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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(Annie)      


        I glanced at my alarm clock, checking the time. Drat, it was 8:20 and everyone would wake in like 10 minutes. I dragged myself out of bed and hit the floor. Quickly, I pulled on some jean capris and put on a plain pink T-shirt. I glanced in Brittany's mirror, checking my appearance. My blonde hair looked like a Rattata's nest. Quickly, I ran a brush through it and put it up in an elastic. I was about to head out when I remembered FoxFire. Jeez, I would never get used to this. I walked over to my bed and shook the little red pokemon.

       "Pix. Vulpix?" she murmured. I sighed and picked up the sleepy pokemon. I grabbed my backpack and headed out. I hustled to the Commons, but the door was locked. So, I walked around a bit with my sleepy pokemon  in my arms. Eventually, I found myself in the Lobby. I looked out a humongous window and saw the small, peaceful city of Ecruteak. It was a really nice place to be and a smart idea for an academy location. My thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when the PA sounded for everyone to get up. I headed back to the Commons where we were finally allowed some breakfast. I grabbed a tray and practically shoveled the food on. Gradually, the Commons began to fill up. I sat down at a table by myself. Well, not totally alone, because FoxFire had finally woken up and I gave her some pokechow that I had grabbed up at the front. She seemed to like it so I continued my breakfast. On each of my sides a tray came down. Brittany and Rita Adams sat down beside me.

       "Hi, guys," I managed to murmur as I stuffed some pancakes into my mouth. They both greeted me back. Rita picked up her drowsy Totodile and nudged him to eat some food. He awoke as if a lightning bolt had stricken him and he devoured his food in about 10 seconds. 

       "Must be a world record!" Rita exclaimed. I giggled and Brittany frowned.

       "I guess I should feed Kangaskhan too," she added a little glumly. She got up and came back with almost triple the food Rita and I had put together. She pressed the button on her pokeball and the hulking form of her pokemon appeared. He immediately begin to eye his surroundings. She sighed and told him to eat his food. Cautiously, he obeyed. I turned my attention elsewhere as I spied Matthew Pierce entering the room from the boys' wing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       Splash crawled energetically on the carpet floor. I gave him a glance of disbelief. "It's 8:36 man. How can you be so awake?" He shrugged and clapped his flippers. Ace and his Sandshrew were already sitting down. Ace was refusing to feed Sandshrew anything but pure meat. I rolled my eyes and trudged to the line. I looked over to the anything-but-small pokemon Brittany had gotten. I would be willing to make a bet that Ace was just dying to say something to Brittany about her luck. I shook my head. He had earned the name Hollow Head.

       "Matthew," I heard someone call. I looked over to see Peter carrying his Spinarak. "Shadow's still sleeping. He's more active at night. I hope I'll be able to battle David Noble sometime. I've always wanted to fight a Sentret." I nodded, unable to really comprehend what he was saying. I hoped that by my first class I would be alert. I pulled out my schedule and it read:

Period 1: Pokemon Battling Techniques
Period 2:  Pokemon Breeding Education
Period 3: Pokemon & Trainer Relationships
Period 4: Lunch
Period 5: Pokemon Grooming Practice
Period 6: Emergency Medical Pokemon Care

       I stared at the schedule, stunned. These all sounded so hard and complex. Except of course, Grooming, which was probably like Kindergarten. Peter looked over at my schedule and smiled, "We have Breeding and Medical Care together. I'm kind of nervous about meeting the teachers. You think they'll like me?"

       I rubbed my temples, hoping to wake up and asked, "You've been in school before. Have you done your homework."

       He shrugged, "Yeah, most of the time. I mean, it was late a couple of times, but. . ."

       "Not a chance," I replied. Splash clapped his flippers and laughed. Peter gave me a disapproving glance and looked down at his sleeping pokemon.

       I grabbed myself a tray and started getting some food. On the other counter there were choices for pokemon food. I scanned them over and let Splash decide. He picked up a box with his flippers and hopped off of the counter. I walked over to a table and sat down. Quickly, I was joined by Peter and a few of the guys.

       I took a small bite of a sausage link and looked around. Annie Edwards, the girl I had met before, glanced over at me and then quickly turned her head. I looked over at FoxFire, her Vulpix, and watched as she ate her pokemon food. The pokemon stared lovingly up at her master. It made me hope that Splash and I would be that in sync.

       Shadow (Peter's Spinarak) awoke with a start and looked at Peter. Peter patted the spider's head and then placed a box of pokemon food in front of him. Shadow's face clearly expressed delight as he dug into the box of food.

       After another half-an-hour, Mr. Woodcox came over the intercom. "Hello, students. It's time for your first class. Please, no pokemon battles from now until after your 6th Period Class. Thank you."

       I stood up and picked my pokemon up. Ms. Gonzales was directing people to their classrooms. I walked over to her and asked her where Battling class took place. She smiled, "The battlefield you were on yesterday morning. Good luck, Matthew." I thanked her and started heading down the hallway.

       As I walked, Annie Edwards and FoxFire raced up. "Jeez, we're going out to this field again? You would think they could afford classrooms."

       I laughed and replied, "Makes sense, though. I mean, we're battling. Where else could be better?"

       She shrugged, "I guess so. You know that Ms. Gonzales? She's crazy, don't you think?"

       "I think she's nice," I thought aloud.

        David Noble was behind us. He walked up, "She's nice because you come from a rich family. Rumor has it, the school might close down after this year due to lack of funds. I guess she's hoping your parents might support the academy."

       The thought of not finishing school here startled me. "That's horrible. There's got to be some way we can help."

       Annie seemed deep in thought, but she spoke. "So there might not be a next year for us?"

       David shook his head, "Well, unless the school gets funds, this thing ain't going to last long."

       I walked, thinking about ways to help out. No ideas came to my head, but I decided to research on some things later. Right now, it was time for Battling Techniques!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

      
       I followed the rest of my classmates into the Battlefield. It was the exact place where I had gotten FoxFire, but now I took time to get a good look at it. Battlefield 1 was a concrete floor with the trademark pokeball painted in the middle. Beyond th at were two other concrete Battlefield identical to the first one. A dark wooden table had been dragged in and some crappy-looking chairs had been fitted in around it. We all headed toward the table and each took a chair and sat down. I threw my backpack onto my chair and sat down, FoxFire hopping onto my lap. Matthew and Splash sat on my right and Caleb McMayes was on my left. Ace was sitting directly in front of me.

       "Where's the teacher?" Matthew whispered to me. Before I could respond, the door burst open and a man entered the room. It was an elderly man with gray hair. He looked like he was in his early 50's. His face was just starting to get etched with wrinkles from old age.

       "Welcome, everyone, to Battling Techniques. I am your teacher for this year. My name is Mr. Smith," he rattled off in about five seconds. "For today's class, I will observe ech of you in a battle to see how you fare, bur remember, class, that this is just an observation to let me view how each of you do. After I take the attendance, I will pair each of you off with a partner," he told us. He then began calling off our names so fast that when my name was called, I barely uttered a noise before he was off to the next name. I held FoxFire nervously.

       "Vulpix, vul!" she reassured me. I glanced over at Matthew. He seemed to be nervous too, but Splash was as energetic as always. He crawled all over the table. Matthew chuckled and placed him on the floor.

       "Okay, everyone, let's get this thing started," Mr. Smith broke the silence. He began to pair each of us into battling partners. I eventually got paired off with David Noble. We got up and headed over to Battlefield 3. I went tot he red side and he headed over tot he blue trainer's side.

       "All right. The rest of you that don't have a battlefield will wait until the first group is done battling," he informed the rest of the group. He began to rattle of some rules for another ten minutes on the clock. He blew his whistle and, before I knew it, the battle had begun.

       "Okay, FoxFire, get in there," I told her. She jumped in with enthusiasm and assumed battle mode. Our opponent had already entered the arena across from us.

       "Ready when you are," David called to me.

       "All right, Foxfire! Start off with a Quick Attack!" I shouted my first battle order. FoxFire bolted towards the opposing pokemon.

       "All right, Clash, counter with a Defense Curl!" he ordered. "Clash" the Sentret curled up in a tight ball and slightly glowed. Foxfire made contact, making Sentret skid across the floor. Clash rolled over on his back and groaned. He got up to attack but not before I ordered Foxfire to use an Ember attack. FoxFire let loose a flurry of flames on the Sentret.

       "Clash, break through and use Tackle!" David ordered. Clash managed to pass by the flames and knocked FoxFire to the ground. He was pinning her down and listened for David's next order.

       "Fury Swipes!" he shouted. Clash raished a paw and began pelting poor FoxFire across the face. One paw after another swiped FoxFire's dace. I tried to keep a cool head as I called for my next attack.

       "Let's counter with Confuse Ray!" FoxFire's eyes began to glow a bluish color and she produced a glowing ray that stopped Sentret's ongoing attack. The light then hit her full-force in the face and knocked her off of FoxFire. Sentret wandered aimlessly, deaf to David's shouted orders.

       "Yes! Now finish with an Ember!" I ordered. FoxFire, again, launched a flame attack on Sentret. When the flames cleared, the bell rang, and Sentret had collapsed on the ground.

       "All right! Yahoo!" I shouted and ran onto the battlefield. I scooped up FoxFire who let out a victory flame into the air. I then realized that David had just lost his first battle, so I walked over to him.

       "Good job! I thought we would have lost for sure when Sentret was just pelting Foxfire," I sincerely told him.

       He grinned, "You did awesome, Annie. . .I'm glad that you could win." He told me sincerely too. It was then that I noticed Mr. Smith with a clipboard writing down notes on our battle. He smiled at David and myself.

       "Good job, both of you. You may want to take your pokemon to the Hospital Wing where Nurse Joy can help you clear off for a battle after 6th Period," the teacher informed us. I glanced over at the group. I was taken aback when I saw Matthew on the blue side of the field opposite Ace Furlong.

       "FoxFire, can you wait to be cured? This is going to be a hard battle," I told her, sitting down and spying Ace's Sandshrew. FoxFire nodded and the battle was about  to commence.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

      I grinned, seeing that Annie had defeated David. She walked up to him and started to shake hands, when Mr. Smith interrupted my thoughts. "Matthew Pierce and Ace Furlong. Battlefield 2."
      
       Ace smirked and shook his head, "This is going to be too easy."

       I rolled my eyes and bent down to Splash, "You can do this, buddy. I know you can."

       He winked at me and swept his plump tongue along my face. "Seel, seel!"

       I looked up and saw Ace had already taken the red side of the battlefield. I picked Splash up and hurried over to the blue side. "All right, Splash. Get out there," I smiled.

       Ace, on the other side, laughed, "Come on Mole. This is going to be too easy."

       "Splash! Let's start this thing with your Headbutt attack!" I commanded for the first time.

       As Splash sped toward Mole, Ace ordered, "When it comes near you, use your Slash attack!"

       Splash hit Mole head-on but he also got three deep claw marks on his face. He stepped back, wincing in pain. Mole lay on the ground, struggling to get up. "They're vulnerable, pal! Hit him with a Water Gun technique!"

       "Get the Hell up, Mole!" Ace fiercely barked. Mole hopped up and out of the way just in time to dodge the small beam of water. "It's about time! Now, use a Sand Attack." The Sandshrew scratched fiercely at the concrete, making sand-like powder. He smacked it forward and it blinded Splash for a moment. "Keep using Slash, Mole!" Ace commanded. The mouse pokemon began to slash furiously at Splash's face

       "Splash! Use a Water Gun while it's so close!" I commanded. Splash, regaining a little vision, shot a quick beam of water into Mole's face. Mole, weak against water fell back, barely conscious.

       "Mole! One more Slash attack will finish this thing!" Ace commanded.

       I saw my chance, "Splash! Use your Headbutt attack!" Splash hustled forward and slammed his head into Mole. The pokemon flew through the air and crashed against the ground. The bell rang and victory was mine. "We did it!" I called to Splash who jumped into my arms. I hugged him softly and watched Ace grab his pokemon and storm away.
      
       Mr. Smith walked up to me with a clipboard, "Excellent battle, Matthew. You won only by one Hit Point if my Pokemon Information System is correct. You know where the Hospital Wing is?"

       I shrugged, "No."

       "I do," Annie piped up from beside us. "I need to head there, anyway. Come on, Matthew."

       Mr. Smith nodded and waved me off and I caught up to Annie and her pokemon. "I watched your battle," I told her. "Congrats."

       She smiled, "Likewise. Man, Ace is really hard on his pokemon. I feel sorry for the little guy."

       "I wonder how Peter's going to do. He got a Spinarak," I told her.

       "So that's who that is. Brittany may have an advantage with her gigantic pokemon," she smiled.

       I grinned at the thought of Shadow versus Brittany's Kangaskhan. "That would make for an interesting battle."

       She pulled out her schedule. "Man, I got Medical Care next. Then I have Relationships, Lunch, Grooming and then Breeding."

       "I'll have Relationships and Grooming with you," I told her. "And lunch."

        We headed up to the Hospital Wing and cured our pokemon. Nurse Joy was happy to see Annie. "I used to work at the Indigo Plateau. You remember? Your grandma had me watch you while trainers came."

       Annie nodded, "Yeah, I think." She obviously wanted to get away from the overly sweet nurse, so I interrupted.

       "Man, look at the time fly!" I checked my watch! "Come on Annie, we're going to miss our next class!"

       Annie's expression said thank you as we hurried away from the nurse.  I smiled at her, "Well, later, Annie. I'll see you in Relationships."

       I headed to Breeding as she headed toward Medical Care. Peter ran up to me, his pokemon looking trim.

       "Miss Dennis is so cool! She helped me give Shadow a haircut and now he's really happy. How was battling?" he asked.

       I smiled, "I beat Ace."

       He stared at me in disbelief. "You beat Hollow Head?" We laughed as we came to the Breeding Room. Ace was already in there, looking very unhappy.

       I sighed and sat down, "I'll probably have all of my classes with him." I whispered to Peter. Peter quietly hummed the funeral march as our teacher came inside.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


       I entered the medical room with FoxFire fully healed and energetic. She trotted along beside me and gave me an encouraging look. It seemed our first day of class would be a complete success. It was then that I spotted the teacher. She was a short little woman with chestnut hair and matching eyes. She smiled sweetly, radiating the same feeling Nurse Joy did. I sat down at one of the desks and Foxfire hopped on top. "Vulpix!" she exclaimed.

       Soon, everyone was seated. Brittany was in the same class and she sat next to me. She wore a nervous smile, and I smiled back. I turrned my attention to the teacher, who was writing her name on the board: Ms. Winson. She put down the chalk and turned around to face us.

       "Welcome to Emergency Pokemon Medical Care class, everyone. I expect you all had a good summer?" she asked. We all chorused a yes in a low, rumbling tone.

       She smiled, "That's wonderful! Now, before we start class today, we will have to go over the rules and take the attendance," she explained as she pulled out a clipboard and began calling out our names in alphabetical order. When that was done, she went over the rules, which were all very basic and predicted, like "raising your hand when you have a question" and "not talking when the teachers is talking."
I thought I was going to fall asleep until she explained what we would be doing.

       "During this unit, we will be working on bandages and making first-aid kits. Like, what to do when you have no Potions or Antidotes. . .things of that nature. Now, I know you all must be very bored but, with nothing in the way, we can start the lesson." It turned out to  be very interesting. We were all given first aid kits that included various bandages, cotton swabs, ointments, and other interesting things. FoxFire nosed through everything curiously

       The teacher explained what everything did, how it worked, and what it was used for. I couldn't remember everything, but the textbook explained it all anyway. After she ran through everything, we played some games in which she held up a certain item from the kit and we had to name it. FoxFire got so into the fame that she would raise her paw into the air when I did. When the teacher call on us, we would say the answer at the same time, so it would sound like this, "Vottol pwibs!" Then, everyone would laugh and Ms. Winson would exclaim, "Correct!" The class ended too soon and everyone left with a groan. I gathered up my stuff and headed out with FoxFire riding on my shoulder.

       "Pix vul pi!" she exclaimed when we had entered the hall.

       "Yeah, that was tons of fun, huh?" I nodded in understanding, "Well, let's get to the next class." I told FoxFire as we headed for Pokemon/Trainer Relationships.
       

        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

       "Hello, class, I'm Mrs. Brinamm," the teacher announced. She was probably in her late fifties. She had poofy white hair and thick-framed glasses. She had light brown eyes and a stubby nose. "Today is an open-reading day. On open-reading days, you can go to your pokemon's chapter and study some general information about your species of pokemon. Just to make sure you'll read it, a test will take place on your pokemon's section tomorrow. I know you're excited, but let me take the attendance first."

       This part was incredibly boring. She had us say, "present," then stand up, shake her hand, and take an oath of respect. I returned to my seat. "This woman's a basketcase," Peter whispered.

       I nodded, feeling the same way. On my first school day, I was already studying for a test. "Bizarre," I said to myself and opened up the section on Seel. I read about the general personality, the general temperament, the general color, and the general battling stats of Splash's species. I was never going to pass this test.

       Splash soon became bored and started clapping his flippers in an attempt to liven the classroom up. Everyone in the classroom started laughing. . .almost everyone. I looked up from the book and saw that Mrs. Brinamm was glaring at me, "You keep that pokemon under control, young man! What kind of trainer are you if you can't?"

       I was a little freaked out by now, but I managed to pick Splash up and shush him. Ace was pointing me and silently laughing. I rolled my eyes and looked down at a smiling Splash. I grinned back and gave him a soft hug. The bell FINALLY rang and the PA announced that it was time for our third period class. I jumped up from my desk and got out of there as quickly as I could, with Peter gith beside. Splash hopped down from my arms and crawled in front of me as I talked to Peter. "Could you believe her? I mean the classroom was so boring. . .how would she expect him to be quiet? And, a test ON THE FIRST DAY?"

       Peter smiled, "Man, I thought the teachers weren't gonna like me. You're the one who should've been worried. You're going to be so ready for the next semester."

       "Why?" I asked, wondering what he was talking about.

       "You know, Matthew. When we switch Breeding and Grooming for Scientific Studies and Special Techniques. Well, I'm off to Battling Techniques. See you at lunch."

       I waved him off, "See ya." I picked Splash up, "You did make the class more interesting." I grabbed Splash and we headed for Pokemon and Trainer Relationships.

       "Matthew!" Annie called from inside the room. She signaled toward an empty seat to her left and I hurried up to take it. "This is Brittany," Annie introduced me to a redhead next to her. Her huge, looming pokemon stood beside her.

       "Hi, Matthew. It's nice to finally meet the rumored "rich boy" face-to-face," Brittany smiled.

       I shook her hand, "Yeah, it's good to meet the girl who called in and helped me out, too."

       Brittany blushed a little and turned as the teacher walked in. She was a young woman, only in her early twenties and she wore a very short hairstyle. She wore a pair of small glasses. "Hello, class, I'm Mrs. Nees and I'm going to be your teacher. Now, today we need to introduce ourselves and our pokemon. It's a good way to get to know each other AND take the attendance at the same time. Ace Furlong, is it? You start, then down the rows. Tell your name, your pokemon, and something about  one of you."

       Ace stood up, "All right, I'm Ace and this is Mole, my Sandshrew. He may look puny but he's going to be the world's toughest pokemon."

       I followed, "Hey, I'm Matthew. This is Splash, and he's probably the coolest pokemon in the world."

       "Yeah right," Ace piped up.

       Mrs. Nees pointed to a door, "See the hallway? You don't keep your pointless comments to yourself, you're going to be taking up residence there. Go ahead, Annie."

       Annie stood up, "Hey there, everyone, I'm Annie Edwards and this is FoxFire, one of my best friends."

       Brittany looked up at her looming Kangaskhan. She sighed as she stood, "Hi, I'm Brittany, and this is my Kangaskhan. We're. . .bonding."

       And it followed around the rest of the class, until finally it was Mrs. Nees's turn. "Hello class, I'm Stacy Nees and this is Button, my Aipom." Button jumped from behind her desk and onto her shoulder.

       "Okay, let's open to the front of your textbook, and we can start reading. Matthew? Would you like to start?"

       "All right," I smiled and opened the book. "Relationships are very important between a trainer and his/her pokemon. . ." I read on. Yes, finally I got a teacher who understands me, I thought.

       *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


        A half of an hour later, everyone left Mrs. Nees's room, chattering excitedly about their first day of class. Matthew filled me in on Breeding and I told him about Medical Care. I showed him the First Aid Kit I had received. We were still talking about our classes when we arrived at the Commons.

       "I know she hates me," Matthew said, referring to the Breeding teacher, Mrs. Brinamm.

       "We already have to study for a test tomorrow, which I know I won't pass," a voice came from behind. I whirled around and saw Peter Carlton. "I don't think she's my biggest fan, either," he finished. We all headed to the lunch line and grabbed a tray.

       "A test? Already? What on earth is she thinking?" I asked, close to shouting. I piled some fruit on my tray and for both my pokemon and for myself. I grabbed an extra tray for Brittany, knowing she would soon come in.

       "On your pokemon's section. Like, uh, I have to do a test on general information on Seels," Matthew responded dully, piling some pokemon food on a seperate plate.

       "I don't like the sound of 'Mrs. Brinamm'," I said, more quietly this time. Peter opened his mouth to say something, but the shout of my name cut him os. I turned around to see Brittany running for me. I noticed she had Kangaskhan in a pokeball. Matthew gently tugged on my arm and signaled for us to get out of the line. I stepped out and Brittany screeched to a halt in front of me.

       "Annie," she gasped one more time, and paused to pant a little.

       "Uh, Brittany, why are you all worked up?" I asked her, puzzled.

       "You won't believe what I just saw. . .thought I saw. . .oh, never mind, just come see!" I set down my tray and grabbed FoxFire, who had been chatting with Shadow and Splash on the floor. I took off behind her. Matthew and Peter just gave each other weird glances, shrugged, and then followed us. Brittany took us up the stairs, down a hallway, and through a classroom before we came to an empty classroom. The curtains shielded all sunlight from entering the room, making it extremely dark. The only light that dare enter now came from the hallway, a whole classroom away. I looked at Matthew, who shrugged. I turned to face Brittany.

       "What are we--" I cut myself off and I saw what I thought was a shadow, but what was really one of my grandmother's Gengars. I let out a small squeak and ran to him. "Gengar! What are you doing here?" I asked excitedly. He smiled at me and held out a thick package in his hand and gave it to me. I grasped it and looked up at my long-time pal.

       <<Your grandmother felt I would be faster than the mailman,>> he told me, of course grinning.

       "But how did you find Brittany? How did you know that she was my friend?" I asked, slightly confused. He grinned at Brittany who was blushing.

       <<I've been watching you since you arrived, Annie,>> he answered.

       "I've never saw you," I told him. He grinned.

       <<I'm rarely seen when I don't want to be,>> he answered the typical Gengar reply. I smiled and shook my head.

       "Uh, Annie? What's goin on?" Matthe asked quietly.

       "Oh! I almost forgot! Gengar, these are my friends. That's Matthew Pierce and Splash. That's Peter Carlton and his pokemon Shadow. Brittany, I think you know, right? And this is FoxFire, my pokemon." I made quick introductions. Gengar now spoke in English, a skill he had picked up long ago.

       "Pleased to meet all of you," he said, nodding. Matthew and Peter almost freaked out.

       "Whoa, okay, what's goin' on? One minute he's talkin' normal then he talks like us. The weird thing is Annie, you seem to know what he's saying either language," Peter exclaimed. Shadow, who was hiding in the shadows, nodded in agreement. FoxFire, who had been standing with Splash, walked over to me, excited.  

       "Vul vu pix pi?" she asked me.

       "I'm sorry, girl, I don't quite understand you yet. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll start to understand," I spoke softly. Her face fell slightly and her ears unperked, "Just be patient. Keep talking to me like you always do, using gestures. That will help," I told her, trying to be cheerful.

       "So, Annie, will we understand our pokemon too?" Matthew asked, picking up Splash. I nodded to him as I walked over. I sat beside him and began to work on opening the package. I knew it was probably letters and pictures from all of my family. My guess was right, and I pulled out five different letter, with some pictures. One from each of my three brother, my mom, and Grandma. I put it back in the envelope. I would read it later.

       "Hey, Gengar, will you hand around for a while? At least until I finish writing my responses?" I asked him without looking up. No answer.

       "Hey, where did he go?" Matthew asked. We looked over to Peter and Brittany who simply shrugged.

       "Vulpix vul!" FoxFire exclaimed and pointed down the hall. Strutting down the hall was Ace Furlong with his Sandshrew, Mole, following with a look of disgust on his face. We all sighed and tried to leave without being noticed.

       "Hey freaks!" he shouted to us.

       "Don't worry, I'll take care of him," I heard Gengar's voice. I turned to Matthew, who'd obviously heard. We both grinned wickedly.

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       All right, that's it for Part 2. Guys, tell us how we're doing, we really do want the feedback. Make sure you send one to each of us, or at least to FoxFire. Thanx a million. -Crystal Vaporeon