Would you look at that? Two reviews not twenty minutes after posting chapter fifteen. Thank you X and Something dictionary related. You guys rock. Also, as per X's request, I'll work on cutting down the swearing from here on out. Tell me how I do.

I think I'll start doing chapter recaps for you guys, too, since most readers skip through to the latest chapter whenever an update occurs. I think it'll help you guys get caught up or remember something in case one of you gets to a certain part in the chapter and goes "Wait, when did this happen?"

Well, here we go!

Disclaimer:I am sorry to say that I do not own Pokémon. In any way. Now excuse me while I go cry over that.

KEY:

"normal speech"

"thought"

translated pokémon speech

"blah blah blah emphasis blah blah blah"

Pokédex Entries

Chapter 016: Furious Swarm in Almond Town I

"Day three. Test number twenty of the Frequency Net. So far, all other attempts have been successful but due to Team Regal policy on thorough testing, we have five more attempts before we can consider this a victory," the admin drawled, obviously bored to tears with this his assignment.

"Ridiculous," he muttered bitterly. "I should be out on real missions, not testing this hunk of scrap metal. No matter its importance to the organization." He cast a sweeping glance over the immediate area for the twentieth time in a row to make sure everything was in order. His team of six guards and three technicians were stationed in the Mélange Woods, at the edge closest to the many farms that fringed Almond Town. The trees here were thin and let in much more of the midmorning sunlight than did their bigger counterparts further into the woods. The admin was thankful for that. If there was one thing he hated more than field testing, it was field testing in the dark where none of his idiot subordinates knew their heads from their asses.

Three heavy-duty generators were linked up to a high-tech console big enough for all three technicians to work at simultaneously. Singed Bug-type Pokémon of every species lay unconscious on the ground at the field team's feet and the pungent odor of burning grass and wood overpowered the smell of morning dew. Standing sentinel beside the admin was a magmortar, still as a statue but with a devilish smirk on its bulbous lips and a smoking arm cannon. The grass around it was still aflame as were a few of the Pokémon.

"Sir, we are almost ready to begin testing," called one of the guards from his post. The admin nodded curtly and looked at the technicians.

"Well?" he snapped. "Are you finished yet?" The machine operators stayed silent under the admin's annoyed glare. Putting the finishing touches on the Frequency Net's programming, they finally stood back and their leader, a balding man with a beard consuming two-thirds of his face, gave the admin a slight nod. The magmortar's trainer responded with a thin-lipped sneer and gave the order.

"Initiate Frequency Net!"

One of the technicians pressed a button on the console and retrieved a handheld device from it. He handed it to his leader and quickly bowed out while the admin started it up. A few deft keystrokes later and the admin held the device above his head as it began to emit a high pitched vibrating ring from its two antennae. Magmortar visibly flinched but held his ground. Show no weakness, he'd been taught. That fear and weakness made one pathetic and undignified had been drilled into his head ever since he was a magby and he dare not disgrace his trainer. Not after all he'd done for magmortar.

A full minute later, the downed Bug-types limply rose to their feet, fully awake but like marionettes on strings. A discordant symphony of buzzing and groaning rose into the sky and the admin took it in as if being serenaded. He stepped forward towards the strongest bug in the bunch, a particularly enraged pinsir, heedless of its angry face and the rabid way it was spitting and hissing, and pointed towards a tree.

"Reversal," he said simply. Against its own will, the pinsir's body moved jerkily towards the tree and took it in its horns before bending backwards in a suplex maneuver, ripping it straight out of the ground with immense strength. Pinsir moved away from the tree and turned back to face the admin, fury burning in its eyes. How dare the human exercise such control over it! Its pride was severely hurt and it vowed that the moment it was freed from the grasp of that infernal ringing, it'd avenge its pride by doing exactly to the admin what it'd done to that tree.

"Angry at me, are you?" the admin sneered. His face hardened in a second. "Well, that's too bad. You are nothing more than a tool - a guinea pig upon which I test this Frequency Net. Know your place, insect." His subordinates bit back protests. The admin turned to his magmortar, vicious authority melting into genuine concern.

"Are you alright, old friend?" he asked. Magmortar nodded. "Good. I can't have my star player in ant sort of negative condition," he said, nodding at the bug pokémon. "It's a good thing the frequency cancellers in your ears work."

"Maguma…" agreed the pokémon.

"Pack up for the day. We continue tomorrow," the admin barked. "Come now, I don't have all day!" The subordinates set to work with a synchronized cry of,

"Yes, Sir William!" Behind their obedience lay a burning dislike for their captain, the man who'd attempt to break them and their pokémon at each and every turn. If given the chance, each and every one of them would leave him out to dry in a second. But William cared not. As a top ranking Team Regal official, he knew he was above them all. Stronger than them all. Superior to them all.

He was untouchable both in battle and in politics. And that's just how he liked it.

The sun beat down on the boys' heads mercilessly as they toiled in its relentless heat. It was almost as if the sun itself were punishing them and, judging from the cloudless day, the sky seemed to be just fine with that. A group of diglett and dugtrio raced by tilling the empty field chanting incessantly as they worked.

"Diglett dig, diglett dig!"

"Trio trio trio!"

After the group of Mole Pokémon passed, a donphan herd followed using Rollout to separate the ground into rows. After that, the boys had to drag around hundred-pound bags of seed and sow the newly tilled land. The Clubs Ranch truly was a testament to how pokémon and humans were capable of working together. Admirable, but Grey and Jameson could do without the nerve-grating diglett chatter and backbreaking work. Damned tail-flames, Grey would bitterly think as he spread seeds. But he really couldn't protest; he had almost burned down the ranch's barn. That didn't stop him from complaining, though.

At least one good thing came out of being forced to repay Lyle the farmer through labor. Grey and Jameson had met a new companion named Baxter who was in a similar situation to theirs. His cyndaquil, Smokey, had been attempting to use Flame Wheel and had careened into a bale of hay. Needless to say, Lyle was not amused.

Meeting Baxter wasn't exactly the smoothest ride, either. Because of the fact that he wasn't exactly the most masculine character and had soft-looking pink hair and had the build of a flat-chested girl, there was gender confusion right out of the starting gate. That led to a particularly awkward situation where Grey, tactless as he was, actually asked Baxter if he was a girl. Baxter responded by punching him in the face.

"Alright, boys, that's enough for now!" Lyle called from his seat some tens of yards away. "Come back in and take a break! Donphan, Diglett, and Dugtrio, y'all come back, too!"

"Finally!" Grey stood up straight and wiped the sweat from his brow. Untying the arms of his jacket from around his hips and stretching, he said through his straining, "We were working for hoooours!"

"We must've sown at least ten acres," Jameson said in a low voice, stretching out his tired arms and back. "I'm gonna be feeling this pain for a while."

A few donphan stomped past him, some trumpeting, some tired, and some aching for more work. Grey got down next to one of the donphan to her head and se nuzzled him with her trunk before following her small herd of eight back to the barn. Nearby, Baxter put his black wifebeater back on and took a swig from his water bottle. Leaving the seed bags behind, the boys left their work behind.

On the porch of the farmhouse, Lyle's wife Luanne was busy pouring lemonade for the boys when they emerged from the waist-high cornfield while their teenaged son David admired the assorted pokémon. Lyle's quagsire was splashing around in the little pond in front of the house; Sniper and Luna were told to stay back so as not to get up to their respective brands of trouble and Maverick was a few feet away curled up in the sun. All of Baxter's pokémon - a spearow, cyndaquil, riolu, and misdreavus - were out of their poké balls. In an extremely unexpected display of bravery, Shishi of all pokémon decided to play Casanova and flirt with Pearl, Baxter's misdreavus, while Soul and Strabi watched with amusement from atop Maverick's head.

"Hey, thanks again, guys. For nearly burning down the barn," David snickered. Grey shot him a tired glare but he continued on rather cheekily, "You guys saved me a whole day's worth of work."

"Now, now, David, don't tease them," Luanne admonished while handing Grey a glass. "I can just send you back inside and you won't be playing with any pokémon." David opened his mouth to protest but though better of it under his mother's warning glance. Grey snickered evilly, hiding it well behind his lemonade, and went over to stand by his pokémon.

"I can't tell you how much we appreciate you three paying us back," Luanne said, shifting her attention to the other two boys and handing each a cup. "Most other people would've ran away."

"It's no problem, Ms. Luanne," Baxter said amiably. His voice was that of an androgyne's but had an odd lilting quality to it. "It's the least we could do."

"Weird how we both ended up here cuz our pokémon set somethin' on fire." Grey laughed and handed his half-full glass of lemonade to Soul who downed it graciously. "Funny, huh?"

"Speak for yourself," James deadpanned. "I don't even own a Fire-type. This was all you, buddy." Grey's face fell but he quickly set it back to normal.

"Nice setup you got here, Lyle," Baxter said. "I wouldn't mind leading a quiet life like yours." Lyle chuckled heartily.

"Not so quiet with so many pokémon running around." He gestured to his donphan and diglett herds.

"So, what were you three doing so far away from the big city?" asked David. "Ya don't really look like country boys." Grey loudly voiced the trainers' shared thought before the other boys could even answer

"We're Pokémon Trainers!" he declared proudly.

"Came out here because Almond Town is the nearest place to stop and restock in before the trip to Springbloom City," Jameson explained. "We were just about to head into town yesterday until, well…"

"You nearly burned down his barn," Baxter finished, chuckling. "Don't worry, I've been working for Lyle for the past two days so I know how you feel."

"I didn't burn the barn down; Grey did," Jameson insistently corrected.

"Well, whatever the circumstances, you boys are alright to stick around and clean up your mess like real men," Lyle commended. "Thank you for that. We'll get back to work in an hour so long as the bugs don't come back." That caught Grey's ear.

"Bugs?" the dark-haired trainer asked. "Ya mean bug pokémon?"

"Mhm. It really is dreadful," Luanne said with a downcast look. "Lately, the ranches 'round here have had their crops raided by a swarm of bug pokémon. We're victims, too."

"Dude, that sucks," Grey groaned. "And you guys work so hard here, too."

"It's a pain in my ass is what it is," growled Lyle, wiping his bald head with a handkerchief. "Every week or so, they come in and cut down my corn fields and chow down on a free snack. See, we got these torchics here to help fend 'em off but they're too weak to do any real damage. And it's a whole mess of those damn pests, too."

"Kinda sounds like what happened to Danny back in Mélange Woods. Are the bugs in this area starved for food or something?" theorized James.

"But you guys have the donphan herd, too," Baxter pointed out. "Don't any of them know a Rock-type attack?" Smokey waddled up to him and squeaked a bit, asking to be picked up. Baxter put the Fire Mouse Pokémon atop his head, secretly thankful that his cyndaquil masked his pink hair.

"I'm a farmer, not a trainer, Baxter. Don't know anything 'bout no type advantages and all that." Lyle heaved a sigh.

"Dad, you got a couple of trainers right here!" David shouted his suggestion like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"He's right, dear. And they are indebted to you. Why not enlist their help?" Luanne suggested.

"They're already workin' off their debt through labor. I can't ask that of 'em. It'd be selfish of me," Lyle said, his weathered and tanned face dead-set stubborn.

"Aw, dad, you're as hard-headed as an onix!" giggled David.

Aye, I take offense to that, Maverick rumbled. He punctuated his statement with a low roar before going back to being dead to the world. Eh, he's just a brat. Barely older than Grey…

Sucks to be you, old man. No respect, Baxter's spearow, Commander, laughed airily. She twisted around in the air and showily landed on the rock snake's horn to preen her wings.

You wanna be dinner, bird? Maverick growled in response. Keep showin' disrespect and I'll have the lizard roast you. Soul flashed a dangerous grin, embers seeping through his teeth.

"Maverick, be nice," Grey told his pokémon. He then turned to Lyle and said, "Well, if you don't wanna ask us to do it, then we'll do it on our own. Provided we get off early." Lyle shook his head but the boys were persistent.

"Can't let all your hard work go to waste," James said picking up on Grey's conspicuous aim and masking his own with a sensible tone. "Don't worry about it, Lyle."

"Yeah, what they said," Baxter said simply.

"No. I can't ask that of you when yer already doin' this. You boys just stick to sowing the field and we'll be square," Lyle said. All three trainers mentally cursed. They were stuck working whether they wanted to or not.

"Alright then," Grey sighed. The plan had failed but at least he tried, he figured. "If you say so, Lyle. But, man, are you missin' out on a quick 'n easy pest control." James stifled a groan and Baxter chuckled to himself as Grey stood up and stretched.

"I'm gonna go hang out in the barn. Soul, Strabi, be good."

"He's completely incorrigible, isn't he?" Baxter asked, smirking. James's answer was a simple but heavy sigh.

The warehouse was a scene of untamed chaos: pokémon attacks flew left and right as trainers barked orders and a tumult of voices dominated the air. Commands, shouts, and grunts of pain were most common. The commotion was caused by a sting operation ordered and executed by the local police district. They had found a Team Regal riverside warehouse filled with pilfered goods and pokémon alike and could have probably taken the job on easily by themselves but, just to be sure, they had hired a Pokémon Ranger as back-up.

Their money was well-spent, thought the police chief, because they were easily overtaking the grunts stationed to guard the warehouse. Pokémon Rangers were scarily efficient at their jobs. He certainly didn't envy their targets.

Rachel ducked under the Regal grunt's punch and counterattacked with a deft kick to his stomach. He crashed back first into a block of crates and swore loudly. Doubled over clutching his stomach like he was about to vomit, he kept his head up, eyes hatefully glaring at the young woman who had already dispatched three of his familiars. Rachel did not back down and instead pointed a commanding finger at him.

"Vulpix, Confuse Ray!" she barked in the voice of a trained soldier. Vulpix jumped up from behind her owner, tails flared out and teeth bared threateningly. The Fox Pokémon locked incandescent blue eyes with the pained grunt, firing chaotic vibes into his mind. The grunt's own eyes glazed over, his face going slack and a stream of drool streaming from the corner of his mouth. Rachel took that opening to rush the grunt and slam drive her knee into his chin.

"Good, Vulpix, your skills are still as sharp as ever," said Rachel, never once dropping focus.

Out from behind a set of crates another grunt jumped with a knife in hand. A houndour howled at his sides and leapt at Rachel, bared fangs aimed for her jugular. In a flash, Rachel ducked his wild slash, took his arm and kneed him in the elbow. A slight crack rang out and the knife clanged as it hit the warehouse floor, sounds that were drowned under the much louder screaming of the grunt.

"Lucy, Aqua Jet!" Rachel commanded. Grey's former Buizel leapt at Rachel's call, abandoning the zubat she'd just knocked out and willing her water cloak into existence. She slammed into the dumbstruck houndour and knocked it right out of consciousness. Lucy grinned proudly at Rachel. She hadn't regretted her decision to join Rachel; this was just what she wanted. It was close enough to being a Trainer's pokémon without the constant battling and the adrenaline high was icing on the cake.

"Gotta admit, Lucy, you catch on quick to my line of work," Rachel said. She smiled slightly at the buizel. Lucy was spirited and determined and fast; just the kind of pokémon Rachel needed on her team. She had to remember to thank Grey. That is after she swallowed that old Thomas family pride.

"You bi-" the grunt began before Rachel kicked him in the stomach to knock him out.

"Didn't you mother ever teach you to be nice to girls?" Rachel quipped. An impressed whistle cut through the air as the sounds of resisting grunts substantially lessened.

"Nice work. Thank you again, Ms. Thomas," the deep-voiced regional police chief said in earnest. He was an older man with blonde hair that was just beginning to go gray at the roots and in his moustache dressed in standard police garb.

"These jerks have been causing trouble all over the place. Stealing pokémon; extortion; illegal import/export; you name it and they've done it. But we finally shut down this branch of their operation but good." Rachel smiled at him and signaled Heracross to take the two grunts he was carrying to the squad cars outside the warehouse.

"Think nothing of it, Chief Sanders," Rachel said with trained humility. "It's my job as a ranger." Heracross trudged back in and plopped down lethargically beside Vulpix. He was heavily fatigued and the Mega Punch bruise he'd endured from one of the grunts' hariyama was really going to sting in the morning.

"But I do have one question," Rachel stated.

"Fire away," Chief Sanders invited. "Hey, Rogers, make sure you get the stolen pokémon back into their balls and to the Centre, alright!" A far off grunt was his reply. "Sorry; what were you saying?"

"It's okay. I was wondering…" She hesitated, unsure of how to continue. "I mean… Who are these guys?" Chief Sanders put on a bemused face.

"Isn't that obvious?" he asked.

"Well, yes and no." When his expression grew more confused, Rachel continued,

"See, I ran into two of them a while back on my way to Mélange Town and it's been bugging me ever since. At first I thought they were just petty pokémon thieves who dressed funny but now it seems like something a lot bigger than just that." Sanders rubbed his head and let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Man, you rangers are a lot more perceptive than we give you credit for over here," he muttered. Rachel forced down a proud smile in favor of professionalism.

"Standard training, sir," she said simply.

"Well, seeing as these guys are getting bigger, it'd make sense that you'd want to know," he submitted. "You could use the info to keep safe."

So we finally get to know who these soldier-looking loonies are, Vulpix said. Maybe we can use this information.

I'd prefer if we just avoided them. I really don't like being forced to fight, Heracross lamented.

Then you're lucky Rachel caught you, Vulpix said wryly.

"See, these guys call themselves 'Team Regal'." The officer put air quotes around the name. "I know, stupid name, right? But don't let that fool you; they mean business. They don't use conventional weapons like guns or anything since they prefer using pokémon -" Rachel's face contorted in disgust "- and they operate outside the law as a means to get funds."

"Is that why they used this warehouse?" Rachel asked, taking a look around. "To smuggle goods in and out of the region?"

"Exactly. Most of what's in here is some highly illegal and addictive substances they sell to the mainland regions but word has it they have corporate spies that send unfinished prototypes to the highest bidder. On top of all of that, they've been stealing, selling, and abusing pokémon wherever they can get their grimy mitts on them, be they wild or trained."

Those disgusting pigs! Lucy screeched.

Sick bastards… Vulpix growled.

Oh, if Mudkip were here, chuckled Heracross. Vulpix sighed, not even bothering to shoot the Bug-type the glare she felt coming. If Vulpix had had hands, she would have smacked herself for that verbal slipup.

"That's terrible!" Rachel said, appalled. "Why would -"

"We don't know," Sanders said regretfully. "Listen, if you want my advice, stay far away from these mooks. You said you were traveling around with your little brother, right? A trainer boy?"

"Yes." Rachel shifted her eyes downward.

"If you care about him, relay that message to him. Nobody wants to see that happen to their pokémon." Rachel nodded and Sanders smiled warmly at her. "Again, you did great out here. Whoever taught you did it right."

"He would have been ecstatic to hear you say that," Rachel said. She broke out in a wide grin when childhood memories of training with her father floated to the surface of her mind.

"Your pay's back at the precinct. Pick up a little extra for a job well done," Sanders told her. He turned to his troops to see that the cleanup was all done and walked off. "Come on, Mightyena, let's go for a bagel."

"Grawr!"

"Well, guys, I guess that's it for today." Rachel laced her fingers together and stretched until she felt her vertebrae pop soothingly. "Let's head back." She turned to leave but was stopped by Chief Sanders.

"Wait!" he cried.

"What is it?"

"You're a Pokémon Ranger. Why do you keep your buizel and heracross in poké balls?" Rachel wordlessly stopped in her tracks, shuddered audibly, and kept on walking, a slump now present in her stance.

"Was it something I said, Mightyena?"

"Gararawr."

"Yeah, me neither."

Grey felt at peace in the barn. Most likely because he was surrounded by pokémon and their pleasant chatter but that specific never occurred to him. He was content to just watch them interact. Ponyta and rapidash were holed up in the stables talking. Three miltank stood around a bushel of berries and hay happily munching away and the donphan were in neatly ordered lines at their troughs. A few scattered torchic ambled around the barn playfully pecking and chirping at Lyle's napping tauros.

"And none of these guys are trained?" Grey asked no-one. "That's a real shame." He shrugged away the thought and approached the donphan herd to kneel down next to them on the straw and dirt ground. They truly were impressive pokémon and much more docile than Derek had said they would be.

"Then again, I guess that's cuz these guys are domesticated and not wild like the ones I saw," Grey reasoned. "Also, why am I talking to myself…?"

"Pha phaan," the lead donphan grunted amiably at the boy. Grey smiled back and decided it was high time he scan some of the pokémon he'd never seen before. He stood up and took another look around the room. The only two pokémon he'd never seen before were miltank and torchic so he took the Pokédex out of his pocket and pointed it at the little firebird pokémon.

Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. Torchic are young pokémon, naturally curious about the world. But they are also very inexperienced and require constant guidance at this stage. With unsteady steps, this pokémon follows its parent or trainer around curiously and without hesitation. They have been known to spit out high-temperature fireballs from the internal sac in which they keep their flame. If given a hug, a Torchic will feel warm and cuddly.

Gender: Male

Grey lowered the Pokédex. One of the torchic had broken off from its group and was staring at him with its head cocked to the side and wide, curious eyes. Grey bent down and held a hand out towards the chick and a rush of emotions was welcomed into his mind. Curiosity, tentativeness, and an odd sense of maturity made themselves most prevalent.

"You're a boy, huh?" Grey flashed a friendly smile. "My name's Grey and I - dhack!" From out of the blue, something small and very heavy like a large shot put sledge-hammered into his side. Whatever it was, it was actually strong enough to send him flying into the stack of hay that broke his fall.

"Tor?" Torchic blinked in confusion at the rambunctious little phanpy that mowed down Grey unprovoked. Phanpy drew in a large breath and shrilly trumpeted in its apparent victory.

Yes! Another foe defeated by the amazing Donte! the phanpy bellowed.

Why did you do that? Torchic asked him. He was a nice enough guy.

Nice or not, I'm close to evolving. I need as much practice as possible so I can join the others! He was just another target to me, Donte chuckled maniacally. Torchic said nothing and instead shook his head in exasperation. Donte was known for his over enthusiasm but he was beginning to border insanity.

"It think it bruised my freakin' ribs!" Grey cried. He dug himself out of the hay pile while using one hand to massage his injured side. His eyes set upon one of the five phanpy that he was sure wasn't there a second ago and scanned it.

Phanpy, the Long Nose Pokémon. The pre-evolved form of Donphan. Its long ears are used to fan itself on hot days and it shows a slight resistance to water, shown by their tendency to frolic in it and sleep in vertical pits dug in riverbanks. Phanpy are small in stature but possess incredible strength that they are mostly unaware of as a result of their youth. This species is capable of carrying adult humans on their backs and launching objects much larger and heavier than themselves with their trunks.

Gender: Male

"Well, that explains why that hurt so damn bad." Grey groaned and rubbed his side gingerly. "Wait! You evolve into donphan!"

That's right. Donte turned his tiny trunk proudly upwards. Grey grinned and his hand flew to his side for one of the empty poké balls he kept there but he was interrupted by someone calling for him. Grey grit his teeth, deliberating between catching the phanpy or going to address the cry. His conscience won in the end, and he reluctantly put the poké ball away to run outside.

"What's goin' on?" he asked urgently when he stopped in front of quagsire's pond. Immediately, he noticed the absence of Baxter, James, and their Pokémon and the presence of a new familiar figure. Cradling his leafeon and talking quite animatedly to Lyle and David was Lucas, a friendly smile and bright eyes making him more approachable. Lyle let out a booming laugh at a joke Lucas told before nodding and moving towards the barn. He stopped next to Grey and clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, grinning.

"Kid over there says he knows you," he said, laughter still in his voice. "He wanted to talk to you and I said it was okay so long as you're back here to pay off your debt."

"Really?" Grey raised an eyebrow and his mouth twisted into a bemused frown. Half of him wondered what Lucas wanted to talk to him about and the other half thanked the Legendaries for the man's impeccable timing. "What about?"

"Dunno," Lyle said truthfully. He shrugged and continued into the barn. "Somethin' about pokémon training so I guess it's important to ya. Go on, then!"

"Kaaay…" Grey approached Lucas as Luanne darted back into the house muttering something he didn't bother to catch. David was practically bouncing around in excitement while Lucas was knelt down in front of Strabi inspecting her with the trained eyes of a critic. He hummed, satisfied, and rose to his full height before looking at Grey.

"Thought I'd find you here," he said jovially. "How goes it, Grey?"

"About as well as you'd think," the younger trainer replied. He brightened, slightly honored that Lucas would come just to check on him. "Accidentally set a barn on fire and now I'm payin' for it in sweat. You?"

"I came around to see how you were progressing. You said you were going to capture a donphan while we were on the boat and this is the only place with any for miles around." Lucas motioned Grey to Lyle's porch and sat down himself. David darted over and sat unnervingly close to him leaving Grey to sit on the railing and be joined by Soul moments later.

"I'll be frank with you, Grey," began Lucas, tone serious. "I see great potential in you as a Pokémon Trainer. Your partner is a living testament to that." At that, Grey's face shone with pride and Soul grinned widely.

"You really mean it?" the raven-haired boy asked eagerly, eyes positively gleaming. "I mean, I know I'm a rookie now but do you seriously mean it?"

"Of course," Lucas confirmed. "I have never been wrong about these kinds of things before and -"

"Ah, this guy?" David, who had somehow been silent in his fanatic excitement at Lucas's arrival, cut in rudely and incredulously. "Please; he's scrawny as all hell and I haven't even seen 'im fight yet! He don't look like nothin' special."

"Excuse me," Lucas said curtly. His eyes narrowed to slits and his voice dropped a few threatening pitches. "I don't remember asking for your input. Please leave, as this is a private conversation."

It was as if Lucas had personally insulted David. The farm boy's face went from attentive to scared to downright appalled in the time it took Lucas to finish speaking. He wordlessly rose to his feet and haughtily stomped off into the fields to presumably help his father. Rather than be afraid or even so much as shocked at Lucas's display of coldness, Grey ignored it, believing that David had deserved the treatment if Lucas was the one to tell him off. Soul, however, tensed his posture and grew slightly more wary.

"Now, then." Lucas's icy mask melted back into a disarming smile. "Tell me how your training has come so far."

"Oh, that." Grey laughed sheepishly and scratched his cheek. When Lucas fixed him with an expectant look, he explained rather hastily, "See, because of all the work I've been doin' here to repay Lyle, I haven't had much time to train and, uh… Yeah..."

"Oh," came Lucas's simple reply. He looked down at Solace who met his gaze thinking along the same lines as her trainer. "Well that isn't good." Grey heaved a sigh and cast a sidelong glance at his onix and shinx.

"I know it isn't," he muttered. "But what can I do? I can't just ditch these guys after nearly burning their barn down. They work so hard here that it'd be an insult not to pay them back." Lucas stood up and folded his arms as he leaned against Lyle's house. His expression turned stern, not unlike that of a teacher's, and Solace mimicked him.

"I understand where you are coming from and that is a very noble thing of you to do, Grey, but pokémon who aren't properly trained cannot form a good bond with their trainers. Training is imperative." Grey flinched a little at the emphasis Lucas put into those last three words.

"I know," he said apologetically, "I know. But I gotta -"

"Your shinx has only recently been obtained," he continued crisply across Grey, who rose an eyebrow at him. Grey never remembered telling Lucas that.

"How did you know that?"

"I know this from experience," he said quickly. That placated Grey's suspicion. "Your shinx was only recently caught and both she your onix seem like very proud individuals. Without proper training and quality time, you can never hope to gain their favor and trust and as a result, you won't be able to control them in battle. People say you need to show your pokémon who the boss is but I for one think they're wrong. You need to show the pokémon that you're on their side and treat them as equals, not as inferior beings."

"Uh-huh," Grey muttered as he soaked in Lucas's words like a devoted student. "I feel the same way, too. Soul and I have never really been like a master and a pet. He's more like a brother to me than anything." Soul grinned and playfully punched his trainer's shoulder. Grey reciprocated the gesture and patted his charmeleon on the head. Lucas beamed at the show of comradery between the two and tightly grasped Grey's shoulders.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" he shouted, grinning. "Now, I have a test for you, Grey."

"A test?" Soul's partner put on his game face and clenched his fists tightly with enthusiasm, eager to please. "What is it? A battle; do I have to go find something? Just tell me what it is and I'll do it!"

Lucas looked down at Solace and made a kissing noise and his leafeon bounded off the deck and dashed towards the barn, barking like a mad dog. She came back moments later herding the five torchic that were in the barn and the phanpy that had tackled Grey like an experienced sheepdog. Once she had corralled them all in front of the pond, she prevented any of them from leaving by lazily slinking around them like a circling sharpedo.

"Good girl, Solace," Lucas lauded her. He stepped down from the deck with a hand on his chin and Grey and Soul in tow, pensive as he scanned the group of pokémon. Casting a cursory glance at the four torchic who were huddled together in fear, he dismissed them and focused his attention on the calmest Chick Pokémon and the phanpy. The torchic looked away from him and yawned before toddling off to find food, unafraid of Solace or her trainer. The bravest of them all, the young phanpy, boldly pawed the ground and turned his trunk upwards at Solace, trumpeting shrilly and offering her challenge.

"Too easy, all of them," Lucas muttered. Grey, who had been standing behind Lucas and watching him go about his business had to wonder out loud exactly what Lucas was doing. The older trainer continued his survey for a full minute before answering.

"These pokémon are all wild and I was checking them out in order to see which one of them was the most…" he paused, twirling his hand as he searched for a word. "Spirited."

"What for?" Grey asked.

To battle? hoped Soul.

"No, Soul, to capture." Lucas gave the two of them a knowing smirk and turned back to the frightened torchic and the phanpy. "These four torchic here are much too submissive to prove to be any sort of challenge for you to train and the one that left is obviously brave but seems to be a bit lazy." He gestured towards the phanpy with a gleam in his eye.

"But that one there…" He trailed off smiling and got lost in some unknown nostalgia. "Let's just say he reminds me of one of my own pokémon when he was at that stage. Fierce, competitive, and full of energy. It took me a long, hard effort to train that pokémon and now, Grey, I propose that training challenge to you." Grey's eyes lit up. He'd been wanting to capture that phanpy since the moment after it tackled him but he couldn't be too sure as to what Lucas meant. To be sure, he had to ask.

"Are you saying…" he began hoping Lucas would get the message. Lucas's smile grew a bit wider. Grey whooped loudly and punched the air while beside him grinned Soul at the prospect of a new member. Lucas then nodded at Grey before he picked the phanpy up from the ground and beckoned his leafeon.

"Follow me," he grunted.

"R-Right!" grunted a startled Grey. "Be good you two!" he called to his curious shinx and onix.

He led Grey at a brisk pace away from the farm and into the tall grass without once looking back to make sure the boy was following him. He knew that by now, Grey would be hanging on his every word as if they were the secrets to life itself. He stopped several hundred feet away from the farm so that it was now part of the landscape to them and abruptly turned on his heel, placing the bemused phanpy on the ground. Solace stopped obediently next to him, swishing her tail and waiting for further orders.

"Why are we stopping here?" Grey asked. Lucas was quite pleased noticing the boy was not at all tired from the run and proceeded to back away from the pokémon and pointing straight forward with an almost arrogantly lazy arm.

"Solace," he said clearly. The Grass-type eevee evolution twitched her ears and imperceptibly tightened her muscles. "Leaf Blade."

Solace jumped into action and practically exploded off the ground like a world-class sprinter. She flicked her tail and made it glow an earthy green before giving a little hop while going into a spin and cutting down the waist-high grass in the shape of a perfect circle. She landed and took off towards the left and bounded right, slashing down blade after blade of grass until a circle of freshly mowed plains was left in her wake. At the end of her job, she released her focus from the attack and trotted back to Lucas, scratching behind her ears like a house pet.

"Whoa…" Grey breathed, awed beyond words. "That was incredible."

Feh, scoffed Soul with a turn of his head. That was nothing. I coulda done the same with a Slash or two.

"Now, Grey. I want you to show me how you fight and catch Donte here," declared Lucas. "Then I want you to train him up as best as you can and when our paths cross again, I will determine whether or not you've passed the test. Understood?"

"Understood!" said Grey with a zealous nod. Lucas smirked inwardly. If this went how he envisioned, and he knew that it would, Grey would become that much closer to realizing his true potential. Sure, there were other obstacles in the way but those bridges would be crossed when they were reached. Whatever path Grey took would lead to greatness. On that, Lucas would bet his life. The boy, like all people, just needed a little guidance

"As a kindred spirit, I'll make it my duty to see he gets stronger and guide him along the way," Lucas reflected. "By any means necessary."

Grey ushered Soul into the makeshift battlefield and started bringing his battle focus to the surface. Soul stomped forward, gnashing his teeth and revving his tail flame. At this, Lucas frowned. A quick glance at Grey and his team told anybody that Soul was his most-used and most powerful pokémon with Maverick and Strabi coming in as tied for second. If Grey grew too attached to his current way of fighting… Lucas visibly shuddered (thankfully, this went unnoticed) and scolded himself. Better not to think that way.

Donte trumpeted and glared at Soul dead in the eye before turning around and wagging his tail at the much bigger and pokémon to show considerable cheek. Soul threateningly breathed a few embers out of his nose response. The fearless little phanpy sneered assertively and actually goaded his opponent on with his trunk. Soul's jaw dropped open in shock at the phanpy's sheer audacity but he quickly reformed it into an angry scowl.

Donte pawed the ground and threw himself and the entirety of his weight into the battle. The charmeleon, eager to display his new strength, held Donte back with both arms and forced Donte into a small hole dug by the Ground-type's fervent struggling. Soul grinned in triumph but Donte surprised him and everyone else present by digging himself further in and executing a powerful Tackle that launched Soul into Grey's legs.

Ow! Son of a -! Soul roared in outrage. Grey whistled, impressed with Donte's tenacity and strength, and Lucas gave a small laugh.

"Dang, man, the Pokédex wasn't lyin'!" he laughed. "Alright, let's make this a good one partner."

"Char!" Soul barked, ready to dish out some payback. Donte took the initiative once more and lowered his head, charging forward with Take Down. His opposition, leaned forward, tail straight as a flagpole and claws at the ready.

"Metal Claw!" Soul gave the slightest of nods and shot his steely claw down at Donte's approaching form to manage a direct hit to the flank, only to get struck in the gut by ninety pounds of unfettered force. When the two pokémon broke apart from their collision, Donte looked relatively healthy while Soul was gingerly holding his stomach. Taking this into account, Grey reformulated his attack plan.

"Alright, so this guy's got good endurance, stamina, and strength but he's slow. We can't meet him head on; we have to be faster and make sure he can't hit," he muttered at a hurried pace. He threw an arm out and bellowed, "Soul, Aerial Ace!" just as Donte transitioned from Take Down to a Rollout attack.

Soul defied the pain in his stomach and lashed out at the incoming phanpy and was able to hold Donte back while the smaller pokémon rolled futilely against Soul's powerful tail. Soul clenched his toe claws and stabbed them into the soft dirt to try and anchor himself, succeeding and flinging Donte into the sky. The young dragon then launched straight into an Aerial Ace attack, rushing forward to send his opponent reeling back before pivoting as he landed and coming right back around for another hit.

"Smart choice," Lucas's voice rang out, soft but still somehow fully audible. A near-invisible smirk of approval formed on Lucas's strong-jawed face and Grey practically beamed. "Now, Grey, what will you do next…?"

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Donte was just righting himself and shaking off the effects of the heavy blow while Soul primed himself for an Ember attack. Careful not to start a brush fire, he took careful aim and began relentlessly pelting his opponent with fireballs. Donte would have none of that; he flew into a Rollout attack in the middle of Soul's attack, powered through each fireball like a bulldozer and crashed himself into Soul. Skidding to a halt, he whirled around to face a now dazed charmeleon and rolled again, actually leaving a small groove in the ground in his wake. Another super-effective hit sent Soul to the ground.

Grey's mouth fell open in shock. Just how powerful was this phanpy to inflict so much damage to his pokémon even with a super-effective move? Reckoning Soul was at least at half strength now, Grey needed a more powerful attack than Ember if he wanted to win. He grit his teeth and focused; now was not the time to lose heart. Donte meanwhile prepared his next strike through circling a recovering Soul to gather momentum.

"Can't let Lucas down," Grey ground out. With little time to spare, he scanned the battlefield for and possible way to counter Donte. There was no way to end Donte's charge while was circling and Soul wouldn't be strong enough to stop it with his bare hands, so he was left with no choice but to wing it.

"Soul, wait for him to charge you and use Dragon Rage," he instructed, "then use Will-O-Wisp."

"Chaaar…" Soul nodded, flaring his tail flame as he commenced forming the attack.

"Will-O-Wisp?" thought Lucas. He raised an eyebrow and centered his vision on Soul and the stance the dragon took. "Interesting move to teach a charmeleon. But he keeps taking the same stance when attacking and it's obvious that Grey ad-libbed as a result of seeing no clear way to victory. He could have ordered Soul to attack the ground in front of Donte as he's moving and then strike with Aerial Ace…" Comprehension hit him. "Or maybe it's that Soul can't time it well enough. They truly have much to learn."

At that moment, Donte came to an abrupt halt and pivoted mid-roll in Soul's direction. The kinetic energy he built up congregated behind him and he used it to burst off the ground in his most powerful Rollout yet. Halfway to his target, however, Soul, unleashed his Dragon Rage and it impacted the little phanpy, causing an explosion that launched him and several chunks of the ground into the sky. Grey's charmeleon then vaulted after Donte, enlarging his flame and upping the temperature to blue hot. Rolling forward in the air, the blazing flames passed over tough blue hide and passed it over Donte's side, licking it hungrily and leaving a raw, stinging burn its path.

Donte dropped unceremoniously to the ground looking much worse for wear than he was originally. Soul landed gracefully with a smile of triumph on his face while Donte wore a pained wince. The battle had been decided and before Donte could even sound off to voice his protest, he had been hit with a Poké Ball and sucked in.

"Yes!" Grey cheered. "That phanpy is mine!"

"Don't be so sure," Lucas cut in, ending the younger trainer's celebration. Sure enough, Donte was not going to give in without a fight and burst from the Poké Ball moments later.

"Aww." Grey's face fell. "I thought for sure we'd have it."

"Catching a pokémon is not always as easy as it seems," lectured Lucas. "It may take multiple tries and a continued fighting effort." Soul chose that moment to rush in and viciously Slash Donte's burned flank for good measure. Donte squealed in pain and tried to compose himself but the flaring pain from his burn prevented any effort.

"Now!" barked Lucas and Grey was all too quick to oblige. For the second time now, Donte was pulled into a Poké Ball and struggled, this time in vain. According to the soft 'ding' from the Poké Ball, he was captured.

"Oh, yeah, baby! Phanpy is mine!" Grey was bouncing in place with jubilation only to be tackled down by a triumphant Soul moments later. "Kickass, partner! Now we've got a new member to replace Luce. We keep going like this and it'll be smooth sailin'!"

"That's what you think," Lucas said to himself. "Oh, Greyson, have you much to learn. Have you much, much to learn…" Lucas turned around, Solace faithfully behind him, and shouted a goodbye to Grey as well as a reminder to keep up his training.

"I'll be seeing you again!" he said. "Count on it. And good luck!"

"Luck's got nothing to do with it!" Grey called at Lucas's retreating back. "It's all skill!" Lucas resisted the urge to admonish the boy. He had to learn on his own, he decided, that, right now, at his skill level, luck had nearly everything to do with it.

PHEW! Oh, my lord, that took forever but the writer's block is FINALLY dead! Huzzah! I'm truly sorry for the long wait, guys, you shouldn't have to wait that long just because of me. To apologize, I'll try and have the next chapter out in the next two weeks. Just give me some time, alright? Again, thank you everyone who reviewed for your continued support and interest in the story and I'm sorry this post-chapter note is so short, but I've got to get started on the next chapter if I want to keep my promise. Keep on rockin' guys, and let your mass speculation begin (especially concerning Lucas's closing thoughts).

No chapter preview today. Sorry 8(