Coherence (PG-13) (Archived Story)

Started by Dunsparce August 22nd, 2006 4:08 PM
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  • 29 replies

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
I've decided to post my fic that has recieved 4.75 out of Five Stars on SPPf and has had very good reveiews on a little-known site called Hitmonet. Enjoy! :D

---Coherence---
Authored by Dunsparce
Co-Authored by ~*Commander Blizzard*~

Prologue:
Eons ago, humans and Pokémon coexisted in peace. Pokémon understood humans, and humans understood Pokémon. It was a wonderful time.

The humans built shrines and places of worship in honor of their companions. Pokémon were obviously more powerful than humans, but they considered humans as equals regardless.

Capture was meaningless. Pokémon befriended people and vice versa. There was no need for Pokéballs, and fights were few and brief. It was an incredible time, one many a human yearn for.

Nothing good lasts forever, The Golden Age being no exception. In time, enmities grew. Scuffles were more frequent in a week than they had been in a decade. The Pokémon would attack humans when they were threatened, and the humans would defend themselves with weapons.

Many saw the decay of the glorious time, but there was no way to prevent it. The empire fell apart completely.

Human children were less tolerant and patient than they had been in The Golden Age. There was no need to learn what their Pokémon said. Humans saw Pokémon only as slaves. What did it matter what a Pokémon felt as long as it understood battle commands?

The selfish attitude was a major factor in the downfall. The Golden Age could have been continued if the newer generation had taken. But it was a futile hope.

The final remnants of The Golden Age lay within the people who had been alive then, and few were capable of persuading their children and grandchildren to carry on the "gift."

As time passed, it was sheer luck that decided a human's interest in carrying on the legend. The qualities of those who lived in The Golden Age were not hereditary. It was personality that decided who did and didn't have the gift, and even those willing to learn were hard-pressed to find a mentor, for the last nomads were withering, the lost civilization dying alongside them.

It is said the best places to find those who could speak to Pokémon were the Tanoby Ruins and the Ruins of Alph.

The two temples were once magnificent, some of the very best. But carelessness and indifference cut short their glory. Now all that remains of them are crumbling wrecks.

The holy places have been turned into tourist attractions. The tourists take interest in the legends, but only those who were truly a part of it can feel the devastation, the sadness, and the loss of a gift that the human race had been blessed with.

Only a handful of people are capable of speaking to Pokémon now, and many are in their autumn years. A lineage that started back when the civilization whose name has been lost in time still exists.

A boy, 15 years old, learned from his grandparents of their own grandparents. They taught him all they knew, until they too passed from the earth.

But their work has been successful. This special boy can indeed speak to Pokémon....Most of them. Just as humans do, certain species of Pokémon have different ways of speaking, an accent of sorts. The boy can understand some Pokémon effortlessly, but may struggle with unfamiliar Pokémon. This is the tale of that adolescent.…


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Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 1: The Beginning

A sleepy sun lowered itself down out of the sky, casting a brilliant orange glow on all within its view. Night was approaching fast, and the Pokémon knew it.

A Mankey scurried through the trees, hurrying back to its arboreal home. Pidgey flocked en masse to a lonely oak tree, roosting on the fragile branches. Sentret curled their tails drowsily around tree trunks, preparing to sleep.

Noctowl awoke, and jumped into the air stealthily. Their majestic wings carried them in circles, searching for slumbering prey. Venonat lurked under tree trunks, their sensitive crimson eyes scanning the forests for potential meals.

A Lickitung dropped off to sleep, wrapped in the loving embrace of its significant other. The Lickitung stared peacefully at the sky, feeling the gentle rising and falling of its mate's torso.

All was quiet. It was a night like any other. But this night, there was something different. Illuminated by the sun's dying rays, two figures trudged down a dusty road, their eyes set on Mahogany Town.

To any passerby, they were a normal pair, a Pokémon and its owner. Perhaps the boy was intending to challenge Pryce, or merely passing through, making for Blackthorn City. Who could guess what a remarkable pair the two were?

Lee surveyed Mahogany Town with deep blue eyes. He smiled. The trip to Mahogany had not been an easy one, but it was a beautiful place to be. The small town gave off an aura of peacefulness and friendliness, and it would be a superb place to stay the night.

Lee's eyes darted towards a creature ambling over to his side. It was a Linoone, its sky blue eyes examining the town as well. Two pairs of blue eyes, both taking in the same sight and thinking the same thoughts.

Lee reached up to his head and ruffled his short hair. Dust scuttled downward, accumulated from the continued voyage Lee had just completed. His hair shone its natural inky black color, freed from the diminishing color of the dust.

Lee sported a T-shirt as black as his hair. In the center, a Magneton's silhouette loomed, the brilliant blue clearly visible against the black coloration. Beneath the silhouette was the word "Magne™" in looping letters.

Lee quite liked the shirt he was wearing. It was somewhat of a tradition to wear this shirt when he traveled. Lee had had this shirt for a few years, and would be quite displeased if the shirt were somehow ruined along the road.

Instinctively, he brushed the dust that been from his hair off his shirt. The dust fluttered down impatiently, as though it disliked being constantly uprooted.

The dirt finally settled on his mud-soaked shoes. They had been white, but beneath the loose blue jeans and clinging mud, it was difficult to discern the color of them.

The Linoone laughed internally as Lee cleaned himself. It was a big creature, larger than most Linoone typically were. Sleek, shiny fur ran down the length of the raccoon. Vivid brown strips danced along the coat.

The Linoone's name was Ziggy. Naturally, Lee had named his partner Ziggy when it had been a Zigzagoon, but he had never bothered to change it when Zigzagoon had evolved. Ziggy was too used to his own name, anyway.

They looked like any other travelers on Earth, but Lee and Ziggy were different from all the rest. When one spoke, the other could understand.

It had taken Lee a long time to decipher his Pokémon's native tongue, but he had finally figured it out. Ziggy spoke with a slight slur, but Lee could understand all he said.

Ziggy himself had taken a shorter time to learn his master's language. Pokémon could understand a fair few human words, and if Lee related his new words to words Ziggy already knew, Ziggy progressed at a remarkable rate.

It had taken Lee the better part of fours years. His grandparents had all but abandoned their lives to make sure Lee carried on the legacy. And in the end, they had succeeded. Lee himself was no one spectacular, but his gift made him more important than a good deal of the world's population.

Lee was modest, and did not brag about his accomplishment. Ziggy was equally humble (it made no difference, though; humans couldn't understand him anyway). Together the two traversed the many Regions, predominantly Johto. And so the tale unfolds....



"Here we are, Ziggy. Mahogany Town awaits!" Lee exclaimed.

"Yes, it's quite the town. Or at least it would be if we hadn't visited it some nine times prior," Ziggy remarked.

Beneath Ziggy's cool attitude, he was quite happy to return to Mahogany Town. It was rather unremarkable compared to the other towns of Johto, and he has been here before. But he enjoyed the quaint, relaxed atmosphere of the place, whether or not he showed it.

"Can you at least pretend to be excited?" He turned his head towards the Linoone, waiting for a response. Ziggy's indifference annoyed Lee at times.

"No, I can't. It's hard to feel anything other than disappointment when you look at these little shacks and realizing you spent a day just to stumble across some dilapidated town where the social outcasts live," Ziggy retorted.

Ziggy rarely felt angry at Lee, but he enjoyed their squabbles. Ziggy enjoyed stirring up trouble just for the sake of it, but he knew how far he could go before Lee got seriously annoyed.

"Don't say that, Ziggy. You know damn well that my family disowned me, and I'd rather not be reminded of it," Lee said coldly and quietly.

Ziggy didn't bother to hide his sympathy. He never meant to upset Lee, despite his constant goads.

"Lee....I'm sorry. You know that's not what I meant," Ziggy said. Even in apology, Ziggy couldn't help adding in a bit of asperity.

Lee stared at Ziggy with inscrutable eyes. He could tell his companion was genuinely sorry, but his statement had still stung, and he wanted to let Ziggy know that, indirectly at least.

"A fine way to thank me for carrying you half the way here, that was," Lee said bitterly.

Ziggy flared up instantly, "That's hardly my fault. I'd be walking with a spring in my step if that Granbull hadn't just assaulted me like that."

"Don't play innocent," Lee said. His smirk was not a contemptuous one, but an amused one. There were times when Ziggy accepted responsibility for his actions, and this was clearly not one of them.

"You bit him and you know it. Did you really expect him to walk away as though nothing happened?" Lee said, his smirk evolving into a grin.

Eager to latch onto the new subject, Ziggy shot back, "You expect me, an elegant creature of immeasurable intelligence, to let a lowly Granbull stare at me in such a way? Had I not set him straight, he would continue gawking at those who are greater than he."

" 'Set him straight?' He beat your ass in half," Lee said, laughing openly.

At some point, Lee and Ziggy had started toward Mahogany Town. They were certainly attracting a lot of attention, though no one knew exactly what was going on. Two men coming back from a fishing outing quietly discussed the boy and his conversation.

"That's quite a strange Pokémon the boy's got there. Do ya think they understand humans where they're from?" the red-capped man asked.

"I doubt it. A Pokémon's a Pokémon n'matter where it's from. I reckon the lad's just insane," said the taller man.

"I dunno, the beast seems to be understandin' him just fine," replied the smaller man, cocking a ginger-colored eyebrow.

"Then they're both insane!" the tall man declared.

Their guffaws reached a woman returning from the Pokémart. She wasn't familiar with the idea of Pokémon being out of their Pokéballs for extended periods of time. As the insane laughing reached her ears, she sped up. In her eyes, the world was going mad.

"Yo!" a voice called, interrupting the Granbull-based argument. Lee turned around to see a man grinning in his face.

Taking a startled step backward, he stared at the man. He was short, shorter than Lee, even. His plain white T-shirt seemed to be screaming under the weight of its owner. The sun's last light reflected off his bald head, coloring the brown patches resting by his ears crimson.

He reached into the pocket of his red pants, and pulled out what seemed to be a decaying piece of fudge ("That can't be hygienic," Ziggy muttered). Lee was thinking along the same lines, and exchanged a glance with Ziggy.

"I don't know....What's it for?" asked Lee quizzically.

"And is it supposed to look like a carcass?" Ziggy chimed in.

The man glanced inquiringly at Ziggy for a second, though he couldn't understand his words.

Addressing Lee, he said, "Well, sir, this is a RageCandyBar! Finest in the land, if I do say so myself. Maximum flavor for a minimal price! This heavenly treat can be yours for just 500 PokéDollars."

"That still doesn't tell me what it does, other than tasting good," Lee said.

"Assuming it actually does taste good, of course," Ziggy said quietly. Lee grinned for one small second, but suppressed it quickly.

The man frowned for the first time, and said, "Is there a problem?"

"No, of course not. Go on, tell me all about it," Lee said, adopting a false smile.

The salesman's face split into a smile once more, and he said, "Well, as you know, this incredible bar is one of the most delicious things your taste buds will ever have the pleasure of encountering. But, believe it or not, it does more than that! Feed it to your fine, furry freak here, and it'll restore the poor beast's Hit Points by twenty!"

"Beast?" Ziggy said, bristling. A snarl appeared on his face.

"That's unbelievable," Lee said in disgust.

"I know! Isn't it just too damn good to be true?" the salesman hollered.

"No, you misunderstood me. That's a terrible rip-off when you can buy a Potion at any Pokémart for just a bit more than half the price," Lee said. The salesman's grin vanished like a Sudowoodo fleeing rain.

Before he could respond, Ziggy snapped, "You might wanna peel the mold off that thing before you try selling it to anyone else, too."

The salesman changed tactics at the speed of sound.

"Oh, would you look at that! Your friend here wants some of this delicious candy bar! I don't normally do this, but I'll give him this bar for...." The salesman paused, building up what he thought was tension.

"FREE!" he exploded. Before Ziggy could even react, he opened Ziggy's mouth and shoved the brown lump in. Ziggy's eyes widened in surprise and disgust.

Ziggy gagged, and propelled the food from his esophagus.

"You alright, Ziggy?" Lee inquired. He was amused, but he new better than to laugh at Ziggy's displeasure.

"Alright?! That vile concoction tasted like something pulled out of a Grimer's anus! I may never swallow again!" Ziggy raged.

Lunging forward, Ziggy clamped down on the man's hand with his rather formidable teeth.

A cascade of gasps reached Lee's ears. Turning around, he saw a fair few of Mahogany Town's inhabitant watching him. He hadn't even heard them come.

"Zig, OFF!" Lee commanded, pulling his Linoone by its hind legs. Ziggy came free, but not without leaving his mark. His teeth dug into the flabby skin of the man, creating bloody trenches in his palm.

The man yelled loudly, flailing his injured hand madly in the air.

"I don't know what tasted worse, that Donphan manure or that pudger's slimy hand," Ziggy growled, spitting bitterly to emphasize his point. Scowling, the salesman grabbed a Pokéball from his belt.

"This'll learn ya!" he roared, throwing the Pokéball at Ziggy.

Ziggy shot a lone Pin Missile at the ball, assuming it was meant to capture it. Its aim was true, and the ball rebounded off the pin. It landed in between the man and Ziggy.

"Your aim is as bad as your grammar," Ziggy called scornfully.

But the man hadn't been attempting to capture Ziggy. Instead, the ball seemed to bifurcate. An explosion of pink sparks rocketed outward, followed by a huge, menacing shape...

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Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Hmmmm... No responses at all >.<;

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Chapter 2: The Battle

The Pokéball exploded open in a spray of sparks. From within, a titanic snake emerged.

It was composed of grayish rock, with a jagged stone column protruding from its skull. It was an Onix, and an enormous one at that. Perhaps the RageCandyBars really did help Pokémon grow.

The Onix roared into the sky, startling various birds from their homes.

The entire town rang with the cry. Villagers poked their heads out the windows to find the source of the uproar.

"Look what you got us into now!" shouted Lee, who looked up at the towering beast with awe.

In Hoenn, Rock Types never grew this huge. The mere size of the foe frightened Lee slightly, especially as Ziggy wasn't all that big compared to the Onix.

"But it’s just a giant rock… maggot… worm… thing…" Ziggy said, masking a tremor of fear he too must have felt at the appearance of the gargantuan serpent.

Ziggy placed one of his front paws under his chin, evaluating the new threat. It was big, it was powerful, but it was most likely slow. Very few Rock Pokémon could move at fast speeds, let alone out speed a Linoone.

"Ziggy...Are you sure you can beat this thing? I won't blame you if you want to quit," Lee assured.

"I think so. This thing doesn't look like it'd be running any marathons, and I'm pretty fast to begin with. Besides, do you expect me to admit defeat to this..…thing?" Ziggy responded.

At first, Lee assumed Ziggy was referring to the Onix in the last sentence. But then, with a chuckle of amusement, he realized Ziggy was in fact insulting the salesman.

"Alright then, Ziggy, give it your all," Lee told his companion.

It was an insult to Ziggy for Lee to do the thinking for him in battle. Ziggy was an intelligent Linoone, and it would work better without a human yelling suggestions and reprimands from behind it.

Ziggy decided on an Extremespeed to start. Normal Types move did minimal damage to Rock types, but it would help Ziggy ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing force.

Crouching, he awaited a move from the Onix. If the Onix and he lunged simultaneously, the impact would be twice as brutal. The Onix didn't sense this trap, and darted forward as Ziggy slunk down into a prepared pose.

Mouth agape, the Onix sent a cloud of venomous green at Ziggy: Dragonbreath. Recognizing danger, Ziggy rocketed through the air, streaks of white blazing as he cut through the silent twilight air.

Ziggy cut through the swirling mist with ease, but the Onix proved more resilient. Ziggy slammed square into the Onix's skull, but it appeared to do more damage to him than the Onix.

Ziggy landed, dazed. The Onix glowered down at Ziggy. Focusing on the foe, Ziggy realized it was the shock of the blow that kept the Onix from simply obliterating him where he stood.

"Onix, power up with Sharpen," commanded the RageCandyBar salesman.

Lee smirked to himself. Here was a weakness. Unlike his trusted Linoone, the Onix wasn't smart enough to formulate its own strategies. Its trainer did the work for it.

Incapacitating Onix's trainer was out of the question, but if Ziggy attacked rapidly, the man wouldn't have time to adequately command the Onix, and it would be unable to react to Ziggy's ever-changing strategy.

As he developed a possible technique, he noticed how sleek the Onix was becoming. The dying sun was catching the rocks so that a brilliant glow came from its hulking body. The point on its head extended ever so slightly, but Lee knew it would do more damage than before if it were to make contact.

"Ziggy, use Shadow Ball!" Lee shouted.

Ziggy glanced back, interested that Lee had decided to take the front seat in this battle.

But, Ziggy knew Lee, and Lee knew Ziggy. If Lee were to interrupt in Ziggy's preferred fighting style, there was a good reason. Unlike the man commanding the Onix, Lee was no idiot.

"Fine," Ziggy responded, unable to keep a trace of bitterness out of his voice. Ziggy sprang up onto his back legs. A crackling ball of shadows began convulsing in front of Ziggy's mouth. With the Onix's additional power, it would take more power and planning to take it down.

The salesman seemed to notice that Ziggy was charging up his next attack.

"Onix!" he yelled. The titanic snake turn its head, awaiting and order.

"Get that there rat with an Iron Tail!" the rotund fellow shouted. A brilliant white aura enveloped the Onix's tail, lighting up the small town in which they dueled.

Knowing danger was forthcoming, Ziggy ran at Onix, shadows beginning to coalesce as Ziggy finishing super powering the attack. Even with the additional energy, Ziggy felt sure a close-range attack would deal a harsher blow.

Mere yards away, Ziggy unleashed a huge Shadow Ball. The sphere of darkness ripped through the air like the scythes of a Kabutops flying at the rock snake.

Surprising both Lee and Ziggy by thinking on its own, the Onix shoved its tail at the oncoming attack. Its aim was precise; the attack impaled the midnight-black orb, sending wisps of crackling energy everywhere.

The attack didn't stop there, though. Onix sent its tail slicing at the shocked Linoone.

Thinking fast, Ziggy shot to the left, avoiding certain defeat. Onix's tail met the ground first, followed by the rest of its hefty body.

Lee smiled. Despite the Onix's power, it had not the speed to compete with a well-trained Linoone.

Just as the triumphant thought ran through his head, the Onix's tail whipped to the left, a lethal boomerang of iron energy. Ziggy didn't even see the attack coming.

Onix's massive tail slammed into Ziggy's stomach, sending him reeling into a two story house. Muffled screams came from within as Ziggy's body made contact with the brick wall.

Two small children stumbled out of the door to find a disgruntled Linoone lying at the side of their house. Screaming about monsters and demons, the boy and girl ran to another house nearby, this one just one story.

"Ziggy! Are you okay?" Lee said, running up to his partner. He was surprised the blow hadn't managed to take Ziggy out. But then reason caught up with him.

To avoid the Shadow Ball, the Onix had speared it with its pointed tail. If it had tried to bat it away, the effect wouldn't have been as great. In the same way, Ziggy wasn't as mortally wounded as he may have been if the first strike had hit him.

Regardless, Ziggy was panting, the wind thoroughly knocked out of him.

"Are you alright?" Lee asked again when Ziggy refused to answer.

As Ziggy opened his mouth, his pupils narrowed alarmingly. Confused, Lee put a hand forward. Ziggy grabbed Lee by the arm, and threw him to the side with startling power.

Ziggy barely had time to leap onto the roof of the house as the Onix's tail collided with the house the fleeing children lived in.

As Lee landed hard on his back, he sat up to scowl at Ziggy. Indignation quickly faded to shock as he saw the ruined house.

Ziggy's anger, though, remained. The Onix glared down at him, some thirty feet away. He did not blame the Onix for the assault. It was the trainer who had given the command, and Ziggy's hatred was directed at him.

Already he was annoyed by the battle over such a trivial matter. But the man had just gone past the line of forgiveness in many ways.

Firstly, he had wanted the Onix to hit Lee as well. Lee didn't have the endurance of a Pokémon, and he surely would've been slaughtered if Ziggy hadn't saved him.

The salesman had also given a figurative sucker punch to Ziggy. Winded and bruised, Ziggy would've been unable to react if his fight-or-flight reflex hadn't kicked in when he saw the tail soaring at him. It was a low trick, symbolic of a dishonorable man with nothing to lose in a fight.

But he had also ignored the fact that house was occupied (or, at least, it had been). Children, and most likely their guardians as well, lived there, and he had just ruined their home. The man had no sense of decency, and he would do whatever was necessary to crush his foes.

The man vexed Ziggy vastly, and gave him the strength to continue. The Onix sent another Iron Tail at him.

How redundant, thought Ziggy. Nevertheless, he realized the danger he was in.

"Ziggy, use your Iron Tail!" Lee shouted to Ziggy. A trace of annoyance flashed across Ziggy's mind (he had been planning to do so anyhow), but he complied.

Lunging forward, Ziggy sent a blaze of metal energy into his tail, ready to swipe at Onix's tail. Swinging in a circle, Ziggy knocked the tail into the house, destroying what remained of it.

A slight grimace crossed his face. Onix had delivered the finishing blow, but it was he who had sent Onix's tail into the decimated house. He would have to make it up to the family later.

"Onix, Double-Edge!" the man ordered. Onix shot forward like a bullet, luminous green energy blazing at its sides.

"Ziggy, evade and send a Pin Missile at its eyes," Lee commanded.

Lee knew how close to death he had come as well. He couldn't afford to take anymore risks, for himself or for Ziggy. Ziggy preferred to toy with his foe a bit before dealing the final blow, but this time, he understood the danger in extending this battle.

As the Onix exploded into the ground, Ziggy swerved away. Before the stony serpent could regain its balance, Ziggy made a flying leap onto its head.

Ziggy gauged the distance between the eyes of the snake and the ground beneath him. Of course, at full height, the ground would be about thirty feet lower.

Pin-point precision for a pin-point attack, Ziggy thought, amusing himself for a brief second.

As though Ziggy's thoughts had awoken the snake, Onix rose into the air. Looking around, it saw no sign of Ziggy, only Lee and the brave souls watching.

Ziggy curled up, ready to take the risk.

But then, the salesman's gruff voice broke his concentration, "On your head, you insipid beast! Shake it off!"

Ziggy could almost feel the Onix's confusion as the man explained the situation to it. It was at that moment that Ziggy realized the Onix's thick hide had saved Ziggy from detection when he had landed on Onix's head.

A strategy developed in Ziggy's advanced mind. Still crouching, Ziggy sent himself shooting into the air with an Extremespeed.

Ziggy was already capable of jumping incredible distances without the added boost. But the activation energy might be enough to get the creature to look up, which would be an enormous help for Ziggy.

Indeed it was; the Onix stared blankly up, feeling a faint pressure on its skull. Its eyes followed Ziggy's progress into the dusk sky. Ziggy made a flip, and then propelled itself downward with another Extremespeed.

Again, Ziggy used his amazing speed and his own momentum to increase the damage of his next attack. Ziggy sent a flurry of yellow spines at Onix's eyes.

The Onix noticed the danger only after it had arrived. The tiny needles were too much for Ziggy to see this far up, but an earsplitting roar told him the Pin Missiles had hit their mark.

The Onix, wounded and blinded, thrashing about in the air. As its target flailed, fear gripped Ziggy. The move had seemed so valiant, so heroic when he had done it, but Ziggy had not thought of his descent. Even if he did hit the Onix, the shock could possibly break both his legs. Lee noticed this as well.

"Ziggy, use Iron Tail to break your fall," Lee yelled. As Ziggy rocketed toward the Onix, he smirked as Lee's command reached his bristly ears.

And that's why I love you, Lee, Ziggy thought to himself. Doing another flip so that he was facing up, Ziggy sent another pulse of Steel power into his tail, praying he would hit the Onix.

Luck was on Ziggy's side at that moment. Ziggy slammed into the beast. Shock and pain rippled through the Onix's length, all 463 pounds of it. The impact had been directed into the Onix's thick head, causing enough damage to knock it out.

Onix toppled forward, blood dripping from its eyes. At the last moment, Ziggy leaped off, landing in unison with the defeated snake.

"Win," Ziggy remarked, pleased with himself.

Lee grinned broadly, but the salesman's reaction was quite different. His pudgy face reddened, and rage blazed in his eyes.

"You moronic, fur-coated swine! Do you even realize how much money I'll have to spend to save that Onix?!" he yelled at Ziggy.

Ziggy turned around, eyes narrowed, but Lee responded first, "You'll be paying even more to repair that family's house. Good luck with bankruptcy!"

Approval flashed in Ziggy's eyes at the witty insult, but it only served to enrage the bulky man even more. He screamed with fury, his cry almost as loud as the Onix's.

"ONIX!" he roared, "EXPLOSION!"

The Onix was in intense pain. Its eyesight was fading, and it was trembling with the after-effects of Ziggy's last attack. However, it did not dare disobey a direct order from its master, especially when he was so angry.

Reluctantly, Onix summoned the final shards of its energy, sending its body ablaze with a flaming orange color.

Unable to move in time, Ziggy and Lee were sent careening backward from the wave of power as the Onix sent its energy exploded in all directions.

Windows shattered just from the force of the explosion, and trees were buffeted by the wind. A whirlwind of dust stung the eyes of Lee and Ziggy. Wood, concrete, and steel rained down upon them, dislodged pieces of the buildings ravaged by the devastating Explosion.

Dust enveloped the town, and it took Lee and Ziggy minutes before they could see through the opaque dust cloud.

As the dust finally settled, they found the Onix. It was unconscious, its breathing shallow and forced.

But the fat man was nowhere to be found. Ziggy's sharp eyes scanned the now-empty town. But he had left, without any warning or indication to where he had gone.

The man was a barbarian, no doubt about it. Ziggy and Lee had determined that long ago.

But even their low opinion of the obese man couldn't stop waves of fury from washing over them at the sight of the dying Onix.

The man had left his Onix behind. It had obeyed him without question, following every last command he had given it. It had nearly killed itself, and yet the salesman left it to die. His freedom meant more to him than the life of his servant.

Above all else, that was what Ziggy and Lee despised most about him.

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I need you, the readers, to respond and give comments. This is the Fourth site I've ever posted this on and it's gotten less responses than my failed attempt (Posting this story at a forum called "Pokemon-X forums", which ended miserably D: )

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 3: The Encounter

The sun fell behind the horizon. Night descended on Mahogany Town like a ravenous Golbat. The night air was clean and warm, but Lee was shivering. The Onix had been terribly wounded. Blood was still escaping from its massive white eyes.

"Lee!" Ziggy hollered. Lee turned his head, and found Ziggy at the tail of the stone behemoth. In his clawed hands lay a ruined Pokéball, completely alien to both of them. Lee hadn't even seen the device; it was rather insignificant in comparison to the Onix's massive bulk anyway. The milky white color was the same as an ordinary Pokéball, but the top was deathly grey, symbolic of the black heart of its owner. A blend of purple and grey spots were splattered here and there on the top half, creating an interesting sight. Lee had no idea what special effect the ball might have.

Knowing he would never be able to transport the Onix to the Pokémon Center, he pulled out a Luxury Ball. The Onix had been abused so much in the past few minutes. He felt sorry for the poor beast, and felt a top-notch Pokéball would comfort it.

Also, the added friendliness effect of the ball might make Onix slightly more trusting when it came time to confront it. He tapped the Onix's majestic head with the Ball.

The Ball popped open, revealing its satin interior. The Onix was pulled inside by the red laser. The ball snapped shut. Unlike most captures, the button in front didn't blink red. Presumably, the Onix was too exhausted to fight against the capture.

Lee himself felt unbearably somnolent as well, and he assumed the same was true for Ziggy. Lee stood up, scoping out the nearest Pokémon Center. It was lucky the Pokémon Centers never closed, else the Onix may have perished under the unforgiving night sky.

Around him, the inhabitants of the tiny village were angrily staring at him. Some looked sympathetic, most likely for the stony snake. But some seemed glad to see Lee caring for the creature.

Regardless, Lee did not look around as he walked to the Pokémon Center. He heard whispers, and sometimes the ruder citizens would send out catcalls, trying to goad him into a fight.

As always, Ziggy retained a cool attitude. But even he was not completely immune to the villagers' angry murmurs. At times he would stop and glare at those who uttered the most severe insults.

When Lee tried to talk to Ziggy, the Linoone gave short responses. Every time, Ziggy's voice trembled. Whether it was from anxiety about the Onix's fate or anger at the people, Ziggy was barely able to keep an even tone.

Lee avoided speaking to anyone but Ziggy, and he didn't even speak to Ziggy unless it was absolutely necessary. He had nearly slaughtered an Onix; he didn't need any further reason for the inhabitants of Mahogany to be alarmed by him.

As he trudged down the seemingly infinite path, he realized that the man thought of his Pokemon as nothing more than a tool that you can throw away when it gets broken. The very thought sent enraged shudders racing up and down his spine.

Lee entered the Pokémon Center, glad for a break from the various jeers of the crowd. Nurse Joy was a lot more sympathetic than the people of Mahogany. When she saw the dilapidated state of the two visitors, her eyes flooded with concern. Lee knew Onix was going to be alright just from the concern that emanated from the nurse.

He walked up to the desk, and said to her, "Inside the Luxury Ball I'm holding is an Onix. It's not mine, technically. It belonged to a salesman who abandoned it after attempting to annihilate us with its Explosion.

My Linoone's Pin Missile has damaged its eyes rather severely, and I'm afraid it bears the scratches and bruises of a Pokémon battle in addition to these already devastating conditions. Is there hope for it?" Nurse Joy's eyes were brimming with tears by the end of the summary.

But she kept her composure, and responded in a surprisingly level voice, "It should survive. There's a chance that the eye wounds may become infected. How long ago did this happen?"

"A few minutes ago. We transported it here as fast as we can," Lee answered. A soft chuckle came from his side.

"Us," sneered Ziggy, smirking. It wasn't an insult at Lee; Ziggy was referring to how little it had done in bringing Onix here.

Ignoring Ziggy, Lee continued, "Is that all?"

"I'm afraid it's worse than that," Nurse Joy answered. Despite her training, she couldn't help keeping a note of despair out of her voice.

"Explosion uses a tremendous amount of energy, as I'm sure you could guess. The Onix's immune system will have suffered drastically. The possible infection in its eyes may spread through it's entire body. The disease would kill it in its weakened state," she finished.

Aghast, Lee gave her the Pokéball. A trace of a smile crossed Nurse Joy's face.

"You're lucky that you came here at twilight. We don't get many Trainers at this time, so we can give our full attention to your Onix," said she.

Lee felt like smiling in relief, but panic overpowered his temporary flare of happiness. Onix was still in terrible danger, and he doubted he would be genuinely happy until it regained its health. Nurse Joy grasped the Pokéball in her hand, and raced through a pair of automatic doors.

Lee sank down on a blue sofa. Ziggy bounded up to his side, and peered into his eyes.

"What?" Lee snapped, hands behind his head. The inquiry had been a little harsher than he had meant, but Lee couldn't help it. Worry consumed him, and he couldn't be bothered with Ziggy's sudden moves and enigmatic deeds.

"How do you suppose Onix is going to react to being in the possession of the two guys who nearly killed it? That man wasn't much of a charmer, but that Onix may not be intelligent enough to realize we mean it no harm. And constant abuse can mess with a Pokémon's head sometimes."

"Will it even matter if it doesn't live to see us again? Honestly, Ziggy, can't you just call it a night and go to sleep?!" Lee snarled. Ziggy appeared hurt. He seemed to be having difficulty finding the right thing to say.

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm being irritating to you Lee. I'm just curious, and I'm sure you are as well. I'll sleep on the floor, then, since you don't seem to want me with you right now," Ziggy said quietly. He leapt off the sofa, and curled up on the shining floor. His head was facing away from Lee, but Lee could tell he wasn't sleeping.

All of a sudden, Lee felt incredibly guilty about this entire thing. First the Onix, and now Ziggy. He couldn't keep this up, else his life would simply implode on itself. At the moment, they were the only real companions he had, especially Ziggy.

"Ziggy....I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little edgy after all this," Lee apologized. Ziggy stayed put. Lee didn't even know if his message had reached Ziggy's ears. Lee sighed. Ziggy came around, he always did. But he wasn't sure how long it would be until this new mess was patched up.

Lee looked out the transom opposite him to distract himself. What he saw was barely more comforting. He saw the little girl from before weeping into her mother's arms. Her mother stood stock-still, examining her ruined home. The young boy stood silent as well.

He could hear no sound, but he could almost sense the girl's falling tears, her feeling of sorrow. Never again would the girl play inside her house, brushing away the troubles of the world around her as she occupied herself with her toys. Another life he had destroyed, even if it had been indirect and unintentional.

Lee turned over, facing the rubbery blue surface of the sofa. He submitted himself to a bout of fitful sleep, wanting to escape from the harsh realities.

It seemed he had just closed his eyes when Ziggy was shaking him awake. The sun was shining through the window, and Ziggy's sky blue eyes were surveying him solemnly.

"Ziggy - " Lee began, before Ziggy raised his left forepaw.

"It's okay, Lee, I understand. I don't suppose I'd have been any more courteous if you had been pestering me with questions like that. Forget and forgive," Ziggy said. A small smile crossed his hairy lips. Lee reached out and embraced the Linoone.

"You're still my best friend, though," said Lee, "And I had no right to be like that to you no matter how annoyed I was."

Ziggy pulled himself out of the hug, and said, "Water under the bridge, Lee. The winding river takes many twists and turns, but it will always pass over the barriers presented to it. It may take time and assistance, but the river will always triumph."

Lee grinned, and sprang up. Nurse Joy was waiting for him, a Luxury Ball in her hand. His Luxury Ball.

"How's Onix?" Lee exploded. The anticipation had been eating him away all night, poisoning him even in his dreams.

"Onix is going to live," Nurse Joy said, flashing white, even teeth.

Lee smiled back, but as he reclaimed the ball, Nurse Joy said, "You should keep the bandages on its eyes for a few hours, though, so that they heal properly. Even when you remove them, Onix may be a touch sensitive to light."

That small fact was just a small mar in Lee's elation. The sun filtered through the window proudly, and a new day had begun. Two of Lee's three problems had been resolved, and he was ready to depart for the Lake of Rage.....Or at least, he would have been.

Lee knew he owed a debt to this town. The salesman was the real culprit, but Lee had still brought destruction to this peaceful place. Lee was too mature to simply walk away. It would take a heavy toll on his wallet, but he would pay for the house he had wrecked. He would've liked to pay for the other damaged ones, but the family he had observed last night was in dire need of some money. He didn't have enough money to deal with all the consequences of his battle, anyhow.

Lee exited through the double doors, Ziggy springing alongside him. To his left, a young woman was searching through the steel and wood that had replaced a fine house. It was the mother of the two children.

"Hey!" Lee called. She turned around in surprise, and seemed even more surprised to see the boy who had cut short her future shamelessly addressing her.

Hatred burned in her eyes, but she didn't retort until Lee continued. Courtesy kept her from shouting at the boy, but she was afraid as well. If the boy and his Pokémon could decimate a house with such little effort, it must be dreadfully easy to kill one ill-tempered woman.

"Listen, miss. I'm horribly sorry about what happened to your home. It wasn't entirely my fault. It was mostly that deceitful salesman who used to hang out around here. But I take responsibility for my actions, and am prepared to pay for the damage I've done," Lee said formally. The lady's brutal green eyes softened, but she didn't speak until Lee had brought up the money.

"30,000 PokéDollars?! Are you really able to give that much money away?" she asked.

"It's a hefty sum of money, but I can manage. I'll make money as I go along, and you need this more than I do," Lee said.

The woman was seeing her supposed assailant in a new light. She had regarded him in a fearful way, sure he was about to finish what he had started. But she was wrong. Here he was, doing the exact opposite of what she had expected.

"I'm delighted at the idea, but I can't lie to you, boy. My family is moving back to Olivine City with my husband. We're divorced, but he's agreed to take us in until we find a new home," she said sincerely.

"I want you to have this anyway," Lee told her. It took him some effort to utter those words. Here was the opportunity to walk away with a clean conscience and a loaded wallet. But it was still the right thing to do, and Lee held true to his offer despite his better instincts.

The grin that blossomed across the woman's face was Lee's payment for his good deed. She accepted the money, rather reluctantly, and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you so much. This is a magnificent gift, and we'll never forget it. On behalf of my family, I wish you the best of luck wherever you go," she told him.

Lee smiled, and responded with a simple, "You're welcome."

Beckoning to Ziggy, Lee climbed the sloping path toward the woods before the Lake of Rage. The trees glowed green in the early morning light. Lee had never been to the Lake of Rage, but he remembered the tales his grandfather had told him about the lakeside community. It sounded like a marvelous place, and he was excited to be heading there.

Lee felt good about his donation, but he knew he would suffer in months to come because of his shortage of money. Maybe if Ziggy and Lee went without spending money for a while, they could accumulate enough to live on. It would be rough, but even those dark thoughts didn't trouble Lee as he weaved through the dense forest, his sights set on the Lake of Rage.

* * *

As he walked along the path, Lee reflected back on what had happened recently. One small bite to the hand had uprooted and altered so many lives.

Lee felt amazed, but at the same time, he was accepting of the turn in his life. The man was a lying scoundrel, Lee hadn't just brought out the worst in him. If it hadn't been Lee, it would've been some other unlucky Trainer. Destiny had just chosen Lee for that moment.

But, at the same time, Lee realized that it was fortunate that he and Ziggy were the catalysts to the man's fury. Not every Trainer and Pokémon were as closely linked as he and Ziggy. The salesman may have won a battle with anyone else, and then who knows what sort of atrocities may have occurred afterward?

But now the man was exposed. The citizens may have taken a disliking to Lee, but the salesman would be garnering a fair amount of hatred as well. More than likely, he had been reported to the authorities. Now he wouldn't be able to swindle people so effortlessly.

It's gonna take more than a serpent's tongue to corrupt his customers now, Lee thought happily. A shifting in the bushes to his right interrupted Lee's thoughts. Lee turned his head sharply. Ziggy was still beside him, and he too was watching the bushes carefully.

"What do you suppose that is?" Lee queried.

"LIVING STICKS!" Ziggy shrieked. Lee jumped, and regretted it as soon as Ziggy burst into laughter.

"If you look up, you'll see the word 'gullible' written on that pine tree's fourth branch," Ziggy said, still laughing madly.

Ziggy's laughter brought out the creature in the bushes. It was a Raikou, and a beautiful one, at that. Its sleek, yellow fur seem to glow in the sunlight. The elegant, grey storm cloud on its back looked as though it had been woven out of the very air surrounding the beast.

Perfectly pointed fangs extended from its powerful mouth, and intelligent scarlet eyes regarded the two companions as it crossed the path. The gaze seemed to be more than just an inquisitive glance. It was as though the Pokémon had expected the two to be there at that very moment. Its eyes went beyond their appearance. Ziggy and Lee felt as though they were being tested in some sort of way.

Legs splayed, the Raikou was ready to flee at the slightest provocation. Lee wasn't entirely sure how common Raikou were, but he assumed they weren't as frequently seen as the Sentret that inhabit the woods here.

Noticing the Raikou's nervousness, Ziggy whispered quietly, "What is it doing?"

"Standing, you dolt," Lee answered, "It reminds me immensely of Kyogre and Groudon. You remember how we saw those two duking it out when we stayed at Grandpa's Sootopolis house?"

"Yup," Ziggy told Lee, "It looks more....refined, though. Maybe I'm just seeing these things in a new light now that I'm a Linoone." Ziggy had been a Zigzagoon back then.

"Should we fight it?" Ziggy asked.

"No way! Raikou's already about to run away, just look at the way its standing." Lee glanced at the beast, and saw it watching their conversation. Its face gave away no emotion, but there was something in its eyes that made Lee feel that it understood all they were saying.

"Onix is in no condition to fight, and you're no exactly picture perfect right now, either. It would take you both down without even moving," Lee warned Ziggy.

Lee and Ziggy didn't know, but the reason the Raikou hadn't fled already was because they were talking it the first place. Raikou would not die of old age. Only mortal wounds would kill it. Therefore, it had been around in The Golden Age. It had once had a friend, but she had long since perished.

This young man showed promise, and it was quite eager to learn more about him. But after a while, it became clear to Raikou that its hope was doomed. They were debating about capturing it, a method not used by the people of old. This boy was kind, it could discern that much. But if it wanted to capture it in a Pokéball, he still had a long way to go.

While the two shouted at each other, Raikou quietly walked away. Taking one look back, Raikou bolted to the right. It bounded yards at a time, stirring up a swarm of leaves as it rocketed across the land. Back on the path in the middle of the forest, Lee and Ziggy argued, not even aware the subject of their debate had left.

"If you couldn't even beat that Granbull, what makes you think you can take on a Raikou?!" Lee hollered.

"I couldn't beat the thing because it took me by surprise! In an honest match, I'd have beaten it so hard its grandmother would feel the pain!" Ziggy responded.

"Oh yeah?!" Lee began.

He was about to answer back when he took a glance at Raikou. Or, at least, where the Raikou had been. It had left. How long ago, Lee knew not, but it had. Disappointed, Lee walked on without a word.

Lee had hoped to speak to the Raikou, but he seemed to have exhausted all his luck last night. Ziggy was disappointed purely because he had missed a potential battle.

Swallowing their anger, Lee and Ziggy ambled on, snapping twigs and scattering leaves as they made for the Lake of Rage.

The Luxury Ball was thin, thinner than most Pokéballs. Its thinness was what made it comfortable. The material supported the satin interior perfectly, creating an extraordinarily comfortable place to be. Lee knew about the Ball quite well; he had been saving it for a special Pokémon prior to the run-in with the salesman.

He knew his voice could actually penetrate the thin casing of the ball, and he figured it would be safer to talk to Onix indirectly. Ziggy reminded Lee that Onix was also healing rapidly, and would be at near full-strength around this time.

Lee planned to remove the bandages, but he felt making amends with the Onix before he pulled off the bandages would be a wise approach. Lee wasn't sure how clearly Onix would hear him, so he chose a quiet area and make sure Ziggy didn't talk during the one-sided conversation.

"Onix," Lee said clearly, "I want you to know that I'm sorry about what happened to you. I wasn't planning to blind you, and I only fought you because you were under the control of that greedy swine. You're my Pokémon now, and I will treat you with utmost respect and care, as I would any other Pokémon."

For a brief second, Lee thought he saw the ball twitch, as though in response. Lee hoped the Onix was hearing him.

Lee had heard of a tournament some days prior to the ordeal at Mahogany Town. The recent events had all but driven it from his mind. He hadn't even gone to the Lake of Rage for the tournament. He planned to enjoy the sights, until Ziggy's remark about the prize brought the thoughts of the tournament rushing back tenfold. If they wanted to reach the Lake of Rage in time, riding on Onix would be the ideal solution.

Within the ball, the Onix was accepting Lee's statements. He seemed sincere enough, and already he was kinder to it than the salesman had ever been.

"There's a tournament taking place not too long from now. Apart from Ziggy and I requiring transportation, I was hoping that you might like to enter alongside us. I know you've been through a lot recently, Onix. But if you don't take up fighting again, you'll lose all your battle prowess. I'll gladly share the prize with you if you decide to assist us."

"And who doesn't love Rare Candies?" Ziggy said excitedly. His sharp tongue flickered out just at the thought of the delightful treats.

Lee glared at Ziggy angrily, reminding him nonverbally that he wasn't too talk. Lee hadn't openly harmed Onix. But Ziggy had been the one that had nearly blinded it. Ziggy had also done a great deal of damage besides the assault on the eyes of the serpent.

"There's also 100,000 Pokédollars given to the winner. That's an enormous amount of money, and we could certainly use it. I'd like to share it with you, Onix. Just let me know what you desire and I'll buy it for you," Lee said.

After Lee gave his proposition, he summarized his past adventures with Ziggy, trying to gain Onix's trust. Ziggy only interrupted once in a while, chipping in whenever Lee forgot something.

Lee kept some of the more personal details, and gave a glare at Ziggy every time he omitted a personal fact so that he wouldn't just blurt it out anyhow.

"Your eyes are healing well, by the way," Lee told the Onix, "They should be ready to come off sometime soon, but we'll leave them on until tomorrow afternoon just in case."

Lee grabbed the ball, clipped it to his belt, and began to set up camp. The sun was setting, and the light flooding the verdant forest was receding quickly. Luckily, it was warm out; Lee had no idea how to start a fire with just two sticks.

However, Lee did group together a bed of leaves. They may be irritating to his skin, but it was better than sleeping on the hardened earth. Ziggy collected his own leaves, choosing conifer branches rather than the deciduous leaves Lee preferred.

Ziggy rolled over and went to sleep quite easily. Lee, though, stared up at the sky with his hands behind his head. The stars stared back at him, winking every now and then. Lee's thoughts swirled around in his head in a garbled mess. All that had happened in the past twenty-four hours was flashing past him in his head. Scattered images of all that happened exploded into his eyes, departing as quickly as they came.

Twenty four hours ago, he couldn't foresee himself trailing a selfish madman, with an empty wallet and wounded Onix at his side. Trouble seemed to follow Lee wherever he went. His decision to learn the speech of Pokémon was a mixed blessing at times. Sometimes Lee nearly wished he hadn't decided to blaze such a difficult trail.

But every time that regret seized control of his thoughts, he turned to Ziggy. With a smile, he realized he wouldn't have it any other way.

Lee closed his eyes peacefully, falling asleep within a few minutes. Dreams fluttered like Beautifly around his mind, but they were enjoyable enough. The troubles of yesterday had vanished, replaced by welcomed dreams and images. Lee slept on, still beneath the night air.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, about the stiff way Lee talked...

~*Commander Blizzard*~ and I soemtimes really talk like that ._.

This chapter is one fo my least favorite. Luckily, the next few chapters make up for it :D

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 4: The Path to The Lake of Rage

Sunlight invaded the forest early in the morning. Creatures stirred, ready for a new day. The early morning light gave an eerie hue to the leaves among the trees, tainting them grey and yellow.

Lee awoke shortly after the sun burst free from the night, and instantly noticed his friend's absence. Lee assumed Ziggy was answering the call of nature, so he didn't worry. What preoccupied him at the moment was the Onix he was now in charge of.

Questions ate away at him as he pulled out his Pokéball. How would the Onix react to Lee? To Ziggy? Would it try to escape? Would it attack them? Would it feel so angry that it would kill them? Lee felt quite nervous as he pressed down on the blackened button of the Luxury Ball.

Onix took form instantaneously. Its eyes were veiled in beige bandages, and from its slow movements, Lee could guess it was feeling rather somnolent.

That was understandable; perhaps Onix hadn't quite recovered from the sedating drug the Center gave it. Or maybe it was just because it was early, and Onix hadn't gotten very much sleep.

"Onix," Lee said clearly. The Onix, facing the woods dolefully, immediately turned to the speaker. Lee couldn't sense any emotions, which frightened him a fair bit.

Steadying himself, he said, "My name is Lee. You heard me talking to you about all that had happened, I suppose. If so, then you'll know it's time to remove the bandages from your eyes."

Onix still gave no indication of what it was feeling. Regardless, it lowered its majestic head, a bit to the left of where Lee was. Lee walked over, sparing the poor beast the trouble of finding him.

Carefully, he eased his fingers under the bandage over its left eye. The sticky adhesive took hold of his hand instantly as he pushed his hand further. Delicately, he began peeling away the bandage. Onix's rough hide would probably not sense any pain if Lee were just to rip it off, but Lee wanted to be careful nonetheless. What better way to betray the Onix's trust than brutally ripping a bandage from its sensitive eye?

If Lee frightened or angered the Onix, it wouldn't want to cooperate with him. Lee planned to ride the rock snake to the Lake of Rage to save time. He wouldn't mind taking his time there, of course, but it would stack on a few days, and Lee wasn't entirely sure how soon the tournament began. In short, better sooner than later.

Eventually, Lee teased away the first bandage. A great, off-white eye regarded Lee for the first time since the epic battle. Lee could see in the Onix's eye that it hadn't forgotten how badly he had maimed it.

But it seemed to trust him enough, and Lee was satisfied with that. Moving over to the other side of Onix's face, Lee grabbed the underside of the second bandage. Lee pulled the bandage off just as tentatively as he had the first. When Onix's eyes were free, Lee examined its eyes.

Nothing seemed critically wrong, as far as Lee could tell. However, Onix's pupils were noticeably small. Lee understood that, though. Given that Onix hadn't seen light in a while, its eyes would be sensitive to it. Its pupils contracted to reduce how much light entered its eyes.

"Alright Onix, that's done with. I'll keep you outside for a while, so you can adjust to the -" Onix suddenly roared, hurting Lee's ears at such close range.

Then Onix slid by, and wrapped its tail around some creature that had been creeping toward Lee. A wail came from within the tight coils of Onix's body.

And then, a muffled voice said, "Nice bodyguard." Lee smiled. That was Ziggy, obviously. Lee walked over the fragile leaves, and saw Onix scowling down at its quarry.

Lee wasn't quite sure why the Onix had reacted. Was it assisting him, or was the Onix simply keeping itself safe? Whatever the case, Ziggy wasn't enjoying its captivity.

Popping its head up through Onix's coils, Ziggy gasped, "If I'd known I was about to be hugged to death, I wouldn't have tried to surprise you." Onix leaned over its captive, glaring down at the Linoone.

Ziggy stared back, and said in false astonishment, "Oh my! What big eyes you have!"

"Onix, you can let him go. He doesn't want to harm us...not physically, anyhow," Lee said, letting a grin escape across his face.

"Yeah, trauma is a lot more fun than outright torment. What's the matter, you big lug, haven't you ever petrified a Pidgey, terrorized a Tentacool, or horrified a Hoppip before?" Ziggy said, scowling right back at Onix.

Onix didn't see the humor in the situation, but it reluctantly let Ziggy go. Coughing slightly, Ziggy bounded over to Lee, as though fearful of a second trapping.

"That'll come out in therapy," Ziggy remarked.

Chuckling, Lee said, "We'd better pack up. I want to see if Onix will let us ride it."

"Not much that needs packing, though. Just your backpack," Ziggy noted.

"Yeah, but still. The point still stands that we need to get going," Lee argued.

"Hardly. We have an entire day ahead of us. Even if Onix turns out to be an idiot, we can still make it at least half the way there," Ziggy said.

"Does it really matter?" Lee asked exasperatedly, "Do you not want to go?"

"No, but I like proving you wrong. Keeps my mind sharp, you know," Ziggy said with a roguish wink.

Lee made no comment at this. He simply gathered his belongings and unceremoniously dumped them into his backpack. Hitching it onto his shoulders, Lee turned to Onix. For whatever reason, it was watching him warily.

Unsettled, Lee called up to it, "Hey Onix, would you mind if we rode on you to the Lake of Rage?"

Onix's face didn't change at all, but something in its eyes stirred. Lee could just sense the incredulity crossing its mind at the question.

"Never mind. We can walk, too," Lee said. Sighing to himself, Lee started walking north, followed by Ziggy. Onix lagged behind for a moment, thoughts blazing through its massive head.

But, after a moment, its thoughts settled again, and it followed Lee and Ziggy. Onix was unfamiliar with the two, but they obviously cared for it. Well, the boy did, anyway.



* * *


As the day wore on, Lee began to feel weary, both physically and mentally. Lee was in reasonably good shape, but there was only so much walking he could do before he felt the strain. And, though Lee enjoyed the outdoors, the endless trees became monotonous after a while.

At first, Lee had stopped to watch stray Pokémon. But Ziggy's impatient gestures forced him to keep going.

All the while, Onix trailed behind, its mind an impregnable fortress. The Onix didn't trust Lee as much as he might've hoped. Despite all that had happened, he was counting on it to assist him. Lee had barely thought about the Onix's possible rejection, but now it had clearly refused. Lee wasn't sure how well they'd get along in the next few days.

Lee had to take his relationship with Onix slowly. He could build up a feeling of mutual trust between them, but one error could send that all down the drain.

And, as much as he hated to admit, he didn't think Ziggy's presence was helping. To be blunt, Ziggy had royally beaten the Onix apart. Lee had commanded some attacks, but it wasn't Lee himself who had knocked Onix around, beaten it to the ground, and nearly blinded it.

Naturally, Onix would feel wary around Ziggy. But Lee couldn't just recall Ziggy when Onix was out. Ziggy was his best friend, and to sacrifice his happiness to toy with the emotions of a potentially distraught Onix wasn't worth it.

Lee felt the pressure of traveling more than Ziggy. Ziggy was born outside, and he was adapted to traversing large spaces of land.

Despite Lee's adoration of the outside world, though, he was born domestic, and his body had adapted to that. He tired twice as fast as Ziggy, and was soon overtaken by Ziggy.

Ziggy, though, held his tongue. A myriad of taunts and insults saturated his mind, but he knew Lee wasn't cut out for continued hiking through the wilderness.

Lee was on the verge of collapsing when something grabbed his shirt. At first, he thought it was Ziggy. But, his dull amusement faded as he realized Ziggy was trudging along ahead of him.

Lee screamed as he was lifted off the ground. Ziggy turned around, face set in a snarl. But Ziggy made no attempt to attack. Instead, he just stared up at Lee, thunderstruck.

Lee thrashed in the air, and called out, "Don't just stand there! Get rid of this thing!" Lee was terrified. He still couldn't see his abductor, but he was sure it was a bird.

Vividly in his mind, he remembered something from his childhood. The festival....the sky rides....And those cold, demonic eyes. Lee shrieked even louder, his imagination taking hold of him.

But then, he moved in an arc downward. Out of the corner of his eye, Lee could see an enormous grey mass. Confusion and relief took hold as he realized it was Onix who had captured him. Lee was lowered gently onto the Onix's abdomen.

"What about me?" Ziggy called, "Are you selectively helpful or something?"

Onix seemed almost repulsed at Ziggy's distinctive sort of humor. But, it reached down and grabbed Ziggy by the tail, hoisting Ziggy onto its abdomen as well.

"Hi Lee, fancy meeting you here," Ziggy said, stunned.

"Nice to see you, too," Lee said smilingly. Onix ignored their playful banter, and snaked along the forest floor, gliding through the forest. It was a pleasant change for Lee and Ziggy. Onix didn't seem to mind, and if it did, it was hiding its true feelings.

As the trees began thinning, something huge and white dropped out of the sky. It exploded in Ziggy's face, much to the Linoone's displeasure. Ziggy gagged, and started swiping at its face.

"Agh! What is this? It smells horrific!" Ziggy screeched, preening itself madly.

"Sorry," a voice called from above. Looking up, Lee saw the very last thing he wanted to see. It was a Skarmory, armor glinting proudly in the sky.

Lee's breath caught short as their eyes met. The bird's cold, beastly eyes showed no pity for Ziggy. Only contempt emanated from the Skarmory's eyes, and it was just as evident in its voice.

"Fish can be so irritating to my bowels, you know. Nasty little devils, those fish," the Skarmory called down.

The Skarmory's voice was cocky. In a way, it was similar to Ziggy in its humor. But it was far more arrogant than Ziggy, as Lee was quick to notice. Ziggy retched, and shook itself violent, sending the droppings everywhere.

Lee didn't even notice Ziggy's disgust. His attention was on the silver animal in the sky. Vibrantly, Lee recalled a childhood trauma of when he was five. He was at the annual carnival in Fortree City. Sky rides were being offered. He distinctly remembered how desperately he had begged for a sky ride, and how they had finally given in.

Lee chose a Tropius, which launched immediately. Lee hollered and yelled, enjoying himself immensely. And then, from seemingly out of nowhere, a rogue Skarmory had collided with the Tropius. It seemed like a mistake, but then it came back for Tropius and Lee again.

Lee stared right at the approaching monster. In the split second before it had ran into him, he had gazed right into its eyes. Soulless, evil, and feral spotlights they were, demons of their own in the silver body of the bird.

The Skarmory slammed into him, slashing at him with its claws and pecking crazily with its beak. Lee had screamed, blood escaping from all the wounds the Skarmory had created.

Lee toppled off the Tropius after a few moments of abuse, spiraling through the air. The air swallowed his terrible screams as he tumbled through the air. But, yards above the ground, the Tropius had swooped under him, saving his life.

Touching down lightly, Lee leapt off, and ran to the protecting arms of his parents. Behind him, he heard frenzied shrieks.

He turned around, and saw the Skarmory on the ground, not too far away. Ropes were ensnared in its wings, and people were trying to subdue it, but the Skarmory was still trying to get to Lee. Horrific, inhuman roars echoed from its throat, and its eyes glowed with an internal fire. Lee hadn't stopped crying until he got home, and even then, it was weeks before he dared to venture outside again.

And now, that traumatic memory blazed within his mind. Fighting down a scream, Lee watched as Ziggy snarled at its attacker.

"Alright, Hoof Lung Poo, you're about to be permanently grounded," Ziggy shouted. Using Onix as something like a springboard, Ziggy shot itself into the air with an Extremespeed.

Reacting amazingly quickly, Onix howled and lunged with the speed of a real snake. It caught Ziggy around the middle. Ziggy cried out in shock, but the cry became fueled by pain as Onix began to gnaw at the trapped Linoone.

Horrified, Lee pulled out his Pokéball, and returned Onix, running forward as he did. Ziggy plummeted through the air, landing in Lee's arms just before he slammed into the ground.

"Well, it seems the happy family has some tension growing," a voice said. Lee looked up, and found the Skarmory slowly circling him, savoring the scene.

"Are you OK, Ziggy?" Lee asked.

Ziggy groaned, but said, "Yes. Thanks for reacting so quickly, though. I'm not sure if I'd have lived if I had been a chew toy any longer."

Skarmory lighted upon a branch, and then inquired slightly incredulously, "You're able to talk to Pokémon?" As the Skarmory queried, something Lee had neglected hit him.

"You can talk to me?" Lee said, surprised. How was this Skarmory able to communicate with him when it had taken him so very long to understand Ziggy?

"Yes, indeed I can. It's a side-effect of being so incredibly intelligent," Skarmory said airily. Ziggy scoffed quietly behind Lee.

"Well, if you're done blithering on, I'll be leaving," Skarmory said, flapping its wings even as it said this.

The Skarmory soon vanished, soaring away beyond their fields of vision. Lee just stared after the creature, terrified and fascinated at the same time.

"...Lee?" Ziggy said, addressing Lee. Lee said nothing. He just began walking, moving through the forests.

In contrast to his walking speed, his thoughts chased each other at subsonic speed. Lee felt very confused, but he didn't want to talk to Ziggy just yet.



* * *



The sun glowed golden as Ziggy and Lee caught sight of the lakeside city. Across the massive lake sat an enormous city, tiered almost like a cake. Houses sat on ledges above other houses, and the entire city looked very well-built.

At the very top stood a modern Coliseum, the silver coating catching the rays of the sun spectacularly. Lee felt excitement bubbling up inside him, as did Ziggy.

Eager to reach the other side, Lee and Ziggy swerved to the right, preparing to circle the lake and reach the glorious community.

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GAH!!! I CANNOT believe no one has responded AT ALL from when I last was on here because the site wasn't working for me for a while D:

Even Negative comment would be nice. This is the first time I've posted this fic on a site and got no response after the first chapter was posted >.<;;;

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
This is a good fic,i loved it keep the efort.looks like i am you only fic fan.oh well.
It's okay. Hopefully more will come >.<;

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Chapter 5: The City of The Lake of Rage

The city was enormous; there was simply no other way to put it. Lee remembered the moans about this place not being an actual town, as it hadn't been mentioned on the many maps of Johto.

Idiocy. The Lake of Rage was just as big and important a city as any other in Johto. Indeed, it was probably more significant than a fair few of Johto's towns and cities.

Ziggy seemed just as awed as Lee. His furry head spun in all directions as they began exploring the place. Lee's eyes soon landed upon a restaurant. His stomach stirred at the sight of the restaurant.

"C'mon Ziggy. It's about time we had a proper meal," Lee muttered to Ziggy. Ziggy, enthralled by a salon about a block ahead, scarcely heard Lee. Only when he realized Lee had vanished did Ziggy follow him.

In the restaurant, many enticing smells wafted out to meet the weary companions. Small but secure, Lee felt happy being inside the building. Moved to one of the tables in the corner, Lee happily sat, relieving his legs. Ziggy climbed up on the chair opposite Lee, looking quite out of place to Lee.

Noticing the two new arrivals, a waiter wandered over, menus in his hands. Perfectly combed hair rested atop his head, the lights giving it an auburn glow. A friendly smile rested beneath a thin mustache on the man's surface. Garbed in a silvery tuxedo, he gave off an image of a generally amiable man.

"Here you are, sir. On behalf of the Brigand's Bakery, I welcome you. We hope you enjoy yourself here this fine day," he said in a warm voice, handing a menu to Lee. Lee smiled back; even the waiters were kind here. Ziggy seemed less impressed.

"So what's there to be eaten here?" Ziggy asked the waiter rather brusquely. Hearing only a stream of garbled cries, the waiter raised an eyebrow at the raccoon.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Pokémon aren't normally allowed at the tables," the waiter said.

"Ah, of course," Lee said. He smiled, trying to keep the mood light.

"But this Linoone is special. He's quite well-trained. He can be a bit of a nuisance at times, though. If he causes any trouble, I'd be willing to recall him," Lee said.

The waiter appeared dubious, but he said, "Alright. You seem to know what you're saying." The waiter walked away, his eye captured by a noticeably rotund woman.

As he left, Ziggy scoffed, "Nuisance, eh?"

"Well, you are," Lee said, grinning devilishly. Ziggy's brow furrowed, but he held his silence.

After a moment, Ziggy inquired, "Doesn't brigand mean 'thief'?"

Lee hadn't paid attention to the name of the place, but he recognized the word now that Ziggy had brought it up.

"Yeah, it does. Wonder why they named this place after a burglar? I don't know about you, but I feel pretty calm in this place. Goes against the title, huh?" Lee said, confused.

Ziggy just shrugged, and clumsily opened his menu. Lee followed suit, and quickly scanned the menu. A simple hamburger would have sated him, but the Brigand's Bakery seemed to avoid using meat.

However, their diverse dishes made up for the lack of meat. Beside each name, a scaled-down picture of the food was given. Most of the main courses had been given creative names to match their creative designs.

"I like the looks of the Poliwag Pineapple," Ziggy said, startling Lee out of his examination. Looking up, he saw Ziggy grinning, his pointed teeth exposed. Lee looked down, and found the Poliwag Pineapple. The description did indeed make it sound appealing: As the name suggests, our Poliwag Pineapple has been created in the likeness of a Poliwag. The pineapple, succulent and skinned precisely, sits upon two peppermint chocolate bars, carved to resemble the feet of a Poliwag.

Plump black raspberries sit in the eye cavities of the pineapple, and a long steel rod holds frozen sherbet in place as a tail(we advise eating the tail quickly, as the sherbet may melt if left alone long enough). Grooves etched in the center of the piece are filled with our finest icing, creating a sugary treat for the sweet tooths out there.

"Of course, I'd prefer an actual Pinap Berry, but I don't suppose they get many Pokémon customers," Ziggy said.

"Plus, Pinap Berries don't really grow that big. It'd be too small to make a good meal," Lee added.

Being a bakery, many of the meals were made up of primarily bread. Lee liked bread, but the Poliwag Pineapple sounded more satisfying.

"So, two Poliwag Pineapples then?" Lee said, making sure of Ziggy's choice.

"That's tough," Ziggy said, a troubled expression settling on his face, "The Dunsparce Dumplings look pretty good, too. But I suppose I'll have the pineapple thing."

"Small Soda Pop?" Lee asked. "You're malnourishing me," Ziggy whined.

Lee chuckled, and said, "I'm getting Rolling Kick Rolls as an appetizer. You can have some of mine, if you want."

"I'd prefer my own order, but I suppose we have to settle for less with so little money," Ziggy said. Lee nodded, and leaned back, waiting for the waiter to return. Minutes later, he did indeed come back.

"Are we ready to order, gentlethings?" the waiter asked, creating a word to address them simultaneously. Ziggy coughed softly at the term, but Lee ignored it.

"We are, yes, but we have a question first," Lee said.

"And I have an answer," the waiter responded, "Shoot."

"My Linoone and I were wondering why you call this the Brigand's Bakery. As far as I know, the only definition of a brigand is a thief, and that doesn't really fit with this quaint restaurant. Would you mind explaining?" Lee asked.

The waiter smiled, and said, "Well, we are quite attentive to the history of Johto in this lakeside city," the waiter began, "A century or so ago, our finest shops were frequently pillaged by an unnamed burglar.

It was never anything too major, mostly food and clothing. More than likely, this crook was simply a hermit who needed our resources to survive. The person's evasion of the law was incredible, though.

There hasn't been a tribute to the bandit thus far, so we decided to honor the unsung not-hero. Being anonymous, of course, we couldn't just name this person. So the first owner decided on a rather rare synonym for thief. And that's what lead to our little appellation." Ziggy looked utterly uninterested, but Lee appeared intrigued.

"Thanks for explaining," Lee said politely.

"So, you are ready to order?" the waiter queried.

"Yes we are. For an appetizer, I'll have a single order of Rolling Kick Rolls. After that, my Linoone and I will both have small Soda Pops and Poliwag Pineapples," Lee said.

"A fine choice," said the waiter, writing down their choices on a small notepad, "Your appetizer should be here in two minutes, shortly followed by beverages and your main dishes."

The waiter turned and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Hey, hang on!" Lee called suddenly.

"Is there a problem?" the waiter said, turning his head to Lee.

"No. But I'm curious; what's your name?" Lee asked.

Smiling as always, the waiter responded, "Sebastian, my friend." Sebastian disappeared behind the doors in the wall, presumably handing the orders to the chef.

Ziggy was unusually quiet throughout the wait. Maybe it was the fatigue, or perhaps Ziggy just was feeling pensive at the moment. Either way, not a word escaped his mouth before Sebastian returned with the Rolling Kick Rolls.

They looked exactly as they did in the menu. They appeared layered, but it was really just masterful carving of the bread. The very ends, shaped like feet and with realistic claws, were stuffed with thick meatballs, creating admirable duplicates of a real Hitmonlee's legs.

"I assume you do not require your menus any longer?" Sebastian asked.

"No, thank you," Lee said, handing his and Ziggy's menus to the waiter.

Sebastian turned, and vanished behind the doors once more. Lee turned to Ziggy, concerned. Ziggy's head hadn't moved. His eyes remained fixated on one of the delicate white flowers upon the tablecloth.

"Something wrong?" Lee asked.

Ziggy looked up, and said in a rather subdued voice, "I'm just rethinking what happened on the way here. The part where Onix almost cut me in half, to be specific. Your Onix remembered how I had hurt it in the past, and reacted accordingly. It's a lot smarter than we gave it credit for, I think."

Lee considered Ziggy's observation, and admitted bluntly, "You're probably right."

Ziggy nodded, and looked off into the distance. Lee watched Ziggy for a while, but when he could tell a response was not forthcoming, he just glanced about the restaurant.

To his surprise, a Yanma fluttered toward them. Two satchels hung off the thorax of the dragonfly, each with differently colored papers within.

The Yanma clipped a green card in one of its claws, and landed upon the table. With a cheery cry, the Yanma released the card and hovered above the table, regarding Lee kindly.

Lee picked up the card, and read, Salutations! I am Damsel, Sebastian's friendly card-carrier. On behalf of Sebastian, it is my duty to inform you that, unfortunately, your meal will be a little later than Sebastian had guessed. Sebastian and I apologize for the inconvenience, and we thank you again for dining at the Brigand's Bakery.

Lee looked up, and saw Damsel fluttering happily above the table. Ziggy's eyes followed her progress, a small smile upon his lips.

"Thank you, Damsel," Lee said. Damsel chattered gleefully, and landed on the table. She cocked her head interestedly at Lee, an adorable smile lighting up her orange-and-green face. Lee was confused for a moment, but a suspicion dawned on him soon after.

"Do you want to play, Damsel?" Damsel squealed in delight, and bobbed its large head up and down.

"Do you do I Spy?" Lee inquired of the Yanma, grinning widely. Damsel squabbled cutely, bouncing on the tablecloth. Crumbs leaped from their basket where the Rolling Kick Rolls were housed. Lee picked one up, and bit into it. It was soft and fluffy, just as bread should be.

Munching on the long breadstick, Lee said, "Alright, then. I spy, with my little eye, something large, round, and fancy."

Lee wasn't sure how intelligent Damsel was, though she seemed fairly smart by delivering messages independently. In any case, the riddle was fairly simple. Damsel should be able to understand that Lee meant the tables in the restaurant.

Damsel turned to the left, eyeing the room carefully. Then, her wings exploded into action, and she shot off toward a table near the doorway. Damsel landed on the puffy brown hair of the fat woman Sebastian had been occupied with earlier.

The woman let out a gasp of surprise, dropping a fork smothered in noodles. But then she began laughing as she discovered her attacker was just a jovial Yanma. Damsel bounced on the curls of hair excitedly, calling to Lee.

Ziggy was already laughing, quickly joined by Lee. Indeed, the woman was wearing an overly-elaborate silk dress that looked under pressure holding her figure within.

The lady turned to Lee, and laughingly called, "Is this delightful creature yours, young man?"

"No," Lee said, grinning, "It belongs to one of the waiters here."

The woman smiled, and asked, "Why has it landed on my hair?"

"It just has a fetish for Snorlax," Ziggy called, rolling his eyes. Lee was astounded Ziggy would be so daring, but then he remembered she couldn't understand the Linoone.

"It's a friendly little thing, that Yanma. I suppose it just likes you," Lee said, omitting the truth of Damsel's intents.

Damsel replied with an outburst of chatters, and soared over to Lee again. A smile upon her flabby face, the woman turned around and continued engorging herself.

"I think I like Damsel," Ziggy said, smirking. Damsel squeaked an enthusiastic response at Ziggy.

"That's not exactly what I was looking for, Damsel, but I'll let you have it," Lee said. Damsel bounced up and down on her skinny legs, eager for another riddle.

"Let's see..." Lee said, scanning the restaurant.

"I spy, with my little eye, something tall, wide, and white," Lee said, referring to the pillar in the middle of the room. Ziggy picked up one of the rolls as Damsel set off, searching for its target.

Lee finished his first breadstick as Damsel zoomed about. The meatballs were growing cold due to their wait, but they tasted excellent regardless of their warmth.

Lee picked up a second breadstick, and began eating it. It was a bit more chewy than the first, but it still tasted wonderful. Damsel squealed from afar, and landed on the pillar.

"Precisely, Damsel! Well done!" Lee said.

Damsel babbled madly at the accolade, and fluttered back to Lee. She stared up at him expectantly, awaiting her next challenge. Lee turned about, and looked around the room.

Smiling, he said, "I spy, with my little eye, someone friendly, silver, and fond of Yanma."

Damsel jumped into the air, and flung herself at Sebastian, who came bearing the main dishes. Damsel spun around him blindingly fast, bringing a laugh out of Sebastian.

"Alright Damsel, I need to get this food to our customers," he said as Damsel continued to loop around his stomach.

Damsel landed on Sebastian's bronze-colored hair and rested comfortably. Sebastian set down his platters in front of Lee. Each one bore a Soda Pop and a Poliwag Pineapple.

"I quite like Damsel, Sebastian. She's a great companion," Lee said.

"A little over-enthusiastic, but I agree," Sebastian concurred, stroking the Yanma. Damsel purred like a Meowth, her wings beating the air happily.

"Enjoy your meals, and let me know when you're ready to pay and leave," Sebastian told them before walking away. Damsel squeaked a good-bye to the two as she was carried away by her owner. Lee waved, and turned to Ziggy.

"So, what do you think of this?" Lee queried.

"Looks great, but I don't see why they ruined this perfectly good steel bar with this layer of ice," Ziggy said, frowning at the tail. Lee laughed, and removed the tail.

"Shall we?" he said, holding the tail to his mouth.

"We shall," Ziggy said, plucking his as well.

* * *


Lee and Ziggy left the homey bakery feeling full and cheerful. The meal had been delicious, and had proved quite inexpensive, which was good for the two of them.

Ziggy seemed considerably happier as he left the small building. Lee was happy as well. They were fed, and they still had enough money to make a living until the tournament.

Lee was glad the Onix was in its Pokéball, as recalled Pokémon required no nourishment in their state of dormancy. As Ziggy and Lee moved along the street, the sound of many voices caught their ears.

Interested, Lee turned a corner, and found a group of Trainers in what looked like the center plaza. A fountain spouted water to the left of the crowd, but no one seemed to notice. Everyone seemed to be watching and talking about was occurring in the middle of the crowd. Lee and Ziggy tried to penetrate the thick crowd, but no one would let them through.

"What about the fountain?" Ziggy asked.

"What about it?" Lee shot back impatiently, craning to try and see over the many heads.

"I mean, maybe we could do this," Ziggy said. Lee spun around, and found Ziggy standing on the edge of the fountain, staring easily into the crowd.

Feeling sheepish, Lee joined his friend, boosting himself on top of the three-foot walls surrounding the water. Standing up, Lee could clearly see what was happening.

Two trainers stood opposite of each other, a Pokémon in front of each of them. A Doduo stood before a boy with long wavy brown hair, and a girl with shoulder-length blond hair stood on his other side, a Meowth fidgeting in front of her. No one stood behind them, so as to avoid the attacks in what was apparently a battle.

"Doduo, Fury Attack," the boy suddenly commanded. The Doduo sprang forward, and began stabbing the Meowth with both of its beaks. The Meowth meowed angrily, and jumped over the attacking bird.

"Meowth, go for a Slash!" the girl ordered in a rather nasally voice. She seemed confident about something, but Lee couldn't tell what.

The Meowth charged on all fours, and lunged, claws extended. The Doduo dodged at the last second, leaving the Meowth clawing at the sidewalk.

"Follow up with Screech!" the girl ordered.

Meowth spun about swiftly, and opened its mouth. A horrific screaming noise exploded from its throat, startling the Doduo badly. Some of the weaker people in the crowd were forced to clamp their hands over their ears.

Meowth ran forward of its own volition, ready for a Slash. Doduo snapped out of its disorientation, and bounded away. It ran speedily around the perimeter of the crowd, too fast for the Meowth to catch.

"Focus Meowth! Use Bite as soon as you're sure you can get it!" the girl hollered. Lee noticed how quiet the boy had been throughout the match. He had only ordered one attack, and that was to begin the battle.

Lee thought the boy was using psychology against the girl. The calmer he remained, the more frantic she would be, and the more likely to slip up at the worst possible time.

The cat stared intently at one spot, watching as Doduo passed it. Then, as Doduo rounded a corner, the Meowth sprang. Its fangs clamped onto the Doduo's back, digging in savagely. The Doduo squawked in surprise, and stumbled over its own feet.

The two toppled to the ground, but the Doduo seemed to have take the brunt of the blow than the Meowth. The Meowth jumped away from the flailing bird, watching as it tried to stand up.

"Now, finish it, Meowth, with Petal Dance!" the girl announced, obviously pleased with herself. The crowd gasped as she ordered the Grass move. Lee did as well. How could a Meowth possibly use a Grass attack like that?

But, to his amazement, the Meowth began circling the thrashing Doduo quickly, petals erupting from the crest on its head. The petals circled in a cyclone, engulfing the Doduo. But the bird had finally managed to stand up. It was being buffeted by the strengthening winds, but it was ready to fight.

"We have a surprise of our own," said the boy, "Doduo, Low Kick!"

Again, Lee was shocked. This was no ordinary Pokémon battle, he surmised. The Doduo stuck its long leg out, and swung it at the Meowth's legs. The Meowth tripped, and soared wildly through the air, screeching as it went.

It landed on the ground, surprised and stunned. Wasting no time, the Doduo ran up to it, and planted a foot on its back. It immediately began jabbing at it in a powerful Fury Attack.

The blows landed so fast that the Doduo appeared to have ten heads rather than two. The Meowth didn't even have time to struggle between the blows. It fainted quickly, leaving the Doduo as the winner.

"Any other challengers?" the boy asked, as the girl collapsed limply beside her Meowth, stunned. The crowd seemed hesitant, but soon hands started shooting up.

"You there, the boy in the brown shirt!" the boy said.

Another boy stepped forward cautiously, as though unsure he was the one being called. But he soon stood opposite the boy with the Doduo, ready for battle.

"Go Hoppip!" the challenger said, flinging a Pokéball forward. A Hoppip burst from within, a broad smile across its crimson face.

The other boy smiled, and said, "Return, Doduo." He pulled out a Pokéball, and absorbed the dodo inside. He replaced that ball with a second one, and threw it forward.

A Delibird appeared before him, squawking happily. The two Pokémon eyed each other down, waiting for someone to begin the fight.

"Present!" the Delibird owner called. Delibird reached inside its silky white sack, and pulled out a roughly box-shaped package.

It flung the rhombus at Hoppip, who was watching all the while. Recognizing danger, the Hoppip tried to dodge. But the Present exploded forcefully upon touching the ground, knocking the fern backward.

"Now Icy Wind," the boy said. Delibird opened its mouth, and expelled a blast of wind from inside. The sleet pelted the helpless Hoppip, who looked almost ready to faint already.

But, surprising everyone present, the Hoppip burst free of the mini-Blizzard.

"Pay Day, Hoppip," cried its owner, desperate for an advantage. Hoppip's blades whirled like a helicopter's, and it sent coins flying at Delibird. The coins beat the penguin brutally, sending it toppling over.

"Counter with your own Pay Day, Delibird," said the boy. At this point, Lee was astonished. Where were these people getting Pokémon with such extraordinary moves?

The Delibird reached into its bag, and started slinging coins at the Hoppip. As the coins went slicing through the air, Lee was strongly reminded of shurikens.

The coins had the same effect on Hoppip as they had on Delibird. And, as the Hoppip's had, the coins' energy faded away as soon as they hit their target. Lying on the street, they were just ordinary coins. But no one dared to run in and snatch them up, at least not yet. Crying out in dismay, the Hoppip floated out of the line of fire.

"Sleep Powder, Hoppip. Immobilize it!" the owner commanded. The Hoppip set to work quickly, soaring over the penguin.

Delibird sent a barrage of money its way, but the Hoppip was too speedy. Hoppip circled above the Delibird, and blanketed it with a fine green powder. Delibird tried to escape, but the potent powder had stopped it before it had even gotten two paces away from the Hoppip. Delibird lay on the street rather pathetically, its stomach rising up and down slowly.

"Delibird, don't let Nicholas down!" a girl called from the crowd. The boy, apparently Nicholas, sent a smile in her direction. A squeal and a swoon followed Nicholas's response. Hoppip moved in closer, ready to finish off the Delibird.

"Pay Day," the other boy cried giddily. Nicholas seemed to be a strong trainer; defeating him must be quite the feat. Hoppip landed in front of Delibird, and began sending power-infused coins at the slumbering penguin.

Delibird simply tumbled over and over as the attack propelled it backwards. It would've woken anything else, but Sleep Powder is a strong attack. Pokémon under its influence don't easily wake.

Eventually, Nicholas cried out, "Stop!" The Hoppip stopped, staring in surprise at the opposing human.

"Delibird is defeated," Nicholas admitted regretfully. He returned the beaten penguin and sent out Doduo once more. Doduo sized up its new foe, evaluating it warily.

Then, without an order from Nicholas, it flung forward in a Fury Attack. The Hoppip evaded the lunge, barely avoiding the sharp beaks. But, as the Doduo stopped in place, the Hoppip sent a Sleep Powder cloud at its opponent.

"Aerial Ace," Nicholas said simply. Some of the people watching were confused at the order. Lee knew Aerial Ace was a Hoenn discovery, and word might not have gotten out to Johto, or even Kanto, for that matter.

Doduo sprinted forward, slicing through the thick green air effortlessly. Its two beaks slammed into Hoppip, and knocked it forcefully to the ground. Hoppip just sat there, unable to battle any longer.

The other boy returned his Hoppip, and sent out a Pikachu in its place. Lee was wondering how Nicholas could defeat this Pikachu. Low Kick wouldn't do a lot of damage to it, and Aerial Ace would be all but useless.

Nicholas didn't share this pessimistic outlook, as he sent Doduo in for a Low Kick right away. Pikachu, alarmed by the abrupt start of the battle, sent a Thunderbolt reeling toward Doduo. A scorch mark blackened the ground where Doduo had been and where Pikachu had aimed. Doduo was simply too fast.

It swung its right leg out, and knocked Pikachu to the ground. Repeating its prior tactic, Doduo placed a foot on the yellow mouse and began stabbing it in a heated Fury Attack.

The Pikachu, though, was better suited for a defense than the Meowth had been. It sent a Thunderbolt blasting into the Doduo, causing it to shoot backward.

Doduo landed on its side, but it scrambled to its feet quickly, knowing it was far too vulnerable to an Electric Type just lying on the ground.

"Scary Face!" the boy ordered. Ziggy chuckled to himself at the command.

"Pikachu can't use Scary Face. I don't care how messed up these Pokémon are. A Pikachu just can't use that kind of move," he said to Lee with finality.

Lee wasn't so sure, though. And it turned out that he was right. Pikachu stood up in front of the Doduo, and began contorting its face. It opened its eyes so wide that the hidden whites showed. Its mouth expanded outward, and curved into a gaping frown. Its nostrils were flared, and its ears stiffened, curving outward like horns. If any Pikachu could look frightening, it was this one.

The Doduo was obviously taller, but it still cowered away from the freakish rat. A splash told Lee that Ziggy had fallen into the fountain laughing.

Poking his head above water, Ziggy announced, "We need to get ourselves one of those!"

Lee laughed, but Ziggy's joke made him think of something. Lee and Onix were competent battlers, but they were both Physical based Pokémon. Lee would need to get some sort of Special based Pokémon for the upcoming tournament. Otherwise, Pokémon like Forretress or Steelix would completely defeat him, blocking all Physical attacks.

But Lee's attention was quickly focused on the battle once more. The Doduo had began running again, but it kept its eyes on the still glaring Pikachu. It couldn't run too quickly with its attention on Pikachu, else it would fall over.

"Quickly, Thunderbolt!" the boy said. Pikachu's twisted face vanished, and it sent a Thunderbolt at the dodo. Doduo squabbled, but it was unable to avoid the lightning strike.

After a quick blow, Doduo fell over, barely able to keep going. The crowd groaned and booed as Doduo's feathery body slammed onto the walkway.

Lee realized the boy was in a lose-lose situation. If he lost, then he lost. But if he won, people would dislike him for beating Nicholas (who was something of an idol to them, it seemed). Doduo rose to its feet weakly, encouraged by quiet cheers from Nicholas' fans.

Pikachu sent a final Thunderbolt its way, but Doduo had enough stamina left to avoid it. Knowing Pikachu would win if it didn't end the fight soon, Doduo's first head knocked Pikachu down.

Before Pikachu had even hit the ground, Doduo's heads became a blur as it belted out Fury Attacks. Vicious and determined, it gave Pikachu no time to retaliate. Pikachu stopped struggling soon, just as the Meowth had.

As Doduo recognized victory, it began glowing white. A third head began sprouting from between the previous two. Feathers unfurled from their shining heads as their beaks lengthened. A proper tail burst free of Doduo's abdomen, as well as another portion of its legs.

The glowing faded, and a Dodrio stood before the fallen Pikachu proudly. The crowd dissolved into cheers. Even Lee found himself yelling praise to Nicholas.

Beckoning to Ziggy, Lee started pushing his way through the crowd, which was starting to break up. Some had moved in closer to admire the Dodrio or talk to Nicholas. Several adolescents had simply lurched forward to gather the coins left behind by the Pokémon.

The other boy seemed all but forgotten. His friends comforted him, but he looked distinctly disgruntled by his loss.

Lee walked straight up to Nicholas, and said, "Hey Nicholas."

Nicholas turned to him, and asked, "Do I know you?" The question wasn't posed as a challenge, and there was no arrogance in his words; it was a simple question.

"No, my name's Lee. I was just wondering where you and those other people got those Pokémon with the abnormal moves," he said, eager for an answer.

Nicholas smiled, and said, "In the center of the town, there's a small development. A girl named Nabiki lives there, in the house E-25 to be exact, and she gives away Pokémon, usually for free. She barters for some of the rarer ones, but for the most part, they're free to whomever comes."

"Thanks," Lee said brightly. Ziggy had already started walking along the street as Lee turned away.

"So, what'd you think of Nicholas?" Lee asked.

"Great battler, he was. That's one heck of a Dodrio. I found myself wanting to fight him when I saw how fluidly he directed his Pokémon," Ziggy commented.

"Well, maybe you will someday," Lee said, listening as the Dodrio sent a caw of triumph into the still air.

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Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 6: The Breeder, Part 1

Afternoon slowly pulled the sun toward the horizon, and its light was fading. The busy city of the Lake of Rage was beginning to settle down, but Lee and Ziggy still roamed the streets.

Though Lee was scanning the place carefully, he had no idea where to find E-25. Nicholas had said it was near the center of town, but it was impossible to find the center of such a vast metropolis.

Frustrated and weary, Lee collapsed on the porch of a small, one-story house. Ziggy noticed, and moved toward his owner.

"Lee, you're killing what little time we have left," Ziggy informed the exasperated adolescent.

"Does it matter? We're not going to be finding Nabiki today. I'm not sure we'll ever find her in this place," Lee sighed.

Ziggy rolled his eyes, and said, "You make it sound like we're going Chansey hunting. Nabiki is one girl in a big city. It might take a while, but we'll find her. It's not as big a problem as you're making it seem."

"I don't suppose I could be of any assistance," a smug voice crooned from overhead. Lee looked up, brushing the hair from his eyes, and found the Skarmory gazing down at him intently. Lee fell off the porch in surprise and fear.

"Don't you have something better to do than stalk us?" Ziggy snapped at the iron bird.

Skarmory turned its gaze to him, and said, "Well, I've been trying to besmirch the clean pelts of other Pokémon with my droppings, but apparently they're all too intelligent to be hit. I needed a simpler target, one that hasn't the intelligence to evade a very obvious attack. So here I am, eyeing you down, my furry friend." Ziggy snarled, but didn't lash out at the bird.

"Ooh, the scary face!" Skarmory exclaimed in mock terror, "I guess I'd better leave before I get my tail feathers ripped out by this dashingly masculine warrior." Skarmory ruffled its feathers, and actually did take off.

Reluctant as he was to accept help from such a creature, Lee had to call, "Stop! We need your help, Skarmory." Skarmory turned around startlingly quickly, as though expecting Lee's call.

"I know you do," it said, a small smirk upon its silvery face.

"No, we most certainly do not need your help," Ziggy shouted up to the hovering creature, fur bristling.

"Yes we do!" Lee whispered frantically to Ziggy, staring him in the eyes.

Ziggy glared back, and said in a voice that carried up to the waiting Skarmory, "Yeah, we need help, but I think we can do better than an arrogant Taillow in shining armor."

"Likewise, I wonder why I waste my time with a Linoone coated in partially digested fish. Surely my talents are better suited somewhere else," the Skarmory said to the two.

"No, ignore Ziggy. Neither of us are all that fond of you, Skarmory, but we need your help," Lee admitted.

"Your honesty is painful," Skarmory wailed in a melodramatic voice, "But, being the kind soul I am, I shall cut minutes from my overwhelming schedule to help a young boy and his fur coat."

Ziggy's pupils actually contracted at Skarmory's response, and an utterly feral expression crossed his face. Only deep respect for Lee kept him from simply turning around and abandoning the smug bird.

"Lead us on, Skarmory," Lee said.

"As you wish, my directionally-challenged friend," Skarmory called back.

Turning to the left, Skarmory flew along the street slowly, allowing Lee and Ziggy to keep pace. Many complicated twists and turns befouled what should have been a simple journey. Lee wondered if Skarmory was deliberating wearing them down.

"You'd think, having a bird's eye view and all, that our gracious leader would find his way more quickly," Ziggy said, his comment directed solely at Skarmory.

"Oh, how much more amusing your words would be to me if they were garbled with my intestinal fluids," Skarmory retorted without even turning its head.

Ziggy yearned to strike the creature, but restrained himself. Finally, Skarmory led the companions into a circular development with a good forty houses. Looking at the door of the first house, Lee saw E-25 shining at him in big, golden letters. A fountain was placed in the middle of the plaza, an exact duplicate of the one Lee had stood upon hours ago.

Lee's legs ached from the long voyage; he wished he had thought to bring his Mach Bike with him to Johto, but it was in Hoenn at the moment. Nevertheless, he was grateful for Skarmory's assistance.

"Thanks a lot," Lee yelled to the Skarmory, grinning. Skarmory lighted upon the fountain, and seemed genuinely appreciative of Lee's gratitude.

"You're quite welcome," Skarmory said, omitting a snide comment from its statement for the first time.

However, the almost friendly bond between the two vanished, though, as Ziggy said, "Nabiki's not here. She left some sign up, though." Ziggy could read a few things, but apparently the words on the sign were beyond his comprehension.

"Well done, hairy heckler, you've just ruined a very tender moment," Skarmory informed Ziggy, only half kidding.

Ziggy didn't even turn around as he snarled, "You know, you can shut up at any time." Skarmory chose not to answer the remark, for whatever reason.

"Nabiki tends to bathe at this time of day. I can take you to where she cleanses herself, if you'd like," Skarmory said to Lee. Lee still feared the bird, but he was quite surprised at the nearly friendly attitude it used when speaking to him.

"Alright, that sounds good. It'd be better if we spoke to her before the day ends," Lee said.

"I suppose teenage lust has nothing to do with it, then," Skarmory said with a devilish grin.

Lee blushed, and responded a bit too quickly, "No, of course not. I'd want to see Nabiki just as much if she weren't taking a bath."

"Alright, whatever you say," Skarmory said, its teeth stilled bared in a knowing grin, "So would you be disappointed if I told you she bathes with a swimsuit?"

"No," Lee said, painfully aware that heat still suffused his face.

Skarmory just chuckled, and said, "Alright, we'd best be moving on, then. Come, fur-clad lizard, we must depart."

Ziggy turned to Skarmory, teeth bared in a very fierce scowl. Lee was alarmed to see Ziggy so angry, so he thought it was best not to speak to him until his temper receded.

Skarmory rose into the sky, and soared over the house Nabiki lived in. Happy that the awkward moment had passed, Lee maneuvered through an alley, following by a seething Linoone. Lee considered asking Skarmory to let up on the insults, but he didn't suppose it would accept orders from him. More than likely, it would just barrage the two of them with barbs to further annoy Ziggy, perhaps beyond the line of reason.

Soon, Lee was free of the huge city, and found a small lake filled with rocks. Skarmory landed lightly on the ground, and gestured toward the highest rock.

"Bathing Beauty awaits," it said simply.

Lee moved a bit closer, and called tentatively, "Nabiki?"

A startled yelp came from the tall rock, and head poked out of an indent on the rock's top. Shoulder length hair wrapped itself around the rather attractive face of Nabiki. Green eyes similar to Lee's gazed down at Lee. Lee found himself blushing once more, to his embarrassment.

"What do you want? Didn't you see the sign? I said I'd be back in fifteen minutes!" Nabiki said, sounding quite affronted.

"I'm afraid that would be my fault, young Nabiki," Skarmory interjected without any warning, "I didn't want to lead them here, but this sick little Linoone forced me into it. I suppose frolicking with unclothed Linoone all day just doesn't satisfy it anymore."

Nabiki didn't understand what Skarmory had said, but Ziggy understood it all too well. With a roar of rage, Ziggy rocketed toward the Skarmory, and bit it around the neck.

Skarmory didn't even react, but simply allowed the infuriated Linoone to plunge it into the water from its attack. Ziggy dragged the bird onto land, and pinned it to the ground. Skarmory, remarkably, seemed unfazed, even with the enraged Linoone growling down at it.

"And so my life comes to an end, trapped beneath a perverse Linoone with fish and excretion in its hair and pineapple in its brea - Good heavens, you swine, what have you been eating? Under your open mouth, that cloying odor is making me want to expel fluid into your face from my throat," Skarmory said, looking almost bored at the situation.

Ziggy raised an arm to take a swipe at Skarmory, but was stopped as a hulking blue monster tore it off its captive. The Feraligatr held Ziggy in one hand, and pulled Skarmory to its feet with the other.

Skarmory fluttered into the air, and grinned down at Ziggy from high in the air. Ziggy growled up at the Skarmory, and thrashed about in the one-handed grasp of Feraligatr. Feraligatr didn't let go, though. It just held Ziggy until his rage abated.

As Feraligatr let go of the calming Linoone, Nabiki asked, "Are you spying on me or something?"

"No, not at all," Lee called up to her quickly, "Some kids in the city told us that you have Pokémon you're willing to give away." Nabiki's stern expression seemed to implode upon itself, and friendly smile replaced her frown.

"Yes, that's what I do best! Give me a few minutes; I'll be out in a moment," she exclaimed jubilantly. Nabiki seemed to disappear inside her rocky bathtub as she said this.

Lee turned to Skarmory, who promptly said, "I think I've served my purpose, so I'll be leaving now." Without even giving Lee a chance to answer, Skarmory jumped into the air, and glided away into the city. Ziggy watched it leave hatefully. He looked as though he wanted to call after the Skarmory, but it had vanished quite abruptly.

Lee turned to the Feraligatr, who looked down at him with a blank expression. It didn't seem unfriendly, but Lee knew it was powerful from the way it had separated the quarreling Pokémon with such ease.

"So, you're Nabiki's Feraligatr?" Lee asked. Feraligatr nodded, a deep growl resonating from its throat.

"Does Nabiki have any other Pokémon of her own?" Lee asked, wondering if this Feraligatr was the only one she hadn't given away.

Feraligatr nodded, and then suddenly roared into the sky. Lee backed away in alarm, but even as he stumbled onto the ground, he realized it was probably just calling those other Pokémon.

A Kecleon bounded out of the forest seconds after the terrifying roar shattered the twilight, and a Gligar soared over the trees. Seeing Lee and Ziggy, the two assumed battle poses, guessing him to be a threat. Feraligatr grunted a command just as Ziggy prepared for the onslaught.

A deep chain of growls was directed at the Gligar and the Kecleon, and they relaxed as Feraligatr explained the situation. Gligar was the first to move; it hovered over to Lee, and landed on his thick hair.

Lee smiled, and stroked the head of the flying scorpion. He was reminded quite distinctly of Damsel as the Gligar sighed happily. Kecleon moved for Ziggy, however. Ziggy, who had been shaking the water from his fur, glanced up at the approaching Kecleon. The reptile seemed a little shy. Ziggy, though, immediately reached out a hand. Kecleon jumped back in alarm, but took Ziggy's paw after a few tense moments.

Gligar peered out of Lee's hair, interested in the relationship between Kecleon and the strange creature.

"Hey!" Nabiki called from behind Lee. Lee turned, and found her bounding across a series of stones in the lake.

Nabiki wore a forest green T-shirt, and bell-bottoms that flapped at her ankles as she leapt nimbly from stone to stone. She wore thin, purple glasses now that she was out of the water, which Lee thought subtracted from her appearance somewhat. Her brown hair fluttered freely at her shoulders, buffeted by the wind. She landed delicately on the shore, and walked over to Lee. Despite her glasses, she was still quite pretty. Lee fought hard to keep from blushing once more.

Nabiki returned Feraligatr as she landed on the verdant grass, but allowed Gligar and Kecleon to become acquainted with the new arrivals.

"So, you want a Pokémon?" she said, getting right to the point.

"Y-Yes, if you don't mind," Lee said, annoyed with himself for stuttering.

"Well, then we need to be at my house," she said, laughing. Lee laughed weakly, but stopped as he realized that might not be the right moment to laugh. Nabiki glanced at him inquiringly, and then laughed even harder. Lee joined in this time. Nabiki seemed quite serene, and her laughter was infectious.

Nabiki began to lead the way to her house, but tripped over a rather large hole in the grass. Startled, Lee hastened to extend his hand. Nabiki took it and pulled herself to her feet. She turned to thank Lee, but a wide smile crossed her face as she caught sight of his happy grin.

"Is there a reason you're smiling?" she teased. Lee, unaware he had been smiling in the first place, took a step backward, startling Gligar. Gligar landed on Nabiki's hair, and stared back at Lee with a contented smile.

Nabiki laughed again. Her voice was fairly normal for a teenager, but her laugh was interestingly high-pitched. It wasn't immediately noticeable, but Nabiki laughed so much that Lee could tell the difference.

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked, giggling.

"Well, uh..." Lee stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"Well, I kinda thought it was funny when you fell, but I didn't want to laugh, 'cause I didn't want to offend you. Seriously!" Lee added in as Nabiki began giggling again.

Deciding to change the subject, Lee said, "I suppose you have bad eyesight, then, tripping over rocks and stuff."

Nabiki smiled at him, and said, "Yeah, I do. I don't mind my glasses, though. I think I look better with them than without them."

"I think you look great without them," Lee said. It took less than a second for what he said to catch up with him. Lee's face flushed a deep red, vibrant enough to be seen even in the darkening air.

Nabiki burst out laughing, shaking Gligar out from her hair. Looking affronted, Gligar relocated to Lee's cranium, nestling itself in the part in his hair.

"Very smooth, Lee," Ziggy said, a smug smirk on his face. Lee laughed sheepishly, but he could hardly hear himself over Nabiki's continued laughter.

"Was I really that funny?" Lee said daringly.

"Yes, you were!" Nabiki said, trying to stop laughing, "You're very sweet, too."

Lee was amazed for a moment. Heat began creeping into his face as the impact of the words hit him. Hurriedly, he went to pet Ziggy to cover up his embarrassment.

"Why are you petting me, Lee?" Ziggy said, suppressing his laughter with a very wide grin, "Are you avoiding something? Or someone, perhaps?"

"Shut up!" Lee muttered to Ziggy, stroking his ears. Nabiki noticed the two communicating, and asked, "Can that Linoone really understand you?"

Uncertain if this was a reasonable topic to be discussed, Lee asked, "You know what a Linoone is?"

"Yes, I know a lot about Pokémon. It's part of being a Breeder, you know. But don't avoid my question. Can it understand you?" Nabiki said. A smile danced on her face, but she wasn't gong to be distracted by Lee's subject change.

Lee planned his explanation carefully, "Well, when you've been around a Pokémon long enough, it can start to understand some of the things you say. Feraligatr can understand you to an extent, can't it?"

Nabiki considered Lee's explanation, and said, "You know, you're right. Feraligatr understands what I say and do most of the time. It's naturally smart, but I suppose that has something to do with it."

Lee smiled at her, and said, "We should get moving. Your parents are probably worrying."

Nabiki laughed for the umpteenth time, and said, "No, my parents aren't home right now. They've been away for months, doing all sorts of things. They're coming back in three days, though; I'm running low on supplies and things."

"Oh. Cool," Lee said lamely. Nabiki smiled, barely resisting the urge to laugh. Lee just moved forward, heading for Nabiki's house.

"What's your name, anyway?" Nabiki asked playfully.

"...Lee," Lee said hesitantly. After his multiple acts of stupidity, he wasn't sure if he wanted her to remember him.

"Lee...That's a nice name," Nabiki said from behind him. Lee gave a small noise of acknowledgement. They walked in silence, following a path back to the city.

"It's kind of lonely home alone," Nabiki said, breaking the silence between them, "I mean, I have my Pokémon and all, but I miss human company.

The only people I see are the ones who pick up my Pokémon, and I don't usually get to know anybody. Sometimes I wish someone would keep me company."

Lee stopped, and turned around incredulously. Nabiki walked by him as Lee stood in place, but Lee thought he detected a shy smile on her face. Lee smiled as well, and followed Nabiki as she took the lead.

"Funny, that was," Ziggy noted, "Seems you get better results when you're not trying so hard to charm her."

"Charm her? I dunno what you mean, Ziggy. It's basic friendliness," Lee said quickly.

A small chuckle came from the Gligar in his hair, followed up by Ziggy's own laughter.

"Yeah, OK," Ziggy sneered, "If you say so, buddy." Gligar's laughs rose in volume, and its small body quivered against Lee's skull.

"What are you laughing at?" Lee asked playfully, grabbing the scorpion in his hands.

Gligar waggled its tongue at him in response, teasing him without words. Ziggy laughed at the goads of the Gligar. Even Kecleon found it funny, as was indicated by a few timid laughs from behind Ziggy. Nabiki turned around at the laughter, and joined in quickly.

"You're pretty friendly with Pokémon," Nabiki observed.

"Well, I happen to like Gligar in particular," Lee said. He was surprised that he felt no feelings of nervousness, despite talking to Nabiki.

"They're really nice Pokémon, but they're also durable and fierce fighters when they have to be. That's a great combination, in my opinion," Lee finished.

"Well said!" Nabiki said, applauding cheerfully. Lee smiled, happy to see the tension between them eroding away.

Nabiki turned around, and found herself at the back door of her house. She reached into the pocket of her jeans, and pulled a key from inside.

"Come on in, Lee," she said warmly, before ducking inside the doorway. Lee began to sweat slightly, but he went inside anyhow, followed by Ziggy and Kecleon. What was the worst that could happen?

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 7: The Breeder, Part 2

The house was cluttered; Lee noticed that immediately. Despite Nabiki's simple and organized appearance, her house looked extraordinarily messy. Papers crunched under the feet of the two teenagers as they wove their way through the wasteland of a home.

"Sorry about this all, but I'm not all that orderly if I don't have to be," Nabiki explained.

"I would think being a Breeder is where you'd need organization the most," Lee said, a bit surprised.

Nabiki laughed once again, and made her way to the stairs at the far side of the room. Lee tried to follow, but he stopped as the sound of crunching glass rang out behind him.

"Oops," muttered a shocked Linoone.

Lee glared at Ziggy, and said, "What did you just do?"

"Stepped on a picture, from the looks of it," Ziggy responded. Kecleon laughed softly at that, though Ziggy's answer contained no comedic content.

"Yeah, that's really funny, isn't it?" Ziggy said to Kecleon. Lee saw Kecleon take a step back, looking hurt.

"Ziggy!" Lee snapped.

"What?" Ziggy asked boredly. Lee gestured to the Kecleon. Ziggy turned to find its new friend with tears in its eyes. A shadow passed over Ziggy's face. Ziggy murmured an apology, and embraced the Kecleon.

Lee thought Ziggy was being a bit too forward, hugging the Kecleon like that. But it didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, Kecleon hugged Ziggy back, looking calmer already.

The scene was almost alarming to Lee, but his focus quickly returned to the picture. He bent down, and picked it up. Spidery cracks ran along the glass. Luckily, Ziggy wasn't all that heavy, so his weight didn't damage the picture drastically.

In the picture, Lee saw a younger Nabiki beside two adults. The woman was exceptionally beautiful, with long, wavy brown hair and warm brown eyes. The man, shorter in comparison to the woman, was blonde, and had green almond eyes just like Nabiki's.

"My parents," Nabiki said. Lee turned and found himself face-to-face with Nabiki. He hastily took a step back, shaking Gligar around on his head.

Nabiki smiled and giggled lightly. Her attention, though, quickly turned to Kecleon. Ziggy had poked his head around the affectionate Kecleon, and was staring at Lee with a humorous horrified expression. Lee smiled, knowing Ziggy hadn't planned to hug the Kecleon for so long.

"Kecleon," Nabiki said sweetly. Kecleon jumped backward, and stared at Nabiki in fright. Upon seeing the smiling face of her trainer, Kecleon calmed down, and moved to Nabiki's side.

"She's really friendly," Nabiki stated simply. Kecleon smiled, and giggled in a way strikingly similar to her owner. Ziggy rolled his eyes inconspicuously.

"Why is the picture cracked?" Nabiki asked Lee. The smile slowly faded from her face as she asked this.

"No, I didn't break it," Lee said, reading her thoughts, "Ziggy did, but it was an accident." A small snort came from the Gligar on Lee's head.

"Well, I probably shouldn't have left it on the floor in the first place," Nabiki said, taking the picture gently from Lee.

Nabiki moved adeptly through the papers, as though accustomed to being so confined. She placed the picture on a nearly-buried metal cabinet, perching it between two lopsided stacks of paper.

"Come on upstairs, Lee, I'll show you where our Pokémon live," Nabiki said cheerily, apparently unaffected by the accident.

Lee followed Nabiki to the stairs, and up onto the second floor. Lee was amazed at the appearance. Rather than the cluttered floor downstairs, the space here was quite open. In the far corner, a sturdy steel-and-glass shelf held a solitary Egg within.

"There's been something of a boom in business, and I've given away a lot of Pokémon. There's only one Pokémon and one Egg here," Nabiki said, noting Lee's disappointment at the emptiness of the place. Gligar finally removed itself from Lee's head, and soared about the tall room, exercising its wings.

"Is this one Pokémon Special?" Lee asked.

Nabiki glanced at him strangely, and said laughingly, "Yes, it's quite a special little thing. Should it not be?"

"No, you misunderstood," Lee said, grinning, "I mean, is it a Special Attack based Pokémon? I'm not usually picky with what Pokémon I take with me, but I have an Onix and a Linoone, and they're both Physical Pokémon. I figure a Special Pokémon would help me out in the upcoming tournament."

"Oh!" Nabiki said, laughter undermining her words, "Yes, our current occupant is Special. That Egg over there contains a Duskull, imported especially from Hoenn. I can give that to you if you'd like, but it's not really a Special Pokémon."

"Well, what's the other Pokémon?" Lee asked.

Nabiki smirked tauntingly, and said, "How about you find out for yourself?" Lee sighed, and protested, "But there aren't any Pokémon in here."

"That's because this is just the first half of our enclosure. We have to raise a lot of Pokémon sometimes, so we need more than one floor sometimes," Nabiki told Lee.

"Well, then how do we get to the next floor?" Lee said, growing somewhat impatient with her teasing.

"That tree in the middle is really an elevator," Nabiki explained, "Very high-tech. As soon as it detects a mass touching it, it automatically moves upward or downward. After fifteen seconds, it goes back to its original position.

Sometimes Pokémon on the first floor have to throw something at it to get it to move, though. But it's still incredibly useful. That thing probably cost more to install than this entire habitat cost to make."

Lee laughed, and moved over to the tree. Upon closer inspection, he found a door, almost invisible beneath the rough bark. Nabiki, Ziggy, and Kecleon followed Lee into the tree as he pulled open the door. The platform moved effortlessly upward, unaffected by their combined weight.

Lee opened the second door, and found himself in something like a birdcage. At least, the upper half resembled one. The bottom half looked natural, a representation of a real environment. The metal bars arching overhead were presumably meant to keep the Flying Pokémon from escaping.

"Go ahead and look for it," Nabiki encouraged. Reluctantly, Lee began crawling through the bushes and built-in caves.

As Lee crawled into the last cave, Nabiki cried out, "There it goes!" Lee backed out of the cave
, drawing laughter from Nabiki and the Pokémon. But when Lee came out, he saw only the three of them.

"Ziggy, where'd it go?" Lee demanded of Ziggy.

Ziggy grinned mischievously, and scolded, "Now, now, Lee. Where's the learning in this if you have help figuring it out?"

Lee laughed sourly, and began examining the low-lying bushes. Lee turned suspiciously to the small pool carved in the floor behind the tree, and watched it carefully. If something was hiding in it, it would have to surface sooner or later. Suddenly, the whirring of the automated elevator interrupted Lee's vigil.

"And there it goes!" Ziggy exclaimed between fits of laughter.

"Lee, this thing is pretty slow. Why can't you catch it?" Nabiki inquired, amused and a bit incredulous.

"Maybe I could if it would stay still!" Lee retorted. Everyone laughed once more. Hurriedly, Lee flung open the door and waited as the elevator dropped down to the lower floor.

Gligar was there waiting for its new friend. Lee was happy to see it, but he wanted to find the Pokémon more than he wanted to see Gligar right then. Lee saw rocks jutting from the floor across from him. The Pokémon could easily be hiding behind them.

Lee sprinted across the room, and started peeking behind them quickly, trying to be sure it couldn't get away before he found it. Behind him, the familiar whirring of the elevator broke his concentration. With an exasperated sigh, Lee turned to follow the infernal creature upstairs.

But, he noticed Gligar was no longer here. So Gligar had gone along with it! Lee moved toward the elevator, but then stopped. Maybe Gligar had gone alone. Maybe it was a trick. Maybe the Pokémon was still here.

Lee stood still, and listened closely. The sound of breathing rose from behind the tree. It was quiet, but it was enough to hear in the silence. Lee edged toward the tree, and then darted behind it.

A startled cry came from the Pokémon as Lee appeared before it. It was small, but it looked healthy. A brilliant orange color contrasted the soft colors of the grass and trees, and two yellow eyes regarded Lee in unmistakable amusement. Bubbles burst all over the body, and the stalks its eye were perched upon quivered, like grass in a light wind. It was a Slugma.

Lee wasn't sure if he wanted it as he caught sight of it. Perhaps he'd be better off with the Duskull.

However, he wanted to be kind to the creature. It had decided to play around with Lee for the past few minutes. It seemed friendly enough, and Lee didn't want to alienate it with his indifference.

"Hello there, Slugma," Lee said, a smile on his face. The Slugma stared back at Lee with its yellow eyes, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"Can you speak?" Lee asked the magma slug. Lee was strongly reminded of his grandmother's Slugma as he stared at the Slugma before him. She had used it to test Lee's lingual skills. Lee could talk to the Slugma as easily as he could talk to Ziggy back then.

But his knowledge of the Slugma's language had rusted over, and he would probably have a hard time talking to it, even if it could talk.

"Yes," the Slugma said after some time. It seemed to have a bit of difficulty speaking.

"Slugma, I'm going to be adopting you, if you don't mind," Lee said. There were probably better Pokémon to have out there, but the tournament was soon, and this Slugma had undoubtedly been trained to some extent.

"Alright...That sounds nice," the Slugma said. Its voice was subdued and thick; Lee couldn't even tell its gender. The words it spoke seemed to take a while to come out, and while to say completely, as well.

Lee wrapped his arms around the Slugma, and carried it in his arms. Its smooth body was slippery, and the small heat waves from its ever-popping bubbles felt odd against Lee's cool skin. Lee had to adjust his hold every now and then, as the Slugma frequently began slipping through his grasp.

He opened the door awkwardly, and was transported up. The door opened, and he found himself welcomed by the cheers of his friends.

"Well done, Lee. You've managed to catch one of the slowest Pokémon on Earth. Proud?" Ziggy commented.

Lee rolled his eyes, and said to Nabiki, "I think I'll take this Slugma."

"Oh, that's marvelous!" Nabiki declared happily, "No one seemed to want the poor thing, and it's been so lonely all alone up there."

"That's a shame....Does this Slugma learn any special moves as it Levels Up?" Lee asked.

"Well, mostly Fire attacks," Nabiki stated, "Ember, Flamethrower, and stuff like that. Its Hidden Power is Psychic, too, so I suppose it counts."

"That's nice to know," Lee said, suppressing an outburst of mirth, "But I meant the other sort of special. As in, Petal Dance Meowth and Scary Face Pikachu special."

Ziggy snorted at the mention of the Pikachu, a sly smile creeping across his face.

Continuing as though uninterrupted, Nabiki said, "Yeah, it learns Refresh at some point. I'm not entirely sure when, but it definitely does."

"Okay, thanks," Lee said, before remembering his other question, "Is this Slugma female or male?"

Nabiki giggled, and said, "Well, I can't really tell, and there's no way to actually ask it."

"Not for you, anyhow. For Lee, though..." Ziggy noted. Nabiki, unable to understand, didn't understand as Lee grinned.

"What? Did I do something funny?" Nabiki asked, confused.

"No, I'm just...er, remembering something funny," Lee said, ignoring Ziggy's quiet chortle.

Nabiki laughed at Lee's explanation, and said, "You're so strange sometimes, Lee!"

"Um, thanks?" Lee said sheepishly, uncertain of how to respond. Nabiki just kept laughing, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

As she settled down, she asked, "Have you signed up for the tournament yet?"

Surprised by the random inquiry, Lee said, "No, but we're going to tomorrow."

Nabiki arched her eyebrows, and said, "Well you'd better go do it now, because registration ends at midnight! And the third annual Red Gyarados Festival is starting tonight, too."

"Seriously?!" Lee asked, frantic and wide-eyed.

"Yes, seriously!" Nabiki exclaimed quite solemnly.

"I need to go, then. Are there any papers for me to sign?" Lee asked, his heart fluttering.

"No," Nabiki said, "I'd like for Slugma to say good-bye to Feraligatr, though; they were good friends while Slugma was here."

"Okay," Lee said, letting Slugma down gently on the ground.

Nabiki released Feraligatr, and hurriedly said, "Slugma's going to be leaving, Feraligatr. It's Lee's Pokémon now. So say good-bye, because you might not see it for a while."

Nabiki's voice seemed to contort slightly at her last sentence, for some reason. Feraligatr let out a mournful groan, and scooped up the Slugma in its arms. Cradling it like an infant, Feraligatr uttered a sad, gruff good-bye.

Slugma had no arms to hug the gentle amphibian, but it moaned rather plaintively as Feraligatr held it for the last time. The bond between them was tight, and Slugma was loathe to break it. But it did like Lee, so it wasn't as sad as it may have been.

Lee watched the scene, feeling rather guilty about breaking the caring relationship between the two. But his resolution firmed when Feraligatr gave Lee its companion. If Feraligatr could bear to part with its dear friend, Lee could bear to accept it.

"Well, I'd better be going," Lee said. Everyone grouped into the elevator, Feraligatr with some difficulty. Oblivious to the massive weight, the elevator simply lowered itself at a steady pace, dropping them all off at second floor.

Everyone was quiet as Lee led the way through the habitat and through Nabiki's cluttered living room. Though the seven present had only recently become acquainted with each other, they had become quite close, and none of them really wanted to leave. Lee walked out the front door, and turned to face his four new friends.

Nabiki, Gligar, Kecleon, and Feraligatr lined up, and stared at Lee and his Pokémon with the same sadness he felt. Lee was fairly sure this wasn't a permanent good-bye, but he was still sorry to leave. Lee set down Slugma, and let it move toward Nabiki slowly. Moving toward Kecleon first, Lee extended a hand, and said,

"Nice to meet you, Kecleon. Take care of yourself." Kecleon gazed up at Lee, and put both her hands in Lee's in a gesture of parting. Lee smiled, and enclosed his hand in a fist around the Kecleon's small hands.

"See you soon," he said to the Kecleon. Kecleon smiled, and nodded her head. Lee let go of her hands, and moved onto Gligar. Before Lee could shake its claw, Gligar threw itself on Lee's head, and nestled into his hair.

"Sorry buddy, you'll have to get used to Nabiki's hair again," he said to the disappointed Gligar. Nabiki laughed quietly at Lee's comment to his left as she said good-bye to Slugma.

Lee didn't remove Gligar from his hair just yet; instead, he moved onto Feraligatr. Of all of Nabiki's Pokémon, he had spent the least time with Feraligatr. He was still sad in saying farewell, though. Feraligatr pulled Lee into a bear hug, and grunted in his ear.

"It's a shame we couldn't get to know each other better, Feraligatr," Lee said sincerely, "But good-bye. I'll miss you as much as anyone else."

Feraligatr nodded its head in acknowledgement. Lee moved to the other end of the line, noticing Ziggy having been pulled into another loving hug by Kecleon.

Lee stared Nabiki squarely in the eye. He was unsure how to proceed with this last farewell. Nabiki and him had grown close in the past hour or so, but he didn't want to overdo his good-bye.

Gligar pulled himself free of Lee's hair, and swooped down to Slugma.

In the end, Lee simply reached out his hand, and said, "It's been wonderful meeting you, Nabiki. Thanks for Slugma, and your hospitality overall."

Nabiki took his hand, and shook it slowly. But as Lee withdrew his hand, Nabiki lunged forward and gave Lee a long hug. Lee was surprised, but quite happy with this.

"Good-bye, Lee. I'll probably see you again sometime soon, but it's still hard on me to say good-bye. Out of the hundreds of people I've met, you just may be my favorite," Nabiki said, her voice cracking slightly.

Lee swallowed as he felt tears beginning to form in his eyes, and hugged Nabiki back.

"Likewise. I really do hope I see you again soon, Nabiki, but if not, good-bye and good luck," Lee said. Nabiki laughed weakly, and backed off slowly.

Lee smiled, and said, "See you later." Nabiki managed a smile, and waved as Lee began to walk away. Gligar, unwilling to part, shot at Lee, and hugged him around the face. Lee was taken by surprise, but he patted Gligar on the back.

"Miss you already," he said under Gligar's purple body. Gligar chuckled softly, and flew over to Nabiki reluctantly.

Lee waved one last time, allowing Ziggy and Slugma to catch up. Lee bent over to pick up Slugma, and marched on as Ziggy bounded alongside. Eventually, Nabiki and her Pokémon vanished behind the buildings.

"That was a teary farewell, eh Lee?" Ziggy said. The statement sounded mocking, but Ziggy was quite serious.

"Yeah, definitely. You seemed to have made a new friend, Ziggy," Lee said.

"That Kecleon likes me a bit more than I like it, I'm sorry to say," Ziggy murmured, "But it's a nice Pokémon, and I'm glad to have met it....Speaking of 'new friends', it seems like you made more than a friend tonight, Lee."

"What, Slugma?" Lee asked, though he knew perfectly well what Ziggy meant. Slugma glanced up at him, recognizing its name.

"Sure Lee, Slugma," Ziggy said, shaking his furry head in amusement, "There's not much use denying it, though."

"Whatever," Lee said. His eyes soon caught sight of a brilliantly-lit festival. This must be the Red Gyarados Festival Nabiki had mentioned.

It looked excellent, but Lee needed to sign up for the tournament first. Ignoring the elaborate decorations, Lee moved through the crowds, searching for a place to register.

He wasn't sure how much time he had left, but it probably wasn't much. Could he make it in time?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*sigh* Apparently, no one really wants to reply tot his thread -_-;

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 8: The Festival

As Lee pushed through the hordes of people, he recognized a stadium. With its glass windows and square architecture, Lee wouldn't have known it was the stadium if the words LAKE OF RAGE STADIUM weren't written on the front in curvy blue letters.

Beckoning to Ziggy as best he could with his arms full of slug, Lee charged through the doors and looked around. A receptionist sat squarely in front of him, hidden behind a mauve counter.

Lee let Slugma on the ground gently beside Ziggy, and rushed up to the receptionist, startling her somewhat. Lee noticed immediately how much she fit the role of receptionist. Her plain blond hair was pulled up in a bun, and she wore glasses with thick black frames. Even her sky blue sweater added to her stereotypical receptionist appearance.

"Is it too late to register for the tournament?" Lee asked the woman. He quickly glanced down at her nametag, which read Michelle.

"You've cut it quite close, but there's still two spots remaining. You may sign up," Michelle said in a voice that sounded both friendly and serious at the same time.

Her crimson lips pulled back in a smile as she handed Lee the application forms, a pen, and a clipboard to write upon. The first paper was simply a list of names. Lee saw that there were sixty-four possible entries, and sixty-two were filled. So he'd be the sixty-third. As he wrote down his name, he noticed the name above his own: Michelle Lorenza.

"You're entering too?" Lee asked Michelle in surprise.

"Yes, indeed I am," Michelle said.

"No offense meant, but you struck me as a bit too sophisticated to be a trainer," Lee said, grinning bemusedly.

Michelle smiled back, and said, "Well, I only look this way during my day job. I....well, let my hair down when I'm not playing the part of a generic receptionist."

"Literally or figuratively?" Lee joked. Michelle laughed. After hearing Nabiki laugh so many times, Lee was almost alarmed at hearing a deeper and more controlled laugh.

"Both, really," Michelle responded, displaying even, white teeth.

"Shouldn't you wait until everyone has signed up before you yourself sign up?" Lee inquired.

"Well, I had assumed everyone who was going to sign up did already," Michelle explained calmly, "And then you came in."

Lee laughed, and flipped the page over. All sorts of questions were on the page, including ones that really didn't have any significance. Lee ended up answering N/A to many of the questions, since some of them involved his parents or other relatives. He hoped he would still be accepted after avoiding most of the questions.

Finishing after good fifteen minutes or more, hand noticeably cramped, he gave the clipboard and papers to Michelle. He turned to Ziggy, and noticed how bored he seemed. However, Ziggy was occupying himself by moving his hand in front of Slugma's eyes, watching its pupils follow the paw.

"Ziggy, don't you think that could be bad for Slugma?" Lee asked.

"No, not really. Slugma would let me know if it had a problem with it, right?" Ziggy said, directing the statement partially at Slugma. Slugma sat still, working out the words.

Finally, it responded, "Yes....I would."

"Lee?" Michelle asked. Lee turned, and looked at Michelle. Her face was inscrutable; Lee couldn't tell if he was about to be rejected or approved.

"Don't you have parents? You sort of skirted around all the questions involving them," Michelle asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Lee didn't feel like starting up such a personal conversation with a woman he barely knew, so he simply said, "Technically yes, but since I travel around a lot, I don't keep in contact with them very much."

"That's what I thought, but I just wanted to be sure," Michelle said, "A lot of our applicants answer in the same way, but you didn't answer many questions at all."

"I'm a loner," Lee said with a playful shrug.

Michelle smiled, and said, "Alright, then. The tournament is tomorrow at noon. You'll be waiting in the room to the left of this counter, and you'll come out when you're called. Good luck!"

"Same to you," Lee responded. He stooped down and picked up Slugma, who was beginning to look almost dizzy with Ziggy's teasing.

"Ready to go, Ziggy?" Lee asked.

"Tell me you're kidding," Ziggy said, rolling his eyes. Lee just laughed and led the way.

Ziggy trailed behind, examining the door where Lee was to wait for his match. Its bold green color seemed to eye down Ziggy, attempting to discourage him. Ziggy began to feel a bit a nervous, though the competition was the day after. Lee would be depending heavily on him, and Ziggy would have to do his best against the large variety of Pokémon, all of which were very well-trained....

Pushing his anxiety away, Ziggy galloped out the door, deciding to cross that bridge when he came to it.

***

Lee exited the stadium, and looked around. It was hard to tell that it was night with all the lights illuminating the sky. Fireworks exploded here and there, set off by random people at random moments.

A slow groan came from Lee's arms. Slugma looked tired, and its eyelids were beginning to cover its eyes.

"I'm......tired," Slugma said drowsily, its voice even slower than usual.

"I suppose you want to be in your Pokéball, then," Lee guessed.

"...Yes," Slugma said, stifling a yawn.

Lee drew out his Pokéball, and returned Slugma. A look of gratitude passed over Slugma's face before it was sucked into the ball.

"Hey!" called an excited voice. Lee turned to the right, and saw Sebastian grinning at them from in front of a lemonade stand.

In his arms was a stuffed Mr. Mime with a comical expression. Damsel was perched on his head, gripping a cup of lemonade as best she could. After taking a difficult sip of lemonade, Damsel caught sight of Lee and Ziggy. She squeaked a happy hello, and continued wrestling with the glass.

Lee ran over to Sebastian, and said, "Hey Sebastian! Nice to see you again!"

"Likewise," Sebastian said politely. As a grin crossed Sebastian's face, a bit of yellow liquid slopped out of Damsel's glass, splattering on the ground.

"I'll hold that for you if you want, Damsel," Lee offered. Damsel made a noise of gratitude, and let Lee take the glass from her arms. Lee held it up to her face, tilting the liquid into the mouth of the Yanma.

Sebastian smiled in thanks, and said, "Thanks a lot. I wanted to help her out, but the ground's sort of wet, and I didn't want to ruin this plushie."

Lee cocked an eyebrow, and said, "Isn't a real Pokémon more important than a stuffed one?"

Sebastian laughed, and said, "Certainly. But Damsel didn't seem to be having trouble when she had the glass before, and I figured she could handle it."

"Where'd you win that thing, anyway?" Lee asked Sebastian.

"Sake-drinking contest," Sebastian grinned.

Lee burst out laughing, and asked, "Seriously?"

"Nah, of course not," Sebastian said, laughing lightly as well, "There is a guy selling Sake not too far down from here, though. Anyway, I won this plushie in ring-toss. If you can get thirty out of thirty-five rings to land on the bottles, you win a large plushie. I got twenty-nine, but the person directing the event felt generous."

"Cool," Lee said. Struck by a sudden curiosity, he asked, "Are you in the tournament?"

Sebastian shook his head behind the mime, and said, "I like to battle every now and then, but I don't have the experience to go against people like Nicholas....You know who Nicholas is, right?"

"Yeah," Lee said, "He helped me out a few hours ago with a problem." As Sebastian began to talk, Damsel finished her lemonade, and took the cup back from Lee.

"Nicholas is like that. He's a competent battler, but he's a kind-hearted fellow," Sebastian said in a voice that bespoke slight admiration.

"Well, I hate to cut this conversation short, but the festival's about to end, and I want to check out a few other things before it's over," Sebastian said regretfully.

"That's fine. Ziggy and I want to explore a bit, too," Lee said understandingly. Sebastian tramped off through the mud, balancing the big mime as Damsel clung to his head. Damsel called out a farewell to Lee and Ziggy.

"Sake, huh?" Ziggy said, grinning mischievously.

Lee rolled his eyes, and said, "I don't think you're meant to drink that sort of thing, Ziggy. You're bad enough without Sake influencing you."

"But what will one cup do?" Ziggy asked, smirking widely. Without giving Lee a chance to answer, Ziggy bounded off in the opposite direction. Worried, Lee followed, searching for a place that sold Sake.

Hearing yells down an alley, Lee followed the sound, squeezing through a tight alley. Lee quickly found Ziggy slurping up glass after glass of Sake.

One cup? Lee thought. Mortified, Lee hurried forward, and grabbed Ziggy around the middle, pulled him away from the stunned owner.

"Sorry," he managed to say to the man before the alcohol overtook the Linoone.

Ziggy pulled free of Lee's grasp, and screamed, "The queen is coming!"

Turning to Lee, Ziggy said, "The moon lies. Don't believe it, noble warrior."

Lee couldn't respond. He noticed Ziggy's eyes were enlarging, and he was breathing rapidly. Though alcohol wasn't as concentrated in Sake as it was in some other drinks, Lee could still smell it in Ziggy's breath.

Getting no response from Lee, Ziggy dashed off. In his frenzied state, Ziggy tried to talk to the people, telling them ridiculous things and warning them of improbable disasters. Lee tried to get a hold on Ziggy, but the frenetic Linoone always seemed to dash off whenever Lee got close.

Some people just laughed as Ziggy charged up the them, babbling in a language they didn't understand. Some were afraid, and some tried to offer it food, thinking Ziggy was simply a hungry pet. Many just walked away, various emotions upon their faces. Eventually, Lee managed to trap Ziggy on top of a house.

"Ziggy, come down! You're drunk, and you need to cool down!" Lee insisted.

"Be gone, thief," Ziggy hissed at his best friend, "My scrolls are meant for the prince, and you will not take them from me!"

Absorbed in his fantasy, Ziggy ducked down, regarding Lee with wide, angry eyes. Lee sighed, and pulled out Ziggy's Pokéball. He didn't want to return Ziggy. This was an important festival, and Ziggy deserved to enjoy it.

But that was impossible in his current state, and Lee needed to separate Ziggy from the crowd before he caused any real damage. People were laughing now, but Ziggy's alcohol-induced schizophrenia could turn him violent.

Ziggy was soon withdrawn into the Pokéball, which Lee clipped firmly to his belt. Maybe it would be safe to let Ziggy out later.

"Quite a Linoone you have," said a friendly voice. Lee turned, and found Nicholas smiling at him. A girl with inky black hair was leaning on his shoulder, looking utterly serene.

"He's not normally like this," Lee assured Nicholas.

"I was just about to say that he looked a lot more docile back when I met you," Nicholas said, a debonair smile lighting up his face.

"Are you entering the tournament?" Lee asked abruptly. The question seemed to pop out of him every time he met someone he knew.

"Yes, I am," Nicholas answered.

"And he's going to win it, too," the girl clinging to his side said. Lee fought down a laugh at that declaration.

"Right, I'd better be going then," Nicholas said, disregarding the exclamation of the girl. "Same. Nice seeing you again," Lee said politely.

Nicholas gave a small smile, and walked off. As Nicholas left, Lee decided to see it Ziggy had calmed down at all. He ducked into an alley, so that Ziggy couldn't escape if he was still drunk.

Tentatively, he released Ziggy from his Pokéball, keeping it in his hand just in case. Ziggy appeared before him, looking groggy.

Ziggy groaned, and said thickly, "I feel terrible."

"That's what happens when you freeload Sake," Lee commented. Ziggy moaned again, and nearly toppled over as he made to walk away.

"I'm surprised you recovered so quickly. It takes hours for humans to get over a drunk spell," Lee said.

"Pokéballs cure confusion, which is basically what I am when I'm drunk. But, since Sake isn't an attack from a foe, Pokéballs don't remove the aftereffects," Ziggy explained faintly.

Impressed, Lee asked, "You'll be missing a lot, but would you want to stay in your Pokéball for the rest of the festival?" Ziggy considered Lee's proposition. His mind was dazed, and he couldn't think without his head hurting.

"Yeah, I guess..." Ziggy agreed, a trace of reluctance in his slurred voice. Lee returned Ziggy.

Immediately after, loneliness overwhelmed him. He could bring out Slugma, but he wasn't sure if it would enjoy the lights and sounds of the festival. Onix was simply too big. In the end, Lee would have to enjoy himself on his own.

Once more, his thoughts strayed to Nabiki. He wished she were here. And then, with a pang of guilt, Lee realized he could have and should have asked her to accompany him. Even with Ziggy, the excursion would be so much more enjoyable with her.

But there was no point in dwelling on that. Though alone, Lee was determined to have fun here. That thought in mind, Lee slipped through the alley, and ended up on the other side.

Multicolored lights shown down on him. People talked happily around him. Brilliantly woven kimonos flashed around him, catching the light in amazing ways. Consumed by this joyous atmosphere, Lee's feelings of loneliness faded away. This was an excellent festival; you shouldn't need two people to have fun.

Lee worked his way through the crowd, trying to find a good game to occupy himself with. A Diglett-hitting game caught his eye, and he tried to remember its location so he could come back to it later.

Then, over the din of the crowd, Lee heard a confident voice yelling, "Potion Sublime for sale, folks! Potion Sublime is a safe formula not yet on the market. It's all natural, and flavored with the sweetest of Berries so your Pokémon love it.

What does it do? Well, you tell me! Whatever you need, Potion Sublime will cure it! Infatuation, confusion, burns, poisoning, and any other ailment that comes to mind! This miracle substance is set for 9,000 Pokédollars upon its official release, but I'll sell it you now for just a third of that price! That's right, 3,000 Pokédollars! No strings attacked, no additional payments, no nothing. Just pay me, and this scientific breakthrough is yours!"

Interested, Lee followed the loud voice, and found a stand. A large man sat there, holding an electric blue bottle full of liquid. The man turned to Lee, grinning as money began piling up in front of him.

Their eyes met, and recognition blossomed in the minds of both of them. The salesman hadn't changed much. Apparently, he assumed everyone had forgotten about him, and didn't bother with a disguise. But Lee remembered him all too well. The salesman scooped up the money, and placed bottles on the table, eyes never leaving Lee's.

"Alright, folks. You saw it here first! Potion Sublime, for sale at an affordable price for the first, and last, time in history. That's the last of it. Didn't get some? Have your friends share it. Bye!" the salesman declared to the excited crowd.

The man quickly took off, knocking people to the side. Taken aback, Lee followed him, aware of the crucial seconds he had wasted. Once or twice, the man crammed himself into an alley, hoping to lose Lee.

But Lee kept chasing him, until eventually they ended up in the forest outside of the town. The roars from the crowds faded away as Lee pursued the man through the trees. Though quite rotund, the salesman was nimble, and Lee soon lost him.

He slowed down, and caught his breath. A painful stitch bent Lee in two. Lee leaned against a tree, wondering what to do next. Presumably, the man had fled far away. Should Lee leave as well, forsaking his new friends and the tournament as well?

Something inside Lee rebelled at the thought. The salesman would get a considerable lead, but Lee couldn't just leave. He needed the money from the tournament to go on, first and foremost.

But apart from that, he wanted to see Nabiki again. Their good-bye had been so tearful because Nabiki was worried Lee would do exactly what he was contemplating right now. Lee wanted to see Nabiki again, just once. And if he couldn't find her, he'd at least want to see Sebastian once more, and maybe say good-bye to Nicholas and Michelle if he could find them.

Besides, the salesman was getting farther and farther away with every second he spent panting. If he tried to track him down, Lee would only get lost. The salesman would get away anyway, and he'd lose the chance to be in the tournament as well. At least if he stayed behind, he have a chance to get some money and see his friends.

As he arrived at that conclusion, a snapping twig broke the silence. Lee stiffened, listening carefully. Was it the salesman? Or was it a Pokémon?

Lee moved slowly to the tree, and pressed himself against it. Several tense moments passed by without any sound. Wary but a little less frightened, Lee began to move away from the tree. But then, a great figure jumped in front of him.

Lee let out a yell, and sprang back. The Furret startled as well, and bounded away as suddenly as it had come. Lee sighed in relief, his heart pounding hard. He began walking toward the faint lights he could discern through the treetops.

The rustle of leaves followed him. Movements that were not his own. He turned around just as the salesman grabbed him by the neck.

Lee let out a choked scream as the man lifted him off the ground. Black spots burst in Lee's eyes, and he struggled to draw breath. His hand scrabbled at his belt as he searched for a Pokéball.

"I'm warning you, kid, stop following me, or I'll make it so that you'll never be able irk anyone again," the man growled.

The moonlight bounced off the blade of the knife, and Lee's heart began throbbing even harder as the weapon was drawn. Finally, Lee's hand landed on a ball. He hurriedly pressed the button, and released the Pokémon inside.

Onix exploded out of the ball behind him. The salesman let go of Lee, and pulled out his own Pokéball as Onix tried to make sense of what was happening. As Onix turned its great white eyes to the man, a Marowak was released in front of him.

Rage and recognition ravaged the mind of Onix as it saw the man. Onix lunged for the man, not even bothering to avoid Lee. Without a word from its owner, Marowak charged. Wielding the sharp end of its bone like a sword, Marowak thrust the point into the torso of Onix in a powerful uppercut.

Onix roared as Marowak sent an Ice Beam coursing through it. The freezing waves numbed its mind, and nearly stopped its heart. But Onix broke free of the spike at the last moment.

Its movement had saved it, but it was still too late. Onix fell over shortly after, defeated by the Ice Beam. Lee, watching from the ground, got to his feet, and ran over to Onix. Onix opened one vast eye, and saw Lee staring down at it in concern.

The sight eased the anger that was filling the mind of the serpent. The salesman no longer cared for the Onix, as it had failed him not that long ago. But the boy still cared for it, despite the loss. Onix allowed itself to sink into unconsciousness, sure that Lee would take care of it from here on out.

As Onix passed out, Lee turned around, and looked for the man. But he was nowhere to be seen, vanishing as completely as he had the first time. Lee was alone with Onix. What was he to do now?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wish people would give their opinions on this fic for a change D:
Age 32
Maryland
Seen November 3rd, 2006
Posted October 24th, 2006
24 posts
16.6 Years
Well, I'll say this. They're lengthy, XD. However, the three chapters I have read are spectacular. I almost have nothing to suggest. My little pet peeve is I don't really approve of the whole, spacing every 2-3 sentence thing, makes it look un-professional, y'know? Also, here and there you have some punctuation and spelling errors, but with such a long story, it's to be expected, eh? Besides that, I love it. This is definitely a favorite of mine so far, withsuch an original plot and a great cast. You're sense of detail and your almost endless vocabular pool attract me more and more to the story. I will soooo finish reading this tomorrow. Also, you need to show me the Fan-Art for it, so I can check that out as well. And another little suggestion, make a Fan Bar for Coherence, because I'd definitely support it in my signature. ^^ Great going, man, keep it up!

Dr. Mack Foxx

Veteran Trainer/Mad Scientist

Classified
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted January 23rd, 2011
511 posts
17.5 Years
Hmmm! So far, so good! I like a nice lengthy story. I'll have a full report once I've finished this.

EDIT: Then again, this is too much for me to analyze in one shot. Chapters 1 through 4 were excellent!
Fans of Gardevoir, Kirlia and Ralts might like my Pokémon fan-fiction series.
>Main Trilogy<
<Part #1- The Village Guardian> <Part #2- Project Omega> <Part #3- The Final Strike>

>The Village Guardians<
<Chapter #1- Glacier's Glory> <Chapter #2- Joy and Shadows> <Chapter #3- The Lost Love [Will Not Be Posted here. Please visit http://drmackfoxx.deviantart.com instead.]>

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Well, I'll say this. They're lengthy, XD. However, the three chapters I have read are spectacular. I almost have nothing to suggest. My little pet peeve is I don't really approve of the whole, spacing every 2-3 sentence thing, makes it look un-professional, y'know? Also, here and there you have some punctuation and spelling errors, but with such a long story, it's to be expected, eh? Besides that, I love it. This is definitely a favorite of mine so far, withsuch an original plot and a great cast. You're sense of detail and your almost endless vocabular pool attract me more and more to the story. I will soooo finish reading this tomorrow. Also, you need to show me the Fan-Art for it, so I can check that out as well. And another little suggestion, make a Fan Bar for Coherence, because I'd definitely support it in my signature. ^^ Great going, man, keep it up!
What's a "Fan Bar"? I'm not used to this kind of forum ._.

Only a few of the peices of Fan Art are veiwable online, and most of them are still in production by various peopel (Including some fo the human characters :D)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Moolmomo/24pa242.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/Moolmomo/2n07m85.jpg

That's it for now. The rest will have to wait >.<;
Age 32
Maryland
Seen November 3rd, 2006
Posted October 24th, 2006
24 posts
16.6 Years
What's a "Fan Bar"? I'm not used to this kind of forum ._.
It's like those thin, long banners you see in people's signatures that might say something like, "Lucario Fan" or "Rivalry Shipping", etc. You should have one with Coherence, and I'd so put it in my signature. I'll even volunteer to make it.

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
It's like those thin, long banners you see in people's signatures that might say something like, "Lucario Fan" or "Rivalry Shipping", etc. You should have one with Coherence, and I'd so put it in my signature. I'll even volunteer to make it.
Go ahead ^-^;

In case you haven't noticed, the "Out of the ordinary" Moves are either GSC NYPC Moves(Sharpen Onix), GSC Egg Moves(Pay Day Hoppip), RSE Box Moves (Extremespeed Linoone) and RSE Pokepark Moves (Petal Dance Meowth)
In a House
Seen March 20th, 2016
Posted January 22nd, 2010
1,823 posts
16.6 Years
Nice story. Really, I enjoyed the characters- they aren't really "flat" or "stereotypic", they have actual depth to them. And they can make me laugh without stepping out of character, which is pretty dang cool. On top of that, this is the only fanfic I've ever read where a main character owns a Linoone- and the only one which does not start with a trainer beggining their journey. Good job, and don't stop!

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Nice story. Really, I enjoyed the characters- they aren't really "flat" or "stereotypic", they have actual depth to them. And they can make me laugh without stepping out of character, which is pretty dang cool.
Eheheh... If your ead the first post, this is actually a 2-person fic. I am the basic script writer, and ~*Commander Blizzard*~ (He's not a member on this site) makes the gut of the story. Lee, Ziggy, The Salesman, and Nabiki are purely my ideas. Nabiki was planned from the very beginning, actually. Sebastian, Nicholas, and Michelle are ~*CB*~'s creations ^^;

[QUOTE=Art_Critic_Cubone;2271344]On top of that, this is the only fanfic I've ever read where a main character owns a Linoone-QUOTE]

Really? 0_0;

and the only one which does not start with a trainer beggining their journey. Good job, and don't stop!
Not suprising that I'm the first one you've read that started like that and not soemthing like "Hi, I'm Pete, I'm thirteen and I'm from Plaza Town. I'm going to get my first Pokemon today."

That is a REAL example of an ENTIRE first chapter. (The member's name on that site was "Perfect Pete", which defies reason).

btw:

Chapter 9:

Onix's head laid wearily on the silken grass. And there Lee stood, gazing down at his defeated Pokémon. Moonlight bathed him in a cloak of silver, reflecting in his watery eyes magnificently.

Overwhelming pity for Onix welled up inside him; the poor thing had been nearly killed by the hand of the Salesman twice now. First, it had been simple neglect that had wounded Onix so. But now, the Salesman had refused Onix as a Pokémon.

Lee knew the Salesman wasn't coming back for Onix when he caught it in a Pokéball; the Salesman must've destroyed Onix's ball as he fled, else the Luxury Ball would have been ineffective. But this was a whole new confrontation. Rather than ignoring the Onix, the Salesman had struck out. Had Onix not been as swift, the Salesman would have killed it without a second thought. Perhaps that was his aim in attacking Onix, even. Lee didn't want to know.

But this merciless assault on Onix had wounded it severely. Lee moved along the body of the great serpent, looking for the wound. And all of a sudden, there it was. A black hole in the regal body of the snake, sucking in the air and the germs it carried.

It didn't look too severe. But Lee knew better. Onix was in a fragile state, both in mind and body. This blow was undoubtedly a signal flare to the mighty Pokémon. One blow. One blow was all it took to take Onix down. And from an attack generally seen as weak on a Marowak!

How Onix would tolerate this indignity wasn't clear at this point. But Lee knew Marowak impaling his partner had caused a whole new problem. Onix was still susceptible to bacterial and viral infection from its energy-consuming Explosion a few days ago.

Despite the immediate pain the injury had brought, Onix faced a whole new problem and a whole new pain. A gateway had been opened, and Lee needed to seal it as quickly as possible. Lee walked up to Onix's head, and examined it. Onix looked peaceful as it slumbered, but Lee knew pain and torment wracked the mind of the mistreated creature.

Without wasting a moment, Lee pulled a Pokéball from his waist and returned Onix, revealing the flattened grass beneath it once more. Lee spun in a circle, trying to find his way back. One way led to the Lake of Rage. One way led to the town situated nearby. And any ways that were not those two ways would leave Lee lost and confused in the vast forest that guarded the city.

Lee rotated once more, but stopped as something caught his eye. Was it light? It looked like it. It could be a star, or it could be the moon, neither of which would assist him all that well. But it could be one of the telltale lights of the festival, lights which would guide him home. Energy igniting his bones, Lee began in the direction of the light, moving at a steady gait.

The trees leered down at him, obscuring his vision and mockingly preventing a clear view. The dreadful silence of the forest was just as unnerving. Surely the Hoothoot still called? Surely the Spinarak still chattered? Lee knew the absence of sound was a bad sign. What this indicated, though, he was unsure of.

And, all at once, the trees released their hold on the adolescent, allowing him to stumble into a clearing as a Torchic bursts from its Egg. The sight that met Lee's eyes was a disappointing one. Rather than the inviting lights of the city, Lee found the moon bleeding its colors upon the still lake.

Lee almost screamed in frustration, but was then hit by a very obvious realization. If the Lake of Rage was ahead of him, then the city must be behind him. Sure enough, as Lee twirled on the spot, he saw the elevated plateau that held the city in its careful caress.

Grinning in ecstasy, Lee ran forward into the forest. A twig snapped beneath his foot. Lee stopped, and heard the sound echo across the forest. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. What sort of forest was this, devoid of sound and life? No area on Earth could possibly be this silent, and yet, this forest laughed at that unwritten law.

Unsettled, Lee began to chant a song under his breath, hoping the sound would comfort him. It was slow and sweet, something Lee needed; a fast and furious song would only alarm him, and cause him to hallucinate.

But then, as he reached the high part, he stopped singing. The word 'reverse' was too high-pitched in the original for him to emulate. But then, as he stopped, the evil silence returned.

Lee felt foolish for singing; if any creature dwelled in this verdant void, it would've heard him coming a mile off. Moving more quickly now, Lee was careful to avoid any dried leaf or twig that might alert a resident of the woods to his presence.

And then, from out of nowhere, a streak of white shot by, less than an inch from Lee's face. Lee took a couple of steps before he realized what had just occurred. He turned around, a cold sweat glazing his face, and saw a bone impaling a young sapling.

But this was no ordinary bone. It was sharp, deathly sharp. The point had been honed to razor precision, designed specifically to pierce the hides of its victim. It was thin yet sturdy. Thin so it could slice through the air and kill before the victim realized what had happened. Sturdy so it would not break, so it would penetrate even the most impregnable of pelts; an Onix hide, for example.....

Just as Lee realized what had happened, something heavy bowled into him, knocking him off his feet. Stunned, Lee fell to the ground, and was pinned there as a muscular Marowak secured its legs on either side of his torso.

The Pokémon turned swiftly, and pulled the bone adroitly from the wounded tree. As Marowak raised the bone high above its head, Lee saw that a pale coating of blood tainted the white weapon. The blood of his Onix. It had survived, but if the next two seconds went in the way Marowak had planned, Lee would not.

Struggling to either side would prove useless. Pushing out would only expose his heart(the bone was slanted toward his neck). There was only one thing to do.

As the bone streaked through the air, Lee pulled with his legs and jerked to the side. The movement was small under the secure hold of Marowak, but it was enough. Rather than spearing Lee's delicate throat, the bone slashed through the threads of Lee's shirt(his favorite one, too. Normally, the damage would have upset Lee, but there were more important things on his mind at the moment).

The bone had barely missed slicing the skin protecting Lee's sternocleido mastoid, but it had saved his life nonetheless. As the Marowak's attention went to the bone implanted in the ground and in Lee's shirt, Lee took advantage of its distraction.

He jerked upward, sending the Marowak off-balance. The cold bone parted company with the black shirt, flying back with its owner.

Lee sprang to his feet, and literally ran for his life. A whistling sound signaled the approach of the bone as it propelled through the air. Lee ducked in numb panic, but it wasn't aimed at his head.

Lee felt the bone become ensnared in his loose jeans. Losing his balance, he incontinently lurched forward, landing painfully on his rib cage. The feeling was unpleasant, but as nimble and powerful footsteps came closer, Lee knew the real pain was fast approaching.

Lee tried to stand, but the bone had been thrown in exactly the right way; it had ripped through the leg of his pants, and positioned itself so that Lee would stumble if he tried to regain his balance.

Hurriedly, Lee sat up and tried to remove the bone from his pants. But by that time, Marowak was already upon him. Brushing his arms away like an overprotective parent, Marowak removed the bone and sense it ripping horizontally through the air, swinging like a scythe at Lee's throat.

Lee lifted his head at the absolute last second. The bone snagged on the back of Lee's throat, cleaving the skin easily due to the velocity it was going. Lee felt the cold, slimy weapon press against his skin and shuddered.

Here was the full evil of the Salesman. The lives of Pokémon was one thing, but the lives of fellow humans meant nothing to him as well. Nothing was above him as long as he could succeed in life.

Marowak tried to alter the course of it, aiming to stab Lee through the esophagus. But its position wasn't as secure as it had been before, and Lee was able to throw the bloodthirsty creature off him with relative ease.

Again, Lee began to sprint. The city was but a few feet in front of him. People swarmed in the streets, innocent and enjoying themselves as the festival began to settle. Could Lee make it in time? He was tired and frightened, and skillful aversions were now all but beyond his capability.

Lee charged forward with renewed speed. Ahead of him, a man drinking a cup of Sake through a straw turned to stare at Lee.

"Pardon me, sir," Lee said. He skipped around the man, and prepared to weave his way through the thronging crowd. And then the bone struck his throat.

Lee felt it make contact, and prepared for an immense burst of anguish. But it just bounced off. Lee turned around to look at the bone. Marowak was a skilled sharpshooter where its bone was concerned, and it wouldn't have lost that much speed over such a short distance.

The bone was bathed in blood, nearly all of the white obscured by a bloody crimson. The wound on the back of Lee's neck throbbed as if in reminder of the past injury.

But how could this javelin have cut him that badly? Lee felt the pain, but he was fairly sure such a small injury wouldn't bleed like that. Perhaps the bone had stabbed Marowak as Lee had evaded the jab?

Lee looked up to see, but instead, he saw something much worse. The man drinking the Sake had frozen on the spot. And in the center of his throat was a wide hole.

Weakly, the man turned to face Lee. His curly brown hair and swampy-green eyes weren't very appealing or interesting. But as the Sake mingled with the blood flowing from the man's throat, Lee knew it would be a long time before he forgot this man.

The sapling had been lucky; it didn't bleed as the poor man did. Nor did it have a jugular vein from which blood erupted. With a feeble groan, the man toppled forward limply, and took his last breath. Lee just stared in disbelief, oblivious to the cries of children and the screams of adults as they watched the thin man collapse.

A flash of brown leaped over the man's body and toward Lee. Before Lee could even prepare, there was Marowak glaring up at him. Its wide, evil eyes bored in his, daring him to make a move. They were narrowed in malice and fury, telling Lee clearly that their owner wanted him dead.

Worst of all, though, were the irises. They were red, the blood of Marowak's victims, past and present, seeping into its malevolent gaze.

Marowak leaned down, scooping up its spear in its hand. This was the ideal time to finish off Lee. But as spectators drew closer, with oaths of anger and misery, Marowak held back. Instead, Marowak bounded off, speeding toward the forest before anyone could capture it.

Lee just stared, totally dumbstruck. In that glare he had returned, Lee had seen no sympathy, for the life Marowak had just swept away. Only regret, regret it hadn't been Lee to succumb to the hungry tip of the spear.

* * *

Lee was trembling as he made his way through the crowd. His stomach threatened to send his food back up, and he felt like crying. His close escape had unnerved him badly enough, but the death of the bystander had shaken him to the core.

Lee hadn't killed him, nor had he used him as a shield. It wasn't his fault that the man had died. But he still felt responsible for his murder, and it was a hard burden to bear. The coagulation of the blood and Sake, the light leaving his eyes, and his strangled gasps....Every detail of those few terrible seconds was haunting Lee, branding themselves into his brain.

How could the Salesman be so heartless? Lee was annoyed frequently and strongly, but he didn't go after them and try to kill them. Nor would he end the lives of the innocent if he planned to. Try as he might, Lee couldn't understand the Salesman's point of view. It was too frightening to think on.

Eventually, the Pokémon Center showed up in front of him, situated at the base of the enormous tournament building. Lee ambled through the doors, and watched as the nurse's face flushed with horror.

"Good heavens, young man, what happened!?" she shrieked in alarm. Lee just stared at her, uncomprehending.

Did she somehow know about the murder of the man? Was there blood on his body somewhere? Lee looked down, and found his jeans stained with blood. Lee didn't remember being cut there. Unless....

With a quiet gulp, Lee rolled up one of the legs. His face blanched as he saw a bloody puncture near his Achilles' Tendon. As though just finding this out for itself as well, waves of pain shuddered through Lee, originating from the wound.

Lee winced, and said, "Ah, just a cut I got from hiking. It's nothing. But my Onix needs some tending to; I'm afraid it's rather badly hurt." Lee hobbled over, newly aware of the strain it put on his cut leg.

He drew the Pokéball, and placed it on Nurse Joy's desk. Nurse Joy took the ball, and stared at him concernedly.

"What happened?" she inquired.

"A fight got out of hand. Onix got hurt pretty bad; there's a big hole in its chest, and its immune system is bit weak. I'm afraid it might get sick or something," Lee explained, preferring not to go into detail. Nurse Joy nodded an affirmative, and took the ball in her hand.

"This operation will probably take all night, if it's a serious injury," she said informatively. Lee nodded, and watched as the nurse retreated into the back rooms of the Center.

Weary and aching, Lee dropped onto a bench, and rested his face in his hands. Hardship seemed to follow him wherever he went. His Pokémon were getting hurt, he was getting hurt, and he was wrecking things around him.

And he had little money, a threat he was constantly aware of. The upcoming tournament was quite important; if he didn't win, his life would only take another unpleasant turn.

Deciding to look at the more positive things, Lee released Slugma, realizing he needed to spend more time with it. Slugma appeared on the floor, facing the opposite wall. Confused, Slugma turned, and found the face of its Trainer.

"Hello, young master," Slugma said thickly. "Hi," Lee said, managing a weak smile. Slugma stared at Lee, a familiar pause separating its thoughts.

"Tr....Troubled?" Slugma asked, stumbling over the word.

"Yeah," Lee said, sighing, "Onix got hurt not that long ago, so we're spending the night here."

As he spoke, Lee was reminded of the last time Onix was injured. The poor Pokémon never seemed to be at ease. Slugma just slithered slowly back and forth, its eyes on Lee.

Curiosity filling him, Lee was about to ask what it was doing when Slugma's hesitant response came, "You have an Onix? Interesting. I'd like to meet an Onix."

Lee arched his eyebrows, and asked, "Is that so? Why, then?"

"Just because," Slugma replied with hardly any pause. Lee was somewhat surprised by Slugma's responses. It used the same sort of unquestionable answers Ziggy did, but it didn't seem to have the same biting wit that Ziggy did. Slugma's bulbous eyes moved down, and caught sight of Lee's leg.

"Goodness!" Slugma exclaimed. Lee was amused by Slugma's outburst, but he was grateful that Slugma was sympathetic.

"What.....happened?" Slugma asked.

"Some psychotic Pokémon came after me," Lee said simply.

He wondered a bit why he didn't want people to know about what had transpired in the past half hour or so. Was it because he feared they would blame him or not take him seriously? Slugma seemed sincerely concerned about its new owner, but oddly, Lee didn't want to tell it the real truth.

Without warning, Slugma drew closer to Lee and began to slither up his leg.

"What're you doing?" Lee asked, brow furrowed. Slugma finished its vertical ascent, and placed itself on Lee's lap.

"Concern, my friend, friendly concern......Beyond your physical pain.....I can feel your mental trauma.....I am here for your sake, young master, do not be.....afraid of me," Slugma said, stringing together a great many words for one so slow.

Slugma leaned its head against Lee's shirt in a comforting gesture. Lee felt the warmth immediately. Lava coursed through Slugma's body, but due to its thick skin, all Lee could feel warmth against his midriff.

"How can you tell? Am I that obvious?" Lee asked, smiling sadly.

"I don't know if I ever told you.....But my Hidden Power.....is Psychic. It......is an attack, yes, but....it defines who we are in......a physical form. My mind.....is advanced for a Slugma......So my Hidden Power.....reflects that," Slugma said.

Lee hugged Slugma lightly, and said, "Well, thanks for caring. That's really what I needed right now." Slugma nodded, and said, "I suspected so....." Lee leaned back against the wall, and, comforted by Slugma's wise presence, drifted into sleep.



Slugma's voice interrupted his dreams as morning came about.

"Young master.....Onix is well once more.....Retrieve it," it said loudly, trying to rouse Lee.

Lee's eyes opened, and he said groggily, "Already? I thought Nurse Joy said it'd be all night...."

"It was.....We came here a bit past midnight.....The tournament will be starting soon....It's an hour from noon.....right now," Slugma explained, throwing in a new factoid. Lee's eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt upright.

"Careful!" Slugma warned as it was almost flung from Lee's lap.

"Sorry. Mind if I carry you?"

"Not at all.....It saves me the trouble of.....keeping up.....and I prefer it.....to being in the ball...." Slugma said.

Lee carefully embraced Slugma, and stood up with it clutched against his chest. He walked over to the counter, where Nurse Joy was waiting.

"You certainly seem to have a bond with your Slugma; you seem to fully understand each other," Nurse Joy noted, looking impressed.

"Oh, yeah.....We've known each other for a while," Lee said, lying rather badly. Slugma gave a quiet cough of amusement at Lee's lie, but leaned over and picked up the ball for Lee.

"Thanks Slugma, that saves me a lot of trouble," Lee said.

"Dung 'enchin idd," Slugma answered, its somewhat small mouth occupied by the ball.

"Keep an eye on Onix. If its immune system is weak, that injury will make it vulnerable to a myriad of common diseases," Nurse Joy warned.

"Don't worry, I’ll take good care of Onix," Lee said, smiling. Nurse Joy raised an eyebrow, but made no remark. Lee chose to hold his tongue as well, promptly leaving and heading for the building.

At the door, he let Slugma down, and let it relinquish its burden. Slugma dropped the Pokéball, and coughed slightly.

"Thanks," Lee said. Slugma nodded, its mouth apparently somewhat sore. Lee reached down, and tapped the button. It depressed, and Onix exploded from the ball, towering above both Lee and Slugma.

A big white band was wrapped around Onix's torso, blocking the gaping wound (though, presumably, Nurse Joy had done something to fill in the gap). Onix leaned over, and grunted a thanks to Lee.

Lee patted Onix on the nose, and said, "It was the least I can do. You've gone through too much in your life, and you deserve better. Even if you hadn't suffered in the past, I still wouldn't abandon you like that." Onix smiled dimly, and pulled itself back into the air, looking considerably happier.

"I have someone to introduce to you, Onix," Lee called to the serpent.

Onix glanced down at him, and then noticed Slugma for the first time. Onix lowered itself to the ground again, but curled up so that it was facing Slugma. Slugma suddenly found itself in a stony semi-circle, staring at Onix.

But Slugma didn't back away. Instead, Slugma spoke to Onix, using a tongue Lee couldn't understand. Onix responded a few times, while Slugma continued talking.

Soon, they had an entire conversation going. Lee sat down, and watched as the two bonded. He was surprised they had got on so well. He had assumed Slugma's deep thoughts would prove overwhelming to Onix, but Onix didn't mind at all.

On the contrary, it seemed eager to talk, sometimes starting topics in place of Slugma. Lee would've liked to know what they were saying. He had never made a decent attempt to connect with Onix in a friendly manner, though it seemed that would've been the right way to go. Maybe that was all Onix wanted, a friend to talk to. Either way, Slugma was communicating well with Onix.

Something struck Lee as he watched Onix grunting and growling at Slugma. He still hadn't asked Onix whether or not it would participate in the tournament.

He didn't know how he could've forgotten, seeing as the tournament was less than an hour away. Lee had Ziggy and Slugma, and they would fight well. But the tournament would have contestants with three Pokémon each, and it would be of great benefit to Lee to have three Pokémon as well.

"Hey, Onix!" Lee yelled. Onix halted its animated conversation, and stared down at Lee as though he were mad.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I need to ask you about this tournament that's coming soon. Do you want to be in it? I know it's a sudden question, but I need to know quickly," Lee said, his voice faltering by the second as Onix's scrutinizing stare tore into him.

Slugma said a few words to Onix, though Lee couldn't tell if it was persuading or dissuading it. Finally, Onix nodded at Lee, and returned to its conversation.

Lee grinned happily at Onix's response. He wanted to train the two Pokémon, but he didn't have it in him to cut short their evidently engaging conversation. Suddenly, behind him, a soft thump signaled the arrival of.....something.

Lee turned, and found a silvery smooth body bearing down on him. He looked up, and saw Skarmory staring down at him. As usual, there was the usual titter of fear inside Lee. But he was almost getting over it; Skarmory had never wanted to harm Lee when it came by, which was reassuring to him, and helped with his fear.

"Hi Skarmory," Lee said cheerily, glad to have someone to talk to. Skarmory didn't say anything. It just stared down at him.

"Something wrong?" Lee asked, a bit confused. It seemed that way to Lee. The amused smirk that usually characterized Skarmory's face was gone, and its eyes were colder and more calculating than before.

Lee's happy smile slowly faded. He stood up, and looked Skarmory in the face. Its eyes followed him, absorbing every move.

All at once, Lee was aware that this wasn't the Skarmory he was familiar with. An ugly burn discolored the side of its hide, and there was something different about the way it reacted to Lee's motions. Even Slugma wasn't this interested by Lee. Lee couldn't understand what he had done to capture this Skarmory's attention so fully.

Slowly, as a sense of foreboding and fear overwhelmed him, he backed away, moving toward the safety of his friends. Their chatter had stopped, and they were most likely watching the new arrival.

Skarmory stayed where it was, eyes glaring out from under its metal hood menacingly. And then, it made a move. One foot rose into the air, and moved forward. The other followed suit.

Skarmory was walking, and towards Lee. A dull yet audible hissing escaped its cruel beak as it moved, step by frightening step.

And then, it stopped, and hunched over. Lee tensed, ready to run if necessary. Skarmory slowly raised its left wing, leaving it crumpled together for some reason.

Then, with the sound of metal grating on metal, the feathers sprang outward, its wing now fully extended. Skarmory mimicked the motion with its other wing. With both wings raised and outstretched, it was still glaring at Lee, waiting for him to make a move. The hissing still filled the otherwise silent air, making the atmosphere tense and nervous.

Lee turned to climb aboard Onix. And that was when Skarmory moved for real. With one bound, it sprang high into the air. It stopped a good ten feet above Onix, and fluttered its wings, staring down at Lee as always.

Without warning, it dropped out of the sky, flying extraordinarily fast.....right at Lee! Lee yelled, and dove sideways as Skarmory flew straight at him, bloodlust blazing in its golden eyes.

Skarmory turned sideways, razing the ground with the tip of its wings. Bits of dirt fell away as Skarmory made an aerial loop. Lee looked at the spot where he had been standing. Deep gouges were implanted in the ground. The blow would've sliced him apart with little effort if Lee hadn't moved.

Skarmory finished its arc, and streaked headfirst at Lee. Lee tried to run, but Skarmory sloped its dive, making sure it wouldn't miss again. Lee looked behind him, and saw Skarmory's lethally sharp wing feathers flying at him.

And suddenly, a jet of flame sent Skarmory spiraling away, screaming in pain. Lee stopped running, and looked behind him. Slugma let the stream of fire die down, closing its mouth in satisfaction.

Lee turned to watch as Skarmory writhed on the ground, flames dancing on its pained body. Climbing angrily to its feet, Skarmory gave a hollow screech, unadulterated hatred burning powerfully in its eyes.

With another skyward leap, Skarmory leveled off and took off, soaring far, far away in less than three seconds. The flames were beaten away by the wind lapping at its body.

Lee watched as the bird cut through the air, taking itself far away from Lee and Slugma. Lee turned to Slugma, intending to thank it. He saw Onix slithering over, Slugma perched on its head. Both looked astonished, but neither seemed to want to speak.

Lee took out their Pokéballs and returned the two of them. It was about time for the tournament, and he needed to get inside.

For a moment, Lee stood where he was. In less than twenty-four hours, two attempts had been made up his life. But why? Why was Lee garnering so many enemies? Why was fate conspiring against him? Where these two attacks really coincidence, or was destiny itself out to kill him.

Lee had been spared twice due to the intervention of others, unintentionally or otherwise. But Lee wouldn't always be so lucky. Assuming the two Pokémon returned (and Lee was fairly sure they would), he might not have someone or something to keep him from having his throat slit.

Pushing away his morbid thoughts, Lee turned to the enormous coliseum, and charged through the doors. Whatever happened next, he was safe from the Skarmory in here.

Inside, Lee remembered where to go instantly. To the left of the counter, Michelle had said. And there was the door, waiting for him. Lee walked over, and went through.

* * *

His newest experience had shaken him, and he wasn't willing to think about it right again so soon. Theories, suspicions, and fearful thoughts chased each other inside Lee's head, some ridiculous, some chillingly plausible.

Lee ignored his thoughts for the time being, and looked around the room. It was square, just like the building it was located in. With its marble floor tiles and beige wallpaper, it was completely unremarkable.

A bunch of trainers were sitting on benches in the room, many of them fidgeting nervously in anticipation. All eyes turned to Lee as he walked into the room. Lee froze on the spot, his face burning. He hated attention like this, and he didn't see anywhere to sit.

"You can sit over here," someone said. Lee turned to his right, and saw Michelle smiling at him. He jumped over hastily, and sat down beside the woman.

With her hair down and glasses forsaken, Michelle was strikingly attractive. Her hair fell in waves of streaked gold down past her shoulders, and Lee could fully appreciate her bright green eyes without the glasses dulling them.

"Nervous, Lee?" she asked, smiling kindly.

"Yes, qu-quite," Lee stammered, referring not only to the tournament, but to the Skarmory's assault as well. But he didn't tell Michelle.

For one thing, Lee didn't feel like letting her know he was afraid of Skarmory. And, as always, Lee preferred to think on his own.

Slugma did have a point. Lee was reluctant to let most people and Pokémon gain insight into his life, even Ziggy at times.

"You? Is this your first tournament?" Lee asked, trying to start a conversation.

"No, I've been doing these for a long time. So no, I'm not nervous either. Jut exhilarated as I always am," Michelle said, grinning beautifully.

Lee nodded, and stared around. The same couldn't be said for most of the other people here. Though they were younger, it didn't seem as though many of them were feeling comfortable at the moment.

Nicholas was in the room, and he seemed totally laid-back. A redheaded boy a few feet from him seemed about to fall asleep, and a boy with brilliant, spiked lime green hair was grinning excessively. Apart from those three, though, nearly everyone else was tense and wide-eyed.

Suddenly, a man in a white suit poked his head in from a small corridor to the right side of the small square room.

"All contestants are to report to the dais, where the mayor will be giving a welcome speech," he said in a timid voice.

Nicholas was the first to stand, looking confident and ready to begin. Soon, others began to follow. After a good portion of the crowd was up, Lee joined them, following the people down the corridor.

A roar of sound greeted him as he stepped into the arena. It was huge, with a dais elevated at the opposite end. The seats wrapped around the room, and the coliseum itself had no roof, opening to the heavens. Men and women selling food and drinks were holding their products above their heads and advertising it excitedly.

Lee couldn't help but feel thrilled as well. So this is what it was like, being in front of a huge crowd, with hundreds of thousands of eyes trained upon him like so many spotlights. It was nerve-wracking, yet amazingly fun at the same time.

Lee walked across the arena, nearly deafened by the noise, and took a place on the bleachers of the dais. The metal groaned beneath him, irritated at the many people standing upon it.

As the last of the people took their places, a single man in a grand black tuxedo came from the same corridor. He was tall and had dark hair flying in all directions, wild brown eyes complimenting his crazy appearance.

Yet the crowd went wild at the sight of him, catcalls and praise sounding out from every corner. He waved his hand in the air as he approached the speaker's platform.

He climbed up the stairs, and signaled for the spectators to be silent. Every person obeyed; clearly, the man was highly respected to the inhabitants of the city. He walked up the stairs, and turned to face the audience.

"Ladies and gentleman, spectators and fans of all ages!" he cried, some hidden device amplifying his deep voice, "I, Benjamin Tarbrile, your mayor and friend, welcome you to this magnificent tournament!

Here, people of all heritages and strategies shall clash for your amusement, winning the hearts of many and charming the masses as they do so! The tournament will begin momentarily, after a brief word with the participants." Benjamin fiddled in his pocket as he turned to face the small crowd.

"Alright everyone," he said, his voice not as loud as it had been, "The rules of this tournament are fairly simple. You fight with your opponent until all three of either Pokémon are KOed. Endanger the audience, and you will be removed. Damage the stadium, and you will be removed as well.

But apart from that, this tournament is meant for fun. Battle and enjoy yourself while doing it! Make your attacks look nice, send excess attacks to the sky, do whatever you please so long as it entertains you. The audience will probably love it as well.


But don't get caught up with presentations. This is a battling tournament, and the point is to KO your opponent. So, have fun, but don't lose yourself in the surplus!

You will wait on this platform until your name is called. Come down and take a place on either side of the arena, and battle until all of your battles have ended. If you win, take your place on the dais and wait for your next battle. If you lose, we will ask you to leave quietly through the entrance. Which, technically, will become an exit, if you want to be specific about it! So, good luck to you all, and have fun!"

Benjamin turned, and walked off the stage, walking across the arena once more. Cheers and calls followed him as he departed, disappearing into the dark corridor.

Lee sat down, glancing everywhere and grinning sheepishly. Here were sixty-three battlers, many of which were competent and experienced. Could he really win this tournament?

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*phew* 3 more Chapter before this site is caught up witht the others :D

Dr. Mack Foxx

Veteran Trainer/Mad Scientist

Classified
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted January 23rd, 2011
511 posts
17.5 Years
*phew* 3 more Chapter before this site is caught up witht the others -Dunsparce
Good, good! I'm really liking this story. I, for one, really want to see the conclusion.
Fans of Gardevoir, Kirlia and Ralts might like my Pokémon fan-fiction series.
>Main Trilogy<
<Part #1- The Village Guardian> <Part #2- Project Omega> <Part #3- The Final Strike>

>The Village Guardians<
<Chapter #1- Glacier's Glory> <Chapter #2- Joy and Shadows> <Chapter #3- The Lost Love [Will Not Be Posted here. Please visit http://drmackfoxx.deviantart.com instead.]>

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Good, good! I'm really liking this story. I, for one, really want to see the conclusion.
This fic is FAR from over, though. It's just that IRL issues have prolonged the makign of Chapter 13 and on...

My Co-author, ~*Commander Blizzard*~, Has a VERY large fic that's at Chapter 55 right now on SPPf! :0

Next Chapter OMFG!

Chapter 10: The Preliminaries

Fireworks roared overhead as Benjamin vanished. Various shapes and creatures blazed in the skies above, sending the entire crowd into an excited uproar.

Lee grinned as his face was illuminated by the colorful fireworks. Win or lose, this tournament would be tremendous fun.

Suddenly, the last of the fireworks stopped, and three whistling flares flew into the sky. All was silent; the audience seemed to know what was coming. The three lights exploded almost simultaneously, emblazoning the faces of a Chikorita, a Cyndaquil, and a Totodile into the sky.

The crowd cheered louder than ever. Lee clapped his hands and whooped alongside them. Suddenly, from somewhere on the other side of the arena, Benjamin's voice resonated around the stadium.

"And now, the tournament shall begin! First to battle, Master Yumo and Miss Dannary! Contestants, please take your positions at opposite ends of the battlefield!" the voice boomed, ending the cacophony within seconds.

All was silent, save for the excited whispers of the spectators, as the two selected battlers rose from the bleachers and walked off across the field. Yumo was a slight boy, his blonde hair sheared away in a tall buzz cut, making him appear taller than he really way. He walked without a smile, nervous about the match.

But at least he hid it well. Dannary rose from her seat shaking badly, her lower jaw trembling involuntarily. Lean and lanky, she was a lot more noticeable than Yumo as she stumbled across the field, anxiously brushing her locks of brown hair back.

"Begin when you are ready!" Benjamin called out. Yumo was the first to move. With a twist of his wrist, he tossed a Pokéball into the air.

The ball erupted, a thin laser speeding at the ground. The crimson beam widened, taking on the form of a Hitmonlee. Muscular and tense, it was obvious that Yumo had spent a great deal of time with his Pokémon, refining its skills and powers.

The Hitmonlee spread its legs, sinking into the universal 'ready stance', and cried, "Lee!" at the girl facing it.

Lee started, thinking for a moment that the Pokémon was addressing him. Several people turned to look at him, amused and confused by his sudden movement. Lee heard Michelle laugh quietly from somewhere behind him. Lee grinned in an embarrassed manner, and set his head in his hands, mortified.

"We're ready to begin, Miss Dannary," Benjamin said, his voice gentle but hardened slightly. Dannary jumped in response, and laughed nervously.

She drew a Pokéball from the belt at her waist, and tapped the button. A Stantler exploded out into the battlefield, letting out an eager battle cry as it caught sight of the burly Pokémon opposite it.

Hitmonlee tensed in its stance, ready to charge or evade at a moment's notice. Stantler bellowed into the air without warning, and charged. As it galloped toward Hitmonlee, its antlers blazed a lime green. Hitmonlee watched closely as the Double-Edge came closer and closer.

Then, as Stantler closed in, Yumo hollered, "Evade, and use Hi Jump Kick!" Hitmonlee sprang into the air, not wasting a second.

Stantler grunted as it charged through the empty air. Hitmonlee was already descending as Stantler wheeled about to face it.

Before Stantler could react, Hitmonlee twirled and sent a kick smashing into its neck. Stantler was flipped over by the force, and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Return, Stantler!" Dannary's reedy voice called. Hitmonlee turned to face the collapsed deer, waiting for it to get up and attack. But instead, Stantler was sucked away by the Pokéball; Hitmonlee had misinterpreted the order from Dannary.

"Misdreavus, your turn!" Dannary shrieked, sending the ghostly maiden out onto the field. Misdreavus grinned wickedly at Hitmonlee, who simply gazed at the newcomer.

"Hitmonlee, return," Yumo said, raising his Pokéball.

But as he tapped the button, Dannary called out, "Mean Look!"

Misdreavus's eyes flared crimson, its gaze tearing into Hitmonlee. The laser struck Hitmonlee and enveloped it, but Hitmonlee didn't dematerialize and return to the Pokéball.

Yumo grimaced visibly, and called to Hitmonlee, "Toxic!" Hitmonlee charged, its hands smoking purple. Misdreavus eyed the charging Hitmonlee warily, and began to float slowly the right.

Unconcerned, Hitmonlee angled to the right as well, and extended its hands. Misdreavus yelped, and started to float upward.

But Hitmonlee rocketed upward, propelled by its powerful legs. Misdreavus squealed as it realized its escape attempt had failed. Hitmonlee reached out, and grabbed the Pokémon roughly in its violet hands.

Landing softly on the ground, Hitmonlee pinned the Misdreavus to the ground. Misdreavus squirmed and wailed, but Hitmonlee held it tight to the ground. Misdreavus began to gag, coughing and wheezing as the fumes finally got to it.

And then, the purple body of the ghost blazed an even deeper purple. Hitmonlee backed away, its hands returning to their normal color. Misdreavus floated upward wearily, swaying back and forth drunkenly.

"Perish Song, Misdreavus!" Dannary commanded. Misdreavus righted itself with effort, and began to inhale sharply.

Its short, eerie gasps made it sound as though it were choking on the air, and Lee shuddered at the inhuman gulps.

And then, chest thrust outward, Misdreavus exhaled. A low, rasping groan emanated from Misdreavus's small mouth, accompanied by a fine black mist only visible because of the movement.

The moan's pitch wavered, sometimes deep and sometimes not as deep. It was a terrible sound, and Lee found that his arms were breaking out in gooseflesh just listening to it.

Misdreavus closed her mouth, and grinned sadistically at Hitmonlee. Three turns was all they had, and Yumo seemed as though he was at a loss to do anything.

"Protect, Hitmonlee," he called, defeat underlining his words. Hitmonlee crossed its arms, and a glistening green shield wrapped itself around Hitmonlee.

Misdreavus made no move to react. It just hovered there, staring at its doomed victim. The entire stadium was silent, and few dared to even move.

Due to the utter stillness of the battle, Lee could see the black mist creeping around the battlefield, taunting its victims as they went by.

Hitmonlee backed away as particularly thick tendrils raised themselves up in front of it. Misdreavus gagged from time to time, the Toxic ebbing away at its health.

And then, all at once, the mist stopped its games. From all the corners of the arena, it swooped upward, and coalesced into a great thunderhead, palpitating and swirling ominously.

A great moaning came from the cloud of vapor, drawing tears from the children watching and frightening the older folks as well.

Lee shuddered and gasped sharply, the sinister call chilling him to the bone. And then the lightning struck.

Two huge spears cut through the dead air, flying at both Pokémon. The first spear skewered the Protect shield with no effort at all, causing it to dissipate. The vapor buried itself in Hitmonlee, freezing its expression of shock on its face.

As Yumo cried out in alarm, the second javelin penetrated Misdreavus's frail body. Misdreavus wore a similarly shocked expression.

The two of them were frozen to the spot as the cloud shrank, its energy burrowing into the bodies of its hosts. And then, as the last wisp of smoke has absorbed, the two Pokémon screamed in unison, convulsing and falling to the floor.

Lee's heart was beating against his ribs fit to burst, and from the white faces and wide eyes of those watching, Lee could tell he wasn't the only one.

The smoke began to seep through the skin of the two Pokémon, flashing different colors. It separated as it writhed upwards into the sky, fading away as if it had never been there at all.

After it had all gone, both of the Pokémon had been KOed, and were no longer twitching in anguish on the ground. The stadium was silent, seemingly appalled at what had just happened.

Both Trainers returned their Pokémon, and sent out new ones. A Corsola appeared at Yumo's end, bouncing around agitatedly. The crowd chuckled slightly, glad to see such a cute Pokémon after witnessing such a horrifying scene.

An Arbok slithered toward it from Dannary's position, fangs bared menacingly. Corsola jumped forward, squeaking unconcernedly.

"Special tactic, Corsola," Yumo ordered. Corsola turned briefly, and let out a happy cry.

It faced Arbok and stiffened, not moving at all. Its jubilant smile was replaced by a small frown. Arbok hissed skeptically, unsure of what was about to happen.

The cobra opened its mouth, and vomited a series of Poison Stings at the still Corsola. The barbs exploded against its stiff body. Corsola didn't flinch; it barely even blinked.

Still wary, Arbok moved forward, making a ring around the motionless creature. Its tongue darted out and tasted the air, trying to gather any information it could. Corsola blinked vacantly.

Seemingly satisfied, Arbok lunged, locked Corsola in a tight wrap, and opened its mouth wide. Corsola began to glow green just as Arbok's eyes did, and small spheres of energy jumped away from Corsola's body into Arbok's mouth.

Lee was a bit worried for the small pink creature. Giga Drain was effective against both Rock and Water Types, and Corsola was a hybrid of the two. He didn't see how it could stay still as a powerful Grass attack leeched it of its energy.

And just as Lee thought that, an enormous explosion came from the two Pokémon.

Arbok's surprised and scared cry was drowned out by the titanic bang. Dust flew everywhere, and Arbok's lengthy form was sent flailing through the air. By the time Arbok landed, it was already KOed.

But Corsola was as well, lying on the ground forlornly. Dannary grabbed at her hair desperately, and screamed silently.

Yumo seemed totally calm as recalled Corsola, though, running a hand through his rigid hair carelessly.

Lee was surprised that he had had his Corsola use Explosion; now he had but one Pokémon left. Dannary's Stantler was wounded, certainly, but the tables could turn with one well-played move, and if the PerishTrap was anything to go by, Dannary was no stranger to strategy.

Yumo sent out his final Pokémon as Dannary recalled her Arbok. It bounced even more than Corsola, restless and ready for a good fight. Small, shrewd eyes watched as Stantler made its reappearance. A snort sounded out from its thick nose as its foe eyed it down. Two muscled fists crashed together as a sign of anxiety.

Without waiting for an order, Primeape rocketed forward with a wild battle cry. Stantler reared back, hollering madly, and stamped down on the ground.

Fissures ripped through the ground, and the arena shook violently. Primeape was far from deterred; the Pokémon just kept running, leaping from solid ground to solid ground without even stopping to plan its moves.

Stantler's antlers started crackling with electricity as the ferocious ape darted forward, but it was already too late. Primeape reared back slightly as it ran, and send a roaring Hyper Beam at the stag.

Stantler's eyes widened as the beam exploded into it, sending it spiraling toward the wall behind it.

Primeape knew it had won; it began a victory dance, pounding the earth and flailing its mighty arms in the air. Yumo laughed along with his excited Pokémon.

Dannary, though, looked close to tears. Without a word, she recalled her dazed slump of a Stantler and made her way out the exit, head bowed in shame.

Primeape dug up a hunk of dirt, and through in the air. The ecstatic monkey punched it apart, and began thrashing at the falling particles of dirt. Finally, Yumo recalled the frenetic Primeape, and returned to the bleachers, smiling happily.

Lee smiled slightly, caught up in the enthusiasm of Yumo, Primeape, and even the crowd as they burst into cheers at Yumo's success.

"Yumo is victorious! With his triumph secured, we now call the next contestants down to the field. The next two are.....Master Lee and Master Jonsey!"

Lee jumped, but didn't get up. He was waiting to see if there was some other Lee; he didn't want to look like an idiot in front of all these people. Despite that, though, Lee felt distinctly embarrassed as the people around him hurriedly told him to go.

Jonsey was already walking to the left side of the arena. There was an annoying swagger in the boy's gait; Lee wasn't sure if the boy was actually competent or just believed he was. For his sake, he hoped for the latter.

Jonsey turned, aware that Lee wasn't keeping pace with him, and called, "Well, hurry up, we haven't got a century to spare for your sluggishness!"

Fortunately for Lee, the crowd was still cheering, and no one heard Jonsey's biting remark. Lee got up, and jumped down to the ground awkwardly, stumbling as he landed.

Trying to ignore the crowd and the heat suffusing his face, Lee walked forward, moving to the right side of the arena.

Yumo had stood in that spot, Lee observed to himself. Would Lee also win, as Yumo had before him?

Lee decided Slugma would be a good first choice for battling. Ziggy was something like Yumo's Primeape; a trump card. Ziggy was experienced enough, and Slugma needed some experience.

And for Onix.....Lee felt it was best to postpone it's involvement in the tournament as long as he could. Though apparently fully healed, Onix could potentially have some difficulty battling.

Lee clicked the button on the Pokéball, ignoring the words of the mayor about ostentations. Lee wasn't all that graceful anyhow.

Slugma appeared in front of him, and glanced about in surprise, overwhelmed by the cheering of the crowd.

Slugma turned to Lee, and asked slowly, "Is this the tournament?"

"Yes, it is," Lee murmured, trying to keep his voice low and his lips fairly still, "And it'd probably be best if we didn't talk; the audience will start to wonder."

".....Understood," Slugma said, and turned around. Jonsey let out a Girafarig, which tapped the ground with its foreleg nervously.

"Girafarig, begin with Psychic!" Jonsey said. Girafarig's eyes burned blue immediately, and soon, an aura of the same color engulfed Slugma. Slugma let out a low groan of surprise as it was raised slowly into the air.

"Now, Thunderblast!" Jonsey ordered. Girafarig turned to look at him in bewilderment.

With Girafarig distracted, Slugma stopped glowing, and fell haphazardly to the ground. Slugma shook its head, dazed, and slumped slightly. Lee grimaced, painfully aware that Slugma was still young and didn't have as much stamina as he might like.

Fortunately, Jonsey didn't seem to be very experienced ("No, I meant....Lightningblast?" the young boy told Girafarig uncertainly), so perhaps Slugma could build up some confidence by beating the unskilled Trainer.

"Do what you think is best, Slugma!" Lee muttered, trying to give it the feeling that its decisions were important as well. Apart from that, Lee didn't know many of Slugma's attacks besides Hidden Power and Flamethrower. Slugma cocked its head ("Thunder Ray!"), and thought deeply.

"Lightningbolt!" Jonsey cried in frustration. Finally, Girafarig seemed to get the gist of what was being asked.

With a whinny, Girafarig spun about, and opened its mouth. Sparks leaped about inside its mouth, and a ball of energy began to grow.

Slugma made up its mind at last; a tomb of rocks rose from the ground around the giraffe Pokémon, and surrounded it. Girafarig's legs stuck out at peculiar angles, and the ensnared creature squealed in fear.

Jonsey yelled out in surprise, and ordered a Psychic. Girafarig's eyes turned electric blue once more, and the rocks began to shrink back into the ground. Slugma yawned, and sent a cloud of billowing smoke drifting toward Girafarig. Lee was fairly sure it was using Smog.

"Good decision, Slugma!" Lee roared. The crowd seemed to agree; though not as enthusiastic as before, applause and supporting words came from the mass of people.

Encouraged, Slugma sent thicker coils of toxins flying at Girafarig. The rocks were shrinking back sluggishly; either Slugma was keeping them up, or Girafarig wasn't all that good at battling. Or perhaps both were true.

Either way, the dull purple clouds were swirling around Girafarig's long before the rocks surrendered to Girafarig's will. Girafarig retched emptily, and tipped to the side unsteadily.

"Crunck, Girafarig, and hurry!" Jonsey demanded. Girafarig didn't understand what a Crunck was, and just continued to wheeze, intoxicated by the Smog.

Slugma sent a Flamethrower at his opponent. Girafarig made no attempt to avoid it, and was pushed down without resistance. Jonsey gasped, and seemed as though he was fighting back a scream.

Silently, he withdrew Girafarig. The crowd went wild at Slugma's victory. The fair and tactful fighting of this match sharply contrasted the sudden (and rather violent) match before this one, and the audience seemed more eager to cheer for the Pokémon and people here.

"Excellent job, Slugma!" Lee said. Slugma bounced up and down briefly, expressing its delight without words.

Jonsey twirled about flamboyantly, and sent a new Pokéball arching into the air. The ball split and was propelled back to Jonsey, revealing a Flareon to the spectators.

Jonsey raised his hand, but dropped the Pokéball as it collided with his hand. His smug expression quickly vanished as he dropped to the ground, and plucked the ball off the ground. Most of the audience was respectful, but a laugh rang out here and there. Lee grinned briefly as Jonsey bent over, but kept a straight face as Jonsey stood up again.

"Flareon, Grow!" Jonsey called out. Lee chuckled at the order, but was surprised as Flareon lifted its head to the sky and inhaled deeply.

The curly locks of hair clinging to its crimson body stood on end, and began to rustle like grass in the wind. The crest of fur wiggled excitedly on its head, and Flareon seemed tenser as it stared back at the fellow Fire Type.

Lee realized that must be one of Nabiki's Pokémon. Why she would give an Eevee to such an unpleasant boy, though, was beyond him.

"Rock Tomb, Slugma!" Lee commanded.

Slugma obeyed, summoning spears of stone to wrap themselves around the agitated feline. Flareon howled, and flailed its short legs as it was turned upside down.

"Shadow Ball, Flareon!" Jonsey said, surprising many by getting the name right. Flareon tilted its head, not used to being above the ground or attacking from such a position, and fired a swirling black ball.

"Evade, Slugma!" Lee cried; even Jonsey's inexperience couldn't hinder the raw power behind a Flareon's Shadow Ball.

Slugma didn't bother moving to the left or the right; it simply ducked. The Shadow Ball, pulsating and roaring, soared over Slugma's head, and exploded against the ground behind it. Tendrils of blackness flailed in the air like frightened snakes as the Shadow Ball dissipated.

Scattered laughs rose from those watching, amused and impressed by Slugma's simple maneuver. Slugma let out a tiny chortle as well, before allowing itself to be enveloped by beads of magenta. They swirled around Slugma like Dustox to flame, going every which way.

Slugma tilted its head backward, unhindered by its simple skeletal structure, and gazed at Lee. The small spheres continued circling Slugma, flying quickly but never fast enough to escape the gravity of Slugma.

"Hello" Slugma said contentedly to Lee, its dripping mouth stretching into a smile.

And then, Slugma catapulted forward, sending the orbs soaring at the Flareon. Flareon sent a Flamethrower flying awkwardly at the approaching beads, but it only knocked aside a couple. The rest pelted the helpless creature brutally.

"Bite, Flareon!" Jonsey ordered. Flareon pulled its head as far up between the two spikes as it could, and used Bite on the left one. The rock snapped.

Slugma, worried, opened its mouth, and sent flames raging at the Pokémon. They made contact, but the Flamethrower seemed to be absorbed by the fur of Flareon.

Undeterred, Flareon bit at the second spike, breaking the tip away as it had with the first. Head relatively free, Flareon twisted its neck, and dropped its jaw. A ball of electricity began to expand in front of its mouth.

But the sphere grew far larger than Girafarig's would have if Slugma hadn't cancelled it out. This was no Thunderbolt.

Slugma decided Rock Tomb was the only thing it could do to Flareon at the moment. The spikes began pushing Flareon higher, and were joined by creeping stones nearby.

When the ball as nearly as big as Flareon itself, Flareon took aim, and send the ball roaring through the air. Slugma cried out, and slithered to the right, frightened by the oncoming projectile.

But the Zap Cannon swerved, and charged to the left. Slugma stopped, and turned to observe as the sphere burst apart against the ground. Lances of electricity sparked everywhere, flying out into the sky and across the stadium. Slugma reeled backwards as one slammed against him, sinking into himself in exhaustion.

Eventually, their energy spent, the electric spears faded away. Likewise, Flareon had given up the fight. Bruised and tired, it had stopped struggling and allowed itself to faint.

Lee ran forward, sure the attack had ended, and said to Slugma quietly, "Excellent job, Slugma, you've beaten two of that dunce's Pokémon. You can take a break now, if you want; you've done more than enough."

Slugma turned its head to Lee, and sighed, "I know I have.....and I'm glad to have helped you. But I still have some......power left in me, and I'll fight the last battle.....I don't deny that I need more training....And this is a superb way......to do so."

"Alright then," Lee said gently, "Just don't overdo it."

Slugma nodded, and Lee walked back to his position. He could hear the whisperings of the spectators. Impressed, suspicious, sympathetic, he couldn't tell.

Though worried about Slugma, Lee was also excited. He had three Pokémon left, as opposed to Jonsey's one. This match was all but won.

Jonsey's Magneton, though, seemed to think otherwise. The robotic creature discharged some sparks of electrical power, sending them writhing into the sky, and screeched eagerly, twirling its magnets as it did.

Not wasting any time, Slugma shot a Flamethrower at the enthusiastic Pokémon. Still dancing happily, Magneton didn't even seem to notice the approaching flame stream.

Lee's amusement turned to incredulity as the Magneton simply disappeared. The fire ripped through the air Magneton had occupied seconds ago, and dispersed.

Slugma stopped the attack in surprise. As the fire died away, Magneton reappeared in the middle of the field, spinning flamboyantly. Lee recognized the attack as Teleport, and knew Nabiki had bred this Magneton as well.

"Rain Chant, Magneton!" Jonsey yelled out. Magneton continued its joyous little dance, but began to blaze a rainy blue.

Moving swiftly in a circle at first, Magneton emblazoned a blue ring in mid-air. Then, moving inward, Magneton began to weave a complex design in the circle.

Slugma sent a short spurt of flame at Magneton every now and then, but it was never in the same spot for more than two seconds at a time.

And then, all at once, Magneton leaped upward, and shot back down. The circle followed the first movement, rising slowly into the sky.

Lee stared up at it in fascination, and watching as clouds began to move in to envelope the design. The clouds all coalesced into one big, grey cloud, which glared down at the audience angrily.

With a mighty boom, a downpour began. The rain splattered against the ground violently.....But, interestingly, Magneton had made it so that it only rained on a particular chunk of the battlefield.

"Magneton, do an Agility!" Jonsey instructed.

Instead of following the orders of Jonsey, Magneton dropped to the ground, and rearranged itself to looking like three bowling balls, connected by the magnets.

And then, the steel creature began to roll straight toward Slugma, surging through the mud with little effort.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Lee commanded.

Slugma complied, sending a great tongue of flame into the rainy circle. But the rain was torrential, and it quickly ate away at the fire attack. The dwindling flames struck Magneton, but due to the diminished power of the attack and Magneton's insistent rolling, it simply plowed through, unharmed.

Before Slugma could gather the energy to shoot another Flamethrower, Magneton had exited the mud pit and was rolling swiftly toward Slugma.

"No no NO, Magneton! We've been through this! Use Agility! You know how to do it!" Jonsey screamed, clutching his hands to his head.

As Slugma braced itself for impact, Magneton broke apart from its formation, and rose into the air.

Confused, Slugma tried another Flamethrower. Magneton Teleported away, and reappeared beneath the cloud, dancing away happily.

"OK, then use Thunder!" Jonsey said happily, improvising. Instead, Magneton scraped itself against the other heads, creating a grinding, spine-tingling Screech. The hair on the back of Lee's neck stood up in protest, and Slugma shuddered involuntarily.

"NO, that's WRONG!" Jonsey screamed angrily, "I didn't ask for Shriek, I asked for a Thunder!"

Magneton stopped scraping itself, and resumed its playful, carefree dance. Jonsey groaned in desperation and irritation, realizing his Pokémon wasn't going to obey him.

Above the dancing Pokémon, the clouds dispersed, fading away into wisps of vapor. The rain stopped, and Magneton was left dancing in the open.

Thankful for the end of the rain, Lee cried out, "Flamethrower, Slugma!" Lee was hoping the attack would hit and end the battle. The Magneton was proving to be a nuisance, and not just to Jonsey.

But, as usual, Magneton just Teleported away, and picked up its jaunty dance elsewhere. Jonsey just stared at his disobedient Pokémon, uncertain of what to do and of what it would do.

Lee was equally clueless. But then, an idea slowly came to him. It was risky, and Slugma could get hurt if it wasn't pulled off correctly. But it was worth a shot, seeing as nothing else was working.

"Smog, Slugma!" Lee ordered. Slugma seemed to sense the pointlessness of the attack, but it knew Lee enough to know there was a reason behind it. Slugma belched out clouds of thick haze, blowing the clouds at the unconcerned Magneton.

Jonsey laughed for the first time, and called out disdainfully, "Haha, you stupidhead! Poison doesn't affect Steel!"

"Oh well, I'm only wasting time before you annihilate me with your all-powerful Thunderblast," Lee replied, twisting his face into an arrogant smirk.

A few people in the crowd laughed at this, and that was enough to set Jonsey off.

"Magneton, use Thunder!" he stormed, face flushed.

Magneton dropped to the ground instead, switching to its Rollout formation and charged forward across the hardening mud.

Lee waited, willing Slugma not to attack before he wanted it to.

And then, as Magneton left the dark, brown ring, Lee cried out, "Rock Tomb in front of you Slugma. Now!"

Magneton was unable to stop rolling, and it couldn't evade the rising wall of stone spikes.

"Use Flamethrower after it hits," Lee stuttered, trying to convey his orders speedily enough for Slugma to obey them before Magneton Teleported away.

Slugma slithered up to the wall, and poked his head through two of the protuberances. Magneton collided heavily with the spikes to the right of Slugma's peeking head.

As soon as Magneton stopped moving, Slugma sent a Flamethrower blazing at the stunned mechanical Pokémon.

Magneton groaned in a monotonic note of anguish, and stayed where it was for once; it had been defeated.

Lee whooped loudly as Slugma cheered softly. The crowd was slightly taken aback by the sudden end to the battle, but the arena was soon filled with their applause. Lee laughed strongly, and ran over to Slugma.

He gave his friend a one-armed hug, and praised, "Congratulations Slugma, you fought amazingly!"

Slugma made a purring noise, and said, "....Thank you," happily.

"You can rest in your Pokéball for a while; we won't be battling again soon," Lee said.

Slugma nodded wearily as Lee pulled out the ball and returned Slugma. Magneton vanished soon after, fed to the Pokéball by and outraged and disgruntled Jonsey.

Lee straightened, and made a beeline to the bleachers, preferring not to talk to the cocky youth he had triumphed over.

As Lee placed himself in the same seat, he caught sight of Michelle smiling over at him. He grinned back, and dropped down on the metal bench gratefully. The first battle was over, and he was moving on!

"Lee is victorious!" Benjamin announced, "The next two battlers shall be Master Tramonus and Mistress Wrayt!"

As Lee watched the next two stand up and jump down from their seats, he wondered if Nabiki was watching. He hoped she was; he had just proven his strength, after all.

But at the same time, he felt mortified at the thought. Had he sputtered? Had he slurred his words? Had he done anything that would make him look stupid in her eyes? He sincerely hoped not; she really seemed to have liked him in the short time they had known each other.

Lee breathed deeply, in and out, in and out, driving away his frenzied thoughts and suspicions. For now, at least, he could relax

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Eheheh ^^; I've always liked this chapter alot. The Slugma and Magcargo are my absolute favorite Fire Types :P

Dr. Mack Foxx

Veteran Trainer/Mad Scientist

Classified
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted January 23rd, 2011
511 posts
17.5 Years
This fic is FAR from over, though. It's just that IRL issues have prolonged the makign of Chapter 13 and on...

My Co-author, ~*Commander Blizzard*~, Has a VERY large fic that's at Chapter 55 right now on SPPf! :0 -Dunsparce
Really?! Well, well. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who likes to write huge fan-fics. Perhaps I should post my series on SPPf. May you please direct me there?

I love long stories like this. It flows very well and I get to learn a lot about the main characters. Good "Fan-Novels" are not easy to find. I'll be waiting for the next chapter(s).

Just one other question: What's "IRL"? I haven't come across that one.
Fans of Gardevoir, Kirlia and Ralts might like my Pokémon fan-fiction series.
>Main Trilogy<
<Part #1- The Village Guardian> <Part #2- Project Omega> <Part #3- The Final Strike>

>The Village Guardians<
<Chapter #1- Glacier's Glory> <Chapter #2- Joy and Shadows> <Chapter #3- The Lost Love [Will Not Be Posted here. Please visit http://drmackfoxx.deviantart.com instead.]>

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Really?! Well, well. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who likes to write huge fan-fics. Perhaps I should post my series on SPPf. May you please direct me there?
www.serebiiforums.com. The Fanfiction forum is VERY active, so It's recommended to post fanfics there if you want ALOT of readers.

Nice updates, Duns, keep 'em coming.
Thanks ^^ I will.

Dunsparce

The Land Snake Pokemon

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted July 8th, 2022
1,246 posts
17.6 Years
Chapter 11:

Tramonus lost to Wrayt not long after the match began.

Wrayt didn't even have to use all three of her Pokémon; with her Venomoth, she cruised through Tramonus's Pokémon. As Wrayt returned to the bench and Tramonus left the arena, Benjamin called out the next two battlers.

"Master Jason and Mistress Michelle, it's your turn to battle!" Benjamin boomed over the roar of the crowd.

Lee's eyebrows shot up in surprise as Michelle rose from her seat, grinning broadly. Jason, a timid-looking boy with wavy brown hair, jumped down from the bleachers, and walked unnaturally quickly to the right end of the field. Michelle took the left, walking in long strides in contrast to Jason's scamper.

"Jumpluff, begin!" Michelle yelled, following up with a graceful pirouette. A Pokéball spun into the air, expelling an energetic blue Pokémon as it fell back to Earth.

Michelle balanced on one foot, catching the ball in her outstretched hand. The crowd went wild at her ostentation.

Lee cheered with everyone else. Michelle certainly was an excellent performer, but could she follow up her delicate maneuvers with a good battle?

"Gastly, come out!" Jason shouted rather lamely. A Gastly burst from its ball, noticeably different from its trainer due to its confident expression.

Gastly opened its mouth, and wagged its tongue obnoxiously at Jumpluff. Jumpluff frowned, and awaited orders from its trainer.

"Confusion, Jumpluff!" Michelle ordered firmly. Jumpluff's balls of cotton glowed electric blue. Gastly's defiant face melted into a curious one.

Jumpluff gave a slicing jab with its left hand. Gastly was knocked to the right by some unseen force.

Bewildered, Gastly rotated in a quick circle, unsure of what had hit it. The audience broke out in a small phoneme of whispers and murmurs, interested in Jumpluff's manner of attacking.

"Uppercut," Michelle said. Lee thought at first that she meant Sky Uppercut, but he saw that Michelle was describing the way she wanted Jumpluff to attack; Jumpluff speared the air with a strong uppercut, sending Gastly spinning in mid-air.

Gastly gave a menacing stare to Jumpluff, and rocketed forward. Jumpluff stood its ground, staring right back with cold indifference. And then, as Gastly soared ever nearer, Jumpluff brought its limbs together, clutching a ball of....air.

However, this stopped Gastly where it was. Astounded, Gastly rolled its eyes in its head, examining its strange situation.

Jumpluff just smirked, surprisingly evilly for such a normally innocent creature. Then it shook its head, bouncing its top ball of cotton off of something. Gastly cried out as something struck it across the head; Lee could see the gas on the top of its head wavering, as though something had just swiped through it.

Jumpluff repeated the motion, bashing the sphere against Gastly violently. Finally, Jason made a decision to help his poor Pokémon.

"Gastly, break free by shooting Shadow Ball at that thing," he called in a quavering voice. Gastly understood, though, opening its mouth to prepare a Shadow Ball.

"Agility," Michelle commanded as tentacles of thin, black energy coalesced in front of Gastly's mouth. Jumpluff ceased the flow of Psychic energy, and darted away in a blur of white and blue.

Gastly shut its mouth, allowing the energy to drift away disappointedly.

"Sunny Day!" Michelle called to Jumpluff. Jumpluff stopped, sending dirt and dust rocketing into the air.

Turning its eyes to the sky, Jumpluff spread its arms wide. It shut its eyes, and hummed in a low tone. As the humming echoed around the stadium, Jumpluff's blue color slowly morphed into a yellow one.

"Gastly, stop it with Hypnosis," Jason ordered, nervously clasping and unclasping his hands. Gastly angled toward Jumpluff like a boomerang, and stopped right in front of its face.

Lee could see its brow furrowing; he assumed that Hypnosis only worked when its target's eyes were open.

Suddenly, evidently aware of Gastly's presence, Jumpluff opened its eyes, and a golden silhouette of Jumpluff shot into the sky like a bullet.

Gastly grinned gleefully as Jumpluff's eyelids sprang open, and set to work at once. Jumpluff was quick enough to evade, but Gastly had the upper hand; Jumpluff was under Gastly's spell moments after its eyes opened. By the time it had realized it was in such close proximity with Gastly, it was too late.

Jumpluff fell over, laying one soft hand under its cheek like a pillow. Gastly chuckled to itself. All at once, its form elongated nightmarishly, forming a demonic shadow.

Gastly made up the head; the body of the beast was pitch-black and over eight feet tall. Sharp claws were protruding from the hands of the monster, as well as the feet.

Gastly hunched over, and shoved its entire head into Jumpluff. The body crawled into the small body of Jumpluff, compressing itself as it did.

Jumpluff shuddered as the beast completely entered it. A faint purple tint stained the cottony white of Jumpluff's puffballs, signaling that Jumpluff was completely locked in the Nightmare.

Jumpluff suddenly began to convulse, thrashing violently against whatever monstrosity Gastly was constructing inside its head. Rolling over and flailing angrily, Jumpluff appeared to be in terrible pain, imagined or not. And yet, Michelle did nothing.

Then, as Jumpluff began to whimper, Michelle recalled Jumpluff silently, swapping it with a Porygon2.

As Jumpluff's form was swept up into the Pokéball, Gastly appeared in the spot where Jumpluff had been. It appeared dazed, surprised to find that the Nightmare was finished. Porygon2 landed not too far away from Gastly, turning robotically to face the gaseous fiend.

"Thunderbolt, Porygon2!" Michelle ordered hastily. Porygon2's legs whirled, slowly at first, but faster and faster as it went on. Electricity began to leap from Porygon2's limbs.

Satisfied, Porygon2 sent a bolt of electricity searing toward Gastly. Gastly screeched harshly, and flipped upside down as the electricity halted, quite like a dead goldfish.

Jason's jaw dropped. He recalled his Gastly, and released a Pidgeotto in its place. Lee marveled at his choice; with Thunderbolt in its disposal, Porygon2 would make quick work of the bird. Jason didn't seem like too big a tactician, so Lee had to wonder what his reasoning behind Pidgeotto was.

"Sharpen, Porygon2!" Michelle barked. Porygon2 began to change shape at her command, the many round edges of it lengthening subtlety.

"Gust, P-Pidgeotto!" Jason stammered, probably aware of his odd decision to use Pidgeotto in the first place. Pidgeotto flew forward speedily, and began to circle Porygon2 viciously.

"Barrier, Porygon2," Michelle said. Porygon2 engulfed itself with a translucent, shimmering orange orb. As it did so, the light orb got caught up in the spinning eye wall of Pidgeotto's Gust.

Porygon2 spun around dizzily within its shield, Michelle looking on worriedly. Pidgeotto was barely visible anymore, the dust and winds blocking it from view.

"Lunge, Porygon2. Escape!" Michelle commanded frantically. Porygon2 backed up as best it could, still being buffeted by the winds, and pushed forward.

The orb fell from midway in the tornado, shattering as it hit the ground. Bits of orange, resembling broken glass, spun through the air, fading away into nothing as they went.

The crowd marveled at the spectacle quietly, with a couple of, "Ooh!"s here and couple of "Aah!"s there.

"Follow up with Ice Beam!" Michelle ordered. Porygon2 wheeled about, apparently none the worse for its battering in the tornado, and fired a wavy ray of ice at Pidgeotto, who was beginning to slow down.

However, to Michelle's displeasure, Pidgeotto was still moving too fast to hit. She'd have to wait.

"Sharpen until Pidgeotto comes down," Michelle instructed Porygon2, making use of the pause. Porygon2 gleamed in the sunlight, its Sharpening body catching the rays of the sun and sending them beaming out across the stadium, dazzling the audience.

Pidgeotto slowed even further, the dust following it beginning to fall back to the arena floor.

"Tri Attack, Porygon2!" Michelle commanded. Porygon2 shot forward diagonally, its streamlined body providing little resistance.

"Whirlwind, Pidgeotto!" Jason countered. Pidgeotto stopped, hovering in mid-air. Its shrewd eyes gazed at Porygon2 as the mechanical Pokémon flew nearer.

Porygon2 was beginning to glow in different places, hues of crimson, indigo, and gold shuffling like a roulette.

Pidgeotto's wings flared silver, and it began swiping at the air mightily, conjuring up a ferocious gust. Darts of silver rode the currents, slicing at Porygon2 as it neared the bird.

Porygon2 slowed down, the wind retarding its progress. Seeing that its attack had been ruined, Porygon2 allowed the energy it was building up to soar forwards.

A thin wire of white connected three masses of ice, fire, and electricity in a triangle, a triangle hurtling at Pidgeotto despite the turbulence Porygon2 was facing.

All of a sudden, Porygon2 disappeared, silhouetted by an insubstantial crimson color. It lost its form, and retreated back to Michelle. It returned to its Pokéball, its mass broken down by the Whirlwind.

Michelle fumbled at her belt for another Pokéball as the Tri Attack reached Pidgeotto. The triangle framed the bird in the sky, creating a painting from the blue sky and the amazed Pidgeotto.

Then, the triangle abruptly imploded into Pidgeotto in a burst of color, sending snow, flames, and sparks wriggling around the sky.

Pidgeotto squawked, and hung its head, battered but still able to fight. Michelle sent out Jumpluff to finish the tenacious avian. Jumpluff was worn as well, looking too weak to battle, almost. Both Pokémon were weakened, but which one would come out on top?

Michelle began the new match with a second Sunny Day. As Jumpluff powered up, Jason ordered a Sand-Attack from Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto lowered itself, and aligned itself so that Jumpluff was right in its path.

Then, Pidgeotto leaned forward, and torpedoed toward Jumpluff, spinning as it went. The loose dirt particles leapt into the air, uprooted yet again.

Right when it looked like Pidgeotto would careen into Jumpluff, it stopped. The sand exploded into Jumpluff in a cloud of beige. The sun was shining brightly; Jumpluff had finished its Sunny Day this time around.

But its eyes were stinging from the invading dust. Jumpluff swiped at its eyes with its limbs, hoping the gentle cotton would ease the smarting.

"Don't give up, Jumpluff, show Pidgeotto your Solarbeam," Michelle ordered encouragingly.

Blinking obsessively, Jumpluff fired a Solarbeam at the bird. Pidgeotto flew away, leaving the Solarbeam to blaze away into the earth.

As Pidgeotto made a loop back to Jason, he whispered, "Aerial Ace," to it, so that Michelle couldn't hear. Pidgeotto understood.

Far surpassing its normal position in the air, Pidgeotto flew upward steeply, until it was staring down at the metallic scab in the verdant land. High in the sky, Pidgeotto had a bird's eye view of the stadium. It could see Jumpluff with its keen eyesight, a blue micro-organism in a stain of brown.

Angling downward, Pidgeotto flapped its wings once to pick up preliminary speed, and began pumping them madly, pushing itself faster and faster.

Then, it let its wings stick out at precise angles, slicing through the air at a perfect angle. Jumpluff's squeak was inaudible, drowned out by the howling winds of the sky Pidgeotto loved.

As Pidgeotto sped closer, Jumpluff hopped into the air, allowing the wind to carry it away from the mighty bird. But Pidgeotto angled itself once more, sloping into a wide, horizontal loop.

Its beak slammed into the surprised Jumpluff, who had thought it had eluded the fast approaching Pidgeotto. Jumpluff squealed in pain, and plummeted down to Earth. Michelle caught it with the red laser before it struck the ground.

Lee was interested in how the match was going to end; both contestants still had two Pokémon left, one used and one perfectly healthy. Despite the length of the match, it seemed that it had just begun.

Michelle silently let out a replacement Pokémon, and it wasn't Porygon2. This one was partially blue as well, but it was a serpent, suspended above the ground impossibly. Its crystalline black eyes shone with a beauty masked by Porygon2's blank, artificial ones.

Michelle's Dragonair was a perfect mirror of her beauty and elegance, but Lee could see from its jerky movements that it was waiting for a battle.

"Aerial Ace again!" Jason called to his Pidgeotto, which was circling the arena high above. Pidgeotto did a showy somersault, prolonging it for dramatic effect.

"Extremespeed, Dragonair; head it off!" Michelle commanded. Dragonair crouched, looking very much like a snake, and darted into the air.

Pidgeotto accepted the challenge, finishing its loop and soaring toward Dragonair in the same angle it has used against Jumpluff. The two were on a collision course, and unless Dragonair had some strategy hidden up its sleeve, Lee was fairly sure Pidgeotto's beak would hurt more than Dragonair's fleshy nose.

Dragonair extended upward as it and Pidgeotto drew nearer. Pidgeotto had expected this, though, and followed the move, aiming for Dragonair's torso.

All at once, Dragonair flicked downward, like the tip of a whip. Pidgeotto tumbled awkwardly in mid-air, stopping too quickly as it realized that it had missed Dragonair.

Dragonair positioned itself beneath Pidgeotto, and send a torrent of water roaring up at the unsuspecting bird.

Caught unawares, Pidgeotto was blasted upward, and fell down to the stadium in a tangled mess. Jason caught it with the Pokéball laser as Michelle had with Jumpluff, knowing it had been defeated.

Jason sent out his last Pokémon, a Hypno. The creature narrowed its small eyes at Dragonair, eager to beat it.

Lee was surprised at this unorthodox choice of Pokémon; rarely did he see a Hypno fight. Dragonair seemed surprised as well, though still willing to fight.

"Hypno, begin with Reflect," Jason said, sounding more calm now that Hypno was out on the field. Hypno flicked its wrist and began spinning its fore-arm.

The pendulum whirled like a helicopter blade, and silvery blue shield expanded from the small circle. Opaque and small as it was, Lee didn't see what good the Reflect would do.

Knowing Extremespeed would be useless, Michelle called out, "Fire Blast!" Dragonair's neck ornament blazed orange. Dragonair opened its mouth, and send a huge formation of flame spiraling at Hypno.

"Now Light Screen," Jason said, permitting himself a smile. Hypno extended its hand, its fingertips beginning to take on a pink glow as it did. As the fiery symbol burned closer, a huge pink wall spread from its hand.

Unlike the Reflect shield, which had grown gradually, the Light Screen was all but instantaneous. The blazing shape hit the shield, causing Hypno to recoil, but it dissipated shortly after, incapable of penetrating the wall of energy.

Also unlike the Reflect, Light Screen was transparent; Lee could see how Hypno's shoulders slumped and its eyes closed as Jason ordered a Calm Mind.

"Horn Drill, Dragonair!" Michelle commanded, knowing it would penetrate the Reflect. Dragonair snaked forward, the small horn on its head growing and rotating at amazing speed.

"Meet it with Ice Punch," Jason instructed. Hypno's Light Screen died down, though its fingertips still shimmered pink. A white hue adorned Hypno's clenched fist, a light mist evaporating from it.

Dragonair's eyes widened, and its horn slowed down. Hypno ran forward, grinning wickedly. Dragonair stopped, and crouched, preparing to leap into the air. Hypno was too fast for it, though.

Dropping its pendulum on the ground, Hypno jumped into the air, and seized it by the throat. Amazed, Dragonair tried to break free. Hypno's physical strength was greater, though, and it pulled Dragonair to its level with minimal effort.

Dragonair's neck bead burned orange, but Hypno, like always, was one step ahead. Letting Dragonair go, Hypno slammed into the side of its face with an icy fist.

Its aim knocked awry, Dragonair sent its Fire Blast flying toward the bleachers. Lee screamed, and jumped up. But the Fire Blast exploded against the wall instead. Lee was the only one to jump up in fear, and sat down with the laughs of nearly everyone in the stadium echoing in his airs.

Well, so much for trying to look good in front of Nabiki, Lee said, grimacing unconsciously. He closed his eyes, hoping against hope that Nabiki wasn't there to see what an idiot he had made of himself.

He should have seen that the Fire Blast wasn't going to hit him, and yet, he stilled freaked out....Hopefully, if Nabiki was here, she would just laugh and think Lee was joking.

Dragonair's cry penetrated his thoughts, and he realized he wasn't paying attention to the match. Lee opened his eyes, and saw that a few drops of water were dripping off of Hypno's Light Screen; another unsuccessful attack on Dragonair's part. Hypno had even picked up its pendulum and continued the Reflect.

Lee was concerned for Michelle; long-range attacks were easily blockable, but it couldn't get close enough for a direct physical attack either. What could it do?

Dragonair shot forward in desperation, its horn whirling once again. Hypno retracted the Light Screen again, and its fist blazed white. Dragonair looked like it was actually going to go through with the attack.

But then, feet from Hypno, Dragonair stopped, and dropped at Hypno's feet. Hypno arched its brow, and walked forward. Dragonair was staring innocently up at it, stretching out across the battlefield. Hypno sneered at its helplessness.

All of a sudden, Dragonair let loose a Hydro Pump. Hypno punched at the last second, freezing the surging water in a spray of mist and sleet. Dragonair halted the attack, and sprang in a serpentine manner, horn spinning.

Hypno jumped back, but Dragonair was a long Pokémon, and it could still reach Hypno as it backed away. Its drilling horn pushed through Hypno's skin.

At first, Lee gasped like everyone else, sure Hypno had just been killed. But then, barely visible from his distance, he noticed the yellow skin at Hypno's stomach shimmering, and knew the horn hadn't physically impaled it.

Hypno vibrated violently, shaken to the core by the Horn Drill. Dragonair pulled its horn out, leaving Hypno to collapse to the ground. The end had come quickly, but the match was indeed over, and Michelle had won!

The crowd was slow on the uptake, not sure what had happening, but as the battlers cheered, they took the hint, and sent the stadium resonating with their gleeful cheers.

"Michelle is victorious!" Benjamin hollered over the cacophony. Dumbstruck, Jason returned his Hypno, and sulkily made his way to the exit tunnel.

Michelle returned her Dragonair proudly, and skipped back to the bleachers, ecstasy shining on her sweaty face.

Michelle gave a small smile to Lee, and Lee returned it, happy for her. Michelle sat down in her same spot, rewarded by some cheers from the other contestants.

Lee watched the battles following Michelle's with glazed eyes. He kept an eye out for Nicholas, just to see what he was up against, but for the most part, he was thinking about his own battle, and what was to come as he progressed in this tournament.

Finally, the first round ended. Thirty-two people had been defeated. But thirty-two had made it through, Lee among them.

Benjamin reappeared in the tunnel opposite the bleachers; he was the first person to come out of it, rather than going into it, in a long while. Clapping with everyone else as he went, Benjamin began speaking to the contestants, a jubilant grin on his face.

"Well done, well done indeed! Congratulations to you thirty-two talented trainers for making it through! We will be taking a lunch break, now. The tournament will resume in a half hour, in which time, your Pokémon will be healed, and lunch will be served.

Lunch will be provided in the room opposite the waiting room you occupied before the first round; the door is blue, and difficult to miss. Once more, congratulations! Whatever happens from here on out, you have all passed through the first round, and proved your strength to our audience," Benjamin said, grinning from ear to ear the entire time.

Benjamin disappeared into the tunnel once more. Michelle stood up, and made her way down the bleachers. Lee assumed she knew what she was doing, seeing as she worked here, but given his recent screw-ups, he wanted to wait until other people followed her example.

At first, no one followed her, but eventually, a few brave souls got up and jumped down from the bleachers. At that point, everyone was sure that they were allowed to leave; someone would have intervened, otherwise.

Lee stood up and made his way to the edge, jumping off at the edge of the metallic bleachers. He walked off to the tunnel, noticing as he went that the spectators were leaving through different exits as well. In the angular room, Lee walked out the door, following the others in front of him.

His heart stopped palpitating so violently in his chest as Lee walked across the polished floor; the battles were done, and it was time for him to relax. Through the blue door Lee went, and a pleasing sight met his eyes.

The room was vast, two miniature restaurants on either side of it. Circular tables were waiting for the hungry contestants, as were four Pokémon Machines. Lee recognized the machines as the ones the Pokémon Center used, but the insignia of the Lake of Rage was stamped across it to signify the difference.

The back wall was made of glass, and a wide meadow lay behind it, presumably for Pokémon and Trainers to train, play, and relax in.

Lee narrowed his eyes, and saw that the restaurant to the left was a sandwich stand, displaying all sorts of sandwiches. To the right was a restaurant where drinks were distributing, healthy and unhealthy. Lee reminded himself to order Ziggy a drink before he let the Linoone out; he didn't want Ziggy to know Sake was handed out here.

Lee went toward sandwiches first, though. He was hungrier than he was thirsty.

The stout woman there saw him approaching, and, turning away from her current customer, she said, "Be with ya in a moment, hon."

Lee nodded, and stood behind the young girl ordering her food. Lee's eyebrows rose when he saw that the girl walked away without paying.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Lee asked, confused.

"Do what?" the woman asked. Lee noticed that she resembled a frog. Her mouth seemed too large for her face, and various markings on her skin smothered the pale white color of it. Her voice was also deep and rasping, reminding Lee strongly of a croaking frog.

She smiled a lot, though, and seemed genuinely friendly; Lee couldn't hold her appearance against her.

"Walk off without paying? Did she have a credit card or something?" Lee asked.

The woman laughed, and exclaimed, "'Course she is; our services are free!" Lee smiled; how helpful it was not to have to pay!

"How, though? I mean, I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but isn't it expensive for the city to hand out food and stuff?" Lee inquired.

"We make a lot of money charging for the tournament, hon," she explained cheerily, "Enough to be able to hand out refreshments." Lee scanned the array of sandwiches, deciding which ones to get.

"Let's see, I think I'll take five cheese sandwiches, and ten peanut butter and jellies," Lee said, planning to feed his Pokémon as well.

"Appetite got the better of ya, eh?" the woman inquired, half serious.

Lee chuckled, and responded, "No, I've got an Onix, and I expect it'll need the sandwiches. I'm not asking for too much, though, am I?"

"I don't normally get orders that big, but it's no problem," the woman said smilingly.

She turned around, and opened a silvery machine. Inside, many cheese sandwiches were suspended from hooks, hanging above a glowing orange panel.

"Airing them out?" Lee asked.

The woman laughed, her voice cracking, and said, "Heh, nope, we just let them hang there above the warming tray to keep them from getting cold; unless you like your cheese cold."

Lee laughed as well, and said, "Naw, I'll take 'em warm. Cold cheese is pretty gross."

"Got that right," the woman proclaimed, adjusting her hairnet unconsciously.

Pulling on a pair of gloves, she reached into the small oven and retrieved five of the dangling sandwiches, stacking them on top of each other on her other hand.

Yanking a napkin from a tiny box, she laid the cheese sandwiches on top, warning, "Make sure you don't let them sandwiches fall over." Before Lee could respond, she was buried in a cabinet to the right of the oven, picking out packaged sandwiches.

"Take them sandwiches to a table, hon, I dun think you can carry fifteen sandwiches at once!" she instructed Lee, her voice muffled in the confined space.

Taking her advice, Lee hooked his hands over the napkin, balancing the sandwiches, and carried them slowly over to the nearest table.

Apart from a few crumbs here and there, the table was surprisingly clean, as were the seats; Lee was grateful for that.

He set his sandwiches on the table right as the door burst open. Lee didn't pay it any attention; it was probably just another contestant arriving for lunch.

"Hey, you! Lee guy!" a voice called out, anger abundant in it.

Lee looked up in alarm, hoping he wasn't in trouble. As he caught sight of the person in front of him, he laughed to himself; it was only Jonsey, fists clenched and young face indignant.

"How did you get in here?" Lee asked, fairly sure the room was only for those who had won.

"My dad's a guard here, I can do whatever I want," Jonsey said dismissively, clearly annoyed by Lee's question.

"I don't suppose that would explain you being in the tournament in the first place?" Lee said, taking a wild guess. Again, he laughed silently as Jonsey's face froze.

"I guess so," Lee said, smiling pleasantly.

Jonsey scowled, and said, "Alright, my dad reserved a place for me on the list. But that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"I see. What did you want to talk about, then?" Lee asked nonchalantly.

"I think it's really unfair about how you got matched up against me in the first round," Jonsey said, a touch of childish sorrow entering his angry voice.

"Well, aren't the match-ups chosen randomly?" Lee asked, "Even if they aren't, I sure didn't choose to face you."

"No, they're not!" Jonsey shrieked, turning the heads of those nearby, "People are matched up by how many badges you have! I talked to my dad, and he told me you had no badges! So why were you and me facing each other?!"

Lee rolled his eyes.

"Hah, badges. I don't need badges. They're really pointless. Little bits of metal don't tell people how strong you are."

"Well, you should have told the people who let you in that you don't collect badges, because it's really unfair!" Jonsey shouted, his shrill voice breaking in frustration, "And anyway, badges are really important! You can't get into the Pokémon League without them. Don't you ever want to fight the Elite 4?!"

"I could hardly care less about that group of elitists," Lee said coldly. From the look on Jonsey's face, he didn't even know what an elitist was. Lee decided to talk down to him.

"Listen, I battle for the fun of it. It's fun to battle, and my Pokémon like it too. We do it only for fun, not to prove that we're better than someone else," Lee said quietly.

"Then why are you even in this tournament?!" Jonsey asked, a hard edge still in his voice.

"Because I need the money. Believe me, if there was any other way, I'd take it. But there's a fair amount of money being offered here, and it's a good place to test out the strength of my newer Pokémon.

Same question goes for you, kid, why are you in this tournament? What could you need with that much money?" Lee answered, ending in a question he had been pondering ever since he first heard Jonsey misphrase an attack.

Jonsey hung his head, and said, "I'm here for my dad. He's too busy to enter, so he gave me his Pokémon to fight with. The people here pay a lot, but we want the extra money too."

Lee felt a bit of sympathy, in place of scorn, for the little boy. Jonsey was just his father's pawn, essentially; he hardly knew anything about battling, it seemed.

"Well, I need to prepare for the next round, Jonsey. If you want my advice, if you actually like battling, you should practice with your dad's Pokémon and wait for the next tournament," Lee said. Jonsey looked up, a different, calmer expression upon his face.

"Would you train with me and help me get better?" Jonsey asked, his swagger gone.

Lee smiled, and said, "I would, but I need to eat and prepare for the next round. Now you should probably get out of here, before someone forces you out."

Jonsey didn't say anything, but just scampered away and went through the door. Lee wasn't sure whether or not he had taken his advice.

"Hey, your cheese sandwiches are prolly getting cold, and I have your PB 'n' J's here," the sandwich woman called to Lee.

Lee winced, knowing cold cheese was in his future, and ran over to collect his sandwiches in his arms.

"Sorry, wasn't expecting that," Lee shrugged. He walked over to the door, and kicked it open, unable to move his arms with the crinkling packages stuffed in his folded arms.

Lee quickly dumped the sandwiches to the right of the door, and ran back inside to get his cheese sandwiches. Fearfully, he touched the extending corners of the slices. Luke-warm; it would have to do.

Lee picked up the cheese tower too, deciding to go back for drinks later. Lee returned to the spot where he left the sandwiches, and sat down beside the stash.

Stuffing a cheese sandwich in his mouth, Lee tapped the buttons of two of his Pokéballs. Slugma materialized in front of him, Ziggy appearing shortly after. Slugma looked happy to be in an open meadow and not fighting; Ziggy looked happy just to be out at all.

Ziggy turned to Lee, and said, "Is the battle already over?"

"Sorry buddy, it is," Lee said, grinning, taking the sandwich from his mouth to speak, "Slugma won all on its own."

"Well you deserve a great big handshake, dontcha Slugma?" Ziggy said, extending his paw jovially to the confused slug.

"Oh, wait, slugs haven't got hands! Silly me," Ziggy said, shaking his head, "I would shake your eyestalks, but numerous cartoons tell me that slugs and snails hate when you touch their eyes."

Slugma nodded, and glanced over at Lee's sandwich, which he had replaced in his mouth.

"Is it.....eating time?" Slugma asked, eyeing the sandwich in Lee's mouth enviously.

"Indeed it is," Lee said, grabbing a sandwich and offering it to Slugma. Slugma blinked blankly.

"Oh....Do you want me to hold the sandwich while you eat, Slugma?" Lee asked.

Slugma shook its head slowly, and said, "I'm used to feeding...from the ground."

"That's a shame, it is," Ziggy said dolefully," Forearms are ever so valuable."

Lee glared at Ziggy, afraid he was upsetting Slugma.

"What?" Ziggy asked, oblivious to the crude nature of his jokes.

Slugma chuckled, and bit into the sandwich slowly. Lee picked up a second sandwich, and held it out to Ziggy.

Like a creature possessed, Ziggy pounced at the sandwich, tearing it away from Lee and tearing into it.

"Ravenous today, eh Ziggy?" Lee smirked.

"I can be wilder, Lee. I haven't forgotten my instincts in light of your domestication process. Want me to prove it?" Ziggy said tauntingly.

It sounded like Ziggy was giving Lee the choice, but Lee could tell Ziggy was hoping he would let him; Ziggy didn't get to unleash like that very often.

Ziggy wolfed down the sandwich, staring at Lee all the while. Lee was pretending to think on the matter, enjoying Ziggy's impatience. Slugma just glanced back and forth between the two, chewing thoughtfully on its food.

Finally, Lee let the charade go. He tucked his arm in, grasping a sandwich discretely. Ziggy tensed, barely containing a smile.

"Whoa!" Lee screamed, flinging the sandwich high in the air. Ziggy's eyes lit up, and he leaned back on his hind legs, his neck tilting to monitor that sandwich's progress as it soared overhead.

Teetering drunkenly, Ziggy backed up, timing the arrival of the food. As it neared the ground, Ziggy leapt into the air, snarling like a wild animal.

As he landed, the sandwich was clenched in his teeth, hanging limply from his jaws. Ziggy shook it violently, like a dog with a tough bone.

"Dear heavens..." Slugma muttered as the sandwich began to rip apart and fly everywhere. Ziggy leapt to and fro, grabbing the sandwich bits and stuffing them into his mouth.

"So, do you mind if I begin with someone else other than you next, Slugma?" Lee asked Slugma as Ziggy tore at his hapless victim.

"...No, I could use some....recuperation....I think Ziggy needs.....to vent his energy.....anyway," Slugma responded, amazed at Ziggy's ferocity.

Lee laughed, but agreed with Slugma. Ziggy had been cooped up in his Pokéball for a while, longer than normal. No doubt this entire savage beast performance was just Ziggy expressing his need for some excitement. Ziggy bounded back, and did a little dance.

"Enemy defeated, Ziggy victorious," he sang.

"You sure showed that sandwich, Ziggy. The one we've got left looks like it's trembling after it saw what you did to its friend," Lee remarked.

Ziggy grinned broadly, and said, "But what sandwich wouldn't fear a hunter as fearsome and determined as I? If it begs at my feet, I might take mercy on it and give to your household pet of a Slugma."

Ziggy held his chin high, waiting for Lee to continue to scene. Lee wagged the sandwich in front of Ziggy in a piteous manner.

Ziggy glanced down at the feeble pieces of bread and cheese, and said, "Ah, but even the most noble and proficient killer has a heart! I see the fear and selflessness in this noble configuration of grain and dairy, and thus, I have decided to spare it a horrible fate. Toss it to your Slugma, Lee, before I change my mind and slaughter it."

"You have a heart of gold, venerable hunter," Lee said, chortling.

He placed the sandwich before Slugma, who began to eat it as well, having just finished its previous sandwich.

Serious once more, or at least as serious as he ever was, Ziggy asked, "How can you eat food off the ground, Slugma? I know you don't have much choice, but doesn't it taste like grass? Dirt? Fecal matter, even?"

"Thankfully not....I don't mind it..." Slugma answered.

"I see," Ziggy said imperiously.

Lee decided a drink would probably be a bad idea with Ziggy in such a state. Also, being naturally quick-witted, Lee could imagine Ziggy connecting 'drink' with 'Sake'.

"Alright Ziggy, the tournament's starting again soon. I'll battle with you first this time, if you let me return you to your Pokéball," Lee said.

"What a pitiful bargain you propose, lower-class urchin. However, I shall humor you and accept this offer," Ziggy said disdainfully.

"A wise choice, almighty overlord," Lee said, drawing out his Pokéball and recalling Ziggy. Slugma spoke as Lee returned the ball to its proper place.

"You and Ziggy....Certainly have a lot of.....fun together....." it noted, finishing the last bits of its sandwich.

"Yep, we do. I've known Ziggy for years and years, and he's pretty much my best friend," Lee said fondly.

"I see..." Slugma said, swallowing the last hunk of its sandwich.

"Are you done, then? Ready to be returned?" Lee queried.

"I suppose so..." Slugma said. Lee took out his other Pokéball, returning his Pokémon.

Now it was time for Onix's feeding. Lee called out Onix, and started on unwrapping a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Compact and circular, it was just about bite-size for Onix.

"Hey Onix!" Lee said to his Pokémon as it appeared in the grass in front of him. Onix turned, and gave a friendly welcome.

"I've got a sandwich here for you," Lee said, waving the sandwich over his head, "If you like it, I've got nine more like it. Catch!"

Lee tossed the sandwich high in the air. Onix lowered its head, and scooped up the sandwich in mid-air.

"Nice catch!" Lee praised, watching Onix chew on it and swallow it.

"Like it?" Lee inquired. Onix nodded, and opened its mouth.

"You bet I've got more!" Lee said, grinning, in response. He hastily undid the wrapping of the second package, and slung the second one like a Frisbee. Onix lunged to the right, and snapped it up.

"You're quite good at that, I see," Lee remarked. Onix gave a small smile, and watched as Lee took the wrapper off a third.

"So, Onix," Lee began as he shot the third one at the mighty stone serpent, "I expect you'd like some exercise after being locked away in your Luxury Ball."

Onix nodded as Lee tore the wrapper off the fourth and threw it onto the pile of empty wrappers.

"Then you haven't reconsidered helping me out in the tournament?" Lee said, throwing the next sandwich. Onix caught it, and shook its head.

"Cool," Lee said, liberating a fifth and tossing it to Onix.

"Your wounds aren't bothering you, right?" Lee said as a sixth sandwich was consumed by Onix. Onix shook its head.

"Great, you're healing well then," Lee said, following up his sentence with yet another sandwich.

"I'm using my Linoone first next round," Lee informed Onix, freeing an eighth.

Lee knocked his arm against his knee, sending the sandwich to bounce weakly off the ground. Onix leaned down, and plucked the sandwich off the ground surprisingly delicately.

"Sorry," Lee apologized, emphasizing his remorse with a ninth sandwich. Onix nipped it out of the air, adroit as it always was.

"So, the first round of the tournament is over, and the next one is coming up soon. Odds are, I'm going to need you. Are you up to the challenge?" Lee said, unwrapping and throwing the tenth and final sandwich.

Onix clamped its jaws down on the sandwich, and chewed it up. Lee watched, waiting for a response. Finally, Onix nodded its head.

"Excellent," Lee said smilingly.

----------------------------

*phew* Sorry it took so long ._.

Dr. Mack Foxx

Veteran Trainer/Mad Scientist

Classified
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted January 23rd, 2011
511 posts
17.5 Years
Thanks for the link, Dunsparce. At any rate, the latest additions here are quite excellent.
Fans of Gardevoir, Kirlia and Ralts might like my Pokémon fan-fiction series.
>Main Trilogy<
<Part #1- The Village Guardian> <Part #2- Project Omega> <Part #3- The Final Strike>

>The Village Guardians<
<Chapter #1- Glacier's Glory> <Chapter #2- Joy and Shadows> <Chapter #3- The Lost Love [Will Not Be Posted here. Please visit http://drmackfoxx.deviantart.com instead.]>