¤Game¤ Dragon Tamers Battle Range version 21 (M.A. Pidgeot)

[Angel Blossom]

Here is a piece I have written. Both battles are rather short compared to my last ones, but I don't think they've lost their quality either way. Truthfully, it was such a challenge to write Petals’ battle.

Please excuse me from the grammatical errors and the tense shifting, Karin. Somedays I can’t seem to help it, honest. X_x

Ta-da! The pampered Petals and my lovely Aerodactyl will both be battling today in the Blizzard room. The gray hyphens end the Aero’s POV, while the purple ones end the Oddish’s POV. Enough rambling. Hope you like it!

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“Oh, it’s cold out there!� I said, rubbing my cold arms. I sipped a cup of warm cocoa that Nicole, a trainer, gave to me. Petals nodded, watching me, as she sat on the table. “I wonder if Bronx minds the chilly weather�, stated Oddish, looking outside the window.

We were sitting inside of a small cabin in the Blizzard room. Chatter filled the room that was full of trainers and their Pokémon. Some of them had just finished their battle, while the others actually had a battle going on. Looking out the window with Petals, we saw Bronx standing outside. He was enduring the cold weather, although I think it didn’t affect him much. Snow covered his large, scaled feet and his large tail. Some fallen snow sat upon his big head. He had a happy smile on his face, staring at the snow and the ice around him. It seemed funny; a big, bad Aerodactyl having fun in the snow – like a tiny Jigglypuff.

“I guess he doesn’t mind!� whispered Petals, giggling at the sight. Finishing my cocoa, I smiled with her. I started to feel warmer in the cabin. It was so comfortable! I didn’t want to set foot outside, but I soon had to. Nicole and I had met before, and she said she wanted to battle both Petals and Bronx. I didn’t meet her Pokémon yet, but I knew this would be a bigger challenge than my previous battles.


I began to wonder how Jack and his Mudkip were doing. They wanted a rematch against Petals, but since Petals has grown much since then, I wasn’t too sure of that rematch occurring. Then, Eric and his Phanpy. How were they? Has Eric learned to treat Phanpy with respect? I hoped to find out about them soon.

Now, back to reality – I looked at the trainers around me who were sitting on the tables with their Pokémon. A loud boy played games with an adorable, young Charmander, which was probably his. It was funny how they both had similar features, like their big blue eyes. One very young girl had a Seel who clapped its fins. How cute! Another trainer, who seemed to be in his late 20’s, was communicating with someone. He seemed to be commanding an attack – Psybeam. As I watched him, the girl sitting next to him stated, “He’s battling his Kadabra – its psychic powers let it communicate through the walls!� I nodded and smiled, interested with the facts.

It was nice to see all of these trainers with their Pokémon. Turning back to see Petals, I realized that she was sitting on the windowsill. She was jumping, most likely eager to run outside with Bronx. They were good friends, those two. An odd pair of friends, but they understood each other. “What are you doing?� I asked, walking up from my seat. The tiny, dark blue Oddish turned it’s head around to the opposite side of where I stood, looking for me. I poked her, giggling. Her small, reddish eyes set upon me, and then she smiled keenly.


“Let’s go outside! I bet Bronx is waiting for us�, I said, picking her up from the windowsill. Since she suggested it when we were last outside, I put her in my backpack. The leaves on her head popped out of the pocket, not fitting inside. Putting the mug away, I walked down the hall, and then to the wooden door. Unlocking it, I pushed the door open slowly. I expected there to be a blizzard or something, like before.

As I got outside of the cabin, I looked around, confused. To my surprise, there wasn’t a breeze around. All there was in the Blizzard room was piles of snow and chilly temperatures. The snow that was falling before I went inside the cabin had stopped. Relieved, I pulled Petals out of my backpack and held her instead. As I walked, my feet fell deeper and deeper into the cold, virgin snow. If my feet sank in the snow, I knew that the poor little Oddish would completely disappear in there.

A few steps away were Nicole and Bronx. Nicole was sitting besides Bronx, waiting for me. Bronx had caught sight of me and smiled as he shook off the snow on his head. “Hey!� yelled Nicole, rising to her feet. She was sort of tomboyish in the way she acted and dressed, but I didn’t mind at all. I waved at her, yelling back. “Are we going to battle or what?� she said, laughing, “What took you so long?�

I shrugged, walking closer towards her and Bronx. “Just wanted some cocoa!� I said, giggling. She smiled, walking towards the battle arena. I walked with her. “So this’ll be a 2 on 2! Interesting, no?� she stated, pulling out a Pokéball. I nodded. Thinking, I decided to use Bronx as my first battler. I whistled to him loudly, catching his attention. I pointed at an icy area, which seemed to once be a small body of water. Lifting his massive wings, he quickly flew to where I pointed. “I’ll use Bronx first, Nicole.� I confirmed, watching Bronx. His large feet clawed into the icy surface. He flapped his strong wings, warming up for the battle.

“Hmmm�, whispered Nicole, tossing her Pokéball around like a juggler.

“Well, in that case, I know who I’ll use! Go, Slowpoke!�

Turning his head around, Bronx stared at Nicole oddly.

¤ Bronx the Aerodactyl’s POV ¤

Is this trainer serious? I shook my head in disbelief. Slowpoke? Hmmm, shouldn’t be hard. After all, what could a big Aero like me not be able to handle? Nicole’s Pokéball opened with a red flash, revealing the Slowpoke. Its large, puzzled eyes stared at me. Slowly, it made a noise.

“Slooow.. Poke.�

Huh? Whatever, it’s a Slowpoke. I stretched out my wings widely. I was ready to intimidate the little fellow.

¤ ~ Pokémon Battle! Bronx the Lv. 15 Aerodactyl (M) vs. the Lv. 15 Slowpoke (M) ~ ¤

“Kris, this is my battle,� I said, turning my head to her, “I can handle it.� She nodded in agreement. I was glad to know that she could trust my instinct. I lifted myself up to the air, beating my wings slowly. Her Slowpoke watched me as I circled him above in the air.

This should be easy , I thought to myself. There wasn’t anything to study about this species – they’re slow but can sometimes be powerful. I knew to be careful of its psychic abilities, which could be harmful. Quickly, I lunged at the Slowpoke, headfirst. I used an aerial tackle to start off the battle. I swooped down, flying just inches above the ice. Startled, all the Slowpoke did was look around. He was far too slow to evade my first attack, obviously. Striking the Slowpoke, he fell backwards. I flew back up into the air, looking at my opponent in the corner of my eye.

Nicole gasped, also startled with my first attack. “Slowpoke!� she yelled, worried. “Don’t be afraid to use an attack too!�

Lifting himself back to his four feet, Slowpoke stared at me, showing a somewhat angry expression in his eyes. Slowly, he began to take in the water in his body for an attack – Water Gun, probably. He held it all inside of his large mouth. He then spat out not one, but three blasts of water in my direction. I tried to evade them by using my wings as shields, which worked for the first shot. As for the other two, it was useless. He hit me with an effective water gun twice in a row. I fell a few feet, but I didn’t let myself crash down to the ice. I growled loudly, shaking my head in frustration.

We were both exhausted, but I knew the battle wasn’t anywhere near to being over. Regaining my strength, I flew up, higher into the air. My enormous wings beat into the frosty air. I knew that a Wing Attack would be great to use against this tiny fellow, so I prepared myself.


Slowpoke was obviously feeling high and mighty after his attacks. He wasn’t aware of my upcoming aerial attack. Wait ‘til he sees me , I thought, grinning with my large teeth. Beating my wings harder, I lunged down straight to Slowpoke. I held my wings back until I got close enough to him.

Opening his eyes, the now wide-eyed Slowpoke caught sight of me. Pulling my right wing back, I first hit him harshly with my left wing. Startled, the tiny Slowpoke flew up into the air. Now, when he came back down, I knew just what to do. I slammed my tremendous right wing into his body, sending him into a big pile of snow.

His big, pink head was stuck in the small hill of snow momentarily. I sniggered, finding much hilarity in his situation.

Pulling out his head from the snow, Slowpoke gasped for air. He shook his body, annoyed with what I had done to him. “Haha!� I said, placing my feet on the ice. No more aerial attacks for him.

“Gah!� whined Nicole, frustrated. “Slowpoke – Ice Beam!�

Ack – that’s a powerful attack. I had to use quick reflexes now. But since this move consisted of Slowpoke preparing his energy, there was a way to evade the attack and win. I chomped my teeth for no reason, wondering what to do..

Aha! I knew what to do.

As the Slowpoke drained in his energy for the icy attack, I sneaked around him. He watched me closely, so I had to wait until he unleashed the Ice Beam. Opening his mouth wide, a shiny blue light glared inside. It grew larger and larger, bearing off a cold feeling.

Ready to launch his attack, Slowpoke sent out the large, icy beam in my direction. Quicker than light, I evaded the attack, and then jumped behind him. Before he had the chance to turn, I grabbed onto his tail with my jaws, using a Bite attack. Pulling the alarmed Slowpoke from his tail and off of the ice, I pulled him back. Vigorously, I smashed his body back to the ice. Letting go, I flew backwards, away from him.

I observed the Slowpoke. Not one movement came from him. He laid there, still.

Nicole gasped. “Return!� she commanded, pulling out her Pokéball. Seconds after, the red glare from her Pokéball returned the fainted Slowpoke. I was the victorious battler in this match. As I grinned, Nicole called our first match to an end.

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Bronx the Lv. 15 Aerodactyl wins!
Bronx the Aerodactyl grew to Lv. 17!

“Wow, that’s an incredibly strong Aerodactyl you have there!� exclaimed Nicole, clapping. “Very nice.�

I cheered for Bronx, happy for his victory. Maybe he had an easy opponent, but it was still a great battle. He flew up to where I stood. He was worn out from the battle, but he still had the strength to smile. I gave the large Pokémon a hug, joyful for his might and determination.

Petals congratulated him. Knowing that it was her turn, she skipped down to the icy area. She held on tight to the Four Leaf Clover she had, which was amusingly sitting among the leaves on her head. Her tiny body stood on the cool ice. She shivered a little bit, but tried to stay fine.

“But now I’m going to have to give you a bit more of a challenge!� said Nicole, pulling out another Pokéball.

She tossed it, revealing.. a Metang? Bronx and I gasped.

It’s large, built body moved onto the ice.

¤ Petals the Oddish’s POV ¤

Metang?! Oh, gosh. That Pokémon could barely be effected by my attacks. I looked back at Kris, feeling quite anxious. I thought I’d have an easy opponent, like Bronx, but I guess it was the complete opposite of my assumptions.

“Don’t worry about it, Kris!� yelled Nicole, who realized that the match-up wasn’t an easy one for us. “I won’t use any super-effective moves.�

¤ ~ Pokémon Battle! Petals the Lv. 16 Oddish vs. the Lv. 25 Metang ~ ¤

Banging his massive arms onto the ice, the Metang showed he was sure of a victory. Maybe it’ll be hard, but I’m not going to let this guy beat me too easily.

I knew that the only way to have a chance in this battle was to be optimistic. Sure, he was a tremendously sized Pokémon with.. with barely any weakness to me.. but what was there to worry about? I had an idea to start off the battle – well, after his first attack. Maybe it wouldn’t be very effective, but it would train his energy to replace mine.

Banging his colossal arms on the ice, he made cracks along the surface. He swung his claw to my body, using a Metal Claw attack. He hit me swiftly, sending my body farther away from him. I slid across the ice, farther and farther from my opponent, then came to a stop.

I shook it off, continuing the battle. Luckily, my item brought my defense up. Standing up on my two feet, I showed the Metang that I wasn’t going to let him lose. Frustrated to see that I was still fine, he charged towards me.

Coming closer, he used his large arms to move him around. Once again, he tried his Metal Claw attack. His scary claws lunged down at me. I watched them move fiercely, ready to pierce into me. I wouldn’t let him get me so effortlessly. Quickly, I dodged the attack. Instead of hitting me, he slammed his right claw into the ice. Jammed in the solid ice, the Metang showed much frustration. He growled at me; his red eyes shone with anger.

“Metang!� called out Nicole, trying to instruct him during the battle. Maybe her battlers had decided on listening to her throughout the battle. However, the stubborn Metang decided to ignore his trainer and take the battle into his own hands. He did turn to face Nicole, though. His back was facing me. He did seem unaware of my potential, so I decided to show him how strong a little Oddish like I could be. Here was my chance.

I launched a few seeds from the top of my head in his direction. They lifted up into the air as the wind began to blow. They drifted with the cool breeze, carrying themselves onto his body. Then, the seeds placed themselves on his robust arms.

The Metang caught sight of my attack and tried to shake them off. He shook his arms around, but nothing happened to the seeds. They implanted themselves in him, draining some of his energy. Suddenly, the energy the seeds drained replenished my health. Feeling stronger, I smirked, ready to fight.


Growling, the Metang lunged at me. His large body crashed down in my direction. It was most likely big enough to wipe me out, so I slid across from where he would land, evading his body slam. Brutally, the Metang collided with the ice. A crackling noise filled the room. Where he had landed, large cracks began to form. It wasn’t enough to completely crack the ice, but the thought of how I could’ve been hit by that piercing attack frightened me.


Seeming VERY aggravated now, the Metang roared angrily. He beat his fists on the ice. I took a few steps away from him, very scared of his psychotic attitude. I knew I was probably wide-eyed, heh. As Nicole tried to speak to him, he snapped at her. Growling at his very own trainer, the Metang charged at me.

“METANG!� yelled Nicole, who was extremely angry with her Pokémon. Stopping in his steps, the large Pokémon turned around to face his trainer. What a wimp , I thought to myself.

“You are going to use Explosion and you are going to like it.�
Huh? Explosion?

The Metang stared at her as if she were crazy. Erm, I think he’s a little bit confused on that subject.

“DO IT�, commanded Nicole. Kris and Bronx watched from afar. I could see them – they were holding in their laughter.


Was he really going to obey her? Explosion could not only make him faint, but it could make me faint first, making me the loser. Either I could do my best to miraculously evade the attack, or I could try to hang in there.

I watched the Metang, waiting for his response.

Obviously, he had no choice. He obeyed Nicole, preparing a massive Explosion. Cautiously, I took a few steps away, observing the speed of his preparation of the attack.

Metang began to glow red, storing the energy inside before he could attack. I knew that I should run far from him, so I wouldn’t be affected as badly. As I was running away from Metang, I tripped over my own foot. Sliding down the ice, I heard the massive explosion rumble. It expanded, moving quickly in my direction. Red flames and black clouds of smoke filled the air, melting the ice behind me. Having no choice, I jumped into a pile of snow straight ahead of me.

But the attack had hit where I hid too.

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Nicole and I gasped. We leaped from our feet, realizing that the explosion made Metang faint. But did Petals faint, too? Anxiously, we were looking for Petals. As the smoke cleared up, Bronx saw a small object that stood out in the snow.

“Look, there! It’s a patch of grass!� He yelled.

I looked at it, realizing what it was. “No – that’s Petals!� I said, rolling my eyes at the silly misjudgment. Nervously, I ran up to her. Nicole quickly returned Metang to his Pokéball, and then followed after me. Digging her out, I picked up Petals. She had a horrified expression on her face – but she didn’t faint!

Petals the Lv. 16 Oddish wins!
Petals the Oddish grew to Lv. 18! Petals learns Sleep Powder!

“Someone up there must like me a whole awful lot�, said Petals, awed at the fact that she had won. I was terribly surprised too, but I was proud. I wouldn’t forget about this great battle. She was weary since the Explosion did affect her. She barely had any energy left. I clutched the fatigued Oddish tight in my arms.

“Wow, great battle!� said Nicole, who was very humble with the fact that she had lost. She put her Pokéballs away. “That Oddish of yours had a lot of determination, and your Aerodactyl is way strong!�

She smiled, giving me a thumbs-up. I smiled back, very proud of our achievements. “I don’t know what I’d do without these guys, Nicole�, I said as I hugged both Petals and Bronx. They both smiled back at me, giggling happily.

“Hey, I better go heal these guys. I’ll catch up with you at the cabin later!� I nodded, waving to her. It was nice to battle with someone who took a loss lightly for a change.

“I’ll be a Bellossom in no time!� cheered Petals, talking to Bronx and I. The large Aerodactyl smiled proudly for her. He and I both knew how much she wanted this – she talked about it everyday. I was blissful to know that Petals was closer to her goal. She had been waiting to evolve ever since I had adopted her.

Now she’s very close to fulfilling her lifelong ambition, and I’m going to get her there – without a doubt.

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[Syberia]

<Kyle’s POV>

I was immediately blinded by a flash of white as I timidly opened my eyes to look upon my new surroundings. In a few seconds, the bright haze went away, and I was able to look around the room. A curtain separated me from most of it, hanging down from a circular metal rail surrounding my bed about halfway up the whitewashed, spotless wall. That’s another thing – I found myself laying in some sort of bed. The mattress wasn’t at all comfortable, feeling instead like a stone tablet beneath my weight.

A sharp pain radiated its way up my arm as I tried to roll over, but it didn’t seem to matter. Groggily, I sat up and noticed for the first time that my whole body ached all over. My mind wandered back to the previous night… I thought I had dreamt something about Team Rocket, getting beat up by a Squirtle, then taking a ride in a helicopter. Judging by the way I felt, at least the beating at the hands of an aquatic turtle appeared to have actually happened. I was too out of it to think anymore about that right now. Whatever drugs they had given me throughout the night seemed to be doing their job. Closing my eyes once more, I collapsed back upon the bed, shutting my eyes and letting sleep take me once more.

<Pippin’s POV>

The doctor led me into a strange room of the hospital filled with several pokemon, many of them playing together on the floor in the center, as a few of their trainers watched from sofas around the edges. I didn’t know any of them, though I had only been a part of the Dragon Tamers for a month now, so what could I expect?

I was feeling much better than I had last night, and I recalled the events that took place at the airport all too well. The last thing I remembered was the body of my trainer sprawled out in the back of a helicopter, wrapped in a space blanket, his face crusted with blood. I frantically glanced over the crowd of trainers once more, but no luck. “What happened to Kyle?� I wondered aloud.

“Who?� an older-looking Bellossom approached me, her arm bandaged in a sling and her expression that of a reassuring smile.

“You know, my trainer. The one – with the Squirtle – at the airport. Kyle.� It was obvious that I wasn’t making any sense to her, but what else could I say? I was too worried to think straight.

“Calm down,� she told me in that same reassuring tone, “Did you come here with him?�

“I don’t know. I mean, I think so. They took us both on the helicopter, he was hurt pretty bad.�

“It’s gonna be alright. I think they took him downstairs for the night.�

“Is he–?� I didn’t want to say the word, but it was all I could think about.

“No, no,� the Bellossom said with a laugh, “That means he’s recovering quite nicely. They’ll probably let him go this afternoon.�

“Can I see him?�

“Well, they don’t normally let pokemon down there, but I’m sure he’ll come up here and visit you when he’s feeling better.�

“Please?�

“I suppose it’s worth a shot,� she conceded, “I’ll come with you.� The two of us, Bellossom leading the way, headed out the door, left through the deserted hallway, and down two flights of stairs to the ground floor.

“What are you two doing down here?� I froze, turning around slowly only after Bellossom had already done so.

“He wants to check on his trainer,� she explained to the old man whose voice had terrified me only moments before.

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?� he asked, and I didn’t have an answer. I felt myself being picked up by his large hands, worn soft as leather by years of use. I waved goodbye to the Bellossom as the man carried me into another large room, lined along the walls with curtained-off beds, with large paneled windows facing the road on one side.

Almost all the beds were empty, though. Everyone who could stand seemed to be huddling together in the center like some large congregation, staring with rapt attention at a small television mounted high in the corner. Among them was one whose face I would know anywhere.

<Kyle’s POV>

A loud commotion outside broke my drugged trance once more. I tried to sit up again, and this time, to my own surprise, I didn’t feel nearly as dizzy. People stared upwards beyond the curtain, focused upwards on the room’s only television hung from the ceiling; their words were lost in the sea of a hundred voices all speaking at once. What was happening out there?

The nausea still did not return as I took a few timid steps forward, pushing the green shroud aside and staring upward. On the screen was a middle-aged reporter, standing in front of the rocky debris of a collapsed structure. Planes stood grounded behind him, and I immediately recognized the place as the airport I could have easily died in the night before.

“As you all know,� the man continued in a matter-of-fact tone, “the attacks of Team Rocket over the last few days have brought with them a wave of mass hysteria. It would appear, however,� he paused, “that they have vanished from Ulthuan almost overnight. Police are, of course, working day and night on the case trying to track them down, but so far have had no success. In the meantime, I suggest you all return to business as usual. At least the weather will be nice, when we return after a few messages from our sponsors.�

I never got the chance to hear those few commercials. A sharp force knocked me to the ground on my side, hard. I didn’t even see it coming, and a soft, wet tongue now licked my face affectionately. A quick glance upwards told me it belonged to my Bulbasaur, Pippin. “You’ve got to find a better way to get my attention,� I reprimanded him sarcastically with a laugh.

My cell phone rang barely before I could get back to my feet. Pulling it out of my pocket I answered, “Hello?�

“Hey,� the familiar voice of my friend Tom (EngiMatikul) answered, “what’s up?�

“Not much. Did you hear Team Rocket’s gone?�

“Yeah, they just showed it on the news. So what’re we gonna do now that the fun’s over?�

“Well, I heard the Unicorn Games were coming up,� I explained, “and I thought I’d enter them. What about you?�

“Nah, I’ll pass. That stuff’s just not for me.�

“Wanna come and train with me anyways?�

“Hmm, I guess so. I’ve got a couple of new pokemon that could use some work.�

“Cool. See you at the stadium in a couple of minutes.� I hung up the phone and headed out through the double glass doors, Pippin following close behind. I released Strider upon the freshly cut lawn in front of the building, and the Aerodactyl emerged from his pokeball with a shrill cry and a fierce flap of his wings.

“Don’t worry, I trained him. He’s not gonna hurt you,� I comfort Pippin, who froze behind my feet in terror. I climbed up the scaly tail onto Strider’s broad back, but my Bulbasaur wouldn’t take another step in his direction. “If you insist,� I told him, taking hold of his empty pokeball, “you probably wouldn’t like flying either.� He disappeared up into the device in a beam of red, Strider beat his mighty wings hard against the serene morning air, and the two of us began to rise above the ground.

Wind whipped against my face as the city’s familiar landscape fell away and white fluffy clouds drew ever closer above. This was nothing like my ride in that police helicopter. I felt completely free as the air grew suddenly chilly. For a split-second my world turned completely upside-down; I was left clutching tightly around the slick neck of my pokemon to keep myself from falling to my death. A second later we were right-side-up again, and my Aerodactyl seemed to be rather enjoying himself.

“Hey, what was that for?� I asked sarcastically, not expecting an answer.

“Just keeping you on your toes.�

“You’ve certainly had your fun,� I respond in the same tone, pointing at a large open-air colosseum, “there’s the stadium.� My grip tightened as he began to circle slowly down, landing gracefully for a bird his size in the half-empty parking lot. I recalled him with a blaze of red as I approached the front steps where Tom was already waiting.

“What took you so long?� he asked with a smirk, “you new to flying?�

“I would have driven, except one of those damn Rockets jacked my car. If Strider hadn’t played around so much, I might’ve gotten here quicker.�

“Strider?�

“Aerodactyl,� I answered him plainly.

“You’ll get used to it. All pokemon enjoy flying, and they just like to have a little fun here and there. Strider’s not gonna let you get hurt.�

“It sure didn’t seem that way to me,� I muttered under my breath.

“You’ll learn that soon enough.�

“Maybe,� I respond skeptically, “come on. Let’s go.�

As we entered through the set of open doors, I took a look around. Never in my life had I seen this many trainers all in one place before. Several battle-hardened pokemon walked in their midst, traveling here and there while country (ugh) music played across a loud speaker amid various messages from the stadium staff.

The training arenas were built along the outer wall as I walked around the full length of the concourse surrounding the stadium itself, in which, I gathered from the frequent announcements and video feed to large screens along virtually every wall, a battle was going on presently between a Gengar and Steelix. As I watched one of the displays, the iron snake appeared to levitate against its will – hah, the ghost had it exactly where he wanted it. His flaming fist scorched across the titan’s steel jaws, and it landed with a crash back onto the hard dirt. I decided I might watch some more of that battle later, but for now I wanted to get some training in.

A sign above me read “Jungle� and pointed to the left. Posted above a single, stone-gray metal door was a sign that read “You may battle up to two pokemon in this area. Please be courteous; leave some for other trainers. Good luck, and have fun.�

“This one looks interesting,� I thought aloud to Tom, who still had his gaze fixed on the monitor displaying what was going on in the main stadium, “I think I’ll try my luck here.�

Just as I turned to walk through the doorway, I felt his hand on my shoulder. “Wait,� he called, “take this. I’ve been meaning to give it to you ever since you beat Dian at the Battle Tower. Use it well.� He deposited a small leather pouch into my hand, which revealed its shiny green contents through a small hole in its loose binding**.

“Thanks,� I said to the air in front of me; he was already gone.

“I’m gonna go check out the rest of this place,� he called back through the crowd, “good luck in there!�

Swinging the door wide out of my way, I stepped into what seemed like a completely new world. Lush green ivy covered the brick walls of a few feet of a narrow corridor before opening into a dense rainforest. My feet crunched and sank into the layer of wet leaves covering the ground while a thick mist, like steam, began to saturate my clothes with moisture. The ceiling’s glass panels created a greenhouse effect, locking the sun’s warmth below and causing me to break out in a light sweat.

I had decided exactly who I wanted to train first. My two Grass pokemon, Pippin and Chrysanthemum, greeted me out of a blinding double flash as I released them. I had a nice little surprise in store for the latter, and what better time to give it to her than now? Withdrawing the Leaf Stone from its pouch, I pressed it against her forehead ever so slightly. The magic powers it contained did the rest, and as I jumped back, the many eggs which had previously formed her body had fused into a single trunk, sprouting three coconut heads among a bouquet of frawns and palms. “Have at it, you two,� I instructed the both of them, and they quickly disappeared into the dense undergrowth.

<Pippin’s POV>

Low-lying branches and leaves stung my face as I ran, towards what I did not know. No path led through the twisting and winding maze of trees; small critters crawled and slithered over my feet if I stopped and tried to find my way. The room wasn’t all that big, but all these other things made it seem like I had ventured deep into the Amazon itself.

Water gurgled as it flowed quickly over stream-polished rocks in a grassy clearing, barely visible through the ferns in front of me. I dashed towards it, spying a flash of blue movement skittering across the surface. As I closed in, it resolved itself into the shape of a Surskit, suspended over the water’s surface on its long, spindly legs.

I issued my challenge in the form of a low roar. His response knocked me off my feet – literally. A stream of water, powerful as a firehose, bruised my chest and sent my flying a couple of feet back into a rather soft bush. This already didn’t look too good.

Shards of ice bit into the bush around me before I could react, but thankfully they were poorly aimed. The brunt of the attack was absorbed by the leaves in front of me, which cracked and broke into a frozen white powder as I leapt through them. My counterattack caught my foe off-guard as a flurry of seeds scattered around him, their creeping tendrils wrapping themselves tightly around his body, constricting his movement and using his own energy to grow even tighter.

His movement consisted solely of desperate, jerky struggles to free himself as I shelled him with exploding balls of black sticky goo. A thick froth lined the surface of the creek, swept away in its current as droplets of the sludge burned their way through the vines surrounding their target. The bug began to shriek as they reached his skin, then to hiss in pain and anguish.

What happened then, no one could have predicted. Purple lightning sparked from the still-steaming mass before exploding outward. A wave of darkness washed over everything as a black wind bit into my soul. My eyes watered; it was as if my whole body was both on fire and encased in a block of solid ice at the same time.

Slowly, the nightmare before me faded. My beautiful parasitic plants were completely gone, obliterated instantly by that spectacle of darkness. Yet somehow, miraculously, my opponent remained, just as full of fight and vigor as before, with only a couple of scars to show for that whole ordeal.

Still wondering exactly what had just happened, I noticed everything suddenly grow faint; a cool mist separated me from reality. I became dimly aware of a faint rustling behind me, but not until something struck me hard in the back did I know what I had heard.

Without thinking, I fired off another poisonous blob from the bulb on my back, striking my opponent point-blank in the eyes. Before he could do so much as move, leeching tendrils had him wrapped up once more in a cocoon of foliage. A powerful head-butt sent him flying over the forest’s canopy – where he finally landed I can only guess.

Pippin has won!
Pippin grew to level 9!


<Chrysanthemum’s POV>

I took off in a much different direction than my counterpart in this little exercise. My newly-evolved legs crushed the dense undergrowth under every step as I lumbered along. I had not long to wait before my own opponent showed itself – a small green Chikorita, though not to be underestimated, that’s for sure. I wasn’t about to let it have the first move.

The tree in which it made its home was reduced to a splintered stick poking out of the ground by wave after wave of exploding black eggs, but when the flurry of fluttering leaves subsided, my opponent was completely unharmed, shielding itself with some sort of pink barrier. Two can play at that game. I erected my own forcefield just in time to watch a blob of toxic goo splatter off of it and land with a steaming hiss on the ground.

Standing my ground as he advanced on me, head lowered in an charging position, I grabbed him at the last possible moment with my mind and sent him, struggling against the invisible bonds that held him, crashing through what remained of his tree. His resolve, however, did not cease to amaze me.

His whipping vines caught me off guard, wrapping themselves around my legs and wrestling me to the ground as I tried to hypnotize him into a deep slumber, but my eye contact was broken as I hit the ground with a loud thud. Without warning, the ground began to spit forth rocks all around me, some glancing off my thick bark and others leaving rather painful bruises on my extremities. That wouldn’t do at all.

All I could do was grit my teeth and erect another weak shield to protect me from most of it until the barrage ended. I couldn’t quite get back to my feet, as I was in a rather awkward position and still getting used to my new legs, but alas I managed to levitate back to an upright position using my mind. A pretty neat trick, I might add.

My foe squealed as he involuntarily lifted off the ground and slammed hard into another tree. I wasted no time wrapping him up in a thick and rapidly growing layer of vines and blasting him with another round of explosive eggs. He got up weakly, then collapsed back into a defeated heap.

Chrysanthemum has won!
Chrysanthemum grew to level 14!
Chrysanthemum learned Leech Seed!


<Kyle’s POV>

I contemplated the utter quietness of the jungle. Nothing but the rock I had chose to sit on and the cool mist splashing against my face kept me company. I waited… surely they’d be back soon.

No sooner had I said that than a rustling in the bushes caught my eye. Moments later Pippin stuck his small blue head into the clearing, and a second later he was sitting beside me.

“How’d it go?� I asked him, but even before he could answer I knew that he had done well.

Chrysanthemum came lumbering along not far behind, her new body served her quite well. Aside from a few bruises and scrapes here and there, she appeared to be all in once piece. “Two down,� I thought to myself as I recalled the two and stepped back into the rushing crowd of people, leaving the jungle room behind for now.


** I did not just make up an item. EngiMatikul gave me the Leaf Stone at the Battle Tower for defeating his Volbeat a week ago.

[classy_cat18]

This is the first part of my Pond Room Scenario. Also, I made a little mistake with Swoop's moves. I thought she knew Tackle when it was actually Peck. *cringes* Please don't hurt me!

Shonta’s POV

“Sorry about that. Green likes to play tricks on people,� Tony told me as I walked out of the Jungle Room. The Chikorita next to him snickered.

“Wait a sec…you named your Chikorita Green?� I asked. “You couldn’t come up with a better name?�

“He was the one that chose the name! He also named Blue.� He picked up Green. “Anyway, I won’t be doing anything until Blue fully recovers from the poison, so I’ll just stay here for a while. Which room are you going to next?�

I looked back at the doors; the ones we hadn’t gone through were the Pond Room, the Desert Room, and the Blizzard Room. The last thing I wanted to do was freeze my butt off. “I guess the Pond Room.�

“You should have a Water Pokemon for that,� he advised. “Flying Pokemon would also do well there.�

“Thanks. I have one of each.� I went through the Pond Room door and immediately entered the room. It wasn’t called the Pond Room for nothing; it was basically just a large pond and a small platform for the trainers. The other trainer was already on the platform, sitting down. “Excuse me! I’m here for a match!� I yelled to the other trainer.

The other trainer, a girl with a long blonde ponytail and a jean skirt with a white blouse, stood up and smirked. “So you’re here for a match with little ol’ me?� she asked with mock innocence and a Southern belle accent.

“Yeah! Two-on-two!� I started to throw Swoop’s pokeball and then stopped. She got put to sleep by that Grasswhistle. What if she’s still asleep? I decided to just open it so she would be on the platform with me. She was awake…barely. “You feel like battling?� I asked her.

She yawned. “I guess so. Just give me a few minutes.� She flapped her wings while standing on the platform.

“I don’t have all day! Totodile, go!� the trainer yelled. She threw a Lure Ball, and light exploded on the surface of the water. The Totodile bobbed in the water and growled.

“Just give us a few seconds,� I told it.

“I don’t have a few seconds!� Totodile screamed.

“Swoop?� I whispered. She was fast asleep.

I watched him dive underwater. This water is so clear! I can see all the way to the bottom! Hey, what’s he doing? He opened his mouth, probably to scream his head off. The next thing I knew, my platform shook violently and I was on my butt. The other trainer was hanging onto the bars.

Swoop awoke suddenly and puffed her feathers. “What in the world was that?� she shrieked.

“My precious Totodile has a powerful voice,� the other trainer explained with a smug voice. “His Water Pulse can tear your platform apart! Now feel the wrath of Dixie and company!� She tilted her head back and cackled wickedly. “Do not mess with the South!�

Oh brother. I bet she’s not even from the South. More like the West. The Wicked Witch of the West. I pulled myself up on shaking legs.

Swoop hopped on the railing. “Bring it on!� she shouted.

L8 Female Taillow (Swoop) vs. L8 Totodile

“Wait for it, Swoop. You can’t do anything while he’s underwater,� I told her. She hovered above the water while Totodile just floated in the water. I started to get bored and leaned on the railing. Little fish swam among the aquatic plants. A Goldeen actually swam right beneath my platform. I leaned forward to get a closer look.

Dixie lifted her right arm to the side and smirked. I looked down to see Totodile screaming again. The platform shook again, and this time I nearly flipped over the railing. “Um, quit stalling, darlin’,� Dixie growled.

I crossed my arms. “Why don’t you have Totodile attack my Taillow instead?� I asked with anger rising in my voice.

“Good idea.� She lifted a pointer finger to the sky. Totodile looked at her from underwater and dove even further. Swoop hovered high over the surface of the water and watched Totodile pick up speed and shoot out of the water.

“It’s airborne!� Swoop said in awe, looking up at him.

“Totodile, Iron Tail!� Dixie commanded.

I was frozen as Totodile’s tail glowed and he started to do a forward flip. “Swoop, um, um…Counter!� Swoop’s body was surrounded by an aura, and Totodile was thrown back in the water. That was close. This Totodile is stacked with technically learned moves, making it very unpredictable.

“What should I do now, Shonta?� Swoop asked me. She was hovering in place again.

“We’ll have to wait until he comes out of the water to attack,� I told her.

“Totodile, HYDRO PUMP!!!� Dixie shrieked. A blast of water bursted out of the pond and grazed Swoop’s wing. A little bird fact: songbirds’ feathers aren’t waterproof.

“Swoop! Can you still fly?� I asked her frantically, practically lying on the railing.

She was struggling just to stay airborne. “I just need to air-dry it. Ow!� She sunk a lot lower, to the point that she almost hit the water. The force of the Hydro Pump probably broke it. She started to fly over to the railing. “Just give me a second.�

“No. I’m throwing in the towel!� I told her.

“I’m fine!� Swoop yelled. She flapped her injured wing, wincing from the pain.

“It seems that your little Taillow is ready to become croc chow,� Dixie sneered. “Totodile, put the little birdie out of its misery with another Iron Tail.�

Oh man. I can’t help her! I can’t even swim! I plopped down on the platform.

Totodile was already up and above the struggling Swoop, its tail glowing. This is it! I turned my head away.

“Ha!� Swoop crowed. I opened my eyes in time to see Totodile missing her and crashing back into the water.

“What?� Dixie and I said together.

“You all were SO fooled! I tucked in my wing right before the Hydro Pump hit!� Swoop said. She did a Dixie-style laugh as she hovered.

“You dare trick us?� Dixie growled.

Swoop turned her back to Dixie. “Bite my feathery butt.�

Dixie let out a scream loud enough to make my ears ring. “Hydro Pump, Totodile! Shoot that winged rat out of the sky!�

Winged rat!?! “Swoop, in front of you!� I told her as a column of water shot at Swoop, who backed up.

“Behind you!� Another Hydro Pump was aimed at her tail feathers.

“Right under you!� I yelled. Swoop did a barrel roll.

Dixie was going crazy at this point, pulling at her ponytail and screaming in anger. Totodile’s head was out of the water, and he looked the same as Dixie. “I’ll get you!� Totodile yelled, shaking a fist at Swoop. The Taillow swooped in and pecked Totodile on the head. “Stop it!� He swung his claws at her but missed, giving her an opportunity to peck him again. “Stop doing that!� He went underwater again and jumped at her. Taillow Quick Attacked him head on.

“Would you tell your Taillow to stop harassing my Totodile?� Dixie asked me.

“Let me think…no.�

“Then she’s going to get it! Totodile, one more Iron Tail!�

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t want to do that,� I warned as I watched Totodile jump out of the water again.

“Time for a Counter attack,� Taillow groaned. Another red aura surrounded her body, and Totodile was repelled from her. He belly flopped in the water…hard, and sunk in the water with a groan. “You…are…out of here.�

Swoop won and grew to level 9!

I smirked at Dixie as she glared at me and returned her Totodile. “Did you see that? Now that is the wrath of the South,� I mused.

“What do you mean?� she asked me.

“You messed with a real Southern belle. Now you’re going to get it. Now choose your second Pokemon so I can get out of the way of that big ego of yours.�

[Lady Vulpix]

Shonta gets 9 stamps. Well done! That Swoop is an interesting character. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
I've printed the other 2 battles, so I'm reading them later today and I'll post the ratings either today or tomorrow.

[Charizard04621]

Btw, Shonta, almost about anything with a spine is capable of performing a decent tackle, whether or not it knows the move. It's not a big error. Not like you made your Taillow breathe fire or something.

Anyway, here's another part of my story. The battles will come later. Btw, Gabi, would you like me to rate any of the others?

My POV:

Somehow our bodies managed to move onwards to our destination, although our thoughts remained back at that dark forest, still trying to find Élan in the blackness, hoping that he would come back again and that his departure was only a figment of our imaginations.

Lune and Evenstar walked in the lead, guiding us forward in the ice storm. Switchblade, unlike his usual self, had retreated into his pokéball, not in the mood to walk. He and Élan had shared a close relationship, and the Unown G’s sudden departure had come as a painful shock to him. Now he was in a weary mood, unsure of himself or anything else.

Switchblade, the *male* Porygon’s POV:

My heart felt empty. I had no desire to come out of my pokéball ever again. Why should I, if my friends were just going to leave anyway? I didn’t need to eat. Heck, I didn’t need to breathe. What kind of pokémon was I? I served no purpose. There was no point to my existence. I might as well have expired right then and there.

My POV:

Cold winds howled all about us. It was difficult to see, or even breathe. I had to shield my eyes from the sharp bits of ice that the storm was flinging at me. Within seconds, my ears were numb from the cold.

This was the worst possible environment that I could ever find myself in. I hated the cold. No matter how warmly I dressed, it could always get right through my clothing to me, to place a chill on my heart. I shuddered. I should have worn a balaclava. I had thought about it, but then I’d look like a thug. It was a difficult choice. Look like you’re going to rob a bank, or let the skin freeze off your face. In the end, I tossed a coin. It was painful suffering under cold’s vicious fangs for me.

When the storm abated a bit, I gazed in despair at the empty white expanse. It was void of all life, a land of snowy mountains and nothing else. In despair I trudged on, finding it harder and harder to move as time passed. The storm picked up again, as if the temporary moment of eerie silence had simply been its eye. It howled in laughter, and I thought I could hear it jeering at us, thinking it funny that it could deny us even a moment of rest.

Then, I heard voices. I became convinced that I was losing my mind. But this voice was not evil, like the winds; it sounded heavenly. In fact, I thought I heard a sweet melody echoing through the ice, a beautiful song that relaxed me and began to thaw out my soul. I likened it to the voice of a seraph, whose high voice lifted spirits up above the clouds. I began to wonder if I had died and gone beyond. But then another voice joined the song, bringing back a taste of reality. It was a strong voice, male, and although the singing was wonderful, I knew that it was human. The element of fantasy had vanished, and I began to reprimand myself for letting my imagination run wild. Of course I hadn’t died! What made me think such a silly thought?

Eventually the singing stopped, although I wished that it would go on. Lune and Evenstar, ahead, were picking up their pace, and without the music I wasn’t very sure where I was going. I found it difficult to see even a few inches in front of my face. I was about to fall to my knees in despair, hopelessly lost, freezing, and miserable. But then the talking began. At least I could hear where it came from… “You like that song, Cloudburst? Yeah, I like it too. We’d better stop before we lose our voices, though. Especially since we’ve sung that six times in a row. Hehe.� That voice sounded vaguely familiar. Had I heard it before…? Or was I imagining things?

He was answered by an enthusiastic “Azu!� And, despite her trainer’s advice, the Azumarill began to sing again. She simply wouldn’t stop. I didn’t mind – I enjoyed her singing, too – but I was too bothered by my question to really pay much attention to the melody.

…Where had I heard it before? By this time, I had started to run towards the voices, and I only now noticed it. I had to find out who that was… I had to know who had that voice… I pushed myself forward, disregarding the sharp sleet that pounded on my face. My heart beat frantically, but I did not care. All I knew was that I wanted to reach that sound and that I was going to do it. But the fog was thick… When the silhouettes of Lune and Evenstar vanished into the distance, I began to slow down, afraid.

“Whoa there! Settle down. Wow, you’re heavy. Hey, Cloudburst, wait up for a minute. Your singing woke her up again. It’s a good thing she’s only a baby… She’s a lot to carry.� The pokémon’s singing abruptly stopped, and I heard a hurt whining. I couldn’t really blame her. She had such a lovely voice, but what do you do when your singing’s supposed to put opponents to sleep and actually keeps them awake instead?

“Aww, it’s okay, Cloudburst,� said her trainer. “Who wants to hear a song that’ll put them to sleep anyway?� There was a slight pause, during which I could hear happier responses from the Azumarill. Then I heard a little gasp. “Where did you guys come from? You can’t be wild pokémon randomly wandering around in this storm. Hello?� he called out. “Anyone out there?�

“Y-y-yes,� I answered almost inaudibly, teeth chattering. As I approached the voices slowly, I saw two distinct shades in front of me. I drew closer. An outline of an Azumarill and her trainer emerged. Close by I also saw Lune and Evenstar.

“Hey, it’s you! Hi, by the way.�

“Huh?� I walked closer, and then stopped dead in my tracks. Michael. “I knew it… I knew I recognized your voice from somewhere. It just took me a while.�

“So, how have you been?�

“Busy. It’s been hectic. A lot of things have happened. I’ve been trying to train my pokémon and all that…� At that point, I noticed the bundle in his arms. “What is that?�

“Oh, her?� He handed the squirming pokémon to me. I felt as if he had placed a leaden weight in my arms. “We found her in the snow. There are still bits of eggshell on her fur. We’re not sure where she came from, but you can have her.� The little pile of white fur squirmed some more. I could not imagine how such innocent looking fur could be so heavy. “See? She likes you.�

I smiled hesitantly, then began to pick the eggshell bits out of the baby Absol’s fur coat. Absol were born to handle inclement weather, but she was a newborn, and it was surprising that she had a layer of fur at all. I had to remove the wet pieces of shell and dry her up before she froze to death. “What brings you here?� I asked Mike, trying to keep up the conversation. I shuddered, hugging the Absol closer. She had gone back to sleeping now.

“Boredom. We’ve been wandering around, battling mostly, but seeing other stuff too. Cloudburst and I have been working on our singing.� He grinned. “I heard that you were coming, so I thought that I would pay a visit.� He paused, then walked up to me. “By the way, take my coat.�

“Oh, no, but I-�

“No buts,� he said, taking off his coat and placing it on my shoulders. Instantly I felt much warmer. It was thick, but soft on the inside, with non-staticy furry stuff around the neck area, the most comfortable thing I had worn in my life. I needed to get one of those. Mike laughed. “I don’t mind the cold,� he told me, “But you look as if you’re about to die.�

“Heh heh… Yeah, I hate cold weather. I feel like an icicle.�

“Nah. You just look like someone who’s used to a warmer climate and definitely not in her element.�

“That’s not supposed to be a good thing, is it?�

“No, but it’s not bad, either. Here.� He placed his arm around my waist. “Cloudburst, take the lead.� He turned to me, somewhat amused. “You still look like you’re going to die. There are a couple of cabins back where I came from. We’ll bring you there. It’s warm and you’ll feel better. Come on.�

The coat was nice, but it didn’t cover my poor ice-abused face. Feeling half frozen, my brain numb, I let him lead me, the Absol still in my hands, with Lune and Evenstar following behind.

Lune, the male Eevee’s POV:

Surprisingly, the cabin was a lot warmer than the outside surroundings. From my position in the snow, it looked like a rundown shack incapable of providing comfort to anyone, but the inside was quite spacious and extremely well insulated. It just went to show that you couldn’t judge things from their outside appearances.

There were a lot of things in the cabin. A large refrigerator containing food stood in a corner, next to a sink, which lay under a stove. There was a drawer in that counter where you could find a good amount of cutlery. Above, in a cabinet, were neatly arranged plates and bowls of many sizes.

Karin sat on a leather couch at the opposite end of the room with the other trainer’s coat wrapped around her and the baby Absol in her lap. I looked at the sleeping pokémon, who lay curled up comfortably, her chest heaving gently as she breathed. She slept so peacefully, like an angel… I wished that I could have that kind of sleep. Nowadays I felt better, but from time to time ancient nightmares troubled my mind, and I was always a light sleeper. The slightest sound could wake me. When I was not asleep, I usually felt tired.

I remembered the trainer she called Mike from a long time ago… Except the last time, he had a friend with him – Jason – who was just as capable. Mike was a bounty hunter who scarcely lost track of his quarry. But he and his partner never chased after anyone if they didn’t feel like it, and basically did anything they wanted. They did not work for pay, nor for any other living being on the earth. Whatever they did, they did for themselves. Such independence gave them great power; with their pokémon, they were pretty much invincible.

“How do you feel now?� Mike asked Karin.

“A lot better, now that I’m not freezing to death out there. Thanks.�

“I know something that’ll make you feel even better,� he said. “A cup of my hot chocolate. Ask Cloudburst. It’s to die for.� The Azumarill chirped brightly in approval.

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself…�

“It’s no trouble. I want some anyway, and if I don’t make a lot, my pokémon will eat me.�

Karin smiled. At that moment, there was an explosion. Literally. The door burst open, and some sort of smoke cloud rushed in. A second wave of smoke, jet black this time, filled the room. Not wanting to take any chances, I threw myself to the floor, covering my mouth and nose with my paws, and closing my eyes. I heard a lot of commotion, and then felt the air get less thick, colder. Then the door shut.

I opened my eyes to find Mike just taking his arm away from his face. The Absol in Karin’s lap was gone, and she was in a deep sleep. Evenstar lay beside her, out cold. The Azumarill was missing.

“Sleeping gas,� Mike coughed. He tapped a pokéball, and Cloudburst emerged again, unharmed because she had been quickly recalled. “That bastard took off with the Absol. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one that brought her here in the first place. I don’t know what he’s planning to do with her, but I heard him mutter something about ‘testing’ under his breath.�

Unicorn Gate. The laboratory.

“I’m going after him. There’s no way I’ll let him do whatever sick things he wants to do with that poor Absol.�

“I’ll come with you,� I told him.

“Fine. We have to move fast.� He tapped another pokéball, and out from it emerged a powerful Electabuzz that I might have seen before. “Blitz, make sure no harm comes to her.� He pointed at Karin, who lay unconscious on the couch. “That kind of sleeping gas is bad. We should be back before she wakes up.�

Cloudburst and I scurried out of the cabin, followed by Mike, who closed the open door.

[*Murkrow]

I finally got my last battle from the previous scenario done o_O I managed to incorprate that Xols loss at the BT into this in her reactions, which made it easier to write. The ending is rather, um, bad/sudden, but I just ran out of steam and can't write endings anyway.
Now at last, I can get started on the new one.
*Staggers off*

-------------


~Xolotle~

Come and get me.
Come on.
I snarled and dug my claws deep into the concrete; across from me, the Pokémon swayed, its gaze intent, waiting silently for its trainers command.
Tensing, I crouched low.
Silence.
Then came the muffled whisper.
The Pokémon snarled and plunged forward.

The lights above flickered, light and dark, shadows shifting over the rough ground.
We’d followed the track from the park, trekking over the damp earth, feeling it change from the clammy, soft dirt to cold, firm concrete as we left the boundaries, and prepared to enter the industrial estate that loomed beyond.
The buildings that had lurked in the mist and darkness had rose above us, lights now blazing into the night. Shadows flicked across, workers hurrying, earning their keep.
Below these, the lesser buildings had crouched, silent and watchful, surrounded on all sides by silver threads, chain-links, glistening in the night.
Defaced signs hung limply, warning those who passed to stay away, the usual; CCTV, guard dogs, night patrols.
Empty threats-nothing stirred in any of the yards, no silent footsteps, no lurking shadows.
One camera was mounted directly on a fence; shattered, its cables swaying in the light breeze, the remnants of its glass face littering the ground beneath it.
It wasn’t a place that you’d want to linger in.
Weeds clogged the narrow pavements, dank, clingy vegetation, forcing you to move onto the road, where the dark tyre marks shifted under the light, illusions of movement.
The roads criss-crossed, dead-ends, twisting surfaces leading to cold, closed doors, shuttered against the night.
In front of one, a guardroom, locked, dark, quiet.
Following the curving surfaces, we’d pressed on further, away from the silent buildings, towards the scorching, stinging smell of industry.
Great flashes lit up the night as doors were dragged open, and over everything, hung a low, slashing, grinding murmur that echoed around the dark corners, slid over the open surfaces.
But the roads continued on, streetlights now lining the way, casting their blanketing light over all.
Leading into the expanse of a housing estate.
Tussocks of grass rippled in the patches of gardens, writhing around glinting metal dustbins, shaking slightly in the breeze.
Behind the gardens, the houses loomed, pale, cracked bricks holding together, around dimly lit windows, the light flickering gently from behind the drawn curtains.
Some windows were boarded up, eerie reminders of the abandoned boathouse in the park, beside the shifting lake.
Then we had stopped.
The roads met, forming another dead-end against our passage.
Except.
Between two houses there was an opening, the path to the backyard, the gate fallen away, rotted from its hinges.
There was no other way, so we ran.
Up the path, across the concrete lined yard, over the ragged, tattered fence, into the adjacent yard, tearing with all our might across, against locked, barrier gate.
Slashing it open.
Behind, the fence snapped.
Out into the road, putting as much space between us, finally skidding to a halt.
He’d decided to have another stab at it, obviously. One defeat wasn’t enough, so he wanted two, but using a different Pokémon this time.
And when I saw what it was, I hadn’t hesitated.
‘Keep out of this’
I hissed softly to Hannah, eyeing my prey.
Getting my revenge would be fun.

Fight!
Xolotle (Sneasel L7 F)
Vs
Squirtle (L15)

The turtle squealed angrily as it hurtled towards me, head lowered, feet pounding the hard ground, the exertion flashing across its face.
Feet away, I closed my eyes, smiling.
Around my body, an aura shone, which rippled, sweeping outwards, enclosing me in a shield of orange light. The Squirtle smashed into it, legs frantically scissoring the air as its attack slowed, the power behind it slipping away.
The shield broke, it fell forwards.
Straight into my claws.
From the left, from the right.
Smacking it as fast and as hard as I could.
‘Withdraw’
It grunted and pulled its head in, tucking its legs away, until all that remained was its lightly glistening shell.
Snarling, I dug my claw into the rough outer-shell, tearing down as fast as I could.
Nothing.
From across the road he laughed.
‘Keep that up, please. It’s working perfectly.’
Oh shut up.
I hesitated, then head butted the shell as hard as I could, sending it crashing away.
The impact tore into my mind, but I gritted my teeth and ignored it.
I had to concentrate for this; I closed my eyes, seeking out the attack.
There.
I forced open my eyes, focused on the lifeless shell, and sent the stream of ice particles drifting towards it, sparkling gently, even in the darkness.
‘That Sneasel of yours needs to learn some battle strategies….Squirtle, Mirror Coat that Powder Snow back at it.’
Oh no.
In an instant, the Squirtle was back on its feet, as the approaching cloud of ice loomed in front. A red glow formed round its body, gathering the ice around it, pulsing, then the ice exploded, doubling in size, hurtling back, smothering me.
I shivered as the ice cuts into my fur, forcing myself to ignore the pain, instead focusing my eyes back on the Pokémon that even now was leering at me from across the road; not an attack, but proof of what it thought of me.
Angrily, I extended my claws and hurtled towards it.
‘Double Team.’
Its body blurred, then suddenly multiplied, surrounding me.
Ha. Got you now.
I spun round, my head-feather beginning to shine. Not hesitating, I accelerated, smashing into one of the blurred images.
The Squirtle rocked backwards, shrieking, as the rest of the clones vanished.
Jumping forwards, following its fall, I unleashed the cloud of ice, which floated over, enveloping it completely; its gasps, choked, as the cold seeped into it.
‘WHAT? A Special Attack from something like her should have done barely any damage, even without Squirtles resistance.’
I turned and smirked at him.
‘See this?’-I indicated the earring on my head-feather-‘it raises my Special Attack so I still damaged the Squirtle.’
He swore quietly under his breath, then looked past me and screamed.
I glanced back at the Squirtle and jolted in surprise-it’s form was frozen, encased in a block of ice.
I shifted my weight carefully, wondering what to do now-there was no hint that our opponent was going to forfeit, but if I attacked then I’d end up knocking the Squirtle free.
I chanced a glance at Hannah; she shrugged, and mouthed ‘whatever you want’.
All right then, I’d try and combo my attacks to prevent it from getting a hit in.
Extending my claws again, I darted forward and began slashing at the ice, tearing great chunks out, splintering it over the road.
Its leg twitched, then tensed, causing the ice still attached to it to explode, falling away.
I dropped down, spun to the right and smacked it with my feather, sending it spiralling back.
One last thing; I charged straight on and heat butted it again; it went hurtling away, mouth open in a silent scream.
Except it wasn’t screaming.
A stream of small, blue bubble poured from its mouth, hurtling towards me; I ducked, dodging to the left, but it twisted its head, following me.
One of my claws snagged into the ground, I stumbled, then crashed side ways as the bubbles rocketed into my side, exploding on impact, sending a spray of water over my side.
I could feel the water seeping into my sides, feel it sinking into my fur, my skin, my muscles.
I dug my claws back into the ground and struggled up, forcing my muscle to respond.
But something was wrong-I was trembling with fatigue, unable to properly stand, my response sluggish.
The Squirtle lowered its head again and charged.
Before I could react, it made contact and hurled me back, before leaping up, and sending another stream of bubbles towards me.
I gasped closed my eyes, trying to ignore the driving pain.
Above, the darkness shifted, as something stirred.
White.
White light streamed down as the darkness swirled round the glowing orb that was pulsing in the sky.
The pain was seeping away, the weakness in my limbs, the fatigue of my whole body, all vanishing.
The sluggishness was still there, but I could feel my old self-returning, as I leaped to my feet, replenished.
The Squirtle hissed at me, lips bared.
Its tail twitched into view, swaying, twisting in a pattern that drew the eye to it.
But I’d seen Archies earlier battle.
Instead of following the pattern, I instead focused directly on the Squirtle, feeling my eyes pulsing with the power of my gaze.
‘Don’t let it lower your defences, Squirtle, use Withdraw again.’
And it disappeared inside its shell yet again.
I looked up at the shifting darkness, now devoid of the pulsing light that the moon had brought.
Then I looked at the silent figure in front.
My claws began to throb, as pulsing light gathered there, black, purple, blue, spinning round, merging at the tips of my claws, forming orbs of blackness.
I smirked, and in an instant, brought my claws forward-the orbs flashed and combined, before hurtling forwards, sparking with dark energy, the pulsing light writhing across its surface.
My aim was spot on.
The ball struck, sizzling, directly at the gap revealed when the Squirtle drew its head in.
Briefly, from the shell came a muffled whine, but the wind caught it, tearing the sound away, as the shell was sent shooting back, crashing to the ground, metres away.
Nothing.

I won!
I grew to L9!
I learnt Quick Attack!

A flash of red, and the defeated Squirtle vanished, returning to its Poké Ball.
Before I’d even turned round, the trainer had gone, vanishing into the dark.
I smirked again and trotted over to Hannah, flicking my head-feather proudly; she glanced at me, raised an eyebrow and gave me a half-smile.
Fine. Be like that

[Linc]

I guess I'll try to make my battles longer.

Linc's POV
---------

After Shadowfax's (Aerodactyl's) battle with the Ralts, we decided to continue through the Blizzard Room. Climbing over walls of ice, hiding under something through the hailstorms, it was getting pretty cold. I sent out DarkHound (Growlithe) to use his Flamethrower and keep a steady flame to keep my Pokemon and me warm, then Shadowfax joined in with another stream of flames to keep us warm. Then, finally BurninMouse (Cyndaquil) joined in with his flames that are on his back keeping us surrounded by warmth. All of a sudden, a strong pain took our minds at first it seemed like nothing, but it became stronger and stronger and we fainted from the pain. We woke up in a dull cave, with a pair of glaring eyes looking right at us. “Get out of my region!� it said in a dopey voice. BurninMouse (Cyndaquil) shined his flames on the eyes. The flames showed a Slowpoke high up on a ledge of ice. “If you wanted us out of your region, then why did you bring us here?� I shouted up to it. It pondered for a moment, then it shouted back “Uh… that doesn’t matter! I’ll make sure you get out!�
“Alright BurninMouse, it may be stronger than you by a lot, but you’re on!� I signaled my Cyndaquil to attack and it flared up its flames ready to battle.

Battle! Lv.5 male Cyndaquil vs. Level 15 Slowpoke

BurninMouse’s POV
~~~~~~~~~~~
All right, my first battle. The flames on my back roared, and my teammates were cheering for me. I couldn’t let them down. “BurninMouse! Use Ember!� I aimed at the Slowpoke and blasted. My stream of fireballs missed, but they melted the ice ledge it was on top of. It stumbled and fell to the ground and landed with a thud. The ice on the floor beneath it cracked, but did not break. “Now use Tackle!� I dashed forward and slammed into its side, but it barely moved. Instead, it Tackled me back, and spit a big drop of water at me. I dodged it, I tripped and fell on the ice the Slowpoke had broken. It Tackled me again, but this time from the top, making me break the ice. I screamed as shards of ice stabbed into my body. My hearing was muffled, but I heard my trainer shout “BurninMouse, return!� I closed my eyes as a red beam of energy sucked me up…

New Pokemon! Go! Lv.6 Male Growlithe vs. Lv.15 Slowpoke

DarkHound’s POV
~~~~~~~~~~
BurninMouse… he’s dying all because of that Slowpoke. I will win. “DarkHound, Flamethrower!� I launched a stream of flames that hit the Slowpoke and melted the ice around it, surrounding it with water. “Now use Bite!� I dashed at the Slowpoke and bit down as hard as I could. The Slowpoke let out a sharp cry as I tasted blood in my mouth. I threw it in the water and it lay there motionless. Without warning, it jumped out of the water and tried to attack me, but I dodged it and jumped over the water. “Too slow,� I said as I launched another stream of flames that sent the Slowpoke flying into the wall. I walked over to it to make sure it was knocked out. I sniffed it, and decided it was.

I won! I grew to level 8! I learned Ember!

My POV
~~~~~
DarkHound leaped over to me and said “Thank you for letting me get revenge for BurninMouse, Linc.�
“Don’t thank me,� I said, “You’re the one who beat the Slowpoke!�
We left the Blizzard Room, and went to the healing center to help BurninMouse.

[Charizard04621]

Hannah - Beautiful, as usual. Like I said before, I love your writing style. Your descriptions come alive. By the way, I'd better correct your in-game knowledge before you go off making a mistake in an important battle or something. Flying and Ghost type attacks are Physical attacks, powered by Attack strength, not Special Attack. To be a Special attack does not mean that it is simply any attack other than your pokémon's type. Specific Types are designated as Special attacks, and others as physical. If you want the full list of physical and special attacks broken down simply, PM me. Also... Take 10 Stamps. The story was short but good.

Dragon Rider - That was a little bit better. Take 2 Stamps. By the way, your Growlithe should grow by two levels. Because your Cyndaquil fainted, your Growlithe gets all the experience.

[*Murkrow]

By the way, I'd better correct your in-game knowledge before you go off making a mistake in an important battle or something. Flying and Ghost type attacks are Physical attacks, powered by Attack strength, not Special Attack. To be a Special attack does not mean that it is simply any attack other than your pokémon's type. Specific Types are designated as Special attacks, and others as physical.

Um, actually, I do know that, when I was talking about the special attack boost, I was refering to Powder Snow^_^ Perhaps I should have made it clearer by stating the attacks used, instead of just doing the descriptions.

And I knew I forgot something-could I please have a random battle with my L5 Taillow, Fizz, with a Pokémon from the Universal Adoption Center, please?
*Hands over 7 Stamps*

[Charizard04621]

>_< Fizz will be battling a LV5 Mawile.

[Lady Vulpix]

Here I am again, sorry for the delay.

Kris, you can have 7 stamps for your first battle. I'm afraid the 2nd battle is invalid, since Metang is a Steel type pokemon and can't be affected by Poisonpowder, which is a Poison type attack. You can edit it or repost your 2nd battle. By the way, you switched POVs without saying who was speaking. In the future, could you please state whose POV you're writing in, to make it clearer? Thanks. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

Kyle gets 15 stamps for his 2 battles. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

Karin, thanks for rating the others. By the way, we need to talk about our arrangement from the Blizzard and Lava rooms. Your post was intriguing... Take 5 stamps for it and please let us know how it concludes. ^_^ ¢¢¢¢¢

[Charizard04621]

I’m going to attempt a different technique here for the battle scenes. It will be interesting. Can you keep up? ^_-

My POV:

I awoke to a splitting headache. “Oh… What happened? Mike?� As my blurry eyesight cleared, I noticed that the room was empty. The Absol that was resting in my lap was no longer there. Evenstar, on the ground, stirred, groaning.

“My god,� I sounded in alarm. “They’re gone! Lune’s disappeared, too!� At that moment, for the first time, I noticed an Electabuzz silently watching me as he sat in a corner. I was positive that I had seen him before, the day Mike and Jason caught that ugly thief. “Blitz?� The Electabuzz nodded. “Where did they go? What happened to…�

He looked at me grimly. Suddenly, I understood. My memory came rushing back. I recalled the smoke, the dizzying feeling of terror, falling, spiraling into a void, calling out for no one to hear… “Whoever did this took her. Mike and the others went to get her back?� Blitz nodded.

“Karin… We’ve got to find them,� Evenstar urged. “They could be putting themselves in serious danger.�

I agreed. As I got up from the couch, however, Blitz caught my arm firmly and shook his head. “What? Why not? Why won’t you let me go, Blitz?�

As he was an Electabuzz of few words, imagine my surprise when his thoughts rang suddenly through my head. Mike left me here to protect you. He said not to let any harm come to you. The best way to do that is to keep you here, where it’s safe.

“No! Blitz, I have to find them. I can help!�

You are staying right here. Please. I’m just doing what Mike wanted me to. Trust me. He can take care of himself. The Eevee that went off with him didn’t look weak, either.

Evenstar pulled on my sleeve gently. “Let me go,� she requested. “Let me have your belt. I can bring the others to help, too. At the slightest sign of trouble, I’ll make sure we run back here as soon as we can, if we don’t see the others,� she said. “I promise.�

I fingered my belt hesitantly. Evenstar looked at me with determination, her face brimming with confidence. “I can do this,� she assured me.

Sighing, I removed the belt and handed it to her. “I trust you,� I said. “Just be careful. Oh, and hold on.� I plucked the newest pokéball from the belt and stuck it in my pocket. Mandragora was going nowhere. He would not dare to venture somewhere else without me, and the cold, combined with his fear, would kill him. “All right, Evenstar… Good luck.�

As the Sneasel made her way out of the door, Blitz nodded slightly. I have a feeling that they will do just fine.

Evenstar, the female Sneasel’s POV:

I took off in the direction that Blitz had indicated, moving as quickly as I could through the ice storm. It wasn’t that difficult for me, and I had no trouble seeing through the pounding snow. I ran swiftly, quietly through the silent white expanse, following the footprint trail. Up ahead, I saw a figure looming, and at first I thought it to be Lune, because the creature had four legs. As I drew closer, however, I found that it was a Slowpoke. It leapt at me, knocking me over. Throwing it off, I unsheathed my claws and prepared to fight, but not just yet. “Why are you attacking me? I’m not trying to hurt you.�

“Stay away, intruder,� he hissed. “Enough have passed who should not have. You will not go through here.�

“I need to help my friends. Just let us go and we’ll all be fine.�

“You’re not getting past me if we can help it.�

We? I noticed a flickering shadow pass by me, but by that time, it was too late. Something from behind took a crack at my head, and I fell into a cool blackness. The belt in my hand slipped into the snow.

Lune, the male Eevee’s POV:

“Do you see them?� I whispered, as we neared the snow-capped mountains. The wind had died down here, and we were surrounded by an eerie silence. It felt as if things were watching us, studying our every move, listening to every breath we took.

“He might have gone into that cave,� Mike said, pointing at a small crevice in the rock.

“Damn it!� I cried. “We were catching up to him. There’s no telling what kind of hiding place he has in there.�

Mike did not look worried. He recalled Cloudburst, who was panting, and took out a Great Ball. “Sweeney Todd!� An Absol shot out of his pokéball, cackling. He flashed me a menacing look of mischief, offering a warning of I did not know what. I shuddered although I did not feel cold.

“Um… Sweeney Todd?�

“Yes, the demonic barber. You’d better behave, or you might just find that you’ve been turned into meat pie in your sleep.�

“You are a strange human. I’m not sure what my trainer sees in you.� The Absol snickered, casting me an evil glance. I blinked. “Just… Keep your crazy Absol way over there. Thanks.�

Mike chuckled. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t eat Eevees. At least, he hasn’t yet.� He winked. I really did not like this guy. He disturbed me.

“Uh huh. Just ask him to stay away from me. …Shouldn’t we be going after that kidnapped Absol?�

“Sure. We’ve been doing that all along.� He turned to his Absol, who had been staring oddly into space, his nose in the air. “So, what do you think? Where did he take her?�

Without a word, the Absol shot off away from the cave, along the mountains. Silently, we followed. “He didn’t take her in there,� Mike told me.

“Oh, thank goodness. But then he’s not hiding…� I did not like the way things were turning out. If that maniac was not afraid of us, he knew something. And that really did not seem good for the baby Absol.

The ice storm began again, swirling frozen shards into our faces. Although I had worked on my endurance, I found it difficult to keep up. The Absol set a fast pace. I was surprised that Mike hadn’t even begun to breathe heavily yet, after all this running we had done through the snow, but then again, I should have expected that of a good bounty hunter. As we pushed ourselves through the storm, picking up speed, I realized for the first time today that I had not eaten breakfast.

Aglárien, the female Charmander’s POV:

When I felt my pokéball crash hard into the ground, I knew that something was wrong. I came out immediately to find myself surrounded by a mean looking Metang and Slowpoke. Evenstar was on the ground unconscious. It looked as if they had teamed up on her and knocked her out.

A light emanated from the freezing belt, revealing two of my teammates, Elwing and Ryu. I wondered how both of them could stand the cold. Dragon and Ground types were weak to Ice. I was a Fire type, and I was still shivering a bit.

“Let me do this myself,� said the Dratini.

Ryu shook his head. “I’ll help you. That Metang looks dangerous, and you have to admit, this isn’t the best of situations to be in.�

“No!� Elwing looked a bit angry. “Ryu, you’ve always been taking care of me. I don’t need you to protect me all the time. I’m growing up! Can’t you see? I can take care of myself. Please. Just let me prove it to you.�

The Trapinch looked hurt, but he didn’t say anything. He just looked at Elwing for a while, then hung his head. “All right… Whatever you want,� he whispered. I could tell that he was trying not to cry.

Elwing Starspray, the female Dratini’s POV:

I felt a little bad about snapping at Ryu like that, but it was true. I could take care of myself and I didn’t need him to be there like a big brother all the time. I had practiced a lot of my techniques, especially moving faster with Kalazeth, because we were practicing for the race. There was no reason that I couldn’t finish this battle alone.

Slithering forward, I looked up to face the Metang, who glowered at me. It didn’t particularly scare me; it was just a chunk of metal with crab claws. After all that training I had done in the pool, I could outrun it any day. I had to be careful about its attacks, however. If they connected, they would hurt. Metang were no weaklings.

“Ryu,� the male Trapinch’s POV:

Why Elwing chose now of all times to prove herself I did not know. Even more confusing was why she refused my help. That Metang had a significant level advantage, from the looks of it, and it wasn’t really bothered by a snowstorm. I winced as the ice shards continued to cut me. My hide was tougher than Elwing’s; her skin was soft and delicate, and the cuts would be even more painful. Even if she could do this alone, why would she want to suffer…? I watched as she glared at the Metang, showing it that she was not afraid. Silently my heart screamed. This was not a game. This was dangerous! Suicide! If Elwing showed any signs of weakness… I didn’t care what she wanted, I would step in. This was no battle for honor. It was one of survival.

Aglárien, the female Charmander’s POV:

I wasn’t sure why these pokémon were doing this, but they weren’t very nice, and were willing to hurt us. The Slowpoke had already tried to pounce on me three times, and each, I had avoided him. Now it was time to strike. Unsheathing my claws, I snarled at him fiercely, baring my fangs. There would be no mercy now.

Aglárien the LV7 female Charmander vs. LV15 male Slowpoke

I knew immediately that I was at a severe disadvantage. Not only had I learned from the type charts Karin showed me that Slowpoke, a Water and Psychic type, had good type offense against Fire types, and good defense against my Fire and Fighting attacks; I knew that this environment was a horrible one to fight in. There were no good solid rocks to begin with, so my Ancientpower would not be very useful here. It was also an arena of low visibility, where I would have to rely on my senses other than sight. The Slowpoke would have an easier time attacking me with his Psychic moves here. If I could not expect them, I could not hope to avoid them.

Elwing Starspray, the female Dratini’s POV:

I wished that Ryu would stop being worried. Didn’t he believe in me? Didn’t he understand that I would be fine all by myself? He underestimated my ability too much. At least Kalazeth knew better.

Turning my back to him, I concentrated on the Metang. Its eyes were cold, just like the ice around us. I could feel my skin burning up in the frost, but I did not care. I would not shiver. I would not show Ryu that I felt pain. Because then he would interfere again, and he would never leave me alone. The Metang took a swipe, and I dodged. It was time.

Elwing Starspray the LV16 female Dratini vs. LV25 Metang

I had an advantage here, in spite of the constant ice storm and my opponent’s level advantage. I knew attacks that would terribly damage the Metang, I was faster, and I was probably smarter. I also had some decent experience in battle. My only worry was if the Metang was equipped with an array of powerful TMs. Karin had spent a lot of money on me, but she wasn’t that rich.

Aglárien, the female Charmander’s POV:

The only viable damaging attacks I had were Scratch and Mega Kick. There were no long-range moves that I could depend on, something that really bothered me. Against a pokémon with telekinetic capabilities, I really did not like having to go all melee. Karin had taught me that this would not be a good idea.

In order to reach the Slowpoke, I needed a distraction. Before I could make a move, he fired a forceful jet of water at me, compelling me to get out of the way. To tell the truth, now I was afraid. Although I was young, Karin had not denied me an education in battle and a little bit of physics. It did not take a lot of brains to realize that if I was drenched now, with no ability to dry myself, I would freeze to death.

Elwing Starspray, the female Dratini’s POV:

The clouds above were choking out the sun, making the cold snowstorm even worse, darker and drearier. I needed to buy myself some time, and I knew exactly how to do it. The Metang looked suspiciously at me, but before he could react, I conjured up a twirling whirlwind of dragon energy that captured ice shards in its vortex. It flew towards my target and trapped it inside, hurling it about and flinging snow in its face. Perfect.

I looked up into the sky, focusing on the clouds, bidding them leave so that the sun might shine down upon me. They were stubborn, heavy gray clouds, but eventually they moved grudgingly away at my will. The pallid sun, thankful, smiled weakly onto the frozen wasteland, extending its hesitant rays. It was not much, but now I could see a golden tinge in the crystal clear particles around me as they fell.

By now the Metang had escaped, and it was very angry. It lunged at me, steel claw extended, thinking to grab me by the throat and crush me until all life had seeped out of my body. I dodged easily, of course, and retaliated with a fiery torch. This was my father’s gift to me, the first move I had ever known since I was born, and it had pulled me out of many tough situations. Here it was a definite blessing, for the Metang squealed in pain as the flames licked its metallic frame, blackening the silver material. The ice nearby melted a bit before more snow fell to replace it.

Still it tried again, and again, and again to lunge at me, faster this time, so that I didn’t shoot back at it, but still it never got close to me. After a while it changed its strategy. Sort of. This is said with a particular sarcasm because the Metang didn’t really have much of a strategy at all, seemingly. Instead of going at me with its claw, it started throwing its body at me, as if Take Down would be more effective than Metal Claw. What a joke.

I was surprised when it suddenly switched tactics, pounding me with mild telekinesis that made me a little dizzy. I managed to erect a shining barrier, however, that distracted the Metang slightly, causing a less effective barrage of Confusion. My opponent was stumped. By that time I realized that it only knew three attacks.

Aglárien, the female Charmander’s POV:

The Slowpoke would not let me near him. Each time I tried to get closer, he shot another stream of water at me. Some of it crystallized as soon as it touched the air; it was that cold. As time went on, however, I noticed that the air had gotten a little bit warmer. At least there was sunlight shining through the falling ice.

Not long after, I got an idea. I wanted to kick myself for not remembering earlier. What was it that Karin had always told me over and over? Type effectiveness is not a valid reason not to use an attack. Grinning at my own stupidity, I waved my tail, chucking off bits of fire from my tail flame. They struck the unsuspecting Slowpoke directly in the eyes, giving me the time to leap at him to do more permanent ocular damage… At least, that’s what I thought.

But my opponent was a lot stronger than I had estimated, and he threw me backwards with astounding telekinetic force before I could reach his eyes with my claws. I lay sprawled in the snow, out of breath. This was more difficult than even I had expected. I knew that I should have practiced in more battles, and I wished that Karin had pushed me more after the incident with that Lapras. I remembered with a shudder that it had been an ice arena sort of like this one. Right now, however, I did not care. I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. Evenstar had been hurt, and this Slowpoke was going to pay. I would fight to the best of my ability.

Saying that I would do it was one thing, but doing it was another. After the initial shock I found myself repeatedly tossed in the air, then released to fall abruptly onto the ground. I was glad that the Slowpoke didn’t have Earthquake to get me after I fell, but this was extremely painful nonetheless, and I did not enjoy it.

Lying immobile in the snow, aching badly, I knew then that I couldn’t beat that Slowpoke… At least, not alone. As if she had heard my thoughts, Nimrodel came out of her ball suddenly, placing her large body between me and the Slowpoke.

Personally, I was surprised. The shy Lapras was not one to charge into battle, as she usually avoided conflict. “Thanks, but why…?� I asked her dizzily, as red spots danced in front of my eyes.

“I couldn’t stand seeing that mean Slowpoke beat you around like that, and I’m much better matched against him than you are,� she answered honestly. I couldn’t help but admire her courage. She hadn’t battled but twice before, and yet, in this dangerous situation, she was willing to fight to save me.

Being much heavier than the both of us combined, Nimrodel was pretty much immune to the Slowpoke’s telekinetic assaults. If he tried to lift her, she would have time to counter him with an attack before he could succeed. A Beach Ball lay under her flipper, a powerful thing for her to have.

Elwing Starspray, the female Dratini’s POV:

This battle was as good as over. I unleashed an array of constricting sparks, which achieved their intended effect immediately. The Metang began to jerk involuntarily, its muscles locked up from the Thunder Wave. Excellent.

I looked at Ryu to make sure he saw that I had the battle under control. To my annoyance, he still appeared concerned. Even worse, his face displayed a look of fear, and he opened his mouth in warning. He gestured at me and was trying to say something, but I didn’t listen. Who was he to worry like that? Ooh… I would show him.

Suddenly I felt a great pressure from behind. My body was pinned to the ground by a cold, metallic weight. No matter how much I struggled, the Metang would not budge. I hurt all over, and I felt my breath fleeting away. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t. I felt its telekinetic force choking me…

Aglárien, the female Charmander’s POV:

I saw the Slowpoke open his large mouth lazily, giving way to a leisurely yawn. Something unnatural glinted in his eye, a hint of mischief, perhaps, that disturbed me. But I did not know what he had done.

Immediately, Nimrodel began sparking viciously, and I could tell that she wanted to end this quickly. The electrical surge struck home, drawing from the Slowpoke a horrendous scream of agony that chilled me more than the surrounding ice ever could.

Then I noticed Nimrodel’s eyelids drooping, shooting open again, and then falling for longer periods of time as she fought her drowsiness, until finally she could fight no more and fell into an uneasy sleep. Understanding struck me. This was the Slowpoke’s doing!

Suddenly Nimrodel’s Beach Ball rolled out from under her flipper and rose into the air. I jumped for it and caught it, but barely, and I was shaken off soon enough. My face was planted into the ground. He had surely stolen the Beach Ball by now.

As I looked over to see what the Slowpoke was up to, I saw a glazed expression on his face as he swayed left and right slowly, with a white light surrounding his body, especially concentrated around his head. When it subsided, he began, to my horror, to spark! I tried to remember what Karin had told me about a certain attack that could achieve that effect, but I couldn’t recall the details. How did that attack work…? I only knew that pokémon could learn attacks that weren’t in their movesets. Not that it mattered now; Nimrodel awoke with a shock, the vicious electrical jolt blazing through her body.

Elwing Starspray, the female Dratini’s POV:

A change took over my body as I felt power surging through my veins that I had never felt before. I did not understand what I was doing, only knew that it would set me free. My eyes closed, and eerie light surrounded me…

When I awoke from my trance, I realized that I was some ways away from the Metang. It looked at me oddly, with fear in its eyes. I did not remember much, but I recalled feeling lightheaded, as if I floated in space… I got the impression that my body had faded, did not exist, was thin as the air around me, then somehow whole again. I recalled an expanding energy sphere…

Until that moment in time, I had never experienced firsthand my Ghost type Hidden Power. Now that I had, I felt… comfort, assurance that I was blessed with such a unique strength.

Without wasting any time, I mustered all of my power into a single Flamethrower attack that would scorch through the coldest of souls. The fire engulfed the twitching Metang as it suffered from an attack of paralysis, swallowing it whole in its burning red heart. It was as if a flash fire had ignited there, burning brightly in the ice as a signal of warning to others. When the brutal flames subsided, the Metang lay unconscious in the puddle of slush, an empty dark shell in the snow.

Elwing won!
Elwing grew to LV18!

Aglárien, the female Charmander’s POV:

I saw her shake, and at first I thought it was just the initial pain of the Thunderbolt attack, but after a while she still did not stop. I realized with fear that she had been paralyzed. When the Slowpoke started sparking again, I knew that Nimrodel had no chance of avoiding the attack. By the look of agony in her face, I also knew that she could not take another without passing out.

There could be no delay. Running as fast as I could, I tried to stop the Slowpoke. He did not notice me; he remained focused on Nimrodel. A final surge of crackling electricity pulsed from his body, rushing through Nimrodel with a bang. She sank into the snow with a sigh, spent.

For Nimrodel! I thought, directing all my strength into a glowing kick into the back of the Slowpoke’s head. He fell immediately into the realm of unconsciousness.

Aglárien won!
Aglárien grew to LV9!

[classy_cat18]

Okay, here's the second part of the Pond Room scenario. Please note something: this was a chance to justify the appearance of Jewel's Psychic attack. Also, I was confused about Jewel learning her next move. In GSC she learns Rapid Spin at level 13, but in RS she learns it at level 10.

EDIT: Thanks for clearing that up for me, Karin.

Swoop’s POV

I smiled sweetly at Shonta as I hung out on the railing. The girl was a sucker, but she was a caring sucker. “It’s too bad the other girls couldn’t see this,� I told her.

She put on an innocent grin. “Well, you can describe in excruciating detail how I kick Dixie’s butt with Jewel.� She pulled out another pokeball and turned to Dixie. “Now are we going to battle again or what?�

Dixie’s eyes burned with hatred, an expression I relished. “You little brat! And you say that my ego is too big!�

“Well, I could’ve been nice to you if it wasn’t for your poisonous attitude and your ear-splitting laugh,� Shonta said.

Dixie looked down at the platform and started to laugh. That irritating laugh. “Now you’re gonna get it, missy. I have a Pokemon that will squash you flat!� Her hand shot in her pocket and quickly threw out a pokeball. “Go, Mudkip!� Another little blue Water Pokemon materialized in the water.

Oh brother. If Shonta’s picking what I think she’s picking, then that little Mudkip won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.

Shonta looked strangely serious as she threw the pokeball she was holding. “Go, Jewel. Time to fight again.� The Staryu appeared in front of Mudkip. “Oh, Dixie? I have a message from the nineteenth century. They said they want their accent back,� she said while imitating Dixie’s voice.

Dixie’s face turned a brilliant red. “Oh, I am going to enjoy beating you!�

L9 Genderless Staryu (Jewel) vs. L15 Mudkip

Jewel and Mudkip immediately dove to the bottom of the pond. “Dang! She won’t be able to hear my commands!� Shonta groaned in frustration.

“Knowing her, that may be what she’s hoping,� I told her.

I flew out to the middle of the pond for a bird’s eye view. Jewel and Mudkip seemed to be chasing each other around the pool, each one trying to tackle the other. It was an aerial dogfight underwater. After a couple of minutes of evasion from both sides, Jewel finally getting a hit in! Mudkip seemed to be momentarily dazed. “Shonta! Did you see that?� I said. She shook her head. I turned back to the battle and gasped. Jewel was still underwater, floating in the middle of the pond. But where was Mudkip?

Jewel’s POV

<Where are you, little frog?> I growled as I scanned the bottom of the pool. At first he was in plain sight. But he had confused me with his erratic movements and I lost him. Now he was hiding somewhere. I dove deeper and checked the plants for a sign of him.

“Peekaboo!� I heard. I felt pain from below as Mudkip sprung up from the pond floor and slammed into me. I escaped the pond and found myself in Swoop’s eyesight.

“How’s it going?� she asked me.

<The little squirt knows Dig!> I answered. <It’s his strategy. He’ll hide in the dirt and disappear from my view, waiting for the time to attack.>

“You could try to wait here for him to attack you. When I tried it, I got hit by a Hydro Pump, but it could work for you.�

<I can’t wait for that.> I dove back underwater and raced straight for Mudkip, who just raced for the muddy bottom and dug in. A piece of mud hit my central jewel. I shook it off and watched the ground. Nothing, nothing, nothing…movement below me! I shot a Psychic attack downwards, the force pushing me back out of the water. The pond floor was clouded with the scattered mud.

“Did you get him?� Shonta asked me. Swoop was back on the railing. Dixie was grinning as though she already won.

Time for a lucky shot. So far the little squirt’s been attacking from below after he disappears in the mud. My Psychic attack hits a medium sized area, so… I shot another Psychic attack downwards, forcing myself further upwards.

Swoop’s POV

My eyes widened as I looked up. “What…is…that?� I asked Shonta. Jewel’s central gem glowed brilliantly as she shot a gust of wind downwards in the pond, scattering the pond water and the muddy bottom.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not the Psychic attack that I’ve seen before.�

How could she not know what a Psychic attack looks like? “Maybe…the attack that you saw before wasn’t Psychic. It could’ve been an attack that she hasn’t fully learned. Or maybe it was Psychic in a different form.�

She scratched her head. “Must be. The previous Psychic attacks looked more like Psybeam, but I’ve seen Psychic looks like all sorts of things. Plus Jewel’s not supposed to learn Psybeam in any way.�

“Hush!� Bubbles began to appear on the surface of the pond. Mudkip appeared with a exhausted look on his face. He definitely didn’t come up to attack.

“Jewel! One more Tackle attack!� Shonta yelled.

Jewel sped forward and slammed into Mudkip, the both of them going in the water. After a few seconds of anxious waiting, Jewel emerged carrying a knocked out Mudkip. The battle was over.

Jewel won and grew to level 11! She learned Rapid Spin and earned a free TM!

The two trainers recalled their Pokemon and faced each other, Shonta smirking and Dixie scowling. “See you later, Dixie. Hope you don’t become some guy’s joke,� Shonta said.

“What do you mean?� Dixie said in a low voice.

“Don’t make me sing the song. You know, the song with your name in it. I wish…� she started to sing.

“Just get out of my sight!� Dixie screamed.

“Alright, we’re going,� I said. I flew to Shonta’s shoulder and the two of us walked out of there.

[Charizard04621]

They generally learn the move at the RS level, but if it's lower in GSC, they learn it at the lower GSC level. I don't think the move levels in RBY count though.

Shonta - Uh... Psychic attacks don't randomly turn into gusts of wind... But whatever. Take 8 Stamps. I liked this one.

[Angel Blossom]

Here I am again, sorry for the delay.

Kris, you can have 7 stamps for your first battle. I'm afraid the 2nd battle is invalid, since Metang is a Steel type pokemon and can't be affected by Poisonpowder, which is a Poison type attack. You can edit it or repost your 2nd battle. By the way, you switched POVs without saying who was speaking. In the future, could you please state whose POV you're writing in, to make it clearer? Thanks. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

Oh, my bad. X_x"

I should have realized that before. I edited that part out, like you suggested. However, I thought I made it clear -before- the piece that the hyphens ended each of the Pokémon's point of views. Anyway, I'm sorry about that. I wish I could've made the piece better, but oh well. Either way, I did make it past the 50 BR Stamp mark! ^^"

[classy_cat18]

They generally learn the move at the RS level, but if it's lower in GSC, they learn it at the lower GSC level. I don't think the move levels in RBY count though.

Shonta - Uh... Psychic attacks don't randomly turn into gusts of wind... But whatever. Take 8 Stamps. I liked this one.

Ooh...sorry. I kinda wanted to change the description of Psychic so it wouldn't be so much like Psybeam. And "gust of wind" was the best I could come up with. A shockwave, a sort of pulse, something. I was trying to think of the Psychic attack that was done on the episode "Power Play".

All the more, I'll take the 8 stamps! Right now I have a fanfic to work on.

[Aipom Of Doom]

Yay, here's my battle for the previous scenerio. It got sort of long, but oh well =/. Now onto the Training Grounds ^_^

Blaze's Perspective

I lay on the couch, tiredly watching some sort of strange talk show on the television set in the corner of the Pokemon center. On our most recent Dragon Tamers missions, Dan and assorted other Dragon Tamers had first gone to Yvresse and fought a small Team Rocket group hiding on an island. Almost immediately afterward, we'd found we needed to turn around and go to west Caledor because of some Dark Dragon that had taken over the Templa Taure forest there, and was controlling all of the Pokemon. It sounded like an interesting enough mission at first, but then we found ourselves relegated to watching the outside of the forest to make sure that none of the controlled Pokemon escaped. Very few tried from the area we were patrolling, and of those that did, Thunderblast simply used her Psychic powers to remove the pendants that gave the Dark Dragon control over them. We spent two days there, with people and Pokemon sleeping in shifts during the night. Near the end of the second day, the Dark Dragon finally flew away, angry that we had taken away all of his minions. By then, we were exhausted, so with many other Dragon Tamers, we found the nearest Pokemon center and fell asleep in the upper lobby.

It was about ten in the morning now, and some of us had awakened, but many of the Dragon Tamers were still asleep. Out of my team, Thunderblast had already gone off to wherever she went off to, Eesha was up and flying around, and May, my girlfriend as of two days ago, was sitting on the floor and reading something. The other team members were still asleep.

The quiet, sleepy state was interrupted by a loud ringing; apparently someone had called Dan's cell phone. May immediately jumped up, locating the phone in Dan's bag and then chatting briefly with the caller.

"Hey, Blaze, it's Aipom. He wants to talk to you," May slid the phone across the floor over to the bottom of the couch, so that I could easily reach down and retrieve it.

"Hey, Aipom?" I lay back down on the couch and suppressed a yawn. "What have you guys been up to?" Aipom had been back at our normal Pokemon Center in Caledor, with other Pokemon that hadn't gone with Dan on our mission to Dark Island three days ago. I hadn't heard anything much about what was going on with the portion of our team that hadn't gone with us.

"Hey, Blaze!" Aipom's voice was a bit distorted by the phone, but it was clearly him "We really haven't been doing much, actually. Err... Flare and Gaea have been taking care of Tulie and doing some other stuff. Mopia and Zippy are hiding somewhere, and I've been hanging out with Flatten most of the time. It's pretty boring here now."

"Hmm, sounds cool. At least, more fun than walking around or standing around... that's pretty much all we've done for the Dragon Tamers in the past few days."

"Yeah, seems sort of boring. Well, you guys are planning to come back today, right? Flatten and I have been practicing some new attacks lately. We both taught ourselves to Solarbeam, and do other stuff. It's really fun," Aipom paused a second, then said, "Err... Gaea just came over and told me that I better go over and look at the TV. I'm not sure what she means..."

I turned and looked at the television that was on behind me. The volume was off, but the screen showed some low-quality home video of an Arcanine using Flamethrower on a building. I stared at the screen for a moment, not knowing what I was looking at, until I realized that the building was one I recognized. It was in a city in southern Caledor. Curious, I reached for the remote and turned the sound on.

The television switched to two newscasters that I vaguely recognized. "So far, there have been eleven attacks reported around Ulthuan. While authorities refuse to comment yet, witnesses of all attacks agree that the perpetrators are members of the Pokemon-wielding terrorist group Team Rocket."

"Huh?" May looked up at the television in surprise. The Dragon Tamers had fought Team Rocket out of Ulthuan almost a year ago. Three days ago, we had located a small gathering of Rocket members on Dark Island and flushed most of them out, but that group hardly seemed capable of pulling off any sort of attack like this. A map on the television showed that the attacks were spread around Ulthuan; it must have taken quite a bit of planning and organization to pull this attack off.

"This can't be good," I responded idly, then I told May, "go wake up Dan and Sai and the others. They might want to see this." She scampered off toward Sai, using a small Thundershock to jolt him out of his sleep.

I picked up the cell phone again. "Hey, Blaze," Aipom must have heard me breathing into the phone. "Are you watching this? Team Rocket?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to make of it either. Well, it sounds like we'll be busy again soon," I replied.

"Yeah, I know... huh? What the ****?"

"Aipom? Something wrong?" Aipom didn't curse very often, and he sounded quite startled.

"Err... crap... They're attacking down the street from the Pokemon Center," Aipom said, seeming rather calm for the situation.

"What?"

"Team Rocket has some Vileplume attacking down the street. Err... it used Sludge Bomb or something on a bunch of cars there, and now it's... uh... solarbeaming? Holy crap..." Aipom trailed off, too dazed to know what else to say.

"Eh? What?" Behind me, Dan had just woken up to another small Thundershock. May pointed him toward the television. Sai had already left to find Thunderblast, apparently for discussing the possible Dragon Tamers response to this.

"Aipom? You there?" I went back to the cell phone, wondering what had happened down at our usual Pokemon center.

"Yeah. Uh... it's over by now I think... the Vileplume Solarbeamed a whole side of the street. Remember that Chinese restaurant you liked? And the video game store a block down? Err.. those and the places between them all got hit, at least on the first floor... I dunno, part of the building already collapsed, and part of it looks like it will. And the Team Rocket guy is gone, there's a bunch of police and fire trucks and things around. Jeez... is this real?"

"Wow... uh... I guess. This really sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Err... have you guys heard from the Dragon Tamers yet? They'd probably want us to do something about this quickly."

"No, nothing yet. They must be planning something by now, though."

"Yeah. Err... I think I'm going to go and see what else is going on, and if anyone needs help or anything. Gaea looks sort of freaked out, so I better go and calm her down. Call back if you need to talk to us," Aipom said, still sounding a little dazed, and hung up. I shook my head, not sure if any of this was believable.

About that time, one of the newscasters on the television announced that "another incident has been reported, with Team Rocket attacking downtown Sector Alpha." Then she went on to describe exactly what Aipom had told me about the Vileplume, as well as add in the street.

"Wait... what?" it took Dan a moment to comprehend where the attack had taken place. "Err, isn't that right by our Pokemon Center?"

"Yeah," I spoke up. "Err, Aipom was just talking to me when it happened. Really sucks, huh?"

"Err yeah," Dan sighed, sitting down and shaking his head. "Well, I guess we're going to have some work to do soon."

"So we aren't going home today, huh," Hydro sulked. I felt the same; after all of this fighting it would be nice to go back and relax some. The collective murmur showed that everyone else agreed.

After a few moments of silently watching the news coverage, Sai and Thunderblast both walked quickly toward us. "Okay, we've had an emergency Dragon Tamers meeting scheduled in half an hour about this," Thunderblast announced as she climbed onto the sofa next to Dan. This was no surprise; as a premier police force in Ulthuan, the Dragon Tamers were expected to handle situations like this. "However, we did receive this from the Dragon's Guild," Thunderblast continued, handing what appeared to be a photocopied letter to Dan.

"Huh," Dan said, after reading for a moment. "Uh, did they give any reason for this, Thunderblast?" The Raichu shook her head no.

"Reasons for what? Would you mind informing us? Or are these high-level Dragon Tamers secrets that we can't know or something?" Hydro asked, annoyed. Dan handed him the paper.

"Err okay," Hydro started reading. "'Official Dragon's Guild Memo'... blah blah blah... 'The Dragon's Guild is ordering that the Dragon Tamers do NOT attempt to investigate or retaliate for the recent Team Rocket attacks. All Dragon Tamers are not to interfere with the Dragon's Guild as we investigate these incidents.'"

That caused a stunned moment of quiet from our team, before Sai spoke up. "Yeah, the Dragon's Guild doesn't want us to do anything for some reason... But we're still having the meeting anyway. Most likely we're going to try to fight Team Rocket, though."

"Why on earth does the Dragon's Guild want to do that, though?" May asked. "What's their problem with us helping out?"

"As of a few minutes ago, no one in this building knows," Thunderblast replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About two hours later, Dan, Sai, and Thunderblast had long since left for the Dragon Tamers emergency meeting. That left the rest of us to stand around and watch the television coverage of the Team Rocket attacks. Surprisingly, no one had been killed or even seriously hurt; the Rockets apparently were attacking with the intent of doing as much property damage as possible. However, as police and the Dragon's Guild attempted to investigate, they found a few hostile, Rocket trained Pokemon at each site, and these hindered investigations seriously. The overall number of incidents rose continually, and was up to 46 when Dan, Thunderblast, and Sai finally returned to our corner of the Pokemon Center.

"So, what are we going to be doing?" I asked, impatiently. After two hours of watching news coverage of all of the damage that Team Rocket had caused, I wanted to go and help fight against it.

"We are going to go and fight," Sai said, "despite the Dragon's Guild's wishes... which no one has been able to understand anyway. They're having us go by helicopter to the site of an attack near the Nagarythe-Tiranoc border."

"And, another thing," Thunderblast cut in, "this could be on the dangerous side, with damaged stuff and potentially powerful Pokemon around. We're going to be needing to do a lot of investigating and things, and not fooling around. So, if you can't do that sort of stuff, I suggest you just stay here."I noticed that she looked directly at Hydro as she said this.

Hydro noticed this too. "Well, if you're going to single me out, fine. But anyway, I don't really feel like going, I've had enough of this boring stuff. And you say it will be dangerous, and pardon my cowardice, but walking into some area with buildings that are about to collapse, and a bunch of Pokemon that are trying to attack me, doesn't sound like what I had in mind for today."

"I think I'll stay here also," Tyrant added. Aqua said that she would rather be able to relax for the day. Eesha, who up until three days before had been in the possession of Team Rocket, was quite fearful of the organization, and didn't see how she could help.

"Well, unlike everyone else around, I think I want to go and help," May said, a bit annoyed at the lack of participation of the rest of our team. "Are ALL of you going to just sit around after this?"

"Hey, I was planning to go too," I interrupted, not having a chance to reveal my plans yet. May smiled and made a sarcastic comment to Hydro about his lack of dedication to the Dragon Tamers.

"Anyway," Dan interjected firmly, before Hydro could make some sort of response. "I'm going to call Aipom and have him arrange for the Dragon Tamers base by our Pokemon Center to send us a helicopter. A lot of the Dragon Tamers are around here, so they're running a bit thin on transportation. We hopefully will be able to leave in two hours."

"Sounds good." I wanted to get going and maybe even battle against some Team Rocket Pokemon; it had been a while since I had last done that. I also hoped that without Hydro or Tyrant around to make obscene comments about us, May wouldn't need to conceal that she was my girlfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, two hours later, we were on the roof of the Pokemon Center, waiting for our helicopter. Four hours between learning of the attacks and getting out to help seemed like a decent response time. Hydro, Aqua, Eesha, and Tyrant waited by the helicopter pad with us, for the lack of anything better to do.

Finally, a dark green helicopter with "DT" written on the side appeared in the sky, and circled overhead, lowering toward the landing pad. We all backed away somewhat, deterred by the noise and the wind, until the helicopter landed and stopped.

The door to the helicopter opened, and the pilot climbed out. "...Aipom?"

"Yeah, it's me," Aipom walked over to us, "Err, I got a pilot's license for these things a few weeks ago. I do some interesting stuff with my time, you know."

"Well, that's pretty damn cool," I replied. Being able to fly a helicopter seemed like an interesting hobby. Everyone else agreed with that.

After a bit of a chat, we filed into the helicopter. Aipom went back into the pilot's seat, and Thunderblast predictably claimed the title of co-pilot and climbed into the front of the helicopter. The rest of us took some seats in the passenger area. The helicopter started up again, and a moment later we were flying up and away, toward one of the Team Rocket attack sites.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We flew for a little over an hour before the helicopter started to descend toward the attack site. Aipom apparently was able to talk to the local police over their radios, and he was directed to land by a field two blocks from the site of the attack.

The helicopter was fairly low as we flew over the site of the attack. There appeared to be a crater in the road, and the buildings around it had received various levels of damage. The scene appeared consistent with what we had been told; an Electrode had used Explosion in the middle of the road. We passed the scene too quickly to see much else.

Aipom set the helicopter down in the field he had been told to, and we all climbed out. After a few minutes for stretching and preparing, we walked briskly to the attack scene. The entire section of the street was blocked off by yellow "Police Line - Do Not Cross" tape, and that the area inside was deserted. Police officers were waiting impatiently outside of the line.

Dan chatted for a few moments with the officer in charge of the investigation, who explained that they police there were unable to investigate because Team Rocket had left some Pokemon that viciously defended the attack site. In particular, there was an Ampharos that had already beaten a group of the strongest Pokemon that the police had. They had no other way to remove it, because it was hiding well and they were prohibited from using lethal force on it.

The police weren't too confident that we could beat the Ampharos. After hearing the police's description of it, however, Sai and Thunderblast felt confident enough that together they would be easily capable of beating the Ampharos. So, the police let us step across their yellow tape and into the scene of the attack.

The crater was about twenty feet in circumference and six or seven feet deep; it was relatively small compared to the large area that was blocked off by the police. One small building, the closest to the crater, had completely collapsed. The front of a five-floor building was mostly destroyed, but it was apparently structurally sound. Other buildings looked~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ in better shape, but still had broken windows and damage to their external surfaces.

All around there was debris, from the crater and small building next to it. We were careful to not disturb anything that would be evidence. As a result of this, and of looking for any possible enemies, we walked very slowly.

"So where are these Pokemon that we're supposed to be getting rid of?" May asked, as we walked past a car thats windows were completely smashed.

"I don't know," I replied, turning toward her. At that very moment, a shadow appeared over my face for a moment, then disappeared. I started looking upwards when something landed on my back with a sharp jolt.

"What the hell?" I leapt up and turned around, to face my attacker; there was a Squirtle that standing a few feet away. I guessed that he had used a Mega Kick, from the concentration of the impact on my upper back. "Who the **** do you think you are?" I yelled, quite angry at the sneaky tactic. But, I reasoned, that I couldn't expect anything else from a Team Rocket Pokemon.

Hearing my exclamation, the rest of the team turned to face me and the Squirtle. "Need help, Blaze?" Aipom offered quietly.

"Well... we'll need to see," I replied. I then ran forward, and leapt into the Squirtle with a quick Tackle attack. However, by the time I hit him, he had Withdrawn his head into his shell and started to duck; I only hit the top of his shell.

Squirtle was knocked down, but my velocity sent me past him. I scrambled back to my feet, but apparently the Squirtle was faster in getting up; the Squirtle reciprocated the Tackle and landed on my back. I was knocked back to the ground, with the Squirtle atop me.

I cringed for the impact to the ground, but it wasn't that bad. About then I realized that that the flame jets on my back were still off. While they were downright dangerous most of the time, in a battle they increased my fire energy a lot, and also would be of annoyance to this Squirtle that was lying on my back.

After a moment of gathering fire energy in myself, my back burst out in flames. As I suspected, the Squirtle jumped off; when I looked at him he appeared slightly singed. I went for a Smokescreen next, letting the flame on my back expel a thick cloud of black smoke that drifted over the Squirtle.

I took a deep breath, then leapt into the smoke cloud at the Squirtle. I put as much force into my Submission as I could, slamming into the Squirtle to do as much damage as possible. The impact certainly jarred me, but I wasn't sure how much damage I had actually done to the Squirtle.

As the smoke cloud thinned, the Squirtle struggled out from under me. Before I could get up, he inhaled deeply and breathed out a stream of water at me. Though it was only a Water Gun, it hit me right on the flame on my back; it really hurt. I instinctively rolled onto my back and tried to get rid of the painful water, but with only limited success. In pain, I scrambled away from the Squirtle while trying to dry off, and yelling out for help from my teammates.

Aipom's Perspective

"Ow, ****! Damn it, can someone come and ****ing help?" Blaze yelled as he hobbled away from the Squirtle. I wasted no time in assisting my friend; I ran forward, to the Squirtle that had his back facing away from me. I caught up to him quickly, and Slashed hard on the back of his head. The Squirtle let out a surprised yelp as he stumbled.

Blaze, looking thankful for the distraction I had made, was able to stop and try to dry himself off more quickly. The Squirtle, meanwhile, got up and turned toward me. He growled something at me, then spit a high-velocity Water Gun in my direction. The attack hit me slightly, but I got out of the way before it caused much damage.

When the Squirtle finally stopped attacking to catch his breath, I dashed toward him. I ducked down a bit as I hit him at full speed, for the full effects of my Slam. He collapsed under me, and I stumbled past him a few steps before I was able to get up and turn around.

The Squirtle, shaken a bit, started getting back to his feet. I Scratched at his chest before dashing out of his way as he lunged toward me. He fell down again, and I prepared to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, Blaze appeared to have finally gotten himself dry, and ran back over. As the Squirtle picked himself up off the ground once again, Blaze leapt onto his back. The Tackle smashed the Squirtle into the ground rather violently.

The Squirtle, however, quickly retracted his arms, legs, and head into his shell. Blaze started to get up, but the Squirtle used a Rapid Spin; Blaze was thrown off of the Squirtle; he backed up toward me cautiously. Squirtle emerged from his Rapid Spin facing toward us.

Next, the Squirtle went into a trance; obviously preparing for some sort of attack. After a few moments, a small pool of water seemed to seep up from the concrete below him. It grew bigger and began to take the shape of a wave, building up in place with the Squirtle floating on top. It was obvious that this was a Surf.

I glanced at Blaze, who looked terrified by this building wall of water in front of him. I didn't blame him, and I motioned for him to get out of the way. He scampered off to the right, arcing around to be directly to the side of the large, motionless block of water.

Finally, when the wave looked about five feet tall, the Squirtle looked up with a smile at me, only about twenty feet away. I stood my ground, preparing for my counterattack.

With a defiant war cry by the Squirtle, the wave came crashing down in my direction. The water flooded toward me, with the Squirtle remaining at the back. At that moment, I unleashed a Thunderbolt from the palm of my hand-tail. I had been practicing this new attack with Flatten, over the last few weeks, but hadn't used it in a battle until now. However, the crackling bolt of electricity hit the Squirtle with perfect accuracy, buy I wasn't able to see the result because the rush of water hit me and I stumbled backwards before being carried away by it

Blaze's Perspective

The Surf attack rather quickly spread out into a large puddle that began to flow downhill into the crater in the middle of the road. Aipom was carried backwards, up until a few feet from the police line we had entered the attack scene from. His Thunderbolt, however, had shocked the Squirtle quite severely; though the Squirtle's shell looked fine, when he poked his head and arms out, they were blackened by the electricity.

Aipom was sitting up, but was shaken and would probably take him a minute to be ready to continue battling. However, the Squirtle was also still lying on the ground and only starting to get back up. This looked like as good of a chance as I'd ever have to attack the Squirtle.

I jogged through the water, which was now flowing steadily into the crater. I leapt onto the Squirtle yet again, pounding him into the ground with another Tackle; though I doubted that my attack was effective.

The Squirtle started to squirm and struggle, and I cautiously backed away from him. He got up a few moments later, staring angrily at me. Finally, he opened his mouth and shot a glowing blue beam of energy at me.

The beam had hit me before I could even move; the cold air that swept with it proved that it was an Ice Beam. It obviously wasn't painful like the Water Gun had been, but the ice crystals forming on my leg were quite uncomfortable. I simply breathed deeply and exhaled my own attack; this one being a fairly weak Flamethrower. I hadn't used the attack much, since I hadn't ignited my back flame for a battle for quite a while. Nevertheless, it tore through the Ice Beam and charred the front of Squirtle's shell.

About then, I noticed that Aipom had gotten up and was approaching the Squirtle from behind. Once again, his hand-tail Slashed the back of the Squirtle's head; the Squirtle yelped out in pain and immediately Withdrew into his shell. I walked tentatively toward the Squirtle and Aipom.

By the time I had gotten in front of the Squirtle, he was still in his shell. I looked at Aipom; he shrugged, not sure what the Squirtle was trying to do. Finally, Aipom reached his hand-tail over and smacked the back of the Squirtle's shell lightly.

The Squirtle then went into a Rapid Spin; apparently he had planned on using it to defend himself when one of us attacked. However, it hit neither of us, and we just looked on incredulously as the Squirtle spun.

Finally, the Squirtle's spinning slowed, and he emerged from his shell on his feet and facing me. Aipom stepped forward a bit and Scratched lightly at the back of his head, not expecting this, the Squirtle was caught off-balance. I ran forward and rammed him from the front, with a Tackle; he fell backwards. I scrambled past, as Aipom prepared his next attack.

I turned around in time to see Aipom shoot a Thunderbolt from his hand-tail at the Squirtle. The bolt of electricity crackled through the air for a second, and then hit the Squirtle's slightly reflective skin - and bounced back at Aipom.

Aipom's Perspective

"Oh, crap," I mumbled just before being hit by my own reflected Thunderbolt. I had seen the Mirror Coat that the Squirtle was using, but it was too late to stop my attack. I was almost instantly jolted with the electricity and knocked backwards.

The electricity stung quite a bit, but thankfully I hadn't been able to release much energy with the Thunderbolt, so it didn't do much damage to me. I rubbed my side, where I had been hit, but stood up so I could battle if I needed to.

Luckily for me, I had a few moments I could spend recovering from the attack; not only did I have a partner, but the Squirtle seemed incapable of combining attacks to take advantage of either of us being hurt. He appeared to be on the stupider side, which seemed common for low-level Team Rocket Pokemon. So, the Squirtle remained Mirror Coating for a few moments; Blaze leapt at him with a Submission. The impact jarred both of them quite a bit.

Blaze backed away as the Squirtle got up, muttering more insults at us. He focused entirely on Blaze, however; I decided to bide a little more time to help relieve the pain from the deflected Thunderbolt, and to regain my electric-type energy.

The Squirtle made a dashing Tackle at Blaze, which really wasn't the smartest thing to do. Being a Quilava with flames shooting from his back, Blaze simply turned away from the Squirtle. The Squirtle carried on with his Tackle, but was repulsed by the heat and the flames. He bumped Blaze a bit, and was rewarded by being coated in soot on the left side of his body.

Amused by the Squirtle's attempted Tackle, Blaze attempted to reciprocate the attack. Blaze's Tackle knocked the Squirtle over, and not much more; but by now he had been damaged quite a bit and appeared to be running out of strength. Blaze backed away to a safe distance, and nodded to me. I released a fairly low-voltage Thunderbolt, which actually shocked the Squirtle this time.

I increased the energy in the Thunderbolt; Squirtle screamed something out, but the electricity soon got the better of him. He lay on the ground for a second, shuddering only due to the electricity flowing through him; I quickly stopped the attack. He was clearly fainted.

"Well, I guess that's over," Blaze breathed a sigh of relief. "Good job with the Thunderbolts. When did you even learn to do that?"

"I've been practicing stuff like that with Flatten for the last few weeks. We're working on a lot of new attacks, actually," I replied.

"Wow," Blaze was about to say something else, but then a sharp yell interrupted him, "WATCH OUT!"

Before I could even place the voice as Sai's, I felt myself being Psychically lifted into the air and whipped away from where I was standing. The exact same thing happened to Blaze. I at first assumed that I was being attacked by a hostile Pokemon. I barely had time to panic about that, though. Almost instantly after I was moved out of its range, a crackling burst of electricity descended on where Blaze and I had just been standing.

Thunderblast's Perspective

"That was way too close," I muttered, relieved nonetheless, as the Zap Cannon hit the ground. The ball of electricity had enough explosive power to turn a four-foot wide circle of asphalt into gravel. I shuddered to think what it would have done to Blaze and Aipom had they still been standing there. I pulled them towards us Psychically and set them down next to Danny.

"Uhh... Thanks," Blaze said, stunned from what had just happened.

"No problem," I replied, not really paying attention; instead, I was focusing on the scene around me. Using my Psychic power to make up for my low-quality Raichu vision, I made a quick map of the area for myself. Much of the debris in the area had been pushed by the Squirtle's Surf; though the police wouldn't have liked this, it made the area in front of quite a bit cleaner. The ground was still damp, but most of the water had washed back into the large crater in the center of the road. The crater was now a pool lined with more debris and other "evidence"; we were certainly making a mess of the crime scene. However, I was more concerned about the attacker that had almost hit Aipom and Blaze; the problematic Ampharos that the police had told us about was standing on the other side of the large crater.

"I'll handle this," I said, walking toward the water-filled crater. The Ampharos remained in place, not moving. I stopped a few feet away from the crater, opposite of my motionless opponent.

"Well, you intend to fight me?" the Ampharos spoke menacingly. "That's your problem then. Team Rocket will prevail always. And I will take special revenge on you, for whatever tricks your friends had up their sleeves that stopped my Zap Cannon. And then I will make the Aipom and the Quilava suffer their due punishment for attacking my apprentice."

For the most part, I ignored the Ampharos's threats, but the coldness did worry me a bit. I wasn't quite sure whether he was just trying to scare me, or if he really meant what he said. However, I had learned in the past that if a Rocket had been able to get a strong Pokemon to obey him, the Pokemon was usually genuinely cruel and heartless.

"'Tricks that my friends had up their sleeves'?" I decided I might as well start the battle; mocking and humiliating the Ampharos was one way to do it. "Really? You mean a 'trick' like this?" Before he could reply, I quickly used my Psychic to grab the Ampharos and fling him towards the nearest stationary object; it happened to be a mailbox.

The Ampharos smashed into the metal mailbox with an accompanying crunch. He lay there a moment, dazed from the impact, before muttering something to himself and standing up slowly. The mailbox itself was mangled out of shape and bent, with the bolts on the front completely pulled out of the ground.

"You little..." Ampharos dashed toward me in rage. He drew back his right arm; I noticed that flames seemed to emerge from his hand. I assumed that he was using a Fire Punch.

I ran to the left; Ampharos apparently had planned for this and continued dashing toward me. Finally, with not too many options, I concentrated my Psychic energy on my speed. After one slow step, I bolted forward about twenty feet. My Agility put me far out of the range of the Ampharos; he flailed around and missed.

In addition to the initial burst of speed, the Agility also boosted my speed overall, at least temporarily. I turned around and ran toward the Ampharos.

Approaching him from behind, I used a Cross Chop. My right arm smashed down on his lower back with as much force as I could muster for it. The Ampharos stumbled forward a few steps more, before stopping and standing upright.

The Ampharos then raised his tail into the air; a moment later, electricity emanated from the red ball at the end. It was a Shock Wave; the attack wasn't particularly powerful, but it hit everything nearby.

Unfortunately, I was nearby. The electricity was mostly negated because I was an electric Pokemon; however, it still zapped my muscles lightly, and prevented me from moving very far. The damage was negligible. However, the tactical advantage gained by the state of semi-paralysis he had put me in was probably significant.

The muscle spasms were enough to keep me from running a few seconds more; by the time I was able to start moving it was too late. The Ampharos slammed into me with a Double Edge. I cringed first from the Ampharos's impact, and then from both of us slamming into the ground. The whole attack was quite violent and painful; I suspected that the Ampharos had damaged himself somewhat, also.

I landed on my side, with the Ampharos lying over me; I kicked at him until he stood up. I rolled over, leaning on my arms so I was halfway between sitting and standing. My Psychic powers could easily tell that the Ampharos was building up electric-type energy for another attack; I had plenty of time to prepare.

After a few more moments, a large Zap Cannon shot from the Ampharos's hands and descended upon me fairly slowly. I immediately used Protect; it was quite a handy skill to have. An invisible, intangible shield formed around my body; the Zap Cannon hit it and dissipated.

It took the Ampharos a moment to realize that I hadn't been hit by his point-blank Zap Cannon; in that time, I charged up a Thunderbolt.

I released my Thunderbolt quickly, but not quickly enough. The Ampharos had used a Light Screen a few moments before I started the Thunderbolt; my attack simply reflected off and into the ground. I reasoned that the Ampharos had enough tactical sense to know that I was going to attack, or had made it a habit to defend himself whenever an attack of his failed. Either way proved that he was smart, at least more so than most Team Rocket Pokemon I'd seen.

Meanwhile, I needed to make my next move. Before the Ampharos had even stopped his Light Screen, I stood up and leapt at him. Being a barrier to intangible attacks only, the Light Screen wasn't able to interfere with me. I hit the Ampharos, and channeled as much electrical energy as I could into him. This was the first time I'd used a Volt Tackle, but the concept was simple enough; it was a combination a Tackle-like and a Thundershock-like attack.

The Ampharos fell backwards as I rammed into his upper body. My momentum kept me pushing against him, and I continued releasing electricity for the entirety of our contact. Finally, he smashed into the ground, and I fell on top of him and rolled off.

The attack seemed to be quite effective; the Ampharos groaned for a moment, without bothering to try to get up or protect himself. I turned toward him, and used a quick Cross Chop on his forehead; I saw no reason to waste a perfectly good opportunity like this.

The Ampharos grunted again, but then a bunch of small particles started to drift off of his body. I recognized this as a Cotton Spore, so I turned to run, but not quickly enough; the spores attached to my body and they itched terribly. I had to stop to Psychically cleanse myself of the offending cotton.

I had almost finished when the Ampharos came stomping toward me, and hit me on the back with a Thunderpunch. I let out a short yelp before I tumbled to the ground.

Quickly turning around, I faced the Ampharos yet again. Before he could move again, I used my own Shock Wave; I simply emitted a quick burst of electricity in all directions. The Ampharos was momentarily paralyzed, and wasn't able to complete whatever move he was preparing.

I leapt up onto my feet again, and then I launched a quick Thunderbolt at the Ampharos. He grimaced as I continued the attack; I could tell that I was damaging him, but he seemed to be concentrating quite hard on not being stunned by the electricity. I was fairly sure that he was going to attack as soon as my Thunderbolt ended.

This was indeed correct; as I made my Thunderbolt weaken and stopped, the Ampharos dashed at me. A small Psychic probe into his mind revealed that he was using a Double Edge, which was quite a threat to me.

However, as the Ampharos had been preparing his attack during my Thunderbolt, I had also readied myself for a defensive move. I focused for a moment, and a Protect shield quickly formed in around me. The Ampharos jumped on me with his attack; however, the immobile Protect that surrounded my body absorbed all of the impact, leaving me unscratched.

The Ampharos was surprised for a second, not knowing what to think, as he lay on an impenetrable shield only inches above my body. I quickly formed all of the electrical energy I could muster at that time into a Zap Cannon that was ready to be fired.

I dropped my Protect shield right as I fired the Zap Cannon. The ball of electricity shot directly into the Ampharos. He screamed out as the explosive force of the attack blasted him backwards, quite a distance away from me. My Psychic powers told me that my Zap Cannon had hurt the Ampharos a lot. He was trying to act tough, but I knew that he was getting near the end of the amount of damage he could stand.

The Ampharos's next attack proved this; all he managed was a measly Thundershock. The electricity did a minimal amount of damage to me, but was so ineffective that I was able to stand up with ease during the attack, and waited the duration of the attack.

"Damn you..." the Ampharos trailed off as he mumbled through his gritted teeth. I relied on my psychic powers to inform me of his next intentions; I could tell that he was planning on a Thunder Wave. It appeared that the attack would be focused in a narrow area, trading range for power.

I wasn't going to sit through a focused Thunder Wave; paralysis was a very dangerous problem. As the Ampharos started Thunder Waving, I dashed to the left with an Agility. Just to be safe, I put all of my Psychic energy into the initial dash; I traveled in an arc around the Ampharos's left in a few seconds' time.

The Ampharos turned to face me. "Alright, *****... what do you think of this?" Almost immediately, he launched a Zap Cannon in my direction.

Apparently the Zap Cannon was quite powerful; obviously the first two electrical attacks had only used a minimal amount of energy but had gotten him ready for something stronger. However, his Zap Cannon lacked the appropriate speed to make it useful at all at the range we were at; I was twenty feet away from him. Dashing with the added speed from my recent Agility, I was well out of the way by the time the Zap Cannon exploded where I had stood before.

"Hey, Amphy," I taunted, "I guess you need a lesson in how to use Zap Cannons, huh?" I was closer to him now. I charged myself slightly, then sent a small Zap Cannon at the Ampharos. The attack was much faster than his; it exploded at the Ampharos's feet before he could move, knocking him down.

By now, I had grown tired of this battle. My body was sore and all of his electrical attacks hadn't been too helpful for my muscles. I grabbed the helpless Ampharos with my Psychic power. He tried to resist, but was too weak.

"Anyway," I continued, "Zap Cannons like yours are better used in situations like this." I charged my own Zap Cannon again, but more slowly this time because I needed to maintain a firm telekinetic grip on the Ampharos, who I raised a bit higher into the air.

I released the final Zap Cannon so that it flew just above the ground. Meanwhile, I slammed the Ampharos downward. He collided with the Zap Cannon and the ground at about the same time. The explosion of the Zap Cannon covered him up for a few moments, in which time I turned and walked back towards Dan. I didn't even need my Psychic powers to tell me that the Ampharos had fainted.

"Good job, Thunderblast," May was the first to congratulate me as I walked back to the rest of my team. "Are you okay after that?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. It was true for the most part; I had some minor muscle spasms from the electrical attacks used against me, and the Cotton Spores left a small rash, but I didn't have any major injuries.

"Alright, good," Sai replied. "So do you mind if we check out the crime scene a little while? It was our original purpose for being here."

"Sounds good," I replied. Many of the police officers had come inside the crime scene now that the Ampharos was fainted. They immediately went over to the two fainted Pokemon, and put them in restraints on stretchers, then loaded them into some ambulances. We then continued on with our original plan to collect evidence about Team Rocket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Err okay, did we learn ANYTHING in the last few hours?" Blaze asked. It was getting close to sunset, and we were walking back to the helicopter.

"Well, some stuff," I replied. "I am holding a bag marked 'Evidence', after all."

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, a blood sample from the Ampharos and some things that could have belonged to the Team Rocket guy will really help. Well, maybe the pictures would be useful... if we hadn't had to screw up their crime scene to defeat the Pokemon there."

"We'll see," Sai replied, "once the Dragon Tamers investigative guys look over it."

"Geez, can you guys stop arguing?" Aipom asked, "I'd thought you'd be happy that we're going to go home now."

So the conversation continued as we made our way into the helicopter; we took the same seats as before, with Aipom and I flying, and the others in the back. Soon, the helicopter ascended off into the darkening sky, and we flew towards home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We landed on the roof of the Pokemon Center at about ten o'clock that night. May had already fallen asleep in her seat. Dan, Sai, and Blaze were at various levels of sleepiness, but all perked up when we landed. Aipom and I, as the pilots, were both wide awake, thanks mostly to our supply of caffeine in the form of coffee and sodas.

Dan yawned and stretched, then asked, "Well, what should we do next? We could stay here for the night, or we could get our stuff inside and fly back to home. What do you guys think?"

"Sounds good to me," Sai replied, "I wouldn't mind getting back home."

"I'd be fine with going back," after all of the caffeine, Aipom was quite alert and eager.

"Err, wasn't there a Team Rocket attack just by the Pokemon Center?" I asked; it appeared everyone else had forgotten.

"Uh, yeah, but they said they wouldn't block off the Center," Aipom replied. "Anyway, we are Dragon Tamers, so they'd probably let us by anyway."

"Makes sense." I thought for a moment more. "Okay, then let's go back."

"Alright," Dan replied. "Blaze, what do you think?"

"Huh?" Blaze yawned, "Either way I can sleep, so I don't care."

"I guess that settles it," Dan leaned over and opened up the helicopter door. "We head down, get the rest of our team and all of our stuff, and we should be back here in less than half an hour."

"Sounds good," Sai was the first one out the door, followed by Dan, Aipom, and me. After Blaze woke up May and they both climbed out, we locked our helicopter and descended the stairs into the Pokemon Center.

Inside, we found Hydro and Tyrant playing some video game. Going by the pixelated blood displayed on the television, as well as Tyrant's muttering, it appeared that Hydro had just won at whatever they were playing.

"Huh?" Hydro turned around to see us approaching. "Hey, welcome back. Where were you guys all of that time?"

"Out fighting Rockets," I replied, yawning. "What did you expect that we'd have been doing?"

"I don't know, really. Anyway, so are we going to go back home tomorrow morning or something?"

"Actually, no," Dan answered, "We're planning to go tonight."

"Oh?" Tyrant turned towards us, "So I guess we better get ready now, huh?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. We should get going as soon as we can."

"Works for me," Hydro replied, standing up. "Then let's get out of here!"

It took us about fifteen minutes after that point to get back up onto the roof. We had packed all of our things, and most of us had gotten some sort of food. Aqua and Eesha had been awakened near the end, and had tiredly followed us into the helicopter.

As Aipom started up the helicopter and prepared to leave for our "home" Pokemon Center in Sector Alpha, I checked on everyone behind me. All of our belongings had been strapped to some part of the helicopter; now everyone was strapping themselves into their seats.

"Eh?" Hydro was looking towards Blaze and May, who were sitting next together in the same seat. "Are you two in love or something now?"

"Maybe we are," May replied, sounding somewhat defiant. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No," Hydro looked at her curiously. "That's cool. You two make a cute couple."

"Uhh, thanks," May apparently had been expecting Hydro to start taunting her and Blaze. Hydro had been known for being immature in the past, but I had doubted that he would give May any problems. Even if she didn't know it, Hydro respected both her and Blaze.

After Hydro yawned and closed his eyes, May appeared satisfied that he wasn't going to bother her. She kissed Blaze once, then both of them snuggled together in their seat, trying to find the most comfortable position for them to sleep in on the ride home.

"Alright," Aipom sat down in the pilot's seat again, and I took my place as the copilot; the helicopter lifted off into the night, finally taking us towards our home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ugh, we have to walk half a mile now?!" Hydro complained. I didn't quite blame him; it was almost midnight. However, we had just landed the helicopter at the local Dragon Tamers' headquarters, and our Pokemon Center was half a mile down the road.

"Yeah, unless you want to sleep here all night," Blaze yawned, having just been awakened like the majority of our team. "Whatever, let's just go now and get there so we can sleep again."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" I asked. Even Psychic Raichus get irritable sometimes. I was quite tired by then, and it hadn't helped to be sitting in a helicopter for much of the last twelve hours. "Can you guys get going?"

My semi-exasperated command was followed by everyone. Aipom, Blaze, May, Sai, Dan, Aqua, Hydro, Tyrant, Eesha, and I all slowly headed back to the Pokemon Center, many of us weighed down by things that we had brought with on the initial trek do Dark Island four days before.

So, we slowly walked for about twenty minutes. Everyone was exhausted from how busy we had been in the previous few days; however, as we were going home right now, the entire team seemed happy and we didn't even hear a single complaint from Hydro.

As we had expected, there were many police around the area because of the Team Rocket attack earlier in the day. They gave us no trouble, however, since Dan's Dragon Tamers badge made him effectively outrank the police officers that approached us.

Finally, the ten of us stumbled through the main doors of the Pokemon Center and into our usual home. After going up a short flight of stairs and through a long hallway, Dan fumbled through his pocket for a moment to get his keys to let himself into his room at the Pokemon Center; it was only big enough for sleeping and storing belongings, but it was essentially our permanent home.

Inside, everyone was asleep already. Tulie was curled around a lamp, and Flare was in a sleeping bag on the floor next to her. Gaea had fallen asleep in the middle of one of the beds. Mopia was asleep under one of the beds, and Zippy was on the top shelf in the closet; Flatten, of course, was much too large to fit in this room.

It took about two minutes for everyone to find an appropriate area for sleeping and to make themselves comfortable, whether it be on one of the beds or on the couch. I used my Psychic powers to move Gaea over to one side of the bed so Dan could claim most of the rest for himself. I curled up in one corner at the foot of the bed, before using my Psychic to turn off the light at May's request. It was good to be home again.

Blaze (Lv. 9 Quilava) and Aipom (Lv. 14 Aipom) defeated Squirtle (Lv. 15)
Thunderblast (Lv. 41 Raichu) defeated Ampharos (Lv. 45)
Blaze grew to Lv. 10!
Aipom grew to Lv. 15!
Thunderblast grew to Lv. 43!
Blaze learned Detect as his free TM!

[Lady Vulpix]

Alright, Kris. You can have 6 more stamps now. ¢¢¢¢¢¢
Nicely done, Karin! Take 21 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
Though I wonder how those vicious pokemon got into the Blizzard Room, and what will happen to Evenstar and Nimrodel now. And what's with Mike and the Absol. And... did Aglárien really try to blind the Slowpoke permanently?

I'll try to read Danny's battle soon, but it would be great if someone else could rate it. I'm afraid Karin made a mistake when answering Shonta's question. Pokemon learn moves as the same level they would learn them in GSC. Only when the move is not available in GSC we use levels from other games. Check the FAQ for more information, and sorry for the confusion.

[Kirei]

Gabi, here is the next part of my story, can you rate it when you have time please? I hope you like it. I wanted to post Kassandra's battle so she can be Level 9 in the Unicorn games, I hope this is OK.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn’t know the way to Sector Alpha. Sure, I had been there before but my sense of direction was terrible. It was a good thing we had Kirei to lead us to the centre. The city looked empty, and there were many broken and smashed buildings. I could tell we were close to where all the disruption had occurred, but where were Team Rocket? And where was Ade?
“We’re lost, aren’t we?� yawned Kassandra, frustratedly.
“Uh, Kirei,� I asked the Espeon, “weren’t we here a minute ago?�
Kirei didn’t answer at first. I kept forgetting she was probably trying to trace Ade psychically and I was probably putting her off with my impatience. Everywhere we passed looked the same, desolate wasteland, not like a busy city at all.
Suddenly Kirei turned to me. “I don’t know,� she said, looking somewhat disappointed. “Oh! What’s that?� Kirei had tripped on a sign that had evidently been knocked down by unscrupulous trouble makers. It was a “one way� road sign, and looking in the direction the arrow pointed as it lay I saw what looked like movement far in the distance.
“Kirei,� I said, hugging the Espeon, “I am glad I brought you!�
“Hmph…� was the noise which came from Kassandra as she turned her back on me.
“You too, Kass, of course you too,� I said as I picked up my little Charmander and gave her a hug. “Now let’s get going, ok?�

The movement was coming from a building in the distance, but I felt sure that’s where we should head. I wanted to avoid being seen and taken hostage myself, so when I noticed a shadowed figure ahead, I was frightened. I clung tightly to Kassandra, and placed a cautionary hand on Kirei, in case she had not noticed.
“Yay!!� shouted Kirei, turning to beam at me and causing my heart to stop for a brief moment. Kirei ran towards the figure and it was then that I realised it was an Umbreon, and not just any Umbreon – this was Milly!
“Milly!� I shouted, running towards him, “what are you doing here on your own?� A terrible thought crossed my mind. “Where’s Ade?�
“He’s trying to get into… wait a minute, what are you doing here?�
I explained to Milly how we’d set out after Ade and was promptly informed by the Umbreon that we were heading in the wrong direction. No amount of arguing would convince Milly that we actually had just started off in the right direction as he began to lead us to the building I had spotted.

As we neared what looked like a large department store, I saw that there was much activity between various trainers and Team Rocket members, which seemed innumerable. So intense were the battles that it took me a full minute before I had even registered the giant Salamence perched on the store’s roof. We had to find a way inside while avoiding the Rockets. I was sure Ade would be up there and I had to get to him. I picked up Kassandra to keep her out of trouble.

We followed Milly to the building and he took us through a secluded back entrance, my Pokémon running along ahead of me and leading the way. The entrance led to the base of a darkened stairway corridor, where standing was a shadowy figure I recognised. I ran to hug Ade and my hug was returned.
“Why did you come here, Soo? I wanted you to stay at home,� said Ade, looking upset.
“I couldn’t face the thought of you going out into danger and not having me at your side, OK?� I replied.
“Guys,� Milly said quietly, “we ought to move on.� That was the first non-sarcastic thing I’d heard from the Umbreon in ages. We went quietly up the stairs towards the roof of the building and were surprisingly alone – there were no Rocket guards along the way or even a sound. When we neared the top, Ade turned to me.
“You stay here, Soo, Kirei and Kassandra will protect you if anything happens. I need to go on and deal with the guy behind all this.�
“I want to be with you,� I whined.
“No. Let me go. You’ll hear me shout if I need you up there, ok?� Ade looked stern; I knew it was no good arguing with him so I sat down on the floor.

Kirei, Kassandra and I waited patiently. There had been no sound from above for what seemed like an eternity, but in fact was probably about half an hour. I was starting to worry, and announced to my team we were going up.
“Yay!� said Kassandra, probably too loudly, “At last a real battle!�
“Kassandra,� replied Kirei, being spookily serious for a change, “this is serious. And Soo, Ade told you to wait.�
I ignored this and started walking up the way Ade had gone, my Pokémon following me as I knew full well they would. There was a door ahead which led to the rooftop and Ade. However the door was now guarded. A solitary, gruff looking Rocket was standing in front. We walked straight up to him, the only thing I could think of to do.
“Let us pass and we won’t hurt you,� I said, trying my best to make it look and sound like we actually could hurt him if we wanted to.
The Rocket gave a little laugh. “Mr DiAnnio is in conference,� he said with a smug, somewhat sleazy tone. “And you, little girl, are about to be taken hostage.�
“Not if I can help it!� I shouted, “I, uh, challenge you!� I didn’t know what else I was supposed to say but I knew as soon as I said I challenge you that it was the lamest thing ever. The Rocket laughed again and pulled a single Pokéball from his pocket.
I backed away slightly, suddenly realising what I’d gotten myself into and my two brave Pokémon companions stood braced for battle in front of me.
The Pokémon used by the Rocket was an angry looking Squirtle and immediately Kirei stepped up to face it.
“No fair!� said Kassandra, pushing the Espeon out of the way, “I’m fighting this one and no arguments.� I could see the Rocket laughing to himself again.

Kirei returned to stand by me, ready to jump in if Kassandra looked like she was in trouble.
“Can’t you just fight with her?� I asked Kirei.
“I have a feeling from that one, she doesn’t need my help, but if I’m wrong, I’m ready to get in there.�
I trusted Kirei’s judgement.

FIGHT!!! L7 Charmander v L15 Squirtle!

At this point I was unsure whether I should shout out attacks or just try to advise Kassandra. I wasn’t a trainer, I was just a trainer’s girlfriend. Kassandra was a lot faster than the Squirtle and was doing an outstanding job of dodging the Squirtle’s water attacks. Why my Charmander had thought it was a good idea to fight a type she was naturally weak to I would never know. Maybe she enjoyed challenges. I thought back to earlier, when she had insisted on trying to kick, headbutt and punch Bolovayr, who was resistant to physical damage, and in the end came out on top. But that was only a practice battle in our garden; this was the real thing.
“Kassandra!� I shouted to her, “use some attacks will you?� I wasn’t sure what attacks she knew, although I was pretty sure any fire attacks wouldn’t help her. Which was why I was particularly frustrated when she started breathing fire in the face of the Squirtle. Luckily she was still fast enough to get away when he retaliated with water moves.
“Try something else, Kass!� I called to her.
“I’m fine, Soo, I’m winning!� Kassandra said, looking at me just in time to be narrowly missed by a strong body attack from the Squirtle. “Whoops!!!�
I decided I was best off not interfering and watched as Kass continued to breathe fire, having absolutely no effect except amusing the Squirtle. I could see that the Squirtle was taunting Kassandra, although I couldn’t understand his words. All I could understand was Kassandra’s reply: “Oh yeah? Eat fire!!� before she breathed a strong jet of flames right into the Squirtle’s face, this time seeming to hurt him as he began to look even angrier and spouted streams of water back at the Charmander. Somehow Kassandra managed to jump high and avoid the attack, frustrating her opponent still further.
I was really impressed by Kassandra. I had really thought she’d need Kirei’s assistance by now, but she really was as brave as she professed to be. Still, if she kept breathing fire like that, it didn’t seem like there would be any way she could win. But still I hoped she would think of something.
The battle had been going on in this way for quite some time with neither Pokémon looking like they were getting tired. Kassandra breathed yet more fire in the face of the Squirtle, only to have him respond with water that cut right through the fire and hit Kassandra full in the face. Luckily for Kass most of the water’s strength had been diminished by eating through her fire but still I could see it hurt her. “Is that the best you’ve got, little boy?� shouted Kassandra, who by now seemed to be enjoying infuriating her opponent. He responded by running straight towards her, head lowered ready to bash into Kass, but she somehow managed to jump clear over him, causing him to have to skid to a halt before whirling round to face Kass. But he was too slow, as he turned he was caught in the face by flames causing him to rub his eyes in pain. Unfortunately that seemed to be the extent of the effect suffered by the Squirtle and he quickly retaliated with water, which Kassandra somehow dodged.
“Soo! Look at me! I’m winning!!!� she shouted to me as she jumped away from the Squirtle again. Just then he jumped as well, trying to hit the Charmander with his shell when she wasn’t looking, and succeeding. “Oh, that didn’t hurt!� Kass said, getting to her feet. It looked like the Squirtle was shouting angry words to my Charmander. “Take a chill pill, moron,� she replied. At least now I wasn’t the lamest one in the team anymore. Take a chill pill just HAD to beat I challenge you!
Next I watched Kassandra avoid yet another jet of water by jumping in a silly, dancy way, before landing awkwardly some distance away from the Squirtle. He didn’t miss his chance and while Kass was floored fired the strongest jet of water he could muster. Kassandra saw it coming towards her. She opened her mouth instinctively to breathe fire back at her opponent and try to cut off the jet of water, but this time the fire looked different. The flames were strong, electric light blue sparking jets that cut straight through the water giving her opponent quite literally the shock of his life. Kassandra had received a great deal of water to the face by this point but somehow managed to keep going, if anything her electrical fire growing stronger and eventually the Squirtle, unable to attack any more and completely electrified, fell to the ground.

Kassandra wins!
Kassandra grew to L9!

“I told you I’d win! Soo, Kirei, I won!! Look at me!!!� Kassandra began to cheer, jumping higher and higher into the air as the Rocket recalled his Pokémon and ran down the stairs.
“He’ll be going to get reinforcements,� said Kirei. “We can’t stay here.�
I looked at the now unguarded door, and as I began to open it, it creaked spookily. My team followed me onto the rooftop.

[Lady Vulpix]

Well done, Soo! Take 11 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
I'm sure the tournament will be really interesting. There are plenty of great writers in it!

Amy said she would rate Danny's battle, so please be patient. Now I'm off to start the Games.

[Charizard04621]

[color=hotpink]Nicely done, Karin! Take 21 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
Though I wonder how those vicious pokemon got into the Blizzard Room, and what will happen to Evenstar and Nimrodel now. And what's with Mike and the Absol. And... did Aglárien really try to blind the Slowpoke permanently?

All this will be answered in the conclusion. ^_^; I was planning to write it soon, but I'm going to focus on the tournament story now. As I type this, I currently suffer a horrible I-don't-know-what, and I feel as if I'm about to drop dead. I'll work on getting the story done by the deadline. If I make it to the second round, I'll probably have less than a week to work on it, because we'll be back a really short time before the second deadline. As a consequence, my stories will be rushed, but that's all right. I'll do the best that I can.

Oh, and Aglárien never got to blind the Slowpoke. He was too quick for her and threw her back with Psychic before she got to have a go at his eyes.

[Crystalmaster Mike]

If Extrasensory looks completely different in-game wise, I plead ignorance (or a malfunctioning memory).

~ ~ ~ ~

"Rock 'n Roll!"
"No, Heavy Metal!"
"ROCK 'N ROLL!!"
"NO, HEAVY METAL!!"

~ Bruce’s POV ~

Sigh… How did we get mixed up in this situation again? Ah yes…

Mike had heard about a special tournament organized by the Dragon Tamers, called the Union Games. Unfortunately, when we went to see what it was about, they told us each and every place in the Games had already been taken. However, the training grounds where trainers could prepare for the event were open to all. So, Mike asked about them. But the clerk had no clue where they were, and said he'd have to call his boss.

"I smell a Happy Bureaucracy Hour coming." Mike had said with a smirk. "Why don't you guys run off and go exploring? I'll come searching for you in an hour or so, probably. Just don't leave the Plaza."

As it was, the DT Office we were at was located on Swellow Plaza, somewhere in the north of Sector Alpha. It was a curvaceous Plaza, surrounded with shops, apartments and official looking buildings. It was very large and was the home to a giant flock of Taillow and Swellow (hence its name). They had their nests high up in the flats surrounding the plaza (where tall trees used to stand), and swooped down to ground level every hour or so, to take a dive in the huge fountain which was located in the center of the plaza. A huge statue of a merman and his Gyarados dominated the large body of water (it was out of the lower body of the merman and the mouth of the Gyarados that the fountain water poured and spouted, respectively).
It was to this oasis in the desert of the big city that most of the group dashed, at the exact same moment Mike had said "Plaza". It should be no surprise that those of us that visited the fountain were all Water Types, as the cool rehydration for them, came at just the right time (and for Hanna, it meant more space to swim in).
What was left of the team went their separate ways: 'Cada, Tony, Skyler and Aron went searching for a place to sun (and to snooze, in Aron's case), and to build up some energy once more.

"Don't you need any solar energy?", I asked Verne.
“Nah. I take vitamins." the Larvitar grinned, swallowing a large rock as proof.
“I think you mean minerals, Verne."
“Whatever you say, Shane."

So, seeing no fun in diving nor sunning, Shane, Verne and I decided to go exploring, maybe find a record shop or something. Liam and Nemo stayed with Mike (those furred pets!). Nemo's look was distracted; his thoughts were elsewhere.

“Did Mike go to the Breeding Center yet, to get that Eevee?"
"Nope." I said. "He said he hadn't found 'the right match' yet, for the parents."
“Why anyone would want to raise anyone else is beyond me. We 'Tars have got it made with our system."
"What system? The parents just dump their kids in the ground and let them eat their way to the surface."
“That's exactly my point." said Larvitar, patting his belly, satisfied after consuming another 2 rocks.

Suddenly, we heard someone behind us, hurriedly running in our direction.
“*sigh* *gasp* Wait for me!" It was Skyler! Tony was nowhere in the vicinity, yet the winged Bagon really was fluttering there in front of us. But if he had been fluttering, whose footsteps…?
"*gasp* *sigh* Wow, you guys step fast! My aching paws, ouch!" Another surprise! Aron was running for once! Except during battle, she never seemed to eager to do anything.
“Skyler? Aron! What are you…?"
“I wanted to go explore the big city like you guys, but Tony is being so boring to today." Skyler whined. He doesn't want to do anything! Can I come with you guys?" he pleaded, with a puppy face (as far as that's possible for a Bagon).
“Sure, I guess." Verne stammered. “Though I still can't figure out what you are doing here, Aron."
"I couldn't just leave da fella' alone, could I? she winked. "Besides, I can come up with more fun things to do than to listen to that loudmouth" (she was referring to Tony) "boasting around."
“'Bout what?" Shane asked.
"Practically everything he's done, doing and will do." she laughed.
We had to laugh too (even Skyler). That's the Tony we all know and love!
"No, than take you guys. Your music's cool: it lights my inner fire! I've been feeling itchy since I heard you play."
"When was that? We never saw ya 'round in the kitchen."
"I didn't dear disturb your little repetition, so I just listened behind the door." Aron blushingly admit. She looked both cute and fragile, blushing.
“Oh, can you barge in whenever you like, Aron. Nothing can stop us while we're rehearsing!"[/i] Shane boasted.
“Except hunger, of course."
“Not even that, Verne. Haven't you noticed us how we time it in such a way that we take a break just a millisec before we grow hungry?"
The five of us broke out in laughter. Hold on… There were six Pokémon laughing!
"Gordon! You too?"
“Of course, Bruce! You still haven't told me everything about boxing, have you?"
"Uh… No." I could feel Verne and Shane exchanging meaningful glances behind my back. They had mentioned earlier how they couldn't really understand why anyone want would want to raise anyone else, and now they saw me doing just that with a Mudkip. Okay, so I was just tutoring him, but still, they didn't see the point in it.
"Okay I'll tell you what we'll do, Gordon. As soon as the gang's reassembled, I'll be tutoring you again; for now, we're having a day off!"
“Cool! What'll we do?"
“I don't know about you three," Verne said, nodding at Skyler, Aron and Gordon in one fluent movement of the head, “but we're trying to find a record shop of some sort."
“Then why aren't you going into this one we're standing in front of?" Skyler asked innocently.
“Say what?"
Unbelievably yet true, we had stopped walking right in front of a mega-modern Music Mecca! Walkmans, Discmans, mp3's,… They were all lined up behind the show window, together with electric guitars, fancy drums, and the newest mikes.
After a minute or so of silent drooling at all the accessories, the six of us entered; 'Muscled, Loudmouthed and Sneering' (the nickname our band had been given; it didn't really described the package entirely) lead the way.
Had we not entered, our day had probably been a lot more like a real day off the job…

“It's humongous!"
“It's gigantic!"
"It's stupendous!"
“It's awesome!"
"It's overwhelming!"
“But why isn't anyone around?" Skyler brought up.
He had a point there; this place was filled to the top with shelves-full of the most up-to-date music-related items, yet there wasn't a soul around to buy them. Even all the employees this place must have had seemed vanished.
"There's someone: at the end of this isle!" Aron had caught sight of what must have been the only customer in the whole store: a small, curly-haired, middle-aged man that was checking out the articles on the lowest shelf to his right. We watched him browsing through various items, never once showing any sign of our presence there. After a while, the man seemed to have found what he'd been looking for, and disappeared behind the corner on the other end of the isle, going towards the end of the store where the cashier's stands must have been, along with the exit of the store. I opened my mouth to ask the others what we'd do now, when…
ZAP!!
"YOWCH!"
A flash of electricity could be seen from behind the furthest isle. A moment later, the lone customer dashed outside, his clothes and hair cindering. Malicious laughter could be heard, its origin the same as the electric blast.
"What in…?"
“Now thêt couldn't have been the regular customer service around here.
“But what is it?"
"I think the question is: who is it?"
“A Pokémon, that's for sure."
“I'll go see who it is!" Skyler began to flutter almost instantly.
"No, Skyler!" I said frantically. "They'll zap you too! We're gonna have to sneak up on it by foot!"

So, adding the deed to the word, I lead the way. Pretty soon, we got to the final isle. We peeked around the corner (in that classic style where a bunch of people look around a corner with their heads above each other), and… almost lost our balance.
This part of the store we were now contained all of the cd-players, along with the music-mixing tables dj's use, and the big-screen TV's. In front of one of the cd-players, a group of Pokémon were… headbanging? They all wore headphones, which were connected to the cd-player. They seemed to be a Pokémon gang of some sort: practically all of them were Steel-types. We could see an Aron, three Magnemite (the zappers, most certainly), a Mawile, a petite Skarmory… and two Voltorb, who looked rather out of place, rather shaky too (maybe they were new recruits), and who kept close to where the Magnemite were levitating.
Having spotted a fellow Rock-type (which happened to be the same species as one of his teammates), Verne felt at ease with the group and stepped forward, paying no attention to our frantically whispered warnings.
“Hello there!" But the group paid no attention to him, being still caught up in the music they were listening to.
“I said: HELLO THERE!" Verne had lifted the ear of the headphone of one of the Magnemite, and had yelled, for the music coming from the headphone made his voice practically inaudible.
"Magne…? MIIIIIIIIITE!!!" Surprised by Verne, the Magnemite Screeched. In pain, all of us yelped and covered our ears, including the rest of the Pokémon group, for the Screech held much more decibels than any sort of music.
"Shut down, Magnemite!!" the Aron yelled, in a rough, deep voice. He clearly was a male, and he'd clearly yelled this command many times beforehand. Because, as soon as the Magnemite picked it up with his sensors, it stopped the Screech. It looked at the Aron, embarrassed. It looked at Verne, still suspicious. Then it floated in between its two fellows, and they began circling around each other, so that in the end, you couldn't make out which Magnemite had Screeched.
"Dumb piece of machinery…" the Aron muttered, before noticing us.
"Hello there! Nice to see new faces around here, instead of them usual shoplifters!" For some reason, 'them usual shoplifters' were quite amusing for his mates. Even though they themselves didn't seem to be buying anything either (though they weren't 'lifting the shop, either).
“Uh, yeah. Uh…" Verne had completely forgot what he'd been doing before the Screech, and now was mumbling around helplessly. “Oh yeah, hi! I'm Verne, and these are my teammates. We're…"
"… trained Pokémon, ey?" The Aron's eyes narrowed, and it grew a bit chillier, all of a sudden. Trained Pokémon weren't appreciated that much by these streetPokémon, it seemed.
“Uh, Adopted, rather." That didn't seem to make a difference; trained or Adopted, we were still following a human's commands. “Uh… Agh… Oh yeah! What I'd wanted to ask: what were you guys listening to earlier?"
The look on the Aron's face relaxed; he even smiled! "Ah! Music lovers, are we? Well, come here, mate, listen and enjoy!"
The Aron signaled Verne to come over and put his headphone on. After a couple of moments of listening, the Larvitar put the headphone back off, scratching.
“Nice, but… what kind of music is it?"
The Aron seemed flabbergasted. "You're… You're kidding me right? You mean to say you don't recognize a Heavy Metal song if you hear one?"
“Heavy Metal? No… Doesn't really do anything to me. I'm more of a Rock fan myself, you know."
"Well I'll be a rotten-picking Dunsparce! A Rock fan? You're from the Stone Age or something? Rock is out, dude; Metal is in!"
“Tch, like I care! Rock 'n Roll is an all-timer!"
"No, Heavy Metal is the music of the future!"
"Rock 'n Roll!"
"No, Heavy Metal!"
"ROCK 'N ROLL!!"
"NO, HEAVY METAL!!"
This was where I began wondering how we ended up in this mess in the first place…


After another minute or so of useless yaying and naying, Larvitar decided to water his wine a bit, for the sake of a truce.
"Look, as a fellow Rock Type, can't you at least… understand why I like Rock music?"
"Never!!" the Aron shouted passionately. "And I'd rather not have been half Rock! Steel/Ground is way cooler a Type Combo!"
"Are you serious? The Aron I know is completely at peace with her nature, aren't you Aron?"
"Yeah, I am." Aron seemed embarrassed to have become a part of the argument.
"Huh? … Why hello dear, missy. Nice to meet someone of my own kind for once." The Aron seemed to have completely forgotten about his annoyance with Larvitar, and instead curiously inspected our Aron. From his gang came an annoyed growl, the source: the Mawile. "The name's Rocko. Though I'm thinking of changing it to something more… metallic. And what's your name, pretty thing?"
"It's…" Aron hesitated, glanced at us, and locked eyes with the ground. "My name is… Nora." Surprise! In a cold, drafty, abandoned shop, in front of a bunch of unknown Pokémon, Aron (or better yet, Nora) had revealed a secret we didn't even know she'd kept from us (we'd assumed she hadn't had a nick), and that to a bratty member of her specie.
"Nora, huh? Well, Nora… How about you and me go a-scavenging for a quick snack, huh?"
Aro-, uh, Nora blushed, opened her mouth to reply, but:
"You always take me on a scavenging hunt, Rocko! Why waist your time with such a wallflower?"
"Because I don't want to be kept in the grasp of a piranha plant for the rest of my live, Daisy." Daisy? Rocko's nickname for her, "piranha plant", came closer to the truth. For this Mawile, as every other Mawile on the surface of the planet, had a really fanged pony tail. From behind her small head rose the giant iron crocodile mouth, bearing its teeth. With this chick you didn't really want to mess around. On the other hand, all she needed was a bit of polishing, and you had a regular Beauty Contest winner. In other words: Daisy was a 'femme fatale'.
"OOW! What has she got that I haven't?"
"Listen, babe: it's more like the other way around, get it?"
She didn't. "Rocko, if you're going through with this, don't come knocking on my door tonight!"
"I couldn't if I wanted to: you sold your door to that Snorlax to have for supper!" Rocko turned his attention back to Nora. "So what'd ya think?"
"Well, I'm sorry Rocko, but I won't be here around much longer. Our trainer's taking us to a training ground!"
"Tch, tch… Then you just ditch your trainer and move on! Simple!"
"But I…"
"Listen, Nora, I'll let you in on something: training's for a while, the street's there forever. You won't miss anything special if you end your trained history now instead of within the next decade, believe me."
"I… I don't."
"D'you here her, buster?" Verne stepped back in the line of fire voluntarily. "She likes her life as it is, and there's nothing you can do about that!"
"Now I wouldn't say that, cavedude: there's always the option of… terminating her life with you while starting her new life with us."
"And how…"
Words were unnecessary: the determined look on the faces of the gang members spoke for itself. Brute force would end this argument. Even Daisy was behind her leader: the ways of love are impossible to understand.
"If that's the way you want to play it…"
"It is." Rocko said coldly.
"Then how about we settle this matter with a Double Battle?"
"How about we settle it with a Gang Battle, huh?"
"Won't do you no good, buster. We have reinforcements: you don't seem to have any. We have various species of Pokémon represented in our team, you don't."
"I still don't…"
"We have a Bagon that knows Flamethrower, a Mudkip with a Fighter's spirit, and a Machop with a Fighter's muscles on our team. You…"
"Okay, okay! We'll have it your way." Rocko said hastily. "One Double Battle coming up!"
"Outside."
"Why?"
“Because the Larvitar says so." Shane walked forward, next to Verne. He'd been awfully quiet during the argument. “And because outside, the humiliation will be bigger, whilst the damage to the music instruments and what not in here will be minimalized."
"Agreed."
"And your partner will be…?"
"Me." Daisy stepped forward as well. "Let Rocko do as Rocko wants, and don't you tell him what to do! That's my job, and I like it."
"Uh… Yeah. Let's get to it, then!"

~ Skyler's POV ~

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This would be the first time I'd see some of my friends battle! My heart felt so light, I felt like flying… So I did. Well, I fluttered. My wings aren't that strong yet. I fluttered out of the shop, to a window on its second floor. From there, I could see the whole Plaza, and I had an excellent view on the coming battle. From afar, I could see Tony and 'Cada looking my way. I grew a bit nervous; I hadn't been going anywhere without Tony ever since I got out of my Egg, and now I would be watching a Pokémon Battle for the 1st time, without him being there to comment upon it. But I didn't feel all bad: I liked doing things I wanted to do, and what was wrong with that? Tony had said it himself: “One day you'll be able to fly with your own wings!"
Okay, so technically I wasn't flying yet, but still… And atleast Dylan wasn't around. Tony seemed rather anxious to have him around me. I wondered why… He was a member of the time, wasn't he? The team! I'd forgotten about what I was planning to watch!
The 4 Pokémon that would be battling had taken their places already, 2 on each side of the battle area (which was a large piece of the huge, car-free Plaza) with their respective teams behind them.

"Ready?!"
“When you are!"
"Okay then…"
"Fight!!"

Verne (Larvitar) (lvl.5) (m) & Shane (Whismur) (lvl.5) (m)
VS
Rocko (Aron) (lvl.5) (m) & Daisy (Mawile) (lvl.5) (f)

Verne started to attack first. He ran at his two opponents with top speed. But I wondered… Would Tackling a Steel Type not be a rather… wasted move?
Rocko began to shimmer and shine - he was tensing his muscles to Harden his skin. Seeing this, Verne shifted the whole of his attack to the Mawile. But he didn't make contact with her - he jumped over her!
"Are you playing a Trick on me?" said Daisy with her back still turned towards Verne and her second mouth snapping viciously at him.
"Nope." he said grinning.
Daisy turned her head to look Verne in the face when she noticed something from the corner of her eye. Starting from where Verne had stood and moving along the path he'd run, bumps and cracks were growing at an alarming rate. The closer to Daisy, the bigger they became, until about two meters in front of her, a medium-sized rock burst out of the ground and flew right at her. She hardly had enough time to pulverize it between her metal crocodile teeth, when another, bigger rock struck her in the face. It had burst out of the ground, much closer to her then the previous one. The following minute, another 3 stones hit her everywhere on her tiny body, until Verne's Ancientpower attack finally ceased.
"Heh. Gotcha!"
"Grrr… Why you little…!" Furious because she hadn't seen his attack coming, Daisy circled around and lunged for Verne's throat. Verne was able to jump away in time… or so he thought. For as he came down again, Daisy's metal teeth carved into his side, each fang dripping with purple venom. And the attack didn't miss its effect: seeing Verne's expression change from mocking to sulking in pain, one could easily see he was seriously poisoned.
"Heh. Got you!"
"You… think… so…?" Verne said, having trouble with each word. "Well,… then… think… again!" Surprisingly agile for his condition, Verne jumped at his two-mouthed adversary. Stunned by his bold move, Daisy watched how the Larvitar was falling down upon her, his mouth wide open. The Bite he performed on her neck might as well have been a Take Down attack, for Verne took Daisy down with him as a cause of the power behind his jump, the dared, almost-lethal attack causing serious damage on both sides, even with their respective Steel and Rock nature. Perhaps Daisy'd tensed her body enough for Verne to get hurt by merely Biting skin. Perhaps she'd managed to pull of a Double-Edge attack without even moving (if so, congrats to her!). Or perhaps Verne just didn't know his true strength yet. Whatever the case, it didn't matter any more.
Only one Pokémon was left standing after the collision of metal and rock: our very own Verne the Larvitar. His eyes shone with an entrancing glare; I could now see why Daisy hadn't moved out of his way: a Leer like his was hypnotizing. Despite the poison that was starting to eat away at his health fast, he stood there, as a general after a battle well fought and won.

Verne (Larvitar) grew to level 6!

~ Aron (or Nora) her POV ~

While Verne concentrated on Daisy, Shane went for Rocko, and vice-versa. They ran at each other, Rocko on all four, Shane with a paw held high. When they met halfway, Rocko tackled Shane in the stomach, while Shane's paw hit Rocko in the back in almost pathetic attempt of a Pound. Shane was thrown on his back, while Rocko started to Stomp him endlessly.
"You should choose your friends more carefully from now on," Rocko told Shane in-between two Stomps, "then you won't be losing so often to Pokémon above your League."
“Who said you're anywhere above me? GrrrrAAAH!!" Shane threw Rocko off of him, and caused an Uproar.
"Easy there, ma-" Rocko tried to calm him, but Shane cut him short; nothing would calm him down but sheer exhaustion.
"I said: easy there, mate!!" Annoyed with Shane, Rocko let out his Frustration with a roar and a Tackle, which was enough to shut Shane up, for now.
“Hey, I was on a roll there! You burst my bubble!"
"Don't tell me you know that." Rocko said.
“Know what?"
"Bubble."
I saw Shane 'sweatdropping', and couldn't blame him… Lame joke there, Rocko!
“If I ever need a comedian, I'll stay away from you, Rocko!" Shane lunged forward, attempting once more to Pound Rocko. Even though he used both his paws this time, again the attack dealt little damage. Shane struck him again and again, but Rocko hardly felt a thing. He'd even Hardened his armor so that the attack looked even more pathetic.
"Come on, mate, I'm waiting!" said Rocko, mocking Shane. "Where is your final attack, huh?"
And to humiliate Shane even more, Rocko pushed him away, the egocentric brat! Shane, exhausted from his combat with the Steel type's Armor, stumbled, tripped, and landed on his behind, on which he remained seated while catching his breath, glaring at Rocko with a dark light in his eyes.
"Oh, this too much! Hahah! What a show!" Rocko now openly laughed at Shane, tears rolling down over his cheeks. His outrageous laughter was contrasted deeply by the look of sheer hatred on Shane's face. He was now taking this fight personal.
"Tell me… Whis-… Whismur," Rocko had trouble speaking, as his uncontrolled laughter had him rolling on the floor, laughing out loud. "What… What do you do for an encore?"
“I'll… show you." Shane said slowly through his teeth.
In a flash, the look on his face changed from deep hatred, to deep concentration. He now looked some what like a monk, meditating in lotus position.
Slowly but steadily, Rocko calmed down, not finding the situation so funny anymore - he was more worried now.
"What… what are you up to, Whismur?"
No reaction, only a faint… humming sound.
"I said: what are you up to??" Rocko screamed. He wasn't one to feel comfortable with his opponent meditating instead of attacking.
Still, Shane remained silent, yet the humming sound grew deeper, louder. The vibrations flowed through the air, and tickled the ear that heard them. It was hard to tell where they were coming from…
I turned my head sideways, upwards and downwards, but could not find the source of the sound. When I looked back at the two combatants (the other battle had completely escaped my attention), I jumped in fright.
Rocko was staring at Shane, his eyes filled with disbelieve and horror, his mouth opening and closing, finding no words to comment on what he saw before him. The air around, above, before and behind Shane was trembling and shaking, loaded with vibrations and power coming from an unknown source deep within Shane himself. Yes, he too looked to be trembling, his veins pulsing with a power which he had not used before in combat, nor any other time.
Suddenly, his eyes opened. They were a confusing blue, seemingly made of an out-of-this-world material that was sparkling and whirling around. These eyes, these new eyes Shane had used for the first time today, were most certainly able to see different things, to sense extra forces in this universe… and to use them in an extraordinary move… Extrasensory.
"S… S… Steh…" Rocko had found his voice again. "Stop looking at me like that!!"
It was as if Shane'd waited for the sound of Rocko's voice… The vibrations and pulses around him moved towards a single, strategic point: just in front of his chest, right in front of where his heart was. The blue light left his eyes; instead, there remained a deep, black emptiness. He moved his arms up, his left and right index finger touched the pulsing orb that had formed in front of his chest…
Everything went fast after that. The orb head for Rocko with an amazing speed, with a faint 'zoof!'-sound, so fast that Rocko had just opened his mouth to scream… when the orb hit him right between the eyes. Purple blue energy surged through the veins on his head, and Rocko's eyes turned inwards. His whole, tiny body twitched and squirmed for about five seconds… and then he fell on his side, fainted.

Shane (Whismur) grew to level 6!

~ Gordon’s POV ~

I'd been watching Shane's battle together with Aron… uh, Nora, while silently cheering for Shane to win. When he finally did, I jumped and let out my relief and joy. That was, until Shane collapsed, utterly drained from his energy.
"Yikes! Shane!"
"He's not the only one that's badly hurt," Nora said, "Look!"
Indeed, Verne too was in a bad condition; he'd collapsed and now was gasping for air while lying on the ground on his back. Even though he as well had been victorious, there were tooth marks on his belly dripping with venom… He'd been badly poisoned, and the poison was conquering his health fast!
Rocko's group of Pokémon made fast work of leaving the stage: in a matter of seconds after Rocko'd been defeated as the last of the duo, they had dragged their leader and his girl off the Plaza, fleeing to whatever they called there home.
I quickly realized Shane and Verne as well needed caring for, ASAP.
"Come on, Nora! Let's carry them to Mike, quickly! They'll be better off recalled in their PokéBalls, until we get to a PokéCenter."
"I'm with you!" We ran at Shane… and realized we wouldn't be able to carry Verne as well; two Pokémon were needed to carry them both.
Luckily, both of us had forgotten about Bruce and Skyler, who'd been rooting for Verne from the shadows. They were taking care of the Larvitar; Skyler was even fluttering slightly to remain on the same shoulder level as Bruce, so that Verne could be held horizontally.
"Okay Shane, don't you worry! We'll get you to Mike in no time!"
I lied down beside him while Nora pushed his head 'n shoulders on my back. Then she took care of Shane's lower body by lifting it with her head.
It was a weird sight, such a diversity of Pokémon helping each other. A lot of bystanders uttered 'oh no''s and 'those poor little things''s, but didn't do a thing to assist us. I couldn't see Tony, 'Cada or any of the other Water Pokémon that had been playing in the fountain - we could only hope they had seen us and told Mike.

We would have some explaining to do… But, in a few weeks, this whole event would hopefully make for a good laugh during meals. Hopefully…

[Lady Vulpix]

<Sylvan's POV>

It had been a long week for everyone. Gabi was barely at home with all the preparations for the Games added to her regular activities. Some of us would often follow her while the others would stay at home or just walk or fly around. I was one of those who stayed most of the time; I'd spend my time tending to the garden and thinking... Thinking mainly of where I stood in life. Most pokemon would have that kind of thoughts before taking a decision that would produce major changes in them and in the way they lived; not me, I just liked to put things in perspective and I just couldn't picture myself surviving without dedicating a considerable amount of time to such thoughts. Especially after going through yet another tough situation, or after waking up with my cheeks wet.
They hadn't been nightmares at all. They were sweet dreams, mostly. I'd been having them ever since I'd come back from Templa Taure. Dreams of my childhood, of the valley, my family and my old friends, with an anachronism here and there, like the presence of a pokemon who used to live in that valley but hadn't entered my life until a long time later. I thought that was just a minor detail, the way dreams worked... but for some reason I would often wake up with a piercing feeling of loneliness, and a sense of fatality to it. As if, no matter what I did, nothing could save me ffrom being alone for the rest of my life. Of course I knew that was wrong. I wasn't lonely at all; I was surrounded with the greatest friends I could ever hope for. And as soon as I got into the kitchen and shared breakfast with the others, the odd feelings would quickly fade away. But they would return the following night, and each time they were more persistant.

The morning before we headed for the training grounds I found Lagi looking at me when I woke up. I got scared for a moment, and she turned away with an apology. But before she left, she told me she'd be there in case I needed to talk. She left me wondering how much she had found out. Not that I didn't trust her; I did, but thinking that someone could have probed into feelings that were too deep for even myself to figure them out made me uncomfortable to say the least. So I spent most of that day reflecting, trying to understand what exactly was there for Lagi or others to find out, what was going on with me. Thankfully, I was left alone for as long as I needed to; most probably Lagi's doing.
During that time, I found more questions than answers, but I remembered something that, now I realized, had made the situation a lot worse: Gia. The piercing look in her eyes when she was facing me. She felt almost like a twisted version of Lagi, one that wouldn't stop drilling into your heart regardless of the consequences or, even worse, would do it until the worst happened, until she could cause a soul to break. Of course, that was just a feeling I'd had, just my own perception of the look in her eyes. There was nothing that could prove that she was doing anything else than try to look, sound and feel irritating. But it was hard to believe how well she succeeded at that. I'd barely managed to contain myself while I was battling, and even when Amber was fighting Gia would often direct her looks at me. I didn't know why she did it, but I knew those looks filled me with a rage I'd never known.
But I hadn't realized that back then. At that moment, while Amber was fighting, all I could think of was her. I'd think of Amber and pray that she'd be alright, that she would endure the assaults of her vicious opponent, and the more subtle but just as harmful remarks on behalf of his trainer.

"Is everything alright?," a deep yet sweet voice spoke softly behind me. "I thought I'd find you here."
I turned round and saw my Charizard friend, as sparkling as ever.
"Amber to the rescue, as usual," I smiled.
"Really? And exactly what did I rescue you from?"
"Shady thoughts, that's all," I said, now turning around completely to face her.
"You know you can talk to me if anything's bugging you."
"How curious. Lagi said the same earlier today."
"That's because we care for you."
I looked at her for a moment and smiled again.
"I know," I said.
"Then, what is it? Is anything wrong?"
"I'm not quite sure, that's the thing. The best I can say is that our encounter with Gia has left me thinking."
"But that was months ago!"
"Yes. I'm slow, I know. Or some things are just too subtle to notice them easily. The thing is I think there's more to her than she's let us see."
"Well, from what we could gather it seems she's an executive of some sort. An executive of one of the most merciless criminal organizations. It figures she wouldn't let us know everything about her. She'll just tell us enough to leave us worrying about how much she really knows about us."
"And how do you figure she knows so much about us? I mean, I know the theories about her having access to the Guild's files, and I know how long we've been on the spotlight, but she said some things not even the Dragon's Guild could know."
"Like what?"
"She said I liked watching plants better than fighting. Gabi never told the other Guild members that I'm the local gardener. And he went into such detail about how messed up my leaves and petals were after the battle... As if she knew how much I cared about them."
"Now that you mention it, she did say something about me having a killing instinct. I don't have it, of course, but I've often been afraid of failing to measure my own strength and hurting others permanently. Though it could still be a coincidence. I mean, how could she possibly know?"
"It might be. But I'd rather be on the watch. We've seen enough to know that just about anything can happen."
"True. We'll be ready next time she shows up. Just don't let her get to you. Don't let anyone get the best of you."
"You neither."

I felt better now. I'd taken some weight away from my shoulders, and knowing that Amber agreed with me made things even better. It wasn't all, of course. Gia's attitude towards me had done nothing but bring out what was already there. But I didn't have to talk about it. It wasn't big enough to worry about, after all. Just one of those things about life. The future was ours to make, but not to tell, so there was no telling whether that little gap of loneliness that still lay within me would get filled some day. I wanted to trust that it would. And it wouldn't have been fair to bother Amber with that. Not when she was so sweet, so caring, and knew so well how it felt for love not to be returned.

The following night I had just about the same dream, only I didn't wake up covered in tears. I was happy. I'd been playing with my Oddish and Ditto friends for hours, and also with the Charmander who'd left the Valley before I could meet her, but who had eventually come to me when I was already leading a new life. They called her Cherry back then, and they didn't even have a name for me. But even in the dream she'd call me Sylvan and I'd call her Amber. I told her something I had actually said to her in the past: "when you grow wings and fly, please tell me what it feels like". And she replied: "I'll take you to fly with me". In the morning, for the first time, I told Amber about my dream. She smiled sweetly and told me that she could actually take me to the sky if I wanted, even if we wouldn't be able to get too far. But I kindly rejected the offer: I was too heavy, and I didn't want her to get hurt. I still appreciated it a lot.

Shortly after breakfast, the whole team headed for the Training Grounds. It was a day we'd all been waiting for. Everyone was excited as we wonder who would get to battle in each room. Before we got to talk about that, Gabi informed us that she'd made a deal with Karin and she'd watch over two of Karin's pokemon at the Blizzard room, while her friend would substitute her at the Lava Room.
"I'm afraid I've given up getting into that room, all my attempts have failed miserably," she explained. "Just as I won't ask any of you to battle in an adverse environment unless there's no other way, I've decided to allow myself the same treatment. I know all of you can do well on your own, and Karin will be there in case you need anything. And I'll be waiting outside the room. That's for the Lava Room, I mean. For the rest, I'll be with you."
"Sounds fair," Hero accepted. "I'll get to show Karin a few of my tricks. Because I get to battle there, right?"
"Of course, Hero. I wouldn't deny you the pleasure of battling another fire pokemon."
"I guess that means I get the Pond Room," deduced Tsunami.
"Err... Actually..." Gabi began.
"Actually what?," Tsunami said, nervous.
"Well... You and the rest of group B have had a lot more training than the others lately, so I think..."
"What?! We don't get to train?"
"Wait, please, Tsunami, don't look at me like that. I've been giving this a lot of thought, and I think the others could use a chance to level up more than you three. You four, actually; I'm not counting Amber in either."
"It's ok," said Amber when Gabi directed her look at her. "I still don't get the concept of friendly battles; I'd mess up and regret it. Besides, I've battled more than anyone else in the team lately."
"Yes, more than us," Tsunami insisted. "How long has it been since I last battled?"
"Not too long; you've been at the Battle Tower recently. The others need the training more than you do. Especially Iael. Don't worry, you'll get to battle on the next chance we get. Besides, I thought you would enjoy a weekend at Glacier Peak instead."
"Glacier Peak?," Tsunami's expression changed, his eyes shininh with excitement. "Why didn't you say that before?"
"Because you wouldn't let me speak," Gabi retorted. "I have bookings for the new pokemon resort at Glacier Peak for you, Pidgeot and Water Angel, and I've made sure there'd be room if anyone else wanted to go. Caledor may want to join you after his battle, I'm sure he'll have a lot to talk about and show off. And everyone else is invited."
"Show off?..." Caledor thought for a moment, before he lit up like a living lamp. "Whoa, that's right! I almost forgot about it!"
"What is it, kid?," asked Tsunami.
"I'll show you when I've won my next battle. Wow! Thanks, Gabi! I'll make sure to join the group at Glacier Peak after my battle and find new ways to have fun. Do I get to battle first?"
"I knew you'd get excited," Gabi laughed. "You may battle first if you don't mind doing it in the water. We're heading for the Pond Room first. I can't take anyone to the Lava or Blizzard rooms before I meet Karin, and I'm not too sure about who should battle in the Desert and Jungle rooms."
"I can battle in the Jungle Room," I said. "If I'm going to battle, I think that's the best place. And I already know how to stay away from that paralyzing bush if it's still around."
"Yes, I was counting on you for that. The question is, will Ventura battle there with you, or will she go into the Desert room? Depending on that, you may battle in the Desert room too or have two battles on your own at the Jungle room. That's something for you and Ventura to decide."
"Good, you've put so much thought into this I was beginning to fear there'd be nothing left for us to decide," Ventura remarked.
"You know that could never be the case, don't you, Ventura?"
"I guess. I'd end up making my own choices anyway. But this time I think it's up to Sylvan. Clearly the Desert room would be easier for her, but maybe she's up for a challenge this time."
"I'll think about it," I concluded, ignoring the tone of Ventura's words. I knew words had never been her forte, it wasn't worth getting irritated by them.
"So, where will I battle?," asked Iael.
"I was thinking you culd battle in a variety of environments," Gabi said. "That way you can test and improve a wide range of skills. If you want, that is."
"And that means...?"
"That means I've left room for you to battle in the Desert, Blizzard and Lava rooms. Of course you wouldn't go to all of them in a row, and the Desert Room would go between the other two."
"Wow, that's a lot!"
"Yes. Feel free to reject the offer if you want. I just thought that, since you put so much of you into battling, you'd like a chance to develop some tactics and battle creatively. And since tehy will be friendly battles, there's a good chance you won't have reasons to lose focus."
Gabi worded her thoughts carefully, but Iael could still read between lines.
"It's ok," he told her. "I won't get mad and forget the lives of those I care for are not at stake."
"That's not what I meant..."
"It is, but I don't blame you. Thanks for the chance."
"You've spoken like my brother, did you know that?"
"Really?," then Iael paused for a moment, thinking. "I guess we're not that different."
I couldn't tell whether he was referring to Gabi's brother or Gabi herself.

We walked in silence for a minute, and then Lagi spoke out.
"From what I can gather, I'm battling in the Pond Room with Caledor, right?"
"That's what I was thinking," Gabi confirmed. "But how did you know?"
"Well, all the spots for the Jungle, Desert and Lava rooms are taken, and you wouldn't have me battle in the Blizzard Room. And you never said I wouldn't battle."
"Nice deduction," Ventura told her. "Which leaves one spot open for the Blizzard Room. Do you have a pokemon in mind for that one, or can I take it?"
"You can take it. You may be up against a psychic pokemon, though. But knowing you, you may see that as an incentive."
"Well, I will if I end up proving I'm better than my opponent at harnessing my psychic abilities."
"They say the sky is the limit, but I have the feeling it's only the starting point for your ambition," Gabi laughed.
"You make it sound as if it were a bad thing," Ventura responded. "I only struggle to make the best of myself. Just because I have a type, or two in fact, it doesn't mean I have to let my type become a weakness."
"Are you trying to revolutionize the type weakness concept?," Tsunami asked her.
"I'm not after any revolutions, and I'm not the first one who wants to show no weak points and turn away from no challenges."
"Type weakness doesn't affect everyone in the same way," said Pidgeot, who was hovering close to us. "Just like physical pain in general. But we all have points where we can get hurt the most. And the deepest wounds aren't physical."
His words showed me I hadn't been the only one affected by our encounter with Team Rocket. I almost felt guilty for bursting into tears while Pidgeot had gone through so much worse and was still standing strong. But it wasn't something to feel guilty about. We all react to the same things in different ways.

We split up about halfway to the Training Grounds. Pidgeot took Water Angel's pokeball with him and let Tsunami sit on his back. He waved to us and took off, heading for Glacier Peak. We had arranged to gather there after the battles, and we all had permission to go as soon as we wanted, but I reckoned only Caledor would make use of that permission, and maybe Hero if the Lava Room was not the last one. The rest of us went straight to the Training Grounds complex and, after filling in a lot of forms and consciously ignoring all the stores, Gabi told us we were ready to begin. Since the Pond Room would be the first stop and I wouldn't have enough room to stand and watch the battle, I decided to stay outside. Amber stayed with me. She wasn't going to battle, but she'd wanted to stick with us instead of going to Glacier Peak.
"Are you sure you don't mind standing out here with me?," I asked her.
"Yours is great company," she replied. "Besides, I don't have a better choice either, do I? It's the way things are. I'm the Gyarados's daughter who can'ta have fun in the water."
I smiled. In the past, Amber had only mentioned her father a few times, and none with the grin she was now displaying. I figured it had hurt her to have had so few chances to be with him as a child, but having seen him in Templa Taure and realizing how much he loved her and how proud he was of her had changed her feelings about him for the better.

<Caledor's POV>

I was so excited I wouldn't have minded it if the water had been as cold as it had been at the Course, back at the winter Games. Well, maybe I would have minded a little, but it would have been worth the extra effort to stay focused. The way things were, with the water at a perfect temperature and the perspective of a whole new range of powers just a step away from me, I couldn't feel any better. I jumped into the water and swam around, looking for an opponent to battle. Lagi did the same, only she seemed more interested in diving than in battling. I couldn't blame her, first because she had been born in the water, and second because that meant I'd get the chance to battle first. Or so I thought.

Luck had it that a Dragonite would catch other pokemon's attention more than an Espeon did, and by the time I started contemplating the possibility of glowing to attract curious looks, someone was already challenging Lagi. It was a big blue sea lion with a large nose and huge tusks. It wasn't as big as Lagi, but for the little I knew about its kind, it would pose a big threat for her. Unless, it held back, of course. After all, it was an Ice type.

"You look strong. Can I battle you?," the Walrein asked Lagi in a deep, yet female voice. "I promise I won't use Ice attacks on you. I'd never seen a Dragonite before, I want to know what battling one is like."
"Then we're even," Lagi told her. "I'd never seen a Walrein before, except in brochures. Did you come from far away?"
"From the other side of the world. My trainer likes travelling a lot. He's built quite an unusual team with pokemon of all regions."
"That must be interesting. I've traveled too, though not that much. I've been to South America twice and to Kanto twice too. The rest of the time I've stayed in Ulthuan, though I've been to most of the Kingdoms."
"I haven't seen much of Ulthuan. We've only just arrived to Caledor, and before that we were in Tor Syle, in Eataine. We may go to Ellyrion for the Unicorn Games."
"Then we may meet again there. My trainer will be judging the tournament."
"Really?! Then I'm talking to a celebrity!"
That comment caused Lagi to chuckle.
"I haven't done more to become a celebrity than any other Dragon Tamer has. I've battled in the first Eagle Games, but I was ages ago. Lots of things have changed since then."
"Well, my opinion hasn't. We barely missed the chance to enter this tournament, but here at the Training Grounds I can meet some of the contestants. And if I do well here, maybe I can enter the next tournament whenever there is one."
"I'll make sure to see you, in that case. By the way, what's your name?"
"Baui. And yours?"
"Lagi. Nice to meet you, Baui."
"You too."
"Ahem..." I interrupted before they could go on with the conversation.
"Oh, Baui, this is my friend Caledor," Lagi introduced me.
"Like this place?," Baui asked.
"Yes, that's right. Is anything wrong, Caledor?"
"Wrong? What could be wrong? Other than the fact that you're taking forever to start your battle and no one's going to battle me until you two get done."
"Oh, sorry," Lagi apologized. "I guess I got carried away by Baui's excitement."
"By my excitement?," Baui asked, not fully understanding.
"That's Lagi for you," I told her, hoping the battle would start soon while trying not to take Lagi's only possible advantage away for her. Not that she was doing much to help herself.
"Ok, I got it, Caledor. We'll battle first and talk later. You don't have to be so impatient."
"Sorry. It's just that I don't get a chance like this one everyday."
"I know and I understand. So, Baui... Shall we battle?"
"Sounds good to me."

Level 68 Dragonite vs. Level 70 Walrein

It was Lagi who got to strike first. She shook her wings until her feet were barely touching the water, and then she dashed forward to where Baui was floating, hitting her with her wings.

"Ouch! Not bad, but you got too close," Baui told her as she launched herself towards Lagi, falling on the Dragonite's stomach. Lagi was pushed into the water, but quickly emerged from it. Moreover, she used the impulse to soar even higher. Not that Baui wasn't prepared for this: she used the chance to curl up and increase her defenses. When Lagi came down, the impact was not as great as she had expected. And if I could read the look in her eyes correctly, she realized she'd fallen into a trap the second before Baui's plan was put into motion.

I saw Baui clap her fins excitedly. I wasn't too sure about what was going on until I saw Lagi take off again, as if pushed up by an invisible force. Then Baui curled up again, and the next impact was even smaller. The scene was repeated once more, and the 4th time Lagi rose into the air Baui claimed that she was tired and, yawning, went to sleep. I felt sorry for Lagi. She didn't deserve to be made fun of like that.

"It's ok," Lagi said, plunging into Baui once more. "She's playing fair, I'll get out of this."
"Lagi, you're despicable!," I laughed. Of course, I knew she'd know I was joking. But I was the psychic one and yet she was the one who acted as if she could read my thoughts. I guess reading my feelings was close enough.

One more virtually useless blow of Fly and she was free. Baui was still sleeping, but she snored loudly.
"Flying moves won't help me anymore," said Lagi, not afraid to speak out while her opponent slept. I'll try something different.

It turns out 'something different' was Dragon Claw. After the first strike, Baui snored once more and Lagi got another chance to use her best Dragon type attack. Then Baui woke up.
"Hmm... You're still there..." she mumbled. "Go on."

With that, she clapped again. But that was a mistake; she hadn't realized Lagi wasn't using Fly anymore, and now she had to face another Dragon Claw, whether Lagi wanted it or not.
"Whoa!," the Walrein exclaimed, shocked by what had just hit her. That had woken her up completely, and I reckoned it would be hard for her to fall asleep right away. "Slow down!," she told Lagi, using a form of Secret Power you don't see at the Battle Tower.
But I guess her attack didn't get the desired effect, since Lagi stroke again right after her. Upon receiving the blow, Baui fell underwater. Instantly released from the Encore, Lagi dove to bring her back to the surface.

Lagi won and grew to level 70! She got Earthquake as her free TM!

Gabi and I both congratulated Lagi without bothering to ask her how she knew Baui wasn't coming out on her own. They say good things come to those who wait, and I had to wait until Baui was fine before I could get on with my battle, so I really hoped it was good. I had to hear Gabi's and Lagi's conversation about how Lagi could have avoided falling into the Encore trap but didn't become aware of it until it was too late, and how switching to Dragon Claw had been such a good idea considering Lagi and Baui had both tacitly agreed not to use any super-effective moves. When Baui was fit to speak again, she was still really excited. They kept on chatting for a while, but I didn't take part in their conversation. I was eager to win a battle. Not for the battle itself, but for the opportunities and challenges it would bring. Over the years I'd managed to get a decent control over my powers (though I really wished I was better at using my psychic abilities) so I was no longer worried about the next set being too much for me to handle. In any case, I could always ask Kovu for assistance, or even Pidgeot if that wasn't pushing things too hard. There was also Milliardo, but I wasn't sure if asking him would be a good idea; I might be better off asking Tsunami to help me improve my Surf attack.

I was just swimming around when I noticed something coming out from the bottom of the pool. I pushed back as fast as I could, and barely avoided getting hit as a Gyarados emerged from the water. The Gyarados fixed its eyes on me. I didn't know how to react, so I just said 'hi'. Bad idea: the Gyarados's stare became firmer and angrier.

"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you or anything, I was just looking for an opponent to battle," I apologized.
"Then let's battle," the Gyarados roared in a voice that could have been either male or female.
Evidently, there would be no room for social talk. But what did I have to complain about? Hadn't I been hoping my battle would start as soon as possible? By the look of things, I'd only have enough time to push back a little more and brace myself for the first attack.

Level 49 Espeon vs. Level 55 Gyarados

Things aren't always the way they look, however, and I noticed an opening when the Gyarados turned away to gain distance. Not expecting to get many chances like that one, I decided to take advantage of what I did have, and sent a Psychic blast at my opponent. For the little use I could give my psychic powers in my everyday life, they'd never failed me in a battle, and this time wasn't the exception.

The Gyarados didn't complain. Instead, it came back to me spinning at a high speed. The attack sent me flying and I hit the water hard. It hurt so much I didn't think I could resist another blow like that one. And from what I knew about Trash, another was certainly coming. I stayed underwater for a moment, trying to think of a good way to defend myself and hoping the spinning Gyarados would take enough time before finding me. Then I remembered I had an item with me, which I hadn't given much use to yet. I swam as fast as I could, trying to make for the trainer's platform in time before I got hit. I was lucky the Gyarados was spinning wild and I had a good speed, even in the water. When I reached the platform, I did two things almost at the same time, with the Gyarados still chasing after me. First, I let my die fall on the little piece of solid floor available. Second, I used Reflect to put a psychic barrier between me and the Gyarados. My opponent was closing in when the die stopped rolling. I didn't have time to look at it and see what it had landed on, so I decided to look at my opponent and try to guess. I got hit all the same, so the serpent was neither asleep nor frozen. However, I barely felt the blow this time. I trusted my Reflect to be effective, but the difference between this blow and the previous one was so huge I had to have received some other kind of help. The answer became clear when my opponent winced after attacking me, if only for a brief moment. So burn it was. The thought of a pokemon being burnt in the water was funny, but I soon remembered fire was not the only thing that could cause burns, and went back to focusing on my battle.

It was time for me to attack again. I could have put an end to the battle quickly with a Thunderbolt, but I wasn't so cruel as to exploit a 4× weakness like that. Besides, I was intrigued as to whether I'd be able to win this battle using only moves that an Espeon could learn normally. It was some sort of challenge I'd imposed to myself, to prove myself I had enough self control to handle what would come to me if I won. After being hit by the first Thrash, I'd lost some confidence. But now that my opponent was burnt I felt I still had a chance. I used Psychic again. The Gyarados's reaction was confusing, but I felt my attack had been fairly good. Then my opponent stopped spinning and turned to face me. I said to myself it was the time of the truth, and instantly laughed at how ridiculously solemn that sounded.

I didn't expect another Thrash, nor any other physical attack for that matter. The Gyarados was already impaired enough. It would try to use some special attack, probably Bite if it was as mad as it looked. Unless...

No time to think of the other option, all I could do was hope for it to happen. The Gyarados came over, showing its sharp teeth. I sank underwater, diving as far towards the bottom as I could. I didn't stop to look back until I heard a sudden move in the water followed by a wincing sound. Then I couldn't help but look back and see what was going on. I was surprised by what I saw: the Gyarados curled up like a giant wheel, biting its own tail. The sea serpent opened its eyes widely for an instant, before sinking into the depths. That's when my lungs started craving for some air and I had to rush back to the surface. I took a deep breath as soon as I felt the air on my face. Never had a mixture of gases felt so delicious before. As I took in the air, I felt my new power surge through me.

I grew to level 51! I learned Bite, Pursuit, Faint Attack, Taunt, Torment and Snatch!

I swam back to Gabi's side, proud of my achievement. She hugged me and congratulated me. I asked her for how long she'd been looking at me, and she said she'd been watching since the Gyarados had first popped out of the water. She gave me my die back: I'd left it on the platform. Then she asked me how I felt.

"Great!," I told her, grinning.
"That's so good to hear!" she replied, hugging me again. "After seeing how worried you were before getting your fire and Psychic moves, I thought maybe..."
"I'd be afraid of the dark ones? No way, I'm past that. Many of my friends have been using those moves for ages and done nothing wrong with them. I just have a new set of moves to train with, and maybe I can return Tsunami a few favors..."
I rolled my eyes and Lagi sighed loudly. I ignored her.
"Besides, I've always been wondering if it was possible to do a certain thing," I added before trying an experiment.

I thought back to the instant after the battle was over, trying to remember the feeling of the energy that had raced through my body at that moment, grasping it, trying to send it out to the world in what seemed like a visual oxymoron.
"Black light?," Gabi laughed. "If someone was able to pull that one out, it had to be you!"
I laughed with her, still glowing. "What do you know? Black light does exist after all!"
"What are you going to do now?," Gabi queried.
"Do you even have to ask? I'm going straight to Glacier Peak to find Tsunami and show off!"
"Alright, just try not to break anything this time. I had to pay enough for the pillows at Yvresse, not to mention how embarassing the whole situation was."
I felt like saying "oh, but it was so worth it," but I reckoned that would get me in trouble, so I held myself.
"How are you feeling?," Gabi asked Lagi.
"Fine. Just a bit hungry," she replied. "If we have lunch now, I can take Caledor to Glacier Peak right away."
"Oh, that would be great, thanks," Gabi told her. "So, I guess we're off to the dining room. It was a pleasure to meet you, Baui."
"The pleasure was mine. Just one question before you go. How is it that you can understand me? It took my trainer years, and I've only just met you."
"Oh... Well... Caledor is good at translating."
That was true, but that was not the reason. Still, I had resigned myself to be her permanent excuse. Not that it would hurt me to take some credit when Gabi didn't want to draw attention to herself and her little white stone.

We said goodbye to Baui and left the Pond Room without waiting for the Gyarados to come out. I didn't feel like talking to it anyway, and I hadn't even found out its gender, let alone its name. We started heading for the dining room, joined by the rest of the team (those who were present, anyway). While we were walking, Lagi asked Gabi what was on her mind.
"I wonder were Karin is," she answered. "I expected to find her today."
At that moment, out of nowhere, a young guy with straight light brown hair and blueish eyes shouted out: "hey! The princess... is in... another castle!"
We were all startled; Gabi looked at him, speechless.
"Hehe, I'd always wanted to say that," the guy laughed. "Sorry, I heard you were asking for Karin. She's at the Blizzard Room. She's been there for hours."
"Really? And you are...?"

Through a weird conversation we found out the guy's name was Andy and he was only there to watch. In the end he turned out not to be as odd as he seemed at first, though I never got to understand why he'd shouted the way he had. He did explain it was a phrase from a game, though. It turned out that Karin had apparently forgotten the deal and gone into the Blizzard Room with her pokemon, so Hero and Iael decided they'd go into the Lava Room on their own. Or, rather, with Amber, who wanted to see if she could find an old friend of hers inside. After that, lunch felt excessively normal, but the food was good - and there was even a burger bar! I would have liked to find Beckham there, or at least tell him about it, but I didn't say no when Lagi told me she was ready for the trip. After all, there would always be time for old jokes later, and I couldn't wait to see the look on Tsunami's face when I popped out of the shadows just like he did in the water. Though I'd practice a little before looking for him. I had to make sure everything would be perfect.

[Lady Vulpix]

Nice battles, Mike! The story was so full of typos it became hard to understand at some points, but the story was original and interesting, and the battle parts well done. Take 18 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[AntiAsh Superstar]

“So you’ve been doing well, then?� It had taken a while for Soo and her team to catch up with us – between being as generally disorganised as my little group and in the main possessing a less than adequate sense of direction it was a miracle they managed to reach us at all. So was it any wonder that we had already cleared one room completely and were winding down for the day when they finally caught up with us? Apparently there was only so much that could be done by Kirei’s abilities as a compass and Soo’s Ponyta’s remarkable speed.
“Yeah, I managed to get Sumi and Milliardo to have some battles.� I took a sip of my coffee. We were currently all assembled in a small coffee house in Sector Alpha, having forsaken the comforts of the training grounds for now in favour of spending a little quality time as a group. “By the way, Katnip, thanks for getting everyone here in one piece.�
“Dunno how I managed it,� the Raticate signed with forced despair, reaching for his tenth slice of carrot cake that evening. “I know the way ta every place in the city where battles are held, but even so they still managed ta get us lost on the way. Somebody thought it might be fun ta run off down a side alley tellin’ us it was a shortcut an’ they knew exactly where they were goin’.� Here the Raticate glared rather obviously at Kassandra, who seemed totally oblivious to the admonishment.
“We got here, didn’t we?� she replied. “What more do you want?�
“A shortcut that didn’t add time ta the journey’d be nice.� Katnip sighed, shaking his head in despair. “Feh, ya never listen ta anythin’ anyone tells ya. Even Soo. So why am I botherin’?�
“Because you’ve taken one too many blows to the head?� Milliardo chipped in unhelpfully.
“It’s an example of the eternal struggle between hope and experience, that’s all,� Marius offered, equally unhelpfully.
“No, I vote for he thought he should be doing something with his mouth in between bites of cake and so is practicing being a despairing parent for when his daughter’s older.� Pandora added her opinion, thus completing the votes of the rather bizarre panel that was Milliardo’s family. “Honestly, though can anyone actually say they either know or care?�
“Nah,� Katnip shrugged, finishing his cake and helping himself to an eleventh slice. Maybe it would have just been easier to buy him an entire cake or two to himself. “Least of all me. So what’s the plan now, guys?�
“Dunno,� I admitted from my position flopped on a comfortable sofa, my arm holding Soo closely to me. It had been a long day, and all I really wanted to do was get to bed. “Either we head home, which seems a bit of a waste seeing as you’ve only just got here, or we trust Tsuyoi to look after Pearl and Celeste for us tonight and book ourselves a couple of the rooms they have available for trainers who want to stay and train overnight.�
“Ooh, do they have room service?� Beckham asked excitedly. Evidently the coffee wasn’t helping the Wartortle much. He was naturally excitable enough as it was. “And, even more importantly, do they have a mini bar? That’d be great, you could hold a little party in your room and everything.�
“Would I be invited?� Kassandra asked pointedly.
“Course you would, everyone could come. We’d have room service bring up some party food, and there’d be games and drinks and… hey, there’s a random thought.� Everyone at the table groaned collectively. Apart from Kassandra, who was trying to pretend to be interested, and Megan, who genuinely was. When a thought was so random that even Beckham realised it, you knew you had problems. “Do you think mini bars should come with mini bartenders as well? Genetically engineer a little two foot tall man to mix cocktails for you and everything.�
“Given the current restrictions on genetic research I doubt that anybody would be too willing to fund a project that superficial,� Marius rolled his eyes. “I suggest you delay that one for the day when every household comes complete with a DNA analyzer in every room.�
“Ahem.� I coughed loudly, trying to regain some control of the conversation. “As I was saying. We can always stay here overnight, the only problem being what to do with Brandy in the meantime. I’m loath to keep her in a pokéball for much longer than I have to.�
“Relax, Ade, I can just teleport home and let her out in the garden,� Sindel sighed, her best ‘I told you so’ expression firmly in place. “I did warn you that an Onix would be awkward to look after, didn’t I?�
“Awkward, but not impossible. I know what I’m doing. But thanks for this, Sindel. You’re a gem.� The Alakazam didn’t reply. She just gave a pointed shrug, taking the pokéball that contained my new Onix and blinking rapidly out of existence with a sigh. Why would nobody pay any attention to her until it was too late?

It had to be said that Pearl was quite enjoying having the run of the household. Tsuyoi, in the main, kept to himself now that those he ended up talking to the most were gone. So the Ninetales was able to just snuggle up with her baby, curled up in more comfort than she had ever experienced before. Of course, it was a shame that Katnip had to leave. The inclusion of the father, the one she loved above all others, would have made this family scene perfect. But Pearl knew full well that her partner of choice valued his training. She simply couldn’t have stood in his way, for that would have been to obstruct a factor that made him the creature that he was. So Pearl was quite happy to let Katnip go off for the training opportunity of a lifetime. Leaving her to look after the tiny little bundle that had been within her for so long now that it seemed like a part of her even now. Alone, together. At least for a while.
“Hey.� Most pokémon would have been surprised when Sindel suddenly materialised beside them. But Pearl had seen far too many sights that could be considered out of the ordinary to be startled by a teleporting Alakazam. “Sorry, just have to return that Onix that Ade insisted on adopting.�
“That sounds like Ade, all right.� Pearl chuckled, being careful not to awaken the sleeping baby nestled within her fur. “If it’s in trouble, or if nobody else is daft enough to train one, it’ll usually end up on our team.�
“I’ll just let her out into the garden. I’m sure you’ll be okay with her, she’s only young, and almost painfully shy if you ask me.� The Alakazam paused in mid-stride, as if remembering something. “How are you feeling, by the way?�
“A lot better than I have been feeling, I have to say.� The Ninetales stared at her baby for a while. “I don’t know… I guess I just feel contented all of a sudden. You know what I’m like, Sindel. I’m not happy unless I have somebody to fret over. I think this was really what I was built for. You must know how it feels to some extent, the way you’re always mothering Ryo-Ohki.�
“Yeah,� Sindel admitted, stopping short of the patio door that led out onto the large garden that Tsuyoi had been kind enough to provide for us. “I don’t know what I’d do without him to look after now, and he’s not even related to me by blood. He’s not even my own species. I can’t begin to imagine what the bonds must be like for you own child.�
“Not so much different,� Pearl smiled. “I’m sure Marius would be the first to explain how genes have nothing to do with emotional bonds, and he’d be right. It just happens a lot faster if you have the advantage of having carried your child about for ages.� The Ninetales curled up with Celeste again, and for a second Sindel couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. “Go on, let that Onix loose and get back to Ade. You’ll feel a lot less uncertain in the middle of the rabble.�
“Yeah, You’re right. I’ll see you later, okay?� And with this Sindel ran off into the garden, leaving Pearl to her own devices. For a moment, at any rate. For it seemed like today the Ninetales was never going to get more than a moment’s peace. The instant Sindel seemed to leave, a sight that the Ninetales hadn’t seen for a while decided to push its timid way into the lounge. Adreena. Kirei’s Vaporeon sister, a pokémon who had been spending less and less time in the household in favour of living the life of a wild pokémon with her lover, a gallant Umbreon named Tamotsu.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you.� The Vaporeon bowed politely. She had always been obsessed over manners to a disturbing degree. To Adreena, acting ladylike was everything. A far cry from the hyperactive, almost tomboyish antics of her younger sister. “I just thought it might be nice to see how you were doing.�
“I’m actually pretty good, all things considered.� Pearl gestured for Adreena to sit by her. “It’s so nice to have her out here now, so I can touch her and play with her and everything. Before it was just as if she was this strange thing that was making me heavier and heavier, you know? But now… wow, I don’t know if I can even find the words to describe it.�
“It must be very fulfilling to be a mother,� Adreena commented, a rather odd tone to her voice that Pearl couldn’t help but notice. “But a trial of sorts also.�
“Adreena.� The Ninetales fixed her friend with the most authoritative look she could manage. “Something’s going on here, isn’t there? I know you’re dying to ogle Celeste and all, but there’s something else that’s more important, right? Just tell me what’s going on, because I know I’ve just had a cub and everything but I’m still Pearl and I’ll still find everything out sooner or later, so you might as well solicit my advice rather than have to take it because there’s no other option.�
“Alright.� The Vaporeon sighed deeply. “Pearl, I was curious as to how you managed to cope throughout all of this. Because… well, because I’m scared.�
“Scared?�
“Scared that I may well be in the same situation soon and not know what to do. Tamotsu and I, we…�
“Ah.� The Ninetales didn’t need to hear any more to know what was going on. It would certainly explain why the Vaporeon had been so quiet lately! “Well if its any consolation it’s nowhere as bad as it probably appears. I’m just a wuss, Adreena, and I wasn’t expecting any of it at all, so I probably got the aches and pains as badly as they’re ever going to be for anyone. And besides which…� Here Pearl gazed fondly at the sleeping Celeste. “It’s worth every moment of it, Adreena. I’d go through it all over again without so much as a hesitation just to feel as happy as I do now.� There was no need to say anything else. Pearl had said everything that needed to be said. If indeed she had needed to say anything at all. Just to see how contented she looked with her cub cuddled up to her was enough.
“Thank you, Pearl,� Adreena smiled gratefully. “I hope you and your cub are very happy. You both deserve to be.�
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, Adreena. Anyway, know you have our support when your time comes.�
“Again, much thanks.� The Vaporeon nodded politely before turning to leave, Pearl watching her with a bemused smile upon her face as she slinked gracefully back to the outside world. Well, today was a day for revelations, alright! The Ninetales just hoped that the remainder of the day would provide as many pleasant surprises as this.

Darkness. Silence. An unearthly gloom, choking the very life from all it touched. Something was wrong today. She could just tell. Maybe it was the way that the lightning would occasionally illuminate the darkened room, revealing the bodies of her slumbering companions, lined up like corpses. Maybe it was the howl of the wind outside the window. Or maybe it was simply the part of her mind that was attuned to such things. Telling her that misfortune was on its way.
“This is ridiculous,� The Houndour simply couldn’t even pretend to sleep any longer. Her mind was playing too many tricks on her tonight to allow her to relax enough. So she got up from her position lay upon a comfortable couch and, being careful not to trip over the slumbering form of Marius along the way, headed for the hallway. She didn’t know what compelled her to do this. She knew that the door would most likely be locked anyway, her passage to the outside world barred. Which was a shame, because tonight she really felt like she could have used some fresh air. Well, trying to escape the almost suffocating humidity in the hotel room was worth a shot! Gingerly she pushed the door with her snout. To her eternal surprise it swung open without so much as a creak. Clearly Ade had forgotten to lock the door that night. “Well, looks like we get to have our little walk in the raging storm after all.� The Houndour shook her head, clearly bemused, as she padded silently down the strange corridors of the sleeping quarters. Only were they really that strange? There was an almost eerily familiar quality to their stone walls. As if she had somehow been here before. Quickly she increased her pace, this strange feeling spurring her on to leave. “Pandora, you’re an idiot, you know that?�

“Hey! Milliardo!� The outside world did have its share of treasures, it seemed. For although the wind was terrible that night, although the clouds that obscured the sky seemed blacker and more terrible than she had ever seen them, at least she was not alone in the grassy fields that stood just moments away from the training grounds. Already in the distance she could just about make out the form of her Umbreon companion, sat staring at something just over the horizon. Battling the intense winds that whipped at her face, Pandora struggled over to where Milliardo was stood. “What are you doing out here?� The Umbreon didn’t reply. He just stared straight ahead, never moving, never giving any indication that he had even heard her. It was if he were in some sort of trance. “Come on, you *******, talk to me, would you?� Still nothing. All of a sudden the Houndour felt very, very scared, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. “Milliardo, stop it!� she sobbed quietly. “You’re scaring me. I mean, I’ve come all this way from…� At this point Pandora fell silent. For a look back over her shoulder revealed that the training grounds no longer stood behind her. Instead there was a huge, looming jet-black fortress, its many twisted spires threatening to pierce the very skies with their pointed roofs. A huge, overwhelming aura of evil surrounded the place. The most disturbing thing about it being that Pandora was certain that she had seen this tower before, back in the dark recesses of her past. Trying to avoid this unwelcome sight, the Houndour turned back to face Milliardo. But now even looking in this direction revealed further horrors. Milliardo was no longer there. Instead there stood a gigantic, ferocious specimen of a dragon, staring down upon Pandora with malice in its cold, reptilian eyes. And in its blood-stained talons…

“Ah!� Pandora woke up with a scream of terror that should have by all right woken everybody else in the room. Yet somehow or other those around her seemed to be slumbering peacefully, the collected teams of myself and Soo flopped in various positions around what would have been a reasonably tidy double guest room. Shaking, the Houndour surveyed the scene carefully. The still open window showed no signs of a storm. The air was no longer the clammy, suffocating fog of her nightmares. And, most fortunately of all, Milliardo was still there and in one piece, slumbering peacefully on top of the pattered sofa. Silently Pandora got up and made her way to the bathroom, too worried about waking her companions to risk staying in the main room in her current condition. “Damn it…� Here, in the secluded area of the bathroom, there was no risk of disturbing anyone, and finally Pandora could release that which had been building steadily up within her since the start of her terrible nightmare. Finally all the bottled up emotion could come flooding out in wave after wave of near hysterical tears. “Why? Why now? And why that? Why do I have to know these things?� The Houndour stomped hard on the tiled floor in frustration, so hard that it hurt her paw to do so. For she knew what this was. It was a particular power of hers that had lain dormant for a long time now, so long that she had almost forgotten about it. The power to see the potential paths of the future within her dreams. And although most would have thought prophecy was a useful gift, it was anything but. The dreams just left the Houndour feeling confused and filled with an uncertainty that almost always led to deep depression. It wasn’t a useful skill at all, for her prophecies were always too vague, conveying mood more than actual events. All they ever did, therefore, was leave her with a surplus of emotion that her frail psyche simply couldn’t handle. “Why can’t they just tell me something I want to hear for once? Is that too much to ask????�
“Pandora?� Suddenly the Houndour became aware that she was no longer alone in the darkened bathroom. Turning slowly, the tears still refusing to abate, she was able to make out a face that broke her heart to gaze upon. Milliardo, stood there with a concern in his amber eyes that was reserved for Pandora alone. And to see him there just brought it all back with even greater clarity. The suffocating evil. The cruel talons, drenched in thick, syrupy blood. The decapitated head of her lover clutched in the dragon’s talons, his face wearing an expression so sorrowful that it hurt just to recall it. “Hey!� The Umbreon rushed over to her, having noticed that she was visibly shaking from the emotion. It had been a long time since he had last seen her like this, in this state that he hoped he would have never had reason to see again. “Come on, hush, would you? Whatever’s the matter, Pandora?�
“I… I’m sorry…� the Houndour whimpered, finally seeking refuge in her partner in spite of the feeling that drawing too near to him would somehow invoke the terrible scenes of her dreams. “I don’t… Milliardo, I’m dreaming again.�
“Dreaming?� The Umbreon seemed confused.
“You know how it works, I dream something and then it happens and then I feel awful about it because it feels like it’s my fault and… I’m scared, Milliardo, I’m really scared. Something terrible is on the horizon, I can feel it. And I think it has something to do with me.�
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!� Milliardo sighed. This was the last thing he needed right about now! “Before we go any further, haven’t we been over the fact that you only dream possibilities rather than certainties about a million times now? What exactly was this dream, anyway? And how can you be so sure that it’s not just a regular, run of the mill nightmare?�
“I think I’ve had enough experience to tell the difference, thanks you!� Pandora snapped, her sudden anger still not enough to fully quash the feelings of sorrow. “It was just… well, I was sleeping here, and then I woke up and went outside, but it was a terrible night, the wind was awful and I hadn’t seen clouds so dark in a long time… and you were outside and I tried to talk to you but you seemed paralysed or something. And when I looked back to the training grounds they had vanished, and instead there was…� The Houndour swallowed. This was one of the more unpalatable truths of her dream. “Instead I saw the fortress.�
“The fortress?�
“The fortress of the Dark Cloak.� It had been true that during the terrible struggles against the last major threat to Ulthuan’s safety, the terrible Dark Cloak cultists and their unnatural master Resomegnis, a terrible hybrid of all the evil the realm could muster, Pandora had been enlisted in their services. But that was a long time ago. And she had already atoned for her sins. Or had she? Recently it seemed as if her past was returning to haunt her, the last piece of the Dark Cloak’s unfinished business finally rising out of hiding. “And then I turn back to you, but you’re gone, and instead I see…� This particular memory was too painful to bear, and it set Pandora off into a fresh bout of uncontrollable sobbing.
“Whoa!� Milliardo tried his best to comfort the Houndour, but it seemed as if even his affectionate nuzzles were having little effect. “Come on, it can’t be that bad. You see what?�
“I see Reaper. I see that awful Salamence of Team Rocket’s. And she’s looking down at me as if she wants to kill me, but that isn’t the worst part. The worst part is that she has you… no, she has your head, she’s killed you in the split second that I looked away and taken away everything!� Pandora sobbed bitterly. “I’m scared. I’m scared that I might lose you. I’m scared that this is what my dream means. Everyone I get close to seems to get hurt somehow. No matter how hard I try to avoid it.�
“Oh that’s nonsense!� It was hard to phrase things so that they couldn’t be taken the wrong way. If he had told her to stop being silly she would have probably agreed that she was stupid and sunk even further into her depression. But fortunately Milliardo’s sharp mind could occasionally be put to better use than simply thinking up snappy insults and painfully bad one-liners. “Listen to me, you haven’t hurt anyone… well, not in the way you mean, at any rate, I can’t speak for the black eyes some of your opponents in battle are probably still sporting. And you’re not going to lose me, you think I’m going to let some pervert of a Rocket and his sharp-fanged lover get the better of me? I can run rings around any adversary you care to mention.� The Umbreon paused for a second, considering whether to impart his last great secret. In the end he decided it was best to get it off his chest. “Especially one I’ve already had some experience of. You’re not the only one with a dodgy past, you know.�
“Wait…� Pandora didn’t seem comforted by this at all. “You don’t understand. Armand… before he took over as Rocket boss in Ulthuan, he dealt with most of the dealings between Team Rocket and the Dark Cloak. They got a lot of their equipment from the Rockets. Reaper… she’s dangerous. At least as dangerous as Abbadon, that monster of a Charizard that calls himself Kassandra’s father. She went through the same training programme.�
“Wouldn’t surprise me. But that’s nothing to do with you, Pandora, you’re not responsible for anything those monsters do, so for goodness’ sake stop trying to pin the blame on yourself!� The Umbreon sighed. “Come on. The worst this dream of your means is that we may have a little trouble with Reaper in the future, but after the past few weeks even Megan would probably be able to tell you that.� The Umbreon paused. “Oh, wait, she’d probably go ‘Who’s Reaper again?’ before running off to try and find Becks but instead managing to knock herself out on the coffee table.� This, at least, managed to gain a slight chuckle by way of response. “Come on, Pandora. We’re stronger than ever. The Dark Cloak didn’t kill us. The Black Dragon didn’t kill us. I’d say we’re going to be fine.�
“I suppose.� Pandora mused this over for a while. It all made sense, it was true, but she still couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Maybe it would take a while before it would truly disappear. In the meantime she would just have to do her best to ignore it. “Sorry for getting in such a state. I’ll try and forget about it, okay?�
“Sure, you do that.� Milliardo didn’t much like the word ‘try’, but what could he do other than keep a closer eye on the Houndour? “Now come on, let’s grab a little more sleep before the rabble awaken.� With this the Umbreon led his partner back to where the rest of the team were happily slumbering, totally oblivious to the events having occurred mere moments ago. Well, maybe that was for the best. The fewer who knew about this incident, the better. No point in having everybody worried. Yet.

“And so the great randomiser will pick today’s training room.� The morning had been the usual rounds of squabbles, jokes and random nonsense that characterised life with my team. From Ryo-Ohki managing to trip up nearly everybody in the team whilst running round the room excitedly, to Katnip giving me the fright of my life by suddenly popping up in front of me as I passed through the doorway, it was one weird little incident after another today. Which seemed to be culminating in Beckham demonstrating his methods for choosing where the team would be training today. “As we can see, I have the list of rooms we still have to use over there on the far wall. Now, I will randomly fire my Water Gun at the list…�
“Uh… Becks?� I began to speak, only to be drowned out by the Wartortle’s constant jabbering.
“… and whichever one on the list it hits we’ll go to. Of course, we do run the risk of me not hitting it at all and in fact choosing the lampshade for us to train in…�
“Becks, there’s a small problem here…�
“…but in that case we’ll just have to make do. I mean, even a lampshade can be used to train, you can use it for jousting or something. I guess we could always keep doing it until I hit, in which case we run the risk of me flooding the room…�
“Actually, that was what I was going to…�
“…but even that in itself is an excellent training opportunity. Imagine the effort we’ll have to put into drying the place off, it’ll get us all really muscular in no time, even Sindel. Which would be a sight to see, don’t you think? Most Alakazams are really thin things. Anyway…�
“Becks! Just listen to me before you…�
“…here we go, the moment of truth! On your marks, get ready… go!� Before anyone with more sense could do anything to stop him, the Wartortle fired a blast of water at the list that was pinned up on the far wall. Admittedly his aim was perfect, but Beckham had forgotten one rather crucial factor. His Water Gun always had been far stronger than that of the average pokémon. So instead of striking one item on the list the sudden torrent of water soaked the entire sheet. And the surrounding wall. And the furniture nearby. And Kirei, who was unfortunate enough to be standing nearest to the list.
“Hey!� the Espeon complained, shaking herself off and hence getting everybody else wet into the bargain. “Well, I guess I needed a bath anyway, so that saves us the bother of doing that! Your list’s a little… unreadable now, Becks.�
“Yeah.� Milliardo wandered over to the dripping paper. “Unless we plan on training in the Jorzel Rum this afternoon.�
“Jorzel Rum, can’t say I’ve tried that brand before.� Beckham suddenly noticed that everybody else was glaring at him rather obviously and grinned sheepishly. “Uhh… well, we can at least try that ‘drying the room’ training now, guys.�
“Well it looks as if I’m going to have to pick up a new room listing now.� I rolled my eyes. Even though he had just managed to flood the room, it was very hard to feel anything more than a slight annoyance with Beckham. He was just too goofy to be mad with. “Well, seeing as you’ve so much energy – and the list now seems to say that wet is the theme for the day – I think we might as well head over to the Pond Room today. I figured I might as well give you Water types a chance to train up a little. And yes,� I added in reply to a quizzical look from Megan, “that means you as well. When was the last time you had any training, anyway?�
“Uhh… I’m not sure, actually! I remember rolling around and bashing my head into a tree, that usually happens when I train, but I’m not sure if it was last month or last year or last night…� The Marill beamed brightly. “Oh yeah! It couldn’t have been last night, could it? We were all in here asleep!�
“Gee, that narrows it down…� Milliardo voiced what was running through my own head but I was too nice to actually say.
“Hey, it might have been last night, Megan, you could have been training in your sleep!� Beckham grinned.
“You think?� Megan looked over at the Wartortle with a confused look in her eyes. “Funny, I never realised I could do that.�
“Well, you’re special, what can I say?�
“Whoa, Becks, before you start can we at least get down to the training room?� I smiled brightly, feeling in a much better mood than I had done for a long time. It was nice to get the chance to just hang out with my pokémon for some light-hearted training. Lately it seemed as if we had been under one stress after another. “You two have the rest of your lives to flirt in that odd little manner of yours.�
“Whatever you say.� The Wartortle seemed to take this all in his stride, although Megan seemed to turn rather noticeably red at my words. “You’re the boss, after all.�
“Thank you. I’m glad at least one of you hasn’t fallen for Tsuyoi’s brainwashing yet.� I quickly slipped on the nearest pair of shoes to hand and went over to give Soo a big hug before I left for today’s training. No doubt she would occupy herself somehow, even if it ended up in her following after about half an hour to cheer my pokémon on. “See you at lunch, gorgeous. Hopefully they’re not going to drown me in the meantime.�
“I should hope not!� Soo chuckled. “Never mind, Kassandra can always dry you out if they do.�
“Yeah!� the Charmander chipped in. “I’m the best dryer the world’s ever seen!�
“Oh, are you volunteering to help sort the room out now?�
“Hah! You gotta be kidding me!� Kassandra stuck her tongue out. “I may be the best dryer the world’s ever seen but I’m not stupid!� And that, it seemed, was the end of it. Leaving us to finally make our way down to the training area to deal with the day’s mission. To try and get in some more practice before the pressure of the forthcoming Games became too great.

It had to be said that the Pond Room wasn’t really much to look at. The instant we stepped into the room it became quite clear why it was named as it was. Apart from a small wooden pier of sorts that the door led out onto, the entire room was just one gigantic lake, and although it had to be said that the crystal-clear waters did indeed look inviting there wasn’t that much room for those who didn’t fancy getting wet.
“Last one in’s a rotten egg!� Megan laughed playfully, jumping into the water before I had a chance to so much as say a single word. Swiftly followed by Beckham, of course, who was never one to pass up on the chance to fool around for a while. “Bet you can’t catch me!�
“Oh, I bet I can,� the Wartortle grinned, proving his point rather admirably by grabbing the Marill by the paw just seconds after giving her something approaching a head start. He swiftly pulled her into a dancing position. “So then, is it waltz or fox-trot this time, darling? Bear in mind that neither of us know either dance.�
“Dunno, it’s your call, Becks!� The two pokémon pranced about in the water for a few moments, performing some mad underwater dance that made up in enthusiasm what it was lacking in finesse. The two Water types seemed to be having such a good time together I was rather loath to break up their little games. But in the end I had no choice. We were here to train, after all.
“Okay, guys, enough’s enough, we have some battles to get on with here, remember?� I glanced over at a small button set into the side of the wall, engraved with the simple legend ‘press here when ready’. “Becks, do you want to start us off and show Megan how it’s done?� No doubt Kasumi would have had something to say about potential double meanings in that sentence, but rather fortunately the Growlithe had decided not to accompany us. Apparently she had better things to do. Quite what ‘better things’ entailed I dreaded to think, but the chances were that they probably involved Thunderblast, the psychic Raichu belonging to Danny. Lately the two pokémon had been spending an unhealthy amount of time together.
“Sure thing.� Beckham smirked to himself. He had learned a few new tricks since the last time he had battled, and couldn’t wait to show them off. “Hey, Megan, aren’t you going to wish me luck?�
“Like you need it. You kept thrashing me every time we met before.� The Marill smiled coyly as she clambered out of the water, before bending over and giving Beckham a quick peck on the cheek. “Good luck, though, whatever it is that you’re fighting’s gonna wish it hadn’t gotten out of bed this morning!�
“Let’s not get carried away, huh? We don’t even know what he’s fighting yet.� I wandered over and pressed the button finally, which resulted in a mechanical whirring and the opening of a trap door set into the floor of the pond, its cover sliding open in the same manner as the hidden panels in the Lava Room. For a moment nothing else happened. But then, silently and stealthily, Beckham’s opponent made its way out of the gloom. My heart sank. A Sharpedo, one of the Dark-type sharks that had been imported from the Hoenn region. A species that was steadily growing in number, apparently. This seemed a little too much! “Man! Becks, are you sure about this?�
“Relax, Ade, fangs can’t hope to pierce the super rock-hard shell of a Wartortle! I’ll be fine!� Still grinning in his goofy manner, Beckham made a dive underwater to meet his adversary. And not for the first time I found myself wondering if he had actually given any thought at all to what he was getting himself into. Forward thinking was definitely not high on my Wartortle’s list of attributes.
“He’ll be okay, right?� Apparently even Megan was a little concerned after looking at the vicious fangs of the Sharpedo. “I mean, Becks can do anything, he’s so strong, but it’d be a shame if he got hurt or something. Who would I dance with then?�
“Relax, Megan. I’m sure he’ll be fine.� Wouldn’t he? There was only one way to find out, and that was to watch and wait.

FIGHT!!! L30 Wartortle v L35 Sharpedo!

“Greetings.� Coming face to face with a creature like a Sharpedo for the first time was never an easy prospect, even for a creature normally as carefree as Beckham. However, this particular creature seemed to be reasonable enough, the polite tone totally contrasting with the vicious appearance. “My name is Kelligro, and I am to be your opponent for today.�
“Uhh… nice to meet you!� Beckham laughed uncertainly. “My name’s Beckham, as in the soccer player who hits the headlines every time he has a haircut. Whoa, ‘h’ overkill there, we might have ourselves a new tongue twister in the making!�
“I’d suggest you worked on it a little more, actually.� The Sharpedo almost seemed to smile. “In the meantime, shall we have our battle? At the very worst you’ll get your training. In the best case scenario you may find your inspiration for the tongue twister while fighting.�
“Good point!� The Wartortle struck a fighting pose in the water. “Bring it on then, I say, if it takes a blow to the head to make it better then so be it!�
“Whatever you say.� The Sharpedo frowned, concentrating hard. All of a sudden the water in the pond began to ripple, the pressure growing more and more intense until finally Beckham was struck with a bolt of water that felt more like a punch to the face. The Wartortle staggered. He hadn’t actually meant what he had said about a blow to the head! “You’ll have to pull out something special in order to beat me, though.� Before Beckham could so much as recover from the attack, his opponent was back, attacking viciously with its fins in an attempt at a Slash attack. It was as much as he could do to quickly hide within his shell. And even this didn’t seem to dull the pain completely, the Sharpedo’s attacks digging in so hard that he could still feel them even through his armour plating. This wasn’t good!
“Damn! Can’t a guy get a little peace around here?� There was only really one attack that the Wartortle could use from this position. So he threw all of his weight into the side of his shell, making it spin faster and faster, until it was little more than a rapid, whirring blur to all outsiders. It seemed to do the trick, however, catching the Sharpedo a glancing blow on the snout as it tried to attack once more. Finally now he had a little space to breathe and plan his next attack! “Okay, I…� As he slowly pulled his body out of his shell Beckham couldn’t help but notice something was amiss with the world. Or with his shell, at any rate. “Hey! You’ve scratched my shell! You’ve no idea how much it’s going to cost to get this rebuffed now! Well, actually, I have no idea how much it costs either, but that’s beside the point!�
“You do like to talk, don’t you? A shame, then, that the best fighter rather than the best conversationalist wins.� By now the Wartortle’s opponent had managed to recover from the earlier surprise attack and even now was zooming towards him, its fangs bared. Beckham didn’t much like to think about what that could mean. Instead he did the only thing that he could do under the circumstances. He turned tail and swam away from the Sharpedo, trying to put as much ground between them as he could before those sharp fangs made a meal out of him. “You can run all you like. I’ll still catch you sooner or later. It’s what we’re built for, after all.� Certainly the Dark-type had a point. It was easily keeping up with Beckham despite not seeming to be putting much effort into the chase. He couldn’t hope to keep this up forever.
“Alright then, time to stop running. See how you like a blow to the head! If you can really say a shark has a head. Which it’s quite hard to tell if it does or not, really.� Suddenly the Wartortle remember what he was supposed to be doing. “Oh yeah. Anyway…� Beckham took in a deep breath, taking in as much water from his surroundings as he could to add to his considerable supplies. Before expelling it all in a huge torrent, creating such a strong underwater current that it acted like a punch to the face of his opponent. All of a sudden there seemed to be decided advantages to having the world’s most ferocious Water Gun attack! Unfortunately for Beckham his tactic only seemed to enrage the Sharpedo, the Dark-type swimming towards his at twice the speed, its velocity far too great to stand any chance of avoiding its next attack. So there was very little that Beckham could do. Except to feel the sharp teeth close around his arm, and cry out in agony as they pieced right through his skin.

“Ade, he’s getting hurt! Do something!� Back up on the podium Megan seemed to be getting into quite the state, rushing up and down in a panic as her friend was pummeled beneath the waters of the training room. “Call the police! The fire department! Superman!�
“Megan, please try and calm down,� I responded through clenched teeth. Yes, this was hard to watch, but what could I do? It would have been unfair on Beckham to forfeit the match because of a blow that was comparatively weak compared to some of the injuries he had sustained in the past. “You’ll have to learn that sometimes we have no choice but to just let them get on with it, no matter how hard that may be. Becks is a lot more shrewd than he pretends to be. I’ll bet you any money that he somehow manages to come out on top.�
“Yeah, but…� The Marill peered cautiously into the water. “Look, he’s bleeding! Ew, I hate blood! Look, Ade, look, he’s going to bleed to death down there, I just know it!!!� Apparently Megan was having none of my words of wisdom today. At least not until Beckham had managed to staunch his latest wound, that was. I had totally forgotten about the Marill’s phobia about blood. Apparently taking her to watch a battle against a Sharpedo had been a rather stupid idea. But at least she wasn’t alone. At least I was there to reassure her. As little good as that seemed to be doing.

Meanwhile, back under the water’s surface, Beckham was beginning to wonder if being a fighter was such a great career choice. All it seemed to him that this battle had done was to give him one injury after another. And now, with blood slowly easing its way out of the gash on his arm, the Wartortle was starting to feel decidedly close to collapse, too drained to put up much more of a fight. All he wanted to do was go to sleep.
“I’m tired…� Beckham’s eyes began to close, consciousness slowly beginning to slip away from him as he finally succumbed to the dark promises of sleep. “I… I’m sorry, guys, I just can’t keep… this up…� Finally the Wartortle fell silent, his body totally still. Was this really the end?
“Hmph. Well, that was easier than I expected. You need to train harder, friend.� The Sharpedo turned away to return to its little bolthole, ready for the next challenger. When all of a sudden it was stopped in its tracks by a strange noise that sounded like a cross between a car engine and a Roar attack. “What the…� The pokémon couldn’t believe the sight that greeted its eyes upon tracing the source of this decidedly odd sound. Apparently Beckham really had gone to sleep! For the noise was coming from him, a snore so loud that only the world’s most talkative Wartortle could have managed to make it. “I can’t believe this! You take a nap in the middle of a battle?� the Sharpedo asked incredulously.
“Mmm… don’t worry mom, the bicycle’s in the middle of the cheese…� Beckham mumbled, talking almost as much nonsense in his sleep as he did when he was awake. But as he did so something rather strange happened. He began to pull himself into his shell. Which wasn’t really that surprising, since this was a natural sleeping position for a Wartortle. What was surprising was when the shell began to rotate rapidly, and abruptly flew at his opponent, catching it on the snout with a Rapid Spin attack that, in all honesty, was executed with far more precision than Beckham could ever have managed whilst awake.
“Ah! What are you doing?� The Sharpedo seemed too surprised to even consider attacking now. The strange sleep-battling of Beckham had totally thrown it off guard. “Wake up this instant!� Enraged, it flew towards its opponent with a view to biting him out of his sleep. But this, too, was foiled in the most bizarre way imaginable.
“I’ll be off in a minute, the cat’s just stolen the mail…� Apparently this was the key phrase that triggered Water Gun, for as he mumbled this latest surreal look into his dreams Beckham took in a deep breath that could only mean one thing. Once more the Sharpedo found itself buffeted by a gigantic underwater current, once more it found itself thrown to one side by the sheer force of my Wartortle’s Water Gun. And this time the force was simply too great for it to withstand any longer. This time it simply lacked the energy to carry on fighting. This time, the Sharpedo fell into a complete faint. And the best part was that Beckham didn’t even realise it.

Beckham wins!
Beckham grew to L31!
Beckham learned Protect!
Beckham grew to L32!

[AntiAsh Superstar]

“Uh… Beckham?� I stared out at my Wartortle, hoping that he would now make his way back to the trainer’s platform. How wrong I was. My Wartortle seemed totally out of it, trapped in a deep sleep that would have been more appropriate late at night. “Becks!� I rolled my eyes in despair. “Megan, will you go out there and drag him back for me, please?�
“Sure thing, Ade!� The Marill beamed brightly, hopping nimbly into the water and swimming over to Beckham’s slumbering form. “Hey, watch this, I bet you any money that I can wake him up as well. Even though I don’t have any money, but you know what I mean, right?� Megan turned to look at the Wartortle, her eyes for a second reflecting thoughts far deeper than the Marill was normally used to. She leaned in closely and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Hey, wakey wakey, sleepy boy,� she whispered into his large, feathery ear. “We’re going down to the bar in a minute, you wanna miss that?�
“What? What?� Beckham’s eyes snapped open in an instant. “Whoa, wait for me guys, I was just having a quick nap and… and…� Suddenly the Wartortle seemed to realise where he was. “Wait a minute! We’re not going to the bar at all are we? We were training! Megan, you little tease!� Beckham splashed the Marill playfully, a cheeky grin fixed firmly upon his face. “So what happened to that Sharpedo that was trying to tear me limb from limb, anyway?�
“You beat it, Becks. I knew I taught you that Sleep Talk TM for a reason,� I chuckled as my two Water types made their way back to the trainer’s platform. “Good job, anyway, I’ll have to buy you a drink for that one. Anyway, onto the next battle. Megan, do you mind staying in the water and having a go now?�
“Uhh… I wouldn’t be fighting another Sharpedo, would I?� the Marill asked, turning suddenly pale. “Only you know what I’m like, I hate blood, especially my own, so I don’t think I’m ready to face anything with fangs or claws or pointy bits. All I can do is Rollout anyway and you know I’m really lousy at that.�
“Well you won’t get any better without practice, will you?� I smiled, trying my very best to be reassuring. “You’ve tricks other than that anyway. Come on, Megan, just give it a go. Please?� Megan was silent for a moment, contemplating my words. Eventually something seemed to click within her mind, however, for all of a sudden the usual bright, cheery expression returned to her face.
“Alright, Ade, I’ll give it a shot!� Without so much as waiting for a ‘thank you’, the Marill made a dive into the water, preparing herself for whatever challenge she was going to have to face. Well, seeing as she seemed so eager, who was I to delay her battle for any longer than I had to? Without a word I paced over to the button that unleashed my next opponent and pushed it with a single finger. Again came the grinding of cogs, and again the little trap door slip open. Only this time a small, eager-looking Totodile shot out of the resulting hole with surprising speed, not even waiting for the door to fully open before it made its entrance. So much for not fighting things with claws or fangs or pointy bits! I just hoped that my Marill would be able to overcome her fears and be able to benefit from this battle. Hoping was all that I could do for now, however. Otherwise it was just a case of watching, and waiting, and seeing if Megan could come out on top.

FIGHT!!! L7 Marill v L8 Totodile!

“Hi, my name’s Cody and I’ll be beating you tonight.� Megan hadn’t even so much as laid eyes upon her opponent when he decided to attack, evidently deciding to make full use of the element of surprise. The Totodile struck hard from behind with a vicious Ice Punch attack that was designed purely to startle Megan rather than do any real damage. It worked admirably, the Marill yelling out in surprise at the sudden cold sensation that had been applied to her back and darting forward in shock. “Awesome! Not seen anyone move so fast since that time my pops was surprised by a Gyarados!�
“Hey, you could let me know you were coming, you know!� Megan grumbled, looking genuinely hurt by the rude introduction. Then again, that was her way. The daftness was tempered with a rather frail psyche. “That was like a free hit and it’s not fair!�
“Relax, I could’ve hit you with something that would have hurt instead of startled, so don’t be so grouchy! You got off lightly.� The Totodile smirked, placing his hind paws firmly upon the floor of the lake and striking up a pose that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Hitmonlee. “Come on then, let’s see what you’ve got.� Evidently this pokémon wasn’t one for talk once the battle actually started.
“Okay! You asked for it!� Summoning up her courage, Megan darted forward and attempted to land a Tackle. However the Totodile dodged easily, Megan’s natural sloth working against her. But the Marill wasn’t to be discouraged. She hadn’t been previously owned by one of the best mercenaries the world had to offer for nothing! Even if she was decidedly out of practice. “Think you can get away?� Abruptly Megan turned, allowing her tail to whip into her opponent’s face and land a vicious, stinging blow to the cheek. It was at that point that she attempted another Tackle, whilst her opponent was distracted, and this time the attack struck home, sending the Totodile tumbling through the water. “Ha! Nothing to it! Hey, guys, what do you think?� For a second the Marill took her eyes off her opponent to cast a glance over at her audience. A mistake that was to cost her dearly.
“Not bad, babes, but not good, either!� Before Megan knew what had hit her she was being sent tumbling head over heels, a burning sensation at her back that had knocked her over. It was rather fortunate for the Marill that the blow had been to her rear. If she had seen the large gashes that the Scratch attack had opened up she would have passed out on the spot. “Face it, you’re outclassed.�
“I am not!� This seemed so unfair that it brought tears to Megan’s eyes. “I’ll show you, you big meanie!� Abruptly the Marill curled up tightly into a ball and began to spin in the water. It looked as if she was trying to teach herself Rapid Spin in an instant.
“Oh, man! What’s this, you think you can beat me with an acrobatics display?� The Totodile guffawed. “Man, I knew you Marills were a pretty dense bunch but this really takes the biscuit!� Unfortunately he had very little idea of what Megan was attempting here. I, however, knew exactly what she was about to do. And it would probably work, as well. With a little steering on my part, at any rate.
“Megan!� I shouted as loudly as I could, hoping that those huge Marill ears could make out my voice from under the water. It had been a while since I had to lend my assistance in this way. I just hoped that my judgement hadn’t been impaired by my team on the whole not requiring it in order to win. “Forward, now!� The Marill did exactly as she was told, much to my delight. “Wait, he’s dodged, left a bit and up!� I could see the Totodile trying its best to swim out of the way of the Rollout attack. Well, this time it wasn’t going to fail. Megan had a whole lifetime of believing she would never be able to use the move, and this time I was going to help her to pull it off for once. “Now right… yeah! We nailed him!� Back underneath the pond’s rippling surface I could see that my Marill’s tumbling form had succeeded in striking her opponent, knocking him back down to ground level with its impact.
“My turn, Ade!� Beckham grinned excitedly.
“Wait, this isn’t a video game, Becks!�
“Hey, I’ll have you know that it is quite like one, and who happens to be reigning champion in our house?� The Wartortle stuck his tongue out. “Besides, do you really think I’m going to let anything happen to Megan? If she gets hurt I lose a g… good… uhh… good girl?� The clumsy attempt to change what he was about to say wasn’t fooling anyone. Beckham had deep feelings for the Marill, and everyone bar Megan – and possibly Kassandra - seemed to know it. “Oh, bollocks to that, Ade, just let me steer, would you?�
“Well, alright…� I had to admit, there was very little chance that he would do anything that would place Megan in danger. And Beckham was an excellent battler, anyway. He would probably be much better at this than I could ever hope to be thanks to his practical experience. “Just be careful, okay?�
“Relax, Ade. You’re about to witness something special.�

Megan felt as if she had been rolling about forever, stuck in a rather bizarre loop that her opponent seemed to be able to avoid with ease. She had been so happy when she had felt that first impact, that sudden feeling that her attack had struck home. But since then, despite the fact that she had built up an impressive run of speed, she hadn’t once felt another connection like that first one. It was beginning to feel as if she would never master Rollout.
“Oi!� A new, yet familiar, voice managed to intrude upon her senses, a voice that managed to somehow lift her spirits just by being there. “Megan, your opponent’s coordinates are 45, 62, 15, pi squared. Or just turn right a little before doing your next loop and you’ll bowl him over.�
“Gotcha!� All of a sudden the Marill’s heart was filled with a new determination. If Beckham was helping her, there was no way that she could mess up! Taking his instructions, she altered her course a little. And in this case her earlier confusion had worked to her advantage. Her opponent had grown so used to her just making the same circles that he had grown complacent. And when her path finally did alter he simply wasn’t prepared for it, and the Rollout struck with even more force than before, ramming straight into him and pushing him along with its ever-increasing momentum. “Now what?� Megan could feel her opponent somehow snagged upon her, but had no idea what to do now.
“Well, this is gonna sound barmy, I know, but crash!�
“Eh?�
“Crash into the side, Megan, you’ll squish him between you and the wall and if that doesn’t do it I recommend coming back later armed with weapons of mass destruction. Now quick, head left for a second then straight as fast as you possibly can!� The Marill did exactly as she was told. She trusted Beckham completely. “Go Megan! Faster! Faster! Faster than a speeding bullet, or even faster than that, faster than a Jolteon after twenty cups of coffee!� All of a sudden there was a loud yell of fear, followed almost instantly by a gigantic crash that sent vibrations up the supports of the trainer’s platform. And then silence.

“Becks…� I groaned, picking myself up from where I had stumbled after the sudden impact, “…next time you instruct her to crash, can we not have her colliding with the construction we’re stood upon, please? Especially when it’s potentially this flimsy.� I scanned the water’s surface carefully. “So where’s Megan gone? Don’t tell me she knocked herself out as well…�
“I hope not, who’ll play ball with me when Caledor’s not around?� Beckham seemed to be genuinely worried. “Alright, Ade, I’ll go take a look, be back in a second.� Without so much as waiting for me to give my assent to this, the Wartortle jumped nimbly into the water. And all I could do was wait, wait until the ripples from his dive dies down and the pool’s surface was calm again. What kind of terrible scenes lay down there? My mind filled with visions of a Marill unconscious and surrounded by splinters, blood trickling from a wound upon her head inflicted by the terrible impact of her Rollout. What had I been thinking? Megan needed more private training before she was ready for this! “I can’t believe that!� All of a sudden the water’s surface broke once again. And there was Beckham, supporting my Marill with ease with one arm whilst using the other to make strokes to the platform. “After all that you get stumped by him falling on your tail?�
“Hey, I was tired, okay?� Megan grumbled, accepting my help in getting out of the water. “I tried to move him, but he wouldn’t budge. Big stupid heavy lump of a Totodile…� All of a sudden the Marill’s mood seemed to lift. “Hey, I did it, though, didn’t I?�
“That you did, Megan,� I grinned, hugging her tightly. “I’m proud of you.�
“Yeah, me too.� Beckham gave his own affectionate squeeze. And as Megan turned to accept this, I couldn’t help but notice something that maybe the Marill would rather have not known about.
“Uhh… Megan, I hate to break this to you, but we should probably get going over to the Pokécentre soon.� I wasn’t really sure how to best word this to cause minimum alarm. In the end I just decided to come out with it. She would have to get over her phobias sooner or later, anyway. “You took a bit of a blow down there that should probably be patched up.�
“Huh?� The Marill looked confused.
“Um… your back...?� Gingerly I leant over and ran a finger along the Marill’s wound, bringing away a small patch of red blood. “Looks like somebody got a little rough with you down there, doesn’t it?�
“Oh no!!!� Megan shrieked so loudly that it was a wonder that the occupants of the other training rooms couldn’t hear her. “Look! Look! I’m bleeding! Oh no, quick, I’m bleeding to death, somebody help me!!!� The Marill seemed hysterical. Although fortunately she was too tired to keep it up for long. “Look at all that blood, I’m… oh, I feel funny…� At this point Megan simply collapsed into Beckham’s arms, passed out in a dead faint. My Wartortle looked over at me with a look in his eyes that could be best translated as ‘are you sure she’s okay?’.
“Relax, Becks, she just overreacted. What you’ve just seen is called passing out from over-excitement, not dying from blood loss.�
“Oh. Okay.� The Wartortle grinned sheepishly. “You can never tell sometimes, dying from blood loss is such a subtle way to die. I mean, imagine if you had a little tiny pin prick that wouldn’t heal over, you wouldn’t even notice as all your blood started slowly leaking out of you and in the end you’d have no blood and have to use some kind of random substitute like vodka.�
“Becks,� I said flatly. “Just grab her and let’s go home, please. I’ve had enough of this place for one day.� All things considered, it had been quite a draining session. But we had all learned something from the experience. And at the end of the day, wasn’t that what truly mattered?

Megan wins!
Megan grew to L8!

[Crystalmaster Mike]

Nice battles, Mike! The story was so full of typos it became hard to understand at some points, but the story was original and interesting, and the battle parts well done. Take 18 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

LOL, yeah, I can imagine. I hadn't used a dictionary this time over, and when I'd finished it, I just wanted to post it, edit the font mistakes, and leave it be.
...
So I did. .^.

BTW, if you were wondering about my in-story appearance, look below.

[Lady Vulpix]

It took me some time to read those 2 battles, but they were great! I like the attitude Marius is developing, as scary as you may find it. And Becks's jokes are getting better too... except for the last one, which was rather gross. But I understand he wasn't at his best at that moment. Take 21 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[Wolfsong]

Sorry it took me a while, but every time i started to read the story my parents woudl come in and aske me to do something. Anyway, I ended up reading it around midnight last night. It was interesting. Danny, take 20 stamps. I still find it weird that Aipom was flying a helicopter, but interesting as well. ^^ Once i started reading it, without interruptions, I enjoyed it. ^^

[Charizard04621]

Lol! I loved your story, Gabi! Take 22 Stamps. Not bad for your first rated battle, huh? I wonder what's going to happen with that scary Rocket executive... I've read about her twice and she already freaks me out. O_o; I was a little shocked when I saw Caledor learning all those moves, but then I figured out that like a lot of your pokémon, he has abnormal genes, too. And btw, I know that game! That stupid cursed Mario game where they get your hopes up when you think you've finally won such a hard game, and then they tell you that Peach is in another castle... Yeah... >_<

[AntiAsh Superstar]

Allo, just popping in to let the world know I've got another sidetracking in progress akin to my infamous (well, infamous for being so incredibly long, at any rate...) Lucky Saga, since its star is about to make a permenant mark on my team I figured I might as well show what I've got so far. Here it is, I should prolly throw in a cursory warning about potentially strong language tho. h: Expect more once I've got the Unicorn Games out of the way. ^_^;;

[Charizard04621]

My POV:

“I’m worried, Blitz,� I admitted. “They’ve been gone for a long time. What if something happened to them?�

It’ll be all right, angel.

Did he just call me angel? O… kay… I decided not to ask where that came from. I turned to the Electabuzz. “If you think I’m an angel, you really don’t know me yet,� I told him. “I’m going out there.�

What? No. My trainer told me not to let you go.

“Did he? You said earlier that he told you to make sure nothing bad happened to me. It was your idea to keep me here.� By the look on his face, I knew I had Blitz now. I smirked. “If you want to protect me, you’re going to have to follow me while I go outside to look for my lost pokémon.�

I don’t know about this…

“Hehe. Don’t worry, Blitz,� I assured him while buttoning up Mike’s jacket. “This coat is really good.� I opened the door, winked, and walked out, chuckling softly at the look of helplessness on Blitz’s face. He had judged me too soon.

Lune, the male Eevee’s POV:

I sat on our attacker, holding his arms while Mike tied them together. Sweeney Todd had returned to his ball, much to my relief. That Absol really freaked me out. At least the one we were trying to save was just a baby.

“You’ve got some questions to answer now,� said Mike to the shuddering lump that had its face in the snow. “Where did you get that baby Absol?�

No answer.

“What were you doing with her?�

Still nothing.

“All right, then… It’s Sweeney Todd treatment for you, kid.� He turned to me. “You might want to go away for a bit. You probably don’t want to see this.�

He was right. I didn’t. I averted my eyes and ran around the corner, where I found an indent in the rocky mountain wall. Good. At least I was safe from the storm.

For the next few what I honestly felt was hours, my hairs stood on end perpetually as if the ice had frozen them there. But it was not my body that was frozen; it was my heart. And fear was the cause. Horrible screams, the likes of which I had never heard before, pierced the air, shooting like poisonous arrows deep into my soul. I did not know what that insane Absol was doing to that unfortunate child, and I did not want to know. I scarcely showed fear, but that thing was just… wrong.

Finally, after forever had passed, the wailing stopped, and I heard Mike call for me to come back again. I walked hesitantly, checking around the corner to see if Sweeney Todd was still there. He was not. The innocent baby Absol lay peacefully in the snow, still asleep.

“Well, that was quick,� said Mike, grinning.

“Quick? I heard that horrible screaming for hours!�

“Nah. The screaming lasted only three minutes. The kid cracked fast. It was the talking that took longer.�

“Where is he now?�

“Gone.�

I shuddered. “Not in some meat pie, I hope…�

Mike looked at me as if I were crazy. “No, no, we don’t really kill anyone,� he told me. “Did you think we were insane?�

No comment.

“Sure we’re insane,� he said, grinning proudly. O… kay, getting freaky again… “But we’re not murderers.�

“That’s… good to know.�

“Ryu,� the male Trapinch’s POV:

“Congratulations, Elwing,� I said, albeit a little bitterly. I surprised myself. How did that happen? Well, I had started it now. It would have to end somewhere.

“Now do you think I’m a weakling? Huh?� she snapped.

I turned away from her. “I never thought you were a weakling.�

“Then why do you always want to help me?� she demanded. “I’m sick and tired of it. I hate it!�

Her words struck me hard. “I don’t know,� I said quietly. “Maybe it’s because I care.�

“You care too much.�

At this, I swung around suddenly. I felt my face burning up with anger. “Oh, do I?� I asked violently. She shrank back, afraid. Immediately I regretted raising my voice. “Oh, forget I ever said anything.� I hung my head and ran off into the snow. The storm covered my path.

“Wait, where are you going? Ryu!�

My POV:

“Blitz, I can’t see. Can you?� I asked, as the snowstorm raged around us.

A little bit. Stick close to me so you don’t get lost.

After some time of trudging through the snow, we came across an unusual sight. A Dratini was dragging something across the snow in the middle of a blizzard. When we got closer, I recognized her as Elwing. She was dragging my belt.

“Elwing!� I cried worriedly, running to her. “What are you doing out in this storm? Where’s Evenstar? What happened?�

Lune, the male Eevee’s POV:

“So he stole her egg… from the Dragon Tamers?� I asked in disbelief. How bold.

“Yup.�

“Why?�

“He said he wanted an Absol.�

“What was the thing about the testing?�

“Oh, that. He wasn’t talking about the Absol. He said he was testing out how his team would do without him around to give commands. He left a Slowpoke and a Metang out somewhere to stop anyone from following him. I guess we missed them.�

“Hah. Hmm… He looked like a little kid. Where did he get that sleeping gas?�

“He was a freaky little kid. He made it himself. I was wrong. I don’t think Karin will be asleep that long, after all. We should get back to the cabin before she thinks we abandoned her. …Wow, this Absol is heavy.�

“Want me to carry her?�

“Nah. I’ve got a lot of stronger pokémon who can do the job better, but I’m not going to bother any of them. It wouldn’t feel right to make an Eevee carry something several times his weight.�

My POV:

“You’re saying those two just suddenly attacked?� I asked, pointing at the limp bodies of a Slowpoke and Metang nearby.

Elwing nodded. “They took out Evenstar and Nimrodel. They’re in their balls now. Nimrodel came out to help Aglárien against the Slowpoke when she was in trouble. Even so, Aglárien barely won. She’s in her ball now, too.�

“That’s weird… The training grounds are a place for friendly battles. How did these two nasties get in here? Are they wild?�

As if to answer my question, some little kid came into sight, and he was in a hurry. Fear filled his eyes. He looked at us breathlessly, recalled the Slowpoke and the Metang, and ran off, muttering something about how he needed to make better sleeping powder next time. I blinked, putting things together quickly. A kid put me to sleep? Oh, what next?

Putting Mandragora’s pokéball back on my belt, I began to fasten it around my waist when I noticed that something was wrong. “Wait a minute,� I said, tapping Ryu’s ball. “This one’s empty. Where’s Ryu?�

Elwing turned white. “Well… He ran off.�

“What?�

“He yelled at me and ran off,� she said irritably. “I’m not sure what’s up with him.�

I decided not to ask until I could hear both sides of the story. For now, we had an emergency. A Trapinch was running around somewhere in the midst of a vicious snowstorm. “Your face is starting to frost over,� I said to Elwing. “You shouldn’t be out, especially after a battle like that. Here, take a rest. Don’t worry, we’ll find Ryu.� I was glad when she returned without a fuss. The Dratini looked – I could not find another way to say it – pissed off.

“Is she gone yet?� I heard a voice ask from behind me. Ryu emerged from the snow. I guessed that he hadn’t gone very far.

“Ryu! What happened?�

“Elwing basically told me to go away and stop trying to help her. I was a jerk. I overreacted. Just… leave me alone…� He retreated to his pokéball, downhearted.

Lune, the male Eevee’s POV:

“Hey, I see them!� I yelled. Mike was walking right next to me, but the snowstorm was quite loud.

“Good, Blitz is there too. We don’t have to go back to the cabin, then. Everyone’s here.�

“Mike? Lune?� Karin cast a glance towards the Absol. “She’s all right? Are you guys okay?�

“We’re fine,� Mike answered. “And the Absol’s just sleepy.�

My POV:

“Here.� Mike handed the baby Absol over to me. “That kid stole her from the Dragon Tamers. You might want to find out who she belongs to.�

I received the sleeping bundle and was abruptly reminded that she was heavy as a lead weight. “Thanks, Mike.�

“Well, I’d better get going. Come on, Blitz.�

“Oh? You’re leaving? So soon?� Part of me wished that he would stay. “I guess you’ll be needing this, then.� I began to take off his coat. Bye bye, nice, warm jacket…

“Nah. You can keep that.�

“Oh… Thanks. Well… Goodbye, then.�

“See ya.� He vanished into the snow, with Blitz following close behind. I stared after them until their shadows vanished, too.

“So…� started Lune, in an attempt to break my silence. “Where to next?�

“Out of here. Out of any place that even whispers a hint of cold. We’re going to the Jungle Room. Sunshine, flowers, and oh, sweet warmth!�

“Cool.�

“Please don’t say that word or any word related to it ever again. I want to think warm thoughts.�

Lune snickered, but said nothing.

[Lady Vulpix]

Great conclusion, Karin! Take 7 stamps! I loved the way you put everything together. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢
And thanks a lot for rating my battles! I didn't know what it would feel like to have a battle rated, but it was cool. ^_^ I have 100 stamps now!! As for Gia, yes, she'll end up showing up again. Not right away, but someone like her can't stay away from us forever, can she?

Ade, I'll read chapters 3 and 4 of Rhiannon's story as soon as I can. I've already printed them.

[Edit: I guess some things require an explanation. Only 1 of my pokemon is known to have abnormal genes, and that is Lagi (and maybe Hero, if speed is in the genes). Caledor may or may not have them; how he started out is a mystery, but he was treated in the lab we're now searching for. He was given to me by Scott as a prize for winning the first Griphon Games. The rest of my pokemon have no anomalies, except for Hero who has 7 tails and high speed. Hero's tails are a result of an abnormal evolution, which had already taken place before I adopted him at the Dragon's Guild Adoption Center.]

[Edit 2: thanks for informing me about that game. I didn't know it. I'm sure you know not only that game, but that Andrew too. Hint: he hates Eevees and dislikes everything that resembles a cat.]

[Charizard04621]

Oh! Thanks, Gabi! I hadn't expected that many stamps. ^_^ I made 33 Stamps total for the ice room. O_o

[Edit 2: thanks for informing me about that game. I didn't know it. I'm sure you know not only that game, but that Andrew too. Hint: he hates Eevees and dislikes everything that resembles a cat.]

O_o;; So that's who he is. Lol. He's so random and hates Eevees so much that I avoid him. ^_^ He accuses me of being a little green gnome thingy (what was it? gremlin? kremlin? uh...) and he says I sit on my throne stroking a bald Eevee waiting to take over the world.

[Silver Ledian]

This is my first proper story here at the Battle Range, so I hope it has been done properly. If you want to have a look at my pokémon's info, to see that I'm not cheating or anything, feel free to copy and paste this link to my AC/CC webpage: www.geocities.com/mimo2k4/accc/cherry.html

Well, here goes Hope you like it

-----

[My P.O.V.]

“Excuse me. Could you tell me where to find the pokémon training rooms, please?� I said.

There I stood in front of the reception desk, located on the ground floor of the ‘Pokémon Training Experience Centre’, waiting anxiously to get an answer from the receptionist .

From what I had heard, the place had a very good reputation for successfully teaching beginning and even experienced pokémon trainers the ins-and-outs of pokémon training and battling and that’s exactly the reason why I was there. A month or two prior to this day, you see, I had visited the ‘Dragon Tamers Adoption Center’ and adopted a pokémon to have as my own. The thing is, despite having voluntarily read and learnt about all the different species of pokémon and the basics of pokémon training and battling - along with the other things -I’d never participated in an actual battle. So I thought that to give this a go would be great experience for both my pokémon and myself on the battlefield. Cherry was the only pokémon I owned - I’d none prior to him - and so taking care of and training a pokémon was all pretty new to me. I loved learning first-hand though and so far, we made great friends. Today, however, I wanted to start our battling experience and rather than go and battle wild pokémon at the park, we decided together to visit the Experience Centre.

“Well, you see, it depends which one you have booked to battle in,� replied the sweet receptionist. She was quite young for her age, around twenty six or twenty seven I’d say, but she talked in an experienced manner, without being forceful or dominating.

“You have to book a battle?� I asked, feeling that already all my excitement for the day had been wasted. I hadn’t booked.

“Yes. I’m sorry for the inconvenience but we’ve become very popular recently and so the best way to give everyone an efficient service is to make people book, enabling everyone to have a chance.�

“Oh, uhhh...ok, thanks very much,� and I began to walk away from the desk as quick as I could. The embarrassment was too much.

“Excuse me!� the receptionist shouted back, “Wouldn’t you like to book a battle while you’re here then?� she asked, smiling sweetly. “If you book today then we could set you up in as short as 3 days from today. It doesn’t cost anything at all.�

“Well I’d hoped to battle today but I didn’t know you had to...�

“You’re new to the battling, aren’t you?� she interrupted. “Don’t worry, everyone gets flustered every now and again. I know how you feel. When I first started battling I hadn’t a clue and there weren’t any centres like this one around to help me either. I sort of taught myself but my brother helped me out a lot.�

“Really? That’s cool,� I replied. The receptionist looked around. The floor didn’t seem to be as busy with trainers hustling and bustling today. There were only a handful of people, around ten trainers max, using the computers on the opposite side of the reception room or eating lunch at the little cafe next to the computer suite.

“Then could I book a battle for Saturday?� I enquired, a bit more relaxed. The receptionist, who had somehow made her way from behind her desk to standing opposite me in front of the desk, walked swiftly back behind it and sat down on her chair. I actually laughed at her as she whizzed across the floor on it - since it had wheels. She typed a few things into the computer and then raised her head again,

“I’m not really supposed to do this but...seeing as it’s pretty quiet in here today, I could book you in for a battle at noon, as long as you don‘t tell anyone.� She winked in a friendly way.

“Noon?� I asked puzzled, “Noon as in fifteen-minutes-from-now Noon?�

“Yep,� she smiled, recognising that I was really grateful for the offer.

“Yeah! That would be great thanks!� I didn’t shout at her or anything but I was really overjoyed and the excitement, that had left me just a few moments ago, returned.

“Okay then, I’ll just type it in and...� She hit the ‘Enter’ button. She also took my basic details - my name and address - and typed them in. “There, all done. Just one last thing,� she smiled again, “what room would you like to battle in? There are five available today: The Pond Room, The Jungle Room, The Lava Room, The Blizzard Room and the Desert Room.�

“Ummm...well I only have one pokémon and it’s a water type, so I guess the Pond Room sounds best for that!� I said, feeling quite clever.

“Oops...my mistake. I’m really sorry, I made a mistake. The Pond Room is closed today for repairs...something to do with a Gyarados biting a Golbat, resulting in a major Screech attack...yadda yadda yadda, broken windows or something. I’m really sorry though, I hope I haven‘t disappointed you� she apologised. She seemed to be retracting a bit from her friendly receptionist job and was now coming across as more of a friendly friend..if that makes sense. She was a very nice girl and very pretty. A bit too old for me though, hehe.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, it’s alright. What do you think would be the best place for Cherry to battle then?�

“Cherry?� she asked curiously.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Cherry is the name of my pokémon.� I took Cherry’s pokéball out of my jeans pocket and held it facing the ground. In an short moment it opened, with a bursting white light and Cherry appeared.

“Hya!� it shouted.

“Oh, a Staryu! We don’t get many of those around these parts. I’ve always wanted to battle one!� she said, her eyes paying close attention to Cherry. “Well we have a small stream in the Jungle Room, which is at least a source of water for your little friend there,� she assurred me.

“Hya!� Staryu replied. He was receiving very friendly vibes from the young woman, weren’t we all. I smiled at them both.

“Okay then, I’ll have my battle there,� I confirmed.

“Okay, all you have to do is go to the third floor. There’ll be two training rooms there. You go to the one with the tree symbol over the top of it. The other is the desert room, it’s of a cactus so don’t get them mixed up. When it lights up green, that’s when you can go inside and from there, your battle will begin.�

“Brilliant! I’m really grateful for all of this,� I said, making the receptionist aware of it again. “Thanks for all your help and if things go well today then I’ll be back to make regular use of this place.�

“No problem at all! You caught me on a good day, since we’re not as busy. You were also very lucky, as I was about to go off duty. I’ve to work in another part of the centre soon, so I had better get going also. Good luck with your battle!�

“Thanks,� I said, returning Cherry to his pokéball and as quick as he had come out, he disappeared into his ball again, with one red flicker of light. Cherry’s not really a male, he’s genderless but ever since I’d got him, I’ve referred to ‘it’ as ‘him’, just because of the ‘Hya!’ sound he makes.

The receptionist gave me a little wave and made her way down the corridor that started from behind her desk. She turned a corner and from there, was no where to be seen. I just then realised that it would have been nice if I’d have asked for her name. I hope I didn’t seem too impolite. I reassurred myself, though, that I’d probably be back the following week again, providing I enjoyed the training, and so came to the conclusion that I’d probably see her again. I walked towards the flight of stairs that rose up between the computer suite and the café and assumed that this was the way towards the third floor. I read the sign,

GROUND FLOOR - RECEPTION, COMPUTER SUITE, CAFÉ, TOILETS
FIRST FLOOR - POKÉMART, POKÉMON CENTRE
SECOND FLOOR - TRAINING ROOMS 1 + 2
THIRD FLOOR - TRAINING ROOMS 3 + 4
FOURTH FLOOR - TRAINING ROOM 5
FIFTH FLOOR - POKÉMON CONTESTS (SEE RECEPTION FOR INFO)

I began to make my way up the first flight of stairs and for someone that walked every day, I quickly began to pant. The building must have been quite tall, taller than what it had looked like from the outside. When I reached the first floor, I pokéd my nose through the double doors and then back out again. Joy must have caught a glimpse of me, since she waved. It was pretty quiet in there too, so I’m sure she made the most of seeing another human’s face for a split second. She seemed to be putting some pokéballs into some kind of machine - different from those used at the other centres. I had no time to think though, I had a battle to attend.

I decided to allow Cherry out of his pokéball so that he could stretch his arms and legs for a while. Out he came with the flash of white light.

“So, all ready for this battle?� I said, “It’ll be our very first!�

“Well, all we can do is try our best, and as long as you know your stuff, we’ll be fine,� he replied. “You know I’ll try my hardest for you,� and he made his core blink brightly.

“Yep, I’ve got all your attacks in my head. I don’t really have a strategy or anything but I guess that we can make up some of them when we get used to battling first. For now, all we can do is get used to the general idea of battles. I‘m also hoping to try out the TM I gave you the other day.�

“Hya!� he shouted sharply, “Race ya to the top!� and in a split second, he was hopping up the stairs as fast as I’d ever seen him hop. I quickly chased after him but his little legs were beating me all the way. When he reached the third floor he waited for me and when I got up, his core was blinking rapidly. He wasn’t tired out or anything, it must have just been the excitement and adrenalin rush...or water rush, I wasn’t sure what was inside of him after all.

We spotted the two doors, they were quite a distance away from each other so I imaged each room to be fairly large. There was a drinks machine and two rows of chairs - one for each room - situated along one side of the wall and the doors were on the opposite side. Light streamed through the windows. We sat there patiently for another 10 minutes and I laughed to myself at how Cherry sat on his chair just like a human!

The tree sign lit up. It was time.

“Ready?� I said, the Butterfrees flying around inside my stomach.

“Hya! I’m ready,� replied Cherry, in a stern sort of manner. I think he was trying to hide his nerves.

“Okay then, let’s go,� and I turned the doorknob and opened the door.

My mouth fell wide open and Cherry’s opening, where his water usually came out, tightened up. We looked around the room in awe. In the centre of the room lay the main battlefield, with the same traditional markings of any pokémon battlefield - as I’d seen in one of my books and on T.V. in the past - but many of the chalked lines were covered up partially by the undergrowth of the field. In reality, we couldn’t see where in fact the boundary to it was. Huge rainforest-like trees shot out of the ground at random places and resting silently along the middle of the ground, lay a small stream, trickling only every now and again. The source seemed to be coming from an elevated pile of rocks in one corner of the room. In another corner lay a large bush, with peculiar patterns on it’s leaves...they looked purplish-blue. I decided to keep clear of those and stick to the green vegetation, hehe. I was interrupted by a poke from my pokémon.

“Wow! This looks really tough already.�

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll do great.� I walked over to the stream in the centre of the field, dodging the trees and bent down to dip my finger in the water. I called Cherry over, “Why don’t you jump in and have a splash about before we start the battle,� and in a few moments, my pokémon jumped into the shallow stream. I noticed that another corner of the battlefield had a flight of stairs leading downwards, I guessed that’s where the trainer and his pokémon came out and soon enough, I could hear footsteps. Step by step upwards, more of the body was unveiled, until the trainer reached the top. Cherry jumped back out of the water quickly and turned to me. I was now back at the edge of the field, having brushed some leaves and plants out of my path on the way.

“It’s you!!!� I exclaimed and there she was, the receptionist, all kitted out in a new set of clothes with a pokéball in her hand.

“Hiya!� she shouted excitedly, “Surprise!� I stepped back and tripped over a vine, falling anime style. How embaressing was that. Quickly, I got back up and brushed away some rotting organic thingys, to make space for me to stand.

“Wow! It’s you! Did you know all along that you’d be battling me?� I asked, still surprised.

“Well, sort of,� she said, flicking her shoulder-length brown hair back. It was really curly and bouncy. “I knew that I was working in this training room after my shift at reception was over but my first battle wasn’t until later on today, so I sort of set you up to pick this room so that I myself could get in some training for later on.� I felt tricked but it wasn’t bad, it was in a good way and it was nice to see that she was enthusiastic towards our battle.

“You’re not angry, are you?� she asked in concern this time. I laughed.

“No, not at all,� I replied, “It’s just a big shock to see you here. It didn’t occur to me that you were a trainer here as well.

“Well, originally I wasn’t supposed to be but after a few weeks working in reception, I was hearing that the training room battles were really an experience not to be missed, so I asked the administrators of the building if I could try out to become a leader of the rooms and they said yeah, after seeing me in a trial battle.�

“That’s really cool!� I said, “And now you’re here!�

“Yep, I am indeed. Well, are you ready to start?� she asked energetically.

“Sure am, how about you, Cherry?� Cherry jumped straight back into the water, inhaled a couple of litres of water and shot them back out into the stream right away.

“Hya! All ready!� he said, feeling confident.

“Okay, we’re ready!� and I nodded my head. Cherry flexed his arms and bent his legs.

“Right,� she said, becoming a bit more serious now, “this will be a one-on-one pokémon battle between Eamon’s Staryu and Debbie’s pokémon, with no time limit.� She announced it as if there was a tape recorder taking everything in but I guessed it was just her being professional...and now I’d learnt her name!

“So you name’s Debbie then?� I asked.

“Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot to tell you. I must have been wrapped up in the adrenalin rush of everything!� She was a bit embaressed but quickly recovered from that, “Anyway, let’s go! Pokéball, go!!!� and she threw her pokéball into the very middle of the field. The ball opened and out splashed the white light, immediately taking the form of a pokémon. It condensed into a small white shadow and then disappeared, revealing the pokémon!

“It’s a Surskit!� I shouted at my Staryu.

“A Surskit?� he asked a bit confused, not having seen one before.

“Yes, they’re water/bug pokémon and they’re pretty fast!� I shouted.

“Okay, let’s go!� shouted Debbie abruptly.

[POKEMON BATTLE, THE JUNGLE ROOM]
Eamon’s Male Staryu [Lv. 6]
Vs.
Debbie’s Female Surskit ([Lv. 8]

[Cherry’s P.O.V.]

“Okay Kitty, let’s begin with a Quick Attack!� shouted Debbie from her side of the field, and in an instant, I could see the female Surskit whizzing right at me, skating unbelieveably fast across the shallow stream. I stood there waiting for the counter attack command but just as Eamon shouted for me to counter it with a Tackle, I was hit by the little water-skater. I was certainly thrown back due to the speed of the stick-thin pokémon but I wasn’t hit hard.

“Are you alright?� Eamon shouted at me in concern.

“Hya!� I retorted.

“Good going!� shouted Debbie from afar, “Now, use your Bubble attack Kitty!�

A Bubble attack? I thought to myself. I just waited for Eamon’s command, “Alright Cherry, counter it with a Bubblebeam!� and as quickly as I could, I began to charge up the attack, hoping the TM I‘d been taught would work. The Surskit was approaching me fast again and I’d expect it to only release the bubbles when she picked up speed, so I too began to run at Kitty as fast as I could. Both trainers looked on in anxiousness as the Surskit danced its way quickly towards me over the water top but this time I was the first to react and from a short distance released a huge beam of bubbles straight from my top. I stopped running as the Surskit flew backwards, losing its balance and falling below the water‘s surface.

“Yes!� shouted Eamon but I didn’t look to see what his action was. I tried to keep focused on the match as best I could, “Now slam into it with your Tackle!�

This time I jumped into mid-air and began hovering over the water, accelerating towards the recovering Surskit. Debbie only had a few seconds to think and so commanded her pokémon rapidly, “Kitty get out of the way! Jump out of the water and under those leaves!� and with that, my opponent quickly jumped out and veered straight for the undergrowth. I lost track of her. Eamon didn’t know where she was either. I ceased the attack.

“Do you know where she’s gone Cherr?� Eamon asked anxiously but I didn’t reply. I just tried to keep my focus on looking.

“That’s it Kitty, keep it up. You know the usual drill. Whenever you’re ready,� spoke Debbie, having already planned what to do if at a disadvantage.

“It’s no good hiding,� shouted Eamon, “My Staryu will find you,� and with that I exited the water and began making my way through the undergrowth quickly. Then...I heard a rustle between leaves. I picked up the trace of the noise and saw a little yellow head sticking out of the ground.

“There it is!� screamed Eamon, “Tackle it!� and with that I began charging again at the little yellow-hatted pokémon. It skittered quickly through the leaves, leaving a clear trail behind it and I was quick to follow.

“Faster. Faster!� shouted Debbie, and always meeting it’s trainer’s commands, the little spider continued running around the field. I quickly hovered more and more, zig-zagging all over the field and suddenly, I lost track of her. Then, it started again. The Surskit raced through the undergrowth with me quickly in her tracks, until all of a sudden, she abruptly stopped and jumped fiercely upwards, slamming into me and knocking me against a tree trunk. I tried to shake it off as best I could but before I knew it, another Quick Attack came my way and the little skater tossed me sidewards to the edge of the stream.

“No!� shouted Eamon, “Come on Cherry, keep up the fighting!� but I was hurt from the speed attack.

“I know, try using Harden! That’ll stop it from harming you for a while!� Why didn’t I think of it myself.

“Now, Kitty, use another Quick Attack before it hardens�. The little blue pokémon ran swiftly towards me but not swiftly enough, as I immediately built a silverish shield around myself, deflecting the attacking opponent backwards and into the undergrowth. Despite that, the attack was enough to knock me backwards into the water and so I decided to lie there. It was just deep enough for my whole body to fit in and so I rested there, recharging my batteries by intaking some of the water.

“Okay, Harden doesn’t affect special attacks, so use another Bubble Kitty!� shouted Debbie, now having gotten into the full swing of battle. The little fighter attacked on, with the Bubble attack hitting me straight on but being a water pokémon myself and being in the water also, it had little effect.

“Keep using Harden!� Eamon shouted,� and so I re-glazed my outer shield several times, with an extra layer of hardened material to protect myself each time.

“Stick in there with Bubbles!� repeated Debbie. Bubble attacks continued to come from all directions, the solid formations bursting as they hit the shell of my shield but it was no good, Surskit was only recharging me faster. I know that I hadn’t learnt Recover but I knew that prevention was better than cure and so I protected myself instead of healing myself.

Surskit was now tiring out but the effort it was making to attack was increasing. It jumped onto the water again and started skating quickly, following the orders for another Quick Attack. I perservered but this time, when the attack hit, the shield lost a layer. Eamon thought readily, “Okay Cherry, this is asking a lot but seeing as it’s small enough, I want you to suck up all the water in the stream!!�

From below the water I tried to think of what Eamon’s plan was as fast as possible, still withstanding the attacks from the skittery spider and then it hit me: if I absorbed all the water from the stream then there’d be nothing for Surskit to run across, making it harder for it to attack me! And so, retaining the hardened shield but allowing a small gap for my top opening, I began to intake the water.

I could feel my body filling up more and more until relatively soon, I couldn’t intake anymore. My only option was to get rid of it but if I spat it back out into the water, I would never be able to complete our strategy. “Into the grass! Spit it into the grass!� Eamon shouted and within a few seconds, I had shot all the water onto the grassy area next to me. At this point, Debbie was looking on in confusion as she didn’t know what exactly I was doing. Meanwhile, Kitty was falling and falling lower down towards the water bed as my process of water intake and water release continued. This went on for only another minute or so until I took my last mouthful of water.

I was about to spit it out when Eamon commanded, “No! Not this time! This time, blow that Surskit away with it!� I looked at Eamon, my shield now down, and turned back to Skitty, now trying to balance itself on the uneven and rocky river bed. I aimed myself at the little body and within the blink of an eye, the imprisoned water pumped out of me and towered over and onto the tiny Surskit, slamming it into the water bed forcefully.

“One more Tackle!� Eamon shouted and with that, I smacked into her and knocked her out. We waited a few seconds to see if the red-cheeked bug pokémon attempted to get back up...but it didn’t.

“Yay!� cheered Eamon, “Well done Cherry! We won our first battle!!!� I looked back, my core blinking and bleeping with excitement and I hopped over to Eamon. He took me in his arms and began throwing me up into the air, dancing. I began to feel queezy.

“Please stop,� I said, “You’re making me faint here,� I joked and with that, he put me down again.

Debbie returned her Surskit to her pokéball and made her way across the field to congratulate us. I felt so proud of myself and of Eamon at that moment.

[My P.O.V.]

“Congratulations!� said Debbie, genuinely happy for us, “Looks like you beat me fair and square, and with your speedy water pal too,� she smiled.

“Yeah! Thanks very much. I feel really great now, we both do! Is your Surskit going to be okay though?� I asked.

“Of course, it’s rare that she gets beaten but a defeat every now and again will just make her more determined�. Kitty’s pokéball shook from side to side in Debbie’s hand, in agreement with her master’s comment. We both laughed and opened the door leading out of the room.

“Nice battle, Eamon, I hope you WILL be back next week now.� I nodded my head and returned Cherry to his pokéball, “Of course I will!� and out we walked.

Cherry won the battle!
Cherry grew to Level 7!
Cherry learnt Water Gun!

-----

Well, that's it

PS: Possibly the longest story I've ever written out of my own free will - 8 pages That's a lot for me!

[Lady Vulpix]

Good battle, Eamon! It was very original, though I find it hard to believe that a Staryu can dry out a stream of water, especially in the middle of a battle; and that releasing it on the grass wouldn't cause it to return to its original course. I'll give you 9 stamps. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

By the way, how can anyone be quite young for their age?

[Silver Ledian]

Thanks for the stamps Gabi

I just meant that she looked younger than what she actually was

[Lady Vulpix]

<Iael's POV>

The post-lunch talk went on for quite a long time, even after Lagi had left with Caledor. We kept bumping into trainers, and all of them had something to talk about. I was wondering when the next battles would begin? I wasn't sure whether I was excited or worried at the prospect of battling 3 times within 2 days. In any case, I wanted it in my past rather than in my future. I hoped I wouldn't fail Gabi, she seemed to have great expectations of me and I really wanted to live up to them. I also hoped the next room we were going to would be either the Blizzard or the Lava Room, as I didn't think I could handle having my 3 battles one after the other. But I didn't tell anyone about my worries. They'd think I wasn't up to the task.

Luckily for me, when the encounters finally ceased and Karin hadn't shown up yet, the Lava Room became available and Hero jumped at the chance. Gabi asked me if I was ready too, and I nodded firmly. Maybe too firmly, I don't know.
"Alright, I'll wait for you right here. Take care and do your best, but don't push yourselves too hard, remember it's just a friendly battle. Good luck to you both!"
She spat out the whole stream of words, as if it were a speech she'd been preparing. Maybe she had. I had the feeling I could have answered something, but I just nodded and walked into the room as soon as Amber pushed the door open. She came in with us; Amber, I mean. Hero and I were looking for opponents to battle, but she was looking for something else. Or, rather, someone else. There didn't seem to be any pokemon around, though.

"Where's everyone?," Amber finally asked.
"You know how this works. Sometimes a group of pokemon come in and wait for opponents, and sometimes a trainer does," Hero reminded her. "I guess we arrived in the middle of a switch. Someone's bound to come in soon."
"I wonder if Eliot has come this time around. I was almost sure I'd see him here."
"Eliot?," I asked.
"Old friend of hers," Hero told me. "She's met him a few times right here in this room. She even battled him once, and that's when she decided friendly battles were not her thing. You didn't miss much by not watching that battle. It was shameful. Both pokemon were holding back."
"We have different feelings about battling friends," Amber addressed Hero with a fierce look on her face. "I'd appreciate it if you respected mine."
"Sorry, I didn't think you'd be offended by my telling Iael what happened."
"You called our battle shameful, so yes, I do find it offensive. Caledor and Tsunami may enjoy having word fights with you, but I'm different, as you have pretty much noticed."
"Okay, miss, calm down! I didn't mean to hurt you. Honest."
"I'll take that as an apology," Amber said in the same serious tone.
Hero remained silent, and so did I. It wasn't common to see Amber mad at her friends, so I could only assume Hero had hit a nerve.

Before the tension could wear off, or get worse, a trainer came in. He had black, semi-spiky hair with red streaks on the front, and was wearing torn blue jeans with a matching jacket. His skin was light-brownish, like a cup of coffee with milk, and he wore a collar of what looked like fangs, but I was sure they were fake. He was an unusual sight, but I'd already learnt each trainer had pretty much their own style, so I didn't get caught in thoughts about the looks of this one. He looked around for a while, then looked down to Hero and me.

"Have you come to battle here?," he asked.
Hero and I nodded, unsure of whether he would understand anything we said.
"Where's your trainer?"
"Out there," Hero pointed to the door with his head. "She couldn't stand the heat."
"Huh?"
That vague reply didn't let us know whether he could understand us or not.
"Well, I guess I can let my pokemon out," the human decided. "They'll know what to do. Let me check which ones are best for you two..."
He took one of those electronic devices trainers normally use. I wasn't sure if it was a pokedex, pokegear or one of the more modern variants, but it seemed to give him enough information to make his choice.
"Alright, that's it," he said to himself, putting his gizmo back in his pocket and walking several steps back. He then took a pokeball in each of his hands. Two red beams of light came out of the spheres, and soon two pokemon took shape in front of us: a Blaziken and a Camerupt.
"Guys, could you please find out what's going on?," the trainer asked the two. "Then you can battle or wait, or tell these two where to go. I'll help you if it's time to battle."
The two strange pokemon nodded in agreement, and then directed their looks at us. Up to then my mind had been busy trying to find a way to explain the situation, but now that I was facing these two pokemon, I wasn't too sure about wanting to battle either of them. They belonged to two of the kinds of pokemon that had arrived to Ulthuan barely a year ago, and I'd never had a proper encounter with them before; all that was clear was that they looked very strong. I'd heard Camerupt was Fire/Ground type, and Blaziken was Fire/Fighting type, and they were both fully evolved pokemon. That was about as much as I knew about them. Which meant I'd have to improvise a lot. I looked at Hero; he seemed quite excited.

"Hello, we're here to battle," my friend spoke. "Our trainer has signed us up to battle at the Training Grounds, but this room makes her really sick, so we've come on our own. Only me and my Stantler friend are battling, the Charizard will just watch."
"That's right," Amber nodded.
The Blaziken and Camerupt directed puzzled looks at each other. Then the Blaziken shrugged.
"I haven't seen anything like this before," he said, "but I guess it's ok. If you want to battle without your trainer, it's your choice. But we won't hold back and wait until you think of what move to use next."
"Good for you, because I'm not going to wait for you either," Hero retorted. I could see how funny he found the idea of having someone wait for him.
"I see you're brave," said the Camerupt in a voice as deep as a cavern. "I'll be your opponent. What's your name?"
"Hero. I've been using that name ever since I battled at the Domain of the Sleeping Dragon?"
"The what?"
"A training room, like this one but even hotter."
"Oh. My name is Vesuvius. For... obvious reasons. My friend is Bruce."
"Nice to meet you," Hero and Bruce said to each other.
"Who's your silent friend?," asked Bruce.
"Oh... me?," I reacted. "Sorry, I'm Iael. I just didn't want to interrupt."
"It's ok," Bruce said. "I must warn you I'm a tough opponent, Iael. And I have a type advantage against you. So does my friend against yours. If you have any doubts regarding this battle, you're still in time to quite."
"Never."
My voice was firm now, all my doubts finally washed away. I'd given Bruce a wrong impression of me. He thought I was weak. No matter how our battle turned out, I'd make sure he didn't think that way once we were done.
"Ok, then. Let's go first before that fire wears off," the Blaziken suggested. Then he turned to his trainer to tell him we were going to battle, and barely a second later he was facing me once more. I hadn't expected him to act so fast. I'd have to be really good at improvising this time.

Level 37 Stantler vs. Level 45 Blaziken

I felt a slash on my side before I could even begin to move. This was getting ridiculous. The battle had just started and, if it went on like that, I'd be lost in no time. I stopped thinking and used my mindpower to push my opponent away instead. It was not bad for my standard as far as Psychic attacks go. Living with Caledor, Ventura, and even Gabi and Lagi, my psychic powers weren't normally worth mentioning. They were too raw. But they were good enough to send a Blaziken crashing against a rock. I heard Bruce's trainer shout out a command: Blazing Kick, though I'd never heard of that move before. I could imagine what it was like by its name, and it didn't sound like something I'd like to get a taste of. I had to do something, but what? I knew Bruce would recover quickly, so I tried to run away in order to gain some time. I didn't have much room to run, so I had to jump from one rock platform to another while trying to think of what to do next. I couldn't send another Psychic blow now, Bruce would be ready for it. I still had two other moves that were good against fighting types, but...

He caught up with me before I could think of how to pull out my next move. His legs were definitely better than mine for running and jumping, even if I had four and he had only two. I felt one of them burning on my back. I rolled over the rock floor in time for my skin not to catch fire, but the damage I'd receive was beyond anything I could have expected - and in just one blow! There wasn't much more I could do; one more hit and I wouldn't tell the tale. So I tried the trick my kind would resort to when everything else failed. I began to shake, as if in fear... Only that the shaking of most of my body was just a farse, only the movement of my antlers actually mattered.

"Bruce, finnish it off with a Rock Smash!," the trainer commanded. His pokemon took a look at me before attacking.
"Are you scared, little friend?," Bruce said to me. "Don't worry, this will be over soon. I promise I won't hurt you more than I have to in order to win this battle."
At first I didn't know if my plan would work, but I was lucky. Bruce was directing all of his attention to me, and thus took a full dose of my hypnotic powder. He froze in his place before he could deal the next blow, so I took the chance instead. I gave him another blast of Psychic and, as soon as he hit the ground, I lifted him up with my Flying type Hidden Power. I was ready to continue, but it turned out that had been just enough.

"Iael wins!," announced Vesuvius in his cavernous voice.

I grew to level 39!

"Congratulations! You're quite a surprise," the Camerupt commended me. "I thought he had you there before you put him to sleep. That will teach Bruce not to take an opponent for granted just because his type is weak against his own. I can see you have that issue covered."
"Thanks," I replied.
"Oh, that's nothing. He didn't even use Earthquake," Hero added. "Of course that would have been too dangerous in a place like this. Could have caused an eruption or something."
"Oh, this isn't a real volcano," Vesuvius informed us. "The lava's artificial. They have some tremendous heat generators around here, but the ground below us is solid. It's a controlled environment."
"Oh, that's good to know. I should have figured it, though. Whoever made this place wouldn't want us to risk our lives. So... is it time for our battle now, or shall we wait until your friend comes back from Dreamland?"
"Can we wait, if you don't mind? Bruce and I like watching each other's battles."
"Is it ok if I go out?," I asked everyone. "I may have to battle again today, and I will need a potion or something. And a break."
"Go ahead," Hero accepted. "One more pokemon to describe my epic battle to."
"Epic?," Vesuvius raised an eyebrow.
"My battle, whatever. I like to boast, ok? But don't make the mistake of thinking that makes me overconfident."
"And why are you warning me?"
"Because I want you to do your best, just as I will. That's what makes battles interesting."
"You're strange."
"You took longer to tell me that than most of the opponents I've faced. And most of the pokemon I've met, actually. I'm surprised you haven't asked any questions about my appearance yet."
"Would you want me to?"
"Nah. It's better this way."

I let the two keep on talking as I walked out of the room and back to most of my friends, still thinking of my battle. It had been close, but things had turned out quite well! When I told the others, they all congratulated me. Gabi hugged me until I had to tell her I was still too hot from the Lava Room to hold physical contact for so long. Ventura then took me to the pokemon center inside the complex, explaining the situation to the local nurse in psychic flashes and telling me everyone would be back for me after Hero's battle. I'd have rather have someone to talk to, but it was ok. I'd see them all soon, and I needed some rest before my next battle anyway.

<Hero's POV>

It took a while before Bruce was back on his feet. He started asking where Iael was, and his friend had to tell him he'd won the battle and left to recover.
"But how...? Didn't I hit him with my Rock Smash?"
Vesuvius shook his head.
"He used Hypnosis. Stantlers can be quite tricky, you should have taken that into account."
I thought Bruce's face looked redder than before, if that was even possible.
"He could have stayed," was all he managed to say.
"He has another battle scheduled for today," I told him. "But if it helps, he looked quite impressed by your power and your speed."
"Oh... Yes, I was the fastest one in my family," Bruce said, taking his hand to his head before standing up.
"You too?," I smiled. Then I turned back to Vesuvius. "I guess we can battle now, right?"
"Right," he accepted. "Let's see how many of your words you can back up."

Level 68 Ninetales vs. Level 70 Camerupt

From what I had seen so far, Vesuvius was a nice pokemon. Centered, not quick to judge others... He seemed like someone who would have been nice to have around, even if I couldn't picture him taking part in a comeback fight any time soon, let alone a pillow fight. He was just too serious for that. Now it was time to see how he performed in battle. By asking me why I was warning him, he'd made it clear he didn't want me to give him an advantage. I respected that, since I would have done the same. So, no more warnings, and no keeping any of my best tricks to myself.

I started the battle with a Double Team. That can always help if you can think of good ways to pull it out. Running around your opponent and creating holograms of you is a good way to start, but you have to do something else if you want the move to be effective. Like, for example, I had my copies move in different ways in order to distract my opponent's attention. With years of practiced I'd managed to get up to 3 sets of copies to perform different actions at the same time. Moreover, if the action was Quick Attack, they could launch themselves in 8 up to different directions. If I had 8 or more holograms, that is. Sometimes an attack came by before I could create them all, but I was considerably faster than Vesuvius, plus he had to wait for his trainer's command, so I had the time to create 11 copies of myself before he could attack me. But, as soon as the human commanded Vesuvius to start off with "the trap for elusive fire types", the attack did come, and not exactly from the Camerupt's direction. It came from all directions: small rocks and blocks of earth pulling away from the ground and walls and hitting me and all my images at the same time. From the sides and from above. It was a move I didn't see everyday, but I knew about it. I knew enough to determine that a) it was bad for me, b) it could be even worse and c) using Dig was now out of the question.

"Keep it up," the trainer instructed the Camerupt. I continued running, trying to keep as many images coherent as possible. Now that I knew what my opponent could do, any chance of getting him to miss was precious. But Vesuvius was a fire type too, and his moves could do about as much damage to him as they could do to me. I came up with a plan.

"Are you just going to keep running?," Vesuvius asked. "Or are you up to something? If it's the latter, let's not give you the chance to pull it out."
More rubble came in my direction. Or, rather, in the direction I'd been a moment earlier. I was now standing safely behind my opponent. I had teleported, leaving a hologram running in my place. When Vesuvius saw his projectiles phase through his target, he turned around. I was waiting for him, with a Confuse Ray charged up. I fired as soon as he fixed his eyes on me. "It's not Hypnosis, but it might be even better," I said to myself.
No sooner said than done, the next wave of earthly projectiles landed right on the Camerupt's head. I took my chance to create even more copies. It was the best thing I could do, since I had no moves that were good against a Camerupt yet. Luck was on my side and Vesuvius hit himself once more, but after the last impact his look changed and I knew he wasn't under the influence of my Confuse Ray anymore. And I doubted I'd be able to teleport again without his noticing. But I wasn't lost, not yet. I still had a few tricks left.

I gathered all of my clones around Vesuvius to obscure his vision, having them jump from side to side, away from him or towards me. I moved as if I were one of them and, when I noticed he wasn't looking at me, I Quick-Attacked out of his reach, landing right behind the rock where Iael's first Psychic attack had sent Bruce crashing. I hid behind it and watched as Vesuvius tried to figure out which of the Ninetales around him was me. In the end, he got tired and shot another Magnitude at them, even if some blocks fell too close to him. I watched everything carefully, not missing a detail.

Vesuvius turned around upon noticing all of his targets were fake, but this time he didn't find me behind him either.
"Where are you?!," he roared, almost making the floor shake with his deep and loud voice.
He turned to his trainer, who shrugged as a reply. They both kept looking around.
"He must be hiding behind one of the large rocks," the human finally deduced.
The camel stomped on the ground, more blocks coming out and shooting themselves towards the nearest rock, but that wasn't the right one. Now I could have teleported behind that one, as he was unlikely to hit it twice in a row, but then the battle could have lasted forever. And it would have felt dirty, anyway. So I decided to come out and give the Camerupt a taste of his own medicine.
"Look, this is how it's done," I told him, repeating the same sequence of moves Vesuvius had been using again and again.
The rubble hit my opponent just like it had hit me the first time. The impact wasn't that great, but thanks to my collar it was good enough. With a bit of luck, one more hit would be all I needed.
"You know Magnitude?," Vesuvius asked, stunned. "I didn't think a Ninetales could learn that move."
"We can... In indirect ways," I replied mysteriously.
"This is taking too long," the trainer said. "How about taking a big chance?"

A big chance... I didn't like the sound of it. Was he going to use a move I'd never seen, just like his friend Bruce had? Was he about to use some Ground type version of Hyper Beam?... No, when the human had said 'chance', he'd meant exactly that. They were taking a chance, as I confirmed when the Camerupt showed me his heaviest stomp ever... opening a crack on the ground. The crack expanded itself, evading the few remaining clones and coming my way... But it was too slow for me. I didn't even have to use Quick Attack to jump over to the next platform, protected by the same lava that was now making its way through the openings.
"I thought you said the ground was stable," I claimed.
"Stable enough for an Earthquake, anyway. Fissure's another thing," Vesuvius replied, not looking surprised at his failure.
"Yeah, speaking of that... Don't you know better than to use that here? And against me, on top of it? You should have known I'd have no trouble dodging and you'd just give the maintenance guys a lot of work to do."
"I know, but he thought it would be a good idea," he replied, gesturing to his trainer with his head.
"You can have ideas of your own, you know," I told him. "Trainers can help you, but they don't have the view of battles you can only get from the inside. And you strike me as being experienced enough not to need that much advice."
"I haven't tried battling any other way," he admitted. "I guess my moves have always been good enough to make up for a miss or two during a battle. But I'll think about it."
"Good. Shall we continue our battle now?"
"Go ahead."

And ahead I went. A part of me wanted to know what attack Vesuvius could come up with when choosing on his own, but another part reminded me that whatever that move was, I wasn't bound to endure it. So I decided to let him try a new battling style some other time, and hitting him with another Magnitude this time. The trainer's seemingly random comment as he checked his poke-whatever and said "that got a 7 in the Magnitude scale" didn't tell me much, but the sound of Vesuvius's heavy bulk hitting the remnants of the platform he's been standing on definitely did.

I grew to level 70! I earned a free TM and, after this long battle, I made up my mind to ask Gabi to get me Toxic!

"Now this is weird," the trainer said, calling Vesuvius back into his pokeball and looking at the sphere with puzzled eyes. How funny, because I was having the same thought about him.
"Is he really the one who trained you?," I asked Bruce.
"Yes, but I guess he got nervous. It's the first time he's had to battle two pokemon without a trainer. He didn't know what to expect."
"And I did. You really should consider a change in your strategy, Vesuvius isn't too fast, but he's strong enough to defeat two of me."
"Maybe. But twelve of you?," the Blaziken joked.
I laughed when I realized what he was referring to.
"By the way, how did you learn to use Magnitude?," he asked me.
"I didn't. I just copied your friends move by using Mimic."
"Mimic? Interesting, I'd never heard of that move."
"We're even. I'd never heard of Blazing Kick either. You should go to the pokemon center in Selenia, they always have some Mimic TMs in stock. It's quite a good move if you can buy yourself the time to use it."
"Since you're giving so much advice today, I'll give you some too. Stop talking as if you knew everything and everyone else knew nothing. It's irritating and it can earn you some enemies."
"I wasn't talking like that."
"You should hear yourself when you talk. Of course I can tell you don't mean it. After all you didn't make fun of us for losing. But you do brag a little too much."
"Really? I thought I was holding myself. I didn't say a word about how I won the first Griffon Games and the first Eevee House race... Err... Sorry."
Bruce laughed.
"What's going on?," asked his trainer.
"Nothing, the battle is over," Bruce replied. "I guess we'll meet some other time, or maybe not, in any case it was nice to meet you."
"Same here," I told him, understanding it was time to go back to my group.
Amber waved goodbye to Bruce. Only then I noticed her again. She had been silent throughout the two battles.
"I'm sorry you didn't find your friend," I told her as we both made for the door.
"It's ok," she replied. "That's the way with everyone around here. We never know when we're going to bump into each other, nor when we're not. I may end up finding him when I least expect it. I'm not even sure if he remembers me, anyway. We've only met a couple of times and he's probably faced hundreds of pokemon, being trained by a mercenary."
"Believe me, you're hard to forget. Wait a minute... Have you tried looking for him at Caledor's Nature Protection Agency? He might be there. That's where mercenary trainers usually take their fire pokemon to battle."
"You're right, I hadn't thought about it. I may go there someday. Not to battle, though. Just to talk."
"I'm glad I could help."

The conversation didn't last any longer, as we'd got to the spot where everyone was waiting for us.
"Another victory for our team," I announced, and everyone cheered.
"That's great! Would you like to go to Glacier Peak now?," Gabi offered. I considered it for a moment.
"No, thanks," I finally decided. "I'd rather wait until Caledor's excitement has worn of. I wouldn't like to become another target for his random attacks. Besides, I'd like to watch Iael's next two battles. He's done quite well and I'm intrigued about how much he's really capable of. Oh, and you owe me a Toxic TM."
"What?"
"Dragon Tamers rules. I've earned a free TM, and I've chosen that one."
"Oh, sure. I'll get you one at the pokemon center as we check out Iael. Let's go there now, I think there's still time for one more room today."

[EngiMatikul]

Eer... I'm busy... with Ragnarok right now ^-^;;;;;;;;;;;; So I would like an extension for all those scenarios.

[Lady Vulpix]

Alright, you can have it. Though the scenario won't be changing yet.

One thing about my battles: the story was not so elaborate this time, nor will it be next time because I have too little time to write, but I have some ideas for the future. I even have some for my 4th room, which will be the Blizzard Room (so far I've covered the Pond and Lava rooms), I just hope I don't mess it up making it impossible to understand.

Ade, if you're reading this... It would be nice to continue our old story one of these days. while picking up old loose ends I've remembered something that may fit into it quite well.