Disclaimer: Again thanks mario72486 for Leo Vertua, moonymonster for Marysa, Moon Blade the Shadow demon for Chaos, Magma Wolf Haephestus for Avin, Silent Sigh for Akito, Dragoness for Kanzellia, WarSerebii for Isaac, and Kerrigan, Darksortie (my brother) for Selene Gladius and Medigo, Sergeant Pepper for Jean-Paul Harrison, Chronic Seifer for Ryan, Astrala for Sakara Ookido, Kissdarkness for Destiny, Dave and Meka, JP for Illusia, Blackwolf Vengence for Galador, Tempral Bouncer for Jev Tempesta, Draco the Spirit Dragon for Draco, Phoenix Feather for Aryce May, Sora May, and Julian May, and Hieica for Veronika Misakori. I don't own pokémon and I never will.

A/N: Sorry again for such a long break between updates, but our web server went down. I lost the ability to read my E-mail and had to get a hotmail account. Plus I've been busy working as well, so I couldn't get to the library. Anyhow, will try to update every Wednesday. Thanks for reading.







P1 The changeling: chapter 2

The three changelings had hiked closer to their goal, the terrain getting steadily rougher as they entered the foothills surrounding Mt. Mortar.

"So, why was that Saber guy after AC?" Michael asked as he jumped on a fallen log in the path.

"Well, Saber's an old enemy of AC's father. Saber blames him for getting him banished from a village," Lisa said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, the big jerk attacked Da for no reason and almost killed him. If Mum and my godmother hadn't stepped in he might have!" AC shouted angrily.

"Ok, I guess that explains why he might not like you very much," Michael said shaking his head. (Banishment is very serious for one of us. We can't show are true nature, and that'll effect us after awhile. After all, it would be easy to forget that you could change.)

"Anyway, Mike, do you want to travel day or night? We can't make good time just traveling mornings and afternoons," Lisa said.

"Well I guess I could get used to travel by day, but it would take awhile to change my rhythm. Of course it will be somewhat annoying," Michael said with a sigh.

"Hey, look as this!" AC exclaimed pointing a yellowed furred hand at a small mark that was scratched on a tree trunk above an engraving of a flying pidgey.

"Here's the first marker. We should make camp," the mew changeling said after examining it.

"You do that, I'm going to take a look around," Michael said walking away from the two girls. After he came back, he informed the girls that there was a stream nearby. Lisa used the stream to get ready for bed first. After returning Lisa asked him a question while AC took her turn.

"Michael where are you from anyway, and what do you do?" she asked.

"Well my parents live in the woods north east of The Lake of Rage. Dad is a ranger and mom is a historian. I don't see dad much because he does a lot of outdoor patrolling. It helps that he's a sneasel changeling too; he doesn't have to take as many supplies and he can cover more ground. Mom watches the station/house and works online. She translates things and identifies artifacts and ancient treasures. She is one of the few of our kind that can read and write the old language," He said looking at the small fire she had built.

"I heard that it's partially psychic in nature and that only certain people can understand the impressions to correctly translate it," Lisa said in quiet awe.

"That's right. If you don't have the sensitivity then you can't read it. It just won't make sense. And writing it is hard because leaving the psychic trace has to be automatic too." He said looking at the emerging stars.

"You say that like you have done it before," Lisa jokingly said.

"I have. I'm a historian too, just not fully trained," he responded. "Of course mom told me not to make a big deal out of it for some reason. She said that the talent is becoming rare these days and that some would love exploit anyone who has it."

"Well, can you read this?" she asked handing him her armband.

He looked at the dark blue symbols and said, "It reads, 'Within this artifact lies the power to guard the soul from harm, '." He handed her back the gold armband, then said, "Where did you get an artifact from? I thought all of them where buried or sealed away along with the elemental stones."

"Not all were, just the most powerful stones and the prime artifacts. The minor artifacts and the weaker stones where kept by some families. At least the ones that still worked," she said leaning back against a tree. At that time, AC came back. She was wearing a gold nightgown and holding a stuffed clefairy doll.

"Ms. Lisa I'm done. Could you read me a story?" she asked the personification of cute.

"Sure kiddo," Lisa said. She sat next to the pichu girl as she jumped into her sleeping bag and pulled a book out of mid air with a flick of her wrist. As she began reading, Michael smiled at the two and walked off on his own. The urge to walk the night was still strong.

That morning found them in a different pattern. AC bounded ahead only turning back every so often to see the slower Michael and Lisa trying to keep up.

"You know if we were full pokémon this we could move easer," Michael grumbled extending his claws for a moment to cut a branch out of the way. The path they were using was an old wild pokémon trail.

"I know, but soon we're going to meet up with a sentry, and we want them to recognize us as soon as possible as to avoid suspicion. Ever since that one village was attacked, the council put certain rules in to effect." Lisa said. Michael became very quiet after that. (I wonder what I said) Lisa thought, noting the change instantly. Since he was part dark type, she couldn't even read his surface thoughts with out his permission. She sighed then turned her attention to the psychic tag she had on AC. She realized the electric type had stopped ahead so she picked up her pace.

They found her standing in place listening with all her might.

"Did you hear something?" Michael said on guard. The eight year-old nodded slightly, her ears twitching. Lisa stopped and listened with her ears as well, plus she also scanning the area with her mind. Her eyes widened and she grabbed AC's arm generating a shield as she did. A second later a blast of fire hit the shield and was negated. A sliver blur moved on to the path, and then darted forward at Michael, who blocked the claw swipe from the sliver scizor with his claws. The bug/steel type was a sliver bluish color and had a cord with a pokéball attached to it around his neck.

Michael leapt out of the way of a second slash and changed fully into a sneasel. For the next couple of seconds the two became a blur of black and sliver as they darted around the path. They jumped off of trees, slashing, stabbing and feinting in a vicious exchange of blows. The scizor charged grey-white energy into his claws and cut at Michael, who dodged. He landed to the scizor's side and walked away from the bug/steel type, claws out stretched in his foe's direction. The scizor turned and walked to the middle of the path keeping Michael in his sights. The two sized each other up then prepared to attack again. But before they could a thundershock lanced out and hit the dirt in between them.

"Boys! What are you doing?" Lisa shouted.

"And who are you and why did you attack us?" AC yelled at the scizor. The bug/steel type froze suddenly after noticing she was a child.

*Oops! Forgive me, I thought you where someone else. My name is Avin, and I am the temporary guardian of the town of Guidance, * Avin said relaxing his guard slightly. *Some strange people have been wandering around and I thought you might be them. *

*Mistake noted and forgiven, * Michael said relaxing his guard a bit as well. *Still, this little duel was pretty intense. Do you want to finish it later? *

*Sure, maybe later, * Avin said. In a short flash an Asian looking human was standing, before them. He had short reddish black hair, gold eyes and was wearing a grey collared short sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and sliver hiking shoes. The cord was still there. "Follow me please," he said waving them on. Michael shrugged, and then followed as along with the others.

The four travelers exited the woods and entered a small town. It was shaped in a rough circle, surrounding a central monolith. Starting on the left of the travelers and going clockwise was a pokémon center/hospital, a school, several residents, and city hall/municipal center, and several more homes and a general store. Changelings in all three forms walked about and conducted business.

"Welcome to Guidance. I suggest you rest in the pokémon center," Avin said. He nodded to them and walked off.

"Nice guy, but too serious," AC said shaking her head.

"And you can tell that by just him saying a few words?" Michael asked incredulously as he changed back to his hybrid form. AC silently nodded then walked over to the doors of the pokémon center.

"Is she making a snap judgment?" Michael asked.

"No, oddly enough, her first impressions are often right," said Lisa. "I was going to attack but she held me back. Good thing too, or our greeting here would have been less then friendly." She then followed her young charge into the center. Michael shook his head and followed. The inside was pleasantly arrayed. The décor was log cabin rustic, and very quant. Behind the desk cheerfully talking to AC was a blissey changeling who had two red circler ponytails. (A changeling Nurse Joy? Not surprising,) Lisa thought.

"Well I'm going to ask the nurse here if there is some where I can sleep for the day," Michael said walking over to the counter.

"All right, and I'll see to our supplies," Lisa said leaving.

Several hours later, Michael woke up to in a room in the back of the pokémon center. He stretched and yawned then looked around. He had slept in full pokémon form. Michael walked out of his room and found Avin as a scizor leaning against the wall. *Great you're up. I was afraid you would sleep later than this, * he said standing.

*Sorry. Let me get something to eat, and then we can finish this morning's battle, * Michael said. Avin nodded as the dark/ice type walked by. An hour later, the two of them were walking out of Guidance and towards a spot the sliver scizor knew of. They both walked in silence, each one thinking of ways to beat the other. The two changelings stopped in a clearing a bit west and above the town.

*Here, * Avin said. Michael noted how the crescent moon was smaller, as he walked to the other side of the field. The two bowed to each other then went into defensive stances. They circled each other, each looking for an opening. Then, in a flash, they both rushed each other. They both blocked the other's first blow. Michael tried to hit Avin with a dynamic punch, but the bug jumped over him and he missed. Turning quickly he narrowly darted away from the retaliatory Metal Claw. He dodged a false swipe and blocked another Metal Claw. He attacked with Fury Swipes, but Avin blocked all but two superficial blows and headbutted him in the face causing him to stagger back. They each began to circle again.

*Not bad, Michael. You're good, but I really must finish this, * Avin said. He crouched then jumped in the air. He crossed his arms across his chest, the false eyes on his claws started to glow red along with his real ones. Using his wings to hover he spread his arms and opened his claws, and two fireballs appeared hovering in the open pinchers. *Fire Bolt! * He yelled pointing both claws at Michael who used this time to charge an ice beam. An arrow of fire blasted out and collided halfway with a beam of intense cold.

The two opposing blasts created a vacuum and an explosion that shook the clearing and lit the night up. The two changelings where thrown away from each other by the blast. Michael rolled with the force and ended in a crouch, while Avin flipped then landed kneeling as well.

*Well, that was unexpected. A bug/steel type that knows a fire move. I suppose that you got that gift from you human side? * Michael asked. Avin smirked telling the sneasel changeling the answer to his question. *Well, if we aren't holding back. * Michael said, the pupils and irises of his eyes turning crimson red. The whites of his eyes turned black, and an aura of darkness flared around him. *Now. * he murmured. Suddenly a scream cut through the night breaking his concentration and causing him to return to normal. *What was that? * He asked.

*I don't know. Let's check it out, * Avin said, somewhat disappointed that their battle was interrupted again. The two ran through the forest one black blur and one sliver blur. They both stopped on a branch in a tree at the edge of a clearing. What they found surprised both of them. A girl who looked about fifteen years old was standing across from another person. The girl had brown eyes, wavy light blue hair that was in a ponytail that reached her waist. She was wearing blue jeans and a baby blue top.

The other person was a girl with brown hair and matching eyes. She was about five six and was wearing a yellow tank top with short brown shorts with white sneakers. She looked about sixteen. The first girl looked a bit roughed up, but the second was perfectly fine.

"You said your name was Marysa right? I asked you nicely for it, but Marysa you stubbornly refused. Now for the last time, give it to me," the second teen demanded.

"No! It's a family heirloom. You're just a thief!" The girl addressed as Marysa shouted.

"It's going to get you killed," the other girl said coldly.

"Is that a threat? Well if you want me, you're going to have to beat all of us," the blue haired one said, pulling out a pokéball. Marysa threw the ball high and hit the ground in front of her spilling liquid white light across the clearing. The light formed into a quilava, who immediately flared up at the sight of the other girl. "Natalie, Quick attack!" Marysa ordered.

*Right away boss lady, * the fire type said. She charged forward in a blur but the brown haired girl side stepped impossibly fast and kicked the charging pokémon aside. Before Natalie could recover the girl rushed in and kicked her into the air, then punched her across the clearing. She bounced, but quickly righted herself. Both trainer and pokémon where shocked by the display of power and skill. The first girl crouched into a stance as Marysa got her wits back.

"Ok, dodge this, Flame Wheel!" She ordered.

*I don't know how you did that, but I bet you won't do it again, * Natalie growled as fire surrounded her. It fired off in a column then fell down in front of her, rolling across in a burning wheel. The first girl smirked coldly then rushed the wheel. Just before the attack hit she jumped and did a spinning drill kick through the flames. She emerged from the other side and hit the ground running, not even burnt. Somehow she hit just the right angle and speed to pass through the weakest point of the attack. She flipped and came down on Natalie's head with a heel drop, knocking the fire type unconscious in one blow. She rolled backwards to her feet as Marysa called back her fire type.

"What are you?" She asked in shock.

"Human," the other girl said in contempt. "I guess I'm going to have to take it from you."

"Ladies, fists are no way to settle an argument," Avin said walking into the clearing with Michael at his side. Both were now human. The two girls looked at the two new arrivals with different expressions. The brown haired girl was annoyed, but Marysa was happy to have some help.

"Stay out of this," the brown haired girl ordered.

"Why, Miss?" Michael asked trying to find out the girl's name. Instead of answering him she rushed the girl name Marysa. Avin moved to intercept, but stopped when Marysa threw out a hand and fired an Aurora Beam. The silent fighter dodged the rainbow beam with frightening ease and tore into the other girl with a punch to the gut, a vicious one-two combo to the face, followed by a roundhouse to the side sending Marysa flying. She span around and blocked the punch from Avin who had decided to enter the fray. Avin tried to hit her with a serious of hooks and jabs, all thrown with the same blinding speed of his pokémon form's slashes, but each one was either blocked or dodged. The girl kneed him in the gut. Then, in a display of agility and power, summersault kicked him into the air. Landing on her feet, she hit him with a palm strike to the small of the back as he was flipping around sending him through the air away from her.

Michael looked at Avin, who was struggling to get up, and Marysa who was trying to stand, then at the mystery girl who was approaching him with a serious sense of purpose. He smirked then vanished into thin air. The girl stopped moving then lunged to the left reaching out and grabbing something. That something happened to be Michael's arm as he was rushing in using Faint Attack. She flipped him over and slammed him on his back, then punched him in the chest while he was on the ground hard enough to impress him in it. She stood up and calmly walked over to Marysa who just started to get up. She reached into the girl's hair and pulled out a small sliver pin with a dark blue stone on the end of it.

"You can thank me later," the girl said as she left. She paused in front of Michael and said, "My name is Jev Tempesta. If this is the extent of your skills, go home." With that she walked into the woods leaving three very bruised changelings.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them found themselves in the Guidance Pokémon Center talking to AC and Lisa. "I can't believe she beat all of us!" Marysa exclaimed.

"I understand why, she knew our fighting styles and could predict them," Michael said. "I wasn't sure until she pulled me out of my faint attack. Somehow she knew the pokémon fighting styles and how to counter them."

"She's also insanely fast and strong. I wonder who trained her?" Avin mused.

"And when I tried to read her mind, I got massive backlash," Marysa said angrily. "I WILL get that pin back.and get her for hurting Natalie."

"What was the name she gave you," Lisa asked.

"She said her name was Jev Tempesta. Why? Have you heard of her?" Michael asked.

Lisa thought for a moment with her head bowed, then looked up. "I need to check something out. Michael can I ask you to take AC the rest of the way to Ecruteak City?"

Michael glanced at AC who looked back at him curiously. "Well I've gone this far, I might as well go all the way," he said.

"Good. Well, by tomorrow morning I'll be gone. I'll meet up with you later," she said leaving the room.

"Wow, I wish I could have seen that battle," AC said wistfully.

"Do you mine if I tag along?" Avin asked. "We never did finish our fight. Ya know having a rival is good for getting stronger. Besides now that I found the 'prowler' then there is no need for me to stick around here."

"I'm coming along as well. I want to find that girl again. I have feeling that you'll meet her again. Besides, I think it might be fun to travel with you guys," Marysa said cheerfully.

"Great! Now I don't have to travel with just two silly boys," AC said giggling. Marysa joined in as Avin and Michael exchanged a nervous glance.

(There goes my nice quiet trip,) Michael thought. (I hope I don't make a habit of fighting people who are massively stronger then me.) That morning the changelings headed out toward Mt. Mortar. Avin was in the lead, followed by Marysa, then AC, and lastly Michael who was still in thought. All four were in human form, since they were going to be walking on a path frequented by trainers.

"Marysa, AC, Michael where do you two hail from?" Avin asked after hiking in silence for a while.

"Oh I'm from Rose town. It's a small town in Johto," Marysa cheerfully.

"That's hard to answer, as my parents have moved frequently. I'd say Fuchsia City was the last city we lived in," AC said softly.

"Northeast of The Lake of Rage," Michael murmured distracted.

"Hey, Marysa are you a pokémon trainer?" AC asked glancing at the pokéballs around her waist.

"Yes and No. I train my pokémon and they also train me. So, at best you could call me their friend, at worse a traveling and sparing partner," She said.

"That sums it up for me too. Except I only have one," Avin said. "We watch each other's backs."

"I never took that in to consideration. Still I guess we would make some of the best trainers due to the fact we can understand poké speech as well as human," AC said thoughtfully.

"Michael, what do you think on the subject," Marysa asked.

He shrugged, then said, "It wouldn't feel right to me. Besides, in a fight with a changeling, normal pokémon may not be strong enough." (Or against a really skilled opponent.)

"Hey what's that," AC pointed. Ahead of the group loomed the gaping and dark entrance to Mt. Mortar.

"The entrance to the next leg of our journey," Avin said. They walked out of the light and into the dark.