May watched Phealine play with a red ball of yarn while Zeru and Phanpy relaxed in the ashen grass. Landon had Volbeat resting o an inflatable pillow. He had already cleaned it up and was now bandaging the wounds on its arms and stomach. In a sense, he felt a little proud because it was as if he was a real Poke’mon Doctor. Toya rested underneath her trainer’s Ponytail, watching airily. “….Almost done…..there,” Landon tightened the last bandage. “Nothing broken, but it should take it easy for a few hours.” He then let his mind wander back to the fight the two Volbeat had. If the scared one wanted to, it could’ve dealt way more damage. And with the Poke’mon center still quite a ways away, Landon was glad it held back. “Volll….” Volbeat started to stir. Its eyes slowly opened and its wings twitched. “Hey, are you okay?” Volbeat glanced to the side to see Landon smiling at it. It suddenly jumped up to its feet, but winced at a pain in its stomach. “Uh-uh,” Landon shook his finger and head, “You shouldn’t rough it too much.” He told it. Volbeat frowned and folded its arms, sweating. Its eyes wandered from side to side so it could both search for its kind, but not take its eyes off the human stranger. May and Phealine watched silently, but Zeru and Phanpy had zoned into a nap. Landon silently pointed out in the distance where the other Volbeat and Illumise flew away in. “Kinda’ cruel if they just left you here, but that’s where they went. You can fly off, but you have to take it easy for me, okay?” Volbeat eyed Landon suspiciously. He was talking to its like an old friend or something. With its attitude, Volbeat kicked off into the air and flew away. It glanced back once more, still frowning. Landon started to replace the equipment in his medical kit with a proud air of victory. “Are you just gonna’ let it fl off like that?” May asked, walking up to him. Phealine scampered up Landon’s leg and took his head since Toya wasn’t up there. “Mudkip!?” Toya blinked angrily—Landon’s hair was her personal spot. “I’m a little worried about Volbeat, but I can’t keep it here if it doesn’t want to stay.” Landon swung his backpack onto his shoulder, “Besides, it can take care of itself—I can see it.” He told her, standing up. “Mudkip!” “Phea-ah!” Phealine was suddenly sent sprawling onto the grass; Toya had pushed her off and reclaimed her spot. “Toya!” Landon frowned at her. “C’mon, you,” May picked Phealine up, who frowned at Toya also. “Let’s wake Zeru up and get moving—I’m starving.” Landon exclaimed.

 

       Team Darkhorn trudged through the ashes slowly. Once again, they hadn’t come to a town to sell their goods at, so they were starving. Tsubimi’s stomach gave an agitated growl, prodding and provoking her to get some food. Yoshimari was just as tough and threatened him in the same way. “Awww…I’m tired of being hungry all the time.” Tsubimi complained. “Don’t worry; as soon as we find those losers, we can steal their food.” Yoshimari assured her just to get her to stop talking. “But they normally don’t’ have any if we don’t.” Tsubimi stated. “then I guess we’ll—” Beep-beep! Beep-Beep! Something in Yoshimari’s cloak started to vibrate and beep. He reached in and pulled out a silver cellular phone. With a glance at the caller id, he let out an annoyed sigh. “I’ll answer it.” Tsubimi sighed as she held out her had. Yoshimari handed over the phone and she opened it up to talk. “Hullo?” “Where are you two?” Miru’s voice sounded from the other end. “Somewhere around route one-thirteen.” Tsubimi answered. “Well…you know why I called.” “No, we didn’t find or catch any EX Poke’mon, but we’re still working on it.” She told him. “How hard could it be to net up one or two Poke’mon?” Miru started to sound a little testy. “We try, but those kids just keep on beating us. He’s strong—just like you wanted at first—but now he’s too strong.” “I don’t care how you do it, but I want you to find me more EX Poke’mon quickly. You know as well as I do that the time of the—” Suddenly, the phone went blank. “…..huh?” Tsubimi glanced at the phone to see the battery light flashing. Her state of question turned quickly into a wave of fright and nervousness. “The battery went dead….I just cut our boss off!” “Don’t sweat it, Tsubi, he’ll understand. You know why.” Yoshimari said in a carefree voice. “But just because we are doesn’t mean a thing. He can still sack us!” Tsubimi panicked. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. Let’s just keep heading to Fallabor town.” Yoshimari re-pocketed his phone and continued to walk on.

       Landon, May, and Zeru were now closer to the ash-capped trees, meaning they were closing in on Fallabor Town. Now, they could see the Japanese tower a lot better. “Check it out, you two.” Zeru pointed before them. Not too far from them was a wooden shack. Across the front above the door was marked “Glass Shop” in gold lettering. “The Glassmaker’s shop! Let’s go inside!” May exclaimed and started sprinting for the shack. “For once, I’m right behind you.” Zeru followed her. “But guys…..” Landon’s stomach gave a hungry growl, “……oh, maybe they’ll have something to eat in there.” He grasped the straps of backpack and followed his friends down in the grass. He followed them to the front of the building and pushed open the door. The inside of the building was something amazing; an array of different colors sparkled form the light reflecting off the colorful glass products stacked on the shelves. The shop was decorated with various vases and cups; glass Poke’mon figurines and even furniture. Landon marveled at them, but dared not to touch any of them. Just to keep it safe, he held Toya in his arms so she could resist the urge to do the unreasonable. “Hullo, how may I help you?” From behind the font counter, a tall lady walked towards them. She had very smooth mahogany skin, green eyes, and short black hair. she was wearing red overalls over her white shirt and wore a black apron over that. Behind her, a chameleon-resembling dragon Poke’mon trotted towards them. It was a deep burning red with sapphire eyes, a white belly, and a rose flame at the tip of its tail. “Hey, that’s a Charmeleon.” Zeru exclaimed. Landon flipped open his Poke’dex. Click-ick! “Charmeleon, the Flame Poke’mon. If it becomes agitated in battle, it spouts intense flames form its tai, incinerating its surroundings.” The machine spoke. “Hi; how can I help you today? Would you like to try today’s special?” the lady asked the kids. “A special? What do you mean by special?” May blinked. The lady turned to the side and reached into a barrel, pulling out three brown sacks. “I make my glass products out of the ashes that fall form Mt. Chimney. If you go out and collect some of the ash for me, I will make one item for free a piece.” May and Zeru grinned to each other, but Landon gave a weak look. His stomach rumbled against Toya’s back. “How abut I pay you for something to eat first?”

 

       The ashes snowed a little faster from the darkened sky. It was getting late and camp would have to be set up soon. Landon chewed on a rice ball while he piled ashes into the brown bag the Glassmaker had given him. Toya sat in his hair, greedily chewing her own rice treat. The kids wandered through the ash-caped threes while making their sacks heavy with soot. “Whew,” May stood up and looked up that the sky through the trees. The stars shone brightly, bur the moon took a vacation from the canvas of the night. “It’s getting pretty late. Maybe we should just set up camp for the night. May suggested. Zeru grinned, “You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?” he cracked. “Shut up,” May snapped. Landon swallowed the last of his snack and let out a small yawn. To tell the truth, he was getting a little sleepy and wouldn’t mid calling it quits for the night. He started to tie up the brown sack, when  sharp cry shook him awake. “Be—eeeeet!” it echoed against the trees. Immediately, the voice registered as familiar in Landon’s head; he slapped the black buttons on his shoes and skated ff into the distance without warning. “Hey—what’s the rush?” “Yeah; wait for us!” May and Zeru dropped their soot sacks and followed him.

       They could barely keep up with him skating further and further away. Landon slid around trees, jumped over overgrown tree roots, and breezed through ashes. He came to a stop in a small circular clearing. There, he saw the same group of Poke’mon from before. The starred Volbeat was once again underneath the foot of the scarred one. Illumise looked worried and tried to comfort her comrade, but as soon as she started forward, two Volbeat grasped her about the arms. “Illumise—Illumise!” She struggled, but to no avail. “Volbeat-Volbeat!” the scarred Volbeat laughed in triumph. The Volbeat that was star-marked clenched it teeth as it gripped the ground. “Volbeat-beat, Volbeat!” its successor turned to the others and cracked some sort of joke that made them laugh. Just by looking at it, Landon could feel the many stings the star Volbeat’s pride took. It was being humiliated for its lost and he could feel his anger rise. Like last time, the scarred Volbeat fluttered into the air, followed by its comrades. Illumise was relentless in her struggle and continued to try and pull away. But the grip on her was so firm, that she made little progress. The group left the starred Volbeat on the ground all by itself. The bandages it had from earlier were dirty and a little tatty from its previous fight. It shook as it forced itself to try and sit up.

       “Here,” Suddenly, a pair of hands grasped its sides lightly and sat it upright. Volbeat looked back to see Landon smiling at it. Immediately, its mind flashed back to how the human had helped it before. “Beat,” It frowned and folded its arms stubbornly. Landon prodded his Crystal Bell with his finger and it started to glow dimly. He was so proud at how easily he could will his Poke’mon speech ability. “I don’t mean to butt in or anything, but you look like you can use some help.” “Huh!” Volbeat’s eyes widened a bit; this human had just spoken in its won language! Volbeat turned to him with its arms still folded. “What are you?” It asked. “Curious, concerned, nosey—whatever you wanna’ call it. I don’t think I can hang around here and let that Volbeat beat up on you like that.” Landon told it. “……you helped me back there. Why?” Volbeat asked curiously. “Why? Because you were hurt. I couldn’t just leave you there like that.” Landon answered, sitting on the ground with his legs folded. Volbeat looked at him like a detective would a crime scene. It let its eyes wander from Toya all the way to the sword at his belt. “…I can’t explain it….you don’t’ strike me as a greedy human.” It started lowly. And if only that statement were only true; it should see Landon at the dinner table. “I guess I can trust you….can’t I?” “Yeah, you can count on me.” Landon told it. “Well….” Volbeat’s cheeks went a little pink, “I sorta’….kinda’ really like this Illumise and I want her to understand my feelings. But her father is the leader of my group. The rules state that I have to defeat her father in a battle to even talk to her, though we sometimes meet each other in secret.” “You mean, that Illumise who was being carried off?” “Yes,” Volbeat told Landon, “No matter how hard I try—no matter how hard I train—I’m never able to defeat him. If I can’t win, I can’t see her again—huh?” Suddenly, Landon grasped Volbeat’s hands in his and grinned, “It won’t end that way—be sure of it.” He said. His mind wandered back to Latias and how she promised to meet up with him again. The situation was quickly turning personal. “But how?” Volbeat blinked. “I’ll help you, Volbeat. I too have a few hurdles to jump to…..well, you know—the point is that I can relate. And I’ll help you beat that leader!” Landon exclaimed with a fire in his eyes. A smile spread on Volbeat’s face that turned into a triumphant grin, “Perhaps trusting this human will really help me out. He seems so nice that when he says I’ll win, I actually believe him.” “By the way, my name is Koryushima Himura, but you can call me Landon.” Landon winked. “Nice to meet you, Koryu.” Volbeat said. There was some rustling from the distant trees as two figures rushed up. May and Zeru came to a halt in front of their friend, panting. “Man…..you just….skated off…!” Zeru said breathlessly. Volbeat frowned at them and pulled away from Landon. “Don’t worry about them; they’re my friends.” Landon assured it. “And they’ll be sleep while we practice anyway.”

 

       Just as he said, May and Zeru had set up camp in a nearby clearing. The thick-falling ash rained onto their red tent, covering the see-through rood. Inside, May and Zeru were snoring in their sleeping bags. Phanpy, Toya, and Phealine curled up against each other underneath a yellow blanket. While they slept the night away, the outside was filled with a different kind of sound. The echoing of rapid footstep as beat against the trees. Like lightning, a gust of wind blew by, stirring up a trail of ashes behind it. Another gust shot by in a bounce parallel to the previous. Volbeat soared through the mini forest swiftly. The falling ash made it kind of hard to see, but its vision was good enough to guide it in the safe direction. In its head, it reviewed the words Landon told it. “Remember, a battle isn’t always about over-powering your opponent. Sometimes, your opponent’s strength can be its greatest weakness.”  Volbeat remembered. Landon, meanwhile, leapt form tree branch to tree branch deftly. He was determined to keep his promise to Volbeat, leaving it up to himself to train it. His shirt allowed him to blend in with the night. However, his khaki pants ruined that plan, so he had to use his speed to appear invisible. “If I can get Volbeat not only to turn my power against me, but to do it in this ashy rain, it’ll be ready to take on that leader.” He thought to himself, “I just hope we can do this all in one night.” Landon quickly caught up towards Volbeat; the Poke’mon’s glowing tail light acted like a beacon. Volbeat didn’t suspect a thing, for the rain of soot kept him hidden. “…..wait for it….” Landon grasped the hilt of his sword, “…..here I come!” he whispered. Just then, Landon burst off the tree branch at lightning speed. “Beat?” Volbeat glanced to the side to see a swirl of ashes rushing towards it. There was the shine of metal, followed by the flash of a swing.

 

       All through the night and all through the day, Landon and Volbeat breezed through the forest effortlessly. Landon forced Volbeat to think on its feet as well as see through the ash. The only times they did stop for a break were mealtimes at the Glassmaker’s workshop. Night fell over the sky in almost no time. Landon knelt down in front of Volbeat with a confident grin. May, Zeru, Phanpy, and Phealine stood besides them, proud of the hard work they put in. Toya took her favorite spot on top of Landon’s head. “Are you ready, Volbeat?” Landon held up his fist. “Volbeat!” Volbeat did the same with a boost of confidence. The ashes fell on their faces a lot slower than last night. Landon reached into his backpack and pulled out a red strap of fabric; he tied it around Volbeat’s head like a headband. “You worked really hard, Volbeat; there’s no way you can lose.” Landon told it, “Just remember what we practiced last night and you’ll e fine.” “Volbeat-volbeat!” Volbeat must have come to really trust Landon; it fluttered onto his shoulder and patted him on the back. “Just one problem; how do we find the place where Volbeat’s supposed to battle?” “Phea,” “Mudkip,” May asked and both Phealine and Toya agreed in question. Landon scratched his cheek—that was a good question. He hadn’t even thought of it until now to tell the truth. “Beat, beat,” Volbeat fluttered into the air and pulled on Landon’s bangs. “Volbeat!” It pointed to the distance. “….oh, you know where it is?” Landon stood up, “Then let’s get a move on!” “Volbeat!” Volbeat turned and zoomed towards the trees with a bit of excitement—it couldn’t wait to introduce its new winning strategy. Landon started off after it without using his roller blades, followed by May and Zeru.

       The starlight drifted through the ashy trees brightly. The kids followed Volbeat’s glowing tail as a beacon. They jumped over tree roots and pushed through the underbrush, sometimes leaving a trail of ash behind them. “Check it out!” Zeru pointed before them. In another clearing, they could see the glowing of mall tail lights. Since the looked just like Volbeat’s, it was easy to tell what they were. “Okay, Volbeat; you’re up. Go show Illumise and her father what you’re made of!” Landon exclaimed, tapping the Crystal Bell. Volbeat nodded and flew ahead of them in the clearing, the group of Volbeat spun around in the air, laughing and dancing. The scarred Volbeat sat in the middle next to his daughter. It looked happy and enjoyed itself, but Illumise looked kind of bored. “Volbeat, Volbeat?” the leader asked her. She just replied by sighting. “Volbeeeeat!” Landon’s friend let its voice echo through the tees. All at once, the merriment stopped and the area became silent. The leader got to its feet and turned around with a frown. All of the other Volbeat dropped on the ground while Illumise gave a hopeful smile. There was a sharp rustle of the tree leaves before the starred Volbeat came busting through in a swirl of ashes. The determined expression on its face said it all; it wanted another re-match. The starred Volbeat landed on the ground lightly, folding its arms. The other Volbeat gave it a reproachful look—they acted as if it was an outcast or something. Landon clambered up a nearby tee. Some ash fell on his face and hair as he climbed up. On top of a tree branch, he could not only get a good view, but be hidden as well. May and Zeru decided to stay low in the bushes instead. “Phea—” “Sssshhh!” May hissed at Phealine. With his Crystal Bell glowing, Landon made it so that the could comprehend the Poke’mon speech. “So…you’re back again?” The leader stepped up to the starred Volbeat. “Yeah; I wanna’ try again.” “Get some help from that human, did you?” “That human is my new friend.” The starred Volbeat answered simply. “Please, father, leave him alone.” Illumise pleaded to her father. “You know the rules; he has to face me to even speak to you. But I assure you; the results will be the same.” The scarred Volbeat clenched its fists. “Hardly,” The star Volbeat did the same. Landon could feel its determination for Illumise rise in power. “Good luck, Volbeat.” He thought. Silenced filled the area once more to build tension. The two combatants faced each other with competitive glances. At the swirl of ashes stirred by a short gust of wind, the two Volbeat flashed forward.

       CLACK! Just like before, the two collided in a stalemate tackle and leapt into the air. “So what makes this battle so different?” The leader grinned. “Only everything!” The star Volbeat replied. The scarred’s clear wings started to glow like one of the night stars. Potential force continued to build around it—it was about to Arial Ace again!” “You can do it!” Landon exclaimed in a whisper. The starred closed its eyes while floating in mid-air. The scarred Volbeat floated up a little higher, somersaulted backwards, and forced its body forward like a bullet. Its opponent, however, just remained calm with its eyes closed. It listened in on every move without even twitching. The scarred Volbeat’s wings cut through the air like jets; the starred Volbeat’s eye opened swiftly and it fell back. “Huh?!” the leader blinked. Volbeat flowed into its opponent’s attack like water, flying underneath. “Beeeeeaat!” With a vicious flap of its wins, the scarred Volbeat was sent flying by a harsh Silver Wind. “Good job; you took it by surprise!” Landon cheered in though. “Grrrr! Beat!” The scarred Volbeat, who was nicked up pretty good, forced a bolt of electricity from its glowing antennae. “Beeeeaat!” SPWAAA!! The starred Volbeat match the attack with its own lightning jolt; the sparks collided, resulting in a dazzling stalemate. The starred Volbeat floated up a little higher over its opponent. Once it closed its eyes, it went into a deep state of concentration. Deeper and deeper it delved into its inner power. As it did so, its tail light started to glow even brighter than usual. “Beeaaaaa!” The leader flapped its wings heavily to produce the same Silver wind that its opponent had performed before. “Hah!” Volbeat opened its eyes, sweating and clenching its teeth in horror at the on-coming attack. It had to use its arms to protect its face from the overtaking wind. The sharp gale nicked its arms and sides like tiny pins, though its tail didn’t cease to get brighter. “Have you had enough?!” the leader asked, continuing to pour on the Silver wind. “Not—argh—really!” the starred Volbeat forced its body to spin in a complete three-sixty degrees spin. From is tail, a prism of rainbow lights streamed through the sky. “What!” The leader exclaimed, quit taken aback. The lights flew in a spiral formation, crashing into it harshly. “Yeah!” Illumise jumped up excitedly, but the other Volbeat gave a reproachful look. The scarred Volbeat hit the ground harshly. Its entire body rattled with pain from both the hit and the fall. “Yes!” Landon hissed, standing up on the branch. Still in the air, the starred Volbeat panted for breath. Just from those few attacks alone, a good deal of stamina was drained. “…..he’s…..not lying. He really did…..get stronger!” the leader shook.

       Suddenly, a whistling sound whizzed through the air, followed by a loud KABOOOM! “Ah!” Landon, Toya, and the others glanced to the side; a cloud of gray smoke and ash kicked up all around the area. Landon had to grab the side of the tree to keep himself form falling. “What’s going on?” May coughed, trying to filter the smoke attacking Phealine with a cloth. “I bet I know who did it.” Zeru frowned. “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” A pair of familiar laughs echoed. The smoke was cleared by a quick gust of wind; up in the tree branches, Team Darkhorn stood with their arms folded. “Should’ve known!” Once Landon said that, he made his presence known to the Volbeat and Illumise. They were so shocked, however, that they didn’t attempt to even fly away. (Background goes into a jungle scene) “A stealth like dark, we’re shadows of the night.” “Blanketing over those who do things right.” “Where treasure glitters, we’re there to claim.” “To higher riches, we’ll surely aim.” “Tsubimi!” Tsubimi leapt down form the tree and landed with one fist on her hip. “Yoshimari!” Her brother did the same. “We’re Team Darkhorn, the pirate thieves.” “Don’t mess with us; you’re out of your league!” Team Darkhorn recited.

       Landon folded his arms, sweating anime style with his Poke’mon mimicking him. “Lemme’ guess—” “You want to steal our EX Poke’mon, right?” Zeru finished for him, just as annoyed. “Ha! This time, you’re only half right.” Tsubimi stated. “This time, we want your food and your money as well. And if you don’t’ meet our demands, we’ll set fire to this forest.” Yoshimari reached into his cloak and withdrew two black spheres with fuses on the top and their team symbol stamped on the front. Landon jumped out of the tree and landed on the grass, pointing to the two teenagers. “Of course, you already know the answer to that! Why don’t you get lost—we’ll just beat you like we usually do.” He stated. Yoshimari and Tsubimi shook their heads, “He doesn’t believe us.” “We’ll just have to show them we mean business.” Tsubimi retrieved a pair of black spheres as well; as if it were magic, the fuses sparked to life. The two tossed them into the air. The bombs brushed up against the tree limbs lightly at first. KABBOOOM!! They exploded in a fury of flames, catching the ashen leaves on fire. The flames crawled their way form tree to tree swiftly. “Beeeeat!” “Illumise!” the Volbeat and Illumise huddled together in fear. The star Volbeat hovered there, gazing at the fire with a sense of impending doom. “Oh-no! They’ve started a fire!” Landon exclaimed. May frowned and pulled a poke’ball from her belt. “You creeps! Eevee send them flying with your Hidden Power!” She let it open in her hands and Eevee came bursting out in a sparkling light. “Wee-wee!” She yelped happily. When she landed on the ground, though, her expression became serious; dazzling spheres of white light spun around her body, bursting towards Team Darkhorn. KABOOM! “Yaaaaahhh!” They screamed as they were sent flying above the trees. “No fair—all we wanted was something to eat at least!” Tsubimi exclaimed. “Now we’re sent away hungry.” Yoshimari whimpered. “This stinks!” They exclaimed before disappearing into the night sky in a speck of light.

       Sizzling and crackling sounds filled the area as the fire spread. Some of the burned limbs fell to the grass hotly. Heat rose up all around them in the rain of ash. All of the Volbeat and Illumise huddled together except for the starred one. Instead, it fluttered down to Landon’s shoulder. “Volbeat-Volbeat?” “Yeah—lead them to safety and we’ll take care of the fire.” Landon nodded to it. Volbeat flew into the air and started towards the group. “Lan, take my water Poke’mon; I’ll help the Volbeat escape.” May gave Landon the poke’balls holding Slowpoke and Totodile. Landon nodded, “Right—hurry!” May dashed off after Volbeat. “Go, Dratini! Use Water Gun on the fire!” Zeru called his dragon Poke’mon. Dratini burst out of the poke’ball in a shining light. “Draaaa!” It sent a blast of water from its mouth onto the flames. “GO, Toya, Totodile, and Slowpoke!” Landon called. With a duo flash of light, May’s Poke’mon were released from their poke’balls. Toya jumped off Landon’s shoulder and onto the ground with her friends. “Mudkiiiiiip!” “Toto-diiiiile!” “Slowwwww!” The three water Poke’mon made gurgling noises as they doused the raising flames.

       May and Volbeat lead the other Volbeat and Illumise through the mini forest, trying to get them away from the trees. They weren’t to only ones running; all of the bug, bird, and other forest-dwelling Poke’mon were scurrying away as well. The pandemonium made it even harder to navigate. “Don’t worry; we’re gonna’ make it outta’ here!” May assured them. The Volbeat had no choice but to believe her—they were too scared to do otherwise. They fluttered close to her reliantly. Illumise stayed by the starred Volbeat’s side, hand-in-hand. Even in immense danger, it was a beautiful sight. The leader Volbeat watched how they seemed so happy together. Maybe it was being a bit over-protective of its daughter. “Hmm….” It sighed. “Ack!” May slid to an abrupt halt. In front of her was a roaring wall of flames blocking the path. The Volbeat and Illumise started to look even more worried. “I don’t have any Poke’mon that can match up with this! I think this is the end of the road!” May started to sweat. The starred Volbeat glanced at Illumise, then took a deep breath; it rush-fluttered forward past its group. “What are you doing?!” May called as it zoomed by her. Volbeat stopped before the flames, sweating from the heat. “….Beeeeaat!” With a might repetition of powerful flaps, it produced the silvery wind attack; the flames parted away form each other, clearing the path. “Volbeat-volbeat!” Volbeat pointed down the trail=. “Illumise-mise!” Illumise marveled and it blushed. “Quick—this way!” May shouted and led the group through. Volbeat waited for Illumise to pass before following again.

 

       In combination with the ash, steaming gray smoke flowed into the air from the doused fire. Only a small portion of the forest was burned, so it wasn’t too bad. Landon, May, Zeru, and their Poke’mon stood at the edge of the forest with Volbeat. The starred Volbeat stood real close to Illumise as they both faced the scarred Volbeat. Landon tapped his bell again to listen. “Back there…..I don’t’ think I could’ve made it out without your help.” The scarred Volbeat stated. “Thanks to you and your human friends, we are safe. I guess…..” It scratched its head, searching for words, “I guess I was….a little over-protective of my daughter. I really wasn’t considering how much you loved each other.” “Does this mean—” “Yeah, just don’t let it go to your head.” The scarred Volbeat told the starred one. “Thank you, father!” Without much warning, Illumise pulled the stared Volbeat into a hug, kissing it on the cheek. Volbeat blushed for a second, but pulled out of her grip. “Illumise, I still haven’t proven myself to you or your father.” It stepped up to her father, “Sir, allow me to still prove myself by battling you. I will travel to become stronger—that is, if you can wait, Illumise.” It looked at Illumise with concerned eyes. Illumise smiled to it, “For you, I’ll wait for an eternity.” She told it. “Then its settled—the next time we meet, I shall test you to prove yourself. But how will you become stronger?” The scarred Volbeat asked. The starred Volbeat grinned and walked over to Landon. The young samurai looked down at it in a questioned expression. “By traveling…with a friend, perhaps?” It said. “You mean….me?” Landon blinked. “Yeah! Why not? We’re friends now, aren’t we?” Volbeat smiled. Landon smiled back and knelt down to it, “Volbeat, I promise you that we’ll become stronger together.” “I know we will!” The two slapped each other a high-five and all of the Poke’mon went into an uproar of cheers. May and Zeru, who had no idea what just happened, blinked at each other. (Our hero has gained another friend to take on his journey. What surprises await them in the near future? As the New Year approaches, we can’t help but get goose bumps. Join us next time on “Poke’mon X”!)

 

Fast Fact answer: The bells Landon has encountered so far (including his own) are four; the Crystal Bell, Amber Bell, Clear Bell, and Shadow Bell. 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 THE EPISODE.