The Glacier Files

by Talent Scout

***Discontinued*** Pokemon/Pokemon romance A dratini with the ablity to speak meets a shy female dratini with his friends they go on an adventure together.

2. The Glacier Files

Glacier got bored one day and decided take a stroll from the department store to a lake just outside of Fuschia (being careful to leave his tag on to keep from being caught by accident), seeing how the lakes around Celadon were crowded. Although he did have a flame on his tail, he liked being around water, and as long as he didn't keep it in the water too long, he would be fine. The lake was fairly small, so nobody was around and he felt like being alone in the lake for while. He floated out to the middle of the lake, and began to take a nice rest while keeping his tail above the water. A minute later he heard a noise in the water. He looked down and saw a figure circling him underwater. He didn't know what to do, so he just remained calm. To his right the figure came closer to the surface, and finally popped out. "Huh?" he said in a surprised voice. It was another dragon, a Dratini. They both investigated each other, and Glacier noticed that the other was light in color and had a smaller horn growth on its head. "You're female?" He asked in English. Immediately it backed of and was ready to dive back toward safety. Glacier realized the mistake he had made and began to speak in his native tongue. "No, no! It's ok. I'm a Dratini too. Please don't go!" he said in a worried voice, thinking he blew it. It hesitated for a while, keeping only its head above the water. He sighed and then began to back of slowly, losing all hope he had. "Yes" the other Dratini, said in a low voice. "Huh?" Glacier replied in confusion. "You asked if I was female. I am. Why? Are you a male?" She asked. He was excited to hear that, but wanted to keep from jumping around and scaring her. "Yeah, I am." He said. "Do all male Dratinis have fire on their tails?" She gestured toward his flame. "I take it I'm the only male Dratini you've seen so far. Actually no, this was caused by an accident" Glacier replied. "No, I've never seen any other Dratini at all." "Oh. I guess I shouldn't be complaining about not having a female friend. I've had other Dratini friends but none female. Uh."he said, "would you.like to.accompany me to my home in Celadon? I'll take care of you, and I'll bring you back safely. No one can take you if I claim you're one of my Pokemon." He said in a nervous voice. "Your Pokemon?" She asked in a confused tone. "See I'm very human like. I can speak English and I tried to get a license to train Pokemon, which would keep me and my friends from being caught by other trainers. Because there were no laws against it, it worked, thus the tag on my neck. I even sometimes fight my friends against other trainers. If I say that you're one of the Pokemon I train, other trainers can't catch you. Legally anyway." She smiled, "This is great! I've always wanted to battle and become a big Dragonite like my dad. But I don't wanna be caught by a random human. I'd rather know what kind of trainer I'm gonna have. Sadly though I'm not sure I can leave the lake. I don't think I can go with you." She lowered her head. His smile faded. "Why not?" "Because my dad is really strict. You're lucky I'm talking to you. I'm not supposed to. You should leave before he gets here." "Oh. Will you at least invite me back? I'd like to meet with you more. You seem like a nice dragon" "I don't know. It's hard to tell when he'll be here. I don't want to get you in trouble." "Well I'll just come by later and hope he's not around. If he is, I'll try again." He paused, "Bye." "Bye." She said. "I wish I could go with you!" She whispered to herself. He floated to shore and began to crawl away. The female seemed to be torn between obeying her father and joining her new friend, which might help her achieve her dream. Glacier was about a half a mile from the lake and still crawling slowly. As he was thinking about how he really liked her but would not be able to be with her, he heard a rustle and someone panting. He turned and saw who it was. Immediately a smile appeared on his face and he darted toward the other. "If you think you can help me become the strongest Dragonite around, I will be your Pokemon!" She exclaimed as she appeared out of the shadows. "Hmm.is that all you came to me for?" he asked jokingly. "What? You think I followed you just cuz I like you? Gimme a break!" She said adding to the humor. The humor ended after a while. "I'm guessing you can't go back home seeing how you just disobeyed your dad, huh? Will he know you're alright?" He asked. She nodded with worried eyes. "I'm sorry I got you into this." He continued. "Like you said it's my decision. I'm glad we ran into each other, otherwise I'd still be all alone in the lake." "I'm just as glad. C'mon, let's go to Celadon! I got some space for you there." "Let's go then!" "By the way, if you're gonna be my Pokemon, you're gonna need a name." He thought for a while, "How about Aqua? As in the water and your color." "Well it fits my description. Ok!" *** As they got closer to Glacier's hometown, the crowds got larger and larger. Aqua began to grow uneasy, and Glacier noticed it as she looked around nervously, and began to get closer to him. Eventually she got so close, that she was resting against his side as they crawled along. Glacier seemed just as nervous. He'd never been so close to someone else like this, and he didn't know what to do. "It's ok. Nobody here is out to get you. You'll get used to the crowds." He said to her trying to reassure her. She nodded trying hard to reassure herself. Finally they reached the area behind the Celadon Dept Store. It was an area between the building and the forest, and Glacier and his friends made sure to keep it fairly clean. Aqua finally began to calm down and separated from Glacier. They were both relieved that she wasn't so nervous. "This is where we usually hang out to keep away from the crowds." He explained. "We?" she asked. "Yeah, me and the other Pokemon that I train, so to speak. I'd like you to meet them." Resting by the trees there were two Pokemon, a Scyther and a Charmander. "Razorwing, Blaze, I'd like you to meet my friend, Aqua. I'm gonna try and train her to help her become a Dragonite." He turned to Aqua. "Aqua, these are my friends, Razorwing and Blaze. I'm pretty sure you're capable of guessing which is which. Razorwing is the Scyther that I helped escape with me, which I'll tell you about later." "Hello!" She and Razorwing greeted each other. "And Blaze is the youngest of the group. We adopted him after we found him abandoned cuz he was too young to fight" She smiled, "You're so cute!" She pat him on the head as he blushed. "How old are you?" "Three!" he yelled out enthusiastically while he held up three fingers. "I taught him that. It's the best estimate we have of his age. There's one other member of the team, but she's currently on her shift as a security guard in the Dept Store." He looked at the sky and noticed that it was already dark. "We'll be goin in about an hour" They all began to chat, and they all seemed to be intrigued by Aqua. Still, Aqua seemed to be intrigued by Glacier. She asked where he got the flame on his tail, and he explained to her. At the end she was still a bit confused but understood the basic story. Then she asked how he got such a strange name. He explained that one day he had asked his friends to make up a nickname for him. Unfortunately one of them took it as a joke and gave him the name sarcastically (the one that was absent at the moment). It stuck with him since. After a while, they heard footsteps coming from the direction of the building. Into the light stepped a large Arcanine. Aqua was a bit surprised and stepped back until she picked up a pleasant scent. In her mouth the Arcanine held a paper bag. She set it down and sat. "A little late with dinner aren't we Pyro Paws?" Glacier asked the Arcanine. "Sorry, had something to take care of. So, who's hungry? The pickings weren't all that great, but a meal's a meal." They all sprinted toward the bag, except Aqua. "Hey, am I counting right? Seems we got an extra." "Oh yeah! Pyro Paws, this is Aqua, a new member of the group." He turned to Aqua. "Aqua, this is the Pyro Paws, the one I told you about earlier. As you can see, she's the biggest of the group, for now." Aqua greeted her. "No offense but I'm hoping that'll change." "Well if it's not gonna be you then Blaze'll beat me someday. Either way though I'll still have the title for a while." She said smiling. "Hey Aqua, why don't you go eat right now. Tell the guys to give you a part of my share. Or take it all if you want. Breakfast is only a good night's sleep away." Glacier told her. He let her have his whole meal since she seemed to enjoy the food so much. After the meal the all took a quick five-minute rest. Officer Jenny spotted them and told them they should start heading for bed before she locked the store. They all went in, each going to their own sleeping place, which they guarded as their own. But Glacier didn't know whether to let Aqua sleep in her own spot or sleep along with him. He was nervous of them sleeping in the same room, but also didn't want to make her feel unwelcome. But later he decided he didn't want to leave her alone at this point. He managed to find an extra sleeping bag for her and they both slept about two feet apart at his place, the corner of the game room. "I hope it's not too uncomfortable. We'll be sleeping here for a while. Tomorrow we'll practice and see how well you fight." He told her. She nodded, but he noticed she was just as nervous as he was about sleeping so close together. He didn't know how to reassure her, so he just said good night and both shut their eyes. Glacier thought she would have some trouble sleeping because of his bright tail, but he could hear she was fast asleep. *** Aqua woke up the next morning in time to watch Glacier get up and start folding up his sleeping bag. Glacier turned and found that she had woken up as well. He suggested that she get her stuff put away so they could go downstairs to get with the rest of the group, which was probably waiting. They finally made it downstairs and saw that the others were waiting for them. "Well guys, time to go outside before the store opens." Glacier said. He then turned to Aqua. "As you heard we have to go outside so we don't get into trouble. We'll have breakfast in a little while." She nodded. "And then after breakfast we'll see how well you fight." "Don't expect much." She said. "I've haven't fought that much." "It's ok. That's why I'm a trainer." He said. They all headed outside through the back, which was open because that's where the store got its supplies. Otherwise Officer Jenny would open it for them. It was still cold outside, so the team members stuck together with the fire Pokemon to keep warm. A while later they began planning the early part of the day. They decided to eat breakfast, come back and then have Aqua practice a bit. They headed toward the diner because they kept their food supplies there. They all went in, helped to get breakfast ready, and although it wasn't very fancy (it was mostly canned food), they still had a good meal. On their way back to the back of the store, Aqua asked more questions. "So we'll always have breakfast there?" She asked. "Only until we get our own place, which will still take a while." Glacier replied. "And we'll always sleep in the store?" "Same answer. Anyway are you ready for practice?" "I don't think so." "Well don't worry. For the first few times we'll have a dummy taking your hits, right Pyro Paws?" "Hey! Why me?" Pyro Paws replied in surprise. "Razorwing is just too obvious and Aqua thinks Blaze is to cute to fight against." "Yeah." Aqua turned to Blaze and smiled. "Ok then!" Pyro Paws said. When they reached their usual spot they took a short rest to let their breakfast settle, but they were all anxious to see how Aqua would do. Finally, Glacier thought that rest time was over and that they would now have Aqua practice. All went to a clearing near their place and Pyro Paws stood near the center. She waited there while Glacier got Aqua ready. "Ok, at this point, you should just listen to instructions. You'll attack and Pyro Paws over there will take your hits." Glacier instructed her. Aqua nodded and then approached Pyro Paws, which gave her a sinister grin, just to scare her a bit. "Okay Aqua! Let's see what ya got!" "Don't expect much." She replied. "Alright, a simple attack to start off. Try a wrap attack, and try to lock her arms!" "Hey." Pyro Paws protested. Before she had time to finish though Aqua was already attacking, and she couldn't move her forelegs. Still, Aqua wasn't very strong, and before long, Pyro Paws was able to break out. She was ready to fight back, but remembered she wasn't supposed to. Aqua stood waiting for her next instruction. "Not bad for a first try. It should get better as you get stronger. Know any other attacks?" "I can tackle, but not from very far." "Well it looks like you're close enough, try a tackle attack, try to knock her off balance!" Once again, Aqua was fairly quick in executing her attack. Pyro Paws was hit before she could turn to Aqua. She swayed back a bit, but once again Aqua's attacks weren't strong enough to do much damage. The big Arcanine grinned a bit, just to show off how tough she was, but stopped when she noticed Aqua didn't look too happy. "It's ok Aqua. Maybe your attacks aren't powerful, but you seem to be fairly quick." Glacier pointed out. Suddenly he yelled out another command. "Pyro Paws, tackle her!" Everyone except the Arcanine was shocked at what they just heard. Right away, Pyro Paws sprinted toward her opponent. Aqua, although the most shocked by what happened, was still able to roll out of the way. When she knew she missed, Pyro Paws tried to stop but lost her balance and landed on her side. But she got up right away and didn't look hurt. "See?" Glacier said. The training continued for a while, having Aqua do some dodging and some attacking. She also began to learn some techniques for attacking at the right time. When it was over, both the participants were fairly tired and decided to take a rest. Aqua took a few hits, but she insisted she was ok. While they were resting, Glacier and Razorwing decided to get some well- deserved snacks from the stores, while Blaze stayed with Aqua and Pyro Paws. "Hi cutie!" Aqua began to chat with him. "You ever fought before?" "No, they say me too small. But Razorwing teaching me! He's my best friend, and I think he's cool." "Yeah, he sticks to him like glue sometimes. Though it doesn't look like Razorwing minds being looked up to." Pyro Paws explained. "I see. So how'd get into the team Blaze." "Razorwing found me and took me here. My other friend leaved me in the dark and didn't come back." "Oh you poor thing!" Aqua brought him closer to give him a little kiss in the head. He blushed and couldn't say anything. "Well at least you're ok now right?" He nodded. "That's good." They both smiled. Later the other two team members came back and they enjoyed a little snack. It was Sunday so no one had any work to do, so they all decided to give Aqua a tour of the City and get her used to the crowds. They spent almost the whole day doing that, keeping fairly close to Aqua to make her feel a bit safer. Although she still felt uneasy around a lot of people, by the end of the day she was a little more relaxed than the last time. Later, they played some video games at the store, and finally they had to go to sleep once again. Glacier and Aqua went to their floor and took out their sleeping bags from behind the counter. "I guess I disappointed you today huh?" Aqua asked while sighing. "I hope you're not offended when I say I had 5 dollars riding on Pyro Paws." He hoped to get a smile out of her. "You're not gonna be a success overnight. I promised you I would help you become a Dragonite, but I didn't say it was gonna be easy. You did good today though. We found your strengths and weaknesses. All we have to do is work on them a bit and you should be able to fight for real within a week or two. Are you still up to it? You think it's worth it? Will you stay with the team? Am I annoying you?" She smiled. "Yes to all." She chuckled. "You've made your point. Can I go to sleep now?" She was already in her sleeping bag. "Sure. Hope my flame doesn't bother you." She shook her head. "Ok then, good night." *** "Aqua, wake up." She stirred a bit then sat up. "It's earlier than last time isn't it?" She asked "Yeah, I have to talk to you about something." He said. "See in all the excitement of inviting you to the team and having you battle for the first time, I forgot to arrange where you'd be hanging out on the weekdays." "What do you mean?" "I have a job here in the video game store, and I know how you still don't like the crowds too much. I work here for a few hours, so we have to figure out where you'll stay for that time." After a few minutes, Glacier thought that she would be well off staying with one of his human friends. Aqua didn't like the idea at first, but Glacier kept insisting that she should meet her anyway, so she finally agreed. They decided to get up and get to his friend's house before she had a chance to go anywhere else and ruin their plans. They told the others where they were going, and Glacier got Blaze to go and keep Aqua company and to reassure her. It did help her to calm down a bit. The streets weren't too crowded because the route to the girl's house wasn't used much. A few blocks later the reached a small house. Blaze ran up enthusiastically, jumped, and rang the doorbell. "He seems happy to be here." Aqua said. "Yeah. The girl that lives here is a good friend of the team." Then the door opened and out stepped a young girl. "Huh?" The girl said. Then she looked down and spotted the Charmander. "Oh Blaze! How are you?" She picked him up and gave him a hug. Then she turned and saw the two Dratinis. "Oh! Glacier, you found another Dratini friend." She tried to approach her but she backed off and hid behind Glacier. "It's ok, she won't hurt you unless she hugs you too much." Then he began to speak English. "Hi Cynthia! This is the new member of our team. Her name's Aqua. Aqua, this is my friend Cynthia. She's a very nice person." "HER name?" She asked. "Ooh, Glacier, you have a little girlfriend!" She giggled for a while. The remark made Aqua giggle a bit too. Even Blaze smiled. Glacier felt a bit embarrassed. "Anyway, I was wondering if you would be willing to take care of Aqua while I work. She doesn't like the crowds so I don't think she'd want to hang out with me. Would you mind?" "Oh I'd love to get to know your new girlfriend. Why don't you all join me for breakfast?" She said. Glacier kept feeling weird when she kept thinking Aqua was his girlfriend, but he didn't want to say anything that would upset Aqua, so he kept quiet on the subject. He just accepted the invitation, and finally was able to coax Aqua to greet their host and go in the house. Cynthia carried the Charmander to her room and the other two followed. On their way there they quickly greeted her parents, which they knew but not very well. While there, Cynthia brought them some breakfast. As they ate, Glacier told her about Aqua and how she came to be part of the team, and helped Aqua get to know her and the place. At last she agreed to stay while he went out to work. "After work I'll come by and pick you up for some more practice. Blaze, take care of Aqua." "Okay!" Blaze replied. "Bye Glacier!" Aqua said. "Bye!" Cynthia said. Finally Glacier left, while fairly confident that Aqua would be comfortable there. "Well how about we watch TV for a while, play some games and get to know each other a little better?" "That sounds fine." Aqua said. Although spoke in her Pokemon language, Cynthia usually had a good idea of what most Pokemon said, so she understood her. *** Glacier took a short stroll through the streets before returning to the store just to kill some time. Finally he got back to the mall. By then it had just started opening, and to avoid being step on by others, he had decided to go through the entrance for the supply trucks. He had just gone the door when he heard a familiar voice coming from inside. "Hmm, looks like I found me a delicious intruder. So would you like to be baked, fried or charbroiled?" "Any other choices Pyro?" "Well I've heard good things about sushi. Oh well, I had a plentiful breakfast, since I took your share." She chuckled. "So, your pupil will be staying at Cynthia's for a while?" "Until she can handle the crowds, then she can hang around with you or any other of us. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go to work." He tried to pass, but she moved to block his way. "Sure.if you can get past me. I'm a security guard remember?" Then she realized something. "Oh, that reminds me! I left my badge at the desk. I'll let you slip by this time." She headed for the inside of the mall. "Just like last time and the time before that and."Glacier replied. "Shut up." Finally he got inside the mall and headed for the Video Game store. But before he reached it he decided to check on Razorwing, which he spotted on the second floor. Like Pyro Paws, he worked as a security guard, but for the upper levels of the store. "Well at least you're wearing your badge." "Yeah. I saw that Pyro left her badge on the desk this morning. So, you miss Aqua yet?" "Dude, it's only been an hour!" He replied. "And the sad part is the answer is yes." "Looks like someone has a crush on the little Dragon." "At this point you're the first I'll admit it too. But." He continued, "Tell anyone one else and I'll rip your wings off and sell em as an aphrodisiac. And then I'll tell everyone about your crush." He said in a deranged voice. "What crush?" Razorwing asked looking around nervously. "I thought so." Glacier turned and headed to his job. *** Finally Glacier's shift at the Games department was over, and he let the other two know he would be going to pick up Aqua. A few minutes later he reached Cynthia's home and rang the bell. He saw one of the parents look out the window, then went back to call Cynthia. The door opened, and out came Cynthia, followed by Aqua, and Blaze, which seemed to have a dolls suit over him. He looked embarrassed and frustrated. "Kid, what'd they do to you?" Glacier asked, somewhat in shock. Blaze was too busy trying to take off the suit to listen. "He got stuck in one of my dolls suits and now he can't get out." Cynthia explained. "Can you help? I don't want it burned." "Any ideas?" Aqua asked. "Well maybe it'll stretch if we get it wet. Just keep the water from hitting his tail too much." He suggested. They all went to the tub in the bathroom and got the suit wet. With that and a little effort, they were able to pull the suit off of Blaze. He did fell a bit cold, but nothing he couldn't handle. Finally they said goodbye to Cynthia and went on their way. Blaze didn't talk for most of the way. Aqua then tried to start a little conversation. "C'mon Blaze. We had a lot of fun up to where you got stuck in the suit." She said. Still he didn't respond. Glacier shook his head, and then he heard some noises, first some footsteps, then the sound of something flying through the air. "JUMP!" Glacier yelled out, quickly pushing his two friends off the trail. Where they had stood, a ball hit the ground and opened up with a flash, but other than that nothing happened. "Good thing we weren't close to that." He said. "Don't worry, since I stole and sold that Butterfree, I've been able to stock up on Poke-Balls." Said the person. He was wearing a Team Rocket uniform, slightly hidden under a dark jacket. "I've got plenty for you and your friends." "That just means you'll be goin home with more broken Poke-Balls than usual Bobby." Glacier told him. Then he turned to his teammates, "You guys run, Blaze knows the way. He'll be after me more than you two." He told them. Aqua hesitated for a second, but they finally got her to go. "It's Robert to you twerp. But it doesn't matter what you call me when I sell you for a fortune." He then noticed the others were running. In a last attempt, he threw another Poke-Ball at the two, which Glacier easily knocked off course. "I thought I was the only one for you Bobby." Glacier said in a mocking voice. "Shut up!" Robert replied in a growl. He took out another Poke-ball. "Dodrio, knock him out!" Out popped a large Dodrio, ready to attack. "Drill peck Dodrio!" The Dodrio then headed for Glacier. He was able to dodge a bit, but one of the heads managed to get a slight hit. He fell on his back, but got back up. "Looks like lefty's got better aim than the rest of you." Glacier said. "Shut up!" The other two heads said. "Try again!" Robert yelled. Once again, the big bird ran toward Glacier to attack. He tried to stay to the left of it and dodge in time, but once again he was hit. Still, while one managed to get him, the other two heads knocked into the third trying to get at Glacier. They began to argue with each other. "No! Not now!" Robert yelled. He figured they would be at it for a while, and in a final attempt, threw a Poke-Ball to capture the Dragon, which just got up. He had barely managed to escape when another ball came flying at him. He dodged once again, and began to run. Robert got frustrated and ordered his Dodrio to chase after him. After some hesitation, they finally started running after him. About a minute later though they reached a busy street and the Dodrio had trouble maneuvering through the crowd. They finally lost Glacier in the crowds and began to argue once again. *** When Glacier arrived at the Dept Store, he found the rest of the team just waiting near the entrance. "It's nice to see that you all have confidence in my great skills and knew I would return safely." "Actually, I was about to go rescue you AGAIN when Razorwing spotted you from the roof." Pyro Paws said. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that 'Again' part." "Are you okay Glacier?" Aqua asked. "Those scratches look a bit painful." "Nothing a potion can't handle. Let's go outside. You still got some practice Aqua." When they got outside, they headed toward a small panel on the back wall of the building with a combination lock. Glacier opened the lock, then the panel. Inside were a couple of items. Some of them being potions. Aqua watched curiously. "You guys made your own medicine cabinet on the building? Wouldn't someone get angry?" "No, this panel was already here. It used to be for electrical switches, but problems made them move it inside. We're just taking advantage of the space." He brought out a small bottle. "You wanna apply the potion? It's hard for me to do and I think Pyro gets too much of a kick out of it." Pyro Paws grinned sinisterly. "Oh!" Aqua said in a slight shock. "I didn't know you two.Um." "NO!" They both yelled out. "What I meant was that she likes hear me scream when she smacks me with a paw full of potion." Glacier said. "Yeah, potion has a tendency to sting a little." Pyro Paws continued. "Oh, ok. I'll do it then." "Gee Aqua, that sounded like a relieved tone." Pyro Paws said and left. "Oh well. Just put the potion right on the wound." Aqua began to place the potion on Glacier's wounds. He laid back but cringed occasionally when the potion hit some parts of the wounds. A minute later, Aqua had finished and finally was able to go back to training the same as the day before. Once again, Pyro Paws was the volunteer opponent. Aqua didn't learn any new attacks, but just improved on her current ones. After training for a while, they all had dinner, played for a while, and then went in to go to bed. *** By the next day most of Glaciers wounds were no longer visible. They got up just slightly earlier this time so that Aqua, Blaze and Glacier could have breakfast before they went to visit Cynthia. After what had happened the previous day, they were all a little nervous about another confrontation. This time Glacier decided that they should take the longer but safer route. Robert was not likely to attack in a crowd. "Don't worry, even Bobby's not stupid enough to confront us in publics. You should be more worried about little kids that think we're toys." "I guess you're right. I'll try not to be so paranoid." Aqua said smiling a bit. A few minutes later they arrived with no incident. "Blaze," Glacier looked at him, "Think you can stay out of trouble this time?" "Don't worry, I'll take better care of him." She pet Blaze on the head to make him feel less embarrassed. They went in and Glacier went off to work. On his way back, he hadn't been paying too much attention to his surroundings, and Pyro Paws noticed it as he walked in. "Hmm, a new look for you. It actually looks like you're thinking." She grinned. "Yeah. I've got something in mind for the group, but I have to think about what exactly it's gonna be." He said. "Ooh, a surprise huh?" She sat down. "Well, are you gonna tell me about it or do I have to bite it off of you?" "I'll let you all know tonight. By then I'll make up my mind." "Alright then. You may go off to work now, for I see a shoplifter that I can chew on." She stood up and walked away. *** A few hours later, Glacier, Aqua and Blaze returned from their friend's house, once again without incident. And like the previous nights, Aqua had some practice against Pyro. Everyday she showed a little improvement. She also gained slightly more confidence each time too. After practice was over and they had finished their dinner, Pyro Paws asked Glacier about the surprise he had told her about earlier. "So, tell us what you were thinking about earlier. You remember thinking, right? One of those memorable, once in a lifetime moments." Pyro asked. "Yeah, you should try it sometime. Who knows, you might actually be able to get a thought through that thick fur of yours" "Bite me Glacier!" "Kiss my tail!" "Sniff Razorwing's feet!" "Eat his cooking!" "Alright, Alright!" Razorwing interrupted. "Now I'd love to see you two at each other's necks and blasting each other with fireballs, but if I heard right, I believe Glacier has something to announce. Now spill it before I cut it out of ya!" "Hey!" Aqua yelled out, "You know you guys aren't setting a very good example for Blaze! Now stop it!" "Sorry." All three apologized. "Anyway, Pyro was right." Glacier continued, "I've made an important decision." He went on and told the team of his plans. When he finished there were some unsure faces. "So let me get this straight." Razorwing said. "We're gonna quit our jobs to go on a long vacation?" "If you call wandering around the nearby forests and cities a vacation, sure." Glacier answered. "I guess it would be good for getting away from the city for a while." Pyro Paws pointed out. "Plus little kids don't pull on your fur all day. But what's this for anyway?" "Well it's nice to travel once in a while, and we could all use a little more practice," Glacier gestured to Aqua, "and this is the best way to meet with competition. And maybe people like Bobby will leave us alone for a while." "I don't mind travelling, though I haven't really gotten attached to this place yet." Aqua said. "Well? Who's with me?" Glacier asked. "Do we really have a choice?" Razorwing asked. "I'll take that as a yes. How about you Pyro Paws?" "Are you sure we don't have a choice?" She asked. "Well if you prefer stickin around with the kids at the mall I guess." "I'll go." "And last but not least Blaze." "I go with friends." "Ok then it's settled. I had warned our employers about this so all I have to do is confirm we're all resigning for now. Well be outta here on Friday night." "So we get to work for three more days?" Razorwing asked. "Yup. Now, how about a game of tag?" *** The next morning Glacier had to tell the news to Cynthia, which after knowing her for a long time, knew that she wouldn't take the news lightly. He told her as he dropped off Aqua and Blaze. He was right about what he thought. Even before he finished telling her, he could see she was ready to burst into tears. "But Glacier, I don't want you to leave. You're my best Pokemon friend, and the closest to owning a Pokemon my parents would probably let me." Cynthia started to cry. "You mean your parents won't let you own a Pokemon?" He asked. "I can barely get them to let you guys in. They think Pokemon are only for fighting and that they're also expensive to keep. But I just wanna raise one to play with and be my friend, like you. If you leave I won't have any other Pokemon." "Oh. Well, I'll tell you what. Since you are my best human friend, I'm not gonna leave without giving you a nice present. I promise you you'll like it. I'll have it for you tomorrow. Now I have to go though, so take care of Aqua and Blaze for me." "Ok." She took them in and Glacier left. Later on he met up with Pyro Paws. "Pyro, I need a Pokemon for Cynthia, any ideas?" "Well, I've always had a tendency to lean toward Arcanines," she grinned, "but then that's just me. But knowing Cynthy, we'd look for something small and cute. I'd say a Charmander an Eevee, or a Vulpix. Why?" "Well she is one of my best friends, and since we're gonna leave for a while I thought I should be nice and leave a Pokemon to keep her company! Though I'll have to get past her parents first." "Oh. Well good luck. I know how she likes to have stuff like you to squeeze to her little hearts desire. Try the nearby grasses, I'm sure you could find some wild Pokemon there." "No, I'll need one that's made to be kept as a pet since she's still young and inexperienced, and that's what she wants. Looks like those game tokens will come in handy now. Thanks, I'll leave you to your job now." *** After his shift was over he went to go pick up his friends from Cynthia's, hoping she wouldn't inquire about the gift. Fortunately for him all she did was giggle with anticipation. When they got home he left Aqua with Pyro and Blaze, and left with Razorwing to help him get Cynthia's gift. He had to explain it to him on the way to their destination. "So now we have to go to the Game Corner's prize center and cash in some of those old tokens. We'll get a nice Pokemon, and trade it for a Pokemon that's right for Cynthia. Damn I'm good at this. See what happens when you put your mind to something? Maybe you could learn from this experience." Glacier finished explaining. "Seems even when you put your whole little mind into it you just can't quite get a simple plan to work right." Glacier looked at him in confusion. "Tell me what's wrong with this picture:" He began to speak like an anchorman. "Two Pokemon that had previously escaped the clutches of the Game Corner go back to ask their services and purchase another Pokemon with tokens they managed to steal from the very same facility." Glacier's eyes opened wide in realization. Then he gave Razorwing an angry stare. "You always have to find a flaw in my plans don't you?" He took a deep breath and exhaled, then began to turn his head to look around. "Fortunately once we get around that the plan will work. And looky who I just found to solve our little dilemma." "Well whadya know," Razorwing said looking at the entrance to the Game Corner. "Our little friend Bobby's found himself a job as a doorstop for the casino." At the entrance was Robert, welcoming guests to the Game Corner. They both walked up to him, knowing it was too clear, and he was too busy, to try to capture them. They were right. As they walked up to him, Robert noticed them. He turned and almost gave a furious expression while at the same time trying to keep a smile. Then he turned back and greeted the next incoming guest, and also sold them some drinks from the cart he was standing next to. Once they entered, there were no other people walking toward the entrance, just near it. "Listen you two, I don't have time for you, so take a hike! I got a job to do." He said in anger. "Why is that?" Glacier asked. "Because I broke one of the machines in a fit of rage. There were three 7's and it wouldn't give me." He paused for a second and became angry again. "Why am I telling you? If you're not here to jump into one of my Poke-Balls or buy a soda, get lost!" "Wait, we have a little favor to ask of you. If you can get us a Pokemon from the prize center, we'll give you 10 bucks, take your place for a few minutes and leave you alone til you've finished your job." "Well I can't reject that last offer." He said with a frustrated look. "Ok! Gimme the tokens and I'll get it for you. Which do you want?" "Depends what you got." Glacier said. Robert gave him a list of the Pokemon they had, since there were usually changes in what was in stock. Glacier thought for a moment and finally made up his mind. "Ok, we'll take a Cubone. That should work." Robert took the tokens and left to the prize center. While he was gone, Glacier and Razorwing took his place at the door greeting people. It wasn't a very crowded night, so they didn't have to wait long before Robert came back with what they asked for. He showed them the Pokemon and they agreed to take it. They gave him his 10 dollars and finally left him to his task. "Now beat it! This honest living thing is annoying enough without you two around." With that out of the way they decided to go to the Pokemon Adoption/Trading center to trade for the right Pokemon. When they arrived, they asked the caretaker to show them some Pokemon that would make a good pet for a little girl. "And this is Star, a young female Vulpix. She's gentle, friendly, and very cute. She'd make a great pet for your friend." She told them. "Cool. She looks like a good choice. So if I trade in this Cubone, how much extra will we have to pay?" Glacier asked. "We can work that out. Just give me a minute." She stepped away, and the two waited until she returned. "Ok, I've figured it out and I can let you have her for 50 dollars. Complete with vaccinations, certificate and special booklet to help your friend take good care of her." "Wow, that's a little steep, but I guess I do owe her for that accident. Ok, I'll take her." "Great. Let me fill out some papers and you'll have yourself a cute little Vulpix." Once again they had to wait. They stood there wondering how the caretaker could act so normal despite the fact that she was dealing with there two. After a while she finally returned with some papers, a certificate, and Star, the little Vulpix. Glacier thanked her, took all he needed, and then went back to the Dept Store. It was already nighttime when they got back with they're little friend. The introductions then began. "Guys, this is Star. She's going to be Cynthia's pet Pokemon as soon as I convince her parents to let her keep her. You can introduce yourselves while I make an important call. Oh, and Star, you're going to spend the night with us this time. We'll get you in your new home by tomorrow." She nodded and Glacier left to call Cynthia's parents. "Hi Star." Aqua greeted her. "My name is Aqua. I'm a friend of Glacier's. We're his team of Pokemon. This is Pyro Paws." She gestured toward her, and Pyro greeted Star. "You've probably meet Razorwing." She nodded. "And this young little Charmander is Blaze." "Hi!" Blaze said in his usual enthusiastic tone. "Hi!" She replied. "You two can play for a while, while we finish cleaning up the fire and all." "Ok!" Blaze said. He led Star around for a bit before finding a ball and some sticks to play with. Glacier had been gone for over half an hour before he returned. He looked like he had a proud expression on his face. They all figured out that he had successfully coaxed Cynthia's parents into letting her have a Pokemon. Later on they found out that he also invited Cynthia to the Dept Store the next day to meet them for one last goodbye, and to give her the surprise. "You know what that means Star? That means you get to meet your new friend tomorrow." Glacier told her. Though she was too busy frolicking around to hear him. Then he turned to Aqua. "We'll let them play for a while before we get some sleep. Must be nice for Blaze to have someone his own age around. Hope he doesn't get too attached though." "He'll be fine about that. He'll be more saddened by leaving Cynthia. You think we should ask again whether he's sure he wants to go?" "You have a point. We'd miss him, but we better leave him if he'll really be a lot happier here." Time passed and they soon went in to go to sleep. Blaze was headed for his spot when Glacier and the others intercepted him. He knew something was up. "Blaze," Glacier spoke. "We have to talk. We know you like to be part of our team, but we also know that you like to be with Cynthia and other Pokemon your age. Now that we're going to leave, we wanna make sure we don't drag you along if this isn't what you want. If you go with us, you won't see Cynthia for a long time and we can't afford to keep another Pokemon your age." Blaze began to weep a bit. "I not in team anymore cuz I too small?" He asked almost angrily. "No!" Razorwing reassured him, "We're not kicking you out. You'll always be part of the team. We just wanna make sure you're happy. If you're happier with us, then you can come along with us. But if you think you'll be happier here then we don't wanna bring you along if you don't wanna go." "But I like team. I like hero Razorwing, I like nice Aqua, I like funny Pyro Paws and I like leader Glacier." "So you'll be happier with us kid?" Pyro asked. "Yeah!" He yelled out. "Well we have a lot of fun being around you too Blaze." Aqua told him then gave him a kiss. "Hey, I get to kiss him too!" Pyro said, giving him a lick on the cheek. "Well, if you ever decide you don't like getting kisses from girls, let us know. Now you can go to sleep." Glacier told him. *** "C'mon guys. Let's not wander off too far. We all wanna be here for what little time Cynthia was given to be with us." Glacier told his remaining team members. Aqua and Blaze had been dropped off at Cynthia's house and were to bring Cynthia along when they returned. He figured they were safe enough together to come on their own. Cynthia did know the way to and from the Dept Store, and she'd been trekking that route for quite a while. The team was outside after finishing their day at work, and had set up a little table with a few snacks. Finally they saw Cynthia and the other two arrive. "Hi Glacier! Hi everybody!" She greeted her friends. She gave all the team members a hug, being careful with Razorwing. "Wow! Snacks! Good thing I didn't eat dinner." She smiled. "Same here." Pyro Paws said. "Wow Pyro Paws, even on what you eat you always manage to keep a nice, pretty coat." "Well, it's a gift." She said proudly in her Arcanine language. Then her expression changed. "Uh-oh, I know where this is going." Suddenly Cynthia picked up Blaze and climbed onto Pyro Paws back. "Oh well," she sighed, "guess that's what I get for not paying attention. Why can't you ride on Razorwing's back?" "C'mon Pyro Paws!" She complained seeing that Pyro was a bit unenthusiastic. "Think of it this way, you won't have to do this again for a few months." She saw Pyro smile. "Well, I guess I can't argue with logic." "Good. Now how about a little trip around the mall for me and Blaze? Let's go!" She yelled out. Pyro then began to circle the building at a regular walking pace. It took them a few minutes to return to where they had begun. Razorwing then greeted them. "Hey guy's. I see you're enjoying yourself Pyro. You're almost smiling." "Yeah, cuz the rides over, and it's time for the passengers to jet." She then sat down, forcing the two riders to slide off. "That was fun Pyro!" She said joyously. "You may look big and mean sometimes, but you actually have a big heart too. Don't worry though, I won't tell anybody." She ran off giggling. Razorwing then turned to Pyro. "I agree with the first part but don't quite get how she could say that second part." The next thing he saw was a fireball heading toward him. He moved in time to dodge it. "Defending her statement?" he asked. "No" She replied. "Just agreeing with you." She smiled then walked away. After they were finished with playing around in the field, they all met around the table where a few snacks managed to remain. Most of them were a bit exhausted, and decided to take this short break. Glacier took that opportunity to present Cynthia with what he had promised earlier. Though at that time it seemed she had forgotten about the promise as she held Blaze in her arms and leaned against Aqua. "Cynthia," Glacier spoke up, "remember that I promised I wouldn't leave without handing you a nice present?" "Oh, yeah." She said as he reminded her. "Hope it's something nice Glacier." "Well, I'll let you decide. When I called you yesterday to invite you here, I had finished talking to your parents. Surprisingly I managed to coax them into letting you have this." He led her to a box, with small holes, hidden behind a nearby tree. Cynthia looked at it and was anxious to see what was inside. "Go ahead. It's yours." She quickly went to the box and removed the lid. As she began to look inside, a young Vulpix suddenly popped out and greeted her. She seemed very surprised, and it looked as though she could hardly hold in her excitement. "Oh Glacier it is so cute! I can't believe you got me a Vulpix! I love it!" As she spoke rapidly and in high pitch she almost startled the Vulpix. Then she picked it up and began to hug it. "You mean I get to keep it?" "Yup, she's yours, a present from our team. Her name is Star. All her certificates and things are in the box. But you can only keep her as a pet and not to battle. That's the condition your parents had." Glacier pointed out. "That's all I wanted Glacier. Thank you." She held Star close and then began to play with her. Once again, they all had a little fun, but after a while it began to get dark, and Glacier decided Cynthia had to go. "Cynthia, I think that you should take Star home now. The last thing we need is your parents getting angry." Cynthia agreed and began to put Star and her things in the open box. "You wanna say your goodbyes now or are you willing to come back tomorrow at the same time?" "Of course. I'd love to come back tomorrow." She replied. "Ok. I'll escort you home now. C'mon Razor, you'll escort me on the way back." "Bye guys! See ya tomorrow. Sorry Pyro, but I can't resist coming back tomorrow. Don't worry though, I'll just be here to say bye." She, Glacier and Razorwing then walked away. When they got to her home, Glacier remembered to tell her Aqua and Blaze would be with them the next day, busy helping them pack up a few things. She nodded then went inside with her gift. *** Aqua had awakened at the usual time and saw that Glacier was still asleep. She worried that he had just forgotten that he had to wake up early to take her to Cynthia's. He decided to wake him up just in case. "Glacier, aren't we gonna be late?" He stirred a bit in his sleeping bag then woke up. "Oh, sorry. I really should make it a point to tell you important things in advance." Aqua looked oddly at him. "You're gonna stay with us and help us pack up a few things. Don't worry though, Cynthia will be here though." "So I get to wake up later?" She asked enthusiastically. "Sure, go ahead. That's what I'm doing." Later that morning, they finally decided to get up. After they were finished arranging their things to put away, Glacier told Aqua that they should put them outside, so that they could pack them up easier. The whole team put their stuff outside, and Glacier gave Aqua and Blaze a few instructions on what to do. He left them there, and told them Pyro would keep an eye on them from inside the mall. "C'mon Blaze," Aqua said, "We gotta pack up for the team. You excited about our new little journey?" "Yeah!" He replied. Aqua then patted him on the head. "This shouldn't take long. After we're done, we could go in the store with the rest of the team, maybe even bug Glacier for a while." She smiled, and then started her task. *** Glacier was talking with a customer suggesting a video game that would be good to buy. After he finished talking to the customer, he noticed that Aqua and Blaze had entered his department. He was a bit surprised to see Aqua there at that time of day. "Hi Aqua, I see you braved the crowds to pay me a visit." "Nah, I wouldn't do this for you, just came to buy a video game." She grinned. "You've been hangin with Pyro and Razor too much huh? Anyway, if you like you could hang around here for a while till our shifts are over. Or you could just follow Pyro or Razor around." "I think we'll do a little of both. So what do you do here anyway?" "I just help sell video games. I love video games so I'm gonna miss this place while we're gone. You guys can play demos for a while. Blaze can teach you a thing or two." Blaze then led Aqua to a game and began to teach her to play. After a while of playing, they left to follow the other two team members. Finally, everyone finished their shifts and went to meet outside. Glacier left to go get Cynthia, and the rest just put the finishing touches on the backpacks that Aqua and Blaze had prepared. As they finished they saw that Glacier was returning with their friend. "Hi guys!" She yelled out as she approached them with Star in her arms. Then she saw that they were almost about to leave. "Wow, you guys are already packed." She sighed. "I'm really gonna miss you all. You guys are some of my best friends." She then began to approach each of the team members. "Razorwing, maybe I'm afraid to hug you, but you're always fun to be around and I love that it's like you're always on a little sugar rush. Pyro Paws, you look mean sometimes but you're really sweet, and very friendly. Aqua, even though I've only known you a few days, we've already become good friends. I'm sure you'll fit in well as Glacier's girlfriend." She giggled a bit. "Blaze, you're just so young and cute, and always fun to play with. And now Glacier, you know my cousin is still angry that his TM was accidentally used up, but of course I forgive you. I'll be waiting for you guys. When you decide to come back, give me a call. I'll miss you all." She then gave each of the team members a hug. "Thanks Cynthia. We'll stick around for a few minutes, but then we have to leave." Glacier told her. And as he promised, Cynthia was able to be with her friends for a few more minutes, but it was beginning to get dark and they were now ready to leave. "Bye Cynthia. I promise you we'll be back, and we will call to check up on you and Star." "I'd love that Glacier, and I'd bet Star would too." Star nodded. "Well, I guess I'll just stand here for a while, just for memories. Goodbye Glacier, Aqua, Blaze, Razorwing and Pyro Paws." The whole team then yelled out goodbye in their own language. They turned toward the nearby forest, and began to walk away as Cynthia waved goodbye. She stood there holding Star close and shedding tears as her friends departed. The team saw that she stood there watching them as they vanished from her sight. *** The team traveled for a while and finally reached Glacier's first planned destination. He didn't tell anyone else exactly where they would stop though. They finally found out as they approached a lake in the middle of the forest. It was already nighttime and the moon shone brightly above the lake. "Wow Glacier!" Razorwing said as they approached the water. "This isn't a bad place. You've outdone yourself, though that's not really a tough job." "Thanks." He said dryly. "Anyway, we'll stay here for the night." Then he turned to Pyro. "We can stay right here, but the ground is more comfortable closer to the lake. It's up to you." He said in a way so that he wouldn't offend her. "We can sleep closer to the water. It's not so much water itself I'm afraid of, but rushing water. Besides, you know I accept nothing but the best when it comes to sleeping grounds. Now let's hurry, I'm a tad tired now." Everyone else agreed and rolled out their sleeping bags on the dry sand near the lake. It didn't take long before they were all ready to sleep. But Aqua seemed a bit reluctant. "Hey Glacier, do you mind if I go out for a little swim right now?" She asked. "I kinda miss the water." "I guess as long as you don't splash water at us or make a lot of noise it's ok." As soon as he finished his sentence Aqua began to crawl toward the water and got in. Glacier laid down in his sleeping bag and just watched Aqua swim around. He watched as she seemed to enjoy herself diving in and out of the water, pausing once or twice to look up at the sky. She didn't realize she was being watched by Glacier, until she saw a glimmer from the moon shining in his eye. She turned to see him, and it hit Glacier that she knew he had been watching her, but before he could react, she dove back underwater and stayed there for a minute. Glacier finally stepped up to the water to look for her, but she was nowhere in sight. He got closer to the water, until something popped out of the water, startling him and making him fall on his back. It was Aqua, and she was smiling at him. "Eavesdropping are we?" She asked playfully. "Well I guess you could call it that." Glacier answered nervously. "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you. Actually I'm flattered that you'd watch me swim around rather than go to sleep." "Well if it helps, I don't do this often. In fact I don't remember ever doing this before." "Now why would you wanna watch me swim around in a lake?" "Well you do look pretty, and you seem graceful while you're swimming. The shiny water also helps." He smiled a bit. Then he saw that Aqua seemed a bit surprised. "You know I haven't heard anything like that from anybody for a long while. And you look like you mean it." Glacier nodded. "Maybe I should return the favor. Besides, I do think you look kinda cute. And maybe you're not as graceful as me but you're still fun to be with." She quickly bent toward him and gave him a kiss on the tip of his nose. Glacier didn't expect it, but also didn't seem to mind. "I guess I'm done swimming for the night. After all I'm tired and I'm just not as graceful when I know I'm being watched by little weirdo like you." She said playfully as she tapped his nose with her tail. "Goodnight Glacier." "Goodnight." They each crawled into their own sleeping bag and fell asleep. *** The next morning started as the team woke up to Pyro growling at something. When they looked over to where she was sleeping, they saw that she was already up and ready to attack, or at least scare, something that was standing in front of her. It was a young trainer, which had apparently woken up the Arcanine to try to battle and capture her. Glacier quickly got up and sprinted toward the two, wondering whether he should call Pyro back or order her to be ready to attack if the trainer decided to battle. Unfortunately the trainer beat him to the decision. "Get that Arcanine Electrode. We'll get that Dratini later." An Electrode popped out of the Poke-Ball the trainer threw. "Oh great!" Pyro complained. "I hate those things. If they don't explode they mess up my fur with their electric attacks." "Ok Pyro," Glacier yelled out in English, "Take that guy out quick before he gets a chance to explode." The trainer looked shocked to see Glacier giving out the orders. "Try ember." Pyro then used her ember attack on her opponent, but it was still active. "Tackle him electrode!" It quickly jumped at Pyro and knocked her off balance, but she soon got back up and was ready to attack. "HIM?" She asked. "Can I bite him afterward?" "Later." Glacier replied. "Right now how bout tackling you're opponent back?" She then charged at the electrode, knocking it straight to its trainer and knocking him over. "Well that's that." "Not so fast." The trainer yelled out as he recalled his electrode and got back up. "Go Dugtrio." "C'mon back Pyro. Let's give Aqua a chance." She went up a bit nervous at her first battle. "Dugtrio, dig!" It went underground, and Aqua didn't know what to do. "Careful, try to avoid getting hit." Glacier told her, but as he finished he saw her fly into the air as the Dugtrio popped out. She landed on her back and apologized as she moaned. "It's ok Aqua, losing or winning doesn't make a difference right now. We'll let Razorwing take care of this one for now." She quickly retreated and was replaced by Razorwing. "Alright Razor, Stay in the air while he attacks." "Oh man!" The trainer whined as he withdrew his Pokemon, knowing it wouldn't be able to attack. "Ok, you beat me. But that's not right. You shouldn't speak English or be a trainer." "We'll tough luck cuz I do both. This is my Pokemon team and even if you beat them you can't legally capture them." He showed him his license. "Though you'd think the sleeping bags would kinda give that away." "Well I thought maybe they were abandoned and I could get myself an Arcanine. They are prized Pokemon after all." Pyro grinned as she heard that. "Well, I should get going. Where's the nearest rest stop?" "Celadon's a few miles that way." He gestured toward Celadon, and the trainer left them. "Hey wait! I didn't get to bite him." Pyro complained. "Don't worry." Glacier said. "We'll have breakfast ready soon. Then you'll have something to chew on." Then he saw that Aqua seemed a bit troubled. "Hey, relax Aqua. We've all had our share of losses. And if you're anything like the rest of us, you'll be losing a few times before you get any good. As Ryu from Street Fighter would say, despite of winning or losing, a good fight is worth the experience." She still wasn't happy, but it helped. After a while they all had a fairly small breakfast, packed up their belongings and then went on to follow Glacier once again. Still none of them knew where they were going, and simply hoped Glacier had some idea. The last they heard, they were headed for Saffron. Fortunately they had a map and a compass to keep them from getting lost, plus they weren't afraid to ask for directions from passing trainers. As the sun reached overhead, everyone was hoping they would find a place to eat since their small breakfast could barely keep them going. Finally they reached a small town that seemed like a good place to have a meal. They found a restaurant near the center and began to place their orders. "Hi." Glacier said to the cook at the walk up window. "We'd like two cheeseburgers, one plain burger, a small bowl of chicken soup, and a large bowl of beef stew. How much will it be?" He asked taking out a checkbook. "You'd be surprised who they give these things to, as long as they have money." "Give me a second." The cook said as he walked farther in the restaurant, almost frightened by Glacier. They heard a little argument before he returned. "I'm sorry, but I can't serve human food to Pokemon ever since we had a problem with a trainer claiming his got sick. I can give you some Pokemon food though." He handed them a bowlful and they stared oddly before they took the bowl to a table. "Well," Razorwing said. "They look like bon-bons," He took a bit of one, "But they don't taste like bon-bons." "Let's see." Pyro then took one and ate it. "Well they're not bad, but they're not good either. Can't see why this is a favorite among Pokemon." "We probably just have different tastes. Guess we hang around humans too often." Glacier said. "Well at least this should help a bit." And they all finished the bowl, as a little crowd gathered around. They were already used to being around crowds, but it did make them a little uncomfortable. So before the crowd got larger, they left. As they were leaving, a woman stopped them by standing right in front of them. They were a bit confused, and were about to go around her when she spoke up. "Wow! What a unique assortment of Pokemon. One of you can even speak English. I could really use you guys." "Sorry, but I'm their trainer and I'm not about to give up my Pokemon to another trainer." Glacier told her. "Oh, no no! You misunderstood me. Let me introduce myself, my name is Samantha Cain. I run a business here in this little town. Despite what you experienced at that restaurant, this little town is well known for producing some of the best Pokemon food. That's where I come in. I'm the master chef. I take natural ingredients to make the most nutritious and tasty Pokemon food. Of course the problem is it's hard to tell what's tasty, but now that you're here, I was wondering if you'd help me out. You're English is good and I'd like to hear your opinions, and maybe those of your friends." "Sorry but we're traveling and will leave soon." "It's ok. I'll provide free food and lodging for the night." "We'll I guess it couldn't hurt to stay right?" Glacier asked his friends. Nobody disagreed. "Ok, I think we can help you out. But we'll have to leave tomorrow." "Ok, as long as I get some help. Follow me; we'll go to my house for all that. Don't worry, it's big enough to house all of you." They followed her, unsure of what to expect. It was a short trip before they finally reached the house. It turned out it really was big enough to house them and many more. They were a bit surprised at the mansion that they were headed too. The yard itself took a while to get across. They got to the door and went in. It looked as big as they expected looking at the outside. They were all amazed that this was a home and not a department store. "I'll show you all to the guest room. You can stay there while I prepare the food for you. You're welcome to use any of the appliances." They were lead to a medium sized room, which seemed very comfortable. "I'll be back in an hour." She said as she closed the door. "The bed's mine!" Pyro yelled out as she headed for the only bed in the room. Razorwing went in the same direction and ended up reaching the bed at the same time. "Beat it you kitchen utensil, I get the bed. I called it first." "Yeah? Well I got here faster than you furball!" "Fight?" "Bring it on!" "Hey!" Glacier interrupted them. "No fighting. After all we are guests. As for the bed, it looks big enough for 2 of us. So, it's either 2 girls or 2 guys with Blaze, unless someone prefers otherwise which I doubt at the moment. So we'll have to flip a coin." "Heads!" Pyro called. Glacier then put a quarter on his nose and flipped it with his tail. It landed on the soft carpet, with heads facing up. Pyro, Blaze and Aqua then smiled, and Pyro immediately jumped on the bed and made herself comfortable. Blaze also climbed onto the bed, and then began to jump up and enjoy himself for a while. "Yet you're not fast enough to call heads first huh?" Glacier said to Razorwing in disappointment. "Well if it makes you both feel better," Aqua walked up to them, "I know you both deserve the spot more than me. At least you guys aren't losers." "Guess you're still upset about losing today huh?" Razorwing asked. "Well sorry to tell you this, but like the rest of us, you're gonna have to get used to it. See all these cool battle scars?" He pointed out a few scars he had. "All lost battles. There were more, but they've disappeared. But look at me now. I can take on Pyro and still win, which really isn't saying much but you get the idea. I've even got a little fan club." He pointed to Blaze. "You're not gonna quit the team just cuz you lost are you?" She shook her head. "Cool, cuz were not gonna drop you for the same reason." "Oh trust me!" Glacier said. "At this point she's gonna have to try extremely hard to get kicked off." A smile appeared on what used to be her sad expression. "Thanks guys. I promise I'll try harder next time." She said "That's all we expect from you." Glacier reassured her. "Well with all of that aside, let's relax. I see a TV." They sat on the sofa, turned the TV on and relaxed for a while. *** "Room service!" Samantha popped into the room surprising everyone as she did. In her hand she was carrying a covered bowl. "I know this looks small, but you'll be trying a few dishes tonight, so try to only take enough to taste. She set down the bowl on a table and watched as they all took a bite of the food and tasted. As soon as they gave their opinions, Glacier would translate. "Well Pyro thinks some bacon would do the trick. Razorwing would like them dipped in some ranch dressing. Blaze would like to add some cinnamon and raisins. Aqua would like some fried shrimp flavoring, and I wouldn't mind adding a little marinara sauce." "Oh my!" She said in slight shock. "It seems each one of you has very different tastes. And none of you seems to like the regular recipe." "Well it's not that we don't like it. It's just that we think it could have a better taste." "But not one of you had the same opinion. Perfecting the recipe is going to take me longer than I thought. I didn't think you were all so different. I'll try again." She quickly took the plate away and was gone. The team looked at each other not knowing what to think. "You think there's a chance that she's not gonna be able to please us all?" Razorwing asked. They all seemed to agree. "Well I guess it's up to you to tell her Glacier." "I guess so." And they waited again. About half an hour later, she returned with another bowl. She prompted them to do their taste test, and the results were the same. Each one had a different opinion of how to improve the foods flavor. Which tasted a little different this time. "Even though we hang out together, we're all pretty different. I'd be very surprised if you could please us all." "Wait, I still have a few things I wanna try. I'll be back with one more plateful." "But." Before Glacier could finish the sentence, she was gone. The team looked at him disappointingly. "Hey, I thought she would stick around longer." Once again they waited, and once again, their host returned with another plate and asked for their opinion. And again, she was disappointed that they all didn't like it. "Look, I think you should drop this whole thing. I mean you'll never get us all to agree." "All I need is time." She said in frustration. "And you'll stay with me till I accomplish this goal! I need you and these other Pokemon to help me." They were all surprised at what she was saying. And before they could react, she stepped out the door and closed it. "Tomorrow we'll try again. And the day after and the week after and all the time it takes until we finish. Then we can all share the profits." She yelled through the door. "She crazy!" Blaze spoke a bit frightened. "Don't worry kid. We won't be sleeping here tonight." Razorwing said as he walked up to the door and found that it was locked. "Hey, she locked us in." He then tried to cut the door down, but underneath the wood was a metal plate. He tried again, this time on the walls, but they were reinforced by a metal frame. "Move aside!" Pyro said. "You'll all be glad I took more bites out of that Pokemon food." She took a few steps back and rammed the door. There was a loud bang and she fell to the floor, but the door was still standing. "Pyro!" They all yelled out worriedly. "You ok?" Glacier asked. She moaned a bit and got up. For a few seconds she struggled to stay up. "I better be. I hear hospital food is worse than the stuff we're being fed." She shook her head, and was now able to stay up easier. "I hate to say this Glacier, but I think this obsessed wacko has got us trapped. And it would take us a while to melt this door down, if we could do it at all." As she finished, they heard some noises coming from the ceiling. There was a single vent in the middle, and the noises seemed to be coming from that hole. It seemed as though someone were crawling inside the vents. Finally, it seemed to stop right overhead, and suddenly the grill covering the hole fell to the floor. The team stood back and kept watching, getting ready to attack if they had to. Finally, they saw a person pop out head first from the hole, and began to hang there upside down. "Boy, you'd be surprised how easy it is to break into a place like this. Even the earthquake proofing can't keep me away." The person said with a prideful look on his face. They finally all saw who it was. "No!" Glacier said in frustration. "Robert, you're supposed to be back in Celadon." He sighed. "Well as long as you're here, wanna tell us how you found us?" "Simple, I just followed the trail of surprised people. Of course my skills as a Team Rocket member also came in handy." He answered as he jumped down to the floor, landing on his feet in front of all the Pokemon. "So you're smart enough to track us down and sneak in here, yet you're still dumb enough to try and take us all at once?" "No, I'm here to help you get out. Can't let that lady take you before I get a chance to make a profit." "Gee, you're so generous." Glacier shook his head then continued. "So, how are we getting out of here?" "Simple," He walked past the team and up to the door. "We break the knob. A little game of tug-o-war should do the trick." He tied a rope he was carrying to the knob, and handed it to them. "Give it a few quick tugs and it should come loose." They all grabbed the rope and pulled together. The first try there wasn't much. On the second try there was a slight creaking noise, and on the third try there was a loud snap as the knob came loose. With a little more effort, they were able to get the door to open up. Glacier took a quick peek to see if anyone was around, and once he saw that there was nobody, ordered everyone to sneak out. It took a little venturing, but they finally managed to find the front door. They were about to exit when a voice shouted at them. "Wait!" It was Samantha. She seemed a frustrated as she stood there in her sleeping clothes. "You ruined my guest room. Come back or I'll make you all into Pokemon food!" But they instead began to run toward the door. "Security! Sick 'em!" "Sick 'em?" They all thought as they managed to break through the door, which wasn't metal. Apparently she didn't think anyone would get past the first metal door. They ran outside, and a second later realized that they were being chased by a pack of Nidorans. They continued to run, with the two Dratinis being that last in line. One of the Nidorans managed to catch up to Glacier and knocked him down. It was about to attack when something knocked it aside. Before he knew it he was being dragged by the fin on his head. He started to run again and saw that it was Aqua that had helped him. Finally they reached the fence. Robert went over it easily. Aqua had to climb on Pyro, which was able to climb and jump over the wall. Razorwing carried both Blaze and Glacier, and with a little effort managed to fly over the gate with both. They all let out a sigh of relief. "I hate Nidorans. They're annoying and you can't even make much of a profit off of them." Robert spoke up. He walked up to a bush and from it pulled out his backpack, which he had left to help him sneak in. "Thanks. Now doesn't it feel good to do something nice?" Glacier asked. "Yeah. Especially when it means I means I still get more chances to capture you. Now if you'll excuse me," He pulled out a little ball and held it in his hands. "It's time for me to go back into the shadows." He threw it down and there was a puff of smoke. It appeared that he was gone, until he fell off a nearby tree and onto the floor. They all began to laugh at him. "Ah screw this, I'll just walk away." And he did. *** Later that night they found a good place to sleep just outside of the town. It was a small open field with nice, soft ground. They set all their things down and were ready to sleep. But they stayed up a little longer. "Thanks a lot Aqua." Glacier told her. "You saved me from a lot of pain and being caught by that lady. Looks like you're not as much a loser as you thought." "Yeah." Pyro congratulated her. "And it looks like you've learned that nobody hurts a team member, except of course another one. Glacier tells me you've got a painful bite." She pointed to the fin and chuckled. "That was an accident but thanks anyway." "Aqua brave. Almost like Razor." Blaze told her. "Keep it up. Courage is usually a useful thing." Razorwing said. "Now let's go to sleep before we flatter her to death." *** The next day they continued to travel eastward toward the rising sun. With the aid of a map, they were hoping to reach Saffron City soon. As they made their way through the woods, they met up with a few trainers. One was a tough trainer that Glacier decided not to send Aqua against, and had nearly beaten Pyro and Razorwing. Still they managed to pull off a victory after the opponent missed Razorwing. The two were a bit bruised up, but a few supplies made short work of their injuries. Meanwhile, Blaze tried to cheer up Aqua, seeing that she had lost the confidence she had the day before. Being left out of a fight, even when knowing it's for her own good, still made her feel a bit upset. Glacier didn't know what to do, and as he thought, they stumbled onto a younger trainer. This one looked like an appropriate target for Aqua. "Only one on one. Growlithe, attack." He sent his first Pokemon out. "Ok, you're turn Aqua." Glacier nudged her into the fight. "Growlithe, use ember!" Aqua managed to avoid most of the attack, but she noticed that what hit her didn't do much harm. "You're learning." Glacier said enthusiastically, "Now, see how that puppy handles a wrap attack." Aqua managed to wrap around the growlithe and get a good grip. By the time she was thrown off, she could see her opponent weakening. "Ah!" The trainer yelled out worriedly. "Bite it, quick!" It latched on to Aqua, raised it's head, and tossed her to the ground. Even after that though, she was ready to continue the fight. "Tackle him Aqua." Even Glacier's team was a bit tense. Aqua set her sights on the growlithe, making sure she didn't miss. When she got close enough, she tackled the growlithe and knocked it to the ground. They all watched as it tried to get up. It was nearly standing when it fell back down to the ground. Aqua was clearly holding in her excitement, trying not to act like a sore winner to the young trainer. "Oh man. Now I need to pay a visit to the Pokemon center. Is there even one around?" Glacier nodded and told about the town that they had just left, saying it would only be a few miles away. When he left, Aqua suddenly burst into a joyful celebration. She talked so fast it was a bit hard to tell what she was saying. "I can't believe it! I won, I won, I won! My first victory!" She giggled a bit hysterically, and then managed to slow down and catch her breath. "Sorry, guess I'm just a little excited." "It's ok. I think you deserve to celebrate." Glacier said patting her on the back. She waved her tail by her face to get some air. They all chuckled as she calmed down. "Not bad Aqua," Pyro congratulated her. "Kept it up and you might be as good as me someday." "Yeah." Blaze said. "Aqua win more, Aqua fight better." "Nice job. But you gotta remember that there are others to challenge you. Be prepared for more battles." Razorwing told her. "You're not done yet." "I know. But for now can I just have some water before we go on? Guess all this excitement dried me up." She asked. Glacier took out a water bottle, but found that is was almost empty. So was everyone else's. "Hmm, seems we have ourselves a little problem." He handed the bottle to Aqua. "I think we'll need to refill." "Well I did spot a rest station a little under a mile north. They should have some water." Razorwing told them. "Sounds like a plan. Let's go." "Wait," Aqua spoke up. "I'm kinda tired Glacier. How bout a few stay while you go? Please?" "Well ok. Pyro, how bout you come with me? The rest will stay here." "Why me? Why not that lousy excuse for a Swiss army knife over there?" She pointed to Razorwing. "Because you look like you can carry a few bottles. You can leave your stuff here if you like. Anything we need should be in my bag." "Oh, alright." She agreed, left her unpacked some things, then placed the bottles in her pack. "We'll be back in a while. Shouldn't take too long. Take care." "Bye, we will." Aqua yelled out as they left. She saw that Blaze was busying himself playing with the surroundings, so she began to talk with Razorwing. "You know they way you all talk to each other, you'd think you were mortal enemies. Especially you and Pyro." "I guess that's not really a bad guess. A lot of people get that impression for some reason." He smiled. "But it's not that bad. Sure we compete a lot for the title of toughest in the group, but we're actually good friends. We'd never do anything to hurt each other's feelings intentionally." "What about the verbal abuse?" She asked smiling. "Same story. We talk like we were at each other's throats all day, but it's all in good fun. Sometimes she'll even apologize." He grinned. "She doesn't like anyone saying this about her, but she is kind hearted and she loves her friends. I'm sure you two will grow to be good friends. When she starts biting, but doesn't try swallowing, you know you're on her good side." Aqua laughed a bit, knowing it was probably true. "And how bout Glacier?" "Pretty much a slightly milder version of the canine. He's a good friend. Maybe he's not the greatest leader in the world, but he loves the job, and doesn't screw up all the time. He often helps others out when he knows he can do something about it. But when he does he'll sometimes want a little reward, nothing big, even if he doesn't say anything. I wouldn't call him selfish, but sometimes he just likes to know he's wanted and appreciated." "What an interesting group. I'm kinda worried I might not fit in." "Well you seem to have a thing for Glacier. If you fall for guy like him, you're sure to fit in." Aqua looked a bit surprised. "Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna take a little nap. Keep an eye on the kid will ya?" She nodded. "By the way, yes, we do know about you and Glacier. It's pretty obvious." "Yeah, I guess it would be. Well, it's not like letting you all know is a bad thing." *** "Hehe! Glacier likes Aqua! Glacier likes Aqua!" Pyro chanted. "I saw this coming about a mile away." Glacier sighed. "So, when's the wedding? Do I get cake? How many little Dratinis are you gonna have?" She asked smiling. "Wouldn't that be thinking a little too far ahead?" "Well maybe not. You did get a kiss less than a week after you two met. Wedding can't be too far ahead." "Kinda weird. I don't see why someone like her would like me." "I don't see how anyone could like you. It just defies all logic." She laughed. "There's a nice confidence boost." "Don't worry dude. The only thing that you have to know is she likes you. We'll never figure out why, but that's not too important right now. I'm still wondering why I still hang out with you, but you don't care anymore right?" "Guess that makes sense. We'll see how it turns out. For now let's just finish getting this water back to the rest of the crew." "I I captain!" *** Aqua was happy to see them return with a refreshed supply of water. She took a good drink and was ready to get back on the way. They took a short break before they were on the way again. It wasn't long before the day was ending, and darkness began to set in. As the forest became less dense, they noticed something up ahead. "Hey, I see lights up ahead." Razorwing pointed out. "Great! Saffron must be just ahead. Tomorrow morning we should get there with ease. But it is late and I'm sure we're all tired. How bout we stop here for the night?" Glacier asked. "No problem here." Razorwing answered. Everyone else agreed, so they rolled out their sleeping bags and set in for the night. Glacier was ready to lay down when Aqua interrupted him. "First victory. Thanks a lot Glacier." She gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "Just a little reward. Goodnight." Glacier smiled, and whispered a "Thanks" to her. *** "Wow! Saffron's a lot more city like than Celadon. And the traffic is horrible. But it's amazing how much a little fire will clear the congestion." Pyro grinned as the path cleared for them. They had arrived in the city only a few minutes after they began trekking. The buildings were tall, and streets were crowded, just as Pyro had described. Being an odd and somewhat frightening sight, the team didn't have as much trouble navigating through the crowds as any of the humans. Suddenly though, they were stopped by a police officer which looked familiar. "Whoa!" Glacier exclaimed in surprise. "I heard rumors about this but didn't think they were true." He saw that the name of the officer and the face which were very familiar. "A talking Dratini?" She paused for a moment to think. "Oh, that's right, my cousin Jenny told me to expect you here soon. I'm officer Jenny of the Saffron PD." "I'm sure we coulda guessed that." Razorwing said. Officer Jenny didn't know what he said though. "You should be glad I caught you early. Any other officer would've taken you in for disturbing the peace." Suddenly everyone turned to the obvious culprit and glared. "Oops!" Pyro said giving out a nervous laugh. "But my cousin tells me she's never had any problems with you, so I'll let you go with a warning. If it happens again, I'll have to ask you to keep her in a Poke-ball or have her stay at a nearby Pokemon center." "Don't worry. She'll behave." Glacier turned to Pyro. "Won't you?" She nodded. "Anyway, with all that aside, enjoy your stay in Saffron." She walked away and tended to other tasks. "You know, she's the first person the guess right and say I'm female. And it happened to be a woman." Pyro said. "Guess that means I don't have to bite her." "You won't be doing any biting for now, or we'll have a poor puppy in a Poke-ball. And trust me, if I have to do it I will. Wouldn't want you to end up in a kennel waiting to be picked up by some annoying little kid." "Neither would I. With all that candy, they'll leave my fur all sticky. And don't get me started on how annoying they are." "Like we need to hear you talk even more." Razorwing spoke up. "Anyway, I think we should get moving. We seem to be attracting a crowd. Standing still doesn't appear to be helping." "Yeah. They are even bigger than the ones back home. And I thought those were bad." Aqua said using the team to hide from the crowds. "Just relax. Let's go for now. We'll think of something to do while we take a short tour." Glacier ordered his team to move forward once again. They walked for quite a while, and Glacier still had no idea what they were going to do. He couldn't just let the visit go to waste. Then he had an idea. "Hey, I just remembered I had to get something here. Let's head for the nearest Poke-mart. They should have it there." When they arrived at one, he told Pyro, Blaze and Aqua to wait for him outside. Razorwing followed him in. "I need a water TM. Help me look." "Oh, a little present for the girlfriend huh?" "Sorta, but it would actually help her." "Found them. Not much of a selection." "We'll just choose between an electric and water attack." "Well here are some water, though I think you'd do a better job of reading." "Surf. Good enough. Let's pay for it and get out of here." After a bit of hesitation from the clerk, Glacier purchased the TM and stored it in his backpack. He told Razorwing to keep quiet about it, and then went back outside. "So, you done here?" Pyro asked. "Yeah. Anyway I thought it over and decided that maybe we should take a tour of Silph co. building." "Oh goody." Pyro said dryly. "We get to see how Poke-balls are made." "You got any better ideas?" He asked somewhat angrily. Then he changed to a desperate tone. "Because I really need one." "Well there's always the gym, but I don't think even we're ready for it. Guess we're stuck with the tour." "Well at least you tried." "C'mon then!" Razorwing interrupted. "Let's get it over with." So they took the advice and headed straight for the Silph co. building. When they arrived, they were just on time for the tour, so they weren't too disappointed, at least until they ran into some trouble on the way in. "Look, all we wanna do is take the tour of this place just like all the other people that are coming in." Glacier explained to the security guard. "Sorry, but Pokemon are not allowed inside without being in a Poke-ball, and that would include you." He said while pushing them out the door. Then he went back inside. "Well we didn't wanna see your stupid building anyway." He yelled out. "Don't worry Glacier," Aqua tried reassuring him. "We could always replenish our supplies and go to a grocery store." "Well, you can't say no to food." Razorwing said. "Except that last time we said yes and ended up in the mansion of some crazed maniac. But I'm sure that was just a something that usually doesn't happen." Pyro pointed out. Glacier agreed to the plan, and they went to the grocery store. They refilled their supply of food and left. "This day just keeps getting more and more boring. And this city thing is giving me the creeps. Celadon was ok, but this is ridiculous." Glacier complained. "Yeah, I had 7 people run into me and not apologize. If I weren't under watch by the police I'd teach them a few manners." "And this place isn't very Pokemon friendly. Maybe the next town will be better." Aqua said. "Yeah. Mean people push me." Even Blaze had a complaint. "Well no one's run into me yet. Although I can't seem to figure out why." Razorwing held up one of his arm blades and grinned. Then Pyro kicked him with her hind leg, knocking him a bit off balance. "There, now you can't complain." She smiled. "Well I guess we should leave then. Seems like the best idea." Glacier told his group, and they began to leave the city. "Don't worry Glacier. It's not all your fault." Pyro started after a long walk. "I'm sure Aqua had something to do with the failure too." She smiled. "I guess you're right." Glacier replied. Aqua then gave him and angry look. "I mean about the first part. Let's blame it on the city for being so boring. And where's Robert when you really need him?" He said jokingly. "There they are! I told you there were stray Pokemon around here." "No! It was just a joke! I didn't mean it!" Glacier yelled out worriedly. "I get the scyther!" One kid yelled. "Leave me the Dratinis!" Robert told them. "The arcanine's mine!" Another kid said. Pyro was ready to attack when Glacier interrupted her. "Let's just go to plan B: RUN!" And so the team began to run from the teenagers that were after them. "Don't let them get away, or someone else will catch them!" Robert and the others gave chase. "Ok, all in favor of never coming back," Pyro said while running. "Say 'I'." "I!" "Geez, you Dratinis are so slow." Pyro continued. "Now why would that be?" Glacier asked with an angry stare. Pyro slowed down a bit to let them catch up, and then she let Aqua hop on her back while she took Glacier into her jaws. "Hey! How come I get the teeth?" "Ecause you taste etter!" She said with a little trouble. Blaze could be heard laughing. "They're not slowing down!" Razorwing pointed out. "And we're more tired than them!" Suddenly they heard a siren, and some screeching wheels. "Jenny!" Blaze yelled out happily. She stopped just ahead of the kids that were following them. Still, the team continued to run, just to be safe. Finally, they were out of sight, they slowed down. They were all panting and very tired. Then they finally noticed that they were almost out of Saffron and back on the forest roads. They were thankful that they were able to get out, but by that time, the sun was getting ready to set again. Without much hesitation, they continued to walk toward the road once again. They snacked along the way to keep from fainting from lack of energy. A bit after nightfall, they reached a small clearing in the forest. It was still a bit early, but being so tired, they were ready to fall asleep on the spot. Still, they managed to roll out their sleeping bags first. "Well that was a horrible experience." Pyro complained. "But it's sleepy time. Tomorrow can't be any worse." "Well, she's right. I can barely talk. Better get some rest." Razorwing crawled into his sleeping bag. "Good idea." Blaze said. "Don't worry Glacier." Aqua tried to reassure him. "We still think you're a good leader. Even the best have a bad day or two." Then she went to sleep along with everyone else. *** "Glacier, I hungry." Glacier woke up to see Blaze standing over him and smiling. "Well, it looks like somebody's got their energy back. There's some flavored oatmeal in the pack." He pointed at his backpack. "Just boil some water, then poor the stuff in. We could all use a good breakfast." "Ok!" Blaze was happy to help the team, and began to gather some wood for the fire. Once he gathered enough, the arranged it and lit it. He set up a grill that they carried, and then set a pot full of water on the fire. A few minutes later, with a bit of instruction from Glacier, he managed to prepare a pot full of oatmeal for the team. Of course he urged everyone to get up and eat. "Although I would prefer some bacon and eggs, this isn't so bad." Pyro said, complimenting Blaze. "Yeah. If you can fight as well as you cook, you'll become a big Charizard someday." Razorwing said patting him on the back. "But for now we're happy with the cute little Charmander we have." Aqua gave him a kiss. "Anyway, let's finish all this up and we'll be on our way again. I see that rest did us a lot of good." They all suddenly pretended they were tired and in pain. "Nice try guys, but we have to move along anyway. Let's pack up. Oh and Aqua, I have a little gift for you." "Oh?" "Yeah." He took out the TM he bought earlier and handed it to her. "How would you like to be able to do a water attack?" "Do I have a choice?" "Not really." He smiled at her. "Well I guess by now I trust you. Why not?" "Cool. Just rest your tail on the pad here. Or anything else, but the shock isn't as painful on the tail." "Shock?" She asked a bit worried. But then she did do it, and Glacier flipped a small switch. "Yeow!" She felt the shock Glacier had mentioned. "There. All done. You now know, or should know, surf." She seemed surprised and puzzled, but before she could say anything, Glacier turned to everyone else. "Alright, let's start moving again! Next stop: Lavender Town!" They finished packing up and went on. By the afternoon, they stumbled onto a fork in the road. They weren't sure which road would lead them the right way, and they couldn't find it on the map, so they thought the older road would take them to their destination. "We're not lost are we?" Aqua asked. "Nah. All these roads lead somewhere. One to Lavender and the other to some other place. It looks like it goes north, so it might go to Cerulean. I wouldn't worry though." "The rest of us on the other hand." Razorwing said. "Thanks for showing faith in the group leader." "When have we ever done that?" Pyro asked. "Exactly." Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the nearby trees, and a familiar voice. "Cubone, boneclub and finish it off! This one's gonna be mine!" "Huh?" The team wondered what was going on. There was the sound of some impact and a cry. They were about to run to where the noise was coming from when something flew at and hit Pyro, knocking her down. A second later, after coming to her senses, she saw what it was. "Glacier, I got a question. What's this Jolteon doing unconscious on my head?" Before anyone could answer her, they saw Robert appear from the trees with a Cubone. He seemed surprised to see them there. "Ah! What are you doing here? I thought you were still stuck on that road fake road." "Fake road?" Glacier asked. Pyro rolled the Jolteon off her head and got up. "One of my plans, until I found that wild Jolteon and tried to capture it. Now, outta the way, it's mine!" They didn't get out of the way. "Sorry, you're Team Rocket, so we can legally stop you from taking it. Besides, the last thing we need is for you to sell it and buy more gadgets to capture us with." "Well if you wanna get involved in a sticky situation, far be it from to stop you. In fact let me help you out!" He quickly pointed his arms at Pyro and Razorwing and that's when the noticed he was wearing something odd on his wrists. They figured out what it was, but a little too late. By then Robert shot a blob of some gooey substance, which wrapped around the two's legs and stuck them to the ground. "Hey! We're stuck!" Both yelled out. Then Robert turned to the two dratinis, fired at them, and then fired at the last two remaining Pokemon. It took him a second to notice that Aqua managed to avoid the first shot. He tried firing again, but it seemed that he ran out of whatever it was. "Bah! I don't need this. Cubone, I got a new target for ya!" His Cubone jumped between them and was ready to attack. "Glacier, what do I do?" Aqua asked a bit frightened. "Boneclub Cubone. Once we get rid of her, the whole team is mine." The Cubone tried to hit Aqua, but she managed to dodge in time. "Use the surf attack! He's weak against water!" She was confused for a short while, but then tried her luck. She concentrated, and managed to pull off the move. When the attack was over, the Cubone was knocked out, and Robert was soaking wet. "Why you little.! Let's see how you deal with three sharp beaks!" He recalled the Cubone and pulled out a Poke-ball, but suddenly saw a large flame headed toward him. "Ah!" He ducked avoiding the flame. When he got up, he saw Pyro And Razorwing standing over him. He noticed that Razorwing cut himself loose, and that Pyro just took a chunk of the ground with her. Pyro took a few steps closer. "Do you know how long it will take TO SCRUB THIS OFF?!?!" By the time she finished the sentence, she was about an inch away from a frightened Robert. He didn't move a muscle. Pyro suddenly jerked her head forward, which frightened Robert and sent him screaming and running. "Gee, the guy seems a little paranoid." They all laughed as they watched him. "You seem to have that affect on guys." Razorwing grinned. "It's gift. Hey, what happened to the guy that landed on my head?" "He's still stuck just like the rest of us. Wanna set us free?" Glacier asked. "Allow me." Razorwing interrupted. "No, he asked me." "Hey, I wanna cut em out!" "But he wanted me to char them out!" "Hey!" Glacier yelled out. "Ok, you can burn the stuff off me and Blaze, but Razor should cut out the other two." "Ha ha!" Razorwing laughed. Pyro just smiled, and then slapped a little goo onto his lips while they were shut. He just looked angrily at her, and then cut Aqua and the Jolteon free before he removed the goo he still had on himself. "Hey, he's waking up!" "Ow!" He moaned. "I hate ground Pokemon." Then he saw that he was surrounded by other Pokemon. "Ah! More? I quit! Just put me in a Poke-ball already. I can barely move as it is!" Then he looked around and saw that the human was missing. "Hey, where'd he go?" "He's not with us, he just follows us. We're a separate group, but we'll take the offer anyway if you don't mind. We could use another member." "Where's your trainer?" Everyone pointed at Glacier. "Long story." He said. "Of course if you tag along maybe you'll hear it someday. You are a good fighter right?" "Of course. But I'm my own Pokemon." "If you insist. Of course that guy will probably come back and you'll get to hang out with that Cubone more often." "Um, where do I sign up for your team again?" "Just tag along. But first, a proper introduction: Roll call!" Glacier yelled out. "Aqua!" "Blaze!" "Razorwing!" "Pyro Paws!" "And.drum roll please." No one did it. "Ok, forget the drum roll. I'm Glacier." "And I don't have a name." The Jolteon pointed out. "Well then we'll have to make one up." Glacier said. "Something short but fitting." "Sparky!" Pyro yelled out. "And something with a bit more dignity." The Jolteon said. "AC?" Razorwing said. "Well, it's only two letters. It's already shortened, it's not demeaning, and it fits your type. What more could you ask for?" Glacier asked. "AC it is then." AC said. "Welcome to the team AC. Here's a welcoming gift." Glacier threw a bottle at him. "Alright, a potion." He splashed it on himself, and then began to walk toward the rest of them. "By the way," He turned to Pyro. "Sorry I landed on your head." "Well I woulda burned you to a crisp, but then again, you were unconscious." "Hostile one aren't you?" AC asked. "Very." Everyone said. "And just as cute, I might add." Everyone looked surprised. "Oh yeah, like I really needed this." Pyro sighed. "We'll just ignore that for now." Razorwing said, looking a bit disturbed. "Yeah, we should get going." Aqua told them. "Let's go then." Glacier said, and they moved forward again. *** "So, how bout you?" Glacier asked. It was already evening, and each individual team members had given AC a summary of their life and how they ended up where they were. Now it was his turn. "I mean, it's hard enough to find an Eevee, but wild Jolteon aren't any more of a common sight." "Well at least you're smarter than all these others make you out to be." Glacier gave an angry look to the others. "A while ago, there was this little girl in Lavender Town that came out in the forest once in a while. She liked to come out and offer me some food when I used to be an Eevee. She used to like playing games with me anytime she could, until she couldn't find the little Eevee anymore. About 3 months ago, I was clearing out a small hole that looked like a nice place to make my home. I carried out some sand and rocks, and was nearly finished making it a comfortable size, when I noticed a clear yellow stone." "A Thunder Stone?" "Well whatever it was, next thing I knew I was twice as big, had spiky fur, and was stuck in a hole. Well fortunately I was able to get out of the hole (eventually), but then next time I saw the girl, she didn't recognize me. In fact I may have frightened her. She came by, but less often, probably wondering where the Eevee went." "Lavender town you said?" Aqua asked. He nodded. "Well we're headed there next." Glacier pointed out. "Maybe we'll find the girl and convince her who you are." "How?" "Well being able to speak in a human language helps." He said in English. AC looked surprised. "Maybe it could." Then he turned to Pyro, whom was burning the last of the goo off of her legs as she walked. "Need any help?" He asked. "Well I could always use someone to gnaw on. Keeps the teeth healthy and sharp." She grinned mischievously, showing off her sharp teeth. "You have a nice smile." He told her. "Trust me," Razorwing interrupted. "You won't be saying that when you look at it from the inside." "You might wanna pay attention. He knows what he talking about." She told AC. "But you look so nice. You can't be that aggressive." He suddenly saw her turn to him, growl, and then snap her jaws at him. "Um, I think I'll go talk to Glacier again." He said in a slightly frightened voice. "Aren't you being a little rough on him?" Razorwing asked in a chuckle. "I mean the guy seems to like you after all." "Maybe that snapping jaw thing was a little far, but I'm sure we'll all get along. And he thinks I'm cute when I'm twice his size, have fiery breath, and could probably swallow him whole. Doesn't look like he's thinking straight." "Yeah, love tends to have that effect." He smiled, then saw her snap her jaws within inches of his face. Blaze laughed as he saw the two having a 'friendly' conversation. "Listen kid, when you grow up, never be like us." He smiled as he lifted him onto his back. "We'll you can be like me, but not like him. He's always picking on me." She said acting a like a sad child. "Pyro and Razor just play. Me know you two really good friends." "Cool. Maybe there's hope for one of us to turn out normal after all." Pyro said as she patted Blaze on the head. AC went back to talking to Glacier after the scary confrontation. "Why do the pretty ones always hate me?" AC asked. "I'm guessin you mean the Arcanine. Trust me, if she hated you, you would either be a mile away, or in several pieces. As a general rule, don't take anything any of us says seriously." "Yeah, I already learned that. It's pretty fun if you join in." Aqua said with a grin. "As you can see, we're all good friends. But if it helps, I'll ask Pyro to be nice to you the first few days. After all I did save all our lives a few hours ago." She stood proudly. "Not a chance." Pyro replied smiling. AC smiled back. "After all, his fur's too spiky, and he landed on my head." They continued on until it got dark. By then, they had found a nice clearing to use for the night. Then they realized that AC didn't have a sleeping bag, but he claimed he wouldn't have trouble sleeping there, since he did it all the time in the wild. "Goodnight." He whispered to Pyro as he passed to get to a sleeping spot. She just mumbled a bit as he left. "He's not gonna leave me alone is he?" She asked Razorwing. "Don't count on it." "So," Glacier asked Aqua. "How do you like your new attack?" "It'll come in handy, that I know. Hope the other's don't think you're giving me more attention than you gave them." "I've already spoiled the others. It's your turn now. Maybe AC too, but he looks experienced." "And I don't?" "Do you really wanna know the answer to that?" "I don't think so." She laughed a bit. "Goodnight." "Goodnight. And good job today. I'll buy you a cookie when we get to Lavender Town." *** "Hmm, a tower. That can only mean one thing." Glacier said as he noticed a large tower in the distance. "Yeah, that we've made it to Lavender Town in time for the lunch specials." Pyro said, licking her lips afterward. "Ok two things. The other is that we get to stay in a nice warm place tonight." "Good idea. Seems to get colder each night." Aqua said. "Gee, maybe it's cuz it's winter." Pyro said sarcastically. "You're one to talk." Razorwing replied. "Remember how long it took you to figure out why water and snow taste the same?" ".Oh hush." She said raising her snout at him. "C'mon guys." Glacier said. "Let's stop the fussin' and the feudin' and get to that there town." "Yeah. And this time try to get some REAL food. Not any of the 'Pokemon' food." Pyro suggested. "Hey, I'm aimin' for a big steak/potato/rice meal myself." "Cool." "Doesn't mean we'll get any though." "Aqua, you wanna do the honors?" Glacier was suddenly smacked in the back of the head by Aqua. "Thank you." "You look a little tired little buddy. You ok?" Razorwing asked, noticing Blazed seemed to be walking at a slower pace. Then he touched his forehead. "YAAAAAH!" He quickly withdrew his hand yelled out even more. "Geez, you could melt steel on that forehead." He blew on his arm trying to cool it down. "Let me see." Pyro went up to Blaze and did the same. "Well he's a lot warmer than usual. I think he might be sick." "No, I not sick. I stay with team." He seemed a bit worried, as if slowing the team down would make them abandon him. "Hey relax kid. We'll get you to lavender town, have you checked out at the Pokemon center, and we'll be on our way together again." Glacier told him, and Blaze nodded. "See? No need to worry." Razorwing reassured him, then patted him on the head. "YAAAAAH!" "I think I'll carry him." Pyro said. *** To the team, Lavender Town seemed like a welcome change from the last place they visited. There were no crowds, little noise, and townspeople seemed a lot less aggressive. There were still those in awe at the sight of the group, but very few went up to bother them. As they went on through the dirt roads, they finally managed to spot a Pokemon Center for Blaze. Pyro was carrying him on her back so that he could rest. "Not to worry fellow flamer." Pyro told him. "We already found you a Pokemon Center." He merely replied with a moan. "You'll be ok." Within a few minutes, they were inside the Center, waiting for the nurse. She approached the group after spotting them. "Who's your trainer?" She asked. As usual, they pointed at Glacier. "That's me. Let me guess, you must be nurse Joy." She was surprised the he could talk and knew who she was. "Why yes I am." Then she looked at Blaze. "Oh, this Charmander doesn't look too well. Does it have a fever?" They nodded, so she went behind a counter, and took out a pair of oven mitts. "Now that's being prepared." Aqua said. The nurse picked up the Charmander and examined it. "I'll take him in to see what's wrong. You're welcome to follow, though I don't think all of you fit, in the exam room." "Well we'll let this Scyther here take care of him. He's his best friend." "Good idea. It should make it easier. The rest of you can stay here and enjoy some juice and cookies." She blinked for a second, and by the time she opened her eyes, the gang was already at the table fighting for the cookies. She giggled at the sight. "Don't worry, there's enough for everyone." Then she turned to Razorwing. "Follow me, we'll take care of the little guy." He obeyed. When they were done, the group rested on the couches, taking up all that space on them, and forcing trainers to sit in chairs or on the ground. They had rested for a while when a trainer suddenly picked Glacier up. "See?" It was a teenage boy with what sounded like an Australian accent. "I told you this little fella had fire on his tail." The other boy he was talking to handed him a bill, apparently from a wager. Glacier just looked oddly at them without saying a word. "I'll bet his mum had a night out with a Charizard." The other boy said, and they both laughed. Glacier seemed to join in with their laughter, which surprised the two. "And I'll bet you're both looking for a face full of embers!" The two jumped back in surprise, glared angrily at the Dratini, then each took out a bill and handed it to a third, familiar teenager. It was Robert in a simple disguise, which consisted mostly of an obviously fake mustache and a pair of sunglasses. Before anyone said anything, he counted the money and left. "You gotta admit that guy might just have a brain in that little ol' head of his." Pyro said, yawning afterward. "Hey, I wonder where this guy's trainer is." One of the two remaining boys asked. "I'll bet I could get him to trade for a measly pidgey." He said proudly. "Leave it to me. I could send this guy home with a pack of rattatas." The other said laughing. Once again, Glacier joined in. "Yeah, he is pretty stupid. I mean look; he left his Pokemon alone with a bunch of other trainers. He doesn't deserve Pokemon like us." Glacier said. The boys smiled, thinking he had sided with them. "Yeah, you don't get any dumber than that. I probably won't even need more than one rattata to cheat this guy. Where is he?" The three remaining trainees all pointed at their trainer. Then Glacier held out his tag. "Gee, I wouldn't know." The boys looked surprised, almost in shock. After a while, they switched to an angry look, like they had just realized they had been tricked. "Bah! Dratinis are weak anyway." They both walked away. Aqua was about to toss a cookie at the boys' heads, when Pyro stopped her. "No, don't! That's chocolate chip. Use the sugar cookies." She handed her one while putting the other in her mouth. "But now they're too far." She pointed out. "You won't get anywhere with that attitude young lady." Glacier said grinning. "You gotta think more positively." They then went back to resting up, and waiting for word on Blaze's condition. A few minutes later, the nurse walked up to them. "You're Charmander seems to be doing fine. Just give him some rest and he should be okay." "What was wrong with him?" Glacier asked. "Something he ate I believe. You should watch him more closely to make sure he doesn't eat anymore unfamiliar foods." "Can do! We're just gonna check up on him. C'mon guys." Nurse Joy led them to the room where Blaze was resting, a larger room for visitors of the patients. There, leaning beside one of the beds, was Razorwing, apparently playing with Blaze. His back was turned to them, so he didn't notice his friends had walked in, until Pyro spoke up. "Aww, doesn't Razorwing look so cute playing with someone his age?" Razorwing turned and smiled. "Yeah. Too bad maturity in this group is about as hard to find as a Mew." He replied. Then they all went up to Blaze. "How you doin' kid?" Glacier asked. "Me fine, but nurse say I have to stay." "Yeah, we heard. Don't worry. Shouldn't take more than a few hours. We'll be wandering around town in that time, but Razor'll take care of ya." "Ok. Promise to come back?" "Of course." Aqua answered patting his head. "After all, we can't leave without the cutest member of the team." "And here's a clue:" Pyro said, "We're not talking about Razorwing." "Or the walking ball of fuzz." Razorwing pointed at her. "Look," Glacier interrupted. "Let's go before nobody can figure out who we're talking about." They all gave their little goodbyes, and left the Pokemon center to do some exploring. It was late afternoon, but with the shortening days, it seemed like early evening. As before, there were very little people outside, so nobody really bothered them as they walked along. "So Glacier, any points of interest here?" Pyro asked. "Well, there is the famous Pokemon tower which you can plainly see right ahead of us. Think that might be one?" Glacier answered. "I was thinking more along the lines of something that's not overwhelmingly boring." She thought for a second. "I know, doesn't that guy that makes fun of Pokemon's names live around here?" "Huh?" Aqua had never heard of that person. "The Pokemon Name Rater." Pyro explained. "Takes the names given to Pokemon, criticizes them, and then tries to give you a better name. You don't have to take it though. Most people do it for fun." "You're not tired of being called Ms. Paws are you?" "No, I'm more tired of being called Mr. Paws." "Who would do such a thing?" AC jumped into the conversation. "Just tell me and I'll jolt them unconscious." "Cool it spiky. I think I can bite people on my own thank you." "Well if you ever need any help doing it, I'll be ready." Sparks could be seen flying from one spike of fur to the next. "Hmm." Glacier spoke up. "This sign says: Official Pokemon Name Rater. I think we found the guy. May as well see what's up." Outside of the door was a fairly short line, only 2 or 3 trainers in fact. They waited there, but not long, before they entered. Inside was a short man with glasses, sitting behind a desk. As they walked up to the man, he stared at them, then looked around, like something was missing. "Don't worry, I'm their trainer." Glacier explained. "How very odd." He paused for a second, absorbing the situation, then simply shrugged. "Well, I assume you're here to hear my opinion and suggestions." "Yeah. Just passin the time in this little town." "Very well. Who's first?" Glacier turned to the three, and tried to figure out who would be the first to be humiliated. "Ok, this is AC." He gestured toward the Jolteon. "Ah, alternating current." He thought for a second. "I'd say it's a fair name. It's short, fits its type and is easy to remember. I have heard better though. Would you like me to give you some other suggestions?" AC shook his head. "Ok then, who's next?" "This is Pyro Paws." She walked closer and sat proudly. "Keep in mind she's female." He whispered to him. "Hmm." He had to look up to look at her in the face. "Pyro, a term relating to fire, and paws." She held one up. "Exactly. Well it is somewhat long, but aside from that, it sounds like a well thought, fitting name." Pyro just smiled, perhaps thinking her size was intimidating. "And finally, this is Aqua." She was behind Glacier, but still visible. She simply waved her tail as if waving a hello. "Doesn't seem very well thought out. It makes some sense. She is the color of water, and dragons do seem to enjoy a dip now and then, but that's about it. I'd think something more related to a dragon would be much better." "Well we're all ok with it, so we'll keep it. I guess we're done, so we'll be on our way now." He was about to turn and leave, when the man pointed out the donation box. Glacier shrugged and dropped in some money. "By the way, what about your name?" Glacier's eyes opened wide. "Well, time to go, nice meeting ya, we'll recommend you to all our enemies." He quickly walked out the door, followed by his friends. "Coward." They said on their way out. *** That day, they didn't have time to go to the Pokemon tower, so they simply walked back to the Pokemon center. By the time they had returned, it looked like Blaze was doing well. They decided that it would be best to stay with him there overnight. Razorwing even stayed in the chair beside his bed the whole night, taking care of his favorite walking fan club. The two newcomers were a bit surprised at the dedication he showed toward his friend. Of course all of his worries were over when the next morning Blaze was up and active early. He didn't waste any time jumping around and on the other team members. Though any other person would have probably knocked off the face of the planet, Blaze was a welcome exception. When they had all risen, they made sure they had all of their belongings, thanked the nurse and other staff, and went on their way. As they walked through the streets in the cool morning, they thought that they should at least pay a visit to the very top of the Pokemon tower, which was rumored to have an excellent view because of its height. As they walked in, they noticed that is was mostly empty, with the exception of some staff and a few people kneeling to their Pokemon's final resting places. "This is a little depressing. Hope the top is worth going through all of this first." She said in a voice slightly louder than a whisper. "You sure you're ok?" Glacier asked, remembering about her less than joyful past. It looked like she thought about it. "Yeah." She said elongated, as if making a decision as she said the word. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." "I'm sure you'll be happy once we get to the top." Aqua said. "After all, you don't seem like the type to stay like this for long. You'll probably be happily chewing on one of us by the time we get there." She smiled at her, and Pyro smiled back. "I like your attitude." She had cheered up already. "Surprised you can keep so cool when Glacier here thinks you're his girlfriend." Glacier glared at her. "It's not easy, trust me." She saw Glacier sigh. She went up to him and put her tail over where his shoulders would be. "But worth it." She added. After going through many flights of stairs, they finally reached the roof. Just like the rest of the building, it was pretty much empty, with one or two people leaning against the rails. They walked up to a big enough empty spot, and looked over the rail. From there, they were able to see quite far, except to the north, which was rather hilly. The breeze was blowing harder there then below, and was even cooler. Still, they enjoyed the fantastic view, pointing out interesting sights to each other, like a Pokemon battle in the nearby woods, and a boat race out at sea. "Hey, that's her!" AC's voice suddenly broke the tranquility. "It's the girl. Over there." They were expecting to look down, but he instead pointed to one of the others that accompanied them on the roof. "You can speak English, maybe you can tell her what happened." He told Glacier. "Better yet, why not show her what happened?" He reached into his pack and pulled out a small Pokemon guide whom he kept in case he ran into Pokemon he was not familiar with. He turned a few pages, then gave the open book to AC and instructed him to show it to her. He nodded, and slowly approached the girl. When he was close enough, he attracted her attention by clearing his throat. She turned, and was a bit stunned to find the Pokemon that she had seen earlier. AC set the book down and stepped back, allowing her to pick it up and look at it. On it, was a picture of Eevee, and it's three evolutions, one of which was the one standing before her. The girl of about 8 or 9 years then spoke. "You're the Pokemon from the woods." She looked at the pictures again. "Eevees can turn into Jolteons?" AC nodded slightly. "When I saw you, I didn't see that Eevee again. I thought it ran away, or died. Maybe I was wrong." AC nodded again and smiled. She smiled back at him. "Well, you still look cute." She went up to him slowly, and then patted him lightly on the head. She felt a tingle as she did so, and began to giggle. "That tickles. You're electric now aren't you?" "Aww, they look so cute together." Pyro suddenly spoke up. "You sure we can't ditch the guy?" "And have him lose the chance at the girl of his dreams?" Razorwing said with a laugh. "We may be mean, but we're not that cruel." She growled at him. "We'll let him decide." Glacier said. "For now let's just enjoy the view and make fun of the people below. Hey look, that guy's using a Caterpie against a Spearow." He began to laugh, the others joining him. They sat and enjoyed themselves for about an hour until they decided that they should go. AC decided to stay with the group, with the promise that they would someday return to Lavender Town, so that he could meet with his friend again in the future. It was afternoon, and the team was ready to leave Lavender Town and head toward their next destination, when something caught Glacier's attention. It was a sign leading to another road that went up a hill. "Hmm, what's this?" He began to read it out loud. "New. Lavender Town Gym. By authorization from the Pokemon League Association, Lavender Town Gym is now the official Gym of Lavender town. Challengers who succeed in a Pokemon match against the gym leader Aero will receive the sky badge, which can be used to enter the Pokemon League." In the bottom corner was a picture of the badge, which looked like a purple pair of wings. When they looked at the top of the hill, they couldn't see much activity. "You guys wanna check it out?" "The guys probably a beginning gym leader." Pyro said. "Maybe it'd be good for practice." "Yeah, and from the looks of it, I'd say it's mostly flying Pokemon. I could take those out with my eyes closed." AC said proudly. "Just careful where you fire those bolts sparky." Razorwing added. They started up the trail that would lead to the gym. When they reached the top of the hill, there was a flat area, which appeared to be the field where the battling would take place. As they had thought, there was absolutely nothing going on. There was only a teenage boy sitting, apparently asleep. When he heard them, he quickly got up, saw them, and began looking around curiously. "Look, I'm their trainer." He looked down to see the talking Pokemon, a bit confused. "We just thought we'd check out how this Gym was doing." "Oh, yeah, not doing very well. I thought just making the gym would itself attract people. Guess all we need is a little advertisement." He finally spoke. "I'm hoping word of mouth from the first few challengers would do, but so far I've had very few challengers. Guess the location is a little too well hidden too." "Maybe you could have an grand opening match." Glacier suggested. "You know, attract an audience for a good, and free, battle." "Hey, that's a good Idea. And for making the suggestion, you can be the challenger." Glacier was taken a bit by surprise, but then agreed. "Now I just gotta attract an audience." He thought for a while. "I know, I could have Nurse Joy announce it at the Pokemon center. Pokemon trainers are bound to come." He pulled out a cell phone from a backpack he kept next to the chair he was sitting on. He called Nurse Joy, and told her about the event and to announce it at her Pokemon Center. When he finished, he tried to think of another way to get people to come. "I got another idea." He pulled out a Poke-ball. "C'mon Fearow, I'll need your help." When he threw the ball, a Fearow popped out. "I need a banner." He looked around, and then ripped off a large strip of the white plastic that stood over his chair to provide shade. He also took out a black marker from his backpack. Within a few minutes, he had finished a banner, which read: Gym Battle, 3 pm, Ask Nurse Joy. It seemed short, but sounded good enough to spark some curiousity. With a few more adjustments, he was able to tie it to his Fearow, and sent him off to get the message out. "3 pm you say?" Aero nodded. "Well we may as well get ourselves a small lunch. We'll be back with time to spare." And they left. The group returned refreshed after a visit to the Pokemon Center, and were ready for battle. When they arrived, there was a crowd of people, which made it difficult to get to the arena. Once there, they chatted with Aero, and waited in the shade for the match to start. Finally, Aero stepped into the middle of the arena with a loudspeaker. He tested it, and the crowd silence a bit. "Ladies and gentlemen, trainers and Pokemon, today the newly opened Lavender Town gym will have one of it's first Pokemon battles. I am the gym leader, Aero, and this is an OFFICIAL gym. Anybody that challenges me, and manages to defeat me, will earn this Sky Badge." He held up one of the sky badges. "Like all other badges, these will be counted toward the required 8 badges needed, in order to compete in the Pokemon league." He put the badge into his pocket. "Now, let us begin the match. My challenger, a unique one, will be Glacier, from Celadon City." When they found out who Glacier was, they gasped in surprise. "He may be a Pokemon, but he is also a licensed trainer. Here are the rules. Each of us will choose three Pokemon to battle with. The first to knock out the other's three Pokemon wins. Glacier, are you ready?" Glacier nodded.