Chapter Ten

Promises

I stared at the green and white Pokémon limping down the path. He looked injured but he didn't show. I assumed he didn't want his pride getting hurt. I could see several scratches throughout his body. He was all over the path, slowly slipping on the ice and was swaying side to side. (Sort of like a drunk person walking. XD) I jumped up and readied myself to tackle him or use another move. A low growl sounded as he approached the actual sand and snow on the beach. When he reached the bottom of the path, he fell down on one of his knees and held his chest tightly. He was terribly injured it looked like. Gallade was holding himself up as best he could with his one hand.

"Please, you have to listen." He begged, staring up at me with pleading eyes.

I stepped back from him. I was scared to see how injured he was but I was also still upset with him and the way he attacked poor Darkrai. "Why should I? You're just a greedy little crook!"

Gallade shook his head and attempted to stand up once more. "You don't understand, Marcy."

I blinked and relaxed some. How did he know my name? No matter, he was still a crook! I shook myself and got back down in a tackling position, ready to go if I needed. "You're a bad guy and you shouldn't be here!" I snapped.

"Marcy—"

I cut him off and growled, "No! I'm not going to listen!" I shook my head and looked away from Gallade, flattening my ears.

"Will you just shut up and listen to me?!" He snapped and stood up, grunting in pain as he did so.

I jumped at his sudden change of mood and I took another step back. "What do you want?" I whispered to him.

"Marcy," Gallade said and stared deeply into my eyes. "You've got everything wrong. I promise. I wouldn't lie to you. I swear. Darkrai… He-he's after…" Instantly, he closed his eyes and fell flat onto the snow, face-first.

I gasped and stared in fear. He had just fainted right in front of me. I ran forward and began to pace back in forth in front of him. I had even nudged his blade-like arm to get up. That's when everything around me went black. I had been sucked into a weird blackout and was now standing in the middle of the shadows. What was happening? I was lightheaded and dizzy… I couldn't see anything! The only thing I could feel was a freezing cold breeze ruffling my fur. The black began to fade and I was now in the middle of a snow-covered forest. There was a strong blizzard and I couldn't move. It was as if my feet had been stuck to the ground. I struggled to move and call out for help but there was no answer. I then heard two familiar voices.

"… Cannot Save … Pathetic ... Everyone …. Hate …. No one will know … ... Will not remember… … Her Fault … Disappear …"

"I will protect her, I promise!" Another voice hissed.

I couldn't make out anything they were saying! I heard a few words but everything else was muffled. That other voice was Gallade's. I was sure of it! But that first voice. Whose was it? I didn't understand this! I stared at the trees surrounding me, engulfing me into the shadows. I tried to see once more but there was nothing anymore. I was in a room of nothing. Just darkness and weird shadows. This was so weird. I didn't like it. It happened as soon as I tried to nudge up Gallade.

"Marcy? Marcy! HEY! MARCY?! Can you hear me? Bubble Beam!" A voice sounded on the outside world.

A cold blast of water brought me back to reality. I jumped up, startled and stared around. I then lost my balance and fell on my bottom. I was now face-to-face with a blue and orange Pokémon. He had bright orange eyes and was staring at me with a worried look. Behind him were several Pokémon in the water, staring at me with that same worried look. They began to whisper to themselves.

"Marcy, are you okay?" The blue, black and orange Pokémon asked me.

I blinked and looked down at the passed out Gallade beside me. "I'm fine, thank you." I stood up and shook the water off of me. "Please. You have to help him. He's severely injured and needs medical help!"

He sighed in relief and nodded. "Good thing you're okay. I would hate to report to Cinccino about the injured Eevee," He turned to face the water Pokémon. "Lanturn, take the group back to circle Lugia's Domain. If everything is good there, go do another round in the ocean to see if any other Pokémon need help. Remember, do not leave the boundaries."

Lanturn looked at the group of Pokémon and nodded at them before her gaze returned to Swampert. "YES SIR!" She stated and flipped around. She then disappeared under the currents, followed by the others.

"Marcy, please help me. We need to get this Pokémon to Blissey and Audino right away!" The Pokémon spoke as he lifted up Gallade, best he could, to throw him on his back and carry him.

I helped him. I didn't do too much because he was so much bigger, but I tried. In a flash, we made our way to the guild. So much for my relaxation time.

I followed the large pokémon, a question popping in my head. What was that black out about? It all happened so quick, like in a blink of an eye. I was on the beach trying to talk to Gallade and then when he fell forward, I nudged him and everything faded to a forest. It was like I had been teleported…

We rushed back to the guild with me tripping numerous times in the snow. We climbed down the stairs and immediately opened the doors to the healing room. Inside the small, round room we found Blissey alone, polishing her egg that sat in her pouch.

"Oh my!" She gasped as her gaze rested on us. She looked at the Pokémon that the other Pokémon was carrying. "Please, bring that poor Gallade over here!" She motioned to the nest she was nearest.

The blue, orange, and black Pokémon did as he was told and he gently set Gallade down. He then backed away and nodded his head in respect to the Blissey.

I watched from the little hallway that leads to this room.

"Now. Please, please leave!" Blissey told us and shooed us away.

I began to make my way out of the hallway with one last glance back at the Gallade who was still passed out. I actually felt sorry for him! Even after he attacked Darkrai. He looked so helpless when he collapsed on the beach. He looked… Innocent. I tried my best to clear my mind as I made my way into the main hallway of the guild. I then sat down next to the board that had all the missions and the hallway.

"Don't worry about Gallade," The huge Pokémon told me.

"Me? Worried? About some random Pokémon?!" I laughed and shook my head. "No! Not at all!" Of course I was worried! He was completely helpless and injured. "Tch," I muttered to myself as the memory of him attacking Darkrai earlier. Darkrai hadn't done anything wrong. He was just trying to get away from Gallade.

He laughed softly and shook his head. "My name is Swampert. I am the leader of Team Aqua. All those Pokémon you saw in the ocean before we got Gallade here? They are my team. I am the only Pokémon part of Team Aqua that can walk on land and last. Of course, Corsola can come on land but not for too long." He smiled at me and looked out the window that showed parts of the ocean.

"Nice to meet you Swampert. As you already know, I am Marcy and I am part of Team Comet!" I replied to him.

"I must go now. I have to make sure everything is under control with my team. Sometimes, they get out of hand or get lost," He face palmed and let out a long-drawn sigh. "Oh well. Goodbye Marcy!" He waved bye to me before making his way swiftly up the stairs of the guild.

I was about to say thank you but it was too late. He was gone. So instead, I was left sitting there by myself. My mind began to race with different questions. However, I tried to distract myself to think about how it was pretty amazing how the guild had an all water-type group. They looked all so well trained too! I remember seeing a Corsola, Horsea, Huntail and another Pokémon. I assumed it was Lantern.

"Marcy? Are you okay? You look troubled," A soft voice spoke to me.

I looked up from the ground to see Milotic and her two team members, a shiny Vulpix and a Dratini beside her. "Um," I shook my head and put my two front paws together. "No. I'm fine. Thank you though."

Vulpix sighed and completely changed the subject, "I'm soooo hungry. Is dinner, like, ready yet?" She huffed. "How am I supposed to, like, keep my fur soooo beautiful if I don't, like, have my nutrition's? This is so uncool!" She huffed and pawed at the ground.

I flattened my ears and gave a ^_^; look as Vulpix spoke that way. "I'm kind of hungry too," I murmured and looked toward the dining hall. "I wonder what is taking so long to get dinner ready."

"I knowwwww, righttttt?" Vulpix gasped and then turned to face the hall. "I'm so hungry, I could eat almost anything!" She was so overdramatic. "Anything that keeps my fur so precious!" She giggled as she gently began to lick her 'precious' golden colored fur.

Milotic rolled her eyes and smiled some. She then bopped Vulpix on the head with her long, rainbow-scaled tail. "Hush now. Dinner will be ready when Medicham gets it ready!"

"DINNER!" Medicham called as if on cue with our conversation.

I smiled and watched as Vulpix hurried her way over to the kitchen. Dratini followed her and so did Milotic. I watched the rest of the guild make their ways over to the dining hall. When no more Pokémon were rushing to the room, I wondered where Vex was. My gaze rested on the hall that leads to the apprentices' room. I scrambled to my feet and walked to our room. As I made my way down the narrow hall, I noticed that all the rooms were empty. I stopped in front of the entrance way of our room and looked into the shadows of it. It was dark in the room and it usually was never this dark! There was always moonlight filtering in from the window or the light was on. I stumbled around the room, trying to see through the dark but it was no use. I then tripped over something, rolling on the ground and crashing into the wall.

"HEY!" A voice growled and the room instantly lit up by a bright blue orb floating.

"NO! Don't do it!" I whined, flinching as the orb came closer to me.

I heard a quiet gasp and then a loud CRASH from the blue orb as it was fired in the opposite direction. I flinched once more and tensed up; hoping the orb of bright blue wouldn't hurt for too long. My ears fell flat against my head as the orb just barely went over my head, barely skimming it. I whined slightly as I could feel the burn from it. Then the orb crashed into the wall, leaving a mark.

"Marcy?! W-what are you doing?!" He asked me and I could feel his presence backing away from me.

I opened one of my eyes and stared into the room of black. "J-just checking up on you, that's all! No need to get angry!" I whined to him, backing against the wall as best I could. I was slightly scared of him, he looked so angry and upset. I knew something had to be wrong. I mean, other than me… I'm sure he was still angry about me keeping things to myself.

A sigh escaped him and I heard him sit down in his straw nest. "You scared the aura out of me! I could have severely hurt you!"

"I didn't mean to! It was dark and I was walking and I couldn't see and then I tripped!" I told him swiftly and frowned. "I was worried about you."

"Worried? About me?" He echoed quietly.

I nodded, knowing he couldn't see me. "Of course. I was wondering where you were. Medicham called everyone for dinner and you didn't show up." I explained to Vex and took a deep breath of relief. I stared at the ground, my ears still resting flatly against my head. Embarrassment clouded over me as I bothered him with my presence. Here he was, trying to sleep and I woke him up for no reason. That must be another reason he was upset with me.

"Oh. I didn't hear him," He murmured. "Let's get some food and a goodnights rest." He stood up and walked into the hallway that was slightly lit up.

"Right," I replied quietly and followed him out of the hallway and to the dining room.

Nothing happened at dinner. All the Pokémon enjoyed their meals happily. They were all chatting amongst themselves and laughing erupted from the two tables every now and then. Everyone seemed so happy and not one Pokémon looked worried about anything! Except for me. I was sitting in my original spot beside Vex and eating my meal quietly. I was still confused about everything that has been happening. The blackout from earlier, Gallade, Articuno, that Pokémon telling stories at the square and then Team Pitch.

TEAM PITCH! I completely forgot about them! I gazed around the dinner tables and didn't see any of the team. Where could they be? I remember running into them earlier when Vex and I were coming back from Moonlight Town. I wonder where they were. Could they be stealing anything right now? Or were they minding their own business for once? I hope they weren't stealing anything! That would be terrible! No one at the guild knew of their treacherous acts but Vex and I. Actually, I don't even know if Vex believed me or not about Banette or even Team Pitch going around and stealing things. Since there were no traces of those three anywhere at all, I had thoughts they were thieves. They had to be thieves. When I first met them, the very first day I showed up in Silvermist Town, they tried to steal something from Vex. What was it they tried to steal? All I remember was a black stone with a very strange pattern to it. It was Vex's treasure and he didn't want to give it up. It must mean a lot to him if he's so protective of it. Then again, he doesn't often talk about it. Nor has he shown it to me or said anything about it. Honestly, I kind of forgot about it. But it had to have some kind of meaning. I began to grow curious of what that stone thing really did. Perhaps it could help me with my questions to as of how I became a Pokémon.

We finished dinner and we sat in the dining room for a little bit, watching all the other Pokémon leaving with full bellies. "Vex?" I murmured to him.

"Hrm?" He asked, looking into the shiny plate to see his teeth.

I gave him an odd look before nodding slowly. "Do you remember the first day we met?" I asked him.

He stared into the plate before gently setting it down. He then turned his attention to me and nodded. "Of course I do," He replied.

"That first day we ran into Dusk and Coal… They wanted something from you. I got to thinking about it and I was wondering what it was?" I asked out of the blue, "May I see it?" I was his partner after all. I had a right to know, right?

The Riolu tilted his head some and thought about it. "Of course. Come on!" He jumped off the bench and disappeared out of the hall.

I followed him and he led me back to our room. The room was lit up now by a few candles. The fire Pokémon must have come by and lit the candles. Thank Arceus too! I sat down in my straw bedding as Vex began to dig through his own straw bedding.

"There you are!" He happily cheered and pulled this strange stone out. It was perfectly round with these glowing markings on it. They were actually glowing too. The markings were shining a ghostly-white color with black tips at the end of the markings. His eyes grew wide and he whispered, "Whoa! It's glowing! Look!" He held the stone out toward me.

I lifted my paw and rubbed it over the glowing marks. Then another Black-out happened. Just like from earlier when I had caught Gallade when he fell. I was quickly swallowed into darkness and voices sounded immediately!

"I know where he hides it," Houndoom's voice sneered with laughter.

"Then why don't you get it?!" Pawniard's voice hissed.

"BECAUSE. They're always holding on to it!" Houndoom growled.

"SNEAK IT!" Houndoom snapped.

"SHUT UP!" Maggie's voice sounded.

They all fell into silence and I could actually see an outline of a Pokémon! I tried to get a better look at the Pokémon who was standing in front of a cave. Everything was coming together now. I could see where they were and what they were doing. There were three Pokémon and another one. However, I couldn't see that last one.

"Now then, isn't that better? I have an idea to get that 'treasure.'" The fourth voice chuckled.

That's when everyone's voice began to get muffled and I couldn't make anything out anymore. The scenery was becoming fuzzy and the Pokémon were disappearing into the darkness. I tried to close my eyes tighter to keep the blackout lasting longer but it didn't work.

"MARCY?!" Vex's voice pulled me back into reality.

I jumped and my eyes shot open. I then let out a little yelp as I saw Vex a few inches away from me. I shrunk back and looked at him. "Uhh…" I murmured and looked away. My ears once again fell against my head and I gazed at Vex. I frowned and stared at the ground.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded and began to paw at the straw bedding sitting in front of me. "Yes… This happened to me earlier," I explained to Vex. "I uh… had grabbed a berry and something weird happen. I was torn away from the uh.. forest I was walking through and it teleported me to.. like, the mountains or something." I gulped and shook my head.

"What?" Vex muttered, sitting cross-legged now and reaching out to me. He gently rested both of his palms on my shoulders and looked at me in my eyes. "What do you mean this happened earlier?" He demanded.

I flinched at his touch and tried so hard to avoid his gaze but I couldn't help it. I frowned and looked up at Vex, my eyes full of fear. "I had a blackout," I told him straight forward.

"Blackout?" Vex echoed and blinked. "And you said you were teleported? So what happened? Did you see anything or hear anything?" He asked, interest building in his voice.

"I saw Team Pitch talking about a Pokémon's 'treasure.' In fact, they called it a treasure. They were talking about stealing it," I explained to him. "I saw Maggie, Coal, and Dusk all in front of a cave. I saw another Pokémon but I couldn't make him out. It was definitely a big Pokémon though."

"Treasure?" Vex frowned and shook his head. He pulled his glowing stone against his chest tightly and gasped, "Nonono! They're talking about this, Marcy!" He basically threw the stone into my face. "Wait, how do I know you're telling me the truth?" He demanded, gazing at me. "I mean, you didn't say anything earlier about anything."

I felt my eyes get a little watery. He was still hung up on that. "Vex, I wouldn't lie to you," I told him and stared at the floor. "I promise I'm telling the truth. I saw and heard Team Pitch." My voice was getting a bit shaky.

A sigh escaped him and he leaned back against the wall, the stone now lighting up his face as he stared in my direction. I could feel his gaze burning into my fur. "So, you're telling me you just touched this stone and saw Team Pitch and heard voices?"

I nodded slowly, tears getting heavier.

"Hrm…" Vex thought to himself.

"THAT IS SO COOL!" A voice squealed. "WOW, Marcy you can do that?!"

Vex and I leapt up and nearly out of our skins. We even almost bumped into one another.

"What is that?!" Vex snapped, gazing around.

"Me, silly. Marcy was supposed to speak to me tonight!" A familiar voice giggled and appeared in front of Vex and I.

"Oh Flicker," I took a deep breath and shook away my tears, forcing a smile at her. "Hello!"

"Hi! So, Vex knows you're human too, right?" Flicker gasped, floating down to us and floating between us now. The young Litwick looked so happy as she just neatly floated there.

"Erm, yes… I was the one who found her afterall," Muttered Vex, gazing up at her.

"I don't believe that," A low voice growled. Into the room now came Flame.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO FOLLOW ME!" Flicker growled, her blue flame growing brighter in anger that her partner disobeyed her.

"I wouldn't let you run off on your own, especially to bother them," The growlithe muttered, motioning towards Vex and I.

Oh this was just lovely! Now not only did Cinccino and Ampharos know that I am not a pokémon under this skin, but now Flicker and Flare. And Flicker didn't seem like one who could keep her mouth shut. I was sure she told other pokémon or even has been stalking me to figure out more information. I gazed at Vex who instantly tensed up when Flare came into the room and even took a little step forward.

"You don't have to believe anything," Vex told him lowly. "Neither of you are supposed to know anyway," He muttered.

I flattened my ears and gazed at Vex. Why was he being so cold toward Flare? Did he not like Flare or something? I don't understand. He never told me anything. Vex didn't seem like the one to dislike other pokémon. He was always so cheerful and bouncy towards others, loving to meet other pokémon. But when it came to Flare, it looked like he wanted to cast him out forever. I was so confused. Vex has never been that cold toward another pokémon. I know he was still agitated but I've never seen Vex mean.

Flare completely ignored him and gazed to me, the pokémon's amber eyes growing soft. (Yes, I said he could have amber eyes.) Flare sat down beside Flicker who was floating now on the opposite side of us. His tail wrapped around his front paws and he tilted his head some, examining me.

The pokémon then shook his head and stood back up and stepped toward me. As he neared me, I could hear a noise from the dog pokémon. He was… Sniffing me? I flattened my ears and froze, completely tensed. I did not like this. "Erm?" I murmured, gazing down at the dog sniffing at me.

"You smell of a pokémon," Flare told me as he took a few steps away from me. "You look like an eevee except for the brown patch on your eye. Every pokémon has a marking though, so that's normal. You were washed up on the beach, which isn't normal and you have black outs… You didn't have any nightmares when you went to Spirit Tower and you had no idea this town even existed, nor the guild," Flare summed up everything.

Vex glared coldly at the pokémon and crossed his arms, giving him the rudest attitude ever, "And what does any of that mean?"

Flare shrugged. "Things happen. Remember the storm the night before she joined the guild?" He asked him.

"Yes, so?"

"So, that may have knocked her memory out when she was trying to get out of it. Perhaps she thinks she's human."

"But Flare!" Flicker whined, "She's human. I know she is. Even Cinccino and Ampharos think that!" The ghost pokémon looked so sad as she argued with her partner.

"That means nothing!" Flare snapped.

She jumped back and hid behind Vex, "But Flare… It's totally possible. Did you not hear what Bisharp said the other day?"

"Bisharp isn't as sharp as you think he is," Flare told her, gazing up at her. He then took a deep breath and returned his gaze to me. His body relaxed a little and he took another step towards me, "Whatever happened to your memory, Marcy, it'll be okay." A small smile showed and he dipped his head in respect. "Forgive me for being rude to you. I just don't know if it's possible for a human to turn into a pokémon."

Vex took another step in front of me as Flare stepped towards me. "With all due respect, Flare, things happen. I believe Marcy was originally a human. She knows little," He paused and gazed at me, and spoke to me, "Sorry Marcy," then returned back to Flare, "To nothing about the pokémon world."

"Vex… Believe what you want," Pausing, the fire type took a deep breath and gazed softly at me with a smile. "I hope we can help you figure out what happen. Please, let us know if we can do anything," He spoke with a huge grin. "Also Vex? Don't get in my face again," He growled before turning hard and leaving the room. "Now, Flicker…" He demanded. "I hope we can be of service to you, Marcy."

"Bye…" Flicker murmured and followed her partner.

Vex watched him leave, anger burning in his stare.

I frowned at Vex and nudged him a little with my nose. "Hey," I murmured softly. "Vex?"

He took a deep breath and clenched both of his fists. "I cannot stand him!" Vex huffed and shook his head. The fighting pokémon then crossed his arms and began to pace back and forth, muttering words under his breath. He then paused and turned to me. "I'm sorry, are you okay Marcy?" He asked.

I replaced my frown with a smile as he turned to me. "I'm fine!" I replied and nudged his elbow. "Come on, forget about that."

He relaxed a little and sat back down in the straw nest, sighing heavily. The pokémon then dug from the nest his stone and gazed at it. The stone was so gorgeous. It was black with a slight glow to it.

"Hey Vex?" I murmured, tilting my head and looking at the stone. "Where did you find that anyway?"

"I actually remember having it for the longest time," He replied, holding it up some towards the window. "I don't remember where I got it or how… I just remember always having it with me."

"Oh… Hrm… What do you think Pitch and Coal want with it?" I asked, bringing up the original conversation.

"I'm not sure," He replied and shrugged. "But they aren't going to have it!" He said quietly and clutching the stone harder. "No one will have this but me. I will be devastated if something were to happen to it…"

I flattened my ears and lowered myself to the ground. "Everything will be okay! I promise!" I told him, my voice full of positivity. "We'll keep it safe!"

He took a deep breath and stopped, facing one side of the walls. "Okay. I trust you," He murmured. "If anything happens to my treasure… I don't know what I'll do. I want to figure out what it's for and how to use it. I want to be the one who figures it out!"

I understood what he meant when he said that. I also want to be the one to figure out my mystery of how I was turned into a Pokémon. I wanted to figure that out on my own. I hate wasting other Pokémon's time with something so little. I frowned and nodded in agreement to Vex. "I know what you mean," I whispered and stepped onto my nest. I circled it a few times and then plopped down.

Vex held his stone close to his body and looked from the stone to me. He then sat down in his nest and buried the stone once more, hoping it would stop glowing eventually. "I guess we should get some more rest," He murmured. "Tomorrow, we can do a mission or two and if we have time we can visit the Towns Elder to see if he remembers anything."

I totally forgot about the Town's Elder. He did tell us to come back another day to find out if he found any more information about the human-to-Pokémon thing. I let out a soft sigh and curled tightly into a ball. What was the point though? I would never be a human again. I was stuck as a Pokémon – I was sure of it! "It doesn't matter," I whispered through my furry tail. (Yes. Her tail is near her muzzle!)

"Hey!" He said quietly and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "We'll figure it out sooner or later! Both of our mysteries, okay? I promise." He placed a hand in front of me and smiled. "We're a team, Marcy. If we're not, we wouldn't be known as Team Comet!"

I smiled some and reached out one of my paws to rest on his hand. "You're right. We are a team!" I cheered and we broke. (Like, TEAM POKÉMON ON THREE, ONE,TWO,THREE! TEAM POKÉMON! When they stack their hands? Yeah. Something like that. XD)

"Hey Vex," I spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

"Hrm?" He asked, gazing sleepily in my direction.

"Thank you," I said softly as my cheeks got warm. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me. And I'm sorry about not mentioning things to you sooner. I promise I will let you know everything from here on out!" I said. My memory then faded back to Gallade. I hope he was doing okay… I know he was the bad guy, but there was something about him that didn't seem so bad. I frowned and buried my face into my tail. I was embarrassed by far and I needed to tell Vex about Gallade. In the morning, I'll do that. He's had enough trouble today.

He smiled softly at me from his nest and put a thumbs up. "Sounds like a deal," He cheered softly and then yawned. "Let's get some rest. Goodnight Marcy."

"Goodnight, Vex," I replied.

We woke up early that morning –before Beartic even had a chance to wake us up! We grabbed a mission or two off the bulletin board and were on our way to complete our missions. We were headed to an area known as Luminous Forest. It was a beautiful, but huge, forest that consisted on many open fields. We were there on a mission to rescue a Pokémon who got lost in the forest.

"According to this paper, it says they were playing in the deepest part of the forest…" Vex murmured as he read over the paper again.

I was hopping through the snow, trying my best not to get too cold. "Hrm… Hopefully they're easy to spot. I hate this snow!" I huffed.

Vex laughed and rolled his eyes before folding the rescue mission paper up and putting it into the bag he was carrying. "One day you'll be tall!" He teased me and ran on ahead. "LOOK AT MEEEEE! I CAN RUN FREELY THROUGH THE SNOW! WEEE!" He cheered.

I smiled some. It was nice to see him in a better mood than yesterday. It made me feel good as well. I let out a hearty laugh and trailed after him best I could in the snow. I came to a halt when I saw something appear not too far ahead of Vex. "VEX STOP!" I hissed through the snow and crouched down as best I could to hide.

Vex looked back in my direction and kept running. He shrugged and ran smack-dab into a Pokémon. He fell back and put a hand on his head, groaning some. "Oww!" He whined and sat down in the snow.

"You need to be more careful," A gentle voice told him. "You don't want to get lost in Luminous Forest, do you?"

Vex looked up to see a large Pokémon with cream-colored fur on his chest. Near his hooves were large white tufts of fur. His horns were larger than the average Sawsbuck and were white as snow. "You're a winter Sawsbuck, aren't you?!" He exclaimed with a gasp.

He nodded and looked around at the Pokémon that sat in the field. "I am. Please be more careful in this area. You are lucky you only ran into me and the Deerling," He told him gently. "Any other Sawsbuck might have challenged you." He let out a half-hearted chuckle and looked at the scared Deerling around him.

Vex followed his gaze and looked at the other Deerling and the other few Winter Sawsbuck that were grazing the field. "Wow. This is so cool!" He cheered.

I hopped ahead, still cautious of the Pokémon around me.

"Is this your friend?" Sawsbuck asked.

Vex nodded. "Yes! My name is Vex and this is Marcy. We're actually part of Cinccino's guild." He explained, moving his hands around to shape Cinccino.

I smiled shyly and shook the snow off my fur. "It's nice to meet you," I murmur. I wasn't exactly the greatest at meeting new Pokémon.

"As it is you," He smiled.

"Daddy! Daddy!" A Pokémon squealed. A young gray and yellow Deerling bounded up beside the huge Sawsbuck. His eyes were shining with happiness. "There's other Pokémon here? Please let me battle one of them! Please? Just this once?" He begged.

Sawsbuck looked at the young Pokémon and tilted his head some. "I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do," He murmured.

"Oh please! I know I can take the Eevee at least! If I was to go against the Riolu, who knows where that would end! Fighting versus Normal… He has the advantage," The Deerling looked to the ground and began to stomp at the snow.

I flattened my ears. -_-' He was calling me weak! He did have a point though. Fighting had an advantage over a normal type Pokémon. It would be nice to practice a little battling anyway. I haven't had much one-on-one battling training.

"Hrm…" Sawsbuck thought about it and sighed, "Fine. Just be careful." He told his son and backed away from the two. "That is, if Marcy accepts the battle?" His gaze fell on me.

I nodded. "That's fine. I need some training experience anyway!" I replied. I was a little unsure about it though.

"YES! I'll show you, Victoria, that I am a powerful Deerling!" The Deerling whispered to himself.

Victoria? Who was that? It must be another Deerling in the group. Perhaps one that teases him a lot? I shrugged the thought away and backed up in the snow. I began to think of what I could do and what kind of attacks I had. "All right. Let's get started!" I called across the field of snow.

The surrounding Deerling and few Sawsbuck stood off on the side and began to watch the two of us battle.

Deerling began to charge at me.

I used the snow to my advantage and slid off to the side, dodging his attack. I lost my balance some and began to slip and slide in places I didn't want to. Finally, something hard hit me in my side.

Deerling had used tackle when I was distracted by regaining my mobility. I slid in the snow on my side before standing up and shaking it off. I glared at the rather powerful Deerling who began to run at me. He leaped up into the air at an impressive height and came crashing down toward me. I quickly rolled out of the way and he landed with a loud huff of pain.

"Stupid Jump Kick!" He muttered to himself.

I stood up and opened my mouth; stars began to fly in the direction of Deerling. Swift had hit him quite hard and I grinned. "Yes!" I cheered and charged at the Pokémon. I quickly hit the Pokémon with my quick attack move.

"Argh!" He called as he was hit. He then slid in the snow and began to breathe heavily.

I, myself, was breathing heavily. This time, when I charged at him, he jumped out of the way and dodged.

I blinked, not knowing where exactly he went. I looked around the snow but saw nothing. All of a sudden, something hit me hard on the top of my back and I crashed down into the snow.

"YES! DID YOU SEE THAT?! Energy ball worked!" Deerling cheered as he landed a few feet away from me.

I tried my best to stand back up but I felt too weak to move. I even fell back down into the snow a few times. Finally, after the third time of trying to stand back up, I did. My gaze fell on the gloating Deerling who was prancing around in the snow. I shook the flakes of snow that landed on me and focused on the Deerling. I began to swiftly run at him (quick attack) and right before he turned around, I jumped into the air. The next thing I knew, I landed on him and bit hard. (BITE!)

He yelped and began to buck and kick, trying to shake me loose. He ran in a circle and did a hard turn, causing me to lose my grip. I was flung back into the ground.

"That's enough!" Sawsbuck yelled loudly. "That was an impressive battle. Both of you! You both tried your best and did outstanding. Deerling, you will be a strong leader one day," He praised us.

I was laying on my back in the snow, enjoying the cold on my back and my legs. The snow was good for a few things!

Vex ran over to me and reached into his bag. "Marcy! You did great!" He complimented me and handed me an Oran berry. "But we need to get going! That Pokémon is still lost!"

I bit into the Oran Berry and felt better quickly. I smiled and finished the berry off, recovering my strength.

Deerling ran over to me and smiled. "That was the best battle I have ever had! You did great!" He cheered happily.

I let out a soft laugh and sat up straight in the snow. "It was a nice battle," I replied with a smile. "Though, now I'm sore!" I complained.

Sawsbuck approached us. "Did you say a Pokémon is lost?" He asked us.

Vex looked up at him and nodded. "Yes. A Plusle went missing." He explained to Sawsbuck.

"Plusle? Not too long ago a Plusle ran through here. We didn't know what he was doing, but he seemed very excited. I tried to stop him but it was no luck," He sighed and lowered his head and stared at the snow.

Vex listened to him and nodded, "Thanks for the help Sawsbuck! We must go find him now, come on Marcy!"

I frowned. On the move so soon?! I was enjoying the snow on my achy bones. I let out a dramatic sigh and stood up. "Off we gooooo, bye everyone! It was nice to meet you all!" I hopped after Vex who got a head start.

"COME BACK SOON!" The young male Deerling called.

We ran through the snow covered forest. I was very relieved to see that some parts of Luminous Forest weren't completely stacked with snow. It was nice to be able to just run straight through the snow sometimes without having to hop. I ran beside Vex who had his arms flailing out behind him. He came to a slow and began to look around. I slowed down beside him and sniffed the air. I caught a scent of a Pokémon but I wasn't sure what Pokémon it was. I tried to follow the scent. "I smell something," I whispered to Vex as I walked away from him.

Vex followed me and looked around the forest. "PLUSLE! WHERE ARE YOU?! PLUSLE, COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!" He cupped his hands around his muzzle and yelled.

I continued to follow the scent, Vex following behind me. I was trying my best to keep up with the scent but it disappeared. I came to a stop when the scent was completely gone. I raised my head and looked at the fog that sat in front of us. "Whoa." I whispered. "Major weather change?"

Vex frowned and looked at me. "I don't like this. Let's be careful, okay? Stay close!" He walked ahead slowly.

I didn't like the fog one bit. In fact, it kind of worried me what kind of Pokémon might be lurking here. Dark Pokémon, mean Pokémon, scary Pokémon. It was possible for any kind of Pokémon to be there! What if they attacked us for no reason?! What if Vex and I got separate?! Anything could happen!

"Hello? Is anyone there? Please! Help me!" A voice called through the fog.

My ears perked up and I stared blindly through the mist. I ran in the direction of the voice. "Plusle?!" I called out. Vex followed after me, keeping close to me.

"PLEASE! HELP ME!" It called again.

I ran toward it only to come to nothing. I looked around and tried to see through the fog but saw nothing. It was just too foggy! "Vex. We need to find Plusle!" I stated.

"I know! I know!" He sighed and called out loudly, "PLUSLE! CAN YOU HEAR US?!"

"HELP!" It called once more.

We finally found the direction the voice was coming from. We darted toward it and came to a very quick stop at a lake. My gaze scanned the lake and I saw a figure in the middle of the lake. It was on a huge boulder that was propped out of the lake. "There!" I gasped to Vex.

Vex looked in the direction of the huge boulder. He then took a few steps back and jumped into the water. He began to swim across the lake to get to the middle of it.

I jumped in after him, getting drenched by the freezing cold water. By the time I had reached the boulder, Vex was already climbing it. I attempted to climb it but felt frostbitten by the water. I couldn't deal with water like this! Not during the winter! I climbed weakly onto the rock and then sat down. I began to shiver.

"Marcy. We found him! We found Plusle! Let's get him home!" Vex spoke.

I stared up at him and noticed the small red and yellow Pokémon who was holding onto Vex tightly. "That's wonderful," I coughed to him and stood up as best I could.

Vex frowned and asked, "Are you okay?"

I just nodded and dove back into the freezing cold water. NO I WASN'T OKAY. What kind of question was that?! I swam across the water and pulled myself onto shore. I lay there for a few minutes, the cold finally digging through my fur and skin and reaching my bones. I needed a way to warm up and this snow wasn't going to help.

"Stand up Marcy! You're not going to help anyone if you just lay there!" He told me and tried to push me up onto my paws.

I finally got up on my paws and began to make my way after the Riolu. He was running through the snow like nothing was wrong. How could he do it? The water was ice-cold and so was the ground! However, I tried my best to keep up with him. But I was too cold. I was shivering badly and I didn't know what was going to happen. My legs began to feel weak and my body felt like it was shutting down. I then collapsed into the snow and everything around me began to swirl. I could hardly hear the voice that was speaking to me.

"Marcy?! Marcy! Get up! Please!"

Then Everything Went Blank.