The Children Are Hunted

[Roserade]

(So I'll go as Blitz.)
Blitz vs. Nideous

Flaffy was doing great, but that Espeon was proving to be a tough battle. He had unleashed an array of Shadow Balls and Psybeams. Some collided and formed a quick beam heading towards Flaffy. Blitz felt trapped, there was nothing for Flaffy to do.

"Flaffy, use Light Screen to decrease the power of those attacks!" and Flaffy did. But, it wasn't enough, she still took damage. She fell to the ground letting loose some electricity. "Flaffy use Charge to start off. Then use your Thunderbolt!" The Espeon looked prepare to dodge, and the trainer did too.

 

[Nideous]

(Sounds good to me!)

Thomas was stunned. He had no idea that Flaffy knew Light Screen! The Flaffy used Thunderbolt. Esper leapt into the air, getting barely grazed by the attack. He shot some more of those rainbow colored Psybeams, although Thomas knew that the aim was off. It was difficult enough to twist in midair, let alone shoot a Psybeam.

 

[Roserade]

The small, pink Pokemon twisted in mid-air to avoid the attack. He could tell that some of the Thunderbolt had connected with its leg. But, nevertheless, it managed to blast about a Psybeam. Blitzknew he couldn't let that connect with Flaffy.

"Flaffy, match that Psybeam with a Thunderbolt!" he yelled just quick enough for Flaffy to fight back. Flaffy ws trying, but Esper's angle of attack held too much momentum. The attacks collided forming a huge cloud of smoke. It blasted both Pokemon back against the yellow walls of the gym. Blitz could hardly see, but he could see both Pokemon stand up.

"Good job, Flaffy use Thunderpunch!" but Flaffy didn't. She smiled and fell to the ground. The ref looked at Blitz and Thomas. Esper was still standing, its knees shaking. Would it fall? It didn't. That was one tough Pokemon, or maybe, could it be Thomas' willpower.

"Flaffy is unable to battle! Blitz, please send out your next Pokemon."

"Let's go, Electrike! It's your turn!" he tossed out the Pokeball and a ray of light launched out Electrike. "Go, use Quick Attack to get close, then use Thunder Fang!"

 

[Nideous]

Esper stood there shaking. Thomas looked at his pokemon with worry. Blitz sent out his own Elektrike, and Volt roared out a challenge to the other Elektrike. It ignored him, instead opting to blast toward Esper with an attack. Thomas pulled out Esper's pokeball and called him back. He was a tad bit to slow, as Esper got hit by the Thunder Fang. A split second before the red beam touched Esper, Thomas saw the telltale look that showed that Esper had fainted. The ref had seen it too.

"Esper is unable to battle! Thomas, please send out your next pokemon!"

Thomas looked at Volt. He was more than ready. Volt walked out onto the battlefield. The other Elektrike was a tad bit bigger than Volt, but otherwise, there was no obvious difference between them.
"Volt, I know you can use your Lightning Rod ability to protect yourself from it's electric attacks. But it can do the same... Hmm, use Double Kick!" Thomas said. Volt lept into the air, and descended upon the other Elektrike, ready to kick it's teeth in.

 

[Roserade]

Blitz had to focus. Another Bolt Badge was at stake here. Every battle meant so much to Blitz. They were his only chance to get away from his work at the Power Plant. Blitz slid his lightning colored hair to one side as he examined the situation. The other Electrike, Volt, had been ordered a Double Kick. He was right over Electrike. Then, he thought of something.

"The Bolt Badge won't be that easy to get. Go, Bite its foot and launch Volt somewhere else! Then, try for a Quick Attack, your electric attacks won't work here."

Even if this plan worked, it wouldn't be enough to bring down that Electrike. He watched as his Electrike bit down on the foot of Volt. Volt cringed but brought his other foot around to smack Electrike just as he swung him away. His Electrike had taken much more damage, but he went in for a Quick attack as Volt was beginning to get up. Electrike succeeded in his attack, and Blitz smiled. But, the smile quickly faded as Electrike began to shake. Static flowed through his body. He had been Paralyzed by Electrike's static.

 

[Nideous]

Thomas was shocked (get it?) when the Elektrike had grabbed Volt's foot and threw him across the floor. Then the Elektrike stopped. It had been paralized! All at once Thomas had lost control of the situation, then gained it back. He had been scared the Volt wouldn't be able to win. Now he knew for a fact he had the Bolt Badge. He just had to finish off Elektrike. Then Volt intervened. He roared out at Elektrike. He used Discharge and blasted it everywhere. Thomas had to admit, Volt looked very impressive, all framed by the lightning like that.

"Volt! Think! That won't do any good! Every moment you waste is a moment that the Elektrike over there becomes un parallized! Use Quick Attack! And follow it up with Double Kick!" Thomas yelled. Volt put his leg that had been bitten down gingerly. Then, satisfied that it would bear his weight, charged toward the motionless Elektrike.

 

[Roserade]

Electrike was stuck. He was paralyzed and could barely move. But he wouldn't have to move to use his last attack. Blitz kept himself focused and watched as the Electrike used a Discharge. That wouldn't help the situation at all, it would just make Electrike stronger....there it is! He may be positively stupid for doing this, but he hadn't become the New York Gym Leader by taking it easy. He stretched out his white suit, etched with yellow lightning; signiture pose.

"Electrike, it's time to end this! Use Thunder, straight up!" Electrike looked at him as if his master had completely lost it, and maybe he had. Along the course of this battle, Blitz began thinking up new strategies, new ways to defeat his opponents. Thomas sure had shone him the way to an amazing, eye-catching battle. The Electrike followed by listening just as Volt collided with him. Volt used his attacks just at the same time the Lightning Bolt struck down shooting them in opposite directions. Volt landed on his feet, but tensed, while Electrike bounced off the wall and struggled to stay standing.

This was it. It was a stare down between two super-charged Electrikes. Then, Electrike began to glow. He began to grow, his mane turned from Green to Yellow, his fur from a bright green to a cool blue. He was evolving into Manectric. Still, he was incredibly tired, but maybe had enough for another charge. He howled back at Volt. Blitz looked at his opponent.

"Think you can still win? Let's go old friend, let's fight 'til the end! Go, use Spark right at him!"

(This is your chance Nideous! End this, let's see what you do. ;D)

 

[Nideous]

Thomas was amazed at Blitz. Attacking the ceiling? Then he realized what had happened. Both Volt and the newly evolved Manectric had been super charged. Manectric was running at Volt full tilt, with a rather powerful electric attack. Thomas had an idea of what to do next.

"Alright Volt. It's time to end this. He is very imposing, but you can do this! I want you to ground yourself. That will make the electrity pass harmlessly, just like before. That will make that awesome Spark an ordinary Tackle. I want you to roll with the attack, and when he stops, hit him with Double Kick!" Thomas said. Volt crouched low, and touched his tail to the ground. He glared at his opponent and waited for him to come. Thomas knew this would work. The whole match he had been relying on his pokemon's speed to do the work. The abrupt change in stratigy might throw of his opponents enough that one instant that Volt can land his attack. He smiled winningly at Blitz.

 

[Roserade]

The world seemed to stop when Thomas yelled his attack. Blitz took into consideration what would happen next. The attack couldn't be stopped and there was no way for him to stop the imposing attack. Electrike dug himself a small cavern like bump in the ground, spitting dirt all over Manectric. The attack died down to a simple Tackle, just like had planned. Then, Manectric attempted to slow down, but without enough friction due to his supercharging, he went flying over the bump, into the wall.

"Manectic, try to get up, and use Thunder."

Manectric was able to turn around and muster up a Thunder. It was just about to hit, when all of a sudden, Manectric froze. What was going on? He seemed frozen, almost... paralyzed. The paralysis never did leave his body, just slowed down. Manectric used all of his strength, but with the paralysis and dirt on him, he just shocked himself. He was frying as Volt took one swing. Volt felt the shock and flew way up. Manectric fell to the ground, and the shocking seemed to end. Manectric smirked.

"Now, Wild Charge!"

Manectric powered up as Volt finally fell from his high altitude gain after hitting him. He was just about to attack, when Volt came back down, now even more powered up by the shock, fell with an Electric Kick! Manectric barely had time to start when Volt pounded him. With the impact, Volt flew off Manectric, and landed with a thud. He quickly got on his feet and waited for the smoke to part. Manectric appeared, on his side. His eyes were closed and his tongue was out.

"Manectric is unable to battle, Thomas and Volt are the victors!"

Blitz smiled and went to congratulate Thomas. He stopped by at Manectric's feet and used his hand to bring him back to his feet. "You fought well, old friend. We'll train, and fight. Let's go." Blitz continued to where Thomas stood and opened his shirt pocket. He pulled a shiny piece of metal. It was like a holographic coin, with a lightning rod shaped on it. It was glowing, as if electric energy was pouring through it.

"Here it is, the Bolt Badge. That was a great battle. Promise me, you'll come back and battle some day," he smiled, "From here, I would venture to say the gym in Stonehedge or Mt. Saint Helens would be the best choice for you two. I would go to the Mt. Saint Helens Gym, that's where the excitement lies. Congratulations, Thomas."

 

[Nideous]

"Thanks, Blitz! I'll head for Mt. Saint Helens right away! Thanks for the awesome battle! I'll battle you anytime!" Thomas said, getting caught up in his own excitement. But then again, Why not? He had won his first badge! That was something to celebrate! He grinned at Marcus as they left. Marcus grinned back.

"Allright! Ready to go?" Thomas asked after he stowed Volt in his pokeball.
"Wait! We have to go see Mr. Stevens at the hospitale!" Marcus said. Thomas looked at him, then shrugged. They walked back to NYGH. Thomas opened the door and was crowded by kids of all ages. He saw Mr. Stevens and a cop sitting in the corner. The cop was, well, a cop. He was dressed in cop blues and had on a pair of sunglasses. Over all, Thomas guessed he was about Mr. Stevens age.He wanted to make an impression.

"I just won the Bolt Badge!" Thomas yelled, thrusting the badge into the air. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if his pokemon had jumped up and said something, but they were too tired.

"Actually, that wasn't really that awesome. I'm never going to do that again," he mumbled so that only Marcus could hear him. Marcus stifled a laugh as the children gawked.

"Alright! Out of the way!" Thomas said good naturedly. He walked to the adults in the corner. He walked up to Mr. Stevens and said, "I got my badge."
"So I heard. This is Jerry Mathews. He's the friend I was telling you about," Mr. Stevens said.
"Nice to meet you! So, you headed to the gym on Mt. Saint Helens?" Jerry asked.
"Yup!" Marcus said.
"Great! We've already reserved you tickets to take you to Toledo. It's the cityclosest to the mountain, but you'll have to get to the gym yourselves," Jerry said.
"This is too much. Why are you doing all this for us?" Thomas asked.
"Because we like you!" Mr. Stevens said.
"Stop scaring him, Larry! To tell you the truth, the mayor pushed through a new law that allows us to be rembersed, plus about 30% more for sponsering someone trying to take the gym challenge. That's why!" Jerry said. That made sense. Thomas accepted that answer, for now. He and Marcus agreed to let Jerry drive them to the airport. The group Walked into the airport, where they were rushed to get on the plane before it took off. It was lucky that neither he nor Marcus had any luggage. That would have made them miss the flight. Thomas turned off the phone in his pocket and turned and stared out the window, as Marcus became involved in conversation with the man next to him. They were talking about pokemon, of all things. Thomas looked the man over, and had the vague impression that he knew the man. He shook it off and continued looking out the window.

 

[Garet]

Great. Here in a town that, according to a bird that had passed by, was called Nigata, and Garet had no idea where the boy might have gone to. Once he'd come here, finding fewer and fewer tire tracks along the way, the Arcanine had sniffed around for the boy's scent and for tire tracks. He hadn't found either, so far.

And his stomach had been quietly growling for the past while.

Garet was lying down for a rest, behind some bushes (someone might phone in a sighting of a white Arcanine, after all), when a Swellow swooped down to land on the ground. "Garet TruthSeeker?" the Swellow inquired.

The Arcanine took a look at the bird's satchel, then at the RDM bracelet around her leg. "That's me," he said.

The Swellow took a deep breath. "Message from the Shanghai RDM HeadQuarters. They want to know precisely why it is taking this long for you to locate and retrieve the boy and the trolley. They also want to know of any information you have obtained that would pertain to the RDM, the AAPM, the boy, or your mi-- Hey, what's that look for?" She took a step away from Garet, who'd been staring hungrily at the satchel.

"I can smell it," Garet answered, still staring at the satchel. "The food you have in there. Is it for me?" When the Swellow confirmed with a nod, he added, "If you'll leave that here with me, then there should be a pamphlet back on the bridge I crossed, between here and Shanghai. It had the boy's scent on it, and if it hasn't blown away, then maybe you'd be able to tell me where the boy might've gone from here."

~~~~~

Several minutes later, the Swellow reappeared, partially-crumpled pamphlet in beak, and dropped it. "Is this what you were talking about?" she asked, looking up at Garet.

The Arcanine picked up the strap of the now-nearly-empty satchel with his teeth and dropped it over the Swellow's head. "Yeah, that's it," he answered. "Can't read human words, though."

"It's about Gyms," the Swellow supplied. "According to this, there's one in Tokyo, Japan. Not too close, but not too far. Anything else for me to report for you?"

"I did find Merin, on the side of one of the roads on his route. After that, I was able to follow the boy's trail of tire tracks. This pamphlet here, I found on that bridge. The tire tracks kinda ran out by the time I got to this town, Nigata. Thanks to you, I now know where the boy is headed." Garet stood up and stretched his legs, briefly startling the Swellow. "One more thing. If the Shanghai HQ will answer this question, then ask them why they'd want to kidnap a boy who has no apparent relations with the AAPM."

The Swellow shook her head. "Can't guarantee they'll answer that," she said before flying away.
Garet sighed before turning to look around town for other birds. They're particularly useful for directions, after all.

 

[dajman1996]

Ventus was walking for about an hour now with Charmander, he had to get to his sister before the rockets did or else she and the rest of the town woudl fall under them. It was very silent as Ventus trekked across the route. "Hey what's up?" Ventus asked as Charmander started to get alert with the surrondings. "There's something out there?" Ventus gazed over the direction that Chramdander was looking at, "There's nothing.." Ventus finished off and started to walk as a roar of the engine came to him. "Huh?" Ventus turned around to see a black van speed at him. "It can't be Rockets." Ventus said as he started to run but another van had sped in front of him to cut off his escape.

Ventus stopped to fight it out with Charmander, "Ok here goes nothing..." Ventus muttered to himself, the Charmander started to growl and show it's claws. Armed soldiers wearing bullet-proof vest, carrying riot shields and botons of some kind surroned the duo. Before striking a man in a suite emerged from the van. "This is the AAPM, you are under arrest." He said coldly, "For what!??" Ventus spat back at him, Ventus was jabbed by one of the batons which released an electrical discharge and everything went black...................

 

[Roserade]

Mark - Tokyo

"Merin, how did you get here so fast?" Mark's voice weakened at the thought of being pushed away from something he had worked so hard to do. He looked at the Kadabra's face.

"I am not, exactly, Merin. I am cerebral messenger from Merin. Moments after my own self had been defeated in that trolley. I entered your mind and waited until you got to a rest point. You don't take many of those, do you? But, nonetheless, I continued, though weakened by your lack of sleep. I may not be ethereal but I was made to take your Pokemon. Will you hand over that new Pokemon, or will I have to take it by force?"

Mark attempted a run, but stopped. What was the point? There was a spirit that apparently nobody else could see trying to take something that he could probably not even hold. "You can't take it, so why did he really send you?"

"Well, as we speak, RDM agents are being sent to your exact spot. Looks like my time is up, it's been a pleasure meeting you." the Kadabra became more transparent with every second, but at its final second it flew forward through Mark's body. Chills instantly went through his body. Little did he know, Merin's true task was to place a mental marker on him. Now, wherever he went, he didn't go alone.

Mark walked up to his room, and took the Pokemon out of its Pokeball. In a burst of red light, a small gray creature landed on the ground. It was carrying a log of sorts. It had a large bump looking-sore on its head. Mark took out the small crumpled piece of paper the old woman had given him. It wasn't a letter at all, it gave instructions about how to take care of the..."Timburr". It was a Fighter of a Pokemon, and never backed down. Its attacks were mainly Rock Throw, Wake-Up Slap, Low Kick, and Bide.

Timburr (Level 22) Rock Throw, Wake-Up Slap, Low Kick, Bide.

Mark sent out his Pokemon to come and greet the new Timburr. Out came Volcan, Ducky, and Gligar. They came to greet the small human-like creature, who in turn ran away and hid behind a wardrobe in the corner. It seemed so nervous and scared, for a Fighter of a Pokemon, it certainly was shy. Mark went back to see it, but the small Pokemon just hit him with the log. He fell over while all the other Pokemon ran to his side. His vision went black and fuzzy. He tried to sit up straight, but couldn't manage the energy.

The glowing woke him up. It was a bright red color, and it gave him quite the migraine. With fear, Mark crawled up to the small gem from which the light emanated. As he grew closer to it, the migraine grew worse. He could barely look at the light without cringing. He collapsed on the ground; where did that crystal come from. It was then, Mark looked around the room he was in. He looked around and could only see darkness. There was nothing there except the crystal and himself. He tried to remember something, anything. All he could remember happening was being hit with a log. Then, fuzzy. He held onto his head and tried to remember. The migraine grew. He couldn't remember anything but pieces. Old Woman. Kadabra. Gray. Kadabra.... Merin. He must've put something in his mind. Some kind of Psychic energy to try to find him later. Kadabras can sense Psychic energy! He had to find some way to disable that piece of Psychic energy. This was his mind, wasn't it? Maybe he could imagine himself there at the crystal's side. He closed his eyes and tried. With the migraine growing stronger, it was incredibly difficult. He thought and thought, and with his superior knowledge, why was it so hard. He fought through the barriers of his mind and finally arrived there. Now all he had to pull. Once he did, he was sent flying, the crystal in his hands. It had loosened enough but let loose a powerful wave of energy. The room went blank once more.

Once he awoke, he didn't remember much of what happened in his mind. All he knew, was that Merin had put some kind of tracker in his mind and he had hopefully removed it. But, by now they would know where he was, at least the city. He had to get to the gym. The gym? Where was it. Luckily, there was a nearby computer to use. He typed in Pokemon Gym Tokyo. Out came the search results. Something about the AAPM, something else unimportant, and then, he saw it. His mind crashed and put his head in his hand. He had never liked heights, so of course the Gym is at the top of the Tokyo Tower.

Next up, the Gym Battle vs. Minerva....

 

[Nideous]

Thomas and Marcus walked around Toledo. Thomas noted that this city was very different thanAtlanta or New York had been. It was smaller, and yet more open. Thomas saw the man that had been sitting next to him and Marcus on the plane. He walked over to a group of three more people. They all looked around, then sat down at a coffee shop. Thomas looked at Marcus. He had noticed too. They were acting very oddly. He and Marcus entered the shop and took a seat close enough to the odd group to averhear, but far enough away to not be noticed.

"We have a problem," the man said after a while.
"I know. It's my fault," a women said.
"That's not what I'm talking about. Although it must be dealt with. I'm talking about the RDM," the man said. The other's gasped.
"So that's why we were all called out here," a different man said.
"Not only that, but the boy I've been tailing is here too. Things could get very messy," the man Thomas recognized said.
"What could he possibly want?" the woman asked.
"Same thing the rest of them want. Do you not see?" the first man said.
"Yes, we can't let either child or the RDM to get in our way!" the second man said.
"Let's go take care of this now!" the first man said.
"No. You two will continue your current missions. You will report this little developement to HQ, and await their orders. I will attempt to locate the RDM agent that is currently here. Are we sure it's only one of them?" the man that had remained silent said.
"For now. But that may change soon," the woman said.
"Very well. You have your orders, now go carry them out," the third man said.
"Yes sir!" the other three said in unison. All four of them got up from the table and left. Thomas digested what had just happened. He was pretty sure he had just heard the AAPM talking. He almost laughed. They were almost right on top of him, and hadn't even seen him. These guys were all fools! So, they didn't want him and Marcus interfering with their plans, huh? At least he assumed that Marcus was the second kid they had metioned. Well, he wasn't going to let them take his pokemon.
"Marcus, it's time we went to the gym!" Thomas said. Marcus nodded, and the two of them left to climb a mountain.

 

[Roserade]

Mark stared at the entrance to the Tokyo Tower. The top of the red structure loomed up above him, extending into oblivion. He watched as young children rode the elevator to the top, but he, a larger chunk into his life, could barely step inside. Back in Shanghai, there were almost no high buildings. He remembered the day his father had taken him to ride in a hot air balloon. It had began as a fun venture, but then, it began to shake. The fire escaped, the balloon had popped, they had headed straight to the ground. The explosion left a scar on his left arm. Just let the fire stop. Daddy, hold my hand! Mark fell to his knees, he began to hyper-ventilate. He watched as other people just walked around him, giving him annoyed looks.

"Is there a problem here?" a young woman asked. She had perfect, silver hair that flowed down to her shoulders. From the front two corners of her head dropped two long ponytails of hair. She had a white sun dress that beautifully highlighted her bright yellow eyes. Her clear sandals made her a few inches taller. She smiled, "Are you okay?"

Mark closed his eyes and breathed in. "I'm...I'm fine. Just afraid of heights. See, I'm trying to battle this gym and..."

"Gym? The steel-type gym leader? Minerva, that's her name. Right, Minerva."

Mark smiled at the lady's attempts to conceal herself. Her silver hair, her gray eyes. Her method of speaking. Everything was so similar to the old woman at the inn. "Ms. Minerva. I have something from your grandmother, and I would like a gym battle on....on the top."

She instantly grew quiet. Her skin grew so pale, it almost blended in with her dress. Her silvery hair was the only part that was clearly seen. "M-my grandmother." she teared up but then took a deep breath and cleared her eyes. "What, what does she want?" she said in a kinder voice than her words presented themselves.

"She wants a letter, from you. She really cares about you, you know. She also wanted me to show you this. It was this Pokemon she gave to me. She said that it would make you happy." Mark sent motioned for his Pokemon to come out of hiding. In the front was the Timburr, or Fighter, as he had named him. Minerva smiled and went to hug him. He hugged back and then they both straightened themselves out. She looked at Mark straight in his eyes.

"I believe it is time for that Gym Battle. I am a steel-type gym leader. I hope you researched that kind of Pokemon." she grabbed Mark's hand and beckoned him inside. "There is a back door for the ground gym, for the more squeamish battlers." She punched in a secret code, all the while holding Fighter, and waltzed in. Once Mark had entered, he saw she had exchanged Fighter for a small girl.

"This is my daughter, Jasmine. My husband is at the house maintaining my steel Pokemon." she chuckled and looked at Mark. Jasmine was the spitting image of her mom. She was wearing the same clothes as her mother. From behind her came a small Aron. Mark had recognized it from his small computer database. It seemed she was interested in Steel-Pokemon too.

Minerva walked to the other side of the field. "Let's begin." A robotic ref appeared from the ground, appropriate for a Steel gym.

"This gym will be a battle between the challenger and-bzzz- Minerva. Please send out your first of three Pokemon."

Minerva tossed a Pokeball and out came a ray of red light. Out came a flying Pokemon. It was a bird, with silver coating. That couldn't be a steel type, could it? "Is that a steel Pokemon?"

"Yes. Surprised? This is my Skarmory, It is both Steel and Flying. Skarmory knows Stealth Rock. So, how will you handle this?"

Mark gulped. Minerva would be no easy trainer. But, Fire melts Steel, so it would be up to Volcan. He picked up the Cyndaquil. "Are you ready Volcan? Let's go!"

Mark squinted, "Volcan, Time to Shine!"

Next time...the Battle Continues

While Mark battled, he failed to notice Clair's piercing stare and Merin's fine sneer.

 

[Nideous]

(OOC: I wonder what happened to the others. It's been a while since anyone other than Roserade and I posted.)

Thomas and Marcus got a fresh start in the morning. They had spent all day yesterday walking down the side of the road to get to the mountain. Once there it had been dark, and Thomas 'insisted' that they set up camp. But now, they were both eager to continue the trip.

"Hey! What's that?" Marcus asked. He was pointing at a Magby. It was small, and looked a little hungry. Thomas sighed.
"It's just a Magby. You go ahead and catch it, if you want. No offense to ya Magny, but I'm not to fond of the Magmar family," Thomas said. Marcus walked over to it.
"Hey there, little fella! You want to come with me? I promise I'll take real good care of you!" Marcus said. Magby smiled at him. Marcus pilled out a pokeball of his own. He backed up a few paces, and threw the red and white sphere. All of a sudden, a jet of white hot fire shot the ball out of the air. A vulpix came bounding into the area, and started growling at them.

"Whoa! That was one powerful Flamethrower!" Thomas said. Magby started crying and took cover behind Marcus.
"Not that it means anything coming from a human pile of trash, but thank you!" the Vulpix snarled. Thomas blinked. Then he smiled at the vulpix.
"Pile of trash, huh? Just who are you?" he asked.
"I am a proud member of the RDM! And I demand that you release your pokemon immediatly!" Vulpix said. Thomas looked at Marcus, who shrugged.
"Esper! Volt!" Thomas said throwing the two pokeballs, fumbling a little with his broken arm.
"Clefairy!" Marcus called out his pokemon.
"Now what?" Thomas asked, not quite grasping what was going on. Vulpix smiled and said, "Now, you will destroy those pokeballs, and turn your pokemon over to me! I shall see to it that they are returned to their home environments!"

Esper's eyes narrowed, and Volt growled out a protest. Thomas smiled, as he saw Marcus's Clefairy Standing next to his Magby.
"I think that that's pokemon for no!" Thomas said with a gesture.
"You don't have a choice in the matter! They are coming with me whether you like it or not!" Vulpix yelled. Volt roared at him, but Esper did something that surprised Thomas. Esper's eyes glowed violet, and Vulpix was lifted off the ground. He was then hurled into a rock. Thomas stared at his pokemon. Esper must be really mad, for he had never grown violent except in a battle! Vulpix struggled to his feet.
"Tch! I won't forget this!" Vulpix said. He glowed white, then for a second or two, Thomas and Marcus and their pokemon were blinded. When their eyes cleared, Vulpix was gone.
"What was that all about?" Marcus asked.
"I don't know, but I get the feeling that wasn't the end. I'd like to know who these RDM guys are! At least you get to keep Magby!" Thomas said as he saw Marcus use a pokeball to catch the Magby. They called back their pokemon, then continued up the mountain, keeping a wary eye out for anything unusual.

 

[Fuyu]

"Zoran!" The boy glanced at her from where he was trying to calm down Sparx, whose fur was fluffy in the heat. She didn't like that at all. Zaria was looking down the path, where something was going on. Doom yawned, not being affected by the heat at all. They had been training on the mountain for the past few days, mostly to get Cody to heal enough for battle and evolve.

"What's the matter?" Cody limped over to see a Flamethrower burst through the sky. He let out a squawk of alarm and ran back to Zoran.

"Something's going on down there! I think there's a fight!"

"Before they get to the gym?" her brother remarked, carefully adjusting his voice and look. He was not getting caught this close to the Gym, if it was the AAPM or for that matter, any other enemy. "That's not a good idea. We still have a long way to go and it's only going to get hotter. Oh well..." He paused, hearing the sounds of voices not far behind. "Maybe we should wait for whoever that is. If it's the enemy, we can beat them right?" Cody, now a Marshtomp, agreed, slapping more mud on himself. Doom nodded and Sparx huffed in agreement, desperate to take out her aggression on something.

 

[Nideous]

Thomas rubbed his eyes again. It was starting to get hotter. He knew he could tough it out. But he couldn't help but curse the heat. Marcus was faring no better. Thomas had come from a place where it got hot all the time, so he could deal with it. He pushed onward. He saw a black shadow flying overhead. He looked up in time to see a Skarmory land not to far from him.
"Hey! It's a Skarmory!" Thomas said with a smile. The Skarmory turned her head toward him, and looked him up and down.
"Great! Another would be trainer. I guess you want me to join you, hmm? Well, I've got nothing better to do, so I'll give you a test. Follow me!" she said. Thomas grinned at her as she took off. He started to run after her. She landed on the other side of a narrow ledge. Thomas might be able to slip across, but it would be hard. If he fell, well then a broken arm would be the least of his problems. He gulped. He really wanted to get Skarmory, but would he risk his life to do so? Then he realized that he had been risking his life everyday that he was on this journey. He might as well go through with this. He slowly inched his way across the ledge, trying not to look down. He slipped once, but managed to grab unto a loose rock. He righted himself and looked back. He wasn't that far from the safety He could easily go back there and forget all about this crazy pokemon. And then he could go home and give Esper and Volt to his mother and hide under his bed for the rest of his life. He looked over at Skarmory. She was looking at him with an expectant look on her face. He inched closer. He sore she was smiling at him, but it was so hard to tell what with her beak and all. He slipped again, only this time there was nothing to grab. The ground rushed up at him. He closed his eyes, and wondered what his tombstone would say. Probably that he was a moron that should have listened to his parents. He didn't hit the ground. He opened his eyes. He was being held in Skarmory's talons. She dropped him on the safe ledge and landed close to him. Marcus ran up and grabbed him.

"You moron! You could have been killed!" Marcus said.
"I was right about you. If you're willing to risk your life for the chacne of adding me to your team, I can imagine how far you would go to protect anyone that joins you! My previous trainer named me Razor. A name I would very much like to hear again!" Razor said serenly. Thomas grinned.
"Welcome to the team, Razor!" He said, hurling a pokeball. Then it happened again. A bout of flame shot the ball out of the air.
"Ugg. Not again," Thomas said.
"I told you that you hadn't seen the end of me! Run, get out of here! I'll take care of this!" Vulpix said, trotting out to stand between Thomas and Razor. Razor took off.
"Great! Now look at what you did! She wanted to come with me! What right do you have to do that!?" Thomas said. Vulpix stuck his paw in the air and waggled it at Thomas. At that moment Razor landed next to Thomas. She put the pokeball meant for her in his hand.
"I have every right! If someone was about to jump off a bridge, wouldn't you stop them!" Vulpix said.
"So... Going with a human is equel to killing your self? Is that what you mean. You really are dumb," Razor said. Vulpix flushed with anger.
"Skarmory, you-" Vulpix began.
"MY NAME IS RAZOR!" Razor yelled.
"I'll make you all free! You'll be thanking me later!" Vulpix yelled. He then let loose a massive Flamethrower. No one had time to react before Esper came out of his pokeball. Using Psychic, he caught the Flamethrower and sent it skyward. Then he Picked Vulpix up. Vulpix struggled a bit, then his Eye's started glowing Purple. He thrashed about, and started yelling.
"Ahh! Getr out of my head!" Vulpix yelled. As soon as it started it stopped. Vulpix dropped to the ground. Thomas was prepared to fight, but he saw what Vulpix was doing. He was crying!? Vulpix stood up.
"I... I have to report back to base! You got lucky this time!" He said. He ran off, still crying.
"What did you do to him?" Thomas asked Esper. Esper gave him this look that told Thomas that he really didn't want to know. He threw to pokeball and caught Razor. Then he called back Esper. Marcus grinned at him.

"Well, I caught a Skarmory! Things are looking up!" Thomas said. They had resumed the climb. Marcus walked up beside him, huffing and puffing.
"I need to rest a minute! I'll fall over if I don't," Marcus said. Thomas looked around. This was a good place to rest. He sat down, and Marcus did the same.
"I wonder what pokemon the gym leader will have?" Marcus asked.
"A bunch of Fire Types like that Magby," Thomas said. He looked around. Something wasn't quite right here. He had the feeling he was being watched, but he didn't know who was watching him. He spotted a bit of mud. Mud? It hadn't rained, and the mud was only in one spot. It was close to a big boulder that he couldn't see behind. He stood up. Marcus looked questioningly at him.
"We don't have to leave now do we?" Marcus asked. Thomas looked at his friend. Marcus was in no shape to go anywhere right now. If those AAPM guys came out, they had no where to run. Thomas hoped he could defend the both of them.

 

[Fuyu]

Cody looked guiltily at his trainer and Zoran affectionately patted his head. Zoran paused and thought, They're making kids into AAPM agents now? He wouldn't be surprised if they were but still... it was a disturbing thought.

"I'll take a look," Zaria offered, floating past the rock. Zoran remained quiet, returning Sparx to her Pokeball before she yowled in annoyance. Zaria flew around the boys, hoping they weren't spiritually sensitive. Then she caught glimpse of an Espeon and paled, immediately rushing back. Even if the boys didn't know she was there, that Pokemon would. Her brother tilted his head curiously at her and she hissed. "They've got a Psychic Pokemon!" He nodded and, thought for a moment. Then he stepped out, wearing an expression of surprise and slight fear. Zaria groaned. "You're so reckless..."

"Hi..." he said softly, carefully looking down and pitching his voice high and faintly afraid. "This is odd... people haven't been up here in a long time. You're going... to the Gym right?"

 

[Nideous]

Thomas leaned against the rock. Marcus suddenly looked afraid. Esper started growling at something.

"Thomas! There's something here!" Marcus said. Thomas looked around. HE didn't see anything, but the other's were scared of something.
"I don't see anything. Esper, what are you growling at? Chill out!" Thomas said. Espers eyes followed something back to the rock. Before they got the chance to relax, an odd looking boy came out from behind the rock. He looked a bit like a girl, and very scared.

"Hi..." he said softly, trying to make his voice higher than it obviously was. "This is odd... people haven't been up here in a long time. You're going... to the Gym right?"

"Yeah! Um... I'm Marcus," Marcus said. Thomas rolled his eyes.
"Marcus, before you start trying to flirt, you should know that's a dude. I'm Thomas! And we are headed for the gym. So tell me, where are you going?" Thomas said. Marcus's eye's widened at learning that information. Thomas rolled his eyes again at his friends behavior. Esper was still looking at the rock, as if it would jump up and grab him.