles of the academy; I can relax here.”
“Then how come you were virtually invisible over the Christmas holidays? Or Spring Break?”
The Ninetales showed a tiny smirk, “I spent half my last Spring Break doing ‘bikini battles’ with my fellow students; it was hardly a relaxing outing. Though I will admit it was fun.”
Stiletto looked at her partner for a few moments, then went back to her sandcastle, “You wanna know what I think…? You’re hiding something and are about to burst trying to contain it in that mind of yours.”
Blaze raised an eyebrow, “And what might that be?”
“If I knew that then I would’a said it already. We both know how it is with you and secrets. Even so, whatever it is, this is the first time I’ve seen you struggling to hold something back.”
Stiletto leaned in close, lowering her voice, “Would it have anything to do with the new administration?”
“Huh?”
“Well, if anything, you seem kinda relieved to be away from the Academy, even if it’s just for the weekend.”
The vixen leaned up, staring out at the ocean in attempt to find a way to change the subject. There was something she was curious about, at least…
As her ear twitched in the wind, she spoke, “Stiletto, what do you think of this new administration?”
Still busy in the sand, she responded, “What’s it matter? It’s not like we can change it or anything.”
“All I asked was for your thoughts…”
The Sandslash gave her an annoyed glance, then turned back and said, “Well, that Cresselia V.P. is cool, I guess. I mean, anyone that could get under the skin of ex-Principal Felinduce like everyone said she could probably knows what she’s doing as an admin.”
“I see…”
“This… Aubtraum guy… I dunno… The new rules still have me ticked, and he really gives off this elitist vibe that annoys me. And have you ever seen that ‘look’ in his eyes?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then, fox-girl, what do you think it is?”
Blaze was quiet again. Stiletto blurted, “Y’know, there’s no point in bringing up a topic if you don’t plan on taking part in the conversation, too.”
“Fair enough… He’s strict.”
“And?”
“…”
“It’s never that simple with you; fess up, foxy.”
Blaze sighed and said, “I’d be suspicious of anyone willing to use an uncalled-for battle move against a student, especially outside the arena.”
“There, now was that so hard?”
The Ninetales lay back down on her towel, “As the saying goes, ‘old habits die hard’.”
“So much for being frisky, then…” Stiletto muttered as she went back to her sand sculptures. “Judging by an answer like that, I take it Storm was easily able to convince you to go on this trip to get away from it all.”
One of Blaze’s ears twitched again at the mention of Storm, “Yeah.”


Out in the water, Storm casually straddled his surf board looking for another wave. Neon surfaced next to him, “How are the waves this morning?”
The Jolteon sighed, longingly, “Not as good as I’d hoped. I guess the season’s over already.”
“Well, it’s still early in the day; I’m sure there will be more.”
“Heh, you just can’t help but be optimistic, can you?”
Neon smiled again, “I guess it is my nature.”
Storm glanced back, noticing something on the blue horizon, “Here we go…”
He leaned down and began paddling, hoping to catch it just right…Then he was off!
Instantly standing up and finding balance, the Jolteon angled in as a wall of water swelled and began curling over his body, shading half his board as he darted through. He ran his hand through it as he went, grinning ever bigger as the wave swelled higher.
Neon suddenly appeared out from the curl, half her serpentine body still in the water acting as a rudder as she and her leader surfed side-by-side. The two shared a high-five before the swell shrank and they were in calmer waters again.
“Way to call it, Neon!”
Neon chuckled, “Oh… thank you.”
As they waited for the next wave to come, Storm’s mind began wandering again; just how would a surf battle work, anyway?
He looked to the Dragonair, “Hey Neon, care to try an experiment?”
“Hmm?”


Stiletto glanced out to the ocean, noticing Storm and Neon moving erratically as the next wave swelled, “What the… what’re they doing?”
Blaze leaned up again, lifting her shades in curiosity.


The Jolteon suddenly shot up from one of the swells, catching wild air on his board before twisting his body to Double Kick Neon, who was rising to catch him.
The Dragonair effortlessly dodged to the side as fog began collecting at her fingertips. Right when Storm fell back to the water, she let loose an Ice Beam to catch his board, sending the Jolteon back into the air as it froze the wave and formed into a half-pipe. Storm punched forward with a Thunderbolt, narrowly missing his target as she dove forward, riding the makeshift half-pipe to angle up and Slam him back into the water.
Storm swam up and quickly mounted his board as the next wave approached, effortlessly catching it with Neon in pursuit. She shot ahead with a Surf attack, forcing more water to arc up and toss her prey in its throes. Thinking quickly, Storm launched himself off his board and grabbed one of Neon’s tail pearls. She immediately bucked to send him back, but he sent a jolt through it, involuntarily causing a spasm that sent him flying farther up in the air, over the Surf wave, and back to towards the water. Using the board’s leash he seized it in the process and angled straight down to cut through the surface.
The Jolteon quickly scanned the underwater horizon, using his electricity as a sensor to find Neon as she curved back to attack again. He surfaced again as another swell formed, catching it like a pro and quickly standing up to ready himself for the next run.
C’mon, just like that… he thought to himself, sensing her approach. He let loose with another Thunderbolt but Neon had already broken the surface, clearing her entire body from the water and retaliating with a Dragon Pulse.
Storm twisted his body again to dodge the pulse wave, almost falling off the board in the process but bending the other way to stay on. His momentum carried him up and off the crest, where he launched a couple of Pin Missiles at the chasing opponent before hitting the water again. He sent a Thunderbolt through the water to catch her as she dove down to avoid them, striking her at just the right moment. Neon didn’t appear to be phased, however, and pushed ahead, freezing a wide section of water with an underwater Blizzard attack.
Storm slipped on the newly-formed ice flow which was immediately shattered as Neon launched upward to throw him again. Shards of ice rained into the water as Storm shifted his body again and caught another wave; his fingers trailed lightning in his wake, electrifying the water to prevent further pursuit.
Geysers of water erupted from the surface as Neon staggered her approach, unable to get within range to directly attack her leader’s surfboard. But perhaps…
The Dragonair darted ahead at lower depth, outswimming the wave above and twirling up, splaying her arms as she went.
Storm suddenly felt the wave warping. He struggled to maintain balance but unexpectedly found himself riding the inside wall of a Twister attack; he was being drawn right to her!
He unleashed a Thunder attack straight into the eye of the Twister, but Neon was nowhere to be found. Her shadow rapidly appeared from above as she somersaulted into an Iron Tail attack while her prey was trapped in the swirling waters.
Storm abandoned his board at the last minute and dove through the shrinking wall of water as the Dragonair crashed down, splitting it in two.
She immediately stopped; a look of worry rapidly appeared on her face as she cupped her mouth, “Oh no…”
Storm finally broke the surface nearby, shaking the water from his ears, “Neon? Uh, time out… I think I lost my board.”
The Dragonair timidly swam over, carrying the broken top half of her leader’s surf board, “I’m sorry…”
Storm blinked as the rest of it floated up on its leash; he alternated glances between the board’s pieces and his teammate, “Wow, that must’ve been some Iron Tail…”
Neon tittered, “I suppose so… I-I’ll buy you another—”
“Nah, you don’t have to do that. It’s not the first time I’ve tombstoned, and I know it won’t be the last.”
“But… I did it…”
“Heh, like I said, this was an experiment. Thing like this can happen.” He took the board’s halves an examined them, “Hmm… gonna have to make ‘battle boards’ out of tougher material, or something…”
Neon tilted her head in wonder, “What do you mean?”
“Well, if someone were to battle in the waves while on a surfboard, they’d need something that won’t break so easily. I wonder if aluminum would be strong enough…”
The two teammates made their way for the beach, meeting Blaze and Stiletto at the water’s edge.
“Surf battling?” asked the fox.
Storm held up the halves of his board with a wry grin, “It’s a work in progress…”
“Well, good thing you brought more than one board.”
“Yeah…” he nodded over to Stiletto, “Got a sculpture going on over there?”
The Sandslash stepped back to show off a rather elaborate sandcastle where she and Blaze were earlier, “Yeah, I think I’m getting better at—”
She was interrupted as a gust of wind collapsed two of the castles spires, then a third of the entire sculpture. Stiletto’s proud smile turned into a frustrated scowl. She sighed and stomped hard on the ground, sending an Earthquake wave streaking towards it. The sand castle disintegrated in a blast of dust as Stiletto remarked, “Also a work in progress…”


* * *


Olivine’s northern market district was as lively as ever when the team rode along in Storm’s jeep. Amidst the old-world buildings renovated for modern shops, various street performers, and the smell of fast food, tourists milled and bustled about. Nearby there was even a shaggy-looking Chansey singing reggae in front of a gathered crowd.
“Hardly outside the city limits and there’s people everywhere already…” Stiletto mused.
“It’s the last weekend of summer; I don’t blame ‘em,” Storm replied.
He turned down a side street where the buildings became more dilapidated as palm trees and other foliage had begun taking back the area.
“May I ask where we are going?” inquired Neon.
“A little something for us to do together as a group. Remember those stories I told you of Renold Trails?”
Stiletto leaned up, “Aw naw, Storm, this isn’t gonna work.”
The Jolteon smirked, “I thought you said you’d be interested.”
“You know I only meant as a battlefield, not as an endurance course. You can do that ‘parkour’ stuff all you want, but I’m not a runner.”
“I want to try a teamwork exercise while we’re here. Trust me; it’ll be a great way to relieve some tension, especially after that third sandcastle attempt went awry.”
Stiletto leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms, “…Sand was poor quality; it wouldn’t hold…”
Storm continued, “The local rangers here let battle teams have a run of the area to help control the rampant overgrowth of plants; basically they’re allowed to level a designated area as long as they put out any fires they start and wash away any poisons they excrete. It kinda doubles as a gigantic freelance training gym that way, since they would’ve otherwise done the same thing with machines to control all the undergrowth.”
The Sandslash raised an eyebrow, “So… we’re basically—”
“Yes, exactly.”


A gold flash streaked through the palm fronds, sparking electricity in its wake. A sudden rush of icy frost pursued in its wake as a trail of fire flew parallel.
Suddenly, a razor-sharp form erupted from the ground and sent a mass of slash-cut sego palm fronds into the air with the remains of its short trunk following soon after, splitting apart as it hit the ground.
Storm rushed past more of the foliage as lightning coursed through his body, sapping the moisture from the plants around him before Blaze’s flames burned them to ashes. The two friends seemed to move as one being, weaving between larger trees and pushing off their trunks to propel themselves in new directions where they continued their radical devastation of anything that got in their way. Neon’s water and ice quelled the flames behind them as freshly-tilled dirt from Stiletto’s Rollout soaked up the excess water.
The Jolteon quickly bounded off a large boulder and caught the trunk of another tree, using his momentum to swing around spring up into the opposite direction. Blaze quickly caught up to him and jumped up into the air where the two instantly clasped hands; their inertia pulled them into a dazzling spin where they alternated between a double-whammy of lightning and fire, vaporizing the dense flora surrounding them in a stunning display of light and pyrotechnics.
They landed gracefully and were suddenly off again, running through the next section to be razed.
Storm leaped up and grabbed an overhanging branch to swing up, somersaulting into the air before kicking out and propelling from the tree trunk to another branch nearby. The Jolteon sprung off and sailed through the arboreal ambience in a radical corkscrew twist, firing Pin Missiles all around him before sending a Thunder Bolt into the remains of an old tree stump, shattering it into splinters.
As he landed, whoosh of flame roared above his crouched form, torching the masses of vines and leaves spiraling into the canopy. Blaze appeared soon after, leaping onto Storm’s shoulders where he immediately jumped up to launch her higher. She let loose a massive Fire Blast towards the sky to take out another hanging clutter of vines further up. The Ninetales seemed to hang in the air amidst the flames for a few moments before falling into Storm’s waiting arms. The embers and ashes were quickly doused with rush of water, which were in turn soaked up by the sudden earth mounds appearing from the ground.
Finally, the dust and ashes began to settle, making ribbons of sunlight visible in the clearing where Team Indigo stood, panting heavily and proud of their initial run.
Storm and Blaze exchanged a high five as Stiletto burrowed back out of the dirt, “A lot more fun than I thought, guys. And we aren’t even done, yet!”
Neon streamed down from the scorched branches above, “An impressive demonstration.” She faced Blaze and Storm, “You two really coordinate well.”
Storm replied with a proud smirk, “We’ve been doing that for years. It’s like second nature by now.”
Blaze agreed with another subtle nod, turning her head to hide her blushing ears.
Stiletto stepped up, “Yeah, that move you two did back there with the clutching hands to spin into a double-whammy… even I think that was neat.”
Storm rubbed the sweat from his forehead, “Yeah, thanks… but I wanna know how you did all that slashing without even damaging your claws back when we first started. This stuff is thick.”
Stiletto grinned and instantly struck to the side, embedding her claws into a nearby rock. An enormous crack appeared along its broad face. The Sandslash casually pulled her hand back and wiggled her undamaged fingers in front of her leader, “Digging claws are unbreakable.”
She kicked out to shatter the rest of the rock then turned to walk off, nonchalantly slashing a nearby tree trunk as she went, which predictably toppled over after she passed.
One of Storm’s ears twitched as he watched her go, “I can never tell if she’s sassing me or just asserting herself.”
“You’re better off just accepting her as she is,” Blaze said, walking past to follow her.
Storm stood there for a moment, ears still twitching a little in the falling ashes as Neon calmly slithered up next to him, “For what it is worth, she does respect you as a leader and friend.”
“Yeah… she’s always had a funny way of showing it, though.”
“I believe that is a personality trait.”
“Uh huh…”


* * *


Night had fallen long before the team arrived back at the beach house, bellies full from a rather generous meal at one of Olivine City’s nicer ocean view restaurants. It was Storm’s way of topping off the vacation. Though it depleted the last of the money he put aside for the trip, the Jolteon was sure it was well-spent judging by the good mood everyone was in as the jeep pulled up to the abode in light of the full moon.
Neon elegantly slithered out, followed by a stuffed-and-satisfied Stiletto.
“I gotta hand it to ya, Storm… you really know how to pick a place.”
“Thanks. That’s actually the first time I’ve ever ate there.”
Blaze stepped out and replied, “The first time you’ve been able to afford it?”
Storm involuntarily felt his pocket, where his now-empty wallet lay, “Heh, yeah… for once…”
He turned to face the beach, where the moon cast a bright, silver glow across the horizon. Minute whitecaps from the waves could barely be seen in the ocean’s gentle tide far off.
The Jolteon glanced back to his team, “Anyone wanna walk off that meal?”
Neon followed Stiletto to the beach house, “I believe I shall rest, instead. Any physical activity after a dinner like that may cause cramps.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Blaze walked past, brushing a couple of her soft tails against him as she went, “I will join you. I just need to freshen up a bit.”

Though Storm thought it meant something like washing her face, she emerged from the beach house in slightly more casual wear than what she wore to Renold Trails earlier in the day.
The Jolteon smiled as she walked out to meet him on the deck, “Something more comfortable?”
“The Trails were too stuffy in my other outfit,” she replied. “My own body heat does a better job of keeping me warm here anyway.”
Seeing her almost appearing to glow as the moonlight touched her fur, accenting her ruby-red eyes, Storm nodded, “You look nice.”
In a rare show of emotion, the Ninetales smiled as she walked to the beach sands, “Why thank you. Shall we?”
Moments later, the two friends were once again walking side-by-side along the seashore.
“Quite an eventful day, huh?” said the Jolteon, trying to start a conversation.
Blaze quietly nodded, “I haven’t had a ‘Renold Run’ in years. It was nice to try it with Neon and Stiletto.” She turned her head to face him and added, “They really do work together much better than we give them credit for.”
“Chalk that up to the little motivational speech you gave ‘em last month. It’s like I’ve always said, you don’t talk much but when you do you seem to know exactly what to say.”
“You know me… I never make a move unless I’m sure of myself.”
“I guess that explains why you get so hesitant when facing high-ranked opponents in battle.”
“Well, ‘tis better than going in without a plan.”
Storm nodded with a friendly smirk, “I can identify with that… but what about the joy of spontaneity? I mean, look at this trip. I came up with it without so much as a quick look into my bank account and a desire to squeeze the last bit of fun out of this summer.”
“Perhaps… but the unknown is something I prefer not to delve into. In all honesty, I think you tend to handle it much better.”
“Heh, fair enough…”
The pair was silent for a moment, then Blaze spoke, “I am glad you did it, though… It’s nice to return.”
Storm glanced out to the sea, glistening in the moonlight, “Yeah… I really miss this place. I can almost see us out there, like when we were kids, playing in the surf or digging sand pits. I always wanted to thank your aunt for letting you visit for a week or two while Uncle Rico kept us over the summers.”
Blaze looked at him with a playful grin, “Did you miss me that much?”
“Well… you’re my best friend; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy your company.”
The Ninetales stifled another blush, “Likewise…”
They were quiet again, listening only to the cool ocean breeze and their footsteps along the sand.
The Ninetales spoke up again, “After graduation… do you think we’d still be able to keep in touch?”
“I’m sure we will in some form. Y’know, maybe like with cell phones or email or something. Hey, maybe we can visit from time to time.”
“That would be nice, provided our schedules don’t conflict. Do you plan on opening that surf shop here?”
“I hope to, but housing costs are skyrocketing in this city.” He let out a sigh as he looked to the ocean again, “It’d be a shame to leave it, though. I’m actually kinda bummed that we’re heading back to the Academy tomorrow. I don’t wanna leave it so soon.”
Blaze put a hand on his shoulder, “There’s an old proverb about vice, saying that everyone has something that draws them back; no matter how hard they try to escape, it’s like a hook they can’t avoid. Perhaps it applies to a hobby or lifestyle, as well.”
“Poetic… So what’s your ‘hook’?”
She was silent again. There was that spontaneity again, something she didn’t prepare for. Why did she even bring up that proverb? Blaze finally muttered, “Maybe some answers aren’t so easy to notice.” After another silent moment, she added, “I will admit, though… I will miss the all times we’ve had together. I’m afraid this upcoming year might go by too fast for us to notice before it’s gone.”
“Uncle Rico always said to make the most of every moment you have; it’s better than spending most of your life simply waiting for something to happen.”
Blaze sighed, feeling suddenly nervous. Was this a sign? Was the moment perfect here, now? But she never actually planned for it… Would the unknown be worth the risk?”
“Are you waiting for anything, Storm?”
The Jolteon thought for a moment, then, “Well, I just kinda let things happen to me first, then act on that. Y’know, spur-of-the-moment. It always kept opponents on their toes in battles, and for me it works as a lifestyle, more or less. What about you?”
“Hmmm…”
She paused, halting their walk. Storm stopped in response, “Thinking hard?”
“Storm… there’s something I’ve wanted to know, but… I never knew how to ask. Or when.”
Storm tilted his head, “Then just ask. C’mon, we’re friends, we’ve known each other long enough. You can trust me.”
Blaze hesitated, then leaned forward and planted a kiss right on his lips.
The Jolteon’s spikes suddenly stiffened out of bewilderment, sparking with tiny static pulses, but Blaze didn’t pull away until a few seconds later. Storm just stared at her with wide eyes and a shocked expression.
“You… you’re serious? But… h-how long has this—”
“For a couple years…” Blaze said, now more nervous than ever. “I… I didn’t mean to be so forward, but…”
Storm began rubbing his neck, uneasily, “Uh… wow… I had no idea…”
“As trite as this sounds… in many ways, I feel you’re my hook, Storm.”
“That’s what makes this so awkward…”
Blaze’s worried expression deepened, “W-what do you mean?”
Storm tried his best to look her in the eyes; he was the only one who could ever do it without feeling their mystical, hypnotic effects, but tonight it was difficult, “Because I… I can’t return those feelings.”
The Ninetales let out a silent shudder as her heart sank, “But… Th-the way we’ve always been together… The way our movements in battle complement each other…”
“It’s… different, Blaze.” Storm still couldn’t look directly at her, merely staring down at the sand where their footprints stopped. “Please don’t take this the wrong way. I mean, it’s not for lack of attraction.”
She gently clutched one of his hands, “Tell me…”
The Jolteon let out another sigh and finally mustered the courage to face her, “Blaze, when I look at you, I see strength, beauty, and the best friend I’ve ever had… but I don’t see romance. I don’t see intimacy… not like that…”
Now Blaze looked away, “I see…”
Storm put his other hand on the one Blaze held, cradling hers, “I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t know.” He carefully let their hands fall, defeated, “I don’t know why.”
“I understand, Storm…” Blaze replied, turning to the side. “I apologize for being so forward to you. I… need to think things over.” She glanced further away, “I’ll see you back at the beach house.”
Storm helplessly watched as she began to walk on in the same direction they had been going before, but without him. Knowing she wanted to be alone, he solemnly nodded and turned to walk back to the beach house.
“I’m sorry, Blaze…” he whispered.

Further off, out of earshot, the Ninetales whispered in response, “I’m sorry, too…”


* * *


Stiletto walked out onto the deck, finding Neon leaning on the railing again, enjoying the night air.
“Can’t sleep?”
Neon glanced at the Sandslash from over her shoulder, “Oh, I am not tired. Besides, the view is nice at night.” She pointed out to the east, where a shining lighthouse could be seen far off in the distance, “Plus, I do not get to see those very often.”
“Hmm, figures. Hey, any idea where our fearless leader went off to with our strategist?”
Neon looked in the other direction, “Um… oh! I think I see th—him…”
“Huh?”
Neon squinted her eyes, “It’s Storm, he… he is alone…”
Stiletto blinked, “Uh oh…”

Storm eventually made it to the deck, where his two teammates curiously watched as he trudged up the steps.
“Storm, is everything okay?”
The Jolteon looked up at them, then sorrowfully shook his head and walked to the other set of stairs leading to his room.
Neon made a motion to follow him, but Stiletto took her arm to stop her, “He wants to be alone. I’ve seen that look before in other students at the Academy.”
The Sandslash then walked back inside. Neon glanced up to the second story balcony and continued to follow her leader with a determined expression on her face.
Up there, she found him leaning on the balcony rail with sunken ears.
She approached and put a hand on his shoulder, “Storm… what happened?”
He let out a sad moan, “I hurt her, Neon… She’s my best friend, and I broke her heart…” As she gently rubbed his back, he continued, “This whole time, I never knew she had feelings for me. But I didn’t have those feelings for her. I… I never even imagined…”
“You… aren’t attracted to her?”
“Not like that… I mean… It’s like, every time I think of her, I always see our history together. The times we’ve stuck by each other, helped each other out, or even just hung out and talked about stuff. We’ve always been there for each other, but not once did I ever think of having her as a girlfriend. She was just… she was always that friend I’ve had for so long. I just can’t see her as anything else. It’s like the very idea of it is foreign to me…”
“It is not your fault, Storm…”
“But can’t stand seeing her so sad like that! I was the one that—”
“You were honest with her, and that’s what a true friend is. To have lied would have hurt her far worse.”
Storm was silent again, then muttered, “Yeah… I’d never lie to her…”
“Tell me… what if you felt the same way about her that you did about, say, Sherilyn or Jenny?”
“Those girls I had crushes on? I… I would’ve kissed her back. In less than a heartbeat.”
“Then you have your answer; to you, she will always be that mutual friend you grew up with; the one you would always look after, not as a lover but as a close, yet platonic, companion.”
“A companion? But… I still don’t feel for her like she does for me.”
“It is a painful fact, but it is the truth. The best I can recommend is that you both accept that. There is nothing more you can do right now.” The Dragonair sighed longingly as she continued stroking his back, “I am truly sorry that this has happened, but neither of you have done anything wrong. It is just an unfortunate situation.”
“I guess so… I dunno how I’ll be able to face her tomorrow, though…”
Neon looked up into the sky. The beach house obscured the eastern horizon, hiding the lighthouse, but she could still see its beams calmly circling the heavens.
“You should rest first,” she said. “This turn of events can be tiring.”


* * *


Blaze finally arrived back at the beach house much later, trembling slightly. For the first time in years, she felt cold.
She looked up to the second story and found the lights off in Storm’s room. With a weary sigh, she quietly made her way into her own floor, finding Neon and Stiletto fast asleep.
The Dragonair was neatly curled up in a corner on a mass of extra pillows while Stiletto began shuffling a bit as the Ninetales’s got into bed.
“Mmph… Blaze? ‘zat you?”
Blaze paused, then lay down, “Yes.”
Stiletto leaned up in the darkness, “What happened back there?”
“I’d rather not talk about it…”
“Well, we’re leaving tomorrow; you’ll have to face us with it sooner or later. Did Storm do something to you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that…”
“Well, what, then?”
“You’ll know, sooner or later…”
Stiletto groaned and lay back, “Fine then…”
Blaze turned onto her side, facing the other wall.
Why did she have to do that? Why didn’t she think things over? Why did she have to try and face an unknown horizon like that? After years of spending time with him, how could she have been so blind?
With another sigh, she closed her eyes to sleep, hoping it would at least help her forget about this mistake for a few hours.
As her consciousness drifted off to slumber, a single tear streamed down her face to soak into her pillow.

Awesome story, but such a sad ending. Life is like that sometimes. Some things are just not meant to be more than they already are. Hopefully this won't hurt their friendship.

That team building piece was really interesting. It flowed very well and so did the surf battling part. That's a really neat concept.

Thanks for the feedback, Kaotix! I hope to experiment more with battle scenes like that.
The situation has definitely affected their friendship, but whether for better or worse will be determined by how they deal with this unexpected complication in the coming semester, especially in the Fall Formal.

Wow, that's heavy.

Indeed, it can be. One can only wonder how it might shape their coming semester.
(thanks for the fav!)

True. But then who does Storm after now realizing this have any feelings for then?

Heh, not sure I understand that but I think I know what you're getting at :p
Anyways, they both are facing some complicated emotions that neither of them are used to. We'll see how they deal with them in the next story.

I meant if he does not feel that way for her.

Then who will he feel for in that way?

I guess we'll find out.

Ahh, I see. We shall indeed find out... :)

Most indeed. So who will be that lady in his life? Only time and the next few stories will tell.

good story i feel sorry for Blaze i hope she and Storm can fine some closer

Thanks ^_^
And yeah it's really tough for her to deal with. The next story (First Battle) kinda ties it together in a few ways, though :)

So sad... it's terrible when you feel so damn close to someone but it just doesn't work out... (reminded me of a friend, something of the sorts happened to him).

Wow, the team is gonna have a lot of trouble to pull themselves together now. Talk about awkward...

...I just noticed: Blaze and Storm are the exact antithesis of Melody and Heist from my team: they are damn close enough to be a couple, yet they have no love interest in each other at all. (they even share bedrooms in hotels!)

nice story!!

Indeed, they have some issues to work through as the new semester begins. Neat how it parallels Melody and Heist, heh.

Thanks for the feedback!

...The fool...
Kitsune: You'da done the same thing though, wouldn't you?
Me: ...Feh. It'd never happen to me... You, maybe. Me, never.

Well, everyone has their reasons. At least they got the chance to explain themselves in the following story.