I love how you flesh out details in the game... but needing two more diglet? cant Mars just sprout a couple benign tumors?

And you're a jerk for not having Bastion evolve first. *mad at you*

Did… did you just wish cancer upon Mars? Um, I'm just going with how the games say it's done. Really though, one mole evolving into three moles just seems kind of… lol wut? It wouldn't work the same as a standard evolution. Andyou're just realizing now that I'm a jerk? I thought that was apparent. But just in case you all didn't know… The Altrox is a jerk!

I've been wondering, where is Skitrex in relation to the other regions? Because my OC region, Alva (where the leading death of ten year olds is getting their first pokemon), is just south of Hoenn.

Um… I'm leaving that ambiguous for a reason. You could say Skitrex is close to America since the culture is pretty similar, but if I try to go into detail, I'd just look silly imo.

As a country/region, Skitrex is mountainous and pretty north above the equator, hence why the winters can get bad.

Thanks to Magikarp Master for editing.

Chapter 18: Fast Forward (Part 2)

He was back in the nightmare, and like always, he could see nothing around him except darkness and mist.

"Again?" Cody sighed. "I was having such a good day too…"

"So I've noticed!" the voice echoed in the dream zone. The colorless eyes opened in front of his face and stared at him intently. "Congratulations by the way. Not every trainer gets this far. Two badges… you're less petty than I thought."

"What the hell do you care?" Cody asked angrily. "All you do is randomly pop in and freak me out. What do you care how well I do as a trainer?"

"I happen to care a lot!" the voice replied, surprised. "You're becoming stronger by the day, and as you become stronger, your body will become ready to-"

"Wait what? My body will what? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh dear, I'm afraid I have said too much. Forgive me, but you are not ready to know that yet. No matter. You are in no position to demand answers from me in my realm."

"Well, the less you answer, the more pointless this… this thing is," Cody said, referencing the entire realm with a wave of his arms. "So can I wake up now?"

"Not yet, we still have some things to discuss," the voice said. "So sit down and listen like a good little child, and everything will go easy peasy." Defiantly, Cody continued to stare into the eyes as if he hadn't heard that last command. "I said sit!" A black arm swept the floor and knocked the teen over onto his back.

"Holy!" Cody shouted as his head bounced against the "floor" of the dream realm. He let out a second yelp of pain as he saw the room spin. After a minute of staring up at the ceiling, or sky, or whatever it was above him, he forced himself to sit back up and face the eyes.

"There, now was that so hard?" Suddenly, the voice began to laugh, as if entertained by Cody's pain. "Now that I have your full attention, let me explain something to you. These 'pointless' visions do have a purpose. Actually, they serve two purposes to be exact. The first is to keep you in your place. When we reach the second stage of your development, you will fully accept me as your mas-"

"Second stage! What second stage!"

"Shut up!" the voice blared as it backhanded Cody with one of its dark appendages. "This is what I'm talking about! When I speak, you listen! Soon enough, you will accept me as your master! It may take me awhile since you have a strong heart, and you do not seem like one who will easily submit, but I have perfected the art bending others to my will, so this will not be a problem in the long run. Do you understand what I am saying to you, Cody Storm? Or do I need to repeat myself and use smaller words?"

"No… I understand…" Cody replied grudgingly. "Though I don't understand why you need to be my master. If you can only come to me in dreams, why does that even matter?"

"Ha ha… you are so naïve. In time, you will understand," the voice cackled. "Now, there is also a second reason why I bring you here in your dreams. Can you possibly figure out why that is?"

"Uh… because you like scaring me shitless?"

Again, the voice began to howl with laughter. It must have been in a good mood that night. "I wouldn't expect you to know," the voice said, still chuckling, "the reason goes beyond your knowledge of my intentions. You see…" A dark hand formed in front of Cody's face and rested on his shoulder. Shivers ran down the teen's back, but he was too afraid to even move the hand off. "In order to reap the benefits of… you, I must keep returning to you when you sleep. Through these visits, I'll be getting more experience with your mind, and getting more used to your body."

"My… my body?"

"Yes… your body. It is imperative that I get a feel for your physical body, which is what I do night by night when I visit you." After finishing this statement, the dark hand moved from his right shoulder to his pectoral, and it slowly began its decent down his chest. But once it reached Cody's navel, the young trainer had had enough. He swatted the arm away.

"What the fuck are you doing, you pervert!" he screamed. The voice began to laugh again at Cody's distress.

"Did you really think I was going to sexually assault you? Really? I am a being beyond love and lust. Sexual desires mean nothing to me, so raping you wouldn't be entertaining. There are much more fun ways to torture you." The hand disappeared into the darkness. "Now as you can see, you've put me into an incredibly good humor tonight. Winning that badge is just more proof that I've picked a winner. Because of this, I will answer two questions for you, since I didn't really answer the one you asked me two months ago. Anything you want to ask?" Cody opened his mouth, but closed it again. The urgency inside of him made him decide that he needed to make these questions count. "No? I'll give you a minute then."

"I don't need a minute. I have a question for you right now," he stated. "Are you… are you Madame Stella?"

For a moment, the voice said nothing. Was it trying to think of a good answer? Or was it dumbfounded by the randomness of the question?

"Is this a joke! I give you a very generous gift to apologize for not keeping my word, and you ask that! Why would you even ask such a stupid question! It's an insulting use of the gift I have given to you!" Again, Cody was backhanded by one of the being's hands. He felt his nose break this time.

"I don't know… you said that you found me through her, so maybe she's got some evil gypsy powers, or she's using a ghost pokemon to-"

"Wrong!" the voice shouted. "I told you to tell her to stay away from you! Doesn't that seem counterproductive if I were to be cast onto you by her? Forget it! You are a stupid boy for even asking such a ridiculous question. In fact… I'm insulted by it."

Just then, another hand smashed the back of Cody's skull into the floor, pinning it there while two other hands pinned his hands against the ground. Then, Cody felt a drilling sensation on his hands. He saw what looked to be two screws being drilled into the palms of his hands, fastening them to the ground. Throughout this, Cody let out a scream of pain as he was being crucified on the ground. After a few minutes, the pain began to numb, but it still burned through his arms as he whimpered from the aftershock.

"Pathetic," the voice groaned. "You may ask me your final question, but please, do try not waste this one."

"O-okay," Cody wheezed as he felt his breathing becoming difficult. "W-what are your intentions f-for me in all of this?"

"Ah, there we are, a real question. Good for you." The voice sounded like he was smiling. "You, young Storm, are my key to victory as I make the physical dimension my own."

Another long pause. The voice had answered the question swiftly, but it wasn't sinking in.

"Y-you w-want to take over the w-world?" Cody asked as his breathing became even more difficult to continue.

"Of course!" the voice roared, "power is the only thing worth having, and I have been stripped of my power for far too long!"

"But… take over the world?" Cody repeated dumbly.

"Cliché, I know, but it's what I want. Someday, you will understand, but for now-"

"I want more answers! Why am I needed for this!" Cody shouted.

"You are out of questions, chil-"

"I don't care! Answer me! Also, if you're in my head, how can you-"

"SILENCE! Learn your place, you wretch!" At this outburst, a dozen screws appeared out of nowhere and began to drill into various places on Cody's body. He let out another long scream. "You have run out of questions! Return to your realm and reflect! Remember that I am your master for now and forev-"

Cody sat up in the bunk he was sleeping in, his body covered in sweat. As he calmed his breathing, he felt Antonia nuzzling his ribs. The bird looked up into his eyes with concern, since she could easily tell that her trainer was disturbed by something. He pet the baby Skarmory's head and listened closely to the breathing of the others in the room. Heather, Jared, and the fourth trainer who was in the room were all still asleep.

What time is it? He reached for his phone under his pillow and looked at the display, which read 11:15 PM. I need some air. He climbed down the side of the bunk bed, followed by Antonia, who fluttered down to his feet behind him. After slipping on a shirt, a pair of socks, his shoes, and grabbing Antonia's pokeball, Cody and his bird left the room and went to the front lobby of the pokemon center.

Even though it was late at night, there were still some trainers in the lobby that were waiting for their pokemon to be healed, chatting with each other, and getting some late night grub from the food court. Still, it seemed populated enough that he wouldn't run into Madame Stella, since she only appeared to him when he was alone ever since that day they had met in Kindle City. Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat down on the sofa and pondered.

"Ruling the world…" Cody muttered to himself. "Why does that thing need me for that?" He turned to face Antonia, who was sitting next to him, looking at him with interest. "Do I even look like the kind of guy that could rule the world?" he asked the chick. Antonia cocked her head, trying to understand. "It's okay, I know you don't get what I'm saying." He leaned back on the furniture and closed his eyes, trying to forget everything. The Skarmory chick extended her head and rested it against his neck, making soft cawing noises. It was almost magical how close the two had become in the past months, even after their bitter skirmishes. Feeling a little bit of relief, Cody embraced the chick, feeling the light layer of warm metal that covered her body. After a minute, he opened his eyes and nearly shit a brick at what he saw.

"Jesus!" he shouted as he saw Stella sitting on the couch in front of him. "Don't do that! Why do you have to do that all the damn time! Can't you just walk over like a normal person!"

"You have had another nightmare of the Dark One," she said in a crackly voice, ignoring his questions, as usual. "What did he tell you this time?"

"He told me that- Wait, hold on!" Cody started in a loud voice, though not loud enough to draw attention to himself, "you always just show up and start mumbling a bunch of random crap. How about this time while you're here, you tell me how you're doing all of this!"

At first, the old hag said nothing, but just stared at him with her one eye. While waiting for a response, Cody noticed that Antonia's body was quaking. Something was wrong here. Antonia never showed any sort of fear openly, but the very sight of Madame Stella seemed to be making her quite frightened. He stroked her neck in order to comfort her, but this didn't seem to calm the bird at all.

"I have told you before," the old woman continued, "I can sense every time you have a nightmar-"

"That's not what I'm asking!" Cody interrupted. "How do you keep finding me so quickly? Have you been stalking me on the road? Do you have pokemon that teleport you here? How do you-"

"Is that really what you want?" the fortune teller asked. "Out of everything that is going on here, that's what you want to know?"

"Okay, fine then," Cody groaned. "Since you obviously have a better idea of what we should be talking about, go ahead. I'm waiting for answers. I've been waiting for them ever since you decided to read my fortune and cast all this shit onto my life."

Again, the old woman said nothing at first, but she simply sneered at Cody. Oh great, did I say something wrong? Wait, what the hell could I have possibly said that's wrong? This witch has been stalking me for months now, and ever since I met her, I've been harassed by Freddy Krueger or whatever the hell that thing is. I'm in the right here. Not her. He continued to wait for an answer, still petting Antonia in an attempt to calm her down.

"You're a fool…" she answered gravely. "Do you think I would wish this fate on anybody?"

"So this is an accident?" Cody questioned sarcastically.

"This was no accident," she continued in her decrepit voice. "The Dark One works in mysterious ways beyond our understanding."

"Oh really?" Once again, Cody was getting frustrated with the hag. The answer she had given was one that bible thumpers liked to give when they had no good explanation for works of evil or misery, and thus, it wasn't satisfying for him. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"Do you honestly think that our meeting was by chance?" she asked loudly, drawing the attention of some trainers on another sofa nearby. "The Dark One has used me against my will as his eyes for years. Once I found you, so did he." She stood up and walked up to him. At her approach, Antonia suppressed her fear and leapt in front of her trainer, letting out a loud screech to scare this threatening woman off. But Stella just glared at the bird. The two stared at each other for almost a minute, but as the seconds passed, the Skarmory's fear began to resurface. As the shivers overtook her again, she sat down in place and began to cower once more.

"Our destinies are now intertwined, young Storm. And because of that, your destiny is intertwined with the Dark One's destiny as well." With each word that came out of her mouth, Cody could smell and even taste the old woman's rancid breath. Now even he began to shudder at Stella's presence. All he could think about was getting away from this woman before she dragged him to a séance or something.

"Get away from me…" he whispered to her, forcing all the intensity to his face that he could muster.

"You can't outrun your fate," she replied.

"I said get away from me!" he shouted. He didn't care who was looking at him now. He leapt over the back of the couch and returned the frightened Antonia to her pokeball.

"You can't outrun-"

"But I can outrun you!" he roared. "Stay away from me! If you ever come near me again, so help me God, I will… I will…" He couldn't find an appropriate threat amongst the paranoia that wracked his brain, so he immediately turned towards the door and bolted out as fast as his feet could carry him.

The sidewalks in Kito Grove weren't busy at night, especially during the winter, but Cody continually had to dodge pedestrians as he continued his escape. After crossing six blocks in various directions, he finally stopped to catch his breath and sooth his nerves. Instantly, he began to regret running outside since he wasn't wearing a coat. Great, I should have just ran to my room and locked the door. After turning around, he realized that he couldn't remember the streets he took to get to the one he was on. Kito Grove wasn't a huge town, but it was still large enough to get lost in at night. Dammit, could this night get any worse? Fate answered that question the moment he turned around and bumped into a person who had walked up behind him. "Oh sorry ma-" His sentence stopped short when he almost had a heart attack after he saw that he had run into Frank.

"Cody Storm! Just the man I wanted to see!" he said jovially, pulling Cody into a one armed hug. Cody was still too stunned to react. "Hey, what's wrong bro? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Um… y-you have no idea," Cody stammered. Truth was, he had already seen two ghosts in the past ten minutes, and the third had just hugged him. "Err… Isaac, right?" he asked the Mr. Mime that stood behind Frank. The psychic pokemon still sported a mohawk like his trainer.

[Correct,] the mime answered simply. Cody looked back at Frank, who was still smiling as if nothing happened. Suddenly, the older boy's smile faded.

"Why the hell are you outside without a coat? You realize it's ten degrees Fahrenheit out here, right? Have a death wish, kiddo?"

"Uh…"

"What's up with you dude? Meowth got your tongue? Or you just dying of hypothermia? Come on, I know a coffee shop nearby that's still open. We can talk there." He forcefully grabbed Cody by his arm and dragged him down the street to a corner coffee shop, Isaac following close behind. Like Frank had promised, the shop was still open, and several locals were still drinking.

"Frank, I don't have any money on-"

"It's cool, my treat. What do you want?"

"I'm not much of a coffee drinker but… just get me something that's not decaffeinated." After all the "fun" night he was having that night, he didn't plan on going to sleep again for awhile.

"Cool, I'll get the jo. You and Isaac go find seats." The moment Frank left for the counter, Cody turned around and tried to leave through the door, but it wouldn't open. It was as though it was being held shut by an outside force.

Damn, Isaac… "You're not gonna let me go, are you?"

[Not a chance.] The Mr. Mime suddenly didn't look as friendly as he normally did. [Go find a table.]

There's no escape. He's obviously going to talk to me about the night me and Heather ran off. Immediately, Cody began to wrack his brain for ways to escape this predicament. He still had Antonia, but starting a fight in a public place that was not a battle approved area was a quick ticket to getting arrested. That, and Frank had at least two pokemon, both of which were more experienced than his Skarmory chick. He could make a scene over Frank, attracting attention, and possibly being able to get away, but nobody would have any reason to believe that Frank was a member of a mysterious organization. That, and trying to get away might piss Frank off. Maybe he'd be better off talking to the guy while he was in a good mood.

Shrugging his shoulders, he walked over to a booth near the fire exit, and sat down. Even though Isaac would probably block that door too, it gave him a sense of security that was comforting, even though it was probably false. Isaac sat on the other side, not losing his eye contact. Seconds later, Frank rejoined them with three drinks for the three of them.

"You'll like this, trust me. You might want to add some cream to it though. It's kinda strong if you drink it black."

"Thanks Frank," he replied softly before pouring a bit of cream into the coffee. It still tasted strong, but he kept drinking it anyway.

"I'm glad I found you before you froze to death out there," Frank laughed. "I believe this is the second time I've saved your skin, huh? Looks like you owe me two, eh?"

"Yeah… sure."

"Good to know. So what you've been up to lately?"

"Um…" Shit, you've been stalking me! You've know what I've been up to. What are you playing at? "I won my second gym badge today."

"Oh, that's right! I was there!" Frank said with a snap of his fingers. "Good match by the way. You really took that guy to school. Did you see me in the audience? I was on your left."

"Sure, I saw you," Cody said without thinking, though he bit his tongue immediately afterward.

"Then why didn't you say hi to me, bro? We could have caught up. You, me, and Heather, just like old times. What gives?"

Crap, he just pinned me. Either way Cody had had enough of this goody-two-shoes act from this guy. "Okay, what do want from me!" he asked in a harsh voice. "I know why you're doing this! You've been stalking Heather and I all week from the moment we got here. And I know why: you're mad about use leaving that helmet out where everybody in that camp could see. So what are you going to do? Kill me? Because I didn't say anything to the authorities. I mean, I don't even know your last name, and nobody would believe me if I told them that the Cipher were in Skitrex. I'm not a danger to you or whatever you're doing. I'm trying to avoid trouble right now, 'cause Arceus knows, I have enough of that already. So what do you want from me!"

Nobody in the coffee shop seemed to notice Cody's outburst, but Frank wore a shocked expression on his face. Was he trying to play dumb? Seconds later, he smiled again and shook his head. "Now that you pointed out the Donphan in the room, it looks like I've got some explaining to do."

"Say what?" Once again he was confused.

"Now, I get what you're driving at. You're scared out of your mind right now, and you have every right to be. I didn't tell you the whole truth, so you don't trust me. Fair enough. But I can assure you that I didn't tell you any lies either."

"Oh really?" Cody replied in doubt.

[He's right,] Isaac agreed, [he has yet to say anything false to you.]

"Oh yeah, because your pokemon can vouch for you, that means I should believe you, right? I don't think so. How the hell did you even find me? And why aren't you mad at me for trying to-"

"Okay, okay, let me explain everything," Frank chuckled before taking another sip of his coffee. His attitude of calmness seemed so unnatural at this point. "I don't know why you and Heather were digging through my stuff, but I'll admit, I was pissed off about it. I had to do some fast talking the next morning in order to keep that group of trainers from going hostile. But I managed. I'm a pretty charismatic guy. That's why they made me a recruiter, I guess."

"Wait who's 'they?'" Cody asked curiously.

"The organization I'm a part of," Frank answered casually.

"You mean the Cipher?"

"Wrong. We don't have an official name per say, but we aren't the Cipher."

Cody gave another gaping look. "So you have a Cipher helmet, but you're not the Cipher? Yeah right."

"No, you actually just got it," Frank replied. "Those recycled uniforms are perfect. They keep a decent body temperature in all weather conditions, they're comfortable, they disguise us-"

"There we go! Disguise! Why would you need a disguise if you weren't crimi-"

"Calm down, I'll get to that later," Frank interrupted. "Now, as I was saying, we are not the Cipher. We're all about peace. Those trainers at that camp, they're all working with us now on their own will, doing all those charitable things that I told you about, and a bit more."

"A bit more?" Cody questioned.

"Originally," Frank began again, ignoring Cody's question, "I wasn't worried about finding you or Heather. In the grand scheme of things, neither of you really posed that much of a threat to us, and you still don't. But about a month ago, a friend of mine linked me to your blog. He didn't know you personally, but he had been following you ever since you started posting battle videos of yourself. I spent a long time watching each and every video, and I was impressed. You really had come a long way in such a short time, just like I predicted." He took a last sip of his coffee and laid his feet on the table as if he owned the whole shop. "Now, I'm pretty low in the organization's hierarchy, but I know the big man himself on a personal level, since he was the one who helped me out of my rut. I showed him your videos and told him what I knew about you. Intrigued, he told me to go down to Kito Grove, since you mentioned in one of your videos that that was where you were headed. My mission: watch your gym fight to get a close up and personal view of your progress.

"Of course, I was impressed. How you handled the fight against Ian was nothing short of spectacular. Not only were you smart, but your pokemon were crafty. I've never seen anybody who wasn't a league member fight like that. I mean, I was also under orders to watch Heather, since she ran off with you too, but while she was only good, you were great. I made a call after your battle, and the big dog decided that he would like to meet you, because while your threat level is low, he figures that you would be a better ally than not. After all, by just seeing that helmet…" He snickered, "you already know too much."

"But why? How? If you're all about peace, why does it matter what if I've 'seen too much?' It doesn't make any sense."

"Does it now?" Frank asked with a smirk. "You asked why we hide our faces in masks? Sometimes with our more 'delicate' missions, we have no choice, since our actions aren't always looked fondly upon by the public. The last thing we need is a person on the other side who can connect our organization's full intent with our actions and our faces. Again, while you aren't so much of a threat, being only one person, we still can't overlook you. We could kill you, or find a very strong psychic pokemon that could effectively give you a mental lobotomy, but that would be such a waste of a young talent, not to mention against our overall intent. Aligning yourself with us would not be such a waste, don't you think?"

"Well I don't see why that matters," Cody argued back. "You said you do things that the public doesn't approve of anyway, so why not kill me, huh? Either way, what you do essentially that makes you criminals, so-"

"Criminals," Frank laughed, "you have such a negative attitude to that word. You know who else were criminals? Jesus was a criminal. Gandhi was a criminal. It didn't matter what they preached, no matter how good and pure it was, for in the end, they were viewed by many around them as troublemakers. So were they really criminals Cody? Am I a criminal too? I saved you from being mauled by a Houndoom. You could have burned to a crisp and eaten alive if those thugs had let that dog continue. So who are the 'bad guys,' Cody? Me or them?"

Cody couldn't answer. Frank was being very charismatic with everything he said, and it was difficult to argue with him, but he still couldn't bring himself to agree with what the older boy was saying. It was all still foggy.

"You don't need to answer that; I can tell you're still frazzled. But let me tell you what the organization I am a part of is really about. It isn't just about helping the poor and the downtrodden, but creating peace, first in Skitrex, and later beyond the boundaries of this region. Think about it: a world without pain. A world without suffering. A world without poor. A world without senseless agony and bloodshed. A world without war. A world of peace. Don't you think that's worth fighting for, Cody? Don't you think that's worth breaking a few laws? What do you think? Fate is giving you an opportunity to be a part of something greater than yourself. What do you say?"

Even though he had it in his mind to say "no," Cody couldn't bring himself to say it yet. Why are they so interested in me? Because of my skills as a trainer? There are a lot of skilled trainers out there, so why do they want me specifically? And this world peace thing... I guess that is a good motive, but many organizations probably claim that sort of thing. That doesn't make them good… "What is it that you want from me?" Cody asked.

"I've already told you, but let me go into detail," Frank began again. "Heather lost her fight against the gym leader in this town. By league rules, she has to wait a minimum of five days before she is allowed to try again, which gives us a few days. During this time, I would like to take you on a little train ride up north to where the organization's superior is currently located. I'll pay for the tickets and everything, so you need not worry if money is an issue. Since you can't tell your friends where you will be going, just lie to them. Say that you're taking a few day trip by yourself so you can go find a pokemon or something. We can even take some time to catch one if you want to be convincing. All we ask is that you come and talk with our leader. He wants to offer you a proposition. And I promise you, no harm will come of you. Whaddaya say?"

Cody stared into Frank's eyes, trying to look for any sign that would give the older trainer away as a liar. But all he saw was sincerity. Still, as thrilling as this adventure would be, it was still too much for him. There was always a large chance that if he went with Frank, something bad would happen to him. "No. I'm sorry Frank, but I want nothing to do with you or this organization. I thank you for buying me coffee, I thank you for saving my ass, but I can't be a part of this. Just please leave me be. Go on and bring world peace or whatever the hell you are trying to do, but leave me out of it. I have my own problems right now and I don't need you and your friends making it worse."

"Aw, Cody…" Frank sighed, shaking his head. "I was afraid you'd say that. You're so stubborn you can't see past the tip of your nose. But by what you know about us already, you are now making yourself our enemy."

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Cody asked.

[He means that our superior will not be pleased when he learns that you will not even meet with him,] Isaac answered. [Too bad. You have no idea what you are dealing with.]

"What my pokemon means is that our numbers are rising by the hour," Frank explained. "Trust me, you won't want to be on the outside when we begin to gain more influence." He was no longer smiling, but instead, he was wearing a sad frown. It was as if he felt bad for Cody. "If the boss decides that he wants to talk to you, no matter what, he will have his way. There is no escaping-"

"Escaping what, you?" Cody asked, pulling out Antonia's pokeball. "If you so much as try to abduct me, my Zebstrika here will crush you and all your pokemon. I know I can beat you now."

Frank stared at the pokeball for a few seconds before bursting into laughter again.

"What's so funny!"

"You're imitating me! That's classic! I pulled the same bluff with those trainers in the forest who tried to mug you, and you're trying the same thing against me! I love this!" Suddenly, his smile grew more subtle. "But you've failed. I know that you keep your baby Skarmory in that pokeball, since it is a great ball. I've made note that all your other pokemon are in standard grade pokeballs, so you done goofed on your bluff, kid. Nice try."

Cody was baffled. Frank had outsmarted him so easily just by remembering what his pokeballs looked like.

"Could you beat me in a battle? Could you defend yourself if I attacked you in a normal circumstance? Sure, there's no doubt. I'm not that great of a trainer, and the only reason I beat you last time was because you were still a newbie. At your current skill, you and your pokemon could easily defeat mine. But starting a fight now of all times? Really? You have a baby Skarmory. I have three fully grown pokemon and a gun. Who wins?"

Cody didn't see a gun on Frank's person, but that claim sounded legit. Slowly, he put Antonia's pokeball back on his belt.

"Good choice," Frank answered seriously. "Lucky for you, I don't have orders to drag you in, and I have no intention of making a scene in public. However, there are stronger trainers in the organization. Some of them are specialized to bring people such as yourself in. You can't outrun us forever Cody. I just hope that you don't do anything that you may come to regret." He and Isaac left the booth and stood by each other next to the table. "It's not too late to come with me Cody. Are you sure about denying the big man's orders?"

"Positive," Cody replied in a shaky voice, "I just want to be left alone."

"Very well," Frank said sadly, "I just hope that you we don't become enemies in the future. You're a good kid. It would be a shame to see something happen to you." He let out one more discontent sigh. "Good luck, bud." A second later, Frank snapped his fingers, and he and Isaac disappeared in a quick burst of light. The Mr. Mime had used teleport.

Placing his elbows on the table, Cody rested his head in his hands and let out a tired, groaning breath. The world around him, the coffee shop, the smells, the music, the people chattering: it all seemed surreal. And among the confusion, the doubt, and the paranoia, fear stood above everything else.

"You almost ready?" Heather asked as she checked on Cody, who was still packing his things. On her second attempt, she had won the badge from Ian, and the three teens were getting ready to set off again.

"Just about. I'll meet you guys in the lobby in a minute," he replied.

"Okay," Heather said. She turned around to head out of the room, but she stopped herself and turned around to face Cody again. "Do you think we should tell Jared about Frank now?"

Cody had told Heather all about the encounter he had had with Frank, though he didn't tell her why he had been outside in the first place. She was now just as worried as he was, even though Frank did not seem interested in her whatsoever.

"Only if things get ugly," Cody answered. "You know how Jared is. I don't want to get him obsessed over something else if I can help it. What threat do we pose? This organization will probably leave us alone, so it would be wasteful to go crazy over nothing." He didn't quite believe his own words, however.

"Okay, though this might be worth going crazy over… but I won't tell him anything. It's our secret." She wasn't looking him in the eyes, so smoothly he touched her chin and lifted her head so he could look into her brown eyes, which in the moment, seemed to have depth beyond comprehension. Then, without warning, she hugged him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Look, everything will be okay. I promise," he whispered to her. "Nobody is going to take me away and nobody will hurt you or Jared. I swear."

"Okay, I trust you," she replied in a murmur. Cody was surprised at how much Heather trusted him. It was this childlike trust that empowered their friendship. It was also this trust that stirred his feelings for her, the last few ones that he had yet to let go of. But he pushed these feelings aside. He needed to be strong for her, Jared, his pokemon, and most importantly, himself.

"You better go get your pokemon from the nurse," he told his friend.

"Okay," she replied softly. After Heather left, Cody sat down on the lower bunk of his bed. On that fateful night, he had run into the three antagonists of his life: the darkness that haunted his dreams, the old woman that seemed to know about said nightmares, and a teen that belonged to a mysterious organization. A million problems were thrown at his face, and he couldn't find a solution to any of them. Who spoke the truth? Who was telling him lies?

I can't outrun that dark vision. I can't outrun my fate. I can't outrun the Cipher, or whoever they claim to be… That's what they all tell me, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

Hope you got all that. It's weird going from battle only to dialogue only.

But hey, if you're still reading… You have the opportunity to submit an OC! Yes, for a limited time, you may submit a character of your own creation to be a minor (and possibly reoccurring) character in my story!

I don't normally do this, but I want the fans to have a pinch of involvement, so now's your chance. If you want an OC to be in this story, simply leave a review on my story (as long or short as you please), and then send your OC to me via private messaging so no other reader can see your creation. I will not take OCs left in the reviews, so don't post it there.

Format

Full Name:

Hometown (must be in Skitrex. You may use a previously named city, or one of your own creation, so long as it doesn't sound silly [ex: Creepy Town.]:

Appearance:

Trainer Class (if you like):

Clothing:

Pokemon (list 6 or 7. Think level 30 - 35 but you don't need to tell me levels, since this story is too "abstract" for that. Nothing too progressed though. You should also list nicknames if you have any, individual personalities, and moves [not limited to 4.] Also, make sure you let me know who their first pokemon is and/or who their strongest pokemon is. Also, your trainer has about five to six badges at this point, so…):

Personality (No Mary Sues):

Other Facts:

If I pick your character, I'll let you know. If I want to make changes, I'll discuss them with you first so I don't completely mutilate your character. Until next time, happy training!