Chapter 2 ( The Party Resumes)

(Slowpoke's POV)

The night before the Fantasy Games, I was having a tough time trying to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, wondering what could I do to boost my chances of winning the event. I badly wanted the Pokefood. They were yummy! I thought of using my Psychic powers to attempt a manipulation of the game. But, I didn't even know what the objectives of the contest was. I told myself that the best way to maximise my chances of winning was to get sufficient sleep. Nevetheless, a forced attempt to sleep usually fails, and today was no exception. Only after 2 arduous hours did I manage to fall asleep, thankfully evading the grasp of Darkrai. I dreamt of myself lifting the amber amulet in triumph, with my dad beaming with pride...

But then, the scene completely changed. I was now at the foot of a mountain cliff. A ghostly white quadruped, mammalian Pokémon stood at the summit of the tall mountain. It looked around, then opened its tiny mouth and let out a gigantic roar. It whirled its head around, and looked straight into my eyes. It's blood red eyes had a grave look as his curved blue horn sparkled. It then spoke with urgency: " Don't walk into your graveyard."

My mouth gaped open. I stuttered : "What do you mean? Who are you?"

But the mysterious Pokemon had already disappeared... "Wait, don't go!" I cried... before the ground beneath me cracked and I fell into a dark void...

The next day, I was soundly awoken by the chirping of Pidgeys outside my home. I opened my eyes slowly. So, It was a dream! But what was that Pokemon trying to say? Or is it just a random nightmare? I shrugged the dream off. Remembering the Fantasy Games, I looked at my alarm clock. It read 9 a.m. My thoughts of my dreadful dream vanished instantly Oh no! I was supposed to reach the Fantasy at 9.30a.m . But how would I go there?

Fortunately, I spied two Houndooms waiting outside my house with a van next to them. I suppose they are there to bring me there. Slowking entered my room.

"Slowpoke, remember to be careful while you are there. Do not do any dangerous antics, and..." he called

"Yeah dad, I know... Stay safe..Why do you always say the same things?" I drawled.

"Because my advice is always relevant." Slowking grinned. "Okay, bye bye Slowpoke. Have fun!"

I crawled towards the Houndooms as fast as my limbs could carry me. I was sure that if that was a race between Slowpokes, I would have won by a mile.

As I jumped into the van, a sinister smile flashed across one Houndoom's face. Was that smile malevolent? A chill raced down my spine. However, considering the fact that Houndooms already look evil in the first place, maybe their genuine smile just looked diabolical. It wasn't very fair to just harbour suspicions based on their looks. I brushed the thought away, and smiled at the thought of competing in the Fantasy Games.

After some time, we finally arrived at the Fantasy.

The Fantasy was a majestic castle, with charcoal black walls. From my position, the mammoth castle looked magnificent. It exuded a scary but powerful aura which I think would deter invaders if they were to attack. I began having second thoughts about this event and was about to turn back when the Houndooms opened the door...

The interior of the Fantasy was a complete contrast to the appearance of the castle. As I entered what seemed like a park, I was awed by the lush greenery inside. Beautiful flowers and healthy trees filled the scenery. There was an abundance of exotic berries hanging from the trees. Natural beauty aside, there was a diversity of cool interactive play machines scattered around the park. Some of them would sing songs when you pressed a button, others would tell you intriguing stories that would leave you engrossed for hours.

The other Pokemon inside were having the time of their lives. Chimchar, Froakie and Treecko were playing a game of tag. Chimchar was trying to tag Froakie but was having some trouble due to Froakie's nimble movements. However, Chimchar's dexterity soon enabled him to catch up with Froakie. Chimchar stretched his long skinny arms and tapped Froakie on his back. Froakie squealed and began his chase after Treecko. Treecko taunted : "Can't catch me!" as she fled up the tree. Treecko broke into peals of laughter as she swung from tree to tree, moving away from the blue frog. Froakie sprang up and reached for Treecko's tail, but failed to tag her. Froakie fell and yelped in pain. Luckily, the milky cape of bubbles on Froakie's back helped to reduce the impact. Nevertheless, the three "ninjas" (as they called themselves) were still having tons of fun.

Mareep was frolicking on the grass, accidentally bumping into Pokemon and releasing static from her golden fur to paralyse them due to her ability Static. Mareep would then hurriedly (albeit embarrasingly) apologise and proceed to use Heal Bell to cure the unfortunate Pokemon of paralysis. Drilbur was making molehills in the grass, and popping out from nowhere to scare Pokemon that happened to walk by. He had always liked to do this ever since he was born.

Growlithe swaggered near the slide and demanded Caterpie to scram so that he can ride on the slide. The timid Caterpie was frightened, but Mienfoo happened to see this incident and went to confront Growlithe. "Let Caterpie have his ride." Mienfoo was one who always stood up to bullies. He believed that bullies were only putting up a strong front but would crumble when there was a strong adversary like him. Growlithe quickly backed off and went elsewhere to seek some fun.

Axew and Kecleon were having a casual conversation. "Woah, that was a bad fall Froakie had." Kecleon commented. "Nah, it is all Treecko's fault. She shouldn't have hidden in the trees like a coward." Axew replied, with a tone that showed her dislike for Treecko. I could tell that Axew and Treecko probably had some dislike for one another, but I didn't know why. The nearby Gligar threw an apple at Axew, and laughed at Axew's irritated response. He then flew off to annoy other Pokemon.

For some strange reason, there were two Pokemon huddling in a corner. I saw Croagunk and Natu in a corner idling about. Croagunk was looking around with a small smile on his face. Maybe he was tired. However, Natu seemed fearful. She looked afraid of some imminent danger. I recalled the sinister smile on Houndoom's face. Could there be any connection?

I convinced myself that Natu was being paranoid and went for a song session with one of the machines.

Dinner soon arrived A waterfall of fruit juice was for us to enjoy. Different berries were served for Pokemon with different tastebuds. Food was abundant and diverse.

Treecko wondered aloud: "Anyone knows where Mewtwo the organiser is?"

Axew replied rudely: "Probably wondering why he invited idiots like you."

Treecko got angry: "Hey what is your problem? What is it that I have done that deserves your constant sneering and criticism?"

ZAP! Both Treecko and Axew received a light jolt of energy, paralysing them. "This Thunder Wave is to remind you two gals to make peace and enjoy this party." said Mareep.

"Grr... Okay..." Treecko and Axew replied in unison. Mareep then used Heal Bell to free them from their paralysed state.

" Great! Now we should just enjoy the food, and get a good night's rest. We should wait for tomorrow to see what games we are gonna play." Mareep cheered, her annoyance evaporating in that instant

Nightfall soon arrived and feeling tired, we went to the respective rooms prepared for us and promptly fell asleep, wondering what thrills await us the next day...Woah, this sure is the best time of my life!

Author's note: Please leave some comments and tips for improvement. I value constructive feedback. Thank you :)