Pokémon: A Philosophy

[Neo-Xantios]

Greetings, fellow forumers. I would like to inform you that this is my first fan fiction ever written. Feel free to inquire of me or give me any suggestions. Thank you all and enjoy.

Pokémon:
A Philosophy


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Chapter 1
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To the distant south of Hoenn lies a developed continent where the integration of futuristic technology and Mother Nature exists. Due to the rapid development of this continent in the mid twenty-first century, all cities there are at least 1,000 square kilometers. The natives named this continent Onaria, meaning the Land where Illusions turn Reality. It is indeed a place where, if you work hard enough, dreams will turn reality.

Vinzer Hiros gazed out his apartment window, staring at the ever-blue ocean, which surrounded his home city of Ceness. This city is an island about 100 kilometers north of the mainland. From his apartment window, Vinzer could often see trainers down at the beach training their Pokémon. Vinzer was a well-built man, who has a height of six feet and has dark hair. He often enjoys gel on his hair, but putting it on daily frustrates him. He is a university graduate at the Ceness Open Pokémon University, and is looking forward to his 26th birthday, coming up in the next three months, when he can finally see his brother, Craine, who is studying in Clariford, a coastal city on the mainland. He anticipated that this may be another day at Ceness Park. He returned to his room, sat down facing his computer, turning it on.

I better do something before I head out! Vinzer thought to himself. Maybe I’ll play StarCraft today, again...

He inserted his StarCraft CD into the drive, loaded it and clicked on the icon of what looked like a red and grey jet on his computer desktop. His screen immediately changed from his desktop to a loading screen with three faces. To the left is a face of a grim admiral, to the middle is an extremely ugly lady with a green face and slime dripping from her mouth, and to the right is a peculiar alien with no mouth. The loading screen disappeared abruptly, changing to a screen with four animated space pictures.

I should try out Xantios’s new campaign, Sector Run.. Vinzer thought to himself, clicking on the icon of a space battle and with the two words “Single Player” below it. He entered another screen with three animated figures of a no-mouth alien with “Protoss” label below him, to the left of him was a human captain with “Terran” label below him, and finally, to his right, the ugly lady with two huge claws protruding from her back with “Zerg” label below her.

I better finish the Protoss campaign today, I’ll try Xantios’s creation another time...
With that said, he clicked on the no-mouth alien figure. Abruptly, a smaller window popped up revealing the missions he had completed or is about to play. He then directed his mouse of the line which had “8. Countdown”. The next screen was what he liked to look at. It was a picture of a dark world with a planet and a moon obscured in the background and the text at the bottom read: “Countdown, Main Protoss base, the planet Shakuras. He clicked his mouse once, then a new screen appeared: The mission briefing. After reading the briefing, he clicked on the blue crystal to the bottom right of the screen, signaling “start”. The mission commenced and this time, he realized that this will be a rather tough game. The “Countdown” mission lasted Vinzer thirty minutes, and when he finished, he was rewarded with an exciting cut-scene of the Protoss campaign’s ending.

Wow, the Zerg stood no chance against those two crystals! thought Vinzer as he watched the last thirty seconds of the cut-scene. As soon as it was over, Vinzer closed the StarCraft game, took out his CD, and shut-down his computer.

All right, time to get moving Vinzer thought when he rose from his chair and approached his closet. He had a dilemma about which clothes to wear, for he had over 8 pairs of pants and 25 shirts. The day was quite sunny, so there was no need for him to search for his heavy coats or sweaters. He finally decided to put on a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt with a Blastoise picture imprinted on both the front and the back.

Ah, another typical stroll at the park Vinzer thought as he closed his room and headed out in the lounge to put his shoes on. Apparently, he currently owns only one pair of shoes, so he didn’t need to face another dilemma. He started heading towards his automatic front door, which is a must-have for every house or apartment in the Onaria region. Once outside, he secured his home by not using any keys, but by merely saying: “Hiros three-two-eight. Lock all systems in this apartment.”

He headed to what looked like an elevator, but it was opened the entire time. Once entered, he stated: “Lobby.” Vinzer’s body simultaneously turned into a white beam of energy, that quickly evaporated. Within a mere second, he could see the guards at the main entrance. The lobby of this apartment building looked like the interior of a hotel with a luxurious appearance from the floor to the ceiling. In the 22nd Century Onaria, however, such appearance wasn’t considered a luxury.

Once he arrived at the park, he could see what he saw almost every day: trainers battling each other, little children playing around the fountain with a Magikarp statue carved on the top, and wild Taillows flying from tree to tree. He advanced into the quieter section of the park when he noticed something peculiar.

“Hey, man, what a Pokémon you got there!” said a guy who seemed to be around 17. Vinzer noted that he was pointing to small Pokémon, but he couldn‘t make it out immediately. He also noted that this guy had an attitude problem.

“Thanks man, but this loser ain’t got what it takes to be in our team!” replied an older guy, who looks to be around 19. He then gave the Pokémon a small kick and it managed to make a tiny sound, but loud enough for Vinzer to hear. Immediately, Vinzer knew it was a Torchic because he had heard the sounds of almost all the Pokémon in Onaria and Hoenn. He gallantly approached the human bullies.

“Hey, lay off! Can’t you see that this Torchic is still in its infant stages?” said Vinzer as he approached.

“Back off! This ain’t non of your business!” shouted the 17-year-old guy.

“This Torchic is mine, back out before I lose my patience!” the 19-year-old shot back.

“I don’t believe your Torchic is liking your poor training methods,” Vinzer stated soberly.

“Look, genius, I train him how I want,” countered the 19-year-old.

“I think your Torchic disagrees. Am I correct, Torchic?” Vinzer directed his look at Torchic. To his owner’s surprise, Torchic nodded in agreement. “So you see, your pathetic ways of training are condemned by your own Pokémon. What say you?”

“If you are so desperate to have this weakling, go ahead and take him! It won’t benefit me, it’ll only make me lose!” replied the owner.

“Very well, then. I shall claim this Torchic as mine. You will regret what you did to it, foolish amateurs!” said Vinzer as he picked up his new Torchic.

“You ain’t seen the last of us, Shakespeare!” shouted the 17-year-old as he and his friend left the scene.

“Glad they have left. Torchic, how are you? My name is Vinzer Hiros, and I am honored to have you as my first Pokémon!” Vinzer said to his newly obtained Torchic. Torchic responded by giving Vinzer a friendly chirp as he levitated on Vinzer’s shoulders.

“Torchic, let’s have a little rest before heading home, shall we?” asked Vinzer. Torchic concurred by giving him another friendly chirp.

“Well, Torchic, it appears you will now have a new and comfortable home; a home which you will enjoy,” informed Vinzer as he gave his new Pokémon a warm hug. A hug which began their everlasting friendship.

[Dragon_Claw]

I liked the story, but I have a suggestion.

Make the language a little more like people talk these days. You used many words people don't use in their every days lives, it would read much more easy if it has simple language.

Maybe you should read (just a few chapters is fine too) 2ra: Journey threw Hoenn, and To Be A Master. This would help big time, seeing they are both very succesfull fics

[Mr Mayor]

Pokeruler: Thanks. Nice to know my fic is considered successful.

Anyway, you are a very tallented writer. The continent this fic takes place on seems really cool. "Dreams will turn to reality". That really hooked me, and made me want to read more.

Pokeruler is right. The only critisim I can give, is maybe change the language to more like people talk today, unless it is taking place back in midevil time. I don't think it is however, due to the awsome technology.

Great Fic. I'll be an avid reader.

[RJdude]

Yeah, what the others have said about the language is right, but other then that, its pretty good. I'd like to see where this goes

[Neo-Xantios]

Greetings. I am indeed honored by your positive feedback and the reasonable suggestion. Yes, I should alter the way Vinzer talks, for his speeches reflect my personality. I am so used to the way the Protoss speak in StarCraft, and yes, they do speak like the people in the mideval times. The next chapter will be ready tonight (Hong Kong time; yes, I live in Hong Kong).

P.S. JRdude's, and Mr. Mayor's fanfics are my first read and which inspired me to write "Pokémon: A Philosophy". I will be ready other fanfics as well!

EDIT: Mr. Mayor, I will comment on your outstanding fan fiction after I read all the chapters. 8)

[Neo-Xantios]

Hello all. Here is the next chapter. Sorry for the delay; it took me three hours yesterday to write it. Enjoy it, ladies and gentlemen.


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Chapter 2
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It has almost been a week since Vinzer adopted his Torchic. He had been taking Torchic to the park daily and their relationship got closer. Today, however, Vinzer decided to pay his old instructor at the Ceness Open Pokémon University a visit.

“Torchic, today we will visit an old friend of mine at the university which I studied in,” informed Vinzer as he laced up his shoes. Torchic responded by giving Vinzer a sweet chirp. Once again, his front door opened automatically as he and Torchic neared it.

“Hiros three-two-eight. Shut down all apartment systems, please,” he requested his apartment defense system.

As always, Vinzer entered the advanced teleportation pad, which acted as an elevator in his apartment complex, or in this case, every other complexes around the Onaria region. Once in the lobby, Vinzer headed to the guest room where there were free newspapers to read.

Once again, no interesting news, thought Vinzer as he glanced through the popular newspaper, The Ceness Chronicles. Apparently, no news were interesting to Vinzer except the ones about the annual Pokémon league and the new advancement in Onarian technology. Vinzer returned the newspaper to the stand and headed out into the bright outdoors.

The subway station wasn’t too far from Vinzer’s apartment complex, but it did take him about ten minutes to get there, for Torchic was floating quite slowly. Once at the entrance of the station, Vinzer explained to Torchic that this is a rapid transport system that connects all corners of Ceness Island underground. He paced twenty steps into the station when a teleportation pad was in sight. Once on it, he said: “Ticket booth,” and they were immediately transported to another room, but much crowded. The ticket machines revealed a hologram of the entire Ceness Subway System and its stations. When Vinzer approached the machine, he heard a robotic sound from it greeting him and his Torchic.

“Greetings, gentlemen. Which destination do you wish to go?” said the ticket machine.

“University station, please,” replied Vinzer.

“Affirmative, that will be two Onars per person, please,” informed the ticket machine.

“All right, here,” said Vinzer as he inserted two silver coins into the coin slot.

“Your tickets are ready, gentlemen. Enjoy your ride!” stated that machine as a phosphoric card came out of the ticket slot.

“Thank you,” said Vinzer as he headed for a queue at the teleportation pad labeled “Platform 1” on the top. Passenger after passenger teleported to the first platform when Vinzer finally got his turn. He inserted his ticket into a slot in the teleportation pad, and it immediately came out. Simultaneously, he teleported.

Platform one wasn’t nearly as crowded as the previous chamber, but there was a large number of passengers waiting for the next train bound for University Station, which came once every three minutes. Torchic, apparently, was ahead of Vinzer now when they neared the boarding platform, which had a glass screen-door separating the platform and the rail. The curious chick Pokémon flew a little higher to take a brief look at what’s beyond the platform. Once it saw the single rail on the other side of the screen-door, it immediately floated down onto Vinzer’s shoulders.

One minute later, Vinzer heard a feminine voice from an intercom: “Attention passengers: The University-bound train is approaching, please stand clear of the platform screen-door.”

Ah, at last thought an impatient Vinzer. The lights got brighter at the end of the tunnel, revealing a train which looked liked a bullet at the front. Torchic flinched a little, but managed to keep itself airborne. It stopped abruptly, opening both the train and the platform screen-door. The interior of the train looked as if it was made an hour ago. All the seats aligned along the left and right walls were all perfectly polished. Vinzer managed to get himself a seat and briefly closed his eyes, but he knew all too well that this trip won’t be long enough for a nap.

The speed of the train was undeniable; it took only ten minutes to reach the terminus of University Station, which was roughly twenty-five kilometers from his home station. Back outdoors, Vinzer wasted not one second to find his old university. He knew the university area as if it was his life-time home, and dashed quickly to the lawn where he first set foot on the university grounds. Without hesitating, he ran directly towards the structure with the word “Technology” on the top, with his Torchic still perched on his shoulders. The automatic doors at the entrance opened as Vinzer neared it and five meters behind it was a teleportation pad. Once on the pad, he immediately recalled his knowledge of where his old instructor’s lab was.

“Forth floor,” Vinzer stated as his vision shifted from the familiar lobby to a lab.

“Ah, Vinzer! How are you, my boy?” asked an old man with a British accent.

“Hello, Professor Larkin. It’s great to see you again. Are you busy at the moment?” said Vinzer in return.

“No, Vinzer. I’ve just completed my research of the new Pokédex. Unfortunately, it has some flaws,” replied the professor.

“That sounds truly amazing. I would like to tell you that I have a new Pokémon,” said Vinzer as he revealed his Torchic.

“Ah, a Torchic, eh. Where did you get it?” Larkin inquired.

“This may sound disturbing, but he was...rejected by his former trainer,” answered Vinzer. “I guess that trainer had no ethical sense.”

“Ah, yes. It is disturbing to see a Pokémon rejected. I wonder how many Pokémon will have to endure that. It may be a lot, and it’s really sad,” said Larkin.

“But I am a different person, Torchic will be a life-friend of mine,” said Vinzer with a small smile.

“Yes, I can see that, Vinzer. You are a kind heart person from the beginning. Never have I imagined you being an abusive person,” said Larkin, as he put his hand on Vinzer shoulder and gently patting Torchic. “ I don’t believe you have Pokéballs, do you?”

“Unfortunately no, Professor. I didn’t have the time to go to the mainland and buy some,” informed Vinzer.

“Well, I will give you six Pokéballs as of right now, which one of them is for your Torchic to rest in,” said Larkin as he reached for a large box full of red and white metallic orbs. Vinzer has always wonder what those orbs were made of. Maybe they were made from a powerful alloy which never breaks? No, if they were, you can capture any Pokémon successfully without even touching it. It still remains as a mystery for Vinzer.

“Thank you so very much, Professor Larkin. I can’t simply thank you enough for your kindness,” said a grateful Vinzer as he received the six Pokéballs.

“Well, Vinzer. It seems you have what it takes to compete in the Onarian League!” said Larkin smiling.

“You know, Professor, I was thinking about that since I graduated; however, I needed money for a trip back to the mainland, so I couldn’t begin my quest straight away. That’s why I’ve worked on this island for the past three years. I was overjoyed when I met Torchic, because now, I have my first Pokémon and I can finally return and see my family,” replied Vinzer, giving him the same smile.

“The ship, S.S. Eauis for the mainland, will arrive here in next week, I suggest you start packing your bags today!” said Larkin. “You will also be getting a monthly salary while on your journey.”

“That’s great, Professor. It would be nice to earn a neat living while traveling!” said Vinzer, who seemed to be almost joking.

“Well, we will meet again before you leave Ceness, good bye for now, Vinzer,” said Larkin nodding.

“Good bye, Professor. I’ll see you next week before my journey begins!” Vinzer said as he reached out his hand for a handshake. The two men shook hands and Vinzer left for home.

It took him almost fifteen minutes to reach home, but once there, he was glad a new journey awaits him. What will he encounter? What gyms will he fight? Will he meet Torchic’s old trainer? All those questions clouded his mind for a moment as he reached the twentieth floor of is apartment complex, his home floor.

“Hiros three-two-eight. Operate all systems in the apartment, please,” Vinzer called out.

“Access code denied!” a robotic voice shot back.

“What? What’s going on here?” Vinzer inquired.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Shakespeare,” a familiar voice from behind called.

“You, Torchic’s former owner. You haven’t had enough have you?” Vinzer asked.

“You bet! I ain’t givin’ you that weakling without a price!” Torchic’s former owner shot back. “Torchic’s comin’ back with me! I’ve found out this weakling can evolve and become stronger, and I ain’t givin’ this opportunity up! Go Duskull!” The trainer threw a Pokéball in the air, it opened and a streak of white energy emerged from the orb. The energy immediately transformed into a ghost Pokémon who had a cloak covering his body and a skull for a head.

“If it’s a battle you want, then it’s one you will have!” Vinzer then directed his look at his nervous Torchic. “Torchic, my friend. I know you are still young and need a lot of training. However, I have never, from the moment I met you, doubted your abilities. So if my confidence is as strong as yours is, we can win this through!” Torchic gave Vinzer a courageous chirp, then stepped up to confront the arrogant-looking Duskull.

“Ha ha ha! What a loser! Duskull, Night Shade!” stated the devious trainer. An unfocused beam of darkness emerged from Duskull’s eyes.

“Torchic, try to evade it!” Vinzer suggested. Torchic gave a chirp, and immediately flew up, but was hit by the edge of the beam.

“Torchic, retaliate with Ember!” Vinzer ordered. Torchic’s eyes glowed for a brief moment and it opened its beak, firing rockets of fire at the unwary Duskull, but didn’t seem to damage it much.

“Ah! Duskull, don’t just float there! Use another Night Shade!” shouted the trainer. Duskull fired another beam of darkness at Torchic, this time, hitting its head.

“Torchic, no!” shouted Vinzer. Suddenly, Torchic’s body began to emit a peculiar heat. A few seconds later, transparent flames surrounded his body. “What is thi-” Vinzer suddenly remembered that Torchic had the ability “Blaze” in his university notebook. Blaze, this ability is used by Torchic when it is weakened. It powers up fire-based moves Vinzer memorized from his notes. “Torchic, since Blaze is surrounding you, why not try another Ember attack at Duskull,” Vinzer suggested with much hope. Torchic glowed an angry red when it opened its tiny peak and shot out larger fire bullets. This time, the flames caught Duskull’s cloak, burning the ghost Pokémon.

“No way! I ain’t beaten yet, Shakespeare. Duskull, do another Night Shade!” ordered the surprised, but furious trainer. Duskull, however, was too worried about putting out the flames on his cloak than listening to his trainer. The flames were uncontrollable; within a few seconds, Duskull transformed into a floating ball of fire. The flames abruptly disappeared leaving the floating ghost a defeated Pokémon, lying on the floor.

“No! I ain’t leavin’ without that Torchic, give it back!” shouted the trainer who looks like he’ll explode any second. He then approached Torchic with inhuman speed, but Torchic quickly levitated and gave the devious trainer a taste of its brilliant flames. The trainer flinched and recalled his Duskull. All Vinzer heard was his last words: “You may be strong, but you ain’t got me yet. I’ll get ya someday, Shakespeare!” He ran straight into the teleportation pad and abruptly disappeared.

“Well, Torchic. You have a great strength in you. I knew we would come through!” Vinzer said smiling, patting Torchic as it gave him three friendly chirps and a chirp of victory. Vinzer knew his troubles with Torchic’s former trainer were finally over. Later that day, the management of Vinzer’s apartment complex fixed his security system, and all systems functioned at Vinzer’s command.

I have a wonderful Pokémon friend, and of course, a reliable apartment system!, Vinzer thought to himself as he gazed out at the ever-blue ocean for one more time.

[mistysakura]

Not bad for a first fic! No common errors like too much dialogue, too little description and way-too-short chapters. Except for the weirdness of saying "please" to a ticket machine and the constant tense changes in the firs hcapter, no criticism. Keep up the good work!

[Mr Mayor]

Great Chapter. The communication between two people was much better this time. Not so... "old?" I love your writing style, and this fic is going to be good. Keep it up!

And thanks for the compliment on my fic.

[Neo-Xantios]

mistysakura: Hello, I always get screwed up with the tenses quite a bit in every story I write. I recently had a composition for school, and guess what my only error was: Too many tense errors". *Sigh*, I hope the situation will improve in the future chapters. Thanks for pointing that out, though, I always speed up my corrections when I acquire some critism. 8)

Mr. Mayor: Thank you, sir. I was a little challenging, but nothing I couldn't do. For all my past stories, many of the characters spoke like the people in the medieval times. . There will be more technological features in the future and certainly some real-life events!

Chapter three will be posted tomorrow morning (HK time). BTW, tomorrow is a school holiday for me so you can expect two chapters tomorrow, but don't count on it.

[Mr Mayor]

Sir? I bet you're older then me. I'm only 13 (but I'll be 14 in July!)

[RJdude]

I'm 13, too, 14 in June.
It was a very nice chapter. Hurry up on the next chapter, I want to see ehat happens.

[Neo-Xantios]

Mr. Mayor and RJdude(Possibly): I am fifteen years old, and my birthday is in November.

Hello, all. Your patience rewards you with Chapter three of "Pokémon: A Philosophy"! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3
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Another week has passed and today, in the late afternoon, the S.S. Eauis will be docking at the Ceness ports. Vinzer still had the rest of his morning and early afternoon to get ready for his journey. Fortunately, Torchic’s assistance was able to hasten the process of packing, thus giving him extra time to think about his new adventure.

I think that’s that last of them, thought Vinzer as he closed his food luggage. In the Twenty-Second Century Onaria, this innovation was much convenient for a trainer, as it acted as a refrigerator as one traveled. Just like any other items, however, this portable refrigeration wasn’t without a reasonable price. Vinzer’s food luggage was able to pack enough food for five days. Yes, at last, everything is ready as it should be, thought Vinzer.

“Hey, Torchic, we still have one and a half hour before lunchtime. Would you like to go to the park, or watch me play StarCraft again?” Vinzer asked his Torchic. Torchic gave a response by floating to the door, indicating that it wished to go out.

“All right then, Torchic. To the park we go!” said Vinzer as he put his shoes on. Once outside, he stated his password and secured all systems in his apartment. Due to Torchic’s excitement, Vinzer had to ran the entire way to the park, but had sufficient energy when he arrived there. Suddenly, a young boy with a blue T-shirt and a green pair of trousers, approached Vinzer and his Torchic. He seemed to be in his early teens, and had dark orange hair.

“Hello, your Torchic seems pretty tough. How about a friendly battle?” the boy asked smiling.

When Vinzer saw that the trainer only had one Pokéball in his hand, he accepted the challenge.

“First, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Vinzer,” said Vinzer as he gave the boy a kind smile.

“I am Richard,” the boy replied, returning the smile.

“We’ll have a one on one battle with no time limit,” stated Vinzer. “Is that all right with you?”

“Yes, it’s fine, thanks. Let’s begin!” replied Richard, throwing his Pokéball in the air. “Let’s do it, Electrike!” The Pokéball opened and white energy descended to the ground, revealing the Pokémon.

“Torchic,” Vinzer looked at Torchic for a brief moment, giving it a warm smile. “Good luck!” Torchic stepped up against Electrike like it did in the previous battle with Duskull.

“Electrike, try a Thundershock!” ordered Richard, his face now a little grim. Immediately, blue flashes of lightning surrounded the electric Pokémon. Electrike waited two seconds before releasing it. The thin blue bolts hit and zapped Torchic. However, the fire Pokémon showed no pain whatsoever, and was ready to execute its first move.

“Torchic, it seems as if Electrike has electricity surrounding its body, so physical attacks will not be wise. Let’s try an ember!” Vinzer stated, with eyes narrowed and smiling, as if he was arrogant. Torchic complied by opening its tiny beak and beginning to fire tiny flame rockets at its practice partner. All those flames hit Electrike, causing it to step back just one step. Apparently, Vinzer knew that Eletrike didn’t receive too much damage from the chick Pokémon’s attack.

“Wow, Vinzer, your Torchic is strong, but the battle isn’t over yet! Electrike, use a Tackle!” Richard stated, his look now reflects that of Vinzer’s. Electrike charged towards Torchic with undeniable speed.

“Torchic, evade!” Vinzer ordered. Torchic immediately levitated higher, giving the electric Pokémon nothing to hit. “All right, great work! Now try another Ember!” Torchic’s mouth re-opened and flames filled it. A second later, it fired one large fire missile at Electrike, hitting it on his head. Eletrike, this time, seemed to fall, but wasn’t injured.

“Oh, Electrike! Try to get up!” said a worried Richard.

“Richard, I think we should stop. Torchic and I do not wish to hurt your Electrike any further,” suggested Vinzer as he gave the fallen Electrike a sympathetic look. “Torchic, come back.”

“Yes, Vinzer. You are right, I should call Electrike back,” Richard immediately pointed his Pokéball to the fallen Pokémon’s direction. A beam of red light touched, and returned Electrike to the orb. “But that was a great battle, Vinzer. I don’t regret this at all. Thank you for helping me train my Electrike.”

“It’s a pleasure, Richard. I see your bond with Electrike is very close. You do have the potential of an outstanding trainer!” praised Vinzer, giving Richard a warm smile.

“Thank you, Vinzer. I will do my best to get into the Onarian League,” said Richard, his attention directed to Electrike’s Pokéball.

“Oh, the Onarian League, you say? I am beginning my journey today, by taking the ship, S.S. Eauis to the mainland. From there, I will battle the ten gym leaders in cities throughout the continent. It is a long and difficult journey, but it is far from being impossible!” said Vinzer.

“Wow, what a coincidence! I’m also taking the S.S. Eauis to the mainland later today. Maybe we can travel together?” replied a surprised and happy Richard.

“A great idea, Richard! Let’s meet here at 4:30PM this afternoon, if you can,” suggested Vinzer, his expression in surprise.

“Sure, I can. I’ll meet you here at that time, then. I have to get going now. Good bye, Vinzer!” said Richard.

“Good bye. We’ll meet here again soon.”

After the Richard’s departure, Vinzer jogged three times around the Ceness Park without faltering. Torchic also reflected its energy build-up in the previous weeks by floating next to Vinzer without losing a breath. After the jog, however, Vinzer and Torchic grew tired for at least five minutes.

“Torchic, I must say I’m impressed. You are becoming stronger day by day!” Vinzer praised his Pokémon. Torchic gave Vinzer a familiar chirp. “Let’s head home, we should have an early lunch.”

The time was 11:45AM, and Vinzer inserted some food he didn’t pack into his food luggage into a large machine. This machine is known as the auto cooker and is able to prepare a decent meal within a few minutes. This innovation could be found in every home across Onaria. Lunch was prepared in just ten minutes. Soon enough, Vinzer and Torchic filled themselves with some of their favorites.

Two large bags of luggage seemed almost too difficult for an ordinary person to take with them, but with his strength, Vinzer pulled the two pieces of luggage with pure ease. One bag contained his clothing and other necessities, while the other one was the portable refrigerator. Before heading out, Vinzer gazed out his large apartment window for one last time before saying, “Torchic, I will miss one special thing on our journey. It is certainly the magnificent view of the ever-blue ocean...”

After readying everything, Vinzer and Torchic exited the apartment.

“Hiros three-two-eight. Activate stasis system in the apartment,” ordered Vinzer. Simultaneously, the interior of his apartment turned blue and everything froze.

Once Vinzer and Torchic arrived back to the park, Richard and his Electrike was there, waiting with two pieces of luggage, but much smaller than Vinzer’s.

“Hey, Richard! You sure seem ready to go,” said Vinzer as he put one hand on Richard’s shoulder.

“Yes, I am. You seemed pretty well prepared yourself,” Richard replied, giving him a familiar smile.

“We still have an hour before the ship arrives. Why not take the subway to the Ceness Ports, while its still quite early? You know, the subways will be filled around 5:00PM,” Vinzer suggested.

“All right, let’s go catch the subway right now,” Richard returned. The walk to the subway from the park took them approximately eleven minutes, but once there, it was a smooth trip to the ports. Once they exited the subway station at the ports, all they saw were huge container terminals, but to their far right was a building which looked like an enormous shopping center, but there was a boarding path protruding from the walls. They immediately headed for the large shopping center, knowing that the building was for boarding the S.S. Eauis. The interior of the shopping center was, of course, of luxury. Vinzer, Richard, and their Pokémon traveled to the passenger waiting room, a couple of meters into the shopping center. The two were surprised to see the room filled with Pokémon trainers. Many trainers didn’t notice the two of them coming, for they were busy packing and confirming their bags, playing with their new Pokémon, or saying their last good-byes to their loved ones.

“Magnificent! I never saw this many trainers waiting before!” exclaimed Richard as he and Vinzer moved to two vacant seats in the enormous waiting room.

“Vinzer! It’s great to see you once again. It has only been a week, but it felt as if a year has passed!” shouted a familiar voice at the entrance.

“Professor Larkin, it’s great to see you again! I knew you would come!” Vinzer exclaimed as he approached Larkin.

“Well, Vinzer. Today, you will finally begin your dream,” Larkin said. “I do have something for you: It is the Innovative Pokédex.”

“Oh, I can’t simply thank you enough Professor! You are just too kind!” Vinzer said gratefully as he received a cell phone sized device, with red painted all over, a picture of a Pokéball in the middle, and buttons at the top.

“This, Vinzer, is the Pokédex I worked on for the last three years. It has amazingly new features,” Larkin explained. “Try opening it and look up Torchic.”

Vinzer complied and a small hologram of Torchic appeared on top of the Pokéball picture. Afterwards, Larkin instructed him to press the “voice” button. Once Vinzer pressed it, the hologram emitted a chirp, just like a real Torchic. The professor then instructed him to press the “size” button. Vinzer complied and a real-size hologram of Torchic abruptly appeared on the ground.

“Wow, this is truly amazing, Professor. I promise to keep this as a very special gift from you!” Vinzer exclaimed.

“The S.S. Eauis will be arriving in twenty minutes. Be sure to have everything ready,” said Larkin as he gave Vinzer a large smile.

“Yes, Professor, I have everything ready. Oh yes, I have made a new friend today and coincidentally, he is also going on a Pokémon journey as well,” said Vinzer as he showed the way to his seat.

“Ah, hello there. I’m Professor Larkin, Vinzer’s old university instructor,” Larkin introduced himself.

“Hello, sir. My name is Richard Samuels,” Richard replied.

“Ah, nice. I’m sure you’ll just be as successful. You sure have a powerful-looking Electrike!” Larkin complimented as he looked at the electric Pokémon.

“Thanks, sir, but my Electrike is still young. Vinzer’s Torchic was able to stand up to it in a battle,” Richard replied.

“So, you had a battle, I see,” Professor Larkin confirmed.

“Yes, Torchic was truly amazing. I guess Vinzer must have had it for quite a while,” Richard replied.

“Actually, Richard, I’ve adopted this Torchic two weeks ago. He was rejected by a really selfish trainer,” Vinzer explained.

“Oh, I see. I feel sorry for Torchic, but now Torchic must be really fortunate to be with you. Man, I really hate those selfish trainers!” Richard said, clenching his fists .

After their conversation, Vinzer, Richard, their Pokémon and Larkin could hear a large hoot from a distance. The S.S. Eauis was arriving.

“Here comes the S.S. Eauis. Have a last check before boarding,” stated Larkin.

Vinzer and Richard waited in a long queue at the check-in as they readied their identifications. For trainers, riding the large ocean liner was free.

“Vinzer, Richard, good luck to you both on your journey! I’m sure all will be well. Farewell!” Larkin has said his last good-bye.

“Farewell, Professor Larkin. I’ll surely miss you and Ceness Island!” Vinzer said with a large smile as his eyes grew a little wet.

“Farewell, sir. I’m sure we both will succeed. Take care of yourself!” said a very optimistic Richard.

After passing through check-in, Vinzer and Richard recalled their Pokémon back into the Pokéballs and handed their luggage to two officers for customs inspection. Once they were done with that, the two rookie trainers peered out the small window of the boarding path. The S.S. Eauis was a giant floating on the surface of the sea. The tiny windows on its hull were too small for neither of them to see. Soon, they entered a narrow path to their left, which connected the ship to the structure. The upward path took them quite a while to walk through, but they were greeted warmly when they reached the end.

“Welcome aboard the S.S. Eauis,” said a lady at the entrance. “May I please see your Pokédexes?”

Vinzer and Richard handed her their Pokédexes. Richard’s Pokédex seemed a little more primitive than Vinzer’s, but it still worked for his new journey.

“Your cabins are on deck three, numbers fifteen and sixteen,” the lady informed them. “Enjoy your cruise!”

The two stepped on a teleportation pad near them. Once on it, Vinzer stated, “Deck three.” They immediately arrived at a large hall filled with rookie trainers and their Pokémon. The two knew that they had to find their cabins first and secure their luggage. They walked towards an aisle with the sign “1-20” on the top. Cabin 15 and 16 wasn’t that far, but it did take them a good three minutes. When they were at Cabin 15, Richard put his Pokédex into a slot with the word “Pokédex” carve on top. The door simultaneously opened, revealing a room about 25 square meters with a large bed to the right and a desk with a computer to the left. There was another door in the middle, which led to the cabin’s bathroom. Richard and Vinzer arranged to meet outside in the main hall after they unpacked. After Richard made the arrangements, Vinzer headed for his cabin, and did the same thing Richard did. Once inside, Vinzer released his Torchic from its Pokéball. Torchic looked a little puzzled at first, but immediately realized that it was inside the S.S. Eauis. It didn’t take him long to unpack, so he met Richard and Electrike in the hall five minutes later.

“Hey, Vinzer, I heard that you can trade and battle on this ship! It’s awesome!” exclaimed a surprised Richard.

“Oh cool, let’s do that tomorrow, I’m quite tired. All that’s in my mind is going to the restaurant now!” Vinzer replied.

“Okay, then let’s find the restaurant,” Richard concurred.

Before Vinzer, Richard, and their Pokémon headed to the teleportation pad, the intercom went on, “Welcome aboard the S.S. Eauis! This is Captain William Josone. I would like to inform you that the S.S. Eauis will set sail in half an hour. Our facilities will be opened for the duration of this trip starting now. We will dock on the mainland city of Clariford in approximately forty-eight hours. Please enjoy this cruise. Thank you!”

Once the announcement was over, Vinzer, Richard, and their Pokémon teleported to one of the restaurants on the S.S. Eauis.

“Welcome, sirs. Here are your menus,” a waitress said, handing Vinzer and Richard a red colored menu. Vinzer glanced through the large menu, trying to make a decision. Richard did the same. Five minutes later, the waitress returned.

“What would you like to order?” she inquired. Vinzer and Richard stated their requests and ten minutes later, their meal arrived. It took them about an hour to complete their meals, for they had in-depth discussions about their history and their Pokémon. After their meals, they headed out for the semi-crowded exterior of the ship, embracing one final moment the distant view of Ceness.

[Neo-Xantios]

Ah, no replies to the previous chapter? So be it, but here's the next chapter. It's the most intense chapter yet! Enjoy!


********
Chapter 4
********

It was 12:30AM. Vinzer, Richard, their Pokémon, and hundreds of other trainers onboard the S.S. Eauis was fast asleep. On the bridge of the liner, a solemn Captain Josone scrutinized the holographic radar image. Two minutes later, he returned to his chair and gently shut his eyes.

*

On the exterior deck of the ship, two crewmen on duty gazed out at the dark ocean. Not one single ship was in sight. The warm evening air gave them some energy to stay awake. Moments later, one of the crewmen saw a dark, peculiar vessel in the distance. He couldn’t make out its identity, but he immediately took out a communication device the size of his index finger. Pointing the top of the communication device at his mouth, he stated his vision of the unidentified ship.

*

On the bridge, a half-asleep Captain Josone was woken rudely by the patrolling crewman’s transmission. He immediately rose from his chair and approached the holographic radar. The image reveal one large red dot about 12 centimeters away from a green dot, the indicator for the S.S. Eauis. He knew instantly that the ship is in trouble.

*

The nervous crewman on the ship’s exterior deck saw tiny orange-yellow flashes from the unidentified ship.

What the heck is that?, he asked himself, his expression in disbelief. Abruptly, the entire ship gave a brief shake. The crewman immediately knew that the ship was under possible siege.

*

After Captain Josone experienced the unexpected shake, he immediately approached a transmission terminal on the bridge. Without hesitating, he entered his password and sent a transmission to the lower decks.

“Decks ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen, report!” stated the captain grimly.

Immediately afterwards, the receivers returned the transmission.

“This is Deck Ten, We have no reports of unexpected disturbances,” the first transmission came in.

“Deck Eleven here, sir. No negative reports,” the second transmission read. The Captain began to grow nervous.

“This is Deck Twelve, sir. We are experiencing weird sounds from below,” stated a nervous voice. The Captain instantly knew Deck Thirteen had company.

“Mayday, mayday! We have disturbance on Deck Thirteen. Three of our crew members have gone missing, and so have five of our Electrodes, powering the engines!” a most frightened voice reported. Abruptly, a transmission from a different frequency interrupted.

“Captain of the S.S. Eauis. We are the Stormers and have come to take some useful Pokémon. Surrender yourself and your Pokémon if you wish to see this ship sail safely to Clariford. We are armed with dangerous Pokémon and weapons. You are defenseless!” read the grim transmission. Captain Josone, after hearing the transmission, hurried to the shut-down terminal, still on the bridge. He entered a long password before stating regretfully: “Deactivate all automatic systems onboard. Unlock emergency exits. Initiate escape procedures.” After the shut-down sequence, Josone opened the alarm. He then headed back to the transmission terminal, but this time, he gave an emergency announcement: “Attention, passengers and crewmembers of the S.S. Eauis. I must regretfully inform you that we are under siege by the Stormers...”

*

Vinzer was still drowsy from his sleep. He slept at ten thirty the night before, and now, he had to wake up for an emergency reason? Vinzer certainly deserved more than this, especially on the S.S. Eauis. After Vinzer regained energy, he heard loud noises from the corridor outside. He knew that this was an emergency, but had absolutely no idea that this was a siege by the infamous Stormers. Without delaying one second, Vinzer emerged from his warm, luxurious bed and seized Torchic’s Pokéball, and his two pieces of luggage. Once he neared the door to the corridor, he realized that it had been shut down. He knew he had to get the door opened quickly, before whoever took over this ship reach this deck. With pure instincts, he directed his look to his left and saw a glass-protected lever. Apparently, the lever wasn’t there when he entered his cabin for the first time. His muscular arm smashed the glass flawlessly and pulled the lever down. Once it was down, he heard a click near the door. He drew his arm from the emergency lever and used it to manually slide the loose door open. Once out in the corridor, he saw a frightened Richard to his left.

“Come on Vinzer, we need to hurry. The Stormers are here!” exclaimed Richard, holding his luggage.

“All right, let’s go!” Vinzer concurred with a solemn expression. He didn’t bother to ask any questions. The two trainers, together with dozens more, headed towards an emergency stairway twenty meters across the hall. Once Vinzer neared the door to the stairway, he heard an explosion from behind. It sounded about fifteen meters away. The hall was now empty, with just one young boy catching up to the group. He abruptly turned to see what was going on. To his surprise, a man dressed in grey, who seemed as tall as he was, emerged from the fires after the explosion. He wielded a laser pistol. With inhuman actions, the man managed to grab hold of the young boy. Vinzer immediately changed his direction. He knew it was his duty to save the boy, even if it meant his life was at stake. A puzzled Richard turned to face Vinzer.

“Vinzer, come on!” he insisted.

“No, I need to save him,” Vinzer pointed to the direction of the man holding the boy hostage. The man, however, didn’t notice Vinzer.

“Vinzer, I’m not going without you.”

“I’m not going until I know that that boy is safe!”

“Vinzer look-”

“Richard! Go without me for now. I’ll be fine, trust me!”

“Fine, if you insist. I’m telling you, Vinzer, you’ll regret this!”

Richard turned back without hesitating. When Richard descended, Vinzer approached the man slowly.

“Give him up, he’s not what you want,” said a calm Vinzer.

“Look, pal. I not going to give anything up!” the man shot back. Vinzer noticed that he was one of the Stormers Richard spoke of earlier.

“Put down your weapon down and nothing bad will happen, okay?” Vinzer tried to end this very grim situation.

“Shut up! I need Pokémon, Pokémon!” the Stormer exclaimed, now pointing his pistol at Vinzer.

“All right, then. If it’s Pokémon you want, then here,” Vinzer handed the Stormer his five empty Pokéballs. Luckily, this Stormer was quite inexperienced, believing those balls were not empty. He slowly released the young boy, who look to be near-unconscious. Vinzer was relieved to see the Stormer lower his weapon. He then reached for his pocket, but pulled his hand out immediately; he didn’t want his young Torchic to get involved with this extremely dangerous situation. The Stormer, however, noticed Vinzer’s actions.

“What do you got there, pal. Show me!” the Stormer shouted. He raised his pistol again. Vinzer was now stunned, unable to perform another action. Surprisingly, a Mudkip jumped on the Stormer’s head, causing him to fire three consecutive shots of lasers at the ceiling.

“Mudkip, use a Water Gun to get that pistol off him!” a voice of the young boy behind the distracted Stormer ordered. Vinzer felt adrenaline passing through his body as he quickly took out his Pokéball, and threw it in the air, releasing his trustworthy Torchic. Simultaneously, a beam of water from Mudkip’s large mouth touched the Stormer’s pistol, forcing the Stormer to release it. Once out its Pokéball, Torchic instinctively shot out five flame rockets from its beak. The Stormer’s clothes caught fire immediately, and Mudkip jumped in front of him, in solidarity with Torchic. The boy was now in front of the suffering Stormer as well. The two trainers allowed the Stormer to burn for a little while before the boy ordered Mudkip to put the flames out. Once all the flames were out, the Stormer fainted.

“Thank you very much, sir. Mudkip and I owe you our lives!” the young boy praised.

“Think nothing of it. If it wasn’t for you, either my Torchic, or I would be hurt badly. I must thank you!” Vinzer returned, a smile dominating his face.

“My name is Josh, by the way,” he said, returning a similar smile.

“I am Vinzer. Let’s waste no time; we have to get out of here before more of these Stormer guys come!” Vinzer stated, his smile faded. He picked up his empty Pokéballs, and the Stormer’s pistol and planned to use it for protection if they encountered another enemy. After Torchic’s and Mudkip’s quick conversation, their respective trainers recalled them to their Pokéballs. Using the emergency staircase, the two trainers were able to make it to the fifth deck, where it lead to the exterior deck. Vinzer peered through the rectangular emergency door window, visioning three Stormers approaching. Without much hesitation, Vinzer instructed Josh to ascend to Deck Four, where he believed was safer. Once on Deck Four, Vinzer did the same thing he did on Deck Five. This time, though, there were no Stormers. He slowly opened the door and led the way out. This deck looked to be exactly like Deck Three. The two moved swiftly through the hall and the cabin corridor. At the end of the path, there was a hatch, large enough for both Vinzer and Josh to fit in. The hatch opened easily, and both trainers entered it, not knowing where this dark tunnel led to.

*

On the exterior deck of Deck Five, Richard and dozens of trainers gathered, waiting for life-boats to emerge from the deck below. About five dozen trainers left the invaded S.S. Eauis already by utilizing medium-sized lifeboats, which could only accommodate twelve people. These boats were powered by electrical engines so their speed rivaled that of the S.S. Eauis. Richard was patiently waiting his turn. He was still behind two dozen people. Although it seemed like a lot, Richard wanted to be even more behind, so he could see if Vinzer made it out safely. Abruptly, three Stormers emerged from the interior and approached the crowd. These three Stormers did not have any weapons with them, but they were armed with Pokéballs. The villains threw their red-and-white orbs to the ground. The first Pokéball opened and revealed the wicked-looking black hound, Mightyena. The second Pokémon revealed a Dusclops, his eye swept through the busy crowd. The third one was probably the Pokémon which scared Richard most, Banette. The floating ghost narrowed its eyes and slowly opened its mouth, revealing its nightmarish yellow teeth. All of a sudden, a steel silver bird appeared, and it seemed to dominated the dark tranquil sky in Richard’s vision.

Could this be our savior? he asked himself, gripping his Pokéball with Electrike in it tightly. He suddenly saw a figure below the high-flying steel bird.

“Skarmory, ensure all those trainers down there are safe!” ordered Captain Josone as he directed his attention at the crowd on the deck below him. He was apparently standing at the edge of the deck above Deck Five. Banette ascended to challenge the armored bird. It used its ghastly hands to form a ball of pure darkness. It took the ghost Pokémon a few seconds to form the ball, but fired it immediately when it was as big as its head. The ball of dark energy missed Skarmory as the bird descended about two meters. The steel bird retaliated by giving Banette a strong gust of wind, blowing the ghost back a little. Banette didn’t seem to recoil, however, and gave Skarmory yet another Shadow Ball. This time, the ball of dark energy hit the steel bird on its chest, causing it to falter. Skarmory ascended a little, despite the damage it received from Banette’s Shadow Ball attack. It began to glow an eerie white as it accelerated. One second later, the steel bird gave Banette a taste of its amazing speed. This time, the ghost Pokémon recoiled and almost failed to maintain its flight. However, Skarmory returned, this time, behind Banette. It flapped its heavy wings once as they glowed. Skarmory performed a heavy Steel Wing attack on the unwary Banette, causing the ghost Pokémon to lose its flight. It’s fall left a dent on the exterior deck. The victory was rewarding, but Skarmory still needed to maintain its strength as more battles awaited it.

*

Vinzer and Josh could see light at the end of the tunnel. Once at the end, Vinzer peered out the tiny holes to scan if there were any Stormers. Seeing the place cleared, he easily opened the hatch, revealing an empty restaurant. Vinzer and Josh did not hesitate to climb down. The feeling of standing was rewarded after their long endeavor through the tunnel. The two sat down, at last, resting for a while and planning their next move. The next five minutes was relaxing, but their relaxation was interrupted by running footsteps outside the restaurant. Vinzer immediately instructed Josh to hide under the table as he go find out what was going on. Three Stormers entered the restaurant. Simultaneously, Vinzer’s instincts forced him to duck and hid under the nearest table. The villains seemed to move towards the counter, where food was suppose to be served at. Fortunately for Vinzer and Josh, the counter was nowhere near where they were hiding, for if it was, Vinzer would have already utilized his newly acquired laser pistol. When the three Stormers were busy digging for food behind the counter, Vinzer emerged from his hiding, and approached the counter with a stealthy movement. His reached for the laser pistol in his deep pocket as he got closer to the danger. There were no surprises for him now as he set his pistol to level five, the level which could instantly kill a targeted victim.

“All right, freeze!” he commanded as he pointed his pistol towards the unwary Stormers. The Stormers abruptly turned around, revealing laser pistols of their own. Vinzer was caught by surprise; the Stormers pointed their own pistols at Vinzer. The rookie trainer, however, did not back an inch, but merely put his second hand on the pistol triggers. Before Vinzer could utter another sound, the three Stormers fired shots of laser beams at Vinzer, knocking him down.

“Noooooooo!” cried Josh in disbelief as he ignored the Stormers’s presence and rushed towards the possibly dead Vinzer. As inhuman as they are, the Stormers fired lasers at the young boy, just like they did to Vinzer.

*

Another victory for the captain’s noble Skarmory as it gave Dusclops another powerful Steel Wing. Skarmory now had to challenge possibly the easiest opponent, Mightyena. The steel bird dove down, using its Aerial Ace attack. To Josone and Skarmory’s surprise, the dark hound evaded the powerful attack. Mightyena, seeing Skarmory flying so low, jumped on the bird, causing it to slow down a little. The clever Skarmory reacted by flying upside-down, forcing the hound to fall. The match proved to be, after all, easy when Skarmory knocked it out with its powerful steel beak. The Stormers escaped back inside after their loss, giving the panicking trainers more time to escape. Richard was the next to board a life-boat when he hesitated, and stepped back. He heard a rude voice from behind him.

“Hurry up and get in there, boy!” ordered a fat lady behind Richard.

“You can go first,” Richard responded, his head down.

“It’s your turn, now hop,” the lady insisted.

Seeing leaving the ship was inevitable, Richard boarded the life-boat.

Vinzer and that kid have made it out safely; they must have!, Richard thought to himself. His hands clenched his Pokéball tighter than ever. The life-boat lowered to the waters. Simultaneously, Richard heard the electric engines of the boat activate. The boat was departing now, leaving the S.S. Eauis and his friend behind.

*

The bridge of the S.S. Eauis was now filled with officers. The captain had gone over plans on how to rid the Stormers, but they were all futile; they don’t have any weapons to start off with! They finally implemented one decisive plan.

*

Vinzer woke up in an unfamiliar room. His hands seemed to be tied up with primitive ropes. This place seemed to be filled with engines and weird Pokémon which looked like Pokéballs, but their colors were reversed and had a face. He suddenly saw a huge man with a pirate’s patch on his left eye. He had long grey hair and a large cloak. This strange man reminded Vinzer of this villain he saw in a movie once. Vinzer saw this guy ordered some Stormers to pick those Electrodes up and escort them outside. The man abruptly turned to Vinzer.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s awake at last!” his voice was deep and stern.

Vinzer did not reply. He simply gave the man a grim look.

“Once we’re done with our operation, we’ll see you swimming in the ocean. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

His laughing was interrupted by a loud and eerie computer voice. “Warning! Warning! Self-destruct sequence has been initiated. Twenty minutes until self destruction!”

“Aagghh! That was rather unexpected! All right boys, pack up, we’re leaving this damned liner. We have what need; our mission is a success! As for you, fool, you‘ll be going down with this ship! Ha ha ha ha ha!” the evil man laughed. “And look what you gave us!”

The villain drew two Pokéballs from his back pocket. Vinzer knew that those Pokéballs contained his and Josh’s starters. Once he returned the orbs into his pocket, he headed for what looked like a small pod in the room. The next situation occurred with mere luck. Apparently, the man’s pocket wasn’t deep enough to secure the two Pokéballs. When he entered the pod, the two orbs dropped from the villains pocket and landed on the metallic deck. Within the next second, Vinzer heard loud roars from the pods as they launched, escaping the liner.

Torchic, Mudkip, you have to come out! Vinzer thought as he tried to untie the ropes on his hands. Surprisingly, both Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs. Torchic gave a chirp as it flew behind Vinzer and cut the primitive ropes. Vinzer wasted not one nanosecond to find Josh, who was apparently in the same room. Behind the huge engines, Vinzer spotted an unconscious Josh, tied up the way he was.

“Mudkip, use Water Gun to wake Josh up. Torchic, cut the ropes that are tying his hands!” Vinzer ordered.

Mudkip and Torchic complied and Josh returned to his feet.

“Josh, they have set the self-destruct sequence; we haven’t much time!” Vinzer explained.

“We must report to Deck Five!” Josh stated.

They rushed out the large engine room and headed towards the emergency staircase. It took them nearly ten minutes to reach Deck Five, but once there, they exploded out onto the exterior deck of Deck Five.

“We’re here at last! Head for the life boats!” Vinzer exclaimed, catching his breath.

*

“Sir, there are two trainers on the exterior deck!” exclaimed an officer.

“What! I thought we’ve evacuated everyone!” the captain replied.

“Sir, sensors detect no Stormers on board. It appears they left after we set the self-destruct sequence,” explained another officer.

“Good job, Gerard. Deactivate self-destruct sequence!” the captain ordered, smiling. The officer complied and after deactivating the self-destruct sequence, the captain ordered all automatic systems onboard to activate. He and a couple of his crew teleported to Deck Five.

*

Vinzer and Josh was relieved when they saw seven officers approaching them. Captain Josone gave both of them a warm smile, but Vinzer and Josh didn’t look too pleased.

“Captain of this ship, I assume?” Vinzer inquired.

“Yes, I am Captain Josone, of the S.S. Eauis,” replied the Captain. “We’ve deactivated the self-destruct sequence, so there is no need to worry; the sequence was to scare away the villains. However, we knew we had to evacuate everyone before the plan succeeds. Happily, the plan succeeded, without damaging the S.S. Eauis.”

“That was smart thinking of you, Captain,” Josh complimented, now giving the captain a smile.

“Yes, that was smart. I don’t think anyone could have expected that!” Vinzer concurred.

“Well, there’s nothing to be afraid of now. Tomorrow evening, we will dock at Clariford as was previously planned,” the captain stated enthusiastically. “I’ll see you around!”

The captain and crewmen returned to the bridge. Vinzer and Josh decided to stay on the exterior deck. It will indeed be a long trip.

[RJdude]

Good chapters. The Stormers are interesting. It's nice to hear of a bad guy team that doesn't start with "Team". Keep writting.

[Neo-Xantios]

Thank you, RJdude. The 'Team' in front of the villains' title is getting rather old, so I decided to implement a new title. Of course, these were to titles available to me: Stormers and Blackheads. I chose the Stormers because 'Blackheads' is for my future stories. You'll see more of the Stormers doing more dangerous activities later on. Maybe even utilizing nuclear power! .

EDIT: If you wish to read an alternative version of Chapter four, please PM me (Be warned, you'll not like the fate of S.S. Eauis).

[Neo-Xantios]

Chapter five has arrived! Enjoy!



********
Chapter 5
********

Vinzer didn’t even think about smiling the next day. Richard was gone, and so were dozens of other trainers. He couldn’t force his mind to change the subject. Yesterday’s siege could’ve killed many people, including himself. He began to reconsider if this endeavor was worth the effort. Is it worth it to risk his life just to meet new Pokémon and enter the Onarian League? Vinzer thought about that difficult question time and time again throughout the day. He finally decided it was his destiny, his duty to be in this challenge. He would be no better than the Stormers if he backed out.

“Hey, Vinzer, you were out here the entire day. Is there something wrong?” Josh’s voice came in from behind Vinzer’s ears.

He did not turn back when he replied, “No, Josh, nothing’s wrong. I’m just obsessed about yesterday’s siege. It could’ve...been more deadly than it was.”

“We share the same experiences, Vinzer, but you must put this behind you. We have a long and difficult journey ahead,” Josh’s voice was now warm and supportive.

“You’re right, Josh. Yesterday’s incursion is a thing of the past. We cannot allow it to deter us from our duty,” Vinzer replied, turning around to reveal his near-wet eyes. “We are to be Pokémon Masters some day.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I think the captain wants to see us,” Josh returned, his smile split his young face.

The bridge of the S.S. Eauis seemed relatively empty for Vinzer. There were only two officers with the captain. The captain was reading the holographic radar, but turned to the two trainers as they entered.

“Hello, Vinzer and Josh. We are docking at Clariford in approximately two hours,” the captain informed the two trainers as he neared the them.

“Thanks for the information, Captain,” Vinzer replied with a faint smile. “Is this all you want us to know?”

“No, actually,” the captain replied as he massaged his short beard. “I have something for both of you for your bravery.”

Vinzer and Josh gazed at the implying captain as he reached for his pocket and drew out two tiny Pokéballs the size of a joint in his index finger. He expanded the spheres and gave each one to Vinzer and Josh.

Vinzer excepted his prize with some reluctance before thanking him. Josh, apparently, did the same. The two trainers opened their Pokéballs to reveal their prized Pokémon. Out of Vinzer’s Pokéball came an orange lobster with two large claws and a small three-pronged crown stuck on its head. It fixed its large eyes on Vinzer. Josh’s Pokéball released a pink, energetic Pokémon with two ears the length of its body, hanging over its head.

“Vinzer, Josh, promise me to train Corphish and Whismur. Since I became captain of the S.S. Eauis two years ago, I was so overburdened that I couldn’t even watch these angels. I’m afraid my job has to continue and I can’t let them have a dull life of staying on the ship their entire lives. So please, look after them as I’ve always dreamed of doing. I know you won’t fail me,” the captain said as two drops of tears ran down his cheeks. The two Pokémon both gave the captain a sympathetic look before turning around, facing their new trainers. Whismur jumped into Josh’s open arms as it let out a loud, happy cry. Corphish approached Vinzer slowly, then put its two large claws around his ankle.

“Corphish, I feel overjoyed, seeing you a second member of our team!” Vinzer told his newly acquired Pokémon as he picked it up near his chest. The tiny lobster Pokémon gave its new trainer a friendly look.

Josh’s Whismur was now on his new trainer’s face, licking him continuously. When Whispur finally stopped, Josh gave it a few strokes on its ears before recalling it. Vinzer also recalled his Corphish back into its Pokéball, then holstered the orb into his deep pants pockets.

“Captain Josone, I promise to train this Corphish to the best of its potential; I will not fail,” Vinzer reached out his right hand for a handshake with Josone. The captain shook it, giving Vinzer a warm smile. Josh also stated his thanks and shook the captain’s hands the way Vinzer did.

*

On the semi-luxurious lifeboat, Richard Samuels sat on a soft bench, stroking his Pokémon partner for as long as he could count. His mind was filled with thoughts about the siege on S.S. Eauis and, of course, his new friend, Vinzer Hiros. Those horrid thoughts obscured his concentration and obliterated his confidence. He couldn’t possibly imagine the mighty liner under siege. Perhaps his home country wasn’t nearly as safe as he anticipated. Richard closed his energy-drained eyes for a brief moment. He was forced to open them when some snacks arrived before him.

“Here, sir. Enjoy your snack,” a crewman of the S.S. Eauis offered him.

“Thank you,” Richard said in a low, unenthusiastic voice as he took a large chocolate chip cookie from the tray the crewman was holding. The crewman disappeared from his sight immediately after he took a bite off his cookie. Once no one was in sight, Richard broke a piece of the cookie and fed it to his tired Electrike on his lap. Electrike swallowed the piece of cookie as soon as it was in its mouth. The tired electric Pokémon didn’t have the energy to even chew the food. Once done with his snack, Richard couldn’t resist shutting his eyes and going to sleep, and neither could Electrike.

*

It’s going to be a long one and a half hours, Vinzer thought to himself as he laid on his soft, luxurious cabin bed. The two conversing Pokémon in his cabin didn’t seem to bother him. Torchic and Corphish have talked for ten consecutive minutes from the time Vinzer released them from their Pokéballs. Vinzer couldn’t understand what they were saying, but had a good conception that it was a welcoming conversation with Torchic introducing itself and Vinzer, and Corphish describing its former life with Captain Josone. Vinzer smiled briefly, seeing his Torchic had a new partner.

On the exterior deck, Josh held both Mudkip and Whismur in his hands as he gazed out at the tranquil ocean. He kept waiting for the time when he can finally see green mountains and the busy city of Clariford. Although he had never been to the port city, his conception for Clariford was that it was just as large as Ceness, if not larger. He knew that the city had a reputation for the largest ports and logistics terminals in Onaria, as well as many commercial structures and entertainment centers. Once that conception flashed through his mind, he returned Mudkip and Whismur to the floor and disappeared inside.

*

Out the life-boat’s window came a distant view of the busy port city of Clariford. Richard had to blink his eyes several times before he realized that the view was not a hallucination. His expression abruptly changed, revealing a huge smile across his face.

“We’re almost there! Almost there!” Richard cried with joy as he gave Electrike a huge hug. Electrike’s expression also changed and now it was licking Richard’s face continuously, showing its grate. Since Richard was now overjoyed, he was too certain that Vinzer had been evacuated unharmed. He rushed out of his tiny cubicle and joined the crowd of eleven people, who were also embracing this fortunate view.

“We’ll be there in approximately half an hour,” the crewman, who was in front of the crowd, said proudly. The passengers all cheered in unison as they fixed their eyes on the distant city.

*

Vinzer and Josh exited onto the exterior deck. The sky became beautifully orange as the sun slowly descended towards to West. The brightness of the sun was of a low magnitude that allowed Vinzer and Josh to gaze at it for a while. They then directed their attention to the front, seeing a beautiful, hazy panorama of huge mountains, and ultimately, the city of Clariford. Vinzer and Josh rushed towards to front of the ship, clearing the view ahead.

“Clariford...” Josh managed to mutter in disbelief, then slowly smiled.

“Home...” Vinzer said, his wide grin dominating his face.

Josh was still smiling when he turned to face Vinzer, “Wow, Vinzer. I thought this was your first time there as well. I never knew your true home is Clariford.”
“It’s been seven years since I left Clariford. It’s truly a lively city,” Vinzer replied, turning to Josh.

“I’ve heard many great things about this city. I’ve heard about its amazingly huge logistics terminals and ports. The vivid lights that illuminate the city at dark. The legendary Clariford Stadium, which held the Onarian League twice in its history. I cannot even stop to think for one moment that I would be there,” Josh said enthusiastically.

“You’ll be there, Josh. Just be patient for forty-five minutes,” Vinzer said as he gently put his hand on Josh’s shoulder.

The view of Clariford grew larger as the minutes flew by. Vinzer and Josh could see logistics terminals and ports and the huge commercial structures dominating the city. At the back of the city stood Mount Pellerayan, the hot-spot for Clariford tourism. Already, the city was brightly lit by neon lights on the commercial buildings. The sea below was filled with small but speedy boats. At the smaller ports, the two trainers could see dozens of life-boats of the S.S. Eauis with a few passengers alighting them, but their attention locked in disbelief on the huge ocean liner. The S.S. Eauis drew closer to the large dock which reminded Vinzer of the shopping center dock at Ceness. He had been to this particular terminal back in his days as a high school student, but never got a chance to board any ocean liner whilst in it. The ship took five minutes to get into docking position, but it was flawless and decisive. The walk down the long, narrow jetty reminded Vinzer the beginning of the cruise with Richard at his side. He is still a bit worried about him, but was certain he made it safely to Clariford. The shopping center was busy and loud. Some by-passers walked passed Vinzer and Josh, staring at them in amazement. The walk through the center took them ten minutes. Once outside, the sky was already dark, showing no sign of sunlight. However, the bright neon lights illuminated the grand city with pure ease. Vinzer suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind him.

“Vinzer! I knew you made it out safely. So, were you on the S.S. Eauis the entire time?” came Richard’s surprise, but happy voice. Vinzer turned to reveal his old friend with a smiling Electrike in his arms.

“Richard! It’s great to see you again. Meet Josh; he was the boy I saved from that uncivilized fool,” Vinzer replied gladly.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Richard,” Josh said offering a handshake. Josh was about two inches taller than Richard.

Richard shook it and said, “Hello, Josh. It’s nice to meet you.”

“We should get going to my old home. I’m sure my family would be more than surprised to see us,” Vinzer said smiling as he directed his friends to a bus terminus just a couple walks from their position. “If I remembered clearly, we are to take the 30X.”

The bus terminus was just as crowded as the shopping center they were in earlier. The three trainers prepared a silver coin as they queued up behind a boarding line. The double-decker bus roared its engines as the last of the passengers boarded. Lifting off the ground slightly, the bus departed the terminus with amazing speed, and within the next fifteen minutes, they arrived at a pollution-free residential area with stylish houses. The bus stop wasn’t too far from Vinzer’s house so the walk there simply took them no more than five minutes. His family house was large and luxurious with a garden and two floors. Vinzer approached the automatic front door, but it didn’t open immediately. Instead, Vinzer rang the door bell. From behind the door came a woman in her late forties. She had short, dark brown hair and a plain dress on.

“Mother, it’s great to see you again!” exclaimed Vinzer as he gave his mother a hug.

“Vinzer, my boy. It’s been seven long years!” his mother replied with tears in her eyes.

“Mother, I would like to tell you my journey has begun,” Vinzer said revealing his two Pokéballs. “Oh yes, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce my new friends to you, mom!”

“Meet Josh and Richard,” Vinzer said, his palm of his hand directed to the respective trainers.

“Nice to meet you, Richard and Josh,” Vinzer’s mother greeted. “Why not come in?”

The interior of the Hiros’s home was neatly furnished with luxurious carpets and curtains. They entered the lounge with four small Xatu statues at each corner and a round couch. Once seated, they began in-depth discussions.

“So, mom, when do you think dad and Craine will return?” Vinzer inquired in the middle of the conversation. Coincidentally, the sound of the opening automatic doors were heard. Vinzer rose immediately and rushed towards the door.

“Brother, dad, I’m back!” Vinzer exclaimed as he saw them.

“Vinzer, It’s great to see you after these many years!” his dad replied in amazement and excitement.

“Brother, we are united once again!” Craine exclaimed after his father’s statement. “But how is it that you can come back?”

“I’ve became a Pokémon trainer when I received my Torchic,” Vinzer explained. “This Torchic means so much to me, as it was rejected by its former owner.”

In reply to his explanation, Craine nodded and smiled at the Torchic’s Pokéball

Vinzer’s father had ordinary-looking, short black hair and often wore a suit. He was the same height as Vinzer. Craine had short spiky orange hair, often with gel on it. He enjoys wearing his large T-shirt and sweat pants often. His height was a little shorter than Vinzer’s though, but not short enough for anyone to notice it. Craine, Vinzer and their father entered the lounge to resume the conversation. The introduction between Craine and his father, and Josh and Richard was warm and welcoming as always. The discussion didn’t carry out for too long when Richard informed them that all trainers who cruised on the S.S. Eauis, and their family living in Clariford were invited to a dinner party onboard the liner. With that said, the Hiroses and their new friends left for the Clariford docks to have a well-deserved party.

The S.S. Eauis was decorated beautifully with miniature flags and neon lights, despite the incident that occurred the night before. It now looked like what they truly considered luxurious in the Twenty-Second Century. The free and brisk walk up the jetty will always feel comforting to Vinzer. Once at the entrance of the ship, they were greeted familiarly, then teleported to Deck Five. Vinzer and Josh were surprised to see this many people here on the ship. Perhaps they have gotten used to the experience of riding alone on a gigantic ocean liner after their long journey to this city. The exterior deck was filled with tables of different accommodations. Many of the tables were filled with trainers, their family, and even their Pokémon. Seeing many trainers had their Pokémon out, Josh, Vinzer, and Richard released their own. Richard looked surprised when he saw Vinzer’s second Pokémon, Corphish.

“Hey, Vinzer, I see you got a second Pokémon; where did you get it?” Richard inquired.

“I received this Corphish from the captain of the S.S. Eauis, Captain Josone,” Vinzer informed him. “The captain also gave Josh a Whismur.”

“From what you did last night, you truly deserve it,” Richard said.

“All right, let’s get a table!” suggested Vinzer as he directed his family, his friends, and their Pokémon to one comfortable table with a rewarding view.

Once seated, a waiter arrived to give them gold colored menus. It didn’t take long to order their favorite dishes, and once order, the food came hot and fresh. Before having their rewarding feast, Vinzer raised his glass of red wine.

“A toast...to the future of our Pokémon journey!” Vinzer stated standing up.

His family and friends raised their glass afterwards and in unison, they said, “Too the future!”

[Neo-Xantios]

********
Chapter 6
********

Vinzer, Richard, and Josh stayed at Clariford for three days. During this time, Vinzer got to meet some friends of his brother, Craine, as well as other new trainers. Craine also expressed his concern for Vinzer taking up the Pokémon journey, and promised Vinzer to join the quest when he graduates. For the trainers, these three days meant preparation for their endeavor. Their Pokémon also trained often, for they themselves know that strength, determination and courage meant a decisive victory.

“Good morning, Brother,” Craine said as he rose from his bed and saw Vinzer waking up. Vinzer slept in Craine’s room for the duration of the visit, while Richard and Josh slept next door in the guests’ bedroom. The rooms in the houses of Clariford were large enough to accommodate at least two beds, so space wasn’t a huge problem.

“Ah, good morning, Craine,” replied Vinzer drowsily as his vision cleared.

“I’m sure you’re all warmed up for your new journey, Vinzer,” said Craine, smiling at him. Abruptly, the two Pokéballs on Craine’s desk opened and two of Vinzer’s Pokémon revealed themselves. The two were brimming with energy, as they cried out their respective names and approached the half-asleep Vinzer.

“Torchic, Corphish, you two sure look ready to depart!” Vinzer said as he gained some energy to get up. He received two energetic cries from both Pokémon.

Downstairs at the dining room, Josh, Richard, and the Hiros parents were munching away their breakfast, but when the Hiros brothers arrived, they gave the two a simultaneous greeting. Breakfast wasn’t long and once they were done, they headed for the lounge.

“Vinzer, I would like you to take this on your journey,” Craine said as he handed Vinzer a small, silver communicator the size of Craine’s palm. “This is the Pokémon Comsat. It can point out your location if you‘re lost and has a built in communication device. I’m sure this will be of service to you on your journey.”

Vinzer accepted the Comsat without hesitation and stated, “Craine, this will indeed be useful for my journey. Thank you so much. I’m more than fortunate to have such a brother.”

“No need to think about it, Brother. I just hope you’re ready for your journey,” Craine said as he confirmed Vinzer’s bags.

“Yes, I am. Be sure to join me soon,” Vinzer said smiling warmly as he zipped his last bag.

The morning was sunny and warm; the perfect day for Vinzer, Josh, and Richard commence their Pokémon journeys. Once out on the lawn, Craine, and his parents couldn’t resist a wet eye.

“Vinzer, good luck. I’m sure you’ll fulfill your destiny.” Craine said with his eyes wet.

“Craine, join me when you’re ready. We are in this league together!” Vinzer responded, giving Craine the same expression. “Mom, dad, your wishes have came true.”

“Contact me when you have the opportunity to,” Craine said with more enthusiasm.

“I will, Craine. Take care of mom and dad. I won’t fail you,” Vinzer said as he placed his hand gently on his brother’s shoulder.

“I know you won’t. You’ll make us all proud!” Craine replied as he did the same.

“Farewell, Craine.”

“Farewell, Vinzer.”

With that said, Vinzer, Richard, and Josh departed the Hiros’ home. Vinzer couldn’t resist looking back periodically at his home and the fading figures of Craine and his parents. He knew all too well that Craine will graduate this year and will join him where ever he may be.

“So, Vinzer, Josh, where will you be heading next,” Richard inquired when they neared the outskirts of Clariford.

“I’ll be journeying to Cape Nerius, my hometown,” Josh replied.

“Oh, your hometown is Cape Nerius? Mine, too. We can travel together, then!” Richard exclaimed with mere enthusiasm. However, Vinzer’s next statement will alter that.

“Sorry, guys. I’m heading South for Feridane; I wish to acquire my first badge,” Vinzer said, lowering his head. “Or maybe not. I should join you.”

“Let’s see, from here to Cape Nerius is about two-hundred kilometers, while Feridane is just seventy-three kilometers away,” Josh explained as a held out his own Pokémon Comsat and revealed a large, sophisticated, holographic image of the continent. “Hey, Vinzer. It’s best you head for Feridane right now. We’ll catch up with you later.”

“All right, then. Have fun at Cape Nerius,” Vinzer said as he gave Josh and Richard a nod of acknowledgement. “We’ll meet each other again soon.”

“I’ll add your Comsat data to mine,” Josh said as he held his Pokémon Comsat.

“All right then. Please instruct me through this,” Vinzer replied in a little confusion.

“Just face your Comsat with mine,” Josh instructed, holding his device out. Vinzer did the same and both Comsats beeped simultaneously, indication data exchange.

“I guess that worked,” Vinzer responded happily.

“Yes, that did. We’ll see you around, Vinzer,” Josh said as he and Richard faced, and departed west.

“See you soon,” Vinzer said, watching them depart.

Vinzer had ventured for an hour and a half. The terrain was grassy and green with a couple trees visible. The temperature had risen so high that Vinzer needed to drink water every ten steps. There was, so far, no one in sight. Abruptly, a medium sized figure appeared just in his sight. He couldn’t make out what it was at first, but the figure slowly approached him. He then realized that it was a trainer who looked to be around 18. He had blond hair and wore a dark blue T-shirt and long shorts. His height wasn’t too near Vinzer’s.

“Ah, a Pokémon trainer,” the trainer said in surprise. His voice sounded kind.

“Yes, I’m en route to Feridane,” Vinzer replied.

“Oh cool. I left there last night. I’m heading for Clariford.”

“What a surprise. I left Clariford earlier this morning.”

“Hey are you in a hurry?”

“No, not really.”

“Care to have a battle with me.”

Vinzer grew worried and was about to reject the offer, but then decided against it, since he never backed out from any Pokémon battles he had before.

“All right, I accept. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Vinzer,” Vinzer introduced with a solemn voice.

“My name is Lenson,” the trainer replied. “We shall have a two on two battle.”

“Understood. Let’s commence,” Vinzer replied with a small grin.

“All right, let’s go, Makuhita!” Lenson exclaimed, releasing a fat, yellow Pokémon with a lively spirit. It shook its hands ferociously as it prepared to battle.

“Corphish, let’s do this!” Vinzer shouted as he released his newly obtained lobster Pokémon. The little lobster clamped its claws three times showing its determination.

“Corphish, use Bubble!” Vinzer order. Corphish’s eyes glowed a dim blue as it opened its claws and released tiny blue foam. The Makuhita, however, just repelled the foams with its fat body. Vinzer’s expression dwelled in disappointment.

“Makuhita, use Arm Thrust!” ordered a determined Lenson. The mighty fighter spun its arms in such ferocity that it only left a blur. Instantaneously, Makuhita gave Corphish five knocks on its body. The little lobster shot back, but immediately maintained its stance. Without Vinzer’s command, Corphish abruptly approached Makuhita and gave it a taste of its mighty grip. Makuhita flinched in pain as it tried to yank the lobster off him.

“Argh, Makuhita, try a Seismic Toss!” Lenson ordered. Makuhita gave a brief nod of acknowledgment and used its powerful arms to hold Corphish’s body. The fighter jumped five meters into the air and released Corphish, just when it was about to land. Slammed onto the ground, Corphish ceased to move.

“You did well, Corphish, take a rest. Torchic, it’s up to you!” Vinzer said worriedly as he beamed Corphish back into its Pokéball and released Torchic.

“You did well too, Makuhita. I will now choose you, Lotad!” Lenson said as he released a Pokéball. A peculiar Pokémon with a water lily covering its head emerged from Lenson’s Pokéball.

“Torchic, since this is a meadow, we shouldn’t use fire moves. Try your peck,” Vinzer said articulately. With rapid speed, Torchic approached Lotad and forced its beak onto Lotad’s water lily head. Lotad gave a brief cry, then drew back and shot water at Torchic. The small beam of water missed Torchic, but distracted it.

“All right, give it a Tackle!” Lenson commanded solemnly. Lotad emerged from its position and dove straight towards Torchic, hitting it on its head. Torchic immediately retaliated by scratching Lotad’s lily, then furiously pecked it several times. Seeing Lotad’s adversity, Lenson quickly withdrew it from the field.

“Interesting. Your Torchic does have some potential,” Lenson complimented, releasing his mighty Makuhita. “Makuhita, use Arm Thrust!”

Like before, Makuhita’s arms turned into a blur of fury as it neared Torchic at an alarming speed. Torchic wasn’t fast enough to evade its wrath, and was knocked continuously by the thrusts. Torchic body released transparent flames afterwards as Blaze protected it.

“All right, Torchic, use Ember, but aim it directly at Makuhita’s body!” Vinzer ordered with a little enthusiasm. Flame rockets the size of Vinzer’s finger emerged from Torchic’s small beak and exploded on Makuhita’s body. Makuhita was able to flinch a little.

“Makuhita, use Sand-Attack!” Lenson order.

Makuhita furiously kicked the ground until sand was visible. It then kicked the sand towards Torchic, putting out its transparent flames.

“All right, use Seismic Toss!” Lenson commanded, pointing to the battlefield.

“Torchic, Ember again!” Vinzer said in dismay.

Torchic complied, but the flame rockets deteriorated immediately when it touched the fighter’s body. Eventually, Makuhita got hold of Torchic and jumped high into the air. It threw Torchic down the way it threw Corphish earlier. Like its comrade, Torchic met the ground with heavy resistance, and was partially injured. Torchic, however, managed to get up.

“Makuhita, tackle it!” Lenson said grinning widely.

Makuhita ran towards the rehabilitating Torchic and knocked it out of balance. Torchic, like Corphish earlier, ceased to move.

“Aahh, Torchic! You did your best; return,” Vinzer said with his head down.

After the decisive battle, Lenson and his Makuhita approached the disappointed Vinzer.

“Vinzer, are your Pokémon all right?” he asked with sympathy.

“They should be fine, thanks,” Vinzer replied, still obsessed with his loss.

“Here are two potions for your Torchic and Corphish. These will help them recover faster,” Lenson offered as he handed Vinzer two small, transparent plastic bottles filled with orange liquid.

“Thank you, Lenson,” Vinzer managed to say as he accepted the potions.

“I’ll be taking my leave now, Vinzer. Good bye,” Lenson said giving Vinzer an encouraging nod and beamed Makuhita back to its Pokéball.

“All right, then. Good bye, Lenson.”

*

Richard and Josh arrived at a mountainous region just two hours prior to Vinzer’s departure. This area was cool and windy, and offered the two trainers a place to rest.

“Josh, let’s take a little break,” Richard suggested, as he stopped to unzip his bag.

“Yeah, good idea. I’m getting kind of hungry here,” Josh concurred and took out a mat from his bag.

They laid the mat down, sat on it, and released their Pokémon. From his refrigerator bag, Richard drew out two sandwiches he obtained from the Hiroses earlier this morning and shared them with Josh. However, Richard, Josh, and their Pokémon were not alone. Behind a tree not too far from their position, two wary eyes were fixed on them.

[RJdude]

Good chapters. You finally gave Vinzer another Pokemon, and its a Corpish. The writting was also good. Keep up the good work.

[Neo-Xantios]

RJDude: Thank you again for replying. You know, I kinda feel sorry for Richard for only having one Pokémon...

Announcement:
Oh yes, since I have a History Project to work on and exams next month, future chapter release dates may be postponed.

[Neo-Xantios]

I've been absent from TPM for a week. Chapter seven is here.

********
Chapter 7
********

The creature who possessed those eyes approached Josh and Richard carefully, without them noticing it. Instinctively, Josh and Richard turned and revealed a tiny elephant Pokémon. When its eyes met theirs, the elephant flinched a little and reversed its direction.

“Hey, a Pokémon!” Richard exclaimed as he rose excitedly.

“Go for it Richard!” Josh encouraged, rising the way Richard did. “You ought to get a second Pokémon.”

Richard drew out a Pokéball from inside his pocket. Instantaneously, the elephant Pokémon started heading back to where it previously was.

“Ah, it’s getting away!” Richard exclaimed as he reached for his Pokéball with Electrike in it. “Go Electrike!”

Electrike outran the elephant Pokémon and stopped in front of it. Simultaneously, Richard threw his empty Pokéball at the elephant Pokémon. The red and white orb hit and sucked the Pokémon in with ease. The Pokéball shook a couple of times until the middle dot flashed a red light, indicating a successful catch.

“All right! I finally captured a second Pokémon!” Richard cried with joy as he ran towards his Pokéball with a newly capture Pokémon in it.

Josh took out a Pokédex of his own. The design was similar to that of Vinzer’s but wasn’t as advanced. Josh fingered the device professionally, searching for the elephant Pokémon’s information. A moment later, a small hologram of the Pokémon appeared on top of the Pokédex. Simultaneously, a description consisting of a green, near-transparent text appeared next to the Pokémon.

“Oh, this Pokémon is a Phanpy. It isn’t too common, so consider yourself fortunate to have one,” Josh explained, scrutinizing the image.

“This is amazing!” Richard replied happily. “There will be many great times during this journey. This is one of them!”

*

The sun was setting and Vinzer felt like he had been traveling for days. The battle he had in the late morning was disappointing, but decisive, nonetheless. He had learned that experience, tactics, and heart dominate a Pokémon battle. He had no regrets. Vinzer had already passed the meadows and now he was in a temperate forest with medium sized trees at every angle. The decision of setting camp came to his mind not long after he ventured a couple meters into the forest. Vinzer unzipped his large bag and drew out a large contractible tent. He also got out an innovative fire maker, which was a small steel device that produces a fire during camping times.

“Torchic, Corphish, come out,” Vinzer said, releasing them. The two recovered Pokémon helped Vinzer set up the camping site. Once the camp was set up, Vinzer permitted Torchic and Corphish to explore the surrounding area while Vinzer prepared a meal.

*

“Go, Whismur!” Josh stated as he prepared for a practice battle against Richard.

The two friends had already set up camp during the evening and now, they stood ready to test each other’s strength.

“Go Phanpy!” Richard said, releasing his newly captured Pokémon.

Out came Richard’s Phanpy as it stood facing Whismur in a grim manner. Whismur gave his opponent the same face.

“All right, use Uproar!” Josh commanded, lifting his arm high, then lowered it, pointing to Phanpy.

Whismur shut its large ears as it generated an eerie voice which dispersed and faltered Phanpy. The elephant Pokémon slightly endured the Uproar and charged rapidly towards Whismur, hurting it a little on its smooth body.

“Whismur, use a Pound!” Josh instructed, looking a bit worried.

Whismur stretched its long ears out and started thrusting them furiously at Phanpy, deterring the tiny elephant from striking. Instinctively, Phanpy started to form into a ball and rolled itself away from Whismur’s rage, then aimed its powerful rolled body straight for the unwary Whismur. The formidable attack knocked Whismur off balance. Seeing its extreme adversity, Josh withdrew Whismur and sent out his Mudkip.

“Mudkip, perform a water gun to try weaken its power!” Josh commanded as Mudkip stood to face the rolling Phanpy.

A stream of water burst out of the mud fish’s mouth and found its target accurately. The pressure of the water stream was of such a magnitude that Phanpy’s rolling ceased and its strength deteriorated. In disbelief, Richard withdrew his first captured Pokémon and reached for his trustworthy Electrike.

“Electrike, you can do it!” Richard declared as he threw Electrike’s Pokéball into the air, releasing the Pokémon.

The confident Electrike generated a spark through its body, revealing its high-voltage strength. Electrike then launched the spark, giving Mudkip a vibrating feel of sheer electrical power. The momentous shock left Mudkip paralyzed and defeated.

“Agh, Mudkip, return!” Josh said in dismay. “Whismur, its your turn again!”

Whismur emerged from its Pokéball, now good as new. Electrike produced another shock through its body, this time, of a different style. The electric Pokémon sent three rings of blue energy to Whismur. The rings went through Whismur’s body, partially and painlessly paralyzing it.

“Whismur, try Supersonic!” Josh strongly suggested, his expression continued to dwell in dismay.

Whismur was able to close its ears and let out a cry of a different tone. The influence of Supersonic on Electrike was powerful enough to deprive it from unleashing another attack. Electrike suddenly lost all of its concentration and started running around aimlessly in confusion.

“All right, Whismur, use Stomp!” Josh stated.

Whismur, however, failed to comply, its body surrounded by blue sparks. Simultaneously, the confused Electrike discharged enough electricity through its body to harm itself. Unable to release the charges, Electrike fell to the ground and failed to move. The sparks around Whismur grew larger, causing it to slowly shut its eyes and fall to the ground defeated. The practice battle between the two friends concluded in a draw.

“Wow, Josh. Your Pokémon and tactics are awesome!” Richard complimented, withdrawing his fallen Electrike.

“Same to you. Your Pokémon have a lot of potential,” Josh replied, doing the same thing Richard did. “I think we deserve a big meal tonight.”

*

Vinzer had just finished preparing a delicate dinner for his Pokémon and himself. He had set up a small metal table with a chair for himself and two higher chairs for his Pokémon. The innovative fireplace next to the table gave Vinzer a new feel of camping out in the 22nd Century. Torchic and Corphish, however, had not yet returned from their exploration and Vinzer was getting a bit worried. They had been out for almost thirty minutes while Vinzer was preparing the dinner. Vinzer has now finished, but still, they were absent. Vinzer sat at the table, contemplating about his journey, when familiar sounds from Torchic and Corphish reached his ears. There was another sound, but this one was rather unfamiliar. Vinzer’s two Pokémon revealed themselves from behind the large tent, but were accompanied by a peculiar Pokémon with no arms, only a pair of tiny feet. Vinzer smiled, seeing his friends return.

“Ah, back at last, I see,” Vinzer said coolly. “I see you two have made a new friend.”

The Pokémon hastily approached the small table, but the new one was a bit slower, but followed Torchic and Corphish nonetheless. Vinzer went through his bag and got out a third Pokémon chair for the guest Pokémon. After all the Pokémon were seated, Vinzer took out his Pokédex. The innovative device searched quickly by Vinzer’s command and show the new Pokémon’s hologram. Sophisticated details then appeared next to the hologram.

“Ah, so you’re called Seedot,” Vinzer confirmed, his eyes transfixed on the Pokémon guest and giving it a warm smile.

The Pokémon replied by jumping happily and saying out its name.

“Nice to meet you. You’re more than welcome to eat with us, Seedot,” Vinzer said as he gave the three Pokémon their dinner.

Vinzer was the first one to finish his dinner, for the Pokémon conversed continuously through their meal. Dinner lasted for an hour, but once done, Vinzer flawlessly unpacked the table and the chairs. He then led his Pokémon and guest Pokémon into the large tent, and readied sleeping bags for them. Seedot seemed as if it wanted to sleep with its new friends, so Vinzer had to prepare an extra sleeping bag. With an order from Vinzer, the innovative fireplace switched off, and darkness filled the air. The night will not be lonely for Vinzer and his companions.

*

Josh and Richard were fast asleep inside their tent. Not too far from their camping site, two figures observed the tent cautiously. Seeing darkness prevailing, the figures slowly approached the tent.

[RJdude]

Good chapter. Phanpy suits Richard, I'm glad he caught it. Keep up the good work.

[Neo-Xantios]

********
Chapter 8
********

“Did you hear that?” Richard asked solemnly.

“Yes, something is outside,” Josh replied with a little shake.

The two friends peered outside, only seeing darkness. The sounds they heard earlier were indeed real, but their source was concealed in the darkness. Then suddenly from above, a dark, moving figure came into Richard’s view. Richard fell backwards immediately, then located his Pokéballs.

“Richard, what happened?” Josh asked softly in fright.

“Send out your Pokémon, Josh! Something isn’t right!” came a shaky response.

The energy which transformed into Pokémon illuminated the tent for a brief moment. Josh’s and Richard’s Pokémon exited the tent gallantly, unaware of the current situation. The two trainers followed along, as tense as they were when the S.S. Eauis was under siege by the Stormers.

“Be wary, my Pokémon,” Josh instructed.

“Someone is out he-” Richard suddenly was jumped upon by a person twice his size. Electrike abruptly jumped to action, its body surrounded by bright blue sparks which replaced the darkness around its comrades. Phanpy transformed itself into a spinning ball and threw itself at the attacker. Once the attack was off of Richard, Electrike punished the perpetrator by giving him a taste of its brilliant electrical power. Abruptly, a dark, small bird began pecking Josh’s unwary Whismur. Whismur’s comrades instinctively rushed and saved the suffering Whismur. Simultaneously, a second figure appeared behind the dark bird.

“Murkrow, show these losers the might and the fury that is the Stormer’s!” he dictated with a voice most intimidating.

Murkrow gave its opponents a taste of its ferocious winds. The four Pokémon Murkrow was facing flew back at their trainers. Josh and Richard couldn’t afford letting their Pokémon’s energy deplete, so they withdrew them and dashed straight for the tent.

“We have no time! Let’s make our escape while we can!” exclaimed Josh in a sound of defeat. Once the trainers got their bags, Josh used an innovative tent controller to contract the tent and put it into his bag.

“None shall escape the Stormers!” Murkrow’s owner supremely stated as he withdrew his Pokémon.

“They have made their escape, but they won’t go too far,” the second Stormer said as he watched the vague shadows of the trainers travel into darkness.

The Stormers went back to the hiding placing where they were before they ambushed the trainers. Not to far from their location were two black speeders.

“Let the chase begin!” a Stormer said grimly as he brought his speeder to life.

The long, one-manned vehicles lifted slightly from the ground and shot forward.

Still running from their adversaries, Josh and Richard saw two unbelievably bright lights facing them.

“To the side!” Josh directed as he and Richard dove straight into the bushes on the side of the road. On the speeding vehicle, the first Stormer examined his radar near the controls.

“They can run, but they can’t hide,” the Stormer said with a grin splitting his face.

The two speeders stopped in front of the bushes where Josh and Richard were hiding. Both Stormers reached for their laser pistols, loaded, and pointed them towards the bushes. Hearing the Stormer’s presence, the two trainers crept inner.

“Fire!” one Stormer ordered.

Bolts of red lasers burned through the leaves of the bushes, but only met the ground.

“What the-” the Stormer was drastically knocked off his speeder by a quick object before he could finish his statement. His confused comrade hurriedly scanned the area, but only darkness surrounded them. Abruptly, a green laser bolt from down the road met the confused Stormer’s gun and knocked it right off his hand. The Stormer immediately activated his speeder and headed down to where the laser shot came from. The downed Stormer stood back up. He saw no sign of the object which knocked him down. Seeing his comrade down the road, the second Stormer got back onto his speeder and tried to catch up with his partner.
Down the road, three bolts of green laser hit the first Stormer’s speeder and slowed it spontaneously. The headlights on the first speeder revealed a tall, muscular man wearing military clothes with a laser pistol on both hands. Just before the Stormer got a closer look, both guns fired consecutive bolts and rendered the headlights useless. Simultaneously, a second speeder came into view, its headlights operational. The pilot raised his laser pistol and fired red bolts at the man. The man’s combat skills allowed him to evade all the laser bolts by performing somersaults and ducking when necessary, then returned fire. Green bolts hit the second speeder accurately, knocking it off balance. The man holstered his twin weapons when the first Stormer charged at him blindly. He then delivered a kick to the Stormer’s right leg. The Stormer fell backwards and the man reached for his pistols, set them to level one, and fired them at the enemy. The first Stormer now ceased to move. The second Stormer face a similar fate when he neared the man. Both Stormers were now downed, the area safe. Suddenly, a four-legged Pokémon with a dark blade on its head approached the man.

“You’ve done an excellent job, Absol,” the man complimented as he beamed the Pokémon back to its Pokéball.

Seeing no sign of the Stormers, Josh and Richard headed down the road to where the man was. Apparently, the man was aware of their presence and approached them slowly.

Once his eyes met theirs, he warmly greeted, “It’s good to know that my actions have saved you. Pleased to meet you, I am Jeeve Craigeour, commander of the Kaulim Route Patrol.”

“Nice to meet you, Commander Craigeour. We are most grateful of your actions,” Josh responded.

“Commander Craigeour, are those Stormers dead?” Richard inquired.

“No, my weapons were set to level one when I hit them. They are merely stunned,” Jeeve answered.

“So what will happen to them?” Josh asked solemnly.

“That’s an excellent question,” Jeeve answered with implication in his voice. “Men!”

Twelve soldiers rose from both sides of the road, all wielding long laser rifles. They then lifted the Stormers and started departing.

“My men will take them to the nearest prison,” Jeeve explained, nodding his head. “Why not come with me? This area isn’t too safe.”

Concurring with the commander, Josh and Richard followed Jeeve down the dark road.

*

Beyond Onaria. Beyond all that has happened. A huge vessel, possibly the size of a small city, drifted aimlessly on the dark, tranquil surface of the ocean. Inside the vessel, in a ready room, with a height of thirty meters, Kion Sennith sat supremely behind his desk, the size of a feast table. This monstrous man had so little hair, that many people couldn’t tell if we was bald or not. When he stands, his superior height exceeded that of an ordinary person by at least one and a half feet. His attitude and patience rivaled that of a Gyarados.
From behind the door, fifty meters away from Kion’s desk, a man with long grey hair tied behind his head and a patch covering his left eye approached Kion slowly, his black cloak waved as he moved.

“Our raid on the S.S. Eauis was a success,” the less superior man informed.

“Very well, Norkar. Report on the mission of Denth and Leavon,” came Kion’s penetrating voice.

“I regret saying this, Master, but-”

Before Norkar had a chance to finish, Kion rose abruptly and cut him short.

“Do you tell me their quest was a failure?”

“Master, we have lost contact with them,” Norkar replied, lowering his head.

Kion sat back down slowly then pounded his fist on the desk.

“Norkar, I have another plan in mind,” Kion stated soberly. “Soneriol is the city with the most Pokémon resources. We shall assault it once we are prepared.”

“As you will, Master,” Norkar responded obediently. “So shall it be.”

*

A bright structure with a huge dome as a roof were in their sight. Richard and Josh first thought that they had somehow reached their required destination, but the thought faded once they realized that it was the only structure in the vicinity. As they neared the building, the sign “Pokémon Center” came into view.

“The Kaulim Route Pokémon Center,” Jeeve informed them.

“I’m surprised to see a Pokémon Center here, but grateful, nonetheless,” Richard said.

“Same here, Richard. I have a feeling we’ll be very safe now,” Josh commented.

The automatic doors opened as Jeeve, Richard and Josh neared it. The interior looked to be of a hospital with medical personnel walking around. Jeeve approached the receptionist counter not too far from the entrance.

“Hello. Would you happen to have three vacant rooms?” Jeeve inquired the nurse.

“Sure we have. First, please sign this to book them,” the nurse replied, handing the commander a green book.

“Thank you. Please go to the second floor. Your rooms are located there,” the nurse informed him after receiving the green book.

The second floor of the Pokémon Center looked similar to a hotel. The walk to their rooms weren’t too far.

“Good night, Richard and Josh,” Jeeve said, ready to enter his room.

“Good night, Commander,” Richard and Josh said in unison.

Once the commander entered his room, the two trainers wished each other a good night, and entered their rooms.

*

The sun was almost directly overhead. Vinzer had already left the temperate forest with a new Pokémon and friend. Apparently, Seedot wished to follow Vinzer simply because the forest was a lonely place to be in. Vinzer was also the trainer Seedot never had, a trainer who knows his Pokémon’s needs, a trainer who knows how to raise them. The city of Feridane could be seen in the distant. Small to his eyes now, Vinzer knew that Feridane is another one of Onaria’s advanced cities. A city which covered at least 1,000 kilometers.

At the rate I’m traveling, I should be there before dusk, Vinzer thought to himself. Without hesitation, he utilized all his strength to pull both pieces of luggage. The route ahead was plain and safe. The weather posed no problems. This way of travel was what Richard and Josh longed for.

[RJdude]

Good chapter. These Stormers remind me of Nazis for some reason. Keep writting.

[Neo-Xantios]

Thank you again, RJdude. These Stormer's motives are unpredictable. As of right now, I wrote them based on the Empire in Star Wars.

[Neo-Xantios]

********
Chapter 9
********
(Proofread by Captain Jack)

The towering structures of Feridane provided much needed shade for the worn out Vinzer. The sky grew light orange, marking the beginning of the end of the day. His pace slowed once in the city. He knew all too well that once here, he could return to a normal life for a change. No more camping out. No more worrying about unexpected attacks during the night.

Vinzer had entered the city for half an hour before an orange structure, which seemed to touch the heavens, came into his sight. Judging from the exterior design, Vinzer speculated that this was a hotel. Fortunately for him, his speculation didn’t fail him when he went though the hotel’s automatic doors. A long, spiral flight of stairs connected the vast lobby with the second floor, which housed numerous restaurants and shops. Behind the long stairs was a teleportation lobby. The receptionist counter wasn’t too far from the teleportation lobby’s right.

Vinzer was now in front of the long counter. “Hello, I would like two nights.”

“Greetings, sir. So two nights,” a male receptionist confirmed. “May I see your I.D. please, sir?”

“Certainly,” Vinzer replied, blinking his eyes a few times as he reached for his I.D. card. He then put his green-colored card on the counter.

“Thank you, sir. May I ask if you are a Pokémon trainer?”

“I certainly am.”

“May I see your Pokédex please?”

“Of course.”

Once the receptionist scanned the device, he gave Vinzer an offer. “Pokémon trainers enjoy half price at Lengersons Hotel. A two-night stay for a trainer will be three hundred onars.”

“Very well.” Vinzer smiled briefly as he said it. He drew three red banknotes from his wallet and handed them to the receptionist. He then secured his I.D. card and Pokédex.

“Your registered room is on the ninety-ninth floor, room two thousand six hundred fifty-one. Enjoy your stay, sir.”

Vinzer acknowledged with a nod and hurriedly approached the teleportation pads. Getting onto floor 99 just took Vinzer a blink of an eye. It was getting to his room that was long and tiring. When he was at it, he barely had any energy left to pull the luggage in. The longest and most tiring challenge was now. Eventually, his luggage entered the room with him. Once all his properties were in, he walked to the large bed and lay there motionless.

The morning came soon and Vinzer, realizing he was all a mess, rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a shower. It took him a couple of minutes before he retrieved his Pokéballs and headed down for breakfast. Once in a restaurant, he and his Pokémon enjoyed a meal they so deserved. Vinzer and his Pokémon took their time in eating, but once done, Vinzer had the idea of challenging the first gym. Of course, he wouldn’t head for the gym without proper preparation. Vinzer took out his Comsat to try gain familiarization with this city. It wasn’t surprising that Feridane’s map was as complex as any map of any city he had seen. Indeed, the convenience of subways proved of great help for anyone in Onaria.

A subway station of Feridane was in Vinzer’s sight immediately when he exited the hotel’s big glass doors. His first stop was the Feridane department store. The interior of the towering building was just as confounding as the map of Feridane. It took him nearly half an hour to shop for just a few bottles of potion, some medicine, and some Pokémon vitamins. The next stop was the Pokémon Center. The check-up for Vinzer’s Pokémon only took a few minutes before he was on his way again to the gym. The first Pokémon gym was a building of steel, which reflected all light. Its height couldn’t rival the buildings’ ones around it, but its area filled three blocks.

Ah, the first Pokémon Gym. Vinzer thought nervously.

Once he entered, bright lights illuminated the interior. A man in a suit approached Vinzer.

“Greetings. Are you here for a gym challenge?” he asked Vinzer warmly.

“Yes, I am,” Vinzer replied in a similar manner.

“Very well. This way, please.” The man directed Vinzer to an office. In it, a supreme-looking man gazed out the large windows, capturing an image of the city’s view. He turned to face the doors immediately as Vinzer and his assistant entered. The whiteness of his hair indicated he had long passed his middle ages.

“Gym Leader Portson, this gentleman wishes to challenge you for the Purity Badge,” the assistant informed him.

“Ah, a challenge at last. Very well, we shall have it immediately,” Portson declared.

Portson, Vinzer, and the assistant left the office for the arena, which was on the top floor. The arena looked similar to a basketball court, but the area was of much difference. The walls were of strong metal.

The assistant’s role was now a referee as he approached the center-left and wielded two orange flags. To the right of the arena was a huge hologram of a scoreboard with the faces of Vinzer and Portson on the right and left respectively.

“Good luck, Vinzer. May your first gym challenge be a success,” Portson wished, shaking Vinzer’s hand.

“Thank you, Portson. I wish you luck, too.”

Portson smiled and took his position opposite of Vinzer’s.

“Both the challenger and the Gym Leader have three minutes to prepare starting now!” the referee stated.

The grin on Portson’s face made Vinzer more nervous. He then laid his three Pokéballs on his palm, staring at them.

“The official Pokémon battle between challenger Vinzer Hiros and Gym Leader Nicholas Portson will now commence! This will be a single three on three battle with no time limit. Send your Pokémon out!” the referee said, raising the two flags.

“I choose you, Zigzagoon!” Portson declared, throwing a Pokéball down, and from it emerged a spiky raccoon Pokémon.

The scoreboard revealed Zigzagoon’s face below Portson’s.

“Seedot. Best of luck, my friend!” Vinzer said solemnly, releasing his newest Pokémon.

Seedot’s portrait appeared under Vinzer’s on the holographic scoreboard.

“Zigzagoon, begin the battle with Pin Missile!” Portson ordered.

The raccoon Pokémon erected its spiky fur, then shot out hard, sharp furs at Seedot.

“Seedot, Harden!” Vinzer ordered nervously.

The acorn Pokémon grew white, then a metal-like matrix surrounded it. The sharp fur hit the matrix, but failed to inflict heavy damage on Seedot.

“Good work, my friend. Now retaliate with Bullet Seed!” Vinzer was now a little relieved from his nervousness.

Seedot fired seeds from its mouth like an automatic rifle. Most of the seeds hit Zigzagoon. The raccoon Pokémon instinctively approached Seedot and rammed it with its spiky head, faltering its attack. The acorn Pokémon absorbed some potent damage and started to grow a little red. Zigzagoon rammed it again and Seedot grew redder.

“Seedot! No!” Vinzer exclaimed seeing his friend under pressure.

Seetdot’s entire body now grew red and unleashed an energy powerful enough to send Zigzagoon ten meters back. The energy also weakened Zigagoon severely.

“Seedot is the winner of this round!” the referee declared, pointing an orange flag at Vinzer’s direction.
The portrait of Zigzagoon now had a red cross through it.

“What a formidable Pokémon Seedot is!” Portson complimented.

“Unbelievable! I never knew you had such power in you, my friend!” Vinzer said with much surprise.

“All right, second round. Sentret, good luck to you!” Portson said, sending out a Pokémon which stood on its tail.

“Seedot, you’ve done an excellent job. Return and rest.” Vinzer withdrew Seedot quickly, then threw his second Pokéball down. “Corphish, I choose you!”

The lobster Pokémon showed enthusiasm in its look and stance. Portson’s Sentret showed its courage by hopping on its tail.

“Corphish, try a Bubble!” Vinzer’s voice grew anxious.

Corphish’s eyes grew light blue and from its pincers, a beam of foam emerged. The cautious Sentret jumped and evaded the beams. It abruptly landed in front of Corphish and tackled. Seeing Corphish at a disadvantage, Sentret tried hitting it with its paw, but the paw met Corphish’s large claw. Sentret tried its second paw, but was also blocked by Corphish. Utilizing both claws, Corphish jerked Sentret back and regained its position. Since Sentret was far from Corphish now, the lobster attempted another Bubble attack. This time, due to Sentret’s rehabilitation position, the attack hit the normal-type Pokémon successfully, slowing it down.

“Sentret, perform a Roll Out!” Portson ordered. He displayed nervousness in his voice for the first time in this battle.

Ignoring Corphish’s continuous Bubble attack, Sentret transformed itself into a rolling sphere and approached Corphish with tremendous speed. In less than two seconds, Corphish was knocked back and Sentret flew back, ready to execute a more powerful Roll Out.

“Corphish, watch out!” Vinzer warned, now more nervous than ever.

The second blow hurt Corphish twice as much, and now, it was leaned against the metal wall. Once again, Sentret charged for the another Roll Out strike. Vinzer knew if this attack succeeds, Corphish will be out of the match. He now had to make a split-second thought.

“Corphish, jump!” Vinzer finally shouted.

Corphish jumped up and put its feet against the wall. Simultenously, Sentret rolled right into the hard, metal wall, inflicting heavy damage on itself.

“All right, my friend! You did it! Now finish this round with physical attack!” Vinzer said with more joy than before.

Corphish held its two claws before its head and charged directly at Sentret. The lobster then tossed Sentret back to the center.

“This round has concluded and Corphish is the victor!” the referee announced.

“Ah, most impressive, Mr. Hiros!” There was a little sarcasm in Portson’s voice. “The last round shall be the most difficult.”

“Thank you, Portson, for the compliment. I have to agree with you that the final round will be the most difficult.” Vinzer’s voice was now of determination, perhaps with a little arrogance.

“Zangoose, the final round is yours!” Portson said with determination as he released his most powerful Pokémon in this battle.

The intimidating glare of Zangoose killed Vinzer’s enthusiasm. From the cat Pokémon’s long, purple claws, Vinzer anticipated his possible loss.

“Corphish, thank you so much for your effort. Take a rest now.” Vinzer hesitated before releasing his prized Pokémon against its ultimate challenge. “Torchic, may all luck be with you!”

The chick Pokémon looked just as determined and grim as its adversary.

“Zangoose, start out with Swords Dance!” Portson ordered grimly.

The forbidding cat raised its claws, jumped, and began spinning in midair.

“Torchic, Focus Energy!” Vinzer ordered.

Torchic levitated and glowed orange.

“Fury Cutter!” Portson’s voice broke the momentary silence. Zangoose dashed towards Torchic and weakly slashed it. Although the attack wasn’t at full power, it inflicted significant damage on Torchic. Torchic, without being order, launched flame missiles at Zangoose. The flames made Zangoose flinch and return to its previous position. Zangoose dashed at Torchic again and attempted another claw attack, but this time, Torchic maneuvered out of its range. Another blow came from Zangoose and Torchic evaded it again. The strategic chick Pokémon maneuvered between Zangoose’s legs and escaped its wrath.

“All right! Great work, Torchic. Now perform a Quick Attack!” Vinzer said, now regaining enthusiasm. Torchic flew at Zangoose with such velocity, that Zangoose lost its balance. Torchic went at it again, however, Zangoose, this time, sensed its arrival and successfully knocked the chick Pokémon down.

“Torchic is unable to battle. Zangoose wins this round!”

“No! Torchic! How can this be?” Vinzer lowered his head and withdrew his first downed Pokémon. “Nonetheless, we will win through! Seedot, best of luck!”

The acorn Pokémon was intimidated by Zangoose’s stare. Zangoose made a drastic rush at Seedot, but Seedot instantaneous stood in a defensive position. Zangoose’s first slash left a small mark on Seedot’s face. The acorn Pokémon grew a little red like last time.

“Hang in there, Seedot,” came Vinzer’s supportive words. Zangoose slashed it again, and Seedot grew redder. But before Seedot could release the energy, Zangoose jabbed it hard with its claws. The acorn Pokémon flinched. Zangoose delivered a powerful kick, enough to defeat the acorn Pokémon.

“Seedot has been defeated!” The referee announced, pointing a flag at Portson’s direction.

Vinzer was wordless when he withdrew his second downed Pokémon. He held his third Pokéball adjacent to his forehead for a brief moment, then threw it down to release his physical attacker. Corphish had more confidence than its comrades. It approached its giant adversary gallantly, snapping its pincers. Abruptly, Zangoose rushed towards Corphish, its two claws stretching in front of it. Corphish immediately ducked and caught Zangoose’s protruding claws. Zangoose kicked, but failed to hit the lobster Pokémon. Corphish used its three prongs on its head to tackle Zangoose. The lobster’s strength was able to force Zangoose back a few feet. The grim cat got frustrated and started thrashing at Corphish. Corphish was quick enough to block most of its slashes. Another kick from Zangoose forced Corphish back, but the lobster Pokémon regained its balance and defended against Zangoose’s continuous wrath. Corphish continued to block its adversary’s ferocious assaults. Fortunately for Vinzer, Corphish’s intelligence prolonged the battle. When the time was right, Corphish caught both of Zangoose’s claws again. This time, Corphish ran up the cat’s body. Still clinging on Zangoose’s claws, Corphish jumped back, did a somersault in midair, and tossed the cat Pokémon to the metal wall.

“Wow, Corphish. You’re an excellent combatant!” Vinzer complimented joyously. The chances of Corphish winning was now big.

Zangoose rehabilitated quickly, but its injuries slowed it down. Corphish charged at it, and the cat flew right back at the wall, making a small dent on it. This time, Corphish did the slashing. Drastically, Zangoose gave Corphish a headbutt and the lobster flew back a few feet. The grim cat got back up and approached Corphish slowly. Corphish performed another great trick by sliding down and tripping the damaged cat Pokémon.

“You haven’t seen my Zangoose’s power yet, Vinzer. Zangoose, show Corphish your ultimate attack!” Portson stated in rage.

Zangoose’s claws began to glow white.

“Crush Claw!”

Zangoose’s vigor abruptly increased as it started to beat down on Corphish, but missing every time.

“Be careful, Corphish!”

Corphish evaded effectively until it was edged against the wall. Zangoose’s Crush Claw attack continued, making tiny dents on the metal wall. Corphish saw an opportunity to escape between Zangoose’s legs, and used it. It was now back in the arena center, continuing to evade Zangoose’s claws. Zangoose’s recklessness damaged the floor where they were standing, and soon, Corphish was trapped in a small hole made by Zangoose’s Crush Claw.

“Zangoose, now’s the opportunity! Finish it off with Crush Claw!” Portson roared.

Zangoose jumped up a couple feet into the air and dived its claws straight into the place Corphish was. At first, smoke dispersed and obscured the result. Vinzer, Portson, and the referee watched in suspense, anticipating every possible outcome. When the smoke cleared, Corphish was still in its position with Zangoose beside it. The little lobster Pokémon slowly closed its eyes in defeat.

“The official gym battle concludes with Nicholas Portson and Zangoose as the winner!” the referee finally announced, raising both flags.

“Corphish, thank you so much. Return...” Vinzer recalled his Pokémon with his head down.

“Vinzer, I’m sorry about your defeat. I know your Pokémon are powerful, and your strategies are admirable, but this is your first gym battle. It’s okay to lose. Remember, failure defines success. You can always attempt again, and eventually, victory will reveal itself. We can always have a rematch.” Portson’s voice was now calm and supportive, as he was before the battle.

“I understand, Mr. Portson. Thank you for your encouraging words. I will do better next time. I will not fail. My Pokémon will not fail. We will be victors.” Vinzer shook Portson’s hand again and departed from the gym. His Pokémon will require the Pokémon Center and he will require a new tactic for the rematch.

[Neo-Xantios]

*********
Chapter 10
*********

Failure defines success. The thought kept repeating itself in Vinzer’s mind. The loss in an essential battle has indeed shattered his optimism. Perhaps he required something he didn’t already possess.

Vinzer stopped at several places in Feridane before returning to his hotel. After having lunch, he returned to his room to study the moves of Zangoose. Defeating this Pokémon was key to earning the Purity Badge. His afternoon passed quickly and when the sunlight subsided, he returned to the restaurant. During his final meal of the day, Vinzer’s mind was flooded by thoughts about his Pokémon. He contemplated time and time again about his gym rematch. He required skills, tactics, and a whole lot of luck. The nights sleep didn’t interrupt Vinzer’s rest. Vinzer, tomorrow, shall test his devised strategies on Portson’s formidable Pokémon.

Vinzer woke up early the following morning to check on his Pokémon, who were still resting at the Pokémon Center. He was surprised to see three of his friends waiting for him at the counter when he entered. He embraced them for the first time after their gym defeat. Vinzer and his Pokémon were once again off to the gym. Like previously, Portson was in his office when Vinzer arrived, and like before, they headed for the giant arena.

“The rematch between challenger Vinzer Hiros and Gym Leader Nicholas Portson will commence in three minutes. Both the competitor and the Gym Leader will have this time to prepare,” the referee announced.

Clutching to his Pokéball, Vinzer began to shake with great nervousness. Portson, like last time, gave Vinzer a grin of determination.

“The rematch begins now. This will be a one on one match with no time limit. Send out your Pokémon at once!”

“Zangoose, good luck!” Portson’s voice showed much sarcasm and arrogance.

“Torchic. best of luck, buddy!” Vinzer’s nervousness persisted.

Zangoose held its claw out, listening for Portson’s first command.

“Swords Dance!” came Portson’s piercing voice.

Zangoose sprung from the ground and began spinning vigorously in midair.

“Torchic, deter it from getting stronger. Perform an Ember!”

Several flame rockets emerged from Torchic’s beak like lasers coming out of a gun. The flames immediately deteriorated once it neared the spinning Zangoose.

“Haha. Great work, Zan--.” Zangoose was abruptly knocked down by Torchic’s last flames before Portson could finish.

Seeing the cat Pokémon knocked down, Torchic instinctively flew at Zangoose with ferocious speed, hurting its adversary more. But before Torchic could return for another attack, Zangoose jabbed it lightly. Unlike last time, this attack failed to injure Torchic, and the chick Pokémon ducked and pecked Zangoose on its abdomen.

“Zangoose, use Leer!” Portson’s voice began to show some of Vinzer’s nervousness.

The grim cat shut its eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again, displaying anger and hatred in its look. Torchic regarded this as a threat most severe and threw itself at Zangoose, not worrying a slightest bit about its own safety. The first strike was a success as its body acted like a bullet and shot itself at the cat Pokémon’s head. It lunged for a second time, but Zangoose caught it like a ball and threw it to the other side of the arena. Meeting the hard metal wall with heavy resistance meant pain almost near to defeat for any primary Pokémon. The aftermath of Torchic’s painful experience left it much difficulty to even raise its eyebrows.

“All right, great job, Zangoose. Now finish the match with Crush Claw!” Prtson ordered, using the voice of a Stormer Vinzer once encountered.

Torchic could barely see the huge cat Pokémon approach it slowly. When Zangoose neared it, Torchic’s fur emitted a huge transparent flame to protect it. By that time, Zangoose flinched.

“Torchic, hang in there! As long as there’s Blaze, you’ll be safe!” Vinzer showed some relief when he said it.

Torchic, owing to Blaze, gradually regained consciousness as Zangoose watched it, waiting for the opportunity to strike. As Torchic absorbed all its consciousness, Blaze subsided. Once this opportunity presented itself, Zangoose went at Torchic wildly, thrusting its claws, but missing the chick Pokémon every time. Torchic managed to float above Zangoose’s head, then scratched the annoyed cat Pokémon several times. Then the chick Pokémon landed behind Zangoose and shot embers at the foolhardy Pokémon. Zangoose’s claws glowed brightly when it approached Torchic, but the chick Pokémon continued firing flames as it backed away from Zangoose. Torchic soon met the other wall, and Zangoose continued to charge at it angrily. When Torchic was at the cat Pokémon’s feet, Zangoose gave it a sly grin, then raised its glowing claws. Torchic slowly shut its eyes as the huge claws came down on it, but just as before they could touch Torchic, the chick Pokémon maneuvered through Zangoose’s legs. Zangoose’s crushing claws destroyed some of the ground Torchic was standing on, and neither Portson or Zangoose was pleased with that.

“All right, Torchic! Keep up the great work!” Vinzer said at last with joy.

The chick Pokémon aimed another Quick Attack at Zangoose. Abruptly, Zangoose bent back and caught the mobile Torchic with its ears. The cat jumped, put its legs on the wall, and used them as springs to launch itself and Torchic to the center of the arena. Once there, Zangoose stood back up and slammed Torchic to the ground.

“Ah! Torchic!” Vinzer exclaimed

“Zangoose, Crush Claw!” Portson grimly ordered.

Zangoose’s claws glowed white again and slammed them down on Torchic. This time, the claws met Torchic’s body as the chick let out a loud, painful cry. At least, that was what Vinzer thought until he realized that it was he himself who cried out in pain when Torchic was hit. Zangoose jumped five feet away when it completed its duty.

“Torchic is unable to battle! Victory goes to Portson and Zangoose!” The referee announced proudly.

“Nooooooo! It can’t be?” Vinzer’s eyes abruptly grew wet and tears cascaded down his check rapidly.

“Wait! Something is happening to Torchic!” the referee exclaimed raising the two flags.

Torchic emitted Blaze again, but this time, Torchic’s eyes became red with fire in anger. Vinzer’s eyes widened in fright, for he had never seen his friend look this way before. The furious chick Pokémon opened its beak widely as it summoned a huge fireball. It took Torchic a few seconds before firing it at Zangoose. When the gigantic ball of flame neared the confound cat, it dispersed and formed into a huge flame twister around Zangoose. The magnitude of the fire’s light was so unbearable that it forced Torchic and everyone in the arena to shut their eyes for a couple moments. When the twister subsided, Vinzer reopened his eyes and saw a scorched Zangoose laying motionless on the ground.

“Zangoose has fallen in this match. Vinzer Hiros and his Pokémon has earned their Purity Badge!” the referee finally announced, pointing a flag at Vinzer.

Vinzer rushed with joy to the center of the arena where Torchic was. He picked his prized Pokémon and held it in the air.

“Torchic, I knew we would come through! You are the best!” Vinzer said with tears of joy in his eyes.

Torchic, with its eyes half opened, gave Vinzer a ‘V’ sign with its claws, then fainted in his arms.

“Thank you so much, my friend. Take a good long rest.” Vinzer withdrew it, then approached Portson.

“Congratulations, Vinzer. You and your Pokémon have indeed proven yourselves. Your Pokémon have a lot of potential. You have climbed the first step on the ladder to championship, my friend,” Portson said as he shook Vinzer’s hand. “Ah yes, I would like to give you a small gift for your efforts.” Portson took out a plastic tube the size of his palm with a small, red tablet inside. “This is a Technical Tablet or TT. A Pokémon will instantly learn a new move once they take it. This tablet contains the move Crush Claw, the move you saw my Zangoose use several times. I hope this will prove itself useful for your battles yet to come.”

“Thank you, Portson. It will surely be useful,” Vinzer replied gratefully, receiving the gift.

“Oh yes, the Purity Badge is here.” Portson handed a silver tag with three stars carved on it to Vinzer. “May your future be a success!”

“The Purity Badge. It’s beautiful. Thank you, Mr. Portson.” Vinzer and Portson shook their hands for the last time before the trainer departed the gym and prepared for his journey ahead.

[Reborned-Dragon]

Great job N_X. Great description and length. Remember to check out my story and I'll check out your's. PEACE!

P.S. I have a link to the story in my sig now. Check it out.

[Neo-Xantios]

Ah, it's an honor to have you here, Pieshake2. Thank's for reading it! It's nice to see your link in your sig. Good luck on your story!

EDIT: Yo man, the link has an error--I cannot connect directly to your fanfic.

[Dewgongtears]

This is one amazing story indeed. The detail is very good and it makes you keep on reading. The characters seem real and the Stormers are really evil. Keep up the good work.

[Neo-Xantios]

Hello there. It's great to have you here too, Dewgongtears. Your reply is one of the best I've seen, so I must show you all my gratitude. *bows*

Yes, here's

*********
Chapter 11
*********

The sun had set but the lights of Feridane replaced most of the darkness in the city. The streets were less dense and the loud noises during the day had died off. Night winds at high altitudes blew at near-violent knots, giving the busy city a temperature drop.

Vinzer and his Pokémon had just finished packing and preparing for their departure that night. He had decided that before leaving the city, he should contact Josh and Richard, and inform them about this feat. The advanced features of the Comsat transformed the device into a mini-computer with a small keypad and a hologram projector. He keyed the device hastily, searching for Josh’s frequency, then a small hologram of Josh appeared above the projector.

“Hey there, Josh. How’s it going?” Vinzer asked the hologram.

“Hey, Vinzer. It’s great to see you again,” the hologram replied.

Vinzer wasn’t all surprised when the hologram responded.

“At first, it wasn’t all good. The Stormer’s ambushed our camp and forced us to run. Fortunately, we were saved by a great commander, patrolling the route we were on. Now we’re enjoying ourselves here in Cape Nerius. Oh, I must say the weather here is more than perfect!” he finished.

“Ah, that’s good to hear. Oh yes, I have a little surprise for you,” Vinzer said, showing his newly earned gym badge to the hologram.

“Unbelievable! You won your first badge already?” Josh’s hologram asked.

“Yes, I did. That battle wasn’t easy at all though.” Vinzer gave a grin.

“Ah, okay. I guess we’ll have to be more prepared then.” The hologram gave the same grin.

“Josh, it’s been well talking to you. I would like to continue, but I must depart Feridane now. Don’t forget to greet Richard for me!”

“See ya, Vinzer, and good luck!” The hologram disappeared once he finished the statement.

Vinzer pocketed his Comsat, withdrew his Pokémon, and left Lengersons Hotel behind. His trip to northern Feridane, the continuing path of his journey, lasted him a couple minutes via the Feridane subway.

Light around him was being replaced gradually by darkness. By now, he was in a tranquil neighborhood, a few kilometers from downtown Feridane, with two-storied houses on both sides of the street.

“Well, well, well. What a surprise!” came a familiar, deceitful voice in front of him.

Vinzer, despite the prevailing darkness around him, saw the speaker’s face clearly. He was accompanied by a boy most familiar.

“A surprise, it is. What do you want?” Vinzer’s antipathetic voice tumbled from his mouth.

“We want to teach you a lesson of respect, Shakespeare!” answered the foolhardy boy.

“We’ll have a battle! If we win, we get Torchic back!” his companion declared.

“You two never learn, do you?” Vinzer gave a grin and shook his head slowly.

“What will it be, Shakespeare? Are ya gonna back out?” laughed the bigger fool.

“No, I won’t. Tonight, it is I who will teach you a lesson!” Vinzer stated supremely.

“Hahaha. Tough talk. Let’s get ‘im Deveis!”

“You got it, Peolnal!”

Vinzer stored those two names in his memory a second after they were spoken out.

“Duskull, go!”

“Shuppet, go!”

Deveis and Peolnal threw down their Pokéballs in unison. Duskull emerged before its comrade did, its gray cloak dancing with the soft night winds and its skull seemed to show its grin. Shuppet’s form replaced the bright, white energy which erupted from the second Pokéball. The second ghost Pokémon’s luminous red eyes show its determination, the determination which rivaled Duskull’s.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Vinzer asked as if his two adversaries were joking.

“Well, looks like Shakespeare doesn’t know his battle types! Listen, newbie, this is a two versus two battle. We battle with two Pokémon at a time,” Deveis said, almost laughing.

“Then a two versus two it shall be!” Vinzer declared with all the determination he could muster. “Corphis, Seedot, you’re up!”

Two orbs the size of his fingernails were released from his palm, then expanded in midair, opened, and their Pokémon emerged via white energy. Corphish clamped its claws, and its comrade jumped energetically, eager to gain more battle experience.

“Hah, what are these? Torchic’s bodyguards?” The two fools continued their laughter, not knowing the battle had started.

Corphish opened its claws and from it emerged a beam of luminous bubbles. The brilliant beams hit Duskull, then the bubbles dispersed and faded. Seedot shot seeds from its mouth like bullets, which were to hit Shuppet, but the ghost Pokémon levitated and evaded the attack. Shuppet’s red eyes were gradually growing black. By the time dark energy began flaring from its eyes, a large, black beam shot out from them, aiming for Seedot. The beam was to hit Seedot, but Corphish jumped in front of the acorn Pokémon and formed a blue force field before them. The beam touched the blue screen, but was absorbed by it. Duskull attempted what Shuppet did, but its dark beam failed to touch its target as well. Only now did Deveis and Peolnal recognize the Pokémon battle.

“Duskull, ya idiot! Use Will-O-Wisp!” Peolnal ordered in frustration.

The ghost Pokémon’s eyes returned to their original colors before bright, blue flames surrounded Duskull. Corphish responded by holding its claws out, ready to counter the offensive. The blue flames were released and were charging hastily at Corphish. Simultaneously, Corphish unleashed its bubbles, which engulfed the raging fires

“Ahh. Shuppet, don’t just stand there! Help Duskull out!” Deveis roared, unable to except his opponents combined strength.

Shuppet slowly shut its eyes and vanished without a trace. A couple seconds later, a powerful energy pushed Corphish back, and forced Seedot to lose its balance as well. For a moment, the damaged Corphish and Seedot failed to realize their enemy’s presence just in front of them. Shuppet stood ready to perform another devastating offense, shutting its eyes again. As soon as its top eyelids met the bottom, Shuppet found itself being hit ferociously by seeds. The seeds robbed all the concentration from the ghost Pokémon, disallowing it to perform one single action. Seedot persistently fired the seeds until a dark beam from behind Shuppet forced the acorn Pokémon to fly back a few feet.

“Hehehe. What weak Pokémon ya got, Shakespeare!” Peolnal laughed. “Duskull, finish these weaklings off!”

A dark beam emerged from Duskull’s eyes once more. It was just a meter from Seedot before Corphish stood right in front of it. At first, the lobster’s tough shell enabled it to withstand the beam for a few seconds. Shuppet assisted its comrade, firing another dark beam at the ailing lobster. The combination of the two beams wore down the lobster’s defense. Seedot watched helplessly as its friend collapsed in front of it.

“Corphish!” Vinzer cried in disbelief. “Take a rest, buddy!”

A laser beam turned Corphish back to energy and sucked it back to its Pokéball. Before Vinzer threw down Torchic’s Pokéball, a white light surrounded Seedot. The acorn Pokémon’s body began to expand and change shape. Arms appeared out of its new body, a nosed stretched from its face, and a leaf grew out of its head. Vinzer stared at it blankly. How can Seedot be evolving so quickly? Nonetheless, his grate overwhelmed his curiosity. With his newly evolved Pokémon, he thought to himself that victory was imminent.

Vinzer took out his Pokédex and ordered it to show information on his newest evolved Pokémon. A hologram of it immediately appeared, showing its statistics and abilities. After garnering the essential information on his Pokémon, Vinzer secured his Pokédex and began issuing strategic orders to his evolved Seedot, Nuzleaf.

“Congratulations on your evolution, Nuzleaf!” Vinzer stated. “Try your Faint Attack!”

Like Shuppet before, Nuzleaf gently shut its eyes and disappeared. A drastic rush of overwhelming energy blew Shuppet and Duskull many meters back. The newly evolved Pokémon reappeared before the two fallen ghosts and began chanting. Nuzleaf stretched both arms out, charge up two balls of dark energy, and combined them to one large orb with black sparks around it. Holding onto the dark orb, Nuzleaf jumped back five feet and fired it directly at its foes. The dark energy dispersed, without causing an explosion, and distorted the surrounding. Before expanding more than 30 square meters, the dispersed energy imploded, causing much harm to Shuppet and Duskull. The two ghost Pokémon couldn’t last one nanosecond after the powerful Shadow Ball attack done by Nuzleaf, and were withdrawn immediately by their reckless trainers.

“Well, Shakespeare! Looks like ya’ve won again this time.” Peolnal showed much sarcasm in his statement.

“Let’s go on to plan B!” Deveis exclaimed, gesturing to Peolnal.

Peolnal and Deveis rushed towards Vinzer and grabbed Torchic’s Pokéball from his loose grip. Before making their escape, Deveis threw down a gray, glass ball before Vinzer’s feet, and from it came a cloud of black smoke. The smoke obscured the entirety of Vinzer’s vision for as long as one minute before it subsided, and only an angry Nuzleaf was in view. Vinzer, realizing the absence of Torchic’s Pokéball, was consumed by his panicking and was unable to bring himself together. Nuzleaf approached him and began muttering words which were only considered intelligent by a fellow Pokémon. Seeing that its trainer was confused by its language, Nuzleaf reached for Vinzer’s Comsat in his pocket and showed him its implications. Vinzer was still puzzled by Nuzleaf’s implications, especially with its explaination of the Comsat. Nuzleaf had had it with Vinzer’s confusion now and brought the Comsat to life by entering some codes. When a hologram of the Feridane Police Department logo was showing, Vinzer received the Comsat from his Pokémon and started keying the device. The logo changed to a policeman’s face which spoke flawlessly.

“Welcome to the FPD frequency. How may I help you, sir?”

Vinzer was surprised by the question, but responded in kind. “Hello. I’m calling from northern Feridane where I was robbed a minute ago. The thieves stole a Pokéball with my Torchic in it.”

“All right, you got it. I’ve picked up your location and will be sending an investigating officer there. Just stay where you are and your case will be dealt with decisively.”

“Okay, thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome. Good bye.” The hologram disappeared immediately.

Bright headlights were showing at the end of the road just five minutes after his report to the FPD. The police vehicle was in front of Vinzer in a little more than a blink of an eye. A tall man, almost one and a half times in size compare to Vinzer, in a blue uniform alighted with a dark, hound-like Pokémon.

The officer neared Vinzer and held his hand out. “Salutations. I’m Inspector David Lo.”

Vinzer shook it and returned the greeting and introduction. Nuzelaf and the hound Pokémon did the same.

Inspector Lo went to work right away as he bent down, took out a finger-sized scanner, and began scanning the tiny glass fragments of the used smoke bomb. Vinzer watched solemnly, directing his gaze periodically at Nuzleaf. Lo stood back up and gave Vinzer a nod, before taking out a mini-computer, slightly larger than Vinzer’s Comsat. The mini-computer hummed to life and the inspector ordered a communication link between Onaria and a satellite in space.

*

Approximately 1,500 kilometers above Onaria, the Sienario held a watchful eye on the continent and the world. This satellite held search operations for the Onarian government, and was semi-loud and busy whenever there were no emergencies. A transmission was always intercepted by this satellite within a few seconds.

“Inspector Lo to Sienario,” came a trasmission.

“Transmission received. This is Ensign Tom Ratcher,” a man working on the supercomputers responded.

“We’ve a case here. Try locate the person with this fingerprint sample.”

A distorted fingerprint image appeared as a hologram before the ensign.

“Roger that” Ratcher fingered the complex keyboard professionally.

A second hologram appeared next to the fingerprint image with a face and detailed printings beside it.

“Computer, locate Deveis Korvindith!” Ratcher ordered coolly, not worrying one single bit about the inspector’s mission, but merely executing his job.

Instantaneously, a third hologram of a complex map with a red blinking dot appeared and Ratcher sent it to the planet.

“Hope you got it, Inspector. Call me again!” Ratcher’s short assignment was accomplished.

“Will do, Ensign. Thank you!” the transmission ended.

*

“All right, Vinzer. Let’s get down to business!” Lo nodded and rushed back to his vehicle with his Pokémon, Vinzer and Nuzleaf behind him.

“According to the map, the person or people who stole your Torchic are hiding in Lengersons Hotel,” Lo explained as he started his vehicle.

The hovering car arrived at Lengersons quicker than Vinzer’s trip to northern Feridane.

“FPD! You have a criminal in your building.” Lo showed his identity to a familiar receptionist, before Vinzer and the Pokémon moved to the teleportation pads.

The hologram on Lo’s mini-computer changed from Feridane’s map to a complex structure of the hotel with a red dot flashing near the top floor.

“Hmm, they appear to be on floor one hundred twenty,” Lo confirmed. “Let’s go!”

It took them a couple minutes to locate the room, but once in front of it, Lo rang the doorbell. The interior ceased to respond for about two minutes before the inspector rang it again. Once again, there was silence.

“Excuse me,” Lo implied, gesturing to Vinzer. “Houndoom, Ember!”

A beam of flame with the thickness of a laser fired from the hounds’s motuh and met the top of the door. A spontaneous spark came from Houndoom’s target, forcing the automatic doors to fling open. Houndoom laid foot in the room first, cautious of any possible action.

“Hmm, nothing?” Lo burst in surprise. “Houndoom, search the area!”

Two black beams suddenly shot from under the bed and met Houndoom’s legs. The hound jerked back and began barking furiously before Nuzleaf dashed towards it in support. With a swing of its leaf, Vinzer’s newly evolved Pokémon shot a wave of razor-sharp winds which sliced the covering under the bed. From it rose Shuppet and Duskull, whose faces were filled with determination and eyes filled with dark energy. The two ghosts fired two dark beams in unison, hitting Nuzleaf’s hard body. In return for Nuzleaf’s support, Houndoom fired two dark orbs from its mouth, which exploded as they hit their targets. Nuzleaf got back up and swung razor-like winds at its opponents, decimating every ounce of their energy. Although the two ghost Pokémon fainted, their trainers were no where to be seen.

“Where could they be?” asked an impatient Vinzer.

“Houndoom, do you sense them in here?” Lo also showed impatience in his voice.

Houndoom sniffed the air several times and shook its head. Just then, rapid sounds of feet meeting the ground were heard from outside. Vinzer and Lo changed their focus outside and saw the two perpetrators running towards the teleportation pads.

“Stop!” Lo ordered, giving Vinzer and the Pokémon a signal to chase.

Vinzer and Lo led the chase, and Nuzleaf and Houndoom not too far behind.

“Give it up, Shakespeare!” Peolnal bellowed from down the hall, just before they teleported.

Vinzer, Lo, and their Pokémon came to a halt before the teleportation pads.

“Don’t worry, Vinzer. I have them on my sensor,” Lo explained, still regarding the hologram. “They’re on the ground floor.”

Vinzer simply nodded and entered the teleportation pad.

On the ground floor, Vinzer spotted the two criminals nearing the main door and cried out, demanding the return of Torchic. The great doors opened, but Deveis and Peolnal ceased to proceed, seeing two police vehicles closing in. The two criminals reversed direction and ascended the long, spiral staircase to the second floor when four policemen were ready to enter.

“After them!” Lo exclaimed, ordering no specific person.

Houndoom took the lead this time, dashing at a speed Vinzer never saw a Pokémon attain. It climbed the stairs in a few seconds and soon took the slow Deveis down, barking at him furiously.

“Deveis!” Peolnal exclaimed.

“Leave me, Peolnal. Just go!” Deveis shot back, trying to fight Houndoom off.

Peolnal acknowledged and continued his futile escape attempt. Before Deveis was out of sight, Peolnal saw a forbidding Pokémon glaring at him, its leaf on its head started to spin. The ferocity of Nuzleaf’s winds forced Peolnal to fall back and possibly think of surrendering. The winds abruptly subsided. Nuzleaf dove head-first into Peolnal’s body, giving him the same fate as Deveis, and forced Torchic’s Pokéball out of his hand. Vinzer, Lo and the four officers came a little later.

“Torchic!” Vinzer exclaimed, picking up its Pokéball and releasing it.

The chick Pokémon turned a couple times and chirped at Vinzer and Nuzleaf. Nuzleaf understood its confusion and explained everything in detail, before it received a chirp which congratulated and thanked it.

“Okay, great job, everyone!” Lo congratulated.

Peolnal and Deveis, escorted by the four policemen, were cuffed and en route to the police station for interrogation. Vinzer and his Pokémon approached Lo and Houndoom, thanking them and were about to bid them a fond farewell.

“Vinzer, please don’t forget your luggage in my car. I’m sure they contain all your valuables,” the inspector reminded with a little laughter.

“Certainly, Inspector. My journey can’t simply continue without them,” Vinzer returned, giving the same laughter.

[Dewgongtears]

Pretty good, good length and good battle. And Shuppet was in this one, that was cool too. You are doing a wonderful job in writing this story.

[Neo-Xantios]

Thanks for the comment, Dewgongtears. I'm glad you liked Shuppet. Hmm, think I'm running out of ideas for the future chapters...

[Neo-Xantios]

Thanks for waiting.

*********
Chapter 12
*********

Josh and Richard had been traveling for hours in the afternoon heat, and had finally reached the temperate forest connecting Clariford and Feridane. The temperature has dropped a couple degrees and the tall trees provided shade for the trainers, which allowed them to rejuvenate for the long path to Feridane. Once settled along a small stream, the trainers sat down to have a break they so deserved.

“It’s been three days since Vinzer gave us a call. I wonder how he’s been doing since,” Josh pondered, sitting down and unpacking some fresh food from his refrigerator pack.

“Well, I’m sure he’s doing quite well. He probably has a second badge already!” Richard said. Obviously, he knew he was being unrealistic.

“Yeah, perhaps so. He is such a strong trainer.” Josh seemed to be inclined to agree with Richard’s statement.

After having a little snack, the two refilled their bottles in the fresh stream and drenched themselves with water to cool their sun-beaten skin. Although the forest was no where near as warm as their previous route, Josh and Richard still felt no cooler until they touched water.

They continued to wash their faces until footsteps could be heard from some distance away. The footsteps seemed to get louder every second, then rough voices filled parts of the air.

“That Shakespeare sure got us into a lot of trouble back there, Peolnal!” The words were soon heard clearly by Josh and Richard.

“Yeah, whatever, Deveis. Next time, we ain’t letting Shakespeare get away with this!” a second, rougher voice came.

The two people were clearly visible now at the other end of the stream.

“We’re just lucky we didn’t get thrown into jail. Heck, if anyone should be in jail, it should be--”

“Whoa! What do we have here?” the taller guy asked in infamy, cutting his friend‘s statement short.

“Looks like trainers!” his companion added with the same tone.

The two walked across the stream using large stones which stood out from the shallow water. As they got closer, Josh and Richard stood up, showing no sign they’ve been intimidated.

“Yo, kids. How ‘bout a battle?” the younger guy asked.

“Umm, no thanks. We’re in a hurry to get to Feridane,” Josh explained, but it wasn’t convincing.

“Yer backin’ out, aren’t cha?” the taller companion asked.

“Hey, Josh. They don’t look very strong to me. Let’s battle,” Richard suggested with courage.

“What did ya say, kid? We ain’t lettin’ ya get away with that! Peolnal, let’s get ‘em!” the shorter guy shot back. “Shuppet, go!”

“Ya got it, Deveis. Duskull, get ‘em!” Peolnal sounded less intimidating than his ally.

“Come on, Josh. Let’s counter! Electrike, I choose you!” Richard exclaimed with more courage Josh had ever seen.

“As you say, Richard. Go Mudkip!” Josh showed much reluctance.

Two white lights turned into Mudkip and Electrike from their Pokéballs.

“Nightshade!” Peolnal and Deveis ordered in unison.

Thin beams emerged from the ghost Pokémons’ eyes, but were evaporated by the sunlight penetrating through the dense trees before they neared their targets.

“What?” Deveis burst.

“Guess it’s the sunlight,” Peolnal replied.

“Mudkip, start out with Water Gun. Electrike, support it with Thundershock!” Richard strategically ordered.

Mudkip’s giant mouth widened and a small jet of water shot out of it. Following Mudkip’s attack, Electrike discharged blue sparks to the jet. The jet of water hit Duskull, zapping, and drenching it. After Mudkip stopped, Duskull lay on the ground, still with water and sparks.

“Amazing, Richard! You have excellent tactics!” Josh complimented in surprise.

“Ahh! How can this be? Duskull return!” Peolnal said in dismay. “Ya’re next Mawile!”

A strange looking Pokémon with a teeth-filled mouth like a leaf hanging from its head shot out from its red and white orb. It seemed peculiar to its opponents that Mawile’s small body could support its meter-long mouth.

“What is that?” asked a shocked Richard.

“A Mawile, kid. Don’t underestimate it. It’s stronger than ya think!” Peolnal replied.

“Don’t worry, Richard. We still have a strong team,” Josh said with enthusiasm for the first time in this battle.

Richard nodded, trying to conceal his sudden nervousness.

“Mudkip, try a Take Down!” Josh sounded like Richard in the first round.

Mudkip’s acceleration was a little slow, but it got faster as it continued to run. The mud fish Pokémon was able to hit Mawile, but found itself being forced back without inflicting heavy damage on its opponent. Mudkip’s saw its opponent was more shiny than before.

“No!” Josh’s determination faded.

“Mawile’s Iron Defense helps it withstand such attempts, kid. You ain’t takin’ it down,” Peolnal explained with a grin.

“Shuppet, your turn to attack. Faint Attack!” Deveis recklessly commanded.

Shuppet vanished gradually and summoned some energy which knocked Electrike off balance. Electrike momentarily got back up and filled its coat with blue sparks. When Shuppet reappeared right in front of it, Electrike shot a jolt of electricity at the ghost Pokémon, but failed to bring it down. Shuppet floated back to its previous position and surrounded itself with white flames. Seeing Shuppet’s imminent flame offense, Mudkip shot a larger jet of water at it, putting the flames out. Electrike launched another bolt of electricity at Shuppet who was now wet from Water Gun, and brought it down like Duskull before.

“Ye’re stronger than I thought, kids. But you can’t win!” Deveis bellowed, withdrawing Shuppet and sending out his next Pokémon. “I choose you, Sableye!”

Another ghost Pokémon took Shuppet’s place. Sableye, however, was not airborne and its huge eyes suggested its will of accuracy in battle.

“Sableye is a Dark and Ghost type Pokémon. It ain’t got no weaknesses!” Deveis boasted with a laugh. “Show these losers what you can do!”

Sableye dashed towards Mudkip and slashed it continuously. After swiping it, the Dark and Ghost Pokémon kicked it back and fired a dark beam at it. Before injuring Mudkip more, Sableye found itself sizzling in blue sparks.

“Mawile, slash that Electrike, ya lamer!” Peolnal roared in frustration.

The strange Pokémon walked slowly to Electrike and swiped its hard mouth across the dog’s face. Sableye quickly rehabilitated and launched another dark beam at the injured Mudkip. The red laser of its Pokéball touched the mud fish first and withdrew it before it received any more potent damage.

“Mudkip, take a rest. Whismur, good luck!” Josh said.

Whismur faced Sableye with a grim expression, flicking its ears at times. Seeing its partner under pressure, the whisper Pokémon rushed to Electrike’s aid and knocked Mawile about five feet back. Sableye took its vacant time cleverly by slashing the hurt Electrike the way it slashed Mudkip.

“Electrike, return!” Richard withdrew it, seeing its pain. “Phanpy go!”

The tiny Elephant rolled from the white energy which transformed it and landed next to Whismur.

“Phanpy, shut your ears. Whismur Uproar!” Josh ordered with the tactics Richard used.

Phanpy complied and Whismur unleashed sound which could easily shatter glass. Josh and Richard, and their opponents forcefully blocked their ears while Sableye and Mawile tried futilely to endure the Uproar attack. Still with its ears shut, Phanpy widened its tiny truck and a stream of water burst from it, drenching both its opponents. When Whismur’s Uproar subsided, Phanpy rolled right into the unwary Mawile. It went again, rolling with greater velocity, and brought Mawile down. The metal, leaf-like mouth which was Mawile’s weakly clamped before it closed its eyes and fainted.

“How weak!” Peolnal sneered as he withdrew his last fallen Pokémon.

“Don’t cha worry, Peolnal. Sableye ain’t goin’ down!” Deveis was too optimistic.

Phanpy rolled at Sableye, trying to bring down its last opponent. Suddenly the ghost Pokémon jumped out of the elephant’s way, forcing Phanpy to collide with a nearby tree. Sableye gave a little grin, then shot a dark beam at Phanpy. Instead of hitting the faltered elephant, Whismur got in its way and absorbed it.

“Great work, Whismur. Now try a Shockwave!” Josh said enthusiastically. He was too sure that Sableye would fall soon enough.

Tiny blue energy orbs started to collect through Whismur’s body. Its eyes became luminous and a sudden blue wave of lightning shot out from them. Instead of hitting Sableye directly, the wave beamed up just one centimeter from the ghost Pokémon. Sableye jolted back and started running aimlessly, trying to evade the electrical wrath. Within a few seconds, a bolt of lighting passed right through the ghost Pokémon’s body, temporarily paralyzing it. Abruptly, Phanpy came back rolling from behind Whismur and knocked Sableye back before Deveis’s feet.

“I guess ye’ve won, kids.” Deveis withdrew his Pokémon without commenting on it.

“Ya may have won this time. But you ain’t seen the last of us,” Peolnal said calmly.

Peolnal and Deveis walked out of their sight without saying another word. Josh and Richard walked deeper into the forest and continued their route to Feridane.

*

Vinzer Hiros had been traveling on the same grassy terrain for three days. Unlike his trip to Feridane, this route gave him a bearable temperature during the day and a comfortable ground at night for camp. He often let his Pokémon out while walking and always let them sleep out of their Pokéballs. Never once did the Pokémon show their condemnation to Vinzer’s plans, but only congratulated him and each other over their first gym victory. For Vinzer, this was the first stride to championship. For the Pokémon, it was a lesson of learning the importance of teamwork and each other. Indeed, teamwork in this journey was the backbone of success. And the victory in the first gym battle defined the success of Vinzer’s Pokémons’ abilities in teamwork.

Just an hour before sunset, Vinzer was back to civilization in a smaller city called Neiville. Neiville wasn’t nearly half the size of Feridane with the tallest building no taller than 70 floors. This city’s residential was its dominance with over 70 percent which were houses and apartments. In the city center was a park larger than Ceness’s and a fountain which gave Neiville its reputation. Many small shops were located there too with a variety of items ranging from food, to Pokéballs, to medicine on sale.

Despite the city’s size compare to Feridane, it took him half an hour to arrive at the city’s center. Normally, the streets of downtown Neiville were silent during this time, but today was no ordinary day in Neiville. Thousands of Pokémon trainers gathered in the park with many of them setting camps. Before he could go any further, two trainers of opposite genders appeared in front of him.

“Hi. You must be Vinzer Hiros,” the female trainer said with a smile. Vinzer deduced from her inferior height that she was a rookie trainer and one of the youngest he had seen. She had red hair up to her shoulders and vigilant green eyes which attracted Vinzer to some degree. She wore clothes similar to her companion, a long T-shirt with baggy trousers.

“Yes, I am Vinzer,” he replied formally, perhaps a little shy.

“It’s an honor,” the girl’s companion said with the same tone as Vinzer. He looked no older than Josh with a couple centimeters higher than his companion. He, too, had red hair, but light blue eyes.

“My name’s Reiné and this is my brother, Norith,” the girl introduced, holding her hand out. Vinzer shook it and her brother’s.

“Nice to meet you. May I ask how you knew me?” Vinzer was even more formal.

“Oh, we heard about your gym victory in Feridane. Portson said he hadn’t lost to anyone in a few months. That’s why we’re so honored to see you,” Norith explained.

“Ah, intriguing. But it is I who feel most honored. Anyway, what’s going on here in Neiville Park?” Vinzer grew more curious.

“We’re having a Beginner Trainers’ Camp here in Neiville. Many trainers who started their journeys not long ago come to gather,” Reiné replied warmly.

“Hey, Vinzer. Why not camp near our spot?” Norith suggested.

“Great idea!” Vinzer concurred.

The Beginner Trainers’ Camp was crowded with trainers who were too busy to worry about Vinzer’s arrival. Some were setting up camp, some were training their Pokémon, while many were simply chatting.

Vinzer and his new friends arrived at a large white tent the shape of a small house. From in it came two Pokémon. The first one was a one-foot tall Pokémon with a red rose as one hand and a blue one as another. The second Pokémon looked like a small camel with an unenthusiastic face.

“Nice Pokémon you two have,” Vinzer commented, trying to sound as kind as possible. “I think we should let our Pokémon to know each other.”

Torchic, Corphish, and Nuzleaf greeted Reiné’s and Norith’s Pokémon and began conversing in their own language. Vinzer simply smiled and wasted no time in setting up his tent.

At a barbeque they had later that evening, Vinzer and his new friends discussed about their former lives and future ambitions. The Pokémon enjoyed a conversation about their accomplishments, their trainers, and their goals. Ultimately, they enjoyed a dinner they haven’t had for an awfully long time. After their long barbeque dinner, Vinzer lay facing the tranquil night sky, experiencing the comfortable feel of watching the countless blinking stars. It was his first experience since the Pokémon journey began.

[Dewgongtears]

That was a cool chapter and a cool battle. All the pokemon were really strong and Shuppet is in this again. Nice job Neo-Xantios. I hope the next one is just as good also.

[Neo-Xantios]

Thank you again, Dewgongtears. At first, I counldn't think of what to write for this chapter. I was lucky my new ideas came fast. Oh yes, please excuse the smileys at the bottom of Chapter 12-- I don't know how they got there in the first place.

[Neo-Xantios]

*********
Chapter 13
*********

The tent which Vinzer stayed in the night before was illuminated by the mid-morning sun. He was woken by his Pokémon’s conversations. Although his wake was a little tiring, his preparation for the day was of haste. Once he returned from the camp bathroom, he was greeted warmly by his friends and the Pokémon.

“Hey, Vinzer. Did you carry those two pieces of luggage all the way here?” Reiné inquired, watching the two huge cases resting near Vinzer’s tent.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t that difficult to pull them,” Vinzer said matter-of-factly.

“You know, you should try out the Luggage Storage Service.” Norith puzzled Vinzer for a brief moment. “It’s a free service which allows Pokémon trainers in Onaria to deposit any large items to the Service Bank. If you need them later, they can always be teleported back to you via your Comsat.”

“Hmm, interesting. That’s a brilliant idea, my friends. So, where can I find this service?” Vinzer’s eyes widened.

“The Luggage Storage Service has offices all over Onaria,” Reiné explained, surprised that Vinzer knew nothing of this.

“That is convenient indeed. So, can you take me to its office in Neiville after breakfast?” Vinzer felt a little silly, not knowing much about these kinds of services.

“Certainly,” his friends said in unison.

After their morning meal, the friends exited the park with their Pokémon trailing behind them. The Luggage Storage Service’s office in Neiville was just one block from the park. This structure was surely one of the shortest of the business buildings Vinzer had ever seen, with a probable height of 20 floors. Despite its older exterior look, the entrance was a design of 22nd Century Onaria. Inside, the office was rather quiet with a few service counters at the far end of the small office.

“Hello, may I help you?” a female receptionist asked.

“Yes. I would like to open an account,” Vinzer replied.

“Of course. May I see your I.D. card and your Pokédex please?”

“Yes, sure.”

With in a quick two minutes, Vinzer was already depositing his two huge pieces of luggage via the conveyor belt behind the counter.

“If you wish to withdraw them at any time, simply use your Comsat command,” the receptionist explained.

“All right. I got it. Thanks a lot.” Vinzer gave a nod and exited the office without hesitation.

The morning went quick for Vinzer and when it was time for lunch, he and his friends had it near the famous Neiville Fountain. With a diameter of 60 meters, this fountain was Neiville’s beauty and had attracted many tourists from all over Onaria and other continents. The four, two-meter tall Milotic statues in the center spouted water 15 meters high, which often formed a small rainbow under the sun.

After their lunch, the friends took a brief tour around the small city, which took them almost the entire afternoon. Vinzer also bought a backpack to carry necessities which were required if the luggage teleportation somehow failed. When they returned to camp, the sky was already dark. They ate a quick dinner, washed themselves, and rested for the busier day yet to come.

*
When the friends were one with their dreams, Roselia and Numel crept out of their tents and were soon joined by Vinzer’s Pokémon. The Pokémon gathered and lay down gazing the star-filled night sky.

“You know, you three are wonderful and strong Pokémon,” Roselia told Vinzer’s Poké-friends in the language of the Pokémon.

“And you are no worse, my new friend. We Pokémons’ worth are all equal,” Nuzleaf replied, still gazing at the night.

“It must feel great to have won your first badge,” Numel said in a low tone.

“It sure is, Numel. But it took a lot of courage and determination. Vinzer once said that if his courage is as great as yours, we can win through.” Torchic seemed a little tired.

“You know. You guys are the greatest pals I’ve got. I’m sure that we’ll evolve into big, mighty Pokémon, so we can do very well in the League,” Corphish said.

“Yeah. That would be awesome.” Numel’s eye lids began to close its eyes, but stopped before it could close entirely.

“So, Torchic. You said you were adopted by Vinzer from an abusive trainer. Tell me about your old life.” Roselia grew much curious.

“Well, Roselia. My old life was terrible. My old trainer often battled with me, but I kept loosing. He wasn’t encouraging, nor loving. His other Pokémon also laughed at me and teased me after each battle I lost. Vinzer and my friends here are just the opposite to them,” Torchic explained with its head down, but lifted it after his short story.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Torchic. Your life of the past was of darkness, but I can see your way ahead is enlightened.” Roselia smiled and patted Torchic on the head.

“Thanks, Roselia. I’m sure you’re right. My path ahead is bright because Vinzer and all you guys are with me.” Torchic returned the smile.

“Nuzleaf, how was life in the temperate forest?” Numel inquired, quickly changing the topic.

“Life there was rather boring because you can never find any permanent friends,” Nuzleaf explained.

“That’s quite sad too. Sorry to be nosy, but what were your parents like?” Numel continued.

“My parents. I can’t envision them. I was probably born alone.” Nuzleaf gave a sad tone.

“I’m sorry, Nuzleaf.” Numel showed its sympathy in its voice.

“But that’s okay. Although I was born lonely, I wasn’t meant to be lonely. Look at us. I’m almost too sure our friendship is permanent,” Nuzleaf said with a more happy tone and smiled.

“Yes, that’s true, my friend. That’s true.” Numel started to tilt its head to face the dark sky.

“Hey guys. Have you ever wonder what’s beyond those stars?” Corphish suddenly asked.

“Yeah. Probably countless worlds with countless new Pokémon living on them,” Numel replied.

“Or maybe a perfect world where Pokémon are as superior as the humans, co-operating and making their world a better place.” Roselia sounded like Numel.

“Maybe we can see those Pokémon someday.” Torchic’s voice showed much of its tiredness.

“Hey, guys. It’s getting late. I think we should rest now because we’ll have a busy day tomorrow,” Nuzleaf said, rising and waiting for its friends to join it.

“We’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.” Roselia did the same.

“Good night, Roselia and Numel.”

*

The morning came fast, and Vinzer and his friends were quick to ready for the day. This day, they will be departing Neiville and continue their journey to seek the next gym. By late morning, Vinzer had his tent deposited to the Luggage Storage System and his supplies ready in his backpack. His friends did the same. After lunch, they left Neiville and returned to the familiar grassy terrain and the panorama of distant hills.

“According to the map, our next destination, Reveiria, is two hundred fifty kilometers to the East. This could probably be a week’s journey, so I hope the luggage teleportation won’t fail,” Vinzer said.

“Yeah, it sure will be long. But I don’t think the teleportation system fails,” Norith replied.

“I’m not as sure as you. Hope you got all your necessities, which includes twelve bottles of water,” Vinzer managed to speak out.

“Yep, you got it, Vinzer. We all have twelve bottles of drinkable liquids.” Reiné smiled.

“Make that twenty.” Vinzer winked and walked steadily down the grassy road to their next destination.

[Neo-Xantios]

*********
Chapter 14
*********

After five long days of traveling through the grassy plains and abiding the heat of day and dark of night, Vinzer and his friends had at last reached the hills they saw so distant when they left Neiville. From afar, these hills looked no taller than a couple meters off the ground. However, when they were at their foot, these hills became more mountainous and seemed as it they were the route to the heavens. Above them, light gray clouds began to muster and obscure the treacherous sun. Soft winds descended the slope of the hill and seemed to give the trainers a temperature change. The ground became moist and soft.

The trainers began walking up the hill briskly, fearing that rain would fall soon. When they climbed it for fifteen minutes, the clouds grew darker and the sky which was once light blue was blanketed completely. Abruptly, rain started to shower upon them. At first, the little drops were barely noticeable, but just a minute later, it started cascading. Vinzer and his friends ran uphill will all the energy they can summon. Within minutes, all three trainers were drenched and their energy depleted.

“What’re we going to do?” Reiné asked, catching her breath.

“Don’t worry, the rain should stop sooner or later,” Vinzer replied. He seemed less tired, but continue running was a question out of his mind.

“I hope you’re right.” Norith seemed just as tired as his sister.

A sudden flash of lightning from the distance lanced out of the dark, obscuring clouds and met the hard ground simultaneously. The flash had left an afterimage in the trainer’s eyes, but cleared a few seconds later. When the thunder sounded, large orbs of light gathered at where the lightning once beamed and formed what looked like a yellow bird with spikes as fur and a beak as sharp as a musket. The bird opened its sharp beak and three large bolts of lighting shot to it from the clouds in the distance. Once the bolts were absorbed, the bird dispersed into the orbs which formed it, and was absorbed through the gray clouds.

“Whoa! What was that thing?” Norith seemed terrified with his eyes widened.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad it’s gone,” Vinzer replied soberly.

“I hope we don’t see it again,” Reiné commented with the voice of Vinzer.

Suddenly, another bolt of lightning came down just ten meters from Vinzer’s position. After the incident occurred, the gray clouds grew lighter and the bright, blue sky was once again visible.

“What a phenomenon!” Vinzer exclaimed, staring the sky in disbelief.

“I think it was that giant yellow bird which caused this short storm,” Norith said.

“Maybe so.” Vinzer said the last words, and the friends continued their path up the tall hill.

*

Hundreds of miles north of Onaria, the Stormer’s vessel held a stationary position to devise plans for the upcoming attacks ahead. In the large ready room, Kion Sennith recently met with Norkar Sythlone, but only to hear news most dire.

“Master, reports say our fighters which flew through Reveiria have been downed,” Norkar reported.

Kion rose and slammed his large desk. “What? This is absurd!”

“I know this is dire, Master. However, it is believed that the storm there may have been our fighters’ adversity.” Norkar sounded worried.

“I know there was a storm there. But a storm of that magnitude could never down a jet of the Stormers!” Kion slammed the table several times during his response to emphasized his frustration. He still remained standing.

“Master, they say that the storm was not natural. Whatever caused it must have known our fighters’ presence.” Norkar was again worried, but this time calmer.

“The Onarians possess no such technology. How can you be so positive?” Kion returned, sitting back down and calming himself.

“If it wasn’t the Onarians, then who could it be?” Norkar inquired, as if trying to begin a deep controversy.

Suddenly, the main door of the ready room flung open and a Stormer member with a hologram computer entered with haste.

“Sirs, we’ve just received this image from a fighter before it was downed!” the Stormer informed, putting the hologram computer on Kion’s desk.

The hologram depicted the giant yellow bird with its mouth opening and charging in three thick beams of lightning. The image made Kion and Norkar rise abruptly and gaze at the it in amazement and intrigue.

Kion’s expression returned to show his frustration. “What is this?”

“I have no idea, sir. Whatever it is must have downed our pilots,” the Stormer member said, feeling intimidated by Kion’s roaring voice.

“Master, I have a feeling that this is some sort of Pokémon,” Norkar began softly.

“Pokémon? How can this be a Pokémon?” Kion’s tremendous voice echoed through the heights of the ready room and caused the guards at the door to peer in for a brief moment.

When Kion calmed down at last and sat back on his chair, he inhaled and exhaled deeply, and said, “Find this damn bird...and.” He inhaled once again. “Kill it.”

“By the Stormer’s pride, Master. We shaln’t fail you.” With that said, Norkar and the Stormer trooper exited the large ready room with doubt in their minds. Perhaps this mission was too impossible. Perhaps Kion had gone mad.

*

“Vigoroth, Linoone, no!” Portson exclaimed in disbelief as he withdrew is team of two and stepped down from his trainer’s podium.

“Yes, Richard, we did it! We are an awesome team!” Josh yelled, giving his friend a high five.

Mudkip and Electrike winked at each other in the center of the arena before they were transformed through the red laser of the Pokéball and were recalled. Once the contender’s podium was lower, Josh and Richard stepped down and advanced to where Portson was. The elder gym leader shook their hands before handing them their prizes.

“Congratulations, young trainers. You have surely earned your Purity Badge and the T.T. of your choice,” Portson said smiling. “I shall give you your T.T.s first. What will it be?”

“The Body Slam T.T., please.” Richard sounded like a child asking for some candy.

“Of course, my friend.” Portson took out the T.T. from his large pocket and held it out on his palm for Richard to take. “Use it wisely.”

“I will, sir. Thank you.” Richard collected it and stored it in his backpack.

“And you, Josh. What T.T. would you like?”

“Hmm.. I would like a.” Josh thought for a moment, then finally decided. “The Facade T.T., please.”

“Very well, Josh. You deserve it.” Portson handed the T.T. to him.

“And now for your badges.” Portson rummaged through his shirt pocket and took out two shiny badges.

“Wow!” the two trainers gasped with excitement in unison, then picked them.

“May your future be a success!” Portson merely smiled and shook both their hands.

After showing their gratitude and saying farewells, the two trainers left the gym and Feridane. The path ahead seemed easy and cool. The heat subsided and the clouds blanketed the lands ahead. Would this journey be as stable as the road ahead? It all remains to be seen for the young trainers.

*

Reaching further up the hill proved to be easy. High winds provided them a temperature stability, which they longed for during the three days on the hot plains. The winds, however, sometimes faltered them by blowing hard on their faces. Other times, the winds would simply lessen, but never did it allow the heat to return.

Vinzer and his company could already see the top. It looked to be just a five-minute walk to reach there. Reiné imagined that the view of the other side of the hill would be more hills, and probably mountains which would take them weeks to climb. They had already put the incidence of the storm behind them. They forsook the huge yellow bird which ate lightning, the orbs which summoned it, and the bolt which came down ten meters in front of them.

When they were finally at the top, the view was in contrary to Reiné’s imagination. The East Ocean laid before the plains below the hill. On the coast of the plains, was the miniature view of their next destination, Reveiria. To their distant right of the panorama was a forest which stretched farther than they could see. The trees were dark green and looked to be as tall as the buildings in Reveiria. Tiny dark blue specks, which were easily recognized as Swellows up close, darted from the dense foliage and flew towards the never-ending ocean.

“Ah, the sight of Reveiria at last,” Vinzer said softly to himself, but the statement was overheard.

“Yes, but two days to get there from now,” Norith responded, nodding his head.

“More walking, I guess.” Reiné sounded tired, and slowly blinked her eyes.

“Yes, but we can rest easy now.” Vinzer smiled and led them downhill. He was so glad that there was the Luggage Storage Service in Onaria.

[Dewgongtears]

I guess that bird that was in the sky was Zapdos.....cool. I can't wait till the next chapter to see what happens. This is one enjoyable fic that I really like. Good Job

[Neo-Xantios]

Thank you, Dewgongtears. The yellow bird just appeared in my mind when the storm did. As of right now, the situation is kinda complicated and new events are rather difficult to engineer. But I will try my best to complete this first fanfiction of mine. I'm most grateful for your opinion about my fic.

[Neo-Xantios]

*********
Chapter 15
*********

The sky-scraping structures of Reveiria grew taller in their views as they were on their last day on the route between this coastal city and Neiville. The sun itself had been concealed by the mountains, but gave a wondrous orange light through the limitless sky.

“We’re almost there,” said a tired Reiné.

“Yes, I can’t wait to get myself on a large, comfortable bed in the hotel,” her brother began.

“I think we still have half an hour of traveling before we reach there.” Vinzer seemed less tired than the two siblings, but he was worn out to some degree after a day of walking through the hot grassy plains.

At last, when they were finally in Reveiria, they searched without wasting any minute for a hotel. They finally found one which Vinzer thought was a little smaller than Lengerson’s at Feridane. It did look somewhat luxurious from the outside, and the inside was a work of art. The lobby was a combination of the receptionist counter, the lounge, restaurants and a few shops which sold luxury items. This time, Vinzer didn’t feel alone when he approached the counter.

“Hello, we would like to book two rooms for five days,” Vinzer told the female receptionist. “Oh yes, and here are our Pokédexes if Pokémon trainers get half price.”

“Very well. I would be glad to inform you that trainers enjoy half price at any five-star hotel in Onaria.” The receptionist scanned all three Pokédexes. “That would be a total of one-thousand five-hundred onars.”

“Don’t bother touching your wallets. It’s on me,” Vinzer said when he saw Norith and Reiné trying to take out their money.

When the registration was complete, they went to their rooms and enjoyed their first comfortable night since a week ago.

The morning came late, but despite their tiredness from the day before, they got up early to take a walk round the city and to locate the gym which Vinzer longed to visit. At first, they stopped at the Pokémon Center to give their Pokémon check-ups, then to the stores, where they bought a week’s supply of food, and essential items for their Pokémon. After the latter, they took a rest at the beach.

“Ah, the ocean at last,” Vinzer sighed as he sat down on the soft, warm sand.

Suddenly, two men dressed in black approached the party. To Vinzer, they looked somewhat familiar. To the other two, they were merely strangers.

“Well, well, well. Looks like we’ve found you at last!” one of the men said.

“Who are you?” Norith inquired in defiance.

“Looks like someone doesn’t know who we are!” the second man burst out.

“We are.” The first man paused for a few seconds. “The Stormers!”

“Never heard of you.” Reiné sounded like her brother.

“What? You kids wanna mess with us?” the Stormer shouted.

“Norith, Reiné, please let me handle this,” Vinzer told them. “All right, Stormers, what do you want?”

“We want a little revenge, after you sabotaged our plans,” the first Stormer laughed.

What do you mean sabotage? I was captured by you Stormers aboard the S.S. Eauis. Vinzer thought. If it’s anyone wanting revenge, it should be Josh and me.

“Go! Numel!” Norith abruptly shouted, releasing his Pokémon.

“All right, bro! I’m with ya! Go, Roselia!” His sister did the same.

The two Pokémon lanced out of their Pokéballs through a white energy.

Norith, Reiné, what do you think you’re doing? These are the Stormers! You don’t know what you’re up against! Vinzer grew much worried, but even that can’t stop his friends from attempting to take the Stormers down.

“Brats! So you wish to challenge us, eh? Hah, you’ll regret this! Go Poochyena!” the first Stormer ordered.

Poochyena formed from the white energy and stared at Numel.

“Ha ha ha. Don’t forget me! Go Zubat!” the second Stormer ordered in infamy.

Numel and Roselia smiled at each other, then initiated their first attacks. Numel slowly closed its eyes and breathed out a thin beam of fire, which aimed at Poochyena, but failed to hit it directly due to its undeniable evasion skills. Roselia’s roses grew bright green, and laid its eyes on its flying adversary. Zubat’s body began to emit a green light similar to the ones on Roselia’s roses. Just then, tiny green orbs were formed by the light. They floated with moderate speed and were absorbed through the bright green auras which were on Roselia’s roses. The rose Pokémon shut its eyes for a short moment while more green orbs were transferred to it from its opponent. Once Roselia reopened its eyes, the aura on its roses faded. It then released an orange powder into the air.

“Ah! It’s Stun Spore! Do something, Zubat!” the Stormer spat.

Zubat’s flap of its wings were of greater ferocity as the orange powder drifted to its position. Soft gusts were generated and blew the Stun Spore away from the defender, and back at the offender.

“Roselia, be careful! Don’t breathe in any of that dust!” Reiné anxiously ordered.

Roselia ceased to breathe for a while and shut its eyes. Just then, it found itself knocked a few inches from where it was standing. Numel breathed a fresh wave of fire at the attacker, but once again, Poochyena eluded the fire camel’s wrath. The inferno found Roselia as its target instead, and partially burned the rose Pokémon’s thorns on its head. Numel stopped its attack immediately, then fathomed that fire may not be the wisest of choices in this battle.

“Roselia! Are you all right? Norith, tell Numel to try its ground attacks now!” Reiné sounded frustrated.

Norith nodded and issued a more strategic command to Numel. The camel Pokémon let out a cry and the ground trembled beneath Poochyena. The confounded black dog stared at the ground in confusion just seconds before the sand sprung a meter into the air, lifting Poochyena off the ground. Roselia used another absorb to regain its lost energy. Seeing the black dog at a disadvantage, the rose Pokémon drained the green orbs which were energy from Poochyena and revived the partially burned thorns on its head.

“Zubat, use Supersonic!” the second Stormer demanded with intimidation.

The bat Pokémon unleashed a wave of sound which echoed through the immense air. Owing to their intelligence, Numel and Roselia closed their ears, and were unaffected by the tormenting voice. However, it did delay their planned moves. Zubat stopped abruptly and shot itself at Numel. Its wing felt as sharp as a sword’s edge through Numel’s tough hide, and left an injury mark on it. Numel stubbornly shot a flame beam at Zubat and missed the air-lancing bat. Roselia tried to fire seeds at it, but only seeing them miss the bat by as little as one meter. Poochyena saw this opportunity and took advantage of it by tackling Numel. It certainly wanted to see this great adversary out if this battle, due to the attempts the camel made at trying to burn the dog immediately as the battle commenced. Fortunately for it, the evasive skills it possessed far outwitted the stubborn camel and made Numel accidentally fire on its own ally. Now, it was too certain that this opportunity will bring it down. Poochyena dashed at the distracted Numel. The camel only realized its approach when the black dog was just one foot from it. Less than a second later, Numel found itself unable to rise for retribution, and its eyes slowly closed as the last ounce of its energy eroded.

“Numel! No! Are you all right, buddy?” Norith thought this omen as an imminent loss to these perpetrators.

“That’s it, I’ve had enough of you Stormers! Time for rocketing! Nuzleaf, do it!” Vinzer wept his hands thought his dry hair, reached for his Pokéball, and released his newly evolved Pokémon .

When the white energy cleared, Nuzleaf furrowed its brow and clenched its fists. Roselia winked at it, and Nuzleaf winked back then gave a signal for it to rest. It shut its eyes for a short moment, trying to be one with the environment, trying to fathom the earth’s movement. The opponents watched with curiosity, then when Nuzleaf reopened its eyes, Poochyena felt the ground below him tremble vigorously. The black dog soon lost its balance and when it fell, the sand began to sink it. Within seconds, there was no sign of it as the beach consumed it, then suddenly, Poochyena shot from the ground below Zubat. It yelled in pain as it knocked the bat from its position and landed on it. When the chaos was over, Zubat was weighed down by Poochyena, and the black dog failed to muster any energy to rehabilitate.

“This can’t be right! We are the Stormers! We can’t lose!” the first Stormer blurted when he and his comrade withdrew their Pokémon.

“We are after all the Stormers. We can’t be defeated this easily! If you wish to challenge us again, take on our entire team!” the second Stormer boasted as he readied a device in front of him and the first Stormer.

“We won’t forget this!” With that said, the two Stormers disappeared, leaving the trainers in surprise, and victory.

Nuzleaf turned to face his friends and smiled. It gave Roselia a kiss on its roses, then was returned by Vinzer.

“We certainly won’t forget them!” Norith still hasn’t gotten over his defeat.

“Come on, brother. Let’s have some fun, shall we?” Reiné tried an effective attempt to cheer her defeated brother up.

“Yeah, it’s over.” Vinzer smiled and got out his Comsat. “Hmm, according to this map, there is a cave near here called The Neo Yantios.”

“Intriguing. Maybe we can find some Pokémon there!” Norith exclaimed, already forgotten his defeat.

“All right, more exploring!” Reiné excited said as he patted her brother on his shoulder. “This ought to cheer Mr. Misery up!”

“But little sister, I’m already cheered up!” Norith laughed.