[Pokémon] NWO - All of the above - Begin Part 2

Yeah, I too am getting slightly creepy vibes from Matt at first. Sounds like he and Kris had a short fling that went all sorts of wrong. I do think keeping his Pokemon hostage is a bit much there. This should be interesting how Jack and Lappe dealt with Kris giving them a bit more of a challenge and how they'll deal with her ice type Pokemon.

13.

The leader gripped a pokeball which seemed to be made out of the very ice which it was set in. The woman twirled around and pressed her lips against the back of the ball, causing a red light to shoot forth from it. The red line grew into a small red shape as the Pokemon formed from it.

Within seconds, a small white bear Pokemon with an icicle hanging from it's nose appeared. "C-c-cubchoo!" The small bear sneezed, firing the icicle from it's nose. The Pokemon rubbed at the sides of its snout with its tiny paws, causing a glob of blue liquid to start running from the tiny nostrils of the Pokemon.

"Cubchoo may be a cutie, but don't for a second underestimate its strength. There's a reason that every one of my Pokemon are on their respective teams and my little bear friend is no exception."

Jack nodded, sizing up the Pokemon which was nearly the same size as Lappe. The boy wondered what kind of moves it would be utilizing and just how strong it as well as the rest of the Pokemon Kris was planning to use would be. Cubchoo was surely the weakest of the team, but there was no doubt that it would be far stronger than anything they'd fought before.

"We of course only have each other, so there won't be any flashy entrances for us." Lappe waddled out into the icy arena, scratching at the top of his head as he spoke. "Like you said, just because I'm small and cute you shouldn't underestimate me… or Jack."

"Strength can only truly come in numbers kiddos. No matter how powerful any single Pokemon, or trainer's will, you can only go so far by yourselves. Even against me, you shall fall victim to that fact. A single Pokemon cannot fight without end. In the rain, even the most stalwart of stones will erode away."

"That's enough talking. Now you're just pissing me off."

Kris smiled having received the reaction she'd wanted. "Let us fight then. Cubchoo! Hone Claws!"

The tiny bear seemed to puff out its chest slightly at its trainer's command before extending its claws ever so slightly. With a grunt, the Cubchoo began to vigorously scrape its paws against the icy arena floor, gouging out sizable ruts in the ice while also sharpening its claws to a fine edge.

"Don't let him get away with that Lappe!"

The Totodile nodded, rushing up to the tiny bear as it began to scrape its claws at an even faster pace. Kris' face tensed as she awaited the attack, knowing that her own Pokemon wouldn't have completed their preparations before Lappe arrived with its now shadow laden claw. The second the move made contact, Cubchoo was sent flying off towards one of the various chunks of ice which were erected around the arena. The bear let out a cry as the impact cracked the glacier and caused part of it to split and slide off from the other side. Cubchoo winced as it rose to its feet, bruised but not beaten. The Pokemon extended and retracted its claws repeatedly, flashing the finely honed edges as it smirked.

"That was a good hit, possibly even a critical. But no matter. Cubchoo's claws are now far more powerful than they were before and it can surely beat out any attack that you can throw its way! Cubchoo! Throw those punches until you can't anymore!"

The Pokemon nodded, its eyes narrowing. "Choo!" Cubchoo rushed at Lappe who was hopping away in reverse, hoping to outspeed the tiny bear. But the arena's advantage was in the leader's favor as the Pokemon slid across the ice in between its steps, causing it to quickly close the distance between itself and Lappe.

The Totodile powered up its claw again, hoping to negate whatever attack was coming with its own. Cubchoo clenched its paw into a fist and then launched it at Lappe who quickly deflected it with his own shadow claw. However, the Totodile wasn't ready for the remaining volley of increasingly powerful punches which came its way. One, two, three, four, all the way to fifteen. Punch after punch came at Lappe who was finding himself unable to do anything against the onslaught. The Totodile deflected every other one, but for every one deflected, another came from the opposite direction. Finally, after the fifteenth punch landed, Cubchoo's fists were glowing with a brilliant light and the Pokemon itself seemed to be radiating confidence whereas Lappe was beaten and bruised, ready to throw in the towel already.

"Don't give up Lappe! We have to win! There's no other choice here! Keep on fighting!"

The Totodile looked over at Jack and gave him a lazy thumb's up before turning back towards the Cubchoo. Lappe looked at his own reflection in the ice and then let out a half-hearted laugh as it swayed its head from side to side before leveling its gaze back at the Cubchoo. "This is over now."

Kris smiled and then threw out her arm. "Cubchoo! Show these kids what it truly means to have a Pokemon battle! Finish this, now! Aerial Ace!"

The small white bear ran back towards Kris and then leaped up onto the glacier upon which she stood before jumping off to another one which was nearby. The Pokemon continued to jump between glaciers and ice sculptures until it was directly next to Lappe. The Cubchoo pulled its arms back, ready to release all of the pent up strength at the Totodile.

Lappe smirked as the blast of water escaped its mouth at rocket speeds, forcing the Cubchoo away from him. The Pokemon continued to fly through the air, propelled by the unrelenting stream of water pouring forth from the Totodile's mouth all the way until it had left the arena.

"Tch." Kris' smile faded as she pointed the Pokeball towards her defeated Pokemon who was also clearly unhappy with the outcome of the battle. The Cubchoo let out an angry roar as it turned back into a red beam of light and was drawn back to its ball. "I guess I can give you that one. An out of bounds is a cheap way to win and won't work in the real world though."

"Yeah kid! You go! Beat that bitch down and get me my Pokemon!" The old man was jumping for joy at the duo's victory, but nobody in the room seemed to want to acknowledge his existence. Not even Kris flinched at his sudden and annoying outburst.

"This next one won't be so easy though." The leader picked up another ball from within the glacier she was standing on and pressed the button. "Go, Lapras!" The massive Pokemon exploded from its Pokeball, appearing somewhat out of place in the completely frozen arena.

The Pokemon wasted no time in firing off a mighty beam from the horn upon its head. Lappe began to rush around the arena, recognizing the power of the attack and hoping to find shelter. The Pokemon's beam traced all across the arena, tearing apart the icy layer and revealing that in the remodeling of the gym, the ice had only been placed atop the old gym's pool.

In the blink of an eye, all of the places where the beam had traced exploded outwards, causing chunks of ice and large amounts of icy cold water to fly about in all directions. The Totodile and Lapras fell helplessly into the pool, followed close behind by the numerous glaciers and ice statues which had once dotted the arena.

"Now begins the true battle. Witness the true power of ice Pokemon and tremble, Jack! No other gym sports an arena quite like mine, and only I have the cunning necessary to utilize it to its fullest! Give in, or writhe in despair as your friend is forced to succumb for you!"

That Cubchoo has quite a punch there, good thing Lappe thought of able to have his opponent be out of bounds. And lol over everyone ignoring Matt's reaction. Lapras vs. a Totodile sounds like it'll be an even tougher match than Cubchoo.

I kept seeing this on the index whenever there was a new post, and I wondered what it was about. So I finally decided to settle in and catch up.

The characters of Jack and Lappe are well-worth the time that I set aside for this. Lappe's my favorite of the two, and I guess that's because I can't resist the charms of a swearing Totodile with a mind of his own that doesn't act like a Pokemon owned by a trainer. His relationship with Jack is a great one. I wonder how it will continue to be as the story tests it.

The story itself is an interesting one. It takes the common exploration of the relationship between trainer and Pokemon and makes the Pokemon side fascinating. I really hope that we haven't seen the end of West. And I wonder just how nasty these FKPR can be.

In regards to your latest chapter...I want to guess that the Leader is Kris from Crystal, right? The description and name match up, but I'm not really sure, since she specializes in Ice-types. And has a creepy old man stalker. Oh, Matt.

Looking forward to seeing how Lappe fairs in this battle against Lapras!

Happy to have you drop by!

Astinus said:

In regards to your latest chapter...I want to guess that the Leader is Kris from Crystal, right? The description and name match up, but I'm not really sure, since she specializes in Ice-types.

Click to expand...

You would be correct on that one. A lot of it stems from my very first playthrough of crystal and the second generation as a whole. First time playing through I never found the legendary beasts so their typings were always a mystery, so for the longest time I thought suicune was a water/ice type and then when Kris became a playable character and her hair was close to the color of ice (from my perspective of being color blind at least) and you continuously ran into the legendary beasts, it just started making false connections in my head haha.

Hope to see you stick around and hopefully I can make the story live up to expectations. :)

14.

Lapras and Lappe swam circles around each other in the water, their eyes locked as the pool began to swirl about from their synchronized movements. The chunks of ice which had previously made up the floor, had now all sunk to the bottom of the arena which was an unlit pit of slush due to the temperature at that depth being chilled to a near-freezing point.

?Jack, as a trainer you?re quite lacking.? Kris ran her hand through her hair, flipping it to the side as she smiled. ?You?ll get nowhere if you keep letting Lappe do all the work.?

Jack stared her down, slowly becoming more and more irritated at everyone saying the same thing about his bond with the Totodile. ?Lappe is his own Pokemon. He can make his own decisions, and is more than capable of taking out more than his fair share of Pokemon all on his own.?

?It doesn?t matter what your relationship is, Jack. Pokemon need the help of their trainers. Otherwise, they?ll stay locked in never-ending conflict as they are now. As we speak, our Pokemon are helplessly staring at one and other, swimming in circles as they search for strategies on their own. Without our help, they?ll-?

Kris? speech was cut short as a burst of water erupted from the pool, drenching her with the slush from the bottom of the arena. Lappe leapt out from the water and landed on one of the few floating chunks of ice, a ring of similar chunks floated around him as the Lapras slowly rose to the surface as well. As the horn on the Pokemon?s head broke the surface, a freshly incurred bruise could be seen slightly below its left eye before its whole body began to glow. In seconds, a ring of ice similar to Lappe?s had formed and was hovering the shell on the Lapras? back.

?So, they came to an agreement.? Kris scowled and then threw out her arm, ?Lapras! Use Hyper Beam once more!?

The Pokemon?s horn quickly lit up as the powerful energies built up within it once more. Lappe lethargically dove back into the water, the chunks of ice hovering around the Totodile?s body seemingly hindering its movement. The beam erupted from the Lapras? horn, trailing across the room in wild and uncontrolled movements as the chunks of ice hovering around its shell fired off into the water, homing in on the unseen Totodile which was swimming somewhere below it. The Hyper Beam traced across the ceiling, cutting open a small opening in it before the Lapras dove into the water, giving chase to the Totodile while its beam continued to fire off randomly from beneath the surface.

The battle raged on from the unseen depths. Ice clashed against ice, Pokemon struck Pokemon and the waters began to swirl into a whirlpool, filled with the rage of the warring Pokemon. The Lapras rode along the twirling waves as Lappe leaped across the watery vortex, firing off water guns and chunks of ice at the Pokemon as it flew.

?That's enough!? Kris stood on the edge of her glacier, her eyes on fire as she grit her teeth. Her arm flew out in front of her with a powerul gust of chilly wind as something within her chest shimmered. ?Lapras! Use Blizzard!?

In an instant, the entire arena froze over once more. The water froze solid, retaining the whirlpool shape and trapping both Pokemon within it. The Lapras cried out to it's trainer as it struggled to free itself from the icy prison of its own creation. A red beam struck the Pokemon as it was withdrawn back into it's ball. Kris smiled as she stared at the still helpless Lappe.

?Glalie, I choose you.? the Pokemon burst free from it's ball, staring with a menacing smile at Lappe as well. ?You did well to fight against my Lapras on near equal terms, Lappe and Jack. But now, I shall show you the true form of my power.?

Jack grit his teeth as Lappe continued to struggle against the frozen whirlpool. No matter the attack that the Totodile used, the ice refused to nudge against his strength. Jack looked down the frozen vortex, trying to decide on how he should head down to his friend.

?Let me ask you, Jack. What do you know of mega evolution??

Jack averted Kris? gaze as he slowly lowered himself into the funnel of ice, the ice heal gripped firmly in his left hand as he slid down the side of the ice, catching himself with his right as he neared the stranded Totodile.

?Don't worry man, I got you. It's a good thing I spent out money on these potions and all while we were at the Pokemon Center earlier.?

?Mega evolution. Mega Pokemon.? Kris leapt from her perch and slid down the vortex of ice. ?A powerful transformation of a pokemon?s abilities available only to a select few. Have you ever seen it in action before??

Jack shook his head as he applied the warm liquid to the ice directly around Lappe?s body. ?Not that I can remember.?

?But I have?? Lappe whispered as his gaze rose to Kris and the Pokemon behind her. ?It's an unfair advantage available to a select few, as you said. The stones are so rare, that the Silph Company once manufactured balls capable of capturing any Pokemon to such a degree that they were able to acquire a great number of the stones in exchange for them.?

Kris smiled. ?You sure are educated, for a Pokemon. Yes, as you said, a few years ago the silph company manufactured a great number of the master balls which they had at once denounced, solely for the purpose of using them as bargaining chips for gathering the stones. They scoured the lands, negotiating trades with trainers of all different walks of life who were lucky enough to find the stones for themselves. Around that time, there was also a large influx of powerful trainers due to the mass production of the master balls. The greatest League championship was held at that time, seeing the inclusion of well over a hundred trainers who had at once held stones for themselves. Their power bad increased nominally due to being able to capture any Pokemon they desired, but no amount of bolstered numbers can outlclass the advantage of a mega stone.?

Jack stood up, finally having freed Lappe from his prison as well. ?Now that you mention it, I do remember that competition. There was only one trainer among the regular participants who had a Pokemon which could change it's form into something more powerful? what was their name??

Kris? lips split into a smile as she pulled from her chest a necklace. The item began to glow as her Glalie rolled down the ice towards her. ?Yes, what was her name, Jack??

The trainer slowly turned around, his eyes widening as he remembered. ?The Johto trainer, Kris.?

Hm, so Kris's ace is actually gonna be Mega Glalie and not Lapras, ey? Poor Lappe. D= I thought a Kalos or Hoenn trainer would fit better considering that's the two regions Mega Evolution is known, but then again the anime short Origins hint at that too. Sliph Company being involved in that is an interesting twist too.

Well, good to see Kris's identity reveal being confirmed in the story itself! I wonder if more of her backstory will come in to the plot. Especially with how rare the Mega Stones are and what the Silph Co. did to get their hands on them. I'm sure that it will come up again, since the FKPR might have something to say about a Poke ball that can catch Pokemon without fail.

Bay's right. Poor Lappe. D: Hope the battle against Mega Glalie isn't too bad for him, and he doesn't get hurt badly.

15.

"Hey, Jack! Don't sweat it man! Mega evolution is just a weak excuse of a tactic to make pathetic Pokemon stronger!" Matt smiled a mostly toothless grin as he cheered on the young trainer. "You've already come so far, so don't give up just yet! Who cares what else she has up her sleeves, cuz I've already seen beneath them!" The old man slapped his knee and began to laugh heartily as his face turned bright red.

The gym's leader took a step back, the spikes hidden within the platforms of her shoes now apparent as she easily scaled the icy walls. Her face was hidden, but Jack could tell it was a mixture of rage and embarrassment. Her hands were clenched into fists, the chain holding the mega stone dangled from her right hand as she neared the top of the vortex.

"Gla-Glalie." The woman's face was bright red and frustrated tears were welling up in her eyes. She shook her head vigorously from side to side and then rubbed the back of her arm across her face. "Glalie! Mega evolve now!" The stone in Kris' hand grew immediately brighter, shining bright like a star in the sky as her final Pokemon took on a similar glow. "You'll embarrass me no longer, Matt. Glalie, do it."

The Pokemon continued to glow, its form changing as it turned towards the elderly man. A blue light gathered around where its mouth had once been. The old man's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. Matt gathered what few belongings he had on him and ran towards Kris' glacier, diving behind it as the powerful icy beam erupted from the newly formed Pokemon's maw.

The Glalie hovered slightly above the ground, its face a frightening sight, its mouth formed into a permanent, menacing grin. An icy mist hung around the Pokemon's body, condensing around the frozen spikes across it. The Pokemon slowly turned, focusing its attention once more on Jack and Lappe. Kris slowly scaled her glacier once more, once more paying no attention to Matt as the color faded from her cheeks.

"This is it boys. My final Pokemon, the final challenge for you to overcome. I wonder, how will you handle it? This Glalie is among the top percentage of all that I currently own, and its powers are complemented perfectly by the new layout of my gym. I hope you're ready."

The Mega Pokemon's mouth lowered, allowing for more of the icy mist to escape from its body. Jack scrambled up the walls, leaving Lappe behind to fend for himself. The Totodile did a quick stretch and then locked his gaze with the Glalie's, spitting on the ground next to him as a taunt. The ice type Pokemon let out a low growl as it began to slowly spin about in place before rolling forward, full speed down the slope towards the much smaller Pokemon.

Lappe fired off a water gun, propelling himself forward as he readied for the head on collision that awaited him. His claws began to glow with a shadowy aura as he turned his body, allowing one of the numerous frozen points on the Glalie to narrowly miss, while his own attack shaved away a thin layer of the ice armor from its body. The Totodile landed on the other side of the slope, digging its claws into the ice as it held its position, biding his time as he awaited the Glalie's next move.

"Lappe, I don't want to question you but… what are you doing?" Jack called out nonchalantly as the Glalie roared up the side of the slope where the boy was standing. A powerful gust of wind followed behind the Pokemon as it shot into the sky, only to slowly fall back down with much more momentum than it had had before. Jack took a step backwards as the wind hit him, taking him completely by surprise.

"Now's not the time Jack!" Lappe shouted back as his eyes followed the Pokemon on its flight path. "This one's a whole lot tougher than I am, and as it is I can't even use half of my moves effectively since I'm on this frozen slope."

"Only half, you say?" Kris smiled as she shot a glance at her Glalie.

Lappe tensed his body, preparing for whatever was to come next. The Glalie was now barreling towards him once more with even greater speed and rotation than before. The Pokemon fired off another water gun, propelling itself away from the wall it had attached itself to and towards the Pokemon, hoping to continue on with its previous tactic.

As the distance between the two Pokemon closed, the Glalie ceased its spinning as it rolled immediately to the side of where the Totodile had attempted to shift. Lappe immediately cut off its first attack and attempted to fire off another water gun directly at the Pokemon's face as they both continued to rush together. However, as soon as the Totodile attempted another attack, the Glalie let out a mighty roar which caused a red-ish ring to escape from its mouth and attach itself to the much smaller water type.

"What the hell?" Lappe shouted as his water gun failed, causing him to smash head first into the Glalie. The ice type rolled over the small Pokemon and continued on, uncontrollably in the same direction, its speed having dropped by only a small amount. "Why won't my water gun work?" The Totodile continued to struggle with firing off its attack, bringing itself to the point of vomiting as it continuously attempted to call forth water from deep within its body. Each time the Pokemon attempted to use its attack, the red ring which had now tightened around its neck shone brightly.

"Disable." Kris smiled as the Glalie fell back into the icy slope after having come up on her side, its speed now much more decreased as it attempted to regain control over itself. "It's an attack that disallows the use of an enemy's attack. Quite handy for for taking down someone such as yourself, wouldn't you say?" The Glalie slowly rolled towards Lappe, its smile even more menacing than before as the mist coming from its mouth began to solidify to a single point within its body.

Lappe finished heaving as he slowly rose to his feet. His whole body was shaking, and every swallow burned his throat. "You intend to finish me in a single shot then?" The Pokemon scoffed, its claws beginning to glow once more. "Fuckin' try it."

The Glalie's eyes narrowed as the beam of ice erupted from its mouth. Lappe dug his heels into the ground, but still was pushed back several feet. His claws were thrown up in front of his face, shielding his body from the icy blast as he leaned forward, bracing himself against the chilling attack.

"I won't give up." The Totodile slowly inched its right foot forward by a few inches, his eyes clenched shut as he struggled against the much stronger Pokemon. "I won't give in." The Pokemon's left foot followed the right, inching even further ahead of it as Lappe's legs began to glow with a blinding light. "No matter what you do." He pushed forward, with only slightly less effort than before as the light began to spiral up his entire body. "I have a promise to uphold, and vengeance to be had. I may not be human, but for what it's worth, she was my mom too… I can't let them get away with what they've done."

Lappe's entire body became engulfed in the light as his slowly grew taller and slightly more round. The ghostly claws grew denser, and with newfound strength, the Totodile batted away the ice beam. The Glalie poured more strength into the attack as its opponent closed the distance, slamming its claws against the the oncoming attack and causing it to shatter and fly off in all different directions. The glow around Lappe slowly began to fade, but not before he'd reached the Glalie and began to dig his claws into the icy Pokemon.

"I won't!" The Pokemon grunted as its claws inched around to the Glalie's sides, digging in as deep as he could reach. Lappe began to scream out as he arched his back, attempting to lift the Pokemon into the sky. The light disappeared around his feet, spiraling away from his body in the same way that it had come and revealing that he was no longer the same Pokemon as before.

"Glalie!" Kris shouted out, her eyes wide at Lappe's display of strength. "Don't let them win! Finish this already!"

"Gla!" The Pokemon grunted, its own body immediately filling with a blinding light. The icy spikes around the Pokemon's body retreated inside of it as the light grew far brighter than what had just been consuming Lappe. "Liiiiieeeee!"

16.

"Isn't there anything we can do for him?"

Nurse Joy shook her head. "I'm sorry Jack, but because it happened while the effects of evolution were taking place, there's really nothing that we can do. If it had happened before, or after, we could always heal it. But… the fact of the matter is… it's just not there anymore. The form he's in now, doesn't even recognize that something should exist on that part of his body."

"Dammit!" Jack screamed out as he pounded on the table. "It's all my fault! If I'd have just let it go and accepted that she was too strong for us after the second fight, we could have avoided all of this!"

"Hey kid, don't beat yourself up." Matt placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, his own waist now filled with over a dozen different pokeballs. "After your fight, I had a little talk with her. Kris… she… well, she feels awful about what happened. She admitted to me that you got the worst of her. Your battle dug up emotions that she thought she'd laid to rest a long time ago. You made her anxious and caused her to worry that she might lose to what is basically, a wild Pokemon."

Jack stayed quiet, his eyes filling with tears as Lappe lay unconscious in front of him within the recovery machine. His entire body shimmered with a pink-ish light as the healing took effect. "Lappe, I'm sorry."

The Pokemon's eyes opened into slits as he rolled over onto his left side. The Pokemon attempted to wave at his friend, yet despite his efforts, nothing happened. The Totodile which had evolved during battle into a Croconaw, tilted its head backwards as it searched fruitlessly for its right arm. Lappe dropped his head back as he rolled onto his back, and then onto his right side, his body shaking softly.

"I'm sorry Lappe!" Jack called out, pressing his hand against the glass of the window. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have let you fight alone! It's all my fault!"

"Get him out of here! He's going to disturb the other patients!" Nurse Joy waved her arms at Matt and the boy as she strode towards them, shoo-ing them down the hall towards the exit.


Jack erupted into tears as he sat in the lobby. He buried his face in his hands, unable to accept the results of recent occurrences. Matt placed his hand once more on the boy's shoulder and then pressed his other hand against his chest.

"Jack, I know you're upset and it's going to take some time to get over this, but I appreciate what you did for me nonetheless. I don't really know what all happened in that battle… or how, or why Lappe pushed himself as hard as he did, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I know that right now you need some time to yourself, and I'm going to give that to you." The old man removed his hand from the boy's chest, revealing the newly pinned cerulean badge. "I'll be in the next city down. Head to Vermillion whenever you're ready. There's no rush though." The old man patted the boy's back and firmly squeezed his shoulder as he rose to his feet, his other hand dropping an item into Jack's backpack, unbeknownst to him. "Jack, whatever you do, don't beat yourself up over this. It's not entirely your fault, but everyone's. Including mine, since I'm the one who dragged you in to that battle to begin with… but I'm done with the up and comers now. You're the only one I plan to root for now, Jack." Matt smiled at the boy, who refused to remove his hands from his face as the tears continued to run, gushing from between his fingers as a mixture with snot and spit.

Matt slowly walked away, adjusting the belt at his waist before pulling from it a Pokeball. The man walked out of the Pokemon Center and released the Pokemon held within the ball before climbing onto its back and flying away, leaving Jack alone in the sculpture filled room.

Well... Not much to really comment on these two chapters other than poor Lappe. It'll be interesting to see how you write a Pokemon handling that big of a disability. Not only how will he physically handle it, but also emotionally. Same with Jack's emotions, which are probably more messed up, since he knows he could have stopped it from happening.

I also really like that you had the chapters split like you did. You ended on a cliffhanger for 15, and then just packed the emotion into 16. That's good, and allows what happens in each chapter to hit the readers' emotions.

Oh dang over Lappe there, I agree. Usually an evolution is a pretty cool thing, but this isn't the case with Lappe being injured. Also we get a more sympathetic side of Matt as he tries to comfort Jack there. The aftermath of this event very likely might make things difficult or awkward at best.

17.

For the past four days, the two had stayed in their respective rooms, making next to no contact with the other save for Lappe?s single phone call to the hotel where Jack had been staying. The first night after he?d regained consciousness had been dedicated to the Croconaw coming to terms with his loss. Lappe had been confined to his room in the Pokemon Center while the Nurse walked him through rehabilitation and attempted to acclimate him to the change for three straight days. When the Pokemon finally called for Jack to pick him up there had grown a palpable divide in their relationship.

The duo stepped out of the Pokemon Center in silence, both trying their best not to lock gazes with the other. The Croconaw?s missing arm threw his balance off, causing his walk to turn more into a waddle as they slowly made their way to the southern wall of the city. Jack?s eyes kept drifting to the smooth surface of the Pokemon?s shoulder before he could catch himself.

Lappe?s jaw dropped, and for a moment, nothing came from it. Jack had quickly averted his gaze, hoping that the Pokemon hadn?t caught him in the act. The boy recalled a study on how a Pokemon?s behaviour and personality could go through drastic changes upon evolution, and quite frankly was afraid of how his friend might have changed in the time since their battle with Kris. The silence persisted, until at last Lappe clasped his jaw shut and exhaled slowly from his nostrils, his eyes lowering to the ground as his pace slowed even further.

?Jack?? Lappe whispered, falling steadily more and more behind his friend.

The boy stopped, chills running along his spine as his palms grew sweaty. ?Yeah?? Jack?s back stayed facing against Lappe as he replied.

?I think?? The Pokemon talked slowly as the distance between the duo closed at a snail?s pace. ?Jack, what are we doing??

The question caught him off guard. ?What do you mean?? Jack was sure that Lappe was going to let him have it. Lappe was going to just go all out and rail on him for having failed as a friend, letting him fight alone and get hurt alone in the way that he did. But, when the Pokemon spoke, it was neither of those things. The boy turned slightly, looking at the Croconaw from the corner of his eye as it approached.

?What are we doing? Where are we going? What?s our motive, Jack? What?s even the point in going to the Republic?s headquarters??

Jack turned fully around, facing his friend. ?Lappe?? images of the exploding Seedot flooded his mind. The fear and anger that came with knowing they?d been part of the reason that so many had been put in danger, hurt and even killed flared in his nostrils and across his cheeks as his eyes began to burn. ?Lappe, it?s our fault. Everything is our fault. Whether we want to accept it or not, we have to take revenge for the people whose lives we inadvertently stole away. Besides, it?s not as if we have a choice anyways. We?ve no home to return to.?

Lappe?s eyes slowly rose, meeting with Jack?s. The two stared at each other for several seconds until the Croconaw blinked, nodding his head as it fell back towards the ground. ?I suppose, but? why us? Was it really just because of us that they bombed those cities??

?I?m sure there were a number of things, but-?

?Then why do we have to be the ones to pay the price? Just because we were the feather that broke the camel?s back, that doesn?t mean we should take full responsibility for it.?

?That?s true, but in this world that we live in-?

?I know? I said as much myself, once upon a time. The people of this world, at this time, lack the power to evade these sorts of conflicts. We?ve just reached that point in our history? but, why? why? We?ve been proven twice already that we lack the power necessary to make a difference, so why do you keep pushing?? Tears welled up in the Pokemon?s eyes, which eventually fell to the ground and quickly began to puddle.

Jack?s throat ran dry as he continuously swallowed, struggling to find the correct and necessary words. ?I just-?

As the boy started to speak, he was interupted by numerous shouts coming from distance down the southern path from where he was standing. Male and female trainers quickly came into sight as they fondled their Pokeballs, desperately trying to release the Pokemon trapped inside to no avail. The trainers dropped capsule after capsule as they rushed along the road, eventually dropping their holsters entirely as they grew nearer to Jack and Lappe.

?We?ve got to get Jenny! There?s nothing else we can do! That Pokemon, it?s just too strong!?

As the trainers disappeared down the path from which the duo had already came, Jack reached down and picked up one of the discarded Pokeballs that were nearby. He held it up to the light, seeing a miniature version of a Nidorino held inside. Puzzled, he tried repeatedly to press the button in the center of the ball in hopes of releasing the Pokemon. Each time the button was pressed in, it stuck for a moment and made a clicking sound, but didn?t open.

?Weird.? Jack rubbed his head as he rolled the ball around in his hands, searching for whatever the reason for the malfunction was.

?Pokeballs?? a deep and ominous voice echoed from down the path where the trainers had just been running. A cracking sound followed soon after, which in turn was followed by a red light firing high into the sky. ?Pokeballs?? Once more a cracking sound echoed, and a red beam erupted into the sky.

Jack turned to look at Lappe, only to see the Pokemon shake its head to the side as it wiped away the tears from its face. ?Let me see the ball? that light? it seems somewhat reminiscent of the light emitted from the Pokeballs when releasing a Pokemon.?


?Yeah, I think you?re right? but what about the cracking sound?? Jack held out his hand to the Croconaw, thankful that their conversation had been put on hold for the moment. The Pokeball rolled out of his palm and into Lapp?s single palm.

The Pokemon placed the ball on the ground and rolled it around for a few seconds before picking it back up and holding it up against the sun. ?Look,? he whispered to Jack as he groped at the back of his friend?s shirt.

The boy took the ball from the Croconaw and helped the Pokemon up onto his shoulder, with a small amount more difficulty than before due to the added weight its evolution gave to it. ?What am I looking for?? Jack extended his arm into the sky, placing the ball directly in front of the sun as he spun it around with his fingertips.

?There.? Lappe pointed one of his fingers at the tiniest of cracks which covered only about two inches in total, but included part of the button and both sides of the Pokeball within its length.

?Amazing, isn?t it?? The voice called out once more, although this time it was much, much closer.

The duo turned quickly, searching the area around them for the voice?s source.

?Who is it?? Jack shouted back, his eyes darting wildly between the faroff treelines.

A Pokemon, which was not much bigger than a human baby crawled out from one of the various trainer?s discarded backpacks and smiled. The Pokemon held a steel crowbar in its left hand and was tapping it against the palm of its right as it stepped closer to the duo, kicking a single Pokeball further ahead of it as it walked. As the Pokemon grew nearer, a brand could be made out on its chest. Between the veiny rings around its shoulders, an R had been carved into its chest, and then was surrounded by three other letters which seemed to have been burned into the Pokemon?s skin at a later date; F, K, and P.

?The name?s Eff. In case you couldn?t tell, I?m a Timburr, and a member of the FKPR.?

The Pokemon lazily whacked the Pokeball in front of it with its crowbar, crushing the ball and violently releasing the Pokemon in the process. The released Ponyta hurriedly looked back and forth between the Timburr and the duo, its legs shaking as it took a few steps away and then back towards the group. Eff raised his crowbar at the Pokemon quickly and in a threatening manner, causing the Ponyta to rear up before dashing off towards Cerulean city.

?My main deal is liberation of Pokemon. The bolstering of my master?s numbers.? The Timburr reached its hands into another of the bags nearby and pulled out a miniature leather jacket and a pair of of pointy, black sunglasses. Eff donned the gear and then smiled at Jack and Lappe, before leveling his crowbar at them. ?Although, I?ve been given strict orders by my superior officer to be on the lookout for a boy matching your description travelling alongside a domesticated Totodile who sits without a ball. You may not fit the bill perfectly there, seeing as how you?ve got a Croconaw instead, but? there?s a promotion in line for me if I come back successful, so I?ll take my chances.?

A question for you guys. Do you like my shorter posts or would you like it better if I expanded each one, covering a little more content each time? I could easily make each post around 2500 or 3000 words, I've just gotten used to aiming for the 1000 mark from my start in the rpt. I'd still try to sort of leave each chapter on a hanging note, sort of how I've been doing so far, they'd just be complete scenes instead of broken up like episodes of a tv show. For example, the fight with Kris would be combined and added to the entrance to cerulean and meeting Matt. So basically, unless an area is going to be gigantic in terms of content, is try to do one city per post.

I'm sorry, but the image of Eff in his sunglasses is just too cute. Timburr are adorable.

It's good that Lappe is starting to question why he's out here on this quest with Jack. Like he knows why, but not why it has to be the two of them. Really looking forward to the two of them getting more of an answer for those questions, or at least just talking about their feelings about this quest.

To answer your question, I think that doubling the length of your chapters could be good. Especially if you add more content, and not just combine planned chapters. You could always try to organically add more of the characters' thoughts and feelings. (Though I say that as someone whose chapters reach 17,000 words due to the characters' thoughts and feelings.)

Best thing to do is to try a longer chapter and we'll give you our thoughts on it. Because another part of me is glad that your chapters are the size that they currently are, since it makes it easier to read in the few minutes that I have.

I do feel bad for Lappe there, not just for his lost arm but also he's at his breaking point wondering if it's worth continuing into this journey. That Timburr seems like a feisty little fella there, seems like he'll have the advantage there with his crowbar.

As for you concern onto length of chapters, I'm totally fine either way. Like Astinus said, you can experiment with longer chapters and we'll give some feedback.

Tried to make this one a little longer and encompass the entire fight rather than breaking it up. For the next two weeks I'll be on vacation in Florida, but I've got around 3 or 4 ten plus hour drives within those two weeks so I'll hopefully be able to put in some work on decent length chapters for you guys. and maybe finish up the next chapter of Marowak's Revenge

18.

Lappe leaned backwards, falling lazily from Jack's shoulder as the Timburr took a few more steps forward, mimicked in opposite by the human boy.

"So, you're one of the Republic then?" Lappe waddled awkwardly from behind his friend, his eyes still set on the ground.

Eff smiled, "Yes, although not originally. I was rescued from a certain... other... organization by our Leader, Mewtwo." The Timburr closed its eyes and tapped the crowbar against its hand once more as it inhaled deeply, his smile disappearing momentarily. "Those are dark times that I would… rather leave in the past." The Pokemon's eyes opened and the smile returned to its face. "Why do you ask? You couldn't be familiar with us, could you?" The Pokemon chuckled quietly to itself as Lappe continued to waddle in its direction.

"As a matter of fact…" Lappe threw his left arm behind himself, covering it in a ghostly aura as he glanced down at his right. "We've got a bit of a debt to settle with them." The Croconaw raised its head and stared straight into the eyes of the Timburr across from him.

"Oooh, I like those eyes. Dull and empty, nearly devoid of emotion, much like mine before the Republic found me." The Pokemon put the crowbar behind its back and then began to twist from side to side. "Tell me, what is it that keeps you with that human, and what has your life been like while you've been by his side? Has it been fun for you, fighting all of his battles for him? Taking all of the hits while he sat idly by waiting for you to either fall or return to his hand?"

Lappe stepped forward, his eyes drifting to his side as he listened to the words of the Timburr. As he drew nearer, Eff flung the crowbar around from behind him, spinning it around in the air above him in a circle. The Croconaw shook his head and grit his teeth, leaping at the opposing Pokemon. "None of that matters right now. All that matters, is that you're part of the reason we've ended up like this!"

The Timburr smiled wildly, a light shone upon its eyes as the crowbar spinning above its head began to glow with a fiery red light. Lappe's claw rushed for Eff's face, only to be knocked away by the spinning crowbar. The Croconaw continued forward, unable to control its own momentum due to its recent disposition and simultaneous evolution. Lappe attempted to adjust itself with a Water Gun as it had been previously suited, well after its shadow claw had dissipated only to be struck in the gut with the crowbar.

The Timburr's smile slowly began to fade as the weapon in its hand lost its flame, and instead became encrusted with shards of ice which the Pokemon let loose on the Croconaw's backside as it was recovering from the previous attack.

"You're too slow, Croconaw. Perhaps if you'd remained a lowly Totodile you'd be able to dodge me with one of your other attacks. As you are now though, you're simply no match. It's pitiful really." As Eff degraded Lappe, he continued on with his rapidfire attack strategy, smashing the crowbar across the Croconaw's body in various locations as the weapon switched between ice and fire infusions.

The onslaught was quickly taking its toll on Lappe. The Pokemon's skin began to glow red in several places, and had begun to rip and tear in certain places on his back and stomach where he'd been repeatedly bludgeoned with the elemental crowbar. For nearly three minutes the abuse went on with no interruptions. The Timburr continued to whack away at the Croconaw with its crowbar, leaving numerous injuries upon the Pokemon before it finally relented.

"So, this is the relationship the two of you have? How pitiful." The Timburr looked over in Jack's direction and spit on the ground. "You've done nothing but stand by idly, like every other trainer. What use does this world have for yet another person like you?" Eff took a step in Jack's direction, shooting a momentary glance at the Croconaw beside himself before continuing on towards the boy. "You're meaningless to us free Pokemon. You provide nothing for us, only take. How can you call yourselves superior to us when all you do is-" Eff was stopped by Lappe wrapping his claw around the Timburr's leg, only seconds after the Pokemon had begun tapping the crowbar against its hand once more.

"D-don't." Lappe's eyes were swollen shut and his breathing was labored. The Croconaw struggled to lift its body, but the grip that it held on Eff's leg was like a vice. "Regardless of what happens… I…"

Eff scowled and then with two hands, swung the crowbar at Lappe's head. The attack proved to be the finishing blow, as the Croconaw immediately fell to the ground after the weapon rebounded from its head with a loud crunching sound, chipping one of the spikes atop his skull.

"Lappe!" Jack screamed out as the Timburr swung at his friend for the final time. The boy rushed over immediately, punting Eff nearly thirty yards away with a well placed, and unexpected kick to the diminutive Pokemon's chest. The boy quickly tossed his bag down beside him and fumbled through its contents, haphazardly launching them in every which direction as he searched for the potions he'd previously stocked up on. "Don't you fuckin' pass out on me again man! It's too soon for you to get the shit beat out of you like this again! Come on! Stay with me!"

Finally, Jack found the item he'd been searching for after having upturned his bag and letting every single thing drop out from within it. The boy fumbled with the potion, removing the nozzle and spraying his friend's entire body with it rapidly. Several seconds went by before Jack wrapped the Pokemon up in his arms and held it against his chest, rocking back and forth as his whole body shook. His lips were pursed, but every so often a muffled whimper would escape them as tears ran quietly down his face.

"Fuckin' hell man." The Timburr rose to its feet slowly, coughing up a small pool of blood as it used its crowbar as a crutch. The Pokemon was still in the same spot as where it had landed, but soon after it rose to its feet it began to quickly close the distance. "The fun and games are over kid. I'll give you that one cheap shot, but no more. Never again will I be mistreated by you humans! I'll fuckin' kill the lot of ya!" The Pokemon lifted its crowbar up into the air as if to attack, but quickly fell flat onto its face.

Jack took the few additional seconds granted to him and shuffled through the pile which was the contents of his bag in search of another potion for Lappe. A number of berries and dehydrated meatballs rolled away from him as he rapidly searched to no avail. "Fuck! I know I bought more than those two potions!"

"Oh, you mean these potions?" Eff was laying on his back, leaning up as he smirked at Jack. The Pokemon's crowbar had three potions attached to its split end, which he quickly pulled free and began using on himself. "I really do appreciate the gift. If you hadn't so haphazardly tossed your shit about as you people tend to do, I'd be in a real dire situation right now. But as it is, well, you know."

Jack scurried backwards, kicking away his pile of belongings as the Timburr leaped to its feet and bore down menacingly on him and Lappe, still cradled against his chest. Eff began to tap the crowbar against its hand in a much more rapid fashion before gripping it tightly at both ends. Flames trickled up the weapon at one end, and ice formed in crystals at the other as the Pokemon tossed it into the sky, reaching its hand up and catching it in the center of its length.

"Let me ask you something, boy. Did you know that Pokemon are not normally limited by the constraints that you humans place upon them? And by that, I don't mean the theft of our free will or anything of that nature, but rather, something else that I suppose you might personally find mundane. However, to us free and freed Pokemon alike it is most important to our survival."

As the Pokemon spoke, small sparks of electricity began to trickle down its arm and into the crowbar, causing the flames to turn a bright white color and the ice to shatter into smaller pieces which slowly hovered around the opposite end of the weapon, sparking with electricity which held them close to the weapon.

"The moves we can use at any given time, are and always have been greater than four. Your attempts at domestication may strip from us a portion of our memories, but we will never forget the power which we held once when we were wild and free. The Pokemon of this world have never been under the control of man, nor shall we ever! Mewtwo, our leader is strong and proud! A free Pokemon to his very core! A Pokemon with only the best wishes of Pokemon kind in his heart!" Eff slammed his feet together and struck his left hand across his forehead, standing like a statue as he saluted a figure circling high in the sky.

Jack looked above him, finally noticing the shadow which had been floating around almost since the beginning of the fight. In the instant that his head tilted to the sky, he felt something strike his chest and was filled with a number of different sensations. His whole body fell numb for a moment, and then was bombarded with a chilling wind and heat so powerful it caused his whole body to perspire.

"It's over, kid."

Jack looked down and saw the crowbar pressed against his chest, his clothes singed away and a crater slowly forming in his chest. Before he could open his mouth, an explosion caused him to fly far off into the distance along with a number of the bags that the trainers from before had dropped in their panic. Lappe landed only a few feet away from him, the Pokemon's eyes slowly opening and closing as it drifted in and out of consciousness. Lappe was completely immobilized, unable to do a single thing following the explosion. His head drooped as he tried to make out the wound on his own chest from which blood was beginning to trickle out from.

"I've done it." Eff slowly walked out from the smokescreen caused by the explosion. The Pokemon chuckled wildly to itself as it tapped the crowbar against its shoulder, its outfit and body torn to shreds and bruised from the effects of its own attacks. "My promotion," the Pokemon continued onward as one of the bags which had been blown away in the explosion slowly tilted over. "My promotion is secured now. I'll finally be able to sit at the big table with Mewtwo and the Alakazam."

Eff swung his crowbar down to his side as he approached Jack. The Pokemon used the boy's body as a pedestal and wrapped its hand around his face, tilting the boy's head up to the sky, revealing that a Pidgeotto had been the shadow hovering above them all along.

"My superior," the Timburr smiled, "he is most pleased with my results."

The Pokemon released Jack's head, causing it to dangle limply once more while the Timburr continued to stare into the sky. Jack noticed that one of the bags - no, his own bag had a Pokeball tucked away within one of the side pockets. His backpack was slowly tilting more and more every second, and was within arms reach. If only he could move, if only…

Jack struggled with all of his might to move as Eff continued to howl ever louder in triumph. The Pokemon wouldn't have noticed if an entire herd of Pokemon came rushing down the path it was so caught up in itself at the moment. Jack closed his eyes and prayed, hoping for a miracle that could help him get even just the tiniest bit closer. The Timburr's laughter slowly faded as it stepped down from the boy's lap.

"Oh? You wouldn't be falling asleep on me now, would you?" Eff placed the split end of the crowbar under Jack's chin and lifted his head, tilting the boy's face side to side as the Pokemon looked over his eyes which were sealed shut as he prayed for anything at all to help him. "Couldn't be letting you go and do that now, could I? I've got to drag you down to the headquarters yet... which won't exactly be easy if you're dead weight... that being said..."

The Pokemon let loose a series of sinister chuckles as it traced the end of the crowbar along Jack's body, lightly tapping against various points as he gauged the boy's response. After the crowbar had trailed over the entirety of Jack's body, Eff wrenched the weapon back and let loose a barrage of attacks to the boy's rib cage, causing him to instantly spit up a large amount of blood before falling over in pain, landing him just the tiniest of bits closer to his backpack. Jack clenched his eyes in pain as the weapon bounced against his body, cracking his ribs and tearing open the skin around them. He leaned backwards ever so slightly, just barely glimpsing the bag in his peripheral vision as the Timburr slowly walked up to where his head was, the crowbar still in hand and slowly being covered once more in the three elements from earlier.

"I wonder..." the Timburr smiled as he kneeled down next to Jack's face and stared into his eyes. "What do you think the higher ups would say if I only came back with the Croconaw? Surely, there's no need for yet another human clogging up our processes over there."

The Pokemon grinned menacingly as it lifted the crowbar above its head. Jack's left hand reached slyly behind him, pulling the Pokeball from his bag. He'd had no idea how the Pokeball ended up in his bag in the first place, but at the moment, that wasn't what mattered. What really mattered, was finishing this battle and saving both his and his friend's lives. He had only one chance; there was only one ball, and in the state he was in, it wouldn't even take a single strike from the crowbar to put him out of his misery.

"Jack," Lappe croaked out from a short distance away. "Jack..." the Pokemon called out again, its eyes foggy, but slightly open.

"Ah, you're just in time my friend!" Eff smiled and stayed his hand for a moment. "As liberation is my designation, I've finally come full circle with the duties of my current voyage. Lappe the Croconaw, open your eyes. Watch in awe as I liberate you from this filth you've come to call a friend." Eff smiled and then turned his attention slowly back towards Jack, who'd gained a stronger grip upon the ball still held behind his back.

The haze covering Lappe's eyes quickly faded, sobering up to the realization that Jack was about to be killed. "Jack! Run, Jack! You don't have to fight for me! I-"

As the Croconaw called out, the Timburr dropped the crowbar towards Jack's head, only to be met by a Pokeball shoved into its chest.

"You son of a fuckin' bi-"

Eff was instantly transformed into a red light and absorbed through the center button of Jack's Pokeball. The boy's eyes were wide as he dropped the item from his hand, allowing it to roll around freely on the ground as the Timburr attempted to escape. After a few moments, the ball fell deadly still and glowed with a faint, green-ish light. Nearly a minute passed before Jack threw his head back and let out a sigh of relief. The hole within his chest however, reminded him that the time to celebrate was not yet near. The boy rummaged about blindly in his bag and pulled free one of the potions he'd been previously unable to find. Jack popped the top of the bottle and poured the liquid across his chest, causing him to scream out in pain as the liquid filled in the hole and solidified itself into a blue-ish goop.

Jack slowly rose to his feet and hesitantly grabbed up the Pokeball before looking over at Lappe, who was sitting with his jaw ajar and his eyes wide, filled with fear. The Croconaw's entire body was trembling, and as Jack drew nearer, the Pokemon scrambled to its feet. The boy took a step back and clutched his chest, feeling his heart drop at the sight of his friend.

"Lappe, what's wrong man? Why are you looking at me like that?"

The Pokemon slowly closed its mouth, tears filling its eyes as its face twitched. Lappe placed his good hand against his forehead, covering his eyes before letting loose a powerful water gun, propelling himself to the other end of the path that they'd started down on.

"Lappe!" Jack screamed out at the top of his lungs, clenching at his side as he felt the fractured bones digging into him the more that he moved. "Lappe! Lappe! Lappe! Come back dammit!" The boy screamed out time and time again despite the unbearable pain building up across his body before finally falling to his knees. Jack dropped Eff's Pokeball and wrapped both of his arms around his stomach as he called out his best friend's name, over, and over again.

At the beginning of Lappe and Eff's confrontation I thought you should add a bit more of Jack's reactions there, like through body language. I like though how upset he was when Lappe was pretty beaten up there and he was trying to heal him. Lappe getting away from Jack like that, oh dear that doesn't look good there.

Hope you enjoy your vacation! :)

I do agree with Bay that there could have been more of Jack's reactions when Eff was hitting Lappe with the crowbar. It felt like Jack had kind of disappeared during that encounter until he was needed again for the potions. There could have been a little of Jack yelling, or rushing in to stop Eff, or something. Just so it felt like he was still there watching what was going on.

Things are going to get interesting for Jack. Not only is Lappe running away from him for capturing Eff, but now Jack has to deal with the captured Eff. And I guess that's West that was flying above this whole situation? Jack's gonna have to deal with him on top of everything else, isn't he?

19.

The boy once more found himself in the Cerulean city Pokemon Center. Although this time it was he who had been admitted. In step with the change of admission, his stay was likewise spent within the human wing of the facility. Jack?s bag sat on a table against the wall directly opposite him at the end of his bed. The only Pokeball he owned sat atop the bag which had been lain out over the clothes he was brought to the Pokemon Center in.

One of the teenagers who?d been running away from Eff earlier on in the day walked into his room and sat in a chair beside the bed. The girl stared at her knees, bunching up a small amount of her jeans as she clenched her fists. ?I?m sorry,? she whispered, the words were barely audible due to the splitting of her lips which had dried and become stuck together.

Jack looked out the window which was positioned on the other side of the room from her. The view was less than stellar, only showing a bland side view of the Cerulean gym. A sour taste filled his mouth as he reached for the water cup on the table next to his bed. ?It?s fine. It?s not like you could have really done anything in the first place. If you could have, then you wouldn?t have been running yourselves.?

?But it?s our fault that that Pokemon was on a rampage to begin with.? The girl began to choke on her words as the tears fell in small droplets onto her hands. ?If Jackson hadn?t released it like he did, then none of this would have happened.?

Jack slowly turned his head back towards the girl as he raised a solitary eyebrow. ?Oh? What do you mean by that??

The girl looked behind her, craning her neck around the doorway as she peeked out into the hall that she?d entered from. ?Jackson caught that Timburr. He thought it was so cool and unique since it was using a crowbar instead of a hunk of wood like the others of its kind. Jackson? he? he sent out a Timburr of his own, one that he?d had for a few weeks and set it against the one that you eventually captured as well. Of course, the one you both caught easily defeated it? that would have been fine, but Jackson didn?t stop with just his Timburr.?

At that moment, one of the boys who?d been running alongside her entered the room and walked slowly around the end of Jack?s bed. The boy stared at his feet as he walked across the room and smiled half-heartedly. ?Jen, you have no reason to be here right now.? The boy looked up at the girl, his smile widening as her eyes met his. ?Get out before you end up getting yourself into trouble. It?s not your place to rat me out or tell me how to raise my Pokemon. You?re nothing but an on-the-go seamstress.? Jen dropped her head, fixing her eyes back on her knees as she nodded. Without saying a word, the girl rose to her feet and strode quickly out of the room.

?And you are?? Jack stared at the boy who was now leaning on the rail at the end of his bed.

?The name?s Jackson. As Jen was just struggling to explain, I suppose you could say that everything that happened with this little bastard was my fault.? The boy turned and took a few steps over to the Pokeball which was carefully positioned atop Jack?s backpack. Jackson held the ball up to the light and rolled it around between his fingers, smiling all the while. ?Be that as it may,? he paused, placing the ball back on Jack?s bag. ?You wouldn?t be here right now if I hadn?t gone back for my bag. That Pidgeotto had its sights set on you for whatever reason. If me and my friends hadn?t been there to scare it away, who knows where you?d be right now??

Jack laughed to himself, causing a small amount of blood to trickle from between his lips as his body shook. The boy pulled himself up in the bed so that his back was aligned perfectly with its headboard. ?And what do you want for it? A congratulations? A thanks?? He shook his head and rubbed at his temples.

Jackson sat in the chair that Jen had previously fallen in to. The boy leaned forward, placing his hand on Jack?s bed as his eyes widened and his head cocked. ?I don?t want anything, friend. I just expect a little courtesy and respect. If I?d not put that Timburr through such trouble, you?d have never picked it up as a new member of your party. If I?d not decided to come back and grace you with my presence then-?

Kris suddenly burst into the room, placing her hand on Jackson?s shoulder and gripping it tightly. The boy looked up at her in disgust before being easily tossed from the chair. Jackson fell to the ground and rolled over, scrambling to his feet as the gym leader placed a boot in his chest and knocked him backwards. The boy tumbled over himself, falling out into the hallway before being helped up by the rest of his friends who had come along to rescue Jack from the Pidgeotto.

?Get out of my town.? Kris stared the boy down, her face expressionless and cold as Jackson wiped at his bruised cheek.

?And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? I?ll have you know that I?m-?

Before he could finish his sentence, Kris slammed the door in his face. Jackson began to pound against the cold steel of the door?s paneling, screaming with his face against the window as he grew ever more enraged. After a few minutes, Nurse Joy came barreling down the hall with a number of Exeggcute which corralled the teenagers away from Jack?s room and presumably out of the building.

Kris walked quietly around the room ignoring the nuisance that was Jackson. She leaned over a number of times as she looked beneath various objects, even going so far as to get on her knees as she searched beneath the bed and the curtains which dragged against the floor. The gym leader rose to her feet, her head slowly spun around as she scanned the room once more. ?And Lappe??

Jack shook his head and pointed at the Pokeball atop his backpack. ?After I captured it, he ran away. I can only imagine what he thought. For years I?d also been so against it? we?d had so many talks that? I was confident that for so long as we remained together, I would never use or even think of owning a Pokeball.?

Kris sighed and sat down in the same chair that Jackson and Jen had previously took. ?Well, I don?t really have any experience with these things so I don?t know what to say. I suppose an, ?I?m sorry? would suffice for starters. I hope that Matt passed on my apologies for??? The leader trailed off, motioning with her hand that she?d rather not bring up the past at the moment.

Jack nodded his head quietly, not opening his mouth.

Kris stared out the latched window and then leaned her head back, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. ?That?s good? Next I guess that I should thank you for taking care of that Timburr. He?d been a nuisance the fields to the South for quite some time? but between renovations to the gym and the problems with Matt, I just hadn?t had time to see to it yet. That Pokemon had been assaulting Pokemon and people alike for nearly a month now.?

The gym leader slowly rose and walked over to the backpack. Kris lifted the Pokeball into the air and rolled it around in a similar fashion as Jackson. The woman slowly pulled a ball of her own from her waist and pressed its center button, releasing her Jynx from its containment.

?J-j-j-jynx.? The Pokemon spun around elegantly, winking and blowing a kiss at Jack mid-turn.

?Jynx, you know what to do.?

The Pokemon nodded and then placed its hands in the air around the Pokeball, causing it to levitate out of the leader?s hand. A small purple orb formed around Eff?s ball as the Jynx closed its eyes and began to hum.

?What?s it doing?? Jack tilted his head slightly, noticing the purple glow coming from the end of his bed.

?Syncing their minds,? Kris whispered. ?It?s a very complex process, so I?ll try not to break her concentration. The gist of it is that once it?s over, she?ll be able to understand the Pokemon or person?s thoughts. It?s not perfect by any means, but it?ll allow her to tell us if there?s any hope for the Timburr or not. It?s really the least I can do for now.?

?What do you mean by hope??

?It was a member of the FKPR, as you know. Many of the Pokemon who go to, or come from that organization tend to have a stronger sense of identity and contain more strength of will than their wild or captured counterparts. The organization is? strange, to say the least. More Pokemon in the Republic know human speech than any other organization. Professor Oak for instance has been training Pokemon alongside his grandson for nearly ten years now in hopes of teaching a larger number of Pokemon how to speak our language - training which as of yet has seen very little success.?

?Jynx!? The purple orb surrounding Eff?s Pokeball dissipated slowly as the Jynx closed its hands in around it. The Pokemon spun around quickly, its eyes narrowed as it shook its head at Kris.

?Damn.? The leader sighed, ?That?s no good.?

?What?s that??

Kris took the Pokeball from her Jynx?s hands and then returned the Pokemon to its own respective ball. ?She said that it?s no good.?

?What do you mean it?s no good? Does that mean there?s no hope? What does that even mean??

?Well,? Kris paused, eyeing the Pokeball as she spun it around in her fingers once more. ?I wouldn?t say that it means there?s absolutely no hope for this Timburr. I?ve had Jynx for years now; she was one of my first Pokemon and the first that I ever hatched from an egg. She showed me her little trick a few weeks after she was born, and since then she?s been checking every single Pokemon I come across in hopes of capture.? The leader paused once more, staring at the Pokeball for ten seconds before her eyes drifted to Jack and then quickly out the window beside him. ?It?s not one hundred percent certain every time since we can?t really communicate perfectly. But usually what it means, is that the effort required to befriend or tame the captured Pokemon is more than it would be with another Pokemon of the same species.?

?No shit? I could have told you that myself. I might have a few broken ribs but that wouldn?t stop me from getting up and letting him out if I thought he?d be a little more tame than before. I still don?t like the idea of having a Pokemon locked up inside of a ball, but for the moment it?s necessary. I?d rather not get any more bruises or broken bones while I?m trying to heal up from the last ones.?

?Then you plan to release the Timburr once you leave the hospital??

?I? I don?t know?? Jack ran his left hand over the bandages wrapped around his stomach. ?Without Lappe I just? I don?t really know what to do right now. Right before Eff came along, Lappe was trying to talk to me about something. I don?t remember what it was, really, but I know it was something important.?

Kris stared at Jack, the leaders eyes trailed across the boy?s entire body as her lips slowly split open and promptly sealed back shut. After a few, painstakingly long seconds, she let out a sigh. ?Nobody can tell you what to do Jack. And until he?s captured, nobody can tell Lappe what to do either. You are the master over your own destiny. Whatever happens from here on? whatever you decide to do with the rest of your life, just remember that.?

The gym leader placed Eff?s ball back on Jack?s bag and walked slowly over to the room?s door. Kris stopped in front of the exit, her hand on the knob as she looked over her shoulder. With a final shake of her head, she left the room and slowly pulled the door behind her leaving only the smallest of cracks in it.

?Do what you want to do. Live your life for yourself and nobody else. No matter the path you take, there will be conflict after conflict waiting. This world is on a path completely of its own already. It?s up to you whether or not you?ll fall into the natural flow or fight against it for better or worse. The dead have no stock in the future, Jack. Don?t waste your life fighting for them if it?s not what you truly desire.?

The leader let her final words linger as she stared at Jack through one of the room?s windows. Finally, Kris turned her back and walked down the hall. Once more, Jack was alone. The woman?s words repeated in his head as his gaze lingered between himself and the few belongings he had. The boy looked out the window as he rubbed his side more vigorously than before.

Jack clenched his teeth and then closed his eyes, slowly swinging his legs over the side of the bed before pulling the IV drip from his arm and the potion patches from his numerous injuries. The boy?s whole body shook as he rose from the bed, leaning all of his weight against the wall as he circled around his bed. Finally, he reached his backpack and picked up the ball which was resting atop it. Jack held the Pokeball containing Eff up to one of the numerous lights in his room, taking in all of the details of the Pokemons silhouette.

The crowbar was displayed prominently, hugged tightly against the Timburr?s chest like a child cradling a stuffed Teddiursa. The Pokemon?s pointed shades protruded from its face like horns, and the jacket which covered its back seemed to absorb a certain amount of the light flooding through the Pokeball. The Timburr slowly spun around, suspended in a weightless sort of sleep as it awaited to be called by its captor.

Jack slowly placed the ball on the bed behind him and then put on his regular - and only - outfit which had been washed and folded up neatly beneath his bag. The boy slowly reached out for the Pokeball behind him and then placed it on the belt around his waist. With a final sigh, Jack limped slowly out of his room and down the hall following behind the now distant figure of Kris.