Mark.

Still Inside Mt. Coronet.

After Riley's temper tantrum and Astro unleashing telekinetic powers à la Carrie, things went relatively smoothly inside of that rugged, big-ass mountain.

I took Riley's place at the head of the group, following behind my Gardevoir. She took graceful, sweeping steps, and we practically had to jog just to keep up.

Eventually, after following a single path, we came to a large cavern room, with openings to at least four different paths...

Riley gasped, but Lee just groaned. "Man...our luck." He slung his backpack off his shoulders, to the ground. Maybe to look for something?

In the pale light coming from Gardevoir, Lee looked both awful and incredibly hot. He was determined to keep going and annoyed that we had to stop, two of of his best characteristics, but...

He was just so pale. Lee had never been in the best health, but with all the fretting he did over the kids and Team Galactic, it was clear to see he was quite determined to run himself right into the ground.

"Maybe we should stop and sit down for a minute," I suggested. "It's already, what, noon?"

Lee shook his head, bangs swishing defiantly. "No. We can probably keep going an hour or two before we need to stop for lunch."

I frowned. Even with his leather jacket zipped up, I could see how skinny he was getting...had Lee been skipping meals? How could that evwn happen with me watching him?

"I'm hungry, though." Amber's runty Riolu took the words out of my mouth. "Besides, do you know which way we go?"

Lee's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He muttered something under his breath.

Amber cleared her throat. "Excuse me, Mark?" She said, sounding like a student in a classroom. "If Gardevoir can see into the future, can't she do that and see where the right path is?"

We let that sink in a moment or two. Eventually, I groaned, and slapped my forehead with my palm.

"Stupid!" I moaned.

Amber squeaked at my reaction. The poor thing literally squeaked. "Was it a bad idea, or...?"

"No," He half-boyfriend denied, "it sounded pretty good..."

I facepalmed again. "Goddamn, I'm stupid! Why didn't I think of that if a 13 year old could?!"

Gardevoir covered her mouth, and giggled like a Japanese lolita chick.

"Can she?" Astro asked eagerly.

While I verbally berated myself, Lee took Gardevoir by the arm. "Gardie! Can you do that, you think?" He was just a little too cheerful.

Garevoir nodded to Lee. "Gahrrr." She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, on top of her heart. She hummed a little, and the dress-like structure covering her legs gently floated as if a wind blew behind her.

Amber and Dee both took a step back in awe. "Woow..." Between her white "dress" and the fact that she glowed in the darkness, my Gardevoir looked like an angel.

Lee whistled. "Still beautiful as the day you caught her," He commented.

Gardevoir stayed like that for a moment, then stopped. She opened her eyes, looking at me.

"What'd you see?" I asked. "The right path?"

Silently, Gardevoir turned and pointed at a path hidden away in a corner. "Gaarrrrdevoir."

The path she indicated was roughly hewn into the stone, as if it hadn't been made naturally. That didn't seem right. I frowned. "Are you sure?"

Gardevoir nodded ferociously. "Gaarr!" She insisted.

I held up my hands. "Whoa, don't get defensive, girl. I'm just checking, okay?"

Lee snickered. I turned and glared at him, but that didn't stop. Lee icked his backpack up again, and we headed where Gardevoir indicated.

I let the kids go in front of me, so I could talk to Lee.

"Why did you take your backpack off back there?" I muttered in his ear. '"Were you gonna get something...?"

"My Pokegear...had a note written to myself in the notepad," Lee muttered back. "What does it matter?"

"You've been acting like...well, like a maniac, recently."

"D'you say something, Mark?" Riley asked.

I ignored him. Lee frowned at me, mouthing, "Maniac...?"

Before I could explain, Astro shouted, "Stop!"

We all stopped noving immediately. In a trembling voice, Amber asked, "What's the matter, Azzy...?"

"I think there's, uh...a horde of Golbat above us." The kid gulped as he told us.

To test it, I groaned a little louder than necessary. True to Astro's word, I could hear wings shifting around above us.

There was a bit more room in this tunnel than the previous one, so we could go about this two ways. I could use Gardevoir to engage the Golbat, but illunating herself was an exhausting ordeal, so overworking her by battling was out of the question.

And if we didn't engage, Golbat aren't known for their friendliness...

"Lee, you choose. Shift, or Strawberry...?" The other option was to let Lee take care of the Golbat, because he'd have the upperhand no matter what.

I heard a pokeball maximize. "No, lemme take are of them!" It was Dee. "You guys try to take all the fun!"

Neither Riley nor Amber tried to stop her. Lee looked nervously up at the ceiling of the tunnel, at the restless Golbat hanging down.

"Um, go for it." This is a sadistic thought, I know, but he looked kinda cute when he was nervous.

Dee threw her pokeball in the air. "Snorunt! Use Powder Snow!"

Her little Snorunt came from his pokeball, breathing out powdery snow at the Golbats above us.

The Bat pokemon detached themselves from the roof of the tunnel, screeching and flapping their wings noisily. They scattered above our heads, and Amber squealed.

"Shut the hell up!" I probably could've been nicer to her.

Most of the Golbats scattered and flew off further into the cave, but a few stayed to fight. One dove at Snorunt and missed, while another used Air Slash in Lee's direction.

"Lee! Move!" Why did pokemon always go for that dork? I'll never know.

The move almost made contact before Lee could move, but in a flash of white light, Shift let herself out of her pokeball and deflected it back with her tail!

"Ummbre!" Shift charged a Dark Pulse attack, and shot it at the two remaining Golbats. That scared them enough to fly off wherever their buddies had gone.

All the Golbat scared off, I breathed a sigh of relief. Shift had been a lifesaver; one of the reasons I love her to death.

Lee laughed. "Knew I was in danger, Shift?" He rubbed her head affectionately, and she licked his hand. "Thatta girl."

They were cute. Lee and Shift were always really cute. I'm 26 damn years old, I know I'm manly as hell, I have no problem calling things cute.

Leon, stop giving me that look, I also have no problem beating you like a man.

(You set yourself up there, Mark, don't even deny it.)

AOF: "Japanese lolita chick" is probably my favorite Mark line I'll ever write.