SC: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON! IF I DID I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY! I WILL STOP USING
CAPS-LOCK NOW!
That's better. Anyway, now we can all sit back, relax, and enjoy me typing various quotes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Pokemon: AAAH! STOP QUOTING THAT MOVIE! YOU'RE ANNOYING THE READERS TO DEATH!
SC: SORRY! I JUST LIKE DOING THAT! OH, LOOK, NOW I'M USING CAPS-LOCK AGAIN!
Ahem. Okay, we're on in ten. . . nine. . . oh skip it, one!
Chapter 5- Legends Untold
It was a very unusual sight, seeing a room full of computerized equipment inside of a tree. Once the door had closed behind them, Allie and Stormfront had taken to observing their new surroundings. A wide computer monitor in front of them flashed a greeting:
"Welcome to Eurico's tree base. Please state your name and business for coming," a computerized voice read off the screen.
"I am the Pokemon trainer Allie, here to receive important information about a dastardly scheme."
"What about the Pokemon beside you? What is its name?"
"He is Stormfront, a regal Charizard that will be joining me today," Allie said matter-of-factly.
"Very well," the robotic voice said. "Please proceed to the elevator on your left."
There was a rush of cold air as a chilled steel door opened, revealing a small elevator just big enough for two people to fit inside. Allie entered quickly, and Stormfront sidled in behind her as the metallic door slid shut.
They could feel the elevator moving up the tree, until they had reached what had to be the top. The door slid open once again, and the two nervous missionaries laid eyes upon a sight quite different then before.
Contrary to the former computerized entryway, this room had an almost rustic feel about it. The walls were bedecked with curtains of ivy, and the damp grass covering the floor felt springy underfoot. There was even a small stream cutting across the room, sparkling and clear above its rocky bed.
"Ah, glad you could make it, Allie," a voice behind them said.
The young trainer turned and met the face of a man, who looked about in his twenties. He had sleek, golden-brown hair, which laid in curls, and a pair of bright amber eyes to match. He wore a neat, navy blue suit, and looked quite out of place in the wild room they were in.
"Eurico! I'm glad to have been offered a chance to visit. I trust you've been busy?" Allie said, bowing slightly as she shook his outstretched hand.
Eurico beamed at her, then turned and faced one of the wide windows before speaking. "Oh, you know, the usual. World domination plans here, a rescue mission there. Actually," he said suddenly, turning back to face Allie once more, "it's been rather boring around here, at least before the big case popped up."
"Which reminds me of why I've even bothered to come. You said earlier that you had some valuable information to give me, Eurico," Allie implied, putting on a stern face. "Are you going to bother telling me, or would you rather rant all day?"
"All right, all right, I see your point," Eurico said, giving in to the anxious looks Allie was throwing at him. "Let's get a bit more comfortable first, though, shall we?" He turned and walked forward, towards a large boulder that was resting at the edge of the creek. Eurico ran his hand along its sides, until he had found a hidden spot inside of a crevice. He pressed it, and a cleverly disguised laptop popped out from the rock.
"Can't you go anywhere without a computer by your side?" Allie asked sarcastically.
"Well, I did go camping in Alaska once when I was five, but let's not go into that," he replied with a grin. Eurico typed ravenously on his laptop for a moment, and suddenly, the wall next to him opened, revealing a sort of storage room. He reached in and pulled out some foldable chairs, one each for Allie and himself.
"Here," Eurico said, offering one to Allie, who took it graciously. "Now, why don't you let your Pokemon? I know that you've more than one, and I'm sure this shy little critter could use company." He jerked his head in Stormfront's direction. It was hard to tell whether or not Stormfront's face has gone red with anger or embarrassment at being called a "little critter."
Allie nodded, and pulled out a handful of Pokeballs. After a few moments of emptying their contents, the Pokeballs were dropped onto the grass, to be left for the duration of the meeting.
Eurico beamed around at all of the Pokemon. He seemed particularly interested in Suicune, and had rushed over to examine it thoroughly.
"Aha, so this is the Suicune you were telling me about! Yes, I can see that you've raised it well. . . no wonder Team Rocket and the others are after it! You'd best be careful with it. . . no telling when they could show up. still, they'd have trouble getting at it. . ."
Eurico had said all that as he was inspecting Suicune, a professional air lingering on his words. All the while, his finely shaped nose had hovered above Suicune's crystal- blue coat, barely two inches away. Suicune was not at all happy with having a complete stranger put his face all over him.
"Erm, could you tell this guy to shove off? I really don't think a purplish mane is that exciting. . ." Suicune said nervously as Eurico was eyeing the waves of violet spilling from behind a crystalline head crest.
"All right then," said Eurico, obviously taking Suicune's point. He straightened up, and faced the remainder of his Pokemon audience. "Wow, what a turnout! I suppose I could show you a Pokemon of my own, although I only have one. I'm not as good a trainer as yours is!" he cried to the odd group around him with a red-tinged face.
"Great," Megan muttered. "Allie's friends with a grade-A nutcase."
"Oh hush!" Allie snapped while trying to stifle a laugh; Eurico had dashed off down a hallway at the other end of the room, a manic glint in his eye.
"Seriously! That guy just cannot be this great spy dude you keep ranting about! He acts like he's never seen a rare Pokemon before!" Megan huffed angrily.
"I wouldn't be too sure," Allie replied, for Eurico had reentered the room holding a Pokeball in his hands. It looked almost made of stone, and there were ornate carvings on the top half; Allie thought that for sure it was some kind of writing.
"Here you go, then!" Eurico shouted cheerily, lightly tossing the gray Pokeball into the air. A small pop, then a flash of light filled the room creating spindly shadows on the walls. Moments later, the light had formed the shape of a Pokemon, and as it faded there were audible gasps around the room.
Towering above them, with knife-long fangs and glaring red eyes, was an Aerodactyl. It screeched, filling the forested room with a sound not unlike that of nails on a chalkboard. A wave of shudders swept the room, and Eurico leapt forward.
"All right! All right! Enough with the s-scary act!" he said, his voice trembling a bit. "Really now, Skance, you can cool it now!"
The Aerodactyl nodded curtly at Eurico, then folded his wings and grinned. A smile wasn't the most comforting thing Skance could have given at the moment: six-inch long teeth did not look like something you could classify as "happy."
"Whew," Allie said, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm. "You really had me worried for a moment there. . . what did you say his name was again?"
"Skance," Eurico said, stoking the stone gray dragon's back. "It's more of a nickname, short for Skylance." Skance drew himself up proudly at the mention of his name.
"Well now, Skance, it's quite a pleasure. I was really impressed with your display," Allie said, reaching up and patting the ancient Pokemon's snout. Skance closed his eyes lazily, enjoying this little bit of extra attention.
"Okay, okay, now let's get down to business," Stormfront snorted, jealously glancing at Skance. "We have work to do."
Allie sighed, then turned to Eurico. "Stormfront is right," she said, taking her hand back from Skance. "We're here to play hero, not play Aerodactyl grooming."
"Hang on a sec, I need to open this file," Eurico said while typing madly on his computer again. A holographic projector hidden somewhere in the room displayed Eurico's computer screen against the wall. Allie watched intently, as an important looking document flashed up on the screen with the words, "Classified: Authorized Personnel Only."
"This is the file I hacked into earlier," Eurico explained, a suddenly serious tone in his voice. "It should help us greatly; the file contains lists and plans which they. . ." he trailed off, scowling at the mention of his most recent nemesis, ". . . will be using for guidance."
Eurico trailed his mouse along the screen, and clicked hurriedly on an icon labeled: "Targets." The file opened and displayed three colored circles, one each of green, blue, and crimson, which had formed a Venn Diagram on the page. Eurico put on a scientific voice and proceeded to explain the contents of the diagram, while pointing to the corresponding bits of information on the page with his mouse.
"Each of these circles," he explained, "list which legendary Pokemon each team is going after. The colors- red, blue, and green - signify which team leader is heading the operation- red for Maxie, blue for Archie, and green for Giovanni." Eurico moved the mouse over the jade green orb, then continued: "Here are the Pokemon that Giovanni is leading Team Rocket to capture. It seems to me that they're going after the big ones: Mewtwo, Mew, Zapdos, Raikou, Registeel, and the ferocious Rayquaza."
"Holy cow!" yelled Blaziken, leaping up from the rock he'd been sitting on. "Those six right there are enough trouble to deal with! I don't wanna' see what the others are doing!"
"Blaziken, hush! Just let him finish!" Allie snapped. Blaziken glared at her for a moment, then sat back down, muttering incoherently to himself.
"As I was saying," Eurico went on, glancing at Blaziken, "Team Rocket is definitely the ring leader, but Aqua and Magma still have a lot on their plates as well. Team Aqua has Lugia, Celebi, Articuno, Suicune," he paused and eyed the great beast before him, "Regice, and Kyogre.
"Magma, led by Maxie, is going to take a whack at catching Ho-oh, the variations of Unown, Moltres, Entei, Regirock and Groudon. So my friends," Eurico paused dramatically, "we now have before us the task of defeating these mangy fools and teaching them never to mess with the world of Pokemon!"
"Any questions?"
Eurico looked around the room at the sea of shocked faces, then turned to Allie as she raised her hand. "Just one," she said. "Do we have any progress reports as to how far along these guys are on their plan?"
"Actually we do. Team Trinity, which is the name being used to refer to the unified organization, has made a record of which legendaries they have already captured."
"So they already have some? That's just great, now they're way ahead of us!" Megan hollered, stamping his pitch-black paw against the earth.
"They're not that far ahead; in total, Team Trinity has only captured four of the legends: Celebi, Zapdos, Regirock, and of course, Mewtwo, which Giovanni created," Eurico pointed out. "Archie, in particular, has fallen way behind, especially since the Pokemon he's after are the most elusive of the lot. He's only got one, and he didn't actually catch it. Archie stole it off of a masked fellow who had already gotten to it."
Eurico grabbed his laptop and typed hurriedly on it again, calling up a new screen. It was marked with what looked strangely like battle plans. "Here's what I've planned: you, Allie, divide up you Pokemon into individual groups, and send each group after a Team. I already know that you've 'classified' your Pokemon, so you should stick to those basics."
"But they don't have the same numbers in them! I can't send three Pokemon to fight a whole organization!" Allie cried.
"Just hear me out! Send your Lapras, Lanturn, and Suicune after Archie. He's trying to capture mostly water Pokemon anyway, and he's the farthest behind. Better to send three Pokemon against one legendary than six."
Suicune nodded in agreement then turned to face his trainer. "That's right. Let us go in place of some of your stronger Pokemon. You'll need them for Giovanni and Maxie."
"But Archie is the one after you! I can't just order you to play right into his hand! He'll get you for sure!" Allie hollered.
"Archie is after a wild Suicune, not a hand-raised one. He doesn't know that a trainer has caught me. He'll underestimate me, you just watch. Plus, Layla and Lanturn will be there too; you can't just count them out." Behind Suicune, the normally playful duo of Layla and Lanturn had looks of determination on their faces.
Allie thought about this for a moment, then sighed loudly. "All right, you can go. Just be careful!" she added, a fraction of a tear in her eye.
Eurico nodded. "Right, now, moving on. I suggest you send Blaziken and his group to face Maxie. Though they aren't your most powerful Pokemon, their close-range combat skills are phenomenal, from what I've heard. Maxie's targets are mostly physical battlers, so they'd be evenly matched."
"Hmph," scowled Blaziken, angry at the fact that Eurico thought he wasn't one of Allie's best Pokemon.
"Finally, you, Stormfront, and the rest of your Pokemon, will go after Giovanni. He's the big-leaguer, and you'll need all the strength you can get."
Allie smirked and said, "It's amazing how much detailed planning you put into this."
"As I believe I mentioned before, it has been very boring around here recently, and I am eager to solve this case. Also, this is one of the most dangerous missions I've ever faced, so I've reason to be detailed." Eurico frowned lightly. "Any slip ups we might have could lose this battle for all of us. We must all be highly cautious."
Allie nodded and stood up, stretching her arms out over her head. "Well, why are we sitting here wasting time? Let's get going!"
"Hold on," Eurico held up his hand to stop her. "There's another important piece of information that has not been discussed."
"So? Discuss it already!" Megan said haughtily, stamping his foot on the ground impatiently.
"However, I am not the one to tell you. We must find a colleague of mine. He has more knowledge on this subject than I."
"Not more traveling," Stormfront whined. "I don't think I'll be able to handle another trip like that one."
Eurico folded up his laptop and replaced it on the rock. "You won't have to. Flying there would be too risky, so I've obtained a method of ground transportation. It should be waiting by the front door as we speak."
"All right. Everyone! Back to your Pokeballs!" Allie cried. There were many flashes of crimson light, until all fifteen of them were safely tucked away in Allie's backpack.
"Skance, return!" Eurico commanded, and the loyal Aerodactyl obeyed quickly.
The two of them swiftly boarded the elevator and descended to the tree's ground level. The mechanical voice addressed Eurico once the doors of the elevator had fully open. "Sir, your ride has arrived. They're outside now, waiting for you."
"Thank you, Sylvia," Eurico replied, and began typing a numbered code on the door's locking device.
"You named your computer Sylvia?" Allie questioned.
"Yep. It's my mother's name. But enough about that," he said quickly, noticing Allie's face that was reddened with holding back laughter. "Let's go outside."
The door whooshed open, and Allie stepped out into the sunlight, blinking. Standing by the entrance was a pair of elegant Rapidash. She walked forward and placed her hand on the creamy neck of the nearest one; the Rapidash whinnied softly.
"They're so beautiful," Allie said in awe.
"They're also our ride. Tally ho!" exclaimed Eurico, and mounted his steed with a leap. He grabbed the reins and tugged backwards, letting the Rapidash he was perched upon rear up on his hind legs. A loud neighing was heard, and then he was off, galloping away into the forest.
"Hey! Wait for me! I don't even know where we're going!" Allie called after him, and quickly clambered up on the mare's back. She snatched up the reins and dug in her heels, her Rapidash responding with an insane burst of speed. Embers flew from the horse's mane and tail as they rode off, chasing after Eurico, and growing closer to the battle of their lives.
~*~*~
SC: Ah, another good chappy. See? That was interesting!
Blaziken: Bah.
SC: *glares*
Stormfront: Can I have a shrubbery NOW?
SC: NO! STOP PESTERING ME!
Stormfront: Y__Y
Knights of Ni: You must return here with a shrubbery, or else you shall never pass through the woods in your story ALIVE! *dramatic lightning*
SC: O.O' Um. . . creepy. . . Anyway, That's the end of the chapter, tune in for the next chapter coming soon!
That's better. Anyway, now we can all sit back, relax, and enjoy me typing various quotes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Pokemon: AAAH! STOP QUOTING THAT MOVIE! YOU'RE ANNOYING THE READERS TO DEATH!
SC: SORRY! I JUST LIKE DOING THAT! OH, LOOK, NOW I'M USING CAPS-LOCK AGAIN!
Ahem. Okay, we're on in ten. . . nine. . . oh skip it, one!
Chapter 5- Legends Untold
It was a very unusual sight, seeing a room full of computerized equipment inside of a tree. Once the door had closed behind them, Allie and Stormfront had taken to observing their new surroundings. A wide computer monitor in front of them flashed a greeting:
"Welcome to Eurico's tree base. Please state your name and business for coming," a computerized voice read off the screen.
"I am the Pokemon trainer Allie, here to receive important information about a dastardly scheme."
"What about the Pokemon beside you? What is its name?"
"He is Stormfront, a regal Charizard that will be joining me today," Allie said matter-of-factly.
"Very well," the robotic voice said. "Please proceed to the elevator on your left."
There was a rush of cold air as a chilled steel door opened, revealing a small elevator just big enough for two people to fit inside. Allie entered quickly, and Stormfront sidled in behind her as the metallic door slid shut.
They could feel the elevator moving up the tree, until they had reached what had to be the top. The door slid open once again, and the two nervous missionaries laid eyes upon a sight quite different then before.
Contrary to the former computerized entryway, this room had an almost rustic feel about it. The walls were bedecked with curtains of ivy, and the damp grass covering the floor felt springy underfoot. There was even a small stream cutting across the room, sparkling and clear above its rocky bed.
"Ah, glad you could make it, Allie," a voice behind them said.
The young trainer turned and met the face of a man, who looked about in his twenties. He had sleek, golden-brown hair, which laid in curls, and a pair of bright amber eyes to match. He wore a neat, navy blue suit, and looked quite out of place in the wild room they were in.
"Eurico! I'm glad to have been offered a chance to visit. I trust you've been busy?" Allie said, bowing slightly as she shook his outstretched hand.
Eurico beamed at her, then turned and faced one of the wide windows before speaking. "Oh, you know, the usual. World domination plans here, a rescue mission there. Actually," he said suddenly, turning back to face Allie once more, "it's been rather boring around here, at least before the big case popped up."
"Which reminds me of why I've even bothered to come. You said earlier that you had some valuable information to give me, Eurico," Allie implied, putting on a stern face. "Are you going to bother telling me, or would you rather rant all day?"
"All right, all right, I see your point," Eurico said, giving in to the anxious looks Allie was throwing at him. "Let's get a bit more comfortable first, though, shall we?" He turned and walked forward, towards a large boulder that was resting at the edge of the creek. Eurico ran his hand along its sides, until he had found a hidden spot inside of a crevice. He pressed it, and a cleverly disguised laptop popped out from the rock.
"Can't you go anywhere without a computer by your side?" Allie asked sarcastically.
"Well, I did go camping in Alaska once when I was five, but let's not go into that," he replied with a grin. Eurico typed ravenously on his laptop for a moment, and suddenly, the wall next to him opened, revealing a sort of storage room. He reached in and pulled out some foldable chairs, one each for Allie and himself.
"Here," Eurico said, offering one to Allie, who took it graciously. "Now, why don't you let your Pokemon? I know that you've more than one, and I'm sure this shy little critter could use company." He jerked his head in Stormfront's direction. It was hard to tell whether or not Stormfront's face has gone red with anger or embarrassment at being called a "little critter."
Allie nodded, and pulled out a handful of Pokeballs. After a few moments of emptying their contents, the Pokeballs were dropped onto the grass, to be left for the duration of the meeting.
Eurico beamed around at all of the Pokemon. He seemed particularly interested in Suicune, and had rushed over to examine it thoroughly.
"Aha, so this is the Suicune you were telling me about! Yes, I can see that you've raised it well. . . no wonder Team Rocket and the others are after it! You'd best be careful with it. . . no telling when they could show up. still, they'd have trouble getting at it. . ."
Eurico had said all that as he was inspecting Suicune, a professional air lingering on his words. All the while, his finely shaped nose had hovered above Suicune's crystal- blue coat, barely two inches away. Suicune was not at all happy with having a complete stranger put his face all over him.
"Erm, could you tell this guy to shove off? I really don't think a purplish mane is that exciting. . ." Suicune said nervously as Eurico was eyeing the waves of violet spilling from behind a crystalline head crest.
"All right then," said Eurico, obviously taking Suicune's point. He straightened up, and faced the remainder of his Pokemon audience. "Wow, what a turnout! I suppose I could show you a Pokemon of my own, although I only have one. I'm not as good a trainer as yours is!" he cried to the odd group around him with a red-tinged face.
"Great," Megan muttered. "Allie's friends with a grade-A nutcase."
"Oh hush!" Allie snapped while trying to stifle a laugh; Eurico had dashed off down a hallway at the other end of the room, a manic glint in his eye.
"Seriously! That guy just cannot be this great spy dude you keep ranting about! He acts like he's never seen a rare Pokemon before!" Megan huffed angrily.
"I wouldn't be too sure," Allie replied, for Eurico had reentered the room holding a Pokeball in his hands. It looked almost made of stone, and there were ornate carvings on the top half; Allie thought that for sure it was some kind of writing.
"Here you go, then!" Eurico shouted cheerily, lightly tossing the gray Pokeball into the air. A small pop, then a flash of light filled the room creating spindly shadows on the walls. Moments later, the light had formed the shape of a Pokemon, and as it faded there were audible gasps around the room.
Towering above them, with knife-long fangs and glaring red eyes, was an Aerodactyl. It screeched, filling the forested room with a sound not unlike that of nails on a chalkboard. A wave of shudders swept the room, and Eurico leapt forward.
"All right! All right! Enough with the s-scary act!" he said, his voice trembling a bit. "Really now, Skance, you can cool it now!"
The Aerodactyl nodded curtly at Eurico, then folded his wings and grinned. A smile wasn't the most comforting thing Skance could have given at the moment: six-inch long teeth did not look like something you could classify as "happy."
"Whew," Allie said, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm. "You really had me worried for a moment there. . . what did you say his name was again?"
"Skance," Eurico said, stoking the stone gray dragon's back. "It's more of a nickname, short for Skylance." Skance drew himself up proudly at the mention of his name.
"Well now, Skance, it's quite a pleasure. I was really impressed with your display," Allie said, reaching up and patting the ancient Pokemon's snout. Skance closed his eyes lazily, enjoying this little bit of extra attention.
"Okay, okay, now let's get down to business," Stormfront snorted, jealously glancing at Skance. "We have work to do."
Allie sighed, then turned to Eurico. "Stormfront is right," she said, taking her hand back from Skance. "We're here to play hero, not play Aerodactyl grooming."
"Hang on a sec, I need to open this file," Eurico said while typing madly on his computer again. A holographic projector hidden somewhere in the room displayed Eurico's computer screen against the wall. Allie watched intently, as an important looking document flashed up on the screen with the words, "Classified: Authorized Personnel Only."
"This is the file I hacked into earlier," Eurico explained, a suddenly serious tone in his voice. "It should help us greatly; the file contains lists and plans which they. . ." he trailed off, scowling at the mention of his most recent nemesis, ". . . will be using for guidance."
Eurico trailed his mouse along the screen, and clicked hurriedly on an icon labeled: "Targets." The file opened and displayed three colored circles, one each of green, blue, and crimson, which had formed a Venn Diagram on the page. Eurico put on a scientific voice and proceeded to explain the contents of the diagram, while pointing to the corresponding bits of information on the page with his mouse.
"Each of these circles," he explained, "list which legendary Pokemon each team is going after. The colors- red, blue, and green - signify which team leader is heading the operation- red for Maxie, blue for Archie, and green for Giovanni." Eurico moved the mouse over the jade green orb, then continued: "Here are the Pokemon that Giovanni is leading Team Rocket to capture. It seems to me that they're going after the big ones: Mewtwo, Mew, Zapdos, Raikou, Registeel, and the ferocious Rayquaza."
"Holy cow!" yelled Blaziken, leaping up from the rock he'd been sitting on. "Those six right there are enough trouble to deal with! I don't wanna' see what the others are doing!"
"Blaziken, hush! Just let him finish!" Allie snapped. Blaziken glared at her for a moment, then sat back down, muttering incoherently to himself.
"As I was saying," Eurico went on, glancing at Blaziken, "Team Rocket is definitely the ring leader, but Aqua and Magma still have a lot on their plates as well. Team Aqua has Lugia, Celebi, Articuno, Suicune," he paused and eyed the great beast before him, "Regice, and Kyogre.
"Magma, led by Maxie, is going to take a whack at catching Ho-oh, the variations of Unown, Moltres, Entei, Regirock and Groudon. So my friends," Eurico paused dramatically, "we now have before us the task of defeating these mangy fools and teaching them never to mess with the world of Pokemon!"
"Any questions?"
Eurico looked around the room at the sea of shocked faces, then turned to Allie as she raised her hand. "Just one," she said. "Do we have any progress reports as to how far along these guys are on their plan?"
"Actually we do. Team Trinity, which is the name being used to refer to the unified organization, has made a record of which legendaries they have already captured."
"So they already have some? That's just great, now they're way ahead of us!" Megan hollered, stamping his pitch-black paw against the earth.
"They're not that far ahead; in total, Team Trinity has only captured four of the legends: Celebi, Zapdos, Regirock, and of course, Mewtwo, which Giovanni created," Eurico pointed out. "Archie, in particular, has fallen way behind, especially since the Pokemon he's after are the most elusive of the lot. He's only got one, and he didn't actually catch it. Archie stole it off of a masked fellow who had already gotten to it."
Eurico grabbed his laptop and typed hurriedly on it again, calling up a new screen. It was marked with what looked strangely like battle plans. "Here's what I've planned: you, Allie, divide up you Pokemon into individual groups, and send each group after a Team. I already know that you've 'classified' your Pokemon, so you should stick to those basics."
"But they don't have the same numbers in them! I can't send three Pokemon to fight a whole organization!" Allie cried.
"Just hear me out! Send your Lapras, Lanturn, and Suicune after Archie. He's trying to capture mostly water Pokemon anyway, and he's the farthest behind. Better to send three Pokemon against one legendary than six."
Suicune nodded in agreement then turned to face his trainer. "That's right. Let us go in place of some of your stronger Pokemon. You'll need them for Giovanni and Maxie."
"But Archie is the one after you! I can't just order you to play right into his hand! He'll get you for sure!" Allie hollered.
"Archie is after a wild Suicune, not a hand-raised one. He doesn't know that a trainer has caught me. He'll underestimate me, you just watch. Plus, Layla and Lanturn will be there too; you can't just count them out." Behind Suicune, the normally playful duo of Layla and Lanturn had looks of determination on their faces.
Allie thought about this for a moment, then sighed loudly. "All right, you can go. Just be careful!" she added, a fraction of a tear in her eye.
Eurico nodded. "Right, now, moving on. I suggest you send Blaziken and his group to face Maxie. Though they aren't your most powerful Pokemon, their close-range combat skills are phenomenal, from what I've heard. Maxie's targets are mostly physical battlers, so they'd be evenly matched."
"Hmph," scowled Blaziken, angry at the fact that Eurico thought he wasn't one of Allie's best Pokemon.
"Finally, you, Stormfront, and the rest of your Pokemon, will go after Giovanni. He's the big-leaguer, and you'll need all the strength you can get."
Allie smirked and said, "It's amazing how much detailed planning you put into this."
"As I believe I mentioned before, it has been very boring around here recently, and I am eager to solve this case. Also, this is one of the most dangerous missions I've ever faced, so I've reason to be detailed." Eurico frowned lightly. "Any slip ups we might have could lose this battle for all of us. We must all be highly cautious."
Allie nodded and stood up, stretching her arms out over her head. "Well, why are we sitting here wasting time? Let's get going!"
"Hold on," Eurico held up his hand to stop her. "There's another important piece of information that has not been discussed."
"So? Discuss it already!" Megan said haughtily, stamping his foot on the ground impatiently.
"However, I am not the one to tell you. We must find a colleague of mine. He has more knowledge on this subject than I."
"Not more traveling," Stormfront whined. "I don't think I'll be able to handle another trip like that one."
Eurico folded up his laptop and replaced it on the rock. "You won't have to. Flying there would be too risky, so I've obtained a method of ground transportation. It should be waiting by the front door as we speak."
"All right. Everyone! Back to your Pokeballs!" Allie cried. There were many flashes of crimson light, until all fifteen of them were safely tucked away in Allie's backpack.
"Skance, return!" Eurico commanded, and the loyal Aerodactyl obeyed quickly.
The two of them swiftly boarded the elevator and descended to the tree's ground level. The mechanical voice addressed Eurico once the doors of the elevator had fully open. "Sir, your ride has arrived. They're outside now, waiting for you."
"Thank you, Sylvia," Eurico replied, and began typing a numbered code on the door's locking device.
"You named your computer Sylvia?" Allie questioned.
"Yep. It's my mother's name. But enough about that," he said quickly, noticing Allie's face that was reddened with holding back laughter. "Let's go outside."
The door whooshed open, and Allie stepped out into the sunlight, blinking. Standing by the entrance was a pair of elegant Rapidash. She walked forward and placed her hand on the creamy neck of the nearest one; the Rapidash whinnied softly.
"They're so beautiful," Allie said in awe.
"They're also our ride. Tally ho!" exclaimed Eurico, and mounted his steed with a leap. He grabbed the reins and tugged backwards, letting the Rapidash he was perched upon rear up on his hind legs. A loud neighing was heard, and then he was off, galloping away into the forest.
"Hey! Wait for me! I don't even know where we're going!" Allie called after him, and quickly clambered up on the mare's back. She snatched up the reins and dug in her heels, her Rapidash responding with an insane burst of speed. Embers flew from the horse's mane and tail as they rode off, chasing after Eurico, and growing closer to the battle of their lives.
~*~*~
SC: Ah, another good chappy. See? That was interesting!
Blaziken: Bah.
SC: *glares*
Stormfront: Can I have a shrubbery NOW?
SC: NO! STOP PESTERING ME!
Stormfront: Y__Y
Knights of Ni: You must return here with a shrubbery, or else you shall never pass through the woods in your story ALIVE! *dramatic lightning*
SC: O.O' Um. . . creepy. . . Anyway, That's the end of the chapter, tune in for the next chapter coming soon!