Pokébook: Kanto

Kristine Apparently Not But Maybe So After All | Mt. Ember

Kristine's heart was being pulled in all sorts of places. She kept looking back at her man candy down by the boat, not wanting him to leave her life quite so soon. Lumichu gave up in redirecting her attention, bouncing out of her arms and onto the ground with the others.

"So we have to climb all the way to the top?" Haydn clarified, looking up to the tip of the mountain. Kristine followed his gaze, barely seeing it through all the clouds.

"That's most likely the point," Sin said.

"If we can't make it to the top, then there's no point," Jason said. Kristine privately treasured those moments the two agreed with each other.

They entered the cave entrance of the mountain, and their travels were long and tedious. Someone was taking sympathy on them when they stopped by the Pokemon Center. The restock of supplies was a brilliant idea. Everyone was passing around water and snacks to make it through the mountain. When it came to the heat though, water went by the fastest.

Jason suddenly doubled-over, heaving for oxygen. "Is that seriously our last drop?" he asked, watching longingly as Hayden emptied the remaining drips from the bottle onto his parched tongue.

Kristine didn't show much encouragement, searching helplessly in her tiny pouch in which no more than one bottle of water could have fit with everything else inside. Sin also came up empty-handed.

"Pika..."

Kristine turned back around where she heard her pikachu make his weak cry for help. The little guy took its final step before falling face first on the ground. "Lumichu!" Kristine scooped him up and held her friend close.

"Put him in his ball," Sin snapped, though Kristine knew he meant to be helpful. The heat was getting to everyone now.

"Here," she cooed, pulling out a colorful berry. "I didn't by many of them since I've no idea about berries, but it should help."

Lumichu didn't care about what she said. He yanked that berry so fast, no one would have believed him to be so weak; but the pikachu curled up in Kristine's arms and munched on the fruit little by little, clearly in a happy place.

There was a skitter of feet around them. Jason and Sin both snapped to attention, but nothing came out.

"Let's keep going," Jason said. Somehow rejuvenated, he continued leading the way up the volcanic mountain.

The other three looked at each other, heaved their own heavy sighs, and trudged after him.

"You don't think we've far to go, do you?" Kristine asked Sin.

"It's been a long while now," Sin answered. Vague answer is vague.


Kristine sighed and continued the slow, quiet march up the road. She couldn’t really blame anyone for not being talkative since even she was hardly thinking on her two feet. Still, the quiet only continued to pop random questions in her mind that she couldn’t help but ask -- after all, it was complete habit to just start conversation.

“I’d love a ponyta one day--”

“Not this again, seriously,” Sin said, turning face-to-face with Kristine as they walked.

Kristine managed a small smile and nodded. “I think it would be brilliant. What do you think, Hayden?”

The boy looked up from the pokeball in his hand. “Hm?”

“Something on your mind?” Kristine jumped on the opportune moment for a new topic of interest.

Hayden shrugged. “Just tired.”

“Nervous for the gym?”

He shrugged again.

“If anyone had the energy to be nervous for a gym, they’re not climbing Mt. Ember,” Sin muttered grumpily.

“Well, maybe you’re right,” Kristine said. “That could be a good thing though. I imagine they’d have some water up there to help us out before a gym battle.”

“Are you going to battle?” Hayden was rather quick in catching that one.

Kristine laughed and shook her head. “I told you, I couldn’t do that. I’m not much of a battler.”

“Not how I would’ve put it.”

“Pika,” Lumichu squeaked. Kristine couldn’t tell if that was a cry in retort or concern.

“Hey, guys. I think we’ve got a way out.”

Jason | Mt. Ember

“You really think that bridge is safe?” Hayden had narrow eyes--either from nervousness or fatigue, or both. Jason put his backpack down on the ledge and put both hands on two wooden poles jutting out from the ground. Between a deep ravine--suitably flowing with veins of magma--stretched out a loose, ancient-looking rope bridge, missing planks and all.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Jason said, and placed a hesitant foot on the first plank. It creaked and bent. “Yeah. Just fine,” he said, and backed off the plank. It groaned once more in thanks.

“Perhaps there’s another way around,” Sinclair murmured, peering down the ledge of the ravine. “While I’m certain the village is on the other side, certainly there’s a way to cross safely.”

“Sure there is,” Jason quipped back, “by flying, or crossing this bridge.”

Sinclair took out his Pokegear and searched over the map of the mountain. There were three segments to the front face, it appeared--the east, the west, and the center, in the middle of which was the village. The three were separated by two chasms.

“This gym leader certainly does admire his privacy,” he remarked.

“You’d think it would be enough to be on an Island off the mainland of the continent, but no--he has to go and seclude himself on an island off the island away from the continent, requiring a boat ride, a mountain climb, and a life-risking advance across a canyon of doom!” Jason dropped to the ground on his tail in frustration. “This badge had better be worth it.”


The ground trembled beneath their feet as a wave of heat blasted from the lips of the mountain. They each watched the faraway peak nervously, almost expecting a grand eruption.

“Look down there!” Kristine pointed into the ravine where the veins of magma had vanished, leaving the black char of molten boulders. The ground shook once again, much more violently, as a flood of magma filled the basin beneath them. They all watched with eyes squinted against the searing heat.

“So. Thirsty.” Hayden dropped to his tail just as Jason had, putting his head in his hands. The mountain had definitely taken its toll already, and was only getting more draining.

Then, like an intervention, came the sound of baby Pokemon. Sinclair peered over the ledge, where a pair of tiny twin fire Pokemon were fending off a larger--and more ferocious--Fearow. Sinclair took out his Pokedex to get a reading on all of them.

Fearow
Species: Beak Pokemon
Type: Normal and Flying
Fearow is recognized by its long neck and elongated beak. They are conveniently shaped for catching prey in soil or water. It deftly moves its long and skinny beak to pluck prey.

Magby
Species: Live Coal Pokemon
Type: Fire
The pre-evolved form of Magmar, Magby has magma-like blood that circulates throughout its body. Its body's heat can top 1,100 degrees F. Its state of health is determined by observing the fire it breathes. If the Pokemon is spouting yellow flames from its mouth, it is in good health. When it is fatigued, black smoke will be mixed in with the flames.

Sinclair didn’t look pleased. “I think they may be in trouble,” he said, and pointed to the smoke billowing out of one Magby’s lips. The fearow circled around the canyon, diving in with an Aerial Ace attack, knocking both of them into the river of lava.

Kristine gasped. “Can they survive in lava?!”

“It’s like their blood,” Jason replied, “they can take it.”

And sure enough, the duo sprang from the magma and gave Fearow a duo-blast of Lava Plume, bringing the flaming bird crashing into the rope bridge in front of the kids. The ropes tugged and snapped, wrangling Fearow up in a net. And just as they thought it was doomed to fall into the river of lava, a flash of light captured the snared Fearow in a dark red Pokeball.

Out from a cave down below walked a tall, tanned man in tribal clothes. The Pokeball returned to his hand and he stowed it, walking back into the cave without a word to the Magby. Accomplished and victorious, the twins dove into the lava and vanished.

“That was weird,” Sin murmured. “I wonder who that was.”

“Who cares?” Jason asked, “he went into that cave down below--I bet that’s the way to the village.”

They all looked at one another, thinking it over, and nodded in unison.

__ __ __ __

Ember Cave

As hot as it had been outside--and man, had it been hot outside--the air in the cave felt like it could melt a Pokeball...which Sinclair didn’t like the thought of at all. Luckily, the cave wasn’t too dark--some sort of dark amber glow from the melting rocks made it visible enough to pass through. Jason ran a hand through his hair, wet and sticky with sweat. If nothing else, he was gonna demand a ride on the gym leader’s Moltres back down to the docks after their battle.

Sinclair checked his Pokenav and wiped his eyes and forehead to see better. “There’s not that much further, I think.” He stowed it and looked back at the others trailing behind him...and saw Hayden as he staggered against the burning wall and collapsed. “Hayden!”

They were gathered around him, Noah standing beside Hayden’s face. “Alright, Noah...just a little drizzle to wake him up, alright?”

Squirtle nodded and turned his head up, spouting out raindrops from his jaws. The cold spray covered Hayden’s face, and he stirred, opening blurry eyes with a groan. Kristine and Jason took the chance to fill their canisters of water from the raindrops, be it Squirtle spit or not. Sin caught onto the idea and filled his own canister with a water gun, drinking the whole thing down in no time.

“I wonder if we’re going to see a mirage down here,” Kristine wondered out loud.

“Knowing you,” Jason said between gulps of water, “you’ll be riding a Ponyta before we find the exit.”

Hayden added in his own comment, but it all ended up amounting to a slow “Ggrrrrhjmmmmshshhhlllmmn?”

Within minutes, they were back on their feet, reluctantly moving through the molten crag again. Jason looked around when things became brighter. “I wonder why there aren’t any Pokemon down here...” The others stopped and looked back through the cave with a shrug.

“Maybe it’s too bad a place to live in.” Kristine knelt down behind one of the larger boulders and let out a short grunt as she wedged something out of the ground. It was a shiny, jagged orange stone that seemed to glow. “I think I found something valuable!” she exclaimed, and held her new gem up to the others, who groggily looked at it.

Sinclair grinned and took out his Pokedex, altering a setting on the main console. “Luckily, I have the latest feature for a Pokedex--an ItemDex!” He held out the device and scanned the stone, registering it with a loud Ding!

Fire Stone
Initiates a powerful evolution in numerous species of Pokemon.
It is fabled to contain the flames of a Moltres.

“Kristine, it looks like you’ve found quite the valuable gem.” Sinclair stowed his Pokedex and took a long look at the fire stone. “This stone is supposed to be able to make Cade evolve.”

“Guys--” Jason called from a distance ahead, “--I found the exit.”

He was standing by a ladder in a small chambered room just big enough for one or two people to stand in. He grabbed the rope ladder and hoisted himself up with Sinclair and the others following.

Nick | Cerulean City

The city was both a navigational nightmare and an engineers paradise -- you couldn’t travel more than a hundred yards in one direction without crossing a bridge. Clear blue water filled the canals where an armada of boats ferried passengers and goods backwards and forwards with remarkable skill. Nick felt his jaw dropping again at this brand new sight, and he realised, quite suddenly, that he wouldn’t have missed this trip for the world.

They followed Galveston -- the hero of the hour had insisted they use his first name -- through the hustle and bustle of Cerulean as he pointed out the main places of interest.

“That’s the second Pokécenter in Cerulean,” he said, gesturing at the only floating Pokécenter in Kanto. “Almost brand new, actually. It was opened about two years ago.”

The tour continued and Galveston showed them the famous Miracle Cycle shop. But, more interestingly, the group were amazed by the amount of people that stopped to greet Galveston. Almost everyone who passed greeted him and, without exception, he smiled and wished them a good day.

“This,” he said with a grave expression, “is the centerpiece of our city. The Staryu Fountains.”

Even Katya looked impressed.

The central plaza was free from shops and stalls and, although it was surrounded by canals on all four sides, it still managed to retain a sense of openness and freedom. The plaza was dominated by a large circular pool surrounded by pillars topped by Staryu statues. Nick walked towards them, admiring the likeness of the sculptures and wondered if he’d see a real one on his journey.

“Isn’t that a Starmie statue there in the middle?” asked Art. He was a little bit at sea when his Pokédex refused to categorise the lifeless statues.

“You’re exactly right,” said Galveston, but his attention seemed to be focused elsewhere.

A much larger column stood in the centre with a powerful-looking Starmie statue standing like a sentry on top. The sculptor had even set an octagonal red gemstone in its middle, just like a real Starmie. But for some unfathomable reason, Nick thought it had a forlorn air about it.

It was Eve who first noticed what was wrong.

“But Galveston,” she asked. “Why are the fountains dry?”

The others gasped as they realised -- it was true. There was no water in the Staryu fountains. Katya looked as if she was about to say something, but another sneeze caught her off-guard. Galveston looked at her with a strange expression.

“I think that’s a story for another time,” he said, finally, after an uncomfortable silence. He turned without another word and led the group onwards to their final destination.

__ __ __ __


“I don’t suppose you’ve got anything in your pack that’d stop her sneezing, do you?” asked David. “We’re all going to go down with it at this rate.”

“Let me see,” Nick replied, going through his mental checklist of berries and appropriate cures. “Would you say you’re feeling Frozen, Katya?”

“What a stupid question,” she replied with a toss of her head. “It’s a cold, not a freeze!”

“You know,” Galveston spoke up for the first time since his silence at the fountains, “one of my colleagues in Pewter published an interesting article on the curative properties of a chemical in Lum berries.”

Nick almost stopped walking. “He did what?”

“Yes, Lum berries,” Galveston continued, oblivious to Nick’s distress. “Apparently he’s got a load of experimental evidence to prove his findings. It’s ground-breaking work for the scientific community. He’ll make millions.”

Nick had no words.

“Anyway,” their guide breezed on, “you kids look like you could do with a rest. And here we are!”

Art looked at the building before them. “But that’s the mayor’s house...”

“So it is,” Galveston said with a smile. “I guess that makes me the mayor.”

David (or really Galveston) | Cerulean Manor


The inside of the Mayor’s house wasn’t surprising at all. While it was beautiful--and Eve and Nick marveled at each detail--it still seemed reserved, almost as if purposefully quaint for the sake of being conservative. The floors in the main halls were, fittingly, cerulean marble; but these places that were decorated to the high heavens were also dedicated to things that David noticed: a kitchen full of poorly-clothed people; a series of rooms where women in white scrubs doctored wounds to injured civilians; and then there was a large archway in the back that was blocked off by a gate, and behind that gate was a large waterfall.

“So what all does this place serve as?” David asked.

“This is a town hall, soup kitchen, free clinic for the central district, and my home.” Galveston led them up a large stairway where a large wooden door marked the entrance to his home. “It’s strange, I know, but it’s beautifully efficient, I think, much like the ability to use water to create electricity, which in turn purifies our water so that we may drink. We return the water to the system, and we continue our cycle, endlessly.”

“Your poeticism,” Art said, “is much better than Katya’s.”

As they laughed, Galveston led them inside.

It didn’t take the kids long to make themselves at home; in fact, the moment they’d been asked by a maid to take their shoes off at the door to Galveston’s actual home, most of them had relaxed entirely. It was common courtesy, after all, to relax house guests--and trainers who had almost met their ends in the Cerulean River were more than deserving of some lush treatment. It was when they were all seated in the den on enormous couches that Art finally asked once again about the Staryu fountains.

“I just don’t get how a fountain dries up in the middle of the Water Capitol of the World.”

Galveston smiled at this and placed his glass of water on the table in the middle of their community circle. The table was a large circle, fashioned into the map of Cerulean City with all its beautiful waterways and architecture. And in the center of the table was a small replica of the statues and fountain.

Most eyes were intent on his face--all eyes except for David’s, which were closed in a deep, boyish nap. He was laid back against Nick’s shoulder, his head wedged between the boy’s arm and the couch, hair splayed over his face and drifting up and down as he took deep, sleepy breaths.

“It’s a very good question,” Galveston replied with a nod, “but, unfortunately, it’s a very difficult one to answer.” He sat back in his large arm chair and crossed one leg over his knee, lacing his fingers together. “There seem to be two problems taking their toll at once, I’m afraid.” He looked to Eve. “You had been traveling from the west, from Pewter City, yes?” Eve nodded. “So certainly you must have seen the spectacle above Mt. Moon just two nights ago.”

With a hesitant glance to the others, she slowly nodded. “We, um, yes.” She nodded again, more sure of herself. “We were actually on Mt. Moon when the incident occurred.”

Galveston gave her a curious look, pondering probably on whether or not they were the cause of the issue. But the look in Eve’s eyes didn’t betray her--and Galveston knew they weren’t, somehow. “That’s very curious,” he said, and took another sip of his water. “As you’ll recall, I told you that the floods and recessions have been ravaging our waterways for three days, yes?”

They all nodded.

“And yet the meteor shower did not come until two nights ago.”

Art raised an eyebrow. “Meteor shower? I thought there was just a ray of light,” he said.

“Oh, heavens no.” Galveston shook his head and reached beside his arm chair for a newspaper, laying it on the table. “There was an odd blast of light from high on the mountain, but then came a strange and dazzling array of comets that filled the skies of Cerulean with the most peculiar blue lights.” He smiled, then, and sat back in his chair. “It’s still, from what I hear, the biggest word on the streets.”

Katya didn’t seem moved. “So what did the light show have to do with the floods and fountains?”

The Mayor shook his head. “I’m not quite sure it has anything to do with either, though it would be mad to say it’s just sheer coincidence that three spectacular things happened randomly in the span of three days!”

Nick grinned. “So perhaps there’s a missing piece somewhere.”

Art, with Paras crawling up and down the side of his head, was aggravated by the derailed conversation. “Can we just start from squre one? Why has the Cerulean River been flooding and receding?”

“Well,” Galveston said, hesitating, “I’m not entirely sure.” He didn’t seem pleased with himself for his answer. He quickly recovered, though, with a sudden, “But it’s only because I have yet to find the time or energy to investigate in the Northern Cape.” He sighed. “The problem is most definitely stemming from the bay area.”

“And you believe that may be causing the fountains to run dry as well?”

“No,” Galveston replied quickly.

Nick groaned, bringing David out of his nap mid-breath. “Then why have the fountains run dry?”

David groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes. His speech was slurred, but he ran a hand through his hair and answered. “Maybe dhe Shtaryu are shick,” he yawned.

Galveston thought for a moment.

“There aren’t actually Staryu making the fountains run, David,” Eve replied.

Galveston hummed to himself, deep in thought.

“...are there?”

“Wellllllll,” Galveston replied, stretching out the sound.

Katya stood up, grabbing her bag. “Sounds like it’s time for a tour.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy,” Galveston said, shrugging. “No one is legally permitted into the Cerulean Underground without a Cascade Badge.” He sighed. “And, unfortunately, our gym leader has been refusing to take challengers until the flood crisis has been dealt with.”

David gave a groggy thumbs-up. “Then we’ll go investigate what’s going on up north, and then come back, fight the gym leader, and then get those fountains running again.”

Galveston stood, looking to each of them individually. “Would you really do this for me?”

“Of course!” Nick pipped. “We’re always glad to help out when we can.”

“Besides,” David added, “I need to get this gym leader out of hiding so I can kick her butt and get my badge.”

A voice came from the door along with three knocks. “Dr. Winters, you’ve been requested in the South Clinic.”

Eve looked at David. “He’s a doctor, too?”

Galveston nodded to his aide and looked at the kids. “I wish you the best of luck. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call me on your PokeGear. My number is nine nine thr--”

“Already got it,” Art said, tightening a screw in the Pokeball in his hand.

“How--?”

“Wireless informational adaptation,” he said. “I have everyone’s number who has a PokeGear or Pokenav, as long as they’ve been within 10 yards of me. Want to call the army guard from Valentine’s base? I have his number. The receptionist from the Pewter Academy? I have her number, too. Though, she won’t answer my calls.”

Galveston nodded. “I must be off. Please be safe, and let me know anything you find.”

Katya Whose Alter Ego is Katychu | To The Bay

“A-chuuuuu!”

Katya sneezed vehemently at Art, who didn’t hesitate in putting a wide berth between himself and her. In fact, he wasn’t the only one--now the whole group formed a huge circle around her, making her feel like the eye of a Magnemite. The only one that stayed close to her was Alva--taking a nap on top of her hat. And the fluffy tail that flopped down into her face once in a while wasn’t helping. “Achuu!”

“You know, you sound remarkably like--”

“A Katychu!” Nick cut into Art’s sentence, grinning at Katya, earning him the ten-thousandth glare of the day. By now the entire group had gotten used to her glares--too used. She figured it was because she was glaring a tad too much. She’d just simply have to find some other way to make them understand that Katya Faelane was never to be taken lightly. Never.

Her malevolent ideas got interrupted as David came to a halt in front of the river they almost drowned in just a few hours ago. “Well...here we are.” David grinned somewhat nervously, eliciting a roll of the eyes from Katya. For all his bravado, he really didn’t like taking risks.

Nick, on the other hand, didn’t even seem to register the river, skipping ahead to pick up something that suspiciously looked like a scale. A dragon scale. The entire group stared at him.

“Nick, is that--?” Art started, but found himself unable to complete it as Katya knocked into him, rushing over to Nick. She put her hand out for the scale.

“Give. Now.”

Nick stared at her nonplussed, holding the scale away from her rather possessively. “And why should I?”

“Because I can - ” She sneezed here, taking away all the dignity out of her words. “ - make better use of it than you can.”

Eve rolled her eyes. “He found it first, so let him have it.”

“But I can do so much--”

“Forget it, Katya.” David clapped her affably on the shoulder before walking past her, seeming to have got some of his bravado back. “I’m pretty sure you’ll find something else to steal.”

“I hope so.” Katya sniffled. When the entire group stared at her she blinked back. “What?”

“You didn’t even try to--” Art shook his head almost sadly. “Never mind.”

Eve shouldered past her, leaving her staring behind the group.
“Vat?”

It wasn’t very much farther before the trees around the river opened out into a clearing, and to everyone’s astonishment, a huge campsite. David was the first person to say anything.

“People actually camp out here?”

“Not everyone is scared of the river, David-y.” Nick almost snickered at this, but covered it up with coughs. David stared at Katya’s impish grin before shaking his head at her in the same manner as Art and looking back at the campsite.

“I mean...Cerulean’s just a walk away. Why would anyone camp out here with the river so close?”

“Guys.” Art peeked into a tent. “I think you’ll want to see this.”

*Much love to Lumimeister for putting up with my inane questions <3 He's a star.*

Sinclair Definitely- Mt. Ember

Sinclair usually loved climbing. Really. Running and sliding and swinging were all fun, but there was nothing quite like the sense of achievement that climbing gave. The only thing was, at home he had always been on a harness, he had never really had to think about falling before. He had put Cade and Noah back in their Pokéballs- Julius had never emerged out of his, and followed Jason, carefully calculating where he put each hand and foot.

"Sin, at the rate you're going we won't be there by Sunday," Kristine muttered. "Come on."

"Just because I am aware of the dangers of climbing a ladder in a dark cave in the side of a volcano and do not wish to fall to my death does not mean this is not an appropriate pace," Sin replied.

"Anyone would think you didn't want to get to the gym."

"I have two water type Pokémon now. Of course I want to get to the gym- I see light!"

"I see it too," Hayden said from the back of the group. Jason grunted and pulled himself out at the top of the ladder. He then had the cheek to offer Sinclair a hand, which Sin waved away. He didn't need Jason's help to do this. He had been rock-climbing since the age of three after all. Pulling himself up, Sinclair admired the village. Or what there was of a village. There weren't even real buildings, there were,

"Tents," Jason said, cocking his head to one side.

"Wigwams," Sinclair said, proud that he knew his lingo.

Kristine was next up. "What are they all... wearing?"

Hayden came gracefully out of the pothole with no help at all. "The feathered headdresses resemble Moltres whom they praise."

"Even if I did worship a giant fire-bird, which I don't, I wouldn't put one of those on my head," Kristine said flatly, and Sinclair nodded in agreement. The headdresses not only looked silly, with odd feathers sticking out at every angle, he would bet they were heavy as well. Some were smaller than others, worn with a strange arrangement of leather and animal skin and handwoven clothing. All the villagers stopped to stare at them with dark eyes. Sin assumed not many people ever actually came to the gym- speaking of-

"Where is the gym?" he asked.

"It's... up... there..." Jason said, pointing what must have been a hundred metres up the side of the volcano again. A collective groan went up from the group. "You mean we have to... to climb... more..." Kristine said, sounding faint.

"Let's get some water first," Hayden said and they all rushed to agree with this idea.

The Moltres woman they asked, with a round headdress of upright feathers, was only too happy to oblige, and jabbered on happily to herself in a language they didn't understand, so they just smiled and nodded along. Then, their thirsts quenched, the group began on the long slope of stone steps set into the wall. It was the longest walk Sin had ever taken. And then, at last, they were there.

The four of them together pushed the door open- no one could have managed it on their own, and stepped in. It was sweltering hot in here. Oh, perfect. Sin wiped his forehead on his sleeve and looked around. They were on a safe slab of stone- at least he hoped it was safe, and stable, because all around them was bubbling hot lava.

"Have fun with that," Kristine said, her feet quite firmly planted on the first slab.

There were little sort of paddle boats (Sinclair sincerely hoped that they were... lava-proof?) leading to three other slabs of rock in the centre of the red river, then on the other side lay another slab, and a shadow in a throne. "That must be the leader," Sin said, but all they could make out was the absolutely massive headdress.

"Each of us should take one Prelim each," Jason said and the others nodded. Sinclair was hesitant about getting into the little boat assigned to him, but if Jason Mason could do it, why not him? He got in, perfectly balanced, and the boat went of its own accord to the middle Preliminary. It was a pretty teenage girl, with big black eyes and a tiny little pointed nose-

"Focus, Sin," Kristine said behind him. He looked back at her and nodded. "Good luck," she said.

"Thanks."

The girl's lips curled into a smile. "Ready to battle?" she asked with a heavy accent.

"Yup, I think so," Sinclair nodded, fingering Noah's Pokéball.

The girl rolled out a Charmander, and Sin almost laughed. "Go, Noah!"

"SQUIIIIIRT!" Noah said, standing strong in front of the Charmander.

The girl called the Charmander some name he didn't recognise, and ordered, "Scratch!"

"Watch out, Noah!" Sin said, and Squirtle only caught the very tail end of the Charmander's attempts. Sin smiled. "Start simple, Noah. Tackle!"

Noah body-slammed the Charmander, who whimpered. The girl looked shocked, then ordered, "Ember!"

There was no way to escape that, but Noah looked unimpressed, glancing back at Sin as if to say, Can I go yet? Sin grinned. "Go on then! Bubble!"

The Charmander dived to protect its tail light and, with a grimace, the girl moved aside to let Sin pass through to the leader. "Good luck," she said and he felt rather pleased that a pretty older woman had said this to him.

The other two boys were still battling. He assumed he had had the easy option. There was another boat-raft, and Sin went across to the gym leader. "Hello," he said. "I'm Sinclair Audley."

The figure in the huge headdress stood up. "I am Montel, the great and powerful. I praise Moltres in the mornings as the sun sets the east on fire, and as the night falls when it lights the last guard fire in the West. I draw on the power of Mount Ember, my Pokémon thrive in their surroundings. Will you take your chances?"

"Yes please," Sin said brightly. Montel the great and powerful looked like a girl. It was funny.

And he sent out... a Charmander.

"Is this all you people have? Noah, Bubble!" he said, and Noah happily obliged. This Charmander, however, was not as timid as the last one, and while it flinched, it didn't seem too affected.

"Smoke screen," Montel called in a deep voice that did not suit his physical form. Charmander disappeared in a wall of smoke. "Tackle, Noah," Sin said warily, and while Noah charged into the smoke, he came back out spluttering. It was obvious that he couldn't see anything. Moltres laughed- then stared in amazement at his Charmander.

"Karla, what's happening?" the leader asked.

"Oh lord, well done, Audley," Jason said. "You're so bad it's taking the time to evolve."

It was evolving! Sin couldn't believe this, staring at the Charmander moved and changed, and cursed himself. Charmanders were okay, but could he deal with what was coming next?

"It's a Charmeleon!" Hayden said excitedly. But Montel was grimacing and withdrew the Charmeleon. Sin frowned. Why would he do that?

Jason, behind him, burst out laughing. "He doesn't think he can deal with it! It's too stubborn for him! What sort of gym leader are you?"

Montel snarled, but it didn't really work on those fine, girly features. He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and pulled out an Arbok.

"That's not a Fire Pokémon," Sin said rather stupidly.

"Don't underestimate it, Sin," Hayden said.

"Your friend is right. Veno, Fire Fang!"

Noah wasn't quick enough that time. He seemed to be hurt badly. Sin bit his lip, then held out a Pokéball. "Back in, Noah. Good boy, you did your best." He would use him again, if necessary, but for now, maybe it was time to fight fire with fire.

"Go! Cade!" he shouted and threw his next ball.

"PSY-AY-AY-DUUUUUCK!" Julius roared, ready for battle.

"No- wait- I-"

Montel laughed. "Really? That's what you plan on battling with? Very well, who am I to judge? Veno, bite!"

Sin flinched. Julius held his head, his headache clearly made no better by the nasty move. Sin sighed. "Water Gun?" he tried, now that Julius was out.

"It's no good, Arbok's not a fire type," Jason reminded him.

"Quiet," Sin said, panicking a little. The Water Gun did very little damage to the Arbok.

"Bite, again, go on," Montel egged the Arbok on.

It did so. This did not please Julius.

There was a lot of commotion. Sin felt dizzy. The room span and he was afraid that if he moved his legs he may just walk straight into the lava. "PSY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Julius shouted.

"His headache's gotten too much!" Hayden shouted, his hands clamped over his ears.

Then, there was deafening quiet. Julius stood quite content looking at a fainted Arbok. Sin gaped at it.

Moltres pulled in the Arbok. "Looks like I've... I've... been defeated." For a moment Sin thought he was going to cry. "I shall give you the badge. But first. Which of you gentlemen is next?"

Sin didn't know. Sin didn't care. Sin just wanted to hug Julius and possibly bake him a gigantic cake.

Jason | Montel’s Sanctum

“I’m next,” demanded Jason. After seeing how easily that moron of a Psyduck took care of his mighty Arbok, Jason was sure to win. After all, he’d probably just whip out another weakling Charmander on him.

“Very well,” said the chief. “Your friend has demonstrated a great tolerance to the rage of the purging flame. May you now demonstrate a mastery over its destructive speed? Trainer, let us duel!” Montel chucked a Pokeball into the middle of the platform and released a blazing red fox. It had eyes like coal and a snarl that seemed to be on fire itself.

Jason checked the ‘dex.

Flareon, it told him, a pure flame Pokemon. “Alright,” Jason called out, “let’s roll. Durden!” With a flash of light, Tyrogue rolled out onto the field, assuming a readied fighting pose. Around its waist was the black belt Tyler had given him--a sign of his balanced strength. “Tyrogue! Mach punch!”

The fighter dashed into action, launching at the fire fox with his fist held out. Just before it could make contact, though, the Flareon phased out of the way.

“Incinerate!”

Flareon opened its mouth and let out a quick chain of flames, lashing at Tyrogue’s backside as it toppled onto its head and rolled. The little fighter rolled back onto his feet and dashed at Flareon once more with another mach punch, socking it in the jaw to the edge of the field; but Flareon wasn’t going down so easy. Jason grimaced as it blasted a wave of heated energy around it, even blowing a front of heat past Jason, making his hair blow in the hot air. The energy shot Tyrogue into the air, and Flareon leaped to reverse their positions.

“Tyrogue! Quick atta--”

Flareon nabbed Tyrogue with its teeth, smashing it down on the edge of the ring and threatening to blast him into the lava. Jason whipped out his Pokeball as quick as possible and recalled Tyrogue, dripping sweat from his nose. “O--okay...a bit stronger than I expected,” he murmured.

“Perhaps your strategy cannot outmaneuver the blazing speed of my Flareon!” Montel had his arrogance back now. Jason snarled.

“You’re about to eat your words, bird brain!” He took out his second Pokeball. “Krabby!”

Krabby burst onto the field with bubbles floating around him, snapping his claws and ready for action. It stared blankly at Flareon and just let out tiny clicks of “Ki ki ki ki ki!” as it danced around. “Krabby! Bubble!” The tiny crab took in a deep breath and began blowing out a storm of bubbles into the air around himself and Flareon. They looked like tiny, shiny mines in the air--mines that would take down any flames that touched them, Jason hoped.

“Flareon, onward to victory!”

Flareon let out a howl, a wild cry of energy as a burst of flames consumed it, almost in an aura. It reminded Jason of watching Dragonball Z as a kid--and then Flareon began moving faster than Jason had ever seen anything move.

Ever.

It was like watching a red comet blasting across the field. The bubbles were vaporizing under its touch, and flames trailed behind Flareon as it dashed.

“Take out the enemy, Riza.”

The bolt of flames circled around Krabby and suddenly crashed into him, sending him soaring across the field, across the center islands, and onto the platform where Kristine stood, watching intently. She quickly dodged as Krabby flew by her head and into the wall, KO’d.

“Any more Pokemon?” Montel asked.

“Just one,” Jason replied, almost nervously, “and he’s gonna take you down.”

“Fight with honor, friend.”

“Waut, I choose you!”

Elekid was brimming with power, charged from head to toe and ready for some sort of action. He hadn’t seen a battle since the rockets, and this Flareon was just his ticket to get some. “ELE!”

“Flame charge, Flareon!” The fire fox dashed forward once more in its blazing aura, leaving Elekid to grin as it dashed by. Unfortunately for Flareon, Elekid matched her dash-for-dash.

“Shock wave!” Elekid began charging energy between its antennae, dashing in circles with Flareon. The trails behind them were dazzling--red and yellow, like two comets battling for control of the sky. They were both landing incredible hits, burning and shocking and knocking each other off course only to come back for more just a second later.

And it was quickly wearing Flareon down. But Elekid was fresh and charged, and it was time for the finish. Jason grinned and shouted, “Electro Ball!”

With a blast of static through the air, Elekid charged into Flareon full-force, breaking its flaming aura and sending it tumbling back, paralyzed, to Montel’s feet. And the glowing Elekid panted for breath as it fell to its knees, breaking its own aura. “Ele.”

“My Riza is unable to battle,” Montel said.

“Kid.” Waut dropped, exhausted-but-still-breathing.

“You have earned your Purge badge as well.”

Jason recalled both Elekid and Krabby and grinned, looking to Sin. And then Montel turned to Hayden.

“Luckily for you,” he said, “I’ve saved the best for last.”

Hayden | Montel’s Sanctum/Hayden Apparently| House of the Rising Sun

Hayden just watched as Montel returned Flareon to its pokeball and tossed a third one out onto the field.

It was a Nineales.

Hayden gulped and pulled out his Pokedex, feeling one pokeball— Kaze's— begin to shift.

Ninetales
Species: Fox Pokemon
Type: Fire

While Ninetales is a fire type, it has a strong affinity for psychic and ghost attacks. Legend says grabbing one of its tails will result in a thousand year curse. It evolves from Vulpix using a Fire Stone.

Hayden closed the ‘dex and went through what his options were. He’d never battled with Salem, and Ophelia would hopefully do decently against a fire type, considering how much she and Kaze stuck together.

Speak of the Vulpix.

Kaze’s pokeball wiggled more, until he managed to break out and land in front of Hayden, legs braced, barking at Ninetales.

"So you will be battling with him?" Montel asked, eyeing the Vulpix with a critical eye.

"N—" Hayden started saying, before Kaze turned around and Glared. Hayden almost took a step back, eyes widening at how fierce Kaze looked.

Despite the Vulpix's determination, Hayden was pretty sure it’d be a Bad Idea to put Kaze up against his evolved form. But it would be an even worse idea to try and tell Kaze that.

Hayden could only swallow and nod before taking his place across from the stronger than (s)he looked gym leader.

Montel nodded towards Hayden, confident enough that he’d let the younger go first. More bad signs.

“Kaze, Quick Attack then Fire Spin!”

Montel just smirked. “Ninetales, Imprison then Ember.”

Vulpix stopped in his tracks. Hayden was too busy worrying what was going on to look up the attack. With Kaze stationary, it was easy for Ninetales to land a direct hit on the fox.

The blast was strong enough to send Kaze flying.

Hayden pulled out his pokeball to switch out Vulpix for another, but Kaze got up from laying on his shoulder and yipped as if to say ‘I’m still alright’.

Montel waited for Hayden to get his bearings. This ninetales would mostly have Kaze’s attacks, only stronger. Which meant that Hayden would have to try something different if he even had a chance of winning.

He took a breath. “Tackle with a Flame Burst!”

Hopefully Kaze had learned the move from Cade well enough to use the move.

The Vulpix had. Kaze charged forward, gaining a glow as he absorbed the extra heat in the air to use Flame Burst at the strongest he could.

Montel just twitched the smallest smile. “Protect.”

Ninetales also developed a glow, extending a few inches past its fur. And Kaze was heading right for it.

He slammed into the barrier and bounced off with a loud “Vul-PIIIIIIIIX!” The fox pokemon landed a few feet away, confused and barely able to stand up again.

Only, this time, Montel didn’t give Hayden a chance to figure out what to do next.

“Finish this, Ninetales.”

Ninetales eyed Kaze with a look of contempt before beginning to twitch its tails. Black fire began to collect in the fur, making Ninetales look like a black peacock. Until it flicked all of its tails towards Kaze, still struggling to stay on its feet.

Hayden took a step back as nine Hexes descended on Kaze, each hitting with more intensity than the last as Kaze took more and more damage, getting blown back a foot or two each time.

By the time Kaze reached Hayden’s feet, he was already fainted, his yelping having long stopped.

“Match to Montel,” the teenage girl said. Hayden barely heard her as he scooped Kaze up to inspect damage.

He carefully stroked Kaze under the chin. “You did good,” he whispered, continuing to pet Kaze despite all logic telling him to put the worn out pokemon in his ball.

Kristine | Mt. Ember - Fire Gym

Hayden's defeat brought down a general hush over the entire group. Kristine subconsciously covered her mouth with a slight squeak. Hayden looked completely crushed -- more about his vulpix than the defeat. He scooped his friend right up and never looked eye-to-eye with the gym leader. Kristine breathed.

"You did great, Hayden," she said encouragingly as he turned around.

"Hey." Hayden stopped and turned ninety degrees, peering up at the gym leader. The Ninetales danced around his feet until they stopped next to him. "You didn't do bad, kid," he said. "Just not quite there yet. You have a strong, young vulpix. Almost there... but not yet."

"C'mon, Hayden," Kristine said softly, gently taking his arm.

"Thanks for the battle, miss -- I mean, uh... sir." Jason looked as if he planned that entire line in his head.

Montel sniffed. "You did well. As did you, Audley."

Sin nodded.

"What about you, miss? Care to battle?"

Kristine looked up from petting Kaze, who twitched at her touch whenever she hit a sensitive spot. "Me? No!" she laughed it off. "I'm not battling for any badges or anything. In fact, I don't--"

"Pika Pi!"

One of the Pokeballs in Kristine's pouch flashed open, and Lumichu popped out onto the ground. He danced around on all fours for a bit before stopping at Kristine's feet, looking up at her with the most excited, puppy-dog look a Pokemon's ever given her.

"Never too late to try?" Montel encouraged.

Kristine smiled and shook her head, though the guys in the group were finally saying something. Well, Sin and Hayden were. Jason seemed ready to head to the next gym already.

"Give it a try," Sin said. "You're not too bad. You could make the battle last a while anyway."

"Battle him, Kristine," Hayden mumbled.

"Pika pika!" Lumichu scrambled its way up Kristine's side and onto her shoulder. He crouched and glared at Montel, ready to pounce him like a feline and its mousey-catch.

But what convinced Kristine was Hayden's voice. All he wanted to do was get Kaze to the Pokemon Center, and Kristine had no other thought on her mind than to help her friend. Kristine smiled up at Montel, and the pikachu took that as a sign she would agree. The mouse pokemon bounded off her shoulder straight at Montel. Kristine reached out to catch him, but missed entirely; however, in that split second, Peach popped out of his own Pokeball and tackled that pikachu from behind, causing them to roll in a dust cloud into Montel's feet.

"I'm afraid not," Kristine said with a sympathetic smile, picking up Lumichu before it could fight back. Peach fluttered to his feet and gave the pikachu a warning glare before flying up onto her shoulder. "Thanks though."

"Well, good job, kids. May Moltres enlighten you."

The gym leader turned around and left them there. Kristine wasn't quite sure how to take that farewell, so as usual, she just shrugged it off, giggled, and followed the others back to the village.

----

Kristine could hardly remember how they arrived at the tent they were in. The climb down was still as exhausting as it was going up, though this could have been because the gym battles wore them all out. It was early evening by the time they reached the village, and the familiar woman found them again. Somehow, that all led to them eating here. It was all really just a giant haze of a memory. Though three things she definitely remembered:

1. Everyone was quiet.

2. Hayden distanced himself from the group.

3. Lumichu pouted and walked by himself the entire way back.

Peach nipped her ear, waking her up from the thoughts of their walk back. She looked down at her mysterious meat and vegetables, hardly touched. A quick glance told her that Hayden wasn't eating much. Kaze was picked up by another woman of the village, as well as the other boys' pokemon, for some rest. Lumichu refused to go, as did Peach, but neither of them wanted back in their ball either. The least Kristine could do was allow Berry a little air as well, and the three Pokemon were sent to eat in the corner by themselves -- Berry was the only talkative one at their huddle.

Sin's disapproval was shot toward Kristine and her stubborn crew more than a few times. She had a hard time ignoring his stares, but she knew he was right. He was always right. Her pokemon were untrained, undisciplined--but she loved them too much to ever care. Besides, she never needed the extra training since she never planned to battle professionally, if at all.

"So tomorrow," Jason finally said. He was obviously getting antsy in the quiet. He really just wanted to leave for some more badges. "We'll have to catch a boat then or something."

"We're leaving tomorrow?" Kristine brought up.

"Well, Hayden isn't exactly hyped up for a retry, is he?" Jason blurted. "If he's going to mope, I'm not going to wait for him. Let's keep going."

"Hayden, you're going to try again, aren't you?" Kristine asked. He didn't speak.

"Climbing back down the mountain cannot be the only way out of here," Sinclair said, scooping up some meat to eat.

"Sin--"

"What?" He shrugged at her desperate look. "Doesn't matter if we stay for Hayden or not. There has to be another way off this mount."

Hayden dropped his silverware and stood up. "Hayden, where are you going?" Kristine asked, but he just left the tent.

"I'm assuming he's not going to try again," Jason said before shoving a huge piece of meat in his mouth. Kristine glared at him, and he shrugged with a mouthful, "vha?"

"You don't seem very eager to leave either, Kristine," Sinclair was more than eager to point out. He continued to casually eat some more, but Kristine knew Sin well enough to know that he was still pushing her. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked back at her food.

"Pidgey..."

"Pika--PI PIKA!"

"Pi--pidgey! Pidge! Pidgey--"

Everyone turned to see Pikachu get yanked back from running towards her by a Bulbasaur's vine whip. The pikachu flailed, his cheeks sparking. She noticed the boys at the table tense, but Kristine only smiled. "You're a feisty little one, aren't you?"

Her soft voice relaxed all three pokemon, Berry setting the confused pikachu back onto the floor. Lumichu stood on its two feet and looked up at Kristine, following her every word. She wondered if he could actually understand what she said, but the thought didn't last long.

"You've got a pretty good team, you know," Sinclair said. Kristine turned just as he wiped the corners of his mouth. He had been avoiding her gaze this entire discussion. "I think you should try it. You never know: Maybe Hayden will regain some courage to try a battle again."

Sin made an incredibly good point -- a point that he probably knew she couldn't ignore. If it could prove a point to Hayden for another battle and encourage a bit more trust between her and Lumichu, it was most certainly worth the shot. She didn't know what she would do with a badge, but the thought of that was hardly something she considered. It was the battle itself that seemed to mean a lot more.

"Maybe I will," she said and scooped up some more food, "but I'm doing it after a good night's sleep."

Art | Dragon Eye Lake

“What is it, Art?”

Art glanced briefly at the party before moving aside to let them enter; the look in his eyes clearly conveyed to the others that he wasn’t far from running over to the lake and completely losing his breakfast.

The first thing that hit them square across the face when they poked their heads through the tent’s slit was the stench. Whoever was camping here had gone way overboard on the air fresheners - what exactly were they trying to cover up? The answer was the second thing to hit them as their gaze fell to a corner of the ground, not even barely hidden within the sleeping bags and supplies that were strewn across the rest of the floor.

Silently, Nick picked up one of the jars that were piled up in the corner and inspected the label. Dragon Scale, it said. It looked similar to the one they’d found outside, but much more frayed around the edges. Not to mention floating in a horrible-looking greenish liquid.

“Skin,” Nick muttered, turning nearly as green as the contents of the jar.
“What?” Eve asked, bewildered.
“That’s the skin, the mess around the edges of it. Remember the one we found? It was perfectly smooth. That was one that came off naturally when a dragon Pokemon shed its old skin. This one...” he hesitated.
“... has been forced off,” Art finished.

Everyone felt their blood run cold. Then, without warning, Eve dropped to the ground.
“Eve!?” Nick cried.
It took a few seconds for everyone to realise she was picking up something. As she rose to her feet again, her hands contained three strange-looking Poke Balls.
“Impossible,” Art said abruptly, grabbing one and looking closely at it. “These are Park Balls... they’re only used for special events in certain areas, there aren’t any in Kanto... and they’re designed to capture even the largest Snorlax or the strongest Machamp without fail.”
“How’d they end up here?” David muttered, eyes narrowed. Art handed the ball back to Eve; she took the Park Balls outside, and everyone followed suit.

“Whoever’s in these Poke Balls...” Eve called, “uh... I choose you?”
She tossed them into the air. A familiar flash of light burst forth; when it subsided a second later, two Dratini and a larger dragon lay on the riverbank. Instinctively, Art activated his PokeDex.

Dragonair
Species: Dragon Pokemon
Type: Dragon
Lives in large bodies of water like the sea and lakes. It is said to have the power to change the weather and fly. According to a witness, its body was surrounded by a strange aura that gave it a mystical look.

The first and most striking feature Art noticed was an angry red patch on Dragonair’s slender body.
“That’s where those scales have come from,” he said darkly. He reached into his pocket for the Potion container he had rebuilt in Pewter City; Nick had mixed a concoction of Oran and Lum juice to fill it with. But as he stepped forward, all three Pokemon cowered and moved back.

“No, no,” Art said impatiently. “This will help you. Do you want that rash to become infected?”
He stepped forward again, getting the same reaction.
“Stop,” Eve said quietly, gently pulling Art back by the arm. “Don’t you see? They’re afraid of humans.”
She was holding another Poke Ball now: her own. With a brilliant glowing pop, Tina appeared. The wild dragons quickly took interest in the tame one, moving forward slowly to touch noses with it. After a few seconds, Tina climbed onto her trainer’s shoulders, as if to say “these guys are okay. Really”.

The Dragonair was now definitely intrigued by Eve. It slid right up to her and cautiously touched its nose to her hand. She began stroking its head and whispering something; the dragon closed its eyes, quite clearly at ease now, and then curled into a position that gave Eve clear access to its injury.
“You are good,” Art whispered, handing her the Potion container.
“Comes from years of living with a variety of different ‘Mon,” she responded, flashing a half-smile. She turned back to Dragonair.
“Now this might sting some, but it’ll make it heal faster, okay?”

“If you think that’s gonna sting,” a cold new voice growled from behind them, “you’ll really be surprised by what I’m gonna do to you punks.”

Hayden | Mount Ember Village

He didn't want to think about another battle. He didn't want to think about Jason or Sin moving on or Kristine battling or anything else. All he could think of was Kaze— and 'Felia's whimpers as he'd left her to watch over the fox.

Walking out of the tent was the easy part. Finding where Kaze was being kept was a whole other story. Hayden wasn't in the mood to ask for directions, but he didn't exactly want to be walking alone, either. He wasn't used to it. He tossed Salem's pokeball in the air, releasing the cat with a soft "Meow?"

After enough wandering, he found the tend for injured pokemon. 'Felia's still-soft whimpers helped.

The woman tending the pokemon recognized him from earlier and didn't say much as Hayden walked in and settled down next to Ohpelia. Salem looked around, not quite bonded to the group yet, and crawled onto Hayden's lap. The cat pokemon only purred slightly at the stroking Hayden absently delivered.

Kaze was curled up on a blanket, half covered by another to keep him warm, with a few bandages around his legs and torso from the injuries he'd gotten. Hayden stopped petting Salem and patted Kaze's head, causing the fox pokemon to stir and look up.

"Off you go," Hayden wanted to say to the pokemon in his lap, but he just managed to brush Meowth off before replacing Salem with Kaze. The fox pokemon seemed to be doing better; he had some resistance in his movements instead of being completely limp. Hayden settled him between his crossed legs, letting the vulpix's head rest against his thigh. Salem seemed to understand and just sat next to 'Felia, who took over the job of absently petting him.

Hayden wished he'd have talked Kaze out of it. Been able to pull him out earlier. But he didn't want to argue with his pokemon even if it resulted in this. Maybe he'd be able to tomorrow, but maybe not.

For now, he'd just let Kaze sleep.

--

"You alright?" Kristine asked from the half-open tent flap.

Hayden looked up and managed a weak smile. "Yeah."

She smiled back. "You're talking!"

Not for long. Hayden just dropped his head down to look at Kaze, who had fallen asleep again some time ago. Hayden wasn't exactly sure how long it'd been since he left the group. But the healer— as she'd introduced herself eventually— had long since left. Even his other two pokemon had fallen asleep against each other.

Kristine came up beside him. "He's alright?"

"Yeah," Hayden said again. "He should be fine tomorrow."

It was easier to believe that now that the bandages were gone.

Kaze picked his head up at the sounds, letting out a tired "piiiiix" that sounded like a yawn. Hayden smiled and reached into the bowl of treats the healer had put beside him awhile ago. Kaze sniffed before beginning to munch.

"D'you think the Fire Stone would work?" Kristine asked absently. "I mean, once he evolved, he'd have the same strength as Ninetales and maybe—"

Kaze interrupted her with a rather loud "Vul-pix."

Hayden eyed the pokemon in his lap. "I'll take that as a no."

Kaze nodded and began chattering, managing to stand up and look Kristine right in the eye.

At least he was getting better.

Kristine just started at the fox pokemon. Once he was finished, she looked at Hayden, who shrugged. "He says he wants to beat Ninetales on his own, without evolving. And if he evolves now, he can't learn some of the moves he can now— that Ninetales already used."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "You added that last part."

He shrugged again and changed the topic. "What're you doing up?"

Now it was her turn to shrug. "Couldn't sleep." She shifted to be more in front of him. "Wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine."

She went to tug at his sleeve. "Maybe you should—"

"Vulpix."

Hayden smiled a bit. "He said no."

Kristine Looked at him, not so sure on the validity of that statement, but left him be.

Kristine | Mt. Ember

Kristine fingered the firestone, not sure what she'd do with it herself. Giving it to Hayden seemed like the best option, though Sinclair also had great use for it too. Cade was a strong Pokemon already; a firestone would certainly be of use at this point.

But not only Hayden, but Kaze seemed very intent in not needing the firestone. Kristine honestly believed that, even after a lot more training, Kaze would be hard-set in not evolving still. The little guy's grown used to how he is; but she had to admit that his confidence was admirable. Kaze was going to do awesome.

"I've decided to battle," Kristine blurted, breaking the silence. She pocketed the firestone to keep it off her mind.

Hayden and Kaze both looked up. "You're going to battle Montel?"

She took a deep breath. This whole battling-a-gym-leader thing was very new to her. "Yeah, I think so. Lumichu seemed pretty set in trying anyway. I'd be an awful... trainer if I ignored him."

"I'd say you're a pretty good friend for doing it," Hayden said. Kristine smiled widely at his kind words. "You'll do great."

"As will you!" She was suddenly rejuvenated, reminded why she was here in the first place. "That first match is certainly something to learn from. Kaze did extremely well considering, so I'm sure you'll find a way this time around."

Hayden smiled weakly and nodded, looking back at Kaze. The vulpix, however, was hanging on to Kristine's every word, tails wagging excitedly. He obviously agreed. Kaze pawed Hayden's lap as if threatening to jump and cheer for her. This seemed to make Hayden feel an ounce better, judging by the pulled corners of his mouth. But only an ounce.

Kristine nodded and stood up. "Get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"Good night."

----

Kristine did not get a good night's rest.

She ached all over by morning -- felt her back scream in agony as she rolled out of her mat. Wigwams apparently did not believe in beds. Fortunately, her continual tossing and turning didn't disturb the three pokeballs sitting silently next to her rolled up vest pillow.

It took a few minutes longer than usual, but Kristine was finally put together and walked out of her tent. There were originally a couple other native women sleeping inside, but they were already gone. Kristine lost track of time and checked it on her pokedex: 6:15

... That was wrong. Right?

Her head hammered in response. No, it was right.

It was pointless to find the boys then. Well, at least Jason would sleep right through just about anything, even if it meant sleeping on the ground. Or, wait. A thin, furry piece of skin. Wait, no. A mat. Yeah, that.

Kristine giggled and put her shaking head in her hands. This morning was just not hers. Taking a deep breath of the brisk morning air, she looked back up for a fresh start to her day--

--and found a doubled-over Hayden and an agile Kaze away from the tents. So of course, she ran right towards them to see what they were up to. What she didn't expect was Sinclair sitting next to a nearby tree.

"Alright, Kaze. Let's try that again." Hayden straightened and nodded to his vulpix who did some crazy gymnast moves mixed with some firework ("Vuuuuulpix!"). Kristine clapped, causing Hayden to jump -- and Kaze to lose his balance. The vulpix tumbled and ran into Sin's feet, who withdrew them to prevent from kicking the pokemon.

"Good morning!" she said, waltzing over to Sin and turning back. "Are you training, then? At six in the morning?"

Hayden nodded, but Sinclair was more than eager to do the talking. "He's been training for a couple hours now. I woke up only thirty minutes ago and found them out here. Were you brilliant enough to think of fetching breakfast, or are we at a loss yet again?"

Kristine giggled and plopped herself by Sin. "I'm afraid I didn't think of it. It's six in the morning! I wouldn't have thought of breakfast."

"I guess that means Jason's our only hope on that one then." Kristine didn't bother offering to go get some. On a normal, she would have, but watching Hayden and Kaze train was starting to work her nerves hard. How do trainers prepare for gym battles? Should she be joining in on this?

It all just made her feel worse, and she groaned as she hit home against the tree. Her head throbbed, but her eyes closed immediately; and she could feel sleep overwhelming her senses.

"Of all people to not get some sleep," Sinclair muttered in her direction.

"Tell me how a tree trunk can be more comfortable than a mat," Kristine slurred, her head nodding to the side.

"There's a Caterpie on your shoulder."

Kristine jumped to her feet and bounded five yards away at Jason's words. The boy laughed as he walked over, juggling a bunch of fruit in his arms. He tossed her one of them and stole her spot by the tree -- even her exact position. Kristine opened her mouth to say something, but she noticed the bags under his eyes as well. She kept quiet, taking a small bite out of her breakfast.

"Even Jas woke up at six in the morning," Sinclair said.

"Six thirty, thanks." He took a huge chomp off his shiny red fruit and with a mouthful, asked, "When are we heading up?"

"I imagine Kaze will need a break after this," Sin replied. Kristine settled herself back on the ground, cross-legged, now paranoid about Caterpies. "But we go when Hayden and Kristine are ready."

"We go sometime this fiscal year."

"We go this morning whenever they're ready."

"Are you ready?" Jason asked Kristine. "The chick's probably up now anyway--"

"Montel's a guy."

Jason gave him a look. Kristine couldn't quite tell if his dumbfound look was serious or sarcastic, but either way, she found it funny. Hayden finally seated himself next to Kristine, and she nabbed one of the fruits Jason had laid in the midst of the group, giving it to Hayden. The trainer took small bites too -- Kristine wasn't the only nervous one here. Kaze walked up to the pile which only had three fruits left, then took a bite out of one. He seated himself next to his prize, utterly pleased with himself.

"Well, I say we go after breakfast," Jason said. He re-situated himself, putting his hands behind his head and closing his eyes with a happy sigh. "Wake me up when breakfast ends."

----

Lumichu was happy to do it.

In fact, Lumichu was about as happy as a Jigglypuff finding a bunch of eleven-year-old travelers in the middle of the forest, fresh pickings for a good lullaby. That pikachu was bounding all over the place as everyone walked up the mountain. Kaze even joined in a bit. He wasn't as... electrified as Lumichu, but they were both obviously pumped for some battling.

Peach sat on Kristine's shoulder, clearly the more mature pokemon.

Jason wasn't afraid to stop mentioning the rude awakening that mouse pokemon gave him. He kept touching everyone, mostly Kristine, to shock them. He succeeded every time, but it certainly lightened the mood.

"You're back."

They had reached the top of the mountain, passed the lava pit of doom, and watched Montel appear to greet them. His Ninetales was at his feet once again as if to remind them of what they were getting themselves into. Kristine went stiff, and Hayden didn't dare take another step forward to join the group, hanging back as usual.

"I assume you came for a rematch?" Montel asked.

Kristine wanted more to anything to pull a Jason and say, "Hell no, this is my battle," but holy Moltres, she was so paralyzed to the spot, she forgot how to breathe.

"Pika pika!"

Lumichu bounded forward and stopped right in front of the gym leader. Standing on two legs, he looked right up with that same look of determination. "Pika pi!"

Montel looked up to the only girl within millions of yards. He didn't have to say anything.

Jason huffed irritably and shoved Kristine forward. "She chooses you, Lumichu. Go thunderbolt attack."

Montel smiled, and Kristine knew he was just pleased as punch that he had guessed right. She did come back to battle. The gym leader laughed and nodded. "Come on, now. Two on two. Let's see what you can do, sweetheart."

For some reason, that nickname woke her up. The only ever person to have called her that was her dad, and it only reawakened old memories -- and renewed energy. Her dad would have been proud to see where she was now.

"Alright, sir," she said and stepped up. Her legs were shaking ridiculously. Why was she so nervous? She has never shook this much before.

Montel backed up to his spot, Ninetales following and seating itself right next to him.

"Focus, Kristine," Sinclair called from behind. "You'll be fine."

Kristine smiled weakly, though the stress was eating her alive. Lumichu bounced all around her, just waiting for that magical call to send him out to the field.

Arbok appeared. It slithered and glared at Kristine, daring her to make a move. She gulped and did what instinct told her to.

"Peach!"

The pidgey was already flying off before she even said his name, landing himself right in front of the cobra pokemon and shooting back the exact same gaze. Kristine tried extremely hard to ignore Lumichu's disbelief ("Pi...ka...?") and focus on what a fire arbok could possibly do. What happened when Jason battled it? Or, wait. It was Sin. What did Sin do against it? Water gun!

... Kristine didn't have one of those.

"Bite."

"Peach!"

The pidgey flew out of the way as the arbok snapped for it, causing the cobra pokemon to land on his face.

"Peach, use Quick Attack!"

"Get out of there and use fire fang!"

Peach managed to hit that snake a couple times before the arbok dashed out of the way and flung itself at the bird. The pidgey's shriek of pain didn't help Kristine relax one bit. Her friend fell to the ground before the arbok slithered back again. "Peach, come on!"

"Pika pika!" Lumichu forgot the silent treatment and encouraged his pidgey friend.

The pidgey jumped up and took to the air again. "Peach, use Featherdance!"

"Featherdance..." Montel repeated. The pidgey fluttered around the arbok, blinding the cobra with his very feathers and hindering it from seeing too clearly. The pidgey suddenly used a Quick Attack on the arbok while the aftereffects of the Featherdance continued to confuse it.

"Go in now, Peach!" He was more than eager to do so and tackled that cobra. Headshot. Kristine could barely see, but she did notice a brief amount of flame from the arbok's fangs in retaliation. Peach was hit with another fire fang, but it didn't sway Peach from his duties in winning this battle. The pidgey did another tackle, the two pokemon rolling across the ground. "Quick Attack! You can do this, Peach!"

Quick Attack was barely started before the arbok disappeared into a pokeball. Confused, Kristine looked at the gym leader. Did she do something wrong?

"He was going to lose anyway," Montel explained, pocketing the pokeball. "Well done so far. Did a little homework myself, however. Come on out, Charmeleon."

The group behind her started muttering to themselves as the newly-evolved pokemon appeared on the field. "Fire fang."

Kristine cringed. That charmeleon was way faster than the charmander from before, nailing her pidgey friend easily. "Peach, use Quick Attack!"

"Smokescreen!"

Peach had flown in at the charmeleon, but the fire pokemon was quite prompt on the smokescreen. Peach hadn't hit it at all before it flew out of the cloud of smoke. Kristine's call for Gust blew the smoke out of the way, charmeleon holding its ground despite the heavy push.

"Ember!"

The charmeleon shot a ball of fire straight at the pidgey fresh out of the Gust move, nailing the pidgey and sending it to the ground. The attack hit him with too much strength though; Kristine refused to watch him continue. That charmeleon was way too tough. "Good work, Peach. I can always count on you." She called him back into the pokeball and looked down at her little yellow friend. "Ready, Lumichu?"

"Pika pi!"

The Lumichu danced its way to the field then crouched, staring hungrily at the charmeleon. His cheeks sparked from pure excitement, so Kristine put that to work. "Thunderbolt!"

"Smokescreen then Ember!"

Lumichu struck the charmeleon in time, though the damage was about as moderate as all of Peach's attacks were. The charmeleon recovered and used ember, hitting Lumichu just as much. Kristine bit her lip, thinking of what other moves a pikachu could possibly have.

"Charmeleon, use Fire Fang--"

"Lumichu, dodge and use Quick Attack!"

It went exactly as planned. Charmeleon missed Lumichu, the mouse pokemon using its quick agility to confuse it before coming in for its attack. The charmeleon hurled another smokescreen before tumbling out.

"Try Fire Fang again!"

"Get out of there, Lumichu."

The battle continued to roll just the same. Back and forth, the attacks were made. But neither pokemon accepted defeat. Kristine had to admit, she did not expect to get this far into a gym battle. Her pikachu was putting up a fantastic fight that even had Montel on his toes. She found that Lumichu was making his own moves as well as following Kristine's advice. It was a sort of teamwork that she never experienced, even with Peach. Lumichu was a free spirit, a pokemon that no trainer was going to control. Heck no.

Eventually, the brand new smokescreen cleared up, revealing two out-of-breath pokemon. They were both pretty damaged, though it looked a lot more worrisome for Lumichu. The little mouse pokemon was trembling on all fours, but the look in his eyes was the exact opposite. He wasn't stopping.

"Alright, Lumichu," Kristine said after a huge sigh. "You've done extremely well today. No matter what happens, whether we win or lose, you are most certainly the best pikachu I've ever seen." Lumichu's breathing slowed down now. Even Montel didn't make a move. "Let's finish this battle now."

"Pika!"

Kristine smiled, displaying her array of white teeth. "Give him a thunderbolt attack!"

"PiiikaaaCHUUU!"

"Chaaar!" the charmeleon was struck again sliding across the ground.

No one knew what would happen next though. With a flash, the charmeleon was withdrawn from the battle. "Congratulations, sweetheart. You've won your first gym battle."

Hayden | Mount Ember

Of course Montel hadn't used Ninetales. There'd be no opportunity to study it again. Hayden had to rely on memory and what he'd worked on this morning.

Hopefully it'd be enough.

Ninetales stalked out to the ring, under Montel's gaze. "I'll assume you want the same match?"

Kaze bounding into the ring was the answer. Hayden nodded for extra confirmation.

As with the last time, Montel let Hayden go first. After the two-attack match of last time, Hayden knew he'd have one shot, and he planned on using it to the best of his advantage.

“Kaze, Dig then hit it with everything you’ve got!”

The vulpix vanished under the lava as Montel and Ninetales watched in mild shock, able to withstand the heat thanks to his fur and this morning’s training. Thankfully, Ninetales didn’t move more than a few steps into the ring, on alert, trying to see where Kaze would leap up. Ophelia was watching, too, having been the one to teach Kaze this move.

After a few moments, Kaze jumped up behind Ninetales and lashed out with six Tail Whips in a row. Before the older pokemon could retaliate, Kaze hit with a Fire Spin as he landed. The attack stayed around Ninetales just long enough for him to be hit with a tackle and another Flame Burst.

Oh Kaze’s way down, Montel finally retaliated. “Confuse Ray then Inferno.”

“Dodge it then Quick Attack, Kaze!”

Kaze dodged the ray but Ninetales was tracking him now, forcing him to dodge the fire taking up more and more of the field. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever, even though the heat increase was giving both pokemon a power boost. But with Inferno, Kaze couldn’t even get close.

Which gave Hayden an idea.

“Dig then Inferno!”

Kaze used his speed to practically dive under the gym’s surface, hopefully quick enough to avoid the fire beginning to travel down the burrow as Ninetales finished the attack. Again, it was a waiting game before Kaze would emerge again.

He leapt up behind a dying ridge of fire and unleashed a firestorm with a loud “Vulpiiiiix!” Ninetales was his directly in the side with an increased heat as it fed off the other Inferno—

Hayden’s eyes widened as the older pokemon lost his footing and nearly fell on its side. Sheer strength and will power were keeping Ninetales upright.

Or so he thought.

“Hex!” Montel called over the flames.

“Dodge, Kaze!”

He managed to dodge the first seven Hexes. The eighth landed a glancing blow.

The ninth was a direct hit.

Kaze went flying again. Hayden held his breath as Kaze struggled to get up, finally managing to shakily stand on his feet. He wasn’t that strong, anymore. A powerful attack was out of the question, but that’d been the only way to get Ninetales to yield.

“Em—”

Montel interrupted him. “Ninetales, return.”

Hayden just blinked.

“It has been a very long time since any pokemon, let alone a Vulpix, has come that close to defeating Ninetales,” Montel said calmly. “You have earned your badge.”

Hayden couldn’t do much of anything as Kaze came back and Montel retrieved a badge. He still just stared as Montel lifted his hand and placed the Purge Badge in Hayden’s palm.

The recent events finally sunk in. “Thank you,” Hayden whispered.

Montel smiled. “You have a strong Vulpix. To even consider going tail-to-tail with Ninetales.”

Kaze put his paws on Hayden’s leg, breaking the spell and causing the trainer to grab then toss his pokemon into the air. Everybody chuckled while Hayden just laughed. They’d done it. All the training had paid off. Lack of sleep suddenly didn’t matter so much anymore.

Once everybody had calmed down, Montel interrupted any talk of where they’d go next. “Before you leave,” he began, “please, come and participate in a ceremony at the top of Mount Ember. You have certainly earned it.”

Eve was grateful that they had found the Dragonair, both for their sake and hers. They needed help, but in return they gave her something to forget the flooding river. Unfortunately, a dark voice distracted her from her task.

Eve turned around, her new friends moving to cower behind her. Tina instinctively moved to protect her trainer, crying out angrily at the newcomer.

Eve’s temper flared. The man was tall, and she surprised that she hadn’t smelled him coming. He was glaring at the group, but particularly at her- the girl with his Dragonair. His voice was gravelly as he continued.

“Well? Hand them over, little girl.”

“No.” Eve pulled herself up to her full height, which was still not very impressive. But as the others moved to stand next to her, she felt ten foot tall.

“No? Dragonair, show these punks who’s boss.”

Eve wavered. If the Dragons were still faithful, they were all in trouble. Tina was just a baby, and sick or not, two Dratini and a powerful Dragonair would be more than just a handful. Eve glanced behind her, and was reassured by the sight of three very unresponsive pokemon glaring back at their master. Evidently they weren’t too pleased about his training procedures.

The man’s temper was as short as his scent was strong. “Dragonair! Do as I say, or you’ll all be sorry!”

Eve had enough. “Tina, use twister on this crook.”

“Tiini!” Tina was all too eager, her eyes glowing a bright white. The wind started to whip up, tugging at the man’s clothes.

Eve was surprised by his reaction. He was laughing.

“You think that baby could scare me off? You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Don’t give up, Tina!”

The wind continued to rise, blowing harder and harder. Eve was surprised, it was stronger than she remembered. She stumbled into David, who caught her and placed her back on her feet.

“Since when could Tina do THIS?” Her words were whipped away by the wind, but David seemed to catch them.

“She can’t. Your friends are helping out.”

Sure enough, when Eve turned to look, three pairs of glowing eyes met hers. As they watched, the wind continued to build. The will of four dragons was not one to be messed with.

“OHSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-” The man finally lost his footing, being blasted off into the sky. Eve couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the bully be thrown off into the distance.

As the wind died down, Eve rushed forward to hug her pokemon. “Well done Tina!” Eve couldn’t have been prouder, and she crushed the small dragon to her chest. Resettling Tina onto her shoulders, she turned to thank the three dragons, who were looking extremely tired.

“We should probably get them to a doctor.” Art commented. “But what happens to them after that?”

David shrugged. “We could let them go free?”

“And be caught and abused again?” Eve shook her head. “Let me send them to Dad. He’ll know how to care for them, and find them a good home where they won’t be split up. It is his job.”

“But won’t they be happier in the wild?”

Nick cleared his throat. “Either way, we should probably take them to the doctor. We can figure this out after.”

They agreed, but Eve paused. Her instincts told her to go search the tent, one more time. She shoved a stinking jacket with her foot, only mildly surprised to see a pokeball roll out, along with bundles of baby blue spines tied up with rubber bands.

Eve bent down, scooping up the ball and cradling it to her chest. She studied it, whispering to it soothingly.

“I don’t know what you are, little pokeball, but we’ll get you some help.”

NB: The pokeball has a Nidorina in it. I intend to claim her as my third pokemon. >=)

David | Dragon Eye Lake

Eve walked out of the tent with a half-smile on her lips, holding the Pokeball carefully. David looked at the others, who were still watching the Dragons carefully. He knelt down and picked up their Pokeballs, smiling softly, almost like he was trying to charm them over. “We’re gonna help you out, okay?”

Dragonair was still cautious, herding her children behind her. There was a glint in her eye as she glared at the Park Balls in David’s hands. With a light hum, the Dragonair released a quick rope of static, stunning David to make him drop the balls. “Yowch!” He took a step back, stuffing his hands under his arms. “Why’d she shock me?”

“The Pokeballs,” Nick said, “she must think we’re just going to do the same that the poacher did if we put them back in those Park balls.”

Eve, who had just tucked the other Pokeball to her waist, walked in front of the others and nodded. “Obviously,” she said, “wouldn’t you be afraid of a house if you were tortured in it?”

David slowly nodded. “Right, then.” He took a step forward and slammed his running shoe down on the park balls, busting them off their wired hinges. “Now can we go?”

“We haven’t figured out what’s causing the valley to flood yet,” Katya said. She sounded like a teacher scolding her students. “While I’m all for saving the endangered species, I don’t think Galveston will appreciate it if we get so sidetracked so quickly.” She huffed and crossed her arms. “Besides, it’s almost time for the floods to start again, which means Galveston and Blastoise will have to save the day again.” She shot a glance at David. “And I’m sure you’d rather be the hero.”

David stared at the dry basin that was supposed to be the lake for a long moment, almost studying his chances of being a hero. “Fine,” he said, and turned to Eve. “Do you think they can make it until we mop things up here?”

Eve hesitated. “What if,” she paused, “What if Art and I take the injured Pokemon into Ceru--”

“--DRAA!” Dragonair swung her tail around Eve, turning her around on her heels. The azure serpent shook her head, the crystal on her forehead shimmering faintly.

“I think,” Eve said, “that Dragonair knows what’s causing the floods...”

Dragonair nodded and hovered near the edge of the lake bed, urging the others to follow her. The gang walked to the embankment and gasped with wide eyes at the being in the center of the lake.

It was another Dragonair, at least twice the size of the mother, and it was frozen in a jagged mass of ice. Eve gasped. David glared. “It must be her mate,”Art said.

“That poacher must have frozen him to keep him from saving his family...”

There was a long silence as they soaked in the image. “But vy have the vahters been coming and going?” Katya didn’t seem pleased with the new development, and crossed her arms.

“I don’t know,” David said, “but we have to get him out of there.”


Jason | Mt. Ember Summit

It was hard to understand Jason while he was stuffing his face with food. As Sinclair understood it, he was talking about Moltres and fire pokemon in general, but he honestly didn’t care to pay that much attention. Though it was afternoon and the sun was presumably high in the sky, the ashen clouds above kept most of the light from coming into the village, and even less from the summit of Mt. Ember. Most of the light came from torches and from pools of magma bubbling around the mountain. Jason had gotten brave once and touched a slice of apple on a stick to the magma, losing all his apple-eating joy as the fruit didn’t come out of the liquid.

Kristine was awestruck at the number of Ponyta that were present. They were being put to use, bringing food and ceremonial gifts to people all around the summit.

“So where’s Monty?”

“Montel should be here shortly,” quipped Sinclair. “I heard two men speaking about him being held up in the inner caves earlier.”

“I wonder what could’ve gone wrong.” Kristine hummed as she watched more fire Pokemon bustling about. A small boy ran up to her with a feather headdress and grinned ear-to-ear. “Is this for me?” she asked, smiling back. He didn’t answer, just gestured for her to take it. She smiled brightly and put it on her head, turning to her boys with a big grin.

“You look like a Pidgey,” Hayden said while nomming a bite of mango.

“Weird, I thought she was Montel for a minute there.”

Kristine stuck out her tongue and pulled Peach’s ball from her belt, releasing him onto her shoulder. He gave a long, intense look to the headdress, not sure if it was eating Kristine’s head or not. He was quickly distracted when Kristine offered him a bite of fruit from Lumichu’s cloth. The yellow mouse sullied up and crossed his arms, turning his head away from Kristine. “Chu...”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Lumichu. There’s plenty more where that came from!”

“Pi-ka...” as he continued nomming his dinner.

The noise around the summit quickly died down as drums began rolling around them. Jason looked over his shoulder, where a line of men in loin cloths carrying bongos began dancing around the ledges, dropping quick beats while more of the natives chanted something.

Kristine bobbed her head from side to side and pretended to know the words. Lumichu danced to the rhythm. Hayden was still entranced in Kaze, brushing back a patch of fur where one of Ninetale’s hexes had turned the hair purple. He quickly looked up as the crowd of villagers gasped at a plume of red flames in the center of the plaza. Jason kept chewing noisily as Montel appeared from the flames in a cloud of smoke, his long hair and feathers waving in the gust of molten air.

The drums cut and hit simultaneously as the flames were sucked into Montel’s mouth. The villagers chanted quietly, in a unanimous deep voice, as he turned towards the village and held out a glowing orange stone--just like the one Kristine had found in the cavern--and breathed out the flares onto the stone, releasing the image of an enormous flaming bird.

The villagers roared.

Vu Vu Moltres!

The bird flapped its wings, solidifying as a flash of light from Montel’s hand entered the bird’s center. It let out a roar, soaring out over the village.

Jason and and Sinclair were speechless.

Face to face with a legendary pokemon.

Moltres circled around the village, flapping down in front of Montel with a glorious flare of its wings.

Montel turned to the villagers, holding out his hands. “Tonight, we celebrate Valiance.” The drums hit. “Tonight, we celebrate long-suffering.”

Hayden subconsciously held Vulpix by the paws.

“Tonight,” shouted Montel, “we honor the undying flame within two hearts united as one.”

The drums rolled quietly.

“Moltres will pass on an ancient power of the flame tonight to one Pokemon.”

He turned to Hayden and Kaze.

“To Hayden and his partner, Vulpix, Moltres shall bless with the Will-o-Wisp.”

The villagers roared in eager response.

“Please come forward.”


David | Dragon Eye Lake

“Charmander, one more fire spin!”

The ice, whatever had created it, wasn’t melting, no matter how hot Charmander attacked it. The girls had stayed with the dragons on the cliffside while the boys had checked out the Dragonair in the ice, sure that Charmander could handle it. But Charmander was getting worn down. When the little guy was out of breath, David recalled him and crossed his arms, sighing. “How are we supposed to get this guy out if the ice won’t melt?”

“Maybe it’s not really ice,” Nick said, knocking on the cold surface. “For all we know, it could be some sort of crystal or psychic shield.”

“Well, whatever it is, it’s not coming down by our hands.” David snarled and balled up his fists. “How do we keep getting caught in these messes?” He slammed his fists down on the crystal...and the earth shook.

Violently.

David toppled over into Art, who caught Nick by the shorts, bringing them down to his ankles. Nick held onto the crystal with all his might, watching the face of the Dragonair captured inside.

Its eyes...were glowing.

“G-guys!”

The ground began to split, fissure into crags and jagged ledges. A burst of power through the earth brought a startling crrrrack! to the crystalline prison, splitting it into hundreds of shards. Nick fell to the ground, stumbling away as the shards of blue rock began falling around them. David and Art scrambled to their feet, Nick pulled his shorts up and scrambled after, and the ground began shaking more violently than before. David staggered over a jagged rock, losing his balance. Art dove after him, trying to catch him before he could fall into one of the fissures, but lost his footing at the worst moment possible.

“David!” Nick yelled as he fell onto his tail, leaving David to fall into the earthen crag below. The boy’s scream could be heard echoing as he fell.

There was a roar as the last of the crystal broke off of Dragonair, leaving him free to the air.

With a blast of air from the fissure, the sound of raging water filled Nick’s ears. He leaned over the edge of the crag and peered inside as walls of water blasted from the ground, bringing steam, earth, and David soaring into the air.

Nick turned back to the Dragonair as its roar deepened. It began circling the lake in the air, creating a cyclone. Nick and Art grabbed hands as the torrent swept them up. There was a thunderous blast from below as the fissures sealed. Nick tried to hold his breath inside the cyclone, but just as he lost his last reserve, he was suddenly lying...on the water?

The tower of water had the three boys suspended high above the rest of the land--high enough to where they could see Cerulean, the top of Mt. Moon--everything. David squeaked as he rushed away from the edge. “W-what the heck is going on?”

“I think this is a form of Dragon Rage,” Art stammered. “It’s a legendary attack that controls any element the Pokemon can master.”

Nick slowly, hesitantly, stood to his feet. “Guys...we’re standing on water!”

The surface shook, sinking the three boys a bit into the water like quicksand, and the fin-like ears of the Dragonair circled them. Slowly, it rose from the cyclone, its eyes glowing madly.

The three huddled together, not daring to voice their utter and complete fear. Dragonair gave the three a menacing growl.

“H-he must think we’re the ones who stole his family...”

“Oh God.”

Dragonair loomed closer, charging the air with electricity. “If he shocks us,” Nick said, “we’re gonners.”

David gulped as his voice cracked. “Thanks for the encouragement.”

“WAIT!”

The Dragonair jerked its head to the side at the sound of Eve’s voice, growling.

She was flying with Katya on Dragonair’s back, her babies following her through the air. The female dragon dropped the girls onto the surface of the cyclone and stared her mate in the eyes, humming lightly.

“I hope she’s defending us,” David said.

Katya looked at the three boys and snorted. “Feeling lovey, are we?”

David, Art, and Nick looked at each other; all three were hugged together in one big mass of boy. With coughs and grunts, they separated, David crossing his arms and looking away.

Eve was watching Dragonair intently. “Dragonair,” she said, almost hesitantly, “we want to help your family--we’ve taken away the bad man who’s done all this damage.”

Dragonair looked between the kids and his family, letting out a low hum as his eyes slowly lost their glow. He coiled around the group, nodding towards his back. Slowly, hesitantly, they climbed on--just before the tower of water crashed into the lake.

David peered over the valley, seeing the lake and river normalized once again. He smiled, and then Dragonair moved suddenly.

And David quickly remembered how afraid of heights he was.