Zzzp2 is not responsible for any drowning, choking, heart attacks, or any other laughter-related injuries that may result from the reading of this fic. Read at your own risk!

Chapter 53: Paddling in Puddles

I moved the cursor over the region's map until it was over Icirrus city, and pressed A to select it. The screen then shifted to the overworld, where I pulled out a pokeball… and a bird flew out of it.

'520: ?'

'401: He is NOT a birdon! Sorry,had to do.'

'Ferroseed: Birdon?'

'401: Enemy in KSS? Birdlike?'

'Ferroseed: Wot's KSS?'

'401: What, were you stuck in a cave all your life?'

'Ferroseed: Yes… but wot's KSS?'

The bird swooped down, and my sprite jumped on it, and in a flash flew off to parts unknown…

Unknown to everyone that doesn't know Icirrus City.

'Unfezant: Oh, come on! I could so fly to Opelucid! It's just south of New Vulma town!'

'Stoutland: It's norteas- no, northwest of Nuvema, and it's Nuvema. And we have to explore the route.'

The bird swooped down from the edge of the screen, now showing Icirrus City's pokemon center, and deposited me in front of the building before returning to its pokeball.

'329: BZZ- …what just occure- is that a Golurk? How did Hero[15] get a Golurk?'

'Pansear: Ugh. Not more Golett subplot.'

'Lampent: It's funny, though!'

'Pansear: …just… Golett 401? Can you mute your mike?'

'401: But he's awak- …ugh. Sure. *click*'

'Lampent: Why'd you do that?'

'Pansear: Because it's distracting to the main plot: US. Don't argue, I'm just getting over my bad mood.'

"You had a bad mood?"

'Pansear: YES!'

'Samurott: …well…let's get going!'

'Unfezant: Yes! To the simultaneously chickened and shrublike city!'

"…okay…off we go!"

I headed to the left, then down some stairs to the entr- exit of Twist Mountain. From there right was the only unexplored route, so I headed right… to find a puddle.

'Unfezant: …that's it? Let's just go home.'

'Lampent: But…but…but…there's another side to it, Unfezant! We can't just say there's nothing there NOW! Maybe after the plot's done, but NOW? No! We shall forge ahead! To routes and gyms we've never been to befo-'

Lampent's speech trailed off as he realized he wasn't onscreen. Again.

'Lampent: Hey! Whoever's letting me out of my pokeball whenever I do a speech argument thingy, stop! And get back here!'

Lampent rushed over, past a house, and the other side of the puddle, arriving one tile to the left of me.

'Samurott: So… where to now? Right leads to a windmill, down and left is back to where we cam-'

'Pansear: WE CAN SEE THAT ALREADY!'

'Samurott: Maybe they can't.'

"They? And we can go up."

'Samurott: We ca- oh. …let's go there.'

'Lampent: Where? Anyway, ONWARD!'

I walked up, crossed under the bridge, and arrived in Route 8.

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Route 8 was pretty much a swamp. It had puddles, which were walkable, and deep, dark puddles, which were not. The route branched to the left and up, and I chose up.

'Unfezant: Hey! It reflects the blimps in the sky! Yeah! Go blimps! Out-blimp the others!'

The way up revealed a deep puddle, with logs blocking the way. And when I walked on the shallow water, a little bumpy blue bipedal toad popped out.

'Stoutland: Look! A bumpy blue bipedal Palpitoad! Heehee.'

'520: :) '

Two Gyro Balls from Ferroseed took it out, and I continued right and out of the puddle. A Full Heal lay on the ground near a sign and a puddle.

'Samurott: Hey… I wonder if you can surf on puddles.'

'Lampent: Well… it IS water… trainer dude, try it!'

"My name is Kyle. But sure."

I walked up to the puddle, passing a parasol lady, and jumped onto the newly-materialized Wiscach.

'Samurott: Why do I always have to do that?'

'Stoutland: I don't kno- hey, is that a bridge there?'

I crossed the dark water, jumped off Samurott, and approached a big building.

"Maybe…"

I walked up, and went insi-

'Bianca: Kyle!'

'520: ! …?'

'Stoutland: She's a rival.'

An ! appeared over my head, and Bianca walked over. 'As I've been traveling lately, I've been thinking about things. Things like what I can do with my life, and what I want to do, but… I'm thinking how cool it would be to be a model like Elesa. And then, how cool it would be to do research on pokemon like Professor Juniper… If that's what I want to do, I'm gonna have to know a lot about pokemon.'

'Samurott: Battle in 3…2…1…'

'Ferroseed: Battle?'

'Bianca: Soooooo….would you please battle me?'

'Samurott: Called it!'

Pillars of lava and water slammed onscreen, carrying our sprites and a VS sign, and signaled the start of the battle.

'Ferroseed: Se we're challenged by PKMN Trainer Bianca? And she sent out Stoutland? She got a Stoutland, Stoutland.'

'Stoutland: Yes?'

'Bianca's Stoutland: Yes?'

"Yes?" I joined in, just for the joke of it.

'Lampent: …ugh. Ferroseed? The text box is there for a reason, you know.'

'Samurott: Lampent, don't distract Ferroseed from the battle.'

The foe Stoutland started with Work Up, while Ferroseed used Curse to power up a Gyro Ball. Or two.

'Bianca used the Full Restore!'

Or four. Bianca's next tactic was lost in the fainting, but sending out Emboar was a pretty good option.

So Samurott switched in, demonstrated awesome Surfing skills, and thoroughly owned Emboar, growing a level to top it off.

'Samurott: Hey, Emboar! Work on your Special Defense if you want to stand ONE hit!'

Lampent got shifted in to face Simisage with a couple of Flame Bursts, growing to level 42 as well. Bianca's last pokemon, her once-stolen Musharna, got pit up against Ferroseed.

'Ferroseed: Wot?'

"Training."

'Ferroseed: Oh. In that case, FAAAAINT- …I don't have any more uses of Gyro Ball, do I.'

"No… I suggest SWITCHING FOR YOUR LIFE!"

"Kyle?" a voice called. "Can you be a bit quieter?"

I looked up from the DS. Was that the gam- oh, she's in bed.

"Sorry!" I yelled…quietly, before turning back to the game.

'Ferroseed: Wot?'

"My sister. Anyway. Stoutland, you're up."

Stoutland used Crunch a couple of times to faint the Musharna, letting Ferroseed grow to level 40, and winning the battle.

…but instead of the overworld appearing, Ferroseed appeared in an orange tube.

'Ferroseed: …wot? I…I think I'm evolving!'

A/N: I felt it was time for life to appear again. Anyway… a DIRECT SEQUEL to Black and White was announced. Hmmm… I wonder how Nintendo's going to do that… and if they can come up with a better name then Black 2 and White 2. Maybe a sequel shall occur!

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