(Note: Still boring. I swear, it gets better later on, if you already are bored. x-x I'm sorry...

Anyways, for this chapter, pretend there are two entrances/exits in Gateon. One being the original, the other to the east. That's the one that connects to my made up sand path. Oh, and I know that "Flair" is spelled wrong. It's suppose to be like that.)

Chapter Two - A Port Called Gateon

"Vul...?"

"Flair, out!"

A door slammed somewhere. Kite slowly felt feeling return to his body, but remained where he was, unmoving and hardly breathing. He had just felt something standing beside him a few moments ago, the place where it stood still warm. Finally gripping himself, he jerked awake.

He was laying on a bed, positioned in a small room with a large window in from of him. Small figures fluttered outside of it, looking like nothing but flying white dots in the great blue sky. Staring at them for a minute, Kite realized that they were actually Wingull, with an occasional larger Pelipper hovering with them at points. They gracefully glided in the air, never flapping their long wings and crying out into the skies. Then out of nowhere, they dove towards the ground, ceasing their screeching as they did so. A faint splash came as they crashed into the water, eager for a meal. Water?

Kite pulled himself up. Sitting there for a moment, he quickly leaped to his feet as memories of the previous day flooded back into his mind. That fox... thing. It could be his only hope. But what had happened to it?

He looked frantically around the room. The creature was no where to be seen.

A Pokemon Center. That had to be it.

He turned to the door, which was still slightly opened, the slamming somehow failing to close it completely. Pushing it back open, Kite found himself looking down a flight of wooden steps. The chinking of glass could be heard below, signifying the usage of the building– a bar or restaurant of some sort. But his position was well out of range, and was unable to confirm this. Only a door at the bottom of the stairway was visible, sunlight gleaming through its small window. He pelted down the stairs towards it.

Please don't be dead... I only need you for one thing, then you can die as much as you like...

His mind continued to wonder even as he nearly crashed into a girl who had began to ascend up the steps. She pulled back in alarm as Kite zoomed past her. "W-what the-?! Wait!" But Kite was already out the door.

"Urk!" He automatically shut his eyes against the glare of the sun as soon as he stepped into the open. The smell of salt filled him, the Wingull's cries piercing through the air. Squinting through the sunlight, Kite blindly studied blazing port. People, mostly sailors, were walking about, either chatting loudly or yelling orders at each other as they worked. Enormous boats crowded the white docks in the harbor, the men and their Pokemon loading and unloading them in the heat. Kite slowly made out which Pokemon they were.

"Hit... Hitmonchan. Hitmonlee... Hariyama?"

He walked over to the docks for a closer look, ducking beneath the shadow of a building that rested closely beside them, a sign marking it as Boating Equipment.

They were indeed those fighting Pokemon, each with a build that was trademarked to their type. Kite instantly moved his attention away after one had noticed him, and instead glanced across the bright town for any signs of a Center. "There...!"

A building with a large, Pokeball-shaped hologram on its roof rested dully on the opposite side of the town, the shade of a passing cloud contributing to its look. Kite broke his cover from the equipment building and carefully raced towards it, dodging towering sailors along the way as they cursed at him in annoyance. He was halfway there when a piercing scream suddenly filled the air.

"Cacturne!"

Everyone froze at the words as a lady dashed out of what seemed to be some sort of tunnel. Looking into it, Kite noticed that it was in fact another entrance into the port, aside from the one he arrived through which was over to the east. Light gleamed at the end of the short passage, illuminating five large silhouettes creeping steadily towards the port. They swayed their massive arms at their sides, their yellow eyes glowing in the gloom.

It was only when they entered out into the port did he notice the public begin to react.

Perhaps all of the sailors now stood between the Cacturne and the rest of the port. Kite, although not necessarily liking the moment, was drawn in by curiosity and moved through the fleeing crowd, trying to catch a glimpse at the starting fight. Many of the sailors began grabbing their Pokemon's capsules, ready at any minute to attack the advancing cacti Pokemon.

"Yo!" a hearty voice suddenly rang out. "Hey, are those Cacturne I see there?"

Both trainers and enemy Pokemon looked around in confusion, trying to pinpoint the speaker. Kite looked as well, but paused as he realized that they were now all looking above him, and quickly backed away from the tall man standing directly behind him. A grey Pokemon with four arms stood beside its trainer, flexing its muscle-built body proudly: another fighting type. The man grinned happily as he eyed the enemy Pokemon through his tented shades.

"Aha! So, you decided to trespass into my neighborhood again, eh? Well, then! Machamp and I accept your challenge!"

The Cacturne looked at each other in confusion, while the sailors glared at the man in rage.

"We can take care of them just fine!" one snapped at him. But the man did not look phased by the comment, and instead moved towards the sailors. They backed away, both trainer and Pokemon scowling at the pair.

"Ah, well... let's not forget what happened the last time I let you take them on yourself, mate!" The man began to laugh, and a few of the sailors began issuing rude gestures at him. But the Cacturne had now snapped out of their daze, and readily sized up the foe Machamp, swinging their spiky arms again as they prepared to attack.

"Aah... Cacturne again?"

Kite jumped. He had been so caught up in the scene he had hardly noticed the new speaker standing directly beside him. It was a girl with long, light brown hair and mostly blue attire. He identified her as the same person on the stairs-- the one he had almost crashed into.

"What's wrong with that?" he managed to ask, trying to act as if he had never seen her.

Well, Cacturne don't necessarily like the presence of people," the girl said simply. "Plus, the fact that they're nocturnal really makes it an odd sight." She sighed. "I heard it was because their food supply was running low... you know, the Pokemon that live outside in the desert with it."

"Desert–?" Kite paused as one of the Cacturne suddenly hissed in pain.

The entire scene had changed. Machamp skillfully landed one of its many strong arms down hard on the enemy, sand spraying from where the attack hit. Kite watched in wonder as the dirt sprinkled onto the ground, and decided that strangely this must be what their blood looked like. The girl stared dully at the fight, as if nothing was happening at all. Soon bored as well, Kite snuck off, making his way towards the Center again out of her sight.

He arrived at the doors as Machamp finished off the fight, its tall trainer taunting the sailors with laughter once more. Kite stared at the entrance for awhile, trying to decide if the fox was indeed here or not. Where else could it be? Perhaps he should of asked the girl if she knew. She had to have been the first to see him.

But there was no point now.

Stepping inside the center, he was hardly surprised at its atmosphere. It mirrored the look of the building itself, as if someone had thrown a veil on the dreary looking center. Only three people stood in the room, two being sullen faced travelers buried in newspapers, and the other a receptionist behind a small counter. Kite nervously walked up to her, trying to avoid drawing attention to him.

She looked almost as lifeless as the hospital itself, typing carelessly on a keyboard, hardly noticing Kite as he stood there. He could tell that whatever she was doing, it had nothing to do with the medical business, and began to feel slightly stupid as he remained unnoticed.

"What do you want, kid?"

Kite stiffened at the question. What did he want again? Oh, right.

"Um, is there an... um..."Crap! What was that Pokemon's name anyways?

The lady looked at him, clearly irritated at his presence. "A what? Hurry it up, I'm busy."

"Er, well, I don't really..."

"Is this a prank? Because I can and will call the cops!"

"I-it's brown, and well, it had a fox tail!" he stuttered. Completely embarrassed at his description, Kite looked away. Perhaps this was when an education came in handy, if it had any other purpose in life. But the receptionist paid no heed to it, and walked off into another room behind her, mumbling in annoyance.

"An Eevee?!" she called out, the ruffling of papers issuing from inside.

"Oh, uh, yes!" It did look a lot like an 'Eevee', or whatever it was called.

The lady shuffled inside for a minute, knocking over various things and cursing occasionally as she did so. Kite took this chance to examine the room further. The two travelers still had not looked up from their papers.

Something screeched horribly from the second room; Kite could hear it racing through the door, its claws scraping against the ground. Of course, the lady had also screamed in unison, but Kite's mind was completely tied to the fox-like Pokemon that was now racing towards the entrance. The automatic doors zoomed open at her appearence, and it immediately bolted out into the sunlight, fur bristling. Only when the lady had flung herself back behind the desk did he pursue the Eevee.

He paused outside as the harsh light blinded him, but quickly regained his sight this time and continued after the Pokemon. Only chance.

The Eevee dashed across the port and through the native sailors, who had continued their work, then sharply turned onto the docks. Catching sight of its long tail, Kite raced after it. The skillful dodging did not come back to him as he, too, passed the sailors, nearly knocking a few into the water or being flattened himself by the larger ones. What in the world was wrong with this Pokemon? It had just nearly drowned! Why was its first occupation after waking up to go near the water again?

"Of course not," Kite panted to himself, stepping onto the dock Eevee had padded down a few seconds earlier. "A Pokemon couldn't be that stupid."

He nearly choked on the words as he spotted the Eevee at last, keeling over a corner of the dock and gazing contently into the swirling waters beneath it. It took a few steps back, then closing its eyes, launched itself straight into the water.

Kite caught hold of its tail before it had completely gone under. "S-Stupid Pokemon!"

The Eevee began to flail in his grasp, wailing in protest against its savior. In the end, Kite managed to pull it onto the dock, and quickly jumped back as the Eevee flung itself at him, snapping its jaws on thin air. Growling in rage, it quickly dashed away again, leaving Kite sitting there, wondering what possibilities could of occurred if the fox had bitten him. He wrenched his mind away from the thought and scanned the area again for the Pokemon. It had scurried off of the docks, its long ears pressed tightly against its head, and ran back towards the other end of the port near, as Kite realized, the entrance in which he had arrived through.

This was bad. Because he did not have a Pokeball, his only hope was to have Eevee accept him as its trainer. But it seemed extremely violent, not to mention completely stupid. And if it would not accept him, how could he possibly manage another Pokemon? And with that loss, there was Claymore's.

Kite reached into his pocket and pulled out the red feather, which he had recieved when the Pidgeotto was captured. It seemed to be lost in the ocean world, or was it a desert? Retracing his steps off of the dock, his mind began to wonder. He still did not know where he was, aside from the fact that he was in a port called Gateon. There was nothing at all desert about it, besides the heat and Cacturne.

"Hey, you."

The girl from the stairs had found herself at his side again, as quickly and quietly as she had before. Kite gave the same reaction, but she instantly grabbed and pulled him beneath the shade of a building before he realized what had happened.

"W-what?" he asked, pulling himself away from her.

"You can't just stand on the docks, you know. Far too busy." She glanced at the white piers, then turning her attention back to him, "Did you get your Pokemon back from the Center?"

A terrible question.

"Er, yeah." Kite shifted his gaze away from her, hoping she couldn't detect his lie.

"Well then, that's good. I must ask though, what exactly happened? That Eevee was completely drenched when Reim and I found you."

"It was trying to swim." That actually made since.

"You mean she, right?" The girl crossed her arms. "Sorry, but I hate it when people don't respect their own Pokemon by using the correct pronouns."

"Oh, sorry."

This was getting weird. Kite adverted his eyes up at the bright sky, wanting more than ever to drop the conversation. The girl tilted her head slightly.

"And, may I ask again, what you were doing before that?" Kite glanced back at her, but could not find a lie to make up for this one. She seemed to read his mind. "You're not from around here are you?"

"No. Unless this is still Johto."

The tension broke as he said this, and the girl seemed to remarkably turn normal. "Oh, well I guess that makes since. Johto's north of here, you know. Anyways, we're in Orre now."

"Orre? I've never heard of that region."

"This region. Yes, it's not too popular, with hardly any sort of sights to see or Pokemon to catch..." She paused for a moment. "The only entrance into Orre is through Johto, and of course, it's located somewhere beyond an area called the Lake of Rage. But I'm guessing you know this?"

"Yeah, I live there." Lived.

"Wow, really? I heard it was such a lovely place, now that the Gyarados are gone." She turned and stared over at the docks again, more than likely picturing herself vacationing in a paradise-filled land.

"Yeah, it's something," Kite muttered. So this was Orre. But why? Why had he never heard of it? There was no way that the sights and horrid location was the only reason for never being in the Regions of the World.

"Are you going to go back soon?" the girl asked a few minutes later.

"I don't know," Kite answered. His stomach lurched as he asked himself this question. He couldn't go back, unless he wanted a slow death. But what was there here for him? The Eevee was truly his only hope.

"Hm, well if you go, we should have a battle first."

"What?!" Kite backed away. The statement had caught him entirely off guard, and he knew the truth would have to come out soon.

"What's the matter? Flair isn't that powerful. I'm sure you would have a great chance at winning, and she could always use the training." The girl looked him up and down for a moment. "Where is your Pokemon, anyways?"

"Uh... Darn, it seems she escaped..." He rapidly scanned the area towards the entrance again.

And there she was, sitting on a cliff a few feet above the water, her tail swishing curiously as she stared into it. Pointing to her, "Ah! There it– er she– is!" he broke away from the girl, silently thanking the Pokemon.

The fox saw him coming, and bristled again at his appearence. Kite stopped a few feet away from it, glancing to see if the girl was still watching. To his great relief, she had gotten engaged in a conversation with the Machamp's trainer, who almost seemed to have appeared out of no where. Kite turned his attention back to the Eevee. "Okay, listen, you... Pokemon." Eevee let her tail droop slightly, a bit taken aback by his statement. But Kite went on. "You're trying to swim, aren't you?"

She let out a furious growl at this, showing her teeth in warning. Summoning his courage, Kite quickly came up with a solution. "Well, you'll never learn like that. You're, er, level is far too low!" Eevee closed her mouth. He had gotten her attention. "And, well," he continued, "you'll never grow levels if you don't train right? So..."

"I'll never have you as my trainer, if that's what you're wanting!"

Kite froze. He had forgotten about the incident of understanding what Pokemon were saying, being use to the fact that Claymore could simply talk. The same question came into his mind: how? Muk had never spoken before. But perhaps this was an advantage.

"I know, I wouldn't want me either."

The little fox looked up at him in surprise, the phenomenon of him answering throwing her off completely.

"Well, well you know then!" she barked, and stood up to leave.

"But perhaps I wouldn't want a Pokemon like you to train."

The Eevee let out a fierce growl and rounded on him. "What is that suppose to mean?!"

"Well," Kite said simply, "a Pokemon that thinks it can learn such a skill by drowning itself is obviously stupid."

"Like I didn't know that!" she snapped. But the pain of humiliation rushed through her, and she could no longer bring herself to say anything more. Once again, Kite took advantage of the moment.

"Maybe if we could partner up– not training!" he added, "– then perhaps you can learn how to swim, and I–"

"And you what?" she demanded, furiously glaring up at him.

"I completely nothing. Just to give me a Pokemon until I can catch another. And when you can finally swim, you may leave. I won't even enter this region again."

That sounded about right. But Eevee did not answer, and began to walk away again.

"I'll think about it," she growled, swishing her fluffy tail in annoyance. It was something, even if the reply was not as sincere as he had wanted it. He let her go, and stared into the vast ocean. His last chance of survival seemed to float hopelessly on the swirling surface, sinking now and then but managing to pull itself up once more. He could not believe he was giving his future to a Pokemon that he despised, but what else was there? The end of the deal sounded ridiculous enough already.

Kite looked up in surprise as he noticed Eevee still standing there, motioning him to follow.

"I am not going to let you disappoint me by running off at the last moment," she hissed. "You shall stay in my sights until I am ready for my decision. I could use a few lessons without the risk of dying."

Kite nodded, a sense of joy filling him. That was pretty much a yes, right? And it got better; the female trainer was winding her way towards him again, beaming as she caught sight of the fox.

"Ah, you found her!" she exclaimed, pulling out her own Pokeball. A small, orange-brown creature peered from inside the capsule, the red part of it being transparent. At first, Kite thought it was another Eevee, until the girl sent it out in a burst of light.

The creature appeared of the same animal– a fox– but was slightly more complex. It wore six tails instead of one, each shining beautifully in the light. A mount of the same shiny fur tufted its head, a few stray bangs hanging in its bright brown eyes. The creature yawned, oblivious to the Eevee in front of it.

"So you do accept the challenge, right?" the girl asked hopefully, replacing the Pokeball into her bag. Kite glanced down at Eevee, who had narrowed her eyes at the other fox. The simpleness of her design caused her to look weaker in his eyes, and struggled against the offer.

"Er, well–"

"Bring it on, punk!" Eevee interrupted, glaring fearlessly at the Vulpix. It looked back calmly at her, cocking its head in confusion, then replied to the remark with a faint voice.

"Such a hasty nature is not good for the complexion," it said. "Well, I guess I should of known as much, looking at you."

Kite hardly knew what had happened as a piercing bark rang out and the two Pokemon collided with each other. Eevee raked one of her sharp claws down the back of Vulpix's left ear, causing it to rip slightly and the victim to scream out in pain. But the six-tailed fox regained its composure, and retaliated with her own set of moves.

Vulpix first skidded to the right of Eevee, who took the bait and launched herself for a tackle. But as she did so, the Vulpix gracefully dove under her, and gave a surprise attack to her underbelly. Eevee cried out as she was flung off her feet and into the air, the prettier fox landing in a dainty manner onto ground a few feet away. But unlike Vulpix, Eevee managed to land hard on her side, and slowly pulled herself back up, wincing all the while. Vulpix yawned again, looking thoroughly amused as its trainer bowed in apology to Kite.

"Aah, sorry," the girl said. "Flair hasn't battled in awhile, and it's kinda gotten to her. She really wants to win..." She glared down at her Pokemon as it barked a laugh. Kite almost wanted to do the same as Eevee gave him the same cold stare.

"What, do you think it's my fault?" he whispered, not wanting to look awkward in front of the other trainer as he confronted his Pokemon.

"Well, perhaps if you knew anything useful!" she growled. Vulpix had ceased its laughing and returned to its feat, ready to finish the battle it craved to have.

Kite shook his head. "I don't know any of your attacks."

"Well neither do I!" Eevee shot back.

"Wha...? How do you not know your own attacks?!"

"Humans are the ones who give our power names. We only know what they are to us! Of course, I've only seen a few of my own."

"Well isn't that convenient!"

"Um, is something the matter?" the other trainer asked.

In unison, both Kite and Eevee quickly returned to their original position, together hoping she did not suspect anything. Kite rapidly searched his mind in hopes of recalling anything about Eevee's moves.

"Nothing," Kite answered. "So um, that tactic Vulpix used... a creative 'Tackle', right?"

Tackle was an extremely common move, so why wouldn't Eevee know it as well? The two moves looked exactly the same when they had both performed it moments before. Vulpix perked its ears up at the comment, while the girl nodded.

"Yes, Flair is fairly good at coming up with her own strategies. I rarely have to help her at all, but of course..." She smiled faintly. "...there are some things that need a bit of heating up."

Vulpix sprang, its many flame-colored tails wisping behind it. Eevee dodged at the last minute as a searing fire bursted from the Pokemon's mouth, though it managed to singe a part of her tail as she skidded away. But Eevee took no notice to this, and instead found another chance to strike.

The Tackle was efficient, and Vulpix was sent staggering back, panting to catch her breath.

"Wow, no one's ever been able to dodge Flair's Flamethrower before," the girl remarked. Eevee snickered as the Vulpix glared dangerously up at its trainer.

"Maybe I don't have nice complexion, but I guess it's better than being a screw-up," Eevee jeered.

Vulpix reacted the same way Eevee had done moments before, and charged at her foe in rage. Eevee took the advantage, and quickly reenacted Vulpix's strategy, dodging beneath her opponent and flinging her off her feet. But Vulpix still had the grace that Eevee lacked, and instead of falling down in a bundling mess, it lurched onto a nearby lamppost, easily keeping her balance on the thin pole.

"Fire Blast!"

Kite looked over at the girl in confusion, but his questions were soon answered as Vulpix unleashed a massive wave of heat. Instead of the quick flames of the first-used Flamethrower, the attack brought of giant wave of hotter fire, forming together to create a large X, and Kite could do nothing but watch as it engulfed the Eevee.

But the flames did not connect.

A sphere of dark matter flew into the oncoming flames, splitting them in half and flickering around the uninjured Eevee. Vulpix looked completely shocked as it spotted her still standing there, nothing burnt but the top of her long tail.

"A Shadow Ball?!" Vulpix's trainer exclaimed, her voice mimicking her Pokemon's expression.

"Shadow Ball?" Kite repeated. Well, that was two down: Tackle and this.

Eevee shook herself as the small flames died down around her, and looked up at the Vulpix again, who was still dumbstruck from the move. She cast it a dark look, then crouched down as another shadowy sphere began to grown in front of her. She was a few moments away from releasing it at the opponent when the girl walked up and blocked her aim.

"That's enough for now," she said breathlessly. Vulpix jumped down from the pole and walked up to her feat.

"What?" Eevee hissed, dismissing the sphere. But Kite was glad she had called off the fight. He had so many questions, but how to ask without sounding completely clueless was the other problem.

"Not a bad move to teach it," the girl said, returning her Pokemon and looking over at Kite. "I guess it comes in handy when fighting ghost types huh? Since your Pokemon's a normal type and all."

What? No, only reasonable questions. "Yeah. So um... uh..."

Well this was turning out wonderfully. The flaw of his new partner knowing his lack of intelligence on the subject would cost him her trust, if there was any in the first place.

"What?" the trainer asked.

"You're name..."

"Oh! Of course, how stupid of me! I'm Taylor, and this," she nodded towards the six-tailed fox, "is Flair."

"Flair?" Kite repeated. Claymore had said something about that.

"Yeah. It's a nickname. It's pretty unoriginal but..." She looked down at the Vulpix, who had begun to groom its fur in boredom, "...I think it fits. Does your Pokemon have a nickname?"

"You wish..." Eevee rasped.

"No, she doesn't," Kite cast a glance down at her. "Actually, I just kinda caught her. So she's pretty weak." He had added this as Eevee began to taunt him about 'catching' her, and she immediately let out a yowl of rage, before pressing herself into the ground, trying not to cause attention.

"Oh, really?" Taylor said, looking a bit troubled about losing to a newly caught Pokemon."Well, if you want to train, there's a city that's perfect for beginners. That is, if you weren't leaving." She began to scan the area for someone. Eevee snuck a look at Kite.

"You were leaving?"she screeched, still fuming about the insult he had given her. "I am not going with you to some freak show country!"

"Shut up, I'm not leaving yet," Kite whispered. Eevee snorted and turned her back to him.

"Aha! There's Reim," Taylor exclaimed abruptly. "He's leaving for the same town tonight, and I'm sure he would be more than happy to escort you." She took a few steps away from Kite. "So, should I ask him? It's a really great place!"

"Where is it?" Kite asked.

"Phenac," she replied shortly. "It's probably one of the only beautiful places in Orre. There's a lot of water, though." She looked down at Eevee, remembering the previous day of finding the soaked fox. "But, well, I'm sure that's okay! I mean, they're just fountains."

"Sounds nice." Kite looked down at Eevee again. "Right?"

Eevee hardly looked at him, but gave a curt nod. Taylor for some reason looked absolutely thrilled.

"Okay then! Hey, Reim!" She bolted off towards the man, and Kite was left standing beside his enraged Pokemon. This was going to go terribly if she remained that way. He would have to make sure she could tolerate him, even if it meant admitting how inexperienced he was.

"You are okay with this, right?" he asked, pushing his last thoughts out of his mind. No, there would be no reason to tell her. She wouldn't be with him that long anyways.

Eevee sighed, releasing the last of her anger. "Yes, it's just fine. As long as I don't get dragged into another weird region. This one's already accomplished that."

"You mean, you didn't come from here?"

"Of course not! Do you think someone such as me would live in such a hell?"

They dropped the conversation. Taylor was still chatting nonstop when Kite spotted her again, and he groaned in annoyance, slumping down onto a nearby bench. Eevee quickly followed, panting heavily against the sun thanks to her thick coat.

What would Phenac be like? As the girl had mentioned, there was water, though it sounded a lot cooler than Gateon. But water... it was such a nice thing, but a nuisance as well. Great to encourage Eevee to continue following him, but what if she mastered how to swim as soon as they got there? That was not enough time to find another Pokemon, if Phenac had any in the first place.

That reminded him, were there Pokemon in Orre at all? Beside the Cacturne, no one had mentioned anything about other wild Pokemon, aside from the cacti's prey.

Prey. They were starving... why?

Kite brought himself back to reality as the girl returned.

"He... said.... yes!" she panted. "He also said to meet him at the entrance in an hour. The other one, with the tunnel."

"So that would be..." Kite looked up at the sky. It seemed almost bloodstained as the sun slowly fell behind the ocean's waves. "I'm guessing it's almost seven then?"

Taylor nodded, her energy restored. "You'll be returning, right? I'm sure Flair would love a rematch sometime–"

"Flair, Flair, Flair... oh would you shut up?" Eevee raked her claws irritably against the metal bench.

"-And me too, of course," the girl added, unable to understand the fox's rude remark.

"Maybe," Kite mumbled, grateful that she couldn't. "I have no idea how long we'll be there though." Truthfully, he never wanted to see her again, or anyone in that matter. A few quick days in Phenac, then back to Johto. No more Gateon, Phenac, or any other place in this 'Orre'. And most importantly, no more Eevee.

"Oh, well okay." Taylor looked down at her feet, trying to find some way to end the conversation. "Bye then," she managed.

"I hope you get murdered!" Eevee barked as she left. "Or even better–"

"Let's go already," Kite muttered. The fox began to mock him again, but followed quickly behind as they approached the entrance tunnel. Only darkness could be seen down it, the sun already halfway drowning in the waves behind them. Kite turned and stared at the ocean, thankful that the dying sun lowered the temperatures, though his attention was quickly caught by something else.

"Is that an island?" he asked himself aloud. Eevee followed his gaze until she too spotted it. The land was far-off, but that was not the only thing covering it from full view. Massive clouds seemed to emit from it, swirling and looking almost black against the red sun's light.

"Oh, yay. An island," she said sarcastically. "What's taking that Reim guy so long? It's been long enough already!"

As if on cue, the tall man appeared a few minutes later, his Machamp following close behind. He was now wearing a large leather jacket and the same dark shades, causing him to stick out in the warm climate.

"'Sup? You two the brats I have to manage? Aha, I'm just kidding!" He smartly sidestepped as Eevee rushed at him. "So, I'm guessing you thought we were leaving tonight then?"

Kite looked at him in confusion. "We're not?"

"Nope! Way too dangerous." Reim bend down and began to rummage through a large bag Machamp had been carrying. "Traveling at night means Cacturne, and since they've been becoming more aggressive, that's the worst mistake you can make during these days. No, we'll leave in the morning. That'll limit the days to one and a half, arriving in Phenac the day after tomorrow."

"W-wait, that means we'll be in the desert one night though!" Maybe staying in Gateon wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Yep, but we have Machamp here," Reim answered cooly. The superpower Pokemon nodded proudly as its trainer continued. "Dark Pokemon are weak against fighting. Though, you are right..." He paused dramatically, lowering his voice for effect. "Cacturne live in packs, large ones at that. They swoop in on their prey quietly, always in the dead of night. Their footsteps make no noise in the sand, so you never know when they're directly behind you. And when they are close enough–"

"Okay, we get it!" Kite turned away, images of the Pokemon's large arms crushing easily through flesh flashing in his mind.

"Good!" Reim said happily, standing up and returning to his normal voice. "Everything's here, so we'll be ready first thing in the morning!"

Eevee, who had been pawing at the ground during the Cacturne story, perked her ears and proudly marched over to Kite, her tail high in the air. "I want to sleep indoors."

"What? I don't have any money for that!" he hissed quietly at her. The fox gave him the same annoyed glare, then charged off towards Machamp.

"Where do the intelligent Pokemon sleep, good sir?" she asked politely.

"Outside, like the rest of 'em. You're in luck though- we've got blankets," it said, whipping out a cloth from Reim's bag and dropping it on her. Eevee stood motionlessly in horror and disgust, then stomped back over to Kite, who was enjoying the event, and dropped the blanket beside him.

"I think I can manage without this garbage," she mumbled. "I can't say the same about you though." She then stalked off a few meters away, laying against a large welcome sign.

"So if you don't want to be completely humiliated for camping out in the middle of the entrance," Reim called over to Kite, "you'll wake up early enough! Sleeping here will give us the best start in the morning!"

Kite nodded, then laid down, his back facing Eevee as she growled to herself in the darkness. Machamp did not follow their lead and instead gazed down the dark tunnel, ready at any time for battle. Eevee also stared down the entrance, her ears perked up for any sounds of movement. But they did not come, and she soon lowered her head for the rest of the night.

Kite could not find sleep, though, and began to wonder what would happen the night they were truly out in the open. The port was now empty at the late time, which caused it to take on an eerie silence, only disturbed by the roaring of the waves against the docks. He could picture the Cacturne invading the town, ripping down houses and crushing the wood beneath their arms. Perhaps the same would befall them the next day. Was this really worth it?

But in the end, he decided nothing really could occur with the support of Machamp and Reim, and slowly drifted off.

(Note: I swear the next chapter's better, maybe... Anyways, I appreciate anyone that reads this, again.)