Hail Kinak,
I am on my way to Fuschia City, not only to challenge the Gym Leader, but have a nice stop at the Safari Zone while I am there. I peer into Skull's Pokeball and see the little girl sleeping peacefully. I pop it open and shake her out. She tumbles to earth growing larger after each rotation. After adjusting her helmet, she stares at me with questioning eyes.
"No time to sleep, Skull," I tell her. "We're taking a short cut to Fuschia, and there's a lot of dangerous monsters in these parts. Come on, let's go." Shrugging indifferently, she picks up her club and walks by my side. We journeyed for a few hours, making it more than halfway to our destination. To the east we saw the long stretch of electric and barbed fencing that enclosed the Safari Zone. Now the wilderness grew dark and thick. Even though we were not in the actual Safari Zone, just near by, its untamed features were the only thing that could pass the fences. I had pulled Skull up to sit on my shoulders, that way she could serve as a look out and would not get lost in the underbrush. Suddenly, she let out a shrill call and thrust her bone to 2 o' clock. Only a few yards away stood a massive creature on all fours grazing. Its hide was a thick, gnarled, and gray. It paid no attention to our presence, only caring about feasting. I slowly crept towards it, trying not to disturb its eating. I failed miserably at this, and the beast turned its head right to me, staring at me with a one eyed gaze. It was then I noticed the massive horn protruding from its nose. Its one shown eye seemed to tell me, "I'm pissed."
As fast as the Rhyhorn turned itself to face us, Skull had leapt down into battle position. The beast charged straight for my Cubone, but its horn was stopped by her bone. She was knocked back a yard or so but still stood her ground. The relic always kept the Cubone safe from harm. Both of them pressed hard on one another with there eyes locked. When it least expected it, she rammed her mother's gift into its face. It did not even flinch, as if she slapped it with a feather. The Rhyhorn brought its head up, and blew Skull off of her feet. She sailed to a near by tree, which broke upon her impact, and slide down to its roots. Skull shook her head, trying to get back a sense of what had just occurred. When she looked in front of her, she saw the Rhyhorn in full sprint coming right towards her. Barely, she rolled out of the way, and the remaining part of the tree was splintered. Again, the beast turned itself in Skull's direction, and clawed at the ground. My Cubone was currently laying on her back, trying to catch her breathe. The thundering of footsteps approaching her sounded in the earth. I yelled to her to get up. Rigidly, she began to stand, but not fast enough. The Rhyhorn charged her, and made contact. Skull was hurtled high and far through the dense foliage, breaking many branches in her flight. Luckily, she landed in a clearing but still with a crash. I was running from the moment she got hit, and it still took me a few minutes just to reach her. I fell on my knees beside her, checking to make sure she was not damaged too severely.
Skull was not badly hurt, but definitely in no condition to battle. She breathed in deeply, and her wounds bled profusely. I reached for her Pokeball, but before I could find it, I was thrown away. The Rhyhorn had dashed to Skull's landing point as well. I clutched my struck arm, which did not seem to be broken. This was not my focus, however, for the Rhyhorn trotted over to where I crouched. It moved its face dead in front of mine, and blew out hot air. I was too scared to even blink. As if thinking I was worthless, it turned back to its original opponent, Skull, who was laying on her side facing me with dead eyes. Lowering its head again, the Rhyhorn prepared another charge. I knew Skull could not take any more abuse, but I could barely move. Skull laid still on the jungle floor, not even holding its cherished weapon in her hand. It just laid loosely atop it. The beast began its run, and I closed my eyes in despair. Before I closed them, I briefly noted something. Skull's hand twitched a little, ready for action. In the blink of an eye, Skull sat up, and twirled her body. The relic collided with the left side of the Rhyhorn's face, thrusting its head the other way. Its run was detoured as well, which saved her from being trampled. The spike type pivoted and thrust itself again.
As it drew nearer, Skull stood her ground, centering all of her attention upon the Rhyhorn. If you could call it standing, that is, for she was more kneeling while holding herself up with her right hand. Everything else in her vision became a placid black field. She did not even bother to stand out of its way. In a mighty swing, the club whacked it square in the face, shattering it. Shards of rock sprayed through the air. The Rhyhorn thrashed around screaming in pain. Skull barely had enough time to catch her breathe before the beast charged her again in a mad rush.
Once again, she focused solely on the Rhyhorn, but then tightened her focus furthermore, right on its horn. She stood, weapon ready for striking, as it came towards her madly. What she did, though, was unexpected. She did not hit it, but instead leaned forward and placed her hand on the end of its horn. Kicking her feet up, the force of its run vaulted her clear over the Rhyhorn, who, expecting to sink into flesh, found a bulky tree trunk instead. Its horn shattered the front portion of the tree, but still got planted in it. As it struggled to free itself, Skull stabbed her bone into the earth. Her body began to give off a faint glow as her relic gave off a stronger one. Without warning, all of the lights stopped, and the forest stood still. A very subtle shaking could be felt. Skull opened her eyes, now radiating an eerie glow, yelled some strange arcane words, and jumped back from the hole her weapon had made. The rumble had grown in this time, now knocking over trees, but Gaia's onslaught did not end there. In the area around the depression, blades of earth broke through, striking the Rhyhorn. The tree it was stuck in was not even present anymore, swallowed by the earth sometime ago. The earth shattering motion, as well as the Rhyhorn, calmed down.
I looked at Skull approvingly, and staggered to my feet. Reaching in my sack, I pulled out a Pokeball I had taken from my shop. I pitched it to Skull, and she batted it to the Rhyhorn. It was going, going...
From the desk of Jackdaw
