Okay, before I start to write out this story, I'm going to give some important references to people from the last Battle Range story I wrote, as well as some references to new characters. Just as a forewarning: I'm also going to make the language in this story a little stronger, but nothing too offensive, just trying to make this story stand out a bit more from my previous ones.

Allen- this guy is the proud owner of an Alakazam, who helped me out a couple of times in my last story. Here though, he is revealed to have another Pokemon besides his Alakazam.

Jason- this guy is new to the story, he battled Jeff "Blue" Azure in this story, but lost a tough battle against his Flareon, and is vowing payback on Jeff. I do my best to help him out.

Megan- this little girl is accidently left behind by her parents in Twoson, by the time I find her, she is in a bit of trouble, but things quickly look up for her as her and I go on a successful search for her parents.

Surge- this is my recently renamed Raichu, he won't be gaining any levels or new moves in this story much like most of the Pokemon I'm going to use here (with one notable exception), but he is going to be a vital asset in getting me to Eagleland.

Raven- this is my adopted male Zangoose, this is the first time I have him in a Battle Range story, he helps me out later in between my two battles when I help Megan get reunited with her parents. Again, he isn't getting anything out of this story other than helping to save her parents. Note: I taught him Close Combat from a TM I got one day at Goldenrod Tower in April of 2007, it came in handy here.

Jeff "Blue" Azure- this guy ends up claiming responsibility for the near-destruction of Crossroads, I deal with him accordingly in this story, with a little help.

The two Gastly in this story normally would get Curse at L16 in GSC, but since Curse was a TM back then, the female one got it that way here.

Mr. Gardiner- this guy runs a bike shop, carrying Acro Bikes and Mach Bikes. In my last story, I finished with one of the Mach Bikes, so I have this kind of bike for the start of this story, but I don't use it, nor do I make a visit to him.

Crossroads- well, since I believe it was Ade wondering where this place is, it's a small town located just outside Ulthuan.

21 Knight Street- in my stories, I live on this street, as does the person whose Delcatty was rescued in my last story.

Kyle's POV

I woke up this morning feeling fairly energized. After my two successful battles over a couple of Team Rocket members several months ago, I turned on my TV for the latest news, and the latest story on there immediately caught my eye. A building, that was set on fire was the first thing I managed to notice. But my expression quickly turned into a gasp as I saw a most unusual sight. Next to the trainer that appeared to be responsible for causing the blaze, was a blue coloured Flareon. The trainer himself was in a blue suit, that closely matched his Flareon's colours. I knew that normally, a Flareon wasn't blue, after comparing this one to my own Flareon, Blazer, I knew it was crazy to think about. Still, I had to try and find a way to stop this guy. As I headed outside, I took out and opened the Pokeball containing my female Cleffa, Flora.

"Flora, your chance to evolve into a Clefairy is very close to happening. A while ago, I forged something special for you, which I'll give you later." I said.

"You're going to help me evolve? Really?" Flora asked, beaming.

"Yes indeed. You know, a couple of years ago, I had another Cleffa who I helped evolve into a Clefairy after several battles, but even though she never became a Clefable, I promise that you'll be a Clefable someday yourself. Carrying on in the footsteps of a departed Pokemon is always a good thing to do in my book." I replied.

"I'm sorry you lost your old friend, I know I can take her place, Kyle. I don't mind evolving to my final stage at all, if it's to fulfill a big wish of yours, I accept it with pride." Flora said.

"Thanks, Flora. Now, the Genetic Accelerator Gene I forged for you is what you need to become a Clefairy, but to become a Clefable afterward, I will have to get a Moon Stone for you. For now, I'm going to return you to your Pokeball, as I think I may want to look for an old friend here, just incase. I haven't seen my new friend, Allen, since the last time I had a couple of battles." I said, as I recalled my Cleffa back into her Pokeball.

"Hey Kyle, long time no see! How are you?" a familar male voice shouted to me. It was Allen.

"Hi Allen, it's great to see you again, ironically, I was just talking about you a moment ago." I said.

"That's ironic. Hey Kyle, I heard about the suspicious fire from earlier, I was wondering if you might have any Water Pokemon that might be of help here? I could sure use some help." Allen said with a slightly disappointed look on his face.

"I do, I happen to have a Vaporeon whose name is Aqua, she can use her Water Gun to help if necessary." I said.

"I don't think Water Gun's going to be enough to help with this fire, Kyle. Unfortunately, this fire quickly grew after it was spread, that Flareon that set it must be extremely powerful. I can tell it knows Overheat, because the flames from an Overheat aren't just red and orange like other Fire attacks, they are a mix of red, orange, white, and most shockingly, blue, just like those flames that are heading right for the bike shop! We better warn Mr. Gardiner!" Allen said.

"The bike shop? Oh no, this is bad, we have to do something, and I mean fast. You said you have a new Pokemon Allen, is it a Water type?" I asked.

"Yeah it is, I recently befriended and caught this Empoleon just the other day. Luckily for me, I found a Hydro Pump TM lying around one day while we were walking together, so I
decided to give it to him for some more power. With it, I'm quite sure we can put out that fire." Allen said.

Nodding at Allen, I quickly took out Aqua's Pokeball, enlarging and opening it up to reveal the mermaid-like Pokemon.

"Aqua, you see that fire that's heading for the bike shop? Think you can aim a Water Gun toward it if we can get close enough without getting burned?" I asked her.

"I...I...I'm rather nervous of your request there, Kyle, but if it's to save this town, then yes, I will do my best to help." Aqua said, with a determined look on her face.

"Thanks Aqua, the flames are heading right for a bike shop that I've been sort of a regular at for a while, and I know I'm going to have nightmares for weeks if that Flareon I saw earlier does any more damage around here. Unlike other Flareon, this one's blue in colour. It gives me the creeps, especially since this one can seemingly breathe blue fire. As far as I recall, blue flames are harder to put out, due to them being hotter than your average kind of flames. If there were more people with Water Pokemon around here, these flames wouldn't be too hard to extinguish." Allen said.

"I'm sorry Allen, but Aqua's the only water type I have on my team. I also have a Raichu that knows the move Surf, but he won't be of much help here, I'm afraid." I said.

"I understand. We better get cracking here, fast. Empoleon, help us put out this fire with a Hydro Pump!" Allen ordered as he quickly released his emperor penguin Pokemon.

"Aqua, help Empoleon put out those flames, use the strongest Water Gun you can pull off! This one is going to need to be as continuous as possible!" I ordered.

As the two Water Pokemon combined their respective Water attacks to hit the flames, I saw they were driving the flames back, but not completely destroying them.

"Kyle, those flames seem to be tougher than I thought for us to get rid of. You sure Aqua's your only Water type?" Allen asked as he began to panic a little.

"Yes. But, I have an idea. I'm going to have to find the source of the flames myself, but I need you to keep an eye on your Empoleon, as well as Aqua, so that they can hold the flames back long enough for this idea to work. I have a Pokemon I may refer to as my trump card, and I'm certain I'm going to need his help with it. I'll be back here as soon as I can try and destroy the source of the flames." I said.

As I dashed alone toward the flames, it didn't take me very long to see the original source of where they were set. Quickly drawing a second Pokeball, I enlarged it and opened it up to reveal my Porygon, Cyberius.

"Cyberius, this is a critical situation here, I need you to help Aqua, my friend Allen, and his Empoleon to put out these flames, can you shoot an Ice Beam directly toward the flames just in front of us, please?" I asked.

"No problem." Cyberius said, in his clicking/beeping voice.

Watching as Cyberius created a freezing cold, light blue orb of ice energy, I watched as the Ice Beam sped like a speed demon toward the flames. The moment they collided, I gazed in surprise as the flames began to shrink and fade away. Crossroads was saved!

Running back to Allen with Cyberius floating behind me, I quickly turned toward the bike shop.

"That was close. I had no idea your Porygon knew Ice Beam." Allen said. I could tell he was at a loss for words.

"I gave him an Ice Beam TM that I recently got for my birthday, I had a hunch that I could fight fire with ice, I mean, fire melts ice, but since ice melts into water, a constant Ice Beam can provide a lot of water if it hits a fire." I said.

"Ah, that was definitely a clever move to pull, Kyle. Hey, I never got to ask you this until now, but where are you headed?"

"Well, first, we have to find that guy whose Flareon started that fire earlier. He's not going to get away with trying to destroy my hometown, so let's go!" I said.

As Allen and I dashed off to find the guy responsible for the blaze, we eventually came across a fellow trainer, who had a look on his face I couldn't understand very well.

"Don't c-come any closer! If you're a friend of that...that man with the Flareon, I'm not letting you through!" the young man said, taking what almost looked like a battle stance.

"Hey, slow down. I'm no friend of that guy either. In fact, his Flareon tried to destroy one of the most important areas of this town, the bike shop. My friend, Mr. Gardiner runs it. The flames were so close, if it hadn't been for my friend here, the place could have burned to the ground, and Mr. Gardiner could have been injured, or worse..." I said, shuddering at what could have been a terrible loss in Crossroads.

"Oh, I am so sorry, I really thought you were on that guy's side when I saw you approaching. But since noticing that Vaporeon and Empoleon you have, I'm definitely certain now that you must be after this guy. By the way, my name's Jason. And you are?" Jason asked.

"I'm Kyle, and this is my friend, Allen. This Vaporeon is mine, and her name's Aqua, but the Empoleon actually belongs to Allen. Still, they really helped me out here." I said, showing my gratitude toward Allen in a positive gesture.

"It's nice to meet you both. That guy just defeated me in a battle like ten minutes ago, before I noticed that fire. My Pokemon were no match for that blue Flareon of his." Jason
grumbled.

"You can't let that get you down, Jason. Remember, even if an opponent seems to be unbeatable to one person, he is certainly not as unbeatable as he thinks he is. I'm certain Allen's Empoleon can make quick work of the Flareon, I noticed it's incredibly strong, definitely stronger than Aqua. Aqua, I'm relieved you and Cyberius weren't alone in fighting that fire, it could have been a catastrophe without Allen and his Empoleon here to help us out." I said, as I turned to face my exhausted Vaporeon.

"I'm glad we got that fire contained, Kyle, but I feel my strength may have gone down because of all the water I had to use. I'll be fine after a while." Aqua said, panting.

"I did notice, I'm sorry I had to make you give it your all with that Water Gun, Aqua, but you do deserve a nice, long rest for being so helpful in such a desperate situation." I said, as I recalled Aqua back to her Pokeball so that she could regain her strength.

"What happened after your battle?" Allen asked Jason.

"After the battle, that guy quickly took notice of the town, and he made his Flareon use Overheat on that building that Kyle and his Porygon were close to. It's unfortunate the building was destroyed, but as I recall, there was nobody inside it at the time, which was very fortunate. It's just too bad that all the items inside that building got destroyed. But since then, that guy took off in the opposite direction he came. I heard his name is Jeff "Azure" Blue, and he's a member of the Happy-Happyism cult. That group is seriously, and I mean seriously, bad news. If I were you, I wouldn't confront their leader." Jason said, as he shook his head in heavy disappointment.

"Is Jeff the leader of this group?" I asked.

"No. This group is headed by a guy by the name of Koop R. Balthazar. This guy is even more dangerous than Jeff, and they have a hideout stationed in a place known as Twoson, on the continent of Eagleland. But I've heard that the seas surrounding the area are filled with Carvanha and Sharpedo whose teeth have been genetically altered to be able to tear right through ships in a matter of seconds if they are in a group, so sailing to the area is completely impossible. Only a surfing Pokemon that is prepared to hold off them off can safely cross into Eagleland, and subsequently into Twoson." Jason said.

"My Empoleon knows Surf, so we can all ride him. But that's not all, I can have him hold back the vicious sea Pokemon with Hyper Beam, just incase. My Empoleon only uses it in
emergencies where it can't make any bad situation worse, like making a fire even stronger." Allen said.

"My Raichu can also use Thunderbolt just incase we needed to stop the Carvanha and Sharpedo, but I'm worried that if he does use it, that he would make the waters unsafe to travel in via a Surfing Pokemon. Anyway, let's quickly head for the shore, Jason, it isn't too far from here is it?" I asked.

"It's not too far, but it's going to take quite a while to get over to Eagleland, but we can reduce the time if we can defeat most of the Carvanha and Sharpedo first. Your Raichu's
Thunderbolt may be strong enough to shock all the Carvahna and Sharpedo into submission. Fortunately, they are the only Pokemon guarding the water passage to Eagleland. If you can knock out as many of them as possible, we should be able to cross into Eagleland without any resistance once the electricity dies down. You up for it, Kyle?" Jason asked me.

"It's worth a try. I'll release my Raichu out once we get to the shore, those Carvanha and Sharpedo are going to get a taste of their own medicine." I declared.

As we walked out of Crossroads, it didn't take us very long to come to the shore. I could make out several fins sticking out of the water in the distance that were quickly moving toward the shore, and I could tell they were not going to let us cross without a fight as they swarmed around the shore, baring their teeth at us all. They looked to be as sharp as swords, but I wasn't going to let that stop me.

"If you fishfaces think you're going to stop us from crossing the sea you guard, think again! Surge, I'm going to need your help here." I said, as I let the Raichu out of his Pokeball.

"Looks like you guys are going to have your hands full getting across the sea here, Kyle. Anything I can do?" Surge asked.

"Yes. Can you aim a Thunderbolt into the water right behind all the Carvanha and Sharpedo, Surge? I'm certain that water is classified as saltwater, not freshwater, so the electric current should be able to travel through the entire body of water long enough to give these fishy guards the shock of their lives." I said.

"That's no problem at all." Surge said, as his cheeks began to spark with nearly 100,000 volts of electricity.

Seconds later, Surge released a massive bolt of electricity that arced over the Carvanha and Sharpedo before making contact with the water behind them, and it wasn't long before the electricity died down, leaving the piranha and shark Pokemon out like light bulbs that had burned out.

"Alright Surge, you did it! I never imagined you had the power to give such a shock to all those Carvanha and Sharpedo, thank you so much!" I said, congratulating Surge on a job well done.

"Aww, that was too easy. You were right Kyle, my Thunderbolt was able to get them all at once, I guess it's a good thing the water here can conduct electricity throughout the area." Surge said.

"Just goes to show you Surge, for every kind of disaster, there is a Pokemon suitable for handling it better than others. You did well for making the sea completely safe to cross here, so I'll let you back into your Pokeball for a rest." I said as I recalled Surge.

"Well, since the Carvanha and Sharpedo are no longer a threat, Empoleon can help us across with Surf. You ready to help us cross into Eagleland, Empoleon?" Allen asked.

Seeing Allen's Emploeon nod his head was a sure sign that he was ready to help us cross. As he jumped into the water, he motioned for Allen, myself, and Jason to jump on his back.

"Sorry guys, but I can't help you anymore at this point, you're on your own. I have to go back to town to get my Pokemon healed, luckily, the fire from earlier completely missed the

Pokemon Center." Jason said, shaking his head again.

"That's quite a relief. Good luck then, Jason, and thanks for the much-needed information." I said, waving as Jason hurried back to town.

"You're welcome Kyle, good luck guys!" Jason said, as he waved back at Allen and I.

Once Jason was out of sight, Allen and I quickly jumped aboard the S.S. Empoleon, a nickname Allen had started to call his Empoleon everytime he used Surf for crossing a body of water. Luckily, the nickname didn't bother Allen's Empoleon very much, and within several minutes of smooth, unbothered Surfing, we made it to Eagleland. Upon setting foot in this unusual continent, we found everything, from the ground, to the buildings, to even the wild Pokemon in the distance, were all blue. Not too far ahead was a forest, which luckily, wasn't set on fire. As Allen recalled his Empoleon, we walked onward until we came to a clearing.

"You thinking we should split up to find this Jeff guy?" I asked Allen.

"No. Even though it may be easier that way, what if you run into him and his Flareon while we're separated? I'm quite sure your Vaporeon won't stand a chance despite her type
advantage, if she's overcome by the extreme heat from that Flareon. You better leave him to me, Kyle. I came prepared once I heard the news about Twoson. That city got set ablaze, too. I've been hearing some late rumours that Twoson has recently become a ghost town, you see, even though Jeff's Flareon did some pretty bad damage to one of the most famous buildings, the Twoson Department Store, he hasn't been alone in the destruction, this guy's just filled with Fire types, you name it, he's got it, they were able to burn up almost the entire city together, but thankfully, its citizens were able to flee. But, with the city being run by the Happy-Happyism cult, you can bet that there are grunts all over the place, just raring to battle. And just incase Jeff himself comes along, Empoleon and I can keep him and his Flareon busy. You saw the power of Empoleon's Hydro Pump against that fire, remember? That Flareon may have ultra-hot flames in his arsenal of moves, but he's still no match for massive bursts of water." Allen said.

"Well, okay. I'm glad I've got your help here, Allen, not to mention your Empoleon's help as well." I said, showing my gratitude towards them both.

"Anytime, Kyle, anytime. Omigosh, you see that Flamethrower up ahead?" Allen said, his smile suddenly turning to an unhappy sounding gasp.

"Another one? Seems like this Jeff guy is trying to lure us right out into the open with his Flareon. Knowing that, he can't be too far from here, especially if he's making his Flareon cause fire after fire after fire, it's totally ridiculous! Let's go!" I shouted as I began to dash toward Twoson.

"Hey, wait for me!" Allen shouted back as he began to keep up with my quick pace.

It wasn't very long at all before we came to Twoson. Thinking to myself that Jeff didn't finish the destructive work he had started here, Allen and I quickly caught sight of him, and confronted him.

"What? Who are you two losers? You have no business trying to ruin my fun here." Jeff said with a twisted smirk.

"What, did the firefighters in this town end up leaving because of you?" I asked angrily.

"Ha, you bet they did. My Flareon's name is Incinerator, and he lives up to his name. I was told you destroyed that fire in your hometown, and I'm not too happy about it. Nobody is going to stop me from what I do best and get away with it!" Jeff roared at me.

"How did you hear about Crossroads?" I demanded.

"Oh, a source told me it is one of the smallest towns outside of this miserable country. I just thought that because of its size, it would be much easier to conquer than Twoson here." Jeff replied.

"I'm never going to let you get away with destroying another city or town, EVER. If you think your group can continue its reign of terror, my friend will deal with you." I warned.

"Your friend doesn't scare me. In fact, since hearing of your arrival here, I have no time to stick around to meddle with the likes of both of you. I have more places to go, more places to turn to ashes. Just stay out of my way, or you'll be next." Jeff threatened.

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"I met a third guy not too long ago, his Pokemon were too easy, almost like making a hot knife go right through butter, beating him was a piece of cake. Burnt cake that is." Jeff sneered.

"Don't you talk about Jason that way! If you want trouble, I'll give you trouble!" Allen said.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Jeff jeered as he turned and fled in the opposite direction.

"Hey you, come back here! I'm going to get you good, you hear me?" Allen shouted, as he and his Empoleon took off, in pursuit of Jeff.

"Allen, be careful!" I shouted.

"I'll be fine, I'll catch up to you as soon as I can, take care, Kyle!" Allen called as he continued to chase Jeff.

As I waved good-bye to Allen, I slowly walked toward the center of what was left of Twoson. Judging by what I saw when I looked at all the buildings, I was horrified. How could what used to no doubt be a pretty town go down in flames, so fast? In my mind, I knew that I had to find a way to make the Happy-Happyist cult pay. But before I could ponder my next move, one of the grunts of the Happy-Happyism cult, a woman dressed in a blue suit, suddenly ambushed me.

"Hold it right there, punk, where do you think you're going?" the grunt shouted.

"I think I'm going to take care of you, that's what." I replied.

"Oh, you think so, do you? We'll see about that." the grunt sneered, as she took out a Pokeball.

"One false move, and I'm taking you down." I warned, as I took out a Pokeball of my own.

"Sounds like you want a battle. You're going to get one, and I'm going to be the one who will take you down. Let's go, Gastly!" the grunt shouted, as she enlarged and opened up her Pokeball.

Seeing as this Gastly was as blue as the Flareon that Jeff had, I quickly took a fighting stance as I enlarged and opened up the Pokeball that Flora was inside.

"Okay Flora, you two have type disadvantages over each other, but don't let this Gastly's unusual colour deter you from winning this match. I have heard rumours that the blue Pokemon are stronger than their normally coloured counterparts, but that doesn't make them unbeatable whatsoever. They may have abilities that they normally don't have, so we better be careful, just incase." I said to my Cleffa.

"I'm ready for this Gastly, no matter what's up its trainer's sleeve, I'm going to give it my best shot." Flora said.

"That's the spirit, Flora. You win a couple of battles here, and I promise you'll be a Clefable in no time." I said.

"Come on, bring on your puny Pokemon, my Gastly may have a type disadvantage over her, but your type disadvantage is going to be an even bigger one than mine." the grunt laughed with a grin.

Battle Time!
Flora the Cleffa (F, L10) vs. Happy Happyist Grunt (F)'s blue Gastly (F, L15)

Flora's POV

Upon hearing that last insult from the human who was taunting my trainer, I immediately took my own fighting stance. I had absolutely had enough of this bad woman, and I wasn't about to let her or her Gastly get away with anything more that could get on my normally calm nerves.

"Flora, let's show this lady you mean business, start this battle off with a Thunder Wave!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, don't let that Thunder Wave strike whatsoever, Protect yourself!" the bad woman ordered back.

As I let loose several constricting blue sparks of electricity from my body, I watched as they began to move toward my ghostly opponent. But right from the start, she was a step ahead of me, and I groaned in frustration as she put some sort of protective, translucent sphere in front of her, causing my Thunder Wave to fizzle out the instant it hit the Protect shield.

"Flora, don't let that ghost off easy, Thunder Wave again!" Kyle ordered, a second time.

"If this little fairy Pokemon thinks she can get a better start than you, Gastly, she better watch herself. Now, use Curse, and show her the true terror of being a Ghost type!" the bad woman ordered back.

For a second time, I let loose some more sparks of electricity to restrict the Gastly's movement. But no sooner than they connected this time, I gritted my teeth at the ghost as she made a needle-like object appear out of thin air, which she used to stab herself. Almost instantly, I shuddered as the Curse started to slowly sap away my strength. I couldn't afford to lose this one so fast, as I whimpered in pain.

"Kyle, this...this ghost seems to have gotten the advantage on me, you're not going to give up, are you?" I asked him.

"I'd never give up in the middle of a battle, Flora. Even if things get really bad early on, that's when I bring out the heavy artillery. Besides that, because your opponent used Curse on herself, she just made a big mistake, by slashing half of her strength away, if we're lucky, we can bring her down quicker! Now, blast the Gastly with an Ice Beam!" Kyle ordered.

"Good work, Gastly, that Curse ought to bring down your opponent within a few turns. Now, fight off that Ice Beam with a highly explosive Shadow Ball!" the bad woman ordered back.

Knowing that I wouldn't last too long in this battle at this rate, I quickly powered up a light blue orb of freezing cold energy, making it into a dazzling beam of ice which to my surprise, was countered by an orb of pure ghost energy. By the time the two moves collided, I witnessed an explosion, and shrieked in pain as the esplosion washed over me. But I also noticed the Gastly howling in pain too, knowing that the explosion had damaged her as much as it did to me. Almost immediately, I whimpered in pain, knowing that the Curse the Gastly put on me was still in effect.

"Don't you even realize what can happen when you cause two energy attacks to collide? I told you before, making one false move will cost you in the end. Now, Flora, it's time to try and regain some health, use Wish immediately!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, let's make sure that Wish doesn't come true, steal some much needed health from the Cleffa with a Giga Drain!" the bad woman ordered back.

As I struggled to get up, I bent forward, making a wish to the skies for some of my strength to return. It made me smile, as I noticed that the electricity from before was keeping the Gastly from moving. Knowing that she was fully paralyzed for now, I knew my wish was coming true, as a giant, light bluish beam of light came down from the sky, restoring about half of my strength. But, my joy was short lived, as the Curse sapped some of my strength once again. I knew I couldn't take much more of this, and I quickly turned to Kyle.

"Kyle, what am I supposed to do at this point? I still have some strength left in me, but I'm nervous I'm not going to have enough to take down the Gastly." I said, whimpering at him.

I could tell at that point that Kyle was still not holding back against the bad woman and her Gastly. Despite all the pain I was going through, I knew from that moment that Kyle was pondering a finishing move for the Gastly.

"Flora, this is our chance. I don't know how long that Gastly's complete paralysis will last for, but it's time to finish her off! Now, let's take advantage of the situation with a Thunderbolt!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, hang in there, we aren't going to lose this one without making things easier for my partner-in-crime here, use a Grudge on yourself the moment that Thunderbolt hits!" the bad woman ordered back.

At this point in my battle, I had no time to lose. As my cheeks began to spark with electricity, I let loose a poweful bolt toward the Gastly. But, to my shock, while the electricity was draining the remainder of her strength, I suddenly found myself under a different kind of curse, that drained all the powerful electricity from my body. I couldn't use any more Thunderbolts! But that didn't matter, as that last one finally finished
its work, and the Gastly fell to the ground, blackened, and unmoving. At the same time, I could no longer feel the pain that the Curse had been causing me throughout the battle. I had won!

I grew to L12!

"Flora, you did it! But it looks like you won't be able to use Thunderbolt in your next battle, no matter, we can still win the next one without it!" Kyle said.

"Gastly, you put up a great fight, I'm just sore that this Cleffa had to end up overpowering you in the end. Return." the bad woman said, as she recalled her defeated Gastly.

Kyle's POV

"You may have won this round, but this is only the beginning. I'm going to report this defeat to the head of the cult, if he ever finds you, he's going to make mincemeat out of you." the grunt threatened.

"I don't think so, sister. I got a friend dealing with your group's second-in-command. If he comes back to me victorious in battle over your second-in-command, your group will go down for the count in no time flat." I said.

"What? You really think your friend can defeat our group? If he does defeat our second-in-command, he'll never defeat our leader. Our leader is 10 times more powerful than our
second-in-command, so it will be over his dead body if your friend challenges our leader to a battle." the grunt sneered.

"My friend's main Pokemon has a type advantage over your second-in-command's Flareon. If all goes well, that battle should have ended right now, but in my friend's favour." I said.

It wasn't too long before Allen came right back to see me. Telling by the look on his face, I could tell he was exhausted.

"Allen, are you okay? Did you manage to beat Jeff?" I asked.

"Yes...but he put up one hell of a fight, his Flareon almost overpowered my Empoleon, but the type advantage prevailed. The battle was just so damn long, Jeff threw everything he had at me until his Flareon finally went down. I'm just so tired, I think I'm going to head back to Crossroads to rest." Allen said, panting.

"Wait Allen, don't! If you head back on your Empoleon, I'm going to be stranded in Eagleland, I should have warned you, but my Vaporeon doesn't know Surf!" I warned.

"I see. Well, I can tell you must have had a tough battle too, your Cleffa okay?" Allen said as he carefully picked up Flora to examine her.

"She's been weakened from that last battle she had here, but she managed to edge a Gastly this woman used in the battle. Unfortunately, I don't have anything on me right now to help heal Flora, you have any sort of potions on you? I sure could use one." I said.

"Yes, I have a Super Potion, I had this in my pocket ever since I came here, let me spray it on Flora." Allen said, as he gently lowered Flora back to the ground after looking at the
wounds she had suffered in the battle.

"Great thinking Allen, go for it." I replied.

As I watched Allen spray the Super Potion onto Flora's wounds, I saw her wince in pain just for a moment, since I had the hunch the potion would sting her a bit. But luckily, it didn't take too long before her strength completely returned.

"There now, you okay, Flora?" Allen asked.

"I'm okay, thank you." Flora replied.

Turning back to Flora, I knew she was ready for battle once more. But, the grunt that I had just defeated was showing signs of anger at her humiliation, and I gasped as she took out what looked like a cell phone. In no time flat, I smirked in displeasure as she contacted her boss, the notorious Koop R. Balthazar.

"Hello, boss? I just ran into this guy who beat me in a battle, can you send backup?" the grunt asked.

"What happened? What do you mean you lost? I gave you that blue Gastly for a reason, if you dare fail me again, I'm going to dismiss you from the Happy-Happyist group forever, you hear me?" Balthazar replied, obviously furious.

"This guy's Cleffa proved to be too much for my Gastly. But, I managed to soften her up incase my partner can avenge me. Is there any way you can get him here?" the grunt asked.

"I'll send your partner over to help you, you just hang in there. Jeff will take care of the rest." Balthazar said.

"Uh, boss, I got bad news, Jeff...lost a battle. This guy's friend beat him in a battle, with this Empoleon he had." the grunt replied.

"WHAT! Jeff got defeated in a battle? How could this happen? One of these days, I'm going to find that guy with the Empoleon, and he is going to be real sorry he messed with the Happy-Happyist group. He may have beaten my second in command, but in battle against me, his Empoleon, and any other Pokemon he may have won't stand a chance against my Pokemon." Balthazar roared.

"Boss, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about this. I'm going back to base now." the grunt said as she ended the conversation with her boss.

Turning her attention to me, the grunt glared furiously at me.

"You have won this round, punk, but you haven't won the war. Nobody will ever defeat the Happy-Happyist group!" the grunt roared, as she stormed off in a huff.

As I watched the grunt high-tail it out of Twoson, Allen split up from Flora and I, each of us surveying all the damage that this once beautiful town had taken. Within a few minutes of walking around, I came across a little girl that had left behind, who looked to be about 8 or 9 years of age. She was crying, and obviously scared, which made me think of what could have happened to her parents.

"Mommy, Daddy, where are you? I'm so scared, I don't like this place anymore, I just wish I knew what happened to you both." the girl cried.

"Easy there, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm Kyle, and I've been called here to take charge in this mission, to help in the fight to put the Happy-Happyist cult down for good. Unfortunately, they are the group that was responsible for destroying your town. I wish I could be of more help, but what happened to your parents?" I asked the girl.

"They fled to safety when our house was set on fire. I was with them at the time, but just as we fled our burning house, I tripped and really hurt my knee here, I couldn't follow them to where they were headed, and to make matters worse, they both didn't come back for me, maybe because they didn't notice what happened, because they were ahead of me. My knee still hurts a bit, do you have any bandages?" the girl asked, as her tears began to subside a little.

"I wish I did, but I'm afraid I don't. But, with only a little blood coming out of your knee, if we can find a large enough leaf that can stop the remainder of the bleeding, we won't need a bandage. I passed through a forest earlier that wasn't touched at all by any fires, so it's completely safe." I replied.

"You must be talking about Twoson Forest. The cult hasn't gotten to it yet, but who knows how long it will be before it, too, is destroyed. I have a funny feeling my mommy and daddy got lost there, we need to find them, fast!" the girl said, as she dashed out of Twoson.

Leaving Allen behind for a few minutes, it didn't take long for me and the girl to get back to the forest. Since Allen and I were last in it, we didn't do much exploring. But this time around, the girl and I stuck together, in the search for her parents. Almost immediately upon entering, I caught sight of a leaf on a nearby tree. Carefully pulling it off without shaking the tree too much, I placed it on the girl's knee, holding it there firmly for about a minute. After removing it for the girl, we both breathed a sigh of relief as the bleeding stopped.

"Oh, thank you, your leaf strategy worked so well!" the girl said, as she smiled at me.

"You're welcome. By the way, my name is Kyle, what's yours?" I asked the girl.

"My name's Megan, it's nice to meet you, Kyle." the girl said as she carefully shook my hand.

Once Megan's knee was pretty much back to normal, we continued to walk through the forest. But, it wasn't long until I heard cries in the distance, as if someone was in trouble!

"Do you hear those cries? They might be your parents!" I said to Megan.

"It sounds like they must be in trouble! I'm too young to have any of my own Pokemon, do you have any?" Megan asked in curiousity.

"Yes, I've got 15 Pokemon on me, of various types. In the event that your parents were attacked by any wild Pokemon here, I can use one of mine to scare the attacker or attackers off. This Pokemon here with me is my Cleffa, Flora." I replied, showing Flora to the girl.

"Oh, she's so cute, I've always wanted a Clefairy, but I guess yours would evolve into one, right?" Megan asked, still in curiousity.

"Yes, I have an item that will help her evolve when she is ready, she's getting there." I said, as I gently patted Flora's head.

As the girl, Flora, and I continued to walk toward the source of the cries, we eventually came across a man and a woman in their late 30's or early 40's, being attacked by a trio of blue coloured Poochyena.

"Mommy, daddy! I've found you at last, are you both okay?" Megan asked.

"Oh, Megan, you've found us. Quick, does this guy you brought with you have any Pokemon that can fend off these Poochyena?" the frightened parents asked, as they turned towards me.

"I take it you must be Megan's parents. Yes, I do have a Pokemon that can help here, go, Raven, use Close Combat on the Poochyena!" I shouted, as I quickly released my Zangoose out of his Pokeball.

As Raven came out of his Pokeball, he immediately took a fighting stance. It wasn't long before the Poochyena turned their sights from Megan's parents to Raven after seeing their new target, and in a blink of an eye, he began to thrash around with the Poochyena, until they were all taken out seconds later.

"Oh, thank you so much, you and your Zangoose saved our lives, what's your name?" Megan's mother asked.

"My name is Kyle, and you're welcome. I was just here doing my job, but I'm afraid I have to get going now, I left my friend behind in Twoson, and he's probably worried about me. I'm afraid I have to say goodbye." I said, as I recalled Raven and walked back into Twoson with Flora alongside me.

Upon returning to Twoson, it didn't take too long for me to find Allen. But, my joy of seeing him quickly turned to displeasure, as I saw another grunt ambush us. It was a man this time, with a suit as blue as the female grunt I had defeated in battle earlier. Through taking a quick look at his face, I could tell he wasn't very happy I defeated one of his partners in battle.

"I was told of your little victory here earlier. I must say, I am impressed at your skill, but you're messing with the wrong guy, pal. If I manage to defeat you in a battle, I'm taking you and your friend prisoner in our hideout, where you'll be forced to serve us for life. Are you afraid to challenge me?" the male grunt jeered.

"Me? Afraid to challenge someone to a battle? In your boss' and second-in-command's cases, I am smart enough to not take on either of them in battle. But, you certainly look beatable to me. Are you ready, Flora?" I asked Flora, as I turned to face her.

"I'm ready, Kyle, I definitely can't wait to evolve, I can feel the moment getting closer and closer." Flora said gleefully.

"Hah, I'm going to make sure that Cleffa of yours doesn't get the chance to evolve." the male grunt sneered, as he took out a Pokeball.

Watching as the grunt enlarged his Pokeball and opened it up, its contents were revealed to be a Gastly, which was as blue as the one I had previously battled. But this one appeared like it was a male this time.

Battle Time!
Flora the Cleffa (F, L12) vs Happy Happyist Grunt (M)'s blue Gastly (M, L15)

Flora's POV

Growing angry at this guy whose insults to me were as bad as his partner's almost made me want to charge at that Gastly that he sent out. But, Kyle was a step ahead of me, calm as can be.

"Flora, don't let that grunt or his Pokemon get the better of you here! I'm sorry you can't use Thunderbolt, but that won't matter if we take this Gastly out, too. Now, start this battle off with a strong Ice Beam on Gastly!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, if we're lucky, that Cleffa won't get to use Ice Beam very much in this battle, so let's use a Spite to our advantage to reduce the amount of times she gets to use it!" the bad man ordered back.

No sooner than I made another freezing cold orb of ice energy turn into a dazzling beam of energy aimed straight for the Gastly, I suddenly felt another curse on me. But this one seemed different than the last two that were pulled on me. Instead of having my strength gradually drop, or a move of mine get blocked off, this curse seemed to have an effect on my Ice Beam, as if I was getting too tired to use it very often. Still, I wasn't going to let this bring me down easily.

"Flora, this looks like trouble, but we'll get your opponent good now, we don't need to use Ice Beam to make things complicated for this Gastly. Now, Flora, put him to sleep with a Sing!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, if your opponent wants to put you to sleep, let's do the same to her, use a Hypnosis on her!" the bad man ordered back.

Opening up my mouth to sing a pleasant, sleep-inducing melody to the Gastly proved to be the stronger of the two sleep-inducing moves here, as I ended my song, I noticed the Gastly's eyelids begin to droop, before he sank down, fast asleep, right before his hypnotizing could finish. I felt a little groggy from this, but I was far from sleepy.

"Hang in there, Flora! As long as Gastly's asleep, he's a sitting duck. Now, let's try and surround him in an icy prison as best we can, so blast him with another Ice Beam, as best as you can!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, I prepared you beforehand just incase this situation was to happen, use a Sleep Talk!" the bad man ordered back.

As I struggled a bit to make yet another beam of icy cold energy, I shot it toward the sleeping Gastly, not curious very much of what he could end up doing in his sleep. The moment the beam struck the dozing ghost, I jumped up in surprise as it froze him almost completely solid, rendering him almost immobile for now, but this didn't last long, as the Gastly suddenly and unexpectedly shot a black orb of darkness while in his icy predicament, surprising me as it smashed the ice into pieces, and I winced as one of the bigger ones went flying into me, knocking me back a little.

"Flora! This battle isn't going to be easy without Thunderbolt, but if we can hit Gastly with enough of your other best move right now, we may be able to bring him down in no time. Now, use another Ice Beam!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, there is still a chance you might wake up here, so if you do, Torment the Cleffa so she can't use that Ice Beam consecutively, if not, then use Sleep Talk again!" the bad man ordered back.

Once again, I had difficulties in making another beam of icy cold energy, but this one still managed to hit its mark. Unfortunately for me, I noticed the Gastly shivering in his sleep, which caused him to wake up, and he began to tease me so viciously, that I suddenly became too afraid to use another Ice Beam. What was I going to do now, I pondered to myself, whimpering in frustration at this Gastly.

"Flora, this battle isn't over yet, we still have one last shot at bringing this Gastly down, since it seems like he can't stand freezing cold temperatures at all, let's use that to our advantage, get him with an Icy Wind!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, things are looking bad here, but we have what may be one last trick we can pull here, deliver some Payback to that Cleffa the moment that Icy Wind strikes you!" the bad man ordered back.

As I aimed a freezing cold blast of wind toward the Gastly, I watched as he began to shiver more than before. But it wasn't slowing him down as much as I thought, as he suddenly began to glow with dark energy, and he charged me, sending me flying back a few meters. Struggling to get back up, I wasn't about to let my chance to evolve go down the drain, and I gritted my teeth as I slowly got up thanks to the pain that Payback dealt to me.

"Flora! Come on, you can still win this! Use another Ice Beam to finish off the Gastly, you can do it!" Kyle ordered.

"Gastly, we have a chance to finish off that Cleffa too, but we have to hope you'll survive that Ice Beam, first. If possible, use a Thunderbolt on her!"

I was still having a hard time making another beam of freezing cold energy to aim at the Gastly, but after several seconds of annoying delays, I finally got it going, and blasted the beam with all my remaining strength at the Gastly. Kyle could tell from that moment the Gastly wasn't prepared for a full-power Ice Beam, and within a few seconds, the Gastly was literally out cold, defeated in a block of ice. I won again!

I grew to L14 and learned Sweet Kiss!

Kyle's POV

"All right, Flora! That sure showed this guy who not to mess with! I'm so proud of you." I said, as I patted Flora's head in gratitude, knowing that this victory was a hard-earned one for her.

"Damn, I can't believe you beat me too. I hate to admit it, but maybe you and your friend do have what it takes to take down our group. No matter, I'm not going to forget this defeat." the male grunt said as he recalled his Gastly ice cube and fled.

"Well, looks like our work here is done, Kyle, you ready to head back to Crossroads?" Allen asked me.

"Not quite, Allen, I still have a promise I have to keep before we go." I replied, as I reached into my backpack to get the coveted Genetic Accelerator Gene Flora was waiting to see.

"Oh, does this mean I finally get to evolve?" Flora asked, her eyes glowing.

"Yes, Flora, I promise you are going to evolve here. But, it may be a while before you become a Clefable, are you okay with that? Things might get too busy for me later on, but I promise you'll reach your final form someday." I said.

"I understand." Flora replied.

As I held the Genetic Accelerator Gene in front of Flora's tiny hands, I watched as she touched it, and she immediately began to glow white, her body growing a little in size, and about 5 or so seconds later, where my little Cleffa once was standing, a proud but tired Clefairy stood in her place. Flora had finally evolved!

"Well Flora, this is just the beginning of what I hope will lead to more success with you, in your new form, you're going to be one of the best on my team. For now, I'm going to return you to your Pokeball again, just so things will be back to normal for you." I said, as I recalled Flora back to her Pokeball.

Turning to face Allen again, we both headed back to the shore, and Allen let out his Empoleon once more to ferry us back to Crossroads within minutes. Upon making it back to Crossroads, Allen recalled his Empoleon.

"Well Kyle, I guess our quest is over, for now. I've got to get going, but it sure was nice to see you again." Allen said, as he walked off, waving at me.

Waving back at Allen, I headed back to my home on 21 Knight Street, awaiting more adventure...