Hello, friends! I am back again! I said that the story would be picking up soon... and I'm happy to say that I have delivered! It may be a bit short, but I think you'll like it... Enjoy!

Chapter 11: The Great Storm

BOOM!

Jay's eyes shot open as the earth-shattering crash rang in his ears. He couldn't help but shriek a little, but he quickly stopped when he remembered where he was.

The guild was still dark. Only a few embers danced on the torches, and most of the guild members were still asleep. He could hear loud snores coming from another room—it seemed as though others hadn't been affected by the noise.

He sat up from his straw bed and looked around, curious as to what had happened. He saw Aria sleeping fitfully on her bed. Nothing looked odd or out of place in their little room.

He didn't dare venture into the hallway to see if there was something going on; after last night, he feared being caught and reprimanded by Krokorok again. Instead, he sat completely still and listened for another noise.

When he listened closely, he found that the room was not silent. He could barely hear a tap-tap-tap that sounded vaguely like footsteps. He got to his feet and bared his jaws, ready to fight against an intruder, but no one showed their face.

Settling back down on his bed, he finally realized what the noise was: water. Rain, to be more precise. That also explained the boom earlier—could that have been rolling thunder?

He shivered and curled up on his bed, his teeth chattering. The room felt much colder now. For several minutes, he turned around, trying to keep himself warm in the rapidly-cooling room. Eventually, he ended up burying himself in straw, but he still felt chilled.

Jay closed his eyes, realizing that dawn was still a while away. Maybe the storm will blow over by then, he thought.

After a few more minutes of listening to the drum of rain, he fell back asleep.

XxX

"Jay…?"

The Totodile woke up with a piece of hay poking his eye.

He blinked hard and brushed it away, itching his stinging eyeball. He realized he was buried under a pile of straw. Initially, he couldn't figure out why he was, but then he remembered.

The storm… Last night… man, it was freezing…

"Get up, Jay! You're gonna miss breakfast!"

He rolled out of the straw and found that Aria was hovering over him, her eyes narrowed in irritation.

He blinked again, his eyes adjusting to the harsh light. The torches were relit, giving the whole place a happier feel, but he was still very cold. He hugged his arms around his body as he got to his feet.

"Ugh… It's freezing in here!" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yeah, it gets that way whenever a storm rolls in. But you shouldn't be complaining! You're a Water type! You love rain!" Aria said dismissively.

"Agh…" Jay rubbed his head as he picked up his Explorer Bag. "A who-what-where?"

"Never mind… we'll talk about it over breakfast. C'mon!" Aria raced down the hall at a surprisingly fast speed. Jay plodded after her, still feeling groggy and cold.

Breakfast was strangely muted. Not many Pokémon bothered to talk, and those who did mainly kept their comments short and precise. The only one who seemed to be talking a lot was Aria, who was trying to teach Jay more about exploring.

"On most rainy days, we still go out exploring. That is, unless you're especially weak to rain. Poor Magby… He has to stay inside all day," Aria said, casting a pitiful glance at the Fire type. Magby put on a tiny smile and waved back, but he was trembling fiercely from the cold.

"So you're saying we still have to go outside in the freezing cold rain and get soaked to the skin… all just for a handful of coins?" Jay asked.

"Yeah. But you shouldn't complain. Water type Pokémon like you love the rain!" Aria said.

"I still don't get this whole 'type' business," Jay said, chewing on a berry.

"It is really weird, yeah. But some Pokémon are more adversely affected by outside elements. Like Fire type Pokémon. They do better when the sun's shining. No one knows why this is so… but it makes sense, in a way. The heat of the day helps Fire types with their Fire type moves…" Aria explained.

"So when it's raining, I'll be stronger?" Jay asked.

"Yep. But only when you use certain moves… oh great, now you're gonna ask me about moves." Aria sighed and slumped forward, clearly unwilling to lecture him again.

"You don't have to," Jay said quickly.

"When we get out there, you'll see. Just focus really hard, and maybe you can use a Water type move now… I can't say much more than that. Eventually it'll just come naturally," Aria explained.

Jay shrugged. "I guess we'll just see what happens, then."

They continued eating breakfast in silence.

A few minutes later, the plates were cleared and the apprentices gathered in the room for the daily cheer. The weather had put a damper on the cheer; although the words were bright like the sun, the guild members were covered in rain clouds as they chanted along.

The Guildmaster noticed this and frowned. "C'mon, guys! Where's your cheer?" she asked.

"We're sorry, Guildmaster…" Plusle apologized.

"It's this dang rain!" Magby cried.

"This is the fourth big storm this month!" Cranidos screamed.

Flygon sighed. "I know… but we can't let a bit of rain bog us down, right?" she said, regaining her usual pep.

"Yeah…" Aria conceded.

"Great! Now, let's try this again!"

The guild members cheered once more, and though they sounded more enthusiastic than before, it seemed forced. When they completed the cheer, they all sighed and shuffled off to their usual positions.

Jay looked to Aria. "Everyone seems so sad… What's going on?" he asked.

"They're just bummed because of the weather. But to be fair, if you had to wallow through freezing cold rain every week, you'd be pretty upset too," Aria explained.

"Every week?!" Jay cried.

"Yeah… We don't know what's up. It's weird—one minute, you're burning up, and the next, you're bogged down with water… weird," Aria explained.

"That may be true… but you're not going to let some rain get in your way!"

It was Guildmaster Flygon. She was smiling brightly and didn't seem to take notice of her other apprentices grumbling around her. She approached the duo with a mighty flap of her wings.

"Sorry about that, Guildmaster," Aria said.

"It's fine. Rain can kind of dampen your mood… if you'll excuse the pun." Flygon's eyes twinkled mischievously.

Aria snickered for a moment before regaining her composure. "Yeah… So anyway, what'll we be doing? Will we just find another job?" she asked.

"Yes. But do keep in mind… it is raining, and as such, the rivers are starting to swell with water. So it might be a good idea to stay inland, if you can…" Flygon cautioned.

"Oh, I'll stay away from the water. Not so sure about Jay, though…" Aria said, playfully nudging Jay. He scowled and tried to look as annoyed as possible, but when she smiled, he couldn't help but smile back.

Flygon laughed. "I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to take a dip," she said.

"Okay!" Jay interrupted. "So… let's get going! I'm sure there are lot of Pokémon that need our help… let's go!" he said.

Flygon nodded. "Yes, yes. I'm sorry for keeping you for so long… Anyway, see you later! Good luck on your exploration!" She waddled over to her room and opened the door, entering the brightly lit chamber. She closed the door behind her, leaving them alone with the other apprentices and the sound of rain.

"Let's go…" Jay mumbled.

The two apprentices walked up the ladder.

The sound of rain was much louder on the second floor. It was also much colder, and Jay could feel a certain dampness in the air. There were even fewer Pokémon on this floor, and Jay could see why; it was so much colder that very few Pokémon wanted to venture up.

Aria gravitated towards the Job Board and began perusing it, looking for a suitable job. Jay stared up the ladder, listening to the sound of rain. It seemed strangely calm to him, and the occasional rolls of thunder didn't seem as loud.

Jay found himself nodding off to the peaceful drum of the rain. He smiled and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off into a daydreaming state. He didn't notice what was going on around him until he was slapped awake—literally.

"Hello? Did you hear me?!" Aria snapped.

Jay rubbed his aching cheek and winced, still half-asleep. "Uh… wha—? Oh—oh yeah, I heard you… I guess…" He looked up again and tried not to doze off again.

"Yeah… you were daydreaming. Don't try to hide it," Aria said, a note of irritation in her voice.

"Sorry… The rain's just so relaxing…" Jay apologized.

"Don't worry—you'll be out there soon enough. I think I found a good job for us."

Aria tore a piece of paper off the corkboard and handed it to Jay. The Totodile glanced over the note, slowly nodding as he skimmed over the messy handwriting. From what he could tell, the client was a Chespin who had lost sight of a friend: a Wingull.

"We were playing in Harvest Glen when Wingull disappeared… oh, I'm so worried about her!" the Chespin had wrote. "The reward is 4,000 Poké, which is my entire life's savings! Please, oh please… Rescue Wingull!"

Jay was at first eager to get his hands on 4,000 Poké… but then he remembered that Flygon would take away most of it.

"400 Poké is nothing to sneeze at," Aria reasoned.

"I guess that's okay… But where is Harvest Glen? I've never heard of that place…" Jay asked.

Suddenly, Aria's face paled. Jay gulped; when she was afraid, he didn't want to know what she was afraid of. She cursed under her breath and started pacing back and forth.

"Um… You okay?" Jay asked.

"Harvest Glen… It's a little place not too far from here. Some Pokémon grow stuff there—trees and fruit and flowers and stuff. There are a few strays that try and eat it… overall, not a bad place," Aria murmured distractedly.

"Well, why are you so nervous?" Jay asked.

"It's where it is… It's just past Sage Forest. Or more accurately… just past Haxorus's Guild."

Jay leaned forward, his eyes widening as his pulse quickened. Somehow, those two words had put him on edge. Buizel had mentioned yesterday that he was part of Haxorus's Guild… what if Buizel was still hanging around, looking for an opportunity to pick them off?

However, despite the fear, Jay felt… excited. Yesterday, when he had fought the outlaw, he felt a strange rush of adrenaline. He became so thrilled that he had forgotten about his fear, and then he proceeded to beat the stuffing out of Buizel. Maybe he would get that rush again today…

"So?" Jay asked.

"Do you not remember our first exploration? We were ten feet away from the place! And yesterday, we met that horrible Buizel… So you should be worried!" Aria cried.

"But we beat him. We shouldn't worry about Pokémon we can overpower," Jay pointed out.

"We can't overpower some of the other Pokémon there…" Aria whispered sinisterly.

Jay's mind began to spin, trying to think of a plan to get past the guild. If what Aria said was true, there would be many strong Pokémon on the lookout for them. But the rain might be able to conceal them…

"We'll think of something… I promise," Jay said sincerely. "But for now, let's go!"

XxX

The rain was like nothing Jay had been in before.

It pounded his skin, soaking him to the bone in mere seconds. The sky was completely obscured by heavy black rain clouds. The rumbles of thunder were even louder than before, and the flashes of lightning were almost blinding. The wind howled through the branches, whistling past his ears and blowing the rain into his face.

But despite this, Jay still felt calm. It was much better than the searing sun. He felt at home.

"Alright. So you said we had to pass by Haxorus's Guild to get to Harvest Glen?" Jay asked.

"Yep," Aria replied.

"And there's no other way to get there?" Jay asked.

"There are other ways… but it requires running through brambles or passing over rivers. And Flygon warned us not to go over rivers," Aria said.

Jay nodded, his mouth turning into a smile.

"What the heck are you smiling about?! You're practically asking to be killed! Especially when you're hanging around me… they hate me! If they so much as smell me, they'll go after me!" Aria cried.

"I have a plan… oh man, they'll never see it coming!"

Aria's mouth curled up into a grin. "Ooh… This is gonna be fun!"

XxX

A boom of thunder shook the inner rooms of the guild. The tap of rain on the stone roof put Haxorus at ease—it was nature's lullaby, gently rocking him to sleep. He smiled and tried to keep his eyes open; he was starting to feel a bit sleepy.

Hey hey… can't be fallin' to sleep jus' yet. We've still got lots ta do… he thought as he straightened up. He tried to look as alert as possible, but he still couldn't conceal his smile.

"That lil' hothead… I'm sure she never saw this comin'!" he murmured to himself.

Another rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. The rain intensified, turning into a loud drumming. His smile grew wider.

He sat down on the floor and looked out the grimy window, staring into the blackened land. If this keeps up, we'll all be flooded by next week… It's gonna be great!

A flash of lightning lit up the gloomy scene. It was followed by another roll of thunder… but this seemed much louder than before. Haxorus stood up and growled, his nerves jumpy. He tried to reassure himself that it was nothing more than a particularly loud boom of thunder… but was that really all that was happening?

The rain suddenly seemed sinister. Haxorus tried to ignore his nervousness and walked to the door, opening it just a crack. He peeked out the door and scanned the area… and everything seemed normal. His apprentices were walking around, minding their own business, occasionally picking a fight with each other.

He relaxed and closed the door with a creak. He retreated back into his office and chuckled at his stupidity—"Was I seriously gettin' all nervous 'bout a bit of commotion?"

But then there was another loud crash. Haxorus knew this wasn't thunder.

He bolted to the door and peeked out again. The scene wasn't too different; his apprentices were still all there, but they were looking towards the sound of the crash. A few of them mumbled amongst themselves, while some glanced nervously around.

Haxorus considered revealing himself to the guild members, but he figured his presence wouldn't do much to help them. He closed the door and put his back to it, his mind racing to form a plan.

Another crash. This time, it was followed by a panicked scream.

Haxorus stopped thinking and pushed open the door, walking out into the chaos.

His apprentices were running around, yelling nonsense or hugging each other in fear. He growled in annoyance; he had taught his apprentices to not panic under pressure, but they didn't seem to heed his lessons.

He cleared his throat and tried to gain hold of the panicking Pokémon, but they continued to flail about and scream. He shook his head and strode through the masses, trying to find someone who wasn't losing their head over this.

"Guildmaster!"

Primeape was charging forward, his eyes wide. He was waving his arms and twitching his tail, looking no less panicked than the others. Haxorus could hear angry voices from the room behind Primeape, and he could smell the faint scent of something burning.

Haxorus stood in front of the monkey and grabbed his arms, picking him up until his eyes were level with his. "Calm down! Ya look like you've seen a ghost!" he spat.

"I-I'm sorry, Guildmaster…" Primeape gasped.

"I don't wanna hear your apologies! Tell me what's happenin'!" Haxorus growled.

"Oh! Yes! Yes yes yes… So sorry! So sorry…" Primeape said.

Realizing what he just said, he gasped and widened his eyes, gagging slightly as Haxorus growled. He didn't say anything as the seconds grew longer.

"You're a Primeape. A wonderful fighter. Not 'fraid of anythin'. So tell me this: why are ya acting so wimpy?!" Haxorus said, his voice steady but increasing in anger.

"It's… her! She's back!" Primeape squeaked.

Haxorus set him down just as another crash rang through the guild. His eyes widened and his heart raced—it was quite possibly the only Pokémon he was truly afraid of.

"Get e'eryone outta here. Now. If she's here…" Haxorus said absently.

Before either of them could do anything, a shadow appeared near the end of the stone hallway. Though the shadow was small, he knew who it was before she even spoke. Her words sent tingles down his spine.

"Well, well, well! Long time, no see… Guildmaster!"

XxX

CLIFFHANGER! Mysterious shadow... Haxorus's Guild under attack... who could it be? (I'm sure you all know who it is... yeah, I'm terrible at cliffhangers.)

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to review!