Indeed, there are all sorts of unpleasant surprises in store for this group of characters, as they are united with a certain desperate group of Bug-types…

… As well as someone they thought they'd never see again, someone they aren't exactly on the best terms with…

Smatt's flying off now for his mission with Rudy and Sylvester, but he's spared a little bit of time to answer this question:

From FinalPower:

"Dear Smatt,

Have you ever been scared of any of the clients you deliver letters too? And have you ever met any lovely bird Pokemon you wouldn't mind spending time with during said deliveries?"

Smatt: I run the Dunedust Desert's only post office, so I've met my fair share of tough characters. Niwri's not much compared to the folks I've seen! And I've got a wife and kids back home, it would be nice to see them again sometime…

Transmorphic Wyvern: Don't you mean "'icy' what you did there"? XD

-.-.-.-.-.

At one spot on the mainland, there was a narrow strip of ordinary grassland that separated the Bughaven Forest and the coastline. It was nothing too large – only about half a kilometer of nothing but grass in between a lush forest and the sea. But further ahead lay the Bughaven Kingdom's main trade route with Vulcana City, and that was exactly what a certain group of travelers were looking for.

Alphonse paused to wipe some sweat from his bell. This far from SeasideVillage and the storm that had hit it, the sky was clear and blue, save for the bright, bright sun that beat down relentlessly on him.

"Ugh, this heat is killing me!" he muttered bitterly. "It's too bright in this part of the world. What I wouldn't give to be back on Diamond Island right now, running my little shop…" He would have gone on if it weren't for Evelyn, who swatted him lightly with her tail.

"I know," she replied impatiently. "But sadly, neither of us will see our home again, and it doesn't pay right now to dwell on old memories. You know what Dialga would say, right?"

The Tentacruel grumbled as he recalled what was engraved on the Temporal Pokemon's pedestal in the Town of Peace's town square – "You can't make progress by looking behind you, only in front." In other words, Dialga's words of wisdom said that a Pokemon could only move on in life if they focused on what lay ahead, not getting lost in what had already passed.

Barn, Elf, and Adrianna heard their companions' conversation, but didn't jump in. Adrianna could tell that it was a rather personal thing they were talking about right now. The two owl Pokemon, on the other hand, felt that it really wasn't necessary to say anything when they still didn't know what Diamond Island was (or used to be).

Each of the Pokemon carried a small treasure bag with them, courtesy of Adrianna. She had made a brief top in Seaside Village and picked up a treasure bag for each of them, which they had thanked her for. Now they had a place to safely store their shares of the treasure from the cave they had explored earlier.

"All this talking about the past is making me feel a little awkward," Elf said, hopping along beside her friends. "Sometimes it's good to reflect on the past," Barn mused in response. "What was your life like before all of this happened, Adrianna?" he added.

The Gardevoir shrugged, adjusting her grip on Topaz. "I used to be on a rescue team," she said, and the two owls grew very excited at this. "You mean you were with the Guardians?" asked Barn, eyes wide.

Adrianna nodded. "Yes. Then after I met and married my husband, I decided to retire in order to raise our children. From then on, my life's been rather ordinary. Ordinary to be sure, but I'm definitely happy for such a life." She paused a moment to reminisce peacefully, then turned inquisitively to Barn and Elf and asked, "What about you two?"

The Hoothoot replied, "What's to tell? We're wild Pokemon." Barn piled on, "For us, it was just peaceful, lazy days in our parents' nests, and then we grew up and started to fend for ourselves." He fluttered his wings in an attempt to cool off, as he was getting a little warm.

"What about Mara?" Adrianna continued. "She claimed to know the two of you just before we battled, it seemed." Topaz squirmed a little in his mother's arms as he tried to get more comfortable, and then settled down again.

"The Darkfeathers kidnapped us about a month after we left our nests," Barn replied, reluctant to explain and thus relive the bad memories, but at the same time unwilling to disappoint the Psychic-type by not giving an answer. "The reason they wanted us was because someone had made a deal with them – a certain Pokemon wanted our psychic abilities to get through the cave we traversed earlier, and Mara wanted something called a 'Shard' in return. We escaped, and now we want to find the Guardians and tell them about the Darkfeathers' plan."

There was a short period of silence. "How do you even know about the Guardians?" asked Adrianna. Elf rolled her crimson eyes and replied, "What kind of question is that? Everyone knows about the Guardians. Our parents used to tell us stories about them and all the good deeds they did."

It was the Noctowl's turn to roll his eyes as he spoke up, "'Good deeds' is a bit of a misnomer. 'Legendary deeds' is more like it. We want to join and be part of this noble society of Pokemon, and fight against the Darkfeathers and other evil."

Further conversation was cut off by the sounds of Evelyn and Alphonse approaching. "We want to join the Guardians as well," the Dragonair said. "The two of us already planned to form a rescue team along with our friend Terra… who was separated from us in that big storm…" Her voice trailed off sadly as she remembered the dear Charmander.

"Hey, remember what you said?" Alphonse chastised her. "We have to hope that she's alright. And not… you know, dead." That last part sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself more than anyone else.

But then, from the distant-yet-relatively-nearby forest to the north, they could hear what sounded like a commotion. "RUN!" boomed a distant voice. "Don't let them GET you!" Then the group heard what sounded like a stampede of Pokemon coming from the trees.

"What in the world…" Barn began, but was cut short as three figures burst from the forest and ran frantically toward them. There were a Yanmega, Eevee, and Venonat, all running as if Giratina himself was after them.

"Hey, you folks!" cried the Yanmega, who appeared to be the leader of the group. He also seemed to have a wooden leg along with the other three. "Help us! We've got a whole bunch of bad Bug-types chasing us!" screamed the Venonat, and Barn and Co. could see as she got closer that she was only a child.

And then said "bad Bug-types" appeared from the forest in hot pursuit – at least twenty Surskit. "Hoo boy," Alphonse commented, shading his eyes. "That's one heck of a gang." Barn puffed himself up in order to hide his initial fear, fluffing out his feathers and trying to make himself look fiercer.

"I guess we have to save the day again?" Elf commented wryly, already hopping into a battle position beside her friend. Adrianna just sighed wearily and made sure that Topaz was safe.

The three Bug-types stopped in front of the six other Pokemon. "Are you a rescue team?" the Venonat squeaked, glancing back frightfully at the advancing Surskit. Adrianna shook her head even as her heart went out to the young girl. "No, we're not," Evelyn replied, wrapping her tail protectively around the little Bug-and-Poison-type. "But we'll help just the same."

Then that booming voice rang out from nowhere. "EXCELLENT!" it cried, making everyone jump. "I'm GLAD to see that we can COUNT on YOU FOLKS!"

The Eevee huffed in frustration. "For Arceus' sake, Goliath, show yourself to the poor Pokemon before you scare them to death!" Then everyone blinked in astonishment as the tiny Midjet appeared seemingly from out of thin air to hover before them.

"Are you kidding me?" Alphonse said, snorting even with the Surskit army converging on them. "HEY, are we going to LAUGH or FIGHT?" Goliath demanded, gesturing with a nearly invisible leg to the Surskit.

"He makes a good point, no matter his size," Barn said, already focusing on the hostile Bug-types. "Take Down!" he cried, flying forward and smashing into the nearest one, sending it spinning off across the ground.

Then the rest of the Surskit reached the group and immediately launched into a series of attacks. "Thunderbolt!" Adrianna cried as she was forced away from her friends by four of the Bug-and-Water-types. She unleashed a bolt of chain lightning that jumped to each foe until they all collapsed in sizzling heaps.

"Toxic Spikes!" cried Alphonse, throwing down bubbling purple caltrops which sunk into the ground. The battlefield rapidly became a minefield – but thanks to the Surskits' spindly legs, they were easily able to avoid the caltrops. The Tentacruel cursed and then used Screech to stun a few of them.

Evelyn and Chelicerae were dealing with the largest group of Surskit – half of them, to be precise. They kept the ferocious little Bug-types on their toes with a flurry of Thunder Waves, Bug Buzzes, and Dragon Rages.

Meanwhile, Lavender shivered as Elf and Tara worked together to take down another pair of Surskit. Goliath zipped around the battlefield, too fast to be seen. Wherever he went, Surskits fell to the ground, stunned too badly to move. But they weren't fighting for long when a voice rang out clearly into the air.

"No, no, no!" the heavy-accented voice called. "I 'ave seen Torchic 'atchlings fight with more of ze grace of combat!" A Masquerain flitted down from the sky to hover at the head of the Surskit squad, who all retreated behind her.

"What do you think you're doing, Rosaline?" Tara demanded, as her and the others of Team Exo took charge. The Masquerain laughed and replied, "Why, whatever do you mean, Madame Tara?"

Goliath looked ready to explode as he buzzed right up to Rosaline's face. "Taking over the BUGHAVEN KINGDOM, THAT'S WHAT!" he roared, and everyone present instinctively moved back from the noise. "We HEAR you are part of the ABYSSAL RAIDERS! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

Rosaline looked around at the assembled Pokemon, then suddenly laughed. "You are right, my petite friend," she chuckled. "Ze Bug'aven Kingdom is indeed part of ze Abyssal Raiders now. We are expanding our reach across ze continent, and soon, not even ze Guardians will be able to stop us, no?" The Masquerain chuckled again.

Now Goliath was just speechless, or else he was talking to himself, too quietly for anyone to hear. Alphonse suddenly broke the silence, lashing his tentacles in preparation for combat. "Then we'll just have to stop you right here and now, lady," he growled, holding up two tentacles as if they were fists.

Everyone else agreed with different degrees of reluctance. Adrianna in particular was cautious now that she knew was about to fight a member of the Abyssal Raiders, a group that she had heard of here and there during her time as a rescue team member. Barn and Elf were raring to go, never hearing of how dangerous the Raiders were supposed to be.

And Lavender? Well, she was just plain terrified.

"TAKE THIS!" Goliath screamed just then. "BUG BUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZ!" His voice suddenly rose to a high-pitched, ultrasonic shriek that devastated everyone's ears and caused Rosaline to stagger mid-air. It was then that everyone realized that Goliath had been using Bug Buzz to make his voice louder the entire time. Wow, creative, Lavender thought in wonder.

"Enough!" cried Rosaline as the incredible noise died down. "It is like a thousand claws scraping down a chalkboard!" She unleashed a powerful Silver Wind that easily blew Goliath away and smashed into the other Pokemon.

"Oh yeah?" Cheli said, recovering first and using a Silver Wind of his own. The two opposing windstorms met head-to-head and alternated pushing each other back. Something would need to be done to alter the stalemate.

"Poison Jab!" yelled Alphonse, charging forward at Rosaline with four of his tentacles dripping with sticky poison. The Masquerain saw him coming and purposely stopped her Silver Wind, allowing Cheli's attack to plow into her and send her flying a good distance from the Tentacruel. When she recovered, she delivered another Silver Wind that sent Alphonse sprawling on the ground.

Now Evelyn, Barn, and Lavender came at her with their attacks. A Dragon Rage, Extrasensory, and Signal Beam all sped across the battlefield toward their target, only to be met with a ferocious Hydro Pump. It checked the Dragon Rage and Signal Beam with a smoke-filled explosion, but the psychic energy of the Barn's Extrasensory couldn't be blocked. It phased right through the Hydro Pump and struck right at Rosaline's mind, sending her reeling through the air.

"No, no!" Rosaline shouted with a wince. "Zese clumsy attacks pain my eyes as I am forced to observe them!" Then as Barn and Elf came at her with Take Down and Peck, she conjured up a powerful Hurricane attack that spun them around and hurled them into their friends.

Rosaline's Surskit minions began to swarm the battlefield in order to protect their leader, and Adrianna, Tara, and Lavender managed them while the others dealt with the Masquerain. Thunderbolts sizzled, Tackles hit their mark, and Sleep Powder flew through the air as the three females fought to keep the Bug-types away.

Meanwhile, Goliath was whooping with amusement as he came at Rosaline with Extremespeed. Normally this attack was pretty dang fast, but with Goliath's already-extreme speed, it was just ridiculous. A few Pokemon couldn't help chuckling as Rosaline was battered by a storm of powerful impacts that flung her every which way.

Finally, Rosaline screamed in anger and created a Hurricane around herself, which caught Goliath just as he was about to hit her for the fiftieth time. "WHOAWHOAWHOAWHOAWHOAWHOAWHOAWHOA!" he shouted as he was whirled around dizzyingly. When the attack faded and the punishing winds no longer assaulted the group, the poor Midjet drifted down to the ground and lay there, too disoriented to even move.

The three girls holding off the Surskit rapidly became surrounded. But as they looked up to witness Goliath spiraling down to land on the ground, Lavender's compound eyes sparked with a million flames (after all, they had just as many lenses).

"No you don't!" she cried, brushing past the startled Surskit and charging at Rosaline. "This is for my family! POISON FANG!"

The Venonat jumped with all her might and landed on Rosaline's back. Even as the Masquerain gave a surprised scream, Lavender's glowing purple fangs clamped down on her head. Now her scream became a terrible wail as Rosaline fluttered erratically around, trying to shake off the biting Bug-and-Poison-type. Lavender held on tight, chewing ravenously and injecting venom with each little bite. To Rosaline, each bite was like a stab with a knife, and the poison was like having the wounds treated with lemon juice. Ouch.

Just then, a ferocious screech split the afternoon sky. The battle halted as the noise pierced through even the din of combat. A shadow flashed across the ground, momentarily blotting out the sun. The Surskit instinctively retreated, clustering around Rosaline as if to protect her. The Masquerain gave a painful moan as she slowly fluttered down to the ground, Lavender's poison clearly taking its effect on her. The Venonat scuttled away to rejoin her friends.

Then an explosive sound wave swept across the grassland, ripping blades of grass from the ground and sending them flying everywhere. On the battlefield, everyone looked nervous as they glanced around for the source of the noise. And then it made itself known as a terrifying entity suddenly plunged down to land in front of Team Exo and Co.

It was a Noivern! But not just any Noivern – the Noivern!

The Flying-and-Dragon-type gave a screech that sent the Surskit skittering back into the Bughaven Forest. "Zis is not ze last you have seen of me!" Rosaline shouted weakly back. "I will be back for you, Princess Lavender!"

And then they were gone, even as the Noivern screeched at them again. "Yes, you flee!" he cried. "Clear out, you sorry scoundrels!" He waited a moment, then turned toward the astounded group with a hopeful smile on his maw.

"So," he said conversationally. "Do you think I vould made a good Guardian?"

Barn lifted a shaky wing. "Y-You!" he said, pointing at him with a feather. The Noivern nodded and smiled. "I indeed recognize you. You vere the vun that gave Vladimir inspiration!"

Adrianna held Topaz protectively as she advanced two steps on the bat-like wyvern. "Are you out for revenge?" she asked suspiciously. "Are you mad that we beat you so badly? Is that why you're here?"

Vladimir shook his head and sighed. "It is true, Vladimir is most frustrated over his loss," he admitted. "But Vladimir has realized! I vould be able to gain in power ven teamed with group! Now Vladimir vishes to join Guardians and become part of rescue team!"

Barn, Elf, Adrianna, Alphonse, and Evelyn were completely speechless. Lavender, Team Exo, and Topaz all tilted their heads in confusion, not recognizing the dragon. "Are you saying that you would like to join us on our quest to find the Guardians as well?" Evelyn asked incredulously, and Vladimir nodded once.

"Well then, WELCOME ABOARD!" Goliath suddenly shouted, up and at 'em once more. Vladimir was perhaps the most startled out of all of them. "We could ALWAYS use a STRONG Pokemon on our SIDE!"

Tara was livid. "Goliath!" she scolded. "How many times do I have to tell you…" But she didn't get to finish her sentence as Barn seemed to get over his shock. "If there's no hard feelings over what happened when we first met…" he said cautiously. "Then I, for one, am willing to welcome you to our quest."

Vladimir's ferocious face broke into a happily relieved smile. "I am indeed thankful," he said humbly, bowing. "I also apologize for how I acted vhen ve first met. I vas only trying to defend vhat vas mine." Elf nodded and responded, "Territory." She nodded again, understanding the fellow wild Pokemon's motives.

"Umm, who is this?" Cheli asked his and his teammates' newfound friends. "A wild Pokemon we ran into a while back," Alphonse explained. "I personally never thought I'd see him again." Vladimir took the somewhat insensitive remark in stride.

"Come on, Vlad," Evelyn said casually, gesturing for him to follow. "We've got a long overdue appointment at Vulcana City." Her and her friends began to walk off, followed closely by Team Exo and Lavender. "I'm guessing you're not up to date on current events, so I'll explain everything on the way," she added.

"Alright," Vladimir complied, beginning to walk after his newfound companions. "But just vun thing – please never call me 'Vlad' again."

-.-.-.-.-.

My sister came up with a very good point the other day – why is it that the Pokemon have to shout out their attacks before using them? Well, I've come up with an answer, one that won't be revealed just yet.

That aside – let us welcome back Vladimir the Noivern! (You hit the nail on the head, TriMaplenut! I was indeed planning for Vladimir to come back in this chapter.) He's made up with the group he fought previously, entirely out of admiration, and is now journeying with them to Vulcana City! But will Rosaline and her dreaded Surskit come back to haunt them again?

Vladimir: "Vhat are you looking at? Review, if you vill!"

Chapter Question #18: Team Bloodsucker versus Team Exo! Whom do you think would win and why?