Blowing Bubbles

Chapter 16: Team Skull and the mysterious boy

"Stop the battle! We need to help that boy!" I told Yvonne. "Right!" She agreed as she sprayed a potion on Pyukumuku's wounds. "Pyukumuku, let's go see what's wrong!"
"Hey!" I yelled as I ran up to the two men. "Who gave you the right to take someone elses pokemon?" The man with the pokemon, which Yvonne told me was a Cubone, walked closer to me, waving his hand weirdly. "Yo, we're Team Skull grunts!" He replied, sounding like someone in a gang. "You didn't answer her question," Yvonne spat. "Give that boy his Cubone!" "Uh-uh, no way," the second grunt (the one without Cubone) refused, "it'll stay with us, okay?" "So scram, homies!" The first grunt shouted, trying to scare us away. But Yvonne and I didn't move. "Not until you give that boy his Cubone back," Yvonne refused. The grunts stopped and paused for a moment, then started whispering something to each other.
"Awright, you're lucky this time!" The second grunt spoke. "We'll throw you a deal, now let's get real! Gladion, c'mere!" As soon as the grunt finished speaking, a boy who looked my age stepped foreward, a serious look in his light green eyes. He had light blonde hair, a sleeveless black hoodie with a gray shirt underneath, and a red fanny pack. "This is Gladion; he's a loser," The first grunt explained. "If you can beat this runt in a battle, we'll give the little kid his pokemon back. But if you lose..."-he looked at the other grunt and smirked- "...we get the boys Cubone, and all of your pokemon as well!"
I swallowed, shocked at the deal. Yvonne and I exchanged glances. "Don't do it, Millie!" She whispered.
"Okay, so freckle-face gave up," The second grunt remarked. "What about blondie? Is she gonna chicken out, too? She'll probably-" "Who said anything about giving up?" Yvonne blurted. "Millie and I will both battle him!" "Okay then," the blonde boy agreed as he stepped forward nonchalantly. "A double battle. How interesting. Not that I care, since both of you seem weak." "We aren't weak," I spoke confidently, "and we can prove it. Let's do this! You ready, Racky?" The slightly nervous Dewpider hopped off my shoulder as Yvonnes Pyukumuku did the same.
"Okay," Gladion slightly muttered. "Zubat and Null, go!" Null? I wondered. Strange name for a pokemon. Maybe that's what Gladion nicknamed it? Out of his two pokeballs came a blue bat pokemon with no eyes, and this black...thing. That's a pokemon? I wondered. It looks strange... I unzipped my fanny pack and pulled Rotom out. It opened its eyes, then went to scan the pokemon.
"Zrrt, I can't find any data," Rotom admitted. "Sorry, Millie." That's weird...I thought.
"Okay, Racky, start with bug bite, and use it on Zubat!" "Pyukumuku, use toxic on Null!" "Zubat, use wing attack on Pyukumuku, and Null, use Tackle on the Dewpider!" The four pokemon clashed, and it made Null slide back a little and throw up. Ok, Null is poisoned, I told myself, so far so good. "Racky, infestation on Null!" "Pyukumuku, use attract on Zubat!" "Null, use tackle on Racky again, and Zubat, use bite on Pyukumuku!" The pokemon tussled again, except for Zubat, who had been affected by attract.
"Now, Pyukumuku, use counter on Zubat!" Yvonne's pokemon immediately used the attack and defeated Zubat. Gladion pulled out Zubat's pokeball. "Good job, Zubat. Now, Null, use pursuit on Racky!" "Racky, use bubble beam!" Racky shot out a blast of bubbles, then tried to dodge Null's attack. But Racky got hit by it, then fell and landed face-first into the dirt. "Don't worry, Racky," I whispered as I returned her, then got prepared to send out Bubble. "You did well."
"Bubble, I choose you!" Bubble leaped out of her pokeball with determination in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Bri!" "A Brionne, huh?" Gladion commented. "Nothing Null can't handle. Null, use tackle on the Brionne!" "Bubble, aqua jet!" "Pyukumuku, use bide!" As Bubble charged forward, water surrounding her, Pyukumuku just sat there and began to glow red. Null dodged Bubble, then wrestled around with her. "Now, Null, use tackle on Pyukumuku!" Null did the same thing it did to Bubble, except it left Pyukumuku defeated. "No, Pyukumuku!" Yvonne cried as she ran up to her fainted pokemon. "You did well."
"Dartrix, teach Null a lesson!" Yvonne cried as she sent out another pokemon. It flew out, gracefully flapping its wings as I guessed Yvonne's Rowlet had evolved.
Rotom scanned Dartrix. "Dartrix, the blade quill pokemon, and the evolved form of Rowlet. This narcissistic pokemon is obsessed with looking good. It's preoccupation to any dirt on its plumage can leave it unable to battle."
"Okay, Bubble, water gun!" "Dartrix, Null is low on health. You can do it, use razor leaf!" "Null, use tackle on Dartrix!" Dartrix summoned a bunch of letter "c"-shaped leaves and used its wings to blow them at Null. At the same time, Bubble shot out a huge blast of water. The attacks collided, making Null slam into a tree and faint. Yvonne and I had won the battle.
As Gladion returned Null to its pokeball, I looked to my left and saw the two Team Skull grunts looking at us in shock. One grunt dropped the Cubone it was holding, then shouted to the other grunt, "WE GOTTA SCRAM!!!" As the grunts dashed away, Gladion stayed for a moment longer.
He looked at Yvonne, then at me. "Well, I guess I was proved wrong. Goodbye Millie, Yvonne." As he walked away, I heard him mutter, "Back to being teased..."
Yvonne and I returned our pokemon, then looked at the boy, who was hugging his Cubone.
"Femur!" He cheered. So Cubone's nickname was Femur. "Oh, Femur, I'm so glad you didn't get hurt!" "Cubo, Cubone!" Femur laughed. The boy then looked at Yvonne and I as he put some of his messy brown hair behind his ear.
The boy smiled at us. "Thanks for your help. I was just playing with Femur here when those Team Skull meanies came and took him! If you weren't there to help, Femur would have been gone for good! My name's Elliot, by the way." Just then, Elliot looked a bit worried. "Hey...do you have the time?" He asked. Yvonne looked at her watch. "Six thirty," she replied. Elliots green eyes widened. "Shoot!" He gasped. "I gotta get home! C'mon, Femur, lets go!" "Bone!" Elliot and Femur ran off into the distance.
"I'm glad we helped him," I told Yvonne.