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After what seemed like only a matter of moments, another loud crack from a nearby thunderbolt stirred Gremlin from a deep sleep. The Sableye staggered to his feet, wondering what had just happened to him. He turned around fast: the once mighty tree, which probably had been over a thousand years old, had been split clean down the middle into three immensely long pieces which now were lying on the forest floor, still smoldering from the intense heat of a lightning strike. Gremlin looked down at the ground to his left and saw Grover, lying motionless on the soft earth. The Sceptile's green hide was blackened and burnt in several places.
"Grover!" shouted Gremlin frantically, kneeling next to his fallen friend, "Can you hear me? Say something!" Gremlin carefully turned the Sceptile from his belly onto his back. Then, the frightened Sableye placed his left ear against Grover's chest. Gremlin let out a sigh of relief as Grover's heart was still beating. The Sceptile was also still breathing.
"Thank God…" said Gremlin to himself as Grover coughed loudly, slowly opening his eyes.
"There you are Gremlin…" said Grover weakly, yet with a smile on his face, "Are you okay, my friend?"
"I'm fine and I'm glad to see you are, too!" said Gremlin with relief and great joy, "Man, I thought you were done for!"
"What? Did you really think a single lightning strike would best me? I think not!" said Grover with laughter, thought he was wincing from intense pain that seemed to engulf every inch of his body, as was a strange feeling of numbness, "Nonetheless, I think I faired the worst from that little… surprise…"
"You think you're going to be okay?" asked Gremlin, "We should at least try and get you back to the cabin where it's safe."
"I agree," said Grover, trying to stand up, but his weakened body refused to let him do so easily. The Sableye looked on as his Sceptile friend staggered to his feet.
"Whoa! Careful, Grover," said Gremlin, stepping up beside the Sceptile to try and shore him up, "Take it easy. You got hit by a lightning strike, remember?"
"I thought I had faired better than this," said Grover with a sigh of disappointment, "Well, since I can't walk back to cabin, we'll have to use an alternative method. Tell me: have you been working on your teleportation techniques, Gremlin?"
"Yeah, but I'm still having a lot of trouble teleporting over long distances yet," said an unconfident Gremlin, shrugging his shoulders, "There's a good chance we could wind up anywhere in these woods, but I'll try to get us back home." Grover, understanding Gremlin's concerns, slowly nodded his head.
"Then please do so. I know you can do it…" coughed Grover, "We don't have much of a choice. You will need Joe's help in taking care of that wildfire. I can't walk back to the cabin and you certainly are not physically strong enough to carry me…"
"I don't doubt you on that one," said Gremlin as he closed his eyes and tried to call upon his power, "Now… hold still. If all goes well, we should find ourselves inside the cabin in just a few seconds." Meanwhile, Joe was sitting on a rug at the middle of the cabin's wooden floor. He may not have sensed any humans close to the forest, but he still could not shake the feeling that somewhere, out in the sprawling woods, something was amiss. No sooner did Joe open his eyes and start to stand up when he suddenly heard a loud "Thump!" from somewhere up on the roof.
"What on earth?" shouted a startled Joe.
"What happened, Gremlin?" asked a muffled, yet somewhat familiar voice from the roof in a weak manner, "I don't think we arrived inside our cabin… Where are we?"
"I think we're on the roof. Looks like my long-range teleporting is quite up to scratch yet…" said another equally muffled, yet familiar voice with embarrassment.
"I'll take a near miss over an outright failure any day," said Grover, chuckling warmly under his breath, but he wincing from dull pain which still abounded throughout his body.
"Huh?" shouted Joe with disbelief, up towards the ceiling, "Who's up there? Is that you, Gremlin and Grover?"
"Yes!" replied Gremlin with uneasiness abounding in his voice, "Please get up here at once: I need help bringing Grover inside. He was hit by lightning and had a nasty fall!"
"Right! I'll be up there in a jiffy!" shouted Joe as he flew up towards the ceiling and phased through the solid wood as it if were nothing more than thin air. It took several minutes for Gremlin and Joe to carefully get Grover down from the roof and into his bed inside the warm cabin. Joe floated alongside the stricken Sceptile nervously as Gremlin dug through a few small wooden crates in a corner of the cabin in a desperate search for some medicine to help ease Grover's pain.
"Ah, ha! Here we go!" said Gremlin triumphantly as he managed to find a small bottle of a generic painkiller in the bottom of one of the crates. Little time passed before Grover was sitting up in bed, but only briefly, to swallow some of the elongated white pills with a glass of water before lying back down.
"Grover?" asked a worrying Joe, "Are you going to be okay?"
"I think all I need are a few days of rest and I should be as good as new, Joe. There's no need to worry," said Grover quietly, trying his best to reassure the vexed Haunter.
"Okay. If you say so," said Joe with relief.
"Now, what are we going to do about that forest fire?" asked Gremlin, "I imagine is has grown considerably since we first spotted it, eh Grover?"
"I'll bet that's the case," said Grover with a nod of his head, "Gremlin, Joe: you need to head outside and towards the source of the fire. There is a chance you can put it out before it spreads much further; otherwise, the fire could easily make its way from one end of this forest to the other, no thanks to the drought we've had for most of the year."
"We'll get right on it," said a very determined Gremlin.
"Yeah! We'll take care of it," said Joe with confidence.
"Remember, my friends," cautioned Grover, "If you need help, don't hesitate to ask the Gardevoir tribe for help. I don't think they would turn you away. I'd go with you myself, but I can barely move now. And Gremlin… try your best to not draw much attention to yourself out there. You know why…" Gremlin nodded his head with affirmation with a serious look on his face.
"Why would Gremlin need to keep a low profile?" asked a confused Joe, "What exactly are you talking about, Grover?"
"I'll fill you in on the way to there," said Gremlin, "It may take several hours just get near the wildfire because I can only teleport short distances with any degree of accuracy. We wouldn't want to end up accidentally teleporting several thousand feet above the ground, would we?"
"I would agree with that," said Joe, returning his gaze to Grover's face, "Hopefully, we'll be back before dawn."
"Do what you must," said Grover, smiling at his two friends, "I await your safe return… Good luck out there." Without another word, Gremlin and Joe ran out of the cabin in great haste, closing and locking the door as they went outside. Surely enough, much to Gremlin's frustration, he only managed to teleport himself and Joe a few hundred yards at a time before needing to rest for several minutes afterwards before making another attempt at teleportation. During each rest, Gremlin would tell Joe more about the troubling talk he had with Grover just earlier in the night.
"I think I get what you're saying," said Joe with understanding, "Grover and the Gardevoir chief believe remnants of the Blight are trying to hunt you down."
"That's correct," said Gremlin, trying to catch his breath while also trying to shake off the exhaustion which plagued him after every teleport, "So… now you know why I must leave this place."
"I wish you didn't have to go…" said a saddened Joe, "I mean, surely me and Grover would be more than a match for a couple of worthless, evil Pokémon. Don't you think so? Maybe the Gardevoirs would help us protect you, too."
"I don't think so," said Gremlin with a single shrug of his shoulders, "I've heard rumors about members of the Blight. Even just a handful of those hateful beasts would be more than a match for us and even the entire Gardevoir village. I don't want to risk having the Blight bring a bigger force to these woods and then slaughter the peace-loving Gardevoirs and their children. Believe me, it is better that I leave as soon as I can than risk bringing ruin and death to this place. I couldn't live with myself if you, Grover and our Gardevoir neighbors died just trying to protect me." Joe sighed despairingly.
"I wish I could come with you…" said the Haunter with grief becoming more evident in his voice. Gremlin smiled at his old friend and then spoke to him in a reassuring manner.
"I plan to leave tomorrow or the day after," said Gremlin, "I'm sure Grover would let you accompany me and him to the south edge of the forest to see me off. Besides, he and the forest need you, Joe. I believe you will do fine in keeping this place safe from ruin and especially from those unwanted humans."
"Each time I give another human the full treatment, I'll have to think of you and the antics we pulled together all these years," cackled Joe with a big, toothy and mischievous smile.
"I don't doubt you," said Gremlin, smiling at Joe, "You know I'll never forget you." It had taken nearly an hour for the two ghosts to finally get to the front edge of the roaring blaze. The situation was exactly what they had feared the most. The forest fire had grown very quickly, easily burning through the thirsty woods and dry underbrush. The Sableye and Haunter could only watch in horror as the monstrous inferno slowly marched onward towards them. From time to time, small tornadoes of fire would form and travel along the ground for a short distance before quickly dissipating along the fire's edge: an eerie sight for Gremlin and Joe to behold.
"Well… do you have any ideas on what we should do now, Joe?" asked a shocked Gremlin, starting to wonder if he and his friend were already too late to stop the huge blaze.
"W-w-w-w… we… well…" stammered Joe, mystified and terrified by the enormous flames that drew ever closer to him and the stunned Sableye, "Why don't we do as Grover suggested? Let's go back and get help from the Gardevoirs. I don't think they would turn us away, nor would they allow the woods to be devastated."
"That's a very good idea, Joe," said Gremlin with despair, "But it will take another hour or more just to get to the village from here using my power. I'm still quite tired from getting us this far. I can't teleport both of us, or even just myself all the way to the Gardevoir's village now."
"How about I try, then?" suggested Joe, shrugging his nonexistent shoulders, "Not like we have much of a choice, do we?" Gremlin nervously drew a deep breath and sighed.
"You've never teleported that far before and definitely never tried teleporting more than one creature at once," cautioned Gremlin, "What makes you think we'll get to the village at all, let alone alive?"
"I have to try, Gremlin," said Joe with mounting determination, "All the other Pokémon in this area and probably for at least a mile around have probably already left, spooked by this huge firestorm, so there probably isn't anyone nearby who can help us. The Gardevoirs are our best bet."
"Very well," said Gremlin, gathering his courage, "I have faith in you. I've taught you well, Joe. Now let's see what you really are capable of. Take us to the Gardevoir village: I know you can do it." Joe nodded his head in reply as he and his Sableye friend closed their eyes. Gremlin could only wonder what soon might become of him and his Haunter companion. Then again, the Sableye really did not even want to imagine where he and Joe could end up or what could happen to them should the teleport attempt end in disaster.
"Here goes nothing…" said Joe as he focused his power, concentrating as hard as he could with his goal in mind. The Haunter could just imagine him and Gremlin standing in front of the entrance to the Gardevoirs' hidden town, Gaia.
"You can do it, Joe!" said Gremlin confidently, despite the great doubts the Sableye harbored in his mind. Darkness seemed to creep up around the two ghost Pokémon as Joe continued to focus, undeterred by the challenge he now had to face.
"Here we go!" shouted Joe, "I'm ready for this!"
"Go for it!" yelled Gremlin. Nothing seemed to be happening, except Gremlin seemed to feel the unnatural darkness and shadows around him and Joe fading away. The bewildered Sableye opened one eye, quickly opening the other as well with surprise. For a few moments, Gremlin refused to believe what his eyes beheld. Nonetheless, the Sableye quickly realized what had happened.
"Um… Joe?" asked Gremlin as he looked left and right at his surroundings, utterly amazed at what he was seeing.
"Don't disrupt me, Gremlin!" warned Joe, "I really have to focus and concentrate, otherwise we could end up anywhere in the world, or may get destroyed!"
"Joe! Stop! Open your eyes!" said Gremlin frantically.
"Not until we get to the village!" snapped Joe angrily, "Now quit bothering me, for crying out loud!"
"Joe," said Gremlin calmly, "I think we're already there." In an instant, the Haunter let his immense power subside and opened his eyes to be greeted by some unexpected surroundings.
"Well, I'll be dipped…" said Joe with amazement as he gazed at the dark brown, stone walls of the crystal cavern, "We're at the entrance to the Gardevoir's underground haven: Gaia. But… how did we get here already and so quickly?"
"I would say you are far more powerful than you realized," said Gremlin, grinning at his flabbergasted ghost companion.
"Good thing I didn't try and focus my power some more, huh?" asked Joe sheepishly. Gremlin's reply was one nod of his head.
"We really could have ended up anywhere," said Gremlin with a nervous smile, "Still… why did we come here again?" Joe gasped, placing his hands on the sides of his purple head.
"I remember!" said Joe, almost falling into a panic, "We need help to douse that wildfire!" With that, Joe and Gremlin went dashing deeper into the caverns and towards the underground village the Gardevoir tribe called their home. In only a matter of minutes, they found the outskirts of the subterranean settlement. Before them were several hundred simple houses as well as other buildings of various sizes, shapes and colors. The buildings seemed to be made of various kinds of stone with wooden roofs. There certainly were more than enough places to house the thousand or so Gardevoirs and their young who dwelled there. Large crystals hanging from the ceiling glowed with light potent enough to provide illumination to the village as bright as a sunny day above ground. Without so much as another word, the two ghost Pokémon began a frantic search from house to house, hoping to find someone: anyone who could help them fend off the approaching flames. Despite going from door to door and spending nearly an hour searching the subterranean settlement, Gremlin and Joe found not one single inhabitant of the hidden village. They regrouped at the center of the small town, thoroughly exhausted from their search.
"You don't suppose the Blight got down here first and either took or killed everyone down here, do you?" asked Joe.
"I seriously doubt it," answered Gremlin, turning his gaze upon the lighted windows and cobblestone streets all about him, "There's no sign of a struggle or a battle for that matter." The entire village seemed quiet as a tomb, until the two ghosts heard some soft and pleasant music coming from somewhere deeper in the village. Gremlin and Joe faced each other.
"Do you hear that, Gremlin?" asked a puzzled Joe.
"I do…" replied the equally confused Sableye, "It sounds like a pipe organ… a very elaborate one, too…" Gremlin and Joe turned their eyes down a nearby street. They soon laid eyes upon a fairly large building with stain glass windows and a tall steeple at the very end of the otherwise empty street.
"It's coming from the church!" said Gremlin and Joe in unison before they went careening down the otherwise quiet avenue with haste. Joe couldn't help but wonder what was transpiring in the place of worship, lying just beyond. He paused only for a moment to take a passing glance at a three-story clock tower nestled on one side of the town square.
"It's 6 in the morning…" thought Joe with bewilderment, "What could possibly be going on at this hour?" Soon, Gremlin and Joe arrived at the front steps of the magnificent church. Without so much as another thought, they charged through the first set of double doors. There was no one to greet them in the front room, but the delightful music continued to play, getting louder as the two Pokémon continued onward into the building.
"Strange…" thought Gremlin as he and Joe approached the last set of double doors, which would lead them into the sanctuary, "The song being played on the organ sounds awfully familiar… but I can't quite place it." The loud music came to a sudden end, almost on cue as Gremlin and Joe rammed their way through the doors, almost knocking them off their hinges.
"Wait!" screamed Gremlin as loud as he could.
"Yeah! Hold it right there!" yelled Joe. Just then, the two ghosts realized what was going on in the church that morning. They came to a screeching halt not more than a few yards down a long red carpet, leading all the way up to the pulpit. The surrounding multitude of Gardevoirs and Kirlias sitting in the rows upon rows of pews were either wearing traditional wedding attire or their fanciest clothes. Every Ralts in the sanctuary was also dressed up for the grand occasion that Gremlin and Joe had just unwittingly interrupted. Standing at the opposite end of the build were four Gardevoirs. The closest two were side by side, the one on the left was a somewhat older male Gardevoir in a wedding dress with a much younger female Gardevoir standing at his left side, wearing a shimmering wedding dress, a menagerie of jewelry and a flowing lace veil draped down her back. Meanwhile, standing on the right side of the altar, was a young male Gardevoir, also wearing a wedding dress with an even older Gardevoir in wedding attire standing at the pulpit. Every last one of the startled Psychic-Type Pokémon were staring at Gremlin and Joe with their eyes wide open in shock. After several awkward minutes, the sage Gardevoir standing in the pulpit finally regained his composure and spoke.
"Do you… have a reason why these two should not be wed?" asked the old, thoroughly confused Gardevoir, "For your sakes, it had better be a good one…" Gremlin nervously glanced over at Joe.
"Good thing we didn't interrupt this wedding at too bad of a time; otherwise, it would be rather awkward. Don't you think?" said a flustered Gremlin to his cohort.
"And THIS is not awkward?" said a now quite frazzled Joe.
"Well?" asked the old Gardevoir with growing impatience, "I say again: do you have a reason why these two should not be wed? If so, then speak now or forever hold your peace." A beautiful, elderly female Gardevoir, also adorned in a lavish wedding dress and jewelry, was sitting in an expertly-carved and quite ornate wooden chair behind the Gardevoir chieftain. She rose to her feet and walked up alongside the sage male Gardevoir.
"My husband, Archimedes, chief of Gaia, asked you a question," said the female Gardevoir with a gentle voice and a friendly smile, "Do you have good cause as to why the young bride and groom standing before you should not marry?" A thoroughly embarrassed Gremlin and Joe were staring wide-eyed at the two Gardevoir rulers. They'd heard stories about the Gardevoir settlements throughout the lands which the humans named the Gardev Region. All the large Gardevoir cities had a royal family with a king and queen ruling over each hidden metropolis. However, since Gaia was a relatively small settlement, the hidden town was instead ruled by a chief and his mate. They were chosen by the people of Gaia to rule over the small, underground village until they would be too old to uphold their duties. At that time, a new chief would be chosen and any resident could become a candidate. Despite this, a descendant of the current chieftain was always chosen as the next ruler of Gaia. Thus, for many millennia since the founding of Gaia, the same family was always in power. Gremlin quickly snapped back into reality.
"Gremlin and Joe: my wife Tanya and I are awaiting your reply. As are my son Hector and his bride, Adelinda," said Archimedes with increasing impatience, "Please, my friends, do not continue to delay my son's wedding."
"No complaints here," said Gremlin respectfully.
"Ditto!" was all Joe managed to say.
"Very good," said Archimedes as the sage Gardevoir straightened his collar and gazed upon the worried Sableye and Haunter, "Is there… something you needed?" Gremlin quickly regained his composure and drew a single deep breath before he spoke again.
"There's a huge wildfire on the edge of the woods east of here!" said Gremlin, speaking fast and with his words almost unintelligible, "We need your help to stop it or it could consume this entire tinderbox of a forest with a day!"
"Yeah!" said Joe hastily. The Gardevoir chief and his mate nodded their heads. The look of shock on their faces quickly replaced with one of seriousness and determination.
"What about Grover?" asked a concerned Tanya, "Where is he? Is he okay? Usually you three are together."
"Grover's hurt, badly!" said Gremlin frantically, "Will you help us? That blaze gets bigger and bigger the longer we wait!" The Gardevoir chieftain nodded his head.
"You all heard our neighbors Gremlin and Joe," said Archimedes to his subjects, "We have to defend the forest."
"Wait!" said the father of the bride with nervousness, "I hate to sound selfish and all, but… what about the wedding?"
"Alright," said Archimedes, cracking his knuckles and the flexing his fingers, "We'll have to do the short-short version."
"Okay," said the bride's father as he quickly, but still tenderly handed his daughter off to the waiting groom, "I give this female Gardevoir to this male Gardevoir." Hector and Adelinda quickly stepped up to the altar together and held hands, gazing upon each other in their wedding splendor.
"Do you both understand what is expected of becoming mates?" asked Archimedes with no lack of haste.
"Yes!" said the bride and groom quickly and in perfect unison.
"Your vows must not be taken lightly and I know you both know what they are, am I right?" said the Archimedes calmly.
"Yes!" was the fast reply of the mates-to-be. The chief quickly turned his gaze upon the groom.
"Do you, my son?" asked Archimedes with haste.
"Yes!" replied Hector as the Gardevoir chieftain then turned his gentle, yet quite hurried gaze upon Adelinda.
"Do you, my dear?" asked the Gardevoir chief quickly, yet with a very gentle tone of voice.
"Yes!" said the blushing bride immediately with a smile.
"We have rings for each other!" said the young couple hurriedly as they snatched the rings away from the Ralts ring-bearer. The young lovers fumbled with the rings for only a few short moments before managing to get them onto each others' fingers.
"Okay! With the exchange of rings, vows and by the power vested in me as your chief, I now pronounce you as mates!" said Archimedes happily, but not slowing down his statements one bit. He clapped his hands together once and then said, "Good! You're married! Kiss her!" The young lovers slowed things down for just this moment as they walked towards each other and wrapped their arms around each other's torso.
"I love you…" said Hector, the chief's son softly.
"And I love you…" said Adelinda, the smiling bride with a sweet, tender voice. The congregation broke into cheers and applause while the newlyweds passionately enjoyed their first kiss. After about a minute, the blushing young lovers broke the kiss and faced their chief with big smiles on their faces.
"Now then," said the sage Gardevoir, finally calming down as he looked upon his people, "As you can all probably imagine: the banquet as well as the bouquet and garter tosses will have to be delayed as we have a major conundrum on our hands." The chief lifted his gaze and fixed it upon Gremlin and Joe.
"My friends: we will do everything in our power to aid you. We must not let our home be destroyed. Please lead us on to battle!" said the old Gardevoir with immense courage.
"Right!" said a determined Joe with a nod of affirmation.
"Follow us!" shouted Gremlin as he and Joe led the charge of the huge throng of Gardevoirs, Kirlias and Ralts out of the church, through the crystal caverns and all the way to the surface. Once they could all see the smoke and flames in the distance, they could effectively teleport each other to the edge of the wildfire and hopefully stop the intense blaze in its tracks. By the time the small army of psychic Pokémon and their ghost friends had arrived near the edge of the blaze, the wildfire had erupted into a full-fledged firestorm. Thousands of frightened Pokémon: Oddish, Stantlers, Spinarak, Pidgeys, Spearows and a myriad of other species were fleeing from the monstrous, four-mile wide inferno. Even the sage Gardevoir chieftain, Archimedes and his mate Tanya had never seen a wildfire of this scope in all their years. Before the group of Pokémon was an ancient, dry riverbed and less than 500 yards away was the very edge of the fire. The chief Gardevoir glanced up and down the parched riverbed towards the south and northern horizons, quickly sizing up the situation.
"This isn't going to be as easy as I hoped…" said Archimedes quietly to himself while he turned around to face the two Ghost-Type Pokémon who had led him and his people into the fray, "Alright, my friends, how do you propose we deal with this great threat?" Gremlin couldn't help but turn his attention to the dry riverbed, wondering when the waterway had dried up.
"How long as this river been dry?" asked Gremlin with curiosity. Archimedes nodded his head.
"It's been centuries since water flowed through here," replied the old Gardevoir, "Apparently, one day, maybe 400 years ago, the river suddenly stopped flowing. It must have dried up within a matter weeks, but to my knowledge, no one has ever gone further north to investigate what happened. I suspect the village chief at the time simply dismissed the occurrence as an act of nature: the river changing course on its own. Now, since my village does not rely on this river for drinking water or bathing, this is the only explanation I can think of. You can understand that we can't possibly keep an eye on thousands of square miles of forest. Even if there were members of the Olympus royal family living in our small village, I doubt we would have bothered trying to take care of a place that is nearly 50 miles away from our homes. I hope you don't think of us as selfish, but my people are not really that powerful. We have much to tend to just within our own village."
"I can understand that," said Gremlin, shrugging his shoulders, "But Joe and I have managed to keep humans out of this entire forest by ourselves."
"But you and your friend are immensely powerful; anyone here can see that," said Archimedes respectfully, "Now, what are we to do about this blaze? If we don't stop it quickly, it could destroy the entire ecosystem for miles and miles around. My people depend on the forest for food. We would have to abandon our village for several years, maybe centuries!" Gremlin paused only for a few moments to look upstream of the parched, deep, sandy and rocky channel towards a mountain valley that lie a hundred or more miles in the distance. Gremlin turned about and faced the Gardevoir chief with a twinkle in his eye, a great idea had quickly formed in the Sableye's mind.
"If your people were to spread out in a long line along this riverbed and put up a big psychic barrier together, how long do you think you could all hold off the fire?" asked Gremlin.
"Maybe half an hour at the very most," replied Archimedes matter-of-factly, "Do you have a plan? I doubt we could hold the fire at bay long enough for it to burn itself out."
"Plus there are far too few of us," cautioned Tanya.
"Maybe so," answered Gremlin, "But Joe and I are going to search up this old riverbed. I don't know what we might accomplish, but maybe we could reroute the river and get it to flow down here once again. If we can get a large enough volume of water to this place, maybe you and your people can then use telekinesis to throw blobs of water onto the fire or maybe direct streams of water towards the blaze? The only alternative is to spend days tearing out huge areas of the forest for fire lines."
"I see," said Archimedes, "Then my people are in your hands, Gremlin and Joe. I pray you will find what you seek."
"Me too," said Gremlin as he faced Joe, "Alright buddy, teleport us to that mountain valley to the north."
"With pleasure!" said Joe as he started to focus his power.
"Please hurry back and be careful," said a worried Tanya. The surrounding Gardevoirs and their young looked on with amazement as dark clouds started to appear from out of thin air and began to swirl around the Sableye and Haunter. A few moments later, the two ghost Pokémon were completely enveloped in the dark clouds. There was a loud "Poof!" and the black clouds were dispersed in an instant: not a trace of Gremlin and Joe remained. The chief Gardevoir quickly returned his attention to his subjects and addressed them with a loud voice.
"Alright! I want everyone to line up single-file along this riverbed at thirty-foot intervals!" commanded Archimedes with determination, "We have to work together in order to create one giant barrier to hold back the flames and embers as long as possible! Let's get to it!" Without another word, the immense crowd of over a thousand psychic Pokémon obeyed their leader and quickly lined up along the riverbed. They needed no words as they combined their power and before long, they had erected a tall and wide bluish barrier of potent energy. Mere minutes passed before the intense blaze was soon against the psychic shield and all the Gardevoirs, Kirlias and Ralts strained to keep the barrier from breaking, knowing very well how more than their homes and way of life were in jeopardy. As for Gremlin and Joe, they arrived several miles upstream, not far from the mouth of the mountain valley. Much to their surprise, there really was a river flowing to the south and towards the immense forest.
"Well! Good to see there really is water up here!" said Joe with glee, "Which begs the question: why is there no water to the south?" Gremlin scratched his head a few times with his left hand, thinking hard and fast, knowing there was little time to spare. In a matter of moments, a simple solution came to mind.
"Let's follow the river!" said Gremlin as he ran alongside the river with no shortage of haste, "It shouldn't take too long to find out what's gumming up the works downstream!" Joe merely shrugged his shoulders and took off, floating hastily and not far behind his good friend. Further downriver, the army of psychic Pokémon was continuing their struggle to hold the flames at bay. The wise Gardevoir chief looked to his left and to his right. Although only a few minutes had passed since Gremlin and Joe had left, dozens of his people were already collapsing along the sandy riverbank with exhaustion, unable to help their comrades keep the barrier up any longer.
"Those two had better hurry!" thought Archimedes with growing fear, "Otherwise, we may not have enough energy among the lot of us just to teleport everyone to a safe distance!" Gremlin and Joe knew very well that thousands of creatures were depending on them to help put an end to the firestorm. Once the two ghosts realized running would not be fast enough, they again relied on having Gremlin leapfrog themselves further and further downstream with one teleport after another. Within a few minutes and after several hundred-yard leaps and bounds down the river, they discovered why the waterway had been bare and dry for so long. At a fork in the mighty river, a huge rock and earthen dam had been constructed which was redirecting the flow to the southwest while the southern fork of the river was left dry behind the old and hastily-built structure.
"Sheesh!" said Joe with dismay, he and Gremlin standing at the base of the dry side of the dam in the dried up waterway, "How long do you think this thing has been here?"
"If the Gardevoir chief is correct, over 400 years," said Gremlin with amazement, "It's probably quite obvious, but I don't think toppling this huge nuisance is going to be easy…" Before Gremlin could say another word, Joe thrust his hands forward, unleashing a powerful Shadow Ball into the base of the dam. Down river, the old Gardevoir quickly glanced to his left towards the northern horizon when he heard the sound of a distant explosion and saw a cloud of dust rise up in the distance, obscuring the mountain valley beyond.
"I wonder what those two ghosts are up to now?" thought the bewildered Gardevoir chieftain, "No matter. I'm sure they know what they're doing. At least I hope they do…" Gremlin, on the other hand, was no so sure. He stood completely still at the base of the dam, his face and body blackened from the powerful blast. He looked down at his feet, noticing that only a few pebbles and rock fragments had been blasted loose from the earthen and stone structure.
"Are… are you okay, Joe…?" asked Gremlin slowly as he swiveled his head to his left. Sure enough, lying on the ground in a daze was Joe; the front of his body was also blackened.
"Whoa, Nelly…" slurred the shaken Haunter, "What the heck was that…?" Gremlin snorted with contempt.
"From what I can gather, you nearly blew us to bits, Joe!" snarled Gremlin angrily as he shook himself vigorously to get the ashes and soot off of his body.
"Oh? I did…?" asked Joe slowly as he started to float back off the ground. He rubbed his head with his hands a few times, trying to remember what had just happened.
"Yes! You did!" shouted Gremlin, pain still coursing through his body. The Sableye only wished he'd had enough time to become incorporeal to avoid the blast from Joe's hasty, unexpected and rather painful attack.
"Eh, heh, heh…" said Joe sheepishly with nervous laughter, "Sorry about that, Gremlin…"
"I forgive you, but please don't be so impulsive next time," said an irritated Gremlin while he and Joe returned their attention to the large dam in the river.
"Well, I'm out of ideas…" said Joe, shrugging his shoulders once again, "That was my most powerful attack and I barely put a dent in this dam." Gremlin took another glance at the base of the dam. Joe's attack had managed to bore a small crater into the dam's base, but considering the size and thickness of the earthen and rocky wall, it would take dozens if not hundreds more of Joe's attacks at full power before the dam would probably give way. He also figured such a plan would take far too long to complete. They needed to do something quickly to free the river, but what? A few moments later, another idea hit Gremlin. The plan was so stupid and was so absolutely ridiculous that maybe it would work.
"We don't have enough time to just beat on this thing…" said an annoyed Joe, surveying the structure, hoping to find some kind of weakness in the old wall, "It could take all day for me to breach this blasted dam on my own!"
"But you aren't on your own!" said Gremlin with glee. Joe looked back down at the base of the dam, seeing how Gremlin had just wedged himself into the small crater the Shadow Ball had left behind. Joe was rather bewildered at this sight.
"Have you gone mad or something?" asked Joe with disbelief, "What the heck are you doing down there?"
"I'm just going to sit here and use Bide while YOU clobber me with everything you've got!" replied Gremlin.
"Okay… you have gone bonkers…" said Joe with a heavy sigh.
"Don't just stand there, Joe! The Gardevoirs and every Pokémon in this forest is depending on us! Archimedes and his people won't be able to keep the firestorm back for much longer! They're doomed if we don't do something quickly!" said Gremlin resolutely as he dug his hands and feet into the ground and looked up at the perplexed Haunter with a big grin on his face, "Now, my student. Hit me, if you can."
"As you wish, sensei," said Joe, again shrugging his nonexistent shoulders, "But I still think you're nuts!" Again, strange and fairly loud sounds caught the attention of the Gardevoir chief. Archimedes quickly turned his gaze up river as the sound of distant explosions echoed throughout the forest and as small clouds of dust erupted in the distance.
"Do I really want to know what they're doing?" asked Archimedes to himself, "Probably not…" Time was now running out for the Gardevoirs. Many of them simply could no longer do their part to keep the barrier up. The tired Gardevoirs and their young were sitting on the ground, overcome with exhaustion while only half of the group of psychic Pokémon was doing everything they could to keep the shield strong against the intense encroaching inferno. Despite giving their all, the wall of psychic energy was straining against the immense fire and looked ready to shatter at any moment.
"Well…" thought the elderly chief with a heavy sigh of dread, "Any moment now, we shall face our destiny. One way or another… I sure hope I haven't doomed my people by bringing them out here…" Back upstream at the earthen dam, Gremlin was gritting his teeth as Joe dispensed one powerful blast after another upon his friend and teacher.
"If it's any consolation, this probably hurts you more than it hurts me!" shouted Gremlin.
"Still doesn't make me feel any better!" said Joe as he shot at Gremlin with one powerful Shadow Ball after another. Nonetheless, Gremlin held his ground, doing his best to withstand one punishing blow after another. Before long, Gremlin's body began to radiate with a bright, white light.
"That's enough!" thundered Gremlin, "Now get back and find someplace to hide! It's show time!" Joe nodded his head with affirmation and became incorporeal at will, sinking deep into the earth at one side of the dry waterway as Gremlin turned around and dug his hands into the wall of the dam, focusing all his power to that single point.
"I hope you know what you're doing!" said Joe's muffled voice from below the ground.
"I hope so, too!" shouted Gremlin just before he unleashed his full wrath upon the dam. Yet again, Archimedes was startled when he heard a thundering blast from somewhere to the north, but this time, the explosion sounded downright massive and made the ground shake. The chief looked northward up the dry waterway to see a small, brownish mushroom cloud erupt from the ground several miles away. The cloud completely blocked out much of the mountain range in the distance and the shaking ground soon fell still again. At that very moment, Archimedes turned his gentle gaze upon the encroaching inferno as it finally punched its way through the thoroughly weakened barrier. The fire quickly regained strength and speed, ready to bear down on the Gardevoirs and their children on the opposite side of the dry riverbed. Now there seemed to be no choice but to flee. The sage Gardevoir addressed his followers with a loud voice.
"I want every able male Gardevoir and Kirlia to teleport the women and children to safety at once! There's no time to dawdle!" shouted the chieftain to his people.
"Shouldn't we all try to escape?" asked Tanya with shock. Archimedes extended his right arm, pointing at the throng of exhausted Pokémon in their midst.
"Many are too tired to flee," said Archimedes with grief, "If we work quickly we can save far more than if we all tried to outrun the blaze." Tanya held tightly on her mate's hands.
"You heard Archimedes," said Tanya to the other Gardevoirs, Kirlias and Ralts, "We need to teleport as many of us to safety as possible: women and children first. Very little time passed for the somber meaning of the chief and his wife's command to sink in. The young and the females would be sent to someplace safe while the weakened males would stay behind and face their doom in order to save the lives of their friends and family. There were countless tearful goodbyes as hundreds of families prepared themselves to go their separate ways: forever.
"Tanya, my love," said Archimedes to his loving wife, "I was delighted to be your husband for all these years." Tanya quickly realized what Archimedes was getting at.
"No!" said Tanya sternly and with sadness, "I am not leaving you, dear. I'm going to stay right here with you. I'll use what's left of my power to help the others escape."
"As you wish, Tanya," said Archimedes, smiling as tears began to stream down his face, "We'll face our end together." Just then, Hector, absolutely exhausted stepped up in front of his father and mother with his bride, Adelinda, at his left side.
"Father," said Hector quietly, "If you wish, I shall teleport you to safety in my stead. Our people need you as their leader more than they need me."
"No, my son!" said Archimedes sternly, yet still with tears falling down his cheeks, "You must take your newlywed wife and as many as you can with you to safety. I've lived my life and have seen plenty in all my years. You are young and will have to help repopulate our homes. After this day, there will be very few males left in the village. Go now and God be with you." Hector nodded his head in reply and with that, the newlyweds said their hasty, tear-filled farewells to their parents. Then, Hector and Adelinda joined with some of the other tired psychic Pokémon to prepare for their departure to safety. Just when all seemed lost and the grown male Pokémon were ready to sacrifice themselves for their loved ones, many of them started to feel the ground quake again. The Gardevoir chieftain, who just moments ago was ready to face eternity with his wife at his side, had his hope renewed as the ground continued to shake. A distant, thundering roar overtook the sound of the quiet forest on one side of the river and drowned out the din of crackling, popping and roaring of the immense wildfire on the other side of the dried waterway. Archimedes couldn't help but smile.
"Father! What's happening?" said Hector, running back towards his father with Adelinda following close behind. The old Gardevoir chuckled warmly and let out a sigh of relief.
"I do believe, my son, that is the sound of our salvation," said Archimedes with joy before he again addressed his people, "Everyone! Keep back from the edge of the riverbed and get ready to douse those incoming flames! We have to succeed or we really will have to leave some of our loved-ones behind!" Moments later, a torrent of white, sandy water came roaring down the ancient riverbed, filling the once-parched waterway to its brim. The Gardevoirs and their young, feeling renewed in their spirits and with a new sense of hope, gathered what remained of their strength and power. Using telekinesis and working together, they redirected the river into hundreds of smaller streams, aiming them into the base of the approaching fire. Even though they were severely weakened, the group of Gardevoirs, Kirlias and Ralts fought hard, using every ounce of strength they had left for several more harrowing minutes. Finally, the titanic inferno had been completely snuffed out. The Gardevoir chief and his people now took a much deserved rest, thankful their friends, families and homes were now safe at last. Meanwhile, back upstream, Joe was hovering over the thundering waterway, desperately searching for his friend, Gremlin.
"Gremlin!" screamed Joe, his voice barely audible over the roaring rapids just below him, "Where are you? Gremlin!" Joe floated as fast as he could over the white waters downstream, keeping an eye out for any sign of his dear friend. For several horrific minutes, Joe scanned the waterway, hoping and praying he would find Gremlin alive. Had Gremlin drowned? Joe banished the thought from his mind and continued his desperate search. Just when he was about to give up hope, a single purple hand shot out from the waters below. Without a thought or a single word, Joe reached out with both arms and grabbed onto the hand as tightly as he could. Joe pulled with all his might to free the Sableye from the jaws of the mighty river.
"Hold on! I've got you!" shouted Joe as he quickly pulled Gremlin from the waterway and towards the shore. Much to Joe's relief; the Sableye was alive and smiling.
"We did it, Joe…" said Gremlin weakly, "We did it…"
"We sure did, didn't we? I'm so glad you're okay!" said Joe with joy as he floated to one side of the river, gently touching down on the ground with Gremlin in tow. Joe rested on the ground as Gremlin took a deep breath and then spat out several mouthfuls of foul-tasting, sandy water.
"I hope I never have to do that again…" said Gremlin with a sigh of relief, "Imagine: a ghost Pokémon almost getting killed by a river. Hard to think such a thing could happen, huh?"
"I'll say!" said a delighted Joe, "You just lay back and rest, buddy. I don't want you to try moving around again until you feel stronger and certainly a lot better." For the rest of the day and well into the evening, Joe didn't leave Gremlin's side. As the sun began to set, the Sableye finally felt like he had enough strength to begin the long journey home.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" asked Joe with concern. Gremlin slowly nodded his head as he carefully stood up.
"I think I'll be fine," said Gremlin happily to the concerned Haunter, "Once we get home, I imagine all I'll need are few days of rest. After that, I should be as good as new."
"If you say so, Gremlin," said Joe cheerfully as he turned his eyes towards the southern horizon down river, "So, do you think the Gardevoirs managed to take care of that horrid blaze?" Gremlin turned around and fixed his gaze upon the southern expanse of the woods.
"Judging by the lack of a billowing cloud of smoke, I would say they did," said Gremlin joyfully, relieved that everything seemed to have turned out well after all.
"Well, Gremlin old pal, I think we better get going," said Joe, "We have a long hike back to the cabin and I definitely don't want to stay out here in the woods longer than we have to."
"What makes you say that?" asked Gremlin with curiosity. Joe glanced cautiously to his left and right.
"The Blight…" whispered a very worried Joe. Gremlin nodded his head. Just then, the Sableye snapped his fingers and grinned as another idea dawned upon him.
"We don't have to hike all the way back to our cabin, Joe," said a smiling Gremlin, "Remember? You should be able to teleport us back home! I severely doubt you are as worn out as I am. Is my assumption correct, my friend?"
"I should have thought of that!" laughed Joe happily, "You're right! Let's be on our way, then!" But before Joe and Gremlin could react, they found themselves blinded momentarily by an intense flash of light. The Sableye and Haunter felt like they were floating in the midst of a dark void for several moments. Before they knew what was happening, there was yet another bright flash. When Gremlin and Joe could see clearly again, they found themselves to be in the middle of the town square of Gaia, the Gardevoirs' underground village. Gremlin and Joe were surrounded by nearly a thousand Gardevoirs, Kirlias and Ralts. They had their gentle gazes trained upon the confused Sableye and Haunter and spoke not a word. They were smiling as their chief stepped towards the surprised Sableye and Haunter.
"Gremlin, Joe," said Archimedes joyfully with a bright smile on his face, "My people and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without your quick thinking and bravery, the entire forest would probably be in ruins within a matter of days. Also, many of my people, including myself and Tanya, would have been lost to that terrible wildfire."
"All in a day's work," said Gremlin, smiling as he shrugged his shoulders. The Gardevoir elder laughed to himself.
"Nonetheless, we have much to thank you for. We would all be honored if you would join me and my people to celebrate not just our victory over that wildfire and certain doom, but also the marriage of my son Hector and his wife Adelinda, which you witnessed earlier this morning," asked the chieftain, chuckling warmly while holding out his right hand in a gesture of friendship. As much as Gremlin wanted to stay, he still remembered he needed to leave the forest and make his way towards Alakaz as quickly as possible. There was no way he was going to place Grover, Joe and his Gardevoir friends in danger, not while agents of the Blight could be near.
"Your offer is gracious, indeed," said Gremlin with reluctance, "But I have to leave the forest with haste. You know why, your highness. I believe you spoke at great length with Grover about what could be transpiring." The chief's smile vanished in an instant, replaced with a frown and a look of dread. Even the huge crowd's mood had suddenly gone from jubilation to sadness.
"I understand why you must leave, Gremlin," said Archimedes with a nod of understanding, "But, if this is to be your last night here in these woods, then I beg you to please spend this time to celebrate with us. We have so much to be grateful for and it would give my people ample time to both thank you and wish you well on your upcoming journey. We could also help outfit you for your journey which lies ahead. Please…" Gremlin thought carefully about the chief's request. He certainly did not want to be rude or refuse such a generous offer. Gremlin did not have to think long before coming to a decision.
"Since you have asked so nicely, I would be honored to join you all in celebration!" said Gremlin with great happiness. With that, the psychic Pokémon began to cheer and shout with joy.
"Alright!" said Joe with glee, "Let's get this party started!" Crystal watched from a nearby home's balcony as the party began to unfold. However, soon the Sableye, Haunter and the myriad of delighted Gardevoirs, Kirlias and Ralts began to fade away as darkness overtook the entire village. Soon, the familiar surroundings of the Alakaz Dance Hall stage and auditorium began to fade into view, as did the awestruck Kirlia's husband. Gremlin smiled at his awestruck mate.
"What you have seen was but one of several steps in my journey," said Gremlin softly.
"That was incredible and so brave of you, Gremlin," said Crystal happily as she wrapped her arms around her loving mate, holding him tightly, "Do you think I'll ever get to meet Joe? Maybe we should visit Gaia someday, too?"
"I don't see why not," said Gremlin sweetly, "It's just a matter of trying to find him. I imagine Joe stayed behind to guard the forest. I haven't seen him since the day I left that place."
"Ooh!" said Crystal with excitement as she continued to embrace her handsome Sableye, "What happened next, Gremlin? How did you manage to get all the way to Alakaz on your own? Did you have to face the Blight or escape from them?" Gremlin just smiled as he leaned forward and kissed his lovely wife on her lips. He soon broke the kiss and then spoke softly and tenderly to Crystal.
"That, my love, will need to wait for another day," said Gremlin with a gentle voice, "It is almost nightfall now. I suspect that K-1 would not want us to be late for dinner and I was hoping you would like to dance with me for a little while longer before we go to our room for the night. Sound good to you, my beautiful little ballerina?" Crystal couldn't help but smile as she started to giggle with delight.
"Sounds like a wonderful plan you have there, Gremlin," said Crystal sweetly as she gazed into her lover's shining, gemstone eyes, "But where should we begin?" Before Gremlin could respond, K-1 started calling the two lovers from one of the upper floors of the cavernous building.
"Gremlin? Crystal?" called K-1 politely, "Dinner is ready! Please come to the dinning room before it gets cold! I think you will both love what I put together!" Crystal moved slightly to the right and called back to her robotic friend from over Gremlin's left shoulder.
"We'll be upstairs shortly, K-1!" said Crystal happily. She quickly returned her gaze to her smiling Sableye.
"Well, shall we be on our way?" asked Gremlin sweetly.
"Yes, let's," replied Crystal cheerfully.
"Shall I carry you, my dear?" asked Gremlin, flashing his mate a toothy and mischievous grin.
"Of course," said Crystal as she grinned, released her mate from her embrace and then took a few steps away from the grinning Sableye, "You little monster, you…" Gremlin cackled, stepped forward and wasted no time in taking Crystal up in his arms before again gently laying her over his left shoulder.
"To dinner, my love!" laughed Gremlin as he marched across the stage, "You have no choice and will never escape from me! Never!" Crystal laughed happily, kicking her legs and squirming in her Sableye's grasp yet again.
"Oh, no! My monster is forcing me to go to dinner with him!" said Crystal with joyful laughter, "What ever shall I do?" Crystal really enjoyed this little game of Gremlin's. Nonetheless, as Gremlin tenderly carried her through the spacious auditorium, the young Kirlia could only imagine what the next part of her husband's life story would be like. The possibilities of all the twists and turns in her lover's life were enough to make Crystal giggle with anticipation.
