Many apologies for the delay. Definitely way overdue.

Now, onto the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 60
Suspicion and Admiration

Marina trotted along a well-defined strip of road, leaving behind the last Pokémon Trainer she had battled on Route 42. All of the fights she'd participated in, much to her surprise resulted in victory for her and her Pokémon. The team fought with a renewed, nimble energy that overpowered every opponent in their way. After the months of strict practice with the Kimono Girls and never straying far from Ecruteak City, they were refreshed by the freedom of traveling without the need to backtrack.

In a quick motion, Marina held up the hi-tech Pokémon collar and buckled it around the neck of her Misdreavus, who followed alongside her. "Everyone's really noticing how you and the others are battling," she said cheerfully. "Looks like working at the theater was worth it after all!"

"Muuma muu," Muu-chan responded, the device failing to translate her agreement.

"It looks so fun, I even want to join in." Marina made a lucid twirl, adding a happy bounce to her step. "Maybe we should do a dance when we battle, kind of like the Pokémon Contests in Hoenn my mom's told me about."

"Mu?" The Misdreavus tilted her head in doubt. "Wouldn't that be… difficult?"

"Well, I guess it would only be at the beginning," Marina reasoned, "Like we can move in synchronization when I first send you out."

The girl and her Pokémon walked at an even pace, paying no mind to the faint draft passing through. Although there was a small chill in the air because of the overcast sky above, the temperature had warmed in the past couple of days. Perhaps it meant an early spring. The pair was oblivious, however, as the clouds deepened their gray colors.

Because she was growing accustomed to her Trainer, Muu-chan eyed her in a more lively way than she would have three months ago. She sighed lightly.

"...That does sound fun," the Misdreavus said, after a while.

A heavy drizzle showered upon the forest green roofs of Mahogany Town, covering the modest settlement in a fuzzy fog. Though the temperature was mild, the dampness caused shivers amongst anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the downpour. Marina sighed as she scrunched the sleeve of her jacket and then blocked out the weather as she stepped inside the local store and pulled the sliding door shut.

The little shop before her was a strange place packed with knickknacks and junk food; there was a shelf of Pokémon goods, but they were of the basic sort. The smell of a particular cheesy snack pervaded the air.

"Geez, I'm drenched," Marina glanced toward her Misdreavus, "How about you, Muu-chan?"

"Muu," Muu-chan murmured with a tremble.

"It just started pouring so quickly." The girl rushed to take off the Pokémon's collar, examining it with concern. Hearing no water swashing within, she dried it off as best she could and put it back into her bag. "I really need to get an umbrella. I always end up getting caught in the rain!"

"You don't need to worry, kid; it shouldn't last long."

Marina turned with a start. A man with slightly hunched shoulders eyed her from near a peculiar golden armoire.

"Oh, hi! I hope you don't mind if we stay here for a while," she said with a polite bow.

He made a peculiar sort of grin. "No problem. This is my shop. If you need to buy anything, just let me know. This is no Pokémon Mart, but there might be things that may interest you." Turning, he passed by a rack of merchandise as he took his post behind the cash register.

With a word of thanks for his hospitality, she watched the drizzle beyond the window. Marina searched through her backpack and fished out a gel pen and her orange diary, perfectly dry and preserved. She leaned against one of the coffee brown walls and began to write, listening to the pattering rain. Soon, she began wandering through the little shop, multitasking as she was still writing.

Oh, they have Rage Candy Bars! She shut her diary and grabbed a couple red and blue-wrapped bars. She strolled up to the cashier, putting both the candy and her diary down on the counter.

The odd grin tugged at the corner of the man's mouth. "Ah, Rage Candy Bars? Good choice; those sell out fast, being the town's specialty candy." He tapped on the register. "That'll be 600 Poké."

"Yeah," Marina agreed as she took out a little wallet, paying with six 100-Poké notes even. "There you go."

"Thank you."

"Mm hm." As she put away her wallet, her eyes wandered to a glass case behind the man. Within it was a long, pink and fleshy tail. A disgusted feeling bubbled in her gut at the sight of it, especially as she began to recognize what Pokémon the severed limb belonged to. "Ew, what's that?" she exclaimed anyways, pointing at it accusingly.

The man raised his graying eyebrows and looked over his shoulder. "Ahaha," he laughed, "That's a Slowpoke Tail right there. It's a delicacy; very expensive."

She gasped. "S...Slowpoke Tail? As in, the tail of a Slowpoke? You can eat that?"

"No, you chew it. Believe it or not, the juices inside are supposedly very tasty—."

"Yuck, no! I don't want to hear it!" Marina interrupted, covering her ears.

The clerk laughed again.

Marina twisted a frown at him and turned to Muu-chan. Muu-chan seemed oblivious to their exchange as she searched around them, and a suspicious glare was contorting the little Pokémon's cute face. Fighting the uncomfortable feeling in her gut left from the Slowpoke Tail discussion, Marina gratefully focused her attention on her Misdreavus.

"Muu-chan? What's wrong?" she asked.

Muu-chan glanced at her with a disbelieving eye. "Muu, muu!"

"What...?" Half-offended and half-confused, Marina took to watching Muu-chan look around. It didn't take long for her to pick up on what she was trying to say, and she nearly winced when she did. An unnerving sound had filled the room like a low frequency Screech attack. She sympathized with her Misdreavus; it was hard to believe that she hadn't noticed it before, but for her Pokémon it must be significantly more bothersome. But the rain had stopped, unveiling any cover the soft sound had before.

The girl, curious, again frowned at the man behind the counter. "What's that noise?"

He stiffened. "Noise? What noise?"

"You know, that...odd noise," she tried to explain, "It kind of sounds electronic, but it also sounds...static-y? I don't know, but it's really annoying."

"Oh, uh... It must be the heating system," the man uttered out coolly, "I'm not surprised to see your Pokémon hear it, but I'm shocked that you can. I can't hear it at all."

"Really?" Letting the dissonance get to her, Marina patted one of her ears and muttered in frustration, "Geez, it's kinda quiet but I can sure hear it. You really need to get that fixed."

Before she knew it, the store clerk had gotten up and ushered her toward the exit. Marina managed to grab hold of her Rage Candy Bars off the counter as she willingly walked; the further she got from the counter and the golden armoire in the back of the store, the softer the peculiar humming grew.

"Oh, it's old. Been that way for a long time," he said in a hurry. "Well, anyways, the rain's stopped and I need to close up for lunch break, so out you go." Once Marina and Muu-chan were outside, he retreated inside and grabbed the door. "Have a nice day!" Before he even finished the sentence, he pulled the door shut.

Marina stared blankly, as did her Pokémon.

"But it's five-o-clock..."

After leaving the strange shop, Marina took a well-deserved break with her Pokémon at Mahogany Town's Pokémon Center. Less than an hour later, the weather cleared and bubbly springtime sunlight replaced the gloomy, overcast clouds. Marina, having nothing else to do, headed for the Gym.

The Pokémon Gym—large and frosted gently with ice—appeared entirely out of place in the tiny town, as if someone had mistakenly dropped it there. However, Marina didn't get to enter. She, instead, found herself staring in disbelief at the fellow who stood firmly in front of the entrance.

"Gym's not open," he said, keeping his arms firmly crossed over his chest.

"Really?" she asked, not fearing to show her disappointment. "I thought it was open now!"

"Well, the Gym Leader's assistant said they had something to attend to for a day or two. The Gym will reopen whenever he and his assistant return."

"Then when will it be open?"

"Not today," he said and shrugged.

Marina pouted. "Then what am I supposed to do? There's nothing here in this tiny town."

The man looked up and thought, and then he lowered his gaze back down to hers. "How about you do some sightseeing? Haven't you heard about the Red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage?"

"Huh?" She blinked. "Red Gyarados?"

"Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon. Type: Poison/Ground
It uses its thick arms, legs and tail to attack forcefully during battle. If its foe flinches, it will charge with its sturdy body and, if it binds the enemy, can snap the victim's spine quite easily. Melee combat is its specialty."

Marina spent a moment admiring the intimidating form of the opposing Trainer's Pokémon. Putting her Pokédex away, she looked over her shoulder at Misdreavus, who still followed beside her. The Pokémon smiled with plenty of vigor, and the girl smiled back. Together, Marina and Muu-chan spun in a ridiculous fashion, but they slowed and faced their opponent in lopsided synchronization.

"Muu-chan!" she called and flicked her wrist, an action she had practiced multiple times when opening a paper fan at the Ecruteak Dance Theater. "Take the stage!"

"Muu!"

The geeky older boy and his Pokémon, whom they were battling, stared at them with confusion on their faces.

Her enthusiasm deflating, Marina frowned. She dropped her pose. "What?" she asked. "Don't you think that was cool?"

"Uh...Yeah, sure." The other Trainer shook his head to shake off his puzzlement. "Nidoking, Poison Sting!"

Muu-chan appeared to be slightly embarrassed, but Marina put her hands on her hips and commanded, "Muu-chan, use Psybeam!"

The Misdreavus dashed toward the bulky, violet Pokémon that fired poison needles in her direction. Muu-chan easily turned and twisted out of the way, unleashing a ray of psychic waves from her eyes. The attack hit its mark almost immediately, and Nidoking shrieked feebly as it retreated. Unable to escape the attack, the Pokémon collapsed.

A few silent moments passed, as though everyone were waiting for the off-chance it would stand back up. It didn't.

The boy hung his head, sighing and recalling his Nidoking. "Return."

"Good job, Muu-chan!" Marina praised her Pokémon with a soft pat to the head. She turned to the Trainer, who approached her humbly. Not sure of what to say, she attempted a simper. "Well, that was quick."

"Yeah," he responded with a nod. He went on it a monotone, matter-of-fact way, fitting his stereotypical brainy appearance. "You had the advantage with that Psybeam; even though it didn't get S.T.A.B., my Nidoking has horrible Special Defense for some reason—."

Marina made the effort to laugh harmlessly. "I guess I'm lucky then; your Nidoking looked pretty intimidating."

Encouraged by her words, the young man grinned. "Thank you! You know, there was this rude boy that said the exact opposite thing. He was around your age, too, I suppose."

Marina partly tuned him out as she scanned the road ahead, where the path opened to the Lake of Rage. However, there was no one about; it was empty except for a solitary cabin, which seemed to be closed up for the day. A light drizzle dappled the area.

"Where is everyone? Don't they know about the Red Gyarados rumors?"

"Affirmative; that rumor's been everywhere lately. But since the sun's going down, everyone's already left."

Her eyes now searched the horizon, which was slowly being taken over by brilliant shades of orange and reds. Although it was evening, there was still plenty of light to go by for at least another hour. She nodded again, and turned back to the boy Trainer.

"Hey, which way did you go to get here?" Marina asked. "Did you take the normal road or the grassy road?"

Route 43, the route north of Mahogany and leading directly to the Lake of Rage, was divided into two paths: a rigorously untamed side for the adventurous, and a manmade express road for the passive.

The lanky young man thought for a moment. "I tried to take the right-hand road, but when I entered the gate at the beginning," his nose crinkled at the memory, "two men in black tried to make me pay a toll of 1,000 Poké."

"Hey, me too!" Marina exclaimed. "What happened? I was going to say no and leave, but I was so overwhelmed that I just ended up paying them anyways."

He grimaced. "Yeah, I refused."

"What'd they do? They looked pretty scary."

"They kicked me out. Literally," he added, earning a pitying frown from Marina as he rubbed his back. "This time, I'm avoiding that place." At last, he turned and waved briefly. "Good luck on seeing the Red Gyarados."

"Thanks, bye!" replied Marina, giving her own wave as she turned and walked onwards in the opposite direction. As she climbed a small hill with Muu-chan, she pondered to herself.

I thought that was odd. I think those two guys in the gate house were wearing Team Rocket uniforms, too. It's hard to mistake that big red 'R'. She instantly frowned at the thought, suppressing a shudder. The unpleasant memory at the Goldenrod City Gym still gripped her anxiety whenever she remembered it. I'm glad they didn't want a fight, even though I have 1,000 Poké less than I did before...

Marina reached the top of the hill and gazed upon the Lake of Rage, its peaceful surface sparkling in the early evening. The rain clouds were patchy, but appeared to be gorgeous violet dollops in the sky. The sight of it relaxed and melted away much of her discomfort, though one question remained.

But what would Team Rocket want in a place like this?

Once getting close enough to the bank, Marina settled onto the grass and watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon. Twitters from the forest Pokémon chirped into the evening, both the day-dweller Pidgeotto and the nocturnal Hoothoot awaiting the approaching twilight. From time to time, a ripple in the pond would cause a brief surge of waves to splash up at its bank, sometimes dripping onto Marina's cheek. She breathed the lukewarm air, smelling hints of budding flowers and youthful grass.

Her moment of content was brief. In the distance, the ferocious head of a giant, blue sea Pokémon reared up and slid back into the water with lightning speed. When this occurred for a second—third, fourth, probably even the seventh time, Marina's mouth dropped open.

Gyarados? So many!

Although the Lake of Rage was said to have been created by rampaging Gyarados, the lake's population was entirely filled with its pre-evolved form: the weak yet hardy Magikarp. The only exception was the rare, elusive Red Gyarados. At least, that's what she had heard from the man in front of the Mahogany Town Gym.

"Why are there Gyarados here? I thought there was only supposed to be one, and that's the Red Gyarados!" she exclaimed to her Misdreavus.

"Muu." Muu-chan, not really seeing what the problem was, shook her skirt calmly.

Marina frowned. She looked down and grabbed her PokéGear, turning it on in an attempt to distract herself. "It doesn't make any sense."

"So came here because of the rumors, too?" a voice, laden with a mixture of strength and kindness, asked her.

Marina jumped, almost dropping her PokéGear. She looked behind her and found that she and Muu-chan weren't as alone as she had first thought. Nearby was the sign identifying the Lake of Rage, and standing beside it was a young man—perhaps in his late twenties, if Marina had to guess. With spiky, soft red hair, a long black cape, and a determined gaze, he certainly stood out. Despite the fact that he looked like someone she had certainly seen on TV and magazines before, she failed to remember.

Geez, do things need to smack me in the face in order for me to remember them? She thought, hiding a frustrated pout.

"Yeah, sort of," she managed to respond.

"I see." He nodded.

Marina's eyes widened, speechless partly because she was still trying to figure out where she had seen him from—or when he had arrived, for that matter.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

The man paused for a moment, looking her in the eye again. Using the delay to contemplate something beyond Marina's understanding, as if trying to peer into her soul, he made a friendly grin.

"I'm Lance, a Trainer like you," he worded, carefully.

Lance? Geez, the name fits him too, but I still can't remember!

"I'm Marina," she replied and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Lance!"

"Nice to meet you, too." After the response, he very coolly stared out into the unsettled body of water, a thoughtful look etched into his sturdy face.

Marina blinked. She found it hard to look away from him, but since it would be awkward and rude to keep staring, Marina returned to her PokéGear. Continuing to fiddle with it, she switched to the radio application and skimmed through. Between the static, she picked up various stations, from ads on Pokémon shampoo to random blips of fuzzy music.

"There's nothing much on, is there?" she said, directing the question to her Pokémon.

"Muu," Muu-chan sighed.

Marina smiled in sympathy, as she knew the both of them were tired from the day's travels and battles. "I guess you don't need to wait along with me," she grabbed Muu-chan's Poké Ball, "Want to rest?"

"Muuma muu." The Misdreavus answered with a nod, and her figure was quickly swallowed into the capsule.

In the minutes afterward, Marina felt strangely empty in Muu-chan's absence. She scanned the Lake of Rage once more and, seeing nothing, returned to her little phone. Boredom soon began creeping up on her conscious.

Maybe that one guy was lying to me about the Red Gyarados so I could leave him alone, she thought, proceeding to ramble in her thoughts. Geez, just where is the Gym Leader? He just came back! With a heavy sigh herself, she scrolled mindlessly and tuned the radio to the very end—station 20.5.

The signal that came from it pierced into her ears like a bullet—but the blaring sound kept on going without stop. Marina cringed and yelped on instinct, pulling the PokéGear away as she covered an ear with her free hand.

What is that sound?!

Marina clumsily clicked any buttons her fingers could reach. The sound stopped. She dropped her PokéGear and allowed it to fall and bump against her shirt. Her ears were beginning to ring, and she covered them with both her hands. She smiled in sweet relief and, though hesitant, looked over her shoulder at Lance. As her faint instincts detected, he was eyeing her. Having also heard the strange radio broadcast, he didn't seem the least bit annoyed with her; instead, he appeared perplexed.

She made an apologetic half-grin. "Sorry, I don't know what station that was—."

A fierce, dull cry interrupted her from below, and she immediately turned. The roar summoned the clouds to gather again, spilling rain onto the lake. Marina watched the ominous event occur, and she retreated a couple steps as a gigantic splash erupted in front of her, causing droplets to shower over her. The grass below soon darkened, and Marina tensed. Dreading to see what cast the shadow, she clenched her trembling fists. Regardless, she swallowed down the lump in her throat and looked up.

Her eyes scrolled up the golden-crimson torso of a vicious sea-serpent Pokémon, stopping at its angered eyes and jaws that were opened wide. Its breath—heavy, hot, and reeking of dead fish—blew into Marina's face. Marina herself didn't even dare to flinch in fear of provoking it. The Gyarados reared its head further, glowering at her from many feet above and growling like deep thunder.

Marina was frozen stiff. It wasn't like the time she had encountered Lapras at the Ruins of Alph, nor was it like when she stumbled upon that wild Tauros on Route 38. She didn't feel strange or lightheaded, and her neck felt fine. She was too scared—and amazed, too, at the Gyarados's unique color—to move.

A fierce gust of wind swept down with such force that Marina was nearly knocked off her feet. Marina shivered as she was partly drenched in lake water.

An unfamiliar howl pierced through the air, cooing with a gifted power in its vibrato. Marina looked back up and gasped. A tall dragon Pokémon had its back to her, flapping its small but potent wings protectively. On its back was the spiky-haired man from before. His jet-black cape that seemed ridiculous before now appeared rather heroic and powerful as it billowed in the wind.

"Lance!" she exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" he called back. Though he didn't spare her a glance, the question in itself expressed his knightly concern.

Marina managed a reply. "Y-Yeah!"

He nodded. "Good. Dragonite, Fly!"

At those simple words, Lance's dragon roared once more and took to the sky. The Red Gyarados, distracted by a worthy opponent, turned warily and summoned a dragon-type twister in their direction. The Dragonite cut through the gusts as if they were a gentle breeze and struck its opponent head-first, then countering with a Twister of its own. The sheer force of the attack overpowered Gyarados' and continued to Gyarados itself, who swayed in pain before lashing out for more, pursuing Lance and his Pokémon further into the lake.

As the battle strayed away from Marina, Marina stared at the ongoing battle in wonder. She nearly forgot to whip out her camera, but once she did so she snapped some photos of the exciting battle. The impressive Pokémon Trainer commanded the skies and dominated the battle, his Dragonite obeying him without a second thought. There was full trust and unyielding power, but the prowess did not stop there; there was determination, tactics, and bravery. Even a spark of mercy was displayed as Lance called off his Pokémon when the raging Red Gyarados recovered from each blow it sustained.

Suddenly, Lance tossed a Poké Ball—whichever type it was, Marina could barely tell, but it seemed to have been an Ultra Ball—right at the Red Gyarados, which was exhausted and paralyzed from the Dragonite's Thunder Wave technique. As soon as it was entrapped inside, Lance snatched the sphere in one fell swoop, a daring move since the Poké Ball had yet to declare whether or not the Pokémon was contained. If the catch was a failure, there would be certain danger from the wrath of the Red Gyarados at close range.

His Dragonite took to flying around for a few moments, and Marina watched in a tense apprehension from the shore. They paused in mid-air, and Lance turned and gave a wave to Marina, a sign that the Red Gyarados had been captured. Awe-struck, she waved back.

"Great job! That was fantastic!" she exclaimed excitedly, clapping with her pink camera still in hand. She rushed toward the edge of the lake, and watched Lance reach the shore.

Of all the Trainers she had met so far, he was the strongest and most impressive Trainer she had ever seen.

I revised the ending to this chapter many times, but it's still awkward to me. Hopefully it's just me.

And as this is the 60th chapter...

Marina's Current Pokémon:

King the Quilava (Male)
Prince the Espeon (Male)
Phany the Donphan (Male)
Muu-chan the Misdreavus (Female)
Amber the Plusle (Female)
Lapras (Female)

Available via PC: Kenya the Fearow (Male)

Others at Elm's Lab:
Nana the Furret
Tetra the Rattata
Murkrow (currently with Chris)
Etc.

Until next time, dear readers, where we discover a peculiar staircase in the darkness of a peculiar store...