Author's Note: Yay, more bonding! Jade, Sphinx, Grey Eyed Fighter, thank you for all your support, this chapter goes out to you!

NAME: Sage Domingo

AGE: 30

HOME: Violet City

HAIR: buzz cut black

EYES: black

CLOTHES: Black uniform

FUN FACT: He believes that peaceful bonding builds stronger fighting in regards to pokemon.

Krysta's giggles died down into a happy smile. Her pokemon kept her under their warm weight until she tried pushing them off. They wouldn't budge.

"Hey! What is this?" she asked, mildly annoyed.

"PIDGEY!" said Storm, right by her ear.

"What?" Krysta asked, confused.

"PID-GEY!" Storm said again, annunciating it more clearly.

Krysta thought for a moment and pulled out her pokedex and qued it.

The mechanized voice translated Storm's squawk into "We will win!"

Krysta agreed whole heartedly, but Sage Dom cut in. "No. Not with this gossamer strand to tie yourselves together with. We must train more! Now in this next exercise..."

He droned on. After several different intense yet fun activities, Dom declared her "Ready for the path of Enlightenment."

Krysta barely knew what that was, but she decided that she could do anything as long as she had her team with her. Standing up, she brushed herslef off and recalled all of her pokemon. Zell, who had been forced to participate in many of the activities, followed her and Dom back to the main hallway.

The Sage led them to an ornately carved door that bore inscriptions in an ancient language, carvings of Bellsprout and Dratini along the edges of the door, and a letter tacked to it.

"To the prospective trainer wanting to travel the Path of Enlightenment: Fear not the darkness unless you have no one to trust. If you cannot bend, you will break. Instinct alone cannot guide you. Trust is fundamental. There may be only one trainer on the Path at a time. May your way shine in the darkness.

-Master Ohi"

Krysta took a deep breath and opened the door. It was heavy and at least two inches thick. The passage was dark and forboding. Krysta held the door open and turned back towards the light. She solomnly put her hand up and waved goodbye, then slid into the dark abyss. She hesitantly stepped forward in the inky blackness. The door closed behind her with an onimous click.

Slowly, she made her way through the passage with her arms outstretched. She bumped into a wall. Turning to her left she continued, but hit another wall in the process. She turned around again and walked back to where she had hit the wall the first time. A groaning behind her made her jump.

Quickly, she called out Echo and her pokedex. "Echo...whats that noise?"

A quick chatter towards the direction of the noise and then Echo's reply ("Zu-u bat..Zubatzu...Bat Bat!") was all that she could detect. Her pokedex chimed and translated. "Bellsprout in front..Big square Bellsprout...tree."

Krysta didn't understand at all, so she had him come away from it. Echo proved mighty useful. His echolocation kept her from running into walls. Suddenly, a light flared. An older sage with a Bellsprout stood in the hallway. The light seemed to be coming from Bellsprout's leaves.

"Greetings traveler. Let me see your trust. Go, Bellsprout!"

Krysta decided to go with Echo.

"Echo, Supersonic, then follow up with a Leech Life!" She cried, unconciously miming Echo's movements as he reared back and emitted an ultrasonic burst of confusing sound. Her body twisted and danced in time with Echo's motions. It just felt right to her to move with her pokemon.

The Bellsprout fought valiantly, but even then, it was no match for Echo.

The Supersonic not only confused the Bellsprout, but also knocked it over completely. The Leech Life was almost brutal in its efficiancy. The Bellsprout glowed greenish white, then the light condensed into a ball and flew up towards Echo.

As the grass type pokemon fell, the Sage bowed to her and recalled his pokemon. He nodded and stepped to the side. He had been standing infront of a ladder.

"Trainer, you may pass. Good luck farther on. Do you have any questions so far?" the Sage asked with a smile.

Krysta asked about the pillar. "What is that thing?"

The Sage smiled knowingly as he replied. "It is the central pillar of this complex. It flexes when trainers on the top floor battle. It is said to be the stalk of a hundred foot tall Bellsprout..."

That awed Krysta. Silently, she climbed the ladder to the next floor.

This floor was dimly lit and was quite spacious. Krysta saw several items on the floor and picked them up, becoming the new owner of a potion, an antidote, and a pokeball.

The Sage in here was also waiting infront of a ladder. He bowed slightly to her and spoke. "Congratulations on making the first step on the Path to Enlightenment. You have demonstrated trust, now show me flexibility!"

He expertly tossed a pokeball out. An older Bellsprout writhed comfortably.

Krysta decided to let Dorcy take this Bellsprout. "Go, Dorcy! Use Scary Face and follow with Poison Sting!"

Dorcy sprang into action with impressive ability. Her eyes glowed golden and pierced into the Bellsprout, who became more hesitant with its moves. The Poisonsting hit the grass type full on and caused it to shudder with pain.

The Sage commanded his pokemon with skill. "Bellsprout, Wrap!"

The Bellsprout nodded once and sent two vines whipping at Dorcy. As Krysta yelled for her to dodge it, the Spinarak was jumping, flipping, and sliding to avoid the leaves. Dorcy fired another round of Poison Sting at the defensless Bellsprout and had it down. The Sage, like the one before him, nodded once and stepped aside for her to continue.

Krysta ascended the ladder with pride, happy that she was finally bonding with her pokemon. The next room was brightly lit. The wooden walls, floors, and ceilings shone with polish. The center spire was old and wrinkled looking, like a jungle vine.

There were two Sages in here. She had to challenge the yunger to make her way to the older one, so she did. Pidgey quickly knocked the two Bellsprouts the Sage carried out.

She bowed to the old Sage before he could say anything. Behind this Sage was a door. She desperately wanted to know what was behind it.

The old man bowed back at her and pulled out his first of three pokeballs. He released a Pidgey and waited for her.

"Go, Aqua!"

The little blue pokemon happily toddled out to face the more experienced Pidgey. Both trainers ordered their pokemon at the exact same second.

"Pidgey, Gust attack!"

"Hit 'em with Hypnosis Aqua!"

The Pidgey flapped its wings harder and harder, building up a small tornado. Before the whirlwind could be launched, however, Aqua had entranced the bird pokemon and sent it to sleep. The Pidgey slumped over, snoring slightly.

Krysta nodded happily. "Okay, Bubble!"

Aqua used Bubble until the Pidgey fainted. The next adversary was a Bellsprout. Krysta changed pokemon and called out Hoothoot.

"Okay, Hoothoot, I want you to use Peck!" Hoothoot obliged and expertly drilled the Bellsprout with his beak. The Bellsprout didn't even get a chance to put up a fight before it fainted. The Sage called out a Hoothoot next.

The two owl pokemon stared at each other. Finally, Krysta's spread his wings and hooted at his adversary, then charged him with a Tackle. The two pokemon began brawling under their trainers' commands. It was a close battle, but Krysta's Hoothoot emerged victorious. Hoothoot, however, would need to see a pokecenter before Krysta would bring him into battle again.

The Sage stepped out of her path and bowed to her. "May your enlightenment serve you well.." he said as she passed. The door here was an exact duplicate of the one downstairs. She pushed the door open and was nearly blinded by the strong light within the chambers.

A deep, yet quavery voice ordered her to follow it. She hesitated, then stepped boldly forward. She hadn't traveled through darkness to be scared of light. Even if she was scared, she had her pokemon with her, and nothing could stop her from anything with them beside her.

The man she found on the other side of the room was tall and proud. He was completely bald and had deepset serious eyes. He nodded to her.

"Young trainer, I am Master Ohi. You have journeyed far, but it has only begun. We shall not battle, but we shall talk. Tell me, what are your pokemon to you?"

Krysta hesitated, trying to find the best words to describe her team. "They're...my family...my partners...my friends..." she said at last. Master Ohi nodded.

"Why have you journeyed here?" He asked.

"To learn about myself and my pokemon." She answered firmly. Again, she was rewarded with a nod.

"And finally, may I see your pokemon?" He asked, beckoning to a figure in the light.

Krysta called her team out and presented them to Master Ohi. The lights dimmed and an Alakazam came beside Ohi. It stared at the little pokemon turn by turn. Master Ohi's eyes were slightly glazed, as if listening to somoeone who wasn't there.

"Ala...ala-kazam. Kaz-ala!" The Alakazam's eyes flitted to hers briefly. The deep purle eyed locked with hers and finally broke to turn to Echo.

Finally, Master Ohi blinked and smiled at Krysta.

"You have done a fine job teaching these pokemon. May your way always shine. "He handed her a small box with a smile.

"This is a Hidden Machine move. A Hidden Machine is a move that can be taught to pokemon multiple times, compared to a Technical Machine, which can only be taught once. This one is Flash. Use it to light dark cave and show the way. Godd luck in your journey, young trainer."

Before she could say anything, the Alakazam Transported her back to the main hallway. Her pokemon all returned to their pokeballs. She saw Zell and Sage Dom standing where she left them: staring at the large wooden door with rapt attention, waiting for her to emerger victorious.

Sneaking up behind them, she decided to scare them.

"Hi." Was all that she said. Zell jumped out of his skin, but Sage Dom merely turned around and nodded.

"So you have traveled the Path. Congratulations."

Krysta beamed with pride. She started to lead the group towards the door, but paused when she saw a nebulous shape floating in front of her. Two wide, purple eyes stared at her from the dusky blackish cloud.

"Gassssssstly." The pokemon hissed quietly. Slowly, Krysta released Aqua.

"Just use Bubble, Aqua." She said quietly.

The Poliwag nodded and blew three bubbles at the Ghost pokemon. Gastly started to fade from sight, but the bubbles hit it and made it glow soflty for a few seconds. The vaporous pokemon descended around Aqua and opened its mouth wide. It long, pink toung licked Aqua on the face. Aqua shivered for a moment and used Bubble on it again.

Krysta threw the pokeball she had found earlier at the weakened Gastly. The pokeball didn't even rock. However, when the button glowed red, the pokebal started to fade.

Krysta dived at her newly caught pokemon. "WAHHH!?"

Zel pulled her up and explained. "You can only carry six pokemon...I thought you knew that!"

Krysta smiled sheepishly. "Yeah...just got into the battle and all and wanted to talk to Gastly...anyway...I think I'm ready for Falkner now.

Zell nodded. "I think you are too."

As they started to leave, Master Ohi and Sage Dom came running after them.

"Wait, young trainer! By being under Sage Domingo's tutelage and having defeated all of my Sages, you have the oppourtunity to join our order as a Sage." Master Ohi said.

Krysta smiled broadly. "I would love to. What do I need to do?"

Master Ohi bowed to her. "You must defeat me in battle."