"Azurview in sight!"
The chosen children fixed their gaze in front of Wailord: Azurview was a coastal town whose waters on the beach were bluer than any other, as well as the sky (perhaps that's why the name of the place). Also, the waves were calm and peaceful, perfect for a good time. A myriad of Pelippers were flying overhead, heading towards a building on a cliff with a curious shape...
"Is it me or is that house on top shaped like Pelipper?" Luke asked.
And it really had it: with a big yellow beak, eyes that were windows to get in and out, this building was a unique building for the Pelippers to congregate. It looked like a kind of post office because the flying Pelippers had briefcases and carried letters.
The boys disembarked at the small dock with some difficulties, since Wailord was an excessively large Pokemon. Once they were successful, they said goodbye to Wailord, inviting him a couple of berries for his return trip. After that, they headed towards the Pokemon's Square.
What a square! The park where the kids met before the trip was little compared to that square. First of all, there were white stone houses of which four or more had open businesses: one of them had a couple of colorful purple and green Kecleons selling a variety of objects and accessories. Another of the businesses consisted of a kind of bank run by a Persian, to whom a Granbull was giving a bag of coins. Then, there was another business that was run by a Gulpin, who kept scrolls on display that he sold. Finally, the fourth place looked like an inn run by a nice Swanna and a little Dedenne.
"Where can we find this sage Alakazam?" asked Mina, "I don't see it anywhere"
"Maybe asking someone here..." Dylan suggested, "I know, Rex ask that Pokemon"
Dylan pointed to a relaxed Charizard under a tree, resting his head on his claw or his elbow against the grass. It was strange for Rex to see a future evolution of him when he wasn't really a Charmander at all.
"You make him ask why they're kind of the same species?" Rose asked, "I get your point, but are we sure he'll tell us anything?"
"Well, it's okay to try…" Rex commented and walked towards the Charizard, "Excuse me…"
The Charizard opened his eyes, which seemed to glare at him just by fixing them on the Charmander. Rex continued:
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find a sage? I mean Alakazam"
"Yes, I know him because we were teammates" he replied to everyone's surprise, "But I have to say that the price of finding him will be very high..."
Rex got a little angry: "Information because money? I prefer to find it myself!"
"Nah, money has nothing to do with it" Charizard explained, standing up, "I'll put it this way: I love intense battles and I see that you hide a great strength inside of you. If you manage to defeat me, I'll take you to Alakazam, what do you say, do you accept?"
Rose and the others were about to intervene, but Rex felt an intense desire to fight that he couldn't explain later.
"I agree!" he said
The Charizard smiled at such fighting spirit and led them across the square, towards a flat area devoid of houses. Beside him, was a small pond. The Charizard got ready to have fun with the little Charmander.
"Good luck mate," Zack told Rex, "You'll need it."
"Thanks, I guess..." he replied, somewhat worried by those words.
Rex entered the battlefield at the same time that the Charizard told him: "Ready! Give me your best shot!"
Rex understood and launched a frontal attack of embers against the Charizard. This one just opened his mouth. The rookie thought that he was going to counterattack with a powerful flame thrower, but what he really did was swallow the ember flames, then lick his lips.
"A touch of heat, but very tasty," he told his boastfully, "Is that all?"
Rex supposed he had to do better than that. Then, he launched an ember attack again. The Charizard didn't understand why the little rival made such a mistake until realizing that the flames hit the ground hard, raising earth and blocking the view.
The Charmander moved as fast as it could while its opponent was out of sight and prepared to attack him with a scratch; but, as if he sensed it, the Charizard caught his small claw and flung him back across the field, rolling him.
"Rex!" Mina yelled.
"You fight like a baby," the Charizard sneered, "You tend to attack without really knowing your opponent. You think that by limiting his sense of sight you may have an advantage, but it never crosses your mind that he is also the same type. Those of fire can detect the heat of others. That flaming tail isn't just for decoration."
Rex paid attention to his tail: the heat it gave off was pleasant and alive, since it represented his life force, but it was also a form of detectable heat and this veteran knew that. Still, he must not lose.
"Time to evolve!" he yelled pulling the Pokephone out of him.
Instantly, his device reacted and engulfed him in brilliance, changing from Charmander to Charmeleon. The Charizard was shocked by that sudden evolution, but kept defending him.
"Wow," he told him, "I didn't think that could be done. I hope the fight is as impressive as that sudden evolution "
"I'm going there!" Rex yelled shaking his tail at him and launching a direct attack of fire.
The Charizard defended himself with his arms because this fire was somewhat more intense than the previous one. After the impact, he could see Rex only a quarter of a meter from him. Quickly, he used his tail to attack him, but he jumped and stepped on his tail, coming in close with his claws.
But the Charizard shook its wings, raising air... and Rex himself, taking him to fly. When he was airborne, the adult Pokemon grabbed his arms and pulled him up even higher.
"Enough!" Rex yelled at him, his fear showing, "Not so high!"
"How curious!" The Charizard replied, "You are afraid of heights! I hope you know how to pray, because this will be the end of you! … Seismics Toss!"
To Rex's horror, Charizard began spinning around and around as he plummeted towards the ground from a great height. He was so afraid that he closed his eyes, he felt his heart beating at a thousand an hour, he knew that he would hurt such a fall...
And then he felt a tug on his tail. Opening his eyes, he could see that he was only inches off the ground and Charizard was holding onto his tail, making Rex look upside down at everything and everyone. Finally, he released him and fell in defeat, losing even his transformation and reverting to his base form. His friends helped him up.
"Are you ok?" Rose asked feeling Rex's startled heart, "Your heart is beating so fast."
"It was... horrible..." he was able to say.
"You have to get over that fear" the Charizard warned him, "But I have to admit you have guts... Did you guys see it?"
That question was not for the PokeDestined, but rather to two Pokemon from the other side of the pond, who were now approaching them: one was a large and fierce Tyranitar and the other was a serious but thoughtful Alakazam.
"You went too far with that last attack, Charizard," the Tyranitar warned him, "You always like to show off."
"Uh, come on... I wanted to see if I had the fierce character of my species" Charizard excused himself.
"I'm sorry about the battle you had with my friend rescuer," Alakazam told them, "but I wanted to see the ability of the PokeDestined"
"Are you the sage Alakazam?" Zack asked, "How did you know we were coming here? Did a legendary tell you?"
Alakazam began to laugh. He then proceeded to explain:
"Let's just say that your actions have not been secret at all in the Pokemon world, you are becoming popular. Rumors have swirled of a new rescue team: they defeated a gang of criminals called the Dark Bullies, defeated Queen Vespiqueen's guards and rescued an adorable Budew, beat up the powerful Poliwrath brothers, one of them winning the Portual's flying competition… Everyone agrees that they are a Charmander, a Froakie, a Chikorita, a Pidove, a Shinx and a Nidoran. It's you, right?"
The chosen boys looked at each other in shock that their exploits had become so well known. After Rex felt better, Alakazam made them sit near the pond, along with their fellow Charizard and Tyranitar.
"We're a team too," Tyranitar clarified, "Oh well, we used to be…a long time ago. We knew each other as Team A.C.T, initials for our team members: Alakazam, Charizard, and myself, Tyranitar."
"But we're almost retired," Charizard continued, "There wasn't much work after a chosen human like you and his partner saved the world"
"A chosen human?" Luke asked, "Did you know him? Where is he...?"
"After completing his mission, he had to return to his world," Alakazam explained, "However, his determination to stay left him in this world and he continued his work as a rescue team together with his best friend. Years passed, and one day they both retired and went on a long trip. They never came back and we never found out what happened to them. But we knew that if the world of Pokemon ever went through a new crisis, he or other humans would come to help us."
"And, from what I saw in that ability to evolve at will, you are chosen humans" said Charizard, "Although honestly you still have a lot of growing to do"
"Hey!" Mina yelled at him, but Rex stopped her.
"No, you're right," he said, "I... I was always afraid of great heights."
"And, thanks to those fears, you cannot be stronger" Alakazam recommended, "All of you, while your fears appease you, will have a limit to your true power"
"That's what Lugia told us," Dylan recalled.
"Lugia?" asked Charizard, "Amazing! They met a legendary! Although, to tell the truth, so do we"
"He beat us to the ground," Tyranitar reminded him, "and you were the first to fall against Groudon."
The children laughed at that anecdote, Charizard felt embarrassed for remembering that fact. As they talked, afternoon fell over Azurview and Alakazam recommended that they rest at the inn, where the Swanna they saw earlier would kindly receive them, as she was an old friend of him.
And so it was: Swanna treated them with great kindness and gave them a room big enough for them. Fortunately, they were able to afford all of this, including a delicious dinner of berries. While they were eating, Zack asked:
"And now, where will we go?"
"Apparently, we must awaken those powers that Lugia and Alakazam told us," Rex commented, "It's our next step."
"In the meantime, I think we can wait here" Rose recommended, "In that place, Pelipper Mail, it seems that letters arrive from anywhere and outside of it, there are posters of events that occur in various parts. If there's anything related to our powers, we'll know."
"It seems that the adventure has only just begun" Luke said, just as he yawned, "Well, I think it will be better to sleep to recover energy..."