The bedraggled Breloom cried out in pain. Her leg twisted horribly in the steel edged wire, but thankfully, didn't break. The leg was bleeding badly now, blood flowing over the silver wire to be washed away by the constant rain that made this area a near swamp. Only the toughest of plants and Pokemon could survive here, and even those found life difficult.
She muffled a scream when the wire tightened again, cutting deeper into her flesh. Screaming would only bring predators, and she didn't need that right now. She gingerly chewed at the thick cable, but her beak was nowhere near sharp enough to break through it to free her.
She tried using her powerful arms to punch the peg that held her out of the ground, but only succeeded in driving it deeper, making the wire tighten. She felt a new, agonizing wave of pain, and knew that the trap had cut quite deep now. She shifted her weight and almost yelped when she realized that the bunching of muscles made the wire cut even more.
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes, and the Breloom caught sight of a form moving behind them. She tensed; ready for anything that might emerge, but cried out in despair when she saw the Grovyle and Scyther slash their way through the thick foliage.
The Breloom scrambled to the end of the wire, wincing at the pain, but not caring. She saw the Grovyle look her way, an amused look on its face, before the fighting Pokemon fell to the ground when her leg buckled.
So much pain engulfed her that she almost blacked out. She was sure that her beaten leg had finally broken, and she closed her eyes in final defeat. She waited for the killing stroke that she was sure would come, but opened her eyes after a few moments.
The Grovyle was digging out the peg! Soon, the wooden stake was out of the wet ground, and the wire suddenly loosened from the exhausted Breloom's limb. She sighed, but realized that the trap was still wrapped around her leg; she twisted around to remove it.
When the wire was finally off, the wound bled more profusely than ever, welling up so that the rain could not wash it away fast enough. The Breloom squeaked in alarm, but suddenly the Scyther was beside her, spreading a thick salve over the deep wound. When the bug Pokemon was finished, the bleeding had stopped, and there were enough plants around to provide a suitable bandage.
The Breloom nodded in thanks, but suddenly her tiredness was overwhelming, and she could keep off sleep no longer. She lowered her head and fell into a deep slumber where she lay.
Rain poured down from the dark sky, drenching Dark to the bone from the moment he stepped into the Great Storm. Lightning flashed in the clouds, illuminating everything around him for a brief second. He shook the water off his skin, only to be immediately drenched again.
Dark sighed, why would Aquamarine ever be in this place? He had found no food for at least a day now, and he was becoming extremely hungry. Suddenly, the Grovyle spotted a swift shape in the underbrush, and he pounced after the Linoone. The frightened Pokemon dashed off into the thick foliage, and Dark followed. He snapped his formidable jaws down when he was close to the fleeing rodent, but realized that the normal Pokemon had dodged out of the way and was too far ahead to catch now.
Annoyed, the male Grovyle hissed at the rapidly dwindling figure and loped to a swiftly surging stream running between two thick copses of trees. As he lapped up the cool water, he saw a slowly drifting fish begin to pass by. He shot out his claws, spearing the struggling Pokemon and bringing it to the surface. The Feebas tried to escape, but could do little more than splash.
Dark swiftly killed the fish, and brought it up onto a bank to feed. Soon, only the thick bones remained. Suddenly, he noticed a print in the wet mud that had been sheltered by an overhanging leaf. It was a Grovyle print, and the faint scent around it clued that the Pokemon was female.
Dark's hope soared; there may yet be a chance to save the clan. Refreshed by his meal, he stood and followed the direction of the marks into the shadowed trees. Soon, the only clue to show that he had been there were a pile of waterlogged bones.
In the darkness, twin reflections shown bright by the flashing lightning. A dark form slid cautiously out of cover, shivering at the dense rain, and gently nosed the bones. The creature smiled, showing sharp fangs, and loped off on the trail of the male Grovyle.
Aquamarine woke tothe sound of the dull crashing of machinery. She shot up, aware that something was very wrong. The Great Storm had dwindled in the night, and now only the tiniest amount of drizzle fell in the dim light of morning.
The source of the sound roared into sight, and Aquamarine almost froze in fear. She woke Slice and the nameless Breloom, urging them to be quiet and hide, but the truck had already caught sight of them.
There was a sharp report, burning in Aquamarine's ears and making her cringe. She looked to her friends only to find that Slice had a long needle embedded in her shoulder. The Scyther flicked it off, but her movements were decidedly sluggish, and soon she fell to the ground, fast asleep.
Another sharp report echoed through the forest, and the Breloom cried out as she shook off another of the darts. Aquamarine watched in horror as she, too, fell, and then the female Grovyle was harshly brought back to reality as another dart whizzed past her, missing her flank by millimeters.
Aquamarine turned and fled, using all her agility to escape the truck she was sure would soon be roaring after her. When nothing appeared, she finally stopped, exhausted for the moment. Looking back, she could see nothing through the dark brush. The blue Grovyle hesitated, then, as if she had come to a difficult decision, crept to where the three had made camp the previous day.
The truck had pulled alongside the two sleeping Pokemon, and a pair of humans emerged. Aquamarine had never seen a human before, and they puzzled her; they had no claws, fangs, or spines, yet they were the most feared species on the planet. She didn't spend long wondering why, for she had just gotten the answer, but her friends were in trouble, and she must help them.
The men opened caged that were attached to the back of the truck, using their nimble thumbs to open the locks. They then lifted the still sleeping forms of her friends and put one in each cage, closing and locking the barred doors after. Aquamarine was just close enough to hear their conversation.
"Argh, too bad we didn't get the Shiny Grovyle, she would have been a prize for the zoo!"
"Yeah, but now we know that there's one here, and it won't take long for another patrol to bring her in."
"Would be better if we bring her in!"
"We still might! These are the first captures of the day, so we can come back and search!"
"Good enough... Hey! It looks like the Breloom was caught in a trap lately!"
"Damn poachers," muttered the other man.
"Well, we'll get her in as fast as we can, right Andy?"
The other man just grunted, and the first left it at that. They loaded into the truck and began to drive away, but the mud slowed their progress. Aquamarine easily kept up with the pace as she followed. Soon, they burst into sunlight, out of the Great Storm at last.
The truck began to speed up, and Aquamarine found herself having trouble keeping pace. She kept doggedly on, even though the truck was rapidly distancing itself from her. Soon, she lost sight of it altogether and had to rely on her keen sense of smell to track it.
She was forced to keep close to the road to be able to track properly, and this made her nervous. Humans always kept close to roads, and she didn't particularly want to meet one. She heard a sudden noise, and sighed; so much for hoping against the inevitable.
The human took a red and white ball out of his pocket, shouting as he threw it. Aquamarine took up a fighting stance and waited for the confrontation, hoping against all odds that her leg was healed enough for this battle.
A blast of red light engulfed the road, and Aquamarine saw the long form of a Wingull fly above her. She growled and kept her eye on it, for this particular pokemon was both strong and weak against her type at the same time.
"Wingull, Quick Attack!" yelled the trainer.
The bird swooped down towards Aquamarine at blinding speed, leaving a dust trail behind it. She was ready for this move, though, and she waited until the Wingull got too close to change direction and sidestepped. The bird went shooting past, shrieking its fury as it tried to turn for another pass.
"Wingull, use Wing Attack!" shouted the trainer over the bird's cawing.
The Wingull managed to turn at high speed and raced towards the Grovyle, wings glowing as it prepared its attack. Aquamarine easily dodged it again, enjoying the challenge, and decided to try out an attack of her own. She waited until the Wingull turned, trying to make a pass at her again.
She grinned at the bird as it realized its mistake and tried to roll out of the way. Aquamarine slashed with the leafs of her forearms; slicing the Wingull's sides and making it fall to the ground. She leapt on top of it, ready to deal the killing blow, but was surprised to find only insubstantial red light beneath her feet.
She glared at the trainer, annoyed by the battle and the loss of her meal. The boy looked worried, and she bared her teeth to make him even more nervous. He carefully walked to the far side of the road and waited for her to pass, looking petrified. Aquamarine smiled and walked down the road, pleased at beating the trainer's Pokemon so easily.
She trotted down the street, on the trail of the truck once again. The scenery here was beautiful, and she frequently considered stopping to enjoy the view, but the thought of her friends kept her at a steady pace all evening. She finally came to twin gates with human writing scrawled at the top. She read it carefully, for she was not fully fluent in Human.
'Safari Zone Zoo' was printed in large yellow letters on a forest green sign. Aquamarine studied the bars of the gate, and found a place near the hinge where she might be able to squeeze through. As she entered the Zoo, she carefully watched all of the cages, noting what species were residing in each one.
The foremost cage held a rather large herd of Donphan, and Aquamarine looked hungrily at the uneasily milling group of elephant Pokemon before moving on. It wasn't long before she found the cage of Scyther, but to her horror, Slice was not among them. She approached the cage warily, ready for anything.
"What business does the enemy of our kind have here, on our ground?" came a hissing voice from inside.
"I ask for information, nothing more." said Aquamarine.
"What information do you want?" asked the voice, coming into the light to reveal an older, but still strong, Scyther.
"I inquire about a Scyther, a female Scyther who just came here."
"She came, yes, but the humans took her away after we refused to let her enter the clan."
"Where is she now?" asked Aquamarine, showing a slight indication of anger in her voice.
The old Scyther grinned, showing still sharp teeth, and shook his head.
"Manners, outsider, manners. I know not where this female resides, but I have a clue that she may be in the Breloom cage. Go, and leave us in peace." he turned and stepped into the shadows, leaving Aquamarine standing at the cage front in silence.
She turned abruptly and followed her keen sense of smell until she reached the Breloom cage. As she peered in, she could just make out the forms of several Breloom and a Scyther at the other end of the enclosure.
"Slice," she called, "are you there?"
"Aquamarine?" came the reply, "Where have you been? Powder and I have been here forever!"
"Powder?" asked Aquamarine, puzzled.
"That would be me," said the Breloom beside Slice.
"Oh, I never got your name, sorry."
"It's okay, I didn't know your name until Slice told me."
"Where's the lock on the cage?"
"It's near the back, in the building..."
Aquamarine sighed, knowing that she would probably need outside help to get into the building. She went around to the doors, and though the lock was easy to get off, she could see that the security system was on at full blast. She didn't know much about security systems, but she decided to give it a shot. She carefully walked through the door, stepping over the barely distinguishable lines that marked where the alarms would be triggered, and made her way to the cage door.
Luckily, the cage was right next to the entrance of the building, and she could easily get to it, but the locked gate was extremely complicated. Aquamarine tried to unlock it, but as soon as she touched the catch, the alarm went off. She sped through the door; not caring about the alarm triggers anymore, and dashed to the main gates of the Zoo. After squeezing through, she looked back to see the lights just beginning to turn on in the main buildings.
She looked out into the darkness, cursing her luck. She definitely needed to find help now...