3 weeks had passed, and life was getting back to normal. For almost the entire time the
trio had stayed in a cabin away from civilization, training their pokemon.

Auron had led them their, and explained that his family owned it, and allowed him to use
it whenever he liked. Training in the local vicinity had allowed them to get closer to
nature as well. Larvitar seemed to enjoy it the most though. Every time he faced a wild
pokemon, he would show off, by appearing to lose then automatically up his efforts until
he easily defeated his foe. He tended to follow Nidoking around. He roared when the
huge pokemon roared, and bathed when nidoking bathed in the creek, even though it was
apparently weak against water. All in all, Larvitar found his place in the group.

Golduck however, spent a lot more time training. Alec would ask his friend to do
something, and he would. The most challenging would be to change forms, from the
normal blue golduck to the silver golduck. At first, he could only make the
transformation once a day, for at the most an hour, but as the days passed, the hours got
longer, and the transformations more. The Tms were all used as well. Perhaps the most
effective was Sneazles solar beam. The little pokemon could dash around while enjoying
a sunnyday, then out of its hands a massive beam of grass power would shoot. Sneazle
seemed to enjoy it. The two unknown tms were rather strong ones as well. A move called
hidden power was given to Magmar, and the other, Weather, was given to Sneazle. The
other tms were also left out for pokemon to take if they wanted, and by the end of the day
none were left.
Nidoqueen and Ursaring got on rather well, training as well as hanging out together, and
ariados simply stayed in a web it had built the whole time. Abra stayed a distance from
Golduck, although it was obvious the little pokemon was searching for pointers from the
powerful psychic. Auron also had a Scizzor, and a Raichu, although the 2 disappeared
into the wild almost the whole time they stayed.
The 3 humans also got on well together. Neither felt the need to fill silence with chatter,
and the only time they spoke was breakfast and dinner. Between they took the chance to
train their own pokemon in private.

“I think its time we go now”, Alec finally said one day. “We need to get the rest of the
badges, and if we stay locked up here forever, I’ll go nuts”.
“Yeah, I was gonna bring that up sooner or later as well”, Auron admitted. “I want to
participate in the coming pokemon championships, but ill need the Thunder and Steel
badges first”?
“Steel”? Alec questioned.
“Saffron city  is now a steel gym since the new gym took over, didn’t you no”.
“Umm, no, obviously not”, Alec replied, somewhat scornfully. He felt angry and he
didn’t know why.
“Well, lets go then”, Terra interrupted, and walked out the door and into the forest.

The trek through the forest was quite exhilarating, and a great change in climate for the
group. Terra, Sneazle and Scizor brought up the front, clearing a path for the bigger
pokemon.
Alec, Ursaring, Nidoking, Nidoqueen and Larviatar trudged along in the middle of the
group, while the ret brought up the rear with Auron. The trail of people and pokemon was
rather long, and out of the corner of his viewing, Alec noted the eyes that seemed to be
watching them.
Terra seemed to be noting it as well, and this was proved when she suddenly darted into
the trees with Houndoom following her.
Alec and Auron began to wonder when she suddenly popped out again, a look of triumph
in her eyes. In one hand she held a pokeball, tossing it up and down. As soon as she
reached the group, she released the new addition to their group and sprayed it with
healing root.
The huge grin on her face as Aipom came back to the world of the living told wonders
about what she thought of her latest ‘score’.
Alec had never seen such a innocent smile of sheer pleasure cross his companions face,
and wondered what this pokemon meant to her.
Almost as soon as he noticed the smile, it was gone, and Terra was on her guard again,
although a small monkey like figure hung onto her shoulders, banana in hand.

The group soon shortened to 3 pokemon and three trainers as the bush became a little
thinner for the walking. Sneazle and Aipom seemed to be competing in a swing between
the tree’s competition, while Scizor simply followed Auron, its grim face a copy of its
trainers.
Walking through such a dense jungle of a forest was rather tiring, and before night began
to show its face, the group stopped at the first water hole they had seen in 3 days for the
night.
 As night time made itself known though, Sneazle shoved Alec awake, and pointed at the
water hole.
There, standing on the water, a dog like pokemon drank from the water hole. The thing
was though, it seemed somehow translucent, and it stood on top of the water, not sinking
a bit.
Without even thinking, he sighed aloud, and the blue pokemon noticed him. It began to
come close, slowly, carefully. As it reached him however, it turned, growled, and the
water hole began to rise. All of the liquid from the whole went straight at the nearby
raichu, whose sparks were already rising from its cheeks. The pokemon was washed
back, away from the group. Auron swore, and threw his next pokeball. Scizor came out,
ready for attack.
Before he could, however, the water dog pokemon rubbed against Alec, its tail brushing a
pokeball, and it was absorbed inside.
Auron stood in disbelief, Terra stood in wonder, while Alec stood angry.
“HOW DARE YOU”, he yelled at Auron. “THAT POKEMON WAS COMING TO ME
IN TRUST AND FREINDSHIP, AND YOU ATTACKED IT, YOU PRICK”!
Alec was furious, and had he not a new pokemon in his belt, perhaps she would have
attacked his companion. Instead, he walked away from him, perhaps worse.

As Alec found himself alone, he released his new pokemon, whatever it was. Suicine
nudged against his leg, playfully. Alec finally smiled, losing the temper his would be
friend had given almost immediately. Thoughtfully, he pulled out his pokedex and
pointed it at the strange blue pokemon.
“The legendary hounds are said to give themselves to a worthy trainer, or never be
trained at all. Suicine, the water hound, is known to come inspect a trainer close up. A
suicine was said to bury the island city of Atlantis under the sea when a trainer attacked
it, and therefore should never be attacked by a trainer, but if not attacked, suicine is
placid and will allow a person to pat it, and young allow you to play with it. This suicine
is young, barely 2 years old”. The pokedex ended its message with a beep.
“Well, a legendary hound, are you”, Alec said with a grin, although tears burned his eyes.
Suicine caught the tears, and rubbed up against his chosen trainer.
“oh how mel would have loved to see you…”.

Terra watched in horror as Alec turned his back, and left. He had walked off alone into
the Tree’s by himself, and come back with Suicine. Then, he had merely said, “good
bye”, and was now leaving them. He was leaving her with the strange one, Auron.
Terra could see his pain, even if nobody else could. He was tortured inside because of the
losses he could not prevent. The war was coming, and he planned to fight it alone.
“We will fight together again”, she yelled out at his fastly disappearing shadow.
“I will have your back”.

Alec couldn’t explain his sudden need to desert those who followed him. Because really,
they did follow him. Wherever he chose to go, they would follow. Except now. He had
more or less ordered them both not to follow, but to Auron only he said the words.
“Follow me, Battle me”. The only words that escaped his lips. Suicine issued a vicious
snarl as a backup, and Auron involuntarily took a step back.
But Alec felt no loss when he left Auron. The boy was just another boy to him, not a
friend, more a companion on a journey. Terra, however, was another story. Together they
had completed wonders, looking the rockets in the eyes and spitting in their faces, they
were a team, and as Terra yelled out the same thing, they would be again. They would
both get stronger, they would both become masters, and they would both be ready for
what was to come.