Pokébook: Kanto

Max Martin:

Max had never seen Sam get so angry before, though anger was something Sam attributed constantly. In any case, being alone was not something Max found to take quite a liking towards, especially when guarding the egg in his hands.

He wasn’t quite sure why he had protected it so vigilantly. Maybe because it was small and weak. Maybe because it had no one else. All these things were at a probability but none really masked the problem at hand. He had chosen the egg over his brother and now he would have to pay the price for such a mistake. Being alone.

Fortunately for him, finding his way around hadn’t seemed all that hard a task. Though he had no idea which city his mother resided in, let alone the house, the streets were well-marked and the people seemed friendly enough when he asked questions. All in all, it hadn’t seemed like such a horrible thing.

As he continued on, following different streets and wondering where everything was located, he turned his eyes back towards the egg, lip protruding childishly. “I hope you’ll hatch soon.”

Ironically enough, mere moments later the shell began to crack. In a flurry of panic and excitement, Max searched for a bench, hoping that he wasn’t missing the big show. Of course, it just so happened that the ‘big show’ was merely a head breaking through the egg shell as well as his little arms and legs. A Togepi, or so his Pokedex told him.

“Well, looks like we’re stuck together, huh?” Max asked him, squeezing the little guy’s cheek affectionately. Togepi warmed instantly, his little eyes crinkling and his mouth wide with happiness.

“Tobi,” Max said, smiling back. “I think I’ll call you Tobi.”

This little incident only made it more apparent that night would be falling soon enough and he had not secured a place for them to stay. Having spent little time on his own, he hadn’t expected himself to even realise these things before it was ultimately too late. It was sheer luck he thought of it at all.

“Let’s go, Tobi.”

__ __ __ __

Rocket Andy

Andy squinted, his hands cupped around his eyes like a pair of binoculars. With a grin, he twisted his hands as if focusing the image, zooming in on a tiny Pokemon in a tiny trainer’s tiny arms. “Oh, Mandy--you must see this!”

Mandy sat back against a tree, her uniform singed, hair singed, everything singed from their fiery encounter earlier with that Charmeleon. “What could possibly be more important than ignoring my third-degree burns, Andrew?”

“A rare Pokemon of the scrambled variety,” he cackled, looking over his shoulder. “And where there’s one rare Pokemon, there’s bound to be more!”

Mandy opened one eye, scrambling to the bushes quicker than Andy could see. She grabbed the nonexistent binoculars from Andy and peered at the boy walking down the street with his little precious Pokemon. “Oooh, such a cute little treasure to be had...”

“A nest egg the boss will be sure to pay top dollar for!”

“Then let’s get nefarious, Andrew.”

“To the shadows!”

They lunged into the bushes, picking them up and walking across the road into a dark alleyway.

__ __ __ __

Max | Pokemon Center

The Pokemon Centre wasn’t all too far from where Tobi had hatched, giving them just enough time to get there. He felt a wave of relief, passing through the doors, reaching for the holster in which the other two lay dormant in their Pokeballs.

“Would you like me to take those?”

Max looked up quickly, eyes wide as he caught sight of the lovely Nurse Joy, who had hers hands held out, waiting expectantly.

“Yes, of course!” Max handed her the two already filled Pokeballs, then reached for the empty one hesitantly. “I suppose this would be the time to put you to rest, huh Tobi?”

The little Togepi - who had been nestled in his arms up till that point - stirred for a few short seconds, looked up with sleep-filled eyes, then nodded before letting out a soft, silent yawn. It was enough to make Max smile, in which he did.

“Get some sleep,” he murmured before opening the Pokeball which Tobi was instantly sucked into.

After handing her the now filled Pokeball, Max searched for a comfy place to sit. He didn’t want to go to sleep without having his Pokemon safe in their holster once more. Of course, if he had to wait for hours, he would. He just didn’t feel all that... happy about handing them off tonight.

After having received some food and drink from Nurse Joy, Max took a seat at an empty table, nibbling at the contents in which were not the tastiest but filling nonetheless. It was better than no food. So he sat, sipping at the bottled water, wondering how much longer it would be till his Pokemon were ready for pick up.

He watched with curious eyes as people walked in and out of the building, in all different shapes and sizes; age variations as well, such as the two who had walked in, dressed in what appeared to be maintenance clothing. The one had stumbled over his own feet which lead the other to a quick bout of emotion, almost instantly stomped out by a nervous, almost unrealistically plastic smile in which she stretched across her features.

And it wasn’t just them, either. A group of kids followed shortly after all of who seemed rather close. In the front was a taller, lithe boy, who looked to be the same age as Sam, followed by another boy with a weaker demeanour, if anything, and two girls of rather contrasting looks. They huddled inside the doorway for a few minutes, probably waiting for a good time to rest their own Pokemon. Of course, in his previous enthrallment with the later of the people to show up, he hadn’t paid all that much attention to where the maintenance workers had gone and why they didn’t appear to be in sight any longer.

The leader of the group seemed to be talking, and they were all listening from what Max could tell. As Max watched him with exuberant eyes, he appeared to finish his train of thought, pause, then he looked in the direction of Max’s table. In that instant, the younger twin turned his eyes towards Nurse Joy, in hopes that he hadn’t be caught staring.

The woman was smiling sweetly, the two maintenance workers exiting the backroom with those same plastic smiles and sickeningly sweet exteriors. It was all too much to seem quite normal.

They passed Nurse Joy, turned towards the door, and appeared to be making quite the exit as they zoomed across the linoleum with rather inadequate intentions marking what Max had feared. Something was definitely wrong.

“I’d like my Pokemon,” one man had said. He was in line, waiting as far as Max could tell, and Nurse Joy seemed quite obliging as she smiled, nodded her head, then turned into the backroom. She emerged almost instantly, the sweet expression completely obliterated, now left with frightfully wide eyes and a down-turned mouth that gaped.

“They took them!” she said, pointing towards where the two maintenance people had gone. They were now exiting the front doors after having struggled quite a bit to pass the looming force of the group that waited there. “They took the Pokemon from the back!”

The two bolted, running full-speed towards wherever they had planned to go. Max, who had been holding his breath, felt the knot in his stomach only further to grow in realization. Tobi was with them.

He got up, running towards the door as the few other people in the Poke Center scurried around feebly, voices filled with worry and confusion. Max, of course, didn’t want to hear any of it. He was going to get Tobi back. He needed to.

As he reached for the door, tears blurring his vision, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder roughly pulling him back a few inches. “Hang on!”

Max turned, lips quivering as he looked at the person who had stopped him. The person he had been staring at for a great portion of time before the incident had occurred. The leader in the red clothing. “I’ve got to go -.”

“Don’t worry,” he said carefully. He had a look of concern, but not just for Max. His friends were already muttering amongst themselves, one of them clicking frantically the buttons on his pokedex. “We’ll get them back.”

“I need to save Tobi,” Max mumbled, pulling away from the hand that had quite a tight grasp on his shoulder. “I have to save Nelly, and Chika. Let me go!”

“And you expect to save them without Pokemon?”

Max didn’t listen. He didn’t care. He just wanted to save his friends, and this person was holding him back from doing that. He had the sudden urge to fight the kid off. To push him away.

“We’re going to help,” the boy said, giving him a small smile. This was enough to break through Max’s frantic reverie. “We might as well play it smart and stick together.”

He gulped back the lump in his throat, eyes wide. “You’ll help me?”

~~

David | Vermilion

“Stop, thieves!” David huffed as they all ran, Charmeleon leading the pack, after Team Rocket’s ridiculous duo. He was getting winded, and fast. David definitely wasn’t made for cross-country running. Charmeleon didn’t seem the least bit fazed, though, and charged ahead even quicker, sucking the light from his tail ahead with him.

“Oh yeah, David,” Eve panted, “like they’re just going to give back Pokemon because you asked.”

Art took out his bag, holding it awkwardly as he ran and dug through it. “I have an idea,” he said, “but it’d be ideal if we could place ourselves in an opportune position ahead of them!”

“Vhat,” Katya scoffed, “you think we can just teleport ahead of them?” Art, Eve, and David stopped running. Katya and the boy from the Pokemon center staggered on a few more leaps before stopping. Katya looked back over her shoulder, sheepishly. “Right,” she said, scratching the back of her neck, “I forgot.”


__ __ __ __

Jason | Regal Forest

“I’m tellin’ ya,” Sam said, pointing down the path to the right of a fork in the road, “I’ve seen this place, like, online before.” He nodded to the others, grinning. “There’s no way we can get lost with me in charge!”

“And who put you in charge?” Jason asked, taking a step towards the left path. “Besides, look at the difference between paths--your way is dark, scary, and overgrown. The path to the left is basically a walk down main street.”

“And that’s the trap of the matter!” Sam held a finger up, nodding with his eyes closed as if these things were common knowledge. “Everyone knows that the path less traveled is the path everyone travels.”

The others had no words. Jason thought on it for a minute before shrugging. “I guess he has a point.”

“Exactly,” Sam said, pointing back at the gnarled vines and underbrush of the right path. “So to Georgia Regal’s Den we go!”

Sinclair sneered. “I have an awfully familiar Bad Feeling about this,” he said to Kristine. “Do you really think it’s wise to take directions from a boy who came all the way from the Johto Region only to find himself stranded on an island?”

Kristine made a face, red hair blowing behind her. “Iunno,” she murmured, “but I’m sure there are plenty of ways out of the forest. It is a trainer attraction, after all.”

“Yeah,” said Hayden as he walked by, carting Ophelia in his arms, “bug trainers.”

Kristine cringed, warranting a glance from Lumichu. “I still don’t like the thought of all these bug pokemon.” She shook her head. “In fact, I will march myself right out of the forest if I so happen to catch the passing glimpse of a bug any bigger than a Caterpie.”

“Then just wait and see what I’ve got in store for ya, Sunshine!” Sam hollered down the trail, his voice muffled by the shuffling of shrubberies.

Kristine narrowed her eyes with a sigh as she walked on with Sin. “I have a feeling that he’ll wake up one morning eye-deep in Muk muck.”

“I suppose there are worse things to awake to,” Sin murmured, dodging a low branch. “I remember my father once waking to my mother’s screams after she discovered that he’d broken her fertility vase from the Undabelly tribe in Africa.” He shook his head, sighing. “He was never the same man again.”

__ __ __ __

David | Vermilion

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Ready.”

“Ready?”

“I said ready!”

“Ready for what?”

“I don’t know, ask Art.”

“I can’t even see Art.”

“You don’t speak with your eyes.”

“You do when you’re romantic.”

“Can we please just get my Pokemon back?”

David sighed, leaning against what he assumed to be a wall and sliding down to what he assumed to be the floor of what he assumed to be a room. Kadabra had used Foresight to find out where Team Rocket was heading...and then teleported them there. Sure, it felt a little like cheating in a video game to David, but Katya liked cheating, and that kid--he’d said his name was Max--just wanted his Pokemon back. And really, who wouldn’t use a cheat code for that?

“Okay, Lex. Are you ready for Interception Plan 7-B?”

“Bzzztkikik!”

Oh, and there was the faint sound of running water. It didn’t smell that great, but David wasn’t about to complain. He’d been trudging through the sewers for hours just earlier that day, after all.

Noises came from further down what David assumed to be a corridor. Voices.

“How much further down did you park the sub, Andrew?”

“I could’ve sworn it’s just around this bend here, Mandy.” The man cackled and sloshed through water. It occurred to David that they were prooooobably in a sewer. And he suddenly felt disgusting for being on the floor.

“Shh,” Art whispered, pulling something from his bag.

“Bzzt.”

“Shh!” Art repeated, “They’ll hear you, Lex.”

“Do you feel something tingling, Mandy? Ooh!”

“BZZZZZT!”

“...Lex?”

“Bzzt?”

“Oh no.”

“Oomph!” It was the woman, who yelled out as she banged into something heavy and metal. There was a loud hum and clanking before a splash.

“MAG.”

“M-Mandy?”

“...y-yes, Andrew?”

“Please tell me that was your impression of a very large metal Pokemon and not a very large metal Pokemon threatening us.”

Art’s Pokedex began beeping. New Data Entry: Registered.

“New data entry?” David got up off the floor, pulling on the shoulder of the new kid, who hunched over under David’s weight.

Art pulled out his Pokedex, giving up on their distinct cover, and checked it.

“Dear Newton’s Beard,” he said, expression glum. “Guys, that thing is a very enlarged, quite powerful evolution of Lex.”

“What is it already?”

“M-Mandy!”

“MAGNETON!” There was a flash of blue light down the tunnel--David could see as plainly as day--before a blast of static filled the tunnels with a roll of thunder.

Magneton
Species: Magnet Pokemon
Type: Szzzteel and Electricicicic and Groundzzt Poisonzzzt and Poisonzzzzeviperzzz--

Energía fantasma es un misterio

Art closed his Pokedex and scowled. “That magnetic behemoth is mangling with my machines! Now it’s personal.”

“That thing might hurt Max’s Pokemon,” Eve murmured, shaking her head. The light from Magneton’s attack still illuminated the tunnel. “We have to deal with it to rescue them.”

David nodded and took out a Pokeball. “Well, it’s part steel, so Vash should be able to hold him off until we can get the Pokemon back.”

“BZZZZT.”

Lex began drifting down the tunnel, wiggling and spinning in attempts to move out of some invisible pull. “Lex?”

“Bzzt!”

“MAGNETON.”

The metallic monster rounded the corner, three eyes blinking together angrily. David gulped and released Vash onto the floor. “Charmeleon! I choose you!”

“TON!” Magneton shot off sparks into the water, charging it with blue static. Charmeleon took a stance and opened his mouth, letting rolls of flame lap out into Magneton’s face.

“Guys, go find Max’s Pokemon--” David nodded to Art, who looked at the others.

“David and I will handle Magneton. Lex! Drain Magneton’s power with Charge!”

Nick | ????

Awake, dear heart, awake. Thou hast slept well.

As soon as Nick opened his eyes he realised he was dead.

The pain had ended. The water had retreated. And now he lay on a firm mattress, covered in white sheets, feeling better than he had in a long time. It was just a pity he was dead.

He looked around. It seemed like he was in some sort of log cabin -- four wooden walls and a roof. The windows looked out towards a forest on one side and the ocean on another. The only other furniture, apart from the bed, was a cupboard, a small stove and a writing desk. The stove was lit and cast a homely light across the room.

“Where am I?” he asked. There weren’t any Chanseys about -- someone had told him once that Heaven was full of Chanseys and that every night the skies were filled by their songs. But if there were no Chanseys, perhaps he was in the other place...

Tears sprang, hot and stinging, to his eyes. He was frightened and alone and there was no-one there to comfort him.

“David...” he said, wiping his eyes on the pure white sheets. “David I’m... so scared.”

It was then that the door swung open and a man stepped in.

“My my,” said the stranger. “You wake at the strangest of hours, my friend. Tell me -- has it worked this time?”

Nick shivered at the breeze blowing through the open door. “Who are you?” he asked. “Where am I?”

“It would seem not,” the man sighed and closed the door. He appeared to be wearing large white gloves. “Who is this David? You speak of him often.”

“David’s my... I’ve... He’s my...” Nick felt his breathing get faster. His heartbeat thudded in his ears and an uncontrollable shaking began, starting at his hands before spreading throughout his body. He looked up at the stranger. “Why can’t I remember that?”

“This world is full of mysteries.”

“But I know him -- or I used to -- I think. What’s happening to me?”

The stranger simply stared at him. “I am not bound to please thee with my answer.”

“Just tell me,” Nick pleaded. “Am I dead?”

“Not dead,” said the stranger, “but not yet living. Tell me, dear child -- by what name do you call yourself?”

Nick closed his eyes and thought. It was close, he knew it. He had a name just like everybody else. It was on the tip of his tongue. So close, yet...

“I don’t know,” he admitted, shoulders dropping. “I don’t know.”

The stranger sat down on the end of the bed and gestured for Nick to lie down. He too had no words for a moment. They just sat in silence and listened to the sun go down.

“The strangest thing,” the stranger said, “is that we have had this conversation three times now.” He sighed, studying his strange pointed shoes. “My own abilities may not be enough to mend your broken mind. But I shall try once more.”

He leaned over to Nick and placed his gloved hand on the boy’s forehead. The cabin glowed for a moment with a gentle light and two red rings circled Nick’s head. Then, as soon as it had appeared, the light faded.

“May this calm the tempest of your mind.”

Nick felt his heart slowing and his breathing settle. His body felt impossibly cool, utterly relaxed, and as his eyes slid shut he knew he was falling into a dreamless sleep.

The stranger, once he was sure the boy was asleep, sat down at the desk. He took a pen and paper from the drawer and, by the light of the stove, licked his lips and began to write.

(Deleted.)

Sam | Regal Forest

Sam was moderately content with the group he had found for himself. They all seemed like decent people, Jason a little rough around the edges, but decent. He hadn’t felt this light-hearted since him and Max’s debacle.

Walking through the forest, Sam casually looked at the trees around him. It all seemed to be getting gloomier and gloomier, the path more overgrown. To be honest, it all looked the same to him. The moss always grew on the... northern side of trees right? Well, maybe he had to admit navigation just wasn’t his forte, but that didn’t concern the others really. Just follow the path.

“I know this forest like the back of my hand!” Sam said cheerily to the procession behind him, more to assure himself then any of them.

“Yes, I believe you have said that already. Like three times,” Sin said quietly, not intending for Sam to hear. Sam ignored the mocking though, after all, Sin was below him and Sam was always taught that insults were just the result of jealousy.

“Maybe you made a mistake, Sam. This doesn’t look right,” Kristine said warily. She was more focused on her Pokemon who looked uncomfortable and weren’t as boisterous as usual. Lumichu in particular seemed unsettled.

“Someone like me never makes mistakes, Sunshine. You can count on that,” he said over his shoulder, turning his head just to throw her a wink. Maria, who was strolling along in front of him, seemed to bleat her approval, or maybe that was disapproval.

‘Snap out of it,’ Sam thought to himself, ‘doubting yourself will just make things worse.’

“Uh, guys, I think we have seen that tree before. The one with the bark scraped off?” Hayden questioned timidly. To emphasize the point, Ophelia seemed to have felt the need to hit the tree with her bone club. The tree started to shake then, suspiciously. Quivering or so it seemed to its own rhythm. Then, to all their surprise, the tree turned around, blinking angrily at them all.

Jason was the first to pull out his Pokedex.

Sudowoodo
Species: Imitation Pokemon
Type: Rock
It mimics a tree to avoid being attacked by enemies. But since its forelegs remain green throughout the year, it is easily identified as a fake in the winter.

“Well at least it isn’t a bug Pokemon,” Kristine said with slight apprehension.

“It doesn’t look that happy either,” Jason said in a low grumble. Indeed, the Sudowoodo’s face was distorted with frustration and anger. Its arms folded down to its sides, almost as if its hands were on its hips and they were about to be verbally scolded. In fact, that was exactly what it was about to do.

“Sudosudosudo woodo. Woodo sudwood...” It started to ramble. Everyone casually looked around at each other, mildly bewildered. In the mean time, Sudowoodo kept yammering on.

“Maybe if we just keep walking?” Jason suggested, and they all agreed. They walked on for a little while longer, but it soon became apparent that the Sudowoodo wouldn’t leave. In fact, it seemed to be in a deep conversation/scolding with stalker Muk.

“Sudowoodosudo sudoooo, sudo sudo.”

“Muuuuuk?”

“Will someone just shut it up already?” Sin murmured, fixing his hair. “Its giving me a headache.”

“Well, maybe if we try to figure out what its problem is, it might leave us alone,” Kristine suggested warm-heartedly.

“Or one of us could just rough it around a bit, you know, threaten him,” Sam suggested with a wild grin. Already he had a pokeball in his hand. Simultaneously, Jason and Kristine turned on him, the thought of murder evident in their eyes. Sam had to step back a bit in alarm.

“You will not hurt any Pokemon pointlessly,” Jason hissed. Kristine nodded her approval.

“Okay, okay. What do you suggest we do?” Sam asked.

The answer was already given though. Ophelia seemed to be bantering on to the Sudowoodo, seemingly understanding his fast dialect. After a few minutes of conversation, Ophelia turned to Hayden and pointed off into the woods. Sudowoodo seemed almost elated.

“Cuuubone,” she said, almost as if it was tiresome. Hayden looked at her in confusion then prodded her to give him more of an idea. She started to walk into the heavy undergrowth.

“Guys, I think Sudowoodo wants us to go somewhere,” Hayden said unsure. Instantly the Sudowoodo jumped and started doing something like a dance.

“I thought it was just angry because it got hit,” Jason grumbled.

“Well obviously it wants us to follow it,” Sam murmured. “I would do anything to stop its complaining. It’s worth while.”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Kristine said, looking over at Jason as if for permission to go ahead. He only shrugged and nodded curtly despite his next comment.

“This is a waste of time if you ask me,” Jason said sardonically. But soon, they all trudged into the forest off the path, following the dancing rock that looked like a tree.

-------

What he brought them to stumped them all.

There in the middle of a clearing looked to be a small sapling. Casually Sam walked forward and poked it thinking maybe this one too would come to life. But it didn’t.

“Well this was productive,” Jason said with a small smirk, “and it also seems we have lost our way back to the path.” This comment instantly made everyone look around them. There was no sign of the Sudowoodo.

“‘Felia, you sure this was right?” Hayden sighed, plopping down to the ground. Instantly, there was a little battle for his lap between Salem and Kaze, but soon it appeared Salem prevailed.

“I’m guessing Mr. Directions doesn’t know where to go?” Jason’s comment was snarky and Sam shot him a glare.

“I honestly have no idea guys,” Sam flopped down beside Hayden. Sam never understood why people kept their Pokemon out permanently. Yah, he let them out on occasion but there was structure to what he did.

“Well, its going to be night soon. We might as well make dinner and camp-out here,” Jason’s common sense was infallible.

“But the buuugsss,” Kristine squealed. Everyone just smiled at that and readied themselves to start setting up camp, the weird miniature tree sitting in the midst of it all.

Kristine Apparently | Bug Central Regal Forest

For a bunch of worldly travelers, they didn't exactly carry camping materials. They had Cade 'n Kaze out of their pokeballs already to start a fire with whatever nearby... twigs they could find. The sudowoodo wasn't too pleased by that, mainly because Jason and Sam kept mistaking it for a branch.

Kristine sat pretty close to the fire unintentionally, holding her knees and trying her hardest to bury her paranoia. Their main trouble was probably hunger. They gave in to drinking some water their pokemon were willing to donate, whether they were drinking spit or not. Kristine had such a hard time thinking happy thoughts right now.

"If only your pokemon were real food," Sam muttered, staring bitterly at Peach who perched high and mighty on Kristine's shoulder. The pidgey threw out its wings and caw'd in protest, but Kristine giggled quietly.

"Who's up for a rousing game of I Spy--"

"No," Jason said promptly. He was sitting cross-legged with his chin on his hands, staring intently at the fire. But Sin's words broke his concentration and he threw his legs out carelessly, leaning back on his hands. "We could've beaten the gym and been on our way by now, but someone--"

"Oh, shush," Kristine said and smiled. "It doesn't matter now. We'll just sleep on it and find our way in the morning when it's light out."

"Sudooo!"

Everyone looked at the sudowoodo now dancing in circles a good distance away from the fire. Nonetheless, he was smiling and singing, basically having a grand old time. Melon guffawed and rocked back and forth in his spot, singing quite an impressive bass part to go along with it. Lumichu stood up from Kristine's feet and joined the party, everyone starting a poke-party in the late hours of the night. Peach was above the dancing, but he did throw in a few lovely notes.

"Looks like the sudowoodo knows how to throw a party," Sam said, winking in the direction of Kristine's laughter and clapping. He scooted to a nearby tree and folded his hands behind his head.

"It'll only attract attention of whatever could be out there," Sinclair so helpfully reminded. Kristine's clapping slowed down as her eyes wandered back to the dark trees surrounding them. Sin shrugged. "Food for thought."

"Gah, don't mention food," Sam groaned.

"There might be some berries around here," Hayden suggested, peering around them curiously. Salem flicked his tail, glaring at the noise-making pokeparty.

"I might have something," Sin offered, digging in his pack. "

"...What was that?" Kristine asked, looking frantically behind her. She had heard some sort of noise, but what it was, she couldn't say.

"I didn't hear anything," Hayden admitted.

"Relax, sunshine," Sam said with a mighty yawn. He crossed his feet lazily. "Nothing's out there. And if there is, they're not going to invade this party."

Kristine turned back to the fire, smiling weakly. "I s'pose..." Sin didn't say anything to comfort her, but Jason's distant look concerned Kristine more. Sure, he was probably thinking of the gym, but he was the strongest battler in their group she easily would bet on.

Sam seemed to have noticed her watching him, sitting up in a flash, growling. "Why are you so freaked out? They're just bugs."

Kristine jumped at his words and curled her knees into her arms again. Jason actually woke up from his thoughts and gave Sam a daring look.

Sam threw his hands out. "What?"

Swish. Crunch.

Kristine sat up again. This time, the boys seemed to have heard. The five of them stopped everything and listened hard, the pokeparty slowly getting the picture. Melon was the last pokemon to quiet down, his loud guffaw echoing in the tense silence.

Nothing happened.

"I'm going to look," Jason said, jumping at the chance for some action.

"What?" Kristine blurted, panic clear in her voice.

"You're going alone?" Hayden repeated Kristine's concern.

"I won't be long," Jason called back, walking past a nearby tree. He tossed out what sounded like his elekid.

Kristine jumped to her feet. "Jason, wait!"

"I'll fetch him," Sam finally caved, getting up on his feet again.

"Stop trying to make fetch happen," Jason blurted from behind Sam's tree, causing Kristine to jump a foot in the air. Jason seemed pleased by this. "It's not going to happen."

"Anything out there?" Sam asked.

"Not that we can see. They must've run off."

Sam smirked. "Hear that, sunshine? Told you they wouldn't ambush this party."

"Suuuudo?" The sudowoodo waddled out into the bushes, away from their campfire. Everyone just watched the pokemon wander away, no one jumping to follow it.

"So... do we follow it?" Jason muttered, still staring in the direction it walked in.

"I thought we were camping for the night," Sam reminded, really not wanting to mess with the sudowoodo.

"What if it's in trouble?" Kristine asked, then turned to look up at Sam. "Didn't you mention how, back in Johto, they cut down a forest, mistaking some of the sudowoodo as trees?"

"Well, yeah, but that's in Johto."

Kristine didn't like that answer. She whirled and looked at Sin. "What if this has something to do with the farfetch'd losing their home as well?"

"You mean another muk invasion," Sinclair said monotonously.

"You realize your favorite bug pokemon are out there, right?" Sam teased, nodding out toward the forest. "In the dark too."

Kristine bit her lip. "That's hardly a concern if the sudowoodo's in trouble."

"Morning." They all turned to Sinclair, who looked up from his pack. The egg emanated a soft glow from the firelight. "We're all too exhausted to care about anything. If the sudowoodo really is in trouble, he'll come back and demand attention like before. But this is his home, so let him do what he wants. We'll rest up for tomorrow."

Jason and Sam both seemed ready to challenge his leadership, but Kristine spoke first, saying quietly, "Alright." She sat back down by the fire. She put Melon and Peach back in their pokeballs, but Lumichu refused by jumping immediately into her lap and curling up into her stomach. "Pika piii..."

The others followed suit with the majority of their pokemon. Ophelia, Cade, and Waut were all left out still as well for that extra defense, and they all curled up into their sleeping positions for the night.

Sinclair Audley | Regal Forest, Three Island

With Cade on guard duty, Sin rested his head on Noah to sleep, which really didn't have the same effect. He fell asleep dreaming not of the endless trees around them but of the day when Cade would evolve and he would have not just a puppy-pillow but a whole huge four-poster bed Arcanine. Perhaps he could ride it too. Riding would be nice... but for now, he was content. Once he was going to a travel shop next, however, he was investing in a travel pillow. Crebbins had been right- such things were indispensable.

He woke up with a sore neck to a bruised pink dawn, and tapped Noah's shell lightly. The others were all fast asleep, Sam with his mouth hanging open. The fire was nothing but a pile of ash, and the strange little sapling still sat in the middle of the clearing.

Well, whether the others liked it or not, Sin was determined to get out of here, and fast.

"Get up," he said, kicking Jason in the ribs. He gave Sam similar treatment. "Rise and shine, sunshine."

Sam groaned. "I want waffles."

"We can get waffles when we get out of these trees. Hayden?" He knelt down and shook Hayden gently. "It's morning."

"Why does he get treated nicely?" Jason grumbled.

"Because he's a nice guy? Kristiiiine. It's time to get u-up!"

"Then what's Kristine? A baby?"

Kristine jumped and sat up straight, bearing a Pokéball. "Wheresthebug?!" she shouted manically, hair everywhere. Sin recoiled. She looked at him. Slowly flattened her hair, wiped her chin. "Oh. Good morning, everybody."

Sin shrugged at the others and mouthed the word, 'Baby', to which Sunshine-Sam burst into fits of laughter.

"I don't like the fact you're laughing at me," Kristine said, glaring at him.

"I'm just admiring you, sunshine."

"Right. Now we're all awake, let's get out of here," Sin said, picking up his rucksack again.

"The Bug Gym must be around here somewhere," Hayden said. "Isn't it in the forest?"

"Regal Forest. It's where I would live if I was called Georgia Regal," said Jason.

"Do we really have to go to the bug-"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But-"

"YES," said Sin, Jason and Sam in unison.

Sin dug in his bag for his mirror- because naturally, he always carried one, as Mama said, you always had to be conscious of your appearance- and the egg rolled out. He stared at it. Kristine stared at it.

They looked at each other.

"It's still mine, you know," she said casually. "You're just taking care of it for me because I'm a weak little girl and you're chivalrous."

"Of course," said Sin dryly, carefully gathering the egg up. "Because you were the one who won the race-"

"Technically, Lumichu won it-"

"What the heck are you two talking about?" asked Sam and the debate ended as they launched into discussion. Sin picked the egg up surreptitiously as Kristine was distracted. It was warm- wasn't that a sign that it would hatch soon? All he would have to do would be make sure the Pokémon saw him before it saw Kristine. Simple. Mind you, if she was willing to swap it for the Firestone... and how else was he going to get one-?

He looked at Cade, licking his paws and shrugged. Cade could wait until Sin was sure he was ready.

They set off across the forest- braving ravine and mountain, trudging forwards come wind, come rain, come snow, fighting off the deadly beasts that threatened them-

or, you know, they found a trail. A nice little woodland trail with decaying leaves and violets poking up. Kristine naturally started picking them and putting them in her hair. The boys rolled their eyes practically in unison.

"So when are we going to save the Farfetch'd-"

"Stop trying to make that happen," Jason said darkly. "Besides, I think if we just turn here..."

And there it was. The gym. In front of them. As if it had been there the whole time.

"What did you do, swallow a map?" Sin asked.

"I used the GPS on your Pokédex after you went to sleep, rich boy," Jason said.

Hayden, Sam and Kristine glared at him as he took his Pokédex out of his pocket and checked it. Full signal. "Sorry," he said. "I just naturally assumed that, already being lost in the woods, our connections to the outside world would have fallen apart."

"Well, let's go in!" Jason said eagerly.

"I- uh-" Kristine looked around wildly for an excuse.

"Do you want to stay outside with the creepy wild bugs or go inside where there are creepy tame bugs but also probably comfy chairs?" asked Sin.

She followed them in.

It was the strangest gym Sin had ever seen. There were tables everywhere, with trainers of every sort sitting at them.

"We have new students!" said a woman by the reception desk, rushing over. "Welcome the Three Island gym."

"Um. Doesn't look like a gym?" Jason said doubtfully.

"Well, we're currently undergoing... difficulties," the woman said. "Three Island in general, our Pokécology has been upset by outside forces-"

"The Muks and Grimers?" asked Kristine. "I've been invaded by them too."

The woman frowned. "Right. Well, if you want to take a seat here. Unfortunately the gym will be closed until our Pokécology is back to normal. It's a safety precaution to stop Pokémon weakened from battle falling victim to the foreign Pokémon."

"Are you serious-?" Sam was rather red in the face.

"Eleee," said Waut threateningly, but Sin shrugged and said, "Thank you," politely before walking away to an empty table.

"So, what, we're just going to sit here?" asked Sam in disbelief. "Why is there a cafeteria in a gym anyway?"

"I'm assuming it's an antechamber like ours at home," Sin said, not catching the disbelieving stares his teammates threw him. "However, ours doesn't serve waffles."

They had all missed the kitchen on the side of the room and rushed over to get copious piles of waffles and syrup. They then began back through their maze of tables until-

somebody stopped Kristine. "Excuse me, we're doing a breakfasttime survey or new trainers, would you mind answering a few questions?"

"Sure," she said.

"Is your Jigglypuff evolved?"

"I- what?"

"Is your Jigglypuff evolved?"

"I don't have a Jigglypuff-" she began confused.

"Excuse me, is he bothering you?"

They all turned around.

Forget Cindee, Mandee and Candee. This was by far the prettiest tall blonde girl Sin had ever seen and by this stage in the running gag he had seen a fair few. She was flanked by two others, all wearing the badges of the Bug Gym. "You don't lose to Hayley in a fight and then challenge a poor helpless girl right in front of us three days later. Do you want to battle him?"

"Um, no," said Kristine. "Not if he has bugs."

"Good. So you can go shave your back now." Georgia Regal- because who else could it be- gestured to the seats in front of her. "Sit down," she said, smiling at all of them.

They looked helplessly amongst one another and then sat. "Why don't I know you guys?"

"Uh, we're travelling," said Hayden.

"Love it. I love travellers. Totally used to live on the mainland, but whatever. Oh my gosh, I love your Pidgey, where'd you get him?"

"Um," said Kristine again. "He was one of my starters."

"So adorable." Peach tweeted and settled on Kristine's shoulder.

"So we hear the gym's shut?" Jason said, obviously attempting to pick a fight.

"Yeah. Regulations, whatever, as if all the trainers in here aren't battling anyway. What you get with a big congregation like this. It's like a beehive, always working-"

"And you're on top, obviously," said the girl on Georgia's right.

"Well, I am the gym leader. So I think it's safe to say I'm on top. And you guys?" She gave them all a once-over. "You want to try for your badges?"

Jason and Sam nodded so violently Sin thought their heads might actually fall off, he and Hayden less vigourously.

"I don't like bugs," said Kristine, shrugging. "Sorry."

Georgia laughed so hard that Kristine shrugged and dipped her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Anyway. The gym's shut until we get rid of the Muks. It's such a bore, but my hands are tied. If you guys have any bright ideas, now would be the time to share," she said, looking round the table as if she doubted any of them had any idea about anything.

"Growl," said Cade. He was clearly getting bad vibes off this girl. Sin had to shake himself out of the reverie caused by Georgia's smile and glance at the puppy who was eyeing her darkly.

"Well, thanks for your help," Sin said, picking up his tray. "I guess we should go and see about that then." He urged the others to follow suit, Hayden the first to jump up, then Jason and Sam almost as if they were racing and then Kristine, looking ashamed at how Georgia had laughed at her yet still glancing longingly at the table.

"You don't actually want to be like those girls?" Sin said doubtfully.

"No. I don't think so. It's just... they always seem in control."

"They seem mean."

"Where are we going now anyway?" Sam grumbled. "If we can't go to this gym, surely we should just get back to the mainland and come back another time."

Sin could have easily afforded the travel fares, but he didn't want to. "Not yet. Because you know what?"

"What?"

"Farfetch'd is happening."

Jason Apparently | Regal Forest

”I don’t know what I’ve been told!”

“I don’t know what I’ve been told!”

”Georgia Regal’s heart is cold!”

The rugby team from earlier? Glen Coco? They were there. They were all there. And, in army get-up and face paint, they marched in front of the gym with a big portrait of Georgia on a stick with an evil mustache drawn on her upper lip.

The doors to the gym opened behind the gang as Georgia and her little dolls stepped out. There was a pause before Georgia coughed. “Excuse me. This is when you, like, part the waters for my glorious antagonistic appearance.”

“...right,” said Hayden before stepping back. Georgia walked forward and slung her hair to the side, miraculously catching it in a convenient breeze that wafted by.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other,” Georgia murmured, her voice lowering way too low for a lady.

“Georgia! We know you’re behind the Muk stuff, so don’t even deny!”

Georgia shrugged. “I like big Muks. And I cannot lie.” She looked at her two plastics. “Can you girls deny?”

“We can’t deny.” They said in unison.

Georgia turned back to Glen Coco, who was holding the big picture of her. “Listen up, Glen--”

Sam jarred Jason in the ribs with his elbow. “I told you his name could be Glen!”

“--Bug Pokemon are the most under-appreciated pokemon out there. And you expect me to just sit back while the Farfetch’d in this forest take over like a horde of ill-manicured zombie band geeks? I think not.”

Kristine squeaked. “B-but we were going to make Farfetch’d happen!”

Georgia turned on her heels, a glare in her eye that would chill the Grinch to his bones. “Stop trying to make Farfetch’d happen.” She leaned in to Kristine’s face. “It’s not going to happen.”

Kristine didn’t say a word. Peach, on her shoulder, began squawking and cawing out what Jason figured had to be the dirtiest words in the Pidgey book--he’d have to learn some later to call Sin.

Glen Coco slammed the portrait of Georgia into the ground like a fence post and crossed his arms. “You’re just jealous.”

Georgia was taken aback, placing a hand on her chest. “Me? Jealous? Who in the entire flat Earth would I be jealous of?”

“Santana Con Sueño Matadora Consuela Limpioparabrisas. Tenth grade. She beat you in a pokemon battle with her Farfetch’d because your little Beedrill had a cold.”

“It was the flu and you know it!”

“Ever since, you’ve been hiding yourself out in this forest, and now you want to get rid of all the farfetch’d.

Georgia chuckled. “Don’t you dare make me the villain! I’m a gym leader, after all. Without me, this island would be nothing but a big, squawking pile of--”

“--MUUUUUK”

Georgia squealed as Muk gave her a body slam, covering her in goop from head to toe. Before Kristine could recall Melon, Georgia was standing up, glaring at the girl with legit fire in her eyes.

“I will tear you apart!”

“Lay off,” Glen said, “she doesn’t even go here!”

She pointed at Kristine and snarled. “I challenge you to an official Pokemon battle! If you win, I’ll give you all badges and get the Muk outta here.” She narrowed her eyes. “But if you lose to me, you little red-headed sunburn-indoors-at-night soulless twit, you and your friends have to leave my island and take that dreamboat Glen Coco with you!”

Kristine was wide-eyed and speechless.

Sam grabbed her lips with his fingers and faked a girl voice as he moved them. “Deal,” (s)he said.

“Then meet me in the gym in half an hour.” She narrowed her eyes. “Or else.”

Kristine Apparently | The Hive Gym


Kristine was frozen to the spot after Sam removed his hands. Georgia Regal stormed away, flinging muk-muck off herself. The rugby team jeered back at her with the taunting they had started with.

“Didn’t know you had it in you, Sunshine!” Sam barked, putting his arm around her and squeezing her shoulder. “Even I wouldn’t have taken her up on that offer--”

“Dude. Shut-up,” Jason said.

Sam fell silent at Jason’s words and let go of the terrified redhead. “Muuuk...” Melon slid right up to her feet, peering up directly into her shocked face. “Muk muk.”

“Let’s fetch you some orange juice,” Sin said, steering her back toward the gym.

“Stop trying to make fetch happen,” Jason said.

----

The orange juice helped, and Kristine felt herself relax a bit after being with her friends. Nevertheless, she was still terrified for this gym battle. Of all the people to have to face the bug gym leader, it had to be Kristine. Kristine couldn’t quite tell if Jason was jealous, angry, or fed up and ready to leave.

“Let’s get down to business to defeat the gyms,” Kristine sang under her breath as they walked to the field in an attempt to calm herself. “Did they send me breeders... when I asked... for champ--Oh, my goodness.” Her hands were thrown to her head, and she cringed to herself. “This is so not going to end well.”

“No worries, Sunshine,” Sam said, hands behind his head. “Georgia won’t know what hit her!”

“I think she has a pretty good idea of what’s coming,” Hayden mentioned, eyes glancing warily at the muk, who was happily humming the Pokemanz song -- well, as much as he knew of it.

Peach nipped at Kristine’s ear affectionately, and the girl smiled weakly at her friend. The butterfrees in her stomach were frantic again, which wasn’t sitting well with her orange juice, but once they stepped inside the gym, it was too late to turn back.

“Never keep a lady waiting,” Georgia’s voice drawled from the opposite side.

The gym itself was like a giant butterfree-house or greenhouse. The walls were basically windows, allowing the sun to filter into the greenery of the room. Plants and bugs were flying everywhere, causing Kristine to stop so abruptly, she caused a traffic pileup of Sam, Hayden, and Jason on her back.

“Nonononono--” Kristine turned around and bolted for the door, but Sam and Jason both held her down. “I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t can’t can’t--”

Georgia’s laugh echoed in the room. “That’s pathetic. Is the farfetch’ds’ only hero going to run away because of a few bug pokemon?”

Kristine caught sight of a beedrill from the corner of her eye, and her grip on Sam’s arm tensed.

“Let’s go, Sunshine,” Sam said, he and Jason dragging her to the field.

“Just get the battle over with quickly so we can leave,” Jason said. Kristine doubted it was meant to comfort her -- mainly because it didn’t.

Melon sidled up by her feet as the boys backed up by Hayden and Sin. “Muuuk!” The muk’s wide eyes looked hopefully up at her. Kristine took deep breaths, ignoring Georgia’s taunting (whatever she was saying, Kristine was not paying attention), and smiled briefly in Melon’s direction. The muk grinned widely, extremely pleased to see her ready. “Muuuk!”

“Alright, sweetheart,” Georgia said, pulling out a pokeball. “Two out of three.” Kristine gulped and braced herself, trying really hard not to notice the buzzing bug pokemon around them. Fortunately, none of them seemed to go near them as if they were trained to stay away. “Come on out, Ledian!”

Kristine blinked as the little red bug popped onto the field. She pulled out her pokedex.

Ledian
Type: Bug/Flying
Species: Fire Star Pokemon
When the stars flicker in the night sky, it flutters about, scattering a glowing powder. The spot patterns on its back grow larger or smaller depending on the number of stars in the night sky.

Kristine took another deep breath. “Muuuuk.” She looked down at the muk who seemed eager to go out and battle for her. “Muk?”

She shook her head, swallowing. “I think Lumichu will be best for this one, buddy.”

The muk looked crestfallen at her words, but Kristine threw out the pokeball nonetheless. “Pika pi!” The mouse pokemon crouched on all fours, staring down the red bug.

The battle begun before Kristine could prepare herself with another deep breath. Lumichu was, by far, a huge contender for the bug. He was agile enough to avoid many of the attacks thrown his way, but his thundershock was the most damaging.

“Ledi ledian!” the bug chirped. Georgia hardly raised her voice as she sent out commands, though as the battle wore on, the frustration was clear in her voice. Kristine’s fear was shoved aside by her worry for the Ledian, noticing Georgia had pushed the little guy all the way ‘til he fainted.

“Return!” Georgia sneered, immediately withdrawing her fainted pokemon. Kristine bit her lip nervously beneath Georgia’s glare, her friends’ cheers not registering. The pikachu on the field was still fit for another fight, and Kristine wondered if perhaps he would best another fight still.

A butterfree appeared this time. Kristine felt herself relax. This fight could go just like the last one, and Kristine would have bested a bug gym leader in mere minutes. Lumichu had this one --she knew it.

And she was right at first. Lumichu even allowed the butterfree to try and hit him before Kristine finally called for that damaging thunderbolt attack. The butterfree squealed in pain, making Kristine cringe, but it recovered alright to continue the fight anyway.

“Use sleep powder,” Georgia said bitterly.

Kristine’s heart skipped a beat. “Lumichu, get away--”

The pikachu didn’t react in time. The butterfree littered the field with that sparkling dust, and Lumichu was lulled to sleep on the spot, twirling in a daze until he fell on his back. “Piii...kaaa...”

Georgia laughed victoriously as Kristine withdrew her pikachu. “Come now. You really thought you had a chance against me?”

“Muuuk.”

Georgia withdrew her butterfree now and fumbled for her final pokemon. “One more battle, but don’t get your hopes up. You and Glen Coco make a lovely pair, I assure you.” She called out her final pokemon: a beedrill.

Kristine felt her entire body shutdown.

“Muk!” Melon barked, bouncing by her feet. “Mukmuk!”

Georgie found this absolutely hysterical, apparently. Kristine looked down at her new friend, not quite sure a poison pokemon would have a chance against another. But Melon seemed very keen in battling for her, and that made her smile. “Alright. Let’s finish this.”

“MUK!” The sludge pokemon pulled the biggest smile ever and slid out onto the field. The battle, once again, started on Georgia’s terms, not giving Kristine a chance to calm herself down with another breath.

As much as it hurt to watch that beedrill threaten the life of yet another friend, Kristine suddenly felt the urge to take it down if only to assure herself that the beedrill was not that scary. ...That thought made her laugh.

They were terrifying.

Melon was holding himself through the fight just fine though. Kristine would never have guessed the pokemon to know how to battle -- he was always just happy. Yet despite the beedrill’s Twin Needle attacks, as well as the threatening poisonous stinger, the muk was hardly phased.

The battle was an even fight though, as Kristine had guessed. Poison on poison didn’t really do much, and it was all dependent on strategy and stamina. But the winning move Kristine discovered was probably muk’s Minimize.

The sludge pokemon shrank its sludgy self into a smaller blob, leaving behind other blobs as well. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, and the beedrill couldn’t find the muk in all the little puddles of muk-muck.

And that left its back open for a wide attack.

Unfortunately for Kristine, Muk hit it just right so the beedrill came flying in her direction. She screamed and backed away into her friends, the beedrill sliding to a stop right where she once stood.

Everyone held their breaths as they waited for the beedrill. It definitely wasn’t out of it, as it was struggling to get up. Georgia’s constant barking seemed to wear it down just as much as Melon’s body slam, and the beedrill gave in. He didn’t get up.

“Kristine Cook wins the match!”

Art
Vermilion Sewer

The Magneton buzzed angrily as its electrical power was sapped by Lex’s Charge.
“Now channel that power into a Thundershock!” Art commanded. Lex’s magnets sparked as it unleashed a jolt of lightning towards its elder. Behind Art, David threw a Poke Ball to the ground.

Art nodded in approval as Vash popped out, its flaming tail illuminating the sewer. The first thing Art noticed aside from the Magneton recovering and preparing for another attack was that the brick ceiling was covered almost entirely in roosting Zubat.

“I have an idea,” he exclaimed as Lex and Magneton engaged in the exchange of a single continuous thunderous blast. “but I don’t think I can withdraw Lex; this thing probably has the Magnet Pull ability. Anyway, once we break this connection, I need you to keep it distracted for a moment!”
David nodded back. Vash confidently puffed out its chest and blew a short ember from its mouth. Art turned back to the duelling magnet Pokemon: the Magneton was clearly in a better position than Lex.

Got to wait for the right moment...

In a sudden burst of light and sound, Lex’s current grew to nearly twice its size. The Magneton was pushed back into a wall, stunning it for a brief second -

Lex’s Thundershock must have upgraded to Thunderbolt! Spectacular.

“Now!” Art barked. Lex spread its magnets apart, forcing the currents apart. Magneton was livid by this point - or at least as livid as a robotic Pokemon could be. Before it could retaliate, however, Vash tagged in like a boss and spewed a stream of flame in Magneton’s direction: the Steel-type, obviously aware of its type disadvantage, evaded the stream but was kept at bay.

“That’s perfect, Vash, keep it up!” David cheered as Art began climbing the brick wall to the side with Lex hovering beside. There was a small alcove at the top of the wall: he lifted his leg and was just barely able to crouch up there.

“Ok, let’s make sure I’ve got this right,” he muttered, reaching for his Pokedex and scrolling down to the Zubat entry.

It has neither eyes nor a nose. It emits ultrasonic cries that bounce back to its large ears, enabling it to fly safely.

I was right! They’ve got ultra-sensitive hearing.

“Ok, Lex,” he said to his partner. “I know we haven’t practiced much with this, but I need you to try using Metal Sound.”
Lex nodded - or to be strictly accurate, moved up and down slightly. It turned toward the snoozing Subat swarm and slapped its magnets together, producing a tiny tnk. The Zubat failed to respond in any way.
“Try one more time, Lex,” Art whispered. “I think Dave is running out of time.” Magneton had indeed managed to advance on Vash by several metres. Lex tried for another Metal Sound, its magnets completely failing to connect this time.
“Keep trying!” Art urged. “I know this is terribly cliché, but I believe in you.”

Lex gave up on that particular tack: spotting a steel pipe running down the wall, it floated over and headbutted it as hard as it could. A horrible screeching sound echoed down the tunnels. Art slid back down the wall to where David and Vash were standing, covering their ears; the Magneton was now hovering in place, vibrating wildly. However, the reaction Art had intended to provoke was making itself very clear: dozens, possibly even hundreds, of angry, scared, confused Zubat were dropping from the ceiling and swarming whatever they could find. Art grabbed David’s arm and began running in the direction the others had gone. As Magneton tried to pursue them, it became engulfed in a pulsating mass of Zubat.

“A slightly unorthodox way of enacting Metal Sound...” Art grinned at Lex.
“... but you can't argue with results like these!” David chimed in.



Mandy
Vermilion City

“I think we lost 'em, Mandy,” Dimwit Andy drawled as Mandy took stock of the Poke Balls they'd swiped from that puny kid.
“Good,” she replied, only half listening. “Now shut up, I gotta call HQ.”

The “phone” she took out of her sleeve resembled a miniature rocket figurine. Do we really need these constant reminders of the group's “rocket” motif? She hit a button and held it up to her ear.

“This is Sandy from Head Office. Reading you loud and clear, Mandy.”
“Hey, listen. We're still awaiting orders regarding the Power Plant. Got anything for us?”
“That's a big nada. R&D have been trying to simulate the power of Subject Storm by tying groups of Electabuzz together – I don't think I need to tell you how that's going. Anything else to report?”
“Nah...”

Andy watched as Mandy drew the call to a close.
“... yeah, yeah, switch behind the poster, I remember. Ok, over and out.”

“You didn't report the Pokemon we swiped,” he said as Mandy pocketed the phone with a look of distaste.
“Of course not, numbskull. These are probably rare – I've certainly never seen any of them before. The eggy one, especially... probably no good as a fighter, but we might be able to sell it for a small fortune. That loony Mr Pokemon is a sucker for weird things.”
“Well, I think we should send them in,” Andy said. “The boss'll probably send us stronger ones in return -”
“You just want to impress Sandy, I saw you eyein' her at the last meeting – ”

“Charitard!”
“Arcaninny!”
“Tentatool!”
“Cofa-”
“There you are, you thieves!”

“Ugh,” Mandy muttered as the short boy and two blonde girls ran towards them. “Casper and the Angels have caught up to us.”

975

Sinclair Audley- the Hive Gym

Georgia Regal was not quite so pretty when she was mad. No. No, pretty was not a word that Sinclair would use.

No.

Not even mildly attractive.

In fact, he would go so far as to say that Georgia Regal was ugly when her face was red and screwed up, her hair frizzy due to that weird law of physics that meant that girls' hair went frizzy when they were upset, her mouth wide and screaming and occasionally throwing spittle in the general direction of Glen Coco and his teammates.

"I have not lost a game in three years! Three whole years that I have been cultivating this gym!"

"Not very well," drawled Jason. "Kristine doesn't even battle usually-"

"Don't tell her that," Kristine hissed from where she was using Sin and Sam as a human shield.

"Georgia, you did promise these kids their gym badges," said the receptionist. "And you know that under Section C of the Gym Leader's Code of Conduct-"

"I know, I know, but-" and she launched into another string of profanities.

"So, what do we do now?" Sin asked, glancing at the others. Jason looked bored, Kristine terrified. Hayden was shuffled a little away from the group watching the Regal scene unfold.

The receptionist was now tugging at the bag at Georgia's hip. "If you don't do it, I'm going to have to strip you of your gym leader status- not that half of the other leaders recognise you anyway, besides, I doubt you'll keep it after this."

"They don't?" muttered Sam. "So why am I here?"

"The badge is still recognised by the Pokémon League," Sin explained. "Just that the other leaders are snobs- why are you all looking at me like that?"

"No reason," said Jason and began to whistle.

The receptionist came over to them. "Listen, Georgia's going to take some calming down, but maybe I can deliver the badges to you? My name's Susan. Are you staying at the Pokécenter tonight?"

"No, we're moving on-"

"Shut up, newbie, you don't get to make the decisions," snapped Jason.

"And you do?" Sin asked, taking a step away from them, only to be dragged back into position by Kristine so she could stay shielded. Then she hissed in his ear,

"I need to go to the Pokécenter anyway."

"I guess we're staying," Sin said with a sigh.

"Then I'll come up and give you the badges once things are a little less... hectic here," she said, nodding.

"I don't want to wait around-" Jason began but Sin rather forcibly took him by the arm, jerking his head to Hayden to help. Hayden stood up from where he was leaning silently and cautiously put a hand on Jason's other arm.

"We get the badges for free if we just wait out the night," Sin pointed out. "Besides, where are we going to go? There's still Farfetch'd colonies to tidy up."

"Farfetch'd!" Kristine perked up, as did the rugby team on the other side of the clearing. Glen Coco and his wingers rushed over. "We're going to go herd the Muks up. If they came here under Georgia's influence they'll probably leave. Pokémon have this weird intuition."

"I don't know," Kristine said uncertainly. "I'd prefer to get Lumichu and Melon to a Pokécenter... I'm sorry, but it looks like Farfetch'd is not going to happen."

And that was one debate at last put to rest. For now.

"Then why don't we go with you?" said Glen. "Spend the night in the Pokécenter and clear out the rest of the Muks in the morning. Besides, we need to find Officer Jenny and report Georgia."

"What'll happen to the gym?" Sam asked.

"It'll shut down or one of the townspeople will take it over," Glen said with a shrug as they moved towards the Pokécenter. "Maybe our rugby coach."

"Then would the team be disbanded?" Kristine asked, shocked at the thought.

"A lot of Leaders have other part-time jobs. You know that the Leader in Celadon has a job as a butler?"

"Yeah, right," said Sin. "Do you know how much work being a butler is? There's no way you could do both."

Glen Coco just shrugged.

They seemed to have looped around the island in the past two days so arrived at the Pokécenter relatively quickly. Nurse Joy was already standing with a big flask of steaming hot chocolate when she saw Kristine, but Kristine's smile confused her.

"I just beat Georgia Regal and exposed her for the fraud she was and in turn partly saved the Farfetch'd!" Kristine exclaimed. "I think I deserve champagne and not hot chocolate."

Nurse Joy clearly couldn't supply this as they were all under the age of twelve. "But I could make lemonade!"

She did so, and made a great Pokéalternative. Noah and Julius clinked cups and drank.

"Squir!" Noah said, pointing at Cade who clearly felt rahter upset that his anatomical structure means he had to drink out of a bowl instead.

"Be careful," Sin warned as Cade glared at the Squirtle. "Don't get him angry or when he evolves he'll beat you up."

"Duck," Julius said, rolling his eyes and waving his spatula, as if to imply 'We are water Pokémon. We spit in the face of huge firedogs.'

It was getting difficult to tell Peach and Kristine apart they were moving that fast and were that excited. "Hey Sunshine," Sam drawled, "why don't you sit down?"

"Don't kill her buzz," Jason warned. "Or she'll be screaming about bugs again."

The girl and the Pidgey began to play catch with a pokéball keyring, and Julius waddled over to join in. "DUCK!" as he threw it back to Kristine. Who ducked, and it hit Sin's rucksack on the table behind her.

"That was bad," Sin said, grabbing it and tossing it high in the air for Pidgey. "But then, everyone knows girls can't play sports."

"Excuse me," said Kristine leaning back on the table. "I just beat an evil dictator-Leader and won you all your badges, so you can just stop with the misogyny, thank you."

"I could have won that badge myself if I wanted to," Sam said grumpily.

"Of course you could, sugar," Sin said smiling.

"Sugar?"

"I'm trying it out."

"Look, all I know is that I did you all a favour, so as a favour to me we can save the Farfetch'd and then please move somewhere with less bugs," Kristine said, then dived backwards to catch the keychain as Peach spun around and let it fly from his beak.

"And who says you get to make the rules?" said Jason just at the same time as Hayden said, "Sin- your bag-"

But it was too late. Kristine's knock into the table had caused Sin's rucksack to fall in slow motion and its contents spill all over the floor. They all rushed over, Sin's heart pounding as he worried about the egg, which he went for first while Ophelia dived for the box of treats.

"It's okay," he said, breathing a sigh of relief, checking the egg's surface for cracks. "But it's really hot- are they meant to be this hot? Hayden, can I feel yours?"

Hayden rather nervously found his bag and held out the egg reluctantly to Sinclair, clearly protective over it. Sin touched the surface. It was warm, but nowhere near as warm as his.

"The warmth means it's getting ready to hatch," Jason said. "I'm pretty sure."

"Then I'll be taking it back," Kristine said, reaching out both hands greedily, and that's how Nurse Joy found the five of them and their Pokémon, sitting amongst the debris of Sin's bag, Sin and Kristine attempting to wrestle the egg from one another's grip.

"Another egg? You lot are busy! Would you like to know the species?"

"Yes," said Sin.

"No," said Kristine. They glared at each other.

"It's my egg-"

"I won it-"

"My Pokémon won it-"

"No, I won-"

"But I kept the Snorlax-"

"It's mine," Sin said angrily, with one final tug pulling it away from her and sheltering it in his arms.

"This is like my aunt and uncle when they were having a baby," Sam muttered. Sin attempted not to go red.

"Fine." Kristine stood up. "If you can't even be mature enough to discuss it, then keep it. See if I care. I hope you're happy together."

"Me too."

"I guess I'll find some different travelling companions. The rugby team are planning on going on a tour of the region too. Glen Coco told me so. Maybe I'll go with them."

"Fine by me,"

"Kristine-" Hayden began suddenly, then stopped, shocked at the fact that he was actually speaking.

"Oh my gosh," Sam said. "Are you lot like this all the time?"

"Only when people try to steal my stuff."

"Clearly I should just take the egg and neither of you have it then," Sam said, but cut off when Jason glared at him.

"We'll talk about it in the morning. It's late," Jason said.

Kristine rather pointedly went to sleep in another room, something about 'privacy' and 'just because I'm the only girl' but Sin suspected she was just being stubborn. He didn't want her to leave. She had her faults, of course, and her Pokémon were so woefully undertrained that it actually embarrassed Sin, and she kept making scornful noises whenever they saw all those tall gorgeous blondes but... she was still his friend, wasn't she?

But it was his egg. Not just his egg. His Pokémon. Kristine wouldn't ask him to give up Cade or Noah, would she?

But then, he would never ask her to give him Peach or Berry.

Sam and Jason snored in unison, it was pretty amazing. But in the moments when they were quiet, Sin could hear another noise.

And it wasn't a noise he liked.

He picked up the warm egg and quietly opened the door to Kristine's room, where she was sitting on the floor with her back leant against the sofa, crying over a Pokéball.

"Kristine?" he asked softly.

"Go away," she said. "I don't want to talk to you."

"But I want to talk to you." He sat down beside her. "Please don't go off with a rugby team. They smell awful."

"Well, Sinclair, not everybody can afford your shampoo," she snapped. "And I can't stay here and watch you raise my Pokémon."

"But that's just it. I'm sure that Pokémon is meant for me. I feel it."

"But I feel that way too." She sniffed. "It'll just be easier if I go."

Sin took a deep breath, taking in the cold dark environs of the Pokécenter. "No," he said. "No. Stay. You can have the egg," he said, before he could think twice about it."

There was a long, quiet moment. Sam's and Jason's snores and Hayden's heavy breathing could be heard from next door.

"No, Sin, I can't do that."

"I want you to have it," he said sternly. "Just as long as you stick with us. Think of it as... payment for showing Georgia Regal."

She laughed a little. "I did show her, didn't I?"

"Exactly." He held the egg out to her. "It's yours."

With shaking hands, Kristine took it, then looked up at him, eyes glinting in the dark. "I can't just keep it for nothing."

"It's payment."

"No. Wait." She settled the egg down and then reached over a sleeping Berry to get her own bag, feeling around it blindly in the dark. Then she took out something small and pressed it into Sin's hand. "Have this," she said. "I don't think I'll need it."

He looked at the object. It was a FireStone. "But Hayden-"

"I already offered it to Hayden, he didn't want it."

"You offered it to Hayden before me?" Sin asked, a little annoyed, then took a deep breath again and attempted to calm himself down. Here was the chance for his Arcanine four-poster. "Thanks, Kristine."

"Thanks, Sinclair."

"So you'll stay?"

"Yeah," she said, grinning with her teeth glowing in the dark. "Rugby's not really my thing anyway."

--
wordcount: 2059

Spoiler

I had to getz this in there before we leave.

Sam Martin | Pokecenter, Three Island

Sam woke up much to early than what he wanted. It was still dark out, and everyone else was sleeping still. Personally, he liked to sleep in until everyone had made breakfast so he wouldn’t have to partake in helping, then he would casually disappear when it was time for dishes under the clause of ‘having to relieve himself’.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fall back asleep. So casually, instead, he decided to go for a walk. It couldn’t hurt. He cautiously stepped over the sleeping bodies towards the door. He paused standing over Jason, a small glimmer of mischief flashing through his eyes. He decided not to after much deliberation. He would save that for another time.

Having only stepped on a few limbs, he made it to the door which slid open and he causally stepped outside. Taking in a deep breath of the night air, he looked up to the stars that were slightly hidden by some cloud cover. It was moderately cold surprisingly and he debated going back to get his jacket. Instead, he released Marie from her Pokeball. She bleated tiredly, but after some prodding, she began to become more alert.

“Mind giving me some light, Marie? And maybe create a little heat,” Sam suggested softly, running his fingers through her soft wool. She bleated obligingly, and soon her tail started to glow and a field of static electricity formed around her, the air suddenly warmer. Sam decided also it was a good time to let his Pokemon out. They hadn’t freely roamed in a while. Soon he had his large Scyther standing beside him and his Totodile at his feet.

Dexter enthusiastically started dancing and dancing, seemingly grinning up at Sam, trying to impress him. Manny, the scyther, on the other hand, seemed to still not be used to being under Sam’s ownership.

Sam started to walk around the building, delighted and amused with Dexter’s agility and energy. “Totodileee!” It called out loudly, a little to loudly. Sam shushed him and looked around him to see if Dex had disturbed anything.

“My goodness!” Sam shrieked as he looked behind him, for there, just were he was previously standing stood a small sapling.

Under deeper scrutiny, Sam noted it wasn’t just any sapling. It was the one from the Sudowoodo clearing.

Now at this point in time, Sam was thoroughly confused and alarmed, and knew he should head back. It was probably some kind of joke being played by one of the group members. But in the process of walking around the sapling, giving it a distance of a metre and a half, Manny stopped him with his large claw like appendages. Sam felt like crying. He was so confused.

“Sudooooo,” a cry said from no where. It was then Sam noticed the Sudowoodo step forward from the brush. Dex, having sensed Sam’s dismay, had stopped his hyper dancing, and rather prepared himself for what he thought would be a fight.

But Sudowoodo did not have that intention. Instead, he somehow picked up the sapling and prodded it forward to Sam. He wouldn’t stop until Sam grabbed it.

“Uh, thank you?” Sam mumbled, holding the tree at an arms length away. “It is a nice tree.”

But the sapling didn’t feel right to him though. Something was off. And that was proven when suddenly the sapling flailed and sneezed, launching itself out of Sam’s arms. Sudowoodo caught in quickly and casually held it as one would hold a baby, even slowly rocking it.

“Bonsliiii,” the thing barely said. It suddenly sneezed again. Sudowoodo tried to give it to Sam again, but Sam backed up a few steps, arms raised in protest.

“Uh, well like, yah. I would love to take it, but like I--” Sam stuttered. The Sudowoodo kept pressing forward. This continued on for a couple minutes, Sam making up excuses and the Sudowoodo not taking no for an answer. But out of sheer annoyance, Manny interrupted, taking the Bonsli from the Sudowoodo and cradled it in its own arms.

“Sudo, sudo!” It cried and started to dance. Sure enough it disappeared once again. Sam was left alone with his pokemon and the now crying Bonsli.

Manny cooed to it though and started heading back to the Pokecenter entrance without even looking at Sam. Sam stood there dumbfounded with Dex, who looked just as confused, and Marie already falling asleep at his feet.

The sun was now in the sky, and Sam knew the rest would be up shortly for the long day ahead of them.

-----
wordcount; 774

Hayden Apparently | Pokecenter, Three Island

Hayden woke up bleary-eyed and barely registered that Sam was missing from the group. He blinked a bit more when he realized Sin was coming down the hall, nearly running.

Or, actually running, if the panting and hand son his knees as he stood in front of everybody was any indication.

"The bathroom," he panted, "is haunted."

Hayden pushed himself up, fear beginning to make him very wide awake.

Kristine was even faster on her feet. "What? More ghosts?"

Sin seemed to have gotten his breath back. "I didn't hear anything in there!"

"Right," Hayden murmured, shaking his head. "Those ghosts liked laughing."

Sin Glared. "Are you going to come see, or not?"

Kristine did not look like she wanted to move. "Why do you say it's haunted?"

"The toilet seats."

Kristine and Hayden looked at each other, then looked back to him. "What."

Sin glanced back over his shoulder, as if he wasn't sure something was following him. "Come see."

Hayden and Kristine cautiously followed, making sure not to wake a still-sleeping Jason. Kristine, however, paused upon seeing they were going to go into the boys' washroom.

"I am not going in there to see ghosts."

Sin looked back and seemed to be caught between offence she didn't want to continue this research, and understanding at not wanting to see the ghosts. He sighed. "Fine. Just Hayden can come in, then."

Hayden Looked at him as if to say 'you're serious, aren't you?' Sin's Look back said that yes, he was serious, and Hayden should go along.

And when they walked in, the toilet seats raised up as if saluting.

Hayden shivered.

"See!" Sin exclaimed. He looked around the washroom. "I swear there's nothing in here."

Hayden looked around, too, and confirmed Sin's comment. The room was empty. "At least they're not doing it a—"

And the seats rose again.

Both boys inched towards the door.

'Okay, don't talk about it. Gotcha.'

After a few minutes of nothing, Sin looked around. His eyes rested on the sink, and, as Hayden could see, a hair-gel cap... but no hair gel container.

"I could have sworn I left it right here," Sin said, beginning to look around for a possible dropped container.

Hayden wasn't so intent on moving. "Maybe you just... dropped it somewhere in the hall."

Before Sin could answer, Kristine knocked on the door. "Sin? Hayden? Are you alright?"

"We're fine!" Hayden called back. He inched farther towards the door. "I'll just wait outside, alright?"

And before Sin could answer (again), Hayden was gone.

"What was it?" Kristine asked, not trying to hide some anxiety.

Hayden leaned against the wall and exhaled. "Saluting toilet seats."

"...You're kidding."

"Nope."

Hayden slid down to the floor, wanting to sit down and still not feeling quite awake. Or maybe that was fear clouding his judgement. "And Sin lost his hairgel."

That got Kristine to laugh. "Really?"

Hayden nodded. "The cap's there and all, but—"

Before he could finish, Sin screamed. Both Kristine and Hayden had jumped ten feet clear of the door, braced, not sure who was hanging onto whom.

It took all of two seconds for a completely covered in toilet paper Sin to emerge from the bathroom, shuffling from the limited movement in his leg, which just helped the look. It didn't help it was still dim in the pokecenter halls, which just made it creepier.

Sin struggled to loosen the binds, which had effectively pinned his arms to his sides. "Help me get these off!"

Hayden and Kristine snapped out of their fear and went over to rip through the binds. Once a small snow flurry of toilet paper was around all three of their feet, they were looking between each other, wondering what to do.

"We could try the girls' bathroom..." Kristine said slowly.

Hayden and Sin glanced at each other, Hayden shrugged, Sin sighed.

"If anybody finds out I did this..." he muttered almost under his breath.

All three of them went inside the girl's washroom, Sin in particular looking back at the door for other people every thirty seconds. Hayden didn't mind as much, so long as it wasn't Sam who would be waiting outside of the door.

"Hey..." Kristine said, the most relaxed of the three. "Is that the hair gel you were looking for, Sin?"

Sin looked at the tube-without-cap on the sink. His eyes widened. "Th— that's exactly where it was before!"

Hayden glanced at the toilets. They hadn't shown signs of moving yet. "Why don't you finish in here before anything happens?"

Sin paused before nodding and going to the sink, getting gel in his hair (while keeping an eye on Hayden and Kristine to make sure they wouldn't laugh) before turning on the sink to wash his hands.

And the water sprayed right into his face.

"Ackplph!" was the barely interpretable sound he made before managing to turn off the faucet and shaking his head. He spat out more water. "Why I seem to be the target for this..."

Kristine shirked when the stall doors opened and toilet seats raised up in unison. By the time Hayden had blinked, she was half-wrapped in toilet paper. Sin was the braver one and went to help her—

Only to be wrapped up himself.

"Hayden!" Kristine said as she tried to struggle. Sin's mouth had already been covered.

Hayden was frozen for a moment, until the toilet paper stopped moving completely. Only then did he feel safe enough to move forward and start untangling his friends.

But once he was half done, his own ankles were knocked together and he found his side hitting tile.

"Ooooww..."

He pushed himself up and was glad to see the toilet paper had stopped moving again. With a few quick rips he was out, and went back to work on a still wrapped together Sin and Kristine.

Sin was clearly Not Amused at this whole thing. "Why did you get off so lightly?"

A spark of realization lit in Kristine's eyes. "Yeah, why did you?"

Hayden shrugged. He was more thankful about that than anything.

"Wait a second..." Sin said slowly. "Where's Murtle?"

Murtle was having fun. Lots of it.

It was difficult not to laugh, though, though not laughing made the fun even funnier, and Murtle wasn't finished having fun yet, oh no. The best fun was yet to come.

Murtle phased through the wall of the girl's bathroom and headed towards where one Jason was still sleeping. Barely suppressing a devious giggle which would have no doubt escalated into a full-blown laugh of diabolical pranksterish glee, the Haunter slipped under the sleeping boy's covers, right next to his head, being very careful not to disturb him.

From out of Haunter Hammerspace, Murtle drew forth the ultimate prank item and got into the perfect carelessly reclining casually position, posing so that, when the boy awoke, said prank item would be the first thing he'd see.

All set, Murtle poked Jason with a Haunter toe. The boy stirred, but did not wake, so Murtle poked harder. The boy finally opened his eyes...

...and came face-to-face with a pair of underpants that looked remarkably like the pair he'd gone to sleep wearing held daintily in his face by a madly grinning Murtle.

Jason | Pokemon Center

“YAGH!!!!!!” Jason began to jump from his sleeping bag--that is, lurch from his sleeping bag--at the sight of his exposed underwear. But then it occurred to him that his underwear were floating. His eyes grew wide and he grabbed his sleeping bag, holding it tightly against him as he continued to stare at the boxers in his face.

Then something poked him on the hip.

He paled.

Something poked him again, and he slowly turned his face to the side, where a huge pair of Haunter Eyes stared right back at him.

“GRAH!” Jason hurled himself off the couch, rolling away from the Haunter like a terrified burrito. “HAYDEN.” He yelled, not giving a care about the other people that may be sleeping in the Pokemon Center, “GET YOUR MURTLE.”

Hayden, Sinclair, and Kristine came bounding down the hall, shards of toilet paper draped all over Sin. Jason squinted his tired eyes in the dim, almost-not-there lights, and curled into the fetal position on the floor.

“I don’t see her,” Hayden said, his voice mellow and tired. Though honestly, it wasn’t much different than normal-Hayden’s voice.

“She was there!” Jason announced, “She was there, she had my boxers--”

Kristine lost it in a fit of giggles. “Are--haha--are you sure they were yours?”

“They were just like mine,” Jason insisted. “Pink with white hearts.”

...and that’s when the rest lost it.

Jason buried his face in his sleeping bag, shutting his eyes tightly. “Shutupshutupshutup.”

__ __ __ __

“Why’s it raining so much?” Jason and the gang had sat through breakfast without Sam, no one wanting to talk about Murtle and her antics earlier that morning. But she floated about the room freely, occasionally staring out the windows and doors at the heavy rain.

“Why does it ever rain?” Sinclair snipped, sipping steaming sweet Saffron City tea.

“Because clouds are wimps,” came a voice from the door.

Everyone turned to look, seeing Sam standing, soaked with a Bonsly in his arms.

“You have a Bonsly in your arms,” Jason deadpanned.

“I tend to do that every now and again,” he replied, sitting down beside Kristine. “Mornin’, Sunshine.”

Kristine squeed, pulling Bonsly into her lap. “It’s so cuuuuute!”

“Bons!” It said, smiling, and fell back on its back, rolling in her lap.

“I heard some folks talking down in the town about a big storm that’s coming around.” Sam shrugged, sliding smoothly against Sunshine. “Which means a tiny island like this is gonna get hammered.”

“Maybe it’ll wash away all of Georgia’s Muk muck.”

“I think it might be a little more intense than that,” Jason said, pointing at a television screen across the room.

Everyone turned.

“While we’re here giving you live coverage of the incoming storm, Hurricane Nate, we switch to our on-the-scene corespondent, Trisha Takinawa. Trisha?”

“Yes, good morning, Gary. I’m coming live from Three Island’s Outer Bank where the storm surge of Hurricane Nate can already be felt in a great and powerful way. We’re seeing a mighty move of waves here in the area, and we have great expectations all through the town that Hurricane Nate will be one for the record books.”

“Trisha, there appears to be a disgruntled woman approaching you.”

“A disgruntled woma--?”

“This is Georgia Regal, reporting live from where you want to be but can’t afford, and I just want to say, Gary, to all those gross, disgusting, big-footed, bird-loving, bug-hating Kristine Cooks out there, that Farfetch’d is not going to happen.” She smiled. “Back to you, Gary.”

“Err, yes. That was Trisha Takinawa and, er, Georgia Regal...reporting live from the storm center of Three Island. Tune in later, folks, and remember to Catch All Your News on Channel 151!”

“What a conveniently-timed broadcast,” Hayden murmured.

“Did you see her hair?” Kristine asked, blinking at the TV. “It looks like she’s been living in the wild since she left the gym.”

Kristine turned back to the table where their Pokeballs were sitting in a circle--it was one of the Pokecenter’s weird machines that rested Pokemon through the Pokeball. Jason didn’t get it at all. She looked worried about something.

“Spill the slushie, Sunshine.”

Kristine bit her lip, petting Bonsly. “I’m just worried about Glen and the other boys from the island.”

“They’ve lived here their whole lives,” said Jason, “I’m sure they’re teabagging the coastline right now.”

“Sandbagging,” Sin corrected.

“That’s totally what I said,” Jason shot back.

“If you say so,” said Sinclair, winking to Kristine.

“So we’re leaving, right?”

“We need to.”

“But how? We didn’t even get here by boat, remember? We just...appeared here.”

“Oh right. I suppose there’s something to be said about psychic travel.”

“Yeah, that it’s one-way and one-way only.”

“That’s what you’d like to think, isn’t it?”

Everyone jumped.

Sabrina. Sabrina had just...appeared out of nowhere, and was sitting beside Sin, sipping steaming-sweet Saffron City tea. “I’m sure you thought I would just leave you here. In fact, that’s what each of you have just thought as I said that--and now Jason’s thinking about bananas--but I didn’t bring you here to leave you in the path of a hurricane.” She ran a hand through her purple hair and laid back against the seat, putting an arm around Sin’s shoulder.

“Why’d you bring us here in the first place?”

“I saw you defeating Georgia regal in your future if I did. And Georgia Regal really gets on my last psychic nerve.”

“It’s because she’s a bug-type trainer, isn’t it...”

“Mostly, but she’s also a blowhard who needed to be knocked down a few miles, so I figured that Kristine would have the perfect potential to do just that.” She smirked. “And, I saw him--” she pointed a finger-gun at Sam, “--wandering through the island all on his own. But if he doesn’t stop thinking about how hot I am, I may just have to leave him somewhere alone on Mount Coronet.”

Sam gulped.

“Gather your Pokemon. I’ll take you to Vermilion. You’ll have an interesting time there, and you’ll encounter some people you haven’t seen in a month.”

“You can see our entire future?”

“Only the parts in which I meddle,” she replied. “My pokemon do the rest for me. Get your Pokeballs and get ready to g--”

That’s when the power cut out.