No votes, probably because no one on story alert got that I updated, cause technically I just replaced my A/N with a chapter…but I'm bored. I still don't own either. Now, time for Pokémon to make an entrance! Oh, and the whole trapped-in-the-tree-thing was totally stolen off of Pokémon Advanced, episode 1.

GXGXGX

After hearing Jaden tell his tale, Axel made his decision. He still wasn't entirely sure what that "Light" was, but from the little information Jaden gave between facts that Axel could only assume he dreamed up one stormy night after having some bad grilled cheese, the Light was bad news. They needed as much help as possible over there.

"Well, that settles it." Axel leaned back against the wall. "I'm going."

"Yippee!!" Jaden cheered. "That means everyone except Hassleberry's coming!"

"Not quite," Aster corrected. He closed his eyes and smirked. "I ran into Atticus on the way over here; he was coming back from the lighthouse. Said Alexis isn't coming, either."

"No!" Jaden gasped. "How can she not come?!"

"Something about her future in teaching, I don't know." Aster shrugged. "And, honestly, I don't really care." Everyone glared at him. "What?"

"It just won't be the same without Private Lexi," Hassleberry sighed.

"Maybe we can convince her to come…" Syrus hoped. "Hey, wait a second! Hassleberry, you aren't going, either!"

"Oh, right!" Hassleberry grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just forgot!"

"Anyway…no, Sy, we can't." Jaden shook his head sadly. "We can't pressure her. It's her decision."

"You tried to convince me to come!" Hassleberry protested.

"That's different!"

"No, it ain't!"

"Uh, mates?" Jim leaned over to Aster, Jesse, Adrian, and Axel. "Are we the only sane ones here?"

"As I've already implied, you are not sane," Aster muttered. "You carry around a 10,000 pound crocodile. I'd say that's pretty solid proof of insanity."

"And strutting around the island going on and on about 'destiny'-this and 'destiny'-that isn't?"

"Hey! I stopped that!"

"Not the strutting."

"Maybe that's just how I walk! Ever think of that, huh?"

"Well, then that's just something else to insult you with!"

"I think that the three of us are the sane ones," Axel murmured to the other two.

"Hey, you're the one who puts himself in dangerous situations to get better," Adrian snorted and jabbed his thumb at Jesse. "And he's the one who talks to his deck, claims it talks back, and calls it his 'family.'"

"Whoa!" Jesse protested. "It does and they are!"

"Calm down, Jesse," Topaz Tiger appeared beside Jesse. "They just don't see us like you do."

Jesse sighed. "You're right, Topaz Tiger."

"Case in point," Adrian stated, satisfied.

"Guys!" Suddenly, Atticus burst through the door, Chazz appearing beside him as he starting speaking. "Sheppard wants us! But only the people coming; I think…I think we're leaving now. He said we don't have to pack or anything; just being ourselves, a small pack, and our deck, but that one's optional; the other two aren't. He's giving us ten minutes to get our stuff and get to his office. Starting…NOW!" Atticus turned and raced to grab a pack and say goodbye to his sister again, almost knocking over Chazz.

The arguments were abandoned as Chazz, Aster, Jesse, Jim, Axel, and Adrian followed the Obelisk brunette and Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry were left on their own. Quickly finding their packs (Jaden's was a red—surprise, surprise—miniature backpack, while Syrus's was a small, bright yellow backpack with one strap—the kind where the strap goes over one shoulder, goes over his chest, and reattaches to the bottom of the backpack), Jaden and Syrus prepared to bid adieu to their dino-loving friend.

"Jay…Sy…" Hassleberry gasped as the two wrapped their arms around him, cutting him off. "I'll…miss you soldiers, too."

"It'll only be…half a year…won't it?" Syrus whimpered.

Jaden managed a smile. "It'll go like that; you'll see. Besides, you'll have Lex and Blair to keep you company."

"Oh, joy." Hassleberry rolled his eyes. "Do you know what people'll think if a have a platoon fulla…girls?"

Jaden and Syrus laughed softly. "We might even be able to call you if we bring our phones in our packs…Professor Oak got connection over there, didn't he?"

"Yeah!" Jaden agreed enthusiastically with Syrus's statement. "Come on, Sy, let's grab our phones. We'll tell the others to grab theirs, too."

GXGXGX

Ten minutes later, everyone (save Alexis and Hassleberry) had assembled in Chancellor Sheppard's office.

"Boys, it's time to go; I trust you have already said your goodbyes?" Everyone nodded and Sheppard continued. "A hole will seemingly appear in midair right about there." Sheppard pointed at the corner. "Don't worry, this journey is not unprecedented; this has been done before; you will not be injured or…worse." A few boys looked around nervously. "You will need to jump through the hole—then you shall introduce yourselves to Professor Oak in person. He will teach you all you need to know. Any questions?" No one moved. "Good. Now…we wait."

"Wait…I have a question." Jaden blinked. "What's 'not unprecedented' mean?"

"It means they've done this before," Jesse explained.

"Crikey, look!" Jim gasped and pointed at the corner, where a large, swirling vortex had appeared.

"There's your ride, boys!" Chancellor Sheppard exclaimed cheerfully. "Just hold your breath as you jump in; you may end up in the pond behind Oak's lab. Go on, jump!"

No one wanted to go first, so Chancellor Sheppard nudged Chazz. This time, he didn't respond. So Sheppard grabbed Chazz's arm, practically dragged him to the vortex, and more or less threw him in, screaming.

"So, who's next?"

GXGXGX

When everyone had finally made it through the vortex, they landed in a grassy field with a windmill in the distance.

"Uh…where is everyone?" Axel asked. "Shouldn't we have some sort of welcome party or something?"

"What I want to know is…" everyone heard Chazz's voice from behind them. "HOW THE BEEP DID I END UP IN THIS BEEPING POND?!" Everybody collapsed in a fit of giggles at the sight of Chazz sitting in the shallow end of a large pond.

"At least you're not all the way out there." Syrus pointed at the center of the pond. "That big head of yours would probably cause you to sink."

"Look, guys!" Atticus pointed in the opposite direction, at a small house on a hill. "It's a house! If that's the pond then…that's the lab! Come on, let's go!"

"HELP!" The boys wheeled around as they heard a scream from the forest to their right.

"Someone's in trouble!" Jaden gasped. Aster ran off into the woods immediately.

"Wait, Aster!" Jim called after him.

"He won't listen," Syrus commented. "He's got some weird hero complex."

"The best we can do is follow him," Jaden added, and took off after Aster. After a few seconds of hesitation, the rest followed the two into the woods.

GXGXGX

Professor Oak gazed nervously down at the Zigzagoons below him. He was just returning the Zigzagoon that he had shown the dueling students from the other dimension when three others—its family, apparently—had appeared from the bushes and chased him up the tree he was currently squatting in. Not only that, but he had dropped the bag with a few of the Pokémon options for the students about twenty feet away from the tree when he was returning the Zigzagoon—he had no way of defense…

"Hello? Anybody here?" A boy with silver hair and bright blue eyes appeared from the trees. He was also dressed in a silver suit. Professor Oak recognized him as one of the duelists.

One thought flashed through his mind: Uh-oh.

"Hey…kid!" the Prof yelled, not remembering this particular kid's name. "Get away from here!"

The boy looked up at the man in the tree. "Hey…you're Professor Oak, aren't you?"

"No—I mean, yes! Now get out of here! Can't you see the wild Zigzagoons?!"

The boy glanced at he foot of the tree, his eyes widened, and he grew more pale (if that was even possible). "Th-those…"

"Are dangerous! Now get out!"

The kid shook his head fiercely. "No way! You need help, dude!"

Professor Oak sighed. "If you insist on helping, get my bag and grab one of the red and white balls!"

The boy dove for the bag. "Which one?"

"It doesn't matter!" The tree branch creaked under Oak's weight. "Hurry!"

Th boy grabbed a random Pokéball of the five choices Oak knew he had. "Is this one good? Now what?"

"Release the Pokémon! Just shout 'Go!'"

"Go?" the kid asked. He yelped as a flash of red light emerged from the ball and formed a blue bird-like Pokémon with clouds for wings—Swablu. "N-now what?" He was obviously relatively shaken.

"Have it attack!"

"…"

"Tell it to use Peck!"

"Oh, um, okay." The boy turned to the Pokémon. "Use Peck. Hey!" the boy yelped again as the bird Pokémon began pecking his head. He swung his hands wildly at the Pokémon. "Not me!"

Suddenly, the branch Oak was seeking safety on completely snapped off, sending the Professor plummeting to the ground. "Ah! Swablu, use Peck on the Zigzagoon!" Swablu immediately ceased attempting to peck a hole in its silver-covered target and dove for the directed Pokémon, chasing them away. Professor Oak strode over to the teen and plucked the Pokéball from his hand. "Swablu, return."

"Whoa…" the teen marveled, attempting to fix his hair. "How did you do that?"

Oak shrugged. "You get used to it after a while. You'll get it. So…which one were you?"

The boy smirked. "Aster Phoenix."

"Oh…the one with the ego."

Aster frowned. "No. That's Chazz."

"But weren't you the one who called yourself a 'child prodigy' and 'dueling extraordinaire'?" a squeaky voice came from over Aster's shoulder. Syrus, Aster matched the voice to the owner mentally.

"Professor Oak…" Aster sighed. "Meet the others." Aster stepped to the side and introduced each boy as he emerged. "Jaden and Syrus—Jay's in the red…and there's Chazz…Jesse…Atticus…Jim…Axel…and Adrian."

"Glad to meet you all!" Oak grinned. "But now's not the time for introductions; now's the time for your first step—your first Pokémon!"

GXGXGX

And I'll end it there. Any questions about why I did something or something like that, just review…and I know what their first Pokémon will be for all of them, so there's no point in telling me who you think they should get…

Oh, and can you guess who gets Swablu? Cause somebody does, and they more I think about it, the more it makes sense…