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

[*Murkrow]

Can I have an extension for the current scenario, please? I've decided to actually go back and write for the two past ones (which I also have extensions for) but first I'm going to sit down and work out a storyline that I'm happy with and can see myself writing comfortably for for more than one story. And I only have a week left here so I definitely won't have gotten to this scenario in time.

End pointless overly long explanation.

[Lady Vulpix]

You can have an extension, Hannah, but I'm afraid only one of your past extensions is valid. Extensions expire once the scenario has changed twice.

[*Murkrow]

Balls it. Or does that just mean that I can't earn Stamps from it, but can still post and gain levels?

[Ace64]

I'm really sorry for the wait, Shonta. It sucks to wait that long, and sorry I put you through it. Anyhow...I guess I was right about Bo being a handful for those Demons eh? I wonder when the Demons moved to White Mountain anyhow? Did Yssera call them or did they go of their own free will?

Take 23 stamps, and sorry again. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[classy_cat18]

It's okay, Trey. I've been busy with the next story. Anyway, Diablo got the call from Yssera and led his group to White Mountain. We don't know how long they've been there but we haven't had any contact with them since November.

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow, I rated the battle yesterday but didn't have the time to post, and I was going to give her 23 as well! The rating method seems to be working after all!

Shonta, I found your story well written and well thought, and Bo's battle was quite good for its short length! And I loved the way you portrayed him and his thoughts. Nama was surprisingly agile. How did she manage to continuously avoid being hit and still get her own blows in? And did the last line mean anything or was it just a random insult?

Oh, just a random fact: the goldfish rumor has been proven wrong. Apparently they do have a short attention span, but their memory span is much longer.

[Dark Dragonite]

Is the latest scenario really on page 5 from january 23rd?
http://www.pokemasters.net/forums/in...9402#msg619402
I can't seem to find the latest, and the first page says the latest scenario is there
Yes, this does mean what you think it does >: )

[classy_cat18]

Is the latest scenario really on page 5 from january 23rd?
http://www.pokemasters.net/forums/in...9402#msg619402
I can't seem to find the latest, and the first page says the latest scenario is there
Yes, this does mean what you think it does >: )

Yeah, that'd be it.

Wow, I rated the battle yesterday but didn't have the time to post, and I was going to give her 23 as well! The rating method seems to be working after all!

Shonta, I found your story well written and well thought, and Bo's battle was quite good for its short length! And I loved the way you portrayed him and his thoughts. Nama was surprisingly agile. How did she manage to continuously avoid being hit and still get her own blows in? And did the last line mean anything or was it just a random insult?

Oh, just a random fact: the goldfish rumor has been proven wrong. Apparently they do have a short attention span, but their memory span is much longer.

Well, the only explanation I can give you is that Katana's been teaching her. That and I had to work around that Truant ability but I didn't mean for Nama to be so light on her feet. And that was just a random insult.

Oops about the goldfish fact.

[Ace64]

The second half of the Silver Depth arc. My next post will have White Mountain, I hope.
----------
The air seemed to become heavier as they stepped into a much wider area. Quite abruptly, Prophecy stopped, sniffing the air. Charmene mimicked her, her face alert. Fisticuffs threw an uneasy glance at his trainer.

“What is it, Prophecy?” Trey whispered, not sure why he was keeping his voice low but refusing to raise it anyway.

Prophecy didn’t answer at first, instead turning to look at Charmene for confirmation. Then, she looked at the trainer, her nostrils flared. “Machinery, oil, metal. Up ahead.”

“Machinery?” Trey said, confused. “Why would there be machinery here? How could anyone build anything with the steel Pokemon going mad in here?”

“Only one way to find out,” Prophecy replied pointedly, looking into the darkness ahead.

“Okay, okay, I get the point. Charmene, take point. Prophecy, you back her up. Fisticuffs, return,” Trey said. Then, seeing the Tyrogue’s disappointed expression, he added, “You’ve done well, but it’s obvious you could use some rest. Even though you try to hide it.”

Fisticuffs grinned sheepishly, looking embarrassed. “I guess I didn’t hide it as well as I thought, huh?”

“We all get tired sooner or later. You’re not invincible…yet.” Trey winked at Fisticuffs, who winked back, before returning the Tyrogue to his Pokeball.

As they walked further into the cavern, gradually, they began to sense some sort of motion in the earth below them. Then, they could hear the sound of machinery, grinding away, from ahead. Trey went over William’s story again in his head. A Dr. Hakert went into these tunnels a few months ago to scout for silver. He had equipment with him, but I doubt anyone in Silver Depth would know what it would be used for.

A moment later, they saw it. It was a large machine, stretching to the very ceiling of the cave, and Trey wondered how they could have built such a thing. Everywhere, there were gears grinding, pistons pumping, in perfect mechanical harmony. Oddly, there was a small drill at the base of the machine, but didn’t actually dig deeper through the stone, only spinning in place.

An older man was sitting there, his back turned to him, looking over a laptop. How does he get service in here? Trey wondered. Prophecy growled softly, looking at him, and Trey snapped back to reality.

“Who are you?”

The man jumped, closing his laptop with a SNAP! and shot to his feet. Trey was a little put off at the man’s quick movements, as he turned around and looked back at him, adjusting his glasses. “Who am I? Who are you? How did you make it so far, with the Pokemon about?”

“I’m Trey, of Caledor. MTU trainer,” he shot back. “What do you mean, ‘with the Pokemon about?’ Did you do something to them?”

“Do something to them? Why would you think that?” the man said, screwing his face up into what he thought must be an innocent expression.

“He’s lying,” Prophecy growled, her teeth bared. “I can see the Pokeballs beneath his coat. This guy’s a trainer too.” It was true. The man was wearing a leather jacket, but Trey could see a flash of red just above his belt- it had to be a Pokeball. He pointed at the machine.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t build that thing. What’s your game?”

The man frowned, his glasses slipping further down the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The two stared at each other for a brief moment, then Trey shrugged, enlarging a Pokeball.

“If it’s not yours…then you don’t mind if I destroy it, right? Charmene,” Trey ordered in a commanding voice, “Fire Blast!”

Of course, the Charmander didn’t know the attack, but she was clever enough to pick up on her trainer’s plan. Her tail flame grew in size, and she puffed out her chest, gathering her strength. The effect was instaneous. The older man leapt in front of the machine, throwing himself into the line of fire. Charmene hesitated, letting her fire die.

“I can’t let you do that,” the man said in a menacing tone. In a flash, an enlarged Pokeball was in his hand. He released a rugged-looking Mankey, which growled and cracked his knuckles. “If you won’t leave me be, then I’ll send you sprinting for the exit!”

That thing looks pretty tough, Trey thought. Did it help him build that machine? He released Cooler, who looked around in confusion. “Wha..? The heck?”

“No time for that,” Prophecy snapped. “Eyes forward!”

“Bigfoot,” the man cried, “Attack! Cross Chop!”

BATTLE!

L 7 Squirtle vs. L 7 Mankey

“Don’t tell me what to do, Prophecy!” Cooler cried, quickly withdrawing into his shell. The Mankey’s attack struck harmlessly, but the chop was still powerful enough to knock him away. Cooler popped back out of his shell, unharmed. “I can fight on my own, you know!”

“Come on!” Trey groaned. “Do you have to argue now?! This is kind of important!”

“Mhehe…” the man chuckled, his glasses flashing. “Looks like you still have some issues to work out. Mankey, flying punch!”

“What kind of move is flying punch?” Trey said, surprised. Mankey didn’t learn such moves, did they?

“Hyah!” The pig-monkey cried, moving faster than Cooler guessed. The Mankey slid low, driving a foot into the Squirtle’s belly and pushing him up into the air. Cooler cried out in shock as his feet left the ground, his eyes wide. Quick as lightning, the Mankey leapt to his feet and sprang into the air, delivering a double-handed punch to Cooler’s skull. The Squirtle groaned in pain as he was sent into the dirt like a spiked volleyball.

“Ouch,” Cooler muttered, rubbing his tender head. “No lie- that hurt a lot.”

“Pull yourself together, turtle soup!” Prophecy cried, sounding gleeful. “Are you a Pokemon or a basketball?” Trey glared at her disapprovingly, and Prophecy’s expression turned innocent. “What? I’m just trying to be encouraging.”

“Do it again, ‘Foot!” the man ordered.

“Shut your mouth, Prophecy!” Cooler cried angrily, forgetting his pain. He’s too quick for me, no doubt about that. Gotta slow him down. As the Mankey shot towards him again, Cooler quickly blew out a thick stream of bubbles, blocking him from view. The Mankey halted, confused as one of his legs brushed against a large bubble. The bubble burst, leaving the Mankey with a sharp stinging sensation that made him wince. And the bubbles were closing in.

“Bigfoot, use Rock Slide to crush those bubbles!”

“Right,” the monkey muttered, breaking the rock beneath him with one powerful punch. He hefted a good sized chunk of rock and stood, preparing to throw it into the sea of bubbles when out of nowhere a jet of high-pressure water shot out from the right. The Mankey cried out, shoved into the sea of painful bubbles, his load forgotten.

“I’m not done yet,” the Mankey said defiantly, slapping the bubbles away with a hand as he climbed to his feet. “I’m not just gonna let you…huh?” The bubbles had begun to spin around him for some reason, faster and faster. It was as if he was in the eye of a tornado of bubbles.

The spectacled man gaped in shock at the phenomenon. “How?” Then he spied Cooler at the edge of the bubbles, blowing a gentle Icy Wind about to rotate the bubbles. “Bigfoot, it’s a trap! Get out of there!”

“Too late,” Cooler said between breaths. He inhaled sharply, then blew hard directly into the cloud of bubbles, pushing them towards the hapless Mankey. The sensation of being stung by a thousand tiny needles swept over him, and the pain was too much to bear. The bubbles popped one by one, revealing the unconscious Pokemon.

BATTLE END!
Cooler grew to L 8!

“Damn it!” the man exclaimed bitterly, recalling his Pokemon. The Mankey disappeared in a flash of red light. “I never thought some turtle…”

“Hey!” Cooler shouted, his eyes hot. “Don’t underestimate me!”

“Sheesh…” Prophecy muttered, thankfully out of earshot of the Squirtle. “You say that all the time. Give it a rest.”

“What’s your game?” Trey demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the man. “Who are you? What’re you doing here, and why did you attack me?”

“Hehe…” the older man chuckled, pulling another Pokeball from his belt. “ Mr. MTU wins one measly battle, and suddenly feels the right to interrogate me? I don’t think so! Let’s see what you think of this!” He threw a Pokeball, a pale light in his eyes. A shape emerged from the container, which grew…and grew…and grew, before forming itself into a very angry Steelix!

Charmene gasped as the snake-like Pokemon bellowed in anger. His voice was pure rage, not a single word could be made out in the roar. The man watched the Steelix carefully, and Trey watched him flip open his laptop and tap a few keys. The machine’s rhythm seemed to change because of the adjustment, and the Steelix quieted almost instantly.

“If you had a Pokemon like this, why did you waste time with a Mankey?” Trey asked, staring into the beady eyes of the Steelix with apprehension. The Steelix’s powerful tail beat restlessly against the ground, and the shaking seemed to reverberate in his bones. “How did you control this thing anyway? I thought the Steel Pokemon were-”

“Going mad?” the man finished, with a smirk. “Not mad, kid- they’re just under… ‘new management,’ let’s say. I wasn’t sure that the machine would work as well as it did, but it seemed Dr. Hakert’s calculations were correct.”

“Stealing a Pokemon’s mind isn’t new management! What are you doing to them?” This guy isn’t Dr. Hakert, then! Who is he? A student, or aide, perhaps?

“If you tap a metal spoon against glass, you can hear the vibrations,” the man said, as if that explained everything.

“So!?” Trey shot back.

“Imagine if you could duplicate the effect on a much grander scale,” the man said slowly, as if envisioning the plan in his mind. “Imagine if you play that same sound over and over, only at a much higher pitch, straight into the minds of Steel Pokemon. And underneath that sound- subliminal messages… messages like “Keep all humans out of the mines,” for example.”

Trey’s eyes lit up. It was all becoming clear. “That machine- you’re broadcasting some mind-control message in the heads of the steel Pokemon here.” Deo’s not steel, but could he sense the frequency being played because of his specific physical make-up?

“Boy, you catch on fast,” the man said sarcastically. Steelix kept on glaring at him, like a cobra watching a bird. “Silver Depth was the perfect location- plenty of Pokemon for the experiment, but out of the way. The Dragon Guild should have never expected, but it seems I was wrong in that regard.” The man’s eyes narrowed, and Trey guessed what was coming.

“Steelix, bury them!”

The steel snake shot forward, his eyes glowing with murderous intent. None of Trey’s pokemon stood a chance of even slowing the thing down. So this is it… He braced himself for the impact, his body tensing…

Several things happened at once. A streak of brown flashed in front of Trey. At the same time, the man slumped forward, the laptop falling out of his hands and onto the ground. A fairly large Crawdaunt stood behind him, snapping his claws irritably. And in front of him….

CLANG!

A lithe-looking Breloom, a female, stood in front of him, her tiny paws locked in an iron grip on the Steelix’s jaw. Despite her size, she didn’t waver, and the Steelix growled in irritation, trying in vain to bull his way past her. When that didn’t work, the Steelix grunted, raising his head and flailing about.

“Looooom!” the Breloom cried, holding on for dear life. What in the world? Who?

“Shizstar, Crabhammer, quick!” cried a voice behind Trey. The Crawdaunt skittered up to the machine, walking sideways. He sprang forward, shouting a war cry, and with one powerful swing, knocked the drill beneath the machine away. After a second swing of his great claw, the machine’s clatter halted, a large dent smashing most of the mechanics.

As the machine grinded to a halt, the glazed, furious look in the Steelix’s eyes faded away. The Breloom released the Steel Pokemon, falling to the ground with a grunt. Freed from the mind-altering effects of the machine, the Steelix shook his head twice to clear it, then wandered off into the darkness, looking distracted.

Trey turned to confront the trainer who had saved his life. He was a sandy-haired older man, who seemed vaguely familiar to him. The man smiled, recalling his Breloom. “Good work, Jessica.”

Trey recalled his own Pokemon, suddenly feeling a little safer. “I think I remember you…” he said slowly. It was the man Trey had fought in the maze, back in Sector Alpha, a few weeks ago. “Justin…from the MTU, right? What are you doing here?”

“That’s me,” Justin replied with a grin. It was Justin who had first suggested the idea that Trey join the MTU. “Do you always question people who save your life?” He strolled over to the machine, studying it with a critical eye, then walked over to the fallen man. “Hmm.”

“I don’t mean to seem ungrateful,” Trey protested, and he didn’t. “I would have died if it wasn’t for you, it’s just… how are you here? Were you following me?”

“It was an accident, actually,” Justin answered, a small frown on his face as he stared at the fallen man. “Surely you met William- back at the old Grumpig? I’m the trainer the MTU sent to answer his request for help. You can guess how surprised I was when he told me it had already been answered. I followed you, thanks to the tracks your Bagon made. Nice work.”

“Thank you,” Trey said, as Prophecy swelled with pride. Cooler stuck his tongue out at her. “Now, can you tell me what I did, exactly?”

“I think you know most of the story, but I’ll fill you in. I recognize this guy- he’s a former Blade, one of the underlings of a Dr. Hakert, a Blade specialist in Pokemon behavior. His name’s James Harlow. ” Justin leaned down, turning the unconscious James over on his belly and snapping a pair of handcuffs on his limp wrists. He gestured to Shizstar, who gently lifted the criminal up and onto his back.

“The Blades? I thought they were disbanded.”

“Disbanded, yes, but still just as dangerous. After the death of their leader, the Blades split and wandered far and wide. This is the work of just one of them, but from what you’ve heard, he’s still in contact with a few of his old pals. That worries me.” They were walking now, tracing their path back towards the entrance, with their Blade prisoner carried by Shizstar.

“This Dr. Hakert guy?”

“Right- he was definitely seen coming into Silver Depth, but it seems he left just in time to avoid us. Luck, but it won’t last long. We can try to keep the capture of this Blade quiet, but he’ll still know. He’ll stay hidden…who knows where he might show up next?’

“But we stopped his plan. Whatever he was using to control these Pokemon, it’s all over now. The Steelix was proof.”

“You’re right, but we still haven’t stopped the ones responsible. What’s worse- they now have confirmation of the success of their technology, which puts us in a very bad position indeed. Very troubling.”

Trey thought of steel Pokemon all over Ulthuan turning berserk, maiming their trainers and teammates without restraint and shuddered. Even Deo might not be immune to the sound waves. And the Blades could attack from virtually anywhere, if they had enough power.

They were at the mouth of the cave now, standing outside in the sunlight. The events from hours earlier seemed like a bad dream to Trey, as he looked back into the cave. Had it really happened at all? “So what are you going to do now?” he asked Justin, turning away from the cave.

“First, I’m going to release whatever steel pokemon James might have stolen from Silver Depth. Then, it’s straight back to Sector Alpha. James has a lot to answer for, and maybe we can get the information on the other Blades from him. What about you?”

“Well, I’m going to Ellyrion. MTU business,” Trey replied, a bit proudly. When Justin looked at him closely, though, Trey felt a little foolish. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Justin said, waving a hand. “Good luck. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell Lady Banette of your actions here today.” The older man smiled, shaking Trey’s hand. “You did some good work today, even if you didn’t know it. After all, you didn’t have to stop here.”

Trey shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed by the praise. “Yeah, well…What can I say?”

“Nothing, I suppose.” Justin started off towards Silver Depth’s entrance, Shizstar behind him. “See you back in Caledor!”

“Good-bye, and thanks for the save!” Trey called, before heading back into Silver Depth. He had almost met his death at the hands of a brainwashed Steelix, deep in the dark. He had discovered that a former enemy was much more active than it seemed. He had uncovered a plot for Pokemon mind control.

And yet, at the moment, all he could think about was heading back to the Old Grumpig for one last meal before moving on again. If I slow down…everything might catch up to me. Best to just keep moving.

So he put one foot in front of the other, and after a few minutes, he felt he was alright. He could think about what all this meant to him later. For now… he was desperately hungry.

[Lady Vulpix]

Ok, Trey, let's see... First of all, I liked your story. Now on to the random comments with no link to each other. It seems this Dr. Hakert created PWE v2! That's interesting, if scary. I liked the bluff you and Charmene pulled out. I got a bit confused when Justin said "see you back in Ulthuan". Did he mean Caledor, or was he going to leave the country for a while? And I assume you were referring to metaphorical hands when you spoke about death at the hands of a brainwashed Steelix, right? Nice way of wrapping things up, by the way. I wonder what effects those events will have in the future. Take 15 stamps. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Ace64]

[color=hotpink]Ok, Trey, let's see... First of all, I liked your story. Now on to the random comments with no link to each other. It seems this Dr. Hakert created PWE v2! That's interesting, if scary. I liked the bluff you and Charmene pulled out. I got a bit confused when Justin said "see you back in Ulthuan". Did he mean Caledor, or was he going to leave the country for a while? And I assume you were referring to metaphorical hands when you spoke about death at the hands of a brainwashed Steelix, right? Nice way of wrapping things up, by the way. I wonder what effects those events will have in the future.

Whoops,nice catch Gabi about Caledor, Gabi. Got the two confused. Yup, that was a metaphor, else I would have said 'coils'. As for the future...who knows?Bluhahaha...

Now, to the scenario.

[classy_cat18]

This is the first part of the end of the scenario. I didn't know how much of this I could squeeze in. Enjoy!

EDIT: Managed to get all of it in here. Could I get a RBG for my L8 Meditite, Ali from the Jungle Reforestation Recovery Agency? *pays 7 stamps*

Bo’s POV

“So is this why they call it White Mountain? Because of these white rocks?” I asked Rollie as we sat in the cave.

“Yeah. When I was coming here I thought it was because it would be covered in snow. I guess I don’t know much about the weather.” He laughed a little and then gave a heavy sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s those stupid Demons. They chased me and my friends from our home in the north. I don’t know where they are now. They went somewhere else. I mainly came here to see if I could get help. You see, the humans once had this big Pokemon tournament at the top of this mountain. I hoped that they would still come here.”

I gave him a big smile. “Rollie, you’re in luck! My friend Shonta is also my trainer and she has Pokemon who can help us! She’s also a Dragon Tamer!”

Rollie’s eyes went wide. “You’re a Dragon Tamer?”

“Well, yeah, in a way…”

“Wow! We’ll have no problem with those Demons now!” He clapped his flippers and laughed loudly. I shushed him before he could attract any attention. “I didn’t know that I’d run into a real live Dragon Tamer here!”

“Actually, I think my trainer’s the Dragon Tamer. And what am I supposed to do with those guys? I’m only a few months old! I’m only a kid!”

“So are we but you don’t hear us underestimating ourselves,” a female voice said from the darkness of the cave. I squinted and saw something walk towards us. It turned out to be a Hoothoot. “You’ve got guts, kid. I think you’re the one that can help us carry out our plan.”

“Hey, Hootie. This is Bo. I think he’s the one that can lead us to victory over the Demons,” Rollie told the Hoothoot.

“I think I heard about you, Bo. Weren’t you supposed to be the sacrifice?” Hootie asked me.

There goes that word again. “Would you please tell me what a sacrifice is?” I groaned.

“In a nutshell, they were going to kill you for some crazy belief that it will please some crazy dragon and give their crazy Houndoom leader some crazy powers.”

“That’s crazy!”

“Tell me about it. Now are you in or out?”

I backed away from Hootie. This was all getting pretty out of control. “I don’t know how I can help you guys. None of my friends are here as far as I know.”

“We don’t need your friends. We only need you. All you need to do is look intimidating and scare the Demons straight.”

I looked down at my little brown paws and my fluffy tail. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t really look the part.”

Hootie’s eyes narrowed and she gave a small grin. “You would if you evolved. I know you’re just a kid, but if you were an Umbreon…”

My tail wagged with anticipation. If there was one thing I looked forward to as long as I could remember it was evolving into an Umbreon. They could take a beating and still be able to fight. And it almost didn’t matter how old you were. An Umbreon still looked scary. “Do you think you could find a Night Stone in time?” I asked Hootie.

“Kiki the Pikachu finds all sorts of things that trainers drop on the mountain. I’m sure she found something as unusual as a Night Stone. I’ll check with her now and see if she has one.” She ran deeper into the cave and disappeared in the darkness.

“Don’t worry about Hootie,” Rollie told me before I could say anything. “She lives here and knows this mountain like the back of her hand. Some of the caves are actually connected to each other.”

I sighed in relief. For a second there I thought that I would’ve had to bring her back. “So what’s this plan of hers?”

“I’ll admit that it’s pretty out there and it’s really hard to explain so you’ll just have to go along with her. All you should know right now is that you can’t evolve tonight. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow night to evolve, when the lunar eclipse has started.”

“I don’t get it. I can evolve anytime I want to with that stone. Why wait at all?”

Rollie shrugged as best as a Spheal could. “It’s part of her master plan.”

Beacon’s POV

To cover more ground, Katana had the group split into teams. I was traveling with her, Bandit, and my mother. I occasionally sniffed the air for traces of Bo’s scent. So far I didn’t get anything. It was the best I could do to help, though. My eyes weren’t good in the dark and Katana didn’t want me to light up my tail.

I looked over at Katana who had her ears twitching to the slightest sound. We had to hide in our pokeballs three times to avoid being seen by Demons. But they seemed to be preoccupied with looking for something else.

Katana quickly shoved me behind a tree and put a claw to her lips. “Someone’s coming,” she silently mouthed. We watched intensely as the sound of rustling underbrush got louder until someone appeared.

A Pikachu crept into view, looking as alert as Katana. She looked around the place for a moment and then relaxed a little and whistled to no one I could see. A Hoothoot flew down and landed next to the Pikachu. “This is getting too easy, Kiki. Everyone’s busy looking for the Eevee kid,” the Hoothoot told the Pikachu.

Kiki the Pikachu nodded. “It’s a good thing he’s safe and sound with Rollie. Otherwise the plan would crumble.”

I gasped. Bo escaped! He’s safe! But who are these Pokemon? I glanced at Katana. She had tears in her eyes and was smiling.

Kiki continued talking. “Now are you sure you need the Night Stone? I got another plan that would work even better than the one you have.”

Night Stone? They couldn’t be planning on… Katana burst out from behind the tree, breaking me out of my thoughts. I took off after her but she was just too fast for me.

She pounced for the Hoothoot but missed as the bird flew away through the trees. “After her, Bandit!” Katana commanded.

I knew that Bandit wouldn’t dare refuse to follow Katana’s orders. “Yes, ma’am!” the Kecleon responded. He ran after the Hoothoot while I just stayed there watching Katana and Kiki.

“What are you doing here, Demon?” Kiki demanded, glaring at Katana.

“I am no Demon. What are you doing with that Eevee you found?” Katana asked Kiki.

I didn’t want a battle to break out so I tried to stop the arguing. “Katana, maybe…”

“I don’t know what you’re planning on doing but the Eevee’s coming with us!” Katana interrupted. “He is not safe on this mountain!”

“No! That will ruin the plan! I want those Demons gone!” Kiki shouted.

I waved my arms frantically, trying to get their attention. “Girls, we really should turn down the volume! The Demons could hear us from anywhere right now!”

I didn’t know why it happened but the next thing I knew, Katana was flying right for me. She crashed into me, sending us both flying into the nearest tree. Shaken up I looked up at Kiki and saw her sparking furiously. “No one’s going to ruin the plan. Not the Zangoose, not that Kecleon, and definitely not you,” she said, pointing to me and Mom.

What’s the deal with this Pikachu? She’s obviously not a Demon but she’s acting so violently towards us. I don’t want to fight her but I get this feeling that I’ll have to anyway. I looked at my mother again. She had been silent through the whole thing. “What should we do, Mom? I don’t think this Pikachu will let us pass.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to go through her,” Mom said sternly.

She took a step forward but I stood between her and Kiki. “No, Mom. This is my fight. You watch over Katana and keep an eye out for any Demons.” Mom nodded and I turned to Kiki. “I’m sorry, but if you’re not going to take us to the Eevee then I’ll have to battle you.”

“Fine by me!” Kiki said.

L15 Female Flaaffy (Beacon) vs. L15 Female Pikachu (Kiki)

Kiki quickly dashed and plowed into my stomach. I managed to stay focused and Thunderbolt her while she was still buried in my stomach. She gave a sharp squeak of pain and jumped back. “So you pack some power. Good for you,” Kiki commented.

I smiled a little. I was a Shuckle compared to how Kiki moved. But I had better defense and slightly better special attack so if I played my cards right I could outlast her. I threw up my arms and raised a Light Screen to cut down the damage of her electric attacks. Then I fired another Thunderbolt which she dodged by using Double Team. I only hit a clone.

“Had enough?” the Kiki clones asked me.

“Not yet,” I said as confidently as I could. I sniffed the air and pointed to the real Kiki. The clones vanished, leaving the solid Pikachu alone. “Now for my new attack.” I ran for her with a glowing arm, keeping my eyes on her. She was too quick, though, and hit me again with her Quick Attack. I lost my focus and flinched, giving her a chance to slam me with her rock-hard tail. I stumbled back and fell on my back. She took this opportunity to Thunderbolt me. Luckily the attack didn’t faze me as much as it should.

This wasn’t getting me anywhere. I needed an attack that didn’t take so much focus to pull out. My Thunderbolt would damage her but not as much as it should. That left…

“Any day now!” the Pikachu shouted impatiently.

I inhaled deeply and blew out my Hidden Power Ice. She once more split into clones but I wasn’t aiming for her just yet. I turned my head upwards and froze the branch of a pine tree. Then I used Odor Sleuth again and made her clones vanish. She growled at me as an attempt to lower my attack. I turned to the tree and rammed it with my head. The frozen pine needles fell and rained upon Kiki. While she was shielding her head I rushed at her again and Focus punched her. The attack sent her flying into a hollow tree stump that was too big for her whole body.

Her voice was muffled but Mom tsk-tsked her for “using such foul language”. I exhaled another Hidden Power Ice that froze the tree stump and chilled her to the bone. She fell over and lay on the ground, silent at last.

I won and grew to level 17!

“I wish I didn’t have to defeat her like that. She looks a little ridiculous with that tree stump on her head,” I said to Mom as I looked down at Kiki’s unconscious body.

“Then we should let her out and take her somewhere safe before she wakes up and starts yelling again,” Mom told me. Together we managed to pull her head out of the stump and carry her to safety in a cave. We hid her behind some rocks and watched over her until she woke up.

“Why did you do that?” she asked us angrily. “I would’ve been fine!”

“Not with a frozen tree stump on your head,” Mom said. “You should go while the coast is clear.”

Kiki nodded and ran out of the cave. We both sniffed the air for signs of any Pokemon. There were some faint traces but other than that, there weren’t any. “That’s strange. Shouldn’t this forest be teeming with life?” Mom asked herself.

“They’re probably hiding from the Demons,” I guessed. I was about to walk out when something slammed into me from behind. I heard growling in my ear and could imagine the razor-sharp teeth that were ready to tear into my neck. Mom was in another situation with a Graveler holding her still. “Let me go!”

“And miss out on the perfect bargaining chip? I don’t think so,” Diablo’s voice whispered into my ear. He nodded to the Graveler and slowly got off of my back. “I suggest you follow my friend and your dear mother.”

The Graveler walked out of the cave with Mom’s hands behind her back. I could’ve hit the Graveler with my Hidden Power without hurting Mom too much but I would’ve risked a fight with Diablo. I just followed the Graveler, whimpering at the thought at where he might be taking us.

Bandit’s POV

“Now where did she go?” I asked myself in frustration as I stopped in a small clearing. Too small for a sacrifice, by the way. I leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky. She was a little too fast for me. In fact, she was way too fast for me. I turned around and started to walk away when I something attacked me from behind. Something with nails…and wings. “Dr. Hoothoot, I presume?” I joked despite the fact that my nose was in the dirt.

The air in front of me shimmered and the Hoothoot appeared. “Oh, so the lizard has jokes! You won’t be laughing when I beat you up for following me! A lady needs her privacy, you know!”

I got to my feet and laughed. “To do what? Never mind, don’t want to know. Do you have a name?”

“Not that it’s any of your business but my name’s Hootie! I’m pretty sure that your friends are done killing my friend Kiki by now!”

I laughed louder. “Killing? Beacon can’t sleep at night when she has to knock out an opponent when it’s not an official battle! She’d sooner kill herself!”

“I don’t believe you! If she wasn’t dead she’d be here by now!”

“Honey, she wouldn’t be here right now if she was knocked out either.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary! Your friends must be as evil as those Demons!”

That was a little over the line. I lightly pushed her and crossed my arms. “Don’t you compare me to those Demons,” I growled.

“What’s wrong? Are you afraid that you’re as pathetic as them?”

“I am not pathetic.”

“So you think you’re better than them?”

“Hell yeah!”

“So you admit that you think you’re more evil than the Demons.”

“I’m not evil! Stop twisting my words!” I yelled as loudly as I could. I shoved her and put up my fists. “Time to shut your annoying beak.”

She gave me an evil smirk. “Whatever you say.”

L7 Male Kecleon (Bandit) vs. L7 Female Hoothoot (Hootie)

I instantly felt my feet lift from the ground. By the way Hootie's eyes were glowing and the way I was a pinkish color I could tell it was Psychic. I was turned upside down so my head was pointing to the ground. I hoped that she would something soon; the blood was rushing to my head.

“Take this!” Hootie told me. My body raced for the ground. I felt a pain in my head a second later. This is an innovative way to hurt someone with Psychic, I managed to think as the Hoothoot did this several more times. I have to find a way to make her stop, though.

Then my Astonish move came to mind. I made a face and swiped my claws at her. It didn’t really hurt her but it wasn’t supposed to. She promptly flinched and dropped me in surprise. I ignored the pain in my head as it hit the ground one more time, got up and fired a close-range Ember that slightly singed the bird Pokemon’s feathers.

Hootie coughed up a little smoke and took off into the sky, turning invisible as she got higher. I didn't want her to get the higher ground. I dug my nails into the tree next to me and started to climb. I was unaware of where she was because of her Faint Attack so I just climbed as fast as I could. I was about twenty feet off the ground when something slammed into my back and knocked the wind off of me. I couldn't see who hit me but I could guess that it was Hootie hitting me with her Faint Attack since I turned black from the attack. After that she became visible again and smiled at me. "Didn't know I could do that, did you?" she sneered.

I sighed. Faint Attack. It never misses. Well, two can play that game. I turned invisible and climbed a little higher. After judging the distance, I jumped off of the tree and landed roughly on Hootie's...head. We fell towards the ground but I used my prehensile tail to grab onto a branch and stop us halfway. I should have remembered that she had no back!

"Let go of me! Your nails are digging into my skin!" Hootie yelled frantically.

"Stop struggling before I drop you!" I yelled back. Then I remembered that I was battling her and she was in a position to lose. I opened my mouth and released another Ember. Hootie hooted loudly as the fire burned her body. She had enough energy to turn invisible again and wiggle out of my grasp. I didn't hear a thump on the ground so I assumed she managed to fly and not fall to her doom.

I did the only thing I could do to avoid being slammed by another Faint Attack. I quickly climbed to a branch and dangled from it. Then I closed my eyes and listened to her flapping wings get closer. When they got close enough I opened my mouth and fired a Psybeam at her. I saw the multicolored beam of light hit my invisible target. Hootie rematerialized and started to fall to the ground. I dove to another branch and snatched her she got too far down. Checking over her I could see that she wasn't going to move for at least a few minutes.

I won and grew to level 8!

"You are one tough cookie," I quietly commented as I carefully climbed back down to earth. My head jerked to the left as I heard voices.

"...with all the noise?" I heard the voice finish.

I groaned as I recognized the voice. Katana to the rescue with her superpowered teacher friend Triton. She and the other Pokemon that were on the search team sans Beacon and Volt approached me. "What did you say to me?" I asked Katana, confident that I could take her this time.

"I asked you what was with all the noise," Katana said in a low voice.

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "It was this crazy Hoothoot! She was saying that I was worse than the Demons! I had no choice but to battle her."

"Whatever. It sounds like that Pikachu that Beacon battled. What do you think these two were up to that involved Bo?"

Hootie stirred and slowly opened her eyes to what Katana said. "Ugh...Kiki? Where is she?"

"I don't know," Katana answered. "When I woke up, Beacon, Volt and she were gone. I looked for them but I couldn't find them." She walked to Hootie and glared down at her. "Now where's our friend Bo?"

Hootie's eyes opened. "So he's your friend. I thought you were going to do something terrible to him."

I slapped my forehead. "So I could've avoided that whole battle by just asking about Bo?" I asked her.

"Well, I asked about Bo earlier and Kiki didn't listen to us," Katana said. "If she's as stubborn as Kiki the battle would've been unavoidable."

Hootie stood up and bowed to us. "I'm sorry about all of this. I just didn't want anything bad to happen to the plan. We want those Demons off of this mountain and out of our lives!"

"Have you ever thought that if you chased the Demons off of this mountain that they may just go somewhere else?" Katana asked her sternly.

"Yes, but I don't care! These Pokemon would do anything to rid the world of humans, even if that means wiping out the other Pokemon as well. I want them away from this place!" She started to cry.

Katana's expression brightened. "How about that other plan that Kiki had? The one that was supposed to be even better than the current one?"

Hootie laughed a little. "It may sound crazy but Kiki finds things that may have been made by, um, wizards."

"What, like the Sorceror's Stone?" I joked.

"I'm serious here! She finds these old things that may have existed for hundreds of years! And some people have said that there may have been magical people living in Ulthuan, so..."

"So where is Kiki?" Lily finished.

"I think I know where she is. Follow me."

Bo's POV

Rollie, Kiki and I had to find some way to entertain ourselves so we started playing "I Spy". We didn't want to run into any of those nasty Demons so it was a pretty boring game with us just having the inside of the cave and the opening of the cave to look at. I ended up just staring at the opening of the cave until Rollie started talking. "One more time, Bo. I spy with my little eye something that's white, orange, and mean-looking."

I smiled a little. "It sounds like you were describing Auntie Katana but I don't see her anywhere."

"Turn around."

I did, and was surprised to see Auntie Katana with about half of my team and Hootie standing with her. Kiki was grinning from ear to ear as she waved to Hootie. There was a Golduck with them that I didn't recognize but I didn't care. "Auntie Katana!" I ran to her and buried my face in her soft fur, nearly crying as she stroked my head. "I thought I wouldn't see you again!"

“I won’t let anything like this happen to you again,” Auntie Katana said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

I pulled away and looked into her sad eyes. “Don’t say that! You didn’t know this would happen! I’ll make this better and we can live peacefully!”

“How are you…?” she started to ask.

I turned to Kiki and smiled. It was time to grow up a little. “Kiki, did you find a Night Stone?” I asked her.

“I sure did! I had it since two days ago! But I meant to tell Hootie that I found something that will be more effective against those Demons!” She went behind a rock and returned with a purple bag that had a silky texture to it.

Auntie Katana took the bag from her and pulled out a black stone and a crystal that was flat and had a picture of a white feather on it. “What is this white crystal?”

Auntie Katana seemed to be clueless but the Golduck knew what it was. He snatched it from Auntie Katana’s hands and stared at the crystal as if it was a million bucks. “Is this what I think it is?” he asked shakily.

“It depends. What do you think it is?”

He started to speak like one of those nature guys from Animal Planet when they’re handling a deadly creature. “Centuries ago, there was a period of time called The Sundering. The light clashed with the dark, so to speak. Both were almost completely wiped out with one final spell or so it seemed. This could be an item from The Sundering.”

“Are you saying that this thing is magical?” Miss Moriko asked, poking it.

“Yes, I am. This is the Pegasus Crystal. When held up to a source of bright light it can purify souls that have been tainted by dark objects.”

“Dark objects?” I echoed.

“Now you’re saying that Diablo touched something he wasn’t supposed to touch?” Uncle Bandit said, sounded very interested.

The Golduck nodded. “I don’t think that Diablo himself was exposed to the object. Maybe the first Demons were exposed to whatever it was and were able to spread the darkness to others. It would explain why they are what they are today.”

“No, it doesn’t. Please explain for us.”

Auntie Katana knew the answer. “Because they must’ve lost the item after a while. Without the item to guide them they had no proper plan to reach their goal. They soon turned into the Demons we’re facing today. Now they are seeking guidance from Yssera.”

“Okay, now you’re saying…” Bandit began.

“Now we’re saying that the item had a mind of its own. Someone could’ve destroyed it, which is a good thing. And now we have this, which is even better news. We can wipe out the last remnants of…whatever that thing was.”

“There’s just one problem. The Pegasus Crystal needs a source of bright light,” the Golduck said.

“No problem! We can use the sun to purify them,” Uncle Bandit said.

“We can’t. The Demons will probably be scattered until tonight,” Miss Lily said as she looked at the rising sun.

“Okay, then the moon!”

“Not bright enough,” Miss Moriko said. Miss Athena and Miss Jewel agreed.

Something came to me. As Auntie Katana was teaching me about different Pokemon, I asked her about Beacon and her family. She said something that I remembered just then. “What about a flash from a Flaaffy’s tail orb? That can be pretty bright,” I said.

“Or better yet, the flash from an Ampharos’s tail orb!” Miss Athena said excitedly. “But where’s Volt?”

My ears picked up a sound coming from outside the cave. Footsteps! “Quick! Hide the Night Stone and that crystal!” I yelled.

Not knowing where to hide it, Uncle Bandit just hid the bag behind his back and faced the cave. We waited anxiously until none other than Diablo came into view. With him were Beacon and an Ampharos I guessed was Volt. She had inverted colors, which made her look very cool. A Graveler held her arms behind her so I knew there was no chance of her escaping.

Diablo spoke with his usual smoothness. “So the gang’s all here. Well, almost.” He looked at me and gave me another fake smile. “Ah, there you are! I thought someone had harmed you.” He turned to the entrance of the cave. A Kecleon that looked just like Bandit appeared and ran out.

I stepped forward, trying to avoid looking at Auntie Katana’s horrified face. “You mean like your friends tried to do? Tell me the truth, Diablo. Were you going to kill me?” I asked him angrily.

He closed his eyes and tried to look sad. If anyone asked me, I’d say he was faking that too. “Yes, little Bo. I was going to have you killed. And now that I found you, you will still die. But you will not die in vain.” He smiled happily. “Think of how much better this land will be without humans! You will be free to do whatever you want!”

“Forget it! I’m not going to die just so you can kiss some dragon’s butt and get some more power!”

“How do you know about…”

“Yssera? You really should tape your friends’ mouths shut,” I said with a smirk.

Diablo growled at that. I smirked in knowing that his coolness had shattered. But then it returned. “That’s okay. I could always find another sacrifice. The Flaaffy would make a better one anyway.”

I gasped. “Miss Beacon!”

“No!” Miss Beacon and Volt cried out together.

“You for these two. Your choice,” Diablo told me.

I looked from the evil Houndoom to the two captive Pokemon to my partially free teammates. I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t want to die but I didn’t want anyone else to die. What would Auntie Katana do? I knew the answer to that and I didn’t quite like it. “Take me. I’ll be your sacrifice.”

“No, Bo! Don’t do it!” Miss Beacon yelled.

I tried to stop the tears from coming. “Miss Beacon, what about your dream of being as strong as your mother? Don’t you want to be an Ampharos?” I asked her. Miss Beacon nodded and started to cry. I looked back at Auntie Katana. She wasn’t crying yet but she looked awfully sad. “I’m sorry, Auntie Katana.”

Surprisingly, Auntie Katana smiled but it was the smile that I saw since two days ago. “Don’t be, little one. You’re doing the right thing.”

“What are you saying? The kid’s going to be killed! Do something!” Uncle Bandit yelled in anger.

“I’ll do something,” the Golduck murmured so quietly only sensitive ears could hear him. He opened his mouth and fired a water attack straight at Diablo. It took the Houndoom by surprise and hit him. The Golduck then snatched the bag from Uncle Bandit and smiled at me. “Don’t worry Bo. My name’s Triton and I am a friend of Katana. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He held the bag in his beak and dug in the ground with sharp claws until he disappeared.

The Graveler, terrified at the state of his soaked master, released Volt and ran to him to check up on him. Volt didn’t waste any time in slamming him with a glowing tail and running out of the cave. Miss Beacon looked back at me and laughed as she took off. I ran after her but by the time I reached the exit to the cave, the Graveler had recovered and was standing in my way. “You’re not going anywhere,” he told me.

Diablo shook the water from his body and glared at me, his coolness shattered once again. “Your friends are slick, kid. But they’re a little thickheaded. They don’t even know where the sacrifice will take place.”

“And where will it be held?” Uncle Bandit asked.

“Wing Stadium.”

Bandit’s POV

The Wing Stadium was one of those domed stadiums with the retractable roof for open-air battles. Today the dome was open. Any security that was around was knocked out and tied up with rope and chains. My team was split off into two and marched to different waiting rooms. Lily, Katana and I were in one room. Ali, Athena and Jewel were in another room. Bo and Moriko? They were under surveillance by our old “friend” Char. It made sense. Moriko could lift at least twenty times her own weight. She would’ve found a way through half of Diablo’s gang. Only a strong fire/flying type like Char could stop her.

Something bothered me while I sat with Katana and Lily. “If Triton didn’t want anything bad to happen to Bo then why did he ditch him?” I asked myself.

Katana shushed me and pointed to the door. I remembered the guard Snorlax standing in the door way. In addition to the guards having advantages against us battle-wise, they also had sharp ears. It was weird having the other three together with Jewel having attacks that could back up the other two. Then again, the guard was probably a lot stronger than all three of them.

“What time is it? Does anyone have a watch?” Lily asked.

“Lily, does it look like anyone here has a watch?” Katana said grumpily.

“Sorry. Bandit, you should get a watch just in case we have to go somewhere without Shonta again.”

“Speaking of Shonta, I hope she’s okay with just Nama and Rose with her,” I said.

“I hope she’s wise enough to not come looking for us,” Katana said.

After that we sat silent until the guards marched us out of the waiting rooms and out into the stadium. I looked up at the full moon and sighed. It was starting to turn red. When it was gone, Bo’s life would be gone.

There had to be fifty Pokemon gathered for the festivities. Some of them were recognizable while others were in robes. In front of them all was a low, stone table. Bo was already on the table, curled up and shaking. Diablo was standing behind the table with Char, both with proud expressions on their faces.

Lily, Katana and I were led to the front of the group with the rest of our teammates. Each of them was looking like they were attending a funeral. I started to shake like Bo as I listened to the excited chatter of the Demons.

The crowd fell silent when Diablo raised a paw and started to speak. “We are here on a special occasion, for tonight is the night that our dreams come true! We will finally fulfill the dreams of our ancestors by making this world like it once was; only we will be the masters!” The crowd erupted into cheers. Lily covered her ears (wherever they were) and started to whimper. “This little one has volunteered to sacrifice his life for the good of ours. May the great dragon Yssera grant us power.”

Bo gulped and rolled on his back like a Houndour expressing submission. Diablo put a paw with sharp claws on his neck and prepared to slice it. I fell to my knees and covered my eyes. Someone help him!

“Not so fast!” yelled a voice from the crowd. One of the robed figures walked up to the front of the crowd and took off his robe. Triton! “You seem to have forgotten something.”

“How did you get here?” Diablo asked him.

“The Eevee was right. You really should tape your friends’ mouths shut. You should also hire smarter friends. But really, Diablo. Wasn’t it obvious that you would hold the sacrifice here? You’re not only misguided, you’re also kind of stupid. But I digress…” He motioned for someone in the crowd to come. Two more robed figures walked up and revealed themselves: Beacon and Volt.

“Miss Beacon!” Bo yelled.

Triton smiled and threw the Night Stone in the air. Bo bit Diablo’s paw, made him flinch, and jumped up to catch the stone in his mouth. Nothing happened until he looked up at the red, vanishing moon. He glowed and grew, his body got sleeker and his legs lengthened. He was now an Umbreon…with red rings.

Bo evolved into an Umbreon!

“Now for phase two,” Triton said. He turned to Beacon and Volt and nodded. They pulled out the Pegasus Crystal from behind their backs and tossed it to Triton, who held it up to Volt’s tail orb. “Here’s light in your eyes!”

Volt used Flash while her tail orb was facing the crystal, bringing a pure white flash that blinded everyone that was in the stadium and maybe beyond that. I couldn’t see anything for a full three minutes and even when I could see I only saw spots. When those spots cleared I could see that every Demon was out cold. Only my team, Volt, and Triton was up.

“Do you think it worked?” Bo asked sheepishly, his voice now sounding like a ten-year-old.

“Um, let’s see. Bright, pure white, coming out of a crystal when activated by an Ampharos’s tail orb light? I think so, but let’s not stick around to see if it worked,” I said.

“Agreed,” Triton and Volt said together.

[Lady Vulpix]

Ali will battle a Bulbasaur... sorry, it was the RBG's will.

[Bison Woes]

I would like to ask if the same Pokemon can fight two battles per scenario (considering I only have one)?

[classy_cat18]

Sure it can (as long as you think it can win against both opponents).

[Bison Woes]

Thank you, classy_cat18!

EDIT: Sorry about the confusion. Some of the written battles I was looking at didn't seem to have Pokemon from the scenario list. I'll fix the changes and post the battle when its truly done.

[classy_cat18]

I think I should point it out before anyone else does. I didn't know you were going to battle a Pokemon that wasn't in the scenario Pokemon list. They have to be on the list or a given RBG opponent. Just change it so that Zuko's fighting a L8 Bulbasaur or Spearow and it'll be alright.

[Bison Woes]

Thank you for the help again, classy_cat18. And you two, Ace64. Sorry for the confusion again.

I've made the changes necessary (since Bellsprouts and Bulbasaurs have entirely different body shapes and different movesets) and hope this makes more sense.

Lv.5 Growlithe named Zuko versus a Lv.8 Bulbasaur which is unnamed.

Deal with a Devil

Thunder rumbled, echoing across the rolling landscape. The clouds threatened to release rain on any unsuspecting creature unluckily enough to be in the open. Darkness was spreading, enveloping the mountainside faster than anyone could believe. Light was becoming a scarce resource by the minute.

Trekking over a hill, the young woman let out a deep breath and gazed admiringly at the almost flawless scene. “Beautiful!” she breathed out, grinning.

Her companion stepped up next to her, eyes rolling. It was only grass and shrubs, no big deal. He didn’t see why she always got excited over the simplest things. Plopping down on the grass, he licked his paws, trying to soothe the throbbing pain shooting from them. He wasn’t made for all of this walking to nowhere.

She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket, sitting down next to the small Growlithe. He watched the clouds as she tilted her head, trying to read whatever was on that silly scrap of cardstock. He whuffed softly as the thunder blasted louder.

The woman merely hummed, oblivious to the weather conditions.

He whined slightly, sitting up straight. Rain was not his favorite element. He didn’t even want to know how much longer it would be before the clouds let loose and drowned them.

“There’s something to be learned today, Zuko,” she finally said, eyes still trained to the paper.

The Growlithe turned dark eyes to her, hoping she could find them someplace dry to rest. He silently encouraged her to continue.

“I should never draw my own maps,” she finished, rolling the hand-drawn map up and shoving it into her pocket again.

He would’ve smacked his paw to his face if his range of movement would allow it. Instead, he glared at her and stood up, refusing to even glance in her direction.

“Hey now, don’t be that way,” she called out, smiling as though she knew a joke no one else did.

He whuffed and started down the hill, heading for the forest. No way was he going to get soaked. He may have been a canine but he was also a Fire-type. Fire and water did not mix together.

She frowned but got up to her feet, stretching out the kinks in her back. Yawning, the woman jogged off after the canine, hoping he wouldn’t be mad at her forever.

They’d known each other for less than two days. She’d scooped him up from the adoption center, set him on the ground, and just started walking away. Confused, he had followed her, wondering what she was. Not one person he had seen had adopted a Pokemon and just walked off. It took a while to catch up with her, she moved fast for a person. He had learned nothing except that she didn’t appear to be what she said.

And her name was Bison.

It was the strangest name he’d ever heard of. He glanced up at her as the dark forest loomed closer. Behind the ever present smile shone a bizarre talent that intrigued him more than her name and actions.

He had wanted a master that could make him stronger than anything imaginable. He’d wanted to be more powerful than the Legends themselves but finding someone to teach him such power…

The clouds poured.

Yelping in surprise, he broke out into a sprint, claws ripping up grass and dirt in his haste. He heard her laugh from behind him as he blindly raced towards the trees.

Bison took her sweet time, strolling through the rain as though it was a bright and sunny day. She found the Growlithe shaking himself off, trying to rid himself of the water that seeped into his fur. He shook his paws off like a cat, shudders coursing through him at the strange feel.

Grunting, he looked up at his trainer, eyes widening at her appearance.

She was completely dry.

That strange smile took resident upon her face again. Bison reached down, ruffling the crest of hair on his head. He felt a bizarre warmth spreading from her hand, coursing through his body. The Growlithe stared at her in wonder, still feeling the heat even though her hand was gone.

The forest was drier than outside but now he didn’t know whether he wanted to be inside this gloomy place or back out in the rain. The darkness seemed to be alive here, he swore he could hear it breathing. Whining softly, he pressed closer to the woman as they wandered further in.

Her gaze drifted from tree to tree, that annoying smile always in place. Stray raindrops plopped down on him, making his entire body shudder from the cold. His fiery fur seemed out of place here where cold, depressing colors ruled. Even her jet black pants looked brighter than any black here.

“It’s getting late,” she commented out of the blue, gazing around the canopy. Bison came to stop, dark eyes quickly glancing through the trees. Almost randomly, she started walking off, leaving him once again.

Growling softly, he trotted after her, pushing through several bushes. He stumbled into a small clearing, stepping on dry dirt and grass. His eyes searched the canopy, finding only the chilling darkness. It seemed to stare back at him, watching his every move. At least it was dry.

Heat spread from the center of the clearing and a reddish glow illuminated the open space. He blinked in surprise, watching the woman. He had barely seen her move, how had she started a fire so quickly?

“Come on, Zuko,” she whispered softly, stoking the flames with a thin stick. “You should warm up before you catch a cold.”

His eyes traveled from the fire to her several times before he carefully moved closer. Settling down, he curled up besides the crackling fire, one eye open and staring at her. He watched her movements as his dark eye drifted closed.

She leaned back, smirking at the sleeping Growlithe. “In due time,” she whispered to the darkness.

It heaved, moving around above them. The fire flared up and she grinned as the hiss echoed in the emptiness. It slunk back, clinging to the edges of the clearing.

Breathing in deeply, she settled back against the tree.

~~~

He woke up suddenly, yawning widely. The Growlithe stood up, reaching out his front paws and stretching. His ears twitched, focusing on the ever present blackness. The entire thing creeped him out. Whining, he turned his attention to Bison, finding her awake and smiling at him.

“Good morning, Zuko,” she greeted.

Whuffing, he eyed the moving darkness as she stood and popped her back out. The woman slung her pack on and started pushing into the foliage. Almost sighing, he trotted after the human.

“I wonder where we are?” she asked. Bison pulled out a strip of jerky from her pocket, ripping in half. He took the strip thankfully, jaws crunching on the hard piece of meat. She gnawed on the jerky and gazed about the dark forest.

Swallowing, the Growlithe licked his chops. He shook his fur out, shaking his paws each time they came in contact with water. He hated water.

He turned to look behind him, eyes narrowing at the strange inky blackness that drifted around them. It twitched before settling back towards the branches, curling around them like a snake.

The hair on the nape of his neck began to rise, spreading down his back. Eyes were watching them, from everywhere at once. He could feel it. His eyes glanced around them, his body brushing up against her. Anxiety filled his veins, providing an adrenaline he didn’t know was possible.

A twig snapped.

They both froze, heads turning towards the sound. He began to growl, teeth bared. Her hand twitched before moving to one of the many pockets on her vest. Ears twitching, he snarled as something rustled through the bushes.

Almost like a ghost, the man appeared, black hair hanging in his face. He seemed to glide instead of walk. Pale skin contrasted horribly against the dark clothes that hung off a skeletal frame. He tilted his head up, a wide, toothy grin forming on his thin face.

The Growlithe backed up slightly, attention split between staring at this sad amount of human flesh and his trainer, who hadn’t moved an inch. Bison locked stares with the thin man.

He grinned wider, arms hanging limply by his sides. “No one ever comes this far into the forest,” he breathed out, head tilted to one side. “What’s a birdie like you doing out here in the middle of this dark forest?”

Growling louder, the fiery canine stared defiantly at the man, daring him to step closer.

“Exploring I guess,” she answered simply, her hand never leaving the pocket.

His eyes traveled down to the Growlithe, the grin widening if that was even possible. “Nice puppy.” His head turned sideways, the bones popping loudly. “He’s got a good fire in his eyes.”

He snarled. No one called him a puppy!

“Feisty too,” he whispered. One arm managed to lift itself up, sliding into a pocket and revealing a red and white ball. “Unfortunately, I’m going to have to stop you here.”

Bison cocked her head, the hand sliding away from the pocket. She looked down at him, shrugging. His choice.

He growled, muscles rippling as he slunk forward. Dark eyes focused on the PokeBall, his body quivering from impatience.

The man tossed the sphere, smirking as the red beam shot out, materializing into a thin and wispy creature like himself. It wobbled on its thin legs, huge head swaying from side to side.

“Your Bulbasaur looks sick,” she remarked.

“Oh, he’s fine,” the man chuckled.

Convulsing, the Grass-type snapped to attention, beady black eyes flaring with fury. It flung itself forward, growling.

The Growlithe leapt to the side, digging his claws into the ground to stop himself. He growled loudly, smirking as the flower shook itself and shuddered. Snarling, the canine charged, mouth open and ready to snap down on the bulbous head.

“Leech Seed,” he whispered.

Jaws snapped shut on the large bud, canines sinking into the soft petals. It shrieked in pain, shaking its body from side to side as he hung on for dear life. Seeds began to emerge from the bud, startling the puppy. Roots lashed out, wrapping around his torso. Thin roots pierced into his skin, sucking energy from him. With an unknown strength, it flung the canine away, sending him flying through the air.

He managed to land on his feet, wincing at the sudden pain coursing through his legs. The vines had shrunk but still clung to his body, draining energy. The thin stems led straight to the Bulbasaur’s bud. Snarling, he leapt into battle again, mouth open to deal a blow to its huge head. It stood there, the holes from the first Bite attack slowly healing as stolen energy coursed through its veins.

His fangs grew longer, his body ready for a crushing Crunch attack. Leaping, he snapped his jaws shut, meeting empty air. The Bulbasaur dodged to the side, narrowly missing the fur-covered body.

Sliding to a stop, he scrambled to turn around, meeting sharp leaves to his face. He yelped, feeling the sharp, thin plant slash open a cut across his muzzle. His tongue licked away the trickle of blood, anger flaring up. Nearly roaring, he sprinted at the creature, ready to crush its head.

Again, the Bulbasaur twisted out of the way, throwing out more sharp petals. He yelped, backing off as cuts erupted over his body. Whining, he fell to the ground, immediately getting back up on his feet. The vines constricted around him, draining more of his strength.

“Zuko, break its roots!” she yelled at him.

He turned towards her, panting. A silent question echoed between them, lasting an eternity.

Bison just nodded.

Breathing in, the Growlithe rushed forwards once again, dark eyes narrowed to thin slits. Petals raced out to meet him, nearly slicing open his shoulder. Grunting, he went low, head tilted as the thin body pressed into his skin. His fangs grew as he aimed at the thin vines spreading out from the tip of the bud, slashing through the plants. It shrieked in agony, the vines constricting him falling away and withering almost immediately.

He wasted no time and let his fangs grow, snapping his jowls shut on the Bulbasaur’s head. Releasing the Grass hybrid, he backed off, letting green blood slip off of his canines.

It screeched, stumbling about on shaking legs. Swaying dangerously, it immediately tried to throw the seeds at him again.

“Zuko, don’t let it recover!” she called out.

Snarling, he dashed forward, barely dodging another barrage of sharp petals aimed at his head. He flung himself at the hybrid, fangs sinking into its head once again. It let out a shrill scream, body trembling as it tried to throw the Growlithe off. He hung on, paws kicking blindly at the tiny body.

It convulsed and crumpled, passing out from stress. He snarled loudly, releasing the Bulbasaur and ready to crush the creature.

“Stop it! Zuko, back off!” Bison yelled out, racing forward. She grabbed him by his scruff, dragging him off before the fatal blow could be dealt. He snarled, snapping at her arms.

The man looked slightly put off but recalled the Bulbasaur. His head tilted but the grin never left his face. “My job is done,” he breathed, disappearing back into the shadows of the forest.

Bison let him go, flipping him around so that he faced her. “Killing gets you nowhere in life, Zuko!” she nearly howled, the smile gone from her.

He snarled at her, eyes narrowed at his so-called trainer. She had held him back from becoming stronger. Growling, he stepped up to her, staring into her eyes. The challenge was met as the two squared off, neither moving before the other.

Thoughts raced through his mind on how much he loathed her ability to train him. She was not helping him at all, just hindering the battles he needed to increase in power. Grunting, he turned his back on her. The Growlithe stalked off, wincing at the slight pain in his face.

“Zuko?” she asked, watching him walk away from her. “Zuko?” Bison called out, actually sounding desperate.

He stopped. Taking in a breath, he glanced over his shoulder at her, taking in the hurt expression.

“Please don’t go,” she whispered. She actually looked confused on what he was doing.

Hesitating, he managed to pull something inside of him and continued on, refusing to look back this time.

The Growlithe swore he heard crying a minute later.

Hours past as he wandered into the forest, stepping carefully over roots. His face stung from the cut on it and he wished he could find something to make it stop hurting.

Something echoed around his head. He looked up, seeing the darkness once again. It looked bigger, hovering over him. He shuddered, pressing deeper into the woods.

“Join us…”

He jumped, eyes darting around in the dark. Swallowing, he cautiously continued, keeping his eyes open for anything unusual.

“We’ll give you power…”

His ears lowered, trying to block out the voices echoing in the forest. The darkness was breathing heavier, moving in closer, surrounding the fiery canine. He broke into a run, ignoring the branches that slapped him across the face, slicing open new wounds. They chased him, drawing him closer to the heart of the forest.

Panting, he burst into a clearing, tongue nearly dragging the ground.

“Well, little Growlithe. It took you long enough.”

He snarled at the skeleton, ears pinned back as the voices roared around him. Dark eyes darted from the canopy to the man sitting on the rock, the grin etched into his thin face. The voices seemed louder and clearer, begging him with promises, threats, immortality.

“You’re strong for a little one,” he commented, almost as though he heard nothing of the voices. “But you want more.”

The Growlithe’s snarl faded away, his lips covering his bared fangs.

“We can give you all the power you want. Even more,” he breathed out, sunken eyes shining with delight. “Who needs that useless trainer? She doesn’t even help you in battle.”

Shaking, he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the wave of noise meeting his ears. Power, anything he wanted, they whispered seductively.

“I can help you reach that power,” he whispered, moving like a ghost towards him. “You’ll be the most powerful creature in existence.”

Growling, he shook his head, trying to clear his head.

“What do you say?”

The voices ceased, leaving his ears ringing. He didn’t realize he’d been panting before. His eyes met the ones watching him cautiously, the man towering over him.

Power…everything he had hoped for. Right in his grasp. If he turned back now, he didn’t know what he would do.

He turned away from the man, looking over his shoulder. The dark forest stared back, daring him to refuse.

Bison flashed through his mind, how she had refused his quest for power. Anger surged through him, filling his veins to bursting point.

He faced the man again, sitting down and holding out a clawed paw.

Deal.


Zuko grows to Lv.7 then for this battle and learns Ember.

[Ace64]

Geez, that was quick.The battles you saw were most likely RBG's, Bison. But I read your story, while it was up. Zuko gains two levels when fighting scenario Pokemon, one from RBG's.

Bison:In any case,it was an interesting start. The trainer being abandoned by her Pokemon from the very start- very original. What's up with Bison? There's something strange about her, but I dunno whether she's just odd, or something more.I liked the idea of Zuko gaining strength through blood. Isn't there some culture who believed that by killing your enemy, you took on their might? In any case, welcome to the fold. Take 14 stamps.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

Shonta: Read your story too. Congratulations to Bo for his evolution! I miss the old days...when Eevee's didn't evolve at L 5...but it's all good. I liked how you showed that Bo's maturity was beginning to show well before his evolution.A red moon, hmm? I'll have to remember that for my story. The ending felt a little rushed- one moment Bo's going to die, the next minute, everyone's knocked out. Still, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm glad everything worked out in the end.
Take 23 stamps, and one more for helping out.
¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[classy_cat18]

*slaps forehead* Why did I rush the ending? Okay, two reasons: I wanted to get done and I'm not good with dramatic moments. But thanks for the rating. I'll try not to rush it next time.

[Ace64]

Yeah, endings aren't my strong point, either. The same for beginnings, actually. That's why I save the drama for the middle, and end on a neutral point. But it's all good.

[Lady Vulpix]

Thanks for the hard work, Trey!
Shonta, I'll finish reading your story today, sorry, I was away all afternoon yesterday.

[Bison Woes]

Part two of two now finished. Zuko, Growlithe at Lv.7, will be fighting a Lv.8 Spearow. Thanks for reviewing my first battle, Ace64!

Devil May Cry

Days ago, his only wish had been to leave the adoption center. People passed by him for days, leaving him to wallow and wish again. Wishes had become meaningless now, a survival technique for the hopeless. Power occupied his thoughts now. No warm home, no trainer there to guide him with useless methods.

His eyes no longer saw the darkness that watched his every move. It rustled in the canopy, crawling about like a living creature. Shadows stretched longer than usual, reaching out to grab him and them fading away. It seemed hesitant, waiting for the right move.

He sat about, watching the thin man as he held still for ages. Time passed slowly, if it moved at all. Impatience flared through him as he waited, wanting to have the power now.

The man ignored him and the low growls emitting from his throat. He just sat there, staring up into the canopy, eyes dull and glazed over. Silence drowned any sound away, leaving them in limbo.

Suddenly, the man moved, head turning to stare at the Growlithe. He startled, meeting the undead eyes as the man grinned widely. The pale skin stretched horribly over the face as the eyes lit up with delight.

“We need to take care of something before your power can be given to you.”

The voice echoed in the silence, ringing out. He shuddered, red fur standing on end as static filled the air. Nodding, he stood, watching the man’s horrible grin grow wider.

~~~

A lonely traveler trekked down a slightly worn path. Dead leaves and twigs crunched under her feet, the only noise existing in this forsaken area. Head up, she refused to bow to the turmoil drifting around her, attracting deadly consequences. Her eyes stared straight ahead, hoping to just find the end of this forest.

Bison sighed heavily. Her only companion had left to find something else, leaving her alone on her worldwide tour. Not that she minded, of course. She’d been traveling alone for quite some time now.

Something snapped behind her.

A shot of joy struck her and she scrambled to turn around, hoping.

Darkness met her.

The joy died, withering into a shell somewhere inside. Frowning, Bison faced the moving mass of black, watching it carefully. “Come to kick me while I’m down?” she asked almost casually.

It didn’t move, merely seemed to stare at her.

Strangely, a smile lit up on her face, her head tilting to the side. Laughter suddenly rose up through her, spilling forth into the still air. Her entire body convulsed as she roared with laughter.

The darkness bristled, rustling in confusing.

“You’re just a servant to someone else,” Bison managed to get out. “Someone who doesn’t care much for doing things themselves.”

Breathing in, the void twisted, sliding closer to the woman. White eyes swirling with red formed and stared at her with a blank gaze. It settled on the ground, watching her like a cat stalking prey.

She spread her arms wide, inviting the creature. “What do you want with me? You’ve got my companion already. I can’t be much of a gain for you.”

It shuddered visibly and moved forward a little. The eyes focused on hers, swirling with crimson.

She turned away and became incredibly interested in a tree.

Growling, the darkness hovered, surrounding her. Warmth began to disappear from the air, leaving it stale and bitter. The eyes watched her carefully, looking for any signs of weakness.

Bison stayed perfectly still. The woman took interest in the canopy, ignoring the manifestation. She shuddered slightly as an ice cold arm brushed against her, chilling her to the bone.

Frustration made lightning course through the black mass. It roared loudly, causing the trees to tremble. Leaves dusted around the stalemate, sliding through the hazy beast. Growling, it started gathering closer, brushing its body against her.

“You’re just a pawn being used in a downhill game. Nothing more,” she whispered.

Hate and anger turned the black blood red. It surged forward, pressing in around her. Instinctively, she covered her face, gritting her teeth as ice coated her. Shivers forced themselves through her as she fought the giant mass silently. Bison fell to her knees, eyes shut tight against the blasting cold.

As quickly as it began, the pressure released itself. Gasping, she fell back, lying down in the frozen dirt. Ice dangled from the leaves above her as the darkness settled itself there, eyes crimson red. Shaking, she forced herself to stand, shivering violently. She refused to look at its smug smirk, stalking past it as soon as her legs could support her.

Almost grinning, the darkness slunk after her, crashing through the branches.


The trees had begun to look the same after glancing at each and every one for a couple of hours. He growled impatiently, following the thin man as he trekked through the dense brush. There were thousands of paths and trails and he kept picking the one that got burs stuck in his fur. The Growlithe snarled as he batted at a bush, trying to push through it without being smacked in the face by a branch.

He froze as he came upon a clearing filled with melting ice. Stepping in, he nearly slipped on a patch of frozen dirt. Water dripped on his nose, making him shake his head and sneeze. The Growlithe gazed up into the canopy, staring at the dead branches and leaves covered in ice. An icicle shook and suddenly dropped, impaling the ground before shattering.

“On the right track,” he breathed out. The man brushed past the puppy and continued on.

He took a last look at the frozen area, shivering. Something made him pause longer than he should have. His dark eyes landed on a small patch of dirt. Cautiously, he crawled forward, sniffing tentatively at the still dry ground. Whimpering, he stared around, suddenly smelling her all over the place. Backing up, he gave one last glance to the clearing before trudging after the man.

Something wasn’t right, he knew it. His heart was pounding in his chest. Shudders were racing through him, even though the ice was gone. The trees looked even more menacing as he trotted down the path.

“Almost there,” he whispered.

The Growlithe looked up towards the man, ears flattening against his skull. Voices began to ring in his ears, whispering seductively to him. His heart began to thump, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

His ears picked up on an erratic sound, echoing in the silence of the woods. The man grinned widely, shuffling between a couple of trees. He trailed after, ears back as he knew somewhere what he was going to find.

He whimpered as his eyes landed on her, skin almost as pale as the man’s. Shivers wracked her body, air being sucked in through her teeth. She opened an eye, a smile spreading over her face.

The man reached inside a pocket, drawing out a PokeBall. Tossing it lightly, he smirked as the ball opened, shooting out the red light. The creature materialized, feathers bursting from a tiny body. It cawed, ruffling up.

Bison shuddered, hand reaching to her breast pocket. Eyes locked on the bird, she slowly drew the knife out, clutching it tightly.

“Spearow,” he whispered. “Go.”

The bird squawked and charged, dashing forward with wings held out to balance itself. It leapt into the air, wings flapping frantically to stay aloft. She swiped at the beast when it dove, missing and curling back up as it returned to the air.

He stayed still, trying to process what was going on. A Spearow was trying to rip her apart with beak and claws and he was frozen to the ground. Whining softly, he took a step back as she tried to drive the bird away, once more sinking back against the tree.

It dove again, talons moving out. She fell short with her cut, eyes widening as the Spearow cawed. The sharp talons ripped into her arm, causing a scream to erupt from her. The Spearow flapped away, settling in the branches.

She hissed loudly, clutching at her arm. The knife fell to the ground with a thud. Blood dripped through her fingers, splattering on the ground.

The man turned to him, teeth bared in a feral grin. “Take her out.”

He stared at the man, breathing quickening. Whining, he turned to the woman, gazing at her. She faced him, trying to stop the blood with her hand. The Growlithe found his paws moving slowly towards her even though he swore he was yelling stop at himself.

Bison stared up at him as he stopped a foot away. Trembling like a leaf, she slowly reached out, grabbing the knife. He just watched as she held it up, blood flowing freely down her arm. The blade looked dull and well used. She held it protectively, gazing at him with the most ferocious expression he had ever seen.

He cringed as the blade lifted, looking to be jammed into his chest. He couldn’t block, didn’t feel that he should protect himself from dying.

She swung out, jamming the knife into the ground.

The Growlithe gazed at her in disbelief, chest heaving. Her eyes softened, releasing the hilt. Blood slid down the worn leather, dripping onto the blade.

“I won’t fight you,” she whispered.

Disbelief flashed through him. He could kill her now and she wouldn’t try and protect herself from him. The Growlithe stared at her, not knowing what he should do.

“Kill her…”

“She doesn’t belong…”

Voices echoed around him, whispering promises of power and fame. He closed his eyes, head turned away from her. His ears flattened against his skull, trying to drown out the noise. It rose to a roar, pounding in his head. Growls rumbled from his throat, eyes opening and turning towards her.

She looked up at him and then into the canopy.

Her neck was there, laughing at him. One Crunch could severe her spine, killing her instantly.

“Go ahead,” the man whispered. “Do it.”

He whimpered, shaking his head. The voices wouldn’t leave him alone. Growling louder, he backed up, wishing to be free of this.

The Spearow cawed, taking to the air again. It swooped down, wings flattened against its body.

Snarling, he flipped around, drawing in air. Heat spread throughout his body, rushing up and out. Fire leapt from his throat, gas igniting with the air. The flames reached out towards the bird, nearly scorching it.

He bared his teeth, making sure the man knew the challenge. The voices had died away, leaving a sense of self inside of him. The Growlithe slid one paw back, letting his body move naturally into a fighting stance.

“Good boy, Zuko,” she mumbled, clutching at her arm again.

Cawing, the Spearow dove at the puppy. He jumped to the side, blowing out hard. Fire shot from his open jaws, narrowly missing the bird. It drifted back into the air, circling.

“What a shame,” the man muttered. “Take them out, Spearow.”

The bird squawked and flapped its tiny wings harder. Barrel rolling, it dodged another flame attack from the puppy. Screeching, it dove down, pointed beak at the ready.

Growling, he breathed in deeply. The gas inside of him heated, erupting and spiraling towards the bird. It evaded at the last minute, talons stretched out in front of its body. The sharp nails raked across his back, drawing blood.

“You’ve got to be smart!” she hissed out as he yelped. “They have an advantage against us. Use their advantage against them.”

He gave her a confused look. The trainers were supposed to call out commands, not leave them on their own. Growling, he leapt to the side as the Spearow tried to impale him with its beak.

The bird was a slow flier but still too fast for him to hit. It dodged his Ember attacks without fail as well. He couldn’t use a Bite or Crunch attack as he needed to get close enough to use it. The bird wouldn’t leave the air either.

It swooped in, ready to tear him up with its talons. He glanced left and right, trying to think of anything.

His gaze landed on a tree.

Smirking, he evaded the attack, rushing towards the plant. The Spearow trailed after him, talons moving forward to slash the puppy’s face. He held his ground, growling loudly.

The Spearow was nearly three inches away when he ducked, flattening himself on the ground. Squawking, the bird immediately tried to catch itself, wings flapping frantically. He scrambled to turn around, lunging at the tiny creature. A clawed paw reached out, smacking the Spearow forward and into the bark. It squeaked in surprise, body ricocheting off of the tree. He bounced off of the bark, fangs growing to sink into the small beast.

It flipped up, trying to fly away. He snarled, managing to grab a mouthful of feathers as he snapped his jaws shut. The Spearow shrieked and fell from the air, several flight feathers ripped out and scattered about the forest floor.

Delighted, the Growlithe charged in, mouth open. Flames danced from his throat, singeing the bird’s breast feathers. It cawed, trying to race away. He pursued, jaws snapping shut on the other wing. Lifting the Spearow up, he tossed it across the clearing. It collapsed, feet trying to get up underneath it.

He sucked air in, filling himself with oxygen. Exhaling, the oxygen ignited, flames racing towards the bird.

It shrieked softly, misshapen wings moving to block the attack.

The Ember smashed into the feathered fiend, sending it flying across the ground. Burnt feathers crumbled at the slightest touch. It squawked shrilly, scorched wings trying to flap.

He ran in, smashing the bird with his head. The bird rolled, crying out. It lied still, harsh breathing breaking the silence of the area. The Growlithe panted heavily, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Frowning, the man returned the creature, arms once again hanging limply by his sides. He growled, rushing at them.

Snarling, the puppy breathed in and blew out, putting as much force into the Ember as he could. The attack narrowly missed the charging man but did stop him in his tracks. He backed up as the fiery Pokemon moved forward, teeth bared in fury.

The grin reappeared and he vanished into the forest, dull eyes glowing with malice.

He stopped growling as soon as silence fell upon them again. The Growlithe turned around, ears back as the woman wrapped a cloth around the slash. Whimpering, he scuttled forward, earning a chuckle from her.

“Good thing you showed up, Zuko” she said, as though he hadn’t been trying to kill her to begin with.

He whined again, butting his head against her shoulder.

“No worries,” she whispered. The cold had vanished from her, leaving her with a strange feeling of heat rushing through her veins.

Ice blasted into the trees, branches crackling and snapping from the sudden weight.

The darkness snarled, eyes blood red. It shot down, a maw opening up in the huge mass.

She shoved him away, rolling after him and grabbing her knife. Both of them took off running while the beast tried to untangle itself from its fall. He easily passed her, dashing through bushes and around trees. Bison tried to keep up, hearing the thing crashing on the forest ground behind her.

He looked behind him, seeing the huge black manifestation catching up on her. She was falling further behind. Growling, he flipped around, rushing at the blackness.

It took her a good second before she realized the puppy was running the opposite direction. Bison slid to a stop as fast as she could, hands scraping at the ground to keep her balance. The puppy had stopped, holding his ground as the darkness came closer. She ran at him, trying to reach him in time.

His body prepared for an Ember, bracing himself as it rushed closer.

She grabbed his scruff, startling him. Flames blasted forward, deflecting off of the black mass. An arm wrapped around his chest, pulling him to her.

He squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the creature to overtake them.

It was almost as though an explosion erupted in front of them, flinging them into the air. Branches broke around them, the ground being splattered with leaves. He caught a glimpse of a brilliant night sky as they hung in the air, frozen in time. Red eyes stared at them, vanishing with a blink.

Gravity caught up, dragging them down. He panicked, trying to think of a way to not let them be crushed and smashed to the ground. His brain went blank as the canopy of trees thinned and came closer.

Branches crashed all around them, slowing their descent. She bounced and slid off a few of the thicker ones, twisting around each time to keep him from hitting anything. Splinters pierced the air as the trees were ambushed by the two.

The angle of the descent had been a godsend. Both human and Growlithe had landed only a few feet away from the exit, moonlight teasing them. He broke free from her grasp, an easy feat. His ears heard something crashing towards them, dust being kicked up. She was winded, gasping for air and struggling to move.

Growling, he grabbed her sleeve with his mouth, attempting to drag her to freedom.

Darkness began to descend upon them, warmth draining away. He shuddered, mind set on dragging her to the edge of the trees. His strength began to fade away, leaving him drained.

Wind exploded around them, throwing the mindless monster through the air. The two blasted the last few feet, meeting stars and the moon and fresh air. He panted, shock settling and numbing his senses. The Growlithe gazed over at Bison, watching as she struggled to catch her breath.

The adrenaline rush was leaving him. Tiredly, he forced himself to stand, taking a few steps and collapsing near her. His head rested on her arm, making sure he could watch over her.

“Good boy,” she gasped out, voice fading away as his body shut down. “Good boy, Zuko.”

Whining, Zuko gave one last look to the forest, watching the darkness swirl at the tree line.

It snarled and disappeared back into the woods, readying for another encounter.

Zuko grows to Lv.9 I believe.

[Ace64]

Grunt. All this writing just makes me feel lazy...lazy Trey is angry Trey...

Bison:Kudos for using "feathered fiend."It just sounds cool.

Many questions: what was that cloud of darkness? Is there a deeper purpose behind it, or did you just use it to represent the dark longing of Zuko in the forest? Will we ever see that thin man again?Is he really a "pawn?"What was the explosion at the last second?

Anywho, very nice story, very imaginative. Feels like you read my mind with the whole "seeking power" bit...I was going to use it for my own scenario, but after reading yours, I'll have to re-work it a bit. Take 15 stamps.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Lady Vulpix]

Here goes a new part of my still unfinished story. The next part will be posted some other day, whenever Jeff and I finish working on what we're working on. Thanks to Guille for his help with this one.

Note: Eshree, Ivan and Golden Growlithe are three different names for the same person. His names may be used alternatively depending on the context. Eshree is his real name, Ivan is his false name and Golden Growlithe is his Guild's name.

<Lagi's POV>

The Guild meeting seemed endless. I was physically there, but a part of me wasn't. At first I didn't even realize Jeff wasn't with us, as I did see some members of his team. I did notice the absence of Ade and his team, but when I heard they were still on a mission, all thoughts about them were cast aside, replaced by more painful yet seemingly unavoidable subjects. My mind kept drifting into thoughts I'd have had much rather avoid. It wasn't just that everyone was confused and worried to different degrees. This time I could tell the biggest problem lay inside me. I just couldn't get myself to focus. The whole talk about Yssera brought me terribly painful memories, and made me realize they were much more than just memories. They were still alive, burning inside me. Edie, my first child, once the joy of my life... Edie, who had been so sweet, so caring, so full of life... I couldn't help thinking about her; about her warm embrace, about how cheerful she was whenever we met, how fast she seemed to grow up, how proud she was, and I of her... she used to love music, and being in the company of those she loved. She was quite protective of others. She had been a bit overconfident some times, but I'd always thought it was just a matter of time until she learned better. I'd never imagined she'd be pulled away unsuspectingly, or that someone would use her pride as a door into her soul and devour her from the inside... It hurt too much to think about it. Yet I couldn't help it. Every word said at the meeting reminded me of her, and of how I'd lost her. Edie... my Edie... If only there was a way to get her back...

I was so immersed in my own thoughts and feelings, I hardly even noticed the change of subject. I only became aware of it when I sensed a sudden shock coming from several beings in the room. I turned to look and found Gabi talking to Previsiona, the Castform from Jeff's team.
"I thought someone told you...," the Castform said. "Anyway, the last time we saw Jeff and Maza was in Happy-Happy Village, and he said that he'd rather stay there than come back home." She sobbed before being able to continue. "Just after we moved into our new home, this red-haired guy Cooper shows up and takes control of Maza somehow and Teleports away... all of the resources we've looked through pointed towards him being this serial killer that died some ten years ago... then he starts up a cult in a small town on another continent... when we went there, we got attacked by all these crazy people in blue, and we make our way into their base and we see Cooper and Jeff and Jeff says he wants to stay there because he has lots of power and I just don't know what's going on!" She wept for a few moments, and then concluded: "Okay, I feel better now. I think I just needed to vent... thank you."
"Why is it that crises never come one at a time?," Gabi sighed, looking around for support but finding only puzzled or expectant faces. "Right now we have to go to White Mountain and there's no way out of it, but as soon as I can, I promise I'll do whatever I can to find out what's going on and bring them back."
"You can count on the rest of us too," I nodded, speaking for my entire team.
I knew first and second hand what it felt like to lose a loved one; I'd do anything in my power to prevent that from happening to others.

<Tsunami's POV>

I basically switched to silent mode as we got ready for the trip. Most of the team was in no mood for games or comeback fights... I could always count on Caledor for some fun, but when I tried, I realized I didn't have the energy required to keep it up. So I decided to stay quiet and watch everyone, like I always did when I couldn't find a way to make myself useful. Gabi got some TMs for a few of my teammates; Ventura seemed to be especially happy about the Luster Purge TM she got, but it's always hard to tell with her. Sylvan appeared particularly thoughtful, while Amber did everything she could to keep herself busy, Pidgeot and Water Angel spent a lot of time together and Hero seemed to be looking forward to some adventure. Iael, on the other hand, was just as quiet as I was, but that was more or less standard for him. I was surprised about Lagi's behaviour, though. She was often seen around Gabi and Amber, but didn't talk much, and evenstumbled a few times. It was like she was looking inwards most of the time, which was most unusual for Lagi. And that wasn't all... she surprised me even more when she said she wasn't going with us to White Mountain.

"Are you sure about this?," Gabi questioned her.
"I've been giving it a lot of thought," she assured. "I don't think I can go there and maintain the clarity of mind I would need to face Yssera. There's nothing I want more than to defeat her, but in spite of that... or maybe because of that... I don't think I'm ready to face her just yet. My wounds are still open; just thinking about what she did hurts too much. She could take advantage of my suffering, and that would only make things worse. I'd be a liability to the whole group. I think it will be best if I sort things out with myself before I go to White Mountain."
Gabi paused for a moment to meditate on Lagi's words.
"You say you wouldn't have the clarity of mind you'd need, but it takes a lot of clarity to make that decision. You never cease to amaze me."
"Thanks," Lagi smiled, "but I feel anything but amazing right now. I think I may even have to make a short journey. It's helped others before."
"A journey? Where?"
"Not too far. I just thought that seeing some old friends and relatives might help me. I think I'll start by going to the Dark Cave and paying Gail a visit."
Gabi nodded. "I'll miss you, Lagi. We all will. We've been together for so long I can't even imagine what it'll be like without you. But I understand. This is a scouting mission anyway, so we'll probably have to return with the information we can gather and make plans for a final assault. If everything goes well and you can deal with this, you'll get the chance to be there and help us sort things out."
"And in any case we'll be more than happy to welcome you back when you return," I added. "I'll try to make sure everyone's alright in your absence. I'm not as good as you at telling how everyone feels and all, but I'll do my best."
"I'm sure you'll all be able to handle yourselves quite well in my absence. You're all adults even if Caledor may deny it. And you, Tsunami, are observant enough to know when someone has a problem and help them with it. And in spite of what it may look like sometimes, I know everyone in this team cares for each other and will be there for the others when they're needed. I know you'll all be fine."
"You have no idea what the team was like before you came!," I told her. "For starters, Hero hated me.Or at least he acted like he did. We're best friends now, but back then our rivalry was serious. And Pidgeot spent half the time feeling sorry for himself and the other half telling me to mind my own business. Except when he was with Water Angel, but she was quite shy and didn't speak much to anyone but him. And Sylvan... she was afraid of everything! She wouldn't even get close to anyone unless we asked her to come. And even then she was quiet most of the time."
"Many things have changed since I arrived," Lagi agreed, "But I'm not responsible for all of them. It was all of us as a group. I know I have changed a lot myself. Back then I was much more inexperienced, and spent most of my time wondering about things that later I realized didn't really matter."
"I think we've all changed since we first met," Gabi concluded. "It makes me wonder what changes lie ahead for us. But I'm afraid to think of the future too much. With all the wars and dangers we're getting into, it's hard to tell how much of a future we will have. We've cheated death more than a few times already."
"Stop thinking like that!," Lagi scolded her. "Do I need to tell you what you'd tell anyone who said something like that?"
"You've always specialized in telling me what I already knew but didn't realize," Gabi smiled. "What will I do while you're away? Will I have to start listening to myself?"
"It would serve you well," Lagi smiled.
The two hugged each other. I thought they looked funny, but I wasn't going to say that aloud.

<Sylvan's POV>

I would have been terrified, if the whole situation of us leaving to face some unknown threat hadn't already become familiar. As it was, I was just worried. Especially after Lagi left, and the thought of having to deal with the situation without her sank in. Then again, it was just a scouting mission, and I kept reminding myself of that.

We took a train to White Mountain. Gabi didn't want to exhaust Pidgeot before the mission and I reckoned she was right. Even Hero went into his pokeball, which was something I'd never seen him do unless he was badly injured, but he had stayed up the whole night, and even spent most of it outside, so I could understand his need to sleep during the journey. The train was rather crowded,most of us had to get in our pokeballs at some point, if only to let others pass. Once more, my size was getting in the way. I didn't exactly regret evolving; I would have done it a thousand times over if Amber had needed me to, but sometimes being a Venusaur could be really annoying. And it didn't help me make friends either. If anything most other pokemon felt intimidated in my presence. But enough about me...

There were several Guild members in the train, and a few Dragon Tamers. That was unusual, in most of our missions there had been more of the latter and fewer of the former. Maybe this was a sign that times were changing... or maybe the situation we were dealing with affected the Dragon's Guild more than we knew. Gabi had sent a rather ambiguous e-mail to everyone after the meeting, and it had had the result we had expected: most inexperienced trainers had backed away and chosen to stay at home. It was probably best. We were already attracting too much attention as it was, and putting the young and inexperienced in danger would have only made things worse.

It came as a surprise when, after everyone seemed to have found their place in the train, a Smoochum came running towards me and hugged my face. I couldn't say I recognized her, but Caledor identified her immediately.

"Linyi? What are you doing here?," he questioned her.
"Huggling," she replied in what sounded like a wide grin.
"I think I heard your trainer telling you not to hug the faces of others."
"Caledor's scolding someone!," Tsunami remarked. "Watch out, hell will freeze over!"
"I'm only saying it because she's done it to me before and it's really annoying," Caledor shot back. "Will you let go of her? She must be choking!"
"Sorry," she apologized, releasing me.
"It's alright," I told her. "He's right, you shouldn't do that, but you can hug my neck if you want. Or my vines."
I extended a vine to her, and she immediately glomped it and started cuddling it. I smiled. She was actually quite cute, and it was nice to be the target of such affection, even if she'd probably picked me at random.

Linyi's trainer soon came running after her, and stopped right in front of us.
"There you are!," he exclaimed. "I told you to stay close to us, this is not a game. I'd be torn if anything happened to you!" He then looked at me and Gabi. "I hope she hasn't caused you any trouble."
"She did no harm," Gabi told him. "I didn't know you were coming on this train."
"Well, the Guild paid for the tickets, so I guess this is the train most members will be taking. Didn't they pay for yours?"
"Yes, they did... I just hadn't thought about it. I wonder who else is here. Maybe we should go and look?"
"I think it'll be easier to meet everyone at the station," he suggested. "I need to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Well, you know Harims..." he said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. "Do you think this is the threat she foresaw?"
"Honesty, I have no idea," Gabi replied. "I think you know her better than I do. It's a threat I've been getting ready for during the last few years, though. If she asked you to help me, this just might be what I need help with. But I can't imagine what she expects you to do. Do you have any ideas?"
"Nothing," he shook his head. "I just hope the answers will reveal themselves when the time comes. Because right now, I'm stumped."
It was only after they'd both lowered their voice and started talking about Harims that I realized who Gabi was talking to. He was Golden Growlithe of the Dragon's Guild, the guy who had been sent to help without further instructions by a mysterious being from another dimension, subject which we all avoided whenever we could because none of us could make much sense out of it. According to Gabi, Golden Growlithe himself had come from that other dimension, though looking at him and listening to him, he appeared to be a normal guy. And what was worse, he probably was. I'd never been out of my homeworld, but if for some reason I'd ended up being transported elsewhere, that wouldn't have made me any less normal.

A few moments passed, and then Gabi spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Golden Growlithe replied.
"Why did you name yourself Golden Growlithe?"
The young man smiled.
"I thought I needed a pokemon-related name if I was going to be in the Dragon's Guild. I saw a picture of a golden Growlithe in a book and I liked it. It's also related to my real name, I can tell you later if we have the chance."
"Ok," Gabi nodded.

At that moment, three pokemon joined us: an Espeon, a Glalie, and the Clefairy who was carrying the latter.
"See? I told you something had delayed them," Glyph, the Espeon, said. "There was no way it could take so long for him to get her."
"I believe you, but I can't see for myself right now," replied the Clefairy. "Glice, is it ok if I drop you here?"
"No problem," said the Glalie.
The Clefairy put him down and ran to hug the Smoochum.
"You had me so worried!," she exclaimed. "Don't you ever run away like that again!"
"I just wanted to see the train," Linyi protested.
"Then you should have asked me to go with you. Or any of us. You shouldn't go all by yourself. Especially while we're on a mission. You never know what dangers we'll come across."
Linyi turned to look at her with the expression of a scolded puppy.
"You know I only want the best for you," said the Clefairy. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. We're on a strange land and there may be enemies anywhere."
"There can befriends anywhere too," Linyi argued with irrefutable logic.
"Right, but by the time you can tell whether a stranger is one or the other, it may be too late," her nanny replied. "Come here," she added, picking her up. "Just stay close to us and everything will be fine."
I could see tears had already begun to form in Linyi's eyes as she hugged her holder. Then she said something that sounded puzzling to me.
"They could have got you while I was away. I should have known. I'm not leaving you alone again."
"We're stronger when we're together," the Clefairy nodded. "It's alright. Everything's going to be fine."
Iael walked quietly towards the smoochum and rubbed his nose against her back, causing her to turn and giggle. Then she began to stroke her.
"Alright, what am I missing?," Gabi asked.
"Linyi's an orphan," Golden Growlithe told her. "She lost her parents when she was very little."
"I thought so," said Iael, still pampering her. "We have much in common. I'm glad she was as lucky as I was at finding a new family."
The male trainer nodded and smiled, and so did Glyph and... Arim; now I'd finally managed to remember the Clefairy's name.

The rest of the journey was spent mostly in light talk. We had some refreshments when we reached about half the distance, and then the trainers started talking about the Guild and Lady Ninetales.
"I'll have to go and see the Ponytas before I can start working on the mission," Gabi informed. "Otherwise I may be kicked out of the Guild. None of my previous reports took this long to get started... or even to get finished!"
"I can help you with that if you want," GG offered. "We're both slaves of the same master, we might as well help each other."
He was joking, of course, but I felt there was some resentment in his words.
"Does she still have you running errands?," Gabi asked.
"Not all the time, but when something has to be moved around, I'm the one she calls. It's almost as if she was punishing me for something."
"Is there anything she could be punishing you for? Or is it just because you're conveniently close?"
"I don't know. I've done nothing wrong that I can think of. Except lying about my origin, she may have found out about that. Lord Absol did. But would they have ever accepted me if I'd said the truth?"
"I imagine they'd have asked a lot of questions. How did he find out anyway?"
"I have no idea. How does he do any of the things he does?"
"Good point," Gabi nodded and sighed.

<Gabi's POV>

Once we got to the station, I issued some instructions to the few who asked me what to do, and told everyone that I would join the search after I'd taken care of a minor business that could no longer be delayed. Then my party of two trainers and sixteen pokemon headed for the spot at the base of White Mountain where I'd last seen the Ponytas. We found the place... changed, to say the least. At the center of what had once been an empty green pasture, now stood a large building with many windows and a warmly decorated front. As we got close, I could read the sign on top of the wide main door: "Pacing Ponyta's Spa and Resort". We all looked at each other before walking into the building.

The view that came to greet us as we walked through the door wasn't too different from the main halls of many hotels I've seen before. I could see no one around, but there were sounds of movement coming from different directions. The first shock came when I decided to ring the bell at the desk, and a rather big Ponyta came to greet us. And what was even weirder, this Ponyta was wearing glasses. He raised one of his front legs and pressed something below the desk. A recording then played the phrase "good day to you".

"How did that Ponyta get glasses?," inquired Linyi, who was being held in her trainer's arms.
"I got them at the store near the stadium," the Ponyta replied in his language.
Things were getting too weird even for me. Or at least a different kind of weirdness than the one I was used to.
"What's going on here?," I had to ask.
The Ponyta pushed another button, or whatever it was that was hidden down there.
"Welcome to Pacing Ponyta's Spa and Resort. Do you have a reservation?," the recorded voice said.
"Hmm... no," I answered, lost for words.
"Are you the clerk here?," asked Eshree, who was clearly better prepared to deal with the unknown and unexpected.
"My name is Sir Wimbledon Worcester III. I am in charge of this facility," the Ponyta made the recording say.
We looked at each other. Clerk Ponyta aside (which was already strange enough), I'd never expected to find anyone with a name like that, let alone a pokemon, or 3 of them, as the end of his name suggested. But, out of respect, I wouldn't mention the things it reminded me of.
Sir Wimbledon pushed another button, making me wonder how many there were. "May I be of service?"
"What is this place?," I queried.
As I had already come to expect, another button gave me the reply. "This is Pacing Ponyta's Spa and Resort. The best place to relax, run freely around the mountain, and ride a Ponyta, if he or she agrees. We have cable TV if you would like to watch it, and we're currently installing an Internet connection."
"I feel like we've just stepped into the Twilight Zone," I couldn't help commenting.
"The what?!," Eshree asked.
Of course he wouldn't know, I realized. I wondered if it would make any sense to him if I told him what I'd meant. Probably the Twilight Zone wasn't too different from everyday life for him. It wasn't the time for that kind of talk, though.
"Nevermind, I'll tell you later," I said.
"No, believe me, the Twilight Zone is about ten times worse. You should try the Chaos Vortex as well," a new voice made me turn to look. I realized I still had some surprise left in me when I noticed it was a Zangoose who had just spoken.
"Wait a second..." I couldn't help staring at him as I scanned my memories to make sure I'd actually heard the words with my ears and not just with my mind. "That wasn't a recording. You just talked like a human, didn't you?"
"If you mean that I spoke English, you're right," the Zangoose replied. "But I didn't speak like a human. Not that I have anything against them."
"Ok, I'm officially confused. What's the difference?," I asked.
"Between a human and a pokemon? Well, mostly that they don't put you in pokeballs."
"I haven't been in a pokeball for years," Ventura joined the conversation.
"Me neither. Even though there were moments when I wanted to. Oh, Sir Wimbledon, here's the 19th century book I borrowed from the library," said the Zangoose, placing an old book on the desk.
My mind was already boiling with questions. I had to clear out at least some of them.
"Would you mind if I asked you some questions?"
"Not at all," the Zangoose replied.
"Alright, then. How did this place come to be? And how did you learn to speak like that?"
"You sound like a reporter."
"I think anyone would be as curious in this situation. Though I do have to write a report."
"Is this going to be published?"
"Only what Amber and I deem appropriate," I replied, kindly pointing to my Charizard friend.
"Pleased to meet you, Amber," the Zangoose greeted her.
"Pleased to meet you too," she replied. "What's your name?"
"Bruce. Just Bruce."
His response caused her to giggle. I realized introductions hadn't been made yet.
"Sorry I didn't introduce anyone. It's just that this is all so confusing! I'm Lady Vulpix from the Dragon's Guild, also known as Gabi. You know Amber already, this is Ivan, or Golden Growlithe, and the others are Ventura, Tsunami, Sylvan, Iael, Pidgeot, Caledor, Glyph, Linyi, Glice and..."
"Arim," Eshree helped me. "You did a good job at remembering their names."
"I think I should be the one carrying the notepad," commented Bruce, overwhelmed by the amount of new names. "But well, about your question... This spa was created mainly for Ponytas to enjoy the commodities of the modern life without losing their traditions. It was built in their best interest. They were fascinated by cable TV. And they also like to help other pokemon and some humans enjoy themselves. For a small fee, of course, since cable is not free."
"I see... what about my other question?,"I insisted.
"Well, that was mostly a matter of survival," answered Bruce.
"How so?," asked Amber.
"I needed to translate my human companion's words to other humans."

As if on cue, a guy walked into he hall with his head covered by a lampshade.
"Hey, Bruce!," he called out. "I think I've finally found the light bulb! Wow, there's like a portal in here."
His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I've met several people whose voices were similar to each other, so I didn't think much of it. I just thought he seemed insane.
"Let me guess. Your human companion?," I asked Bruce.
"Yes. And we should never have bought that lamp from a mystical objects store," the Zangoose replied.
"I think think you're intentionally trying to confuse me," I told him.
"Not at all. But I wouldn't recommend getting your head in there. So you're from the Guild," he changed the subject.
"We both are," I pointed to Eshree with an open hand. "I think Amber would be too, if they took her into account."
"I know the feeling," Bruce said.
"Things are bound to change eventually," Amber assured. "For now I enjoy writing reports with her. One day I'll find a way to get them to acknowledge me."
"It's a long road, but it's worth it. For once, you're in a place helped by its own pokemon," Bruce said before whispering something into Amber's ear.
"But why?," Amber asked, stepping back.
"Mostly because everyone will understand you. Ah... And they also have this thing with humans... They have to prove themselves... Like running, and stuff. I guess I could talk them into making an exception, since you're reporters."
I hadn't heard when Bruce had said to her, but from the response I figured it had been something bad about humans.
"I'm a researcher, not a reporter, and I'm against all kinds of discrimination," I remarked. "If we're not welcome here, we will leave."
"No, no, it's not discrimination at all," he rectified. "It's just that the kids won't stop bothering you. You're like new toys to them."
"Before things become any crazier, do you happen to know how Ponytas came to live here, and what their life was like before this spa got started?," Amber queried.
"Hey! Aren't you the girl that gives out the Dragon's Guild IDs?," Bruce's companion interrupted, taking the lampshade off.
I looked at him and recognized his face... and his attitude. I'd seen him at the Guild before.
"I thought you sounded familiar! You're that guy who signed up for the discounts, aren't you?"
"Err... Yeah, kinda," he replied. "That and the jobs. About the discounts... there's this store where they charge you even more if you're a member!"
"Really? That makes no sense. Where is that store?"
"A few kilometers from here. They said they did it to serve their Mistress... It sounded like a stupid plan to destroy the Dragon's Guild by charging them extra for the stuff they sell. But well, I needed toothpaste."
"Sure," I raised an eyebrow. I was having a hard time believing anything he said.
"Does that mean you don't know anything about what things were like here before?," Amber tried to get back on topic.
"Yeah, sure, I even got an online blog about it!," the lamp-man said.
"Bruce?," Amber tried to confirm.
"He does. But if you want to see how things were before, you can take a look at the back yard. I can show you around if you want."
I looked around at everyone, trying to reach consensus.
"I guess we have nothing to lose," Amber decided.
"Except time, but this is getting interesting. I'm coming with you," Eshree said.

Bruce led the way through the hotel to the backyard. On the way we was a large library with many shells filled with books, but didn't stop to take a closer look at them. Once on the other side, we found a green pasture, where Ponytas and Rapidash were grazing, running and playing with each other.

"This looks more like the place I remember," I commented.
"So you've been here before," the strange guy noted.
"Many times since the Pegasus Games, but I stopped coming a few years ago."
"Then why did you wanna know how this place was before? I mean... it's not like you crossed a portal and ended up in some weird alternate dimension or something. Of course this is the same place."
"What did you just say?," Eshree asked, startled.
"Watch the lamp. You'll understand it."
"Who are you?," inquired Eshree.
"The name's Kerel. I'm a private eye."
"Alright, let's leave it at that, but if you have something to say, do say it."
"He may regret that," Bruce commented, directing his words at Amber.
I tried to calm Eshree down before he got himself in trouble.
"Relax, he was just kidding. Weren't you, Kerel?"
"Yeah, sure. I guess it could be all just special effects," Kerel concluded.
We both sighed. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he didn't seem to be dangerous.
"Anyway, I knew what this place used to look like, but what I don't know is what life was like for Ponytas and Rapidash before, nor how they came here in the first place. That's what I'm supposed to find out," I explained.
"Well, then the easiest thing would be to ask them," Bruce suggested.
"That path has failed us before, sorry," Amber told him.
"Why? Did you ask Sir Wimbledon?"
"No, but... Have you ever heard of the Ditto report?"
"You mean the one about their mating habits?"
"You have?! But how? It was never published!," Amber exclaimed, sounding as stunned as I was.
"I found it between the soups and the desserts on the menu at the Dragon's Guild's cafe," Bruce told her.
"Come on!, we have some issues with paperwork, but it's not that bad!," Eshree questioned him.
"I thought it had been put there on purpose," said Kerel.
I realized we were getting derailed again and tried to fix that.
"So, is there any way you could help us get this report done? We have some more important things to take care of, this is just more urgent."
"I guess that even if we recorded what the Ponytas said they wouldn't believe you. Would they?," suggested Kerel.
"They wouldn't understand the words. I don't think I would either, from a recording," I said.
"But they might listen to a theory that's believable enough. Maybe we can ask them and then write it in a way they can assume we've somehow figured it out," Amber proposed.
"If you were to film me asking them questions and they either nodded or shook their heads in response, would they think my voice is dubbed too?," asked Bruce.
"Not if you went and showed them yourself, but you could get in trouble by doing that," Tsunami joined the conversation as suddenly as usual.
"You could always take Sir Wimbledon to a conference," Kerel suggested. "He likes when people listen to him. As long as you have enough tea to offer him."
"Tea, really? I'm starting to like him more now. He could join me and Rhiannon, and we could start a tea club," I joked.
"Just don't get him talking about books. He can go on for hours," Kerel warned us.
"So can she, trust me," Tsunami said, his head pointing at me.
"Interesting," Bruce mused.
"Would they understand him, though?," I wondered. "I thought all the phrases he used when he greeted us were recorded. Except when he told Linyi about his glasses, but he said that in Ponyta's language."
"We could always record more phrases for him, and some other things to prove he understands humans," Bruce proposed.
"I don't think many people actually doubt that by now," I reflected. "Things are changing, luckily. But still, I don't think recording more phrases is a scalable solution. You can only record so many phrases, and the questions he may get are unlimited."
"Well, since he reads so much, maybe he could write," suggested Kerel. "We would need some horse-keyboard or something."
"Does that exist?," asked Amber.
"Maybe a ouija," Kerel kept exploring the possibilities.
"I think we should ask him before we set him up for something like that. It could be quite embarrassing," Amber opined. "But I think I have an idea. If we do get the answers from the Ponytas, I've thought of a way to get at least a few of them to accept them."
"Of course if he agrees, we could hold a conference right here," Bruce offered. "Then they would be able to watch the Ponytas. They could stay for free and it would be a good way to make the hotel known."
"I'll let Lady Ninetales know about your offer. Thanks," I said.
"I'd love to see her face if she ever gets here," Eshree commented. I had to admit I shared the same feeling.

<Amber's POV>

Sir Wimbledon agreed to the interview as long as he was given a button for 'yes' and one for 'no', as he felt the ouija was inappropriate, not to mention humiliating. We told him we'd talk to other Guild members about it, and then proceded to ask our own questions. I must admit the answers we got were quite interesting. See, the Ponytas had legends which told of a time when most pastures where covered by ice and snow, and their ancestors had to leave their old homes in search for a warmer and more plentiful place. After travelling for some time, they reached the base of White Mountain, which was surprisingly warm and rich with lush grass. They said it felt as if a special energy was protecting the place and making it perfect for them. Since then, they lived generally quiet and peaceful lives, until they found something more fun to do.

I thought the story would be hard to explain in a believable way, but I remembered how Gabi used to talk about White Mountain and the energy it had, and how she used to go there whenever she needed to meditate and regain her strength... it could be the same energy the Ponytas had mentioned.

I didn't get much time to work on my theories, as a tall, dark-haired woman came out of the hotel and greeted us. She had a professional camera hanging from her neck. She introduced herself as Theresa, but soon she and Gabi caught on each other's accents and it wasn't long before they started talking to each other in Spanish. I wished I could understand as much Spanish as Water Angel did... I caught mentions of the Dragon's Guild and some of its members, Ponytas and Yssera. Their faces became gloomier as they spoke of the latter, and Gabi paused in the middle of a sentence, looking down with sorrow. She didn't say any names, but I could imagine who she was thinking of. Then Kerel got their attention, and they started speaking English again so that he could join the conversation, and soon Golden Growlithe joined them too.

The humans agreed to help each other, and each said everything they knew about the situation, which wasn't much. All any of us had heard was that Yssera was supposedly hidden in some cave on the mountain, and recruiting humans and pokemon for some unknown purpose by altering their personalities and turning them into her followers. Gabi wasn't so sure about them being recruited, since some of them had left the country, but it was a possibility. Then Kerel made a comment about crazy religious cults, which brought up the subject of Eagleland and our plans to try and set things right over there. Theresa, the woman, questioned our methods, asking whether we couldn't deal with one problem at a time, which caused Gabi to take her hands to her head and sigh as she said "I wish we could". Kerel reminded us that he was a detective, and that we could hire him to investigate whatever was needed. He agreed to goon a reckoning mission to Happy Happy Village while we finished searching the mountain, and decided to attend the next Guild meeting upon realizing that the e-mail he had deleted was an invitation to a meeting rather than SPAM.

[classy_cat18]

I thought I would have a little fun at White Mountain while it was a little peaceful over there. This is the return of Dennis, or rather his Bulbasaur. Rose got her Aromatherapy TM in a trade and her Lovely Kiss TM at the EMT. Bo got his Night Shade TM at the EMT. I bought Ali a Pokemon Earring at the Reward Center.

Shonta's POV

I groaned as the sunlight streaming through the nearby window hit my closed eyelids. I finally went to bed at around three at night (or morning) after a lot of reassuring from Nama and Rose that the team would be back. I felt like the lunar eclipse that happened then was some sort of bad omen.

I felt another weight on the bed. Someone was walking beside my slightly shaking body up to the back of my head. I closed my eyes, afraid that the Demons had finally come for me. The mystery creature's breath blew on the back of my neck so I scooted toward the side of the bed just in case I had to make a run for it. Then I felt something warm and wet slide up the back of my neck. I gave a shriek of terror and rolled off the side of the bed. The Umbreon poked its head from the side of the bed and giggled. "Um, what are you doing in my room?" I asked him sheepishly.

None other than Bandit walked in and pointed to the Umbreon. "Don't tell me you don't recognize the kid," he said with a laugh.

"No, I..." I started indignantly. Then my brain cells started to function. "Bo?"

"That's me! I'm sorry if I scared you," Bo apologized. He gracefully jumped from the bed into my lap. "I must've really scared you these past two days."

"It wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you're safe." I stroked his silky fur and looked over his red rings. "How did you get these rings to look like this?"

"Apparently, this is what happens when Umbreon evolve while looking at a red moon. The rings are creepy when they glow but they'll come in handy when Holloween comes," Bandit said. He sat down on the carpeted floor. "The team is scattered today. I think Katana is drowning her sorrows at the bar because she's afraid that her ex-boyfriend is still not the same."

"'Still'? Meaning he's not crazy anymore?"

"We hope not. We used this ancient item to purify the Demons' souls. I don't know why Katana's trying to drink herself drunk, though. She knows she has that Immunity trait. Alcohol barely affects her."

"No, but she's going to run up my tab. You better go stop her." I stopped him when I had another question to ask him. "Where are Volt and Triton? Are they okay?"

"They're just fine. They just started a journey to purify the other branches of the Demons. I think they love each other." He started to make kissy noises, earning him a shove out the door. I looked at Bo and smiled. He was a little smaller than the other Umbreon but he was also younger. I let out Nama and Rose so Bo could have some company. "How about we see what we have in the pack?"

"Yeah!" Bo and Rose said together.

I searched in my backpack and noticed that two of the TM boxes were empty. "Do you know who took my Lovely Kiss and Tickle TMs?" I asked the group.

The Pokemon looked at each other and then back at me. Bo slowly raised his paw. "I might have. The night I was taken I took a couple of TMs from your pack."

"Well, that explains it all. Well, I have one more TM for you. Night Shade." I gave the TM to him. "It's not powerful right now but it'll get better when you get stronger."

"Thanks, Shonta." He opened and activated it in a heartbeat.

"You're welcome." I turned to Rose. "I have two attacks for you: Aromatherapy and Lovely Kiss. I guess it's not common that I run into the same attack more than once." I activated them for her. "Aromatherapy is a good status healing move and Lovely Kiss puts your opponents to sleep."

"Both good. I would like to practice them today," Rose said.

"Okay. First we should find an opponent. I wonder what the Fighting types are doing right now?"

Ali's POV

"Remember to concentrate," Athena said for about the hundredth time since our practice session. We were on a peaceful grass arena outside of the Pokemon Center.

“I’m trying!” I growled. Man, was she annoying! What’s worse is that she had that hard paper fan so if I ever seemed to break my concentration she could whack me with it.

“I don’t get it. You’re a Meditite, Ali! Aren’t you supposed to be all about meditation?” Moriko asked me.

“I try to meditate but something always happens! I start thinking of other things!” I told her brashly. “If you’re such an expert on Pokemon behavior why don’t you tell me what I should do?”

“Just wipe your mind clean of all things. All you have to do is concentrate on the back of your eyelids,” she said while patting my back.

I did what she said. It was so easy to clear my mind when all I could see was the back of my eyelids. I made a fist and found that my arm felt stronger than before. Meditate worked! I slowly opened my eyes but still thought about the back of my eyelids, which was basically the same as not thinking about anything. “I think it worked,” I told the other two Fighting types, the enthusiasm in my voice rising.

“Hey!” yelled Rose as she walked towards us.

I sighed. “And there goes my concentration. What is it, Rose?”

She stopped and rolled her eyes up in thought. “Why was I here? I seemed to have forgotten some time between the elevator and the bar.” She gasped with a smile. "I know now! Shonta wanted me to practice my new attacks!"

"What new attacks do you have?" Athena said.

She rolled up her eyes again for a minute, seeming to have forgotten the attacks she had just learned. "Aromatherapy and Lovely Kiss!"

"Okay then. How are you going to practice those attacks?"

She blinked. "What attacks?"

I slapped my forehead. "Aromatherapy and Lovely Kiss! The two attacks that you just got!"

The light bulb in Rose's head clicked back on and she remembered. "Oh yeah! I'll just have to battle someone!"

"Yeah, but who? No offense, but we'll pummel you." I looked up and saw a Bulbasaur waddle across the arena, his eyes on the grass and flowers. "Hey, he looks like a good opponent. Hey you! You want to battle this Roselia?"

The Bulbasaur snapped his head to us and snorted. That was when I recognized him as the Bulbasaur that Nama beat at an arena not too far from the one we were on now. "I'm sorry but I don't battle weaklings."

That immediately got my blood boiling. As a Meditite I knew what it was like to be considered a weakling. After all, that was how I ended up at the adoption center. “Excuse me, but Rose is not what you’d call a weakling! Have you checked out a Roselia’s stat’s? You couldn’t beat her if you were an Ivysaur!”

“Actually, if he used physical attacks he could,” Rose said shyly.

“Don’t make his head bigger than it already is, Rose!” I stuck my face in Bulbasaur’s. “Forget Rose! Battle me!”

That only made Bulbasaur laugh heartily. “You? You’re even more pathetic! Why should I battle you?”

My eyes narrowed. “Because it’s either battling me in a fair fight, or battling all four of us in an unfair fight.” I looked back and saw Athena and Moriko cracking their knuckles and smiling wickedly.

Bulbasaur flinched and nodded. “Okay, I’ll battle you.”

Athena handed me something with a smile. “This should boost your special attack. You know what to do with it.”

We walked to our respective ends of the arena and bowed to each other. Moriko brought out two fans with my picture on them. She waved them enthusiastically and yelled, “Let the battle begin!”

L8 Female Meditite (Ali) vs. L8 Male Bulbasaur (Bulbasaur)

I dug my toes in the grass and braced myself for Bulbasaur’s first attack. “Bring it on!” I shouted courageously.

The first thing that Bulbasaur wanted to do to me was pelt me with powered-up seeds. “Owowowow!” I yelped as I ran to escape the seeds. I dove in the grass as the last of the seeds whizzed by me. “That’s it. Time to get serious.” I leaped up and charged him the same time he was charging me. We met in the middle, our heads connecting. My Bide, however, was more powerful because of the power I stored. Bulbasaur went rolling.

“Go, Ali!” Moriko cheered. “Beat that jerk!”

“Yeah! Defeat that pompous buffoon!” Rose agreed.

Bulbasaur glared at my audience and snorted at me. “You must think you’re so big with your three cheerleaders. I bet they’re your teammates!” he said in an irritated tone.

“Yes, they are. But where are yours? Are you the only one or is it that they can’t stand you?” I joked.

Bulbasaur growled loudly and took an attack stance. A storm of petals spewed out of his bulb and blasted me right in my face. I used Bide again as I took the blow. The petals hung in midair for a minute and started back to blowing in a nonexistent wind, this time whirling around as if they were caught in a tornado.

My vision was starting to get blurry. I had to do something before Bulbasaur conked me out. Fortunately he was stumbling around in a confused daze. I rushed for him, tackled him to the ground, and gave him an Ice Punch. That did it. His eyes closed and he rolled over in defeat.

I won and grew to level 9! I learned Confusion by level!

Bandit’s POV

I sighed sadly as Katana downed her tenth drink. She wasn’t getting very drunk but I was seeing a bathroom trip in her near future. I ordered a drink of my own and patted her shoulder. “I can’t say that I’ve been where you’ve been but I know how it feels to be so down you’re practically buried,” I said solemnly.

“I shouldn’t have gone to see him. To see him in that state…” She took another gulp and belched. I wrinkled my nose from the smell of liquor. “Diablo. He was foolish for sticking his nose where it didn’t belong but he was still my first love.” She glared at me like her old self mixed with her slightly drunken self. “At least I still have you, my silver medal.”

I cringed a little, weirded out that Katana could get brutally honest from the alcohol but not disoriented in the least. “I have to admit that seeing him bang his head on the rocks and muttering about people in his head was pretty horrifying. But you wanted to see him again and you knew what you were going to find. For once following your nose wasn’t a good idea.”

“So is following your heart, huh? Is that what you’re saying? That I was wrong in thinking that he would be okay and things will be normal again?” Her face got closer and angrier as she said this until our noses touched. “Or were you scared that you’ll never see me again? Is that it? You’re afraid of being alone so you secretly wished that Diablo would be a mess, didn’t you?”

At this point I was holding onto the stool to make sure I wouldn’t fall off of it. “No, that’s ridiculous! I was just trying to keep you from hurting yourself!”

“How did you know that he would end up like that?”

A whimper escaped my lips, a sign that I was caught in a lie. “Okay, I didn’t know. But it’s not because of what you think. What about Bo? You mean the world to him.”

Her eyes widened. She sat up in her stool and let go of her glass. “You’re right. I could’ve taken him with me but…”

“But what about me? Remember that he calls us Uncle Bandit and Aunt Katana. He can’t stay with one and not miss the other. It’ll tear his heart in two.”

Katana hung her head and started sniffing. She said nothing as she slid off of the stool and slunk toward the elevators. The bartender looked at me. “She’s your friend, I assume?” he asked me.

I knew he wouldn’t be able to understand me but I knew what he would understand. I gave him the finger and slammed Shonta’s credit card down on the counter.

Short but good in my opinion. Battle was kind of blah. Now I would like an RBG for Bandit from the Free Range Corral. *gives seven stamps*

[Lady Vulpix]

Alright, Shonta, I'm printing it and will read it and add it to the archive later today if nothing stops me.

Bandit is going to battle a Swablu. Good luck!

[Edit: I've read your battle. I especially liked the last scene. Katana can be very cruel, but it's not the first time she's displayed that trait, and it was clear that she was sinking too deep in her own sorrow to think of anyone else. And the way Bandit reacted made a lot of sense. You're getting very good at portraying your characters!
I liked the return of the Bulbasaur too. Not that I liked him, but I like stories that have a sense of continuity. Take 12 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢]

[Ace64]

Take 8 stamps, Gabi.I believe I commented on your story when I last saw you online, but I'll be curious to see where Lagi's path takes her. Despite her attempt to take herself out of the path of Yssera, I wonder whether it'll be enough...Nonetheless, it was the smart decision for her to take, and I also like how you portrayed "your" pain as well.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Ace64]

Meh, I'm a liar. This is Part I of the scenario...seemed a good place to end. I'll finish it up soon.

---

A chubby-looking Pikachu made his way through the underbrush, stomach growling. Spotting a few purple, plump-looking berries hanging from low branch above, the Pikachu halted. His beady eyes narrowed in concentration, his electric sacs gathering energy and then releasing a small bolt towards the fruit, knocking it to the ground. Pleased, the Pikachu gathered up the fruit quickly. In the underbrush a few feet away, a pair of eyes followed his progress.

The eyes belonged to a wily Arbok, a long-time inhabitant of White Mountain. She had lived there since childhood, mated and raised three Ekans of her own. She had scorned trainers, relying on her skills to survive. Among the few who had managed to escape from her grasp, she was known as Sstelz.

She uncoiled, liquid grace, slithering along the underbrush, working her way towards her prey. Pikachu ears were sensitive, but the mouse was too intent on the berries to pay attention. Sstelz slowed, frowning. It was a wonder that this Pikachu had survived for as long as he had, with his current vigilance. What was stranger… the Pikachu was gathering up the berries, not eating them where they lay. Did it have a family?

Her tongue flicked out, tasting the air as she moved forward again. In the past, she might have waited, followed the fat Pikachu back to his den where she could dine on young and old alike, but food had been scarce in the past few weeks. Her stomach grumbled, and she longed to fill it.

The Pikachu squeaked as he stacked the Berries in a nice pile, and turned his attention to digging a hole. Sstelz’s eyes narrowed, planning her attack. Electricity was dangerous, but if she restrained the rodent’s arms, it couldn’t squeeze it’s electric sacs. Of course, she had to be wary of inadvertently squeezing out the electricity nonetheless.

She hissed, and predictably, the Pikachu turned around. Surprisingly, his eyes weren’t wide with shock, but instead full of a vague indifference. A bit put off, Sstelz made eye contact and flashed the distinctive patterns on her hood. The Pikachu stiffened, paralyzed with fear, and Sstelz hissed in delight. Success!

Confident now, she wound around the Pikachu, curling into a tight, secure circle. The Pikachu didn’t attempt to struggle or plead. It felt as if Sstelz was squeezing a Pikachu carcass instead of a live, fat specimen, and she frowned again. Nonetheless, she tightened, applying more pressure. Her Glare must have been more effective than she thought…

Abruptly, she felt her grip loosen, and she was thrown backwards by a force far greater than any Pikachu could muster. Simultaneously, there was some presence in her mind… it itched horribly, and all she could see was green/

Stay away. This one is MINE.

Sstelz shuddered and tasted the air, searching for another physical presence. There was none- it was only her and the Pikachu. Where had the voice came from?

She was still wondering when a particularly powerful Thunderbolt struck her, knocking her unconscious. The Pikachu’s nose twitched twice, watching the cobra’s body convulse. Then, it went back to its digging.
XOXOXOXOX

Prophecy stirred in her sleep, dreaming. Ever since the group had crossed Ellyrion’s border, she had began to have a recurring dream, every night like clockwork.

In her dream, a grand-looking Rayquaza had appeared before her, descending from the clouds like a titan of old. She landed in front of her, her crimson eyes flashing, her head held high, and Prophecy felt compelled to bow before her. She was a dragon-god, didn’t she deserve her respect. Then, the Rayquaza spoke.

Prophecy. A fitting title for you.

“Who are you?” She spoke without any sense of distrust or uneasiness. It was just a dream after all. What did she have to fear? In a dream, one was perfectly safe.

I am your future. You who seek strength, who seeks flight, who seeks change… you shall find it, through me.

“Strength? Evolution?” Prophecy asked, her tone questioning.

Yes, you know it to be true. Evolution is what you seek, and you will find it. Come to me.

“No. I don’t need help from you, or anyone. I’ll find strength in my own way!”

The Rayquaza’s gaze seemed to look inside her, slowly uncoiling itself. You possess draconic pride, Prophecy. Perhaps too much. If you truly don’t need help, then why do you stay with the human and his pets? You would accept help from them and scorn me?

Prophecy hesitated, then looked down. She couldn’t deny the ring of truth in the Rayquaza’s words. If she wanted to evolve quickly… who could help her further along that path?

The Rayquaza stirred, as if it guessed the Bagon’s thoughts. Think it over. The choice remains yours. I shall be watching. With silent speed, the emerald dragon launched itself into the air effortlessly. Prophecy felt a sharp twinge of jealousy at the sight and quashed it at once.

“Up, Lazybones!”

An accompanying blast of cold water struck her in the face following the words, and Prophecy leapt awake, frantic. “WHA? Hmm?!”

Cooler stood over, a grin on his face. On his stupid, laughing face, she thought savagely. “Man, did I get you!”

“Zz’s goin on…” Deo muttered, stirring in his sleep. The smooth surface of his ‘skin’ crackled with electricity, released unconsciously. The group had camped in the countryside, a few miles away from the trail leading up to White Mountain. In the distance, a few Furrets raised their heads out of the tall grass, startled by Cooler’s shout.

“Oh no,” Trey groaned, half-asleep. Why did it have to be now?

Prophecy leapt to her feet, shooting Cooler a withering glare. “Why do you have to be so…childish!?” Then, without waiting for an answer, she stomped off towards a small lake a short walk away. For once, Cooler was without an answer.

Charmene sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What happened?” She looked first at Prophecy, who was still walking, then at Cooler, her eyes narrowed. “What did you do now?”

“Well, I…I…woke her up!” Cooler stammered. He seemed genuinely confused at the dragon’s reaction. “I didn’t know it would get her so mad! It was just water!”

A soft voice spoke up, from a few feet away. “Yes, I’m sure everyone likes to be woken up with a splash of water in the face. She must have over-reacted.” Fisticuffs opened his eyes, sitting cross-legged, his eyes rolling sarcastically. “Not only that, you interrupted my meditation.”

Troit got up slowly, and followed after Prophecy. “I’m going to go see what’s got her so upset.”

“Yeah, I’ll go to,” Cooler agreed, starting after the Grimer, until he noticed Charmene glaring at him. “What??”

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

“I didn’t do anything!” the turtle protested, but Charmene snorted and looked away. Deo was already drifting off into sleep, and Cooler saw that Trey had already rolled over, dozing. “Trey! Wake up!”

“Five more minutes…”

“But Prophecy’s upset!”

“Unnh..” Trey grunted, sitting up. “Probably over something you did..”

“But I didn’t do ANYTHING!”
XOXOXOXO

“What’s wrong, Prophecy?” Troit asked gently. The Bagon was just sitting there, staring at her reflection in the water. It was easy to tell that something was the matter- Prophecy wasn’t the type to brood over wrongs. Usually, she either ignored Cooler or took revenge. Nothing seemed to truly upset her.

“It’s nothing,” Prophecy said flatly, keeping her gaze on the water.

“Come on, you don’t expect that to get rid of me, do you?” Troit sidled up next to her, looking out across the lake. Prophecy sighed slowly. It was so hard just to be alone.

“I just had a strange dream, that’s all.”

“Oh. Was it about Cooler?”

“NO!” Prophecy shouted, staring at Troit with a stunned expression. “Why would I ever dream about..?”

Troit grinned, shrugging his non-existent shoulders. “I just thought of the first thing that would get you so upset, that’s all.” Prophecy laughed, and Troit could feel all of the tension between them disappear. “So what’s really the problem?”

Prophecy hesitantly told him about the dream she had had, and Troit listened quietly without any interruptions. When she finished, Troit nodded in understanding. “I get it. So when Cooler woke you up, it reminded you of what the Rayquaza said about us being childish.”

“Right,” Prophecy said, fidgeting a bit. She looked at Troit, feeling self-conscious. “Am I just being silly? It is just a dream after all…but I can’t help feeling like there’s some truth to it…”

“Well, one should never dwell too long on a dream,” Troit said sagely, “but on the other hand, a dream shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly either. What really makes me think, though… do you really think the only way to get stronger is to evolve?”

“Well, yes,” Prophecy said simply. “With evolution comes in an improvement in almost every capacity for a Pokemon. More stamina, strength, speed, experience, and physical fortitude, as well as mental toughness. On equal footing, a Magikarp can’t hope to match a Gyarados.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Hmm? Why not?”

“I’ve never understood the need for evolution,” Troit said, looking into the water. “Strength doesn’t come with change; nothing is ever that easy in life. Each Pokemon is better at different things. A Magikarp may not be powerful, but it’s smaller and more agile than a large Gyarados. But to become the best at what they do, they need to improve themselves first, on the inside, not the outside.”

“Wow, Troit,” Prophecy said, smiling. “I never knew that you had thought so much about evolution. You don’t really seem to like fighting too much.”

Troit shrugged. “I don’t, really. Trey told me that I have a knack for it, but…well.”

“Right,” Prophecy said, smiling. She didn’t doubt that Troit may have had a knack for fighting…after all, it’s common for one to have the talent, but not the desire, for a certain skill. “You’ll fight when you need to.”

“Of course. Anyways, why don’t we get back to camp? We should be reaching White Mountain pretty soon.”

Prophecy nodded, feeling better, and the two slowly returned to the camp. Troit was right, Prophecy decided. Why should she let a dream bother her so much, even if it was recurring? Despite her name, she had never had prophetic dreams before, and there was no evidence that this one was any different. Cooler could be childish, but what else was new?

Neither Pokemon noticed as a small, slight Spearow sidled back into the grass.
XOXOXOXOXO

“What do you mean, there was a TRAIN?!”

“Do you have to yell?” the younger Dragon Tamer mumbled, adjusting his glasses. Embarrassed, Trey looked around, feeling self-conscious. A small Pokecenter was located at the base of White Mountain, and before going on any further, Trey had stopped to check over his supplies.

To his surprise, there were a small group of Dragon Tamers there, attending a meeting. Trey didn’t know all of the details, but from what he heard, there was some kind of dragon up on White Mountain, and the Tamers were going to search for it. This dragon, Yssera, was extremely dangerous, but Trey didn’t really know exactly what for.

The meeting was headed by an authoritative young woman, who had introduced herself as Lady Vulpix. Curious, and hoping that his membership in the Dragon Guild would keep him from being ignored, Trey asked the course of action one might take if they actually met the dragon.

“I'm not sure if we'll find her, but if anyone does, the best thing to do right now is try to get away, and not listen to anything she says. Then report her location to the Guild or the Dragon Tamers staff,” Lady Vulpix replied. Then, she added in a reassuring tone, for several listeners appeared to be nervous, “ If she does allow someone to find her, odds are she will want something from them and won't attack them immediately, but it's best not to take the risk and get out as soon as possible.”

With that, the meeting ended, and the majority of Dragon Tamers headed for the mountain, after healing their Pokemon. All except for one young man wearing glasses, who had the misfortune of dealing with him.

“There was a train for Dragon Tamer staff, as well as a few other people,” the boy said softly, squinting at him. “If you were a Dragon Tamer, you would know, wouldn’t you?”

“Whatever,” Trey muttered, turning his back on the boy and looking out the window. It didn’t matter. He was here in Ellyrion, right? If he had taken a train instead of walked, then he never would have come across Silver Depth, and who knew what might have happened then?

Everything happens for a reason… he thought. That much seemed to be true. What could have happened if Dr. Hakert’s aide, James, had had more time to go through his experiment? If Trey had come just one day later, what might have happened? The what-if’s were endless. What might happen if I just continue on my way, and let the Tamers go about their own business?

It made no difference- he was no fortune-teller. Even as the attendant at the desk called his name, signaling that his Pokemon were “fighting fit,” he knew he had already decided. He would go up to White Mountain, and if he found anything so be it. If the search was a bust, it didn’t matter. His Pokemon could use the fresh air, and maybe he could try to settle Cooler and Prophecy’s differences.

Resolved, he took his Pokeballs from the nurse, and set out for White Mountain.

[Lady Vulpix]

Thanks for rating my story. Now that I've taken another look at it, I can see the ending was quite abrupt. Sorry about that, I just had to cut it somewhere. I'm not really sure about how Lagi's journey will turn out, but I may write a short side-story about that. I'm afraid I can't make it a saga like de used to do, I just don't have the time. Juggling two jobs makes finding time to write very hard.

As for your story, I liked it a lot. Very creative introduction! And the writing style was also great! Interesting final thoughts, too. I look forward to reading part 2. For now, take 11 stamps. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Lady Vulpix]

I finally got the scenario battles done! Thanks a lot to Jeff for the (roughly) 6 IM sessions. This one has an ending that, while still open, looks more like an ending than the previous one.

[Edit: I have to split it into 2 posts.]

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸, ø¤º°`°º¤ø ,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

<Pidgeot's POV>

After a short conversation which surprisingly covered just about everything we'd dealt with in the past few years, we went separate ways. Kerel, Theresa and Bruce got ready to travel to Eagleland, while the rest of us began to explore the area. I took off to see if I could spot anything from the air, and soon enough, I did. Not precisely what I was looking for, but just as good, as I found a quite familiar group of pokemon. I was a bit thrown off by the Pidgeot at first, but the Castform, the Smeargle and the Snorlax resting against the rock wall were unmistakable. I descended to meet my friends, with everyone else following behind me.
"Hey, there!," I greeted them. As I landed, I noticed that Kurtzwick was with them too.
Previsiona the Castform looked up. "Ahh! Hi! It's good to see someone we know here."
"I was beginning to worry that we wouldn't find anyone," the Pidgeot sighed.
"Cam?," I wanted to make sure.
"Yes yes," he confirmed.
"Cool. You look good as a Pidgeot," I told him.
"Heh, thanks. I'll admit... it's quite helpful to be able to fly."

At that moment the rest of the group caught up.
"Hi, everyone!," waved Gabi. "We've just been to one of the weirdest places around, but we have good news for you."
Previsiona and Cam spoke at about the same time. "Hi, Gabi!" "Oh? What is it?"
"We met a detective who works for the Dragon's Guild, and a reporter who travels with him," Gabi revealed. "We told them about the situation in Happy-Happy Village, and they said they would head over there to investigate."
"Awesome! Thank you!," beamed Previsiona.
"Though I'm not sure how helpful they will be," Tsunami just had to state. "The guy was wearing a lampshade as a hat when we met him. Then again, he might be of help, and everyone else around him seemed serious enough."
Cambiamente paused for a moment, probably to make sure he'd understood, and then asked: "lampshade?"
"He said there was a portal in it or something," Tsunami tried to explain. Not that it made sense to anyone.
"I really wish we could do more, but as soon as we get back home, we'll hold another meeting and see what we can do to help," Gabi promised.
At that time Mona looked down and seemed to wake up from a trance or something. "Oh! Hey! When did you guys get here?"
"When you weren't looking, obviously," Tsunami stuck out his tongue.
"Hey, watch it, mister!," Mona scolded him. "I have psychic powers!"
It was amazing how her voice deepened and seemed to vibrate as she spoke the last 2 words.
"Really? Well, I could talk to Caledor telepathically when no one else had figured out the way," Tsunami jumped to the competition, as usual. "No one else without Psychic powers of their own, I mean. And besides I'm the King of Waves, I don't need psychic powers!"
"Ooh! Maybe I'll get to Sketch Surf next!," Mona seemed impressed.
Then Hero popped out of his pokeball. No one bothered to ask why he was there in the first place.
"All these years and you're still using that stupid nickname?!," he confronted Tsunami. Some things never change.
"It's a classic! If you have problems with it, I'll gladly show you why I still hold the title," Tsunami retorted.
"Hello, Hero," Previsiona greeted the Ninetales.
"Hello, Previsiona. Long time no scare," he replied, making a reference to that one time when his Hidden Power had spooked her out.
Previsiona blushed slightly but didn't reply, which in turn caused Hero to grin.
"So, when does the action begin?," Hero showed his usual eagerness. I wondered if I was so predictable.
"We were just talking about that," said Cambiamente. "We weren't exactly sure where to go from here."
Gabi tried to fill the gaps. "We don't have much of a lead, but Ryan did say he found Yssera in a cave on the mountain, so we could either start climbing and see what we find, or go to the town or the stadium and see if anyone knows anything. Though at the Pacing Ponyta resort they didn't seem to know more than we do."
"Hmmm. I would be inclined to think that the town would be the best place to start," Cam suggested. "We should try and get more information before we set out."
"That sounds like a good idea. We don't know what's up there," Golden Growlithe agreed.
"Hmmm? Excuse me, I don't believe we've met," Previsiona pointed out.
"Oh, sorry, I was so used to seeing you all moving around at the Guild's building that I forgot we'd never been formally introduced," he apologized. "I'm Golden Growlithe, but you can call me Ivan. My friends here are Glyph, Glice, Arim and Linyi." He pointed to the Espeon, Glalie, Clefairy and Smoochum respectively.
"It's good to meet you. I'm Previsiona, the clear Dratini is Kurtzwick, the Smeargle is Mona, the Pidgeot is Cam, and the Snorlax over there is Bobbery."
"Pleased to meet you all, and sorry to learn about your trainer. We too will do what we can to help," offered Glyph.
"Thank you. It's very much appreciated," the Castform replied.
"Can I hug them?," asked the little Smoochum.
Arim the Clefairy shrugged. "You can ask them, but don't hug anyone's faces."
"Alright!," Linyi chirped, then looked up at Previsiona. "Can I hug you?"
"Sure, sweetie," the Castform hovered down to the ground.
"Yeee!," Linyi beamed as she hugged her.
"What's up with her?," I heard Cam ask Arim.
"She's been like that all week," Arim explained. "I'm afraid this whole situation may be putting too much strain on her. And she's spent too much time away from home."
"Poor girl," Cam sighed. "I'm rather glad I can get home easily; I can imagine how hard it must be."
Arim nodded. "We've been away for just as long, but she's so young and has gone through so much... I understand it's especially hard on her."
"Where are you from?," Cam asked the fateful question.
The whole team looked at each other, then everyone turned their looks at Golden Growlithe, who in turn looked at Glyph.
"I don't think you've heard of that place," Glyph finally said.
Cam blinked. "...Okay, fair enough."
"You guys are digging your own grave," Tsunami scolded the helpless group. "Everyone here is friendly anyway... Luckily."
"It's called Bei..." GG finally decided to say. "More precisely Arinim."
"Oooh... that sounds cool," Mona lightened up the mood.
"It is!," Linyi joined her. "It has beautiful flowers and sweet fruits and a river! And there are caves too, but sometimes there are bad things in caves. But they say there are bad things in caves here too."
Mona turned to Previsiona. "I wanna go! I wanna go!"
"Be careful what you wish for," Gabi warned her. "You may get it. I ended up there a few times and I don't even know how."
"Right, that was weirder than the Pacing Ponyta hotel," Caledor remarked. I noticed Glyph smile briefly.
"Did I miss something? How did you end up there without knowing how? Were you unconscious?," Cam asked, confused.
"She was unconscious the last time, and under a lot of stress the first time. She gave those of us who stayed here a big scare," Tsunami told him.
"Ah, okay, that makes more sense," Cam accepted the answer.
"It still doesn't make sense to me, that's why I rarely talk about it," Gabi said. "But it may mean something. I just don't know what... And right now I must admit I'm more concerned with the more immediate crises."
"Right, right," Cam accepted. "Okay. So we're agreed on going to the town, then?"
"I guess so," said Gabi.
Some of us nodded.
Mona jumped off of Cam's back and started poking Bobbery. "C'mon, Bobbery, it's time to go."
The Snorlax woke up suddenly. "Guh? Huh? Oh... hi, guys," he yawned. "Right, I'm good."

<Gabi's POV>

We started heading toward the nearest town, whose outline we could see in the distance.
"So what's the name of this town?," asked Cambiamente.
Kurtzwick snorted. "Maybe you should have done some more research before coming here."
"I assume you did, right?," Hero pestered him.
"'Course I did. Tor Elyr, right?," Kurtzwick tried.
"Tor Elyr is further North," I told him. "This is... " she searched her available sources, "apparently not on my map! How helpful this is. Then again, a similar publication once said there were no cities in Eataine save for Lothern, just fishermen villages. Either this is all ridiculously outdated, or awfully biased."
Mona stuck her tongue out at Kurtzwick, who scowled in response.
"So... we don't know what this place is?," Bobbery concluded.
"Sorry, we should ask when we see someone," I suggested, feeling quite embarrassed.
"And someone should update the maps and brochures," Eshree added, "this speaks really badly of the Guild."
"These are Guild maps? You'd think they'd be a little more specific... especially if they're sending people out to these areas," complained Previsiona.
"It's probably an old map they had lying around," I said. "I doubt they had time to print new ones."
"If ya need new maps... I can 'procure' some when we hit town," offered Kurtzwick.
"Sure you can, you don't have to remind us," Tsunami told him. I was thinking something along the same lines.
"Did I miss anything?," asked Eshree.
"Nothing you'd rather know, really," I replied.
Kurtzwick scowled again, but said nothing.

We reached the town in relative silence, and then started looking around.
"So... where here should we hit first?," asked Bobbery.
"Maybe we should try to find a bar or something?," I suggested. "Or we could try asking someone on the street, but that would be awkward and I must admit I'm not good at it."
"Not to mention it might be sort of intimidating," Cam pointed out. "I mean, someone walks up to you in the street with some 10 Pokemon... I'd think I was being mugged."
Bobbery glanced around and pointed to a nearby building. "Well, there's a bar right over there, so should we head in?"
Glyph stopped looking around, and turned his attention to the bar Bobbery had pointed at. "That could work. I don't see any better place to start right now."
"Well then," Bobbery walked over and opened the door. "After you."
Hero Quick-Attacked his way in. "Before you."
"And he complains about me sticking to old habits? Let's just go in", Tsunami mocked him before following him.
Cambiamente transformed back into a Ditto, causing Mona and Kurtzwick to fall off of his back. "Ahh. Much better", he said as he entered, with Mona and Kurtzwick glaring at him.

The rest of us soon followed. There were few people at the tables, but then again, it was a bit early. We stood near the counter to discuss our next step.
"Right-o, I got some maps," Kurtzwick announced, immediately handing them out.
It was scary, I hadn't even noticed him leaving the group. He spoke as he glanced at one of the new maps.
"According to this, we're in Sybyll."
"Where did you get those maps from, Kurtzwick?," inquired Previsiona.
"The travel agency across the street had 'em out for free," he saved his skin.
"...Okay, I guess that's fine," the Castform accepted.
"Sounds feasible," I agreed, willing to give him a chance but sure he would soon waste it. "So now what?"
"I guess we try and ask one of the people here where this dragon is..." suggested Cam. "I think that would be a task better reserved for the humans in our group."
"I was afraid so," I shivered.
"Well, they won't understand us," Cam pointed out the obvious, making me feel even worse.
"What are you afraid of?," Eshree increased the pressure. "We won't get hurt by just asking. I've heard you've done far more dangerous things in the past."

I sighed. It wasn't nice to expose my shyness. Lady Vulpix could not be shy. But before being Lady Vulpix, I was Gabi. I was and would always be Gabi. Everyone has defects. I'd have to trust them to accept mine.
"This is different," I told them. "I just don't know what to say. Danger I can deal with, as long as I know what to do."
"Who would have thought so?," Eshree looked surprised, but soon became helpful and decided to work with what he had. "I guess I'll ask, then."
"You should try asking the bartender... it'd probably be less awkward than randomly asking one of the patrons," Bobbery suggested.
I let my breath out quietly. The moment of tension was gone; the problem was getting solved. I'd have to thank Eshree later.
"Maybe we should have something to drink or eat, that would make him more willing to answer," Amber proposed.
Bobbery replied with a wide grin, and Eshree with a half-hearted smile.
"Alright, I can do that too, I always end up fetching drinks for others anyway. What does everyone want?"
"Pink stuff!!," Mona jumped at the chance.
"Mona, dear, I don't think they have that," Previsiona told her.
No, they wouldn't, I thought, unless Beckham the Wartortle secretly worked there.
"Water will be fine," Kurtzwick said.
"I'll pass. Thank you, though," Cam kindly rejected the offer.
"I'll have root beer... and a couple a' sandwiches. Maybe a salad too," Bobbery requested with another wide grin.
"I don't want to abuse..." I told Eshree, "but if you don't mind, I would like some..."
"...tea?," Tsunami interrupted me. I loved him, but he could certainly be annoying sometimes.
"We all know you know, ok?," I sighed.
"Sure," Eshree smiled. "A cup of tea for you."
"I guess I could have one too," Amber requested.
"And I'll have some water since we're at it," Tsunami added.
Eshree looked at the rest of the group and, since no one else said anything, he turned towards the counter.
"Ok, there I go."
"Thank you!," Previsiona said.

We went to look for a table. None was big enough for the whole group, so we had to push two tables together. Shortly after we sat down, Eshree started coming, carrying a plate with everything on it, carefully trying not to spill anything. Amber met him on the way to the table and offered her help, lifting it up and bringing it the rest of the way with more stability. Bobbery offered a quick "Thank you" and immediately tore into his food. The rest of his team did approximately the same, only with a great deal more restraint. I handed Tsunami the water and picked my cup of tea.
"Thanks," I said to Eshree and Amber. "How did it go?"
"He didn't seem to know much more than the others," Eshree answered, "but he seemed glad that someone was finally going to do something. He said some pokemon had been attacking travelers apparently at random, and there are rumors that something strange is going on at the mountain."
"Well, we pretty much knew all that, didn't we?," Kurtzwick remarked.
"I hadn't heard of the random attacks, but they always seem to happen when something goes wrong," I said.
"Hm. I just assumed that since there's a crazy dragon and a fanatical following, there were probably some attacks," Kurtzwick reflected.
"Yes, but what is it that she wants?," Amber wondered. "Besides tainting White Mountain, what's her goal? And why hasn't she done anything to achieve it yet?"
"That's something we'll try to find out. Maybe if we meet some of her followers, we can get something out of them," I suggested.
"But as far as we know, they're just somewhere on the mountain?," Bobbery noted.
"Yes, that's what all the sources seem to agree on," Eshree said.
"And I would have to agree as well," Glyph commented. "All this time I've been picking up strange vibrations from the mountain. Nothing like the PWEs at the lab, but something... unusual. Like to very rare kinds of energy getting tangled, maybe even fighting without either of them prevailing. I can pinpoint their exact source, though. I've been trying all this time. But they seem to come from the mountain."
"Ok, that was cryptic," said his teammate Glice, "but coming from you I could say it was a little direct, even."
"We're dealing with what may be a great threat," replied the mysterious Espeon. "It's not a time for games. I have to be direct about this."
"Rare energy? What do you mean?," asked Cambiamente.
"So the whole mystery thing is just a game? You should have told me, we could have played together!," Caledor missed the point.
"Not now, Golden. I don't know exactly what it is, it just feels... strange. Mystical, I think," Glyph replied.
"That's Caledor, not Golden," Kurtzwick told him, but Caledor explained.
"That's his nickname for me."
"I've felt something like that before, while I was on the mountain. I can't say if it was just one kind of energy, or two, or more, but there was something special about it. I also used to feel it around... Someone who came from here," I sighed. "Now that I think of it, it's not only Yssera's followers who may cause us trouble if we go up the mountain."
"What do you mean?," asked Arim.
"Really? Who?," queried Bobbery at about the same time.
"I mean there's someone up there who trusted me and I let him down. He has every reason to hate me now," I explained. I felt so guilty that I was almost glad Lagi wasn't around to sense it. But of course she knew. Lagi always knew.
"It was not your fault," Amber told me. "If anything, it was Yssera's fault. You couldn't have foreseen it."
"Stop confusing everyone, will you?," Tsunami scolded us both before turning to the others. "Have you guys heard about the pegasi?"
"Pegasi? Aside from little bits of information here and there, no," Cam replied.
"I heard rumors about them. I don't know how many of them are real," Glyph commented.
"I don't know what all the rumors say, but the pegasi are real alright," Tsunami assured. "There's a whole herd of them living on the mountain, though they rarely let anyone see them."
"From the way you're telling it, I take it you've seen them," deduced Glyph.
"We only got to see one of them. He seemed to be the leader. And his daughter, but she wasn't exactly a pegasus."
"She was half Ponyta," I picked up the explanation. "And half Rapidash after she evolved. But she had wings, and had that special aura around her. She made me feel better just by looking at her. Now I feel worse just by thinking of her. I could laugh if I didn't feel so awful."
"Why do you feel worse?," Previsiona asked me.
"Because I practically delivered her straight into Yssera's hands."
I lowered my head and held it with my left hand. Guilt was the most horrible feeling I knew.
"Did you even know about Yssera at that time?," Tsunami tried to make a point.
"No, but I was still stupid. Her father trusted me. He told me his daughter wanted to find a trainer and asked me to choose a good one for her. And I couldn't have made a worse choice!"
"Don't get too down over it," Cam advised me. "We came here to take out Yssera, right? We can rescue her too."
"If it's not too late for her already. But thanks for your support. If there's anything I can do to bring her back, and everyone else, I will do it. I'm just not sure if there is a way."
"Of course there's a way," said Bobbery, leaning back on his chair and surprisingly not falling. "There's a way to do everything; you just have to find it." He yawned.
"Thanks. I just hope you're right," I said..
"If there's a way, we won't find it by idling here," Ventura remarked. "I think we should go back to the mountain and start searching."
Hero yawned. "I think you're right, this was supposed to be a dangerous mission, but so far it's been the most boring one we've had. No offense."
"There could be worse things than having a relatively safe mission, you know," Previsiona pointed out.
"It's not the safety that bothers me. It's the whole sitting around and doing nothing I can't stand," Hero clarified.
"I, for one, adventure better on a full stomach, thank you," commented Bobbery.
"Well, I adventure better on my four legs," Hero retorted. "Is everyone finished?"
"Almost. My tea's still hot. I can't drink it quickly," I told him.
"I'm good to go whenever you are," Bobbery said.
"Just another sip... There. All done," I finished my cup.
Kurtzwick finished his water at about the same time. "Okay, I'm ready."
"So who's paying for this?," asked Kurtzwick.
"Since when do you care about that?," Tsunami questioned him.
"Since I wanted to be sure nobody expected me to foot the tab."
"Why would anyone expect that of you...?," Previsiona queried.
Kurtzwick shifted his eyes. "No reason."
"Hrmm," the Castform snorted.
"If you're asking about our tea break, that would be me, unless I can justify it as being necessary for the mission," I answered.
"Just tell the Guild you stopped somewhere for refueling. That'll work," Kurtzwick suggested.
"Hard to do when they pay for your train tickets," I told him.
The Dratini scowled. "Hmmm... Tell 'em it was an integral part of maintaining strength, fitness, and security in order to be adequately prepared should you encounter a hostile force."
"Or you could also tell them we stopped at the bar to gather information and had to consume something to justify our stay there. It's true, after all," suggested Amber.
Kurtzwick blinked. "...Oh."
I chuckled. "Sometimes telling the truth works better than lying. Well, for me it does, anyway. I'm a terrible liar."
"Not nearly as bad as Lagi," Tsunami commented.
"In all fairness, I wasn't actually lying..." Kurtzwick defended himself.
"True, it was refreshing," Tsunami conceded.
"I wonder how Lagi's doing. It feels odd not to have her around," I said.
"Where is she, anyway?," asked Previsiona.
"She's out trying to find herself or something," Hero replied. "I'm sure she'll be fine. If someone other than me can take care of herself, that's Lagi."
"Can't stop bragging for your life, can you?," Tsunami teased him. "Anyway, you're right about one thing. She's good at taking care of herself. She tends to take care of everything and everyone."
"I can stop bragging if I want to," Hero claimed. "But it would be no fun."

Once we were all done, I got up to pay for everything, and then returned to the table to fetch the others. Previsiona thanked me.
"No problem," I said. "Where shall we go from here?"
"Well, I sorta doubt that anyone else in this town will have too much more information," Bobbery noted. "Maybe we ought to make our way to the stadium?"
I nodded. "That place brings me a lot of memories, but I guess it's as good a place as any to begin our search."
"Right then," Cam dropped from his chair. "Shall we be off?"
"We'd better!," Hero put an end to the discussion.

<Pidgeot's POV>

I was edgy, can't deny that. Maybe that was why our overall predictability had been bothering me so much. It was something any opponent could easily take advantage of. But then again, I was always edgy when we were on our way to face some great evil. Who wouldn't be? The world was plagued with threats like Team Rocket, whom I knew too well and despised just as much, and if that wasnot enough, we were now being haunted by some evil we didn't even know much about; which meant that if she knew about us, she already had a great advantage over us. I tried to calm down by reminding myself that a direct confrontation wasn't intended at this stage. We were just trying to find out more about her... to level the field, even up the odds as much as we could. We'd certainly done harder things in the past, and it was no used getting terribly anxious about it. Anxiety only made things harder.

I tried to think of something else. I looked at the mountain whose base we were reaching at that moment, and my mind was flooded by memories of the first time I'd been there.

"I wonder how much the place has changed," I commented. "They had to rebuild the arena once while we were there, remember? I wonder how many times it's been rebuilt."
"Probably as many times as the battlers were careless with their Earthquakes," Tsunami contributed.
"I carried a few trainers up the mountain back then," I recalled. "It was funny to see their reactions when they saw me. Some thought I was simply a hired service, and one trainer said some funny things about how shocked and honored he was that Gabi would lend him her Pidgeot. Tsk."
"Do you remember who that was?," Tsunami asked me.
I tried to remember. "Someone I didn't know at the time... I didn't get to look at him much, I had to focus on going up the mountain with his heavy team on my back. But now that I think of it..." I suddenly realized I was entering dangerous grounds and tried to dismiss the thought before it was too late. "Nah, it couldn't be."
"Eh? Who?," Cam had to ask.
"Yes, who?," Tsunami insisted.
"I'm not quite sure..." I thought of a way to make this as light as possible on Gabi as I spoke. "I don't want to say it was him when it may not have been, and I may have spoken too much already."
"Hey, everyone's cryptic today! Even Glyph said it was no time for games!," complained Caledor. Why could no one take the hint to drop the subject?
"Was it Ryan?," Gabi asked. That did it.
I looked at her, not knowing how to reply. It had to be him, but I hadn't known him much at that time, it might have been someone else. I made an effort to remember more.
"Might be," I finally said. "He was new to me, but he had quite a heavy team and I remember he was especially caring towards the pokemon who was battling for him. When I say especially caring I mean that he acted like..."
"Like you act around Water Angel?," Tsunami couldn't help himself. I wouldn't fall into his game this time.
"I would have been surprised if you hadn't said that. You've become predictable, Tsunami. Too predictable."
"I remember he seemed to have special feelings for Diana, and he used to say the corniest things." Gabi snorted and shook her head. "It might have been him. Was his pokemon a Meganium?"
"Could be. I remember it was heavy," I told her.
"So he said that, eh?," Gabi smiled with reminiscence. That, I wasn't expecting. "We hardly even knew each other by then. But when his first battle was announced his whole team became mentally linked somehow and I felt it. Why are those memories coming to me now?"
"Maybe because you're back at the place where those things happened?," Tsunami suggested.
"No need to be sarcastic. What I mean is... Why now, after all these years?"
"I think I know what you mean. It's not the memories. It's the feeling, isn't it?," Amber asked her.
"Yes... Yes, it is. I hate it. I hate this whole situation. I hate Yssera." Gabi looked as if she could start crying at any moment.
"Err... sorry to interrupt, but who's Ryan?," queried Bobbery.
"He was one of Yssera's victims," Amber answered. "He and Gabi were... quite close."
"...Ooh. Sorry."
"It's ok," said Gabi. "It's been a long time... I'm just sorry I never got to know what would have happened if he had never found her. And I'm sorry about what happened to him and his team. One of them was Edie, Lagi's first daughter. That's why Lagi didn't come here, she felt it might be more than her heart could endure."
"Well, maybe they can be rescued during this mission. You never know," Cam tried to console her.
"That's what I've been wishing during the last few days. Though a part of me tells me this is not a fairy tale. We can't expect all the damage to be undone just by defeating a monster, even if we do find a way to get rid of her."
"No, we can't expect everything to be fixed. But it's a start," Previsiona remarked.
"Indeed," agreed Arim. "If we work together, I'm sure we can achieve something. And who knows? Maybe you'll even get the help of a fairy or two." She winked an eye.
"No calling me a fortune fairy, I warn you," Ventura spat out. "I'm done with you guys doing that."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you when I called you that," Golden Growlithe apologized. "I was just trying to test your concentration. Besides it was the only way Glice could stand a chance against you. No offense, Glice. And you still won."
"I still think it was dirty," Ventura complained. "Let Glice fight his own battles."
"Come on, that was over a year ago! And I think I've apologized for that already. If not, I'm sorry, ok?"
"I guess that's... acceptable," Ventura chuckled, something she didn't do everyday.
Kurtzwick raised an eyebrow. "What, pray tell, is a 'fortune fairy'?"
Arim pointed to Ventura. "You're looking at her. Ouch!"
"I warned you. You had it coming," Ventura justified whatever she'd just done to her.
"Not fair, I didn't attack you," claimed Arim.
"What do you call it then? I told you not to do something and you did it."
"That's disobedience at most, not an attack. And I have no reason to obey you just because you say so."
"Then I have no reason not to get back at you. It was just a Psybeam anyway, I wasn't trying to hurt you, just to get my message through."
"Well, your message is painful. You should learn other ways to deal with things without resorting to violence. And besides, we should be working together, not fighting."
"That much is true," Gabi agreed. "Can we all get along, please? This mission's already hard and dangerous as it is."
"Of course. We'll sort it out later," Ventura accepted without conceding defeat. "And Kurtzwick, there's no such thing as a fortune fairy. Not on this world, anyway."
"Okay," Kurtzwick seemed to accept but then mumbled something under his breath.
"You never know... Maybe they're just very good at hiding," Glyph joked. Or at least I thought he did.
"Okay, okay... let's not get into an argument over this, huh?," Previsiona tried to stop another quarrel.
"I wasn't going to," said Ventura.
"I'd be surprised if they existed anyway," GG commented. "I must admit I made that phrase up myself. It's just that I heard Ventura's name meant fortune, and... well..."
"Okay, don't we have anything better to talk about?," Gabi glared at everyone.
For a while, there was silence.

"Erm... how far is the stadium from here?," Kurtzwick finally found a subject.
"It's up there. You can see it from here," I told him.
"If you're a Pidgeot," Tsunami said.
"I see it too," Gabi corrected him.
"Ok, if you're a Pidgeot or Gabi," Tsunami patched up his statement.
Cam transformed into a Pidgeot and flew up a bit. "Wow... this place looks pretty cool."
"It does, doesn't it?," agreed Gabi. "I thought it was beautiful the first time I saw it. It inspired me to host the Pegasus Games."
"Hold on, something's moving towards us," Ventura warned us.
Bobbery stepped out in front and tried to sound intimidating. "Show yourself!"
At the sound of Bobbery's voice, a Corsola stepped into view.
"Who are you?," Bobbery queried in a more normal tone.
"That is... irrelevant," the Corsola replied.
"Hold on. What's that supposed to mean?!," Kurtzwick questioned.
The Corsola didn'treply.
"Okay, let's try it this way. Do you need anything?," asked Bobbery.

At that moment, something small and purple came flying fast towards us and collided with the back of Bobbery's head. The Snorlax, caught off-guard, was sent toppling over, which caused slight tremors in the ground. It was a good thing that no one was in the way.

The 'projectile' rose above its target and floated over to the Corsola's side. It looked vaguely like a hook with a big eye inside. I recognized it as an Unown, though its shape wasn't one I'd seen before. Then again, I knew the shapes of Unowns varied a lot.

"Intruders. Go back from whence you came. You do not belong here," the Unown failed to sound threatening.
"Suddenly, I think I know who these guys are working for," Cam commented in a low voice.
"Really? What tipped you off?," Hero teased him. "I'm debating whether we should scare them away or knock them out."
"Neither of those things would help us learn anything more than what we already know," Gabi told him.
"Gabi, what do you suggest we do, then? Just turn around and leave?," asked Cam.
"I don't know. Maybe we should try to find out what it is that they want."
Bobbery scowled and picked himself back up. "Okay... what is it that you guys want from us?"
"We want nothing from you..." said the Corsola, "we instead merely offer you two choices. You have the option before you to achieve enlightenment and paradise... or you can halt your progress now and leave."
"Enlightenment and paradise?," Sylvan sounded shocked. "Is that what you think you've reached? My idea of paradise doesn't involve attacking everyone who happens to pass by."
"My idea of paradise wouldn't involve attacking anyone at all," added Amber.
"We do not attack. We merely... negotiate," the Corsola replied. "I would apologize for the clumsiness of my comrade, however."
"What do you want to negotiate?," Gabi queried.
"We have stated our terms. Join us... or leave. The rest is up to you."
"Join you for what?," Gabi insisted. "To help Yssera feed on more helpless souls? Destroy more lives? What kind of goal is that?"
"You make it sound so negative..." answered the Corsola, "all our mistress wishes is our well-being and happiness."
At that point Gabi seemed to explode. "Ryan is so happy, isn't he? And Edie. And Pegasus. And Sandy. And Charla. And Hilarity. No, wait, those aren't their names anymore. They're not even themselves anymore!"
"Names are immaterial. However, should you wish to see them, all you need is to come with us..."
"So that you can do the same to us? No, thanks."
"You forgot Diana," Tsunami made an unnecessary addition to the list.
Gabi nodded. "And Diana, and everyone else whose names I never knew."
"...Well, then. That is your decision, and we respect it. However, since you do not wish to join us, we kindly ask that you depart. Now."
"Sorry. That's not going to happen," Hero confronted the pair. "See, we have some goals too. And they happen to be our own, not someone else's."
"I do not believe you fully appreciate your situation," the Unown remarked. "We are offering you a chance to leave before we have to make you do it ourselves."
"Look around you, will you? You're clearly outnumbered and overpowered," Hero pointed out. "What are you planning to do?"
"...We will do what we must. Do not underestimate us," the Unown answered.
"Yeah? Just try me," Bobbery dared it.
Mona braced herself for a battle next to her teammate.
"You will not leave? Then... suffer!," the Corsola shouted before issuing the first attack. Spinning around, Yssera's follower shot an Ice Beam at Bobbery, who had his next move ready by the time he was hit.

<Sylvan's POV>

So this was what it all boiled up to. Talking never worked with our enemies. No matter who they were, they all had that in common. We always had to fight. I watched quietly as Mona and Bobbery battled the Corsola and the Unown. Our friends seemed to have the upper hand. Then at the last minute, the Corsola got frustrated and exploded. That was quite a stupid move. It would be a stupid move under any circumstances, but this time it also caused Yssera's team their defeat. Although, for some reason, the Unown recovered quite quickly and fled before we could react.

Bobbery and Mona looked battered, but conscious. I approached them and asked whether everyone was alright.
"Ooogh..." Bobbery swayed, barely managing to stay on his feet. "I'll live. That wasn't fun."
Mona held her head. "I'm... okay."
Amber sighed. "At least we know we're on the right track. Should we try to follow the Unown?"
"Well, if they're grunts of Yssera, they may be able to lead us to more useful information," remarked Cambiamente.
"Whatever we do, I'm not fighting again," Mona coughed up soot.
"Maybe we should try Kirei's method," Caledor suggested. "It worked for her back in Templa Taure."
"Oh? What method's that?," asked Previsiona.
"Kirei had a method?," Hero sounded less trusting.
"It's called 'follow the magic Espeon'," Caledor beamed, stepping forward. "Of course we've never come to an agreement about which one of us that was."
"It figures," by the sound of Cam's voice I thought he would have slapped his face if he'd currently had hands.
"Well, she guided us to the temple," Caledor stood for his plan, "and I have a feeling about the direction the Unown was heading, but if we don't hurry, I may lose it."
"Well then, we should go," said Previsiona.

Caledor trotted forward, and the rest of us followed. We went on for a while, until we noticed a group of bird pokemon hovering above us. Three, to be precise. As they got close, we could see they were a Fearow, a Swablu, and an Altaria.
"They're closing in on us," Pidgeot noted. "It looks like we've found more trouble."
"Let me go up and check," Amber requested. "They might be explorers like us."
"What are the odds?," Pidgeot wondered.
"Well, it can't hurt to check...," Cam remarked.
"I'll be right back," Amber assured.
She flew up to meet the group, and the Altaria shot a Dragon Breath at her as her only greeting. That made me furious.

"Are you okay?!," Previsiona shouted up at Amber.
"I'm fine, just a bit shaken!," Amber replied, before turning to face the Altaria. "Why do you attack me?"
"Don't act like you don't know," The altaria spat out. "One of our comrades told us about you. We know what you're trying to do, and we're not letting you go any further."
I thought I heard Kurtzwick mutter something, but I was too worried to pay attention.
"Is that what you all do when you find someone who doesn't agree with you?," Amber questioned the blue bird. "Try to beat them down and hope the problem goes away?"
"Only when they're stupid enough to defy us," the Altaria shot back. I could feel the tension building.
"What do we do with the others, mom?," asked the Swablu.
"Take them down unless they change their minds," the Altaria instructed.
For some reason it was hard to picture them as being mother and son.
"They're too many," the Swablu noted.
"Don't worry, Darkstream's on his way here, and if that's not enough more of us will come," his mother assured. "They'll never find the Mistress. Not unless it's on her terms."
"Who's Darkstream?," Cam asked no one in particular.
"I am," A Gengar suddenly appeared right above him. I think Cam went pale for a moment.
"...Oh."
"Are these intruders giving you trouble?," Darkstream asked his companions.
"Not quite yet," said the Altaria, "but you're welcome to join the fight. With all of us together they shouldn't last long."
"I just don't see why all this has to happen," I said mostly to myself.
"Why can't we all be friends, right?," the Gengar mocked me. "I've heard that before. Face it, girl. The world is cruel. Life is unfair. All we can do is fight as hard as we can to make it better. And here and now, you are trying to stop us from doing that. So there; that's why all this has to happen."
"Hmph. 'Better' is a subjective term," Kurtzwick remarked.
"Definitely," I agreed. "Attacking others who have done no harm to you... and worse, luring others with false promises and taking away their essence, who they really are... That's one of the most awful things I can imagine anyone could do. Just how can that help make anything better?"
"Of course you can't get it. You're feeble and full of insecurities... I can see it in your eyes. Is that who you are? All our Mistress did was take that away from us. She's made us stronger, helped us realize and achieve our true potential. She could do the same for you. It seems to me that you could become quite powerful without all those fears and worries. You have a strong body, but your spirit is week. She could strengthen it."
It felt as if the Gengar were looking inside me. I was scared to the bones, but one thing I was sure about, and it was that what he offered was far worse than any alternative.
"Oh yeah? Step over here and call me weak again! I dare you!," Bobbery shouted at him.
"I was calling her weak. But I could just as well do the same for you. Do you really think you can battle me? You look quite worn out to me."
Bobbery scowled.
It was personal, then. That got to me even more. My fear was starting to be replaced by a focused rage.
"I'm not weak. I have nothing to prove to you," I stated.
"Of course you have nothing to prove to me," he replied. "The thing is... you don't believe yourself, do you?"
"Quit bothering her!," Amber defended me. "She's the nicest and sweetest pokemon you'll ever meet. She doesn't deserve your scorn."
I looked up at her, and for a brief moment everything felt better. I'd always known she cared about me, of course, but I hadn't known she cared that much. Maybe, just maybe...
My thoughts were interrupted by the Gengar's chuckle. "Childish pokemon sticking for each other. Where have I seen that before? I seem to recall a time..."
"Does it matter?," the Altaria hurried him. "It's clear that they don't want to be on our side. That means they're against us. We must stop them."
"Leave me a second, will you? I'm trying to remember," he shrugged her off.
"That would happen anywhere where decent pokemon are," Amber stated. "Though I reckon you haven't seen any lately. Not any you haven't attacked immediately anyway."
"I have it on the tip of my tongue," he ignored her. "A place with the corniest name... Pokemon used to think it was like heaven or something, but all they did was hide and try to keep bullies at bay."
It dawned on me.
"You can't be talking about Paradise Valley!"
"Oh! That's it! You know it, then. I shouldn't be surprised," the Gengar said with his usual scorn.
"I was born there," I let him know. "But I don't recall seeing anyone as hateful as you in there. Even the bullies you speak of seemed to at least care for each other in their own way."
"Born there?," He seemed to think for a moment. "Yes... There was a couple of Ivysaurs with two Bulbasaur kids. The parents seemed to think they were the guardians of the valley or something, but the boy was too impulsive and the girl was a wreck... scared of her own shadow, as I recall."
"Well, you recall wrong," I defended myself. I was furious now. "Did Yssera mess up your memories too? I have never been scared of something as harmless as a shadow."
"You were the little one?," he laughed. "Things keep getting better! Time has made you much bigger, but not any smarter, as far as I can see. I was speaking metaphorically. You were afraid of just about anything. And if you weren't so angry you'd realize you're still afraid."
"I remember a Gastly who came to the valley once," Amber revealed. "He had got lost, and was alone and hungry. We fed him and helped him find his way back home after he stayed with us for a few days. Well, my mum did. Were you that Gastly?"
"Hardly. The part of me that used to be so lame and helpless is long gone," Darkstream replied. "But that must mean you are..."
Amber looked at him expectantly. I could feel an insult coming. "Just let him dare," I thought.
"...The idiot who named everyone after fruits!," he finally said.
I'd been expecting something worse. Maybe something related to her kind and generous personality.
"Idiot, eh? You seemed to like the name I gave you. After all, you can't trick anyone into believing that Darkstream is not a deformation of Blackcurrant,". Amber grinned. She was clearly winning the duel of wits.
Darkstream blushed deeply, then looked at the Altaria. "You were right, talking is useless. There's no choice but to fight."
Mona sighed. "Not again..."

At that moment a Dewgong came out of a pokeball on Golden Growlithe's belt and spoke out. "I've been listening... To many things. We'll all have to talk later, but for now I'm here to help."
"You must mean you're here to fall," the Fearow told him. "I'm tired of waiting."
I took a fighting stance. It was clear by now that a battle was not only unavoidable, but imminent.

Level 53 Charizard & Venusaur vs. level 55 Gengar & Altaria... plus 2 side-battles

Darkstream threw a Shadow Ball at me at about the same time as the Fearow plunged down to attack the Dewgong with a Drill Peck. The Shadow Ball didn't really hurt much, but I felt something weaken inside me as it phased through my body. "I'm not letting that stop me," I thought. "I'm not letting anything stop me. There's too much at stake."

Amber closed in on the Altaria and hit her with a Wing Attack. I ran through my choices, and realized I didn't have many. So I attacked Darkstream with my Hidden Power and hoped for the best.

The Dewgong shot an Ice Beam at the Fearow. I heard is buzz past and hit its target. The beam landed on the Fearow's chest, blowing out the air from his lungs and apparently hurting it badly.
"I've heard your proposal, now listen to mine," the Dewgong began. "Stop this now and let us go. Otherwise you're getting another shot. And your mistress will have a lot to answer for either way."
"Who do you think you are?," the Fearow released some air, trying to get his muscles ready to attack again.

By then the Swablu, who had been hovering around while trying to choose a suitable target, finally decided to go for Arim, and hit her with an Aerial Ace. She picked him up and threw him down to the ground with her Strength. I smiled. I thought I'd recognized the move she was using while she carried her Glalie friend around all day long. The Swablu got back up quickly, though.

I know, I shouldn't have got distracted, watching others fight. I knew it at the moment I saw Darkstream's grin, but by then it was too late. The Confuse Ray he shot at me hit me straight on, and I was invaded by the all-too familiar sensation of coherence fading out and the world rushing away and leaving me behind. I thought I heard the sound of a Flamethrower. Then Previsiona's voice came to me.
"Sylvan! Are you all right?"
At least I could make out sounds rather clearly. That was a good sign. But everything else was fuzzy and made no sense.
"Ask me when this is over," I answered.

<Ventura's POV>

The Fearow managed to catch its breath again and performed a Tri-attack on Orknye. Then the Altaria hit Amber from behind with a Dragon Claw. Sylvan closed her eyes and shakes her head. She couldn't seem to figure out what to do. I was worried about her. I had to do something. I thought quickly and the image of Water Angel came to my mind. Maybe Sylvan could get rid of her confusion by using her Hidden Power, just like she did. I tried to send her a psychic pulse with the image, concentrating hard to prevent it from getting jumbled.
Sylvan looked at me. "Don't. Just... Don't," she mumbled.
Cambiamente gave me a questioning look.
"I was just trying to give her advice, that's all," I explained. "But she's too stubborn to accept it."
"I've seen you two fight about that before," Gabi told me. "We'll have to sort it out later, but now's definitely not a good time. Let her do what she feels is best."

"Let's get this over with once and for all," Orknye decided. The Dewgong shot a second Ice Beam at the Fearow, who squealed and fell.

The Swablu tried a different approach. He hovered above Arim and started singing. The Clefairy began to doze off.
"No, wake up!," Iael shouted at her, but it was clear she couldn't hear him.
"Relax," Orknye reassured him. "She knows Sleep Talk and she's not alone."
The Dewgong closed his eyes. I was intrigued as to what he was about to do. Something related to his Psychic type Hidden Power, I thought. I wished I had Gabi's stone to appreciate it better.

Arim started slapping up the Swablu in her sleep, not that it did much.

"Can we switch targets?," the Altaria asked the Gengar. "I have something for the timorous one."
"Sure. I'd rather attack someone who knows what's hitting them," Darkstream cast a Night Shade on Amber, who retaliated with a second Flamethrower.

Darkstream didn't get the chance to see what the Altaria had in mind. Amber's attack was stronger than he'd expected. He grimaced, and faded out of sight.

<Sylvan's POV>

I managed to get enough focus for an attack, and shot out a stream of water, which hit the Altaria and literally washed my confusion away. As far as the Altaria went, however, the attack barely managed to slow her down. She hit me with an Aerial Ace, which caused me to wince a little but didn't do as much damage as she had expected, as I could tell from her expression. I was grateful for my 4-leaf clover, and also for Ventura's help. I hadn't understood what she had meant at first, and her psychic pulse had made it harder for me to sort out my thoughts, but once I realized what she had meant, I wanted to thank her.
"Thanks for your concern, everyone, and sorry I snapped at you, Ventura," I thanked and apologized as it was due.
"No worries, just focus. The battle isn't over yet," Ventura reminded me.
"Damn right it isn't!," the Swablu exclaimed. He used the same move as his mother, but aimed it at Arim.
Then I reminded myself to stop looking at whoever spoke out and focus on my own fight.

<Hero's POV>

Kurtzwick made a comment about the Swablu's exclamation. "Wow, foul mouth on that one."
I found that quite funny. "He's trying to help a crazy dragon steal souls and attacking everyone who disagrees with him, and you worry about his language?"
"Geez, chill, man. Just pointing something out; no need to get upset," he told me.
"Not upset... Just puzzled by your priorities," I clarified.
"Since when have we not been puzzled by his priorities?," Cam pointed out.
"Good point," I conceded.

I directed my attention back to the battles unfolding before me. Arim opened her eyes, but her gaze was still lost in the distance. The Swablu saw her, and blinked. A dim light enveloped him. I wondered what that was all about, and expected to find it out soon enough.
The Altaria too looked at her son for a moment, but soon turned to look at her two opponents. She decided to take on Amber, and released a new load of Dragonbreath. Amber was pushed back for a moment, but came back shooting a Dragonbreath of her own.

Sylvan threw a Sludge Bomb at the Altaria. It was right on target, and as I soon found out, it also managed to poison her.
The Swablu used Aerial Ace on Arim again. He looked rather shocked and kept looking in all directions while his body kept going. It was then that I realized what Arim had done. And she even managed to use Strength again, and all without waking up!

<Amber's POV>

I looked at the Altaria, but didn't move. She glared back at me.
"Aren't you going to attack?," she asked me.
"No," I replied. "Just look at yourself. You look like you're about to collapse. You need help, not more blows."
"Help? Maybe, but not yours," she spat out. "So save the sappy 'stop this madness while you still can' thing, because I've heard enough of it to last a lifetime."
"Have you ever wondered why you keep hearing that?," I questioned her.
"Because your kind is stupid and unoriginal," she replied.
"Or maybe because your ways are leading you nowhere fast. What do you get from fighting us?"
"What do I get? I get to help the one creature who's given me a better life. I get to play a role in the greater scheme. I get to go one step further in the quest to release Her, and save the world from a bigger threat than you can imagine, while you're too busy fighting the wrong fight while supposedly trying to help those who don't need your help at all. So tell me now, whose goal is more noble?"

That comment really threw me off. I was about to ask what threat she was referring to, when Cam asked the question for me.

The Altaria let out a chuckle. "You have no idea, do you? Of course, you're all blind. You see no further than your own thoughts and feelings. That way you'll never grasp the big picture. You think reshaping personalities is bad? Then how bad would it be if someone destroyed everything that's sacred for everyone in the world? Because that is his goal."
"Ryan said something about a terrible and ancient threat after he returned from seeing Yssera," Gabi recalled. "When I saw what she'd done to him I thought he was delirious."
"He wasn't delirious," assured the Altaria. "His mind was clearer than yours will ever be. Unless you join us, of course. So let me tell you to stop this madness while you still can."
"Prove me wrong, then," Gabi dared her. "Who is it you're talking about?"

I could hear the sound of Arim and the Swablu hitting each other as we spoke. The Altaria didn't turn to look at them for a moment, even though it was her son who was fighting.

"You're a Dragon Tamer, right?," she tried to confirm. "According to our sources, you've met him before. And let him go, and gone back to your business because you're always worrying about your more immediate problems. Just like you knew about our Mistress for years but didn't do anything until now. That's the way you guys work... just take care of the more urgent thing, never think ahead... Never..."

She couldn't finish the sentence. The poison took its toll on her. She started panting, and soon began to fall. I hurried down and caught her in mid-air, but she was already unconscious.

Both Sylvan and I grew to level 55.

[Lady Vulpix]

<Gabi's POV>

The fight between Arim and the Swablu went on for a while, until Arim won. Amber deposited the Altaria on the ground.
"They're mother and son, but they didn't seem to worry about each other at all while they were fighting. It's scary just to think about it," she commented.
I had to agree, but something else was bugging me. "You're right... But what she said sounded too accurate to be made up. Either it was a well-designed strategy to throw us off, or there's actually some truth in it. I can't help but regret that we took so long to take action. And what's worse, we're still doing the same. We can't change that. We're dealing with more problems than we can handle."
"Uhm... did I miss something? Who was she talking about?," inquired Bobbery.
I gave him the best explanation I could express at that moment. "About two years ago, the forest of Templa Taure was attacked by an entity known as the Black Dragon. He summoned a powerful demon and several minor ones to possess all the pokemon in the forest and cause as much damage as possible. There was a temple in there. I heard it was once beautiful and inspiring, but it was a mess by the time we got there. We managed to get rid of the demons, but the Black Dragon escaped. I used to think Yssera and the Black Dragon were working together. But maybe I just wanted to think that. It would make things easier, wouldn't it? Defeat one of them and debilitate the other."
"But if they're actually rivals, defeating one might actually strengthen the other!," Amber exclaimed.
"What if we could use one of them against the other, like how we used the Rockets at the Shifting Isles to make things easier?," suggested Kurtzwick.
"That may be to dangerous," I told him. "With Team Rocket we knew what we were dealing with. If we side with either of these dragons, even for a short time, we don't know what the consequences might be for us."
"I still regret siding with Team Rocket, even for one night. Most of them are still on the loose too," Pidgeot said. I couldn't blame him.
"I know." I sat down on the floor, overwhelmed, and let my head rest on my hands. "I just wish we didn't have to deal with all these problems! Is there a way to sort everything out?"
"I've been wondering that all my life," Sylvan sympathized with me.
"We're all too stressed right now. Maybe we should go back home and plan things carefully. Have another meeting, too. We don't have to try to deal with everything on our own," Tsunami suggested.
"Is this a bad time to report that Yssera has been entering dreams lately?," Orknye dropped the bomb.
"She can do that?," Previsiona sounded as shocked as I felt.
"I'm afraid so," Orknye answered. "I've been sensing her lately. I even followed her for a while, but had to back off when I felt she was about to notice me."
"And you're not freaking everyone out..." Caledor rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, guys. He can enter dreams too, but he's one of the good guys."
"Yssera's followers would say the same about her," Amber remarked.
"True, but they wouldn't be right! Please don't compare me with her," Orknye defended himself. "I'd never do the kind of things she does! I can't do them anyway, but I wouldn't if I could."
"It's ok, I wasn't accusing you. I'm just pointing out the complexity of the situation," Amber explained.
"We all know it's a mess, no need to point it out anymore," Hero retorted.
"...You can go into dreams?," Mona sounded excited. "Cool! How?"
"Have you ever meditated?," Orknye asked her.
"Mona?," Tsunami chuckled.
Mona glares at thesharp-mouthed Vaporeon, then turned back to Orknye. "...I would need to Sketch it first."
"Not the move, just general meditation," the Dewgong explained. "Setting your mind on the right wavelength... I don't think I can explain exactly how I do it. I didn't know anyone else who could until now."
"Aww. I wanted to do it."
"I don't think I'd like to go into anyone else's dreams," Hero commented. "There's no telling what you might find."
"I don't do it very often," Orknye said. "Just when I feel something's wrong... or when my own dreams lead me to someone else."
"Like when you came to ask me what we planned to do, the night before the meeting?," I reminded him, still curious about why he'd done that.
"Right... Sorry about that. I was just worried," he apologized. "It was about that time that I started feeling Yssera's presence and didn't know what to make of it."
"It's alright, no harm done," I accepted.

"What shall we do now?," Amber queried.
"Well, we either leave or press onwards," Kurtzwick lined up the options.
"When the Altaria said we wouldn't find Yssera unless it was on her terms, do you think she meant it literally?," Glyph changed the subject abruptly. He'd been probably thinking about that all along.
"I don't know," I replied. I then turned to everyone. "Anyway, I don't think pressing onwards would be the wisest thing to do. Yssera knows what we're doing, and we have a lot of information to digest. I think we should do as Tsunami said and discuss things with others before we plan our next move."
"What, so we're heading back, then? Just back to the town or back to Sector Alpha?," Kurtzwick seemed upset.
"Do you have any better suggestions?," I asked him, honestly out of ideas.
"No. I just like to be sure about what's going on," he told me.
"So do I, but it doesn't look like we can find it out here and now," I began to give up until I thought of a possible clue. "Glyph, what do you think? Have you made any sense of the energies you said you were feeling?"
"Only that they're close," Glyph said. "One of them is REALLY close. But at the same time it doesn't seem to come from any particular direction."
"Does that mean... that the energies are surrounding us?," queried Previsiona.
"Could be, but not necessarily. Things are rarely that simple when dealing with mystical forces. Or thoughts, for that matter."
He was beginning to sound more like the Glyph we knew and were puzzled by.
"So... what does that mean for us?," Kurtzwick wanted to know.
"Honestly and bluntly... I don't know," Glyph admitted.
"You don't know?," Eshree asked, seemingly shocked.
His relationship with Glyph had always intrigued me. Sometimes it was hard to tell which of them was the trainer. A bit like me and Ventura, only that they didn't seem to fight about it. They probably had their roles sorted out better than we did.
"Contrary to popular belief, I do not, in fact, know everything," Glyph stated.
"Maybe we should go to the Pokemon Center," suggested Arim. "I've managed to heal myself a little after the battle, but I'm still tired, and it's been a hard day for everyone. We could make some plans there without having to go all the way back to Sector Alpha. We may even find other trainers there."
"Yes. Healing is good," Mona agreed. "I'm tired too; I want to sleep."
"Wouldn't sleeping so close to Yssera be dangerous?," I wondered.
"She may be able to walk into dreams, but I don't think she can change others that way. Otherwise we'd be seeing a lot more of her pawns. She could have taken everyone in Sybyll, the hotel and the stadium area," Eshree pointed out.
"Right, if she could just take someone and make them her slave, her followers wouldn't have to go through the trouble of trying to convince us or fight us," Amber added. Both arguments sounded reasonable.
"Wait, that means we do have some power over her!," Hero realized. "If we alert everyone about her, she'll have trouble recruiting more followers. They'll be harder to coax if they know what she does to those who side with her."
"Let's go to the Pokemon Center, then," I said. "We can start sharing the info that we have there. And then we can report it to the Guild when we get home. Ow..."
"What's wrong?," Tsunami asked me.
"I've just remembered I still have to type up the Ponyta report! On top of everything else!"
The phrase 'task overflow' could accurately describe how I felt at that time.
"You need a break," Tsunami stated.
"Tell that to the universe," I complained.
"I think we all need a break," Sylvan sighed. "But we're not getting it now, so we can at least try to get a few free hours."
"I can't even begin to think of how we're supposed to deal with Yssera, the Black Dragon and the blue cult. Not to mention the remnants of the Crimson Blades and Team Rocket," I released my worries to the world. "Is there anyone we can turn to?"
"Let me see..." Tsunami thought for a moment. "Abbadon, too risky. Tsuyoi, he'd want us to pay him back. Team Rocket, no way. Lord Absol: I wouldn't even try. Harims: we know hardly anything about her and don't know how to contact her. Everyone I can think of right now is not a good choice for some reason or other. Maybe we'll find someone later, when we've had some rest and can think more clearly."
"What about... what about the really old guy in that tower that Ade went to see?," Mona made a magical suggestion.
"Teclis!," I beamed, as my mood suddenly shifted. "He might actually be of help. I haven't actually seen him before, but I've been to the tower. I could find the way back there. If he knows the troubles we're in right now, he may be willing to lend a hand."
"Mona, you're great! Score one for Calebeckamonamania!," Caledor congratulated her.
Mona grinned widely.
"And I could, in fact, try to contact Harims. I think she'll want to help us too," Orknye offered.
"And if I find out what the other energy is, it could also come to our advantage," Added Glyph.
I smiled at my friends' warmth and the new possibilities that were opening up, and sighed with relief. "Thanks, all of you. It's good to suddenly realize we're not alone in this. We'll do what we can, then."
"Can we go to the Pokemon Center now?," Linyi requested. "I'm tired!"
"Yes, we should go," agreed Previsiona.

In fact we all agreed. We headed for the pokemon center, ready to relax as much as we still could, heal everyone's wounds and get some vigilant rest. Further plans could, and would, be made later. We'd already done our share for that day.

[Ace64]

Gabi: Veeery interesting. I liked how you portrayed Yssera's followers not as mindless drones, but a little like salesman or Jehovah's witnesses. Their issue wasn't fighting so much as converting, and only when they were refused did they choose to fight. I'm curious to see that despite Gabi's fear that Yssera might attempt to hurt her, it seems that her fear went unfounded. I like Darkstream- the idea of personality changes seems more possible because of him, though the fact that he took a name similiar to his old one kind of throws it off. I didn't think he would retain any knowledge of his 'old' life, but who knows. Finally, I liked the presence of Jeff's team- it makes the link to the next scenario a little smoother. Take 30 stamps.

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow, thanks! I wasn't expecting that many!
Blackcurrant wasn't his real name, it was a nickname Amber gave him. He wanted to change his name but was stumped for a choice, so he picked the old nickname and altered it to make it sound more threatening. I'm glad you liked the plot twists, I've been thinking about this whole storyline for about 2 years. I hope we can get it to a good conclusion. And I liked teaming up with Jeff's group too. It was fun to build the story with him. I hope he gets to post his side of the story soon.

As for Yssera's followers retaining knowledge of their old lives, that was the case when Ryan and his team returned from White Mountain years ago. They still remembered who they used to be, but they didn't act or feel like they used to.

[The_Missing_Link]

OOC: I requested this RBG a few months ago and I was too lazy to do it until now. It’s not as long as I’d like it to be but I think shorter battles are better sometimes. Also, I started the Tarin and Aries storyline a while ago and it really didn’t develop into anything special so I stuck the conclusion into this. It looks very out of place but that’s my mistake.


<My POV>

“Lee, just quit it!”
I turned towards Lee as he was having an argument with Aries. He was trying to get him to fess up that Tarin was his sister. No one believed Lee but he was insistent on his theory and was goading Aries incessantly.
“C’mon Aries, just say it,” Lee prodded. “I know Tarin is your sister so you might as well confess.”
“Why are you still bothering me, Lee?” Aries grumbled. “For a normally quiet and aloof Hitmonlee, you’re acting like a loud jackass.”
“You’re neither denying nor admitting it,” Lee mused. “Then she really is your sister.”
“Ok, fine. You know what, Lee? You’re right, she’s my sister. Will you leave me alone now?”
Lee took a step back, shocked by Aries’s rare outburst. But he quickly regained his step and continued talking.
“How do I know you’re just not making this up? Maybe you’re lying just to get me to shut up.”
“He’s not lying, you moron,” Tarin snapped. “Ever since we first laid eyes on each other, we just knew.”
This revelation instantly turned heads towards the Eevee and Umbreon. I guess we were all surprised that Lee was right but it was more surprising that Tarin and Aries were siblings and found each other the way they did.
“I was taken away when I was young but I was old enough to remember what my family looked like,” Aries admitted. “I suppose I forgot my old name but I could never forget my family.”
“And when we realized we were related,” Tarin continued, “we decided to keep quiet because it wasn’t such a big deal. So now that the whole thing came out, can we put this behind us?”
Lee nodded and turned away, although his eyes were crinkled in such a way that he was still celebrating his one-uppance over everyone who doubted him. I was impressed but he was still annoying so I rolled my eyes and walked away.

A few days later, I went with Orion to the RBG building for his battle. I felt guilty that I promised the team more battles but between college and its hardships, I didn’t have much time to properly train them. That’s why, with my freshman year of college completed, I decided to request a battle for Orion. Aside from Tarin, he was still not up to par with the others level-wise and I wanted him to get as much experience as he could. I knew the others were restless but they would have their turn in due time.

We entered the dull building and went to the receptionist. I announced our appointment and she dutifully crossed our names off the list as if we arrived to get our hair cut. She told us to go through the double doors and wait behind Door 1 until the red light above it stopped glowing. I nodded silently and followed her directions until we were waiting behind the door for our turn. It wasn’t long before the light turned off and the doors slid open to let us in. We walked into an enclosed normal stadium with a Mawile standing at the far end of the field with the name Macros flashing behind him in huge red letters on an electric billboard. He pointed at Orion and beckoned him forward to the middle of the arena. Orion looked back at me and only proceeded when I gave him a slight nod. He moved forward and met the Mawile in the middle. From out of nowhere, a bullhorn sounded, which made Orion flinch but obviously signaled the start of the battle.

Orion (Lv. 20 Male Cubone) vs. Macros (Lv. 20 Male Mawile)

<3rd Person>

Macros took advantage of Orion’s delay in attacking by crashing into him with an ethereal energy surrounding him. Orion stumbled back, surprised but angered.
“That was a cheap shot,” he growled.
“Doesn’t matter,” the Mawile smirked. “A battle is a battle.”
“If you want a battle, a battle is what you’ll get,” Orion responded and lifted his head up to release a jet of flames.
It caught Macros off guard and caused him to curse in pain but he wasn’t about to go down after one Flamethrower. The huge jaws above his head snapped forward and tried to get a piece of Orion but he quickly dodged out of the way to throw his club at the odd looking flytrap. It smacked it head-on causing Macros to tumble backwards. It was odd enough that Macros could support something like that but the downside to it was probably its top-heaviness.

Macros was soon able to get up and responded by opening his mouth. Orion expected something nasty coming out but instead, a pinkish mist covered the arena and surprisingly, it smelled very nice.
“Now that’s a nice attack,” Orion said slowly and then started to giggle.
If a skull didn’t cover his face, he’d probably be smiling stupidly. Macros sneered at Orion’s reaction and took advantage of his slow reflexes by shooting a beam of ice at the Cubone. Orion saw it coming but felt his reflexes move too slowly to get out of the way. The ice struck him like a slap to the face and saw it freeze the lower half of his body to the ground . He groaned after realizing that as well as the ice was sapping his health, he was completely vulnerable to any attack Macros decided to dish out.
“Too quick too soon,” Macros chuckled. “I’ve won two battles today and now this will be my prized third. And don’t even think about using that Flamethrower again. You may have caught me by surprise once but I can dodge again and again until you tire out.”
He’s probably right, Orion cringed. If I used my club or Flamethrower, he could dodge or just destroy the club. And the only other long ranged attack I could use wouldn’t have much of an effect on him. He would have to do something pretty stupid for me to get out of this one.

His sneer growing wider, Macros moved in closer and closer before his big jaws were sitting right above Orion. Orion stared up in fear but something just clicked inside his head to make him smile inside.
“Say goodnight,” Macros said and let his jaws gape open.
Orion gripped his club hard and then held it up high horizontally as the jaws came crashing down upon him. He could feel the club getting caught in its ‘throat’ but now he was surrounded by the inside of the jaws. He felt sickened but only knew one way to get out of this situation. Lifting his head up again, Orion let the flames do the talking. He heard Macros yell loudly and move away, lifting away the prison that were the jaws. Orion quickly destroyed the ice with a few well placed electric punches and then bombarded the pained Mawile with more jets of fire before Macros simply passed out.

Orion wins and advances to Level 21

<3rd Person>

Orion made his way over to Macros and opened the big jaws before sticking his arm in with a shudder. He pulled the bone out as fast as he could and looked at it ruefully.
“Looks like this will need a bit of cleaning,” he sighed.
“Well, that was an odd and somewhat disgusting battle,” Rebecca commented. “Either way, it was nice that you won. I don’t want to leave Macros alone but I’m sure someone is watching so we’ll make our leave and let them attend to him.”
While watching the battle, Rebecca noticed a side door and figured that since no one came out after the red light dimmed, that was the exit. They both made their way out, with Orion holding the bone as far away from him as possible.

[Ace64]

Okay, part 2 is here. Now I feel caught up.

------
White Mountain was eerie, and Cooler didn’t like it at all.

Ever since the team’s arrival last night, the mountain had seemed strangely quiet. They had come across a few Dragon Tamers on their way up, looking pensive as they pushed their way through the trees, but so far, Cooler hadn’t seen anything on White Mountain that would cause him to worry. Strangely enough, having nothing to worry about made him worry.

The turtle sighed, pushing the large leaves of a plant out of his eyes as he walked. He didn’t like worrying- it was a waste of time that could be spent on better things. Still…there was reason to worry. He was used to feeling happy and care-free…feeling differently made him strangely uncomfortable. There were things to worry about.

For one, Prophecy’s mood hadn’t changed much on their arrival. On the contrary, she became more introverted and moody. She didn’t respond to anything he said, and she said barely a word to Charmene and Troit, the two she felt closest to. Charmene seemed hurt by her friend’s silence, while Troit only appeared worried. What was going on with her? She can’t possibly still be upset with me, could she?

On top of that, their search for Yssera was proving to be hopeless. They hadn’t seen a single Pokemon at all- it was as if they were being careful not to be seen. And yet, there was no shaking the feeling of being watched as the group sat around the campfire…of being spied upon. Even Trey, devoid of the keen senses that the Pokemon possessed, commented nervously on it.

As the Squirtle entered a clearing, he sighed in relief. A small, clear pond lay serenely in front of him. There was nothing like a swim to soothe the nerves, and wash your troubles away. Gratefully, Cooler waded into the water, splashing the cool water over his skin. He sighed slowly, floating onto his back lazily. The world might go crazy, but nothing could change the calm currents of the water…

Above him, in the trees, something cracked. Cooler opened an eye, recalling what Fisticuffs had said earlier that day.

While I was meditating this morning, I could sense something following me. Fisticuffs had said, his eyes serious. They had been whispering, without knowing the exact reason why. Not just some Pokemon, like a Sentret or something. It felt more like a…presence.

A presence?

Yes. Whatever it was, it didn’t let itself be seen, but I could feel it watching just out of sight. No doubt it will make itself known soon.

Why are you telling me this? Should I be worried?

Fisticuffs’ eyes were grim. Just… be careful if you’re going off alone. There’s something strange about this place, that much is obvious. Whatever’s out there won’t stand to have us here for too long… us, or the other Dragon Tamers.

Now, staring up into the trees, Cooler wondered if that time had come. The treetops were thick and lush with greenery, but he fancied he could sense something up there looking down at him. Tired of feeling nervous, Cooler rolled over on his belly, treading water, and glared up into the branches.

“Show yourself, whatever you are!” Cooler yelled, his eyes searching the trees. “You’re probably some skulking low creature, like a Rattata or Weedle, to hide in the shadows like that! Come on out!”

All was still for a moment, then a brown blur divebombed from the trees, swooping towards his face with incredible speed. Cooler choked, dunking his head underwater at the last moment, and felt a rush of air pass just above his skull. As he surfaced again, he noticed a few brown feathers on the surface of the pond. A bird Pokemon.

The bird Pokemon in question, a Spearow, landed on the far side of the pond, just on the shore. It was large for its size, and its feathers were glossy and preened. The Spearow cawed sharply, glaring at him. “Some of my best friends are Rattata’s!”

“I don’t care who your friends are!” Cooler cried, matching him glare for glare. “Why were you following me? What’s the big idea?”

“Stupid turtle!” the Spearow cawed. “Don’t get a big head! I follow the will of my mistress. She bid us to follow, and we follow. But I don’t have to stand by while you insult my friends!”

“Huh? Who’s ‘she?’ Who’s ‘we’?” Cooler asked, confused and suddenly not wanting to hear the answer.

“’She,’” the Spearow began, his eyes taking a fanatical gleam, “would our mistress, Yssera, our savior, the one true Dragon power, the Dreamer, whose very thoughts become reality through her true and humble servants, that she-”

“Thanks, but I’ll read the brochure later,” Cooler quipped.

“You won’t be able to read anything once I pluck out those eyes!” The Spearow shouted, taking flight once more.

FIGHT!
L 8 Squirtle vs. L 8 Spearow

It was strange. Spearows weren’t supposed to be especially quick fliers, because their stubby wings and small wingspan prevented them from being so without a lot of effort. Yet, as this particular Spearow divebombed him again, there was no mistaking it. This was the fastest Spearow he had ever seen.

“I don’t get it,” Cooler gasped, diving below the water’s surface again. He popped his head up again to attack, but was forced to retreat as the bird buzzed him again. The Spearow couldn’t get to him, but he couldn’t attack either. Sooner or later he would run out of breath. “How are you that fast?”

“Surprised?” the bird gloated. It hovered in the air, its wings flapping ceaselessly. “This is the power that comes from becoming part of the whole. I was never this fast before Yssera approached me. All this speed is because of her- and I’ll use it to help her however I can!”

“You’d help her more if you didn’t talk so much,” Cooler said, before spitting out a burst of water directly at the bird. Birds don’t fly so well with their feathers wet. If I can get it to land, then this battle is as good as done. Unfortunately for him, the Spearow squawked in annoyance and dived, avoiding the Water Gun.

“You’ll have to try harder than that to beat one of Yssera’s chosen!” The Spearow flapped higher, its throat working strangely, before a blast of water roughly identical to Cooler’s flew from its beak. Mirror Move!

It’s showing off… let’s see if it likes this…

Cooler leapt out of the pond, kicking up hard and pulled himself into his shell.The opposite of water is….flame, right? In response to his thoughts, the surface of his shell glow red slightly, and the coming Water Gun bounced off of to its source. The shocked Spearow was doused by its own attack and knocked to the ground.

Pressing his advantage, Cooler was on the shore and in front of the bird before the Spearow could even realize what happened. He grabbed a handful of feathers and pulled the Spearow to eye-level, away from his face. “Now spill it! What did you mean by ‘we’? Who else has been following us?”

“We, would mean my companions. By now, they should have already confronted your trainer and his little pets. Yssera told us there was only one thing she wanted- we could do whatever we liked to the others. Your friends are probably dead now,” the Spearow added nastily.

“There’s no way they could lose if they’re all as skilled as you,” Cooler retorted, trying to hide how he felt. Why had they chosen to attack when only Cooler had left? Why not ambush them at a different time? It didn’t make sense.

“I underestimated you,” the Spearow admitted, and then delivered a sharp peck to his wrist. Cooler winced, releasing the bird in reflex to look at his bleeding hand, and the Spearow took flight again. “I won’t make that same mistake again!”

“Everyone underestimates me,” Cooler said, glaring at the bird. “What are you guys after? What do we have that you want? It can’t be money, and we don’t have too much food.”

“We’re after your dragon friend is all. She’s the key.”

Cooler paused. Dragon friend? Yssera was also a dragon, wasn’t she? But the key to what? He was so dumbfounded that he barely noticed the Spearow preparing to attack.

“The key to- UGH!” Cooler finally said, before the spinning Spearow darted into his belly with a ferocious Drill Peck. His underbelly was a lot softer than his shell, and he was pushed onto his back. Now his belly was bleeding from a small gash. He wiped it away absently as he sat up, growing furious. How could they?

“I won’t let you take her!!” Cooler shouted, pointing at the Spearow. “She’s so young- why would you take Charmene? You devils!”

“Who the hell is Charmene?” the Spearow muttered, his beak still reddened with blood.

“Try this!” Quickly, Cooler inhaled, then blew out a long stream of bubbles directly in front of him. The Bubblebeam attack, instead of moving towards the confused Spearow, instead floated in front of Cooler.

“Was that supposed to hit me or something?” the Spearow asked out loud. A few bubbles popped. He could barely see the Squirtle anymore- but a smokescreen would have been more effective in the water.

“No,” Cooler said, then inhaled once more, his lungs feeling decidedly colder. This time, he blew out a very cold gust of air, pushing the bubbles forward and hardening them into a shell. The frozen bubbles blasted forward into the Spearow, shattering and driving thin needles of ice into its flesh.

As the Spearow collapsed to the ground, its wings covered in ice shavings, Cooler caught his breath and added, “That was.”

BATTLE END!
Cooler grew to L 9!

He turned his back on the Spearow and started to run. If only he could reach the others in time… but before he got two steps, he tripped on something and fell flat on his face.

“Owww…what the…”Cooler rubbed his nose, looking up into the murderous eyes of a full-grown Arbok. She flicked her tail in front of his face, the source of his fall. A forked tongue stabbed the air, no doubt tasting his scent. “Yipe.”
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

“Take the Bagon. Kill the others.”

That had been the only words the lead Ursaring had said to the rest of his pack, before attacking. His ‘pack’ was small and quite varied- made up of a chubby Pikachu, a Stantler, and a Primeape. Nonetheless, all were more than capable of fulfilling those orders, and their attacks were lethal.

His five against a formidable four- the odds weren’t too great. Trey surveyed each of his Pokemon in turn. Prophecy was holding off the Pikachu, her scales lessening the effects of the rat’s lightning, but it was clear that her heart wasn’t it. He didn’t blame her- for some reason, she was the Pokemon’s objective. It was possible that the Pikachu was only trying to wear her down for capture.

Fisticuffs was matching the Primeape blow for blow, sweating as he grappled for control. Deo hurled thunderbolt after thunderbolt at the agile Stantler, but was having difficulty nailing him with a good strike. Charmene and Troit were left to handle the Ursaring, and were clearly having trouble. Trey had no idea how strong the bear was, but it was clearly no lightweight. Charmene was covered in gashes, and Troit was looking considerably less substantial than before. The Ursaring was similarly suffering from second-degree burns.

FIGHT!
L 9 Bagon vs. L 15 Pikachu

“Just give it up. We’re trying to help you,” the Pikachu hissed under its breath. It was if it didn’t want to be overheard. Prophecy hesitated in the middle of a Bite attack, curious.

“You come at us out of nowhere with the intent to kill and claim to be helping us? How do you figure that?” Prophecy demanded stubbornly. She lunged forward, turning her head sideways with her mouth wide.

“Forget the rest,” the Pikachu said, deftly avoiding her jaws. It fired off a quick Thundershock, causing Prophecy to wince. “Yssera wants to help you. You should be happy- out of everyone, she has chosen you, she wants to raise you up and make you strong!”

Prophecy swiped at him in the middle of his speech, knocking him backwards with a Metal Claw. “I don’t want whatever she’s offering.”

The Pikachu rolled backwards, recovering, and stared at her with beady little eyes that seemed to bore into her. “You don’t mean that. If it meant achieving your dreams…to fly in the sky, free as a bird… you won’t turn away that chance.”

Prophecy paused, considering. Would she, truly? If she stopped fighting and went with them… If Yssera could…

The Pikachu went on, seeing his opportunity. He hopped a little closer, his voice growing lower. “You can have it. But you can’t come with those people you’re traveling with. We don’t have to kill them- help us drive them off! We can do it, with your help.”

Prophecy turned around. She saw Trey, his eyes flicking from each of his Pokemon, calling out orders and support. She saw Charmene wiggle her way out of the Ursaring’s grasp with a burst of flame. She saw Fisticuffs fall to the ground, struck by a powerful Mega Punch, and climb to his feet again with a slight grin on his face. She saw Deo crow with laughter as he finally struck the Stantler with a powerful Thunderbolt.

She turned back to the Pikachu, smiling. Feeling confident. “That’s funny. They don’t look weak to me. I think I’ll take my chances with them.”

“You’re a fool, then.”

As if on some hidden signal, the four Pokemon suddenly fought more ferociously. It was clear to Prophecy that with her refusal, there was no reason for them to hold back anymore. The Ursaring slammed a forepaw into the ground, creating an Earthquake and knocking nearly everyone down. The Pikachu took the opportunity to fire off a debilitating wave of electricity. Prophecy tried to sit up and found she could not. Paralyzed.

Taking his time, the Pikachu slowly charged up electricity, preparing for a Thunder. Prolonging the terror by letting her witness the end. Prophecy couldn’t even twitch as heard Trey call her name in warning. She closed her eyes, preparing for the end.

“Cooler to the rescue!” a familiar voice shouted. Prophecy opened her eyes in shock. A small Squirtle, followed by a much larger Arbok, was racing into battle. Caught by surprise, Yssera’s minions were immediately set upon by Trey’s pokemon. A swift Tackle from Cooler knocked the Stantler over, and Deo gleefully pounded it with a Thunderbolt. The strange Arbok hissed as it plunged her fangs into the Primeape’s spine, leaving Fisticuffs free to surprise the Ursaring with a Hi Jump Kick to the nose. The tide was turning.

“Yssera should have sent more than you four if you wanted to beat us,” Prophecy rasped, looking the shocked Pikachu dead in the eye. Something inside of her was building- some strange energy that she at once understood and knew nothing about at the same time. “She should have sent an army.”

The Pikachu hissed, its eyes narrowing in anger. “At least I’m enough to handle you. I’ll finish you for Yssera.”

Prophecy closed her eyes, sensing the energy in her belly build to a head. In her head, she could hear Troit’s words. Strength doesn’t come with change; nothing is ever that easy in life, you said. I was foolish to think that power could come so easily. “No, you won’t.”

She opened her mouth wide, releasing a searing stream of flame that burst forth. The Flamethrower caught the Pikachu completely by surprise, engulfing it. The Thunderbolt it had been preparing discharging at random, striking Deo. The Voltorb only grinned and showed no signs of injury. When the smoke cleared, the Pikachu lay in an unconscious heap.

“I did it,” Prophecy said, slightly out of breath. Then she promptly fainted.

BATTLE END!
Prophecy grew to L 11! Prophecy learned Flamethrower as her free TM!

It was just like before. From the skies descended a marvelous Rayquaza, but this time, something had changed. Fury was etched in the dragon’s features, and in every movement. Her voice was like thunder. “So, in the end you refuse me. Do you know what you have done?”

Prophecy felt light, ethereal….like she would fade away in the faintest breeze. “I do.”

The Rayquaza’s voice grew soft, almost apologizing. “I meant what I said. If you had chosen to follow me, you would have achieved your dream. I would have given your wings.”

Prophecy smiled ruefully, looking down. “I know you would have.”

“Then why…?”

“Wings aren’t gifts. They have to be earned.” She smiled, looking up again. “Nothing in life is ever that easy.”

The Rayquaza looked furious again. She opened her mouth, and a powerful burst of high-pressure water blasted out, sending Prophecy flying. The water was everywhere…in her eyes, causing her to blink…her mouth, threatening to choke her… she coughed, sitting up.

“Wake up, helmethead!”

Prophecy felt a rushing sense of déjà vu, as she opened her eyes to see Cooler above. Just like last time. Her team was sitting around, watching her with concerned expressions. My team. It was funny. Up until this moment, she hadn’t appreciated it as much as she did now.

Charmene pushed Cooler out of the way, who fell to the ground with a cry. “Stupid,” she muttered, glaring at the fallen Squirtle. Then she looked at Prophecy, anxious. “Are you ok, Prophecy? How do you feel?”

Prophecy swallowed, her mouth feeling very dry. “I could use some water,” she rasped. She looked around again. Yssera’s minions were gone, as well as the Arbok. “What happened? Where did everyone go?”

Trey bent forward to check Prophecy over, speaking as he examined her. “We managed to fight off those strange Pokemon, along with the help of that Arbok friend of Cooler’s.”

“Her name is Sstelz,” Cooler said, paling a little. “And she’s not my friend.”

“Whatever. Sstelz hung around long enough to fill us in. It seems that those Pokemon were some of Yssera’s minions… Sstelz lives on White Mountain, and is one of the few Pokemon still in control of her own mind. She was one of the Pokemon following us, because we seem to be one of Yssera’s targets. Or, more accurately, you were one of her targets. Do you know why?”

“She wanted to give me power, to help me evolve. She said I was a ‘key,’ but I don’t know what she means…” Prophecy said softly. She looked at Troit, and the Grimer grinned at her. “I might have taken it, if not for the words of a good friend. I don’t think she’ll bother us anymore. I’ll earn my strength.”

“That was some Flamethrower attack you pulled off,” Fisticuffs added. The Tyrogue was bruised from head to toe, yet seemed to be in good spirits. Trey suspected that the bruises barely annoyed him- he was too happy to have a good fight. “Where did you learn that?”

“I didn’t, exactly. Like I said, I gained power in my own way.”

“It was really amazing,” Charmene said, looking at Prophecy admiringly. “I hope I can use something that strong one day.”

“It got results, I guess,” Deo said, smirking.

“Hey!” Cooler cried, brushing himself off. He fixed Prophecy with an indignant eye. “I know a new move, too! And it’s way better than hers!”

“Oh yeah?” Prophecy said challengingly. Slowly, she stood up, feeling a little dizzy. “Bet mine is stronger than yours.”

“No way!” Cooler cried, taking the bait. “I’ll never let YOU beat me!”

“Save the argument for the walk,” Trey said, standing up. “Personally, I don’t want to stay on this mountain any longer than we need to. Let’s get moving.”

“Race you to the bottom, helmethead.”

“She’s just recovered, Cooler,” Troit said soothingly. “Give her a chance to recover.”

“No, it’s fine, Troit,” Prophecy said with a small smile on her face. “Everyone knows that turtles can’t run for beans anyway.”

“That’s funny, coming from a Pokemon whose head accounts for 80% of its body weight.”

The two raced down the mountain, their voices heard long after their footsteps died.

[Lady Vulpix]

Becca: Amy said she would rate your battle. I've read it but have no relevant comments about it, except that I found it strange that Tarin and Aries realized they were siblings and didn't make much of it, and then everything went back to normal so quickly, but strange families do exist. The battle itself was nicely described.

Trey: nice story there. Go, Prophecy! And the brochure comment made me laugh a lot. Cooler and Prophecy may not be on the best of terms with each other, but I'm starting to like them both a lot. Nice ending, too! Take 21 stamps. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[The_Missing_Link]

Yeah, I know it was strange how abruptly it ended and without much of a fuss but it's been a while since Tarin joined the team so she and Aries were able to make peace about their discovery of each other in that period of time. At one point, I was thinking about releasing Tarin and wrote a scene where their familial relationship was revealed but she wanted to go back to her family rather than remain on the team. I think I dug myself into a hole as soon as I got her from Karin because I had no personality for her so I just decided to make up this lame story

I think the fact that Lee had been voicing his suspicion about their possible relationship ever since I introduced her to the team about a year ago softened the surprise factor when they finally talked about it. I probably made another mistake having Lee brood about it rather than Orion because Orion is the type to say ridiculous things and annoy the crap out of everyone but I wanted Lee more involved with the team so I suppose that's why I chose him instead



After I posted the battle, I didn't realize how short it truly was. It makes me feel kind of cheap

[Lady Vulpix]

It's ok, you can focus on the scenario now... And I think rating a short battle may be good for Amy, hopefully it'll help her get the inspiration she's been looking for without putting too much strain on her.

[Ace64]

Thanks Gabi. I'd like to request a one-on-one RBG for Fisticuffs from the Universal Adoption Center, please. Losing two battles in a row kills my confidence...