(A/N: Back so soon? Yep. Anyway, an Elite Four Member makes an appearance. Who will it be!?)

Chapter 10: A Meet with an Elite!

Lorenzo, Kaylee, Sam and Merlee were walking through the route that connected Moldridge Town and Jadevine Town. Though it was disappointing that Kaylee lost the tournament, the beautiful environment did wonders in raising everyone's spirits.

"This route actually contains a forest known as Lumni Woods." Merlee said as she looked at her map. "And it supposedly glows!"

"Glows? How?" Lorenzo asked. "Beats me, but it looks great!" Kaylee said.

It was evening time, and the woods were already letting off a beautiful shine. As they entered the woods, Lorenzo noticed a small glow worm Pokemon in a tree. It was a pinkish-maroon colored Pokemon and it had two bulb-like protrusions on top of its head. "Hey, who's that Pokemon?"

"Wormite, the Glow Worm Pokemon. They are known to produce powerful lights from their bodies that throw off enemies. At night, they illuminate forests."

"I guess so many Wormite gathered here that these woods eventually came to be known as Lumni Woods." Sam noted. Lorenzo held out a Pokeball. "I'm catching it! I do need a third member of my time!"

The Wormite looked at the newcomers and got itself ready to fight. "Go Pikuleck!" Lorenzo called and the Woodpecker Pokemon emerged from the ball. "Pikuleck!" it cried.

"Use Gust!" Lorenzo commanded and a powerful windstorm was summoned.

Wormite tried to hold on but it was eventually blown away… too far to be precise. "Oh no!" Lorenzo shouted as he ran after it. The others followed behind him.

Eventually, he found Wormite, as well as a new face. It was a tall woman with light blonde hair and a pale blue outfit. "Would this happen to be your Pokemon?" she spoke, her voice echoing in the forest. At that point, it registered to the others who this woman was.

"You're Rosalina of the Elite Four!" Sam said in awe. She nodded. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Lorenzo was amazed. "What are you doing in these parts?" he asked.

"It's a beautiful forest and I like to come here to clear my mind." she said. "My Psychic types can get a little unnerved since there are many Bug types here, like this Wormite." she gestured to it. "Yet, it's still a relaxing atmosphere."

"Speaking of which, I was just about to catch it!" Lorenzo remembered as he refocused. Rosalina decided to watch. "Pikuleck, Peck!" The bird charged at Wormite but the Glow Worm used String Shot to sling on to a tree and dodge. "Spiderman?" Kaylee said under her breath and got an odd lock from Merlee.

"Not bad!" Lorenzo admitted. "Use Wing Attack!" Pikuleck flew over and cut through the string, causing Wormite to fall!

"Now use Peck!" Lorenzo shouted and Pikuleck flew straight towards the Bug type. However, Wormite suddenly left off a blinding glare! "Ahh! Flash!" Merlee yelled as she and Embarge covered their eyes. Pikuleck was very disoriented.

"Try to snap out of it!" Lorenzo said. Wormite lunged forward, ready for a Tackle attack! "Peck straight ahead!" Lorenzo shouted and Pikuleck threw his beak forward, nailing the hit!

"Now it's time!" Lorenzo declared. Pokeball go!"

Wormite was hit and swept inside. Shake... shake... shake... CLICK! Wormite was captured! "Oh yeah, I got Wormite!" Lorenzo cheered. "Good for you Lorenzo!" Kaylee said.

"By the way, we haven't fully introduced ourselves." The boy turned to Rosalina as he picked up the ball. "I'm Lorenzo!" "The name's Kaylee!" "Sam here." "And my name's Merlee!"

Rosalina smiled. "It's great to meet you all!" "Us trainers really look up to the Elite Four!" Sam said. He was usually rather reserved but he appeared to be almost startstruck at the moment. Kaylee noticed this and chuckled a little.

"How'd you get so good! Tell us your secret!" Merlee said to the blonde. "It's the bond I share with my Pokemon, that's all I could really say." Rosalina answered.

"Sounds deceptively simple!" Merlee said. "It's not." Sam retorted.

"He's right." Rosaline said. "I've been with this Pokemon for years. They've been like a family to me when I had nowhere to turn, which is why I'm fully in sync with them."

The others nodded. Friendship was the true key to a Pokemon's strength. At this point Rosalina continued speaking.

" I'd like to see the bond you share with your Pokemon." Rosalina said. The others were taken aback. "You mean battle?" Lorenzo asked. "It's not an official League battle!" she laughed. "But I would still love to see your connections, in a Double Battle."

"Go for it, you are the trainers after all." Kaylee noted.

Lorenzo and Sam looked to one another. "I never had a Double Battle before!" Lorenzo said. "Well they come with a whole new set of strategies and tactics." Sam added.

"Can I referee?" Merlee asked.

"Certainly!" Rosalina answered as the battlers got into position. "Alright, here goes. Go Wormite!" Lorenzo shouted. "Go Debling!" Sam called. The two Pokemon landed on the battlefield.

Rosalina smiled as she grabbed two Pokeballs. "Starmie, Mystiplume! Go!" The Star Shaped and Peacock Pokemon were released.

"What's that?" Kaylee said as she grabbed her Pokedex. "Mystiplume, the Seer Pokemon and the evolved form of Plumigma. Their large, beautiful tail feathers have distinctive eye shaped patterns that are said to give them a view into the future."

Merlee marveled at the Pokemon. "It's so pretty!" she beamed with stars in her eyes. "Merlee focus, you're the ref!" Sam called over.

She stopped fidgeting and refocused. "Right. May the battle begin!" she said in a referee voice. "Wormite use Tackle on Starmie!" "Debling, use Icy Wind on Mystiplume!"

"Psychic!" Rosalina commanded and the two stopped the attacks in their place.

Wormite was struggling to move. "Looks like Lorenzo is in a tough position." Kaylee said. "Flash!" Lorenzo yelled and the bright light threw off the opponents. In that brief moment they were vulnerable to attack!

"Water Gun!" Sam commanded and Mystiplume was doused. "Ah, he's ruining its pretty feathers!" Merlee shivered. "Merlee!" Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Looks don't matter in a battle ya know!"

"Alright Starmie use Thunderbolt on Debling. Mystiplume, use Aerial Ace on Wormite!" Rosalina ordered. The twin attacks hit their marks, dealing loads of damage! Wormite and Debling struggled to get up.

"Team work is key you guys!" Kaylee shouted. The two Pokemon nodded to each other as their trainers did likewise. "Wormite, use String Shot on the tree!" Lorenzo shouted, and looked to Sam. Sam nodded, understanding where he was going with this. "Debling, jump on its back!"

Wormite swung from tree to tree with Debling on its back. Rosalina looked intrigued. "Icy Wind!" Sam commanded and Debling released an onslaught from the trees that hit Starmie and Mystiplume from several directions. "Interesting." Merlee commented.

The two Pokemon were nimbly weaving through the trees. Suddenly, Rosalina felt a presence. She turned and saw two unfamiliar shadows in the bushes.

Sam noticed her reaction. "What's wrong Rosalina?"

She shook her head. "I felt as if two people were watching us. But that shouldn't matter, let's continue." The others nodded.

However in the blink of an eye, Merlee's Embarge was snatched! "Embarge!" Merlee screamed. The black-clad thief ran and the others adamantly followed after.

"Get back here!" Kaylee yelled. However, at this point, he fled deeper into the woods. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the gang, the second figure was nodding. "Nice work so far."

"You are SO going to get it!" Merlee cried as they looked for him. Rosalina released a Gardevoir. "Gardevoir, try to sense his presence." she told the Pokemon. These Pokemon have the intuitive ability to sense these kinds of things.

Gardevoir closed its eyes and began to search for the emotional aura of the thief. Suddenly it felt the presence and fired a Moon Blast at a bush. The thief hit the ground!

Merlee immediately ran over and grabbed her Embarge. "Who do you think you are?" she shouted as she took of the hat and mask.

The gang immediately saw a shock of red spiky hair. "Wes!?" Lorenzo, Sam and Kaylee shouted in unison. "I knew you were a jerk and all, but come on!" Sam yelled.

Merlee was outraged, yet oddly intrigued. "Why would someone so attractive turn to crime!?" Everyone sweatdropped at her remark. "Really." Kaylee deadpanned.

"I have my reasons." he said, looking away from her.

Rosalina still looked like she was on alert. "There's still someone else out there. Show yourself!" A mischievous cackle was heard. "You fools may have won now but just you wait!"

The shadowy form of a cloaked figure on a broom emerged. "Come now, Wes!" it spoke and Wes walked over. "Hey, where are you going?" Lorenzo shouted. "We're not done yet!"

Wes and the broomed figure ignored him and started to converse. "We gave you this simple mission and so far you're failing!" Wes sucked his teeth at the remark. "I don't need you to lecture me Kamek!"

"Then do it right!" the Koopa wizard shrilled.

The five immediately surrounded them. "I don't understand why you're doing this, but we're bringing you to justice!" Kaylee shouted. Sam also stepped forward. "You do realize you're out numbered, right?"

The turtle wizard sighed. "It looks like we fumbled this one." Wes puffed up in anger. "You could've been of more held than just hanging out in that bush!"

"Well if you didn't leave Leacria at the HQ this would've went smoother!"

The others sweatdropped at the display. It was like a father and son bickering. "Let's end this." Lorenzo said in an annoyed voice as Wormite got ready. The others got ready to have their Pokemon attack as well.

"Come on boy! RETREAT!" Kamek yelped. Wes groaned, "This is so lame. I'm embarrassed for the both of us."

"Quiet boy!" Kamek yelled. With a swipe of his wand the two disappeared in a puff of smoke before they could be further harmed. "Cool exit I'll admit." Sam said dryly.

Rosalina shook her head. "The Koopa Troop is causing trouble again…"

"Koopa Troop?" Merlee said. "I think I've heard of that name."

"They're a troublesome group, always wreaking havoc in our kingdom." Rosalina explained.

"Those punks that tried to rob us in the past must be a part of that group too!" Kaylee clenched her fist. "They drive me crazy!"

Lorenzo looked uneasy. "Why would Wes decide to join them?" he asked. The other three were just as baffled.

"Regardless of his reasoning, you all need to be extra careful." Rosalina warned. "Your Pokemon's duty is to protect you, and your duty is to protect your Pokemon. Never let anything sever that bond."

They all nodded in understanding. Soon Rosalina got a call from the Mushroom League. (her ring tone was the Gusty Garden Galaxy theme) "Mm-hm. Yup… got it... I'll be right there." She ended the call.

"It looks like I have to tend to my duties as an Elite Four Member, but it was nice meeting you!" Rosalina said. "I hope that we can battle someday." Lorenzo said.

"I'm sure you'll grow to be an excellent trainer." she smiled as she climbed on Mystiplume's back. "May the stars shine down on you all." The two flew off into the night.

"Bye Rosalina!" Kaylee shouted. "Safe travels!" Sam waved. "I like your hair!" Merlee finished.

Everyone looked at her. "Merlee, that's how you decide to close an encounter with an Elite?" Kaylee asked. Merlee shrugged. "Come on, you have to have an appreciation for style!" The boys rolled their eyes. Fortunately, the gang would be out of the forest and on the streets of Jadevine Town by tomorrow.

Yet still, a tense aura lingered; something sinister was afoot and Wes chose to become a part of it...

(A/N: New Pokemon:

Wormite: Bug

Mystiplume: Psychic/Flying

Plumigma: (mentioned, pre-evo of Mystiplume) Psychic

Wes is now working with the bad guys! Not only that, but the next Gym is around the corner. Who will it be!? Virtual cookies for whoever can guess it. Please R&R and see ya soon!)