The Rose of the Desert and the Holder of the Storm

Story by Z-Byte on SoFurry

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#10 of Machinations of a Trainer


I live again!

And I bring a story.

No sex, but I plan on releasing one of my requested stories to help those who had been expecting some adult material in this one. I apologize for the lateness, and I'm gonna bust ass on this next chapter to try to get it out before it's expected.

Anyway, have fun! Please? ._.

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Once again, I found myself on Celia's back, soaring through the sky as the flygon's sand floated around her body and the forest below sped past us, seeming to run in the opposite direction. They sky was a pinkish tint, due to the time of day and the red GoGoggles I wore, the devices emulating the protective cover over my mount's eyes.

Mauville was fast approaching from the north, and the back edge of the town started to become visible. I saw the Mauville game corner, the bike shop, and the newly refurbished building that had the emblem of a giant ribbon imposed above its doors. *That must be it,* I thought, guiding Celia into a slow descent as the town entrance grew closer.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a greenish blur soaring past me, a faint trail of sand following in its stead and creating a small vacuum of wind in its wake, making the sand spiral in mid-air before falling to the ground. Looking to the green, sandy comet, I saw the backside of another flygon! It seemed to have a rider: a woman with long, black hair and heavily tanned skin. Before I could examine her further, though, she disappeared behind the contest building.

Cursing my luck, I refocused on landing my own flygon at the Pokemon center. The dirt swirled with the sand as we touched down, the singing of Celia's wings slowly dying down as they stopped beating. I stepped off and removed the goggles, putting them in my coat pocket as I stroked the sandy neck of my gentle dragoness, feeling a slight shiver run down her spine. "That was a great flight, Celia."

The flygon gave me an appreciative, but almost stuttering cry. She seemed more nervous today, but that was understandable; she had a big day tomorrow. I began regretting putting such a sensitive Pokemon through this sort of pressure, so I continued to stroke her neck, trying to calm her down. When she started to shake more, I started to wonder what else could be wrong...

Suddenly, my thoughts were dashed by a feminine voice that had graced my ears a long time ago. "I thought it was you, Hasani!" I turned to the source of that familiar name and was delighted at what I saw: a tall woman, several years older than I, though she did not appear so. Her raven-colored hair shot straight down her neck, two small ponytails branching off from its bulk and folding over her shoulders. She wore naught but a crimson tube-top that stretched with her massive breasts and a same-colored, revealing skirt, her feet bare. Behind her, a flygon hovered quietly, the singing of its wings almost silent.

"Tameri," I called out, slowly taking my hand off my dragoness' neck. Celia craned her neck backwards and saw the girl, looking past her at the other flygon. As she looked at the beast, I walked towards my old friend. Tameri was a girl from the outskirts Lavaridge, and she had been the one to create my goggles, forging them from the volcanic ash that fell from Mt. Pyre. She had told me the name 'Hasani' meant 'handsome' in an old language. I didn't think to ask her how to say 'stone cold hottie' to return the favor.

The tall woman approached me at the same pace I did her, placing her hand on my shoulder as she came close enough, leaving me eye-level with her chin. "I had a feeling it was you. That green clothing is almost unmistakable, though the white hair threw me off."

Tameri's gaze drifted to Celia, who was eyeing her flygon. "Ah, I see you managed to get a flygon, just like you said you would."

I nodded with a chuckle. "I'm good on my word. After I saw yours, I knew I had to get one of my own."

"Well, you didn't visit in so long," she said, giving me a playful hug. She had the scent of perfume mixed with the ozone-like quality of sand. Like a beach full of flowers. "I thought something bad had happened to my little Hasani."

"I ran into some trouble," I admitted, which was true, if one counts almost dying in a cave as 'some trouble'. "It all turned out well, though. I met Celia when she was a trapinch and I fell into her sand pit. She was such a tiny thing, gnawing on my leg like a teething puppy, then freaking after she saw how big I actually was. I gave her some food and she warmed up to me, and we've been partners ever since."

Celia tapped her two front claws together and her cheeks blushed yellow, seeming embarrassed that I was telling everyone tales of her younger days. I suppose it would be like someone showing my baby pictures in front of a bunch of new people. I patted her head, making Tameri smile. "You two are pretty close, huh? Amun and I have been together since I was a little girl." She released her grip on me and patted her dragon's head, causing the bigger creature to purr in her arms.

"I remember you telling me that before," I said, recalling the conversation we had a while back. I had wanted to get a flygon like hers, so I trekked into the desert to find one. She had told me what to look for, the sinking sand pits and the bright orange carapace of a trapinch, gave me my goggles, and sent me on my way.

"So, Hasani, what are you doing here?"

"There's a trainer contest here. I plan to take home the gold medal, ribbon, or whatever the Hell they offer."

Tameri chuckled, crossing her arms. "Huh, so you're a coordinator now? Keep in mind; this isn't like the contests in Lilycove. Instead of contest groups, the greatest displays compete head-to-head in a best-in-show battle."

"I'm still a trainer," I said, crossing my own arms. "I just think that I could use a little branching out. Besides; I'm looking forward to meeting Seth. He's supposed to be here, right?"

The woman nodded, smiling. "Indeed. After the final battle, Seth and Ares are supposed to give us all a big show."

"Us? You mean..."

"I'm in this contest too, Hasani."

At first, my eyes went wide. I thought that I was getting a little too far over my head, jumping into this contest thing and going up against trainers like her. However, I quickly shook that thought away. *If I stopped to worry about crap like that, I wouldn't have gotten where I am today. Even then, this trainer contest isn't a professional circuit like the ones in Lilycove; it was more or less a fun departure from that.*

"Then I look forward to meeting you in the finals, Tameri!"

I extended my hand to shake her own, but she had other ideas: stepping closer to me and giving me a gentle peck on the forehead with her lips. "As do I."

There aren't many moments that can leave me speechless, but I'm fairly certain being unexpectedly kissed by a girl like this was one of them. Tameri reminded me of a teacher, or a best friend's really hot mom.

"Come, Amun. We have training!" The woman's voice sounded deep and commanding, her draconic companion hovering to her side instantly as she leaped onto his back. Tameri looked back towards me before putting on her own goggles, soaring off towards the contest site with a burst of unnatural speed.

I felt my body unlock as he faded from view. *Damn, now that's a woman...* I turned around to see Celia gazing in their direction as well, a low, impressed murring coming from her mouth. It probably didn't help her confidence any to know we were going up against them, so I began to stroke her neck again.

*She might not be ready for this... but that just means I'll have to be strong enough for both of us!*

The opening of the Pokemon center doors caught my attention. I witnessed May stepping from them, jogging the short distance towards me. "Hey, Zack! I got you registered for the contest, and-"

She stopped, staring at me. Before I could tell her how impolite she was being, she pressed her finger to my forehead and brushed off a sandy brown substance. "Ooh, so this is why you were so late getting here. I thought you changed, you little womanizer."

I flicked her in the forehead, discovering why Katherine liked it so much. "Please, just some friendly conversation before the battle. Apparently an old friend of mine named Tameri is competing, too."

May's expression changed from pained joy to shock. "T...Tameri? The Desert Rose? The woman who leads archeological digs in the desert for traces of ancient Pokemon? You know her!?"

"Er... She just made my goggles..." I was more than a bit surprised at May's revelation.

"You mean she made those GoGoggles personally!? Holy... that means I have HER lipstick on my finger! This is amazing!"

I... just watched her. May was giddy about lipstick! Then again, May has always been an archeological buff. She aspires to be like Christina "Crystal" Ray, the Precious Jewel of Johto. Their champion is a near genius, having uncovered the secret of the Unown Ruins and fights with the legendary beast Suicune at her side. I know this because of May's constant pining. That, and she was pretty sexy with her light blue hair, so I paid close attention to any magazine article with her.

"But... do you think you can win?"

May's question brought be back to reality as I watched both her and Celia staring at me, wondering what my answer could be. I smiled. "We're going to give it our all; there is nothing that can stand up to that!"

I saw my flygon smile, hopefully inspired by my words as her tail swayed back and forth and her hands clasped together. May seemed pleased as well. "That's good, Zack. Wow, I can't believe she's actually here! I'll finally get to ask her how she raises her Pokemon so well!"

"Yeah, you do that," I responded, patting my dragoness on her shoulder before May could say anything else about how strong Tameri's Pokemon were. "Celia and I have some last minute preparations that need to be taken care of. We need to win this with style for it to count."

"Alright," May said, watching me walk away, Celia hovering by my side. "Just be back before it gets too late! You're going to need some serious rest to be ready for tomorrow afternoon!"

I gave her my salute and smiled as my flygon did the same, letting two of her claws extend behind her. The act unbalanced her and sent her floating in to me, but I was there to steady her. I had a feeling that I was going to have to steady her throughout this entire ordeal, but I was happy to be there for her. I was aware of her need to prove herself, and even though she didn't need to, I understood the desire she had. I had possessed it as well, and when I finally earned the respect of my old master, I remember how happy it made me.

I want to give her that same feeling.

* * *

It was dark, I was wet, I was dirty, I was cold, and I was tired. This was the best training session I've had in a while. We could have done more, but I didn't want to tire out my two contenders. It was time to head back to the center, but first, I was going to treat my Pokemon to some treats.

I glanced at Celia and Angel. The flygon was standing on the ground surrounded by several holes in the ground that she had dug herself, breathing deeply through her nose. My lanturn's hover tablets were slowly losing their charge, and she was starting to drift slowly to the ground. I shook my head and sighed, walking up to the floating fish and removing the disks from her underbelly, slowly putting her on the muddy ground below. She let out a tiny, cooing cry, settling in to the cool clay below her like a soothing mud bath.

Grinning, I began walking the short distance back to my bag. I'm sure there was something buried in there I could give them for a night's well done...

* * *

"Haa, that was tough," said Celia in her native tongue as she watched her master leave, allowing herself to pant now that he was no longer watching her. "We've never trained like that before."

Angel looked up at her flygon partner, her goofy, open-mouthed smile showing on her big blue face. "But wasn't it a blast? I can't remember ever being this excited for... well, anything! Well, except this one time, where this huuuuuge school of fish was swimming by and I got them all with one Thunder Wave! I didn't need to eat for days after that!"

"That's nice," Celia sighed, only half paying attention to lanturn's rambling. Angel cocked her head, the smile fading from her lips as she wondered what was wrong with her friend. "What's on your mind, Celia?"

"I don't know! I just feel... confused. On one claw, my master is the perfect male! On the other... if I choose him, I won't ever know what it feels like to have a child."

Angel smiled again. "What, that's it? Come on; I'm a fish! A very sexy fish, mind you, but I still have to lay my eggs while some guy comes and fertilizes them. Though I have thought about what it would be like if something actually went UP there, but-"

"Ah!" Celia's innocent ears were bombarded by talk of fish sex. Her cheeks turned a bright yellow as her insectoid blood rushed to her face. The lanturn noticed this and stopped, grinning and placing a muddy flipper to the back of her head. "Whoops, sorry. I guess I rambled again."

Bringing her brown-and-blue appendage down, Angel looked at Celia and continued, this time with a soothing, yet serious tone. "Look... the point I was trying to make is that despite not being able to breed with Zackie, I still can't think of any other guy I'd rather be with! Granted, my species doesn't really pick a guy to be with... but you get what I'm trying to say, right?"

"I...er..."

"Ok, sorry, I'm not all that great with stuff like this," admitted Angel, rubbing her back with her flipper and looking away, a little embarrassed herself that she couldn't keep her mouth shut sometimes. "I'm sure things will work out if you just roll with it. I've learned that swimming against the flow will only tire you out. If you let the current carry you, you'll find where you need to be."

"But I need to prove to him that I'm strong, so I can repay him for saving me from that life of waiting for things to fall into my mouth!"

"He's not looking for someone who's strong," replied the fish, putting a flipper on the dragoness' feet. "He's looking for a companion he can depend on. A Pokemon to come when she's called and fight with him when he needs her. That's why he's so close to Katherine; she says she doesn't like her pokeball because it's constricting, but she really just wants to be around him without a plastic shell surrounding her."

Celia was skeptical. "How do you know?"

"Because I go with the current, Celia, and end up being at the right place at the right time! These antennae can pick up the vibrations of a fish swimming for miles away. Even through the air, I can pick up the gentle 'thumps' of Kat's heart when she stands beside Zackie, and Fara's when she stands beside Kat... Do you think that's weird?"

Celia was a bit shocked to hear something so meaningful seep from Angel's mouth, but she still sighed. What if she couldn't wait like Angel did? She hasn't had her first heat yet, but there was no telling when that season was coming. She could be having it now! That would explain her emotional problems. ...No, she was always like this. She's just a flying ball of barely controlled stress and anxiety. It's no wonder-

"Alright, you two, quit talking about me behind my back," came Celia's master's voice as he came walking back to them, his backpack in his right hand and a pokeblock dispenser in his left. The flygon's neck straightened. "D...did he hear us? How could he-"

"Relax, girl," said Zack, approaching Celia placing his hand gently on her neck, wiping a bit of the mud away and miraculously relaxing her muscles with his touch. "I was just kidding. You're all tensed up; the workout must have been harder than I thought. Here, this should help get all this tension out of your muscles."

Celia's master offered her a red pokeblock from the dispenser, holding it up to her mouth. She delicately took it into her tongue, popping it into her mouth and chewing. The spicy taste wasn't her favorite, but it did have a soothing effect on her body as it traveled into her stomach. "It's made from cheri's," said Zack, patting her throat and shoulders to help the block do its job. "So it should be perfect for relieving any locked-up joints or paralyzed muscles. I'd give you a straight berry, but I need to pick more."

The flygon nodded, flexing her wings as both the pokeblock and her master's touch calmed her nerves and body. Then, he spoke again. "Oh, and before I forget, thanks for yesterday."

Celia stared at her master as he continued. "You really nailed that houndoom! I'm sure he won't be breathing the same way again."

Zack's hand went up to his flygon's face and patted her. The dragon's eyes went wide. *He's right! I did do that. I guess I'm stronger than I thought...but am I strong enough?* Celia's master stroked her neck again as he gave his lanturn a pink pokeblock, causing the dragonfly to smile, her head craning down by his shoulders. She was going to prove how powerful she could be, if not to Zack, then to herself.

*He'll see my strength!*

* * *

"Why couldn't you let me watch you guys train, Master?" Katherine was bugging me with questions as soon as I let her out of her ball, recently received from the Pokemon center's care. Even with the competitions about to start, she was still bombarding me about my strategies.

"Because," I replied, patting her on her little fuzzy head, "Reading a story before it's perfected makes the final cut less interesting. I'm looking to impress everyone here, even you and the rest of my team."

"What, do they let Pokemon watch, too?"

"Not in the stands, but you'll be in the back with May. She'll be taping the thing while she watches it through their view screen."

Katherine pouted. "Aww, stick me in the back, why don't you? How will I be able to cheer you on?"

I smiled, "Remember that whole 'people aren't supposed to know you can talk,' rule?"

"Fuck da rules!"

I went stern, "There are going to be a lot of people at this event. Maybe even associates of that ninja chick from before. Do you really want to set yourself up as a target?"

"...No sir," she said, going somber. I felt bad about bringing her down from her happiness, but she needed to understand the potential danger of her gift. However, I knelt and brushed the back of my absol's neck, whispering to her at the entrance to the contest coliseum. "Besides, your cry is much louder than your voice. Let one out, and I'll be able to hear you wherever you are."

Katherine looked into my eyes and smiled, giving me a loving, understanding lick on my nose. I patted her shoulder and stood, stepping through the door and being ushered in by May.

"There you are, Zack! You're a bit late; they're about to start!"

* * *

I sat in the contestant stands, close to the action I was about to witness, Angel's pokeball resting on my belt as I awaited my turn. Three participants have come up, strut their stuff upon the stage, and then walked off, leaving the judges to decide their score at the end of it all. They ranged from cute antics of a meowth to the rock-breaking abilities of a machoke. They were impressive, but when they announced Tameri's name, she stood from her seat beside me, and I knew that what she had planned was going to blow them all out of the water.

The raven haired woman of the desert grasped her pokeball and smiled as the announcer, an older, big-breasted woman with long, almost snake-like red hair began speaking. "And this lovely lass is Lavaridge's own Tameri Hamen, also known as the Desert Rose. She's taking a break from looking for the lost ages of Pokemon and has come here to show everyone that even a scientist can be a ravenous trainer! Let's give her a hand as she begins her performance: Unearthing the Ruins!"

The applause roared and died down Tameri released her Pokemon with a shout: "Emerge, my maiden of the sword: Sefu! A glimmering, golden-brown skarmory emerged, spreading its metallic, emerald-colored wings with a metallic hiss.

Everyone was left in awe at the shining, rare Pokemon almost as exotic as her trainer. With a grin, she issued her first command. "Sandstorm!"

Silently, the skarmory blew a tunnel of wind across the stage, creating a small vortex that encircled the arena. From under her wings, sand began to fly out, swirling with the building air. Then, she issued her next command: "Whirlwind!"

I watched as the sand spiraled upwards, the funnel tightening into an upside-down tornado. The metal bird started to fly, defying thought as the heavy creature began to rise as her metal feathers waved, pushing her up higher. However, my attention was quickly turned back to Tameri, who was beginning to dance with the wind, conducting the sand with her graceful fingers as her body began to twist lithely. Through the sand, I saw her look in my direction and wink, making me jump slightly. I've only seen that look a few times before...

"Sunny Day, full power!"

A glow pierced the obscuring sand, and with it a trail of fire! The sand must have been flammable to be set ablaze in such a way, or maybe because...

It was ash!

With a sudden burst of flame, the ashes vanished, leaving behind a wondrous, almost impossible thing: A pyramid made of golden glass! It encapsulated them both, giving them the look of a priceless artifact kept behind a museum display case. The skarmory landed, and Tameri issued one final command: "Metal Sound!"

A barely-heard, high pitched scream filled the room, the glass shattering as though a rock had slammed into it. It exploded outward, filling the stage with glittering golden shards. I wasn't afraid of being hit by them, though, as I still felt a trail of wind spiraling around the stage, protecting the audience from the shrapnel while swirling the glittering dust around the edges of the stage. *Damn...she's good.*

As the dust fell, she recalled her Pokemon with a pat on her head, signaling the end of her presentation. The judges looked to each other and nodded, withholding their results until the end of the whole competition. They looked pleased, though. *That's going to be tough to beat,* I thought, watching her walk towards the back room, designated for trainers that had completed their routine.

*But I'm going to beat it.*

"Next up, we have Zachary Stone! The son of the Devon Corporation, this young man has been a combatant in the ever-present war against criminal organizations such as Team Aqua."

As I stepped up, I saw the announcer woman give me a curious look before continuing. "Now, he's here to show us that even hard-working soldiers of good fortune can take some time off to entertain the people who appreciate him. Here he is with his performance, titled: Storm Catcher!"

I smiled, May had written most of those things that the announcer had said, but I came up with the name. I could swear I heard Katherine's siren from the room in the back, but it may have been my imagination. I tore my lanturn's pokeball from my belt and tossed it into the air. "Angel! Show your power!"

In a flash of yellow light, my lanturn emerged from her ball, slowly spiraling down around me as her pre-attached hover disks floated her like a leaf. She landed beside me and I smiled. *This is it... It's time to make some people jealous.*

"Angel, Water Pulse!"

With a cooing echo, the moisture in the air around us got dense, becoming visible as it traveled to the opening of her wide maw and creating a beautiful orb glistening liquid. After ridding the moisture in the air, it was time for phase two: "Rain Dance!"

Angel fired the ball of water into the sky, weaving the liquid into a spiral above us, stretching it and molding the moisture until it was a dark, sinister looking cloud. People began to recoil in amazement as rain began to fall on the stage, splattering on my hat and rolling down its bill in front of my eyes. I whispered to myself, knowing the next phase of the plan was the cause of several miniature blackouts. "Please work..."

"Angel," I called out, making sure everyone could hear me through the rain as I shot my left fist into the air, my right gripping my lanturn's dorsal antennae looking at the ominous, black blanket above me, daring my next order from it. "Thunder!"

The thundercloud flashed, jumped, sparked, and roared. A blinding yellow flash filled my vision, reflecting off of the water as a bolt of powerful lighting made its way for me. I remember thinking *I really hope this doesn't kill me,* as it struck my upraised hand, filling the arena with surprised screams and the deafening roar of thunder.

* * *

May jumped from her seat as she watched the lighting bolt strike her friend. "Zack!" Katherine and Fara also looked on, concerned. Celia clicked her claws together, hoping that Zack's plan had worked. The view screen was shrouded in a bright, white flash, obscuring what happened to the trainer caught in the middle. Screams of shock were heard, and the medical team shifted uncomfortably.

Suddenly, the flash faded. Everyone was pressed against several screens, watching, waiting for a good view. A tiny glow shown amidst the raging storm, and the camera zoomed in as far as it could. The glow came from a clenched fist, and, as the view panned outward, they all saw the young, white haired man standing there in the center of the stage, proudly holding up the glimmer as the blast had blown his cap clear across the stage. His eyes were closed, and the wind swirled around his loose clothing, making his otherwise stationary form flicker and dance.

Then, Zack's eyes opened, his blue eyes seeming to flash purple. "Now, Flash!"

His palm opened, and a golden glow oozed from it, surrounding the entire arena with its brilliance. The dull roar of the rain stopped, the clouds fled, and the wind died slowly down as the shining aura enveloped them. Everyone stood in awe, watching Zack slowly fade back into view. Angel had been returned in the Flash attack, and his arm slowly slid back to his waist. The judges sat back, their mouths agape. They absentmindedly jotted things down as he walked off, his back to the crowd as he gave his two-finger salute to the camera.

"Whoa..." May was in shock, the rest of Zack's Pokemon sharing that quality. Even Kiki had awoken to the pretty light display! Celia breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, the red-headed announcer spoke. "Now that's power! This is what happens when you combine strength and skill of a practiced trainer with the trust and love that a master needs to have between his Pokemon! Let's give Zack a hand!" The audience began cheering as the trainer stepped off, picking his hat off of the floor as he walked towards the back room.

"Amazing," was all May could say, receiving a small cry in agreement from her quadruped companions. Some of the people behind her were sweating bullets, save for Tameri, who looked to the door and smiled, watching the young man enter with a proud grin.

"You really have grown, Hasani..."

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Sorry again for the lack of sex, but I'm hoping for some in the next chapter!

On the upside, I now have MSN, so if you want to complain directly to me, well then that'll be fine too!

Thank you for playing,

Matt, the Z-Byte