Welcome to Gaia! ::

Yeah... The maid is with about 80% of the world in her dislike of hybrids. She just shows it a little more openly.
On a completely different note, THANKS! I've decided to make the battles from here on in more like a story. Doing it RP style just didn't feel right. And thanks for the comment on the writing. I might bring back the crew member who helped Shaydas onto the S.S. Anne throughout some missions. Might help the continuity... *goes off on a tangent for about an hour...* Oh, yeah. Judging from your reaction, I'm gonna take the maximum cash reward. +1000 PD

Nick sat on a couch in the Team Aqua HQ, watching the news. Suddenly, the soft news was interrupted with a breaking news story; The Day Care center by Goldenrod City had been attacked! In all the confusion, 4 thieves stole some baby Pokémon and fled into the Ilex Forest! Without a word, Nick made a run for the Ilex Forest teleporter. He remembered how badly Kurt had treated him before he left and didn’t want to go to Azalea Town.

Emerging at the exit of the Ilex Forest nearing Goldenrod, Nick looked around. “This forest is pretty small, so they can’t have gone too far.” He started examining the area in hopes of finding clues. Before long, he discovered a bush that had been trampled. “And here we go…” Nick grinned, proud of his sleuthing skills. Nick dashed across the trampled bush and into a small clearing where a man was struggling to capture a Wynaut that was running about.

“Come here!” “Wy?” “Because I’ll kill you, that’s why!” the thief yelled angrily. Nick couldn’t help but laugh at the slapstick that occurred before him. “Alright buddy, hand over the Wynaut.” Nick said, approaching them. “Wynaut!” it cried, running towards his leg to hide. “Urgh, why does Team Aqua always have to stop our fun?” the thief grunted, reaching for his Poké Balls without a question. “Go, Koffing!” he ordered. “A battle and you don’t even know my name?” Nick asked, a little shocked.

“Shut up.” The thief yelled angrily. “Fine, fine. Go, Ben!” Nick ordered, tossing out his Elgyem. “…” The alien stared at its opponent. “Ben, use Psybeam!” he started the battle. As Ben fired up its Psychic powers, the thief yelled at his Koffing. “Smokescreen!” the battlefield was filled with a thick smoke that heavily impaired sight. Unable to deduce Koffing’s location, Ben fired the Psybeam randomly, missing Koffing. “Good, now use Sludge!” the thief ordered, concealed by the cloud of smoke. “Ben, use Psychic in the direction the Sludge comes from!” Nick responded. Before the thief could change his plans, the Koffing had spat a glob of poisonous gunk at Ben. Ben keenly observed and endured the hit while at the same time activating it’s attack.

The Psychic pulled in Koffing and slammed it against the ground, dealing lots of damage to it. “Koff…” it wheezed, floating back into the smokescreen. Ben didn’t notice it was poisoned until now; he had been too absorbed into the battle. “… El…” it cried in pain. “Oh boy… Don’t worry, Ben. It will be over soon enough.” Nick reassured it. “Koffing… Self-destruct.” The thief ordered. Both Ben and Nick’s eyes widened in fear. Before they knew it, an explosion knocked the Elgyem into a tree, unconscious. “Wynaut!” the Pokémon behind Nick’s legs cried in fear. “Ben, return…” Nick recalled his Elgyem as the Koffing fell to the ground. “Go, Pineco!” the thief smiled.

“Zero, you take care of this!” Nick called out his Totodile. “To! Totodile!” it danced around happily before focusing on the blast zone before him and then the Pineco. “We need to take it out fast. Use Bite!” Nick commanded. Zero nodded and dashed at the Pokémon. “Explosion!” it’s master bellowed. Pineco started gathering energy to explode, but was cut short by Zero’s jaws coming down on it forcefully, causing it to flinch. “Why did you stop? EXPLODE!” the thief yelled again. “Aqua Jet!” Nick cut him off, stopping the Pineco once more by knocking it out.

The thief glared at Nick and Wynaut, recalling his Pokémon and walking away silently. “No matter where you go, the police have probably surrounded the forest.” Nick informed him. “Shut up.” The thief coldly snapped, continuing to stomp away. “Wynaut?” the Pokémon looked up at Nick as he recalled Zero. “Yeah, you’re safe now…” he grinned. “Come on, we need to find your friends.” He smiled, walking around the crater from the explosion. As he ventured deeper into the future, Nick heard rustling in the trees.

“Iggly-“ an adorable cry came from the tree and was cut short. “Hmm… I wonder who is up there…” Nick casually walked over to the tree, amusing the Wynaut. “What would happen if someone were to… Oh, I dunno…” he continued, calling out Coolio the Scraggy. “Headbutt this tree?” he winked at Coolio, who nodded and ran headfirst at the tree. The impact knocked a goon and a Pokémon out of the tree. “Igglybuff!” a small, pink balloon creature floated towards the Wynaut. Pleased to see each other, the Pokémon shared a short-lived dance. “Ow… That was for my girlfriend! Give it back!” the thief grunted in pain, starting to get up. Igglypuff and Wynaut ran behind Nick in fear of the man.

“Scrag!” Coolio cried, stepping up to the man. “You can’t go around stealing Pokémon. Specially babies.” Nick glared at the thief. “Tsk… How about I battle you for it? Please? My girlfriend is going to KILL me if I don’t get her this Pokémon…” the thief continued. “Gee… Sure…?” Nick said, taking a pit of pity on him. “Go, Shieldon!” “Coolio, use Brick Break on it!” Nick ordered. Scraggy charged at the Shieldon, chopping at it. The Shieldon endured the hit, taking a step backwards. “Take Down!” the fossil Pokémon rammed into Coolio, scoring a Critical Hit.

As both the Pokémon had taken serious damage, Nick bit his lip, carefully planning his next move to avoid getting Coolio knocked out. Both Pokémon had taken serious hits, but Shieldon’s defense was on par with Coolio’s attack. An idea snapped in Nick’s head at that second. It would be risky, but if the attack landed, it would be well worth it. “Hi Jump Kick!” he ordered. The Scraggy nodded and leaped towards the Shieldon, extending its leg to deliver a powerful kick. Unable to move out of the way, the kick landed, knocking the Pokémon down. “No… I NEED that Pokémon!” the thief recalled his Shieldon, tossing another Poké Ball out.

“Staravia!” the new opponent cried. “Coolio, get back! Hobbes, come on out!” Nick recalled his Scraggy, calling out his Joltik. The Wynaut and Igglybuff cheered as the battle continued. “Quick Attack!” the thief cried. Hobbes endured the hit, eager to fight back. “Electroweb! Let’s slow this thing down.” Nick commanded. “Joltik tik tik!” Hobbes grinned, spinning electrically charged web at the bird. The web landed on the Pokémon, who cried in pain. “Star… Star…” it cried, tried to get out of the webbing that entangled it.

Hobbes leaped happily as Nick congratulated it. “Staravia, use Fly!” the thief yelled in desperation. “Huh. Not much I can really do about that…” Nick sighed as Hobbes fired attacks at it in a futile attempt. A few seconds later, Staravia soared down at Hobbes, nearly crushing it. The Joltik stayed quiet; it was knocked out. “… Good job, Hobbes… Return.” He said, recalling the Pokémon. “Go, Sweetie!” Nick gambled on using his Happiny to battle.

She wasn’t too strong and preferred not to fight, but Nick was running low on options. Taking advantage of the slowed Staravia, Sweetie had the first move. “Use Attract!” Nick ordered. The cute little Pokémon winked at Staravia, who spontaneously fell in love. “What are you doing, Staravia? Use Brave Bird!” the thief ordered in desperation. The bird observed the Happiny with affection, not doing anything. “Good job, Sweetie. Now use Sweet Kiss!” he cooed.

Sweetie ran on over to the Staravia, giving it a quick kiss on the cheek. Its eyes comically turned into hearts, and the baby Pokémon behind Nick giggled. “Staravia, cut it out! Brave Bird!” the thief appealed, growingly frustrated. “Star…” the bird attempted to launch an attack at the Happiny, but instead managed to bite its own wing rather strongly. Sweetie and Nick laughed while the baby Pokémon nearly died of laughter. “Now use Return!” Nick continued on his roll. Sweetie had actually paid off in combat!

The Happiny cutely bounded towards the Staravia, materializing a heart in her arms, then thrust it at the Staravia, who fell over. “You know, being overwhelmed by the power of love is pretty depressing. Maybe that’s why Ma-Ti was the stupidest Planiteer?” Nick mocked the thief as he recalled his Pokémon. “Come on over, Sweetie.” Nick laughed, recalling her as well. “I hate you and your Captain Planet References. Now my girlfriend is really going to kill me…” the thief moped, walking away while mumbling about his impending death.

“I would make more power of love references, but that’s all I have.” Nick laughed, leading Igglybuff and Wynaut deeper into the forest. The scent of charcoal filled their nostrils as they approached Azalea Town. “Hmm. I hope Kurt isn’t trying to save the day again.” Nick sighed as they marched onward. Suddenly, two Pokémon jumped before Nick, halting him. “Girafarig!” “Wooper!” the duo cried. A man walked up from behind them, holding a tied and gagged Azurill, which actively struggled against him.

“You’ve stopped two of my accomplices already. I can’t let you go any further.” The man said coldly. “Surrender and I will take the babies, leaving you unscathed. If you so much as make a move on me, I will harm this dear Azurill.” The man said, holding it by the tail and dangling it over Girafarig’s tail, which was eager to bite the baby Pokémon. “You wouldn’t dare.” Nick said, reaching for his Poké Balls. “Really?” the villainous man said, lowering the Azurill to the Girafarig’s tail, which started biting wildly; eager to taste the little Pokémon.

Wynaut and Igglybuff cried in fear, and Nick moved his hand away from his Poké Balls. “Fine… Go.” He glared, gently pushing the babies over to the man, who scooped them up and turned away. Wooper followed him, while Girafarig kept an eye on Nick. He remained in silence until the man vanished. “… I… I need to get the babies.” Nick sighed, covering his face with palms as he collapsed to his knees. Bringing his hands away, he noticed his Invisi-Watch and suddenly, an idea sparked in his brain.

He began running in the direction the man had gone in, his finger ready to activate the invisibility. The second he spotted Girafarig’s tail; he pressed the button, disappearing in a flash. Carefully approaching the man, he snuck up right behind him before reaching for his collar. “Surprise!” he yelled, startling him. The next thing the man felt was the floor, as the baby Pokémon leaped out of his arms. Girafarig and Wooper were taken back by this, looking around nervously.

Wynaut and Igglybuff picked up Azurill before running into a bush where they trembled in fear. The villain stood up and looked around for the aggressor, Girafarig and Wooper assisting him. “Missed me?” Nick kicked him in the chest, knocking him down again. Grunting in pain, the man got up quickly. “SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD!” he roared. Nick chuckled, flipping off the invisibility button. “You…” the man clenched his fists and ground his teeth. “Go, Zero and Buddy!” he grinned. “Totodile!” “Oddish!”

“Oh, so you want to fight? Fine by me, you coward.” He glared. Girafarig and Wooper stepped in front of him, ready to battle. “Psybeam on that Totodile, and Wooper, use Mud Shot on that Oddish!” the thief yelled. “Zero, use Bite on Girafarig, and Buddy use Mega Drain on Wooper!”

The Girafarig fired a Psychic beam at Zero, who not only endured the hit, but proceeded to land a powerful Bite on the giraffe’s neck. The super-effective attack sent it backwards, barely capable of standing. Before Wooper could attack, it found itself unconscious at the Mega Drain Buddy had cast upon him. “Tsk…” the villain clicked his tongue, recalling it. It then tossed another Poké Ball, calling out an odd flying Pokémon. “Sigilyph…” it whispered.

“Huh… Never seen that before. It looks like a Psychic type, though.” Nick grinned confidently. “Zero, use Aqua Jet on Girafarig!” he commanded, trying to take advantage of the Torrent effect. Before Girafarig could retaliate, it was knocked out. “Good job! Now Buddy, use Poison Powder on that Pokémon!” he ordered. Before the Oddish could attack, Sigilyph used its Psychic powers to boost the wind behind it, causing its speed to triple. Its boost in speed could not prevent it from being hit with the Poison Powder, and it succumbed to the poison. The Tailwind continued to affect the Sigilyph’s speed, making it move incredibly quick.

“Great job, team!” Nick grinned, looking at the growingly frustrated thief. “Psybeam!” the man barked. The levitating psychic fired a beam of energy at Buddy, who just barely endured the attack. “Bite it, Zero! And Buddy, you use Venoshock!” Zero ran up to the Sigilyph, biting down on it roughly. The Pokémon shook it off, but the Venoshock from Buddy sealed the deal. Sigilyph fainted, hitting the ground.

“You win for now.” The villain growled, sticking his thumb into the air. A Fearow swept down, picking up the man. Before they flew away, he said one last thing: “Grant will take care of you.” Nick’s eyes widened in shock as the baby Pokémon emerged from the bush and ran to him. “Grant… Is behind this?” he asked incredulously. Recalling his Pokémon, Nick kept on walking with the babies behind him. “… Why would he be stealing baby Pokémon?” he asked himself, nearing Azalea Town. The smoke from the Charcoal maker’s house was visible, and he could make out the shape of Bugsy’s Gym.

Nick spotted the Celebi shrine where he had hung around when he was a kid, and where he had caught Buddy. A nostalgic grin crossed his face as he rushed to it, getting on his knees respectfully. Reaching into his bag, Nick pulled out a Team Aqua candy bar and placed it before the shrine as a tribute. “Sorry I couldn’t leave fruit… I don’t have any on me.” Nick laughed, referring to the Celebi rumored to live near it. The baby Pokémon attempted to eat it, but Nick stopped them and instead took another one from his bag and split it for them.

Before he could even get up to continue his search, a familiar face emerged from behind the shrine. Grant appeared before him, holding a knocked out shiny Pichu. “Whoa…” Nick blinked, noticing it before Grant. He then noticed him, standing up. “You.” They both exclaimed, taking a step back each. “I remember you…” Grant said. Nick grabbed his Poké Ball, ready for battle. “Oh please. You can’t beat me.” He laughed. “Oh yeah?” Nick asked.

“Yes. Soon enough, Celebi will appear to my side, and nothing will be able to stop me.” Grant laughed. “You… you didn’t tamper with the shrine, did you?” Nick asked in fear. “Tamper? Oh please. I’ve done everything imaginable.” Grant laughed. This upset Nick, and he stood up angrily. “This is too far. You should respect this shrine.” He said, reaching for his Poké Balls. “Finishing what we started, I see.” Grant mocked him. “Go, Nuzleaf!”

“Buddy, get out there!” Nick ordered. The Oddish looked around, remembering its old home. It then looked up at Grant and frowned, remembering him. It then looked at the Nuzleaf before it. “Buddy, use Poison Powder!” he started out. “Nuzleaf, Fake Out!” Grant got the upper hand. Buddy flinched at the attack. “Ugh… Forget Poison Powder. Toxic!” Nick ordered. Buddy summoned a poisonous liquid, which seeped itself into Nuzleaf. It cringed in pain, but suddenly stiffened. “Good job. Bide your time, Nuzleaf.” Grant grinned.

The Nuzleaf suffered a bit from the poison, but stayed standing. “Buddy, Venoshock!” Nick said. The Nuzleaf barely endured the attack’s massive power, but the Toxic’s crippling effect did the Pokémon in. “Hmph. Minor inconvenience. Go, Lombre!” Grant sighed, recalling Nuzleaf. “Lombre…” the familiar opponent looked at Buddy. “Buddy, return!” he recalled the Oddish to toss out Coolio. “Scraggy!” it cried happily. “Fake Out!” Grant ordered.

Again, the attack caused flinching, which was annoying Nick. “Coolio, use Faint Attack!” he said. “That’s… Astonishing.” Grant worked a pun into his attack order. “Oh, ha ha.” Nick sighed. Before Lombre could land the attack, Coolio leaped into the air and kicked the Pokémon down, scoring a critical hit on it. Lombre fainted, eating dirt. “Well, it looks like I win this time.” Nick smiled, recalling Coolio. The baby Pokémon behind him cheered happily. Nick noticed the shiny Pichu in Grant’s grasp was starting to come to. “Pi?” it sounded.

“Uh oh…” Grant looked to his hand. “Pi?!” he yelled nervously, starting to form electricity in its cheeks. “ PICHU!” he cried loudly, frying Grant. The baby Pokémon laughed at the sight, watching Grant fall back on the shrine. He touched it, and vanished. “… Whoa…” Nick blinked, wondering what had happened. The shiny Pichu observed the shrine as if he remembered it. Nick looked at this curiously, wondering what was happening.

The Pichu stared at the shrine for a second while Nick was still recovering at the shock of Grant vanishing through it. “No, don’t!” he snapped out of it, trying to grab the shiny Pokémon before it touched the shrine. He was too late however, and the Pichu vanished with a blip. “… No…” Nick sighed sadly. He backed away from it, grabbing the three baby Pokémon he had managed to save in fear of them vanishing into the past or future…

“I… Guess I’ll have to explain this to the Daycare Couple…” he sighed. As he started to walk away, he heard another blip. Another Pichu stood before the shrine, but this one was odd. Its ear was notched, and it looked very unusual. “Pichu?” she asked, tilting her head at Nick. “Huh… You’re a weird little one…” he observed her, dropping the babies, who rushed over to her.

Suddenly, Nick felt a presence. He turned around to face the Daycare Man. “Thank you for saving the little ones…” he said. The baby Pokémon turned to face him and then ran to him. “But… The shiny Pichu…” Nick started. “Oh, don’t worry.” The man smiled at him. “Here. That Pichu looks like it wants to join your team.” He grinned, holding out a Poké Ball. The Notched-Ear Pichu nodded, bouncing before Nick. “Err… What?” Nick asked, confused at the events. The Daycare man tossed the Poké Ball at the Pichu, capturing it without a struggle. He handed it to Nick, who was still confused. “Err… Welcome, Lily?” he asked as he named the Pokémon before the Poké Ball vanished.

“Don’t question it. Just go home.” The Daycare Man smiled. Nick decided to take him up on the offer, confused beyond belief.

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


THREE HOURS EARLIER

The Daycare Man stood before the Celebi Shrine, admiring it. The Notched-Ear Pichu stood beside it, admiring the sight. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked. “Pichu!” she nodded. He approached the shrine, examining it. “You think he’ll be there on time?” he asked the Pokémon. She nodded once more. “Then go ahead.” He smiled. “Pich Pichu!” she smiled, running at the shrine.

----------

SIX HOURS LATER

A chocolate bar wrapper lay on the grass before the wind rolled it along. A green Pokémon with antennae chomped down on the last piece of chocolate. “Celebi!” it cried happily. Just as it finished, Grant plummeted forward. “Bi Bi!” Celebi cried, vanishing in a time warp out of panic. “Ungh…” Grant cried in pain, his freshly fried wounds sizzling. The Daycare Man approached the shrine just as the Shiny Pichu stepped through. Ignoring Grant completely, the man scooped up the baby Pokémon with a smile and fed it a Poffin.

“Don’t you come near my Daycare again.” He said to Grant before walking away. “… Ungh…” Grant cried in pain, trying to move. That was probably the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him.

The kiss wasn't high on Shaydas' list of priorities, as he is a Pokémon. Thanks for the review. Chalk up one more successful mission for me. With that, I must take my leave for the night.

Nick sprang up from his seat on the couch. The TV had announced that a terrorist was holding a man in the Pokétch Building hostage. This was made worse only by the fact that an army of Forretress had been planted strategically within the structure and instructed to Explode at the sight of anyone who might be trying to find free the hostage. So of course, this meant Nick to the rescue! He dashed at the Jubilife teleporter and stepped through in a hurry. Unfortunately, it overshot him and Nick appeared in Route 203.

“Oh boy…” he sighed, beginning the trek towards the city in peril. Nick passed by a Starlly flock, startling them. All but one flew away, the other chased after him. “Go away! I don’t have time!” Nick yelled at it. “Star! Starly!” it nipped at the back of his head. “Ow!” They ran closer and closer and closer to Jubilife until Nick turned around. “I’ve had enough! Hobbes, let’s fry this bird with an Electro Ball!” he tossed out the Joltik.

“Joltik tik tik!” he cried, firing a ball of electricity at the Starly. It took the hit, but barely managed to hang on. It responded with a powerful Wing Attack, knocking Hobbes down to three fourths of its total HP. “Now paralyze it!” he ordered. The Joltik happily complied, a Thunder Wave crashing against the bird. Nick coldly continued to run, leaving the Starly to its fate. However, he heard the cries of Luxio and Shinx, and sighed.

“Away with you!” he ran back, scaring the Pokémon away. “Poké Ball, go!” Nick announced his move, tossing the sphere at Starly. It wobbled once, twice, and three times. It emitted sparks, signaling a capture. He scooped the Poké Ball up, nicknaming it with haste. “Welcome to the team, Ted.” Nick whispered and began running again. Finally in Jubilife City, Nick made his way to the Pokémon Center to heal his team and make a few quick arrangements. “Ben out, Ted in.” he shuffled the Behygem into the Box and pulled out the newly captured Starly.

Nurse Joy quickly serviced Nick, returning her attention to the TV. The anchorwoman continued to talk about how the authorities had tried to reach an agreement with the man holding the building hostage, but he wanted 9 Million PD. “That’s outrageous…” Nurse Joy cried out. “Someone should stop him!” she continued. Before she turned to Nick to ask him for his opinion, he walked out dramatically.

Several minutes later, Nick looked up at the Pokétch Building. A quick examination of the area revealed the building was almost completely barricaded by the Police. Officer Jenny blocked the area off with her two Arcanines and four Growlithe which circled the parameter, making sure no one went into the building. “Looks like this is a no go…” Nick bit his lip. He looked to the right of the building and spotted an apartment complex. “Hmm…”

Nick entered the apartment complex and climbed the stairs, slowly making onto the roof. He observed the crowd below before an idea sparked in his mind. “Wait… Come on out, Ted!” Nick called out his newly captured Starly. “Ted, use Tailwind!” he ordered. “Star!” it nodded, flapping its wings to influence the flow of the wind. Before they knew it, the wind was blowing behind Nick and Ted. “Good job… And now…” Nick jumped up and grabbed Ted’s feet. “Star?!” it asked, extremely confused.

“FLY!” Nick yelled as he made a run for the ledge. They both screamed as he jumped off of it. Ted started flapping its wings faster than ever, trying to suspend both their weight. “Look!” someone in the crowd pointed out the trainer and Pokémon soaring into the building. Officer Jenny quickly grabbed her megaphone and yelled “STAY AWAY FROM THE BUILDING! TURN BACK!” However, it sounded extremely garbled as yelling into megaphones does. Her screams concealed the loud crash of Nick and Ted crashing into the second story glass window.

“Ow…” Nick got up in pain, brushing glass off his clothes. “You all right?” he asked, looking over at the dazed Starly on the floor. “Star…” it cried, getting up and then staggering around. “Forretress?” a Pokémon’s cry came from around the corner. Nick froze in terror and recalled Ted hastily. “Uh oh…” he bit his lip. Remembering his Invisi-Watch, he promptly activated it. Seconds later, a Pokémon bounced into the scene. “Forretress?” it asked, examining the disaster that lay before it.

“....” Nick breathed silently, inching away from the ticking time bomb of a Pokémon. It bounced around the area a little more, trying to find the source of the crash. Finally turning the corner, Nick ran out of cloak. Unfortunately, there was a Forretress nearby, who spotted him. “Oh no… Buddy, come on out! Sleep Powder!” he silently called on his Pokémon, who made a quick and silent motion, spraying Forretress with sleep inducing spores. Before it could draw enough energy to explode or cry for help, Forretress was asleep.

Not wanting to grab the attention of any more of the time bombs, Nick grabbed a piece of glass that had come this far down the hallway and ventured on, taking quiet steps. The elevator to the third floor was a few steps away down the corner, but Nick could see two Fortress standing guard using the shard of glass to spy around the corner. “Hmm…” He looked at his Invisi-Watch cloak, which was still recharging. “Damn…” he sighed, reaching into his bag.

“A few Poké Balls, a foldable Aqua Bike DX, TADS, a Skull fossil, Mechanic and Medic Kits, and a towel… I’m in trouble.” Nick sighed. Suddenly, his brain snapped with an idea. “Come on out, Zero…” he ordered his Totodile out. Before it could happily dance around and give Nick’s location away, he hushed it. “Zero… Go out there with this over your head and scare them…” Nick draped the towel over Zero, who looked like a Halloween Ghost. As Zero walked out, Nick reached into his Medic Kit and pulled out the Bonesaw. He used it as a violin alongside a string for stitches, playing quite a creepy tune.

“Too…. Toooo…” Zero moaned creepily. The Forretress looked at him with annoyed expressions. The music didn’t quite make it creepier, it just made the moment awkwardly stupid. Noticing his plan wasn’t working, Nick’s palm met his face. “You know what… Buddy, just use Sleep Powder on them.” He took the easier route. The Pokémon were teasing Zero, who was still pretending to be a ghost. Buddy sprayed some more spores onto them, knocking them out as they laughed. Nick snatched the towel from Zero and pressed the button to call the elevator down.

When it came down, he entered and awkwardly listened to public domain music that all elevators seem to play. The trio stood there, silently moving side to side to the slow rhythm. “…” Nick sighed; this was taking a while. ‘Ding!’ The Elevator chimed with the signal of it reaching the third floor. A man stood opposite of Nick facing the window. Another man was tied up and unconscious in a chair. “I thought there was something going on when I heard that damned officer yelling about something.” He said without turning to face him.

Nick clenched his fist nervously. “So what do you plan on doing to stop me?” the terrorist turned to face him. His eyes were oddly blank and his expression was cold and uncaring. “… A battle.” Nick answered. “What if I win?” “You blow up the building. If I win, you call off the Forretress and leave the building.” “Hm. It’s not like I won’t win, so I’ll take your pathetic challenge.” The terrorist smiled smugly, reaching for his Poké Balls.

“Go, Numel!”
“Get out there, Zero!” Nick ordered. The Totodile ran from behind him to the battlefield. “Start with a Waterfall!” he started the battle out. “Toto!” Zero cried, ramming into Numel with a powerful water element. “Nuuum!” the Pokémon barely endured the attack. “Magnitude.” The thief aggressed. “Magnitude? You’ll bring the whole building down! Are you crazy?!” Nick yelled nervously. The camel did not think, but did. Suddenly, the building began rumbling.

Buddy and Nick hit the ground, fearing damage. As the building continued to rumble at 7.0 Magnitude, the hostage hit the floor and was awoken. Zero took quite a bit of damage. The crowds below were audibly alarmed, and a huge panic ran through the entire city. Everyone feared the Forretress were exploding, but in reality they were all crushed under rubble. Nick stood up alongside Buddy as pieces of the floor and ceiling collapsed all around them. The executive was still breathing, and he looked at the battle nervously.

“You… Are you an idiot…” Nick breathed heavily, watching the terrorist stand unharmed. “Zero, finish it off with an Aqua Jet!” he commanded. The Numel went down and was quickly recalled by the terrorist. “Go, Pineco.” Nick leaped backwards, hoping this wouldn’t explode. “Bide.” The terrorist calmly continued. “… Zero, Ice Fang!” the Totodile dashed at the pinecone and bit down on it. The Pokémon continued to store the energy it was attacked with, relaxing at fifty percent health.

Nick pointed at the Pineco, hoping to finish it off. “Waterfall!” he exclaimed. Pineco was hit, but somehow still survived. “What?!” Nick exclaimed. “Heh heh.” The terrorist smiled. “Pine…” the Pokémon looked up, revealing a Focus Band tied around its body. “… No…” Nick stepped back. Zero’s eyes widened as the Pineco unleashed the attack, instantly knocking Zero unconscious. “Good job, Zero…” Nick sighed, recalling his Totodile. “… Ted, get in there!” he ordered, calling out his Starly. The bird soared around the room, spotting the hostage looking desperate. It then located its enemy and cried out.

“Explosion.” The Terrorist smiled. “Oh no you don’t! Aerial Ace!” Nick roared. The Pineco started glowing and gathering energy to explode but was promptly stopped by Ted’s Aerial Ace. The attack knocked it out the window, but before it could crash, the Terrorist recalled it. “Hmm. It seems we have come to this… Go, Croagunk.” He tossed a Poké Ball, a frog appearing from with it. It croaked twice and looked at its opponent. “Ted, use Brave Bird! That should knock it down quick!” The Starly soared valiantly at the Croagunk. He crashed against him and did lots of damage. However, Ted was not without recoil.

“Croagunk… Exact your Revenge.” The Terrorist smiled with a devilish grin. Before Ted could back off to a safe distance, Croagunk punched it with twice the power it had been attacked with. Ted dropped to the floor with a weak cry. “Staar…” Nick bit his lip and sighed. “Return, Ted. You did great. It’s your turn, Hobbes!” he tossed the Poké Ball containing Joltik. The small spider leaped around happily for a second. “Gunk.” The toxic frog blankly said as it took a bite of a piece of black sludge, healing itself.

“Hmm…” Nick thought for a second. “Hobbes, use Electroweb!” The Pokémon spun electric web and fired it at the Croagunk. It cried in pain, struggling to get out of the snares of the webbing. “Brick break…” the terrorist said nervously. He started backing away nervously as the battle became bleaker. “Mmmph!” the hostage cried in panic, struggling to get up. Croagunk chopped down at Hobbes, who easily took the attack. Again, it chomped down on its black sludge for healing.

Faster than Nick could notice, the terrorist pressed a button on his watch, setting off a signal. “Finish the job, Hobbes! Electro Ball!” The Joltik quickly fired an electric orb at Croagunk, knocking it out easily. “So it appears you have won. However, being the unruly person that I am, I will still blow up this building. Forretress, EXPLODE!” he yelled, jumping out the window. A Fearow with a leg band flew right under him, catching him as they flew away. “We need to get out of here!” Nick yelled, recalling Buddy and Hobbes.

He ran towards the hostage and tore away his gag. “Sir, we need to run!” Nick broke the duct tape off of him. “There is no time…” the man sighed. “Yes there is!” Nick grabbed him, forcing him up and making a run for the stairs. They both ran down to the second floor and halfway down the first until they noticed something odd. The Forretress weren’t exploding. Numel’s Magnitude had made the weak points the Pokémon were planted collapse and crush them, rendering them incapable of moving, much less exploding. The two still ran down stairs and finally out of the building.

“Thank you… Thank you so much…” the man wheezed to thank Nick. He merely smiled and patted him on the back. “I’m sorry about your building…” he responded. “Oh, no… Don’t worry we can fix that… At least we didn’t explode…” the former hostage smiled. Officer Jenny ran to them as the crowd cheered happily. “Good job!” she smiled, saluting Nick. “However, I cannot tolerate vigilantes… So I think I have to arrest you…” she bit her lip. “Uh oh…” Nick began running away as quickly as possible. Officer Jenny laughed, not chasing the hero down.

Fail. While it is mostly good. I don't like Sleep powder spam. Sleep Powder has a 75% chance of working. Using it isn't always going to work, so a big BOOM should've happened.

http://www.serebii.net/attackdex-bw/sleeppowder.shtml

When the second time has 2 targets it is.

Mission: Fair thee Well, Slowpoke!

Objective: Go to Slowpoke Well and give a Slowpoke to either Bugsy or Kurt.

Rewards: 600 Pokémon Dollars

----------Mission 5: Start!----------

indent Hundreds of pear blossoms blew from the trees of Azalea Town, gently falling on the soft ground. Zero looked up at the spectacle, always amazed at new sights. His Zubat, the Countess, flew up to the trees and hung on a branch, enjoying the scents.

indent Spring had come to Azalea Town!

indent The tired traveler gazed down at the town from a hill. Below stood a thriving, bustling town; people were setting up booths, hanging colorful paper up as banners. The children rushed between adults, holding up sticks with a Poliwag shape at the end, large bubbles blowing out from the hole in the center of the Poliwag-shaped end. The adults were cooking various types of fish, and the aroma reached the starved Aqua member. He smiled; it seemed like a festival was soon to occur. But for what? His eyes narrowed, and he focused on the drawings on the paper banners. A pink blob with a white-tipped tail was on each banner, and the Pokémon Center’s roof was painted with a huge, yawning Slowpoke. Zero looked back down towards the bottom of the hill. Off to the side was a borderline-gaudy entrance to an old, moss-covered well. On the trainer’s belt, a Pokéball wiggled and fell to the floor, releasing the excited Pokémon within. Gible burrowed into the dirt as soon as he exited his Pokéball, thoroughly enjoying the taste of different dirt. Zero plucked his overexcited Gible out of the ground, shaking him free from clumps of dirt.

indent “Come on then, Menart. Let’s go see what the fuss is about, and if you behave, we can go to that fancy well.” The Gible’s eyes shone; it loved moss-covered rocks! Menart jumped to the ground and kept a springy pace alongside its Trainer, with Zubat following behind the two, soaring underneath the trees and occasionally biting into a flower. Zero walked towards the Pokémon Center first and lifted off his hood; from previous experience, he knew that a cloaked traveler was eyed suspiciously if hooded in a residential area. He stepped into the Center, and was immediately greeted by a jovial Chansey. While most visitors are greeted by both a Chansey and a Nurse Joy, it seemed that this particular nurse was busy with another person, a surprisingly fit old man with a walking cane. Zero recalled his Gible and set his Pokéballs on the nursing tray for the Chansey to heal, and walked over to a table nearby the two in deep conversation.

indent “I’m tellin' you, Joy, that darned Chansey needs to make more Softboiled Eggs! I need my back in tip-top condition if I’m to be travelin’ in any cave.” The old man gestured to his back. “This thing’s been through plenty, but that last fall from weeks ago still hasn’t healed.”

indent The nurse sighed. “If you’re not ready to go into the well, why did you accept the task of catching the Slowpoke in the first place? We have plenty of healthier Trainers around who could’ve done an excellent job in time for the festival.”

indent The old man cut her off and huffed. “It’s no task, it’s an honor! It’s been my proud duty servin’ those Slowpoke down in that well for years, and who else knows them better than I do? Not some young fool like Bugsy’s cronies, I’ll tell you that.”

indent Nurse Joy frowned. “Kurt, don’t make fun of the younger trainers like that. Plenty of them have great potential to be the next guardian of the Slowpoke Well. And Bugsy’s just too busy to get the Slowpoke himself, you know that. You’ve always treated the young and old trainers alike; don’t let your injury make you a sullen old coot.”

indent The old man sighed. “Alright, fine. But who’ll go catch the Slowpoke then? Bugsy’s fellows are too inexperienced; they’ll hurt themselves. That well’s no cheery underground park; it can get dangerous, and more than one Trainer’s died in there.”

indent The Chansey rang a small bell, signaling that it was done with the healing. Zero turned to get his Pokémon from the table, and the Countess sat at his side. The two turned to look at the traveler, judging him based on his posture and garb. Nurse Joy and Kurt gave each other significant side-glances, the old man grinning.

indent Zero checked his Pokéballs, to make sure everyone was accounted for. His head tilted to his shoulder to where the Zubat was perched. “Hmm. Well, let’s see if there’s any cheap food back at the booths.” Before he got out of the door, Nurse Joy called out to him.

indent “Excuse me, sir! Wait!” The traveler turned to face the nurse. “Er,” she began, not quite sure on how to lay the burden on the innocent bystander.

indent Kurt finished for her. “You want free food, right? The festival’s not sellin’ nothin’ until the festival starts, and it isn’t startin’ yet. I’ll make you some good local specialty if you do me a favor.” Zero inwardly sighed; he could never turn down the requests of the young or elderly, no matter what they asked him to do.

indent “Alright then, what do you need help with?” Kurt pulled out a photo of a large, particularly spacy-looking Slowpoke, offering it to Zero.

indent “I need you to catch this big fella down at the Slowpoke Well. You look new to the place, so I’ll show you where it is. When you do, I need you to take it to a friend o’ mine. His name’s Bugsy. Young fella, purple hair, always gots a net with him. He’ll be startin’ the festival with that Slowpoke.” Kurt pointed his cane towards the Pokémon Gym. “He’ll be in there. You must’ve passed by the well already.” Zero nodded and began to walk out of the Center, but the old man stopped him with his cane.

indent “Wait. You’ll be needin’ this.” He handed out a curious-looking Pokéball, its bottom half painted with a Slowpoke and the top half designed to look like a rain cloud. Kurt grinned. “Slowpoke’s our mascot, you could say. Their yawn brings rain, and they’re great fishermen.” He dropped the cane and put his hand on Zero’s other shoulder. “I think you’re a good Trainer, and you’ll find that Slowpoke.” Kurt’s voice lowered, and he growled, “If I find any Slowpoke the next day without their tails, you’ll be hunted down until the end of your days, mark my words.” He gave a final pat, and let a confused Zero go.

indent Zero walked out of the Center and started back to the Slowpoke Well, sending his Gible back out. The Countess flew into the cavern, gathering information by using her ultrasonic waves so she could report back to her master with her findings, while the Gible munched on some rocks, simply happy to be out of the Pokéball. The Aqua member began his descent into the cavern, skipping the occasional wet rungs of the long ladder. The moss-covered rocks were slippery, and Gible tripped down to the bottom of the well, crying out as he whooshed past his Trainer. Once at a reasonable distance away from the floor, Zero jumped the rest of the way down, sending out his Charmander, Scipio, and his Horsea, Leviathan. The Zubat returned from its scouting mission and flew in a large, swooping pattern: two main caverns, the second cavern holding more water.

indent Holding the photo out for his Pokémon to see, Zero explained their mission for the day. “Leviathan, Countess, you two will be looking for this Slowpoke in that deeper section. It’s probably the largest one, Countess,” he explained to the blind bat. He turned to the other pair. “You two will be coming with me. We’ll search this first floor together.” Scipio saluted, and Gible mocked the action, but, with its mouth full of rocks, looked far less serious. The Countess flew into the darkness, and the Horsea leaped into the water, squirted ink at the surface to mark the entrance, and disappeared.

indent The Countess reached the deeper section of Slowpoke Well first. She set out her ultrasonic waves, finding a small piece of rock that jutted out from the deep waters of the well. The Zubat flew to the ceiling and hung above the slab, trying to find a large Slowpoke. Shortly after the Countess entered the cavern, Leviathan poked her head out of the water. She trumpeted her arrival, and dove back underwater to search for any swimming Slowpoke that fit the description. The sounds echoed through the cavern, and from the depths of the lake, a dark shape appeared closer towards the surface of the water, its curiosity piqued by the unfamiliar sound. The Countess resisted the urge to bite down on an unsuspecting Slowpoke and flew towards her companion, unaware of the watchful, waiting eyes.

indent Zero smiled, remembering his old caverns; his home in the desert was a cave, a domed oasis from the sweltering heat that waited outside. Charmander waved his tail around, trying to find the Slowpoke from the photo, while Gible entertained himself with the shadows he made from Scipio’s flame-tipped tail. Gible opened his mouth and looked at his dark silhouette, then jumped back at what he saw, frightened by his own shadow. Scipio snickered, and looked at his own shadow, daydreaming of the day he would become a fierce dragon. Zero looked up at the many Zubat hanging overhead, appearing as if they were miniature stalactites in the cavern. Two suddenly swooped down and dove for the Charmander’s face, trying to extinguish the light that made them visible. Scipio cried out in pain as he took a Wing Attack to the face, but Gible took it as an opportunity to bite down on something not rocklike. Menart bit onto the nearest enemy Zubat and rammed himself into the wall, both Pokémon smashing their faces against the sturdy rock. Enraged, Scipio let out a line of fire at his opponent, lighting up the area as the other Zubat was set aflame. The flaming Zubat flew off to the water, but upon attacking, more Zubat joined the fight. Zero groaned; fighting a cloud full of Zubat was far from what he wanted to do, but he didn’t have much choice. He sent out Grimer and Voltorb, hoping the two would be able to help their assaulted friends before it was too late. Under Zero’s commands, Grimer immediately began hurling bits of itself at the Zubat swarm, and Voltorb lined up its Sonicbooms while Tackling any Zubat that got too close to its sludge-flinging companion.

indent Leviathan, the Horsea, swam over to an underwater cavern, avoiding the stalagmites and stalactites that were gathered at its entrance. The cave turned upward, and she broke the surface of the water to find a large group of Slowpokes, all of which were lazily napping or sitting at a small cliff, fishing. One Slowpoke looked more dazed than the rest, its tail slowly swirling the water in hopes of catching something. Horsea sounded her greeting and swam over. The Slowpoke looked down at the Horsea, taking about a minute to register the hello. Minutes passed, and Leviathan grew impatient. Why was there no response? Was it brain-dead? Finally, the Slowpoke raised a paw in greeting, slowly taking its tail out of the water. The Horsea stared at the tail in disbelief; dozens of fish were attached to the tail, nibbling on its sweet coating. The Slowpoke shook the fish off and offered some to its friends. A few minutes later, the Slowpoke’s friends walked over to inspect the fish. Sure that she found the target, Leviathan turned and quickly set off to find Zero, stopping only to cry her tale of success to the Countess. When she found her partner, however, she was surprised to find the friendly Zubat deep in battle with a large Goldeen!

indent Goldeen tried ramming its horn into the Countess, but the crafty Zubat evaded, glowed a deep purple, and sent out a wicked Confuse Ray. Horsea, thinking quickly, swam to the sidelines and began building pressure in her snout. The Goldeen, angered by its confusion, leaped out of the water and jabbed viciously at the Countess, striking four times before landing in the water. The attack momentarily stunned Zubat, and it fell dangerously close to the water. At the last moment, the Countess used her acceleration and wings to pull out of the dive, narrowly dodging the Goldeen that jumped out of the water, missing only because of its confusion. The Countess quickly turned and struck out at the Goldeen with her wings, the sharp edges gashing the hardened scales of the fish. Right before landing back into the water, the Goldeen sent out Aqua Ring, enveloping itself in a healing mist. The frustrated Zubat circled above the water, unable to attack the enemy. The enemy Goldeen swam further underwater, laughing at its advantage; the sneaky old Goldeen planned to stay underwater until fully healed, and then strike a Water Pulse from right below its adversary. The Goldeen never looked down, however, and a sudden powerful jet of water forced it upward and out of the water, sailing in the air. Leviathan, following the current she made with her pressurized Water Gun, poked her head out of the water just in time to see the Countess fly to the entrance of the cavern, a Goldeen in her mouth. Horsea quickly swam back, remembering her duty.

indentBack at the well’s upper chamber, the four Pokémon fought valiantly to keep the swarm of Zubat from fainting all of them, but exhaustion was etched on their faces. Zero was hard-pressed in devising strategies and juggling commands for all four of his Pokémon without tiring them too quickly; without his efforts, the Zubat would’ve won long ago. His Voltorb had run out of Sonicboom and was now resorting to hurling itself into the air and tackling itself into enemy Zubats, and Grimer was slowly getting smaller and smaller; he wouldn’t have much of himself left to throw. Zero commanded his Grimer to get closer to Gible and Charmander. “Get ready for a final stand!”

indent Voltorb, an extremely speedy Pokémon, rolled to the two still fighting, and Grimer rushed behind, Disabling any Zubat that was still Wing Attacking him. Gible and Charmander were back to back, an excellent duo under Zero’s orders. Charmander enveloped the fire-resistant Gible in flames, making Gible set alight any Zubat that landed too long on him at the cost of Gible taking minor damage, and Gible launched a series of Sand Tombs, the swirling sand mixing with the Ember. The Sand Tomb held small shards of glass, thanks to the flames, and any unfortunate Zubat in the way was pelted with hot sand and glass. There was only so much the two could keep it up, however, and eventually Gible was too tired to continue the destructive vortex. Grimer leaped in then, using Charmander’s tail to ignite the chunks of himself that he threw.

indent But for every Zubat that fell, there were more to replace it. The battle seemed endless, and Zero knew his Pokémon couldn’t last much longer. Desperation struck up an idea. The Aqua member had spent much of his life with a Zubat, and thus knew the species' weaknesses. He grinned; there was one way of getting rid of the Zubat… He quickly recalled all but Voltorb. The Voltorb nodded knowingly and rolled to the center of the swarm. It only had one shot, but that would be more than enough for the bomb ball; Voltorb began glowing, charging itself past its limits. The energy caused a chain reaction to go off from within, and the Voltorb was enveloped in a blinding light.

indent BOOM!

indent The explosion shook the well. Zero was knocked to his feet, and Zubat splattered to the ground around him, along with loose rocks. Those who didn’t faint flew out of the cave, frightened at the self-destruction of the Voltorb, and of the deafening noise that followed the painful explosion. Shaking from the blast, Zero stood up and laughed.

indent “Wow… That was a bit more potent than I expected. Good job!” the fainted Voltorb, back safe in its Pokéball, never heard the compliment.

indent The Horsea swam out from the water and gasped in amazement. The walls were black, and her master’s face was blackened. She shot a jet of water to clean his face and attract his attention, followed by a tired Countess, still carrying her catch. She dropped the Goldeen at the water’s edge, tired of playing, and plopped on Zero’s shoulder. Leviathan shot at the photo in Zero’s hand.

indent “You found the Slowpoke?” Leviathan nodded. Zero sighed; how was he supposed to reach it, if it was deeper in the cavern? None of his Pokémon, save for Leviathan, were ready for another battle. He sat down and looked at the water’s surface, lost in thought. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden disturbance in the lake. The Slowpoke had also heard the explosion, and while it took them a while to respond to it, the group appeared at the upper floor to investigate, their leader in front. The Horsea quickly shot a jet of ink at the one from the photo, and Zero, too tired to fight another Pokémon, hoped that Kurt’s ball would work well. Kurt’s famous balls rarely failed their specified duties, and this particular ball was guaranteed to catch Slowpoke. The ball never even shook, but instead gave a soft click. Zero picked up the ball, recalled his Horsea, and climbed out of the well, glad to have successfully caught the Slowpoke.

indent A dirty, cloaked man exited the Pokémon Center soon afterwards and made his way towards the Pokémon Gym, having switched his Voltorb for Grimer. Bugsy watched the stranger from within his Gym, frowning. What was taking Kurt so long to get the Slowpoke?

indent One of his colleagues laughed. “Maybe Kurt found a new apricorn and wants to see what he can make out of it,” the bug-catcher joked. Bugsy shrugged.

indent “Maybe. But he always shows us a Slowpoke hours before we start the festival…” Zero stepped inside, his gaze set on the Gym Leader. Bugsy grinned; he hadn’t battled in so long, and he always welcomed new challengers. “Welcome to my Gym! I see you’re a Trainer. If you want to battle, can you wait up? We’re having a festival, and…” He stopped when he noticed the ball in Zero’s hands.

indent Zero looked down at the child. “Kurt told me to give this to you.” Bugsy snatched the ball with his net and tossed the ball to the ground, calling out the Slowpoke. The Slowpoke sat, staring at the ceiling.

indent “Excellent! Kurt always knows which ones to pick.” Bugsy flashed a smile at Zero. “Well, I was going to give this to Kurt, but since he’s not here… You can accept the trade. You're welcome to name it what you'd like.” He offered a Pokéball up to Zero. “I couldn’t just take a Slowpoke from Slowpoke Well without offering something in return, right?”

indent Zero blinked. He wasn’t expecting a trade! “Er... thanks.” He accepted the ball and quickly left, hoping that Kurt would accept the Pokémon.

indent Bugsy looked back at his friends. “Well guys, let’s get this guy into a Slowking! Someone get the tail with the Shellder on it. I’ll attatch it to the Slowpoke when you guys are ready with the King’s Rock.” The Gym doors closed, and curtains were drawn; the highly questionable method of rapid-evolution was not for everyone’s eyes…

indent Zero arrived at Kurt’s house, famished after the day’s events. “I didn’t expect to not eat a thing for this long,” he muttered humorously to the Countess, who was nibbling on a Weedle candy. The door opened, and a little girl grinned up at the traveler. The wooden boards squeaked slightly as she hopped up and down, excited at seeing a new face.

indent “Hi! You must be the guy who Grandpa tri-I mean, requested to catch the Slowpoke.” Zero smiled thinly at her in return, taking note of her slip-up. The girl led him into the room, and any animosity that Zero had previously held was blown away when she called over her Grandpa. Ever the softy, aren’t you, Zero, he thought to himself. Kurt sat down and offered a steaming hot potato leek soup, the meal a welcome sight for the ravenous traveler. A long meal later, Zero remembered about the trade, and offered the Pokéball to Kurt.

indent “Here, the Gym Leader told me to give this to you,” he recited, curious as to what was within. Kurt smiled; Bugsy always had a way of expressing gratitude to those who helped the town.

indent “Keep it, boy. You’ve earned it, I’d say. I bet it’s Bugsy’s way of thankin’ you, too. I told him all about sendin’ you down there, and the whole town saw the group of Zubat you chased off. You just made my job a little easier, takin' care of those Slowpoke. Those Zubats were always lookin’ for a fight, anyways.” Zero couldn’t believe his luck; a Pokémon and a good meal? He bowed his thanks in traditional Japanese style, much to the amusement of the granddaughter. The meal finished, Zero thanked Kurt for his kindness and set off for the party, which was now in full swing. Complete with fireworks, sparklers, and a festive atmosphere, it was a perfect ending for the day’s events.

indent Kurt’s granddaughter squealed. “He’s like those comic book heroes, Grandpa! He was a mysterious stranger who came in and saved the day, and now he’s making his fancy exit! He even bows like the people from Mount Pyre, in Hoenn!” Kurt laughed, always surprised at his granddaughter’s opinions of people.

indent “Who knows? The man’s an adventurer. I’m sure we’ll see him again one day.”

indent At the festival, Zero absorbed everything around him. There were so many different people at the festival, a blend of tourists from big cities, and regular citizens of the town. There were simple games, like catching fish in a net, or throwing a ring over a glass bottle, and spectacles at every turn. A fire-breather performed with his Mime Jr., and groups of Slowpoke were parading down the main street. At the center of one of the groups was a Slowking, having just been evolved. The Slowking stared at Zero and, after a few moments, yawned. The crowd cheered; rain was coming! The festival lasted until the early hours of the morning, and Zero, having tired himself to near-sleep, rested at a nearby inn.

indent By midafternoon, Zero was back on the road. He looked down at his new Pokéball, and hesitantly tossed it out. The Pokémon inside lunged out and turned to face Zero.

indent It was a Scyther! The powerful Bug-type Pokémon bowed politely, its scythes turned downwards and away from its new Trainer. The Scyther, after bowing, stared at Zero, and the two continued to stare at each other for a long while. An intangible understanding reached the two of them, and they both nodded their approval, in unison. The Countess groaned; it was as if she saw Zero’s twin, and the last thing she needed was a twin to her troublesome partner. Zero turned to the Countess, seeking her approval. She sighed and nodded, and he grinned; it looks like he found another long-term partner.

indent “Right then. The Countess seems to think we’re alike. My last name’s Hikari, which means light, so…. I’ll call you Yami, which means dark. You ok with that?” The Scyther nodded its approval, not really caring at the moment what its new master would be calling it. The two new companions walked down the path to Ilex Forest, just as the last of the pear blossoms fell to the floor.

----------Mission 5: Complete----------

Editor's Notes:

Whew, haven't done one of these in a while. That took a bit longer than expected. Hope whoever reads this likes it. Feedback's always appreciated. :3