Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Like an Egg hunt?" he wondered to himself until he noticed he was being left behind. He ran to catch up and Carvahna hopped along side of him, happy to be able to take the teleproter rather than just sit in his pokeball. He caught up just as she reached the pad, "So where is this event?"

"Ready? Are you going to guide me and Carvahna while we're swimming or something?" He was a little jealous that the girl had such a strong and elegant pokemon but he let the feeling die as terror struck his face and he realized that that'd be a long way to swim, even if Solician town was his home town and he'd been dieing to go back, that was still a long ways to swim.

"POW! MOTHER F***A!" Jack screamed as he flew up to the team. "It feels good to be back."

Arekku snapped out of it after she finished, "Oh...." He looked at the big bird pokemon, it was large enough for the two of them to ride. "Well I guess I'd better..." he pulled out Carvahna's pokeball and returned him, "do that. You'll have to battle at least one of the pokemon guarding the egg, so you need your rest, you and Azul both" He walked closer the the Pidgeot and hopped up behind Sammy.

MISSION- The Shadow's Last Stand
Must complete Shadow of Water

We’ve finally been able to track down Team Clone’s true base for these schemes. And it looks like Thard's clone was the one running the show! They’re hiding out on one of the small islands in Hoenn, near Southern Island and the Battle Tower.

You must get in there and destroy both the Evolution Wave generator and the Shadow Pokemon machine! You’ll also have to face two commanders, your clone, and Thard's clone. Then bring the house down! (Destroy the entire hideout)

The Commanders each have 3-4 pokemon.
Your clone has 4-5 fully evolved pokémon from your lineup.
Thard's clone has 5-6 fully evolved pokémon including Crobat, a Fossil, and an Eevee evolution.

Pokemon: (Yes, you may catch them)
Dragonite
Salamence
Tyranitar
Metagross

Rewards:
7500 PD
A Mysterious Map
1 Master Ball
------------------------------------------------------------
It was time. Thard had told me that Team Clone had one final chance to win or to lose. I was going to make sure that they lost, that the team itself was destroyed. And nobody could stop me.

I was told the rough location of the hideout. None of us knew where exactly the hideout was, or what they were doing there. All we knew was they had to stop making Aqua look bad.

And I was the one to do it.

It was a long day, and after an uneventful first half, I finally discovered the island I was looking for. Or at least one of them, as there were several. I sent out my Pidgeot to scout around but try to keep quiet and hidden. Then, after sitting down and leaning against a tree, I tried to go to sleep, but it didn’t come.

The next morning, Pidgeot returned with good news. He pointed me in the right direction, and I set off for the base, which was about two miles away.

The way through the sky had been clear, no vines or anything to trip anyone, only trees to avoid.

The jungle was another matter.

The vines and trees were a maze in themselves, without mankind to make it one. I had to chop my way through the leaves with a stick I had found lying about and sharpened as best I could. After the first ten minutes, I was no closer to achieving my goal. If I had to guess, I’d have to say I was farther. My legs were covered with bites and my eyes were watering from heat. At least it was relatively shady – the branches blocked out all sun, but kept heat in once it could get through leaves and such.

After twenty more minutes I was almost to my temporary goal – at least get a quarter of a mile closer. If I kept up at the rate I was going, it would take me all day to get there, and I couldn’t approach by air, as I would get spotted almost immediately.

In the end, I only got half a mile closer than my starting position, and out of nearly 2 hours of walking, I was tired and bitten so badly I could barely see. My eyes were swollen, and even after applying a ton of bug spray, I was still getting bitten. Luckily, I had some help. Most of my Pokémon would help if I asked, though Manectric probably wouldn’t. And I did ask all of them, and when Manectric nearly shocked me, Pidgeot swooped down and knocked him over.

By the end of the night the bugs had realized that biting me was pointless. I ended up getting a fairly good sleep, and woke up feeling and looking better than I did. Packing up my stuff, I took a swig from one of the several water bottles I had brought along with me.

It was time to move on. I packed up my gear and set off on the long journey. The base was still a few miles away, and one by one, my Pokémon helped keep bugs away again, while the others got some rest. Looking around for my stick, I saw it lying around on the ground and picked it up, checking to make sure it was still sharpened.

I continued the long walk I had started the day before. After another hour of walking, I was nearly out of breath anyways. My arms were tired and my brow slick with sweat. I had refilled my water bottles from a nearby stream and dumped a good bit on myself. My shirt was beginning to dry from water, but the top half was still covered with my perspiration.

Finally, I came to an opening in the trees. I nearly yelled in delight if I hadn't remembered the fact that I was supposed to sneak in. Diving for cover behind a tree trunk, I glanced through the bushes concealing me at the base.

It wasn't there.

"Noooo!" I shouted in frustration, pulling at my hair. The opening was no base, just a huge ravine cut into the ground, and there was no bridge. Somehow I had to find a way across it without drawing too much attention to myself. My Pidgeot was too tired to continue on for the moment, concerning itself with picking off bugs flying towards me. I either had to wait for it to recover or find my own way across.

Picking up a rock, I dropped it down into the ravine. When I didn't hear it hit the bottom, I winced. It was a long way down. I set off trying to find a way to cross the deep incision, estimating the distance as about two trees tall. If somehow I could shove two trees and have them land perpendicular to each other... No, it was too risky. My team needed me to complete this mission, and if I died, I couldn't help. I had to find a safer route across, and fast. Night was approaching.

I heard a wolf howl. I heard birds twitter and go quiet. I heard another three wolves howl. Closer. I had to escape.

The barks got closer. I turned and saw four pairs of yellow-red eyes. I yelped and sent out Pidgeot. Hopping on, we started towards the far side. However, Pidgeot was too weak to make it, and we fell short. I scraped my hands along the wall as I tried to find a handhold. I found one and grabbed on, sending a pain shooting through that arm. With the other, I returned Pidgeot just before he fell out of sight into the black abyss.

I tried to pull myself up inch by inch. I got my good arm into a better handhold and tried to use my injured arm, but every time I moved it a fire burned my body. So I hung there, hoping help would arrive. I glanced up at the far edge and saw four pairs of eyes watching me hungrily. My stomach went queasy.

After hanging for about ten minutes, I had an idea, dangerous, but my only chance. I reached down for my Manectric, and, sending him out on my side of the ravine, told him to shock my arm. "My pleasure." he grinned at me and sent a shock wave down towards my injured arm. It hit and an extraordinary pain shot through my arm again.

I lifted the arm. The pain was gone when I moved it. Smiling slightly, I began to use the temporary boost in my arm to scale the cliff. Foot by foot, I pulled myself up, making use of both arms and legs, until I reached the top. I pulled myself up and collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground. Breathing heavily, I opened my eyes.

And saw another pair staring back at me. Then, everything went black.

Hours later, I woke up again, lying on a soft material, but no doubt in an unfamiliar place. Pushing myself up, I gasped in pain at my arm. It had begun hurting again, the shock having worn off. I leaned against the wall. I faintly remembered what had happened just before I fainted. Frowning, I glanced down at my clothes and saw they were fresh.

I got up from the soft material. It was a skin of some sort of Pokémon, possibly a Mightyena. My stomach squirmed again, and less than five seconds later I saw my insides lying on the floor in front of me. I sank back onto the 'bed,' pale. I heard a chuckle from a few feet away, and looked up for the first time since I woke up.

There were several people standing around some sort of fence. I realized it was a cage made of bamboo, and I was trapped inside it. I reached down for my belt, but it was gone. "Where am I?" I decided to speak first. An elderly man clothed in naught but a loincloth stepped forward. He spoke in a language I did not understand. "What?" I asked him?

He shook his head. Another man stepped up next to him and asked me, "Who are you?" in a very accented English. "My name is Sport." I told him.

"You are of the clan nearby?" he asked me. I shook my head. "I have seen you before around here... If I am not mistaken, you are one of the elders there, correct?" I shook my head again. "Then who are you, and why are you here?"

I began my story, of how I had come to Team Aqua, and who we were. I told him of my mission, to come and destroy Team Clone once and for all. I asked him who he was, where we were, and why he was the only one speaking my birth language.

"None of the others know how to speak this language. As to who I am, I am nobody, and as to where you are, you are in our village." he answered my three questions. "We have known about this... what did you call them... 'Team Clone' for much time now, and they have done considerable harm to our jungle. We should very much like to see them destroyed, but how do we know you are not lying and are truly one of them?"

"You have to trust me." I told him. "Team Clone has been giving Team Aqua a bad name, running around and making everybody believe we have been the ones doing these things. This is not true, and I have come to finish them off."

The man nodded. The entire time, he had been translating my story to his fellows, and they had convened a circle. "This meeting is to decide whether to release you or not, which I think we should let you go. Your story has convinced me, and I will do whatever I can to let you go free." He retreated into the gathering, and I lay back down on the 'bed.'

After hours of heated discussion in a language I couldn't understand, I grew tired. As I was just about to fall asleep, a voice cried out in English, "Sport!" Instantly, I was on my feet and looking eagerly at the group. "I am sorry," he said, "but the majority has voted on keeping you here." My face fell, and I sat down with my head in my hands.

Everyone disappeared out of the hut I was in. There was little light left, but with the little remaining light, I saw my belt on the ground. I reached my arm out as far as I could to get it, but I couldn't reach. I was about to give up when I heard a scratchy voice whisper my name.

I glanced around, then lay back down on the skin. The voice sounded again, and, as I looked out through the bars, I saw a familiar outline. Manectric had escaped and come to save me. "Manectric!" I nearly shouted. "You came for me!"

"Sadly, yes." he said to me. Sighing, he thought aloud, "Why did I bother?" Though his acting seemed real, even though I knew it wasn't, he got my belt and brought it to me. Sending out Houndoom quietly, I had it burn a hole through the bars and escaped through it after returning both Houndoom and Manectric.

I slipped quietly out of the main gate and disappeared into the jungle once again. Once I was sure the village was far behind me, I stopped for the night and settled down to sleep.

Dawn came. The moment I saw light, I moved. It wasn't safe to stay there and risk being caught by the indigenous tribe I had been captured by. I sent Pidgeot out again, fully rested, to scout out my position. I also brought Manectric out to translate.

Pidgeot set off, and within minutes was back, and Manectric translated. "You're about a mile northeast of the target." he told me. I smiled. Apparently even Manectric knew this was serious. Then, after watching the rising sun from the east, I turned around and a little south and began the journey again.

The endless trees finally began to thin, and the sun shone warmly on my face. I believed I was still at least half a mile away from the base until I heard a voice shout, "Commander!" That snapped me back to attention, and my eyes locked with the shouter's eyes. His fell away, giving me the pretense that my clone was feared by many.

"I-I thought you were in-inside sir." he stammered. "I went for a walk." I replied with as much authority as I could. He glanced at my tattered clothes, and his eyes blossomed with knowledge.

"Wait..." he said. "You're Sport!" He turned around and tried to escape into the facility, but a bulky form blocked his path. "Help!" he screamed, and three other members of Team Clone appeared.

"Commander picking on you again?" one asked, a sly grin on his face. One of the others shook his head. "The Commander is in his office. This is Sport of Team Aqua!" he said. All four opponents took a Pokéball off of their belts.

Lowly Peons. I thought to myself. I pulled three other Pokéballs off of my belt and sent out Tyranitar, Houndoom, and Salamence to join Metagross. The Peons shrugged and disappeared. I swore, returning my Pokémon, but thinking better of returning Houndoom, as I could use an intimidating presence at my side. Also, the dark aura surrounding him would be a silent reminder to Team Clone of what they had done. “So much for sneaking in...” I grumbled.

As the entire base was probably aware of my presence, I strode in like I owned the place. Most of the clones seemed content with watching me pass by, but a few approached me and retreated after confronted by a snarling Houndoom.

I walked up to the door at the end of the hallway. There were three holes on it, each shaped to fit a key.

“Very good.” a voice behind me boomed. I whirled and stared into the face of the speaker. He had blue eyes and dark hair. His nose was shaped exactly like mine. I had come face to face with my clone!

Behind Clone-Sport stood two hard-looking clones with the insignias of Commanders. My attention was drawn to the two keys hanging around their necks. “Aha. Yes,” my clone said in a barely audible voice, “these are indeed the keys that unlock this door. I,” he held up another key, “I hold the third.”

I held out my hand. He burst out laughing. “You don’t expect us to just give them to you, do you?” he asked. “No, you must defeat each us in battle.” I smirked. “Surely you know I could just as easily defeat you three in battle.”

“Possibly, given time to heal.” he replied. “But all three of us in a row?” They spread out. My face must have betrayed me, because my clone laughed again, an evil, menacing laugh. “You look like a worthy opponent. I should like to battle you at your best. To get my key, you must defeat me in battle, and to fight me, you must defeat these two and return here with their keys.” I nodded.

“You two, we need time.” my clone said, turning to the two Commanders. “Just so you know, Sport, you have three days to return here with the keys. That is when our operation commences. Now,” he added, “these two will go and hide around the world. One shall be in Sinnoh, just south of Eterna City and north of Oreburgh City, in the small cave below cycling road. The other shall be in Granite Cave, on the same island as Dewford Town on the continent of Hoenn. If you can defeat them both in three days, return here and battle me. I look forward to it.”

With those final words, there was a bright flash. By the time my eyes had readjusted, the two Commanders had disappeared. My clone was still there, staring at me, glancing me over with a sort of interest. It was time to leave. I stalked out of the base and sent out Pidgeot, and we flew away to Oreburgh.

It was a long trip. The normally thirty minute flight seemed to take an hour. By the time we arrived in Oreburgh, I was dizzy thinking about what my clone had said. “In three days, our grand plan begins.” Oreburgh finally appeared in my vision, and we set down and headed north. I eventually reached a sign that said, ‘Cycling Road ^’ and knew I had reached my destination.

“How do I get down?” I wondered aloud. I searched for a way down the hill. Jumping off the edge of the road was too steep a route, and there were no other options I could think of. Naturally, I was wrong. Of course, there was an opening in the shrubbery that led down the slope. I got scratched by the thorns, but I pulled myself through. Once past that obstacle, I peered down at my bloody legs. “Not again...” I muttered.

Ahead was another obstacle: forest, as far as the eye could see. At least here the forest was not as dense, allowing sunlight to inch through and provide me with sight. After another half hour of walking, I came to a clearing. Set into the rock was an opening. I climbed through the pile of boulders, scraping my knees again, but I made it. It was pitch black, and I pulled out one of the flashlights I had brought.

Even the flashlight couldn’t penetrate the darkness. My vision was limited to a mere three meters. I sighed. This could take a while, I thought. I edged around the nearest corner, and, seeing nothing, continued deeper on. Occasionally I believed I had heard muffled footsteps behind me, but whenever I stopped, they stopped as well.

I had a plan. Softly setting my flashlight on the ground, I doubled back around a corner. As I had expected, a silhouette came up in front of me, against the wall. As I moved, he turned around and shouted. It was indeed the commander. “Found you.” I taunted, grinning at him. He pulled a Pokéball from his belt and tossed it, and out came a Dragonair. I sent out my Sneasel.

“Dragon Dance.” He ordered. “Sneasel, use Swords Dance!” I shouted. As Dragonair jumped around the area, Sneasel gathered its strength, and the attacks of both Pokémon grew stronger, while Dragonair also got faster. “Dragon Rush.” the Commander told his Dragonair, while I told Sneasel to use Ice Shard. As Dragonair charged towards Sneasel, Sneasel chucked little pieces of ice at it, and every one hit, sending pain jetting through its body. However, its momentum carried it towards Sneasel, who was not quick enough to dodge, and he took a great deal of damage.

“Ice Shard again.” I told Sneasel while my opponent told Dragonair to use Dragon Rush again. Sneasel again attacked first and took out Dragonair before it could move. Returning Dragonair. Amazingly, Sneasel began to grow bright and changed forms. “What the?” I cried aloud. When the light disappeared, a Weavile was in Sneasel’s place! The opponent sent out his own Weavile to counter mine. “Brick Break.” he told him while I told Weavile to use the same. His Weavile, being the faster of the two, moved first and took my Weavile out. I returned it and sent out Houndoom.

“Houndoom, hit him hard with Flamethrower!” I told Houndoom. “Brick Break.” my opponent told his Weavile. Weavile moved first, and just after hitting Houndoom, was nailed by a jet of flame. “Shadow Rush!” I yelled at Houndoom. “Brick Break.” Weavile hit Houndoom again, but at the same time Houndoom rammed him with all his might, and both Pokémon collapsed.

We both returned our Pokémon. My next Pokémon was Pidgeot; his, a Manectric. “Charge.” he said. “Pidgeot, use Agility.” I said. Manectric stored its energy for its next attack while Pidgeot grew faster from flying around. “Facade!” “Shock Wave!” Both Pokémon moved at once, Pidgeot slamming into Manectric with more force, but Manectric hitting Pidgeot with a more damaging move. Pidgeot was still up, but barely. “Giga Impact!” I shouted. “Shock Wave!” my opponent shouted. Pidgeot hit just a bit earlier, and Manectric was down. The Commander’s next Pokémon was a Charizard. It took out Pidgeot with a Flamethrower, and I sent out Salamence.

“Salamence, use Dragon Dance.” I told him. “Charizard, Dragon Claw.” Charizard charged at Salamence with a sharp talon protruding from its fist while Salamence danced around as Dragonair had done and became stronger and faster. “Dragon Claw again, Charizard.” my opponent cried. “Salamence, hit Charizard with Rock Slide.” Rocks poured down on Charizard, taking it out in one hit. I smiled as the Commander ripped the key off of his neck and threw it on the ground in disgust.

I backtracked through the cave. Eventually I saw light and headed out the way I came in. I hopped on Salamence and flew the short way back to Oreburgh, and then let my Pokémon heal that had been in the fight. I took out several Pokémon to replace them, including Charizard.

I stayed at the Pokémon Center for the night, resting with my Pokémon. Morning came, and I had two days remaining to find and defeat the final Commander and return to the Team Clone base and defeat my own clone. I set off to Dewford Town, where the second Commander was.

Charizard and I arrived two hours later, myself having taken a short nap on the way. As soon as Charizard started heading towards the ground, I had awoken, and once we hit, I had returned Charizard. Then, heading north of the small island town, I found the small cave that had been told to me.

Once again, the cave was pitch black. However, I had come prepared with a flashlight, pulled it out, and flicked it on. The light was able to penetrate the bleak blackness this time, and I started forward. Eventually, I came to a ladder, and, climbing down it, found myself in an area darker than the last. The flashlight still shone, but not quite as brightly.

I continued on. I saw several Pokémon along the way, but all of them were small creatures that presented no threat to me if they decided to charge. Each level I descended into was darker. Eventually the light could go no longer, sputtered, and died. I moaned. This isn’t good. I thought to myself.

I walked blindly on, my footsteps echoing off the walls. Periodically I stopped to listen for a sound of rushing water, anything, that moved. The first several times I heard nothing. Finally, however, I heard something. It was the sound of a man breathing.

I exhaled. I had at last found my target. I walked on, rounding corners I could barely see, until I heard a click and heard an item whistling through the air. A flashing light appeared and so did a Pelipper. I sent out Charizard. “Water Pulse.” the Commander said. “Air Slash.” I told Charizard. Charizard flew forward as a ring of water hit him and nailed Pelipper.

“Rock Slide.” I said. “Water Pulse.” Rocks fell from the sky as Pelipper prepared to release more water, taking it out. My opponent returned Pelipper and sent out Dewgong. "Slash." I told Charizard. "Dewgong, finish him with Aqua Tail." the Commander said. Charizard flew forward towards Dewgong, who came rushing at him in turn, and scraped his claws across Dewgong's back, a critical hit. Dewgong hit Charizard with its tail and Charizard collapsed. I returned it and sent out Manectric.

"Thunder." I told Manectric. "Aqua Jet." the Commander said. Dewgong moved first and rammed Manectric, who retaliated by unleashing a giant bolt of lightning from nowhere that came down and nailed Dewgong, taking it out. The Commander returned it and sent out Hitmontop.

"Earthquake." my opponent said. "Hyper Beam!" I told Manetric. Manectric released a huge beam of light that spiraled towards Hitmontop, dealing a ton of damage. Hitmontop shook the ground, doing an immense amount of damage to Manectric, KOing it. I returned Manectric and sent out Espeon.

"Shadow Rush." I told Espeon. "Stone Edge." my opponent told his Hitmontop. Espeon moved first, charging at Hitmontop and ramming it, taking a little recoil damage. Hitmontop then crashed into the wall and brought down sharp rocks that hit Espeon. "Again." we both said at the same time. Espeon again moved first, slamming into Hitmontop again, KOing it. The Commander returned it and sent out Ariados.

"Bug Bite." he said. "Psybeam." I told Espeon. Espeon released a beam of multi-color energy that hit Ariados hard. Ariados lunged at Espeon and bit down hard on its back. "Shadow Rush." I told Espeon. "Bug Bite." the Commander told Ariados. Espeon lunged at Ariados again, KOing it and taking a little recoil damage. The Commander returned it and disappeared into thin air, but left a small, twinkling item lying on the floor. I picked up the second key.

Seeing a narrow opening in the rock, I squeezed through, once again scraping myself on the rocks. I found myself on top of a small hill behing the cave. Sending out Charizard, I hopped on him and we slowly flew back to Dewford. Once we arrived, I returned him and went to the Pokémon Center and gave them to Nurse Joy, who in turn gave me the Pokémon I had left to heal in Oreburgh. I thanked her, replaced the Pokémon I had fought with, and headed back to the Team Clone base.

I walked into the base to find my clone waiting for me. I held up the two keys and he smiled. "Well done." he said. "You have retrieved the two keys, just as I told you to. Now, you can fight me. Are you ready?" Without waiting for my reply, he sent out Flygon. I sent out Empoleon to counter him.

"Flygon use Earthquake." my clone said, a twinkle in his eye. "Empoleon, use Ice Beam!" I said. As Flygon began to shake the ground, Empoleon released a jet of ice that nailed Flygon. Both Pokémon took a huge amount of damage. "Earthquake." Clone-Sport said. "Ice Beam again!" I told Empoleon. Both repeated their attacks and fainted to the ground, KOed. We both returned our respective Pokémon.

I sent out Tyranitar. Clone-Sport sent out Sceptile. A sandstorm picked up. "Sceptile, use Energy Ball." Sport said. "Tyranitar, nail it with a Fire Punch!" I said. Sceptile sent a ball of green atoms towards Tyranitar, hitting it dead on. Tyranitar, blinded by rage, threw a firey punch at Sceptile, hitting it just as hard, if not harder. Sceptile was hurt a bit from the sandstorm.

"Tyranitar, Fire Punch!" I said again. "Energy Ball." my opponent said. Sceptile moved first, hitting Tyranitar again and taking it out with a critical hit. I returned Tyranitar and sent out Charizard. "Flamethrower!" I said. "Rock Slide." Clone-Sport said. Rocks fell from above, hitting Charizard extremely hard, but Charizard released a jet of flame that took out Sceptile. Charizard was hurt from the sandstorm. "Rock Slide." he told his Pokémon after returning Sceptile and sending out a Metagross. "Overheat!" I told Charizard.

Charizard moved first, releasing a huge flame from its mouth that hit Metagross, who took a good deal of damage. Charizard's Special Attack was lowered. More rocks poured from the ceiling, taking out Charizard. Metagross was hurt from the sandstorm. I returned it and sent out Blaziken. "Earthquake!" I said. "Earthquake." my clone said. Blaziken stomped the ground first, taking out Metagross, but getting hurt by the blowing sand. My clone returned it and sent out Salamence. "Earthquake." he said. "Rock Slide!" I told Blaziken. Salamence shook the ground, taking out Blaziken. The sand hurt Salamence a little bit. I returned it and sent out Salamence.

"Dragon Dance!" I said. "Dragon Claw." my opponent said. His Salamence moved first, smacking Salamence with it's fist, dealing a ton of damage. My Salamence hopped around, becoming stronger and faster. Both were hurt from the sandstorm. "Dragon Claw." we both said. My Salamence moved first, nailing his with its fist, taking it out, but barely. Salamence was hurt from the sandstorm. He returned it and sent out Empoleon.

"Earthquake!" I said. "Ice Beam." he told Empoleon. Salamence moved first, nailing it very hard and nearly KOing it. Empoleon then nailed Salamence with a large shard of ice that took it out. Empoleon took a little damage from the sandstorm. I returned it and pulled out Manectric. "I saved you till last for a reason buddy..." I whispered. "Make me proud."

Manectric appeared and glared at me. "Don't get all soft on me." he warned, threateningly. "Or I'll shock you!" I laughed lightly. "Thunder Fang!" I said. "Mud Slap." Clone-Sport said. Manectric moved first, dancing up to Empoleon and biting it hard, taking it out. Clone-Sport smiled as he returned his Pokémon. "You have won... but you shall never get the key!" he yelled, turning to hop onto the machine that had appeared next to him. I lunged after him but missed, and he hit the controls.

I screamed in frustration, outraged that my own clone could trick me that way. It wasn't until I stopped screaming that I heard another scream. Looking around, still angry, I saw my clone on the ground, his face bloodied after a crash landing, and Manectric sitting by the remains of the flier. The key was in his mouth. I gasped.

"Manectric, you got the key for me?" I asked, astonished. Manectric nodded. "Even if it was only to see him scream." Manectric said, nodding his head towards my clone. "It may not be as good as watching you scream, but you already were screaming." I grinned, all the anger taken out of me. I took the key and five Max Revives from my backpack and sprayed them on my five fainted Pokémon. They revived immediately and readied for action.

Taking a deep breath, I placed the keys in the slots. Something in the door clicked, and the chains fell away. Twisting the handle, I pulled outwards after it had turned. I walked into the room beyond to find a high-backed chair with two people standing to either side of it. They were Ike's clone, Aqua's current leader, and Hunter's clone, Aqua's current co-leader. The chair was faced the other way, so I couldn't see who was behind it, but I had a pretty good guess.

"Well done." the voice from behind the chair drawled. "You have made it this far, surprisingly. I didn't expect you to have performed so well." The chair slowly turned around. I was right - it was Thard's clone, Toulcus! "However, your arriving here was merely a fluke. After today you will be no more, defeated. Nobody will ever see you again, and they will know what happened. They will know the true power of Team Clone!"

The last words rung in my ears. "No." I whispered. "No." Toulcus laughed. "No? You think you can defeat us all? Well, your wrong, my friend. You're very wrong. And you're about to know just how wrong you are!" The clones of Ike and Hunter stepped forward. Toulcus, however, waved them back with his hand. "No." he said. "I shall defeat him myself. After all, he came this far, and I am looking for even a tiny challenge." Pressing a button on his chair, the room started to shake.

"What's happening?" I asked. "We are moving underground." Toulcus replied. Down below our base, we have a special battle field, waiting for something exactly like this." We arrived below the facility in an arena. There were stands for spectators, but they were empty. The secret elevator moved back up once Toulcus had stepped off of it. We were alone.

"Here we are." he said. "Now, prepare to fight!" He pulled a Pokéball off of his belt and threw it. The Pokémon that appeared was a Kabutops. I sent out Blaziken. "Brick Break." Toulcus said. "Earthquake!" I told Blaziken. Kabutops moved first, running up and hitting Blaziken. Blaziken retaliated by shaking the ground, dealing a ton of damage.

"Brick Break." Toulcus said again. "Agility!" I told Blaziken. Kabutops moved first, hitting Blaziken again. Blaziken gathered itself, becoming faster. "Earthquake!" I told Blaziken. "Aqua Jet." Toulcus told Kabutops. Kabutops moved first and hit Blaziken, dealing a small amount of damage. Blaziken moved immediately after it, shaking the ground again and KOing Kabutops. Toulcus returned it and sent out Dragonite.

"Earthquake." my opponent said. "Rock Slide!" I told Blaziken. Blaziken caused another earthquake, making rocks fall from the ceiling of the cavern and dealing a good amount of damage to Dragonite. Dragonite then shook the ground, KOing Blaziken. I returned it and sent out Salamence.

"Dragon Claw." I told it. "Dragon Rush." Toulcus said. Salamence moved first, flying up to Dragonite and smacking it with its claw, KOing it. Toulcus returned it and sent out Espeon. "Psychic." he said. "Dragon Dance!" I told Salamence. Espeon moved first, hitting Salamence with an invisible blast that slammed it into the wall. Salamence gathered its energy up, raising both its Attack and its Speed.

"Dragon Claw!" I told Salamence. "Psychic." Toulcus said. Salamence, now being the faster of the two, moved first and slammed Espeon into the wall just before Espeon grabbed it with the power of its mind and slammed it back. Salamence was KOed and I returned it, sending out Empoleon to take its place.

"Brine." I told it. "Hyper Beam." my opponent said. Espeon moved first, releasing a blast of energy at Empoleon, but not doing much damage overall. Empoleon retaliated by conjuring a wave of water from nowhere and taking out Espeon. Toulcus returned it and sent out Lucario. "Focus Blast." he said. "Earthquake!" I said. Lucario focused its mind and threw Empoleon into the cavern wall, dealing a good amount of damage. Empoleon shook the ground, dealing some damage to Lucario.

"Finsih it with Drain Punch." Toulcus said. "Earthquake!" I told Empoleon. Lucario moved forward and KOed Empoleon after thrusting its fist into Empoleon's stomach and recovering health from it. I returned Empoleon and sent out Tyranitar. Another sandstorm began. "Earthquake!" I said. "Focus Blast." Toulcus said. Lucario attempted to focus its mind again, but lost its concentration and failed to attack. Tyranitar shook the ground with Earthquake, taking out Lucario. Toulcus returned it and sent out Hitmonchan.

"Sky Uppercut." he said. "Thunder Wave!" I told Tyraniar. Hitmonchan moved first, nailing Tyranitar with a punch that send it back a few feet. Tyranitar, becoming electrically charged somehow, lightly tapped Hitmonchan, paralyzing it. Hitmonchan took a little damage from the sandstorm. "Earthquake!" I said. "Sky Uppercut." Toulcus said. Tyranitar shook the ground again, knocking Hitmonchan over and sending it flying into the ceiling. Hitmonchan, paralyzed, could not move, and took some more damage from the blowing sand.

"Mach Punch." Toulcus said. "Again!" I said. Hitmonchan thrust its fist into Tyranitar, taking it out. Hitmonchan took more damage from the sandstorm. I returned it and sent out Charizard. "Air Slash!" I said. "Rock Slide." Toulcus said. Charizard moved first, flying forward and ramming Hitmonchan, taking it out. Charizard took damage from the sandstorm. Toulcus returned it and sent out Crobat.

"Poison Fang." he said. "Flare Blitz!" I told Charizard. Crobat, much faster than Charizard, zoomed forward and bit Charizard, poisoning it. Charizard rammed Crobat with its firey body, dealing a ton of damage. The sandstorm did a little damage to both Pokémon. Then, KOed from poison, I returned Charizard and sent out Manectric, my final Pokémon.

"Thunder Wave!" I told Manectric. "Toxic." Toulcus said. Releasing a toxic substance from its mouth, Crobat nailed Manectric in the face, poisoning it. Manectric sent a shockwave through Crobat, paralyzing it. Manectric suffered a bit of damage from poison, and both Pokémon took damage from the sand. "Thunderbolt!" I said. "Ominous Wind." Toulcus said. Manectric unleashed a bolt of electricity that hit Crobat, dealing a ton of damage. Crobat sent a gust of dark energy towards Manectric that hit it and dealt a good bit of damage. Manectric took even more damage from poison. Both took more damage from the sandstorm.

Sighing, I took a Max Revive out of my bag and used it on Salamence. Salamence regained full health. "Ominous Wind." Toulcus said. Crobat released another energy attack which hit Manectric and took it out. Crobat took damage from the sandstorm. I returned it and sent out Salamence. "Dragon Claw!" I said. "Ominous Wind." Toulcus said. Salamence flew forward and smacked Crobat, hard. Crobat was KOed, and Toulcus returned it.

A booming laugh filled my ears. Startled, I looked to Toulcus to find him laughing. "You have defeated me..." he said. "That was the greatest fight I have had in a long time. However, there is no escape. The only way out is through the elevator, which will be locked down as soon as I reach the top." I looked at his feet and noticed that he was rising via the elevator. I sent out Salamence to stop him, but he couldn't make it in time. I was trapped.

I screamed in frustration again. I sat down and pulled at my hair, raking my brain for an idea. After minutes of nothing, an idea entered my mind. I sent out Salamence. "I need you to attack this wall until it crumbles or I call you." I said. "I'm going to search for another way out. There has to be another way out of here. Team Clone wouldn't allow themselves to be destroyed if they came down here during an attack."

Salamence, understanding, used Hyper Beam on the northern wall. I began to search the eastern wall. After about half an hour of searching that wall, I moved on to the southern wall. Salamence had made a large hole about ten meters in diameter and about fifteen meters deep, but the wall was thick. I searched the southern wall and found a small crack.

"Salamence, come over here!" I called. Salamence flew over on his great wings to me. "I need you to blast a hole right here." I said, indicating the spot. Then, after retreating a safe distance, I gave him the 'go ahead' signal. He released a huge beam from his mouth, and once the dust had cleared I saw another door leading away.

"Great job, buddy!" I said. Salamence roared in happiness, glad that he had earned my praise. "You've done a great job, now take a break." I said. I returned him and scrambled through the hole. Finally I came to another door. Pushing lightly, I appeared in the room with the elevator. It was empty. Exiting that room, I walked into the room, also deserted. Team Clone had disappeared into the night.

A small whimper brought me back to the present. Glancing around, bewildered, I was surprised to see a Dragonite trapped in a cage. I walked over to it and smacked the lock off, then was forced back as the Dragonite came charging out of the cage.

It came around for another pass I sent Salamence out to knock it aside, but the Dragonite's momentum knocked Salamence to the floor. Salamence hopped back up and looked towards me. I nodded. "Dragon Claw." I said. As the Dragonite came back to ram it again, Salamence sidestepped and whacked Dragonite with its claw, dealing a good bit of damage.

Dragonite fell to the floor, but got back up and rammed Salamence hard, using a Dragon Rush attack. Salamence was crushed into the wall, but still fine. "Ember." I said, trying to do just a little bit of damage to take the fight out of the Dragonite. Salamence released a small flame that hit Dragonite, dealing the little bit of damage I intended. I took an Ultra Ball from my belt and tossed it. After three shakes, the Dragonite was caught. I picked up the ball and placed it on my belt.

I grinned. I had driven them out. With a whoop of joy I hopped on Salamence, telling him to destroy the hideout thoroughly. After flying above the hideout, Salamence began to unleash beams of energy into the base, followed by large explosions. Examining the wreckage, we headed back off to Aqua HQ, planning I gave my Pokémon a long rest.



There ya go Thard, finally got around to fixing it. =)

Sammy shrugged a bit. "As you wish," she said, hopping back onto Vixen while awaiting Arekku to do the same.

"We won't be there long I swear! I just need to find one and get back, I've wanted one for so long and now I finally have the chance to get one..." He hopped up on top of the bird pokemon behind Sammy, "Thank you for doing this," Arekku said in a low voice, " I guess it was an open invitation though..." He shut up and began to mull it over in his head like he always did.

Sammy smiled, then rethinking. "You know, Aquos island is filled with pokemon; I bet you could find a Venonat here," she chuckled, a bit embarassed that she'd forgotten about that. "I'd suggest the forested region. Not too far, either." With that, she quietly slipped back into HQ; she really had some things that she needed to accomplish. She had forgotten that her trip was only a day away! "Hey, all!" Sammy greeted into the open air.