Foolish Games

Part 1: The Mind and the Eye
Chapter 1: Meet the Group

Date: 10/19/03
   Hay! Sorry I haven?t... um... written in so long, it?s been hectic... but now I?m here, and the Monday/Tuesday school closings are rocking (XD and it?s only 5:00pm Friday!! Yes, four day weekend!! And Halloween?s coming!!) Anyways, to be quite frank, this is my best work yet. Undoubtedly. And don?t worry- believe it or not, I work better when I have numerous fics. That way when I get writers block on one, I can workon one of my other stories. Seriously, I have EVERTHING UNDER CONTROL. Please write tho, okay? Once again, I?m proud of this fic, so please review!
~Shirasham

Disclaimer: Clean, clear and simple: I DO NOT own Pokemon nor anything related to it. Nor am I Wonder Woman. Hey, I can dream, can?t I? ;)

   It was dark. Too dark to see anything but a large, vertical ring of fire suspended about seven feet in the air. But he could sense two figures. Two large figures, by even his status. At last, the silence was broken.
   ?You know, that crap contest starts in a month. We may have some company? said a rough, weather-worn, intelligent voice
?Why do you bother to keep track of that nonsense? They come, they come.? this voice sent chills up his spine the first time he heard it. It was what can only be described as the essence of power and terror melded in to one, lumbering sound. And it was coming from near the ring of fire.
?They come, we eat. That?s why I keep track. Humans are the only ones too blinded by their own ego to sense their own demise. It?s been decades since another Pokemon came down here.?
?You sound like you think we need to eat. We?re not even hungry. We never will be- you know all of this.?
?Doomsday- you really are content with just sitting down here forever, aren?t you? Well, fine!?
?Oh, yeah, how bored we are- God, you sound like a wife. Any more interruptions from humans and we wouldn?t even be able to complete-?
?I didn?t say we weren?t busy, I just think it all gets a bit repetitive. You?ve got to at least admit to that. And we both know we can?t even really start until the right one finally gets down here.?
?Yes, yes. . . you were wrong about one thing, though, Apocalypse.? grunted Doomsday.
?Do tell.?
?Another Pokemon has been down here. Been down here allot.?
He had trouble keeping his stomach down as two big red freakish eyes locked on to his from the center of the fiery circle, then another pair to the right.
Oh God, he thought, but he had learned to show no fear, even in the face of death, as he was surely doing now.
?It?s time we get some answers?, grunted Doomsday, ?. . . now? and two hideous horned heads burst into view mere feet from his own.
He never even flinched.

*~*~*~*
27 days later

Yeah, this is the life. Big palm trees all around you, the sand slushing lazily under your feet, and the weather always just right. If only all theses morons weren?t just standing around squaking like Pidgeys and wasting oxygen. When the stocky little fat dude with our Pokeballs came stomping out of the jungle with a huge brown cloth bag painfully slung over his shoulder, giving him a Santa Clause-ey appearance, just as I had anticipated the little ankle-biters went rabid trying to get their Pokemon. After a bit of this the cook at our school, good ?ole Marge, managed to beat off all the little wieners long enough for our Battle-Ed teacher, Mr. Tasuki, to step in.
?Okay!? he shouted, ?We are ready to begin giving out your Pokemon-? -yup, our prepaid, precaught pretamed Pokemon- ?If I may have your attention please!? he glanced down at his wrist. ?Hey!! Who took my watch!? *sigh*. Anyways, those of you new to this school may be wondering what?s going on and why we?ve taken you here to Tando- not to mention why you?re just now receiving your Pokemon. Well, Tando is the only one of the regions without a district school, which makes for no competition and a perfect place for the first annual Race for the Legends! (announced last school term)? A few unenthusiastic cheers. ?so now, after we get all the Pokemon handed out we?ll explain the rules. Alphabetically, Mr. Jones?? he nodded. ?okay,? Mr. Tasuki began again, ?when your name is called, come up here and bring your proof of purchase to give to Mr. Jones.?, he paused, surveying the small teenage crowd for any sign of mischief. Seemingly satisfied, he called ?Let?s begin!? Santa Clause cleared his throat and looked around anxiously.
?Aisaki, Umi!? heads turned to look at me so fast I heard several painful-sounding cracks.
Yes, I am the acclaimed Umi Aisaki, called usually something much more immature by the little snots at school, whose mother, Lara Aisaki, was second-in-command of the old Team Rocket group famous so long ago, and who now is in jail, put away by my more-famous father, Sean Aisaki. My father was a completely other story, the more ?poor-uneducated-Pokemaster-dreaming-child-become-champ? kind of story on the cover of so many tabloids. But what?s made me even more famous is that he?s been missing for over three months, three months that I?ve spent at the White Jay School of Pokemon Journeying.
I took the proof of purchase out of my pocket and almost threw it at Santa Clause, I was so mad. WHY does my name have to start with an A?? Trying to ignore all the anticipating stares, Mr. Smith started rummaging in his big sac, which was full of Pokeballs, muttering ?72966 . . . 72966 . . .?, the barcode number on my proof of purchase. ?72002 . . . 71966 . . . 20540 . . .hm . . .? he stuck his hand into the very bottom of the sac, and his whole arm was enveloped in Pokeballs. After a few uncomfortable moments of his mumbling and rummaging, he gave a triumphant grunt. ?72966! Here you go, miss Aisaki.? Mr. Tasuki turned to the crowd again. ?Please don?t open your Pokeballs until we get to Vennes Village. Under penalty of suspension, that is. You have been warned. Meanwhile, I advise you to socialize with your fellow students, because you?ll need a 5-person group by tomorrow? worried murmurs broke out within the small group. ?There are 15 people here, it?s really a simple task. Especially compared to what?s to come? he let out an evil laugh that silenced the students. ?Sorry. Okay, let?s continue.?
What bull! I don?t know anyone here! I?ve only been here for three months! . . . okay, I guess I?d better explain. Let?s start from the beginning, the regions. Their names are Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Gaeto, Tando, Armado, Chrodo, Agedo, and Aeria. The ?to? group, Kanto Johto and Hoenn (Hoenn because it?s in the same area) is very simple- they have their own leagues and schools- the district school is the region?s best school on that island. Gaeto?s district school is the White Jay School of Pokemon Journeying, like I said. A school?s length is two years, and in that two years you learn everything about all the islands, Pokemon, Pokemon battles, the Pokemon Journey, Pokemon breeding, Pokemon legends, what little we know about Legendary Pokemon, and the history of them. And there?s even more, it?s really pretty packed with information. It?s harder to go to school instead of just getting up and going on your journey, but in the end it really helps with alot of difficult decisions, like if you?d rather breed or whatever, what Pokemon you?d like to choose first, where you?d like to go, and all that junk. So it?s not all that bad. Also, it raises your Trainers Rank up seven notches to ?semi-experienced?. Mostly, worried parents send their kids. But it?s also like a boarding school, and that?s why I?m here. My parents are gone, so school?s the only place for me to go, and I won?t need any parents on my journey, so I guess it?s for the better. Anyway, there?s?s the ?to regions. Now, the ?do regions, Tando, Chrodo, Agedo, and Armado. These are unique. They have the worst ranking district schools, but they?re also the most interesting and mysterious regions of them all. When they were first discovered, there were these huge square boulders in the center of each region. They had writing on them, in Legend- a.k.a., the language of the legendary Pokemon. Scientists managed to study their little brains out and decode them. They were sorta poem-things, so we call them the doems- you know, ?do-poem? Yeah, lame. We had to memorize one in school, the Tando doem. it goes like this:

  The first of the warnings of legends of old
comes first from the light of immortal sold
   For when the end comes what will have been sign
is surely not a tale of yours or mine.
   The shadow the heavens the sun and the moon
can fight with fear not, for there is no word soon
   The time of your failings is not far at all
for the cunning the danger have too long been though small
   in this bliss of eternal blue
rests me but no other, only I knew
   But this tale I shall tell you we can all see is right
and to my relief does not tell of my plight
   the first hint of the five that have been set
is from none but the prophet, no other are let
   ?the home of the heavens is no other but the place where
the heavens are always in bluest of bloom, only there
   But before long, this beach will bloom red
and the heavens will be no more, but this is too soon to be said
   ye readers of this profound prophecy
the danger lies not here, but in the land of dark fantasy
   the danger will start here, that I see
the most damned of the brothers is stirring up quite something for me
   but how to stop them? This I know, too?
did you like the fist hint? Neither did I
   but there at the end is a glimmer of hope, so one must defy
but I?ll not tell you what it is, or even not why
   for this you?re to search up high or down low
for my sister, I pity you, but now I must go

Now seriously, what kind of poem is that? Bet it was alot better in Legend language. We don?t know Chrodo, Agedo or Armado?s doems, they keep it a secret- only citizens of the region know what it is. But the weird thing is: why don?t people, like reporters or whatever, go over there, find out, and tell it to some newspaper agency on another region? I mean, there must be a million ways to find it out. Creepy, huh? I?m gonna go check it out once this stupid contest is over. But the thing that really makes the regions special is because of what they actually are. Chrodo?s the mountain region, Tando?s the beach region, Agedo?s the sky region, and Armado?s the mystery region. We don?t know much about Armado, it has a little bit of everything, it is said. It?s also supposed to be a region sacred to Pokemon so, of course, it?s probably been desecrated to the ground. Or maybe not, they say it?s pretty wild. You know, all those nature-goers on TV go there to look at Pokemon and places and stuff. I don?t watch that stuff, though. Tando doesn?t have a district school or anything, so that?s why they let their doem out. Alot of non-?do regionders hate the others for ?withholding important information?. I personally don?t see why, but if it?s their business, it?s their business. Well, that?s the ?dos.
Now to Aeria. Aeria?s south of all the regions, very south, so it?s, like, all alone down there. Aeria?s school is the Great Eye School of Pokemon Journeying, and it?s the best ranking school of them all, we?re second only to them. I?ve never met anyone who?s been there, so I don?t know anything about it, but this is our chance to prove that Gaeto?s is the best school. Well, I don?t give a flying monkey, but it sounds interesting enough!
Suddenly, a hand closed on my shoulder. Embarrassingly, I jumped about two feet into the air, with everyone staring, and screamed ?What do ya think yer doin????? , letting my Gaeto accent get the better of me, to the person behind me. I had to look about 5 inches down.
?S-sorry!,? said the girl, ?I didn?t realize you were so . . . high-strung!? she said nervously.
I gave her a menacing stare and headed back to my place under a palm tree.
?Wait!? she trotted up to my side.
?What do you want??? I said irritatedly. I sat back down in my spot and fumbled around with my new Pokeball, waiting for her answer.
?Really, now!? she sat down a foot across from me. ?Okay, let?s start over. Hi, my name?s Sae Riroi.? she put on a plastered, perky grin that matched the rest of her. Her blonde hair was deftly sprayed and pulled into a palm tree-resembling ponytail on the top of her head that splayed everywhere, with two locks of fringe trailing down shoulder-length. She had numerous clips and pins decorating the rest of it, and her bright green eyes danced in the sunlight. ?Would you like to be in my group??
I looked dramatically to each side. ?what group??
She squirmed uncomfortably. ?Well, it?ll be a group if you join- then we?ll only need three more people!?
? . . .?
?please??
God save me from this cheery psychopath.
?I?ll think about it.?
she smiled again, ignoring the murderous get-out-of-my-face look I gave her.
?So do you know what Pokemon you?re getting??
?No. My dad?s lawyer chose.?
?Yeah, I don?t know either. It?s sorta tradition for the parents, or whatever, to choose the Pokemon. Most don?t tell their kids which they chose.?
?Is that so.? My face was hurting from keeping up my murderous look, and I ended up looking constipated, so I gave it up.
?yeah . . .Well, why don?t we start looking for new recruits for our group??
So we slowly scanned everyone in the crowd, another group was being formed, too, so we looked for loners.?
?How ?bout him??
?Naw, he?s taller than me. Don?t like that in a guy.?
?Maybe he?ll come in handy, though . . . okay, how about . . .? Sae frowned.
?What??
?There?s only 14 people here, not 15.?
?_ you?re supposed to include yourself.?
She frowned harder. ?I did!?
I did a quick count, and there WERE only 14 people. ?Hm, that?s odd. Oh, wait. I guess that?s the missing person.? I nodded behind us to a tall, skinny figure racing to get to us.
?Oh!? said Mr. Tasuki, finally noticing, ?Ms. Roudega!? he ran up to meet the girl, but everyone else was too interested in their Pokeballs and groups to notice.
?Riroi, Sae!? called Santa Clause.
?Oh, that?s me. Gotta go. Hey, ask her if she wants to join!? and she was off.
?Don?t boss me around!? I grumbled to myself, and turned back to Mr. Tasuki and the girl.
***
Jas

?I?m so sorry, Mr. Tasuki!? I ran up to my Battle Ed. teacher, ?It was horrible! The bus never came, and I couldn?t afford to rent a Pigeot! I had to hitchhike here!? and that wasn?t the HALF of it.
?Mr. Tasuki nodded understandingly. ?That?s okay. Glad you made it! We?re only handing out the Pokeballs right now, and your name hasn?t been called yet, so there?s nothing to worry about. Try to find yourself a group, there?s 15 people here including you, so it?ll be easy. Okay? Just sit down somewhere. Oh, and here?s your proof of purchase. Bring it up to Mr. Smith over there. . . ? he pointed to a short stocky fellow behind a collapsible desk . . . Santa Clause? ?. . . when your name is called. Well, that about covers it. Good luck, Janis!? I smiled and nodded. Hmm, a group. .
I scanned the scene and found an aggregated-looking girl trying to avoid my gaze. My first victim! I walked over and sat down beside her.
?Hi! My name?s Janis Roudega, but you can call me Jas. You wouldn?t happen to need somebody for your group, would you??
She gave a very irritated-sounding sigh and raised her head. Wow- she looks just like a movie star or something! Fine strawberry-blonde hair fell delicately around her neck and just past her shoulders, waving out slightly at the ends, and she had about four hair clips keeping her long bangs out of her face, just letting a few strands stray, landing perfectly. Her shocking cherry-colored eyes rose to met mine- woah, she looks familiar...
?Yeah, sure. That?s three people now. Welcome aboard.?
?What?s your name?? where  have I seen her before??
?Umi Aisaki.?
?K-wargh!!? behold, the weirdest surprised cough in history!
?Sorry, I don?t speak Klingon.? she said, letting a ghost of a smile catch her pale face.
?Umi Aisaki! Your dad was in Champion magazine, and, and TKO, and Legend-Captors. . .!!?
?Damned magazines. . .? she muttered under her breath.
?Roudega, Janis!? Santa called.
?Oh, sorry, I?ll be right back!? I said automatically and in a daze, I set off towards Mr. Smith.

Sae

I held the Pokeball in my hands for a moment, savoring the sweet prologue of my Pokemastery. I will be a champion!! An undefeatable, undeniable master of all the Pokemon in this strength-abiding world!! So it begins!! I walked away as a ?Roudega, Janis!? was being called. It felt too good to be true, after waiting so long, and the urge to pinch my arm kicked in. I started back towards Umi, cradling my new Pokeball, when I saw the tall skinny girl from before, and tapped her on the shoulder, subconsciously mimicking my earlier action towards Umi, as she brushed past.
?Did Umi ask you to join our group??
?Oh, yeah! So it?s you two??
?Yeah. We?d better find guys for the 4th and 5th of our group.? she smiled, and we both headed for Mr. Smith. I briefly wondered if I was the only one appreciating the beautiful scenery of the exotic island- the yellow-white sand duned sand sparkling and softly reflecting the colors of my uniform, the tall, soothing trees on the trail?s side, waving gently with the flow of the wind and making that unique sound you only hear on the beach, the calls of the Spearow and Pidgey, fighting and eating who-knows-what, the brisk smell of the ocean wafting through the trees and people. . . great for battle!!
?I don?t know about you, . . .?, she began, ?but I?ve had my eye on those two over there.? she jerked her head over to two boys leaning against a particularly thick tree. I felt my face break into a grin.
?Perfect . . .?
The girl got her Pokeball and we stepped, wondering whether to go to first- Umi or the guys? For me, the choice was obvious.
?We?d better go gather up those boys first. Umi might get a bit . . . touchy. Janis, right??
?Call me Jas. Why the guys first? I think there?s a better chance of them joining if Umi?s with us.?
I could tell she was excited about her first Pokemon, though she was trying hard to stick with the program.
Well, then there?s the problem of her letting them join. I?m betting they?re more flexible than her.?
?Really? How long have you known her??
?About fifteen minutes.?
To my slight relief, she smiled.
?You know, I think they?ll be more flexible, too?
So, with our heads held high- well, hers anyways, towering over my whole 5?00? self- , and our feet sloshing in the sand, we headed over.
?Hi!?
?Hi.?
*akward silence*
I picked up where Jas left off. ?Well, we?ve got three people total in our group so far, do you wanna join??
My favorite- the one that had stunning white-blonde hair with his long bangs draped to one side of his face, and gorgeous violet eyes- smiled and raised his eyebrows questioningly to his friend- a tanned, lean-yet-muscular guy with also long black bangs draped gracefully across his indifferent dark green eyes- who gave an amused nod back.
Then I realized I must have looked like a fourth-grader next to Jas. She?s really tall- about 5?8??, and her black hair brushed a few inches past her shoulders, and the hair above her ears were put into two small, messy ponytails, and the rest was framing her face and deep gray eyes. But I guess I wasn?t that bad, because oh joy:
?We?d love to.? says the blonde. The other guy glanced behind us.
?Where?s your third??
?Oh, we?ll go get her. Be right back!? and we ran off.
We probably would have made a better impression if we hadn?t had to wear outfits with the Gaeto colors- black and gold. The girl?s outfit was a gold tanktop with spaghetti straps and a thick black black stripe on the bottom, which continued down on the top of the gold shorts that went down to our knees. At least we got to wear our own shoes- but we all wore sandals anyway. The guy?s outfit isn?t much different- they had dark gold tees and also knee-length black shorts. Most of them were wearing sockless sneakers. Yes, I pay attention to fashion, but that doesn?t mean I?m a bimbo, or that I?m not a ruthless Pokemon battlist to boot. But anyway . . .
?Umi! We?ve found the rest of our group!,? we started to call, but Mr. Tasuki interrupted us.
?Okay, please find your seats, we?re about to start with the Race for the Legends instructions and rules. One minute!?
So I grabbed her arm and we ran back to the guys.
?Wh-what?re you doing??? she cried, ?You?re going to wrench my arm off!?
I kept my eyes on the two boys- and to my great dismay, when my blonde saw Umi, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
We quickly sat down in a circle and said our hellos as Umi scowled at the two boys. They were both taller than her.

***
Umi

Seriously!! The nerve!! How could they choose without me? It was Sae who was begging me to group with her!! Nevertheless, though, I decided to sit down and glare at them.
?Okay, time?s up!? everyone standing immediately sat down where they were. Mr. Tasuki cleared his throat. ?Right, the instructions. There are two fierce competitors stationed around each region. They are in uniform, and they will be wearing the colors of whatever region they are on at the time, in Tando?s case, yellow and green. Once you beat one, they will give you a small plastic card with the picture and name of a Pokemon or Gym. You have to catch this Pokemon or defeat this Gym?s leader. They?re not always necessarily in that region. The Pokemon are different for each group, which is to say, you may both have one of the same Pokemon on your lists, but they will be in a different order, example, like if one group has to catch a Beedrill on their second card, another group may have to catch one on their ninth. However, most of the Pokemon you have to catch will have a higher rating than your current trainers rating or be equivalent to it.
?Anyway, after you beat the eighteenth competitor, you will receive a Pigeot carrying a card with the picture and name of a Legendary Pokemon. The faster you finished the other tasks, the harder the legend will be. You will have to capture it. Your Legends will be from the following list: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Delquatro, Dezcinco (pronounced Dez-sin-coh, not Dez-seenko), Demises, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-oh, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Regice, Regirock, Registeel, Nautilus, M (or Missingno.), Latias, Latios, Raeborn, Raephoenin (pronounced Ray-fee-nin), and . . .? he lowered his voice to a whisper and spoke very quickly, but we caught every word, ?ApocolypseandDoomsdayand if there?s a tie-? the huge gasp from the crowd stopped him in mid-sentence, me included. Apocalypse and Doomsday . . even their names were swear words! Those two are the most diabolical, hellish Legends ever to darken the world. HOW could ANYONE send a pack of 14-year-olds after them?!?
?What the hell??? I yelled at Mr. Tasuki, ?You tryin? to kill us?? Nobody can KILL them, let alone catch them, if every Pokemon in the world gathered up and used a hyper beam!!? Mr. Tasuki sighed.
?I promise you it will be as safe as if you were in your own homes. Your clothes even have emergency buttons, remember the Gaeto pin you received during graduation two days ago? They haven?t been activated yet, but they will be tomorrow, and if you are in trouble, we?ll send a team out to get you. We have stations just about everywhere, though you won?t run into any- they?re very temporary and if any contestant gets too close we pack up. Don?t worry about a thing. Anyway, as I was saying . .? the shocked silence of the room dissolved into intrigued murmurs. Stupid prats, whoever goes after THOSE two will die. And it won?t be a pretty death, either. We?d better take our time, then, if rhe fastest teams get the hardest legends.
?If two or more groups manage to capture their legend, and after the first one is caught we give the other teams a month to capture one, then the slowest group so far will be eliminated, and the tied teams will be assigned the eliminated group?s legend. All tie breakers start here, on this very trail.
There are only a few simple rules: you can fight other Race for the Legend groups, but you cannot assist each other, you cannot trade Pokemon during the contest, you are not allowed to use Master Balls except for the Legends, rare candies, and no joining in clubs or activities during the competition. That is all. Oh yes, and no stealing anybody?s watches- especially teachers. We will be heading to Vennes Village now. I hope you all have a good journey. Now, let?s pack up! No talking, please. The Pokemon around here can be quite mean, especially the birds. It?s your own funeral. Hop to it, let?s go!? he spun around happily, heading not on the path but into the trees, Santa right behind.
The rest of my group exchanged grins, picked up their backpacks and followed Mr. Tasuki through the trees. We walked silently, though I?m sure Sae was itching to talk to our newest members. Then the blonde boy handed me a notebook-paper note, saying:
Hi! My name?s Nao Palbot, and my friend?s name is Yenke Dawson. What are your names?
I gave the note to Jas and Sae, who grinned and wrote on the back:
I?m Sae Riroi, this is Jas Roudega (black hair), and Umi Aisaki.
The boys read it over, and this time Yenke wrote:
Umi Aisaki? Lucky we got you, eh? Any of you  know what Pokemon you got?
Sae, Jas and I exchanged glances and I wrote:
No. Does anyone? Where?re you two from, anyways?
Nao wrote:
I?m from Cerulean, Kanto, Yenke?s from Livid, Chrodo. Good old mountain boy, he is.
Nao rolled his eyes and mouthed ?rich snob!?
I couldn?t help but smile. He might have some sense, after all. Then, along bird calls, the sounds of civilization reached us and through the trees we could see a clearing.
?Here we are!?, Mr. Tasuki called, ?Vennes Village! We rented this little hut for tonight, you?ll rest and sleep there. Now?s your free time, all night, so make good use of it!?
It wasn?t really a hut, it was lots of leaves and straw strung together in a shallow pyramid-shape atop four tall dangerously thin sticks. The whole thing was upon a raised mound of land, almost like a town square. The ground underneath our feet was now nice and dry as the sand faded away. To the left was the village, and though I expected everyone to look like a more tropical version of Little Caesar?s ?Pizza, pizza? guy, the people looked surprisingly modern, mostly clothed in tank tops or T-shirts, or sometimes no shirts at all. The houses, however, were just how I pictured them, made of dried mud bricks and the top once again thatched and covered with large leaves and vine ropes. It seemed a quiet, pleasant little town. Then there was a flash of light as a Vulpix appeared near the front of the line.
?We can open our Pokeballs now!? someone yelled. A ripple of excitement jarred the crowd out of their silent wonder, most coming from large towns like myself, and I grinned despite myself. An onix appeared next, and we decided to find a nice little area for ourselves, on the far side of the clearing near the trees. We were all smiling almost moronically in or excitement. Nao held out his hand dramatically towards Jas, who shook her head and took a step backwards.
?Are you okay?? asked Sae. She squirmed.
?My... my parents are kinda poor... we couldn?t afford a really good Pokemon..? A Pokemon is a Pokemon, I though silently. It?s not her fault she?s poor.
?That?s okay!? Nao said trying to cheer her up. ?My mum keeps an old Metapod in the attic. He hasn?t moved in years! Makes a good boogieboard, though.? Jas grinned.
?Okay, but I?ll go last.?
I pulled my Pokeball out of my pocket. It was time to get started. ?Okay, I?ll go first!? I threw the Pokeball on the ground, watching hawklike, and a soft gray Pokemon burst into view, swishing its tail menacingly... not! It was a one-and-a-half foot Mareep! Thought Mareep were supposed to be yellow.. and fluffy. The sleek, silent Pokemon before me wasn?t as sheeplike as I?d imagined a Mareep to be, but that didn?t dampen my spirits. Sae, however, got to her first.
?Oh! How cute!? I quickly picked her up out of the teen?s groping claws, with her long striped tail hanging down over my arm.
?I?m next!!? Cried Sae gleefully, and I cooed softly to my new Pokemon, not quite sure if she could understand me. Sae threw her Pokeball on the ground with a vengeance, and I must admit, her Pokemon mad much more of an appearance than mine, this one really was swishing its tail menacingly.
?Wow, that must?ve cost you.? commented Yenke, staring at the newest addition, a large Dratini. Nao smiled listfully.
?A Dratini! I tried to order it, but they said it was taken! What a coincidence. My mother found out and grounded me for the rest of the summer for trying to order mine myself. Let?s see what she?s chosen.? he threw his customized gray Pokeball, and a 5?6? bird made entirely of a silvery metal appeared. It was quite a sight. The sun gleamed off its contours perfectly, almost blinding in the setting sunlight. Oddly, the Scarmory had violet eyes not unlike his new owner?s. ?Cool!? Nao breathed, his eyes sparkling like a child?s. ?I didn?t know Scarmory were so... regal.?
?It?s really young,? said Sae, ?It?ll be about seven and a half feet tall fully grown. You also have to deal with its bad temper though, all Scarmory are tempermental.? We raised our eyebrows in unison. She might be useful.
?Hey, why didn?t you tell us you were a genius? What about mine?? I said, indicating to the figure in my arms.
?Um.. your Mareep?s young, too. All young Mareep?s fleece is gray, but yours is a bit more so than any I?ve ever seen, even for her age. Her fleece?ll probably get twice as fluffy and a bit more yellow, but not much so, and she?ll still smell like burnt toast after a battle, no matter how much it repels electricity. As for mine...? she said, running her hand down the Dratini?s midsection, ?Mine?s a bit big for his age. He might get a bit stubborn, so I?ll keep him out of his Pokeball, as I suggest all of you do by the way, while we?re on the sand, I don?t want him scraping himself on some of the volcanic rock around here. I think it?s a given he?ll be a good fighter though.?
?0__0 Geez, I think this?ll be a better group then I thought.? said Nao, and he turned to Yenke, waiting.
?Ok, ok.? he looked at his Pokeball, gave us all a fleeting glance, and tossed onto the soft ground. A blazing horse appeared, nearly as blinding as Nao?s Scarmory but six feet tall, and his amber eyes met Yenke?s, almost as if he knew exactly who his owner was.
?Oohh. What a beautiful Ponyta, Yenke.?
Yenke patted the horse?s side gently, and murmured silent praise to his parents. We looked at Sae expectantly.
?Oh, right. Well, it?s a very healthy-looking Ponyta, maybe from Aeria or Kanto.. Ponyta are usually very shy, and don?t talk much, so people don?t really buy translators for them. They?re pretty stubborn and a bit needy once they get to know you, but they?re very loyal and selfless.? Nao frowned.
?Translators! Oh yeah!? I raised my eyebrows.
?You have one?
?I have six! One for each Pokemon on my team, you know? Hey, you guys can have some!?
?0.0  Wow, you really are rich!? I said, and as Yenke gave me an *ex-nay on the upid-stay * look I remembered his earlier rich-snob comment. I grinned. Me, future Pokemon master  taking translator loans from this amateur? Of course! Freebies don?t come every day, you know!!
?Wow, these are really high-quality, too. A newer version.? Sae said thoughtfully. Fortunately I didn?t embarrass myself by not knowing how to work a translator. I sat Indian-style with my silent Mareep in my lap as the other Pokemon?s slight cries of protest filled the air, and pressed the translator- a small, slightly glowing ocean-blue jewel, to her throat. She gave a slight flinch as the translator fastened itself gently, but permanently to her throat. I?d read up about these one time, in Recentech Magazine, these things had alot to do with vibrations and wavelengths. Have you ever held a hand to your throat as you talked? It sorta vibrates, right? These things translate each wave of sound into its English equivalent, like an equation, so that it sounds just like the Pokemon?s real voice. Most just translated it in a drab, lecturing voice although I had eyed one in a window shop that translated a Pokemon?s voice into an Arnold Schwarzenegger-ish one. I held onto the smooth diamond-shaped jewel and said clearly,
?Mareep.? The translator glowed with recognition and in a different voice sounded back:
?Mareep, the unevolved electric sheep Pokemon.?
?Yes.? I said loudly. The object glowed brighter.
?Translate for Mareep, Flaffy and Ampharos languages??
?Yes.? it glowed brighter once again.
?Scanning vocal coordination systems...? I had to shield my eyes from the bright blue jewel.
?Process for Mareep/Flaffy/Ampharos speech and translation complete.? The translator reverted back to its dark, slightly glowing self again. The process was permanent. My Mareep wrinkled her nose, but as if to spite me, kept her mouth shut.
?Oy! Stop starin?, ya mangy maggot!? Nao?s Scarmory rasped as he flung a claw out at him.
?Wagh! Watch it!!... anyway.. um.. I?m Nao, your new trainer.. Nao Palbot. Nice to meet you.. and this is Yenke, Umi,  Jas and Sae.? he said pointing at each of us. ?...Do you have a name??
The giant bird considered this for a moment. ?Bloody ?ell, don? most wilds? Well, oi gess its be?er ?n? havin? sum mangy ?uman namin? me ?Bob? or ?Marge? or sumpin? ridiculous like ?at.? He gave a loud, obnoxious squawk that sounded like ?BEEYAH!?
?... bless you.?
?-_- ?at?s ma name, ya numnut! ?BEEYAH!?? Nao flushed bewilderedly, and I heard my Mareep laugh.
?You can name me, I suppose.? she said stuffily after a few seconds. I tore my gaze from Nao?s pitiful attempts to make a ?BEEYAH!? sound to name my Mareep.
?Thanks! Okay, let?s see..? I looked back up and saw that Nao had returned ?Beeyah? for the time being. He was still very flustered, to Yenke?s amusement.
?Well, your turn Jas.? Jas cringed.
?C?mon,? encouraged Sae, ?We won?t laugh or anything. Even a Magikarp becomes strong eventually!?
?Okay, okay...? she looked around to make sure nobody but us was watching, and tossed the Pokeball.
?oh........? she looked sadly as the flash ended with a tiny bug Pokemon.
?A weedle............?
I had to squeeze my unnamed Mareep to keep from laughing. Not at poor Jas, mind you, but at the situation. Why did they even HAVE Weedle as a selection??
?Well..? said Sae, breaking the silence, ?Weedle?s definitely better than Caterpie..? we all looked sadly on at the small creature. Jas sat down and, with Nao?s help, fixed the translator on her new Pokemon.
?Well, I guess everyone has to start somewhere.? The Weedle looked curiously up at her, and me back at my Mareep.
?I?ll name you Marcel.? I whispered to her.
?I?ll name mine Seven.? smiled Sae.
?._. Beeyah?s fine with me.?
?Mine?s Feral.? Yenke said affectionately.
Jas looked sadly again at her Weedle. ?Your new name?s Rudolph.? She said, putting a finger on the top of its red, bulbous nose.
We all admired our new companions and realized it was getting dark. It was time to head back to the hut.
?Looks like everyone?s finished group-picking.? said Yenke matter-of-factly. He was quite right. The remaining students had gotten into two groups, chattering excitedly. They all turned to see us coming. Sae smiled.
?Sure looks like we?re the most unique of the groups. I mean, look: a Growlithe, an Eevee, a Vulpix.. and look, there?s a Pikachu.? One person from each team came towards  us, one was a tall brunette girl and the other was a pale redhead boy.
?There you are!? said the brunette girl, ?I?m Stephanie, and this is Will.? the boy nodded. ?We were just about to have a battle, group against group. You wanna join?? Sae?s eyes almost blazed.
?YES!! Yes, we do!!?
?Great! Which team do you want to fight? Who?s your leader??
We exchanged glances. ?Who?s been to Tando before??, Nao whispered.
We all raised our hand, except poor Jas.
?Well, let?s make this as simple as we can. Umi comes first alphabetically, so let?s let her be leader for now.?
This Nao makes very much sense. We all agreed.
?But which team are we going to fight?? asked Yenke.
?Do you need to ask?? Muttered Jas, and we unanimously pointed to the group WITHOUT the huge, menacing Onix.
?Ok! Let?s start!? said Stephanie, and Will ran back to his group.
?Wait- now??
?Well, yeah! I said we were just about to start. We?re going to fight over there.? she pointed to a clear area on the other side of the small village, which was emptying out quickly along with the last remaining rays of light, which stood out peeking out from among the numerous trees.   It was leaving quickly, though, and in a few minutes the only source of light would be Yenke?s illuminating Ponyta. Sorta feels like camping, I thought to myself.  The sky, even now, was brimming with countless flecks of light, and the gigantic moon was starting to rise on the foliage-covered horizon. When we could clearly see the fighting area, a Growlithe was digging a big circle in the middle of the clearing, with Will supervising. The sounds of crickets filled the crisp, cool air.
?I guess I?m supposed to go first, huh?? I asked sadly.
?Not really. I?ll go first if you want me to.? Offered Yenke.
?Yes!? At my reply, Sae looked disappointed, putting her at-the-ready Pokeball away for the time being.
?Ok!? Yenke put on a cool smile and walked in front of the newly completed trench of a ring. A girl with long blonde hair stepped on the other side of the circle, and they both sent their Pokemon out, Marcel and a Jolteon.
?Looks like SOMEBODY anticipated getting an Eevee.? Yenke grumbled.
?Okay, g-!? somebody started to shout from the third team.
?Now hold on a minute!? Mr. Tasuki appeared suddenly, his clothes ruffled. ?Let?s not get too competitive! This could affect your performance in the REAL competition! I forbid it!?
Yenke?s competitor scowled. ?Oh for Pete?s sake! You?re our BATTLE ED. teacher!!?
?You may battle within your groups, but not against other. We will not provide potions or other remedies for the injuries your Pokemon may sustain. Is that understood?? Most the students looked relieved.
?Good. And stay away from the village, please. Until the morning, anyways. I trust you have sleeping bags, or tents?? We nodded. ?Good. I suggest you decide on your ?game plan?, remember, the competition starts TOMORROW. Good night, then.? He left towards the wall-less hut.
??till the competition, then.? muttered Yenke, and we headed back to our corner. I felt pretty much glad we didn?t have to fight, but I was the only one, instead of Jas, who felt that way.
?Aw, really! What could?ve gone wrong?? Sae complained.
?Well, what about the fainted Pokemon? Remember, they?re not giving out revives or potions, so why should we waste ours? Besides, people are trying to sleep.? I said, indicating to the village.
?Oh, its only for one night. Man... well, anyone wanna battle me??
?I do!? Nao jumped up, and pulled his Pokeball out. So me, Yenke and Jas pulled up in a circle to decide on our quote: ?game plan?.
?Well, since the guy we gotta find could be anywhere, we should probably split up to find him.? I said, proud of my ingenuity, but Yenke shook his head.
?But isn?t it supposed to take all of us to beat the guy??
?Well, when we find him we?ll call the other half of the group!? Jas said, and I gave her a silent ?thank you!?.
?What half?? Yenke continued, though, ?there?s five of us. One ?half? has three people, the other two. Who goes with who?? I frowned. That was a toughie.
?But, I have a suggestion.? Boy, this Yenke?s full of ideas. ?Nao?s a bit dim when it comes to sense, but he?s a pretty strong fighter. I think he should go with Sae, but I don?t know about the rest of us.? Jas smiled.
?You look pretty strong, too, why don?t we make up the three-group? I?m sure Sae and Nao can take care of themselves.? We looked over at the two and found that the fight hadn?t started yet, due to a little scuffle between Beeyah and Nao.
?or SAE, at least.?
?I don?t know.. I mean, it seems kind of unfair to group them without knowing if they can even stand each other. Let?s ask them about the groupings and see what they come up with. I don?t know, I might want to the two-person group.? Boy would I. The stress of being with two other know-it-all girls would give me a migraine.
?You?re right.?
Nao was now engaging in some sort of strange arm-wrestling game with Beeyah.
?Well, now what??
?Well, what else? We?ve gotta spend some time with our Pokemon! They?re the foundation of this whole contest, obviously!?
?Yeah!? I called Marcel out of her Pokeball, and Jas and Yenke did the same. And, once again, I saw Jas?s eyes fade as they met Rudolph. But hey, it?s not my problem.
?So! Marcel! Where?re you from??
She smiled. ?The land of the third warning, or what you call the mountain region.?
?Heh, sheep, mountain.... *cough* so... how was your.... childhood??
?Fine, until humans came and took me away. I lived in a nice little valley between Mt. Bone and Mt. Christo, with my parents and sister. I will never forget the night your kind took me away.? I paused, stunned, and then looked around anxiously, seeing if anyone else?s Pokemon was having a nostalgia attack, but they all seemed okay except, of course, Beeyah. But she didn?t stop there, oh no.
?It was a paradise! A little hovel with trees and flowers! Our only enemies were Spinarak, and even then we were friends with some of them! I was so happy we were in a place of solitude, without your kind?s ?do this!! Do that!!? attitude, like we were slaves just created to boost your ego! You make me sick!? By then, I was blushing furiously, trying to make simple excuses for ?my kind??s sins, but she continued, ?And you don?t even care!! You sit all nice and safe all day among your kind until you?re corrupted and get a slave of your own and force it to fight for you! It?s so pointless! One day we will have our stand! You will pay!? Oh God, I knew something like this would happen. Of course, when have I ever had good luck? No, I couldn?t get a nice, sweet Pokemon that loved everybody... and then another brilliant idea came to me.
?Um, well, when we get to Chro- I mean, the mountain region, we can go visit your kind! It?ll be fun!? Marcel grinned evilly.
?Yeah, so then I can sic the other Mareep and Flaffy on you and get back to my family!!? By then I was almost on the brink of strangling the little fluff.
?You know what?? We?re stuck together, so why not just try an? make the best of it!! I?m calling my dad?s lawyer not so just sit tight and try to look cute!!? I pulled out my Charmander-style (doubles as a ligher!) vid-phone and punched in his number, almost snapping the little bugger in half.
?*beeep.....beeep.....bee-* Umi?? A good-looking blond guy appeared, wearing his black sunglasses as usual, grinned as he saw me. ?Umi! Great to see you!?
?Yeah, you too, Chris.?
?Oh, did you get your Pokemon?? I turned the screen to Marcel.
?Yeah. Her name?s Marcel. She?s great, thanks Chris.? Marcel made a weird face.
?That?s great! You?re welcome, Umi. When?re you starting your journey??
?Tomorrow.? I turned the screen next to each member of my team, introducing them. ?That?s Jas, by the tree.. with her Pokemon Rudolph, the Weedle.. there?s Jas, waiting for poor Nao to find his shoe with her Dratini, Seven.. Nao, with his Scarmory Beeyah.. and there?s Yenke, a bit past Jas there, with his Ponyta Feral.?
?Ah, I remember my journey.. only got one Pokemon, though, as you know..? His Seel barked from somewhere in the background. ?That?s so great! I know you?ll go places! Good luck! Come visit when you get a chance! You know the estate?s yours, now.? I grinned.
?yeah, I know. I will, once this competition?s over and we can get started on our real journey. Well, I?d better go, don?t want to waste the batteries out here in the middle of nowhere.?
?Yeah, ok. Bye then, and be careful!?
?Bye!? He?s a good guy, but a bit high-strung. I turned back to Marcel. ?Just try to relax. Be cool. Maybe even a little more optimistic.? I said, letting out the remainders of my anger. Maybe I was mostly angry because she had a point, and I felt guitly. ... Naw! Marcel scowled, and turned her back. So I decided to join Jas and Yenke, who were building a fire, while Marcel cooled off.
?Hey.? said Yenke.
?How did it go?? asked Jas, looking behind me at Marcel.
?Well, not that great. She hates me because she?s away from her family and he thinks we?re slave drivers and stuff. Jas?s Weedle crawled next to the beginning fire.
?My family would be proud of me!? He said in a tiny voice. You couldn?t help but smile.
?Yeah, I guess so. I do kinda feel bad, though.? Yenke ducked a flying shoe, and yelled at Nao to keep it down. Sae was lying in the bits of grass and sand, staring out at the billions of stars now visible. The sun had completely gone down. Yeah, I?d make friends with Marcel. Just a matter of how and when. Finally, the fire really got going, with Feral?s help, and to our dismay Nao finally gave up with Beeyah and recalled him.
?I am a failure. A complete, utter failure. It?s very contagious you know, so stand back!!?
Yenke grinned. ?I get dibs on the group NOT with him. Now Sae, Nao, get over here.? We   exchanged glances as the two wearily made their way.
?We have a proposition,? continued Yenke, ?We think that we should split up into two groups to find the guy. One made up of two people, the other three. When one of our groups finds him, they?ll drop the other group a line and we?ll all face him together. What do you think the groups should be??
Nao grinned and said, ?I wanna be with the girls.?
?which ones?? inquired Jas, and Nao looked downcast.
?Oh, that?s right, I can only have two.. well, maybe poor Yenke here can find him all by his lonesome, that?ll take care of ONE problem.?
Yenke scowled. ?Yeah, it would. SERIOUSLY, Nao!?
?I really don?t know!?
?How about you and Sae!?? Jas butted in.
?Okay!?
?And Yenke!?
?Fine!?
Jas smiled smugly at me. ?See? Nao wanted a girl in his team, he got one. AND we got rid of the tempermental boys.? she turned to Sae. ?Is that okay with you, Sae??
?Might get a headache, but I?ll be all right. If we switch every time we find the competitor guys on each island.?
?Oh, that hurts, Sae baby.? Nao said woefully, and she scowled. Hope I?m never in THAT group.
?What time is it??
?About ten, I think.?
?Not too late.. but I think I?ll get to sleep anyways. Big day tomorrow.? mumbled Sae sleepily. Come to think of it, I was tired too. So me and Jas lay with our heads towards the roaring fire, using our backpacks as pillows, and talked for a bit while we tried to get some sleep.
?What?s your favorite Pokemon?? she asked sleepily.
?Daydrom (*one of MY created Pokemon.*). I?m definitely gonna catch one here.?
?Yeah, they?re only here in Tando, right? Boy though, I bet they?re hard to catch.. especially with an electric-type like yours. My favorite?s Mistik. (*ALSO mine*) It?s so cute! Too bad about it?s evolution, though.?
?They?re pretty strong.. what?s your favorite Legend??
?Definitely Delquatro.. There?s a strong rumor she?s in Tando, too.?
?Isn?t she one of the six Legendary birds? They Spanishy ones??
?heh, yeah. ArticUNO, ZapDOS, MolTRES, DelQUATRO, DezCINCO, DemiSES. You know, the grass-type one.?
?I remember now.. Mm, mine?s Nautilus.?
?Ooh, you like mystery then.?
?I can just imagine him floating quietly in some ocean, just waiting for something important to happen. I wonder why we can?t find a Pokemon that?s so BIG, though. When I was little, he was all I dreamt about. Nautilus. Still do, sometimes.? I looked over, and saw that Jas was fast asleep. I closed my eyes and was asleep in an instant. You won?t have to guess twice about what I dreamt.
~*~*~*~*~