Dawn of a New Legacy

[AzureFlygon]

Okay, I am officially restarting this entire thread. I know, and am sorry, that many of you will have to go through all twenty-so chapters again, but it's a small price to pay for the revisions, the cleaner thread, and the understanding of people who just come upon this story and wish to read from the beginning.

For those of you who want a summary: a young, lab-grown girl with mysterious powers is thrust upon a dying world of chaos and destruction. With the help of a few friends, and the guidance of some enigmatic enemies, what will she do with the powers? And what does this strange time have in store for her?

Yeah, not great, but there you go.
Now, for rules! And before anybody starts complaning, let me tell you that the last thread was closed because of spam. I don't want any of that here. Either your comment is relevent, or I will politely ask you to delete it for the good of the story.
So; No muffins, insane feathers or monkeys, food of any kind unless it is in the story. Keep your Comments on task, please. Ask a question if you need to; I don't bite people's heads off, and please refrain for flaming or any other type of insults. Constructive or I will go destructive on your butt, got it?

Also, I am the only one who will be updating this. Spectreon is no longer using my account. Don't worry, the story will continue ^^

Good, now that we got that done, enjoy the recap of the story. Yes, some of it will be new and improved, but I want to keep it as close to the original as possible. I'll even have a deleted chapter that you all missed out on due to revisions later ^^

~~~~~

Chapter One: A Genisis of Confusion

Machines hummed and whirred in the dimly lit laboratory. Scientist’s voices spoke quietly as they moved around, checking and adjusting various machines.

um um whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun
umber ummmmmm fayuuuuuuuun
um um whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Bubbles rose slowly in liquid enclosed by glass. The glass formed a tall cylinder, and within grew life. Computer screens flickered around the room, displaying the vitals of the being within the tank.

um um whuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun
umber ummmmmm fayuuuuuuuuun
um um whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The machines pulsed, never faltering in their task to keep the being alive. Tubes fed into the tank from the machines and into the life-form. Four tubes were inserted into her back, all in a vertical line. Two emerged from each of her thin, delicate arms.

um um whuuuuuuuuuuuuuun
umber ummmmmm fayuuuuuuuuun
um um whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The girl in the tank, seeming about fourteen years of age, floated peacefully. Her eyes were closed in slumber, and her dull brownish-grey hair floated around her face, giving her an angelic appearance. She was naked except for a white gown, which served the dual purpose of keeping her decent and marking her as a experiment artificially created from a fetus and grown at an extraordinary rate. She had been born only a month ago.

In a corner of the room was a writing table. The head scientist, Dorian, sat hunched over a journal, writing quickly.

January 14, Winter Cycle
Report # 54: Week 7
Project Destiny

The experiment is going smoothly. Tomorrow, we will infuse her with Pokemon elemental energy, and then her true Pokemon warrior spirit will awaken! She has been codenamed the Goddess, and when the process is completed, she will be able to utilize every Pokemon attack known to the world, making her a true god of Pokemon. The one to rule them all... Research data suggests that this much elemental energy may awaken an old spirit, an ancient Pokemon spirit, older than time itself. Supposedly she could become an actual Pokemon- a God Pokemon. But it’s doubtful. The poor, unsuspecting fools of scientists do not know what her true purpose is! They think she will be a super weapon to fend off Team Rocket’s dominion with their Andros-genetically mutated and cybernetic Pokemon. But little do THEY know that I work for you, Team Rocket. When the Goddess is finished, we will use her to truly complete our domination of all Kanto. The survivors have all either fled to the other regions, or they choose to stay in the rebel city of Zeiryu. Fools, all of them. We will have the Goddess destroy them all. We run Saffron City now, and all the once-glorious cities are now in ruins. Silph Tower is the source of our Andros. Regarding the scientists, I will have three Andros-Scyther come and kill them all, then they and I will deliver the Goddess to you. My regards to you, Giovanni.

Dorian smirked and put away the report in his notebook. Standing up, he watched the girl floating peacefully in the tank.

The Goddess slept, not knowing her true purpose or her fateful destiny.

...

“Initializing Project Destiny...Project Destiny activated. Commence?”


Dorian punched in the series of commands that would activate the crucial process of infusing the Goddess with elemental energy. Dorian glanced at the girl. As of now, she had been coaxed into a fetal position, and countless pipes now entered every inch of her body from all directions, giving her a weirdly frightening appearance.


“Project Destiny Sequence activated.”


The machine’s humming rose to a thunderous crescendo, and their vents glowed. Steam hissed out the vents in a piercing whine. However, something very interesting was happening to the girl...


Every pipe rumbled and glowed, channeling pure elemental essence through the girl’s body. The Goddess jerked, went still, then jerked once more. Finally, she shuddered and went limp, no longer fetal but simply floating. There were minute clicks as each of the pipes withdrew from her and retracted into the machines.


All the scientists, including Dorian, was now watching the limp body of the girl with nervous anticipation. The tension was thick in the atmosphere. Suddenly, the computer screens flared, and started shrilling. Scientists jumped with fright, and several ran to read the information displayed. Their voices rose, almost screaming with astonishment.


“Heart rate is rising by 20 percent...40 percent!”
“Her brain waves are going crazy! Activity has tripled!”
“Body temp is rising steadily...all other vitals are stabilized.”


All the scientists murmured, and fear rippled through the room.


“My god...” murmured Dorian. The Goddess was waking up.


All eyes were on the tank. The girl stirred slightly, and several scientists sharply inhaled. Her eyes fluttered, then flew open, seeing for the first time. They were a brilliant pearly blue, and very light-colored. The girl’s head swiveled, taking in the new sights. She moved forward, pressing against the tank with her hands. The girl was silent, and raised her head.


Hello.


All the scientists jerked. The girl had spoken to them with her mind.


“Amazing. Such a rapid utilizing of her powers...she will truly be a force to be reckoned with.” thought Dorian, grinning as he envisioned his promotion in Team Rocket.


My name is Serra.


For a brief instant, electricity skittered over her hands, then faded. Leafy tentacles sprouted from her back, then withdrew. The Goddess was experimenting, expanding upon her newfound powers. Dorian quietly spoke.


”Congratulations, everyone. Project Destiny is a complete success.”


Cheering rose to the roof, and the girl cringed, frightened by this new sound. Her fear was converted to flying energy, and the air roared and blew through the room, scattering research papers and documents everywhere. Soon, the laboratory resumed its usual routine-scientists quietly working, studying the Goddess, and reading the computer screens.

Two weeks later...

Serra awoke with a start, and moved in her tank. It was early morning, and still dark, although Serra did not know this. She was comfortable in the laboratory, but she had no way of knowing there was a real world out there. To her, the world was the laboratory, and although she never left the tank, she was happy there. Dorian was especially kind to her, she thought. Of all the scientists, she trusted him. But this morning....Something was wrong. She couldn’t feel Dorian.


With her psychic energy, she scanned the entire laboratory. The complex was situated underground, in the area between where Viridian City had used to stand, and the forest. Serra felt each of the scientists, sleeping in their quarters. No one was awake. But where was Dorian? Feeling panic rising in her, Serra sank to the bottom of the tank, bubbles streaming from her mouth. Frantically, she ran her hand down the tubes extending from her arm, knowing she was helpless. She sensed, with growing trepidation, that something was irrevocably wrong.

She was right. Hearing distant shatters, then screaming, Serra’s eyes grew wide with fright. She couldn’t move very well due to the tubes in her arms and back, so she was defenseless. A few scientists staggered into the room, bleeding copiously from long, deep gashes in their abdomens. As they fell, three silhouettes appeared in the gloom of the doorway...Sinister figures. As they stepped into the light, Serra’s heart started beating wildly. They were the Andros that she had learned of, the ones that Team Rocket used as instruments of slaughter and death. Three Andros Scyther. They looked almost normal, but they had metal poking out through various openings in the gaps of their skins. Steel pulleys were inserted in their joints, and their blades were pure titanium. The blades gleamed wickedly, casting lights over the dark room. Their right eyes had been replaced with a mechanical lens, which glowed a soulless red. Their wings were steel, and had jet packs under them.


Serra sent out a psychic signal, desperately seeking to summon any scientists to help...but she was alone. Every scientist was dead. Serra felt a black rage rise in her chest.

Snapping her head up, she shrieked, a bloodcurdling sound. All the computer monitors rippled, then exploded, showering the three Andros with glass fragments. The middle one roared in fury, an eerie mechanical sound. It leaped at the tank, followed by the other two. The tank fell under their combined weight and shattered against the floor, sending out a wave of pinkish embryonic fluid. Serra slid on her back among the glass and fluid, scrabbling on the metal floor. Her tubes whipped around wildly as she flailed her limbs. Serra’s mind was a blur of emotions, of fury, and terror. She’d never been outside her tank, and she was terrified. Her emotions overwhelmed her and she shrieked once more, sending out a blasting wave of psi energy. The laboratory groaned, unable to withstand such force. The three Andros looked around uncertainly, as the laboratory started rumbling. The roof broke up and fell, sending showers of rubble crashing down. Dust rose in white puffs.

By this time, Serra’s rational mind was gone, blanked out by a torrent of white fury. Her eyes began blazing, a pure searing white. She sat up, then slowly stood up. Particles of white light collected into her body from the air itself. Then her body flared, and the laboratory dissolved into a shrieking inferno of white.


Cherrygrove City, Johto
Everyone rushed to their windows, gaping in awe. A great beam of light and energy roared upwards, extending into the clouds. It seemed to be coming from beyond New Bark City...

Olivine Port, Johto
A distant beam of white light flared in the far distance. A sailor looked up, and made the sign against evil. Other sailors looked up from their crates, and murmured, awed by the sheer brilliance.

Petalburg City, Hoenn
A boy looked up at the sky, sucking his thumb. As he stared at the lights in the far distance, he felt the smallest of tremors pass through his body. He shivered and went back to playing with his Zigzagoon.

...

Snow.


White snow, gently spiraling down from the sky. It landed with soft whispers, upon the still body of Serra. A snowflake landed on her eyelash, and the girl twitched. She blinked, then slowly opened her eyes. Serra gazed around in utter confusion. She sat at the base of an enormous crater, which was feasibly as big as an entire city. Soft morning light filtered down, the sky a light rosy tinge. Serra looked around, and flinched in horror. Rubble and twisted pieces of metal littered the entire radius of the crater, flung outwards by the sheer power of the explosion. Some were still warm to the touch. As Serra struggled to figure out what has happened, a jolt of realization hit her. She could not remember. The girl had no recollection of how she had come to be sitting out in a huge crater. She only remembered one thing.


“My name... is Serra.”


Her voice rang in the crisp morning air. As Serra looked down, she gasped. Tubes extended from her arms, their ends limp in the snow. Shuddering, she yanked them out. They detached with a sticky sucking sound. Flinging them away with disgust, and yanking out the ones embedded in her back, the girl stood up.

It was cold...so cold.

As the small frail figure climbed up the snowy slope and disappeared from sight in Viridian Forest, her footsteps slowly disappeared, erasing all traces of her existence. As she left, the crater remained a grim blight upon the landscape.

 

[Saya]

Yay! This is back! I read this fic all on your site and I really hate to suffer through (like you siad) all 20 some chapters again to get to where you were before. I was just about to read the sequel when Spec. got banned so her thread way erased and i couldn't read it. Anyway.
This was really great! I found no spelling or grammer mistakes at all (i'm not a very good editor so don't take that as a good sign for no mistakes). Your description was amzing and so was the length and originality. Please post more soon!

Keep up the awesome writing!

~Saya~

 

[Indigo]

Wow...

I knew this was a very famous fic on here, and I'm glad to read it from the beginning!

This reminds me very much of Mewtwo's story, but I'll wait to see where it's going. Anyway, very nice job! Entrancing to read and exciting to think about!

However you don't capitalize after hesitation like this...keep that in mind.

~Indigo

 

[Burnt Flower]

A very intriguing and suspenseful beginning!

There were only two spelling errors (Scientist’s-Scientists’, was-were) so you don't have to worry too much about that aspect. Excellent description - I could visualize everything that happened. Grammar was great, except in some small mistakes that I'll show here:
“Amazing. Such a rapid utilizing of her powers...she will truly be a force to be reckoned with.” thought Dorian, grinning as he envisioned his promotion in Team Rocket.

That period after 'with' should be replaced with a comma:
“Amazing. Such a rapid utilizing of her powers...she will truly be a force to be reckoned with,” thought Dorian, grinning as he envisioned his promotion in Team Rocket.

The first quotation mark is facing the wrong way:
”Congratulations, everyone. Project Destiny is a complete success.”

And this could've been incorporated:
Two weeks later...

Maybe writing it as 'two weeks have passed since...' into the actual paragraph would've been better.

Other than those dismissable errors, I have no other flaws to point out.

The plot seems to be a very interesting one, indeed! Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres and you pulled it off splendidly, so great job on that! But most importantly, you created a dark atmosphere where your readers will be completely inmersed - waiting anxiously for the next chapter.

You've created two highly three-dimensional characters in only one chapter. Dorian, a highly ambitious man, who deceives the rest of the scientists yet is fiercely loyal to Team Rocket. And Serra, a naive girl who doesn't know anything about the world around her, not completely human, and yet, she is able to feel trust in others that are unlike her.

Brilliant work. Keep the chapters coming!

 

[Elite Eevee]

Wow, this is cool. I'm really impressed. But is that you, Spectreon?

I scribed a story, using my alter ego, Tech Drezhenn. He and Serra are slightly alike. Both were used as terrorist weapons. Both escaped. Tech by slipping through a military invasion, though.

But enough on my own stuff, that was great.

 

[AzureFlygon]

Thanks for the good reviews, everyone ^^ It makes me glad to know most of you don't mind having to start over, but per a request from Spectreon I will be updating two chapters at a time now.

And, as I said before, Spectreon is no longer using my account. She will no longer be on Serebii, but she will be checking that the fic is updated from time to time and giving me instructions on it via e-mail and contact through a different forum.

Oh, yes, and thank you for catching some of the grammer errors, Burnt Flower. I may be a beta, but I do miss things now and again...

On with the story, then.....

Oh, and for those with problems with violence and... *cough* other... situations... these chapters are not for you. Don't say I didn't warn you...
~~~~~

Chapter Two: The Visitor of Her Future

Zeiryu City...the City of Hope. It is the only city remaining in Kanto that has not been destroyed or taken over. It stands directly on the ruins of Cerulean City, directly in sight of Saffron City, Team Rocket’s home and base. A rippling, clear shield surrounds it, in a dome shape. No Andros can penetrate this barrier. Therefore, it is safe. It is where all the survivors go if they do not want to move to the safety of Johto, Hoenn, or the distant Orre.
It is massive, and far outstrips the famed Celadon City in terms of size. The center of Zeiryu is Zeiryu Academy, where the young enlist when they are twelve, and remain until they are seventeen, training for war with their received pokemon. This particular academy is where our story truly unfolds...

The large room bustled with the sounds of students talking and laughing. Forks and knives clattered on plates, while chairs scraped the floor. The student’s pokemon were also there, so it was controlled chaos. It was dinnertime, although the sun had not set yet. The teachers and the headmaster ate at their own table, discussing battle tactics and the like. In a quiet corner, a girl sat alone at a small table. Her dull grayish brown hair fell over icy, eerie blue eyes. Eyes that held a haunted, almost feral look. Old scars shone dully on her pale, ivory-skinned arms. She wore a simple bluish-black skirt with a white shirt, over which she wore a black jacket. She had no pokemon, for she only worked at the academy, sweeping classrooms in exchange for a room and food. Serra dully pushed the food around her plate but not eating them. A lot had happened to her in the two years since that fateful day she had awoken, bloodstained and shivering, in that blackened crater. None of them were good.


The students quieted as the headmaster stood up, clearing his throat and raising a hand for attention.

“Students, it is my pleasure to inform you we have a special visitor. May I present to you Aeris Skygale, the Champion of Johto!”

The doors swung open, and a young blonde woman walked in. As Serra and the other students craned their heads, getting a better look, the woman waved and bowed, smiling prettily. She wore jeans and a dark green army vest over a white long-sleeved shirt. At her belt hung four Pokeballs.
Serra was startled to notice that Aeris looked about eighteen, a mere two years older than her. Aeris went over to the buffet and heaped food on her plate, then turned around, searching for a table to sit at. All the male students immediately shifted to make room, hoping the beautiful Champion would sit at their table. Aeris walked through the room, weaving her way around the myriad tables. Serra, who had gone back to picking at her meal, was astonished when the Champion plopped herself at the space opposite her. A unison of sullen muttering rose at this from the other students. Ignoring them, Aeris greeted Serra.

“Hello! What’s your name?”

“Uh...S-Serra, madam.”

Aeris chuckled merrily. “Oh, don’t call me madam! It makes me feel old!”

Serra, flustered, apologized. Aeris shook her head. “Don’t worry. Say, what’s your Pokemon?”

Serra looked down, “I’m not a student. I only work here in exchange for a room and food.”

“Oh, I see! Well, would you like to meet my team?”

Smiling, Serra nodded. Aeris looked around, checking that there was a good deal of space. Then she activated her four Pokeballs.

“Meet Maverick, Skyfang, Fury and Bruiser!”

“Tototototototo! Tot-a-diiiiii!”

“Eeeeeeroda! Dac dac Aerodactyl!”

“TAAAAAAUUUUR! Taur taur roooos!”

“Keeeeeeng!! Nido nido keeeeeeng!”

At the head table, the headmaster chuckled as he watched Serra from afar, chatting with Aeris and her partners. It was so good to see Serra socializing. She was always a very sad, quiet girl. He'd never forget that day when she appeared at our door half a year ago...Shivering in that terrible blizzard, barely any warm clothes, with only a small bag of belongings...and those bruises..she must have been through hell, though He'd never asked. How could He turn her out, especially with those frozen tears shining on her face...and that terrible, scared look on her face....

After dinner, as she parted with Aeris, each waving happily and calling goodbyes, Serra felt something she had not felt since that day two years ago...happiness. Aeris was staying at the Red Bull, a nearby inn. However, Serra had a private room in the girls’ dormitories. As Serra walked down the path to the dormitories, she hummed quietly. Dry leaves crackled behind her. Stiffening, she whirled around, and blanched. Three male students walked towards her, and she knew them. Sneering, blond Matt was the leader, while Drake and Rowan were his ringleaders. Drake was brown-haired and beefy, and had a constant face of slack dullness. Rowan was small, lean and wiry, and excellent at weaseling his way out of unfavorable situations. All three were hated and feared by the younger students, for they were all seventeen, therefore the top dogs. And those three were bearing down on her, obviously intending her harm. Serra turned to run, but too late, they had caught up with her. Drake gripped Serra’s left arm painfully, while Rowan held the other. Matt’s hot breath hissed into Serra’s right ear, and she flinched.

“So you think you can suck up to Aeris Skygale, b*tch? You’ll pay! Take her to the warehouses, guys!”

Matt clasped a hand over Serra’s mouth, muffling her shrieks. Together, the three of them dragged Serra to a series of warehouses next to the dorms. The warehouses were mostly empty, but were used to store unneeded crates and metal tools and the like. Selecting the middle warehouse, they opened the door and dragged Serra in.

“Let’s have some fun, shall we?” snarled Matt.

Matt slammed the door, and the room was plunged into darkness. One of the boys flipped a switch, and the single light bulb hanging from the roof flickered to life, giving off weak yellow light. Drake threw Serra forcibly, and she slammed into the wall, knocking down crates, then sank to the floor, moaning in pain. She was roughly picked up and slammed against the floor, and her head banged painfully on the metal. A gash opened on the side of her head, bleeding steadily.

Ignoring the girl’s pleas to stop, the three boys activated each of their pokeballs. The dim room flared with light three times as Matt’s Raichu, Drake’s Machoke, and Rowan’s Marowak appeared in succession. The three pokemon stared at the bleeding girl, no emotion appearing on their blank faces. With a nod from their grinning masters, the three pokemon attacked in unison. The Raichu unleashed a Thunderbolt, and Serra shrieked as a thousand volts coursed through her body. The Machoke and Marowak pummeled the girl’s fragile ribs with fists and bone club, ignoring her sobs of pain.

Chapter Three: True Identity

Aeris had barely settled down on her bed when Maverick leaped out of his Pokeball, shrilling and dancing. He was obviously agitated about something. Alarmed, Aeris calmed down the frightened blue reptile.

“Maverick, shh. It’s all right. What’s wrong? Do you sense trouble?”

“It’s Serra!! She’s in trouble! The warehouses! She needs you!” Cried the Totodile in his own language, jumping up and down to emphasize his words.

Aeris didn’t even stop to think of how she could know what Maverick was screaming. Leaping from her bed, she grabbed her bow and slung the quivers over her shoulder. In the quiver were ten iron arrows. Their tips were barbed, capable of punching through Andros armor. Wasting no time, she ran outside, Maverick clinging to her shoulder. Aeris activated another Pokeball, and Fury bellowed as he appeared. Leaping onto the Tauros’ back with practiced ease, she commanded the huge Tauros to run. Hooves thundered and flung up dirt as Fury took off.

...

When the three pokemon withdrew, exhausted, Serra was barely conscious. She bled from multiple cuts, and her ribs were badly fractured in several places. Black and purple bruises had appeared, in stark contrast to her pale skin. As the bleeding girl lay prone on the floor, tears sliding down her cheeks, the Raichu, Machoke, and Marowak glowed and were recalled to their pokeballs. Matt knelt next to the girl, a smirk on his face. Grabbing Serra’s hair, he yanked it, forcing her head up. Serra cringed as Matt stared coldly into her face, then flipped her over on her back, and pulled off her jacket.
Serra felt boiling rage erupt within her. Not again! She had sworn to herself that she would not allow this to happen again. All rational thought was washed away in a torrent of cold, black fury. Deep in the core of her mind, something opened....and whispers of forgotten things surfaced briefly.
Serra sat up with such force, Matt jumped back, astonishment registering on his features. Slowly, deliberately, Serra rose to her feet, her eyes sparking with wrath. Matt was too shocked to observe that Serra’s normally icy blue eyes had become an eerie jade. How could she stand up after a beating like that? It was impossible....impossible! Matt thought fearfully as he backed away.

Serra opened her mouth, and to all three boy’s horror, large fangs glistened ivory in the dim light. There was a slight ripping sound, and the skin on Serra’s back bulged, stretching and rippling. There was another, louder ripping sound as large, leathery bat-like wings erupted from her back. They slowly stretched and settled.

Aeris leaped off Fury’s back and thanked the Tauros as she recalled him. Running towards the row of warehouses, she suddenly stopped. Unsure of which warehouse to pick, Aeris looked around. She heard the distant roar of a dragon from the warehouse closest to them.

“A dragon pokemon?” wondered Aeris, cautiously walking towards the warehouse.

There was a boom, then a flash as the warehouse exploded in a torrent of blue dragon fire. Aeris was flung back by the sheer force of the explosion. Landing and rolling agilely, she leaped back to her feet. Shielding her face from the heat, Aeris ran towards the warehouse. She would never forget what she was soon to witness...

A silhouette of a girl appeared among the raging fires. Heat waves shimmered and rippled, distorting her figure, but Aeris recognized her instantly.

“Serra! Are you okay? Stay there! I’m coming!” yelled Aeris.

The figure turned, and Aeris was about to shout something when she stopped, staring thunderstruck. Huge wings unfolded from the figure with a snap, and the what was once the girl Aeris knew took off. Serra sailed through the air, landing in front of Aeris before staggering and falling. Her wings glowed and disappeared. Aeris ran to Serra and knelt, horrified at the sheer brutality of her wounds.

“Serra..who..who did this to you?” asked Aeris, her voice thick with rage.

Maverick leaped from her shoulder, cheeping worriedly and licking at Serra’s wounds, trying to cleanse them with squirts of water. Serra could only cough weakly, then her eyes closed slowly. Her body went limp in Aeris’ arms as she lost consciousness. Maverick squealed a warning and Aeris snapped her head up. Another faint silhouette appeared among the roaring flames, and a badly burned Matt staggered out, a large metal pipe in his hand.

“I’ll kill you both.” rasped the half-crazed boy, raising his weapon as he advanced.

Aeris took action. With silent efficiency, she drew an arrow on her bow and raised it. Taking aim, she fired. Matt jerked and fell, an arrow sticking out of his forehead. As he hit the ground, he shuddered, then went silent, the pipe rolling out of his limp hand. By this time, people had come running.

“Oh my god! What happened?”

“She needs an ambulance. Someone call the hospital!”

By that time, the wailing ambulance had arrived and Serra was safely on a stretcher. The dying fires of the warehouse continued to burn steadily, a stark reminder of what event had taken place.

 

[Elemental Charizam]

I'm glad this is back, I should probably have re-read anyway. This is even better than I remembered, keep up the rapid updating!

 

[ClefairyTenchi]

Wow...

I knew this was a very famous fic on here, and I'm glad to read it from the beginning!

This reminds me very much of Mewtwo's story, but I'll wait to see where it's going. Anyway, very nice job! Entrancing to read and exciting to think about!

However you don't capitalize after hesitation like this...keep that in mind.

~Indigo

Yeah, That's what they said in Speccy's first DoaNL thread. It is very Mewtwo-esce at the beginning, but it completely changes as the story goes on. You'll soon find yourself hooked

[BLATANT AD]Read my sequel to Dawn of a New Legacy, Of the Winds.[/BLATANT AD]

Sorry, bout that, just had to get that in. But you know it's good, cause it is Beta-ed by the mighty Speccy ('cept the most recent chapter, which was a surprise for her)

Anyway, you should remain tuned into this thread, cause Speccy and Azure are two brilliant writers and DoaNL is an awesome fic.

 

[ChibiYukiakariRyuu]

*gasp* You...are...going...to...start to post it all...over again?! Nooooo! I hope you get the next chapter out soon... (Not the fourth one, I meant the one after the very latest chapter. And to Eevee, in Azure's first post, it said that Spectreon wouldn't be sharing accounts anymore...

 

[AzureFlygon]

Posting as fast as I can, okay? Considering it'll be updated once a day, with two chapters a day for most posts (except for an insanely long chapter... like the one I wrote a while ago), it shouldn't be very long until the next, brand new chapter is revealed. Perhaps a week, maybe a week and a half. Less if I get a bunch of comments and get on the interent twice a day, which I usually do *wink wink, nudge nudge*

Okay, so here's the next two chapters. Have a good day ^^

~~~~

Chapter Four: A Constructing Future

Serra came to with a jolt, her mind awash with terror. The last thing she remembered was Matt yanking off her jacket....then....then what? What had happened? Why was she here? Serra sat up and looked around, eyes wide in confusion. She was in what appeared to be a hospital bed. Serra looked to her left and saw a window. Soft light streamed through, and it appeared to be morning.

When she tried to move, intense pain shot through her chest. Biting back a yelp, Serra looked down. Her ribs were swathed in white bandages. So was part of her head, come to think of it.

Serra winced, remembering the hollow thuds of the Marowak’s club against her ribs. The door behind her opened suddenly. Yelping, Serra whirled, and another sharp pain wracked her ribs. A motherly nurse walked in, beaming.

“I see you’re awake at last!”

“What’s going on? How did I get here?”

“Oh, you don’t remember? You’ll have to ask Aeris. She was the only eyewitness.”

“Eyewitness? Of what?”

“Don’t fret about that right now, dearie. Let me see, now. You sustained numerous fractures in your ribs and your skull was banged up pretty badly. Were you beaten?”

Serra rubbed her aching head and nodded, confirming the nurse’s question. The nurse tutted sympathetically. A chubby Chansey waddled in, bearing a tray of...eggs? Serra stared at them uncomprehendingly.

“Uh...what?”

“They contain healing properties, because they’re specially produced by Chanseys. Now, eat up, and you’ll be out of here faster than you can say odd’s bobs! Shall I inform Aeris you’re awake?”

“Please, yes.”

The nurse and the Chansey bustled out. Serra sighed, and looked at the eggs. Picking up one, she bit into it carefully. To her surprise, her headache cleared immediately, and she could feel energy coming back to her aching limbs. Serra immediately tore into the eggs hungrily.

...

Aeris Skygale shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She occupied a rather lumpy couch in the hospital waiting room, with Maverick perched on her lap. Her bow and quiver lay forgotten next to her. Anxiously, she checked the clock above the main entrance for the umpteenth time. Aeris was sick with worry about Serra, and also trying to puzzle out the fact that Serra had sprouted wings and flew. Was she responsible for the dragon’s Outrage that had so thoroughly decimated three boys and a warehouse? It made absolutely no sense. None at all whatsoever.

She jumped in shock as the intercom in the corner of the room boomed to life.

“Aeris Skygale’s presence is requested by the patient in the Major Injuries ward, second floor , Wing C, Room 3017!!”

Cursing the intercom and whoever had engineered it to be so bloody loud, Aeris hastily grabbed her bow and quiver and Maverick, who squealed in protest. He was ignored as Aeris ran full tilt for the elevator.

Serra was just finishing off the last of the Chansey’s eggs when the door flew open. Aeris flew in, and dropped her things. Maverick leaped on the bed, and started licking Serra’s cheeks. Aeris sat down on the bed and hugged Serra gently due to her tender ribs. When she pulled away, Serra immediately began pelting Aeris with questions.

“Aeris!! What is going on? What happened? How’d I end up here?”

Aeris and Maverick sat gaping at her. Finally, the blonde began speaking.

“Um...you don’t remember? What you did?”

“Did WHAT? The last thing I remember was Matt yanking off my jacket. He and two others were beating me, on account of you ignoring them for me. So then Matt took off my jacket, then I remember getting this...strange feeling. Like...a surge of impotent rage...then a burst of jade....then I woke up here. What the HELL happened?!?” demanded Serra. Aeris blinked , then spoke.

“Well, I was running to the warehouses, trying to find you. Then one of them, yours, exploded. Blue fire-means it was a Dragon Pokemon. That’s what I thought....until you walked through the fire and sprouted dragon wings. Are you telling me you had no idea you could do that...whatever that was?”

Serra sat back, absorbing the implication of Aeris’ account. After a minute, Aeris was startled to see a tear trickling out Serra’s right eye.

“Not again...” she whispered.

Aeris became alert at her words.

“You mean...this has occurred before?” she asked gently. Serra sighed.

“I suppose I should tell you this, but be warned, it’s a long story.”

Aeris shrugged. “I’m willing to listen. Please, do tell.” Maverick snuggled up against Serra, comforting her. Serra took a deep breath, then started to speak.

“Well, it all started two years ago. My very first memory is waking up in the snow...in a huge crater. It was early morning. Before that....nothing. So...I consider that the beginning of my life. It’s so...strange. It was January, I think. The crater was massive...easily able to hold a small city. It was in an area between Viridian Forest and where Viridian City used to stand.”

Aeris cut in. “Oh my...I remember that day. Everyone remembers it, because on that morning, there was a strange beam of light flaring up from that area. I remember it, as clear as day. I was training on the peaks of Mount Silver, and I heard an distant explosion. When I turned around, boom, there was a huge pillar of light. It was incredible. Even the people in Hoenn saw it. The local meteorologists were confounded by it. Do you think...you did that?”

Serra nodded. “It’s very likely. I remember I had these weird tubes sticking out of me, so I yanked them off. I walked out of the crater, because it was so cold. I wound up at Marielle Village, which stands on the ruins of Pallet Town. It was a small refugee settlement but no trainers, so the Andros mostly ignored it. There, a midwife healed my wounds, and I got a job waitressing at the village pub. I couldn’t quit, because the bartender provided me with clothes and a room, in exchange for my service. But...oh, god...it was horrible.”

At this, Serra started crying silently, remembering bad memories. Aeris rubbed her back comfortingly. When Serra got herself under control, she continued.

“The bartender had no ethnics, and cared naught about me. So he started...se...selling my body to customers. Twenty coins for two hours, or fifty for a entire night. That’s where my scars came from. They raped me, and If I resisted, I got beat.”

Aeris gasped. “Oh my god. Oh, Serra...I’m so sorry.”

Serra shook her head. “It’s all right. They knew I wouldn’t get pregnant...because the weird thing was... I never got my monthlies. It’s strange...all teenage girls get it. But I never did...another sign I’m not what I thought I was...a normal human girl. The beatings went on for a year and a half. Anyway, it got to the point where I couldn’t stand it anymore. I got that strange feeling...only instead of jade, it was red. Bright, blazing red. When I woke up, I was lying on the grass outside. The entire village was engulfed in flames. No survivors. I saved what was left of the provisions, and started wandering the land, searching for a home. Two weeks later, I came to Zeiryu City, half dead and starving. The headmaster took me in, but at that point, I did not trust any men. I still don’t, to this day. That was half a year ago...” Serra’s voice trailed off. Aeris nodded, and stood up decisively.

“I may just have the perfect plan. Tomorrow, if you’re feeling better, we leave. The two of us are going to find out what you are. I know a special place...It’s near Cinnabar Island. There are...creatures....mystical creatures there. They may know the secret of your origin. Tomorrow...we leave at dawn."

...

“You ready?” asked Aeris. Serra nodded, and the both of them went to the Abra Teleporting Station in the corner.

“We’re going to have to use an Abra because the Moon Mountains are full of Andros on patrol. Now, listen to me...We are going to teleport to Anemos Village, which is situated on the Seafoam Islands. From there, we’ll rent a boat, and go to the special area east of Cinnabar. You’ll know when we’re there, it’ll be thick with fog. Okay, get ready to teleport.”

The Abra stood up, chirping a signal. Both girls and Maverick placed their hands (and paw) on the Abra’s head. There was a whooshing sensation, and the world around them rippled, then plunged into darkness. Serra felt a strange tingling where her hand touched the Abra. There was a sudden, abrupt jerk, and both girls stumbled as they touched down upon the frigid shores of Anemos Village. Aeris bowed in thanks to the Abra, who nodded and vanished. Serra gazed around in wonder. She had never seen the ocean before, and was astounded at the sheer size of it.

Anemos Village was a small place, and mostly fishing families lived there, in snug wooden huts. Blue smoke rose from the cookhouse, and the aroma of roasting Magikarp drifted over to Aeris and Serra, making their stomachs rumble. Maverick cheeped happily as he bounced around in the waves.

“Before we rent a boat, I’ll need to contact the others. They’ll want to meet you.” remarked Aeris. Serra suddenly became alert.

“Others? What others?”

Aeris waved her hand.

“Don’t worry-I’d trust them with my life.” With that, Aeris tool out her PDA-Navi, which was the latest innovation from Devon Corporations. Basically, a PDA merged with a Poke-Navi. Activating it, she selected the Vid Coms. The PDA-Navi whirred, then displayed a holographic 3-D screen floating above the CPU monitor.. A list of names appeared on it. Aeris touched the one labeled “Raven Darkmoon”, which in turn glowed. Then the screen went blank as it connected. After a few moments, the image of a black-haired girl with Asian features appeared on the screen.

“That’s Raven Darkmoon. She’s the granddaughter of Sabrina, the former Gym Leader of Saffron City. Raven holds the distinction of being the most powerful psychic in all of the known regions.” explained Aeris.

Raven spoke curtly. “What do you want? Make it quick, I’m in a bad mood.”

Aeris grinned knowingly. “Shadow’s driving you up the wall again, eh?”

Raven groaned. “Speak his name not. He’s convinced that he’s my personal bodyguard.”

Aeris became serious. “Raven, listen to me. Gather up Terra, Hydro, Blade and Shadow, and come to the Shrine. There’s matters that need your, and their, attention.”

Raven sighed.

“Even Shadow?”

“Yep. Sorry, Raven.”

Raven nodded, and the screen went blank, then faded. Aeris put away the device, and turned to Serra. The two of them made their way to the local pier, where, after much haggling with the boatswain, was able to get a small but speedy motorboat for only seventy coins. After Aeris had finished counting out the money, the two of them and Maverick climbed into the boat. Aeris put the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered, then roared to life. The motorboat shot out, heading for Cinnabar Island.

A hour later...

A heavy fog bank wrapped around everything, thick and grey. The boat’s engine idled as Aeris looked around, trying to locate something.

“Um..exactly what are we looking for?” asked Serra curiously.

Aeris looked around, sighing annoyedly.

“We’re looking for a small island with a monolith on it. However, I could swear that blasted thing actually moves around on its own...It’s never in the place it was before. Dratted thing.” she muttered. Serra pointed behind her.

“Is that it?”

The black silhouette of a island appeared in the grey haze. Aeris whooped.

“Excellent!” she said, ecstatic. Maverick danced around happily. Aeris carefully maneuvered the motorboat up next to the small island, which was really more of a large boulder than an actual island. The monolith was shaped like an arc, like a gateway...but a gateway to what? wondered Serra. The arch looked ancient and weathered, and had obviously been through the passages of time. Shivering slightly in the frigid air, she and Aeris walked up to the arch. Serra noticed mysterious markings on the border of the stone arch.

“What are those?” she asked, pointing at the runes. Aeris shrugged.

“I’m not sure, but no one can read it. Even Raven can’t decipher their meaning. Some think it was the ancient language of the denizens of this Shrine, but no one’s bothered to ask them.”

Growing more and more unsettled at this, Serra said nothing. The atmosphere was unusually eerie. Even Maverick had quieted down, an extraordinary feat for one of his kind.

Serra jumped with fright when the air within the archway hummed, and glowed. When the glow faded, there was a vortex pulsating within it. Colors with no names flashed around the vortex, and the runes upon the arch were glowing an electric blue. Aeris stepped forward, and beckoned to Serra.

“Welcome to the Shrine, gateway to the realms of the Missingno, the guardians of time, void and chaos.”

Both girls and the Totodile stepped into the vortex. The vortex released a searing blast of pure white light, cutting through the fog. When the glow died down, there were no traces of Aeris, Serra or Maverick. They were gone.

~~~~~

Posting next chapter in a new post. May take me a while, so feel free to comment if you will ^^

 

[AzureFlygon]

Okay, next chapter...

~~~~

Chapter Five: Embracing the Past

Serra shrieked in shock and surprise. She and Aeris were falling, falling through the clouds...Clouds that were comprised of pixels...glowing and staticy. Serra and Aeris fell past the pixel clouds, to be met by a glowing, rippling surface.

“Don’t worry, that’s only the Matrix Plane. It’s what separates their plane of reality from ours.” Aeris shouted above the roar of the wind.

Maverick clung gamely to her foot. Serra groaned quietly as the eerie, multicolored layer rushed up towards them. As they hit the layer, there was a huge flash and a boom, then darkness...

Serra opened her eyes. They were floating dreamily in blue mist, surrounded by floating pink balls of light. Aeris drifted towards her, grinning.

“Where are we? And which way is up and down?”

“We’re in the very between of the Matrix Layer and the Missingno’s realm. Here, you decide which way is up or down. It doesn’t matter.” Aeris shrugged, and Maverick squealed, clinging more tightly than ever.

“Ah...So I think...that way is down.” Serra pointed vaguely to her left.

“WHOAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

“TOTODIILLLLLLLEEEEEEE!!!!”

All three screamed as gravity kicked in, and they fell headfirst in the exact direction Serra had pointed out. The wind whistled past Serra, deafening her. Suddenly, a strange, crackling voice spoke from nowhere and everywhere.

“AERIS SKYGALE, WELCOME. YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE ALREADY. PREPARE FOR ENTRY. WE WILL PROCESS SERRA, THEN SEND HER THROUGH.”

Serra glanced at Aeris and Maverick. As they fell, the air below Aeris rippled, and green glowing squares appeared. They spun into place, forming a rotating circle. The tile-circle suddenly flared, and Aeris suddenly seemed to stretch and glow, disappearing into the circle. Then Serra fell alone.

“-Beep-”
“SERRA, WELCOME. YOUR PROCESSING IS COMPLETE. PREPARE FOR ENTRY.”

Serra looked down nervously as the green tiles spun into place...

The chamber was enormous. It seemed to be as big as a small village, and was cut from stone. Stalactites hung majestically from the faceted ceiling, and massive pillars were placed around the chamber, extending from the ground to the ceiling.

There was a whoosing sound, and a small window opened in the air. It pulsed, and opened even bigger. Within the window was only rippling light, like the light from a plasma laptop when you prod it too hard and the screen ripples. There was a loud screaming, and rapid chirps. Aeris Skygale fell backwards through the window, and crashed against the wall. Sliding down with anime-style swirls for eyes, Aeris and Maverick could only lie on the floor.

A grinning, small woman walked up to Aeris. She was about eighteen, the same as Aeris. Her shoulder-length reddish brown hair stuck out from under a black skull cap. The woman wore black punk-style pants with a white long-sleeved shirt. Over that shirt, she wore another shirt, only it was short-sleeved and gray. Twin guns were holstered in her belt. A lean Golduck peered down from her shoulder. The woman’s hands sprang up and weaved through the air, signing her amusement at Aeris’ clumsy landing.

“Hello, Terra.” groaned Aeris.

Picking herself up woozily, she squealed and tackled the newcomer coming up behind Terra.

“Hydro!! You’re still following Terra around! Jeez, just marry her already!” laughed Aeris as she pinned the lean young man to the floor.

Hydro had black spiked hair and brilliant, forest green eyes. He only wore a simple black shirt and jeans. Hydro laughed as he pushed Aeris off and stood up, dusting himself off. A Vulpix trotted up from behind a pillar and gave Aeris an affectionate lick. Trilling, she demanded Terra to cuddle her. Rolling her eyes, Terra picked up her Vulpix and stroked her. Aeris looked around.

“Are Raven, Shadow and Blade here, too?” she inquired.

Hydro answered. “They’re over there. Oy! Come on! The Crazy Aeris is here!” he bellowed, neatly ducking Aeris’ sideswipe.

There was the sound of rapid footsteps, and Raven, wearing a dark purple cloak, appeared, smiling. She greeted Maverick and Aeris. From behind her, two young men appeared, both the same age as Hydro, Terra and Aeris. The left one was blonde and wore a black cloak. His eyes twinkled brown, of the same shade as Aeris’ eyes, only slightly more hazel. A cheerful smirk was plastered on his face. From his belt, a gleaming katana hung.

“Hello, ladies. Shadow is here to protect you all!” proclaimed the flashy young man.

The sound of Raven’s teeth grinding was audible.

“Still driving Raven bonkers, eh?” grinned Aeris, tossing her blonde hair back.

The other newcomer was rather quiet. He wore brown pants with a dark brown shirt with white sleeves. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were hazel.

“Hello, Aeris. May I ask why you have brought us all here?” asked Blade.

Aeris suddenly went solemn.

“I’ve found something...a person. A girl. Her name is Serra. And...she may not be what she seems. I’ve brought her along so---Ah, speaking of the devil!”

The air in the middle of the room rippled and distorted, generating a humming noise as the portal formed once again. The window expanded, the light from within lighting up the dim chamber. The familiar whoosing could be heard, and Serrra floated through, her hair streaming behind her. As she touched upon the ground, the portal closed with a hiss and a snap. Serra blinked, then yelped as her legs collapsed, and she fell backwards on her bottom.

Blade had been staring at the girl, entranced. He could sense a deep sadness within her eyes, and his heart went out to the girl. When she fell, Blade jerked forward, as did Shadow. Both of them went to help the girl to her feet, but her reaction wasn’t quite what they expected.

Serra was wincing as she tried to make sense of everything. There was a whole group of people staring at her. She recognized one of them as Raven, the antagonized girl on Aeris’ PDA-Navi. Two young men leaped towards her, and Serra’s reaction was instant. Shrieking with fear, she threw up her arms, as if to protect herself from invisible blows. Her eyes glowed white for a brief instant, and an invisible wave of energy slammed into both men, knocking the breath out of them.

“No!” cried Aeris.

Hastily, she ran and knelt next to the shuddering, frightened girl, soothing her. Aeris turned her head and explained as she tended to Serra.

“I’m sorry, Blade, Shadow. She’s had a rough life, and been abused badly. She doesn’t take to men well.”

“That’s a hell of an understatement,” chuckled Shadow as he rubbed his aching ribs.

Blade, however, was more thoughtful. Speaking in a genuinely sorry voice, he tried making amends. “Serra, um...I’m sorry. I didn’t know...I won’t do it again.”

Turning to Aeris, he continued. “Aeris....are you telling me this girl can use Pokemon power? If I’m not mistaken, that was a Razor Wind she used on me and Shadow.”

Aeris nodded.

“I’ve witnessed her use a Dragon attack. She decimated a warehouse and three boys. I’ve also seen her sprout wings. She tells me she can’t remember her life further than two years back. Feeling better, Serra?”

Serra nodded abruptly and got to her feet. Maverick chirped happily as he ran up to Serra, rubbing against her leg affectionately.

“Err...hello.....” she mumbled, her face becoming beet red.

Aeris pointed out each person, who nodded, waved or smiled as they were introduced.

“This is Terra Blazearth, the resident Coliseum Master of Orre. Her Golduck and Vulpix are Kairos and Dark Flame. That’s Hydro Glacierlake, the current Champion of Hoenn, and Raven Darkwing, the most powerful psychic in the regions. The blonde next to him is Shadow, Raven’s self-appointed bodyguard.”(At this, everyone except Raven chuckled.) And this is Blade Jaegerin, traveling warrior.”

Serra bowed to each of them, then voiced something she’d been wondering.

“Err, I’m sorry if this is a dumb question, but I noticed there was someone to represent each region. Terra from Orre, Hydro from Hoenn, and Aeris from Johto. The rest of you don’t seem like trainers. Isn’t there someone from Kanto?”

Terra shook her head, signing rapidly. Hydro translated. “The Champion of Kanto... was killed in the second wave of Andros invasion. We are practically all that’s left of the National Pokemon League, Aeris, Hydro, and I.”

Serra nodded in understanding, and for a brief moment, there was silence.

“HELLO, EVERYONE. I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING LATE.”

Everyone jumped, startled as a crackly voice spoke. It was all Serra could do to keep from yelping as a large....thing....appeared before them. It was certainly bizarre. It was rectangular, and somewhat two-dimensional. There was a squarish piece missing from the top left corner, making the creature look a bit lopsided. It gave off a small glow, and a continuous noise like static. The rectangular creature had no apparent face, and was completely formed of a jumble of golden-yellow pixels and binary code. They seemed to shift and move around constantly.

“What is that?” whispered Serra, her voice shrill with fear and wonder.

“DO NOT FEAR, SERRA. I AM ONE OF THE MISSINGNO. WE ARE AN ANCIENT RACE, FORGOTTEN BY TIME. WE ARE THE CHRONICLERS, THE SPECTERS.”

Aeris and her friends bowed in respect to the venerable creature.

“I thank you for seeing us. You may already be aware of this, but we have found a girl. Serra. She seems to be capable of unusual powers, but she knows not the secrets of her birth. Can you help her, please? Help her find her true identity.”

The Missingno turned to Serra, examining her. At last, it spoke.

“SERRA, COME HERE. I AM GOING TO UNLOCK YOUR MEMORIES. DO NOT WORRY, THERE IS NO PAIN.”

Serra looked worriedly at Aeris and Terra. Terra nodded, indicating it would be okay. Gulping, she slowly walked forward, stopping directly before the Missingno. The center of the Missingno’s pixilated body opened up, and pure white light shone into Serra’s eyes, and all the group was awash with light. Everything went white...

When Serra awoke, she realized that everyone was with her, looking about as confused as she felt. They were standing in the middle of a massive, bustling laboratory....but no one saw them. No one gave the slightest indication that they noticed there was a group of teenagers standing in their midst. And then it hit Serra: They were not there in body. Only in spirit. Raven gasped and pointed. Everyone turned to see what she was pointing at.
“Oh, my....” murmured Aeris quietly. Hydro heard her and nodded in agreement.

At the other end of the laboratory, towering over them, was a massive glass cylinder. In the cylinder, floating in pink embryonic fluid, was a girl, her hair floating serenely around her face. It was Serra. Serra was looking into her own face. Serra turned her head, looking at Aeris. Both of them wore identical thunderstruck expressions. The scene shifted until a handsome young scientist strode into view. He was tall, and his hair was dark brown and rumpled. A tag on his lab coat identified him as Dr. Dorian, Head Scientist. With a chill, Serra realized she was remembering. As the scene happened, she was remembering at the same time.

Dr. Dorian walked up to the younger Serra, and tapped the glass. The Serra in the cylinder opened her eyes, and cried gladly, a honest, joyous smile appearing on her innocent face. There was no trace of the haunted, feral look in her eyes.

“I was so happy...” thought Serra.

The scene shifted and dissolved. When it reappeared, it showed a more grim scene. Three Scyther-Andros stood over the bloodied remains of scientists, menacing the younger Serra. Her face registered pure terror, the look a child wears when he realizes his parents have mysteriously vanished and a stranger wielding a knife towers over him.

“Dorian vanished that morning....I never saw him again.” thought Serra, grief welling from within her.

Soundlessly, the group watched the three Andros leap upon Serra, and the chaos that followed. The scene now showed Serra awakening in the crater, snow drifting peacefully upon her.

“Serra looks so beautiful in the snow.” thought Blade, hoping Raven couldn’t hear his thoughts.

As the group watched, Serra walked into view, carrying platters of food to customers in a bar. They stood by quietly as the customers humiliated Serra, grabbing her buttocks and roaring with laughter.

The group continued to watch as the bartender spoke quietly to a man, accepting his money and pointing to a door nearby. Beside him, Serra stood quietly, fresh bruises upon her neck. The man turned, grabbing Serra. He opened the door, revealing a small room with a bed in it. Dragging Serra and ignoring her screams, the man turned and closed the door. The last scene was the most heart stopping: Serra walking silently towards the invisible observers, a entire village behind her consumed by roaring flames. The tips of the flames licked hungrily at the night air.

With a start, Aeris realized they were back in the cavernous chamber. The Missingno quietly drew back from Serra. Shaking, Serra turned around to face the group, and the whole group saw what was on her forehead-a dark blue, thin oval. Its surface shone, as if it was made of sapphire.

“THAT IS THE MARK OF THE GODDESS. YOUR COMING HAS BEEN TOLD OF, IN OUR LORE. YOU WILL FREE US ALL FROM THE ANDROS. “

Serra touched the mark upon her forehead.

“Yes...I remember it all. I was engineered to be the ultimate defense against the Andros. Dorian said if I trained long enough, I would be able to eliminate entire armies. I am a human, but I have the spirit of Pokemon within me.”

Raven let out a long, low whistle.

“This is certainly very astonishing, but also a blessing. Perhaps....we will finally be able to overthrow Team Rocket. You saw what she did to that village. When her control over her powers are complete, she’ll truly be a force to be reckoned with.”

Hydro grinned. “Looks like we’ll finally be kicking some Andros butt. “ Terra nodded enthusiastically. Aeris whooped, and Shadow clapped Blade on the back.

“Well, mates, looks like the Pokemon League is back, and with a vengeance!”

The Missingno moved slightly and a newcomer appeared beside him. Everyone took double takes as they noticed what he was. He was about the size of a Pidgeot, and he was what appeared to be a perfect Aerodactyl skeleton. His bone-claws clicked on the floor, and his grinning skull opened as he spoke.

“Hey, guys. My name is Bonedancer. I’ve been assigned to you. I’m gonna help Serra with her training.”

Bonedancer flapped his bone wings. Despite having no membranes over his wings, he took to flight, gliding and landing on Serra’s shoulder. Maverick and Dark Flame stared curiously, fascinated by the miniature Aerodactyl skeleton. The Missingno made a sound remarkably like a sigh.

“REMEMBER YOUR MANNERS, YOUNG ONE. “

Then, speaking to Serra: “I MUST APOLOGIZE FOR HIS BEHAVIOR. HE IS A LESSER FORM OF MISSINGNO, A YOUNG ONE. HE REMEMBERS NOT THE COMMON RULES OF COURTESY.” His tone was almost apologetic.

Grinning, Serra heard Bonedancer quietly mumble something that sounded a lot like “grouchy old coot.”

“EVERYONE, GATHER CLOSE BY ME. I WILL BRING YOU BACK TO THE SURFACE.”

There was a hum, and the room rippled and dissolved. In the next instant, Serra and her friends were standing on the Missingno shrine, the ancient gateway seeming to greet them. Dark Flame squealed, not liking the damp fog that surrounded them, and recalled herself into one of the Pokeballs on Terra’s wrist. However, Kairos and Maverick immediately splashed happily into the water. Serra smiled and turned to the others.

“Looks like we have quite an interesting journey ahead of us.”

 

[IdiotNESS]

Errr...Spectreon's not going to be coming back!? POOPIE!

*sigh*

Still, It's good to reread things, it tends to reveal little touches that we missed when we first read it

 

[Ladyumbra]

whoot bonedancer i love that guy. oooh that means I get to see ghost soon. *dances8 i love this fic i truley love it. i have to say that beign able to reread it all again is really worth it. it bring bakc forgotten things. as always kickass description , plot, flow. go speccy and azure

 

[Elite Eevee]

Wow, this just gets better and better. I was wondering what happened to Serra in those two years. Now I really don't.

But the best thing is your motley crew of stewpots(No offense, personal catchphrase). Great pesonality, best I've seen yet. I'd do anything to be in the story.

EDIT: Oh, I see. Nevertheless, I hope Spectreon comes back soon. I PM'd Beau, waiting for a reply right now.

PPS: The concept of the Missingno is awesome. Glitchy or not, pixelated specters of time and space are cool. And Bonedancer looks like one hell of a comic relief character.

 

[indigestible_wad]

Wow, I am very glad that this story is back. I enjoyed reading it the first time and I'll enjoy reading it from the bieginning again. Besides, the old beginning was deleted.

 

[Burnt Flower]

You know, I'm starting to love this story.

I've found some capitalization and spelling errors (pokemon-Pokemon, He'd-he’d, He-he, tool-took, A-An) but other than that, spelling was fine. Grammar was mostly good, too, but you did the same mistakes from your first chapter. I'll post some examples:

“I’ll kill you both.” rasped the half-crazed boy, raising his weapon as he advanced.

That period should be a comma. Like this:
“I’ll kill you both,” rasped the half-crazed boy, raising his weapon as he advanced.

Another example:
“Before we rent a boat, I’ll need to contact the others. They’ll want to meet you.” remarked Aeris.

It should be:
“Before we rent a boat, I’ll need to contact the others. They’ll want to meet you,” remarked Aeris.

Here's another:
“We’re looking for a small island with a monolith on it. However, I could swear that blasted thing actually moves around on its own...It’s never in the place it was before. Dratted thing.” she muttered.

It's supposed to be:
“We’re looking for a small island with a monolith on it. However, I could swear that blasted thing actually moves around on its own...It’s never in the place it was before. Dratted thing,” she muttered.

The second quotation mark is facing the wrong way:
“Looks like we’ll finally be kicking some Andros butt. “

These can be better off as asterisks (***):
...

Don't forget to correct these mistakes; they're your only grammar mistakes.

Description was quite good - it wasn't overbearing or pretentious; it actually gives a nice mental image in one's mind.

I like where this story is going! Very interesting and seems to have a very solid plot. The Missingno realm was very creative and was a great touch to the story (I also like the Missingnos' themselves very much). The atmosphere has turned a bit more lighthearted and adventurous, yet the rape flashbacks were quite sad. I really want to know what's going to happen next - so excellent work on yet another aspect.

Now the full cast of characters has appeared - and what a great cast of characters, it is! They're all very likeable, though, at first I thought that Aeris was a Mary Sue (perfect female character) because of this:
All the male students immediately shifted to make room, hoping the beautiful Champion would sit at their table.

Because beauty is is usually applied to Mary-Sues.

All thoughts of Aeris being a possible Mary-Sue erased from my mind as soon as I read this:
Aeris took action. With silent efficiency, she drew an arrow on her bow and raised it. Taking aim, she fired. Matt jerked and fell, an arrow sticking out of his forehead. As he hit the ground, he shuddered, then went silent, the pipe rolling out of his limp hand. By this time, people had come running.

I certainly wasn't prepared for that; never imagined that she was capable of murder...

This line:
Hydro translated. “The Champion of Kanto... was killed in the second wave of Andros invasion. We are practically all that’s left of the National Pokemon League, Aeris, Hydro, and I.”

...Ash?

And:
I walked out of the crater, because it was so cold. I wound up at Marielle Village, which stands on the ruins of Pallet Town.

...Ash...?!

Hmm, and the timeline sure is quite few years after Ash and the rest (will they make an appearance?):
She’s the granddaughter of Sabrina, the former Gym Leader of Saffron City.

This:
“Speak his name not. He’s convinced that he’s my personal bodyguard.”

Really reminded me of a famous character, but don't kill me for it...

...

...Yoda!

And this:

*wink wink, nudge nudge*

Reminds me of a JKR chat were she mentioned Ron and Hermione, heh...

And finally (you probably hate me by now)...

Terra/Hydro, Raven/Shadow, and Serra/Blade forever!

Now I sound like some hyper fangirl - my apologies.

Please continue!

 

[ClefairyTenchi]

Dude you're nit-picky. You should be the grammar Beta for this fic. And your post was disturbingly lng. At least you like the story. How do you know this gramar, though?

 

[Burnt Flower]

Dude you're nit-picky. You should be the grammar Beta for this fic. And your post was disturbingly lng. At least you like the story. How do you know this gramar, though?

Heh, I'm a girl, and I'm not that nitpicky (ok, so maybe I am), but I like to give out constructive criticism to authors so their stories will get better. As for the grammar beta comment - it made me smile. And my post wasn't so long... well, for my standards at least... Oh, and I know grammar because I read a lot of books, and fanfiction and I read some rules on grammar.

 

[AzureFlygon]

Personally, I like hearing about the mistakes. It makes it easier to correct it later ^^ But that doesn't mean that just nice little 'well done' comments-things are not wanted

Sorry about the delay, though. I didn't get back on the computer last night to post the next chapter ^^;;

MESSAGE FROM SPECTREON!!!!
"Dear Readers,

Thank you all for not biting our heads off for restarting the ficcy. XD I'm sorry I won't be coming back....but Elite Eevee, I wish you hadn't PMed Beau. Please leave him alone, and don't pester him, for my own good. I want to be left alone in peace and it is NOT going to help things if people PM him.

And thank you in general, Burnt Flower, for being patient. This was my first fiction so you will see lots of mistakes in the begining, but as the story progresses you will be seeing enormous improvement. ^^"

Now for chapter....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Serra’s eyes were bulging so hard, they looked as though they were going to pop out. The group stood at an algae-covered dock leading to a massive island. Aeris swept her arm to emphasize her words.

“Back in the old days, Terra, Hydro and I decided we needed a base, so we found this island, and we terraformed it to make it a haven for all Pokemon. It’s got lakes, mountains, caves, a small desert, plains, forests and even a abandonded ruin for Ghost-types. Most of the Pokemon here are brought voluntarily if they need homes, but Terra bred the rest. She even bred her own army of Flygon, Charizard and Aerodactyl. My Skyfang was bred by her, too. Be warned, all the Pokemon are at dangerously high levels, so they’re able to defend their island if it’s attacked. Our main base is in the very center of this island. We named it Victory Island, in honor of the Victory Road.”

“Which is unlikely.” interreputed Hydro. “This island lies in the vast sea beyond Orre. The only way we could get here was having Raven teleport us.” Terra nodded as he spoke.

“Can we get a move on?” said Shadow loudly. “We can”t stand here all day. I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.” Raven snapped, her dark eyes flashing.

“And you’re always in a bad mood. You really ought to look into massaging salons.” retorted Shadow, grinning.

“Right....as long as you were the masseur.” snorted Aeris. Maverick chortled loudly, and Kairos quacked his amusement. Raven, however, did not find this amusing. She flushed bright red, and made a flinging motion with her left hand. Shadow flew through the air, yelling. He hit the salty ocean water with a booming splash, making Dark Flame hiss angrily as water rained upon them.

Aeris suddenly jerked. “I just remembered something-we need to notify our pokemon. Terra and Hydro, send out your Pokemon.”

Terra nodded in agreement. She and Aeris held out their pokeballs. Aeris sent out her Tauros, Aerodactyl, and Nidoking. Seeing as Terra already had her Golduck and Vulpix out, she sent out her remaining two pokemon.

“STEEE-LIIIIIX!!” roared the massive metal serpent as it flashed into existence.
“ Ni ni ni ni niiiiii!! Jask jaaaaask jaaaaa!!” cried the Ninjask, whizzing playfully around Aeris and settling down on Terra’s head, and set to work ruffling her hair with his claws.

Aeris introduced them to Serra and Bonedancer, who glared at the Ninjask from his own perch on Serra’s head.
“Terra’s Steelix is called Juggernaut, and that hyper little Ninjask is Zeronix.”

“Get ready, my pokemon’s coming.” chuckled Hydro.
“GROVA!!! VYLE VYLE GROVYLE!!!”
“Miloooooooooo!!! Tic tic miloootiiii!!”
“Lin lin lin lin lin oone oon!!”
Hydro introduced his Grovyle as Risan, who immediately began showing off for his audience by flipping with dazzling speed. Seragon, the Milotic twined around Hydro, serenely calm in contrast to Zeronix and Risan. However, Ghost the Linoone immediately set around trying to steal the pistols that Terra wore, but she swatted the miniature thief away.

“Now that we have you guys out, we need to talk to you.”

Juggernaut rumbled, and all the Pokemon became attentive. Aeris filled them in about Serra and the coming battle for freedom.

"...and so If you wish to stay out of the battle, it is fully all right with us. You will be able to stay here, and be safe. Those of you who wish to fight with us, let your wishes be made known now.” finished Aeris.

Juggernaut and Skyfang roared. Zeronix squealed and flew in figure eights in the air. Fury snorted and stomped his foot, his triple tails whipping around in anticipation for a fight. Maverick shrilled, dancing around madly. Dark Flame immediately informed Terra she was mad if she thought Dark Flame was to be excluded. Risan immediately began slashing the air, and Ghost giggled to himself, thinking only of the spoils of battle.

Yes yes, shiny things....oooooh!! all nice and shiny....mine mine mine! thought the Linoone, rubbing his paws together gleefully. Raven overheard his thoughts and chuckled quietly.

Serra was atonished at the sheer energy of their reaction. They seemed so ready, so pumped for war. Blade was too busy fishing Shadow out the water to notice much, however.

Kairos, Seragon, and Bruiser were the only ones who were none too happy about a war. Kairos shifted his webbed talons, while Seragon hid her face, terrified at the thought of bloodshed. She was a peaceful being, and could not go against her nature. Bruiser would have loved to bash some metallic Andros skulls in, but he could not leave, for outside reasons.

The Nidoking whipped his tail, calling to Aeris. Aeris took him aside, listening to the Nidoking.

“Oh, I understand....yes....it’s perfectly all right with me. Bruiser, don't worry. Stay with them. Although I'm disappointed you won't be coming, I understand."

Bruiser rumbled happily, and shambled off towards the forest nearby, swinging his tail as he went.

“What was that about?” asked Serra. Bonedancer shifted, and flapped his wings, also curious.

“Bruiser’s a family man. See the caves in the mountains, up there? He’s got a Nidoqueen and a litter of Nidorans in one of them. “

Serra nodded, understanding. Hydro had bidden his Milotic farewell, and waved as the Milotic slitlered off, searching for the lake in which her kind inhabited. Terra was signing to Kairos, him replying psychically.

<Kairos, what’s the matter? Why don”t you want to fight?>

~I do not like killing~

<I understand that, but won”t you be lonely? Here all alone?>

~Well.....I....~ muttered the Golduck, flushing a faint pink. Suddenly, it dawned on Terra. Giggling, she signed rapidly.

<A-HA!! You found a girl Golduck, didn”t you?! Let me see....hmm...it was Riverjewel, wasn”t it? I KNEW I saw you staring at her that time we had the Pokemon games here! You two were doing the Lickitung Sushi-Go-Round, if I recall rightly.>

When the farewells were complete, the rest of the pokemon except Maverick, Dark Flame and Ghost had gone off throughout the island to bid their families goodbye. Terra picked up Dark Flame, and the humans started to walk on the path leading to Victory Base. As they went along, Serra was content; this was a serene place of happiness.

“I could be happy living here...” she thought, musing the possibilities.

Blade was behind her, and found himself staring dreamily at the back of Serra’s head for a good while until Raven’s hand descended on his ear, and a soft mind-voice whispered.

You’ve got it bad. I could feel it all the way from here. I knew I felt a flicker when she came through the portal.

Blade blushed at having been caught. As he was about to reply, Ghost squeaked in glee. Blade looked down, and yelled, for the Linoone had taken one of his sai blades that’d been hanging on his belt. As Blade chased the Linoone, Raven’s thoughts turned inwards. She was too absorbed to notice Shadow staring at the back of her head, a goofy grin plastered on his face...

<Here we are, guys, girls, and Missingno! Victory Base, home of the National Pokemon League....or what’s left of it, anyway.> remarked Terra, her eyes alight with pride.

Serra stopped in her tracks, atonished at the sheer size and beauty of the Base. It was built much like the houses of the Feudal Era, with beautifully gleaming cherry blossom wood, white stone, and pointed roofs with hooked edges. The Base was shaped like an U, only with angled corners instead of rounded, and all the sides were equal in length. In the space between the two parallel wings, a magnificent courtyard laid, with a fountain in the middle.

Serra examined the fountain, fascinated. In the center of the fountain was a sculpture of a great bird-dragon creature rearing up, its wings flared out, and its beak-like mouth opened in a silent roar. Behind it, facing the opposite direction was a huge bird with outspread wings and a curled ruff of feathers crowning its head. At first, Serra thought it was a Fearow, but the eyes were too big, ther beak too short...

“Oh, you like it? That’s Lugia, the Guardian. The bird behind him is Ho-oh, the Resurrector.”

Hydro spoke from behind Serra. She jumped, caught by surprise, and quickly moved away, joining the group. As the group moved towards the entrance, Serra looked up. The roofs had open spaces under them, where Pokemon were free to fly in and out. As Serrs watched, a Charizard flew out, did a specatular aerial display of loops and barrel rolls, then with a final spout of fire, it vanished into the trees of the forest surrounding the Base.

Terras stopped at the main doors and looked at the small intercom next to it. She bent her head towards it, and spoke. In perfect English.

“We taught her to speak, and she picked it up pretty well, don”t you think? She almost never talks, though, only when she needs to.” whispered Aeris into Serra’s ear.

“Su, come on. Open the doors, or I’ ll take out my guns and blow down the doors!!” Terra was yelling at the intercom.

“That’s our Terra, always as charming and ladylike as ususal.” remarked Hydro, grinning with amusement.

A female voice blared from the intercom, and under it, the words electronically appeared on a screen specially installed for Terra to read.

“How do I know you aren”t imposters? Na-na-na-na.”

“SU, OPEN THE DOORS OR YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH THE EXPLOUDS TONIGHT!! “ yelled Terra, banging furiously on the intercom.

The intercom let out what sounded remarkably like a raspberry, and the doors finally opened. They were led by Terra into a majestic entrance hall. On the gleaming walls were beautifully sculpted images depictng beautiful and fearsome-looking Pokemon. Serra was fascinated and went to examine them. Aeris went with her, pointing out each of the Pokemon. Terra and the others left through an opposite door to attend to their affairs.

Serra gazed at a small cat-like creature with a long whiplike tail. The beast rose above them, its eyes wide and innocuous.

“That’s Mew. She was the one who started all life, so we call her the Originator.”

Beside it, a humanoid creature with a thick tail hovered, one hand upraised, energy smouldering from it. He bore an uncanny resemblance to Mew.

“Mewtwo, the Ravager.” said Aeris quietly. “That’s what he looked like before the Andros got him...”

Serra could see Lugia and Ho-oh, and three birds flying behind Lugia. Below Ho-oh, three dog-like beasts stalked majestically. Aeris identified them as the Elemental Birds and the Elemental Beasts. Off to the right, a small fairy-like creature with a large teardrop-shaped head and bulbous eyes flew in tandem with another fairy-creature, only its head was shaped like a wishing star. Four wings spread from him, stars falling from them.

“Celebi, the Guardian of Time. Jirachi, the Wishing Star. Both are Andros now.”

To the left, three hulking robotic creatures stood, while two small dragons rose above them.

“The Elemental Golems and the Lati Twins.”

And last but not least, three titanic Pokemon rose above the entire scene. The one on the left had ferocious eyes glaring out from under his mask-armor, and his claws seemed big enough to knock down a building in one fell swipe. He had armored plates all over them with etched lines gouged into them. The center titan was long and snaky, with blades jutting out from behind her eyes and jawbones. She bore two small clawed arms on her upper section, and three blades on the tip of her tail. The titan on the right was a beautifully streamlined cross between an orca whale and a manta ray. Her majestic wings ended in blunt claws and the surfaces of the wings, like the armored titan, had lines etched into it.

“That group,” said Aeris with pride, “ is the closest thing we have to gods. I guess you could call them demi-gods, though. The one on the left is Groudon, the Titan of the earth and flame. He formed all the contients and mountains. The center one is Rayquaza, the Titan of the wind and the lighting. She gave the earth air and clouds. The last one is Kyogre, the Titan of the oceans and the rain. She can flood entire contiients if she felt like it.”

“What happened to all of them?” asked Serra, her voice hushed with awe.

‘No one knows.” said Aeris sadly. “They all just vanished at the same time the Andros took over.”

“Hey, girls! Come on, it’s almost time for dinner!” yelled Shadow, poking his head through the door.”

“You’re always hungry.” came the wapish voice of Raven from beyond the door.

“Well, I-” Shadow started to retort back, but Aeris cut him off.

“Shut up, you two. You’re worse than an old married couple.”

Serra followed Aeris to the main dining room, hiding her amusement. The dining room was incredible, with a reddish wooden floor and clear glass walls. It stood on a upper level, so you had a good view of the island. Everyone was seated already, so Serra slid into the seat opposite of Aeris, while Bonedancer perched onto the table. Beside Aeris was a cheerful-looking young girl of about fourteen, two years younger than Serra. She had pale whitish blonde hair and light creamy brown skin.
“Serra, meet Su. She watches over Victory Island when we’re gone. “ said Aeris, grinning as Su enthuastically took Serra’s hand and pumped it.

“It’s so great to see a new face!!” chirped the hyperactive girl. Bonedancer raised himself on his wings to inspect the girl, and Su immediately became curious. She poked the skeleton-creature and and yelped when Bonedancer hissed at her. Su was not one to be oudone, and immediately hissed back at the skeleton.

Serra jumped as the doors to the kitchen swung open, and a large Machamp in a frilly cooking apron and a chef’s hat walked in, each of his four arms bearing trays of steaming food. Serra couldn’t help but goggle at the beefy Fighter as he set down the food.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?!” he barked, in perfect English. Serra shrunk back in her seat, and mumbled an apology. The Machamp grunted, and disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Don’t mind him.” said Hydro as they dug into the food. “He’s grumpy, but he’s not a bad fellow. Terra hired him as head chef. Apparently he preferred cooking over fighting.”

“So Terra is in charge of this island?” asked Serra around a mouthful of steamed potatoes.

“Techinally, we all are, but Terra manages staff and Pokemon affairs. She’s the one who stopped the turf war between the Zangoose tribe and the Seviper clan.”

The rest of the dinner was devoted to conversation. Raven argued loudly with Shadow, while Blade and Hydro discussed battle tactics. Terra and Su were conversing about the going-ons of the island, while Aeris explained the inner workings of the base to Serra.

After dinner, the group separated for bedtime. Aeris led Serra to her room, then left. One side of the room was entirely glass, looking out onto the east mountain range side of the island. If you looked carefully, you could see the caves dotting the mountainside. The moon’s rays lit up the sea, dappling the waves silver. Serra sat on her bed, feeling content for the first time in a very long time.

They accept me, thought Serra. And for that, I must be grateful to them. I only hope I won”t disappoint them...

With that final thought, she changed into bedclothes and went to sleep. Bonedancer curled up on the pillow next to her, his eyeless skull tucked under his wing-bones.


“Rise and shine!!” bellowed a voice into Serra’s ear. Shrieking, she jumped up and fell out of bed, blankets tangled around her. Bonedancer leapt down, and continued bellowing.

“No time to be lazy, little one. We get up early every morning, for your training. From morning to noon, and noon to dusk. Now get up!”

After Serra had changed and washed, the two went outside. It was overcast, and depressingly cloudy. Serra was still groggy, and only stared stupidly when Bonedancer commanded her to lift a large rock nearby.

“Do it with your mind.”

“Um...how?”
Bonedancer sighed. “Try to harness your Psychic energy, and apply it to the rock. Apply the feeling of levitation.”

Serra blinked, and closed her eyes. Straining, she tried to will the rock to move. But nothing happened. They continued for a hour until Serra got fustrated. She sat down, her eyes full with tears. Her head ached, a dull, pounding senstation.

“I can”t!” she yelled, massaging her temples. Serra felt like a failure, and she hated it. She grew more and more miserable with each attempt, until it got so that Serra stomped over to the rock, picked it up and hurled it into the trees. There was a distant crash, and Pidgey flew out the treetops, startled.

As Serra sttared silently into the trees, a strange feeling came over her. She looked up into the sky. Far above her, in the clouds, she could make out a vague birdlike creature.

“Is that a Fearow?” she asked the young Missingno.

“I’m not sure...” replied Bonedancer, craning his head up.

The bird wheeled north, and flared its wings. Serra gasped as the bird’s wings lit up in a blaze of light, sending out rays of searing prismatic light. Red, orange, yellow, green and blue flashed, lighting up the dull morning sky. Then the bird folded its wings, and the rainbows went out. The bird vanished into the clouds as abruptly as it had come.

“Oh my..” said Serra, hushed. Bonedancer nodded in agreement as both marveled at the bird-creature's display of colors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After lunch, the pair went back to the clearing, where Serra was feeling more refreshed. She found another rock, and concentrated. Her mind went back to the dazzling display of the bird, and suddenly, she felt a surge of power. Her liquid blue eyes suddenly glowed purple, and the rock levitated into the air, where it stood, trembling slightly. Serra gasped, and the rock dropped down.

“I DID IT!!” she whooped in a uncharacterstic display of joy, and leapt manically into the air. Bonedancer chuckled.
“Well done, Serra! Keep trying!”

By the end of the day, Serra was able to lift many numbers of small objects, and at the dinnertable, she entertained everyone by making the dinner knives chase Shadow around.

DAY FOUR, WEEK 1

Serra looked nervously at a hulking creature in front of her. They both stood in the clearing, facing each other from both ends. The creature was certainly bizarre, with a body like a raptor and a large mushroom cap adorning its comical-looking head. He consantly bounced in place, swinging his thick, seed-encrusted tail back and forth.Bonedancer landed next to Serra and started explaining.

“Serra, this is Juniper. He’s a Breloom, which are fighting and grass dual types. They’re tricky fighters-they either paralyze or put their opponent to sleep first, then pummel them into fainting. Today, you spar with Juniper.”

“Uh....wait a minute, I don’t think....” stammered Serra, but was interrputed by Juniper charging directly at her.

“Oh, crap.” mumbled the girl. The Breloom leapt, and spun, bringing its tail crashing down directly where Serra was standing.

Except...

Serra was no longer there. Puzzled, Juniper looked around, then whirled around just in time for Serra’s savage Karate Chop to connect directly with his eye. Shrilling in pain, Juniper spat out a cloud of small yellow spores into Serra’s face.

Serra yelled in agony as her muscles seized up and locked, and she fell over. She was paralyzed and helpless. The Breloom advanced upon her, readying a devastating Focus Punch. Serra tried to roll away, but she couldn’t.

Wait! Serra’s body was paralyzed-her mind wasn’t. A slow smile spread over the girl’s features, and Juniper stopped, confusion in his eyes.

Serra’s eyes flared pure white with a purple tinge, and the Goddess Mark on her forehead began glowing. Particles of energy collected at it, thrumming ominously.

A huge beam shot out of her forehead, hitting the Breloom pointblank. Wailing as the Psywave ravaged his mind, Juniper slumped as his mind shut down, fainting dead away.

DAY 5, WEEK 2

“Okay, Serra. You’ve mastered basic Psychic and Fighting techinques. You’re able to use Barrier, Reflect and Light Screen....very good progress. You also can use Double Team, Agility, Swords Dance and other stat-altering moves, also very good. You learn fast.”

Serra blushed, pleased at Bonedancer’s words. Hopefully, she asked something she’d been itching to ask for a while.

“So we’re moving on to the Elemental-type attacks now?”

Bomedancer nodded, grinning a toothy smile. “Come on, we’re going to the desert. That way, you won’t hurt any poor innocent people."

LATER...

Aeris and Terra lounged idly in their firing range. It was a room specially built for Terra and Aeris to do their target practice safely. Or as Hydro so politely put it, “so Terra won’t shoot out someone’s eye.”

There was a system built into the room, based on pulleys set into the ceiling. Clips attached to the pulleys held paper targets and human-shaped bits of cardboard. They were hidden in the shadows, so you couldn’t see your target. When one of the girls were done with a particular target, the pulleys on the ceiling would move forward, bringing the targets to the girls.

Aeris raised her bow and fired a single shot into her human-shaped target. She pressed a button on the wall, and there was a whirring sound. The cardboard human was pulled forward, revealing Aeris’ impressive markmanship....a single arrow sticking out of the very center of the target’s crotch.

“Ha! Try and beat that, my little friend.” gloated Aeris as she reached forward and yanked the arrow out of her target’s groin.

Terra said nothing, but calmly drew out her gun and fired multiple times into the shadows where her target was. The room rang with the gun’s sharp reports, but Terra, being deaf, was not peturbed. She then pressed the button.

As the humanshape target moved forwards, Aeris blinked. Terra had fired a perfect smiley face into the head of the target. Two bullet holes for the eyes, and a semi-circle of holes formed the grin. Terra said nothing, only smiled.

“Showoff.” grumbled Aeris, but she smiled, despite herself.

Both jumped as a stream of fire roared into the sky a few miles away, but clearly visible in the daytime.

“That’ll be Serra practing her Flamethrower techinque.” remarked Aeris. No sooner than when she was done speaking, a bolt of lighting arced into the clouds. The lone bolt was then followed by a specatular blitzkreig of blue electricity, crackling and snapping. Swellow hooted angrily as they flew out the treedops, disturbed by the display.

In the following weeks, Serra slowly developed. As her training intensified, she spent more and more time outside, mingling among the Pokemon. She learned their customs and became fluent in their languages. Serra ran with the Mightyena packs, sparred with the Blaziken and Breloom, bounced from mountainside to mountainside with Spoinks (and on the roofs, to Raven’s great annoyance). Serra swayed gently with the Bellossom on the hills, drawing energy from the sun. She learned how to vanish into the shadows like the Gengar. She was taught to make plants explode from the very soil and whip at their targets.She learned how to fight with lighting speed like the Zangoose and the Scyther. Serra slowly but surely became a warrior. But.

There was one thing she couldn’t do. She could not transform parts of her body to use for certain attacks. She couldn’t form blades to use for deadly slashing maneuvers, and she couldn’t make herself claws or wings. She couldn’t get the wings she had sprouted in Zeiryu. She couldn’t figure out how. And it irked her. Inside herself, doubts grew. She doubted she was a true Goddess. How could she live up to being a Goddess if she couldn't even fly?

DAY 49, WEEK SEVEN.

The entire group stood near the northern mountain range, perched on a series of large boulders jutting out of the ground.

“This should be good.” whispered Aeris into Hydro’s ear. He nodded in agreement. Terra reached over and whacked them both on the heads, silencing them.

Serra was about to face her final test. If she completed this test, she and the others would be ready to leave Victory and make the dangerous journey to Silph Tower, where the Chaosphere awaited.

Serra stood alone on the flattened dirt clearing, shifting from feet to feet nervously. She had no idea what Bonedancer had planned for her.

Finally, Bonedancer swooped out of the sky, landing at Serra’s feet. Out of the trees, a swarm of small, round and pink creatures appeared. They were smaller than soccer balls, yet bigger than baseballs. Their eyes were big and innocent, full of curiousity. Serra goggled at them.

“Erm....what...exactly are those?” she managed.

“They’re Igglybuff. Baby Jigglypuff, and the lowest form of Wigglytuff.” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“They’re the test?” asked Blade, peering curiously at the seething mass of Igglybuff.

“Correct, oh wise one." With that sarcastic remark, Bonedancer turned and spoke quietly to the Igglybuff. As he spoke, they quieted, and their glances slowly traveled as one to Serra. Their look....one of pure hunger.

Uh oh. thought Serra, feeling more and more uneasy.

“I have just informed them that you have in your possesion, a large amount of marshmallows. It’s their favorite meal, they go rabid over it. They’re vicious little creatures, and you shouldn’t understimate them.” said the Aerodactyl skeleton calmly.

“What?" yelped Serra. She would have said more, but it was at that exact moment that the Igglybuff chose to charge.

“Igglybuff-igglybuff-igglybuff-igglybuff!!” they chanted in unison, bouncing towards her. Serra made a silent oath to kill Bonedancer if she ever survived this. She whirled and ran away from the advancing pink horde.

“Hey! Where’s she going?” yelled Shadow, standing up.

“Shadow.....SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, AND WATCH!!” That was Raven.

Serra chose a tall tree nearly. She made a specatular leap, elicting whoops and gasps of awe from her audience. Landing in the tall boughs, she grinned inwardly. These little maggots wouldn”t get her now....WHAT?

“Igglybuff igglybuff igglybuff!”

The swarm of Igglybuff clustered at the base of the tree, and climbed up it with atonishing speed. Serra swore very loudly. She whipped up her now glowing hands, and took aim.

“Pin missile!! Take that, you little sonofa*****es!!”

The glowing darts hissed through the air, and the front rank of the Igglybuff fell off, but more erupted in their place.

“Holy...” said Blade, awed at the sheer determination of the Igglybuff.

Serra was angry now. Very angry. She leapt out the tree, landing and rolling on the ground. Leaping to her feet, she took in sunlight, charging up a Solarbeam. Golden particles of light shimmered as they were absorbed into her Mark.

“Hi-yah!!!!” Serra howled as a golden beam erupted out of her forehead. The howling beam of light sliced through the tree, and it fell, the squealing Igglybuff clinging to it. Before it crashed onto Serra, she did a backflip, landing safely feet away as the tree crashed thunderously on the ground.

“Damn, that’s a lot of power she’s packing.” whistled Aeris, obiviously impressed.

“Uh oh.” remarked Raven.

The Igglybuff were now angry. They leapt onto Serra, and she went down, hidden by the hundreds of small pink creatures. Her audience couldn’t see her, but they could hear the savage fight Serra was putting up.

<She’s certainly got a lot of guts for such a quiet, timid girl.> signed Terra to Aeris.

The seething, pulsuating mass of Igglybuff rippled and bulged, then exploded as Serra leapt up, flinging them away with Seismic Tosses. Igglybuff flew shrilling into the air, and flew out of sight. There were distant splashes.

<Uh oh...I think they landed in the Sharpedo basking pool.> signed a worried Terra.

Sure enough, the sounds of frenzied splashings and snarling ofSharpedo drifted towards them, followed by shrilling, high pitched wails.

“Serves them right.” chortled Raven.

Serra came, to them, panting. She hopped on one foot, as there was still a lone Igglybuff clinging determindedly to it.

“Argh....geroff, you stupid thing!!” yelled Serra, hopping around as she tried to shake it off. She bent down, and ripped the squirming creature off. Grasping it by one hand, she skipped forwards, then threw hard. The Igglybuff sailed high into the air, and disappeared beyond the trees.

Sweaty and streaked with dirt, Serra turned back to them. Her hair was a hopeless mess, but her eyes were still as bright as ever. She opened her mouth and spoke.

“Did I pass?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was early morning, and fog drifted peacefully, swirling around the small cluster of people at the pier. They were all ready to depart. Su had been more than eager to oversee the base again, much to Terra’s distress, and Hydro had decided to bring along his Jolteon, Mirage.

As Aeris checked once more to make sure her quiver was firmly attached, a voice resonated through their heads.

ARE YOU READY?

~~~~

Okay, people, next is the big surprise!!!!

 

[AzureFlygon]

Okay, here's the surprise!!! A lost ending!!! This is the original ending to the last chapter, but it was deleted in favor of the one you saw before.

Plus, the first chapter written by me ^^

~~~~~~

“Rise and shine!!” bellowed a voice into Serra’s ear. Shrieking, she jumped up and fell out of bed, blankets tangled around her. Bonedancer leapt down, and continued bellowing.

“No time to be lazy, little one. We get up early every morning, for your training. From morning to noon, and noon to dusk. Now get up!”

After Serra had changed and washed, the two went outside. It was overcast, and depressingly cloudy. Serra was still groggy, and only stared stupidly when Bonedancer commanded her to lift a large rock nearby.

“Do it with your mind.”

“Um...how?”

Bonedancer sighed. “Try to harness your Psychic energy, and apply it to the rock.”

Serra blinked, and closed her eyes. Straining, she tried to will the rock to move. But nothing happened. They continued for a hour until Serra got fustrated. She sat down, her eyes full with tears. Her head ached, a dull, pounding senstation.

“I can”t!” she yelled, massaging her temples. Serra felt like a failure, and she hated it. She grew more and more miserable with each attempt, until it got so that Serra stomped over to the rock, picked it up and hurled it into the trees. There was a distant crash, and Pidgey flew out the treetops, startled.

As Serra sttared silently into the trees, a strange feeling came over her. She looked up into the sky. Far above her, in the clouds, she could make out a vague birdlike creature.

“Is that a Fearow?” she asked the young Missingno.

“I’m not sure...” replied Bonedancer, craning his head up.

The bird wheeled north, and flared its wings. Serra gasped as the bird’s wings lit up in a blaze of light, sending out rays of searing prismatic light. Red, orange, yellow, green and blue flashed, lighting up the dull morning sky. Then the bird folded its wings, and the rainbows went out. The bird vanished into the clouds as abruptly as it had come.

“Oh my..” said Serra, hushed. Bonedancer nodded in agreement. After lunch, the pair went back to the clearing, where Serra was feeling more refreshed. She found another rock, and concentrated. Her mind went back to the dazzling display of the bird, and suddenly, she felt a surge of power. Her liquid blue eyes suddenly glowed purple, and the rock levitated into the air, where it stood, trembling slightly. Serra gasped, and the rock dropped down.

“I DID IT!!” she whooped in a uncharacterstic display of joy, and leapt manically into the air. Bonedancer chuckled.

“Well done, Serra! Keep trying!”

By the end of the day, Serra was able to lift many numbers of small objects, and at the dinnertable, she entertained everyone by making the dinner knives chase Shadow around.

By the end of the week, Serra could do the most basic things. She had learned limited telekinetic powers, such as Psywave and Confusion. She could summon small plants to erupt from the ground, and had limited control over fire, electricity, water and ice. As her training intensfied, she started spending more and more time outside, mingling with the Pokemon and learning their customs and languages. She ran with the Mightyena packs, swam with Seragon and her brethren, and sat with the Plant-type Pokemon as they swayed in the wind. She held conversations with the Ghosts, and learned how to use Nightshade, Hypnosis and Dream Eater.

By the end of three weeks, Serra was fluent in all the Pokemon languages, and she could do minor elemental and physical attacks, but she couldn”t do anything as drastic as an Dragon Outrage and Earthquake. Serra could use Double Team and Harden. However, she had yet to learn how to change parts of her body to use for a attack, such as sprout wings, form claws, etc. She also couldn’t use beam-class attacks, but she was still good enough to battle a basic trainer. Before the group could leave, Serra was required to pass a test: Lift the Stone.

The Stone was an enormous boulder that stood beside a river behind the Base, and had been there since what seemed like the begining of time. No Machamp could move it, and no Alakazam could lift it. But Bonedancer seemed to believe that Serra could.

Aeris and the others were commanded not to disturb Serra, as was all the Pokemon. However, a group of Pokemon had gathered to watch this momentuous event.

At sunrise, Serra walked out, and sat down in front of the titanic Stone. She felt unbearably nervous. What if she failed?

I don”t even know if I am strong enough to do this! her mind screamed. But Serra refused to disappoint her friends, who she had worked so hard for. She concentrated, drawing her Psychic energies.

As the sun slowly crept over the sky, the Pokemon became increasingly puzzled. Serra sat there, her eyes closed, but she was doing nothing. What was going on?

Soon, noon passed, and nothing had happened.The Pokemon murmured among themselves. A small Rattata scratched his head, puzzled. Whispering to his neighbor, a large tawny Growlithe, he asked if the fire dog thought Serra would be able to do it. The Growlithe replied that he believed in Serra, and had no doubt of her power. Shrugging, the Rattata went back to intently watching the small human.

Raven paced in her chambers, worried. She hoped fervently that Serra was all right. They had not been allowed outside to see Serra.

At midafternoon, Aeris was lying in her room, reading a book. Slowly, surely, a steady rumbling began. Alarmed, Aeris sat up, and ran out her room, fearing an earthquake. As she ran through the halls, the others came out of their rooms, running after her. As they sprinted through the entrance hall, the rumbling rose to a thunderous crescendo. Aeris and the group ran outside, and stopped, thunderstruck by the sight that awaited them...

Serra was standing up, her pearly hair whipping about her face in a unseen wind. Her entire frame was trembling, and her eyes blazed white with a purple tinge. One arm pointed straight up, while the other hung loosely, fist clenched.

The Stone floated majestically, casting a shadow over the area.. Around it was a halo of loose stones and pebbles that had been caught in the pulling force. It was truly a sight to behold. All the Pokemon were cheering in their native ways. Rhydons stomped the ground, while dog pokemon barked joyously. Fire pokemon unleashed streams of fire into the air. The air rang with their celebration.

Aeris and Shadow whooped. Blade smiled, proud of Serra, while Raven goggled at the levitating boulder. Terra jumped up and down pumping her fist, while Dark Flame spat out celebratory embers. Hydro was staring up at the stone in awe, when a Jolteon sidled up next to him, and greeted him.

“Oh, hello, Mirage.” said Hydro, grinning down at the Jolteon. ‘Amazing, isn”t it?”

“What’s this I hear about you guys leaving again? I want to go!” said Mirage, his fur bristling in excitement. “I ain”t afraid of any Andros!”

Hydro nodded in consent. Mirage barked in joy and ran off to brag to the other Pokemon.

Serra’s eyes faded, and the Stone gently came down, settling back into its niche. Serra wheezed with exertion, and fell to her knees. Aeris and Terra went to her, lifting her and escorting the exhausted girl to her room. Despite her state, Serra was happy.

I did it... she thought as her eyes closed peacefully. The last thing she heard was Aeris saying, "Tomorrow, we'll get started with our journey."

The next day, the group stood at the dock. As Aeris checked to make sure her quiver of arrows were firmly attached, the psychic call of the Missingno rang out into their minds.

ARE YOU ALL READY?


Chapter Seven: Treasure for the Goddess ...BY ME!!!

The Missingno shimmered, calling the group of trainers and Serra to it. When they had all gathered, the spectral Pokemon began its teleport. The air shimmered with energy, and the surroundings shone a dull white as they formed into the immense gray arches of the portal.

“NOW I MUST LEAVE YOU,” said the square of Pixels, “I WISH YOU LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY, MAY YOUR QUEST BE FULFILLED...”

In a blink the Missingno was gone, and the group was alone on the island. They stood in silent acceptance, reluctant to take the first step of what promised to be a difficult and dangerous undertaking.

Serra shivered in the dense, cold fog that surrounded the lone island. Blade sensed this chill and began to move towards the girl, but stopped, remembering his previous mistake and the Razor Wind that had come of it. With a sigh, he stood where he was.

“So now it begins,” said Raven, startling the entire group when her voice split the silence, “There is a long way to travel, so we had better get moving.”

“Why can’t you just teleport us?” piped Shadow. His goofy grin turned into a slight frown, and his eyes returned to a less dazed state as he took his eyes of Raven, whom he had been staring at again.

“There are more ways to travel than just distance, human,” answered Bonedancer before Raven could come up with a suitable retort, “I would have thought you would know that one.”

Shadow glared at the Aerodactyl skeleton, and the Missingno smirked in response. Before the conflict could get out of hand, Aeris broke in with instructions. Her boat was still tied to the island and rocking gently in the waves, seeming to have been waiting for the group.

“Come on, we can’t stand on this hunk of rock forever!” she said, “Let’s all get in the boat and back to the village!”

No one grumbled about getting out of the cold air, and soon the swift watercraft was speeding though the choppy waves with a large load of cramped passengers. The trainers had recalled their Pokemon back into their Pokéballs to save room, so there was none of the antics of Maverick or Dark Flame to break the obvious tension. Everyone was uncomfortable in the small boat, and all willed the vessel to speed up as they tried to keep their limbs from falling asleep.

‘I could have at least teleported us that far’ thought Raven as she glared around. Shadow shifted his position, trying to scoot closer to the dark haired psychic. Raven merely put up a psychic wall, though, keeping the boy from getting any closer.

At last, the boat reached port, and Aeris steered the craft into the dock that she had rented the cruiser from. The group gratefully piled from the vehicle, and left the building after giving the keys of the craft back to the owner.

“Hey Aeris,” groaned Hydro as he rubbed a cramped leg, “Next time you come, could you rent a boat with a little more leg room?”

“It was the cheapest one I could find,” said Aeris, “and you know it’s not good to draw attention to yourself by renting a huge boat, especially when you’re supposed to be just cruising.”

Serra walked beside Aeris, long hair snapping in the chill wind that came down from the hills. She looked out towards the larger buildings of the village, liquid eyes blinking as the cold air hit them. She was as still as a painting, and surpassed the beauty of one.

Blade caught himself staring, and hurriedly averted his eyes. Terra, who was standing only a few feet away, noticed the sudden movement, and smiled knowingly. The embarrassed boy wondered why he wasn’t pestered by the psychic voice of her Golduck, and then suddenly realized that Kairos had stayed behind at Victory Island and couldn’t give the deaf girl a voice.

“Where are we traveling?” asked the slightly tremulous voice of Serra.

Raven answered, her dark eyes flashing as she flipped some of her ebony hair out of her face.

“We will be traveling to the rebel city of Zeiryu first, to get some more suitable supplies, and then we will begin our journey to Silph Tower...”

“There’s no use just standing here, freezing to death!” said Aeris, “It won’t make things any easier. Let’s get out supplies for the trip and start moving!”

The entire group nodded their assent, and they began walking once more. It wasn’t long until they came to a small, inconspicuous store that seemed perfect for their needs. They walked in quietly, already searching for suitable traveling gear.

Serra wandered the aisles, looking curiously at the merchandise contained on the seemingly endless shelves. Despite looking small, the store was actually quite large, and the group could easily find everything they needed. Serra found herself standing beside a glass case near the back of the building, looking at a curious, ornamented box. The hinged lid was open, and inside, on a small cushion, was a very strange object.

It seemed like a drop of pure jade, but it’s roughness and shape denied that conclusion. The surface of the object shimmered with hidden purpose, and the sight of the mysterious thing captivated Serra. She leaned closer to the glass, trying to catch every detail.

“You like it?” asked the soft voice of the store manager.

The middle aged woman chuckled as Serra jumped with surprise.

“No need to be so jumpy, dear,” she said, “I was just wondering if you wanted to know more about that pretty little bauble you’ve been admiring, there.”

“I guess so,” said Serra hesitantly.

“Well, I acquired that scale, and yes, it is a scale,” said the woman as Serra glanced at the object with disbelief, “from a girl, who was about your age, if I recall, almost thirty years ago. I was just a teenager, then, but I remember everything she said about it. She told my mother that she didn’t want anything to do with it anymore, because it had caused her more trouble than it was worth. She explained that it was the scale of an ancient Pokemon, one that had been long dead for hundreds of years, who was the guardian of some important secret. She wouldn’t tell us any more than that, and my mother bought it off from her out of pity, sure that it was just some strange piece of glass. The girl went her way, and the scale stayed here. No one would buy it, and it got stuck in this dusty corner for three decades.”

“But it’s so beautiful!” exclaimed Serra, amazed.

“I thought so, too,” sighed the woman, “But it never seemed to be able to catch anyone’s eye... until now, that is.”

Serra nodded in understanding, and noticed that Aeris had walked to the case and was now staring at the scale with interest as well. The store manager looked on patiently, waiting for the rest of the group, as there were no other customers present in the shop.

“That’s an interesting item,” whispered Bonedancer from behind Serra’s long mane of hair where he was hidden, “I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

“What’s this thing, Serra?” asked Aeris curiously after she had finished inspecting the object.

“It’s a scale,” answered the girl softly.

“Hmm…” Aeris looked thoughtful, and then turned to the woman who owned the store, “How much?”

“It’s valued at around three hundred dollars, but I’ll give it to you two for fifty,” said the woman as she looked at them carefully, “I’m not certain why, but I seem to feel that it’s meant for you to have it...”

“We’ll take it!” said Aeris, giving Serra a wide smile.

Serra grinned back in return, and glanced back at the glowing scale. She felt amazed to think that she would actually own the beautiful thing, and deeply grateful to Aeris for buying it.

“Thank you,” she whispered as the woman walked behind the case to open it.

“No problem,” said Aeris, “you deserve it.”

The woman gripped the box that contained the scale, and closed its lid carefully. Serra felt slightly dismayed at not being able to see the object any longer, but the feeling vanished as the woman handed her the box.

“Come on back to the counter so I can ring all your items up,” said the manager.

Aeris and Serra followed the woman as she strode to the front of the store, and the rest of the group joined up with them as they walked. All had bought some items for the journey, and they all piled their findings on the checking counter.

“Well, you certainly have a lot of stuff!” exclaimed the woman cheerfully as she punched prices into her computer, “All together that’ll be four hundred and fifty two dollars.”

The group pooled their money, and soon they had left the store with their prizes. On the corner, they paused to get their bearings, and then headed for the nearest bench to pack their things into the new backpacks they had bought. It took concentration to pack the items as efficiently as they could, and no one talked until they had finished.

“Well,” sighed Blade as he packed the last item into his backpack, “Now we can get going.”

<Let’s let Maverick and Dark Flame out of their Pokéballs, > signed Terra rapidly, <They can warn us of any danger on the trail.>

“Good idea, Terra,” said Aeris as she pulled out Maverick’s Pokéball.

The red beams shone and faded, leaving behind an overly excited Totodile and the spoiled Vulpix. Dark Flame immediately demanded that Terra carry her, and Maverick just danced for joy. The group walked towards the village boundaries, and soon disappeared into the dark, misty recesses of the ancient forest. The only sign that had passed were the bent blades of grass, the disturbed brush, and the memory of the woman in the store.