A Viper in the Hole, Chapter 11, part 1

Spending time in town, where the comforts of civilization are at hand, is always nice, but there’s something undeniably relieving to once more making camp for the night. Ilex Forest might not be quite as comfortable a location as an open plain, but sleeping under the open air at least means they can make a campfire without having to worry about smoke inhalation too much. 

It’s only the first night after their departure from Azalea Town, but already home feels far away again, as Ran and Josie busy themselves with setting up for the night. Some rustiness has set in to their routine, as it takes a bit longer than usual, though that might also be caused in part by the new addition to camp. Not that Ran’s small new pop-up tent really takes that long to set up, as he needs to do little more than throw it down and hammer in a few pegs to make sure it remains firmly anchored to the ground. 

Still, as Ekans excitedly crawls into Ran’s latest purchase, Skorupi and Spinarak trailing closely behind whilst Golbat naps beneath a nearby tree branch, Ran can’t help but shoot Josie a taunting grin. He might’ve had to sleep out under the open sky for a few weeks and his tent might still be a far shout from the far larger one she lugs around every day, but his is set up in two minutes. Josie’s tent on the other hand…

She had the time it took to set it up down to fifteen minutes before they entered Azalea. After over a week without practice however, it’s looking like she’s back up to twenty, at least. All that really means in the end, is that Ran’s on his own when he gets started on their campfire, with only Soot the Houndour enthusiastically trotting over to serve as the firestarter, once Ran’s preparations are complete.

Eventually, Soot barks out a small flame onto a meticulously stacked pyramid of wood, just as Josie is finally coming to join him with her tent now properly set up. She lays out the food for all of their pokémon whilst Ran focuses on cooking their own dinner. It’s a peaceful scene, Ilex Forest and the crackling of the campfire providing some excellent background noise as they settle into the familiar atmosphere again. 

An hour later, food finished and both of them leaning back comfortably on separate logs, with Ekans spread out over Ran’s legs and Skorupi receiving a cautious mixture of physical exam and massage in his lap, Josie moves the topic of conversation from their previous idle chatter to Ran’s fourth pokémon.

“So Skorupi, huh? You’re actually keeping it?” She finally cracks, the question that’s clearly been on her mind finally bursting out of her. 

“Of course,” Ran replies in surprise, intensifying the pressure of his hand on Skorupi’s back as a way to calm his pokémon down, the purple poison-bug-type clearly irked by Josie’s words, “Why wouldn’t I? Oh and the nurse confirmed that he’s male, did I not mention that?”

“You didn’t, but I’ll keep it in mind,” Josie waves off Ran’s clarification simply, before returning to the topic of her interest, “I assumed you wouldn’t want the challenge of training a pokémon you won’t actually be able to find all that much information on. Not at this point in our careers, at least.”

It’s a valid point and Ran’s happy enough to acknowledge as much, but before he can, Josie steamrolls on, as she starts to list examples to emphasize her point.

“When or how does he evolve? What moves does he learn? What’s his typing going to be if he loses the bug-type? Does he evolve once or twice? Does he have any special dietary requirements? What about physical care? How’s his-”

“I know, Josie!” Ran finally cuts her off, his friend chuckling sheepishly when she realizes just how much she was starting to drone on.

“Honestly, I don’t know yet. I’m hoping to find out more in Goldenrod City. I figure if there’s any place in Johto where there might be more information on, or someone who knows something about, a Sinnoh pokémon, it’s there. If that doesn’t work out, then Skorupi and I will just have to figure things out together.” He continues calmly, attention shifting to Skorupi when he reveals an ability to purr in pleasure under Ran’s gentle ministrations.

Josie looks at him as if he’s talking crazy, disbelief evident in her voice, “But what if he’s like a Shuckle or a Dunsparce or a Magikarp or something? What if he’s a dud?”

“He won’t be,” Ran declares confidently, hurriedly continuing with a justification when Josie visibly gears up to press the matter further, “He already knows Toxic Spikes and his starting physical parameters are, overall, the best out of any of my pokémon at that point. Obviously Ekans and Golbat both comfortably outscore him now, but I’ve been training my team for the better part of a year, Ekans way more than that, and even with that Skorupi can still pretty much give Spinarak a run for her money already.”

Ran shoots a guilty look towards Spinarak, only part of her head visible from where she peeks out of the partially hollowed out end of the log he’s sitting on. His only female team member doesn’t seem to mind the unintended slight however, merely wiggling her mandibles at Ran happily when she realizes he’s paying her attention, before once more retreating fully into her temporary burrow.

“Really?” Josie asks with a raised voice, gaze now far more intrigued as she looks at Skorupi in a new light, “He doesn’t look like all that much. Are you really telling me the little guy is secretly a powerhouse in waiting?”

He chuckles in response, finally lifting Skorupi out of his lap despite the latter’s plaintive hiss, instead gesturing for Ekans to crawl up into his lap. His starter’s been growing again, the first signs of an upcoming shedding already presenting themselves. An extra bit of scratching will do him well, even if Skorupi’s jealous that his own pampering ends because of it.

“I mean obviously it all still depends on a lot of stuff. Ekans was one of three potential starters I really did a lot of reading on, so I knew what I was getting into there. For Zubat and Spinarak, I spent months, almost a year even, just researching and planning. All before I sought them out for capture deliberately. For all of them, I have solid plans for their development, movesets and strategies. So training Skorupi is definitely going to be a completely different kind of challenge than anything I’m used to. But I think he’s got potential and he’s fitting in well with the team, so we’re going to try. If he ends up as a surprise powerhouse, great! If he just becomes a ‘regular’ team member, then that’ll be just fine as well.” Ran elaborates, not particularly bothered either way. After all, it’s not as if Arbok and Ariados are particularly prevalent on the tournament circuit either and he’s been planning for that pair to be on his team for years.

“Fair enough,” Josie allows, before stretching, arms rising above her head as she lets out a loud yawn, Ran’s eyes involuntarily drawn downwards for a brief, hopefully unnoticed moment, “Anyways I’m turning in for the night. Ginger, you want to stay out or be in your ball?”

Ponyta nickers as she approaches, nudging at her pokéball on Josie’s waist, which is enough for Ran’s travel companion to recall her starter. Then, her other two fire-types trailing after her, she retires for the night. Ran for his part doesn’t move to follow her example just yet, but instead looks around for his own team. 

Golbat is still napping, although he’ll likely be waking up shortly, as the naturally nocturnal pokémon’s normal waking hours are just starting. Spinarak’s still hidden in her makeshift burrow, whilst Ekans and Skorupi are starting to shoot hopeful looks at Ran’s new tent, both clearly eager to profit from his body heat for their own night’s sleep.

“Right, I assume everyone is staying out?” Ran asks casually, voicing the thought on the off chance that one of his pokémon wants to be recalled after all. When none of them respond, he looks towards the waning campfire hesitantly, before turning his attention to Golbat for a moment.

“Keep an eye out in case it doesn’t go out on its own, alright?” He asks, knowing full well that his largest pokémon is already quite aware of his surroundings. 

Golbat lifts one wing slightly in response, just enough to reveal a single large eye which blinks open lazily in a quiet acknowledgement. With that matter handled, Ran gently nudges Ekans off of his lap, before getting up and moving to his tent. Both his oldest and his newest pokémon are hot on his heels as he enters his new tent, swiftly turning in for the night. 

It doesn’t take long before he drifts off to sleep, Ilex Forest providing a pleasant white noise that helps him drift off easily. When the forest’s pleasant ambient noise is disturbed by a few loud crashes in the middle of the night however, he wakes up far more abruptly and unpleasantly than he fell asleep. 

Desperately scrambling for his torch in the darkness of his tent, Skorupi and Ekans moving around agitatedly next to him, Ran curses as he doesn’t find his torch immediately. Whether by moving in his sleep or by startling awake, he must have jostled it from the spot he’d deliberately chosen, securely sticking it out of his right shoe right near the tent entrance. 

As he searches hurriedly, the earlier sounds abruptly cut off once more, everything going deathly quiet, apart from the clear sounds of Josie moving around in her own tent, likely moving to get ready for whatever’s happening as well. Ran’s fingers finally touch the cold grip of his torch, but before he can light it, a miniature sun appears in the middle of Ilex Forest, blinding white light penetrating the protection his tent walls afford easily and forcing him to avert his eyes.

Ran immediately dives flat to the ground, his first thought of a potentially destructive Hyper Beam. He immediately links that thought to the complete lack of sound from Golbat, who was keeping an eye on camp and should by all accounts have been awake. His heart clenches at the horrible conclusion he comes to, but Ran dismisses it instantly. Right now, the focus should be on survival. 

Or so he thinks, but the Hyper Beam he’d instinctively sought cover against doesn’t materialize. The bright white light doesn’t beam off in one direction, instead seeming to pulse for a few seconds before slowly dying down again. There is no terrifying roar of sound as one of the strongest attacks in the world rips through Ilex Forest. 

Instead, everything becomes deathly quiet once more.

Ran hurriedly clicks on his torch before he finally darts out of his tent, barefoot and in his boxers. Ekans and Skorupi follow him swiftly, sticking close to their trainer, likely more out of protectiveness than fright. From the other tent, an irate Josie appears, usual outfit replaced by a ratty old t-shirt that hangs down to her mid-thighs. Like him, she too holds a torch, both of them aiming the large beams of light in the direction of the earlier sphere of light. 

“What the f-” Is all Josie manages angrily, before she stumbles to a halt, as their flashlights land on a large red body, four yellow-purple legs keeping it aloft over an indeterminate figure wrapped in spider thread. They watch in awe as the prey inside the thread cocoon visibly withers, the predator’s purple-eyed red head sucking it dry of nutrients, before finally rising fully and turning to face them with a victorious look.

“Ariados!” Ran’s newly evolved pokémon announces herself to the world, vestigial legs on her back twitching in place as she looks curiously at the congregation of Ran, Josie, Ekans, Skorupi, Chief the Growlithe and Soot the Houndour. After a moment, her eyes narrow in annoyance, newly enlarged mandibles clicking agitatedly under the glare from the two torches pointing directly at her.

Ran instinctively lowers his torch to point at the ground, Josie following his lead after a few moments. With their night vision ruined for the moment, it’s hard to make out much of anything, but the indirect light from their torches is enough for Ran to see Ariados visibly relax, as she starts to amble towards him slowly. 

When she comes to within a few feet of the group, Josie audibly gulps. The now significantly larger bug-type is clearly not particularly appealing to her. Ran isn’t bothered however, sinking down onto one knee as he stretches out an enthusiastic hand towards Ariados. Her last few steps are a bit faster, as Ariados closes the distance to gently headbut Ran’s outstretched hand, though she does fortunately remain mindful of her horn.

“Look how big you’ve gotten,” He praises her gently, soft hands wandering over her head and upper abdomen in a gentle examination, as he notes that her horn has retained its unique slight purple sheen, “Congratulations girl, I’m so very proud of you.”

Ariados trills delightedly, as Ekans and Skorupi finally overcome their shock enough to let out congratulatory sounds of their own. Behind them, Golbat finally announces his presence, alighting on the tree branch he’d been hanging from earlier in the night. Clearly, he’d actually been keeping a quiet eye out, just in case he’d need to interfere.

“So,” Ran speaks next, as Josie and her own team quietly head back to their own tent, more than happy to let them enjoy Ariados’ big moment as a team, “Now that you’re the first one on the team to reach her final form, it’s about time we finally settled on a name, don’t you think?”

Skorupi is the only one of his pokémon who doesn’t suddenly grow completely still, not having been with the team long enough to learn about Ran’s views on naming his team. On the other hand, Golbat, Ekans and Ariados especially freeze in place for a few long seconds, before finally Ariados lets out a tentative trill. The other two long-term team members remain quiet, as Ran acknowledges her hesitance with a gentle smile.

“If you want to wait a bit longer, that’s fine, but I’ve always told all of you that we’d decide on names once you reached your final forms. A name that might have suited you as a Spinarak wouldn’t suit you now, just as any name I’d give Ekans, Golbat or Skorupi now might not suit them after evolving.” Ran patiently encourages her, who finally closes her eyes approvingly as she nudges into his hand again.

“I’ve got a list of names prepared,” He offers next, “we can go through it in a second, but I know one of them off the top of my head. How do you like Aria?”

She opens her eyes, lifting her head out from under Ran’s hand and looking at him inquisitively, mandibles clicking slowly, as if testing out the idea. Ran watches patiently for a few seconds, before repeating the name once more to let her hear it again, “Aria.” 

She hesitates for a few moments more, before trilling in confirmation, vestigial legs on her back vibrating from excitement as she starts to chitter excitedly. Ekans slides forwards to congratulate his friend once more, whilst Skorupi looks at the scene curiously, before turning in Golbat’s direction and scuttling over towards him whilst loudly chirping away about something or the other.

Ran takes the moment where all of his pokémon are occupied to subject Aria to a closer inspection. Knowing the Ariados-line’s general size and proportions by heart, it’s clear to him that Aria is just a bit on the smaller side, though it’s definitely a possibility that she’ll grow further in the future. Her coloration is largely typical, though aside from the purple sheen to her horn, her colors overall seem a bit darker and more vibrant than the average, slightly more pastel-tinted Ariados.

Before he can get too sidetracked by pondering about any possible relation between her reliance on poison- and ghost-type energy over bug-type energy and the impact that might have had on her coloration, Ran finally speaks up once more, “Alright alright, keep it down all of you, it’s the middle of the night. Aria, congratulations on your evolution, you really earned it. If you’re feeling alright, I’ll hold off on a proper physical until tomorrow.”

“Unlike the pair of you,” Ran continues, gesturing from Aria to Golbat, “I’m not nocturnal. Also, I’m in my boxers and it isn’t particularly warm out. Ekans, Skorupi, if you want to sleep in the tent, come on, I’m zipping it closed in a minute.”

Ran’s words are enough to spur everyone into motion, with Ekans offering Aria a final hiss before he joins Skorupi in retreating to the tent. As for Aria, she excitedly rushes towards the treeline, now significantly larger body allowing her to race up the tree trunk and join Golbat on his branch within seconds. Ran’s first evolved team member warily welcomes his newly evolved friend with a soft cry, clearly not too enthused that he’ll have a harder time isolating himself from the group in the future. Still, he at least doesn’t relocate or rebuke Aria when she starts to chitter at him softly, clearly initiating some kind of soft conversation.

As the forest around them gradually returns to normal again, the surrounding quiet that fell following Aria's evolution slowly fades away. Casting one more look at Aria's impressive form, Ran finally turns on his heel and retires to his tent once more. Minutes later, when he drifts off once more, he dreams of treetops and webs.