I...Actually don't know what to say.
Just I'm glad I delayed, as I managed to change this chapter a little for the better. Of course, I'm also happy I'm updating so often.

For those who might've missed the message on my profile (I update it often for this fan-fic's progress), I've edited Chapters 1 through 3. Two is the most important edit-wise, but the others are simply to make the chapters easier to read.
Now, whether or not I'll keep editing chapters alongside my writing depends on the chapter. Knowing me, though, I'll end up trying to take each one and sugar it up with descriptions... Either way, if I make any more major edits, I'll say so.

Enjoy!

Chapter 40
A Close Call

"Amber, don't go too far!"

"Pu?" The curious Amber strayed clumsily away into a patch of tall grasses. Ears twitching, her Pokémon halted to look back at Marina. Amber bobbed her head with a sneeze as the green blades softly grazed her nose. Intrigued, she stared upwards with her mouth wide open, jumping distractedly to grasp them.

Letting out a little giggle, Marina put her hands to her hips when she caught up to Amber. Her pastel pink backpack hung loosely from her shoulders, a vibrant accent to her outfit now that she had switched out her pink top. Her thick jacket was tired around her waist, revealing the length of her shirt's sleeves that reached her elbows. The weather was unusually hot, and the jacket's warmer material quickly convinced Marina to take it off.

"It's dangerous to go off on your own," she said. The PokéGear around her neck swung a little as she picked up Amber. Marina then walked down the dirt path bordered by short walls of sturdy white picket fences. She smiled as a breeze swept across the area, relaxed because of the cooling relief. Amber began to reach for the girl's ponytails as they billowed in the wind.

"Now really," Marina said as her short bangs flicked lightly, causing her Pokémon to practically hug her face. She giggled and pulled her off. "Geez, stop it! Do I have to put you back in your Poké Ball?"

Shaking her head left and right, Amber replied in discord when Marina reached for her belt. But Amber's head bobbed dizzily and she stopped, in a sleepy daze.

"Don't worry, it's not that scary." Marina patted her head, approaching a sharp bend in the road where the fences ended. Her Pokémon looked at her, smiling cutely and resting her head as she watched where they were headed.

They reached a little clearing just outside of the path, where a perfectly straight, young tree stood at its center bearing little fruits in the branches. Marina gazed up at it and then looked out into the area. Aside from the dark evergreen pines, most trees were shrouded with warm-colored leaves and baring boughs that jutted into the humid sky. The day was calm and humid, and there occurred occasional absences of wind. Such pauses almost felt unsettling, and even the wild Pokémon in the distance would silence for a moment.

"I wonder if a storm's coming," Marina wondered aloud.

The landscape of Route 38 was filled with uneven ledges, hills, and grassy meadows. Battling a few traveling Trainers along the way, she had spent quite a few days attempting to catch as many different species in the area as she could find. This proved to be a daunting task, with plenty of stubborn rare Pokémon. Partway through, she was forced to head back to Ecruteak City once in order to restore her supply of healing items and Poké Balls. She was not certain how many different kinds were left for her to attain.

Should I stay and look for Pokémon again? While in her thoughts, Marina leaned against the berry tree gently. Eventually, she decided that she had spent long enough catching and was ready to proceed to the next Route, hopefully running into more Pokémon on the straight road leading to Olivine City.

"Okay, that's the plan then!" With a content smile, she recalled Amber—who had just fallen asleep—into the Pokémon's ball.

A loud buzzing sound zipped by her ear. She turned with a start toward a large dragonfly Pokémon, which stopped before her intelligently. It tilted its green head as its transparent wings hummed continuously. In its mouth was a letter, and it hovered in wait for Marina to take it.

"Oh, you're Jackson's Yanma! I almost forgot," Marina exclaimed and moved to take the folded paper. "Thank you."

"Yan!" The red and green Pokémon hovered a little longer before flying toward the berry tree above her to snack on the small fruits.

Unraveling the parchment, Marina read the letter to herself. She laughed as she noticed the questions that made up the first sentence of each written paragraph; to her amusement, she could imagine her friend writing the letter in Ecruteak's Pokémon Center on a whim.

Hey, Marina!

How have you been doing since you left Ecruteak? Did you make it to Olivine City yet? I'm still in Ecruteak trying to beat Morty. But it's all good, I'll beat him soon! Then maybe we can travel together again when I catch up, what do you think?

Also, is your PokéGear broken or do you keep it off all the time? I call often to check, but I get the same message about not being able to reach you. You have to keep it on more often, or else no one can call you! It's easier for us to chat through PokéGear than sending letters with my Yanma. Not that I mind though, because I can send you gifts that way! But anyways, call me when you get this letter so I know it still works.

Oh yeah, by the way, did you know about the tropical storm that's going to hit Olivine City? It's already hitting Goldenrod and brining a ton of rain, from what the news say. If you're not in Olivine yet, will you stay there and endure the storm or come back to Ecruteak? Either way, just make sure you get to safety as quick as possible when it comes. It's really weird to have a strong storm like this at almost the end of November, but I guess that can't be helped now.

Call me or reply using my Yanma! Or both, it doesn't matter. Whatever you want, I'm fine with it!

Be careful and good luck, Marina!

Your best friend, Jackson!

Marina gawked at the third paragraph with a slight twinge of fear and excitement. "A tropical storm? I had no idea!"

With a burst of energy, she slung her PokéGear off her neck and pressed the large button on the side to turn it on. The time and day appeared on the green screen, reading: "Wednesday, 4:48PM." She skipped to her phone number list, which Jackson's number was near the top. But as she scrolled to click his name, the screen went blank.

...Huh?

Puzzled, Marina turned it on again.

The boldfaced letters "BATTERY LOW" leaped out at her before switching to the date and time screen. As she quickly rushed to try and call her friend again, it ended with the same result. For some time, the girl stared at her PokéGear in obvious disdain.

"Oh Geez. When was the last time I charged the battery?" She asked herself. She searched her memories without much success. When she had reached back to when her mother had given her the PokéGear before she left New Bark Town, she paused and lightly smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "That would be why: I've never charged it before!"

Sitting on the ground beside her backpack, Marina sighed loudly. "Geez!" She reached for the letter and picked it up to read it again. This time, she noticed a postscript at the very bottom, below Jackson's strangely loopy signature.

P.S. Have you called May and your mom yet? A big thunderstorm just hit there, but New Bark Town's completely fine according to my mom. If you haven't called, I'm sure May will be pretty furious, haha! :D

"Oh!" She looked down and dropped her hand holding the letter into her lap. A warm southern wind pushed itself in her face and she continued to read the last words.

I...forgot about that, her thoughts admitted.

Marina shivered a little as the wind yielded a sudden cold breeze, and she searched out a pencil and her diary from the bottom of her bag. Without much of a sound, she wrote her reply to Jackson on the back of his letter, using her diary's hard cover to write on.

After all this time, Marina thought as she wrote. Only now has my PokéGear's battery run dry, for the first time since I became a Pokémon Trainer. It's literally been months. Have I really not talked to people that much? She hesitated as she was about to write the question on her letter, but shook her head with a simper.

No. That's not why. I have my reasons.

When she finished the reply, Marina folded the letter and held it up, watching as her friend's Yanma snatched it from her hand and proceeded to fly eastward from whence it came. She looked at her little orange notebook and wrote a small entry inside it before stealing it away into her backpack. Feeling a little down, Marina slid her bag on again and put her dead PokéGear around her neck. She stood on her feet, gazing at the darling scenery before her.

"A lot of things have happened, so I couldn't call anyone," Marina encouraged herself. Another round of chilly winds pulled at her hair, and she nodded with stronger confidence. "A lot of things."

Taking a deep sigh, Marina jumped down the slightly steep ledge into the little meadow, the refreshing wind embracing her as she landed. She considered climbing up the ledge on the other side of the field, but decided otherwise and ran through the knee-high grass. She acknowledged a familiar passing Trainer with a wave.

When she had found her way back onto the dirt road, she panted from the sprint. She stood near a ledge, staring across the meadow to the other side where the tranquil berry tree grew.

"Maybe I should've just climbed it," she said and laughed between breaths. Marina turned west, where in the distance she could see a sign that probably announced the line separating Routes 38 and 39. From what she could see, the beginning of Route 39 contained more hills and plains, perfect for farmland.

Maybe that's why there are all these fences around. With a little shrug, Marina looked up at the sky. The clear azure had no speck of white adorning it, only the blue color that extended infinitely.

Heavy hooves pounded on the ground. A Pokémon's cry was heard, familiar to a wild bull's. Jolting from her thoughts, Marina looked around as she felt the light tremors shiver up her ankles. She reached for her belt, gazing around her with caution.

It must be a Tauros, she thought quickly.

She felt excited; through her entire catching spree, she spotted only one Tauros, which she had to let free because she was out of Poké Balls by that time. She would have guessed that it was the same one, but the Tauros she ran into was fairly quieter. This one sounded harsher, maybe an alpha male of its herd if it had one.

Marina clutched a Poké Ball, keeping it clipped to her belt in case the Pokémon did not show. Her heart beat faster in anticipation, and she took a deep breath to disperse a sudden wave of uneasiness that had formed in her gut.

Its gallop drastically grew louder, and the large brown bull crashed headfirst through the line of fence, which shattered and snapped like toothpicks. Heaving and howling, it dug its hooves into the ground to slide to a sloppy stop. The bull's bulky figure twitched in some places and its triplet tails whipped wildly on its hide. It spent seconds wheezing for breath and noticed Marina. Its pupils were minuscule dots and the whites teemed with red veins revealing its violent lunacy.

The girl's hand trembled over her Phany's Poké Ball as she stared back into the Tauros's wild eyes.

This...this Pokémon...

Frozen on the spot, her head swam as she felt her breath constricting, the air limiting from her lungs. Marina's hand immediately went to her throat, as if hoping to alleviate the choking sensation, but to no avail. She could only feel the black choker through her shirt. Her eyes were unable to tear away from the Tauros, which let out another shrill shout and shook its head armed with sharp horns. The bull's very presence shook her to her core.

It's just like Lapras!

Her mind was submerged with rapid thoughts and stabbing unrest. Then, with a horrible realization, she shook and forced her eyes away from the Pokémon. With the unsettling feeling came the sensation of something trying to take over; it was too familiar to disregard.

No way... Not this again!

She bit her lip and resisted every waking nerve that yearned to jump out at the Tauros. The hasty existence continuously attempted to overturn her conscious, filling her with silent suggestions. In the process, it forcefully unfurled her memories in the Lake of Alph. They flashed in her mind like lightning; the lake which she was flung into by a raging Lapras; the Unown surrounding her in the ruins that turned to crystal; when she had dueled under the influence of something or someone; then Kenta—.

"No!" Marina shouted and held her head. "Not this time. Whatever you are, I won't let it happen again!"

The wild Tauros flailed its tails and released a hoarse roar, furious by human girl's exclamation. It charged in a reckless manner, pushing its legs to its limits to move its large figure forward.

Marina fearfully looked up at it, still entangled within the desperate mental battle. I don't need your help this time!

The intolerable force pried into her mind still. It was unlike the compelling power that engulfed her in Lake Alph; it seemed soft, almost shy, but it desired control all the same. Marina shook her head in defiance, her sneakers sliding against the dirt as she moved her trembling feet back. She could feel the earth shaking under the Tauros's raging stampede.

I can take care of this Pokémon by myself! She rushed to unclip one of her Poké one final endeavor, she stepped backwards again to avoid the irate Pokémon.

The ground vanished from under her. She felt dizzy from confusion as she fell back, feeling a gust of cold wind slap her cheek. A blast of bright, colorful light struck the reeling Tauros, subduing it in one hit.

Her eyesight blurred, and the vision of the fallen Pokémon blended into a sea of colors. Like she was forcefully blindfolded, her sight went pitch black before she could even feel the wind stop from beneath her.

A Trainer and his Pokémon dashed through the long blades of grass. The first signs of the evening sun shined on them, still beating on them with heat. But needing a moment of rest, the two came to a halt. The boy adjusted the brim of his backwards hat as he relied on one of the trees for support.

"I'm certain it went this way," he said.

At his feet, his sheep-like partner Flaaffy panted for breath and looked up at him. Even exhausted, its overall appearance was undeniably cute; the dollops of fluffy wool covered its neck and all over the top of its head, while the rest of its hot pink skin was left exposed. The cyan jewel on its tail flickered with stored electricity. Like a sheep's cry, it made an uneven baa-like sound in response.

Kenta looked at him and grinned with a slight disappointment. "Tauros ran too fast for us to catch up..."

He grabbed his hoodie at the collar and tugged it to cool himself down. Moments later, he removed his backpack before taking off the layer of clothing, feeling immediate relief as his short-sleeved shirt freed his arms of some heat. He held his jacket carefully so as the contents inside the white pockets wouldn't spill out. With a deep breath, he put his bag back on, retrieved a Poké Ball and faced Flaaffy.

"We should keep going, then. Maybe it's up ahead."

The sheep suddenly turned with alert attentiveness. It shifted as a powerful gust shoved them in a rush of cold air from the north. Flaaffy fell on all fours, its striped tail swiftly moving about.

"What is it?" As Kenta turned northward, he closed an eye as his bangs were pushed in his face. Just as it grew placid and quiet, a heavy roar burst out from and annihilated the peace. The boy jumped, but quickly grinned. "That was it!"

"Moko!" Flaaffy cooed. With a sudden jolt sparkling around its body, it bolted ahead.

Kenta followed after it, running alongside the stoic trees. When the barrier of pines finally began to wither, they were stopped as another breath of wind hindered them. He squinted and pushed ahead, sprinting quickly as the gusts flowed weaker. He then stopped, his eyes widening as he looked upon the unpaved road ahead of him. His Pokémon settled before him in a ready stance, prepared to battle and protect its Trainer.

Standing on the ground, a vile expression sewn on its bleak face, Tauros twitched as it turned toward the pair. It stumbled to its feet. Shards of ice beaded its shaggy mane, refracting many tints of light in the bright sun. It shivered a little, but stamped its foot demandingly in the dirt and kicked up bits of frosty dirt.

Kenta stared, baffled. He glanced around, but saw nothing else but the upset, fatigued Tauros. Shaking off the mystery, he looked at his Pokémon. "Alright, Flaaffy, let's catch it this time!"

Swiftly the pink sheep nodded. "Moko!"

"Thunder Wave!"

Flaaffy ushered forth the static built up in its fur, making a soft-spoken call as it approached the Tauros. Upon its approach, bull went mad in a frenzy of flailing. But it stopped as Flaaffy released the thin cloud of electricity toward it. Its enemy buckled under the shower of sparks, still creating a ruckus as it tried to tackle Flaaffy, who easily bounced away.

"Finally," Kenta said with relief, though he frowned at seeing the Tauros painfully collapse to the ground. Reaching into the side pocket of his backpack, he took out a new Poké Ball that was customized with a dark gray coating: the Heavy Ball, a Poké Ball useful for heavier Pokémon. With the large sphere in hand, the boy quickly tossed it in Tauros's direction. "Heavy Ball, go!"

The rash, hard headed Pokémon attempted to rise before the ball rammed into its back. It looked at Kenta with extreme severity as it was sucked into the Heavy Ball. Three shakes later, the ball quit wriggling and the boy let out a slightly tense sigh. His Flaaffy made a singsong chirp in satisfaction as it stood on its hind legs and grabbed the large Poké Ball, hastily walking toward its Trainer.

"Thanks," Kenta said as he knelt and took it. As the sphere rested in his hand, he could almost feel the heavy weight of the Pokémon inside. Clutching it, he smiled at his partner and petted it appraisingly. "Good job, Flaaffy. We've caught ourselves a Tauros!"

"Moko," it bleated in return. The pink sheep made another delighted cry as Kenta pulled out its Poké Ball and returned it.

"You did great," added Kenta and slid both spheres into his jacket pocket after converting them to their smaller forms.

Feeling another comforting northern breeze, he held his crimson jacket tight in his arm and stood on his feet. He turned to Route 38, specifically at the berry tree he could see far off across the meadow, and swiftly turned and walked down the worn path to Route 39.

He was not entirely alone, however. A large azure Pokémon watched him from the thick woods, red cat-like eyes not shifting away until the boy was at a safe distance. It calmly emerged from hiding, its elegant violet mane and ribbons flowing in the calm draft. The large crystal on its head glistened with a thin coat of fresh ice as it turned to the ledge. With a concerned glance at the unconscious girl resting in the deep bed of grass below, Suicune eventually returned to the concealment of the evergreens.

Oh my. So close, yet so far.
And now, since it is chapter 40… team rosters!

Marina's Pokémon:
King the Quilava
Prince the Espeon
Phany the Phanpy
Muu-chan the Misdreavus
Amber the Plusle
Lapras

In PC/Prof. Elm's Lab:
Kenya the Spearow
Etc.

Prepare for a filler-like chapter next, followed further by some important stuff. I'm beginning to get excited; no longer in Ecruteak! More travels!

And of course, hope to see you again, readers!