Okay, folks, I got good news! I am NO LONGER evil! Seeing as how being evil didn't help me at all with my writing, I've turned back to the good side. Besides, while the dark side DID have cookies, I discovered that they were... ugh... oatmeal raisin ;d So, now I'm a good guy. An equally lazy and slow good guy, but a good guy non the less.

And today's special thanks goes to Bloodwolf432! Thanks for the OC!

To all those with OCs who haven't appeared yet, please be patient! They'll be in this story!

Bessie glared at the grinning Sneasel, whilst leaping to her feet. "Sydney!" she snarled, angrily. "What're you doing here?"

"The better question is, princess," Sydney the Sneasel sneered, "what're you doin' here? Last time I recalled, your Ma didn't let you 'round these parts! Have you come to grace us with your holy presence?" She gave a mock bow.

Bessie growled. "Shut up!" she ordered. "I don't need your- or anyone's- permission to go anywhere!"

"But what about your Mom?" Bonehead whispered.

Sydney burst out laughing. "Who's this little runt? She's shrimpier than you, princess!"

"Shut up!" Bessie yelled again. "Ugh. Bonehead, this... moron is Sydney. She's the local idiot."

Sydney frowned. "You'd know about bein' an idiot, wouldn't ya!" she retorted. "But you didn't answer my question. Why are you here? Your Ma must be worried." She grinned cruelly. "Maybe I should go an tell her where you're at..." she said, her voice trailing off threateningly.

"What? No!" Bessie said. "You can't do that!"

Sydney raised her claws. "Oh, can't I?" she teased. "It'd be easy. Of course, I could be persuaded to let ya off the hook... For a small, miniscule fee..."

Bessie rolled her eyes. "If I told you once, I told you a million times!" she seethed. "YOU. CANNOT. HAVE. MY. DIAMOND!"

Almost everyone in the bar was now staring at the fuming Buneary.

"Hey!" Bonehead said, pulling her femur out of her bag. "You can't have Bessie's diamond! It's special to her!"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Aren't you a little young for this, kiddo? How 'bout you go on outside and let the big people talk?"

Bonehead didn't move. She pointed her bone at the Sneasel. "If Bessie's here, than I'm here too! Now go away!"

Sydney backed off, raising her claws. "Oh, so scary!" she said, sarcastically. "The bunny and the baby are comin' for me! I'd better run away while I still can!" She smirked cruelly, cracking her knuckles. "NOT! Hey, Lola! Get over here!"

"Huh, what?" a voice called. "Oh, right! Coming!" A Flygon flitted over to Sydney. "Uh, what is it?"

"This is the little brat I was talkin' about the other day!" Sydney said, jabbing a claw at Bessie. "Little princess comes into here- to our place, by the way- and she still has the holier-than-thou attitude goin' on!" She turned to the Flygon. "So, I reckon that as concerned citizens, we oughta straighten her and her little friend out!"

Lola stared down at them. "Daww!" she cooed, picking up Bonehead. "Look at this one! She's so cute! I couldn't hurt her!"

"Wha-?" Sydney started.

"Oh, and the Buneary is adorable too!" Lola said.

"I am?" Bessie said, sweat dropping nervously.

"Oh, sorry!" the Flygon said. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Lola!"

"Yer ruinin' this for me, Lola," Sydney muttered, rubbing her eyes. "Ya really are."

"Oh, sorry!" Lola said. "Uh... What're we doing again?"

Sydney slapped herself. "We... are going... to kick... their butts... GOT IT?" she yelled in the Dragon Type's ear.

Lola frowned. "But, Sydney, they're just kids!"

"We are not!" Bessie said. "We could handle you two easily!"

Syndey laughed. "You? Beat me? Haha! You're more runty than a Magikarp!"

"Hey!" a voice shouted from the back of the room.

Sydney grinned sheepishly. "Uh, sorry, Bill! Didn't mean it like that! Honest! Uh, you're more runty than a... Sunkern! Yeah, a Sunkern!" She turned back to the crowd in the bar. "Anyone here a Sunkern? No? Good!"

Bessie growled. "Big talk for a such a big idiot!"

Sydney grabbed Bessie by the neck. "You looking to put your money where your mouth is?" she growled.

Bessie growled right back. "Bring it, ugly!"

"NO!"

The four girls whirled to see the sad eyed Nincada who was tending bar. "Can't you read?" he asked, pointing to a sign by the door that read: "No fighting, no kissing, and no claiming to be a human with amnesia." "No fighting in bar!" the Nincada ordered.

"Uh, right!" Bessie said. "Bring it, ugly... once we're outside."

The four girls walked outside before seperating and facing each other. Thakfully, the area around the bar was pretty uninhabited. No one was around, except a few bar-goers who had decided to go see the fight take place.

"Uh, do we really have to fight?" asked Bonehead and Lola in unison.

"YES!" Sydney and Bessie shouted, before Bessie shot foward, grabbing the brim of Syndey's hat. She pulled it down, blinding the surprised Sneasel before kicking her into the bar, knocking over a few waste barrels that were layed down outside. The onlookers gave a surprised gasp as Sydney angrily pulled herself up.

"Alright," she hissed, cracking her knuckles. "Ya asked for it! Slash!" She charged foward, her razor sharp claws narrowly missing Bessie. "Hold still, long ears!"

"Make me, you jerkface!" Bessie shouted, as she jumped up. "Take this! Hi Jump Kick!"

Sydney grit her teeth and leaped back, the attack missing her. Bessie hit the ground with a pained cry. "Now I've got ya, long ears!" hissed Sydney. "Get a load of this! Slash!" she screamed, charging at the Buneary.

"Bonemerang!"

A femur shot through the air and clonked Sydney on the head, knocking her hat off. She his the ground with a grunt.

Bonehead caught her femur as it sailed back to her. "Leave Bessie alone!" she growled.

"Hey!" Lola complained. "That wasn't very nice!"

"Well, neither is she!" Bonehead said, pointing to Sydney, who was currently putting Bessie into a headlock.

"Sydney may be... rough around the edges, but she's my best friend!" Lola said. "And no one hurts her! Dragon Breath!" The Flygon opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful burst of white hot flames.

Bonehead quickly leaped over the burst (burning her tail a bit) and charged head first at Lola. "Headbutt!" she shouted, smashing her head into the Flygon's stomach and knocking her over. Lola collided with Bessie, knocking her over.

"Oh, thanks, shrimp!" Sydney taunted as she charged at Bessie again.

Lola leaped up and charged at Bonehead. "Fly!" she shouted, leaping into the air, and circling Bonehead.

"You're not getting away!" Bonehead shouted. "Bonemerang!" she shouted, throwing her femur once more. Naturally the attack missed, and Lola shot down and kicked Bonehead in the face, knocking her over once more.

"Alright!" Lola shouted, her eyes flashing. "Dragon Claw!" she shouted, clawing at Bonehead with deadly accuracy.

Bonehead jumped aside as the attacks slashed through the dirt road, before charging at Lola with a another Bone Club attack.

Meanwhile, Sydney and Bessie were still duking it out, viciously trading attacks and blows. "Gettin' tired, princess?" sneered Sydney, as she slashed at her again.

Bessie growled, though she felt very tired. "Not a chance, moron!" she shouted.

Sydney smirked. "Okay then. Slash!" she screamed, charging foward again.

Bessie leaped into the air, dodging the attack. "Hyaaa!" she screamed as she kicked the Sneasel in the face with a powerful Hi Jump Kick.

Sydney hit the ground with a surprised shriek. "Oh!" she said, covering her face. "My... my... my eye! I can't see!" she sobbed. "Oh, I'm goin' blind!"

Lola immediently ran over to her friend. "Oh no!" she said, helping Syndey up. "Sydney? Are you okay?"

Sydney didn't answer. She was still crying.

Bessie moved foward an inch. "Moro... Er, Sydney?" she asked. "You okay...?"

Sydney stopped sobbing. "Gotcha!" she declared. "Ice Beam!"

A fridgid blast struck Bessie in the chest, knocking her over, and her bag from her hand. Sydney snatched the bag as it fell. "Yes!" she cackled. "Alright, Lola! Take us outta here! Fly!" she shouted, jumping on Lola's back.

Lola blinked. "You're okay?" she asked. "Oh thank goodness! I though you'd gone blind!"

Sydney rolled her eyes. "I was faking it, stupid!" she shouted. "Sheesh!"

"Sorry!" Lola said. "You're a good liar, that's all..."

"Just fly already!" shouted Sydney.

"Right! Uh, bye!" shouted Lola as she took to the skies, out of reach of both Bessie and Bonehead. They quickly flew off to the forests, Sydney cackling all the way.

"Hey!" shouted Bessie. "N-no! My diamond..."

Bonehead helped her friend up. "Oh, no..." she moaned.

"Dang it!" shouted Bessie, slamming her fist into the ground.

The crowd that had been watching had left, heading back into the bar. Bonehead and Bessie simply sat there, alone in the dirt.

Bessie's eyes opened. "No way."

Bonehead blinked. "What?"

"No way!" shouted Bessie. "We're going after them! Come on! No way that thief is getting away with this!"

Bonehead nodded, and the two followed in the direction of the two thieves.

"Wonderful," Breaker muttered, as he lifted a large barrel, filled with apples, in one arm. He dropped a few Poke in the hand of the deliverer, a Machamp. "This'll keep us fed for a bit yet," breaker said, as he waved the Fighting Type off.

Chris grunted as he lifted an equally huge barrel. "Right," he said.

"Come on, man," Breaker said, as he carried the barrel onto the ship. "No time to dawdle! And be careful when ya set that thing down. Iron's real paranoid when it comes to his baby, ya know?"

"His baby?" grunted Chris, being careful not to scratch the deck with the heavy barrel. "You mean the ship?"

"Yeah, the ship," said Breaker. "Iron worked for ten years to get this ship. He'll go the Distortion World and back if it meant keeping the Beserker in one piece. Heck, first time we met, he nearly pulled my head off, because I made him late for work! If he lost that job, he'd need to get another to get that ship!" The Tyranitar laughed. "Good memories. Blade was naive and hot-headed, Iron was a workaholic, and I was actually kinda runty! I'll tell ya all about sometime, man!"

Chris set the barrel down - gently - and turned to Breaker. "I'll be looking foward to it," he said.

Breaker nodded. "Betcha will." He looked up to the steering wheel, were Iron was standing, carefully polishing the wooden wheel. "How's it comin' along?" Breaker shouted.

"Good!" Iron said. "She's lookin' better than ever!"

"Glad to hear it!" Breaker shouted. "Any sign of Blade and the others from up there?"

"Nope!" Iron said, looking around. "Ah, they'll be fine. Blade knows when to be back."

Breaker nodded. "Yeah, you're right, man. Well, I'm headin' down below. I need a nap!" He turned to Chris. "How 'bout you, man?"

Chris shook his head. "Nah," he said. "I'm goin' on a walk. I'll be back before the sun sets," he ensured the Tyranitar.

Breaker shrugged as the Blastoise walked off. He yawned and headed below the deck, ready for a nap.

SLAM!

The door to the first class in suite slammed open, surprising Cotton, Venom, and Violet, who were currently stuffing themselves with their late breakfast.

"Guys!" Aero said, breathlessly. "We need to get out of here! Tsa'aal is in town!"

Violet coughed up some eggs. "Wha-?" she choked.

"H-h-he's here?" stammered Cotton.

"Wonderful," remarked Venom. "This guy can't take a hint."

"We need to get our of here!" Lily repeated. "If we don't, he'll find us! We barely held our own last time!"

Aero nodded. "Lily's right! I'll go check us out of the inn, and then we just go back into the wilderness to plan!" The Mawile turned around and headed downstairs.

Cotton shuddered at the thought of facing Tsa'aal again. "I never should've left my tree..." she muttered.

Venom sighed, equally distraught. "This is wonderful... All this pain... this struggle... All for what, some quick cash and a homicidal maniac trying to kill me!" He lowered his head. "Thanks a lot, Dad..." he muttered, quietly.

Violet blinked. Before she could ask, Aero burst into the room, her face covered in fear. "He's inside the inn!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down. It was all in vain; Cotton screamed the moment she heard the news.

"He's here?" Lily asked, worried more than ever.

"Yes, he is!" Aero repeated. "He's downstairs right now, asking the innkeeper if any of his 'old friends' were sleeping here! We need to get out!"

Violet jumped up, nodding. She ran over to the window and threw it open. "Alright!" she said. "We'll use the rooftops to make our escape!"

Venom blinked. "Not all of us are natural tree climbers." He briefly glanced at Aero. "Especially those who might be... slightly overweight..." he muttered, out of earshot. Call ME Gramps, will you!

"Well, it will have to do!" Lily said, thrilled at the chance to show off her acrobats, even if it was life or death. "Come on!" she shouted, leaping onto the roof outside. "Let's go!"

Venom groaned. Tsa'aal had thrashed him the other day. "Do I have a choice?" he muttered, slithering out to the roof.

Aero glanced at the huge bags of money that lay in the room. All of their loot... "What about the money?" she asked.

"Life before money!" shouted Cotton, as she gently scampered onto the roof outside. "Oh... I'm afraid of heights..."

"Is there ANYTHING you aren't afraid of?" Venom snapped.

"Well, I'm not afraid of grass..." Cotton muttered.

Aero sighed as she and Violet leaped outside, onto the roof. She could see why Cotton was so scared; the roof was pretty high up. But, when there's a will (or a blade wielding psycho) there's a way. The group slowly moved across the roof, being careful not to fall. When another roof came into sight, they knew they had to jump.

Lily made it across easily, being a Pachirisu. Violet made it across okay, and Aero did as well. Venom had to get a slithering start, and even then he barely made it. Cotton was last, and, as per usual, she was paralyzed in fear.

"Come on!" shouted Aero. "You can do it, Cotton!"

"We'll catch you!" Lily added.

"Jump so we can get the heck out of here!" shouted Venom.

Cotton swallowed. She walked back, and then ran foward, jumping for the other roof. She barely made it, grabbing onto the edge and clinging to it like a frightened child. Lily and Violet pulled her up, and the group continued on, getting lower and lower, until they found a roof that was close enough to the ground for them to jump off.

"Okay," said Violet. "We need a plan. Let's split up, now! I'll go with Lily, and you three go together!"

"Wha-?" Venom growled. "You mean I have to travel with them again? No way! I'm leaving, now!" he announced, turning away and slithering off.

"Oh, good idea!" Aero said, sarcasm dripping off her tongue. "Go run off and let Tsa'aal come and getcha! Have fun dying!"

"In case you've forgotten, Tsa'aal wants that Life Fragment thing!" Venom shot back. "Violet has that thing! He'll be coming for her!"

Violet blinked. "Right!" she said, holding her bag with the Life Fragment in it. "That's why... Aero's taking it!" she said, tossing the bag to the Mawile.

"Wha-?" Aero stammered. "No way! Lily's taking it!" she said, shoving the bag into the Pachirisu's hands.

"No, Cotton's taking it!" Lily said, giving the bag to Cotton.

Cotton just tossed it at Venom, who growled. "Well, thanks a ton! Now Tsa'aal will be coming for me!"

"That's why we're splitting up!" groaned Violet. "Sheesh, do I have to spell everything out for you? Just keep your heads down! Look, Tsa'aal is looking for a Meowth, a Pachirisu, a Ratatta, an Arbok, and a Mawile all together. If we split up, we won't raise as much suspiscion! Besides, you're the strongest of us, remember? Try to speak with a funny accent if he finds you and tries to talk! Make up a language if you have to!" She whirled around, peered around the corner, and then took off, keeping her head low. Lily quickly followed after her.

"Right," Aero said. "Come on, Cotton!" she whispered to the Ratatta. "We need to find a place to hide out!"

Cotton nodded. "Right!" she squealed, running off.

Venom rolled his eyes. He was FINALLY rid of them. Now he could just go home, and forget this ever happened.

He turned around to walk off, but found himself face to face with Tsa'aal, who was glaring at him angrily. "Hello," the Kabutops snarled.

Venom coughed, nervously. "Uh... You lookin' for someone, ya?" he said, making up an accent.

Tsa'aal cracked a grin and attacked.

Chris hummed to himself as he walked down the road. It was late afternoon, and he had had a pleasent walk. He looked around the trading post a bit, stopped for a bite of salad with tomatoes for lunch, and sat by a nice fountain for a few hours. Nice place to rest. The place reminded him of Jade Island.

Chris frowned. Jade Island. That was the reason he was here. He needed to reach the mainland and tell everyone what had happened to Jade Island. He had heard that natural disasters had been becoming more and more common nowadays. If Islands were being destroyed, then someone needed to go and evacuate the islands, before more people... died.

"Mr. Chris!"

Faye and Ghost's voices cut off Chris' brooding. Faye, Ghost, Shadow, Nicholas and Blade were all walking towards him. Faye and Ghost's faces were covered in sauce, signalling that they had just eaten lunch.

"Hiya!" shouted Ghost. "How're you?"

"Fine, thanks," Chris said, grinning. "How's the market place?"

"Very nice," Blade said. "We had a little trouble with Shadow, but it's been handled."

"Good to hear," Chris said. "What kinda trouble you get into, Shadow?"

"None of your business," Shadow replied.

Blade rolled his eyes. "Some Espeons mistook him for an Umbreon Clan spy."

Chris nodded. "Oh, yeah, I heard about that. There's a clan war going on back on the mainland, right?"

Blade nodded. "That would be correct."

Chris sighed. "Well, glad to see you're not hurt. Other than that, how was your day?"

"Mr. Blade bought us lunch!" Faye said, happily.

"Which is still all over your face," Nicholas said, pulling off his bandana and wiping the girl's face with. "Hold still..." Faye pouted as Nicholas wiped her face clean.

"So, you wanna head back to the ship?" asked Chris. "I'm sure Breaker's eager to leave."

Blade shrugged. "Possibly," he said. "There isn't much left to do here."

CRUNCH!

The sound of wooden crates getting smashed caught our heroes' attentions. They turned to see an Arbok trying to climb out of a pile of splintered wood. Before he could get away, a cloaked figure leaped out and grabbed him, pulling him back into the alley way.

"Stay here," ordered Blade, as he went over to investigate. He slid against the wall and peered into the alley-way.

The cloaked figure was holding the Arbok against the wall. "Are you going to hand it over, or do I have to gut you like a fish?" he hissed.

The Arbok growled, blood leaking from his mouth. "No... hands... dipstick..."

"Suit yourself!" the figure said, raising a bladed forearm.

SHINK.

Before the blade could cleave the Arbok's head off, a green blade had blocked it. The cloaked figure gasped in surprise as the green blade pushed him aside.

Blade growled, raising his blades and standing between himself and the wounded Snake Pokemon. "Tsa'aal," he snarled.

Tsa'aal growled. "Blade! You're here?"

Blade nodded. "The warden of Flame Peak Prison has missed you, Tsa'aal. He has a hole in his life that needs a monster like you to fill."

Tsa'aal grinned. "Well, it's his own fault for making his prison so easy to escape!"

"You're under arrest, Tsa'aal," Blade said, calmly.

"Like you could take me in alone, Blade," Tsa'aal growled. "You needed your two idiot friends to handle me last time! What makes you think you can handle me alone?"

Blade raised his swords. "I'm not as reckless as last time, Tsa'aal. You, on the other hand, haven't changed at all."

"Thanks," Tsa'aal said. "Now stand aside! I have business with that fool."

Blade held his ground and raised his blade. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I will not stand back and let a Pokemon lose his life. You will have to come through me."

Tsa'aal growled. "Heroic to the point, as always, Lord Samurai," he sneered, the royal title dripping off of his tongue. He raised his own blades. "I could always use another mark on my kill count!"

Blade's eyes were cold as ice. "Agility," he whispered, leaping quickly towards Tsa'aal.

Tsa'aal pulled out a small seed. "Not fast enough!" he shouted, throwing the seed to the ground. It exploded, releasing toxic gas. Blade coughed, his eyes getting teary. He felt Tsa'aal shove him aside and knock him to the ground. He heard the Arbok cry out in pain and hit the ground. With a laugh, Tsa'aal ran off.

When the smoke cleared, Blade growled. "Gone," he hissed. Tsa'aal had fled, leaving him and the wounded Arbok, alone in the alley. He sighed in frustration. That coward...!

Chris ran into the alley, followed by Nicholas, Shadow, and the kids. "Blade!" Chris shouted. "You alright?"

"I'm fine..." Blade said. "He's not," he added, gesturing to the fallen Arbok.

Nicholas helped the Arbok off the ground. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"My bag..." the Arbok gasped. "Augh... I lost it..."

"Forget about the bag," Blade said. "We need to get you to a Doctor. Do you know where the closest one is?"

"No..." the Arbok said, wincing. "I'm a wild Pokemon. First time at the post... Augh, the others are going to have a fit."

Nicholas helped the Arbok. "Come on," he said. "We'll get you to the Doctor. Come on!"

Tsa'aal grinned as he peered inside the bag. Sure enough, the Life Fragment was inside. Finally. Months of searching and searching had finally paid off. At long last he had something to show for his work. However, something remained to be done. His Master would be here, tonight, so check on his progress and give his new orders. She would be delighted to finally have a piece of what she desired in her hands.

"INCOMING!"

Before Tsa'aal could react, two forms struck him, knccking hom over, and the bag out of his hand.

Tsa'aal stood and glared at a duo of dizzy looking Pokemon, a Sneasel and a Flygon. "You little cretins!" he snarled. "Watch where you're going!"

The Sneasel glared, but then shrunk back when he saw just how huge Tsa'aal was. "Uh, sorry, sir!" she stammered, adjusting her very large hat. "Lola!" she ordered the Flygon. "Get the bag!"

"Right!" the Flygon said, grabbing a bag. The two quickly ran off again.

"Great going, stupid!" the Sneasel shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Lola said. "It's hard to carry two of us..."

Tsa'aal snorted. "Morons..." he muttered, picking up his bag and checking to see if the Life Fragment was damaged. It wasn't.

Because it wasn't there.

Tsa'aal blinked. He felt his arms tremble, and then his legs. He felt something building up in his throat. Finally, he let it out.

"AAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGH!"

Tsa'aal smashed his bladed arm into the ground whilst people stared at him awkwardly. I got it! I had it in my hands, and now I've lost it! Curse it all!

"Um, sir?"

Tsa'aal slowly turned and glowered down at a small Cubone and Buneary, who where staring at him. "WHAT."

"Have you see an ugly looking Sneasel with a big hat fly by on a Flygon?" asked the Buneary. "She stole something from me! My diamond!"

Tsa'aal blinked. A plan formed in his mind. "Actually, I did," he said, as kindly as he could fake. "They were heading towards the gates of town, probably heading out to the wilderness."

The Buneary growled. "That Sydney!" she snarled. "She has a hideout in the Dusk Woods! I'll wager anything she's there! Come on, Bonehead!"

"Right!" the Cubone said, as the two ran off. "Thanks, Mister!"

Tsa'aal grinned evily. "Oh, no," he whispered. "Thank you."

"Come on, Bonehead, pick up the pace!" shouted Bessie, as the duo ran into the forest. "We need to catch Sydney!"

Bonehead gasped as they entered the murky Dusk Woods. "I'm trying..." she said, breathing heavily.

Bessie groaned impatiently. "Fine, we can take a break," she said, unhappily. "But we need to hurry! Sydney might bury my diamond somewhere, and then we'll never find it!"

Bonehead nodded. "Alright," she gasped. "Let's go."

"Right!" shouted Bessie. "Come on!" she cried, as she leaped over a bush. She was completely unaware that the bush was standing next to a deep ledge. With a yelp, the Buneary fell down, deeper into the dangerous woods.

"Bessie!" shouted Bonehead, jumping after her.

The two tumbled down the steep hill, hitting trees, bushes, rocks, and everything else that was in there way, before finally hitting the bottom of the slope with a THUD.

"Owowowowow!" shouted Bessie, struggling to her feet. "That hurt!"

Bonehead nodded. "Can we go home now?" she asked. "Your Mom must be worried..."

"I know!" Bessie shouted. "Look, we're gonna get my diamond back and then we'll head home, okay?"

Bonehead crossed her arms. "This stinks."

"It's not that bad!" Bessie shouted. "Stop whining!"

"No!" Bonehead said. "I mean, this REALLY stinks! What's that smell?"

Bessie sniffed the air, and then covered her nose. "Augh!" she moaned. "That smells awful! What is it?"

A wet tongue licking the back of Bessie's head answered her question. She turned to see a grinning Gastly glaring at her. She felt the air grow colder, and soon she and Bonehead were surrounded by grinning and cackling Gastly.

"Run now?" whimpered Bonehead.

Bessie nodded. "Run now!"

Dusk Woods were avoided by most sane Pokemon. The forest was dark, gloomy, and dangerous. Ghost Pokemon loved the shadowy forest to death (ahahaha) and often gathered there. Criminal Pokemon were also common-place. The forest was the perfect place to hide, with its dark and twisted trees frightening off most.

Still, there were those brave souls who went there. For some, it was on a dare. For others, they had a friend who was trapped (who had most likely been dared to go in) and for some others, it was because of a criminal they were chasing.

For Tyberius, it was because the forest was his favorite place to walk.

Tyberius was something of a legend. He was there, and then he wasn't. He was quiet, and patient, and peaceful, and yet when faced with a foe, he beat him down quickly and without mercy. When he had been asked about it, he had said that he hadn't enjoyed it. At all. He was a warrior in every sense of the word.

The Shiny Gallada slowly walked through the forest, a red scarf wrapped around his neck. His red eyes stared straight ahead, never looking back.

He barely noticed when a pair of two young Pokemon, a Cubone and a Buneary, collapsing on the forest floor and gasping for breath.

"Did we lose them...?" gasped the Buneary.

"I don't know..." the cubone muttered.

The Buneary pulled herself up. She turned and saw Tyberius, standing there. "Ahh!" she screamed. "Who're you? What do you want?"

"There they are!" a sinister voice sang.

A large cloud of Gastly were floating towards them, their tongues hanging out. "Let's get them!" one of them sang.

The Buneary leaped to her feet. "Stand back!" she ordered. "I'm... I'm warning you!"

The Cubone jumped up, too. "We can take you on anyday!" she shouted, though she was visibly frightened.

The Gastly laughed, unconvinced.

"Leave them alone."

The Gastly stared at the Shiny Gallade. "Huh? Who're you?" one asked.

Tyberius stepped foward. "I said, leave them alone."

The Gastly began to laugh. "No can do!" one said.

"They tresspassed in our territory!" another said.

"And that means we have to make them suffer!" another chimed.

Tyberius silently stepped in front of the two. He raised his arm blades, which extended with a SHINK.

One of the Gastly laughed. "Suit yourself, hero! Attack!"

The Gastly charged at the Psychic Type.

Tyberius didn't even blink.

"Psycho Cut," he said. His arm blades glowed with psychic energy. He waited for a Gastly to be in range, and when one was.

SWISH!

The attack cut through the Gas Pokemon like he was butter. The Pokemon gasped in surprise as he fainted, his form dissapearing.

Tyberius said nothing. He whirled about, his arm raised. Another Gastly had been sneaking up from behind.

SWISH!

Tyberius cut through the Ghost Pokemon.

"This isn't working!" a now frightened Gastly shouted. "Come on, guys! We'll paralyze him! Lick Attack!"

The Gastly shot foward, their long tongues dripping with poisonous saliva.

Tyberius cracked a small smile. "A challenge...?"

He grabbed two of the toungues, tying them together. The two Gastly who owned them collided with a POOF as their tongues snapped them into each other.

"Or a pathetic excuse for compitition!" Tyberius said, a grin forming on his lips. He grabbed more tongues, tying them together. The Gastly gaped in surprise as there tongues forced them to smack each other, knocking them out instantly. Before long, all that remained of the Gastly was their stench.

Tyberius collapsed, his eyes open wide and his mouth curved into a sinister grin. He was breathing heavily. And then, just like it came, it left, vanishing. His once calm demenour had returned. His eyes blinked. He gave a breath of relief as he stood up.

"Hey!"

The two girls from before ran up. "Thanks for the help!" the Cubone said. "You really saved us!"

Tyberius nodded. "You're welcome."

"My name's Bessie!" the Buneary said. "This is Bonehead!"

The Gallade blinked. "Isn't that an-?"

Bessie shrugged. "I dunno, she just came up with it, I guess."

Tyberius nodded. "Very well. My name is Tyberius. I'm a wanderer. You can call me Ty, if you wish."

"Hi Ty!" Bonehead said, happily. "Have you seen a Sneasel and a Flygon? They stole Bessie's special treasure!"

Tyberius shook his head.. "Well, perhaps that explains why you're in this forest. It isn't safe for such young children. You should go home."

"But we can't!" Bessie shouted. "We need to find my diamond! If we don't... I don't know what I'd do!"

"The diamond may be worth much, but it is not worth your life," Tyberius stated calmly. "I will search for your diamond, if you want it that badly."

Bessie shook her head fiercely. "No way!"she said. "I'm not going home until my diamond is back in my hands!"

"Me neither!" Bonehead shouted.

Tyberius sighed. "Very well. Come along." He began to walk off.

"Hey!" Bessie shouted. "Where are you going?"

"Off to find your diamond. You said you wanted to come, right?" Tyberius replied.

Bonehead nodded, following the Gallade. "Right! Come on, Bessie!"

Bessie nodded. "Alright!"

The trio walked into the murky forest, their search begining anew. None of them noticed Tsa'aal peering out from behind a tree, before he slowly began to follow them deeper into the forest.

Well, I got to use another OC! Tyberius is a bit of a badass, huh?

Till next time!