It took awhile, and I almost told her to give up and just go back to the tournament, but Bisharp came through and found a show that looked interesting. It was something called "Hilbert and Hilda's Hell-Raisers 101". On it was a boy and a girl who looked just a few years older than me. On either side of them was a Serperior next to the girl and a Samurott next the to boy.

"Turn it up Bisharp, this looks awesome!" I yipped as I sat up. Bisharp raised the volume as they began talking.

"That's it on today's Pokemon Food Corner, now let's get to the pokemon segment. Today, we're going to cover slow evolvers." Said the girl as she and her cohost raised some pokeballs.

"These two pokemon take longer to evolve than any other pokemon in the world, and are quite difficult to raise. Isn't that right Hilda?" Asked the boy as he threw his pokeball, releasing a Deino.

"That's right Hilbert, but if you are patient with them and take your time, then they will turn into one of the best pokemon you can possibly hope to have!" Hilda replied as she threw hers, releasing a small, colorful bug-type.

"Deino and Larvesta might not look like much right now, and raising them can be incredibly painful, but I assure you watchers that they are worth it. If you take your time and love them with all your heart while you raise them, they will be great and turn into these mighty titans." Hilbert said as he threw another pokeball, releasing a giant, three-headed pokemon that looked vaguely like a Deino. I took out my pokedex and pointed it at the TV.

"Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokemon, and the final evolution of Deino. This pokemon is incredibly aggressive, and will attack anything it encounters with its three heads as it flies on its 6 wings." It said. I closed up the pokedex as the girl brought out a moth-like pokemon, obviously the fully evolved form of her Larvesta, but I didn't pay much attention to it as I turned to Lola.

"But you are great just the way you are Lola." I told her, petting her. Lola smiled and rubbed her head against my hand lovingly.

'I appreciate that, but I still would not mind being a Hydreigon. It is every Deino's dream to become one. Though my reasons are different from others.' She told me. I made a curious sound as I picked her head up and looked at her face.

"Oh really? Why do you want to be a big, scary Hydreigon?" I asked her. Lola snorted as she rubbed my hand.

'For your information, my mother was very nice, and she was the only reason I had a pack to begin with.' She told me in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Alright alright, no need to get huffy about it. Why do you want to be a Hydreigon?" I asked again.

'That's better. Anyway, it's simple really. Hydreigon can fly.' She replied, and I couldn't help but blink at that statement.

"You want to fly?" I asked. Lola nodded as she smiled.

'I want to fly, and to see! I want to wield fire and lightning and ice all at once with Tri-Attack! I want to have the power to keep those I care about safe, and to be able to dare other pokemon into attacking me and make them regret it.' She said as she started to growl fiercely. I smiled and hugged her tightly as Hilbert and Hilda went on about Deino.

"Unlike Larvesta, Deino have another evolution to go through before they reach Hydreigon, and it makes raising them even more difficult. Owning a Zweilous is like owning two Deino at once. Their two heads are highly competitive with each other, and trying to control them is incredibly difficult." Hilbert said. I smiled as I petted Lola.

"If that's what you want, then I'll help you. I will see to it that you become the best Hydreigon in the world!" I told her.

'Even though I have to be a Zweilous first? You heard Hilbert, Zweilous is the most difficult pokemon in the world to train. I can't guarantee that I'll still be me when I evolve.' Lola said with a soft whine. I smiled and hugged her head tightly.

"Zweilous, shmilous, I'm gonna do everything I can to get you to Hydreigon. If that means having to put up with two-headed bullshit then that's fine by me. Besides, I know you'll still be you even when you evolve. You're already very different from other Deino. Who is to say you will be a normal Zweilous?" I asked her. Lola smiled at me as she butted her head against my stomach.

'That's true. Even when I evolve you will still be my trainer. I will still have my memories. I don't know if my other head will as well, but I will always know you know best.' Lola said with a smile. I returned her smile with one of my own, and we hugged each other tighter before turning to the TV, watching Hilbert and Hilda battle their Deino and Larvesta.

"No no no, you're doing it all wrong! They can see enough you doofus, just give it move commands!" I yelled at the TV a half hour later. The battle had been going okay, but Hilbert kept giving directions to his Deino to compensate for it's supposed "blindness". By doing that though, he gave Hilda and Larvesta plenty of info to use to dodge all of his attacks, and it confused his Deino horribly.

'He's very stupid. Obviously he did not raise the Hydreigon he showed you. I don't know any Deino trainers other than you, but I would hope they don't all bark out directions like that.' Lola said as she listened to the TV, annoyed.

"No self-respecting Deino trainer ever would. I was calling out normal commands to you from the get-go. You're blind, not stupid. The worst part is anyone who wants to try and raise a Hydreigon and is watching this show is getting the wrong information." I said, crossing my arms and pouting. Bisharp said something to Lola and handed me the phone next to the bed.

'She says that she's seen this show before, and you can call in directly. It's live, so you might be able to catch his mistake before it's too late. Want the number?' Lola said. I smiled as I took the phone from Bisharp, hitting the 9 button first so I could make an outgoing call.

"Let me hear it, this cannot go on." I said. Bisharp muttered the number to Lola, who then gave it to me, and I listened as the phone rang, Hilda's X-Transceiver going off in the show.

"Hold up! We've got a caller! Go on sweetie, you're on the air! What's your name?" She asked. I was suddenly stage fright, but Lola butted my back comfortingly and I found my voice.

"Uh, yes I'm Vixen from Aspertia City, and I just started my journey." I said, hearing my voice on the TV. Hilda smiled as she waved at the camera.

"Really? I hope our show helps you then!" She said with a warm grin. I smiled back even though she obviously couldn't see me.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you guys about. See, I started my journey with a Deino." I said, and Hilda and Hilbert looked at each other with pride before they converged on the X-Transceiver.

"Really? Then this is definitely a show you want to pay attention to. We're going over strategies with Deino right now." Hilda said, and I let out an inaudible sigh.

"I know, that's why I called. Hilbert, you're doing it wrong." I said flat-out, making the boy fall over in shock while Hilda laughed at him. He sat up and glared at the camera, his eye twitching.

"What do you mean I'm doing it wrong? I raised a Hydreigon before, Vixen, I know what's I'm doing." He said as his pokemon appeared at his side.

"Clearly you didn't raise that Hydreigon, because no self-respecting Deino trainer would bark out directions like they are in a taxi-cab. Deino aren't helpless just because they can't see like other pokemon, they can make their attacks connect without you constantly telling them where to go." I said, and he crossed his arms and huffed while Hilda continued smiling.

"So then, what do you suggest we do dear? What have you been doing with your Deino?" She asked. I gulped at the unexpected request, but kept my cool.

"Well, just trust your Deino. When I met Lola she took on an entire pack of Deino AND got me an Audino all by herself. I didn't tell her what to do or where to go because I was scared out of my wits when she was battling, and unconscious when she got the Audino." I explained.

"That's a very sweet story. Okay, we'll try it your way. Can you stay on the line please while we give it a shot?" She asked.

"Sure." I replied. Hilda put me on hold as she helped Hilbert up, and they made their way back to their sides of the field.

"Alrighty, with advice from our new friend Vixen, let's see how this battle turns out! Flamethrower Larvesta!" She commanded.

"Deino, use Dragonbreath!" Hilbert said, leaving out the direction. Deino roared as it released its attack, colliding with Larvesta's Flamethrower.

"Now use Headbutt!" He said nervously, obviously fighting with himself to not give a direction. Deino ran forward while Larvesta dodged as normal, but it was able to change direction and plow into the fiery bug, throwing it across the field, much to Hilbert's delight while Hilda smiled, taking me off hold.

"Wow you were right! Thanks so much for your advice Vixen. I'm sure you aren't the only Deino-trainer who noticed that, we could have been in big trouble. Where are you now sweetie? I want to give you something as thanks." She asked. I looked at Bisharp for advice, and she nodded at me, giving me the okay.

"I'm in Castelia right now. I'm going to get my gym badge tomorrow." I told her. She smiled as Hilbert's Deino made its way to her side.

"Alrighty then! Be sure to stop by the pokemon center at noon. I'll be there waiting for you with a special gift. Thanks again!" She said as Deino looked at the camera with a smile, yelling out at it making Lola smile herself.

'He said thank you. Hilbert was driving him nuts with his directions.' Lola said, and I smiled as I reached down and petted her.

"Glad I could help. He LOOKED like he was going mad. I hope Grimsley or Carina don't get mad at me for calling out, I just could not let that continue." I said with a tinge of worry, but Bisharp patted my shoulder.

'I'm sure he'll understand. That is a very popular show, and if Hilbert continued to fight his Deino that way a lot of people would get the wrong idea, and raising us would be more difficult than it already is.' Lola said. I instantly felt better and gave her another hug as "Hell-Raisers 101" ended, and Bisharp changed the channel to her Tournament, which was nearing its conclusion. I paid very little attention to it as I went over strategies and move combinations in my head.

And so we spent the whole day watching TV and going over potential strategies for my gym battle. Grimsley was still gone, but I wasn't worried about him. He had most of his pokemon with him, so he'd be okay. I had a dilemma of my own to deal with. Despite mine and Lola's efforts, we could not get Bisharp to tell us anything about the Castelia gym, saying that learning to expect the unexpected and fighting unprepared is all apart of the experience as a trainer. I guess I could understand that, but I didn't like it. We gave up after awhile and relaxed as Bisharp put on a horror movie. Probably a bad idea at 8:00 at night but oh well.

*The following is a fanfic within a fanfic that contains horror. If you are frightened easily, for just don't like getting sidetracked from the main story in general, then skip this next section and look for the bolded underlined text wrapped by stars. Everyone else, enjoy. Use Control + F (or command F for my fellow Mac-users) and type "End of Slendoark" to get back to the real story.*

The movie was called "8 Pages". It was about this girl and her Riolu who went to a forest on a dare by the local bullies. They had to go in and collect 8 pieces of paper scattered in the forest and then bring them back out. She also had to record the whole thing with a camera, the one from which we saw out of, to prove she actually did it. It seemed simple enough, but they were being followed. By what, they didn't know. They came up to the first page posted on this big tree, and plucked it without worry.

"This is simple enough. Pretty easy don't you think Riolu? I don't know why everyone is afraid of this place." Said the girl while her pokemon barked happily at her.

"Lu lu!" It replied as its trainer flipped the paper over.

"'FOLLOWS'. What does that mean? And what's that sound?" The girl asked as a large pounding began, like footsteps. The girl could not see anything, so she raised her camera to try and zoom in on the sound, but it was funny. The camera didn't seem to catch anything, but it started to go fuzzy just slightly.

"Oh darn, I just bought this thing! Well, we might as well continue before it dies on us. Let's go Riolu." The girl said as she and her pokemon continued on the path. They tried their best to ignore the distant footsteps that were becoming louder over time, coming up to a pick up truck and a large shed. The girl and her Riolu split up and went on either side of the truck. The girl took out her flashlight while Riolu concentrated its Aura in its paws and looked around the truck, approaching the shed. The girl found the next page on the back of the shed, and picked it up and studied it.

"'CAN'T RUN'? What the?"The girl said.

"RIOLU!" Her pokemon screamed. The girl pocketed the page and ran out from behind the shed as a blood-curdling roar, almost like someone slamming on piano keys, sounded. Her light illuminated a dark figure in the distance with a pale face, and the girl started panting as the camera turned hazy again.

"Come on Riolu! Let's get out of here!" The girl said as she scooped up her Riolu and ran. When she started panting harder, she stopped and set her pokemon down, looking around shakily.

"What was that?" She asked. Riolu shook in fear while its trainer confirmed the coast was clear, so they decided to keep going, reaching another pickup truck. A note was flittering on the front grill, and the girl walked over and grabbed it, reading the message.

"' ALWAYS WATCHES, NO EYES'. This is getting creepy." Said the girl as a growl sounded. She gulped and continued to walk as her Riolu walked beside her, breaking the trees until they reached a bathroom complex. They gulped as they walked inside, noting the odd lack of actual bathroom items except for the tiles. There were literally no sinks or toilets, only tiled walls. They walked through the small labyrinth until they reached a corner with a chair. Walking over to the chair, the girl picked up her fourth note.

"'DON'T LOOK… OR IT TAKES YOU'?"

"RIOLU!" The girls pokemon cried. She turned around and the camera began to burst into static as they looked at a tall creature with a featureless face except for small ears on top of its head. The girl screamed as she picked up her Riolu.

"Focus blast! Hurry!" She cried. Riolu launched a ball of energy at the creature as her trainer ducked under its legs, running out of the bathroom screaming. She did not stop running even as she found a second page on this propane tank, which her Riolu grabbed and showed her.

"It's just a bunch of scribbles, with one looking vaguely like a person! put it away Riolu!" She commanded as she slowed down, running out of breath. The wind picked up and started to howl as they came up to a big Silo, and the girl gulped as she approached it, taking her 6th page.

"It says 'No' over and over on either side of the creature we saw. Riolu, I'm scared, I don't want to do this anymore." Said the girl with a sniffle. The camera chirped and lost focus as she turned around, the creature roaring at her again. The girl screamed as she ran the other way, coming up to a rock structure. They hid in the center of the rocks and looked up, seeing page number 7, and the girl set down the camera, shakily grabbing the page.

"'LEAVE ME ALONE'. Okay that's it, Riolu, we need to split up. No matter what happens to me, you need to get out of here. You hide while I lure it away. If I get out of here, I'm going to tell the world about this…thing. You're my best friend Riolu, I love you. Take care of yourself." Said the girl as she shattered Riolu's pokeball, setting it free. She and Riolu grabbed each other in a loving embrace as the camera started to fuzz up again. The girl let go of her Riolu and grabbed the camera, running out from behind the rock.

"'Just try and catch me you big bully!" The girl cried as she waved her flashlight at the monster, gagging and coughing before she ran away. She continued to run, past a brick structure, past a row of sawed logs, and she came across a tunnel.

"Oh god, of COURSE I have to go through the dark tunnel. This is like a cheesy horror film." She said as she shakily walked inside it. She couldn't run anymore. The creature was getting closer. She found the last page in the middle of the tunnel, and for the heck of it grabbed it just as the creature warped in front of her. Her camera began to fizzle out as it zoomed in on the creature. It was a Zoroark, but it was unlike any seen before. Its head was pure white, and except for ears perked up on top of the head and a long pointed muzzle sticking out, it had no face. it was tall and stringy, and as it looked down at the girl 4 long, writhing tentacles emerged from its back. The girl screamed as she fell down, her hand falling in front of the camera lens, which focused on the last note before fading out completely.

"HELP ME!" It read as the screen faded to static and then turned off. When it was turned back on, it was daytime, and the girls Riolu was looking into the camera lens. It turned the camera around and the sound of its trainers final moments played on the display screen. Riolu could be heard crying as it started to run, turning off the camera. Before the credits played, a message displayed, the creature's growling playing in the background.

"Riolu escaped the forest with the camera in hand, and it brought it to the gang of bullies who had dared its trainer to go in. They watched the tape and panicked, but did the right thing and showed it to everyone. Few believed them, though, calling it a well-done movie, and the police arrested the teens for the kidnapping of the girl. Riolu's trainer was never found, despite searching every inch of the very woods in which our story took place.

Years later, a film-maker specializing in Horror went to the prison where the teens were held and asked them about their story. They told him of this tape and asked him to seek out Riolu, now a Lucario, who held it close as the last memento of its former trainer. Upon meeting with Lucario, it surrendered the tape to him, making him promise to get this story out to the public, just as its trainer wanted.

Lucario died on the night '8 Pages' premiered, wanting to rejoin its beloved trainer after fulfilling her final wish. Her wish to warn the world of the monster that took her. The monster that roams the forests, stalking those who seek its pages. The monster that makes electronics fail with its faceless presence. The monster now known as:

Slendoark."

And then the "face" of Slendoark flashed on the screen before the credits rolled.

*End of Slendoark.*

As the credits played, I clung to Bisharp and Lola, the three of us still shaking in fear. Even the stoic Bisharp shivered as she held me tightly. Sorrel and Sarah had stopped playing to watch the movie, and now curled around my feet crying. Though she was not able to see, Lola heard every bit of the movie and was just as frightened as the rest of us as she laid in my lap, shaking in my arms.

"Th-that was a good movie huh guys? Wow I never knew they could make a Zoroark so scary. Maybe it'd be a good idea if you stayed a cute little Zorua forever, right Zachary? Zachary?" I asked, looking around for my Zorua who was nowhere to be seen. I let go of Lola and looked around the room for my pokemon, and all off a sudden Slendoark leapt up in front of us, making it's deep-piano roar.

"AHHHHHH!" We screamed as Bisharp slashed at the monster while the door opened. Grimsley ran into the room and leapt on the bed, grabbing me as his Liepard followed him inside and tackled Slendoark, who turned into Zachary. He howled in laughter as he rolled around the floor on his back. I glared at him with great intensity while Grimsley still held me.

"What's going on!?" He asked frantically while Zachary continued to laugh.

"ZACHARY! THAT'S NOT FUNNY! Get him Lola!" I commanded. Lola growled as she stood up, leaping off the bed.

'With pleasure! ' She told me as she roared, chasing Zachary around the room while she tried to bite his tail off. Grimsley kept his grip on me while Bisharp also glared at my Zorua.

"I won't ask again, what. Happened?" He asked. I sighed as I pulled out of his grip, shaking myself off.

"We were watching a horror movie and Zachary decided to turn into the monster to scare us. Sorry Grimsley, we didn't mean to startle you. Thanks for coming to my rescue though." I said, adding a smile. Grimsley smiled back and we looked at Lola and Zachary running around the room. I then started to smile, and then laugh hard as Grimsley looked at me in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"It was actually really good. Way to go Zachary, that was great." I said as the Zorua leapt back onto the bed, jumping into my arms while Lola snorted after him. Grimsley laughed as well as we both petted the little fox.

"Zorua ARE known for being incurable pranksters. He's talented, got me too. So what movie was it anyway?" He asked as he turned to the screen.

"It was called '8 Pages', it's about a girl who tried to run from a monster called the Slendoark." I said. Grimsley smiled and nodded.

"I see. I've actually read it before. Great story." He said, much to my shock.

"It's a book?" I asked. He nodded at me and smiled.

"Yep. Written by Shauntel of all people." He said. I blinked at him as Lola calmed down, resting her head on my lap while thinking angry thoughts at Zachary, who still looked fully pleased with himself.

"The same Shauntel who is the Ghost-Type master of the Elite 4?" I asked.

"The very same one." He confirmed.

"My god, there's something wrong with that chick to come up with a story like this then." I said, making Grimsley laugh.

"And you said I was creepy. See what I meant when I told you she was worse?" He asked. I nodded as I stretched.

"Yep. I can believe she is as bad as you say she is after seeing that movie. You are DEFINITELY a better teacher." I said, making him smile.

After we recovered from the giggles. Grimsley ordered us dinner and asked me about my day in the room. I had told him about Hilbert and Hilda's show, and calling them when I had seen them giving the wrong information on Deino training. I also told him about Hilda wanting to see me at the pokemon center tomorrow to give me a reward for giving great advice, and he actually seemed pleased. Lola was right. He told me that he's fought them before, and decided to start this popular show to help other aspiring trainers. He assured me that I did a great thing, not just for his old friends but for Deino in general. After we had eaten our fill and watched another movie, we went to bed in preparation for tomorrow. The pokemon and I got the entire king-sized bed to ourselves while Grimsley took up residence on the couch in the right side of the room, right under the window. As I laid down I felt something fluffy under my head. I looked over and saw Zachary give me an apologetic smile. I realized he was trying to make it up to me for scaring me silly earlier. I smiled and kissed his nose while I wrapped my arm around a sleeping Lola, who had curled up beside me, and I went to sleep, which was surprisingly peaceful and not haunted by the Slendoark as I would have expected.

TBC

What do you think? This was a fun chapter to write, I LOVE playing Slender. This chapter was actually inspired by a meme I saw on Pokememes. It was a picture of the Slenderman-Zoroark standing over a Riolu with the words Slenderark or Slendoark somewhere on it. I couldn't remember how they spelled it so I decided to use the spelling that sounded better. I said Slender-ark and Slendo-ark over and over and decided that Slendoark was easier to say. I might pull out Slendoark and release it as a fanfic on its own.

So this chapter may seem like a filler, and for the large part it is, but there is something important in here that helps set up the next chapter and future ones, and it has to do with Hilda's appointment. You'll see when I get it.