Welcome to Gaia! ::

“I'd say I have quite a lot of business knowing what you do with it seeing as I made it.” The speaker retorted, his fins flaring up slightly. “My name is Varuna. Now speak your reason for summoning me.” The Vaporeon hybrid spoke up.

“Oh.....um.....I....I want you to train me.” Lykas replied with a sheepish grin.

“And why, pray tell, should I take on another[/] student?” Varuna asked, truly curious what this boy's answer would be.

“I can't really think of a truly good reason besides this: I think your water already flows in my veins.” The boy responded.

“How can you say such a thing with such confidence?” Varuna questioned, crossing his arms in annoyance.

“Well, I'm 1/16th Milotic hybrid on my mother's side. My great-grandmother came from an island she always claimed doesn't exist anymore and nobody really knew how old she was. Given that I still show signs of my hybrid heritage at such a diluted level should say it was no ordinary hybrid that birthed my lineage. “ The teenager pointed out, entirely confident in his response.

“That is intriguing indeed but I have already taken one stude-'

“He hasn't been studying Water-type Pokemon since he was small, nor was his father one of the most renowned Water Pokemon specialists the world over.” Lykas interrupted.

“Regardless. I do not believe I will be taking on new students. Kyogre's Tears are far too potent and dangerous for the average person to handle.” Varuna countered as he waved a hand in Lykas' direction, causing the Azure Bell to melt and flow away like water.

“I'm not taking 'no' for an answer.” Lykas countered as he stepped forward. “Let me put it this way. If you don't help me, I'm going to die anyway.” He told the hybrid. “My body is too human to handle the hybrid blood in my veins. I'm being poisoned by a massive excess of Water Chi in my body and the only way to stop it is to learn from you the ways of the Channeler or to become a true hybrid.” The boy explained. “If you train me, not only will you be teaching another person the teachings of your people but you'll be saving my life as well. If I fail, at least you saved me from wasting more of my life trying to delay the inevitable.” He finished, somewhat irritated at this point.

“Hmmm......Perhaps.......” Varuna considered this for several moments before he spoke. “If you truly wish to sway me....then you must show me your resolve.” The hybrid decided as he stepped back a bit. “If you truly deserve to become my pupil, then you will withstand the force of the ocean itself without the aid of your Pokemon. Recall them and we shall begin your test.” He told the boy before him.

Lykas nodded and recalled his Pokemon to their respective Pokeballs. “I'll take your gamble.” He decided as he stepped forward. “What do you want me to do?”

“You must brave the storm of hardship alone. Face the forces of the ocean head on and learn the way of water. I want you to swim, on your own strength, from here to Sootopolis City. I warn you; There is a very rough storm in the Eastern Sea at the moment.” Varuna explained.

“That's it? Swim to Sootopolis City without my Pokemon's help?” Lykas asked, wanting to make certain there could be no mistake here.

Varuna nodded. “That is your test of conviction. Only if you truly desire to go through with this would you swim through a hurricane.” Varuna explained as he walked towards the water.

“How will I find you again when I get there?” Lykas asked just before the hybrid reached the water's edge.

“You will not. I will know when you arrive and if I believe you have proven yourself, I will reveal myself to you.” Varuna spoke before his body seemed to melt away, flowing into the ocean.

“You better be there when I make it, you soggy old fart.” Lykas spoke into the wind as he looked around. Seeing the large white monolith of Sootopolis City's exterior wall, he dove into the sea and began to pull himself forward, determined that he would make it there on his own power and prove to Varuna that he had the heart and determination to endure his training. Hand over over, he pulled himself forward for the water, fighting against wave after wave as he tried to make headway. It was difficult to move forward with every wave pushing him backwards but he refused to give in.

Determined to persevere, Lykas pushed himself against the waves until he reached Route 130. It was at this point that he encountered a young woman who was swimming lazily through the water. “You having problems, kid?” She asked as she gracefully circled him, the boy treading water as she did. “You might say that......I'm on my way to Sootopolis City but I'm not used to swimming this far.....Especially in the ocean.....” He admitted with a heavy sigh.

The woman laughed lightly when she saw how much he was struggling. “Kid, you're fighting the water too much.” She told him as she stopped and floated on the surface, her head towards him. “Don't fight the waves. Let them carry you. And when a big one comes along that might push you away, don't go over, go through it.” She told him with a small smile.

“I don't understand.....” Lykas admitted with a sigh. Some Water-specialist he was proving to be......Can't even swim in the ocean......

“Let me show you.” The woman said as she swam over to him. She stopped behind him, treading water as if she were standing on solid ground. She grabbed his arms and grinned when his breath caught in his throat. “Stop kicking and feel what I'm trying to show you.” She told him, which resulted in the boy simply stopping in his tracks, almost as if he'd been afflicted by paralysis. He did feel what she meant, though. The waves weren't fighting him, he was fighting them. The waves only lifted him upward. “If you wait for the right moment, you can ride the waves rather than fight them.” The woman explained to him as she let him go and drifted away a bit.

“I think I get it....” Lykas replied as he began to tread water again. It felt easier now.....Maybe he'd already picked up on it? He did tend to be a fast learner when it came to water but.....well...Erika had never been fond of swimming and a lot of he girls at the gym had preferred to stay away from water for fear that it would mess up their looks so no one had ever been there to teach him how to swim. Especially not in the ocean.

“Well, good look on your swim. Don't forget to take a break when you can.” The woman told him before she dived into the water and disappeared below the surface. Lykas tried to wait for her to come back up and thank her but she never returned to the surface. After a thorough search of the area, the boy determined that she was genuinely gone. “How is that even possible?” He asked himself as he treaded water. “Am I really that crazy?”

Deciding to put the encounter out of his mind for the moment, the boy returned to the task at hand. He returned to the daunting path ahead of him and, seeing route 129 ahead of him, he realized Varuna wasn't joking about him swimming through a hurricane to prove his determination. The swirling vortex of clouds overhead brought bad memories to his mind of his encounter with the Lugia that had left him with the spiral scar on his back. Regardless, he knew he had to do this. There was no backing down. Steeling his nerves, he pressed forward, determined that he could skirt the edge of the storm and survive. Pulling himself through the open sea, he felt the waves lift and return him to the water over and over again, growing progressively larger as he pressed onward.

As he neared the edge of the storm, he encountered another swimmer, this one male. “Hello there, fellow aquanaut.” The red head greeted.

“Um....I think you have your terminology mixed up...” Lykas noted as he approached.

“Have I?” The other male asked as he treaded water. “Sorry about that. I get a bit confused at times.....”

“Anyway, you know there's a hurricane, right?” Lykas asked as he swam closer, intent on not having to yell over the billowing rain that had recently begun.

“Actually it's a typhoon.” The redheaded swimmer countered.

“Aren't they the same thing?” Lykas asked, shaking his head.

“Probably....”

“Then why correct me?” This was getting annoying.

“Because I'm like the water. I go my own way, regardless of how hard you might try to make me go yours.” The man countered.

“But you can direct whatever to go wherever you want......” Lykas retorted.

“Perhaps, but it always finds it's way back to where it started, somehow or another.” The redhead countered once again.

“You're talking in circles.....” Lykas responded, exasperated by now.

“As is the circular flow of water in this world.” The redhead returned. “The only way to defeat water is to be as fluid as it is.”

“Meaning?” Now Lykas was curious.

“I see you fighting the waves. You let them carry you but then you fight to regain the ground you lost to the big ones.” The redhead replied. “Don't just let the water have it's way with you. Be as stubborn as it is. Follow your own path and don't let the waves displace you any more than you must.” The man explained, showing Lykas what he meant by diving headlong into the base of a large wave and bursting out from the other side before it had covered the space he'd been filling seconds before.

“.........” Lykas wasn't sure what to make of it. “You're telling me that if I want to go faster, I should be taking a more literal straight path?” He asked, trying to make sense of it.

“Not a straight path. A flowing one. Work with the water when it helps but force it to concede to your own will when it tries to hinder you.” When the man had finished talking, he offered a small wave and swam off into the storm, disappearing behind the sheets of rain before Lykas could stop him. Again, he gave chase but the man was gone. With the rain coming down this hard, now, there was no chance he would ever find him, even if he looked for days. Heaving a sigh, he began to swim northward, heading towards route 126, where he knew Sootopolis City, and Varuna, lay in waiting. He was a bit surprised to find a break in the clouds overhead before he'd made it very far, though. The rain slowed rapidly and eventually came to a complete stop, leaving blue skies as far as the eye could see. It was around this time that he found a small reef near him that would allow him to stop and rest for a bit and he took the opportunity to accept the reprieve from the constant treading water.

The boy sighed in relief as he relaxed after two hours of constant swimming. His muscles ached from the constant fighting against the waves and his mind was heavy with worry for the people he'd encountered. Both of them had helped him get better at swimming this distance, although he still wasn't sure he completely understood what they'd taught him. It was more like his body knew what to do but his mind needed the lessons taught to it before the body could use them. Regardless of the reasons, he decided that the second half of this swim would be a lot easier. However, when he pulled his SNAG from his pocket(He was very glad these things were practically indestructible) he found that he was already on route 128. “I followed that guy that far?” He asked of himself. It had felt like he hadn't gone anywhere at all. Maybe he really had learned something after all?

With the thought in mind that maybe he actually had swam out of those encounters with a better understanding of how to swim in the ocean effectively, he relaxed properly.

~One hour later~

With his breath regained and his muscles rested a bit, Lykas stood and stretched with his long, ice-hued hair still flowing on the surface of the surf in which he stood. “Time to close the distance and prove to that old hybrid that I have what it takes to be a student of his.” He announced to himself, diving into the water once again.

From here on, it was all about time. He had to make up for the time he'd lost when he stopped to rest and he wanted to reach Varuna and show him he could make it as his disciple. He pulled himself through the water with ease now, compared to the first leg of this seemingly impossible swim. He rode the waves up and pushed himself down from their tops, diving beneath the next large wave before he had a chance to lose speed. The boy seemed to be gaining more speed and more power with each stroke now, as if the ocean itself were on his side.

In half the time he'd taken the cover the first half of the stretch from route 131, he spanned the distance to Sootopolis City. And as he neared the walls, he found a sight before him that he'd never expected to see. The two swimmers he'd encountered along the way were treading water just outside the city's entrance. But something was different about them. Something familiar. Both bore a jewel on their foreheads similar to his own. “Welcome, brother!” They greeted in unison.

“Brother?” Lykas asked as he neared them, coming to a stop in the water. “What do you mean 'brother'?” He asked of the duo.

“You are our sibling. We are sirens. Children of the Water.” The girl announced. “My name is Myrn.”

“And I am Taryn.” The male introduced.

“We've been waiting for you, Lykas.” The duo spoke in unison again. “Mother wants to see you.” They told him as he tread water before them.

“Mom?” Lykas asked, wondering how these two could possibly know him, let alone recognize him. “How do you two know me? How could you recognize someone you've never met?” He asked of them.

“How could we not know our big brother?” Taryn asked, as if the answer were obvious.

“Mother told us all about you. That you were her legacy.” Myrn announced. “Even though you and I share mother's genetic rarity, you are the lucky one. You carry mother's inherited power.” She told Lykas, sounding rather mournful as she did.

“What are you talking about?” Lykas asked.

“You bear within you the potential for apotheosis.” Taryn explained.

“Heh?” Lykas had no idea what the two were talking about and he was starting to get tired trying to maintain his position in the water.

“You have the potential to ascend to godhood. Mother had the chance and turned it down to live a mortal life.” Myrn explained, actually giving details, unlike her brother.

“......That's it, I've gone crazy......er” Lykas decided. “I'm hallucinating. That's the only explanation for you two.....” He announced to himself before he dove underwater and headed into the city's underwater entrance.

“He doesn't believe us, Myrn.” Taryn whimpered as he watched Lykas swim away.

“He'll learn of his potential soon, Taryn. When he does, we'll speak to him again.” Myrn responded. The duo nodded to one another and disappeared, melding into the water around them.

Lykas descended to the ocean floor, trying his hardest to forget this crazy experience with imagined siblings. He blamed it on his anxiety at being here, of all places, but whatever the reason was, he was going to let this event distract him from his goal. Once he'd reached the seafloor, before he had a chance to adjust to the pressure, he made his way through the undersea archway in the white stone wall and ascended once again. The boy emerged in the Sootopolis lake and swam to the shore, hauling himself out of the water on the beach near the Pokemon Center.

“I see you have made it here alive.” Varuna spoke, his voice somewhat garbled, as he formed out of the seawater, walking up onto the beach as his form gained it's detail. “You are determined, I must give you that.” The hybrid told the youth, though he didn't look impressed.

“Now listen here, you soggy old b*****d!” Lykas started as he tried to push himself up, only to fall again due to exhaustion. It had finally caught up to him once again Now that he had reached his destination. “I'd complain at you more but I'm too tired right now....”

“Hmph. You ask me to teach you my ways and then attempt to threaten me while too exhausted to even try and make good on those threats?” Varuna wasn't pleased. “That is not the way a student should act to his master.” The hybrid told him as he knelt picked the boy up.

“What?” Lykas asked, his breathing heavy as he attempted to regain his energy.

“I said, that is not how a student should act to his master.” Varuna repeated. “You have proven your determination to learn from me. No one with sense enough to deny my challenge would be worthy of learning from me.” He told the boy as he carried him up the hill. “But you must understand that if you wish to be my student, you -must- learn to obey without question. I will not tolerate one who cannot do as told.”

“Ya, ya. Just let me know when I can start learning.....” Lykas groaned.

“Rest first. If you want to begin your training, I'll leave you with an Azure Bell of your own so you may call me back when you are recovered.” The hybrid told him as they entered the Pokemon Center. He set Lykas on one of the couches inside and walked out to the lake once more, returning moments later with a small orb-like bell that was a crystalline azure in color. “Simply ring the bell in the rain summoned by your most trusted water Pokemon and I'll come to you.” Varuna explained as he handed the bell to Lykas. “Now sleep and recover.”

With that, he walked out of the Pokemon Center and disappeared as he reached the lake. Lykas pulled out his SNAG and looked up a number before he made a call. “Send Mykel to Sootopolis City Pokemon Center, please.” He requested when the call was answered.

“Oh my Gods! Hunny, are you okay?” The man on the other end asked.

“I'm fine, Grace. Just a bit worn out right now....” Lykas responded.

“You sure? And why are you in Sootopolis city? I thought you said you'd never go back there until you were strong enough to show up your daddy?” Grace asked, worried for her friend.

“Ya, I'm sure. I'm not here because I want to be, though. I'd rather be elsewhere but I had something I had to do here.” Lykas responded.

“Alright, girl. I'll send Mykel but you be sure and tell me what's up just as soon as you're feeling like you again.” Grace responded before she hung up.

Mykel appeared a few moments later, looking around. ”Grace is such a weird guy.....” He announced as he found Lykas and walked over to him.

“Ya, she's weird sometimes but she's the greatest guy you'll ever know once you get to know her properly.” Lykas assured the Psychic-type in regards to his drag queen best friend, Gracidea Gaby.

“You think you've got the energy to get us back to HQ today or should we wait?” The boy finally asked.

”I think I can manage one more trip.” Mykel replied with a smile before his eyes began to glow and the duo vanished in a flash of blue-green light.

Mission Accomplished!

Mission Review:

-Headed to Pacifidlog Town and started the search for the Azure Bell's resting place.

-Discovered some undersea ruins in the South Sea and explored them. Found the Bell inside and had to battle a pair of Relicanth to get it out. Not sure if I beat them or just got away, though....... The ruins won't ever be the same, though, that's for sure.

-Summoned Varuna with Nuregami's help. Accepted his challenge of swimming all the way to Sootopolis City through a hurricane to prove my determination.

-Succeeded in making it all the way to Sootopolis City, though I did manage to cut some corners.

-Varuna accepted me when I arrived.

-My Magikarp evolved in the ruins, which I think is what allowed my escape with the Bell.

-Requesting psychiatric evaluation by Team Medic, if we have one. Possible hallucinations appeared towards the end of the mission. I don't want to be any crazier........

Lykas reviewed the message on his SNAG and smiled. “It's about time!” He cheered when he realized this meant Varuna had not only accepted him but had finally decided it was time to teach him the next step to his training. “Looks like this is just the beginning.” He told his Pokemon, once all were gathered. He'd decided on bringing Mykel, Nuregami, Chinami, Naiad, Palaeo and Narcissa along on this expedition, figuring, from what he'd just read, that he could use his more physically oriented Pokemon here better than those geared towards the Special aspect of the water.

Recalling all of his team save for Mykel, who was coming along in case of emergencies, as well as for transportation since he wouldn't be underwater the whole time., he requested a Teleport to Mossdeep City in Hoenn. Mykel nodded and the Gardevoir's eyes began to glow a bright blue-green before the duo were sucked into a portal of matching color, vanishing from existence for a moment before they were forced from the void into Mossdeep City. The presence of the ocean breeze here instilled within Lykas the urgency and importance of his mission here. Withdrawing from his pocket the Azure Bell, which he'd discovered after his last mission to be in his backpack, he walked to a remote part of the beach, where people would be less likely to see him and rang the bell a single time. The soft, echoing sound of the sea rang out from it over the ocean waves and he sank back, knowing after the last time, that Varuna would arrive in short order.

After half an hour of waiting, he realized something. “Duh!” He declared, smacking himself on the forehead as he stood up. Looking over to Mykel, he thanked the Psychic type for his companionship and recalled him to his ball before released Narcissa from hers. “Remember what Nuregamiu taught you?” He asked of the little Frillish. “Frill frill!” She declared as she rose up in the air and her body flashed like lightning for a moment. “Keep it local as much as possible!” Lykas quickly added, almost certain that he could sense the change in the air as the clouds gathered overhead and a soft rain began to fall. “Thanks, Narcissa.” He hugged the tiny Pokemon before he stood firm by the water and rang the Azure Bell once more. This time, the sound of a crashing wave erupted from the bell and the water before him began to churn and bubble. At first, he was afraid he may have upset a wild Wailmer until the prow of a ship began to emerge from the water, matching in color to the ocean around it. When the ship was fully revealed, it's color returned to that of wood and Varuna stood on the deck, looking down at the boy. “Welcome back, my newest pupil.” Varuna greeted with nothing less than what Lykas could assume would be his “I can't believe you actually came back.” smile. It was less of a smile and more of sneer, from what he could see but he accepted it as being a polite greeting, regardless.

Lykas walked up the gangplank as it materialized with Narcissa following closely. “It's nice to be back, Master Varuna. I'm glad you decided to accept me.” He greeted in return, giving the hybrid Water Master a respectful bow. “I received word from my superior that you have prepared the next step in my training for me?” He asked politely.

“That I have.” Varuna responded. “You are to craft the artifact which you will use to control the water within you.” The Master explained. “But before I tell you of the artifact or the items you require, you must choose the path you will follow. Will you become a channeler and control the water without or will you become a hybrid and command the water within?” Varuna questioned of Lykas.

“Hybrid.” Lykas replied without hesitation. “Technically, I'm already one but it's not enough for me to use it so I want to refresh the bond to the natural world that already exists in my blood.”

“I have sensed this of you but I was not certain if it was true or simply the chi welling up within you that made me sense something false.” Varuna admitted without any sign of remorse or doubt in his voice. “Very well. In order for you to reestablish the bond with the natural world, as you put it, you will require three things. Two of which you must venture away from me to acquire. Firstly, you will require the spike of a Cloyster. However, it must come from a very particular Cloyster. One which belonged to my predecessor as king of our ancient world.” He explained. “This creature has lived for hundreds of years at this point but I believe it will have persevered through one simple fact. It's previous master took such immaculate care it that it's shell pearlized. The king's unique chi signature infused the nacre that coated it's shell with the power to contain -and by extension, reflect- nearly any energy, so this will not be an easy task for you.”

Lykas whistled in appreciation as Varuna pulled an ancient painting of the Pokemon from his sleeve and unrolled it for him to see. “Wouldn't mind having one of those for myself.” He admitted at the sight of the beautiful bivalve Pokemon. It was certainly beautiful.

“Such a thing will require countless years of immaculate care, just like the old king's.” Varuna reminded the boy. “Secondly, you must mine a Water Stone with your own hands. The stone will absorb a small amount of your chi and create a bond between you and the natural water chi in the world. It is vital that you alone touch it when it is removed from the earth.” Varuna returned the painting of the pearl-shelled Cloyster to his sleeve as his said this, using only the tone of his voice to impress the importance of this statement upon Lykas.

“Got it. Get a spike from a super awesome looking giant clam and then dig up a Water Stone.” Lykas summarized, turning to leave when Varuna spoke again. “I cannot promise how easily they will be found in this day and age but my people once mined the stones from the area where Sootopolis City now stands.”

Lykas nodded once again and began to walk away when Varuna spoke once more. “The Cloyster will most likely be found in the Shoal Cave. The old king used to frequent the tidal cavern with it.” He said, waving Lykas off as the boy looked over his shoulder, signifying that he had nothing else to say.

“Not even going to wish me luck or tell me to be careful?” Lykas asked, rhetorically, as he descended the gangplank.

“You don't need reminding, now do you?” Came Varuna's voice as his ship melted back into the ocean.

“Not really, no. But it's the sentiment that counts.” Lykas countered.

“An elemental Master has no time for sentiment when training. Remain focused and that is all that matters.” Varuna stated before he and his ship vanished altogether.

Lykas looked to Narcissa as the ship fully submerged, or rather, re-merged with the water around it. “Looks like it's time for us to get busy with this.” He told the Frillish as the two began heading northward. He'd never, personally, been there but he knew enough about Hoenn to know Shoal Cave was north of here, which was part of why he'd chosen this location for his arrival point. The duo followed the shoreline without much difficulty, admiring the view of the ocean as they walked, including the sight of a pair of Wailmer splashing playfully in the shallows. When they had reached the northern shore, Lykas released Nuregami, whom he preferred for aquatic travel duo to the Milotic's sheer size. He liked being able to ride the large serpent's back as much as he enjoyed swimming beside him for leisure.

“Keep close, Narcissa.” The boy told his young Frillish companion before turning to Nuregami and climbing onto the Water-type's back. “We're heading north, to Shoal Cave.” He told the Tender Pokemon, who nodded and slithered into the water. Lykas would have simply enjoyed the trip, had a local Pokemon not decided that he looked like an easy target. A Sharpedo rushed him from below, thankfully missing, but just barely. It's Skull Bash may have failed to land a direct hit, but it brushed against Nuregami's side just before it broke the surface, causing the Milotic to buckle and thrash for a moment as the Brutal Pokemon's Rough Skin left him in pain. Lykas was nearly thrown off his mount but held on tightly, stroking the serpentine Pokemon's neck in a calming manner. “Whoa!” He urged as Nuregami began to look around for his assailant. “Let Narcissa handle this one, Nuregami. She's been practicing but she needs some real-world experience, too.” He urged, finally calming the angered Water-type.

Sharpedo reemerged a moment or two later, glaring at the human riding on a Pokemon. It was a disgusting sight, a noble Water-type bowing to a Human's insignificant whims in such a manner. “Narcissa, use Absorb!” Lykas called to the Frillish just behind him, pointing out the now-visible Sharpedo. Narcissa nodded and summoned a sphere of solar energy before it shattered into fragments that barraged the shark-like Pokemon, the shards that hit quickly returning to Narcissa as not-quite-white ribbons containing the shark's energy. The Dark-type was unprepared for this, coming from a Water-type Pokemon but it wasn't ready to give in just yet. It rushed back towards the small spirit, jaws alight with dark energy. “Dodge it, Narcissa.” Lykas advised his partner. The small Ghost nodded and quickly flitted out of Sharpedo's line of attack, phasing out of the material plane as she did, just in case. She managed to escape, mostly unscathed. She was brushed by the shark's fin as it passed and it's Rough Skin tore at her watery flesh. “Absorb, Narcissa. Heal yourself!” Lykas ordered, quickly. He knew Narcissa wouldn't be able to take much damage without more training but that's what this was all about.

Narcissa wouldn't get the chance to do as ordered right away, as Sharpedo spun around on the spot and immediately began to strut, sort of.... Towards the young Frillish. It was Swagger. It seemed Narcissa knew what she was doing better than Lykas did, however, as a sparkling pink veil surrounded her, forming a solid shield-like bubble in a matter of seconds. The bubble flashed brightly as Sharpedo continued it's Swagger and a moment later, the Dark-type was flopping around in the water as if it barely knew how to swim. “What was that.....”

”That would be Magic Coat. An uncommon but rather useful reflective attack that some Pokemon can learn. It reflects negative status changes and ailments back to the user.” GRAY intoned, being helpful for once.

“Wow...” Lykas breathed as Narcissa did as previously instructed, using her Absorb on the now-confused Sharpedo. The shark put up little resistance and after the attack had run it's course, it managed to flop itself into a nearby reef, knocking itself out cold.

“Nice, Narcissa!” Lykas cheered as Narcissa came over to him, dipping herself into the water and absorbing a bit to heal her wounds, what few there were. “Friiiil.” The little Pokemon trilled as she reemerged from the waves, now fully healed.

With Sharpedo defeated, Lykas turned Nuregami northward once more and the Milotic began to swim steadily toward Shoal Cave once again. Narcissa stayed close by Lykas' side as the trio traveled and, thankfully, they weren't attacked by any more angry Water-types. Either Sharpedo had simply had a bad day or, after it was defeated, it had warned the other Pokemon in the area. The former was the most likely case, as far as Lykas was concerned but he really didn't care either way. He and his team would destroy any Pokemon that attempted to stand between him and his mission. With his new resolve, Lykas was pleased to find that he Nuregami have successfully navigated the path to their destination, however, he was unfortunate enough to have been spotted by something he'd have preferred to avoid.

“Hey! Hey! You have a Milotic! I've always wanted one but Feebas are super rare!” A young girl exclaimed as she swam over from the nearby shallows. “Please, will you trade it for my Wartortle?!” She begged as she fought her way up onto the drier sands of the narrow beach. “Where'd you find a Wartortle in Hoenn?” Lykas asked, still not quite absorbing the girl's proposition. “I caught it in Kanto, where I was born.” The girl replied. “Please! Trade me!?” She begged once again. “No.” Lykas replied simply, turning to walk away from her. “Then I'll battle you for it!” The girl challenged as she released her Wartortle from it's Pokeball.

“Look, I'll battle you if it'll shut you up but my Milotic is off limits. Nuregami is one of my oldest Pokemon and one of my closest friends.” Lykas spoke as he turned around to look at the girl and her Pokemon. “Come on, Palaeo. Let's take care of this.” The Palpitoad appeared from it's ball with a proud smirk on it's face and bounced a few times to signify it was prepared for battle. “Not that ugly thing! I want to battle your Milotic.” The girl argued as Palaeo squared off with her Wartortle. “It's this or nothing.” Lykas retorted, crossing his arms. “Fine! Wartortle, use Water Pulse!” The girl responded, directing the second half to her Pokemon.

“Palaeo, counter with Mud Bomb, then use Echoed Voice.” Lykas instructed his partner, who nodded before spewing a massive glob of volatile muck in Wartortle's direction. The mud met the orb of Water Pulse, canceling it out before Palaeo opened his mouth and released an enormous, echoing croak of incredible volume. Lykas covered his ears as if this were simply another day and another battle for him. Technically it was, really. Wartortle didn't seem prepared for the attack and quickly withdrew into it's shell. “Looks like I win.” Lykas stated, turning to Narcissa as he pulled a small teardrop shaped crystal from his pocket. “I meant to give this to you before we left.....” He told the Frillish as he went to place the item over her head.

“War! Tortle!” Lykas snapped his head back around to the turtle Pokemon, thinking it to have been defeated. He was surprised to see it rocketing towards Palaeo with it's head glowing bright white. It hadn't fainted or given up the fight. It had been preparing it's Skull Bash, an attack Lykas had only ever seen used once before, thus not recognizing it. Palaeo was unprepared for this assault and was easily struck, knocked out cold by the immense power of the turtle Pokemon. “That's my own fault...” The boy stated as he withdrew Palaeo to his Pokeball. “I won!” The Wartortle's trainer declared, hoping in the air as she cheered. “That means I get your Milotic!”

“SHUT UP, YOU PSYCHOTIC b***h!” Lykas screamed as he stormed over to the girl, punching her Wartortle in the face with the strength gained only in psychotic rage. “I TOLD YOU ALREADY THAT YOU'RE NOT GETTING MY POKEMON! NOW SHUT UP AND LEAVE BEFORE I KILL YOU FOR FUN!” His eyes were blazing with pure, unadulterated hatred at this point and the girl cringed at the volume of his voice. “I just wanted a Milotic.....” She whimpered, still not moving. Lykas released Naiad, his Corsola, when she refused to move. “Stone Edge sword.” He commanded quickly, retrieving the coral sword she produced for him as soon as she was finished. “Catch your own!” He growled at the female trainer, pointing the coral sword at her throat as he did.

The moment was broken when Wartortle jumped between the two of them, shell facing Lykas with a silver shine to it as it used Iron Defense to protect it's trainer. “War tort!” Lykas, seeing the Pokemon's act of protection, lowered his sword from the girl's throat. “Leave me alone. And don't be so quick to trade away that Wartortle. It's not easy to find a Pokemon willing to put itself in harm's way to protect its trainer.” He told her before he turned back to Narcissa and finished tying the Mystic Water he'd obtained for her around her neck. The trainer girl who'd challenged him had vanished by the time he was done. Thanking Naiad, he recalled the Corsola, as well as Nuregami to their Pokeballs before walking into Shoal Cave with Narcissa at his side, coral sword over his shoulder.

When the duo entered, the cave was practically empty. “It must be low tide.” Lykas noted as he looked around. “They say this place is a water-filled dungeon when high tide rolls in.” He informed his Frillish companion, who was quick to take note of the presence of several Pokemon. Firstly, the presence of several Spheal was prominent. The small seal Pokemon were gathered in a sort of circle around them as they neared the edge of a small cliff, which Lykas assumed would be a drop off when the tide came in. “Spheal!” One of them declared, rolling over and examining Narcissa up close. The other four showed no serious interest but none of them showed any lack of it, either. The herd of Ice-types were showing no signs of aggression and left them alone when Lykas and Narcissa began to move deeper into the ocean cave, all except for the one that seemed interested in the little Ghost-type.

Lykas tried to ignore the little seal as best he could and continue on with his mission but it became increasingly difficult to do so as he and his companion traveled further inside. “Spheal?” It finally spoke as Lykas clambered down the rocky face of one of the many walls. “What do you want?” He asked of it in return, exasperated by now. “Spheal spheal spheal!” The little Ice-type declared, pointing it's nose towards a far wall. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Lykas, so he simply ignored it for now and moved on. Narcissa seemed particularly interested in moving deeper into the cave, as if she sensed something, and Lykas was inclined to follow her for now. “What's going on Narcissa? Is there something here?” He asked as the diminutive Ghost-type came to a halt outside a small opening in the wall.”Friiiiil! Frill ish frill frillish ish!” Narcissa declared as she fluttered around the opening.

“Spheal!” A blast of frigid energy shot past Lykas and Narcissa as the little Pokemon that had been following them around fired an Ice Beam at the narrow crevice, sealing it up with a thick barricade of ice. “Spheal spheal spheal!” It urged, rolling around for a moment before it began to bounce around as if what it was saying were urgent.

“What exactly are you trying to tell me?” Lykas asked at this. The response came in the form of another Ice Beam, skillfully used to create a small statue. It looked kind of like a vertical Clamperl covered in spikes. After the statue was formed, Spheal stood beside it and fired of it's Ice Ball in random directions, as if the statue were firing the attacks. “Spheal! Spheal Spheal!” It urged once again, trying to dissuade the human and his Pokemon partner from entering the cave on the other side of the crevice it had blocked off. Lykas picked up the statue and looked at it more closely. “That's definitely a Cloyster.....” He noted to himself. “It must be in that room.......” He added as he looked back at the blockaded crevice in the wall. He turned to face it and released Mykel from his Ball. “Use you Fire Punch to melt that ice for me, please.” He requested of the Gardevoir, who nodded in understanding.

”Got it, Bossman.” Mykel agreed, stepping towards the wall.

He was stopped, however, by a Spheal standing in the way. “Spheal!” It declared, throwing its stomach between Mykel's flaming fist the wall of ice it had made.

”Problem, Lykas.” Mykel announced as he stepped back, his fist smoking slightly as he allowed the fire engulfing it to extinguish.

“You really don't want me in there that badly?” Lykas asked as he stepped forward, Narcissa sticking close to him. The little seal nodded, obviously trying to protect something(possibly him). “Narcissa, if you would?” The human asked of his Ghostly partner, who nodded and floated forward. The pink Ghost-type charged up and fired an unstable Shadow Ball at the Spheal, who rolled backwards and away from it. The little seal opened it's mouth and fired off a Water Gun at Narcissa, who took the attack without blinking, absorbing the Water-type attack without taking even a hint of damage. “Friiil.” She gloated at the Ice-type she faced. Spheal hardened it's expression for a moment before it began to form a ball of ice in front of itself, blasting it at it's Frillish foe with a short, hard blast of water.

Narcissa blasted the Ice Ball back with a small explosion of energy from her Absorb, though that didn't stop the attack. It did, however, make it easier for her to evade the object. She attempted to strike Spheal with Absorb after avoiding it's Ice Ball but just before she could strike, she was struck down by the second wave of the attack, the spherical bomb of ice slightly larger than the one before. She recovered quickly enough, however, and retaliated with an Absorb charged at twice the normal speed. This time she hit home but Spheal wasn't done yet. The little Pokemon's Ice Ball continued, pressing on with an even stronger blast than before and a bigger ball of ice. Narcissa managed to evade this one by simply predicting that the attack was going to continue. This time, however, her retaliation was not in the form of the previous attack. Spheal was beginning to expect that business and she didn't want it pulling the same thing on her that she'd just done to it. So rather than a third Absorb, a Shadow Ball was flung at the little Pokemon.

The not-quite-fully-formed Ghost-type attack was just enough, however, to push Spheal over the edge and the small Water-type fell into the abyss of unconsciousness. Despite all it's efforts, it slept soundly as Lykas defied it's ambitions and had his Pokemon whittle away at the frozen shell it had formed around the crevice that would lead them to something important. Mykel's flaming fists slammed into the ice over and over, melting the cold, unmoving wall little by little until at long last, they broke through and the remainder of it fell away on its own. “Thanks Mykel.” Lykas nodded to his Gardevoir, recalling the Pokemon to his Ball before he and Narcissa slipped through the narrow crack. Along the way, he discovered it was just large enough for him to squeeze through if he sucked his stomach in.

Squeezing out the other side, he found himself in a room filled with ice. Everything in sight was frozen over. And what made it worse was the simple fact that the room was frigid in temperature. The shallow water on the floor didn't help with this freezing feeling in the air, keeping his feet wet and, thus, maintaining a conduit for the cold at all times. Narcissa entered right behind him and immediately began to act differently.

“Friiiil....” She moaned as she quivered beside him. She stuck closer to his side than normal as he began to move and would wrap her tentacles around his arm, pulling him back, whenever he tried moving towards the middle of the room. “What's wrong, Narcissa?” He asked her as she began to pull him backwards once again. “Frill frillish frill frill ish frill ish ish!!” “Okay, now I have to see what's out there.” Lykas determined, at the pleading sound in his Pokemon's voice. With renewed vigor, he began to press towards the center of the room despite Narcissa's best attempts to hold him back. The icy, water-covered floor made it harder than he'd have like, but he did manage to get where he was going eventually. What he found both overjoyed him and filled him with fear. In the very center of the room rested a Pokemon. A Cloyster to be precise. However, it's shell was a lustrous white and it seemed encased in ice around that pearlized shell.

“It's beautiful.....” He whispered as he took in the sight of the larger-than-average, nacre-coated bivalve Pokemon. Cloyster's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice and glared around in every possible direction. Seeing nothing, it's spikes began to glow and it fired off a massive Spike Cannon that blasted nearly everything in the cavern. Lykas managed to avoid this by ducking behind a frozen stalagmite. He'd begun to sweat already, as he realized this was going to be harder than he'd anticipated. Cloyster already had insane defenses and this one was supposed to be even stronger. Add to that it's ability to attack like that and he was going to have to come up with some kind of strategy to get close. As he thought about all this, Cloyster seemed to be becoming angry. It knew it had heard something and it was determined to find and destroy whatever it had been before it could sleep again.

Lykas looked to Narcissa, and whispered, very quietly, “Hang back.”. He had an idea and was going to work with it before he tried anything else. He quickly released Nuregami, Chinami and Naiad from their respective Pokeballs, hoping Cloyster wouldn't notice but the echoing sound of the release mechanisms made it impossible to have not heard it. Thankfully, the sound was distorted enough that not even he could tell it had come from his position based on the echo. Looking to Nuregami, he grinned. “Your job is simple. I want you to play distraction. Use whatever means you can to keep it distracted while Chinami and Naiad do their jobs.” He told the Milotic, who nodded and went straight to work.

Nuregami slithered out into sight and quickly began to use his lithe, flexible body to avoid Cloyster's Spike Cannon and Ice Beam Attacks, countering with his own Ice Beam and Hydro Pump blasts when possible. During this time, Chinami was standing firm atop a small ledge, her fans drawn and ready. She wound up and threw her Razor Shell attack without a second though, watching as they bounced off the Cloyster's shell without even leaving a mark. Naiad, seeing her chance, fired off a Stone Edge, sending razor sharp shards of ice-covered stone flying at the dual type bivalve. Cloyster never even noticed, it's focus so intent on Nuregami at the moment. The Pokemon, realizing that it's Spike Cannon was far too inaccurate, switched to Icicle Spear, sending individual spikes of frozen nacre at the Milotic. The tender Pokemon, expecting the attack, swatted each away with Iron Tail, though Cloyster was becoming more accurate with each shot and was firing the spears faster and faster with each passing moment.

After a few rounds of this, the attacks not phasing anyone, Cloyster changed tactics once again. This time, it used Surf, summoning a massive, tidal surge through the crack in the wall at the end of the room, quickly filling it to the brim with seawater. This did little damage to Lykas' Pokemon but t hat hadn't been the intention. It increased Cloyster's mobility tenfold. Now having an easier time of getting around, Cloyster was quick to use its Iron Defense to bolster its body's hardness before rushing it's attackers, one by one. Nuregami was slammed, hard, not expecting such a tactic. Naiad took little damage due to her body's natural makeup but, despite the lack of stamina, she was certainly going to feel that in a moment. Chinami, being the one to expect this the most, after seeing the other two take the hit, was not only prepared for the attack, but for the resulting counter as well. Bracing herself, Chinami took the mussle's attack and her body began to give of a bright, muddy glow as she filled herself with energy, preparing to take her Revenge on the Ice-type. She brought her empowered fists down on Cloyster's side and found that, from the sound of it, she had made a solid attack. Despite Cloyster's defenses, her rage and, with proper study, preparation, had made a dent in the enemy's armor.

Displeased with this turn of events, Cloyster turned back to Chinami and, with a single target and more mobility, fired another Spike Cannon. This one was far more accurate than it's last attempt to hit Nuregami and the Dewott was hit hard by the barrage of nearly-diamond-hard needles. Nuregami took the moment to surprise Cloyster with an Iron Tail to the exact spot Chinami had hit. A small crack appeared at the base of the spike the Pokemon were aiming near. What no one noticed was that the crack wasn't just at the base of the spike but was spreading across a small area of the Pokemon's shell. Cloyster, definitely feeling this, turned to Nuregami and fired an other Spike Cannon at him. Again, it's accuracy was much improved under the waves.

Lykas watched, horrified, as another of his team was knocked to the brink of the abyss by a single attack. He'd managed to find a single ledge(more the top of a massive stalagmite that had lost it's point) out of the water and was watching from there. He silently prayed to the Gods that his Pokemon could handle this. Narcissa stayed by his side during all this and watched, taking in all that was happening. The tiny Ghost-type wasn't happy with what she was seeing. Her daddy's friends were fighting hard but they were being outmatched, despite a three-on-one battle. Chinami, determined not to lose out just yet, rushed in when Cloyster turned to Naid, using her Rock Smash on the fracture in the enemy's shell. The crack grew more, very slowly, as she pummeled away, inching further and further through the spike they needed and across that area of shell. Cloyster's response, a massive Water Pulse in the form of a sphere of rapidly flowing currents, knocked the Dewott back and, being unexpected, managed to knock her out as it threw her into a nearby stalagmite, sapping her last remaining stamina.

Lykas cringed at the sight of his battered Pokemon and recalled her to her Pokeball. Naiad, seeing her ally downed, was quick to counter with a Rock Blast attack. She wasn't the most accurate, however, and missed the intended target with her first shot. The next three, however, hit spot on. Angered by this attack, Cloyster began to glow a bright red for a moment before it's shell seemingly splintered off. What it didn't notice when using Shell Smash was that one of it's spikes had indeed broken off and fallen to the floor. Lykas had seen it happen but now getting it would be even harder. Cloyster was visibly stronger than it had been a moment ago and was showing this fact off by charging at Naiad with tremendous speed. After the coral Pokemon had barely evaded the attacks, Cloyster grew tired of the game and formed a massive ball of ice before it, shattering it into shrapnel that flew at Naiad with speed matching it's own. The Ice Shard hit home fairly hard but Naiad wasn't giving in. She braced herself against the floor and, focusing hard, she rushed Cloyster head on, her spikes giving up a brownish glow as she filled herself to bursting with Rock-type energy.

Cloyster, seeing this attack coming at it decided now was not the time for games any longer. It faced Naiad head on and blasted her with a Hydro Pump. The smaller Water-type plowed through the heavy torrent of seawater with her Rock Head, slamming into Cloyster's despite it being hidden within it's shell. The recoil from the attack was enough to knock her out, unfortunately. Cloyster, thinking itself finished with it's foe at last, opened it's shell and looked around. Thankfully for Lykas, Nuregami had a plan. The Milotic snuck up from behind and just as Cloyster opened it's shell, he blasted it in the face with a Confuse Ray. The unfortunate Pokemon was hit full-on by the attack and was quickly under the full effect of utter confusion. The poor Pokemon was throwing itself about in an attempt to tackle enemies that didn't seem to exist. After a few vain attempts, it finally connected with a wall and knocked itself out.

Lykas, seeing his chance, sent Nuregami after the spike that had broken off Cloyster's shell. He failed to notice when Narcissa went after the small chunk of shell that had broken off with it. It was shiny and she was young, after all. Both Pokemon returned about the same time and, spike in hand, Lykas made his way out of the flooded cavern. As he squeezed himself through the crevice that had led him here, he discovered that Cloyster's Surf hadn't been the cause of the cave flooding. High tide had come in while he was inside and the Pokemon's attack had merely pulled the tidal surge into the cavern faster than normal. Narcissa squeezed through behind him, though Nuregami wouldn't fit, forcing Lykas to recall him to his ball in order to get out of Shoal Cave at all. He was thankful, however, that he escaped when he did. Cloyster awakened shortly after he exited it's chamber and it was thrashing about once again.

Lykas made it outside with Narcissa beside him and called out Nuregami once again. “We need to go to Sootopolis City.” He told the Milotic, who, despite his exhaustion, was still capable of expressing his shock at this. “Ya, ya, I know. I hate Sootopolis City with a passion but we're not going inside the city proper. I just have to go to the area.” Lykas explained as he shook his head in annoyance. Not that the annoyance was aimed at Nuregami. More towards the fact he had to get so close to his father than anything else. Nuregami nodded, regardless, and slithered into the water. Lykas climbed onto his back, shoving the Cloyster spike into his backpack, alongside his SNAG, which had been stored away for the mission to prevent it from becoming lost or damaged.

”Oh look at that! You actually survived. I was worried for a moment that I might be lost forever, looking at your corpse all day.” GRAY quipped when his electronic eye trained itself on Lykas.

“Shut it, you mechanical annoyance.” Lykas snapped back before zipping his backpack shut once again. With that taken care of, he leaned forward and allowed himself to relax against the large serpent's neck. The trip was mostly uninterrupted, due largely to the increasingly confident Narcissa. The trio were interrupted by a passing Wailmer at one point, which decided that it didn't like Narcissa or she looked very edible to it. Regardless, the little Ghost-type managed to form a perfect Shadow Ball without thinking and hurled it into the whale's face, striking it with an Absorb a moment later, after a failed Water Spout healed her wounds. The Grass-type attack did little to heal her but it left the Wailmer out cold. Before too much longer, another Wailmer had appeared, this one far more violent than the last.

The Wailmer initiated the battle by using it's Astonish, popping up from below the waves to frighten Narcissa, who countered with her Absorb without even considering what she was doing. It had become habit to her by this point. There were so many Water-types in this area that any other attack was only thought of after-the-fact. Wailmer shook off the attack before it threw itself into another attack. Throwing itself skyward, it brought itself down on the little Pokemon with all it's weight, aided by gravity, with a Heavy Slam. Narcissa, phased through the Wailmer, causing it to belly flop into the ocean with tremendous force and counterattacked with Shadow Ball. Wailmer took the hit but used it to fuel a mighty leap into the sky. Narcissa prepared herself and soon, she found herself victim to the result of a Bounce attack. She'd lost Wailmer's form in the sunlight, making it nearly impossible to avoid until it was too late. She held on by a thread, however, and hit Wailmer with an Absorb, finishing it off before it had the chance to break her hold.

With Wailmer defeated, Narcissa turned to Lykas and smiled. Lykas grinned back, proud of her. At this obvious sign of pride and affection, her body began to glow brightly, growing in size and proportion until she had fully evolved into a magnificent Jellicent. “Jelliiiiiiii cent!” She cried as she stretched out her tentacles, testing their size. “Congratulations, Narcissa!” Lykas cheered at the sight of his and Odd's new Pokemon. She did look quite majestic.

As they traveled, it was discovered only after Lykas had examined Narcissa fully that they were very near to Sootopolis City at this point. “That's convenient....” Lykas decided, rubbing Nuregami's neck in thanks for his efforts. “Good thing you kept swimming during those battles....” He told the Milotic before he pulled his underwater respirator from his backpack. “Get ready to get wet, GRAY. We're going for a dive.” He informed his SNAG, knowing that the AI would hear him whether it was paying attention or not. Turning his focus to his two remaining Water-types, he explained to them what he was looking for here and asked for their help finding it. Both consented with ease and they began their dive together. Rather than relying on Nuregami to carry him to the seafloor, the human jumped over to Narcissa and allowed the massive Jellicent to haul him to the bottom. It made life easier on the exhausted Milotic, anyway.

“Father Clancy believes with all his heart that Channelers are the most connected of the followers of the Gods. He has always said that the Gods must smile brightly upon those who connect so closely with the world around them in such a deep and spiritual way.” Odd responded, giving a small sniff of indignation in the misdreavus' direction. “That and the glow coming from it's 'necklace' wasn't hidden very well.”

“The glow? It was absorbing your life force?” Cadenza asked, coming close to examine him for a moment. “There doesn't seem to be any lasting damage but you must be more careful. If you allow that to happen more than once, the damage may become irreversible.” The Pokemon was worried for his trainer and partner, obviously.

“I'll be fine, Cadenza. I have to let them think they're fooling me or Hatshepsut might catch onto my presence before I'm ready for that.” Odd responded with a small wave, as if to dismiss the Ghost's concerns. Candenza sighed inwardly at this, though he simply chose to watch his master more closely from now on and intervene when danger became prevalent.

As the duo explored the forest, Odd began to notice shades flickering between the trees around them. “There are people here.” He announced quietly to his partner, who drew up close to him appearing to latch onto his back as if he were a backpack.

Keep your guard up now more than ever.

Didn't plan on letting it down.

The two traded a few more words of encouragement, soul to soul, before the treeline ahead of them broke. Stepping through with care, Odd found himself standing on the edge of a small clearing with a large mansion at it's center. “The hell is this?” He asked of Cadenza, who remained quiet for fear of giving himself away in the presence of other spirits when he may be needed for a quick escape.

“Welcome! This, at the heart of Lust, is the Heart's Manor.” Greeted a beautiful young woman, who approached from the door of the mansion. “Here, you will encounter others who share your heart's desires and will gladly oblige.” She walked up to Odd and laid a hand seductively on his arm, giving a gentle tug to pull him towards the building.

“My heart's desires?” Odd asked as he gave the woman a once-over. He had to admit she was attractive. Not his thing but still, attractive was attractive, male or female. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we will tend to your sinful pleasures.” The woman explained.

“Oooooh. OH!” Odd groaned a moment later as he realized what the woman was talking about. “Sorry, lady but I don't have any of those. You're not exactly my type.” He offered, attempting to be nice while extricating his arm from her grip.

“Oh, dear? You don't find me to your liking?” She asked as she stepped back. “Well....how about this, instead?” She asked before her form shimmered for a brief moment. When the soft waves that crossed her body disappeared, she was not longer a she. In fact, she was someone Odd recognized completely. “Lykas?! What the hell!?” He demanded as he stepped back from the dopplegänger.

“Is this not to your liking, either?” Fake!Lykas asked.

“It would be if you were really my boyfriend.” Odd responded, growing angry at this spirit for even daring to look like Lykas.

“Very well. I can have others who are more appealing tend to you.” The spirit replied as her appearance returned to normal. With that, she gripped Odd's arm tightly and pulled him towards the mansion once more, this time not releasing him when he resisted.

“Lemme go!” Odd demanded as he attempted to wrench his arm from the spirit's clutches. “I'm not here for the fun times I'm sure you're offering.” He told her before turning his arm intangible and slipping from her grasp. Seemed that even here in the Underworld, intangible was still intangible.
In an attempt to escape the spirit's further attempts to drag him inside, Odd bolted, running for his life. He failed to notice as he ran that the mansion's front door seemed to always be just ahead of him and before he knew it, he had run straight through the door, spinning around to see it slam shut behind him and lock tightly. More concerning than where he was now trapped was that no matter how hard he pulled, the door would not open. He couldn't find a lock anywhere on it and his attempts to phase through it did nothing. He couldn't phase through this door. For the third time in the last five minutes, a “What?!” flashed through his mind.

“Welcome! What would you like today?” Asked a young woman at a receptionist's desk behind him. “We have many available rooms and many more available attendants for your pleasure.”

“I'm sorry but I'm not really interested in being here. I'm looking for something outside and this is kind of distracting me from finding it.” Odd responded, somewhat annoyed.

“Oh, nonsense! You've got plenty of time.” The receptionist replied, giving a wide grin. “If you'd rather, you can relax in our 'gentleman's suite' for a while first. We have it set up for young men and women who would rather relax than enjoy our other services.” She offered.

Odd sighed, seeing that there would be no reasoning with this woman. “Fine. Lead the way.”

Are you certain you should be doing this, Master?

I don't have a choice. They're forcing my hand!

Should I help us escape?

No! Don't do anything unless we're obviously in danger. For now, it's best if you look like a nonthreatening accessory.

Very well. Please, be careful.

Conversing, internally, with Cadenza, Odd failed to see the direction he had traveled as he followed the young woman to a massive room off to the side. “Here you are, young man. It's all yours for now. We don't currently have any other male patrons using the Gentleman's Suite.”

“Thank you.” Odd replied as he stepped through the doors and into a large and luxurious looking room. It had a huge, plush bed on the far wall, a comfortable leather couch set before a massive television. “Wow.... They get TV here?” He asked of Cadenza.

“No.” The Shedinja replied, unlatching himself from Odd's back again now that they were obviously alone. “It's a sort of crystal ball, you might say. It basically lets you look into the Land Above and watch what the living are up to. Certain places in the Underworld have them and those who live there often use them.” He explained as he drifted over and dropped onto the couch.

“We're probably going to be here a while. So we may as well see what we can find out about this place.” Odd announced as he looked around. This “suite” was lavishly adorned. The furniture was all plush and covered in scents that titillated the senses. Adorning the wall were pictures and paintings that brought a bit of color to Odd's cheeks “So that's what this place is....” He realized as he looked at the pictures.

“What in the world are those two doing?” He asked as he examined a painting of two men, one of them appearing to be tied to a bedpost while the other stood over him. “Oh boy!” He just realized what was going on in the painting. He quickly turned away. “Um....I think I'm gonna go see what else there is in here.....” He needed to find something to get his mind off all this.

“Lykas, I could really use you to distract me right about now.....” He groaned as he walked down a small hallway and into a massive bathroom. The place was huge and seemed to have a hot tub built into the opposite corner from the bathtub. Deciding to try out the hot tub, something he figured must be pretty relaxing if even spirits liked using them, he stripped down to his skivvies and stepped into the water, noticing only after the fact that the water was decidedly pink in color.

”Must be full of more of that scented oil that's on everything else.....” He thought as his feet dipped into the water. He was instantly assaulted by a myriad of thoughts that he was quick to fight off. “Wow! That's not like me!” He told himself as he stopped for a moment. “That's usually Lykas' department.....” He said as he submerged himself further in the waters. Once again, his mind was assaulted by a plethora of filthy thoughts and images, causing him to quickly halt his actions. “Ok....I don't think I like this, if this is what happens when people get in a hot tub.....” He told himself as he got back out, drying off with a towel that was hanging on a nearby rack.

He returned to Cadenza to find someone standing by the door, a young man, just a bit older than him(probably eighteen or nineteen by the look of him, the boy wagered) completely naked. “The mistress informed me that we had a young man waiting for our services.” He announced as he gave a slight bow. He was a handsome young man, indeed but Odd had another in mind. “Sorry, but I have a boyfriend and I have no intention of screwing around on him.” The Channeler responded. “With someone alive or dead.” He added. The young man produced a small length of rope at this, which he'd been hiding behind himself, odd assumed. Otherwise, he didn't want to know where it came from.

“The mistress insists you try our services.” He said as he approached Odd. “Not happening!” The Channeler declared as he rushed over to Cadenza and grabbed the Ghost-type, phasing through the wall as he charged out of the room. He found himself in the main lobby, surrounded by men and women all about the same age as the young man he'd just escaped from. And all armed with some form of restraint. Some with rope, others lengths of chain and a few others with what looked like handcuffs of some sort. “I swear this is Lykas' department, not mine!” He stated as he looked to Cadenza. “Alright, I hate to do this but.....Night Slash!” Cadenza's halo glowed bright black for a moment before a flurry of black crescent shaped blades erupted from it. The spirits around them scattered, attempting to avoid the blades. Several of them failed to escape and when struck, they were cleaved in twain, illusions releasing as they were revealed to be Misdreavus and Mismagius in disguise, each knocked out cold.

The ones who escaped turned around and came back at them, many with glowing orbs at the bases of their necks, attempting to drain Odd's life force. They were using these illusions in an attempt to incite lust in the boy, one who had long ago been taught to resist the temptations and desires of the flesh. “You belong to us!” One of them exclaimed as it attempted to use Attract on him. The boy looked at her funny for a moment before throwing a Shadow Sneak infused punch into her face, throwing her backwards and releasing her illusion. “Sorry, honey. I'm not into the ladies.” He told her as he shook his hand slightly. That thing's face hurt more than the last one had.

“Behave, my children!” Came a voice, sweet as honey and smooth as silk. It was hard to tell if it were male or female, however. “We have a guest among us who wishes not for our advances.” The crowd of naked people parted at this, illusions breaking as one after another revealed itself to be a Misdreavus or Mismagius in disguise. From the farthest reaches of the room, Odd saw a spiral staircase, down which a beautiful young woman was slowly descending. “I apologize for my little ones' persistence. It is uncommon to find one who has learned from their time in the Land Above.” The woman stated as she reached the floor and approached him.

“No problem. It's not that I don't appreciate it. I'm actually flattered. I just don't really feel like I can do anything. See, I have a partner back in the Land Above. I'd feel like a cheater if I didn't wait for him, is all.” Odd replied, attempting to sound like he was just another soul. Just one with stronger morals than he was being given credit for.

“Oh, how cute! You believe in monogamy, even after death.” The young woman declared, clapping her hands together in amusement. “My dear boy, My name is Mistress Hattie. While it's not for me, I admire your dedication to your lover but you wouldn't be here if you weren't already a cheater, now would you?” She asked, introducing herself at the same time.

“Mistress Hattie?” Odd repeated, giving her words some thought.

Oh crap! It's the tranny Channeler!

Do you have to put it that way?

Yes! What do we do?

Stay calm. Don't give her any signs that you're afraid.

Odd took Cadenza's advice to heart. “I'm not sure, really. I've always had these....urges.... But I never acted on them.” He finally replied to Hattie.

“Well, then. Why don't you go back to the gentleman's suite and get some rest, then? If you wish to leave, I won't stop you, but at least wait until morning.” Hattie offered as Odd shifted slightly, looking around. “It's dark out already and there are much worse creatures out there at night than what you must think of us.”

Odd sighed before nodding. “Alright. I appreciate your kindness.” He replied as he gave a small bow of respect.

“Oh dear. You're making me blush with those manners.” Hattie said as she waved away Odd's bow. “It's nice to see a young man with such respect for a lady, though, I must admit.”

“I apologize. I was always raised to show respect to others.” Odd countered as he straightened up.

“That is something to admire. Please allow me escort you to your room, now.” Hattie responded with a small smile.

“Thank you.” Odd replied as he allowed the woman to take the lead.

Odd stuck close by the Mistress of Lust, deciding the phrase “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” would apply aptly at this particular moment. Maybe if he got close to Hatshepsut, he could trick the more powerful Channeler into letting down her guard. He followed her back to the “gentleman's suite” where he'd first been sent when he realized he was trapped, nodding in thanks to her when she opened the door for him. “I had one of my girl draw a bath for you, if you'd like to relax. I assure you, we will leave you to your own devices for the night. If anything, we are respectful of our patrons wishes.” Hattie announced as he walked into the room.

“Thank you. I may take you up on that offer.” Odd responded with a smile of thanks.

Once Hattie had closed the door, he walked over to the couch and sat down, Cadenza returning to activity once the door was closed and Hattie's footsteps disappeared. “Something smells of rotten Magikarp with her.” The Shedinja voiced as he turned to glare at the door.

“I agree. That was too easy....” Odd agreed as his gaze followed Cadenza's. He could sense the Channeler's soul leaving. It was far more powerful than his own so why hadn't she simply snuffed him out now, before he became an issue? Did she really not suspect him of anything or was this some kind of illusion set up to trick him?

Odd sat with Cadenza for a while, the two discussing their mission and the possibilities of what may lay in store for them. Odd kept glancing at the window to see how much time had passed yet, after what felt like many hours, the darkness outside had not even begun to lighten. “I'm gonna go see about that bath Hatshepsut mentioned.” The Channeler finally announced as he stood and stretched. Cadenza nodded, volunteering to keep his senses sharp in case of a surprise attack, and sat back on the couch as he watched the scrying glass on the wall.

The white-haired human walked towards the bathroom again, reminding himself to avoid the hot tub as he did. Once in the small room with the twin tubs, he noticed that the bathtub had been filled and the water was still hot. “....Interesting....” He noted to himself. Either this was filled just a short time ago or something was much fishier than he'd expected. Regardless, he stripped down and warily stepped into the water, noticing once submerged that the water was hued just slightly blue. It was a stark contrast to the bright pink water in the hot tub across from him. This one also smelled differently. More masculine, in some way. Less perfume, he figured.

Despite his attempts to keep his guard up, the water was causing him to loosen his grip on his security. He began to relax as the hot water did it's work and, after a short time, he jumped when he felt something close to him.

“Hi!”

“Lykas?!” He yelped as he splashed backwards. “What the hell are you doing here?!” The youth asked of his partner, who could only snicker in response.

“Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you like that. Honestly, I'm not sure how I ended up here.....I was heading off to the Whirl Islands, last I remember.” Lykas responded, pulling himself up to rest on the side of the tub.

“More training?” Odd asked, trying to calm himself and not begin to grieve. How could Lykas possibly be here unless he had died?

Lykas nodded to Odd's question. “I remember leaving home and thinking that I wish I could be with you while you were training and then when I got to Olivine City, I started swimming out towards the islands. And then I remember fighting the whirlpools before everything went black. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the field outside.”

No..... That's not possible!

“Mistress Hattie was really nice, though. She brought me in and told me you were here, Sterling.” Lykas replied, giving a bright smile to the other boy.

“What did you just call me?” Odd asked, his grief suddenly falling out of mind.

“Sterling. That's you're name, dumb~/~.” Lykas replied.

“No. It isn't. Lykas would never call me that.” Odd responded as he stood up tall, fists clenched tightly. The moment he stood, however, something hit him. And hard. His mind was suddenly flooded with an unimaginable number of thoughts filled with desire. For Lykas. For Power. For fame and fortune. Lust and greed flooded every other waking thought from his mind and his knees buckled, dropping him face first into Lykas' arms. His face flushed as he began to cave, desire taking over.

“That's it, Sterling. Give in to Lust and join me.” Lykas said as his body shimmered, slowly changing until a completely different man sat in his place. This man was older, at least in his mid twenties. “Join me in Lust and contribute to my power.” Shep said, his voice sultry and seductive.

“N-no. I....I can't.” Odd replied, barely able to speak as he tried to fight off the thoughts running amok in his mind. “I....I don't.....want you.” He groaned as the feelings the water charged him with ran through him. The very core of his being was assaulted by nearly irresistible sensations with every movement and every touch.

“Too bad. I win.” Shep said as he stood up, pulling Odd to his feet. “Dress. We need to teach you how you'll be serving our patrons before long.” He pulled lightly on Odd's arm, the young Channeler following slowly, his resistance barely there anymore.

Fight it! This isn't you

But it feels so good!

If you give in, you will never leave. You will never see Lykas again. You will never see Keiko or Terashi or anyone else in Snagem again. They will all be lost to you.

No! I don't want that......

Is your love for them stronger than the lust coursing through you?

Yes.

Prove it!

Odd heard Cadenza's voice, deep inside his soul, in the darkest recesses where Hatshepsut's power had not yet reached. The Shedinja made a point. He loved Snagem and all of his friends and family there too much to give up here. And Lykas. How would he survive without that crazy hybrid?

“No.” The youth said, quietly, as he tried to resist Shep's pull on his arm.

“Excuse me?” Shep asked, looking back at the boy he was dragging around.

“I said.....NO!” Odd declared, finally shaking off the thoughts running through his mind. Shep's touch still sent a shock of desire through his body but that was easily resisted. Now that he was in control of his thoughts again, he knew this was not what he wanted. And inside, in that darkness of his soul. In his heart of hearts, he was glad that his spirit knew what it wanted or he would be lost already.

Shep stumbled backwards as Odd split apart, a crowd of identical Channelers filling the bathroom, all of them equally unclothed. The Master of Lust halted as the crowd began to move, drooling slightly at the sight. Why had he ever decided to turn this place into a brothel full of mostly women? Men had so much more to offer.... The many Odds smirked in unison as they all began to move, crowding around Shep as the Channeler's own desires began to override his mind.

In the chaos, the real Odd phased through the wall and back into the main room of the suite. “Time to go.” He told Cadenza, who turned around at the sound of his voice.

“What happened to your clothes?” The Shedinja asked.

“You ought to know. You're the one who saved me.” Odd responded as he picked the Ghost-type and headed towards the door.

“I did not. I thought you were just enjoying the bath.” Cadenza replied as the door was opened ahead of them.

“It wasn't a bath. I think Hatshepsut just handed me what we I was looking for. That tub was filled with water from the Lake of Narcissus. I felt the urge when I tried to get out. And he would have had me if you hadn't reminded me of the love I have for my friends.” Odd told the Pokemon in his arms, walking through the main lobby of the building.

“I told you I didn't do anything.” Cadenza responded as he hurled Shadow Balls at the various Misdreavus and Mismagius in the open room.

“Do not let them escape!” Hattie's voice rang out, the woman herself appearing just outside the hall the duo had taken to get there. “The boy has overcome the lake's power. He must not be allowed to escape!”

With that, the room was overrun by Ghost-types. “Any ideas?” Odd asked of Cadenza. “Just one......” Cadenza responded. “Duck.” Odd wasn't sure what was going on at first but when the Shedinja's halo began to glow with black energy, he hit the deck in a heartbeat. Cadenza's halo began to crack as the energy built up and as the horde of Ghost-types approached, It splintered, sending shards of darkness infused chitin flying everywhere at incredible speeds. The majority of the encroaching foes were struck down, at least long enough to beat a hasty retreat.

“I'm out!” Odd declared as he grabbed Cadenza and rushed the front door, it vanishing as he managed to infect the illusory building with a bit of his own influence. “This is going to be a lot easier than the last power to get a hold of, I think.” He told himself as he headed towards the forest.

He was quickly caught off guard, however, when several Hatties and several Sheps appeared at the edge of the woods. “You will not escape! That power is mine and mine alone!” Yelled one of the Hatties.

“Nope. Mine now.” Odd laughed as the other Channeler's illusory minions began making out with each other, one of the Shep's going for the lead Hattie. This was wearing him down, trying to recreate another person's illusions to do his bidding. Moreso, Hatshepsut was becoming more diligent in maintaining them, already able to tell that Odd was stronger than expected with this gift.

As Odd dove into the forest, he lost his way almost immediately. The forest looked nothing like it did before. Had that been part of Hatshepsut's illusion as well? It was then that something caught his eye. A small, flickering flame shaped slightly like a person.

Follow us. The Master of this realm will not go easy on you if you are caught.

Odd gave it some thought for a moment before he heard Hattie shriek into the air. “What the hell? Lead the way.” He told the Wisp, quickly following it as a trail of them appeared, leading him through a winding path throughout the forest until he was bursting out into the field on the other side.

“How do I leave?!” The Channeler asked of Cadenza, who nodded in response and his eyes began to glow brightly, a power he had never shown before. The gate to the Underworld soon appeared ahead of them, slowly beginning to open.

As Odd reached the door, he couldn't see Hattie coming and, in his desperation to avoid her retribution with what little energy he had left, he probed the recesses of his mind for an idea and finally came up with one. Rather than turning Hattie's illusions against her, why not make the tranny see himself for what she truly was? It took all his remaining energy to do so but, rather than simply disappearing, he replaced the Gate of the Underworld along with himself and Cadenza with a massive, highly reflective crystal growing out of the ground.

As Hattie approached, she grew curious about the crystal. “I don't recall this being here?” She said as she ran a hand over it, delicately. It felt so real. Giving it a small flick, she could even hear the sound resonating inside the immense crystal structure. What caught her eye most, however, was the fact that it didn't show her reflection. Something was there but it was ugly and emaciated. A rail thin man with thinning hair and barely any substance to his body. He had bags under his eyes and looked ready to fall over dead at any moment. “What is this?! What kind of trickery is this?”

“No trick, Shep.” Odd announced as he stepped out of a smaller crystal structure beside her. “This crystal reflects the truth of your being, same as mine.” He told the man who now stood before him.

“There is nothing! You lie!” Shep screamed, his illusion beginning to fall apart.

“No. To me, there is no truth to who I am. As far as I know, everything about me is a lie I've fabricated to make myself feel like a person. So the crystal shows no reflection. It shows that the real me doesn't exist.” Odd explained with a half smile to the structure he'd somehow conjured. He had no strength left to fight against Hatshepsut at this point but from the look of him, the older Channeler had no power at the moment, either. His confidence shattered, his power was nowhere to be found. “And you, it shows you that the real you is how you were born. And that you've neglected that for so long, using your illusions to make yourself look beautiful, that you're falling apart.” With that, Odd melded back into the crystal, walking through the Gate to the Underworld hidden by the illusion. Turning back as Cadenza followed him through, he saw the phantasm begin to crumble, his power over it now gone completely. Hatshepsut reached toward him as the door closed, falling to the ground as he did.

“How did you do that?” Cadenza asked. “Show him the truth of himself?” That was not something he had expected Odd to be capable of at this point.

“It's called bullshitting it.” Odd laughed, finally feeling like he was safe once again. He looked around, noticing that they had returned to the point where they had entered the Underworld. “Basically, I pulled that story out of my butt at the last minute, just to buy enough time for the gate to open. Now then, let's get back to the Land Above and back into our bodies.” He announced, spotting now, the truly empty shell that was Cadenza's body.

“I see you have returned to us.” Amaya said as Odd sat up, back in his body.

“I have.” The youth responded, looking over to Cadenza as he petted A'Capella, who'd been sleeping on his chest the whole time he'd been out of his body. “And I think I succeeded. By a random chance, I think..... I never actually found the lake itself but Hatshepsut practically handed me the water I needed......”

~The Circle of Lust~

Hatshepsut returned to his clearing with his power slowly returning. With the disappearance of Odd's crystal mirror, his confidence began to slowly return. However, he was quickly thrown back into the depths of despair when he realized something. “He took my lake......” The clearing, where the Lake of Narcissus had bubbled up from an underground spring, was now nothing more than an empty field. His illusory brothel had dissolved during the chase after that blasted boy and he now saw, with his own eyes, that he had practically given it away by trying to trick the boy into succumbing to it.

~The Land Above, Mt. Pyre~

“No, I believe you found the lake, indeed.” Amaya assured, forcing Odd's spirit and body apart for a brief moment as she snatched up an object resting on his chest. He'd failed to notice it before rejoining his body but a small, paper tag was stuck to his chest from the moisture of his skin and(mostly) the lake water.

“I don't remember seeing it anywhere.....” Odd said once his body and soul were reunited again.

“Of course not. If I know my old student, she'd probably have hidden it in plain sight using one of her illusions and expected no one to ever suspect anything.” Amaya replied as she attached the newly acquired Charm of Lust. “Now then, I'm not sure what kind of power you may have had in the Underworld but this charm will not allow that kind of power anymore. The Lake's water was still within you before you escaped and you were likely drawing on it's power to cast them.” Amaya warned as she stepped back from Odd and examined the Spirit Chain with it's new charm. “At best, I'd say you can change your physical appearance. Possibly more with training.”

“Awwww...... Unfair....” Odd groaned at this, not liking that prospect. “But what about all the cool stuff I did to escape?” He asked, regaling the tale to his Sensei when asked.

“Interesting. As I said, all the water's power. Your chi is not strong enough for those kinds of illusions on it's own. Do not try to cast them until your power has reached the same level as Hatshepsut's, at the very least.” Amaya responded.

Odd blew a raspberry in annoyance but otherwise, he felt fine and was raring to go back home and start practicing.

“Do you understand me?” Amaya asked, blocking Odd's path.

“Yes, Sensei. But why?” Odd asked of the spirit master of Ghost Channeling.

“You could hurt yourself by trying to force that much chi into an illusion. Focus on yourself for now and your abilities will grow as you do.” Amaya responded. “I do not wish to see another of my students be their own demise because they will not listen.”

“I understand, Sensei. I won't try that again.” Odd assured his master before both nodded in understanding. He recalled A'Capella to her Ball, followed by Cadenza, before he looked to Dissonance. “Ready to go home?” He asked of the Ghost-type, who nodded and picked him up. “You'll call me again soon, right?” Amaya nodded and waved as Dissonance took off, carrying Odd home.

~Mission Complete~
Journeyed into the Circle of Lust and located the Heart's Manor, an illusion created by Hatshepsut
Was tricked into soaking in the water from the Lake of Narcissus, unable to see it through Hatshepsut's illusion but managed to overcome it with the help of a voice I still can't figure out where it came from.
Managed to escape from Lust thanks to the water from the Lake of Narcissus supercharging my chi so I could cast some spectacular illusions.
Obtained the Charm of Lust and lost the supercharge from the water. I can't even cast a simple illusion to change my eye color at the moment.
Headed home for a well-deserved nap before I start practicing.

Kaya stood in New Bark Town, outside Professor Elm's laboratory, thanks to a tip from Lykas. There was trouble here caused by an Eevee that everyone seemed to be laying the blame on. So, feeling sorry for the little thing, he had decided to come investigate.

He didn't even have the chance to go talk to Professor Elm about the incident he had recently been involved in, which had tipped Lykas off to tell Kaya about it in the first place. He made to open the front door and it promptly fell off it's hinges.

“Catch the little demon!” Some yelled from inside, triggering Kaya to charge in, headlong. He figured this was either a rogue starter Pokemon or the Eevee had come back. As he entered, the man noticed that he was half right on both points. He walked up on the scene of an Eevee struggling to escape from the clutches of a Totodile who had it by the tail. With it's teeth. And wasn't letting go. “Primrose, if you wouldn't mind, use Leaf Blade on that Totodile. It needs to learn when enough is enough.” The man requested as he released his Leavanny. The bug took one look at the crocodile Pokemon and swung a glowing green blade down on it, stopping no more than the width of one of Eevee's hairs from the Pokemon's face. Totodile went slack-jawed as it realized how close to death it had just come thanks to it's stubbornness. Eevee took the opportunity to slip out of the Water-type's mouth and ran off, darting out the door like a shadow.

“Son of a-!”

“Why'd you do that?!”

“Calm down, gentleman. The problem has been dealt with.” Professor Elm stumbled out from behind a bookshelf, removing an empty box from his head as he did. “While I'd have liked to have removed the problem now, it's no longer in the lab.” Elm stated as he set the box in his hands on a table nearby.

“But what about-?”

“What this guy just let it get away!”

“Calm yourselves. Eevee has left the lab and we are no longer in any danger.” After dealing with his assistants, Elm turned to Kaya. “I'm afraid we're in a bit of a conundrum at the moment.” He admitted with a small sigh. “That Eevee has been nothing but trouble since it made it's first appearance. I'd like to study it and see if I can discover what causes the strange phenomena around it but every time we get it into the lab, something catastrophic happens.”

“I see.....Is there anything obvious that connects the incidents?” Kaya asked as he looked around. It looked like one of the machines in the lab had blown a fuse or something. Smoke was boiling out of it and the display monitor hooked up to it was fritzing badly, static flickering across the screen here and there as is disrupted whatever image was being shown.

“There's this sudden explosion of energy from it, as if it's attacking everything in sight, things explode or fall apart and then Eevee goes crazy and runs off, whimpering in guilt.” One of Elm's assistants announced, having seen the event occur four times already. He was the one they kept sending to catch the evil fox.

“That doesn't sound like something Eevee could do on it's own. I've learned a lot about them growing up in Celadon City and they're normally very docile and well mannered Pokemon.” Kaya responded. “Let me see what I can do about the problem, though. I'll see if I can at least catch the poor thing and take it somewhere less dangerous for it or the people around it.”

Elm nodded and went to see how much damage had been done to his machines and other equipment during Eevee's escape. With Elm and his assistants occupied, Kaya walked outside and pulled out his SNAG, giving Odd a call. “I've got a small issue here. Lykas sent me to deal with a jinxed Eevee in New Bark Town but I'm not sure what to do about it.”

“Tell me a little about it. What do you know already?” Odd replied, listening carefully as Kaya explained.

“Not much to go on, really.” The Channeler replied after the explanation was done. “All I can suggest is that maybe it's suffering from the lingering effects of an attack it's taken from another Pokemon.”

“But what kind of attack could create so much chaos?” Kaya asked as he looked around the town for his prey. All he could figure was to follow the freshest trail of chaos.

“The only one I can think of might be Curse. Of course, Hex might also be a cause, were it not a Normal-type.....” Odd responded. “Let me do some looking around and see what else might be the cause. I'll call you back if I find anything before you get back to HQ.” With that, the channeler dropped the call and left Kaya to do his work.

“Well then. Looks like I'm hunting down a Cursed Eevee, Primrose.” Kaya told his partner Pokemon, who had been quietly walking with him since the accidental rescuing of the jinxed Pokemon. “Vanny.” Primrose replied.

It wasn't much longer before he found a clue. There were a few brown hairs caught between some fence posts on the east end of town. “Eevee must have tried to escape through here.....” He said to himself as he stood up and looked out over the grasses beyond the fence. “Vanny. Leavanny van van ny leavanny.”

“No, Prim....I don't think it's gone. Or safe. Let's go.” With that statement, the two jumped the fence and headed out into the grasses. They traveled most of the way to Cherrygrove City, reaching a gatehouse to the north that lead to a mountain road as they passed through it. “This must lead to Blackthorne City.”

“Buiiiii!”

“Uh-oh! Sounds like Eevee's in trouble!” Kaya declared as he began to rush up the mountainside, having Prim throw String Shot ropes where necessary. The duo climbed a short way up before they found Eevee. It was being attacked by a wild Gligar and Skarmory, who appeared to be defending a Teddiursa from a perceived threat.

“We have to protect it!”

“Vanny!” Primrose jumped in front of Eevee just in time to take a Metal Claw and an Earth Power from the attackers. She was quick to counter the Gligar with a Leaf Blade, using the dancing slashes to quickly Hone her Claws afterwards. Skarmory made to Peck at her a moment later, though she braced herself with Iron Defense, blades crossed to take the attack. As soon as Skarmory made to retreat, she brought her blades down on the Steel-type with Leaf Blade once again, quickly following up the first attack with a leap towards Gligar and finishing it off as it prepared to strike with X-Scissor. Skarmory turned back on the Leavanny with a mighty Roar, the incredible shriek sending the Grass-type back to her Pokeball in fear. Skarmory took the opportunity to fly off, deciding the Eevee wasn't worth the effort for lunch.

“Bui?” Eevee asked as it inched towards Kaya, unsure if it should trust this human. As it neared him, an incredible burst of energy erupted from it's body, singing the edge of Kaya's sleeve when the human reached towards it and causing the Normal-type to cringe and cower. “Hush little guy......” Kaya whispered, biting back the pain in his hand. And incredible pain was coursing through his arm, now, and was quickly traveling through the rest of him. This certainly wasn't Eevee's doing. It couldn't be, could it?

“Bui?” Eevee asked again, unsure why this human wasn't running away like the others. Or attacking it like the ones dressed in white.

“I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help.” Kaya assured it as he sat down on the ground, unsure if his legs would allow him to stand now.

Eevee said nothing but walked towards him slowly, another surge of energy erupting from it's body as it did. Kaya was hit a second time and cringed as the pain in his body intensified. Seeing that Kaya wasn't scared of it, Eevee continued, crawling into his lap and curling up, happy to have at least one living thing in the world that wasn't terrified by it or that didn't hate it's guts.

“Odd....I think I have it. What can you tell me?” Kaya said before calling the Channeler in question.

“What's up?” Odd asked as he answered the call.

“I think Eevee trusts me. What can you tell me now?”

“Good, good. It looks like the only thing that could be having the effect you've described is definitely a Ghost-type Pokemon's Curse, though.” Odd said in response, seemingly communicating with an unseen person before continuing. “You have two options. You can track down the Ghost and knock it out to nullify the energy pulses that are hurting it, or you can bring it back here and I'll see if I can break the curse, myself.”

“I dunno if I can move....” Kaya replied, giving a small, sheepish grin at this.

“Why?”

“I think the curse might be spreading. I can't feel anything but pain on my entire right side and my legs are both numb from the hip to my knees and it feels like it's spreading.” Kaya informed, pointing the SNAG's camera at Eevee.

In Odd's eyes, he could see what looked like a large pin made of glimmering energy stuck in Eevee's side and what looked like thorns of black light erupting from Kaya's legs around it. “That's definitely a Cursed Pokemon, Kaya. I'll send Claydol after you. Don't try to move and don't wake Eevee up.”

Kaya nodded as the call was dropped once again, pulling a Heal Ball from his pocket and lightly tapping Eevee with it. The Normal-type was drawn in without a single shake, pinging a second later. This, however, seemed to trigger something.

“Dreeeeeaaaaa!” A wail of incredible pitch erupted from the darkness, a bright red glow finding it's way out of the shadow of a large Elder tree nearby. “Vas!”

“I see now.....” Kaya murmured as the Misdreavus materialized before him. “You did this, didn't you?” He asked of the Ghost-type, who only gave a malicious grin in response. It advanced on him quickly. As it did, the man sitting on the mountainside found himself defenseless. That is, until a Pokeball popped open to reveal Anael, standing in front of him, waggling a pair of glowing fingers at the Ghost-type. Just as Misdreavus began charging up power for a Psywave attack, Anael vanished into thin air. “Dreavus?” It asked as it changed the focus of it's attack, blasting a Power Gem in all directions instead. It's attack met nothing but dirt. A second later, Anael appeared behind the Ghost-type, unleashing the force of the Otherworld upon it in the form of a river of darkness and wicked eyes. The Shadow Force overwhelmed Misdreavus, knocking it out instantly. Worse still, due to Anael's lack of control over the attack, it pulled the spirit-like Pokemon back into the Otherworld with it as it receded.

“Wow......That was something else, Anael....” Kaya praised as the little Togepi fell asleep in his arms, the Metronome having sapped all it's energy with the one attack. Kaya noticed rather quickly that sensations beyond pain were returning to his extremities and he clambered to his feet, recalling Anael and releasing Primrose once again. With the Leavanny's help, he proceeded back into town, encountering no wild Pokemon this time around. At least until he reached the outskirts, where he found a pack of wild Snubbull picking on a Meowth.

He was sorely tempted to put them in their place but he already knew he was weak from his exertions earlier, as were his Pokemon. Sadly, that meant nothing to the Snubbull, as they attacked him on sight. These Pokemon seemed rather upset about something. Primrose attempted to fight off the pack and was holding her own fairly well until a Granbull stepped int, sinking flaming fangs into her body. The dual-type was immediately knocked out as the pain in her body shot far beyond her threshold. Kaya recalled her as he sent out Nigel to help. “Nigel, please, help me out here?!” He begged of the Azurill, who glared at the Snubbull and Granbull around him. One of the Snubbull came at him with Thunder Fang and he reacted immediately, Bouncing high into the air to avoid the attack. Another of the Snubbull rushed Kaya with Headbutt, only to be smashed into the ground by the crashing Azurill, who bounced back up a bit and used the force of the bounce to uppercut another Snubbull that was using Take Down on him with Slam. As Granbull and the third of it's pre-evolved minions rushed him, Nigel released a Bubble screen to block their view, each one exploding in the attackers faces as they charged in with Crunch. Only Granbull made it through but it was held back by the Azurill's Water Gun for just a few seconds before it finally landed a blow. Nigel couldn't take it, the attack doing far too much damage to the young Pokemon.

Kaya thought he was done for until the Heal Ball in his pocket opened, releasing Eevee into the street. The Normal-type fox ran towards Granbull, jumping over it's attempted Take Down and slamming a shining silver tail into the back of it's head, sending it hurtling into the ground. Granbull clambered back to it's feet rather quickly, spinning around to glare at Eevee. When the fox made no move to attack, it rushed in with another Crunch. Eevee's ears twitched slightly as it detected Granbull's movements, down to the most minute spasm of muscle tissue and nimbly evade the attack before slamming into it with Double Edge, knocking it out cold.

Kaya stood, aghast, at Eevee's display of power. The only way he could figure the poor thing had been Cursed by that Misdreavus was that it had caught it off guard. “You're not going to make me battle you now, are you?” He asked of it, only to receive a swift shake of the head before it ran over and nuzzled his leg. He had been nice to it when no one else would. Why would it make him battle? It wanted to stay with this human. He would care, even if it's bad luck ever came back again, wouldn't he?

Kaya picked up the Eevee and hugged it to his chest before he went back to Elm's Lab and awaited Claydol. It was only a few seconds after his arrival that the Psychic-type appeared. With it's appearance, Kaya and Eevee headed back to Snagem HQ, where Kaya would have Odd examine it for signs of a lasting Curse and then take it to the Medlab for healing up and rest.

Mission Report:
- Traveled to New Bark Town and found out about Eevee.
- Located Eevee just up the mountainside heading towards Blackthorne City, apparently trying to escape persecution.
- Protected Eevee from wild Pokemon that were attacking it and seemingly defeated the Pokemon that was causing it pain and the bad luck it was experiencing.
- Headed back into Town, where Eevee ended up protecting me from a pack of wild Snubbull and their Granbull leader.
- Had Odd check Eevee when we got back. It's Curse is lifted, thankfully curing it's bad luck, from the look of things.

Lykas read over the mission profile on his SN AG. He wasn't sure he had fully learned to control his chi just yet but he was willing to take that risk if it meant that he could advance his training. And maybe putting himself in this situation would push him to learn the ability faster? With that in mind, he walked to his room and gathered a few Pokeballs. “Nuregami, Furor, Naiad, Cascade, Palaeo and Chinami.....” He held up each Pokemon's Ball as he listed off who was contained within each one. Or should be, rather. Naiad, Furor, Cascade and Chinami were all absent at the moment.

Lykas set off with the intention to reclaim his allies from their leisure time before heading out for his mission. He was going to need their help, after all. Walking through HQ, Lykas was pleased to find that Chinami was easily found. She was in the main lobby, watching TV. That wasn't all that unusual for her, really. She had taken a liking to Kung Fu action movies some time ago and would watch them whenever possible. She wasn't recalled to her ball just yet, due mostly to the factor that when training was mentioned, she jumped at the chance and followed him as he searched to the others.

Naiad was found in the indoor pool, relaxing in the deep end. The warm water of the pool was exquisite for her to live in, after all. It took a bit of coaxing but, eventually, Lykas convinced her to leave the pool and she returned to her Ball to await the next call to arms, when she would be needed on the Whirl Islands. Lykas grinned when he found Cascade and Furor outside, relaxing under the waterfall. The two seemed to be having a conversation when he happened across them and he chose not to interrupt right away, giving them plenty of time to finish their conversation((Cascade trying to convince Furor to not eat his relatives with no promises on the Gyarados' part.)). “Time to go, guys. We have an important mission ahead of us.” He announced when they were done. Furor swam over, eager to get a chance to prove her strength. Lykas had been giving her plenty of time to rest after that last mission she'd gone on with him but now she was getting to go again. It was about time, as far as she was concerned. Cascade was less than thrilled but he swam over as well, willing to offer what help he could.

With all of his Pokemon gathered together, he called them all out and discussed the mission objective with them, receiving mostly negative feedback on the possibility of success.

“Wott! Dewott wott dewooo!”

“I know, Chinami. Not having medicine won't make it easy.”

“Loooo looo. Milotic miiiii looooootic.”

“Yes, Nuregami, you'll all be fine. I won't let any of you get seriously hurt.” Lykas assured, offering them all a confident smile.

“Seimitoad seiseismi toad.”

“You all need this as much as I do, Palaeo.” It wasn't meant as a scolding but he realized, only now, that he'd been lax in his training for quite some time. His lack of proper training was the main reason for Sphynx's slow recovery from Le Faye's poison and the fact that he had barely managed to connect with Le Faye still despised him. At least she liked Kaya and, hopefully, the two of them would work well, together.

After fielding a few more complaints and questions, he finally managed to talk the whole crew into giving this training regime a shot. With everyone's consent, he recalled his team to their respective Pokeballs and went back inside HQ. This time, he was leaving behind unnecessary cargo and seeking a particular ally. It took a little while, mostly due to the person he was looking for not being in HQ when he went looking. Thankfully, Mykel was in his usual place, playing with Lykas' computer in his bedroom. The Gardevoir had taken a liking to computer games since being introduced to them. “Think you could tear yourself away from that game for a few seconds? I need a Teleport to Olivine City.” He told the Psychic-type in a playful tone.

”Sure thing, Boss. Just gimme one minute to finish off this warlock......” Mykel responded, fingers flying across the keyboard with now-practiced movements.

“Wow....You picked up on that game pretty quick, didn't you?” Lykas asked as he watched his Pokemon do better than he ever had at it. “I wonder what those guys would say if they knew they were getting their butts kicked at their own game by a Pokemon?” He asked himself as he gave it some consideration.

”Aaaaaaaand it's gone.” Mykel announced as he finished off his opponent.

“Alright, let's go then. To the Olivine City Pokemon Center, if you don't mind.” Lykas replied as Mykel stood up and stretched.

“Mind if I hang out in town? I've been playing this all day and I need some fresh air.” Mykel replied with a nod, teleporting them both to the requested location afterwards.

“I have no problem with you sticking close as long as you're careful. Don't forget that your species isn't exactly common around here.” Lykas replied once they had arrived, looking around to make sure he headed the right way to reach the docks. “And don't expect me back for a few days. I'll let you know when I'm done with my training so be ready but don't wait up.” He told the Gardevoir, who nodded in response.

“Check it out. I've been practicing this trick for a while.” Mykel announced as he produced an illusion that disguised him as a normal human male.

“Nice trick but your ego's showing.” Lykas joked. He was proud of Mykel for learning to do something like that but he'd still need to be careful. “Anyhow, have fun and stay safe. I'll see you again in two days. Unless I die out there.” He told the Gardevoir, who responded with a smack to the back of his head. “Joking!” Lykas defended, laughing as he headed off towards the docks, waving goodbye to his friend over his shoulder.

Heading off to the water's edge, he dove headlong into the waves, vanishing beneath the water as the sun shone overhead. He was thankful that he no longer needed his old respirator, having learned during a stint of training with Chinami that he could breath underwater now. Despite this knowledge, he was still hesitant to remain undersea for too long without surfacing for air. It was....uncomfortable still, to think that he was no longer entirely human. He knew it was his own choice to become this way but there were certain things that he felt discomfort with doing, still. Shaking these thoughts from his mind, he pushed himself forward, trying a trick he'd learned by watching wild Buizel on television. His ponytail split apart into his four tentacles and the quartet began to spin rapidly, forming a small propeller behind him. It actually helped him swim much faster but he learned quickly that it was exhausting, halting the action after a short time and returning to swimming normally.

The local Pokemon didn't bother him until he reached a small rocky island near the Whirl Islands. Once he got there, he climbed up onto the island and looked towards the islands, considering his options. This would be the most difficult part, he felt certain. Getting through those whirlpools would prove not only difficult but the most life-threatening part of this training. Especially since he hadn't figured out if he could use Jellicent's Ghost-type powers yet. Intangibility, like Odd could use, could protect him from the stones out here but without it, he was going to have to be very careful.

Watching the water currents for a few minutes, he plotted out a course that he believed would get him to the islands' center without dieing and took a deep breath to prepare himself for the attempt. “Here goes everything!” He decided and he swan dived into the current. He felt the water's pull immediately, spinning around to swim with it. His speed increased the further he went and after forty feet, he was traveling at least 50 miles-per-hour beneath the water. The current he rode pulled him close to a whirlpool and with a hard press against the water, he forced himself out of the current and into the whirlpool's reach. The swirling vortex of water and doom further increased his speed as he was dragged around and around, feeling himself pull close to the center before it threw him back towards it's edge. Seeing that he wasn't in the right spot just yet, the hybrid rode it around once again before he felt like he could safely make the jump and used the whirlpool's force to project himself into an adjacent one spinning the other direction.

The second whirlpool caught him and carried him around, nearly throwing him from it's grasp on the first rotation. Lykas watched his surroundings, preparing himself for exit. As he came up to the correct point, he was forced to use his Water Spout as a source of force, jetting himself out of the conical current of seawater at nearly twice the speed he'd been going when he first entered the whirlpools. It was only after forcing himself from the spiral of death that he realized he'd made a mistake. Yes, he was on the inside and yes, he was close to the center of the islands but he was heading straight for a jagged reef that was likely to cut him to ribbons in a heartbeat. Before he could even think to react, he had fired a full-power Water Spout at the reef, the power in the attack acting as a water brake to slow him down until he was at a normal swimming speed. At this point, he forced himself to the surface and gasped for breath, washing up on the sandbar where Varuna awaited him. “Do you think you could have taken a bit more time on that plan?” The Vaporeon hybrid asked of his pupil, having watched him nearly kill himself in the span of about 15 minutes. “By the way, you might not have noticed but you can probably breath underwater now. You could have taken all the time you wanted to get here.”

Lykas groaned. “I made it, didn't I?” He finally asked as he climbed to his feet.

“Indeed. If a bit clumsily.” Varuna responded. “Now if you'll get up, I'll fill you in on what you're doing here.”

Lykas nodded and finally climbed to his feet, rolling over and standing up from the sandbar. He started to dust himself off as Varuna spoke again.

“Put simply, this is a survival test. You are to stay here on the islands for 48 hours. You may take no supplies in with you, surviving only on your instincts and the aid of your Pokemon in finding food and medicine when they are needed.” Varuna supplied. “If, on the second day, you are still alive, I will meet you at Lugia's Nest, the cave at the deepest part of the islands. When you get there, I will tell you the rest.”

Lykas nodded in understanding. “So don't keel over for two days and then meet you at a legendary badass's resting place. I think I can manage that.” He finally stated, having knocked the last of the wet sand from before off of his clothes.

“Very well. Take this. It will be necessary to keep track of time inside the cave.” Varuna said as he handed Lykas a strange phial. It was very thin in the middle and thicker on both ends. The only thing the hybrid noticed about it that was truly confusing was that there was no end on one end of it. (Not strange for a phial, but it was unusual to Lykas, who was unfamiliar with them.) Varuna reached the water beside him and pulled out a small orb of it, slowly dropping the water into the phial and sealing off the open end with a small burst of cold air to freeze the last bit of the water. “This is an hourglass. It is designed to allow only a single drop of water to pass through in an hour's time. When the end with the ice is empty, your time is up for the survival portion of this test. Good Luck.” With that, the hybrid master melted into the waves and disappeared.

Lykas stuck the hourglass into his pocket as he looked around. “Which island do I want to start in?” He asked of himself, deciding after about 20 minutes of thinking. “This one.” He said to himself as he headed over to the southwest island. It took another 45 minutes just to find the entrance to the cave system but once he'd found it, he stopped outside, resting in the sun for now. There was no way he was going into a cave soaking wet. After a short time in the sun, he felt dry enough to go inside and was warmed enough that he didn't feel like he'd turn into a popsicle immediately.

As the boy entered the cavernous island group, he released Naiad from her Pokeball. The Corsola would be most adapted to an environment like this one, he felt certain. The rocky caves and the warm, subtropical waters around them would also be to her liking. “Cooooor!” The Rock-type cheered as she stretched out and looked around. “Soooo! Corsola cor corsola corso!”

“Yes, it is kind of comfortable here, isn't it?” Lykas asked of his Pokemon as he took a few steps inside. “We're going to be pretty much living here for about two days so I want you to help me explore and find places to locate food and help me make drinkable water for me.” He told the coral Pokemon. “Sola corso cor corla.”

“Yes, I need food that isn't rocks.” Lykas responded with a sarcastic tone in his voice. Naiad laughed lightly but started to walk forward when a wild Pokemon appeared before her, jumping out of the water near the stony reef they stood on. It was a Dewgong looking for a place to rest out of the surf. Naiad prepared to attack right away but Lykas held her back for the moment. “Don't attack unless we're forced into it.” He whispered as he attempted to creep around the Pokemon once it revealed that it wasn't moving any further. This proved to be a colossal failure for him as the Ice-type awakened to the splashes of his footsteps when he tried to move and hurled itself at him in a Body Slam. Naiad jumped between the hybrid and attacker, taking the hit before she countered with a Rock Blast, stomping her feet on the ground and tearing up large chunks of stone before she hurled them at the Dewgong. The Ice-type was struck by the first three rocks, managing to evade the remaining two, larger, boulders. Dewgong responded with an Aurora Beam, attempting to pierce the coral Pokemon facing it with rainbow-hued cold.

“Stone Edge!” Lykas called out, standing back by now. That Dewgong looked pretty fierce and he didn't want to throw himself headlong into danger. Granted, he didn't want to throw his Pokemon into it, either but Naiad had defended him when he was attacked. The least he could do was help her defeat this opponent. Naiad responded to her trainer's orders by shattering the outermost coat of her body, sending coral fragments flying at her foe. It seemed she was lucky enough to strike a critical point on Dewgong's body since it roared in pain and flopped over, apparently unable to take the pain it felt. It must not be used to fighting Pokemon with type advantages.

“Poor thing....” Lykas said, walking over to the Dewgong as it laid there, unconscious. He laid a hand tenderly on it's side, feelign sorry for it. “I don't want to fight all of you but I don't think you're all going to just let me be here....” He whispered, feeling empathetic for the creature. He wouldn't want some stranger in his home uninvited, either. As he stood over the Pokemon, he missed the black sparks that erupted from the contact point between his hand and Dewgong's side, though he was suddenly overcome by an intense pain. “Gah!” He screamed as he doubled over, clutching at his ribs, which were screaming out as if they had just been broken.

“Gong?” Dewgong's eyes shot open at this point and it gave the hybrid and wary look before it slipped off into the water once more, feeling that it must owe this person for neither capturing it nor harming it further. It even seemed that the creature had taken it's pain away.

Lykas, unsure what had just happened tried to force away the pain he felt, slowly managing to push it to the back of his mind. He couldn't ignore it completely but he was able to take his focus off of it enough that he was capable of moving once again. Once he had his feet under him again, he began to walk with Naiad, huffing and puffing while he tried to ignore the pain in his chest.

He found that they were fairly uninteresting for the moment, or there were few Pokemon that noticed them for a short time while Naiad helped him locate a food source. It had taken a few hours to locate a bed of seaweed that wasn't poisonous to humans or hybrids but they eventually found it. Unfortunately for Lykas, it was being guarded. The Kingler resting in the seaweed bed burst from the water the moment Lykas attempted to pluck any of it, bringing down a pincer with Crabhammer in an attempt to crush the thief of it's food source. Without even thinking, Lykas reacted by firing a Water Spout from his forehead jewel, launching Kingler back into the water. He let out a sigh of relief, though it turned to a groan when he realized it wouldn't be that easy.

True enough, the Kingler returned within moments, it's pincers glowing silver as it lashed out with Metal Claw. Naiad leapt in the way once again, taking the hit. Kingler, seeing this, froze for the briefest of moments, wondering why a Pokemon would help this human-like creature that was stealing from it. The pause wasn't very long but it gave Naiad a few seconds to use Recover. It didn't do much more than ease the pain she felt but it was enough to keep fighting and defending her trainer. Kingler decided, after this, that the Corsola was more of a threat than the hybrid who'd stolen from it and attempted to use Guillotine on her. “Dodge, then use Spike Cannon!” Lykas called out, knowing what would happen if the white-edged pincers of that crab hit his partner. Naiad jumped into the air and fired off a volley of coral spikes at Kingler. It didn't do much but it was enough to drive Kingler back a few paces. The crab would not be stopped by this, though, and retaliated with another Metal Claw. Naid was still airborn when her foe attacked again and couldn't dodge, despite Lykas' urging got try. So she took the attack and stumbled when she landed, falling to the ground by her trainer's feet, unable to keep going. “Naiad!” Lykas said, placing a hand on her head as he released his next partner. Palaeo was released and given orders before he could truly focus on his fallen Corsola, but he intended to heal her as quickly as possible. “Palaeo, use Poison Jab.” He instructed, turning back to Naiad when Palaeo nodded and lunged towards Kingler. This attack made contact, though the poison couldn't make it through the crab's exoskeleton. It didn't appear that it would need to, however, since the Water-type seemed to find this more than enough of a beating and back off, scuttling off into the water and leaving the seaweed bed behind.

“Naiad, are you ok?” Lykas asked as he rubbed the Corsola's head gently. She opened her eyes a bit and looked up at him, giving a weak smile. “Sola.” The hybrid breathed a sigh of relief at this point. “Good. I don't want anyone getting hurt out here so you're taking a break, got it?” He told her, seeing small black sparks shooting of off his hands as he rubbed the Pokemon's head. She seemed to be feeling better the long his hand sparked but he was starting to feel that pain in his chest again.

“What is this?” He asked himself as he doubled over again.

“Sei? Seimistoad mi sei seismitoad?” Palaeo asked Naia.

“Sola. Cor corso corla corsola.” Naiad responded, standing up at least, albeit weakly.

“An attack?” Lykas asked, hearing their conversation as he tried to forced this pain away same as the last time. “What attack could possibly cause the user this much pain without doing anything?” He asked, gasping for breath by the time he was done.

“Sola.”

“Mitoad.”

“Thanks, guys.” Lykas responded sarcastically. Neither of his Pokemon had the slightest idea at this point. After a few long minutes, the boy had managed to push the pain to the back of his mind once again, able to ignore it enough to function and climbed to his feet once again. Seeing that Naiad was feeling up to at least walking again, he allowed her to remain out of her ball, feeling that a bit of exercise would do her some good, even if she didn't battle anymore.

“Now that we have food, we need to figure out where we're supposed to go at the end of the next forty-eight hours.” The hybrid announced as he harvested some seaweed, using his tentacles to hold onto it all as it dried out a bit. Knowing that it would be inedible if it dried too much, he made a mental note to make sure it was kept moist as they traveled. “And if we happened across anything we could use as medicine while we're at it, we should grab a bit of that as well.” He added as he finished harvesting “food”. It wouldn't be worth too much but it should be enough to keep the team from starving until the end of the training. With proper rationing the amount he'd gathered should be able to stretch into at least two meals for all of his Pokemon plus himself. The hardest one to feed was likely going to be Furor, who was the only definite carnivore he had with him. But she could hunt for her own food if it came down to it.

“Anyway, let's get moving.” He finally said, once he felt he had enough food. With that, he essentially tangled his tentacles into a sort of “net” to hold the seaweed, since he lacked a bag or pack of any kind to otherwise carry it in(He'd failed to consider that an empty bag might come in handy). Once he was certain food wouldn't be lost, he began to walk, keeping his pace slow enough that Naiad could keep up with him and Palaeo. The trio hadn't made it more than forty feet before a blue cloud descended on them.

“Zubat!” The hybrid yelled as the bat Pokemon encircled him and his team. Recalling Naiad before she could get hurt any further, the hybrid called out Chinami. “Ice Beam!” He commanded, quickly. The Dewott nodded and formed a ball of frigid energy between her hands and spun in a quick circle as she released the energy in beam form. At least five of the dozen or so bats fell, frozen solid. Four of the remaining ones lunged in with Leech Life, two more aiming at Lykas with Bite and the remaining one attacking Palaeo directly with Poison Fang. Chinami was able to keep herself on the defensive, using Razor Shell to hold off her attackers while Palaeo fought off the one focusing on him with Poison Jab, his own toxins helping to protect him from the Zubat's. Lykas, left to fend for himself, was bitten by both of the bats that came after him.

“Let go you obnoxious creeps!” he roared as he flailed his arms, attempting to shake off the bat on his right arm while tearing the one latched onto his left shoulder free with the bitten arm. The pain that shot through him brought back what he had suppressed up to this point and the hybrid roared in pain once more, the jewel on his forehead taking on a black glow for a moment. The Zubat on his arm released him and circled around, coming back with an Air Slash as he attempted to grab it. The blade of air cut into his hand as he blocked it, causing him to scream out once more. The black light in his forehead jewel grew brighter and blacker with this scream and, as the boy glared at his assailant, the light suddenly pulsed before it fired out of the jewel like a laser, an arrowhead formed from the energy's initial pulsation at it's tip. Seeing the beam coming, the Zubat he was focused on attempted to evade, but the laser simply change it's course, turning in right angles to remain on target. Unable to escape the beam, Zubat was pierced by the attack, releasing a shriek unlike any Lykas had ever heard before. When the other Zubat heard it, the six that remained scattered, leaving their comrade to the hands of fate, which seemed to be turned against it. Lykas could almost sense it as the bat's heart stopped and it fell to the ground.

Breathing heavily, the boy looked to his hand, expecting it to be gushing blood. Instead, he found an almost unmoving dribble of what looked like congealed water along the length of the cut. “The hell?” He exclaimed as he rushed over to a tide pool nearby and looked at his reflection on it's surface. His left shoulder was pierced, his coat showing four small-ish holes in the fabric, but there didn't seem to be a blood stain. “Can I not bleed anymore?” He asked, curious what was happening. Moreso, he realized he'd just done something both incredible and terrifying. The pain in his chest was gone but that Zubat had been killed by what he'd just done. He could only imagine what was happening now. He'd seen this before, though not quite to that extent. “Pain Split......” He muttered to himself as he walked over to the Zubat's corpse. As disgusting as it was, he picked it up and stuffed it into his “net” full of seaweed. Furor could eat it later.

Naid and Palaeo were looking at their trainer at this point, neither quite sure what had just happened. “You were right.” Lykas told them as he returned to stand with them. “It was an attack. It's called Pain Split, if it's the same one I'm thinking of.” He told the duo, who shuddered at the thought. “And it's not usually that strong. I think It only did what it did because I don't know what I'm doing. I absorbed your pain, Naiad, as well as that Dewgong's with no idea how to release it. But when those Zubat bit me, I think I just wanted it to stop hurting so badly that I managed to expel the pain in the form of that attack.” He explained, sitting down with his team for a few minutes as he tried to catch his breath. Despite the throbbing in his chest being gone, he still felt winded, perhaps from the amount of chi expelled during that attack. He knew it wasn't guaranteed to hit but he must have been so focused on making that Zubat feel the same pain it had inflicted on him that he had far greater control over it than normal when he had inadvertently used Pain Split on it. As his breathing slowed down, he looked to his hand once again. It still wasn't bleeding normally but it was clearly bleeding. That same liquid like congealed water was oozing out of the wound.

“Ok....so I can still bleed but I guess becoming a hybrid slowed it down below even a normal person's bleeding rate.” He said as he watched his hand for a few moments. “Kinda wish Kaya were here right now. His Leavanny could make some bandages with her silk.....” He admitted to himself, sighing lightly as he looked through the seaweed in his bag for a piece dry enough to be absorbent. He found one close to the top and flipped the dead Zubat off of it, pulling it free so that he could bind his wounded hand with it. It stung a bit as the hybrid wrapped his hand in the salty plant but shortly after, it felt like it was beginning to ease the pain away. His right arm and left shoulder didn't appear to be bleeding at all, which worried him slightly, but he figured he'd go see the doctor back at Snagem once he got home, provided he didn't start to suddenly gush and bleed to death before then.

Without bothering to bind his arm and shoulder, Lykas pressed onward. “We still need to find where we're going so we know where to meet Master Varuna.” He said to his Pokemon, bot following after him as he walked. “Cor corsola sola corso cor cor!” Naiad said, trying to make Lykas stop for a second. “What's wrong, Naia?” the hybrid asked, turning to face the coral Pokemon. “Corso cor corsola so sola.” She replied, indicating that he should kneel closer to her. “I dunno if that'll work....” Lykas replied, giving the Water-type a curious glance.

“Sola cor cor.” Naiad replied as she stepped closer to the boy, her body beginning to glow with a silvery-white light before she tapped one of her horns onto the boy's arm and then shoulder wounds. The silvery light expanded to cover them and when it faded, Lykas found his wounds had almost entirely. They were little more than scratches on the surface now. “Wow. I didn't know you could use Recover on other people.....” He said as he examined the work his Pokemon had done.

“Sola........” Naiad replied, falling flat on her face. She'd spent the last of her energy to help Lykas heal. “Naiad?! No! Why'd you do that?!” He demanded to know of her as he reached out, picking her up and holding her close. This was not the kind of scene he had imagined only a few short afters after starting this test. At least she didn't appear to be hurting. She was just exhausted and sleeping now. “You had better not do anything like that again tomorrow.” The hybrid scolded the sleeping Water-type before he recalled her to her Pokeball.

“Seis mitoad seis seismitoad.” Palaeo said as he knelt beside Lykas, laying a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. “I know, I know. She'll be fine after she gets some rest. I just can't believe I let her trick me like that.” Lykas responded, standing up after a moment. “Come on, let's go.”

“He's still not ready yet?”

“Not yet, little brother. He draws nearer to the moment, however.”

“How much longer will it be?”

“Calm yourself, Taryn. Our big brother will be ready to meet mother soon. His power is changing, a little at a time.”

“But Myrn, Mother wants to see him now!” Taryn responded.

The two siblings were floating in the water, watching Lykas from the mouth of an underwater tunnel. “He isn't ready yet. The sun is calling his power away from the sea. Only when the sun has reached it's peak through his growth will he be prepared to meet Mother.” Myrn replied, glaring at her younger sibling.

“What does that mean?!” Taryn demanded, acting much like the younger sibling one would expect.

“Just sit back and watch for now. When his power reaches it's peak, we will act once again.” Myrn answered, drawing back into the water and disappearing from view for now.

“Did you hear something?” Lykas asked of Palaeo.

“Mitoad?” Palaeo replied, shrugging his shoulders. Arceus it felt good to have shoulders!

“Huh....Could've sworn I hear people talking a second ago.” The hybrid and his partner continued to explore the cavernous islands, running into another group of Zubat not long after they left the previous one. This time, however, Lykas was prepared. “Uproar! Scatter the ~/~!” The hybrid commanded quickly. Palaeo nodded and his various bumps began to vibrate, releasing an ultrasonic wave into the air that not only caused the Zubat to scatter but it screwed with their echolocation, causing them to fly in erratic patterns for a few moments, crashing into one another a few times before three slammed into walls and fell to the floor, out cold. One of them landed near the water and it wasn't long, mere moments, before Lykas caught sight of something intriguing.

“Dra!” The Dragon Pokemon snapped out of the water with incredible speed, it's tail wrapping around the Zubat so it couldn't escape before it's vacuum-like mouth start taking chunks out of it.

“A Seadra, huh?” He asked of himself. This was an opportune moment. He'd been wanting to catch one of them for a while now. Kingdra would be a challenge to train but with his increasing skills in training as well as the impending challenge against his father in a year's time, he knew it would come in handy to have one on his team.

“Palaeo, back.” He ordered his Seismitoad, palming another ball as he contemplated the best strategy here. Releasing Furor from her Ball, he grinned as the Seadra's attention was grabbed by the massive Gyarados. “Dragon Rage, Furor!” He commanded. The Gyarados nodded and let out a mighty roar before sending a draconian surge of chi flying at Seadra. The Dragon Pokemon retaliated with a Bubblebeam. The two attacks clashed for a moment before they managed to cancel each other out. “It's strong....” Lykas smirked before he looked up at his pseudo-dragon. “Bring down the lights with-” Before the hybrid could finish his command, all went dark. The Seadra had used Smokescreen. “Even better! Use Dragon Dance!”

Furor nodded, though it couldn't be seen, and began to flex her muscles, her inner dragon raging as her muscles collected energy, expanding and strengthening. What neither saw was that Seadra was focusing it's own energies, watching it's foe with a keen eye every time it's smoke shifted just enough. It was determined to find a weak spot and deliver a deadly blow. The Pokemon kept this up untilt he smoke cleared. When it did, a deadly force disguise as a seahorse stared down a massive dragon whose strength was unparalleled. “Ice Fang!” Lykas knew this wasn't the most type-effective maneuver but with Furor's power bolstered by Dragon Dance, it should be plenty. And there was the potential plus of freezing Seadra in place for a few seconds.

Seadra waited, watching the Gyarados gather cold energy, her massive fangs growing more massive as she collected the energy for the attack. And when she lunged, boy did she lunge. Her speed boosted by her empowered muscles, she nearly vanished from sight, despite her size. Seadra's eyes never left the creature, though and when those frozen teeth drew near, it fired a Bubblebeam directly into the pseudo-dragon's mouth. Furor roared in pain as she was hit much harder than she had expected to be by an attack of her own type but she refused to stop and latched onto Seadra with her Ice Fang attack. The seahorse let out a hiccuping shriek as it was slowly encased in ice, releasing a cloud of smoke once more in an attempt to flee. Furor roared again and released the Pokemon but Lykas saw enough to take his chance. He pulled a Dive Ball from his pocket, the only thing he'd carried besides his own Pokemon and their respective Pokeballs, and hurled it at the dragon Pokemon. The half-frozen Water-type was drawn in and vanished, the ball shaking violently three, four, five times. “Are you gonna get out or not?!” He yelled at the ball, releasing a breathe he hadn't realized he'd begun holding when it stilled at last and finally pinged.

When the ball pinged, Lykas lifted it up and looked at it. “I think I'll call you Tallulah.” He said to the ball, figuring the Seadra inside would hear it to some extent. Looking up to Furor afterwards, he pointed to the deceased Zubat that Seadra had been eating. “You can have it. And this one, too.” He added as he threw the one from before next to the new one. “Gyaaaaaarrrr!” Furor roared before lunging down and scooping up the bats, swallowing them both with barely a moment to chew. She released a small burst of violet flames after she swallowed, her Dragon Rage showing her joy at the treat. “Glad you liked it.” Lykas responded, giving the Water-type a smile. Turning to Palaeo, the Seismitoad, gawking at his ally, Lykas patted him on the back. “Let's head out again.” He said to his Pokemon. Palaeo nodded, slowly, and began to walk, following Lykas as he explored the cave system. Furor followed after, keeping herself just barely off the ground, in order to move more quickly and silently.

It didn't take too much longer for the trio to discover their objective. “I think this is the place.” Lykas said, leaning over a makeshift stone balcony. “Why don't we camp out here?” He asked of his partners, who both nodded to his suggestion. “Alright, Palaeo, use your Mud Bomb and make us a bowl to put our stuff in and Furor, I want you to use your Ice Fang and freeze it so it'll keep it cold.” He told the two Pokemon. Palaeo nodded and spit up a few large blobs of muck, which he shaped into a waist high pile, then scooped out a large bowl in the top. Furor waited for him to finish before she bit down on it with her fangs infused with ice, freezing the shape solid. Lykas placed his load of seaweed into the bowl and produced a weak stream of water from his forehead jewel, filling it up. “Looks like we're all getting pretty tired. You guys ready for bed?” He asked of his two Pokemon. Palaeo nodded, yawning as Lykas let out one of his own.

Without water nearby, Lykas chose to keep Cascade in his ball but released Chinami from hers and Nuregami from his. “Alright, guys. Palaeo and I are going to rest. All of you are free to get some sleep if you want it but I want at least one of you awake at any given time to watch out for attackers.” The hybrid said to his partners, all whom nodded in response, giving their respective noises of understanding.

Lykas sat on the ground, leaning back against a rather smooth rock and closed his eyes, attempting to sleep. Palaeo took up residence beside him, using another side of the same rock he was sleeping on as his own pillow. Nuregami curled up around them and watched their surroundings fairly closely while Chinami jumped on top of the rock and began to meditate. It wasn't long before Chinami, Nuregami, Palaeo and Lykas were all sound asleep, leaving Furor to watch over her trainer and partners. She stuck close to Nuregami, keeping a vigilant watch over the others while they slept, daring any Pokemon within the cave system to challenge her superiority.

None did for a while but after a few hours a pair of Golbat, much like their annoying preevolutions, made themselves known as they swooped down at the group. One never made it past Furor, however, the Gyarados awakening from a light sleep at the sound of beating wings. Seeing the bats coming at her friends, she snapped at one, capturing it in her teeth and barraging it with a Dark Pulse until it had stopped moving, spitting it back onto the ground once it had. She wasn't hungry enough to finish it off right now but she turned her anger upon the other one, releasing her rage at it in a burst of violet flames, cutting off it's Poison Fang before it could complete the attack upon her. The bat spun around, throwing an Air Cutter at her in response. The Gyarados refused to move, being caught in the side by the attack before she began to writhe and thrash about, throwing her weight towards Golbat in a violent storm. The bat cringed at the sight, attempting to fly away before it could be hit. Furor's thrashing body wasn't going to allow that, however, her tail flipping over and coming down on the bat with a mighty swing. The Poison-type didn't stand a chance, crushed beneath the enormous tail. Furor didn't stop, though. Her rage swelled and she continued to thrash about, slamming into the cave walls several times before she hit head first, knocking herself out cold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“He already used it once, why doesn't he do it again?”

“It wouldn't do any good even if he had figured it out by now.”

“And why is that?”

“Think, Taryn. Lykas's body is developing his power differently, based on his state of mind and what he wants to be capable of. This move is one that isn't inherently powerful but he can use it as form of powerful revenge.”

“But Myrn...Why wouldn't it do any good?” Taryn demanded to know as he watched his big brother from the shore. He was almost out of sight by now and they wouldn't be able to see him anymore until he returned to the water.

“It's simple. Hex, if that was the same move it looked like it was, is a Ghost-type attack and Normal-type Pokemon like that Raticate are completely immune to the effects of Ghost-tye chi. It would be a waste of Lykas' energy to use it right now. On the other hand, if he uses the pain from that last attack to fuel it, he could use Pain Split to even the odds. But he probably won't. He's a stubborn and he'll try to muscle straight through instead of thinking strategically.” Myrn replied with an educated nod. She had been watching Lykas whenever possible for a long time. She knew what to expect of her sibling.

Myrn's assessment of Lykas' chosen method would be correct. As soon as Raticate had used Hyper Fang and defended herself with Counter, Lykas had climbed back up to defend Poliwag. Now he was faced with the rampaging charge of a rodent armed with supercharged teeth. The Super Fang coming at him was overloaded with a powerful chi and Lykas believed his only chance to survive it was to overpower the attacker, and thus, he released a Water Spout. Raticate was held back but not stopped and it spun through the air like a giant buzz saw blade. Lykas had to let his attack end after a moment, unable to maintain it for a very long period of time and it resulted in him receiving the brunt of the attacking rodent's assault. He felt every bone and muscle in his body ache for a few seconds, Raticate managing to hit a nerve somewhere that made his entire body go numb.

Laying prone on the ground, Lykas took a moment to consider his options. He was being bested by a rat and he had a tadpole that still needed to get home. Time to resort to the move he'd learned on his last training mission. Giving his chi form, he released an arrow of energy towards Raticate the instant he got himself back to an upright position. The rodent was caught off guard and the black arrow pierced it's body, transferring the pain Lykas was feeling to it. The Normal-type was stunned long enough for the hybrid to slam it with a Water Spout while his pain was diminished, scooping up a bit of the water he'd created and dousing Poliwag with a small stream of it. For the briefest moment, he wondered why that attack had hurt him but then, as he considered it, he realized something. While he felt pain, he didn't feel any less energetic. He'd have thought that the attack would have drained his stamina but it hadn't. And then a thought came to him. Raticate had thus far used attacks that had no effect on Ghost-types. He felt the pain of contact more than he felt the power of Raticate's chi. His quarter Ghost-type body was resisting the chi, despite not being completely immune to it.

With Poliwag hopping around behind him, he decided on his next course of action. “Hey, Ratty!” He shouted as he looked down at the rodent who was now very ticked at him. The Raticate glared back with death in her eyes for a moment and when Lykas began to make faces at her, her rage grew stronger. When she charged at the hybrid, Lykas began to form his chi again. He knew he needed to end this soon even if Raticate couldn't hurt him outright. And as he prepared to do just that, Raticate's body flashed with a sinister black energy and she suddenly rocketed towards him at a faster speed than he had ever seen. The Sucker Punch connected with ease, Lykas unable to move before the speed demon had struck him. And how it hurt! He began to breath heavily as he waited for the pain to ebb, finding that no matter how hard he tried to push it away, this pain was staying with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dark-type Chi...... He should have expected that. Let's see how he reacts to this....”

“Shouldn't wee help him, sister?”

“No. Lykas needs to develop his power on his own. Mother said that he won't become the one we need unless he's pushed to his limits and forced to grow and overcome them.”

“But Myrn.....”

“I said no, Taryn.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You wanna play rough, fine, we'll play rough!” Lykas declared as he rushed towards Raticate, panting at he did. Drawing near, he reared back with the intention of striking the rat down with a single punch but when her Counter erupted to life, he shaped his chi and hit her point blank with a Pain Split. As she began to writhe, he delivered a swift kick and launched her into the air before lashing out with a Water Spout that caught the rodent on her underbelly and hurled her skyward. The geyser's power was diminished compared to what it normally was due to how long the battle had dragged on but it was sufficient since Lykas was relying on gravity to pull the rat down and slam her into the earth. It proved to be plenty when Raticate finally came back down and hit the ground with a soggy thud. The sound of a defeated body hitting the ground with zero resistance was enough for Lykas and the boy roared in victory, falling to his knees for a moment as he tried to let his pain ebb once again.

Poliwag walked over to the boy and looked up at him, curious what that had been all about. After he had recovered a bit, Lykas drew together some of the water laying on the ground and doused the little tadpole with it to keep her skin moist before picking her up and slowly beginning to trudge northward again. He knew he wasn't far off at this point but he had one major problem. He figured it wasn't going to be easy to just return Poliwag to her family. She'd been with humans for too long now to simply be accepted back without question and he was too tired to put up a good fight if one presented itself. He was thankful as he walked towards Viridian city that the Spearow overhead were keeping mostly to themselves. However, a few found themselves brave and tried to attack, only to be crippled by a Pain Split. Lykas' body aches were slowly fading but the pain was enough to fuel his continued defense for now. Once he finally reached Viridian City after many hours and who-knew-how-many Spearow kamikaze attacks, he headed straight to the Pokemon Center, opening his last bottle of water and using it to moisten Poliwag's skin once more before entering. “A room, please....” He requested of Nurse Joy, who nodded slowly, calling over a Chansey nurse to lead the hybrid to the back.

“Are you sure you should be here and not at a hospital?” She asked the boy, seeing the sorry state of him at the moment. Lykas nodded as he disappeared into the back hall, following Chansey to a room and slogging inside with an exhausted sigh. Hobbling to the bathroom, he turned on the water in the tub and plugged it, filling the deep bathtub with room temperature water and setting Poliwag in it. “Stay here tonight and we'll get you home in the morning.....” He told her before sitting beside the tub and falling asleep within minutes, barely getting the water turned off before it spilled over the side of the tub. This seemed an unconscious movement, though, since Poliwag tried to speak to him afterward to receive no response other than a rather adorable snore from the teenager.

[Poli tired too..... Poli sleep now....] The little girl muttered before snuggling into the water and going to sleep, herself. Little bubbles found their way to surface of the water, popping quietly as the Water-type slept beneath the otherwise still liquid.

The duo slept soundly, Poliwag within the filled bathtub and Lykas leaning against the side of it, through the night, neither noticing the sounds of the storm overhead roaring into life. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed throughout the night, hybrid and charge unawares as the bathroom lacked windows through which the sounds and lights may enter. Near the morning, Lykas was awakened by a strange stiffness. His body unable to move, he opened his eyes to find himself bound in the grip of an Ekans. It seemed the snake had made it's way into the Center in an attempt to escape the weather, finding the hybrid and his charge to be a good opportunity for a free meal. It had wrapped him up tightly while he slept and was now attempting to slink closer to Poliwag.

Thankfully for Lykas, he was awake now and prepared to defend himself. Before he'd even thought, his eyes began to glow and his forehead jewel erupted with a flare of otherworldly energy. The Eye of Truth emerging from the fog of visible chi and assailing Ekans with a barrage against it's mental barriers. The snake's mental weaknesses assaulted, each and every fear addressed, it crumpled for a moment, releasing Lykas from it's grip in the process. The hybrid took this opportunity, as his body returned control to him, to grab the Poison-type by the tail and unravel it. With Ekans offering no resistance, he carried it to the window of the main part of his room and hurled it out into the open. Ekans simply laid there for now, seemingly with no will to continue living.

“I don't think I like this move but it could definitely come in handy if I can get a little control over it.” The boy said to himself, addressing for the first time that he was aware of what he was doing. “Hex is not something I'm going to like using a lot.” He admitted outright as he returned to the bathroom. He chose to ignore the fact that the storm outside was not something he wanted himself or Poliwag out in for now and instead decided to focus on learning to control this new development in his powers. Figuring he needed, like his other moves, some sort of chi construct that would allow him to consciously use the attack, he focused on the one recurring thought behind it. “Sight.” He thought. He wanted to see the truth. To see how he could win. To see his opponent crumble beneath him. As he considered this, his chi began to form of it's own accord. Threads of black energy snaking about within his mind until an ornate eye was formed within his thoughts. It took a few moments before he recognized it but he did eventually. “The Eye of Horus?” He thought. Back in ancient times, there were people who believed in a god, a humanoid Xatu, who wore an intricate tattoo around his right eye. Horus, they called him. The god was said to see truth in all things and could even see the past and future. This seemed a fitting construct for the use of Hex.

With his construct decided upon, the boy began to practice allowing Poliwag to sleep as he did. Each time he tried to form his chi correctly, he found a sinister energy enveloping him and stopped. After a while, he tried once more, intending it to be the last time he tried for a while. This time, however, the energy was not to be stopped. The construct perfected without even realizing what he had done differently, Lykas was overwhelmed by his own chi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome, child. To the Otherworld!

“Who are you?!” Lykas demanded of the swirling, empty, black nothingness that surrounded him.

I am Truth. I am Lies. I am Nothing. I am Everything.

“That doesn't answer my question.” Lykas responded under his breath with a snarky tone.

I am the Truth that lies within all things. Those who possess the power of chi may commune with me but those who chose to have been lost to my Truth.

“Too bad for them.” Lykas replied with a smirk.

You seek my power while I seek your form. For what reason?

“You tell me. You're the one using my body.” Lykas demanded.

Truth needs an outlet. The world needs Truth. You alone seem to possess resistance. You care so little for Truth that it does not affect you.

“That's not entirely true.” Lykas countered. “I do care about truth. I want what's right to prevail but I don't want evil eradicated. Truth and lies depend on one another because without one the other can't exist. Without knowing there is an alternative, something just is. Without a name. Without meaning. Without purpose.”

You think like the ancients. Those who balanced all knew those words to be true.

“Then tell me again, why are you using my body?”

The world needs Truth.

“Alright, we'll go with that. But you have to make me a deal. You don't go overboard when I let you out like you've been doing all day. I don't like seeing things suffering like you've been making them.”

You dare impede Truth?!

“Truth can suck my Diglett if it can't control itself.” Lykas countered. “Either you reel it in or I cut you off. It's my body and I'm in control from here on.” The hybrid retaliated. The disembodied voice he spoke to grew silent for a while and the boy was left drifting in nothingness for what felt like days.

You win, mortal. I will use only what you allow of my power so long as you allow it into the world. For now.

The sudden eruption of Truth's voice into the vast emptiness startled Lykas for a split second but he recovered himself in short order and grinned. “Good enough.”

With the deal struck, Lykas was startled once more when he found an enormous eye opening before him. Truth will set you free, Mortal. Remember our deal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The energy that had enveloped Lykas dispelled after a while and the boy's consciousness returned to his body just in time to see Poliwag waking up. [Ok? Blue go byebye for long time.] She asked as she hopped up on the side of the tub and looked into Lykas' eyes.

“I'm okay, Poliwag.” Lykas told her as he rubbed her head. “Sounds like the storms over, finally.” He said as he carried the Water-type out to the main part of the room. He noticed, as he looked out the window, that he had been out cold for most of the day. It was nearly sunset, from the look of it. “Guess we should get going now. It's about time we got you home, don't you think?”

Poliwag nodded in Lykas' arms and the two returned to the bathroom one last time. Lykas filled his water bottles once more and then drained the bathtub before he left, Poliwag riding on his backpack instead of in his arms for now. Lykas thanked Nurse Joy for the room and headed outside as she looked at him with a strange look.

“I thought he left yesterday.......” She said to Chansey, who only shrugged in response. Maybe they were thinking of a different person? A lot of people came in here, after all.

Once outside, Lykas and Poliwag headed West. The path they needed to take from here on should be a short one but the difficult part would come when they reached their destination. Poliwag hopped up and down a bit as they traveled, ignoring the Nidoran that ran around the edge of town for the most part. Lykas avoided them to the best of his ability as well, even forcing himself to disappear into the grass when a Mankey popped up in an attempt to defend it's territory(A large rock with a tree beside it from the look of it). Ducking through the remainder of the grassy path, the duo made their way to the paved path north of the large field West of town. Stopping there for a few minutes, Lykas took a steadying breath to prepare himself for what he felt certain he was about to do. He knew he would have to rely on Truth and it's power to win this. Or rather, he was positive that would be the case. He had no intention of doing so unless he absolutely had to but this power...... It could win this for him....

Looking over his shoulder to Poliwag, he produced a small burst of water and sprayed the tadpole with it to keep her from dehydrating. “It's time to get you home.” He said aloud before he began to walk once again.

“Wrath poli poli wrath wrath poliwrath!” The Pokemon by the water's edge refused to allow Lykas passage, despite his insistence that he needed to speak with the colony's leader. “I need to get this Poliwag back to it's parents. Please let me see your leader.” Poliwrath crossed it's arms and glared at him. “Wrath poliwrath poli wraaaaaath!”

“Toed! Politoed polipoli toed polittoed!” The high-pitched cry rang out over the pond, bringing Lykas and Poliwrath's attention to the shore just a short ways down from them. “Politoed!”

“Your daughter?” Lykas asked, unsure how true that might be. “You didn't tell me you were a frog princess.....” The hybrid grinned up at Poliwag, who only giggled and hopped down, running towards Politoed without hesitation. Lykas was shocked to see Politoed slap the little Tadpole away as if she were a gnat in it's face.

“What the hell, frogman?!” He demanded as he marched towards the frog.

[She has consorted with humans! She cannot return unless the human who has tainted her wins in battle against the king!] Politoed replied with a scoff towards the hybrid boy.

“So just because she got separated from you lot, you'd abandon her unless I fight you?” Lykas questioned, bewildered by this logic.

Politoed gave no more verbal responses, charging at Lykas right away. The first attack it employed was a powerful Bounce, aimed not at the sky but at the hybrid's ribs. The frog's powerful legs turned it into a little green cannonball which Lykas was unprepared to catch. Hit hard, he hurtled backwards, tumbling heels over head until he slammed into a ledge by the lakeside. Shaking his head, he decided that the “king” deserved the tail-whooping he was planning to deliver. Standing up, he took a fighting stance, squaring off with the frog, now prepared for anything it might throw at him.

As it turned out, what Politoed threw at him was Poliwag. The fully-evolved frog rang out, it's song holding a hypnotic power over the little tadpole. Poliwag ran at Lykas like a charging Tauros. She ran at him more due to a lack of actual attacks than anything else, really. Her intention, under Politoed's influence, was to simply jump up and slap the hybrid repeatedly. Lykas dodged the attack with ease, using his tentacles to brush Poliwag aside as he spun around her, stopping for a brief moment to send a geyser flying at Politoed. The frog never even moved from it's position. It's singing stopped for the moment as it slapped at it's belly, drumming out a war song for a few critical seconds before the torrent of water hit.....and vanished.

“Sonuva-!” Lykas groaned, realizing what had just happened. Politoed's ability must be Water Absorb, meaning that it just used Belly Drum and absorbed his attack to recover the lost stamina from the move. Bracing himself for what he felt certain was coming, he would not be disappointed when Politoed flew towards him using the power of it's Bounce. Before it reached the hybrid, however, it's glowing legs stopped glowing and a cold mist formed around it's right hand. The power of that kick combined with the Belly Drum it had used before was about to produce the strongest Ice Punch Lykas had ever witnessed. And it wasn't going to be avoided. The hybrid boy felt the attack's contact but before he could feel much else, his stomach went numb and then his chest and thighs before the numbness spread to the rest of him. Staring at the laughing frog through his icy prison, Lykas could only wonder how he had allowed this to happen to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You need Truth.

“I need nothing.”

Truth will free you from the cold.

“No, it won't.”

Truth alone can defeat this foe.

“I'll do this my way, damn you!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An arrow of sinister black energy fired through the ice encasing Lykas' body, piercing a stunned Politoed king's chest with deadly accuracy. The amphibious Pokemon's body went numb for a few long seconds as it's foe's pain entered it's body. Crippled by this sensation of unfeeling, Politoed didn't see Lykas forcing his way out of his icy tomb. The hybrid's body shone with a soft, ethereal light as he phased through his prison, using what little control he currently had over his Ghost-type powers to become intangible for just long enough to escape, instinct alone allowing him this brief refrain from his reliance on water. His aching body currently able to handle the soreness in every muscle, he ran toward Politoed and, just as the frog began to rise to it's feet, he wrapped his tentacles around the Water-type and held it still, throwing his fists into it's face over and over again until the Pokemon finally erupted a wave of blackness into the boy's face, hurling him away with it's Payback.

“I'm not giving up!” The boy declared as he caught himself and somersaulted to his feet once more, throwing a glare at his opponent that threatened to release Truth upon it. The boy reigned in his desire to see this foe crumble, knowing that this was his fight and wanting to win on his own power. However, as Politoed began to waggle it's little hair-like lure in a strangely hypnotic manner, his eyes lit up like fireworks and Truth emerged, defending it's host like no other parasite would. Politoed's eyes grew wide in horror as it's mind was assaulted, wave after wave of self destructive thoughts bombarding it's mental walls. As each of it's defenses fell, the frog began to fall, it's face twisted in terror at the realizations that came over it.

Just before the final threads of Politoed's sanity snapped, the onslaught ended. Truth was reigned in as abrubtly as it had escaped and the king was spared. “That wasn't how I wanted to win this.....” Lykas groaned as the power slowly faded from his mind. Politoed shuddered for a few seconds before it regained itself. Standing up, it glared at Lykas.

”Toed toed politoed polipolitoed.”

“I see. Then take your child back into your colony where she belongs. I won't return here so long as she remains safe until she can care for herself.

”Politoed.” The two faced one another, each breathing deeply between panting, gasping breaths....and bowed. Each acknowledged the other's strength and will, the king honoring his word and welcoming Poliwag back with open arms.

Lykas smiled weakly at this sight and turned, walking away from the lake, heading East, back to Viridian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I told you I'd do it on my own. I told you I wouldn't allow you to do that again.”

You cannot control Truth, mortal.

“Maybe not but I can control this.” Lykas said as he pointed to what he had discovered. The link between himself and the creature that dwelt within this place. “Your influence ends here. This will be my own power from this point on and you will find yourself a new patsy!” The boy exclaimed as he destroyed the link, Truth vanishing into the darkness as if it had never existed.

“This is my mind, my thoughts, my power. Whatever that creature is or was, it has no place here. I will not be used and I will not allow some other being to usurp me of my control.” The hybrid voiced, not only to himself but to any other entities that may be listening in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boy lay on a bed in Viridian City Pokemon Center two days after the battle with Politoed. He had spent time practicing the use of Hex during this period of recovery and had thus far had no recurrences of Truth's appearance. He felt certain that the entity's connection with him had been cut and now felt as if he had truly earned the right to use the attack. Moreso, he wanted another, fair, match against Politoed. But he had sworn he would never return in exchange for Poliwag returning home. And he would honor that. With this thought, he finally climbed out of the bed and walked outside, beginning the walk back to Snagem HQ, figuring he would take his time and rest a bit more along the way. The river outside the falls was a beautiful place to unwind, after all.

Mission complete!
Mission Report:
- Found my way to Cinnabar Island with relative ease
- Retrieved Poliwag from Varuna and began the trek to the Poli colony.
- Fought off quite a few attacking Pokemon and discovered a new development in my power.
- Met a strange entity that called itself Truth when using Hex. Eventually severed it's connection with me in order to stop turning people and Pokemon catatonic when I used the attack.
- Defeated Politoed and returned Poliwag to the colony successfully, though not before I rid myself of Truth. Somehow, the victory feels hollow, even though I managed to stop it from turning the king into a sniveling ball of fear.....