A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. This chapter is dedicated to you guys! (=

Chapter Twenty-Six

Elation

"Shadow, how long are you going to hold on to that Poketch?"

I swiveled my head to look at Grace. It wasn't a snide comment; just simple question. The thought crossed my mind she might be sick... sincerity from her is rare.

"Kelly wanted this Poketch more than a lot of things. I'll let go when I'm ready… I guess."

She nodded and left it alone; which I was sincerely grateful for. The name Kelly was still getting to me a bit.

Poketch around my left foreleg, (courtesy of Uno) I silently padded along behind Wes. We were on the boardwalk in Vermilion City; having just left the ship a few minutes before. We finally reached land and Grace kissed the ground. She hates the ocean.

"Excuse me! Wait up, handsome!"

Wes turned to see a slightly erratic looking girl barrel towards him from the ship; luggage in tow. She stopped at the end of the boardwalk, and then dramatically panted to show she was tired from running that far. (Which in reality wasn't far at all)

"You look like a nice little trainer! And I am the best trainer here. We're going to battle!" she chirped; looking pleased with herself for challenging Wes.

He nonchalantly looked over his shoulder, and then jabbed his thumb into his chest. "You talking to me?"

She sighed exasperatedly. "Of course I'm talking to you, handsome! So; what do ya say? Let's battle, shall we?"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Let's see… how about… no."

And with that; he stalked off towards the train station that would take us to Viridian City. The persistent little bitch yelled after us again.

"Wait! I challenged you! You can't run off like some wimpy little scaredy-cat!"

Not the least bit egged on; Wes continued walking… until a jet of water knocked him off his feet. That egged him on.

"Fine; I'll battle you. But try not to cry too hard when you fork over the forfeit money."

The girl and her trigger-happy Floatzel grinned deviously. They made the grassy area between the boating dock and the paved city streets their arena. A boy ran up to her.

"Chrissy! I thought I told you to find some sucker to battle us!"

She blushed and nodded Wes's way. Her clapped her on her back. "Boy you sure follow directions well. You really got a sucker this time!"

Wes coolly took his spot across from the two; though I could tell he was holding his tongue.

"All Double battle rules apply! Let's do this!" yelled the boy.

Wes glared at Chrissy. "Nuh uh! I don't do double battles!"

"Looks like you're S-O-M-F-L, then, buddy!" she cried out; nasty smirk intact.

Grace glanced at me. "SOMFL?"

I rolled my eyes. "Idiot females and their abbreviations. You know how LOL is laugh out loud?"

She nodded.

"Well, SOMFL means 'shit-outta-mother-fuckin-luck'."

"Wow… do humans abbreviate everything?" asked Anne from behind us.

Grace rolled her eyes. "WTFK?"

I raised my eyebrows. Grace laughed and then kindly explained, "Who the fuck knows?"

In the meantime; Wes was beaten down by the rulebook. He had to battle Chrissy and her prick of a boyfriend.

"Choose your first two Pokemon," said the boy in a bored tone.

Wes looked at us all. "Grace, you're up. And… who else?"

Tired of being forced to watch simply because I was trainer-less; I trotted onto the field and deliberately sat down.

"Oh… okay. You can fight if you want, Shadow."

"Try not to let me down, okay, Poochy?" jeered Grace playfully. I growled in response.

"Flipper, it's all on you!" called out Chrissy to her stupid Floatzel.

"Come on out, Kierston!" yelled her counterpart.

A Skarmory appeared and shook her sharp silvery feathers; making a clanking sound.

"Grace, Flamethrower on the Skarmory. Shadow; use Thunder Fang on Floatzel," said Wes calmly.

"Kierston; Steel Wing on the Poochyena!" screamed the boy.

"Flipper; use Aqua Jet!"

Total mayhem broke out as we all attempted to follow orders. While Floatzel darted forward using Aqua Jet; he ran into me while I used Thunder Fang. Needless to say; he got the worse end of the deal. The Skarmory swooped down to use Steel Wing on me, but Grace; who was using Flamethrower, got in the way.

The Skarmory's attack did very little to Grace; though the Flamethrower she flew directly into made horrid blisters appear on the exposed parts between metal plates. Kierston screeched in pain; while Grace took her pain silently and I retreated unscathed. We leapt back to our respective trainers and faced off once again.

"Kierston, use Aerial Ace!"

"Flipper, Water Gun!"

"Dodge, you two. Then, Shadow Ball on Floatzel, Grace. Shadow; use Bite."

The Floatzel narrowly missed his target; the jet of water hitting the ground harmlessly. I connected with him and got in a short Bite before I was hit. The Skarmory agilely swooped in and sliced at me with her razor-sharp beak. I yelped in pain as a deep gash appeared on my side; and began bleeding profusely.

"Flipper; Aqua Jet!"

"Kierston, Flash Cannon!"

"Flamethrower, Grace! Shadow, Poison Fang!"

The Floatzel came straight for us. Since we were so close; Grace used me as a ramp; running and launching off my head much to my dismay. She agilely landed on top of the Skarmory and used Flamethrower; right as the silver bird fired a silver sphere of energy at me. The Skarmory went down hard; Grace on her back. They crashed; the dust cleared, and Grace rose victorious.

The boy from earlier reclaimed his Skarmory, and stomped off. Grace; weakened from the fall, had nearly no time to recover when she was blasted by a well-aimed Water Gun. She fell; out cold. Wes barely had time to scoop her up and use a Potion on her when the Floatzel barreled towards me; fangs bared.

I waited until he was almost upon me, and then executed the Poison Fang attack Wes had ordered. The otter-like Pokemon squealed in agony, and then turned and latched onto me; using Ice Fang. I yelped a little, and then managed to shake loose; panting heavily. My left side was aching and burning; dust having gotten in the deep cut. At least it had stopped bleeding temporarily.

"Flipper, finish this. Use Aqua Jet."

"Shadow… try to dodge, and then use Thunder Fang," said Wes; not confident in the least.

"You're going down, pup," snarled the Floatzel.

I used Howl; the eerie sound visibly sending shivers down his spine. A blue aura surrounded the otter; and then he charged at me at break-neck pace. I gritted my teeth and waited; I was going to take the hit. I wouldn't be close enough to attack if I didn't.

"Shadow! Get out of the way!" ordered Wes from the sidelines.

The full body-weight of the Floatzel hit me in my bleeding side; sending us careening head over heels. I administered a spot-on Thunder Fang; and we separated. My legs nearly gave out from beneath me. Black spots clouded the field; one more hit and I was finished.

The Floatzel grinned at me in a menacing way, and then collapsed before me; completely KO'd… from poisoning.

Chrissy angrily recalled her defeated Floatzel and crammed the forfeit money into Wes's hand. I should have felt good; having won and all. But I felt like I was dying. Could I be doing just that, perhaps?

The gash had begun bleeding again… I crumpled to the ground; going completely numb. I faintly heard Wes calling my name.

The next thing I knew; I was back on my feet. My… much, much bigger feet. I whirled around; my eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell sharply heightened. My snout had grown out longer. I felt immense power emanating from my inner being. My soft baby fur had morphed into tufts of raven-black, waterproof fur.

I had evolved. Isn't it amazing how the body heals itself?

"Shadow… I can't believe it! Way to go!" said Wes; the grin on his face showing he meant it.

A minute from then; I had felt I was dying. But after my evolution… all I felt was elation.

"This is so not working," grumbled a disgruntled Shelley.

"Hey; I'm trying my best! Maybe you should lay off the Pecha berries."

Simon was flung from the Turtwig's headleaf and she opened her mouth; snapping much like a snapping turtle.

"Gah! Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I'm just a tiny, weak bird! Don't eat me!!"

She licked her chops just to watch him tremble. "Don't call me fat and I won't fucking eat you, Simon."

She continued walking; heartbroken. Simon had tried to help her. She had to give him that. He had been trying all morning to lift her into the sky; but to no avail. Although his wings allowed him to be supported in air; he couldn't carry much else weight. Perhaps she would never be airborne.

"Stupid Natu genetics. What kind of fucked up being creates a bird species that can't fly!?" she mumbled under her breath.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Simon from behind her.

"Mind your own damn business, Simon. Aren't you supposed to be staring at the sun or something?"

The Natu hopped along happily beside her; glad for the return of conversation. "Nah. Just because all other Natu stare at the sun all day; doesn't mean I need to. Noctowl are nocturnal, remember? They cancel each other out, I suppose."

They plodded along in silence for a while longer; heading nowhere in particular. Shelley mulling over the idea of shoving the Natu in her mouth, and then spitting him out; just for kicks. Simon trying to come up with some way to help his troubled new friend.

"Wait, I got it!" he chirped.

Shelley turned to face him. "What have you got? A boyfriend? New shoes? Herpes?" she said; eyes sparkling in an amused way.

The Natu raised an eyebrow. "…No, I was going to say, an idea."

"Oh," she said flippantly; earning a smirk from her tiny new friend.

"Let's try this one more time, okay?" he asked.

He hopped onto her head and wrapped his tiny talons around the twig that held twin leaves. She shook her head fervently; trying to get him off.

"No way! You just want a fucking ride; ya lazy little nitwit!"

He sighed and held on until she held still. "I said I had an idea, Shelley! Just let me hold on, okay?"

She sighed heavily and complied; though she was entirely doubtful. Simon sat there for a moment; focusing on the sun, and then his eyes glowed bright blue. Shelley and Simon were encased in a blue glow; and then he began flapping. They slowly rose from the ground; and were finally airborne.

The blue aura faded; though Simon's eyes still glowed.

"Simon! You did it! I'm flying!" squealed the Turtwig; absolutely elated.

The Natu felt pure joy rush through him. He had finally given her what she wanted. Exhilarated; they did downward spirals, flips, and sharp turns; Shelley giggling like a young schoolgirl. When Simon grew tired from sustaining Psychic; he gradually descended back into the forest. Panting; he and Shelley collapsed onto the forest floor.

"That… was so… AWESOME!" squealed Shelley between gasps for breath.

She ran to Simon and licked his cheek. He blushed profusely; eyes sparkling happily.

They spoke no more the rest of the day; relishing the experience they had shared together.

A/N: Yay, Shadow evolved! (: And I even added some fluff between Simon and Shelley. What a happy chapter.

I have to admit; the battle scene was fairly lame. Writing about double battles is obviously not my thing.

Remember; review! Better not incur the wrath of a review-hungry, schizophrenic, flying Turtwig! (:

Until next chapter,

~Shelby