[Pokémon] The Cursed Blessing

• Rated PG-14~ish: Some blood, language

Chapter Directory

1. Escaping
2. Defending
3. Deceiving
4. Testing
5. Fighting
6. Beginning
7. Fending

Prologue​

"So do you wish to bid farewell to your sins?" said the voice behind the booth.

"Yes, father. . ." replied the young boy, who by fate's unveiling side had been betrayed. Silently he sat, waiting for his father's instruction.

"You will have done good to have brought me what this requires," finally came from the confession booth. The young boy nodded, knowing that he could not be seen.

"I do, sir," he said bluntly.

"Very good, very decent. Now, hand it to me," said the voice quietly. As the the boy detached the object from his belt, he could feel the darkness erupt from his heart. But the darkness would not leave him. Instead, it surrounded him, and he would have to atone for what he had done. He pulled it back.

"Your partner has grown to you. If you truly wish to cleanse yourself of this wrongdoing, you must do the right thing, no matter how much it breaks your heart," said the priest. The young boy looked down to his hands. As he decided to give the Pokeball he had so hesitantly kept from the man, he glanced around the room, knowing full well that either way the man got the Pokeball or not, the police would be notified right away.

"What could I have done so badly that makes this nation of Varain wary of me alone?" he thought to himself.

Instead of handing the Pokeball to his father, he gripped it tightly. And summoning his weak voice, called upon his friend which fate had so desperately tried to trap the young one with. This would be the old man's last moments. Killing was an addiction, even if it came first by accident.

Chapter 1; Escaping​

"Mak!"

Nothing but total darkness

"'Hey, Maksus! Wakey-wakey!"

Slowly, light began to pour into his eyes. Seeing double of everything, he staggered up, clutching the rugged wall next to him.

"Ugh.. You scared me!" yelled a kid no younger than Maksus from the top of the cliff, from where Maksus had fallen from. "You're supposed to make it across, not down!" he teased. He pointed to a cliff across from the one he was on, supplementing the miniature valley. Maksus looked up, seeing the jet-black, spiky hair the kid sported. His face was fairly thin, and a bit pointy.

'You scared me, Mak," said another, slightly softer voice. From Maksus's perspective poked another head out from the side of the cliff. The other kid, a girl, had brown, long, spiky hair, and a gentle look in her eyes. She seemed a bit shy. He squinted, attempting to keep the noon sun out of his eyes. Maksus had been hiking the small valleys and mountains with his dearest friends, Aito, the boy, and Keikami, the girl. The two leapt across a fairly wide gorge, leaving Maksus on the other side. The last thing he could remember was that the two were encouraging him to jump, claiming it was no problem. He remembered falling, but not hitting the ground. . .

Maksus looked over at the wall on which his hand rested. He glanced up one last time, and sighed. With a grunt, he started to climb the rocky wall. He could see his breath in the cool, summer air. Maksus and his friends lived in the Varain Region, which was very far up North. Even in the summer, the air never reached temperatures above freezing. And often, it was much too cold to snow.

He finally reached the top, meeting two outstretched arms and open hands. He took each hand with his own, and allowed them to assist him up. He took two steps, the permafrost ground crunching beneath his feet. As he wiped his hands on his pants, he heard a soft, rapid, rhythmic beating sound. It began to get louder and louder, until the sound was directly over head. The three looked up to see five helicopters flying in a 'V' formation. As they passed, they spurred a flock of wild Starly into flight. The Starly chirped loudly as they passed the opposite way the helicopters came from. After a long, awkward silence, Aito finally spoke.

"Weird, huh? Not too often you see those copters this far north," he explained, as if to himself. He looked down from the empty, bright sky to meet Maksus's and Keikami's gaze. "Eh, oh well. Probably just some scientists or something," he finished. The three continued on their way, talking about what they planned to do when summer ended. Aito said something about becoming a Pokemon trainer, but Keikami and Maksus agreed that that was highly unlikely.

After a few more hiked hills, the three came to the edge of what seemed to be a plateau. The mountainous terrain dipped down sharply to meet frost-covered grass. The short ribbon of grass was surrounded by fir trees; the plateau was surrounded by a coniferous forest. In the center of the clearing before the forest rested five helicopters, each with a red logo that read "Rundane." The three scaled down the cliff, and inspected the helicopters.

"Abandoned. Every last one of them," Keikami said after a short while. Maksus pulled something out of his backpack. He slipped a camera out of the small, black case he had grabbed. With a flash, he got a picture. When he had finished, he put the camera away, and they continued down a winding path, eventually reaching what seemed to be a campground. Above the path, a sign spanned across, supported by a post on either side. It lingered over the road, and looked like it was going to fall any minute. The sign read 'Pontos Village.' It was a small society situated on a huge mountainside, causing the town to be in layers as it scaled up the mountain. With the combination of the surrounding forest, the town seemed to be a giant pathway.

Suddenly, there was a loud, repetitive beeping sound that rang in Maksus's ears.

Aito looked down to the watch on his wrist, and stopped the alarm. He looked up hastily at Maksus and Keikami.

"Well, I'm just in time! My dad said that we were having visitors over for supper from down south. Now, you know my dad, being a professor and all. He probably just invited a bunch of other scientists," he scowled, then nodded. "I'll give you a ring later. See ya!" he said, waving as he left them.

"I suppose I should head off home, too," Keikami said softly. With that, Maksus was left alone. He then remembered that Aito's father was a professor.

Well, of course, Mak thought, Aito's father is the renowned professor of Varain. If he's having scientists to his lab, does that mean Aito knew what those helicopters are?

6:00 PM

"Mom, I want a Pokemon," Maksus said at the counter, across the kitchen from his mother. His mom turned around and looked at him skeptically, with a cell phone on her shoulder. It was being held up with her head, leaning against her shoulder. She sighed, preparing herself and Maksus some dinner.

"Honey, I'm on the phone. Go upstairs and wash up, okay?" she said. Maksus nodded. He went across the room, and started climbing the stairs. He went up halfway, and sat just out of sight of his mother. He started to eavesdrop on her while she talked on the phone.

"But, what will I tell Mak?" he overheard. "I can't just tell him that we're getting a divorce." Maksus went up the rest of the way and sat on his bed. Suddenly, the home phone rang. Maksus hurried and got it, since his mom was on the cell phone.

"Hello?" he asked, feeling the heaviness in his own voice.

"Hey, it's Aito. Come over in two hours, okay?" Aito said on the other line.

"Yeah, but.. why?" Maksus queried.

"Remember how I said my dad had visitors? Well, they brought some pretty cool Pokemon that I want to show you. We'll be here." And with that, the conversation was over. As if on cue, Maksus's mom called up.

"Mak, dinner's ready!" she yelled up the stairs. Maksus bristled, and walked down the hallway, and slowly descended down the stairs. He sat down heavily on the chair, and began downing the awfully hot soup that had been prepared for him. His mother sat opposite of the small table, watching him. She was surprised that he was eating such hot soup so fast. When he finished, he noticed his mom looking worriedly at him.

"Mom, who was that on the phone?" Maksus asked, knowing the answer already.

"It was your father—" she answered, but Maksus cut her off.

"What did he want?" Maksus asked again. His mom now knew that Maksus overheard her on the phone.

"Mak, I—"

"Mom, I'm going. I need some time to think. I'll be back soon," he breathed. He stood up, and left the small cabin he once called home. He stomped off the porch, and marched out of the yard. He made his way to a small passageway through the thick of the forest, and over the mountain that split the town in two. He shivered as he managed his way through the passage. In his rage, Maksus forgot to put on his jacket and other supplies. All he had was his casual clothes, which were his red hooded sweatshirt, and jeans. The only other thing he did have was his camera.

As he exited the forest passage, he saw the small building that was Professor Tajiri's, Aito's father's, lab. He approached, nearly slipping on a patch of ice. Maksus thought twice about entering.

"The lights are on, so they must be here. It's only been 45 minutes since he called, but I hope they don't mind. . ." Maksus thought.

Hesitantly, he reached for the doorknob, and slowly opened the door. Soundlessly, he entered, squinting from the dimly lit room, as it was brighter than he expected. He could see four figures at the large table across the room. Maksus looked over to them, and leaned against a desk. This was the only room in the lab, and it was messy and filled with papers and stacks of books.

"Travis, take the Luxio, and Helen, you can have the Haunter. The rest are pretty much useless," he heard from the female in the middle of the group, who was obviously the leader of them. Maksus's eyes started to get used to the lights. The leader was a girl that didn't look too much older than himself. She had long, straight black hair, and a long, black trench coat. She wore heels, which made her seem a slight bit taller. Maksus could tell that she would still be tall without them. To her left stood a man with deep red hair in dreadlocks that reached the top of his back. His hair covered his eyes. Other than his pale skin and his suit, he seemed normal. He wore a black, tight suit, an odd wardrobe for this kind of climate.

To the leader's right stood another girl and boy. The other boy also had red hair, but it was brighter and spiked. He wore the same wardrobe as the other man. The other girl looked a lot like him, but her hair was brown, and in pigtails done in braids. Like the two others, she had on the suit. They reminded Maksus of spies that one would see in a movie.

Maksus could hear them talking about shipment of Pokemon, or something like that. He hadn't listened too much by the time the man with dreadlocks noticed him. He looked at the leader, and nodded in Maksus's direction.

"Well, well. What have we here?" he asked in a sly tone. The man with dreadlocks looked at the spiky-haired boy, who she previously called Travis, and Travis walked behind Maksus, preventing any sort of escape. The leader approached him, and eyed him down. She looked over to the girl with pigtails, who she previously called Helen.

"Travis, Helen, I'm leaving. Make sure this kid is dead and all evidence gone by the time Tajiri comes. This kid saw too much. And if Tajiri does arrive, make sure that he thinks nothing was going on. Talon, I'm leaving. Come on," she commanded. Talon, the man with the dreadlocks, smirked at Maksus, circled him, and exited after his leader. Maksus gulped audibly, not knowing what was going to happen. When the two had left, Travis faced him, examining him closely.

"Long, brown hair. . . baggy pants. . . hoody. . . I'd say he's just that Maksus brat," he said convincingly to Helen. She smirked, and revealed a Pokeball attached to her belt.

"Once I release my Pokemon, you're sure to be dead. Or want to be dead. In which case, I'll kill you," she said evilly. Maksus scanned the room with his eyes, looking for a means of defense. Surely, these people couldn't be serious. Maksus's adrenaline was starting to pump. Then, he spotted a gleaming object by a stack of papers on the desk he stood next to.

"I'm using Houndour. What about you, brother?" she said to Travis. Travis looked at her, and shared her smirk.

"It's all you, unless you want to share some blood. Have at it," he said. Helen reached for a Pokeball, and with a burst of light, stood a vicious looking Houndour. With fangs bared, it spit flames from its orange jowls. It leapt at Maksus, but flinched as Maksus leapt and dodged whatever the Houndour planned. He grabbed the large, seemingly-antique letter opener he saw, and wildly flailed the long blade. Helen laughed.

"You think that's going to do you any good?" she asked sarcastically. The Houndour lunged at Maksus, but he held out the blade, and covered his eyes, expecting the worst. He heard a yelp, and then a growl. He uncovered his eyes, and saw the Houndour with a wound on its front left leg.

"I'm calling back-up. They can come and take him away!" Travis said, with a tone of desperation in his voice. Maksus could tell that these two weren't used to killing. Travis pulled out a radio, and spoke into it, calling for backup. "They'll be here in just a few minutes!" he said, releasing his Pokemon. With another flash, appeared a large, rodent-looking Pokemon with brown spikes on its back, a Sandslash, wielding two ferocious sets of claws. The two Pokemon began to close in on Maksus, as Travis spoke to him.

"If you give up now, we'll take you prisoner and let you live," he said. Maksus looked at him wide-eyed, but shook his head, rejecting. "Fine, have it your way," Travis said, confidence regaining in his voice. Suddenly, the doorknob began to turn. Maksus breathed heavily, knowing his ultimate fate. This would be his last strife. The other evil people had arrived.

With his back against the wall, he stood nervously as the door next to him slowly slid open. Maksus gripped the letter opener tightly, and watched Travis's facial expression turn into surprise. Before Maksus could comprehend this change, he spun around quickly, and thrust the small blade into the new enemy's chest. Everyone in the room stood there dumbfounded, even the Pokemon. Maksus released the letter opener's handle, and allowed the stranger to fall to his knees. The newcomer spat up a little blood, and Maksus opened his eyes. He stabbed the foe right in the heart. Then, he gasped. This was no enemy; it was Professor Tajiri. Tajiri looked at him, his eyes clouded. He was no match for the long blade.

"Maksus.. You and I know that these people are bad," he wheezed, coughing between breaths. "I.. trust you," he said, wheezed again, and fell face first onto the floor. Maksus turned to Helen and Travis, who stared at him wide-eyed. Travis looked to Helen.

"Damn it, this screws up our plans. There goes all that money! Damatria's going to kill us.. let's get out of here," he said. Agilely, they escaped out a window on the opposite side of the room. Mak saw a Pokeball on the ground, and ran over to grab it. He inspected it, feeling the weight of it. It was awfully heavy for its size. Knowing full well he couldn't stay here, Maksus ran to the door. Before leaving, he turned and faced Professor Tajiri. Looking down, he spoke.

"Mr. Tajiri. . . I'm. . ." he sobbed on accident, "I'm. . . sorry," he finished solemnly. He lowered his head slowly, then ran out into the cold night air. He ran as fast as he could. Hoping to escape to Tradesville, he left everything he knew behind. He couldn't feel the cold between the running and adrenaline. Eventually, he came to a slow walk. He continued, shivering from the drying sweat. The moon stared down at him through the conifer trees, as if trying to spot him. As he walked down the winding, mountain trail, he heard a twig crack from far behind him. He spun around with amazing speed.

"Who's there!?" he shouted into the dark. From the surrounding forest, he heard the unfortunate reply.

"Maksus. I saw what happened. Please, don't leave," came the soft voice that Maksus recognized. It was Keikami. "I know you're innocent. Please. . ." she asked. She emerged from the surrounding forest, and faced Maksus.

"I'm guilty. I have to go. Good bye," Maksus said without feelings. He turned around to leave as Keikami dropped her apparent act.

"Maksus, I won't allow you to escape. You killed Aito's father. He was a father to all of us. I won't allow you to get away with it. He's like family. . ." Keikami ordered, muttering her last sentence. She held out a Pokeball, challenging Maksus. He faced her.

"He wasn't my father. I respect — er, respected him, but he can't replace my real father," he growled behind gritted teeth. He recalled the conversation his mother had on the phone earlier.

"Mak! Your father hasn't visited you in a year! You haven't talked to him since you've seen him! Professor Tajiri treated you like a son. Admit it—"

"Enough!" Mak shouted. With rage, he tossed the Pokeball he recovered from the lab. In a shower of light appeared Maksus's hinderer; the very curse he was blessed with.

12 hours ago..

The helicopter was a mere humming from the inside, where the pilot was enjoying his ride. Not only was he piloting, but he was also on his laptop, connected to a wireless internet router. With ease from the helicopter's auto-pilot function, the Rundane pilot was relaxing leisurely. He glanced from the screen a few times to make sure the helicopter was on track. Suddenly, the radio buzzed with the sound of another pilot's voice, making him jump in surprise.

"Unit 3, contacting Unit 1," said the other pilot through the radio, as if asking for permission. The pilot slammed the laptop shut, and turned it off. He grabbed the radio, and spoke into it while holding a button on the side.

"Unit 1, contacted. What do you need?" he asked casually.

"What took so long for an answer? On that site again?" Unit 3 said as he chuckled. There was a brief silence, then he buzzed in again. "The Brigade is off the shore of Liteflo. Turn that auto-pilot off, and let's get her moving!" he said with an almost redneck style of pep, "Unit 3, over."

"Unit 1, contacting Brigade. Accumulate V-formation. Unit 1 will be taking lead, Units 2 and 4 take port side, Units 3 and 5 take starboard. Remember the practice, men. Unit 1, out," the pilot commanded into the radio.

Present Time

"Tree-cko!" shouted the small, green, gecko-like Pokemon. In a fighter stance, it glared at Maksus. With another flash of light appeared a small, yellow, circular Pokemon with what seemed to be a scarf. It stood up, and with a smiling expression, screeched its apparent name. The harsh sound agitated Maksus's Pokemon, the Treecko.

"Chiiing-ling!" it cried. The Chingling looked quite harmless, and almost a bit naive. The Treecko, however, was ready to fight, and had a wicked snarl on its face. In rage, Maksus commanded his Treecko.

"Fight, Treecko!" he yelled, unsure of what techniques it knew. This was Maksus's first battle, so he didn't know what he was doing. The Treecko looked at him funnily, until the Chingling ran up to Treecko, and wrapped it up with its 'scarves'. Treecko struggled barely at all, and was released. With anger, the Treecko leapt up into the air, and did a front-flip overhead of Chingling. Treecko's tail, in its wake, slapped into Chingling, knocking it over. Chingling looked hurt, but nowhere ready to give up the fight. Keikami didn't seem worried by the hit.

"Astonish!" she commanded the small Chingling. Again it cried, but the harsh sound pounded Treecko with near physical consequence. Treecko was knocked off its feet, but quickly got back up. It jumped into the air a second time, but this time it forced its palm into the Chingling, colliding into its forehead. Small, green orbs the size of pebbles erupted from Chingling, and collided with dim lights into Treecko. The hit didn't seem to harm Chingling as much as the Pound attack, but Treecko restored a little of the stolen health from Chingling with Absorb. Chingling zoomed over to Treecko, and snaked its scarf around Treecko again, squeezing it with the intent to prevent Treecko's movement. Treecko squirmed and struggled, finally loosing its tail from the Wrap technique. It swiped its tail underneath Chingling, and executed an upper cut with its tail. Chingling was risen from the ground with this force, and both it and Treecko slammed on the ground. Treecko rolled back toward Maksus, and Chingling hopped hastily toward Keikami. Treecko and Chingling were both injured, but seemed to want to keep up the fight.

With the battlefield cleared, the two Pokemon lashed toward each other, clashing in the center of the clearing. Chingling whipped Treecko with one of its scarves, and Treecko returned the favor with a direct hit by the tail. Chingling staggered away from Treecko, and fell to the ground, unconscious and unable to take any more damage.

"No!" Keikami yelled. Chingling disappeared into the red beam of the Pokeball, and Keikami stood there, looking at Maksus. Before Maksus could recall Treecko, it ran off into the forest after giving Maksus a very hostile look. Maksus started after it, but Keikami yelled to him.

"Maksus, wait!" she begged.

"I've no patience for your little games!" he yelled angrily.

"No, I want to help you," she explained. "I know more about those people who wanted to capture you, the Thieves of Rundane," she told him. Maksus stared at her wide-eyed, with the intent of telling her to continue explaining.

Eight hours, 30 minutes ago..

The helicopters were overhead of the huge forest, with only a minute or two away from reaching Pontos Village. The pilot of the lead helicopter again spoke into the radio.

"Unit 1, contacting Brigade. We've arrived at Pontos Village. Prepare for landing," he commanded. The radio soon responded with a buzz.

"Hey, look at them. Are they the kids getting the Pokemon?" one of the pilots queried. There were Maksus, Aito, and Keikami, looking up at the helicopters. He picked up the radio.

"Yup. About six o'clock, the girl gets her Chingling. At eight, the Maksus kid gets his Dunsparce. Tajiri's kid, that Aito or whatever, already has his Teddiursa," Unit 1 explained, "Hopefully Tajiri's kid hasn't spoiled the surprise. Tajiri's getting payed to get these kids to join Rundane," he finished. The radio was silent for a minute, then another question was fired.

"How old are these kids? I don't think we should've come this way for just a couple 12 year-old snobs," the radio buzzed. The Unit 1 pilot sighed in annoyance.

"I don't know, like fifteen, I heard. Unit 1, out," he slammed the radio down. He slowed the helicopter until eventually, it was to a halt. For a second, the helicopter hovered for a second, then it descended. Finally, all five helicopters were on the ground, stationary. The group of Rundane members were in an orderly group. The girl who was the apparent leader, Talon in front of her, and Helen and Travis on either side. The pilots followed in a less orderly fashion. They made their way to Pontos Village.

Present Time

"Aito told me to stop at his place around six o'clock. I got there, and he told me about Rundane, who were apparently Pokemon researchers. They presented to me their promotional campaign, and gave me a Pokemon, saying that it was mine to keep if I joined. The pay was good, and you know I've been searching for a job for some time now, so I accepted," Keikami said, following Maksus through the bushes as he commenced his search for Treecko. She inhaled to explain more, but Maksus cut her off.

"So, why did you try to stop me, and why are you telling me this?" he asked, the fire in his eyes slowly dying.

"I saw what they did to you. I saw you come out of the shortcut after I left. They told me they expected you at eight o'clock, but you were getting there at six forty-five. I saw what they did to you!" Keikami explained. She sobbed, trying to forget the idea of Maksus getting killed. "You were supposed to get a Dunsparce, they told me. How come you have a Treecko?" she asked, wiping a tear from her cheek. Maksus shook his head in confusion. The mix of that confusion, adrenaline, rage, and coldness were making his body shudder.

"I don't know.. I'm struggling to put the pieces together.. If they were going to give me a Pokemon, why would they want me dead? The leader girl said something about me seeing too much. I think I walked in on them doing something illegal. They were talking about the shipment of Pokemon," Maksus pondered. Keikami was behind him, trying to make heads or tails from this. Maksus ducked to get underneath a low-lying branch.. As he pondered, he shivered at the thought of Aito entering his father's lab, excited to watch Maksus get his first Pokemon, only to see his own father lying there, lifeless.

"Let's go. You can't stay here anymore. And Maksus.. I'm sorry about what I said about your father," Keikami said. Maksus nodded, knowing all the events of the day were leading to nothing but mere confusion. They started on their way to the clearing where they saw the five helicopters a little after noon.

30 hours ago..

"I said $1,000 for each child that joins, no more," Travis said into the phone, in the office. On the other line was Professor Tajiri, apparently making a deal with Rundane.

"Please, I beg you, I need $1,500 for them each. I need the money," he pleaded, but to no avail.

"That's the final deal. What you get depends on my generosity, Professor. I suggest you try not to raise the stakes. I trust you will do good in getting your clients to joining Rundane. $900 each. Good day, Professor," Travis said in a snooty tone. Without waiting for a reply from the Professor, he hung up the phone, and cut off the connection. "I hate reasoning with Professors. Too smart," he said as he faced Helen, who was also busy on the phone.

Present Time

Maksus and Keikami were running as they reached the clearing. The area was oddly lit, and there were more helicopters than when they had passed this spot before. As they scanned the area with their eyes, Keikami grabbed Maksus's arm, and gasped. She dragged him behind a bush, and pointed out a guard past the helicopters underneath the temporary spotlight. Maksus made out the point that there were guards patrolling the area. Maksus watched as the guard patrolled his area. There were no other guards in this spot. After a few times, Maksus memorized his route, based on what little part of the clearing he could see. He circled the first five helicopters, then looped around the new ones that had previously landed, ultimately creating a figure eight as he patrolled. By now, Maksus thought, Aito and the back-up Travis had called for would be looking for him. As soon as the guard finally went behind the wall of helicopters, Maksus stood up.

Only one chance! he thought.

"C'mon!" he whispered to Keikami. They snuck around the back of the old copters, making sure that their feet hit the ground as noiselessly as they could. They rounded the last corner of the block of copters, unfortunately at the same time as the guard around the new copters. Maksus and Keikami both broke out into a full sprint. The guard started to chase them, fully aware that Maksus had a bounty on himself.

"Stop! In the name of Rundane!" he yelled. Maksus looked back, but managed to keep his comments silenced. Suddenly, when they were a good distance away, Keikami stopped. Mak looked at her, his lungs grasping for the air. He tilted head in puzzlement.

"What. . ." he barely managed to inhale, then exhaled the next few words, ". . .are you doing?" Keikami grabbed her Pokeball that contained Chingling, and looked at Maksus with a sad but sympathetic look on her face.

"I can stop, but you have a bounty. I can hold the guard off while you escape," she said valiantly. Maksus stared in disbelief. She nodded, Maksus unable to form words in his mouth.

"And Maksus. . . don't get in trouble. Promise me that you'll return here without burden someday," she concluded. After a second's delay, he nodded. "Go!" she yelled. Maksus, gripping his chest, took off running as fast as his body would let him. After a few short seconds of fleeing, he came across the cliff wall that started the plateau. He looked back, seeing the small figure in the distance that was Keikami. Maksus grabbed the rugged rock wall, and started to climb. When he reached nearly halfway up, he could hear the cries of a loud creature. It was similar to Chingling's cry, he noted. As he continued climbing, he looked back to where Keikami was. He saw her weakened Chingling up against a large, purple Pokemon that looked like a goblin from where he was. It was a Loudred, from the looks of it. He was almost quite anxious to watch the battle, but knew he had to keep moving. In his mind, he cursed. He cursed at himself for allowing Keikami to actually try and take on the guard. He heard a loud shriek, and a roar. Her battle against the guard had commenced. Maksus finally reached the top, and curled over the edge. When he got to his feet, he ran down the side of the large hill, into the mountain-ridged valley. He climbed one wall, leapt down the other side, and crouched in a small inlet that was bordered by rocks. He could see his breath silhouetted against the night sky.

Maksus's hands and feet were numb, and the tip of his nose and ears stung. He almost sneezed as he pulled out his camera, which had the time on it. It was 8:53 pm. Aito had known his father was dead for almost an hour by now. Surely, if the clues were put together correctly, then Aito had joined Rundane, and there were definitely set on killing Maksus.

He took a deep breath, the constant exposure to the cold air tickling his lungs as he inhaled. He wheezed a little, and ended with a cough. Maksus stood up, and shivered as he exited the miniature cave. He stepped out into the open, noticing a couple small flakes of snow descend from above. The sky was covered by a thick blanket of clouds, signifying the beginning a blizzard. And if that happened, Maksus would get lost. He wouldn't be able to tell the hills apart, although he was somewhat familiar with the area. The monotony of the snow would have him forever lost. When it did manage to snow in northern Varain, often times it would sit for months before disappearing. Maksus made haste, but was aching too much to run. He forgot the idea of getting lost, focusing on his pain. His muscles started to ache from shivering uncontrollably. His body temperature was definitely dropping now.

"This is ridiculous," Maksus thought to himself, "I'm never gonna make it anywhere this way. It's just too cold." As if fate heard him, he saw a lit object in the distance. As he slowly came forward, his visible breath clearing, he made out the shape of the object: a house. Maksus had never ventured out this way so far before. At this rate, he figured, he would reach the house in about a half an hour. But then, he heard a heart-stopping noise. He froze in his tracks, and looked around. It was that same rhythmic beating from earlier the same day. It continued to get louder, making Maksus start to panic. He broke into a full out sprint, his speed severely handicapped. Still, he ran, his calf muscles ignoring his demand for more speed. He tripped over a root, and fell into a rut. The rut went into the ground a little way, before it was stopped by more roots. Though his face was torn from the face-plant, he rolled underneath the divot. The helicopters were getting closer, and Maksus didn't have much longer until the hypothermia would take a brutal effect. Suddenly, there was a bright light from the copters above. They must've been using a spotlight, Maksus figured. When the light was gone, and the sound faded, Maksus rolled out from underneath the divot, covered in dirt. He staggered into the night air again.

Maksus walked with a limp, now unable to run. The devastating wind pierced through the little protection that his hooded sweat shirt had to offer. But onward he pressed, against wind and snow, to get to that house. He hoped that these people would understand his dilemma. He understood that this was a gamble; these people may or may not trust him. Finally, he came into the front yard of the desolate house. Just before making it to the walkway, he tripped over a rock, and crashed down on his elbow. It ripped open a bit, making Maksus curse loudly. Again he staggered up, and leaned on the door-handle. He knocked a few times on it. He heard a high-pitched voice yell.

"Be there in a minute, hon." Maksus noticed that the house was almost entirely lit up on the inside. There must've been more people than he thought. The door opened slowly, and and elderly woman stood in the doorway. This woman was probably the same age as his own grandmother. The first thing that Maksus noticed was that she had a very cheerful expression on her face. When she looked at the torn-up Maksus, her cheerful expression left abruptly. She took off the yellow, rubber working gloves that she wore, revealing a wrinkled finger that she held up.

"Deary, what are you doing out in this bitter cold?! Come in here," she said worriedly. Her happy expression returned almost instantly. "I was just cleaning up the dishes from a meal. What brings you out here? You look like a Pokemon trainer, no doubt. My grandkids also have Pokemon!" she ranted, seeming never to run out of breath. Maksus took a look around the room, then faced her.

"Yeah, I guess you could call me a Pokemon trainer, though my Pokemon. . . I'm looking for it. It managed to escape. Anyway, I was just wondering if I could stay here a little while," Maksus explained, straining himself not to chatter his teeth. The old woman looked at him, disbelief welling up behind her wrinkled eyes.

"Oh, dear, you must return home! But Pontos village is a couple of miles away. You can't go out dressed like that! Especially since it's starting to snow," she said. "Why don't you stay here for the night? We have a spare bedroom. My grandchildren will surely enjoy your company," she finished. Maksus was surprised at how kind this lady was. She showed Maksus upstairs through the homey, elegant house. She showed Maksus the door to the guest room, and he entered. There was a huge television on one side of the room, and a big bed and fireplace on the other side. She then faced Maksus as he smiled at his own luck. He looked up at her, and she examined him.

"Is your name. . . Maksus?" she asked suddenly. He looked at here in surprise to her accuracy. His smile disappeared.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" he asked, almost urgently. He was afraid that she might know something.

"You used to be my grandchild's best friend. Do you remember Eric?" she asked. Maksus looked at her, and remembered who she was. No wonder she trusted Maksus so much. Eric was one of Maksus's school friends, and this lady was his grandmother. They used to hang out all the time, but then Eric moved away, and they never saw each other after that. Within minutes, she led Maksus to Eric's room, and they instantly recognized each other.

"Maksus! Holy crap! What are you doing here?!" he shouted, disbelief wracking him. Eric was fairly tall with short, blond, and spiky hair. He had on pajamas, probably ready to turn in for the night. At his ankles were two Pokemon: a normal-looking one that resembled a beaver, a Bidoof. The other was a pink, circular Pokemon with a leaf on its head, a Hoppip. The Hoppip held a small Pokemon treat, and the Bidoof's mouth was full of probably the same thing.

"I was, um. . . starting a Pokemon journey," he lied, "but my Pokemon ran away, and I got lost." Maksus felt bad for lying, but he was also saving himself from the awful fate that Rundane held above him.

"Hey, you lost a Pokemon? What Pokemon was it?" Eric asked.

"It was a Treecko," Maksus answered, looking down at the Pokeball that Treecko was supposed to be in.

"Hold on. . ." Eric asked as he went into his closet. He came out after a minute of digging around, and tossed a material bag to his feet. Inside were five Pokeballs. "I already have three Pokemon, and a lot more Pokeballs. You need more Pokemon to help you, so I can part with five of 'em. Well, I'm tired, so I'm hittin' the hay. 'Night, man," he said. Maksus nodded, and left back for the guest's room. He sat on his bed, looking at Treecko's Pokeball.

"I don't dare search for you with Eric's help. He'll see how disobedient you are, and suspect something." Maksus thought. He yawned, and sat back. He was lulled to sleep by the warmth of the fire, and the fatigue, and the thought that this might be the last warm bed he would ever stay in.

*~*~*

Maksus opened his eyes, but quickly squinted and slammed them shut. It was pretty bright, obviously morning. He hopped off of the bed, noticing that he had never even bothered to get in it. He paced around the room, in deep thought, when the door suddenly flung open. It was Eric.

"Hey you! You're on the news!" he exclaimed, 'I don't why though. You've only just come on. So. . . come on!" Eric motioned frantically. They both tore down the stairs, as they came to Eric's grandmother and younger sister watching television. His heart dropped as he watched the normal, happy expression on Eric's grandmother's face change to a horrified expression. Without thinking, Maksus ran out of the main room, and pulled his shoes on, racing out the front yard a violent speed.

"I hope you can forgive me, Eric! I'll return the favor to you some day!" Maksus thought, assuming the news displayed the crime scene in his hometown.

After Maksus stopped running, he saw that he was a good distance away from the house. It was bitter cold again, but this time, snow smothered the ground. Maksus had the time to go over his dilemma. He started speaking out loud to himself.

"How am I going to withstand this cold when I've been showed on the news? I'm going to die out here in this blasted wasteland!" he shouted, kicking at the dirt with rage. He stopped, hearing a very quiet whistling sound. Maksus reached down to his waste, in attempt to assure himself that he had Treecko. But, he remembered Treecko fled from him. Suddenly, he saw something leap out of a hole in the bumpy terrain. He jumped in reaction.

Elsewhere in Varain. . .

"What makes you think you can just join Rundane as an admin?" Damatria asked. She had a very intimidating look as she paced around the young boy. It was Aito, and he was in the Rundane Headquarters in Tradesville. Damatria sat in her chair at her desk, pondering. Then, her heavy mood lifted.

"I'll tell you what. If you can defeat on of my existing admins in a one-on-one battle, I'll give you the position," Damatria finally decided. Aito's face became puzzled, but he shook it off and raised a fist in determination.

"Deal."

Somewhere between Pontos Village and Tradesville. . .

"Aaah!" Maksus yelled. He flinched, and ducked in cover. Nothing happened, however. He opened his eyes, and only saw Eric's face. He leapt back, surprised that Eric followed him. He looked around, but couldn't avoid Eric's gaze.

"I know, I'm sorry! I lied!" he broke out at last, apologetically. Eric looked at him, with disappointment in his eyes.

"You could've just said that you ran away from your home. I would've understood," Eric explained. Maksus realized that the news only notified that he was missing. He was relieved so greatly that he didn't notice the real danger of the situation. Maksus looked at Eric, confused.

"So. . . Why did you follow me?" Maksus couldn't help but ask.

"I wanted to go with you. You seemed very unprepared, and with a professional trainer like me around, you shouldn't have any issues!" Eric replied cheerily. Maksus almost laughed at the word 'professional,' but his mind was swept away when something slammed the back of his head. He fell face first.

"A Treecko!" he heard Eric yell. Maksus jumped up, spitting out the mouthful of dirt that invited itself into his mouth. He gripped the Pokeball that had contained Treecko, and attempted to recall it. But, Treecko leapt out of the way of the red beam. Eric looked funnily at Maksus.

"That's your Treecko!? It seems to be telling you something!" Eric explained. As Maksus inspected closer, Treecko seemed to be pointing frantically toward the wall of nearby trees. Before he could comprehend any further, a bright beam was in his face. Before he knew it, Treecko had jumped in the way, intercepting and absorbing the blow for him. Maksus now saw the enemy. It was a wolf-like creature, with several, yellow, zig-zag patterns running down it.

"That's a wild Electrike, Maksus! And seeing as how it damaged Treecko so badly with a move Treecko should resist, I'd say it's a pretty powerful one! Catch it with a Pokeball!" Eric yelled, hardly able to contain his excitement. Maksus stood tall, and pointed at Electrike.

"Treecko, attack!" he said. Treecko brushed off some dirt on itself, and lunged in close-quarters with Electrike, hitting it repeatedly.

"That's one heck of a Quick Attack!" Eric announced. However, Treecko's palms suddenly erupted with sparks, and smoke sizzled off of them. Treecko backed off of the Electrike.

"Ah, that's the static ability! It has a good chance to paralyze on contact," Eric explained, noticing Maksus's confused look. "Before this gets worse, catch it!" Maksus looked over his shoulder, amazed at Eric's intelligence in this field. Maksus grabbed on of the Pokeballs that Eric gave him, and flung it, engulfing the Electrike with a bright light. After a few pulse-pounding seconds, it stopped shaking. Maksus walked over, and picked up the Pokeball.

"I. . . I caught it!" he yelled excitedly.

Meanwhile, in Tradesville. . .

Aito found himself in an arena, dimly lit and empty other than himself and his opponent, Travis. Travis smirked as Aito sent out the Pokemon that Rundane supplied him; a cutesy teddy-bear like Pokemon that seemed completely harmless, Teddiursa.

"That little thing will never stand a chance against my super-speedy Treecko!" he announced. In a flash of light, he revealed his Pokemon. But, it didn't look like a Treecko at all. Instead, it was a plump little Pokemon with lazy, drooped eyes, a small drill on its tail, and even smaller wings. Travis's jaw dropped.

"D-Dunsparce!?" he stammered. Dunsparce looked back toward Travis, and realizing his rage, started to burrow into a hole into the arena in an attempt to escape, but it was too late. Teddiursa was furiously slashing away with Fury Swipes. Before an entire minute had passed, Dunsparce was unconscious. Travis recalled Dunsparce, looking at Aito. He suspected that Aito was up to something.

"Wait, if I meant to leave Dunsparce at Tajiri's, then that means. . ." Travis trailed off as he pondered. At the same instant, Aito was remembering why he wanted such a high position in Rundane.

"Maksus. . ." they said at the same time.

Just outside of Tradesville. . .

"We're almost to Tradesville," Eric said, looking at his map, "so, you say these evil people of Rundane want you dead? That's odd. I've only ever heard of them supplying Pokemon professors with starter Pokemon. Maybe they're bent on world domination, like some of those other creepy organizations I've heard about in the news," he theorized, looking at Maksus. Maksus averted his gaze, but then looked at him quickly.

"Eric, doesn't Rundane have a headquarter building here in Tradesville? I heard on the news that they're having a promotional campaign in front of the building," he said, but Eric cut him off.

"Hold it. You're not wanting to sneak in through the back and get to the bottom of this, are you?" he asked. Maksus smiled.

"Not what I had in mind, but that sounds great! Thanks, Eric, you are a genius!" said before running ahead.

"You haven't changed much since I knew you," Eric sighed to himself, with almost a chuckle. He ran for him hastily. After a while, Maksus stopped, and Eric caught up to him. Eric opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he noticed Maksus staring with awe in the other direction. He turned, and saw it; standing there was the huge, bustling city of Tradesville. Maksus and Eric slowly turned toward each other, and smiled. They both ran toward the town. Maksus saw how the dirt paths turned into multi-lane streets filled with traffic and people on sidewalks. This was the busiest place Maksus had seen in quite some time. In fact, it was so different that Maksus even noticed the temperature difference, being much warmer than his hometown of Pontos village. Eric looked down from all the excitement to his watch.

"It's about noon. We have some time before Rundane's assembly starts. Let's stop at a Pokemon Center, I'm sure both of your Pokemon are wounded," he suggested. Maksus nodded, and they wandered the city a little before finally coming across the red-roofed Pokemon Center. Maksus started to walk in, but Eric grabbed him by the back of the collar of his shirt, and pulled him off of the walkway. The automatic door slid open anyway.

"You're picture is on the wall," Eric pointed out to Maksus. On the outside wall of the Pokemon Center, Maksus saw the 'missing child' sign with his photo on it. Maksus and Eric thought for a moment, then Maksus's eyes brightened.

"Give me your scarf!" he said, pulling off the midnight-black, woven scarf Eric was wearing without Eric's consent. In an instant, he had it wrapped around his entire head, save for an opening for his eyes, which were concealed by shadows anyway. He gave Eric a 'thumb's up,' and they continued to enter the building. Inside, the Pokemon Center was a very nice place. In the center of the heated room was a counter, where a nurse was attending to a trainer's Pokemon. On either side of the counter were a set of steps, each of which connected to what seemed like a balcony that over looked the room. People were standing around and talking leisurely. Maksus's veiled eyes shifted here and there until the nurse at the counter was finished with the previous trainer. Eric looked at Maksus.

"I'll handle this. Give me your Pokemon," he said slyly. Maksus slipped him the two Pokeballs, and Eric walked up to the counter. "Thank you, nurse," he said politely as he handed the nurse Maksus's two Pokeballs and three of his own. Maksus watched as the nurse simply set them on a machine, pressed a button, and removed them after an impressive display of lights. Eric thanked her and gave Maksus his two Pokeballs. "Now, let's go," he said under his breath to Maksus.

They exited the Pokemon Center. Maksus noticed some of the pedestrians looking at him funnily because of his masked face. But, he didn't care. He just wanted to end this thing going on between him and Rundane, and get back to his normal life. After a short time of no talking, the two came across a large, modern-looking building with a crowd of people gathered around a small stage and podium in the parking lot. There seemed to be guards in uniform. As Maksus inspected, he realized that these guards had Rundane uniforms. He gasped, and noticed the banner hanging above the small stage. It read "Rundane Promotional Campaign," with numerous Pokemon on it. Underneath the large pictures, small text read "Pokemon Give-away." Maksus then thought about his plan. He motioned Eric to follow him. Eric gave him a mixed look of doubt and confusion. Maksus lipped the words 'this way,' but Eric just shook his head, and approached him.

"I said, 'follow me'" Maksus said out of annoyance. Finally, after cutting diagonally through the crowd of chaterry people, they reached the corner of the building, out of site of the guards. They ran down the side toward the back, and rounded the corner. There was a dumpster against the back wall about ten meters away. Maksus sidled it, and peeked around it. Another ten or so meters away was a door with a guard in front of it. Maksus whispered something to Eric, but Eric seemed repulsed. He then gave in, and nodded. Eric walked out in front of the guard, who instantly asked him who he was. Eric commenced to shout some vulgar things. Maksus swore he could hear him say 'I got your nose!' somewhere in there, but he shrugged it off. He could see the guard grab Eric's shoulder viciously, and escort him out of Maksus's sight. Maksus took this chance to enter the now unguarded door. He entered to a small locker room, by the looks of it. It was dimly lit, Maksus barely able to make out the shape of the lockers. He exited to an uncomfortably narrow hallway. One way led to a room closed by a door, presumably an office. Maksus went the other way, which twisted around and turned into a stairway that ended abruptly with a huge metal door.

Maksus struggled to open it, but after it gave, he fell into the door, and it crashed into the wall behind the door, causing a thunderous boom that echoed throughout the building. Maksus recoiled, but slowly started to venture the walkway when he realized no one heard him. He came to a corner, which he peeked around. On the other side was a guard – looking right at Maksus.

"Hey – stop!" the guard yelled, tossing a Pokeball. Out came a bluish Pokemon with wings a vicious fangs, a Golbat. "Mean Look!" the guard hollered before Maksus could even start running. The Golbat's eyes began to glow blue, and the heavy metal door that Maksus entered through slammed with a deafening boom. Maksus ran back, trying to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Maksus turned to face the guard, his back pressed tightly against the door. The only way out was to get past this guard. Maksus had little time to duck, barely avoiding a vicious Wing Attack thrown by the Golbat. He tossed one of his Pokeballs that were attached to his waster, and Treecko emerged with a face of determination. Maksus applied his knowledge of Treecko as best as he could. "Treecko, Quick Attack!" he commanded. Treecko zoomed between Golbat's hovering legs just as the Golbat lunged. Treecko jumped up and thrust both of its feet into Golbat's back, shoving it forward. It hit the ground and spazzed quite a bit before attaining flight again. It lunged at Treecko, slamming it hard in the stomach with another Wing Attack.

"You can give up now, and walk off with a warning, kid," the guard offered, a grin spreading across his face. Maksus returned this expression with a grin of his own. The guard looked up from the veiled Maksus to see Treecko struggling to hold onto the airborne Golbat's legs. Golbat, too, seemed to struggle with the weight, as it gave a mighty flap of its wings. The gust knocked Treecko to the ground, and Golbat sling shotted into the fluorescent panel light on the ceiling. There was a bright flash, as the Golbat got shocked, and fell right on top of Treecko.

"Treecko! No!"

"Golbat!"

Both of them stood there for a moment, when the guard finally spoke up.

"You. . . you brat! You might've killed my Golbat!" he growled angrily. He started to advance with rage upon Maksus. Before Maksus could grab the Pokeball that contained Electrike, the floor underneath the unconscious Golbat lit up. Suddenly, the large, bright lump began to stand, holding up the limp Golbat. The light faded, revealing a Pokemon that looked like Treecko, but much bigger, darker green, and sleeker looking. It tossed the Golbat at the guard, knocking him into a wall with vicious power. His head slammed the wall, then the floor, ultimately putting him in the same state as Golbat. The pair laid there, a messy pile of guard and Golbat.

"Gro-vyle!" cried the new Pokemon toward the two, then looked down at Maksus apathetically. Maksus stared back, wide-eyed.

"Treecko? You. . . you evolved?" he asked. Grovyle's careless look turned into a calm sort of satisfaction, and it nodded. Maksus nodded back, looked down the hallway, then back at Grovyle.

"Okay, let's go!" Maksus said. They continued to run down the hallway, rounding two more corners before coming to the end of dimly lit hall. At the end of this oddly large hall was a wide double door. Maksus opened it, and entered, followed by Grovyle. It was dark, Maksus being unable to tell the characteristics of the room. He could only feel the floor underneath his shoes, which was a glossy sort of texture. Suddenly, blinding lights glared down, forcing Maksus and Grovyle to shield their eyes.

"Welcome, My friend! To the arena of my revenge!" he heard a familiar voice say loudly, seemingly from all around.

Just outside of Rundane's Tradesville HQ. . .

"I can't let Maksus get all the action," Eric though to himself. As the guard was forcefully escorting Eric away, the radio at his waist buzzed.

"Rear entrance, please report to the arena hallway, an intruder is inside the building. He crushed me in battle," said the guard over the radio that Maksus previously defeated. The guard escorting Eric turned around to walk away. But, Eric didn't want Maksus to have to battle backup. He crouched low, outstretched his leg, and swept the guard out from underneath his feet.

"Sorry, but I won't allow you to mess with my friend!" Eric explained. He gripped one of his Pokeballs, initiating a battle between himself and the guard. In a bright light, Eric sent out Bidoof. It looked oddly serious, for a small, naïve Pokemon. The guard almost laughed, and sent out a bigger Pokemon, which looked like a crab. It clamped its huge claws together, making a clashing sound. Eric wasn't worried though. The other Pokemon, a Krabby, advanced upon Bidoof.

Inside the HQ arena. . .

"It is really great to see you again, Mak," the voice boomed, ringing painfully in Maksus's ears. He knelt down, as did Grovyle, attempting to shake this voice out of their head. Maksus's vision was becoming doubled, as he struggled to remain upright. It reminded him of when he fell off of the cliff the day before. His vision started to black, his throat hardly allowed him any oxygen. Then, he heard the devastating voice again. "Kadabra, that's enough Disable for now."

Maksus and Grovyle stood back up, regaining their senses. Maksus saw the last person he ever wanted to see standing next to the yellow Pokemon, which was holding a spoon. Aito laughed.

"Kadabra, you've done well. Let me give Maksus my explanation," Aito said indirectly to Maksus. He reached for Kadabra's Pokeball to return it. In that same instant, Maksus glanced at Grovyle. Grovyle caught this glance, and quickly looked back at Aito. When Aito went to recall Kadabra, Grovyle vanished with amazing speed, blasting Kadabra in the face with its palm, and delivering an instant KO. Kadabra then vanished into the Pokeball. Within this half-second, Aito barely saw this happen. He knew he had underestimated Maksus's power. But, from Disable's effect, Grovyle fell to its knees again. Aito looked down upon the two and smirked. Maksus looked hostily up at him.

"That was nothing! This is what you get for killing my father!" he shouted with rage. In a bright light appeared a monstrous, bear-like creature, an Ursaring. This was the product of his victory against Travis. The Ursaring made its way to Maksus, and pulled its huge claw back, readying an attack. "Slash attack!" Aito commanded. Maksus shut his eyes, knowing what was to come. Instead of feeling the claw, he heard Grovyle shout in pain. He looked up to see Grovyle with its forearms crossed, absorbing the sure death blow. Blood ran to Grovyle's elbows. Maksus stood up as Ursaring backed off. Grovyle stood up too, but slower and more wearily. Maksus gave Aito a half smile underneath his scarf.

"Bring it."

Grovyle dashed forward, clashing its palm into Ursaring's stomach. Using Mega Drain, green, vein-like objects sucked health away from Ursaring. Ursaring countered this with its Fury Swipes. With blazing speed, it slashed at Grovyle twice, knocking it backward. Grovyle staggered back even farther, pressing its back against the wall. This was the first time Maksus saw a worried expression on Grovyle's face. Aito smirked.

"Ursaring, give it a final Slash. Then, we can move on to the main subject," he said, looking at Maksus. Ursaring gripped Grovyle by the neck, and slammed it against the wall in a choke-hold. It pulled its claw back, and thrust forward. Aito was laughing hysterically, watching Maksus as he dropped to his knees. "You had me worried when you knocked out Kadabra, but I see it was just a fluke!"

"Speaking of flukes," Maksus replied coolly. Aito turned pale as he looked at the two Pokemon. Grovyle was holding the swung claw inches from its neck, apparently having caught it. At the same time, the green veins from Mega Drain were sapping Ursaring's health. Ursaring dropped Grovyle, and stepped back, breathing heavily with fatigue. Grovyle, however, looked healthier than before. Aito was appalled.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you've got! Go, my secret weapon! Pupitar!" Aito yelled, losing his temper and tossing a Pokeball. In a flash, standing there like a wall was a blue shelled Pokemon with a glaringly-obvious amount of armor. Maksus couldn't let Grovyle fight alone, so he sent out Electrike. In a flash, Electrike was standing there, electricity dancing on the floor around its feet. Without words, the battle commenced.

The Pupitar leaned forward undetectably, and started shaking violently. Suddenly, it launched forward, slamming into Grovyle and sending Grovyle smashing though the wall. Grovyle slowly reentered the room through the hole, dazed. Ursaring charged past Electrike, set on getting revenge on Grovyle. But, Electrike shot a small bolt of electricity, hitting Ursaring, and bringing it down to a face plant, paralyzed. Grovyle jumped on the downed-Ursaring's back, and charged at Pupitar. It slammed its fist into Pupitar's blue shell, and recoiled in pain. There was no way anything was getting through that shell.

"Pupitar, start with Sandstorm!" Aito commanded as he started to sneer. Pupitar spun very rapidly, sending a wave of sand in all directions. The wall of sand hit everyone in the room; it knocked down Ursaring after it just got back up, it caused Grovyle to trip, and blasted open the doors of the arena entrance. Everything was engulfed, causing Maksus to feel as if he were blind. He could hear the struggling sounds of his Pokemon. After the seemingly-endless minutes passed, the sandstorm died down, and the floor was covered in inches of sand. He saw Grovyle sitting against the wall with countless scrapes of oozing blood. Ursaring was knocked out, and Pupitar descended from midair, ceasing its spinning. Maksus couldn't find Electrike anywhere, though. Suddenly, in a spot in the sand a few feet away from Maksus, a bit of the sand lit up. The sand got bigger, until it was a tall mound. Then, when the light faded, the sand blew off forcefully, revealing a blue, wolf-like creature with yellow spikes jutting out all over its body. Electrike wasn't an Electrike anymore.

"Aito panicked as he saw the newly-evolved Manectric. He clenched his fist, his face turning red. He stood up tall.

"Pupitar! Finish this nonsense! Earthquake!" he commanded through gritted teeth. Pupitar leapt high into the air, almost hitting the ceiling. Maksus stepped forward, raising a fist.

"Are you crazy!? You'll destroy the building and kill – " he said before he was cut off by the Pupitar. It dropped from its height, slamming the ground with incredible force. A shock wave shot across the ground, crumbling the floor as it traveled outward. When it reached the walls, the walls couldn't handle the stress, and exploded outward, sending sand out of the building in a flurry. Suddenly, Maksus's feet began to sink into the floor, and he fell through, landing on his back. The whole building was coming down right on top of him. He was struck in the head by a large piece of the ceiling. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Eric's sneaker next to his face.

*~*~*

Light poured into Maksus's eyes. He squinted, grabbing either side of his head. He felt Eric's scarf still around his head. Suddenly, he heard Eric's voice. He recoiled from the throbbing headache.

"If it weren't for my scarf, you'd be dead," Eric scolded. Maksus sat up from the concrete ground. He noticed the two buildings on either side of him, and a brick wall down the small passageway. He looked around, figuring out it was an alley. He saw Eric sitting on a trash can. "I managed to return your Pokemon into their Pokeballs and carry you here. Rundane is looking for you. You DESTROYED their building!" he yelled, as Maksus heard sirens in the far distance.

"What. . . happened?" Maksus asked, the sounds hurting from his head injury. He started taking off Eric's scarf.

"I held a guard off. As soon as I defeated him, the wall of the Rundane HQ caved in from the roof. I saw you fall, and a huge brick hit your head. People watched weirdly as I carried you from the scene," Eric explained. Maksus finished unwrapping the scarf, feeling some dried blood peeling off of his head with it. He looked apologetically to Eric, opening his mouth to say something. But, he heard an odd sound. Eric jumped off the trash can, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him behind a dumpster. Eric peeked out of the alley, toward the road. He could see many Rundane members in uniform marching in order. He heard the one in the lead say, "We must catch this perpetrator!"

Maksus cursed. He didn't mean for the HQ to get destroyed. He wanted to settle issues with Rundane. Eric could sense this.

"Hey, we have to leave now. I know you didn't accomplish your goal, but if we stay here, we're dead. I've planned a route to the south of here, through the forest. Let's escape," Eric said. They got up after the line of Rundane members passed, and slyly made their way across town. People were looking at the wounded Maksus oddly, but didn't do anything.

Finally, they reached the last road leading out of Tradesville southward. The concrete street turned into a dusty dirt road. It made its way through an expansive plain. Across the miles of plains, Maksus could see the wall of trees that they planned to go through. Maksus and Eric looked at each other, and nodded. The sun shown down on them, and the air was warm. Through the bright field, they began their journey.

Maksus and Eric started down the path. Up north in Pontos village, it was freezing. But, the climate south of the plateau was warmer. It actually felt how summer should feel. On either side of the path, fields of tall grass produced waves in the wind. Every so often, the sea of grass was broken by a patch of yellow. Countless Pokemon were either flying above the field or were in the grass. As the two kept walking, the dirt path disappeared, and the grass underneath their feet got taller and taller. Eric looked up and saw a group of Ledyba fly overhead. He looked down at Maksus.

"It's getting dangerous to be around him. Rundane wants him dead, and being with him will be risky," Eric thought to himself, "I don't even know why they wanted him in the first place." The grassy field ended after a while of walking, coming up to another dirt walkway. A sign read "Vulna Ranch 2 miles."

They continued walking, coming across someone else. This girl looked a bit older than Maksus and Eric. She had short, golden-blonde hair done up in a ponytail, and wore a yellow, long sleeve shirt and torn-up jeans. She wore black boots reaching her upper shins, coated in mud and complimenting the torn-up jeans. Eric saw her, and turned away, almost blushing. He looked at Maksus, who looked back at him. The girl approached the two.

"Well, hello there! You guys look a bit roughed up. Can I help you?" she asked, noticing the dried blood on Maksus's face, and their dirty clothes.

"Oh, yeah! We could definitely use some food!" Eric cut in before Maksus could say anything. The girl smiled uneasily, and motioned for the two to follow her. The three walked down the path a bit, as the girl started to talk.

"I'm Jesse. Jesse Vulna, one of the owners of Vulna Ranch. Who are you?" she asked. Eric spoke up right away.

"I'm Eric Johnson, professional Pokemon trainer!" he said. He looked over to Maksus, and pounded an overly-confident fist into his chest, "and this here is Maksus, my student. I'm mentoring him to be a battler!" he said proudly. Maksus gave Eric a frustrated look. Before he could add anything, something flew out of the brush on the side of the road. The small, gleaming, metallic dinosaur-like Pokemon cowered behind Jesse's feet. She looked down at it.

"Aron, what's wrong!?" she asked it. Aron looked up at her, and wailed noisely. The screeching sound made Maksus and Eric recoil. Jesse looked at them worriedly. "I usually let Aron roam the field while I'm working, but it seems something is bothering it," she explained.

"Whatever the issue is, I'll take care of it. Maksus, leave this to me! Let Aron lead the way, and I'll take care of things," Eric said quickly. Jesse nodded, and Aron lead Eric through the tall grass. Maksus watched him trudge through the field, and disappear behind the distant hill.

"He'll be fine. He's a tough trainer," Maksus said, seeing Jesse's worried look. She smiled, and looked at Maksus.

"Here, I'll bring you to the ranch so you can rest and get some food while we wait for Eric," Jesse said. He followed her a ways to the ranch. The field on the left of the path turned into a pasture surrounded by a fence. Eventually, they came to a large house outside of the fence. She allowed Maksus into the house, and seated him at the table. It was a bit awkward for Maksus, but Jesse insisted. She left the room for a few moments, and reentered with a large sandwich on a plate. Maksus completely forgot the awkward feeling, as the sandwich filled his entire vision.

"Thank you!" he managed to say as he commenced to stuff his face. Afterward, Jesse showed him the stables behind the house. Inside the small barn, numerous Ponyta were lined up and fenced off individually. After a while, Jesse mentioned something interesting to Maksus.

"You are a trainer, I assume. Right?" she asked. Maksus nodded.

"I've been expanding the ranch quite a bit, and now it's gigantic. I've also been working on a special project. Here, let me show you," she explained. He followed her across the pasture, past a number of grazing Miltank, to a lonely shed in the forest covered by vines. Jesse opened the door, and showed Maksus inside. In the center of the room, a huge, mechanical object was humming quite noisely. In one corner, a desk with a computer on it lit up the shed alone. It reminded Maksus of a miniature version of a scientist's lab.

"What's all this?" Maksus asked, amazed. He faced Jesse, who had a look of satisfaction on her face.

"It's a Pokemon storage system," she answered. "If you ever have too many Pokemon with you, you can use the PC in any Pokemon center to send them to a storage unit, right? Well, I created my own server, where trainers can send me their Pokemon to stay on this ranch!" she explained. "But, it's never been used yet because I'm just too busy to advertise it. But, I'll let you use it if you want. Here," she continued, handing Maksus what looked like a flash drive for a computer. "Using this device, a PDA, you can access my ranch at a Pokecenter PC. Just put it into the small slot at the bottom of the computer. Take it, no charges," she finished. Maksus was awed. How could a country girl like Jesse be so smart with computers?

6:00 pm

Maksus and Jesse were sitting on the fence by the house, waiting for Eric.

"Eric and Aron have been gone for a really long time. We should look for them," Maksus said. Jesse nodded.

"Before we go, let's stop at the stables. I have an idea," she replied. In the stables, Jesse opened up two of the Ponytas' compounds. The two flaming horses stepped out, and Jesse put a saddle on each. Maksus was scared to touch the Ponyta. Jesse looked over to him, noticing his puzzled look.

"Don't worry, the flames won't hurt anyone the Ponyta trust. And whoever I trust, they trust," she explained. Maksus nodded, and slowly climbed onto the Ponyta. Jesse was right, for he could feel the heat, but it didn't hurt one bit. Jesse got onto her Ponyta, and rode out of the stable and past the road with blazing speed. They headed toward the direction that Eric and Aron left in. The wind blew past Maksus, and he could feel the night air around him. It was starting to get quite dark.

Within minutes, they came to a lone tree, but something was odd about it. The tree was covered in a silky substance. Jesse signaled Maksus to stop, and they both got off the Ponyta. Jesse opened her mouth to say something, but an extremely loud screeching sound filled the air.

"AAROOON!"

The sound was coming from the branches of the tree. Jesse instantly grabbed a Pokeball at her belt, and released a bird Pokemon with blue and red feathers from it. This Pokemon, a Swellow, was obviously well groomed and strong-looking. Without command, Swellow went into the tree, and pulled out three cocoon-looking objects. Two were small, and one was human-size. Swellow dropped them on the ground with a thud. Maksus swore he heard someone say "oof."

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!" Jesse commanded. Swellow disappeared for a split second, then reappeared on the other side of the objects. Suddenly, a white light shone from each of the cocoons, and they erupted into tiny pieces, revealing Eric, Aron, and Eric's Bidoof. Eric rolled out, and recalled Bidoof with a loss of breath. Likewise, Jesse recalled Aron, giving Eric a dissapointed look. He staggered back, looking roughed up from an obvious battle.

"We have to go!" Eric said. He stumbled from his apparent weariness in an attept to run away.

"Why – " Jesse started to ask. Suddenly, a stream of glowing green needles whizzed between the group, and stuck into Jesse's Ponyta's foot. The needles erupted, instantly downing the Ponyta. Jesse ran over to it, as it lifted its head. She looked over to Maksus.

"Do you have any Pokeballs I can put Ponyta into? None of my ranch Pokemon have Pokeballs!" she pleaded. Maksus hurriedly tossed her one, and she and Eric looked at Maksus. There were three of them, and one Ponyta. Suddenly, Maksus ducked to avoid another stream of glowing needles. Maksus looked over to them.

"You guys go on! I have a plan!" he shouted. Jesse put the injured Ponyta into the Pokeball Maksus lent her, and she and Eric got on the other Ponyta, and sped off. Maksus looked at the tree, as something purple flopped out of it messily. It slowly crawled up, and revealed its identity. It was a bug Pokemon that was very scorpion-like, and very huge. It was almost as big as Maksus. On either side was a single claw, and its tail rose above its head. It was a Skorupi.

"Grovyle, help me!" Maksus commanded as he sent out Grovyle. Maksus really didn't have a plan, he just wanted to get Eric and Jesse out of danger. Grovyle started to walk off, but Maksus stopped him.

"Hey Grovyle, what are you doing!?" he shouted. Grovyle glanced at Maksus before being struck by the same flurry of needles shot by the Skorupie. The needles stuck into Grovyle's neck, and exploded, knocking Grovyle over with seemingly great effect. Grovyle got up groggily, and sat down, completely ignoring Maksus's commands. There was something obviously wrong with Grovyle. The Skorupi approached Grovyle, and slashed it across the face.

This set off a volatile reaction. Grovyle jumped up, and started striking skorupi countless times with its forearms. As it was battering Skorupi, Skorupi thrust its clawed tail at Grovyle, sticking it and injecting some kind of poison. Grovyle fell over instantly, asleep. Skorupi started to wrap it itn an odd, stringy substance which it emitted from its mouth.

"Uh-oh," Maksus thought. He sent out Manectric, which, unlike Grovyle, was already for battle. It surrounded itself with a veil of electricity, and charged at Skorupi. It collided into Skorupi, knocking it a considerable distance. Maksus cheered silently. But, he saw some string around Manectric's ankle. Before he could figure it out, the Skorupi pulled at the string, and yanked Manectric right off of the ground. Skorupi gave more force, and swung Manectric over its head with its surprising strength. It slammed Manectric into a tree, and dropped it to the ground. Maksus was awed by the small insects strength.

"Manectric, listen up! Use your electricity to shock Skorupi!" Maksus commanded as the Skorupi started to swing Manectric in the air again. "Use Charge!" Manectric, while being flung over the Skorupi's head, struggled to nod. It focused its energy, then electricity started to flow throughout its body. Using the charged energy, an electric current flowed down the string, and blasted Skorupi with great power. It let go of the string, dropping Manectric to the ground. Electricity swarmed around Manectric, as if it were a storm itself.

"Now, use Spark with your charged energy!" Maksus yelled. Blue electricity engulfed Manectric as it dashed forward with unimaginable speed. It ran into Skorupi, producing an explosion on impact. It was blinding bright, and thunderously loud. When the dust settled, Manectric was standing wearily next to the downed Skorupi. Maksus had an idea this time. He reached into his pack, and produced a Pokeball. He tossed it at the Skorupi, engulfing it with the red light, and capturing it. After a few shakes, the ball beeped, signifying a successful capture. Maksus returned Grovyle and Manectric to their Pokeballs. He made his way back toward Vulna Ranch.

"Man, what was with Grovyle? It didn't listen to a word I said," Maksus thought while looking at Grovyle's Pokeball. He kept walking, which seemed to take forever. But the dark, cool field felt relieving after the intense battle. The sky was a dim blue, the sun jus t over the horizon. As he stepped, he saw a couple of Spinarak scuttle away into the deeper grass. Finally he made it out of the grass to the path. He followed that a little way, and finally got to Vulna Ranch. Eric and Jesse were waiting for him. They greeted him with cheerful looks. But, his vision started to blur, and he saw Eric and Jesse's face turn to concern. Suddenly, he blacked out.

*~*~*

Maksus opened his eyes, light pouring into his vision. He felt a sense of deja vu. He sat up, and felt an excrutiating pain on the back of his neck. When he reached back, he could feel bandages wrapped around his neck. Suddenly, Jesse entered the room he was in. Maksus figured that when he passed out, Jesse and Eric brought him upstairs to rest. Jesse held a tray with a bowl of soup. Maksus nodded in appreciation, and ate it. After Maksus finished, they made their way downstairs, Jesse explaining the situation.

"You had needles in your neck with a sleeping poison. What happened out there?" she asked. Maksus showed her the Pokeball containing Skorupi.

"I captured a Skorupi. It was the reason Aron was freaked out," he explained. Jesse gave him an understanding nod as they approached Eric.

"Well, I suppose we should head out. Thank you for everything," Maksus said. Eric looked at him, surprised.

"Why so early!?" It's only eight o'clock!" Eric whined. Maksus glared at him, somehow reminding Eric that Tradesville was only a few miles away, and Rundane's building had been destroyed. They would obviusly be searching for the two. Eric sighed.

A few minutes later, Maksus and Eric were sitting on Jesse's front steps. She came out from inside, and the two stood up. She handed each a brown paper bag.

"What's this?" Maksus asked. Eric started to peek inside his.

"It's some food for your journey," she answered. Maksus and Eric nodded thankfully. "Farewell," Jesse finished as Maksus and Eric started down the path toward the south. Maksus looked at the small device that Jesse called a PDA. It had small buttons with a number and a couple of letters on each. In fact, Maksus noticed it looked like a cell phone. . .

"What is that?" Eric asked, noticing Maksus tinkering with the PDA. Maksus looked up at him.

"Jesse gave this to me, it's called a PDA. It gives me extra storage in my PC," Maksus explained. Eric nodded thoughtfully, as if holding something back from Maksus. He then pulled one out that looked exactly like it.

"She gave me one, too. She said it also works like a phone," Eric explained. Maksus guessed right; it was indeed a phone. After exploring the menus a bit, the exchanged numbers.

The sun hung high overhead as the two continued. They stopped at a small patch of trees to eat some of their food for lunch. Maksus thought about telling Eric about how Grovyle was acting, but decided against it. After a short meal, the two left the shady area and made their way back into the blinding sunlight. They walked endlessly, to the point of sunset. Finally, they rounded a hill, and sure enough, they saw it.

After walking the entire length of the expansive field, the two came to the wall of the forest. Gigantic trees that were many times the size of skyscrapers towered over them. Light was pouring at them from the trees in an eerie manner from the setting sun. Maksus started on his way to the wall of trees, but Eric stopped him.

"Maksus. . . This place gives me a bad feeling. . ." Eric said quietly. Maksus looked at Eric oddly. Eric turned away from Maksus, heading the opposite way. Maksus shouted to him.

Chapter 6 |​

Through the glaring moonlight, Eric stepped along the worn path. He felt bad for leaving Maksus alone to get through the woods at night. But, things were getting too risky for him. As he stepped, he came across Vulna Ranch. He followed the path along the fence for a way. Finally, he came across Jesse's house. But, something struck him as odd. In the open doorway, Jesse was talking to a small group of people. . . which Eric quickly realized was a branch of Rundane. Suddenly, they turned his way, and left the house. Using the darkness to his advantage, Eric jumped into the side brush along the road. From inside the tall grass, as he knelt, he saw numerous feet with modern, fancy boots on. He heard one of the Rundane members say "We need to get my Treecko back from this Maksus kid!"

Eric gasped.

"Get Treecko back?! What's that supposed to mean?" he thought to himself. He waited until the Rundane group was out of sight before rushing out of the brush, and knocking against Jesse's door. She opened up, and looked at Eric oddly.

"What do you need, Eric?" she asked. "Where's Mak?"

"We need to talk."

***

Maksus stepped through the dense forest, ducking underneath walls of branches and climbing fallen trees to avoid poison ivy. After ducking under a large wall of branches, he came to a clearing. He could see the moon hanging in the clear, star-dotted sky. Maksus could also see his own breath. Despite being a warmer area than his hometown, it was still cold at night here. He zipped his hoody up to his neck, and shivered, continuing on his way across the clearing. Suddenly, he felt his side pocket vibrate. He looked down at the small phone-like object that Jesse had given him, which was lighting up. He grabbed and unclipped it, reading the screen, which clearly stated "New Message: Eric." He read the message.

Maksus! Rundane is heading into the forest, looking for you! Jesse told them where you were headed, unaware of the trouble that you're in with Rundane. Get out of there!

Maksus slipped the phone shut, and clipped it back onto his belt, cursing all the while. He thought for a minute, and came up with a plan. It was such short notice, so he wasn't sure how well it would be. He ran back into the forest from where he came, calling upon Skorupi.

***

"Travis, should we split up?" asked one of the Rundane members. The group was gathered around the mouth of the forest, the same spot that Maksus entered in. Travis, who was wearing a Rundane Grunt uniform, cursed ludly, with his back to the questioning group.

"Graah, these grunt uniforms are so darned uncomfortable compared to the admin ones! Ooh, I'll kill you if I have to, Maksus!" Travis growled to himself. One of the Rundane grunts cleared his throat.

"Ahem. . ."

"Huh?" Travis shot, whirling around quickly to face the group of Rundane. He looked at them, three boys and a girl. He paced.

"This forest is large, and even that is an underestimate. Two of us will stay at the entrance of this forest, and the other three will explore and look for the brat," Travis explained. "Then maybe I can get my spot as Rundane admin back after I recover my Treecko. . ." Travis finished under his breath. The group looked uneasily at eachother, realizing that Travis's rage was going to hinder his commanding ability. Though he was reduced to a grunt, Travis was still in charge of the small unit. He flailed, attempting to scratch an unreachable spot on his back.

"These freaking uniforms!"

***

"That ought to do it!" Maksus said to Skorupi quietly. He got off of his kneeling position and admired Skorupi's work, using Manectric to light up the area. All around the forest, small tripwires of webbing from Skorupi lined the trees and brances, creating an invisible maze throughout the entire section of the forest.

"Enough, Manectric!" Maksus commanded. As soon as Manectric's light dissappeared, the webs became completely invisible. Maksus smiled at Grovyle, Manectric, and Skorupi. Manectric and Skorupi smiled back, but Grovyle ignored him and turned away apathetically. Maksus sighed at Grovyle's behavior, and recalled his team into their Pokeballs. He climbed a tall tree, where he had a decent view of the surrounding forest. Through the thick of the trees, he saw three figures advancing in the far distance. He could tell that they must be from Rundane, the way they were dressed entirely in black. They resembled exactly the Rundane members that he had seen in Tradesville. Maksus reached into his pack, and pulled out the long, black scarf that Eric gave him. He wrapped the scarf around his head like he had previously done. He closed his eyes, and sighed a hopeful sigh.

"Here we go."

***

Travis walked ahead of the group, sometimes taking an awkward step. Behind him, the Rundane members were whispering amongst eachother, inaudable to Travis.

"I have a bad feeling about searching for Maksus at this hour. . ." a female Rundane member whispered. As she finished, Travis fell to the ground with a deep thud. The members stopped at looked at Travis as he coughed from the impact.

"What the hell?" Travis asked to no one, attepting to unwind a strand of string from his ankles. This was the web from Skorupi, and it wasn't coming off. Travis yanked at it, but to no avail. Finally, he cursed ludly, and pulled out a pocket knife to cut through the thick webbing. "What the heck are you guys doing just staring at me? No wonder you're all just grunts!" he shouted when he finished. Travis rolled his eyes, sighed, and started walking. A few seconds later, he stopped. His whole upper body was caught in a web between two trees. He screeched and attempted to pull out of the trap, but it didn't work.

"Hey you slugs, get me out of this crap!" Travis spat. The three male grunts grabbed Travis's legs and arms, and tore him from the trap. Travis clawed at the few strands of web that stuck to his face. "Now I'm mad!" he yelled. He pulled out a bluish colored Pokeball with red bumps down the side of it; a Great Ball. In a flash, Travis sent out his Sandslash, which cried in a nasaly voice. "Sandslash, use Slash!" Travis commanded behind gritting teeth. Sandlsash dashed at the web trap, swung a claw, and tore the trap in half effortlessly. Travis sighed in victory, but it was short lived. One of the Rundane grunts apporached Travis before he could lead again.

"Travis, wait," the grunt said, pulling out a flash light. He shined the light deep into the forest, revealing countless webtraps identical to the one they encountered. Travis slammed his foot onto the ground, making all four Rundane grunts flinch.

"Okay, that does it!" Travis shouted with his teeth clenched. He whirled around and faced the grunt with the flashlight. "Good thing I brought along this spare Graveler!" Travis said. The grunt nodded, and in a flash stood a rock Pokemon with four arms and a menacing face. "Now, use Rollout!"

After the attack was called, Graveler tucked in its arms and legs, and began rolling at a high speed. It tore through one of the web traps, and kept going, ripping a line through the forest. Up in the distant trees, Maksus was watching and worrying. If this Graveler got all the way through, he would certainly have issues. Maksus skipped agilely along the branches, watching the oncoming Graveler. He was right above the Graveler's path, Maksus estimated. He just hoped the Graveler's Rollout hadn't gained too much momentum. . . Either way, he hoped Grovyle would obey him just this once. He hesitantly called Grovyle out. Grovyle sat on the branch overhanging the path, snapped off a twig, and threw it at Maksus. The small twig bounced off of Maksus with no effect. Maksus turned to Grovyle, and pleaded.

"Okay, you need to listen. There's a Graveler rolling though all of our traps, and you need to stop it. Otherwise, you'll go back to Rundane, and I'll probably get killed or something," Maksus explained. Grovyle perked at the word 'Rundane," and nodded. Maksus figured that Grovyle didn't want to go under Travis's harsh training again.

After a few moments, the Graveler was almost to the rendez-vous point below Grovyle and Maksus. Maksus was next to Grovyle, watching the Graveler approach. Maksus focused on the trail beneath. If he timed this wrong, Grovyle could get seriously injured, or worse.

"Okay, it's coming. . . and. . ."

CRACK!

Before Maksus could give the command, the branch broke, and the two plumetted to the ground. After a loud thud, the Graveler was closing in. Grovyle zoned in, and jumped up quickly into a fighting stance. Maksus coughed as he got up, and cursed. The tree branch that broke put them into grave danger, proving likely that they would get bowled over.

At that instant, the Graveler hit the branch that rolled a ways away, and bounced off of the ground. It flew overhead of Grovyle, who was keen at the moment. As time seemed to slow, the Graveler was directly overhead of Grovyle, and Grovyle shot its fist straight upward, colliding into the Graveler with a successful Mega Drain attack. It was extremely effective move directly to the Graveler's underside. There was a roar as the Graveler landed, but it kept going as if nothing had happened. But, as it rolled, it wobbled unstably, and slammed into a tree. It flopped to the ground, unmoving. Maksus had little time to claim victory. He heard the Rundane unit's voices from nearby. Maksus recalled Grovyle, and sent out Skorupi on the ground next to him. The two scaled the huge tree in an instant, attempting to flee the Rundane unit. He then hid in the shadow that the tree was making on its own branch. The Rundane unit entered the clearing, coming upon the unconscious Graveler. Travis stared at it, fear building up in his system. Travis figured that it would take an extremely powerful creature to bring down the gargantuan Graveler. He looked back up to the group.

"We need to hurry up and find Maksus before things get worse," Travis commanded in a surprisingly calm tone, "let's split up." The group walked off in different directions, but all five grunts found themsleves stuck in webbing. Unbeknownst to them, Maksus surrounded the clearing with Skorupi's webbing. Maksus climbed back up to his perch high in the shadows. Travis, who was stuck, struggled his arm against the webbing, trying to reach his Sandslash's Pokeball. He finally reached it.

"Sandslash. . ." he grunted, "get me the heck outta this!" he yelled. In a light, Sandslash appeared. At that point, Maksus dropped down into the clearing, followed by Skorupi. Travis heard them land, and tried to turn his head, but couldn't. Every Rundane member's back was to the clearing while they attempted to split up.

"Who's there!?" was all he could ask. Maksus looked at Skorupi, who knew the command. Skorupi shot the tranquilizing dart-attack at the Sandslash, instantly downing it. Travis was panicking – he had no clue who was behind him or what happened. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and blacked out. Maksus stood over Travis, the same tranquilizing needle in his neck. He did the same thing to each Rundane grunt, and using Skorupi's web, concealed them each in seperate 'cocoons.' After a short while of working, the cocoons were done, and Maksus threw them to the side.

"There!" Maksus said, looking down at his exhausted Skorupi, "I know I overworked ya, but this should hold 'em for at least an entire day! Take a long, well-deserved rest, Skorupi." Maksus climbed up a tree, out of the surrounded clearing, and jumped down the outside of the trap. He continued on his way through the forest, thinking about his feat. As he pondered his thoughts, he came to what seemed the end of the forest. But this area seemed strangely familiar. In this linear clearing stood many tents next to eachother, and a few trees with cabins in them. It almost seemed like a miniature village to Maksus.

"Why does this place seem so familiar?" Maksus thought to himself. He made his way through, examining the outpost studiously. While walking, he accidentally ran into someone, and they both fell over.

"OW!" the other person yelled, shooting back up to his feet in a blur. The young man had on a collar shirt with the letters 'VPLL'. His clothing was casual, and he had long, spiky black hair that jutted outward. What struck Maksus as odd was that he was carrying a shovel. This person seemed about the same age as Maksus.

"Watch where yer goin' – eh?" the boy said, then stopping when he saw Maksus's face. He turned around quickly.

"Hmm. . . I think I know him from somewhere. . ." the boy said quietly, but Maksus could still here him. Maksus got up, and dusted himself off. He turned to the boy, whose back was toward himself.

"Know from where, you said?" Maksus asked. The seemingly impatient boy whirled back around in a blur, and scratched the back of his head nervously with his free hand. The other hand held the shovel.

"Eh, it's nothing. . . Nothing at all! Anyway, my name's Dustin, you are?" Dustin asked.

"I'm Maksus. I'm just trying to make my way through this forest – " Maksus started, but the boy cut him off.

"Boy, it's late!" Dustin said, looking at his watch, "in fact, it's midnight! Why don't you stay at the inn here in the Midway Pass?"

"Midway Pass?" Maksus asked.

"Of course. It's the very center of the forest," Dustin answered. Maksus sighed, feeling worn out from the first half of the trip. "Here – come with me!" Dustin grabbed his hand, and ran him to a tent about halfway through the clearing.

"This is the inn. You can stay here, free of charge!" Dustin said as they walked in. Maksus cringed.

"Are you. . . someone with authority?" Maksus asked. Dustin looked at him and laughed.

"Ha, ha, of course! I'm the gym leader of Dystorm City, waaaay off to the east coast of the region!" Dustin answered. Maksus thought to himself.

"Gym Leader? Aren't those the leader of their towns and the people that run gyms? I think I remember Eric telling me about them. . ."

Maksus and Dustin walked into the inn, meeting both a Xatu and an Alakazam at the front desk. Dustin approached the two Pokemon.

"This is my friend Maksus, let him get a VIP room!" Dustin commanded nonchalantly. The Alakazam nodded, and using its psychic powers, opened the cloth that was draped over the right doorway. The left doorway was chained shut. Maksus and Dustin walked down the hallway quite a way, which seemed longer than the tent itself. Eventually, Dusting turned a corner, led the way a bit more, and opened a door, revealing a simple room with a bed, TV, light, and a PC.

"Well, good night my friend," Dustin said hastily and left. Maksus stared at the doorway that he exited through awkwardly for a few moments, then hopped onto the comfortable bed. He pulled out the Pokegear that Jesse gave him earlier that day. He tapped the buttons, sending a text message to Eric.

Eric, I made it into a 'Midway Pass' safely, and defeated Rundane temporarily. I'm sleeping in a safe spot. Message me in the morning when you get this.

Maksus then curled up, and laid there, unable to fall asleep. After a few hours, he finally fell asleep, but his mind was wracked by nightmares. . .

Chapter 6 |​