Woot! Able to get a chapter out not too long after the previous one! Enjoy!


It was a moonless night in Richland Port. Only streetlights could give clear sight to anyone out and about. The sheer darkness encouraged many to stay indoors, but for Joe, it was the perfect opportunity to conduct his own investigation into the recent incident involving Dratini. Wearing a black diving suit, radar equipment, a waterproof digital camera dangling around his neck, and a belt carrying six pokeballs, pokemon conservationist Joe takes to the docks. The docks themselves are somewhat illuminated only by the neon lights glimmering from the city behind.

Since no one was going to investigate in a timely manner of what could be going on in the ocean, Joe decided to take matters into his own hands. His pokemon agreed to go with him, but he wanted Brie to stay out of this. In fact, she didn't even know he was going on a covert mission in a vast area. He knew that perhaps he was crazy for even going on an adventure he was most likely going to return empty from. Nevertheless, he was ready to go as he hopped into one of the conservationists' speedboats.

"All right," Joe took to the wheel and noticed the safety checklist right next to it. He instinctively began to run down the list, but quickly decided against going any further. It wasn't a routine mission after all; he could lose his job if he was caught stealing private property for a potentially dangerous rogue operation.

He started up the speedboat, turning on the headlights for clear vision before safely clearing the docks and the other boats. He headed off into the calm, black ocean ahead.

Joe took the boat to full speed, bouncing against the gentle waves. Moments later, he turned slight left, intending to cover a massive radius to spot any vessel or object involved in poisoning pokemon.

"What am I chasing after anyways?" Joe spoke to himself, his voice muffled by the motor of the speedboat.

A moment later, the radar device on his wrist made a pinging noise.

"That's a large ping," he glanced at the radar. He continued on course towards the source of the ping.

As he got closer, he slowed down and turned off his headlights. He knew whatever this big object could be was doing the same, operating silently and in the darkness. He took the boat slow and steady towards the object itself. The massive floating structure soon became visible, but no more than a vague, dark object to the naked eye.

Keeping a fair distance, Joe circumnavigated the object while attempting to avoid detection.

"It looks like a cargo ship," he determined. "There's no ships out of route like this. I'll have to see if Richland or Viceport had any ships matching the description go out lately."

Joe began to take pictures with the digital camera, which had night vision capabilities. The ship was painted dark red, and whatever name it was given was painted over. Seeing movement on the upper deck, he did not hesitate to take picture after picture of three individuals in dark clothing. All they seemed to be doing was walking from one place to the next, but having their faces means authorities can determine an ID, Joe thought.

"Quit while we're ahead," Joe muttered. He figured that proof of an unidentified cargo ship and individuals aboard would be enough to prompt an investigation into the matter. He picked up speed, bolting away from the cargo ship.


"He's turning away now," one man wearing a red long-sleeve shirt and pants announced, eyeing the radar detector very closely within the ship's bridge.

"Who is he even with?" a woman standing next to him asked. She was wearing the same style attire as the man.

A second male, sitting across, pulled up advanced images of the speedboat. He pulled up a clear vision of the text on the left side of the speedboat.

"Inventum Conservation Initiative of Richland Port?" the woman seemed confused. "What tipped him off to come out here at night?"

"Probably the dratini that landed in the hands of that kid," the first male responded. "Talk about your loose ends."

"Speaking of loose ends," a fourth individual spoke in a rugged, deep and firm tone, standing before a glass overlook of the ship and the vast ocean. He was an older man with buzzed gray hair, wearing white but with red outlining. He turned around to face his subordinates. "You have one getting away from you at this very second. See to it that this loose end is taken care of."

"Sir!" the three others complied.

The woman stood there with a smirk on her face. "Time to put Lassie to good use."


Joe took the speedboat to full throttle, hurrying back to the docks as fast as the boat could possibly go.

Suddenly, the waves became tense. The speedboat bounced high into the air on a few occasions, forcing Joe to slow down to a more steady pace.

"That's odd," Joe muttered, turning the headlights back on. He was able to see what he interpreted as a faint shadow beneath him.

He turned slight left, only to see this shadow staying adjacent to him. He kept an eye on the object, wary of any sudden movements.

A moment later, the object made a dash right toward the boat.

"Woah!" Joe turned sharp right to avoid a possible direct hit.

A massive object emerged from beneath the ocean, emitting waves so powerful it nearly capsized the speedboat.

"What in the world," he turned around. With the sheer darkness, and no desire to turn the boat around to shine the headlights on the object, he used his camera to get a visual. It was a lapras, and it was preparing to use a beam-like attack, manifesting powerful energy from its mouth.

"Oh no!" Joe yelled. The hostile pokemon fired a powerful beam. Unlike most pokemon moves, which are highly regarded as non-lethal, this beam seemed different. Even with the precious seconds Joe had to process what was going on and react to it, he noticed something unusual. This beam was brighter, and quicker, almost as if it was a previously undiscovered move.

Or maybe it was just Hyper Beam, but in lethal form, Joe thought. This lapras was sent to seal the loose end Joe had exposed himself as. Joe pressed the button on the camera, prompting a clicking noise that confirmed a picture was taken. He then had to make a split-second decision. He ditched the speedboat, jumping right into the water. A second later, Hyper Beam struck the boat, exploding it. Debris flew all over the place, and as there was no sign of Joe, the hostile lapras simply turned around and sailed away.


"Confirmed, object destroyed," the radar tech announced.

"Good girl, Lassie," the woman snickered.

"I hope the intruder is destroyed as well," the leader of the group seemed skeptical.

"That was a big explosion," the second male said. "There's no way he could have survived that."

"Let's hope he didn't," the leader rubbed his chin. "We want our plans to move forward without a hitch. If we're exposed before our phase is complete, our plans could fail."

"Camerupt Unit is proceeding with the next phase," the woman added. "Can't let them one-up us now."

"All we need is to complete our tasks without being discovered first," the leader stated. "Once we plunge Inventum into chaos, and the people cry for order, our job is complete."


The next morning, the twins were out on the road, wasting little time preparing breakfast and packing up their belongings before training their pokemon and continuing their adventure. They left the flat farmlands behind and, by mid morning, noticed a shift in terrain.

"Hey look," Jason pointed out. "Hills."

"We're getting close to Pattersbaugh Falls," Kristine mentioned. "We should be there by tomorrow."

"Think we can make it to the lodge by nightfall?" Jason asked. "Assuming there is one."

"I'd imagine there is. And yeah, we shouldn't be too far from the reserve itself."

The twins continued down the trail until it curved around the edge of a cliff, revealing a vast array of valleys over the horizon.

"Really reminds you of home, huh?" Kristine admired the beauty. "I do miss home sometimes, you know."

"Yeah, same here," Jason agreed. "And to think, if you go keep going west, you'd end up back home."

"Considering we're curving inland, we're actually traveling closer to home by the day."

"Yeah, but we're still hundreds of miles away."

"You know, once we get to Kennita, we'd be about 300 miles away."

"Shoot, that's less than two weeks if we pushed it," Jason added.

"Yeah," Kristine paused for a moment. "But we have a job to do."

"Yes we do," Jason nodded. "Let's move on."

It wasn't long before the twins realized they were alone near the cliff-side. They noticed Amanda standing at the edge, staring into the vast landscape ahead. She wore a sky-blue tank top and black sweatpants that came down to her ankles.

"Amanda, is that you?" Kristine asked, approaching her.

"Oh!" Amanda turned around. She wore the water droplet shaped sapphire necklace she won from the water tournament in Richland Port. "Didn't hear you guys approach me. Hi!"

Kristine noticed Amanda's eyes were red and watery. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Amanda sighed, and turned around. "Yeah, it is."

She couldn't hold back her tears. She ran to Kristine and hugged her as tightly as she could, sobbing. "I had to let Ledian go! She found a boy ledian and – and –"

"Hey, hey," Kristine calmly said, hugging Amanda back. "It's fine."

"Did I do the right thing?" Amanda worried, talking fast. "I hope I did the right thing. I think I did the right thing. Oh gosh, I hope I did."

Jason approached Kristine and Amanda. "You did the right thing," he assured her.

"Yeah," Amanda calmed down, but not without grabbing Jason by the collar and reeling him in for a group hug.

"I've had to do the same thing with Swellow," Jason said.

"I've heard," Amanda spoke.

"From who?"

Kristine and Amanda started laughing. "Julian," they both said.

"I know it's hard," Jason said. "Swellow is a valuable member of my team. She always will be."

Jason managed to wiggle his arm around, grabbing his seventh pokeball and showing it to Amanda. "Swellow always has a place on my team."

"Heh," Amanda smiled, sniffling. "Perhaps I should do the same."

"When did this happen?" Kristine asked.

"Last night," Amanda responded. "Not at all how I expected my day to end. At least I have my pokemon with me to keep me company."

"And you have us, too!" Kristine smiled. "Would you like to tag along with us to Raley City?"

Amanda hugged Kristine and Jason even tighter. "I would love to!"

She then let go a moment later.

"Have you seen Julian lately?" Kristine asked.

"Nope," Amanda shook her head. "Last I've seen him was in Richland Port."

"I'm surprised you two didn't travel together."

"Eh," Amanda shrugged. "I think he likes me, but not in that way."

"Are you sure?"

"Like, he's really nice, but he seems to do his own thing all the time."

"Does he know you like him?"

"I've sent signals to him all the time."

"Well, most guys are better at being more direct than subtle. Like how it's the other way around for most girls. Your signals probably went over his head."

"You're saying I should come up to him and tell him I have a crush on him?" Amanda blushed. "That's embarrassing!"

"Wait," Jason spoke up, finally realizing what Kristine and Amanda were talking about. "You have a crush on Julian?"

"See?" Amanda's face was beaming red.

Kristine chuckled. "Oh, Jason."

"What?" Jason seemed confused. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Amanda smiled. "Nothing at all. It's fine."

The trio soon continued back on the road towards Pattersbaugh Falls.

"So we should get to the lodge by sundown," Amanda said. "It's really not that far away."

"Good to know," Kristine said. "We don't have our guide."

"Really?" Amanda turned her head to Kristine. "How come?"

Kristine turned her head to Jason.

"It was your idea!" he playfully defended.

"Yeah," Kristine turned her head to Amanda. "It was. He bonded with a rowlet, and the Alolan trader wasn't going to give her up for free. So, we settled for a compromise."

"A book for a pokemon? Really?"

Kristine shrugged. "He called it a 'cultural exchange'".

"Whatever works, I suppose. Grats on Rowlet, Jason!"

"Thanks!" Jason replied.

"Anything else we should know?" Kristine asked Amanda.

"Well," Amanda pondered. "Not really. The falls are pretty. That's kind of it. Just have to be aware of narrow passages but it's really safe."

"Hey, think I can borrow your guide tonight?" Kristine asked, making sure she had her charming smile to help entice Amanda into saying yes.

"Of course!" Amanda happily obliged.

The trio continued further down the road, stopping for a brief lunch break before proceeding towards the lodge. As the sun began to set, they saw the tip of a large wooden structure that was mostly concealed by trees in front of them.

"Must be the lodge!" Amanda pointed out. "Race you there?"

"Last one's the rotten exeggcute!" Kristine was the first to run without hesitation.

"Hey!" Jason began to run. "You always do this!"

"Are countdowns even a thing with you two!?" Amanda took off right after Jason did.

The three ran down the road, and turned right at the fork en route to the pokemon lodge. Amanda sprinted as fast as she could, passing by Jason.

"How the?" Jason was taken by surprise.

And sure enough, seconds later, Amanda ran past Kristine. She was the first to run through the entrance of the three storied, wooden structured pokemon lodge. Kristine followed, finishing in a close second, with Jason right on her heels.

"Haha!" Amanda boasted. "Victory!"

"How did you run so fast?" Kristine asked, catching her breath.

"I run every day!" Amanda smiled. "Often with my pokemon!"

"No kidding!" Jason was also catching his breath. "Maybe we should try that too, huh sis?"

"Might benefit us, actually," Kristine contemplated.

"Welcome to the Route 110 Pokemon Lodge!" Nurse Joy greeted from behind the lobby desk.

"Thanks!" Kristine acknowledged.

The three looked around to see the nice, cozy wooden interior complete with rocking chairs, a beverage station, and a massive flat-screen TV at the far side of the lobby.

"It's been a little while since we've last been to a lodge," Jason noted. "It's really nice."

Nurse Joy smiled. "Why don't you come on up and I'll get you some rooms for the night?"

"Works for me!" Amanda practically skipped to the desk. "One studio please!"

"Sure, let me just get your credentials," Nurse Joy requested.

"Oh yeah," Amanda handed Nurse Joy her pokedex.

"Oh, Amanda Sanders," Nurse Joy received an alert on her computer screen. "I have a package delivered to you from your mother."

"Mom?" Amanda seemed surprised. "Well, I wonder what it could be?"

Nurse Joy reached underneath her desk, and a moment later she pulled out a moderate sized wrapped box for Amanda.

"I can't believe she'd actually send something to a pokemon lodge," Amanda laughed.

"Why is that wrapped like a present?" Jason bluntly asked.

"Well…" Amanda was hesitant to answer.

For Amanda, it quickly became a situation where Liz entering the picture would be the last thing she needed. That's exactly what happened. Liz walked down the staircase to see Amanda and the twins at Nurse Joy's desk. It was her move to strike.

Liz quietly approached the three. Kristine turned around, thanks to her keen perception tipping her off. Liz made no sound, only putting her finger before her own mouth, signaling "hush" towards Kristine. Jason turned around and got the same signal from Liz. Nurse Joy looked ahead to notice Liz's approach, which alerted Amanda.

Amanda knew what was going to happen. She just knew in her gut Liz was already here. She closed her eyes, and gave an annoyed smile, a look that accepted what was about to happen.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PANDY!" Liz screamed at the top of her lungs, her intentionally obnoxious celebration attracting the attention of nearby trainers and causing Nurse Joy to laugh.

"Thanks, Liz," Amanda still had her eyes closed. "Thanks."

"Oh, come on," Liz put her hands on the back of Amanda's shoulders. "You're the big one-three now!"

"Okay, okay," Amanda loosened up. "Man, the past day's been one roller coaster, let me tell you."

"Well, can I wish you a happy birthday?" Kristine asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Amanda turned around.

"Yeah, happy birthday Amanda!" Jason added.

"Thanks guys," Amanda expressed her gratitude. "You two rock."

"How about me?" Liz chuckled.

Amanda faced Liz. "You are Elizabeth Rose. You already know you rock."

"Ain't that the truth!" Liz confidently spoke.

"Room 214, on the right side!" Nurse Joy confirmed Amanda's room.

"Thanks!" Amanda gave a nod and stepped aside for Jason and Kristine.

"Your boyfriend's here as well," Liz continued.

Amanda blushed. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Yet."

Amanda tried to muster a defense, but she knew she couldn't argue with that.

"All right, Jason and Kristine Kyar," Nurse Joy addressed. "Two twin beds, room 237 on the left once you head upstairs."

"Appreciate it!" Jason replied.

Jason, Kristine, Amanda, and Liz proceeded towards the center of the lobby.

"So, what's in the box?" Liz asked.

Amanda faced Liz, Jason, and Kristine. "You guys wanna see?"

"Sure!" Jason and Kristine said at the same time.

"Let's see what Mom got you!" Liz playfully suggested.

Amanda unwrapped the box, revealing a digital tablet.

"Well, hello technology," Liz seemed amazed.

"Your mom got you a tablet?" Kristine seemed almost jealous. "No way!"

"Hehe," Amanda gleamed with joy. "I can take pictures with this! And have a social media account!"

"Hey," Liz gave a light laugh. "Whatever floats your boat."

"I can upload my pokedex into this thing too," Amanda continued. "And I don't need my guide anymore, so you can have it, Kristine and Jason."

"Sweet, thanks!" Kristine happily replied.

As Amanda started up the tablet, she quickly prepared to take photos with it.

"First selfie!" Amanda flipped the camera settings. "You guys get behind me!"

Jason, Kristine, and Liz all stood behind Amanda, waving and smiling.

Amanda pressed the button to take the picture. "And done!"

"Hey," Liz began to suggest. "We should all go through Pattersbaugh Falls in the morning together."

"Sounds like a blast!" Amanda agreed. She faced the twins. "You in?"

"Yep!" Jason replied.

"For sure!" Kristine added.

"We can get Julian to come as well," Liz continued. "Anyone else?"

"Where's Bran at?" Kristine asked.

"Bran? Haven't seen him," Liz tried to recollect her recent memories.

"I'm sure he's not too far behind," Amanda suggested with hope.

"And Alex?" Jason promptly asked.

"Alex? Don't think I've met him," Liz glanced towards the ceiling, thinking. "Have I?"

"You may have crossed paths with him without noticing," Kristine replied. "He's a trainer like the rest of us. Not an outgoing one, but he's at our level."

"You guys keep multiplying," Liz snickered, rolling her eyes. "More competition."

"He started at the same town as Julian," Amanda added. "I've heard about him. Mysterious, rude guy. Has a monferno, rhyhorn, sneasel, kirlia –"

"Kirlia?" Jason interrupted, surprised. "He has a kirlia?"

"Mmhmm," Amanda nodded. "And a luxio and a frillish."

"Frillish?" Kristine was intrigued. "Blue or pink?"

"Blue."

"And how do you know all of this?" Liz faced Amanda. "You know, aside from Julian telling you everything."

"Oh right," Amanda chuckled. "Well, we were traveling to Richland Port from the Mountains together, right? We come across this guy who just released a teddiursa back into the wild after capturing it. Julian knew him apparently and challenged him to a battle."

"And how did Julian do?" Jason asked.

"It was a five on five, and Julian lost big time. But he managed to get Alex to reveal his whole hand, his 'core team'.

"How'd he manage to do that?"

"By calling him some heartless trainer who doesn't know what he wants. He showed off his entire team in response."

"Apparently his family hates that."

"Well," Amanda tilted her head. "Don't know what else to tell you. Truth hurts."

Jason nodded in silent agreement.

"He's likely halfway through the falls anyways," Kristine said.

A moment of silence ensued. Jason, Kristine, and Amanda were weary and were looking forward to the warmth and comfort of their rooms. Liz, on the other hand, originally came down for a cup of lemonade.

"So, tomorrow we go through the falls together!" Amanda declared, trying to keep some form of conversation moving.

"Wear your swimming gear," Liz suggested. "It's gonna be wet."

"Noted," Jason replied.

"Maybe we should check our rooms out," Kristine said, stretching her arms.

"Good idea for you," Liz proceeded towards the beverage stand. "Rooms are pretty nice!"

"Oh yeah," Amanda reminded herself, taking her backpack off her shoulders and placing it on the ground. She pulled out a field guide and handed it to Kristine. "Here you go!"

"Awesome, thank you very much!" Kristine had a heavy grin on her face.

"I knew you'd miss it dearly," Jason laughed.

"I suppose I did," Kristine tightly grasped the book with both her hands and held it closely.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow morning?" Amanda added before departing. "We'll give Julian and Bran a little grace period before leaving."

"Works for me!" Kristine agreed. "See you tomorrow morning!"

"Yeah, see you!" Jason added.


The sunsets of Richland Port are a daily spectacle, drawing in hundreds, even sometimes thousands, of onlookers to the beaches every evening. Many people weren't shy of bringing out their pokemon either. It was meant to be a relaxing hour of sitting back and watching the beautiful natural display of bright warm colors over the horizon, with the sun as the centerpiece. Silence began to kick in as the sunset took place. That sense of peace and harmony was shattered when a woman let out a blood-curdling shriek. Beach-goers nearby ran to see what was going on.

There, a man was on the ground, seemingly unconscious. He was towed ashore by what appeared to be his pokemon. Poliwhirl and Quagsire used themselves as floatation devices, laying on their backs to keep Joe afloat. Seel had helped by nudging the two pokemon, keeping them on course towards the shoreline. Krabby had used his claws to reel them in, while Psyduck and Prinplup helped make sure the group was safe en route to the shore.

"What happened?" one woman asked.

A man examined Joe as he was gently placed on the ground on his back. "He must've ditched his oxygen tank. And his suit has some tears."

"Was he attacked?" another man wondered.

"I'm calling the ambulance!" another woman yelled.

"There were search teams looking for a missing man and his six pokemon today," a third man mentioned.

"Wait, that's Joe, from the ICC, right?" a fourth man asked. "We have to keep him alive!"

"Excuse me!" a woman burst her way through the crowd. Once they realized who she was, they gave her enough space to get to Joe.

"Oh no no no," Brie practically slid towards Joe. "You're gonna be okay, Joe!"

Brie took off her backpack, pulling out some essential first aid equipment. "We've been looking for you all day. We found what was left of the boat. I'm so sorry you had to do this alone."

Brie gazed at Joe's team. It was Joe who conducted a rogue recon mission himself, but it was his pokemon who ultimately saved him. Psyduck almost forgot about the camera he had around his neck and presented it to Brie.

"You all did Joe proud," she addressed them, taking the camera from Psyduck.

Joe's pokemon didn't make a sound. They were all concerned over their trainer's well-being.

An ambulance drove right up the beach moments later. Brie managed to remove the pokeballs from Joe's belt and recalled his entire team. The paramedics at the scene placed Joe on a stretcher and inside the ambulance before hauling him away to the nearby hospital.

"I'll get you guys checked out," Brie spoke under her breath, power walking back to the conservation center so that she could treat any possible injuries.

Brie knew it in her mind that whoever tried to kill Joe didn't want him to find out whatever he did. And the camera he had might have clues as to who could be causing trouble out at sea…


Jason walked downstairs into the lobby. A cold glass of chocolate milk simply sounded good to him. He only wished that more pokemon centers and lodges would offer beverage stations like this. He walked down with just a white t-shirt and deep blue pajama bottoms on. He walked towards the beverage station as he heard commotion from several trainers hovering near the television screen.

"What happened to him?" a girl Jason's age asked. "Would anyone try to hurt him?"

"Why would they?" a boy asked, crossing his arms. "It must have been an accident."

"Accident or not, his pokemon saved his skin," a second girl added.

Jason seemed curious enough to head on over after grabbing himself a glass and pouring chocolate milk from an automated chilled dispenser.

Conservationist in Critical Condition After Washing Ashore; Boat Found Sunk, read the headliner. The camera panned the beach of Richland Port, though nothing was really happening, while the story was narrated by an anchorwoman. The volume was too low for Jason to hear, but it didn't stop him from wanting to know what exactly was going on.

"What's happening?" he asked in front of several fully geared trainers.

"Other than the headline, that's all we really know," the first girl replied. "It was Joe."

"Joe?" Jason seemed surprised. "I know him. I've battled him in the Power Duo. That stinks, I hope he gets well soon."

"Wait," the boy who spoke earlier briefly examined Jason. "I know you. You won the Power Duo last month."

"Yeah, that was me," Jason plainly confirmed, with no intention to boast given the circumstances. "And my sis. Anyways, you all have a good night."

All trainers glanced at Jason as he departed upstairs.

"Power Duo winner huh?" the second girl muttered. "Wish I can do stuff like that and walk around like I own everything."

"Not sure if that's confidence, shamelessness, or both," the boy seemed to admire Jason.

"I just wish I was in my pajamas right now, only I'd grab a hot beverage," the second girl envisioned. "Too bad I got in so late!"

All of this was in earshot of Jason. He simply smirked and went on his way. He turned the corner, nearly bumping into Julian.

"Oh, hey buddy!" Julian was surprised, yet happy to see Jason. He wore a white tank top and black shorts, also heading downstairs. "How have you been?"

"Doing just fine," Jason raised his glass to him.

"Yeah? One of those sounds good right about now. Catch you in the morning?"

"Yeah, we're all heading out. Us, Liz, and Amanda, if you wanna tag along."

"Sounds like a blast!" Julian accepted, proceeding around the corner. "See you in the morning!"


The twins woke up the next morning. They didn't need the alarm that was placed on the drawer between the two beds to wake them up; the loud calls from the local wild pokemon such as doduo and spearow was more than enough.

Kristine exiled Jason to the bathroom so that she could get dressed. While doing so, she turned on the television in the room. Jason had let her know last night what happened, and she wanted to see if there was any developing news.

"Looks like nothing new's happening," Kristine relayed to Jason. "Not even an update on Joe."

"Means he's hanging in there, right?" Jason replied optimistically.

"Sure hope so," Kristine rubbed her chin. She finished getting dressed, letting Jason back out.

Jason wore a white bathing suit and a blue top to go with it. Kristine wore her green bikini top with black shorts.

Once the twins got their belongings together, they headed out. Upon reaching the lobby, they noticed Amanda and Liz standing at the center and ready to go. Liz wore a red bikini top and white gym shorts. Amanda wore the same-styled black sweatpants from yesterday to go with a blue bikini top.

"So is that all of us?" Liz said, acknowledging the twins' arrival.

"I'm here!" Julian yelled, running down the stairs. He wore black swimming trousers and a white tank top. "Let's do it!"

"Hi Julian!" Amanda smiled and waved.

"Hey!" Julian smiled back.

"So that makes five for six," Liz verified. "Anyone seen Bran?"

"Nope," Jason said.

Kristine looked around, disappointed that Bran was nowhere to be found.

"Let's get to it!" Liz declared as the group left the lodge.

They proceeded down the dirt path before taking a right at the fork.

"Hey!" they heard a voice behind them. To their relief, especially Kristine's, it was Bran, who was frantically running towards them. Wearing a black t-shirt and dark green swimming trunks, he successfully caught up to the group. "I can't miss out on the fun now!"

"Glad to have ya, big guy," Liz gave Bran a fist bump.

"Glad to be here," Bran nodded.

"Get in late last night?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah, close to midnight," Bran laughed. "So close, yet so far, you know? Had to push it."

"Wasting no time," Liz added.

"I knew you were ahead," Bran figured. "Can't waste any more time."

"Raley City here we come!" Amanda threw her fist in the air with excitement.

The group went further down the path. They went uphill and into a heavily forested area. Pockets of light shined through the thick canopy above. Soon enough, they could hear the streams of water nearby, followed by distant roaring of waterfalls.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Liz led the way through the thick forest out into an open paradise. "Pattersbaugh Falls."

With not a single cloud in the sky, the group witnessed one of Inventum's wonders – a system of waterfalls, all originating from the mountain regions. It was as if mother nature herself sculpted the seemingly endless cliffside to the south and created a three-tiered system of waterfalls dropping before more waterfalls. Avian pokemon such as pidgeotto and staravia flew in the distance, some of them strafing the waterfalls with their wings. Wild land pokemon like stantler, breloom, and gloom were seen drinking water from the rivers and lakes above. The peaceful roar of the falls and the fresh, revitalizing smell they emit complimented the magnificent sight, with everyone in the group astonished by its sheer beauty.

Kristine primed the first two pokeballs she grabbed from her belt. "Everyone, bring out your teams."

She released Espeon and Fletchinder, followed by Pikachu, Machop, and Snorunt, before releasing Dratini at a nearby river.

"I'm with you!" Jason primed Jolteon's pokeball and released him before bringing out Kirlia, Riolu, Growlithe, and Rowlet. Like Kristine, Jason released Magikarp into the river.

"Come on out, Wartortle!" Amanda tossed her pokeball into the air. She did the same with Flaaffy, Staravia, and Nidorina, before releasing Feebas into the river.

"All right," Liz primed her pokeballs one by one, bringing out Charmeleon, Liepard, Mankey, Phanpy, and Haunter. She released her mystery pokemon into the river.

"Horsea!" the water-type dragon pokemon, as its species name was given, seemed appeased.

"A horsea, huh?" Kristine gazed over at the pokemon. "Congrats!"

"All right," Julian went next. He brought out Grotle, Pidgeotto, Pancham, and Vulpix. He found a nice open area to bring out Onix.

"Here we go!" Bran brought out Ivysaur, Kadabra, Noctowl, Honedge, and Herdier.

The group crossed the nearby bridge with all 33 pokemon covering a moderate radius around them. All water-based pokemon swam along the river adjacent to the falls. The path led the group up a flight of stairs built into the cliff, clearing the first tier. Some pokemon followed them closely, such as Kirlia, Rowlet, Snorunt, Flaaffy, Phanpy, and Herdier. Pidgeotto, Staravia, Fletchinder, and Noctowl took to the skies, soaring over the group and the falls. Jolteon was seen running with Espeon, Growlithe, Pikachu, Nidorina, Liepard, and Vulpix down below, almost as if it was a race.

Trailing behind was Ivysaur, Kadabra and Grotle, slowly pacing forward at their own leisure. Onix managed to climb on top of the cliff and roared triumphantly. Riolu, Machop, Mankey, and Pancham stuck together in the lower tier as if they were forming a club of their own.

Haunter and Honedge were nowhere to be found. But being ghost types, there were no worries for their whereabouts. They appeared from time to time, seemingly manifesting from nowhere. This would send chills down Kirlia. Jason felt the same way, but he held back his emotions. He knew he was going to be around ghost pokemon from time to time. And given Rowlet's evolutionary line, he knew he and Kirlia had to overcome that fear at some point.

The group came across the first set of waterfalls, crossing a path that curved behind several of these majestic beauties.

Amanda skipped ahead, using her left hand to strafe the waterfalls. She hopped around to face the rest of the group. "This is awesome!"

The group started to get wet from the mist coming from the waterfalls. They all at one point brushed their hands against the roaring falls. They cleared the first set of waterfalls, approaching a sturdy wooden bridge that would take them over the next set of waterfalls from the lowest tier.

"Should we admire the beauty of this?" Kristine suggested.

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "Shall we take 15?"

"Sure," Jason nodded.

Everyone else agreed as well. They all sat downside by side, from left to right being Amanda, Liz, Jason, Kristine, Julian, and Bran. Their legs and feet dangled over the edge of the bridge just over the waterfalls. Kristine took a moment to put her visor away and untie her ponytail, leaving her wet hair wavy. They could see the forest ahead of them, with distant wild pokemon soaring overhead. All wild pokemon within the vicinity made an effort to avoid the group in order to evade capture. But no one, including those with incomplete teams – Amanda, Julian, and Bran - were interested in adding to their team at this time.

"Hey!" Amanda had an idea. "Let's pose for a photo!"

"All right," Liz obliged, leaning closer to Amanda.

Amanda pulled out her tablet from her backpack.

"You worried about that thing getting wet?" Liz asked.

"It's waterproof," Amanda smiled.

"Yeah, just don't drop it," Liz warned.

"And shatterproof!"

"Yeah, well," Liz looked down. "Probably don't wanna test it to certain extremes."

Amanda activated the photo settings. "Everyone scooch in!"

To Amanda's right and left, Liz and Kristine leaned in, respectively. Jason hovered over Kristine, crouching down, with Bran and Julian coming over. Bran crouched down over Liz, while Julian crouched over Amanda.

"Now everyone make weird faces!" Amanda said.

Amanda smiled with an open mouth as big as she could, her eyes wide as possibly as she could expand them. Liz crossed her eyes, while Bran posed as a thinking man, his eyes closed, facing sideways from the camera, with his chin resting on his clenched fist.

"Woo!" Julian posed as an overexcited party-goer, with his hands in the air. Amanda couldn't get his hands in the frame, but she didn't care.

"Get over here, you!" Kristine pulled Jason in, gently grabbing him by the neck. Jason played along, imitating a choking gesture.

Amanda took the shot. "You guys are crazy!"

She examined the tablet. "Should I post it on social media?"

"Yes!" Liz said. "And tag Scarlet in it!"

"Okay," Amanda did just that. "What should I say? Hmm," she contemplated for a moment. "Having a great time at Pattersbaugh Falls! Watch out Scarlet, we're coming for you!"

"Perfect," Liz grinned.

"Well, you've done it now," Julian laughed.

"You've just challenged a gym leader," Jason added. "Time to get ready!"

A second later, Amanda heard a pinging noise on her tablet. Her heart rate shot up when she saw what the alert was about.

"Guys?" she showed everyone else the tablet.

Everyone gasped.

"No way!" Julian mustered to speak.

The reply was from Scarlet herself. "Bring it!" simply read the text. Her portrait was on display, showcasing a determined smirk from a woman with jet black hair styled with classic, uneven bangs. A red streak went down the center-right of her hair, and she had deep blue eyes, complimenting her appearance and reputation as a challenging gym leader.

"Well then," Bran lifted his hands up. "She knows we're coming."

"And there goes the element of surprise," Kristine said. "She's probably looking all of us up right now."

"To be fair, she probably looks at the pokemon center's registry every day in anticipation of new challengers," Liz mentioned. "She'd know eventually."

"Well, we'll definitely need to look her up too," Kristine added.

"I can tell you she has a better winning record than the three previous gym leaders," Liz mentioned.

"As if the first three were tough enough," Bran chuckled nervously.

"Are we famous now?" Julian half-jokingly asked Amanda.

Amanda checked her tablet. "Well, the 'likes' are piling up. So yes?"

"Oh goody," Jason said sarcastically. "Spotlight."

"Welcome to being a trainer," Liz replied. "I mean, if you won the Power Duo, this shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"It's still something to get used to," Jason said. "The impromptu live interviews, the thousands of people watching you."

"I guess you're right," Liz contemplated.

The group got up and moved on moments later, with the thought of facing Scarlet on the front of everyone's minds.

"What pokemon does she use?" Bran asked.

"The Valor kind," Liz bluntly replied, shrugging.

Amanda browsed through Scarlet's gym leader profile on her tablet. "Expect fire, flying, and fighting types. And, well,"

"What's up?" Kristine leaned in, curious.

"She never keeps the same team through consecutive battles," Amanda continued. "Just to throw us off, I guess."

"So, no real strategy to face her?" Kristine seemed disappointed.

"It's obvious, it's all about our passion as a trainer," Liz added.

"When strategy goes out the door," Jason said. "When all you have left is your pokemon and your connected love for battling. That is what she will test."

"There is just one simple solution to this," Amanda smiled.

"And what's that?" Julian asked.

Amanda faced him. "Don't lose!"

The group continued through slopes, bridges, and curves along the waterfalls, gradually going uphill as they savored every moment. Sadly, the day seemed to end all too soon, as did the falls themselves. After trekking the entire day through Pattersbaugh Falls with all their pokemon, the end was in sight. The group began to recall all their pokemon, clearing the way for wild pokemon as well as incoming trainers. After spending a few moments recalling, the group came across the unique fork in the road. They had two options: following the path down the ledges below towards the distant pokemon lodge or take a supervised zip-line to the roof of the lodge itself.

"What is this?" Liz approached the zip-line, as did everyone else.

A man stood by the zip-line. "Last call!" he said. "We close at sundown."

"Sign me up!" Liz stood at the edge of the platform. She had to be at least a hundred feet above ground.

The attendant grabbed a vest that had a hook attached to it. "Let's put this on you first."

"Let's do it!" Jason stood behind Liz.

"Wait, can't the birthday girl go first?" Amanda stood behind Liz.

Liz sighed, but agreed. "Fine. Go."

"Wait a second," Bran seemed surprised.

"Amanda, you didn't tell me it was your birthday!" Julian was shocked.

Amanda giggled. "Oh yeah. Technically, yesterday was."

"Well happy birthday! Are you 13 now?"

"Yeah," Amanda slightly blushed. "A little late to the party, I know. I'm the oldest one here, aren't I?"

"Nothing wrong with that," Julian smiled. "We all get started sooner or later."

"Well, thanks!" Amanda gave a cute smile back.

The group got geared up moments later, with the order being Amanda, Liz, Jason, Julian, Kristine, and Bran.

"You ready?" the attendant asked Amanda, who had herself hooked up to the zip-line and ready to go.

"Ready!" Amanda gave a nod.

"Have fun, Pandy!" Liz waved just as Amanda made that step off the ledge.

"I told you to not call me that ever!" Amanda yelled back, her voice fainting from the ledge as she zipped towards the pokemon lodge. This was followed by a faint "Woo hoo!".

Everyone else laughed.

"What a good kid," Liz smiled. She faced everyone else once she was latched up and given the clear to go, using two fingers to wave goodbye. "See you on the other side!" she stepped off the ledge with pure confidence.

Jason stood next in line, pumped up and ready to go. A moment later, he was given the clear to go.

"You got this, bro!" Kristine cheered him on as he stepped off.

Jason felt the adrenaline rush kick in during the first few seconds as he flew over the forest below with just his harness, the latch, and a reinforced line keeping him from the clutches of gravity. A calm breeze kicked in, and with the sun going down, this captivated what was going to go down as one of the most memorable days yet.

It may have lasted not even thirty seconds. But to Jason, it lasted much longer. It was one of those moments he photographed to memory. He placed his two feet at the ready once the lodge drew closer. Upon entering the platform, a wooden brake on the line stopped Jason from proceeding any further. An attendant swiftly yet safely unhooked him to get him out of the way for the next person.

"That was awesome!" Jason cheered, exchanging high fives with Amanda and Liz.

A moment later, Julian arrived.

"Man, that was sweet!" he threw both his arms in the air as he was being taken off.


Meanwhile, Kristine and Bran were the last ones on standby to ride the zip line.

Bran chuckled with a hint of nervousness in his tone. "Is it too late to mention that I'm afraid of heights and high velocities put together?"

"If you trekked the Mountains, you can do anything!" Kristine encouraged him. She then gave him a flirtatious smile. "Besides, I'll be seeing you on the other side!"

She winked and stepped off.

Kristine embraced the environment around her. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day, she thought. Once the zip line ended, the attendant there removed her to make way for Bran. Jason was there to exchange two high fives with her, using both hands.


Bran was the last one to go, given the clear but showing hesitation.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" the attendant bluntly encouraged. "She's waiting on the other side for you!" It may have also to do with the fact that he's playfully nudging Bran because he is literally the last rider of the day before it's time to clock out.

"Right," Bran replied before facing the edge with confidence. He closed his eyes and stepped off.

"I'd do it again!" Kristine raved just as everyone took off their safety gear. She looked over towards the zip-line, happy to see Bran is on his way.

"How does this thing stop!?" Bran came flying in.

Liz simply pointed at the wooden brake on the line.

It instantly stopped Bran as the attendant got a hold of him and took him off the line.

"Well," Kristine hopped over. "What'd you think?"

Bran could feel his hands tremble from the ordeal. "It was awesome!" he boasted.

After he got the safety gear taken off, the group proceeded towards the door of the roof of the pokemon lodge. They noticed the attendant from the other side using the zip-line to travel to the lodge.

"Must be a fun job," Liz mentioned.

Once inside, they traveled down several flights of stairs to enter the lobby. It was much like its sister from the other side of the falls, embracing the group with its warming atmosphere and beverage station.

"Well," Amanda stood in front of the group, addressing them. "I have to be perfectly honest. I tried to keep my 13th birthday a secret, but the only person who really knew it was my birthday was Liz, because we practically lived down the street from each other. Two days ago, I let Ledian depart from my team so that she could live her life the way she wanted to. As you can tell, I have all sorts of feelings right now."

She began to shed tears. "You guys have helped make today - and Jason and Kristine you've made yesterday as well – the best days I could have ever asked for. And I can't forget about my pokemon and all of our pokemon who do their best every single day to be the best pokemon and it's because of them that actually make us –"

"Amanda," Liz stepped forward, interrupting what was spiraling into an emotional ramble. "I tease you a lot. But just know you're practically my best friend. And my best rival. You're too pure for this world."

"Thanks," Amanda cheered up.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it!" Liz smirked. "You know I don't get like that often."

"Is that a tear I see running down your cheek?" Bran bantered.

"Hush!" Liz defended.

Laughter ensued from the rest of the group.

"We're gonna have to do this more often," Amanda suggested. "We'll have to reach the Inventum Cup all together when it's time."

"For a cause like that, we need a team name," Julian said. "Like Team Rocket!"

"No!" everyone else exclaimed at the same time.

"Okay," Julian laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "We can work on the name later."

"But here's a motto we could all agreed with," Amanda suggested. Form a circle with hands at the center."

Everyone got together in a circle, each placing one hand in the center.

"Don't lose on three! One! Two! Three!"

"Don't lose!" everyone shouted.

After a memorable day in Pattersbaugh Falls, the group spent the night at the pokemon lodge closest to Raley City. The home of the Valor Gym is less than two days on foot. Scarlet awaits the arrival of six eager trainers hailing from the mountain regions. What will she, and the city itself, have in store for them?


Next chapter features an evolution. Will Jason or Kristine have this significant development occur on their team?

There was a lot of information regarding pokemon teams that I threw out there, so here's a recap on everyone's teams (just the list of pokemon only, updated move sets will be shown in the upcoming chapters just so I can spread the information around).

Jason: Jolteon, Kirlia, Magikarp, Riolu, Growlithe, Rowlet

Kristine: Espeon, Fletchinder, Pikachu, Machop, Snorunt, Dratini

Liz: Charmeleon, Liepard, Mankey, Phanpy, Haunter, Horsea

Amanda: Wartortle, Staravia, Feebas, Flaaffy, Nidorina

Julian: Grotle, Pidgeotto, Pancham, Onix, Vulpix

Bran: Ivysaur, Noctowl, Kadabra, Honedge, Herdier

Alex (according to Julian/Amanda: Monferno, Sneasel, Rhyhorn, Kirlia, Luxio, Frillish