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"Hyea-ha ha haha!!" Mike cackled, sweat practically raining down from his face. "Ha haa ha! HA HA ha...haaa....haahehehaaaaa....eh-ha! Eh-haa....ha..." The boy started to sway back and forth, his vision getting steadily more blurred. Squeaking out one last laugh, Mike's legs gave out, and he fell to the ground. If it wasn't for his Pokemon being right there he would have surely hit his head on the rocky floor.

He's fine, just unconscious. The Breloom slowly reeled the boy in, his quick reflexes and elastic arms preventing his master from any more brain damage. Portabello studied the boy in his arms. What happened to you master? You used to be so full of life, so hopeful. The Pokemon shook his head before handing him over to Nitro. Where did it all go wrong? You mind looking after him while I check out the area?

"No problem," replied the Charizard, unfolding his wings and nesting the boy between them. "I'll keep him safe."

Portabello forced a smile. Indeed, there was no place safer his master could be than with him. Keep him warm friend, I won't be long. The Breloom walked towards the exit, a space so small he needed to duck. With one last look back, he saw Nitro lay down on the ground, taking extra care with his precious cargo.

Leaving his master with Nitro put the bulk of his concerns to rest, but there was still the worry of this strange new setting. He didn't feel that a volcano was the best choice of hiding places. He shook his head, it wasn't his decision anyway.

The inside of the volcano was shaped like a giant bowl, divided into floors by rocky balconies. In the center was a small pool of magma, barely larger than a kiddie pool. The air was clean enough, and there were scarcely any Pokemon around, save for a few Slugma and Geodude that were minding their own business. Overall it made a good attempt at looking safe, but the Breloom wasn't convinced. Portabello hopped down to the ground floor and looked for the main entrance. Surprisingly enough, through the open maw of the volcano, the Pokemon saw a boy. He wore only a pair of white pants, and a small Pokemon stood beside him. Both were doing some sort of exercise, the boy surprisingly keeping the pace with the Pokemon. Portabello's interest was now officially piqued.

“574, 575, 576… Tyrogue are you keeping up?” The two had been going at it for about fifteen minutes until the young man noticed his buddy was off beat. “Tyrogue, I know your sore, but you gotta keep..." There was a slight pause in his voice as he turned towards Lee. "Well then... it seems we have a visitor!" Maxi stopped and took a seat on the warm earth. A Breloom was staring at the two with a good amount of interest in his eyes. Lee seemed to notice the pokemon’s presence earlier than Maxi, but made no sudden moves. Lee’s eyes were locked onto the mushroom-looking pokemon with a hint of stress on his small face. This one is strong… very strong yet I feel calm around him. We must be careful not to alarm it. I don’t think I or master can face it, but if it leads to it then… Lee lost his concentration as he saw Maxi slowly approaching the Breloom. The scuffle pokemon face-palmed and began to scurry after the foolish boy catching up almost immediately. Maxi looked like a child seeing snow for the first time. His eyes were locked onto the Breloom and he began to circle it in curiousity. It looks so cute, but out of element. How in the Hell did it get over here? I know it can’t have swum here and I certainly know it couldn’t have flown here so… He must belong to a trainer!!! The young boy’s eyes widen in joy for a moment, but then his face had a gloomy tone.

Could it be master? I know he is not the type to have a pokemon like this, but he is always ever changing. It could be him though… it's very strong. I am positive. Maxi thought for a moment then realized that the guest was interested in him and Lee. He didn’t know if the pokemon would understand him well, but he gave it a try. “Hey! It seems you have some interest in our training session. What is a pokemon like you doing out on Mt. Ember?” Maxi sat down before the pokemon and waited for its answer. Lee was putting on his mantle as his master began to question the visitor. The tyrogue couldn’t put his finger on it, but it seemed as if the Breloom had some worries on his mind. No matter. As long, as it did not harm his master he did not mind its presence. Though he had to admit it was good to see a new face around. Lee was hoping that this visitor would be of the kind sorts. The scuffle pokemon fixed the mantle on him to look a bit more intact than it was and waited for the new arrival’s answer.

The young black belt took a step back as a calm voice began to speak in his head. This voice has never been here before... it must be the Breloom. Maxi took a deep breath and relaxed. He has done enough studies to know that a handful of pokemon are able to communicate to humans in interesting ways such as this. He couldn't believe one was actually talking to him though. Lee on the other hand was still cautious of the pokemon, though he was a bit more relaxed now that it stated its intentions. His trainer sealed himself here? He must of done some terrible things... or terrible things have been done to him. Either way, this Portabello doesn't seem like he will do us harm. The tyrogue did a small bow though his eyes were still locked onto the Breloom. Though the tiny fighter was relaxed, he made sure not to relax too much. Maxi watched his buddy bow and gave a big smile, then turned to Portabello. "Well, I have been here for five years so I am pretty familiar with the layout." The trainer paused to take a breath and continued. "It is not confusing for the most part. Mt. Ember seems to be pretty straightforward in terms of getting to the summit. The pokemon are surprising kind here for the most part though there is always the random encounter with a jerk from time to time. There is suppose to be a legendary pokemon who lives at the top of the summit, but in my five years I have never seen it..." Maxi continued to map out the mountain and began to draw a small map on the ground as Lee ran into their stone home to retrieve food for the new guess. The scuffle pokemon came running back with two sticks of meat and some pokeblocks that master had in his bag and placed it on plate which he put on the ground.

Maxi looked towards Lee and smiled. "It seems that the Lee likes you already. That is something new, then again we have been by ourselves this whole time. Company is never bad." Maxi paused again and then remembered what he wanted to mention. "Is your protectee okay? Does he need assistance? Cause we can help." Maxi, in truth, did not want to make too much contact with people, but it sounded like this trainer is in a stressful situation. I should help Portabelllo's trainer. He sounds like he needs the assist. Maxi rose from the ground and looked into the eyes of the Breloom. "I know we have only met for like five minutes, but do you want us to come up and aid your friend?" Lee jumped up to the left shoulder of his master and waited for the response from the mushroom pokemon.

With a growl, Pan got up to his feet, rubbing at the scratches on his belly as though it would make them go away. He didn't have any time to sit around, however, as the girl had issued another command and once again her Kecleon was on the attack. It's long tongue shot out towards the Treecko but this time Pan was ready for it. He crouched down, waiting for the right moment before he sprang back, avoiding the Kecleon's sticky tongue with ease. He glanced over his shoulder at where he knew his new trainer was resting. He wasn't so sure he could get out of this on his own. The gecko Pokemon jumped back again, lithely flipping his body so that he had a large head start on the Kecleon, and he was quite easily faster than it was. Pan dashed across the grass, his feet making no nose before he jumped again, this time somersaulting over the back of the bench and landing with a surprisingly sound thud on Keegan's stomach.

The redhead gasped and lurched up, reflexively grabbing whatever had just jumped on him, and as he tried to regain his composure he eyed the Treecko. "Pan, what are you doing out of your Pokeball?" he asked. Pan just grinned at him and pointed off behind them, and now Keegan saw the girl and her Kecleon coming towards them.

"Hey you! Guy! Don't let that Treecko get away, I'm trying to catch it!" she called.

Keegan narrowed his eyes at the girl and stood up, still holding onto Pan. "Sorry, but you're out of luck on this one," he told her as he set the gecko Pokemon down on the bench, "but this Treecko happens to belong to me."

"Aww, no way," the girl pouted, coming to a stop just a few feet away. "Figures, though. I never have any luck when it comes to that sort of thing."

The redhead snorted. "You and me both, Sweetheart."

She looked down at her Kecleon, and then back up at Keegan again. "Well, even though I can't capture your Treecko, I'd still like to battle it, with my Leon, of course. That is, if it's all right with you."

Keegan looked down at Pan, who nodded eagerly. After that surprise attack earlier, it'd be nice to get in some payback. "Fine, you're on," he said finally. "Pan, let's make this one quick."
=====
"Sparkle, do it again," Miharu said with a quick nod, eyes still locked on her Pidgeotto. "Aska, I hope your paying attention this time," she added, calling up to the bird. Aska replied with an indignant squawk, glaring down at her trainer as the Flaaffy prepared to launch another jolt of electricity at her. Sparkle's tail flashed brightly as she released the blue current from her body, and Miharu could tell that it was quite stronger than the last one. It lit up the sky as it arched towards Aska, but she didn't feel like getting hit a second time. Another screech escaped the bird's throat as she pushed herself higher with a few flaps of her wings, and she allowed her muscles to relax for a split second before she sped forward, completely avoiding the oncoming Thundershock with a burst of speed.

I guess Aska's learned how to use Agility, Miharu thought, watching the Pidgeotto easily maneuver herself out of harm's way. It really wasn't all that surprising, especially considering all the training they'd been doing lately. The bird Pokemon crowed loudly before she began to whip up a small whirlwind, sending a Gust attack at Sparkle. The Flaaffy growled and held her ground as the wind tore at her, her resistance to flying type attacks a great asset at the moment. "Try a Thunderbolt now," the girl said. The Flaaffy planted her feet firmly on the ground, already generating a stronger burst of electrical energy than before. She let it fly, though her aim was quite off and Aska barely had to move so much as a feather to avoid it. Hmm, looks like we need to work on her accuracy, Miharu thought.

The bug collector released his second Pokémon and boy was it a big one. A large brown beetle with two prominent horns on the top of it head came out and stamped one of its large feet on the ground. Eraku immediately recognized this as a Pinsir and knew this would be a new challenge for him. “All right time to not pull any punches it’s your turn now Vlad!” the boy said looking towards his scyther giving it an encouraging grin. The Scyther stepped forward and slashed the air twice with its mighty claws. “Finally a worthy challenge!” scyther thought to himself. “Now you will see the real power of a bug pokemon! Charge Pinsir!” the collector cried as his pokemon moved into attack range.

Kasiya nodded along, listening to Dante. He did have a point, and if he as well as most of her friends were going, why shouldn't she enjoy it with them? Her mind drifted back to what Keegan had asked her, and she frowned a bit. If he wanted to be a sourpuss and stay behind then that was his business, not hers. And besides, it wasn't like she was going to Sinnoh indefinitely, for she still needed to earn her Volcano and Earth badges. She followed her tall, auburn-haired friend as his next match would be on field number three, grinning. "I like watching my friends battle," she told him, though she wasn't sure what he meant by evolve. An Up-Grade makes Porygon evolve? she thought, now checking her PokeDex. If so that would explain as to why everyone here has a Porygon. It didn't take long for her to find the entry on the Virtual Pokemon, and sure enough, if it were to be given the Up-Grade and then traded, it would evolve into Porygon2. "That's so cool," she said. Looks like it can evolve a second time though, into something called Porygon-Z. I wonder if Dante knows? she thought as the two trainers sent out their Pokemon. Admittedly, Kasiya didn't know too much about Porygon, but she'd battled a few Farfetch'd before so she was quite familiar with them. "Take him to school, Dante!" she cheered. Nova cheered too, clapping her hands as another battle was about to begin. As much as she liked to watch these fights, she couldn't hep but wish she could have a battle, too!

The young Charmander would soon get her wish, however, as before Dante or that Ron kid could even utter their first order, Kasiya felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a girl, probably about her age standing behind her, holding a small, dragon-like Pokemon in her arms, and Kasiya immediately recognized it as a Bagon - Jaeshan had gotten one from the Cherry Blossom Festival. "Hey there," the girl said, giving a polite bow. "I couldn't help but notice your adorable Charmander, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind having her battle against my little Bagon. My name's Christina, and this little guy's name is Ryu."

"I'm Kasiya, and this is Nova," Kasiya replied, shaking the girl's hand. "I think we're up for a battle!"

"Chaaar!" Nova cried excitedly, jumping down from Kasiya's head. She balled up her fists and hopped up and down, very much eager to fight.

"Excellent," Christina said, also setting her Bagon down. "Let's step back a bit so we don't interfere with the Up-Grade Tournament."

"Good idea," Kasiya nodded, and the two girls did just that, taking a position away from the fields, though they could still see Dante's battle. "Okay Nova, let's make this a good one!" Kasiya said, and Nova stepped forward, wearing a toothy grin.

"Give it your all, Ryu!" Christina said, and the little Bagon trotted forward. The two young Pokemon eyed each other carefully, both waiting for their first command.

=-=-=-=-=

Jaeshan chuckled, and looked over his shoulder in the direction Riza and Crenu had gone. "If anyone can loosen that guy up, I bet Riza can," he commented. He looked back at Kenneth when he mentioned a battle, and grinned. The idea of testing his mettle against an accomplished Pokemon Coordinator like Ken, watching the man spin around. He couldn't imagine himself dressed up like that, glittering cape and all. "Uh, thanks, but I think I'll pass on that last offer," he said, running his hand through his unruly blonde hair before giving a nervous laugh. "Though a warm-up sure seems like fun, I'd like to see how well my Pokemon fare against yours."

"Aw merde!" Sasha cursed through grit teeth, turning her bike around so harshly she nearly flipped over. "I forgot my extra clothes at the Pokemon Center!" She had thrown her suit and old clothes in the wash after the party and totally just left them in the dryer. No Jennings would go out without a single change of clothes. Not to mention, the suit was too cute to just leave; even if she could just buy another one. The girl rocketed back down towards Fuschia, ready to run Maz right the hell over should his stupid-a** face even look her way.

Knuckles white with determination, Sasha raced through the checkpoint and in a cloud of dust and pink hair was at her destination. The doors of the Pokemon Center burst open as she strut in, her body a tapestry of dirt and mud telling the story of her day. Luckily for the girl, her clothes remained safe, clean, and ripe with the smell of dryer sheets. As she reached for them the grime on her hands practically screamed "WASH ME!" and the girl recoiled in horror, aghast that she could have gone out in public in such poor hygiene.

Sasha hurried to the thankfully empty bathroom and quickly disrobed, throwing her dirt-ridden outfit in the wash, and jumping into the shower stall. Scoffing at the horrendously generic soaps and shampoos offered by the Center, she instead produced a bottle of scented shampoo of her own. She wouldn't be caught dead smelling anything less than perfect. Following twenty or so minutes of scrubbing and scraping in a crazed attempt at getting whatever musty stink that boy might have rubbed off on her, she exited the stall, her purity renewed and her dignity refueled. Pink brush in hand, Sasha began the half-hour routine of combing her hair. When it was all said and done, the girl emerged from the Pokemon Center looking her very best.