“Get back down here and give my Poke’mon back!” Landon shouted. Tsubimi frowned and her temple beat anime style. “Don’t interrupt us!” She reached into the helicopter and chucked a rock down at him. Landon swung the Sakaba-tou and knocked it away just as easily. “Pikachu, use—” “Landon, wait!” Zeru stopped him from calling out an attack. “What? Why did you stop me?” Landon blinked. “If Pikachu uses an electric attack, it could shock the other Poke’mon.” “Oh, yeah,” He put his hand on his face. “Sorry we won’t be staying long, but we have a schedule to keep.” Yoshimari announced from the helicopter loudspeaker, “However, we will thank you for the lovely gifts. Whenever we see them, we’ll think of how easy this was.” With that, the helicopter turned around and started to fly off. “Oh-no; our Poke’mon!” May shouted. “They stole the food and Lan’s backpack too!” Wally exclaimed. “We have to do something.” “TOYA!” Landon brushed past Shoura and started in the direction of the Team Darkhorn Helicopter with his sword still drawn. The others called to him, but he had already pushed into the tall grass. “But he’ll get lost in there!” May exclaimed. “Don’t worry; we’ll find him.” Wally withdrew a poke’ball form his belt and tossed it up. “Go, Pidgey!” it burst open in mid-air, releasing Pidgey. “Cuckoo!” It clucked, soaring around the sky. “Pidgey, go find Landon for me.” Wally called up and Pidgey held up what looked like a thumbs-up before flying off. “I’ll help you.” Zeru threw a poke’ball up and it burst open. “Haunter-aunter!” Haunter soared down to Zeru and covered his face with its body. “Haunter, stop that—I can’t breathe!” Zeru pulled the ghost Poke’mon away and tossed it in the air. “Don’t smother me and search for Team Darkhorn’s helicopter!” “Haunter,” Haunter nodded and soared away. Meanwhile, Landon rushed through the field of tall grass. He used the Sakaba-tou to hack down the grass that got in his way, creating a mini trail behind him. “Hold on, Toya…I’m coming, Pikachu…Hang in there, Tambourine!” He panted. The Poke’mon that inhabited the are glanced to him as soon as he zoomed past them. The blades of tall grass swayed from his speedy wind. This was the farthest Team Darkhorn had ever taken his Poke’mon from him. The helicopter was swiftly drawing away from him, but he still kept running as fast as he could. “Get back here! Give my Poke’mon back!” He shouted. Suddenly, the ground and tall grass came to an abrupt stop—there was nothing supporting his feet! Below him was a trench filled with a rushing stream that lead off the side of a cliff. Before and below the waterfall were magnificent wide plains of lush green grass and a few trees. The distance was decorated with purple and green mountains with a few towns visible at the base. The one Landon could see the clearest, he figured, was Verdanturf Town. “Aaaah!” KERSPLASH! Landon splashed down into the rushing stream. When he poked his head from the water, he saw the helicopter fly away and out of sight. “Toya! Nooooo!” He shouted as the current pulled him farther towards the waterfall. Landon thrust the Sakaba-tou into the grass of the bank to stop himself from moving. “…they got away….they’ve finally taken Toya from me!” His eyes trembled with shock and fear.

Fast Fact Quiz: Based on what you’ve learned so far, of what Poke’mon version is Landon the protagonist of? If you can’t guess, find out at the end of this Chapter!

 

       Team Darkhorn’s helicopter was parked along the giant wall of the cliff beside the mouth of a cave. From where it was, the waterfall was still within eyesight. Team Darkhorn had purposely flown over the cliff and above to confuse Landon in the directions of their hideout. The entrance of the cave revealed a long dark corridor that gradually became brighter by the light coming from a room. “Ha-ha-ha-ha!” Yoshimari and Tsubimi let out a triumphant laugh. The two sibling were in the rocky cave room, sitting by a bright lantern with the plate of sandwiches in front of them. The Poke’mon they had stolen were put into cages and chucked to the side wall. Landon’s backpack stood by Pikachu’s cage—as far as Team Darkhorn was concerned, it was useless to them. “This was the best haul we’ve ever brought in from those losers!” Yoshimari said, munching on a sandwich. “Yeah, and I don’t think they’ll ever find us in here.” Tsubimi smiled through her sandwich. “We have three EX Poke’mon to give to Miru and two to keep for ourselves.” Pikachu looked underneath Landon’s backpack to see the Poke’mon egg that May was always carrying around. It glanced to the side to see Toya and Tambourine ramming the bars of their cages in attempts to break out. “Piiikaaa—” Pikachu lit up its cheeks, “Chuuu—ah!” It released a chock of lightning, but had to duck from the ricochet. “Give it up.” Yoshimari looked to the Poke’mon with a greedy smile, “There’s no way you can break those cages. They’re each designed to negate your special attacks.” The Poke’mon frowned and folded their arms. Pikachu’s cheeks were sparking angrily as it let its eyes wander around. The feedback caused its fur to stand on end, but it didn’t care. “Hey, Yoshi, I have an idea.” Tsubimi reached into her cloak pocket and pulled out two poke’ball-like items—the Snare balls from the demolished Team Darkhorn lab! “Tsubimi, where’d you get those?” Yoshimari asked her in interest. Tsubimi closed her eyes triumphantly, “I knew that Yumi couldn’t beat Landon, so I decided to take the Snare balls Miru entrusted to her. Why don’t we test them out on the new EX Poke’mon we stole?” “But there are only two snare balls and three Poke’mon.” Yoshimari pointed out. “So we can’t be greedy. We’ll just have to choose a couple that we really like. Just think about it, Yoshi.” Tsubimi put her arm around her brother’s shoulder and the two gazed up, going into a fantasy. They pictured themselves back in Miru’s office, presenting the two snare balls to him. “Excellent work, you two,” Miru said, taking them, “You finally brought Landon’s Poke’mon to me. For that, I’m promoting you to Team Darkhorn Admins.” Back in the reality land, Yoshimari and Tsubimi drooled over the power of their fantasy. Toya looked from Tambourine to Pikachu, and too Kirlia and Drowzee. “Mudkip-mud-kip, kip?” She asked and they all replied with a sigh and a head shake. “Mudkip,” Toya scratched her head with one paw to try and think. Pikachu’s and Tambourine’s ears twitched repeatedly to show their concentration. Not even Kirlia’s and Drowzee’s psychic attacks could budge the bars. “Okay, I wasn’t that troublesome Mudkip.” Yoshimari finally decided and Toya jumped. “We have too get that one—Miru would kill us if we didn’t. But who will be the other?” Tsubimi let her eyes wander form Tambourine to Pikachu. “…I like that Furret—she’s cute.” “Don’t go for looks only; besides, that Pikachu is equally cute.” “I want Furret!” “And I want Pikachu!” The two siblings stood up and frowned at each other. While the compliments were flattering, Pikachu and Tambourine weren’t about to let Team Darkhorn take the other. Toya wasn’t going to let them split up Landon’s team at all. She repeatedly rammed the cage with her shoulder, rattling it wildly. “Hold it!” Yoshimari stopped Tsubimi from retorting at him, “We’ll settle this like civilized teenagers.” He held up his fist next to his face, “We’ll play Jenken to see who will get to choose.” “Fine,” Tsubimi did the same as her brother. They stared at each other with competitive expressions. “One…two….three!” Like lightning, they brought down their hands in front of them. Yoshimari’s was in a fist while Tsubimi’s was flat open. “Ugnn!” He clenched his teeth in shock as his sister laughed in triumph. “Paper beats rock, big bro. You’ll never be able to me in a game of Jenken.” She grinned. “How about best two out of three?” “No way!” Tsubimi stepped towards the cage with Tambourine, pulling the key from her pocket. Tambourine clenched her fists and frowned, taking somewhat of a frightened step back. “Pika-pi-pika!” Pikachu rushed up to the edge of its cage with its cheeks sparking more dangerously than ever. “Mudkip-mudkip!” Toya shouted. The closer Tsubimi stepped to Tambourine, the wilder Pikachu’s cheeks sparked. Tsubimi held out the snare ball and expanded it. Pikachu was determined to find a way to break them out. It looked all around fro something it could use to its advantage. If it shocked the cage, it would return the favor on the little mouse Poke’mon. Tsubimi placed the key in the cage lock—a wave of panic swept through the Poke’mon. Ever since that two-on-two battle against Wally, Pikachu started to see Tambourine in an entirely different light. Almost like a best friend…maybe even just a little farther. That just made Pikachu want to break them out even more. It needed more power to override the cage’s special effect, but how to get it? And then, it hit Pikachu—the key to getting out lay inside Landon’s backpack. But it had to think carefully. The cost of power would change it forever. If the decision was made, there would be no turning back. “Go, Loudred!” Yoshimari called his Poke’mon from its poke’ball. “Lou-dred!” Loudred flexed its muscles as it usually did when it came out. Yoshimari knew Tambourine wasn’t going to give into the Snare ball without a fight. Quickly, Pikachu reached through the bars of its cage and into Landon’s backpack—decision-making was over and the time was now! With a quick zip, it pulled out the lightning-green thunderstone. “….Pikachu,” It held the stone close to its body and closed its eyes. The thunderstone started to light up brightly along with Pikachu’s entire form. “Huh?” Yoshimari, Tsubimi, and the other Poke’mon averted their attention to the now-evolving Poke’mon aura.

       Evolution was certainly something different; Pikachu could feel a warm feeling of confidence flow throughout its body. Not simply because it was getting stronger, but because it was doing it for those it loved. Pikachu’s body grew in size; its tail became long and thin with a large lightning bolt at the end. Its ears shrank down a bit and its feet became a little longer like a kangaroo mouse. “It’s evolving into—” “—a Raichu!” Team Darkhorn exclaimed. The thunderstone vanished into thin air and the light simmered down. Raichu’s fur was a dark goldenrod with two taupe stripes going horizontally across its back. The tips of its paws and feet were taupe and its bell fur was snow white. The cherry red of its cheeks were turned into a banana yellow; its ears were shaped like crescent moons, being taupe on the outside and yellow on the inside. Raichu stood with a triumphant grin and its arms folded. Instead of being yellow, its cheeks sparked with a reddish-orange electricity. “Raichu….rai-rai-rai,” It said with a warning voice. “Fur!” Tambourine blushed and scratched her head. Yoshimari and Tsubimi stared a Raichu with their eyes dotting anime style. “Hey, Yoshi,” “Yeah, Tsubi?” Their lips quivered, “What is the voltage capacity on that cage?” “I think it was five-hundred bolts.” “Isn’t it a shame that Raichu can shock up to a hundred thousand?” The two looked at each other and gulped. From outside, Haunter soared high in the sky over the plains. “Haunter-aunter,” It used its hand to shield the sun from its eyes. It flew over the waterfall, until its gaze fell on Team Farkhorn’s helicopter. “Haunter?” Haunter floated down towards ground level. It examined the vehicle like a detective would a crime scene. “Haunter, Haunter,” it tapped the Darkhorn crest on the front and nodded. “Raiiiii-chuuuuuu!” “Hau?” Haunter suddenly jolted upwards as a spray of red lightning shot out of the cave mouth, blasting a few rocks in the area. “Haunter!” Sweating anime style, Huanter turned-tail and dashed off.

 

       Landon sat on the grass of the clearing that he and his friends were hanging out in earlier. His arms were folded and his wet hair was untied so it could dry in the sun. The pat he had cut with his Sakaba-tou was still as mutilated as before. May, Wally, Shoura, and Zeru stood around him with frightened looks—Landon’s temple was beating like his anger could explode. “…mmmm….hmmmm….DARN IT!” He thrust his fist into the ground angrily, “Why are we just sitting around here? We should be searching for Team Darkhorn.” He clenched his teeth. “Don’t you listen?” Zeru said without opening his eyes or unfolding his arms, “We’re waiting for Haunter to come back so we can find them without getting lost ourselves. Since Pidgey came back empty-handed, we’ll can only rely on it now.” May looked the saddest of them all; she had to try and keep her own self from crying and rushing off recklessly. “I just hope my egg will be okay before we get there.” She said. “And My Kirlia…my first Poke’mon that Landon helped me catch.” At that, Landon looked at Wally and May. “…Don’t worry; we’ll get our Poke’mon back. Team Darkhorn won’t win.” He assured them. “Huaunter! Haunter!” Everyone’s eyes shot up to the sky immediately at the Poke’mon cries being echoed. Haunter floated down and came to a rest on Zeru’s shoulder. “Haunter’s back!” Shoura exclaimed. Zeru rubbed his Haunter on the head, “Did you find out where Team Darkhorn is?” “Haunter-aunter!” Haunter smiled and nodded. It floated up and pointed in the direction where Landon hacked the path. “Are you sure?” Zeru raised an eyebrow. Haunter made a swinging motion with its hands as a response. “…oh, you mean, there’s more?” “Haunter!” Haunter held up the “V” for victory with its fingers. “Right then,” Landon picked up the Sakaba-tou and stood up. “Let’s go find Team Darkhorn’s hideout.”

 

       Haunter led them through the tall grass and to the waterfall; down the cliff and across the plains. Wile it found the traveling easy (for it could fly), the others didn’t go as fast. That is, except for Phanpy, who caught a ride in her trainer’s backpack. When they got to the area Team Darkhorn used for a hideout, all they saw was a pile of rubble at the cave mouth. Even the Team Darkhorn helicopter was burned ashy black. “What happened out here?” Zeru blinked. “It looks like something attacked the cave.” “Toya, Tambourine, Pikachu…?” Landon rushed up to the disastrous site. “I hope my egg isn’t in there!” May panicked, following. “Kirlia!” “Drowzee!” Wally and Shoura were next. Landon prayed with all hi might that his Poke’mon were okay. If something happened to them, he’d be lost forever. “Huh!” He and the others slid to an abrupt stop. One of the flat boulders in the back started to wiggle a bit. A glimmer of hope suddenly sparkled in the kids’ hearts. The boulder moved more dramatically, lifting up a bit. Whoever was underneath was trying desperately to wake up and get out at the same time. “Hang on—I’ll help you!” Landon jumped up onto the rubble and dashed over toward the back. Maybe Toya was trying to work her way out, or maybe Pikachu, or Tambourine. Landon reached down and yanked the rock up quickly. “….huh?” His smile vanished. Underneath were Yoshimari, Tsubimi, and Loudred, nicked a bit from the rubble. Immediately, the glimmer of hope was shot dead. “Gee, thanks,” Yoshimari said, rubbing his head without looking up. Landon tossed aside the boulder and withdrew the Sakaba-tou. “….dah!” Yoshimari gulped and started to sweat—the sword was just inched from his nose. Tsubimi didn’t dare make a move or a breath. Now, Landon really never had an intention on using it on them; he just needed to shock some answers from them. “What happened?” Landon tired his hair back into a tail with one hand. “It’s all your little rat’s fault—it shocked the cave and blew us out—dah!” Yoshimari held his breath as Landon raised his sword. But instead of swinging, he re-sheathed it. “Even though you stole my Poke’mon, I wouldn’t use my sword to severely harm you.” He said. “Landon, Look!” Shoura pointed off to the side. A group of boulders became enshrouded in a purple and blue aura. With a rush of wind, they were rushed into the air forcefully, crashing hard onto the ground. Drowzee and Kirlia popped out of the ground. “Drowzee-drowzee?” Drowzee asked Kirlia to see if it was okay and it nodded in response. “Kirlia, you’re okay!” “Drowzee!” Wally and Shoura rushed up to their Poke’mon, pulling them into big hugs. From the other side of them, a few more rocks rumbled. Landon’s heard lifted as Tambourine’s tail shoved the boulder out of the way with ease. “Furret, Furret,” Her tail ducked in and her head poked out—to her, it was just like building a nest. When Tambourine saw her trainer, her blue eyes lit up with glee. “Fur-urrr!” She scampered over to him and leapt into his arms. “Tambourine! I’m so glad you’re okay.” Landon hugged her warm body as she rubbed her cheek against his wildly. The other rock burst into pieces and Toya popped out with Rock Smash. One glance at her trainer and she wanted to join in on the love; she jumped into his chest and got an armful of hugs as well. And as Landon hugged his two pals, something still wasn’t complete. “But where’s Pikachu?” He blinked through the licking of his face. “And the egg—my baby might be in there somewhere!” May dropped to her knees like a worried mother. Once again, a boulder started to wiggle in all the rubble.

       “Raiiiii—” A voice sounded muffled underneath, “Chaaaa!” BOOOM!! A rising of red lightning burst the boulder high into the air, pulverizing it. Raichu pooped it head out of the rocks, looking a little blankly. Certain spots of its fur were covered in black soot and its cheek was a little nicked. Under one arm was Landon’s backpack and under the other was May’s Poke’mon egg. “Hey, whose is that?” Zeru asked. Landon stared at Raichu, but not as blankly as it stared at him. He knew right off the bat who it was—the feeling was unmistakable. “It’s mine,” He said with a smile. “Yours?” Wally asked him. “But how did Pikachu evolve into a Raichu?” “It must’ve gotten a hold of the thunderstone in my backpack.” Landon looked down to Toya and Tambourine, “Is that what happened? Raichu used the thunderstone to gain enough power to help you?” “Fur,” “Kip,” The two nodded to him. Landon set them down and ran up to Raichu. The mouse Poke’mon put down Landon’s bag and set the egg gently on top of it. The two looked at each other without a word, as if they were reading each other’s mind. Raichu felt a little distant; it changed without even considering what its trainer would think of it.  “…heh,” Landon smiled without warning, “Come here, you!” He pulled it into a big hug and it replied by giving its trainer an affectionate jolt. “Rai-rai-rai-rai!” It smiled. Landon was very proud of Raichu for handling things while he wasn’t there. “My egg!” May dashed forward and scooped up the Poke’mon egg, pulling it into her arms happily. “Oh, I will never leave you again!” She said. It certainly was a beautiful sight to see Poke’mon and traner reunited.

       “Hey, we’re still here!” Yoshimari, Tsubimi, and Loudred jumped out of the hole. ‘We’re not giving up without a fight.” Landon frowned at them an irritated frown along with Raichu, “Don’t you learn? Raichu, give them a Thundershock they’ll never forget.” “Raiichuuuu!” Without moving from its trainer’s arms ( but touching the ground with the tip of its tail so as not to shock him), Raichu fired a jolt of red electricity from its cheeks. No longer was it handicapped by the feedback; it could now freely and completely control its power. KABOOOOOMM!! “Whaaaaaa!” Team Darkhorn screamed as they were launched into the air, turning into a speck of light. “Good job, Raichu—I’m very proud of you.” Landon rubbed Raichu’s head. “Hey, Lan,” Wally walked up to Landon, “I’m glad Raichu stuck with you. If it would’ve kept traveling with that trainer or stayed with me, it would’ve never learned to be so brave. You helped it build confidence in itself and its trainer.” “Wally, this Raichu may have been trained y me, but its both of us that have helped it. Right, Raichu?” Landon looked down at his Poke’mon and it nodded happily, “This Raichu is a symbol fo our friendship. Now, enough mush and let’s get going.” He turned towards the vast plains and looked out towards the town in the distance. “Verdanturf Town is close at hand—onward to our next adventure!” (And so, our heroes continue their quest towards Verdanturf Town with new lessons and friendships. What new tests will challenge them? Find out next time on “Poke’mon X”!)

 

Fast Fact answer: Landon (though his bell is crystal) is the protagonist of the Sapphire Version of Poke’mon and his rival, Syorin, is the protagonist of the Ruby Version. Stay tuned for more Fast facts.

 

                                      “Shine the Sky” (Ending Theme)

 

Shine the sky!

Crystal power hit the high—

Flying current to my victory

Try and Try!

Never give the fight away

I’ll take every challenge that I can get in my hands

Des—tiny!

Prophecy I can’t ignore

Know what surprises that it has in store

Shine the sky!

A new adventure I will face

Another chance at victory with Poke’mon!

 

 

 

This is the end of this  Episode.