A/N: For all future reference, I'll be using the Japanese version (Manyula) of the evolved form of Sneasel. The US version is supposedly named Weavile, but I think that's a stupid name, so I'm not using it. Reminds me too much of Weevil, Weedle, and needle (I hate those things). Serebii dot net has more info on that if you want to look it up. There are several other diamond/pearl pokemon listed, though Manyula will be the only one in this story that has even a minor role.

Luin: Diamond and Pearl. Right... they're running low on gemstones and colors. What's next, topaz?

Sandstone: That's my birthstone, Luin. Don't make me bash your head in.

Luin: Uhm... right. Still, it is kinda stupid.

Sandstone: I'm not arguing that. They hit a low with 'fire red' and 'grass green'. Ruby, saphire, and emerald were alright, I guess... but pearl? And diamond? Isn't crystal the same color as diamond?

Luin: Guess not. So when do I get to the fun stuff?

Sandstone: Luin... I don't write lemons. I just make references to it, I'm never actually writing a scene that goes past... what do the british call it... snogging.

Luin: Boring...

Sandstone: Don't make me deal with you like I did Stupid.

Stupid1058: (Still dead, and decomposing in the backyard, riddled with energy-blast holes, and traditional bulletholes.)

This is new…:

As we entered the bridge, the one guy Rikku called 'Buddy' (geez, they have original Al Bhed names sometimes… Buddy, Brother…) called to us, "Treasure sphere waves! They're coming from those ruins they found at Gagazet."

Rikku grinned, and shouted, "All right!"

Brother, caught up in the excitement, shouted, "Haqd cdub: Gagazet!" (Next stop: Gagazet!)

After a moment, he realized I was still there. "Fryd yna oui cdemm tuehk rana? Kad uh uha uv ouin vmoehk tnykuhc, yht kad mucd!" (What are you still doing here? Get on one of your flying dragons, and get lost!)

I said coldly, "E's cdyoehk." (I'm staying.)

Brother scowled at me. "Oui'na kaddehk uvv. E's hud ryjehk Rikku…" (You're getting off. I'm not having Rikku…) The mentioned Gullwing / sister crossed her arms, and glared at him. "Ra'c CDYOEHK!" (He's STAYING!)

Yuna said in Al Bhed, "Brother, zicd mad res cdyo. Rikku'c paah muhamo." (Brother, just let him stay. Rikku's been lonely.) Yuna must have picked up Al Bhed in the time she spent with Rikku, she spoke it fluently… or perhaps she'd picked up more from me than she realized (after I was Mewtwo, I never had a problem speaking Al Bhed).

Brother turned speechlessly to Buddy, who shrugged. "Y makahtyno cissuhan / kiynteyh sekrd pa icavim." (A legendary summoner / guardian might be useful.) As Buddy said that, I internally sighed. That High Summoner thing was going to haunt me, even if I wasn't truly a summoner in the first place.

As Brother started to look towards Paine, she rolled her eyes. "Don't involve me in this."

Brother scowled at me, then sighed. "Fine."

Rikku grinned in celebration, and then turned to the wiz kid (Shinra). "We're going to need another Garment Grid."

Shinra continued to type with one hand, and the other dug through a pile, coming out with a bracelet like the other three were wearing. Without looking, he held out his arm towards Rikku. Rikku grabbed it, and then tossed it to me.

I eyed it doubtfully. "Uh… is this thing safe for guys?"

Shinra said (again, without looking at us), "It should be. The girls... I don't know, I'm just a kid."

Rikku said, "Come on Li, live a little!"

I sighed, but Yuna asked, "Li?" Sighing again, I explained, "Her nickname for me. Despite the fact my name is four letters long, she had to nickname me."

"Li?" Paine had actually looked over at the two of us, seemingly paying attention. I shrugged slightly. "A mix of two names. Luin, my real name, and Icewind, my… well, 'use-name'."

She blinked, and I thought I caught confusion in her eyes for a moment. But a moment later, I didn't see anything, so I shrugged it off as a trick of the eye. She seemed like a Goth Auron.

Rikku whacked me lightly on the arm, and I gave her an injured look. Finally, I snapped on the bracelet. It glimmered slightly, then glowed.

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&&&&&

Luin disappeared for a moment, then reappeared. He was dressed in a blue pair of zip-off pants with a cerulean Kyogre image on the right leg that had red eyes. His t-shirt was brilliant green, with a snakelike form of Rayquaza outlined in black. The eyes looked like gemstones. Over the shirt was a black vest, with the emblems of all the pokemon types on the front, and it was open enough to leave the image of Rayquaza visible. Fingerless gloves were on his hands, and a pokenav was strapped to his wrist. He had a baseball cap on his head, hiding his eyes. On the front were the images of all the badges – from the Stone Badge to the Rain Badge. There were twenty-four all together.

Most noticeable though, was the fact that his six pokeballs were strapped to his waist, standing out easily against the blue and green. Over his back was slung a black backpack, holding all the various knickknacks that he had stored in his 'old' pack. He brought up his head, and looked over himself. "Uh… well, this is new."

Rikku looked him over. "Huh? When I put on my garment grid, my pokeball disappeared…"

Yuna looked over at Rikku. "Rikku, they just disappear during combat. He must have had a special sphere on him…" She glanced at Luin for conformation, and he nodded quietly. "I kept the sphere of my memories. I guess that's what is doing this."

Rikku grinned. "Cool! I wanna try that out!"

&&&&&
&&&&&

I looked out the bridge, then shrugged. "We're not there yet anyway. What other… spheres are there… and how do I change? I saw you change, Yuna…"

Rikku jumped up into the air, a girlish grin on her face. She landed in a crouch. I looked her over, as she did the same. Her characteristic braids where partially covered by a bandana that was a deep blue. She had on a light-tan shirt, and a skirt that was sand-colored, with small desert-stone colored bag hanging from her right shoulder. The strap went from her left waist to her right shoulder. Strangely, six pokeballs hung from her waist, though she only had one pokemon. Her pokenav hung from her neck like a necklace. On the chest (more like her collarbone) of her shirt, was a bracelet design… a very weird, yet familiar design. Damned if I knew where I'd seen that before. Yuna said quietly, "Just like that. Warrior, thief, gunner, songstress… and… pokemon trainer, I guess."

Rikku looked up at me, then made a face. "Aw… you look cooler." She pulled out the only Ultra ball that was on her waist. "This has got to be Vib… so what's in the other balls?"

I reached into my pocket, pulling out my pokedex. "You should have one of these. Try it, it should say."

She patted herself down, then looked over at me – her outfit didn't have any obvious pockets. "uh…" "Check your bag." She blushed, and reached into it. She came out with a Hoenn model pokedex (mine was a Jhoto model), and pressed a few keys. I guess she'd played with my pokedex for awhile, because the digital voice said, "Pokemon team currently: Flygon. At next level: Cacturne." Rikku pressed a few more keys, and it continued, "Eventual pokemon team: Flygon, Cacturne, Blaziken, Aerodactyl, Slowking, and Registeel"

I sneezed slightly. "Not a bad team, Rikku. Registeel is a legendary pokemon, steel type, tough bastard according to Suicune… and Aerodactyl are legendary too… sorta."

Rikku nodded, distracted, as she looked at the images it provided. Weird… "Can anyone tell me how she's going to somehow acquire five more pokemon when that 'dex isn't connected to a trainer's account?"

Rikku looked at me, and tilted her head sideways. I blinked, then shook my head, an idiot's grin on my face. "Nope. I don't have the one and only Registeel… or an Aerodactyl." I looked over at Shinra. "This is where you say, 'I'm just a kid', right?"

He got up from his seat, and nodded. "I don't really know what you're going on about, anyway."

I grinned, and threw Balrog's pokeball. With a flash of red, it opened, revealing the Houndoom, skull on the neck, bones on his back that traced his ribs, and demonic horns / tail. Shinra froze, then fell out of his seat for a moment. "How do you do that? Aeons aren't usually…"

I grinned, and looked over at Yuna and Rikku. "You two never told him?"

Buddy called out from his work (he must have been listening in, but not looking) "Told us what?"

Rikku reddened slightly, and Yuna shook her head. Finally, Rikku said quietly, "Uh… I've been going out with a guy not from Spira?"

Buddy stopped working on the terminal, and looked over at us (more specifically, me and Balrog). "I wondered. Icewind, Luin, you never hear about those kinda names. And those Aeons of his… Rikku, don't you have one?"

I laughed slightly. "Yuna does too, but that's beside the point. Yes, I'm from another world, and no, I can't go home. The 'Aeons' as you call 'em, are actually pokemon, creatures from my world." Brother muttered something, and I scowled in his general direction.

Balrog smirked slightly, and shot a small flame from his mouth. He didn't set fire to anything, it just burned in the air. I added quietly, "and they can do stuff like that, or worse."

Buddy shrugged, and said, "So long as you can control them."

I nodded, and he returned to his work, apparently unconcerned, as did Shinra. But both of them occasionally glanced over at me or Balrog. Balrog looked around, and his eyes froze on one spot. I turned, and looked in the same direction, as did Rikku and Yuna.

Paine looked calmly at us, and asked, "What now?" Jeez, she's unruffled. Everyone except Rikku had some kind of problem with the pokemon, Yuna just happened to be the worst (or most mistrustful, whichever), but she shrugged it off like they weren't a big deal. Maybe she saw Balrog at Yuna's speech, or something.

Balrog looked at me, then her, then me again. I eyed him, and shrugged slightly. "Nothing."

Rikku grinned, and spun around, going into her normal appearance / dress of bikini top, miniskirt, scarf, and 'sleeves'. She grinned at me, "and we didn't even have to hunt for this sphere."

I groaned slightly. "So long as I don't have to play that sphere several times, fine. But I'm keeping it. It's not even part of Spira's history."

Yuna shrugged, as did Rikku.

Final A/N: Anyone who wants to guess Yuna's pokemon, or Paine's eventual first pokemon is free to do so. Winner (for either Paine or Yuna) gets a cookie, and I'll think up some additional prize. Maybe being able to create a character who'll end up interacting with the Gullwings, or tag along with them for awhile. Yeah, I'm being wierd. To quote a young child, "Ahhh... bite me!"