So sorry for being late. This week has been crazy preparing for graduation, I didn't have a lot of time to write.

This one is soooooooooooo long! Sorry if this is bad...

Mellon was back in the field of flowers. Cedric had put her back in the Pokeball when they arrived at the Violet City Pokemon Center. The orbs appeared to her, but this time they were shifting from pink to red-violet. One floated up to her and Mellon leaned in to sniff it. The orb suddenly shocked her. Mellon jumped back, surprised. The orbs all started to close in on Mellon, sending arcs of electricity into her. Mellon let out a terrified wail, but the pain she expected didn't come. Instead, she was filled with warmth like she had been laying out in the sunlight. It soothed her and she laid down in the grass and fell asleep.

After the nurse healed Mellon and the rest of their Pokemon, Cedric and Adeline went straight to the Violet City Gym.

"I've been waiting for so long to get here." Cedric told Adeline. "Every time I would come here for classes, I would watch the Pokemon Trainers who challenged Leader Falkner battle. He has a lot of powerful Pokemon." He turned to Adeline. "But since we've just started, he has to use a set of specific Pokemon to battle us."

They pushed open the doors. The building was huge. Adeline looked around, taking in the high ceiling, the numerous statues depicting different bird Pokemon, and the spiral staircase that climbed up to the rafters.

"Hey, Champ!" Adeline jumped at the sound of the loud voice.

"Hey, Gai!" Cedric said as he went over to a grinning middle aged man and fist bumped him.
"Adeline, this is Jim Gai!" Jim Gai held out his hand.

"Nice to meet ya!" He said with a toothy grin.

"Jim… Gai?" Adeline repeated, looking to Cedric with doubt.

"You can just call me Gai." Gai laughed. "I've been keeping an eye on this lad since I saw him battle at the Academy!" He winked at Adeline, "He's a real champ in the making!"

"So I've heard…" Adeline mused.

"So you're here to Challenge Falkner, am I right?" Gai bellowed.

"That's right!" Cedric said. "and claim the first of eight badges, the Zephyr Badge!"

"Well, be careful with that Chikorita of yours. You don't want to be defeated too easily."
Cedric smiled, "Don't worry about me, Gai."

Adeline and Cedric climbed the stairs up to the rafters. They wondered around the rafter-like maze, battling every trainer they came across. Cedric, knowing his Chikorita's disadvantage, did his best to level up his Pidgey. He estimated that Fleck was level seven and Pidgey was level eight.

They stopped when they came to a fork in the path.

"Okay." Adeline started. "I'll go right and you go left. Whoever gets to Falkner first gets to battle him." Cedric agreed.

"You go with Adeline, okay?" Cedric addressed Mellon, who nodded in understanding. They went their separate ways after a "be careful" and a "good luck".

Cedric continued to wander across the rafters, going up and down, retracing steps, and battling trainers. He had just restored Pidgey's health when he looked ahead. The path he was heading led to a column rising from the floor far below. He could see stairs going up inside the column. He grinned knowing he had gone the correct way and ran towards it, careful not to lose his balance.

He emerged from the top of the column and gasped at the view. The stair had led him to a room at the top of the Gym, which had a wrap-around window that displayed the city below. Entranced, he peered through the glass and stared at the small figures busily walking on the ground.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cedric jumped back in surprise. He failed to notice a man standing at the far side of the room. He was about six foot tall, had blue hair pulled back in a bun, and a scruffy beard that made him look both serious and mischievous.

"Falkner?" Cedric asked, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach.

The Gym Leader nodded. "That's right. Tell me, are you here to challenge me?"

Cedric walked towards Falkner. "You bet I am."

Falkner chuckled. "and how many badges do you currently have?"

"Uh, you're my first Leader I've challenged." Falkner nodded in approval.

"A first-timer, huh? Well, I love showing new trainers what the Pokemon League is all about." He walked to a section of the wall and opened it up, revealing a plethora of Pokeballs. He carefully selected two from the shelf. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He asked. "How about we enjoy it?" He tapped a button on a control panel and the sound of machines whirring filled the air. The roof retracted and the windows opened up, leaving the room exposed to the environment outside.

"Shall we get started?" Falkner asked.

"Let's go." Cedric nervously replied.

Adeline decided her path was not the correct way. She had been sure she was going around in circles and she was getting tired.
"Always go left." She complained to herself. She sighed, looking down at Mellon. "How are you able to walk this much on only three legs?" The Sentret didn't have a problem with all the walking at all. She chattered as Adeline scooped Mellon up in her arms. "Let's just go back where we last saw Cedric."

As Adeline walked, she heard a commotion below her, but didn't think anything of it. She continued until she got back to the fork where she had left Cedric.

"Okay. Left." She sighed as she walked down the correct path to the left.

As she walked, Adeline hummed her the Ballad of the Goddess from Skyward Sword. It wasn't long before she realized Mellon had fallen asleep in her arms. Adeline continued to hum with a smile on her face as she was overwhelmed by the cuteness of the Sentret in her arms. She noticed that the path led to one of the columns that rose from the floor. She looked closer. It had stairs in it! She walked a little faster, wanting to see Cedric's battle against the Gym Leader.

"HEY!" Adeline jumped two feet in the air. Mellon jumped four feet in the air, almost falling off the beam they were on. Adeline turned on the owner of the voice, a young bird keeper about the same age as her.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?" She yelled. "MELLON ALMOST FELL OFF!?" The bird keeper's face turn almost as red as his hair.

"Sorry! I just wanted to battle you!" He paused. "Um… Who's Mellon?"

Adeline let out an exasperated sigh. "My Sentret."

"Oh. He's cute!"

"She."

"She's cute….. Is she missing a leg?"

"Let's just battle."

Adeline turned to Mellon. "Wreck him." Mellon nodded in agreement.

"I'm Abe, by the way."

"Just send out your Pokemon."

Abe sent out a Spearow. "Ladies first."

Adeline twitched in annoyance. "Mellon, Quick Attack."

Mellon zipped over to the Spearow in the blink of an eye, knocking it off the beam. The Spearow recovered from its surprise and flew up to Mellon and, on the command of Abe, Pecked her. Mellon Scratched the Spearow, tearing a few feathers off.

"Spearow! Fury Attack!" The Spearow rushed at Mellon, hitting her as it flew past. It hit five times. Adeline ordered Mellon to use Fury Swipes and Mellon slashed the Spearow twice before the Spearow flew away. Abe commanded the Spearow to use Fury Attack again and the Spearow hit Mellon another five times.

"Oh Come on!" Adeline complained. Mellon was getting pretty hurt. She had tufts of fur missing and cut that had started to bleed. The Spearow was looking pretty rough as well. Adeline noticed that it was struggling to stay in the air. Adeline decided to take a risk.

"Okay, Mellon. As soon as it lands I want you to hit it with a Quick Attack." Mellon nodded with renewed determination and crouched, waiting for her prey to land. Mellon dashed at the Spearow as it touched the wooden surface. The impact knocked the Spearow into the wall and onto a platform below. Abe recalled his Spearow as Adeline and Mellon celebrated.

"You did it, Mellon! You beat them! She picked Mellon up and danced around joyfully.

A blinding light made Adeline drop Mellon. Adeline gasped at what was happening. "No way!" Mellon was evolving!

Mellon felt strange, but in a good way. She felt like she was growing stronger. Her victory made her feel so good and proud. As the light danced before her eyes she felt herself changing. She felt more balanced. She could feel her body strengthening and her bones reconfiguring. The change was painless, but gave an uncomfortable feeling. Like one being suspended in the air and being jerked in all directions, then being softly let down as you regain your balance. As the light faded, Mellon felt different. She felt like she could run faster and jump higher. She felt like she could protect the ones she loves no matter the cost. She was no longer Mellon the Sentret. She was Mellon the…

"Furret!" Where the Sentret had been sat a furry creature with a long fluffy tail, small brown ears, and three paws.

"Mellon, congratulations!" Adeline joyfully exclaimed. "You're a Furret now!" She scooped Mellon up and hugged her as Mellon chirped in protest.

"Let's go show Cedric!" Without even saying goodbye to Abe, she took off to the Battle Stadium.

"Go, Pidgeotto!" Falkner cried. He had sent out a Pidgey first, which Cedric's Chikorita took care of easily. The Pidgey didn't even use any Flying Type attacks!

"Return, Fleck!" Cedric called to Fleck and the Chikorita scurried back to Cedric's side. She was pretty beat up, but she looked like she could battle again if it came to it. Cedric's Pidgey appeared in a burst of light.

The Pidgeotto rushed at Pidgey with a Tackle, knocking Pidgey momentarily to the floor.

"Pidgey! Use Sand Attack!" Cedric yelled over the wind. Pidgey flapped its wings, blowing dust at Pidgeotto. It had no effect. "Shit, I forgot. Stupid Pidgeotto and its Keen Eye."
Falkner called to use Tackle again, but Pidgey managed to get out of the way and retaliate with its own Tackle. A Gust and a Tackle later brought Pidgey down.

'No! All I have now is a weakened Chikorita and his Pidgeotto seems like it could keep going forever…' He glanced doubtfully at Fleck. 'I could always forfeit and come back later…' Cedric frowned. He remembered Beck's battle on TV. 'No! Don't lose hope. Beck didn't lose hope so I can't either.' He knelt down next to Fleck.

"Hey." He began. "This is going to be tough, okay. He's going to try to hit you with his Gust, so I need you to do your best to dodge them. You ready." Fleck had a determined look on her face. "Okay, Fleck. Time to shine!" Fleck sprang back onto the battle field.

"Use Tackle!" The Chikorita hurled herself towards the Pidgeotto.

"Gust!" Falkner ordered. As Pidgotto flapped its wings to kick up a Gust of wind, Fleck flung herself underneath the bird, dodging the attack. She sprang into the air and hit Pidgeotto.

"Yes! Now use Razor Leaf!" Fleck followed up her Tackle by launching several razor-sharp leaves at the Pidgeotto. The leaves sliced through the air and stuck in the bird's wings. The Pidgeotto let out a cry and was forced to land.

"Alright, Fleck!" Cedric cheered, but their celebration was cut short. The Pidgeotto shook off the leaves and took off again, hurling a Gust towards Fleck. The Chikorita was swept off her feet and landed heavily of the floor.

"Oh no, Fleck!" Fleck was almost done for. Cedric knew she couldn't keep up with the attacks. He was going to lose. 'But I still can't give up.' Using a close range attack live Tackle again would be a risk, but it was the most efficient attack. 'But I don't want to risk getting Fleck out.'

"Fleck, use Razor Leaf again!" Using a special attack would be safer. Fleck launched another series of razor-sharp leaves at Pidgeotto… only to have them blow away harmlessly by the cold wind. Cedric groaned. Pidgeotto used Gust again, which Fleck barely dodged. One of her legs gave out and Fleck flopped on the ground. 'This is it.' Cedric thought. 'Fleck's going to be defeated. I can't let her get hurt anymore.' Cedric opened his mouth to surrender.

"WAIT!" Cedric turned around in surprise. It was Adeline. She was panting at the top of the stairs. She was carrying… "What?!" Cedric exclaimed as he spotted the Furret in Adeline's arms. "Nooooooooooooooooooo! I missed it!" Mellon, who was now a Furret, hopped down from Adeline's arm and scampered in front of Pidgeotto. She wanted to face it in battle. Cedric understood.

"Mr. Falkner, this Sent- I mean, Furret is my Pokemon too!" Falkner eyed the Furret. He opened his mouth, then closed it, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh… I'll allow it." Cedric breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Adeline and mouthed, "Thank you!" She gave him a thumbs up.

"Fleck, return!" Fleck pulled herself up and walked over to Cedric, then plopped down again.

"Let's continue." Falkner said. "Pidgeotto, use Gust." Mellon stood her ground as the high winds from the Gust dragged at her. She slid a little as the wind pushed her.

"Quick Attack!" Cedric called. Mellon gained momentum and ran out of the Gust and into Pidgeotto. The Bird Pokemon fell to the ground and Mellon instinctively Scratched it. The Pidgeotto stumbled and Cedric ordered Mellon to Scratch it again. With that, the Pidgeotto collapsed to the floor, defeated.
"We did it!" Cedric exclaimed to Fleck. "You guys did it!"

"And this is the TM Roost, it can restore a Pokemon's health." Cedric tucked the TM along with his shiny new Zephyr Badge into his pack. "Thank you so much!"

Falkner closed the room back up as Cedric gave Mellon a look over. "I still can't believe I missed her evolution. That's like missing the birth of your baby!"

Adeline rolled her eyes. "So, Leader Falkner, I would like to challenge you also."

Falkner smiled at the challenge. "Well, let me go heal up my Pokemon and…"

A man in a suit had entered the room. "Well it's about time you finished." He complained.

"Not you again!" Falkner growled. "I don't care what you offer, I'm not selling my Gym!" The man frowned.

"Well my client has a new proposal for you." Falkner held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear it." The man's face turned red.

"My client just wants to make an addition to your building."

"I WON'T have my father's gym be defaced! Can't you use another building?!"

"We can't because this is-"

"I know. I know, 'because it's the highest point on this side on Johto.' Well you can take your proposal and shove it up your client's arse! Now stop pestering me!"

Now the man looked like he burst a vein. "You're going to regret this." With that he stormed away.

Falkner sighed. "Sorry, kids. That man's been bothering me recently. First he wanted me to sell my gym and now he wants to build on it?!" He shook his head. "I don't understand why it's so important, but I won't have it." Cedric stared at the spot the man disappeared. Something wasn't right about all this…

"I'm going to go… Okay?" Cedric said to Adeline.

"Alright." She turned to Falkner. "When can I battle you?"

"If you stay right here, I can be back in a minute or two." Falkner said as he walked away.

"Do you need Mellon?" Cedric asked.

"Nah, I think I'll be okay."

"Okay. See you later." With that, Cedric and Mellon ran down the stairs.

Cedric emerged from the gym. He briefly said hello to Gai before running past him. 'I hope I didn't hurt his feelings.' He thought as he searched the crowds for the man. He could practically see the waves of anger flooding off him when Cedric spotted him heading out of the city. He followed him to Route 31, but lost sight of him when he stepped out of the city limits.

Mellon froze. She couldn't stop staring at the entrance to a nearby cave. Her vision tunneled until it was all black. When her vision cleared, she was walking with Cedric to the entrance. They peered into the darkness. Cedric said something to Mellon before entering the cave. Mellon followed. It was so dark, Mellon could barely see ten feet in front of her. It smelled of mildew and the sound of water trickling on the rocks. She realized she heard footsteps as well. She saw a bright Flash of light deeper within the cave, making the surrounding area seeable. In the dimness of the cave, she noticed a Graveler lumbering towards them. Something was wrong with it. She noticed the light too late. She pulled on Cedric's pants, but in vain. When Cedric noticed the Graveler, the ground already started rumbling and the Graveler Self-Destructed and sent Cedric and Mellon into the blackness and coldness of lifelessness.

Mellon's vision cleared again. She was standing by the city limits. 'Be alert.' The wind whispered.

"Excuse me, sir?" He asked a nearby Hiker. "Have you seen a man in a suit go by just now?"

"Oh yeah, he looked really angry. He went into Dark Cave I think."

"Okay thanks."

Cedric walked up to the cave and peered in. It was pitch black. 'No wonder they call it Dark Cave.'

Mellon scampered up next to him, pawing at his feet. Cedric looked down. "Don't worry! It's safe!" He stepped through the opening. He couldn't see anything. The sound of water running flooded his ears. A bright light filled the cave, leaving the surrounding area in dim light. 'Someone used Flash!' He craned his neck, trying to see who used it. 'I bet it's the man!' His thoughts were interrupted by Mellon pulling on his pants leg. She let out a distressed shrill.

"It's okay. I'm right…" Then he noticed the Graveler. It was lumbering towards them. But… something wasn't right. Its eyes. They were red and widened with madness, its pupils rolled into the back of its head. Cedric scooped up Mellon and ran to the entrance. He was lifted off his feet as the explosion rocked the ground. Cedric landed with an "oof", the wind knock out of his lungs. The rumbling stopped and he looked up. The cave entrance spilled out boulders from the explosion.

"What… Just happened?" He asked to no one in particular.

Mellon did it. She prevented the events that happened in her vision. The madness she saw in the Graveler disturbed her, as if it was possessed into doing something it didn't want to by some evil force. 'Be wary, Mellon of the Plains.' The voice in the wind whispered. 'For this is just a prelude to what is to come.'

If you guys have any questions at all regarding the story, my characters, or myself! Please leave a comment or PM me! I'll answer you if I can. P.S. I might be late Monday because of the whole off schedule thing.