Gothevoir had become the Official ghost hunter of the group, after Riley the Gallade had proved himself incapable of catching ghosts with his false swipe attack. And so she and Strider, her pet Lucario, set out with Lucas to Victory Road so that they could reach the lair of the Duskull and add him to the team. Little did Gothevoir know that she would soon meet her match.
“Curse this fog, I can barely see anything, much less that strange woman in front of us.”
“Say, I think that’s a new ally trainer,” Lucas Pointed out, "You know those trainers that join us in double battles and keep the whole pokemon team healed."
“Oh, I am?” the young women looked down at her specialized design, her single pokeball, and the ridiculously large amounts of healing items, “Ah, so I am. You’ll want to join me yes? I’m Marley.”
Gothevoir felt they should go back for a defog bird, but Lucas didn’t see a problem with it as long as she had magic leaf and Strider, her pet lucario, had aura sphere. Both attacks could hit without fail, and with a new ally around they had unlimited health to train in.
Gothevoir was far from happy with this: “I hate using magic leaf, I hate this fog, and I HATE THIS ALLY!“ Her anger directed toward the girl still in the fog.
"None of my attacks are Physical. If you use helping hands one more time, it’ll upgrade to ‘Helping broken hands,’ or even ‘helping broken OFF hands’ if my mood doesn’t change.”
“Oh, dear. Marley, I’ll have to come back for you, she’s not going to go any further without getting rid of this fog.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I’m leaving.”
“But what if I become forlorn?”
“What are the odds of that happening? you’ll be fine.”
“Okay...” and Marley watched her new friends retreat back to the pokemon center, “... ... uh oh...”
“I’m not going back, switch me out with someone else.” Gothevoir was not happy with the idea of going back in that cave. Something about that Marley really bugged her.
“The whole reason we’re going through this section of victory road is so you can catch duskull. It’d be kinda strange if we went all this way for you to catch duskull and you weren’t there to have caught him.”
“Was that supposed to be worded humorously?”
”Let’s just go. if you really don’t want to bother with her, you can lounge around in the back of the group.”
And Lucas and Gothevoir made their way back to Marley, who was relieved to se them.
“I was getting forlorn... You took so long.”
“Sorry, but it took some doing to drag a certain member of our group back here.”
Gothevoir just rolled her eyes, “Oh, big deal. So she got a little forlorn. Do you even know what that word means?”
“Well anyway. It should be easier this time around,” Lucas sent out his golbat to do a little defog work. As the Fog cleared Lucas and Gothevoir finally got a clear look at their new Ally Marley.
“Say, Gothevoir... Marley looks Just like...”
“Don’t say it Lucas...”
“I... am pretty sure I came first.”
“No one’s saying you didn’t, Marley.”
Things went much smoother at this point. Gothevoir even began acting a little friendly to Marley. The Arcanine still bugged her, but Strider couldn’t ask for a better buddy. Overall the second round through was a lot easier more pleasant, and it was over all t0o quickly for all of them.
“Already?”
“Yeah, Gothevoir, it looks like the exit to the cave is up ahead. I guess this is goodbye Marley”
“Hold on a minute,” Gothevoir interrupted, determined not to just break it off like this, “Come now, isn’t this place a great chance for you guys to train some of our weaker team?”
“Well, I do have some monsters I’m willing to level up, but Marley was headed for route 224, and we are too, Gothevoir. Remember.”
Marley tilted her head to the side and stared at the floor, “...I can stay a little longer... if you want me to. Time means little to me.”
“There, you see Lucas? And how often will you get the chance to train in such a high level area with a girl willing to keep your team in constant shape? Besides, I’ve seen the way you’ve been eyeballing her there.”
“Are You trying to hook me up, Gothevoir?” Lucas asked.
A cynical look rose on her face, “I’m just telling you to keep your options open, I know your not the commitment type. Besides, she’s certainly better than that Grimer or Slugma or Gastrodon we have.”
Lucas knew exactly where that was coming from, but still “You know I’m not an Indeterminate, or a pokemon, right?”
“Let’s just say we don’t EXACTLY have to go to Route 224 to get a new GHOST Pokemon, bub.”
“Eh, heh, heh...” Lucas knew how serious Gothevoir could be about violence, “Well, it’s your call Marley.”
Marley glanced over at Strider and her Arcanine, Both of which were giving her the sad puppy dog eyes. She shrugged a yes, and they decided to hang around for a little while longer.
During their little date, Gothevoir found herself confused by a Machamp's attack. Arcanine came to her aid with helping hand... but raising her attack only made things worse, and she knocked herself out.
Lucas and Marley promptly came to her aid, and it proved a while to get her back on her feet.
“That is an... interesting girl you have working for you.”
“She is a little assertive for a loner, but really you, Strider and I are the only ones she’s really opened up to.”
“It’s hard... it must be hard, isn’t it?”
Lucas shrugged, “I really can’t speak for her.”
A calm silence fell through the cave, and then Gothevoir showed signs of waking up.
“...”
“...”
“Say, do you want to play a little gag on her?” Lucas grinned.
Marley Nodded with a little smile fading into her face.
“Ok, Just play along.”
Gothevoir came to and the two trainers feigned a drastic relief which confused her.
“We had almost lost you there,” Lucas started, “Luckily HE showed up.”
“He... He who?”
Lucas rolled his eyes just barely “Why Wobbuffet of course, I just sent him back to Bebe. He must have followed us here.”
Marley nodded, and Gothevoir’s stomach churned, “What did he do?”
The two of them looked at each other and snickered as if they were too embarrassed to say.
“WHAT DID HE DO, FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS!!”
Gothevoir eventually figured out what was going on, and was very sore about it. Not being one to hold a grudge, though, she made sure to take out all her anger on Lucas while she could.
Eventually, their fun came to an end.
“This is it. I appreciate you escorting me. Just a little.”
“No Problem,” Gothevoir began, “if there’s one thing Lucas is good at, it’s Escorting.”
Lucas Smiling politely: “Gothevoir...”
“In fact he was thinking of starting an Escort Service.”
“GOTHEVOIR!!!”
“Ehem...” Marley interrupted, “Well, I’ll be seeing you at the tower.”
“Oh, Ok...” Lucas hadn’t realized what she just said. “Wait what?”
“You... don’t know? Well it would be a shame if I ruined a surprise like that. It’s the last thing I want to do.” And Marley Walked out of sight.
“That was pathetic foreshadowing.”
“Gothevoir, please.”
“Well it was!”
“THAT IT WAS!!!!” agreed a certain Wobbuffet who quite literally emerged from nowhere.
Gothevoir screeched and scrambled to open her own pokemon before shadow tag took effect.
“Well, what do you know, He did follow us here.”
"You and I are not all that different, young boy."
