Part 1

"HA!" Thanis shouted, as she hit her enemy with a powerful roundhouse kick. The blow caught him right in the stomach, forcing all of the air out of his lungs. While he stood coughing and wheezing for breath, a punch from her fists laid him flat on his back. Brushing loose strands of hair from her face, the red-headed teen straightened and helped her fellow martial arts student to his feet.

"My goodness, you are becoming quite the champion." Her instructor, a sharp old man, smiled at her from under his moustache.

"Now may I challenge you, Master?" The young girl knew what an honor fighting the Master was. Even so, it wasn't very likely that you could best him once your challenge was accepted. Only one had ever accomplished that feat, and that was Ash Ketchum, the greatest Pokemon champion in the world. Still, Thanis was an ambitious girl, and she wanted to show the Master just how far she could take her skills. "Please, Master? I've already defeated all of the other students," she pleaded. Finally the Master relented. "Oh, all right. You do have the necessary-"

"Oh, thank you!" Thanis could hardly keep her excitement from bubbling over and making her do something silly, though she knew that would be disastrous. "You won't regret picking me! I promise!"

"I'm sure I won't, my dear," the old karate instructor chuckled. "I'm sure I won't."

That night, as Thanis left her room to take a shower in the girls' bathroom, a certain individual abruptly stopped her in the middle of her journey.

"Hey, Thanis!" he whispered.

"Carl!" The startled girl whirled around, completely taken off guard. Her heart beat wildly against her chest. "What are you doing here on the girls' side?" Carl gave a sigh in mock exasperation. "I was hoping you'd actually know this time. Well, I came to see you." He smiled teasingly, his blue eyes sparkling. "W-what? Me? No, you and that stupid bunch of boys are doing some prank on us 'defenseless females' again, or you guys are betting that you can trick me into believing whatever you're going to say."

"Oh, come on! You aren't gonna get anywhere believing nobody. I've got to show you something."

He pulled a Pokeball out from his belt and tossed it into the air. The Pokeball opened, letting out a silvery cloud which formed into the shape of an elegant, cat-like creature. The mysterious Pokemon then proceeded to rub its head on Carl's legs. As it wove in and out, Thanis got a good look at its sleek, silver coat and its fluffy grey mane, which was rather like an Eevee's. Its eyes were a shade of dark blue, and it had a star-shaped crest in the middle of its forehead.

"It's beautiful!" Thanis gasped. Carl gazed at it fondly. "It's a Calyx, and you're the third person to see it, besides the ancient humans. Prof. Ivy just discovered it off the east coast of the Kanto Region, in a deserted place where people used to think no Pokemon existed. The most amazing thing is that it can control fire, water, and ice! Three elements! And it can really swim. Prof. Ivy still isn't sure about it controlling all three elements though, because they cancel out each other. She didn't show it to anyone except for me, because I'm one of her close associates and she doesn't want any publicity-yet. That's why she trusted me to care for it until then, because there isn't any room in the lab for it."

"But, are you sure it's okay for me to see it?" Thanis asked uneasily.

"Don't worry, I asked Prof. Ivy about it, and she said it's fine."

"How does she know about me?"

"I told her all about you. Obviously!"

"Wait...Then that means you can talk to her often." She glared at him suspiciously.

"Of course I do. She's my cousin." He grinned, showing all of his perfect teeth. "Well, I gotta go now. Calyx, return!" The sleek cat jumped towards the Pokeball and transformed back into a cloud, which was sucked back in the ball.

"Bye!" Carl bounded down the hall, leaving behind a confused and slightly disoriented Thanis. "Wait! Carl! Ungh... I hate it when he does that..."

The next afternoon, the battle scene was set at the school's biggest practice ground, a long, flat strip of land covered from end to end with a sheet of white marble. Thanis quickly slid into her favorite fighting stance, her mind on the great possibility of winning. As the rest of the students crowded around the battlefield, she started calming herself with deep breaths, reviewing what she had planned to do. Okay, focus now, she told herself. The Master is your ENEMY. Be more defensive first, watch his style, then start with your most offensive moves. This is gonna be just like any other battle you've had,but with a tougher opponent. Suddenly, the crowd let out a great roar as the Master stepped onto the marble battlefield. His face was grim, and he didn't seem like his usual self. However, not feeling too intimidated after her mental talk, she took him by surprise by launching herself at him and dealing him a flurry of blows, not leaving any openings, then jumping back to avoid any attacks he might try to throw at her. Well, that's what she tried to do. What really happened was that while she was stll in the air, the Master had ducked, caught her heel as she sailed past, and slammed her into the ground. "You'll need more than that to defeat me," he snarled, backing off again. "Show me your real skills!"

"If you say so," Thanis replied, flipping backwards to avoid a vicious kick. Suddenly, she dealt him a right uppercut, which startled him, but he recovered too quickly for her to get an opening. Drat! I was so close! I'd better get an opening soon, before I run out of energy to fight. She backed off, circling him. Then, she saw what the Master was doing. His hands were close together, the palms facing each other. His face was deathly pale; his teeth gritted. Thanis stopped, confused. What's he doing? she wondered. However, that didn't stop her from attacking. She quickly ran towards him in a zigzag line, and she jumped into the air once she was 6 ft.away. Suddenly, an energy bolt hit her in midair, throwing her back to the other end of the battlefield. The crowd gasped and murmured when the smoke cleared and the Master approached her. Stunned and bewildered, Thanis gasped, as he advanced with another energy bolt in his hand. His eyes glowed a deep, murderous red. W-what? What's happened to him? she thought, confused. "Heh-heh-heh," a low voice growled. "I see that you are quite surprised with the turn of events." Thanis looked around at the audience to see if any of them might be speaking, but each of them were as shocked as she was. When she turned back to the Master, however, she discovered that the sound was coming from his body, though the lips weren't moving. "Who are you?" She had recovered quickly from the shock. "I know you can't be my Master, who-"

"Shut up, you mortal!" the voice screamed. "Or you shall feel my wrath!" Suddenly, the wind howled and lashed at Thanis's face, tearing at her clothes and whipping her, trying to push her down, to make her surrender to its power. The voice laughed maniacally, and thunder boomed while lightning crashed in the sky. Many of the students watching shrieked in terror, running away or hiding, but Thanis stayed tall, though the wind battered her and the clouds pelted her with hailstones It was almost as if energy crackled at her fingertips, making her flaming red hair rage wildly. Her eyes turned a deep amethyst, and she spoke, this time with a different voice. "Who do you think you are to challenge a Chosen One?" Her new voice was bold and confident, and it wasn't like her normal voice, which was sometimes still a bit childish-sounding. She didn't seem at all surprised at the change.

"I see you now know what you really are." The voice inhabiting the Master's body, instead of being intimidated, actually became calmer. "Now I guess I should explain what I am. My name is Szelan. I'm a demon, which is the opposite of a chosen One, such as you. Our kinds have battled for years, always seeking to eliminate the other from the face of the Earth. I have already battled and defeated many from your race." Now the voice developed a harsher tone. "Enough talk. Since I've given you enough time to recover, let's see how well you can battle-with your Pokemon." Thanis was surprised by this change, but she sent out her two favorites: Keera the Jolteon and Kyra the Espeon. "I might not be better than you in hand-to-hand combat, but my Pokemon have served me faithfully through the years, and you can't win against our teamwork!"

"Really?" The body of the Master rushed towards them, and she suddenly felt a splintering sensation between her shoulder blades. "Ah!" she gasped, as her body slammed into the ground. Keera and Kyra looked around, bewildered. "So much for teamwork," the demon laughed. " Let's see how you deal with THIS!" The Master's body began to glow brightly, and Thanis was momentarily blinded. When she opened he eyes again, a new being stood before her. He had crimson, bat-like wing, black skin, and dark claws. Surrounding him was an evil aura, almost seeming to poison the air around him. Suddenly, he slammed his fist into the ground, creating a large crate in the ground where Thanis's head had been a second earlier. Luckily, she had rolled sid3e quickly to avoid the blow. "You honestly think you can defeat me?" Szelan smirked, obviously treating the whole battle as a game. "I've destroyed many opponents tougher than you are." Flying at her, he landed a punch that knocked the breath out of her lungs. Still she stood again, a secret smile forming on her face. Szelan stopped in confusion. "What are you smiling for?"

"You've obviously underestimated my skills as a Pokemon trainer, because I never forget about my Pokemon! Psychic Shock, go!" A combination of Thundershock and Psychic blasted Szelan off his feet, landing him at the other end of the battlefield. "Rrgh…she's right…I did underestimate her strength. However, she hasn't discovered her true potential, or the powers of the Chosen Ones. This whole thing should be a piece of cake until she does!" He lunged at her, clawing at her face. "Ah!" she cried, trying to block the vicious swipes. "RAAAGH!" he roared, headbutting her and producing a loud, sickening crack. "Augh!" she shouted, gingerly feeling her bruised ribs. "No, Thanis!" a voice cried out. "Huh?" She lifted her head weakly and scanned the crowd. There stood Carl, his eyes full of pain and anger, yet he was helpless to aid her.His skills were only average, and the large group of people blocked his path. "Carl..." She straightened again. The demon stepped back in surprise. "So you're still gonna fight, eh?" he said uneasily. How does she keep getting up? he wondered. He shook his head, clearing those thoughts. No, not now. Right now, I battle. Suddenly a blow from her fists hit his jaw, and blood spattered everywhere. "I hate shedding blood," Thanis muttered, kicking him in the shin. "Ugh! No fair, I wasn't ready yet!" The demon clutched his leg, trying to defend himself from her fierce attacks. "I've got to get up higher." As he beat his wings, his jaw throbbed with pain and his concentration slipped, making him fall a few feet. "Urgh! At least up here I have an advantage: my height. She can't get me up here, but I can get her." He swung around to face her again, lobbing a few energy bolts in her direction. Though she was lucky enough to dodge the first two, the third caught her in her chest and pushed her down again. She groaned from the pain, but she stood up again. "So, are you going to keep fighting? Or will you surrender to my powers?"

"I think I'll keep fighting. And you forgot again...Psychic Shock!"

"Huh?AAAH!" Szelan's body dodged the attack, but his right wing wasn't so lucky. The beam blasted a hole through the soft, leathery folds, and he felt himself falling... "Oof!" he grunted, as he hit the ground again. His smoldering, charred wing lay crumpled to his right, and when he tried lifting it, a sharp pain shot into his shoulder blade. "AH! My wing..." he groaned. Thanis reacted quickly. "Keera! Kyra! Pin him down!" The Psychic and Electric evolved forms of Eevee rushed to the fallen body of the demon and dug their claws into his shoulders. "RAAGH! That hurts!"

"That's the whole point," she growled. Now what? I can't kill him... "I know I might hate myself later for doing this, but... I'm going to let you go." Szelan smiled; he had been expecting this. "You stupid soft-hearted Chosen Ones. I knew you would do this."

Then he vanished.

That night, Thanis was sitting outside, mulling over the events of the day. She closed her now-amethyst eyes and sighed deeply. "Are you all right?" Carl's voice jolted her awake again. "Uh, of course I am," she stammered, subconsciously checking how she looked. "Well, not exactly. My life has been changed forever! I just discovered I'm a Chosen One and I've defeated a demon. I really wish I could be normal."

"I know just how you feel." Thanis glanced over at him to see if he was kidding her, but his face was solemn. "Really?"

"Yeah. My dad's the CEO of this huge Pokeball manufacturing company, and wherever I went, the press would follow me. Girls would flock to me in groups, but I got really tired of it all."

"So you came here."

"Yep, I came here where everyone is treated the same."

Silence.

"You know that you're the Master now, don't you?" Carl asked. "Apparently Szelan absorbed the first Master's body."

"Oh."

The cool evening breeze blew softly across their faces. Thanis said, "I've been thinking. Since I've completed my training here, I think I should move back." She sighed. "This place has too many painful memories, and I really miss my family. Mom...dad...Laria... Oh, I wish that Laria was here! She's really popular, and very pretty, and we used to hang out together all the time." She stared at the sunset. "Carl, you want to go back with me, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" He moved closer and gently wrapped his arms around her. She quietly accepted his embrace, sighing softly as she laid her head on his shoulder. "You're great, Carl," she murmured, half-asleep. A small, content smile spread across her face. "You're the best."

The next morning, Thanis woke up in her bed. "Huh?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily and noticed the blurry shape of a person on the floor. Even though his head was tucked between his knees, she still knew who it was. "Carl..." she murmured. He must've carried me indoors after I fell asleep- in his arms. She blushed at the memory, even though only they knew this secret. Smiling, she slipped out the door and into the hallway. Half an hour later, Carl woke up. Thanis was nowhere to be seen, but there was a note on the bed. It read, "Gone out for breakfast" in big letters. He turned it over and saw some more writing, smaller this time, as if she was embarassed for him to read it: "Thanks."

The next few days, Thanis and Carl were packing and getting ready to leave. Nobody knew of their plan except them, and they kept their secret well. Though they were a bit uneasy the days before the departure, they went anyways.

It was a cold, windy night the night the two of them left, and shadows flitted about like ghosts. However, the shadows weren't the only things flitting about. The stranger narrowed his eyes into slits when he saw Carl and Thanis travelling through the woods- his woods. He muttered darkly, and launched himself into the inky blackness of the night. However, he had accidentally given Thanis a chance to catch a glimpse of him jumping through the trees, and she didn't miss it. "What was that?" she gasped. Carl frowned in puzzlement. "What was what?"

"I saw something, I'm sure of it!"

"Thanis, the light must be playing tricks on your eyes," he sighed.

"No, really, there was something the size of you right over there."

"Don't worry, because with you around, I don't think anybody could defeat us, O Chosen One!"

"Point taken, Carl. But if you make another joke like that again, I'll show you my real skills! Such as brain-bashing!" Still, even though she tried to stay cheerful, her instincts warned her, and she knew someone was stalking them...

The next morning, they were awakened by the sounds of all of the Pokemon in the forest.Carl had been sleeping in a tree, and he fell off the branch in surprise. "Oof!" he grunted, as his back hit the ground with an audible thump. "You sleepyhead!" Thanis laughed, coming out from behind a few bushes after changing. "How would YOU like it," Carl muttered, "if you fell from a tree?"

"At least I would land on my feet!"

"Yeah... I guess I'll never be as good as you are." Thanis stared at him strangely.

"Of course you will, as long as you practice. And I'll train you, which we can do now."

"Really?" He started jumping up and down like a little kid, screaming, "Willya willya really?!"

"Calm down, I'm not gonna train you if you act like this!" Carl stopped and gave her puppy-dog eyes. "Pwease?" Thanis rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right, you big baby puppy. Come on, we're training."

"Yay! Yayayay!"

One long, grueling hour later:

"I didn't think what you meant by training was this hard," Carl grumbled. The two had been sparring for hours, and they were on Round 18. So far, the score was Thanis, 17, and Carl, 0.

"Come on, you can't be that weak!" Thanis wasn't even breathing hard, but Carl... Um, let's just say he wasn't in good shape. (Now, that's what I call an understatement.) "Who... are you calling... weak?" Carl panted, on the verge of collapse. His energy was running low.

"Okay... let's see... who could I be calling weak? There's the choices of you, you, and you. And you can rest now." Carl flopped onto the grass, exhausted. "Never... do that... ever again," he croaked.

"Don't worry, I won't," Thanis promised. "That was only for me to assess your skills. Tomorrow, the REAL training begins." She laughed evilly, and Carl groaned at the thought of another whole day of training- Thanis style.

"Okay, here's my assessment of your skills. You have good offense, your attacks are pretty strong, but your speed is slow. On those two categories, I would give you a B and a C minus. However, your defense is unspeakable and your reflexes seem to be rotting away. And, also, your knees. WHY FOR GOODNESS SAKE ARE THEY SO STIFF?!?! That's basic stuff! I think you should know that by now! Your knees are partially the reason why you're so slow on your feet. Wait…um, Carl? Are you listening?" He was spread out on the grass, snoring softly. Thanis watched his chest move up and down steadily, and she smiled. He actually looks kind of cute when he's sleeping, she thought. AUGH! What am I thinking? I don't like him! Do I? She shook her head in confusion.Oh,I don't know...but he is a good friend. Even though he sometimes acts like a little kid.

"Well, I guess I should start making lunch. Aqualine, I choose you!" A female Golduck popped out of a Net Ball she had on her belt and started preening her feathers.

"AHEM! May I have your attention puh-LEEEZE!" Aqualine looked up in surprise. "Duck?" [What?] Thanis sighed in exasperation. "Okay, you're gonna help me gather some berries around here. Don't go too far, and shoot a Water Gun into the air if you're in trouble. Understand?" Aqualine nodded, bored.

As she waddled slowly into the dense forest, her instincts were warning her… DANGER! Her eyes shifted left and right, her heart pounded. Don't panic, don't panic. A sudden noise in the bushes made her spin around, eyes darting every which way. Then she saw it. An orange dragon with a flame on its tail? Yep, it was a Charizard. But not just any Charizard. This one was HUGE, roughly ten times bigger than Aqualine. She gulped. This would not be an easy battle...

Back at camp, Thanis had made several sandwiches already, and she was waiting for her Golduck to return with their dessert, when... "The signal!" she gasped. She released Keera and Kyra, telling Kyra to watch the camp for her. As she and Keera set off in Aqualine's direction, they heard a loud roar and the sounds of battle.

"No, Aqualine!"

"Jol!" Keera looked equally worried.

Meanwhile, Aqualine was frantically dodging Flamethrowers and Dragon Rages while trying to shoot Hydro Pumps at the Charizard's tail flame. "Gol, Golduck, duck, Golduck, Golduck Gol!" [I'm gonna run outta energy!] She quickly dodged behind a large rock. Oh, Thanis, where are you? she thought, almost all energy gone. Just one last Water Gun...

As she shot another stream of water into the air, a thick, silky darkness enveloped her, and she blacked out.

Thanis was flying on her Pidgeotto when she saw the signal. "Pidgeotto, land down there!" She pointed at the last spot where the Water Gun had appeared, and Pidgeotto streaked down towards the thickly wooded forest. "Aqualine... Don't worry, I'm coming to get you," she whispered. "Please be all right." However, when she saw the Charizard, her heart sank. No way... That thing's huge! She gasped as they dove lower and she saw what it had in its hand. A small blue form lay limp between his claws. When Thanis saw this, she became enraged. "You... What did you do to her? Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!" The large bird's wings stiffened and glowed brightly, but the Charizard raised its free hand, knocking both Pidgeotto and trainer out of the sky. Thanis landed on her feet, and she returned Pidgeotto to its Pokeball. But when Thanis tried the same thing with Aqualine, it didn't quite work...

"Aqualine, return!" A red beam shot towards the fainted Golduck, but it was rejected, and it bounced back to the Net Ball she had in her hand. The Charizard gave her a pitying look, and he launched his large bulk into the air. As he beat his wings, growing smaller in the distance, Thanis was met with an onslaught of fear. "No... Aqualine... Where are you going?"

Back at the campsite, Carl was still sleeping, and Kyra was getting bored. Where are you, Thanis? Kyra thought, idly lifting up a tree and putting it back with her psychic powers. Suddenly, a mental picture flashed into her mind of Aqualine in the Charizard's grasp. Her eyes widened, and she sent back a picture of her levitating towards Thanis. The two had long since established a telepathic connection between their minds, and they could send each other picture messages.

Kyra lifted herself into the air and zoomed towards the direction of the message.

"Gol!" Aqualine shrieked, as pain shot through her head. It scraped along the corridors of her mind, searching...

"Yesss..." a voice murmured. "Thanis is the name of your dear trainer, isn't it?" As the voice chuckled in amusement, the Golduck opened her eyes and blinked in astonishment. The voice belonged to a shadowy figure hidden inside a dark cloak, which swished about as if there was nothing inside at all. Aqualine looked under the cloak and saw no legs supporting whatever was inside. She gasped.

"No, I am not a creature of this Earth," the cloaked figure said, evidently knowing what Aqualine had seen (Or perhaps not seen). "I have no blood, nor flesh, yet I have eyes. Many have told me they are peircing eyes that can chill to their very bones, or warm the coldest, hardest heart. What do you think?" At this, the being looked deep into Aqualine's own eyes, and they were so deep and wise and mysterious that she was drawn into them instantly. But the eyes were also full of pain. It screamed itself out of the dark pupils and wormed its way into her heart, making her shudder.

"I'm sorry I had to put you through that ordeal, but I have to know if I can trust you with this message." The cloak bent so that the hood was level with her head, and the voice was reduced to a whisper. "The Heart of Destruction is coming. Charkul!" For the first time, Aqualine noticed that the Charizard that had captured her was lying under the dense foliage of a tree, watching the scene with a mildly interested expression on his face. He lumbered over and lifted her up in his claws again. His wings beat quickly, and they were airborne once again. This time Aqualine was conscious during the journey back, so she and Charkul had some conversation.

[Ah, Charkul?]

[Yes?] His voice rumbled loudly.

[Who is he? And does he own you?]

[He doesn't own me, he sort of... keeps me. And I'm not even really sure what he is. An angel... A demon... Perhaps a ghost? I don't know.]

Silence.

[But one thing I do know,] he sighed, [He is thousands upon thousands of years old. And he has tremendous power.The first time we met, he overpowered me with his strength. I have to say, it's quite frightening. He didn't even touch me.]

By now they were close to the camp, so Charkul dropped her off in a clearing, and they parted.

"Aqualine! Where've you been? Oh, I was so worried, we looked everywhere for you... What happened? Wait, you don't have to tell me now. You must be so tired; here's some warm Pokefood for you." Aqualine accepted the food, but said nothing.

"Are you all right?" Thanis looked at her worriedly. Aqualine sighed and told her the message.

Five minutes later, she had relayed the message to Thanis with a little difficulty, but it worked. However, she didn't really understand the meaning of it. "Heart of Destruction? What's that?" Aqualine shrugged, she was just doing her job. "Urgh... I know this has something to do with being the Chosen One, I know it! I just don't know anything else." She looked at her Pokemon helplessly. "I feel like I'm not going to be in control of my life anymore. Now it's just a mess of me, you guys, and Chosen One stuff." [And Carl,] Keera added, gesturing in the direction of the sleeping teenage boy. Thanis blushed. "Yes. And Carl. Wow, he must be really tired to sleep so long. I guess I probably overworked him today." Suddenly she heard her stomach growl, and she smiled sheepishly. "Maybe I overworked myself. I'm starving! Do you guys wanna help me make lunch?"

Half an hour later, Carl woke up and yawned. He looked around; there was nobody in the camp. Stretching out his limbs, he saw there was a note lying on the ground. It read:

Dear Mr. Sleepyhead,

The Pokemon and I made some sandwiches earlier, and there's one for you nearby. You'll have to look for it though; I hid it so wild Pokemon can't get it.  Hope you're not as dumb as wild Pokemon!

Laughing at my own stupid jokes,

Thanis

P.S. Don't worry about us, we're hunting for Pokemon.

"Hm... Where would she hide a sandwich?"

Little did he know that the sandwich was closer than he thought...

"Huh? What's this?" He felt something wet and squishy on top of his head, and some tape...

"OH MY GOSH THANIS YOU [expletive deleted] PERSON!!!"

About a mile away, Kyra twitched her ears and started laughing. An image of Carl jumping around in fury showed up in Thanis's head. She giggled. "Seems like he found his sandwich. Well, I guess we should head back now."

"RAAGH! I'm so gonna kill you! RAAARGH!!!" Carl lunged at her, randomly dealing her a few haphazard slashes. "Oops... Too slow! Whoo, that one almost got me." Thanis dodged each attack he threw at her, her movements fluid. Carl growled. "YAAGH... Oof!" Thanis removed her foot from his stomach, giving him a blow to the head as well. She sighed. "I had to stop you somehow. Control your anger, be calm. Take a deeeep breath." Carl just sat there with a surly look pasted on his face, sulking.

"Come on, getting squashed sandwich all over your head isn't the end of the world! Right?"

"In my world it is," he grumbled.

"Well, unless you want to get more training... You can just sit there and sulk all ya want." She walked off satisfied, knowing she'd hit his weak spot.

"No, uh, wait! Thanis! I can calm myself!" He gave her a 1,000 megawatt smile and turned on his "puppy-dog eyes" option.

"The 'begging face' works again! Nooo!" She laughed. "Okay, I'll continue your training. On one condition: NEVER fall asleep while I'm talking to you. But if ya do, I think you should learn the consequences..."

BONK! BONK! BONK!

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That was payback for falling asleep while I was giving you an assessment of your skills! And of course that was the consequence of your action."

"Sheesh... Talk about anger management problems..."

BONK!

"And show some respect!"

The next day, Thanis woke up bright and early for their training session.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" she barked at Carl.

"Ungh... I don't wanna go to school..."

BONK!

"Ow! That hurt, mom!"

"I'm not your mom, idiot, it's Thanis!"

"Huh? AAH! No! I thought it was all a dream!" He buried his face into the grass.

"Yep, it's a dream... IN YOUR DREAMS!!! Okay, Mr. Slowpoke, today we're training your speed levels and your reflexes. Keera, Thundershock him!"

"WAAH!"

BZZT!

"You know, you coulda told me what we're doing," Carl moaned, clothes smoking.

"Good point, but then you'd never get better. Thundershock!"

They practiced until it was evening, and Carl had gotten a lot faster than before. He still got shocked once in a while, but less. At least it didn't seem like his skills were "rotting away" any more. Finally, Thanis decided to call it quits.

"You've improved enough for now. Today's training is officially over."

Carl immediately jumped into the pond and began splashing around, emmiting loud whoops of joy.

"Boys," Thanis muttered. "Keera, Thundershock at the water!"

"Jo-ol!"

"Huh? AAH!" Carl jumped, just as the electric current struck the water. "What'd you do that for?" He glared at her. "I thought you said training was over."

"I fibbed? Ever heard of the word?" Thanis sighed in mock exasperation. (Just like Carl did in the beginning. It was a perfect imitation.) "And besides, you just dodged another attack even though you were tired and taken off guard. Now, that's what I call improvement!"

"Huh... I guess you're right! I have improved a bit, haven't I?" He grinned.

"Yeah, you've definitely gotten better... Okay, tomorrow we're sparring again, but this time I'm not gonna go easy on ya."

"Wait, you were going easy yesterday?"

"Um, well, yeah. If I wasn't, you'd probably be dead by now."

"WHAT!!! [expletives deleted]!!!"

BONK!

"No cussing or swearing in my presence, either!"

"Fine, sheesh..."

"TROOOARR!!!"

"Wha...? Kyra, Mind Shield!"

"Ei!" A purple, filmy bubble formed over them.

"Mind Shield? How'd she learn that?" Carl stared in puzzlement.

"Not sure. She used it in her dreams the first time I learned about it."

CRASH!

A Tropius bashed into the shield Kyra had created, swinging his head wildly from side to side. He stopped and glared angrily through the quivering purple bubble. Kyra whimpered softly, straining to hold it steady.

"Come on, you can do it," Thanis whispered, bending down and placing her hand on the Psychic Pokemon's back. Immediately, the bubble shimmered brightly and blasted the Tropius off its surface.

"Kyra! How'd she do that?" Carl glanced at the light purple-colored Pokemon.

"Dunno... She's never done it before. But I felt kinda like I was controlling the shield at the moment... AAH!"

"TROOO!!!" The Tropius had recovered and it suddenly started gathering light with the leaves growing on it.

"Oh my... RUUUUN!!!" Everyone dove for cover as a gigantic explosion shook the ground. When the dust cleared, Tropius could be seen standing above them, ready to fire another Solar Beam.

Thanis shouted, "We must've invaded its territory. We've gotta beat it before it can do any real damage!"

"Way ahead of ya, Thanis! Calyx, go!" The cat Pokemon leapt gracefully out of her Pokeball, landing smoothly on the grass.

"Calyx, Use Ice Beam!"

"Ca-ay!" A blinding white beam shot out of her mouth, freezing the Tropius in his tracks.

"Yes! Way to go, Calyx!" Carl and Thanis high-fived each other while the elegant feline purred happily.

"Tropius…" The large Grass Pokemon weakly tried to move from his position, but every time the ice touched him, it stung, and pain clouded his eyes. "Tropius!"

"Return and have a good rest, my beauty, and I  will take care of these annoying fleas." A dark-skinned man had returned the wounded Pokemon to its Pokeball. "So... who are you?" he questioned the travelers.

"Well, we're just passing--"

"ANSWER ME!!! Don't be so foolish as to try distracting me from my subject of interest. Now, what was I talking about again? Hmm…oh! Yes, I remember. Who are you?"

"We're just travelers. My name is Thanis and-"

"I'm her friend Carl."

"Yeah. Don't interrupt me like that!"

"Ah, I see. Would the correct term be friend or boyfriend?" The stranger grinned maliciously.

"We don't like each other!" the two cried in unison.

"Your souls are even in sync with one another! Wonderful! What a pleasant surprise." He made an elegant flourish with his hand. "Welcome to my humble home, the forest."

"Oh, don't tell me… you're one of those self-centered guys that thinks that this jungle or forest is theirs, and they own it completely." Carl sighed and shook his head.

"WHA…!!! How'd you know?" The man gaped in astonishment.

"Your attitude… your appearance… it all comes from observing," Thanis answered. "I mean, it's just so obvious."

"Uh… … … WHO CARES?!?! I AM THE MIGHTY RULER OF THIS FOREST, AND YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!! I WILL DEFY YOU!!!"

"Nice emphasis, but it doesn't work on us. Flamethrower, Calyx!"

"Psychic Shock!"

KABOOOOOOOM!!!

"I think that was the best combo move we ever made. I guess we could call it 'Burning Psychic Lightning'."

"I guess… let's just leave this sucker alone until he tries battling us again."

"Wait! I have yet to show you my skills! Aw…" The strange man struggled to get up. "Now, how do I get back to my cave again? Hmm…"