KERRSPLASSHH! Landon splashed into the water and knocked unconscious. He tumbled underneath the current with only his air bubbles escaping to the top. Mudkip worked her way out of his grip and swam through the water with ease. The fin on her head twitched from time to time while she moved. Mudkip gripped Landon’s shirt with her teeth and started to use her tailfin to propel herself backwards. Landon wasn’t exactly a light-weight, but like he stated before, Mudkip’s size had nothing to do with her power. Slowly, she moved her trainer towards the surface. But slowly wasn’t enough—he was losing oxygen fast. “I’m not going to lose you!” Mudkip shouted through gritted teeth. “I don’t know, but there’s something about you that makes me want to protect you.” She may have been strong, but the rapids fought against her. “Grrrr!!!!” She grunted. A glimmer of light wiggled inside the crystal bell brightly. Without warning, it exploded from the bell and surrounded itself around Mudkip in a strange aura. Even though she was shocked, she didn’t dare let her grip weaken. As she started to pull again, she noticed that lifting her trainer became a lot easier. She didn’t ask questions or wonder why; all that meant to her was that she could get Landon above the water faster. “Please, hold on,” Mudkip forced her way to the top with all her might. “We’re almost there; don’t-give-up!” There was a loud splash as both Poke’mon and trainer broke the top of the water’s surface. Mudkip, panting, hauled her trainer onto the sandy bank, smiling at her accomplishment. Maybe their adventure wouldn’t be short-lived after all. She gave one final pant before collapsing.

 

          “……Mudkip? Mudkip, are you okay?” Landon’s eyes snapped open quickly. His vision blurred before he actually realized that he was no longer in the river. He sat up abruptly and glanced around frantically. Mudkip was curled up in a little ball at his feet. Landon let out a sigh of relief; he was glad that his Poke’mon wasn’t hurt. His hair and clothes were dripping wet, but his bokutou was nowhere to be found. “But how did I get up here?” Landon closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander back to when he was trapped in the river. There had been no moment where he had recovered from his unconscious state, so he couldn’t have gotten out himself. ‘But I guess size doesn’t matter.’ His head rang with the statement he had made earlier. Landon glanced down at Mudkip and smiled, “Thanks a lot, Mudkip.” He pulled his tiny Poke’mon into his arms and stroked her belly. “…Mud…kip…?” Mudkip’s eyes slowly opened. She gave a yawned groggily before her eyes focused on her trainer. “Mudkip-Mudkip!” She jumped up and crawled up to the top of his head. “muudkip, mudkipp!” Her tailfin wagged excitedly. “Glad to see you’re alright. Now let’s go home, okay.” “Mudkip!” Landon started to walk down the river trail towards the forest that separated the river from Professor Birch’s lab. “By the way, you don’t mind if I nickname you, do you?” Landon asked. “Mudkip,” Mudkip shook her head. The thought of a nickname was interesting and gave her the feel of respect. “How about…” Landon scratched his head… “Do you like ‘Toya’? Is that alright?” He glanced up at her. “Kip, Kip!” Mudkip slapped her trainer’s head in appreciation, smiling. “Great, then you are now Toya. I like it too.” He said as he continued down the river trail. From above the cliff, someone watched him closely with his arms folded. His skin was smooth mahogany and his long hair was blonde. The purple sleeveless shirt he wore complimented his violet eyes. “I should’ve known that little Himura would end up with an EX Poke’mon. Maybe I should pay the young samurai a visit. After all, it has been three years.”

 

          Landon watched Toya chase him up his driveway and to his front door. “Looks like you’re too slow.” He laughed as Toya clambered up to his shoulder and slobbered all over his cheek. “Okay, stop, that’s too much love—way too much!” Landon pulled her away from him. “Landon, there you are!” “Huh?” He turned around as May and Zeru ran up to him. Their Poke’mon were perched on their shoulders and they were out of their school clothes. “We know the long way home takes a while, but you were gone for hours.” Zeru stated. “Sorry, but we ran into a bit of trouble on the way home.” Landon told him, giving a slight smile. May looked to his wet hair and scratched he cheek. “If you’re looking for your parents, they’re not here. Everyone is at the Poke’henten.” She told him (Poke’mon restaurant; it’s “henten”, not to be confused with the other “H” word), “We’re celebrating before we go on our Poke’mon journey tomorrow.” “Just let me dry off and we can run the way there.” Landon pushed into the door of his house.

          The fresh smell of beef stew drifted from the inside of the Poke’henten, which was styled like a busy Japanese-style restaurant. The sun coming into the windows made up for the dim lighting. It was sad to say that only Kenshin, Mr. and Mrs. Birch, and May were the only ones eating calmly at their table of over-crowded food. Landon, who was wearing a black shirt and khaki shorts, Toya, and Karou were vigorously scarfing down noodles and beef, not stopping to chew much. Zeru’s Treecko was slurping down soup, keeping its eye on its trainer to mimic his grueling eating habits. Sonoske was stuffing his face with any kind of chicken he could plunge his fork into. Landon and Toya were slurping so fast, that they ended up slurping the same noodle and started a tug of war. “Teeth off this noodle, pal.” “Kip-kip-kip!” They growled. “Take it from me, Lan; the best way to get to a Poke’mon is through its stomach—dah!” Zeru looked down to see that his bowl of soup was missing. bowl There was a loud slurping sound and Treecko sat an empty soup in front of it. “You greedy gecko!” Zeru shouted.

          A jingling bell indicated that the door of the Poke’henten opened up and a group of black-cloaked hoods came through the entrance. The one in the front was smaller than the others. “Hello, can I help you?” A young lady in a yellow kimono stepped up to them, holding a wooden tray close to her. The cloak in the front didn’t say a word, but rather pointed out before him. Suddenly, there was a loud crash as the cloaks behind the leader started to knock the pots and plates to the ground. They toppled over food and cups of sake into the isles and even pushed the waitresses over. As a reflex to the sounds, Kenshin and Sonoske leapt out of their booths. The hoods were upturning tables and completely trashing the eating area. “Hey, you can’t do that!” The lady in the yellow kimono pleaded. “…stop.” The lead cloak said. Immediately, all of its men stopped like lions to the tamer. Then, it walked over to the booth Kenshin and his friends were eating in. “…Landon, it’s been a long time.” It spoke. “Hm?” Landon glanced at it with half a noodle hanging from his mouth and Toya on his head. “Do I know you?” “My, how the high and mighty forget.” The cloak pulled his hood down to reveal his blonde hair. “……It’s you!” Landon jumped to his feet. His mind flashed back to three years ago when he defended Professor Birch’s Lab. “You’re the kid who attacked Dad’s lab!” May jumped up. “Miru Masaya!” Landon exclaimed, “What’re you doing here?” “Well,” Miru pulled a poke’ball from underneath his cloak. “How about a Poke’mon battle—just you and me? If you do, I’ll pack up my men and leave with no strings attached.” “You went through all this for a battle?” Zeru folded his arms. “Hey, I’m not one for flat entrances.” Miru told him.

 

          The sun was almost completely gone by then as Landon and Miru faced each other. A small crowd turned up as the customers from the Poke’henten and even some bystanders watched. “As you may know, there’s no backing down from a match.” Miru said. “I don’t plan on it.” Landon replied. Miru tossed the poke’ball into the air, “Go, Loudred!” there was a flash of light and a large, purple Poke’mon stood in its place. It twitched its speaker-like ears, roared with its yellow mouth, and banged its fists together. “I choose Toya!” “Mudkip-mudkip!” Landon motioned with his hand and Toya jumped up in front of him. “Don’t think this is going to be easy. Loudred, it’s time to use Mega Punch!” Miru shouted. Loudred flexed its muscles and forced its fist forward. “Toya, use Mudslap!” “Kip!” Toya spurted a small stream of water onto the dirt to turn it into mud. Beat the mud with its paw and shot a spurt of mud into Loudred’s eyes. “Ack!” The Poke’mon came to a halt, rubbing its eyes. “Now, use Water Gun!” “Kip!” Toya made a gurgling sound as she spurted a jet-stream of water from her mouth; the blast pelted Loudred in the stomach harshly and caused it to fall. “Yeah!” Landon jumped excitedly. “Aren’t you counting your prize money a little early? My Loudred doesn’t need its eyes to see.” Miru said with total confidence, “Loudred, fight back with Hyper Beam!” “Hyper-what?!” Karou gasped. Loudred’s speaker ears twitched to collect the sounds around it. Just by hearing everyone’s breathing, it could figure out who was who. When it distinguished Toya’s breathing pattern, it turned in her direction. “Ah!” She squeaked, making her situation worse. Loudred opened its big cannon-like mouth and gathered a sphere of glowing white energy. “Dig under and don’t come up until I say!” Landon shouted. Toya beat her paws against the ground, pulling up a small trench just deep enough for her to crawl into. “Kip!” “Lou—” SPWAAAAAA!! The sphere of energy Loudred had been containing blasted off in a beam of immense power. “Ah!” Landon Jumped to the side and allowed it to blow right by him at hair’s width. “What the heck was that?!” He shouted. “This isn’t a game—this is serious. I’m not taking it easy on you no matter what.” Miru said. “Mudkip,” Toya crawled out of her trench hiding spot, sweating. “With that kind of power…how do you beat something like that?”  Landon thought to himself. “It may have dodged that one, but can it doge another in succession?” At Miru’s voice, Loudred gathered energy once more and launched another devastating beam of energy. “Dive under again!” “Mud—” There was a loud sizzling sound; the beam grazed Toya’s shoulder and caused her to crash to the dirt. There was a small flash from the Crystal Bell and a sudden burning pain shot through Landon’s shoulder. “Ack!” He winced and fell to one knee. “….but how…is that even possible?” He growled. “Everyone knows that Hyper Beam has to recharge after each use.” Zeru said. “Hmmm…” Kenshin gave a look of interest and curiosity. “Heh,” Miru grinned, “You’re probably wondering why my Loudred can keep using Hyper Beam in succession. It’s because of its EX power.” “EX power?” Kenshin blinked. “Another EX Poke’mon,” Professor Birch stated to himself. Landon was more concerned about the smoke flying from the torn part of his shirt at the shoulder. It was as if he could feel Toya’s pain. “Use another Hyper Beam.” SPWAAAA!! “Uhhhnnn!!!” Landon and Toya flew back onto the ground harshly.

           How do we win?” Landon’s body ached all over as well as Toya. The two shook from the pain and closed their eyes. This was just perfect; they were about to lose the first battle they ever fought. The day was certainly taking a nasty twist of events. “I won’t…give up.” That voice—it was Toya’s, “Let’s keep going until we win this battle.” Toya shook as she got up on all fours. Jut like his Poke’mon, Landon got up to his feet. The Crystal bell was ringing silently, but rapidly against his chest. “You’re right, Toy; we can’t quit until we win this fight.” Landon’s eyes flashed in a crystal color. “Let’s do this, Toya!” “MUDKIP!!” The Crystal bell exploded with a crystal-blue light and Landon’s hair swayed as if a breeze was blowing. Toya’s body became enshrouded in a blue aura and the mahogany in her eyes glimmered. Every single move the two made was exactly the same down to the finest detail (except for the fact that Landon wasn’t down on fours). “<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">What is this?” Miru frowned and took a step back. “It’s Mudkip’s EX power!” Professor Birch exclaimed. The crowd gave a look of shock from the immense power output Toya was producing. “Loudred, use Hyper Beam!” Miru shouted. The ground shook as Loudred charged its attack. Landon spread his legs and took up the stance of Battou-jutsu, even though he was sword less. Toya just arched her back, growling. “LOUDREEEDDDD!” SPWAAAAA!!! The beam hurled itself through the air in great force. “Hiyaaa!” Landon leapt forward along with thrusting an invisible sword forward. Toya mimicked by darting forward; the beam crashed into her body—and she soared right through it! The aura around her deflected the mass amount of energy off into the air. “Naaaaa!” Miru looked as if he were taken by surprise. Toya propelled herself into Loudred’s stomach, winding the very breath from its throat. “Ah-huuh!” The large purple Poke’mon went crashing to the ground with its eyes swirling anime style. Landon closed his eyes and started to regulate his breathing. The light of the Crystal bell simmered back down to its dull nothingness. With their bodies back to normal, Landon and Toya plopped to the ground, sighing. “Grrr…return, Loudred.” Miru held his poke’ball out and a red beam of light shot from the button in the middle. It hit his Poke’mon and sucked it back inside with ease. Then, Miru pulled his cloak over his head and turned to his men, “Let’s retreat!” “Yes, sir!” On the word go, the cloaks darted off down the street as fast as they could. Miru was about to leave after them when he turned back to Landon. “I’ll be back, and next time, I’ll take your EX Poke’mon and use her to rule the world. You’ll never forget the name ‘Team Darkhorn’!” And in a flash, he was gone.

 

          Landon was up bright and early the next morning, dress in a black sleeveless shirt outlined in orange, a pair of khaki pants, his black Devon shoes, and topped the look with a black headband that was barely visible under his bangs. Toya was still sleeping on top of the bed pillow. Landon snatched up his backpack and readied himself for his first day as a Poke’mon Trainer. Inside his bag resided a few guidebooks, extra clothes, and the Poke’sphere. Landon put on his black fingerless gloves and stared out the window for some mental preparation. “Landon, are you ready for your big day?” Karou poked her head in the doorway if her son’s room. “Yeah, here I come.” Landon snatched his sleeping Poke’mon and started down the steps. His bumping motions stirred her awake, but she didn’t do much about it. “Onward to my journey; upward to my destiny; forward into the world!” He coached himself. “Bye, Landon, and take care of yourself. Don’t forget to call from time to time.” Karou shouted as he bolted out the door. “Just like his father…I hope he doesn’t start wandering around like him.” She started to sweat anime style. Landon burst out into the morning light, the summer air belting him lightly. “Hey, Lan!” “Huh?” It was amazing—the entire town had flocked around his house. May and Zeru ran up to him; May was wearing a blue blouse, a blue scarf around her head, and white pants that barely made it to her ankles. About her waist was a yellow waist pouch with many compartments. Zeru was wearing a tan short-sleeved shirt with a hood, blue shorts, and tan gloves. His backpack was the biggest, but only slightly bigger than Landon’s. Sonoske and Kenshin stood in the front of the crowd along with a small girl, about ten years old, with black hair covered slightly by an orange scarf. “What’s everyone doing here?” Landon asked his friends. “What do you think?” The girl with black hair stepped up to him. She was wearing a red shirt and black shorts, along with a pink backpack. “Shoura, you’re here too?” Landon blinked. “The whole town is here. After all, we are the ones who will make Littleroot famous once we become Poke’mon Masters.” Shoura told him. “Landon,” Kenshin started towards his son. In his hands was a sheathed sword that looked almost identical to the one on his belt. He stopped in front of Landon and handed the sword to him. “I was waiting till you were a Poke’mon Trainer to give you this. It’s a Sakaba-tou that’s very similar to mine.” Kenshin gave a smile, “Just consider it a weird gift from me.” “Thanks, Dad,” Landon smiled. “It’s no fun if we just stand here and chat. Let’s get going—the four of us!” Shoura exclaimed. The kids all nodded to each other and started to run down the driveway with Landon in the lead. All of the town clapped for them and cheered loudly. (And so, Landon’s Poke’mon journey finally begins. What dangers will our young samurai hero face? What challenges will he and his Poke’mon have to take? What new friends and bitter enemies will Landon end up making? There’s only one way to find out; keep watching as Landon’s destiny floats in the summer breeze.)

 

                             “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 knew adventure I will face

Another chance at victory with Poke’mon!



THIS IS THE END OF CHAPTER 3. SEE YA' IN CHAPTER 4!