The Great NSM Pokemon Adventure!

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 30: Memories REALLY Suck Sometimes

Marty and the others were worried about Roz, so they went to look for her. They found her in the square on her knees, sobbing quietly.

"Roz!" Nebu shouted.

"Are you okay?" Marty asked.

"I'm...fine," Roz told them. "Don't worry about me."

"We just found you sobbing on your knees in the square in the middle of the night," Matt stated. "Why wouldn't we worry about you?"

"Because it's nothing that concerns you!" Roz snapped at them. Nebu and Marty gasped because in all the years that they had known Rozalie growing up in Ecruteak, she had never once yelled at them. They both cringed and shut their eyes.

"We're your friends," Jordan said calmingly. "You can talk to us about it."

"Just drop it!" she screamed as she burst into tears. She stood up too quickly and proceeded to faint.

"Now what?" Stepney asked everyone.

"We've got to stay here for the night," Marty said. "Let's take Roz to the Pokemon Center and get us all rooms." So Marty hoisted Roz up on his back and everyone went back to the Pokemon Center for the night.

...MEANWHILE...

"Hey, Kelsey," Eric said, turning over in his bunk.

"What?" Kelsey responded.

"Do you ever think of home anymore?" Eric asked.

"All the time," Kelsey answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Eric said. "I was just thinking about everyone back in Polo Town. Wondering how they're doing. Wondering if they miss us."

"Eric..." Kelsey said sadly.

"Do you remember how we joined the FoG?" Eric asked.

"Yeah," Kelsey said.

...FLASHBACK...

 "Get out of here, you loser!" the girls called after Kelsey. "Why on EARTH would I go out with YOU?"

Kelsey was heartbroken. He was sure that this girl had liked him, after all he'd done for her. He just wanted to cry, but he knew that he couldn't. Not in front of her. So instead, he looked deep into the girl's eyes and turned away. He wasn't wanted here, or anywhere for that matter. He and Eric were alone...

 Eric didn't have a girlfriend, but he didn't really care. He had his Minecraft, his Portal guns, and Doctor Who. That was all he needed and really wanted, although he hardly admitted it.

Eric and Kelsey lived in a region that, like Terrari, isn't as commonplace as other regions in the Pokemon world. The region of Alyos is the farthest north region in the world, filled with Pokemon from all nations. Since Alyos is so far north, it is naturally the coldest of all the regions, proving to be a worthy challenge for any willing Pokemon Trainer.

The two best friends were the outcasts of the whole town. Never getting anything right, never coming through, they strived to belong somewhere. Only one thing kept them going: their dream of becoming Pokemon Masters; superheroes in the eyes of other young trainers. Training Pokemon was the only thing they were good at; they fiercely trained every day at the Polo Town Gym, but even that got them ridiculed. Their only friend was the leader of the Polo Town Gym, Thomas.

One day, Eric and Kelsey were training at the gym, when Thomas walked in the front doors wearing his signature parka and had a rolled-up poster under his arm. "Hey, guys!" he called. "Check this out, I just got it in the mail!" Kelsey and Eric looked at each other and went to see what Thomas had to show them.

Thomas was unrolling the poster and stapling it to the bulletin board in the gym's entrance. "What is it?" Kelsey asked.

"An advertisement, as you can see," Thomas finished stapling, "for a special, once-in-a-lifetime region-wide Pokemon Tournament coming to Polo Town next week! Can you believe it?!?"

"Wow, are you serious?" Eric exclaimed. Turning to Kelsey, he rejoiced, "Kelsey, this could finally be our big break! Our chance to get our names out there!"

"I know!" Kelsey cried. "After all these years of training, we can finally show the world that we really are totally awesome!"

"Well, I'm glad you two are excited, because I was going to make you guys sign up anyways," Thomas joked with them.

In the corner of the poster were some letters that caught Kelsey's eye. "What does FoG mean?" he inquired. Eric also noticed the acronym and nodded in agreement.
Thomas perked up. He looked at the poster again and read from it something aloud. "It says here that FoG, or 'Friends of Girafarig,' is an environmentalist group promoting healthy battling through this tournament. Wow, so it looks like it's gonna be fun, AND it's for a good cause!"

"Yeah, that's great!" Eric said excitedly. "Kelsey, we better train a lot more if we want to do well in this tournament!"

"That's right," Thomas cut in, "you have only a week to train your very hardest- and I mean excruciatingly hard. I want you two in here every day, for as long as possible, duking it out. You guys are strong. Almost stronger than me, but if you want to beat the whole REGION, we have a lot of work to do. My buddies from the other gyms can tell you that!"

"So let the training begin!" Kelsey cried, pulling out a Poke Ball.

...ONE WEEK LATER...

Eric and Kelsey trained almost nonstop day and night for the entire week, finally taking their last few hours to rest, so that both they and their Pokemon would be ready for the next day's competition.

"I'm proud of you two." Thomas said to them, warming up in the gym before the opening ceremonies. "Even if you guys totally suck today in the tournament- I'm still proud of you."
       
"Um, thanks, Tom?" Eric replied, awkwardly.
       
"Yeah, man, thanks for the confidence..." Kelsey said sarcastically.
       
"Only for you guys!" Tom grinned. "Now get out there! You'll miss the opening ceremonies!"
       
The two young trainers were quickly pushed out the door of the gym into a field lit up with lights, filled with people; an old football field that was rarely used, but it was all Polo Town had that could hold such a crowd this dense. In the center of the field was a huge tent, shooting up to the sky in red canvas, an almost circus-like sense.
       
Trainers from all around the Alyos region came together for this competition, competing for fame, fortune...and charity. They had set up campsites, meaning that some trainers had been here for a few days, even.

Kelsey and Eric walked into the enormous red tent to find the magnificent place to be filled with shouting and cheering, and the cry of several Pokemon here and there. Metal bleachers lined the tent, focused on a wooden battlefield in the center, prepped for battling.
       
A couple of things caught Kelsey's eye. On one side of the tent was a platform placed higher than the bleachers. On it were eight chairs with only seven filled with people who planned to watch the tournament.

"Hey guys!" somebody called. The two looked down from the platform to see Thomas climbing the stairs to sit in the eighth chair, waving. Kelsey inferred that the other people up on the platform were the gym leaders of Alyos, watching over their potential challengers.
       
Near the top of the tent sat a ledge. A dark figure stood on the ledge gazing down upon the fantastic Pokemon fest below. There appeared to be no way to get down from the high platform, baffling Kelsey as to how the figure got up there. "Hey, Eric, look up there," he nudged to his buddy, pointing in the direction of the platform.
       
Eric looked where Kelsey had been pointing and said, "What are you looking at? There's nothing there."
       
Kelsey was astounded. Eric was right. There was no longer anything on that high platform...but who could have been? He tried not to let it disturb his focus. Eric and Kelsey were confident they could take the tournament by storm.
   
A man climbed up onto the center platform just as trainers were settling down their anxious Pokemon into their seats. The man was slightly tall, dressed in red vertical stripes on a white background with a flat straw hat, as one would see in a barbershop quartet. This guy was obviously made for entertainment.

"Hello, Polo Town!!" The man shouted into a microphone, echoing throughout the large tent. The crowd cheered at the man's booming recognition of the smallest town in Alyos. "My name is Mandrew, and I will be your emcee for today!" The crowd cheered louder. "As you should all know, I am the champion here in Alyos, and I have the extreme pleasure of kicking off this awesome 'Friends of Girafarig' contest to support healthy battling! Lemme hear it for FoG, huh?" He held up the microphone right to his lips, becoming almost deafening. Mandrew wasn't any older than Eric or Kelsey, and had in fact grown up with them until age 10, when he became the ultimate Pokemon pop star, taking the Alyos Region by storm.
 
Standing in the center of the stage, Mandrew brought the mic to his lips once again. "Up on this big screen you see here, will be the lineup for today's competition. Each trainer will battle their selected opponents until we reach the champion's finals. The winner of the Final Round will be inducted as an honorary member of FoG and given the trip of a lifetime to any location they choose!" As he said this, the big screen that was hanging in the tent suddenly flashed on. Positions of trainers were shown all over the board, about 64 in all. Fortunately, Eric and Kelsey were at complete opposite ends of the bracket.

After an extended period of chattering and glances at the tournament bracket, Mandrew drew the attention of the crowd back to him. "Now who's ready to see some kick-ass battling?" The crowd roared. "Me too! Let's get to it! Round 1, in position!" Two trainers lined up on the arena, while a ref stood near off-field. "Ready, Set, Battle!" And they were off. The tournament had started. A long day of battling awaited...
   
Finally, it was Eric's turn to battle. He stood, nervously on the edge of the battle arena, grasping a sweaty Poke Ball in his hand. A youngster from Anchor City was his challenger. The kid wore a backwards baseball cap and had a determined look in his eye; A frightening glare when coming from a child.

The kid pulled out a Poke Ball and shouted, "You think you've got what it takes to beat me? We'll see." Eric just looked at the kid. Although the little dork didn't look like a challenge, Eric had a sunken feeling that this was all real from now on. No more games. He had to face his destiny in the Pokemon world.
   
As any teenager would say, Eric kept his short with a simple, "Bring it, twerp!"
   
Mandrew's voice was overheard shouting, "Ready, Set, Battle!" You could tell he was getting tired of saying it.
   
The youngster pulled out a Heracross, while Eric threw out his shiny Noctowl. From there, the youngster's Heracross used a quick Horn Attack, which was narrowly dodged by Noctowl's Fly. Noctowl swiftly dove down at Heracross, damaging its back. Before it could move, the Heracross whipped around and used Bug Bite on Noctowl, who was surprised by the sudden burst of energy. Once Noctowl broke free of Heracross' grip, Eric ordered it to use Hypnosis on the fast bug-type Pokemon, causing it to immediately pass out, unable to move. Using the advantage Hypnosis had bought it, Noctowl used a powerful Dream Eater attack on the sleeping Pokemon, waking it up, but before it could attack again, the shiny Noctowl swooped down with another Fly attack, knocking out Heracross.
   
The Youngster glared at his fainted Heracross. He had no more Pokemon to show for a battle, ergo it was over. Eric had won. Mandrew came onto the microphone, "That's a wrap! Congratulations Eric on your win- you move onto the next round!" Mandrew quickly sat back down, turning off his mic.
   
Eric ran over to Kelsey and smiled. "I had no idea it would be that short! You're up soon! Get ready, man!" Kelsey knew it'd be a hard battle ahead of him, after what he'd just seen with his buddy, so he tried to prepare for what may come when it was his time.
   
...And eventually it came: Kelsey's time to battle. He stepped up to the battling platform, and his challenger arose to challenge him: Thomas. "TOM?!" Kelsey cried. "What on Earth are you doing in this competition??"
   
Thomas looked at him from across the arena in his fluffy parka and smiled. His dark skin under the hood made it look like he was really an Eskimo. "Does it really matter? I've decided to test you and see if you've really got the guts to prove you're the 'shiz' of this competition."
   
Mandrew looked down at the battlefield and spoke into the microphone. "Battle #32! Kelsey vs. Leader Tom! Ready, Set, Battle!" 
   
Thomas was busy examining his parka at the moment, however. "You know what, Kelsey?" He asked, looking up from his ridiculous outfit. "I like parkas! They're comfy and easy to wear! Now let's battle!" He pulled out a Poke Ball and let out his partner Pokemon, Mamoswine. Following Mamoswine's reveal, Kelsey unleashed his Pokemon with the highest advantage to Tom's Ice-Type team, Magmar.
   Magmar was less than half the size of Mamoswine, but Kelsey was confident that he could take it down. So he started off with a simple Fire Burst to startle the huge creature. It worked, causing the Mamoswine to create an unplanned Earthquake attack. The force of the startled Mamoswine was such a magnitude that Magmar was knocked out. Kelsey was saddened that his best fire Pokemon was so easily disposed of, especially, when he knew that Thomas still carried a Cryogonal, as well as a Sneasel on his team. Hoping for the best, he threw out his Tangrowth, in hopes to weaken the Ice/Ground Pokémon with its attacks.
   
Thomas smirked. He knew Kelsey was better than to put a grass-type against an ice-type. He confidently ordered his Mamoswine to use a Blizzard attack to wipe out Tangrowth, but before the words left his mouth, the vine Pokemon slipped  in a sudden Grass Knot. The unforeseen attack tripped up the massive fur ball, causing it to slam to the ground just after spouting a last-breath Blizzard at Tangrowth. It immediately fainted.
   
Kelsey was troubled. Two of his six Pokémon were already down, and he hadn't even defeated one of Thomas'! Fortunately, Kelsey had a secret weapon. He grabbed a Poke Ball out of his roster- a Poke Ball with a small yellow lightning bolt on it.  His partner Pokemon, Pikachu, popped out with a cute little grin on its bright yellow face.
   
Thomas was dumbfounded. "Pikachu? Really?" He cried. Kelsey knew what he was doing, for this was a special Pikachu- one which (unbeknownst to Thomas) knew Surf.
   
"Pikachu, use quick attack on Mamoswine again and again!" Kelsey shouted. "Don't let it get up!" Pikachu pelted the giant Pokemon with physical attacks, yet despite its hard efforts, Mamoswine still rose to its feet. It looked close to being defeated. Kelsey winked at Pikachu, signaling that it was time for their special tactic.
   
Thomas cringed. He too realized that Mamoswine was close to fainting, so he concocted a plan...but not for the battle. "Mamoswine, finish this up with Mud Slap!" So Mamoswine rose on its hind legs, about to cover the electric type with mud, when the unexpected happened.
   
"NOW, Pikachu!" Kelsey cried. "Surf!"
   
Pikachu stood firm on the ground as Mamoswine's feet swiftly approached the arena floor. "PIKACHUUUU!!!" Crying out almost painfully, the little yellow Pokemon outstretched its arms, its cheeks sparking. Water rose out of the ground, instantly forming a giant tidal wave, with Pikachu locked in the center.
   
Thomas' eyes widened. He had never seen such a sight before.  The crowd gasped, oohed, ah'd, and cried out in surprise and excitement. 

Mamoswine's Mud Slap was nothing compared to the monstrous Surf attack.  The Ice/Ground Pokémon was frozen in fear.
 
Pikachu slipped out of the tidal wave and forced it towards his opponent. Mamoswine and Thomas were overtaken by the force of the water and swept away.  Mamoswine had fainted.
   
Mandrew came on the microphone. "Mamoswine has been defeated! Thomas, send out your next Pokemon!"
   
"No." Thomas said sternly. "I forfeit."
   
Kelsey and Mandrew's eyes widened. "W-what?" Mandrew cried. "You can't forfeit! You still have two more Pokemon left!"

"Mandrew, I know Kelsey is strong; and he's good with strategies. Did you see what he just pulled there? I did NOT see that coming." Thomas withdrew Mamoswine and put the Poke Ball back into his parka.  "Kelsey is strong enough to advance in this tournament. I forfeit."
   
"Oh, fine." Mandrew said, disappointed.  "Kelsey wins. Now who's NEXT?!"
   
Thomas took Kelsey aside as the next battle began taking place. Kelsey smiled as if there was no tomorrow. "Tom, why'd you do it??"
   
"You've got this, kid- you and Eric both.  I expect to see a brilliant showdown in the Finals, you hear?" Thomas patted him on the back and climbed up to the gym leader platform from whence he came.  Just above that, Kelsey could barely see what may have been the shadowy figure once again with what appeared to be a smug-looking grin. Kelsey reverted his focus back to the tournament.
   
Rounds passed...rounds and rounds and rounds.  Eric and Kelsey made their way to the semi-finals, blasting challengers away, left and right.  Four were left. The semi-finals seemed shorter than what the battles really were- tough. Kelsey and Eric had barely made it this far, and both were tired.  "...and Kelsey from Polo Town is the winner!" Mandrew announced at last. Semi-Finals were over. The final victors were Kelsey...and Eric.
   
"Dude..." Eric started, looking at the Finals scoreboard. "We both made it to the finals..."
   
"Yeah, we did." Kelsey replied, out of breath. "That means only one of us..."
   
"...can win." Eric finished. "I'm ready. Are you?"
   
"I think so." Kelsey said confidently. "May the best man win."

The two friends shook hands on it and went to their place on the battlefield. Thomas could be heard in the background shouting maniacally, "GO KELSEY! GO ERIC!"

Mandrew was as peppy as ever to announce the final battle, crying out, "This is it, ladies and gentlemen! What you've waited all night for! The final round, the Championship match of the Friends of Girafarig tourney!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 31: Memories REALLY Suck Sometimes (Part 2)

It seemed as if the crowd was never silent. Kelsey peered into Eric's Eyes, mouthing a quick "Good luck" before they were ushered to the beginnings of what would be their last professional battle for a long time.  He wasn't sure if Eric had seen.
   
As he started at his friend from across the battlefield, Eric looked into Kelsey's eyes and only had one thought: "I don't want to do this." But he had to. He made a quick decision as to who to start out with first, but then decided the perfect choice.  He only hoped Kelsey was ready for his almighty team.  This wasn't about fame or charity anymore...it was worth- who was better. Or was it? Whose thoughts were these, confusing Eric's heart and mind...?
 
Kelsey had barely prepared by the time Mandrew excitedly shouted, "Ready, Set, Battle!" one last time.  He grabbed a Poke Ball at random and threw it. It was Chatot.
   
Eric's side was held up by his newly-evolved Empoleon, causing Kelsey to judge if keeping Chatot out was a good decision. He quickly changed gears from Chatot to his Tangrowth, who had full healed since the battle with Thomas.
   
Empoleon was quick to attack with a Blizzard right away, but Tangrowth was ready and prepared to dish it right back.  The vine Pokemon gathered huge rocks from the ground, tossing an enormous Ancientpower attack towards Eric's Empoleon.  The Empoleon was knocked over, but no damage done otherwise.  The Empoleon rebounded with Hydro Cannon, but Tangrowth blocked the powerful water attack with its hands, dispersing the water onto the crowd and the Gym Leaders. Everyone cheered. Quickly, Kelsey ordered Tangrowth to pelt Empoleon over and over with Cut attacks while it attempted to recharge. As soon as Empoleon was recharged enough to launch another Blizzard attack, Tangrowth delivered the final blow with a great Grass Knot, tripping the penguin-like Pokemon. Empoleon fainted.
   
Kelsey turned to face the crowd and sheered, instilling confidence that he would win.  The stadium warmed up as he did a short victory dance for his first defeat, but it chilled soon after, signaling that he should get back to the battle.  Kelsey faced the battlefield to discover two things: the first was his fainted Tangrowth with a terrible burn, and the other was Eric looking smug, laughing, and holding the Poke Ball of his recently unveiled Pokemon, Torkoal.  Very sneaky, thought Kelsey, but that's not enough.  He grabbed the Poke Ball of his beloved Buizel and went to work.
   
Buizel smiled at its trainer, as it saw the oncoming Fire Spin from Torkoal.  The little orange weasel turned into a giant water snaked and pushed the Aqua Jet attack through the blazing trap and straight onto Torkoal's back, dousing the flame and knocking it out.  Buizel returned to Kelsey with a burn, so Kelsey decided to give it a rest and returned it to its Poke Ball.
   
Eric tossed out another Pokemon, and this time he was confident that it was invincible.  His Spiritomb simply sat, staring creepily at Kelsey and various audience members.  Kelsey thought deep as to who he should send out next, figuring that Dark/Ghost was an almost unstoppable combination.  He was struggling as he picked the Poke Ball and brought his Fraxure into battle.
   
Fraxure stood careful, facing its opponent as Kelsey contemplated how to get at the Spiritomb looming just a few feet away.  "Fraxure, use Dragon Claw!" Kelsey shouted, experimenting with his attacks.  The little dragon ran up to the stationary ghost Pokemon, claw ready to attack, when Eric's Spiritomb suddenly blocked the attempt and sent it flying by assaulting Fraxure with an extremely powerful physical attack: Return.  Eric's love for his Pokemon was coming forth. Fraxure hit the ground and slid to where Kelsey was standing, fainted.
   
Kelsey decided to bring out his best bet: Pikachu. Pikachu popped out with a determined grin- it was ready for battle. Spiritomb launched a sudden Dark Pulse attack that Pikachu narrowly dodged. Before Spiritomb could attack again, Pikachu used a close-range Thunder, damaging Spiritomb quite a bit.  Noticing Eric's smug looking grin on his face, Kelsey decided to change things up yet again by switching Pikachu out with Magmar.
   
Magmar started off with his powerful Lava Plume attack: jumping high into the sky, and plummeting to the ground, creating spouts of lava coming from the stadium floor, trapping the Spiritomb in one place.  Unfortunately, Eric had another plan.  The Spiritomb hopped through the flaming holes in the ground and sent multiple consecutive Sucker Punches at Magmar.  Attempting to block the oncoming attack, Magmar sent Fire Burst after Fire Burst to ward off the Sucker Punches, but it was too late.  Magmar was hit, and pinned to the ground- a perfect opportunity for Spiritomb to use a final Psychic attack, knocking out Magmar.
   
Eric was feeling great- half of Kelsey's Pokemon were already defeated. It was 3-3 now, with the odds roughly in his favor. Then Eric noticed that Spiritomb was burned from Magmar's attack, and losing HP quickly.  Eric didn't want to switch out, so he powered through. He had this.
   
Kelsey was in deep trouble. He had to use a Pokemon that hadn't done much battling, so he chose Chatot.  The cute musical bird chirped as it was let from its Poke Ball. The Spiritomb looked weakened, but Kelsey wouldn't let that get to him.  He ordered Chatot to perform Hyper Voice, a high-pitched voice attack that nearly deafened the audience, but unfortunately had no effect on Spiritomb.  The Spiritomb used Dark Pulse and hit Chatot, but it didn't do enough damage to substantially wound it.  Then Kelsey had Chatot use Chatter, a move specifically designed for it. "FoG!" Chatot repeated, the sound waves of its voice penetrating Spiritomb, finally knocking out the horrid Pokemon.
   
Before Kelsey had any time to decide if he should change Pokemon or not, Eric unleashed his secret weapon: a Pikachu, one that knew Fly.  There was also another secret to this Pikachu that only Eric and Kelsey knew: It was the brother of Kelsey's Pikachu that knows Surf.
   
Kelsey had no time to plan.  Eric's Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, striking Chatot in place. Chatot fainted, falling to the ground in a daze.  Kelsey had two Pokemon left. So did Eric.
   
In confusion, Kelsey accidentally threw out his Buizel, only to receive the same treatment as Chatot, but not before it landed a quick Ice Punch on Pikachu. Buizel was out.
   
Eric then replaced his mega house Pikachu with his special shiny Noctowl.  The golden bird glimmered as it rose out of the Poke Ball, prepared for battle. Kelsey had no choice but to send out his Pikachu.  It was all he had left to battle with.  Dread of losing entered Kelsey's mind, telling him to give in, give up, to admit defeat.  The evil thoughts of failure vanished when Pikachu cried out to get the attention of Noctowl.  The Noctowl got closer and closer to Kelsey's Pikachu, making it uncomfortable.  In a swift motion, Pikachu used quick attack to stun Noctowl and knock it out of the air, and then zap it with Thunder on the way down.  The plan was incredibly simple and worked wonders. Pikachu jumped over Noctowl and finished the job with an overhead Electro Ball, knocking it out.  Kelsey had one. Eric had one.
   
The last match-up. Everyone in the stadium was on the edge of their seats, watching this intense battle go on as it just about wrapped up.  Eric let his Pikachu out, as he smiled at Kelsey. Pikachu vs. Pikachu. Brother vs. Brother. This was the final leg. It was anyone's match now.
   
Eric's Pikachu struck first. Its tail shone bright silver as it dashed towards its brother in attack.  Kelsey's Pikachu fended off the running Pikachu with Surf, which simply pushed back the persistent creature. Eventually, Eric's Pikachu simply jumped into a Fly attack, to land on Kelsey's Pikachu in a full-force Iron Tail.  While the other flew in the air, Kelsey's Pikachu attempted to shoot it down with multiple Electro Balls. Eventually, one hit, knocking the Pikachu to the ground, angering it. It used a sneaky Iron Tail, hitting Kelsey's Pikachu square in the face.
   
Both Pikachus were extremely exhausted, and ready for the battle to be over, but neither were giving up yet. Both Pikachus began a charge. The two started running at full speed directly at one another. Eric's Pikachu flew high in the shy, preparing to dive-bomb his brother.  Water formed around Kelsey's Pikachu, the beginning of a great Surf attack as the water shaped into a tidal wave.  Eric's Pikachu began its descent as Kelsey's jumped to meet him. At the last second before collision, Kelsey's Pikachu cried out inside the great mound of water, and charged it full of electricity. Boom.
   
Smoke. Mist. No one in the stadium could see a thing, not even Kelsey, or Eric. It was a few minutes before the stadium floor was even visible. Both Pikachus were knocked out. It was a tie.
   
"UNBELIEVABLE!" Mandrew cried out. The stadium went nuts! "A fantastic match followed by a fantastic finish!" Mandrew ran down to the battlefield, which had been practically destroyed during all of the battles. Mandrew gathered Eric and Kelsey in the center, so the screaming crowd could get a look at them.  Mandrew shook both of their hands and whispered "Great job, you two!" into their ears. "Get a look at these two champions!" He shouted to the crowd. "You both are now official members of FoG, and you both get trips to anywhere you desire! Where are you headed?"
   
"Um..." Kelsey thought aloud, "I'm good with pretty much anywhere, really."
 
"Me too," Eric replied.
   
"It's settled! Let's leave it to the businessmen, shall we?" Mandrew directed the two to a room just off of the stadium and told them to wait there for the FoG executive.  The last sight of Polo Town they saw was of Thomas dancing wildly on the Gym leaders' platform.
   
They entered a pitch black room and watched as the metal doors to the stadium closed with a SLAM! It was dark, and they could no longer hear the crowd behind them.  They turned to face the door, when a light bulb popped on behind them.  Two shadows. That's all that was there. One blink and suddenly a third joined them.  Kelsey and Eric whirled around to meet the face of a young man, about 18.
   
Eric squinted to keep the light out of his eyes. "Umm...are you the Friends of Girafarig Executive?"
   
The young man laughed. His short blonde hair made his oddly grey suit stand out as well as the yellow orb in the center of his uniform. "FoG? Yes. 'Friends of Girafarig?' No. Only a fool would think anyone gave a crap about Girafarigs. Worthless creatures."
   
The two friends were frozen in fear.  What was happening? "Er, ok then..." Kelsey mumbled. "We'll just go find the other exec-"
   
The young man grabbed Kelsey by the shirt and held him there." I AM the only executive!" He cried, setting Kelsey down. "The name's Korbin. I run a very popular organization, and you've just been invited. Now, follow me." He opened a door in the metal room into a longer room. There were two machines for collecting Poke Balls, with a red cross painted on them. "These machines will heal your Pokemon. They will be delivered back to you as soon as they are done."
   Eric and Kelsey placed their Poke Balls one by one onto the moving conveyor belt, as their beloveds sailed off to who-knows where. They were gone, and Kelsey and Eric never saw it coming. "Come along!" Korbin called. Kelsey was almost positive that the shadow he had seen in the stadium had been him.
   
Walking down another metal hallway, Eric wondered where on Earth they could be. There were no structures near the abandoned football field. In the center of the hallway, Korbin pressed a button on a wall and spoke into a speaker: "All engines are a go. We have our cargo, boys. Head for Terrari, pronto." A few seconds later, the floor shifted, as if the building had lifted off the ground, like an aircraft.
   
That's exactly what it was.
   
Korbin took Kelsey and Eric to another room, one with a glass floor. Through the floor, they could see trainers about their age with Pokemon- training, battling each other, in an unfriendly manner.
   
Korbin stopped walking and turned to face the two. "This organization, FoG, is much more than what you perceived it to be.  We are the Followers of Giratina, and we will rule this world and the next, with the pure might of other Pokemon!"
   
"This is a criminal organization??" Eric exclaimed. "I'm out. I want my Pokemon back, now."
   
"Yeah, you weirdo!" Kelsey concurred. "Now!"
   
"Hm." Korbin thought aloud. "Maybe, just maybe, I might allow you to have your Pokemon back, if and when you follow everything I say, and everything I do."
   
"You've GOT to be joking!" Kelsey cried.
   
"Oh, you wish it was a joke, but it's real. For THIS is my dream!" Korbin laughed, maniacally.
   
"Never!" Eric yelled. "We won't do it!"
   
"Oh won't you?" Korbin teased. "You will." He grabbed two bundles of clothes and threw one to each. "Don't forget to put these on." As he said this, he moved his hand from his side onto a lever beside him. "And one more thing..."
   
Kelsey and Eric didn't look at each other, but they were thinking the same thing: "HELP!"
   
Korbin grew the smug grin on his face once again as he yanked the lever in his hand. The glass floor collapsed, causing Kelsey and Eric to fall into the other room. "AAAHHHHH!!!"

"Welcome to the FoG."

...NOW...

"I wonder where are Pokemon are," Eric wondered.

"I know where they're being kept," Kelsey told him. "I just don't know which twelve out of the hundreds are ours."

"This sucks," Eric said quietly.

The two of them wept silently for their stolen Pokemon until they fell asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 32: On the Bridge

...THE NEXT MORNING...

Everyone woke up in the Pokemon Center, looking extremely tired and grumpy. The previous night's events had taken its toll on all of them. They all silently got ready for the day and ate breakfast before getting ready to leave Smogoff City.

"So," Marty said, breaking the silence. "Will you be staying with us, Taylor?"

"Actually, no," she answered. "I  have some stuff to do here before I head on. I may catch up with you guys later."

"All right," Marty said. "Then this will be where we part for now, I guess."

"Yup," Taylor agreed. She stared at him for a moment, just as he had the day before. "You know," she said, "You look REALLY familiar for some reason."

"I feel the same way," Marty said back. "It's like we've known each other from some past life or something."

"Maybe you guys are really best friends in some alternate dimension!" Matt blurted out. This caused everyone to burst out laughing, instantly removing the gloomy mood that had been hanging over all of them.

"Well, in any case," Taylor said, "I hope we meet again."

"I do, too," Marty said. "We'll see you around!" So Marty and the others left the Pokemon Center and headed for the gate to the next town.

...MEANWHILE...

Kelsey and Eric woke up in their bunks, feeling just as grumpy and depressed as Marty and the others had been.

"What time did we fall asleep last night?" Eric asked Kelsey.

"I have no idea," Kelsey answered. "But we're late."

"You're fine," a voice said from nowhere. Kelsey and Eric jumped.

"Korbin!" Kelsey shouted.

"You guys have the day off," Korbin said, stepping out of a portal. "I have business to attend to."

"What kind of business, sir?" Eric asked him.

"Going to see a few...friends of mine," Korbin answered. He opened another portal and stepped through it, but not before saying, "You two should really sleep in a little while later."

...MEANWHILE...

Marty and the others had just reached the other side of the gate when they noticed that as soon as they stepped out of the city, they were greeted with a beautiful breath of fresh air.

"It feels amazing!" Nebu said happily.

"It sure does!" Stepney said, dancing with her.

"If I never see that city again," Matt said, "It'll be too soon." Even Roz managed a light smile.

Davy checked his Pokenav. "This says the next town is a port called Porthide, and the next two Gyms are on the islands near Terrari."

"Then we have some planning to do," Marty said. "We need to decide how we're splitting up."

"Splitting up?" Jordan asked. "Why?"

"It's more efficient that way," Marty said. "We can get our badges quicker. We'll talk more about it when we get to Porthide Town."

"It's just over the Millennia Bridge," Davy told them.

"Then we should get going," Roz said. So they started walking until they reached the bridge. It was a very impressive silver bridge that seemed to stretch out quite a ways. If one had to compare it to another bridge, it would look just like the Marvelous Bridge in the Unova region.

"What an amazing bridge!" Jordan said, amazed. "It looks JUST like the-"

"DON'T say it!" Nebu screeched at him. "That guy already did."

"What guy?" Matt asked her.

"That guy that's always following us," Nebu told them. (What the...?) "He's always...NARRATING US!" Everyone gasped (including me.)

"Not sure what you're talking about," Roz said to her. "It's always been just us on this journey."

"Whatever," Nebu said. "Let's just go." So they started walking over the bridge, almost to Porthide Town. When they were almost across, after about 20 minutes of walking, they noticed a black dot seeming to form at the other side of the bridge. As they got closer, they noticed something emerging from the dot. They began to ran towards it when who else should step out of a portal but-

"Korbin!" Marty shouted.

"Hello, everyone," Korbin said. "Nice to see you."

"Korbin," Roz said. "Why are you doing this? Why did you create the FoG?"

"Because it's the perfect way to achieve my goal, of course," he told her. "The FoG is almost ready to do great things with this world. I can't tell you my plan yet, though. It's too early."

"We won't let you do whatever it is you're doing," Davy assured him.

"Ah, Davy," Korbin mused. "I would think you would understand me most of all. You and I are more alike than you realize."

"I am nothing like you," Davy said. "And I don't understand you because you haven't told us this plan."

"Oh, really?" Korbin asked. "You're nothing like me? We've both lost parents to legends. We've both wanted revenge. I'm just taking action, which you have yet to do."

"How do you know that?" Davy demanded.

"I can see into your heart," Korbin proclaimed. "The thing that hangs over you like a plague is ridiculously easy to spot."

"Enough," Davy said. "The past is gone, and I can't change it. I'm not looking for revenge, but I will stop you. Battle me here and now!"

"Hmph," Korbin grunted. "Fine then. A one on one battle here on this bridge. Are you ready?"

"Of course!" Davy said to him. "Let's go!"

"Wait, Davy!" Marty shouted. "We don't have time for-"

"Let him do what he wants," Roz said. "We all have some stress to work out. This'll be good for him."

"But we don't know how powerful Korbin is!" Marty cried. "Davy could get hurt!"

"You weren't at his Gym battle," Jordan said, putting a hand on Marty's shoulder, "but Davy is really strong, too. This should be a good battle." Marty relaxed and decided to watch Davy battle.

"Go, Wartortle!" Davy called. The evolved form of Squirtle came out, as per Davy's instructions.

"Perfect," Korbin laughed. "Go, Servine!" Korbin threw out a Poke Ball and the evolved form of Snivy came out.

"Wartortle, Skull Bash!" Davy called out. Wartortle tucked in its head and charged toward Servine.

"Leaf Tornado," Korbin said. Servine prepared enough Grass energy and created a tornado of leaves right underneath Wartortle. The leaves cut into Wartortle, damaging it substantially.

"Wartortle!" Davy cried. "Ice Beam!" Wartortle, still in the tornado, released a beam of ice at Servine.

"Servine," Korbin said calmly. "Use Leaf Storm." Servine took the leaves from the tornado, concentrated them, and shot them at Wartortle with intense power. Wartortle fell to the ground, fainted.

"No!" Davy screamed.

"Davy lost?" Nebu wondered aloud. Everyone was most likely thinking the same thing. None of them had ever lost before.

"Hmph," Korbin grunted. "I expected a little more of a challenge." He opened a portal. "I'll be seeing you all again. I'm sure of it." He stepped through the portal and it closed behind him, leaving Davy there taking care of his Wartortle.

"Wartortle..." Davy said quietly. "I'm sorry."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 33: Splitting Up

After a while, Davy got up, withdrew Wartortle, and the group trudged on, their spirits continuing to fall.

"I know it's hard," Marty said, "but we can't just stay depressed forever!"

"He's right, you know," Matt chimed in.

"I concur," Stepney added.

"So let's dust our shoulders off and keep on moving!" Nebu shouted. The four of them grabbed Jordan, Roz, and Davy and threw them into a large group hug. When it was over, everyone had big smiles on their faces, and looked ready to move on.

"We'll always be there for each other," Jordan said.

"True friends until the end!" Roz shouted.

"I couldn't agree more," Davy told her with a smile. "Thanks guys. Let's keep moving." So with the gloom hanging over them removed once again, they reached the gate to Porthide Town.

...MEANWHILE...

Korbin stepped through the portal he had made earlier and landed in his room. It was a very bland room, devoid of anything but a simple bed. He liked it that way. He liked the idea of nothingness. He walked over to his bed and threw himself onto it. He sat there for a while, thinking about Davy. How he had chosen not to take his revenge on the legendary Pokemon that murdered his parent. He wondered if he had been making a mistake. He pushed these thoughts from his head. This was the path he had chosen. He had to see it through to the end. The door suddenly opened in front of him, showing Kelsey.

"Sir," Kelsey addressed. "The other leaders request your presence at the meeting."

"I'll go," Korbin assured him. "I thought I gave you the day off, Kelsey."

"You did," Kelsey agreed. "But I don't need a day off to make myself feel better. I'd rather work to get my mind off of things."

"Thank you, Kelsey," Korbin told him. "You may go." Kelsey nodded and ran off as Korbin walked over to the meeting hall.

...MEANWHILE...

Porthide Town was exactly what you would expect from any port town. It had a nice view of the ocean, brick roads, and a main square with a fountain, restaurants, shops, and boats. Lots and lots of boats. Roz ran over to the boat schedule and checked it quick.

"It looks like the next boat to Isle del Fuego doesn't leave until 4:30," she announced.

Jordan checked his Pokenav for the time. "It's 1:00," he told everyone.

"It looks like we've got three hours to kill," Marty said. "Any suggestions as to what we should do?"

"Training is always a good thing," Nebu said. "We may need it."

"That sounds good," Matt said. "Then we can hit up one of these restaurants for lunch when we're done."

"I see an empty spot over by the beach," Stepney told them, his hand acting as a visor. "Let's go train!" So they all went to train together. Everyone's Pokemon grew to their most evolved forms, and when it was time, Marty took out the stones he got in Hidavel Town from Dudesworth and distributed them to everyone. When everyone was done, all 42 of their Pokemon had finally reached their most evolved forms. In the span of an hour, they had gone from a bunch of tiny, pre-evolved Pokemon to a strong looking Pokemon battalion. Impressed with the work they had done, the seven trainers withdrew all their Pokemon and headed to a restaurant to eat before the boat came.

...MEANWHILE...

Korbin reached the meeting hall where the other five leaders had already gathered.

"Good of you to join us," Ghestis said to him. "We were just discussing how to destroy the region."

"That won't be necessary," Korbin said. "I already have a plan."

"What might this plan be?" Cyrus asked him.

"You should know," Korbin said. "From what I remember, you invaded this Pokemon's home once by accident."

Cyrus's eyes widened. "Surely you don't mean-"

"Yes," Korbin assured him. "That is exactly what I mean."

...MEANWHILE...

Marty and the others had finally found a restaurant that allowed Pokemon to eat with trainers. So they all chowed down on a delicious lunch. While they ate, they also made plans for what they would do when the boat got there.

"As I said earlier," Marty began, "I think splitting the group in half would be a good idea at this point. It would get us our Gym Badges much faster, which would give us more time to train before the Pokemon League, seeing as we're the last people here."

"Makes sense," Matt said. "How do you propose that we split up?"

"I think that those who have finished their Gym Battle should go with Stepney," Marty proposed. "That would include Matt and Davy."

"Hey, what about you?" Davy asked. "You've had your Gym Battle."

"But," Marty reminded him, "I have another to do in FrivVille." Davy nodded his head.

"So then," Roz guessed, "That leaves you, me, Nebu, and Jordan to go to the islands, correct?"

"That's right," Marty assured her.

"I can live with that," Jordan said.

"As can I," Nebu agreed.

"Well, as long as there isn't any opposition to this plan, this is what we'll do, then," Marty proclaimed.

"It's 3:45," Roz reminded him.

"Okay," Marty said. "Let's get to the harbor!" So they paid the check and ran out the door to catch the boat.

...MEANWHILE...

"So we have our plan," Ghestis said. "Now when do we execute it?"

"It will take time," Korbin said, "But I estimate that this will take place around the time of the Pokemon League."

"Perfect," Ghestis said, rubbing his hands together. "That concludes this meeting, I guess. See you all tomorrow." The five leaders got up and left the hall, leaving Korbin there alone. He stared at the table for a minute, then said, "I know you're there, Kelsey."

All of a sudden, Kelsey fell into the doorway like a complete klutz. "Sorry, sir," he said.

"How much did you hear?" Korbin asked him.

"All of it," Kelsey admitted.

"I see," Korbin muttered.

"My deepest apologies, sir," Kelsey said to him. "I was only curious."

"It's fine," Korbin said. "If I can't trust my second in command, who can I trust?" He laughed as he walked back to his room, leaving Kelsey there, feeling conflicted.

...MEANWHILE...

Marty and the others had just reached the boat dock at 3:59. The overhead speaker announced that it was the last call for the boat to Isle del Fuego.

"Well, this is it," Marty said. "Group hug, guys!" So they had another great group hug, as always.

"Do well, Stepney!" Nebu told him.

"You too, guys!" Stepney replied.

"Let's meet at Maron City when we've gotten all the badges," Roz planned.

"Sounds good," Davy told her.

"Bye, Matt!" Jordan said to him. "Train hard!"

"You, too," Matt said. "Don't fall behind!"

So with everyone's thoughts spoken to each other, Marty, Nebu, Roz, and Jordan boarded the ferry just as it started to leave the shores of Porthide Town, leaving Stepney, Matt, and Davy behind.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 34: Island of Fire

Marty, Nebu, Jordan, and Roz had just gotten on the boat as it was leaving the port. It was no luxury cruise liner, such as the SS Anne, but it was still a nice ferry for their small journey. They let their Pokemon relax on the deck for a little while they did the same. As they got closer to the island, they noticed the temperature was quite obviously increasing.

"Wow," Roz said. "It's really getting hot-"

"Stop repeating what that guy is saying!" Nebu snapped at her. (not again...) "It freaks me out!"

"Honestly," Jordan said, "we have no idea what you're talking about. There's nobody here but us."

"Jordan's right," Marty assured her. "Just try to forget about it."

"UGH," Nebu grunted. "Fine. I'll just pretend the guy that has been narrating us since the day we left Ecruteak isn't there." (Thank god...)

"Anyway," Roz said. "It's definitely getting scorching out here."

Jordan checked the temperature on his Pokenav. "It's 102 degrees," he informed them. Everyone groaned.

"This is going to be miserable," Roz said.

"Maybe we can make this island tour last only for today," Marty hoped.

"Yeah," Jordan agreed. "Hopefully nothing bad happens while we're on these islands. That would just be totally coincidental and cliché."

They laughed as the boat neared the island.

...MEANWHILE...

Stepney, Matt, and Davy were still in Porthide Town, planning their next move.

"So it looks like Stepney's Gym battle will take place in Roundhouse Town," Davy explained. "That's just down the road."

"Do we have to go right now?" Stepney asked him. "I want to enjoy this town while I can."

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "This town has a lot of things to offer that we haven't even touched upon. We should stay here for at least a few more hours. It would also give Stepney a chance to train before his Gym Battle, and us to train before the Pokemon League."

Davy thought to himself for a moment, then said, "It makes sense. Let's do that." So the three of them decided to stay in Porthide town for a while longer.

...MEANWHILE...

The others had just arrived on Isle del Fuego, and the heat made total sense to them instantly. In the center of the island was a huge volcano. The volcano looked to be active and took up most of the island. The town was built in a circle around the volcano.

"No wonder it's so hot," Nebu said. "Let's hurry and get out of here."

"Agreed," Jordan said. So they walked around the island at a brisk pace in a search to find the Gym.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 35: Fleeting Star

Korbin was still pondering about Davy when Ghestis came into his room.

"Korbin," he said. "How do you plan on awakening...that?"

"I have my ways," Korbin told him. "It is none of your concern."

"I think it's every bit of my concern," Ghestis said sternly. "That...THING is capable of destroying MUCH more than just Terrari. I demand to know why you insist on doing it this way."

"You are not my superior," Korbin reminded him. "You do not have room to demand anything from me."

"Hmph," Ghestis grunted. "Fine." He turned around and left the room. As soon as he was out of sight, Korbin made a portal and stepped through it.

...MEANWHILE...

After walking around the island twice, Jordan finally spotted the Gym entrance.

"There it is!" he shouted. He was pointing to a door that led to the inside of the volcano.

"It's INSIDE the volcano?!" Nebu cried, shocked.

"Ugh," Marty said. "It'll be so miserable in there."

"Maybe we can hurry and do this quickly," Roz said hopefully. "Let's just hurry and go." So the four of them ran into the Gym and got ready for Nebu's Gym battle.

"Welcome!" the ref said to them. "Which one of you is going to be challenging Ms. Fleet today?"

"I will," Nebu told him.

"Great!" the ref said. "Come with me!"

"He's awfully cheerful for this heat," Jordan whispered to Marty.

"Yeah," Marty agreed. "I would hate to have his job."

The four of them followed the ref into the innermost part of the volcano. The arena was there, made from volcanic rock. There was a glass ceiling that showed molten lava just above it. It looked like it would be very dangerous if the glass cracked.

"Ms. Fleet!" the ref called. "You have a challenger!" Just as he finished his statement, an explosion could be heard on the other side of the arena.

"Oh, goody!" said a voice. Just then, a little girl emerged from the other side of the arena. She wore a dress with flame patterns on it, and had red  and blond highlights in her hair. In her hand she held a stick of dynamite. "It's been a while since I've had a challenger! Everyone calls me Ms. Fleet, but you can call me Fleet. Or Fleety if you want. Which one of you is challenging me today?"

"I am," Nebu said confidently.

"I see," Fleet said ponderously. "Girl power." She chuckled as she got a Poke Ball out. "Let's get started!"

"Gladly," Nebu said, smiling.

Meanwhile, behind Nebu, Marty and the others were huddled together, looking extremely worried.

"She has a stick of dynamite!" Jordan whispered loudly.

"Little girls should not have sticks of dynamite!" Marty agreed.

"Is Nebu going to be okay?" Roz asked.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 36: Burnin' Up

"This will be a three on three battle between the Gym Leader, Ms. Fleet, and the challenger Nebu," the ref explained. "Are you both ready?"

"Yes!" they shouted in unison.

"Then let the battle begin!" the ref proclaimed.

"I choose Heatmor!" Fleet declared. She threw out a Poke Ball and the Fire-type anteater Pokemon emerged.

"Go, Drifblim!" Nebu called. The evolved form of Drifloon emerged, ready for battle.

"Let's get things started, Heatmor!" Fleet called out. "Use Flamethrower!" Heatmor ejected a steady stream of fire out of its nose at Drifblim.

"Drifblim!" Nebu shouted. "Stop it with Gust!" Drifblim blew up a powerful wind to stop Heatmor's Flamethrower. "Now Shadow Ball!" Nebu called out. Drifblim created a ball of Dark energy and launched it towards Heatmor. It hit Heatmor head-on.

"Heatmor!" Fleet cried. "Use Flame Burst!" Heatmor released a fast burst of fire at Drifblim, burning it.

"Drifblim!" Nebu cried. Drifblim looked to be seriously hurt. "Can you continue?" Drifblim got up and looked ready to continue. "Good! Use Fly!"

"Heatmor!" Fleet yelled. "Flamethrower!" Heatmor released another powerful stream of fire at Drifblim, but it missed because Drifblim had just gotten into the air. Drifblim swooped down after the Flamethrower was done and slammed into Heatmor with great force, causing it to faint.

"Heatmor is unable to battle!" the ref called. "Drifblim wins!"

"Great job, Drifblim!" Nebu praised. The others were cheering loudly for Nebu and Drifblim.

"All right!" Fleety said. "Go, Flareon!" The fire evolution of Eevee entered the field.

Nebu took a look at Drifblim. It was badly hurt. She knew Drifblim wouldn't make it past another attack. Just then, she had a plan.

"Drifblim!" she called. "Use Explosion!" Drifblim focused all of its remaining energy into one point and let it loose in a violent explosion. Both Flareon and Drifloon fainted from the force.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" the ref judged. "There is no winner!"

Marty and the others were shocked. They had not seen that strategy coming. It was a surprise for all of them.

"It was a very good plan," Roz admitted.

"Yeah," Jordan agreed. "Poor Drifblim."

"It must've been hard for Nebu," Marty said. "Drifblim is her favorite Pokemon.

"Now it's my turn!" Fleet said. "I'm not giving up! I choose Emboar!" The ultimate evolution of Tepig came out.

"Go, Flygon!" Nebu called. The ultimate evolution of Trapinch emerged.

"Oh my god," Fleet said. "A FLYGON! I love Flygons!"

"Hey," Nebu said back. "Me too!" They both laughed. They seemed to be having a very good time.

"Emboar versus Flygon!" the ref announced. "Begin!"

"Emboar, Dragon Pulse!" Fleet ordered. Emboar released a powerful stream of Dragon-type energy at Flygon.

"Flygon, counter with Hyper Beam!" Nebu called. Flygon released a powerful stream of energy at Emboar's Dragon Pulse, attempting to stop it. There was a large explosion, and both Pokemon fainted.

"Neither Pokemon is able to battle!" the ref declared again. "The winner is Nebu from Ecruteak City!"

Marty, Roz, and Jordan cheered as Nebu recalled her Flygon.

"Way to go!" Marty shouted.

"That was awesome!" Roz told her.

"Great job, Nebu!" Jordan cheered.

"Thanks, guys!" Nebu said to them with a smile.

"That was great!" Fleet called. "You definitely earned the Lava Badge!" She handed a badge to Nebu.

"Thank you, Fleet," Nebu said to her. "I had a great time."

"Me too!" Fleet exclaimed. "We should be friends!"

"Definitely," Nebu said, smiling.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 37: In the Line of Fire

Nebu, Fleet and the others were talking in the Gym for a while. Then suddenly, a local man burst into the arena in a panic.

"Ms. Fleet!" he screamed. "It's terrible!"

"What's the matter?" she asked the man.

"Some strange people in black outfits have invaded our island!" he explained.

"Black outfits?" Marty asked, concerned. He, Nebu and Roz exchanged worried glances.

"Yes," the man said. "Their shirts all had a big red 'R' on them as well."

Roz gasped. "Team Rocket!"

"I thought they were gone!" Nebu cried.

"We have to do something!" Jordan exclaimed. So the four of them ran out of the Gym to face Team Rocket, leaving Fleet behind.

"Ms. Fleet," the man said. "Aren't you going with them?"

"No," she said. "I can't do anything. My Pokemon are all defeated. It's up to them."

...MEANWHILE...

In FoG's base, Giovanni received a call on his Pokenav. It was the Team Rocket admin, Archer.

"We're in position," Archer told him.

"Good," Giovanni said, pleased. "Let me know once you find it." He hung up the Pokenav. Soon, all of their plans would begin to set in motion.

...MEANWHILE...

Marty and the others got out of the volcano to find Team Rocket members ransacking the entire island. Shops and homes were being broken into, and people were being interrogated.

"We have to stop them!" Marty said. "Let's go!" The four of them ran to a group of Team Rocket members and prepared for a battle.

"Nebu!" Jordan shouted. "Get to the Pokemon Center! We can take care of this."

"Okay!" Nebu said. "I'll be back!" Nebu ran off to the Pokemon Center just down the street.

"Go, Lucario!" Marty called. The evolved form of Riolu came out as Marty called it.

"Go, Cinccino!" Jordan shouted. Minccino's evolved form emerged.

"Go, Charizard!" Roz cried. Charmander's ultimate evolution entered the fray.

The Team Rocket members brought out a whole slew of Rattatas, Zubats, Koffings, and other Poison types.

...MEANWHILE...

Nebu reached the Pokemon Center and got her Pokemon healed. As she was leaving, she noticed four people standing near it, talking. They all had strangely colored hair.

"It wasn't on the north side," said a man with purple hair.

"It wasn't on the east side, either," said a girl with red hair.

"I didn't find anything," said a man with green hair and a black hat.

"It seems we were wrong," a man with blue hair said. "We should go to the other island and investigate."

"Yes, sir!" the other three said, establishing him as the leader. The four of them ran off, calling the other team members.

"Oh, no!" Nebu said to herself. "I have to warn the others!" She ran off down the street to tell the others.

...MEANWHILE...

Marty, Jordan, and Roz had just finished their battle. A whole battalion of Team Rocket Pokemon lay fainted at their Pokemon's feet.

"That was easy," Roz said.

"Yeah," Marty agreed.

"We're definitely getting stronger," Jordan said.

The Team Rocket members stood there with their mouths hanging open. They had never seen any Trainers battle with such ferocity since...well, the last time they had been defeated. They recalled all their Pokemon and ran off. Just as they had got away, Nebu came running up to the others.

"Guys!" she shouted. "They're getting away! They're going to the next island!"

"We have to go after them!" Jordan said.

"Where are we going to get a boat on such short notice?" Roz asked them.

Just then, Marty's Pokenav rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Is this Marty?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Forrest. I'm the leader of Iceburg Gym. I got your number from Jerry."

"Okay, what do you need?"

"Well, I've just received word from Fleet that Team Rocket is coming to my island to get to my Radio Tower, and I need help driving them off. Can you guys get here right away?"

"We would need a boat to get over there."

"Don't worry, I've got that taken care of. There will be a boat waiting for you at the docks. Get on it, and Kefka will get you over here."

"All right, we'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thanks. You're a lifesaver."

Marty hung up the Pokenav and said, "Come on, guys. We have a boat to catch."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 38: Oh, Really? Where's Chuck Norris?

Stepney, Matt, and Davy had just finished their training and prepared to leave for Roundhouse Town. The road there was fairly short, and they had stopped to train halfway, so they figured they were almost there.

"Are you ready?" Davy asked Stepney.

"Definitely," he replied. "I'm ready for anything!"

...MEANWHILE...

Marty, Roz, Jordan, and Nebu ran to the harbor, where a boat was waiting for them.

"There it is!" Nebu shouted.

"We've got to hurry!" Jordan reminded them. "Team Rocket is probably almost there!"

They jumped into the boat and it took off. The man in the boat turned around.

"So," he said. "You must be the ones that Forrest called."

"That's right," Marty told him.

"I would've thought he would've called someone stronger, like Jari," the man said.

"You never change, Kefka," Jordan smiled.

"Damn straight," he said. "Now let's get going."

...MEANWHILE...

Stepney and the others had just made it to Roundhouse Town. It wasn't quite what they had expected it to be. It was just a tiny village with a Pokemon Center (which was really only a wooden stand with a healing machine), the Gym, and what looked to be some sort of dojo. Other than that, there was a big bonfire in the center of town which could've been considered a town square. The strangest thing of all, though, was the fact that there wasn't a single person in the town when they arrived. No one was at the square, and the only person that seemed to be around was Nurse Joy. They walked up to her stand.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully. "How can I help you?"

"Yes," Davy began. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh," she said. "I bet you're looking for the Gym Leader, Raymond. He should be in the dojo right over there, teaching a class. I'm sure if you go in there and wait, he'll come find you when he's done."

"Thank you very much," Stepney said with a smile.

"No problem!" Joy smiled back. "Good luck!" As they walked away toward the dojo, she muttered, "They'll need it," under her breath.

...MEANWHILE...

Giovanni stepped into Korbin's room.

"I think you would like to know that we're almost to the Radio Tower," he told Korbin. "We'll be ready for your 'appearance' pretty soon."

"Thanks," Korbin said. "I'll head over there now." He opened a portal, and headed for Iceburg City.

...MEANWHILE...

Stepney, Matt, and Davy entered the dojo to find about 30 guys in karate gear sitting on the floor listening to a boy on the other side of the room, who looked up at them.

"Ah," he said, smiling. "Some new students. Care to join us?"

"Sure!" Matt said excitedly. He sat down and motioned for Stepney and Davy to sit next to him.

"We don't have time for this," Davy groaned.

"We totally have time for this!" Matt exclaimed. "It could give us good battling tips."

"Fine," Davy sighed.

"Now," the boy said. "For those of you who just walked in, I am Raymond, and I'm the Gym Leader of Roundhouse Town. I specialize in Fighting type Pokemon. Today I am talking to you all about what I call the BL system."

"What is that?" Stepney asked.

"Well," Raymond continued, "It's a system I developed while training here in Terrari. BL is short for Battle Link. Basically, it's where you tune your thoughts to those of your Pokemon and try to synchronize your moves with it. Eventually, the mind of the Trainer and the Pokemon will sync, and reaction times of the Pokemon will be faster." He noticed the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, so he asked, "How about a demonstration?" Everyone nodded their heads.

"Okay," Raymond said. "Come out, Medicham!" The evolved form of Meditite came out as instructed.

"Now as you know," Raymond continued. "Medicham specializes in yoga. Let's begin, Medicham." Medicham began to do some yoga poses, and Raymond began to follow along. At first, Raymond seemed to be behind. Gradually, however, his movements became more and more in time with Medicham's until finally, they were doing the same thing at the same time.

Raymond continued teaching. "The key to it is following your Pokemon first. Don't assume that your Pokemon will drop whatever it's doing just to start following what you do. That would make you look foolish. Instead, you want to open yourself up to the Pokemon and let them know you're on their wavelength." He stopped what he was doing, and Medicham did the same. "Then, they will follow you as well!" Everyone in the dojo clapped, signaling that the class was over.

"It's done," Davy said. "I think I might've actually learned something."

"This Battle Link thing is pretty cool!" Matt said excitedly. "I can't wait to try it with Sceptile!"

"I may do the same," Stepney said, "but first we have to catch Raymond." They walked over to where Raymond was standing.

"Ah," he said. "You three. Did you enjoy the class?"

"Sure did!" Matt said to him with a smile. "That's really cool!"

"Thank you!" Raymond said. "It took me a while to master, but it's not too hard. But I guess you weren't really here for the class to begin with."

"You're right," Stepney told him. "I'm actually here to challenge you."

"Good," Raymond said. "I haven't had a challenger for weeks. Let's head over to the Gym right now!

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 39: Battle Link

The Roundhouse Town Gym was pretty basic, much like the rest of the town. It was just like the dojo, but it had Pokemon Stadium markings on the floor instead of tatami flooring. Raymond called out the ref, who got ready.

Meanwhile, Davy and Matt were giving Stepney some last minute words of encouragement.

"You've got this," Matt said. "Just focus."

"He's right," Davy said. "Gym Battles are intense, but they don't really try to psyche you out too much."

"Thanks for the encouragement, guys," Stepney said to them. "I'm totally ready for this!" He walked up to his place on the arena.

The ref began the usual speech. "This battle will be between Raymond, the Roundhouse Gym Leader, and Stepney, the challenger from Littleroot Town. It will be a three on three battle, and only the challenger may substitute. Gym Leader, are you ready?"

"I am," Raymond declared.

"Challenger, are you ready?"

"I am," Stepney stated.

"Then let the battle begin!" the ref shouted.

"Let's go, Medicham!" Raymond called. Medicham came out of its Ball once again, this time to fight.

"I choose you, Honchkrow!" Stepney said. The evolved form of Murkrow came out to do battle.

"Doesn't he have anything better to fight a Fighting type with?" Matt asked Davy. "Sure, Honchkrow is a Flying type, but it also has a Dark type.

"It's better than just having a Dark type," Davy reminded him.

"True," Matt admitted.

"Medicham versus Honchkrow!" the ref declared. "Begin!"

"Honchkrow!" Stepney called. "Use Aerial Ace!" Honchkrow came at Medicham with a blinding speed.

"Medicham," Raymond said. "Battle Link." The two of them began to move together and easily dodged Honchkrow's attack.

"What?!" Stepney cried. "Aerial Ace is supposed to hit every time!"

"That's because the Pokemon doesn't receive the order to dodge in time," Raymond explained. "Battle Link makes the reaction time instant. Therefore, to any skilled Trainer, even Aerial Ace can be dodged when in Battle Link."

"That's amazing!" Matt exclaimed.

"Not for Stepney," Davy reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," Matt mumbled.

"Medicham," Raymond ordered. "Ice Punch." Medicham infused its fist with Ice type energy and punched Honchkrow. Honchkrow's weakness to Ice type moves caused it to faint.

"Honchkrow is unable to battle!" the ref said. "Medicham wins!"

"Oh, no!" Stepney cried.

"It's almost unfair," Raymond said. "Maybe I'll hold off on Battle Link."

"Okay," Stepney said. "But don't come crying to me when you lose!" He got out another Poke Ball and yelled out, "Ninetails!" The evolved form of Vulpix came out, ready to battle.

"Medicham versus Ninetails!" the ref called. "Begin!"

"Ninetails, Flamethrower!" Stepney shouted. Ninetails shot a huge stream of fire at Medicham, which fainted before anyone there even blinked.

"Um...w-wow," Davy stuttered.

"Medicham is unable to battle!" the ref announced. "Ninetails wins!"

Raymond, quickly continuing, said, "Go, Meinshao!" A graceful Pokemon with long arms came out of the Ball.

"Meinshao versus Ninetails!" the ref shouted. "Begin!"

"Ninetails!" Stepney called. "Flamethrower again!"

"Meinshao, Focus Blast," Raymond said calmly, like he knew what was about to happen. Meinshao readied a huge ball of its energy and shot it to Ninetails, who had just released another Flamethrower. The two attacks collided, but neither attack wanted to give way. Slowly but surely, however, Meinshao's Focus Blast inched closer and closer to Ninetails, who kept pushing out its Flamethrower. Eventually, the Focus Ball reached Ninetails and hit it square in the face. Ninetails skidded across the Gym floor, fainted.

"Ninetails is unable to battle!" the ref declared. "Meinshao wins!"

"Ninetails put up a really good fight," Davy admitted.

"Too bad it wasn't quite enough," Matt said sadly.

"This is my last Pokemon!" Stepney declared! "I'm going to make it count! Go, Roserade!" Roserade, Stepney's best and favorite Pokemon, emerged, ready for battle.

"Meinshao versus Roserade!" the ref declared. "Begin!"

"Meinshao!" Raymond said. "Use Focus Blast!" Meinshao shot another ball of energy.

"Roserade!" Stepney shouted. "Energy Ball!" Roserade created a small, concentrated ball of Grass energy and shot it at Meinshao's Focus Blast. The two attacks collided and exploded on contact. A huge cloud of smoke appeared.

"Go!" Stepney cried. "Poison Jab!" Roserade suddenly popped out of the smoke and jabbed Meinshao numerous times with its hands and feet, which had a purple aura about them. The jabs kept coming until Meinshao eventually fainted.

"Meinshao is unable to battle!" the ref said, stating the obvious as usual. "Roserade wins it!"

Raymond, once again not allowing any time for celebration, called out his last Pokemon.

"Go! Infernape!"

There was a collective gasp from Stepney, Matt, and Davy.

"He's screwed!" Matt cried.

"Infernape versus Roserade!" the ref announced. "Begin!"

Raymond, never one to waste time, immediately shouted, "Infernape, Flamethrower!" Infernape instantly jumped into action and shot a Flamethrower at Roserade.

Time seemed to slow down for Stepney. Well, one could say it actually did. Everything moved slower except him and Roserade.

"Roserade," Stepney said calmly. "Do you trust me?"

"Rose!" Roserade replied, making sure its Trainer knew that it most certainly did.

"Then follow me," Stepney said. Time sped up again.

"It's over!" Raymond shouted as the Flamethrower shot over to Roserade.

"Roserade," Stepney said, completely calm. "Battle Link."

Just then, something clicked in Stepney's head. He felt Roserade's thoughts mix with his, and he could understand them all. He and Roserade were in perfect sync with each other. Roserade easily dodged the Flamethrower and got right in Infernape's face, startling it.

"Now, Solarbeam," Stepney said. Roserade instantly loosed a fully charged Solarbeam right into Infernape's face. Infernape kept its footing, even though it was badly injured.

"Infernape!" Raymond ordered. "Battle Link!" Infernape looked to Raymond, extremely confused.

"You're already linked with Medicham," Stepney reminded him. "A thing this powerful can only be shared with one Pokemon."

"Impossible!" Raymond screamed. "How do you know more about my own technique than me?"

"I don't claim to know more about it," Stepney told him. "I have only experienced it, and know how I feel."

"Blast Burn!" Raymond screamed, completely changed from the calm boy who had started the battle. Infernape released a huge stream of fire, bigger than even a Flamethrower, from its hands at point blank. Roserade disappeared in the stream. When its attack was over, Roserade was gone.

"Roserade is unable to-"

Stepney laughed. "Roserade is fine. Look!"

Just then, out of nowhere, Roserade appeared behind Infernape and used another well placed Poison Jab. Infernape dropped to the ground like a sack of rutatoes.

"Infernape is unable to battle!" the ref shouted, shocked. "The winner is Stepney from Littleroot Town!"

"Way to go!" Davy shouted.

"That was amazing!" Matt exclaimed. "How did you figure out the Battle Link?"

"I asked Roserade if it trusted me," he explained. "And it just kinda...clicked."

"Well," Raymond said, calm again, "You did a nice job mastering the Battle Link. You earned yourself the Foot Badge." He handed the badge to Stepney and bowed, as any good fighter would.

"Thank you," Stepney said, bowing back respectfully.

"Now we can go back to Maron City!" Matt said, excited.

"Yeah," Davy said. "We should go soon, too."

"Why don't we Fly there?" Stepney asked.

"I don't have a Pokemon that can carry me," Davy told him.

"Skarmory can take two," Matt offered.

"That sounds good then," Davy said.

"We'll see you around, Raymond!" Stepney hollered back to him, waving.

"For sure," Raymond said with a light smile.

The three of them got on their Bird Pokemon and flew back to Maron City, with all of their badges obtained.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 40: Out of the Frying Pan and into the...Iceburg

"Situation is getting pretty bad," Kefka explained to Marty and the others. "No one has any idea where Team Rocket came back from, or where they're hiding out, but we do know what they're after."

"The Radio Tower," Marty said.

"Exactly," Kefka told him. "They have done this once before in Johto as well."

"Yeah," Roz said. "We live just north of that Tower. They didn't let anyone into Goldenrod City for a while. Then some Trainer flew in and got rid of all of them. I think he went on to become the Champion of our region."

"Yeah," Kefka said, uninterested. "Anyway, this isn't a HUGE crisis, since we don't really have many shows that people will freak out about if they're not on air, but Team Rocket is quite a threat and should be dealt with as such."

While they were riding the boat, they noticed the temperature steadily declining until it was freezing.

"It's so cold!" Nebu complained.

"That means we're here," Kefka said. They all looked to where the boat was pointing. In front of them was a giant iceberg floating out in the middle of the ocean. It looked like a completely normal iceberg.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Marty asked him.

"Of course," Kefka scoffed. "I would think I know my own town. Look there." He pointed to a large opening in the side of the iceberg. It looked to be big enough for even a large cruise ship to pass through. "That's the entrance," he told them. They went through the large entrance and got their first glimpse of Iceburg City.

Iceburg City was not one of the largest cities they had been to. Of course, that was to be expected. It was built in an iceberg, after all. Like every other city they'd been to, Iceburg City had a little square in the center of town where people would meet together. But no one was outside because Team Rocket was already there, and they had found the Radio Tower.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 41: Radio Tower Takeover

Marty's Pokenav rang again when they got off the boat. He picked it up.

"Are you here yet?"

"We just got in port."

"Great. The Radio Tower is on the second floor of the Gym. Team Rocket threw me out. I have no idea what's going on up there. I think you can find the Radio Tower from the port."

"Yeah, I see it."

"Awesome. Get here as soon as you can. I have to run home and get my Pokemon."

Forrest hung up the phone.

"Let's go," Marty said. They ran off to the Radio Tower, which was on the other side of town. It took them about 15 minutes. Team Rocket members noticed them, but they didn't do anything, as the four of them didn't look like much of a threat. They got to the Gym, where Team Rocket's forces were most concentrated.

"Intruders!" one of the grunts said. "Get them!" All of the grunts swarmed in on them.

"We can't beat this many grunts!" Nebu said.

"We can't just leave!" Marty reminded her.

"What do we do?" Jordan asked.

"I can help with that," said a familiar voice. Just then, a Venusaur came charging through the gate, Vine Whips blazing. A whole slew of Team Rocket's Pokemon flew around everywhere in the lobby. Just then, Taylor walked through the door.

"Taylor!" Marty exclaimed.

"You guys go!" she said to them. "I can take care of this!"

"You can't do this all by yourself!" Roz cried. "There's way too many of them!"

"She won't need to," said another familiar voice. Atticus walked through the door right behind her. "She's got me, too!"

"And me," said another. Gregory followed Atticus inside. He had cleaned himself up a bit since he had been in Purity Forest. His black hair was kept short and neat, and he had bought a new pair of jeans.

"Gregory! Atticus!" Nebu said, excited.

"Now it's a party!" Jordan declared.

"How did you guys know to come?" Nebu asked them.

"Well," Gregory said. "Forrest called me."

Atticus pouted and said, "I've kinda been behind you guys since we first met."

"Same here," Taylor said.

While they were talking, the Team Rocket members took their time and regrouped, ready to fight.

"Go!" Atticus said. "We'll hold them off!"

"Thanks, guys!" Marty called to them. "We owe you guys!" They ran up the stairs in the lobby, where the Radio Tower awaited them.

"Ready?" Atticus asked the two of them.

"Yup!" Taylor said, smiling.

"Definitely," Gregory said pleasantly.

"Let's get this done quick!" Atticus told them. "Go, Farfetch'd!"

"Venusaur!" Taylor called.

Gregory silently threw out a Poke Ball.

...MEANWHILE...

Marty, Nebu, Jordan, and Roz ran up the stairs to the Radio Tower. When they got to the top, they saw a large area with a bunch of soundproof booths where radio shows could be hosted. But they all looked to be abandoned except for one in the back. Next to that room stood the four people that Nebu previously saw on Isle del Fuego.

"Hey!" the woman with red hair shouted. "How did these brats get up here?"

"We had at LEAST 30 grunts stationed downstairs!" the man with purple hair stated.

The man with green hair smirked. "Well, I guess we'll just have to crush them, won't we?"

"It seems that way," the leader said.

"Who are you guys?" Nebu asked them.

"You dare to ask that?" the red-haired woman asked. "We are the four executives of Team Rocket! I'm Ariana!"

"I'm Petrel," the man with purple hair said with an evil grin.

"I'm Proton!" the one with green hair told them, still smirking.

"And I'm Archer," said the blue-haired man.

"We'll take care of you all real quick!" Ariana said. "Go, Arbok!"

"Weezing!" Petrel called.

"Go, Golbat!" Proton yelled.

"Houndoom," Archer said.

"We won't let you get away with this!" Jordan said. "Go, Cinccino!"

"I choose you, Charizard!" Roz said.

"Go, Drifblim!" Nebu cried.

"Lucario!" Marty called.

All eight Pokemon launched into the room and set off to battle right away. At first, it looked to be bad for Marty and the others, but eventually, their teamwork began to overcome the executives.

"No!" Ariana shouted. "We can't lose yet!"

"No need to worry," said yet another familiar voice. Korbin emerged from a portal in his usual fashion. He looked over at Marty and the others. "Ah. You seem to be short some people. Did Davy finally come to terms with his bitter fate?"

"Davy's fine," Nebu retorted. "And he doesn't have a 'bitter fate.' Why are you here?"

"Because I'm announcing my plans to the world," Korbin told her. He portaled into the booth and locked the door behind him. He flipped a couple switches and the on-air sign turned on over the door. Roz quickly flipped her Pokenav's radio on, and everybody listened as Korbin began.

"Hello, world, this is Korbin."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 42: The Plan is Revealed

"I'm sure you're wondering who I am and what I am doing in your radio. I will reveal all in this short broadcast. As some of you may or may not be aware, I am the leader of the FoG, or Followers of Giratina. For a while we have gone under the name of 'Friends of Girafarig' to gain members, but this is a false name. Only a fool would care about Girafarigs. Worthless creatures. But I digress. I am here today to tell you FoG's plans for the world, most specifically the Terrari Region. We of FoG plan to destroy Terrari. We find the hypocrisy of this region's ideas to be unacceptable. Is the separation of people and Pokemon not what Team Plasma just fought for in Unova? Yet you fought them because of their 'extreme methods?' This is why we are taking action. We will awaken Giratina from its present slumber in the Distortion World and bring it to Terrari to have it destroyed. This will be done around the scheduled time of the Pokemon League. Let this be a warning to all the Trainers currently in Terrari. Get out while you still can. Any resistance will be frowned upon and ultimately crushed. I thank you for your time."

The on-air light turned off, and the broadcast ended. Korbin opened the door to find the four Team Rocket executives defeated.

"I can't believe this," Ariana groaned.

"Beaten by children again," Proton growled.

"No matter," Korbin told them. "We're done here."

Just then, two figures came up the stairs. One of them said, "We took care of the three downstairs."

"I see," Korbin said. "Thank you, Nik."

...MEANWHILE...

"I can't believe it!" Atticus growled. "I never guessed those two would be in on this!"

"They both seemed so nice," Taylor said, completely shocked. "I can't believe they're part of the FoG!"

"Well," Gregory said, "it seems they've beaten us, so we have to get to the Pokemon Center quickly." So the three of them rushed to the Pokemon Center to heal their exhausted Pokemon.

...MEANWHILE...

"No way!" Marty cried.

"It can't be!" Roz gasped.

"Why?" Jordan asked rhetorically.

Nebu didn't say anything out of pure shock.

"Sorry, guys," Nik said. "I had to lie to you."

"As did I," Blue Flower said quietly.

Nebu, finally able to speak, said, "Why?"

"I can't tell you that," Nik answered vaguely. "I have to go now." He brushed right past the four of them and stood near Korbin and the Rocket executives. Blue Flower followed right behind him.

"No!" Marty shouted. "I don't understand! I thought we were friends!"

"You're not meant to understand," Blue Flower said.

"We're still friends," Nik reminded him. "We're just fighting for opposite sides."

"Goodbye," Korbin said.

"No!" Marty yelled. He ran over to punch Korbin smack in the face for stealing his friends from him, but they all got away in a large portal right before he would've hit. He screamed out in frustration and punched the ground in rage. Everyone else seemed to share his pain. Having their friends turn against them just added to the depression hanging down on them from the past few days' events.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 43: Cool as Ice

Marty and the others traveled back to the Pokemon Center to get their Pokemon healed and to stay for the night. They met up with Taylor, Atticus, and Gregory at the table. Spirits were at another all-time low. It seemed no matter what they did to cheer themselves up, Korbin had to come along and ruin it for them.

Marty was especially angry at Korbin. "When I see him again I SWEAR I'll-"

"Don't finish that thought," Roz told him.

"But it's so damn frustrating!" Marty cried. "He took Nik and Blue Flower from us! How would you not be totally mad about that?"

"Because," Roz said. "they were acting on their own accord."

The other three gasped. Jordan said, "You don't mean..."

"Yes," Roz confirmed. "Nik and Blue Flower are now confirmed traitors."

"I'm sure they have a reason for this," Nebu said, trying to calm everyone down.

"Reason or not, they're still traitors," Atticus said bluntly. "We have to do something about them."

"The best thing we can do now is forget about them," Taylor suggested. "We have other things to focus on, like Gym Battles."

"But the League probably won't even happen!" Marty reminded her.

"No," Gregory said. "Korbin will wait for it to happen. What better way to get worldwide media attention than to destroy a region on live television?"

"Taking over a Radio Tower comes to mind," Jordan said sarcastically. Everyone chuckled a little bit.

Taylor reinforced her point. "Let's forget about them and focus on getting stronger for the Pokemon League so we can hopefully stop Korbin there!"

"She's right," Nebu said. "Let's all get some sleep. Big day tomorrow!" Everyone headed off to bed for the night.

...MEANWHILE...

Korbin and the others returned to the base, where everyone but him stumbled and fell out of the portal.

"It takes some getting used to," he told them.

"We can tell," Nik said.

"Anyway," Korbin went on, "The two of you, come with me." He motioned for Nik and Blue Flower to follow him. Team Rocket dispersed and went about their business while Nik and Blue Flower followed Korbin to his room. When they got inside, Korbin said, "I don't know why you guys are doing this for me, but thank you."

"You know exactly why we're doing this for you," Nik said. "We want the curses on our city removed."

"Of course," Korbin said with a smile. "That will be done as long as you stay here until the region is destroyed."

"But that would be pointless!" Blue Flower said.

"Want to know a secret?" Korbin asked rhetorically. "I'm not planning on destroying Terrari permanently. With Giratina's power, I can recreate it in my own image. So I can, in fact, lift the curses from both of your cities when I recreate Terrari. Now, you are dismissed."

Nik and Blue Flower nodded their heads and left the room.

...THE NEXT MORNING...

Marty, Nebu, Roz, and Jordan slept in late the next morning. They woke up to find a note from Taylor. It said:

Dear Friends,

I didn't want to disturb you, so I left a note here. Atticus, Gregory and I left early this morning to go take the Gym Challenge. By the time you're reading this, we're probably gone. I decided travelling in a group is more fun, so I stuck with these two. Gregory knows his way around, because he has all eight badges already, so that's always a plus. I'll see you guys at the League!

Your friend,
Taylor

"At least she was nice enough to leave a note," Jordan observed.

"Yeah," Nebu said. "She's a nice girl."

"For sure," Marty agreed.

"Well," Roz said. "I'm ready for my battle today! Shall we go?" With a quick nod of everyone's head, the four of them left the Pokemon Center and headed straight for the Gym, which was right across the street. When they entered the Gym, the ref was waiting for them.

"Hello," he said. "You must be here to challenge Forrest."

"Yep!" Roz said enthusiastically.

"Well you're in luck," the ref said. "He just had two challengers straight so he's down to just two Pokemon." He led them to the arena. This arena was coated with a thick layer of ice. Jagged peaks of ice shot out of the frozen floor. Forrest was waiting for them on the other side.

"Hey," he said. "Thanks for your help yesterday."

"No problem," Marty said.

"Now," Forrest continued. "Which one of you is going to challenge me?"

"I will," Roz said.

"Okay!" Forrest said, excited. "Let's get started."

"Forrest versus Roz!" the ref shouted, not bothering to go through the usual speech. "Begin!"

"Go, Cloyster!" Forrest ordered.

"I choose Charizard!" Roz declared.

"Cloyster versus Charizard!" the ref stated. "Begin!"

"Cloyster, Surf!" Forrest called out.

"Charizard!" Roz cried. "Fly up and use Flamethrower!" Charizard flew up just in time to dodge Cloyster's Surf attack, then blew a Flamethrower straight at it. Cloyster, still injured from the previous two battles it had, fainted rather quickly.

"Cloyster is unable to battle!" the ref shouted. "Charizard wins!"

"Well," Forrest said. "You've got me beat, but as a Gym Leader, I'm not allowed to quit. Go, Glaceon!" Eevee's Ice-type evolution came out.

"Charizard versus Glaceon!" the ref shouted. "Begin!"

"Charizard, Fire Blast!" Roz called out. Charizard shot out a star-shaped blast of fire at Glaceon, knocking it out with one hit.

"Glaceon is unable to battle!" the ref said. "Charizard wins! The victor is Rozalie!"

"I'm sorry that I couldn't give you as good of a battle," Forrest said. "I've had two other challengers today. I'm sure you still would've won anyway. That Charizard of yours is a beast."

"I know~" Roz sang.

Forrest pulled out a badge and handed it to Roz. "Take care of the Iceburg Badge!"

"Thanks!" Roz said, smiling.

"You guys better hurry!" Forrest said. "The next boat for Porthide Town leaves in 10 minutes!"

"Thanks!" Marty said as they started running out the door. "We'll see you later, Forrest!" Forrest nodded as they left the Gym.

When they got to the harbor, Nebu's Pokenav rang. She picked it up and said, "Hello?"

"Nebu, is that you?"

"Fleet?"

"Yes! This number works!"

"You need something!"

"Yes, actually. After you left, Team Aqua and Magma showed up on the island and stole all of my precious dynamite!"

"Wait a minute, did you say Aqua and Magma?"

"Yes! They're back, too! I don't know what they're going to do with my dynamite, but it's going to be bad! I just know it!"

"Don't worry, honey, we'll get your dynamite back."

"Thanks, Nebu! You're a good friend!"

"No problem. See you, Fleet." Nebu hung up the phone and turned to the others. "Come on," she said. "We've got another boat to catch."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 44: On the Mainland

Marty and the others got to the harbor, where Kefka was waiting for them again.

"I see you beat him," he observed. "I guess I was wrong about the four of you."  They all chuckled, but didn't say anything. Kefka continued. "I guess I'll be taking you all back to Porthide Town, then. Hop on." So they got in Kefka's boat and he took them back to Porthide Town.

...MEANWHILE...

A celebration was being held in EVille that day. The FoG had a major victory the day before in the Radio Tower. The celebration was in honor of the fact that no other team had ever completed a major mission successfully without having some Trainer stand in their way.

"We have our message spread," Korbin addressed everyone. "We have also showed the Trainers of Terrari that we are strong when we have numbers. We even have two of the Terrari Gym Leaders on our side! We must keep pushing to achieve our goals!" Roars erupted from the crowd as members of all the teams cheered for Korbin. Behind him, Kelsey and Eric exchanged worried glances, Nik and Blue Flower nodded their heads, and Ghestis looked on with disgust as his Team's loyalty began to slowly shift to Korbin.

...MEANWHILE...

Marty and the others reached Porthide Town, where Kefka dropped them off.

"Well," Kefka said. "Here we are. Don't get off the boat too quickly, now."

"It was nice seeing you too, Kefka," Jordan retorted.

"See ya," Kefka said, almost cracking a smile. His boat sped off into the distance, back to Iceburg City.

"So, now what?" Nebu asked.

Roz checked her Pokenav. "Our next destination is Treeview Town, and Jordan's Gym Battle is there. It looks like we have to go through Roundhouse Town and the Mountain Pass to get through to Treeview Town.

"We should get going then," Marty said. "Let's go." So the four of them ready to go to Treeview Town.

...MEANWHILE...

Stepney, Davy, and Matt were hopelessly lost. Their Pokemon had not gone to Maron City. Instead, they were in some big town somewhere. Davy checked the Pokenav.

"According to the map," he stated, "We're in Castelia City in the Unova Region!"

"Seriously?!" Matt shouted.

"How did that happen?" Stepney cried.

"No idea," Davy said. "How long ago did we start flying to Maron City?

Matt checked his Pokenav for the date. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed. "We left Roundhouse Town a day and a half ago!"

"Crap," Davy muttered. "That means we must've fallen asleep. It should've only been about a 2-minute flight."

"This is bad!" Stepney cried. "How will we be able to train for the tournament! We won't have time!"

"Let's just stay calm and get back," Davy said. "I'm sure we'll have time to train." So the three of them hopped on their Bird Pokemon and took off for Maron City. Again.

TO BE CONTINUED...