Chapter Forty-Two - Azurill's Best Friends

Azurill was told to stay safe, so that's what she did. She snuck away from the fighting, staying well out of the way. She could be very sneaky when she wanted to be, of course. So she bounced her way along the edge of the cavern, sticking to the shadows but also staying close enough that she could keep an eye out on the fighting.

That Tabitha girl and her krabby were pretty strong. Krabby knew Bubblebeam and was really good with it. She opened her little crab mouth and spewed out a stream of tiny bubbles that grew bigger the further away from her they got.

The Team Rocket grunt's ekans tried to dive and duck between the bubbles, but they were moving too erratically. Any time they brushed too close to one, it would pop with a burst of Water-Type energy.

Then the snake-like pokemon got close and Azurill thought it might be over. Instead, King Krabby summoned a small wall ahead of herself, kind of like Choco's Clean Shield but a lot more stable and less pinkish. The ekans bonked into it mid-lunge.

It didn't even have time to fly back when King Krabby grabbed it in its pinchers and started to squeeze.

They were strong! Way stronger than Choco was... and probably way stronger than Azurill was, at least for now.

She was determined to grow stronger. Not just because she wanted to be stronger for herself, but.. Well, her friends needed her, didn't they?

Broccoli was plenty strong, but she was busy babying her and Choco all the time, and who would keep Broccoli safe?

As the one sane member of their team, Azurill decided that it was her job to get way stronger as soon as she could. So she hid in the shadows and watched.

King Krabby took out a zubat with a couple of well-aimed Water Guns, and that was it for the grunt.

Choco, meanwhile, struggled against the other grunt's pokemon. He even cheered about being the strongest once he eventually won.

Azurill was about to scoff, she could have done better, and she wanted to let Choco know, but before she could start spitting barbs at the rabbit, there was a loud boom from the entrance of the cave.

She spun, then hopped back to avoid a wash of dust coming from the entrance.

Jazz stumbled out of that dust, coughing and hugging Bellsprout to her chest as if he's just been launched into her.

A man stood in the cave's opening, a tall man with pale greenish-blue hair in a black suit. He looked like the grunts, a little. He had that symbol on his chest, but his uniform looked cleaner, crisper... more dangerous.

A pair of pokemon floated along next to him. One a large, strong-looking zubat, the other a big purple ball, like that koffing that Choco had fought earlier.

"Well, well, well," he said as he took in the room. His eyes passed over the shady spot Azurill was hidden in without seeing her. "Looks like our cover's blown, huh? And by a bunch of bratty kids, no less."

"Sorry, sir!" the grunt lady Choco and Broccoli were fighting said. "They're actually kind of tough?"

"Tch!" He tched. "Then I'll have to teach them a lesson myself! Koffing, Poison Gas the room."

"Uh, sir, we're in the room!" the grunt ahead of Choco pointed out.

"I know what I said," he replied cooly.

Azuril bounced back as the Koffing hovered forwards and inhaled hard. Then the pokemon unleashed a massive cloud of purple-tinged smoke.

It washed over the ground and Azurill saw some wild moss shrivel up and die at its passing.

This... this was awful! He was trying to hurt everyone, all of her friends!

Azurill wasn't going to let that happen! She ran forwards, then whipped her tail ahead of her and bounced up and onto it. Her tail squished, then reformed with a boing that sent her flying ahead.

"Aaaaaazuuuu!" she screamed as she fired her strongest Water Gun right in the Koffing's face.

The big purple pokemon sputtered in surprise and flinched back, his big move cutting off just as Azurill came in close and slammed him in the face with all the strength she could muster.

The koffing rolled backwards, then floated right back up. He looked more angry than hurt.

Meanwhile, Azurill landed on her tail again ahead of him and coughed. That Slam had hurt a little and... she coughed again, then again.

Oh... was this poison?

"Koffing, koffing!" That hurt, you idiot!

"Koffing, use Acid on that... thing," the Rocket boss guy said with a dismissive wave at Azurill.

Her eyes went wide. That was it? But she was supposed to be so strong? She couldn't lose just like this!

Koffing's cheeks filled up, then he went garbleblarglh and a huge gob of glowing purple goop flew out of his mouth and right towards Azurill. It sizzled and spat in the air, and she was certain she was about to be in a world of pain!

"Un!" No!

Suddenly Azurill was being pushed back by a bundle of brown-beige fur and a glittering wall appeared between her and the Acid. The move smashed into the barrier, and it looked like it was about to bend and crack, but another "Uuuun!" of effort from Choco allowed it to hold.

"Bun, bunearby bun bun?" Fish, what are you doing here?

Azurill pouted. "Azurill azu!" I'm trying to help!

Choco shook his head, but didn't say any more as his shield move broke apart. Fortunately, that was the last of the Acid and they were safe.

Azurill coughed again, and Choco did the same a moment later.

"Cute," the Team Rocket boss said. "But weak. Koffing, finish them off, would you?"

"Koff!"

"I'm so sorry."

All of a sudden, Broccoli was there. She ran right past the Koffing who blinked in surprise at seeing a trainer zoom past him. His surprise soon gave way to horror as a brace of Fireballs impacted him in the face and he was sent flying back.

The zubat screeched in panic as more Fireballs zipped towards it. They moved in mid-air, smashing into the bat-like pokemon even as it tried to dodge.

And then it was the Team Rocket guy's turn to be surprised as Broccoli came to a dead stop in front of him, all of her running momentum turned into shovel-swinging momentum.

There was a loud and reverberating clang as Broccoli's spade smacked into the mean man's head. He did a sort of floppy sideways summersault and landed on the ground with his face.

Broccoli spun around, not really seeming to care about the knocked out human or his knocked out pokemon. "Is everyone okay?" she asked. The poison in the air around her was hissing as it disappeared.

Then Broccoli scooped Azurill and Choco up in a big hug, and Azurill felt at once much better and a lot worse.

Much better because that tingly feeling of poison in her disappeared right away, letting her breathe easier, and a lot worse because Broccoli looked as worried as Azurill's mommy did when Azurill got a little lost.

Also, she was being squished a little by the hug, but that was okay.

"Azurill, why did you do that?" Broccoli asked softly.

Azurill couldn't meet her eyes. "Azu... azurill rill?" I... wanted to help?

Broccoli squished her some more. "You didn't need to help, Azurill."

"Azu! Azurill azurill!" No! I wanted to!

Broccoli paused in her hugging, then carefully set both Azurill and Choco down. The Team rocket guy groaned from his spot in the ground behind them, and Azurill noticed that Jazz was giving Bellsprout some spritz with her potion bottle; he looked okay, if a little beaten. Tabitha was tying the two other grunts together with help from King Krabby.

"I've been a bad friend," Broccoli said.

"Un!" No! Choco gasped.

Broccoli nodded her head anyway. "I have been! I didn't ask Azurill what she wanted, and I kind of just... babied you, because you're small and young, but you're also very smart and you can take care of yourself, at least a little. I should have asked before now... Azurill, did you want to learn how to fight and stuff like Choco does?"

"Azu!" she said with a nod.

Broccoli smiled softly. "Okay. Okay, in that case I guess I shouldn't have sent you off to hide, that wasn't fair of me. I'm sorry."

Azurill kicked at the ground a little. "Azu... Azurill rill." I'm... sorry too."

She had run out of hiding to fight, and had overestimated herself a little against that koffing. She had probably scared Broccoli a little.

"It's okay," Broccoli said. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me? Friends shouldn't be angry at each other if they can avoid it, right?"

Azurill nodded.

"Bunearby, bun bun, buneary." Silly fish, you're my friend too, even if you're fishy.

Azurill wanted to Water Gun his face, but instead she felt a few tears clinging to her eyes, and a strong warm feeling in her tummy. "A...azurill." Th-thank you. "Azurill, rill azuuuu!" You're the best friends I could ask for.

The warmth in her tummy grew and grew and grew, and Azurill was worried for a moment that something was wrong, but also it felt right in a way that few things had, like Broccoli hugs and teasing Choco and having berries with her friends!

A glow filled the cave, light splashing about and turning the darkened space into a bright, lively one.

Azurill grew, not just as a pokemon, not just as a friend, but also as a person. She felt herself stretching and growing bigger and taller and rounder, then there was a push from her sides.

Then the light faded, Azurill... Marill, looked down at her brand new paws. "Azu... Ma... Marill!" I... I... hands!

***