-Chapter 5-

Icy Wind

He walked down the street after the visit to the Team Valor headquarters and found a bench to sit at. He sat and exhaled, leaning back to take in the sights of Mariner City. He watched as a red gym in the distance turned grey briefly, and then blue. A Team Mystic trainer nearly got into a fistfight with a Team Instinct one, the two getting into a screaming match before they parted ways, both angry. Marleon blinked at the sight. He wondered what that was about, but shrugged and looked at the list again. So far he had spoken with Chris Daté about his Gyarados, Drago, and then visited the Team Valor headquarters to see Dragonite. That fell through, the memory still fresh in his mind. He looked down the list again, the closest would be the Karp Cove Lighthouse to see if Ampharos was there. But he was really thinking about heading on to Hydrofoil Town and meeting the other two teams. The thought was interrupted when the muzzles of a Poochyena, a Houndour, and a Growlithe were all sniffing his hand and licking his pants. Marleon sat up as the dog pack snuck up on him, and turned to see a female Pokemon trainer wearing a Team Valor hoodie trying to pull the three dogs off of him. "Hey! Hey guys, back! Sorry sir!", she spoke. Marleon chuckled a bit, setting his list in his pocket before giving each of the dogs a rub on the head, "Oh it's just fine! So you're a dog walker?", he asked her. The trainer, named Kate, smiled, "They're all mine. I'm a fan of dog Pokemon.", she explained, tossing her brown hair back a bit. Marleon stared into her hazel eyes, the lady tugging the three dogs back again. She adjusted her glasses and said, "Let's go! Keep walk—Houndour, stop sniffing that! Come on!", the three dogs led the march again and Marleon waved as Kate was tugged away by the dog pack. He finally stood and started on his way to the other side of the island. He decided to go the north route this time, walking along the scenic route with the Oceana Coastline to his right, and the Aqua Rainforest to the left. This part of Rain Dance Island was left untouched, and was part of a natural habitat for water-type Pokemon. There were piers to fish off of but no docks due to the reef.

Soon he made it to Hydrofoil Town, and noticed the town was divided between Team Mystic and Team Instinct fandom. It was a nice change compared to seeing the domination of Team Valor in Mariner City, eventually deciding to stop at the Team Mystic headquarters first since it was the first one he'd find while in town. The building was equally as impressive as the one Team Valor had, the building was large and modern, shaped interestingly like a large crystal. The walls were completely covered in windows with a dark tint to it. Marleon could barely make out people walking around inside. He began to approach the front door, noticing a stylized Articuno logo above the door. He noticed it was similar to the Valor headquarters in that the doors had no handles, but as he began to step toward the intercom like before, the doors slid open and he felt a burst of cold air hit him. He hesitated, but then stepped inside, the door closing behind him. The interior was sleek, everything tinted in white and blue. The lights were all a calming light blue, and as he walked in, he saw several display cases with curiosities inside. The one that caused him to stop and look at it deeper was a golden feather that glistened in the light as it rotated slowly in a clockwise manner. "That looks like it's from...", he began to say, when someone spoke, "Ho-oh. Tailfeather to be precise. You must be Marleon Takenawa.". He sat up and looked over to find a trainer wearing a lab coat approaching him. He nodded, "Yes, I'm looking for a Mr. Heron.", he responded. The lab trainer nodded, "Team Mystic's local leader, Garrett. I'll page him for you. Please, let me escort you to the lobby."

He followed her and settled in a very comfortable leather recliner. While he sat, he took in the scenery. More display cases, containing relics from various Pokemon were around. There was a coffee table with magazines on it. He wasn't much of a reader so he ignored them for the most part, though the fronts caught his attention. A catalog about vacationing in Hoenn. An issue of "Slyph Monthly". A recent issue of "The Milotic". He began to reach for one of them when a large man stepped into view. "Gyarados! I don't believe it!", he spoke loudly and came over to shake his hand. Marleon stood up, taking a few moments to observe the man. He was bulky, black hair, goatee, wearing a blue shirt with a Team Mystic logo on the front. "Wait...I know you from somewhere...", he began to say. "Well sure you do! I'm Garrett Heron, the leader of Team Mystic here. But you'll remember me from about five or six years ago, at the beach. You and Lapras rescued me when I was being pulled into the ocean!", Garrett responded. Marleon blinked a few times, and then said, "Garrett! Yeah! That's amazing that you're still here!" They shook hands then, and then Garrett pulled him in for a hug. "I can't thank you enough for saving my life! And I'd never want to leave Rain Dance Island, especially since, well...I'm still trying to find someone here.", he spoke.

Marleon chuckled, "Who would that be?", he asked. Garrett smiled, "Articuno of course.", he spoke. "Oh yeah...the island went pretty crazy when there was a report that Articuno had been spotted flying along the Oceana Coastline. I couldn't leave the gym that day, I had back-to-back battles to do, but there were trainers tracking Articuno for months.", Marleon replied. Garrett nodded, "I think it's still here. But hey, I'm sure I know why you're here. You'd like to see Lapras, right?", he asked. Marleon's eyes widened, "Kinda read me like a book, huh? Yeah, I'd actually like to have him back if possible.", he requested. Garrett sighed and scratched his head a bit, "Might be a problem. We'll see. I'd have to get authorization from Blanche, since he's been instrumental in our research about Rain Dance Lapras.", the Mystic leader replied. "I see. Well maybe we can find a replacement...", Marleon began to say, when Garrett shook his head, "Unfortunately, that's going to be impossible. Lapras haven't been spotted here in years."

The former Rain Dance Gym Leader stared deeply into Garrett's eyes. "What? What are you talking about? This island has been a sanctuary for Lapras ever since I've lived here.", he spoke. Garrett closed his eyes, "There were a lot of greedy Pokemon trainers after you vanished. Without you around, they were being caught left and right. It took a few years, but they...simply stopped showing up at the island." Marleon clenched his hand into a fist, "This...this is terrible...all my hard work..." Garrett put a hand on Marleon's shoulder, "Well hey, let's go see your Lapras. I'm sure he'll be excited to see you again." Marleon settled and nodded, "Thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing him again. Tried to see Dragonite at the Team Valor place, but-", he began to say when Garrett interrupted him, "You've been inside the Team Valor headquarters? What were you doing there? I'm surprised you made it out in one piece!" Marleon smiled, "They weren't too bad, to be honest. But...I didn't actually get to see Dragonite. Just got confirmation that he was okay." Garrett shook his head, "Typical of Team Valor. Bunch of jerks. Come on, let's go see Lapras!"

Marleon followed Garrett, past several rooms. "So what is Team Mystic's deal?", he asked Garrett. The Mystic leader smiled, "We believe there are secrets to the power of Pokemon through evolution. We're studying the rates of their strength after they evolve. We can track their stats and see how dramatically they improve after the change. Some of the evolutions are remarkable.", he spoke. There were chambers Marleon could see with Pokemon floating in liquid-filled tubes. He stopped and looked in one, seeing a Grovyle in one and a Flaafy in another. "I've seen that before...", Marleon muttered. Garrett didn't realize he had stopped, and turned back to look in, "Ah, the stasis chambers. Don't worry, they are safe in there, the two of them are preparing for their evolution.", he spoke. Marleon felt the sweat beading on his head. "That looks like...", he had a moment where he remembered seeing Pokemon sleeping in tubes like this, right before Mewtwo's attacks on the Fire Islands. He felt a hand on his shoulder, "Relax. They're safe. Trust me.", Garrett spoke. Marleon sighed, and the two of them continued on the way. As they walked, Garrett stopped briefly and motioned to another room, "You remember Gallant, right?", he asked. Marleon nodded a little, "I think you mentioned him before, he was a Squirtle, right?" Garrett smiled, "Mhmm, well, he's become one of my best and brightest. And he's a Blastoise now." Marleon looked in and saw a Blastoise with several cords and monitors attached to him. "He's meditating, but in a few, he'll be in one of the test chambers blasting targets with his hydro cannon. Some think that Pokemon couldn't possibly be smart, well..Gallant has completely proven them wrong. He's exceptional with intuition and extraordinary with his strategy in battle." They carried on, and soon he was led to a hallway with a large window. "Take a look.", Garrett spoke. Marleon didn't realize right away, but the room on the other side of the window pane was submerged in water. He looked into the darkness, and gasped in surprise as he saw the silhouette of Lapras swimming about.

The chamber was dimly lit, and Marleon could see Lapras gracefully maneuvering through the water. There were rings that would illuminate, creating a pathway for the Lapras to follow, and he was proving the rumors of Rain Dance Lapras' agility were true. Marleon felt his eyes tear at the sight. Soon a bright "GOAL" lit up, and Lapras spun into it before slowing to a halt. "Time...48.2 seconds. Record broken.", a robotic voice spoke. Garrett grinned, "He's unbelievable, even for his size, he shouldn't be that fast. We can learn a lot about him...", he began, "But I understand that a bond like yours shouldn't be broken.", he then spoke through a microphone, "Bring Lapras to the surface. He has a visitor." Lapras even heard this, and looked to the window. He couldn't make out who it was from the silhouette, but he eagerly ascended up to the surface of the tank. Garrett pointed to a door nearby, "The stairs are there.", and without warning, Marleon ran to them, bursting the door open and running up the stairs. A few flights up, he opened the door that read "Warning – Water Chamber – Enter at your own risk"...and there was Lapras, floating at the surface. Some platforms were extended for him to meet in the center, and the moment he met eyes with Lapras, Marleon cried, "Lapras!"

The Pokemon recognized him at once, and cried back, "Gyao!", as his trainer ran forward and dived into the tank. Lapras swam up and wrapped him up in a hug between his flipper and chest. Marleon wrapped his arms around the Pokemon's neck, "I'm so happy to see you again!" Garrett had made it up the stairs and crossed his arms, snickering. "Well, what a sight.", he said to himself. Lapras let go and swooped under Marleon, where he would come to a rest on the Pokemon's shell. Once Marleon could stand again, the Lapras turned his head and exhaled happily. "Careful now, Marleon...this tank goes down about 70 feet. There's nothing down there to keep you from submerging.", Garrett said to him. The former Gym Leader gave a smile, "There's no way Lapras would let me drown, not in here. Besides...he's always been the best at rescues." Garrett chuckled, "Funny...I feel like I've heard that before..."

"Okay. Bring up the file for subject #316-131.", Garrett said. Marleon now stood in a room with him with several Team Mystic trainers working on reports, each at a desk with a laptop. There were quite a few Furret scurrying around, collecting papers, moving things around, doing other random tasks for the place. One of the trainers typed, and after a few clicks, a diagram of Marleon's Lapras came on a large monitor. Specs and stats were displayed next to the diagram. Garrett sighed, "Well, this'll be the hurdle we'll have to get through before I can release Lapras to you. Let me do the talking.", he said to Marleon, then he leaned down and pressed a button. A separate panel popped up on the screen, with a Team Mystic logo, and the words "Dialing..." in red. It rang a few times before a secretary answered, "Good afternoon, Team Mystic Main Office. How may I direct your call?", she spoke. Garrett answered, "Hey there. It's Garrett Heron of field office RDI-162. I have a question for Miss Blanche." The secretary nodded, "One moment please...", and the screen went back to the Team Mystic logo. A few moments later, the screen went to a visual of a chair. Garrett leaned over to Marleon, "It usually takes her a minute to...ah there she is.", he whispered. A woman came into the picture and sat, a cold look in her eyes, white hair and blue clothes. She began, "This is Blanche. You had a question for me, Mr. Heron?" "Hey Blanche. Yeah, I won't take up too much of your time. Hope things have been well there and-", he began to say, but Blanche cleared her throat, "What's the question?"

Garrett hesitated, "Oh, right, well...we'd like to release subect #316-131 so that he can be returned to his proper owner.", he explained. Blanche leaned in and studied the diagram, "Mhmm...Lapras with fastest documented speed and agility. And who would it be going to?", she asked. "That would be me.", Marleon stepped into the frame, "Marleon Takenawa, former Rain Dance Gym Leader." Blanche blinked a few times. "Mr. Heron, I suppose you'll have a good explanation as to why there is a member of Team Instinct in your lab.", she asked. Garrett grimaced. The hat! He turned to look at Marleon, but to his surprise, Marleon had taken off the Team Instinct cap that he had been wearing. "Wait, how did you know-?", Garrett began to ask, but then he saw that Blanche had brought up Marleon's file. It was right there on the screen – his gym stats, his gym team, and of course...the Team Instinct logo next to his photo. "Heron, you know we don't associate with the Instincts. I'll let it slide this time, but your request is denied.", Blanche spoke bluntly. "Miss Blanche, please! This Lapras belongs to him! They should be reunited!", Garrett pleaded his case. Blanche interlocked her fingers and sighed. Then looked to Marleon. "Tell me, Mr. Takenawa. Your gym was based around water, ice, and dragon-type Pokemon, correct?", she asked. Marleon nodded, "Yes, that's right." "I see. So please explain why you would have an Ampharos as a part of your team.", Blanche spoke. Marleon blinked. "Why does it matter? Ampharos was-", but Blanche interrupted, "And tell me, why did you only have a single Dragon-Type on your team? And a single Ice-Type for that matter too. In fact, your ratio primarily focused on Water-Types.", she inspected the team list, "With a hodgepodge of electric, ground, and flying thrown in. Care to explain that?", she asked. "They were my team for years! Why does it matter?", Marleon questioned her. Blanche's expression changed just slightly. "Well then. That explains your win rate. Last recorded at 32%.", she spoke.

The room fell silent for a few moments. Marleon sighed. "I don't know. I just picked the ones that I liked. I didn't care about what was considered to be the most effective choice. I picked the Pokemon that cared about me, and I cared about them." Blanche unfolded her hands. "That's all I needed to know. Mr. Heron?", she turned to Garrett, "The request has been denied. And as an addendum, your office will be restricted to Team Mystic members only. That is all.", and in an instant, Blanche disconnected. Garrett exhaled. Marleon sighed. "Marleon, I'm sorry.", Garrett spoke to him, but Marleon turned and headed out the door. "Sir! Let me show you the way to the lobby.", one of the Mystics spoke. And Marleon was escorted back to the front of the building, walking out without a word to anyone else.

Marleon found one of the parks and sat. He leaned back, exhaling, closing his eyes. There was a brown haired Team Mystic trainer letting her Vaporeon play in the fountain. The Vaporeon was splashing and enjoying itself while the trainer sipped on lemonade. Marleon wasn't paying attention to her, he just wanted to clear his head. First Drago, then Dragonite, now Lapras...at this point, he wasn't sure if he'd even be able to get the last three back. "Gyarados! There you are!", someone called. Marleon opened one eye, and looked over to see Garrett running to him. He sat up and rubbed his head, "Look, I don't want to talk to anyone right now.", Marleon said. Garrett huffed and had to lean on the bench. "Give me a second...phew...someone said they saw you here, so I just ran all the way here.", Garrett leaned up and popped his back, "Oof...", he exhaled. Marleon blinked, "What were you looking for me for?", he asked. Garrett smiled, "I couldn't promise you Lapras, but...I still wanted to thank you for saving my life. So here.", he held out a Great Ball, with a Team Mystic logo etched in the top. "What's this?", Marleon asked. "Just open it. I think you'll like her...", Garrett grinned.

Marleon opened the ball, and out came a Swablu. The bird yawned and looked around. Marleon blinked a few times, leaning over, "Swablu...I've always wanted one.", he reached a hand down to the bird, who hopped back and looked up at him, a little startled. "Don't be afraid.", he spoke to Swablu. The bird looked to Garrett, who put a hand on Marleon's shoulder. "Today's a big day for you, my friend. This is your new trainer, and he's going to help you fulfill your dream of becoming an Altaria!", Garrett spoke. The Swablu's eyes widened, and fluttered right up Marleon's arm and began to nuzzle into his neck, "Hey hey!", the Gym Leader jumped at the sudden movements. Garrett laughed, "That got her attention! I think the two of you will be perfect together. Train her well, and she'll be a fantastic Dragon-Type for your team." Marleon reached up and cupped Swablu in his hands, "Okay okay, calm down.", he smiled, "So, you'd like to be an Altaria, huh? Well that sounds just fine to me. Welcome to the team, Swablu!" "And listen...I'll talk with Blanche again. We're close to finishing our tests on Lapras anyway, so I doubt she'll have us keep him forever.", Garrett spoke. Marleon nodded, "Well, I guess that's better than nothing. I wanted to ask you something though.", he replied, "Why are you being this nice to me, especially since we're not on the same team?" Garrett grinned, "Look around you, Marleon. Team Instinct is much more allied with Team Mystic than you'd think. That's why both of us are on this side of the island. We may have our disagreements, but we have a common enemy in Team Valor. Sure, I was a little surprised that you didn't join my team since you like ice-type Pokemon, but I think Team Instinct is a good fit for you. V is a good leader, and you'll fit in just fine with them." "V? I haven't actually met him.", Marleon said, but Garrett shook his head, "'Her', I never found out why she calls herself that, but who knows. Anyway, I've gotta get back to work. We'll meet up again sometime.", Garrett gave a thumbs up and went back in the direction of the Team Mystic headquarters. Marleon looked down at Swablu once more, who had nestled herself in his palms and fallen asleep. He sighed, not wanting to move now as not to wake her up, but he had things to do. He carefully took the Great Ball and returned the bird, clipping her on his belt next to the ball containing Drago.

He started toward Lapras Lagoon, where Team Instinct's building should be located. It was already starting to get late in the afternoon, so he hurriedly walked. And then he heard a cracking noise. Marleon stopped, looking around. "Huh?", he thought he heard something, and he took another few steps when he heard the cracking again. He realized it was the egg in his incubator, "Oh?", he took it off and set it on the ground. He popped the lid open, a puff of air escaped from the incubator and he took the egg out. "Oh hey, his egg is hatching!", someone nearby said. A small crowd began to gather around Marleon. He didn't realize there were so many around, it looked like a uniform selection from the different teams. "Any idea what it is?", a Team Valor trainer wearing aviator goggles asked. Her Gengar watched eagerly, snickering to himself. Romina smiled, "Gengar, what do you think it is?", and the Gengar looked to her and spoke, "Gengar! Gengar!" The other trainers began to make bets as to what would hatch. Some thought it'd be one of the starter Pokemon, others expected something like a Ponyta or a Cubone. Marleon was pretty sure what to expect, as the egg finally hatched. A light emitted from the egg, and once it subsided, Marleon's eyes widened.

Magikarp! But not just any Magikarp! It was a shiny, golden one! "Karp! Karp karp karp karp...", the Magikarp flailed on the ground, panicking. "Hey, hey! Relax...", Marleon scooped the fish up and pressed it to his chest. He had a keen eye for telling the genders of water-types. This one was a male. He began to smile, now realizing that a lifelong dream of his had just happened, when he was least expecting it. "Hmph...well that was anticlimactic.", someone spoke nearby, "Worthless Pokemon there, you might as well transfer it to the Professor." Marleon sat up, "Who said that?", he asked. He looked around the crowd. The Valor trainer with the Gengar had moved on, as a few of the trainers had as well. A man wearing an "Instinct Lv 40" jacket approached. "Yeah, you've got a worthless Pokemon there. The intrinsic value stats are terrible. There's no point in even trying to raise it." Marleon glared at the man, "I've waited a long time...years...for this day to happen. And you just had to ruin it.", he stood and approached the Instinct. The man shrugged, "Well, I'm just stating the obvious. Might as well-", but as he began to repeat himself, Marleon grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him forward. "Hey!", the man shouted. Marleon stared him eye to eye, then said, "Never underestimate a Pokemon, especially not a Magikarp. I taught that lesson for a long time here on Rain Dance Island, the value of respect...looks like it's been lost already." He let go, and the Instinct stumbled back. He huffed, "You're lucky that you're on my team, or I'd demolish you in a Pokemon battle right now! Damn. If it weren't for the rules that we can't fight our teammates. You don't deserve to be an Instinct!"

The crowd dispersed, and Marleon picked Magikarp up and held him again. The fish was calmer now. There was a Team Mystic trainer wearing a Magikarp shirt, who had a Zubat flying around her. Jensen approached, "That's fantastic, I love Magikarp! And you got a shiny!", she smiled. "It's a shame about some of the trainers here, though. There are those who don't understand the value of friendship with our Pokemon. Some who only see them as percentages of stats.", she spoke. Marleon nodded, "I heard the same sort of thing earlier. But as I said before, none of that really mattered to me. My Pokemon chose me, and I stick by them, even if they're not as strong as others of their kind.", he said. Jensen chuckled, "All the teams love their Pokemon, I don't think there's a right or wrong choice. Sure, there might be a little bit of difference in personalities. I'd have expected that man's attitude as more of a Valor, but he clearly chose Instinct." Marleon smiled, "Well thanks, that does make me feel better about all of this." Jensen nodded, "Good luck! Take care!", and she departed.