OoO( 7 )OoO

Zack had a sly smirk on his face as he tossed the pokeball into the air and caught it again. "Grunts. So simple I almost feel bad." he said. Taking the ball, he pressed the button and threw it onto the ground. "Let's see what we have." he said. The ball opened and released the pokemon inside.

The form grew tall, almost as tall as the boy himself. When the red light finally faded, a large yellow and black pokemon stood in front of him. Zack eyed him warily. It grunted as it looked around. Not seeing its master, it turned to the boy.

Zack took a step closer to it and smiled. "An electric type huh?" he said, raising his hand and petting the pokemon's head. "You will be very useful. What is your name?" he asked.

Unused to kindness, the pokemon flinched slightly at his hand. However, it relaxed as he felt the trainer stroking his head. Zack nodded.

"Don't worry. I am your new master. You don't have to worry about those worthless humans anymore." he said as he pulled his hand back and grabbed the pokeball. Aiming it at the pokemon, the laser shot out and pulled the pokemon back into the capsule. "Rockets...what fools." he said placing the ball back on his belt and walking into the town. "Now, time to find a place to stay." he said as he continued into the populated city.

OoOoO

Felix made it back to town as the clouds in the sky began to crackle with thunder. He looked up at the sky as a bolt of lightning shot from cloud to cloud. "That's going to make it impossible to find this guy." he said looking at his pokegear again. He glared at the figure shown in the photo, taken from a security camera in the lab. "You aren't getting away..." he said, then headed for the pokemon center.

When he got through the door, the nurse across the counter looked up at him and smiled. "Oh, hello there. Back so soon?" she asked.

He smiled. "Yeah. I finished my business, now I'm looking for someone." he said walking up to the counter. Showing her the pokegear, he asked, "Have you seen him around?"

She looked, then it seemed like she flinched when she saw the picture. He was hopeful that she had seen him, but her next comment killed his hope. "He has very...piercing eyes..." she said. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I haven't seen him." She smiled as he sighed. "But, give me your pokegear number and I'll let you know if he comes by."

He looked up and smiled. "Really? Thanks. That'd be great." he said. Writing his number on a small sticky note, he gave it to her, then set his pokeball on the table. "Could you also heal my pokemon?" he asked. She nodded, then took the ball and sat it on the machine. It glowed white with energy before making a beeping sound, and she handed it back.

"There you are. Good as new." she said.

He nodded. "Thanks again. I'm going to go looking around town." he said waving to her, then leaving the building. He rubbed his arms as the wind picked up outside, making his skin crawl. "Damn...I need a new coat." he said as he walked towards the breeder's house.

OoOoO

Zack knew that he wouldn't be able to stay in the pokemon centers for a while. After robbing that lab, he probably had the whole Johto police force looking for him. He saw a small house next to the pokemart, and decided that it was as good as any to look for a place to stay. Jumping over the fence, he covered his face with the collar of his coat and made his way across the lawn. All he saw was a large pond in the middle of a huge field. Nothing really that he could use for shelter.

Then, he saw the house. He didn't like the idea of breaking and entering again, especially so soon after he had just done it. However, he didn't have much of a choice. He walked forward as the wind pounded against the small house. "If I'm lucky, they haven't watched television today..." he said as he approached the house.

OoOoO

Felix walked up and knocked on the door to the house. He wrapped his arms around himself as the air chilled. The door cracked and the eye of the owner peeked out. "Who's that?" he asked in a rough voice.

Felix looked up at him and said loudly over the wind, "It's me! Felix!" Suddenly, the door flew open and the large man behind it smiled widely.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" he shouted. "Come on in here! Can't leave you standing out in the wind." he said as he ushered the young trainer into the house. Once the boy was inside, Barnes looked up at the sky again and shook his head. "Something bad's gonna happen tonight." he said, then shut the door. Turning to the boy, he smiled widely. "So, what brings you to this neighborhood?"

"I was in town and thought I'd check on Shepard. Is he around?" asked the trainer. Just as he finished his sentence, Mina walked around the corner from the hall, carrying in her arms a smiling furry pokemon. Felix smirked as he looked at the happy puppy. "I see you aren't too eager to leave yet." he said.

Shepard ignored him and snuggled deeper into the girl's arms. Barnes laughed, then turned to the boy. "So, how are things going with that eevee?" he asked.

Felix sighed and scratched his head. "Well, not too good. I tried to battle with her and she attacked me instead of the other pokemon..." he said. "But I'm not giving up. I'll make her trust me somehow." he said.

Suddenly, they all turned as they heard a noise from the other side of the house. Someone was knocking on the back door. "Hmmm...strange. Who would go all the way around the back while it's storming outside like this?" asked the large man. "Ah well. Might as well go see who it is..." he said, then walked out of the room. Felix and Mina followed him, conversing with each other the whole way.

"So, I take it he hasn't been too much trouble." said the trainer as he snorted with a smile towards the puppy. She giggled then reached up to pet him.

"Not at all. I think he might want to stay here if you don't take him soon." she said giggling.

Felix turned his head with a smirk. "Sometimes I wouldn't mind leaving him..." he said sarcastically. He yelled loudly as he felt a flame hit his rear end. Turning, he glared at the red pokemon. "Alright you little...!" he shouted, but was cut off by the sound of a new voice.

"Excuse me. Do you have a place I can stay until the rain stops?" asked an icy voice from the door. Felix turned, but couldn't see because of the man in front of the door. Walking forward, he felt the voice give him chills. Finally, he got a clear view. However, the darkness outside obscured the boys looks.

Barnes scratched his head. "Well, wouldn't it be better if you went to the pokemon center?" asked the man.

The figure bowed its head. "I was thinking the same, however, the gear in my bag is very sensitive and rain would destroy it. If I tried to make it there, my equipment would be done for." said the voice again. Felix stepped closer, wondering why the voice gave him a bad feeling. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as a bolt of lightning crashed across the sky, lighting the boy's features. Looking down at his pokegear, his eyes bolted back to the figure at the door.

"You!" he shouted pointing at him. "You broke into the lab!" Immediately, Zack turned and dashed away from the house. Felix ran outside after him, the rain now pouring down with wind beating at them madly. Felix was fast, but this boy seemed as if the wind went right through him. As he saw the figure start pulling ahead, he yelled loudly, "Come and fight me you coward!"

Zack stopped running, his fist clenched as he turned around. "What did you call me!" he shouted.

Felix stopped a short ways away from him. "You are a thief and a coward!" yelled the trainer. Suddenly, he saw the boy grab a pokeball at his side. Grabbing his own, they both threw them and red light was cast across the landscape.

Back at the house, Shepard was furiously trying to go after Felix. But, he was being blocked by both of the house breeders. "I'm sorry Shepard...you can't go out there! You'll hurt yourself even more!" said the girl, trying to speak over the wind outside.

OoOoO

The battlefield was ready. Both trainers glared at each other as their pokemon appeared. Eevee stood, ignoring the torrenting rain and glaring at the blue croc pokemon across from it. Neither trainer made a move as they watched the other. Suddenly, lightning flashed again and the battle began.

"Rex! Scratch!" shouted Zack as he pointed at the eevee.

"Eevee! Use headbutt!" shouted Felix. However, the fox pokemon ignored the command and ran straight for the pokemon. Totodile slashed at the pokemon with its claws, but missed, leaving a large gash in the ground. The fox landed on the croc's maw and bit at its scaly skin, making its opponent roar in pain.

"Use water gun to get it off!" shouted the trainer. It obeyed and a jet of water shot out of its mouth, vaulting the eevee into the air and sending it tumbling across the ground. "Rex! Aim straight at it with another!" he shouted.

Totodile shot another jet of water that pounded eevee backwards. But the pokemon stood its ground. "Eevee! Get out of the way!" shouted Felix. But the pokemon again ignored the command and sank its claws into the ground. Slowly, it began to force its way forward, its head low so it didn't take the full hit of the attack. Felix clenched his fist, feeling a knot in his stomach when she wouldn't listen. "You're going to get hurt..." he said to himself as he watched her.

Finally, after gaining enough momentum, the fox pokemon pushed forward and threw itself at the croc. It slammed into it, sending it rolling backwards it rolled back to its feet, but eevee vanished and slammed into him with a quick attack, sending him soaring back unconscious. Zack pulled the pokemon back into its pokeball and looked at the trainer.

"Very powerful pokemon you have there." he said gently taking the other off his belt. "Very...wet...powerful pokemon you have there."

Felix's eyes trained on the boy opposite of him. Taking the pokeball, the trainer threw it down and a towering figure stood over eevee. Eevee growled at the new pokemon as Felix's eyes widened. "Oh no...EEVEE RUN!" he shouted. However, the defiant eevee stood its ground, glaring at the pokemon.

"Electabuzz. Use thunderbolt." said the crimson haired boy, his face contorting into an almost evil smile. Felix watched, horrified as the electric pokemon unleashed a bolt of lightning that hit eevee almost immediately. The fox pokemon, though powerful, was no match for the move. It shrieked loudly and collapsed on the spot. Felix ran forward and knelt down next to the pokemon.

"Eevee..." he said. She was still conscious and looking up at him. She no longer had the wildfire look she had before in her eyes. She was scared, injured, as she once was before.

"Electabuzz, finish it with a thunder attack!" yelled Zack as he pointed at the opponent.

Felix looked up in terror. Electabuzz charged the attack for a moment, then brought an enormous bolt of lightning down. Felix didn't realize what he did until it was too late. He leaned forward and shielded eevee with his own body. He screamed loudly as the electricity surged through his body and into the ground around the injured fox, leaving her unharmed.

Eevee looked up at the boy, his face unmoving in the agony that he was going through. Who was he? Why was he doing this for her? Humans didn't like pokemon...they certainly didn't help them. So why did he just save her? She didn't understand. Many thoughts and emotions coursed through the pokemon as she slowly climbed to her paws again. Almost as soon as it had begun, the attack stopped.

Immediately, the young trainer fell over, his eyes open and seemingly empty, as if the attack had pulled the very soul from his body. The fox limped over to his face and nudged him, but he didn't move. She licked his face, but still he didn't even flinch. Suddenly, she felt an emotion like she had never felt before. Heartbreak.

"What a pitiful act of compassion. You are only delaying the inevitable." said the boy still standing. "Electabuzz, finish it." he said as he glared at the pair. The electric pokemon again charged its attack, then released another flash of electric energy.

OoOoO

Zack's eyes were wide in shock. He wasn't sure if he just saw what he saw, or if he was hallucinating. But whatever it was, the result was still the same. The attack focused on the eevee had been thrown aside by some invisible force. What's more, the eevee was now facing Electabuzz, and it had an aura that made his skin crawl.

"Thunder wave!" shouted Zack as he took a step back. Electabuzz sent out a wave of energy along with a high pitched sound, however, the attack was ineffective. The sound seemed to have been reflected back on the pokemon that sent it, causing it to freeze in place, its limbs spasming horribly. Then, to Zack's surprise, the electric pokemon began to float in midair as if something were lifting it from the ground. It spun in different angles, letting out a cry of pain each time it stopped.

Suddenly, the pokemon flew and crashed into the trainer, sending them both skittering across the wet ground. Zack got to his feet, only suffering from minor loss of wind and the bruises from the crash. Walking over to his new pokemon, he could tell without even checking that it was out. This battle had been lost. Taking out his pokeball, he pulled the pokemon inside, and did what he did best, ran.