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Rui entered the desert region, flying on Dragonair, like normally. Her eyes narrowed as she peered down, examing the swirling sand. "Definately quicksand." Rui reported to her pokémon, who gave a whine in acknowlegdment. "Lets keep going and see where it ends..." Rui ordered. Dragonair whined again, and flapped her ear wings one more time as they sped over the land. The rows of quicksand ended alot quicker than Rui would've expected, and there was a large group of people down below with Swamperts and Marshstomp, as well as assorted rock-type and ground-type pokémon. "Team Sandstorm indeed... stop for a moment, Dragonair," Rui says. Dragonair halts and flaps her wings in the air, viewing the land below. "Well whaddya know." Rui mutters, watching some of the people part away to go into one of the tombs. Some more come out of another tomb with alot of yellow things from Rui's point of view. Gold and whatnot, no doubt. "Looks like this one should be short," Rui said to her companion. "Let's go." Dragonair whined and descending, diving towards the earth. Rui clung to her as she sped, veering up skillfully as she almost hit the ground, causing many of the members to jump out of the way and yell in shock. One of them threw out a pokéball and released Lunatone, not giving Rui a chance to switch out pokémon. She got off Dragonair quickly. "Lunatone, Ice Beam!" called out a man from the crowd, obviously the one who owned it. "Ice Beam!" Rui shouted quickly. Both pokémon shot out the beam and the result was a collision in the middle. An explosion was made, and when the sand cleared, both pokémon were on the field, undaunted. "Ice beam again!" The man was now out on the battle feild with his pokémon. "Dodge it and use Water Pulse!" Lunatone shot out the icy beam from its 'beak', and Dragonair easily flew upwards, focusing energy into her horn before letting out a Water Pusle. It came down on the Lunatone, causing it to give a sort of grunt.

"Don't give in! Use Psychic!" He commanded. Lunatone obeyed, concentrating on Dragonair. She suddenly froze, glowing blue. The dragon-type gave a whine of shock. Lunatone threw her up and down, then high up, then plummeted her into the sand. "Come on, Dragonair! Iron Tail!" Rui cried. Dragonair appeared when the sand cloud cleared, the two balls on her tail glowing white. She flew forward with amazing speed and slammed her tail into the Lunatone. It reeled back, badly damaged. "Explosion!" The Lunatone glowed a bright white, and did just that. Dragonair gave a whine before being devoured by the glow, and lies on the ground afterwards. Both pokémon were knocked out. Eek. I hope he's not going to try that again... Rui thought with a gulp, throwing out the next pokéball as the Sandstorm member does the same. Respectively, Poochyena and Solrock come out. This might be hard... At least I have a type advantage. Rui thinks, shouting out the command, "Crunch!" Poochyena gave a bark and ran forward, clamping on the air as the Solrock easily evades the slow pokémon. "Solar beam!" yelled the other. Solrock began to glow a very light yellow, absorbing particles of sun energy. "Get away and use Dark Pulse!" Poochyena ran back as instructed, then wheeled around and released a dark energy from it, hitting the Solrock straight on. It suddenly stops glowing. Yes! It flinched! "No! Dangit! Solrock, Rock Slide!" Solrock floated in the air, still having a 'Flinch' status. "Go, Poochyena! Crunch!" Rui called, victory glowing in her eyes. The dark-type ran forward once more, successfully clamping hard onto one of Solrock's spikes, thankfully not hurting herself in the process. The Solrock levitated high up, making Poochyena drop. It was only a couple feet, however. "Solarbeam again!" The man shouted to his airborne pokémon, one hand clenched in a fist. The Solrock slowly floated backwards, higher up, and began to charge up once more. "Dark Pulse!" Rui called, thinking triumphantly, This is the winning blow. Poochyena jumped up, shooting off the pulse in mid-air. The attack knocks the Solrock out of the air, cutting off its charge and making it plummet towards the ground.

The oppenent's face was creased with dismay and the anger of losing as he took the rock and psychic-type's pokéball, recalling it out of the air with a, "Return, Solrock." Poochyena skidded on the sand backwards as she hit the ground, growling, still ready for more. With a growl himself, the Sandstorm member glanced at his belt as he chooses his last pokémon, then threw it out. Rui took those few spare moments to look to her side to see more members of the Sandstorm team try to get what goods they have raided out. The red-head thinks dispearingly, I wish I had back up! Then, she quickly takes one of her pokéballs and tosses it out, revealing Arcanine. "Arcanine, make sure nothing leaves this place," she directs, nodding towards the group. "Arc!" He barked, turning around and jumping high over the crowd and landing in front of the raiders, growling. "Focus Punch!" Rui looks back, startled, as Poochyena flies past her and lands with a thud on the ground, not even trying to get up. With a gulp she returned her pokémon then turned her head slowly to see what pokémon had been called out- Tyranitar. Man, I have like 10 more pokémon to go and I already have two down, and now I have to face this. She noticed that the crowd had begun calling his name for support. She didn't mind. She took one of the pokéballs and looked at it, thinking, Glaceon should be just fast enough to out manuver Tyranitar, and she's got Rock Smash. I just hope she'll be able to stand this heat... In despair she looked at the blazing sun, then let out Glaceon. Some of the crowd murmured in awe of the shiny. It wasn't long, though, before the cheering went on. "Focus Punch again!" "Dodge and use Hail!" The Tyranitar ran forward with a fist, hitting air as Glaceon jumps up, eyes glowing light blue before clouds cover the sky and send a flurry of hail down at the battle field. Many of the crowd cried out in protest and ran away, seeking safety from the cold, falling ice. Rui stood her ground, watching as Tyranitar and his owner were buffeted from the hail.

"Come on, Tyranitar! Fire fang!" Yelled the rival. Tyranitar endured the hail and ran towards Glaceon, but missed again as she swiftly evaded him, benefitted by the Hailstorm through Snow Hide. "Rock Smash!" Rui called. Glaceon landed on the ground after her dodge, then jumped up and spun around in the air, slamming her tail into Tyranitar with the force to smash rocks. It fell sideways with a bellow. Critical hit. Rui thought gratefully. But it was still ready for more. With a grunt the pokémon heaved itself upwards. "Yeah, Tyranitar! Now, Earthquake!" The Tyranitar gave a grunt in acknowledgment and stomped on the ground. The crowd waited with baited breath, but nothing happen. Fool. Earthquake can't work on sand! Rui thought spitefully, ordering, "Finish it off, Glaceon! Hyper beam!" Glaceon opened her mouth, a small white ball charging withen. In seconds a white beam, decorated with many colors, shot towards Tyranitar and hit, causing it to stumble backwards. What?! Rui thought in angst. "Hah! Come on Tyran- NO!" The Sandstorm member cried, watching as the hailstorm finished the armor pokémon off, and sent it plummeting to the ground. With a groan he said, "Return, Tyranitar!" And held out the red and white ball, recalling the fainted pokémon. "Don't drop your guard, Glaceon," Rui ordered quietly so that only her canine heard. With a bark of acknowledgment she planted all fours into the ground, looking this way and that. She suddenly jumped to the side as a Graveler stumbled past. Glaceon's still weak from the Hyper Beam. Rui thought, taking out her pokéball and recalling her. She took out another and threw it out. Persian appeared. "Water Pulse!" Rui said, desperately looking to the side. What was taking Arcanine so long? She also noticed that the hail had stopped.

She looked back to see the attack hit successfully. "Brick break!" Called the opposer, who now stood on the other end of the field. Graveler used one hand and leapt up, coming down on Persian with incredible force. Persian lied stunned for a moment. No! "Water Pulse again!" Rui cried desperately. Persian lifted its head and gave a point-blank Water Pulse, sending Graveler into the sky and making a small crater in the sand as it hit the ground. Slowly, the sand started to fill. "Rock Blast!" The Graveler tried to send boulders in Persian's direction, but the accuracy was way off considering it couldn't see over the hole. Only one hit, slamming down on Persian's tail and making him yowl. "Rain dance!" Persian looked confused by the command, but did as he was told. Clouds once more covered the sky, and started pouring rain, making Persian slick. He slipped his tail out from under the rock and looked over to where the Graveler was struggling in the make-shift quicksand. With a growl he recalled his pokémon, then let it out again. The Graveler hit the ground and gave a grunt as it hit the sand, obviously at discomfort in the wet. "Rock smash!" Called the man. Graveler huffed and stomped through the
sand, trying to get to Persian. It sucked at its feet, threatening to devour him whole. Persian watched, amused. "Water Pulse!" Rui said. Persian's gem glowed blue, letting off a ring of water towards Graveler. It was stuck in the sand, and was hit head on. It rocked back and forth, then hit the ground. The crowd was now starting to whisper amongst themselves as the pokémon was returned. Man, this is going to be harder and longer than I thought. Thankfully, the next pokémon that came out was no more than a Geodude. Rui hoped that the one after would be the same.

"Focus punch!" Came the order. Geodude, unlike Graveler, was unhindered by the rain, and levitated towards Persian, punching into its side. With a yowl it stumbled backwards, flinching. Rui could see that although it took alot out of him, he wasn't nearly ready to give up. Rui bided her time as he yelled once more. "Arm Hammer!" She flinched, watching the Geodude pound Persian. Now she was becoming really nervous, and the crowd was starting to roar their approval again. Oh! The wet female suddenly thought, shouting out, "Rest!" Persian fell to the ground, closing its eyes and falling asleep. "Rock Smash!" He yelled. Geodude obeyed, picking up the wet feline and throwing it into a nearby rock, shattering it. Persian fell limp to the ground, still asleep. "Arm Hammer!" He shouted, louder and more triumphant. As Geodude flew forward, Persian's eyes shot open, but he took the blow. The rainclouds were slowly starting to drift apart. "Water Pluse!" Rui called. Once more, Persian delievered a point blank Water Pulse that sent the Geodude flying across the battlefield. The attack had been powered up by the last of the rainclouds. Persian got up and stood on the remains of the rock, panting,
but with a shine still in its eyes. The rock pokémon was recalled, and the crowd gave yells of protest and disdain as yet another Geodude came out. It was smaller, so Rui assumed it was less experienced. "Rock smash!" "Dodge and use Water Pulse!" Persian crouched on the rock, tense, as the Geodude flew forward, when its arm was back, he leapt up, aiming a Water Pulse from the air. It hit the Geodude, slamming it into the soaked sand. The ground sucked at it, unabling it to get up. "Come on! Arm Hammer!' Came his desperate cry. The Geodude, though impeded from his position, forces an arm out and slams it into the Persian's belly. He forze, then fell on his side. No! Please no! But he did not get up. Biting her lip, she returned the pokémon. Only three more... Arcanine!

The fire dog bounded over the crowd and in front of Rui with a huge bag full of jewelry and whatnot. Rui noticed that the crowd had become bigger and were now shouting obsenity at the trainer and pokémon. "Good job, Arcanine! Now it's your turn." "Ar!" Arcanine said, whirling around. His eyes narrowed at the Geodude. Intimidate did its work on the rock pokémon, making it shudder. "Sunny Day!" Rui called, thinking, Making the ground dry isn't its only use... Arcanine howled, and the sun shone brighter than ever, making all the water from the sand evaporate. Rui smirked as she listened to the complaints of the crowd. Not only were field moves beneficial in battle, but a good source of entertainment, too. "Rock slide!" Shouted the other, oblivious. Geodude picked up huge boulders and hurled them at Arcanine. The fire dog tried to evade them, but most of them hit, and when they did, he'd make it known with yelp mixed snarl. "Solar beam!" Rui yelled confidently as the male jumped up on one of the thrown boulders and let out a yellowish beam at Geodude. It was completely unprepared. The beam hit head on, and when the light died, the Geodude lied there, fainted. A red beam shot out from the opposing side, devouring the Geodude and taking it with it as it returned to the pokéball. Just two more battles. We can do this. Rui thought, although she was nervous. There was still a Swampert to deal with, and Dragonair, the one that normally would get her out of a tough situation, was down.

Then, a huge, dinosaur-like pokémon appeared on the field. Holy! That must be one of the fourth generations... Rui thought in surprise, and knew she needed to save Arcanine for Swampert. Although at a double disadvantage, he had a nifty Solarbeam attack. "Return, Arcanine!" Rui said, taking out the pokéball and doing just as she said. When she put the pokéball away, she grabbed another and threw it out, saying, "Go, Eevee!" The eon pokémon appeared in the air and hit the ground, bristling. Rui earned alot of spiteful laughter from the crowd. You won't be laughing soon. She thought. "Ramuparudo, Double Headbutt!" "Shadow Blitz!" The two pokémon ran towards each other, and some of the Sandstorm members were mumbling at the word 'Shadow Blitz'. When they neared, Eevee jumped up and hit head on with the Ramuparudo, flying back from the force, but neatly landing on all fours. The Ramuparudo, to everyone's surprise, fell backwards. "Get up, Ramuparudo!" Called the man in dismay. It grunted and got up, roaring. "Yeah, that's what I like to hear!" He supported with a smirk, then said, "Focus Bomb!" "Dig, Eevee!" Rui cried. Eevee scrabbled at the sand, unable to get under. Shoot! I forgot! With a yelp it jumped away, barely missing the bomb. "Fake Tears!" Eevee gave Rui a sharp look. "Just do it!" With a sigh, Eevee turned its head towards the Ramuparudo, tears in its eyes, sharply reducing its Special Defense. The other man looked a bit confused, and Rui realised that it was Special Defense, not just Defense, and the only attack that would be super effective is Dig, which didn't work. Then she suddenly remembers as the next order is issued. "Thunderbolt!" The bump on the headbutt pokémon's head crackles with electricity, then lets off a Thunderbolt that hits Eevee. She yelps, but shakes it off. "Fake Tears again!" Eevee gives a protestant whine and does as she's told. She really didn't like looking this weak. "Rock Smash!" Called the man, unphased. Ramuparudo ran forward, trying to slam into Eevee, but she darted underneath its legs. "Now, Iron Tail!" Eevee twisted around and jumped up, spinning around in midair and slamming her white-glowing tail into the back of the dinosaur-like pokémon's head. It roars painfully and falls to the ground.

While it's down, Rui tossed out an empty pokéball that hit the Ramuparudo and sucked it up. The crowd gave suprised gasps and angry yells. Rui ignored them. Man, this is alot more pressure than I thought it would be! I hope the reward is good... She thought with a flinch, watching the pokéball. It wriggled back and forth violently, but gave a ding. The Sandstorm member was startled. "H-hey! Give me back my pokémon!" "No. Eevee, fetch please." Eevee ran over to the ball and picked it up in her mouth as best she could, then waddled over to Rui and gave it to her. "Thanks." She knelt down and rubbed her head. "By the way, you did great." "Buii," Eevee said happily, parting from her owner to go back on the battle field, where another Graveler awaited. Man... "Graveler, Rock Tomb!" "Eevee, Protect!" Graveler obeyed, making rocks spew out of the ground and surround Eevee. They all shattered, however, when the Protect was done. "Gah! Sandstorm!" The rock and ground-type clasped both pairs of arms together, causing the wind to pick up and cover the area in a sandstorm. It didn't surprise Rui when the crowd once more yelled in protest. Eevee held her ground, though buffeted by the sandstorm. "Iron Tail!" Rui called, hearing her voice being drowned out by the wind. Eevee could hear her apparently, though, since she ran forward and made her tail glow white, then slam it into Graveler before retreating. Rui could not hear what the other said, but she saw Eevee running away from Graveler, only to have it slam its fist into Eevee with Brick Break. She flew forward, skidding at Rui's feet. "Comon, get up," Rui pleaded quietly. Eevee struggled up and turned around. "Rest." Eevee nodded and lied down, falling asleep. Rui gave a squeal of suprise when the Gravler rushed forward and jumped away, watching the Graveler's hand fly over Eevee in attempt of a Focus Punch.

Even though it's rock and ground, it must still bother it's eyes. Rui thought, waiting. She could just barely hear the words, "Arm Hammer!" The Graveler obeyed, slamming its fist successfully into Eevee this time. With a yelp she awoke. "Iron Tail!" Eevee made her tail glow white and she swung around, hitting the Graveler square in the knee. It doubled over, forcing Eevee to jump away. "Iron Tail again while its down!" Buffeted once more by the sandstorm, Eevee repeated the process, making the opponent faint. The man had now come into view and recalled the pokémon. As he did, the sandstorm died down, and both Eevee and Rui gave a breath of relief. But then Rui had another reason to be tense. The Sandstorm member had just called out an Onix. "Holy..." Rui whispered in shock. "Buii..." Eevee said, seeming to mimic her actions. "Rock Edge!" He yelled. The Onix roared and slammed its tail into Eevee. She flew upwards and landing on the rock snake pokémon's head. Startled, it shook its head, trying to get Eevee off, but she clung to the horn. "Iron Tail!" Rui called. Eevee's tail glowed white, and she slammed it into one of Onix's eyes, making it roar in pain. "Explosion!" Oh no. Rui thought, watching in horror as Onix litterally exploded. When the light faded, the sight should not have surprised Rui, but her stomach clenched anyways at the sight of both the fainted, charred pokémon. "Good job Eevee. Return," Rui praised quietly, recalling her pokémon. She was sweating a bit at the forehead. The crowd was now in anxious murmers, and suddenly silenced when a man stepped into the area. Must be the admin. Rui thought.

"So you're the little no-good... What was it, Snagem? Pfft," He gave a spiteful smile. "Oh, I'm so scared..." "You should be!" "Pah! Naive! I'll finish you off and get back the goods." He took a pokéball and tossed it out, saying, "Go, Flygon!" The mystic pokémon appeared, flapping its wings. Nice pokémon, but bad choice. Rui thought, tossing out a pokéball. Glaceon appeared. The admin seemed unphazed. "Fire blast!" He called, clenching his fist. The Flygon spewed out flames that shaped into a man. Glaceon dodged it, however. "Blizzard!" Rui ordered. Glaceon's eyes glowed light blue, sending a flurry of snow at Flygon and badly damaging it. As luck would have it, it froze. "Argh! Return, Flygon!" He yelled, returning it. He took out another pokéball and sent out a yellow Kabarudon. As it came into the battle, a Sandstorm whipped up once more. "I don't think so! Hail!" Rui shouted. Glaceon's eyes turned light blue again, and the Sandstorm stopped, replaced by a hailstorm. The crowd did not protest, however. Or, at least, most of them didn't. The Kabarudon grunted as the ice hit it. "Fissure!" The weight pokémon bellowed, stomping its foot on the ground. Rui breathed a sigh of relief as the fissure opened up beside Glaceon, missing her. "Ice Beam!" Glaceon barked and shot out an Ice Beam, hitting the Kabarudon straight on and making it a critical hit, as well as super effective. It bellowed and buckled on one knee. "Fire fang!" commanded the Sandstorm admin. The Kabarudon leapt forward, spraying out sand as it hit the ground and clamped on Glaceon's torso with glowing red teeth. Glaceon yelped, and Rui could see that she was burnt. "Blizzard!" Glaceon's eyes glowed light blue and the blizzard came down hard on the hippo-like pokémon, powered with the hail. It fell to the ground and released its hold on the ice canine.

Glaceon limped over to Rui. "Good job. Have this," Rui praised, kneeling down and giving Glaceon a Rawst berry from her berry pouch. Instantly the burn healed. Glaceon gave its grateful bark, then went back to the battle field. The admin recalled the Kabarudon, looking slightly nervous. He let out a Steelix. Rui gave a gulp. Jeeze, I had no clue they were all going to be at their max stage! She thought hesitantly. "Rock Smash!" He ordered. The Steelix's huge tail went up, then plummeted towards the ground and slammed into Glaceon. The tail removed itself from the spot, and Glaceon got up shakily, defense lowered. "Ice beam!" Glaceon lifted its head and shot the Ice Beam, and although the aiming was a bit off, it was hard to miss such a huge pokémon. It gave a grunt as it was hit, shaking it off. Then, it gave another grunt as hail hit it. "Crunch, Steelix!" "Dodge it!" Steelix's huge head came down and opened up, ready to Crunch Glaceon. Glaceon jumped up however, landing on its head. "Hyper beam!" Glaceon gathered up all her energy, then jumped off and shot the beam out into the Steelix's face, flying backwards while doing so from the force. The iron snake pokémon gave a bellow of agony, which was doubled again from the hail. "Come on! Dragon breath!" The Steelix obeyed, spewing out a disgusting breath. Glaceon jumped out of the way, its evasiveness helped by the hailstorm. "Sunny day!" Rui said, knowing her pokémon couldn't take much more. Glaceon's eyes glowed red this time, and the hail clouds parted to expose the bright, hot sun. "Explosion!" He yelled. Not again! Rui thought desperately, closing her eyes. A boom came to her ears, and when she opened her eyes, the fainted Steelix was being recalled. Glaceon was also fainted.

Only one more... Rui thought, taking her Arcanine's pokéball. She tossed it out. Arcanine appeared with a mighty howl. Flygon was sent out once more, and the frozen enclosure slowy began to melt. "Solarbeam!" Rui cried. Arcanine's mouth opened and collected solar energy, then shot the beam out just as Flygon broke free. It was unable to escape the attack, however, and lied fainted when the light cleared. The admin recalled it, and took out the last pokéball. Rui didn't even have to see it to know what it was. Swampert. Rui thought as it appeared. A triumphant smile played on his lips. Don't be so confident... Rui thought irritatedly, calling out, "Solarbeam!" Arcanine did just that, and it hit successfully. "Hydro Cannon!" Oh no. Rui thought in despair, watching the huge column of water go towards Arcanine. It hit, and Arcanine hit the ground. Get up... get up... Rui encouraged in her mind. To her relief, Arcanine did shakily get up, with stunned gasps of the crowd. "Extreme speed!" Rui said. Arcanine flew towards Swampert, slamming into it. The mud fish pokémon skidded back some with a grunt. "Muddy water!" He called. But Swampert didn't do anything. In the heat of the battle, Rui realised, he must have forgotten that Hydro Cannon exhausted the user so much that they had to wait a turn before attacking once more. "Finish this off, Arcanine! Solar beam!" Rui cried in rejoice. Arcanine obeyed, giving a point-blank Solar beam. The Swampert was engulfed, and when the light cleared, it was fainted. "NO!" He yelled, recalling his pokémon. The crowd was in shock. "What are you waiting for? Get her!" "Arcanine, come here!" Arcanine barked and turned, running towards her. Rui grabbed the bag and hauled it onto his back, then slung herself on.

"Let's get out of here!" Rui commanded. Arcanine took off and leapt over the crowd, running on the sand. Rui had seen that many other pokémon appeared behind her, but none were fast enough to catch up with Arcanine. Suddenly, the fire dog stopped at the quick sand. "Comon, you can do it." Arcanine nodded and turned around, running back towards the crowd. They stopped, confused. Then, Arcanine wheeled around, and with the use of Extremespeed, leapt into the air. Rui felt like she was flying, and for a moment, everything seemed to disappear. Then, Arcanine hit the ground with a yelp. Rui saw that Arcanine had landed at the end of the quicksand, and was now getting pulled in. She jumped off of him along with the bag and onto the safe land, grabbing his pokéball and recalling him before he was devoured by land quite literally. She wasn't safe yet, however. Rui saw flying pokémon heading her way. She released Dragonair, who was unable to fight, but still able to flee. "Come on. Let's head back towards the base." Dragonair nodded, letting Rui mount her. Rui dragged on the load as well, and despite the weight, the dragon-type was able to take off into the air. Withen moments, the others were left behind. When Rui arrived at the base, she recalled Dragonair gratefully, then let out Arcanine. The fire dog grabbed the bag and slung it onto his back, and the two went to Tails's room, where she left the bag and wrote a note.



Rui gave a tired sigh. "All right. Good job Arcanine. Let's go get something to eat." Arcanine barked happily in agreement and the two left the room.


K'O'd Pokemon
Opposing: Lunatone, Solrock, Tyranitar, Graveler, Geodude, Geodude, Ramuparudo (Snag), Graveler, Onix, Kabarudon, Steelix, Flygon, Swampert
Ally: Dragonair, Poochyena, Persian, Eevee, Glaceon
Evo Points Gained
Poochyena: 3 points (Solrock)
Glaceon: 6 points (Tyranitar)
Persian: 3 points (Graveler) + 2 points (Geodude) = 5
Arcanine: 2 points (Geodude)
Eevee: 3 points (Graveler)
Arcanine: 5 points (Flygon) + 5 points (Swampert) = 10
Item(s) Acquired: N/A
Item(s) Used: Pokeball, Rawst Berry
Money Acquired: $0
Money Used: $0

Over the endless waves of blue, flying amongst the smooth, silky clouds, was a black snake-like figure adorned wtih two leathery wings. Every few seconds, the wings would pump, glide, pump, glide. The sharp, corkscrew horn on its head was like an arrow to the creature's desitnation. On the unidentified figure was a girl and her dog. Or rather, a teen and her Eevee. They flew over the blue, white-capping waters of the sea. Rui had never been more thrilled in her life. She had always seen pictures of the sea, but never really saw it first-hand, on the account of the area(s) she lived in. She smiled, watching all the life down there. Sharpedo, Remoraid, Squirtle, Wartortle, a Blastoise, even a small herd of Lapras. Her eyes stayed on those majestic water myths for a moment as they flew. There were no shinies, but she always loved the purple color of the shiny Lapras. Perhaps one day, I will get one, she thought, which led her thoughts to her future dream team. Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Espeon, Umbreon. Flareon... She frowned, remembering the pokémon that had ran away. Part of hereself had convinced her, though, that the Flareon was very wild, and after being bashed by the townspeople, didn't feel safe in her arms. Was she right, to protect the seemingly guilty eon from the people? Was he really as innocent as she thought? No, not thought. Knew. She knew... How she knew, she didn't know, she just felt in her head that that Flareon, as far as that incident, was completely innocent. That dream... She snapped back into conciousness as Eevee squealed, "(Land ahoy!)", and upon looking up, she saw the distant lines of the town. She looked back, but the Lapras were long gone, not even dots in the endless ocean. Rui turned her head back, and they were there.

The flying figure descended to the ground easily by a nudge from Rui's knees. She hovered about a foot off the floor once she was close enough. "Thanks, Dragonair," Rui said, getting off and stroking the dragon. For a moment, she marveled the black, shiny skin, the creamish underbelly and eyepatches, the long, elegant spiraled horn, and most of all, the huge, bat-like wings with a sky blue interior. She smiled and took out the Dragon's pokéball, and with a click of the button, returned her. After putting the pokéball back into her skirt pocket, she set Eevee down on the ground. "Oibuii? (Where to?)" she asked, looking around, then up at Rui. Rui looked around also. Gateon Port, the city they just landed in, was still in its early construction days. Most of the buildings, except the pokécenter, which had been finished earliler considering it was top-priority for almost any town or city, were only half built, including the to-be famous, large seafood restaurant. Rui hadn't a clue what any of them were, though, except the pokécenter of course. She continued to swing her head and observe the area until it landed on an building that almost looked poorly-built, made from scrap metal. Upon getting some information off the internet, the Parts Shop was exactly what the name suggested; a shop that sold individual parts. It was only fitting that it should be made from scrap metal. But couldn't they have at least melted it down first? It only looked half-decent. They could've- Oh yeah, the bomb.

Rui shook her head and started walking towards the building. Eevee figured from her actions she spaced out again and forgot momentarily about her question, but she appeared to be answering it simply by walking towards one of the buildings. A rather scrappy looking one at that. She flicked her tail in acknowledgment before following her trainer. The sliding doors opened, allowing a cool gust of air to hit Rui. She felt it, but didn't acknowledge it. She simply kept walking until she made it to the counter. No one was there. "Eh... hello?" Rui asked, looking around. No response. She looked around, turning her head aburptly to see Eevee come in through the sliding doors before looking around again. Eevee's ears perked a second before Rui hears shuffling in the closet. "Oompf... WAHHH!" Rui eeped, ran into the staff area (gasp!) and went into the closet. A pile of open cardboard boxes, their contents scattered, were piled. A hand stuck out of the pile. After some shoving of metal parts and the boxes, she managed to help the man out. "Oompf... thank you." "No problem," Rui replied with a smile. "Are you the owner of the shop?" "That'd be me," he said boastfully, taking pride in this little scrap building called a shop. "I'm from Snagem. Needing some explosive device?" "Would a bomb do it?" "Uh.. That's what I was sent here for, right?" The man grins at her question and takes a shoebox off the shelf, handing it to her. "Ahh, I don-" "In this box is the bomb, set for 2 minutes to allow you to get away after its been set," He interrupted, looking into her eyes. "Don't put it off before then, or you'll be Rattata Meat." Rui gulped at the thought of blowing herself to smitherines.

A mischeivious glint passed through his eyes. "It's not that easy to set off. Just don't be reckless, aye?" "Aye!" Rui replied, walking out of the closet and to Eevee. She tilted her head at the box, then jumped up on a random chair, onto the desk, and finally landed on Rui's shoulder. "Thanks!" Rui called back. "Not a problem.... Blasted Cardboard boxes... really need a better packaging device," Rui heard him mumble. With a giggle, she walked out with Eevee, greeted by a burst of warm air. "Alright then... To Orre Desert we go... But not to the base. First we've got to meet an old friend..." "Oibuii? (Who?)" Rui did not reply or acknowledge Eevee's question. Instead, she got out the unique Dragonair and mounted, flying back over the sea. She was given a few more minutes to enjoy it (in between having to catch Eevee after nearly falling off her shoulder) before she passed a city. In the distance was a hazy scene of which she could tell was the desert from the sand that soon came. After about two minutes after passing the border of sand, Dragonair began to show signs of tiring. Normally such a flight wouldn't burden her at all, but flying in the desert was very burdening, and being black made it all the worse. "Descend, Dragonair," Rui ordered softly, stroking the back of her head. The pokémon was all too eager to obey as she made a rather fast descent towards the ground. Rui whipped out two pokéballs (after setting Eevee safely in her lap) and threw them at the same time. The first opened, shooting out a red light at Dragonair that swallowed her up. The next let out its contents, her Fire dog Arcanine. She landed on his back, and he only gave one look to see who it was. The building she was headed for was already in sight. "Go Arcanine! To the building!" With a bark, he Extremespeeded to it.

Rui's eyes widened in wonder of the huge building. It looked so official. Nothing compared to the last time she had seen it. It was pearly white in the blazing sun, with many vents at the top to keep the building cool. Rui was really impressed. She got off Arcanine, and after rewarding him with praise, returned him. She didn't put Eevee down until she was inside the waiting room, an addition to the old building, she assumed. Eevee looked around, nose wrinkling at all the old and new smells mixed together. "Wow..." Rui breathed. The interior was even more astounding. A cool burst of air greeted her warmly (lol oxymoron). Potted Ferns decorated the area, along with misc. paintings, black, leathery couchs; windows outside and so much more. She was nearly overwhelmed by it all. She managed to get her feet moving though, and soon enough she found herself walking down a hallway with Eevee behind her. She probably should've stayed at the lobby until someone found her, but she was eager to explore the new building made out of the old. Her eyes were hungrily cast over anything and everything. Everything looked polished, perfect. She could hardly believe it. And to think this place was once bombed by the very person that now owned it.... CRASH!

Rui and the stranger both gave an, 'Oompf!', rebounding off the crash and tumbling to the ground. The box tumbles on the ground. Eevee worriedly came up to Rui's side. "Oibuii?!" "I'm fine... Hey, I'm so sorry..." She trailed off. This was no stranger. This was the very man she was looking for. The boss of the building. It was... "Rui!" "Wes!" Wes quickly scrambled up and helped Rui onto her feet, also handing her the shoebox. "Guess we both weren't looking where we were going, eh?" Rui blushed in embarressement. "No, we weren't..." She admitted. He smiled at her, making Rui feel completely at ease. "So, what're you here for?" He asked, taking her hand. "I need your help to blow up something..." Wes cracked a grin. "You don't like Snagem anymore?" "No, Wes.." She smiled, elbowing him lightly. "Really... I need to blow up this underground base somewhere around here..." "Ah! I know of one! I'd figured we leave them be incase they were working for a really powerful force." Rui's voice suddenly became much graver. "They are." Wes looked at her for a moment, silent. "Alright, I'll help you. Let me go get Sandslash." He scratched the back of his head. "So, is this another of your crazy missions?" She nodded. "Figures... So... did it tell you anything about the pokémon we may face?" "This first part is a stealth mission on the account we gotta blow it up..." "First part...?" Rui looked at him. "There's three parts. And if I'm not fast enough, on the last part, I may be facing Arceus." A long silence drawed out between them. "...Then we'd better be fast," Wes mumbled. Rui looked at him with a slightly crestfallen expression. "Wes... I can handle this." "...Alright... I figure if you couldn't you wouldn't have taken the mission on anyways," He replied, scratching the back of his neck. "You're daring but not reckless... Thankfully..." Rui smiled at him. "Alright. I'll go get him," he finally confirmed. "Go wait in the lobby." He leaned down and scratched Eevee behind the ears. "Take care of her, alright?" "Oibuii!" Rui smiled again, watching Wes get up and walk off. She turned and headed back to the lobby with Eevee at her side.

Once she got to the lobby, it wasn't long before Wes came with a pokéball in his hand. He tossed it up once, grabbed it in midair, then looked at Rui. "You sure you want to go now?" Rui nodded. "Alright then... Let's go." Rui got up and carried Eevee with her alongside Wes outside. There, she shifted her arms so that she could get her pokéball while holding Eevee and the bomb. Arcanine appeared again, panting happily. Rui got on him, and after Wes got on his Ho-oh, they were off. Arcanine followed the great bird until it came slowly to a stop. Nothing seemed different about the area. It still had lots of endless sand and was hot. Real hot. Rui licked her dry lips. Maybe she should've brought a water bottle? Ah well. "Alright, go, Sandslash! Dig!" Wes commanded, throwing out the pokéball. Sandslash appeared and gave a, "Slash!" before digging down. Rui was both surprised and impressed. She supposed that few pokémon could dig in sand like this. It's arms were a blur, shooting up bunches of sand behind the creature. In a coupled of minutes, there was a pile of sand well over Rui's height, and a ditch about the same. A small, metallic clang was made as Sandslash hit metal with one of its claws. It looked up at Sammy. "Slash?" "Good job, Sandslash. Return," he praised, recalling the pokémon into it's ball. After pocketing the ball, he looked at Rui. "You'd better stay back..." Rui nodded, not sure what her friend was about to do. It quickly became obvious. "Whirlwind!" "Protect!" Ho-oh's mighty wings pounded and it gave a screech before flapping them, creating a sandstorm without the use of the move. Arcanine managed to put up a protective bubble just before it happened. All three inside it were astounded by the mass of sand encircling them.

When the sand settled, the protect wore off, and a bit of the sand that accumulated on top fell on the trio. Rui simply shook her head, reminding herself to get a shower along with refreshments after the job was done. "Sacred Fire," Wes ordered. Ho-oh again shrieked, unleashing a massive fire upon the metal. Rui was once again overwhelmed by the twisting fire. Arcanine seemed to love it. Once the attack was finished, a huge hole was made in the roof. "Good job. Now, return," Wes said, recalling the pokémon right out from under him and landing softly on a pile of sand. Rui did the same, and carried the box with Eevee by her side to Wes, whom was standing in front of the hole. Calmly, he jumped in. Rui followed suit, holding onto the box tightly. "I know we're on a stealth mission and all," Wes whispered, "but my pokémon really need a breather." He took out two pokéballs and released their contents. Umbreon and Espeon appeared, the former with a stretch and the latter with a yawn. "Hey guys. Try to keep quiet, alright? Umbreon, go scout ahead and make sure there's no one coming. If its just one person, knock them out with Fake Out, alright?" Wes whispered to his friends. Umbreon nodded and slunk into the shadows. Without the rings flashing, Umbreon almost instantly dissolved into them. Espeon and Eevee came up to each other, exchanging a friendly greeting by touching noses. "Hey, lookit this," Wes whispered, although louder than last time. Rui came over, still clutching the box. It was a map of the building. Very helpful since it had the 'You are here' cursor. "Alright... we're on side... We need to go..." He places his finger on it and drags it. "Straight... pass two intersections, take a left, then take another left...." "Into the generator room?" He nodded. "If your little bomb can't take care of the whole place, making it explode in a room like that sure will..."

Rui nodded in agreement. Just then, Umbreon came back, sounding calm. Wes nodded. "All's clear. Keep ahead of us, Umbreon, but don't take the wrong path." Umbreon nodded and slunk back into the shadows. "Let's go," He said to Rui. The four remaining walked down quietly in the building. No people came their way. Rui sighed with relief as Wes opened the door. She looked at him. Shock was written on his face. She looked in the room. There, in a glass/bar combo casing, was a Raikou. Wes couldn't surpress his surprise. "RAIKOU!" He ran over to the beast, who was being used as a source of energy. "Wes, how did...?" "I thought he ran away," He said quickly. "I guess they took him instead. Gah!" A roar came from him as the machine hooked up demanded more electricty. "Espeon, get him out of there! Psychic!" Wes ordered. Rui thought this was perhaps out of sheer desperation, and that Espeon couldn't possible get Raikou out of something like that. She was wrong both times. Wes seemed completely in control, and once again, he awed her when Espeon tore the top glass casing off with some difficulty, then simply tossed the bars to the side. Finally, she unplugged the plug that was in the platform Raikou lied on. Wes ran over, stroking the beast soothingly. "Raikou..." He got out the canine's pokéball and returned him, looking at it. "I'll fix you right up once we get back..." He looked at Rui and nodded. She walked over to the large generator and placed the box down, taking off the lid and setting the bomb next to it. She was about to push the button when she stopped, her hand frozen. Thirty seconds and counting.

"WES! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Rui shouted, picking up Eevee and running out. Wes had seen and was now running out with her, the two other eons at their side. He took out two pokéballs and quickly let out their contents; Suicune and Entei. Immidiately, he swung onto Entei, along with his two pokémon. "RUI! GET ON SUICUNE!" She stopped running and Suicune obidiently went to her. She swung herself on, and with a few, rushed words, the two were off. Rui clung to Suicune for dear life quite literally. Normally, she would've been enthralled and perhaps a little envious of this beautiful creature, but now, all that was on her mind were prayers that they'd get out alive. As the two bounded out of the hole, Rui shouted, "PROTECT!" Suicune and Entei both obeyed and sent up a protective sheild, creating a huge, protective bubble. And then, there was an explosion behind them. The sound was earsplitting, and the explosion shattered the mighty sheild even so and sent them plummeting to the ground. The shatter, although (the barrier was) created by Suicune, knocked Rui out.



Not sure how long its been, but Rui finally awoke. She was in a soft, medlab-esque bed. Slowly she sat up. He didn't bring me to... her thoughts trailed off. No, this wasn't the medlab. She's never been in this room before. She turns her head towards a window. The stars were out. No wonder the lights weren't on. How... how long was I out? Rui thought, looking around. Eevee was on her bed, fast asleep, and of Wes there was no sign. Off to sleep in his own room, probably. But Rui could settle in bed and sleep restfully, knowing she didn't imagine the ringing of a shattering barrier and the huge boom of an underground building being destroyed.



Rui awoke again with a yawn and a stretch of the arms. Eevee picked up her head and gave an, "Oibuii. (Good morning.)" "Good mornin' to you too," Rui replied, rubbing her eyes, then looking over at the door when it opened. "Hey, you're up," Wes said, coming over. He was carrying a tray with a full glass of orange juice, and a plate next to it with eggs and toast. "Thought'd I'd bring you a little something," he said, setting it on her lap. She blushed. "Thanks... What happened yesterday?" "Well, the explosion broke the barrier and that's what knocked you out, apparently... Almost knocked us out too. But we got to the ground safely and headed home just afterwards. As for the base..." He smiled. "Well, how about I show you? Right after you eat." Rui smiled also. "Kay." And so Wes left to get his own breakfast and Rui munched on the eggs, and toast and drank the orange juice. Almost as soon as she was done, Wes came back in. "You sure you're alright for this?" He asked. Rui swung her feet off the bed and stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine." Wes nodded. "Alright then... You want to be on Suicune again?" Rui's eyes seemed to sparkled. "Oh, yes please... I love Suicune..." Wes grinned, and the two walk out together with Eevee behind them. Espeon and Umbreon, who had apparently been wandering the HQ, came up to Wes and greeted him before walking alongside him. Once they were outside, Wes whistled a small tune, then whistled another tune. First Entei came. Rui admired the huge beast's strength and beauty. Next came Suicune. Although in the desert, it looked perfectly content. With each bound, two wet paw prints were left in the sand. Wes and his two friends were already mounted on Entei. Rui grabbed Eevee, got on Suicune. "But before we go..."

Rui looked over at Wes inquiringly. "You don't really need your pokémon for this, do you?" He asked. She hesitated a bit before saying, "...No." "Then let them stay here," he said, adding, "I'm not really for pokéballs anymore. Only when I go out on missions. Otherwise, all our members keep them out here." Like Tails, she thought, remembering how Tails called to his Pidgeot by a whistle many times over. Rui nodded, taking two of her pokéballs and letting out the pokémon. Same with the next to. And then finally, the last one. Arcanine, Persian, Delcatty, Dragonair, and Glaceon all appeared, greeting Rui. "You guys can wander around a bit while I'm gone. If its too hot out here, you can go inside." Almost immidiately most of her team went inside, leaving a rather baffled Arcanine, who probably thought that the weather was perfect. "Ar?" Rui smiled. "Go on, Arcanine." He barked and ran off, leaving huge paw prints in the sand. Rui looked at Wes who nodded in satisfaction. "Right then. Let's go." Entei ran forward first, and then Suicune not too far behind. Rui pressed close to the purple cape-like cloud on its back, feeling powerful muscles moving underneath her. If on Arcanine she had been flying, then on Suicune she was soaring, soaring like the world was hers. It was such a powerful, yet relaxing feeling. When they all came to a stop, Suicune's fluid motion came slowly, easily to a stop. Rui sat up, leaving the sanctuary of the cloud, and gasped.

In front of her was a huge, huge ditch in the sand, with rubble everywhere. Before she had seen the destruction, she had felt proud. Now she felt her stomach was doing flips. Suicune, as though her legs, took a step back. "It's a little overwhelming first time around, but you get used to it," Wes explained, obviously noticing her actions. She looked at him, a bit shocked, with eyes that asked, 'Is this an everyday thing to you?' He gave a laugh, relaxing Rui a bit. "The first time's the hardest. The other times, it'll feel like you've always been doing it. Or, at least, that was how it was with me." Rui nodded silently in response. "Alright, Entei, Suicune, lets head back." And so they did, and Rui enjoyed every bit of it. Eevee was so silent the whole time, Rui almost forgot she was there when she flew out of her grasp and was caught by one of Suicune's ribbon-like tails, 'handing' the pokémon back to Rui. Soon enough, they came to the HQ, and before long all her pokémon were back in their pokéballs. "Good luck Rui. Looks like you've got a long day ahead of you," Wes said. Rui nodded, hugging him. "I'll see you later," she replied. "Eheh... yeah.." She lets go and grabs Eevee, then gets on Arcanine and runs off, leaving Wes to watch them go.



Once more, Rui was airborne with Eevee on Dragonair. The land was quickly becoming more defined as they flew closer. The first thing Rui noticed was a clock tower. Before this mission, she did a little research, as always. They appeared to have used to been a bad group. But now they were a band. Dragonair descended to the ground and Rui put Eevee down. She returned Dragonair and observed the area around her. Just a nice little moderately active city. She walked silently with Eevee until she came up to a person surrounded by Skitty, quite literally. There was one on her lap, one on her hat, two next to her on the bench, and three others playing around. The last one was on the top of the bench, asleep. Rui was nearly overwhelmed. Slowly she stepped around the playing Skitty (of which Eevee couldn't help but join in on the fun) and came to the woman. "Eh heh, excuse me..." "Yes'm? You new around here? Welcome." "Thanks but only for a bit. Do you know where the Go-Rock Quads are?" A frown formed on her face. "Gone." "...Gone?" "Disappeared." Rui listens to her reply, shocked. Disappeared? It was kind of hard for four people just to disappear without a trace. "Really...?" She nodded. "Such a shame... We all miss their music." Rui felt sympathy for the town, but she felt a bit fearful. How could they... disappear? She looked at Eevee whom played with the three Skitty. "You're.... sure they haven't... traveled?" "They would've said good-bye to us all, at the very least. So yes, I'm sure." "Thanks for the info." Now she couldn't get the information from them. She wondered what could've possibly happened to them. Disappeared. The word rang in her head. "Eevee!" Eevee got tackled by a Skitty and nipped her ear before running over to Rui. Rui leaned down and scratched Eevee's ear worriedly. She just hoped they were okay.



The reek. The horrid reek of the unknown, swirling substance beneath made the girl want to lose her lunch. The only thing that seperated the two was a stage of sorts, made of glass so that you could see the lake of purple goo below. In front of her was a massive fleet of stairs, leading up to a large, foreboding black building, resembling two pyramids connected at the base. Rui held Eevee tight as though the substance would come alive and take her precious fox if she didn't. She took a deep breath of the rancid air to wash away her nerves, but somehow it frightened her more. The structure in front of her was most unwelcoming, but she knew she must not hesitate any longer. Slowly gathering up her courage, she walked across the glass. Everything seemed so deathly quiet, besides the soft, scared breaths of Rui and Eevee, and the strange, mucky sound of the pool like acid. Was it acid? It couldn't be said for sure. The only loud noise was her boots against the floor, which almost sounded deafening. She did not hesitate upon reaching the stairs, and began her way up. The climb seemed to last an eternity and a second at the same time, but was neither in actuality. When she got to the top, two massive black double doors blocked her way. In such a situation, it probably would've been best if Rui had sneaked in some way. But there was only one road; otherwise, it was surrounded by the foreboding, mucky mass of purple. Rui couldn't fathom how such a building was made in such circumstances. The prescence of it simply sitting in the goo didn't make the muck seem any safer. The fact that the dark structure seemed heavily armored by ebon plates made the substance seem even more horrifying- like it could kill a being with a single deadly drop.

Her blue eyes switched back and forth between the two cameras which were present on either top corner of the double doors. Quickly, quietly, she grabbed a pokéball from her jacket pocket and released its contents in a single red beam, which flashed white and exploded on contact with the ground, then formed into into her sleek, bat-winged mount. Rui put her pointer finger to her mouth silently, put Eevee down, then whispered in the lowest possible voice she could while allowing her partner to hear, "Ice beam both the cameras, then shatter them." With a silent nod, the dragon turned her head towards the spies and shot an ice beam at one. Instantly, as though awakened, both of the cameras turned in the sound's direction. When the first was hit, the second turned, as if to observe it. Dragonair ice beamed that camera too, then flew forward and spun around, slamming her tail first into one camera, then hitting the other in a fluid motion. Both shattered and fell to the ground, dead. Rui stayed silent for several moments more as did her pokémon, holding her breath. Would they come? The minutes dragged on when finally Rui made her way to the double doors, gradually creaking it open. Although a couple of lights glowed on the cieling, the room seemed, felt pitch black. But it seemed no one was there. Yet. Slowly, Rui made opened the door as though she were a shy, unwelcomed visitor, then closed it behind her after her pokémon followed.

The place was as quiet and unwelcoming as a rarely visited library. It should have reassured Rui to know she had nothing to face yet, but it intensified her fear, her nervousness even more so. She was sure this was the place. So why was no one here to greet her? Slowly, Rui entered the room in front of her. Inside were many contraptions- large computers, conveyer belts, test tubes and more. It looked something like a blend of a labratory and an industry, of which it once was. A long time ago, it had been used to create vicious monsters of pokémon, otherwise known as Shadow Pokémon. They had been made in masses, armies. The room had been alive with scientists with brows furrowed in concentration or smirks of accomplishment. It had been made alive by the drones of machines, working without stop, carrying, building, destroying. That is what set the room apart from the past. The enclosure was empty, lifeless, and as foreboding as incoming death. No mechanical sounds filled the room; no constant clicking of shoes against the floor except her own. It should have been welcoming, knowing that ten guards didn't suddenly jump her. But it wasn't. The deadly silence that hung over it thrilled her in such a way that if she had been in a haunted house with ghosts out to eat her soul, she couldn't have been the least bit more terrified. But through it all, a confidence, a feeling of righteousness gave her the strength to carry on. It's funny how some buildings, such as this one, hold an such an air of intimidation that it scares any living being into keeping their mouth shut.

There seemed to be nothing of importance here, and so Rui left the room quietly and walked towards the stairs, glancing about nervously. Now that her mind was (more or less) free of terrors, she could hear movement above. Movement, mechanical sounds, as though the room she had just been to was pulled up to the next floor. With a nervous gulp, Rui turned her head swiftly to check, just make sure, that her pokémon were still safely behind. Both of them watched Rui, looking at her obidiently. Reassured, Rui gave a sigh of relief and turned her head back towards the stairs. What would she do when she got up there? What if she was attacked? It was strange for her to have come as far as she had without encountering any sort of security, save for the two cameras at the entrance. But she hadn't been so observant upon coming in. She had been overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Slowly she realised this and her heart skipped a beat. Surely, there was nothing but those two cameras?

Ah, but that was where Rui was wrong.

Suddenly, there came a pounding from above. Rui wanted to get out. She wanted to get out now. But she found her feet glued in place. The thumping got louder, louder. Now her heart raced in an impossible race which had no finish line. Now a roar came from the savage beast that was coming. It bounced off the walls of the stairwell. Eevee shook as though she was caught in an earthquake, taking a step back. Dragonair slithered forward a bit, and gave out a loud, challenging cry. And then she saw it. And what she saw made her heart stop.

From its slavering jaws dripped saliva. It's eyes were bloodshot, and a short orange fur covered it's human-esque body. In a few places, black stripes cut cleanly through the orange. The paws seemed deformed- half human, half canine. Broken claws, glistening red from an earlier kill, screeched against the tiles. Behind it was a stump of a yellow tail, probably deemed useless and cut off in some way or another. The legs too seemed deformed, as the canine-looking hind legs had the knees almost touching the ground. The fur could be described as unkept, but the word seemed to do no justice to the massive tangles and broken hairs. A cream mane, dirtied so that it was mixed with brown and dust, was also 'unkept' and overgrown so that the messy locks fell listlessly down its face, devoured its neck and chest, and also covered a good portion of the upper body. Two ears, orange but furless and repulsivly deformed, perked towards Rui eagerly.

It was, quite essentially, a living, breathing were-wolf. Rui had seen another Arcanine hybrid before. LS. But his transformation was done by magic. This monster could not be. It was an experiment. It was a forced hybrid now with no mind of its own. Rui felt absolutely horrified. A stillness rang in the air. A deathly stillness. And then, it charged forward with a mighty roar. A roar that claimed Rui. Claimed her for the dead.

Rui screeched and jumped to the side, feeling a wind rush by her as the beast zoomed past, hearing the two mighty jaws crash together, devouring nothing but air. Dragonair screeched protectivly, firing out an ice beam. The swirling, freezing mix hit the hybrid on the side, causing it not to fall back or flinch, but to swerve around and snarl like a rabid beast. It ran forward again and gaped its jaws, threatening to swallow Dragonair seemily whole. The only thing that saved her was that she again fired off an ice beam, but straight into the gaping mouth. It did not whine, but instead made some hidious strangled sound. Rui's heart pounded. What the hell was this thing? Thanks to it being a fire type, however, the ice quickly melted away, and the attack had given Dragonair valuable time to get away. Eevee ran forward bravely and slammed into the Arcanine's hind leg with Take Down. The beast made the strangled sound again and fell to the ground, quickly scrambling up and spinning around, eyes wide and mouth foaming. Rui was sickened by the very way it ran with no coordination whatsoever, yet still managing to stay on all fours. It ran towards Eevee, snarling, barking madly. If it were not for the fact she had encountered large pokémon many time before, she certainly would've been dinner. With a squeal, she ran underneath the deformed legs and twisted around to bite firmly on the stub of a tail. This time, it did yelp, but it sounded like a poor mix of a yelp, a snarl, and a strangled gurgle. It ran around in circles vainly, snapping at Eevee's tail as it tried to get her off. Dragonair trilled and flew forward quickly, spinning around and landing an Aqua Tail on the Arcanine's side, sending it tumbling to the floor and sending Eevee flying down the hallway.

It gave a vengeful roar, swerving its head around and getting a firm grasp on Dragonair's body. Rui gasped in horror. It tossed its ugly head from side to side viciously, thrashing Dragonair. Finally, it threw its head and let go, throwing Dragonair's bloody body into the wall. Then it turned to Rui. "Oh god no," Rui whispered, taking a step back. That one step triggered the monster again, and it threw up its head and howled. Instantly, Rui grabbed one of her pokéballs and threw it out. When she did, the beast's jaws clamped down on her hand and thrashed. Rui screamed as massive wave of pain flooded through her body. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't think at all. The pain was overwhelming. Suddenly, the teeth ripped away, and Rui collasped on the ground, shaking, gasping. She heard the battle continuing with the pokémon she had thrown out. She couldn't think about it though. So Rui sat sprawled there for an eternity more, focusing on her own breath. It was the only thing that could calm her down. Minutes passed, and soon the roaring, the slamming stopped, and she felt a wet nose against her leg. She looked up. Eevee stood there. There were a few scratches on her, but it seemed she evaded the worst of the fight. Rui looked up to see her Persian and Dragonair panting heavily, both injured badly. She had never fathomed the guard to be this. Past the two tired bodies she could see a third, curled up, scarred, and unmoving in its small pool of blood.

With a thankful, shuddery sigh, she opens her purse as best she can, and with the help of Eevee, creates a makeshift cast for her hand out of the first aid she always carries around. It would be dealt with after the mission was done. She took an hour or so to recover, and her pokémon eagerly accepted the rest as well. Slowly Rui got over her shock, though she couldn't help but wonder. Why hadn't the scientists come to check on the situation? Perhaps... perhaps they thought she didn't live through it. She shouldn't. But she did. If she hadn't had the friends she did, she probably wouldn't have made it out in one peice. Or in any peices at all. No, at this point she'd probably be digesting in the large intestine or whatnot. As Persian came and flopped down next to her, Rui lifted her uninjured hand and stroked the scarred body. The pain in her hand had dulled considerably 'till it was moderate. She would forever be scarred. Mentally, and perhaps physically too. Her hand looked and felt mangled as she bandaged it. Hopefully it would still be useable, if anything. With one more shuddery sigh, she grabs Persian's pokéball and returns him. Slowly she got into a standing position, taking the other pokéball to return Dragonair. Eevee came up beside her, and with a last look at the deceased monster, Rui headed up to the second floor.

Luck was on her side. If she could be stealthy enough, she could probably get through the next floors (however many there were) without alerting any of the people that worked here. And since she was supposedly 'dead', hopefully no more monsters would come her way. Then she paused; The Go-Rock Quads. They had disappeared, and Darts had linked them to this plan. Perhaps, they.. were kidnapped? It seemed reasonable; the people of the town had known them to be a good bunch of sorts, even with their bad history. So should she go now to search for them and risk having another (-shudder-) guard come down? Or should she continue on and get back to them after? There's no telling what could be ordered while she fought out with Alex... No, they came first. With a nod to herself, she stopped ascending the stairs and thought. Eevee stopped a few steps ahead, then turned her head to look at her owner quizally. She should check the basement first, definately. If there was a basement. But she'd have to be extra careful. Any guards she may find, she'd have to take away any and all forms of communications they had so she wouldn't have a second one-monster war. Communications ultimately included the vocals, so she'd have to knock out any person to have the best chance of not being found out. And if she met another monster? Although the thought made her shudder, it seemed the poor beasts really had no intellect of their own, so it'd be rather idiotic to have them wandering around. Or it could be absolutely brilliant- Nothing could get in, nothing could get out.

Rui prayed the man thought it was the former and didn't go with that plan as she walked around the first floor, peeking in doors and trying to find stairs. Eevee walked right alongside her, stopping suddenly. Rui stopped as well, looking down at her. "(Someone's coming.")" she squeaked quietly. While Rui could not yet hear footsteps, she trusted Eevee to the fullest, and immidiately made her descion to hide somewhere- fast. But where? Her eyes ran along the walls, finding a door, and at the same moment, hearing footsteps, and then, "The bloody hell? ... Sir, we have a problem." Her heart raced and so did she and Eevee- raced to the door as quickly and quietly they could manage. She swung open the door and stepped into the darkness, and closed it behind her as Eevee ran in. It wasn't too dark, thankfully. She could make out stairs. Stairs! And down those stairs was a light. And from that light, she heard, "Did you hear that?" "Oh no..." Rui whispered quietly, her mind quickly going into override. Footsteps echoed down the stairs, and quickly, without thinking, she threw out one of her pokémon's pokéball. From it appeared Arcanine. Just who she needed. With his help, she grabbed Eevee and mounted him, then the two slowly made their way down the stairs. As they came halfway, a man, lanky and unkept in appearance, appeared in the doorway. "HOLY-" "Shut up. Or Arcanine will kill you," Rui threatened, her voice sounding much more dangerous than she realises and more dangerous than she's probably said in her life. Rui wouldn't do something as rash as kill someone so innocent, but the bluff worked well, and slowly he raised his hands. "And if your friend calls anyone, I'll have him kill both of you." But he wasn't calling anyone. He too, appeared in the doorway, and pointed his pistol at Arcanine, who growled softly.

Rui was sure they could both hear her heart, pounding so hard so that it may burst out of her chest. Both weapons were just as fast as the other. Rui felt no pain, but once again, she found herself at a loss of thoughts. Her eyes had widened, and the man smirked, knowing he had the upper hand. From then on, Rui would make sure not to show her feelings to her opponent, no matter how scared, pained, or surprised she was. "Now..." Came his voice, low, and somewhat wheezy, probably as a consequence of smoking. "Get yer dog away from him... YEEOOOWWW!" The gun clattered to the floor as he realeased it, flinging his hand up to give Rui a full view of Eevee, clinging on to that hand for dear life. Rui marveled the bravery of her pokémon, but she had to act fast. "Knock him out, Arcanine!" The huge canine grabbed the earlier threatened man by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, then let him slide down, unconcious. Afterwards, he took the other man's collar as soon as Eevee let go, and repeated the process. Rui felt an awful lot better, seeing the two silent, but she knew now that everything had to be fast forwarded. Eevee may have cost her the mission, but she saved the life of Arcanine (and perhaps Rui, too), and that was good enough for her. Alexander, it seemed, would have to be dealt with another day. But the very least she could do was see why the two guards were down here. So she dismounted Arcanine and ran in, eyes searching, immidiately finding the prize; four people all in one cell. "How do I-" "Him!" The only girl in the group pointed at the man whom the other had addressed as Steven. Rui knelt down and searched his pockets, coming up with a key. She scrambled up (so fast and recklessly she slipped on the tile floor, but didn't go down, thank Arceus,) and ran to the cell, her hand shaking so much that it must've took her a whole 30 seconds just to get it in and turn it.

"Thank you so much," one of the men said as the other three ran out, two heading towards a closet in which their instruments were stored, and the girl going into a cabinet and producing four pokéballs. She took one and let out the pokémon, producing an Espeon. Delighted, she said, "Espeon, teleport all of us back home." The five of them came together (eight, including the pokémon), and all disappeared in a flash of light just as the door swung open to reveal a guard.


K'O'd Pokemon
Opposing: None
Ally: None
Evo Points Gained
None
Item(s) Acquired: Bomb
Item(s) Used: Bandage, Bomb
Money Acquired: $0
Money Used: $0
Objective Failed

She would prove herself as a Medic. She would never throw away all that's been taught. But what to do? She's been lingering over this mission since it was made. She had checked often for unexplained medical problems. None had arisen until now. Volkner, the last gym leader, had fallen terribly ill. His gym had to be closed down, and that produced quite a many frustrated trainers. They had even taken it upon themselves to battle each other until he got better, and some have even skipped right to the Sinnoh Elite 4. They were allowed to battle them instead, but many found themselves beaten, since crucial training by battling Volkner was needed. But the doctors couldn't figure out exactly what it was he had. His condition had been worsening, and there was no one who wanted to find a replacement. Rui didn't know if she could fix him, but she would certainly try her best. After reading the article, she had been satisfied, printed it out, and left for Sunyshore City. Of course, she had stopped by a well-known man, the Berry Master, first, and gotten plenty of healing berries. While a simple Pecha berry or Cheri berry may not be enough, mixtures of them work wonders. After some strange allergic reactions, however, people had become far more cautious on the whole procedure. Too cautious, Rui believed.

She arrived on Dragonair, enjoying the view. Sunyshore City certainly had a unique look to it, but wonderful all the same. She landed Dragonair just on the edge of the city, but of course, someone just had to see Dragonair. "Girl! Where'd you get that Dragonair?!" Said a rather over-enthusiastic male. Rui's eye twitched. "My name's not Girl. It's Rui," she corrected. "And secondly, I got this Dragonair the same way anyone else got theirs. Evolution." That was only half true, however. Most obtained ther Dratini in the wild or by trade. Few saved theirs from an evil team. Dragonair tilted her head at the man. "But how did you get it like that?" "I'm doing something important here. Please leave me be." "But--!" "Get. Away," Rui interrupted, glaring at the stubborn man. Dragonair gave a trill, her horn crackling with electricity. That seemed to convince him. He got away right quick. Rui stroked Dragonair and returned her. She hadn't brought Eevee; she left her at home to look after her three younglings, Pidgey, Riolu, and Mightyena, who was convinced that had hadn't quite matured yet while evolving. Arcanine and Persian kept watch over them as well. Otherwise, they were free to do as they pleased. She would let Dragonair roam outside while she worked, but she figured too many trainers would be all to eager to catch her.

She walked to the Pokécenter, which was where they had moved him when he had gotten worse. When she got inside, she went straight to Nurse Joy. "Hello!" She greeted with a smile, despite how doing the same phrase over and over, day after day, could quickly get tiring. "How may I help you today?" "I'm here to help Volkner." Some of the people resting in the PokéCenter looked at her, gave murmurs of grief or curiousity, or both. Rui expected to have to show her doctor's (or rather, doctor in training) ID, but Nurse Joy simply, and a bit sadly, said, "Right over there, go left and it'll be the third door on the right," and pointed to the door. Rui nodded, then asked, "Could I keep my Dragonair here?" She knew that as long as she kept Dragonair in here, she'd be safe, and hopefully not bored, as many would like to interact with the rare, and in this case, unique pokémon. Nurse Joy nodded, and so Rui let out Dragonair and told her to stay, and she'd be back later. She didn't seem to mind. With that done, Rui gave a sigh, adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder before heading through the doors and going to the directed door.

When she opened it, however, Volkner was not there. Instead, there was a woman of a slightly large build folding the doctors' outfits. "Mm?" She murmured, noticing Rui. "'Ey, you a volunteer?" "Something like that." "Mmm," she replied, tossing one of the outfits over her shoulder to Rui. "Changin' room's right across from 'ere. Volkner's room's a'hundred." "Thank you," Rui said quickly, heading out and changing into the outfit. It was always important to be protected from diseases one worked with. But didn't they say that Volkner was the only one infected? Queer thing, that. One would think because of that it was a genetic problem, but why would it arise so late in one's years? She wondered what could be wrong as she made her way to room 100. As she got closer to the numbers, coughing, violent and loud, peirced the quiet of the hall through one of the doors. When she came up to that door, it was, undoubtly, room 100. She gave a wince as the coughing grew more violent, then slowly calmed. It certainly sounded painful, whatever he had. Rui took in a large breath before opening the door.

A person stood near the vital machines, watching the man with pity in her eyes. She was the only one in the room aside from Volkner, and now, Rui. She looked up when she came in and closed the door behind her. "How is he?" Rui asked. It was obvious in what a bad condition he was, but it seemed polite to ask. She sighed and shook her head. "Not good." Rui looked at the blonde haired man in the bed, his eyes closed and face distraught with pain. Admittedly, he was also cute, but looks never seemed to factor into illnesses. "What are the syptoms?" "Violent coughing, abdominal pain, and about the strangest thing ever... Sometimes he has fevers, really high ones at that, and sometimes his temperature drops below normal." Rui's eyebrows raised. "You're sure the thermometers aren't broken?" "Certain." Strange... Rui thought, looking at him. A painful groan came from him. Rui couldn't help but put her hand on his head and stroke it once. He felt a bit cold. The blankets on him, however, were well-tucked. "Is he allergic to any berries?" Rui asked while digging through her berry bag. "No. Not any of the common ones, at least." She watches Rui produce two Aspear berries. "Please give him only one though. Otherwise he'll go straight into a fever." Surprised by this increased sensitivity, Rui nodded and put the other away, while feeding him the Aspear berry. He didn't seem to like it, but he took it fine, willing to have anything to get him out of this horrible status.

Rui's hand rested on his forehead as her mind worked. For his stomach ache, he'd probably need a Sitrus berry. The Rawst berry would help with the coughing, and the fevers. The Aspear berry would do for the temperature drops. Whatever was causing this problem needed a strong berry. Probably a Watmel or Durin berry. If she put those all in a blender and gave him the formula, he would probably be cured. Probably. But one factor made her queasy on the whole concept. Two Aspear berries, the normal remedy for a fever, was too much for Volkner. If she gave him four berries put together, that'd probably be enough to send his digestive system into fits. She needed one berry that could cure it all. One of the miracle berries. The Starf would probably do it the best. But it was a rare berry, and the Mirage Island it was on appeared only ever so often. Once a month perhaps? They couldn't wait for a month. But she had to try. She had to do something.

With a polite nod towards the other, she left the room quickly, not even stopping to take off her uniform, or say goodbye to Nurse Joy. She told Dragonair to come, and as soon as they were outside, she jumped on Dragonair and headed for Pacifilog town. It seemed Rui made an error in her judgement, however, as when they were out on the ocean (which was covered in fog, by the way), the riding was obviously less smooth, and her wings were pumping more often with more effort. Rui was starting to get beads of sweat on her forehead, and it wasn't from the heat. "Comon, Dragonair..." She urged gently. If Dragonair went down, they'd be stuck out on the ocean. Likely until a boat came. Or if no boat came...? Well, two scenarios she could think of. They could A) Drown, or B) Get stranded on an island (which didn't seem so bad as long as the trip back to mainland wasn't too far for Dragonair). ...She just really hoped Dragonair wouldn't let her down. But Dragonair simply couldn't keep up. Suddenly, she was descending, quite fast. Now they were in the thick fog. Rui seriously couldn't see anything. The only way she knew Dragonair was still underneath her was by touch. Then, the fog thinned out again, although there was still a bit. Dragonair made a rocky landing on whatever she landed on, giving a pitiful whine. Rui got off and hugged her. "Sorry, Dragonair..."

She returned the Dragon-type with a sigh and looked around the island. It was sparsely inhabited by very few trees, some flowers, a couple of bushes, and... a Wynaut? Rui blinked curiously at the little pokémon. From what she could tell, it blinked back, considering it's closed-looking eyes. "Hey there little guy," she greeted. "Wynaut?" She gave a giggle, moving towards it. That sent it scattering, however. "Aw," she mumured, watching it disappear into the fog. She didn't intend on catching it, however. Not with her only pokémon so weak and under circumstances like this. ... Now hold on a second. Wynaut? Aren't those things common on... She looked around, then headed up land. Up ahead, she saw a couple of bushes with colorful berries on them. Yes! Starf berries! Rui thought, running towards them. A Wynaut was snacking on them, however, and quickly turned around to face her. "WYNAUT!" She stopped running. While she gladly would've waited for it's turn to be over, there were only so many Starf berries. Slowly, she continued to approach. The greedy Wynaut jumped in front of her. Rui sighed and grabbed Dragonair's pokéball, backing off and letting her out. She was still panting. "Sorry, Dragonair," Rui apologized again. Maybe bringing more than one pokémon would've been smart. She hadn't counted on battling, however. And Dragonair could usually take care of them just fine, since she wasn't normally in such conditions. Rui was fairly certain a Wynaut wouldn't give her too many problems, though.

"Dragon Rush!" She ordered. Dragonair nodded tiredly a flew out towards the Wynaut, hitting it square and fainting it. Rui's eyebrows lifted. Well, that was easy. She walked towards the bush and picked off three Starf berries (just in case), and returned Dragonair after a thank you and praising. She hopped down from the cliff and sat down on the shore. She could see perhaps a yard of water, then it was all white. There was absolutely no way a ship would find her. She'd be surprised if a ship even tried getting through this fog. With time on her hands, she took one of the Starf berries and popped it in her mouth. Delicious! She thought, enjoying it. She wouldn't eat another one though. She had to save those two for when she got back. She rocked back and forth, wondering how Volkner was doing. Getting worse, no doubt. She bit her bottom lip, getting up and pacing the shore. How much time should she allow Dragonair to rest? Pace, pace. What if he was suddenly in a much worse condition, and he needed this now? Pace, pace. What if the Starf berry didn't work? Pace. Pace. Pace. Where'd she get all this energy from? Energy, energy... Starf berry, energy. Energy from the Starf berry? She stopped. Yes, she must've gotten it from the Starf berry! And hopefully... It'd be enough to get Dragonair to the Pokécenter in Sunyside City. Granted, she should still allow her pokémon time for a real rest.

So, she waited another ten minutes, anxiously pacing, and stealing another two Starf berries from the bush( and eating one; Hey, they're good!). When she was pretty sure Dragonair had had enough time to rest, she let her out. "Dragonair, you ready?" Dragonair trilled. Rui sighed in relief, getting on. "Sorry for working you so hard, sweetie." Dragonair accepted her apology with another trill, then took off the island. They burst from the cloud of fog in a couple of seconds and rose above the ocean. There was water on all sides. Rui sighed and clung to Dragonair, wishing for the best. She opened up her Poképalm and directed her towards Sunyside City. It took another 10 minutes for Dragonair to tire, and they were still on the open sea. "Here, Dragonair," Rui murmured, taking one of three remaining Starf berries and popping it into the pokémon's mouth. It seemed like she was ready to go down again, but she got an amazing burst of energy, and sped off with only a bit of warning which Rui took, making the teen at least half-prepared for the dash. It took half the time it normally would've to get to Sunyside City, which Rui was thankful for. However, the next thing she saw made her heart rate double, maybe even triple.

People were crowded around the PokéCenter, with a news reporter standing in the front and Jennys keeping the people back. It made Rui thankful that she kept her uniform, for when she recalled Dragonair for some well-earned rest, she was allowed into the building- that was, after the task of getting through the people was done. She ran straight across the lobby and down the hallway, running past the door and then quickly hurrying back. She swung the door open, her eyes widening. Four nurses were around Volkner, trying their absolute hardest to do everything for him. It was all in vain. His condition had worsened incredibly, and Rui was surprised that the crowd outside couldn't hear his yells of pain. Then again, they might hear it just as she does. Certainly not as loud due to the distance and barriers, but painful and heart-wrenching all the same. Rui dug into her berry pouch and produced a Starf berry, quickly moving over to the pained Volkner. The pain was making him absolutely delirious. Rui bit her lower lip. "Shh, shh. Come on, Volkner. You need to take- Ow!" He bit her finger as he grabbed for the berry. He bit hard, too. Rui bit her lip again until he released and chewed furiously on the berry. "Slowly... slowly.. don't choke yourself."

The other nurses have all stopped to watch what was going on. Volkner swallowed the berry, his heart rate still racing. At first, Rui was terribly, terribly afraid it wasn't going to work... And then... BEEBEEBEEBEEBEE BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Beep... Beep... Beep... His heart rate had gone down to a normal rate. A collective sigh came from all the nurses, including Rui herself. She placed his hand on his head. He was bloody cold, but surely enough, recovering slowly. A couple of coughs came from him and the whole room (except for Volkner, of course) seemed to hold their breath, then again let out a collective sigh when he stopped. It didn't sound half as bad as it did earlier. The only Nurse Joy, the one who ran this PokéCenter, turned to Rui. "You saved his life." "Y-yeah..." Rui responded. Did she save his life? She couldn't say for sure. Maybe he was only good for a little bit. "I'll stay tonight to make sure he's well though." Nurse Joy nodded. "Alright. Thank you so much. We'll go tell them. What's your name, by the way?" "Rui." Nurse Joy nodded and headed out, along with the others.

Rui sat by his side, knowing he likely wouldn't awaken until the next day. That was fine. She didn't actually plan on waiting for him to awaken anyways. But she was wrong. In the middle of the night with the stars shining as a light into the room, his eyes fluttered open. "Go back to sleep, Volk," Rui mused, hardly aware of the pet name she gave him. It was likely because she should be going to sleep herself. She wouldn't, though, for anything. Although he'd been sleeping peacefully for hours now, Rui was going to keep her word and wait until the morning. "Who.. who are you?" "Rui. Go back to sleep," she repeated after saying her name. "...I'm feeling better now. Did you make me better?" "Volk, go to sleep." "Did you? I just..." "Yes! Go to sleep." He murmured once before turning lazily in the bed and falling asleep once more. So Rui sat there in the quiet night, not daring falling asleep. She watched the sunrise, and the scene was refreshing. It'd give her energy for at least until she got back to the HQ. When Nurse Joy came in a few hours later, she looked shocked. Rui only nodded to her, however, before heading to the changing room and getting back into her own outfit. Then, she left the Pokécenter and had Dragonair take her back to the HQ, where her bed awaited her.


K'O'd Pokemon
Opposing: Wynaut
Ally: N/A
Evo Points Gained
Dragonair: 2 (Wynaut)
Item(s) Acquired: Starf Berry x4
Item(s) Used: Starf Berry x3
Money Acquired: $0
Money Used: $0
Objective Accomplished