*shrill whistle* Hey guys! Sorry about the earsplitting sound. Just making sure to do my job.

Anyways, it sure has been a while since we last saw more of this. I want to apologize once more for being so tardy in my updating. I hope not to take too long like last time (and thankfully, the next chapter is getting pretty easy to write without hitting writer's block), but no promises. Especially now that I work as well as attend school. Ai curamba.

Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who continues to read this story and enjoy what I put out. You guys may not know it, but you guys really help motivate me to work on these chapters pretty hard. So I want to thank you for your patience and support in all this.

For those waiting on a Mermaid Melody update, that is coming soon. Just need to transcribe the new chapter, and we are golden. But for now, let's see what is happening with the crew of the Aura.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its content. All rights to Game Freak, Nintendo, 4kids Entertainment, etc.

Ja ne

Chapter 20:

Passion Call

Captain's Log Day 867

Things have been rather bizarre aboard the Aura with the revealing of Kari and her mermaid sisters to the crew. I can't say I blame them, as I was a little startled meeting the Stormstress myself. But it doesn't seem to bother Sora all that much. Go figure. And now he has become an Aura Guardian. With three Chieftains down, Sora seems to be more than ready to tackle the rest.

On another note, something has been odd about our voyage so far. We've encountered s lot of strange tribulations that seems centered on both Sora and Rina. First was Sora becoming an Aura Guardian after he was lost at sea, then Rina's strange transformation in order to save our guardian from some fatal illness we could do nothing about the traditional way. I wonder if someone is after something, and Sora is in the middle of it all. Could Tyrannia really be that threatened by the Chieftain's Challenge? If so, what will happen to Sora should he defeat all eight Chieftains?

Drake set his quill down after finishing the last thought. He read over what he wrote while his Roselia wafted its relaxing fragrance throughout the room, and felt bothered by a few things. Some of which he already wrote down, but additional matters bugged him considerably. One thing that bothered him were the storms Kari helped them through. As a sailor, Drake could very well predict how a storm would behave and either avert them altogether or steer his ship through them. But ever since the mermaids became known, the storms refused to act normally. It's been some miracle that the ship hadn't sunk yet, but that didn't settle the uneasiness growing inside the captain.

In his musings, he heard a crash on deck, like a Pokémon using an attack to train. Drake really did not want Sora messing up his ship while preparing for the next Chieftain battle, no matter how good he was. With a growl of annoyance, he and Roselia headed up the deck to find out what was actually happening. In his pursuit of finding answers, he nearly was hit by a Pokémon using Blaze Kick. When it passed him by, Drake saw that it was a Blaziken; a tall, bird-looking Pokémon with wing-like fins going down its back, flames coming out of its wrists, and powerful legs definitely built for high jumps and powerful kicks. When it noticed the captain coming on deck, Blaziken made a big leap over to the side, and dove into the ocean via port side. Drake was so rattled from the near miss that he didhn't move until Roselia nudged him. Once he got out of his stupor, he rushed overto try and find if Blaziken was alright. To his bewilderment, he found nothing in the waters beside the ship.

"Now where could it have gone?" Drake wondered aloud.

"Rose." Roselia spoke, staring at the same place its trainer was watching in equal perplexity.

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The next morning was met with a very furious Captain Drake yelling, "SORAAAA!" Said guardian rushed to the storage room below deck along with Pikachu and Larvitar, only to find their food supply had plummeted, leaving only enough provisions for the remainder of the day. "Care to explain this." Drake inquired with a slight edge in his voice.

As Prince Pewter arrived on scene, Sora answered, "I've been asleep the whole night after meditating with Lucario."

"Right. And my other ship's a Rhydon."

"Honest! None of my Pokémon were out at all."

"Pikachu." Pikachu chimed in, defending his partner's stance.

"Even Larvitar?" Drake accused in a slow, threatening tone as he looked down at the rock child Pokémon.

"Hey, Larvitar may be young but he's not a glutton!" Sora retorted back as he hid Larvitar behind his leg.

Coming upon the squabblers, Prince Pewter addressed in a stern voice, "Alright, break it up! This is no time to be acting like berserk Mankey." Both boys stopped, but Drake gave a subtle leer to the side at Sora. "Better. Now what seems to be the problem?"

"Your Highness," Drake explained, "our food stock has taken a drastic decline. I presume our stores were raided at some point during the night."

"But who could eat that much in such a short amount of time?" the prince mused, scratching his chin.

"It wasn't my Snorlax!" Sora jumped to his own defense, "The ship wouldn't be able to hold him."

"Relax Sora. For now, let's find a port to barter or scavenge for our food stores." Prince Pewter suggested, "Drake, there's a port town close by where we are, isn't there?"

"If we're where we think we are, there should be one to the northwest. Kenneth and I will alter course." As Drake began making his way up to the deck, he added, "And Sora, I'm keeping my eye on you." Sora groaned at the veiled threat as Pikachu and Larvitar attempted to comfort him.

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"All ashore that's going ashore!" Kenneth shouted as they dropped anchor at the dock alongside other galleons. With the gangplank down, everyone disembarked and looked about the bustle before them as sailors and traders were striking deals or conning those with little wit into one-sided bargains. One such man advertising a Magikarp he was selling that promised to be a goldmine. Prince Pewter and Opal set out for the market to acquire provisions, while the rest started to disperse and conduct their own business. Drake remained by the ship, still fuming at how their food stores could have been raided without his knowing. He still believed Sora was responsible for the loss, even if he denied it so strongly. He just needed to find some evidence that the guardian was responsible, or whoever the culprit was. Figuring he wouldn't go into town, Drake headed back on deck to await his friend's return.

As he went up to the helm, he heard Rina's voice call out, "Sora? Are you up there?" The captain went over to the side away from the docks, and spotted both Rina and Sarah in the waters. "Drake, where's Sora?" Rina asked once he appeared.

"He's with the others on shore." Drake informed, "I don't think you'll be getting his attention anytime soon."

"Bummer." Sarah said with a quick flick of her tail, "Well can you go get him? It's kinda urgent."

"Sure. What's wrong?" Drake wondered.

"It's Kari. She vanished from our room before we came here, and we don't know where she went." Rina explained.

"What about your pearls?" Drake asked, recalling what his Stormstress told him before, "Can they tell you anything?"

Both mermaids shook their heads, with Sarah reminding, "they only tell us if we're alright or not. We can't tell where she is."

"And she's not in the ocean?"

"Drake!" the two scolded.

"Easy!" Drake ushered, looking back in case someone heard them. When he was sure no one had heard, he turned back and told them, "I'll try to let Sora know. If I can't, I'll find her myself. She's probably outside of town at one of the beaches or something."

"We'll check the beaches." Sarah suggested, "You guys look inland." With that settled, the three parted ways to find Kari.

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After letting Sora know the situation, he and Drake departed from the rest of the group to begin looking for Kari. It took a little while to actually get into the wilder parts of the island, but they eventually left the port town behind and split up to look for the Stormstress. Sora didn't seem to think much of it, but for Kari to disappear rather suddenly before they made landfall seemed suspicious to Drake. He still needed to find whoever scarfed down their whole batch of provisions in a single night. His suspicions still labelled Sora as the guilty party, but it could have just as likely been someone else on the crew. Furthermore, what would make Kari just vanish with no warning? It wasn't like before when the three mermaids were kept secret from the others. Why would she just rush off without even letting her sisters know?

Sometime into his search, Drake thought he heard Kari nearby when he caught the sound of her voice. So he made himself deathly still to try and hear her again. Rather than a voice, the captain picked up the sound of splashing that sounded distinctly like a tail smacking the water. So he moved quickly but as quietly as he could in the direction the sound came from.

As he drew near, he heard someone say, "Someone's coming! Return." After that, he found Kari resting in a pool hidden by shrubbery that ringed the perimeter. Drake took a quick look to find who Kari was talking to earlier before settling his eyes on the only other person here.

"Drake!" Kari spoke up, surprised by his appearance, "What a nice surprise."

"What are you doing here Kari?" Drake asked, "rina and Sarah were worried about you."

"They were?" she replied innocently.

"Why'd you come out here before we made landfall anyway?"

"Oh! Well, uh…" Now this started to make Drake wary. Why would Kari act like she was trying to hide a secret? What else was there for her to hide besides being a mermaid, and being able to predict storms? Drake even began to wonder if Rina and Sarah may have been hiding additional secrets as well.

Before it could go any further, a wild Fearow flew in overhead, surprising the two. It spotted the pair below it, and nose-dived for Drake.

The captain leaped out of the way, pulled out his Pokéstone, and called out, "Absol, I need you!" And out came Drew's Absol, one different from the Absol back in Aurora. The Fearow registered the new face, and hovered before it, ready for a battle. "Absol, Psycho Cut!" It's horn glowing purple with psychic energy, Absol swung its head to release a blade of energy. Fearow flew out of the way, and began to glow with a white light as it dove down.

"That's a Sky Attack! Absol, dodge and use Night Slash!" The Disaster Pokémon jumped over the attack, and managed to land its own as it sailed over the giant bird. This just enraged Fearow, and it turned around and charged with its beak spinning like a drill. Drake called for his Pokémon to dodge, which Absol did. But Fearow kept going, heading straight for Kari as it saw she wasn't in the fight. Drake raced towards her as he called for her to get out of the way, despite knowing he would not make it in time nor that Absol would be unable to deter the attack before it was too late. It seemed like time slowed around Drake, as he watched the attack slowly approach the mermaid, inch by agonizing inch.

But then, in a moment of desperation, Kari cried out, "Blaziken, help me, please!" And from her pearl appeared a Blaziken, who knocked Fearow into the air with a Sky Uppercut. Its appearance stopped Drake dead in his tracks. That Blaziken was the same one that disappeared the other night, and it came from Kari's pearl. After its appearance, the fighter Pokémon blasted Fearow with a Fire Spin, which forced the giant vulture to skedaddle.

With it gone, Blaziken regarded Drake with a fierce gaze, causing the captain to take a step back. Absol stood before him, gauging this newcomer to see if it was a threat. Blaziken soon broke its gaze, bent down to pick up Kari bridal-style, then bounded away.

Once Drake snapped out of his stupor, he muttered, "I have to tell the others. We need to find them." After thanking Absol and returning it, Drake set out for where he would meet Sora before they would head back to town.

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After relaying his story to the crew, Drake received skeptical looks from everyone except Sora and Sparky. The first to voice their doubts, much to everyone's surprise, were the mermaids.

"You sure that Fearow didn't hit you in the head or something?" Sarah questioned.

"An honest sailor never stretches a story in the slightest." Drake claimed proudly.

"That's debatable." Tidus spoke.

"Drake, Kari has a Squirtle." Rina calmly expressed, "That's her only Pokémon. Mermaids are unable to bond with ones not from the sea."

"Then explain to me how Kari has a Blaziken that just whisked her away. I know what I saw."

"But a mermaid having a non-Water Pokémon, and a Fire type no less?" Sketch spoke up, "It sounds bizarre."

"I'm telling you guys it's the truth!"

"Drake, settle down." Prince Pewter softly commanded, "You've been under a lot of stress and need to rest."

"What I need to do is find Kari." Drake told him firmly, "We are not leaving this island until we do."

"Now you're just being childish." Violet huffed.

"No. Drake's right." Sora informed everyone, "We need to find her."

"Rina and Sarah can find her in the sea." Teller argued, "There's no way Drake's story is correct."

"I know it is." Now the guardian had everyone's attention. So he continued, "I know Drake. He is an honest sailor, and cares about everyone on his crew. He wouldn't fib about Kari."

"Pika Pi, Chu Pi." Pikachu agreed. Drake smiled at Sora, grateful for his support.

"It may be a Wailord of a tale, but it ain't the captain's style to lie." Kenneth added, "If he says it's true, I reckon it's as true as can be."

I believe this story bears fruit. Lucario came in, The captain's aura burns strong with conviction. There is no deceit in his words.

With a heavy sigh, Prince Pewter replied, "Very well. We'll split up and search for Kari in small groups. Use every means possible to scour this entire island." Though most still didn't buy it, everyone agreed to the search. Splitting up into small groups, the crew set off for the wildlands in search of the Stormstress.

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Drake raced through the grove on the far eastern part of the island on his Arcanine, Sora and Yolanda following overhead on Staraptor. Their group had gone for the center of the island, where the trees became dense and hard to maneuver through. So far, no one had any luck finding Kari or her Blaziken, and the sun was beginning its descent in the sky. Drake still needed to replenish their food storage, and trading in town proved difficult even for the prince. Still, his biggest concern was Kari and why she disappeared like she did. Stopping after a certain distance, Drake and Arcanine waited as Staraptor and its two passengers descended.

"Seen anything?" Drake asked.

Sora just shook his head and replied, "I can't seem to find her aura anywhere. There are too many other ones from the trees and Pokémon here to single hers out."

"No Blaziken then?"

"Nothing. But we still have to find her."

"Why would Kari hide the fact she bonded with a Blaziken from us?" Yolanda brought up.

"Didn't we already discuss this on my ship princess?"

"Just hear me out Drake." Dismounting Staraptor, Yolanda continued by asking, "Why is it so hard for a mermaid to bond with a non-Water Pokémon? If how we bond with the Pokémon is the same for mermaids, shouldn't they be able to bond with other types like us?"

"Maybe." Sora mulled on the thought, "The only real limitation is that they're mostly in the sea."

"Yes." Yolanda addressed, "So why don't her sisters believe she has bonded to a Blaziken?"

"This coming from someone who thinks one such mermaid is bewitching his betrothed." Drake commented, earning him a glare from the princess. "But you're not wrong. Their pearls act the same as our Pokéstones do. Beyond who they are, they aren't all that different from us."

"But then why don't Rina and Sarah believe Kari has a Blaziken?" Sora repeated the previous question.

"Sora, they're the only mermaids known in the world. Probably the only ones at all." Drake informed, "They probably just believe certain things because they didn't know all that much, even about humans."

"Just like we do about them?" Sora inquired.

"In a sense. But for now, let's just keep looking for her. It's going to get dark soon." With that settled, Sora and Yolanda took to the sky on Staraptor once more.

Before Drake and Arcanine took off, however, the captain thought he heard the same sound from earlier: a tail splashing water. He opted to investigate, prompting his Pokémon in the direction he thought the sound came from. They ventured a bit further in, going deeper and deeper into the underbrush to find if what Drake heard was what he thought it was.

Before long, they soon arrived at a lush hidden grotto, the trees covered in numerous fruits and Berries, and a lake filled with water that was so clear you could see the bottom on the other side. And even when the water rippled, the view did not blur all that much and was still very visible. Yet Drake wasn't ogling this natural treasure, rather he was looking at the Stormstress herself, her back to him as she watched her Squirtle play around her.

In his gazing, Arcanine threw him off and shielded him from a Fire Spin, its ability Flash Fire absorbing the attack to prevent any harm done to the area. Both human and mermaid looked to find Blaziken in a battle stance, its gaze fixed on Drake with a clear intent to battle. The captain stared back past Arcanine, rising to his feet and not backing down in the slightest.

That is until Kari called out, "Blaziken, let him be." Though still leery, Blaziken relaxed its battle stance at her command. And as Arcanine relaxed as well, Drake walked over and sat on the edge of the lake next to his Stormstress.

"Why'd you run off like that Kari?" he asked her, "You had us all worried." Kari didn't reply, seeming content to watch Squirtle play in the water. So Drake continued, "If you're worried about the others, don't be. We won't think of you any differently than we already do."

"Even my sisters?" Kari questioned. After she mentioned that, the captain realized what was really bothering her. She probably thought she looked like a freak to Rina and Sarah since she had a Pokémon that wasn't a Water-type, even more with it being a Fire-type. It was probably eating away at her that this came out the way it did, especially since he did let it be known she had Blaziken anyway.

So he told her, "I'm sorry Kari. I wasn't aware you were trying to keep this a secret from your sisters."

"I know you didn't." Kari replied, "But even so, I must look like such a disgrace to them. Why wouldn't they see me as any less than a sister?"

"You do remember you three may be the only mermaids alive. I do not believe those two would view you any less for having Blaziken. If anything, this could be a big chance for them."

"How?"

"Well, Rina has been growing closer to Sora." Drake elaborated, "Maybe she'll want a Pokémon that could bring her closer to him. Same with Sarah and Kenneth. Aside from that, they're your sisters. You're about all they have for family." In a way, that was how Drake viewed his crew. They were all a family who helped keep each other safe and happy. Even if some of them were a little different in one way or another, they looked out for each other. Even if they didn't know how Kari and her sisters interacted, he felt they were very much the same.

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of branches snapping drew their gazes towards a section of the woods. Both Blaziken and Arcanine got into defensive stances when they sensed the approach of the mysterious presence. In time, a strange Pokémon appeared from the woods: it looked like a tree with six roots acting like feet, the trunk split in three with a strange shadow holding up the pieces, giant hands at the end of its segmented arms with leaves on its wrists, and its head had a single eye in the center of its face with two long horns on the side and a shorter one in front with a bush of leaves on the top of its head.

"No way! Is that a Trevenant?!" Drake exclaimed, rising to his feet immediately, "what is it doing here?"

Scared and bewildered, Kari asked, "Drake, what is that?"

So he answered, "A Trevenant. A Pokémon said to defend forests. Sora had to help calm one down back in Aurora. Apparently, an apprentice lumberjack enraged one when he didn't ask it for wood for the kingdom. But why is this one so angry?" Out of nowhere, some trees began to glow with a dark aura and sent branches out towards Kari. The Stormstress tried to fight it, but the trees were too strong and yanked her out of the lake and towards Trevenant. Squirtle cried out for its trainer, while Blaziken darted in and tried to use Sky Uppercut to safely rescue her. But the attack phased through the branches, surprising the Fighting Pokémon. Then, more branches stretched out from the surrounding trees and bound it in the air, effectively capturing it.

"Blaziken!" Kari cried out. At that point, Trevenant brought her to face it, and its single eye began to glow.

"Oh no you don't!" Drake roared out, "Arcanine, use Flame Wheel!" The giant hound bounded towards the phantom tree, barreling through its attempts to stop it while enveloped in fire. It tackled Trevenant hard, yet the Pokémon's grip on Kari remained despite the devastating attack. And once its flames died down, Arcanine itself was pinned by more vegetation. Before Drake could summon another Pokémon, some branches snatched him by the wrists and pinned him against another tree. He struggled to escape, but its grip was like iron. Squirtle saw all that occurred, and was too terrified to move in to rescue either the captain or the Stormstress. Then Trevenant began returning its gaze to its helpless victim. Unaware of what was happening, Kari stared into the light, and began to lose consciousness as the branches began to start covering her, almost becoming a cocoon of wood.

That is until,

"Fennekin, use Flamethrower!"

"Pignite, Flamethrower as well!" Two streams of fire hit the phantom tree's hands, which forced it to let go of Kari. Then, a grey streak zoomed in and caught her while a Fennekin and a rotund, orange-and-black pig Pokémon descended, facing their opponent with fierce gazes. Staraptor soon landed by Drake, and Sora and Yolanda dismounted off its back. Setting the mermaid on Staraptor, Sora used his Aura Sword to cut the branches holding Drake up, who then went over to check on Kari.

"Drake, what happened?" Sora asked urgently, "I saw the forest's aura being manipulated here."

"I wish I knew." The captain answered, "This Trevenant just attacked us out of nowhere, and it seems to not like Kari." Not much more could be said as the two newcomers were set upon by more tree branches. Sora retaliated with his sword by cutting them down before they could reach the group. Despite this, the sheer amount coming at them was overwhelming, and sora had to put all his focus on holding them back.

So while he held them back, Yolanda called out, "Fennekin, Hidden Power!" The fire fox unleashed three orbs of energy that exploded near Trevenant's face. When it cleared, Trevenant let out a terrifying yell and shot two Shadow Balls at the fox, blasting it back. Fennekin managed to recover, but was quickly surrounded by roots that came out of the ground in an attempt to pin it down. These were incinerated when Pignite used Flame Pledge and summoned columns of fire right underneath them all. Then Yolanda directed, "Fennekin, use Flamethrower!" The fox Pokémon blasted a stream of fire at Trevenant, who erected roots from underneath itself to block the attack, shocking everyone.

Just then, they heard Larvitar cry out behind them, and the captain and princess turned to see Sora and his Pokémon bound by tree branches much like Drake was prior, the guardian's staff lying beneath him in the grass. More vines came for Yolanda, Drake, and Kari, but Fennekin blasted them away with Flamethrower. For a while it was able to keep the possessed plants at bay, but fatigue soon set in and its flames weakened. This gave the plant-life the chance to pin Fennekin down while at the same time ensnaring Yolanda, as well as knocking back Drake and reclaiming the unconscious Kari.

Trevenant brought the two up to its face once more, while the boys and Pokémon were otherwise occupied. Sora tried to say something, but the branches holding him quickly muzzled his voice. Yolanda fought hard to break free, but the branches were too strong for her to overcome. Once both were facing it, and with Kari just recovering, its eye glowed once more using Confuse Ray. Yolanda shut her eyes and looked away, already aware of what would happen if her gaze met the tree sentinel's. Kari, on the other hand, had her eyes glaze over as the attack did its job and rendered her dazed and under its mercy. Then it used more branches to latch onto the princess's face, wrestling her to face it.

"Let go!" she cried out, "We're not trying to hurt your forest. You have to believe us." But the tree sentinel did not heed her words, and used more branches to try and pry open her eyes. Fennekin watched its trainer struggling to avert the Confuse Ray, and was struggling to break free. Yolanda grit with all her might, fighting to keep her eyes shut. Yet she could feel it becoming a losing battle, as her eyelids were slowly being opened.

Sora called out to her, though his voice was still muffled, as did his Pokémon. Drake just stared at Kari, a sudden fear paralyzing him as it did Squirtle as he watched her being hypnotized. Arcanine and Blaziken continued to struggle against their bindings to no avail. And in desperation, Fennekin cried out one more time before its body became enveloped in a blinding light. The occurrence gave Trevenant pause as it stopped what it was doing, thereby halting the Confuse Ray. Everyone except the girls watched in awe as the fire fox began to evolve.

The roots pinning Fennekin down retreated as its body grew. It stood up on its hind legs as they elongated; its fur fanned out at the hip to resemble something like a skirt; its fur near its neck fanned out to make a collar. A piece of one of the roots broke off from the rest, and the new Pokémon snatched it up as the glow dispersed in a blast of sparkles. Standing now was a bipedal fox with bright-yellow fur on its body, with its legs having black fur; its tail was larger and of the same coloration as its body; and inside its ears were red tufts of fur.

As a fire ignited on the branch it snatched up, the new Pokémon twirled it around and scattered fire around it, burning the roots and branches holding the boys and their Pokémon as well as harming Trevenant.

Once freed, Sora gazed at the evolved Pokémon and exclaimed, "Alright! Fennekin evolved into Braixen!" Braixen rushed over to Trevenant, and shot out a Flamethrower at the phantom tree. The attack hit it with full force, and it caused it to drop both Kari and Yolanda.

Unbound and elated, the princess hugged her new Pokémon and squealed, "Braixen, you saved me! Thank you."

"Braixen Brai." Her partner returned, hugging back after putting its twig in its tail.

Drake hurried over to his Stormstress, cradling her in his arms. He called out her name in the hope that she would answer. Yet she did not stir, her body limp and her face peaceful as if in a deep sleep.

"Don't you dare." He muttered after so long with no response. "Don't you dare die on me."

Just when he began to fear the worst, Sora came over and told him, "She's alive Drake." As the captain looked up at him, the guardian continued, "Her aura is still burning strong. Trevenant only weakened her with its Confuse Ray."

"Pika Pika." The lightning mouse assured, smiling up at the boys. Relief quickly set in, and the captain thanked his friend. But the battle was far from over.

Trevenant was still pressing the attack, but Braixen was holding it at bay using its new fire techniques. That was when Drake noticed something: the phantom tree had never moved from its spot since the start of the battle. It even seemed to be hurt each time the vixen's Flamethrower touched the roots attacking it.

Realizing the reason why, Drake called out, "The roots! Trevenant's using Ingrain to control the forest while also healing itself. We don't need to attack Trevenant…"

"We can just hold it at bay by hitting its extensions." Sora finished the thought. With that in mind, the guardian commanded, "Pignite, use Flame Pledge on the roots!" Without a second thought, the fire pig pounded its fist into the ground and shot pillars of fire at a series of roots. The fire forced more of them to retreat, and seemed to make Trevenant grimace.

Catching on to the notion, Yolanda called out, "Braixen, use Flamethrower on the roots!" Twirling its twig briefly before directing its attack, Braixen cast streams of fire that pushed back more extensions and seemed to cause Trevenant further harm. Blaziken soon joined in, using Blaze Kick and Fire Spin with fervor. The fire attacks soon began to grow out of control, and lit up several trees surrounding the group. Wild Pokémon fled from the carnage in fear.

Seeing the damage being done, Sora immediately summoned, "Squirtle, Totodile, Corphish, Oshawott, Palpitoad, Froakie, douse the fire!" All six Pokémon appeared from Sora's staff and immediately started using Water Gun, Hydro Pump, Bubblebeam, and Water Pulse to quell the blaze that was starting. Squirtle took charge in instructing the others where to concentrate their water. As they did, Blaziken, Braixen, Pignite, and Arcanine continued to fight against Trevenant and protect their trainers.

Before long, the phantom tree was exhausted from all the battling and was hunched over. The other Pokémon were also rather exhausted, yet they were determined to fight to the end.

Pointing its twig at its opponent, Braixen yipped, "Braixen Brai. Brai Braixen."Trevenant let out a low growl, seeming to not want to back down.

"Blaziken." Kari's Pokémon grunted at the challenge. Having its answer, it rushed at Trevenant and prepared a final Blaze Kick. At the moment of impact, a Water Gun came out from behind it and stopped the attack dead in its tracks. Everyone looked to see Kari's Squirtle was the source, a fierce look in its eyes. Behind it were some injured Pokémon from the woods, and around them was damage done by the fire. That's when Drake caught on to what the issue was.

"I get it now." He spoke out in realization. "Trevenant was helping protect those Pokémon while they were healing. When Blaziken attacked me, it probably thought we were going to battle and harm the forest. And since Kari is Blaziken's Trainer…"

"It went after her." Sora concluded, picking up on what Drake was explaining.

"And then it went after us because we fought to get Kari back." Yolanda finished, "That's why it got so violent. But that doesn't excuse what you did to Kari."

"Take it easy." Drake said to assuage the fuming princess. Carrying his Stormstress, the captain went up to Trevenant and told it, "We apologize for disturbing your home and for nearly hurting those under your protection. We mean no ill-will towards you, and will depart at once." Trevenant stared into his eyes, gauging his honesty and intent very strictly. For a time, everyone waited in anticipation for what the protector's verdict would about a minute, Trevenant turned and went to the injured Pokémon. Once it picked them up, it departed into the woods and vanished.

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Drake looked down at Kari and said aloud, "Now for this matter."

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"Kari. Kari! Please wake up Kari!" A familiar voice prompted as Kari began to open her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw that she was on the deck of the Aura, and Rina and Sarah were hovering over her. Both sisters had worried expressions that quickly melted away once they saw she was waking.

"Thank goodness you're awake." Rina told her as she helped her sister sit upright. "After we heard what happened, we were worried something horrible happened to you." Kari held her head in her hand as she recovered, and then she thought about Blaziken. She looked around very quickly before finding it resting against the mast not too far away from them.

"That Blaziken sure is devoted." Sarah commented. "It hasn't left your side since you got here."

"Face downcast, Kari muttered, "Don't you hate me?" Both mermaids became perplexed at this question, so she continued, "I have a Pokémon that isn't a Water type. I…I betrayed you both! So go ahead, hate me. But please, don't hurt Blaziken. I'm the one at fault." Tears streamed down Kari's face as she awaited her punishment. She had no doubt Rina, the eldest of them, would do something to show that she could no longer be considered a mermaid, let alone her sister. Yet, what she received instead was a tender embrace from said sister. The action took Kari by surprise, and left her frozen from the shock.

"I care greatly for a human who goes beyond expectation to make me accepted." She confessed. "Why would I do otherwise to my sister?"

Aghast, Kari stuttered out, "B-But… I…"

"You're our sister Kari." Sarah told her. "Even if you had a Groudon for a partner, we could never think of you as anything else." Before Kari could say anything to this, Sarah joined in the embrace, grasping her sister tightly. Before long, Kari returned the gesture as her fears drifted away.

"Thank you, Sarah, Rina." She whispered to them, "I am the luckiest mermaid to have you for family."

Watching from the helm, Drake smiled at the sight of the three sisters together. They sure were lucky to have each other, something for which he was grateful for. Now Kari knew she had nothing to fear when it came to her family.

Sora and Kenneth soon approached him after fulfilling their duties, and the former commented, "They really care about each other."

"Yep" Kenneth added, "Not to mention that grove Kari discovered helped restore our food stores."

"Yeah." Drake uttered. Then he brought up, "That reminds me; we still haven't found the culprit who caused our food to disappear like that." He shot a glare at Sora, who decided to ignore it.

That is until they heard Kari mention, "Oh yeah! I also have this Pokémon too." The boys looked over to see her release a plump, dark-green Pokémon with a mouth that split the bottom half of its face.

"Munchlax!" it cried out upon release.

"What is that?" Rina inquired.

"That's a Munchlax." Sora told them. "They're really rare Pokémon, and they evolve into Snorlax." Before he could elaborate, Munchlax immediately darted below deck, with Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar chasing it after panicking over its reason for doing so.

"Wait, could it be-?" Drake pondered briefly. He quickly realized the implication, and ordered Kenneth to take over while he went after it, leaving the mermaids puzzled at their behavior.

Sora: Ghost Pokémon sure are tough.

Rina: I can imagine. I wonder if it is even possible to defeat one in battle.

Sora: Well, those two phantom hunters seem able.

Rina: Maybe not with that ghost. Look out!

Mext time,

A Phantom's Grudge

Sora: I won't lose anyone! I will defeat you ghost!