Author's Note: Wow, it's been a long time…-sweatdrop- Don't mind me. Anywho… sorry if this chapter is somewhat disconnected from the last, as I'm working on a different computer file and can't access my writing from my other file (I was an idiot and made it forbidden to access on the other files…grr). Yep, so now that school is done I'll be able to update more frequently (really, I was updating frequently up until the last month…ha). I just reread the last chapter and noticed like –gasp- three spelling mistakes! –Twitch- I'm ashamed of myself…oh well, I hope they weren't very noticeable…I mean, is "id" even a word? Yeah, I didn't think so!

I'm still taking characters if there are any new readers…ha.

Okay, so on with it (Thanks for the push Dinobot ;) )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pokemon related. I own my Lochbay Region, Nell, Merick, Kelly (not really, but oh well). Dinobot owns Kyle. FireSpirit owns Sofia…is that all? Okie, good.

Chapter Four: Into the Darkness

Dusk was approaching Eclipse Forest as two figures crouched beneath a large pine tree. Finding a way to ditch the ever optimistic Kelly was proving to be more difficult than it sounded. In the past few minutes, Kyle had come up with several different angles to their situation, only to have each one turned down by Squirtle.

He peered around the tree's broad trunk and opened his eyes wide as he noticed Kelly only mere feet away. He thought it was odd that she hadn't said anything in the last little while, especially considering that she had been shouting his name for hours. However odd it may have been, Kyle couldn't help but feel relieved, for at last his ears were saved. It was only to be expected that the girl could yell-it went with her abnormal perky attitude, which was scary enough. The boy wasn't used to being around loud people. His family was too serious to do anything but murmur, and his friends…Well it was suffice to say that he hadn't seen them in a while. After all, having been traveling around the region for a year made it hard to keep in touch.

Kyle could hear tree branches crack nearby and brought his hand over his mouth in attempted to muffle the sound of his breathing. She was close-closer than she had been. All he had to do was wait, for once Kelly was farther away he would be able to do multiple things that would improve his current condition.

"Kyle, I know you're here…" Kelly sang quietly. To be more discrete, the boy pressed the button on Squirtle's pokeball to return the Pokemon. He drew his knees tightly to his chest and leaned further into the tree. This was not good. All Kelly had to do was move around the tree.

Feeling like it was his last resort; Kyle picked up a rock and threw it a good twenty feet from their position. He shut his eyes and prayed that she didn't see the rock fly.

"Rina! There was a sound over there! Let's go!"

Kyle sighed in relief and stood up, readying stage one of his plan. If he was correct, Kelly would be far enough away from him for Kyle to be heard. He drew a blue pokeball from his belt and released his most hated Pokemon- Luvdisc. The small Pokemon chirped and jumped in spot upon seeing him.

"Okay, here's what you are going to do: Go jump in that river and distract the blonde girl over there." Kyle explained to the Pokemon.

"Hug?" Luvdisc asked.

"Later…" Her owner growled. He had no idea why his Luvdisc was obsessed with hugs; all he knew was that he had to give her one every time he wanted her to do something.

"Yay!"

The Pokemon hopped over to the water and started swimming against the downward current, squealing in laughter.

Stage one: complete.

Next, Kyle drew out Squirtle's pokeball and released his favourite companion. Squirtle- who had no doubt been sleeping- yawned and looked up at his owner.

"Yes?" Squirtle asked croakily, looking around to see if he was still in the same place. It was becoming increasingly darker and harder to see through the tall trees.

"Use Secret Power on this tree- we are camping in there tonight." Kyle said dejectedly.

Squirtle glowed a faint white colour and touched the tree, creating a hanging vine which notified the user that the tree was ready to be used as a base.

"Good, you can go in. Umm…" Kyle stopped for a moment. How was he going to safely bring Luvdisc back- not like he cared or anything, he just didn't want the small Pokemon to pound him. Passing the thought, he climbed up the vine and into the tree. He would figure out what to do later.

Processing commands through the black laptop room modifier quickly, Kyle glanced around his new room. His bed was placed at the far end of the room, a half-dome table on the right side with five stools against it, a surf rug in the middle of the floor, along with two small blue couches, and finally a bookshelf along the left wall. This was home-sweet-home…Almost. He couldn't help but miss is home and family in Carina Port. The Nolan family ran the Carina Marina- yes, he knew what that sounded like- and that was how he had gotten into water Pokemon. He missed swimming in the waters with his Pokemon, and he missed the S and S games.

Every summer the Carina Marina held the annual Spheal and Seal games. They guaranteed fun for everybody- whether they were participants or audience members. Kyle vowed that he would go back for them this year. He knew that he would qualify to play this year, as he had been training with his Sealeo any chance he got. At the end of the week-long competition, the top forty finalists won a cruise around the Mormora Region. Such a cruise would be amazing, it would be full of water Pokemon trainers just like him. Maybe he could learn something from them, but who knew?

Kyle sighed dreamily and received a hard punch from Squirtle. "What?" He glared at the turtle.

"You're doing it again." Squirtle stated. "Shouldn't we be figuring out a way to get Luvdisc back? You don't want Kelly to steal her do you?"

"She can steal her all she wants. I don't care." Kyle said, getting a stern look from Squirtle, who was now sitting on one of the bar stools. "Okay, fine…I'll get Sealeo to get her."

"Oh, that is really discrete sending a massive blob to get her. Yep, Kelly won't see him coming." Squirtle rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you go get her then."

"Why don't you call up your mother and see if she can transfer you a smaller Pokemon like Chinchou or someone?" Squirtle asked logically.

Kyle shook his head. He hadn't spoken to his mother in months, so it just didn't seem right to call her up for a favor now.

Before Kyle could answer, both his and Squirtle's heads perked up because of a loud screech.

It was coming from Kelly's direction.

"You know, we should probably go help her…"

"Fine."

The duo ran towards where they expected Kelly to be. It was getting harder to run with each inch, due to the excessive pine needles and rocks on the ground and darkness. Soon enough a Pokemon would have to use Flash in order to see. Kyle knew he had to hurry- none of his Pokemon knew the attack.

The screaming was becoming louder- clearer- the closer Kyle and Squirtle got to Kelly's estimated location. They had to be careful now- they were getting too close to the water's edge.

A HootHoot howled in the distance, waking up other nocturnal Pokemon. Dangerous Houndoom lurked the Eclipse Forest at night, some being deadly. Something serious could have happened to Kelly out there. Something that neither Rina nor Luvdisc could have protected her from.

Kelly screamed as though her life depended on it. She had been further into the forest then they had thought; she stood in the middle of a six tree circle, by a shrine dedicated to the forest's Houndoom. She had her hands over her heart, her knees bent and her hair still perfect. A look of terror wasn't found in her eyes, but a look of adoration.

In front of her stood…Luvdisc.

The words 'Uh oh' ran through Kyle's head as he appeared in front of her. How could he be so stupid? He reached down to Squirtle's pokeball on his belt and returned the Pokemon. He couldn't stand to look at him any longer.

"Cute!" Kelly screamed. "Hey! Look, I found Kyle! Look at the Luvdisc Kyle, isn't it adorable! Luvdisc are my absolute favourite Pokemon!"

"Oh Suicune…" Kyle muttered angrily.

"I think I'm going to catch this Luvdisc!" Kelly stated, still screaming. She drew an empty pokeball from her belt and threw it at the Pokemon. However, since it was Kyle's Pokemon, the pokeball bounced back to the girl's hand.

Kyle sighed and returned Luvdisc.

"Oh my! You know, you have better taste in Pokemon than I thought! I wish I had a Luvdisc! You're so lucky! I wish I had…oh wait, I already do have cute Pokemon, but that's beside the point." Kelly rambled loudly, running to Kyle and taking a hold of his arm. "So where are we and where are we going? You know, I've been looking all over for you! I must have just missed you! Oh well, that doesn't matter now, because I found you and I'm never leaving your side!"

Kyle looked at the clinging girl, mortified. She was going to drive him insane, he just knew it. "Do any of your Pokemon know flash?"

"Of course! What idiot doesn't teach their Pokemon flash in a forest such as this!" Kelly said, not knowing that the idiot she was asking about was Kyle. She released Rina and ordered the Delcatty to use Flash. "Ya know, I am so glad I found you! Now I have somebody to protect me from them big bad Houndooms!"

Kyle led Kelly back to the base and set up another bed. He couldn't just leave her out there, could he? That would be…inhumane. Despite how inhumane it would have been, he regretted letting her in the second she sat down on the plush blue couch.

"Ohh! This couch is comfy! Ya know, blue isn't really my colour, but I rather like this shade. I much prefer green…and pink! I wish there was a green and pink Pokemon! Is there? I'm not sure!"

"You know, if it is your sole mission to annoy the heck out of me, I must say you are succeeding." Kyle stated, irritated. He walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a book entitled "Spheal and Seal Rule Guide", though it wasn't long until Kelly was glancing over his shoulder curiously.

"Watcha reading?" Kelly asked, watching Kyle flip to the next page, where her eyes set on a handsome Seal. "Hey! Did you know that I have a Seal! Come out Shia!"

Moments later a white seal Pokemon with a pink bow tied around her neck appeared. Shia clapped enthusiastically.

Kyle stared at it and dropped his book. If she had a Seal and she was going to follow him, then that meant…

"No!"

The ancient gates of Marionette Town loomed over Nell's four-foot-ten frame. Her pink hair blew in the nights wind as she looked up at the tall guard tower, which held a man in his late fifties. The only way to get into the town was to go through the gate and the only way to do that was to get the sleeping man's attention. If she could get Palee to aim a Water Pulse attack at the building…but Palee was asleep and so was Ao- who Nell had learned did not like to fly.

"Hey, mister!" Nell tried yelling, only for her voice to come out in a quiet croak. She was tired and determined not to camp out on the hard ground. "That's it…" She muttered.

Drawing Palee's pokeball from her yellow belt, she threw it in the man's direction. Not to her surprise, it came tumbling back down and released an infuriated Palee.

"What do you want! I was sleeping!"

"I figured as much…Okay, I just really need you to do one little thing for me."

"Oh yeah, and what is that?" Palee asked in her grumpy mood.

"Shoot a Water Pulse attack at the big wooden box up there." Nell said as if it was the simplest thing in the world-which it wasn't.

"Oh yeah, right, well that isn't going to happen!"

"Palee…please. I'll buy you anything you want and I won't make you battle at the Marionette Town Gym…" Nell begged, looking at the Lotad.

She swore that if Palee didn't cooperate, she was going to find somebody to trade Pokemon with once she got into the gates, but until then she had to find a way to persuade the blue blob.

"Fine, but only because I want to go back to sleep."

Palee squirted bullets of water through the tower's window at the sleeping man, who tossed about and woke up looking annoyed and wet. Nell smiled up at him and waved him down, making sure to catch his attention. A light shone in the box, illuminating the nearby trees and the gate area below. Nell could see that the guard was a short scrawny man, possibly even older than she had imagined. Slowly, he made his way down the wooden ladder and approached Nell.

"Hello and welcome to Marionette town. What is your purpose for entering the city?" He asked quietly, taking in Nell and Palee. He gave the stern Pokemon and made it flinch.

"Palee, return." Nell murmured before looking straight at the man. "Oh, I'm here to challenge the gym leader." She smiled at him shyly.

"Can I see your I.D?"

"I.D?" Nell asked. She never knew that she had any identification, or that she needed any. Then again, it made sense to have some.

"Your pokedex, please."

Her pokedex, of course! Why hadn't she thought of that herself? She hit her head lightly and pulled the yellow gadget from her belt. "Here you go!"

The pokedex briefly explained who Nell was, confirming that she was in fact a Pokemon trainer, and that she didn't intend to cause any trouble or harm.

"Very good. Sableye! Open the gates!" The old guard ordered his Pokemon, who Nell assumed was on the other side of the tall gates.

"Oh, mister…Are Sableyes common around here?" Nell asked. During school she had thought that Sableyes were neat Pokemon and had always wanted one.

"Oh, not common, but if you look in the right places you could certainly find one." The old man said mysteriously before bowing out and heading back up the ladder.

Nell shrugged and walked through the gates, hoping to catch a glance of the ghost Pokemon, but was unable to see it. She sighed and continued walking in search of a hotel.

Ten minutes later, Nell rounded in on Puppet Hotel. Its appearance kind of reminded the girl of a wooden castle that would be in a medieval fort, kind of spooky and cool looking at the same time. However, as she got closer, she noticed that it wasn't wooden at all, but a different material all together, one that was unknown to even herself. It still looked like a castle though- it had a flag and everything!

The flag of Marionette Town waved in the breeze. It was a dark purple shade with a picture of what appeared to be some sort of abstract Banette in the center, surrounded by a light purple 'glow'. Nell supposed that Banette were the town's specialty Pokemon.

Every town in the Lochbay Region had a specialty Pokemon- a Pokemon that the town was known for, that acted like a mascot of sorts. Whitevale Beach's specialty Pokemon was Tropius, whereas Port Carina was both Spheal and Seal, and Eclipse Town was- of course- Houndoom. Nobody knew how these Pokemon were chosen, as they weren't necessarily common in the area, or necessarily used in the Pokemon gyms.

It hadn't taken long for Nell to check into the vacant hotel and enter her room. Pokemon trainers got a discount on the Castle Suits, so she figured she would go for one of them, and she was glad that she had. There was a circular king-sized bed, red satin sheets spread across it, at the back of the room, there was a walk-in closet, and a big bathroom on one side, and a couch, television and desk on the other. It was possibly the biggest hotel room she had ever stayed in- not like she stayed in many though.

Nell took off her belt and threw it and her backpack on the couch, choosing to lie across the bed. Feeling generous, she released both Ao and Palee and let them enjoy the comforts of their temporary home.

"Okay guys, rest up because tomorrow we're hitting the Marionette Town gym…" Nell said in a daze.

She had initially intended to blink, but the second her eyelids closed she fell into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, in the Marionette Town gym, a black-haired girl stood in shock, looking up at the gym leader, her Umbreon, Twilight, held close to her chest.

"Lose? I'm sorry, but the word 'Lose' isn't in my vocabulary! I can't accept this!" She shouted in frustration.

The pale woman in front of her laughed, her Banette mimicking her. "You, little girl, must accept this fate. It is purely your fault and nobody else's. If you dare to challenge me again, come back tomorrow, for I believe that you will need your beauty sleep." The woman taunted.

"Oh, you better believe I'll come back tomorrow." Sofia growled through her teeth. She turned around a started out the door, only to turn back around again and say, "Oh, and tomorrow you better not cheat!"

She would show her! If she was going to go out with a bang, it might as well have been a semi-sarcastic bang!

Author's Note: Okay, yeah I intended on making this longer, but it'll do. I'll update again probably tomorrow, because, honestly, I have a lot on my mind and this really helped me forget it all :( Yep, so until then…

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