Bïlokvü, mok am! Welcome to yet another chapter of Pokemon Opal and Garnet, and a very special chapter indeed! Counting the prologue, this is the TENTH chapter of my fanfiction! To celebrate making it this far, every single chapter will now start with a short poem describing the start of the episode. The catch? Each poem can be sung to the tune of "Bells of Notre Dame." I'm sure that you'll find this new feature interesting!

Anyway, this chapter is entitled "An Electric Genius." In it, Kaylie, Patrick, and their Pokemon run into a genius Sparkadger. While they bond, they solve one of the greatest mysteries that they've seen. Ever wondered what those odd medals are for? Well, you'll find out in this chapter! I hope you enjoy Chapter 9 of Opal and Garnet (10 counting the prologue): "An Electric Genius"!

*WARNING: "GOOD WILL HUNTING" REFERENCE AHEAD*

Chapter 9: An Electric Genius

Last time in our story, Kaylie and her friends

Beat the bugs in Lepida's gym

Now as the group's next epic journey begins

A mystery surrounds them:

What's the meaning of the five strange medals?

Are they used for good or for harm?

And could they have something to do with the Pokemon themselves?

They themselves are confused by the charm...

-I'm sorry. Did ya say it was... kloh-pan?-

-No, listen to me, mok am. "Kloh-PAH~n." It's a bit more nasal than that. You don't pronounce the "n."-

-Oh, it's "kloh-PAH."-

-Künek sjine.-

Kaylie laughed. As usual, Clopin and another Pokemon were having a conversation on how to pronounce the hilarious Touceet's name. This time, it was Patrick's Yakocks. Patrick himself was listening in on their conversation, too, and he laughed after hearing it. He turned towards Kaylie.

"So... does this always happen?" he asked.

Kaylie nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. Whenever a Pokemon first meets Clopin, they'll usually pronounce his name wrong."

"I see," Patrick laughed. "So... what city are we going to next?"

"Well, according to my map, the next city that has a gym is Cinderite City," Kaylie responded. Upon hearing the name "Cinderite City," both Clopin and the Yakocks turned towards their Trainer.

-Cinderite City?!- gasped Clopin. -That's a Fire-type gym!-

"Figured," Kaylie responded. "Who's the Gym Leader?"

-Vulcan,- Frollo responded. He, too, was out for a walk with the group. -I hear that he's a world-class pyrotechnic who loves to shoot off fireworks. He's also horrible at PokeLatin pronunciation.- Looking up at Clopin, he added, -I bet you know what this means.-

Clopin giggled.

-Cheüt! It means I'll have to teach him PokeLatin, mok am!- Turning to Patrick's Yakocks, he asked, -Speaking of which, do you know any PokeLatin?-

The Yakocks nodded. -One word: bïlokhosget.-

Clopin tilted his head.

-What?- asked the Yakocks in confusion.

-You're not saying it right,- Clopin replied.

-What do ya mean? Of course I am!- the Yakocks responded.

-Neüt, you're not. The "h" is supposed to be said like the "ch" in "loch."- Seeing the Yakocks still staring at him in confusion, he laughed. -Ryküte jïlu mok, alright? "Bye-lohk-HHHos-get." Now you say it.-

He was still confused, but after a moment, the Yakocks decided to give it a try.

-Bye-lohk-hos-get.-

-No. "HHHos-get."-

-Huh?-

-Like this. You have to make this sound- it almost sounds like you're coughing up a furball. It's gutteral. You have to say it in the back of your throat. It's "HHHos-get." Get it? "HHHHHH."-

-I think so, but... what do I have to do to make that sound?-

-Simple. All you have to do is close up the opening of your throat tightly, so that air can't pass through. It's called a... a...- He racked his brain for the correct term. -For the life of me, what's it called?!-

At that moment, he was suddenly interrupted by a voice.

-Excuse me, but I think the term you're looking for is called a voiceless velar fricitive.-

Clopin, startled by the voice, looked around.

-Who was that?- he asked.

Then, he looked down- and saw the speaker. It was a yellow, badger-like Pokemon with two lightning bolts for a tail. Its ears were both lightning bolts as well. The lower half of its body was a darker yellow than its upper half. Kaylie and Patrick, as well as their Pokemon, all looked down at this strange new Pokemon.

"Wow, what Pokemon is that?" Kaylie asked.

She was about to take out her Pokedex to scan the creature when he immediately responded.

-A Sparkadger, of course.-

"A... Sparkadger?" Kaylie asked in confusion.

The Sparkadger nodded. -Indeed. And not to mention the greatest genius that the Pokemon world has ever known. It's been said that our species helped Thomas Edison invent the lightbulb, meaning that we Sparkadger were part of an absolutely incredible discovery.- He flicked his tail. -Which makes me the best Electric-type Pokemon there is.-

Kaylie looked over at Patrick in slight annoyance.

-So, now that I have introduced you to my true greatness,- the Sparkadger boasted, jumping over to Frollo and Clopin, -may I ask you for your names?-

Clopin laughed.

-Of course, mok am, but my name is a bit harder to pronounce than Frollo's,- he replied. -Frollo's the Emberhund, by the way. And my name's Clopin.-

-Clopin, huh? Interesting. I'm pretty sure I pronounced that correctly, since I am, after all, a genius.-

Clopin nodded.

-Cheüt, mok am! You most certainly did! Good for you!-

The Sparkadger grinned.

-Thought so. Call me an expert. I would have enough sense to know that that name contains a Kalosian nasal vowel.-

"So, Sparkadger..." Kaylie began.

-Cheüt?- the Sparkadger responded in PokeLatin.

Clopin gasped.

-You speak PokeLatin?!- Elated, the Touceet rushed over to the Sparkadger and hugged him. -Oh, I like you already, mok am! You and I are going to be great friends!-

Kaylie laughed.

At that moment, however, she opened up her bag and noticed something: five glittering medals. She took them out and stared at them, recognizing that they were the medals that Quasimodo, Clopin, Frollo, Phoebus, and Esmeralda had recieved. The only question she wanted to know was... what were they used for?

"Sparkadger?" Kaylie asked.

Sparkadger turned to look at her.

-Yes?- he asked.

"Can you... help me?" She knelt down at his level and presented him with the five medals. "These are medals that my five Pokemon recieved. If you really are a genius, then you should know something about what these medals mean."

Seeing the medals, Sparkadger rushed over to them and examined each of them for a long time, deeply in thought. Clopin, Frollo, and the Yakocks all stared at him, wondering what he would say or do. Finally, he spoke, looking up at Kaylie and Patrick.

-I've seen these before,- he said. -I know I've seen medals like these before somewhere. I just have no information thus far on their origins or what they are collectively called. However, there is no denying that I have absolutely seen these before.-

-That's great, mok am!- cried Clopin happily. -Is there any way you can find out about their origins?-

-As a matter of fact, there is!- cried the Sparkadger. -Follow me, fellow comrades! We are going to the place where I have always been able to show off my true genius: MY PERSONAL POKEMON LABORATORY!-

He bounded off, shrieking with delight, and everybody else followed. Clopin happily bounced over to Frollo, who was eyeing the Sparkadger with a look of sheer disgust.

-Did you hear that, mok am?! He's got a laboratory! This will be so much fun!-

Frollo was still glaring over at the Sparkadger.

-I'm not sure if I like him,- he growled.

Clopin gasped.

-WHAT?! Why not, mok am?-

Frollo's eyes narrowed. -His arrogance detests me. This so-called "genius" only thinks he's the best species there is. What he doesn't know is that even geniuses like him are prone to mistakes.-

Clopin laughed.

-That doesn't mean he can't be our friend, silly!- he giggled.

-Well, I wouldn't want to be friends with someone as arrogant as him, would you?!-

With that one interrogation, Frollo angrily walked off, glaring at the Sparkadger. Clopin stood there, in pure sadness. No matter how much the Touceet wanted to be the Sparkadger's friend, he knew Frollo was right about one thing: the electric badger was extremely arrogant. Someone, whoever it was, needed to teach him otherwise about his bragging. Now saddened, Clopin trudged after the others, looking down.

-Maybe Frollo's right,- he said to himself. -Maybe it wouldn't be right to be his friend.-

He looked back up- what was he thinking? Immediately, he laughed his own doubts off as a smile came back to his face.

-Oh, who am I kidding? That Sparkadger knows PokeLatin! Of course he's my friend!- Clopin exclaimed, laughing.

Now back to his usual happy-go-lucky persona, the Touceet bounded after the other Pokemon and Trainers, who were all chatting excitedly about getting to see the Sparkadger's lab (except for Frollo, who still despised him). Seeing the Sparkadger in front of them leading the way, Clopin decided to talk to the Sparkadger. Arrogant though he was, there was no doubt he wanted to be his friend...

-Prïket, mok am!- Clopin greeted Sparkadger cheerfully.

The Sparkadger turned around to see the Touceet happily bouncing.

-Prïket,- he responded. -I'm certain that since you've come here, there's only one thing you want to know about.-

-What's that?- asked Clopin.

-My true genius,- bragged Sparkadger.

Clopin felt like groaning at the Sparkadger's arrogance, but managed to stay positive. He laughed nervously.

-That's... nice,- he responded. -But no. I didn't come here to learn about your true genius. I just came to talk to you.-

The Sparkadger looked at him in surprise.

-Talk to me?- he asked.

-Cheüt, mok am!- Clopin exclaimed happily. -As a friend!-

-A... friend?-

-Cheüt. What's the matter with that?-

The Sparkadger looked over at Clopin.

-Oh, nothing,- he responded. -I've had plenty of friends over the course of my life. It's not as though I've never had a friend before.-

-Well, I'm sure that Quasimodo will be delighted to meet you, mok am!- Clopin exclaimed. -He's willing to open up to anybody!-

-Of course he'd be delighted to meet a genius like me,- boasted the Sparkadger.

Frollo groaned.

At that moment, the Sparkadger stopped and looked up. At once, he broke out into a huge smile.

-Well, here we are!- he exclaimed. -MY AMAZING POKEMON LABORATORY!-

Kaylie, Patrick, Clopin, Frollo and Yakocks all looked up and gasped at what they saw. In front of them was a huge sign which read on it TESLA LABORATORY. The laboratory itself was a square building with colorful wires coming out of every side. Kaylie looked up at the laboratory sign in awe.

"Tesla Laboratory... So this place was owned by Nikola Tesla?" she asked.

-Nope,- the Sparkadger replied, shaking his head. -It's owned by me. I built it, because my species is awesome.-

Frollo growled at him. Clopin, on the other hand, rushed up and hugged him.

-So your name's Tesla!- he exclaimed. -Ironic, because you said your species worked with Edison. But no matter! It's so amazing that you own a laboratory!-

-There's bound to be some mistakes in that thing,- Frollo stated.

Tesla blanched.

-Mistakes?!- he gasped. -No, that can't possibly be! I'm a genius. I never make mistakes.- He bounded ahead of them. -Now follow me, and prepare to be amazed!-

With that said, he entered the lab. Kaylie and Patrick looked at each other.

"Should we go in?" asked Kaylie.

"If he wants us to," replied Patrick. "Gotta say, though, that Sparkadger is as arrogant as can possibly be. I wouldn't go around trying to catch him anytime soon."

Kaylie nodded. "Yeah, I agree."

They looked over at their Pokemon, before all of them entered the lab together. As soon as they opened the door and saw what was inside, they gasped in shock.

"Wow!" Kaylie gasped. "Look at this place! Professor Maple's gonna be so jealous!"

Frollo rolled his eyes.

Indeed, for a lab created by a Pokemon, it was extremely advanced. The lab itself had, among other things, wires coming out of every corner, strange machines, and a gigantic chalkboard with calculus equations on it. The one thing that really caught everyone's attention, however, was a laptop computer in the middle of the lab. Tesla was sitting at the computer, loading images of the five medals into the computer's database. Seeing their amazement, he turned to them.

-Well?- he asked. -Am I not an incredible genius?-

Kaylie laughed.

"You're... pretty good," she admitted. "And I know some other Pokemon who'd definitely like to see this lab!" She took out her other three PokeBalls and threw them into the air. "Quasimodo, Phoebus, Esmeralda, let's go!"

As soon as the three balls hit the ground, Quasi, Phoebus and Esme all appeared in a flash of blue light. Seeing the lab, they looked around them in amazement.

-Whoa,- gasped Phoebus.

-What... is this place?- Quasi asked.

-Only the most amazing Pokemon lab in all of Feluv,- Tesla responded, bounding towards them. -And I should know, because I built it.-

Quasi gasped.

-Wow!- Phoebus exclaimed. -That's so cool! Who are you?-

Clopin laughed.

-That's Tesla, of course!- he exclaimed, happily jumping next to the Sparkadger. -He's a Sparkadger, and he's my friend!- Then, turning to Tesla, he added, -Oh, this place is amazing! I can't believe you made this place, mok am!-

-Hang on, let me get this straight,- Esme suddenly interrupted. -An arrogant Sparkadger made this whole lab all by himself?-

-Cheüt!- Clopin exclaimed cheerfully.

-And you consider him your friend?-

-Cheüt.-

-Wow,- Esme remarked. -That's... something.- Seeing the five medals loading up on the computer, she squinted. -Hey, wait a second... Aren't those the five medals that we recieved? Why are you loading them up into a computer?-

-So I can find out more information about them,- Tesla explained.

Esme turned to Kaylie. -More information?-

"He's trying to find out what those medals do and what they're called," Kaylie explained.

-Exactly,- Tesla confirmed. -And I will only find out that information once I finish loading up the databases.- At once, a LOADING bar came up on screen. As everybody crowded around the computer to look at it, they found that the bar had only reached 1%, and was loading up the database on Quasimodo's heart medal.

"1%?" Patrick cried.

-These things take a long time to load,- Tesla explained.

"Well, what should we do while we're waiting?" Patrick asked.

Clopin suddenly got an idea, and immediately jumped up, landing next to Tesla and hugging the Sparkadger.

-Oh, I have the best idea yet~!- he cried. -Tesla, does this place have a basement or anything?-

-Cheüt,- Tesla responded.

-Thought so!- Clopin cried happily, grabbing Quasimodo and hugging him. -I'm going to go down to the basement, then!-

"What are you going to do there?" asked Kaylie.

-I'm going to teach Quasimodo a bit of PokeLatin!- Clopin responded happily. -It'll be so much fun! Plus, Tesla will get to help too!-

Kaylie laughed.

"Alright then!" she replied, waving. "Have fun!"

-Bïloktaknüs, mok am!- Clopin responded, and with that being said, the three Pokemon all headed down to the basement. On their way there, Tesla looked over at Clopin and smiled.

The two of them were going to be great friends.

-I-I'm sorry... how are you supposed to pronounce that "sj" sound? I-I d-don't think I'm saying it right...-

-Because you're not.- Tesla confirmed Quasimodo's beliefs. They were in the basement, teaching Quasimodo how to pronounce some PokeLatin sounds. Right now, the one they were working on was "sj."

Quasi trembled. -Oh, no.-

-Don't worry, mok am!- Clopin exclaimed. -Tesla and I will teach you everything. Now, you listen closely, alright? It's said like this: "ssss-ZH-eye-nay."-

-"Shy-nay"?- Quasi tried.

Clopin shook his head.

-Neüt. "Ssss-ZH-eye-nay."-

Quasi only looked at Clopin in confusion.

-They're two separate sounds,- Tesla explained. -In the PokeLatin language, an "sj" is the combination of a voiceless alveolar sibilant and a voiced palato-alveolar sibilant. To put it in more simple terms, it's an "s" and a "zh" combined.-

Quasi thought about it.

-So... it's "zh," then.-

Tesla shook his head again. Dejected, Quasi slumped down onto the floor of the lab.

-Well, how am I supposed to say it? There's gotta be something that'll make it easier.-

-Easier...- Tesla suddenly gasped. -That's it! I have just the thing!-

-What?- Clopin asked. -What is it?-

-I'll show you in a bit, Clopin, you'll see,- Tesla responded. -Here, Quasi. My true genius qualities have come up with something that will seemingly make this easier for you. Now try this: imagine that you're in a desert area and a wild Ekans is hissing at you.-

-What does an Ekans have to do with PokeLatin?- asked Quasimodo. -They aren't even found in the desert!-

-Just go along with me here,- Tesla advised. -As I was saying, there's an Ekans hissing at you. You got that in your mind?-

A hissing Ekans? It seemed completely unrelated to the concept at hand, but Quasi somehow had a feeling Tesla was on to something. He tried to imagine himself in a desert with Kaylie, face-to-face with a hissing Ekans in a Pokemon battle.

-I-I think so.-

-Good. Now imagine that that Ekans' hissing is interrupted by a gigantic Boeing 727.-

-What's that?-

-It was an airplane that the soldiers used in WWII to defeat the blind German people,- Tesla explained. ("Blind German people" was Pokemon terminology for "Nazis.")

-Oh.-

All of a sudden he could see it- the Ekans was hissing at him and Kaylie had ordered him to use Razor Leaf, but all of a sudden they heard the ZHHHHH of the motors of a gigantic Boeing 727, which interrupted the "sssss" that was the Ekans' hissing.

Wait a second...

That was what Tesla was doing: he was using imagery to help Quasi get the correct pronunciation. He suddenly found it much easier to pronounce now that Tesla had explained it.

-Oh, so that's what you're doing!- Quasi exclaimed, finally getting it. -So it's "sssss-ZH-eye-nay."-

-Exactly!- Tesla confirmed. He sighed. -I always knew my genius would come in handy.-

Clopin's beak dropped open in shock- how had Tesla done it? Somehow, a story that was completely irrelevant to the conversation at hand had allowed Quasi to pronounce a PokeLatin word correctly. He may have been arrogant, but sometimes Tesla knew what he was doing. Stunned, Clopin looked over and saw Quasimodo light up.

-Yay!- he cried happily. -I said it right! Oh, thank you, Tesla. That little trick you gave me really helped!-

-Of course it did, because I am a genius,- Tesla replied. -And I did happen to show my true genius there. You don't need to thank me- thank my incredible genius skills instead. I am the best.-

Clopin laughed nervously again.

-You certainly are!- Quasi agreed happily. -I'm gonna go look at as many pronunciation guides as I can! See you!-

-Bye!- Clopin replied, waving to Quasi with his wing.

Happily, Quasi bounded off. As soon as he was gone, Clopin took Tesla aside and stared at him in shock. He was still unable to believe what he'd just seen.

-How were you able to do that?- he asked.

-Simple,- Tesla replied. -Mnemonics.-

-Mnemonics?- Clopin asked.

-They're memory devices that are meant to help aid your memory. Popular examples include the usage of acronyms and analogies as mnemonics. Linkwords are also commonly used as mnemonics for finding the meanings of foreign words. In case you don't know, allow a genius like me to explain it to you. Linkword mnemonics connect a foreign word to an English word that sounds similar.-

-Wow,- Clopin responded. -You definitely know a lot, mok am.-

-Of course I do. What else would you expect from a genius?-

Clopin sighed. Even he was starting to get annoyed a bit by Tesla's constant boasting and arrogance. At that moment, though, both of them heard a sound coming from the first floor.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

-What's that?- asked Clopin.

-It's the database!- exclaimed Tesla. -Finally it's finished loading! Now come along with me, so that my true greatness can finally be shown to both of you!-

He left.

-Hang on, mok am! I'm coming!- Clopin called. -QUASI! THE DATABASE IS FINISHED!-

Hearing Clopin, the Graswinemodo rushed out of his studies and followed the other two back up to the first floor. When they got there, Kaylie, Patrick, and the Pokemon were waiting for them.

"So how did it go?" Kaylie asked.

-It went great, mok am!- Clopin cried. -Tesla here sure knows a lot! Him and I are going to be great friends!-

"Well, that's great!" Kaylie cried. "The database has finally finished loading, so you can find out the origins of those medals!"

-I am aware!- Tesla exclaimed, jumping up to the laptop. -And I, the ultimate genius, will find out just what they are for!-

Frollo growled and glared over at Tesla. He'd had enough of the Sparkadger's arrogance. As Tesla typed some things up into the laptop, Frollo suddenly stepped forward, glaring over at the Sparkadger.

-Not yet, you won't.-

Tesla, shocked, spun around immediately.

-Excuse me?!-

-Not unless you quit that bragging and boasting that you keep doing!- Frollo growled. -You claim that you're the ultimate genius, but you're not! Not even a genius like you knows everything! Why, with your arrogance, you're about as bad as my namesake!-

"Frollo..." Kaylie gasped.

-No! That can't be!- Tesla cried, shocked.

-Oh, yes it can! In fact, I have half the mind to tell you how much I do NOT want to be your friend, and how much no one else here wants to be your friend!-

-T-that's not true! Clopin is my friend!-

Frollo looked back at Clopin in shock.

-You're his friend?- he asked.

-Cheüt,- Clopin responded. Angered, Frollo stuck his nose up in Clopin's face.

-You shouldn't be.-

Clopin gasped. Tears were forming in his eyes. He looked down sadly, knowing in his heart Frollo was right. Tesla was arrogant, and someone needed to tell him off. Clopin, reluctantly, steeled his courage and glared over at Tesla. He really didn't want to do this, but Frollo's actions made him feel pressured into doing so. Besides, he felt it was for Tesla's own good, anyway.

-Frollo is right,- Clopin snapped. -Your arrogance needs to stop.-

Tesla stared at him.

-C-Clopin?!- he gasped. -You... you were my friend!-

Clopin turned away from him coldly.

-Not anymore, I'm not.-

Everyone in the room gasped, including Frollo. At once, he deeply regretted what he said to Clopin. He hadn't intended to pressure Clopin into doing something he didn't want to do. Tesla's eyes filled up with tears as Clopin continued to not look at him.

-No... Clopin, no! Please!- he begged.

But all Clopin did was leave and slam the door to the lab behind him angrily. Tesla looked on in shock- how could Clopin do this to him? He looked at Kaylie, Patrick and the other Pokemon, who were all shocked by what they had just seen. However, all they could do was shake their heads and leave as well, leaving Tesla all alone in his lab, staring down a database file with the five medals and their functions on it. Seeing everyone leave, he got up from his lab chair and hopefully chased them.

-Clopin, come back, please!- he pleaded. -YOU WERE MY FRIEND!-

But he and the others were long gone. Saddened, Tesla looked down at the lab floor in tears.

-And now... you're not...- he sobbed sadly.

Extremely downtrodden, all Tesla could do was sit down on the lab floor, look down in regret... and cry.

On the other side of the door, another Pokemon was saddened by what he had just done. Clopin was looking down at the ground in sadness as the group left the lab. Seeing Clopin depressed, Quasimodo approached his best friend and nudged him.

-Clopin...- he muttered sadly.

Clopin sighed.

-Well, I did it,- Clopin said, saddened. -And that was about the hardest thing I've ever done.-

-B-but why did you do it? You shocked all of us- even Frollo.-

-That's just it. Seeing Frollo do that made me realize that he was right about Tesla. I never wanted to lie to him, but I... just felt like I had to. I thought it was the only thing that could make Tesla see otherwise.-

-I didn't intend to pressure you, Clopin,- Frollo responded.

Clopin looked down.

-I know you didn't,- he said.

That night, Tesla sat in his laboratory alone, staring at his data. He felt extreme regret for his arrogance. The poor Sparkadger certainly hadn't intended for Clopin- the one Pokemon he'd ever considered a true friend- to leave him. But now he knew that that was what happened to arrogant people.

And arrogant Pokemon like him.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

He stopped and looked up.

-Who interrupts my studies?- he droned miserably. -Go away; I'm nothing more than a horrible Pokemon who deserves no friends.-

The door opened, and from the other side came a clearly concerned Clopin. Quasimodo was with him, too. Tesla looked at both of them in shock. Then, seeing Clopin, he ran over to his friend and burst into tears.

-Clopin...!- Tesla sobbed. -Forgive me, for I have failed you!-

Concerned, Clopin hugged Tesla.

-Oh, no, silly, you didn't fail me,- he reassured the Sparkadger.

-Indeed I have! You said you wouldn't be my friend anymore!-

-Cheüt. I know. I lied.-

Tesla looked up in shock.

-You...?- he gasped.

Clopin smiled.

-Think of it this way, mok am,- he reassured him. -Is there ever a universe where I would somehow stop being your friend?-

Tesla shook his head, but he was still sobbing.

-If you had decided to leave me, though, I would understand. This whole mess was all my fault. I was extremely arrogant towards you.- He sighed. -Then again... that only happened because my first Trainer was extremely abusive and raised me to be as arrogant as he is.-

Clopin gasped, and so did Quasimodo.

-Oh, no,- Quasi muttered. -That must have felt awful.-

-It was,- Tesla confirmed. -I knew I wasn't a genius. I knew there was stuff I didn't know yet. But he made me believe that. I became extremely arrogant and self-centered from that point on. So arrogant, in fact, that he released me. I was happy to be released. So happy, in fact, I built my own lab and tried to show others what a genius I thought I was. They all left early.- Looking up at Clopin, he added, -Except you. Truth is... you're the only Pokemon I've ever met who's considered me a true friend. But this is all my fault.-

He looked down again in sadness. Touched, Clopin lifted his friend's chin.

-Look at me, mok am. It's not your fault.-

Tesla sobbed.

-Yes, it is.-

-No, don't say that. It's not your fault.-

-At all,- Quasi added.

Tesla shook his head.

-It's not your fault,- Clopin repeated.

Tesla was in tears now, and he pushed Clopin away. Quasi approached the poor, sobbing Sparkadger.

-Don't look at me,- he sobbed.

-It's not your fault.-

Tesla broke down. He couldn't take this anymore. Clopin and Quasimodo hugged him, and poor Tesla continued sobbing.

-It's not your fault,- whispered Clopin.

From outside the lab, Frollo and Patrick's Yakocks were watching the whole scene unfold. Hearing Clopin's words to Tesla, the Yakocks turned to Frollo.

-Did he just reference the R-rated movie with the therapy kid?!- Yakocks asked.

-Yes, I believe so,- Frollo responded.

-Has he ever seen the R-rated movie with the therapy kid?-

Frollo looked back at the scene unfolding before him.

-Just that one scene,- he said.

Eventually, Tesla was able to gain control of his emotions. The hug ended, and the Sparkadger wiped away his tears.

-You know what?- he asked. -You're right. It isn't my fault that I ended up like this. Still, though, you telling me that you didn't want to be my friend anymore... it taught me something. Arrogance won't get you friends. And as much as I know, that's something I have to admit I didn't know before.- He laughed. -I guess even geniuses don't know anything.-

-You're right, they don't,- Clopin responded.

Tesla suddenly stood up and looked at the sky with resolve.

-But I do know how to fix this,- the Sparkadger affirmed.

Clopin smiled, and so did Quasimodo. At that moment, however, all three of them looked up at the sky, and they noticed something. Another medal, this time with a lightbulb on it, was falling from the sky. As everyone watched in awe, the medal stuck itself onto Tesla's neck, and the lightbulb in the middle colored itself in a bright yellow. Gasping, Clopin and Quasimodo stared at it.

-This is...- Tesla gasped. -This is another one of the medals, isn't it?! We need to load this one into the database pronto!-

-Cheüt!- Clopin agreed. -Let's load this one up!-

They rushed to the laptop in the middle of the lab immediately, and the databases on the other five medals appeared. Tesla then inserted his medal into a case that was connected to the laptop, and instantly a loading bar came up on screen. Clopin squealed happily.

-Here it is, mok am!- he exclaimed.

-I can't wait!- Quasi cried.

The loading bar finally finished loading, and info on the sixth medal appeared on the screen. Then, info on all six medals combined came up on screen, and Tesla immediately took out a pair of reading glasses and a notepad. Clopin and Quasimodo gathered near him.

-W-what's it say?- Quasi asked.

Tesla laughed.

-Something amazing,- he replied.

The next day, the info on the six medals had been collected, and Clopin and Quasimodo were talking to all the other Pokemon about Tesla and how he had recieved his. Upon hearing the news, Kaylie, Patrick, Phoebus, Esmeralda, and Switeuk gasped.

-You're kidding!- Phoebus cried.

"Tesla got a medal, too?" Kaylie asked. "That's interesting. But what's even more interesting is how only my Pokemon seem to get these medals. Patrick... none of your Pokemon have gotten any."

"That is odd," Patrick remarked. "I wonder if it has something to do with how good of a Trainer you are?"

Kaylie laughed.

At that moment, however, Tesla burst through the door of the lab, waving his notepad and medal in the air. All eyes were suddenly focused on the Sparkadger, who bounded over to everyone else.

-EUREKA!- he cried. -EUREKA! I FOUND IT!-

"What?" Kaylie asked.

-The origin of the six medals!- Tesla cried.

"You didn't!" Patrick gasped.

-He did indeed!- Clopin confirmed. -Actually... we found it, right?-

Tesla laughed.

-Why, yes,- he responded. -Yes, we did.-

"What did it say?" Kaylie asked.

-According to the notes I took, it says that these medals were created by Arceus himself a long time ago,- Tesla recited. -He made them to be given to 14 different Pokemon, each one representing a personality aspect. Via the combination of these aspects, it will someday save the world. And according to Clopin and Quasimodo's studies...- He turned to the duo, and both of them stepped forward.

-We found out last night...- Clopin began.

-...that these 6 medals...- Quasi added.

-...ARE CALLED VIRTUES!- they both exclaimed.

Everyone gasped.

"Virtues...?" Kaylie muttered in amazement.

-There are 14 total, but only 6 are known: the virtues of kindness, fun, loyalty, tolerance, honor and intelligence,- Clopin explained.

"Really?" Patrick asked. "So they all represent a different personality aspect, and when they come together they can save the world?"

-Yep,- Quasi replied.

Patrick laughed. "Sounds familiar."

"6 virtues...?" Kaylie suddenly gasped.

She looked at each one of the medals, then at each of her Pokemon. She gasped.

"We're the chosen ones," she muttered.

Everyone looked at her.

"My Pokemon are the holders of five of the virtues!" she exclaimed. "And I know exactly who's who!"

"What do you mean?" Patrick asked.

She took the medal with the pink heart on it and held it up into the air.

"The virtue of kindness- the one who tamed a bully Capyarge with nothing but compassion- is represented by Quasimodo!" Kaylie declared.

She put the medal around Quasi's neck, and he smiled. Kaylie then held up the medal with the purple party hat on it.

"The virtue of fun- the one whose very style of battle is enough to get you to smile- is represented by Clopin!"

-Yay!- Clopin exclaimed as Kaylie put the medal on him. The next medal she held up was the medal with the fuchsia peace symbol.

"The virtue of tolerance- the one who defended Quasimodo when others thought of him badly- is represented by Esmeralda!"

Kaylie put the medal around Esmeralda's neck, and the Mothibell smiled. Afterwards, Kaylie held up the medal with the red judge's mallet.

"The virtue of honor- the one who would never discriminate against anyone and would do anything to not be like the namesake he despises- is represented by Frollo!"

The Emberhund bowed as Kaylie put the medal on him, before she then held up the medal with the blue medal.

"And the virtue of loyalty- the one who would always stay loyal to me because I found him first- is represented by Phoebus!"

She knelt down and put his medal on him. Patrick looked over at her.

"That's only five medals," he said. "What about the sixth?"

Kaylie smiled.

"That's the virtue of intelligence," she responded. "It belongs to someone who is smart and resourceful enough to not just pull through for their friends, but to admit to others when they've done something wrong." She looked over at Tesla, who gasped in shock.

-You mean...- he gasped.

Kaylie nodded. "I heard the entire conversation you and Clopin had last night."

-Then how come you didn't see me get my medal?- Tesla asked.

"Because I never got to see it. I left just before you got the medal."

-I see.- Tesla sighed. -I believe William Shakespeare himself once said something about regret, and believe me, I regret what I did to all of you very deeply. I never should have been so arrogant. I know it was due to an abusive Trainer, but after he raised me to be that way, I never looked back on my actions and how they would happen to affect my relationship with the first true friend I've ever had.- He bowed. -Can you ever forgive me for what I have done?-

Kaylie smiled and held up a PokeBall. "I already have."

Tesla gasped.

"Welcome to the team, virtue of intelligence." Kaylie put the medal with the lightbulb on it on an excited Tesla's neck, before throwing the PokeBall in the air. "Go, PokeBall!"

The ball opened, and Tesla was at once sucked into it with a flash of red light. The ball landed on the ground and began shaking. Everyone's eyes were focused on the ball.

3, 2, 1...

PING!

The center of the ball flashed a bright red, signifying Tesla's capture. Happily, Kaylie picked it up.

"YES!" she cried. "I CAUGHT A SPARKADGER!"

-And that Sparkadger is one of my best friends,- Clopin added with a smile.

Kaylie smiled and threw Tesla's PokeBall.

"Go, Tesla!" she cried.

At once, the Sparkadger appeared in a flash of blue light. He still had his medal on him, and as soon as he saw Clopin, he hugged the Touceet. Clopin hugged back.

-Thank you,- Tesla said.

-You are most certainly welcome, mok am,- Clopin replied. -Or should I say... the virtue of intelligence?-

They all laughed, and the group left Tesla's lab for good to continue on to Cinderite City. Finally, the secrets of the six medals had been discovered.

And there were still 8 more before they would save the world.

That is it for Chapter 10(!) of Opal and Garnet! Thank you so much for being with me for ten incredible chapters. What did you think of this chapter? What did you think of Tesla? What do you think of the virtues?! Leave your answers in the comments section! I'll see you next time with Chapter 11: "That's Some Folklore," in which we are finally introduced to the villanous team... see you then!

(PS: Every single phonetic phrase is correct.)

PokeLatin Key:

"sjïne" (sss-ZH-eye-nay, the word that Quasimodo was attempting to pronounce): instead