Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Roads of Light [T]

Sensei Marek
Atarip Town

Ah, Atarip town. Without a doubt, this was Sensei Marek Samson's favorite place in the entire country. The sound of the calm, refreshing ocean in the distance soothed his nerves, and made him forget the stresses of everyday life. The people here were not the nicest, but they were peaceful enough. Besides, he had a reputation around here. Even if this town was full of thieves and cut-throats, nobody would dare mess with Sensei if they wanted to stay in the realm of the living. For a moment more, Sensei allowed the calming sound of the waves and the Wingull to wash away his troubles, before returning to business. He was here to see someone.

"Uncle Decker. Good to see you again," said Marek, as he approached the Sawk before him. "What do you want, Marek?" Decker replied, in a rather menacing tone. The Throh stopped walking towards his uncle and stood, a serious expression on his face. "How is my father?" he asked, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Bad. Not that you care," Decker said indignantly. Marek took a step back. "I assure you, uncle, I still hold my father and sensei in the greatest re-" he began, but his uncle cut him off. "Save it! It's because of you that he's sick like this!" Decker shouted. Marek took another step back and looked down at his black gi. Decker cleared his throat and regained his composure. They both knew that one should never let one's emotions take control, but Marek understood that his father meant just as much to Decker as to him. They were brothers, after all. "You may see him. But know this: it is you who has done this to him. Your dishonorable leaving and your joining that silly hero team, or whatever it is called. It made him so sick with sadness that he can no longer bear it," Decker said, his voice quivering with both hatred and sadness.

Marek found his father Throh lying on a bed in a small hut in the middle of Atarip Town. "Father..." he began. The old Throh in the bed grunted in pain, and slowly opened his eyes. "M-Marek..." he stuttered. "Yes," his son replied. "I know..." the older of the two Throh began, but burst into a coughing fit before he could continue. Marek rushed over to help him, and it soon ended. "I know things have not been better between the two of us since...you joined the Crossblade Crew..." he said. Marek wanted to explain that he joined so that he could use his skills to help Pokemon in need, but decided to let his father speak. "...but it is almost my time. I will die soon, and I am happy for it. I just wanted to see you one last time..." he continued. Marek tried to compose himself, but couldn't keep the frown off his face. A single tear slid down his rock-hard cheek, and fell onto the floor. "I know, one way or another, you'll do me proud..." and with that, Marek's father fell into the clutches of sleep once again. Whether he would wake this time, nobody knew, though it was only a matter of time.

It was several hours before Marek was able to get himself together. Taking a deep breath, and exhaling, he walked once again on the streets of Atarip Town. During his crossing, he couldn't help noticing that the board which usually had all sorts of jobs posted upon it was blank. He knew who had done this: his teammate Sareli. At least, she was the most likely suspect. The sneaky Delcatty wouldn't think twice before being greedy. Still, he respected her as his superior.

Marek, deciding that there was nothing better to do, made his way to the Crossblade Crew's base, which wasn't far from Atarip Town itself. On his way, he paid a visit to the shop and bought an Oran Berry to revitalize himself with. Marek finally made it to the base, and saw that it was deserted except for one Pokemon besides himself: Sareli. She sat casually, studying the various job notices which Sensei was now certain she had taken from the bulletin board.

"Very relax today, don't you think?" he said, not sparing a second glance to see if he had startled her. He walked over to his bed and sat upon it, beginning his daily stretching routine. First, he cracked his fists, then began stretching his arms one by one. "Did you find a good job? Personally, I feel like a bounty hunting job."

Sareli suddenly turned to Marek. "You know, it's not a good idea to surprise your captain." Sareli turned back to the jobs. "Well, it's a lot to pick from. I'm not that sure on which one to pick, though." The Delcatty stood up and walked to the kitchen. It was a simple room with a few wooden cabinets. Two Pokemon, a Pansear and a Panpour, greeted her. These two were the new cooks. And although they often got in fights with each other, they were quite skilled.
Sareli opened one of the cabinets and took a small, wooden box. It contained ground-up berries and a few gummis. This box was very important to her. She took a big jug and filled it with water, which the Pansear heated for her. Then, she took a bit of the berries and put it into the water. She took two gummis and put them also into the jug. She then put the box back and returned slowly.
"So, Marek... You wanted something with bounty hunting, right? I'm in the mood for treasure, so... Do you think it's possible to loot the dungeon while we're at it? Because then i'm completely for that idea. Hmm... i believe you want us to go together, yes?" The Panpour waved at Sareli from the kitchen entrance. "Excuse me, Marek."

The Delcatty walked to the kitchen and closed the door. Nobody could know the recipe to Brine Brew. It was a tasty drink, well known to pirates. In fact, the secret to making it was only for the cooks and the captains. The taste often varied, since the combinations of berries and gummis... well, let's just say there's a lot of things you can do with them.
She carefully removed the two gummis and gave them to the two young Pokemon. They gleefully ate them while Sareli took two big glasses and carefully poured the Brine Brew in it. She took one for herself, while she carried one to Marek and put it next to him. "Brine Brew. Every pirate has to drink it. It's great. Anyways, where was i? Bounty hunting, yes." She took three pieces of paper from the board. "These are the bounties. The first one is a Venomoth in the Spore Grove, located around the border between the Ferrum Woods and the Deep Ferrum Woods.. The second one is a Weezing at the Sludge Mountain. Y'know, the one near the volcano. And the last one is a Scyther. It's pretty close, in the Seasalt Cave. So, what will it be?"

Sensei Marek
Crossblade Crew Base

Sensei sipped his Brine Brew as he listened to his captain's suggestions. Indeed, the brew was the most tasteful thing that Marek had consumed in a while, but he decided not to express that right now. "Well..." he muttered, contemplating the suggestions. Seasalt Cave was close, so that way the two wouldn't have to travel too far, but Marek was up for a challenge on this particular day. "If you want to loot the dungeon while we're there, I'd suggest Sludge Mountain, since nobody really goes there except for other teams, meaning that there will be a lot of untouched treasure," he explained, "However, the toxic fumes that float around the place are the reason that nobody goes there except for Poison-types, so if you don't want to deal with that, I suggest Spore Grove or Seasalt Cave. Your choice." He placed his Brine Brew on the nightstand next to his bed and leaned back onto it. Above him, he could see his rack of belts which he had accumulated during his time at the dojo. The rows were attached to the wall above his bed with hard, steel thorns that he had found during his ventures into Mystery Dungeons. There were five racks in total, and almost all of them had the appropriate belts hanging on them in order of level. Only one of the racks, the one for his Judo belts, was missing its White Belt, which was currently tied firmly around Marek's waist.

After examining each belt, and remembering the hardships he'd gone through to obtain each and every single one, he sat back up and grabbed his cup of Brine Brew, drinking it dry in mere seconds. Realizing that this was a lapse of self-control on his part, he set the cup down, looking somewhat embarrassed despite the fact that only Sareli and the two new cooks had seen him.

"I just want a criminal to beat up," Sensei said. "A criminal to bring to justice." The thought made him remember Sylver and his band of misfits, who had kidnapped his father, and were the main reason for his banishment from the dojo. His inner hatred for them was taken out on every single criminal that the Crossblade Crew apprehended.

Protege Ike

Ike hurried down the path to the Lost Learners base. He had spent some time in scire town to visit his father (ie give him some money) earlier that day, and he didn't want to waste time. He had just read about a job, on his way out, to some uncharted area (he loved observing new areas and the Pokemon that reside there). The guild was very quiet when he entered, it was the middle of the day, so most members were busy with their lives.
He hurried to see if the job was still there.... Nope, someone must've taken it while he was gone. Darn, he thought to himself, I knew I should've taken it before I left. Oh well. A little discouraged, he began looking at other jobs he could potentially take. His goal in life was to learn about every Pokemon (and categorize them through taxonomy). So he also enjoyed bounty hunting, because it allows him to learn about different Pokemon.
Seeing no jobs that pertained to his wishes at the time, he sighed and decided to settle on a rescue mission. He hadn't been on many, but it was still a good way to gain knowledge on Pokemon. He didn't tend to take them though. In all honesty he gets scared looking at them. His mother went missing when he was young, and he's worried to one day see a rescue mission for her in the job papers. He shook his head at the thought, I think too much.
There was a lot to chose from, it felt like more and more recently, Pokemon had been getting lost in the desert. Ike had a love/hate relationship with the desert; as an electric type, many of his moves are ineffective to the Pokemon that live there, but as a flying type most of the Pokemon that live there's moves are ineffective to him. He finally ended up choosing a mission to rescue a Gligar last seen near the Desert Oasis. He thought about maybe heading back to town, to get some supplies. He preferred solo missions, because he didn't like talking to people, but since it would be in the desert he thought maybe he should ask someone to help him.

Fighter Michael Abbott

Returning from Praelia Town where he visited his parents' graves, Mike was heading back to base. He made it a habit of visiting them once a month or so to talk to them and update them on what he's doing. He hasn't been with the Breakers for very long and he was a little nervous about actually performing in the field. Looking down to his gloves, the little Tyrogue looked forward and threw a couple of punches in the air, fueling his adrenaline and desire to do his best.

Soon after, he approached the entrance to the base, located at the base of the volcano. He slowly entered the door, only to hear the voice of their new commander, Brutis. "Gather everyone in the practice yard," he overheard Brutis tell another. Not wanting to disappoint his new leader, Michael quickly ran out to the practice yard, telling others that he saw as he went. He stood in the yard, waiting for the commander to talk to them. From what he gathered, their previous commander, Brick, died during a recent mission and they elected Brutis to take his place. Michael made a solemn promise to himself that he wouldn't let anyone else die if he could help it.


Posted from Pokecommunity.com App for Android

Brutis stood in front of the gathered Breakers. He saw a young Riolu, Faber, bump into a Tyrogue. That was Abbot's son. Bruiser had known the Hitmonchan. He was a good man. His son would be just as good, if his tales were true. He gave a respectful nod to Jen, who had carried out his order. "Thank you, Jen." He gazed out at the gathered pokemon. Most of them were fighting types, others were rock types. Some of the older members were present. A Hariyama called Tidal Fist, a Hitmonlee named Bruce, and Jen of course. "I believe you know what happened yesterday..." He almost choked up. Brick was a great leader. He was a good friend too. "Brick died. I'm in command somehow..."

There was a shout from Bruce. "You're the best we got! You were the only choice!"

Bruiser smiled solemnly. "Thank you Bruce. Now that I'm in command, I need to choose my second-in-command." He glanced at the older members. Jen was smurking, almost expecting to win. The others were waiting, almost anxiously, to see who would be the Lt.. "I've been thinking for a while. There was one of you who stood out among the rest." Jen smiled yet again, this time even wider. "Dan, come up here." Tidal Fist came onto the stone platform. "You're my official lieutenant." He beamed with pride and bowed. "The rest of you, there are several different jobs we have to choose from. There will be three that we'll take though. Bruce will lead one, Tidal Fist will lead the other, and I will lead the third."

Dan, the Hariyama, stepped down. "My group will be going to Iron Chasm to rescue a Shroomish."

Bruce stood next to him. "My group will be going to the Deep Ferrum Woods. One of our brothers went missing yesterday, and we're going to get him. It was Josham."

Bruce kept standing on the platform. "My mission is the most important, I believe." He sighed and looked down. "My group will be going to Boulder Canyon. Earlier this morning, Hedrick found Brick's body." The Machoke stepped forward, his head hung in mourning. "We're going to take him to the Breaker's burial ground." Bruiser stepped down. "Hedrick, you're coming with me. The rest of you, choose which mission you want to go on. Choose wisely." Hedrick disappeared into the base, but came out with a massive stone coffin that could contain only Brick.

Michael Abbott - Practice Yard

Mike felt someone small bump into him while standing around. Turning to see what was the cause, he saw a small Riolu on the ground. She was able to get up and brush herself off. He smiled at her, "Hi there. If you wanted to meet, you didn't have to run into me." He chuckled, showing that he was just making a joke. "My name is Mike, and...", he started to say before he was interrupted by Brutis' booming voice. He quickly turned to their new commander to listen to his words.

First he chose a new lieutenant by the name of Thunder Fist, a veteran Hariyama. Most of the group agreed that the promotion was well-deserved, and Mike felt the same, though he hoped that he would get promoted one day, when he grew up and evolved into a powerful Hitmonchan. He soon focused back on Brutis, who was announcing their new jobs. A rescue, search, and recovery mission were available. Brutis, though, were letting Dan and Bruce lead the other missions and let the other members choose which mission to take up.

Though he desired to see Brick one last time before he was buried, he realized that he wasn't strong enough yet to lift either the casket or Brick himself. Sad as it was, he had to skip the recovery mission. So he was down to two: searching for a comrade, or rescuing a shroomish from...something. He decided that searching for someone wouldn't be as exciting as fighting other pokemon in order to save another.

He walked up to Thunder Fist and bowed in deep respect, "I am Mike Abbott and I wish to join you on your mission to rescue the Shroomish." He stood silently, waiting to be accepted.


Posted from Pokecommunity.com App for Android

Sensei Marek
Crossblade Crew Base

Marek was a bit let down that the two wouldn't be able to make a long trip today. He felt like a good long walk to think things over. Still, Sareli had a point. The toxic fumes could be fatal if inhaled too often. She his superior so he would obey her. Perhaps when he got back he could meditate in order to get himself back together. The sickly sight of his father had crushed most of his spirit, but a little meditation usually did the trick. The dojo had adopted the technique of meditation from the psychic-type Pokemon, and used it to replenish their strength when they needed to do so. The Sensei listened to Sareli as she explained about the hat and the riddle her predecessor had left for her. Marek was good at riddles. He could solve this. He walked up to the table where the young Delcatty had laid out the parchment, and read what was written. The captain then began speaking, telling him about Olivia 'Golden Wing' Fennlow. Based on what Sareli was telling him, Fennlow must have been a Pokemon to be respected. Sareli seemed very fond of the Swanna, and this caused Marek to wonder if perhaps there was a time when they had been friends. He hadn't been around long enough to know.

Marek headed off to prepare the mission, not saying a word. The riddle that Golden Wing had left for Sareli kept repeating itself in his mind. It didn't seem like a riddle at all, just a simple message, but Marek knew there must be some hidden meaning behind the seemingly casual words. He reached for a cabinet and opened it, revealing a stock of berries. There were some Pecha, Oran, and Chesto berries huddled up together in a picnic basket. The Sensei took the berries from their resting place and placed them inside his own pack. There were about ten in total. He proceeded to scrounge for berries all around the room, finding a grand total of twenty more. He walked back over to his captain and handed her the bag. "I found thirty berries overall. Ten are Oran, nine are Chesto, six are Pecha, and five are Leppa," he said. "As for your riddle and your hat, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Strength and might come not from the body, but from the soul and from the heart. You don't need a hat to prove you have these qualities, because if you do, the proof is right in front of you," he explained, hoping to put Sareli's mind at ease. "For example, the fact that you don't want to go to Sludge Mountain simply for my sake is proof of that. Another would have simply left me behind and gone to seek the treasure himself."

Brutis watched the members of the Breakers break and scatter to their various positions. Hendrick, a Golem named Boulder, Jerome the Poliwhirl, and Cal the Rhyhorn, Brick's own son, came to him. "Excellent men." He approved of the men. Hendrick would carry the coffin, Jerome and Boulder would hold off the wild pokemon, and Cal would assist Bruiser with the burial rites. "I couldn't have chosen a better team, myself." He looked over the men and turned to Hendrick. "Are you ready?" He earned a nod and swung the coffin onto his back with ease. "Let's go." The troop of five set off up the mountain. It would be a relatively safe trip, but there would be some difficulty.

Tidal was approached by a young Riolu, Faber. She honored him with a bow. "I'm Faber Capella and I hoped I could join your group in the search for Josham."

Bruce lifted his chin to his mouth and stroked his chin for a moment. It wouldn't be an easy mission, but this young one could use the training. "No. Absolutely not." He said in a straight, piercing voice. After a moment of silence, he burst out laughing and shook his head. "Just kidding. Welcome aboard, Faber." Within moments, two more of the Breakers joined them: A Machop, and Jen, who was still sulking about not getting the premotion. "Excellent. Let's go." The troupe began to march south towards the Deep Ferrum Woods.

Tidal Fist was approached by a young Tyrouge, who bowed deeply. "I am Mike Abbot and I wish to join you on your mission to rescue the Shroomish."

He thought for a moment. "You look like a stubborn lad. Can you handle yourself in a fight?" Without a second for an answer, he began to thunder with laughter. "Of course you can! You're Abbot's son!" He slapped the small Tyrouge on the back and looked to the other two gathered around him. It was a Mankey called Scrambler, and a Munchlax named Void. Coincidence? I think not! "Good me- I mean tykes. Now let's go." They began their march to the east.

Mike Harrison

SMACK!!!

Mike was thrown on the wall. An Escavalier advanced towards him. "You thought I would not return huh! I have been waiting for this day for over 2 years. Now I shall take revenge for what you did to me." The Escavalier advanced towards Mike and raised his hands aiming for the kill.

"Noooooooooooo" shouted Mike jumping out of his bed. A Houndour appeared at the room and told Mike, "Come on Mike, don't scream like that in the middle of the night, it was only a dream. Sweating Mike lay down to sleep. Ever since Preston had died he had been getting nightmares about the Escavalier he had taken down the night Preston died. Mike told himself, " I hope nothing like that happens again."

Of course with his luck Mike had the same nightmares. Groaning he woke up late and went to the breakfast table grumpily. It was late and so there was nobody there. He had a good breakfast of Oran Berries and he also had some Tamato Berry juice. The spicy flavour of the juice always calmed him down.

After breakfast he walked down to the bulletin board to get some rescue jobs. He then saw his friend Wetson Freeze right next to him. He said, "Hi Weston! Looking for a job eh?"

Fighter Michael Abbott

A hearty slap on the back later, Mike was following Tidal Fist and a couple others as they were travelling east towards the Iron Chasm. A pokemon, Shroomish, was reported as being there, but seemed to be in trouble. No telling what kinds of foes they'd encounter. He got more and more excited as they walked, feeling adrenaline flow faster and faster through his body. He kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary as they walked. After a while, his attention wandered to the other teammates that accompanied him.

Scrambler, a somewhat small Mankey, was right behind Tidal. Mike knew about how fierce they were, especially when they evolve into Primeape. He thought back to the night when his dad fought against a very fierce, some said crazy, Primeape called Maniac Matt. Normally, Dad was very methodic in the ring, but it was against this powerful beast that Mike finally saw just how tough and quick-thinking Dad really was. The fight lasted 11 rounds, the longest fight Dad had ever participated in, before Maniac Matt was KOed by a Sky Uppercut. Dad was in really rough shape afterwards, enough to where he had to take a week off to recover. If a Primeape could be that powerful, he could be just as dangerous to friend and foe alike. If Scrambler could grow to be that strong, could he be trusted to be a team-player?

Behind Scrambler, there was a Munchlax called Void. This was a curious turn of events as far as Mike was concerned. Normally, Munchlax were focused mainly on eating and eating, growing larger and larger until they evolved into Snorlax. Of course, a teammate that large could be a veritable asset as a shield due to them sleeping more than usual. When they wake, however, they can be very powerful, indeed. So why would a Munchlax want to focus on fighting rather than eating? Mike decided to pay no heed to it as they continued to walk. In the distance, he saw the familiar formations of the Iron Chasm looming ahead. It won't be long before they arrived at their destination, so he decided to focus more and more on the mission.


Posted from Pokecommunity.com App for Android

Captain Sareli Meliot

"Marek, i don't think you quite understand. The hat is something passed down from captain to captain. It's a very important symbol and a captain who has never found the hat will be forgotten. However, i know you have a reason for not understanding. And i don't really mind! You are a good member and i might promote you to First Mate sometime. Either way, i believe we should go." Sareli took the bag of berries and walked outside. She turned around slowly, looking inside. "Well, Marek? You coming?" she said while chuckling a bit. This was probably going to be fun, since she hadn't been on a mission for a while. She ran until she came through Atarip town, where she slowed down to give Marek a chance of cathing up. Following the shore, she eventually got to the entrance of the Seasalt Cave.

"Alright," she said to herself. "Marek should be here in a moment. Until then, I guess I have some time to kill." So, she slowly entered the large cave. Her footsteps echoed, although the sand did make the sound a bit more faint. She made sure to go not too far, and started waiting. There should be some Pokemon coming, right? After a while, five Nincada were on the ground next to her. She grinned and took their belongings while walking back to the entrance. Still no sign of the Throh. Dang, she probably ran a little bit too fast. Oh well. The Delcatty sat down and leaned against the rock wall. She closed her eyes. The bright sun shone on her indigo fur, and the waves made a relaxing sound. Slowly, she began to fall asleep, but it was only when a Ninjask attacked her that she woke up. Quickly, she defeated the weak Ninjask. However, she was sure that this was only a stray weakling, and that the real strong Pokemon were inside with the Scyther...

Sensei Marek
Seasalt Cave

Marek understood perfectly. Sometimes, a Pokemon may feel it necessary to have some physical proof of their skills. After all, what were the belts hanging above his bed for? While the true proof of leadership lay within an individual, there were few who were experienced enough to recognize this. Therefore, physical proof was also needed. Marek respected the tradition of the Crossblade Crew as much as he respected the traditions of his own dojo, so he would not try to deter Sareli Meliot from obtaining the coveted hat. Quite the contrary, he would do his best to help her find it. Still, he said nothing. He took the remark about promoting him to First Mate as a compliment, and couldn't help smiling a bit when he heard it. Despite everything, it was nice to know he was appreciated. "Well, Marek? You coming?" Sareli chuckled, and it snapped the Throh out of his trance. Letting his train of thought go, he began to walk behind the Delcatty at a leisurely pace, even though she herself was running far ahead.

While in Atarip Town, Sensei decided to pay a visit to the bank. He'd collected quite a bit of money during his previous venture, and didn't plan on losing it all to a lowly Scyther in Seasalt Cave, though he doubted he would. Still, he took a stop at the bank just to be safe. He was greeted by a friendly-looking Alakazam with a grin plastered upon his face. "Yes?" he said simply. "I'd like to deposit 1500 Poke, please," Marek requested. The Alakazam then suddenly teleported away, but came back as soon as he left with a big, grey sack. The sack was already filled with Marek's previous deposits: some items and one thousand Poke. "Please make the deposit." Marek reached into his bag and retracted a handful of golden Poke, then put it in the bag. He reached into his own bag again, and shoveled two more handfuls of coins into the bag. "Thank you," said the Alakazam with a smile, and off he went.

By now, Marek guessed he'd have lost track of Sareli, so instead of running after her, he decided to get to Seasalt Cave and see if she had waited for him there. The cave itself wasn't that large after all, so it shouldn't be too hard. However, it was a Mystery Dungeon, and it changed all the time, so the Sensei had to be on his guard. While following the path that the shoreline itself constituted of, he listened to the relaxing sounds of the waves and the Wingull once more. The thought reminded him of something he had heard long ago, when he was but a child.

A Sensei is like the water; he is patient, he is flexible, and in the end, he always triumphs.

It had taken Marek years to come to realize what this really meant. At first, the Throh had thought that 'triumph' meant he would always defeat his foes, but this was not so. It meant that he would always overcome any obstacle life had set before him. The single sentence gave Sensei the will to go on each day, knowing that if he was patient enough, he would eventually overcome the obstacle that was his banishment from the dojo.

Seasalt Cave was within eyesight, and with it, two Pokemon: a Delcatty and a Ninjask. The Ninjask seemed to be attacking Sareli Meliot, but was easily taken out by her. Seeing how quickly the Pokemon was defeated already gave Marek an idea of the difficulty of this task. Though the Scyther would be stronger than the wild Pokemon here and there, he would've only fled to a place where he could fight off the wild Pokemon easily. If he chose this place, that meant that he could barely handle other places, which meant that he, too, must be relatively weak. If he was stronger, he wouldn't have hidden so close to the Crossblade Base. Or perhaps he was simply stupid? Either way, they were about to find out.

"Sareli. Sorry to keep you waiting," Marek said calmly. "Are you ready? Let's go." With that, he was off into the cave, expecting Sareli to stride ahead of him and lead on. The cave was large enough to echo the Throh's footsteps, but it was small compared to, say, the caves found in Sludge Mountain. If one looked to the ceiling, they would find various stalactites hanging, seemingly ready to spear anyone who would dare pass underneath them. From the points of the stalactites fell little droplets of water which fell to the ground with a small 'plop.' The falling of the droplets seemed almost simultaneous, which amplified the sound, and all of it together sounded like a leaky faucet.

"Yo," a voice came from behind Marek. He turned quickly to find a Poliwhirl behind him. The Water-type's eyes shone red with hatred. "Get the hell out of my cave, or else," he threatened. Marek walked closer to the Poliwhirl to examine him. First of all, the Throh really wasn't expecting an evolved Pokemon in the cave, even if it was only in its second form. Thinking back, the Ninjask had been a foreshadow of this also. Pokemon were getting stronger. Secondly, the eyes that glared at him were literally...red, which was hardly the correct eye color for such a Pokemon. Without warning, the Poliwhirl charged at him, readying a Bubblebeam. Marek waited for the Pokemon to get close enough. The Bubblebeam was released, and Marek was able to dodge some of the bubbles, others impacting with his rough skin. Each bubble, upon impact, stung like a needle piercing the skin, but only for a moment. Marek resisted the pain, and then lunged at the Poliwhirl with a simple punch. The Poliwhirl dodged, and, as Marek had expected, slid to the right. Taking his chance, Marek followed with a side kick straight to the Pokemon's rather large, target-like stomach, and sent him flying at the wall of the cave. The poor Pokemon tried to get up, but was unable to, and fainted.

"Did you see his eyes?" Marek asked somewhat bewildered. "Unlike anything I've seen before, especially on a Poliwhirl..."