<Water Angel's POV>

Not much time seemed to happen before I was released again. The strange thing was that nobody talked during that time. I wondered what was going on with everyone; I was usually able to pick up noisy conversations all the time from my pokeball, as my team was composed by a group of chatterboxes, of which I was not an exception. Iael was maybe the only one who didn't follow that 'rule'. He was quiet most of the time. I could understand his silence, and Gabi's since she wasn't feeling quite well at that moment. But the others? What was going on with them? Not even Hero, Tsunami and Caledor were talking!
When I got out, I saw the trainer we had met at the beach; the one who had left to look for an opponent. For some reason, I was glad to see it was her. We were in some sort of a clearing surrounded by trees and filled with flowers. I nearly fell to the ground when I looked around, but Amber stopped my fall and held me up. After the proper "thanks/you're welcome" exchange, I decided to ask her about the silence.
"I don't know about the others," she told me. "But I know Sylvan and I were just enjoying the view. This place is beautiful! Though I must admit I was a bit worried about Gabi."
"Me too," I replied. "She got into a fight and she hardly ever comes out of them in one piece. I wish I could let her know that some things are not worth the emotional draining. I mean... she didn't do anything wrong other than pronounce a few tactless words, and Sandra has an awful way of thinking, but that's her problem, not Gabi's."
"I know. Why don't you just tell her that the way you're telling me?"
"I guess I will. I just don't get how, after facing the likes of Mewtwo, the Dark Battalion and the Dark Cloak and coming out on top, she still gets worked up over things like these."
"Everybody has defects," Amber told me. "And virtues too. You can work hard on stopping either from affecting your life, but a part of them will always remain in you."
"That doesn't sound too comforting," I pointed out.
"I didn't say it to comfort you. It's the way things are. If you know there's something about you that you don't like, you'll have to stay on the watch in order to avoid it. If you're determined, you'll succeed most of the time. But don't be too shocked if it eventually comes out when you're off-guard. And don't blame yourself. Just keep doing your best."
"Are you talking through personal experience?"
"A little, yes. Personal experience and things I've witnessed. Doesn't that happen to everyone?"
"I don't know. I'll have to think about it. I'll tell you if I find a counterexample."
"Ok."

In the meantime, Gabi and the other trainer had already introduced themselves and apparently spoken a little about Sandra. At least that was what my teammates told me, though none of them could understand a word of the conversation other than Sandra's name. How was it possible that I was the only one in the group, aside from Gabi, who could understand a conversation in Spanish? Lagi said she could make out a few phrases, and everyone else was clueless.
"Her name is Marcela," Lagi told me. "And she said something about trainers and opponents and Lickitung."
"Oh, that helps a lot," I said sarcastically.
"Well, she was a bit disappointed, if that helps. Until she found Gabi. Then after Gabi spoke, Marcela felt better. Then they began to talk about Sandra, and Marcela gave her an explanation, and Gabi began to feel a little better."
"Oh. That's good to hear," I smiled. "Your talents certainly make up for your lack of Spanish knowledge. You could understand a conversation in any language, couldn't you?"
"The conversation, I doubt it. But its effects, I'd say I can."
"Just one thing, now. Do you happen to know why everyone was silent while we were coming?"
"Oh, different reasons, I guess. Gabi was trying to make her feelings about the fight go away. Pidgeot was quite reflective. Hero and Tsunami were... would ashamed be the word? In any case they were uneasy; I have no idea what went on with them, though, and I know they'd get mad if I started asking questions. Caledor was trying hard to get distracted, and the fact he had to actually put some effort into it was disturbing. Amber and Sylvan were a little concerned, but they spent most of the time enjoying the landscape. Iael was just observing everything and everyone, as was I, and Ventura had no reason to talk when no one else was talking."
"Wow, you made an emotional map of the whole team!"
"I guess I did," Lagi chuckled.

When Marcela released a new Lickitung, I realized I had been getting too distracted. I'd have to change that if I didn't want to miss the action. And I really didn't want to miss it: Pidgeot was the one to take the challenge this time. It was my turn to gather all my cheering talents and put them to good use. We never knew when he would need a dose of them.
"Do you have any items?," Marcela asked Gabi in Spanish.
"What kind of items?"
"Anything your Pidgeot can use. I just got this collar from abroad and it would be cool if my Lickitung could use it, but it wouldn't be fair unless your Pidgeot was using an item too."
"Oh. Sure! I haven't had many chances to use items lately. Pidgeot, what would you like to use?"
"If this Lickitung knows the same attacks at the previous one, I'll choose the Double Shield," Pidgeot said. "Now that I think of it, I'll choose that in any case. It's the only item I'm comfortable with."
"Alright," Gabi said, reaching for the shield in her backpack. "Take it."
"You can talk to your pokemon?! Wow!," Marcela exclaimed, surprised.
"We've known each other for a long time, and my Espeon's psychic powers help, and I have a few of my own," Gabi explained, unusually comfortable with opening up to a stranger.
"Everybody's acting weird today!," I remarked.
"How good! I can't understand what my pokemon say, but I do understand their body language," Marcela said, placing a collar around her Lickitung's neck. "Are you ready, Rocío?"
Rocío, the female Lickitung, nodded affirmatively.
"Is your Pidgeot ready?"
"As ready as ever," Pidgeot said. Even though Marcela couldn't understand the words, the meaning was clear.
"Ok, let's start!," Marcela decided.

Level 55 Pidgeot vs. Level 60 Lickitung

Pidgeot acted as fast as ever, using the mud on the ground to impair his opponent before she could attack. But the Lickitung's reaction was also quick and accurate: she caught Pidgeot with her arms and with the help of her tongue -he was too big for her arms alone- and hurled him to the ground with Strength. It had been a long time since I'd seen anyone use that attack. Amber knew it, but she hadn't used it for ages. Ever since she'd started having problems controlling her own strength. Maybe that was the personal experience she was referring to when she talked to me.
Pidgeot made a loud noise when he crashed into the ground.
"Are you alright?," I asked him.
"Bruised, but I'll be fine," he replied.
"That was too strong, do something to counter it!"
"I don't have the spare time. Don't worry, I'll think of something. Hey, I just have!"
As soon as those words were spoken, an invisible force lifted Rocío up into the air and flung her down to the ground.
"Nice work!," I cheered.
"Not so nice. She's more resistant than I am. There's a chance in 10 that I can change that, but I'll take it. Now, please, I need to concentrate."
I realized I was doing anything but help him. Talking to me had made him an easy target, and now he was being reached but nothing else than a Thunderbolt! I would have to offer my heartfelt apology and find a way to compensate for this after the battle. Fortunately, the shield absorbed half the damage and sent a shockwave back to the Lickitung through the earth. Rocío lost balance and fell.
"Time to take the chance," Pidgeot decided. I could see his wings shine as he launched himself toward his opponent and cut the skin of her arms with his hardened feathers. Rocío got up and tried to seize him again, but he move away faster and she couldn't get hold of him. Then Pidgeot tried something new: he started spinning around in the air and some of his smallest feathers fell off and began to circle around him. All of a sudden, he stopped and the feathers launched themselves at Rocío like heat-seeking missiles. They didn't seem to cause any damage, but I trusted Pidgeot to know what he was doing. I would make my questions later.
Rocío walked over to Pidgeot and grabbed him with her tongue. She attracted his body to her own, and lifted him up again, once more hurling him to the ground. However, this time the blow wasn't so hard.
"See?," he said, as if he had read my previous thoughts. "Now, if only I could... No, too risky. Let's go standard."
He mirrored Rocío's move, this time having her crash against a nearby tree. Before she could get back at him, he flew away as fast as he could. She did reach for him, though, but this time the target of her attack was not him. It was his shield! The damage Pidgeot took was not significant, but his shield was knocked off.
"Pidgeot, hurry!," Gabi urged him. "She'll use an electric attack! Don't fly too high."
"Rocío, quick! Use Impactrueno!"
What was this? Did everyone on the island use that code? Pidgeot flew up into the air, easily evading the electric bolt. Then he plunged into the Lickitung and hit her with a Fly attack.
"He disobeyed you?!," Marcela said, astonished.
"No, he didn't. He was just smart enough to see through my words. I told him not to fly too high, but a Fly attack would protect him from a Thunderbolt, so that wouldn't be too high for him. It would only be too high if Rocío had used Thunder instead, but that would have been too risky for her with her accuracy lowered, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, so it was a code?"
"Sort of. We never established it, but I knew he'd know what to do. You do seem to have a code, though. What's with 'Impactrueno'?"
"Don't you know? That's the Spanish name for Thunderbolt. I thought you'd know, since you're from Argentina."
"I know the attacks by their English names," Gabi said. "And 'Impactrueno' now. and 'Ventisca'. But as far as I know, 'thunderbolt' is 'rayo' in Spanish."
"The natural one is, but not the attack."
"Oh. Thanks for the info."
"No problem. So... let's see how risky it really is. Rocío, Atactrueno!"
Nasty way to find out the meaning of that word. It was Thunder!
"Don't fly!," Gabi and I shouted out in unison.
Pidgeot landed and pressed his body against the ground, lowering every part of it as much as possible. He managed to dodge Rocío's Thunder attack by ducking, and then got up and hit the Lickitung with a Wing Attack. Worn out, Rocío fell to the ground and didn't get up again.

Pidgeot grew to level 57!

"Rocío, return. You did great," Marcela said, calling her Lickitung back to her pokeball. "That was a great battle," she said to Gabi.
"Yes, it was," Gabi agreed, shaking Marcela's hand.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Here's your token."
Marcela handed Gabi a flat, oval-shaped token. "Go to the central and exchange it for an egg. The content will be a surprise."
"Thanks," Gabi replied. She was clearly feeling better.
"Would you like to take a look at the landscape while we get there?," Amber offered.
"How?," I asked, interested.
"I can lift you up and take you. I'm yet to learn to carry others on my back while flying, but my arms are strong enough to hold you for a while."
"That would be great!," I accepted with gratitude.

"We have to go and pay for the water too," Pidgeot reminded Gabi while we were heading to the central. His voice revealed how tired he was. The battle had been very tough for him.
Gabi nodded.
I was looking around, trying not to miss any detail. I couldn't get enough of that wonderful view. I wouldn't ask Amber to do this often, since I was quite heavy, but I was really glad she had offered to carry me this time.

We soon got there, and Gabi traded her egg-shaped token for a 3-dimensional Easter Egg.
"Eat it fast before it melts," Amber suggested.
"I think we should split it in two and give the pieces to Pidgeot and Water Angel," Gabi proposed. "After all, they were the ones who won it."
"You did your part too," Pidgeot told her. "I hadn't even thought of using Fly until you told me not to fly too high."
"How ironic," Gabi laughed.
"Maybe you two should share it," I offered Pidgeot and Gabi. "I messed up and put Pidgeot in a tough situation. I don't deserve a share."
"It was not your fault I got distracted," Pidgeot told me. "Besides, nothing too bad came out of it, so you have nothing to get worked up about. Now... why are we having this conversation? It's just chocolate with something inside. Anyone can it eat and it will be gone in seconds. It's not as if we were trying to decide who gets a TM or something like that."
"I should get you a TM," Gabi said to Pidgeot. "I will as soon as I can lay my hands on one. Being a DT worker makes it harder, but I'll find a way."
"Thanks," Pidgeot replied. "As for the egg, why don't we crack it into many pieces so that everyone who wants a piece can get one?"
"Sounds good to me," Gabi said.
"What if it's cream?," Iael came out of his silence.
"An Easter Egg filled with cream?," Gabi questioned.
"I heard that some were. If this one is, it will make a mess."
"And if it isn't, I'll put some cream on my part to see how it tastes!," Gabi decided, licking her lips.
"Then we should eat it at home," Pidgeot suggested. "But in that case, we'll have to take a portal. I don't think the egg will endure a long journey under this weather."
"Ok, let's take a portal," Caledor accepted. "Weird can be good."
"That doesn't sound like what you said this morning," Gabi reminded him.
"So I changed my mind. Sue me! We've already tried the long way and it could have been more fun. Maybe the portal will be. At least it will be a new experience. I vote for the portal."
"I second it," Ventura said. "Why take the long way back when there's a shorter one?"
"Maybe because the long way is more comfortable and not as crazy?," Hero suggested.
"What's crazy about a portal?," Ventura shot back at him. "It's like teleporting."
"Oh, sorry. Forgot who I was talking to."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Easy, everyone!," Gabi shouted.
"Starting with you," Caledor laughed.
"Ok, let's take the portal and stop arguing. We'll have tried both things, the egg won't melt and everything should be fine."
No one could argue with that logic.

We went to the hotel when Pidgeot had found the water and Gabi handed a coin to an unbelieving employee, and then we took a dazzling and colorful portal back to Ulthuan. I was a bit dizzy, but I closed my eyes and looked inside myself, and the draconian forces helped me regain stability. Ventura, Gabi, Lagi and Caledor came out just fine, and Pidgeot didn't take a long time to adjust. The others weren't so lucky. They moved as if the world was spinning around them.
"Next time we take a portal, I'll go inside my pokeball," Sylvan decided.
"Same here," Iael seconded her.
"I'll try to get used to it," Amber said.
"What for?!," Hero questioned.
"Umm... to have one less obstacle in life?"
"You'd better set yourself some priorities. Not all obstacles are the same, and some aren't quite worth conquering," Hero responded.
"It wouldn't hurt!," Amber replied.
"I'm getting into my okeball now," I said. "We still have to get home and Amber has already had enough of my weight. But before I go, I'd like to tell Pidgeot that he was great all day long. See you at home!"
I used my nose to press the button of my pokeball on Gabi's belt and quickly got inside. I expected to hear a sarcastic remark from Tsunami, but none came. Yet another proof that everyone was acting weird that day. The only thing I heard was a comment from Gabi thanking the fact that it wasn't so hot where we were now, and the whole group setting themselves in motion. Then I heard some whispers which I couldn't make out, but it was relieving to know that conversation had settled in again.

Final note: when we got home and cracked the egg, it turned out to have a small bouncy ball inside. The vote for Caledor to keep the toy was unanimous. As for Gabi, she did pour cream on her part to check its taste, and she liked the result. But the pieces were so small that we were all hungry after eating them, so we had a big dinner right after the chocolate. It may sound weird, but sweets before dinner had become a tradition at home, and none of us had any intention to break it.