Thank you to those who gave comments! I appreciate it!

Recently, I've made quite some progress at editing chapters. (Though I feel like hitting myself in the head when I have to go over the old ones. They're so...bad.) I may put up two chapters today.

Chapter 15
The Second Encounter!

The staircases of the Sprout Tower were narrow, stuffy, and lacking any windows. It was nearly silent besides the distant thumps and voices, likely from other battles that were being raged in the tower. The floorboards underneath Marina's sneakers often creaked, though her Cyndaquil took no mind to this and rested his head in her arms. About halfway through the girl's ascent, he woke and lifted his head, revealing the sparkling white collar around his neck.

"How far are we again?"

"Did you have a nice little nap?" Marina asked him with a glance and a smile.

"Yeah. But I can take another floor of those bald guys and their Bellsprout. It's easy as—three-point-one-four-two-eightinaweepensprout." He growled a little in irritation as the collar continued malfunctioning.

"I think the top floor is just up these stairs."

"I hope there isn't another that goes down again. Else I'll seriously yell, 'Blah!' loud enough for every baldy in the tower to hear! It's so ran—ranremoraid—stupid collar."

"Yeah," Marina laughed, making sure to hold him tight so as not to drop him. By this time, she reached the top, smiling widely as she did so.

"Look, another bald guy. What an unexpected turn of events," King yawned as he looked ahead of them.

"King, don't say that while they're around, it's rude," she whispered to him, though still smiling.

King nuzzled her head with his long nose. "But it's true! They're a bunch of baldy bald guys."

Marina giggled and petted him gently as she looked around. On this floor, there was only one direction to walk: straight ahead. Nearby, a small group of robed men sat in a circle with their eyes closed, their Bellsprout meditating at their side. She watched them curiously as she headed toward where another monk was waiting for her, next to the shaking pillar.

"I am Sage Troy," he introduced himself. Unlike the others in the tower, he had a silver-colored sash across his shoulder. "Let me see how much you trust your Pokémon, then I will allow you to battle the Elder."

"Great! I'm Marina Shimizu," Marina accepted readily, but she glanced at the meditating monks. "What about them, what are they doing?"

Toy shook his head. "Their Pokémon are recovering. You are not the only challenger who has made it this far today."

"Oh, okay." She backed away and knelt, taking off King's collar. "You're up, King!"

King climbed down and stretched as Troy predictably sent out a Bellsprout.

"Razor Leaf, Bellsprout!" Troy ordered.

"Use Ember, King!"

The lively flames ignited on King's back, and he fired a wave of fireballs at the razor-sharp leaves that were hurled at him. The attack collided and continued to Bellsprout, who cried out in shock as it was hit. He then lunged toward his opponent, tackling it to knock Bellsprout out.

"Alright, King! We're so used to battling Bellsprout that it's a breeze now," Marina said happily.

"Hinoa!" the Cyndaquil called in agreement.

"Then I shall gladly change the rhythm for you. Hoothoot, come out!" Troy said as he returned Bellsprout and threw another Poké Ball.

A round, brown owl Pokémon with wide red eyes and short wings appeared, hopping on one foot. It bounced a bit closer to King, continuing to hop at its own pace with a gentle chirp. King jumped with excitement at seeing the owl, acknowledging its presence in a jolly manner.

"A Hoothoot... Hold on a sec!" Marina said, interested as she took out her Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon.

"Hoothoot, the Owl Pokémon. Type: Normal/Flying

Hoothoot always stands on one foot and switches its feet so fast that the movement can rarely be seen. It has a perfect sense of time; some Trainers use them in place of clocks. Sometimes, Hoothoot keeps its rhythm by precisely tilting its head in time."

"Ooh," Marina cooed thoughtfully and put her Pokédex away. "It's about time for another Pokémon! Alright, King, use your Tackle!"

"Hoothoot! Tackle!" Troy ordered.

"Hoo!" Hoothoot ran toward King, and the two bashed into each other. It recovered before its opponent and took the opportunity to tackle King again, leaping back afterward with a lively bounce.

"King, you all right?" Marina asked.

Hoothoot's good. It's definitely not a pushover, she thought and shifted her gaze toward it.

"Hoothoot, Peck," Troy said, calmer but unfaltering.

"King, dodge it!"

"Hino!" King leaped out of Hoothoot's path, but was unable to dodge entirely as the Pokémon turned and hurled itself into him. Tumbling, King got back up with a rough sigh.

Is King really this tired? Maybe I should've given him a Potion earlier... But we won't give up! She quickly looked back at the Hoothoot, who jumped and was charging toward King while flapping its tiny wings.

"King—!" Marina shouted, but paused as a bright flash blinded her. "Wh-What?"

As her eyes adjusted, she realized that the strong light radiated from King, his figure entirely surrounded by it. Hoothoot stopped dead, putting on a stupefied but surprised expression. King's form mutated and grew in length, and other sages that sat in the circle turned to witness it as well.

"Your Cyndaquil is evolving," Troy said with a smile.

"Evolving?" Marina, unable to help herself, grinned excitedly as the white light faded away.

King now strongly resembled an ermine; he no longer had squinted eyes or a long snout. His burgundy-gold color pattern remained, though now his front and back paws suited him better for running on all fours. The small pointed ears on his head twitched, and he blinked his crimson irises in mild confusion. Rising on his hind legs, his slim body stood roughly two feet tall.

"Ma…maguma!" he suddenly called, fire sprouting from the top of his head and his hind. Excited now, he fell on all fours with a determined energy. He threw a glance at Marina, energized by her shared excitement as she smiled at him. Once again the girl took out her Pokédex, more quickly this time, and pointed it at King.

"Quilava, the Volcano Pokémon. Type: Fire

This Pokémon is fully covered by nonflammable fur, enabling it to withstand any kind of fire attack. Considerably less timid than it is as a Cyndaquil, Quilava turns its back to its opponent at times to demonstrate how fiercely its fire blazes."

"Cool! Alright, King! Go!" Marina said, hiding away her Pokédex and pointing at their opponent.

King eagerly charged at the dumbfounded Hoothoot with blinding speed. Hoothoot cried as he tackled into its feathery body, forcing it back onto the floor. Both of its feet appeared as it went limp, unconscious.

"Yes! That was so cool, King!" Marina cheered joyfully and opened her arms wide as King ran and jumped into her embrace. Though surprised by his increased weight, Marina was forced to her knees, causing both of them to laugh. The girl patted his head and snapped the collar around his neck again. King spoke as soon as she did so, even before she had the chance to turn it on.

"Maguma ma—Quilava now!" He exclaimed hastily, causing Marina to bust into another fit of laughter. Hugging him tightly one more time, Marina smiled and stood, accepting her monetary prize from her opponent.

"Yes, your trust is real! It seems today brought strong, young Trainers," Troy said with satisfaction.

Marina giggled, glancing back at her Quilava in glee.

Troy gazed at King, who avidly looked around for his next battle. "Well, as Pokémon grow stronger, so does the Trainer...No, wait," he caught himself and then corrected with his eyes on Marina, "As the Trainer grows stronger, so do the Pokémon."

This seemed to calm the girl down, and she merely smiled at this in response.

"Magu!" King barked happily to fill in the silence.

"It is not far to the Elder. Let there be light on your journey," the man said, bowing courteously.

"Thank you." With a bow in return, Marina turned to King, who was beginning to run in circles in his impatience. "Looks like you're not tired anymore, huh?"

The fire ermine barked once again, brimming with energy. Catching this with a smile, she knelt down and quickly healed him with a potion anyway. Marina then stood and proceeded to run around the pillar as fast as she could, knowing King would definitely follow. However, as she dashed into the final room, she literally ran into something—or rather, someone.

"Ah!" she called out in shock, though she did not have the time to say anything else as she crashed into a person.

"Hey!" a young male's voice scolded. "Watch it, you—!" He stopped as Marina turned her gaze from his jacket to his face apologetically.

"I'm sorry!" But Marina, too, froze and gasped.

Silver looked down at her, his mouth slightly open.

"You're...that girl," he muttered.

Not a second later, the two quickly pulled away from each other, each grabbing a Poké Ball from their belts on impulse.

"Um...Silver, right? What are you doing here?" Marina asked slowly.

Will I have to battle him again?

For some time, both Trainers had their eyes locked on one another; Marina's innocent emerald irises on his cold yet brilliant silver ones. The red-haired boy narrowed his and closed them as he stood up straight.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to waste my time fighting you," he told her. He glanced behind him, smirking. "I came to fight the man that calls himself Elder. But he was weak... It stands to reason. He told me that I should raise my Pokémon with love instead of harshness. Humph, it's people like him that I'll never lose to."

"You should listen to him," Marina murmured and then said louder, "I think he's right."

Silver turned back to her with a scowl. "I'll raise my Pokémon the way I want to, and spoiling them will only make them weaker. I only care for strong Pokémon," he replied. His eyes fell upon King, who was growling quietly at him.

"But a Pokémon will get stronger the more you train with them anyway," Marina lightly protested, "So why not take good care of them? You better not treat Wani-Wani badly!"

Her valid point was ignored by the boy, who still observed her Quilava.

"Your Pokémon evolved, but," Silver paused and made eye contact with Marina, "it doesn't look like you've changed that much. What a shame." He lifted a golden rope—a proper Escape Rope—that was in his hand, and he spun it around him. As the Escape activated, his unchanging expression remained locked on Marina.

"Wait!" Marina called, reaching out her hand in vain as he vanished. Her eyes caught sight of a few leftover glitters while she continued to stare at where Silver once was.

"Maguma!" King snarled. "What a jerk; he talks as if Pokémon have no feelings!"

"But he's right at one point, I guess," Marina said, crossing her arms. "I haven't changed."

King's enraged demeanor left him, and he looked up at her upon sensing the delicateness in the girl's voice. "Marina?"

"I'm all right," Marina assured him with a sudden smile, though somewhat forced. She moved her hands to her hips. "I've still just started being a Trainer, after all! I can't change too quickly."

"What? Uh…Yeah! You're right," he eventually responded, settling to agree with her.

Clearing her mind and forcing herself to focus, Marina gazed into the room ahead of them. There was plenty of empty space on the polished floorboards. In the center of the room stood the Elder, who donned a silky golden sash that boldly stood out. His face had some wrinkles as well, aged by years and wisdom. Behind him, there was an etching—or perhaps a painting—of an intricate Bellsprout.

The girl walked over to him, King following her with a lingering hint of concern for his Trainer. "Excuse me," she began, "You're the Elder, right? I'm here to battle."

"I am, so good of you to come here!" the old man said, grabbing a Poké Ball. While he talked, Marina wondered if he had heard the conversation between her and the red-haired boy. "Sprout Tower is a place of training. People and Pokémon test their bonds to build a bright future together. I am the Elder, Li; the final test. Allow me to check the ties between your Pokémon and you!"

"Right! Okay, King, it's the last battle." Marina responded. She bent down to take King's collar off, but the Pokémon shook his head and leapt in front of her.

"Nah, leave it on. Right now," King lightly clawed at the wooden panels below him, "I'm in the mood to kick butt and I don't wanna wait."

She hesitated, but nodded in agreement and stood on her feet. "Okay. I choose my Quilava, King, as my first Pokémon!" she announced.

"What an interesting collar," replied the Elder with an understanding nod. He threw his Poké Ball modestly, sending out a sitting Bellsprout that stood at a gradual pace. King only seemed to smirk, his fired-up emotions brazenly showing off now through his opened eyes.

"Okay, King, I think that attack you used to defeat Hoothoot was Quick Attack," Marina told him. "So do that again! Use Quick Attack!"

"Got it! Man, I'm going to be counting Bellsprout in my sleep," he said, recklessly running toward the Pokémon.

"Bellsprout, dodge," Li murmured with a calm tone.

When King got close enough, he leaped at his opponent, but gasped as the Vine Pokémon leaned back flexibly, its head almost touching the floor with its root-like feet still standing firm. He flew right over it and landed nimbly, astonished for a moment before attempting to tackle it from the other side. This, however, ended with the same result as Bellsprout leaned out of his way, not moving at all from its spot. Flustered, the Quilava whirled around to face it again, growling in frustration.

"What, do you take yoga classes?!"

Pondering for a moment, Marina glanced at both him and the Elder's Bellsprout. "King, try a Quick Attack again!" With a nod, King sped toward Bellsprout once more.

"Prepare to dodge once more, Bellsprout," Li ordered, composed. Bellsprout nodded and easily bent backward as King lunged.

Right when King jumped over Bellsprout, Marina called out, "Ember, now!"

"Leech Seed!"

King opened his mouth and fired the small fire balls at the vulnerable Bellsprout, while at the same time Bellsprout spat out a few seeds. As the attacks were exchanged, Bellsprout was bombarded with flames and a little seed stuck fast onto King's forehead. King tumbled and slid as he landed, while his opponent fell back upon its defeat.

"You did well, Bellsprout. Return," the Elder softly praised, recalling his Pokémon and taking out his last Poké Ball.

Meanwhile, King pawed at the seed on his head, frustrated as it failed to unfasten itself from his fur. "Get. This. Thing. Off! It's so anno—yingingchimchinging!"

"Oh, Geez," Marina said and giggled a little. I knew I shouldn't have let him wear the collar... "Grin and bear with it, King!" she encouraged him.

"But I look so stupid," muttered King. He faced the Elder without another complaint, however, as the man sent out a Hoothoot. The owl was larger than the one he had fought in the previous battle, but it failed to intimidate him.

"Magu!" King exclaimed through the voice of his faulty collar. He went to lunge at the owl, but froze in his tracks. The seed on his head shone and sprouted, wrapping its roots tightly around King's body. He yelped in pain as energy was slowly drained away from him, and his flames dissolved and vanished.

"King!" Marina gasped.

"Hoothoot, use Peck," the Elder ordered. The Hoothoot responded instantly, approaching King with a bounce in its step and jabbing its beak at him.

"King, use Ember!" Marina hastily commanded. Embers blasted from King and scorched Hoothoot, who backed away. King twitched as the vines flashed, sapping a little more of his energy away. This prevented him from avoiding another pecking attack from Hoothoot, but was able to drive it off with a snarl and his threatening flames.

"What do I do?" King asked, and though the synthesized voice was rather calm, his real voice beneath it was almost panicked.

His Trainer scanned the areas where Leech Seed had its hold on King's fur. What did the Pokédex say about King's fur? Marina grinned. It's immune to fire, but the Leech Seed shouldn't be!

"Ember... Use Ember on yourself!"

After a moment for King to comprehend her words, the blazing fire came alive on King's head and hide. He turned and showered himself in the hot cinders, causing most of the vines to burn and wither away. It crumbled into ashes, enabling him to move freely and painlessly once again.

"Good! Now, Ember on Hoothoot!"

"Use Fly!" Li then said as this happened.

Hoothoot flapped its little wings and managed to stay afloat in the air, evading King's attack. It withdrew a little higher and descended headfirst.

"Tackle it, King!" Marina ordered quickly.

King pawed at the floor and charged back at the Owl Pokémon without restraint. Once flames began to envelop his figure, Marina gasped in remembrance of the attack.

That fire...King did that when I battled Silver! She thought, feeling the heat from her Quilvava's flames even from where she stood.

The rapid flames grew and covered King's top half of his body, quivering lively as they flickered from red-orange to blue-green. The Elder and his Pokémon watched King in surprise as the Quilava lunged and collided right into Hoothoot, finally knocking it out.

A distinct smell of smoke wafted about the room as King's flames twisted and vanished.

Marina murmured her Pokémon's nickname with a hint of wonder. What kind of attack was that?

"Maguma..."King let out a sigh and sat down, watching as the girl ran over to him.

"That was awesome, King!" she exclaimed happily, and he looked up at her proudly.

"Ye...ah, I...Magu ma, rashi." A crackling sound was heard from around King's neck, no longer translating the Pokémon's voice.

"Huh?"

"Rashi?" King looked down, puzzled.

"Uh oh," Marina said, covering her mouth with her hand. The collar—charred, brown and melting—was no longer shining. Some violent sparks erupted followed by more cackling before it went dead.

"Magu," King muttered in a way that one would think he said, "Oops."

"King, are you okay? It looks like it's melted on your neck." The Quilava did not seem to be in pain, though a slightly upset expression faulted his furry face. Marina petted his head with an assuring smile as she faced the Elder, who was wearing an approving smile.

"That was an excellent battle! Take this Flash HM," he said, handing out a yellow disk that resembled a CD. It was encased in a small case, though the words "HM 05" were legible on the disk's flat surface.

"Oh, so it's Flash." Marina took it and bowed politely. "Thank you!" She looked down at King, kneeling to put away the HM. "Now we've got to go to the Pokémon Center for sure to get that collar off." Reaching blindly in the main pocket of her backpack, she pulled out her gray-colored Escape Rope.

"I hope you learn and grow from your journey," Elder Li replied.

"Thanks again!" Marina said as she hugged King carefully and spun the rope over both their heads. Her voice echoed as they vanished into thin air.

Marina's Pokémon:
King the Quilava
Nana the Sentret
Tata the Rattata
Kenya the Spearow
Phany the Phanpy
Misdreavus