Written by: Kyle P.

Email: Kp606@AOL.com

I do not own pokemon, the characters appearing in this fic made by me, belong to me.

Thanks to a certain someone, who persuaded me to go on, with there constructive and nice review (you know who you are :) ) Also due to SERIOUS time constraints, this wasn't proofread as I could have hoped. Although I am positive 90% of this fic is grammatically correct.

The letter was cold to the touch. There was a golden trim around the edge that seemed to attract a cold feeling to it. Justin's hand's shook as he stared at the letter, his heart pounded, was this it? He thought, as he read it aloud:

Dear Master Justin,

It has come into my attention that you are near approaching the Blackthorn Gym! Might I say, I am very proud of you! All I can give you are my best wishes and good luck!

And that is the good news, unfortunately, I have some, bad news. Regarding him ...

Almost as if in reaction, Justin jumped, and he just stared at the paper, She was right, Crisie was right. Bad news in deed.

I have learned that the piece of Topaz and Emerald were indeed not apart of the item. Forensic science came in, and did tests. They exerted all possibilities and nothing. Terribly sorry Master, I do hope you will cope. Arcy sends his regards.

Truly,

Thomson

"Damn! All of that work in Goldenrod for nothing, nothing!" exclaimed Justin, cursing more violently under his breath as his friend Crisie comforted him.

"It's okay, hey you got your Porygon there right! It had some benefits, and you got to get a lot better." said Crisie now rubbing Justin's back, quite hard, and vigorously.

"Porygon isn't with me, remember?" he said giving her a hard look, one of aggravation.

"Oh yea," she giggled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Whatever," he scoffed, moving his hair out of his face. "Let's get to the pokemon center okay?"

"Yeah sure," Crisie sighed, she was angry her attempt to make him happy failed. Regardless, she looked up and followed Justin, who turned heel and began to walk back to the Center.

The Gym was situated on a large hill, with a beautiful stone path leading the way. On the path were statues of Clare and Lance, who had both previously trained there. Both of the figures looked proud, and happy. Looking into the sky, Justin admired them as he headed down the path, the gleam of the marble situated in the stone caught his eye. And he noticed something. A pokemon, Swablu to be exact. Justin's mouth dropped, 'He wanted a Swablu.' . By coincidence, he and his friend got into an argument about having a balanced pokemon team. And the type in question? Flying.

Now Justin needed to capture this pokemon. He threw his coat to Crisie, who turned at the wrong time and was hit in the face with the coat. Justin unlatched a pokeball from his belt. It was cold, but the heat from his now sweating body warmed in right up. He threw it to the ground. It bounced once, only a small distance off of the ground, and burst open. A brilliant flash or light, and there stood Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew-sand!" it yelled, facing its pokemon adversary. The Swablu swelled up in anger, it was not happy about being disturbed. It's cloudy wings hazed around to match the pokemon's anger.

"Ready sandshrew?" asked Justin, giving off the adrenaline running through his body.

"Sand, sand!" Sandshrew yelped. His yellow pebble back made very distinct crunching noises as it moved. The Swablu gave a battle cry. It leapt into the air, it was using fly...

"Sandschrew dig! Don't let it get you!"

The pokemon began to furiously dig, bringing up more dirt with every new stroke of it's hand. It finally, in what seemed like an eternity to Justin, mere seconds to sandshrew, buried into it. Swablu came in with the attack, but pulled away just as it reached the open hole.

The Swablu cautiously circled the area, eyeing everything. There was a sound, something flew from the ground, bringing mounds of dirt with it.

Swablu turned, its clouded wings getting blown off for a second. Something flew over head, like a meteor. It landed, right back in the hole it originally dug.

Swablu gave a curious sideways glance and flew over to the hole. Another sound, Swablu turned. Sanshrew came from under the ground. Swablu aimed at it, and opened its beak collecting small yellow particles. It screeched creating sound waves, it was using Hyper voice.

The sound pierced through the sky. It made Crisie yelp out in fear, covering his ears and closing her eyes, but Justin stood there smiling, a little chirp to him.

The waves launched themselves at sandshrew and missed.

Swablu swelled again, this time furious. Then there was another sound, and another. Before anyone had noticed, hundreds of sounds and flying objects came from the ground.

"METEOR MASH!"

The hundred of holograms came together. Now only the wind could be hear in the distant. All of the spinning orbs just came together, and just as they united, they fell. Steel orbs, smashing onto the victim. Swablu was in a dead panic, chirping its head off as the hundreds of figures came down on it. It was in so much of a panic, it failed to realize that the holograms weren't doing a single point of damage.

And right behind Swablu came Sandshrew, from the original hole. Popping his head up and looking around, like a groundhog on groundhog's say. He slowly walked up to the panicking pokemon, totally oblivious to the fact that now, the holograms stopped.

Sandshrew tapped Swablu on the back. The pokemon nervously looked at the pokemon prodding its back, still shaking. Sandshrew waved...

SMASH! Mega Punch, from behind the small pokemon was thrown back onto the opposite side of the field. He fell, yet quickly staggered up. It was not giving up without a fight.

It was speeding at sandshrew, and in a display of amazing agility and power, began to use fury attack. Peck, after another, after another. Sandshrew was dodging with everything he had. Jumping to the back, now to the side, up...

"Sandschrew...ROLLOUT!" screamed Justin as the spinning pokemon eclipsed the sun, smashed onto the soft dirt, sending mounds with it, and flew at the tiny pokemon. The swablu turned again and dodged it by...teleporting?! Now Justin wanted this pokemon, he needed it. A flying type that could use psychic moves! This was Justin's pokemon, after all, every pokemon he caught had a, unique, ability...

Now the winds seem to roar with motivation. Crisie's mouth was wide open in amazement. The swablu was using a combo of both agility and teleport. Moving so quickly, in and out, and in and out. Justin didn't abandon his cool, he just smiled, looking around slowly, waiting for the pokemon to mess up. The grassy fields rippled as the wind tore through them. Things were going well, until something small and dry hit sandshrew. He turned with a "Sand?" and looked around. Justin also in reflex closed his left eye, and looked around.

Sand...

A SWABLU THAT COULD USE SANDSTORM?!?! Sound unusual? Well it wasn't now. The winds picked up, and bits and pieces of dirt were lifted into the air. Now it felt like the earth was being lifted. This swablu contained immense power. The wind and particles of dirt, dust, sand, and perhaps other debris ripped through them all. Crisie screamed as she threw her body onto the ground, covering herself and trembling. Justin crouched a little bit, holding up his left arm as a defense of some sort. Sandschrew, who had sand in his name, did little other than curiously look around.

Another scream. Something frigid and white hit Crisie. It had just missed Justin's arm, but it sent shivers, mental and physical, through his body. Justin turned around. The wind was howling now. Now, he could barely see his own hand. Justin stumbled forward to see if it hit Crisie. It did, he left side was frozen solid. The sand was sticking to it, giving off the appearance she was half made of sand.

Now this was getting out of hand. A swablu this powerful? Impossible. This had to be an...illusion?

There was a pop, and a resonating sound that got lower in tone.

"Did what I taught you, kay Sableye?"

"sab, eye..." mumbled the ghost pokemon. It has a small stature, with two eyes made off rubies. It jumped up into the air in a purple streak. Hovering above the group, Sableye's eyes let forth a burst of red light. And right there, dead center of the now torn apart field, was a Stantler.

"YOU!," screamed Justin furious. He was pointing his finger at the pokemon, trembling. He defeated the Blackthorn Gym Leader in a matter of minutes. And yet this simple beast outwitted him. Justin was angry now. His blood boiled, his mouth creased into a frown. Now it was personal...

"Sableye, you know what to do..."

The pokemon, who still had not come from mid-air flew at the Stantler. Stantler’s black expressionless eye stared back at the now rocketing pokemon. It was contemplating what to do. Its brown fur, with its light glossy sheene, rippled out in the wind. Stantler, in response, walked to the side. There was a crash, and Sableye went straight into the ground making a crater. It got up, spitting out dirt as it did so.

Stantler began to paw the ground. Making little rivets as he did so. Lowering his head so that the large antlers faced the opponent, Stantler charged, but went straight through the ghost pokemon.

The pokemon turned and emitted a blue light from it that tricked off into hexagons. Stantler turned, and as he did so, almost fell. He staggered a ways, Sableye was trying to use hypnosis on it.

Either the pokemon was lucky, or Sableye was tired himself, for Stantler broke free of the weakening light and galloped away.

Justin stood there, wide eyed, mouth open, total shock...

And then he laughed. A laugh straight from the heart. One that adds years to your life. He was laughing so hard he fell over.

"That was so funny! Oh God, to think! A swablu that could do that much! Wow..."

There was a sound of crunching grass. Justin looked over. Crisie was rushing over to something. What it was he was not sure. Instinctively, he took out Sableye's pokeball, returned him, and got up. Wiping the dirt from him, he walked over to where Crisie was now kneeling before something.

"What the Swablu was doing," she said, looking over her shoulder to see who was their, "was an illusion. The Swablu wasn't. He's pretty beat up Justin, we should get him to a pokemon center. His life may be..."

Justin didn't listen, he rushed in front of her, and picked up very gently the tiny blue pokemon. It gave a soft coo, and closed its eyes.

Rest little one, rest.

Crisie got up cleaning herself off as she did so.

"Sandshrew," called Justin over to the now resting mole. "Dig to the Pokemon Center. Tell Nurse Joy about Swablu. She may need to make preparations."

Sandshrew saluted and leaped into the hold he created.

"Let's go," said Justin, now running quickly over the fields.

Both ignored the stairs completely, instead they sprung down the hill. It had a very deep curve to it. Their feet moved like machines down the hill. Small steps, one after the other, in a never ceasing motion. Down and down. The wind giving a gentle cooling breeze. Some nearby impatients swayed in the general direction of the center. They seemed to be saying "go, take it. There may not be much time left."

Finally what seemed like almost an eternity, of mindless navigating through roads, and two occasions where Crisie shouted "get the hell outtalk the way please!" they reached the glass electric doors of the pokemon center. Standing at the front was a Chansey, Nurse Joy, and Sanshrew.

Nurse Joy ran over, holding her cap so that it wouldn't fall off. Crisie and Justin met her half way.

"Oh dear. It is in rather bad shape. Luckily your Sanshrew is a rather good interpreter, everything is set up," said Nurse Joy as she walked through the doors as they slid open, everyone else hot on her heels.

Some in the center turned to see the commotion. Others carried on with what they were doing. Justin followed quickly, not looking at anything else but the tiny cottony piece of wing he could see through Nurse Joy's arm. Burse Joy scuttled over to the two doors with the red light above them with the familiar needle picture on it. After walking in, Chansey quickly followed, and the light turned red. The doors locked.

Justin breathed, taking in the smell of cleaning fluid. The center appeared to have been just cleaned. The floor was made of a grey tile, one that had little black specs in it. The ceiling was starc white, with two over head fans, spinning gently, circulating air more so than cooling anything off.

Then came the welcome sight. A leather couch, propped up against the back wall. It had in front of it a glass coffee table with some magazines on the clear shining surface. The two trainers walked over to the leather couch a deep sigh and fell into it, sinking in as they did so.

Justin was at rest. He got his badge. He saved the Swablu. He wanted to sleep...

*Flashback*

"I think I got something...yup, looks like it, think it is! Wait, no, no its' nothing, forget about what I said." responded a voice, of a man, kneeling before what appeared to be hieroglyphics. He was holding a small brush, of which he was dusting off the century old pictures in hopes of finding what he was searching for. The short red hair was trimmed neatly, his white suite gave off a large shine from the burning torch and the light of a nearby camera. Closely he brushed, and examined. Lifted his finger, ached, and then took it back and continued to check for something...

"Victor how long will this take," asked an impatient voice from behind the camera.

"Well Harrison, it all depends on how secretive our ancient friends’ were." he responded smiling, raising his finger, aching, stopped and resumed...

"JUSTIN!" screamed a girl's voice.

His eyes darted open. Crisie was standing their, holding a pink tray of food. The smell of onions and cheese was strong. Justin rubbed his eyes and got up. Stretching he yawned and followed Crisie over to a booth near the other side of the center, where the counter with two woman, and a male chef were cooking and serving the food for the trainers.

Justin looked around, most of the trainers either retired early, or left. There was a small murmur of talk. Crisie took a seat right in front of a large window. They both took opposite sides of the booth and sat down. The cold, green leather gave a small shock to their systems. An ominous glow was cast by the full moon outside. The tray of food made a clang as it was sent onto the cold plastic table. Some of its contents moved around, spilling slightly over the side.

Justin reached for what appeared to be clam chowder. He stuck a spoon into it and began to hastily eat. The contents were creamy and warm, and warmed his system as they slid down his throat.

"That's right, don't thank me or ask about Swablu." said Crisie looking at Justin with a sarcastic expression, eyeing him as he ate the food hastily.