To Be One with Nature

Dear Diary,

The past few days have been stressful. One day Jeremy decided to ask Jim to train us because he thought we needed to get into shape to match XANA. The joke was on him. Jim made him do it too. The pain, but I have to admit, Jeremy can stand up to a wild boar that XANA sent after us. XANA blasted a comet and sent a massive piece to the factory the next day or two. Aelita was able to outsmart XANA and foil that evil plot. Now we are going to a lake in the forest. The animals and Pokemon. Great. Yumi is missing all the fun because she is in a different grade...Who am I kidding? Between Jim acting like a Sargent and Ms. Hertz making this trip boring as possible...plus I am writing about this because XANA made an electricity-blasting sludge that shocks the daylight out of anyone that touches it. So this is after a return to the past. So I am writing on the bus before we leave. I get sick if I read or write in a moving vehicle.

Allison.

"Well, I kinda want to spend time with... Aelita..." Jeremy said while he and Aelita blushed. "Oh. I get it, Einstein!" Ulrich said. "How cute!" Dawn said. Jeremy and Aelita sit across from Ulrich and Odd. Dawn and Brock sit behind Jeremy and Aelita. Allison and Ash sit behind Ulrich and Odd. Allison rests her head on Ash's chest. "Tired?" Ash asked. "Maybe? What are you going to do about it?" Allison asked. Ash lifts her chin and kisses her hard. "Are you guys going to do that the whole weekend?" Brock asked. "Sure!" Allison said sarcastically. "We would love to get caught by GI-Joe Jim or by Ms. Hertz," Ash said. "Sneaking around, huh?" Odd said. "I would love to bust the two of you! You guys make me sick!" Leona said. She is sitting next to Destiny and behind Ash and Allison. "Mind your own business!" Allison said. "Did we interrupt your make-out session mouse!" Destiny said. "Don't you dare call me that!" "Are you going to defend your friend?, Dee-Dee!" Leona shouted. "Fuck you!" Dawn shouted back. "Dee-Dee?" Aelita question. "Small story. Leona is just being a bitch!" Dawn said. "Boo-hoo!" Destiny said. "I hope you don't cry if there are Pluses and Minums out there!" Dawn unbuckled her seat belt. Brock grabbed her. "You stay here!" "I am not afraid of them anymore!" Dawn said. "We'll see!" Leona said. "You know what. You can just screw someone over! You like fucking in bushes. Just like you fuck Mario on our Eighteth-grade trip!" Brock said. Everyone was silent. Leona just puts headphones in her ears and pouts. Moxie and Ash J, sitting behind Dawn and Brock, broke the silence. "Wow! I was going to jump in, but Brock, you nailed it!" Moxie said. "Thanks. Where's Rocky?" "Remember! Rocky only past science, so he is at the academy with nothing to do!" Ash J said.

Yumi plays with Kiwi before her next exam. She notices Rocky sitting by himself, so she decides to approach him. "Rocky? How come you're not on the trip?" Yumi asks. "Becasue, I passed ninth-grade science. So there is no need to go. Plus, nobody is in class. But I have extra work in my other classes," Rocky says. "Bummer. Have fun," Yumi says as she plays catch with Kiwi. "Can I play too? Odd would never let me near Kiwi." "Why?" "Well, I may or may not have let a raccoon loose in the dorms and may or may not have let it chase Kiwi around." Yumi laughs. "Yeah, I can see why that is a problem." Rocky laughs as well.

Now, back to the trip. Our heroes are using the environment as their classroom. The first task involves Dawn, Ash, Brock, and Odd. They are observing a group of Lotad. "Lotad! That seems boring," Odd says. "Not at all. Lotad is a fun Pokemon that gets around. Plus, their backs can be used lily pads as a way of hiding from other Pokemon," Brock says. "How do you know so much?" "Brock had a Lotad that evolved to a Ludicolo," Ash says. "I wanna see," Odd asks. Brock shows Odd some videos. Meanwhile, Dawn has a feeling she is being watched. "Is someone here?" Dawn asks. She looks around and sees nothing but trees. "Dawn, you have to see this video," Ash says. "Coming," Dawn says. After a while, the strange feeling goes away until, "Well, well. It looks like it's a small world after all," a creepy voice says. Everyone looks up. "Conway!" Dawn says. "No way. The chances of Conway being here are-" Ash starts but Conway finishes. "100%," Dawn jumps and hides behind Odd. "Conway?" Brock asks. Odd notices that Dawn sees uneasy around Conway. "Is everything okay?" Odd asks. "Conway tends to appear out of nowhere, and that is creepy as fuck," Dawn says. "On the contrary, I study the room and appear when it is necessary," Conway says. Dawn tools her eyes. "Plus, studying someone is a good way to get to know them." "In a creepy way," Ash says. "Do you even go to our school?" Odd asks. "I do," Conway says. "No, you don't!" Brock says. "Fine. My school is studying the area for a field trip. So, I'm going to see you all around. Right, Dawn?" Conway says with a wink. Dawn gets chills up her spine. "We have Lotad to observe," Dawn says as she drags the boys away. During the day, the group observed the Lotad. The Lotad take care of their eggs. Odd leans in to take a picture when he trips and exposes the group to the Lotad. The Lotad gets defensive. sh decides to talk to the Pokemon. "Hey, we don't mean any harm. We only want to sit here and enjoy the scenery." The Lotad look at each other and spray Water Gun at Ash. "Hey, it was my fault that you saw us," Odd says. So the Lotad sprays all of them with water. "Run, let's get out of here," Dawn says as she is sprayed. Later, as the group dries off, Dawn gets a creepy vibe again. "Conway, shouldn't you be with your class?" Dawn asks. Conway appears from the brushes and scares Odd. "What the fuck?" Odd says. "I see, the Lotad were scared by your presence. Was it Ash's impulse or Odd's lack of experience?" Odd and Ash growl. "Conway, where is your school?" Brock asks. "A few miles north. I will join them soon. But I need to check out my former tag-teammate." "You mean Dawn. I remember seeing Ash, Brock, and Dawn competing in the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle on TV years ago," Odd says. "You say us?" Dawn asks. "I did. And Paul. He has come a long way with his respect for Ash but fighting over a girl is crazy." "I see. Paul goes to your school as well. Well, I hope your study goes well," Conway says as he fixes his glasses. Dawn rolls her eyes. A few minutes later, the group observes the Lotad again, but a small Lotad, perhaps a baby, waddles away and gets stuck in the mud. "Lotad!" It cries. The other Lotad tries to use Bubble Beam and Bullet Seed to free the baby, but no luck. The baby cries. "Lotad!" "We have to help," Odd says. "Last time, we got sprayed," Ash says. The boys noticed that Dawn was MIA. "Dawn?" Brock asks. Dawn walks up to the Lotad. "My friends and I noticed that your baby is in need. May we please help you?" Dawn clasps her hands and asks from the bottom of her heart. The leader of the Lotad approaches Dawn and looks at her. They lock eyes. "Lotad," the leader says. "Okay. We can help," Dawn says. So the group pulls on the baby Lotad while the older Lotad use Water Gun to loosen the mud until...pop! The baby Lotad comes out. "Lotad!" The baby Lotad jumps on the group's heads to thank them. "You are welcome," Brock says. Dawn gets a creepy feeling, and then Conway appears. "So, Dawn's kindness saves the day." "Why do you appear out of nowhere?" Odd asks. "The questioning is my job," Conway says. The Lotad notice that Conway is annoying, so they spray him. "Ahh!" Conway shouts as he runs away. The group laughs.

Oh, Conway. Anyway, let's see what Allison, Aelita, Jeremy, and Ulrich are doing. "We have to fish for water Pokemon in the lake and record the data. "Is there another assignment?" Allison asks. "No. Why do you ask?" Ms. Hertz asks. Because, everything I go fishing, I end up catching a Gyarados." Ms. Hertz laughs. "I heard that before. However, I can assure you that there is no such Pokemon in the lake." Allison nods. Over by the lake, Jeremy sets up the fishing line while Aelita gets the camera ready. "According to our workbooks, we should find loads of Pokemon," Ulrich says. Allison nods. "Okay. But I still stand by my comment." "Why don't you explain?" "When I used to travel with my friends Lily and Ian, we fish for Pokemon. Every time we fished, we found Gyarados. Only one time did Ian catch one for competition. Other times, it would use Water Pulse on us." Aelita laughs. "That is silly. I think that is luck." "Yeah, Gyarados! Come on! I think it was the time of day of the season," Jeremy says. "No way!" Allison says. "I doubt in the snow I would see one, but I did! It was pissed that we caught it!" "Who told it to take the bait!" Ulrich teases. "Now come on, we have Pokemon to catch!" Jeremy goes first. He throws the line in the lake, and he catches a Pokemon within a minute. "A Goldeen," Jeremy says. Aelita takes pictures of it. "Hey, can use usWater Pulse in the water then swim towards it and use Aqua Ring?" Allison asks. Goldeen agrees, and the combination creates a rainbow of ripples in the water and makes Goldeen sparkle. "Whoa! Is that a combination move that you used in a contest?" Aelita asks. "It is. I used it in Unova. It earned me my highest First Stage score ever," Allison says. "And you won the Grand Festival, right?" Jeremy asks. "I did. I won it in every region that Pokemon Contest was held." "Can we see?" Ulrich asks. "Sure. Once we released the Goldeen," Allison says. After letting Goldeen go, Allison shows her friends her First Stage performance with her Swanna and Vaporeon. "Whoa, the double Aqua Ring looks beautiful," Aelita says. "Thanks," Allison says while she blushes. After that, it was Ulrich's turn. First, he catches a boot. "It smells," Ulrich says. Then, he catches a Mudkip. "It's cute!" Aelita says. "Mudkip!" Mudkip agrees. It uses Rock Smash and Rock Throw as Aelita takes pictures. "So strong. Can it use Surf?" Jeremy asks. Mudkip can and does. It rides the waves, and a huge wave comes inches from the group. "Wipeout!" Ulrich cries out. However, a second Mudkip jumps from the water and uses protect on the group do the can be covered by the Surf and see some other Pokemon in the water. "It is like we are in an aquarium," Allison says. "Cool! Thank you!" Jeremy says. "Aelita can take my turn," Allison says. Jeremy walks up to Allison a speaks to her. "Listen. A fucking Gyarados will not come from the water! Relax!" "If you say so," Allison says. "Well, think that it will not happen, and it won't," Aelita says. "Fine," Allison says. Allison waits about twenty minutes by the fishing line. "I can't believe that Allison thinks that a Gyarados will come from the lake," Jeremy says. At the same time, Allison feels a huge pull. "I mean, she has been through it loads of times," Ulrich says. Allison pulls back, but she needs more strength. "Well, give her credit. She has been on many adventures as a trainer," Aelita says. "Help!" Allison says. Jeremy and Ulrich help her as Aelta takes pictures. Allison gives one final pull, and a Gyarados comes out. "A Gyarados!" The group screams. The Pokemon is not happy because the bait tricked it. Allison's bait is tasty, but the Pokemon thought it was food, not fishing bait. The Gyarados growls and use Water Gun. The group runs as Aelita takes a picture of the Gyarados and sprints ahead. "What the fuck? How are you up there?" Allison asks as she runs. "Someone needs to live to tell the tale," Aelita shouts. Gyarados uses Water Pulse, and the group hides in the brushes, then runs again. Back at the camp, they are all out of breath, and Ms. Hertz is dumbfounded. "Okay, Allison's was right. There can be a Gyarados in the water." "I mean, we meet some other Pokemon, and Allison taught one a wicked combination," Ulrich says. Ash J looks at the pictures. "Allison, you look badass in these pictures." "Thanks," Allison says.

Later in the evening, the students find out that Jim makes them cook the food themselves. Brock decides to cook for his friends. He made soup, and sandwiches, and Rice balls. "This brings us back to our Sinnoh days," Dawn said. "It does!" Ash said, falling on his back from stuffing his face. "Wow. Did you cook all the time?" Allison asked. "Yes. What about you?" Brock asked. Allison thinks. "I know my friend Ian was no cook. So it was between me and my other friend, Lily. She grows up with her father being an Iron chef." "What!" Dawn said. "Yep. She wanted to explore all she could before her father forced her to train with him. She and her Sneasel were a pair." "I remember back at the Heroes' Summit..." Ash started before Dawn cut him off. "Don't say that word. I still have nightmares of Team Rocket from last year." "I know me too," Brock said. "The pain," Allison said. "As I was saying. I remember Ian and his Skarmory were tough to beat." Ash said. "But you did," Allison said. Allison kisses him, and Ash blushes. She grabs the rice ball and lies down to eat it when she sees Odd's face very close to hers. "Odd!" Allison jumps up. Odd, Aelita, Jeremy, and Ulrich looked at their friends' feast with hungry and angry eyes. "Nice to see you finally came," Brock said. "What do you mean? How could you do this to me?" Odd said, holding his stomach. "Didn't you get a note saying come this way?" Ash said. "I found something that said: follow the yellow brick road," Ulrich said. "Dawn!" Allison said. "Sorry, I was thinking about the wizard of Oz when I made the spell." Odd quickly grabbed a bowl and started eating. "Odd! You are going to choke!" Ash said. "Please. You ate just like him a while ago." Allison said. Everybody laughed. Ash grabbed Allison and rubbed his face on hers. Ash J and Moxie come by with Jimmy and Marnia. "Gross, I'm leaving," Ash J says. "Please, I want free food," Moxie says. the group all eat and talk about their adventures. "Helping a baby Lotad is amazing," Aelita says. "But the combination that Allison taught Goldeen on the spot was epic," Marnia says. "But that Gyarados. I mean Allison, I think you attract them," Ash J says. "But at least Jeremy ran the faster he even has in his life," Odd says. "You know. I'll give you that because I agree with you," Jeremy says. Later, Leona and Destiny appear along with Paul. "Come on, we all can eat," Ash says. "Even you too, Sissi, Nicholas, and Herve," Ulrich says. The trio falls out of the brushes. The group all cheer to a day full of fun and talk the night away in front of the fire.

Meanwhile, Yumi invited Rocky to her house for dinner. Her father insisted on a family game night, so Yumi dragged him along for support. It was fun to see Mr. Ishyama lose at Pictionary. Everyone looks up at the stars and reflects on the day at the camp. The Pokemon they have met and their adventures before and after the RTTP. It almost feels like they were trainers again. After the weekend, the Lyoko Warriors were reunited and back at fighting XANA. Sissi and her gang got Poison Ivy from all of their spying, and other students got food poison from Jim's lack of care of the food. However, a question that remains is: What happens if it is too late? Too late for what? Next time, readers.