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[Missingno. Master]

Well. I gave an optimistic estimate of this chapter being done by the weekend following November 6th. It is now December 7th. Clearly, that didn't pan out. But yeah, now it's finished, and here it is. Chapter 8!

Chapter 8: Who Gets To Keep Togepi?
~~~~~~~~​

Hastily, the Egg was relocated to a table, and had been placed carefully on a soft cushion, with the nurse carefully monitoring it to ensure the hatching went smoothly. Ethan and Maggie watched as the Egg wobbled violently, the cracks growing larger and larger by the moment- primarily on the top of the Egg, though several smaller cracks were forming elsewhere on the shell. Even Grey was glancing at the Egg with mild interest by now. And then, at long last, great chunks of eggshell broke away from the top of the Egg, revealing a similarly-shaped mass inside, which slowly unfurled itself into several vaguely spiky protrusions. Then, the other cracked areas on the Egg gave way, as a pair of stubby arms poked out of the shell, followed by a pair of feet protruding from the bottom. However, this seemed to be the extent of the Egg's breaking. At that moment, Ethan noticed the small face on the foremost spike on the new Pokémon, as it opened its tiny eyes. "Togi?" it squeaked.

"Awwwwww," squealed Maggie, overcome by the newborn Pokémon. "It's so cute!"

"What is it?" Ethan wondered out loud. Grey, meanwhile, merely held out her Pokédex.

"Togepi, the Spike Ball Pokémon," droned the device. "Togepi is said to be a symbol of good luck, and is said to share its good luck when treated with kindness."

"Well, this is awesome," smiled Ethan. "How many people can say they actually witnessed the birth of a Pokémon?"

"It's OK," shrugged Grey. At this moment, Togepi unsteadily stood up on its small feet, and started to slowly walk around.

"Togepi seems to be perfectly healthy," reported the nurse with a smile.

"Good, good," nodded Maggie.

"...So," Ethan said, after a momentary pause, "I guess the question now is... who gets to keep Togepi?"

Silence. Ethan, Maggie, and Grey exchanged looks.

"Well, I cared for the Egg," Maggie replied, "but to keep it fair, I think I should take what the both of you want into consideration. Ethan, Grey, would either of you be interested in Togepi?"

"Heh, you bet!" exclaimed Ethan.

"Togi?" Togepi squeaked again, tilting its head slightly, unsure as to what all this commotion was about.

"Meh," shrugged Grey. "Makes no difference to me one way or another." Then, she blinked, as she felt something poking her arm. Looking down at the table, she could see that Togepi had waddled over to her and was poking her with one of its stubby arms. "Oh. Hey, you," she said to the Togepi, prompting the Spike Ball Pokémon to look up at her. Togepi and Grey looked at each other for about a few seconds, before Maggie scooped it up into her arms.

"OK, well, I think I know how we can settle this," smiled Maggie. "Follow me."

"Hold on- your Pokémon," the nurse said suddenly, handing Ethan and Grey two Poké Balls apiece.
~~~~~~~~

Outside the Pokémon Center, after Maggie had explained her idea, Ethan and Maggie stood on opposite sides of a makeshift arena. Grey was sitting on a pink and orange bench off to the side, holding Togepi in her arms.

"This'll be a one-on-one battle between Idiot Boy from New Bark Town-" began Grey.

"The name is Ethan," snapped Ethan.

"-And Maggie from Bincanar Island," Grey continued, as if there had been no interruption. "The winner will become the owner of this newborn Togepi."

"Togi togi priiiii!" chimed in Togepi, waving its arms happily.

"All right- begin now!" Grey stated.

Grinning, Ethan threw a Poké Ball. "Dunsparce, let's go!" he exclaimed as the Land Snake Pokémon emerged from its spherical confines.

"Dunsparce, hmm?" said Maggie, as she took a Poké Ball off her belt and kissed it. "Well, then, I choose Ninetales!" she exclaimed, throwing the ball, and unleashing from within a four-legged Pokémon with beautiful cream-colored fur, and perhaps more importantly, a set of nine long tails trailing from its backside. Ethan took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the Fire-type.

"Ninetales, the Fox Pokémon, and the evolved form of Vulpix," the machine droned. "Ninetales is capable of living for up to a thousand years. According to legend, each tail contains its own special mystic power."

"OK, Dunsparce," warned Ethan, "Maggie's a Gym Leader, so this Ninetales is bound to be tough. You ready to go?"

"Sparce, sparce!" nodded Dunsparce.

"Ready, Ninetales?" asked Maggie.

"Niiiiine," replied the Fox Pokémon.

"Dunsparce, use Rage attack!" ordered Ethan.

"Ninetales, Fire Spin!" commanded Maggie.

Ninetales immediately unleashed a swirling cyclone of flames from its mouth, as Dunsparce flapped its wings furiously and charged forward- straight into the Fire Spin. However, this didn't stop Dunsparce, who broke through the other side and rammed into Ninetales.

"Awesome!" grinned Ethan, noting the red aura surrounding Dunsparce. "That Fire Spin's just powering Dunsparce up! Go, Dunsparce, use Rage once more!"

"Confuse Ray!" ordered Maggie.

As the battle raged on, Grey looked down at the Togepi in her arms, who wasn't looking particularly interested in the action. "Not even wondering who's gonna end up with you?" she murmured.

"Togi?" squeaked Togepi, turning around in Grey's arms to look up at her.

"Well, yeah," Grey replied. "They're battling to see which of them gets to keep you. I'd think that would be worth your attention, you know?"

At that moment, however, a pair of hands deftly swiped Togepi from Grey's arms. "And I'd think we'd be worth your attention," came a sneering sort of voice in response.

Almost at once, Grey leapt to her feet and wheeled around, spotting the fleeing forms of Missy and Ingo of Team ED. "Hey! HEY!" she roared. "Get your sorry asses back here this instant!"

"Grey, what- where's Togepi?!" gasped Ethan.

"Wha- what happened?!" exclaimed Maggie.

"That damned Team ED came and stole it is what happened!" Grey snapped, a Poké Ball already flying out of her hand. "After them, Zubat!" she exclaimed as the Bat Pokémon materialized in midair.

"Ninetales, let's move!" urged Maggie.

"Go with Zubat, Dunsparce," added Ethan.

The chase was on. Zubat and Dunsparce took to the sky, and easily spotted the fleeing Team ED grunts. They flew off after them, allowing their respective Trainers, plus Maggie and Ninetales, to follow.

"Hee hee hee," laughed Missy, ignoring the wails and cries of the Togepi she was clutching. "Easiest. Heist. Ever. We got ourselves a rare Pokémon just like that!"

"I know!" cackled Ingo. "Now all we need to do is lose these twerps and we're home free!"

Just then, the duo heard rapid footsteps behind them. They looked back, and spotted Ethan, Grey, Maggie, and Ninetales in hot pursuit.

"Geez, don't those twerps ever give up?" grumbled Missy. "I guess we'll have to stop them ourselves!"

"Right!" nodded Ingo. With that, they both skidded to a halt and wheeled around, causing Ethan, Maggie, and Grey to stop in their tracks.

"OK, give back Togepi now!" demanded Ethan.

"Nothing doing, twerp," Ingo shot back. "We merely stopped so we could stop you!"

"Go, LM4!" exclaimed Missy, throwing her Poké Ball.

"And go, Delibird!" added Ingo, also throwing a Poké Ball.

In twin flashes of light, LM4 and Delibird materialized, the Bubble Cube Pokémon hovering in midair, and the Delivery Pokémon standing on the ground, the mouth of its sack-tail clutched in one of its wings.

"Dunsparce!" Ethan called up to the Land Snake Pokémon. "Use Bite on Delibird!"

"Ninetales, Body Slam that LM4!" ordered Maggie.

"LM4, Quick Attack!" shouted Missy.

"Delibird, use Present!" yelled Ingo.

The battle ensued, and in all the chaos, nobody noticed that Togepi had stopped crying. In fact, now it was waving its stubby little arms back and forth. "Togi, togi, togi, togi," it squeaked quietly, as its arms gradually took on a bluish glow.

"Come on, LM4!" growled Missy as Ninetales had just slammed it with a Quick Attack. "Use Water Gun- what the?!"

For at that moment, a rainbow-colored beam of light issued from some point behind LM4, and struck it hard, sending it tumbling to the ground. Missy looked down at the Togepi in her arms, who looked up at her with an innocent expression.

"Wait, what just happened there?" wondered Maggie. "Did you guys see some kind of weird light from behind LM4 just now? Kinda like a Psybeam or something?"

Ethan shrugged. "I dunno, I was a little more focused on Delibird."

"I didn't see anything," added Grey. "Now, Zubat, swoop down and grab Togepi!"

"Zubat!" chattered Zubat as it dove down, opening its mouth wide, and grabbing Togepi by the shell.

"Hey!" protested Missy as Zubat deposited Togepi in Grey's arms.

"Yeah, well, tough," snapped Grey. "Pokémon thieves like you pathetic bunch, I got no sympathy for. Zubat, Gust!"

"Bat bat baaaaat!" screeched Zubat as it flapped its wings hard, sending both Delibird and LM4 flying backwards into their Trainers, and then sending both Trainers flying down the path.

"We'll be back!" shouted Ingo. "We'll get those Pokémon of yours somedaaaaaay!"

"Thanks, Grey," Maggie smiled.

"Yeah," Ethan added, through clenched teeth, as though saying this was causing him physical pain. "I... guess... you did... OK..."

Grey raised an eyebrow. "Would a simple 'thank you' kill you?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, that's rich, coming from someone who seems to think my name is 'Idiot'," retorted Ethan. "When are you gonna start referring to me by my actual name?"

"When are you gonna stop being an idiot?" replied Grey.

"OK, come on, break it up," said Maggie. "Can't we both just be glad we got Togepi back?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," muttered Grey. Then, she looked down in mild surprise, for Togepi was currently doing its best to hug her.

"What the..." murmured Ethan as he noticed this. "Togepi's hugging Grey?"

"I think it's trying to thank you for saving it," remarked Maggie.

"Hm," Grey grunted, sounding mildly amused as she looked down at the baby Normal-type. "Well, that makes you smarter than certain people, I guess," she said.

"You'll take any opportunity for a shot at me, won't you?" grumbled Ethan. "Anyway, Maggie, we should probably get back to our battle."

Maggie did not respond right away. Instead, she looked at Togepi and Grey for a minute before finally speaking up. "Actually, Ethan, I don't think we need to," she replied.

"Huh?" said Ethan and Grey simultaneously.

"Well, Grey," smiled Maggie, "I think Togepi's made the decision for us."

"Wha-" began Ethan, before realizing what she was getting at. "Are you kidding me?" he demanded.

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" demanded Grey, narrowing her eyes at Ethan. "Implying I wouldn't be the perfect person to take care of this Togepi?"

"You yourself said you didn't want it-" began Ethan.

"If you would ever bother to listen once in a while," interrupted Grey, "I believe my exact words were, 'Makes no difference to me one way or another'. Never said I wouldn't want to take care of it."

"Well, if you were so apathetic about it before, what changed your mind?" said Ethan.

"Togepi's choosing me," snapped Grey. "Given the choice between the three of us, it's choosing me. That shows intelligence right there, and right out of the Egg, too."

"You have a really high opinion of yourself, don't you?" asked Maggie.

"I prefer to think of it as an accurate opinion of myself," Grey retorted.

"I think we should make sure," Ethan insisted, before looking at the Spike Ball Pokémon. "Togepi," he said, "Who do you want to go with- me, Maggie, or Grey?"

"Togi?" squeaked Togepi. Then, after a few seconds, it resumed its hugging of Grey. "Togi togi togi, priiiiiii!" it chirped happily.

Grey smirked at Ethan. "Does that answer your question?" she said. "Now, if we're finished with all this stupid arguing, I think we ought to get going if we want to hit Aelaza Town by nightfall." With that, she started walking.

"What, no Poké Ball for Togepi?" asked Ethan.

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" scowled Grey as she lightly tapped Togepi on the shell with an empty Poké Ball, sucking it inside. Then, once it stopped shaking, Grey sent her new Togepi right back out into her arms and attached the ball to her belt.

"I take you for the fool you are," Ethan shot back. "You probably wouldn't have done that if I hadn't spoken up."

"Keep it up and you'll see exactly what else I wouldn't have done had you not spoken up," threatened Grey.

Maggie followed behind Ethan and Grey, as they continued to argue. She sighed, knowing that any intervention on her part would likely be futile.

It was not a far walk until they found themselves outside of Teloiv City, and walking down a blue and green dirt road, with lots of orange and white grass growing on either side. A nearby signpost told them they were on Route -32.

"All right, keep walking," called Grey.

"Yeah, I think we get the general idea," scowled Ethan.

"Ethan," Maggie said, "Don't you ever get tired of arguing with Grey all the time?"

"Of course I do!" replied Ethan. "I get tired of just being near her! And frankly, I don't see why you think it's such a good idea for us to be traveling together like this," he added.

"Well, traveling's always preferable with company," said Maggie. "My cousin traveled the entire Tanko region with his girlfriend and Red, and they had a wonderful time. Besides, now that there's this Team ED going around, traveling alone might not be a wise idea, you know?"

"Much as I'd love for you to not have to inflict your company upon me, she's got a point," grumbled Grey. "I'm obviously more skilled than any of those Team ED morons, but they could still go for the advantage in numbers."

"You mean you're more skilled than the two we keep running into," Ethan replied. "Somehow, those two strike me as the idiots of that group.

"Hey, Ethan?" said Grey.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Ethan scowled at Grey, but said nothing as they made their way across the brightly colored landscape. Maggie followed behind them, sighing as she wondered whether their journey would ever be a peaceful one.

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 8.​

 

[Dormant]

Welcome back, Master of Glitches! I suggest you update the link in your signature as it is now Chapter 8 I believe.

It's QUOTING TIME!

Hastily, the Egg was relocated to a table, and had been placed carefully on a soft cushion, with the nurse carefully monitoring it to ensure the hatching went smoothly. Ethan and Maggie watched as the Egg wobbled violently, the cracks growing larger and larger by the moment- primarily on the top of the Egg, though several smaller cracks were forming elsewhere on the shell. Even Grey was glancing at the Egg with mild interest by now. And then, at long last, great chunks of eggshell broke away from the top of the Egg, revealing a similarly-shaped mass inside, which slowly unfurled itself into several vaguely spiky protrusions. Then, the other cracked areas on the Egg gave way, as a pair of stubby arms poked out of the shell, followed by a pair of feet protruding from the bottom. However, this seemed to be the extent of the Egg's breaking. At that moment, Ethan noticed the small face on the foremost spike on the new Pokémon, as it opened its tiny eyes. "Togi?" it squeaked.

Must be interesting seeing an egg hatched before your very eyes!

"Togepi, the Spike Ball Pokémon," droned the device. "Togepi is said to be a symbol of good luck, and is said to share its good luck when treated with kindness."

Must be as lucky as a Honchkrow...

"Well, I cared for the Egg," Maggie replied, "but to keep it fair, I think I should take what the both of you want into consideration. Ethan, Grey, would either of you be interested in Togepi?"

Good old Maggie, the peacemaker of both Ethan and Grey. Like her boyfriend was...

Outside the Pokémon Center, after Maggie had explained her idea, Ethan and Maggie stood on opposite sides of a makeshift arena. Grey was sitting on a pink and orange bench off to the side, holding Togepi in her arms.

Well, the only way to settle things in the land of Pokemon, is a Pokebattle!

Grinning, Ethan threw a Poké Ball. "Dunsparce, let's go!" he exclaimed as the Land Snake Pokémon emerged from its spherical confines.

"Dunsparce, hmm?" said Maggie, as she took a Poké Ball off her belt and kissed it. "Well, then, I choose Ninetales!" she exclaimed, throwing the ball, and unleashing from within a four-legged Pokémon with beautiful cream-colored fur, and perhaps more importantly, a set of nine long tails trailing from its backside.

The power of derp against the power of fire, WHO SHALL EMERGE SUPREME!?!

At that moment, however, a pair of hands deftly swiped Togepi from Grey's arms. "And I'd think we'd be worth your attention," came a sneering sort of voice in response.

Almost at once, Grey leapt to her feet and wheeled around, spotting the fleeing forms of Missy and Ingo of Team ED. "Hey! HEY!" she roared. "Get your sorry asses back here this instant!"

Freaking Team ED... Taking babies and sh*t.

"That damned Team ED came and stole it is what happened!" Grey snapped, a Poké Ball already flying out of her hand. "After them, Zubat!" she exclaimed as the Bat Pokémon materialized in midair.

Go Grey! Stop them, then burn their houses with lemons!

"Hee hee hee," laughed Missy, ignoring the wails and cries of the Togepi she was clutching. "Easiest. Heist. Ever. We got ourselves a rare Pokémon just like that!"

"I know!" cackled Ingo. "Now all we need to do is lose these twerps and we're home free!"

Ingo... Ingo... Where did I-*gasp*

"Bat bat baaaaat!" screeched Zubat as it flapped its wings hard, sending both Delibird and LM4 flying backwards into their Trainers, and then sending both Trainers flying down the path.

"We'll be back!" shouted Ingo. "We'll get those Pokémon of yours somedaaaaaay!"

Maybe he went back to Unova...

"Well, Grey," smiled Maggie, "I think Togepi's made the decision for us."

The baby has spoken! (Or huggeth)

"All right, keep walking," called Grey.

"Yeah, I think we get the general idea," scowled Ethan.

"Ethan," Maggie said, "Don't you ever get tired of arguing with Grey all the time?"

"Of course I do!" replied Ethan. "I get tired of just being near her! And frankly, I don't see why you think it's such a good idea for us to be traveling together like this," he added.

Will Ethan and Grey ever stop arguing? Will Maggie ever find her lost boyfriend? And will there be bacon?

"Hey, Ethan?" said Grey.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Ethan scowled at Grey, but said nothing as they made their way across the brightly colored landscape. Maggie followed behind them, sighing as she wondered whether their journey would ever be a peaceful one.

The shipping is strong in this one. Poor Maggie, there's a time where being the only sane girl have it's limits...

Anyways, greaaaat chapter!

 

[UltimatePokemonExpert]

I agree with Dormant, Grey obviously wants the E... ehehehehehe, see what I did there? But seriously, nice chapter. It's nice to see Grey has a heart of some kind. Now, will Bugsy's counterpart be an extremely manly woman? Find out on the next episode of this fanfiction!

 

[Missingno. Master]

Welcome back, Master of Glitches! I suggest you update the link in your signature as it is now Chapter 8 I believe.

It's QUOTING TIME!

Eh? Aw, dammit, I knew I forgot to update something! Well, I'll hold off on that for now- Chapter 9 is coming in less than half an hour anyways. Actually, way less than half an hour. Like, start spamming Refresh right now.

Must be interesting seeing an egg hatched before your very eyes!

I would imagine so.

Must be as lucky as a Honchkrow...

View attachment 11292

...And it has just sunk in why Togepi's Hidden Ability is Super Luck. Seriously, I knew about this Pokédex entry, and yet I never made the connection until now.

Well, the only way to settle things in the land of Pokemon, is a Pokebattle!

Damn straight!

The power of derp against the power of fire, WHO SHALL EMERGE SUPREME!?!

The power of Grey, of course.

Freaking Team ED... Taking babies and sh*t.

Yeah, they suck.

Go Grey! Stop them, then burn their houses with lemons!

Is that a reference to something? Because if it is, I'm not getting it.

Ingo... Ingo... Where did I-*gasp*

Not where this Ingo got his name. Missy and Ingo's names are a pun on Missingno.

The baby has spoken! (Or huggeth)

Togepi's gonna bring out a somewhat softer side of Grey. Not by too much, but it'll be there.

Will Ethan and Grey ever stop arguing? Will Maggie ever find her lost boyfriend? And will there be bacon?

The first two would be spoilers, but the last one- hell yeah there'll be bacon! Or, fried nines, anyway- they're the Tankoan/Hojotian equivalent of bacon, so yeah.

Anyways, greaaaat chapter!

Thaaaanks!

I agree with Dormant, Grey obviously wants the E... ehehehehehe, see what I did there? But seriously, nice chapter. It's nice to see Grey has a heart of some kind. Now, will Bugsy's counterpart be an extremely manly woman? Find out on the next episode of this fanfiction!

I see what you did there.

As for Bugsy's counterpart, you'll see what I got in mind. More like episode after next, by the way.

 

[Missingno. Master]

Chapter 9: Trouble In Noinu Cave
~~~~~~~~​

The walk down Route -32 was uneventful, and to be honest, pretty boring. The trio encountered several wild Pokémon, mostly Rattata, and Grey showed zero interest in catching any of them. Ethan stopped, looking interested in catching one, but Grey dragged him away.

"The very last thing we need is for that idiot Joey to think he influenced our teams in any way," Grey scowled in response to Ethan's protests.

Maggie folded her arms. "For your information," she said to Grey, "the first Pokémon my boyfriend ever caught was a Rattata."

"How nice for you," Grey yawned, as a large purple and orange mountain came into view. "Ah," she added. "Noinu Cave, no doubt."

"Noinu Cave?" repeated Ethan.

"Yes, that's what I just said," Grey snapped. "Now, if you're done with the stupid echo thing, let's get moving. Aelaza Town should be right on the other side of the cave."

"Togi, togi!" Togepi chirped happily- Grey was still carrying Togepi in her arms, and despite the Trainer's loudness and rudeness, the Normal-type didn't appear bothered in the slightest.

"Honestly, can't you two ever get along?" sighed Maggie.

"No," replied Ethan and Grey simultaneously.
~~~~~~~~
The inside of Noinu Cave wasn't nearly as dark as Krad Cave had been, but the lighting was still very dim. Still, it was perfectly possible for the trio to make their way through without tripping over rocks or stepping on the wild Pokémon. Of course, for the first few minutes, all they saw was Zubat anyway. And then, a light brown sphere rolled out in front of the trio. They stopped only as it unfurled itself into a small creature with two arms, two legs, a head, and a short tail. Its arms and legs were tipped with short yet sharp claws. Interested, Ethan held out his Pokédex.

"Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon," droned the device. "Sandshrew dislikes water and prefers dry, arid places. It can curl up into a ball to defend itself."

"A Sandshrew, hmm?" grinned Ethan. "Alright, works for me." Without further ado, he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Cyndaquil!" he shouted.

The ball burst open, and in a flash of light, Ethan's Cyndaquil materialized. "Quiiiiiil!" it squeaked, its back flaring up at once, providing better illumination in the immediate area.

Sandshrew made the first move- curling back into a ball, it rolled forward at high speeds, then unfurled itself at the last second and raked its claws across Cyndaquil's face. The Fire-type reeled from the Scratch attack, but recovered almost immediately.

"Cyndaquil! Fury Swipes!" Ethan ordered.

Cyndaquil charged forward, rapidly swiping at Sandshrew with its front paws. "Quil! Quil! Quil! Quil! Quil!" it exclaimed.

"Good! Now use Ember attack!" shouted Ethan.

"Cyndaaa... quiiiiil!" squealed Cyndaquil, a barrage of flames blasting out of its mouth. Sandshrew tried to evade the move, but was unsuccessful.

"Now's my chance!" Ethan exclaimed, an empty Poké Ball in his hand. "Poké Ball, go-" However, he was cut off by a sudden echoing roaring sound from further in the cave.

"What the..." murmured Maggie. All three of them looked further into the cave in curiosity, none of them noticing that Sandshrew had taken that opportunity to run away. Indeed, they all started running, but did not need to run very far- the path they were going down opened up into a large chamber. Only one thing appeared to be within this chamber- a single massive Pokémon, thrashing about and roaring angrily. Its white body was vaguely L-shaped, and covered in purple, orange, and black markings. As the trio exchanged shocked glances, Ethan held out his Pokédex once more.

"'M, the Shoreline Pokémon," droned the Pokédex. "'M's physical strength is virtually unmatched. It's special move is the Sky Attack."

"An 'M!" exclaimed Maggie. "They're very common sights on the beaches of Bincanar Island."

"Great," hissed Grey. "Really fascinating. Then maybe you can figure out why the hell this one's going nuts!"

Before either Maggie or Ethan could say anything, 'M noticed their presence. It roared unpleasantly, then shot a stream of water from its mouth. Hastily, they ran off in different directions, barely evading the Water Gun.

"So it's a battle this thing wants, hmm?" Grey smirked.

"Togi! Togi!" Togepi was exclaiming, waving its stubby arms wildly.

"Yeah, no," Grey shook her head, looking down at Togepi. "You ain't even a day old yet. I'm no idiot, I'm not about to pit a newborn against that thing. No, this calls for something with more experience," she stated, throwing a Poké Ball while still keeping Togepi clutched in her other arm. "Zubat!" she shouted as the Poison/Flying-type erupted from the ball.

"We'll help, too!" Ethan declared. "Cyndaquil!" he exclaimed. Cyndaquil, who was never called back to its ball following the Sandshrew battle, charged forward.

Maggie threw a Poké Ball as well. "Go, Magby!" she exclaimed.

'M roared loudly at the sight of Zubat, Cyndaquil, and Magby. Grey then turned to Ethan and Maggie and snorted. "It just tried hitting us with Water Gun, and your bright idea is to throw Fire-types at it?"

"It's not as though I have a choice in the matter," Maggie replied. "All my Pokémon are Fire-types."

"And Cyndaquil's my strongest Pokémon," Ethan added. "Cyndaquil, use Ember!"

"Magby, Karate Chop!" ordered Maggie.

"Zubat, Quick Attack!" commanded Grey.

The trio of Pokémon launched into their attacks at once. Meanwhile, Togepi watched the action from Grey's arms. It looked up at Grey, to see that her Trainer was focusing on the action. It looked over at Ethan and Maggie, and saw the same thing. So, it started waving its arms back and forth. "Togi, togi, togi, togi," it chanted quietly as its stubby arms gradually gained a bright blue glow. And then, without warning, 'M lit up with electricity, roaring in pain. Once the electricity faded away, 'M flew off, leaving through another exit into another part of the cave.

"...What just happened there?" Maggie asked.

"Maybe something used Thunder Shock?" suggested Ethan.

"None of our Pokémon can do that move, though," Grey said. "...Can they?" she added, glancing down questioningly at Togepi.

"Togi?" Togepi asked questioningly.

"Grey, what..." began Ethan, before starting to get what she was thinking. "Hold up, you think Togepi did that?"

"You got a better idea?" Grey replied. "I'm pretty damn sure Cyndaquil, Magby, and Zubat can't use Thunder Shock."

"But Togepi's a Normal-type, isn't it?" said Maggie. "I'm not so sure it can use Thunder Shock, either."

"One way to find out, I guess," shrugged Grey as she put Togepi down on the ground. "OK, Togepi, use Thunder Shock," she said.

Togepi tilted its head. "Togi?" it squeaked.

"I guess that settles it," shrugged Ethan.

"Hmm," Grey murmured as she picked Togepi back up. Personally, she wasn't so sure that that settled it.

"Well, anyway, we might as well get through this cave," Maggie suggested.

"Like I've been saying from the start," scoffed Grey. The group then proceeded to call back their Pokémon (minus Togepi), and they headed off down the same tunnel 'M was going down.

"I wonder what that 'M was so freaked about, though," Maggie wondered out loud. "I mean, the wild 'M I've seen generally have more docile dispositions."

Nobody had any answers for this, and so they continued to walk. And then, several minutes later, the cave shook slightly, and loud thumping and roaring sounds were coming from up ahead. This prompted the trio to speed up, only to be met with a jet of water.

"Gah!" Grey exclaimed. "OK, that does it! I don't know what that 'M's deal is, but it's going down!" And she threw another Poké Ball. "Tentacool! Bubble Beam!" she yelled as the Jellyfish Pokémon emerged from its ball.

"Tentacooooool!" exclaimed Tentacool as a powerful jet of foam erupted from its smallest ruby-like protrusion. 'M, now clearly visible up ahead, roared its displeasure at the move, and charged forward, aglow with a dazzling golden light.

"It's using Sky Attack!" Maggie warned Grey.

"Gee, I never would have guessed!" snapped Grey. "Tentacool, Bubble Beam again!"

"Coooool!" responded Tentacool as it fired off another jet of foam. However, 'M was able to muscle right through the Water move, ramming right into Tentacool and plowing it into the ground before Grey.

"Tentacool?!" Grey growled.

"Tenta..." Tentacool muttered in a dazed tone, clearly in no fit state to battle.

"Woah," Ethan murmured weakly. "Knocked out in one hit."

"That's an 'M for you," Maggie nodded. "I've had many challengers use one against me. That Sky Attack is serious business."

"Tentacool, return," sighed Grey, holding out the ball and calling Tentacool back to it. Then, she looked down at the Togepi in her arms. "OK, you," she said to Togepi, "I dunno what you did before- Thunder Shock, Thunderbolt, or whatever that was- but whatever it was, do it again, OK?"

"Grey, you seriously think Togepi did that Electric attack earlier?" Ethan asked skeptically.

"Then you explain it to me," frowned Grey. There were no Electric-types in the area. And before that, some random Psybeam from nowhere hits that Team ED moron's LM4? And all this doesn't start until after Togepi hatches? Alright, it's a stretch, I'll admit it, but I don't see you thinking of any alternatives."

'M, meanwhile, was roaring and thrashing about, and started charging once more, this time at Grey.

"Gah!" Grey exclaimed, as she reached for Zubat's Poké Ball. But before she reached it, Togepi decided this was a perfect time to take action.

"TOGIIIIIIIIIIIII!" shouted Togepi, its louder-than-usual voice echoing all through the cave, as several visible soundwaves erupted from its mouth. As they washed over 'M, the Shoreline Pokémon halted in place, slammed its eyes shut, and groaned.

"Whoa!" Maggie exclaimed. "What a Growl attack!"

"'Whoa' just about sums it up," nodded Grey, visibly impressed. "Stopped 'M in its tracks. But now it's Zubat's turn," she added, throwing the ball. "Use Leech Life!" she added as Zubat materialized in a flash of light.

"Baaaaat!" screeched Zubat as it dove down upon 'M, and sank its fangs into its side. 'M growled and started thrashing around in displeasure, trying to throw Zubat off of it. Nevertheless, Zubat held on tight, and after a minute or two, relinquished its grip on 'M voluntarily. This, however, gave 'M the chance to fire off a Water Gun, slamming Zubat into the wall.

"Zubat, get back in there!" exclaimed Grey, but Zubat was looking decidedly dazed.

"Now it's my turn," declared Ethan, throwing a Poké Ball. "Tackle it, Cyndaquil!" he exclaimed.

"Quiiiiiil!" squealed Cyndaquil as it burst out of its Poké Ball and rammed 'M hard. 'M retaliated with a Water Gun, which Cyndaquil dodged, if only barely.

"Now! Fury Swipes!" Ethan ordered.

As this was going on, Grey looked down at Togepi again. "Alright, you," she said quietly to it. "I think you and I both know you're behind these strange happenings. You got more than just Growl up your shell, don't you?"

"Togi?" Togepi chirped in response, tilting its head.

"Don't give me that," smirked Grey. "Whatever you did just before that electricity hit 'M, do it again, alright?"

Togepi blinked a few times, then cheerfully smiled. "Togi togi togi, priiii!" it replied happily, before waving its stubby arms back and forth. "Togi, togi, togi," it chanted.

Grey blinked, her eyes widening at this sight. "Huh," she remarked. "That'd explain it, all right.

"Finish it, Cyndaquil!" Ethan was shouting. "Ember!"

"Cynda- quil!" Cyndaquil shrieked, as a sudden Water Gun from 'M knocked it over.

"No! Cyndaquil!" exclaimed Ethan, watching with worry as his weary Fire-type shakily got back on its feet.

"Cynda... Cynda..." panted Cyndaquil. "Cynda... Cynda... QUIIIIIIIL!" it suddenly shrieked, before being shrouded in a blinding white light.

"Wha?!" Ethan exclaimed, a look of pure shock on his face. "What's... what's happening to Cyndaquil?!"

"It's evolving!" Maggie smiled. "Your Cyndaquil's started to evolve!"

Ethan peered into the glowing mass that was his Cyndaquil, and could vaguely make out its shape changing- the body was growing in size, mostly in length. And then, the glow faded, revealing a much longer version of Cyndaquil. Standing on its hind legs, it was significantly taller. And now its fire blazed from not only its lower back, but also from its head. "Quilaavaaaaa!" it exclaimed.

"Whoa!" breathed Ethan as he held out his Pokédex.

"Quilava, the Volcano Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cyndaquil," droned the device. "Quilava's entire body is covered in non-flammable fur, allowing it to withstand any sort of Fire attack. If it turns its back during battle, it is about to use its back flames to attack."

"And it says here you even learned a new move!" Ethan grinned. "Ready to rumble, Quilava?"

"Qui, Quilava," nodded Quilava happily.

"All right, then!" Ethan exclaimed eagerly. "Quilava, use Flame Wheel!"

"Lavaaaaaa!" bellowed Quilava, as a wheel of fire formed all around its body, and proceeded to roll right at 'M, who was charging forward in a Sky Attack. As the two adversaries connected, the combined force of their attacks created a minor explosion. Fortunately, it didn't seem to harm the cave any, but it did kick up enough dust to obscure the Aurora Beam that flew from seemingly nowhere and struck 'M directly. When the dust cleared, 'M had stopped roaring and thrashing, and was now leaning up against the cave wall, panting heavily.

"And now, for the Poké Ball!" Ethan declared, throwing an empty Poké Ball at 'M. However, the Bird/Normal-type had other plans, and shot off a weak yet still effective Water Gun, blocking the thrown ball.

"Hm," Grey remarked. "How about that."

"Seems like 'M doesn't want to get caught," Ethan said.

"And you just stated the obvious," snapped Grey, rolling her eyes. "What we don't know is why."

"Let me have a look," offered Maggie. Before either Ethan or Grey could reply, she slowly walked towards 'M, who regarded her warily. "It's OK," Maggie said gently. "I just want to help, OK?"

'M did nothing in response except for look into Maggie's eyes. The two maintained eye contact for almost a minute, before the Bird/Normal-type slowly nodded. Her grin widening, Maggie approached 'M, and examined its body. After a few minutes, Maggie nodded. "Aha," she murmured. "Here's your problem." 'M winced as Maggie reached for some point on its back, but then relaxed as the Fire-type trainer held up a sizable, sharp-looking pebble.

"The hell?" Grey demanded.

"This was stuck in 'M's back," Maggie explained. "Must have been very painful for it, and that's why it attacked- it was in pain."

"M, M," 'M said quietly, nodding in agreement, no longer roaring or even growling.

"Now, this may sting, but only for a few seconds," Maggie said gently as she produced from her bag a Super Potion, and sprayed the curative concoction on the wound. 'M winced yet again, but only for a moment. Then, the Shoreline Pokémon rose back up into the air, now looking decidedly more happy, and floated back the way it had came.

"That was pretty cool, Maggie," Ethan remarked.

"Eh, I guess it was," Grey added.

"Togi togi!" Togepi chimed in.

"Thanks," smiled Maggie modestly. "But really, it's nothing. Any good Gym Leader knows a thing or two about how to deal with injured Pokémon. So, shall we keep moving?"

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of this cave," stated Grey, taking the lead automatically. Sighing, Ethan withdrew Quilava, and he and Maggie followed. However, this did not last very long before decidedly dimmer sunlight assaulted their eyes once more. Only a short distance later, they were back out into the open.

"Route -33," declared Grey. "Aelaza Town should only be a short walk away."

"Just in time, too," observed Ethan. "Sun's starting to set." Indeed, the multicolored sun was very low in the sky, and so they walked at a quick pace along the green and yellow dirt path. Maggie could already see buildings up ahead (and oddly enough, the entrance to a well being guarded by a shady-looking man in a grey hoodie sweatshirt).

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 9.​

 

[Dormant]

Great Chapter as always!

Ah, Metronome. It has the chance to bring the wrath of God, or to flop around like an idiot trying to impress his/her mate.

Is that a reference to something? Because if it is, I'm not getting it.

I think this picture will explain it all...

Not where this Ingo got his name. Missy and Ingo's names are a pun on Missingno.

Oh :redface: Wow, I didn't notice it until now...

Maggie could already see buildings up ahead (and oddly enough, the entrance to a well being guarded by a shady-looking man in a grey hoodie sweatshirt).

Ooh... I wonder what it could be...

I bet is...

Spoiler: Derped

Genesect

or

Spoiler: Legit

King Ramses the Third

But like I said, Awesome Chapter MM!

:club:

 

[Missingno. Master]

Great Chapter as always!

Thanks!

Ah, Metronome. It has the chance to bring the wrath of God, or to flop around like an idiot trying to impress his/her mate.

Oh, yes. I've had good and bad experiences with Metronome, myself. One time, in FireRed, I was training my Clefable in Pokémon Tower, and using Metronome constantly. So of course, since all I was up against were Gastly and the occasional Haunter, all it called up were Normal, Fighting, and Ground moves, and at least one instance of Toxic. Called up Sky Attack at one point, so of course Clefable hurt itself when it was supposed to launch the move. And as for some good times... I got a few stories, one in particular I'll never forget, but I'll save them for another time.

I think this picture will explain it all...

Explains it, all right. Also made me crack up. XD

Oh :redface: Wow, I didn't notice it until now...

That's alright, don't sweat it.

Ooh... I wonder what it could be...

I bet is...

Spoiler: Derped

Genesect

or

Spoiler: Legit

King Ramses the Third

Shockingly, no to both.

But like I said, Awesome Chapter MM!

:club:

Thanks again!

Next chapter's coming along, slowly but surely. I'm done with classes for this semester, but right now I'm helping out a lot around the house, what with Christmas coming up. The chapter might be ready by the weekend, but I make no promises. And just in case it's not ready by next Wednesday, a Merry Christmas to you all!

 

[Pink Harzard]

Finaly caught up in your story. I've been reading AoA months ago and I realy enjoyed it. I hestated reading the 404 series first because I'm not familiar with glitch Pokémon. But I tried out reading it not long ago and I enjoyed this as well. Review coming up later

 

[Missingno. Master]

Finaly caught up in your story. I've been reading AoA months ago and I realy enjoyed it. I hestated reading the 404 series first because I'm not familiar with glitch Pokémon. But I tried out reading it not long ago and I enjoyed this as well. Review coming up later

Glad you like what I've been writing. I look forward to seeing your review.

The next chapter is being worked on, though not as frequently as I'd have liked, between finals and helping around the house, what with Christmas coming up. But today was my last exam, so I may be able to finish the chapter sometime this weekend. Again, I make no promises, but it's a distinct possibility. It's coming along decently, too.

 

[UltimatePokemonExpert]

Hey M.M. Sorry I've taken so long to review. Midterms and stuff, you know? Anyways, this review is actually on the critical side, although not too much. My one complaint about your last chapter was that I felt the whole Togepi using moves subplot was ended WAY to quickly. I get that you were trying to mirror the anime in that sense, but I felt it was resolved to quickly. Other than that though, I really enjoyed your last chapter and I hope to see a new one when ever you get the chance.

 

[Missingno. Master]

Hey M.M. Sorry I've taken so long to review. Midterms and stuff, you know? Anyways, this review is actually on the critical side, although not too much. My one complaint about your last chapter was that I felt the whole Togepi using moves subplot was ended WAY to quickly. I get that you were trying to mirror the anime in that sense, but I felt it was resolved to quickly. Other than that though, I really enjoyed your last chapter and I hope to see a new one when ever you get the chance.

Honestly, that was intended more as a reference to that than a proper subplot. IMO, Misty's Togepi took entirely too long to even so much as get into its first battle, which more or less just consisted of it hugging Pikachu and using Charm to make it lose the will to fight. Meanwhile, later on, we see Ash's Phanpy going up against Team Rocket barely half an hour after it hatched, you know? Personally, I always felt that the anime was the one that dragged that whole thing out for too long.

Glad you liked the chapter, though.

 

[Missingno. Master]

Sorry for the wait. Sometimes I have the inspiration, and sometimes I don't, y'know?

Chapter 10: The Bugs, The Baby, And The Battles
~~~~~~~~​

The trio's first stop in Aelaza Town was the Pokémon Center. After getting their Pokémon looked after by the nurse, they stopped by the cafeteria for a quick dinner before renting a room for the night and heading off to sleep. It had been a long day, and so none of them lay awake for very long.

The next morning, however, Ethan was wide awake and excited beyond belief. "OK, time to wake up!" he announced to the rest of the room. Though Maggie seemed to have no issue with waking up, Grey, predictably, was less than thrilled.

"Morning, Ethan," smiled Maggie.

"You have exactly eleven seconds to shut the hell up and leave me be before you get a good kick in the Sludge Bombs," Grey mumbled as threateningly as she could while still half-asleep."

"Don't tell me you're not excited, Grey," grinned Ethan. "It's time for us to earn our second badges!"

"Five seconds," was Grey's response.

Wisely, Ethan declined to respond to this.
~~~~~~~~
Two hours later, at 7:00 AM, Grey finally consented to get up. Once the trainers were done with their breakfast, they exited the Pokémon Center and headed off in the direction the nurse was kind enough to point them in.

"Rushing things, are we?" Grey remarked snidely, a still-yawning Togepi clutched in her arms. "Didn't we just earn our Sky Badges yesterday?"

"Yes, we did," nodded Ethan. "But you know what I call that? A good pace. And you know what we do with a good pace? We keep it up, am I right?"

"Yeah, well, you know what I do with stupid idiots who-" began Grey.

"Come on, Grey, relax," pleaded Maggie. "You must be pretty eager to earn another badge too, right?"

"Eager, yes," admitted Grey. "But Idiot Boy over there takes eager to a whole new level."

"Clearly you've never been to a McPixel family reunion," replied Maggie, smiling slightly. "I come from a long line of hot-blooded Pokémon Trainers, Gym Leaders, Elite 4 members, and even League Champions. One of my cousins is the Gym Leader in Miliovern City in Tanko, in fact."

"Translation; blah, blah, bragging, blah, blah, shut up, blah, blah, I don't give a Raticate's ***," Grey responded. Maggie sighed and closed her eyes.

Finally, they came to the Gym, a vivid green and yellow building, with "Aelaza Town Pokémon Gym" written across the front in large blue letters. Beneath this was a pair of double doors, which Ethan wasted no time in bursting through.

The interior of the Gym looked remarkably outdoorsy- trees were planted everywhere, sunlight streamed in through the glass roof, and the walls were covered in ivy. In the middle of the room, there was a large clearing, the markings of the arena clearly marked. On the opposite end of the field, there stood a young woman, looking not much older than Grey. She wore a light green shirt and matching shorts, she had shoulder-length purple hair, and she held a Butterfree net in one hand.

"Welcome to Aelaza Gym," she announced. "Who might you three be?"

"I'm Ethan Golde, from New Bark Town in the Johto region," Ethan declared. "I've come for a Gym battle!"

"The name's Grey. Grey Spearow from Krab Wen Town," added Grey. "I'm also here for a Gym battle."

"I'm Maggie McPixel, but I'm not here for a battle," smiled Maggie. "I'm just traveling with them."

The woman nodded. "Very well, then," she said. "My name is Arachne, and I'm the Aelaza Gym Leader. Now then, which of you two will battle me first?"

"I will," Grey stated, before Ethan could even open his mouth.

"Hey!" Ethan hissed angrily.

"Deal with it," smirked Grey, as she stepped forward.

"Alright, here in Aelaza Gym, battles are conducted with a total of three Pokémon on each side," stated Arachne. "Is this acceptable to you?"

"Works for me," nodded Grey.

"Three Pokémon each?" murmured Ethan. "But surely not..."

"Then let's get started," stated Arachne, throwing a Poké Ball. "Spinarak, go!" she shouted as the ball burst open, revealing a small green creature with multiple yellow legs. Grey held out her Pokédex.

"Spinarak, the String Spit Pokémon," droned the device. "Spinarak spins its webs using fine yet durable thread, then lies in wait for prey to get caught in them."

"Spinarak, huh?" smirked Grey. "Fine, then. I choose Togepi!"

"Togepi?!" exclaimed Ethan and Maggie simultaneously.

"Togi togi!" Togepi chirped excitedly as it jumped out of Grey's arms and ran forward onto the battlefield.

"Are you nuts?!" Ethan exclaimed. "You're using Togepi?!"

"Zip it, moron," Grey snapped.

"Spinarak, go for a Poison Sting!" ordered Arachne.

"Dodge it!" yelled Grey.

"Togi!" exclaimed Togepi, darting off to the left as Spinarak fired off numerous glowing purple spikes from a sharp stinger on its forehead. The stingers fell harmlessly to the ground where Togepi had stood seconds ago.

"Togepi, use Growl!" Grey commanded.

Togepi took a deep breath and bellowed, "TOGIIIIIIII!" As the soundwaves washed over Spinarak, the Bug/Poison-type winced in agony, trying to shield itself from the loud cry.

"Perfect," smirked Grey. "Now give it a Metronome!"

"Do what now?" Ethan demanded.

Togepi began to wave its stubby little arms back and forth. "Togi, Togi, Togi, Togi," it chanted, as a blue glow gradually came over its arms.

"Spinarak, use Fury Swipes!" ordered Arachne.

Spinarak scuttled forward at a high speed, but at that point, Togepi's arms were pointing straight up. Then, Togepi's mouth opened, and a blast of smelly black gunk shot out of it, getting right in Spinarak's eyes. This forced Spinarak to stop and try to clear the foul substance from its eyes.

"That looked like a Sludge attack to me," observed Maggie.

"Togepi, Headbutt now!" commanded Grey.

"Togi!" exclaimed Togepi as it dashed forward and rammed Spinarak head-first, sending the String Spit Pokémon tumbling backwards.

"Use Psybeam attack!" Arachne called out.

"Dodge it, Togepi!" yelled Grey.

Spinarak's front stinger shone brightly, before unleashing a beam of multicolored energy, which Togepi was able to evade, but only barely.

"That'll do- come back, Togepi," said Grey.

"Togi togi togi priiiii!" chirped Togepi as it ran back to where Grey was.

"Whoa," Ethan remarked. "Where did all that come from?"

"I realized Togepi could use Metronome yesterday in the cave," explained Grey. "It did it to hit 'M with an Aurora Beam, and it would also explain that random Thunder Shock and Psybeam."

"Wow," Maggie said.

"Now," Grey added, throwing a Poké Ball. "Zubat, it's your turn!"

In a flash of light, Grey's Zubat materialized, rapidly flapping its wings to stay airborne.

"Not wise," smirked Arachne. "You bring in something weak to Psychic moves just after Spinarak pulls off a Psybeam? Let's see how that works for you. Psybeam again, Spinarak!"

"Use Quick Attack!" Grey ordered.

"Zubat bat!" chattered Zubat as it soared through the air with rapidly increasing speed, before suddenly diving down and striking Spinarak from behind. The Bug/Poison-type had shot off another Psybeam, but Zubat had evaded it with ease.

"Fury Swipes!" called Arachne.

"Wing Attack!" bellowed Grey.

"Togi togi!" chimed in Togepi.

Zubat and Spinarak charged at each other yet again, and this time they both struck each other- as Spinarak frantically scratched at Zubat with its front legs, Zubat's wings slapped the String Spit Pokémon hard. They struggled for only a moment, until Zubat's Wing Attack won out. Spinarak was sent tumbling backwards, and made no attempt to get back up.

"Spinarak, return," sighed Arachne, holding out the Poké Ball. Once the Bug/Poison-type was back inside, she held up a new ball. "Not bad," she admitted. "But let's see how well your Zubat does against something else that can fly!" And she threw the ball. "Let's go, Z4!" she exclaimed.

In a flash of light, the ball split open, unleashing a cube-shaped creature, yellow in coloration with a number of red and black markings all over. It seemed to be a foot tall, and was buzzing menacingly.

"My cousin wouldn't like this Gym one bit," remarked Maggie. "He's afraid of any Bug-type not named Butterfree."

"Why's Butterfree the exception?" asked Ethan.

Maggie shrugged. "They're known to be among the friendliest of all Bug-types, and they're pretty cute, too. At least, I guess that's why. All I know is, his girlfriend has a Butterfree and it doesn't bother him in the slightest. But stuff like Z4, he's terrified of."

"Yeah- what is that thing, anyway?" Ethan added suddenly, having only just properly noticed Z4. He took out his Pokédex and aimed it at Z4 just as Grey did the same thing.

"Z4, the Box Bee Pokémon," droned both devices simultaneously. "Z4's body can sprout sharp stingers from any point and at any angle. Approach with extreme caution- Z4 has a vicious temperament and is highly territorial."

"We can take it," Grey scoffed. "Gust!"

"Zubat bat bat!" chattered Zubat as it flapped its wings furiously, whipping up a turbulent wind.

"Dodge and use Fury Attack!" ordered Arachne.

Z4 buzzed sharply in response as it swooped out of the way of the Gust attack, then sprouted three sharp stingers on the front of its body. It charged at Zubat, jabbing repeatedly with these stingers.

Grey scowled. "Use Quick Attack!" she commanded.

"Z4, Horn Attack!" called Arachne.

Zubat flew up, did a loop in midair, then dove back down at Z4. However, at that moment, Z4 retracted the three small stingers, and one much larger stinger protruded from its top. Zubat saw this and frantically tried to change direction, but Z4 flew up at that moment, ramming it with the horn. The Bat Pokémon fell to the ground, and struggled to get back up.

"Whoa!" Grey exclaimed angrily. "Come on, Zubat, use Wing Attack!"

"Baaaat!" exclaimed Zubat, as it finally rose back into the air.

"Hyper Beam attack!" exclaimed Arachne.

Z4's buzzing rose to its loudest yet as a beam of golden energy exploded forth from its entire front, completely engulfing the oncoming Zubat. As the attack ceased, Zubat could be seen still in midair, paused in an almost comical fashion, before it slumped to the ground once more, this time without the attempts to get back up.

"Return, Zubat," sighed Grey, as she held out the Poké Ball. Then, she threw another ball into the air. "Go! Tentacool!" she exclaimed as the Jellyfish Pokémon materialized.

"Heh," chuckled Arachne. "Your Tentacool's kinda like a Qwilfish out of water here."

"We'll see about that," snapped Grey. "Use Bubble Beam!"

"Tentacoooool!" exclaimed Tentacool as it fired a powerful stream of foam from its smallest ruby-like protrusion. Z4 wasn't able to dodge this in time, and took the full force of the attack.

"That's the way to do it," smirked Grey. "Now give it a Supersonic!"

"Dodge it!" called Arachne.

But Z4 couldn't dodge it- though it attempted to fly out of the way, it was too slow to escape the volley of soundwaves Tentacool was emitting.

"Ah, I see what happened," grinned Ethan. "That Bubble Beam lowered Z4's Speed, so it couldn't dodge the Supersonic."

"Yes, thank you so much for that blatant bit of exposition," snapped Grey, rolling her eyes as Z4 started wobbling around erratically in midair. "Finish it!" she added, turning her attention back to Tentacool. "Tentacool, Aurora Beam!"

"Coooool," Tentacool replied, firing a rainbow-colored beam from the small ruby protrusion. Once again, Z4 took the full force of the move, and collapsed to the floor.

"Come back, Z4!" Arachne frowned, holding out Z4's Poké Ball, before producing another ball, this one with a blue top half with two red stripes- a Great Ball. "OK, not bad, not bad," she smirked. "But let's see how you can deal with... Pinsir! Go!" she shouted, throwing the Great Ball.

In a flash of light, a large, brown creature emerged. Its thin arms were tipped with sharp claws, it stood up on two short yet thick legs, and protruding from the top of its head was a vicious and spike-covered pair of pincers, which it clicked threateningly.

"Whoa... She's got a Pinsir," Ethan remarked, as Grey held out her Pokédex once again.

"Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokémon," droned the device. "Pinsir swings its horns wildly to attack. It uses these horns to dig burrows to sleep in at night."

"Tentacool, use Bubble Beam!" ordered Grey.

"Pinsir, Fury Cutter!" exclaimed Arachne.

"Tentaaaa cool cool cool!" Tentacool called out, firing off a forceful stream of foam. Pinsir, however, did not seem fazed in the slightest. Its claws glowed green, and it furiously slashed at the oncoming Water move, incredibly managing to block the entire attack as it slowly moved in on Tentacool before finally landing a single powerful swipe.

"Hit it with an Aurora Beam!" Grey shouted.

"Dodge and use Fury Cutter again!" Arachne commanded.

Tentacool unleashed another rainbow-colored beam, but Pinsir jumped over it with incredible expertness for something with such short legs. Then, it charged at Tentacool again, its speed much more evident as it didn't need to fend off a Bubble Beam this time, and slashed at Tentacool once more. This hit, however, seemed to be much harder than the last one.

"Huh?" Maggie remarked. "It seems like the attack hit even harder this time."

"Exactly," smirked Arachne. "Fury Cutter becomes more powerful with each hit, but only if it keeps being used in succession. And from the looks of things, fending off that Bubble Beam counted as hits- the first couple of hits from Fury Cutter are actually supposed to be kinda weak."

"Mew damn it," grumbled Grey. "Tentacool, Supersonic!"

"Fury Cutter once more!" Arachne declared.

Pinsir charged once more, but before Tentacool could even start up Supersonic, another Fury Cutter hit was landed. And this time, the Water/Poison-type didn't attempt to recover from it.

"Oh, crap," Grey grunted as she withdrew Tentacool. Ethan and Maggie exchanged looks, for everyone present knew just what this meant- Grey had only one more Pokémon to use in the battle against this large, scary-looking, and decidedly vicious Pinsir, and they all knew who it was. She looked down at the Togepi in her arms, who looked back up at her.

"Send in your last Pokémon," Arachne prompted her.

"I'm sending it in, give me a second here!" Grey snapped, before turning back to Togepi. "OK, you," she said quietly. "That thing doesn't mess around, so you gotta be ready for some tough attacks, alright? You haven't had to take a hit yet, and I'd prefer it stay that way. Just do your best, alright?"

"Togi togi togi, priiii!" Togepi happily responded before wriggling out of Grey's grip and waddling forward, the sight of the large Pinsir towering over it not seeming to faze it in the slightest.

"I think she should just forfeit," Ethan said shakily. "Togepi's just a baby, this is a mismatch."

"Maybe," Maggie replied, looking on curiously at the battle about to unfold. "But maybe not. Togepi certainly looks ready to battle, it's got that going for it at least."

Grey took a deep breath, and a look of determination came over her face. "Togepi, Growl!" she ordered.

"TOGIIIIIIII!" bellowed Togepi, a volley of soundwaves washing over Pinsir, who winced in pain.

"Pinsir! Fury Cutter attack!" commanded Arachne.

"Dodge it!" Grey shouted.

Togepi hastened to waddle off to the side. It wasn't terribly fast, but it seemed to be fast enough- Pinsir's latest attempt at Fury Cutter missed by mere inches, and resulted in its claws getting stuck in the ground, a fact Grey was quick to notice.

"Now, Togepi!" she exclaimed. "Use Headbutt!"

"Togi!" Togepi exclaimed, ramming into Pinsir as hard as it could with its head. Though this wasn't too hard, Pinsir winced from the blow nonetheless.

"Time to switch tactics," decided Arachne. "Rock Smash!" she ordered.

Before Grey could react, Pinsir yanked its claws free from the ground and clenched them into a fist, which was glowing red, and then slammed the fist into Togepi, sending it rolling back.

"Togepi?!" Grey exclaimed, but the Spike Ball Pokémon was already climbing back to its feet, still wincing from the super effective blow, but it still looked ready to go.

"I don't think Togepi can take another attack like that," Ethan warned Grey. "That Rock Smash looked like it hurt!"

"When I want your opinion I'll tell you what it ought to be," Grey snapped back, though she was too distracted by Togepi to say it as viciously as she intended to. "Hey, you sure you're good to keep going?" she asked quietly.

Togepi turned to face Grey and nodded. "Togi, togi," it stated with determination.

"Heh," Grey chuckled, betraying a small grin. "Well, you got guts, that much is clear. Alright, let's do this." She cleared her throat, then called out what would be her best bet. "Togepi, Metronome!"

Togepi immediately started waving its stubby arms back and forth. "Togi, togi, togi, togi," it chanted. Arachne and her Pinsir both watched warily- neither even wanted to start an attack just yet, for fear that Togepi would unleash its move too soon, and cause even more damage to Pinsir due to the close range.

"There's no telling what's coming out of that Metronome," Maggie murmured. "It could just be something useless like Splash for all we know. Actually, I've heard of that happening quite a lot- Metronome calling up Splash."

"Oh, yeah. Real comforting," Grey snapped, but at that moment, Togepi's arms were pointing straight up, a dazzling blue light coming off them.

"...togi, togi, priiii!" Togepi finally exclaimed, as everyone looked on in anticipation.

At first, nothing happened. Then, Togepi jumped up into the air, gaining an absurd amount of height, as twin streams of brilliant blue flame swirled around it. The fire grew and spread, eventually taking the shape of a large, majestic bird. "PRIIIIIIIII!" trilled Togepi shrilly as the gigantic bird of flame took off. Togepi landed safely back on the ground as the flames slammed into Pinsir, causing it to hiss in agony.

"...I've heard of this move before," gasped Maggie. "That was Sacred Fire! One of the most powerful Fire attacks in existence! The only Pokémon said to be able to learn it is a legendary bird Pokémon known as Ho-Oh, or so I've heard."

"All right!" Grey exclaimed as Pinsir hit the ground, the Sacred Fire having knocked it out. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Togi, togi!" Togepi chirped happily, hopping up and down in place as Arachne withdrew Pinsir.

"Well done," she said with a small smile. "I'll admit I didn't see that coming, but in all fairness, it was a really lucky break."

"You're not the only one who didn't see that coming," Grey smirked as she scooped Togepi into her arms. "I'd have been happy with something like Gust or Ember. Never would've expected Sacred friggin' Fire!"

"Well, anyway, you earned this," Arachne stated, pushing a small, green piece of metal with a white spider web pattern covering the entire thing into Grey's hand, along with a pale green disc. "The official Pokémon League Webbing Badge. And that TM teaches Fury Cutter. I think you already saw how potent that move could be."

"Well, no friggin' duh," Grey snapped, though still with the satisfied smirk on her face. Then, she walked back over to Ethan and Maggie. "Your turn, idiot boy," she added to Ethan.

"Is a little respect too much to ask?" grumbled Ethan, though it was with a large grin all the same that he stepped into the challenger's box and faced Arachne, just in time to see her remove two Poké Balls and the Great Ball from her healing machine.

"Very well... Ethan, was it?" smiled Arachne. "Three Pokémon each, you OK with that?"

"Fine by me," grinned Ethan, already clutching a Poké Ball. "But I don't think I'm even gonna need all three!"

"I'm liking that confidence," Arachne replied, also grinning. "Just don't get too cocky. Alright, Spinarak, let's go!" she added, throwing a Poké Ball and unleashing the String Spit Pokémon into the open.

"Alright, Quilava," Ethan exclaimed, throwing the ball. "We got a badge to win! Go!"

In a flash of light, Ethan's Quilava materialized. Immediately, its head and backside flared up as it faced off against Spinarak.

Arachne, however, did not look deterred. "Spinarak, Psybeam!" she ordered.

"Dodge and use Flame Wheel!" Ethan commanded.

"Spina rak!" Spinarak chattered as it launched a rainbow-colored beam of powerful psychic energy from its front stinger. Quilava, however, rolled expertly out of the attack's path, before its entire body caught fire. Quilava then curled up and rolled right at Spinarak, moving with great speed. Neither Spinarak nor Arachne had time to react before the move made contact, and before anyone could say anything, Spinarak was lying motionless on the ground, charred, smoking, and unable to battle.

"Wow," Maggie remarked, visibly impressed. "Quilava's really strong- Spinarak was knocked out in one hit!"

"Pfft," snorted Grey. "Sheer dumb luck is what it is. Emphasis on 'dumb'. That fool's wasting Quilava's power on the weak stuff, he ought to be saving it for Pinsir."

Ethan did not hear this, though even if he had, he'd have disregarded it nonetheless. "That's one," he grinned as Arachne withdrew Spinarak.

"Not a bad start," admitted Arachne, as she threw another Poké Ball. "Now, Z4! Attack!" she yelled.

In a flash of light, Z4 was back in the air, buzzing menacingly as it floated before its fiery foe. Quilava did not look intimidated in the slightest, however, and merely intensified its flames in response.

"Heh, I guess I'm not the one all fired up to win," chuckled Ethan. "Alright, Quilava, Flame Wheel!"

"Use TM43!" commanded Arachne.

Z4 buzzed menacingly, and from its body flew a single white egg. As it neared Quilava, it exploded in midair, and dozens of coins flew out in every direction. Quilava grunted as the coins pelted its body, before curling into a flaming wheel once more. It rolled fast, and though Z4 had the common sense to try and evade it by floating up, Quilava had other plans- without waiting for orders from Ethan, it unfurled its body and jumped, tackling the Box Bee Pokémon with great force, still packing the momentum it had built up whilst rolling. That plus the flames made it too much for Z4 to handle, and it collapsed then and there.

"That's two!" Ethan exclaimed as Arachne withdrew Z4.

"He's really on a roll," Maggie remarked.

"I'll bet any amount of money his luck stops with Pinsir," Grey stated firmly. "There's no way he's just going to sweep an entire Gym Leader's lineup with just Quilava. Luck can only take an idiot so far in life."

At that moment, Arachne had thrown the Great Ball, and Pinsir was back out, ready for action. "Think you're gonna have it that easy again?" smirked Arachne.

"You bet! Let's make this three for three, Quilava!" Ethan declared.

"Quilaaaavaaaa!" responded Quilava, flaring up its flames yet again.

"Then let's do it!" grinned Ethan. "Do a Flame Wheel so intense that Pinsir's grandchildren are gonna need Burn Heals!"

And just like that, Quilava was off, now a fiery wheel of red-hot, super effective destruction. Ethan laughed- he couldn't help it, victory was so close, practically imminent, he could almost taste it-

"Pinsir, Protect!" ordered Arachne.

Ethan's laughter stopped abruptly, as though a switch had been flipped. "Wait, what?" Ethan demanded.

Sure enough, a translucent blue-ish sphere formed all around Pinsir's body. Quilava's Flame Wheel bounced right off, and the Volcano Pokémon landed on its back, stunned by this turn of events. Arachne, seeing this, seized her chance immediately.

"Hyper Beam now," she smirked.

Ethan could only watch in horror as an orb of golden energy formed between Pinsir's horns, and from it flew a ridiculously powerful beam of energy, plowing Quilava halfway into the ground. When the attack subsided, Quilava was making no effort to get up.

"Wha- wha- WHAT?!" Ethan exclaimed. "Quilava!"

"Too bad you underestimated Pinsir like that," grinned Arachne. "Type advantage isn't everything, Ethan."

"Return, Quilava," sighed Ethan, holding out the Poké Ball, which promptly shot out the red beam and pulled Quilava back inside. "There goes my best shot for this Gym," he muttered.

"Knew it," Grey smirked.

Ethan sighed again, but then he opened his eyes, and a determined look was visible. "Alright," he murmured to himself. "We're not out of this yet." He threw another Poké Ball. "Here's the next one- Dunsparce!" he exclaimed, as the Land Snake Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.

"Pinsir, do a Fury Cutter!" Arachne commanded. Pinsir, however, did nothing, and upon seeing this, Arachne facepalmed. "Right, right, it used Hyper Beam," she muttered.

"Here's our chance," grinned Ethan. "Defense Curl!"

"Sparce!" exclaimed Dunsparce as it pulled its oddly-shaped body into a sphere.

"Pinsir, Fury Cutter now!" called Arachne.

"Rage!" Ethan commanded.

The two combatants lunged at each other, Pinsir racing forward as fast as its legs would carry it, Dunsparce's wings reduced to rapidly fluttering blurs. They collided in the exact center of the battlefield, and without waiting for orders, used their respective ordered moves many times in rapid succession. Each time saw the moves hitting harder than before, and it wasn't long before both combatants started to tire.

"Do it, Dunsparce!" Ethan encourage his Normal-type. "Take Down now!"

"Rock Smash!" yelled Arachne.

Dunsparce flew in for one final strike, only for Pinsir's fist to slam it in the face. The super effective blow sent Dunsparce soaring backwards, and it skidded to a stop at Ethan's feet. "Spaaaaarce..." it groaned, making no effort whatsoever to get back up.

Ethan groaned. "Come back, Dunsparce," he sighed, holding out the Poké Ball. Once Dunsparce was withdrawn, he held up his final Poké Ball. "OK, it's all up to you," he muttered. "I know you can do this." He took a deep breath, and sighed. All his hopes were riding on the contents of the ball clutched in his increasingly sweaty hand.

"He's screwed," said Grey.

Ignoring this, Ethan hurled the sphere into the air. "Hoppip!" he exclaimed, the Cottonweed Pokémon emerging in a flash of light.

"Hoppip hop!" exclaimed Hoppip as the pink Grass/Flying-type floated in midair above the battlefield, unfazed by the menacing Pinsir it was up against.

"Heh," smirked Arachne. "Hoppip may be a Flying-type, but it doesn't have the moves to back it up. Pinsir! Fury Cutter!"

"Splash attack!" ordered Ethan.

"Hop, pip, hop, pip," chanted Hoppip as it fell to the ground and started jumping up and down, deftly evading every single swipe of Pinsir's claws, much to the Stag Beetle's frustration.

"Now give it a taste of your Stun Spore!" grinned Ethan.

Hoppip's leaves began to rotate like helicopter blades as it flew over Pinsir. As it flew, the leaves scattered a sparkly yellow dust, and as Pinsir breathed it in, it suddenly seemed to struggle to move.

"No! Pinsir!" exclaimed Arachne. "Use Vice Grip and end this!"

"Hoppip! Tackle attack!" Ethan commanded, confidence in his voice to match his grin.

"Hooooppiiiiiip!" Hoppip cried out as it flew up high. And then, as it dove down, gaining as much help from gravity as it was gonna get, suddenly Hoppip was but a brightly glowing comet, streaking down towards the battlefield, gaining size all the while. Pinsir tried to aim its horns so that it could intercept Tackle with Vice Grip, but the blinding light forced it to shield its eyes, and thus fouling up its aim. And then, something slammed into the paralyzed Pinsir, knocking it on its back, but this was no Hoppip. Flying in midair above its struggling and squirming Stag Beetle opponent was a green Pokémon with a small yellow flower growing out of its head. It chirped in a high-pitched voice, though with a definite tone of triumph.

"Amazing!" Maggie declared.

"Whoa!" Ethan breathed.

"Eh," shrugged Grey.

"So, it evolved," Arachne observed. Her voice was even enough, but concern was visible in her eyes as Ethan held out his Pokédex.

"Skiploom, the Cottonweed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Hoppip," droned the device. "Skiploom spreads its petals wide to catch sunlight. Its petals open and close based on the temperature."

"Pinsir, take it out! Use Hyper Beam!" urged Arachne.

"I don't think so!" grinned Ethan. "Skiploom, Leech Seed!"

Chirping happily, Skiploom leaned forward, shooting a single brown seed out of the center of its flower. This seed got impaled on one of the spikes on Pinsir's left horn. And then, with speed to rival a Pidgeot in flight, thin yet sturdy vines erupted from the seed and tangled themselves all around Pinsir, who grunted as the paralysis ravaged its body once again, preventing the ordered Hyper Beam from ever happening. The vines lit up with a harsh red glow, and Pinsir groaned as its energy was being slowly sapped away.

"Pinsir, do something!" pleaded Arachne. "One good Hyper Beam, that's all we need!"

"Finish it, Skiploom!" smirked Ethan. "Tackle!"

Chirping loudly, Skiploom dove down at Pinsir, knocking the Bug-type on its back once more. After a moment of struggling, Pinsir went limp, making no further effort to move. At that same moment, the Leech Seed's vines unraveled, and were withdrawn back into the seed, which fell right off of Pinsir's horn.

"YES!" Ethan cheered. Skiploom dove down into its Trainer's waiting arms, and the hug didn't stop until Arachne was right in front of Ethan, offering him the Webbing Badge and the Fury Cutter TM.

Maggie turned to Grey and smirked. "So, what was that about him being screwed?" she asked.

"He lucked out," snapped Grey. "If Hoppip hadn't evolved, they'd have been massacred. Now shut up."

Choosing not to respond to this, Maggie smiled at Ethan, who was currently approaching them both. "Congratulations," she said.

"Thanks," grinned Ethan. "My second badge, this is awesome!"

"Second badge, hmm?" said Arachne, approaching the trio. "I'm assuming you already got the badge from Teloiv Gym, so what you'll want to do is head through Xeli Forest. There's a Pokémon Gym in Dornedlog City, just north of the forest."

"Thanks," replied Ethan. Grey merely grunted her acknowledgement of this information, earning her a dirty look from Maggie as the trio exited the Gym. But before any of them could say anything, an all-too-familiar youth could be seen standing before them, with an equally all-too-familiar purple rodent perched on his all-too-familiar shoulder.

"Well, well," smirked Joey. "So, we meet again." And then, he cleared his throat and started speaking in what he evidently thought constituted a more dramatic tone;

"Defeating all trainers across the nation,
The shorts-wearing boy with the- ACK!"

For at that moment, Grey stepped forward and grabbed Joey by the throat. "OK, here's the deal," she growled. Even Rattata was looking warily at Grey, almost as though it didn't dare attack. "I'm going to let go of your neck now. And when I do, if you utter so much as one more syllable of that IQ-sapping swill you call a motto, you're going to wish I hadn't let go of your neck. Do I make myself clear?"

Joey nodded wordlessly, and Grey released her grip on his neck. "Spoilsport," he muttered sulkily, but he didn't press the issue, and instead walked in through the Gym doors.

"...Wow," Ethan said, looking at Grey. "Just... wow."

"And just what the hell are you looking at?" snapped Grey.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Absolutely nothing," he hissed, glaring right back at Grey.

"OK, come on. break it up," said Maggie, placing herself between them. "Why don't we all head on to the Pokémon Center, you two can heal up your Pokémon, and I can ask around, see if anyone's seen Red?"

"Fine," said Ethan and Grey simultaneously. Then, once they realized that they had spoken at the same time, they glared at each other again. Maggie sighed, grateful that the walk to the Pokémon Center was a short one, and thus would offer minimal opportunity for an argument to break out.

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 10.​

 

[Missingno. Master]

Alright, I'd like to apologize for the lack of a new chapter in the past couple of months. I've basically had no inspiration to write the next one. But that's changed now, I'm working on chapter 11 as I'm typing this right now. Ideally, I'll have it up sometime this weekend, but no promises.

EDIT: Yeah, clearly, that didn't pan out. I'm still working on the chapter, though. At the very least, I can promise it'll be up sometime this month.

 

[AmethystLucario]

Hi. I've been reading some of your fics, and recently finished the original 404 error. Could I possibly be added to the pm list?

 

[Missingno. Master]

Hi. I've been reading some of your fics, and recently finished the original 404 error. Could I possibly be added to the pm list?

Apologies for the delay, but you have been added to the PM list.

And speaking of apologizing for delays, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize for how long this chapter's taking me. Just haven't been able to get a lot done on it. That said, I'm working on the next chapter right now. If all goes well, it should be up by this weekend, if not by the end of the day. I make no promises, however, seeing as how I wasn't able to keep that last one I made about when to expect the next chapter. Still, though, I have every intention of getting the next chapter out, and soon.

 

[Missingno. Master]

Chapter 11: Team ED In 7g Well
~~~~~~~~​

Maggie sighed- she, Ethan, and Grey were all sitting in the waiting area of the Aelaza Town Pokémon Center, and contrary to what she believed, despite the short distance between there and the Pokémon Gym they had just come from, Ethan and Grey found ample time to start an argument, one that continued on as they handed their Pokémon to the nurse to be healed following their battles, and one that was going on right now.

"I'm telling you, Grey," Ethan was exclaiming, "I would so have still won if Hoppip hadn't evolved!"

"Oh, get real," scoffed Grey. "You were losing horribly and you know it. Pinsir would've handed your *** to you if Hoppip hadn't evolved."

"Pinsir was paralyzed," retorted Ethan. "And Skiploom knew Leech Seed even before evolving. I'm telling you, Hoppip evolving into Skiploom had no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of that battle!"

"Excuse me," Maggie spoke up. "Does it really matter? Ethan, the point is that you won. And trust me, I've seen more than my fair share of mid-battle evolutions followed by victories, and I can tell you that while it does make a difference most of the time, the fact remains that it's the Trainer's skill that makes it possible for the battle to even get that far. You raised Quilava well, which is why it was able to take out Spinarak and Z4 with just one hit each."

"...Good point," Ethan admitted. Maggie smiled, though this stopped as she wheeled around to face Grey.

"And you," she added. "Ethan's a good Trainer- he is!" she added indignantly, for Grey gave a derisive snort. "Why do you have to constantly act that way to him?"

Grey opened her mouth, undoubtedly to say something rude, but at that moment, the nurse approached them with a tray loaded with Poké Balls. Grey's Togepi was also standing on the tray, and eagerly jumped into its Trainer's arms, which seemed to calm the belligerent Trainer down a bit.

"Alright, let's get going," stated Grey, standing up.

"You didn't answer Maggie's question," Ethan pointed out as he and Maggie also stood up.

"Nor will I," said Grey. "We going or what?"

Ethan and Maggie exchanged slightly exasperated looks, but didn't press the matter.

"Oh, and Maggie," the nurse said. "I'm afraid nobody's been able to tell me anything about the whereabouts of Red. However, some people have told me about suspicious-looking people near 7g Well."

"7g Well?" repeated Ethan, a confused look on his face.

In response, Grey shot him a look of irritation. "Is there an echo in the building?" she snapped. "Yes, 7g Well."

"Hey, cut me a break here, because in case you've forgotten, I'm not from this region," Ethan snapped back. "So, what's 7g Well?" he added, now addressing the nurse. She opened her mouth to answer, but Grey beat her to it.

"According to legend, a drought plagued Aelaza Town for many months, until a 7g appeared in the town and yawned, making it rain. Since then, this town's practically revered 7g, and the well at the edge of town is a natural habitat for them."

The nurse blinked. "Y-yes, that's absolutely right," she nodded. "Anyway, the shady people that have been sighted near the well are speculated to be members of Team ED, and from what you've told us, that's the group responsible for Red's disappearance," she continued to Maggie.

Maggie nodded, a look of determination on her face. "Right. Thank you," she said to the nurse, before leading the way out of the Pokémon Center.

"Whoa, wait a sec," said Grey suddenly. "Xeli Forest is that way, I thought," she said pointing the exact opposite direction to where they were actually going.

"It is," nodded Maggie. "We're just making a little pit stop first."

"Oh, come on," groaned Grey. "What, you really think they're gonna have your boyfriend in that well?"

"If not, there'll probably at least be someone in there who can tell me where he is," responded Maggie. "Either way, this is likely worth checking out." Grey looked as though she'd love nothing better than to disagree with this, but said nothing.

The trio walked back the way they had come into town, until they had come to the well they had passed on their way to the Pokémon Center- it was a large hole in the ground, surrounded by multicolored boulders on all sides, and still guarded by a suspicious-looking man in a gray hooded sweatshirt.

"I'm sorry," he said as the trio approached. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist you all stand clear- 7g Well is a dangerous place, so I've taken it upon myself to keep people from falling in."

In response to this, Grey walked up to the man and roughly shoved him aside. He nearly fell, but managed to stay on his feet. Now, however, he looked decidedly displeased, a scowl on his face, and a Poké Ball in his hand. "What are you looking at?" demanded Grey. "You should be thankful I didn't push you down the well."

"OK, you know what?" the guy said, now sounding a lot more irritated than before. "I'm sick of this Mr. Nice Guy crap. Standing guard at the entrance of this well, and I'm not even getting paid well for it! Get out of my face before I make you!"

Grey reached for a Poké Ball, but Maggie was faster. "Rapidash!" she exclaimed as she tossed a Poké Ball into the air, unleashing the Fire Horse Pokémon in a flash of light. Rapidash neighed and stomped the ground as it faced the shady guy.

"OK, you asked for it!" he snapped as he threw his own Poké Ball. "I choose M p'u!"

In a flash of light, the ball opened up and unleashed what Ethan could only describe as a larger and less hyperactive .4. It was more comparable in size to a Koffing, maybe a little larger, and it was floating quite still in midair. He took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the relatively unfamiliar being.

"M p'u, the Bomb Blast Pokémon," droned the device. "M p'u appears calm most of the time, but is quick to anger. Its usual response to stimuli involves violent explosions."

"Use Egg Bomb!" yelled the shady man.

"Rapidash, Fire Blast!" ordered Maggie.

Five large white eggs materialized out of thin air all around M p'u, and flew towards Rapidash. At that moment, however, Rapidash unleashed a fireball from its mouth, which quickly grew and expanded into a five-point star-shaped flame. As it collided with the Egg Bomb, the attacks exploded in midair, both Pokémon getting caught up in the blast. At least, that's how it looked at first- as the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Rapidash had jumped high into the air, evading the blast altogether.

"What the?!" exclaimed the shady guy.

"Now, Rapidash!" grinned Maggie. "Stomp attack!"

Rapidash neighed in response before diving down and striking the Pokémaniac-type with its front hooves. M p'u, already weary from the explosion it had been unexpectedly caught up in, ceased all movement.

"Damn it!" grunted the man as he withdrew M p'u. "This isn't over, you hear me?!" he demanded as he ran away.

"Sure looks over to me!" Grey yelled after him. Maggie, meanwhile, withdrew her Rapidash, and motioned for the other two to follow her as she started to climb down into the well.

Surprisingly the well seemed to be decently lit, and as they reached the bottom, Ethan looked around- there were pools of water, but plenty of dry land on which to walk. A number of box-shaped Pokémon were lying on the rocks, their white bodies covered in blocky markings of various shades of pink. Ethan took out his Pokédex and held it out at one of them.

"7g, the Slow Pokémon," droned the device. "7g is slow to react to most stimuli. If ordered to use a move it cannot learn, it will attempt to use the move anyway for at least an hour."

"OK, now where's- aha!" Maggie whispered, suddenly pointing off to a far corner of the cavern, where a group of men were gathered. All of them were dressed in black uniforms with the bright orange E and bright green D on the front of the shirt- the standard Team ED uniform. On the ground near them were groups of 7g, but something about them seemed different. Ethan couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, not from this distance, but as this occurred to him, Maggie stomped over in their direction, prompting Ethan and Grey to follow.

As the trio approached the group of bad guys, one Team ED Grunt wheeled around. "What the hell?" he demanded, catching the attention of his coworkers. "Thought that guy was guarding the entrance?"

"Yeah, not so much anymore," Maggie frowned, crossing her arms. "So, anyone want to say anything?"

This question was met with a momentary silence. "...About?" asked one of the grunts.

"About Red!" exploded Maggie. "I know he was last seen in the company of members of Team ED, so I want to know where the hell he is!" Ethan and Grey exchanged brief, surprised glances- neither of them had ever seen Maggie get so fired up before.

"Hey," one grunt piped up. "Red, she said? Ain't he that guy who- OW!" he exclaimed, as the grunt next to him stomped on his foot.

"Shut up, you fool!" the other grunt hissed.

"Too late, already heard it," Maggie said at once. "Now tell me where he is, or you'll be facing the wrath of the Bincanar Island Gym Leader!" As she said this, she grabbed all four of her Poké Balls off her belt, two in each hand.

As Maggie waited for the answer that didn't seem about to come anytime soon, Ethan took a closer look at the 7g on the ground- none of them seemed to have their corners. It looked as though every corner of their square bodies were chopped off. And then, he noticed a large cardboard box, filled to the top with small pink-white triangular objects. "What- what are you guys doing to these 7g?" he demanded.

"Heh," grinned one of the grunts. "7g Corners are a delicacy. We chop them off, the corners grow back within days, which is about how long it'd take them to feel the pain anyway. Then we sell 'em for whatever money we can get from them.

"That's just wrong," scowled Grey. "I think it's time you jerks got out of here."

"Oh, really?" sneered the grunt who had first noticed them, as he took a Poké Ball off his belt, many of the other grunts following suit. "You think you can take us all on at once- the hell is that thing doing?" he added, narrowing his eyes. Grey followed his gaze and realized he was looking at Togepi- who was waving its arms back and forth

"Togi, togi, togi, priiiii!" Togepi was saying as its arms stuck straight up. And then, suddenly, a tornado formed in the middle of the gathering of grunts. The group of 7g somehow managed to avoid the Twister attack, but the grunts were all caught up in it. The Dragon-type move whirled them all around, and they collapsed to the ground in a heap, their Poké Balls scattering in every direction.

"Owww..." groaned nearly every grunt simultaneously.

"Good," stated Maggie. "Now, anyone wanna start talking?"

Grey, meanwhile, glanced down at her Togepi. "Not bad," she remarked.

"Togi togi togi, priiiii!" Togepi chirped happily in response.

None of the grunts answered Maggie. Some of them looked ready to open their mouths, but were stopped by glares from their arguably smarter coworkers. The grunts wearily climbed to their feet, as Maggie continued to glare at them. "Hey, glare all you want, lady, we're not talking!" snapped one of the grunts upon noticing this. In response, Maggie held up her four Poké Balls, which caused the grunts to start glancing nervously at each other.

"So," smirked Maggie, "you wanna change your answer now or-"

"ED smokescreen!"one of the grunts shouted suddenly, throwing something small and grey down to the ground. As it hit the ground, it enveloped the entire area in thick black smoke. It vanished as soon as it came, but in that short couple of seconds, every last Team ED grunt managed to somehow escape, along with the box of 7g Corners. The 7g themselves, however, were still lying on the ground, moving around at a slow pace.

"...Damn it," Maggie sighed, hanging her head. "I hoped I could get something out of them." Slowly, she reattached the Poké Balls back to her belt.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll find Red," Ethan said. Maggie gave Ethan a grateful smile, though she still looked sad. "Isn't that right, Grey?" added Ethan.

Grey, however, was focused on something else entirely. "Huh," she remarked as she picked something up off the ground. "What have we here?" It was a red and white sphere.

"A Poké Ball?" Ethan said as he and Maggie approached to examine the object. Indeed, it was a Poké Ball, and Ethan had the feeling it was occupied.

"One of those Team ED morons must have left this behind," Grey chuckled. "Well, it's mine now. No sense just leaving it here, and I sure as hell ain't gonna give it back to those brainless crooks." Ethan looked about ready to argue with Grey about this, but found that he had no valid objections to raise to her logic for once.

"I dunno," Maggie sighed. "This doesn't seem right somehow." Grey, however, ignored her, and instead led the way back out of the well.

"What's in there, anyway?" Ethan asked as they climbed back out of the well.

"We're about to find out," said Grey as she threw the ball into the air. "Out here on the double!"

In a flash of light, a long, thin Pokémon materialized. Its body was purple, and adorned with a couple of yellow rings. The tip of its tail was yellow, and its mouth sported small fangs, below its yellow eyes. "Ekanssssss," it hissed. Grey took out her Pokédex and aimed it at her newest Pokémon.

"Ekans, the Snake Pokémon," droned the device. "Ekans devours the eggs of Pidgey and Spearow whole. When younger, its bite contains no poison."

Ekans was glancing around in confusion. Ethan figured this was due to not seeing its original Trainer. "Alright, here's the deal, Ekans," said Grey as she crouched down to speak to the Poison-type. "Your old Trainer, what, some dimwitted guy, always wore a black outfit, maybe never knew when to keep his mouth shut?" Ekans looked at Grey, then nodded in response to this. "Heh, thought so," smirked Grey. "Need to ask you something- do you actually like that guy or what?" Now Ekans hissed and shook its head no. "Had a feeling," replied Grey. "So now, here's the deal- if you want, you can come with me. I'm no dimwit, I got better fashion sense- shut up, idiot," she added, for Ethan gave a chuckle at this. "Anyway, I'm no dimwit, I got better fashion sense, I know when to keep my mouth shut, and odds are I'm better at raising Pokémon than him. So, him or me? Your call?"

Ekans did not take much time to think about it at all- it slithered over to Grey almost immediately and coiled itself gently around her waist. "Ekanssssss," it hissed happily.

"Guess that answers that question," grinned Maggie. "Just one thing- won't the Pokémon Centers be able to tell that the Ekans was caught by someone else, and not traded?"

"Got it covered," was Grey's response. She took an empty Poké Ball out of her bag, and then crushed Ekans's ball in her hand. Then, she tapped Ekans with the empty ball, sucking it inside. The ball barely shook at all before pinging. "Problem solved," smirked Grey.

"OK, let's get going, then," grinned Ethan. "We might be able to make it through Xeli Forest before nightfall if we get going now." With that, Grey led the way back through town, but as they approached the entrance to a forest lined with orange, blue, and pink trees, she stopped and wheeled around.

"Just one thing," she said, addressing Ethan. "I want a battle."

Ethan blinked. "What? Here? Now?"

"No, tomorrow, egghead- yeah, now!" snapped Grey. "You've been getting awfully arrogant lately when all that's been winning your battles is sheer dumb beginner's luck, and I think it's a good idea to put you in your place before your luck runs out."

"Beginner's luck, huh?" frowned Ethan. "Alright, I accept, but only to prove to you that this is not beginner's luck- that I am every bit as skilled a Trainer as you, if not more!"

At this, Grey actually laughed. "Oh, please!" she scoffed. "You are a no-talent moron with the IQ of a concussed Slowbro, who couldn't win all eight badges if your life depended on it!"

"We battling or what?" demanded Ethan.

"All right then," smirked Grey. "All you got is three Pokémon, so we'll use three each."

"That's all you had until fifteen minutes ago," grumbled Ethan, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Well, I guess there's no talking you two out of this," sighed Maggie, "so I guess I'll be the referee."

"Thanks, Maggie," grinned Ethan. Grey merely shrugged, utterly indifferent to this. As she and Ethan faced each other, they each took out a Poké Ball, and threw them simultaneously to start the battle.

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 11.​

 

[Missingno. Master]

Chapter 12: Ethan Vs. Grey
~~~~~~~~​

"Zubat!"

"Go! Skiploom!"

The thrown Poké Balls opened up simultaneously. From Ethan's emerged his Skiploom, while Grey's sent out her Zubat. The two Flying-types hovered in midair, and they would have been eyeing each other, if Zubat had any eyes.

"Skiploom, use Leech Seed!" said Ethan.

"Gust!" ordered Grey.

Skiploom chirped loudly, then fired off a single brown seed from the center of its flower. Zubat swooped to evade it, then flapped its wings vigorously, leaving Skiploom to struggle against the violent air currents.

"Get out of there, Skiploom!" exclaimed Ethan. "And use your Tackle attack!"

"Use Quick Attack!" Grey commanded.

"Baaaaaat!" screeched Zubat as it stopped flapping its wings, flying straight towards Skiploom with increasing speed. Skiploom, meanwhile, was diving down towards Zubat, and the two collided head-on. Zubat, being faster and stronger, was able to negate Skiploom's Tackle attack with ease.

"Now! Supersonic!" ordered Grey.

"Skiploom, cover your ears!" said Ethan.

Skiploom attempted to shield its ears from the sonic onslaught, but this ultimately failed- before long, the Grass/Flying-type was wobbling about erratically in midair.

"No! Skiploom!" Ethan exclaimed.

"And wrap it up with a Wing Attack!" Grey smirked.

Ethan could only look on in horror as Zubat struck Skiploom with its wings, sending the Cottonweed Pokémon spiraling down, into its Trainer's arms. It made no effort to move.

"Skiploom is unable to battle!" ruled Maggie. "Zubat wins!"

"Take a good rest, Skiploom," sighed Ethan, as he returned the Grass/Flying-type to its Poké Ball. As he reattached the ball to his belt, he looked up at Zubat, thinking how to proceed. And then, as he reached a decision, he plucked the next ball off his belt and pressed the button to enlarge it.

"You're only proving my point, you know," smirked Grey. "Any Trainer worth their salt would have seen almost immediately that Skiploom had no chance. As soon as Tackle was overpowered by Quick Attack, you should have called Skiploom back when you had the chance- that's your Skiploom's only attacking move, I believe."

Infuriated by Grey's words, even moreso by the simple fact that they were right, Ethan threw the ball. "Here's the next one- Dunsparce!" he exclaimed as the Normal-type materialized in midair, wings beating furiously.

"Zubat, use Gust," said Grey.

"Fly above it!" ordered Ethan.

"Sparce sparce!" Dunsparce chirped as it soared up higher, narrowly managing to evade the wind Zubat had whipped up.

"Now use your Take Down attack!" grinned Ethan.

"Dunspaaaaarce!" replied Dunsparce as it dove down and tackled Zubat with great force. The impact forced Zubat to the ground, but Dunsparce managed to pull out in time to avoid slamming into the ground along with its adversary.

"Follow up with Rage!" said Ethan.

"Dodge using Quick Attack!" snapped Grey.

Zubat, however, was in no shape to pull off such a maneuver- it winced as it tried to flap its wings, and when Dunsparce rammed it again, it didn't even try to come back from that.

"Zubat is unable to battle!" declared Maggie. "Dunsparce wins this one!"

"Hmph," grumbled Grey as she withdrew Zubat. "You lucked out is what happened." Then, she threw another ball. "Now, Ekans, get in there!" she added as her newly acquired Snake Pokémon appeared.

"Dunsparce, use your Rage attack!" called Ethan.

"Glare!" said Grey.

"Ekansssss!" hissed Ekans as it lifted its head and established eye contact with Dunsparce. And then, Ekans's eyes glowed red, and Dunsparce seemed to freeze. With its wings no longer beating, it fell to the ground, seeming to struggle to move.

"What the-" began Ethan.

"Ekans, Wrap it!" interrupted Grey. "And then use your Poison Sting!"

"Come on, Dunsparce, dodge it!" pleaded Ethan.

No such luck, however- Ekans swiftly coiled its body around Dunsparce's and squeezed hard. And then, it positioned its head so it was looking right into Dunsparce's face, and fired a barrage of glowing purple needles from its mouth.

"Dunsparce! Dunsparce!!" Ethan screamed. However, when Ekans finally released the Normal-type from its coils, Dunsparce's body went limp.

"Dunsparce is unable to battle!" said Maggie. "Ekans is the winner!"

"But how?!" grumbled Ethan as he withdrew Dunsparce. "She just got that Ekans! Don't sweat it, though, Dunsparce, you were great," he added, reattaching the ball to his belt. As he took his third and final Poké Ball off his belt, he closed his eyes and sighed, and then opened him, a look of confidence in his eyes. "I refuse to lose, so Quilava, it's up to you!" he yelled, throwing the ball and unleashing the Volcano Pokémon.

"Ekans, Poison Sting!" said Grey.

"Dodge and use Flame Wheel!" ordered Ethan.

"Quilaaaavaaaaa!" replied Quilava as it rolled out of the way of the poisonous spikes Ekans was spewing its way. Then, Quilava's entire body caught fire as it curled up and rolled right into Ekans.

"Glare attack now!" commanded Grey.

"Another Flame Wheel, go!" Ethan shouted.

Ekans tried to establish eye contact with Quilava, but the Fire-type was faster- it had already curled into a ball and caught fire again, and Ekans couldn't make the necessary eye contact. And then, Quilava rolled into Ekans again, and this time, the slightly smoking Poison-type lay still on the ground.

"And Ekans is unable to battle!" ruled Maggie. "Quilava is the winner!"

"Return, Ekans," scowled Grey, holding out the Poké Ball. Once Ekans's ball was back on Grey's belt, she looked down at the Togepi she was clutching. "OK, you, it's your turn," she said.

"Togi togi togi, priiiii!" chirped Togepi, as it happily jumped out of Grey's arms and waddled into battle.

"Oh, man..." murmured Ethan. "She's trying to get us to go easy on her!"

Even Quilava was looking uneasy about this. "Qui Quilava?" it asked Ethan, looking and sounding unsure.

"...A battle is a battle, Quilava," Ethan answered after a few seconds. "Give it your all."

"Lava!" nodded Quilava.

Grey made the first move. "Togepi, Growl!" she ordered.

"TOGIIIIIIIIII!" Togepi's voice echoed loud and long as the grating soundwaves washed over Quilava.

"Quilava, use... your Ember attack!" Ethan said.

"Qui... Quilava lava!" replied Quilava as it vigorously shook its head. Embers scattered from the flame blazing atop its head, and Togepi managed to evade them, though narrowly.

Grey smirked at this. "Scared, are we?" she said mockingly. "Togepi, use Headbutt!"

"F-Fury Swipes!" Ethan managed to call out.

The two Pokémon charged at each other, meeting at the middle. Togepi thrust its head forward, striking Quilava, who uncertainly struck back by scratching at it multiple times. Togepi winced from the attack, but seemed overall unharmed.

"I knew you'd be too much of a wuss to go all-out against Togepi," smirked Grey. "Whatever happened to 'a battle is a battle', hmm? You talk a big game, but when it comes right down to it, you're too scared to deliver!"

"You're not being fair!" Ethan shot back. "Togepi's only a couple of days old! Either I lose or I feel like crap!"

Grey snorted. "Just yesterday, you saw that day-old Togepi take a super effective Rock Smash from Arachne's Pinsir, clearly her most powerful Pokémon, and still have more than enough fight left in it to win. You want me to stop calling you an idiot? You keep on battling the way you are, we're a hell of a long way from that happening."

Ethan said nothing- he was thinking. As much as it pained him to acknowledge this, Grey was right- Togepi went up against that menacing Pinsir, showing zero fear, took a super effective move after only being alive for a day, and was still ready to get in there and fight, and it even won against said Pinsir! Granted, the win was largely due to insane luck with Metronome, but any Trainer worth his salt knew that luck was an integral part of any Pokémon battle- it was simply unavoidable.

"Qui?" Quilava said, looking back at Ethan.

At first, Ethan did not react. Then, he looked at Quilava and grinned. "Like I said, Quilava- a battle is a battle," he replied. "Togepi may be young, but it's tough. We're going all out from here on in! Use Flame Wheel!"

"Dodge it and use Growl!" exclaimed Grey. However, it was no use- as Togepi tried to waddle out of the way, Quilava mowed it down with Flame Wheel. Though the attack clearly did a lot of damage, Togepi was still standing, and as Quilava came to a stop, the Spike Ball Pokémon turned to face it.

"TOGIIIIIIII!" bellowed Togepi, the harsh sound waves washing over Quilava, clearly irritating it.

"Another Flame Wheel, Quilava!" exclaimed Ethan. "Let's wrap this up!"

"Togepi, Metronome!" said Grey.

As Quilava curled up and caught fire, Togepi started waving its arms back and forth. "Togi, togi, togi," it chanted, a bluish glow starting to come over its arms.

"Laaaaavaaaaa..." Quilava was saying, now starting to roll.

"Togi, togi, togi,"

"Quiiiiiiiiii..."

"Togi, togi, togi,"

"Laaaaavaaaaaa..."

"Togi, togi, priiiii!"

And with that, Togepi's arms stuck straight up, and it sprayed a thick cloud of dark green gas from its mouth. As Quilava came in close, the Smog reacted with the Flame Wheel, and an explosion rocked the battlefield. As the smoke cleared, the outcome of the match quickly became clear.

"Quilava and Togepi are both unable to battle!" announced Maggie. "I declare this battle to be a draw!"

"You did great, Quilava," Ethan sighed as he withdrew the Fire-type, though with a slight grin- he may not have won, but he didn't lose, either.

"Hey, that was some good stuff out there," Grey said as she scooped a feebly stirring Togepi into her arms. "And you," she added, approaching Ethan. "You just had to deprive me of an opportunity to mock you, didn't you? I figured you'd underestimate Togepi and wimp out." She said this with her usual irritated tone, but this time, it was with the tiniest hint of a smile, barely noticeable.

"Well, I told you it's not just beginner's luck with me," replied Ethan. "If anything, it was luck that stopped you from losing- had Metronome called up almost any other move, Quilava would have won."

"Yeah, yeah, so you say," Grey scoffed. "C'mon," she added, now walking back to the Pokémon Center. "We're healing our Pokémon before setting foot in that forest."

"Yeah, could've figured that next move out for myself," Ethan responded.

"I have my doubts about that, idiot," said Grey. Maggie followed the two, sighing as they proceeded to argue yet again.

~~~~~~

In the Pokémon Center, the trio was seated in the waiting area while the nurse was treating Ethan and Grey's Pokémon. They were watching as Maggie's Ninetales and Magby played with each other, when they heard a familiar and decidedly unwelcome voice behind them.

"So, we meet again," came the voice. At once, Ethan, Grey, and Maggie tensed up. Sure enough, none other than Joey walked around their seats to look at them from the front. As usual, his Rattata stood on his shoulder.

"Hello, Joey," said Ethan, through gritted teeth. "How'd that Gym battle go for you?"

"Pfft. That? That was nothing!" scoffed the arrogant youth. "Rattata here gave those Bug-types such a beating that their offspring's gonna need Burn Heals! Check it," he added, proudly holding up what was unmistakably a Webbing Badge. "Oh, and I got that TM, too," he added. "Only thing is, Rattata can't learn Fury Cutter, so I hocked it at the Poké Mart. Saving up to buy this guy some TMs he can actually use, in the Dornedlog Department Store," he said, grinning at Rattata.

"So, what, you're just gonna use Rattata and nothing else?" asked Ethan. "Never even considered catching other Pokémon?"

At this, Joey threw his head back and laughed. "Catching other Pokémon?" he chuckled. "Heh... Don't you know who I am?" he added, turning his hat backwards.

Grey smacked Ethan on the back of the head. "Idiot," she hissed as Joey cleared his throat and proceeded to speak in what he evidently thought to be a grand voice.

"Defeating all trainers across the nation,
The shorts-wearing boy with the Pokémon sensation!
My skills will leave you in awe and despair,
No matter how well you think you will fare!
When battling moi, your defeat is quite certain,
Once my trusted partner starts to dish out the hurtin'!
When your team is knocked out, my work is complete,
I am the great trainer Joey, now prepare for defeat!"

"Rrrrrattata!" chimed in Rattata.

"OK," Grey said as she stood up. "I've had just about enough of this." As she spoke, she grabbed Joey by the arm and dragged him to the door. Despite Joey's loud protests, Grey threw him out of the Pokémon Center, and as she turned around, several of the Trainers actually started to applaud her.

"Hm," Ethan remarked, noticing this. "I'm gonna go ahead and guess we're not the only ones who've had a run-in with Joey in the past."

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 12.​

 

[SneaselFTW]

Thank you for the PM, so I knew where I had to read from. I am really liking this fic ATM, and I am looking forward to see if Whitney can beat Joey! That would be interesting

Spoiler: plot twist

Joey is the leader of Team ED! D:

PM list plz.

I'll actually be active now so yeah. Am liking the content of the fic, but one thing. Needs more fried nines!

Keep up the good work!

~Sneasel

 

[Missingno. Master]

Thank you for the PM, so I knew where I had to read from. I am really liking this fic ATM, and I am looking forward to see if Whitney can beat Joey! That would be interesting

Spoiler: plot twist

Joey is the leader of Team ED! D:

PM list plz.

I'll actually be active now so yeah. Am liking the content of the fic, but one thing. Needs more fried nines!

Keep up the good work!

~Sneasel

Glad you're liking it so far! Consider yourself added to the PM list.


As for the lack of recent chapters, allow me to explain. First, it was due to my work on The Hoenn of Hoenness. Then, my lack of recent chapters for both stories as of late is due to ORAS hype. As it is, I'm not even starting to grow tired of Omega Ruby yet. Once the hype dies down a bit, that's when I'm gonna resume writing again. For The Hoenn of Hoenness at first, but make no mistake, this one's still on the to-do list.

 

[Missingno. Master]

OK, as my horribly lengthy hiatus should imply, none of that went according to plan. Things came up, inspiration never happened, interest was lost in general, but right now, I'm looking to get back into the swing of things here. The Hoenn of Hoenness will remain on hiatus for the time being- I will most likely resume it upon the conclusion of this fic. I was serious when I said these fics were still on my to-do list. I could sit here and apologize all night for letting the hiatus drag on this long, but I think it'd be a better use of my time to give you all the long-awaited Chapter 13. A little on the short side, but length should pick back up with the next chapter.

Chapter 13: Out Of The Forest And Into The Fire
~~~~~~~~​

After Grey booted Joey out of the Pokémon Center, it wasn't long before her and Ethan's Pokémon were returned to them by the nurse, who pronounced them all to be fighting fit once more. They exited the Pokémon Center immediately following this, and within minutes, found themselves within the mass of multicolored trees that they had stopped just short of for Ethan and Grey's battle.

Xeli Forest was, to put it simply, very dark. The trees were so close together and so numerous that their trunks practically constituted impassable walls, and the multitude of multicolored branches and leaves stretching across just about every perceivable gap above the winding pathways let in so little sunlight that it was almost like being back in Krad Cave. Indeed, Maggie voiced the idea of bringing Rapidash out to light the way, but visibility wasn't quite that poor. Besides, as Grey was kind enough to point out (given a very liberal definition of the word "kind", considering the way she worded it), Rapidash's flames would pose a major fire hazard in such close proximity to such flammable trees.

And so they walked on, the pathways winding and twisting all over the place. And then, Ethan tripped over something sticking out of the ground and fell down.

"Oof!" he grunted as he hit the ground. "What the- what did I just trip over?" he wondered out loud, doing his best to ignore Grey's amused chuckles. He looked back, and had his answer- a small, leafy plant was protruding from the ground right near his feet. As Ethan got back up, however, the plant wiggled a bit, before emerging from the ground entirely, revealing a spherical blue body and two small legs. Getting the idea that this was no mere plant, Ethan aimed his Pokédex at the creature.

"Oddish, the Weed Pokémon," droned the device. "Oddish is nocturnal, and wanders around to scatter spores throughout the night. During the day, it burrows into the ground, leaving only its leaves sticking out."

"It's not nighttime, though," Ethan remarked. "What's this Oddish doing up at this time of day?"

"It's so friggin' dark in here, probably doesn't make a difference what time of day it is," said Grey, glancing up at the leafy ceiling and the precious few rays of sunlight able to find their way through. "Now c'mon. It shouldn't take us too long to get through the forest."

~~~

"...That took entirely too long to get through the forest!" Ethan declared as they arrived on Route -34. "What the... It feels like we've been in there for over two years!"

"That's where you're wrong, idiot," snapped Grey. "I was stuck in that craphole of a forest with you, so it felt like even longer."

"Can we all just agree it felt like a long time?" Maggie asked, attempting to keep the peace.

"No," replied Ethan and Grey simultaneously. Maggie facepalmed.

"Oh, hey- check it out," added Grey, pointing up ahead. "Final-freakin-ly, that's Dornedlog City up ahead. And one word out of you about how the city's name is some Johto city's name spelled backwards, you'll be going the right way for a good kick in the Sludge Bombs," she added to Ethan, who wisely decided against saying the very thing Grey warned him against saying.

"...So let's check out the Pokémon Center, then," Ethan finally said.

"Meh. You two go there," said Grey. "I got something on my to-do list. Unfortuntely, said to-do list doesn't say anything about ditching you losers, so I'll meet you at the Pokémon Center later."

"Why, what are you doing?" asked Ethan.

"None of your damn business," snapped Grey. Before either Ethan or Maggie could argue the point, Grey continued walking onward, past the Pokémon Center. Ethan and Maggie simply exchanged looks before heading into the Pokémon Center. They could easily have followed Grey, of course, but they valued the continuing function of their internal organs far too greatly to seriously consider doing so.

~~~

Maggie sighed as she and Ethan sat down. Once again, she had asked the nurse if there was any news on Red's whereabouts, and once again, she was disappointed with the (lack of) information the nurse was able to give. "I'm sure Red'll turn up," Ethan said after a while, trying to cheer up Maggie.

"Thanks," sighed Maggie. "I just... I just wish I could find something out about this alrady, y'know? I mean, if that horrible Team ED really has ahold of him-"

"Well, he's a Gym Leader, just like you, right?" said Ethan. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Maggie said nothing, but nodded her agreement. Ethan's words were giving her some much-needed hope at this point, and this was reflected in the small grateful smile she now sported on her face.

"You know what? I think we all need a distraction," stated Ethan. "What say we find something fun to do before we seek out the Gym Leader?"

"For once, the idiot has a point," came an unfortunately familiar voice- Grey had entered the Pokémon Center at long last. "Gym's closed for the day anyway, so we can't try for our next badges until tomorrow. And I know just the thing," she smirked. "The National Volcano Park just north of the city's holding one of its Fire-Catching Contests today. You go in, you catch a decent Fire-type, and if the judges like, you win a prize."

Maggie's eyes lit up. "Ooh," she remarked. "Catching Fire-types? I can get behind that! Lead the way!" she said. "Oh, come on, she knows the way better than either of us anyway," she added, for Ethan had given her a look.

"Well, yeah, but now she's gonna think she knows better than us about everything," groaned Ethan.

"What do you mean I'm gonna?" smirked Grey, already headed to the Pokémon Center door. "Implying I don't already know I know better? That ship has sailed, hit an iceberg, sunk, and had a movie made about it." Ethan rolled his eyes, but followed all the same.

~~~

Grey had called the place by name earlier, but the surprise factor hit Ethan with all the gentle subtlety of a Tauros stampede nonetheless- in Johto, he knew this was where a nice, peaceful-looking park could be found, whereas here in Hojot, there stood a towering volcano decked out in unfitting pastel colors. "Whoa," he murmured.

Grey smirked. "It's a lot for your tiny little brain to take in, isn't it?" she quipped. "Yeah, that's National Volcano Park. Now, you gonna register for the contest or what?"

"OK, enough with the idiot cracks," frowned Ethan as they headed towards the volcano. "I'm not an idiot-"

"You show hope of not being an idiot," conceded Grey. "But it's a very small hope. Words alone ain't gonna change my mind- you prove yourself to be less idiotic than I take you for, that's how you change my opinion of you. Now shut your blabber hole and sign the hell up."

"There's no need to be rude to Ethan," said Maggie.

"Cram it with nines," retorted Grey. "I didn't come here to discuss Idiot Boy's nonexistant intelligence, I came to catch a Fire Pokémon." Maggie opened her mouth to respond, but by that point they had reached a member of the park staff, who helped them to sign up.

And soon, the trio stood among a small crowd of Trainers, listening to a staff member rattle off the rules. "...cannot use any of your own items, and that includes Poké Balls- you may only use the 20 Park Balls we have supplied you with," the man was stating. "And only the single Pokémon you have brought with you may be used to battle the wild Pokémon. You may not use Pokémon you catch in the park to battle, and if you catch another one, you must release the one you previously caught. The last one you catch is yours to keep regardless of the outcome of the contest, but will not be considered yours until the competition concludes. You all have 20 minutes... starting... NOW!" he declared.

~~~~~~~~
End of Chapter 13.​