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"Dragonite! Dodge it!" he commanded. The mythical beast swerved out of the way just in the nick of time, the beam hitting his antennae. He shivered - it was cold! As Giovanni rose his fist into the air to execute another command, he stopped. He looked down at the ground to see that the briefcase, the whole basis of this mission, was laying in the sand wide open. There was nothing inside but papers and folders. His eyes widened and his pupils shrank, along with his heart. "...E-empty...?" he whispered, lowering his fist.

"N-no..." his body shook with rage, "It...they're bluffing...!" He's never lost his composure before...not like this. "This...is an OUTRAGE!" he roared, screaming out into the sky. Everything immediately fell silent - even the battles involving his Rockets stopped. His Grunts all turned their eyes to him. "I've wasted my time attempting to collect something that's completely empty!?" He slammed his fist on the railing, clenching so tightly that his palm began to bleed. Not to mention that Rowan's got a bunch of punks protecting him, and going after him could possibly hurt him. I would need the professor in prime condition...! "You spoiled BRATS! How dare you do this to me! I demand this farce be corrected!" Giovanni's entire body shook, and then stopped, like someone had flipped a switch. "Fine..." he said, sighing softly.

"You think just because the item I came here for, the information I've battled so hard for, is nonexistent..." he smirked, "that I've lost?" He glared at Mike and Kilik, "Not quite. I think it's time that the world is filled in on your 'Heroes' deepest secrets! Aren't there things about them that you've been dying to know?" The same maniacal look appeared on his face, "Things that they wouldn't dare tell you! Things that, until now...have remained in the confines of their minds, trying so hard to keep it shut out? Well, children, I know these secrets...yes, and once you know, you won't view your heroes won't quite the same ever again!"

Kilik's eyes widened. Wait... he turned to look at Mike, What's his secret? Only a few others know about mine, but I...I didn't think that Mike had anything to hide. He always seemed so...nonchalant. "K-keep your mouth shut, Giovanni...!" he growled, "Or so help me..." Scizor looked over her shoulder at her trainer. What in the world was that man talking about? Her Master had done nothing wrong, nothing questionable since she met him. Or...or was it before then? Before she entered this easy life?

"Hahaha!" Giovanni recalled all three of his Pokemon, the battle was over. "Or so help you? Kilik, I don't believe you're in any place to call the shots! You don't understand the situation you're in, do you!?" He placed his hands behind his back and calmly closed his eyes. "I think you know exactly what I'm about to tell everyone and that scares you. And you're helpless to stop me! Both of you!" His eyes shot open and he pointed at the two boys standing before him.

Kilik fell to his knees, staring up at Giovanni. He was right. He lost. They all did. All their efforts went for nothing. He slammed his fists into the sand. Dammit, dammit dammit!! he closed his eyes tightly.

Cable just about moved, but he froze in spot. He watched as the Hitmonchan faltered on spot and keeled over, as if someone had blown him over. "What the...?" he blinked and looked across to see Napalm holding his hands out. "Way to go!" he laughed, running over to him. The plug ran so fast that he seemed to just materialize right next to him. "Man, we're pretty awesome," he glanced over at Pupitar, smiling, "And thanks for your help too, Pooptar. We couldn't have survived it without ya."

He lifted Napalm up onto his shoulder, attempting to help his partner walk back towards their trainers. His legs were weak now, but he still had a lot more energy left in him than the Magby. We took quite a beating, but Napalm's the star of the day, as much as I hate to admit it. Good job, ya jerk. Cable looked over at him. When he directed his attention forward again, he noticed Kilik on the ground, kneeling. "Kilik?" he blinked. What was going on?

Eraku continued to walk down the street until he came to a large building that bordered a vast field with trees scattered throughout.
"I think I found the Safari Zone and wow. That about all I can say about it." He said to himself and opened the door the entrance building. He looked about and see saw several people sitting around talking. There were signs about tours and big posters of pokemon all over the place. He walked up to a desk and asked the lady behind it "uhh is this where I can get into the park?"

The lady smliled and said " You bet! Just gotta go over a few things and you'll be all set to go. First off you can't bring any pokemon into the park with you. Its for the safety of the wild pokemon and for you as well. Also you will be given a case of special pokeballs used here called safari balls. Along with these you get some bait to lure some pokemon in closer to catch. Also we give you a timer, when it goes off its time to come back or when your out of Safari balls. You got all that?" The woman had spoken so fast she had Eraku's eyes spinning in circles.

"Uhh sure I think I got all that. Are the pokemon in there dangerous?" He asked because aftr seeing that Tauros he didn't want to chance anything.

"They are in their wild habitat so they will be aggressive but we have rangers patrol the park to ensure safey of everyone."

"Ok well then I guess I'm good to go then." he said waiting eagerly to get started.

"Ok then well here you go here are your Safari balls and some bait. Have fun and good hunting." She handed a small box filled several cameo colored poke balls and a small bag containing what looked like small brown cubes.

Eraku took the stuff and placed them in his bag and walked through the gate not exactly sure what to see on the other side.

Oh, what he could accomplish all while being dragged along by a blue grumdrop, Diego thought to himself, rather proud. This fighting business wasn't bad. So long as he didn't get hit by anything, anyways; he wasn't any sort of masochist, after all. Painting was so tiring, though. Both painter and bird returned into their respective Pokeballs for a much-needed rest.

Daemyn, meanwhile, trotted gingerly over to his brother, muted awe in his eyes. How the hell did he do that last attack? Insane. And here he had prided himself on getting stronger, but now that he saw his brother, he knew that the bar had shot off into the horizon again. How unfair of him, Daemyn thought, frowning and breaking eye contact. The canine was entering his sulky state.

"Why didn't you come back? We thought you were dead. I.. thought you were dead," he growled. Before he could endure the comeback that was surely coming to maul his brief moment of mush sentiment, however, he heard a screech to the side, as well as M.A.'s gasp of alarm. The girl very rarely reacted quickly enough to scream, after all.

Janice, wild with fury at her utter failure -- she and her grunts had lost ALL the Pokemon they had stolen -- decided to take our her vengeance. The woman wasn't taller than Mary-Anne, certainly, but she sure had more meat to her than the stretch of skin and bone that she tackled to the ground. She proceeded to claw at the hapless girl for all she was worth. "You ruined everything!" she shrieked, grabbing hold of her hair and proceeding to pound M.A.'s head on the ground. The girl was too bewildered to retaliate or even feel anything besides dizziness, and she thought her head felt oddly warm, but somehow she wasn't too alarmed. Something told her that she should be, however, when Janice pulled out a wicked-looking knife. The woman was rabid. All her chances at promotion -- at a life of wealth and power -- had been screwed over. Carving this girl a new face might make her feel like things were even.

Daemyn's heart, as he did have one, leapt into his throat. If there was a heaven, give him speed. Give him speed. He felt desperate urgency as the knife began to sweep downwards, as if it were in slow motion. Closer, closer still. Damnit, M.A., move! Too close, too close now. Daemyn shut his eyes, not knowing if he'd make it on time.

He was first aware of the rough contact of his headbutting the crazed lady over, then a searing pain across his face. But that didn't matter. Oh god, was she okay? From an oddly red view, he saw M.A. Was that her blood on her face? Oh god, that dazed look -- but she was moving. Attagirl. All was good. The girl wrapped her arms around him, shocked to the point of tears. "Daemyn, Daemyn, are you alright?" she sobbed. "I'm sorry, it was my fault, so sorry."

The Houndoom was puzzled. What did she mean, if he was alright? She was the one who nearly had a bad case of plastic surgery. And he'd never seen her cry before. It was then that he felt the warmth oozing past his muzzle -- oh, so the blood was his. Kinda made sense.

[++] "Mary-Anne!" a voice called, coming closer, more urgent. Daemyn, feeling frenzied, snarled at the intrusive vibration throbbing in his skull. "Mary-Anne, goddamnit, I knew I should have found you first. Are you okay? Can you understand me? s**t, you look a mess. Can you hear me?" the voice continued. Saebum. Despite knowing who it was, Daemyn could not stop the ferocious purr that continued to roll from his throat.

M.A. looked at him incomprehensibly, taking a moment or two before nodding in childish defiance. "I'm fine! Look at Daemyn, look at him, look," she snapped, tears turning into inexplicable fury and impatience.

Saebum leaned down, evaluating the two after warily deciding that the blue Houndoom nearby was friendly. "Damn. Who did this to you?" M.A., white as a ghost with streaks of red; she looked a bit wild and unstable, and goddamnit if she had only been taking her iron pills, he wouldn't have to worry that the blood loss would accentuate her anemia. Daemyn; well, he looked pretty banged up and the cut was a nasty one, but it didn't seem to go deep enough to cause any nerve damage. He could obviously still see, 'cause the Houndoom was staring him down as if he were the enemy. They would both be fine, probably, so long as they got some medical attention soon.

"I didn't stop to ask their name," was the curt reply.

"C'mon, let's go. You two need to be looked over," he said, attempting to lift M.A. up. She wouldn't budge, however, and Daemyn's irrational growling hiked up a pitch.

Before Saebum could insist any further, however, Giovanni's booming voice froze the scene, and all eyes were on him, rimmed with red or not.

Eraku walked onto a dirt path that led off into a massive field that seemed to go on forever. As he walked along he noticed how quiet it was compared to being in the city or anywhere else for that matter. "Hmm so this is what its like to really be out in wilderness." He thought as he walked through the tall grass that came up to his waist. Off in the distance he could see a small herd of tauros moving along the plain. "Hmm I don' think I want one of those." He said as he remembered his last encounter with the bull pokemon.

He took out a map he had taken of the area and looked to see where the prime spot might be to find some decent pokemon. He decided on heading towards a small pond that looked to only be a mile or so down the path. He put the map away and continued his walk taking in the sites and sounds. He enjoyed this freedom. The city was way too cramped for him. He remembered how he used to often wander around Cinnabar as a child and the scoldings he would get from his sister and how Blaine would laugh at the whole matter. After about a half hour he saw a ring of trees and saw what appeared to be the edge of a pool of water.

"Alright I'll set up right here and wait for a bit. I've still got a good hour and half before I have to head back." He began to lay out some of the bait and set himself up in a tree where he had a commanding view of the area. After about fifteen minutes he had seen nothing and began to get drowsy. Slowly but surely he dozed off and after another half hour he startled himself awake but unfortunately rolled off the branch he laying right on the back of a fairly large pokemon who happened by.

"Ouch!" He yelled and rolled over quickly and rubbed his back. Behind him he heard what sounded like growling and then a cry "Scyyyyyyyyy" slowly he turned his head to find himself face to face...


...with very large and very angry Scyther.

"You did what?!" Whitney exclaimed. "Why in the hell would you go and work for that miserable piece of--" Sabrina raised her hand to silence the other girl. "Shh. Let me explain, okay? You cut me off before I got a chance to continue." After a moment or two when Whitney grew quiet, Sabrina continued. "I actually shouldn't say I was Maorde's understudy, per se, so much as I posed as one. You see, I was gathering information about him for a rather extended period of time; I would monitor the things he would do, the places he would go, the people he'd attack. After ages of painstaking surveillance, and a bit of luck, I was able to find out where he holed up when he wasn't busy making people of the world miserable."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean to tell me that you know where the hell this guy has been staying? Did you plan on telling me that?" Whitney seemed to be growing rather irritated; Sabrina knew a lot more than she cared to share. The psychic sighed a little bit. "Whitney, I'm telling you now. Don't get your knickers in a twist." Pause. "Anyway. When I was able to locate him, it was fortunate, because there were several people, several girls that he had taken under his wing and they were essentially being trained by him. They were reasonably weak, but there was a potential that Maorde saw in them that led to his desire to train them, to let them learn from him. But, he needed someone strong, a good trainer to assist him... and it was then that I appeared to him."

"Hah, yeah. I guess it was a pretty good gag in hindsight," Kevin said, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, I'm Kevin, and these two are Monsoon and Twinkles," he said, gesturing to his Squirtle and Sableye.

Monsoon gave a friendly wave to accompany his introduction, followed by an enthusiastic "Squir!" Twinkles on the other hand, simply stared at the trainer and her Pokemon. Or maybe he was staring at the space around them, or even a rock. It's hard to tell with this one.

"I'm actually from Ecruteak too, but I've been away for a while. I mostly kept to myself even when I was there. Still, its kind of surprising we've never met before." Kevin shook his head extended his hand, "Anyway, nice to meet you."