Lapras Valley High

[PancaKe]

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Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter One – *****es Named Blastoise
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I stared up at the ceiling not giving a damn about dinner. Dinner was just one of those meals where you would eat it then it would leave you later on if they managed to stick laxatives in the buildings most uncontrollable girl. Trust me, being in that position, you had a lot of experience and learned to function on one or two really small quick snacks stolen from the corner store.

Somebody in my position had to be experienced.

Nobody hated my only pokemon, one of the only two things I cared about in the whole wide world. My Vulpix, Fury, was downstairs in the cafeteria eating. She wouldn't be drugged or spiked or have laxatives in her food, neither would Ashley, the other thing I cared about.

Ashley Lien is my best friend in this whole wide world, along with Fury. Ashley and I have grown up together in this hellhole, and have stuck it through. Ashley is just so sweet that she wouldn’t lie or hurt a Caterpie. She is tall, has long straight black hair, and brown eyes, and is really nice. Nobody could get mad with her, including me.

Ashley’s only pokemon is an Eevee named Sugar, who is a playful creature, and gets along with Fury pretty good.

Barging into the room, my four legged, reddish furball bounded onto my bed and grinned. I leant over and patted Fury, who grinned and gave a cry of “Vulpix.”

“Hey Sal, is fish and chips okay? That’s all they had left.” Ashley, sweet and caring as usual came in with a plastic plate of chips and a piece of fish, followed by Sugar who bounced over to Fury and began to play a game of ‘chase-me’.

I’m Sal. Actually, my full name is Sally-Anne McGregor, but everybody knows that I won’t stand being called Sally-Anne. It’s either Sal or nothing, and if it’s anything else then they really regret it. Even the head of the orphanage, which refers to everybody else as master something or Miss somebody, calls me Sal. Once when he called me Miss McGregor, I got Fury to burn his desk.

I’m 13 years old and uncontrollable. Ashley is the same age as me. My looks, I’m kind of the shortest 13-year-old in the orphanage, with ripped jeans and T-shirts lining my wardrobe. My ears are pierced; I have one hole in one earlobe and two in the other and three different studs in each. My hair is short and cropped and an amber color, mostly held back with my black and red bandanna. I wear a silver ball chain, and that’s one of the only things I own.

The other things I own are a pokeball for Fury, whom I found in an alleyway fighting a loosing battle, and a dagger. I don’t really recall getting my hands on this fine piece of art but I wear it everyday in my pocket. It’s a work of art, the handle is engraved with a design of some ancient dragon type that looks as if its about to kill and the point is as sharp as a needle. I keep it with me for protection and for threatening people who harass me too much with.

“Thanks,” I thanked bluntly, taking the plate from Ashley and digging into my food. Ashley sat on her bed, and gazed around the small room.

The room in the orphanage was only big enough to fit two, but in most of the rooms five or six boys and girls slept. The rooms were dark with concrete walls reminding us of a jail cell. The windows were barred to prevent not only people coming in but also pokemon and people getting out and away. Nobody could keep me from getting out though. The ceiling was dirty with cobwebs and cracks and graffiti from the previous people that had stayed in the room before. I had put most stuff up there though, from writing ‘**** Quagsire Heights Child Jail’ to ‘Vessie is a ****’.

In the corner a rotten old, dirty basin and glass stood, with two toothbrushes hanging off an old rack inside the mirror cupboard. Our beds weren’t very good, just cheap beds you could pick up for 50¢ at a $2 shop. To the left of the door, an old, dirty white sign read in red letters ‘No Pokemon in the rooms whatsoever.’ That had been scribbled all over with nasty signs as well, and nobody bothered to obey it, unless the head of Quagsire Heights Orphanage, Mr King (whom I either called Stony on a good day or worse things on bad days) was giving room checks.

But Stony was smart enough to let me keep Vulpix and Sugar in my room.

“Have you heard the news?” Ashley broke the chilling silence with her sweet voice.

I shook my head and shrugged, mouth full of fish.

“The Quagsire Heights Council is going to shut down the orphanage, which means that we’re going to be either moving in with people who want us or sent away to various boarding schools with spots,” Ashley informed me.

I shrugged again. “So? That doesn’t affect us. As long as we’re together I’m happy, well not happy, not aggressive to be precise.”

“Actually it does,” Ashley continued. “We have to see Mr King about where we go, whether we go to a home or to boarding school. And he asked to see you.”

I gulped down the rest of my food and chucked the plate out the open window between the bars down below into the filthy litter lined alleyway below. Quagsire Heights wasn’t the cleanest place, it was mostly filled with homeless people, drug junkies, or people who couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. The streets had a horrid gray feel to them and you couldn’t see the sky, it was covered with smoke from nearby factories. Wild pokemon around here, Rattata, Meowth, Vulpix, Raticate, Persian, and Murkrow and Zubat at night were very fierce, and well adapted to the tough life of living in a rough area.

Nobody cared if one more plate was added to the pile.

I got off my bed and sighed. “Come on Fury, I’m going to need your fire power. This damn Mareep ****in head isn’t going to do anything to us this time.”

Fury hopped up and followed me out the room; Ashley left watching, as Sugar bounced up to her side. “Don’t be too rough,” she called as I headed down the stairs, which were about as old as the cafeteria lady, Mrs Hammin, who was about 210 with false teeth and a nasty attitude towards me.

Lifting my foot, the sole of my sneaker smashed through the rotting wood of the door that read ‘Head’s Office’, as the door flew open, and came off one of its hinges. I walked into the room followed by a glaring fire fox.

“What do you want now?” I demanded, placing my hands on the desk and leering at Mr King menacingly. Fury jumped up onto the desk and snarled.

“Sal, how nice to see you,” Mr King greeted nervously, shuffling a few papers, a bit afraid.

“Get to the point,” I told him, turning around and sitting down. “I don’t want any more of my time wasted.”

“Well, regarding what Miss Lien…”

“Miss Lien has a name.”

“What … Ashley … told you earlier on. You have two choices on where to go once this orphanage is shut down. One, you could go to a fine, state of the art boarding school over in Cascade City West called Lapras Valley High. Or you could go with this kind lady that has offered to take you,” Mr King gave me my options quickly.

“What lady,” I eyed Stoney, enjoying his nervousness.

“Um, you can come in now, Lucidia,” Mr King called. Through another one of his doors entered the devil.

She was a tall business woman with short flaming red hair, icy blue eyes that could pierce the happiness of a Chancey, a disgusting smirk that could beat the evil grin of a Gengar (yes I know my pokemon) and she was wearing a black business suit. The blouse, the black blazer and the skirt and high heels.

She was my mortal enemy.

About a year ago now, one summer we were sent to different homes for a trial adoption with that person. I was sent to this lady’s house, and she treated me like you would treat a Weedle eating out the middle of your house. Like dirt under her feet, she walked all over me, creating a slave for herself. Fury had tried to defend me, but in this evil woman’s mansion she happened to have an Olympic size pool, and was able to make Fury swim laps all day and night.

I turned, and for once was silent, as I gritted my teeth and glared at the evil sight in front of me. She smiled sweetly, a smile that clearly said ‘I’m the boss now, You’re not going anywhere’.

“Well if it isn’t darling Sally-Anne,” the woman gloated, practically draping herself over me to make me enraged.

“What do you want, Blastoise?” I snapped. Lady Blastoise as she was known, was a high-level businesswoman, I just wasn’t too sure how. But I knew that even though her hair was red, her soul was pure black, darker than the black holes in the middle of the universe.

“Why I’ve come to give you a home,” she grinned, a dark glint in her eye.

“If you even think of taking me to your house then your mistaken,” I snarled, and spat on the floor. Fury got up and growled, ready to attack if I gave the command.

“Well I didn’t want you to go to some horrid boarding school, you could come live with me,” Lady Blastoise offered. “We had so much fun last time did we not?”

I stood up, the chair falling over. It clattered to the stone floor loudly but I didn’t care. “For one thing I don’t really believe that making ME a slave and do all YOUR work is fun. And another thing, I would NEVER go back there because you TORTURED FURY SO BADLY SHE NEARLY DIED! I mean, how DARE YOU MAKE HER SWIM CONSTANT LAPS DAY AND NIGHT OF YOUR POOL!” I paused for a breath. “There will be NO WAY I AM GOING TO LIVE WITH YOU. SO THERE.”

“Temper little one, with that type of rage you might burst a blood vessel,” Lady Blastoise taunted.

I growled, fists clenched, breathing heavily trying to control the anger that was bottled up inside me. “I am not going to live with you. I would much rather go to that Lapras Valley High school than stay with you.” With that I turned and left the room.

Fury snorted and followed me.

Reaching our room, I slammed the door so hard that the walls shook. “I don’t BELIEVE THIS!” I raged. “Lady Blastoise, she want’s to adopt me. Of course I said no. Who want’s to live as a slave and watch their pokemon be tortured?”

Ashley sighed. “Is Lady Blastoise still there?”

“I think so,” I answered. “But I’m going to Lapras Valley High. Anything but Lady Blastoise.”

“Oh,” Ashley sighed again. She looked away, her straight black hair swaying in front of her face. I was a bit concerned, what was with the sudden dismay over Ashley.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, showing a bit of the concern hidden under the tough layer of skin.

“I’m being sent away, to another boarding school,” Ashley admitted. She turned to me, her eyes welling with tears. “I couldn’t stand being away from you!” She sobbed into her hands. “I’m going away to Waterflower Grammar School over in Kanto. I know it’s a really long way away but that’s where Stony is sending me. I leave next week.”

I stared at Ashley. I’m no good for comforting a crying person. That’s more of Vessie’s job, seeing Vessie was the biggest cry baby in this whole damn stinking building.

“Look… Ashley, you know I’m no good at comforting,” I began awkwardly, “but this doesn’t sound good. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t even know when I’m leaving, we might have a whole week left that’s a lot better than two minutes.”

“I suppose,” Ashley agreed sniffing.

The door opened and in walked one of the fourteen-year-olds that was a flirt maniac.

I glared, my head snapping to the side. She gulped and stepped back.

“DON’T GO ANYWHERE!” I yelled at her. She stayed put as I marched over to her and poked her. “A door, is for knocking. You do not barge in like a stuck up snob. You are not queen around her; you don’t have the right to walk into what ever room you want. Do you understand?!”

“But…” she tried to protest.

I whipped my dagger out of my pocket and held it up. “Do you understand?” She nodded, scared. “Good,” I leered. “Now what did you have to say?”

I put my dagger away as she spoke. “Mr King says that all people leaving for Lapras Valley High must leave tomorrow at 4 AM when the train comes, as that is the only train going to Cascade West, into Lapras Valley for a month.”

I stomped hard on the girl’s foot, and growled at her. “Get out,” I snarled. She ran out as fast as she could.

“My god…” Ashley whispered.

“This is not good,” I grimaced.

*

“So, you would rather let that worthless pile of ****in **** go to waste at Lapras Valley High instead of hand her over for $1 000 000 in cash. That’s enough to keep the place running,” Lady Blastoise hissed.

Mr King nervously backed away. “I respect Sal, even if she is a wild ***** most of the time. She cares for Fury and Miss Lien and I respect that. She also needs to learn to get along with others, and at Lapras Valley High she will be able to do just that.”

“Have it your way then,” Lady Blastoise sneered, packing up the suitcase that held the cash. “But I’m going to get that girl, and you won’t be able to stop me.”


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Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Two – Undeserved
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To put a long story short, Ashley was really upset as we walked to the train station through the cold early morning. It was pitch black, the only light were street lights about to burn out as they flickered dimly. We walked, Sugar, Fury, Ashley and me. Only four other people were going to Lapras Valley High.

Two were this 17-year-old couple that would be graduating in a year or so, and the other was the girls cousin, so they all walked in a group, leaving me with Ashley. Not that that was a bad thing mind you, I was just hoping that Ashley wouldn’t have to walk through the streets of a really bad town at 4 AM. Things could happen.

“Hello girls, would you like me to escort you anywhere?” a man asked appearing out of an alleyway.

“We’re right you old hag, we can handle ourselves,” I replied shortly. I was too depressed to pick a fight.

“Come on,” the guy insisted.

I whipped out my dagger and pointed it at his throat. “How’s no sound to you?” I snarled. He backed off, leaving us to continue walking.

“I’m going to miss the forceful you,” Ashley said once we were walking again. “I won’t have anybody to protect me now.”

“Sugar is real tough,” I pointed to the furball, who grinned. “He’s been trained by the best.” This time it was Fury’s turn to grin and look proud.

By the time it was 4 AM we had reached the station and one of the older girls going to Lapras Valley High called me as the train pulled up. Ashley looked at me, I looked at Ashley and hugged her for the first and last time in my life. I then slipped off the chain I was wearing and shoved it into her hand before leaving.

Fury nuzzled up beside Sugar, saying her own goodbye before running after me and jumping through the closing doors into the train. We were going to sit down but seeing the seats were either taken, or ripped to shreds with syringe needles sticking half way through them, we ended up standing by the door, holding onto the steel pole.

I don’t remember much of the trip except that I sat down half way through it on the cold dirty floor, and fell asleep three-quarters of the way. It was a long grueling trip, with people stopping to get in to the train wreck and trying to find a place to sit. Just before I fell asleep we happened to enter some of the ritzy towns, such as Aspite or Tyranville. Smart looking boys and girls wearing clean clothes and carrying brown leather suitcases stepped into the train and were wrinkling their nose in disgust, horrified at the normal state for a Quagsire Heights carriage.

One girl, about 13, stepped into the train. She was wearing a large pink bow in her mousy brown hair, which was tied in two pigtails, Nurse Joy style. The rest of her hair was braided and looked stupid in my opinion. Oh that’s right, nobody cares about MY opinion. How silly of me to forget. Her eyes, caramel brown, darted around the train, from the three other Quagsire Heights Orphanage people, to the ripped and torn seats, to the syringes, to the graffiti on the wall, to the gum stuck on the pole, to all the other sophisticated and not-so-nice-looking kids like me, and frowned.

“I thought this was the train to Lapras Valley High, best school in Cascade West,” she said, her face screwed up as if somebody had just puked all over her short skirt and leather shoes and she was trying not to scream.

“Well what do you think ****wit?” I snapped. How dare she judge a carriage by its looks.

Even if it was messy it got us there didn’t it?

“Who… I mean… What are you?” the girl asked in disgust.

“I’m a person, what do I look like? On the other hand you are quite unidentifiable,” I retorted, too tired to get up and get fierce.

“Ooh big words,” the girl taunted. “I’m so scared.” A few of the ritzy kids from Zharman Lake laughed at her ridiculous comeback.

I growled, and stood up. She was still looking at me with those piercing brown eyes, as if she was so much better than the rest of the world. A true snob. I took a step forward and glared at her. “What the hell is your damn problem?” I demanded.

“I don’t really have a problem here,” the girl answered, acting innocent as a Beedrill that just stung a Butterfree. “I’m not the one aggravated here.”

“Don’t use it yet Sal,” I whispered to myself. Why waste my precious blade on a Zharmaner.

The Zharman Lake girl happened to hear. “So, your name is Sal,” she said, spitting out the word Sal as if it were a bad word. If Fury hadn’t been asleep I would have had this girl down on the floor looking like a piece of toast from the kitchens. Black and crisp with no like left. She smirked at me. “What a name. SAL. I’m sure everybody would love that.” She raised her voice. “Guess what everybody! SAL here is afraid to use the special secret weapon. What is it? A sewer Rattata? Or a picture of herself?”

(I will admit I wasn’t looking at my best. I had a smudge on my cheek from when I tripped over before I left the orphanage. My hair was a short mess, and the bandanna I was wearing wasn’t my best. The shoes I was wearing were kind of half torn, and my shirt was a tad on the ‘non-sophisticated’ side.)

“That does it,” I growled. Instant reflexes. My arm whipped around to my back pocket and my hand snatched the dagger out of it. I held it up, prepared to strike if I had to. But that was the extreme, the dagger was mostly for show.

To get this Zharman Lake priss pissed.

“You going to hassle me?” I asked threateningly. She looked at the dagger, its freshly sharpened blade gleaming in the early 7 AM sun, the handle carved out with mystical designs, my deadly emerald eyes and my tough attitude.

Then she laughed.

She just burst out laughing right in my face. “You wouldn’t dare,” she giggled.

The last straw had been placed. My hand lunged, blade first, and tore the sleeve of her jumper. She gasped and jumped back, as a bit of blood began to slowly slide through the small opening a graze of my dagger had caused. She glared at me, holding her arm as if it would fall off.

“I’m sure you’re happy,” she snarled.

One of her Zharmaner friends ran up to her and began to help her with the small cut. “I hope your happy, look what you did to my arm you dirty Rattata,” she glared. I glared back. “Now look what happened. You made Kayla bleed. How dare you.”

“You want to bleed too obviously,” I replied quietly yet dangerously. People were looking at me, but I didn’t really care. That ‘Kayla’ girl, she deserved that. Most people from Zharman Lake were snobs. And that wasn’t my problem.

I settled myself down again and tried to get some sleep.

When I awoke the train was just pulling into Lapras Valley High station. Fury was awake as well, and I stood up. That Kayla girl was no where to be seen though, which was good because I was hoping she wouldn’t be causing any more trouble.

“Are you Sal?” some boy asked, walking up to me as I entered the platform.

“So what if I am,” I asked evenly. Fury watched, ready to attack if she had too.

“I just wanted to say that that was cool what you did to Missy back there,” the boy complimented.

I frowned. “Right. Her name is Kayla isn’t it?”

“Yeah, Kayla Myssina, but people who don’t like her call her Missy,” that guy replied. “By the way, hi. I’m Blaron Haystacker.”

“Nice to know you have a name,” I snorted. “Now please move, I’d like to get moving. Maybe I want to get away from this Hell Hole.”

“Wait,” Blaron protested, calling me as I shoved past him roughly. I whipped around and glared. He seemed to sort of blush, a bit afraid. “Can I walk with you?” he asked.

“I don’t really give a damn who walks with me,” I answered shortly, turning around. That Blaron guy ran up beside me and started walking with me.

He had short flaming red hair, really short and probably was soft to touch too, like an Eevee’s fur, but I wasn’t about to touch it. His eyes were light blue, like the sky, and he seemed to be a nice guy, but then again, so did the devil at first. He seemed shy and full of questions, the type that gets annoying fast, but if I ignored it I would be okay.

“So where are you from?” Blaron finally asked.

“What do you care?” I snapped back coldly.

“Sorry, it was just a question,” Blaron apologized.

“Like you mean it,” I snorted.

“What?”

“Like you really mean you’re sorry. That’s what everybody says ‘I’m sorry’ the two words that are said the most with the least meaning,” I exploded. “It’s becoming as pointless as ‘How do you do.’ Nobody cares for the answer.”

“Look, I’m sorry I asked a question that would make you so touchy, honest,” Blaron apologized.

I snorted.

“Are you from Quagsire Heights?” Blaron guessed.

“So what if I am?” I cried. “Just because I’m tough, and don’t want to be friends with everybody, because I have ripped clothes, messy hair, a tough attitude and really rough like I’m on drugs, doesn’t mean anything.”

“I see,” Blaron agreed nervously, not seeing the point at all.

I grumbled to myself the whole way. Once we arrived, to get into the school we had to pass through these turnstiles after checking in. There wasn’t a really long que, those people who already had school cards were allowed through a quick ‘slot’ place.

“Name?” a person asked bored.

“Sal.”

“Sorry we have no listing of ‘Sal’.”

“That’s because my real name is Sally-Anne McGregor.”

“Oh, here you are Sally-Anne, your school card. It has your name, a photo, and your dorm written on it. You stay in the same dorm all the years you come here. You may now go.”

As soon as I got into the school grounds, I scratched off the rest of my name, leaving Sal.


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Name: SAL//////////////

D.O.B: 14th November

Tower: Flaria

Dorm: 6-F

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Lapras Valley High seemed to have four towers, one at each end of the school. Flaria, Joltaria, Aquaria and Solaria. I was in Flaria, which was pretty close. Those in Joltaria and Aquaria had a long way to walk. I didn’t know how they assigned the towers, but I didn’t care.

“Come on Fury, let’s go.”

“Vul.”

We headed over to the tower, which was taller than I had thought. It took practically forever to walk up those stairs but finally I stood outside my dorm. The brassy letters nailed into the door shone dimly, bearing the name of the room, 6-F. I kicked the door and it swung open.

The room was a pleasant place, quite different to the rooms of Quagsire Heights. It shone brightly thanks to the late morning sun, lighting up the room. Its walls were a light orange color, with a border of flames just below the ceiling. The window was large and open, letting a gentle breeze blow through, creating the red curtains to wave about in the wind. The large wardrobe was painted a blend between orange and red, and the rest of the room seemed to be red and orange. Not too bright though, just enough to resemble the flames of a fire.

It was welcoming, but I didn’t feel welcome here.

What was I doing in such a merry place like this? Somebody whom nobody cared about, who was hated for her tough attitude shouldn’t be living in such a place. It was the wrong place for me.

“Excuse me please,” a voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned around, and Kayla gasped.

“You’re in THIS room? In THIS tower. Of all the rooms you’re in THIS room,” I stated.

Vulpix had already claimed a bed for us, and was currently sleeping on the doona. The light fluffy cream doona with rows and rows of fire pokemon and flames that only people well off and good should have. She gave a soft snore, letting me know I was on my own again.

“Great, I’m stuck with an ax murderer,” Kayla groaned, dumping her stuff on her bed and packing her possessions in the tables beside our beds.

I stared at them. “What’re these for?” I asked, kicking mine.

Kayla just looked at me. “A bedside table, duh,” she replied. “For putting stuff into so you can reach it in the night and just for storage space.”

What was the point in that? I looked around the room.

Such luxury.

I didn’t deserve this.

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Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Three – True Beauty
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This was not good. I was alone, in a big school, with the only thing I could rely on, Fury, deciding to fall asleep. My dorm which was like a luxury sweet from Zephyr, a really expensive place (I saw a crumpled up piece of paper advertising it once on the streets.), was being shared with one other girl, Kayla Myssina from Zharman Island, who was a rich snob and hated me for attempting to stab her am on the train. Ashley, my only human friend, the only person I trusted and confided in and actually didn’t go ballistic at, was being sent away to some school in Kanto, about as far away from our part of the world as possible.

I sat down, feeling the doona go puff under me. The doona felt nice, something new and interesting. I had never ever felt a doona before, neither had I seen any rooms with bright colors such as this one. This was all new to me.

I glanced at the window, and gasped. There were windows without bars around. I can recall many times I stared out of the dirty window in my room at the orphanage, watching the rain drizzle down, adding extra gloom to the already dreary climate. Here it wasn’t gloomy, far from it. The window was open, giving light and a brilliant view of the school meadow and endless waves of lush green mountains. I had never seen such a sight; it was all new to me.

“What is your problem?” Kayla asked. I realized she had been watching me glance all over the room and gasp at objects that were probably common to somebody with as much wealth as her.

“All so new…” I whispered, under a trance. I went over to a door on the side of the room that read in shiny brass letters; Bathroom. Opening it, I gaped at the clean palace.

The bathrooms at Quagsire Heights were worse than the alleyways. What were white tiles bore black and green mold, and dust covered the top of the shower doors, which were filthy. The mirrors were barley useable, and the taps dripped constantly. The basin was filthy, as if a big wet muddy Arcanine had shaken off right in front of it, and the floor was covered with mud and stuff. The toilet… well I won’t even GO there. Trust me, it was better going in a bottle than using it.

But this was breathtaking. It shone, freshly cleaned, the peachy tiles gleamed. The basin was pure white, and the taps didn’t drip. I inspected the shower, clean as a whistle from Zephyr. And there was even a towel rack, with two fresh warm peach towels that read ‘Lapras Valley High’ at the corner of each one. I touched one carefully, trying not to get it dirty.

I was in heaven.

“What are you doing?” Kayla demanded, watching me touch the towel.

“Where I come from, we don’t even get curtains, doona’s, bedside tables or fluffy orange towels,” I snapped. “So get lost.”

“I heard a lot about Quagsire Heights,” Kayla said. “It must have been rougher than I thought.”

“What you think about Quagsire Heights is nothing. You’ve gotta go there to experience the pain,” I replied, pushing past her into the main room and starting to unpack.

“What was it like?” Kayla questioned quietly. “I want to know what it was like for you.”

“Why?” I didn’t even look at her, just sorted my jeans, T-shirts, bandannas, and pokeball into a few piles and putting them in the bedside table leaving the cupboard for my socks. I was wearing the only pair of shoes I had.

“I want to know what it was like, so I know how lucky I really am.”

“Let me put it this way,” I began. “It was for the tough skinned only. People found out you had a weakness and they pounced on you, tore you to shreds, hurt you, caused you to be a bloody pulp by picking on that one weakness. It is a Houndoom eat Houndoom world. You’re not careful and you’re a goner.”

“Is that all?” Kayla blinked.

“No, don’t be a stupid ****wit. It gets worse. You could walk along the streets and have people try to assault you, people try and get drugs of you, and people try to sell cigarettes to you. You weren’t able to walk very far by yourself, just wasn’t safe. The streets were lined with garbage, you couldn’t walk without treading in at least one piece of garbage, and empty used syringes were part of the garbage.”


“Worse than I thought,” Kayla commented.

“Well duh, you try going there,” I glared, enraged. She thought that stupid Zharman Island was much better than Quagsire Heights.

“I did,” Kayla replied softly.

“Bull****, a person like you, from oh so good Zharman Island would never go to Quagsire Heights,” I scoffed.

“I did,” Kayla repeated. “Me and my mother. We went there, when I was only 3. She was killed. I went to Zharman Island to live with my grandmother.”

“Well that’s why you have to be tough, now if you’ll excuse me I have some eating to do.” I exited the room, leaving Fury behind, who was still asleep. I guess early mornings aren’t so good for pokemon.

I walked downstairs, and started to look around. There were lots of classrooms; it was a school after all. There was also a large hall, with basketball hoops at each end, and a stage to one side. Speakers were on the walls, as if discos were to be held there.

I eventually found the cafeteria, and ran to grab some food. Shoveling it into my mouth, I realized how poor off Quagsire Heights really was and felt sorry for Ashley, who had to spend another week there.

“Mind if I sit here?” a female voice asked, placing her tray on the table. I had a feeling that no matter what I said she would sit down, so I grunted in response. “Hi, I’m Nayia Waterflower, who are you?”

“Sal,” I replied, still shoving all food into my mouth.

“Where did you come from?” Nayia questioned, daintily picking at her rice. “I’m from Cascade South. I won a scholarship here. Mum was really proud, and she wished Dad could have seen it.”

“Whoopee,” I sarcastically cheered.

“What’s the matter?” Nayia asked, concerned.

“I don’t feel like talking,” I snapped. Snapping must have been a habit of mine, if I got a dollar for every time I snapped today I could be a millionaire and buy a whole army of Houndoom to attack Lady Blastoise.

“Why not?” Nayia pressured.

That was the final straw. I had many final straws. I stood up and slammed my hands on the desk. “Because I’m here, my best friend is going over to Kanto in a week, and nobody in the whole world even gives a damn because they’re too nosy and want to use me!”

I grabbed my bowl and walked away, still eating. Nayia stared back at me and brushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair out of her sea blue eyes. She was obviously confused, and maybe a bit hurt. But she was the one invading, intruding in on my life so I had every right to be angry with her.

Didn’t I?

As soon as I finished the rice (which was the best food I’d had in years) I headed out to nowhere in particular, just to do something. There were so many people, all dressed differently, all with strange looks on their faces.

Smiles.

I hadn’t seen so many smiles on peoples faces at the same time since Ms Hammin went missing for two weeks. I couldn’t believe it, what was there to smile about? I mean, so what if you could actually see the sky and green grass…

I had never seen such green grass. Back in Quagsire Heights, the grass was normally covered in slime and muck and gray clouds of toxic gas covered the blueness of the sky.

“Pidgey!” a bird cooed, a caramel brown Pidgey. I was shocked at the brightness and the beauty of its feathers, as Pidgey in Quagsire Heights were either gray and white, or black and gray. It flapped down and landed on my shoulder, a note in its mouth. I snatched the note away from it and it flew off.

‘Sally-Anne McGregor – Please report to Principal Tyson immediately.’


__________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Four - Friend
___________________________________

The door was painted creamy white, with red edges and a sign that read ‘Principal’ in gold letters. Fury sat beside me, looking at the door too. I had woken her up before coming here, but I wasn’t too afraid. These guys didn’t know me, so I would just be fierce and get my way.

It had worked before.

“Come in,” called a voice from the other side of the door. It sounded feminine, and chirpy, like those toothpaste commercials I saw on the TV at the electronics store in Quagsire Heights. (That store wasn’t there anymore, somebody stole all the TV’s and burnt the place years ago.)

I kicked the door open, and it swung violently, reaching the end of its hinges hard with a loud thud. Principal Tyson was a female, with her mousy brown hair held back in a clip, her gold rimmed glasses framing gray blue eyes. She was busy reading a sheet of paper that I noticed had a photo of me in the corner.

I was scowling in that photo as usual.

“Ah, Sal, good morning,” Principal Tyson smiled at me, just as happy and fairy like as everybody else in this damn school. I marched into the room and sat down in one of the chairs, Fury sitting in the other.

“Mmph,” I snorted, scowling and looking around the room.

It wasn’t the biggest of all rooms, about the same size as my dorm in Quagsire Heights, with the same red trim around the ceiling edge, and the windowsill. Her desk was messy and overcrowded with what looked like a miniature TV screen, and a billion stacks of paper.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off the miniature TV screen. Since when did people put a TV on their work desk? Principal Tyson saw me staring at it and grinned. “Haven’t you ever seen a computer before?” she asked.

“Well, let me think, how about NO?” I shot back.

“Look Sal, I know you’ve had a hard time, but let me tell you this,” Principal Tyson began. “I came from Mount Karper.”

I nearly died. Aside from Quagsire Heights, Mount Karper had to be the worst area around. I think it is worse than Quagsire Heights, but with the knowledge I have, I’m not sure.

“Bull,” I scoffed.

“I’m serious,” Principal Tyson replied. Then she grinned. “Anyway now that that’s out the way, I’ve read here that your only friends are Fury” (she pointed to Fury) “and a girl named Ashley Lien. Is that right?” I nodded. “Well let me tell you something Sal, my life was similar to yours. Coming to such a welcoming school, and not knowing where I belong.”

“Is there a point to this?” I demanded, sighing.

“Yes there is,” Principal Tyson answered. “First things first, your one of the lucky new kids I’m going to allow to call me by my first name. Jackie. Secondly, I heard you nearly stabbed a girl on the train.”

“She insulted me!” I yelled. “She said that I was unidentifiable, she was insulting me and calling me names! Furthermore, she insulted Quagsire Heights! So WHAT if it’s a place where people are on drugs, alcohol and get raped every two seconds? It’s still my home..”

“Sal be quiet!” Jackie cried. “I just wanted to say, nice move. I’m being honest here. You should have stabbed that Zharman Islander!”

I blinked.

“What?”

“I’m like you, know what you’re feeling. I was once you,” Jackie grinned. “I hate Zharman Islanders but as principal I can’t tell everybody that. Otherwise half the money we get would be gone. I always charge Zharman Islanders more.” Jackie grinned.

A strange feeling came over my face as my lips and mouth seemed to turn upwards slowly in the corners.

“There we are, a smile,” Jackie smiled. “Now get out of here!” she ordered jokingly.

Leaving her office with Fury, I looked back at her, trying to clean up her desk. I couldn’t believe it. There were principals that weren’t ****heads after all.

*

Lady Blastoise walked along the road, her pinstripe blue suit moving with her walking pace. She had a cold look on her face as she kept walking. Thoughts popped in and out of her evil mind as she stopped in the train station and looked at her watch.

“Perfect, the train is on time,” she said as she stepped off the platform into the train. The train puffed out of the station, and off to her destination.

*

The middle of the day had come quickly, and I was amazed at how many people were eating rice and meat for lunch. I wasn’t one bit hungry, but I suppose that was from my ability to last 24 hours on one meal.

I didn’t feel like going into the crowded cafeteria and walked outside, where the sun was surprisingly hot. I would have to get used to this weird weather. The grass was soft once I sat down on it, and began playing with it with my fingers. I had heard about grass. It was supposed to make you itchy and be a nuisance but this grass was so soft, just like a luxurious cushion.

“No Fury,” I stated simply. Fury, who had been eyeing the grass, squinting, trying to size it up, sighed and stopped. The last time we had seen grass that was actually green was… never come to think of it. We did once take a trip into town where there was this park, and Fury burnt it all. And that was exactly what was going through her mind now. Burn, fire, grass will go up in flames.

For some reason I didn’t want that to happen.

“Hey Sal,” a voice interrupted my thoughts of grass. Looking up, I saw the same blonde haired Nayia, followed by a small slimy dragon. I remember seeing pictures of Dratini in books a split second before Fury put those to fire too. It was a legendary pokemon I think, really rare. I eyed it.

“Nayia,” I replied as a sort of greeting.

“Sorry about earlier,” Nayia apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you feel pressured earlier. I was just a bit too curious.”

“There’s something you don’t hear everyday,” I snorted.

Nayia sat down beside me and stared out to the hills with me. Something about Jackie’s talk with me had changed me sort of. Jackie was willing to accept me and she didn’t even know me. Maybe that’s what I should do, start accepting people instead of being so defensive.

“Why did you start talking to me?” I suddenly blurted out. The question came as a surprise to me as well, but to tell the truth, I WAS curious why out of all people she had chosen me to talk to. Even against all the rumors that I had stabbed my roommate on the train.

Nayia shrugged. “I honestly don’t know,” she answered. “I guess that I was lonely and shy and didn’t really know who to talk to. Then I saw you by yourself and thought I could make a friend.”

I sighed. This would be hard, but I had to make other friends aside from Fury and Ashley. Besides, Fury seemed to be getting along with the Dratini pretty well. They seemed to be playing a game of tag or something, a game that Fury normally played with Sugar. I don’t know why, but it was almost nice seeing Fury getting along with Nayia’s pokemon.

“Nixie needs friends, I’m glad she’s getting along so well with your Vulpix,” Nayia commented, breaking the silence.

“Who’s Nixie?” I questioned.

“The Dratini. Nixie was my first ever pokemon, I found her egg by the river all alone so I took it home.”

“Oh.”

“What’s your Vulpix’s name?”

“Fury.”

“Nice name. How did you find her?”

“She was about to be attacked by pokemon in the alley behind the orphanage.”

“Oh.”

Silence fell over us again, as we watched Fury and Nixie playing, leaping in and out of the grass. It was strange, never in my life had I talked like that.

But it was nice.

Why would Nayia talk to me though? I mean, what about me was there to like. I was tough, didn’t take ****, and was a loud aggressive *****… how could Nayia stand up to me.

Maybe she was my friend.

“Nayia,” I started. “Are you my friend?” I was suddenly ashamed of myself. Here we have tough me, asking such a non tough pathetic question.

Even Nayia was taken back, but she smiled. “Yeah.”

[PancaKe]

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Five – Joy and Rant
___________________________________

Ashley frowned and kicked the wall, not caring about the pain rushing from her toe. She paced the empty room angrily, about to go mental. She had been alone for a day now, and couldn’t take it. She was worried about me, about whether I had burnt down the school yet with Fury.

Tears began to leak from her eyes, as she furiously walked around the room. Her anger was building up, and she was glad Sugar wasn’t there otherwise she might of accidentally gotten mad at the little Eevee. A knock sounded from the other side of the rickety door, and it slowly swung forward, revealing Principal King.

“Ashley,” he began.

Ashley whirled around, glaring. “What do you want now?!” she yelled. “Last time you talked to me you gave me bad news! Now what do you want?!”

Mr King gulped. “I was just going to say that I’ve been able to fit you into Lapras Valley High.”

Ashley stopped, and looked at him. “Really?” she gasped. Mr King nodded. Ashley let out a joyful scream.

*

I lay awake, letting the sunlight steam in through the window. Fury had already gone out, probably to see Nixie or get food. Kayla was using the bathroom; I could hear the shower running.

Last night I had managed to use that thing, and it was really relaxing. Even though I did accidentally break the handle to the hot water and leave a large crack in it. I got so mad because I couldn’t get it working that I lashed out at it. Lucky Kayla helped me work it.

This whole place was hard to get used to but I was slowly adjusting to the whole atmosphere. Kayla was turning out to be all right; just she had a snobbish streak that seemed to be like drugs, something permanent that you can’t get rid of.

This was all too weird. I sat up and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. I can’t become nice, nice doesn’t get you anywhere, I told myself. I had already broken though, made a friend (Nayia) and sort of was getting along with Kayla.

But being nice got you no where. You tried to be nice in Quagsire Heights and you know what happened? You were most likely to wake up either in heaven or in somebody else’s apartment tied to a chair, nude and gagged.

Not a pretty thought but just a bit of reality.

Kayla stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a denim skirt that reached her knees, and a short green top with a picture of a Chikorita grinning on it and scraggly writing reading ‘Chikorita Chick’. Her hair was wet, and her top was so short it showed off practically all of stomach, coming to a stop just below the beginning of her chest.

“Morning,” she greeted cheerfully.

“Morning,” I replied, sitting up. I watched as she went over to the mirror and began to brush her hair. “Um… can I… I mean, are you … do you still need…?” I began awkwardly, pointing to the bathroom with my thumb.

Kayla saw me in the mirror and grinned. “Go ahead, have your shower.”

*

I still felt a bit uncomfortable about being sort of open with Nayia, but as Fury, Nixie, Nayia and I lined up for breakfast, I was getting used to the fact that she was my friend. Nobody though, could replace Ashley. She would be my best friend forever.

“Have you heard about that party going on?” Nayia started. “I got an invitation thing today under my door. I think I’ve got it in my pocket, but I’ll show you later. It’s for some kind of ‘Start of year party’ in Shelder Bay. I heard that after dinner we go there on Friday night, and just meet new people and go swimming until midnight. Then on Saturday night there is the beginning of term disco. I can’t wait! Are you going to go?”

I shrugged. The disco did sound interesting, I had never been to a disco before, so I just shrugged again and nodded. “Okay.”

“That’s great!” Nayia cried. “What are you going to wear? Because I saw these clothes in Lapras Valley that’d look good on you. They were basically the same thing you wear, jeans and a top, but these jeans were the fashionable jeans –“

“I’m going with my clothes,” I told her. “I don’t want any new clothes. I’m not getting any new clothes.”

Nayia sure talked a lot. I suppose that’s how people were. Or maybe it was just her. I wasn’t sure.

“Okay sorry about that, but I’m defiantly getting new clothes. Maybe another denim skirt, they had some really nice ones at Lapras Valley Mall.”


*

“Excuse me,” Ashley asked an office lady at the front office of Lapras Valley High. “My name is Ashley Lien, I was wondering, which dorm and tower am I in and could you please tell me the tower and dorm of Sally-Anne McGregor?”

“You’re in Flaria Dorm 6-C,” the woman replied in a bored tone. “And your friend is in Flaria Dorm 6-F.”

“Thanks,” Ashley thanked, and left with Sugar bounding behind.

*

Well, time sure went fast. After I saw Ashley, I felt like life would be okay, and Nayia really liked Ashley as well. The disco was interesting, the music was all right I suppose and that Blaron guy, he asked me to dance. We also met some new people, Martin (tall, light brown hair, brown eyes, 13), Craig (average height, black messy short hair, brown eyes, our age), Spike (Blaron’s cousin, dark brown hair spiked up, hazel eyes, our age) (they’re all our age), and Greg (average height, blonde hair, blue eyes).

I know it’s slack of me to head forward to today after missing out a whole week of action but if your not happy with it then just deal with it because I’m not giving a damn.

Anyway, it was Monday morning, and first class was about to start. We had received our timetables yesterday and bought our books from the front office. I was in a lot of classes for one day, why not just make one period a day not 4?

“We’ve got geography first, come on,” Kayla said, poking me. “We can’t be late.”

“Who cares?” I shrugged. “Come on Fury.”

“Stop,” Kayla held her hand up to my face halting me. “No pokemon allowed during classes.” I scowled.

“Who are they to tell me what to do with my pokemon?” I snapped. “Come on Fury.”

Kayla sighed as I stormed past her, and turned around. “Which classroom am I in?” I asked.

“Follow me.” Kayla led the way to my class and opened the door, letting herself in. Fury and I followed.

I saw Martin and Nayia talking at the back of the class. They seemed kind of private and secretive, like lovebirds. Spike, Craig and Blaron were all discussing some topic and in my opinion looked like nerds.

Ashley was sitting in the seat in front of Nayia, politely not listening to their conversation. I went and joined her there, and she grinned at me.

“Where’s the bloody teacher?” I complained.

“Who cares,” Ashley shrugged.

“Hey, Sal,” Nayia said, poking my back. “The later the teacher the less work we have to do which means the more talking and doing nothing.”

“Who is our teacher?” Ashley asked.

“I don’t really know,” Martin began.

“Last year we had Mr Banks but he left the school because he got transferred to Cascade North’s day school, Hydra Park High,” Nayia continued. “So we could have Mr William but I’m not sure I think he’s taking the other year 8 class.”

“You two were here last year?” Ashley asked.

“Yeah,” Martin shrugged. “Nayia and I have been here for over a year. So have most of the others. Only a few are really new. Like you guys, Blaron, Kayla and Teresa who’s over in the corner with the popular girls.”

“Heather, Leah, Marina and Annabelle ” Nayia scowled. “They’re all bitches. Worse than some of the Zharman Islanders. Aunt Misty always said to watch out for them and she was right.”

“Kayla and Teresa are over there with them.” I frowned, Kayla was a ***** but not bad ***** just a snob.

“You know, we really couldn’t get a worse teacher than Sister Eve,” Martin pointed out.

“Who’s she?”

“She is the toughest religious character in this school. She is a professional nun and a real *****. She is forever yelling and giving us the guilt and pain of being her students,” Nayia explained. “Its always ‘Craig! Get here at once, spit out that chewing gum and tuck your shirt in! You’re in big trouble boy!’”

“Hey!” Craig objected from the other side of the room. Ashley laughed.

“You’ve never met Lady Blastoise,” I spoke up.

“Who’s she?” Martin asked.

“Oh no, here we go,” Ashley sighed.

“Lady Blastoise is worse than those popular bitches over in the corner and Sister Eve put together multiplied by 10!” I cried. “She is the toughest, most unfair, prejudice person you could ever meet.” By this time, I was ranting so loud and getting so angry that the whole class had gone silent. Fury was on my desk, sighing. “She wanted to take me to her mansion and turn me into a slave when the orphanage was shutting down. Once I had to go live in her castle of doom for two weeks, and every day I was scrubbing the floor and cleaning out toilets while Fury was in an enclosed pool being forced to swim laps! FIRE POKEMON CAN’T SWIM! You haven’t met anybody until you’ve met Lady Blastoise, the biggest ***** in the whole entire galaxy!”

Ashley’s eyes widened, and Fury gave a strangled cry. The class was seated and staring at me nervously, their eyes flicking between me and something behind me. I turned around, and my blood ran cold.

“Nice of you to share your opinion Sally-Anne,” Lady Blastoise smirked.

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Six – Hidden Secrets
___________________________________

“Why thank you,” I glared. “What the hell are you doing here anyway, Lady *****-stoise?”

“Teaching, what do you think, Sally-Anne?” Lady Blastoise replied. “I do believe there is a rule at this school. No pokemon allowed during classtime, is that right? Well then I suggest both you and Vulpix leave the premises immediately.”

Teresa laughed, while I stood there, glowering. “If there are no pokemon allowed then why are we about to be taught by a Wobuffett?” I snapped.

Lady Blastoise just smirked. “Because I’m not a Wobuffett you imbecile. Sit down, and get your pathetic fire rat out of this classroom.”

“Fury is NOT a pathetic fire rat you… you tight-arsed *****!” I screamed. Even Teresa was quiet now.

“Is everything okay, Lady Blastoise?” another teacher asked poking her head through the door.

“Yes thank you,” Lady Blastoise nodded, smiling her sickly smile of evil and death. I shuddered, praying that I was still in Quagsire Heights with its familiar gloominess and depressing feel. I would have traded my position for all the empty, syringe lined garbage filled rotten streets of my old home.

“Look, I came here to get away from you. I won’t be listening to anything you say, nothing you do can hurt me anymore,” I glared.

Lady Blastoise just smirked. “Well you’d better do well in geography otherwise I’d not only have to flunk you…” she threatened.

I froze. She had me in a position where if I dared say anything she would spill my darkest secret. If I did my work badly she’d let loose. If I didn’t do my work, she’d spill it.

I don’t know how she found out but she did. Not even Ashley knew this secret. And nobody except me and Fury was supposed to know. Not Lady Blastoise.

Never Lady Blastoise.

I sat down and groaned deeply, giving the satisfaction to Lady Blastoise that she could boss me around.

“Get rid of that filthy vermin off your desk, unless you’d like me to take care of it,” Lady Blastoise instructed sharply. “Now if you’ll all open to page 54 I’d like to start our topic on geography.”

She scrawled the words ‘Pokemon habitats’ over the board and turned. “Everybody knows that wolf and fox pokemon such as Lupus, Vulpix and Ninetales live in thick forests, and the full moon can drive them crazy. One night I’ll take you out to Shady Thicket, the forest at the back of the school, when it’s a full moon, to observe the behavior of pokemon in the full white light.”

I stopped half way to the door, and turned, snarling.

This was not good.

*

Lady Blastoise must have done that on purpose, seeing she knew my secret. Those last words that she had uttered were just pure evil. “One night I’ll take you out to Shady Thicket when it’s a fool moon, to observe the behavior of pokemon in the full white light.”

She was here to get me, just as I had tried to avoid.

*

“You know the problem with Geography,” Nayia was saying. She was always saying something. “Geography is supposed to focus on land formations and land masses and just basically ‘How did that mountain get there’. But this Lady Blastoise, she seems strict and yet, she might turn the class into fun.”

“Don’t ever underestimate Lady Blastoise,” Ashley advised. “She may seem to be nice but once you show her your weakness she’ll pin you down and strip you of your pride if you don’t’ follow her orders.”

“She’ll pounce on you like a Persian hunting for food, she’ll hunt you down, tear you limb from limb just to find your weakness,” I continued. “Once she finds it, you’re a goner, under her power for as long as she is around.”

“How would you know?” Martin questioned.

My face clouded over. “You don’t want to know,” I replied, shutting off my small social life. I turned and faced away. Ashley looked confused, even she didn’t know, but she knew me well enough to keep off. Nayia and Martin exchanged nervous glances.

“Um… What’s going on?” Nayia asked curiously.

I whirled around, on the verge of exploding. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it so LAY OFF,” I snapped, and walked away.

“What’s up with her?” Martin asked Ashley.

“She’s sensitive about something, and doesn’t really want to talk about it,” Ashley answered. “I don’t really know but I have a feeling Lady Blastoise is making her edgy.”

*

I looked out to the calm rippling water of Shellder Bay. Why was the water so calm? Why? It was just rolling in onto the sand in small waves, the crystal clear liquid fresh and cool, the gentle sea breeze flowing through the air with tiny crystals of salt. I looked back at Lapras Valley High and buried my head in my hands.

I couldn’t take this. Lady Blastoise had followed me to this school, and she was going to expose my secret.

“Vulpix Vul,” Fury said quietly, trying to calm me down.

I petted Fury’s silky smooth fur. “Fury, you’re the only other person who knows my secret. I’m going to have to tell them one day aren’t I?”

“Pix,” Fury answered nodding.

“I don’t want to.”

“Pix Vulpix Vul Pix Vul Vulva Pix!”

*

“Starmie Ice Beam!”

“Sugar Quick Attack!”

Sugar the brown fluffy Eevee responded with agility to the sharp orders of Ashley. With one nimble bounce it had avoided the steaming light blue ice beam from Martin’s Starmie, allowing the patch of grass below it to freeze. Landing again, Sugar started to run, but slipped on the icy ground, sliding forward on her nose. Sugar looked up and glared at Starmie, who would have glared back if he had eyes.

“Starmie! Blizzard!”

Starmie’s core began to glow a light ice blue, looking very much like a crystal of ice, and a cold gust of wind started to rush through the arena. Out of the gem in Starmie’s indigo body, snowflakes and cold icy frostbite began to fly out and hurled towards Sugar in a whirlwind of snow.

“Sugar! Sand Attack!”

Sugar furiously rushed through the field a distance away from the blizzard and began countering it with a miniature sandstorm. The blazing cold storm overpowered the sandstorm, and Sugar was hit by the angry iced fingers of the blizzard, which slapped her back onto her back.

“No! Sugar!”

“Right Starmie! Good work!”

Sugar stirred from her position on the ground. She had been hit hard, and was on the verge of fainting. Starmie began to hover closer, preparing itself for another attack, but Sugar wasn’t sure which attack. She knew she had to get up, but how?

Starmie’s core shone like a rainbow, mostly white with the other colors mixed in. It was like looking into a stormy sky when it starts to clear. The star shaped indigo fighter looked as if he was ready to fire any second, while Sugar just lay there, stirring. Thoughts crept into Starmie’s mind as he powered up for the aura beam. ‘What if she’s just faking the stirring? What if she’s waiting for all my energy to be released then attacks me?’ Starmie shook himself. The ‘what if’ game was a dangerous one, one that a pokemon could not play in the middle of a battle. Pokemon had to be sure of themselves and of their attacks, and couldn’t judge what the opponent would do. But that was the most important element of a battle.

The element of surprise.

Starmie flew back high into the air, releasing the rainbow ray. It struck the ground about a meter in front of Sugar and traveled through the ground, breaking everything in its way. Sugar waited, and once the beam had come close enough for her to feel the heat placed in it, she leapt up and sprung out the way with such agility that both Martin and his Starmie were shocked. Ashley grinned; she had expected Sugar to do that. It was one of her favorite tricks.

Sugar leapt up into the sky, ready to comeback and take victory. She smashed headlong into Starmie, just striking the gem’s edge. Starmie flew down and hit the ground hard. Sugar landed on all four paws a bit away from Starmie, breathing heavily, chest heaving. Her fur was dampened by sweat and messy from the hard battle.

Starmie was able to get up, his core still hurting. Sugar saw that and began to charge at Starmie once again, but instead of hitting Starmie, ran around him, and began to power up. The grass around her began to rise, as she was charging up. Starmie hovered around, watching, not sure, which attack to use.

Starmie had just been ready to fire off a powerful water gun when Sugar slammed into Starmie with her side, taking Starmie down. Starmie landed down with a heavy thud, Sugar on top of him. Starmie released a hyper beam at that very second, taking the energy he had been using for the water gun and transforming the attack.

Sugar was hit, right in the delicate stomach area, and skyrocketed off Starmie and fell to the ground with a sickening splat. The teacher in charge of the Pokemon Battles class, Mr Burke, watched Sugar, looking for any signs of stirring.

After 5 seconds of eternity, he held up both hands. “The match is over,” he announced. “The winner is Martin and Starmie.”

“Nice match Starmie,” Martin congratulated Starmie.

Ashley walked over to the unconscious Sugar, and picked her up in her arms. “Come on Sugar, let’s go get you better. I’m very proud of you.”

“Hey Ashley!” Martin called. Ashley turned around. “Nice battle, Sugar is really tough.”

Ashley smiled. “Thanks!” she called back before leaving to get Sugar healed.

Pokemon battling was pointless; I didn’t see a point in the class. Fury had taken down Kayla with ease. Kayla had a Flareon that was poorly trained, it was skinny and wearing too much fragrance that was flammable. Fury had pointed that out with one flame-thrower.

I stared out into nothing, not caring whether I was going to math or not. Secrets were going to be revealed; fights were going to happen.

Lady Blastoise was going to go down.

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Seven – Past and Present
___________________________________

What was this? I ran my fingers delicately over the bent piece of wood, over the design of the swirl of lava coming from the inside of a volcano with the words ‘Eternal Eruption’ scrawled in black writing across the edge of the timber. It had been lacquered with a special type of clear coating, and flipping it over, it was hard like black sandpaper with silver glitter through it.

I had come across an old abandoned shed at the edge of the school grounds, past the greenhouse right behind the Solaria Tower. About as far away from Flaria as you could get without going to Shellder Bay or to Shady Thicket. The shed was more of a rundown hut of fibro panels, with a small window and door, and a whole lot of junk, but I had found this ‘Eternal Eruption’ piece of wood amazingly still in perfect condition. It had wheels on the bottom, just on either side of the picture and just before the bends, and the metal parts connecting the wheels and the wood read ‘Volcanic’ on them.

Fury was sniffing around, searching for other things, while I felt the wood carefully. One of the males should know; Martin or Blaron, Spike or Craig. I lifted it up, and it came off the bench with ease. Boy was it light!

“Fury, come on,” I called, walking out of there. As Fury and I walked through the grounds, several groups of boys stopped to stare at me in awe. What was their problem? I glared at them, but they still stared at me. At the piece of wood rather.

I found Martin relaxing at the side of the pool with Starmie, his hair wet, and wearing purple board shorts with yellow thunderbolts strategically placed. He looked up at me and grinned a toothy white grin. “Hey Sal.” He looked down at the wood, and gasped, his jaw hanging slightly open, his eyeballs reaching out of their bony sockets, and his face almost white.

“What the hell is the problem with people?” I demanded. “I walk around with a piece of wood with wheels and they all faint!”

“That’s a skateboard,” Martin interrupted, coming back to his senses. “It’s the best skateboard around. It’s an Eternal Eruption deck, with Volcanic bearings and trucks. You just found yourself $400 worth of skating stuff. You know how much it is for Eternal Eruption 3000 Edition decks? Plus about $30 for Volcanic wheels, $35 for Volcanic bearings and trucks. My gosh, you have found something so rare and incredible.”

I shrugged. “You call it a skateboard. What exactly does it do? Because right now it’s looking like a ****ing piece of ****ty timber.”

“I have a skateboard up in my room,” Martin told me. “Just a regular ‘Wrath’ deck. Want me to get it and show you how to use it?”

“Well if you can show me a use for this piece of junk then fine,” I replied. “But if not then Fury will have great pleasure in watching it crumble under the power of flames.”

Martin’s face changed to an expression of horror. “You can’t let Fury burn it! Luna and I just wont let you!” he cried angrily.

“Luna?”

“I gave my Starmie a name, finally.”

“Right, now are you going to show me how to use this piece of flammable material or not?” I demanded. “Because I’ve got better things to do with my time.”

“Vulpix,” Fury added sharply.

Martin sighed, and plucked his pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. With a flick of his wrist the ball flew up and opened with a pop, releasing the one pokemon he owned. “Luna, ready to fly?” he asked the star, who sort of gave a grunting reply meaning yes. Martin held onto Luna’s purple points and looked back at me. “Grab on, Luna’s really strong,” he instructed. I sighed and grabbed onto one of the points, holding Fury in my arms.

Luna soared up into the sky, and I will admit we looked really stupid. Two teenagers hanging off a purple star through the sky. To be honest, I didn’t’ even know Starmie flew.

The starfish pokemon headed over to the closer of the four towers, a tall light sky blue tower with a dodger blue roof and window sills the color of the ocean on a beautiful summers day. We flew in the open window, the aqua blue curtains blowing in the wind. The room was similar to Kayla’s and my room but with different shades of blue instead of orange and yellow. Martin jumped onto his bed and leant over the other side, looking underneath from above. Luna saw this and sighed, before heading off to her pokeball again.

Fury watched with great interest, wondering why the heck a pokemon would like staying in such a cramped up space with no freedom.

Emerging from the underside of his bed, Martin breathed in fresh air, a piece of wood like mine in his hand. His wood was green with blue thunderbolts on it and a fierce looking Vaporeon. ‘Bolt’ it read in thick, bold blue letters to the corner.

“This is a skateboard,” Martin showed me. “Mine is a Bolt deck, while yours is the best deck around, Eternal Eruption. A skateboard is something people ride for fun, and also to win money and prizes in competitions. You can do tricks on a skateboard, but the most important thing is to have good balance.”

“Right…”

*

Martin started to teach me how to ride a skateboard, and about a week later I was getting the hang of it. I had learnt how to balance and ride and tic tac, and was focusing on ollieing now. Ollieing is a skateboarding jump, which is like the base of all aerial moves. It was actually… pleasing. A new feeling for me, but like this school and other things, it was actually all right.

*

Nayia sat on her bed in the Boltaria Tower, gazing at a photo album, an old leather photo album with gold trimmings on the edges. She sighed, as she turned each page, coming to a stop at an especially important photo.

She sniffled, as a tear rolled down her cheek. The door suddenly opened, and her roommate, a girl called Haley, wandered in to read. Nayia pushed the album onto the floor behind her bed and walked out.

The photo album fell to the floor, and landed, open to the same page that Nayia had cried over.

In the picture, Nayia was there, her blonde hair obviously straightened. She looked to be about a year younger than now, and she was smiling broadly. To her left stood her cousin, a tall red head with sparkling blue eyes by the name of Misty Waterflower. To her right, two goofy looking boys, one older and one the same age as Nayia, grinned, pulling silly yet happy faces.

They were all so happy.

Below that photo, another photo had been inserted in the private album. Nayia was in this photo yet again, and seemed very happy with her blonde hair streaked green and blue. She had lots of glitter on her face, and was giggling as she hugged the older male beside her. He had been one of the goofy boys, and was grinning broadly, happy. His brown hair had been streaked blonde and was spiked. His brown eyes showed nothing but pure joy. He was hugging Nayia tightly, and both were laughing while smiling wildly.

Nayia walked through the corridors of Boltaria Tower, Nixie out playing with Luna, Sugar and Fury, who had seemed to form some sort of gang. Thankfully Nixie wasn’t with Nayia, as Nayia was in no mood to be comforted by anybody or any pokemon. She was walking by herself, her longish denim jacket swaying behind her, her joggers thudding on the carpeted floor. Her face was pale and tear rolled down her soft cheeks, causing her blue eyes to become upset.

She didn’t feel like doing anything or talking to anybody. Just staying alone, or being by herself. Not to sulk. To cry, to get her feelings off her chest. ‘A friend would be nice though, somebody to talk to, most probably Ashley,’ Nayia thought to herself. ‘Sal is too rough, she’d probably make me feel worse. Ashley has only been here for two weeks but I feel she is the right person to talk to.’

Walking through the school grounds, Nayia sniffled, the tears had stopped rolling down her cheeks like an endless waterfall, but she still looked like the white devil, like a ghost. She reached Shellder Peak, a small edge of grassy land great for picnics that seemed to jut out over part of the beach. Many sea caves ran underneath, known as Tidal Cavern. She looked out to sea, upset.

Martin had seen Nayia crying, and wanted to make her feel better, and had followed her on his skateboard. He approached her slowly as not to startle her, and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” he asked Nayia, concerned.

Nayia turned around to face Martin, her eyes red and puffy, skin pale and almost white, sniffing. She looked into the Spanish face of Martin, into his deep caring brown eyes past the few strands of streaked blonde brown hair. He questioned Nayia’s behavior with those eyes, and she stared into them for what seemed like an eternal time period of 5 seconds. Nayia let her eyes scan over Martin’s arm up to his hand, which was on her shoulder, not to heavy, but a sign that he cared.

Nayia began to cry into her hands, the crystal tears spilling out between her fingers. Martin quizzically sized up the image of Nayia’s sobbing for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged Nayia trying to comfort her.

The hug lasted all of 1 second.

Nayia roughly pushed Martin away, showing a sudden burst of strength. She glared at him through tear filled eyes, her stare like a harsh slap right across his face. Martin stared back at Nayia, worried and confused. She was upset, what was she angry and upset about?

“Keep AWAY!” Nayia screeched angrily, turning and jumping down the small cliff, landing on each rock and jumping further. It was obvious she had had practice. Once her sandals hit the golden grains of sand, she took off, running.

“Nayia wait!” Martin called, leaping and running after her. As he ran, he reached back and pulled out Luna’s pokeball, releasing the purple starfish. “Block Nayia off,” he quietly instructed. Luna sort of nodded, and hovered fast in front of Nayia, stopping right in front of her path.

Nayia stopped suddenly, and fell partway onto the sand, stopping herself with her hands. She stood up and straightened her denim skirt and her blue sleeveless top, and scowled at the Starmie. Martin caught up to her, and as Nayia turned around, she came face to face with Martin.

“Martin Naeco stay away from me!” Nayia shrieked.

Martin’s left eye twitched. Nayia was not herself, and Martin was worried. “Miss Nayia Waterflower, I’m trying to help you here, but if you don’t want my help, then fine!” Martin cried in desperation. “I’m trying to be a friend here, supporting you and helping you through a crisis! What in hell did I ****ing do wrong here?”

Nayia stared at him, totally quiet. The beach became deadly silent, the only noise being the waves rolling into the sandy shore. Nayia’s head hurt, it was all so familiar…

~-~-~-~

“Nayia, I really like you,” a voice spoke, soft and sensitive. It belonged to one of the goofy males in the pictures from Nayia’s photo album. His hair was streaked blonde, similar to Martins, very similar to Martins, and his eyes were cast downwards, focusing on his left sneaker.

Nayia, a year or two younger, looked up at him, questioningly. ‘He felt the same…’ she thought to herself. Daring to break the silence, Nayia uttered his name. “Luke,” she slowly said, reaching out and touching the sleeve of his leather jacket. The dark streets of Cerulean City were cold, and the lamp flickered. South Cerulean wasn’t the safest of places to be at night, but it was a hell of a lot safer than Quagsire Heights during the day. Still, Nayia and Luke were in danger, but it was a danger none of them knew about.

“Luke,” Nayia repeated. “I… I’m glad you told me that.”

Luke’s eyes shot up and focused on Nayia’s blue ones. “What…?” he stuttered.

“I’m glad you told me that,” Nayia said again. “Because… I feel the same way about you.”

“You do?” Luke stammered.

“Yes, I do,” Nayia told him, shyly. Luke and Nayia stared at each other for a moment, then elapsed into a hug. Nayia looked up at Luke, the taller of the two, and Luke looked down. For a second, they were just staring at each other, then before you could even say ‘I choose Pikachu’ they had began to kiss.

Nayia’s soft lips met the cold ones of Luke, as they stood there, in the dim light of the flickering street lamp, kissing. Nayia had never felt anything like it, she was amazed at how soft his lips felt against hers, and how carefully he was fondling with her hair.

A loud crack from the shadowed alleyway broke their kiss. Nayia and Luke jumped, and broke apart the lip connection, and stared down the dark alley, in each other’s arms. A figure lurked in the shadows, and both Nayia and Luke could tell that it was dangerous. Luke stepped in front of Nayia, pushing her behind him gently, and spoke out bravely. “Who’s there?”

It may have not been the bravest thing to say, but Luke felt he had to protect Nayia.

The figure stepped out of the shadows, and grinned evilly. Luke gasped, and Nayia gave a small squeak of surprise, which she couldn’t help. “Andy…” Nayia whispered.

Andy, the other goofy happy guy from the other photo with Misty, Nayia and Luke, glared at Luke and Nayia. “You always get everything don’t you?” he snarled at Luke. “You get the most allowance out of the both of us, the best rewards. You get all the awards at school; you’re ALWAYS the favorite! While I’m shadowed to the side, not cared for! Well not anymore. Not any more… brother.” Andy spat.

“What are you going to do?” Nayia whispered.

“Andy, stay back,” Luke warned. “Look, I can help you. Don’t go all psycho, it’s going to be okay, I can help you.”

“Help me do what?” Andy cried. “Become shadowed? Well I’ve had enough help from you with that particular feature.” Andy glared and grinned, the light reflecting off his face, giving him a deadly look.

“Andy, don’t!” Nayia pleaded. “Please calm down!”

“Now you have the girl as well! The girl I wanted! Well, you know what, if I can’t have her, nobody can have her,” Andy growled. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black revolver. He lifted and aimed.

“Andy! NO!” Nayia shrieked. Andy’s finger quivered for a moment, then clutched and pulled the trigger. The crack of the gun was deafening, splitting the silence of the streets. The bullet rocketed forward towards Luke and Nayia. Nayia was too stunned to speak, when suddenly she was roughly shoved aside by Luke, and fell to the icy concrete with a thud.

The bullet hit Luke.

He fell to the ground with a splat, hard, and motionless.

“No!” Nayia howled, as she stared at Luke’s bleeding forehead. He was still. Nayia desperately tried to find his pulse then attempted CPR. None worked.

“He’s gone Nayia,” Andy leered. “Now your all mine.”

“Andy Woodash you stay away from me!” Nayia yelled, stepping up and back away from the dangerous lunatic.

“Miss Nayia Waterflower, what is your problem?” Andy dangerously asked, advancing on her. Nayia cowered and stepped back. “I want you, and Luke isn’t getting you. I want to be your friend, I want to be able to help you through crises and guide you through life. I want to have something, and that something is you.”

“No! Go away!” Nayia pleaded. “Please, leave me alone!”

Andy stared at Nayia’s pleading face, her eyes begging to be left alone, her soul asking to be kept clean of Andy’s hands. Andy growled. “You know what?” Andy began. “Luke got everything.”

He paused. Nayia watched him as he picked up the revolver he had dropped. He lifted it and Nayia nearly had a heart attack with the fear that he would kill her. Instead he lifted it to his own head and gave an insane smile. “He even got to die first,” Andy finished with a whisper.

~-~-~-~-~

Nayia stared at Martin. He looked so much like Luke, tall, cute, the same hair and eyes. She couldn’t let him get near her, she didn’t want somebody she cared for to get hurt. The last two people she greatly cared for were killed, one murder one suicide.

How could she take the chance with Martin? ‘I don’t’ like him as in like like, do I? I don’t. But I still care about him as a friend. If he got hurt I wouldn’t be able to handle it. But… he’s hurting now. I have to tell him about my past… something I’ve never been able to tell anybody before… can I trust him? I can’t let him go away, just like every other person I’ve cared about and trusted before…’


____________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Eight – Freak Fight
___________________________________

“I can’t ever let myself get to close to another male, otherwise that will happen,” Nayia finished, staring out to the ocean, where the sun was setting giving the water a clear, pinky bluish look.

Martin nodded. “You poor thing, life hasn’t been easy on you,” he sympathized. “But I promise, I won’t let anything happen to me.”

“Hya!” Luna added, as if to say that Martin was safe while she was around.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Nayia sighed. “I was looking at pictures of Andy and Luke and that just brought back memories. I can’t get close to males now… I have to go.” Nayia got up and walked away.

Martin and Luna stared after her. Nayia turned around.

“Thanks Martin,” she thanked before leaving.

*

Skating was something new to me but I was getting the hang of it. It was actually challenging, just like school. I was put in low classes where most of us were. We weren’t the brightest of people but we were perfectly nice. At least some of us were. Nayia was in a very high class for English and Martin was in the top class for Maths and Science. While I was in low classes for everything, except PE which I placed in the third highest with Blaron, Spike and Greg because of my self defense abilities. And for battling I was in class B with Ashley and Martin.


The school was very high classed compared to Quagsire Heights. Shady Thicket, the forest at the back of the school, stretched for miles, and Shellder Bay was great for swimming in.

I was skating around the back gate of the school, where there were the courts and the gravel path leading to the bay, when I saw Martin return from the beach, sandy and alone. He looked upset, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t upset, was I?

“Martin,” I greeted nodding.

“Hi Sal,” he said distantly.

“What’s your problem?” I demanded. He wasn’t on Earth; his mind was far away as if he was keeping a secret.

“Nothing,” Martin replied. I stared at him and he tried to grin. “Seriously, its nothing,” he insisted.

“Don’t lye to me,” I growled, grabbing his shirt and pushing him against the fence. “Now what the f**k is keeping you all secretive?” Martin squirmed, but I was stronger than he was and kept him pinned against the criss cross wire.

“Okay let me down I’ll talk!” Martin gave in. He sighed and looked me in the eyes. “You can not tell ANYBODY. Promise me that.”

*

Kayla and Teresa lay on Kayla’s bed, flicking through one of those glossy magazines with flashy models and tubes of lip-gloss. Teresa pointed to one picture of a model wearing similar pants to Kayla and giggled. “Check out her pants,” she said cruelly. “They make her look like a Snorlax!”

Kayla knew Teresa too well to object. She just nodded and smiled, and looked down at the cover of the bed, running her fingers over the soft doona, wishing she had chosen another pair of pants to wear.

“You know what, I’m going to run for the Student Council Manager for 8th Grade,” Teresa announced to Kayla.

“You are?” Kayla asked.

“Yeah,” Teresa replied offhandedly. “I’m going to make there be a disco every two weeks. And naturally everybody should vote for me, after all I am one of the most popular girls here.”

“Yeah…” Kayla slowly nodded.

“Did you hear about the new guy?” Teresa changed the subject. “He is such a nerd. Greg something, him and his Muk are here. He looks hot though, although he’s a nerd. He was hanging around with Spike, Blaron and Craig.”

“What a looser,” Kayla agreed halfheartedly. ‘What is this with Teresa, so critical? But she IS my friend and she can get bitchy at times…’

*

“There’s a disco on tomorrow night if you haven’t heard,” Nayia said as we lined up for food. “I heard its going to be the best, like a pre-election thing for the Student Council. Have you heard? Teresa is running in the competition.”

“Teresa?” Ashley repeated. “Well I’m also in the competition.”

“You are?” I asked.

“You ARE?” Nayia shrieked.

“There’s one thing I won’t understand about girls, I’m going over with Craig and the new kid Greg,” Martin told us before pushing his way through the crowd over to a table.

“Anyway, we have some serious campaigning to do before the election next week,” Nayia said. “I want you to win. Personally, I think that Teresa is…”

“Only the biggest ***** in the universe,” I input. “I mean honestly, I was in the bathroom yesterday when I hear her come into the room with Kayla. She was going on about how Craig and Greg and Blaron and Spike are nerds, how some girl wearing the same pants as Kayla looked like a Snorlax and how she was going to win the election because she was so damn popular. Well somebody better tell her that looks aren’t everything because if she keeps up that bitchy attitude she won’t be going anywhere. I hope she fails miserably, I hope one day she rots in hell where she belongs, the self centered *****.”

“Not again,” Ashley murmured.

“Good day to you Sally Anne,” Teresa icily greeted. “I suppose you were having fun sharing your thoughts about people to others, just like you did with Aunt Lucidia Blastoise. You just love that don’t you, going behind peoples backs and stabbing them.”

I glared at Teresa, and reached behind me for my dagger. I grasped the air instead and whirled around to see another of Teresa’s friends behind me, holding the dagger in its case in her hands.

“Looking for this?” Marina mocked, her bold blue fringe covering part of her left eye, her two identical blue pigtails behind her shoulders. She held the dagger up in the air and pretended to study it. “Very old, wonder what would happen to it if it was burnt.”

I lifted my foot and brought it down hard on Marina’s toeless shoes. My joggers crushed down on her little toes and she yelped in pain, dropping the dagger. I reached for it when a Jolteon leapt through the air and caught it in her mouth. The Jolteon landed gracefully, her golden spikes shining, her teeth bared and growling.

“I wouldn’t try and get it, that Jolteon is highly trained,” Annabelle warned tauntingly, tossing her hot pink wavy hair over one shoulder and gloating at me.

I stood there fuming.

“Aww look at that, she’s going to burst with anger,” Heather teased, her lavender short hair fluffy and wild. She was gloating just like the rest of them. I turned around, eyeing each *****.

Marina, standing on one leg, rubbing her toes. Teresa, smirking at me with nothing but hatred in those eyes. Annabelle looking all smug, next to her snarling Jolteon. Heather playing with her hair, waiting for the next move. Leah walked up next to Teresa, who whispered something in Leah’s ear after brushing away Leah’s blonde hair.

Kayla.

She was standing back, watching like the other silent spectators. She wasn’t joining in with the gang ***** bashing. Why? It wasn’t as if we were friends. Perhaps she knew how tough I really was? Or maybe she wasn’t such a snob after all.

“What do you want Teresa,” I demanded, playing it cool. “You want something don’t you?”

“Me? Want something from you?” Teresa scoffed.

“Yes,” I answered quietly. “If you didn’t want something then why do you have all your so called friends here? You want to push me down, make me look like an idiot, cause me to go depressed, to become so low that it makes you look higher than I. Your afraid of me, aren’t you Teresa?” I glared as I accused Teresa.

I saw a flash of horror in Teresa’s eyes, she seemed to be scared for a split second, but then her smug look instantly returned.

“Why on earth would I be afraid of you?” Teresa asked.

The crowd grew bigger. I saw Nayia and Nixie (who had appeared), Spike, Blaron, Craig, Greg and Martin watching, and a few others. Leah, Teresa, Marina, Heather and Annabelle surrounded me and I wasn’t about to surrender to them.

“I have been through more than you’ll ever been through in your entire snooty life,” I began. “I’ve endured days with only one juju chocolate, weeks without water. I’ve been through experiences that you have in your nightmares, almost raped, almost murdered twice, picked on. But I’ve come through. Its obvious your scared, look at who’s with you. Your specially selected ***** Brigade, the Men-in-disguise Mafia. Get lost and give me back my dagger, I don’t have time to waste on you.”

“What happened to all that fighting I’ve heard about?” Teresa pushed. “The stabbing, the slapping.”

I turned around and glared. “You don’t want to make me get into that,” I stated before walking a few steps away.

“Look at this everybody,” Teresa raised her voice so it could be heard throughout the crowd. “The famous Sal is scared of fighting. Look at her, walking away. Only a true wimp would be such a coward and walk away.”

“Only a true ***** would let everybody know that she’s the leader of the Lapras Valley High Mafia,” I replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have lunch to buy.”

“The dagger,” Nayia hissed. “Your dagger!”

I turned around. “Before I leave I want to get my dagger back, if I may.”

“How about no?” Teresa replied. “No dagger for little wimps.” She shook her finger out in front of me.

And I snapped.

My first fight.

It felt good.

[PancaKe]

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Nine – Shadows
___________________________________

“So what exactly happened?” Jackie asked, watching me carefully. I sat in her office, hair messy and stiff from various voltages of electricity from Jolteon, a large gash down my right cheek bleeding, claw marks all over my arms, my shirt torn and my lip cut and oozing blood.

Fury sat beside me on a chair; fur mattered and scolded from high-powered electrical shocks, her eyes blazing, one half closed as a large slash had been made right over it by my dagger.

I sighed angrily, recalling what had happened. During the fight, Ashley had returned and Fury had leapt through the air, burning Marina’s hair and knocking Annabelle out of the way, leaving me to handle Heather, Leah and Teresa. Not that they were hard, it was just the constant shocks that had bothered me. Jolteon and Fury had begun to fight in the middle of it, when Fury ripped my dagger from Jolteon’s jaws and tossed to me with the flick of her head.

In the end a couple of teachers and pokemon ripped us apart and sent us to Jackie’s office.

“Teresa is a *****,” I stated. “She came up to me, insulted me, got her ***** Mafia to surround me and picked a fight. I wasn’t going to put up with any ****ing bull**** from a ****ing ***** like her you know.”

“Please refrain from using those violent words,” Jackie interrupted. “Continue.”

“She had me surrounded, and the only thing I could do was try and threaten her with my dagger,” I explained furiously. “Then Marina stole it from me and gave it to Annabelle’s Jolteon. After that, they mocked me, taunted me, and made me explode.”

“And that’s where the fighting came in,” Jackie commented.

“****in right – I mean – yeah,” I corrected myself.

Jackie stared at me while she paced around her office. “We have security cameras,” Jackie finally said after what seemed like eternal silence. “If your story and the other girls stories don’t match up, then we will be checking the cameras. Not only will we check those but also the whole case would go up in front of the school jury in school court.” She kept a hard look on me. “And I don’t want to be harsh, but who ever is lying will be wishing they were never born. Whatever punishment the school jury can cook up may not just affect them.”

“So? That means its going to affect teachers and those *****- those other girls right?”

“No.” Jackie faced me sternly. “Not just the person lying but the people around her. Her pokemon, her family, her friends. Her life would be shattered, its up to the jury.”

*

“Pidgey,” the tiny bird cooed, fluttering through the grounds. The caramel chest feathers brushed in the wind as its tiny wings flapped furiously trying to find the student it had to deliver the message to.

“Sal, there’s a Pidgey for you,” Ashley called from the other side of my dorm door. She knocked on the door hardly. “Sal, open up.”

I hoisted myself off my bed and yanked the door open. Ashley stood there, her eyes worried, her hair held back with a blue headband that matched her denim skirt and jacket and light blue top. She held the bird in her arms, and spoke. “Here, there’s a message from Principal Tyson.”

I sighed heavily, taking the message and returning to my bed. This time I left the door open. Ashley let the Pidgey go and entered the room. “Sal, what’s wrong?”

“Here’s what’s wrong,” I began. “Jackie said that if somebody was caught lying that we’d all be placed in front of the jury and in front of the school court. I don’t have a lawyer, and if Teresa has lied then she will be the biggest ***** in history.”

“Well you’ve been called up to the office all the same,” Ashley replied. “I bet it’s to say sorry and just to tell you what is going to happen.”

Same old Ashley; always comforting and supportive, so different to everybody else. She deserved to win the position of Student Council Manager.

*

The news hit hard. Jackie was no longer a friendly Zharman Island hater but a stern strict adult. She was dead serious, and pretty angry.

“Sal I’m not going to beat around the bush,” Jackie began seriously. “So I’ll get straight to the point. The two stories couldn’t be more different. You’re going to court.”

I couldn’t focus. This was really stressing me out. I could imagine Ashley now, kind and helpful and supportive.

“Don’t worry too much about it, it’ll all be over before you know it and anyway, you’ve got us to help you. We’ll help you through this. Don’t worry one bit.”

And Martin, his positive attitude and recalling experience.

“I saw one of these before. It’s no big deal really, people just play along like a real court room, except if your found guilty…”

Nayia, her talkative self, she’d probably describe it in every detail.

“Well its just like a normal court room, the jury, the audience, the judge, and you need witnesses and if you can pass the trial, you have to get questioned by the school teachers, who act as lawyers. They can be real tough. But you know the worst thing? The fact that you’re under pressure, the fact that if you actually do anything wrong, one wrong word, not enough evidence, one minor bling-bling and it could all go bye-bye.”

And Fury – Fury would be shocked, horrified, and ready to attack and burn the people behind this.

“Who are on the jury?” I asked, silence broken by my voice.

“I don’t really know,” Jackie replied. “Mr Banks, Miss Key, Ms Feraj, Sister Bethany, Um… a few others… oh I remember another. Lady Blastoise.”

*

“Sal – the time has come.”

I opened my eyes, the moon round and full, barley shining through the drapes. I could feel his presence – the power surging out of his body, if you could call it a body, and into all those around him. Kayla stirred in her sleep.

“Come Sal, we must not wake the child.”

The voice called again. I didn’t want to go; it couldn’t be time. Why did they want me now? I had to stay – for the sake of Ashley, Nayia, Sugar, Martin, Jackie, and for Fury. She loved hanging out with Nixie, Luna and Sugar, and plus, other pokemon here were good for her.

“No, I will not go.”

The power suddenly dipped in surprise. I sat up in bed and crept away from the blinds in fear. If it opened the blinds, then I would be forced to go. I couldn’t let that happen. I had a fight in the morning, and if I didn’t make it Teresa would sure go around saying that I Wobuffetted.

Wobuffetted – When one is scared and finds a way to get him/herself out of trouble or something that needs facing. Similar to being a chicken, scardy cat or weaseling your way out of something.

“No I will not go with you. Nafeti you can not make me go with you.”

I resisted the power, knowing that if he did get me, I would not have a choice. I couldn’t face him; I wanted to Wobuffett my way out of this one.

I felt a breeze, and through the curtains, Nafeti materialized. He was not in his natural form, instead he was like a shadow, dark and mysterious. He growled at me, in his natural male transformed form.

The Anglias glared at me with its blood red eyes. Anglias, a wolf pokemon not very common in the wild (more common in were-pokemon), were dark pokemon, with slender well built bodies enabling them with advantages in speed and strength. They were well known for their night raids, in which they would take any food or pokemon they could find, not just for eating but for battling, and feeding off the suffering and power of that pokemon.

Nafeti was an Anglias, and he was growling at me. His fur was black, the only light bits being two silver lines around the outside of his eyes. His teeth shone in the moonlight, as I shrank back against the wall, scared.

The only other time Nafeti had come for me was when I was 8 back in Quagsire Heights. I had been outside stealing food in the middle of the night when Nafeti had cornered me down an alleyway as dark as his fur. I had been younger and more bold and daring and tried to stand up to him. In consequence I had been taken to the head of the were-pokemon, himself, Lord Canis Lupus.

~-~-~-~

Lord Canis Lupus glared at me, and I glared back, Fury in my arms keeping me warm. I wanted to get out of there, I was sick of being involved with Lord Canis Lupus, for one thing his fur was hideous, it was bloodstained and patches were missing.

“Reishe Pacte Loupe,” Canis Lupus growled. “You will pay attention. You will stay now or be called back in five years. Now is the better time, you and your fox will both be welcome. You are both part of the big family. If you don’t want to admit it then go ahead, but the truth will come back to you one day. Are you coming or not?”

“I won’t join you!” I cried. “I won’t I won’t I WON’T!”

“Nafeti take her back,” Canis Lupus sighed. “WE will call for her later.”

~-~-~-~

“No I can’t go!” I hissed to Nafeti. “I won’t go I won’t join your pack. I am perfectly fine here. There is no need for me to join your ranks again.”

Nafeti sighed. “Come Reishe, Canis Lupus must talk to you. He still respects your decision greatly but you must talk to him about something important.”

“What?” I questioned. It had been a long time since I had been called Reishe, my formal werewolf name. But now I was hearing it, it was different in a sense.

“Your parents.”

“They’re not dead? They weren’t killed in a were raid?”

“They were, we have told you that numerously. We have something for you from them, and also, Canis Lupus is suspicious. He fears your power is not great enough to ward off the water spirit.”

“What water spirit?”

“Come and you shall see.”

“I told you, I’m not joining your pack.”

“Just come…” Nafeti stumbled over his words, then uttered something that was not really allowed in the were pack. “Sal, come.”

“Do you put your life on the line and tell the truth that you will not force me to stay?” I asked carefully.

“Yes, you are just wanted for talking too,” Nafeti replied. “Awaken the fox and we shall go.”

I prayed that Kayla wouldn’t wake.

I prayed that only Fury and Nafeti would see me touch full moonlight.

I prayed that they would be the only ones to see me do something I had avoided for a long time.

I prayed that they’d be the only ones watching me transform.

Transform into a were-pokemon. A Ninetales.


___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Ten – Killer Instinct
___________________________________

Transforming, I stood in the form that I had avoided for months. Ever since I had come back from Lady Blastoise’s house.

~-~-~-~-~

“Why am I staying here?” I demanded angrily of the woman in front of me. She had shoulder length flaming orange hair, and it seemed to curve under itself as if she was in a business magazine. Her icy eyes surveyed me, then she smiled.

She smoothened out imaginary crinkles in her posh business suit and smiled tightly. “I have offered to give one of the poor helpless critters and his or her pokemon at Quagsire Heights a holiday for a month. So for a month you will be staying here.”

Lady Blastoise was trying to be kind, but there was something I could sense about her that I did not like. I gazed to the sky, and inwardly groaned.

Full moon.

How was I going to transform with her around?

Fury could sort of understand how I was feeling. She kept on glancing from me, to Lady Blastoise to the full moon, worried.

*

Sunset came, and Lady Blastoise sent me outside to go fetch the paper. Thick forests surrounded her land and the paper was about a quarter of a mile from her house. I carefully made my way to the paper with Fury. Suddenly, I felt a familiar presence of energy that I hadn’t felt for two years, since I was eight.

I looked in front of me, into the forest area, and a familiar figure stepped out. I wasn’t scared, just more or less surprised that Nafeti was here, in his Anglias form too.

“What are you doing here?” I questioned.

“You must leave here now,” Nafeti warned. “You must leave!”

“I can’t, this place is like prison!” I replied. “They’re forcing me to stay here! Now I have to go, the moon is pretty high.”

“But wait,” Nafeti called. I turned around and looked at him. He sighed. “That person, she is not good. People think were-pokemon is bad, but she is 10 times worse. Do not trust her.”

“Thanks a lot you ****ing idiot!” I hissed, feeling myself transform. “Now I’m transforming!”

“You would have had to anyway,” Nafeti shrugged.

~-~-~-~-~

Ever since then I had avoided it. But now, I don’t know why, but I could feel myself in the body of a Ninetales, my cream fur shone in the moonlight and Fury stood beside me.

“Let us go,” Nafeti said.

I leapt out the window after him and landed on soft grass in the middle of Shady Thicket. “Your powers have increased.” I commented.

I was much more polite around other Anglias and Ninetales were-pokemon than I was with humans. I knew how tough these pokemon people could be. I didn’t want to get ripped to shreds.

“Well I have been in training, unlike you,” he replied. “Come along, we must see Canis Lupus.”

*

“Hello Canis Lupus,” I greeted formally, facing the large brutal beast in front of me.

Canis Lupus, a rather large Anglias, bore into me with his piercing stare. “You have returned, Reishe. Very unlikely, but you do know that as a were-pokemon you are expected to transform and return.”

“You know I still show no respect for returning to the pack Canis,” I growled. “You know me as a human and as a Ninetales, and I do not change my mind either way. I am staying with Fury, Ashley, Sugar, Nayia, Martin, Luna, Nixie, Kayla and Jackie.”

“There are new names there,” Canis pointed out.

“You knew the rules Reishe!” Nafeti yelled. “You were not supposed to have contact with humans and start emotional relationships! You have broken the rules and you should be punished!” Nafeti, the other were-pokemon and I looked at Canis, who was unusually quiet. “Well Canis? Reishe has broken the rules once more! She should be punished should she not?”

“Nafeti,” Canis started. “Please be quiet! I believe I can handle this situation without advice from an inferior!”

Nafeti moved backwards, slightly embarrassed.

“Reishe,” Canis began. “You have broken two of the highest rules. One; Not to put transforming off, and two; not to create physical or emotional relationships otherwise you won’t want to leave.”

“I don’t’ want to come with you anyway,” I growled again. “Neither does Fury.”

Canis sighed. “As Nafeti may have mentioned, we have news on your parents.”

My ears pricked up. “Go on.”

“Your parents, your father, is dead. He was killed before you were born mysteriously. As for your mother, she is also dead. Suspected suicide, she was found hanging in her garage the day after you were born. That is why you were raised an orphan,” Canis paused. “Both of these deaths may be related to your mothers sister, who was often jealous of your mother.”

“Mum had a sister?” I questioned. I’d never heard any thing about her.

“Yes but she said she had nothing to do with them,” Canis answered. “Therefore you have had great contact with her, and exchanged more than a few sharp words with this woman."

“Who is she?!” I yelled. “Come on tell me.”

“Reshie,” Canis sighed. “Be quiet! You will find out eventually! Now, you must go back seeing you are unwilling to join our pack. If you ever need us come to Shady Thicket and we will be here. But you must return, your roommate will be waking soon.”

The powerful Anglias’ eyes began to shine as they were covered by an indigo glow, similar to parts of the sky as the sun was rising. Fury and I were surrounded by a purple aura for a moment as the scenery changed. Canis, Nafeti and the other were-pokemon disappeared and the trees and other plant life changed into the familiar surroundings of my dorm.

Sunlight shone through the window. As the early morning rays struck my fur, I began to change, and stood there in my boxer shorts and my oversized T-shirt looking like I had just woken up.

Fury looked at me quizzically as if to say ‘May I?’ I shook my head in response and headed for the bathroom, leaving Fury in the room.

*

“Court please rise,” Jackie requested from the judge’s podium. Playing the role of school judge, Jackie sat, hammer resting beside her. I stood behind one of those desks where the defenders stand, while Teresa and her gang stood on the other side. As witnesses behind me sat Ashley, Martin, Nayia and Fury. Sugar, Nixie and Luna waited outside.

“This court case is to find who should be punished for the big fight in the school cafeteria two days ago at eleven hundred hours,” Jackie spoke. “Now, Sal, what happened?”

“I was talking,” I began. “To Nayia. We were talking about Teresa because I overheard her criticizing other people including Greg and Craig’s little group. Now if she’s bloody well going to say something about somebody then say it to their face instead of behind their backs. Teresa came up to me and she started verbally abusing me. She got her ***** brigade to surround me and then I was just pushed over the edge by nothing but endless remarks about how stupid my life was.”

Jackie nodded. “Teresa?”

“Well,” Teresa started, twirling her hair around her finger. “I was lining up in the lunch line behind Sal when I heard her talking about me. I didn’t like it so I told her and the next thing I knew was that she was slapping and punching me. If I didn’t take away her dagger who knows where I could be now? She surly would have killed me!”

“I wouldn’t have killed you, *****,” I snapped.

“Sal quiet,” Jackie warned.

I glanced behind me. Ashley gave me an encouraging smile, Nayia was too busy glaring at Teresa and her gang to notice me; and Martin nodded as if to say ‘kick their ***’.

Fury was pacing on the floor, looking up at me. She was worried, bothered and it was much more than the court case.

*

Time passed. Witnesses were called up and questioned. The stories were similar to each other even though most people knew that I was the truthful one. I couldn’t keep my eyes on the jury. I noticed our battling teacher; Sister Eve; a few other teachers and the red head of death.

Lady Blastoise eyed me. I narrowed my stare. She stared back just as harshly. Our eyes showed pure hatred, fire burning behind each eyeball.

“Jury make your decision,” Jackie announced. Jackie looked at me and winked and crossed her fingers. I sort of half smiled, then watched Lady Blastoise worried.

“Your honor the jury has made its decision,” one teacher announced standing up. “On behalf of the Lapras Valley High Boarding Collage Jury-“

Get on with it! I screamed in my mind.

“- We find Sally-Anne McGregor guilty of attacking Teresa and her friends and then lying.”


___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Eleven – Suicidal Punishment
___________________________________

To say the least I was stunned. My mouth dropped open with a clang, and my eyes widened as I stared at the jury. Time stopped. I was frozen, non-blinking, just staring. My hair slowly fell onto my face in front of my eyes. I brushed it away as a reflex.

Shaking, I put my hands on either side of the podium and leant there, breathing hard. I glanced up and glared at Lady Blastoise, who sat there, smirking evilly, gloating over my tragedy. Why had she done this too me?

I knew exactly why.

Only she knew that I was a were-pokemon. And with her extensive power she wished to capture me, keep me as her own and experiment on me to try and brainwash me and use me for evil. If she couldn’t do that then she’d use me as a circus animal. She’d get people to pay admission to see me, the amazing were-pokemon.

I hated her more than ever right now.

I hated her now more than when she forced Fury to swim 50 laps of her Olympic sized pool.

I hated her now more than when she taunted me in the past and threatened to tell my secret.

I hated her guts. And the rest of her too.

The people watching the whole courtcase began to move out towards the door. Ashley stood up and started to make her way over to me followed by Nayia, Martin and Fury. I shot a glance at them, before bolting, jumping over the small wooden gates dividing the court area from the audience, through the crowd and rushing away.

“Sal!” Ashley yelled, but I didn’t care. My fight with Lady Blastoise had gone on long enough; I just wanted to end it all.

“We have to go after her,” Ashley cried, turning and facing Nayia and Martin anxiously. “I’ve never seen her like this before, never! And I don’t trust her by herself like this. She could… could… KILL herself!”

Nayia was silenced for once. Martin instantly responded. “Come on let’s go after her!”

“Na-ah,” a menacing voice interrupted. The three teenagers and Fury stopped and looked at Lady Blastoise. “Part of the punishment is not only to punish them but to punish their friends as well. Most people don’t care about themselves and will just shrug off detention after detention but once you hit their friends you hit home… hard. From this point on you three are not allowed to leave the school grounds, not allowed on excursions and no school privileges or extra curricular activities.”

“Wha…” Ashley gasped.

“Which for you Miss Lien,” Lady Blastoise continued harshly. “Means no running for school council. For you Miss Waterflower, absolutely no more trips to Lapras Valley for two months. For you Mister Naeco, no skateboarding for two months. Any disobeying of these rules and you will be placed under further punishment.”

She turned to leave. Ashley gritted her teeth and glared, temper rising like the flames of a bonfire. Her fists were clenched, knuckles white. Martin glared after Lady Blastoise as well, growling. Nayia stood there, speechless for a change.

“My shopping…” she whispered. “YOU CAN’T DO THIS TOO US! SAL IS TELLING THE TRUTH AND YOU KNOW IT!” She screeched after the smug looking *****.

Lady Blastoise only looked over her shoulder. “I think I just have.”

*

Pull the noose around the neck
You still have time its not over yet
Stop now if you want to live your life
There’s no turning back once the knot is tied

I continued running, I didn’t know where though. I just streaked through the school courtyards to the back of the school where I normally skated. Doubling back and going my own way, I rushed to my dorm and snatched my board from the corner and began skating through the halls and jumping down stairs.

Life’s too good to waste away
Hunt by night shrivel by day
Blow after blow it strikes you fast
But give it a chance and let it last

Skating out the back of the school I realized I couldn’t go any further on my skateboard and picked it up and started running, carrying it. I took one step, and found my sleeve caught to the barbed wire. With a sharp tug, my shirt tore and I was free.

Please don’t do it there’s someone who cares
Please don’t do it when someone’s out there
No matter how low life will take you
No matter what I know you’ll come through
Don’t give up now
Don’t give up now

I continued running, as the pewter clouds began to grow heavy. With a crack of lightning, rain began to flood down, wetting the dirt path. Mud began to stick to my shoes and I figured that my grip tape was going to get wrecked. Taking a slight detour off the path, I placed my board under a large leaf to cover the grip tape, and ran through the trees.

The road is long, winding, and tough
It won’t take long before you’ve had enough
One day you’ll be hit harder than ever before
One thing you won’t be crying out for more

The twig may seem harmless but when you’re streaking through Shady Thicket in pouring rain it’s no good at all. I slipped and fell flat on my face in more muddy grass. I got up and found myself at a dead end, only one way to go. Through the small path of thorny bushes. Running through, I tripped just as the clearing came close, and fell to the ground with a thud. My leg had been caught in the thorns and with a few hard yanks, my jeans ripped and I ran on.

Life may seem tough maybe worse
But it’s all just a part of its course
Survival is showing who is strong
Who can last for forever long

I was tired, breathing heavily, soaked to the bone, and shivering. I couldn’t go back, Lady Blastoise was going to expose me as soon as she could. I crawled along the grass in the rain, and made it into a small cave. I shivered and hugged my knees.

Please don’t do it there’s someone who cares
Please don’t do it when someone’s out there
No matter how low life will take you
No matter what I know you’ll come through
Don’t give up now
Don’t give up now

*

“Nayia!” Ashley called worried. Ashley ran up to Nayia, wearing her jeans and a sleeveless spaghetti strap top with a yellow shooting star on a navy background. Around her neck was the bandanna I had given her for her birthday, the special tie died bandanna that I had made myself. Under that was the metal ball chain that I had also given her just before leaving for Lapras Valley High.

“Yeah?” Nayia asked, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Have you seen Sal?” Ashley panted, Sugar and Fury behind her.

“No, not since she ran out of the courtroom,” Nayia frowned. “Why?”

“I can’t find her at all!” Ashley cried. “I’m so worried, what happens if she has committed suicide? She can’t have! But she probably is gone already…” Ashley began sobbing.

Nayia hugged Ashley. “Come on, we’ve got to search for Sal!” she replied. “Sal is a special person, although she may not see it. She was the first ever friend I had here, she was the first person who I knew that wasn’t afraid to speak their mind, to say if they didn’t like something. She was the first person to actually make a difference in my life, a positive difference.”

“We’ve got to find her!” Ashley managed to say in between sobs.

“Right, you go get Blaron and his friends and I’ll find Martin and we’ll meet back here in five minutes,” Nayia said. Letting go of Ashley, she turned and ran, yelling
“Hurry!”

Ashley turned and ran into the library over to the far corner where Blaron and Spike were sitting. Craig and Greg were no where to be seen but that didn’t matter to Ashley.

“Hi Ashley,” Spike greeted. Even though the nerd group and my group didn’t see or hang around each other that much we were still on friendly terms and talked to each other and said hi in the halls and in class.

“Sal…” Ashley breathed heavily.

Blaron jumped out of his seat, and it fell over backwards. He could sense something bad was happening to Sal. “What’s wrong? Where’s Sal?” he asked anxiously.

“Oh la la, Blaron and Sal sitting in a – okay I get the picture I’ll cut it out,” Spike grumbled, seeing Blaron’s harsh glare.

“Spike go find Craig and Greg,” Blaron snapped. “Come on Ashley lets find Sal.”

*

Ashley struggled through the pelting rain. She knew that Nayia, Martin and her were banned from leaving the school grounds but what else could she loose? Surly they wouldn’t take Sugar.

Fury had been told to wait at the school and she anxiously watched Ashley and the group go out. Nixie, Luna and Sugar had also gone, leaving Fury alone. Fury couldn’t believe that Sal had run off.

“Sal you idiot,” Fury scolded to herself. “Why did you have to go out like that? Why did you have to run away? Why? Sal please come back!”

Fury knew these words were words that Sal couldn’t hear, and Fury stared out to the courts where it poured rain. It was like a thick wet blanket of water, gushing down forever. Fury took a deep breath and ran outside into the rain.

“Sal!” She shrieked, rushing through the rain. She ran as fast as she could, coughing and spluttering, feeling herself grow weak with the water soaking her fiery fur coat. She didn’t care. Sal needed her, she could tell.

*

“Sal!” Ashley called.

“Sal where are you?” Nayia yelled.

“Sal!” Martin cried.

“Sal come back!” Blaron shouted, concern creeping into his voice.

“Eevee!” Sugar shrieked suddenly, catching a wet blur of red and orange in the rain. “Eevee!” She ran and bit Ashley’s ankles.

“Sugar!” Ashley scolded.

“Dratini Drat!” Nixie yelled, pointing with her tail. Ashley saw the blur and ran over to it.

“FURY! What are you doing here?” Ashley gasped.

“Need to find Sal…” Fury coughed.

Ashley stared at Fury. Surly she hadn’t just talked, had she?

“Fury go back,” Ashley finally said. “Go back, the rain is too heavy. You’ll die out here!”

“I don’t care!” Fury yelled. Ashley froze. Fury was speaking English. Honest to goodness words were coming out of the little fox pokemon’s furry mouth, not just the annoying ‘Vulpix’.

“Fury, you’re speaking…” Nayia whispered.

“Well of course I’m speaking, I’ve always been able to speak but there’s no time to explain that now is there?” Fury snapped showing the same quick temper as her trainer. “We have to find Sal. There’s a piece of her jeans on the fence there and some muddy footprints here.” Fury coughed. “Follow the footprints!”

“Fury, how long have you been able to talk?” Ashley asked as they ran through the rain.

Fury coughed again. “For nearly as long as I’ve been with Sal,” she replied. “Only I’m not supposed to tell anybody. Otherwise I could place us in danger. That’s why I never talk anymore, but this is an emergency.”

“Is this…” Ashley paused.

“Yes,” Fury answered. “This is a part of the big secret. The one that Lady Blastoise knows and wants to expose. She knows about my being able to talk. Why do you think Sal despises her so much? Why do you think Lady Blastoise taunts and tortures Sal in public and privately, emotionally and mentally. Lady Blastoise is evil, she wants Sal.”

Ashley was speechless, as she watched the fire fox splutter in the rain. Sugar ran up ahead leaving those two behind. Ashley picked up Fury and placed her inside her rain jacket.

Fury’s body temperature raised a few degrees as she began to keep talking again. “She wants Sal for money, for greed, because Sal … because I’m her pokemon and I talk. She wants to use us and once the novelty wears off she wants to keep us for power. To use us to not take over the world – that’s a stupid ambition – to … she wants to run the whole of Ogindi! She wants every pokemon to be hers, to punish people for good deeds. She wants pokemon, the rarer the better. And you have to admit that a talking Vulpix is pretty rare.”

“Ashley! Fury!” Nayia ran back to them and breathed heavily. “We’ve lost the lead, no more footprints.”

“Oh no!” Ashley cried.

“Are you humans really dumber than I thought?” Fury sighed. Nayia stared. Fury ignored Nayia, and jumped out of Ashley’s arms. She ran up to where Martin and the rest were searching and quickly scanned the area. “Here, she’s hidden her skateboard so the grip tape wouldn’t get wrecked,” Fury pointed out. “And she’s been through this way.” Fury ran off the path and into the Shady Thicket. Martin followed, then Nayia. Ashley turned to everybody else.

“Just in case Fury is wrong, I want you guys to check Shellder Bay and around they’re in the caves,” Ashley requested, before turning and going into the thicket after them.

***

A/N – In the part of the world where Cascade West, Zharman Island, Quagsire Heights and other places (especially Lapras Valley!) are situated there is a state or region named Ogindi. It is similar to Kanto and Johto except far away from them.

***

*

I didn’t believe this. For the first time in my life I had runaway, done what I had hoped never to do and backed down. I had let Lady Blastoise know she had won this round, that she had overpowered my mind and corrupted my soul.

This was so f***ing beautiful.


___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Twelve – Tango Trickery
___________________________________

“Look, if you’ll follow me then we’ll find Sal quicker!” Fury snapped.

“We have to go through there?” Nayia gave a strangled squeak as she pointed to the thorny bushes. Fury sighed and began to start a flame-thrower, which was unfortunately extinguished the second she released it.

“Luna!” Martin called, releasing the starfish pokemon. “Carry Ashley and Fury across the thorns. Then come back for me and Nayia.”

Luna gave a grunt and stood still as Ashley held Fury under one arm and hung onto Luna with the other. The purple pokemon floated fast above the thorns, dropping Ashley and Fury off before returning for her trainer.

“She’s around here.” Fury glanced around her eyes narrow and scowling. She spotted the cave and bounded into it.

“Fury!” Ashley called, before running after her.

*

“Ashley?” I asked, looking up. Tears stained my face and I was cold and shivering. I was also embarrassed to be seen in my weak stage.

“Sal!” Ashley cried, running up and hugging me. I hugged her back, glad to know that I have friends.

“Sal don’t ever do that again! I was worried!” Fury scolded, but I could tell she was happy to see me. Just why was she speaking, she knew she wasn’t allowed.

“Fury! Why are you speaking? You know the rules!” I glanced at Ashley who was wondering what the hell was going on.

“I don’t care!” Fury argued. “You were gone. You don’t just expect me to whine ‘Vulpix’ do you? After 5 years of continuous ‘Vulpix’ don’t you think I’d be sick of it?”

“If Canis finds out then we’re both as good as dead!” I snapped. “You know your not supposed to be talking!”

“It’s okay Sal, whatever big secret there is, we won’t tell anybody and we’ll make sure Lady Blastoise doesn’t find out,” Nayia said. Nayia and Martin came into the shelter and to be truthful they looked very confused.

“Why don’t you all shut up?” I just yelled. “Lady Blastoise knows about my secret and that’s why I’m in so much trouble! She knows Fury can talk! She knows about – about my other thing!”

“You have your periods?” Martin asked.

“No!” I screeched. “Something worse! Something much worse.”

“Would you like to tell us about it?” Ashley asked in a soothing voice.

“You know what?” I yelled. “Just … Just leave me alone! If I want to tell you… well then I will! But I don’t at the moment so just drop it!”

Martin blinked. Nayia looked scared. Ashley was calm; she’d seen me like this before. She’d seen me in a rage like this and knew it was just best for me to blow it off. And I was at the peak of exploding at this very moment.

Footsteps could be heard running through the mud and Blaron appeared at the cave entrance. “You guys better hide,” he panted. “Lady Blastoise is on her way here flying on the back of a large bird pokemon. I don’t know what I t is though! But Sal, you better get out of here!”

From outside a screech sounded as we felt a few hard gusts of wind rush into the cave, blowing drops of rain in.

“We can’t run forever!” Martin pointed out. “We’re going to have to face it sooner or later so why not sooner?”

I didn’t know what to do; I was confused, until Nayia saved my life. “Look, Martin, Blaron and I will hold her off. Fury you go with Ashley and Sugar and Sal and protect them.”

“Right, just don’t battle her,” Fury advised. “Her pokemon are gamesharked levels.” She took off and we followed. Martin glanced at Nayia, who nodded, looking similar to a striped Furret around the eyes, as her makeup had smudged with rain and sweat. Blaron looked at them too, before plucking his pokeball off his belt and nodding.

The three went outside, Nayia holding her breath, Martin gritting his teeth, and Blaron nervously checking behind him making sure that we weren’t there. Lady Blastoise landed, and jumped off, this time dressed in long boots that reached her knees, a denim skirt and purple and pink spiraled top. She wore a long leather jacket and her hair had been growing, and was held back in two short platted pigtails. She glared darkly.

“Move out my way ignorant babies,” she commanded.

“No!” Nayia yelled, her blonde hair going into her face and sticking to her cheek from the rain which still poured down. “We are not letting you hurt Sal again!”

“Foolish child, you don’t know what your messing with,” Lady Blastoise smirked. “Now run along and chase your little balls just like toddlers do.”

“We’re not moving,” Martin shot back.

“We are not going to let you get Sal!” Blaron added.

“Don’t make me get rough with you.” Lady Blastoise’s voice changed into a low, calm but dangerous tone. Martin gasped and blinked and wiped a few drops of rain out his eye. He could have sworn he saw two faint horns appear at the top of Lady Blastoises head.

Which on the contrary wouldn’t have been surprising.

*

“We really should get to Jackie’s office,” Ashley panted. “We’d be safe there.”

“Jackie is a good cover, head and boss of Lucifer plus understands you,” Fury added.

“Lucifer?”

“Lady Blastoise.”

“Oh.”

I panted, and rested against a wall. Sugar rested beside Ashley as the four of us caught our breath.

“There is a way to get to the school from here, I know it,” Fury looked around. “We have to go out the entrance.”

“Past Lady Blastoise?” Ashley gulped.

“I can’t let that devil rule my life,” I stated. “Let’s go.”

*

“Go Ginsimo!” Lady Blastoise pointed forward with a finger and the massive bird pokemon leapt up and flew forward. Its silvery beak gleamed in the rain, and the drops of water just rolled off the cream and gold feathers. At first glance you think this pokemon would be anything but a dark type. It loomed forward and opened its beak and headed for the sky. It faced down and began to gather particles of energy in the back of its throat, forming a small shadowed purple sphere.

“Go Luna! Ice beam!”

“Nixie! Hyper Beam!”

The two elemental beams flew through the sky as miniature streams. The golden shining hyper beam swerved in the sky as the tiny dragon worm tried to control the power in it. The beam hit the Ginsimo in the side of the beak, and sizzled off.

Nayia gasped, and Nixie gasped, panting. The ice beam struck Ginsimo and had the same effect as Nixie’s power ray.

The Ginsimo screeched and out of its metallic beak a large shadowed purple ray shot, expanding with every second. It zoomed straight for Nayia, Martin, Blaron, and the pokemon.

Nayia gave a strangled squeak as she prepared herself to be killed.

Suddenly a figure appeared right in front of them and teleported away with them. The beam totally missed and Lady Blastoise cursed loudly.

“Friggen hell!”

*

I blinked as the others appeared in the tunnel with me and Ashley and Fury. Spike was with them, his fingers placed on his forehead, in deep concentration as an eerie lavender aura surrounded him. He clicked his fingers and the tunnel vanished, and we appeared in the Flaria Tower Common Room, beside the fire. Fury shivered, and went closer to the fire while I frowned.

“What exactly is going on,” Blaron questioned.

“I am psychic,” Spike answered simply. “I came and teleported you back here. The others are already safe. Now I will be leaving.” He turned around and left, muddy footprints his only remains. The door swung shut behind him.

“Where is everybody? It’s so quiet,” Nayia commented.

“Class,” Blaron answered. “It is the middle of the day after all.”

“So we have 40 minutes to kill,” Martin shrugged. “Big deal.”

“Sal, do you want to tell us?” Ashley asked gently.

“No,” I snapped.

“Just leave her for a while, once the time is right she will let you know,” Fury advised. Ashley nodded and gave a pitying glance at me.

“Oh have you heard?” Nayia began. “There’s a pre-election disco tomorrow night. I don’t know if you have heard or not, but I’ve heard rumors that people running in the competition are allowed to play a certain song or something.”

“Yeah,” Ashley sighed.

“Oh Ashley I’m sorry!” Nayia apologized, her mouth going ahead of her and getting her into trouble again.

“It’s okay,” Ashley braved a smile. “Really, it’s okay.”

*

But things weren’t okay. As the day turned into night, and the night into day, and the day into night once more we all got ready for the disco. Yet another disco was held, and I was hoping things would tone down and I would get some luck for a change. Ever since I got here things had gone from good too extremely bad. And if it were in Mew’s power I was praying for some good luck.

I met Ashley outside her dorm, wearing something slightly different from my usual outfits. I had gotten a non-ripped pair of jeans, and a non ripped or stained T-shirt, plus my bandanna was off.

We walked to Nayia’s dorm and once Nayia opened the door she sighed and put her hand to her forehead. “Sal,” she groaned. “Come in, borrow something of mine, your too pretty to waste in T-shirts and jeans.”

“I don’t want anything too smutty,” I warned.

“No, try this,” Nayia replied. Once I had finished, I was wearing a pair of her shoes, sandals I think, my jeans and a violet turtleneck with no sleeves. Nayia was wearing a short white skirt, and gold sandals that cris-crossed up her legs. Her top had the plastic look and was a metallic blue, and her blonde hair was held back in a ponytail with a few strands hanging out at the front. Ashley wore tight jeans that flared out at the bottom and an aqua three-quarter blouse with the top button undone. Her hair was in two platted pigtails.

We walked to the hall and stood on the rather large enclosed balcony outside the disco. The DJ was pumping the tracks out already, but Nayia and Ashley wanted to wait for some of the boys to get here.

“Excuse me, Ashley?” a voice asked. Ashley and I turned around, not noticing that Nayia had run off over-excitedly to greet Martin.

“Oh hey Spike,” Ashley smiled.

Spike took a deep breath in and blurted out his words faster than a Rapidash using Agility. “Wannadancewithme?”

“Excuse me?” Ashley blinked.

“Would you like to dance?” Spike asked again.

“Sure,” Ashley shrugged. Spike looked as if he were going to die and go to heaven, he was over the moon.

I leant over the rail and stared at the grass. Pokemon weren’t really allowed at discos instead they had their own party going in one of the common rooms. It was just a small party with a few pokemon as DJ’s and the others dancing and eating and drinking. Nothing like our discos.

“Hey Sal, you okay?” Blaron asked, joining me.

“Hi,” I replied civilly. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Blaron pressured. I glared at him and he backed off. “Sorry.”

“No it’s okay,” I answered. I sighed. “I’ve been a ***** my whole life. Just… just don’t expect me to change too quickly and I’ll be fine. It’s this whole Lady Blastoise thing…”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Blaron asked.

“Not really.”

“Okay.” Blaron and I stood in silence for a few minutes. “Hey, Sal?” Blaron asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Would you… Would you like to dance?” Blaron questioned hopefully.

“Okay,” I shrugged. Blaron looked as happy as Spike did.

-

I don't wanna say I’m sorry
Cause I know there's nothing wrong
Don't be afraid there's no need to worry
Cause my feelings for you are still strong

Martin still felt guilty about the whole incident where Nayia had been crying on the beach. He felt terribly guilty, like a knife or dagger jammed into his stomach and left in there. The guilt was eating him away, just to say sorry would help. “Why though?” he said aloud, not caring if people thought he was crazy. He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he felt bad for Nayia.

He liked her.

He liked her a lot.

Hold me in your arms
And never let me go
Hold me in your arms
Cause I need you so

Nayia watched Martin at the vending machine leaning against it, worried. She could tell that Martin wasn’t feeling good. And she was worried. Maybe he was worried about her, and maybe she should go make him feel better. “What am I thinking?” Nayia asked to herself. “It’s not as if I’m dating him, he’s not my boyfriend.”

But as she spoke, she knew she was wrong. She liked him.

She liked him a lot.

I can see it in your eyes there is something
Something you wanna tell me
I can see it in your eyes there is something
that you hide for me

Nayia shook her head, trying to think straight. But in truth, she was thinking straight. Straight at Martin. She took a deep breath and glanced inside the disco. Ashley had been asked to dance by Spike and the two of them were dancing along to the music, Ashley’s arms around Spike’s neck, his hands just above her butt. ‘Even Sal is dancing,’ Nayia thought bitterly. ‘Dancing with Blaron again, he must really like her or something.’

Nayia threw another glance at Martin and started walking over to him. He had already began walking over to her, and they met halfway, and just sort of said hi and silently glanced around.

Is there a reason why
There is something, something you wanna tell me
I see it in your eyes, there is something
That you hide for me

Martin looked into the disco, to see Ashley and Sal dancing with Blaron and Spike. ‘They get asked to dance, I wish I were them. Maybe I should ask Nayia… she is pretty nice,’ Martin thought.

‘Should I ask him or not?’ Nayia debated with herself. ‘He’s really cute, and really friendly, should I or not?’

“Er…” Nayia began.

“Um…” Martin began.

“You go,” Nayia offered.

“Um… do you want to dance?” Martin asked shyly. “With me?”

“Yes,” Nayia answered. “I’d love to.”

I don't wanna say I’m sorry
Cause I know there's nothing wrong
Don't be afraid, there's no need to worry
Cause my feelings for you are still strong

Martin took Nayia’s hand and entwining fingers, they walked into the disco hall into the thick of the dancing crowd. Nayia smiled at Martin, her ocean blue eyes sparkling with happiness. Martin’s brown eyes were deep, liquid and happy as well.

Hold me in your arms
Hold me in your arms
And never let me go
Hold me in your arms
Cause I need you so

Martin placed his hands at the bottom of Nayia’s back, right above her skirt. She smiled and placed her arms around his neck, and they began to move back and forth to the music.

I can see it in your eyes, there is something
Something you wanna tell me
I see it in your eyes, there is something
That you hide for me

They looked into each other’s eyes, happy, and shy. ‘I’m actually dancing with her, I don’t believe it!’ Martin joyfully thought.

‘This is unbelievable!’ Nayia thought to herself.

Is there a reason why
There is something, something you wanna tell me
I see it in your eyes, there is something
That you hide for me

They danced, letting the beat guide them, their hearts pumping. As the song finished, they held hands again, and went outside for some fresh air, smiling at each other. Martin put his arm around Nayia and they snuggled up as they walked.

I met Ashley outside after dancing with Blaron and she grinned at them. “I knew it. Those two were meant to be together,” Ashley commented.

“Who cares?” I shrugged. But I knew Nayia was one lucky girl.

-

Ashley stood over the punch bowl, pouring two cups of red punch for me and her. She became aware of another person joining her, a group actually, but kept her concentration on the drink.

“Hello Ashley,” Teresa greeted.

Ashley looked up and inwardly sighed. Teresa and her gang were there, Teresa of course the leader. “Hi Teresa, how’s the disco?” Ashley replied, trying to be as friendly as she could toward the girl who had not only ruined her life but the life of her best friend.

“Oh its fantastic, been dancing with loads of guys, Luke, Ben, Zach, Tony, Phil, Samuel, they’re all great dancers,” Teresa bragged. “But oh dear, you wouldn’t know what its like to dance with a guy would you?”

“For a matter of fact I would,” Ashley answered.

“Really? Who with? That geek Craig? Or that nerd Spike?” Teresa scoffed.

“I don’t care whether they’re nerds, geeks or whatever other ridiculous names you want to call them, Teresa,” Ashley snapped, her patience gone and her inner fury about to burst.

“So you did dance with those losers!” Teresa cried, triumphantly.

“You listen here Teresa,” Ashley growled. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that about them again. They are some of the nicest people here. Sometimes you have to look below the image you first see to find the true person. That’s what you have to do with Sal. Except shallow bitches like you don’t have the skill. You don’t know what it is to find a person’s true heart, to know a person by their soul and not by the type of shoes they wear. You are such a slack *** Teresa. I’m sure that you won’t be forgiven for what you did to Sal, Nayia, Martin and I. You’ve gone the lowest any person could go, and you should be so ashamed of yourself!”

“You know what,” Teresa mused. “You’re right…I SHOULD be ashamed shouldn’t I? Well tough, I’m not.”

[PancaKe]

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Thirteen – Romantic *****
___________________________________


A few days after the disco while I was out throwing stones into the water of Shellder Bay, angry with Teresa and Lady Blastoise again, that b**** Teresa was in my door lazing about on Kayla’s bed, flicking through a magazine. Kayla stood in front of her half (more like three-quarters) of the wardrobe holding various items up too her body.

“I don’t understand how you do it,” Teresa said, shaking her head.

“Do what?” Kayla asked, holding up a glittery pink top and white skirt.

“Share a dorm with that … that thing,” Teresa replied.

“She’s not that bad if you really get to know her, if you get to catch a glimpse of her soul,” Kayla answered, going all poetic for a minute while pulling out purple three quarter pants and a short blue top. “What do you think?” she asked, showing the clothes to Teresa.

“They stink,” Teresa sniffed.

Kayla just stared at Teresa, hurt. She shrugged it off and hung them back up. “How come you lied about that whole fight thing?” Kayla questioned.

“Huh?”

Kayla went over and sat on the doona with Teresa. “Why did you lie to the court room?” Kayla asked, her hand brushing against her radio tape player on her bedside table, and hitting a button.

“Lying?” Teresa snorted. “You’re accusing me of lying?”

“I saw what happened Teresa,” Kayla repeated. “Sal obviously heard what you were saying about Craig and his gang. And Sal doesn’t like **** like that, you should know that.”

“You saw what happened, that ***** attacked me!” Teresa cried defensively.

“Defending yourself I see,” Kayla raised an eyebrow.

Teresa laughed and brushed her hair out of her eye. “Look, I’ll tell you what happened, this time without brushing up the story. I was merely applying makeup to the raw ugly face of the tale. Sal was talking about me and I walked up to her and asked her why she was doing that.”

Kayla glared at her.

“Okay, give me a rest!” Teresa sighed. “I walked up to Sal and demanded why she was talking about me behind my back and she answered and I was my usual self keeping things light and not to rough.”

“In other words smart ***,” Kayla interrupted.

“You could put it like that,” Teresa awkwardly answered. “Anyway she was all huffy puffy so I got Annabelle to get rid of her dagger so she couldn’t threaten me with it like she attacked you on the train.”

“The only reason she attacked me was because I was being a ***** to her like you were,” Kayla replied.

“And so? She deserves that punishment,” Teresa shrugged. “It won’t matter to her anyway. She’s used to all that hard crap. Where as I am not.”

“Get to know her Teresa, she’s not that bad,” Kayla advised.

“You get to know her your out of the gang,” Teresa warned. “You get any closer to her than dorm mates and your gone.”

“When one gets to know another person by their innersole, they become totally oblivious to the outside, they are totally ignorant to what a person wears or how she looks in a certain group. There’s something you should try Teresa.” Kayla stared at Teresa, who just stared back.

Teresa got up, and glared at Kayla, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. One of her gang members was going to desert her for Sal? “It’s your life, your choice. You can go or you can stay, but once you leave the door is shut forever,” Teresa snapped before leaving.

Kayla grinned to herself as she switched off the recording tape in her radio/tape player. “Perfect.”

*

I couldn’t believe this, for two whole months the four of us were forbidden to exit school grounds. I sat up in the attic of Flaria Tower looking over the grounds, the soccer oval, the concrete begging to be skated on (which I was banned from as well as Martin), the people talking and joking, the front gates and people exiting and entering to go to Lapras Valley. They were probably going down to the movies or something.

I looked down suddenly as the squawking of bird pokemon caught my attention. Four feathered Pidgey flew out of the Avery Barn and fluttered around before going their own separate directions.

I was so surprised when one flew up to the open window and landed beside me.

“What the?” I stated, taking the letter from its talons. The bird looked around for something else then shrugged and flew off leaving me with the note.

Sal – Come to my office immediately and don’t worry, this time your not in trouble =)

Jackie

“FURY!” I yelled bounding down the spiral stairs of the Flaria Tower.

Fury appeared out of my dorm. “What?” she asked.

“Jackie wants us,” I replied. “Come on.”

*

“Are we in trouble or something?” Fury complained as we met up with Ashley, Nayia and Martin. Nayia kept on glancing at Martin strangely, and Martin kept on glancing back at Nayia the same way.

“Come in,” Jackie called, in the same chirpy voice she had used almost two months ago when I first arrived at the school. Martin opened the door and held it open while we entered.

To my surprise, Kayla was there. Of all people, one of Teresa’s gang, my dorm mate, was sitting right opposite Jackie. And she was smiling. I don’t really remember her smiling that much, I mean sure she smiled while she was with Teresa, but without Teresa she didn’t seem much like a person.

More like a programmed being.

“What the hell are you doing here Kayla?” I gawked.

“Sit down Sal,” Jackie smiled. “I’ll tell you in a minute.”

Jackie’s office was pretty nice, with the addition of the new couch. She must have gotten that in after I had seen her. Martin, Fury, Nayia and Ashley were seated on the couch so I was left with the plastic chair. I sat in it uncomfortably.

“What is going on?” I demanded.

“You might want to listen to this,” Jackie grinned, pressing play on a tape deck. As the tape rolled, the words of Teresa and Kayla came flooding out. The basic story was this; Teresa telling Kayla the real deal, about how it was all her fault not mine.

I was speechless, I never expected Teresa to confess.

“Woah,” Nayia was speechless too, for once. A nice change from her talkative self. But her speechlessness didn’t last long. “How did you get her to confess? I never ever expected her to talk right into a microphone for evidence or anything! Kayla show me your moves, that’s like, amazing!”

“That didn’t happen silly,” Ashley scolded in a friendly way.

“How did you get her on tape?” Martin questioned.

“I’ll let you answer that Kayla,” Jackie grinned.

“We were in my room, and I just felt bad for Sal,” Kayla explained. “I mean, Teresa can be such a ***** at times. Even to me, and even though Sal did attack me on the way here in the train she did it because I was being a *****. Sal only does things for a reason, if people piss her off she will go for them. She just wont go attack anybody in the streets.”

I bit my lip, thinking back to all the times in Quagsire Heights where I had literally bullied every person to walk into the door.

“You attacked Kayla?” Nayia questioned.

“Um… Thanks Kayla,” I thanked.

“No worries,” Kayla shrugged.

“But weren’t you worried about not having Teresa and her gang by your side?” Ashley wanted to know.

“I can always join the gee – I can always join Craig and Spike’s group. I’m friendly with them,” Kayla shrugged once more.

“Thanks a lot,” I thanked again.

“Yeah Kayla, you’re not the stuck up ***** I thought you were,” Fury added bouncing on my lap.

“Thanks a bunch!” Nayia added.

“You don’t know how grateful I am to skate again!” Martin sighed.

“If there is anything we can ever do,” Ashley offered. “Just let us know.”

*

The cool night sea breeze blew through my hair as I stared out to the moonlit ocean, confused. It had been an unusual day to say the least. One of Teresa’s gang members, Kayla, had turned her back on the gang for me. Why me? Teresa is more popular and Kayla ruined her reputation is a matter of minutes for me. I was confused.

“Why me? Why would anybody help me of all people?” I asked the ocean from up on the small cliff above the caverns below. I lay back on the damp grass and stared at the starry sky.

“Why wouldn’t they help you?” the ocean answered back. I sat up and looked around. The ocean hadn’t answered, Blaron had. He stood there, his hair blowing. He smiled at me. “Thought I’d find you out here.”

“What are you doing here?” I questioned. “It’s cold tonight.”

“Then you shouldn’t be out here,” he replied. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I shrugged.

“Confused?”

“Yeah. Nobody’s ever helped me before, it’s something new.”

Blaron smiled. “We all experienced new things,” he replied simply.

“Yeah,” I answered, trailing off.

There were a few minutes of silence.

“Hey Sal,” Blaron began. I turned and looked at him. “Um… how would you feel about going for a walk by Shellder Bay? Tomorrow?”

I shrugged. “That’d be okay.”

“Cool,” Blaron smiled. “Well I’m going to go, its getting cold. You coming?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, getting up.

*

“That is a date,” Kayla informed me. “A walk. He specifically asked to go for a walk ahead of time. That’s classified as a sign of going out.” Kayla nodded knowingly; after all she had had more dating and boy experience than us three. As far as I knew, Nayia had never had a guy and Ashley and I were still single. According to Kayla I was going on a date with Blaron.

“Looks like Sal got herself a little action,” Ashley grinned, nudging me with her elbow.

“It is just one walk, ONE WALK!” I cried. “Not a big deal!”

We all turned to Nayia, waiting for her opinion, preparing ourselves for one of her long clusters of speech. Waiting for her talkative edge to start. But she stayed silent, her back to us, looking out at the window. It had started to rain again; we were getting to the autumn rain now. I had arrived at Lapras Valley High two months ago, and even though it seemed like a week, summer had changed into mid autumn. The rain drizzled down the window, through the bleak reflection of Nayia.

The lights flickered as thunder cracked. Fury came into the room followed by Sugar, Nixie and Flare, Kayla’s Flareon. Since Kayla betrayed Teresa, she’d been a lot nicer to me and had started hanging around us more when Martin was off with Blaron, Spike, Craig and Greg.

“Nayia?” Ashley asked, worried.

“Why aren’t you talking?” I demanded.

Nayia ignored us, and Kayla was pretty quiet for a moment too.

“Nayia’s quiet,” Fury commented.

“Boys,” Kayla concluded. “She’s having boy troubles, a crush has taken over her.”

“You have boy experience don’t you Kayla,” Nayia replied quietly.

“Well, a little,” Kayla tried to be modest. “I was on 50 dates last term. And over Christmas I was invited to different parties by 20 boys.”

“Talk about a little,” Fury rolled her eyes.

“That means that over December you’ve had more boys than Sal or I have had in our lives,” Ashley commented. “And it’s what, April now.”

“What should I do Kayla?” Nayia asked.

“Do about what?” Kayla replied.

“Oh… Um…” Nayia blushed. “You see, there’s this girl, she’s really nice and everything. But she has this past, and its now affecting her future life. She’s scared to admit to a guy that she likes him because her past is haunting her.”

“Look, what ever is in your past you can tell us,” Ashley told Nayia. Nayia turned around and sighed.

“It’s not a pretty past,” she told us.

“You think my past has been all rainbows and sunshine?” I put in.

“I once told a guy I liked him and he liked me too, but then his brother came and started being a psycho nut, shot the guy I liked then shot himself!” Nayia cried, and started crying.

I blinked. I hated it when people started crying because there’s never anything I can say or do to make them feel better. I leave that to Ashley.

“Oh my gosh…” Kayla whispered.

“That won’t happen again,” Ashley soothed. “Don’t worry, you know Martin, he wouldn’t shoot himself.”

“You don’t get it,” Nayia sobbed. “Every guy that I’ve told that I like as in like-like, they’ve been hurt!”

“One time, big deal,” I shrugged. Ashley glared at me.

“Look, you’ll never get over your fear if you don’t face it,” Ashley tried to calm Nayia down.

“The best thing to do if you like a guy is to tell him,” Kayla advised. “Otherwise your like a soda bottle. Your all shaken up inside and you just don’t know what’s going to happen. If somebody tampers with your lid, hassles you; you’re going to explode. So just let it all out slowly.”

“Thanks you guys,” Nayia sniffed.

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Fourteen – Numbing Minds
___________________________________

Life has changed so much. When I first came here I was an angry person, one who wouldn’t even let somebody smile in my direction let alone make any other friends aside from Fury and Ashley. Then when I became friends with Nayia and Martin I began to realize, are there really people out there who care about others? Who give a damn about whether a person is okay or not?

After that things were looking up, nothing bad had really been happening, I had my small group and I was sort of happy. Lady Blastoise then came, arriving in my geography class as a teacher. That woman doesn’t know when to give up, she’s after me for my secret.

I am a were-pokemon. Every full moon I transform into a large female Ninetales. It is a secret that only 2 others aside from the pack of were-pokemon know of. They are Fury and Lady Blastoise. She found out by accident, once I was forced to stay at her mansion while at the orphanage and she saw me changing.

She’s held it against me ever since, and threatens to expose me to the world. She’s pure evil.

Blaron is a guy who’s also been in my life. I don’t know much about crushes and boyfriends and stuff but Kayla and Ashley are convinced he likes me because we’ve danced at both discos. And because he asked to go for a walk. So what?

*

“I don’t know what all the fuss is about?” I asked Fury, while lying on my bed, tired and half-asleep. “I mean it’s not as if we want to go out and be boyfriend girlfriend is it?” I buried my face into my pillow and exhaled, which didn’t smell too nice.

“You know you really should start looking past your nose,” Fury sighed. “He obviously likes you. You can’t deny that.”

“What would you know about liking?” I murmured turning my head to look at the fire fox.

“Nothing,” Fury replied quickly and defensively. “I’m just saying, it’s obvious. That’s all.”

“Mmph,” I snorted into my pillow. “I’m going to sleep, night Fury.”

“Night,” Fury shrugged and settled down.

*

“Hi Sal, want to go for our walk now?” Blaron asked facing me boldly. I shrugged and nodded, throat sore for some reason. Fury waved and stayed behind as we left for Shellder Bay.

As we reached the bay I tried to apologize for not talking too much. “Ack, ugh, sorry for not talking,” I tried to say in a scratchy voice. “Throat very sore.”

“It’s okay I understand fully,” Blaron smiled, and for a moment I thought I saw an evil glint in his eye. I blinked and figured I was imagining it.

Once we touched the sand, Blaron turned to me. “Let’s go into Shady Thicket instead if you don’t mind.” I shrugged and nodded, as we walked into the forest of trees. Halfway in there, Blaron turned around and punched me.

I went back staggering, and held my throbbing cheek in my hand while grabbing balance. “What the **** was that for?” I demanded, throat hoarse.

“For being a were-pokemon you *****,” Blaron glared. “I know all about your secret.”

“How?” I gasped.

“Maybe I can answer that one,” another voice answered, and out of the shadows walked Lady Blastoise, evil as ever. “Blaron is my worker, he is here to get you and will be paid handsomely.”

“*****!” I yelled, running with my dagger out. A flash from the left stopped me in my tracks as a Houndour leapt out and snatched the knife from my hands.

“Now we’ve got you,” Blaron growled.

*

I blinked as I looked at the ceiling, thoughts running through my head. Was that how my walk was going to be like? Was that dream telling me something or was it a warning sign? I didn’t know, I was confused yet again.

Just to be on the safe side I made a mental note to tell Blaron that I couldn’t walk with him because my throat was really sore.

*

“You WHAT?” Kayla shrieked. “I don’t believe you did that! Rejection is the ultimate pain, haven’t you ever felt it before.”

I shrugged.

“Sal made what ever choice she felt comfortable with, let’s just accept that,” Ashley put in.

I snorted and grabbed a piece of paper and began to write. My throat was so sore that I couldn’t talk.

Kayla grabbed the piece of paper and tried to read it, struggling to read my messy writing and bad spelling. “Dop ta subekt I don’t wunt to tallk a boot it.” She looked up, confused. “What the?”

“Drop the subject she doesn’t want to talk about it,” Ashley translated.

“Oh, okay, well I’m going to go get Flare. We’ve got battling in about 5 minutes,” Kayla said, before leaving the common room.

I grabbed the piece of paper and scribbled this: Get Furry and com hear. Well go 2 batle clas toget – togea – togetna – togata.

I think I spelt together correctly.

*

“Today during class you will all be battling each other in a competition. The winner may receive a prize of their choice. It may be an item, or a privilege but no money to be asked for. You may sort yourselves into two lines and I will pair you up,” Sir barked.

“Fury,” I whispered, hurting my voice. “Battle on instinct.”

“Vulpix,” Fury replied innocently, not really letting everybody know she talked. She only spoke around my friends anyway, hardly around enemies.

“Sal, you are facing Luke Carobilla over at the oval, your referee will be Ms Taylor,” Sir told Fury and me. At least we had a fair ref.

“This is a one on one battle between Sal and Luke, send out your pokemon please,” Jackie called to Luke and I.

Luke, a rather tall 13 year old from another battling class, grinned and turned his Awaken cap backwards. Guess he was a skater as Awaken was a skate brand that made fantastic trucks and bearings. His powder blue hair was sort of long and hung below his cap while his brown eyes clearly showed determination to win.

“I choose Eternal!” Luke called, tossing out a pokeball covered with Volcanic skate stickers. Out of the pokeball came a pawing Persian, its sleek body way too thin for a regular pokemon, and its skin mattered and a sort of dirty cream color. Its gem was unpolished and it mewed at the event of being released.

“I go?” Fury whispered. I nodded in response and Fury leapt forward, snarling.

Eternal became a bit intimidated, but once Jackie blew the whistle, Luke let loose with orders. “Right go in with a slash!” He was so careless, he couldn’t see the poor state his pokemon was in, it looked as if it would collapse any minute, and it needed washing and feeding urgently.

“You know what to do,” I said to Fury, trying to talk. Fury nodded and sat down cockily. I groaned, Fury was going to be a smart aleck for this battle. As Eternal rushed forward, with speed slow for a Persian, it raised its paw, extending the razor sharp needles, and leapt into the air, right for Fury. Having a lot of experience with pokemon three times as powerful as the Persian, Fury just simply ducked and let Eternal go crashing into the ground behind her.

“Get up you dumb a- I mean, get on up Eternal! Try quick attack!” Luke glanced at Jackie, who raised an eyebrow.

Eternal sprang up and began charging towards Fury, who had her back to the Persian. Fury bounced up into the air as if there were invisible springs attached to each paw and landed on Eternal’s back. The Persian bucked and rolled around, trying to get rid of my pesky Vulpix, who clung on with a wide smile.

“Agility!” Luke commanded Eternal, and at once there were flashes of cream at different places on the lush grass. After about a minute of constant running, Fury leapt up off Eternal’s back and flew up into the air for a moment. Opening her mouth, streams of boiling flames rushed out and down at the Persian who had stopped out of surprise. Fury landed with a thud on the grass, yet kept up her constant flame attack, and you could tell that Eternal was weakening, fast.

“Thunderbolt back,” Luke snapped, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Out of the dirty gem on Eternal’s head, uncontrollable bolts of thunder surged and struck the ground near Fury’s paw, startling the fire fox and causing the flame-thrower to go off target.

Another spark hit Fury’s other side, causing her to leap back into her regular position. As the bolts flew, Fury bounced, bounded, leapt, and hopped out of their way like a wild Eevee in a meadow during a warm spring day.

Fury suddenly stopped and looked Eternal in the eye, and Eternal stopped and took a step back, shivers running down the Persians spine. Fury stepped forward and Eternal stepped back. Taking another bold step towards the intimidated pokemon, Fury suddenly disappeared from sight. Confused, Eternal looked around, and was hit from behind by Fury’s furious swift attack, as those golden stars just pierced the fur.

“This can’t be happening, why am I loosing?” Luke whispered. Raising his voice he shouted out to Eternal. “You wimpy alleycat! Attack that fire fox! Use Pursuit!” Eternal, panting, scarred, scalded and with patches of black marks from fire attacks, breathed in and disappeared slowly, reappearing behind Fury and swiping at the Vulpix. Fury span around and bit hard on Eternal’s neck, forcing the Persian down onto the ground, where it breathed its last breath before falling to Fury’s power.

“Eternal is no longer able to battle, Fury and Sal win,” Jackie announced.

Luke scowled as he returned his still Persian and met Fury and me in the middle of the field. “How did you do it?” he hissed. “Not one attack shout was made, what have you done with your pokemon?”

“Bonded,” I replied. My throat was killing me so much, yet I had to talk. “I take care of Fury and she takes care of me. Try it sometime.”

*

“You know, I was wondering, why did you dump Blaron?” Kayla asked as we walked along the beach. Fury stayed with Flare to build a sandcastle while Sugar just bounded and squashed half of their creation. Kayla, Ashley and I walked further along and sat down.

“I just don’t really feel comfortable,” I answered. My throat had gotten a bit better so I could talk more.

“Why not?” Kayla questioned, confused. I sat down on the sand and looked down.

“I’ve never really been able to trust people, all my life I was given one blow after another, and nobody seemed to care about the person I really was,” I sighed, facing the soft grains of sand. “It’s like, like they’re using you for something. But nobody wanted to get to know me which is why I’ve always been so angry all the time, and only Ashley and Fury have caught a glimpse of what I’m really like.”

“I think you’re getting better though,” Ashley pointed out. “Lapras Valley High has really changed you. You’re becoming more of a happy person, and you’re making quite a lot of friends.”

“Yeah well,” I shrugged, glancing over to where Fury, Sugar and Flare were all kicking sand at each other.

*

“I really need to talk to you Nayia,” Martin nervously said, fidgeting with his fingers.

Nayia smiled and sighed with relief. “I really need to talk to you too. You go first.”

“Um…” Martin began, then hesitated. He looked down at his feet then looked up at Nayia shyly, scratching the back of his head. “Um… do you know how to do the geography assignment?”

Nayia’s face fell as her heart sank into her shoes. “Sure,” she replied brightly, trying to cover the disappointment. Thoughts ran through her head as she walked to the library with Martin. ‘I thought he was going to ask me out,’ she thought. ‘Why didn’t he? He doesn’t like me, no guy likes me.’

‘How could I be so damn stupid! ****ing hell! ****-****-****!’ Martin cursed in his mind.

___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Fifteen - Soaring
___________________________________

“What ARE you doing?” I demanded, walking into my dorm to see a bouncing Kayla. She was on one of the beds jumping up and down.

“Jumping,” Kayla replied, bouncing up and down.

“Dear Mew, please stop jumping you’re going to make everybody sick,” Fury begged.

“So what’s up?” Kayla shrugged stopping her irritating bouncing.

“I just feel, weird,” I sighed. “I don’t think I did the right thing with Blaron.”

“But you were so confident, what happened?” Kayla asked, confused. She sat down and looked at me.

“I don’t know,” I offhandedly replied. “Just… thinking.”

“Don’t think too much you’re going to hurt your head,” Kayla smiled. “Now, if you believe you did the right thing, and if you feel good about it, and if you feel like that was the right thing to do then you should just trust your heart. Follow your feelings because if you don’t then you’re going to have a pang of guilt hanging over your head like unwanted devil horns.” I sighed. “The only way to be in a relationship is if you can actually feel right. It takes two to tango, to every problem there is two sides, and same with relationships. If one side isn’t right then the whole thing goes down in the dumps.”

I stared at her. “You have got so much experience, f***ing hell,” I replied.

*

Martin stared at his skateboard and sighed. “To skate or not to skate, that is the question,” he whispered, sighing.

“Knock-knock,” a voice called from the hallway as Nayia knocked on the door. Martin looked up in fear and horror and gave a strangled squeak. “Martin, are you in there?” she called. Martin dropped his skateboard and dove under his bed just as Nayia opened the door. “Martin?” Nayia questioned.

She looked around. It was an overcast day and grayish light lit the room. The cornflower blue walls seemed darker and the whole room, from the sky blue ceiling to the navy curtains seemed dark and murky. The midnight blue bedspreads were pulled up to the dark blue pillows, and on Martin’s bedside table he had a lamp with a blue lampshade, and a few photo frames.

Nayia frowned and walked into the males’ dorm. Normally it wasn’t that good for a girl to be in a guy’s dorm but Nayia didn’t care. She sat on his bed and Martin held his breath. How was he going to get out now?

Nayia picked up a photo of what looked to be a younger Martin holding a cheap skateboard. Nayia smiled. “How cute,” she sighed. Martin clenched up and gritted his teeth.

‘How embarrassing!’ he cried in his mind. ‘Get lost Nayia! Get lost!’

Nayia didn’t get lost though. She continued looking at his photos, and as she reached out for another one, she accidentally bumped one and knocked it down behind. “Oops,” she winced out loud, reaching for it. She picked up a frame and looked at it.

It wasn’t the same photo, or the same frame. A photo from last year’s birthday party for one of the other guys birthdays, where Nayia and Martin had been smiling and had their arms around the others shoulders. Nayia looked drunk in the photo and was holding up a paper cup laughing, almost falling over.

The frame was in the shape of a heart.

*

I decided, with little help from Fury and Kayla to go talk to Blaron and at least apologize for what happened with the ‘so called date’. I walked to the boys’ side of Flaria and knocked on his dorm door.

“Blaron?” I called.

“Who is it?” Blaron called back.

“It’s… It’s Sal,” I answered, resting on the door frame.

There was no response from inside, but the door suddenly flung open, Blaron standing there with an expression I couldn’t read. I just stood there staring at him, and he stared back. His blue eyes suddenly seemed frosty.

“Hello, Sal,” Blaron greeted, saying my name as if he was telling Teresa to f*** off.

“Hi Blaron,” I replied, nervous. “Um… I just wanted to say…”

“Sorry?” Blaron guessed with sarcasm. “Well I was expecting you to. I mean, you act tough and everything but underneath you’re just a little sponge cake. You’re soft and taste terrible.”

“Hey sponge cake is nice!” I argued. “Even though I’ve only had it once. I just came by to say sorry because I felt guilty about turning you down.”

“Oh my gosh,” Blaron rolled his eyes.

The temper alarm gave a sudden bring as I came close to exploding. “What is your problem?” I whispered. “I’m trying to be nice here, and its something I’m not good at so give me a bloody break.”

“What’s MY problem?” Blaron began loudly.

“Yeah what’s your problem?” I demanded.

“What is your problem? I saw you on the beach with Ashley and Kayla!” Blaron exclaimed angrily.

“Hey listen here big shot!” I yelled back.

“You supposedly had a sore throat and didn’t want to go with me!” Blaron shouted. “And then I saw you on the beach with Ashley and Kayla! If you had a sore throat then why did you even go to the beach?”

“Because I was getting better,” I snapped back. “Ever think of that? Einstein?”

“People don’t recover from illness that easy,” Blaron glared at me and I glared back.

“Believe what you want, it’s your choice,” I sniped before leaving.

*

I was absolutely dreading Thursday. I had English on Thursday and Ms Herring has assigned us in seating order – me next to Blaron.

So as you could guess when I entered the room I was snarling. I dumped my stuff with a clang and slouched in my seat, not even looking at Blaron. Fury watched me from a window before sighing and leaving with Nixie, Sugar, Luna, Flare and a few other mates she had.

“For your information I would rather be sitting in Kanto than here,” I announced dryly.

“I wish you would, save me having to sit next to a transsexual,” Blaron replied.

“Hey at least I’m a human,” I sniped back.

“Who’s to say you are?” Blaron retorted.

“Who’s to say that you’re human?” I snapped, trying not to loose my temper. At times like this, people could be treading on very thin ice. When I say very thin, I mean the type of ice that’s left in a glass of water that’s been left on a sunny windowsill for 10 minutes. The type of ice that is created when a Lapras lightly touches oceans with a wisp of icy wind.

“Well I know I wouldn’t call you human,” Blaron came back.

I spun around and glared at him. He glared back at me with a stare that I had only seen in a mirror. We sat there staring at each other for what seemed like eternity although it was only a mere 3 seconds before we leant forward…

His lips touched mine and all of a sudden it seemed as if fireworks were going off. I couldn’t understand it, some invisible force was holding me to him, and I was enjoying it. I shut my eyes and just went along with it…

It felt warm to say the least. Warm, and all weird, and my heart felt so scary. Sort of like it had been stabbed by a dagger, and was wanting more. Why would you want to be stabbed more than once?

“Miss McGregor!” a sharp voice yelled. We broke apart and looked towards the door meekly. Everybody had been looking at us yet we hadn’t noticed. Ashley grinned and Spike was just trying not to laugh. Kayla winked and gave me a thumbs up sign, and Craig looked as if he wished he could experience that. Martin and Nayia looked longingly, and Nayia had a touch of jealousy in her eyes as she looked between Martin and me.

Lady Blastoise on the other hand looked as if she could kill anybody with a look, and have them dead and buried also. Her eyes were like two spears of ice, each capable of firing off miniature ice beams. Behind her eyes fire raged, as the horns returned to haunt me.

“Miss McGregor, Mr Haystacker, outside immediately!” Lady Blastoise snapped, fury raging within her. (Not my Fury, fury the emotion.)

“Who gave you permission to smooch in my classroom?” she demanded once the door had been closed. By the level of her voice it wouldn’t have mattered if there was a brick wall blocking the door, everybody could hear it.

“You aren’t even our teacher! This isn’t even your classroom!” I yelled back.

“For one thing, Ms Herring has left teaching for younger grades and is focusing her attention on the seniors for the next two months while they sit their exams. Leaving me to teach her class, and there will absolutely be NONE OF THAT BEHAVIOUR IN MY CLASSROOM! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

“I’m not you, I can understand things first time,” I snapped.

“You just earned yourself big punishment,” Lady Blastoise glared.

“MORE OF YOUR PUNISHMENT?” I shouted. “Don’t you get it by now? I can live on! I don’t dwell on the things I can’t have! I don’t care about punishment! You really are stupider than you look aren’t you?”

“Well punishment may not affect you…” Lady Blastoise trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging in the air. I was swamped by fear, a tidal wave of terror and trouble prediction rushed over me. I was afraid of what she would do. We both knew the extent of her power, and I didn’t really want to find out how much power she held in her clammy nail polished claws.

Lady Blastoise clicked her fingers together, the gold rings touching each other as her fingers snapped. She stood there, smiling darkly, waiting. Blaron was quiet, confused as to why we were arguing so much, and I looked around, fiercely and angrily. Angry with Lady Blastoise for being a *****.


A noise could suddenly be heard, sort of like the scratching of claws on the school linoleum as a pokemon ran. Around the corner a Sneasel and Houndoom appeared, followed by something that made me let out a strangled squeak. The vision grabbed my heart and squeezed as hard as it could, I couldn’t breathe by looking at the sight.

A large, well-built and fierce Umbreon appeared. Its fur was barely harmed compared to the other two dark pokemon, whose fur was mattered and burnt and scalded. Its bronze rings glowed against the shadow of its coat, and its eyes were blood red.

That wasn’t the only thing blood red.

The Umberon’s claws were extended, and blood was down on its coat and legs. From its mouth blood dripped from the pokemon held securely in between the jaws of the beast.

Fury was barely breathing, dripping blood everywhere and fainted, right in the hold of Umbreon’s jaws.

“You *****!” I shrieked. Whatever noise was going on inside the classroom had stopped, and they were all trying to listen to what was going on outside. Which wasn’t hard seeing I had exploded.

“Oh my gosh,” Blaron whispered, uttering the first words since he had stepped out the classroom. I rushed over to the Umbreon to try and retrieve the fainted Fury, getting blood over my hands.

“Houndoom, Sneasel,” Lady Blastoise said, monotone. The two pokemon growled and snarled at me and I just gave them a quick glare before going back to the large Umbreon, trying to get my pokemon pal back.

Sneasel launched forward, claw raised, ready to strike me. Houndoom also began to go forward, gathering flames in the depths of his throat.

“Sal!” Blaron cried. I jumped back and ducked, thankful for the flexibility that came from reckless nights of exploring the streets of Quagsire Heights as a Ninetales. I ducked the swinging claw of Sneasel, and evaded the hot lava breath narrowly.

I stood up, panicking inside, stressed and anxious. “Tell your Umbreon to drop Fury,” I ordered Lady Blastoise.

“Do you understand me now? You may have words but words are useless without power, just like power is useless without a strong person to use all of it.” Lady Blastoise smirked. “Umbreon, drop.”

The Umbreon opened his jaw and Fury flopped onto the floor, bleeding and breathing faintly. I knelt over and picked up the fire fox. “Fury, it’ll be okay,” I whispered. I glared at Lady Blastoise before running to the hospital block, Fury in my arms.

I wasn’t caring whether blood dripped all over me or my clothes. I wasn’t caring about class either.

I was caring about Fury.

*

“Hey Craig, what you doing?” Kayla asked innocently, her brown hair in her Nurse Joy pigtails once again. She lent on the chair behind Craig and watched him play “Charizard Zone Slaughter.”

“Playing,” Craig replied. “Darn it!” He cursed at the screen as he got the words GAME OVER.

“Hey I love this game!” Kayla exclaimed, taking over the computer. She began to play a new game furiously, Craig watching on with interest.

“Have you seen Sal since English?” Craig asked. “She never came back, and Ashley hasn’t seen her or Fury.”

“English was two periods ago,” Kayla vaguely answered. “She’s probably at Shellder Bay, relaxing. Either that or Shady Thicket.”

“Maybe,” Craig trailed off. “Martin and Nayia… do they like each other?” he suddenly asked.

“It’s impossible not to see, Nayia and Martin are like two love birds, its just sad that they wont admit,” Kayla replied. “They’d make a cute couple. They suit each other, they look great together.”

“I guess you’ve had a lot of experience at match making,” Craig commented.

Silence elapsed as the only sounds came from the computer in the library. As the words ‘Game Complete – Congratulations’.

“Simple game really,” Kayla brushed off any wrinkles in her skirt as she stood up.

“Your good at it,” Craig nodded.

“I like games,” Kayla shrugged.

“Hey Kayla…” Craig began.

“Yeah?” Kayla asked.

“Want to see a movie?” Craig fidgeted as he asked nervously.


___________________________________

Lapras Valley High – Hell Blastoise

Chapter Sixteen – Blazing Fury
___________________________________


The light was red, haunting me, taunting, playing with my mind, and if I could have reached the red emergency light then I would have smashed it so hard it would wish it had never been plugged in. I glared at it, giving it the deadly eye that was most commonly used as an exchange with Lady Blastoise’s icy stare.

Fury was on the other side of that door. The door underneath the sign. I had already tried to go in but various nurses and doctors had kept me out, left me outside to rot while pacing and drinking.

The can in my hand deformed as my fist tightened. I threw it with fury in my arm and it landed in the bin with a clatter. Guess not many people had to wait like I did which meant they didn’t drink like I was.

Suddenly, the door opened with a creak, and I spun around and ran up to the doctor.

“How’s Fury? Is she going to be okay?” I rushed the questions at the surprised doctor.

“The Vulpix is in critical condition,” the doctor replied. “She’s been hurt and will take about two weeks to fully recover, a week to heal the basic wounds.”

“In English,” I snapped.

“She can’t battle or do anything physically challenging for about two weeks,” the doctor translated.

“****,” I swore. “Okay, when will she be finished.”

“You can see her tomorrow okay?” the doctor replied. “She needs her rest.”

“****,” I cursed. “I’m going. If Fury wakes up tell her that Sal is coming by tomorrow. And send a Pidgey as soon as she’s ready for me to visit her.”

With that I turned and ran into the cool autumn afternoon, almost crying, demolished within. Lady Blastoise watched from a window high up.

“Perfect,” she snickered before the shadows crossed over her image.

*

The moon rippled in the puddles as tiny splashes of rain touched them. Full moon, and it was time to return. Time to actually ask for advice and help, time to actually come crawling back.

Nafeti would be surprised.

Fury would be astonished.

Canis would be … what would Canis be? I couldn’t imagine his reaction. He might be angry, or he might just be grateful. He could even be sad, and ashamed of me.

“Sal what are you doing? You can’t go crawling back! That’s so not you! If you want to go back you gotta do it with force, not with an ‘I’m really sorry the only reason I’m here is for help’ attitude! You know what they’ll say! Just forget it; ask Ashley or Nayia instead. Don’t ask Teresa, you’re not that stupid are you?” I could picture Fury telling me off like that quite clearly.

Nafeti was also easy to imagine. “Reishe? What are you doing here? I knew you’d come back, I knew you would finally see the rules and come crawling back to us. You really should be punished for your disobedience!” Surprised at first, then smug and finally forceful as usual. Nafeti was always a stickler for rules, it was obey this follow that.

But Canis… the alpha Anglias of the were pokemon pack… he was like the sea. He was like the ocean, unpredictable. He was like a chocolate box, you never knew what was inside his mind. He was trouble in disguise if you ticked him off.

“Reishe … you have come back… not expected, I thought your endless pride would have kept you from returning." That was all I could come up with, a small comment on my return.

I was fearing his response.

*

Blaron – Report immediately to Lady Blastoise.

Blaron crumpled the paper in his hand and smiled. “It’s about time,” he said to himself, knocking on the door in front of him. “Rogergcam,” he called.

The door opened, and Lady Blastoise faced him, smiling. “You got my note,” she noted.

“She turned me down,” Blaron replied.

“I know, you think I don’t know with this?” Lady Blastoise replied. Blaron followed her into the room and the door automatically shut behind them. A bed was in one corner of the room, plus the usual chest of drawers and bedside table. On the other side of the room a large desk (more like a switchboard with all the different buttons and knobs and keypad on it). Above the desk to the left and right several miniature monitors were placed on the wall and one large monitor was right above the switchboard.

“Good point,” Blaron commented.

“You are getting under her skin,” Lady Blastoise spoke, accusingly and fiercely to Blaron. “You must not let her get sick of you. She must warm to you, as you are the link.”

“Yes my Lady,” Blaron answered.

“On the good side, that kiss was perfect,” Lady Blastoise complimented. “Well planned.”

“Uh… Thank you malady,” Blaron uncomfortably replied. Truth was he hadn’t planned the kiss.

*

“Go out with you?” Kayla repeated softly. She looked down at the carpet, then up at Craig. “Why me?”

“Because…” Craig shrugged, nervous. “You’re really great.”

“You mean that?” Kayla questioned.

“Yes I really do,” Craig nodded.

Kayla gave him a huge hug. “Sure thing! As long as we can play Charizard Slaughter against each other, without you going easy on me!”

“Cool!” Craig grinned.

*

“What are you doing here?” Nafeti asked, surprised seeing me enter the clearing in Shady Thicket. “Ah so your back, just as we expected. Our superior power couldn’t hold you away could it?”

“Cut the crap Nafeti,” I snapped. “Where’s Canis?”

“Reishe, you are back,” Canis commented, leaping down from a little ledge above a den. “Something I mildly expected.”

“Look before you accuse me of anything,” I sighed, moving dirt around with my paw. “I came back. I need your help.”

“Aha!” Nafeti cried. “We were right you were-“

“Shut up Nafeti!” Canis snapped loudly. Nafeti backed away meekly, embarrassed. “Reishe, listen to me. You are in very big trouble, trouble that can not be measured by even I.”

“I know that!” I shouted. “Fury got attacked by the bitches Umbreon and Houndoom and Sneasel! She’s in a critical condition! What do I do? Lady Blastoise is getting back at me! And I don’t know how to stop her.” I howled, as a tear dropped from my eye.

Nafeti looked surprised to say the least. Even Canis raised an eyebrow.

“You have to handle this on your own,” Canis finally answered. “We can not harm nor attack anybody ourselves. Yet we may offer advice.”

“And what is your crummy advice,” I sniped.

“You should go with the flow, follow your heart, and don’t hesitate to fight for what is right,” Canis advised.

“You could just come away with us,” Nafeti put in. “Eh, sorry.” He slunk into the shadows again, meekly.

“I don’t want to stinking go with you,” I snapped. “I want Fury to get better. That’s all I want. To live happily ever after with Fury, Ashley, Nayia, Martin, and all the other great guys I know. Why can’t I be like those fairytales where the good guy gets tortured for about two chapters by a big mean Charizard or Dragonite then gets set free by her friends and they all live happily ever after? Nothing goes right for me! NOTHING!”

“REISHE SHUT UP!” Canis barked. “You will receive pain until you can stop inflicting it. You will only receive pain if you are worthy of it. And you will only survive through it if you don’t give up and make your way through it. Normally you are a strong character Reishe, but you are becoming weak. The enemy is winning Reishe, and if you don’t fight we’ll all be done for! Go and fight Reishe, when the time is right.”

“The time is always right!” I argued, but the piercing stare from Canis’ dark eyes told me I should leave and shut up.

*

Ashley just looked at Spike as if he were crazy. Martin and Nayia were also stunned.

Spike nodded.

“That can’t be true…” Ashley whispered.

“I know Blaron pretty well and he’s not the guy to betray friends,” Nayia began. “Especially friends like us. I mean we’re all pretty close in our group, he’s got no right to backstab us does he? I mean, what could he want? He’s not the power hungry sort.”

“Blaron?” Martin repeated, still stunned. “Blaron Haystacker. THE Blaron Haystacker, class goody goody last year?”

“True it may seem amazing but when you put the facts together,” Spike replied. “My psychic predictions with the help of Artemis,” he reached over and petted the Espeon, “and my sneaking around its pretty clear. He is.”

“We’ve got to warn Sal!” Ashley cried.

“Sal is in big trouble,” Martin said slowly and quietly.

“And we won’t be able to get to her in time,” Nayia finished. “Since English she’s been worried about Fury.”

“Fury?” Ashley repeated.

“Fury was attacked by the three weapons of Lady Blastoise,” Spike informed them. “An Umbreon, a Houndoom and a Sneasel. The Umbreon was highly overdosed with Rare Candy, Rage Candy Bars, Calcium, Protein, HP Up and other types of drugs, making it the ultimate fighting weapon. It is very powerful and large, yet not her most powerful pokemon.”

“And it tore Fury up, literally,” Nayia put in. “Isn’t a pretty site. But Sal should be down at the emergency ward.”

“Maybe she went back to her dorm,” Martin suggested.

“Knowing Sal she’s going to be there all night,” Ashley replied. “We’d better go see her now.”

“I’ll stay here,” Spike said.

“Thanks for the info,” Martin thanked. “See you.”

*

The moon was round, as I sat on the grass, staring up at its wide face. The creaminess of its complexion was just like a mirror, reflecting the surface of the earth blinded by light. It looked so smooth from here.

I sighed, and put my head on my paws. Southerly winds blew furiously, and the cold penetrated through my furry coat into my bones, as I shivered. Even fire pokemon could get cold I suppose.

Waves gently crashed onto the shore of the bay as I watched the sea roll into the miniature beach. From the small grassy ledge I could see up and down the bay, and it was a little calming.

Why was life so hard? As much as I wanted to break free, I couldn’t. The chains of restraint were holding me back, stopping me from being free. If only I could fight to get free.

As Canis had said I would know the time to fight. As much as I wanted to totally thrash somebody the time wasn’t right.

The time better hurry up and come.

Stupid time taking its gay time to travel. Time should go faster.