When we last left off, Evelyn, Alphonse, Cenric, and Terra had left the ruins of Diamond Island to crumble into the sea, and were heading for the Elemental Islets. But will they get there safely?

Read on and find out!

-.-.-.-.-.

The Town of Peace was in a complete ruin. Houses had collapsed on top of each other and themselves, forming haphazard piles of wood and rubble. The debris was slowly being carried out to sea by the combined efforts of gravity and a slow, rising current, one piece at a time. But in one of these piles, there was the sudden creaking of timber as something from within fought to escape its prison.

Cobalt the Riolu suddenly crawled from the wreckage, all dusty and battered. He coughed a couple of times before hitting the ground with a splash. Cobalt weakly got to his feet and adjusted his scarf.

"Hello?" he called cautiously. No one answered.

"I'm alone here," he said to himself. It always calmed him when he talked out loud. "Now I have to find a way to get off the island."

Cobalt thought for a little bit, wondering how to escape without a Water or Flying Pokemon to help him. Finally, the Riolu decided to build a raft using the pieces of wood lying about. "At least there's a lot of that," he said. "And I'm sure I can find some rope lying around too."

In the end, Cobalt found a lot of wood and rope, as well as a treasure bag and a surprising amount of (intact) supplies. He was well prepared now for a journey at sea. Cobalt was feeling pretty good about himself as he hauled his raft out toward the coast, when suddenly a realization popped into his head. And it wasn't a very good one.

"Terra…" he whispered the name. "If I'm alone on Diamond Island, then she must be dead." The Riolu dropped his raft and sank to his knees. He had always loved the Charmander, right from the start. But now, it seemed as if he would never see her again.

Just then, he felt a dim pulse deep within him. Although he had no way of knowing it, it was the Aura inside of him, guiding him and telling him where to go next. All he knew was that the dim pulse was coming from the direction of the Elemental Islets. Cobalt also knew to trust the pulse, as he had felt it before.

"OK then," he said in as strong a voice as he could manage. "I'm going to the Elemental Islets. Any objections?" Cobalt raised his head to the sky, as if addressing Arceus himself. But there was absolutely no reply other than the low whistle of the wind.

"Alright, that settles that," he said with satisfaction, then picked up his raft and walked down to the coast. With his supplies, his courage, and his life most importantly, Cobalt the Riolu started on his journey, not knowing that his destiny was intertwined with those of others…

-.-.-.-.-.

"Are we there yet?" Cenric asked, lazily trailing his hand in the water. Alphonse replied with a snappish, "If you're bored, you can occupy your time by pulling your own dead weight. The Elemental Islets are still at least two miles away, so we've got a few more hours to go."

The Buizel was about to reply angrily, when Evelyn swooped down and began to fly beside them, skimming the water. "Stop fighting!" Terra exclaimed. "It's bad enough we're homeless, can we at least be homeless while still being friends?"

Alphonse growled but said nothing. That oaf is NOT my friend, he thought stubbornly. I already have Terra and Evelyn. I don't want any more. As you can see, Alphonse was a little on the clingy side.

Terra patted Evelyn's neck. "Miss Evelyn, what will we do once we get to the Elemental Islets?" The Dragonair shook her head uncertainly. "I'm not sure. We're going to rest and eat first – I know there's a small village on each island, and we'll be welcomed for certain. Then, I think SeasideVillage would be a good stop. From there, we can go to VulcanaCity."

The Charmander was confused. "Why do we want to go to the city?" she asked. Evelyn replied, "Because that's the best place to go in order to get information. And we'll be able to find the Guardians there, and tell them about Diamond Island's destruction."

Cenric piped up, now lying on his back. "What's so great about the Guardians anyway? I've never heard of them, so how great can they be?"

The Tentacruel on which he rode rolled his eyes up to stare at Cenric. "Are you serious?" he asked. "The Guardians keep the peace. They know everything that happens on the continent and surrounding islands. When trouble happens, they do their best to help out by sending rescue teams. I've heard that the Darkfeather gang is pretty nasty, and a lot of their members are wanted by the Guardians. Anyway, the Guardians have a secret island in the middle of nowhere, and they say only the kings and queens of the Kingdoms know where it is. That's part of the reason they're so effective at what they do – they can do it all from the safety of their hidden base."

Silent now, the Buizel just looked down at Alphonse, awed at the notion of such a society. But Terra was thinking long and hard about these Guardians. She and her friend Cobalt had heard stories about them, but had never thought that they were real.

Cobalt! Where was he now? If he was on Diamond Island when that earthquake had hit, then he was probably dead right now. Maybe he was watching over them from Arceus' domain even now, and Terra looked up at the cloudy sky, hoping to catch a glimpse.

Then other thoughts began to pervade her mind. Why had Diamond Island been destroyed? What had caused that earthquake? Why wasn't the Diamond Faction's chosen Legendary, Dialga, there to help? Why hadn't the almighty Temporal Pokemon moved the island forward in time to escape the earthquake, or imprisoned them in limbo to wait it out? Terra's mind was full of these kinds of questions, and they were all to big and mysterious for her to answer. But so help me, I want to find out the answers for myself.

She spoke up now. "I think… I think we should find the Guardians."

Alphonse, Cenric, and Evelyn all looked at her. Nervous now, Terra continued, "We should form a rescue team. You know, to help other Pokemon and maybe stop these disasters."

There was still no reply other from their stares. "It's a bad idea, isn't it?" murmured the Charmander, blushing. Evelyn spoke up indignantly, "Actually, it's a pretty good one! Why didn't I think of that?"

Terra smiled from the Dragon-type's praise. "I'm in if you two are in," Alphonse said with unusual cheer. "Count me out," Cenric stated, crossing his arms. "I have things to do."

Alphonse was back to his old cranky self in a heartbeat. "Good riddance. No one asked you to join anyway," he snapped, and Evelyn gave him a warning glare.

When he quieted, she said thoughtfully, "I think I have a name for our rescue team – until we get to the Guardians and they give us one, of course." Her friends nodded for her to go on.

"We can be Team Biosphere."

After a moment of confused silence, Evelyn explained. "Think about it. We have three members – me, Alphonse, and Terra. I represent the sky, Alphonse represents the sea, and Terra represents the land."

The Charmander's eyes brightened. "I like it!" she exclaimed, hugging Evelyn around the neck. "I don't have any objections," Alphonse put in. "Team Biosphere it is."

Cenric said nothing. As soon as I find my friend, he thought determinedly, I'm joining my parents' rescue team. Cenric of Team Searchers. That'll be me, no doubt about it.

But the others were unaware of his thoughts, so he made sure not to say any of this aloud. Instead, he complained, "Are we there yet?" again.

Alphonse's response was to dunk himself fully under the dark water, forcing Cenric to sink or swim.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Can't the two of 'em shut up?" Rudy muttered to himself as Sylvester chatted alongside his little sister beside him. The little Purrloin, Shadepelt, had joined them on the path to the Dunedust Desert, and more importantly, back to the Life Stealers. The gang of thieves was also looking for a Shard, thus rendering them and the Darkfeather gang allies. When they had heard Clawface was searching for a Shard near Seaside Village, Rudy had been volunteered (key words – had been) to help him obtain it.

But what he hadn't counted on was being fired and then forced to trudge back home with two talkative felines in tow.

"What's the matter, Rudy?" the Purrloin asked snidely. "Thinking about a change of ways to make your life a little more successful?" Rudy growled – even Sylvester's little sister was bugging him to change his bullying ways and become a con artist.

Yeah, that's going to happen.

"Shut it!" Rudy warned. "I'd be worryin' about yer own life, if I was you. And if ya say somethin' else about me, you will be worryin' about yer life!"

Sylvester jumped in to prevent a full-blown fight, which Rudy would almost definitely win. Shadepelt may have been sly, but she was useless in a one-on-one battle. "Gully, hush please. It isn't worth provoking him, not when his temper is so short even on a good day." He cast a smirk over his shoulder at Rudy.

The Krokorok was about ready to explode. Stuck with two arrogant cat Pokemon with an insulting lack of brutality and a cowardly profession… it was insulting, and enough to drive him mad.

But right then, there was the sound of beating wings, and a familiar figure landed in front of them, stopping them all in their tracks.

Rudy's snarl deepened at the sight of Clawface's smug smile. "What do ya want now, Scarface?" he said rudely. "Come to hire-then-fire me again? I've wizened up. I don't take offers from ya any more."

The Fearow darkened at the "Scarface" remark, but composed himself with effort. "I don't like what I'm about to say any more than you will," he said carefully, picking his words. "But I'd like to re-hire you in a second attempt to get the Shard from that Kirlia."

Sylvester and Shadepelt looked on with interest. Rudy eyed them with caution, then snapped back at the Fearow. "Oh, so yer just gonna forgive and forget, huh? No hard feelings for last time, just get the Shard and go?"

Clawface smirked. "Yep," he said. "Got a problem with that?" With a laugh, Rudy replied, "Too many, Beaky. If you don't recall, we got our tails kicked by that rescue team, remember? What happens if they show up again?"

His smirk only growing wider, Clawface pointed with his talon at Sylvester and Shadepelt. "They won't stand a chance, because these two will be helping us get the Shard."

The Liepard laughed sarcastically. "Says who, Scarface?" he drawled, and the big bird reacted instantly, grabbing Shadepelt in his talons and squeezing her neck.

"Either you help, or this little one gets it," Clawface said darkly, tightening his grip. Shadepelt swallowed thickly and shot her brother a fearful glance. Sylvester's face was simultaneously appalled and completely shocked that the bird would do such a thing.

After a moment, he composed himself and unsheathed his claws angrily. "Fine. Give her back."

Clawface put the Purrloin down and gave her head a friendly little pat, as if he had never threatened to strangle her. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked innocently. "Now let's go, Life Stealers. Let's get that Shard, and then you can finally go home."

-.-.-.-.-.

Seaside Village had finally gotten back to normal after the incident that had recently conspired. The Gardevoir, Adrianna, had been thrilled and relieved that her daughter Gaby had been strong enough to live through it. Although she knew Gaby was strong, Adrianna still worried about her. That was a mother's job, after all.

Her littlest one, a Ralts not even two months old, was in her arms. Topaz was sleeping, tiny chest rising and falling as he lay there, sucking on his pacifier contentedly. He was wrapped in a blanket that used to belong to Gaby. The sight of him always made Adrianna smile.

The duo, the mother and her baby son, were on their way to their home after a walk through town. Their home was located on the far side of Seaside Village, near the mountains. It was a pleasant, peaceful walk from the bustling town and up the rolling, grassy slopes to the foot of the mountains, where most of the houses were located.

Adrianna's thoughts wandered, once again, to Gaby and her new friends. She made a mental note to thank the fossil Pokemon and their Victini friend for saving her daughter from those ferocious Pokemon. Where are they now? Adrianna wondered. Diamond Island is a ways away, so it might take a day or so to get there at best. But I think there's a storm blowing in – what if they're blown off course?

The Gardevoir sighed and tried to relax. It never paid to worry – she had to trust that Gaby knew what she was doing. Besides, she had those strong Pokemon with her, so she'd be safe.

Adrianna and Topaz were almost home when they suddenly found something that they should definitely be worrying about. She found her and her child surrounded by four malicious-looking Pokemon – two of which she recognized.

"Hello there," Clawface sneered, stepping forward. "Might we talk?"

-.-.-.-.-.

Gotta love them cliffies. XD

Cobalt belongs to TriMaplenut. Shadepelt belongs to Megadracosaurus. Adrianna and Topaz belong to me.

I've been getting many character requests, which is good, so I'm busying myself with putting them into separate Factions and trying to figure out which ones will meet up with whom. It's kind of fun, actually, but I predict that this fanfic will be a pretty long one.

But that isn't a bad thing. So… character requests are as welcome as ever! See you all soon!

P.S. Try to imagine that image – a Gardevoir with a baby Ralts sucking on a pacifier in her arms. So cute!