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

[Wolfsong]

*hands over 7 stamps* I'd like an RBG for Jas (L.25 dratini) from the Universal Adoption Center

[The Blue Avenger]

She'll be fighting a Klink.

[DarkestLight]

Hypo:

That was hilarious. The Skitty screaming into the microphone had to be my favorite part, lol. I'm only wondering if we'll ever see that whole series of rooms ever again-like if it was a dream or was he really kidnapped?

One question-is Kurt transparent?

[classy_cat18]

Oh good lord, Popple was at it again!?

[The Blue Avenger]

DL: Yeah, he actually was kidnapped. There's still more to uncover there. XD Glad you liked. And Kurtzwick drank a Transparent Juice to aid his burgeoning career in thievery.

Shonta: To be fair, this time it probably wasn't his fault. Mostly.

[Lady Vulpix]

He did seem to be another victim. OK, here we go.

Well, at least something good did come out of this whole situation: lots of people at the tournament got to keep their belongings.
It's funny that Kurtzwick's most ferocious glare was slightly past adorable. And also that he didn't want the Stat Modification Dice because his team had so many of them. They're like a plague! But hopefully that'll change now.
That was not the best day to find out his instincts needed improvement. However, he can keep dreeming about the smell blocking juice, it's not going to happen.
The concept of rooms having different lives was interesting. Nice use of the environment by Kurtzwick, too.
The Smoochum reminded me a bit of Linyi, except this one is far more violent and contradictory. And slow, too. How did Kurtzwick managed to shoot 2 Flamethrowers in a row before she could attack?
Nice description of Fake Tears.
The Girafarig seemed to have a lot of trouble sorting out its legs. It was so easy to bring down and it always took a long time to get back up! And even after that Kurtzwick reacted faster! How come? Both Smoochum and Girafarig are faster than Dratini (much faster in Girafarig's case).
Unlike Bubble, Bubblebeam doesn't exactly spread out, it's one stream of bubbles one after another. How did it hit 2 Pokemon at the same time? Even if one was sitting on top of the other, the bubbles can hit one or the other, but not both. Unless they're smaller than a bubble and can somehow get hit at the same time before it pops? But that's not the case here.
The Litwick also seemed to wait until Kurtzwick was done with the Shuckle without attacking. If it hadn't fainted, why didn't it get back up and attack? How come Kutrzwick is the only one with fast reactions?
Oh, I liked the ending, though.

I think you tried to bite more than you could chew. 8 opponents at once is too much for any one Pokemon. Recover helped, and so did the environment, but it was not enough and there were still times when Kurtzwick seemed to be incredibly lucky. I'll let those things "slide", though (well, I'm not giving you stamps for them, but I'm not invalidating the battle either). But even unusual luck can't explain the simultaneous Bubblebeam hit. If you can come up with a feasible explanation for that or fix it, then you'll get 27 stamps.

[The Blue Avenger]

The way I envisioned it was that Kurtzwick shot a long spray while changing the angle of his head, so the Bubblebeam went in a sweeping motion.

And just to put this out there: something I'd been planning since the beginning of this whole thing was that all the Pokemon involved, Popple included, were being psychically controlled. Because it's such a widespread psychic, even though the Pokemon in charge is pretty powerful, some Pokemon, especially the ones that are more naturally inclined to resist or be strong against psychics weren't at their all in the fights. Hopefully that might help explain some of the problems you had.

[Lady Vulpix]

Oh, yes, that could explain it. I was thinking something along those lines, remembering previous tests, but I found it weird that Kurtzwick didn't notice anything unusual. Then again, he was tired and frustrated and had too many things on his mind to worry about battles being a bit too easy. You can have 3 more stamps for that.

[The Blue Avenger]

XD Thanks. I chalked it up to Kurtzwick just really wanting the hell out of there.

Also, completely forgot Kurtzwick's level 20 move. He'll get Body Slam.

[The Blue Avenger]

I'd like an RBG, please, for Kurtzwick, from the UAC. *hands over 7 stamps*

[Lady Vulpix]

Again? OK... he's going to battle a Tirtouga.

[Lady Vulpix]

Better late than never! This is what went on with my team between the 2nd Round and the Consolation Round of the Dragon Games. Now I'll have to write a new one to introduce the finals. Would anyone like to help? We could have a little IM meeting/chat.

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Just for completeness

<Amber's POV>

It was a weird time for my team. That alone isn't saying much; looking back I think most of our times have been weird one way or another. But we'd fallen into some kind of routine, and now that routine was broken. Pidgeot... I mean Spark decided to stay in Brightland for a while to spend some time with his father. He was never one of the most talkative members of the team, but once we left the city without him, his absence really showed. Water Angel was a lot more quiet, Tsunami was louder than ever - which in turn caused Hero and Caledor to become even noisier just to keep up - and Iael was hardly seen. Gabi and Lagi did their best to keep things in order, but there was only so much they could do; especially since Gabi was so busy with the tournament and Lagi was having trouble dealing with her own feelings. She was worried about her daughter Edie, and she missed her so much I could feel it whenever she walked past me. It didn't help that I wasn't feeling all that good myself. Just when I had decided to stop waiting for Volvagia and move on with my life, Alex had returned bringing shocking and puzzling news: V had left him; everyone in his team had. What had happened? And where were they now? And, above all, if he was no longer with Alex then why hadn't he come back? For years I thought he had left me out of loyalty to his trainer; now I was forced to face the hard, cold truth: he had left me because he didn't want to be with me. Sure, there might be some farfetched explanation that somehow made everything make sense, but what were the odds? I'd have to be fooling myself to believe that I really mattered to him, that he had an important place in his heart for me. We'd been apart much longer than we'd been together. I had moved on... But then why did the truth hurt so much? Did I even really love him after all this time? Or was I just hurt in my pride for being rejected? Or mad that he had lied to me? Perhaps it was a bit of everything. In any case, it wasn't a good time for me and Lagi to be together, so for the sake of us both we tried to minimize the time we spent in each other's company. Which was odd in itself, since I was used to turning to her when something was bothering me. So yes... weird, awkward days.

I ended up spending a lot of time with Sylvan. Our hotel in Gaen Vale had a beautiful garden, and we would often sit there and enjoy the view, the fragrance and the sounds of nature. We would also talk a lot, but for some reason we never touched on any serious personal subjects. The Black Dragon came up a few times, but I never mentioned Volvagia and, if she had any personal feelings she needed to sort out, she never mentioned them either. I was always the first to leave; I didn't have Sylvan's capacity for staying still for long periods of time. She would often stay in the garden until the sun was down while I cooked dinner for all of us, sometimes with Gabi's help. We were staying at an apart hotel this time: we could only eat at restaurants for so long before one of us got sick or Gabi's account became empty.

I'd been hoping to conduct a lot of research in Gaen Vale, but the tournament didn't leave us much time to wander, and after the battles I was too tired to go too far. It's amazing how you can exhaust yourself while hardly moving. Perhaps I was trying too hard to enjoy the battles... to share some of the excitement I could see in everyone else. But I just couldn't. I did learn a couple of things that might help me at a time of need, but I was completely unable to share the spirit of the Dragon Games. I found myself looking at Eliot a number of times. He really seemed to be enjoying the battles. For moments, I wished I could understand that feeling. But there were other moments, especially when a Pokemon who was already injured walked into the arena and pushed himself beyond his limits, risking his physical health just to win a battle, when I just couldn't make sense out of the whole thing. I'm sure it didn't help that the Pokemon in question was trained by Alex, but I'm not sure if I'd have felt any less horrified if he'd been trained by someone else. In the end, I couldn't take it. The next day I decided to skip the tournament and go watch some ruins. I'm sorry that I missed watching Bandit's battle, but I hoped he'd understand: my heart wasn't at the tournament and, if I could find any valuable information, it would be for everyone's benefit.

The thing is... there was so much to see and so little time, and so many places where Pokemon were not allowed to enter without a trainer! I saw a number of ruins, but I couldn't find any signs of the Black Dragon in them. And I was not allowed into the museums or the temples that were still functional, which was really frustrating. I was about to call it a day and go back home when I saw a friendly Espeon's face. It was Glyph!

"Hello, kind lady!" he exclaimed when he saw me.
"Glyph, I'm so glad to see you!" I told him. "Is Eshree around?"
"He'll be right here. He's trying to navigate the crowds with the rest of the team. I teleported ahead to make sure we were on the right way to the Shrine of the Phoenix."
"You're on the right way indeed, the shrine is right here, but I can't go in without a trainer."
"I'm sure Eshree won't mind having you with us. You're very pleasant company."
"Thank you, you're so nice!"
"Says one of the nicest creatures I have met."

I smiled, slightly embarrassed. Before I could think of an answer, the rest of Glyph's team caught up with us. They all looked glad to see me, and Eshree didn't hesitate to tell the shrine's guards that I was with him.

We walked into the temple. It had some beautiful decorations: columns painted with golden flames from which emerged thin golden lines which circled one way or another, crossing each other's paths so that the columns seemed to be covered by golden braids. And all the walls had beautiful pictures of plants, animals and mythical creatures. The ceiling itself was painted to look like a sky full of birds of different shapes and colors. And at the back, the actual shrine, with an amazingly sculpted golden Phoenix standing on a wooden platform and, behind it, an incredibly realistic depiction of an active volcano! You could see the lava boiling at the top and thin streams of molten rock sliding past the rim of the volcano's mouth, but oddly enough the smoke was thin and green, and the base of the volcano was covered in dense vegetation and the picture did not transmit the sensation that it was all about to be destroyed. At least in my point of view, it transmitted an idea of balance, of the coexistence of life and destruction, and perhaps - it was a Phoenix temple after all - the promise of rebirth.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" commented Arim. Only then did I notice the Clefairy was standing by my side.
"It is," I nodded. "If only it could help us."
"Perhaps it can," said Glyph. "I have a feeling that this is relevant in some way. I'll just have to figure out how."
"If Glyph has a hunch, it means we're on the right track," Arim smiled. "It's a relief after so many weeks of fruitless search. Perhaps it's you, Amber. You may be our lucky charm."
I chuckled. "I really don't think so, but thanks. So... you've been looking for clues all this time? You haven't been following the tournament?"
"A bit of this, a bit of that," Arim replied. "We went to watch the opening of each round and the first few battles, but we've spent most of the time researching... or at least trying to. We haven't been too lucky. And it seems we won't be getting any help from Harims this time."
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"That's what everyone thinks, anyway. You know how she is... Orknye talked to her and she told him that we were no longer acting on behalf of a messenger but we had the gift of free will, or something along those lines. Everyone thinks that means we can do whatever we want but we won't be counting on her. It was even more confusing when he asked her about my problem. She told him that some things may change while others will stay the same and that I have to decide what matters most. That doesn't really help much, does it?"
"I'm sorry, what was your problem again? I'm afraid I don't remember."
"Oh! No, I'm sorry, I'm sure I told someone in your team but it may have not been you. I just want to know if it's safe for me to evolve or if there will be consequences when I get back home. If I ever return."

I was a bit confused. I tried to follow, but I didn't really know Harims and I didn't quite understand their travel issues either. I got along with them by pretending they were just a regular team and it worked most of the time, but every now and then one of them would say something that would remind me of their unusual background. However, Arim's last phrase clearly stood out even among the general weirdness.

"If you ever return?" I asked. "Are you thinking of staying here permanently?"
"It's not like we're really planning to, but... We've been here for so long and..."
<And we think Eshree likes Glenda, but don't tell anyone,> said a little voice inside my mind. I looked around and finally saw the Smoochum smiling shyly behind Arim.
"How long have you been able to do that?" I asked her.
"Since last month," replied Linyi. "I won a battle at the Training Grounds, and then another at the MTU building, and they gave me a Psychic TM! It was so cool! But not as cool as the Icy Wind TM Eshree gave me before we went to the Training Grounds, because that one was Ice."

Linyi's smile became wider and I finally got the pun.

"You really enjoy battling, don't you?" I asked the Smoochum.
"It's fun!" she said. "At first I was a little scared, but then I realized it doesn't hurt as much as I thought, and then you get stronger. I like getting stronger because it means I can do more things, and I can help others."
"Yes, that's a good reason to seek strength," I agreed, glad to see her heart was in the right place. "Just make sure you learn how to control that strength so that it doesn't get out of hand."
"Don't worry, I will! I promise."
"You've matured so much since we first met," I said with a smile. "How old are you now?"
"Eleven," Linyi replied. "If we got the years right. But I think our years and yours aren't very different."

The answer shocked me. I knew she aged slowly compared to most Pokemon, but I hadn't expected her to be that old!

"What is it, Amber?" she asked.
"I... I haven't turned 11 yet. You're older than me!"
"Wow!" she exclaimed with excitement. "Did you hear that, Arim? I'm older than Amber! You can't treat me like a child anymore."
Arim sighed and shook her head. "Amber is much more mature than you are."
I had to ask. "Is Linyi really the youngest in your team?"
"Yes," Arim confirmed. "If we got the count right, Glice is 19, Orknye's 21, I'm 26, Eshree's 27 and Lavy's 28. None of us knows how old Glyph is, but he says he's older than Lavy and younger than the Arinim castle... which makes him somewhere between 28 and 200."
The Espeon chuckled. "I measure my life by my experiences, not by the turns of any given planet around its sun. And I believe most of my life's experiences are yet to come."
"Guys, be careful," Eshree warned us. "This is a public place. We may be alone here right now, but other visitors may come in at any time."
"Don't worry," said Glyph. "I'm keeping track of the entrance. I'll let you all know if anyone is coming."
Eshree glanced at his watch. "The next religious service begins in 20 minutes. I bet this place will become full by then. Should we stay and watch the service?"
"Only if you want to learn about another religion," said Glyph, "which is always interesting but may not be very helpful."
"I don't know..." Eshree hesitated. "Maybe the priest knows something about the Black Dragon. Perhaps some elder legend..."
"If you want to hear old legends, you should go to the Tower of Hoeth," I advised him. "I believe every legend ever written in Ulthuan can be found in its library. We did get some insight on the Black Dragon's history when we went there, but we learned nothing about his current objectives."
"See?" said Orknye, who had been quiet until then. "I told you we should have gone there while we were in Saphery."
"I just didn't think we'd find anything our friends hadn't already found," replied Eshree. "Besides... you know..."
"He'd rather not have to deal with another elf," explained Glyph. "He's had more than enough after those two meetings with Lord Absol, and I share the sentiment."
"Teclis is nothing like Lord Absol," I assured. "I think you may spike his interest, but he won't make you feel threatened. And his library's so huge... we couldn't even read the titles of all those books! There may be something useful that we simply missed."
"I don't know..." Eshree said. "I think I'll consider it if nothing else seems to work. But we have a clue now, don't we? As vague as it is... we have this shrine and that painting. I'll take a picture of it."

He took out his camera and got a shot of the Phoenix and the wall just as Glyph let us know that people were coming. I stared at the mural and wondered if it was based on any real location, past or present, but it didn't look like anything I'd ever seen. The vegetation looked similar to that of my childhood home, but there were no volcanoes anywhere near Paradise Valley, and I wasn't sure there was a volcano with green smoke anywhere in this world.

We didn't have much time to think or discuss before the place started getting crowded, so we left the shrine and agreed to keep researching until we found something useful. We checked a few more places, but found no more clues.

Later, back at the hotel, I told my team about our findings. Everyone tried to think of what could be special about the phoenix or the volcano - well, everyone except Caledor who was busy complaining that he should get those hunches too - and decided that it would be a good idea to check Phoenix Gate while we were still in Avelorn.

To cut a long story short, Lagi, Ventura and Tsunami went to check the Gate while the rest of us stayed for the closing of the Second Round. My thoughts were with them, but I'd been flying around all of Gaen Vale and didn't feel fit to fly all the way to Phoenix Gate and back again. Lagi was better than me at flying long distances, even with a passenger; and Ventura could alternate between flight and teleportation, so she wouldn't tire easily. Besides, each one of them had, in their own way, great observational skills; mine, on the other hand, were just about average. So I trusted their judgment when they came back and told us they'd looked all over the place and found nothing.

So... another path cut short. It was frustrating to have so few clues after having searched for so long! I began to wonder whether the Black Dragon was taking a long nap or - better yet - had been defeated by someone else, but I was well aware that that was only wishful thinking. The fact was that Round 2 was over and we didn't know where to go next. So we sat down and thought.

Tsunami called for a summary. "What do we know so far?"
"We know that he was at the Tower of Flame some time ago, but not anymore," Gabi began.
"We also know there's something about a Phoenix, or a volcano, or green smoke or... something!" I said with frustration. "I wish I knew."
"It's OK," said Gabi. "We'll figure it out."
"We also know he was locked in Templa Taure until someone accidentally released him," Ventura added. "He tried to desecrate the place, but he was defeated there and fled."
"I checked Templa Taure some time ago," Lagi reminded us. "There was no sign of him, and I doubt he will return. After all, everyone knows of his connection to that place, and it may still hold the means to imprison him."
"I think we'll have to look into that anyway," Gabi suggested. "Maybe we can find the key to defeating him. Though I agree with Lagi that we probably won't find him there."
"So where does that leave us?" asked Sylvan.
"How about the last place where we've met one of his followers?" asked Tsunami.

We all turned to look at him.

"Come on, don't tell me you haven't thought of it!" exclaimed the Vaporeon. "White Mountain! He sent one of his demons there, he sure must have an interest in the place. His worst enemy has been trapped in there, and it certainly fits the description of the kind of place he likes to destroy."
"But the whole deal with Yssera has drawn too much attention to White Mountain," I pointed out.
"Which would explain why he hasn't attacked yet," said Tsunami. "He may be waiting until the commotion dies down and he can go unnoticed. I think it's worth checking out."
"I think Tsunami has a point," Gabi agreed. "We should check White Mountain next. We can't risk allowing it to be disturbed again, let alone risk the Black Dragon releasing Yssera to settle his score with her. Besides, it's the best clue we have."

There was little discussion after that, and we finally decided to go there next. There would be no need to transport the Floating Stadium, since White Mountain already had a stadium fit for tournaments and we were on good terms with the people who worked there. As a plus, that could give the crew the chance to make their best efforts to set up the Floating Stadium for the final round. I must note that there was an inversion of cause and effect in the announcement that was finally made, but I believe there was no harm done. After all, it was best if we avoided causing panic or alerting the Black Dragon of our intention to find him.

[Lady Vulpix]

Sorry, but here's another story. This one introduces the Final Round.

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<Tsunami's POV>

There we were, back on White Mountain, and I was feeling smug because I'd been the one to think of going there and everyone had agreed with my judgment. So I knew I had to do my best to prove that I'd been right and that the trip has been worth it. I mean... for Gabi it would have been worth it either way because she had a thing for White Mountain and couldn't way to see it restored to its former glory. But I still had to prove myself to others. Well, Hero mostly. OK, just Hero, but you should see what he's like when I think I've done something I can be proud of and then it turns out to be a mistake. Not that it's happened many times, but just once is one too many.

So I asked Lagi to help me search for demons or any other signs of the Black Dragon around the place and she was happy to comply. Caledor and Amber tagged along too, and as soon as Spark - who got back from Brightland and met us just before we left Avelorn - was done exchanging stories with the rest of the team, he and Water Angel joined the search together. All 6 of us searching all over the place... if there was something we ought to find it, right?

But we didn't. It was the most frustrating thing that had ever happened to me. Even Yssera's cave seemed peaceful and quiet! We asked the local herd of Ponytas and none of them had seen anything out of the ordinary... except for themselves, I'd say; that was a really weird herd - living on a mountain and running a hotel and spa resort - and I have no idea what passes for ordinary to them. But in any case they'd seen nothing sinister lately.

We didn't find any winged equines this time around. I figured if they were so good at hiding, then perhaps the Black Dragon was too. But that was not a very helpful thought, as it didn't give us any clue about how to find him.

"Perhaps he left this place because he'd been exposed here," Amber theorized. "Or maybe he was never here and he only sent a demon to keep tabs on Yssera."
"Maybe, but where does that leave us?" I asked, frustrated.
"At the base of a fair mountain and next to some nice trees," said Caledor. "Will you look at these? The trunks have streaks of different shades of brown, and there's some orange too."
"Are you sure you're not a Grass type?" I questioned him.
"Pretty sure, yes. No Grass-type moves, no trouble staying at the Blizzard Room... Oh, and I'm an Espeon, not a Leafeon! I think that should automatically make me a non-Grass type."
"Yeah, and it should also make you a Psychic type," I reminded him. "Why can't your psychic powers help us?"
"Um... Let me think, I should have a good answer for this one... Wait, we're looking for the Black Dragon, right? Psychic powers don't work on Dark creatures and black is as dark as it gets. There."
"You're just making excuses. The Black Dragon's not a Pokemon."
"He may have a point, though," said Amber. "The Black Dragon can hide in the shadows and summon demons. Those are clearly dark powers. Even if he's not a Pokemon, he may have the same protection against psychic powers which Dark types have."
"That would make more sense than having that protection just because he's black," I conceded. "Otherwise Duskulls would be immune to psychic powers. And Snorlaxes! And even Ebony!"
"OK, OK, I get it," Caledor stopped me. "Colors don't give you powers, even though my powers have colors. How do you like this shiny purple?"
"I feel a sudden urge to use Dig," I told him.
"Aw, come on! Hey, do you know what would be really ironic? If we were looking for the Black Dragon all over Ulthuan and he was really close to home."
"If that were the case, don't you think we'd have found some sign of him?" I pointed out.
"I dunno, it's just a thought that crossed my mind. Like in that story where the guy traveled across land and sea to find a treasure which ended up being buried in his garden."
"Can't you be serious for once?!" I complained.
"I told everyone I'd never be serious again. Hey, Tsu, calm down! That's not the reaction I was trying to get. What's wrong?"
"Everything is. We should have found something here. We had to! But we're standing here speculating meaninglessly while the Black Dragon is out there somewhere causing trouble or becoming stronger. His demon managed to possess Bo without a pendant! Who knows what else he's capable of? What other powers has he gained while we were busy with Yssera or looking for him in the wrong place? I can't shake the feeling that we're playing right into his game. Again."
"We're doing the best we can," said Lagi. "We will find him, I'm sure about that. Maybe this just isn't the place. Let's go back with the others and discuss what our next step will be."

So we went back to the stadium where Gabi, Hero, Sylvan, Ventura and Iael were watching the last battle of the day. Hero told us we'd missed a great battle earlier, but he may have said that just to annoy me. I learned that there were a number of trainers who hadn't showed up yet, and I hoped the Black Dragon had nothing to do with that.

Needless to say, I felt quite bitter that night. To make things worse, the idiot who took our reservation at the hotel had written the date wrong, so our room would only become available the next day. We checked the Sybyll Pokemon Center but it was packed full, and we reckoned all other hotels would also be taken. Except maybe Pacing Ponyta, but we'd live that as a last resort because it would be awkward to be the only ones there who weren't Ponytas or Rapidash (they claimed to be open to all kinds of guests, but I'd never heard of any visitors other than Detective Kerel actually staying there). Luckily, we found a room at the Wing Stadium Pokemon Center. It was so small that I wondered whether we should have tried our luck with the Ponytas, but at least it had a roof and a mushy pillow for me to lie on.

I wasn't too surprised when Gabi had trouble getting up the next morning. She had a lot on her mind - we all did - and was a light sleeper at the best of times, so she probably hadn't managed to sleep well in that Pokemon Center bed. But as Lagi helped her up and didn't take her eyes off her, I realized something else was going on.

"What is it?" I asked.
"I had a strange dream," said Gabi. "Not regular strange, but... the other kind of strange."
"Sorry, you lost me there," I told her. By then everyone else was gathering around her bed.
"I mean my dreams are usually weird, and I like that, but... this was one of those dreams that are neither fun nor scary and have nothing to do with anything I've seen or imagined and they stay in my mind after I wake up, as if trying to tell me something. I hadn't had one of those dreams in a long time."
"One of those dreams!" I exclaimed. "Was it a vision? What was it about?"
"There were mountains... they were mostly brown or ocher. And there was fire, and lava, and falling rocks. At one moment it looked like a rock was launched into the air. And there were some Pokemon... but I can't remember them in detail. I think one of them was a Flareon."
"Was there a Volcano?" asked Amber.
"I think so," Gabi replied. "I didn't see it clearly, but something was spitting out lava and rocks, so it had to be a volcano."
"Did you see any green smoke?"
"No, I didn't see any green smoke. But I had the feeling that... there was something wrong outside that area, if that makes sense."
"It does," said Lagi. "And I believe that vision came at a good time. We should be able to do something if we find the place you saw."
"That's the thing..." Gabi said. "It didn't look like any place I'd ever seen. I don't know where it could be."
"We'll figure it out," Lagi assured. "We can start by asking our friends. Maybe one of them has seen or heard of that place."
"I'll try that," Gabi agreed. "I'll call Jeff, Shonta, Amy... Oh, no, I forgot to get Alex's new phone number!"
"You can ask him next time you see him," I told her. "He should be close, right? Isn't Macedon battling today?"
"He should be," said Gabi.
"There you go, then," I concluded.

Things were not as easy as they seemed, however. Amy wouldn't answer her phone, and Alex's battle was postponed, apparently because Macedon hadn't fully recovered from his injuries. We were starting to get really worried. At least we did find Jeff, and Shonta was easy to get hold of after Bandit's battle - which, by the way, was quite exciting. But neither of them knew of a place like the one Gabi had seen in her dream. Jeff suggested that it'd be too convenient to have seen a signpost saying exactly where it was, but that was obviously not the case. In the end he promised to go to Templa Taure after Raini's final battle, to see if he could find anything that could help us stop the Black Dragon once we finally found him. Shonta, in turn, offered to go back to Gaen Vale to search for any information we might have missed.

So the answer didn't come from any of the expected sources. What do I mean by this? I mean... things took an unexpected twist when we came across Ian from the MTU. We were just coming out of the stadium when we found him.

"Hey!" Gabi called out to him. "I didn't expect to see you here. Have you found your missing friends?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid," Ian replied. "I came here hoping to find someone who had seen them, but I haven't had any luck so far. It's like they just vanished."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Where did you last see them?"
"At home. They went out to do some exercise and never returned."
"Oh, right, you've told me that, sorry."
"It's OK."
"Did anything strange happen before they left?"
"Not really. I noticed they were both quiet all the way back from our last training trip, but they were tired; they'd exerted themselves a lot."
"Where did you all go training? What could have made them so tired that they wouldn't say a word on the way back?"
"You don't know what it's like at the Forbidden Mountains... of course you wouldn't, but... it's tough. It's not just Pokemon battles, it's like the whole environment is against you. You have to watch out for landslides, falling rocks and even lava! There's an active volcano in there and only the magical barrier stops the ashes from spreading all over Caledor. Sometimes it gets hard to breathe and we have to leave before we're done training. And there's also the stray magic, you never know what it can do."

Gabi had been staring at him with her mouth open ever since he mentioned falling rocks and lava.

"You see now? Anyone would get exhausted from a training session there," Ian concluded. "And that's if you're skilled and careful enough to get out of there in one piece."
"I'm sorry," Gabi told him. "I didn't get what you just said, I was thinking... that has to be the place, but how? Can the Black Dragon go in there?"
"The Black Dragon?!"
"You must have heard about him, haven't you?" asked Gabi.
"I have, but what does he have to do with anything? There's no way he can get past the magical barrier. Only the descendants of those who fought in the last great war can pass."
"You did say something was wrong outside that area," I reminded her.
"He must be trying to get in," Gabi realized. "That's a sacred site, isn't it? And one filled with magic! If he could harness that magic..."
"That would be terrible, but he can't go in there!" Ian assured.
"Let's hope he never does find a way in, but I'm sure he's trying," Gabi told him. "He may be the one who took Helios and Selene... perhaps even Flame! His demons can possess Pokemon."
"Are you saying Selene and Helios have been possessed by demons?!"
"I think so. But don't worry, there's a way to release them once we've found them, and now we know where to search."
"Excuse me if I seem skeptical, but where is this all coming from?"
"I'd been looking for him for a long time, and I had a vision last night. It fit your description of the Forbidden Mountains perfectly. And there was even a Flareon there, it may have been Helios. And I felt that something was wrong just outside that region."
"Do you often get that kind of visions?" asked Ian.
"Sometimes... Quite rarely. But when I do get them, they're normally right."
"Normally?"
"Sometimes I can't be quite sure of what they mean, but I think this one was clear enough. And I got it on White Mountain. I seem to get clearer visions there."
"Hold on a minute... I think Caledor had a vision too!" I realized.
"I what?" said Caledor. "Oh, wait! I did! Yesterday. I was glowing purple and all. It was totally a vision and not a coincidence."
"Now I think it may have been either," I told him. "But if it was a vision, it means we're on the right track."
"We must go back to Caledor," said Ventura. "And get Talut to help us. He's the only remaining DT Pokemon who can go past the barrier."
"We should get Kiara to help us too," Caledor added. "I haven't seen her in a while, I'm already missing her."
"I'm not sure what you're all planning, but if you're going to the Forbidden Mountains I'm going too," said Ian. "My dad told me to stay clear of that place for a while because Lord Skarmory was conducting special procedures, but if my Pokemon are there and they're in trouble, I'm going to help them no matter what the Soldiers of the Griffin say."
"It hadn't occurred to me that other branches of the Guild might already know what's going on," Gabi commented. "In the worst case we may end up getting in each other's way, but I believe we all have a common goal this time."
"We do," Ian agreed. "And if we're up against a threat like the Black Dragon, then there can't be too many of us fighting. Just a few of us can get past the barrier, but the rest of you can help from outside. We'll have him flanked. If you can get your department to help and I can get mine, then the Black Dragon will be facing at least 3 divisions of the Dragon's Guild."
"I have a feeling it'll be at least 4," said Gabi. "I can't picture Lord Absol staying out of this."
"Right," said Ian. "So we're just missing the merchants."
"I'm sure someone will be there to sell snacks and souvenirs," commented Caledor.
"What?" Ian asked.
"Ignore him," Gabi told him, and sighed. "For once after all this time, I finally feel we may actually stand a chance."

[Wolfsong]

Here is Jasmine’s RBG, I just finished it.

(Jasmine’s POV)

After my battle with the aipom, I slumped to the ground. All I could think about was getting warm again, and I didn’t feel like moving. Darin used his psychic powers to lift me up and place me on Sinopa’s back. Then the two of them took me to the nearest Pokecenter.

Once I had been fully healed and, was warm enough, a couple hours had passed and we exited the building. Outside, there were a couple of battles going on, so the three of us stopped and watched. There was one that caught my attention. A minun was battling one of the newly discovered pokemon. A Klink, I think that it was called if I wasn’t mistaken.

The gear pokemon took his time and eventually succeeded in defeating the cheering pokemon. It noticed that I was watching and blinked at me as it owner recalled it. They retreated into the Pokecenter emerging a short time later. The steel pokemon emerged from his pokeball and floated over to where I was curled up watching. I glanced at him before looking over at its trainer who was also watching. When his trainer gave a nod of his head towards me, I rose up and slithered forwards to face the Klink stretching my wings as I did so.

Jasmine L.25 F Winged Dratini Vs. L.25 ~ Klink

Having not faced one of these pokemon before, I had an idea how I wanted to proceed. I warily watched him as my body began to crackle with electricity and within seconds three electrical rings were hurtling towards the gear pokemon. He grunted as he locked up no longer spinning around.

I could see him glaring at me but currently that was all he was able to do. I took a deep breath as I readied my next attack. I opened my mouth to let loose a supersonic blast at him but a loud screech caused me to wince and place my wings against my ears.

When the racket finally ended, I carefully pulled my wings back and blasted another supersonic wave and this time it hit. I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the klink spin in circles before slamming into the ground.

I sat up and looked at him, my tail twitching slightly as I concentrated on my next attack. I could feel the heat inside my body building until I couldn’t hold it back anymore and exhaled a jet of flames at the steel pokemon. He gave a metallic shriek of pain as he snapped out of his confusion.

Whirling around and spinning around angrily, the Klink briefly glowed brown before a nearby rock was lifted up and hurled at me. I gulped and tried to get out of the way but I wasn’t fast enough. While I avoided to have the rock land on my body it landed on my right wing keeping me from moving.

I struggled to free myself and unable to do so. However, I was lucky in that the Klink’s paralysis hit him again. A few more tugs made me realize that I wasn’t getting free until the battle was over.

Taking another deep breath, I once more focused on my flame stores and I held the flamethrower back until it was impossible for me to hold it back any longer and the flames practically leaped out of my mouth as they rushed towards the gear pokemon. He gave another metallic shriek of pain as a burn appeared. He was barely hanging on as he launched another rock at me. I couldn’t help but cry out as it hit because I had no chance of dodging it, while I was trapped. However, as I watched the burn sapped what was left of his energy and he wobbled in the air a moment before collapsing to the ground.

The Klink’s trainer tried to get it to get up but the steel type had fainted. I sat there panting as it was recalled. Only then did Darin use his psychic powers to lift the rock off of my wing as we headed back inside. This time once I was healed the three of us when back to the hotel room to wait for Amy and the others to return.

I won.
I grew to L. 26.

[classy_cat18]

Gabi: Nice and informative. I don't really have much else to say; if I think of something else I'll tell you over AIM. For now I'll give you twelve stamps for your two stories.

Amy: If you can hang on a couple hours, I'll get to yours. Need to wake up first.

EDIT: Sorry, I wasn't feeling well yesterday. Amy gets eight stamps for her battle. Short, but straightforward. A good length for my overheated brain. *turns up AC*

[DarkestLight]

Need a battle for May. ESR (Electric Shutdown Retirement) System plz *7 stamps*

[Lady Vulpix]

Thanks, Shonta!

May will battle an Electrike.

[DarkestLight]

Umm I'm not pulling a Jeff, but I do need another battle for Zent and May. They can be from the..Caledor Nature Protection Agency! Yeah, this story I'm writing just got real..LOL

::Hands over 14 more stamps:: Ok can't use this 'til the....24th. K.

[Lady Vulpix]

Today I can give you your opponents. They will battle a Growlithe and a Slugma.

[DarkestLight]

Hrm. Fire types...that really do fit the type of battlers they'll come from. I like, I like alot! Thanks. This should be...interesting...

[DarkestLight]

Free time

The heat is on...

“Well, doesn’t that make me the underside of a bum knee.”

Rapp rubbed his temples with his index fingers as Mossy stretched out from behind the counter. Zent stood atop the counter, idly nibbling on a pencil she happened to acquire from the general area. Hopping up to join Zent, the pair danced around each other, as a pair of hands gingerly removed the book in front of Rapp’s eyes.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. New Pokemon are introduced to Ulthuan all the time. At least you were concerned, and not ignoring it. But you have to admit, Gurdurr is pretty funny.”

“Hilarious” he affirmed, with his eyes diverted down to the dancing Pokemon. At least now he understood that there was a benefit to looking up a Pokemon in order to devise a better strategy. Sighing, he gently plucked Zent up from the table, and set her down as rapidly as possible without dropping her. Mossy followed right after, hopping off the counter. “You two run along for a bit. In fact, go find May, I haven’t seen her for a while.”

As both Pokemon wandered off to search for their cohort, Rapp turned back to the lady behind the desk. There was a man there as well, and both came over when they spied that he had not left the vicinity. “Is there anything else we can help you with?”

“Yes. I’m from around here, and while I know that I can go into the neighboring buildings and temples in order to discover and learn more about the history of our world. I feel I am at a loss as to where to start. I originally was not on a quest to join in this battling frenzy-but somehow I got wrapped up in all the bright lights and excitement.

“I see. I assume you are from an outside village?” The man asked, eyes never leaving his current patient, a Venomoth with a bad wing. “Yes. We live sizably far away, which is why there are so few visitors to our neck of the woods.” Rapp carefully adjusted his answer, to not give away too much information about his home-they still weren’t too keen about outside influences.

“Well, after the mess the whole region had with that evil Dragon, I can understand any village being a bit more cautious. But what’s with you and finding out information? Who are you looking for?”

“My mother and father.” Rapp stated plainly. The lack of emotion in his voice gave both attendants a wealth of information about the sensitivity of the matter in which they now spoke. “I assume you’ve checked with the Library, I’m sure they keep records of most people’s dates there.”

Rapp nodded, and began to explain to them the beginning of the journey. How he was pulled away by his Village elders after strange things started to happen to Ulthuan-and yet areas around their home still remained unaffected…almost protected. How he was told to seek out his mother and father, the two people he knew the least about. Back then-he knew barely anything about Pokemon, and just thought of them as helpers to the forest.

“At that time however, it felt like I was being exiled. People were rapidly helping to gather my things and tend to my share of work. My grandmother however, made sure that I left with a Pokemon that “complemented my talents.” To this day, I’m still unsure what that means. I reached that place after a long walk and a long boat ride…Sector Alpha-but I guess all the hoopla died down. Then...I got wrapped up in this whole battling frenzy and here I am.”

“Quite a tale for someone who’s made it to the final round of a Tournament that captures the world’s eye.” The female attendant acknowledged; her focus solely on Rapp. “The best advice we can give, is to do some searching. I’m sure you had an objective before you were sidetracked?”

Rapp nodded, and looked to the ground, left and right. None of his Pokemon had returned just yet. “I had a piece of paper here with an address. I was supposed to go to Sybyll, but got all turned around.” “Well, you’re in luck. The Consolation Round will take place at White Mountain, which Sybyll is just a stones’ throw from. Go get some answers.” The male stated, whilst walking to the back.

Rapp’s ears perked up when he heard the man’s words. It was true-there was another set of battles to take place now, giving him more than enough time for a few days’ trip to Sybyll. This was great. “I think I will. Thank you both, you’ve been a great help.” Rapp patted the desk twice, before heading off to the east, to look for his Pokémon. The trail of pencil shavings seemed to be his best lead.

As he walked off, the female attendant hid a smirk. “Yes, you do that Mr. Laster. Please, find your parents. Then this will all be settled.” She reached under the counter, and affixed her grip on a small hand held device. Raising it to her face, she spoke softly. “Did you get all that.”

“Yeap. We’ll be waiting for ol’ Pointy ears in Sybyll. He’ll never know what hit ‘im.”

Few hours later

The trip from the Stadium down to the arid plains outside of Sybyll was a swift one, as Abra appeared with all 4 customers in tow. Rapp quietly waved to the teleporter, watching it vanish. A message appeared in his head just then, giving him directions when to meet back here to be teleported to the ship in time for his match.

With his timetable set, Rapp clapped and looked toward his next objective, Sybyll. The town was under a mile out, an easy walk for everyone-even at this time of night. Zent and May looked around curiously, seeing absolutely nothing of interest. Rapp took note of their wandering eyes, and reaffirmed their suspicions. ”Yeah...there’s nothing really out here. Except…”

Before Rapp finished his statement, his ears twitched. Mossy slid a vine down to the ground, and instantly felt the quivering earth. May and Zent turned around first, while Mossy and Rapp began to stride toward the town. At first, it merely looked like the horizon started to stretch over the land, fog rolling in to obscure these plains during the night. Then, the haunting chime fell upon their ears. It was a sick melody of calls that struck an original nerve of nausea and fear into Mossy’s and Rapp’s core. Both shivered at the sounds, and Rapp knelt down to pick up Zent.

“Run May. Run! Now!”

Mossy needed no instruction, and began to run toward the seemingly distant town. Rapp hoisted Zent up and followed suit, with May lagging behind. Over the crest where the clouds seemed to roll off the mountain, one could make out that it was no longer of the sky, but of the land. Fluffy exteriors hid their true intentions, as their beady eyes illuminated throughout the herd.

“MAAAA” was their chant, and their chant echoed through the plains. Their electric properties gave the stampeding herd a luminescence reminiscent of paranormal activity on a larger scale. It was this hypnotic glow that seemed to slow May down, and she turned around to face the herd. Mossy and Rapp were meters ahead, but Zent was looking over Rapp’s shoulder and noticed May’s inability to keep running. She began to squirm, and that caught his attention.

Rapp turned his head, and noticed May wasn’t near him. Extending his left arm, he crouched mid stride and used his hand to help himself pivot. Zent slid down his arm and landed on the ground, giving Rapp a sturdy rocky object to push off from. “Thanks for letting me know Zent, I’ll get her. You two get to town!” Zent waddled two steps forward, but Mossy pulled her back. Zent watched as Rapp ran back one last time before turning away and head for the dimly lit town.

The herd of sheep was thundering across the plains, ready to barrel down anything in their path. It seemed May was their next target. May patted her head, and bent down to try and make herself as small as possible. Just when it seemed that they were going to trample her, something grabbed her sides and hoisted her up high in the night sky. She squirmed, around, tongue flailing about until she realized that the masses of sheep were not trampling her. May sighed and calmed down, long enough for whatever was holding her up to bring her closer to its chest.

“Sorry May. I didn’t mean to leave you.” Rapp said softly, as he quietly walked through the field of fluff. The sheep still seemed agitated, but their stampede slowed to a stop. Rapp and May looked around to see if there was an immediate cause…but nothing came up. “Let’s make our way out of this herd and into town, huh May?”

May nodded and wriggled a bit, a signal to Rapp to let her down. Setting her down next to him, and still holding her hand, Rapp and May began walking through the mass of wool. Once in a while, a Mareep would raise its ugly head and call out, but nothing more. Their electric luminescence began to crackle the more Rapp walked though their wool-static electricity building up on him and May.

As they finally exited the herd, Rapp stopped to pick the loose wool that had become stuck to his vest and legs. However, May had a more pressing matter. With her smoother skin, and with all the wool she had to walk through, she came out completely covered in the itchy fabric! Rapp took one look at her, and stifled a laugh. “Oh jeez May, you look like one of them!” May huffed, trying to wipe down all the wool off, but it just kept clinging.

Before Rapp could do anything more, he heard a strange sound, and then spied a green streak come between him and May. The small animal growled, creating an electric current around its body-acting as its light source. Rapp backed up, unsure what this animal was-aside from an Electric-type.

May tried to use her tongue, but found it to be dried out from all the wool as well. Shutting her mouth, she merely ran in front of Rapp. The animal seemed confused by this, and began barking and nipping at May’s feet. May waved her arms in protest and backed up into Rapp, unsure what to do.

“Hey! Roger! Get im’! Dun let ‘im take ‘er sheep!”

[May Lvl 11 vs Roger Lvl 11]

The pup-Roger as he was called-barked in response to his orders. May and Rapp backed up, but Rapp saw this was a strange circumstance that would eventually lead to a battle. “May, we’re gonna have to fight our way out this time. Let’s not hurt this dog, it’s just doing its job of protecting the herd.”

May agreed, and turned her full attention to the pup. The pup tried one last time to nudge her back to the herd-and she swatted his snout away from her rear. That did it for Roger. He growled and full out tackled the Lickitung, making sure to hit her toward the herd.

With the electric pup now becoming physical, the gloves were off. May huffed and pushed upon her forearms. All this cotton was starting to obscure her vision. She flicked her dry tongue out and licked the pup, leaving a strange staticy taste all over him and her tongue. The pup seemed unaffected, but May suddenly felt as if she’d been slightly electrocuted.

Aww man, I think you got paralyzed when you licked him May. Ummm, try that yell of yours!” Rapp commanded, hoping he could end this fight swiftly. May nodded and opened her mouth, preparing to yell. But all that wool really dried out her mouth, so it was hard to get off that Supersonic. Roger growled and repeated his original plan, to tackle this strange sheep back into the herd.

May had enough. That second Tackle left her sprawled on this dusty ground. She was positive her face was marred by this earth, and this pup truly had no sense of beauty. She huffed and whirled on her back, before pushing herself up. Roger came in for another tackle, but was met head on with a powerful Zen Headbutt from the woman. The pup went back a ways, stunned.

Running over, an older man with a shepherd’s cane came into view. Spying May’s last attack, he turned to stare at Rapp. “What kind of witchcraft didya use to have a Mareep use that?” Rapp turned at the sound of his voice, glad to see that he might be able to explain his situation. “No no. It’s not witchcraft. That’s not one of your sheep to begin with!”

May didn’t care. After using that Headbutt, her head felt much better, as it had built up some sort of energy that needed to be released. Roger hopped back on his feet however, and went to blind the “sheep”. He turned around and kicked mud and sand all over May, getting it all over the wool. This also led to May’s face getting dirty, and she stood there in disbelief. This creature…willingly…made her face ugly! He would pay...a king's ransom he would pay for touching perfection in Licki form.

“There ya go Rog! Cover ‘em up so he can’t spark! Go’n an’ tackle it again, that should get ‘er dun! As fer ya…” the man turned back to Rapp “I knows a Mareep when I sees ‘un. I’ve been tendin’ m’flock since the olden days of manners, and I’ve stopped many a thief.”

“Oh yeah?” Rapp stated, as he noticed May’s level of tolerance seemed to be broken. ”Well, I feel sorry for your sheepdog , sir.”

“Why’s that?”

“He’s about to get a tongue lashing.” Rapp pointed, as Roger went to tackle May again. Before he got close, May flung her tongue out and wrapped it around the pup. Roger howled and skittered around to try and break free, but the Wrap was pretty powerful. To add insult to injury, May lifted her tongue and began slamming Roger into the ground repeatedly. Each hit gave Roger a little more confidence to assume this wasn’t a Mareep.

“Well I’ll be as wron’ as a ‘reep hatchin’ an egg!” It’s not a Mareep. Then, why’s it wearin’ all that wool?” the shepherd exclaimed, as Rapp watched with a strange smirk. “It’s not like Lickitungs have a choice, sir. They have smooth skin, and all that static that built up on us when your herd overtook us clung to her. Then all the loose wool built up on her. May! Calm down. Just let him go and give him a parting hit.”

May snapped out of her Body Slamming rage for a moment, only because of the paralysis. It forced her tongue to relax, which freed Roger. The pup walked around, dazed from the rapid succession of hits while being constricted. He barked in disapproval, and tried for another tackle. May stepped aside this time, allowing the pup to run right into a sheep, and knocked the sheep out. May came up right behind Roger and raised her arm. Using her tongue to push her body up, she let all that weight come down on Roger’s back. Roger howled, and then dropped.

[May wins! May reaches lvl 12]

“Oh OH! Roger git up!” The older fellow ran over to tend to his sheepdog, and May stepped aside to let him though. She waddled over to Rapp, still disgusted at all the wool and mud on her face. “It’s ok May. Calm down. You’re breathing too hard. We’ll get to town, and we’ll get you cle—“

Rapp stopped and crouched down, May staring at him in earnest. With the help of the glowing sheep, Rapp could see for a ways ahead of him. He was able to pick out a fast moving series of lights, and the faint sounds of what had to be motors. They all seemed to be heading to Sybyll.

“Come on May, let’s hurry and find Moss and Zent. I have a bad feeling about this.” May nodded, noting Rapp had become direly serious. This really was turning out to be an adventure after all!

As Rapp and May made their way to town, Mossy and Zent had reached city limits. Both Pokemon felt bad for leaving their Trainer behind, but lately this seemed to be the general order of things. Neither questioned the possibility of seeing Rapp again, they just knew they had to hide out until he showed up. Mossy and Zent looked around. From their view, this was just like any other town, only it was night and there were fewer people running around. Their small stature often left them to be overlooked, and if not careful-foot fodder.

Mossy peered down an alley, but spied no one. At the entrance to the alley were a set of barrels. Stepping back, Mossy snaked two vines up, and felt the top. One was missing a lid, the other wasn’t. Tapping Zent, he motioned for her to watch. Zent turned to watch as Mossy walked to the top of the solid barrel using its vines as rope, and then lowered his vines down. Zent grabbed ahold, and Mossy then pulled with all his might. Yeah….that was a heavy girl. After 6 minutes of pulling, Zent reached the top of the barrel, and Mossy was exhausted. Zent meanwhile, took it upon herself to hop into the open barrel. Her hunch led her to land in a barrel full of apples! Fantastic! She began eating away, and as such, was oblivious to the ruckus that sped into town.

Mossy recoiled his vines and slowly inched up and noticed the plethora of motorcycles that rolled into town. At first, it did not bother him. The riders were your burly biker types, nomadic folk that rode from town to town for food or for trouble. Tonight looked like a fueling night. He went to lie down again, but a strange feeling took over him. He kept his eyes on the bikers, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia. Just then, a small pair of arms peered over the edge of the barrel. It was followed by a green body-a small spiderlike body. Mossy’s eyes opened wide, realizing who he was looking at. The spider wasn’t facing him, and Mossy took that time to jump into the barrel, atop Zent. Zent grunted and shoved Mossy aside, as she chomped on another apple. Mossy stared upward, as the spider turned on the edge of the barrel.

Mossy quietly began to slide apples over him and Zent, which left Zent with a questionable look. She punched at Mossy, glaring at her with an apple halfway in her mouth. Mossy gave Zent an accusatory glare right back, and then pointed up. Zent looked up as best she could, and then took a deep breath. Her olfactory senses gave her all the information she needed, and her eyes glazed over from bliss to anger. The pair watched as the spider slowly dropped into the bucket. It moved a few of the red apples over with its feet, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hey! Hey! Get out there you!” The spider climbed hastily out of the bucket and into the view of a large burly man, a man both Mossy and Zent couldn’t believe they were seeing so soon! Zent instantly focused her glare on the fellow, but Mossy raised a vine to her lips. This was not the time to get caught.

“Alright. I got word that the punk that stole Penguin is coming here. Seems he’s actually good at battling. At least battling fair, ehehe. So we just gotta set him up with a battle he can’t win.” A few cheers were earned for that small speech.

“So, who gets the honor of taking down the “punk” as you call him.” Someone stated. Mossy and Zent both climbed atop the apples and peered out of slits in the barrel’s woody matrix, to get a better view. “…’cause last I heard, you didn’t fare too well.”

“He had help. This time he’s all alone, Solomon.” The man strode over to the lackey that mouthed off, and instantly Solomon stepped behind a parked bike, looking down at the ground. The burly speaker noted this, and backed off, confident he wouldn’t have to take any more action against the outspoken fellow. “I hear the Tournament starts back up for the final round in 3 days. What say we make ourselves comfortable, boys?” A raucous round of cheers could be heard, waking up some of the Sybyll natives-before the ruffian group rode off. Positive that they were gone, Mossy and Zent climbed out of the barrel of apples, by pushing all the apples to one side, and then fishing them themselves out with Mossy’s vines. Zent’s hands were full with apples-and Mossy could only help but laugh at her apparent glee of this feat, as they hopped off the barrel and walked to the side of the road. Mossy turned toward the entrance, and finally saw Rapp coming through, with …a ball of wool in tow?

The grass Pokemon waved its vines in the air as high as it could, alerting Rapp to their position. Rapp quickly came over, and set May down. Upon closer inspection of May’s new look, Mossy burst in laughter. May immediately lashed out, rubbing Mossy with her dry tongue. “Ok ok Mossy, don’t laugh. We know static electricity likes May a lot more than it should. Come on, let’s get to a room and ...where did Zent get all those apples?” Mossy shook his head. It was going to be a long night. As he brung up the rear for the group-and they headed to the inn, a breeze caught his attention. He turned back in the alley, and squinted. He could barely see the outline of a form…but the form had glowing white eyes. Frightened, Mossy backed away and caught up to the others.

===============
52 hours later.
===============
There were some things Rapp expected when he woke in the morning. For example-before he even rolled out of bed, he knew that Mossy would be up, already drinking some sort of tea, and inspecting the latest items that he pilfered from some area. He also knew May would still be asleep, completely hidden from view-as the diva she was. Zent could be sleepeating, but more often than not, she would wake up alongside him-to curb her accidental eating of something valuable.

This morning seemed to be the same. After the first night, with Mossy and Zent relating what they and learned and saw, Rapp felt on edge. Not only because of the biker gang being here, but of the mysterious figure Mossy had seen. At first, he dismissed it, but it wasn’t in Mossy’s nature to make things up. To make sure Mossy wasn’t having his eyes play tricks on him; Rapp went with Zent to investigate the alleyway the next morning while they walked around one part of the town.

Zent took a deep breath and nodded. Something else beside them was there. She approved of the smell, but Rapp slightly figured she would. It also worked in her favor, so she could break open that barrel and claim a few more apples.

The second night passed with no real worries. There were strange sounds in the hallway of the inn, but the quartet just assumed it was a late patron. No one pair of footsteps stopped in front of their door. However, this morning was a bit strange. The concept of being watched was a bit of a burden on Rapp, as he woke up with a start. Mossy was up, looking out the window to the room they had rented. May was asleep, and the pile of wool was neatly stacked in a corner, next to Zent for consumption…and she would probably eat it too.

Rapp stumbled his way over to the table. Wiping his face with his hands, he shook off the immediate sleep jitters, and looked at the paper again. “So, 8 people in total. 7 bikes. And they’re here in this town, or possibly right outside of it?” Mossy nodded without breaking his sight. “Crap. It’s like I walked into a trap! Well, they’re not getting Zent back. We haven’t seen them in two days, so they better make their move now-cause we won’t be around much longer.”

At the mention of her name, Zent seemingly arose, and let out a yawn. Immediately, she reached for an apple, but noticed her hand came up empty. She looked around and instead of shiny apples…there was strange fluffy stuff next to May. The stuff she was covered in before. Not one to pass up a potential treat, she took a scoop and bit it. A bit rough, but otherwise edible!

As she sat down with her new pile of cotton candy, Rapp moved on from the previous conversation. “Well, we’re here in Sybyll. We’ve wasted two days here, and we gotta get back tonight. Time to get those answers we were sent away to find. We’re going to have to be careful today, we can be picked on at any time. So we’re gonna stick together.” Mossy once again nodded, taking another sip of delightful fragrances in liquid form.

After breakfast and lightening their load-the quartet set out to final set of establishments they could feasibly reach, asking where they could find information of travelers that may have moved here from years past. As they left the room, Rapp shut the door behind him, and noticed something stuck into it. Positive that was not there last night, he removed it from the door. He kept pace with the others, quietly unfolding the note addressed to him.

“You searched the town, now search its history.” Rapp quizzically looked over the note-puzzled in its brevity. But-as he left the inn and quickly spied Mossy quietly pilfering an item from a man that was sleeping aside the wall, an idea occurred to him that he felt he should have realized a long time ago. “This town seems to be a pretty old place. Why don’t we go check if there is a library here?” The others agreed, and waited as Rapp went back inside to get directions. In a short while, they found themselves at the library.

The Sybyll library was a small building. Books littered the shelves, some covered with what looked to be years of dust. “Zent, don’t eat anything that looks like a book.” Rapp stated as he looked around. Spyiing a desk in the back, he strode over, turning to look at Mossy. The plant already snagged a green book off the shelf, and was about to acquire it for its collection-but Rapp grabbed onto the spine. “No Mossy. We can’t take this.”

“Can’t take what?” Came a voice from the desk in the back. Everyone froze, and Rapp turned to spy a lone figure standing there. Rapp quickly stood up straight, and raised the book that Mossy was still tugging on. “This book. My plant has a…fascination with items that it deems important, and likes to port them around.” “Ahh, well you plant has a good eye. Any book about tea is a book worth reading. Or in his case, smelling.” Rapp looked to the cover of the book, and sure enough-the title read “Tea Fragrances-The Ulthuan experience.”

“Oh jeez, ok fine, read it.” Rapp said, releasing his grip. Mossy smirked and waddled away for the moment. With the old man’s attention solely focused on him, Rapp asked the clerk on duty if he could view the logs they kept of people that lived here. In a short while, the man returned with a rather large book, to which Rapp hastily took and opened. He pulled a torn, ragged paper from his vest, that same one with the map, and turned it over. On it were two names. One was Edward Valentine. The other was Veronica Laster-Meoru. It was this name that he searched for in earnest. It took a few minutes, but finally, he located a lone line-that held a printed version of her name, and an address.

“Huh, you knew Veronica?” The elderly man stated, as Rapp looked up at him. This man seemed to have been around for ages, his white hair flowing down to his elbows. Eyebrows seemed to overshadow his actual eyes, small as they were. But his stature was tall; the passage of time did nothing to stifle this man’s height.

“Not…necessarily. I was sent here from my village to find her.” He replied, pointing to the address.

“Ah, I see. Well, I can save you the trouble. She’s not here. In fact, neither is that address. During the trouble we had a while back, that whole part of town was taken over and basically broken into rubble. Tragedy, it was.” Rapp stared at the man’s apparent recollection, and did not question him for a moment. He moreso was considering what to do if his answers were the ones that he had originally believed. Eyes canted down toward the three Pokemon looking up at him-these three friends who seemed more than willing to continue their journey together, despite any outcome.

“Did you know her?” Rapp murmured, barely audible. But the old man heard him clearly. He moved in close, and whispered something to his ear.

“Shiny Tentacools tell you where the poisoned water is.” Rapp immediately lifted his head. “Only people from –“

The old man chuckled and took a minute to put the book away. “Yes, yes boy. I’m actually surprised to see one so young make it here, with three Pokemon in tow. We usually don’t last long outside our treehomes." Rapp critically assessed him now. He didn’t seem to have the same look as people from his village, him, but the man knew about the bucket Tentacool rule! He had to be from the same place! “Wait, sir. Despite my disbelief that you hail from my home, did you know Veronica?”

The old man gave Rapp a once over-and then walked from behind the counter. He knelt down to the Pokemon, Mossy in particular, and nodded. “Yeah. I knew her. I knew her kids too. All 9 of them. Funny, that you would look the most like her now.”

“9?!?” Rapp exclaimed! Never in his life did he ever consider the notion of having siblings! The old man stifled a laugh as he gave Mossy a morsel of food. Or attempted to, as Zent snatched it away and gave the old man a glare as she ate it. “Yes 9. Only one actual baby, the rest were an assorted band of these creatures. They all however disappeared right when all that mess started. Until now.“ The old man stood up and looked at Rapp, who was struck with the disbelief stick. He was perplexed; the man was speaking perfect English, but yet, he still did not understand a word coming out of his mouth.

“Your mother isn’t here. She fled years ago. I figure she arrived here shortly after you were born-with your father. Your father went to fight against those evil men, and he never returned. Your mother wasn’t heartbroken-but she was sad for a while. Then one day, her Pokemon began to leave. She would sit and talk with me about it-saying that the world was calling them back for a better purpose. By the time she left, she only had the one she left home with. Where she fled to, no one knows. Why she left is a mystery too. But I’ll tell you what.”

“What?” Rapp asked, intent on learning the answer-any answer to help sort out this mystery.

“I know that since you’re here, that means the village is in trouble again. Only reason why they would send you away. Don’t know how. Don’t know why. But I reckon it’s to do with your past.”

Rapp was completely mind blown now, and required a seat. He backed away from the counter, and quickly grabbed a chair. May had wrapped herself in a pop-up-book, and Zent was being fed by Mossy. Knowing that they were occupied, Rapp simply spoke aloud. “Before I quit from pure confusion-here’s what I have. My mother and father left our village on the outskirts to Gaen Vale. You’re from there. They traveled here with a…a…bevy of Pokemon. They lived here long enough for you to know her. My father presumably was vanquished in some war or battle or skirmish. Her Pokemon left her one by one-and when she reached one, something happened, and she left. Cue me arriving, who know how much time later.”

“I’d say that just about covers it.” The old man rasped, taking a swig of water out of an old canteen. “Now, don’t you got to get back to your battle? You’re all the rage, I hear.”

Rapp turned his blank stare and refocused on the old man. An aged finger pointed to the television screen, which was showing muted highlights of the past few rounds of the Dragon Games. Rapp watched for a moment as his face, and Mossy’s vines were displayed across the screen-amidst a collage of Trainers.

“Seems you got a few good spirits on your side.” He said, chuckling as he gazed at the screen. “Can’t tell you much else though. Figure you have to find out all you can on your own. Least, that’s what grandma told you, right?”

“Now stop taking in riddles old man!” Rapp shouted. “I came here to find an answer, and then to go back. I didn’t mean to get wrapped up in the Tournament. I didn’t intend to do any more than help in any way I could that would benefit her. But these things led me here, and I want an answer.”

The tone of Rapp’s voice did nothing to dissuade the old man from his perch. Calmly, the man turned and coaxed Rapp with a taunting finger. “Here’s all the answer you need-in this simple question. Why did you leave home?”

Rapp leaned back, almost angered by this strange back and forth. “Why? I didn’t have a choice! They made me leave! I was just about banished! They guised it as me looking for my parents, but they were GLAD I left. I did nothing to anyone!”

“Glad you know that much. So, why did you leave home?” he asked again, infuriating Rapp to the point where his ears stood on end. The old man caught note of that, and also noticed a soothing scent wafting from Rapp’s persona.

“I just TOLD YOU-“ “No. You told me why you were made to leave. You didn’t tell me why you left. You could have stayed right there and built a house with Mossy and started your own crops. But you left. Why?” Rapp took a deep breath…and thought about it. As his Pokemon watched him, Rapp began to actually listen to what the man said. “Why …DID I leave? Because…I wanted to…make sure nothing…bad happened? No, how could I have known something was going on?”

“Now you’re listening to the earth.” The old man said “Instead of just feeling for the best soil to plant in, you’re really listening to the earth under your feet. You’re listening to Ulthuan. Think about that, and all your answers will be clear.”

Rapp nodded, stunned by all he had NOT learned today. He silently called his Pokémon to follow him. As they began to head out- he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“I can’t tell you everything, because so very little actually exists. What I can tell you is what she told me to tell you, which is this.” Rapp turned to see a folded piece of paper in the old man’s hand. To the old man’s surprise, a green vine snaked up and snagged the sheet, before stuffing it within that matrix of vines. “I…thank you for all you’ve done.” Rapp replied, before opening the door to a blinding glare of light. The old man nodded and shuffled back to the rear of the area. “You better hurry. Your match starts in about an hour.”

===========

Rapp, Zent, May and Mossy stood out the outside gate of Sybyll headed toward White Mountain, calmly staring upward. The massive obelisks of the stadium were in sight, slowly heading over Caledor. Instead of hastily trying to make his way to the grounds where he asked the Abra to meet him, Rapp quietly shuffled his feet and marched along the dusty road.

“So many questions now. I still don’t have any answers, I just have questions galore.” An affectionate tongue slap to his face was his response, and May smiled at him. “Thanks. I guess we should get back up to that Tournament now.” Mossy and Zent nodded, while May canted her head back.

Rapp chuckled at May’s model pose, and then stumbled over Zent. The little creature was snarling at the ground, eyes fixated on her target as if it was an enemy. Rapp stood beside Zent, while Mossy and May looked left and right to cover all their angles. The ground near them began to split, and out popped a three headed beast. They all stared at Rapp, and collectively shouted their name, before vanishing underground.

Just then the collective sounds of motors could be heard from all areas. Rapp spied bike trails, and decided to stand his ground. “Guys, make sure to watch each other’s backs, ok. We gotta get past them, and make it to the Tournament Stadium.” An affirmative nod was given by the trio, and Rapp stood tall, patiently awaiting their arrival.

However, his scope of their arrival did not take into account an aerial artist. Talons dug into Rapp’s shoulder, and bodily lifted him away from the Pokemon! The bikes cruised in, 8 in total and surrounded his friends! “Get OFF!” Rapp yelled as he was flown up to a pretty sizeable height. He looked up to see metallic talons holding onto him, preventing his arms from being useful. So he began to swing. A razor sharp beak came down to try and peck at his stomach, but Rapp’s feet met it head on. However, kicking steel is never a great idea and Rapp winced as his feet collided with its head. Atop the Skarmory, the lackey smirked. “Heh, tough guy huh. Well, your Pokemon can barely hear you. How’re you gonna stop us from taking them now?

Down below, as the bikers came close, May kept sight of Rapp as he was air lifted away. Mossy had the most fighting experience, and the little girl was who they were after. So that meant that she would have to be the main target until they could devise a plan. As the bikers dismounted, and started to encroach on the three Pokemon, May stepped forward, and wiped her head-mimicking as if she was wiping her hair free of shampoo.

Like clockwork-the men of the gang questioned their motives, and seemed transfixed by her. Mossy remembered this, and looked toward the two females of the group, who seemed like they were up to something. They were, as he was bodily grabbed by his vines. “Hey hey Sheen! This is the superfighter?”

“Sheen” the bald headed cueball fellow, stepped over and looked Mossy up and down. “Yeah, that’s him. Don’t know how he does it, but he’s pretty good at fighting.” “He doesn’t look tough at all!” said the woman that had Mossy by his vines. In one swing, she slammed Mossy into May, breaking her hold on the fellows in the area. “Oh. Maybe THAT’S how he keeps winning. He’s swung around!” This earned chuckles from the group, as May was kicked to the side. Zent growled, and stomped on the girl’s foot, forcing her to release Mossy. Mossy fell to the ground, and immediately rolled over to May. May flicked her tongue once, and stood up, to Mossy’s relief. Both Pokemon turned around as Sheen picked Zent up. Zent began screaming her name in protest, and biting Sheen’s thick arms. Sheen winced at the bites, but they soon stopped as that dastardly Cruise scuttled down Sheen’s left arm, and began to Spider Web Zent’s mouth closed. “Good job Cruise. Pretty sure we’ll be able to handle her much better now.” He said, with a malicious smile on his face. The members of his group laughed, as Zent struggled to free her mouth of the sticky goop.

High above the kidnapping attempt, Rapp realized he had one shot at getting down there. If for nothing else, then to give the others time to escape. He started swinging again, and this time, instead of kicking the bird on his jaw, decided to try his wing! With an awkward motion, Rapp managed to kick his foot under Skarmory’s right wing, throwing both the bird and rider off balance. One talon laden foot released its grip off of his shoulder, allowing Rapp full use of his arm. As the bird began to lower in altitude, Rapp began twisting the leg of the Skarmory. It didn’t take much for the bird to release his grip on Rapp’s right shoulder, and the boy didn’t try to attain a grip. His freefall was planned, but not too far ahead, as he hoped to land on the people below.

“Aww, Penguin can’t bite. Come on guys, let’s get out of here. Beat up them other two Pokemon, will ya.” Sheen pointed to May and Mossy, who stood defensively. Mossy reached up to grab Zent, but that large Scyther from a while ago slashed at his vines, threatening to cut them if he even tried. “Oh no, none of that stealing business from me. You and your fat friend here are gonna get the whipping of your lives. Ripper and Puspus, finish them!!”

[May lvl 12 and Zent lvl 8 against Puspus Slugma (12) and Ripper Growlithe (8)]

“ZENT! SANDSTORM!”

The group of bikers looked up, to see a brown form falling toward them. The form bounced off of one bike, slammed into the others, and laid there in heap, an apparently broken heap. The message though, did not fall on deaf ears. Zent hissed, and began to shake, her body starting to release a ton of small particles that began to whiz around. Everyone in the vicinity began to feel the sting of the weather, including the Growlithe and Slugma that were rearing to beat up Mossy and May.

“May...I don’t care how! Get Mossy to that Abra!” Rapp yelled, through clenched teeth, as he pointed with his good arm over to the east. There, only a few feet away, floated the Abra…who seemed remarkably calm about the whole situation.

Mossy turned around, as one Pokemon broke through the storm, in order to take him down. Before the Slugma could set up a flaming tribute to cease Mossy’s existence, May’s tongue took the impact of the blast. May slid in front of Mossy, hands out. Mossy’s vines went to reach around, but May deflected them with her massive tongue. That same tongue wrapped around Mossy, and with one mighty fling, tossed her over Rapp and the broken motorcycles. Time seemed to slow for the Tangela, as she watched the events below unfold. He spied Zent fall to the ground, and roll over to May instinctively. Rapp was barely moving, his left arm hanging limp as he slid his body into an upright position, but he was shouting orders. The bikers were scrambling for cover in the Sandstorm, and yet here he was, flying into the arms of an Abra?!

One vine snaked out to try and latch onto something…anything, but Abra was too fast, and with a flash, they were gone before Mossy could connect. Noting the flash, Rapp and May breathed a sigh of relief. “May, Zent! We gotta work together; we got 5 minutes before the Abra can return! We should be able to get out of here by th-aaaooow!” Rapp winced, as his arm hurt as he lifted it to bend his elbow. He was not sure if it was broken, but he had no time to worry about that now. Sliding his good arm out of his vest, he rested his bad arm in the opposing sleeve, and tied the slack to his shoulder. This created a modified sling, supportive enough to hold the arm’s weight for the moment. With himself taped up, and Mossy at the Championship battle… Rapp could try to focus on May and Zent.

“Zent, dance in the storm. May, try to headbutt the slug. The dog we can deal with later!” Rapp hissed as he finished his sentence, even breathing hurt right now. He leaned his body against a downed bike, and tried to stay still as people scuttled past him left and right. For a moment, he thought someone would simply move the bike he was on and find him, but they seemed more concerned with the bikes to the sides of him.

Zent grumbled and pulled at her face, pissed off there was a substance in the world she couldn’t eat! May turned, and watched the little one dance around while pulling at her face. Unsure why she couldn’t do anything else for the moment, May turned to the slug. This thing was ugly. It slithered around, and steam popped from some of the boils that it had growing on its skin. But that nastiest of all its traits? It could shoot fire. It was that fire, those Embers that flew at May again, and she crouched to block them with her girth. It stung, and the whipping sands did not make this any easier.

Zent-finished with her prancing around, manage to poke a fingerclaw through her mouth bind, and started to tear at it. Before she could free herself fully, a large orange mass ran in and bit her! She shivered from the bite, unsure what did that, but she was determined to get revenge. She spun in a circle and whipped her finger claws against the webbing, and finally ripped part of it free from her mouth.

Ripper watched Zent with interest. This little rocky beast didn’t taste very good, and all she did was run in circles and spit sand from her body. When her back was to him again, he dashed in for another strike. This time however, Zent was ready and whirled around on him faster than he expected. She returned the favor, snagging a toothhold on his front paw. The pup hollered, and the owner of the pup shouted through the storm. “Don’t let it hold onto ya Rip. Roar at it!”

Ripper looked down at Zent and took a deep breath, Hair bristled on his chest, and then he released a powerful bounty of sound, which forced Zent to let go and back away from the Growlithe. She never heard a sound so loud before, that was almost scary! The storm muffled the Roar’s potency as sand blew into the pup’s mouth. Zent stayed back, as the pup slowly limped forward.

Rapp-after hearing the roar, knew he had to give them some help. But it was difficult-all the Pokemon seemed to be affected by the Sandstorm…except Zent. Smirking, he got an idea. “Zent, Dance around some more, and move around a lot in the storm! It’s not bothering you, right?”

Zent replied with a cry, and did as she was told with glee. The more distance she could make from this Growlithe, the better! Ripper tried to keep up, but found the little creature to be surprisingly nimble now. Meanwhile, May was quite irate at the lack of tact this ugly thing had. It kept trying to burn her, and now her tongue was hurting. She sucked her main form of offense back in, and just ran for the beast. Another cranial attack was used, and the Slugma was shoved across the area, blowing past Sheen, who finally set up his bike light. The other bikers started to do the same, and Rapp was forced to crawl through the actual battle, in order to not be caught by the bikers. He found a patch of land that seemed oddly unoccupied and lied there. He had to give out commands, but if he did, they would now hear him and go after him! He cursed his luck silently, and took the chance.

“May, we gotta get rid of the slug. Hit it with a Wrap!” May turned toward the direction of the voice-he moved closer! But as for what he said…he wanted her to touch that thing with her tongue? She winced at the prospect. But she didn’t have any better ideas. With a flick of her head, her tongue went sailing out, and wrapped around the slug. She closed her eyes to try and ignore the taste…the horrible taste! It was like licking half melted fire flavored silly putty!

Puspus seemed alright with it. Though the squeezing was a mite uncomfortable, being a slug had its benefits-you gotta squeeze hard to make it feel anything. He used that to his advantage, and yawned. The yawn traveled up her tongue and into her face, giving May a strange headache.

Rapp listened, as he began to move left. Someone was coming toward him, looking for him so they could stop him from escaping. “Hey Pus? Did you yawn! Good. Put one of ‘em to sleep-and we’ll take out the other one!” Rapp realized how serious this situation was, and now had to get May some real help, or they were done for.

“Zent! Bite that thing chasing you around now! Then go find May!” Zent quit dancing around, and stood her ground. She felt a lot better about taking that pup head on, and when the hint of orange began to edge closer to her, she sped in and Bit his side. The pup howled from the sudden strike-and from the accented power that came from the hit. He retaliated with a powerful move himself, both back legs kicking Zent off and to the side. Zent flew back and landed on the ground with a sizeable thud-a thud that May felt.

The pup barked in surprise that worked so well, and ran toward Zent. May drowsily stumbled over her tongue, and released the Slugma. The slug moved in closer, and spied May desperately trying to get to the area where she heard the thud. Zent looked up to see the familiar pink mass hovering over her, and reached out a small hand. May barely had enough time to pull her up before an orange blur flew in her face. Zent ducked and May hollered, a strange sound that hit Ripper as he Double kicked May to the ground. May rolled over herself twice, and lied still-tongue sprawled out.

Zent watched May fall, and saw she didn’t move an inch. Over to May’s left, came that strange slug, and in front of her was that crazy pup-whom was shaking his head an awful lot. She didn’t know whom to attack-and she couldn’t hear Rapp in this storm.

“Yeah, I can see Puspus now. The Storm must be fading!” someone yelled. The people in the area all began to rev up their bikes and watched with bated breath. Rapp knew this was what he was trying to avoid, a 2-on-1 scenario. Thinking as fast as he could while moving to a new area hastily, he shouted one more set of commands.

“Zent, when the sandstorm falls, Bite the slug!”

Over the roar of the motors, Zent barely heard anything, except what sounded like slug. That was all she needed. The pup seemed more interested in his own tail than anything, and Zent quickly dashed toward the fiery slider. Pus was surprised this rocklizard would take that risk and readied a nice fiery onslaught for her to run though. But Zent was fast, and bit the slug with an impressive force. Pus quit trying to Ember and now focused on the bite itself, the shock was unrelenting! Zent bit down again, and Pus went limp from the pain! Releasing Pus, Zent backed away, and noticed the sky began to clear up. Her cover was gone, and Puspus just seemed to be in a bad sort. But it wasn’t out. Nor was the pup, who was now growling behind Zent.

Rapp watched the storm fall apart, and could clearly see May-who was asleep. She didn’t seem that bad off, but when he looked at Zent and the other two-they all seemed pretty ragged. The whole situation seemed pretty dire, especially since she was surrounded by them both. He looked to his right and saw the bikers had managed to huddle together to help deter the sand, and now were all glaring at him, evil sneers shooting across their faces.

Rapp stood up, knowing he couldn’t outrun them. He crouched instinctively when a gust blew by him, looking up for that danged flyer. For the moment, he couldn’t see it.

“Give it up kid. You lost.” Rapp turned around, to meet a fist in his midsection. The pain was a sudden shock, and it forced Rapp to his knees. Sheen stood over him and pushed Rapp onto his side with his left boot. “Your fat girl is asleep, and that little rock’ll go down with just one more hit. I want you to watch-so you’ll learn you can’t ever beat me.”

“Pus, Ember it. Rip, stop sniffing your butt and do that Double Kick thing again. That seemed to really hurt her.”

“ZENT! SANDSTORM! “ Rapp yelled, as he suddenly had an idea. Coughing as he shouted, Rapp felt his body be lifted up by his collar. “Kid, that trick is not going to work! Wearing us down is impossible when you can’t even fight!”

“Who…said I can’t fight!” Rapp noted, before kicking Sheen in his stomach, and bouncing backwards. The sands overtook the area once more, catching everyone off guard. Pus idly tried to Ember Zent, and managed to land a hit, but it was Ripper who couldn’t seem to manage. He blasted by Zent, and managed to Double Kick Pup Pus. The slug shrank, and looked at the pup, confused. As he landed, Ripper shook his head, and turned to look at Zent. That pup was not confused anymore, but the damage was done. Puspus fell over, and stayed put. The Growlithe growled and lunged once more, but Zent merely hunkered down. Ripper’s mass met something else in mid-air, and the object he collided with slammed into him with enough force to knock him back quite a ways as well. Ripper landed, and Zent heard May land right beside him. She licked Zent in a sign of appreciation, and forced her body up from her aerial collision.

“Glad..glad yer up May. Now, let’s get out of here!” Rapp whispered, as he appeared behind the pair. May and Zent however, turned to look at him, and then to the Growlithe. “Huh? No no. He’s done. The Sandstorm will wipe him out. We gotta go before they can see us!”

Zent and May looked to each other, and then to Rapp. They turned to watch, as the pup stood back up. He did look worse for wear, and the sands did seem to be hitting the pup for an extensive amount of time. But the tenacity of the pup seemed to be what was driving it, as he gave chase. May noticed the pup dashing in for Zent again, and hollered at Zent. Rapp grabbed May by the arm and yanked her back, as he heard the sounds of the bikes whirling around the storm. The pup landed between Zent and May, but didn’t do anything. He panted twice, and crumpled to his knees. May felt exceptionally weak as well, and looked up as Rapp kept watch. Zent’s Sandstorm started to weaken, but it was enough to put the Growlithe down. May watched the sky clear up around them, and then noticed the biker gang once again blocking their path. She had hardly anything left, and even with Zent pumped up, they couldn’t take much of anything thrown at them.

[May and Zent win! May reaches lvl 13, Zent reaches lvl 9]

Rapp noted the barrier he had in front and behind him, and kept May and Zent right next to him. But he had a smile on his face, as Sheen stomped over.

“It’s over kid! You may have taken out Puspus and Ripper, but we were going easy on you! Now I’m just going to beat you into mincemeat.” By his side, one of his lackeys stomped the ground, and up popped that three headed beast. That silvery sheen flew overhead again, and Rapp hissed-irked that flying metal bird was so close. One by one, Pokemon of all sorts and shapes were revealing themselves-creating a never ending odyssey of challenges that Rapp realized was impossible.

“So-what’s it going to be? Give up my Penguin, or face the consequences.”

“Neither. I have a battle to attend!” Rapp quickly raised both hands, and Zent instantly held onto May. May wrapped her tongue around his waist, and Rapp hopped up, reaching the tail of a glowing yellow creature! Sheen and his crew stared up at the beast that seemed to appear out of nowhere-and then in a flash…were left in the field all by themselves!

“No! NO! Where did he go? When did he get a teleporter!? Skylar-go to that battle platform and see if he went there! This is not over, this is not OVER!” The man stomped and cursed at the ground, before jumping on his motorcycle. His crew followed suit, as they all turned back to Sybyll.

“Hey Sheen, it’s alright. We can go cause a ruckus anywhere. What’s so important about that little rock?” Solomon asked, as he kept up with Sheen’s bike. “That “little rock” is more powerful than she looks, and that twerp stole it from me! NO ONE steals from me!

When we meet him again, it won’t be the same outcome...”

[Lady Vulpix]

Interesting story, Will! It was nice to learn more about Rapp's background.

I wonder how much he paid the Abra (or the manager) for such long trips. That has to take a lot more time and effort than just going on and off the platform.

I must say that a herd of Mareep had never sounded so horrific before. And I get that Roger was - blindly - following orders, but his trainer definitely needs to get his eyes checked.

I didn't get what you meant when you said that Mossy caught up to the others 52 hours later. What was that supposed to mean?

Also, for a moment it sounded like Rapp was planning to get from Sybyll to Southern Caledor on foot in less than one hour.

I liked the warning Rapp gave Zent at the library; it pays to know her well. And I'd really like to lay my hands on that fragrant book.

So the water in the bucket was poisoned?

The man at the library was quite an interesting character.

Take 35 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[DarkestLight]

Thanks Gabi

Onto the fun stuff:
1) No, the 52 hours later was a break in the story..I will make it better to note that's a break in events.

2) On the contrary-that Tenta was a normal color.

I guess I can explain the Tenta thing now. Where Rapp's from, has water around it *hint hint* Some of the water is unsafe to drink. Whenever people from Rapp's area drill for a well and extract water, they have a Tentacool suck up the water a bit (Somewhere in a Tentacool entry it says its body is like 85% water...)

If the water has too many things unhealthy for "human" consumption, the Tentacool will turn a different color-hence "shiny."

3) You'll see more of him . Promise!

Thank you for the payday Woot woot!

Note: May learned Knock off and Defense Curl at lvl 13. ooh those are gonna be some fun new moves.

[Lady Vulpix]

Ah, thanks for explaining.

I think it's time my team got some training done, and I would like to write some not-too-relevant scenes at the Dragon's Guild. So let's get a battle for Tsunami from the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency. *Pays 7 stamps, keeping 1538.*

[classy_cat18]

Oooh, Tsunami gets to battle a Cryogonal!

[Lady Vulpix]

Tsunami's battle is here and it only took me 4 days to write it! Although I must admit I cheated a bit by having Caledor report the first part, but if I'd let Tsunami report everything he did under the water, it would have taken me one or two more days and I'm not sure how interesting it would have been to read.

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<Caledor's POV>

It was nice to be back home. Sure, there were some scary thoughts caused by the nasty prospect of facing the Black Dragon... I could almost feel them in the air. I mean, I don't know if I could feel them or if I was imagining them but I was certain everyone was worried about that so what's the difference? Anyway, that only meant I had to work harder at what I did best. But I must admit Lagi was doing most of the work in that respect, reminding everyone that it was good that we were finally making progress and could come up with actual plans. So all that was left for me to do was brighten things up in all kinds of silly ways, old and new.

So there I was, balancing my favorite Beach Ball between the tips of my tail - which is no easy feat, I must add - when Tsunami began to stare at me. I tried to figure out if it was a good stare or a bad stare, or maybe a lost-in-thought gaze that had landed upon me by chance, but there was no expression in his face. At that point I lost balance and the ball fell to the ground and rolled away. That seemed to break Tsunami's concentration, because his face became more expressive. He shook his head and asked me what I was doing.

"Training," I said. "Sort of."
"I don't think that's a very useful kind of training," he replied.
"Oh... you never know," I told him. "Every skill may come in handy when you least expect it."
"I suppose that's true, but I still doubt that one's going to help us any time soon."
"You look worried. I don't like worried. Must fix that."
"Talking like a baby won't fix it," he said, but a chuckle betrayed him.
"See? That's the Caledor power at work already."
"Caledor... power," he narrowed an eye.
"Yes, it's a bit like the 17 known types except that it's something else entirely."
There went another chuckle. "I must give you credit for your creativity, but I think you should work on your abilities with real types. Especially the psychic ones."
"IknowwhatIhavetodothankyouverymuch, Tsu-na-mi," I told him. "You're not my trainer."
"I'm your friend and I care about you. And I know you hate being serious, but we're going to face a very serious threat soon and we need to be prepared."
"And you are you preparing yourself?" I asked him.
"I was planning to go to the MTU building for some training. I'll need to ask Gabi, but I don't think she'll mind given the circumstances."
"Oh, I see, you're going to spend the day battling. No, let me rephrase it, you're going to spend a whole day in a single battle. And that's good for you but, if you really want to know, I've realized that battling is not how I'm going to perfect my skills. Been there, done that, can pack quite a blast but I still can't tell what you're thinking when you look at me. I need to find the answer in some other way."
"Maybe reading minds is just not your thing," he told me. "And that's probably for the best. But you did manage to send me a few telepathic messages before. Do you think you can still do that?"
<Maybe,> I tried it out, remembering how I'd done it before.
"You did it!" Tsunami cheered. "And without even glowing!"
"Oh! Sorry, I'll fix that," I said, releasing some purple light to fit the occasion.
"No, really, I think it's great if you can use your abilities without glowing because that way you won't be alerting your opponent of what type of move you'll be using."
"One thing at a time, please, but I've already thought of some new strategies if it makes you feel better. I had a lot to think about after that battle at the Blizzard Room, but now I think I have some cool ideas."
"Would you like to come with me and test them out?" he offered.
"Not now, I have a lot of work to do around here. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"You know there's something at the MTU building that I'd really like to know more about?"
"Really? What is it?"
"That Pokemon computer the jungle-haired trainer mentioned. The one Water Angel's been using. I'm not a big fan of looking at letters on a screen, but I'd like to see what that thing looks like. I've been struggling to think of what kind of computer can be used by a Kingdra. It's a puzzle wrapped in... a cloud."
"A cloud?"
"Free word association. You should try it some time."
"I'll leave that to you, thanks all the same."
"You're welcome," I grinned while Tsunami shook his head.

He started walking towards Gabi's office and I trotted after him. Oh, I forgot to say we were at the Dragon's Guild barracks, and Gabi was in her office, catching up with some work before going back to the floating platform. So we left the barracks and went to Gabi's office and found her playing a computer game with colorful things that moved around and disappeared and sometimes blew up. Before I could figure out how to play, Tsunami had to go and ask her what she was doing.

"Oh," Gabi winced and closed the game. "I was trying to find inspiration for my report. Playing quick puzzle games sometimes helps me put my thoughts in order when my mind is too tired to do anything else, but this problem seems to be beyond the power of any game."
"That could be the excuse of the century," said Tsunami. "What's this problem and why are you stuck with it?"
"The Deerling report," Gabi explained. "I'm starting to think it was a bad idea from the beginning, but we're too far into the year to scrap it and start a new one. I'm trying to think of new parameters to observe, and I've even searched the web for any information I could find, but there's nothing. It can all be summed up as Deerling's antlers change with the seasons like a tree. Maybe that's all there is to them. And it doesn't help that I have only one subject to study, and he's not very cooperative. He won't even talk to me, he just walks around looking at everything but me."
"Maybe you're not approaching him in the right way," Tsunami suggested. "What have you tried to talk to him about?"
"I said I needed to get to know him better... to learn more about him. I tried asking where he came from, and how he was feeling... how he liked Caledor and if he was comfortable at the Adoption Center. But he never replied."
"Perhaps he's mute?" I wondered.
"No, I've heard him sigh," Gabi replied. "I think he just doesn't like me. I wish I could help him, but..."
"But what?" asked Tsunami.
"I can't shake the feeling that what he really needs is to be adopted," said Gabi. "And I can't do that for him. It's hard enough to train all 10 of you, no offense meant."
"None taken," said Tsunami. "I'd have to be dumb not to realize how hard it is for you... even if it's a guilty pleasure for me to make it harder sometimes."

Gabi's glare made Tsunami step back. "Not on purpose!" he defended himself. "Some things are just too fun and I just... sort of... get carried away. But Hero's the one who starts them most of the time!"
"Sure, blame the one who's not here," said Gabi. "All three of you are too hard to keep in check and you know it."
"Will it help if Cale and I stay out of your way today?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'd like to do some training at the MTU building, and Light-bulb would like to tag along to take a look at their fancy Pokemon computer."

Gabi looked at Tsunami, and then at me.

"You're not going to make a mess over there, are you?" she questioned us.
"Of course not!" Tsunami promised. "We'll behave, I give you my word. Well... I can't speak for Caledor, but I'm sure he'll know not to do anything that'll get us in trouble, right?"
"Causing trouble's only fun if you do it in a group," I said. "Since Tsunami will be battling, I'll only cause trouble if other Pokemon want to join me, and then they will share the blame."

I didn't like the way Gabi glared at me.

"OK, OK, I'll be good, I promise! Someone's bitter today."
"I just don't want you to embarrass our team," Gabi told me. "Is that too much to ask?"
"I'd never do anything to embarrass our whole team," I protested, but then I thought better. "Unless you're talking about that pillow fight back in Yvresse. You're not still mad about that, aren't you? That was before the Second Dragon Games!"
"It showed me what you three are capable of when you're out of control. But you're right, it's been years since then and you've never done anything that awful again, so I'll give you some credit. Please don't disappoint me."
"That means we can go?" Tsunami wanted to make sure.
"Yes, you can go. I'll write you a note as soon as I find some suitable paper..."
"Don't forget the seven stamps," Tsunami reminded her.
"Of course, I'll give you the stamps too. Oh, there. Yes, I can write the note here. Hold on a moment."
"I'd like to battle a Water type or an Ice type. Will you please write that down?"
"Sure."

As Gabi figured out the words for her note, Tsunami started looking around. I watched him, trying to figure out what he was looking for. Gabi finished her note, took the stamps out of her wallet and Tsunami was still searching.

"What are you looking for?" Gabi asked him.
"Do you have a watertight container?"
Gabi thought for a moment. "What for?"
"For the note and the stamps," explained Tsunami. "You know... to carry them over to the MTU. They'll get wet if I take them in my mouth."
"I can get you a pouch," Gabi offered. "I have quite a few in the cabinet."
"Do you have anything like that plastic capsule we took to Glacier Peak?" asked Tsunami.
"Here? I don't know, I'll check."

She opened the cabinet, started searching, and then suddenly stopped and looked at my Vaporeon friend.

"Why do you want a plastic capsule and not just a regular pouch?" she questioned him.
"Just to make sure they don't get wet," Tsunami insisted.
"They shouldn't get wet on the way to the building anyway, and you won't have them with you while you battle. What are you hiding?"
"Er... just a little idea I had in mind."
"No," Gabi told him.
"No what?"
"You're not going to the MTU building through the underwater passage if that's what you're planning."
"But it's the fastest way!" Tsunami complained. "And it leads straight to the computer room!"
"Hold on a minute," I interrupted. "You want me to dive all the way to the MTU building?"
"It's less than a block away from the garden, and you know how to swim."
"I'm not a Vaporeon! I can't hold my breath for that long!"
"You know..." said Gabi. "You're making me rethink my decision to let you go."
"OK, OK," said Tsunami. "Caledor, I didn't think it would be too long for you, but if you don't feel like you can do it, I won't push you. Gabi, trust me, I know how to handle myself around the MTU. You won't regret letting me go."
I saw a hint of a smile on Gabi's face as she said "OK, go, but you're taking this pouch."

She produced a one-button leather pouch from the cabinet and set it around Tsunami's neck, right behind his fin crown and next to his bottle of Mystic Water. We thanked her, said goodbye to her, and off we went.

We were just leaving our branch's building when we saw Lady Bellsprout storm out past us. I had no idea what was going on with her, but I didn't like seeing someone nice so upset, so I chased after her and asked her what was wrong. She turned around and look at me like I was some sort of monster.

"I'm sorry, have I done anything wrong?" I asked her. "I don't remember even talking to you this week, but if I've done anything that upset you..."
"It's not you!" she blurted out. "Or is it? I don't know what to think anymore. You must have done something. Why else would that thing be interested in you? And you and your whole team did something alright! Although I suppose it was not your place to tell, but still... 6 years! Who did he think I was?!"
"Pardon?" I asked. "Please don't get this wrong, but you're sounding more random than myself and I work hard on my random rants! How did you manage that? Please teach me, I want to learn."
"I think what he really means," said Tsunami, "is that we didn't quite get what you're going on about. Can you please explain?"
"What did he just say?" the human asked me.
"Great, she can understand you but not me," Tsunami grumbled. "That'll work marvelously."
"I think she finds it easier to understand me because I'm a Psychic Pokemon," I said. "Yay, I have actual working useful psychic powers! Let me explain, Tsunami was just saying that I was saying that we didn't understand what you were saying. Could you please explain?"
"You're not making things any better," Tsunami warned me, but I knew how to do my job.
"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" asked Glenda. "Talking like that, I mean."
"Yes, but I can stop if it bothers you. Anything to turn that frown into a smile."
"Do you really want to help me?" she asked me.
"Absolutely! That's my mission in life: putting smiles on my friends' faces."
"Well... thanks for counting me as a friend. But... I wouldn't know where to start."
"You could start by telling me about the thing that has an interest in me? What kind of thing is it? It's hard to think of a thing having any kind of interests. Is it a living thing? Plant, animal, mineral? Is it bigger than a mouse? Is it smaller than a house?"
"You're not letting me answer you," Glenda pointed out.
I replied with a respectful silence.
"I suppose it's not really a thing, but... what do you call an alien griffin?"
"I take it this is neither a joke nor a riddle, so... an alien griffin? Unless the griffin has a name, in which case I'd... Wait, what do you know about an alien griffin?"
"Ah, so you do know," Glenda confirmed.
"Know an alien griffin? Yes, I suppose, if we can still call him a griffin. Does he have an interest in me? We're friends, I guess. He likes to call me Golden, but he likes giving his friends nicknames. It's really no big deal."
"You're friends with an extinct creature from another world and you think it's no big deal?" she questioned me.
"He's not extinct," Tsunami pointed out. "Griffins are extinct here, which - if I got it right - is why he can't keep his natural form while he's here. But he's alive just like the rest of us. And I believe you're not the reason why you're so angry."
I telepathically translated everything Tsunami said as he spoke.
"Isn't it?" asked Glenda. "Then what am I mad about, if you know so much?"
"Well, I could be wrong, but I doubt it," said Tsunami. "If you've found out about him, you must have found out he didn't come here alone. So am I right in assuming that when you said 'who did he think I was' you weren't talking about the griffin?"

Lady Bellsprout looked at Tsunami, sighed and sat down on the floor.

"Am I so transparent?" she wondered. "Or am I so dumb and simple that everyone knows what I think and feel, and everyone can fool me and lie to me like it's nothing?"
"You're not dumb," I assured. "Tsunami's just too curious and is always watching everyone and keeping up with everything that goes on."
"Just curious enough," Tsunami defended himself. "And more importantly, he didn't fool you. I know he lied about a couple of things, but they were meaningless. Just names and places. That's why he managed to keep the secret for so long, it's because he never lied about anything important."
"Were you there when we talked?" Glenda asked him.
"No, but I've known him for six years and I figured this was going to happen sooner or later. Now I'm wondering how it happened."
"He wanted me to check out the Tower of Hoeth for him because he was afraid of meeting Teclis. Only then did I learn that he'd had two interviews with Lord Absol. That made me curious... I didn't understand what interest Lord Absol could have in him... so I started asking questions and he ended up telling me. At first I didn't believe him... I thought he was pulling my leg, but then he reminded me he'd mentioned he knew a griffin from another world and now he said that was his world, and I think he tried to explain a lot of things, but I couldn't understand him. I was so confused and angry, and... I still can't believe it. We've been working together for six years! We were even... at first I was shocked to learn he was an alien, even though he says he's human which doesn't made sense. Now that still feels odd, but I'm more angry about the fact that he never told me about it. Especially when he did tell your trainer and your whole team."
"He is human," Tsunami assured. "I don't know how that works either, but there are other worlds with humans in them. I've never been there, but Caledor has. As have some other members of our team, including our trainer. That's why he told her where he was from, he knew she'd understand him, and he needed help to learn how to fit into your society."
"What for?" she asked. "Why did he come here?"
"To help a friend," I told her. "There's this weird oracle lady named Harims who always speaks in riddles, except they don't usually rhyme. She wanted to help us defeat Yssera, or at least that's what we think she wanted. But she couldn't do it herself, so she sent him and his team to help instead. I think that was because she felt we needed trainers and Pokemon and she could be neither."
"But it took us almost six years to defeat Yssera," Tsunami added. "And after all that time, and with the Black Dragon threatening us, he decided to stay. Even though neither Harims nor Lord Absol believe he can be of any help this time. I could bet he has other reasons to want to stay here."
"What kind of reasons?" asked Glenda.
"That's for you to find out, if you're interested. But you'll have to talk to him and give him a chance to explain himself. Trust me, he's a good guy. Just a bit socially awkward."
"So he really is human?"
"Yes!" Tsunami insisted. "You're not really listening, are you? I bet that's why he didn't tell you earlier. He must have been afraid you would react exactly like that."
"I am listening," she said. "It's just... so much to take in!"
"Then be glad you haven't met Tsuyoi," Tsunami told her. "Or even Rhiannon for that matter! Split-personality dimension-shifting Jolteon who also shared her body with two ghosts one of whom was her lover. Now that would have blown your mind."
"Rhiannon? Wasn't that the name of Lord Umbreon's Jolteon?"
We both nodded.
"Was she really all that?"
We nodded again.
"And who knows which world that gang is on right now? I guess they just found our Earth too boring."
"Oh, Lord! I knew they'd gone out to explore other lands, but... are you serious about this?"
"I never lie," Tsunami assured.
"That phrase would be meaningless if you did," Glenda pointed out.
"Good point, but if you knew me better you'd know I tend to get in trouble for how honest I am. I don't like deceiving others, nothing good comes out of it."
"Tell me about it!" the human exclaimed. "How come I've been working at the Dragon's Guild for so long and I never found out how complex things really were around here?"
"We don't know how complex things really are either," said Tsunami. "The Guild is full of secrets, and I'm sure everything we know is just the tip of the iceberg. The way I deal with things is by accepting them as they come. Weird things happen. We can't know everything, and we can't even understand everything we do know. What really matters is to know who's on your side... who you can count on."
"And you're saying I can count on... Eshree? That's his real name, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is, and yes, you can count on him. He doesn't know any more than you do about the Dragon's Guild and its inner workings, but he'll never do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally anyway. But you shouldn't need me to say that to you. You've been working with him for years, you probably know him a lot more than you think."
"I just didn't know the important things."
"And what are the important things?" I asked her. "His name and birthplace? Trust me on this, that's not what really matters. You've known who he is since long before you learned what his parents called him."
"You must really care for him to defend him like that," said Glenda.
"He's a friend," I replied. "I defend all my friends. And that includes you, Lady of Musical Growth."
"Musical growth?"
"I had to improvise a funny way of saying Bellsprout," I explained. "Although come to think of it, the word 'Bellsprout' itself is kind of funny. Just picture a bell sprouting from the ground... or a green branch sprouting from a bell."
"I chose that name because the first Pokemon I trained was a Bellsprout," Glenda informed me. "Although he's a Victreebel now, but I'm still fond of the name and Lady Victreebel would sound to pompous."
"If you say so," said Tsunami.
"Thanks, guys," Glenda said to us. "I would have never expected to get this kind of help from you two."

We both protested at the same time, and Tsunami said he was offended.

"Oh, sorry," said Glenda. "I didn't mean it in a bad way, I'm grateful. It's just that every time I've seen you before you were either running around, shouting at each other, throwing things around or shooting attacks randomly."
I was going to say that was just a hobby, but Tsunami spoke first: "I don't shoot randomly. Only Caledor does; I aim before shooting!"
"What, like this?" I hit him with a light Thundershock.
"Ouch! What did you do that for?!" he yelled.
"To show you how I can aim my attacks," I told him.
"That hurt. And I have to battle soon."
"You can recover," I reminded him. "But if it helps..."

He saw me glow blue and turned round to avoid being hit on his face by my Water Pulse.

"You didn't have to throw it at my face," Tsunami complained.
"I thought you might be thirsty," I said. "Hey, look! We've made the lady laugh!"
"That looks more like you two," Glenda said, still laughing. "By the way, where's your other friend?"
"Hero?" asked Tsunami. "Out there, somewhere. He likes going out for walks while Gabi's working."
"I don't think it's a good time for him to do that," she disapproved. "I've heard Fire Pokemon have been disappearing lately."
"I wouldn't worry too much," Tsunami told her. "Hero knows how to take care of himself, and he claims to be the fastest Ninetales in Ulthuan. If anyone tried to take him, it would be the kidnapper who would have to be afraid."
"I hope you're right," said Glenda. "OK, then... I suppose I should get back to work. I was planning to finish my work from home today, but I hadn't planned anything beyond that. I think it would be best to sort things out sooner rather than later."
"And I would love to watch," said Tsunami, "but I have a date with the MTU."
"That may be for the best," Glenda told him. "This is rather personal, I prefer not to have an audience."
"Er... I think I'd rather leave before I get yelled at by any more trainers," Tsunami said. "It was nice to be of help. See you!"

As we parted ways, I thought about how eventful the day was turning out to be and wondered what it would be like once we reached our destination. I think 'destination' is a nice word. It sounds a bit like 'destiny' but you can talk about it without getting philosophical, and it has as many syllables as 'xylometer' but it's a lot more common. You don't hear the word 'xylometer' a lot. And yet you do hear the word 'philosophical', which is longer. So what is it that makes a word 'big'? I was thinking about that when we reached the building. Tsunami showed the gatekeeper the note and we walked in. 'Gatekeeper' is a nice word too.

The note said Tsunami wanted to battle a Water type or an Ice type, so we were led to an appropriate training room. Before we got there, we crossed paths with a Charizard who was being chased by a Walrein. The trainer who was leading us shook his head.

"Those new transfers from Avelorn are quite a handful," he commented. "But I think that Charizard's from around here. Hold on a minute, I need to check something."

He took out a PokeGear or something like that and dialed a number. A female voice asked him what was up.

"The Walrein from Avelorn is chasing one of our Charizards towards the basement. I'm taking some visitors to a training room. Can you please send someone to make sure he doesn't cause trouble?"

There was silence for a few moments and then the voice replied that Lady Noctowl would be right there.

"Why do I have the feeling we're missing out on a lot of interesting stuff today?" I wondered.
"You can go and check if you want," Tsunami told me. "I'm the one who's going to battle. You can go and take a look around. I thought that was your plan anyway."
"I'd like to watch you battle first, but I'd also like to know what's going on over there."
"Wait a minute, I know that Charizard!" exclaimed Tsunami. "It took me a while to recognize him running away. Whatever trouble that one's getting into, I'm sure he had it coming."
"Where do you...? Oh, wait... was that the Charizard you battled at the Lava Room? The one who was mean to Amber?"
"Aha," Tsunami nodded.
"Then forget it, I'm watching your battle. I don't care what happens to a jerk like him."

We continued walking until we finally reached the training room. It was rather cold, and it had a round pool in the center.

"Here we are," said our guide, who hadn't bothered introducing himself. "Since your trainer's not with you, we'll match you up with one of the commons. And I'll stay here to watch and make sure there's no foul play, not that I expect there to be."
"I won't settle for anything but uncommon," Tsunami joked. I'm sure he remembered that 'commons' was the MTU's designation for Pokemon who weren't assigned to a trainer. The human seemed to get it.
"I suppose we can find you an uncommon common," he said, pointing at Tsunami with his PokeGear. "Let me check you up... oh, I think we have a perfect match for you. You want uncommon? Let's see how you fare against one of our new arrivals."

He spoke over his PokeGear again, asking someone to send Mirror to ASRA-2. "Yes, the Pokemon. No, the new one." Then he told Tsunami that his opponent would arrive soon.

We waited for a few moments until the water in the pool began to ripple. Slowly, a flat, crystalline shape began to emerge. These mercenary trainers must really like underwater passages. I figured that the transparent shape with oddly creepy blue eyes that was now resting on the surface of the water was Tsunami's opponent, but I'd never seen anything like that before.

I looked at Tsunami. He was studying his opponent carefully and stood silent for a while until he finally spoke.

"So... Mirror, right?"

The glass-like octagon bent over for a moment, showing how thin it was. Then it returned to its upright position. Was that a nod? I suppose it was.

"My name is Tsunami," said my friend. "If we're going to battle I'd like to hear your voice first. You can speak, right?"
"Yes."

The voice sounded cold and distant, and somewhat musical, like wind blowing through an ice tunnel. Or at least that's what it made me think of when I heard it.

"Not a Pokemon of many words, are you?" Tsunami concluded.
"No."
"He seems to be an Ice type," I remarked. "Perhaps he's afraid of ice-breakers. Or is it a she? It's hard to tell. Mirror, are you male or female?"
"Neither."
"Ah. Figures. That would explain why it was hard to tell. So... where do you come from? How do you like Sector Alpha? Do you have any hobbies?"
"I thought I was here to battle a Vaporeon."
"I know you're an Ice type, but do you have to be so cold?" I complained. "Most Ice Pokemon I know are a lot friendlier than that."
"I'm here to battle, not to make friends."
"So I suppose you're not familiar with the concept of friendly battles?"
"Just drop it," said Tsunami. "I'm here for a battle too. If Mirror doesn't want to talk, that's fine by me."

I think Mirror took that as its cue to begin the battle, because it sank into the water again... except that this time its body seemed to melt as soon as it touched the surface of the pool.

"Hey! That's my move!" shouted Tsunami, jumping into the water and disappearing as well.

Level 66 Vaporeon vs. Level 66 Cryogonal

I couldn't see what was going on under the water. Both fighters were invisible! I started wondering whether I should have gone straight to the computer room instead, or even followed the Charizard.

I tried to see what was going on by looking into the water. I saw a glint of light, and then some of the water moved around forming a circle. Then a line of ice formed under the water before melting back into it. Then a current of water moved forward, and some more water moved fast in different directions. There were a lot more water movements, and then I got tired and stopped watching, sitting down at the edge of the pool.

I felt like asking what was going on down there, or shouting out "this is the most boring battle ever", but I didn't want to break Tsunami's concentration and, knowing him, he was probably having the fun of a lifetime. But after a while I began to yawn. Not the move Yawn, of course, just regular boredom-induced yawning.

"You're not having fun?" the trainer asked me.

I sighed. I wished I had Ventura's abilities; that would have helped me figure out how the battle was going. How could a Venomoth have better extra-sensory perception than an Espeon? I could have used Future Sight, but that would have only showed me a snapshot of the battle about two minutes later, and I could bet that would still be just water. Tsunami seemed to have found his match: a Pokemon who could also melt into water, and who battled just as slowly as himself.

"I just wonder if either of them will ever get tired," I commented, as a sort of late reply to the trainer's question.

Just a second later, Tsunami jumped out of the pool with a Quick Attack. Staring fixedly into the water, he spoke to me.

"I heard you, Cale, and you're right. It's been fun so far, but we could go on like this forever. We can barely scratch each other, and we can both heal. I've been warned about this kind of opponent. This calls for a change of strategy."

As I tried to remembered who had warned Tsunami about anything like this, I saw Mirror emerge from the water just as the air turned darker and colder... and then a lot darker as Mirror hit Tsunami with what was unmistakably a Confuse Ray.

"Did you both decide to change your strategies at the same time?!" I asked, but Mirror didn't answer and Tsunami only said "Quiet! And no zapping!"

It took me almost a whole second to understand what he meant. I'm ashamed.

"I won't," I promised. "I know that Caledor physics only work on Caledors."
"Great, now there's two of you," said Tsunami, clearly confused.

While we spoke, the darkness turned into light. I took a better look at it and noticed a flow in the light: it was all focused on Mirror, who was beginning to glow.

"Tsunami, watch out!" I warned my friend.

I supposed he tried to do something to avoid being hit, but he ended up falling head first on the ceramic floor. He stood up quickly, though, and didn't seem too hurt except perhaps in his pride. He could not, however, avoid the Solarbeam which hit him square on his chest. I saw him wince and grit his teeth, but he took the full blow and remained standing. That's Tsunami for you.

When the Vaporeon opened his eyes again, there was a look of determination in them. They also seemed to look darker than usual. He opened his mouth and a dark beam emerged from it. Another Confused Ray? But Tsunami didn't know that move, which meant... he had done something amazingly difficult. No wonder he'd wanted me to be quiet! It must have taken him all the concentration he could muster to mimic that move!

Mirror fell on its back and hit the water, while Tsunami took his chance to soak his opponent a lot more, by dumping a whole load of water on Mirror's face in the form of a giant wave. As he did his, a few drops surrounded him and he absorbed them.

<Tsunami's POV>

I liked the way things were turning. While it had been fun to use all my senses to target my opponent underwater and trying to consume its stamina, Mirror had appeared to be just as resilient as I was. Hero had told me that would happen eventually, and while it had taken years, I was glad to finally meet someone who could take as many blows as I could. But, at the same time, that also meant our battle was going nowhere. It was an interesting training exercise, but I also wanted to win the battle at some point. And Caledor had shown me the right time for a change of pace when he started losing his patience. Poor kid, I didn't want to kill him of boredom.

That was why I had used Haze, turning the battle nearly back to its starting point, except that my Aqua Ring was still working. And that leads us to the moment when, after mimicking a Confuse Ray!!... ahem... and enduring a Solarbeam so well that I could still take another - not that I wanted to - I had turned the tides against my opponent and snapped - not zapped - out of confusion. Things weren't going so well for Mirror, who tried to get back up but ended up going all the way around and hitting itself again. I tried my luck with a Hydro Pump... and it hit! Of course, there was a good chance that it would, but a part of me was kind of wishing it wouldn't so that the battle would last a bit longer. As it was, Mirror was left floating on the surface of the swimming pool as the blue lights behind its frozen shield faded away.

I grew to level 67!

I turned my back on my fallen opponent and sighed.

"What is it, Tsu?" asked Caledor. "You don't look so happy."
"The battle was just starting to get good," I told him. "And then it just... ended. I was hoping Mirror would recover from my blows and try some other move, but it turns out it was not so resistant without its Acid Armor and after its Light Screen had worn out."
"Are you kidding me?! That battle was longer then my Blizzard Room battle! You were underwater for at least 5 minutes."
"I can usually stay underwater for about 20 minutes before I have to go up for air," I told him.
"That's beside the point," said Caledor.
"And the point is...?"
"I was getting bored, that's the point! And I don't get bored easily."
"Excuse me," I replied. "I thought I was here to train, not to entertain you."
"And how much do you learn from a battle that just drags on and on?"
"Quite a lot, actually," I answered. "Usually the longer it takes, the more I learn. Which is another reason why I like long battles. That, and to test my endurance. Did you see how I took that Solarbeam?"
"Yes, and I also saw your Confuse Ray."
"That was great, wasn't it? I must admit I wasn't sure if I could pull it out, but that's what training is for, right? To test your limits and learn new things. I wish Hero had seen me!"
"He would have run out of the room after the first minute," said Caledor. "He's not that patient."
"Give him some credit. He really likes watching battles."
"Only battles that he can actually watch," the Espeon pointed out. "There was nothing to be seen while you two were underwater!"
"You should really work on your psychic powers. You would have enjoyed it a lot more."
"I'd like to see you try to master those powers."
"I'd love to, but I'm not an Espeon. I get to hold my breath for 20 minutes and make the largest waves in the history of Pokemon battles, you get to deal with psychic powers. And considering how many other powers you already have, you shouldn't be complaining."
"I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering if... Never mind, this is getting too serious. Let's go to the computer room. I want to see how that machine works!"

I wondered what it was that Caledor was wondering, but there was no getting an answer from him when he was so determined to avoid being serious. We asked the nameless trainer for directions to get to the computer room, and he directed us to it. Once we got there, I was surprised to find my Group B teammates, as well as the mysterious Walrein, among other Pokemon. They were all gathered around what looked like a huge screen surrounded by plastic bubbles and microphones. The strange gizmo was sitting at the edge of a large swimming pool fro which streams of water rose up at irregular intervals, reaching different heights before falling back into the pool. I guess that made it a fountain rather than just a swimming pool. The Walrein seemed to be pestering Spark, but my Pidgeot friend ignored him.

"Hey, look who's here!" Water Angel called out, turning to look at me and Caledor. "I'm glad you could join us."
"Those two friends of yours?" asked the Walrein.
"Yes, and you don't get to play your games with them," Spark told him.
"You're such a spoilsport, you know it? What we did in Avelorn was all in good fun, and that Charizard owed me - still owes me - the prize from my victory against him."
"There we go again, he never agreed to your terms," said Spark.
"Yes, he did. You don't start a battle without agreeing to the terms. He attacked me as soon as I mentioned them, so that constitutes an agreement."

Water Angel laughed.

"He attacked while you were setting the terms for the battle?!" I tried to confirm. "How rude can he get?!"
"You don't know Gamble," Pidgeot said, his wing pointing to the Walrein.
"I don't, but you don't know that Charizard. All he cares about is fighting, and he was rude to Amber at the Lava Room."
"Gamble was rude to Spark at the Pond Room," Water Angel told me.

Spark, Water Angel and I looked at each other for a moment. Then Caledor voiced his thoughts.

"Why don't we let Gamble go back with that Charizard and stay with him? Those two guys look like they're made for each other!"
"Me and that brute?!" Gamble protested. "Do not insult me. He has no sense of honor!"
"Says the one who tried to trick us into fighting a lopsided battle," Spark told him. I wondered what I had missed.
"The battle became lopsided the moment you decided to challenge me," said Gamble.
"Really? Which side had the advantage?" Spark countered.

Gamble looked from Spark to Water Angel. He didn't seem to have an easy way out of that one.

"You know..." he said. "I don't really remember all the details about that battle. I was so shocked when I heard that you didn't know your own name that it was hard to think of anything else!"
"That's as lame as an excuse can get," Spark shook his head.
"Why won't you tell me how you got your new name? Or did you somehow remember your old name?"
"I've already told you that's none of your business," said Spark. He must have told him that while I was battling. "You don't seem to be using the computer, nor swimming, so why don't you just go somewhere else?"
"I'm using the fountain to moisturize my skin," Gamble claimed. "It's refreshing. And the streams coming out of the walls can give you a great massage."
"Perhaps we should go," Water Angel suggested. "Tsunami must be tired after his battle, and I've already done everything I intended to do here today."
"But I haven't seen how the computer works!" Caledor complained. "You said you could use it look up the meaning of words, right? I'd like to look one up. Someone at the Guild mentioned it and it sounded cool but what he said it meant made no sense."
"Sure, we can do that," the Queendra accepted. "Which word is it?"
"Xylometer."
"Oh, that's easy," she said. "It's an artifact used to determine the volume of irregular pieces of wood from the volume of the water they displace, according to the Archimedes principle."

Caledor's mouth was wide open. I laughed.

"But I can show you if you want," she offered.

For its weird interface, the machine worked just like any other computer. Water Angel used it to search an online dictionary of forestry, and the definition she found was amazingly close to the one she had provided.

"Now I know what your hobby is," I told her.
"I'm not checking dictionaries all the time, I just do a lot of reading," she explained.

By the time we got back home, Gabi was already there having what was probably her sixth cup of tea of the day. The rest of the team was also there, except for Hero. We talked about everything that had happened during the day; it turns out Gabi had run into Eshree before Glenda's return and had also tried to help him sort things out with her, but then Glenda had arrived and she'd left the two alone to talk. Gabi had also caught up with some paperwork, but hadn't got a chance to see the Deerling. Lagi offered herself to pay him a visit the next day, hoping that she'd be able to help him somehow. Other than that, everyone was getting ready for the last day of the Dragon Games, and speculating over who would win the first prize, but Gabi avoided the question claiming that she had no way to know until she had seen the battles. There weren't many comments about my own battle: everyone was glad it had gone well, but they didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary; I didn't know whether to find that disappointing or flattering.

As for Hero, we ended up having dinner without him. At that point we were all starting to worry. But he proved our fears excessive when he returned safe and sound around 11 PM. He was surprised to see our reaction, and assured us that he hadn't realized it was that late and had never thought we'd worry that something might have happened to him.

"Where on Earth were you?" I asked him. "I'm assuming you were on Earth, right? You don't have the power to travel to other worlds, but you never know."
Hero chuckled. "I was on Earth alright. Right here in Sector Alpha too."
"Ah," I sighed. "For a while I thought you might have tried to check out the mountains alone."
"Give me some credit, will you? I'm impulsive, but not suicidal. Spooky, on the other paw, is ready for a recon mission or just to act as bait the moment the Dragon Tamers call for it."
"I don't know what's creepier," I told him. "Your Hidden Power or the fact you have given it a name."

Hero grinned. I could only conclude that he liked being creepy.

"Will you at least tell us where you've been all this time?" I insisted.
"OK, OK, if you really need to know, I was with Tracker. Today was her day off. Now get off my fur, will you?"
"There is no shame in wanting to spend time with your girlfriend," Gabi told him.
"He's just being Hero," I said. "His actions don't always make sense. I think I should tell him about my battle, but I'd rather wait until he's in a better mood to talk."
"Battle?" Hero's ears perked up. "What battle?"
"And that's also Hero being Hero," I noted.
"You're not saying I'm predictable, are you? Because, if I must remind you, just a few minutes ago you had no idea where I was."
"And that's you two being you two," said Gabi. "At least it's good to know you're not possessed or anything. But I'll let you both catch up and go to bed, tomorrow will be a long day. Hero, there's some food left for you in the kitchen. Goodnight."

As Gabi left, I told Hero about my battle. He thought I was exaggerating - because he always does that himself - but Caledor was there to prove the truth of my claims, at least for the parts of the battle he managed to see. I told him I had finally met a Pokemon whom - for a moment - I thought could take even more blows than I could but, contrary to his warnings, it was fun. However, he caught me in an awkward spot when he asked me what kind of Pokemon Mirror was. I had no choice but to admit it was one I'd never seen before.

"Ice type," I told him. "Geometrical shape, mostly octagonal with V-shaped crystals covering the points. It was almost flat, and genderless, and had blue glowing eyes behind its cold, transparent armor."
"Did it look like a snowflake?" asked Hero.
"It would be creepy if snowflakes looked like that, but now that you mention it... if you take just the outline of its body, then maybe."
"It was a Cryogonal," he stated.
"How do you know?"
"Because unlike you, I like to keep up to date with the details of all the Pokemon who come to Ulthuan. You never know which one you're going to battle next."
"Where do you get that information?"
"The Guild's database, of course. I'm surprised you haven't been checking it. But you've made a good assessment of an unknown opponent, I'll grant you that."

I smiled, but didn't say anything. We'd been living together for 10 years and a half and I still felt he treated me like a cub whenever we talked about battles. But his advice was useful sometimes, so I could put up with his mildly patronizing tone. It was another aspect of my endurance, and besides, I was sure that real life would provide me with countless opportunities to get back at him for that.

[DarkestLight]

Story so nice you posted it twice :O

[Lady Vulpix]

Oops! Sorry, it must have been a glitch. I've deleted the extra post now. Thanks for saying it was nice, assuming you've read it and weren't just making a rhyme.

[DarkestLight]

No, I read it. I like Hero and Tsu's dynamic. Whole water/fire rivalry situation with a twist and Caledor is a spaz XD. The vocab paragraph was really funny.

[The Blue Avenger]

I will rate your story soon, Gabi.

But for right now, I'd like an RBG from the UAC for Kurtzwick, please, now level 25. *hands over 7 stamps*

[classy_cat18]

Kurtzwick will battle a Frillish.

[Lady Vulpix]

OK, thanks, Jeff and DL.

Recomments: Hero and Tsunami's friendly rivalry has a lot more to do with their personalities than their types. They're opposed in several ways (for instance one specializes in speed and one in endurance, and their respective observation skills are focused on completely different areas) and alike in many others (they both love attention, competition and word-fighting, they both tend to get carried away when doing something they like, and they're both very loud, among other things).

As for Caledor being a spaz... that's true only in the hyperactive and overly energetic sense, not in the retarded sense. He's actually quite smart, he just loves being silly and hates being serious. And he wasn't kidding about how important it is for him to make others smile. Metaphorically speaking, he loves making lemonade.

[Wolfsong]

I think i asked for an extension on this scneario but just to be on the safe side, i'll ask agian. I'd like an extension please. As well as an rbg for Jas L.26 winged dratini from the Caledor's Nature Protection Agency *hands over 7 stamps*

[classy_cat18]

Jasmine will battle a Cyndaquil. And extension granted.

[The Blue Avenger]

I'm here!

Point by point, Gabi:
- I really want to see Caledor's skill of balancing a beach ball come in handy.
- A puzzle wrapped in a... cloud. Caledor's mind moves in mysterious ways.
- Lady Bellsprout angry is somewhat scary.
- "What do you call an alien griffin?" "Dunno, how's about 'alien griffin'?" I enjoyed that exchange.
- Oh hey, Tsuyoi and Rhiannon. Haven't heard those names in a while.
- Caledor's tangent on lengths of words made me laugh.
- Just sayin', I really like Cryogonal, so this was a cool (no pun intended) battle.
- Having Tsunami battle someone else with his strategy was good. And his dialogue while he was confused, I liked that.
- Oh hey, it's Gamble. I bet everyone's excited to see him again.

All right. The battle was good, 5 stamps there, and the very detailed intro and outro together... I liked it. Let's say 15 stamps total.

[Lady Vulpix]

Thanks for the detailed comments! It was worth the wait. And I'm glad you liked it.

Caledor is always fun to write. And it's a good exercise in non-linear thinking (at least whenever his attempts at avoiding seriousness succeed). I must admit I don't know how balancing a beach ball would help him in real life... except perhaps as general balance and concentration practice. Hmm... come to think of it, that may have been what he had in mind all along. He does like to employ extra silliness to disguise his attempts at improving himself.

While I was writing it I started missing Rhiannon... and Ade's team in general. Not Tsuyoi, though. That's a character I'd never miss.

And yes, it's Gamble. I'm sure he would appreciate your excitement, as long as he didn't notice the ironic tone.

[The Blue Avenger]

Can I get a triple RBG for Bow, Groove Guy, and Mona, please, from the Jungle Deforestation place? *hands over 21 stamps*

[classy_cat18]

Cacnea, Budew, and Shuckle are waiting for them.

[Wolfsong]

I'd like an rbg from the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency for Darin please. *hands over 7 stamps*

[classy_cat18]

Darin will face a Wooper.