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((Note: Uuurrrk, don't wanna colour all the quotations. Sorry D=))



Zosee just stood there as the Houndoom and Manectric approached her.

"Z-Zose...? Is that you?" The Manectric, Valkist, asked, a tremble in his voice. Zosee nodded.

"Yeah, it's me dad." She smiled tiredly, and didn't resist as the Houndoom, Shard, bounded up to her, started crying, and proceeded to kiss and hug and nuzzle every inch of her. Zosee was a bit taken aback by this, because she has always seen her mother as the calm sort. I guess thinking your daughter dead for a year and a half and suddenly seeing her again was a bit overwhelming.

The Manectric, while just as shocked as his wife, was a bit more composed when he walked up to the Glaceon sitting next to Zosee.

"Zero...where were you two all this time?" he asked, bending down to nuzzle his adopted son. Zero closed his eyes, not showing any embarrassment over the sign of affection as Zosee was.

"Sorry dad, we got trapped up in the mountains. Both of us got hurt pretty bad about a month in, so we had to stay in place until we healed. We only just got back a week ago." Zero explained. By then their mother had calmed down and took a step back, bringing a paw up to wipe away her tears.

"We thought you were dead...oh thank Arceus almighty you two are alright...oh, you should have seen Morana, she never got over it..." Valkist moved over to his wife to comfort her as she broke down into tears again.

"Ah about that, we found Morana at the guild. She just got out of the hospital before we came. Third team in the family huh?" Zosee said, trying to lighten the mood. This failed however, since both their parents perked up at the word 'hospital'.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Just a scratch." Zero lied in his usual sleepy voice. No need to alarm their parents.

---

"Wait, you're giving us a mission?" Zosee asked, blinking. The Houndoom in front of her nodded, followed by the murmurs of the assembled houndoom and houndours around them.

"Yes. You are a Rescue Team are you not? We would send your parents, but they are needed to coordinate the next hunt." The elder sounded irritated, having never been too fond of their family. One of their Houndours marrying an Electrike! And adopting an Eevee! And they still have the guts to stay with the clan! What bugs him the most is probably how useful all of them were to the clan.

Zosee looked over to Zero, who shrugged. Team Absolute Indignation did not take missions. They are not a "Rescue" Team, they are an Exploration Team. They explored, not run other people's errands.

"What do you want from us?" Zosee finally asked, a growl in her voice.

"A member of the clan tried to forcibly take leadership about a month ago. We managed to stop him, and he has ran off. Recently, we have learned that he has settled in the abandoned human building west of here. We want you to bring him back."

Zero flinched at the mention of the human building. Zosee shot the elder a disgusted look before looking over to the glaceon with concern.

"We...we'll bring him back. What is his name?" Zero murmured, dipping his head.

"He has cast away his birth name. He refers to himself a 'Ripper'. He has extraordinarily long horns, so you should recognize him right away."

---

The Glaceon and the Electrike ran into the eevee just before they reached the Laboratory. The old path up to the building was paved in cement, though years of neglect has left it in shambled, with nature slowly reclaiming its rightful territory.

"Excuse me." A small brown and silver fluffball said as it pushed its way past them. Zosee watched the little thing run off in front of them, skip to a stop, and turn around. It was an eevee, and it stared at the two of them as they continued up the path.

"Mmm, you lost there kiddo?" Zero asked as the two of them approached him. The eevee bristled slightly at being addressed as such, but then seemed to calm down as he closely examined the two of them.

"A...glaceon and an electrike..." He murmured to himself, and his eyes were drown to the pink bone ridges on Zosee's back. "You two don't happen to be Absolute Indignation?"

Zosee nodded. She was starting to get used to this. They were a well known team, even before they became the talk of the town, having presumably perished beyond Thunder Ridge.

"Yeah, what is it?"

---

All three of them stood in front of the gate, hanging by a hinge and nearly falling off. Beyond the gate an overgrown paved path led towards the huge building. It was the laboratory.

"Hmm, quite a big building isn't it?" Zero remarked, stepping forward to push the rusted gate aside. It creaked loudly, making the eevee cringe. He had wanted to come along, and heck, why not? If he was going to go explore the place on his own anyways, it's probably better that the two of them are here to keep him from getting himself killed.

The three of them approached the mansion at a leisurely pace, Zosee and Zero at ease, the eevee (who had introduced himself as Atra) on edge.

"So, we're after a houndoom...right?" Atra asked, as they reached the large ornate doors.

"Mmhm." Zero affirmed, craning his head up. The building was three floors high, and Arceus knows how large. Zosee pushed experimentally against the door, and found it locked.

"There's a window we can climb through over here." Atra pointed out, trotting over to a window that had fallen out long ago. Zosee looked from the door to the window, shrugged, and walked over.

Standing beneath the window, she estimated the height, crouched down, and sprung up like a cat. She landed on the windowsill, and then hopped right off the other side. Atra stepped forward, looking up at the window with determination. When he crouched to jump though, the window seemed to loom far above him.

Zero stepped to his side. About a meter high while sitting down, his head was just short of the sill. He grabbed the protesting Atra by the scruff of his neck and simply just climbed through.

They were in a long, marble hallway. Some plants have taken hold, but the place was built sturdily. Zero gazed around the hallway, a glazed over look in his eye.

"Z-Zero, can you-agh- please let me down?" The eevee piped up, and only then did Zero realize he was still holding Atra in his teeth. He bent his neck down and dropped the eevee lightly on the floor.

"Hmm, sorry." he apologized, and promptly went back to looking around.

The halls were empty and silent. His ears twitched as he tried to detect any suspicious sounds.

"Let's get this over with." Zero finally said, a slight growl in his voice. He didn't sound anything like most people know him to be like. Zosee understood too well though, and nodded in agreement. Poor Atra was left completely out. In truth, he was simply enjoying being able to explore with the famous team. What luck was it that he'd bump into them, and that they'd let him join them so easily!

Just down a dozen or so meters down the hall, a large ornately decorated door was embedded in the wall. Zosee's ear flicked as she thought she heard some scuffling sounds. Her hearing wasn't very good (compared to some pokemon), and she didn't trust it completely. But still, it's best not to ignore it.

She's learned to pay attention to anything signs she gets.

"Zero, be careful. Atra, stay close." She commanded, and Zero nodded. Atra looked confused, and slightly annoyed at being told what to do, but he forced himself to tolerate it. It was an experienced explorer who had told him after all, that he could deal with.

Zosee approached the door, testing it. Though the villa had been abandoned for more than a decade, the locked door held. She heard a gasp just behind it though, as well as some frenzied movement.

Taking a few steps back, she gathered all the electricity in her body, so that sparks began to crackle over her fur. Then she ran forward, throwing her frame against the door. Sturdy as it was, it went down under the force of her charge and the electricity she discharged into the wood. The door caved in, falling down flat onto the floor.

Zosee immediately backed away from the entrance, quickly jumping to the side just as a stream of fire, water, and sharp leaves burst through the entrance. It smacked against the wall on the opposite side of the wall, cracking the already weakened masonry.

Right behind it, three Pokemon jumped out, all three of them looking very angry. There was a Bulbasaur, two vines hovering threateningly just above itself, a very indignant looking Piplup, and Cyndaquil, the fire on its back blazing although it looked terrified.

Zero more or less shoved Atra behind him and walked forward to stand beside Zosee. As all three of the starters before them shot another attack at the two of them, a shimmering blue barrier appeared between them. The fire and the water glanced off, hissing as they met each other, and the magical leaves simply dissolved.

"Oi, calm down. You seen a Houndoom anywhere around here?" Zero asked, dropping the Mirror Coat he had raised. He wasn't heard above the ruckus as the three pokemon growled and several more 'starters' came out of the room, including a treeko, turtwig, torchic, and squirtle, all looking extremely scared but determined.

Zosee sighed and Zero shrugged, and Atra strode to their side, crouching down in a battle-ready position.

Zero shoved the little eevee back as he raised his head, mouth open. A glow started to gather in his mouth, a small light blue that matched his fur. Zosee's fur simply crackled with electricity.

The two of them released their attacks at the same time, just as the starter pokemon launched theirs. A gust of freezing cold air, filled with little razor-sharp icicles flew towards the starters from Zero as several bolts of lightning shot down from above the crowd of the smaller pokemon.

Their concentrations shattered, the starters' attacks evaporated as the crowd dodge the two attacks or were hit by them. Another quick barrier Zero brought up dispelled the weak attacks that were aimed at them. What managed to punch through the barrier were barely felt by Zero and Zosee as they passed through.

Behind the two of them, Atra stood there, mouth agape. He hadn't know these two were that good.

Zosee strode up the stunned and partially frozen pokemon.

"Now will you please listen to us? We're looking for a Houndoom, we're gonna beat him up, and drag him home. Does any of you object to that? If not, please either tell us what you know of him or stay out of our way." She asked the group in an even voice. The Piplup, a few sparks still dancing along her body, winced as she got to her feet.

"Y-you're...against the houndoom? Oh thank god...he came here a month ago and has been hunting and eating us...it's been a nightmare..." She certainly looked like a nightmare. Malnourished, dirty, all of the small group of pokemon in front of them certainly looked like they've been through hell.

"Well, we're here to get rid of him then. Where is he?"

---

Screw subtlety, screw stealth. Zosee strode straight into the large empty room, a room that was once a kitchen. In the middle of the room, curled up on a table, was a rather large Houndoom, his two horns twice -maybe thrice- the length of most Houndoom's. If he wasn't such a violent jerk, he probably would have climbed rather high in the hierarchy in the clan. Houndooms valued a long horn.

All on and around the table was covered with dried blood stains and littered with the inedible parts of various Pokemon. Bones, fins, large claws, that kind of stuff. None of this particularly bothered a carnivore like Zosee, but she could imagine the trauma it would cause the pokemon living in the villa.

Zosee opened with an attack. She jumped on the table, and before the houndoom could even raise his head, Zosee clamped her jaws down around the back of his neck, sending an excruciating jolt of electricity through his body. He convulsed from the attack, and she jumped off the table to avoid being smacked really hard as the Houndoom tried to regain his senses.

He rolled off the table, hitting the ground rather hard. This time, Zosee simply just strode right up to him, placed a paw on his chest, and allowed the last of her electricity to flow into his body. He was knocked out instantly, and Zosee wouldn't have cared if she had stopped the damned thing's heart.

"Ah, you're finished already? That was quick." Zero commented as her strode into the room. Atra followed just behind, looking rather awed and humbled.

"Hmm, now, let's get him back to the clan."

Zero shifted uncomfortably as Zosee finally managed to place the Icy Collar around his neck. The two of them were surprised to have been given two rather rare items, but seeing as how none of the Pokemon at the Villa were either Glaceons or electric type, it's not like they needed them anyways.

As Zosee stepped back, Zero padded over to a small puddle next to the river running though the Clan. With an absent flick of his tail, the puddle froze solid, a perfect flat surface. He scrutinized his reflection, and turned back with a sigh.

"Zose, it looks so...girly..." was all he managed to say about it. He also wasn't very comfortable with the material so close to his neck. Zero didn't even want to think of the disaster it would be if something hooked the collar in battle. But he did enjoy the magic he felt emanating from it. The collar tugged at the power within himself, merging with it, strengthening it. It was created with Glaceons in mind, and for Zero, it was a perfect match.

Maybe he'd learn to like it.

Zosee ignored him and his comment, fishing out the little orb she had been given. Volt Globe eh? Twisting the little marble-sized golden ball around, she marveled at the little sparks dancing inside its semi-translucent shell. Best of all, she could feel the protective powers within it.

Happy with the rewards, Zosee pocketed the Volt Globe in her bag, which was also 2000 PD heavier. You know, maybe taking a mission wasn't so bad after all.

"Oh hey, Zose, Zero?" Atra piped up, trying to ignore the houndooms that were all staring at him hungrily.

"Yes?" Zosee turned to face the eevee. Well, dragging the little guy along was interesting if nothing else. They kept him out of trouble easily enough.

"That was so cool." He said, eyes almost glittering with admiration. "Please, please let me apprentice with you two."

Zero casually strode to Zosee side, passing Atra on the way. The eevee ducked as the Glaceon's trailing "hair " nearly smacked him in the head.

"Hmmm, sorry kid. We don't take recruits." He explained to the eevee. What else did Atra think would have kept Team Absolute Indignation only two-members big for more than a decade? The eevee was persistent though.

"I am a member of the royal family. If you let me join, you would have access to all the resources you want and-" He sounded excited, confident, but Zosee sent a small spark dancing along the ground straight to Atra, where he yelped in surprise and shut up.

"Thank you, but no thanks. We just don't know how to train a new explorer, and honestly, you'd do better with a normal Guild team. Me and Z aren't regular explorers." Zosee explained to the little eevee, who promptly flattened his ears against his head, looking rather annoyed.

"But...you don't understand. I'm trained, and I learn fast I-" Atra yelped and leaped aside as Zero casually materialized a shard of ice and chucked it at him. It embedded deeply in the ground where the eevee was only moments ago.

"What the hell-!?"

"Mmmm, see, you barely reacted in time to something as simple as that. Sorry, but like I said, we don't take recruits." he flicked his tail casually from side to side. Atra gave them one last defiant look, and then seemed to deflate. His ears drooped and he looked down at the ground.

To him, it was as if these two heroes he had looked up to for so much of his life had rejected him.

"Hey kid, don't take it personally. Tell you what, we'll go to the guild and find my little sister's team. I'm sure they'll be glad to take you, and if you get good enough, maybe you can join us someday." Zosee told the Eevee, stepping forward and leaning down so she was face-to-face with Atra.

The eevee hesitated, and then nodded with renewed determination in his eyes.

((This isn't really edited or anything. Still kind of in the rough. I'll be putting it in the "please mark" area in a little bit, but if it isn't marked by tomorrow I'll read it over and edit it up.))



Tolin and Puier walked down the hallway into the usual room with the usual board. Albus was nowhere in sight. Albus had sworn that he would prove himself with this, that they only need be here now and he would do so. They had managed to find a daycare capable of taking their newly-hatched companion and had only just arrived slightly shy of the 1 hour mark.

"Where is he?"

"He'll be here shortly. Just wait a moment."

Albus quickly came sprinting through the door, half-skidding half-crashing into other pokemon as he hurried on his way. Gasping for breath, he didn't speak for a moment. "I apologize... it took me a while. I had something to... attend to."

"It's fine. What's the mission?"

Albus nodded, staring up at the board. Tensing his tail, he spun it ever so slightly. A thick, heavy leaf came flying off the end and cut down a sheet of paper. ((Magical Leaf))

"This one. It's a request from a Feraligatr; her son's gone missing. All I ask is you come with me and watch, so you may see my skill for yourself."

Tolin stared at him for a moment. Albus awaited his response with baited breath, hoping for the one good outcome.

"Alright. You lead."

Albus nodded, trying to hide how happy he felt from the prospect. "Alright. We shall depart for the mother's house and find out what happened to her son."

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The house was comfortably nestled into a nook of the kingdom. Squeezed tightly between two other buildings, it wasn't a terribly nice neighbourhood. But, all the same, obvious effort had been put into the house.

Albus rang the door bell, trying his best to look respectful and nice. A large Feraligatr--no doubt the mother of the lost child--opened the door.

She was stressed and tired; that much was obvious. Rubbing one eye as if still half asleep, she spoke in a voice worn down by worry. "What do you need?"

"We are here for your request. To save your son."

"Oh! Please, please come in."

Albus stepped in through the door, only to be quickly ambushed by a stray totodile who joyfully snapped at his tail. "Now, now, William! Would you please go play outside and not bother our guests honey?"

Tolin stepped in behind Albus and helped usher the totodile out. "Puer, would you mind keeping him busy for a moment?"

Seeming not at all pleased, Puer started chasing the little guy around to help keep him occupied for a few moments.

The insides were much like the outside. Somewhat small and cramped, the room had a homely feeling none the less. Two cribs were in the back of the room, both holding fast asleep Totodile.

Albus spoke in a hushed tone, hoping not to wake them. "Now ma'am, what happened to your son?"

"Please, call me Donna. We regularly visit the villa as a family. I lived there when I was a child and I still have family there, so we visit every year. We got seperated by a bunch of wild pokemon on our way out, and Terry ran back into the villa..."

"The Villa has plenty of totodile though... Is there anything that would make your son distinguishable?"

"There's... only one thing that might help. Everyone in my family..." Roping her hand around her neck, she grabbed a medallion that hung loose on a ribbon. It had a light blue colour, with deep dark blue counter-clockwise swirls forming a whirlpool. "Wears one of these. If..." Pausing for a moment, Donna stopped, trying to get a hold of herself. In spite of her efforts, her voice quivered as she spoke. "If he still has this..."

"Of course, thank you. This will help tremendously. Now, if I may, I shall take my leave to begin the search." Albus nodded slightly, turned and began to leave.

"Please... Please find Marcus."

"We will, Donna. We'll find him."

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The villa itself was within a much larger area. It had been extensively fenced off, with tall sturdy metal keeping things both in and out. A pair of rusty gates hung open, allowing easy access to the area.

Albus had taken the front, much to his word. And unfortunately for him, it wasn't very long before he had to keep good on his promise to do the mission himself. A large number of grass pokemon were milling around the area; some frolicked playfully whereas others kept to themselves.

All of them, however, turned their heads to stare at the group. More specifically, the bug-type Scyther that they so hated.

Although only a few moved at first, it took only precious moments for a swarm of them to gather. Most looked young and weak, but they were easily outnumbered 1:4 as is...

Tolin sat down. "Good luck, Albus."

The eevee turned, a frightened look clear on his face. "Wha...what!? You can't expect me to deal with this many!"

Tolin's eyes narrowed to slits. "This is your mission. This is your fight. I'll save you if things move badly."

Albus sighed, quickly scanning the movements of the group. The best way to do this would be to make an example of one of them. Scare off the rest.

Closing his eyes, Albus strongly pictured the area around him. Focusing hard, he looked just ahead for what each creature would do. ((Detect))

Sharply spinning his tail counter-clockwise, he sent out a leaf to his right. It collided with another just-launched leaf, splitting it in half.

Although they were rather amazed, this didn't seem to deter his adversaries. Focusing all of his energy, he buckled down. The wind around him accumulated, turning a dark purple colour. Thick and heavy, the smog churned as it grew and reshaped itself into a large orb.

Albus released it, pushing it outwards. The smog formed a ring around the trio easily enveloping the entire ring of grass pokemon. It wasn't just a simple Smog, however. Combined with Heat Wave, the cloud of gas was enough to cause heat stroke in a few moments.

Coughing and hacking quickly erupted from the cloud as each and every one of them was poisoned. All of them were bereft of oxygen, unable to breath. Heat stroke does funny things to someone too, for that matter. Makes it hard to see which way is forward, or backwards, whether that's left or right... Makes it really hard to get out of a thick, opaque cloud.

Of course, this is all outdoors, it's not like the smog could stay very long. The wind was there to begin with and it carried it off with ease after a few moments, leaving behind a ring of unconscious bulbasaur, chikorita and other grass types.

His eyes darting around the cloud, Albus spoke through heavy breaths. "There... That's fine, right?"

Tolin faced the Eevee, then turned his head off to the side. "It would be, except..."

A pair of vines came shooting through the last remnants of the smog, wrapping them around the eevee. Tolin sighed, got up and jumped over towards the Bulbasaur that had captured him. The creature wasn't sure what to do, constantly glancing back and forth between Tolin and Albus. Eventually, Tolin just picked the thing up and buzzed his wings quickly and violently. It groaned for a moment before passing o

Setting it back down, he turned to Albus. "You missed one, I'm afraid."

Thankful to have the vines run slack, Albus kicked them off, freeing his legs once more. "W-well, that is..."

Puer finally spoke, breaking the unusual stoicism he had maintained thus far. "I believe "Thank you" is what you're looking for?"

Albus shot him somewhat of a nasty glance before turning back to Tolin. "Yes, thank you."

Pressing onwards Albus marched on arrogantly, feeling quite comfortable with the new found "safe area" that the grass pokemon had erected around him. Moving up the path, he came towards the villa itself.

It was an old, worn-down building of quite some size. Windows dotted the walls of the building, many broken and cracked or missing completely. A set of doubledoors stood at the front of the building at the end of the path. The walls were made of a sturdy brick that had eroded and chipped over time.

The doors were, of course, locked. Many windows however provided easy access to the area within. However, for the bulky Rhyhorn and the bipedal Scyther, they weren't really such an option. Albus hopped through the window with ease without realizing that his companions would be left behind.

"Ah, damn... Hold on, I'll come back out."

"No, no, just use this." Tolin rummaged through his sack, bringing out an orb of a black colour.

"Place it on the ground in an open area and tap it, then get back." ((This is a roll-call orb))

Albus nodded, rolling along the medium-sized orb with his paws. They just came in through a window, so the best place to head for would probably be the entrance. The window was pretty close, so it didn't take long for him to reach it.

The room was ten sizes too big for Albus. It was huge by his standards, obviously made for something much larger than he is. The room was a total mess, too; bits of glass were strewn about on the floor, tables had been overturned and chairs had been tossed about and split.

Albus wasn't the only one in the room, though. A small cyndaquil danced and laughed happily as one of the chairs nearby burned. Not at all pleased to have his fun intruded on, he growled at Albus as soon as he saw him.

He immediately charged forward at Albus. Not that Albus wasn't ready... dodging something simple like Tackle was pretty easy. Before the little guy knew it, Albus had already sped around behind him and attacked him. ((Quick Attack))

Carried by his own momentum and the unexpected push, the little thing went sprawling foward. Rolling over and over as he crashed, he collided with the little black orb.

Sinking into the ground, the black orb spread over the ground around the cyndaquil. Panicking, it got up and took a few steps away. The black colour rised, forming the shape of a Charmander and Torchic. The blackness sunk back into the ground, revealing, well... A charmander and a torchic.

Both seemed rather confused. The cyndaquil seemed confused as well, but quickly began chattering at the other two. Albus couldn't hear or understand much of it, but it sounded like they were annoyed that they had appeared here, and that "that eevee" was being blamed for it...

Albus backed up reflexively as the three of them turned to him. It wasn't long before he found himself cornered as they advanced on him.

"Alright... Let's see... Three of them, one of me. I'm stronger though, so I have a chance. That cyndaquil doesn't seem too strong, so I can ignore him. The charmander seems tough, so let's do the torchic first..."

Waiting for even the slightest opening, Albus charged the moment the Torchic stepped slightly away from the rest of the group. Running into it head first, he managed to make it lose it's balance and fall over. Bereft of arms (or even proper feet) and cursed to a stubby frame, all it could do was roll around. Not that that helped when a burst of flame caught Albus across the side, sending him spinning across the room.

The charmander immediately waddled over to the torchic and helped it up. Albus scrambled back up to his feet as the trio began breathing fire at him. Planting his feet firmly in front of him, Albus used protect. It was the one ability that his house had insisted he take.

And he was thankful. A transparent film appeared in front of him, shining only briefly. The 3 attacks collided with it, suddenly veering off course. Flames surrounded the eevee as the attacked rushed past him.

Sprinting forward through the flames, Albus bounded into the charmander. Jumping up, their heads collided. The charmander fell over, clutching at his forehead. The collision had screwed Albus up, causing the rest of his body to keep going over his head. Flipping in mid-air, the landed on his back.

Scrambling back up to his feet, he ran off in the direction of the window, screaming. "Heelllllllp!"

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"Did you just hear something...?"

"Mmm?"

"I think I just heard Albus screaming "help"."

"Bash the wall down, now. We need to go find him."

Puer nodded, once again not terribly pleased about his task but willing. Getting about five meters back from the wall, Puer charged at it. Rhyhorns are easily capable of sending things that weigh hundreds of pounds flying if they have a good start, though they're not too good at stopping. So he crashed right on through the wall easily. And the next one. And the wall after that, and the other wall as well.

Tolin called down the new hallway that Puer had constructed. "You alright?"

Puer groaned a bit. It wasn't a terribly encouraging response, but if he was conscious he'd be fine on his own. It's not like anything here could pierce his hide that easily should something surprise him.

Running down the hallway, Tolin quickly came to Albus. His back against the wall, he was doing his best to divert the flames that bore down on him.

Tolin kept running, all the way up to the nearby Torchic. Pulling his foot back, his leg shot forward, effectively punting the little bird. Torchics only weigh a fragment of what Scythers do, and Scythers have considerable leg strength. The poor little bird, still young of age, went flying up into the ceiling before crashing back down and skidding along the floor.

Being directly beside the torchic's previous location, the charmander immediately noticed. Turning to breath fire on the bug-type instead, Tolin easily deflected the (relatively) small stream of flame off of his good arm.

Albus felt the flames on him lessen considerably and charged forward blindly, hoping to catch one of them by surprise. And so he did. Sprinting directly forward, he bowled over the charmander in front of him who fell unconscious.

The cyndaquil, now aware of it's distinct lack of allies and distinct surplus of enemies, ran down the hallway to escape.

"Thank you." Licking at his slightly burnt fur, Albus paused to look around. "Where's Puer?"

Tolin chuckled slightly as he turned back in the direction he came. "We had to make a new hallway in order to get in. He's likely recovering from the experience."

Albus didn't immediately understand what Tolin meant, but he did a moment later.

Puer squeezed back into the hallway the two were in, looking back and forth for them. "I think I found something. Over here."

Puer moved back in through the apparent hole in the wall, grunting as he went through. Albus and Tolin followed behind moments later. Albus stopped to laugh. The holes were perfectly rhyhorn shaped. Right down to his legs, there was a perfect picture of him running through each individual wall.

Puer turned around to see what was so amusing. A dark glare creased his face as he realized what Albus was laughing at. "Shut up."

Managing to taper his laughter (if only slightly) Albus managed an apology. "Yes, yes, of course. I apologize... thank you."

Stepping delicately through the holes in the wall, they followed Puer to another hallway that intersected with the "new" one.

A small amulet much like Donna's lay resting just outside of a door. It was a light blue colour, complimented by a shiney dark blue churning clockwise in the form of a whirlpool. Placing his paw on it to pull it towards him, he was shocked when the dark blue swirls shot out of the amulet, tying his foot down onto it.

Waving his leg frantically to get the damn thing off, it stayed firmly on. "What the he--" Trying to speak, he was interrupted by the water that began spilling out from his mouth. Trying desperately to breath, he began spitting out the water in small jets. Each one slowly increased in size until the small stream was large and concentrated enough to punch holes into the ground and wall.

Eventually the stream stymied, allowing him to breath. Shaking his head roughly to get the water out, the amulet fell to the floor with a metallic clatter; the dark blue swirls gone.

Poor guy didn't even have time to rightly consider what happened to him.

A little totodile came running down the hallway, grabbing the amulet from the floor and colliding with Albus. Now sitting on top of the Eevee, it began to thoroughly examine the amulet. Looking it over and occasionally gnawing at it in different places, he eventually judged it to be "right" and roped it around his neck, clapping his hands gleefully.

"This would be rather convenient, but..." "Terry?"

Opening his eyes and staring directly at him, the Totodile walked over to Tolin and looked up at him expectedly.

He spoke with caution, letting just a hint of interest through. "This... seems to be our charge. Somehow."

"...Really? Seriously?"

"I... I think so, yes."

"Then, let us depart. If we have him then we have no reason to stay any longer."

Unfortunately, such a convenient retreat could not be made. A feraligatr came charging down the hallway, knocking Tolin over and forcing Albus to take a step back as she scooped up Terry. "What do you want with my son!?"

"He can't be your son. His parents live back in the kingdom."

"No! No, this is my son! My son! I finally found him after all these years!" Her voice, so angry and wrathful suddenly changed to a much lighter, happier tone. "My little cutie hasn't even aged a day!"

"Miss, I'm sorry but he is not your son. I do not know what happened to your child those years ago, but he is not the totodile you hold in front of you. His parents live back in the town and are very worried for him."

"No! He's my son and I won't let you take him!" Her throat bulged as a blast of water shot out, pushing the party back. Puer quickly retreated to the safety of the nearby "hallway" in order to hide from the effective death blast. Albus managed to use Protect in time, keeping him safe from the flow. Tolin was blasted backwards, losing his balance and stumbling.

Albus had to attack her. It was her only option! Crazy creature had gone on a complete rampage, and he was the only one still standing. Dodging around to get out of her sight, Albus managed to get in behind her. Tackling her, he struck a "5" emblem directly on her back, not that she even noticed. ((Trump Card))

"Okay then... Let's try this..." Using the ability to his best, he placed two Cards on her... Placing the rectangle on her stomach, it formed clearly this time with 3 and 4 in opposite corners. Terry fell out of her hands, looking very much frustrated as he waddled over to the rather curious Rhyhorn and began prodding him sharply.

Dodging back around, Albus tackled the markings headfirst. This one got her attention. Not because of the power of the attack but the fact that she didn't expect it, her mouth clamped shut suddenly. Small amounts of water frothed from her jaw, ceasing as she stopped using Hydro Pump.

swinging her tail around, the feraligatr spun to try and attack Albus. Jumping back, he placed a card reading "2". He didn't have time to use it before the jet of water came back.

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Tolin got back up from where he was "blasted" to the ground, gingerly stepping through the hole to sit beside Puer. Albus and the Feraligatr had locked themselves in combat, and neither seemed to notice that he'd disappeared.

Albus managed to activate Protect before the blast hit him, shielding him from the water. "He's doing rather well."

"Yes, but he won't be able to sustain that much longer." The column of water that bore down on him had been widely deflected at first. The longer she used it, though, the tighter it got. Slowly he started getting pushed back, only slightly, as bits and pieces pierced his shielding.

Dodging out suddenly, he sprinted forward towards her, leaping up and striking the card he'd placed. The blow sent her reeling, causing her to stumble backwards. Not before she managed to slash at him with her claws, though.

Albus took the blow well, all things considered. A pair of slight red lines eeked from his side as he blinked away the tears that insisted to form in the corner of his eyes.

Placing his last and final card, Albus tried to take advantage of his target's poor balance. Sprinting towards her, he dodged to the side at the last second, going around her in full circle. "He's learned a bit, at least." Tolin replied with nothing but a stoic "mmm".

Bringing her arm down sharply, she pinned Albus to the floor with the full force of her weight. The breath knocked out of him, he struggled to get enough air to do something--anything to fight her off. "What can I do... come on, what can I use to fight her off..."

The force doubled as she pressed down even harder, the act accompanied by audible "crunch" noises from Albus. A slight cry escaped his throat against his will. "Has... to be something I can do..."

Suddenly, his only option struck him. For he, who had allies, his condition was simply "do not lose". With this thought in mind, he materialized a thin, black string. Shooting from his heart to hers, it hung slack.

The pressure increased once more, only briefly. The string came taut and disappeared. Suddenly, the Feraligatr's eyes blanked out. Her jaw fell slack, and the pressure eased up. She began to ever-so-slowly tip forwards.

Tolin shot out of the hole to try and get between the two. His feet back and his shoulder forward, he braced himself against the rather large and heavy creature. "Puer, I need you to grab Albus."

"Why? He should be able to get out on his own." Is what he said, but he got the Eevee out from under anyways. Much to his surprise, he found the Eevee unconscious. ((Destiny Bond)) Picking up Albus with his mouth, he carried the Eevee back towards Terry.

Tolin stepped out from under her, letting her fall to the ground with a small crash. Tolin picked up Terry, carrying him with him.

"Let's go, then." Stepping through and out the holes, they found themselves outside of the building in mere moments.

The grass pokemon that had so fervently attacked them earlier gave them a wide berth this time. None of them were pleased to see the Scyther, but after last time they were much less keen to attack. He was leaving, anyways, at least...

Moving down the nice, smooth path, they left through the half-open gates they'd entered from.

"He did a good job."

"That he did."

"Are we letting him join? He seems to have proved himself. What he did was impressive."

"Yes, we'll let him join. He's proven himself enough to be able to fight off a Feraligatr, even if he did end up unconscious."

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Albus eventually stirred on the way home. Terry had been transferred to Puer's back and was sleeping blissfully against one of his spines. Trying to, at the very least, stand, Albus felt a sharp pain shoot through his side. Losing his balance and rolling off of Puer, he hit the grass with a slight thud.

"Take it easy for now. You probably won't be able to walk at all until tomorrow after doing something that reckless." Picking the Eevee up, Tolin placed him back onto Puer.

Albus hurt like hell. He hadn't noticed it when he woke up, but everything hurt. Breathing hurt, talking hurt, lying down hurt... Being hurt. But, that wasn't what was important now. "Was that proof enough?"

"It was a fine, reckless proof. It would be an honour to have such a reckless teammate."

The relief hit him like a wave with an inescapable sleepiness following. "Ahh... That's good, then..."

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Donna's house once more stood in front of them. Tolin rang the door bell. Opening with lightning speed, the door pulled inwards at a ridiculous speed. Donna stood in the doorway, her face racked with anxiety and anticipation. Her eyes darted from Tolin to Puer, homing in on Terry.

"Terry!" Picking him up and hugging him tightly, she cried profusely. She must have been waiting near the door the entire day for them to come back. Terry himself was slightly less relieved, cooing angrily at the sudden attack. Eventually realizing who it was, he spread his arms out in a sort of hug.

Donna spoke with an elated voice that was choked out by her tears. "Thank you, thank you. Oh, thank you for finding my baby. Please, come in."

Scurrying about the house, Donna placed Terry into a crib and busily set about righting the room. A clear path of destruction had been cut from a nearby room, as if she'd run straight to the door with little disregard for what was in her way. "Please, take a seat. Can I get you anything?"

"No, no thank you. We'll be fine. We're just here to drop off your son."

Albus's voice choked up. "I apologize... I believe I did something to your son's amulet."

Donna examined the amulet carefully as it hung around Terry's neck. "Ahh... It seems you activated it inadvertently." Seeing the stares of confusion, she continued. "It's something we get when we're young. When we're old enough and big enough, we swallow it. It's sort of a coming-of-age thing... After that, we're given a similar but fundamentally different amulet. See, the one my son had was clockwise; mine goes the other direction."

"Ah, I apologize, then... I've taken a birthright from your son." Albus bowed his head, for what little he could manage.

"Oh, no. Don't worry about it. You brought me my son back, that's much more important. Consider it a reward. Besides, we can make more. They're not easy to make, but it can be done. Please, consider it a reward along with the rest. I've left the reward in the care of the guild."

"Thank you. Then, we shall take our leave." Tolin opened the door, stepping outside.

"Please, feel free to come by should you ever need to. I can't thank you enough for what you've done."

Taking the pendant, Tolin roped it around Albus's neck. The ribbon had been messily cut and sowed back together, and fit somewhat tightly on the Eevee's neck. Though, it was much preferable to it's original length; it was, after all, meant for a Croconaw or Feraligatr to wear. The amulet weighed heavily on his neck, but a weak power came from it; it would be useful indeed.

Tolin looked over the two carefully. While it was true that they were certainly strong enough, he hadn't the need for either of them. That aside, the team was resting at a comfortable 3 members; adding another wouldn't benefit them much.

"I'm sorry, but we're not taking any recruits at this time. Though, should we return to the villa in the future, perhaps you could act as a guide for us?"

The Cyndaquil nodded, giving his non-verbal assent. The Charmander seemed somewhat embittered by it; no doubt he was less amicable seeing as he had been knocked out prior.