Author's Note: I had to rewrite this chapter twice, since the original version came out far too long and boring to be of any interest. My head was hurting while I was editing the second half of this chapter, so if there's anything that I missed or if it seems like I left out some sort of detail, don't be afraid to tell me.

Chapter 16: Not Your Ordinary Day

A routine was quickly established: every morning I would wake up, eat, visit Eevee, and then hit the ground running with training. I had never really spent any quality time training all my Pokémon, usually just working with one or two of them for an upcoming Gym match and then exercising the rest to keep them in shape. Venomoth was quickly getting the hang of his new form and moves, excelling even at some aerial maneuvers that I had taught Hisa (except on a much smaller scale). Rhyhorn, though still the least agile Pokémon I possessed, learned how to make sharper turns by rearing and pivoting on his hind feet in order to change direction quickly while charging. As for Hisa…well, my Charizard was already an ace in my eyes, but I still wanted to make sure his skills stayed sharp. With only three Pokémon to train, and Eevee out of commission, my team swiftly improved.

Lunch was always something different, and I grew increasingly irked by the Pokémon Center's lack of noon and evening meals. Having to go out and buy my own food ate away at my savings, which sadly weren't as much as I would've liked them to be. I'd never had a habit of spending my money—in the past, Lance, Riley, and I had simply never battled many Trainers, practically living off our earnings from Gyms. Why hadn't we battled more? That was a good question, and the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that we had been too eager to collect our Badges and advance to the Pokémon League. Riley had always cooked for us, cutting back on our expenses, but I soon realized how much experience we had missed out on. In the afternoon, I would find myself some Trainers to battle with on Route 7, and any fiscal challenges I had had quickly vanished.

My day usually ended with dinner and another visit to Eevee. Sometimes I would also fly over Celadon with Hisa, gazing over the landscape of glittering buildings in the twilight and half hoping–by some stroke of luck–that I might spot Lance or Riley. They had to be in Celadon, right? The accident hadn't happened far from here, so where else could they be? But no matter how much I looked, I could never find them.

Thus, three weeks passed.

My life had begun to feel almost ordinary, without all the hectic travelling and dealings with the mysterious Clan Seigen. I kind of enjoyed the peace, but at the same time itched to be back on the road again. I wanted to find my friends, and perhaps find out more about all these strange things that seemed to revolve around our trio. Sometimes I would almost laugh at myself for such thoughts; was I turning into a worrywart? Lance and Riley could take care of themselves, so what was I worrying about?

But I wouldn't have to worry for long; Eevee's recovery was complete by the end of the third week, and soon I would discover that my temporarily normal life would soon be anything but ordinary.

"Finish it with Psybeam!"

Particles of iridescent light coalesced at the tips of Venomoth's legs, and the attack was fired point blank at Erika's Victreebel as the Bug Pokémon closed in, blasting the Flycatcher Pokémon into a wall with a screech of pain. A resounding thunk resonated from the collision, and the squash-shaped Pokémon collapsed, leaving a small, cracked dent.

"Victreebel is unable to battle—Venomoth wins!" declared the young, female referee standing off to the side of the battlefield. She raised an arm in our direction, and I grinned, grateful that our weeks of training had allowed Venomoth to escape pretty much unscathed.

"Good job, Venomoth!" I praised. My Pokémon let out a pleased drone, spinning himself around in midair. I let my gaze slide from him and down to the Evolution Pokémon that lay curled up nearby in the grass, watching the scene without much of an expression. He had been released from the Pokémon Center this very morning, looking as if nothing had happened to him aside from a missing patch of fur and a jagged scar zigzagging up his side. Instead of returning him to his Poké Ball, I had offered Eevee to walk around with me, since he hadn't really gone outside after his hospitalization. To my surprise, he went without complaint or an attitude of any kind, ambling along silently beside me during our stroll to the Gym.

"So, you wanna start training together yet, Eevee?" I asked.

The Normal type's eyes flickered in my direction for a brief moment, still not portraying any particular emotion before they returned to their former position.

"I'll take that as a maybe."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the grassy, spray painted outline of the battlefield, the Gym Leader, Erika, returned her defeated Pokémon. She was a relatively short woman (unfortunately, I was still shorter) with black hair cut above her shoulders, framing a pair of dark, stern eyes. A flowery, yellow kimono outfitted her slender figure, making her movements flow and seem deliberately graceful.

"It's been a while since I've seen such a skilled Pokémon in this Gym," she commented bitterly, making the compliment sound like criticism.

"Thanks," I responded, although I had the feeling that I shouldn't have said anything. Erika reached into the folds of her dress and drew another Poké Ball—her last one, at that.

"Go, Vileplume!"

A Pokémon with a blue, bucket-shaped body and stubby limbs of the same color emerged from the flash of light, balancing what appeared to be the petals of an oversized flower on its head.

"Vile-pluuuume!" the Flower Pokémon peered out at us with pupil-less eyes from underneath the shadows of a large, reddish-orange petal. I allowed myself a small smirk; even though this was Erika's main Pokémon, Venomoth still had all the advantages. This should've been a piece of cake.

"Alright, start it off with Sludge Bomb!" I ordered. The attack, which I had taught Venomoth using a TM I had bought, would only deal regular damage, but I wanted to see how Erika's Vileplume was capable of reacting. Venomoth obliged by launching a barrage of slimy, purplish-brown pellets at his opponent.

"Counter with Petal Dance!"

The plate-sized pore in the center of Vileplume's flower glowed bright pink, and a vortex of petals abruptly shot forth as the Grass Pokémon tilted its head, slicing through the Sludge Bomb before rushing towards Venomoth.

It's fast! I thought, a split second too late. The flurry quickly enveloped the Poison Moth Pokémon, catapulting him into the foliage that lined the perimeter of the Gym. The attack shouldn't have done much damage, but I knew that Petal Dance had to be used continually until the user became confused from fatigue, and I wasn't going to wait that long. "Venomoth, Bug Buzz!"

From within the ruckus came a loud trill, which blasted the petals away from Venomoth in dull, yellow sound waves. The break lasted just long enough for the Bug Pokémon to wing his way to freedom before Vileplume could recover. He was scratched from the attack, but not seriously harmed.

"Don't let it get away!" Erika commanded, obviously aware that her Pokémon could not switch tactics. Her Vileplume gave a defiant cry of consent, readjusting its angle before executing another cyclone. The offense was still rapid, but this time we had time to act against it.

"Block it with Psychic!"

"Veno-moth!"

The Poison Moth Pokémon's eyes lit up, and the onslaught was suddenly stopped by an invisible force, unable to advance because of it. Frustrated, the Flower Pokémon launched its third and fourth attempts, which were also foiled. Now that Venomoth had advanced beyond the basic Confusion, his telekinetic abilities had increased to the point where he could do almost anything with them. Something like this was as easy as breathing.

"Vile…?"

Vileplume was tottering about now, most likely from the side effects of Petal Dance. Now was our chance to attack.

"Hit it with Psybeam!"

The multi-colored rays from Venomoth easily hit their mark, toppling the Grass Pokémon with a pained moan. Shaken from the force of the attack, Vileplume barely managed to get back to its feet, having taken severe damage due to its type. Erika gritted her teeth, acknowledging the fact that her Pokémon would not be able to last much longer.

"We'll have to settle this in one blow, then. Vileplume, use Solar Beam!"

After tottering about a while longer, the Flower Pokémon erected its posture, positioning its head readily as white light began to collect in its core. It was clear that after this attack, Vileplume would not have much strength left to fight.

"Let's finish it up as well—Psybeam, again, full force!" I barked. I knew Psybeam was barely half as powerful as Solar Beam, and that we didn't have the extra boost of a type matchup, but it might've been possible to reduce the strength of Vileplume's attack, if not take out the Grass Pokémon with a "super-effective" hit. We would have to see whose attack finished its preparations first.

Of course, Psybeam never was a time-consuming move, and soon Venomoth's offense was plummeting towards Vileplume, who had almost completed the charge.

"Fire it, Vileplume!" the Gym Leader called, almost frantically. With a final absorption of light, the Flower Pokémon spread its feet and unleashed an enormous blast of solar energy. The luminescence of the attack was so bright and radiant that I was forced to shield my eyes so as not to go blind. The two bodies of light collided in a beautiful display of shifting colors, both containing savage strength. For a minute, a flutter of hope filled my stomach as I contemplated whether or not Venomoth's Psybeam would win out—both attacks seemed equal in force.

But I should've known better than to think so; Vileplume's Solar Beam finally gained the upper hand, breaking through the Bug Pokémon's beam with ease and slamming into him with a loud smack.

"Venomoth!" I shouted. His form was catapulted into one of the transparent walls of the greenhouse-Gym, the column of light lowering along with it until he disappeared into the foliage. "Venomoth, can you hear me?"

"Vile…pluu…."

The petals on the Grass Pokémon's head drooped, and Vileplume slunk down into the grass, exhausted and incapable of battling.

"Vileplume is unable to battle!" the referee announced, but stopped there. I knew why; if Venomoth was defeated, then Erika would have won and our match for that round would be a draw. But if not, then triumph would've come to my side.

"Venomoth!" I called again, growing more anxious and concerned. "Answer me if you're there!" Surely Venomoth couldn't have been taken down so easily? He had had twice the resistance to the attack. I watched the undergrowth intensely, but nothing happened. Could it be…?

Then there was a rustle. A moment later, it was accompanied by a slim body and a pair of lavender wings. I cheered, punching my fist through the air as the Poison Moth Pokémon slowly glided over to me, dazed and somewhat injured.

"The victory belongs to Swift Firestorm from Pallet Town!" concluded the referee. Erika's face seemed to turn sour as she returned her defeated Vileplume. I guess she wasn't all too happy about losing a match to one Pokémon.

"Great job today, Venomoth," I praised. The Poison Moth Pokémon landed on my head, emanating a tired, yet satisfied, hum. Withdrawing him to his Poké Ball, I turned to face Erika, who extended an open hand in my direction. Resting in the center of her palm was a small, flower-shaped object with petals that reflected the colors of the rainbow, surrounding a simple, metallic core.

"Well, Swift, I suppose this rightfully belongs to you now."

The Gym Leader offered a wan smile, regaining her composure. I could tell she was trying to be a good sport, but it was clear that her loss was giving her bitter feelings. I accepted the Rainbow Badge from Erika and thanked her for it, fastening it unto my belt next to the three others I had already acquired. Four down, four to go. I was personally pleased with the progress I had made over the past month or so (wow, already?), but it didn't feel complete without Lance or Riley around.

Lance, Riley…where on earth are you guys?

A mix of accomplishment and sadness filled me. Four Badges felt like a milestone, and it should have been, except my friends weren't around to share it as we were supposed to on our journey. I was actually surprised at how much I missed them; usually when the three of us were together, we never really expressed any of the closeness that we shared. Maybe we were close simply because the only friends we really had were each other. I'd never mentioned this before, but the three of us had actually been loners back in Trainer School, and we'd met because of it. Yes, there was actually a story behind our friendship...

Heh, look at yourself Swift, I thought. Riley would make a laughingstock out of you if he knew you couldn't handle being by yourself. The corners of my mouth curled slightly in amusement, so that Erika could not see. I'd always been the independent type.

I turned and headed for the exit. With a murmured summon, Eevee quickly fell in with my pace (his obedience surprising me a bit), and together we left the premises of the Celadon Gym and followed the path that led out into the city. It was a cloudy day, but otherwise the weather was fair. I thankfully couldn't detect any rain, since I planned on flying to Fuchsia on Hisa rather than bike there the traditional way. I didn't want to linger in Celadon any longer (I had no reason to), and flying would be the fastest way to travel. Besides, I had my own, personal reason for not using Cycling Road….

"So this is where you were."

There was a flash of green light, and suddenly I felt my body being blown into the air by some invisible force. My flight ended as I landed hard on my back, stars dancing in my eyes as instinct rolled me to my feet and my eyes searched incomprehensively for the source of the blow. Before my vision could focus, the force hit me again in the chest, harder than it had the first time. I was catapulted, airborne once more. The impact of my fall exploded through my body, and I gasped, for a minute too stunned to act. Then I heard the voice speak again, smooth and icy.

"Three weeks of searching and this is where you were the whole time, you pipsqueak? What a waste of my time."

I groaned as I pushed myself up and staggered into standing position, my flesh screaming in pain. When my vision at last became clear, I saw a line of maybe fifteen men, all dressed in black uniforms, standing in an arc before me. Their spiked epaulets and trident-head insignias were all too familiar to me, trademarks of their "allegiance". Standing among their ranks was a tall, thin man with a shock of emerald hair, the only one in the group with a gray uniform. I tensed, recognizing his outfit as similar to the one of the man I had seen back in Pallet.

"Who are you?" I demanded, although in a sense I already knew.

"No one of importance to you," he answered, his bright eyes flaring green. Dread rose in my stomach as I realized that he must've had so called "aura" powers as well. That was what he had hit me with. After all the things I've seen, I wasn't surprised. "However, I'll take the liberty of informing you that I will be your executioner."

"What?" I burst, suddenly outraged. He wanted to kill me? It was hardly a fair fight. I backed away uncertainly, hating the fact that the Celadon Gym was surrounded by a thick ring of trees that isolated it from the other buildings in the city. The men in front of me blocked the only exit.

"Lady Raine has ordered that you and your friends be exterminated for meddling on the S.S Anne II," he continued. "But, I am willing to spare your life if you'll tell me where the two boys are."

What a petty deal, I thought. I didn't know where Lance and Riley were, and I couldn't tell them even if I wanted to. I, for one, did not like lying.

"Sorry, but I don't know," I said.

"Lies!" the man hissed, causing me to jump. His face contorted into a snarl, and the air around him began to shimmer and shift with emerald light. "You know where they are."

"No, I don't!" I spat, but I knew he wouldn't believe me. I clenched my fists, fighting off the urge to crack my knuckles. Dang it, there's too many of them! I can't take them down!

Suddenly I heard a hiss, and a stray bolt of electricity flew out into the open, striking the man in the gray suit. He howled in pain as his body lit up, his subordinates crying out in alarm as they moved to avoid the sparks that leapt from his silhouette. I stared, not understanding what had happened until I saw a brown blur dart in front of me, its fur crackling with power.

"Eevee?"

"Eee!" barked the Evolution Pokémon, a yellow radiance flaring around his body and lighting up his eyes. It dawned upon me that Eevee's mysterious powers and that of the green-haired man might be exactly the same.

"It's an Exceed!" one of the grunts exclaimed, jabbing an accusing finger at my Pokémon. Exceed? What did he mean?

"Kill them!" the man in the green hair ordered, clutching himself in pain. His subordinates scrambled for the Poké Balls at their belts.

"Get them, Eevee!" I shouted, pointing. The Normal type gave an impatient grunt, as if to say, "I know! You don't need to tell me!" before firing bolts of electricity that fanned out in every direction. More yowls filled the air as each of the men in black was electrocuted, their bodies falling unconscious one by one. For all my weeks of travel, Eevee had never shocked me that hard—his power must've been on par with Pokémon like Raichu, maybe even greater still.

To have so much electrical power and not even be an Electric type…no, not even being originally capable of Electric attacks…it's pretty amazing.

I didn't have time to be awed, however, as the last of the men in black fell, leaving Eevee panting from exhaustion. Then, the Evolution Pokémon collapsed as well. I ran over to his side, asking if he was okay. I didn't want things to turn out like they had last time, with Eevee coming so close to death, but fortunately it didn't seem like they would. Eevee gave a small shock of response as I approached, and I would have relaxed were it not for the situation. I managed a smile out of gratefulness.

"Thanks, Eevee."

For the first time, the Normal type's lips curled into what could've been a smile, and as I returned him to his Poké Ball, I thought that perhaps Eevee may have changed after all. Maybe it would have been for the better, but now was not the time to worry about that.

"Tch, you got lucky there, kid," the man with green hair growled. "I was never told that you had an Exceed." His eyes narrowed, his mouth curling in disgust. I still did not know what he meant by "Exceed". "It's funny, though; you don't seem to be exercising any kind of aura…and to think that it obeyed you…"

There it is again, I thought. The word "aura"…what does it mean?

"Don't get cocky yet, Sir Abelard."

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of the voice–a voice that was as familiar as it was feminine. Without having to look, I knew it belonged to the last person I had expected to show up in a place like this.

A human figure literally fell out of the sky, landing so smoothly and straightening so quickly that its movements were inhuman—supernatural, even. The man's eyes widened in a mix of shock, confusion, and most of all, fear. I shared the earlier two emotions, recognizing the slender build, the dusky brown hair with the unusual golden clip, and that awfully pink shirt….

"L…L-Lady Larine!" the man stammered, confirming my suspicions and adding to my confusion.

"Larine?" I echoed. What on earth was she doing here?

The girl turned, and then I saw that indeed, it was Larine. She smiled in a friendly fashion upon spotting me, which she hadn't done when we had first met.

"Well hey there, Swift! How's it going?"

I simply stared at her with a gape that I didn't bother concealing. Things were getting stranger by the minute.

Author's Note: Well, that's it for this chapter. Things are going to get clearer from now on, especially with the "theme" of the story (which will be explained in the next update). I might also start getting into Swift's background, since I know that nothing much has been said about her past and her personality other than the fact that she likes to fight. Feel free to leave a review, if you care to.