[Pokémon] Lucario and the 10 Ordeals (brought here)

Autistic Lucario · Oct 13, 2009

Chapter 12: The Stalker

Zeke and his friends now had a real chance to escape. Now that Zeke had three others with him, he felt confident about himself and that escape was so close to reality. However, none of them saw what was coming closer and closer to them.

"Okay," started Zeke. "Now that we know what to do, let's get moving. Everyone keep close, keep sharp, and whatever you do, don't get separated, as we may never find you again. One could easily get lost in this place...and with what we've seen lately, that could prove fatal."

Alice pulled out her map and studied it. The barracks again was not far away. It was directly to the left of where everyone was at present. They walked back up the stairs and into the hallway. All was quiet, so much so that Zeke began to sense that something was wrong. Soon after that, the Threat Detector began to make noises. They sounded like low-pitched whooshing noises accompanied by what seemed to be small chimes. Something was wrong, so everyone crept back into the cellar and waited in the darkness.

No one heard any footsteps and were just about to look into the hallway, when a figure walked across everyone's view. An invisible person holding a visible, double-edged sword walked down the hallway. There was something interesting about the way it walked. There was no sound of footsteps and the figure seemed to be floating. Everyone waited until the figure had disappeared.

The figure walked into the room with the menacing pictures and fireplace, turned left, and entered another hallway. Everyone slowly made their way out of the safety of the cellar and into the hallway, immediately turning left and walking down that way. Since the ghost woman could float, she decided to watch the hallway where the figure was previously.

"What's your name?" Zeke asked the woman. "I forgot to ask."

"Victoria," answered the woman. "But you can just call me Vicky."

"How did you end up in this castle?" asked Samuel. "And why were you trapped in the...oh shoot."

Just as Samuel was about to finish his sentence, the Threat Detector made the same noise that it made when the figure walked by everyone in the cellar. Immediately after the noise stopped, the figure appeared in the hallway. It stopped suddenly for a moment and then began to approach everyone. Everyone backed away from it, with Zeke and Alice readying their scrolls. Samuel began to build up electricity. As soon as the figure came close, it jumped, raised its sword, fell down slowly, as if partially resisting gravity, and waved the sword about near the ground, nearly catching Zeke in the leg. Samuel attacked it with electricity, causing the figure to utter a peculiar sound. It sounded like "hhheey," only it echoed and sounded as if the figure was inhaling at the same time. The figure tried to attack Zeke, but Zeke deflected the blows with his staff.

"Alice, are you just gonna stand there?" he asked.

Alice wasted no more time in readying the scroll she pulled out. She put her hand on the center, made the required movements, and somehow caused violet energy to swirl around her wand. She saw the perfect moment to strike and smacked the figure near the head with her wand. The energy reacted violently with the figure's body, causing it to fall to the floor. The figure remained on the floor for a few seconds, then instantly vanished from sight, with a sudden, sharp whooshing noise. Everyone was alarmed at what had just happened.

"Things are getting very complicated with this castle," began Zeke.

"That makes two sudden disappearances," added Alice.

"Have you noticed it too?" asked Victoria.

"Have we..." responded Zeke. "Facing an enemy is one thing, but having a sword aimed at you is another."

"You know, we could have stopped this fight from happening in the first place," said Samuel.

"How?" asked Alice. "We have a sentient castle, ghosts on the alert, and just now, an invisible creep."

"The map?" answered Samuel.

Alice slapped her forehead. No one was paying careful attention to the map.

"Are we ready to move on from this?" asked Zeke, keeping the barracks in mind.

Everyone walked down the hallway, with Zeke starting a conversation.

"Hey Vicky...why was the cellar door boarded up?" he asked.

"I think that was where the first ghost appeared," answered Victoria. "The interesting thing is that the one we just faced was the first ghost. He can occasionally teleport to random points in the castle."

Remembering the statement Alice made about the "nasty discovery," Zeke asked Victoria,

"Is this why everyone evacuated? Spirits in the cellar?"

"Exactly," replied Victoria.

"That still doesn't explain why the castle itself has a mind of its own," mentioned Samuel.

"A curse was placed on it," answered Victoria. "When the people left the castle, a spirit formed the mind of it. Fortunately, the only thing it's capable of doing so far is knowing we're inside and alerting every ghost."

Everyone reached a reinforced door that was made of metal. Alice tried to turn the handle, but the door was locked. She pulled the Unlock scroll out of her bag, touched the middle of it, made the required movements, and put her hand on the handle. Everyone heard a click, meaning that the door had been unlocked. Alice opened the door and entered the barracks. Everyone else soon followed.

As soon as the door closed, it locked itself again. The Threat Detector again made the same sound as when everyone faced the invisible person. The sword appeared from a distant corner of the room.

"Oh, not you again," said Zeke, partly expecting the figure's appearance after the door locked itself.

Zeke held his staff like a spear, waiting for the figure to come closer. Alice shot a magical, slow-moving, blue projectile at it. The figure made a sharp hissing noise, but it sounded nothing like a snake. Samuel electrocuted the figure, causing it to fall on its back. Once again after a few seconds, it vanished, this time with a ghostly inhaling sound.

"Is it gonna keep stalking us wherever we go or what?" Zeke asked Victoria.

"Basically, yes," replied Victoria. "Now if you'll follow me, I can show you where the button is."

Victoria walked over to the far end of the room, which was quite a long way, and searched the wall for a button. It did not take her long to find it. She pressed it, opening a small section of the wall. Everyone else ran up to the opening and went inside. A closer look revealed that the opening was the entrance to a small room with a large hole in the wall, leading to a tunnel.

"So this is the exit?" asked Samuel.

"Not quite," said Victoria. "Now we have to navigate these tunnels. It will take a while, but so long as everyone sticks together, there won't be a problem. Get separated, however, and we will have to look for each other, and judging by the size and complexity of these tunnels, it's not gonna be fun."

"Alice, how long do you think that wand can be kept lit for?" asked Zeke.

"A few days, without recharging," answered Alice.

"Great...let's get moving," said Zeke.

Alice put her hand on the orb of her wand, making it glow. She went in first, carrying Samuel on her shoulder. Zeke went in next and finally, Victoria.

"Are we ready, everyone?" asked Alice.

Everyone agreed and went inside the tunnel.

Escape was becoming more and more likely. They were now out of the castle itself and into the tunnels leading to the outdoors. But could they find a way out of the tunnels?

lucarioishere · Oct 14, 2009

nice

nice way of ending it but what are the next test all 10 if you would.

Autistic Lucario · Oct 18, 2009

Chapter 13: A Personal Request

This could be the chance to escape that Zeke and his friends were hoping for from near the start. However, they still needed to navigate the tunnels. The map that Alice was carrying showed no evidence that the tunnels even existed. Alice thought that they were deliberately left out.

With Alice's wand glowing and everyone eager to escape, they ventured into the tunnels. The tunnels themselves were surprisingly dry and there was little need to worry about any creepy crawlies, which Zeke always had difficulty tolerating. Fortunately, he did not think about insects at the moment, otherwise there may be a chance that he would panic.

It did not take long for everyone to reach a small room of sorts. There were three holes in the walls of the room, one near the left, another directly in front of Zeke, and one to the far right. Alice wondered what these tunnels served as back in the day when the castle was not haunted. She thought that it was probably a secret way out of the castle, in case it was under attack.

Alice pointed her finger at the tunnel in the middle of the room. Everyone went inside and continued on. Alice looked at the Navigation Ring. There was no sign of enemies, but neither was there a sign of a way out. Eventually, everyone reached another room, this time with several crates. Nobody wanted to bother searching through the crates, as they wanted the outdoors more than any item.

There were two other passageways in the room of crates, one to the left, and one to the right. Alice chose the one on the left, with everyone following her inside. After a while, they came to a room with nothing inside it. There was only one passageway, so everybody took that route. This tunnel was slightly longer than the previous ones. Halfway through it, everyone began to see a flickering light not coming from Alice's wand. Further investigation revealed that was actually a lit campfire. Two green bedrolls were laid out.

"Someone else is here," whispered Zeke. "And it looks like they're not alone...Everyone, listen carefully. I have an idea. Right now, I think we're lost. But don't worry, here's the plan. We wait here until whoever lit this fire comes back. We will know because they will make footsteps. As soon as you hear footsteps, everyone jump up and down a couple of times. When they hear us, they will come to this spot. Then we can explain to them our situation and ask for a way out.

I'm confident that this will work. Now everyone, wait for the signal."

They waited for a few minutes, and sure enough, they heard voices. They sounded like a father and son. They seemed to be coming closer from the tunnel that was closest to the campfire, which was in the center of the room.

"Okay...wait for it...now!" signaled Zeke.

Everyone jumped twice, causing the tone of voice between the voices to change.

"What's that sound?" asked the younger voice.

"I don't know," said the older voice. "Stay behind me and I'll check it out. We might have company."

Everyone realized that the voices might belong to humans, which brought relief.

"Whoever's in the tunnel shouldn't worry, we're not hostile," Zeke spoke out loud.

"Some of us aren't human, but we're not hostile," Samuel added.

The two figures revealed themselves, and as expected, they were human. A man who looked to be in his mid thirties and a boy who looked to be around twelve years old. They were both surprised when they saw Zeke and Samuel, but Zeke began to explain the situation.

"You two probably have never seen creatures like us before, but that's not important. Here's the problem; we're lost and can't find our way out. Some portal keeps opening up and teleporting us to random places. Inside this castle happened to be one of them. Can you show us the way out?"

"Sure thing," said the man. He was holding a sledgehammer, which everyone understood why. Everyone followed the man through the tunnel he came from. Zeke, knowing that he was in a world where no one had ever heard of a pokemon before, tried to explain his situation.

"Have you ever seen creatures like us before?" Zeke asked the man.

"Not personally," replied the man. "I've heard of a couple creatures that the world probably has never seen, though. Just appeared in the city a couple of days ago. One of them looks a lot like you, only younger. The other one with him had orange fur and a tail that split in two. I heard rumors that they can talk, and judging from this encounter, I'd say the rumors are true."

"I know exactly what they look like, just from that information," Zeke responded. "The creatures that seem to be appearing at various places, including myself are known as "Pokemon". Zeke looked at Samuel. "This guy here is also a pokemon. Interesting thing is...I was once a human."

The man, boy, and Victoria looked surprised. The only one who did not was Alice.

"How did you get turned into what you are?" asked the boy.

"Long story," replied Zeke. "By the way, why did you two decide to camp inside this place?"

"We've been here before," the man explained. "We saw that there was a room inside the castle, but that was all we could find. I'm guessing you found a secret entrance to the castle, right?"

"Yes," answered Alice. "And you don't want to have anything to do with the castle. We were teleported to the middle of it, and we had a few close calls with the undead, not to mention the Hall of Traps."

"Nasty, evil place," Samuel commented. "We're lucky to still be alive. How far are we from the exit?"

"Just around the corner," answered the man.

"Great," said Zeke, relieved that all this was about to end.

A few seconds later, light was visible. Another few seconds later, the end of the tunnels was visible. Finally, everyone was outside, away from the sinister castle. For Zeke, Alice, Samuel, and especially Victoria, it was hard to believe. Everyone took a moment to enjoy the fresh air, then Zeke noticed a wooden pole next to the exit. A note was nailed to it, which raised curiosity as to what to do next.

Alice gently tore the note off the post and read it.

"Now that you've escaped the castle, what do you plan on doing next? You can do as you please, but if you don't know where to go, read carefully. There is a village not too far away from here. In the direction the post is facing, you will come to a sign that points directly to the village. Go straight to the village and ask for guidance on what to do next. Tell them that you escaped the castle and they will understand.

Also, on a more personal issue, the writer of this note will appreciate a favor from the reader. What I have in mind is simple. I want to tell my parents that I am half-dead, half-alive. I am a ghost, but I have the ability to become corporeal, pick up objects, and do other things. The only things I can't do are eat, feel pain, and die, unless a special ritual is performed.

All you have to do is take the note and deliver it to my parents, if they still live. They will go through a variety of emotions and may not believe that I am really the author of this note, but they remember my death and will recognize my handwriting. If I am nowhere to be found, tell my parents that I will try to return one day and continue this existence, living with my parents for many years, maybe even when my parents' time comes.

Again, this is only a favor, but I will appreciate anyone who is willing to help me and my parents. Be sure to remember the one who helped you get out of the castle. Best of luck on your travels.

Sincerely,

Victoria, the survivor."

Alice handed the note to Victoria, saying

"We'll do this for you. You helped us escape the castle. It's only fair that we return the favor."

"Thank you everyone," said Victoria, feeling happy, yet delicate inside. She clutched the note to her chest and smiled faintly.

"We're all grateful for your help," Zeke responded. "Let's go see your parents."

Zeke and his friends walked through the road that had badly deteriorated and was now lightly covered with vegetation, mainly grass. Everyone had escaped the castle without a scratch, with the outdoors being their temporary reward. But now was the time where Victoria was to be reunited with her parents and bring happiness to the village that they lived in.

Autistic Lucario · Oct 18, 2009

Chapter 14: Reunion

Zeke and his friends had escaped the castle. Thanks to the notes found throughout the castle, they were able to leave it and continue with their lives. But now it was time to thank the person who helped them with the escape. It was time for Victoria to be reunited with her parents.

The man and the boy decided not to stay at the castle tunnels for the night because of the story that they heard from Zeke and Alice. Instead, they packed up their belongings and traveled with everyone else. Everyone walked down the road until they found the sign that was mentioned in the note. The sign pointed to the right and read "Gramford."

Everyone walked down the path, which was becoming more visible as they moved further and further away from the sign. Victoria began to explain her fate.

"Five months ago, I lost my life due to a tragic accident," she began. "Two of them were spent in the castle."

"Really?" asked Zeke. "How did you survive in the castle for two months without losing your mind?"

"I only died recently," replied Victoria. "I was still getting used to ghostliness. I wandered throughout the castle aimlessly for two months, then you guys came along. The nice thing is that since I'm a ghost, my body won't age, so I'll always look the way I do now. My real body is probably a different story. It may have deteriorated into a state which would make you nauseous."

"How did you get in if all the doors were locked?" asked Samuel.

"I found the secret entrance through the back," replied Victoria. "Exactly the same way we came out."

"So what happened during the first three months?" asked Alice.

"It all started when I woke up from my grave," explained Victoria. "The strange thing was that I was on top of my grave, rather than inside it, where I should have been. I don't remember what happened when my death took place, only that my body was failing. I think for some strange reason, I may have been dormant rather than truly dead. It was like being asleep. I was in my dreams and memories until I woke up one night. I can still remember everything that happened before and after my death, but not during. The only exception is dreams.

I woke up, wondering if I had really died. I looked at my grave and really became confused. I'm glad I can still breathe, walk, and talk like a living person, but at the time, things didn't make sense until I read about the effects of ghostliness. Mine was a rare case, usually the undead are raised by malevolent magic. I'm not quite sure if I was raised at all; there was no one around to raise the dead.

I went into the forest, wandering around for a bit. Getting used to being a ghost is like trying a new pair of shoes. It feels awkward at first, but then you get used to it. After a couple of days of avoiding my parents, I went into the city to observe people's behavior and reactions to seeing ghosts. Nobody knew I was a ghost until you guys showed up in the castle. Then I ventured into the castle. After two months, you came. Now we're here, walking towards Gramford. I've been looking forward to seeing my parents again someday, but I also didn't want them to mistake me for a malevolent spirit. Now that I have you with me, things should change. We'll be able to live a happy life together again."

By the time the explanation had ended, they saw the village.

"Here it is...Gramford," said Zeke.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" asked Alice. "Your parents are going to get a pretty big shock when they see you."

"I've waited five months for this day to come," answered Victoria. "Nobody knows I'm here, except everyone who's around me. I've been eagerly waiting our reunion...I'm ready...let's do it."

"All right," said Zeke. "Are your parents asleep yet?"

"I don't think so," responded Victoria. "From all the chattering that's going on at the inn, I'm guessing that there is a celebration being held there. My parents run the inn, so they'll be up for a while. Now is the perfect time to make our presence known...while everyone's at my place."

Everyone approached the village and eventually, the tavern. Music was playing, people were talking, and it seemed to brighten the tavern's atmosphere.

"I'll do the talking," said Victoria. "You guys stay out here until I open the door for you, when everyone can expect what they're about to see."

The minute Victoria walked in, the instruments stopped playing, the crowds stopped talking, and everything was silent.

"John...Elliot...you there?" she asked. "This is Vicky."

Two figures rushed out of one of the doors upstairs and went down the staircase. The male one was rather tall, had brown hair, hazel eyes and looked to be in his mid forties. The female looked just as old, had brown hair also, and brown eyes.

"Victoria...is that really you?" asked John, staring in disbelief.

"This is me, and I have something to tell you," replied Victoria.

"But you're supposed to be dead," Elliot commented, who was equally surprised. "How are you alive?"

"Not quite," answered Victoria. "I'm a ghost, but I can recognize you people. I remember everything that happened in my life. Five months I spent wandering the forest, the city, and even the castle."

"I'm glad you're still alive in a sense. You took us completely by surprise," responded Elliot, showing a smile.

"Let me tell you something else," said Victoria. This is probably going to sound like madness to you, but guess who freed me from the evil clutches of the castle? You remember the rumors that spread about creatures from another world appearing?"

"We have," answered John.

"It was those creatures and a teenage girl that did it," Victoria explained. "They were the ones who freed me from the castle, and now I can spend a happy life and afterlife in the comforts of my home with my parents again."

Everyone began to cheer. When everyone calmed down, Victoria continued.

"I'm going to introduce you to everyone who made this possible," said Victoria. "Don't be alarmed if some of them aren't human. They can talk, are very kind, and helped with the escape."

She opened the door and let everyone inside. The crowd was silent, but smiling.

"She helped us escape the castle with the notes she wrote," began Zeke. "We figured it would be nice to return the favor. However, there is one thing that baffles me. The portal that deposited us in the castle in the first place came from your world. Do you know someone who could tell us what's going on?"

"The only person who would know would be a great wizard who lives just outside the city," answered John. "His name is Rupert, and he knows a lot more about magic than most people."

"I'd like to ask a question too," Samuel started. "Vicky, remember when you were in the cellar when Zeke blew the door open?"

"Yes," replied Victoria. "Why?"

"How did you get trapped in there in the first place?" asked Samuel.

"I was locked in. The castle locked the door as I went inside, so I couldn't escape. I don't know why, seeing as I'm already a ghost."

"We had some pretty close calls with the undead," began Alice. "We each played a role in survival. Fortunately, no one was hurt at all, but we were frightened."

"Well all I can say is...thanks for your help...all of you," said John.

"A toast to Vicky, her return, and her friends," said one man in the crowd, with everyone cheering after that statement.

After a moment, Elliot came downstairs after everyone had resumed their activities. She told Zeke and his friends that they could have dinner and a room for the night, free of charge. Everyone accepted this offer.

After a lovely dinner, Zeke felt tired and wanted to rest after the experiences in the mines and the castle. Elliot showed Zeke, Alice, and Samuel to their beds, which were very neat and tidy. The beds were warm and comfortable. Everyone slowly drifted off to sleep.

By the next morning, everyone except the regular customers had left the inn. Zeke and his friends woke up and got out of bed. They left the room and walked down the staircase. Victoria, John, and Elliot were standing in the middle of the room, awaiting their arrival.

"Before you three go, I just want to say...thanks for everything you've done for me," said Victoria. "If it weren't for you three, none of this would have ever happened, and I would still be trapped in the castle...good luck."

"We couldn't have done it without you," responded Zeke. "John, Elliot, you should be proud of her."

"We have to leave now...it was nice to see you...bye," said Alice.

Zeke and his friends left the building and walked out into the forest, with Victoria and her parents waving goodbye. By the time they were no longer visible, Alice began a conversation.

"I'm so glad that this was a happy ending," she said.

"I'm glad to be out of that castle," added Samuel. "Vicky was such a nice woman,

"Maybe someday we'll meet each other again," said Zeke. "Until then, we have the mystery of the portals to solve,"

Just as he made that statement, a large portal opened up and began to circulate.

"I don't think this is over yet," mentioned Zeke. "We entered a portal and it took us to the castle. So where will this one take us?"

"There's only one way to find out," replied Alice.

They entered the portal and passed the Test of Resourcefulness. But again, the portal did not take them to the world of Pokemon. Instead it took them to a place where time has to be used wisely, even though it may seem plentiful. The next challenge was the Test of Patience.

Autistic Lucario · Nov 5, 2009

Part 3: The Test of Patience

Chapter 15: The Setup

Of the six people that left the castle, only three entered the portal. Those three were Zeke, Alice, and Samuel. The portal they entered deposited them inside a room. It looked to be a bedroom that, judging by the quality of the furniture and walls, seemed to be part of a wealthy home. The time of day seemed to be late morning or noon, so the room was brightly lit. Zeke began to worry about the possibility of intruding.

"If anyone sees us in here, we're in trouble," he began. "I suddenly get the feeling that we're trespassing; trust the portal to take us somewhere inconvenient. Fortunately, we can just tell them what happened. Judging from the reactions from people that have seen me and Samuel, I think they'll believe us. Alice, you should know this already, but Samuel, if someone like a guard approaches us, don't attack him. We're not here to hurt people. You should only do that if you have to defend yourself."

"So now what do we do?" asked Samuel. "What do we do if we do get caught?"

"Sometimes words can get us out of situations weapons can't," replied Zeke. "If someone sees us, I'll start talking and ease our way into a conversation. Then if all goes as planned, word will spread about us in a positive way, so people will be less afraid of us. Sound good?"

Alice and Samuel both nodded.

"Now both of you follow me and act natural," said Zeke. "Don't sneak around like we normally do in situations like this; it will only make people suspicious."

Everyone walked out of the room they were in and into a hallway. The decorations and carpeted area caught Zeke's attention. They could hear distant talking and judging by the number of voices, it seemed like a gathering or a party. To the left was the end of a long corridor and to the right was a hallway with a lot of doors. Alice thought that they were bedrooms as well. Zeke walked to the left, so that is where Alice and Samuel decided to go. Then, they came to the center of another hallway. To the left was a spiral staircase leading down. Everyone went down that staircase and stopped in the middle.

Zeke halted Alice and Samuel and listened to the voices that seemed to be very close.

"Sounds like they're having a party or something," Zeke guessed.

"We'll never be able to get past them without being spotted," added Samuel.

"We're going to be spotted anyway," responded Zeke. "That's the whole point."

"What if they call the guards?" asked Alice.

"We have the truth and my words on our side," replied Zeke. "Keep calm and let me handle it. Only talk when everything's all right. Okay, here's the plan...I go in there and you two follow me. Make it seem like we're looking for an exit. We want attention, but don't make that obvious to the point that they figure out that something's up. They will see us and be shocked. Once again, let me do the talking so everyone is less afraid of us. Samuel, when I introduce you to everyone, you'll need to talk too so they don't consider you to be dangerous. Are you two ready?"

Alice and Samuel nodded. Zeke walked into the room where the voices were coming from. The instant he did, the voices were silenced and all eyes were on Zeke. Several questions among the crowd that followed included,

"What is that thing?"

"How did it get in here?"

"Is that another of those creatures that have been appearing recently?"

Zeke answered the last question with,

"Probably...why, have you seen them?"

"Seen them? I've actually met them," replied the man who asked the last question. "There are two of them and they can talk just like you and I. One of them tends to look after the other, as the other can be a bit silly at times. The silly one looks just like you, only he's younger."

"I've heard about the other one as well," added Zeke. "I want to introduce a couple others to all of you. Alice, Samuel, it's safe now, you two can come in."

Alice and Samuel walked up to Zeke and revealed themselves to the crowd. Everyone's eyes were mainly focused on Samuel. The crowd had never seen or even heard of a Pikachu before, so they were curious about him.

"Can you talk?" asked a woman at the right of the room.

"I can," replied Samuel. "We're looking for someone by the name of Rupert. Someone told us that he's a wizard that lives outside the city. Which way is it?"

"It's north of this building," replied the woman at the right. You'll have to ask the guards to raise a few gates as you enter the Market District. You'd be best off under the escort of a guard, as there have been reports of suspicious activity over there."

"Thanks a lot," responded Alice. "We can defend ourselves if it comes to that point."

She touched the orb of her wand with her finger and moved her hand from left to right, creating a blue glitter of magic to prove her point.

"Can you show us to the door?" asked Zeke.

Half of the people pointed to the door at the left of the room. Zeke and the others walked up to the door, opened it, and left. As everyone walked down the street, Zeke noticed that it was completely void of people. Zeke did not want to think that the "suspicious activity" had spread to their location, but everything was quiet. Alice noticed that Zeke was quickly moving his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I don't like this," replied Zeke, staring in the direction in front of them. "It's quiet...and the streets are deserted. You don't think that something's up, do you?"

"I don't think there's much to worry about," Samuel commented. "Why would anyone pick trouble with us?"

"I think a mirror would answer that question," responded Zeke. "We're newcomers...very strange ones at that."

Everyone soon came to a gate that was closed with metal grating. Then the grating began to move up, suddenly. The person in charge of the gate was wearing a gray coat and was holding a smooth club in his hand. Everyone decided to go through anyway.

"He doesn't look much like an officer to me," Zeke spoke to Alice quietly.

"You're right," responded Alice. "These aren't like the guards I normally see. Why did he raise the gate for us without question?"

"If that guy is part of any suspicious activity, we'll know soon," answered Zeke.

They continued walking down the street, aware of the fact that something may indeed be going on. After a while, they came to yet another gate. This one also raised when everyone approached. After everyone was through, the gate closed behind them. Two men, both holding weapons, stood there. One of them with a mace and the other with an axe.

Zeke began to realize that the whole deal with the gates was a setup.

"Hold it," said Zeke, halting Alice. "This is probably a trap. Those two men over there are probably not alone."

Zeke then saw another man, poorly concealed in a cluster of barrels, holding a net.

"Aha...I was right," he added. "That guy hiding in the barrels has a net. Looks like he wants to trap us. You two stay behind me and I'll tempt that guy into throwing the net. I have my staff to catch it in mid-air. Then we can deal with them."

Zeke then walked down the path to the massive gate that led to another part of the city.

"Now!" shouted one of the men.

The man holding the net threw it, but as it was flying through the air, Zeke swung his staff and catched it, causing the man who threw the net to open his eyes wider.

"This one's smart!" commented the man who had the net. "The boss is gonna love this one when we capture it."

"Not a good idea," began Zeke. "We survived a haunted castle and a haunted mine – so we will survive this fight."

The three men charged at Zeke with their weapons. The man who had the net was now wielding a sword. Zeke kicked him and knocked him to the floor. Within seconds he raised his staff, turned it, and stopped the other two by catching both in the neck. Alice rushed to one of the men and struck him on the head with her wand. She only wanted to give him a strong enough concussion so that he would fall unconscious. Zeke did the same with his staff on another man. Samuel zapped the last conscious man, causing him to lose his senses as well.

The three men lay senseless on the ground. No one was seriously injured, much to everyone's relief.

"Time to get out of here before they wake up," said Zeke, looking for an escape route. The gate was closed and there was no obvious way out. Then everyone heard two voices. They sounded like children's voices. Two figures saw the bodies on the ground and ran towards them to see what the situation was all about.

A Riolu and a Buizel showed themselves to everyone.

"You must be the two pokemon everyone's talking about," began Zeke, hoping not to frighten them.

"I'm glad to see more friendly faces," responded the Buizel. "These horrible people are everywhere."

Zeke and his friends had just met the two pokemon who were the talk of the city. Unfortunately, their presence had attracted the wrong kind of attention as well. Who were these "horrible people?" Alice had a particularly hard time understanding why anyone would want to attack innocent pokemon. Instead of finding the wizard, Zeke and his friends would now have to solve the mystery behind the incident and find out who was behind it.

Autistic Lucario · Nov 18, 2009

Chapter 16

Chapter 16: A New Problem

Zeke and his friends had just been attacked by a group of thugs. Who they were or what they represented was still a mystery, but at least Zeke and the others found two familiar faces. The Riolu and the Buizel had apparently been stalked by associates of the attackers for a short while. Now it was time to gather evidence that will tell everyone who exactly these people were.

Zeke was deciding whether or not to go out the gate and into another district.

"We were on our way to see the wizard," he began. "Hopefully, he can make sense of what the deal is with these portals. Is that how you two got here?"

"Exactly," replied the Buizel. "We've been trying to find a way out ourselves. Problem is that we keep running into bad people. These goons have been following us around since we were first noticed in this place."

"In that case, we'll be targets as well," added Samuel.

"Could we come with you?" asked the Buizel. "I don't want to be stuck in this world forever. Neither does Brandon. Hey, don't go near them!"

The Riolu was curious about the weapons that the three men were carrying, but came back when Buizel told him not to approach the unconscious men.

"What's your name?" asked Alice.

"Austin," replied the Buizel.

"I'm Zeke," said Zeke. "This is Alice, and this is Samuel. You can come with us. In fact if you two want to escape, you'll have to come with us."

"We'd better get out of here before those three guys wake up," Samuel reminded everyone.

Everyone walked along the wall where the gate was, looking for a door that might lead to the room where the controls were. As this was taking place, Zeke began to plan something.

"Why can't we just sneak out of the city?" asked Samuel.

"They'll simply follow us," replied Zeke. "Like Austin said, these people are everywhere. Once they see where we are, they'll try to capture us. Don't know what they will do with us, but it won't be for the good."

"Any other ideas then?" asked Ausitn.

"I do have one," replied Zeke. "But to get away from them, we'll have to get closer."

"You're kidding, right?" asked Austin.

"You might want to listen," responded Alice. "He puts a lot of thought into his ideas,"

"We can't let anyone know exactly where we are in order for this to work," began Zeke. "This one involves stealth, but this time magic is not a good idea. We're going to follow one of these guys back to where they came from. Judging by the number of people we seem to be up against, it's probably a large building. I think we may be dealing with organized crime, so we'll need help from the police force. But that comes later.

Our goal is to find their base of operations. Once we get there, we're going to look for any incriminating evidence that can be used against them. Once we have enough, we'll present it to the police. Also, keep an eye out for anything that tells us if our enemies have any enemies themselves. If our enemies try to report us to the police for trespassing or theft, we can say that they tried to kidnap and hurt us. We are innocents...they are criminals. Our case will win.

Now we need someone to follow. If this plan is going to work, you guys will have to follow me. Don't make any noise, don't let them see you, don't attack them anywhere, anyhow, and above all, don't let them know what we're up to."

Everyone began to hear distant voices. They sounded like grown-men's voices. Zeke began to look for a hiding place that could hold everyone. He saw an empty covered wagon.

"Everyone hide in that wagon." spoke Zeke quietly.

Everyone walked quickly over to the wagon and one by one, they went inside it, using the fabric for concealment.

"Alice, take a peek outside and tell us what those people look like," Zeke whispered.

Alice, still using the wagon cover for concealment, looked out of the cover and saw two men carrying weapons. One was carrying a broadsword and the other was carrying a bow and arrow. One of them was carrying a bag full of small, but valuable objects. They looked in all directions before beginning a conversation.

"You sure you didn't leave any evidence of the robbery?" asked one of the men.

"I'm sure," replied the other. Alice began to smile in anticipation.

"You know how to get back to the caverns?" asked the first man.

"Even better...I know a shortcut. It's secret and more convenient," responded the second man.

As they began to walk away, Alice gave the signal. One by one, they climbed out of the wagon and began to follow the two men, with Zeke in the front.

The journey took them a good five minutes, with Zeke and the others hiding in shadowy areas, trying to avoid being seen. Zeke and the others were behind a cluster of crates and barrels in the middle of a grassy area when the men stopped. They stopped at a house that had a boarded up door. The man with the broadsword pressed his knuckle against a section of the wall. There was a clicking sound and a second later, the wall began to recede downwards, revealing the entrance to what looked to be an unfurnished interior.

When the men went inside, Zeke crept out of the shadows, with the others following him. They entered the house, with the men not far in front of them. The wall began to rise again, soon closing the hole in it with another clicking sound. Now Zeke and his friends were apparently on enemy territory. Brandon took a quick look at a peculiar shape in the wall and pointed it out to everyone. Everyone realized that it worked similar to a keyhole. The man with the broadsword was probably wearing a ring on his finger that worked with the mechanism on the wall.

"Very clever," Zeke murmured.

Zeke began to follow the men again. It did not take everyone long to learn where the men had gone. They had walked into an underground cave system. Zeke was beginning to think that everyone was getting close to the attackers' headquarters. When everyone discovered that cave system, they soon discovered that there were lots of places to hide, perfect for their mission. The place was dark and only illuminated with torches and electric lights.

"Perfect," began Zeke. "This place is dark even during the day. All right, remember what I said, everyone. There will likely be guards here on patrol, so it would be a good idea to study where they go. If we can find a schedule, that would be good as well, so we know where people will go during certain times. That said, we'd better be aware of how they will get to where they need to go. Try to hide in places that aren't usually where people go. It's safer that way. Don't speak unless spoken to. It could make all the difference in remaining undetected. Let's go."

Zeke saw a paper attached to a wall, close to where the entrance was. He walked over there and ripped it off the wall, using both paws. It turned out to be a map of the building they were about to enter. Zeke returned to where everyone else was.

"Alice, what does the ring say?" he asked.

Alice pressed the button on the Navigation Ring, displaying the map. She adjusted the ring's projection so that she could see the map more easily. There were three red dots on the map, but only one was moving. However, the dot was moving in everyone's direction. Everyone stood behind two massive crates and waited for the red dot to move away from them. When it did, Zeke looked from the left side of the crate on the left.

"Right...better get to work," Zeke spoke.

Zeke and his friends had followed two men who were apparently robbers to a large building underground, hidden by the secret entrance. Their mission was to gather evidence that would tell them who these people were, and if they were in any way involved with the original attackers. The evidence was strong and Zeke's theory of organized crime was becoming more and more reasonable. Soon, they would have the answers to their questions.

Autistic Lucario · Dec 26, 2009

Chapter 17: Discoveries

Zeke and his friends were now in the building that supposedly was the headquarters of a criminal organization. On the way there, they had discovered the secret entrance while trailing the two robbers. Also, they discovered that the object on one of the robber's fingers was used to open it. Now it was time to find out who these people were and what they were doing here.

Zeke read the map he took from the wall, identifying where information would likely be located.

"Hmm...why don't we try the Second-in-Command's room first?" asked Zeke, not expecting an answer. "If the evidence adds up to what I'm thinking, this is indeed a criminal organization. This room might help us find the leader's room, as it's not shown on the map."

He turned to face the entrance.

"Everyone, we can't let these people know we're here," began Zeke. "Brandon, Austin, you two probably haven't used much stealth in your lives, but here's three things you should do in places like this: don't be seen...don't be heard...and above all...don't get noticed. Just follow me and do what I say and I think we'll be all right. Let's go."

He walked into the hallway, expecting a few guards to be close by. Alice checked the Navigation Ring and discovered two enemies nearby. Both of them were in the Second-in-Command's room. The room that everyone was in was quite large, partly due to the length of the spiraling staircases that connected most of the floors in the building. To the left, the Second-in-Command's bedroom could be seen, as indicated by the map Zeke was holding.

Zeke could hear a faint conversation from behind the door. He put one ear against the door and listened.

"What is it, Gremlik?" asked a voice.

"Have you heard of the weird creatures that everyone's been talking about?" asked another.

"Yes, a bit. Why, what happened?" replied the first voice.

"Well, I saw them," answered the second voice.

"What did they look like?" asked the first voice.

"One of them kinda looked like a jackal," began the second voice. "Thing about it is...it's intelligent. It was carrying a bag and a staff...and it can talk. He's blue, black, and yellow, has a few spikes sticking out of his body, red eyes, and from what I saw, he was protecting a girl and another creature. Knocked me and my buddies senseless. Wherever he's from, he sure learned how to fight there."

"What about the other one?" asked the first voice.

"It's some kind of rodent without the front tooth," the second voice explained. "I'd say it's more like a mouse than anything else. About a foot or a foot and a half tall. That thing zapped one of us when he was knocked to the ground."

"Zapped?" asked the first voice. "So these are magical creatures you're talking about?"

"Looks like it," replied the second voice. "So what do we do now?"

"I want those two captured, along with the girl...and I want them alive and unharmed, got it?" asked the first voice.

"I'll go tell the others," replied the second voice.

"The group that captures those three will get a hefty raise," added the first voice.

"All right, capture, but don't hurt...got it," the second voice spoke.

After the conversation finished, Zeke heard footsteps. Someone was approaching the door. Zeke hurried everyone back to the room with the two crates, ducking behind the crates to see who was coming. The door was unlocked and a moment later, a man wearing a white shirt walked to the other side of the room with the staircases, wielding an axe. Everyone then realized that the man who just came out of the Second-in-Command's room was the same man who attacked Zeke just before he met Brandon and Austin.

When the man walked past the entrance, Zeke crept up and peeked around the corner. As soon as the man left his sight, Zeke signaled the others to follow him. The room with the staircases was dark. Dark enough so that Zeke and the others could hide, but bright enough that they could see where they were going. Zeke then realized something.

"We can't hide here for very long," Zeke spoke.

"Why not?" asked Austin.

"I'm sure you recognize the man we just saw," began Zeke. "Well, I heard a conversation behind the door we were just at. Chances are, they still think we're outside somewhere, so some of these people are bound to come our way. They're hunting for us. In fact, they want to capture us. For what reason, I don't know, but if they're going to kidnap us, it can't be good."

"So...what do we do now?" asked Samuel.

"What we came here to do in the first place," answered Zeke. "Look for clues."

"But they'll be looking for us," continued Samuel. "How will we avoid them?"

"They don't even know we're here," replied Zeke. "So stop worrying. If they find any trace of our presence in here, then we'll worry. Now follow me."

As everyone was walking down the hallway, they discovered a few possible hiding places, in case any of their enemies wandered nearby. One of them was a pile of crates with an open space in the back, perfect for someone of Zeke's size. Another was a closet, likely used to store cleaning supplies. There was also a chest, but Zeke thought that it should be used only as a last resort because it was conspicuous. Four feet wide and three feet high, it would be best suited for Samuel, Austin, or Brandon.

"What's in that chest?" asked Brandon, walking over to it.

"Leave that thing alone and let's go," ordered Austin.

Brandon opened the chest anyway. Nothing was found inside, so it could serve as a hiding place instead. After Brandon returned to the others, they continued on. The path in front of them split in two; one continuing forward and the other turning right. Between the two paths was a door. Zeke checked his map to see what the room was labeled.

"Storeroom..." Zeke spoke. "Guys, you think this might hide a clue or two?"

"That reminds me," began Alice. "I've heard rumors that these guys found some buried treasure recently. Although these are shady characters, I think the source of the treasure was legal."

"And?" asked Zeke, curious about the direction her words were going.

"There's so much of that buried treasure in this place, they won't notice if we take a bit." continued Alice.

"I agree with you there, but only because it's legal," replied Zeke, disdaining the idea of theft. "What are we going to do with the treasure once we have it?"

"Think about it," said Alice. "We'll need it for food, shelter, equipment, and other things. Basic stuff. Gems are far more valuable than gold unless they're gold nuggets. Same goes for silver. We'll try to put as much as we can into my bag. Did you know, in this country, we have three currencies?"

"How does it manage all the different coins?" asked Samuel.

"We call it the Three-G's trading system," responded Alice. "Gold, gems, and goods. Quite simple really once you figure out how it works."

"Alice, before we go in through that door, check your map," Zeke suggested.

Alice looked at the map projected from the Navigation Ring.

"No enemies," she spoke.

"Good," started Zeke. "Now let's see what's behind this door..."

Zeke pulled the door open and went inside. The others soon followed. Inside was a massive collection of crates, barrels, and objects scattered across the room. Two torches were burning; one on each side of the room. Zeke was tempted to put them out, but he realized that it would be incredibly difficult to see in the resulting level of darkness.

Next to one of the torches, a table, a book, and a quill could be seen. Zeke picked the book up and studied it for a minute.

"Looks like some kind of inventory book," he began as he opened the book. The first few pages were enough for him to figure out what was going on.

"Aha," Zeke spoke. "Looks like these people are robbers. An extremely well-organized group of robbers. We've got relics from graveyards, valuables from people's houses, extortion...only half of the stuff in this book seems legal...and you're right, Alice, that buried treasure is legal. We're going to take this book with us and show it to the police."

He walked over to a decorated chest in the middle of the room and opened it.

"As for the treasure...knock yourselves out," he finished.

Inside was mostly gold coins, but there were precious gems mixed in with them as well. Alice specifically targeted the gems and put them in her bag. Once they were finished, they proceeded out the storeroom and into the main hallway.

"Right," began Zeke. "We'll need more proof that these guys are what I think they are. Let's start by going downstairs and take it from there."

Zeke and his friends had just uncovered evidence that the people who occupy this place are a nefarious bunch. In addition to the joys of making progress, Alice also managed to claim the right to buried treasure. However, everyone still needs more evidence to fully expose these people for who they are beginning to appear as, and obtaining that evidence will be no simple task.

Autistic Lucario · Jan 24, 2010

Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Special Attention

Zeke and his friends had just uncovered evidence that could determine whether or not this whole building should be investigated by the police. In the storeroom they were just in, they discovered part of an inventory of items; some of which were legal, while others were obtained in law-breaking ways. Now, it was time to investigate the building further to see if more evidence could be found.

Everyone walked back into the room with the staircase. Alice checked her ring and found that no one was nearby.

"Must be lunchtime," she commented.

"That means the Second-in-Command's room is empty," added Samuel.

"Yes...but there's a problem," responded Zeke.

"What is it?" asked Austin. "Hope it's nothing serious."

"It might not be if the door isn't locked," Zeke explained. "If it is, then if we unlock it and someone finds out that someone else unlocked it, they'll know something's up."

Zeke put his paw on the Second-in-Command's door handle and found that the door was not locked.

"That's a relief," Alice spoke.

"In that case, his negligence might be his undoing," added Zeke. "Alice, we'll need you to stay out here and watch for anyone that comes near us. If that should happen, give us a signal and we'll go back to the crates."

He walked into the room and searched for a little while. As this was happening, Alice began to think about the world of Pokemon. She turned to Samuel and Austin.

"Sam, Austin...what's the world of Pokemon like?" she asked.

"It's kind of confusing when you first explore it," began Samuel. "You already know about Pokemon, but you probably don't know about types."

"Types?" asked Alice. "You mean like mammals, repti--"

"No, I'm not talking about that, I mean electric types, fire types, water, grass, ghost, that sort of thing."

"Interesting...so you're an electric type, right?" asked Alice.

"Mm hm," replied Samuel. "Austin's a water type. You'll see why if we need to put out torches."

"So, Austin...say if we needed to put out a torch...how would you do it?" asked Alice.

"I just shoot water from my mouth," responded Austin.

"Isn't that painful?" asked Alice, squinting one eye.

"Nope," replied Austin.

Alice noticed a red dot appear on her map.

"Time to get moving, someone's coming," said Alice.

"I'll go tell Zeke," replied Austin.

Austin ran over to where Zeke was and informed him.

"Someone's coming, better get a move on," said Austin.

Everyone ran over to the room with the crates, being careful not to make too much noise. They all hid behind the crates.

"So Zeke, did you find anything?" asked Samuel.

"Did I," replied Zeke with a grin on his face. "Here, I have a crumpled up piece of paper...it has a kidnapping order on it. Care to take a guess on who they have in mind?"

"Us?" asked Alice, knowing the answer.

"Correct...they only mentioned you two as extra targets, though," replied Zeke, referring to Austin and Brandon. "Now, I also have a financial report that basically says that they need money. Their solution is to make gold coins out of Fool's gold."

"That's counterfeiting," added Alice, somehow not surprised.

"Finally, I have a diary from the Second-in-Command himself," continued Zeke. "It has some criminal elements inside it. It also mentions us. Now we need to find some actual fake coins...and whatever the two people we followed used to get in here. After that, we can show the evidence to the police."

"And then we won't have to worry about creeps following us around anymore," added Austin.

Alice looked at Brandon and wondered why he was so quiet. He had hardly spoken a word since she met him,

"Why is Brandon so quiet?" asked Alice.

"I made him promise that he wouldn't talk until this whole mess is over," responded Austin. "You'll thank me for it later."

"Hey Alice, any enemies nearby?" asked Samuel.

Alice looked at her map and discovered two red dots; one in the Second-in-Command's room and another in one of the storage rooms.

"Two," she replied. "But we can still go downstairs."

"Alice," began Zeke. "That's exactly what we're going to do, but you have to keep a close eye on the map. If either of these red dots start to come downstairs, we could be in trouble. Before we do anything, let's scout the area for hiding places first."

Zeke began to walk down the staircase, followed by the others. The only one who had to worry about making too much noise was Alice, due to her footwear. When everyone reached the next floor down, they caught sight of a possible hiding place. The space below the staircase they were just in would make an ideal hiding place. The only problem was that a torch was burning nearby. If that torch was extinguished, someone may just light it up again.

Zeke had an idea, however. Even though everyone was underground and that he couldn't make it look as if a gust of wind had put it out, he could make it seem like someone was pulling a prank.

"Hey, Austin," said Zeke. "See if you can put out that torch."

Austin shot a jet of water from his mouth and extinguished the torch. Now the room was dark. Alice checked her map again. This time, in addition to the two dots which had not moved at all, there was a third one moving towards everyone's location. The dot turned out to be an archer who noticed the darkness.

"Ugh, didn't that just get replaced last night?" the archer complained.

He carried on with his patrol and disappeared into the hallway to the left.

"Why didn't the Threat Detector go off?" asked Alice.

Zeke shrugged and replied with,

"Could be that these people aren't immediate threats. Their boss wants us alive after all. Wait...what's that?"

Zeke noticed a piece of paper, nailed to the wall. One look at it revealed that it was another map. What was interesting was that the map had the boss' bedroom on it. It was quite conveniently at the end of the hallway everyone was in. Zeke tore the map off the wall, being careful not to damage it, and gave it to Alice. This reminded her to check for enemies. She looked at the map on the Navigation Ring and found the same two dots. Nothing had changed; even the boss' room was empty.

"Good," began Zeke. "Now it's time to finish up and get out of here. I'm going to break into the boss' bedroom and see if I can find some fake coins and that object those two thugs used to get in the building. All of you stand guard and if anyone spots you, deal with them. Knock them out if they have weapons or threaten you in any way. Try to make as little commotion as possible; we can't afford to let them know we're here. All right, Austin, put out every single torch in the surrounding area. Samuel, you're going to be the scout under the cover of darkness. Alice, if anyone comes through here, knock them out with your wand if they try to enter the boss' room. Understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right...I'm going in." Zeke concluded.

This could be Zeke's chance to uncover the activities that the residents of this place take part in. If he succeeds, this entire organization will be under arrest. The challenge after that would be getting back out, undetected. Do Zeke and his friends have the stealth skills to thwart the plans of this organization?

Tyrantrum · Feb 3, 2010

As said via VM, I love this fan fiction. Like I said before, there are just a few grammar mistakes here and there, but overall, this was wonderful. I loved reading this and I cannot wait to read more. Good luck~

Autistic Lucario · Feb 21, 2010

Chapter 19: The Lawful Heist

Zeke and his friends were about to discover the truth behind this organization. The lives of dozens of questionable characters were in the paws of a Pokemon. Do Zeke and a select few really have the power to place an entire mafia under arrest?

Zeke attempted to open the boss' room but the door was locked. Alice saw this and pulled out her Unlock scroll. She put her hand on the center, made the required movements, and touched the door handle. A clicking sound resulted. Zeke opened the door and went inside. He began to search the room for evidence. He saw a small purple cloth bag full of coins with a note attached to it. The note read:

To Renault,

Take this money and use it as a bribe for the local blacksmith. I want him to start supplying us with weapons and equipment as we're running low on both. The blacksmith won't be able to tell that this money is made of Fool's Gold because he's a busy man. Give the money to him and tell him that we want to do business.

Don't worry about our current money shortage, I know other ways to get some more.

From Leonard.

As Zeke was searching the room for the last item, Alice and the rest were watching for enemies. So far, no one had approached them. Then a red dot appeared on the Navigation Ring map. The dot seemed to be moving towards Samuel's location. Samuel heard footsteps and immediately ran over to Alice and alerted her to the threat.

"Alice, someone's coming," he whispered.

Austin, along with Brandon, ran into the boss' room and warned Zeke that someone was approaching them.

"Better hurry up," whispered Austin, "someone's getting close."

Zeke saw a little jewelry box on the floor and wondered if the object he was thinking of was in there. He opened it and removed all doubt. The object was a ring made of white gold, with a shape pointing out of the center.

"All right, let's go," Zeke spoke, "I'm finished."

Zeke, Austin, and Brandon hurried out of the room and headed back towards the hiding place they were previously. Alice and Samuel soon followed. When they arrived at the space beside the stairs, they saw who was approaching. A man, wielding an axe, noticed the darkness and complained.

"All right, who's the clown?" he mumbled.

He walked back in the direction he came from and left the hallway. Alice checked her map and discovered only one red dot. That dot was in the Second-in-Command's room.

"We're clear so long as we stay away from that red dot," she spoke.

"Good...now it's time to get out of here," Zeke responded.

Everyone walked up the staircase and ran past the Second-in-Command's room. They entered the room of crates and went back to the secret entrance. Zeke pulled out the ring and spoke,

"I hope this works."

He felt the wall for a slot and quickly came across an opening that seemed to match the ring's pattern exactly. Smiling, Zeke inserted the ring into the slot and opened the exit. Everyone then left the building single file. Now they had enough proof to put their enemies behind bars. The only problem was finding the police station or headquarters. They had no clue where it was, so they had to look for it.

Zeke remembered the place he was in when the portal left him there. Since the people there were kind enough to give directions, he thought he could ask for more. Zeke and the others began to backtrack to where the house in question was located. It took a little while before they reached the house. Once they did, Alice knocked on the door. A familiar face opened it and asked,

"Ah, you've come back. Did you find the wizard?"

"No," replied Samuel, "we found something else."

"A mafia to be exact," Zeke added.

"In this city? That's not good." responded the woman, her eyes widening.

"But we've got proof that will put them behind bars," Zeke countered. "where's the police station?"

"You know where the gate back in the direction you came from is?" asked the woman.

"Yes," replied Zeke.

"Right through there, you'll see a huge building in the middle of the road, where the road branches off," continued the woman. "You can't miss it if you go through the gate. That's the police station."

"Thanks for the tip," Alice responded, smiling. "Now all that's left is to show them the evidence."

"Let's go, everyone," said Zeke, walking down the pavement with a faint smile.

"Thanks for the help," Austin spoke to the woman.

"Hey, no problem," replied the woman, smiling.

Everyone backtracked to the gate in question. They were about to reach it when suddenly, the gate opened. Everyone was surprised because nobody seemed to be operating it. But then a familiar face opened the side door and approached them.

"Remember me?" asked the figure.

"It's Quince!" shouted Alice with excitement. "I never thought I'd see you here!"

"Hey, I'm a spy," replied Quince. "That's my job, making sure people never think they'll see me."

"It's been just a day and I kind of miss you already," Zeke spoke, smiling. "How did you know we were here?"

"Once again...I'm a spy," Quince responded. "I watched the whole thing with you guys, the mafia, and your new friends. I'm quite impressed. You did very well for yourselves and the city."

"We're just on our way to the police to report what we've found," informed Zeke.

"Mind if I come with you?" asked Quince.

"Sure thing," answered Zeke.

As everyone were on their way to the police station, Austin, Brandon, and Samuel were curious about Quince.

"You know this guy?" asked Samuel.

"Yes," replied Alice. "He helped us get through a haunted mine."

"I've heard of haunted houses, but haunted mines?" asked Austin.

"Long story, narrow escape...I'll tell you more later," answered Zeke.

They reached the entrance to the police station, bags full of evidence. Zeke opened the double doors and went inside, followed by everyone else.

An officer was standing at the front desk in uniform. She was surprised at what she saw.

"You must be Zeke," she spoke. "Surprised to see you here. What can I do for you?"

"I want to report something," Zeke replied. "Something big."

"Oh?" asked the officer, curious. "And what's that?"

"Organized crime...and I have proof," began Zeke. "In this bag, I have evidence that shows just what these people are up to under the cover of darkness."

He pulled the inventory book out of his bag and showed it to the police.

"This is an inventory book. Looks like they like to keep track of what they steal. The first few pages are enough to show you that."

He handed the book to the officer.

"Let's see here...extortion...theft...how did you get this?" asked the officer.

"We did some investigating," replied Zeke. "That's not all we found."

He pulled out the bag of fake coins and the financial report.

"These tell us that the mafia is running low on money, so they resort to counterfeiting. They're basically going to make gold coins out of Fool's gold. Here's an example of how they were going to use it."

"The blacksmith, huh?" asked the officer. "Have you got anything else?"

"Do we," Zeke replied.

He pulled out the crumpled piece of paper.

"This is a kidnapping order...for us, signed by the boss himself," continued Zeke.

"That's very interesting," the officer responded, showing concern.

"And finally, we have this," said Zeke, showing the Second-in-Command's diary. "This is the Second-in-Command's diary...of the mafia that is."

"You put yourselves through a whole lot of danger to report this to us," replied the officer. "But you guys did a job well done. Now all we need to know is how to get there."

"There's a bunch of old abandoned houses through the gate and to the right. When you see those, look for a slot for this ring," Zeke explained, pulling out the ring. "This is what they use to activate the secret passage through the ruined house on the left. A battalion of officers could be the answer because they're armed, there's a lot of criminals, and they have their own base. They even tried to attack us on the street."

He handed the ring and all the evidence to the officer.

"Thank you for the report...and nice work uncovering the mafia for us," the officer said. "Now...it's arresting time."

Zeke and the others have successfully unveiled the criminal organization. Now the rest of the work was in the hands of the police. Now that this problem was out of the way, Zeke and his friends wanted to relax for a bit and then continue with their journey.

Autistic Lucario · Mar 1, 2010

Chapter 20

Chapter 20: A Recess

Now that Zeke and his friends had dealt with the mafia threat, they wanted to relax for a bit before moving on. Zeke decided to pay the building that they were teleported inside a visit. Zeke and his friends had left the police station to do just that. When they made it over to the building, the very same woman who gave everyone directions to the police station was found just outside the door, folding her arms with a smile.

"So, how did everything go with the police?" asked the woman.

"Mission accomplished," replied Zeke. "Soon, the city should be safer."

"And no goons will follow us around anymore," added Austin, looking to the side and folding his arms.

"And the sweet thing is, they don't know we went in there," added Samuel. "At least not until it's too late."

"We also found these," added Alice, opening her bag and showing the various gemstones. "Don't worry, the sources were legitimate, unlike half of the other stuff we found in that place."

"We found these in what used to be a buried treasure chest," Zeke explained.

"Brandon, you can talk now," said Austin. "But please...don't embarrass yourself."

"Neat!" shouted Brandon.

"I think this calls for a celebration," said the woman, smiling. "Don't you think?"

"Slumber party?" asked Brandon, smiling.

"No, not quite," answered the woman, "but definitely a party."

"Well, I'm all for it," Zeke spoke. "How's it going to work?"

"I'll tell you," she replied.

The woman went inside and told everyone that was in the building the news. She explained the celebration in detail and asked Zeke and his friends to be part of the events. The party began with music and some dancing, which Zeke was having a hard time getting used to, especially since his dance partner was Alice. At first, he blushed at the thought of dancing with a girl, seeing as he was a lucario. After some encouragement from the people, especially Alice, he agreed to dance with her. The dance that was going to be performed was similar to what one would expect in the Victorian upper-class population. The music began to play and Alice made the first move. Everyone in the building watched with amazement. They could not believe what they were seeing; Zeke was dancing with Alice. It took a while for Zeke to get used to that, but he eventually managed to get the moves right and did not blush as much after a while. Samuel, Austin, and Brandon were watching with just as much interest as the other people. As the music played on, Zeke became less bashful, and after a while, he began to enjoy himself.

After nearly ten minutes of dancing, the music ended, with applause from the audience. Afterwards, one of the cooks announced that the food was ready. It took a while for everyone to finish, but the food was delicious. Once again, Zeke had problems with using knives and forks, but so did all the other pokemon due to the shapes of their paws. The vegetable soup seemed to be enjoyed the most. There were various fruit pastries and cakes that Zeke liked very much as well. After everyone was finished, Zeke told everyone about his adventures with his friends, his past, and how he became a lucario. He also gave a brief description of the world of Pokemon. He claimed to not know everything about it, but he knew a little. He also said that he personally disdained the use of pokemon in battles. Samuel began telling everyone how he and other pokemon learned to speak English, stemming from a certain trainer who taught his charmander how to speak it. Everyone asked Zeke and the others some questions at the end, relating to personal experiences. Once the questioning was finished, everyone in the building resumed to their normal activities. Only the woman who gave Zeke directions decided to stay. Zeke and the others were now at a large round booth near the wall.

"You have our thanks, Zeke," the woman spoke.

"It was nothing," Zeke replied. "However, I do want to ask you one thing."

"And what's that?" asked the woman.

"How did you set the party up so quickly?" asked Zeke.

"Let's say I had faith in you from the start," answered the woman. "You did a really impressive job uncovering that crime center."

"Thanks," Zeke responded.

"I also found the fact that an animal danced with a girl to be impressive," Quince commented. "It takes a lot of courage to dance in front of all these people, given the vast differences between you two."

"Well, we're close enough friends, we've been through a whole lot together, and he's saved our skins many times. I thought it'd be nice to return the favor."

"Do I detect a bit of romance here?" asked Quince, grinning.

Zeke and Alice both blushed immediately after that statement.

"Now let's not get carried away," Zeke spoke, cringing slightly.

"Okay," replied Quince. "So, now that you guys have the mafia under arrest, now what?"

"We look for the wizard," Zeke simplified. "Then, we find out what's with these portals."

"Sounds good to me," Austin responded. "Right, Brandon?"

"Uhhh...what are we doing again?" asked Brandon, unsure.

"Not this again..." Austin complained. "You and I are going to follow Zeke, understand?"

"To where?" asked Brandon.

"To wherever the wizard lives," replied Austin.

"Why?" asked Brandon.

"So we can go back home," Austin responded.

"How?" asked Brandon.

"How should I know? Teleport?" replied Austin, getting a bit impatient.

"Really?" asked Brandon, oblivious to Austin's rising frustration.

"Yes, now stop with the goofy games," ordered Austin.

"Is that the reason we should all be glad he didn't talk while we were in the mafia hideout?" asked Zeke.

"Exactly," replied Austin. "Although he can be a pain with his whys and hows, he can't cope on his own, so I have to look after him."

Brandon began kicking his legs against the table leg.

"Glad we cleared that up," said Samuel. "So Zeke, when do we get started?"

"Right now if you want," replied Zeke.

"If the rest of you don't mind," answered Samuel.

Everyone agreed to Samuel's proposal.

Zeke got up off his seat and walked towards the front door. He opened it and walked out, with everyone else following him. Zeke saw something very familiar when he was about to walk further. A blue oval opened up before his eyes. The oval was about half the size of the building they just came out of. Zeke recognized it almost instantly.

"All right everyone, this is our cue to move on. I've managed to find a pattern with the portals now."

"And what's that?" asked Alice, walking with Zeke towards the portal.

"It seems that every time we accomplish something major, a portal opens up," Zeke noted. "Do you think maybe these are being summoned deliberately?"

"I won't lie to you, I think that's a possibility," replied Alice.

"Remember everyone...no matter what happens to us, I think we're smart enough to come out okay. All right...here goes nothing," Zeke concluded.

Zeke and his friends entered the portal. Everyone knew that the world of Pokemon was a very unlikely place for the portal to deposit them. And right they were, for behind the portal lied a place where special attention must be paid to detail. That, and how to rescue someone who would soon be in grave danger would test everyone's brainpower once again.

Autistic Lucario · Mar 27, 2010

Chapter 21

Part 4: The Test of Awareness
Chapter 21: A Beautiful Friendship

Zeke and his friends had made the city safer by robbing the criminal organization of its secrets. Zeke thought the whole idea of robbing robbers to be very interesting. But now, everyone was in another place, not too far away from the city. The portal that they entered deposited them in a forest. Zeke could see the city from here, although it looked to be about the size of a small dinner plate at arm's length.

"Well, there's the city," Quince spoke. "Hope you enjoyed it."

"I did," replied Zeke. "I liked the adventure, the treasure we found, from the evidence to the buried form of it...and I also liked the dance."

"You two deserved it," Quince remarked.

"Usually, I'm a complete klutz when it comes to dance moves, but Alice, you helped me through that," Zeke spoke. "Also..."

"Yes?" asked Alice.

"I've never felt the way I did towards a girl like when we were dancing," Zeke spoke at last, blushing slightly.

"I think I understand why," Alice responded. "My belief is...it doesn't matter what's on the outside...it's what lies inside that really matters. You're a really nice guy...you saved my life, along with the others'. You led us to victory against the mafia, the undead, and you reunited a ghost with her family. That's something you don't see every day."

Everyone was watching with a lot of interest to see where this conversation between Zeke and Alice would lead.

"I couldn't have done those things without your help," began Zeke. "You helped me and Samuel fight what surely would have killed us in a few seconds. I expected a girl your age to run in terror from the enemies we faced so far. Courage is very admirable in a teenage girl, especially in life and death situations. You might not know it it...but you gave me confidence when we were in danger. You saw how I panicked in the cave entrance just before I saw you. I didn't know it was you in the shadows and I thought I was going to die."

Brandon was about to ask about the situation in the caves, but Austin silenced him.

"Your company alone gave me the courage to go through the mines. The truth is...although I seem to be a courageous hero...I'm only human-ish. I'm actually still afraid of the dark by myself. You're a great help to my plans and ideas, but on more of an emotional level. You help me cope with my fears, my worries, and my suspicions. You're the best friend a pokemon could ever have."

Alice walked towards Zeke.

"Zeke..." Alice spoke.

"Yes?" asked Zeke.

Alice put her arms around Zeke; her head resting on his shoulder.

"You're the best friend anyone could ever have," she answered.

Zeke blushed, but smiled as he hugged her back.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day," Quince spoke to Austin.

"I think I agree with Alice," replied Austin. "Doesn't matter what's on the outside; it's what's inside that's important.

Samuel made a gesture at Quince, asking him to let Samuel whisper something in his ear. Quince bent down and listened.

"Is it close friendship I'm seeing? Or is it something deeper?" asked Samuel.

"Not sure," replied Quince. "Haven't seen this kind of relationship between a girl and an animal before."

"Are you ready for this adventure?" Zeke asked Alice.

"Ready when you are," she replied holding Zeke's paw.

"All right, everyone," began Zeke. "The wizard's home should be along this road. If you find anything unusual, let me know and we'll deal with it. Also, keep a lookout for any other pokemon. We need to help them find their way home as well. Let's go."

Zeke began to walk up the path leading away from the city. Everyone else followed him. Everyone enjoyed the environment and the atmosphere. The sky was overcast, but it did not look as if it was going to rain. Zeke didn't like the sun too much; he preferred calm, cloudy, and cool weather. Today was perfect for him and he really enjoyed it.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" asked Zeke.

"It is..." replied Alice. "Let's hope it doesn't rain."

"I don't think it will," added Quince. "We shouldn't get too comfy, though. I heard rumors about two hunters roaming around here.

"Are they dangerous?" asked Alice.

"Yes," replied Quince. "Skilled with their crossbows, fast runners, and their favorite targets are exotic animals."

"I hope they don't find us then," added Samuel.

"I also heard that they're the unsavory type," Quince continued.

"Then I really hope they don't find us," Samuel responded.

"I don't want an arrow in my head, thank you," said Austin.

Zeke caught a glimpse of something moving in the distance. It was moving very quickly.

"Hey, you see that?" asked Zeke.

"Yeah," replied Austin. "Wonder what it is."

Then Zeke noticed that it seemed to be moving in his direction. Zeke had very good eyesight, and was able to make out the long tail of an animal.

"Hold up...I think I know what that might be..." Zeke spoke.

"What is it?" asked Alice.

"It's a yellow-orange thingy," replied Brandon.

"You think?" asked Austin, sarcastically.

The figure was close enough for Zeke to identify it.

"That's a Raichu," Zeke spoke.

"A what?" asked Quince.

"That's another pokemon. Basically, a Pikachu that's all grown up," Zeke explained.

"Wonder why it's running," Austin noted.

The raichu continued to run until it saw Zeke and the others, then it stopped, panting.

"Huff...huff...hey...huff...I need help...huff...two mad people with crossbows are trying to kill me...huff."

"Where are they now?" asked Zeke.

"They're not far behind," replied the Raichu, terrified. "You've got to help me; I don't want to be skinned!"

"Don't worry, we'll help you," Alice spoke. "Are you hurt?"

"No, thank goodness," said the Raichu. "First, they tried to shoot me with a poisoned arrow. Next, I nearly got skewered by a spear. Then finally, they tried to throw gas bombs at me. I dodged every one of their attacks, but I'm not sure how long I can keep this up."

"We've been through worse," Zeke responded. "We'll get through this alive. Come with us if you want to live. Alice, keep your wand ready. Samuel, Zap the hunters if they try to get up after we knock them down. Raichu, try and pull the hunters to the ground with your tail if you can. I'll knock them out with my staff."

"I've got my bow and knockout gas arrows ready, just in case," added Quince.

Zeke immediately saw two figures running towards them.

"Here they come again!" shouted the Raichu.

As soon as the figures came within shooting range, the Threat Detector began to play battle music. Zeke rummaged through his bag for the Hypervelocity scroll. He opened it, placed his paw on the center, made the required movements, and fired at one of the hunters. The projectile moved so fast that it ripped through the air, much like a jet does, only quieter. It hit one of the hunters and knocked him to the ground. Everyone ran forward, with Quince readying a gas arrow. He fired and warned everyone to stand back.

"Hey, stay away from the gas everyone!" he ordered.

It took only a few seconds for the other hunter to drop to the ground, unconscious.

"Okay, let's get out of here before they wake up," Quince advised.

"Before we do, I have an idea," Zeke countered. He walked over to the crossbow one of the hunters was holding and crushed it with the bottom of his staff.

"Break every single weapon they're carrying, gas bombs included," ordered Zeke.

No one had thought of this idea, but they thought it was a good one. They took everything the hunters could use as a weapon and destroyed them.

"That should take care of that problem for now," Zeke spoke.

"You saved my life! Thanks a whole lot," replied the Raichu. "I owe you one."

"What's your name?" asked Zeke.

"Jacob," answered the Raichu.

"I'm Zeke," Zeke spoke. "Say hi to Alice, Quince, Austin, Brandon, and Samuel."

"Hi everyone," replied Jacob.

"We're on our way to see someone," said Alice. "Would you like to come with us?"

"After being chased by pokemon murderers, I don't see how I could refuse," replied Jacob. "I'll come with you."

Zeke and his friends had just rescued a Raichu who was being chased by hunters. Why these hunters were targeting a Raichu had yet to be discovered, but everyone agreed that it was because pokemon had only recently come to this world, and these two hunters wanted the fame and fortune of being the first to hunt down a pokemon.

Autistic Lucario · Apr 14, 2010

Chapter 22: The Wizard

Zeke and his friends now have a new threat to deal with. The two hunters, according to Quince, are trying to hunt down exotic animals, which likely includes pokemon. However, the threat had been dealt with for now and it was time to move on.

"Where do you think the wizard lives?" asked Alice.

"Shouldn't be too far away from the city," replied Zeke. "The woman back where we had the party implied that it's within walking distance. I only hope he doesn't try to kill us out of fear."

"That's where I come in," Quince interjected. "I know Rupert. He likes his guests, but he doesn't like the city for some reason. I know where his house is. How about I go and tell him you're coming?"

"Will he be shocked to see pokemon?" asked Samuel.

"Not when I explain things," Quince responded.

"Quince, I think that's a great idea," Zeke spoke. "Though, how will the rest of us find his house?"

"I'll leave markings on various objects, telling you where to go," said Quince. "Actually, no...I've got a better idea. Do you remember the Quasi-phone?"

"I still have it," answered Zeke. "Both parts."

"I'll need one of them," Quince requested.

Zeke rummaged through his bag for part of the Quasi-phone. He handed it to Quince, with Quince saying,

"This thing can work at surprisingly long distances."

He ran off into the distance down the road. Zeke and the others began to follow him.

"I guess we follow him until he's out of sight, then take directions," Samuel spoke.

"Right," Zeke replied. "But still, keep an eye out for those hunters or anything else unusual. We don't have Quince for now as a marksman."

"Why not?" asked Brandon.

"Because he's helping us get to the wizard's house," replied Austin.

"How?"

"Giving us directions," answered Austin.

"What directions?" asked Brandon.

Austin did a face palm, while Alice giggled.

"Were you even paying attention to Quince when he told us?" asked Austin.

"No," replied Brandon, grinning and closing his eyes.

"After many months of questions, you'd think he'd know the answer to some of them by now," said Austin, who was referring to Brandon.

"I know someone who acts like Brandon at school," Zeke added.

"Wait, you go to school?" asked Jacob, curious and surprised at the same time.

"Yes, I go to school," answered Zeke. "Pretty interesting experience, considering I'm the first pokemon to go to school.

"That makes you a one-of-a-kind Lucario," said Jacob.

"What's it like at your school?"asked Alice.

"It's pretty interesting," Zeke replied. "I went to three different schools; each for a different level of education. I'm on my way to graduating high school right now. I'll tell you what all three schools are like. The first one I went to was elementary school. There, you learn the alphabet, how to speak English, how to do math, basic stuff. Also, there's a lot more playtime than the other two schools. At lunchtime, we had very good food, although mine had to be prepared so that I didn't need a fork or a knife to eat it with. We'd have dessert afterwards. I had to use a fork to eat some of the desserts, but using a fork alone isn't too difficult, once you get used to it, and if you use both paws. There was always something to do for fun at the elementary school, although I hated the lyrical songs they played in class. I hate listening to people sing; it drives me insane. I had to cover my ears because my brain can only take so much baloney. Apart from that problem, elementary school was fun. I was a Riolu at that time."

"You looked like Brandon at that time?" asked Alice.

"Yes," Zeke replied. "Middle school was a big wake-up call for me. The stuff we learned got harder but it was still fun. There, you learn more advanced math; maybe a bit of algebra."

"What's algebra?" asked Samuel.

"One of the most difficult languages to learn in the world of Pokemon," Zeke replied, pressing both sides of his head with his paws and looking up. "It's not really a language, just expanding on basic math a whole lot, which then branches off into a lot more versions of algebra than I care to go into."

"Is algebra that hard?" asked Jacob.

"It can be," Zeke replied, "but it really depends on whether or not you can do math. For me, it was a nightmare. I kept finding illogical answers to my algebra questions. My answers got as silly as two, plus two, equals two-hundred and seventy-five."

"You didn't actually say that, did you?" asked Austin.

"No, but I did get a number once that was over twenty digits long," Zeke responded.

"Oooo dear," said Austin.

"My teacher said that I think too hard and oversolve the questions," Zeke commented. "Ooookay, back on topic. Middle school was where I met some of my now high school friends. I was still a Riolu back then. Only once, someone tried to bully me, but there's no problem that duct tape can't solve."

"Oh, yeah, I think I remember that day," said Jacob. "Weren't you that Pokemon that put duct tape over the bully's mouth?"

"You actually knew about that?" asked Zeke, interested.

"You'd be surprised how much I can mix in with the humans," Jacob replied, smiling. "I also remember the jar of marbles you spilled for the bully as well. I heard a lot of laughter when that guy apparently slipped on some."

"That was self-defense at its finest," Zeke responded, grinning.

"Hey Zeke, you there?" asked Quince through the Quasi-phone.

"I'm here," Zeke replied. "Where do we need to go?"

"Have you reached a fork in the road yet?" asked Quince.

"No, not yet," answered Zeke.

"When you do, take the path on the left; it leads directly to the wizard's house," Quince instructed.

"Okay, be right there," Zeke responded.

"So, what's high school like?" asked Jacob.

"That's the real eye-opener," Zeke replied. "In high school, the classes I take get a lot more advanced. Also, when you reach high-school, you need to worry about your grades. Your grades basically tell you how well you're doing in your classes. If you have an A, you're doing great, as you can't get better than an A. I'm now two years away from finishing high school. When you finish high school, or 'graduate' from it, you get to wear what's called a 'Cap and Gown', with a scroll in your hand, which is a diploma. A diploma says that you have done well enough in high school to graduate."

"I've seen how graduation is celebrated," added Jacob. "All people who are graduating get together to stand in front of this strange device called a 'camera'. A bright flash takes place and soon after, another flash happens as the graduates throw their hats in the air. The hats look strange, maybe because they're square."

"Interesting shape for a hat," Alice commented.

"That square hat is a tradition that goes back many years," Zeke responded. "So there, now you know a bit about my school."

"That's really interesting," replied Alice. "Some of our schools hold graduation ceremonies like that."

Zeke saw a fork in the road and turned left. He could just barely see a large house through the vegetation.

"Hey, Zeke...I see you now!" Quince shouted.

Zeke and the others came to a large house. Quince and another man were standing outside the entrance. The man looked to be in his late fifties. He had a long white beard, and wore a sparkling blue robe.

"You must be Zeke, the one who helped unite the living and the dead," said the old man.

"That's me," Zeke replied. "You must be Rupert, the one who we've been trying to find but ran into problems while trying to do so."

"Come on in," said the old man. "I've been waiting for all of you."

Inside the wizard's house was a very interesting sight. The house looked elegant. Books, covering all kinds of subjects were found in a bookcase next to the stairs. Little statuettes of creatures were found on shelves that were suspended from the walls. The living room looked very comfortable, with padded chairs and a thick carpet. The wizard had a lit fireplace, which had a guard around it so that the fire would not burn the carpet. Zeke was glad that the guard was there, as he was somewhat pyrophobic.

Everyone took a seat.

"All right, Zeke, what's your situation?" asked the wizard.

Zeke was about to explain how he ended up in this world. He was about to asked what was happening with the portals and what would happen before Zeke had a chance to leave. The wizard's answer would change how everyone understood how the portals work. What the wizard was going to say next would not be taken lightly.

Autistic Lucario · Apr 26, 2010

Chapter 23

Chapter 23: A New Agenda

Zeke was about to retell the events that took place since the beginning of Zeke's adventures. He knew that everyone did not have too much time on their hands so he decided to tell an abridged version of his story.

"Okay, first I want to say that I was once a human; it's just that something happened to me in my childhood that changed by body," he began. "It began with a trip into a forest. Nothing unusual; I do it all the time."

The story spanned between five and ten minutes. The wizard was paying close attention to Zeke's adventures.

"Your story reminds me of my youth," answered the wizard, with a faint smile on his face. "Your adventures sound a lot like my own. Now for my side of the story; the real reason why you've been dragged into this world."

The wizard cleared his throat and breathed deeply. Zeke's heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation.

"You're part of an experiment...an evil one," the wizard said at last.

"Considering what we've all gone through, I'm not surprised," replied Samuel.

"No," countered Rupert. "This is something much more serious than facing a few undead in a castle. It involves your world as well. Someone is planning to invade your world as we speak."

"Why would someone want to pick trouble with the world of Pokemon?"asked Samuel, not realizing how powerful the 'invader' could be.

"He has the forces, resources, and micromanagement skills to try such a feat," replied Rupert.

"Then we've got to thwart his plans somehow," Zeke responded. "Little does he know that he's actually given us good practice. We managed to get through the mines, the castle, and the mafia. We can get through this guy too."

"Just be aware that after this challenge, there's only one more before they really start to get tough," warned Rupert.

"Challenges?" asked Alice. "Are you saying that we've been tested on our survival skills all along?"

"Precisely that," replied Rupert. "The first five challenges are tests to see whether or not you can survive on your own...and so far, you've done well for yourselves. Right now, you're on the fourth one. When you reach the sixth one, you had better be aware of the degree of danger you'll be in. It won't just be a matter of avoiding enemies and solving puzzles anymore. When you reach the sixth challenge, you have to prove that you can survive on your own. Otherwise, you know what might happen."

"How do you know all this info?" asked Zeke, leaning forward.

"It takes a wizard to know a wizard...that's my saying," replied Rupert.

"The enemy you may face is a wizard like myself. What's interesting about him is that he's not your typical slave-driving, tyrannical-"

"Goon?" interrupted Austin, impulsively.

"Yes," replied Rupert. "He actually treats his subordinates and his prisoners with respect. The problem is that he has a split-personality. He's nice on the outside, but I've actually seen him correct himself in a somewhat violent way. Banging his head on his walking stick for example."

"He might need therapy," Zeke remarked, turning his head to one side and smiling, amused.

Brandon started to mimic the enemy's personality problems with a few head bangs in the air, making explosive noises. Alice thought this was cute and funny and giggled. Even Austin smiled at this act, trying to contain his laughter by putting a paw over his mouth.

"Carry on," said Zeke.

"The point is...if you want to get home alive, you have to go through him first," replied Rupert.

"I see...well, maybe we should get going and see if we can stop this guy," Zeke spoke.

"Not before I train each and every one of you how to use magic," began Rupert. "If you'll stay with me for a while, I can teach you some particularly interesting spells, and remove the need for scrolls for the ones you already use...like that Hypervelocity scroll."

Alice's eyes practically lit up with excitement.

"Really? You'll teach us?" she asked with a rather large grin on her face.

"Wait, how do you know which scrolls I use?" asked Zeke.

"How do you think I know?" asked Rupert.

Zeke looked around the room until he saw Quince.

"Quince told you, didn't he?" asked Zeke.

"Very good," replied Rupert. "Keep thinking like that and you'll be just fine on this challenge. Don't worry about food, shelter, and security; I've got that taken care of."

"Great," said Jacob, smiling. "So what's first?"

"First, since all of you have been through so much recently, I'll teach you a spell which you might find useful...and interesting. It's called Transfigure. Zeke, Alice...I want you two as volunteers."

"Okay," Zeke responded. "If that's all right with you, Alice."

"If this spell does what I think it does, then let's see it!" replied Alice.

"Okay you two, stand in front of each other; you have to be close to one another," instructed Rupert. All right...now both of you stare into each other's eyes."

Zeke and Alice did as they were told. Alice was smiling at Zeke, eager to find out what it is like to be a pokemon. Zeke on the other hand, was slightly nervous, unsure of how everything would work out. Zeke nearly always thought realistically.

"All right...Alice, take Zeke's paw and focus," began Rupert.

Alice held Zeke's paw and closed her eyes, with Zeke doing the same. Suddenly, a soft, whirring noise began to show that the spell was working. Soon after, two white streams of energy, one from Zeke and one from Alice, traveled to each other's bodies.

"All right...you two can let go now,"

Alice opened her eyes, looked down, and was amazed at her new self. She began twisting her arms left and right and spoke,

"I never thought the day would come."

She still had her voice, which the others found very interesting. What looked like Zeke, now had Alice's voice and spirit. Alice crossed both arms across her chest and grinned with excitement. Zeke was also fascinated by what happened to him. He now had Alice's body. He was so used to having fur that his new body felt strange not having it. Like Alice, he twisted his arms left and right. He moved his fingers and found it strange that he was not able to do it so well as a Lucario. It was so easy; maybe because of the fact that he was once a human.

Alice experimented with her new body. Stretching, spinning, rubbing her paws together, and rubbing the spikes on the backs of her paws together were some of the things she did. Eventually, Rupert decided to change them back to normal again, so he had them perform the same ritual to return them back into their original selves.

"That was really interesting," Zeke noted. "I haven't had that kind of experience in thirteen years."

"That was so much fun," Alice spoke, still trying to get used to her own body. "You're so lucky, Zeke! You have fur to keep warm, and a tail too. I never had anything like that."

"Hey, you have fingers so that you can actually hold stuff without having it slip from you," Zeke complimented, once again being realistic.

"I wonder how I would feel as a Floatzel," Jacob spoke, curious.

"All right, who's next?" asked Rupert.

There was a bit of an uproar over who wanted to go next, given Alice's reaction to having Zeke's body. Everyone was interested to see how it would feel to be a different pokemon. Alice of course was always eager to try out the spell again.

Zeke and his friends had just discovered their mission in this world. Apparently, a new, possibly power-hungry enemy was getting ready to invade the world of Pokemon. But that goal lost its priority somewhat, as Zeke, Alice, all the pokemon, and even Quince were having too much fun changing into each other, just to see what it would be like as another person or pokemon. The training continued into the evening, with no one being left out.

Autistic Lucario · Jul 15, 2010

Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Mysteries of the Past

Zeke and his friends were busy training in the art of spellcasting. Most of the projectile spells, such as Hypervelocity Bolt, Contorted Blast, and some others, were practiced in a space outside of Rupert's house. All the pok[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]é[/FONT]mon, except Zeke, were practicing some of their pokémon-specific attacks on training dummies. Alice, Quince, and even Rupert were impressed by the pokémon attacks. The wizard looked at Jacob and said with a smile,

"I didn't know you had your own magic skills."

"It comes naturally to us," replied Jacob. "Literally. Our bodies are made to make and use them. We call them 'pok[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]é[/FONT]-powers.'"

"Sad thing is I don't even have those," added Zeke. "That Ditto didn't just mess with my body, it messed with the way my body works. I can't launch an Aura Sphere like Brandon can. I have two friends at school who ended up like me, only one of them is a Floatzel, and the other is a Raichu."

"Zeke, I've heard that your two friends had adventures of their own in the past, like this one," Jacob spoke.

"I know they have," Zeke responded. "I was in a few of them."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked directly at Zeke, interested with this new detail.

"You've had adventures like this before?" asked Alice.

"Yes," replied Zeke. "Although I'm the first one in my town to be turned into a pokémon by that Ditto, my two friends hold the record of having the most adventures. The Floatzel's name is Daniel and the Raichu's name is Simon. You should have been to some of the places we've been. Beautiful forests, magic mountains...it's amazing what these portals can take you to."

Everyone was astonished when Zeke mentioned the portals. The wizard, however, gave a look that suggested that he knew something.

"You've been to this world before?" asked Alice.

"Seems like it," answered Zeke. "The portals for each of the adventures were exactly the same."

"But what about the enemy wizard?" asked Austin. "Didn't he make these portals?"

"Allow me to explain," began Rupert.

He sat down in a rocking chair on the porch.

"First off, the wizard didn't make these portals; he simply redirected them."

"Then who made the portals?" asked Zeke, moving his head to one side while still looking at Rupert.

"I was just getting to that," replied Rupert. He stared at the sky. "There is an ancient legend surrounding the portals."

"Tell us what you know," Zeke suggested. "It may help us."

"Very well," answered Rupert. "Back when the enemy and I were students at a magic school I know, one of my teachers was an expert on mythology. His name was Dr. Nerblinngher. He studied ancient civilizations for over 60 years."

"That's impressive," Simon commented.

"He told me that at the age of 12, he had a highly unusual dream. He also said that it was a message from an ancient god."

"Everyone gets those dreams," said Alice.

"Not like the one he had," Rupert continued. "I'll show you a copy of the pages from his journal that involve the dream."

He went inside his house for a minute.

"Let's hope this guy isn't a weirdo," Austin spoke.

Brandon sat down on the ground and began to walk around upside-down, on his front paws.

"Will you cut that out, Brandon?" ordered Austin. "Driving me crazy."

Brandon sat down.

"If the wizard is showing us pages from his teacher's diary, we'd better pay attention," Zeke suggested. "I don't think his teacher was crazy."

Rupert returned with a small green book, some pictures, and a key with a portrait of him on the handle. He showed everyone the first picture. The picture contained a photo-realistic picture of a ruin. There was an entrance to a building in the distance. Pillars lined the area before the entrance. The ruins were dark, but there seemed to be an eerie dark blue glow that lit the area.

But what caught everyone's attention was the figure on the far left. An anthropomorphic jackal was next to the person who took the picture. The jackal seemed to be staring at the entrance. It seemed to be similar to the type of jackal that the ancient Egyptians worshiped, back in ancient history. No one could believe what they saw, not even Zeke. Brandon was too busy analyzing the jackal to feel any surprise, however.

"Wow...just wow," said Jacob.

"That guy looks like you," Brandon mentioned to Zeke.

"He does," added Zeke. "Was this in the dream?"

"No, what you're seeing is real," answered Rupert. "He knows a spell called 'Envision.' That spell, when used, captures a perfect image of everything within sight, then when the caster puts his finger on a blank piece of paper or such and clicks his fingers, the picture is transferred from his mind to the paper. I've kept this picture for over twenty years in a frame to protect it. The spell in its purity never lies."

Everyone except Zeke and Brandon were lost for words. Even Quince had a surprised look on his face.

"When was this taken?" asked Zeke.

"Back when he was fourteen years old," replied Rupert. "The jackal in the picture is actually an ancient god that very few people know of."

"So a kid who's younger than me was contacted by an ancient god?" asked Alice.

"Yes," Rupert responded. "And not just that, but the Jackal gave Nerblinngher an important mission to carry out."

"Which was?" asked Zeke.

"Five things," began Rupert. "One...to keep his secret identity away from the public eye."

"Secret identity?" asked Samuel. "Like a superhero?"

"No, more like a hidden messiah. A representative. Like a trusted soldier to a general," answered Rupert.

"At the age of fourteen?" asked Quince. "That's a pretty young age to be considered a holy entity."

"He was more than capable of carrying out the mission, despite his age," countered Rupert. He sat back in his rocking chair.

"Two...to learn more about the world of Pokémon," Rupert continued.

"Our world?" asked Samuel. "How would an ancient god of an ancient civilization know about a world that nobody in this world knew existed? Especially that long ago."

"Only the Jackal knew that back in the day," replied Rupert. "Just before you came to this world, there were only a few from this world that knew about the world of Pokémon. The Jackal, Nerblinngher, myself, and the Family."

"Family?" asked Zeke. "As in your family?"

"No, not my family," answered Rupert. "The Family is a nickname for a large group of people who work with the Jackal, both living and undead. The undead who are part of the Family have emotions, personalities, and a conscience."

"It's nice to hear that the living and the undead can live together in peace," Austin commented.

"You mentioned that Nerblinngher was supposed to learn about our world, right?" asked Zeke.

"Yes, I said that...why?" asked Rupert.

"Where is he now?" asked Zeke.

"He's in your world, in your house, explaining to your parents why you're not at their house," began Rupert.

"What?" asked Zeke, caught off guard. "How does he know where I live?"

"That brings us to the third part of his mission," continued Rupert. "Informing those who would notice Zeke's disappearance."

"Does the Jackal know me personally?" asked Zeke.

"Yes, in every way," answered Rupert.

Zeke stared at Rupert in alarm at first, but then he began to calm down.

"Don't worry, he thinks very highly of you," Rupert reassured. "In fact, he wants to take you and your friends under his wing."

"What? You serious?"asked Jacob, showing a surprised look that seemed to match everyone else's.

"Wait, jackals don't have wings," said Zeke.

"Your Asperger Syndrome will help you in your mission to stop the enemy wizard," Rupert responded. "You just have to learn more figures of speech."

"How do you know about...ah...I see," replied Zeke, finally understanding why Rupert knew about Zeke's disorder.

"Wait, Zeke has what?" asked Austin.

"I'll explain later," answered Zeke. "Continue, Rupert."

"Zeke, the Jackal's real name is Revesto," began Rupert. "He provides us with information he feels we need to know, including your disorder."

"So we can safely assume that Revesto knows all?" asked Zeke.

"Correct," replied Rupert. "Even the Ditto that turned you into a Riolu at age three."

"Don't tell me the Ditto was part of his divine plan as well," said Samuel.

"As frightening as it may sound...yes," answered Rupert.

The moment he spoke that sentence, there came a pause in the conversation. No one could believe what Rupert had just revealed to Zeke and his friends.

"So that means my friends from school are also involved with Revesto in some way?" asked Zeke.

"That is correct," replied Rupert. "However, their missions are not as significant as yours. The safety of the world of Pokémon lies in your paws, Zeke. Revesto has hand-picked you to save the world."

After a moment of silence, Zeke spoke,

"I am honored."

"Hey, look at that cloud," said Brandon.

Everyone looked up and were amazed to see a cloud in the shape of Revesto's head and neck. When everyone saw it, the Jackal smiled. The cloud then began to disappear.

Words could not describe how Zeke and his friends felt when they saw Revesto's image in the sky.

There came a long silence. Emotions rushed through everyone's minds, but one remained the most prominent, pride. Just as Zeke was about ready to continue the discussion, a ray of blue light shone on the ground behind everyone. After a few moments, a figure began to appear.

"It's Revesto..." said Alice, amazed. "In the flesh!"

Everyone stared in awe at the six-foot Jackal. He was in many ways similar to the ancient Egyptian kind of jackal. He had dark blue eyes and ears that pointed the same way Zeke's ears did. He was wearing something like a pair of vibrantly blue shorts, only the shorts seemed to extend to the area near his feet, which were similar to those of a real jackal. The shorts seemed to shine in the sunlight. Revesto was also wearing a golden belt, a pair of jeweled bracelets, a strange blue head-cloth that covered both sides and the back of his head, held together at the forehead with a band made of gold. The silver staff he carried had an ankh shape at the top, a twisting pattern from just beneath the ankh to the bottom of the staff, a sapphire in the middle of the ankh with emeralds at the bottom of it, and green, blue, and silver stripes that coiled upwards around the staff. It was a beautiful sight.

Revesto began to walk slowly towards Zeke. Everyone stepped backwards so that the Jackal could have some space. Zeke looked up at Revesto.

"You must be Zeke," began the Jackal.

He had a soft, relaxed voice. Zeke could not tell whether it was an adult voice or a teenage voice.

"I am," Zeke replied. "You must be Revesto."

"How do you do?" asked Revesto.

"I'm doing all right," answered Zeke. "And you?"

"Couldn't be better," Revesto spoke, smiling. "Now that I have you and your friends to help me."

"Defeat the wizard, you mean?" asked Zeke.

"And promise to keep my existence a secret?" asked Revesto.

"Your secret is safe," answered Zeke.

"Good," said Revesto. "I know all of you can keep a secret...if you couldn't, then you wouldn't know I exist right now."

"Pardon me for asking, but what's the purpose of this visit?" asked Zeke.

"I came to give you three things," began Revesto. "Let me start with this staff."

He held the staff on its side and presented it to Zeke.

"Are you sure I can have it?" asked Zeke, wanting permission.

"It's a gift for you," answered Revesto. "For saving Alice."

"I appreciate the gift," Zeke responded, taking the staff. The staff was perfect in terms of weight for Zeke. It had Zeke's two favorite colors on the design, green and blue. He felt a pleasantly warm, tingling sensation run through his body when he touched the staff.

"And you're welcome...Alice helped me out too when I was in trouble."

"I didn't know you had such a strong interest in me, Revesto," Alice spoke, smiling. "Thanks for the concern. Zeke and I have become very fond of each other in the time we've spent together."

"I had to worry about you in the mines, all alone," Revesto responded. "You're a direct descendant of me after all."

Alice looked up at the Jackal with an honest, serious look on her face and asked,

"Really? Me? A descendant?"

"You are my granddaughter, with an unbelievable number of greats," replied Revesto.

"Wow..." said Alice, feeling special inside. "What are the chances? I couldn't see myself having royal relatives, let alone divine ones."

"Feels kinda weird, doesn't it?" asked Revesto.

"Now that you mention it," Alice responded. "So this means I'm not human anymore?"

"Nope," answered Revesto. "You never were. Neither was your mother. You're both part canine. Remember when you went to the hospital for an injury and the nurse could not find a blood type that matched yours?"

"Back when I was twelve?" asked Alice. "Yes, I remember that."

"You still have jackal in your blood," replied Revesto, smiling. "Same as mine in fact. You also have my desire to learn, especially in the field of magic."

"So this makes Alice a living legend," Quince spoke.

"But she will remain a human to the public eye," Revesto responded.

"Got it," everyone spoke, simultaneously.

"Moving on...what's the next item?" asked Zeke.

"Your poké-powers," replied Revesto. "Every Lucario has them. Now, it's time you received yours."

"Thank you," Zeke responded, smiling.

"Alice, as my descendant, and Quince, as an honored guest, how would you two like to have poké-powers of your own?"

"That would be nice," answered Quince with a grin.

"I'd love that!" replied Alice, excited.

"Okay, you three," began Revesto. "Choose your pokémon."

"Lucario," said Zeke.

"Lucario," Alice spoke.

"Buizel," said Quince.

"All right," answered Revesto. "Alice, hold Zeke's paws. Quince, you stand close but not right next to them."

Zeke, Alice, and Quince did as they were told.

"Ready, you three?" asked Revesto.

"Fire away," Quince signaled.

Revesto raised his arms. Zeke, Alice, and Quince rose into the air a few feet. Then he folded his arms across his chest, like a mummy in a sarcophagus, and focused. Then, blue, misty energy began to rise from the ground and envelop the three. Soon after, green and blue sparkles began to float around them. When enough sparkles gathered around them, the sparkles began to spin around them. Those who didn't participate in the ritual watched in amazement at what was happening. Zeke, Alice, and Quince absorbed the sparkles into their body, then they began to glow their colors. The glowing continued to grow brighter until a certain point. Then the sparkles exploded outwards, onto the ground. The glowing faded and the mist began to disappear until they were no longer visible.

Zeke, Alice, and Quince, waited for the Jackal to give the word.

"Okay, you now have all the poké-powers of the pokémon you chose," Revesto concluded. "You just have to learn them."

Zeke turned to face a training dummy and focused. He then created a ball of blue energy and launched it at the dummy. It exploded, confirming that the ritual was a success.

"That's called an Aura Sphere," he spoke. "Alice, you try."

Alice followed the same procedure, made a ball of energy, and hurled it at the exact same dummy. She grinned when it exploded.

"All right, let me try," said Quince.

Quince breathed in and shot a powerful jet of water out of his mouth. The water hit a different training dummy.

"Hmm..." he muttered. "Very interesting. I might just sell these water bombs I use to douse torches."

"Thank you so much," Zeke spoke, feeling happy and complete.

"If anyone asks...you learned them in an adventure...nothing more," Revesto replied.

"We understand," said Alice.

"And last but not least, the third gift," began Revesto. "Enhanced memory."

He walked around and put his hand on everyone's head, making his hand glow blue each time.

"So you don't forget everything I've told you," Revesto continued. "Memory is useful on so many levels, so I'm giving you the power to remember or forget whatever you like. Have fun in your dreams."

He turned to Zeke.

"Remember...the wizard is out there. I can't damage his plans for the world of Pokémon directly," he said, looking a bit more serious. "That would put my secrecy in danger. If he can redirect my portals, even just a bit, he's no ordinary wizard. I've kept your whereabouts hidden from him, so he can't pull any kind of magic trick on you, apart from the ones already set. When the time comes to face the wizard, don't let him know you're there. He never saw you coming and never will, if you listen to my advice. Well, I'm off now to take care of other matters."

"Thank you, Revesto...for everything," Alice spoke.

"You are all a great team," replied Revesto. "Zeke...thanks again for rescuing Alice."

"Any time," Zeke responded.

A beam of light began to shine on Revesto. He began to fade.

"I'll see you in the ninth challenge," he spoke. "When the guards see you, they'll want your identification. Raise the staff I gave you and they'll understand. When you defeat the wizard, there is something special waiting for you at the end."

"Got it," answered Zeke.

"Rupert will tell you what you need to know on this challenge," continued Revesto, as the glittering from the beam became more intense. "In the meantime, I want to wish all of you, the very best...of luck. Goodbye."

Revesto vanished into the air, along with the beam of light.

No one spoke for five minutes. They were still somewhat confused after what happened, but both proud and amazed after talking to a god and receiving his blessings. Then Brandon stood up and asked,

"What was the fourth thing Nerblinngher had to do?"

"I'm glad you asked," answered Rupert. "Nerblinngher's fourth goal was to monitor access to and from this world and the world of Pokémon."

"Sounds simple," Zeke commented.

"And his last objective...to help all of you reach the Ruins of Kaladorn," Rupert finished.

"Where's that?" asked Austin.

"That's where you'll end up when you take the exit portal from the eighth challenge. You'll be right outside the ruins on the picture."

"That's really interesting," Alice commented. "So where do we meet Nerblinngher?"

"During the fifth challenge," answered Rupert. "It's the same guy as the one that Samuel heard was turned into a Ninetales."

"That guy?" asked Samuel. "But he's over sixty years old! Last week, he looked twenty!"

"He was given immortality," corrected Rupert. "His body never aged past twenty-three years. Never will."

"So we have a Ninetales to look out for," Zeke spoke.

"What's a Ninetales?" asked Alice.

"Basically, a fox with nine tails, cream-colored fur, and red eyes," answered Zeke.

"If you see him, don't pull any of his tails," Austin warned.

"Why not?" asked Alice.

"They leave a thousand-year curse on whoever pulls them," Austin explained.

"Sounds scary," Alice responded. "Want to practice, Zeke? Try out our new poké-powers?"

"Sure, why not?" said Zeke in agreement.

Zeke and his friends have had their lives changed completely in a span of less than one hour. They all had poké-powers at their disposal, their memories were more accurate and detailed, and they had all been contacted by a jackal god who is in fact one of Alice's ancient ancestors. Piles upon piles of questions built up in Zeke's head; the same happening for everyone else. They would all be answered in time, but now Zeke wanted to test his new abilities and his new holy staff.

[Pokémon] Lucario and the 10 Ordeals (brought here)

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