¤Game¤ Dragon Tamers Battle Range v.23 {MA Pidgeot}

[Ace64]

Finally, after what feels like ages, this RBG is done.

-------------------
“So you gonna buy it or what??”

“I dunno…I’m not so sure…”

Trey scratched his head uncertainly, eying the table with a critical eye. The salesclerk, a short, greasy-looking man who smelled faintly of Swiss cheese, huffed loudly, an impatient foot rapping against the linoleum. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon- and Trey had been saddled with the task of replacing the furniture Prophecy and Cooler had broken. Of course, saddled wasn’t the right word… he was the only man of the house, right? It should be his responsibility.

A small, reddish-orange lizard who had been waiting quietly at his side stepped forward. The Charmander, whom he had christened Charmene, was the newest adoptee of his group and also the youngest. Deo had sniffed and labeled her as another mouth to feed, but Trey had taken her everywhere for the last week, to try and help her adjust to him. She seemed wary of large groups, and for that reason, he never let more than one Pokemon out while she was around. At the moment it was Troit.

Of course, there was no denying that money was going to be tight. With seven Pokemon, the cost for Pokefood was enough to keep him fed for one good month. It helped that most of his Pokemon were adept at foraging for their own food, and were bothered less by the rations of food he doled out every night. All the same, if things didn’t pick up soon, he might be in some financial trouble.

Still preoccupied by his thoughts, Trey didn’t notice his Charmander growing antsy. Charmene inched forward and gave the table a nudge with one small paw.

“Hey!” the clerk snapped, sounding angry. Trey couldn’t imagine this guy in any other mood but angry. “Keep your lizard on a leash! It’ll scratch the merchandise!”

Startled, Charmene quickly stepped away from the table as it wobbled unsteadily from side to side gently. Soothing his Pokemon with a soft word, Trey bent down and examined the table more carefully. Mimicking the lizard’s action, he gave the table a little nudge and watched as it rocked back and forth. One of its legs was flimsy!

“You trying to hustle me?” Trey asked, putting on his best “tough-guy” expression. It must have worked fairly well, because the clerk gulped loudly and put his hands in front of his chest, palms facing out.

“Hey buddy…take it easy… the table’s still in good condition- I’ll give it to you at half-price! 75 stamps!”

Trey glared at him, letting him squirm for a good ten seconds, before turning and walking out of the store, Charmene and Troit at his heels. The clerk was still slashing prices as he left. Sighing, Trey shoved his wallet, woefully thin, into his back pocket and sighed loudly.

“Dang… what a way to spend a Saturday!” Trey griped. Aimlessly, the trio began to walk down the road. “Knowing my luck, Cooler and Prophecy will probably break something else right after I buy a table- if I can find one cheap, which I doubt.”

“Couldn’t you try to build one?” Charmene asked. As a loud group of teenagers passed on their right, Trey noticed the Charmander shrinking against his leg for comfort and half-smiled. She’s so shy. Or is it fear based in something else? Charmene was still so young- old enough to battle, but still learning so much about the world. He hoped he would be good enough to make her experiences with his team favorable.

“I could, but it wouldn’t be usable. I’m a trainer, not a carpenter, you know. Though, with Cooler and Prophecy around, it might be a good idea to look into a good carpentry business.”

“You still have to replace that broken lamp, too,” Troit reminded him.

Trey groaned loudly, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I forgot all about that, Troit! I really hate shopping for things that shouldn’t have been broken in the first place…”

“Well, what can you do?”

“Good question. What can you do?” Charmene asked, her expression thoughtful. Troit and Trey shared grin. Obviously, the Charmander had never heard of a rhetorical question before. And then, it struck him- he knew exactly what they could do!

“I’ve got an idea! Why don’t we try stopping by the MTU?” Trey suggested. “I’ve been told that they have several training and exercise centers in the lower levels, though much of it has been damaged since the attack from the Crimson Blades. What do you think?”

The two agreed, though Charmene had no idea what the MTU was. Troit disliked battling, yet he agreed nonetheless, probably so as not to be the wet blanket of the group.

In fact, out of all of his team members, it was Troit- and possibly Charmene, being new- who cared the least about battling. Cooler and Prophecy loved to fight other Pokemon only slightly more than each other. Zake, too, had often expressed his desire to evolve. Deo would probably fight a L 100 Onix if given any sort of reason, and Destai usually followed the Voltorb’s decision in just about everything. He didn’t know enough about Charmene yet to attempt to judge her. Troit… Trey understood that what the Grimer wanted even more than experience was friendship, true friends that he could laugh and cry and connect with.

Perhaps he will develop a feel for it the young man thought, beginning to explain the role of the MTU to his curious Charmander. He stole a sideways glance at Troit, who was moving along with the pair easily, a look of good cheer on his face. There was no dread or discomfort or- most importantly- fear at the chance of a battle. Only time would tell.

It was a short walk to the Mercenary Trainer Union, still in its usual place in Alpha Square. Trey, despite having been there only a few times, navigated the hallways like a veteran, even flashing the secretary at the desk a knowing smile. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be same trainer-hating woman he had met during the maze challenge.

“I’d like to visit the MTU’s training facilities, please,” Trey asked politely, hoping to avoid another lecture. When the secretary’s penciled eyebrows narrowed, he realized he wasn’t going to be that lucky.

“Why am I not surprised? Isn’t that all you people do?” the secretary cried dramatically, raising her head to the sky in a “why me” position. Muttering unpleasantly, she sifted through the mass of paper on her desk with almost unnatural speed, before handing him a small red card. The MTU logo was stamped on the top of the card, and printed in blocky letters were the words, “Training Center.”

“This access card is given only to members of the MTU, and will allow you entrance into our facilities below. Try not to lose it,” and under her breath, she added, “though you probably will.”

“Doesn’t she know we can hear her?” Troit said in a stage whisper, hiding his voice behind his hand.

“Why does she draw on her face?” Charmene wondered out loud. “Her eyebrows look funny.”

Though the peeved woman did not understand the Pokemon’s chatter, she was suspicious enough to suspect that she was being made fun of. Hastily, Trey ushered his two Pokemon towards the stairwell before she could start up again. Still, he couldn’t help wondering: why work at the Mercenary Trainer Union if you hated trainers? Was employment that hard to find in the city?

Of course, if you asked her, she would probably say something like, “you people don’t have to worry about taking real jobs, do you?”

The lights seemed to dim as they made their way down the stairs. They passed a few trainers who were on their way back upstairs, who nodded to him. After walking down two flights, the air seemed to change…becoming thicker, and acquiring the smell of…what? Perhaps it was Pokemon sweat.

The MTU training facility was a maze of rooms to the unwary, a criss-crossing network of rooms connected by intersecting hallways. Each room corresponded to a certain Pokemon type, and were of different sizes depending on weight and height of the Pokemon. Slowly, the trio walked along the hallways, inspecting the different training centers. A clear, plexiglass window allowed one to view the Pokemon inside, and served as an effective barrier for a misaimed attack.

The Normal Room was a spacious room with several exercise equipment about. In one corner, there was a large stadium, where a group of Miltank raced across the field, trying to determine who had the fastest Roll-out attack. In the center of the field, a group of Clefable and Wigglytuff practiced their Metronome, with…explosive results. A pair of Meowth squared off in a small clearing, teeth bared, while a female Persian looked on.

They moved onward, looking into Steel Room. Here, the environment was made up of reinforced metal, designed to withstand the vicious attacks of the Pokemon within, giving it an industrial feel. A group of Beldum and Metang watched as a larger, rugged looking Metagross began to lift an adult Steelix into the air. Trey watched in amazement as the Steel/Psychic pokemon tossed the steel snake across the room, where he fell with a large KRASH! All of the Pokemon inside the room jumped, and even Trey could feel the rumble of the Steelix’s impact from his position. As they walked on, the Steelix was grinding his teeth and glaring at the Metagross.

When they arrived at the Fire Room, the window was completely obscured in steam. The humidity from the Pokemon inside blocked their view. Trey looked at Charmene, who smiled at him as only she could.

“I guess this is my stop,” she said cheerfully, and despite her nervousness, pushed open the door to the room and entered without looking back.

A wave of heat rolled over her as she entered the room. Terribly hot to a human, but quite refreshing to a fire Pokemon. And there fire Pokemon of all types, engaged in various exercises. In one corner of the room, a Blaziken sparred with a fierce-looking Magmar, exchanging punches and kicks. A Magby and a Torchic watched them intently, studying their movements with a rapt eye.

It seems that fire Pokemon are a lot more serious than Pokemon in the other rooms, Charmene mused. Slowly, feeling self-conscious, she wandered into the room, looking around. A Ninetails with a shiny coat of fur was practicing Will O’ Wisp, levitating blue flame in a slow circle around her head.

“Hey, look out!”

Something butted her sideways, taking her by surprise and knocking the wind out of her. A second later, a fiery cross impacted with the dirt where she had just been, dissolving into smoke. Charmene looked up to see a majestic Rapidash, her mane flaring, staring at her. She turned her back on the Charmander without even apologizing. Confused, Charmene looked to see her savior: a Numel.

“This must be your first time,” the Numel stated. “You have to be careful around here. My name’s Rico.”

“I’m Charmene. Isn’t that Rapidash going to apologize? She almost hit me!”

“She doesn’t owe you any apologies,” Rico said slowly, shaking his head. “Geez, you are new. In the Fire Room, there’s a strict hierarchy- might makes right. You earn your respect through battle. Only by overcoming your opponent, or vice versa, can you come to know him. Technically, I didn’t have to save you at all.”

“Okay,” Charmene said slowly, a bit confused. “So why did you do it, then? Aren’t I at the bottom of the food chain?” The Numel shrugged as best as he could.

“I’m pretty green myself. I guess you reminded me of how I was my first day here. Speaking of which…d’you want to spar? My first day, I remember this cocky Growlithe challenged me, and…” he trailed off, a bit embarrassed as he realized he was rambling.

“Sure, I’d like to try,” Charmene agreed. My first battle! Are they really as fun as I hear?

Battle!
L 7 Numel vs. L 5 Charmander

They assumed positions opposite each other, fairly close to the entrance. Intrigued, a lone Flareon paused to watch.

Proving to be quicker, Charmene darted forward, feinting left. The slow-witted Numel feel for the feint, angling his body to the left. Charmene took advantage of Rico’s position, leaping atop of him. Quickly, she whirled about and went to work with her claws, Scratching the back of his neck as hard as she could.

The Numel grunted in pain, and shook from side to side, trying to buck her off. Charmene dug her claws in and held on as best as she could, managing to stay on. There was a great RUMMBLE from directly below her. The next moment, Rico’s hump erupted, spewing super-heated Embers directly against her belly and sending her flying. She flipped twice in the air before landing on the ground in a heap in front of Rico.

“Oww…”Charmene groaned, rubbing her belly gingerly. If she wasn’t a Fire type, the move would have badly burned her. Glaring, she stood up, still stroking her stomach. “You’re not playing around, are you?”

Rico shrugged. “Might makes right,” he replied, before going into a slow, stumbling run towards her. As he approached her, Charmene growled angrily, her eyes slit. Something in her eyes caused Rico to slow, hesitating, and Charmene took the opportunity to roll out of the way. As the lumbering Numel passed by her, she swung her tail hard, hooking one of Rico’s back legs and tripping him up. Rico fell down hard and Charmene was on him again, Slashing viciously.

“Get OFF!” Rico cried, growing angry. He butted his head into Charmene’s tender belly, forcing her backwards, and got to his feet ponderously. He’s slowing down, Charmene thought, a predatory gleam in her eye. But before she could stage another attack, Rico lifted his head and unleashed a stream of flame at her. Surprised, Charmene barely evaded the attack, moving out of range.

“How do you know Flamethrower? That should be too advanced-”

“I’ll show you the benefits of my training!” Rico roared, spitting another ball of flame. Charmene was forced backwards, ducking and dodging. Rico was relentless, herding her into a corner with careful spurts of flame, and never allowing her an opening. Charmene flinched when her tail touched cold metal. Nowhere to run.

“I’ve got you now,” Rico taunted. Charmene studied him. The Numel was sweating, his breathing labored. There was no way to dodge, and her opening was now. Charmene took a deep breath.

“SUICIDE CHARGE!”

“What kind of attack is- oh my,” Rico breathed, as the Charmander raced towards him, claws extended and eyes glaring. Slowly, the magma in his hump rolled, combusted, turning into a mix of heated air and smoke. Too slow. As the flame poured out of his mouth in a rush, Rico caught the full force of Charmene’s jaw under his chin, forcing his head upwards. The Flamethrower flew harmlessly into the ceiling.

“Gah..jeh…” the Numel muttered, the pain catching up to him. Rico swayed, unsteady, then collapsed, lying on his side.

“I did it,” Charmene said numbly, falling on her rear in shock. She had been frightened- but it seemed as if she had won her first battle despite the odds. And without her trainer, no less! She smiled, feeling perfectly content despite her bruises and pains. What could be better than sheer satisfaction? What was more…

Charmene stood and headed for the exit, her tail bobbing behind her slowly. As the tip moved from side to side, a few tongues of excess flame were released, smoldering in tiny embers on the ground. Seeing Rico’s Ember in action had given her an idea of how to mimic the move herself.

Battle End!
Charmene grew to L 6!

--Poison Room

The Poison Room was definitely not the kind of place you wanted to stumble into without paying attention. For starters, the room was filled with noxious gases, the obvious effect of having so many Poison pokemon in one place. As opposed to several other of the rooms he had seen, Troit noted that many Pokemon seemed to be relaxing, not training.

A large Muk, his huge bulk seeming to fill the entire room, looked at him with a calculating eye despite his appearance. Troit approached him slowly when he beckoned with a sludgy finger.

“Yer new, ain’t ya? I don’t remember yer face, a’ course yer new. There’s only so many Grimers in Ulthuan, and I know yer new.” The Muk spoke quickly despite his dull-looking appearance, and it was a little hard for Troit to keep up.

“Yes, that’s right…I’m new-”

“Course ya are!” the Muk interrupted. He extended a dripping hand by way of welcome, and Troit took it, feeling a little nervous. “Name’s Reed. I’m the big boss aroun’ here.”

“Big…boss?”

“That’s righ’, kid, and don’t ya ferget it. So what’re ya here fer? Training? A battle?”

“Well, actually, I was just looking around-”

“A’ course you wanna battle, that’s what all the kids wanna do.” Ignoring Troit’s protest, Reed’s great mass shifted to the left, looking towards a large Beedrill. “Oy, Rizz!C’mere!”

“Rizz” had been avoiding the acidic spitting of an Arbok, dipping and diving around the large snake. At Reed’s call, the two battlers stopped, and the Beedrill flew over to them. “What’zz up, Big Boss?”

“It’s really not necessary…”Troit stammered, trying to take control. Both Pokemon ignored him.

“Kid wants a battle. Make it a good one, eh, Rizz?” Reed said, jerking a finger at Troit. “No restrictions, and give im’ a workout.”

“No prob, Boss.”

Troit was still wondering how he got into such a mess, as the larger Muk gave him a hard shove, pushing him forward. The Beedrill landed long enough to touch both of his stingers together (in a show of respect) before taking to the air again.

Battle!
L 7 Grimer vs. L 7 Beedrill

“I won’t take it eeezz on you juzt becauszz you know the Boss,” Rizz promised, circling the Grimer like a hungry shark. Troit slapped one gooey hand against his forehead, growing frustrated.

“I just met that guy a few minutes ago! I haven’t even been in here for a full half hour yet!” Around and around the Beedrill buzzed, and he was beginning to get dizzy. It looked like the only way to get anywhere was to fight, because it was obvious that no one was listening to anything he said. Resigned, Troit made a throwing motion with an arm, launching a glob of Sludge at the Beedrill.

Rizz dived, the blob of poison sailing over him, and zipped forward, stabbing his stingers into Troit’s poisonous form multiple times. Had Troit’s body been made up of flesh instead of amorphous goo, it would have had more of an effect, but he still had to make an effort to reform his body.

With Rizz that close, Troit had an opportunity. He swung his fist at the bee’s sensitive compound eyes, but Rizz was much too quick, pulling away and darting back into the air. Troit groaned, glaring up at the Beedrill. How was he supposed to hit such a speedy opponent?

“Get defenisive, kid!” Reed advised from the sidelines. “You’ll never hit ‘im less you can slow ‘im down!”

“Sounds good,” Troit muttered as he tried to peg the speedy Beedrill with another Sludge. “But how do I do that?”

Rizz flew overhead, evading yet another Sludge ball, and took careful aim. The large stinger on his abdomen bulged, then tensed, before being pushed out into the air and directly at him. The stinger was replaced by a smaller, slightly wet stinger, which was fired the same way. The Pin Missiles plunged into his body, causing Troit a great deal of pain more than Rizz’s previous attack.

If only I was a smaller target.. Troit thought, as he forcibly removed the stingers from his body. They came out slowly, yet painfully. He was a sitting duck, and he would lose unless… That’s it!

Troit concentrated, expelling poisonous goo from his body at an accelerated rate. The ‘sweat’ poured off of him, settling in small puddles on the floor. When Rizz next swooped in for an attack, Troit found it easier to move, liberated of the extra pounds.

“You may be quicker,” Rizz panted, hovering above him, “but you zztill can’t touch me.”

To prove his point, Rizz dived once more, slashing at Troit’s body on the pass. The Grimer winced as the blow took out a sizable chunk of his body. He’s right! My attacks are too slow! The only time he slows down is when he hits me…

That was when inspiration struck. Just like before, Troit lobbed a large ball of Sludge. Rizz chuckled, once more dodging the projectile with ease, and sped up, hoping to end the battle with a final hard stab.

SPLURTZ! SHUNK.

Rizz had plunged his stingers so deep into Troit that the tips almost poked through the other side of his body. Poison dripped from the tips, settling on the floor and joining the smaller puddles. Satisfied, Rizz tried to pull away but found he could not. In horror, he glanced at his two stingers.

His weapons were trapped in a thick, cemented form of poison: Troit had Hardened a minute too late, and trapped the Beedrill there. Wincing, Troit couldn’t help but grin.

“Gotcha.”

What happened next was quick. Unable to move, Rizz was held helpless as Troit pummeled him with a combination of Pounds and Shadow Punches. Rizz fell to the ground, unconscious and bruised.

Battle End!
Troit grew to L 8!
Troit learned Disable!

“Not bad, kid!” Reed congratulated gruffly, as the wheezing (no pun intended) Troit moved off of the field. “Not too many Pokes could a’ taken so much abuse from Rizz… a’ course, I could’ve, but that’s another story… Why don’t ya stay awhile? I could introduce ya to the other guys…”

“Thanks, but…I really should get going,” Troit said firmly, sliding out of the Muk’s grasp. “Find my trainer-”

“Righ,’ righ,’ I know how it is!” Reed cried, winking at him. “Come back anytime- yer always welcome!”

Glad to be free of the Muk’s hold, Troit left the room as quickly as possible. He felt woozy, disoriented, and sore from being used as a pincushion…but he also felt quite proud of himself. His first battle- on his own, no less! And though he wouldn’t go so far as to describe it as fun, he couldn’t deny that there something appealing to it for him.

[The_Missing_Link]

ugh, I was going to do the scenario but I don't have the time to do that so I'll request an RBG for Orion. Universal Adoption Center, please

[Wolfsong]

*Takes stamps* He will be battling a Mawile.

[Lady Vulpix]

Trey, sorry for the delay. I liked your story. Reed is an interesting character, and Troit may not like battling, but he's good at it. I liked how you kept continuity with your previous story too. Take 19 stamps. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Ace64]

Thanks Gabi, and don't worry about the wait, it was quicker than last time. I just have to fix the levels: I forgot that you gain one level in an RBG, not two.

[Lady Vulpix]

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Trey (Ace64) has now officially become the latest DT worker! He will, however, remain just a member of the MTU story-wise. Welcome to the team, Trey!

Note: I've changed the color of this announcement in case it hurt anyone's eyes. I told you this was NOT a prank. If you're a DT worker and talked to me on AIM on April 1st, then this comes as no surprise to you. If, on the other side, you're a DT worker and knew nothing about this, it's because you have become nearly impossible to contact, and thus you will understand the need for a new worker. I hope things can start running smoothly again now.

[Skye]

Hm, I think I'll take an extenion on this scenario, just in case. And congrats, Trey!

[The Blue Avenger]

Yeah, congratulations, Trey. Good luck.

[Lady Vulpix]

Darkfire gets the extension, though I'm not sure whether she'll need it as we all seem to be either stuck or unavailable. >_< Save for Trey and Jeff who are not going to White Mountain anyway.

[Ace64]

Thanks guys...it was pretty unexpected, to say the least.

Good luck on White Mountain...everybody.In the meantime, I'll take another two-on-two RBG, for Fisticuffs and Prophecy, at the universal adoption center.

[Lady Vulpix]

Alright. They'll be battling a Magnemite and an Aron.

[The Blue Avenger]

Here's the scenario, entitled "Infiltration." Cheers!

---

“Hey guys! Take a look at this!” a voice called from the den. It had been exactly one week since the mysterious man in red had disappeared along with Jeff and Maza, and the rest of the trainer’s team had been working diligently, scouring the Guild’s library, old newspaper articles, and recent events on the news in order to gain some sort of clue as to the man’s whereabouts.

At the sound of the voice, Groviglio, Trezzatura, and Mercandos shoved awkwardly into the room. They were greeted with the sight of Kurtzwick sitting in front of Jeff’s laptop. A site, apparently from a news agency, was displayed on the screen, with the headline “Old Cult Begins Anew” written in bold across the top.

“According to this article,” Kurtzwick began, “a cult in some backwater village in Eagleland is being revived. Apparently, it died about 15 or so years ago when the leader was killed. Some guy recently visited the town and has officially taken leadership of the cult. The head leaders of the region say that, even though the cult has proven dangerous in the past, they can’t touch it because there’s new leadership and there are numerous laws protecting the rights of religious institutions.” Kurtzwick glanced back at his audience. “The guy’s name is Koop R. Balthazar. Now, if we bring up some old news articles like so…” With a quick tap on the keyboard, a new window flashed up on the screen. “We find that the nutjob that killed Jeff’s parents was named Cooper Bartholomew, and that the incident happened in Happy-Happy Village – the same place that this cult is located. Also, the picture of Cooper in this article matches the description of the man that Kiva, Anzu, and you, Groviglio, saw. Coincidence? I think not.”

Groviglio scowled. “What a scuzzball. He wasn’t satisfied by just killing Jeff’s folks? He has to go and mess with Jeff too?”

“Now, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Trezzatura said, cutting Groviglio off. “We don’t even know if it’s the same guy.”

“Maybe not, but it’s the only lead we have,” Mercandos pointed out. “We haven’t found anything else out about where this guy is.”

“Okay, let’s say we do follow this up,” Trezz responded. “How do you propose we get there? Happy-Happy Village is in Eagleland, which, as you may know, is on another continent. Not a close one, either.”

Mercandos opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. After a moment of silence, he mumbled, “Well, Bobbery knows Surf…”

“Surf,” Groviglio said sharply, turning to Merc. “Surf. Across an ocean. Carrying 13 Pokemon on his back. Surf. Wow, when you’re being stupid, you don’t pull any punches, do you?”

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open. In the doorway stood Mona, who was grinning widely and holding a slip of paper. “Hey guys!” she shouted excitedly. “Look what I found! It was sitting on the dresser beside Jeff’s bed. It has a lot of pretty colors on it, doesn’t it? I don’t know what it is, though… but it looks so neat! Can I have it? Can I can I can I – ” She stopped rather abruptly as Groviglio snatched the paper from her paws. He scanned it quickly.

“This looks like… it is! This is an airline ticket!” Groviglio exclaimed. He looked at it a little closer. “Actually, it’s a voucher. It is apparently good for one roundtrip flight to anywhere. There’s a note on the back that says that Jeff won it from some radio promotion.”

“What good does that do us?” Kurtzwick replied. “It’s not like they’ll just let a bunch of Pokemon onto the plane. Besides, my bag of loot probably wouldn’t get through the metal detector.”

Trezzatura rolled his eye. “Honestly, just use your brain for one minute. Look, they probably won’t let anyone but Jeff use that voucher… who do we know who can alter their appearances at will?”

“My ears are burning!” a voice called from the doorway. Cam popped out from behind the door.

“You don’t have ears, do you, Cam?” Mona asked quietly. “But if you don’t, then how do you hear it when people talk? And how are your ears burning? Nobody here can use fire attacks… Unless…” She turned around sharply to face the rest of the group. “Guys, hurry! Get out! The house is on fire!”

Trezzatura, Groviglio, and Mercandos exchanged glances before continuing. “Cam, you can Transform into Jeff, right?” Trezz asked.

In lieu of an answer, Cam merely put one pseudopod to where his chin would be if he had one. He grinned slightly and began to change shape rapidly… Limbs lengthened, height and bulk increased, features became more defined. When the change finished, where Cam once stood then stood a carbon-copy of the young Pokemon trainer.

“I think so, yeah,” Cam replied.

“Good,” Trezzatura replied. “Go get the rest of the group. We need to leave now.”

***

Ten minutes later, “Jeff” (replete with 14 Pokeballs set on a belt) stood in a small line at Sector Alpha’s regional airport. When he reached the front of the line, he silently placed his ticket voucher on the counter, along with a note indicating the desired destination. The woman at the counter disinterestedly stamped his voucher and pointed him to the gate where, coincidentally, a plane for Twoson was making preparations for departure. “Jeff” quickly dashed over through the gate, handed over his ticket, and clambered into an empty seat on the plane.

When he noticed that nobody else was on either side of him, “Jeff” opened a Pokeball, revealing Trezzatura. “Jeff” regarded the Beldum with a critical eye for a moment before taking on a decidedly serious tone. “I’ve been thinking. When we land in Twoson, we’re gonna have to navigate the Peaceful Rest Valley. And then we’re gonna have to find out where Bartholomew is, assuming that the leader in the village is really him. And then we’re gonna have to figure out some way to defeat him. I do hope you’ve got back-up plans, because in all honesty, this plan has a severe amount of room for error.”

Trezzatura sighed. “No, actually, I don’t. But there aren’t any other leads, and for all we know, Jeff could already be…” He gulped. “…Well, no point in dwelling on it. At any rate, time is of the essence, and frankly, we don’t have much of it.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have hurt to prepare a little more…” “Jeff” replied, staring out the window.

The rest of the flight was quiet, neither party speaking, instead contemplating what was to come. The silence was only broken by the announcement of the speakers, notifying the passengers that landing was imminent.

***

A few minutes later, the team found themselves standing in the streets of Twoson. It was a busy town, not overly huge, but big enough that it was slightly intimidating. “Jeff” pulled out a map he swiped from the airport and looked over it.

“Okay… Happy-Happy Village… through that cave system, then through the valley. Easier said than done.”

One of the Pokeballs at his waist burst open, revealing Previsiona. “I can get you there. I was with Jeff when he visited a while ago,” the normally bubbly Castform said.

“Excellent,” “Jeff” replied. “Then let us depart.” Previsiona nodded, and the pair walked towards the road leading into the Peaceful Rest caves.

The caves proved to be easy to navigate; they were never terribly long, and recently someone had installed small lamps every few hundred feet, making it easier to see. As such, “Jeff” and Previsiona found their ways through fairly quickly.

As they stepped out into the Peaceful Rest Valley, they noticed more signs of change. It was completely silent, save for the gurgling of the river that passed through. No birds chirped in the trees, no whirring robots flew through the air, no Territorial Oaks spontaneously combusted. Even the small girl who collected mushrooms near the caves was gone. As “Jeff” and Previsiona glanced around, their eyes fell upon a bridge that, according to Previsiona, “definitely wasn’t there before.” It was a modest log bridge, spanning the river, but it was completely blue. The sign proclaiming the way to Happy-Happy Village was also painted a similar shade.

“No, this isn’t creepy at all…” “Jeff” muttered, as he crossed the bridge.

“Well, whoever built it did us a favor,” Previsiona said. “This is a shortcut to the village – the entrance is right over there.” She gestured to an opening in a nearby cave wall.

“Jeff” took one last look at his surroundings. “I don’t like where this is going,” he mumbled. “There’s a trap here. I can tell.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have much of a choice,” Previsiona admitted. “We need to find Jeff.”

“Jeff” sighed and nodded. “You’re right. That’s the most important thing right now.” Without another word, he walked into the cave, Previsiona following. Much like the caves leading into the Valley, the caves leading into the Village were short, and also hand lamps hung on the walls. The only difference was that the lamps shed a blue light on the cave’s innards, give everything a rather surreal quality.

“No, this isn’t creepy at all…” “Jeff” muttered, eyes narrowed.

Previsiona glared at him. “Give it a rest. You’re not helping.”

“Jeff” squared his jaw, but didn’t say anything more. At least, not until they reached the end of the cave system and looked out into Happy-Happy Village.

“Oh my God…” “Jeff” said quietly, as Previsiona looked on in awed shock. The entire town – the rock walls, the buildings, the trees, the bike next to the general store, even the ground was a deep shade of blue. As they glanced slowly around the village, they noted the people aimlessly milling around the town. They had initially blended in to the rest of the scenery because of their clothes – every single person wore a blue full-body suit with a black tie, black shoes, and gray gloves. They all wore blue masks, resembling ski masks, only with a ‘tail’ of sorts on top that ended in a white pom-pom. Several people carried paintbrushes and silver pails carrying blue paint.

“Jeff” gave a sideways glance to Previsiona, almost smiling. “No, this isn’t creepy at all…”

Previsiona rolled her eyes. “Let’s see if we can’t get some information out of these people.” She hovered over to the nearest one. “Excuse me, can you tell me where to find, uh, Mr. Balthazar?”

The person glanced up at her slowly. “Blue… blue…”

“Excuse me?”

“Blue blue!” The person lashed out with their paintbrush, leaving a trail of blue paint on Previsiona’s face. Previsiona blinked and slowly floated backwards.

“What is this?” she asked “Jeff” quietly.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Maybe we should just start investigating the buildings.” Previsiona nodded, and they walked over to the nearest building, a small, one-story house, the only thing not blue in the town – it was red. “Jeff” knocked on the door.

“HeLlo? I hAVe nO SoMEthInG,” a high-pitched voice answered from inside. Then it fell silent, despite several prompts from “Jeff”.

The next house was scarcely better. It was bigger than the first, with a small area fenced off in front. A cow, also blue, absentmindedly chewed some grass next to the fence. Upon entering the building, “Jeff” found a man in the same outfit as everyone else. Before “Jeff” could say anything, though, the man stood up. “Those in the Balthazar family are free to stay here. But it will be fifty dollars for outsiders. If you do stay, make sure to say your ‘blue blue’ prayers before bed…”

“Can you tell me where to find Balthazar?” “Jeff” asked.

“Are you staying or not?”

“Uh… no.”

“Then I have nothing more to say to you. Be gone,” the man replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Jeff” sighed and backed out the door.

The third building, in the center of town, provided some different results, however. The main room – it was wide, with enough room to easily fit the small population of the village – was filled with people, all wearing the same clothes as the ones outside. Some of them were walking in place, some walked in a circle around groups of other people, some stood perfectly still, but every single one of them was repeating the phrase “blue… blue…” under their breath. A door stood ajar in the back of the room, but otherwise, the room was completely devoid of everything but people.

“I think… now, this is just a hunch, but I think we might find Mr. Koop here,” “Jeff” said quietly to Previsiona.

“Agreed,” Previsiona nodded. “Let’s try to get to that door.” The pair quietly pushed past a few cultists before one stood in their path, unbudging.

“Okay, let’s move back a bit and try a different path…” Previsiona started, but “Jeff” interrupted her.

“Look, there’s an easier way,” he replied. “Jeff” began to change form, steadily changing shape until he was instead a Ninjask. “Let’s just go over their heads. They won’t notice.” Previsiona nodded slightly, and they lifted themselves over the cultists. As the flew across the room, Cambiamente’s remark proved true: not a single person noticed as they landed next to the door, Cam changing from a Ninjask back into a copy of his trainer. Silently, so as to not attract attention, they slipped through the door.

The next room contained a man sitting at a desk, clerical equipment sitting in front of him. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him. “Jeff” waved a hand in front of his face, and immediately the man snapped to attention, jumping from his chair.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAH!” the man yelled. He cleared his throat and sat back down. “I screamed… because I didn’t know what else to do!” he continued cheerfully, after which he went back to staring at the wall.

“Jeff” shared a glance with Previsiona. “If there’s ever a sign that this place is too bizarre, I think this would be it,” he said under his breath.

Previsiona nodded. “I think I’m inclined to agree with you. We should… move on.” Careful to stay as far out of eyeshot of the secretary as they could, the “Jeff” carefully opened the door on the opposite side of the room, and he and Previsiona stealthily walked through.

They were relieved to see that the next room didn’t really have anything in terms of people; instead, it was filled with several wooden crates with the label “For Export” stamped on them. “Jeff” pulled off his trainer belt, dropping 12 Pokeballs to the floor and releasing the 12 Pokemon inside.

“Okay guys, here’s the status report,” “Jeff” started. “We’re in Happy-Happy Village, and we’ve made our way into the inner rooms of the meeting hall. We haven’t seen any sign of Bartholomew or Jeff, but the town is bizarre enough that I think we can safely infer that something shady is going on here. Any questions so far?”

“Ooh! Ooh! I have one!” Mona shouted, bouncing up and down.

“Jeff” sighed. “Yes, Mona?”

“What should we do with all these TMs?” Mona gestured to the crate that she had jimmied open. Several TMs could be seen through the top of the crate, but upon inspection, there weren’t very many: the majority of the crate contents seemed to be packing peanuts. Without warning, however, they floated out of the box and scattered on the floor, courtesy of Raini.

“I don’t really condone thievery…” “Jeff” said quietly.

“Hey, don’t worry, chief,” Kurtzwick replied. “There’s a note in here that says that we can take ‘em.”

“Wait, who does it say can take them?” “Jeff” frowned.

“Uh… it says specifically that any Pokemon belonging to one Jeff Azure can use those TMs.”

“And you don’t find this suspicious?”

Kurtzwick paused. “Um… nope.”

“If I may interject…” 99 interrupted. “A quick scan of the technical machines in question reveals that they are free of flaws. They are perfectly safe to use.”

“That’s all I need to hear!” Groviglio laughed before extending a vine and snatching the TM in the center. One by one, the rest of the TMs got snatched up as well, except for the last one. Trezzatura quickly grabbed it and slyly hid it in “Jeff’s” backpack.

Bobbery learned Block!
Groove Guy learned Block!
Lady Bow learned Confuse Ray!
Raini learned Crunch!
Groviglio learned Synthesis!
Previsiona learned Thunder!
Mona learned Sketch!
Anzu learned Secret Power!

“Are we ready to go, then?” “Jeff” asked, a look of impatience crossing his face. The rest of the group nodded. However, as they turned to leave the room, a harsh staticky noise halted them. A loudspeaker on the wall seemed to be the culprit.

“Ah, look at this!” a distorted voice said from the speaker. “How precious! The entire team showed up for the rescue mission.”

“Bartholomew…” “Jeff” and Trezzatura growled simultaneously.

“Tsk tsk tsk…” the voice continued. “I thought you’d be better prepared. You see, you’ve been so distracted, you didn’t even notice the ambush sneaking up on you. Oh well, saves me the trouble of finishing you myself. Ta!”

“Blue… blue…” a voice called out from behind the team. An Espeon and an Umbreon, both colored a light blue, stared them down, an oddly vacant look in their eyes.

Anzu jumped forward. “Look, guys, we need to find Jeff as soon as possible! We’ll hold these guys off; you guys go ahead!” Kiva nodded and stood beside Anzu.

Kiva and Anzu versus Espeon and Umbreon!
Kiva – “You need to cool down.”
Anzu – “Let’s heat things up!”
~
Espeon – “Blue blue…”
Umbreon – “Blue blue…”

Anzu charged the Umbreon as Kiva summoned a Shadow Ball. “Go!” Kiva hissed. “Jeff” nodded and the team quickly left the room.

The Umbreon swiftly disappeared into the ground as Anzu approached him, leaving her to slam headfirst into the wall. Anzu fell back, dazed, as the Umbreon reappeared behind her.

“Blue blue!” the Umbreon growled as it shot a sinister beam of white light straight at Anzu. The light enveloped her, its brightness scrambling her thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Espeon, much like his partner, quickly disappeared from view, leaving the Shadow Ball to dissipate harmlessly in the air. Kiva scowled and glanced around the room, looking for any sign of the Espeon… but she was momentarily distracted when Anzu, in a moment of confusion, sent a bolt of electricity arcing in her direction. The lightning struck hard, coursing through her body.

“Take that, Umbreon!” Anzu yelled triumphantly, obviously not lucid. The Umbreon and the Espeon both appeared behind her. Using their combined Psychic prowess, they quickly lifted Anzu into the air and hurled her across the room, straight into Kiva. They both hit the wall hard, then fell to the ground, totally unconscious. The Umbreon and Espeon chuckled as they both disappeared into thin air.

Battle over! Umbreon and Espeon win!

Past the door, the rest of the group found themselves walking down a long hallway. It was poorly lit, and there were no distinguishing markings on the walls at all, making it difficult to tell when the hallway ended, or, indeed, if they were making any progress at all.

“Anyone else think there’s something inherently wrong with this plan?” Groviglio asked casually. “I mean, first of all, it can’t be good to split up like this. It’s like in a horror movie; the first people to split out of the main group are always the first ones killed. Besides, what if Kiva and Anzu lose? We… might never see them again.”

“Well,” Trezzatura replied, “It’s already happened, and there’s no turning back now. Besides, I have faith in Kiva and Anzu.”

“Kurtzwick, give it back,” “Jeff” interrupted plaintively.

Kurtzwick stared at him. “Give what back?”

“My backpack! I had it just a second ago.”

“Look, man, I don’t have it,” Kurtzwick replied, scowling. “What, so every time something goes missing it’s my fault?”

Everyone nodded.

“Oh, I see how it is. Gang up on the kleptomaniac.”

“Blue blue…”

“Jeff” rolled his eyes. “Not again… another ambush,” he sighed. He turned around slowly. There was nobody there aside from the rest of the group. Suddenly, something large and heavy hit him in his back, and he fell to the ground. Groaning slightly, “Jeff” sat up and picked up what hit him – it was his backpack. The culprits who had thrown it stood at the far end of the room – a familiar pair, a Lickitung and a Skitty. However, this time, they were colored blue.

“You!” Kurtzwick screeched. “That’s the last straw! Nobody frames me for theft! If I get pinned for theft, it had better darn well be for something I stole!” Popple and Rookie merely stared at him.

Bobbery stepped out of the crowd. “Look, I’ll have no trouble handling these guys. I know Groviglio doesn’t like the idea, but time is of the essence. Kurtzwick and I can win easily.” “Jeff” nodded and hurried out the door at the end of the hall, followed by the rest of the team.

Kurtzwick and Bobbery versus Popple and Rookie!
Kurtzwick – “Hack, slay, and haul it all away!”
Bobbery – “It’s a boom-bassa-boom festival!”
~
Popple – “Blue blue…”
Rookie – “Blue blue…”

Bobbery began by hammering his fists against his stomach, creating a deep reverberating noise that echoed throughout the corridor, causing both Popple and Rookie to hold their paws over their ears. “You don’t like that, huh?” Bobbery asked. “Then how about… this!” He dove forward, his fist swathed with a brown glow. However, his target – Popple, nimbly jumped up and out of the way, leaving Bobbery to hit the ground, creating a sizable crater.

As Bobbery stumbled back, Kurtzwick leapt into the air, crackling with electricity. He glared at Rookie and fired a large orb of lightning at the Lickitung Rookie took the hit, but merely shrugged it off. He, in turn, charged Kurtzwick and grabbed him, squeezing him tightly with his tongue. Rookie quickly hurled Kurtzwick across the hall, landing a direct hit on Bobbery (although Bobbery didn’t really feel it). Kurtzwick slumped to the ground, any hopes of getting back up destroyed as Popple blasted him with an Ice Beam.

“You may have defeated Kurtzwick,” Bobbery scowled, “but you’ll find me a completely different story.” He raised his arms, and two water fountains on opposite sides of the corridor buckled, spraying Popple and Rookie with powerful fountains of pressurized water. However, from the water emanated a haunting melody… Bobbery couldn’t help but hear it. Giving in to his natural Snorlax instincts, he toppled over, sound asleep. Popple and Rookie grinned as they prepared to tear into him with their most powerful attacks…

Battle over! Popple and Rookie win!

“Is anyone worried by the fact that Kiva and Anzu haven’t shown up by now?” Groviglio complained.

“Relax. They probably just got caught up in Bobbery and Kurtzwick’s match,” Groove Guy replied, smiling.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure of that…” a voice called out from the ever-present loudspeaker. “I have it on reliable information that your precious Kiva and Anzu were soundly defeated… and that the same will soon happen to the Pokemon you just left fighting my thieves!”

“Don’t listen…” “Jeff” muttered. “He’s lying!”

“Ah well, whatever suits you…” the voice continued before shutting off.

As if on cue, a wicked laugh emanated from… somewhere in the room, accompanied by the obligatory voice saying “Blue blue!” However, after the first voice spoke, a chorus of other voices pitched in, repeating the same thing.

“Jeff” sighed. “Let’s just leave the room now…” he scowled as he quickly left the room via the opposite door. The rest of the group followed, and everyone but Mona and Lady Bow had made it through when the door, one of the thick steel variety, slammed shut. From out of nowhere, a Gastly appeared, followed closely by an Exeggcute, who Teleported into view. Both were, of course, blue. Lady Bow looked closely at the blue Gastly, getting visions of someone she was very close to…

“Don’t get distracted!” Mona hissed.

Lady Bow and Mona versus Gastly and Exeggcute!
Lady Bow – “This shall determine that.”
Mona – “All RIGHT!”
~
Gastly – “Blue blue…”
Exeggcute – “Blue blue…”

“What?” Lady Bow asked, somewhat quietly.

“It’s not Bolovayr.”

“I know that!” Lady Bow responded, somewhat harshly.

“Still, keep your wits with you,” Mona replied. However, before she could continue, she was harshly interrupted by being lifted into the air and slammed into a wall. The Exeggcute grinned smarmily as she slowly got back up.

Mona scowled and narrowed her eyes. “Why you…” she grumbled as she strode purposefully at them. Without hesitation, she grabbed her tail and began to draw elaborate designs in the air, the color of her paint slowly turning from purple to pink.

Mona Sketched Psychic!

Lady Bow shook her head clear of the nostalgic thoughts and stared down the Gastly. The Gastly only stared at her in response, prompting Lady Bow to stick out her tongue. She flew at the Gastly and Licked him up the side of his head, an act that left a nasty taste in her mouth but obviously affected the foe worse. He shuddered and scowled, glaring at Lady Bow. Closing his eyes, the Gastly began to chant softly, summoning a huge black orb of shadowy energy, holding it steadily in front of him. When he deemed it an appropriate size, he fired it, leaving Lady Bow no time to dodge: the attack struck home, sending Lady Bow falling to the ground, where the Exeggcute viciously tore into her with a series of well-aimed Psywaves. She didn’t get back up.

Mona clutched her head and tried to focus. Apparently, it worked – an invisible force struck the Gastly, knocking it out of the air. The shock of the attack, combined with the Lick attack from earlier, left him on the ground, unconscious. However, this left Mona open for attack from the other source. A similar force picked her up into the air and gradually constricted around her throat. She struggled in vain to breathe, until finally her air supply ceased, knocking her out cold. The Exeggcute dropped her unceremoniously.

Battle over! Exeggcute wins!

“Shoot… it’s locked…” “Jeff” frowned, trying to pry the door back open. “And we don’t have Bobbery here, so we can’t force it open…” He slumped to his feet. “Maybe this is hopeless…”

“Don’t say that,” Trezzatura responded coldly. “We’ve come this far. We have no choice but to go on.”

“Jeff” slowly rose to his feet. “How many of our team are left?” He glanced around. “Hm. Including myself, eight. This isn’t good… we’ve lost have of our team…” He put his hand to his chin. “Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. Groove Guy, 99 and I are going to stay here and try to get back through, so we can maybe find everyone else. Trezzatura… you, Groviglio, Mercandos, Previsiona, and Raini will move on ahead. Don’t worry about us; we’ll come and find you when we’re done.”

Trezzatura nodded. “Okay, I got it.” He led the way down the hallway, followed by the four others. “Jeff” reverted back to Cambiamente before changing once again into the form of a Machamp. He angrily punched the door as 99 analyzed its makeup. Groove Guy slouched in a corner, unable to find room to assault the door with the hulking form of a Machamp already there. However, he was the only one who noticed a slight hissing sound emanating from the air vent.

“Guys… hold up! I think… we’re… being…” Groove Guy sputtered before falling to the ground, succumbing to the gas. It wasn’t long before 99 and Cambiamente met the same fate, all three unconscious.

Meanwhile, having already left the hallway, the remaining five Pokemon had no idea what had just happened to their comrades. All they knew was that Raini was staring intently at a small hole in the wall and had no intention of leaving.

“Raini, come on… we don’t have any time to waste!” Trezzatura said, frowning.

“Nyao nyao!” Raini screeched, causing Mercandos to cover his ears.

“Look guys, I’ll take care of this,” Previsiona sighed. “You go on ahead.”

“You sure?” Trezzatura asked.

“It’s better than all of us being stuck here, waiting for her to finish whatever she’s doing,” Previsiona confirmed. Trezzatura nodded and, followed by Groviglio and Mercandos, exited the room.

Previsiona hovered close to Raini. “Come on, sweetie, it’s time to -” Suddenly, she fell silent and her eyes went out of focus. “What is that…” she mumbled quietly. “Oh! That’s Trezzatura! But where’s everyone else…?” Her expression changed to one of shock. “Oh no! Not that!” Previsiona snapped back to focus. “We have to go find them! Come on, Raini!... Raini?” She looked to the kitten, who was for some reason, struggling in midair.

“Blue blue…” a voice said, coming from the area behind Raini. A Kecleon faded into view, who was using a combination of Iron Tail and Wrap to hold Raini in place. He sneered and repeated “Blue blue,” but his meaning was perfectly clear: “Make one move and the cat gets it.”

Previsiona sighed. “Fine, just don’t hurt Raini…” She closed her eyes. Maybe if I can prepare a Future Sight… But she was shaken from her thoughts by a Rattata tackling her to the ground. Through some bizarre source of strength, he was able to keep her pinned, his large incisors glinting in the light.

“Ah nuts…” Previsiona sighed quietly.

In the next room, Trezzatura, Mercandos, and Groviglio stared up at the loudspeaker on the wall. It was the only thing in the room aside from the door through which they entered.

“I see your numbers have been pared considerably,” the voice said, crackling due to the speaker. “I think I shall… aid that a little. Good luck.” With that, the speaker cut off… and just as suddenly, a loud buzzing filled the room. The door behind them burst open, and a Beedrill burst forth, followed closely by a Houndoom and a Kabuto. They stared down the remaining team of three.

Battle time! Groviglio, Mercandos, and Trezzatura versus Kabuto, Beedrill, and Houndoom!
Groviglio – “Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time!”
Mercandos – “It’s time to win!”
Trezzatura – “If I must…”
~
Kabuto – “Blue blue…”
Beedrill – “Blue blue…”
Houndoom – “Blue blue…”

Mercandos started off quickly, waving his hands in the air and summoning a maelstrom of glowing green leaves. They zoomed through the air and impacted with the Kabuto, knocking him over and leaving him on his back with his legs waving in the air. Groviglio charged at the grounded beetle, but before he could reach the Kabuto, the Beedrill swiftly flew through the air and knocked him over, jabbing him viciously with the trademark Beedrill barbs.

The Houndoom opened his mouth wide and exhaled a massive burst of fire; it expanded into the shape of a Japanese character as it flew through the air. Trezzatura quickly floated out of the way, leaving the Fire Blast to hit Mercandos straight on, singeing him badly. Mercandos coughed up a cloud of soot and stood back up, glaring at the Houndoom. He jumped at it, his fist glowing, and punched the Houndoom in the muzzle as hard as he could. The Houndoom staggered back, looking somewhat dazed.

The Beedrill ceased its furious Twineedle, letting Groviglio slowly get back to his feet.

“Oh, you’re going to get it now…” Groviglio hissed. A jet of water burst from the ground and focused on the Beedrill; it formed a bubble surrounding the bee and slowly contracted, beginning to cut off the Beedrill’s air supply. The Beedrill began to cough until he was released from its watery prison, at which point he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. The cause for his release was none other than the Kabuto, who had succeeded it flipping himself back over and began to claw viciously at Groviglio’s face. Groviglio tumbled back and lashed out a vine constricting around the Kabuto and drawing energy from it, but the attack didn’t last long: the Kabuto released a harsh, grating Metal Sound, disrupting Groviglio’s concentration. The Kabuto then charged for a brief moment, going on to hit Groviglio with a point-blank Ice Beam. Groviglio fell backwards.

“Ugh… I’m sorry, guys…” Groviglio muttered as his consciousness slipped away from him.

Mercandos stepped in front of Groviglio. “Dirty pool,” he said quietly, scowling. He extended his arms and closed his eyes. Momentarily, golden energy began to stream from him; it coalesced into the form of a mighty dragon behind him. It roared and breathed a stream of golden fire over the opponents, singeing all of them severely. The Houndoom howled before jumping at Mercandos, sinking his fangs into the Mr. Mime’s shoulder. Mercandos cried out, trying unsuccessfully to free his arm, but sensing escape to be futile, he closed his eyes. A brilliant white light emitted from his body, obscuring everyone from view, until it faded, leaving the Beedrill and the Kabuto looking battered and bruised.

“It’s… up to you, Trezzatura…” Mercandos groaned before going limp.

Trezzatura’s eye went wide as all of the three remaining foes charged at him. He flew through the air and rammed the Beedrill, who tried futilely to jab at the Beldum’s metal body. The Beedrill slammed into the wall, the combined damage from the Take Down, the Hidden Powers, and the Luster Purge proving too much for him, sending him into the realms of unconsciousness. As Trezzatura turned around, he noticed the Houndoom taking aim at him. Thinking quickly, he flew behind the Kabuto, the Houndoom noticing too late to stop the attack. He spat out a jet of fire, which impacted with the Kabuto, the Kabuto’s type resistance offering him some protection. Trezzatura then rammed the Kabuto as hard as he could, the power amplified by his collar, sending the Kabuto flying. The Kabuto slammed into the Houndoom and promptly passed out.

The Houndoom glared at Trezzatura, who tried as hard as he could to give a steely gaze back. Smirking slightly, the devil hound sank into the ground, cloaked in the shadows. Trezzatura spun around in mid-air, frantically trying to figure out where the Houndoom would strike from. Unfortunately, only having one eye made it difficult to guard all sides, and the Houndoom reappeared behind Trezzatura and swiped at him, his paw covered in shadowy flames. Trezzatura flew back several feet before regaining his balance. He flipped around in mid-air and shot at Houndoom like a speeding bullet, knocking the Houndoom back and fainting him.

Battle over! Trezzatura grows to level 19!

Trezzatura sighed. “What do I do now?” he mumbled absentmindedly to nobody in particular.

“Oh, that’s easy to answer,” a voice crackled from the loudspeaker. A thick gas began to poor in from a vent conveniently located on the ceiling over Mercandos. It appeared to be a chemical similar to that found in Potions, as Mercandos awkwardly stood back up.

“Mercandos! You’re okay!” Trezzatura shouted.

“Mwee hee hee!” Mercandos laughed in an oddly high-pitched tone. “You are an idiot of stupidity! Your life that I spit on is now but a caricature of a cartoon drawn by a kid who is stupid!”

“What’s going on here?!” Trezzatura shouted angrily at the loudspeaker.

“Well, my dear Beldum, a few months back, I sent a few Pokemon out to make life… interesting for your trainer. From what I gathered, they possessed a pair of Dark Pokemon and fought your friends the Gastly and the Ditto. They were under strict orders to possess one of your teammates if they lost, but not to reveal themselves at that point. It would appear that they chose Mercandos.”

“Mercandos, don’t fight me!” Trezzatura pleaded.

“Your friend Mercandos is no longer with us! In this body, we are free to attack you like rage dressing! Rage dressing on the salad of your doom!” Mercandos snickered.

Battle time! Trezzatura versus Mercandos!
Trezzatura – “If I must…”
~
Mercandos – “You go squish now!”

Mercandos made the first move, charging at Trezzatura with his fist outstretched. He slammed into the Beldum hard, but Trezzatura shrugged it off.

“Merc, come on! None of your attacks will hurt me,” Trezzatura said. Mercandos ignored him, choosing only to fly at him again, this time launching a barrage of Magical Leaves. Once again, the attacks deflected off of Trezzatura’s metal hide.

Trezzatura sighed. “Okay, you’re really giving me no choice here…” He reared back, then flew at Mercandos, executing his only means of attack: Take Down. However, before he could reach the Mr. Mime, he was stopped in his tracks as he hit a near-invisible Barrier. Trezzatura bounced off, spinning dizzily in the air. “Oogh… that wasn’t fun…” he mumbled, his words slurred.

Mercandos chuckled. “Have you readiness for this?” he called as he began to wave his fingers back and forth. Suddenly, a large horn appeared in front of him, and Mercandos charged at Trezzatura. Again, the attack barely scratched Trezzatura’s metal. Trezzatura chuckled slightly in spite of himself and backed up to Take Down again. He flew at Mercandos, but at the last minute, Mercandos waggled his fingers again and Detected the hit, stepping nimbly out of the way, leaving Trezzatura to plow headfirst into the wall.

“You have no chance to survive!” Mercandos laughed before wiggling his fingers again; this time, a fierce wind picked up inside the room, carrying ample particles of ice. The Blizzard centered on Trezzatura, starting to chill him, but again his type resistance prevented most of the damage. Mercandos began waving his fingers again before Trezzatura could react, the end result of which involved Mercandos jumping high into the air and landing on Trezzatura with his foot. Hard. Unlike the previous attacks, this one actually caused some damage. Trezzatura staggered back, his head spinning.

“Mercandos! Stop!” Trezzatura yelled, but Mercandos merely laughed. He once again used Metronome, this time whipping his foot around hard into Trezzatura’s side, and then doing it again. Trezzatura fell back, breathing heavily. He slowly rose back up, a fierce glare in his eye. “That is it. Mercandos or not, you need to go down. I need to find my trainer.” The Beldum shot at Mercandos with a sudden burst of speed, slamming him hard. Mercandos tumbled back, but didn’t have any time to react before Trezzatura did it again. And again. And again.

Finally, Trezzatura stopped as his friend fell to the ground, unconscious. Two Gastly emerged from his body and promptly disappeared. Trezzatura floated over to his teammate and shed a lone tear.

“I’m sorry, Mercandos…”

Battle over! Trezzatura wins and grows to level 20!

However, before he could take in everything that had happened, Trezzatura felt his body begin to change… To lengthen, to widen, and to bulk up. When it was done, he found himself as a Metang.

Trezzatura learns Confusion!
Trezzatura learns Metal Claw!
Trezzatura learns Shadow Ball!

“Very good,” the voice from the loudspeaker spoke suddenly. “You have exhausted all of my current obstacles. I suppose there’s nothing stopping you from seeing me, now.” As the voice cut off, a loud rumbling alerted Trezzatura to the wall in front of him slowly shifting. A section of rock rolled away, revealing an entrance. With a long look at his fallen comrades, Trezzatura floated through.

The next room was tastefully decorated. A lone window let in some light (although it was somewhat blocked by a set of blue curtains), a blue desk sat across from the door, and behind it, two blue chairs. The first one turned around, revealing a man dressed in blue formalwear, with piercing red eyes and a shock of red hair.

“You’re…” Trezzatura stammered, “you’re Cooper Bartholomew, aren’t you?”

“Very good, Metang,” Bartholomew replied, looking smug. “You’ve done your research.”

Trezzatura frowned. “There are so many questions here… like how you’re alive. All of the records we found said you had died. And why you decided to kidnap Jeff. Where is Jeff?” he finished angrily.

“As for your first question,” Bartholomew said, “I’m afraid that’s a secret for now. As for your second, well… your trainer is right here!” The second chair spun around, revealing none other than the young trainer, albeit dressed in the cultist getup (minus the mask).

“Jeff!” Trezzatura exclaimed happily. “Let’s go! Are you okay?”

“Trezzatura,” Jeff began slowly, “I’m afraid I’m not going with you. I’m staying here.”

“What? Why?!”

“Mr. Bartholomew has offered me a very generous position as his second-in-command.” Jeff stood from his chair and stretched his arms out. “Have you seen how many people are in this cult? I can control all of them! The power I have in my hands is like nothing you could ever know!” A manic glint shone through his thick glasses. “Soon, we will have amassed enough people to achieve more power than we could ever dream of!” He began to laugh sinisterly, Bartholomew watching, a look of amusement on his face.

“You see?” Bartholomew said. “Your trainer wants to stay with me. I see no further room for discussion. Maza?”

The Alakazam appeared from mid-air. “Yes, master?”

“Show Trezzatura and his comrades…” here, his voice took on a sinister tone, “the door.”

“Yes, sir.” Maza glowed, and Trezzatura felt himself being Teleported…

Mere moments later, he found himself, along with the rest of his team, back in their house. Trezzatura looked up to the ceiling and broke down sobbing.

[Ace64]

Hmm.First come, first serve, I guess. Hope nobody minds...

I liked the story Jeff, especially because I know where you're coming from with some of the Mario references here (Popple&Rookie,Mercandos' dialogue). I thought it was pretty resourceful in how the team reached Eagleland (even if it is a little convenient that Jeff happened to have a ticket there). At least they didn't smuggle themselves over in the cargo hold or something.The cultists seemed pretty eerie, even if they were into blue. Also, is Maza still with Koop?

I don't know how to make the...stamp things like Gabi does, but...take 23 stamps. If you imagine hard enough, you can think 23 lil squares on the screen y'self.

[The Blue Avenger]

Yes, Maza is still with Cooper.

Hm, I'd like a double RBG from the general adoption center for... let's see... let's go back to my roots. Bobbery and Mona.

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow, that was fast, Trey! It makes me doubly glad that I hired you.

The stamp symbol is ¢ in Webdings, size 3. You can quote any of my posts with ratings to get the code.

Jeff, your pokemon will battle a Corsola and an Unown. You choose the shape. This will be interesting. And that will be 14 stamps, by the way (everyone tends to forget to include their payment in their posts, here, at the Reward Center and at the GT alike).

[The Blue Avenger]

Oops, yeah, sorry. *hands over 14 stamps*

[Ace64]

Alright, I'll be sure to remember that. Speaking of which, Gabi...what do you use to determine the Pokemon in an RBG?I didn't know where to look.

[Lady Vulpix]

Look no further!

[Ace64]

Thank you. :biggrin:

[Lady Vulpix]

You're welcome.

[AntiAsh Superstar]

Oookay... well first of all I'd just like to apologise to absolutely everyone for vanishing for so long. My excuse being that I had a few weeks whereby going online at all just felt like a hassle and then the second that mood lifted I got so much thrown at me at work that it knocked all the creativity and time right out of me. I'd like to say it won't happen again but sadly (or should that be fortunately?) I'm not my Houndour and can't actually predict the future. :O

kekeke now that's out of the way I'd like to ask for an extention for the current scenario cuz I haven't like written anything DT for about a month and am still halfway through the last RBG I asked for. ^^;;;;

[Kerel]

Kerels log stardate 1138,2 . We had no time nor interest to explain all that has happened this months, but since I bet everybody wonders about it you can always ask my first...companion, bruce.

Bruce: Kerel, I know I said we'd use the transporters to get here but you are exaggerating about it.

Kerel: Oh, nevermind, I cant believe they killed kirk...

Bruce: It happens, the guy was like 80.
Anyway, about the case we couldnt talk about well, it ended kinda well, we may go into it again, the problem is that the records were erased just before posting so well, we met the Yakuza, and a guy from the insurance company, theresa beat up some guys and Kerel ended up being some sort of messiah for an underground culture who insisted he was "the one". Not much more than that.
Since that job was done and we needed something to do we decided to go on a trip back to the mountains. We got a discount on the travel ticket with our Dragons guild membership, Kerel made me pretend I was an old lady to get it but well, since we are short on money it had to be done. I wont tell him I actually asked an old lady to buy the tickets so he still thinks I'm a master of disguise.


Kerel: So, we are back on the mountains, it really feels like it's been a year and 4 months.
Bruce: Indeeed...Why is it getting so foggy and everything I see is wavy? Is it a random battle?
Kerel: Nope, it's just a flashback, don't worry about it.


A year and 4 months before:
--------------------------

Kerel: Wow the mountains, I heard this is a beautiful place.
Bruce: I heard there are monsters here.
Kerel: Well, I don't believe in monsters, they must be just horrid giant pokemon. Anyway lets go for a walk.

Then, when we were almost at the top of a hill I saw...

//******time break********
-Ponytas! hundreeds of ponytas running around,all so little and cute and...furry...
Bruce: You're scaring me
Kerel: Yeah totally, not even I would have said it that way...I think.
Theresa: Anyway, did I have to pretend to be an old lady just to find out where you were going?
Kerel: It seems. It's just that we are not on a case now, its vacation.
//*******end time break**********

So there were all these ponytas and a couple rapidash, I decided it was the perfect place to release Caroline so she would play with others of her kind. What I didn't know was that they all seemed to want to play with her at the same time, cause they started running towards us the moment they saw us. So I had to grab her and start running away.

Bruce: yeah that was a smart move...

Kerel: They chased us for like 2 hours. I was pretty tired, until suddenly they stopped. At the time I thought it had someting to do with the cliff in front of me.

One of them approached us and said: *whinny*
Then Caroline answered: Ponyta?
Rapidash: *more whinny*
Bruce: Oh thats good.
Kerel: What?
Bruce: They decided to acknowledge you as one of their own, it seems they liked your running.
Kerel: Great!

Kerel: So we all became friends, they taught me how to feed on grass and I decided after they shared they culture with me I had to do the same. So I decided to build a cottage with a windmill and then asked bruce to get it done.

Bruce: Well, since I knew some guys back from law school who were also architects it wasnt difficult to arrange. The problem was getting the money, but that was solved after deciding the place was to be turned into a pokemon spa and timeshare, as long as the ponytas and rapidash wouldn't be disturbed, and were allowed to manage the place. The makers would get 50% of the profits for 10 years.
The place was close to Wing Stadium so it was bound to attract tourists, so the Ponytas would need to be taught the basics of management, of course I did it.

During the construction Kerel taught the Ponytas to watch cable TV, and do some things. A part of the place was to be left alone so they could run free as before in quiet if they wanted to, but anyway most of them seemed excited about the new bussines and cable tv.

*******Back to the present************

Kerel: So I guess this is a good place to relax after all these troubles. Look they are all running towards us to say hello.

Bruce: Err...yeah I guess...unless....
Kerel: What?
Bruce: Well, there's one thing I seem to have forgotten to tell you...
Kerel: Yeah?
Bruce: Their way of greeting a friend after not seeing him in a long time consists in runing with him for 3 and a half hours. If you look for me I'll be in the sauna...

Kerel: Oh, whatever...Hey guys let run!! Theresa you're with me!

[Lady Vulpix]

Ade: well, it's good to have you here. Maybe we can even revive the plans thread and share ideas?

Jeff: when I read your story I felt your friends had walked into the Twilight Zone or something... and then into a videogame. Cam was repetitive, but right. It was creepy. By the way, what kind of gas can affect a Porygon 2? And I've never seen any team go on such a long losing streak (except maybe Team Rocket)! Well, I can't accuse you of unoriginality. Now, I think Kiva and Anzu should learn to coordinate their battle cires better to avoid contradictions. And at last Kurtzwick got the treatment he earned. And the creature who possessed Mercandos issues worse insults than me and Caledor put together! How did it do that, by the way? And, of course, congratulations on Trezzatura's evolution! I wonder how many of us you'll end up getting involved. Thanks a lot for yesterday's AIM conversation.

[The Blue Avenger]

Gabi: In regards to your question about the gas, I figured that since Porygon2 can be affected by Poison Gas, other gasses were fair game. Also, the 'creature' that possessed Mercandos was a pair of Gastly. I may have taken a few creative liberties, but in Pokemon Adventures (the manga), it's shown clearly that Gastly can possess other beings.

Glad you liked it, though. ^^;

[Ace64]

Welcome back Kerel, even though we don't actually know each other.I liked your story, it was pretty funny even though I don't know too much about your characters. Oh well. I don't doubt that in time I will come to know them. Take eight stamps.Sorry for the delay.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Skye]

I would like a RBG for Drystan please. *pays 7 Stamps* It will be in Caledor's Nature Protection Agency if you will.

[Wolfsong]

*takes stamps* Drystan will be battling a Cyndaquil

[Skye]

Notes:
-WRITERS BLOCK OF DOOOOM!
-So, naturally, I’m doing this for the free levels and TMs… Well, free TM since only Drystan gets to that point.
-This is the RBG, Maze, and Mountain scenario all in one, and I’m staying at home for the Mountain

‘What will I do?’ Darkfire wondered as she wandered through town. There wasn’t much to do in Sector Alpha as of late. The new house was pretty much finished after weeks of herself and her team being busy with it. Well, she could find an organization to join. She had been considering joining the Dragon Tamers or the Dragon’s Guild for some time now, but she had also heard about the Mercenary Trainer’s Unit, and it sounded a bit more appealing to her. Simpler and cleaner.

As she moved along, she came to notice a large, sturdy building erected at the center of town. On the front of the building was a flier for a Maze challenge. Darkfire looked it over and decided to give it a try. She released Drystan and Sige before entering, looking for some action. A young man sat at the reception desk, sorting and filing papers. She went up to him.

“I wish to participate in the maze,” she said. She received papers to fill out, and she was soon on her way.

When she closed the door behind her, she looked around the plain room. “Any ideas?”

“Let’s start to the right and work our way around?” Sige suggested thoughtfully. The trio began wandering to he right, before a Cyndaquil sprang up and shot fire across the path, blocking it.

“You’ll have to defeat me in battle if you wish to pass!” it declared. Drystan stepped forward now, ready to battle.

Drystan Level 9 Vs. Cyndaquil Level 9

Cyndaquil lunged forward and fired off a Flamethrower, which Drystan couldn’t dodge in time. He grimaced, despite his resistance to fire attacks. This opponent would need to go down fast. He rushed at the Pokémon and bit down hard, cutting Cyndaquil’s life in half with Super Fang. Cyndaquil squealed and shot off more fire, burning Drystan across the face.

The Bagon staggered back, his eyes watering in pain. He released a barrage of golden start what slashed though the Cyndaquil’s soft skin and kept backing away, his vision impaired from the assault. Cyndaquil recoiled, unable to dodge, before rushing forward. It curled up and used the momentum to speed at Drystan in a Rollout attack. Drystan barely saw the attack soon enough to dodge it.

He began to summon a Twister, but was barreled over by a returning attack of the Rollout. He got up slowly and fired off a Powder Snow, freezing Cyndaquil on the spot. It unleashed the fire on its back, trying to thaw itself out while Drystan finished his Twister attack. The tornado of power knocked into Cyndaquil and threw it into the wall.. It slid down and laid unmoving, defeated.

Drystan grew to Level 10! Drystan learned Toxic!

“Good job,” Darkfire said. “Why don’t you rest and let your burns heal a little, I’ll let you out if anything major comes up,” Drystan nodded and was recalled.

….

And after much wandering, Darkfire came to the end result, a trainer blocking the door on the way out. Drystan still hadn’t recovered from his burns, but he still wanted to battle. He now stood at her side as she stared down her opponent. She sent out her second choice for the 2 on 2 at the same time her opponent released a pair of Pokémon.

Drystan level 10 and Shandar level 10 Squirtle Level 15 and Squirtle Level 15

Drystan knew he would have to help Shandar though this battle, so he started off by firing a Toxic at first one, then the other Squirtle. Both recoiled in disgust, before one started a Rain Dance, and the second began to fire a series of Water Guns at Drystan. The cool water felt soothing on his wounds, but still stung form their added power from Rain Dance. Shandar just waited, feeling helpless in this battle.

The first Squirtle then summoned an Ice Beam against Drystan. The Bagon tried to dodge, but Shandar had already moved to take the hit. If he couldn’t do damage to his opponents, then he was determined to see Drystan though this battle. The startled Bagon looked at the Magikarp and nodded his thanks before attacking the nearest opponent with Super Fang. The other Squirtle tried to Tackle into Drystan, but found himself blocked by Shandar who slashed around and blocked his path.

Drystan finished off the first Squirtle in time to see the second opponent now attacking Shandar, freezing him solid with an Ice Bean. Drystan tried to freeze the Squirtle still before it could to further damage with his own Powder Snow. The Squirtle was stopped in its next attack and stood helpless.

Drystan then began with a Super Fang, then began to exchange rapid Bite attacks with the Squirtle’s Water Gun until, finally, the burns were too much and Drystan fainted. Shandar watched his opponent struggle to escape by attacking their ice trapping its lower body with Water Guns. But, it too fainted form the Toxic and Drystan’s fierce attacks.

Shandar grew to Level 14!

Darkfire recalled her fainted and nearly fainted Pokémon before going out of the Maze and into a hallway that lead back to the reception desk. She finished paper work that she had completed the maze and picked up a detailed booklet on the MTU to read.

A few hours later, with Drystan fully healed, Darkfire began her journey home. The burns hadn’t left any permanent wounds, but something about the Bagon’s demeanor had changed. He had become more silent, withdrawn almost.

A trainer spotted us just as we were leaving the city limits and came up.

“Want a quick battle between your dragon and my bugs?” he asked, holding up two Pokéballs. I looked at Drystan.

“I can handle two on my own,” he grumbled and stepped up, determined. I nodded and sent out Shandar again for a second go.

Drystan Level 10 and Shandar Level 14 Vs Beedrill Level 15 and Beedrill Level 15

Drystan started off, determined, and fires a Powder Snow. Luckily, one froze and the other took critical damage. Both trembled before one coughed up a Toxic on Drystan, and the other dove at Shandar for a Poison Sting. Shandar took little damage but to his iron hard scales, but it soon became obvious he had been poisoned.

Drystan took the lead again and fired an Ember at the unfrozen Beedrill while the other one struggled to be free of its ice prison. The toxic, was rapidly wearing on Drystan, and it showed. After a super Fang and two more Embers, the Beedrill went down, and Shandar could only watch, feeling the effects of poison in himself as well.

The second Beedrill broke free, and Drystan began to get the foreboding sense of déjà vu. He sliced down on the Beedrill with Super Fang and took a Poison Sting. Defiant, he fired and Ember and scored a deviating burn on the bee’s lower body before succumbing to poison. Now the Beedrill focused its assault on Shandar, who began to Splash and flail around, barely avoiding the bee’s rapid jabs with its large stingers.

Darkfire held her breath, waiting to see what would happen. Either the poison or Beedrill would take Shandar out, or its burns would take it out. She recalled Drystan as the other trainer recalled his other Beedrill, and she began to shout encouragement to her Magikarp. Not very long later, the bee collapsed, and Shandar stopped flailing, breathing labored.

Shandar grew to Level 18 and learned Tackle!

Darkfire recalled her barely victorious Magikarp and went back to the Pokémon Center, Sige thinking over the battles he had witnessed this day.

[classy_cat18]

Yes! Oh yeah, Shonta’s back! I got Moriko’s RBG right here!

NOTE: This is the start of the story behind Bo’s evolution and difference in ring color although the red rings are really caused by Custom Juice. I got Moriko a Detect TM from the Reward Center and Athena a Revenge TM from the EMT. Bo got his Lovely Kiss and Tickle TMs (not specified in the story) from the EMT also.

Bandit’s POV

WHAM!

The air rang with the sound of my head colliding with Beacon’s. Although the Flaaffy and I technically didn’t know the Headbutt or Skull Bash attack, we still could butt heads when we got restless. We both needed a way to release our excess energy. Soon we would need some aspirin.

I staggered back and prepared for another collision when I felt a sharp pain in my tail. I looked back at Bo as he hung unto it with his sharp little teeth. “Bored again, Bo?” I asked him with a neutral expression.

Bo nodded. “Uh-huh. Miss Trinity’s no fun! All she wants to do is watch TV and make me do stuff for her! You’re a lot more fun than she is! Please let me train with you and Miss Beacon!” He looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Pleeeease?”

I felt myself melt as I looked into Bo’s eyes. He had thought of the team as his best friends since he found out what they were. “I guess we could help you practice your attacks.” I took a few steps backwards. “Show me your Tackle.” I stood back and dug my toes in the dirt. “Remember to aim high. The two best places to Tackle an opponent from the front are the stomach and the chest.”

“Gotcha, Uncle Bandit!” He also took a few steps backwards and then launched into a run. He sprang up at the last second and slammed me in the chest with outstretched paws. The impact was harder than I thought. I gasped for air while Bo looked down at me. “How was that?”

“Awesome,” I managed to say after a few seconds. I gently pushed Bo off of me and rose to my feet. “In fact, we may have to get you a more…durable opponent. I’ll get Moriko for you.”

Bo’s tail twitched with excitement. “Wow. You think I’m that tough? You think I’ll be able to battle Auntie Katana soon?”

I laughed a little. For some reason, Bo referred to me as his uncle and to Katana as his aunt. Katana acted like family so that seemed fitting. I probably was family to him because I could relate to him with me being a guy and all. “Now let’s not get too excited. Strength’s one thing, but Katana has speed and agility. It’ll take you a while to even catch her. You can relax now, Beacon.”

Beacon sighed and smiled warmly. “That cooled me down a lot. I don’t know what I’d do without your thick skull, Bandit.”

I chuckled. “You could always ram a tree.”

“Yeah, but where are you going to find a nice tree in the middle of Sector Alpha?” She walked into the house.

Bo looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. “How come you get along with Miss Beacon but not Auntie Katana?” he asked me.

“Because some people are more pleasant than others. She’s nice to you because you’re a nice kid with a cute face. Kecleon aren’t exactly the most attractive or pleasant Pokemon in the world.”

He gave me a look that told me that he didn’t believe me. “You don’t look that bad, Uncle Bandit!”

“That’s easy for you to say. Women can have very different views on what’s attractive. Basic rule: scales are out, fur is in. Unless, of course, the woman also has scales.”

“You’re pretty smart.”

“I know.” I walked with him back into the house to find Shonta in the kitchen putting up groceries. For someone that wasn’t much into mercenary work or any other kind of work, she sure didn’t skimp on the name brands. “How can you afford this stuff?” I asked Shonta.

She gave me a big goofy grin. “I’m a daddy’s girl.”

“Miss Shonta, can I go see my mom again? I miss her.”

“Bo, it’s only been a day! We have things to do today, so maybe we’ll see her tomorrow. Okay?”

He pouted a little but then smiled. “Okay! I’m going to find Auntie Katana now!”

I ran with him into the team’s bedroom. Bo paused in the doorway and stared at Katana who had her back to us as she stared out of the window. With her were the mysterious Jewel and the quiet Nama. Nama glanced at Bo and me. “Katana, Bo is here for you,” she said softly.

Katana slowly turned her head to Bo and smiled lovingly. There was, however, a trace of sadness in that smile. She hadn’t looked like that before. There had to be something wrong.

Bo didn’t see what I saw. He hurried over to Katana and nuzzled her chest. “Come play with me, Auntie Katana,” he pleaded.

Katana stroked his head. “I’m sorry, dear. I have to talk to Bandit right now. Go play with Lily.”

Bo’s ears drooped at the disappearance of Katana’s smile. There was definitely something wrong with her if she couldn’t even smile for the young Eevee. Bo said nothing as he withdrew from the Zangoose and left the room.

My eyes followed Bo until he was gone from my sight. “Okay, what’s with the gloom and doom feeling?” I asked the group of three Pokemon.

Jewel was the one to speak up. <There hasn’t been any Demon activity for months. Now I’m starting to feel very bad vibes nearby. Something’s going down and I bet we’re going to be involved whether we want to or not.>

I sat down heavily on a pillow. It was true that even though Katana hadn’t had contact with Diablo or any of the other Demons for months, none of them didn’t even make a move to punish her. Although she seemed okay with it she must’ve seen this day coming a long time. She was just now showing it.

“We must take a course of action. I don’t want them to take us by surprise,” Nama told Katana.

“We first have to find out why Jewel’s picking up these bad vibes in the first place,” Katana said. She took a deep breath and continued talking. “I know another former Demon that knows the history of the gang. He runs a sort of shady library in this city. The thing is that he doesn’t open until nightfall. We’ll have to leave behind a few Pokemon to babysit Bo while we’re gone.”

“No problem. I’ll take care of the little tyke,” I said confidently.

Katana shook her head. “That is out of the question.”

“Why? The kid likes to hang out with me!”

“Do you remember the first time we let you babysit Bo?”

I sat on the couch enjoying TV when the kid sitting next to me started to pant. “What’s wrong, buddy?” I asked although he couldn’t talk yet. Bo licked his lips and panted some more. “Thirsty, huh? I think Katana put your water bowl back there somewhere.” I pointed down the hallway.

Bo’s ears perked as if he just remembered something and ran to the back. A few minutes Shonta came to me carrying Bo by the scruff. “Bandit, what was Bo doing in the bathroom?” she asked me in a calm voice.

“He must’ve been looking for his water bowl,” I answered without taking my eyes off of the TV screen.

“He was drinking out of the toilet!” she roared as she set Bo next to me. “Do you want me to tell Katana that when she gets back?”

“No! Please don’t!”

“She still told you,” I grumbled. “But I did better, didn’t I?”

Katana scowled. “That was just because another team member was with you! The first and last time we left you alone with Bo was disastrous!”

I stood in the doorway with confidence as Shonta and the other girls walked inside. “Bo is doing just fine. He should be taking a nap in the bedroom,” I told Katana.

Bo chose that moment to run out and jump into Katana’s arms. “Hey, Auntie Katana! Guess what I had for lunch?” When Katana shrugged, a familiar yet disgusting sound came from the little Eevee. Bo laughed out loud. “Beans!”

Katana gave me a dangerous look. “Bandit…”

I immediately switched to defensive mode. “I didn’t do anything!” I squealed.

“Uncle Bandit taught me how to make farting noises! Isn’t it cool?”

Katana put Bo down on the floor. “Bo, go play with Lily. I have to talk to Bandit.” She watched him follow Lily out the back door and then glared at me. “Say your prayers.”

“I still think you overreacted,” I grumbled. “I couldn’t feel my face for the rest of the day.”

“I just want Bo to grow up to be a respectable, mature Pokemon. Not another you.”

I once more went into defensive mode. “Hello! Not every grown Pokemon out there acts mature! You may be surprised to know that some females actually like a good sense of humor.”

“Bandit, there’s having a good sense of humor and then there’s being a complete goofball.”

“And that’s bad?”

The Zangoose snarled, her way of saying that she was ready to hurt me. “This argument is officially over. I’m placing him in the care of the three Fighting types. We need you with us anyway. Triton doesn’t trust a lot of people easily.”

“We’re visiting Triton? I’ve never really met the guy, but I’ve heard that he’s pretty decent. Do the other girls know about this plan of yours?”

<Are you kidding? You’re the last teammate that found out about this. You could’ve found out as well, but you were too busy complaining about your stomach,> Jewel told me.

“Hey, that food was a little too undercooked!” I yelled.

The rest of the day was pretty normal. A little training here, a little eating there, a little TV, a lot of bickering. But then came nightfall. Katana told Bo that she had to do something important and that he would be in good hands. She was pretty much right. Moriko and Athena were two tough Pokemon. Ali was new, but I knew she had moves too.

Bo pawed me and looked up at me with his sad puppy look. “I want you to stay with me, Uncle Bandit,” he pouted.

“I’m sorry, pal, but Katana’s still mad about me teaching you how to make farting noises. Maybe another night.” If we stay alive through this, I added mentally.

Bo looked a little angry, but he brightened when I held out a hand for him to high-five. “Come back as fast as you can.”

I nodded and left with the group. But as I looked over my shoulder, I found the same sad face that I saw on Katana plastered on Bo. God, I hope Jewel’s wrong about this.

Katana’s POV

I knew the location of the bookstore like the back of my paw. I walked within the crowd of humans and Pokemon. When I was almost there I slowed down and walked beside Shonta. “Triton isn’t too kind to humans so I need for you to stand near the entrance until we come back out,” I informed her.

Shonta nodded. “Don’t worry. You Demons are always weird, anyway.”

“Hey!” Bandit and I said together indignantly.

The crowd was oblivious to everyone except themselves and their companions. They didn’t care that we turned into an alley. A Rattata popped out of a Dumpster and dove back in when he determined that we weren’t there for trouble. I stopped at an old wooden door that was at the side of a building. The rest of the building was actually used as a used bookstore.

“Here we are,” I announced. “Triton is a much respected member of the Pokemon community. He lives to give other Pokemon the gift of literacy. His methods of obtaining the books, however, are a bit…looked down upon.”

“You mean he steals them,” Lily said with a stern face.

“Wild Pokemon don’t carry money around.” I left it at that and opened the book. I didn’t hesitate to walk down the dark staircase. Only when I got to the bottom did I look back at my teammates. Lily was right behind me, followed by Bandit, Trinity, and Beacon. Everyone else opted to stay outside with Shonta.

I walked down the slightly damp hallway and opened another old door. Behind it was a room filled with fairly new bookcases and books of different conditions. We scattered and started looking at the different books. Bandit grumbled as he searched. “Just my luck. Not a single comic book in the whole bunch.”

“There are good books on the bottom shelf,” Lily said.

“Does it have to be so dim in here? There are just a couple of light bulbs in the whole place,” Beacon said from the other side of the bookshelf that I was checking. This was followed by a shriek and the Flaaffy running to my side. “A Golduck just sneaked up behind me!”

The Golduck walked around and grinned at me. “I’m sorry if I startled your friend, Katana. I was just going to ask her if she needed help.”

“It’s okay, Triton. Beacon’s pretty easy to scare,” I told him as I walked up to him and shook his webbed hand. “I see you’ve gotten new equipment for the library.”

He laughed warmly. “Believe it or not, I actually bought them! I’ve been doing odd jobs on the side for a few humans. You should try it sometime.”

“I’m sort of doing the same thing right now. I have a trainer at the moment.”

Triton crossed his arms and put on a serious expression. “Why am I not surprised? You weren’t really meant to live the wild life. You acted like some badass assassin when you were just this scared little kitten that wanted to go back to her mommy.” He put on a smirk when I scowled at him. “Then again, you did some pretty brave things. You’re also alive, which is also surprising.”

“You find that surprising? How come Diablo’s not after you?” Bandit asked him.

“Diablo’s no fool. I’m just as strong as he is, if not stronger. The reason I haven’t gone after that crazy Houndoom is because he has a lot of loyal followers. There’s strength in numbers, you know.” He cocked his head. “How do you know about Diablo?” he asked Bandit.

“You and Katana aren’t the only ones that broke away from Diablo,” Bandit told him.

“I didn’t break away from Diablo. I came from another branch of the Demons. I came here because I felt that I was needed here. Now I ask you two the same question you asked me. How come Diablo’s not after you?”

I was about to answer his question when Bandit interrupted me. “We were hoping that you would know that. He was on our butts for a while and then all of a sudden it was like he didn’t care! Now our psychic friend Jewel is picking up bad vibes that she believes belong to the Demons.”

Triton scratched the underside of his beak. “Yes, I have been picking up the same vibes. But I don’t know what’s happening among them. After all, I don’t deal with them anymore. It’s a pity, really. The Demons used to be a respected, even feared, religious cult. Now they’re mostly just a bunch of thugs foolishly looking to make a name for themselves.”

“But which one is Diablo? He is becoming a crazed gang leader, but he’s a crazed gang leader with a goal and a following,” I wondered.

“Diablo has a goal but no plan. He has power over weak souls but nothing else. Therefore his goal will not be reached,” Triton said softly.

I sighed. I have come here and yet I have no idea what the future had in store. “I’m back to square one. I’m almost afraid to go to sleep tonight,” I whispered.

Triton smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be alright. Once you were a mindless follower of a mindless gang. Now you have a mind…and a soul…of your own. There is no way you’ll be defeated.”

My eyes traveled down to his webbed feet. “I never thought I would be so worried. What should I do?”

The Golduck looked around his domain and then looked in eyes intensely. “I have a good collection of Garfield comics in the back.” Then he chuckled at the puzzled look on my face.

Moriko’s POV

“Miss Moriko…” Bo whined as he rolled on the carpeted floor. “Miss Athena…Miss Ali…”

“Yes, Bo?” the three of us responded together.

He stayed on his back with his four paws waving in the air. “It’s getting late. When is Auntie Katana and Uncle Bandit coming home?”

I walked over to him and gently scratched his belly with a claw. “She’ll be back soon. Do you want some ice cream while you wait?” I asked him.

“No ice cream, Moriko,” Athena said while reading a book. “We don’t want the child hyper, do we? He won’t be able to go to sleep tonight.”

“Oh, get a life!” Ali shouted. “The kid already can’t sleep! Maybe some ice cream will help him relax.”

“I don’t want any ice cream,” Bo muttered. “All that’s left is the strawberry flavor. But thanks for asking anyway.”

Ali threw down the cards she was holding in her hand. “See what happens when we get that Neapolitan ice cream? No one’s gonna want the strawberry!”

“Chill, Ali. Aren’t Meditite supposed to be about meditation and all that?” I asked her. “Find your center or something like that.”

Ali suddenly put on a wicked grin. “Hey, Shonta left her pack here. Let’s raid it and get some TMs.”

“I don’t think…” Athena started, and then stopped as her ears perked. “Everyone to the back.”

I pushed Ali to Shonta’s room, knowing that Athena’s ears were pretty sharp. Bo was right behind me looking pretty scared. Ali took one look at Shonta’s pack and dove right in. “Hey. Hey, Athena. I see a Revenge TM with your name on it,” she whispered.

“Ali, you put that TM down this instant,” Athena hissed. We froze as we heard the door opening then silence. It wasn’t the rest of the team coming back. All of us knew if it were them then there would be a lot of chatter. Someone was here for either to either steal or fight. According to Jewel, they could be here to do the latter.

Bo slowly stepped toward the doorway, but was stopped by me before he could be seen. “What is he doing here?” he whispered to me.

I shook my head and peeked down the hall. The Makuhita just stood there with his back to us, loudly grumbling to himself. I cautiously crept over to the pack and searched for something that would help me get him out of the house. No good offensive attacks, but there was a Detect TM. I opened the box and sprinkled the contents on myself.

“What are you doing, Moriko?” Athena asked me.

“I’m getting this guy out of our home but I’ll need your help. I don’t want to be causing a scene outside so we’ll have to gang rush him up the stairs and onto the roof.”

“I want to help too!” Bo said quietly. He jumped into the backpack and used a couple of TMs. He then jumped back out, ready to face whatever was out there.

We froze as someone cackled in the darkness. Bo, Athena, and I turned to Ali. “Don’t do that, Ali. Things are tense enough as is,” Athena told her.

Ali shook her head. “It’s not me, guys.” She pointed to a dark form sitting on Shonta’s bed: an Abra. The Abra looked down on us and cackled again.

“Who are you and what are you doing in our house?” I demanded.

The Abra ignored us and yelled out loud. A few seconds later the Makuhita ran in the room. He took a look at the four of us and smiled. “We found what we were looking for,” the Makuhita told the Abra with a smile on his face.

“If you’re looking for something to steal we don’t have anything!” Ali blurted out.

The two intruders looked at each other and laughed as though Ali told the greatest joke in the world. “Like we want your worthless baubles!” the Abra managed to say. Without warning his body was surrounded by a blue aura. I felt my feet leave the ground. The Abra then waved his hand and smiled fiendishly as my friends and I slammed into the wall. I wasn’t knocked out but the impact was somehow hard enough to keep me down long enough for the Abra to stroll over and pick up the unconscious Bo by the scruff.

They weren’t after anything in the house or us. They just wanted Bo! I tried to get to my feet. “Put him down. He’s just a kid,” I grunted. I blinked a few times to get rid of the double vision. “What do you need him for?”

“This little Eevee is our key to the future. Soon all of this country will be free of humans!” He stepped behind the Makuhita and surrounded himself and Bo with another blue aura.

No! They’re going to teleport! I lowered my head and charged for the Abra, not caring that I had to plow down the Makuhita in the process. But the two Pokemon had seen this coming. The Makuhita grabbed my horn and held me still while the Abra finished the teleport. I stopped my struggling and was released. “Bo…he’s gone…”

“Never to be seen again,” said the Makuhita with a smirk. “I guess I’ll have a little fun while I’m here.”

I stood there, staring at the place where the Abra and Bo were. Something snapped. “If you think getting your butt kicked is fun, then strap yourself in the rollercoaster!”

L9 Female Heracross (Moriko) vs. L9 Male Makuhita

We didn’t have a lot of room to battle so I decided to take it outside. I charged for him with my horn lowered, slid my horn under him, and flipped him out the window. Being too big for the window, I ran out of the front door and glared at the other Fighting type. “You’re a Demon, aren’t you? What is your friend going to do to Bo?” I asked him.

“Nothing. It’s Master Diablo you should be worried about,” the Makuhita answered. He launched into a run in an attempt to tackle me. I stood where I was and used Harden. The Makuhita rammed into me and made me slide back a little but I was hardly fazed.

I wanted to end this quickly so I could start looking for Bo. Fortunately I had the right attacks for the job. Executing it would be easy, but hitting my mark would be another matter. I powered my wings and flew toward him. He balled up a fist, ready to punch me, but I pulled up at the last moment. I stopped right under a streetlight and fired an Aeroblast. The attack had a wide enough radius to hit its target. However, the Makuhita was able to jump back and miss the attack completely. “You must have Detect,” I commented.

He chuckled heartily. “I do.”

“Too bad it’ll fail sooner or later.” My wings sped up again and fired another Aeroblast. The Makuhita jumped again to avoid it but only succeeded in being hit square in the stomach. He slammed back in the street and even left the sidewalk a little dented. I landed in front of him and leered down on him much like Katana does when she’s about to seriously hurt someone. “What is Diablo planning to do with Bo?” I growled.

“I’m not saying anything,” the Makuhita replied defiantly.

I grabbed a fistful of his fat and yanked him up off of the ground. “You had better. I’m normally a very nice Pokemon. But you had my friend kidnapped and I know of a few Pokemon that would kill to get him back. Cooperate and maybe I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

“No one will make me talk.”

“Not even an Espeon and Arcanine, both of whom are no weaker than level 40?” I raked my free claws across his face, making him cry out in pain. “If I’m making you hurt like this, think of what they can do to you.”

The color drained from the Makuhita’s face. It took a minute of stammering for him to start saying what he needed. “Two nights from now there will be a lunar eclipse. Master Diablo thinks if he sacrifices the small one to the great dragon Yssera she will grant his dream of being more powerful than ever!”

I gasped. “You’re going to sacrifice that poor Eevee?” I slammed him against the wall of the house. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I slashed him a few more times and then threw him high into the air. Then I flew up and swung my glowing horn at him as hard as possible. He flew like a cannonball through the sky, hopefully never to be seen again.

I won! I grew to level 10 and got Focus Punch as my level 10 TM!

I plopped on the sidewalk and sat there, being silent. Katana trusted me and my fellow Fighting types to take care of Bo but he was taken away from us so easily. I felt so ashamed.

“Hey Moriko!” Shonta’s voice came from behind and shocked me back into my senses. I slowly got up and faced her and the team. “What are you doing out here? And…what happened to my window?”

“Um…guys…”

Lily stepped forward. “Katana’s friend Triton didn’t know what was going on with the Demons. You didn’t have any trouble with Bo, did you?”

I wiped away a tear. “Bo’s gone, guys. A couple of Demons came and kidnapped him.” I looked past Lily and at Katana’s face. I saw shock, horror, and sadness. “I’m sorry. I did what I could.”

If it’s one thing I hate about tears, it’s that they’re contagious. Katana’s eyes welled up as soon as she got a good look at my face. Before I could say anything else to her she ran past me into the house. I followed her into the Pokemon’s bedroom where she threw pillows everywhere. She tore out of there into the bathroom, Shonta’s room, and the closet. When the young Eevee was nowhere to be found she collapsed in front of me and started to cry. “What am I going to do?” she asked me.

I hugged her tightly. “What we’re supposed to do. Save him.”

[Ace64]

Sorry, sorry Darkfire. I got your rating right here.

Take seventeen stamps. Working to get Shandar into evolution, hmm? Good luck.Now that he knows Tackle, it should be a little easier to think of battles for him.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

Shonta:Geez, what is it Pokemon and disappearances these days?Seems part of an ongoing trend. I'm tempted to just have Trey fall down a mine shaft or something..

About the 'vibes'- is there anything special to them, or is it just a bad feeling that the former Demons are sharing? Bo's armed with Crunch, right? That Abra might be in for a surprise once the lil' Eevee wakes up. Another trainer headed up to White Mountain, hmm? Oh, this will be fun.

Take fourteen stamps.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow, that was fast, Trey! O_O Nice work!
(Hopefully we'll finish the tag-conversation in a few minutes and then I'll do some work too and update the Reward Center, and then Expedia. ^_^)

[classy_cat18]

Whoa, Trey! As one of my friends at school would say, "You're good people." As for the whole bad vibes idea, I was thinking that psychic Pokemon could auras as well as thoughts and intentions. I guess I should've said "auras" instead of "vibes".

I was thinking about pairing Bo up with one of the scenario Pokemon for his first Pokemon but I think I will just get him an RBG from the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency. *hands over 7 stamps*

[Wolfsong]

Bo will be battlign a Spheal

[Ace64]

Notes: Blah. Guess I'm gonna be taking a bit longer than I thought for the whole scenario. It's side-quest time, friends and neighbors.
Enjoy.
---
“So, what’s up?” Deo muttered to Fisticuffs, his voice no higher than a whisper. It was Sunday morning, and Trey had called a “team meeting” promptly at eight o’clock. Cooler was the only one who had to be forcibly dragged out of bed, but none of them actually knew what the meeting was about. “Are we in trouble?”

“You mean, did Trey find out that you were the one who screwed up the cable while you were practicing your Thunderbolts yesterday afternoon?” Fisticuffs asked, a half-grin on his face. “No, I think not.”

Deo scowled. “Hey, if they weren’t meant to be hit, then why do people put them on top of their roofs?”

“I don’t know…maybe they don’t expect pokemon to be aiming at their roofs.”

“Look…that was an accident. Either way though, I’m innocent.”

“HOW do you figure-”

“Ahem!” Trey interrupted, clearing his throat dramatically. The trainer and his Pokemon were grouped together in the living room. Trey looked down at his group. A Charmander, a Squirtle, a Tyrogue, a Bagon, and a Grimer. Geez, I’m going to need a LOT more space in the future, once these guys grow up.

“I called you all here today-”

“Called us?” Charmene interrupted. “But we live here.”

“Called us?” Prophecy asked, “Didn’t you just shout it out this morning?”

“Called us?!” Cooler cried. “You ORDERED us!! I was sleeping!”

Trey flapped a hand at them, dismissing their cries. “Details, guys, strictly details. The point is, I’ve got an announcement. We’re going on a trip up north!”

The announcement was met by silence and blank faces. Trey waited a few seconds for some sort of reaction, but none came.

“Hey, are you guys still asleep? I said, we’re heading up north!”

Cooler grunted. “So?”

“So?” Trey slapped a hand to his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing- and hearing. “Where’s your sense of adventure? We’re going to Ellyrion! All expenses paid- the MTU picks up the tab! Mountain country! You’re not excited at all?”

This time, it was the Tyrogue who grunted. “Why are we going?” Troit asked in a quiet voice.

“Well…I’m not quite sure, actually. That nasty secretary at the MTU passed along a message to me the other day. It seems that in Ellyrion’s capital, Tor Elyr, the locals are in the middle of constructing an outpost of the MTU. Apparently, I’m to head over there, write a report on their progress, and turn it in.”

“That’s kind of a lot for a raw recruit, isn’t it?” Zake pointed out, scratching his head. “I mean, for all they know, you could resign tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Trey admitted. He hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps there was some ulterior motive? “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is- we get to go on a free trip. Immediately.”

At once, the group of Pokemon broke into talk, chattering to each other.

“-STILL don’t know why I had to wake up-”

“Ellyrion? Sounds like a brand of medicine-”

“-too lazy anyways-”

“-sounds like a good opportunity-”

“Why are you guys still talking?” Trey asked, semi-serious. “Pack your stuff, we gotta go!”

The group scattered throughout the house, chattering as they went.
XOXOXOXOXOXOX

“My head hurts,” Deo groaned, painfully rolling over yet another stone in the path.

“My feet hurt,” complained Cooler, rubbing his sore paws gingerly.

“It’s kind of hot out here,” Troit said, a bit worried. His body seemed to be becoming runny in the humid weather, and had gained a peculiar smell in the heat.

“I’m thirsty,” Charmene rasped.

“I’m…a bit hungry…” Fisticuffs admitted, as if the admission pained him. Maybe it did- Fisticuffs was self-reliant, and generally disliked voicing his own concerns.

“I’m tired of the complaints,” Prophecy said and sighed wearily. It was high noon, and Trey and the team had left the city limits behind. The road was easy, unpaved but clearly marked, and they had seen no one along the road. Cooler and Prophecy were at the head of the group, determined not to let each other take the lead.

Trey scrutinized his map carefully, judging it against the terrain. Finally, he announced, “There’s a small town up ahead, where we can get some lunch and recharge, so to speak. I had hoped to make a little more time, but…” he shrugged his shoulders amicably. “It can’t be helped.”

“What the town called?” Charmene asked, always curious. Trey glanced at the map again.

“Hmm… Silver Depth. What an odd name.”
XOXOXOX

Silver Depth wasn’t much of a town. It was more like a waypoint, a traveler’s rest stop. There was an Inn by the charming name of the Old Grumpig, a restaurant, a few drug stores, all nestled at the foot of a mountain, affectionately called ‘Mt. Craggy.’ A coal mine had been built at the base of the mountain, which apparently was the town’s main source of wealth. Hence the reason why it was so small.

Trey walked into the Inn with some trepidation. Silver Depth seemed like a ghost town- he had not seen one person upon his entry. A spry, white-haired man wearing glasses sat behind the counter. His bored expression shifted to something like shock upon seeing him.

“Afternoon, stranger!” the old man greeted, not bothering to keep the astonishment out of his voice. His eyes flicked to the Pokeballs at Trey’s belt, then back to his face. “Been a while since anyone came by.”

“Well, it’s dangerous to travel nowadays,” Trey said, stepping up to the counter. He hadn’t missed the cursory glance from the old man, and he felt a queer feeling all of a sudden. Like he had been expected.

“Indeed it is!” the old man agreed at once, offering a wrinkled hand. “I’m William. I’ve got a ‘proper’ name, but I’ve gotten so used to William that it doesn’t seem wise to even try anything else.”

Trey took the offered hand and shook. “Nice to meet you. I’m Trey.”

“Likewise, Trey. Say,” William said, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. Here comes the con… “you wouldn’t happen to be a trainer, would you? One of those ‘Dragon Group,’ or sommat?”

“It’s ‘Dragon Guild,’ sir. And actually, yes, I’m affiliated with them, I’m a member of the Mercenary Trainer Union. Why, what has that got to do with anything?” This guy must be behind the times. How has he not heard of us?

“Behind the times, behind the times,” William muttered, his tone apologetic…or appeasing. “It’s just…surely you must have wondered why this town seems so barren? Why a perfectly good traveler’s rest stop such as Silver Depth is so empty?”

“I was curious… but I didn’t dwell on it. Why? What’s the reason?”

“Well, this town used to be a bit more populated than what you see today. It was never a metropolis, don’t get me wrong, but… it was a nice, quiet place to live in peace among nature. We heard all the news from the travelers passing by, co-existed with the Pokemon- it wasn’t fancy living, but it was life.”

“A few months back, this scientist fellow by the name of Hakert came into town all by his lonesome. Said he wanted to perform a few seismographic tests down in one of the newer mine shafts- scout out where a fresh vein of silver might be. He went down into the tunnels with a few men and some complicated equipment- we haven’t seen him since. A search party was raised, and sent in to find in them.”

“What happened to the search party?” Trey asked, his eyes intent. He felt a little ashamed for assuming that William’s first and foremost motive was greed- that he was somehow looking to swindle some green traveler. He certainly sounded on the level.

William licked his lips. “They came back a few days later, claiming that the Steel Pokemon living in the tunnels had gone mad. It seemed ridiculous- the Pokemon have never bothered with us, as long as we left well enough alone. Imagine our surprise, when a week later, a gigantic Aggron emerged from the cave and began tearing up the place!”

“An Aggron! Those things live in mountains- why would they bother with this town?”

William shook his head. “Damned if I know. All I know is, this Aggron started stomping and roaring, ripping down a few houses like they were built from paper clips! Luckily for us, a few trainers who were staying in this very Inn at the time drove it off with a pair of Growlithe. Otherwise, it could have razed the whole town.

The Aggron hasn’t been seen since- but word of that incident spread, and tourism dried up quicker than a Squirtle’s throat in the desert. With nothing else to do, the people of this town collected enough money to send a formal request to the ‘Dragon Guild’ for help.”

“I see now.” Trey nodded in understanding. He thinks I’m the trainer sent to deal with this problem.. “But you see… I don’t-”

William cut him off with an upraised hand. “I know. If I had to tell you all that, that you must not be the help we sent for. But since you’re here now… if you could just look…”

I doubt there’s much I could do all on my own… was what he wanted to say, but the look in the old man’s eyes stopped him. William had probably known Silver Depth all his life, and it pained him to see his friends move away, to see the town he had grown up in wither. Besides… he had time to spare before heading up to Ellyrion. All expenses paid, right?

“Alright, William- I’ll do it. But first-” Trey motioned to the Pokeballs at his belt. “Do you think we could get something to eat? We’re going to need our strength if we’re going spelunking.”

William grinned, exposing yellowed teeth. “The least I can do is offer you a meal.”
XOXOXOXO

The cave wasn’t hard to find. The wreckage from the houses the Aggron had demolished was still there, tidied up into neat piles of wood splinters and glass. Trey wondered why the mess hadn’t been cleared away. Well, would you want to hang around if your neighbor’s home was knocked down out of the blue? There was always the fear: who would be next?

William had given him an old flashlight, a coil of rope, and some water and food for his expedition. It was the flashlight he took out now, then, on second thought, he reached for Deo, Charmene, and Prophecy’s Pokeball. There was a twin flash of light as the Pokemon formed itself from the red energy of the ball, and Trey’s flashlight lit up the gloom.

“Yo,” Deo said, his usual greeting. He looked around. “What’s going on?”

“A little side-trip before our vacation in Ellyrion,” Trey replied. “I’ll give you the details later, but for now, we need to explore this cave, and I could use some light, and some company.” He looked critically at Deo, who seemed to have a pained expression on his face. “Something wrong?”

“Feels like it,” the Voltorb grunted. “M’ head’s buzzing, but I can’t guess why.”

“Buzzing? I don’t feel anything…” Charmene said doubtfully.

“Unless it’s something only Deo can feel?” Prophecy said, looking at Trey.

“I know it’s there. Reminds me of when I was hit by a Supersonic attack that one time…”

“Supersonic waves, huh?” Trey said thoughtfully, musing. Voltorbs were sensitive- maybe the sound he heard was at too high of a frequency for normal ears. “Can you bear it? Because I think we should try to find the source of this buzzing.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. I can handle it. Let’s go.”

Deo led the way, rolling along the passage, his golden body glowing with an internal charge. Charmene and Prophecy followed behind the Voltorb, scanning the area for signs of trouble. Trey was last, fanning the path ahead with the flashlight. The cave was cold, but not unpleasant. Along the walls of the cave, he could see the signs of the miners work- the walls were pocked and marred, and every five meters or so, wooden support beams arched across the ceiling.

They came to a split in the path, and the duo halted. Deo looked down each passageway, his brow furrowed. Finally, he turned back to Trey with a nod. “The buzzing’s strongest down the left path.”

“Good job, Deo.” Trey said. “But if this keeps up, we’re going to get lost. Prophecy, could you use your Metal Claw to make a marker or something like that?”

“Like this?” Prophecy walked to the middle of the path, concentrating. She raised one of her feet, which seemed to shine in the light, before bringing it down hard. When she raised her foot again, the footprint was etched clearly in the ground, jutting towards the path they had came.

“That works.”

“ARRR! Ron!!”

The group turned as one to see a group of Aron charging towards them. Charmene’s tail flared up, and Deo began crackling with electricity, preparing for a fight, but they were ignored. Trey saw that several of the Aron had bloodshot eyes and dents in their metallic skin. The herd splintered into groups. Some ran down the right path, others proceeded towards the mouth of the cave. One lone Aron tackled Charmene out of nowhere, knocking her down.

“Get…OFF!” Charmene cried, a spiral of flames surrounding her body. The Aron shrieked in pain, leaping off of her in a second. The Charmander growled as she leapt to her feet, ready to fight, but Prophecy stepped in front of her.

“Let me handle him. There’s something wrong here…”

BATTLE!

L 8 Bagon vs. L 8 Aron

“What’s going on? You don’t look well, friend,” Prophecy said, her voice concerned. She took a careful battle stance, eyeing the Aron the way one might act with a cornered animal. Who knew what he might do?

“Just shut up! Stop making sounds!!” the Aron shrieked in a tinny, tremulous voice. He charged full-bore at the Bagon, shouting at the top of his lungs. Prophecy clucked disapprovingly, lowering her rock hard head. The smaller Pokemon bounced off her hard with a THUMP and fell back, a little dazed.

Retaliating, Prophecy leaned forward and closed her jaws tightly around the Aron’s head, before raising her head with some difficulty and tossing the iron Pokemon. The Aron didn’t fly very far, smacking into a large rock on the side of the path. “Heavier than I thought,” Prophecy muttered. “And what was that sensation?”

“I can’t…STAND it!” the Aron cried loudly, shaking the loose pebbles off of his body. His body glimmered in the light, hardening before their eyes. Then the Aron curled up into a ball and rolled towards Prophecy quite quickly.

“You can’t hope to run me down like that,” Prophecy said, a note of scorn in her voice. When the Aron drew closer, she kicked out with her right foot. The Rollout might have broken the bones in any other attempt to kick it, but the Bagon’s Metal Claw knocked the Aron of course.

The steel Pokemon climbed to his feet uncertainly, looking up. Prophecy growled, and behind her stood Charmene and Deo, glaring at him. The Aron gulped, then curled up and began speeding down a nearby tunnel, shrieking as he fled.

BATTLE END!
Prophecy grew to L 9!
Prophecy learned Leer!

“Nice work, Prophecy,” Trey said, while Deo nodded his approval.

“Thanks, Trey. But there was something I noticed about that Aron in the battle…”

“You mean, besides the fact that he was a raving lunatic?” Charmene asked doubtfully.

“Besides that, I think,” Prophecy said slowly, thinking. “When I bit him…he was- sort of- well, vibrating in my teeth. Not him, his entire body. And when I kicked him, I felt it again. It was like-”

“His body was buzzing?” Trey asked, thinking. Buzzing again. Deo noticed it, and it seems these Steel Pokemon can too. But Charmene, Proph, and myself don’t hear or feel a thing. Could the vibrations be having an effect on the Pokemon here? What could be causing it?

“It’s probably nothing…”

“No, it was good that you said something. We need to find the source of the buzzing, and then we’ll have our answer. Let’s move on, before something else shows up.”

They continued on in silence. Every time they came to a split in the path, Deo led them on in what Trey hoped was the right direction. It seemed, though, that with every step they took, Deo’s expression became more and more pained. I’m telling him to head on towards the loudest sound he’s ever heard. It’s not good for him.

They heard odd sounds- the shriek of fleeing Zubat reverberating along the hall as they took flight, and other, muffled grunting sounds followed by a thick SMACK. Are the steel Pokemon fighting? he wondered.

At last, Deo stopped in the middle of the path, his breathing quick. He looked at Trey apologetically. “Sorry, Trey, but… can’t go any further. The sound’s too much…”

“Don’t worry about it, pal. You’ve helped a lot.” Trey returned the Voltorb and looked ahead. The path was widening considerably, and he had begun to hope they might reach the end soon. The scientist William had spoken of, Dr. Hakert, would be close. He turned to Charmene and Prophecy. “Let’s take a few minutes. Prepare.”

The two Pokemon agreed, so the trainer sat down, placing his backpack on the floor in front of him. He pulled out a few pieces of fruit, wrapped in tin foil, and handed them out. It felt surreal, like having a picnic at the base of a volcano.

Still, they ate quietly, grouped in a small circle facing outwards. They had been attacked once, and the danger was still there.

It was Charmene who saw it first. A lone Magnemite floated towards them from out of the gloom, its single eye emotionless. It surveyed the three of them blankly, seeming to focus on Trey for some reason. Then-

“Trey, look out!” Prophecy cried, as the electric Pokemon seemed to shiver in mid-air. It was actually charging electricity, and a Thundershock zapped the air a split second where Trey had been. Prophecy had pushed him out of the way just in time.

“Why is it attacking you?” Charmene asked, confused. She lashed her tail flame out at the creature, but the Magnemite hovered out of range, charging once more. Trey went over his options.

Deo can’t battle in his condition, Cooler’s weak to electricity, Troit’s not mobile enough, Prophecy and Charmene are better suited to close combat… that leaves…

“Go, Fisticuffs!”

BATTLE!

L 7 Tyrogue vs. L 7 Magnemite

“What’s going on?” Fisticuffs asked, a bit confused. He blinked in the dark rapidly, struggling to see. “Why are we in a cave?”

“Details later!” snapped Prophecy.

“Look out!” cried Charmene, a second before the Magnemite discharged another blast of electricity. It blasted the Tyrogue in the back, knocking him down.

“Urrgh..” Fisticuffs grunted, getting to his feet. The pained expression on his face shifted to calm as he looked up at his opponent. Trey had to hand it to him- he was cool under pressure. “I’m alright… awake, anyway.”

This time, when the second Thundershock came, Fisticuffs dodged it easily, leaping to his right. Let’s see if that technique works, Fisticuffs thought. He had had a problem using Hi Jump Kick, lacking the height needed for an attack. A few days ago, though, thanks to Lee, he had come up with a solution.

He ran towards the wall, taking small, quick steps. When he was a few feet away, he sprang into the air, his left foot braced for impact. Once he felt sure, solid stone beneath his left leg, he pushed off, pivoting in midair. The Magnemite seemed frozen with shock as he rose towards it, his right leg extending out.

SMACK! The Magnemite tumbled out of the air, its flight disrupted by the right foot jammed into its eye. It was Steel, and the impact hurt it less than it should have, but it was still a mighty blow. And what’s more…

Charmene gasped as the Tyrogue kicked off of the Magnemite, rising higher in the air. For a few seconds, it looked as if Fisticuffs was flying. Then, gravity took over as Fisticuffs began to fall through the air, directly towards the fallen Magnemite.

I can’t handle punching steel…yet. This is the only way to end it. He raised his right hand as he fell towards his opponent, who was struggling to lift itself from the ground. As his hand became coated in a thick layer of ice, the Magnemite noticed him, and prepared another Thundershock.

The two attacks landed at the same time. Fisticuffs felt the shock run up his arm as the Ice Punch connected squarely with the Magnemite. At the same time, he felt his nerves light up like fire as the electric charge ran through his system. When his vision cleared, the Magnemite was encased in a shell of ice, lying on the ground like an old toy. Exhausted, the Tyrogue fell backwards into a sitting position.

“Fisticuffs!” Trey, Charmene and Deo crowded around, looking down at him. Trey bent down, looking him over. “Are you alright?”

“I think so. Nothing permanent, I think. But next time, could you give me some warning?”

BATTLE END!
Fisticuffs grew to L 8!

Prophecy looked over the fallen Magnemite. “You sure did a good job on this guy. He’s out for the count.”

Charmene scratched her head, poking the Magnemite with one claw. “What I don’t get is- why did it attack Trey? It was obviously as crazy as that Aron before- why didn’t it go for one of us?”

Trey helped Fisticuffs up slowly, checking him over for injuries. “I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. It was so hostile- like it was going to kill me. And it was by itself- not in a pack.”

“Like it had been sent to seek us out or something,” Prophecy said slowly. Trey stood up, and Fisticuffs shook his head, clearing out the cobwebs. Trey started down the path again, motioning for them to follow.

“Man…” Trey muttered, as they walked along. Charmene looked up at him, curious.

“What?”

“Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just… stopped meddling, you know?”

Charmene smiled and said nothing.

[Lady Vulpix]

Nice one, Trey! Those vibrations reminded me of TR's PWEs (let me know me if the acronyms are confusing). I liked your conclusion. And nice High Jump Kick! Take 23 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
Oh, and please check the Writer's Grounds on TL.

[Ace64]

Thanks Gabi? What are PWEs?

Also, I'd like a RBG for Cooler from the Professional Sports Breeding Center. Part 2 will be coming soon.

[Lady Vulpix]

Psionic wave emitters. Last seen in the lab scenario. First seen... back in 2001. They basically confused pokemon so much it caused them to go on a rampage and destroy everything in their path.

Cooler is going to battle a Mankey... for 7 stamps, of course.

[Ace64]

Heh..of course. *pays 7 stamps*

Ad the link for the tagboard doesn't seem to be working for me. Could you send me another?

[classy_cat18]

Here’s the second part of the story that I call “Once in a Red Moon”. NOTE: Although not specified, Bandit got his Ancientpower (Reward Center), Defense Curl (EMT), and Psybeam (EMT) TMs; Trinity got her Overheat TM (EMT); Athena got her Revenge TM(EMT); and Beacon got her Focus Punch (trade) and Snore (EMT) TMs. Bo got his Torment TM in a trade and Hidden Power from the Reward Center, and Nama got her Slash and Metal Claw TMs from the Reward Center.

Shonta’s POV

We all sat solemnly in the living room. Each of us was either a little depressed, anxious, or angry. It looked like Katana was all three. All she did was growl every now and then.

It was a while before Bandit spoke up. “It doesn’t make sense. If the Demons were looking for something to sacrifice, why Bo? Is he really that important or was he just at the wrong place at the wrong time?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, the lizard has a point. There are a lot more important, less annoying sacrifices than Bo,” Trinity said.

“Shut up, Trinity,” I snapped. The Ninetales’s attitude towards the Eevee had changed very little since he hatched. “But I’m also puzzled as to why they chose Bo as a sacrifice. There may be the fact that Katana was very close to the kid. This could be Diablo’s chance for payback for Katana’s treachery.”

<That doesn’t make sense,> Jewel told me. <If he’s supposed to be a sacrifice for that dragon then it should be the dragon’s choice of who is to be sacrificed.>

“Whatever it is, Bo’s young and innocent. That just makes him a sacrificial lamb. Shonta’s theory may be right,” Athena said.

“We have to find out what to do,” Nama said seriously.

“We have to save Bo!” Lily shouted. “That poor kid is out there with those bad Pokemon!”

“We don’t know where they are,” Beacon said softly.

“Ooh, I know! What was the dragon’s name, Moriko?” Rose asked the Heracross eagerly.

“I think it was Yssera. Not sure on how to spell it.”

Rose waved her arms wildly with excitement. “The e-mail! Shonta, you got an e-mail that had that name on it!”

I scratched my head. I remembered getting an e-mail a week back about a mission that involved a dragon. I forgot the details, but I decided to ignore it and just stay in Sector Alpha. “What did it say? I shouldn’t have deleted it,” I said.

Rose shook her arms even faster, spreading the flowers’ scent everywhere. “It said that the dragon Yssera had been sighted at White Mountain! That’s where they took Bo! He’s somewhere at White Mountain!”

The rest of us stared at her, amazed that she would remember something like that. I didn’t know Rose but she could be a little forgetful. Actually, sometimes it was like she had the memory span of a goldfish.

Bandit slowly picked her up and smiled. “Rose…I love you. You are the most brilliant Pokemon I know!”

“Really? What did I say?” she asked him sweetly. See what I mean?

Bo’s POV

I finally woke up with one whopper of a headache. The first thing I noticed was that that mean Abra was talking to that mean Makuhita. I would hurt them for hurting my friends! I jumped on the Abra and bit his tail as hard as I could. He cried out in pain but that only made me bite down harder. “Don’t just stand there, you fat idiot! Get this brat off of me!” he yelled to his partner.

The Makuhita grabbed me by the tail and with one yank got me off of his friend’s tail but it wasn’t exactly a good way to do it. I ran my tongue over my teeth and felt a piece of the Abra’s tail skin stuck between two of them. The Abra didn’t think it was a good idea either. He hit the Makuhita on the back of the head. “I didn’t want you to do that!” he yelled. “Now chain that Eevee up so we can report to Master Diablo!”

“Chain?” I knew enough to know that chains were used to make sure that things didn’t go anywhere. Things like me. I wasn’t going to be chained up! I thrashed my head and bit the Makuhita’s hand. He didn’t yell like his friend did but he was in pain enough to drop me. The Makuhita had something in his other hand that looked like a TM which he also dropped. I was faster than he was in getting to it. I opened the box and dumped the contents on me.

“AHH! My Hidden Power TM! I wanted that attack!” the Makuhita cried.

I sat down and glared at him. “Yeah? Well, it’s mine now.”

“Oh yeah! Well, you’re mine now!” He grabbed me around my neck and squeezed me. I couldn’t breathe. I tried scratching his arm to make him drop me but it didn’t work. Everything was starting to get dark and quiet when he dropped me. I gasped for breath and looked up at the Makuhita and Abra. They looked pretty scared. When everything looked and sounded normal, I turned my head to see who saved me.

A Houndoom calmly walked up to the two Pokemon. “Abra, Makuhita. Didn’t I say that the Eevee was not to be harmed? I want him to be as comfortable in his new surroundings as possible.”

I was so scared and mad at the two Pokemon for hurting my friends that I didn’t see that I wasn’t at home. In fact, I don’t think I was anywhere in the city. It looked like a cave. But where was this cave?

The Houndoom smiled down at me. “Ah, it seems like the little one has realized he is not in his home anymore. This is your new home, little one.”

I don’t know why, but the way that Houndoom looked at me scared me. I backed up a few steps and went into a threatening pose: ears flat against my head, back arched, hairs standing on end. “Don’t call me that. My name is Bo,” I growled to the Houndoom.

“That’s a nice name, Bo. My name is Diablo.” He gave a polite bow and walked closer to me. “If I’m not mistaken, your Auntie Katana gave that name to you.”

“Yeah, but…wait. How do you know she gave me the name? How do you know I call her that?” I asked him, looking more relaxed than before.

Diablo chuckled. “You’re smart, there’s no doubt about that. I know just about everything there is to know about you, like how you love it when that Zangoose sings you to sleep. Unfortunately, I can only gather information about you during the night. It makes it easier for my friends to hide in your house.”

That really scared me. I backed up until my back was up against the wall of the cave. “You spied on me? Why did you do that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I think you’re interesting. You have a strong spirit and a lot of potential. In fact, I’m almost scared of what you’ll grow up to be. And since you’re so interesting, you’re going to take part of a sacrifice.”

I got more scared the longer he stared in my eyes. “What’s a sacrifice?”

Diablo’s two friends giggled. “He doesn’t know what a sacrifice is,” Abra whispered to Makuhita.

Diablo’s smile became almost pleasant. “A sacrifice is kind of like a party and you, my friend, are going to be our special guest. You get to sit on a table and look cool for everyone.”

I didn’t believe the big liar. I knew if this was just a party he wouldn’t have had me kidnapped and my friends hurt. But if he knew I was getting wise to his game he would really hurt me. I tried to relax and put on a weak smile. “That sounds fun. When is this sacrifice?”

He looked at the entrance of the cave, where it was starting to look sunny. “It’s morning now, so the sacrifice will be tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night. Okay!” I smiled as best as I could and Diablo returned the fake smile. I only had to ask him one question to make sure I was right about my feelings. “Can I go home after the sacrifice?”

Diablo, who was already heading out of the cave, stopped and turned around. He had on another wicked smile. “Of course, Bo. Until then, you can play near the cave while those two Pokemon look after you.” He nodded to Makuhita and Abra. “Just don’t go too far from here. You might get lost.” He walked out of the cave and off to who knows where.

I glanced at Makuhita and Abra. They were looking at me like Miss Trinity sometimes did when she didn’t feel like doing anything with me. She would’ve been better company than those two. I knew that I wasn’t going home any time soon. I lay down and kept my eyes on the two Pokemon, wishing I was playing with Uncle Bandit or Auntie Katana instead.

Shonta’s POV

“You’re sure you want to come with us?” I asked Triton who was sitting across from me on the train. It was around noon and we were on our way to White Mountain. Because of the dragon’s attack on the area, not a lot of people were on the train with us. I recognized a couple of people from the Dragon’s Guild.

Triton nodded. “Katana is one of my best students and a good friend. If someone close to her is endangered by the Demons then I will do anything I can to help. What is your plan?”

Katana spoke up for the first time since we got on the train. “Tonight we will scout the mountain for possible places for the sacrifice. It will need to be an open space where a lot of Pokemon can watch it happen. We won’t try to look for Bo that night. Instead we will strike when the sacrifice starts and nab him before he can be sacrificed.”

It was the first time I’ve heard her plan so I had some questions for her. “Why not try to look for Bo tonight?” I asked her.

She held up three unsheathed claws. “Three reasons. One, open areas are easier to find than hiding places. If Bo’s anywhere on that mountain, he’ll be in a cave away from humans. Two, Bo will definitely be under heavy security especially at night. If there are Pokemon there that are half as strong as Diablo, none of us will have a chance of beating him. Three, if we find Bo tonight then that means we will have to protect him until the end of the lunar eclipse. That’s around twenty-four hours, Shonta. Do you want to fight off an army of Pokemon for twenty-four hours?”

I gulped hard. “No, I guess not. And just in case one powerhouse doesn’t work, I asked Volt to meet us at the station.”

Katana smirked. “Beacon’s mother doesn’t actually owe us one but she said that if we had any trouble to call her,” she said to Triton.

The train slowed to a stop a few minutes later and we got off, prepared to start and finish our mission. Waiting for us on the platform was an Ampharos with inverted colors. I walked up to her and shook her hand. “Volt, it’s so nice to see you again. Has your daughter told you the news?” I asked her. She shook her head and I opened up Beacon’s pokeball.

Volt gasped at her daughter’s new form. “Oh my! Beacon, you look so pretty! And so strong! Shonta definitely has trained you well!”

Beacon blushed. “It wasn’t just Shonta. The whole team trained me. I have all of them to thank.”

“Remind me to thank them too.” She and Beacon laughed together, stopping when I finally got a taxi to stop near us. Volt gave me a pokeball that she had hanging around her neck so I returned her and Beacon and got in the back seat of the taxi with Katana and Triton.

I looked up in awe at the size of White Mountain as we approached its base. I haven’t seen any mountains up close so I guess that’s why it looked so big to me. It’s going to take the whole team to search this mountain.

Bo’s POV

“You’re such a doughboy! You can’t just go get some food! We’re supposed to be watching the kid!”

I covered my ears as I listened to Abra complain for about the millionth time since I got here. I turned my head to the opening of the cave and noticed that it looked unguarded. It’s now or never. I started to creep towards freedom while Abra and Makuhita argued. I was about halfway there when the arguing stopped.

“The runt’s escaping!” Makuhita cried.

“Run!” I told myself. I ran as fast as I could even though Abra had teleported himself in my path. Remembering Uncle Bandit’s advice, I pounced and tackled him in the chest. We both went rolling out of the cave and down the mountain. We only stopped when Abra’s head hit a big rock, knocking him out. I ran into a patch of trees before any other Pokemon could see me.

The mountain was soon alive with the cries of at least a dozen Pokemon. I hid in a hollow tree stump as a couple of them walked past. A long time passed before I walked back out. Big mistake. A Spheal was standing right near the stump, probably also hiding from the bad Pokemon. We were quiet for a while and then the Spheal talked. “What are you doing here? You’re in so much trouble!”

He wasn’t hiding from the bad Pokemon! He’s one of them! “You’re not going to stop me!” I said quietly.

“We’ll see about that!” the Spheal yelled out loud.

Level 5 Male Eevee (Bo) vs. Level 5 Male Spheal

Don’t just charge in there. See what the other guy can do. That was what Uncle Bandit told me one time. So I wagged my tail to lower the Spheal’s defense. The Spheal growled and shot out what looked like snowflakes that chilled me. I wanted to warm up so badly that I felt myself get really warm inside. In fact, too warm. I opened up my mouth and breathed out fire. Actual fire! The Spheal was too surprised to dodge the attack. He was toasted.

“That really hurt,” the Spheal groaned. “But I’m not giving up!” He opened his mouth again and shot out an ice blue beam of light. I tried to run to the right to avoid the attack but I felt my tail get really cold. I looked back and saw that it was frozen. I wasn’t going to run very fast with my tail like that. I looked around for something hard to break the ice.

“The next one’s going to freeze your whole body, Demon!” the Spheal shouted.

What did he call me? I looked at the tree and slammed my tail against it. Nothing!

“I’m gonna count to three and then fire!”

I tried again. Some of the ice broke off.

“One…”

I shook my tail as hard as I could. The ice stayed in place.

“Two…”

I shook even harder. The ice slowly slid off.

“Three!” He shot out another beam of light. I jumped behind the stump and shielded myself from the attack. “Oh man! I missed!”

“I won’t!” I didn’t know how I was going to make myself breathe fire again but I had other tricks up my sleeve. I balanced myself on top of the frozen tree stump and jumped into the air. All four of my paws landed on the Spheal and bounced off of him. As soon as I landed I spun around and clamped my jaws on his tail. He screamed in pain until he fell silent, knocked out just like Abra.

I won and grew to level 6!

I heard a long, eerie howl come from up the mountain. I was afraid of who it might be. I looked around and saw another cave nearby. Not wanting to leave the Spheal to the bad Pokemon I gently took his tail in my jaws and dragged him into the cave. I practically sat alone in there until the Spheal woke up. “Are you okay?” I asked him.

The Spheal looked around the cave like he thought he died and went to…well, the other place. “Where am I? Where did you take me, Demon?” he asked me angrily.

I blinked in confusion. “You called me that word again. What’s a Demon?”

His expression softened. “You don’t know what you are? You force my friends in hiding and you don’t even know what you are?”

It was my turn to be angry. “If you’re talking about that crazy Houndoom and his friends…”

The Spheal burst out laughing. “Oh man, did I get you wrong! There I was fighting you and you turn out to be good!” He held out a flipper. “My name’s Rollie. Who are you?”

“I’m Bo.” I shook his flipper.

Shonta’s POV

The hotel was luxurious. Because of the drastically lowered rates I was able to get a suite for me and my Pokemon. There was a big bed and a flat screen TV. There was one little problem: my next door neighbor and his Bulbasaur.

I had the misfortune of heading out the door to head to the Pokemon Center the same time he was. As soon as he spotted me he started running his big mouth about being a Pokemon trainer. All I did was nod my head and grunt monosyllable words every once and a while. We did this all the way to the Pokemon Center. I got a little lunch but was still unable to shoo him away. Not politely, anyway. I had this feeling that if I shouted at the guy that he would burst into tears and go tell his mommy.

So half of my Pokemon were there listening to the guy called Dennis talk to us about his Bulbasaur. Then he started to talk about my Pokemon. “I would love a Starmie like yours. It’s not that they’re pretty; their special attack is through the roof. They can learn all sorts of special attacks. And they’re fast. Really fast. The only things I don’t like about them are their abilities. Not very handy in one-on-one battles. It’s a good thing they can learn Skill Swap.”

“Yeah,” I said dully.

“And Zangoose. Their attack is good, they’re fast, and they can learn Swords Dance really early. Plus they look tough. Don’t you think they look tough?”

“Yeah,” I repeated.

Then he glanced at Nama. The Slakoth was sleeping next to me on the couch, luckily oblivious to Dennis’s almost one-man conversation. “Why do you have a Slakoth?” he asked me, looking at Nama strangely.

I looked at Nama as her eyes opened a bit. “Because I wanted to,” I told Dennis. I stroked Nama’s back.

“But why did you want her? They’re not good battlers. First of all, they have the Truant ability. They’re slow, low on special attack…”

“She’s not just a Pokemon,” I interrupted. “She’s an individual with potential. She can battle well when she wants to.”

“She can’t battle as well as my Bulbasaur,” Dennis said. “I just caught my Bulbasaur but I know that it won’t be long before he’s an Ivysaur.”

I crossed my arms. “I know. You told me that already. You shouldn’t insult Nama like that. She can hear, you know.”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t look like she can do much about it,” Dennis said with a smile.

With that comment Nama’s eyes shot straight open. We both glared at Dennis with contempt in our eyes. “We can do something about it right now,” I said. “You. Me. Nama. Bulbasaur. Outside. Now.”

He smiled innocently. “You’ll lose.”

“No, I won’t.” I turned to the rest of my Pokemon. “Do you think you can scout the mountain without me?”

“No problem,” Katana said. “You gave us the TMs you’ve been saving. Plus having you around might slow us down anyway.”

I ignored her comment and followed Dennis out of the front door and to the practice arenas. Each of them was the standard size of an arena minus the bleachers. I stood on one end and Dennis stood on the other. “I guess we already know what Pokemon we’re going to use,” I said. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Go, Bulbasaur!” he shouted.

“Go, Nama!”

Level 9 Female Slakoth (Nama) vs. Level 8 Male Bulbasaur

“Go, Bulbasaur! Use Tackle!” Dennis commanded.

“Slash, Nama! Run him down!” I cried out.

Both Pokemon did their battle cries and rushed for each other. Nama was somehow quicker on the draw. Because of her long reach, Nama was able to rake her claws across Bulbasaur’s face before she was knocked back by his tackle. Bulbasaur shook his head and stumbled back.

“Don’t give up; you still have the upper hand!” Dennis said. “Give that Slakoth your Sludge Bomb!”

Bulbasaur immediately spat out a big blob of purple poison. It flew through the air at a high speed and hit Nama right between the eyes. Nama fell on her back and clawed on her face as the poison seeped into her bloodstream. She managed to wipe off her face but that didn’t save her from being poisoned.

I winced as I saw her pained expression. “Don’t worry, Nama! Use your Miracle Berry to get rid of the poison!”

She nodded and ate the berry that she kept in her fur. She instantly looked much better. It was time to fight back.

“Bulbasaur, use Sludge Bomb again!”

“Nama, dodge and use Metal Claw!”

Bulbasaur coughed up another huge glob of poisonous goo, which Nama ran from. He then charged again and tackled her again. She clapped her hands, making Bulbasaur run all over the arena trying to hit her. She managed to get behind him and swipe his behind with her Metal Claw. I understood that if he kept on using close range attacks then he couldn’t launch a projectile attack like Sludge Bomb.

“Finish her off with Petal Dance!”

“Try to dodge it and then use Yawn!” I told Nama.

A storm of pink petals spewed from the bulb on Bulbasaur’s back for Nama. Nama clumsily rolled to the side and avoided it, and then yawned out many pink bubbles. Bulbasaur’s next attack popped most of them but one of them popped on his nose, sprinkling pink dust which he inhaled. He yawned himself and went to sleep.

“No! Bulbasaur!” Dennis yowled.

“Finish him off with another Slash!” I told Nama, excited that I was going to win. Dennis could only watch with horror as Nama slashed Bulbasaur’s sides with her long blades, making sure he wouldn’t be getting up for a while.

Nama won and grew to level 10! She got Shadow Ball as her level 10 TM!

Nama yawned again but no bubbles came out. I walked to her side and crouched. “Let’s go back to our room and rest. We won’t be able to find the rest of the crew right now and it’s starting to get dark.”

Nama nodded again. “Thank you for letting me battle.”

“It’s no problem.” I looked at Dennis, satisfied that his Bulbasaur got the beating it deserved. It was probably a horrible feeling, but pride does come before a fall. I wanted to say something to cheer up Dennis. Instead I said this:

“You’re so stupid you thought an elevator was a mobile home!”

EDIT: To avoid double posting, I'm asking for an RBG for my L7 Kecleon here from the Free Range Corral. *pays 7 stamps*

[Wolfsong]

*takes stamps* He will be battling a Hoothoot