Star in the Storm, Chapter 7

Lody- "Walking With the Wind"

"Ketchup!" Pika cried joyously early the next morning. "You brought ketchup!" Eagerly, it grabbed the bottle in both paws and began to chug it down.

Amulet and I looked on incredulously. Smiling to herself, Amulet delicately nibbled away the last of her breakfast and licked the crumbs from her paws. "We'd best get moving soon," she said, gazing straight ahead at the cliff face that dominated the distant end of the gorge. "The gates to Charicific Valley are up there. Pika should be able to get us in, right Pika?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure." Consuming the rest of the bottle, Pika put it aside and washed its face and paws in the stream. "Let's go."

Side by side, the three of us made our way to the gates. Clearing its throat, Pika scurried up the stone staircase and knocked briskly on the tall doors, which were carved right into the face of the cliff.

With a creaking moan, the gates slid open the tiniest fraction of an inch.

"Please state your name and mission," a voice instructed briskly.

Pika stood on its tiptoes to peer through the crack. "Hello," it said in an amiable manner. "I'm Pika, and these are my friends, Lody and Amulet. We've come to visit a friend, a Charmander called Charm."

"Charm will be glad to see you," a muffled voice said from the other side of the door. Come in, and welcome to Charicific Valley!"

With the sound of crunching rock, the gates slid all the way back, revealing a lone Charmander standing behind them. Sporting a red armband tied around each arm, the Charmander's flame burned with an intense blue-white fire. Its darkish gray eyes seemed equally smoldering, a strange color for a Pokémon of its species.

"I'm Trilody Chimera," I said, kneeling and extending a hand. "Do I have the pleasure of addressing Charm?"

The Charmander took my hand briefly, but shook its head. "No, I'm not Charm," it corrected lightly. "Charm will be here in a moment."

Pika was already ahead of the young Charmander, and as it stood there on its haunches, it suddenly waved a paw and called out. "Charm! Over here!"

Whipping my head around, I scrambled to my feet to catch a glimpse of Kayley old Pokémon friend. Appearance-wise, Charm was pretty much your standard Charmander. I quickly noted the thick muscles in Charm's tail, gained after years of battle and practice. Charm wore a faded red bandanna around its neck and its sea-green eyes lit up as it neared us.

"It's nice to see you again, Pika," Charm said warmly, coming up to stand by its Pikachu friend. Turning, it smiled in my direction. "You must be Lody and Amulet."

"Nice meeting you." We shook paws and hands, then Amulet and Charm did so as well.

"This is my nephew, Fireball," Charm said, putting a paw on the younger Charmander's shoulder. "Dragonet's son."

Fireball bowed formally, and the flame on its tail flickered in the proper Charmander greeting.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Pika sighed, grinning broadly. "How's Stray been doing?"

Charm smiled and began leading us into the Valley. "Stray's fine," it replied. "But it's been training hard these last few days. All the Charizard have, for the big contest tomorrow.

Pika's ears perked up in interest. "Contest?"

"That's why the Valley is so empty today. Everyone's off on the other side of the canyon training," Charm confirmed as we started up a steep, winding trail to the top of a jagged plateau. "Charizard and their trainers from all over the different regions will be coming to participate. And everybody at the Valley feels it is their duty to show them that wild Charizard are superior to trained ones." The Charmander shook its head at this, smiling to itself. "No one's exactly sure what the contest will be about," Charm went on. "It's different every time, in accordance with the whims of the judge."

"Is it only Charizard who can enter this contest?" Amulet asked curiously as we neared the top of the plateau.

"Afraid so," Charm responded. "But you're welcome to watch. And if you see anyone suspicious, we'd appreciate it if you report them immediately. We've had some problems with security in the past." It stopped as we came to the top of the plateau, meeting a small log cabin.

"You can rest here for the day, then come on down to the contest tomorrow," Charm told us. "Let's see, meals are in the old rockyards at 12 and 6, and you're welcome to explore the Valley at whim. Just don't break anything, use spray paint on the rocks, or litter. Thank you and have a nice day."

"I knew you should've been a tourist guide," Pika grinned, scampering down the path with Charm and Fireball. Chattering enthusiastically, the three Pokémon strode back down the side of the plateau, leaving me and Amulet alone at the cabin.

"Well, at least they're hospitable," Amulet said with a smile. "This Charizard contest sounds rather intriguing; what do you make of it, Lody?"

I was too preoccupied to answer. Pushing open the door to the cabin, I took a cautious step inside and scanned the room. A thick layer of dust coated the entire inside of the cabin. Cobwebs hung suspended in the corners, and the sole, grime-streaked window must not have been washed in years. At one end of the room was an old television, screen and top also covered with dust. Amulet stepped up beside me as I sneezed, eyes watering.

"I guess the Pokémon don't use this place much," I said, sniffing. "But humans must have lived here, at some time or another."

Amulet frowned, her lavender brow wrinkling. "I thought there used to be a caretaker of Charicific Valley," the Espeon mused. "A human caretaker, who would handle poachers and such. I wonder what could have happened to them?"

Maybe the Charizard got angry one day, I thought darkly to myself. Tempers flared, and maybe Flamethrowers as well. Not voicing my thoughts to Amulet, I set my backpack down on a nearby table and sneezed again. "Let's get out of here," I muttered, putting a hand over my face and edging back out the door. "I need to talk to Charm."

I was already out the door when Amulet's voice came drifting back to me. "About Kayley, right?" she asked softly, stepping lightly through the doorway and turning her head in my direction.

I swerved around so fast that I almost fell. "How…did you…oh, that's right. You're Psychic, aren't you?"

Amulet half-smiled, dark eyes shining. "Those closest to us often forget it," she sighed, sitting back on her haunches and letting her willowy tail sweep the ground. It was an anxious gesture. Amulet was waiting for my explanation.

I avoided her gaze, and her unspoken question. "Then you understand why I'm doing this."

Amulet shifted uncomfortably, her long ears twitching in the wind. "I would like to believe I do. But I'd like to hear it straight from you, Lody. Please."

"I…I…" I shook my head and shrugged. "I don't know how…"

"You've come this far, Lody," Amulet said gently. "Surely you must know something."

I gulped, knowing I what a brat I'd sound like once my thoughts were voiced. "Oh, fine then! I want to do something important," I blurted out. "Something special, like discovering Kayley's secret."

Amulet didn't laugh. She blinked slowly, her waving tail coming to a still. "Why do you need to be so special, Lody?" she asked finally, in a quiet voice.

I shook my head again, so hard that my hair went flying into my eyes. "It's not something I can explain," I told her. "Not now."

"Are you sure, Lody?"

I wrung my hands in frustration. I was never one for putting my feelings into words, and Amulet knew that as well as anyone. "Amulet, you're Psychic!" I sighed. "You'd know better than I do."

"If Psychics knew everything, we'd rule the world," Amulet said ruefully, wringing her paws in perfect imitation of me. "I don't know any more than you do, Lody. How can you expect me to understand what you yourself are trying so hard to grasp?"

Head bowed, I started down the path, not daring to look back.

I'd have thought trees rare in the hot, dry valley, save for twisted, stunted things that flailed their clawing branches towards the sky. But it didn't take too long to find a leafy giant, its bark scratched through with claw marks. Slumping into the patch of shade it offered, I buried my head in my arms, letting the breeze blow across the back of my sweaty neck.

Howling to itself, the wind rushed past me without a backwards glance, carrying with it faint snatches of a harmonica tune. My head jerked up in recollection, and I stumbled to my feet.

It was a different tune this time, leisurely and more pensive. Each note sounded like a single star, scintillating dazzlingly in the distance. Listening intently, I swerved around on the ball of my foot before bounding off in one direction.

The harmonica kept on playing, and I paused to listen again before going on. Before me was a narrow path, weathered into the side of a cliff. Grasping for handholds, I slowly made my way up. My muscles groaned every inch of the way; Phys. Ed. was never my forte. The harmonica grew louder as I climbed, wrapping itself deeper and deeper into the melody of the song.

Panting and wheezing, I pulled myself over the top and onto a stone ledge. As I lay there to catch my breath, I heard the harmonica break off and felt a gloved hand grab my own, pulling me to my feet.

"Hi," whoever it was said cheerfully as I slumped against the side of the cliff. "I haven't seen you around here before."

Looking up, I caught a glimpse of a red headband and wild, orangey-gold hair. Harmonica in hand, a boy about my age was standing there with a friendly smile on his face.

I finally caught my breath and managed to push most of the sweaty hair from my face. "I'm Lody."

"My name's Drake. What are you doing up here, Lody?"

I pointed to the harmonica in his hand. "I heard…"

He looked down and brought the harmonica to his face. "You like my playing?" he grinned. "Or is that too much to hope for?"

I started to reply, but Drake had broken up into laughter.

"You're the one who led us to the stream last night," I blurted out. "With your harmonica. Oh, um, thank you." I added hastily.

"You're welcome, Lody," Drake replied. "Are you from Pallet Town, by any chance?"

"How did you know?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, raising the harmonica once again. "Lucky guess," he said, and began to play a mellow, unhurried tune. "Recognize this?" he asked eagerly.

I shook my head in confusion, but Drake just smiled again. "It's the Pallet Town theme," he explained casually. "Not familiar at all, is it?"

"No," I confirmed. "What's this about Pallet having a 'theme'?"

"Oh, it's not just Pallet," Drake said quickly. "All the towns have themes. Like Cerulean City…" He launched himself into a jaunty song that moved along fairly quickly. "Or Celadon City…" Next came an even brisker, carefree melody. "Even places can have themes, like Mount Moon." Last of all was a slow, mysterious song that seemed to echo off the canyon walls.

"That song you were playing when I came up here," I said hesitantly. "Was it a town 'theme,' too?"

Drake's dark brown eyes sparkled against his heavily tanned face as he brought the harmonica up and began to play the same shimmering song as before. After just a few strains, he broke off, letting the song fade into the wind. "This one's my favorite," he told me. "It's not a town theme; it's about walking with the wind and figuring out where you're headed to. Oh sure, go ahead and laugh," he said suddenly, noting the perplexed look on my face. "I won't mind."

"I wasn't going to laugh," I said, putting on my usual deadpan expression to mask my confusion, as well as an unexpected curiosity. "What are the words?"

Drake's look was skeptical. "You really want to know?" The expression on my face was enough to make his own split into a broad smile. "I only know a few," he admitted. "Here's what I remember…"

"You've been walking on, so long,

Do you know where you're going to?

The wind blows about and comes to ask you,

And you must stop to think.

The roll of a drum has begun to sound.

It is the start, the start of your life.

But what are you seeking now?

Small hands open, palms-up towards

Grasping for the future that is ahead.

Have you discovered it already then?

Do you now finally see the light of day?

You're not who you think you are.

Once again, your years have grown.

You left home for this journey long ago.

Seeking something, even now.

A bright gaze sparkles, big eyes shine.

Waiting for the future that is ahead.

Reach deep within and hold on, hold on.

You known it so long, at least in your heart.

You're not who you think you are.

Many meetings pass you by,

Many partings fly before your eyes,

They seem so unreal, but there're there

To buoy you up in your dreams.

You've been walking on, so long,

Do you know where you're going to?

The wind blows about and comes to ask you,

And you raise your face to the sky.

You've been walking on, so long,

Do you know where you're going to?

The wind blows about, comes to join you,

Walk together with the wind.

Step firm on the road, march on.

Keep it strong and keep holding on,

Keep going on until you finally catch

The dream that you're aiming for."

The boy's voice faded into the wind as another one broke through.

"Lody, Lody where are you!" a voice was calling from the foot of the cliff. "It's nearly lunchtime!"

"I'll be going now," I said to Drake, making my way down the cliff. "Thanks, um…thanks for sharing that song with me."

The boy nodded, then brought the harmonica to his mouth once more. Even as I jumped off at the bottom of the cliff, the same song was still floating through the sky, carried on the back of the valley wind.

The next morning, day of the Charicific Valley Competition…

The first things I felt when I awoke were little claws, digging into my skin and jostling me back and forth. Yelping, I sprang halfway out of my sleeping bag, tangling myself in hopelessly in its folds.

"Did I startle you?" Pika asked anxiously, going over to wake Amulet as well. "We have to hurry if we want good seats for the contest this morning."

I swiped at my eyes and yawned. "Pika, it's still dark outside. Can't I sleep just five more minutes?"

"Sleeping five more minutes? What's the use one way or another?" Pika grinned. "Come on, Lody! Don't want to sleep away five perfectly good minutes! There's things to do, places to go, and the morning air is so refreshing!"

I hate morning people, I thought groggily as I climbed out and starting packing my things. Amulet was beside me in a moment, helping me to roll up my sleeping bag.

"As soon as you're done," Pika said, "I'm sure Charm will be here to take us over to the other side of the canyons, where the contest is taking place. Ah, here Charm is now!"

Dashing down the plateau and waving wildly, the enthusiastic Pikachu caught its toe on a rock. Hollering loudly, it slid the rest of the way down on its back, ending up in a daze at Charm and Fireball's feet.

Charm smiled, then helped the Pikachu to its feet. "Well, someone's ready," it said, raising its head as Amulet and I hastily ran down the path. "Everyone here? Good, let's go."

Running forward, Charm waved its paws to the sky and called out in Charicific. The cry echoed across the valley walls, and if I listened had intently, I might have been able to make out some of it. Mother's always been after me to learn the PokéDialects, but I've never had the knack for languages that came so easily to her. Eonic, the PokéDialect of Eevee and its forms, is definitely my strongest one, thanks to Amulet. Anything other than that and I'm lost.

Soon after Charm, an answering cry rippled through the canyon. But this was no Charmander. Setting the grass undulating in the rush of wind it created, a huge, dragon-like Pokémon dove down from the skies, swooping over to land a few feet in front of Charm. The force of impact jolted the ground, but Charm didn't even seem to notice.

It spoke to the dragon Pokémon, a Charizard, several moments in Charicific, and the Charizard responded with several deep, throaty growls.

"Stray says, 'What are you waiting for?'" Charm translated quickly, for my benefit alone, I knew. "And it's glad to see you again, too, Pika-c."

"Picassy? Here?" Amulet and I looked around confusedly.

Pika laughed. "Not Picassy, Pika-c," it corrected. "That was Stray's nickname for me way back when. Stray had nicknames for everybody, didn't you?" It launched into rapid-fire Fulgent Rodentia, the Pikachu PokéDialect. Stray the Charizard replied with an enormous rumbling roar, which I realized was merely a deep belly laugh.

"Everybody on!" Pika cried, leaping onto Stray's back and climbing atop the Charizard's head with Charm. Amulet and I followed, along with young Fireball, as Stray lowered one wing and allowed us to use it as a ramp of sorts.

Charm and Pika began the countdown, Charm in Charicific, Pika in plain Human.

"10, 9, 8…" the Pikachu chanted.

Amulet hid her face beneath one paw, and hung onto me for dear life with the other. "I think I'm going to be airsick again," she moaned.

"…3, 2, 1! Take-off!"

With a mighty roar, Stray launched itself into the sky. The beating of its wings seemed strong enough to tear apart the clouds we passed.

Once again, Pika, Charm, and Stray were engaged in a lively conversation up front. Amulet's ears perked up and she smiled knowingly to herself. "Pika's telling Stray that its flying has sure improved a lot since it last gave them a ride," Amulet told me. "And now Stray is…oh, dear. Well, if you ever want to take a course in Charicific swearing, Stray's your teacher. Does that Charizard always use such…colorful language?" Amulet asked Fireball curiously.

Fireball shrugged, and the blue-white flame on its tail flickered, just for an instant. "I wouldn't know," the Charmander replied curtly. "I don't understand a word they're saying."

Amulet fell silent after that, not even bothering to translate the other Pokémon's conversation. Inexplicable as it was, a Charmander not knowing its own PokéDialect, it was not impossible, I mused to myself. As a small child raised by Venusaur and Bulbasaur, my mother had known not a bit of Human, but was fluent in several PokéDialects, including Saurian (language of the Bulbasaur and related forms).

But even then, most Pokémon knew several PokéDialects, including their own. Why did Fireball, a Charmander who seemed to have been raised with its own kind, know Human, but not Charicific? My hidden bafflement might have kept me silent for the remainder of the trip. However, I decided it was time to turn my attentions to the purpose at hand, the one for which I had originally come.

Inching my way along Stray's back, I shifted so that I straddled the base of the Charizard's neck, putting me in direct line with Charm.

"Charm?" I called. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Bandanna waving like scarlet flag in the wind, Charm nodded for me to go on.

Taking a deep breath, and coughing as the frigid breeze struck me in the lungs, I propounded my first question. "Who was Kayley Mindstar?"

"Kayley was my trainer some twenty years ago," Charm responded, shifting so that its tail flame did not flicker so much in the wind. "Though she never told anyone her true hometown, Kayley took part in Pallet Town trainer's program, the one Pika tells me your friend Roary is in now."

I made a sullen face. Why was everyone under the misleading impression Roary Ketchum and I were friends?

"That's where I met her, in fact," Charm continued. "I was Kayley's official Pallet Pokémon!" It smiled at me, sea green eyes making even the brightness of the clear blue sky seem faded by comparison.

I tried to smile in return, but the expression seemed forced and unnatural on my face. "Do you know how Kayley and my parents met, Charm?" I asked now.

Charm's eyes shone and it nodded eagerly. "Those three were regular traveling companions for many years," it sighed nostalgically. "Both decided to join Kayley on her Pokémon journey, and both had their own reasons. Kayley was one of your typical PokéMaster wannabes, always after this badge or that trophy." Charm's voice grew softer and more hesitant as it continued. "She was quite good; Kayley could have made it to the top if…well, never mind that. There are too many ifs in this world already."

For a moment, I thought of challenging Charm. If? I wanted to ask. If what? But the sorrowful look on Charm's face was more than enough to make me drop the topic.

"What's a Keeper?" I said suddenly, remembering something I had heard before.

Charm's eyes flashed, and for just the slightest instant, I thought I saw the flame on its tail go out completely. But in the twinkling of an eye, Charm's face was smooth and its tail was dancing merrily. "That I cannot tell you," Charm replied in a soft, but firm voice.

"Then tell me the sacrifice Kayley made when she was twelve years old, like me. The one that left her in the body of a Pokémon."

"There are some things in this world that you'd be better off not knowing, Trilody," Charm said, with just the barest edge forming in its voice. "If you were to know such things as these, your parents would be more than happy to tell you."

My parents, I thought tetchily. Did all the burdens of the world lay upon their shoulders? In their eyes, I was only bound to be one more. One more person to hide the secret of Kayley Mindstar from.

"Thanks for your time, Charm," I said at last. "I appreciated it."

"Glad I could help!" the Charmander answered readily, flashing me a thumbs-up sign. "Talk to me anytime, okay, Lody?"

"Okay." I was already starting back to where Amulet and Fireball were riding, remaining silent for the reminder of the trip.

If Charm wouldn't tell, who was there left to turn to? Then my trip to Charicific Valley was all for nothing.

My Pokémon journey is over before I even started it, I thought ruefully. I could always go on a badge-collecting spree, like any good orthodox trainer, but even the notion of such felt heavy and burdensome.

There're many reasons to go on a Pokémon journey, Shane's words echoed in my mind. I was forced to fully accept what I had struggled so hard to tell Amulet: the quest to uncover Kayley's secret had never really rung as my sole motive.

Now that your shield is gone, some part within me taunted. Now that your lame excuse had withered away to nothing, why don't you just give up and go home, little girl? Go home and cry your tears out to your daddy and his pet student, as they knew you would. You want to shine, Lody? How many times have you told yourself it's a ridiculous goal? And yet you still believe you can do it! Stop fooling yourself, and go home before it's too late to jerk yourself out of these foolish fantasies.

But while one part of me continued to pelt my brain with bitterness, I pursed my lips and mouthed the silent words.

No. Not yet.

I still want to believe.

As we dismounted Stray, a surprisingly familiar voice called out towards us.

"Pika, Charm! I should have expected to see you here!" Striding over from where she was talking to several elderly Charizard in flawless Charicific, a green-haired, dark-eyed woman smiled to see us. Launching into Charicific again, she introduced herself to Stray. I gaped as the fierce Charizard lowered its gaze and folded its wings politely.

Then she turned to me. "Hello, Lody," she said, in Human this time. "It's nice to see you again. Though I certainly didn't expect you."

"Neither did, I, Mother," I replied evenly.

Rowan Chimera's brow furrowed. "And you brought Amulet, too," she noted, reaching down to scratch the Espeon behind the ears. "I don't suppose your father knows about this."

I took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I'm…I'm starting my own Pokémon journey." The words hung heavily in the air above my mouth.

"That's nice, Lody," my mother answered, standing up to put an arm around my shoulder. "You're probably wondering what your old mom's doing here by now, aren't you?"

I squirmed, and my mother laughed at my embarrassment. "Okay, Lody, fine," she said, taking her arm away. "I love you, too. The contest official hired me to help with the judging, so that should give you a big clue as to what the first contest is about." She winked at Stray, who stopped preening its wings to look up curiously.

"First contest?" Amulet said. "There's more than one contest?"

My mother nodded. "At least two or three, usually," she informed us in a whisper. "The Charizard with the highest combined ranking will win the overall competition, and a year supply of Brock Slate's Super Deluxe Flame Pokémon Food, the leading breeder's brand."

Letting loose a burst of flame into the sky above, Stray bellowed out a deafening battle cry and beat its paws upon its chest. We clapped in approval.

"Of course you'll win," Charm grinned. "As long as you can beat…you-know-who, it's almost guaranteed."

"Would you-know-who mean…that one?" Pika asked, pointing to a gigantic Charizard who was swooping past only several yards away. A long battle scar marked one of its eyes, and as it scanned the new arrivals, its gaze was cool and collected.

Charm nodded. "Ashenscar, the long-time leader of Charicific Valley," it told us in an awed whisper. "The Charizard who dominated the last competition."

Stray shuffled its feet sheepishly and blew out a faint ring of smoke from its nostrils.

"Whereas Stray didn't even finish the last contest, the obstacle course," Charm translated glumly. "It got…um…stuck in a pipe."

"Stuck in a pipe?" Pika echoed disbelievingly. "Why, Stray, you of all Charizard should have experience with getting out of a pipe! Remember rehearsal for my vacation movie?" It put up a paw just in time to stifle its giggles. "We had to use butter for the final filming," Pika choked out between snorts. "Which just goes to show teamwork is not all-powerful."

Snarling ferociously, Stray shot Pika the death-glare and blasted a stream of flame into the air. Stomping about furiously, it proceeded to shoot flame in all directions, almost singeing a nearby trainer, who started yelling angry curses.

"'Pipes aren't gonna stop me this time!'" Charm translated quickly. "'Someone's gotta take that Ashenscar down a peg or two, and it might as well be me!' That's the spirit, Stray! Go out there and be the very best you can be! Whoa! Watch the flame!" it yelped as Stray's fire burnt the top off a fake palm tree.

"Attention, attention!" came a fuzzy voice over the intercom system. "Would all individuals participating in the first judging please report to Area 1 at this moment?"

"That's me," my mom said, giving my hand a quick squeeze before taking off. "Good luck to everybody!" In an instant, she was gone.

"Nervous, Stray?" Charm asked its friend.

The Charizard shook its head firmly and shot another blast of flame into the air to prove its point. Grinning, Charm gave it the thumbs-up sign. "The rest of us will go and get seats," it told Stray. "Good luck!"

"You can do it!" Pika called as we started away towards the bleacher stands.

"Yes, do your best!" Amulet agreed. "We'll all be cheering for you!"

Settling into the stands, Amulet on one side and Pika on the other, I looked down upon the arena. A work crew was rigging some sort of stage in the middle of it, complete with a microphone and broadcast system. For the announcers, I supposed.

"Anyone want popcorn?" Pika asked around. "I thought I saw them selling popcorn down there."

Reaching into the little sac she always wore by her side, Amulet handed the Pikachu some money and ushered it down the aisle. "I think there's enough for drinks, too," she said. "Hurry back so you don't miss the beginning of the contest!"

Pika nodded and set off and full speed to the refreshment stands.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, trainers and Charizard!" came the same fuzzy voice over the intercom. "The 21st annual International Charizard Competition is about to begin. As the official judge of the Competition and caretaker of Charicific Valley…"

I sat bolt upright in my seat. "So there is a caretaker of Charicific Valley?"

"…I would like to welcome Rowan Chimera and Baskcoals Ch-ard'Za as the two judges of our first contest."

The crowd cheered as an elderly Charizard and my mother stepped into the arena and waved. Taking their places in reserved seats at the side of the stage, both waited patiently for the announcer to go on.

"The first contest in the Competition will be a musical contest! Each contestant must perform a song, either vocal or instrumental, before the judges. Scoring will be based upon originality, clarity, musical merit, and yes…all performances must have some relation to Pokémon! Extra points will be awarded to the Charizard that sing during their performance…using Human speech!"

The crowd let loose another earthshaking cheer. "So that's why Mother's a judge," I said to Amulet. "She's spent her whole life teaching Pokémon how to speak Human."

Charm smiled. "This should be interesting," it replied. "Many Charizard have been training only for contests involving strength or battling. How they'll take this turning of the tables, I can't wait to find out."

Fireball said nothing. Turning around, I saw that the young Charmander had disappeared. "Fireball?" I called. "Has anyone seen Fireball?"

"Fireball left a couple minutes back," Charm informed me. "Look, the contest is starting!"

The first contestant, a trained Charizard named…Charizard, of all things, performed a rendition of a well-known Pokémon song.

"I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!" it roared loudly, to the approval of the crowd. Many people started clapping in time to the music, and stomping on the bleachers as well. I winched; you could hardly hear the music while ignoring the noise as well as trying not to fall of the bleachers.

Anther popular entry was by a certain Charla. With a pink ribbon in her antennae, the female Charizard presented a flawless performance of the Pokémon World theme.

"We all live in a Pokémon world!" she sang, voice bright and sweet in perfect Human. "I want to be the greatest…" Putting a claw to her ear, she leaned towards the audience.

"Master of them all!" the crowd chanted.

"The greatest master!" Charla came in immediately afterwards, tapping out an accompaniment on a set of homemade wind chimes.

Soon, it was Stray's turn. The large Charizard looked especially nervous as it shuffled out onto stage, holding a small lyre in its claws.

"Come on, Stray!" Charm called out, cupping its paws around its mouth. "You can do it!"

"I thought Stray couldn't speak Human," I said worriedly.

"Stray can't," Charm confirmed. "But it's not going to let that stop it."

Taking a seat in the middle of the stage, Stray began to pluck on a tune on the tiny instrument with its large claws. I leaned forward in my seat, amazed. It was the same exact song Drake had talked about when we'd met, the song about walking with the wind.

Opening its mouth, Stray began to sing. But it wasn't in Human; instead, Stray sang in gruff, rumbling Charicific. The strangeness of its words only added to the striking mood of the performance.

Clasping its paws together, Charm looked on, eyes shining. "I never knew Stray could play any musical instrument," the Charmander said in admiration. "Much less sing."

Ashenscar, the Competition favorite, ended the musical contest with an earth-shattering presentation of the Pokérap, complete with an aerial flame display and hilarious caricatures of each Pokémon. When the smoke finally cleared, much of the audience was on their feet and clapping wildly.

"That was an impressive turnout!" the voice over the intercom said approvingly. "Now let's see the results of the musical contest!"

The heads of the crowd swerved about in unison as the scoreboard to the far end of the arena lit up.

3rd place: Ashenscar, Charicific Valley.

A cheer rippled along the audience, then faded as the scoreboard lit up again.

2nd place: Stray, Charicific Valley.

"Yes!" Charm screamed, pumping a paw into the air. "Stray's in the top three, and ahead of Ashenscar at that! As long as it keeps up this winning streak, the first place honors are in sight!"

1st place: Charla, Trainer Liza.

"And dark horse Charla takes first place by a landslide!" the announcer declared as the rest of the contestants and their respective scores flashed onto the bottom of the scoreboard screen. "We haven't seen this Charizard in the International Charizard Competition before, but it seems that she'll be putting up an admirable fight!"

The crowd roared noisily, and a brand new round of bleacher stomping ensued.

"The next contest will be an obstacle course!" the intercom announced. "Contestants will have five minutes of intermission as the next contest is set up."

"An obstacle course!" Charm groaned. "They always seem to have one of those, don't they? Poor Stray, it always seems to freeze up on contests like these." The Charmander paused, then looked about anxiously. "I don't hear any giggles, or suppressed comments about the pipe incident," it remarked curiously. "Didn't Pika ever come back from the popcorn stands?"

Looking over my shoulder, I saw that the seat on my left was still empty. "I'd better find Pika before it misses any more of the Competition," I muttered, getting to my feet and making my way down the aisle. Trying not to step on any more toes or bump into any more knees, I squeezed my way into open space at last and trotted down the way we'd come. Amulet was right behind me, looking worried.

"Whatever could be keeping that Pikachu?" she wondered as we hurried towards the refreshment stands. "I don't suppose it could have been mugged for popcorn money!"

A telltale voice just around the corner had me sigh in relief and slow my pace.

"What do you mean you don't have any ketchup?" Pika was saying angrily as Amulet and I approached.

"Who eats their popcorn with ketchup, seriously?" the middle-aged runner of the popcorn stand snapped irritably, flicking her long reddish hair over her shoulder. Her companion, a blue-haired, green-eyed man of about the same age, was digging through the back of the refreshment stand and shaking his head.

"We have butter, salt, caramel, cheesy dip, chocolate syrup, and salsa, but I'm afraid there's no ketchup here," he informed Pika. "Maybe you can try the hotdog vendor instead."

The Pikachu shook its head stubbornly. "I paid the money for extra sauce, and I'm gonna get my extra sauce," it stated tightly. "And the extra sauce I want is ketchup!"

"Pika?" Amulet said hesitantly, taking a step forward. "The contest's already started. We have to get back now."

"Just a sec, Ami," Pika hissed from its perch atop the counter. "I'm a bit busy right now." Turning back to the popcorn vendors, the Pikachu let them have the full brunt of the blow. "A couple years ago, okay, maybe a couple decades ago, every respectable vendor on the street always had a backup source of ketchup on hand! Popcorn vendors, hot dog vendors, cotton candy vendors, you name it!" it began in a strict, dogmatic tone. "Nowadays, no one ever seems to appreciate the full worth of the miracle food called ketchup! It's tasty, it's nutritious, it sounds like Ketchum…"

Both popcorns vendors dropped what they were doing and stared. "Ketchum?" they echoed in shock.

"Yeah, Ketchum," Pika said impatiently. "What's wrong with the name 'Ketchum'? My trainer's named Ketchum, I'll have you know! Ash Ketchum, a perfectly respectable name that happens to sound like ketchup! So you see…"

Its words were cut off in mid-sentence as the woman vendor pulled an extra-large popcorn bag over the Pikachu's head, cackling evilly. "We've captured Pikachu at last, James!" she yelled to her companion triumphantly. "Now we'll finally be able to go back to Team Rocket without shame!"

"You're right, Jessie!" the blue-haired man cried.

"Team Rocket?" I repeated confusedly. "What's Team Rocket?"

The woman, Jessie, stared at me in open-mouthed shock. "You mean you've never heard of Team Rocket before?" she demanded disbelievingly.

"Well, no. Should I have?"

"It doesn't seem familiar just a teensy, weensy bit?" Jessie's male companion asked desperately.

"Not a bit," I admitted. "Sorry about this."

Jessie drew herself up to her full height, towering high above me. "You should be, young lady," she sniffed, tossing her long, long hair over her shoulder dramatically. "Young people today, so ignorant of the past."

I shrugged. "I guess I'm sorry about that, too," I temporized slowly. "But what I meant before was…I'm sorry about this!" Motioning to Amulet, who was pulling a choking, sputtering Pika out of the popcorn bag and onto her back, I broke loose and ran for all I was worth.

Which wasn't much, apparently. As the two "popcorn vendors" sped after us with shouts of "Come back here, you twerp!" I tripped over a protruding rock edge and went sprawling onto the ground.

"Lody!" Amulet and Pika yelled, skidding to a stop. "Are you okay?"

I stumbled up, and fell again, wincing at the pain in my ankle. I wasn't going anywhere soon, that was for certain.

"Go!" I yelled to Amulet. "Get Pika out of here! I can take care of myself!" Digging a hand into my pocket, I reached for a PokéCap, any PokéCap.

A sudden blast jolted the air above me, and bits and pieces of something rough and thick were raining around me, smelling acrid with smoke. I put my arms over my head and squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the worst.

Notes:

The song Drake recites from is known as "Together With the Wind" or simply "With Wind." It was originally meant as the Mewtwo Strikes Back ending theme in Japan, but I think it kind of describes how Lody's feeling right now, too. I took a lot of poetic license with my translation in order to make the words fit with the original tune. It's a very pretty song, and I really like it.

Town themes, for anyone who plays the Pokémon game, are basically the tunes your GameBoy® plays when you enter different cities.