"Hello and welcome to the wide world of Poke'mon". Just a little disclaimer here: while Poke'mon, Ruroni Kenshin, and their characters aren't copyrighted to me, characters such as "Landon" and "Zeru" are. In this story, you'll join our young hero, Landon, in his epic and unusual journey in the world of Poke'mon. Equipped with a magical bell, he and his friends must stare down the face of evil, win every challenge, make new friends, and claw their way to the top. But can they stop the ultimate evil that threatens their world? There are many twists and surprises, so you have to keep reading if you really want to "Catch 'em all!" in:

Poke'mon X

       This is a special edition of Poke'mon X. It celebrates the day that I started the story. Not that it changes the storyline, but I have decided to leave the episode in its original text to show the evolution progress of my writing skills. Compare it to previous episodes if you wish to see the differences. Also, to celebrate, I will try to send some of my fanart.. Happy 2nd anniversary, Poke'mon X from Landon Himura, Toya, and Thaisamba Dragon!!


       "Tackle attack, Chikorita-don't give it a chance to fight back!" "Chika!" Landon's and Chikorita's voices rang out into the starry evening sky. Landon, May, Zeru, and Toya were in the grassy field right next to the colorfully lit Twinkle Town. While his friends sat in the grass and watched, Landon was knee-deep into his seventh battle of the day with Chikorita. Ever since they stared understanding each other, they had been non-stop battling. May recorded each and every one of their battles with her new silver video camera. She kept trying to turn the lens of Zeru, but he threatened to break it if she did. (On this fine evening, the battle cries of the young samurai and his Poke'mon echo throughout the air. What kind of adventures and dangers await them in Twinkle Town? Only time will tell.) "Chikorita, use Vine Whip!" Landon exclaimed, thrusting his fist forward. "Chikori!!" Two vines bulleted from Chikorita's bud necklace and dated towards an opposing Sentret. It's trainer, a kid with long, sea-green hair, frowned at the attack. "Sentret, dodge with a jump." "Sentret!" He was wearing a pair of white pants and a blue shirt with the picture of a surfboard on it. Sentret leapt up to avoid the vine attack and landed on all fours. "Now, Sentret, use Quick Attack!" The kid shouted. "Sentreeet!" There was the sound of rapidly-moving feet as Sentret started to move blindingly fast, kicking up little bits of grass behind it. Landon gave a grin to his opponent, "That's a neat trick, Sogen, but we're way too good for that! Endure, Chikorita!" Chikorita nodded and tensed her entire body, closing her eyes; Sentret crashed head-first into her rock-solid defense harshly, barely inflicting any damage at all. "Oh-no!" "Oh-yes, finish this battle with your Slam attack!" "Chikori!" Chikorita turned around in a jump and raised her head leaf to Sentret. She repeatedly used it to belt the ring-tailed Poke'mon harshly. Sogen growled as he watched his Sentret spin from being hit. "Okay, you win; just call off your attack Poke'mon already!" At his surrender, Chikorita ceased her assault and let her head leaf hang limply. Sogen walked over and picked up his exhausted Sentret gingerly. "Hey, buddy, are you okay?" He asked it. "Sen…sentret," It panted in response. "That was terrific, Chikorita. You're on fire today!" Landon exclaimed proudly. "Chikori-chikori!" CLAMP!! Landon winced as Chikorita jumped into his grip and nipped his arm. Now that he understood his new Poke'mon, he didn't mind her affectionate "abuse". "That was a great match, Landon." Sogen walked over and held out his hand. "Ditto, Sogen," Landon smiled and shook it. "So, did you get a good shot?" Zeru asked May. She held up her camera and smiled at him, "It's art!"

                    Theme Song: Pocket Monsters X(treme)

Running at
The speed of sound
What adventures can be found?
Traveling the world all around
As fate just spins it upside-down
Little monsters
Everywhere
Find a knew one and I'm there
Victory is just for fun
There's no stoppin' till I'm number one

Crys-tal,
Clear, and Shadow
Three lights-
That fight the way
Protect those legendary
Is my destiny!

Poke'mon X
(Poke'mon X)
Leading the way
Is my sweet victory
Poke'mon X
(Poke'mon X)
A mystery
Behind each one we see

Poke'-mon X
(Ex-Ex)
This journey I'll run

                           Episode 13: Surf, Old Man!

       Landon, May, Zeru, Toya, and Chikorita sat with Sogen and Sentret at the edge of the grass field on the beach. Since Twinkle Town was bordered by water on three sides, it made a great beach spot and harbor. Toya and Chikorita were playing in the shallow part of the water. It was good to see that they were finally getting along with each other. "So, you say you're sailing to Dewford Town?" Sogen asked, letting his Sentret play with the other Poke'mon. "Well, we're trying to sail to Dewford Town." May corrected. "Right now, we have to find a boat to ride." "I doubt we'll have enough money to pay for a ticket, let alone three." Zeru said. Sogen got to his feet suddenly. He looked to his new friends and flashed a thumbs-up. "If you need a ship, you should've asked me." He said, "My grandpa used to be a big sea captain around the Hoenn region-one of the best. He owns a ferry in the port of this very city and I'm sure he'll let you sail." "That would be terrific. Thanks a lot, Sogen." Landon gave a smile of relief. As far as he was concerned, it was a good idea as long as it didn't hurt his pocket. May gazed up at the star-lit night sky. The twinkling white stars matched up well with the pearly moon. "I think I see where this town gets its name from…..hey, look at that!"
She pointed up at the sky. Landon, Zeru, and Sogen looked up with amazed expressions appearing on their faces. Out of curiosity, Toya, Chikorita, and Sentret gazed as well. Small waves of water splashed against their bodies lightly. Moving in a large, lengthy bunch were a group of bright red lights. At first, Landon thought they were stars, but a closer look proved them different. Thy looked like lady bugs, red and yellow, with four black and white arms and red feet. Their eyes were big and blue, their antenea were short, and there was some sort of black gem in the middle of their foreheads. "Le-" "Ledi-" "Le-" "Le-" Their voices were faint, but distinct nonetheless. Landon pulled out his poke'dex and flipped it open. Click-ick! "Ledian, the Five-star Poke'mon. The spots on Ledian's back light in a reddish color when the stars are out at night. These Poke'mon travel in groups and sprinkle a red glittering dust in the night sky." "What are the Ledian doing up there?" Landon wondered. "Don't you know?" Sogen turned to him. He pointed out to the sea, where they saw a wooden ship flow across the water's surface. "Sailors use the Ledian like compasses at night. Since this particular group comes around Twinkle Town every night, night-sailing captains have come to rely on them." "You mean, they read the Ledian to find their position?" Zeru asked. "Something like that." Sogen replied. May's eyes trembled with marvel as she watched the Ledian flutter through the night. "So pretty….it's like something out of a romantic fairy tail…" It was so pretty, that she barely noticed the tugging at her bag. Something pulled at the side pocket of her hip pouch annoyingly. Without really noticing it, she swatted it away, only for it to return again. "…! Yeoww!" She suddenly jumped up, averting everyone's attention. "Wha-what is that thing?" She pointed to a tiny sky-blue Poke'mon sitting at her ankles. The crocodile-like Poke'mon was small with pretty red eyes, and pearly sharp teeth. It had pink-colored scales going down its back to the tip of its tail and a golden "V" marked across its chest. "We're just meeting all kinds of Poke'mon today." Landon withdrew his Poke'dex again, "Let's see what it says for this little guy." Click-ick! "Totodile, the Big Jaw Poke'mon. This Poke'mon's jaws are powerful and very capable of crushing nearly anything. Trainers take caution when handling this Poke'mon." "Toto," The Poke'mon got to its feet and traveled back to May's hip-pack; it pulled and sniffed on it, looking at her pleadingly. It really didn't seem dangerous at all, so Landon wondered why the Poke'dex seemed to give such a worrisome definition. "I take it this Poke'mon came from the sea?" Sogen asked. "I don't think Totodile come from seas; mostly from lakes and rivers. This one must have come from Pettalburg woods." Landon stated. May recovered from her shock and glanced to her hip-pack.
"….oh, I know what you want." She took the bag off and rummaged through the contents. She soon came up with a packaged loaf of lo mien bread in her grip. "Hey, that's my lo mien bread!! I had to practically fight over that one!" Landon shouted, fearing the consumption of his meal. "Oh relax, you can always get another one-" "Did you hear a word I just said?!" "Don't mind him, Totodile." May started to unwrap the plastic surrounding the food. When Totodile's nose caught stronger whiff, it started to jump excitedly. Landon barked something, but May ignored him; she pulled out the loaf of lo mien bread and allowed Totodile to gobble it up in one bite. "Nooooo!" Landon howled, dropping to his knees. His stomach gave a disappointed growl at both him and the greedy Poke'mon. Then, He turned sharply to May. "I'm after your curry bread!" "Oh-no you don't!" "Give it up!" He started chasing her around the beach, making a grab for her bag. "Hands off, Lan; this is my curry bread-" "You really should've thought of that before you passed off mine to that pig in scales!" "It's just bread!" "If it's just bread, then give me yours!" "What's a little bread between friends, eh?" "OOfff!" Landon tripped and fell face-first into the sand. May giggled and kept on running. He gave a growl and started chasing after her once again. "You're not being a very nice friend, May!" "Who ever said I was a nice friend!" "That's wrong!!" Landon finally caught her bag and pulled both of them to a halt. Whenever he gave a tug, May would tug back with equal power. Zeru and Sogen sweated anime style as they watched the two get into a wrestling match. "They do this all the time?" Sogen asked. "Actually, this is a first. But then, I don't think I was ever bold enough to mess with Landon's food before either." Zeru replied. The warm breeze of the night blew against his hair. It also carried something else along with it. "Hey, get back here-both of you! Give her back to me!" A voice in the distance sounded and cuased the four to glance back. Suddenly, a couple of figures rushed by them in a swirl of wind, laughing maniacally.  They weren't able to get a good look at them; just able to see them dash into Twinkle Town. "Please, don't let them get away…" Another voice, a tired one, said. "I know that voice!" Sogen's eyes shook with fear and he whirled around. The man, an old man, had beetle eyes, well kept (for his age) wrinkle-free skin, and a big white mustache. He was wearing a large blue shirt, brown pants, and had a black bandanna on his head. "Help my poor Peeko." He voiced before collapsing on the ground. "Mr. Briney!" Sogen ran up to him with Sentret tailing swiftly behind. "Sentret-sentret!" It squeaked as it clambered up to his shoulder. Toya and Chikorita did the same to Landon while they all ran to the old man. "Are you okay?" Sogen knelt down on his knees. "They've….got my poor Peeko." The man said breathlessly before fainting. "Quick, we need to get him to someplace safe!" Sogen exclaimed "Okay!" May, Zeru, and Landon nodded.

       Well, it wasn't exactly a human hospital, but a rental room in the Twinkle Town Poke'mon Center was just as good. The group stood around one of the four bunk beds that the old man was in with Nurse Joy covering him with a blanket. It was a good thing this Nurse was good in both the Poke'mon and human medical fields. "He will be just fine, he's just exhausted." Nurse Joy said. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but are you the sister of the Nurse Joy in Rustborro City?" Landon scratched his head. "Younger to be exact. Why?" Nurse Joy turned to him. "I'm just curious." Landon replied. "C'mon, Chansey." "Chansey! Chansey!" With that, Nurse Joy and her pink Poke'mon assistant left the room. Sogen sat next to Mr. Briney, looking real worried. "Sen-sentret?" Sentret flopped on its trainer's head. "No, I'm fine, Sentret." Sogen replied, "Just a little worried about-" "Arrgghh!" The old man groaned and turned in his bed a bit. All eyes turned to Mr. Briney as he awoke slowly.  "….Sogen, is that you and Sentret?" His voice was weak at first. Then, abruptly, he sat straight up in his bed with a shocked look. "How'd I get here? What happened?" He asked. "Take it easy, grandpa, you need to test for a little bit." Sogen told him. "So this guy is your grandfather?" Zeru asked a little bit skeptically. "Yeah," Sogen replied lightly at first. It took him a little bit before the question actually hit him, "What's with the voice of disbelief?" "It's just that this guy is Mr. Briney!" "The Mr. Briney?" Landn gave a shocked expression. "Why, I-" The young samurai gasped, causing everyone to turn to him. It sounded as if Mr. Briney was some kind of great man. "I…" He continued, "….have absolutely no idea who we're all talking about." BANG!!! At that, everyone in the room fell to the ground, sweating anime style. "Why is it that we have to tell you everything?" May asked. Landon gave a forced grin and scratched his head. Zeru got up and pointed into the air, "Everyone knows that Mr. Briney is one of the greatest captains to sail the seas. I've heard that he sailed all around the Sand-dollar sea next to Captain Stern." He explained. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir, but I'm not as great as you make me out to be." Mr. Briney growled and gripped his sheet. "I can't believe they got away." "What were you doing, running like a mad-man in the middle of the night?" Sogen asked sternly. "I think we'd like to know that, too." Zeru said. Mr. Briney took a deep breath and let his brain skip back. "Let me see…I was just out, cleaning my ferry ship with my darling Peeko, when I heard a strange noise. Naturally, I thought it was some hooligans trying to tag my ship, so I went to go shout them away. But when I got off my ship, there was no one there. Suddenly, just like ghosts, two kids appeared in the shadow of the ship. Only when the moonlight hit did I actually see their entire figure. Somehow, they knew I had information on the Delta project." "Hmm," Landon frowned at that name again. How was it that everyone but him knew about this Delta thing? "When I refused to tell them what they needed to know, they kidnapped my Poor Peeko." Briney's eyes started to water a little. There was a clicking noise as Landon scanned through the digital pages of his Poke'dex. "…Sorry, but there's no Poke'mon by the name of 'Peeko' in here." He said. CLACK!! "Hey!" Zeru borrowed May's fan and swatted him on the head sharply. "That's a nickname!" They exclaimed at him.  "Peeko is a Wingull." Briney said. Click-ick! "WIngull, the Seagull Poke'mon. Wingull has the habit of carrying prey and valuables in its beak and hiding them in all sorts of locations. This Poke'mon rides the winds and flies as if it were skating across the sky." The Poke'dex said for the image of a tiny white seagull Poke'mon. Its beak was yellow, tipped with black, and its wings had a blue stripe near the edge.
       "Tell me, Mr. Briney, did one of the vandals have short white hair and acted really serious?" May asked, "And was his partner a brown-haired girl who is anything but serious? Lastly, did they wear cloaks with the mark of a triceratops?" "Yeah, you know 'em?" Mr. Briney looked over to her. "It's not like we had a choice." Landon started to sweat in annoyance. Would Team Darkhorn forever be a thorn in his side? It was definitely starting to look that way. "Don't worry, grandpa, I'll get Peeko back for you." Sogen got to his feet, Sentret dropping to the ground; he clenched his fists and burst out the room. "Let's go, Sentret!" He shouted and Sentret followed. "Wait a minute, you don't know Team Darkhorn like we do." Landon stated. He, May, and Zeru nodded to each other before running off. "Chikorita, return." Landon recalled Chikorita to her poke'ball before bursting through the door. "Erm…be careful, you kids." Mr. Briney said. He knew he couldn't stop them and he was certainly in no position to try.

       Beside the Twinkle Town port resided a rocky cave that allowed the sea water to drift in. Into the dark cavern, Yoshimari and Tsubimi rode a small motor boat on the water. There was a light on the tip that lit up the cave a bit, revealing a couple of broken and nearly sunken ships. Yoshimari looked calm and collected, but Tsubimi shook as her eyes darted all around. Sitting in the back of the boat was a small Wingull, quivering in a cage. "Yoshi, explain to me why we have to hideout in here. This place is creeping me out." Tsubimi squeeked. "How many times do I have to tell you, Tsubi? Landon and his friends always get in out way, so this time, we'll use that against them. They'll eventually find out that Wingull is missing and they'll somehow find out where we are. Only, the thing is, we'll be ready for them with a little gift." "I still don't get why we have to use a cave." Yoshimari's sister pouted. "You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" He teased her. "I am not! I'm just a little cold, that's all." Tsubimi tried to hide her fidgeting and shivering. Yoshimari stopped the boat at the floor of the cave by the wall and stepped out. Tsubimi, however, remained rooted in the boat. "Oh, now what?" "Nothing, I just feel more comfortable in here." She lied. Yoshimari let out a sigh and walked over to the boat; he held out his hand to her. "C'mon, grab Wingull and Let's go." "….Okay," Tsubimi grabbed the cage Peeko was in and leapt out. She didn't feel too scared anymore, but still stuck close to her brother. "Now, let's get this plan underway." Yoshimari said. The two started to walk across the rocky ground with Peeko whimpering, "Wing-gull, wing-gull," Tsubimi still looked a bit unsure of her brother's hideout. Something about it seemed to scream dungeon to her…someplace the crypt keeper wouldn't mind having a house party at. "What're we looking for, anyway?" She asked. "Somewhere to-" Yoshimari stopped abruptly, gazing at a large, badly damaged ship. "That'll work perfectly." He grinned.

       Sogen ran blindly through the brightly lit streets of Twinkle Town. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew he'd find Team Darkhorn eventually. He was determined to find them and wasn't prepared to give up at all. "Don't worry, Sentret; we'll find those two who took Peeko from grandpa." Sogen said to Sentret, who was running alongside of him. "Sogen, wait up!" Landon called from behind him. He, May, and Zeru panted as they dashed to follow him. "What do you want?" Sogen asked, slowing to a stop. While May and Zeru caught their breath, Landon walked up to Sogen. "Like I said before, you don't know Team Darkhorn like we do. If you let us help, you'll have a rough idea of how hard this may be." "I can use all the help I can get. Do you have some plan of attack?" Sogen asked him. "Yeah, I was wondering about that as well." Zeru said. "Eh!" Landon took a step back, sweating anime style. "Uh…well…" He let his eyes wander around, as if he'd catch the answering falling from the sky. "You mean you dragged us all the way out here without a clue of what to do?!" may shrieked a bit. "Yup…it's starting to look that way….then again." Landon reached to his belt and pulled from it a Poke'ball with a flame on it. He held it out in his hand and pressed the button in the middle with his finger. "Come on out, Vulpix." The Poke'ball burst open in a flash of light and the little fox Poke'mon came out. "Vulpix!" She smiled. "Vulpix, do you remember Team Darkhorn?" Landon asked her. "Vulpix-vul!" Vulpix nodded with a serious expression. "Then can you use your nose to try and sniff them out?" She nodded again and started sniffing the ground. She let her nose prowl the sidewalk, snorting out all unfamiliar smells. "Do you think this'll work?" Sogen asked Zeru. "Oh, yeah; Vulpix will be able to find Team Darkhorn with no problem." Almost as soon as Zeru replied, Vulpix let out a triumphant yelp and started down the sidewalk. "I think she's got something!" Landon started after his Poke'mon, the other three following as well. "Don't go too fast; wait for me!" May, who was slowly falling behind, cried. Little did the group know that a certain blue Poke'mon had been tailing them ever since they left the Poke'mon Center. "Totodile…" Totodile stepped out of the shadows of a lamppost and waited till it was a short distance from the kids before it dashed after them.

       Vulpix kept her nose close to the ground as she sprinted through Twinkle Town just ahead of her trainer. "Wow, I think your Vulpix actually has a lock on this Team Darkhorn." Sogen complimented. "Yeah, keep this up and there's May's curry bread as a treat." Landon said and May coughed. "We're not going to start that again, are we?" There were a couple of giggles from Zeru and Sogen. Even though it was a little late, a sudden thought occurred to Landon. Team Darkhorn normally went after Poke'mon-EX Poke'mon to be exact. "What's with the sudden need for information on Delta?" His face went serious, "Could there be another purpose Miru is trying to achieve other than rule EX Poke'mon? And if that's the case, what exactly was Delta, anyway?" Landon let his thoughts wander back to the time when he and Miru battled for the first time. Every scene remained perfectly etched in his brain, becoming unforgettable. "Landon, watch out!" May's voice broke through Landon's thoughts and the world came rushing back to him. His eyes met with dock and revealed that he was teetering off towards the deep blue water below. "Wha-haaaaa!" He flailed his arms in a desperate and futile attempt to correct himself. "Mudkip!" "Vulpix!" "Sentret!" "We've got you!" By the time his friends caught up with him, Landon was hanging sideways on the wharf. His left foot was the only part of his body supporting him from the fall. "Eh…" A drop of sweat rolled off his cheek and into the wet. "On the count of three." Zeru grunted. "One…two…THREE!" With a mighty heave, they pulled Landon back up onto the dock and collapsed from him falling on them. "Gee, thanks," He told his friends and they all gave a thumbs-up. "You can thank us by getting off." Zeru said. "Oh," Landon sweated anime style and got to his feet. One by one, he helped them up and dusted them off. Toya clambered back onto his head while Vulpix jumped onto his shoulder.
       The port was filled with different ships of all shapes and sizes. As a matter of fact, the only time he had seen so many ships was in the pictures Wally's dad kept. The only thing besides a boat near the port was a sea cavern a short way from the beach. "So, Vulpix, what's the scoop?" Landon asked his Poke'mon. "Vulpix, vul-vulpix," Vulpix imitated sniffing the air, as if instructing Landon to do so. Landon did the same, but could only smell the salty breeze of the sea. "You mean, they went out onto the water?" "Vulpix," She nodded to her trainer. "Well that's just great; Team Darkhorn could be miles away by now. I guess Team Darkhorn finally got away." May said. "Whaaaattt!!" Sogen grabbed May around the shoulders and started shaking her wildly, "What do you mean 'got away'? Whatdoyoumean-whatdoyoumean-whatdoyoumean?!" "Take it easy, Sogen!" Landon pried him away with May panting a bit. "How am I supposed to take it easy?" Sogen said. "Because I don't think they've gotten very far." Landon pointed to the cave on the sea. "Do you think they went in there?" Zeru asked him. "Only one way to find out." With that, Landon started to climb down the dock into a nearby wooden rowboat. "But what if it's a wild duck chase or something?" May asked as she climbed down next. "That's wild goose chase. And that's what makes it interesting." Landon replied. Zeru and Sogen slid down into the rowboat as well. The wooden tub rocked a little underneath their weight. After Landon untied the rope holding it to the dock, Zeru started to row across the water.

Fast Fact Quiz: The Crytal Bell has many secrets; what is the only ability Landon can sometimes tap into with it? If you can't guess, find out at the end of this Chapter!


This is the end of  Chapter 13, part 1.