And my other one. Sorry I couldn't put TAoS up as well, but the new copy of Destiny Deoxys I got had extra bits which I didn't know about before, so it's out for repairs. As for TYLAM, I got bored of waiting for writers block to end, and since no-one knows what it's about, no-one will care.

Usual Warnings/Disclaimers.

Lateral Ganon.

# # # Chapter Specific Notes # # #

Italics are Telepathy when it's a Pokemon, or thoughts when it's Benjamin
Bold type is an E-mail.

Chapter 3: Glory Blaze

"Sophie, use Double Kick!" Benjamin shouted across a grassy outcrop on the outskirts of the town's forest. An albino Cyndaquil dashed across the lawn, pelting straight for a Machoke. The muscle-bound Pokemon didn't even flinch as the fire mouse flipped up into the air and crashed into its chest, tiny spurs digging in. The Machoke flexed its pectorals, and Sophie was brushed off like biscuit crumbs. She stepped back awkwardly as it lowered its head, and whispered to her.

"You're going to have to try harder than that if you even want to make this match a draw." He said, baring crude fangs. She hissed back at him.

"Go to hell."

"Wouldn't count on it whitey. If I took off this belt…"

"You'd be arrested for flashing."

"I'd kill you in one hit." He snarled.

"Machoke! Use Piledriver!" The opposing trainer shouted. He was about Benjamin's age, and like most other ten-year olds, fascinated with battling, hence the cause of this little friendly match… although friendly was hardly a term that often applied to the Machoke. The Machoke looked down at Sophie, and smirked, drawing back a fist behind his head.

"Time to make friends with the earth little girl."

Benjamin gasped as he saw the fist swung forwards with crushing force, raising an immense dust cloud around the combatants. As the muck cleared, the Machoke grinned at the ridges of earth pushed aside by his fist as he drove the mouse into the earth. Benjamin felt a little nudge under his left foot, and he let out a sigh of relief, before straightening up. His opponent was scoffing at him.

"Give it up! You can't win!" He called across. Benjamin scowled and shouted back.

"Shut your face Andy! Sophie, Dig attack!"

The Machoke looked up in surprise as the mouse leapt up behind him, and dragged one of his legs down the hole. He flailed his arms trying to keep his balance, before falling over. He grunted at the sudden snap in his knee, but the pain only infused his anger.

"I'll rip your stubby little legs off!" He shouted, slapping the ground.

"Machoke, Substitute!"

The brawny Pokemon blinked. That was a good idea. It would certainly get his leg out of this hole. He leapt up as the duplicate replaced his trapped form, and turned to face the Cyndaquil. He growled angrily, and ran up to the Pokemon, grabbing it in both hands and swinging it up above his head. He brought her down sharply over his shoulders to snap her back.

"Protect!"

Sophie's fur immediately bristled, and formed an impenetrable cocoon around her. As she collided with the Machoke back, he screeched as his shoulders were practically destroyed by the impact with the equivalent of a block of granite. He dropped her, and she scampered away from him as he fell onto his knees. He was gasping for breath, leaning forwards on his forearms. Andrew jumped about on the spot shouting commands.

"Get up Machoke! Stand and fight. You're not beaten yet!" He called. The Machoke waved him off.

"Just gimme a minute. I can take that runt down anytime." He panted, knuckling the dirt under his knees as he rocked slightly. Sophie looked up and down a tree near the edge of the clearing, and looked back at Benjamin. If you knew her, it was just possible to discern a smirk on her face.

"That one's good." She called over to him, pointing at the tree. He nodded.

"Sophie! Use Aerial Ace!"

The mouse ran up to the base of the tree, leaping onto the trunk. She dug her toes into the bark, literally running vertically up the oak. She jumped onto a high branch overlooking the battlefield, before running along to the end and leaping off. She took on an even brighter sheen of white as she dove at her opponent.

The Machoke looked up from cradling his forearms just in time to get hit full in the face by the rocketing rodent. He was bowled over backwards by the blow, and Sophie skidded to a halt a few metres away, a small dust cloud billowing behind her. Machoke struggled briefly to keep his grip on consciousness, before succumbing to the attack. His eyes crossed, and his jaw fell open. Andrew gasped.

"You beat dad's Machoke! You cheater!" He shouted recalling the Pokemon. Before giving Benjamin any time to respond, he turned and ran back into the town. Benjamin cocked one eyebrow, and looked down at Sophie.

"Well you can't say fairer than that. You whipped his backside."

"Kicked." She corrected, dusting herself off. Benjamin smirked, walked over to the tree she'd recently climbed up. He pulled his backpack off, and sat down cross-legged, with his back against the tree. Sophie climbed up onto his lap, and he scratched the top of her head thoughtfully. He laughed as he heard her stomach rumble.

"I guess you're hungry huh?" He asked, pulling open his backpack. He took out a small plastic box, and Sophie sniffed at it inquisitively. She sneezed away from it.

"What is it?" She asked tentatively. He pulled off the lid, and held a piece out for her.

"It's Micle cake. You'll like it." He said. She grasped the piece in her forepaws, and gently nibbled at a corner. She squeaked in delight, and started gnawing noisily on the piece, throwing crumbs everywhere. Benjamin smiled and picked her up off his lap, placing her back on the grass to avoid getting sprayed with the debris. However, as he placed her down, he noticed something on her back. White sparks were playing over her back, around where the faded outlines of her flame vents were. He nudged her side gently.

"Sophie, you're sparkling." He whispered. She ignored him and continued chomping down the slice of cake, albeit slightly slower. The sparking area grew with each mouthful, and she stopped suddenly. There was a pained look on her face.

"Don't feel good." She whimpered, before retching, "Gonna be sick."

She collapsed on the ground, and the sparks suddenly flared like fire over her back. They shrouded her in the same white light, before flaring like a magnesium strip. Benjamin shielded his face as the light threatened to blind him, hoping for her safety. A thumping sound was heard, followed by silence. Benjamin opened his eyes a fraction to check what had happened, and gasped as he looked at Sophie.

She was no longer a Cyndaquil. Her body had doubled in size, resembling a large weasel. Her head was larger and slightly pointier, but her snout had gone. Her fur was still white, but was much sleeker than before, now having taken a glossy sheen like gossamer. She had evolved into a Quilava, and a beautiful one at that. Of course, Benjamin didn't take any notice of this, just the fact that she was still unconscious. He nudged her side again.

"Sophie?" He whispered in her ear, before getting slightly louder, "Sophie!"

When there was still no response, he pulled his backpack back on, and got on his knees, pushing his arms under her midriff. He picked her up in his arms, and started walking with her towards the town again. She wasn't excessively heavy, just cumbersome, so it wasn't long before they'd got to the PokeCentre. The doors opened automatically, and he lurched forwards towards the desk. There were two Swellows sat on the desk conversing with a Glaceon manning the desk. All three of them turned to look at him as the door chimed. He ignored the birds' gazes, and put the Quilava on the desk. He turned to the Glaceon on the desk, which immediately stopped talking to the Swellows. A staring match ensued between Melissa and Benjamin, and after a minute, the Glaceon won. Benjamin rubbed his eyes and growled as he saw the Glaceon wearing a smug grin.

"Just bring Kenai out will you." He asked. Melissa mewled angrily and jumped off the desk onto the floor, padding into the back room. Benjamin stood there tapping his foot against the counter for about ten minutes, before the Alakazam came out.

What's the problem? He asked telepathically.

"Well, I gave my Cyndaquil some Micle cake, and she got all sparkly and evolved into a Quilava when she felt ill from it. She's been unconscious since then."

Kenai looked at the Pokemon on the desk, and nodded appreciatively.

Have you still got the box?

"Yes." He said, pulling the plastic box out of the rucksack, "Why?"

Kenai pressed a sensor into the body of the dessert, and looked at a readout, tutting reproachfully. Finally, he handed it back.

There's the equivalent of six rare candies in this cake. Six million kilo-joules. The amount of energy allowed her to evolve, and the brain knocked itself out to cope with the sugar rush. Give her a few hours, and she'll be awake. Follow me please. I'll take you to a ward where she can recover until we can take the case further.

Benjamin picked Sophie up from the desk, and followed the Pokemon up a flight of stairs. Kenai opened a set of double doors on one side opening out onto a small ward. He motioned the nearest bed, and he placed Sophie down on her back. The Alakazam yawned, and hobbled out of the room, closing the door behind him.

When she opened her eyes, she was dazzled by the intensity of the clinics lighting, and closed them almost immediately. She moaned in pain, and heard something scuffling next to her. She opened her eyes a fraction and tilted her head looking for the source of the noise. There was something there but she couldn't see it clearly. Why that mattered to her now considering that was how she'd seen everything before, she didn't understand, or really care.

"Where…" she groaned before a voice shushed her quiet.

"Just rest. A Chansey came in earlier and said you're going to have a headache when you wake up."

"No. I-" She squealed and clutched her head as the sucrose induced agony suddenly boiled through her. She whimpered and rocked her head from side to side, still clutched in her forepaws. Benjamin put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she didn't notice as her head felt like it was being cleaved in two.

"It hurts!" She squealed, "It hurts!"

Benjamin winced, and just held her shoulder, watching as tears rolled down her face. It took about ten minutes before the strangled sobs began to subside, and she finally seemed to settle down, head in paws still. Benjamin scratched behind her head gently, and realization suddenly dawned on him.

She's got ears now.

She removed her paws from her head and purred contentedly as Benjamin continued to scratch. She tilted her head away from him, and opened her eyes. It felt like the first time she'd ever seen anything clearly in her life now, and she was dazzled by the colours. She didn't know what was happening, because bizarrely, she didn't know she'd evolved.

Excuse me. A psychic voice said from behind Benjamin. He spun around to look at the Lucario addressing him. Although it wasn't unusual in this town for some Pokemon to be clothed, this one was wearing a white surgical apron. Sophie looked up at him a second later, but winced as she suddenly felt sick again.

"Why are you here?" Benjamin asked. The Lucario cleared its throat, and continued.

I was told by my commander that she has been suffering due to rare-candies.

"Suffering?" Sophie asked the Lucario. It wasn't comfortable, but she wouldn't call it suffering. The other Pokemon glared at her.

Rare candies are a dangerous drug. Excessive use can lead to a heavy dependency, and the substance itself weakens the cell structure of us sufficiently to weaken our powers. As such, we developed a virus to reverse the effects in the events of accidental doses to maintain a pure Pokemon.

"I'm not letting you just stick a virus in her." Benjamin said defensively. The Lucario sighed exasperatedly.

Viruses always have a bad press. We're the best in the region for bio-technology, and we've been practising with the technique for about five years. If it's anything, it's safe and dependable.

"But Sophie doesn't have any powers to be weakened. She can't breathe fire." He argued. Sophie nodded in general agreement, before resting her forehead on her paw again. The Lucario peeked around the boy, and grimaced at the girl.

I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Another effect of the candies is that it causes agonising headaches that recur frequently. Within a matter of hours of each other. Without this treatment, she's unlikely to get a peaceful night sleep again. Within months, she will probably lose her mind, and the will to live. Depression is VERY common in candy cases.

Sophie moaned loudly as the next headache wound itself up and started gnawing at her head again. Benjamin looked back, and tried cradling her head again. The Lucario growled sympathetically.

Are you sure you don't want to alleviate her pain? He asked. Benjamin looked at the crying Pokemon in his arms for a while before looking back at the Lucario.

"Won't an aspirin work?" He asked resentfully. The Lucario shook his head.

Not strong enough, even our own concoctions. Only the virus can offer a complete cure.

"And definitely no side effects?" He asked tentatively. The Lucario smiled.

None. Each virus is tailored to the Pokemon's own genetic sequence, and unlike most viruses it automatically terminates itself and all the relevant genes it inserts. Her DNA was on the record as a citizen, so it wasn't long before we had the serum. Are you ready?

Benjamin looked back down at the writhing Pokemon on the bed, who was screeching horribly.

"DO IT!! IT HURTS!" She shouted. Benjamin sighed, and moved aside for the Lucario to get at her, and it moved forwards. He held up a canister with a gas mask attached to it, and tried to hold it over her face. He pulled back as she was shaking too much to form the seal.

Can you hold her still please? He asked, allowing Benjamin back at her again. He moved forwards and held her shoulders down to the bed with gentle force. The Lucario moved over to the opposite side of the bed.

"Sophie. Sophie. Calm down… everything's going to be alright." He said soothingly. She stopped moving her head, and opened her eyes again to look at Benjamin's face. In that single glance, something flared deep within her, but was snuffed out immediately as the gas mask was pinned over her face in a flash. She was unconscious in seconds as she inhaled the cocktail of serums. The Lucario turned off the tap, and removed the mask.

She's free to go. The Lucario said putting the canister away in a case, and began walking away. Benjamin tapped its elbow, and it stopped.

"Just like that? No way. What's your name if I need to bring her back in?" He asked.

Cobalt. Major Cobalt, but you shouldn't need it. Remember to give her plenty of time to rest. He answered before continuing out of the room. Benjamin walked back over to the bed and picked her up, reassured that she was still breathing at least. He moved over to the doorway and down a flight of stairs and out of the PokeCentre.

He reached the door of his house about ten minutes later. He considered for a second trying to fumble around in his pockets for a key, but decided against it when he remembered the nanny. He pressed the doorbell with his face and waited. About a minute later, he could hear footsteps moving inside, and the sound of the key moving in the lock. The nanny opened the door to let him in, and gasped as she saw the Pokemon in his arms.

"Is that… Sophie?" She asked, holding a hand over her mouth. Benjamin nodded.

"Apparently there was too much energy in the cake and she evolved when she ate some." He said. The nanny looked away shamefaced at the words.

"The sugar jar broke when I tipped some into the mixture. I thought it would be harmless and would make it taste nicer, but looking at this… I should have just thrown it away and made a new cake. Sorry Sir." She said. Benjamin shook his head.

"It's not all bad. I think she looks cuter now." He said, stroking Sophie's back softly. The nanny nodded.

"I see. You're mother called and said she'll be back in a week."

"Okay." He replied, wandering off upstairs. He placed Sophie on his lower bunk bed, and immediately turned on his computer. One e-mail. He scanned it and smiled as he read it out. His mother had sent him it from where she was working.

Hi Benny. Just thought you'd like to know how we're doing up here.

Up in the arctic circle. She always did have a fascination with how Pokemon could survive the extreme conditions there.

The team have made an amazing discovery with the Pokemon here. We haven't finished the research yet, but I'll tell you all about it when I get back. It's amazing. I sent you some pictures too of all the Pokemon here. Thought you might like them.

He opened the attachment, and smiled. She'd taken a picture of a massive herd of Spheal, Sealeo and Walrien, with Delibirds wandering throughout it like sentinels, handing food to some of the smaller Spheals. She'd attached a footnote.

It looks like the Delibirds herd the Sealion Pokemon for some reason, supporting them symbiotically. It's fascinating. It stands to reason that the birds must be harvesting something from them in return for the protection they offer them from predators.

Most of the rest of the photos continued in the same vein, with her commenting on the pictures scientific value. There was one exception, where the picture was blurred. It looked like green bar with a blue blob at one end, and the aurora could be seen behind it

Jason was looking through his telescope again, when he saw this. Even though it didn't take too well through the telescope, you can still see it's a Rayquaza. We were astounded just by that, but we actually managed to see it feeding. That blue blob on the end is a young Latios that just appeared out of nowhere in the Aurora. I suspect that it tried teleporting and missed and ended up in the Rayquazas territory. We never knew it was such a fierce predator.

Benjamin stared at the picture in awe. A Rayquaza!

"You're so lucky Mom." He said under his breath.