Garret's Nuzlocke: Ch. 5

It was a misty morning, a light haze hanging between the trees. A Tailow's call could be heard echoing in the woods. All was quiet as Garret shuffled through the tall grass of Route 101. He wasn't sure where he was supposed to be going, or what to do. At this point, this choice had started to look bleak already.

Garret was pulled from his thoughts by a tugging on his leg. He looked down to see Ciceris staring up at him. The little creature asked, "So what your friend was saying. You're pretty much running away from home?"

Garret glanced away, saying lowly, "Yeah… but I can't stay there anymore. I was being smothered. Think of it like being stuck in your pokeball ALL the time."

Ciceris tilted his head slightly, and then said after a moment, "Yeah, I guess that would get annoying." He looked through the grass and up to the trees, saying quietly, "But since we're out here, you know what you're doing?"

Garret shook his head, "Not really. But I guess a good first thing to do is get my first catch."

Ciceris nodded and followed Garret as he started walking again. They continued on for a bit as the haze started to lift and the day became clear. They both halted suddenly as loud barking erupted in the grass to their right. Garret crouched down and Ciceris started to creep through the grass. He peeked his head up to see a pair of gray-colored dogs with black faces and paws fighting over a bone.

The larger of the two was growling madly at the other, who started to back off from the encounter. Unfortunately the large dog pounced forward and rammed into the small one. It let out a yelp and tumbled back, whimpering in a lump. Garret stood up a bit to watch the wild battle, looking between the two dogs curiously.

He looked down to Ciceris and said, "Think we should catch one?"

Ciceris nodded, looking to the larger one, "Yeah. Once their done, I'll take on the winner and you can catch him."

Garret looked back to see the little one up again, though it was backed against a tree. The larger dog was growling still, slowly approaching its opponent. Garret frowned at the sight and whispered to Ciceris, "I don't think we should get a team member that acts like that."

Ciceris looked back up to him, and then shrugged, "Fine. You're the trainer. Are we gonna let the little guy get wailed on though?"

Garret shook his head, "No. Think you can knock out the big one?" He barely finished the question before Ciceris nodded and ran out into the small clearing. The attacker stopped as he heard the shuffling from and hardly had a chance to turn around before Ciceris flipped in the air and brought his tail down on its head.

The dog collapsed to the ground with a yelp, and then slowly pushed itself up before darting off as Ciceris headed for another hit. He smirked as he relaxed, then glanced to the beaten dog on his right. He crouched over it as Garret came up from the grass.

He was digging through his bag, pulling out a small blue spray bottle as he knelt over Ciceris. He looked down at them, asking, "Is he alright, Ciceris?"

Ciceris laid a hand on the animal. Close up they could see he was young, though small even for his age. He had lighter colors than the one before, and didn't seem so intimidating. He watched his chest rise and fall, and then looked back at Garret and nodded, "Yeah, though he could probably use that."

Garret moved around Ciceris before spraying the bottle where the pup was hit. He immediately gasped as it was applied, and jumped up before the two.

Its eyes darted between Ciceris and Garret before starting to growl at the pair. Garret spoke softly to the creature, "Calm down. We aren't gonna hurt you. We just saved you actually." He smiled at him reassuringly.

The pup continued to growl, though at a lower tone. It quieted down after a minute, then huffed at them, giving a thankful smile

Garret smiled back, saying, "You're welcome. Now…" He reached back into his bag and pulled out one of the pokeballs he was given. He held it out to the pup, asking, "Do you want to come with me? We'll keep you safe."

The pup lowered his head slightly, and then nodded slowly after a minute. Garret smiled and pressed the ball against the dogs head. The ball immediately popped open and engulfed the creature in a bright light, before pulling the light back in and snapping shut.

Garret looked down to the ball, and then to Ciceris, who shrugged with the look. He held it back out and another light shot out before the Poochyena appeared from it.

He shook his fur, then looked up to Garret and said softly, "Thanks for helping me…"

Garret smiled again, saying, "No problem. You have a name?"

"Yeah… Zeek," he muttered halfheartedly.

"Welcome to the team, Zeek," Garret exclaimed. "This is Ciceris."

Ciceris patted Zeek on the back, "Welcome." He held up a bone with a smile, "I think this is yours."

Zeek blinked at the bone, and then chomped down on it. He mumbled through his teeth, "Tanks. Agan."
"We need to get going," Garret stated as he stood and looked around. He motioned the two to follow before saying, "We've got some training to do before the day is out." With that, they headed back into the grass.