Author's Note: Hi there readers and writers!
I haven't updated any of my stories in months, which is not like me. I have really missed this place, and am sorry for staying away. This spring I found myself in a very controlling and toxic relationship. I was put through hell, and stopped writing because my entire life was turned upside down by a bad boyfriend. I escaped that situation, and am with a wonderful new boy.
I have had a lot of ideas and really want to get to work on writing again before Christmas. This is my first update since June. Keep watching because I plan to add a brand new pokemon story or two to make up for my disappearance. Maybe even a Harry Potter story too.
- Happy Holidays
The House of Water, Earth and Fire
Dylan's eyes burned at the sight of intruders from Team Magma. Even though she was the enemy of Team Aqua too, she was still through and through one of their Gyarados.
"Where is your shame?" asked the priestess coldly as her enemies surrounded the church.
Vulpix made a circle around Dylan and stood staring at the strange men and women. His eyes turned predatory. His body glowed with orange light, preparing for an attack. The hairs on the burnt umber coat stood up straight, trembling with rage. All six of his tails stiffened and splayed outward. His gaze fell on a tall, lean gentleman in the center of the crowd. Vulpix could recognize a leader of a pack when he saw one. The balance of power resided with that one.
The one in control was a patrician fellow with a high-necked collar that gave him the erect posture of a girafarig. The gentleman wore square-framed glasses. He dressed in blood red, the same as his gang. Even the hair that swept his shoulders was red.
Maxie kept his head held high, an imperious expression stamped on his face. A swellow-tail frock coat reached all the way down to his boots, trailing across the tiles as he walked slowly toward Dylan, seeming taller and greater with each step.
Dylan kept her hand on the pokeball hidden in her robes in the way a soldier guarded his sword. "Come no further."
'Where is your vision child?" asked the leader of Team Magma, adjusting his glasses. "Ours is a noble organization whose goal is to propel humanity to even greater heights of progress. You could become one of the young people here to help shape humanity's future. You who call yourself a priestess should think more about others. It is selfish."
The vulpix at Dylan's feet made himself vocal as they tried to intimidate Dylan. He spit out fire like a blowtorch while crying his own own name."Vul!"
She raised her hand gently so that Vulpix understood not to use to violence if it could be avoided. Vulpix halted his flamethrower, and looked at the closest thing he had to a pokemon trainer. She would always try first to keep the peace before disturbing the hundreds of pokemon souls that resided at Mt. Pyre. He held his head down at how naive humans could be.
A Magma grunt raised his pokeball, but their leader Maxie placed his arm forward as well. The priestess had not yet shed blood, so neither would he unless she stayed obstinate. Maxie considered himself a perfectly reasonable man.
A strange laughter echoed through Mr Pyre. A Magma Admin stepped into the light. The mechanical laugh came from a figure with devil horns on her her hood. The half-hidden face was pale and mannequin-like. Wisps of violet hair framed her cheekbones. The laughing woman spoke in a childlike voice that sounded as though she had inhaled helium, unnerving Vulpix. "You're...so cute! A Team Aqua member... thinks she knows ... what's best for the development of humanity? Haha!"
"The ancient people of Hoenn knew a great deal that we still do not."
A second admin with a black head of hair stood upfront, covering his ears as Dylan spoke. He was a stout and square fellow with heavy feet emphasized by his boots, and the comportment of a rhyhorn. Yet he grinned from ear to ear with the expression of a gourgeist, assured that he was the smartest person in the room. The admin stuck out his tongue.
"You really, really, really should stop. You annoying undertaker you! Team Magma wants to expand the land mass and build homes for people and pokemon alike," he bellowed, putting a finger to his round, pie-like face with an exaggerated gesture as if he was lost in thought. A malicious smile appeared. "Wait a second? Isn't it Team Aqua who wants to drown the world in a great big flood that would kill everyone? You sound more like the criminals who threaten humanity!"
"I am not in Team Aqua now," she said, looking away as the Magma grunts taunted her. She slowly picked up a cup, offering it Maxie. "I stopped. So can you."
It was a stone vessel containing the sacred drink of Mt. Pyre. The cornn berries for the wine had been crushed in front of a hunk of soul dew, absorbing the light omitted from the jewel under the sun. The wine was filled with petals from a shiny roselia that had the power to relax a troubled mind. There was a tiny pearl inside cast off from a Grumpig. The pearl of wisdom had to be swallowed in an act of piety.
"Its poison boss!" cried the round-shouldered man.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Maxie asked, sneering at the cup. "Does this mean you are incapable of defeating me?"
Dylan raised the cup and drank it herself, showing that no harm would come from sipping from the Cup of Life. Without saying a word, she offered the cup to Maxie again.
"You are...interesting," stammered the laughing the girl.
"Boss, I say she just doesn't want us to have the orbs. I bet Archie is probably somewhere in the back room with all of the orbs! He's the real mastermind behind it all. Team Aqua's undertaker here just doesn't want us around so that they flood the world. She just wants Kyogre instead of Groudon," said the heavyset man, stomping on the floor of the church.
No power on earth could prevent Vulpix from biting the pokemon trainer. He bared his fangs and attacked. It took Vulpix time to tear through the leather of the admin's glove, but get through he did, and chomped right down on the palm of his hand. The admin waddled around, trying to shake the fox pokemon off of him, but Vulpix stuck to him like glue.
"Courtney and Tabitha that is enough!" said Maxie sternly, both arms still folded behind his back.
Maxie did not even bother to look back. There was a look of contempt on his face. He was an eloquent man, and perfectly capable of defending himself without two fools.
"Please drink, and leave these orbs at Mt Pyre where they belong. I don't want to keep fighting," said Dylan with her arm still outstretched, holding the cup.
Maxie knocked the stone cup from Dylan's hands, staining the tile with wine."It is a pity that you are so literal-minded, its a saddening trait in one so young."
Maxie snapped his fingers, and threw a pokeball to the ground. Out of the light appeared a red camel with stones on his back where humps should have sat. There were flickering candle flames on top of his head in place of tufts of hair. Camerupt breathed smoke, eager for a taste of battle.
"The pokemon who reside here won't forgive you again!"
She opened the net ball she received from Archie many years ago. As the teal ball shook the halls filled with a sorrowful moan from the pokemon inside. Out of the stream of light emerged a milky serpent with rose-colored antennae and large feminine eyes that resembled pink quartz. There was a horn at the top of the wondrous creature's head and a long. Milotic had a flowing fin on each side of her face, trailing down to the floor like yards of pink silk. The pokemon's tail stretched around the stone tiles for yards. Her scales shimmered, reflecting back the low light of the candle-filled prayer hall. She circled Dylan, waiting for her trainer's instructions.
Grandfather came down the stairs, hearing the commotion. He held onto the railing carefully, having just recovered from a broken hip. "Dylan, are you alright?"
Vulpix sensed sudden fear. Dylan tried to remain icy and unafraid in front of Team Magma, but the fox knew the smell of sweat. She was terrified that they might kill the old man. He stopped chasing Tabitha and went back to Dylan.
"I'm fine Grandfather," she said, then turned to the Vulpix and whispered. "Please protect him my friend, or he will hurt himself."
Vulpix looked at the doddering old man fumbling through his pockets for a pokeball. He sprinted over to shield Grandfather so that he would have time to run away, but the old man would not leave his granddaughter. No matter how hard Vulpix's muzzle pushed against him, he stayed as stubborn as an old mudsdale. Grandfather prided himself as being the source of talent that Phoebe inherited her strength from.
"Don't worry Dylan, stay close to me! I won't let them hurt you!" he called out, ignoring the Vulpix that nudged his old legs
"Please stay upstairs, lock yourself in and protect grandmother," she begged.
"It is to be a double battle then," said Maxie, glancing back at his grunts, not caring particularly which one fought at his side.
A touch of intrigue bled through in Maxie's baritone now. He had never seen the old man fight.
"Interesting," chirped Courtney happily at the chance to battle alongside her messiah, kill the interesting girl and make Team Magma's vision a reality.
An old woman's voice flooded with worry came from this distance.
"Dylan!" she gasped, watching helplessly at the top of the stairs as Team Magma surrounded her husband and granddaughter. "Oh no!"
"Go Torkoal!" Grandpa cried, raising his hand high with a clenched fist around the white and red ball. "We'll fight fire with fire!"
Out of the light appeared a slow-moving orange turtle with a shell that looked like used charcoal. The long-necked creature looked around confused for a moment, snorted out a puff of smoke before gradually dragging his heavy feet down the stairs.
This time Courtney's laugh was not the only one that echoed through Mt. Pyre, nearly the entire team rocked with laughter as they watched the coal pokemon shuffle around the room, all except Maxie who showed no emotion.
Dylan looked on pityingly at Grandfather's humiliation. Poor Torkoal tries, he's a determined little pokemon, but no match for Team Magma. And I can't use the move surf with him on the field now. Milotic's attack will hurt Torkoal as well.
Maxie lowered his glasses. There was an insert on the side of the glasses frame that might have been a rare diamond. Maxie stroked the stone. His pokemon Camerupt began to react to his trainer's keystone, and light surrounded the pokemon. It let out a manticore-like cry, transforming before their eyes into mega Camerupt.
The double hump of stone turned to one enormous slab of volcanic glass. Lava trickled down the black mounds of rock as the creature grew in size and his face became more aggressive.
"Mightyena, I want to analyze her. Crunch this cutie!" Courtney said, bursting with excitement, clutching a pokeball over her heart and sending a black and silver wolf into the temple.
There were dark markings etched up and down the faded gray face and underneath the creature's eyelids. It gave Mightyena the appearance of wearing war paint as he went in for the kill. The orange eyes looked ominously over the faces in the room. He dashed on his feet, and in a heartbeat sank his fangs into Milotic's scales, mauling the sea creature before she could initiate any attack. The magical scales were soft, and with his superior speed cutting through them was as easy as tearing fabric for Mightyena's jaws.
Torkoal was of no help as Team Magma's pokemon ganged up and pummeled the water pokemom. He was only halfway down the stairs, hoping that the battle would not be over before he could use a move.
Beads of light encircled Camerupt, his fur and skin began to glow as it attacked Milotic, pushing her backward. Out of the light came a strange elemental energy, vines and leaves as sharp as broken glass scratched Milotic's face.
Maxie smiled. Camerupt had used hidden power grass, a nasty surprise for the water pokemon he knew Team Aqua would always have. Though he found it strange Dylan had not attacked first. Her pokemon was slow, but should not have been this slow.
The diamond pattern on Milotic's underbelly began to glow. Her tail fins made a sharp gesture, striking Mightyena square across the fur of his chest, using the full weight of her towering 20-foot figure. Flashes of blue cut through the air, making it it look as though Milotic commanded a battle fan as she hit Mightyena with her back fin.
Mightyena went sailing out of the door of the temple from the attack Dragon Tail. Courtney gasped and ran down the steps after her pokemon, disgraced in front of the boss.
Clever girl, Maxie thought to himself. Dragon tail always moves last, but removes enemies from battle. She took both attacks, biding her time so she could clear the battlefield of unwanted company. If only you had been my child, and not that fool Archie's, then you might have made something of yourself.
"Milotic use ice beam!"
The water snake covered in rainbow scales whistled a lament. Icicles formed around her mouth as she blew out a cold wind that gathered into pieces of ice and pelted Camerupt.
Camerupt gritted his teeth as he endured the stab of icicles in the name of his trainer. He was pushed back towards the wall by the blast of ice from Milotic, but dug his hooves into the cobblestone of the floor, fighting against the angry winter and standing strong.
Maxie's gaze stayed focused. He spoke to Camerupt, assuring his pokemon with the velvet of his voice as he pointed at their enemy. "Use earth power now!"
Just as Torkoal got to the bottom of the stairs the stone beneath his feet shook, and the inlay of the floor cracked. A mix or mud and lava ran down the grout lines as Camerupt summoned an attack against both the turtle and water snake at once. Torkoal was sent backward and splattered with soil. His shell hit the ground hard and nearly cracked opened. Torkoal groaned, left with only a few hit points after the super-effective move.
Vials of holy water fell from the shelves, bursting into bits on the floor as the temple shook from the attacks. Monks ran in every different direction. It was an earthquake that sealed visitors in the other rooms away as pillars fell. The heads from pokemon idols were knocked clean off as chinks came down from the ceiling. Grandmother put her hand to her mouth in horror as she watched thousands of years worth of history crumble away.
Vulpix used howl, trying to warn the old man, but he was not fast enough.
"My husband!" Grandmother cried, running to the bottom of the stairs to find the old man had fallen to the foot of the staircase.
"Milotic mirror coat," Dylan implored her pokemon without looking back, clutching a cabinet for support as the temple practically fell down around her ears as Camerupt rampaged.
The white and coral serpent was caked from head to tail in mud from the ground pokemon's attack. Milotic shook her long neck, ridding herself of the dirt in her eyes as best she could. Filth dropped from her underbelly and tail as the once beautiful scales bled from the rocks Camerupt had yanked from the ground and pelted her with.
She was still fit for battle! The torn red scales began to glow with white light as Milotic coiled into a circle. Bits of mirror went sailing back at Camerupt and Maxie, each one did the damage of a flying dagger. Milotic had absorbed Earth Power and sent Camerupt's attack back with double the strength as before. The camel collapsed at last.
"Camerupt!" Maxie exclaimed.
"Now Milotic, wrap your body around this man. Hold team Magma's leader here so that he can face justice!"
Maxie's face flashed with anger, then shame as he looked away from his followers who had witnessed every moment. He recalled Camerupt to his pokeball, the red beam of light from the ball touched the fallen camel and he disappeared inside of the device."We retreat now to preserve my vision of the future, come!"
The men and women of Team Magma ran away, while Milotic's long tail reached after them, obeying Dylan. The mermaid tail just missed coiling around the ankle of Tabitha as he ran out of the temple, but succeeding in tripping another grunt.
Vulpix chased after them too, opening his muzzle and letting out a powerful fire spin attack. With his breath a wall was erected to keep everyone inside the holy house.
Courtney stood in the doorway with her Mightyena, but this time a black, cloud-like pokemon levitated beside her with a weary expression upon his face.
"Weezing, self-destruct!" Courtney shouted.
Dylan felt a sharp pain instantly drill into her ears, but heard no sound as light filled the room. Debris flew at her, bloodying her forehead as she was thrown backward by the explosion. Her skull made contact with the stone wall, shutting her eyes at once. Her limp, smashed body fell to the ground as the fire spread uncontrollably through the room.
The screams of the trapped old woman and the smell of gunfire and blood filled the temple as Team Magma abandoned the family in the burning building.
