Light

[ryan22424]

Time for Chapter 7, enjoy.

Chapter 7: Hero

Light leapt past the Totadile and used Sand-Attack as it turned to follow him. Blinded, the Totadile was unable to make a hit. Light ended it with a Quick Attack. The Totadile hit a tree and fainted.

"Yes, we won!" Nick yelled.

The opponent, a nicely dress gentleman, returned his Totadile and gave a bow to Nick. "That was a well fought match. I'm surprised that your Umbreon's speed. It's the first Pokemon able to keep up with my Totadile," he said, shaking hands with Nick. He pulled out a few coins.

"Thanks, we work hard on it," Nick said, taking the coins.

Once the man had walked away, Nick sat against a tree and pulled out a sandwich. Light yawned and laid down next to him. This was their fifth day of camping in the wild to train. Nick said as soon as Light learned a long range dark attack, then they would face Mark again.

Nick had found out that Umbreon could learn a pretty good attack called Dark Pulse, but it was a high level move. Even so, that was their current goal. Unfortunately, trainers were the easiest way to train, but not many were coming through. The current Pokemon League was happening and many trainers even without eight badges had gone to watch the battles.

Ace roosted in the tree's branches. Blaze was still in a pretty bad mood, though Light was positive it wasn't about losing anymore. Nick handed Light a treat and he happily ate it.

Soon, Nick was done eating. He pulled out his coins and counted them. "Hmm . . . maybe . . . It would be faster, but I would like a few more Pokeballs first. Hmm . . ." Nick thought out loud.

Light pawed him and tilted his head, to signify him to explain.

"Well, there is a Dark Pulse TM, but I have to find one, which is almost impossible, or I buy one. I think I may have enough, but I also wanted to get some more Pokeballs. What do you think?" Nick asked.

Light pointed at one of the Pokeballs on Nick's belt. "I think you should get more Pokeballs. I want to learn this move the regular way," Light said, though Nick wouldn't understand him.

"You think I should get Pokeballs. You probably want more friends to talk to. I know, I know, this training is boring for me, too, but it's needed in order to beat Mark. It would be easier if we knew a Pokemon who could use it," Nick said. He put the coins up and got up. "Well, we better get back to-"

Suddenly, Nick was interrupted by a loud explosion. Light looked up and saw tons of smoke arising from where the sound came from. The sound was still ringing in their ears when another explosion came.

"What was that? Come on guys, we need to check it out," Nick ordered.

Blaze got up with Light and they dashed after Nick into the forest depths. Ace flew overhead and quickly overtook them. Another explosion sounded and Light knew they were headed in the right direction.

Eventually, they reached what used to be a clearing. The ground was torn up and thrown everywhere. In the middle of the clearing was a buff looking man on a motorcycle. He wore all black pants, shirt, and jacket and had black hair. His hair line was starting to recede also. Near him were three Pokemon. One was all purple with spikes all over its back and a large horn. Another one was a giant, dark gray creature that walked on two legs with steel plates all over it. The third one was like a spider, but as large as or larger than Light himself. Nick's Pokedex labeled them Nidoking, Aggron, and Ariados respectively. It was now obvious the damage was done by them.

At first, Nick and his group were confused on why the man was doing this, until they saw what the man was looking at. It was a small pink Pokemon with a long tail that had a bulb like end. They all gasped when they realized that it was a Mew.

The Mew looked tired and was trying to get away. The man pointed and shouted a command, though Light couldn't understand it. The Aggron reared back and then shot its head forward, shooting out an intense beam. The beam came straight at Mew. The Mew curled up and a pink bubble formed around it. The beam hit it and sent the bubble, with Mew in it, flying away.

The man growled at what had happened. Then he noticed Nick. "Get out of here. That Mew's mine," he yelled.

"Stop destroying the forest, or I will make you. You're hurting innocent Pokemon," Nick shouted back. Light was proud Nick wasn't thinking of capture, but the wild Pokemon's wellbeing instead.

"Oh, what are you, a little ranger or something? I don't care. I'm going to get that Mew," he said.

"Fine, I challenge you to a match. Loser leaves," Nick said.

The man looked at Nick's Pokemon and almost laughed. "Fine, two-on-two right here. Come on Aggron, Ariados, let's win this quickly. Nidoking, go after that Mew and bring it back alive," he said. The Nidoking took off into the forest.

Nick leaned down to light and whispered, "I know you fight the best on your own. Take down that Nidoking with as little damage to the land as possible. I'll hold off this man here."

Light nodded and backed off into the trees. He dashed around the torn up clearing and quickly found Nidoking's trail. It was pretty easy as it had torn the undergrowth as it went. Light rushed after it. The Nidoking was surprising slow and Light soon caught up. He knew an outright match would be hard, so he snuck past it to do an ambush.

Light was surprised when he came upon the Mew, itself. It saw him and started to struggle. Light stopped his approach and lowered his head and front end to the ground. The Mew stopped and looked at him confused.

"I'm a friend. I'm trying to stop the Nidoking," Light whispered. The said target was getting close.

Mew nodded and hid under a large part of the undergrowth. Light jumped into the Nidoking's path and used Quick Attack on its side. That definitely got its attention as it roared at him. Light nimbly dodged a Poison Jab and headed away from Mew's hiding place. The Nidoking, now enraged, headed after him.

Light soon got away and carefully started to observe the Nidoking. It was past Mew, so he didn't think it would find it, but he still had to make sure it didn't just start attacking again. Suddenly, the Nidoking stomped the ground. The spot on the ground crack and Light felt himself thrown up as it used Earthquake.

Light painfully hit the ground. He got up and saw the area now looked like the clearing before. Then he saw a few Pokemon trying to get away. Nearby, a Rattata was trying to free its leg from a rock. Light rolled the rock off and pushed the Rattata on its way.

The Nidoking was looking at all of the Pokemon, trying to find the Mew. Light dashed over to a Natu who was stuck in a crack. He looked for more victims that were stuck and ended up helping a Marill, two more Rattata, a Caterpie, and a Weedle.

Light had just finished helping the Weedle get away, when the Nidoking started attacking again. It charged a beam and shot it into the air. Light knew it was a Hyper Beam and that it would have to recharge its energy.

He darted forward and was going to hit it with a Quick Attack, when he stopped. Nearby, an Eevee was frozen in fear. Its fur was covered in dirt and he realized its den most have collapsed because of the Nidoking. Light ran to help it when the Nidoking took action. It saw Light and started to charge another beam.

Light knew there was no way he could get the Eevee and escape the beam in time. He spun around in front of the Eevee and steadied himself for the attack, ready to take the blunt of the blow. As he put his front right paw down, it slid between two rocks and got wedged. Light didn't care as he didn't plan to move.

The Nidoking finished charging the attack and Light closed his eyes. He knew this was going to be painful. He made himself as big a target as possible and concentrated on shielding the Eevee. Light waited for a second, and then blinked open his eyes.

He saw the Hyper Beam coming at him, but when it got within three feet, it hit something and was reflected off into the air. Light opened his eyes wide in astonishment. What was happening? Then he noticed a slightly blue bubble around him, barely visible. When the attack reached it, it bounced off. It must be a Protect move.

Light's eyes went even wider as he realized that the move was being used by him. He felt some strange energy at his paws. He looked down and saw in the crack where his right foreleg was, was a disc with a hole in the center. Nick had shown him a few and told him they were TM's, used to teach Pokemon new moves. It must be a Protect TM.

He moved his paw away from the disc and it shattered. He looked back up and saw the attack end. The Nidoking was breathing hard from the exertion of the attack. "Get out of here, little Eevee, or you'll really get hurt," Light yelled at the Eevee.

He didn't look to see if it obeyed as he used Quick Attack. This time, he hit the Nidoking right in the stomach. The Nidoking bent over in pain. Light quickly backed up from the now thrashing Nidoking. Light felt his power and quickly realized how to use the Protect again. He had felt a little drained after the last time, but he was good now.

The Nidoking got back up and roared at Light. It charged another Hyper Beam and shot it at Light. Light stood his ground and used Protect again. The attack bounced off and Light was left untouched. Light charged in again and used Quick Attack. Once again, Light backed away from the Nidoking.

Light despaired as he saw his attacks doing little damage. The Nidoking had a tough armor and his physical attacks wouldn't be able to get past much. He needed a mental attack, a long range attack, or the battle would wear him out. He couldn't use protect forever.

The Nidoking shot another Hyper Beam at Light, and Light once again used Protect. Light needed to try something else. He ran up to the Nidoking and used Bite its back right leg, hard. Nidoking howled out in pain and flinched. Light let go and started to back away, but the Nidoking changed tactics. It rolled right toward Light in a Rollout attack.

Light was hit right on. Before he could get up, the Nidoking hit him a second time. Light knew he couldn't the third one, so he used Protect. The Nidoking rolled over it and stopped. It uncurled ad faced Light, who was just getting up. The Nidoking started to charge a Hyper Beam. Light was too tired to dodge and he was sure a Protect wouldn't work after using it so many times. He stared at the Nidoking, sure he was going to faint with this next attack.

Light stared the Nidoking down. It soon had the attack charged and . . . it turned its head and shot it into the sky. Light looked at it confused and then saw a faint blue light around it. He looked over and saw Mew barely floating off the ground, panting heavily. Its eyes were also glowing blue. Mew was using Psychic!

Mew stopped the attack and started to rest. It must have been hurt badly. Light didn't waste time. He charged at the Nidoking and used Quick Attack right at its stomach again. It bent over again in pain. Its tail once again started to whack everywhere to try and get Light. Light jumped onto its back, watching his footing around the spikes, and used Bite on one of its ears.

Light was thrown off as it started to rapidly thrash around in pain. Light smiled as he realized he had found a weak spot. Mew hovered a few inches off the ground next to him. It smiled at him and he smiled back. The Nidoking turned to them and started to charge a Hyper Beam.

Light knew Mew wouldn't be able to use Protect in time, so he jumped in. He had rested enough and was sure he could use Protect at least once more. The Nidoking shot the attack again and Light used Protect. Once the attack stopped, Light rushed the Nidoking and jumped. He used Bite on the other ear as he got close. The Nidoking started to thrash around again. Unfortunately, Light landed next to it.

The Nidoking's tail whacked Light in the chest and he was thrown away into the ground. Light looked up, slightly dazed and saw the Nidoking about to use Earthquake again. As its foot came down, however, it lifted off the ground and did a quick front flip and then was dropped onto the ground. Mew had prevented it from touching the ground.

Light got up and rushed the Nidoking. The Nidoking was still on the ground and Light used Bite on the first ear again, jumping back before it hit him. The Nidoking thrashed around for a little, before getting up and growling at them again. Light growled back, not letting it see how intimidated he actually was. The Nidoking had taken all of their attacks and was still standing. They would most likely lose if the battle continued any longer.

"You better get out of here, Mew. If that Nidoking lasts much longer, or that guy beats my trainer, then you'll get captured. That's all they want. Go, I'll hold it off," Light ordered, putting as much determination and authority in his voice as he could.

Mew shook its head.

"No, if you're gone, then they'll leave. I can hold out a little longer," Light insisted.

The Nidoking started to slowly approach, though its weariness slowed it down. Light was glad it wasn't going to use Hyper Beam again. He shoved Mew to get it going and then charged at Nidoking. He feinted at it and got it to waste a Poison Jab. It crushed the ground underneath it. Light couldn't allow it to hit him with one of those.

He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Mew leaving. The Nidoking followed Light's line of sight and saw Mew leaving also. It started to head after it. Light used Quick Attack and hit it in the side. He jumped back and avoided another hit. He saw he had agitated the Nidoking greatly.

The Nidoking once again swung with a Poison Jab. Light backed away and got out of range of the attack. He hoped Nidoking didn't have any other range attacks. He realized he had forgotten about Rollout as the Nidoking rolled into a ball and charged at him. Light was hit and thrown to the side. As he was hit twice more, he knew he was going to lose. He needed to buy more time.

The Nidoking stopped after the third pass and uncurled. It turned and faced Light. Light turned and dashed away. The Nidoking had forgotten about the Mew by now and used Rollout. Light saw it catching up and used Quick Attack. He couldn't go into the forest without the Nidoking destroying it. He turned and started to go along the perimeter along the clearing.

Light was unable to continue for long. He saw the Nidoking was still using Rollout and he realized that it should last three times as long as Quick Attack. The Nidoking was really catching up, now. Light just needed to buy a little more time. He jumped over the line between the devastated area and the forest. The Nidoking was unable to turn as fast and it rammed into a tree. The tree bent and cracked under the power of the attack. Soon, it snapped and fell over into the other trees.

Light looked at the Nidoking helplessly as it started to uncurl. He backed up slowly, most of his energy gone. He wouldn't be able to summon another Quick Attack. The Nidoking smiled, realizing the state of his opponent. It reared back one arm and paused. Light realized that it was charging up a Focus Punch.

Suddenly, there was shouting nearby and a Fire Blast hit the Nidoking. It flew into the devastated area. Light looked back and saw a large dragon like creature. It was mostly orange and had a long tail that ended with a flame. It had two large wings on its back that it was using to keep itself in the air. It was a Charizard.

The Charizard dropped down beside Light and looked down at him, "Hello, are you that weird trainer's Pokemon? He said you were a shiny Umbreon and there aren't many of those." It had a deep, rough voice that put fear into Light just by hearing it.

Light nodded. "W-who are you?" he stammered.

"Introductions later, but I am a friend. Step back," it ordered.

The Nidoking had gotten up and was starting to approach again. The Charizard roared and fly at the Nidoking. It grabbed the Nidoking and lifted it into the air. The Nidoking stopped struggling as it realized its predicament. The Charizard flew over the cloud cover. After a few seconds, it came diving down with a Seismic Toss. Near the end, it threw the Nidoking into the ground and stopped itself. It landed on the ground lightly. Light stepped closer and saw that it was over. The Nidoking had fainted.

The Charizard studied the Nidoking a little more to make sure it had fainted, before approaching Light again. Light didn't complain as it picked him up and flew into the air. If it was an enemy, Light wouldn't be able to stop it.

Light didn't remember how long it was before the Charizard put Light down. Someone else picked him up. He couldn't distinguish who as he passed out.

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[ryan22424]

Chapter 8: A Rival

Light opened his eyes and squeezed them shut as the light stung them. He waited a while and tried to think of where he was. Then he remembered the battle and the Charizard and sat up, his eyes wide. Light blinked out the light blotches as he ignored the pain of the light.

He looked around and saw Nick slumped in a chair nearby, sleeping. Blaze was lying on a bed beside him, looking like he did after the gym battle. He saw Ace roosting on the windowsill of the window that was letting in so much light. He looked at the room in general and saw he was in a Pokemon Center.

Light yawned and a headache immediately attacked him. Light collapsed back onto his bed and groaned loudly. Nick and Ace startled from their sleep. Nick rushed to Light's side and almost crushed him in a hug before he stopped and reconsidered. Instead, Nick knelt down next to Light and brushed his head. He reared back as Light moaned again.

"I'm so sorry, Light. I'm just so glad you're awake. You gave us a scare there," Nick said.

"Uh, Ace . . . what's he talking about?" Light asked.

Ace jumped onto Nick's shoulder and Nick fell silent as he watched Ace answer the question. "He means we were scared you wouldn't pull through and survive. The nurse told us you really overdid it. Your body was ready to shut down completely," Ace explained.

"Oh, well I didn't . . . win. A Charizard helped at the end . . . and the Mew helped before that," Light said with a sigh. He wasn't able to stop the Nidoking. He needed to become stronger.

"Speaking of that, that Char-" Ace started.

Ace was interrupted by the door opening. A boy at about Nick's age, maybe a little older, walked in. A normal colored Umbreon walked beside him. "Are you ready to speak now?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, I was just waiting for my Umbreon to awake," Nick said. He got up and shook hands with the boy. "My name is Nick."

"I'm Benjamin," he said. "I must thank you for tackling that guy. You never would have won by yourself, but you allowed me to catch up and weakened him enough for me to beat him."

"Well thanks for helping. Who was that guy?" Nick asked.

"That was a hunter. His tutor was a rough man who had a collection of what we call dark balls. They instantly increase the level of a Pokemon way more than the normal amount. He took some and now his three Pokemon all are caught by those dark balls," Benjamin explained, "He's been hunting down Mew for a while. He destroyed two areas before now trying to get it, but failed. I tried to get him both times, but he beat me.

"Those Pokemon can't be beat in a normal fair fight. But there's something I find extremely interesting. When I showed up, you told me to help your Umbreon first. My Charizard found him almost defeated, yet still standing. The Nidoking, the man's strongest Pokemon was almost defeated and my Charizard beat it without a scratch and without my help in giving orders. Your Umbreon did not only almost beat the Nidoking, it did it without orders. How did it do it?" Benjamin asked.

Nick was slightly taken back and looked at Light in a different way. "Well, Light here has always battled without orders perfectly. He dislikes orders, though he obeys them. He comes up with his own strategies and such. That's why I sent him ahead. But if what you saw is true, I don't know," Nick said.

How did you do it? Light heard in his head. He looked around but couldn't see who said it. It's me, the Umbreon. I'm speaking through telepathy.

Uh, okay. I fought it and then Mew helped some, though it was too hurt and I sent it away. Then a Charizard came and defeated it, Light thought.

The Umbreon turned its head to Benjamin for a second. "Well, Nick, your Umbreon says it had a little help from Mew. But I still don't think that's fully the case. Would you like to battle once your Pokemon are healed?" Benjamin asked.

"Sure, but how did you know what Light said?" Nick asked.

"My Umbreon asked and told me through telepathy," Benjamin answered, "I'll see you later. Just ask for me at the front counter when you're ready."

Light watched them leave. He turned back to Ace, "So what happened when I left?"

"Well, Blaze and I attacked. Blaze attacked the Aggron, while I tackled the Ariados so that we both had type advantages. We had barely hurt them, though, when Benjamin showed up on a Charizard. He released a Luxray and helped with an attack. While the enemy was stunned, Nick stopped him and told him to first help you fight the Nidoking. Benjamin was hesitant, but gave in and sent Charizard after you. He also released a Tangrowth and we soon beat that bad guy. We rushed to the Pokemon Center. I wasn't too hurt, but Blaze had been. Then Charizard landed outside and Nick got you and we've been waiting here all day, night, and now day ago for you to awake," Ace explained rapidly.

Light was barely able to hold it all in. His headache was really starting to hurt now. He didn't look over as the door opened again. Nurse Joy came into his line of sight. She put a hand on Light's head and then checked a beeping machine nearby. Nick waited anxiously for her announcement.

Nurse Joy finally turned to Nick with a smile, "Don't worry; your Umbreon's going to be okay. He might have a few headaches, but we need him to feel them in cause something happens. You should be able to leave in three days. As for your Flareon, he should be completely healed by tonight."

Nick released the breath he had been holding. "Okay, thanks," he said.

Nurse Joy bowed a little, "Just doing my job, sir. If you want, you can stay in here with your Pokemon. The couch is a pull out bed. Good day."

(0)

The next three days were the worst ever for Light. The headaches ended soon and he didn't have to swallow any medicine. The problem was he was bored out of his mind. The nurse wouldn't let him up except twice a little bit on the last two days.

Light wasn't allowed to do anything as he just laid there in the bed. Nick stayed by his side most of the time, but there are only so many things one can talk about with a one-sided conversation. Ace and Blaze, once he was out, were often outside training.

On the third day, Nurse Joy actually had to threaten to keep Light in bed. He needed to go outside and exercise. He wanted to feel the wind and the grass. He wanted to do something. When Nick checked him out, Light instantly went outside and started to roll in the grass. It started to drizzle a little, but Light didn't care. He was finally outside.

Nick gave him an extensive bath, much to his disgust. Once done, he allowed Light to wander the room as he went to bed. Light stayed up a while until he could see the moon from the window. He watched it for a while, before he felt tired enough to sleep.

(0)

Light got up and stretched. Nick was already up eating breakfast. Light gobbled down his breakfast and followed Nick out. Nick went to the front and asked for Benjamin. Nurse Joy rang Benjamin's room and he soon appeared.

He was wearing casual clothing. His Umbreon was also there beside him. Benjamin came up and shook hands with Nick. "So, are you ready for a battle? How about a one-on-one battle with three each?"

"Sure, let's go out the battle park," Nick said.

Light couldn't wait for another battle. Nick led them to a small square area. No one was there at the time, so Nick and Benjamin were able to fight right then. Nick and Benjamin took their respective positions on either side of the area.

Nick chose Ace while Benjamin threw a Pokeball. A large figure covered in bluish vines appeared. That must be the Tangrowth Ace told him about. Ace should have the type advantage here.

Benjamin started it off, "Green, use Vine Whip."

Tangrowth shot out a few vines at Ace. Ace quickly flew around them.

"Ace, use Gust. Stay out of the way of those vines!" Nick yelled. Light was surprised to notice his tone had lowered since the last time he had heard him battle.

Ace started to blow wind at the Tangrowth. It quickly retracted the vines and braced itself against the wind. The Tangrowth seemed to have a strong endurance.

"Green, Mega Drain," Benjamin said.

Tangrowth suddenly started to glow with a soft green light. Ace cried out while in the air and glow green too. Light was sure he saw some of the glow leave Ace and go to Tangrowth. Ace almost fell to the ground, but steadied itself.

"Use Wing Attack!" Nick shouted.

Ace dived at Tangrowth and hit it with one of its wings. The Tangrowth was thrown on its back. Light thought Tangrowth didn't seem very hurt, though. In fact, he seemed to be . . .

"Ace, watch out!" Light cried out.

But it was too late. Tangrowth suddenly shot out its vines and wrapped them around Ace. Ace cried out as it pulled Ace to the ground. It then held it there as more vines appeared and started to whip the Pidgeotto.

"Okay, okay, you win the first match. Return, Ace," Nick said. He returned Ace and Benjamin returned his Tangrowth.

Benjamin threw another Pokeball as Nick sent in Blaze. A large black furred creature appeared. It had a long tail and was blue under the fur. Its body sent off small electric shocks. It must be the Luxray.

"Great, it had the ability to shock enemies using physical attacks. Hmm . . . okay, Blaze, use Flamethrower!" Nick called out.

Blaze opened his mouth and sent a torrent of flames at the Luxray. It quickly darted out of the way.

"Sparky, use Thunderbolt," Benjamin said.

The Luxray sent out a stream of electricity at Blaze. Blaze quickly jumped backwards. The area in front of him was fried. A black patch of ground was all that was left.

"Blaze, use Double Team and then Dig!" he called out.

Blaze's form split into seven forms. Blaze was improving. The forms quickly used Dig and they were soon all under the ground. Luxray looked quickly around, wondering where Blaze would appear. Suddenly, three Flareon appeared in front of, to the right of, and to the left of the Luxray.

"Quick, use Shockwave," Benjamin called.

Sparky's form started to glow yellow and then a circular ring of electricity shot away from it, dissipating all three forms. Luxray jumped to the side as a Flareon came up from under it. It shot the Flareon with a quick jolt and it disappeared.

Light and Sparky listened for Blaze. Suddenly, a form appeared behind Luxray and shot a Flamethrower at it. Luxray jumped to the side and formed a sphere at its mouth. It was a dark, cloudy sphere. Light recognized the attack as a Shadow Ball. It shot it at the Flareon.

Before the attack hit the Flareon, the ground ripped open under it and Blaze hit Luxray square in the stomach. Luxray toppled over to the side as Blaze jumped away. The Shadow Ball hit the other Flareon and it vanished.

"Great, now Blaze use Flamethrower!" Nick yelled.

Blaze quickly formed the fire and shot it at the Luxray. It made a direct hit. A lot of its fur was slightly singed when it got up. Light could tell it couldn't take much more damage.

"Now, finish it off with Dig!" Nick shouted.

Blaze quickly disappeared into the ground.

"Sparky, use Detect," Benjamin said.

The Luxray stopped moving and Light saw a strange glint into its eyes. It jumped back as Blaze appeared up from the ground, trying to hit it. Luxray charged a strong Thunderbolt and sent it straight at Blaze. Light knew Blaze would lose if he got paralyzed.

The attack hit Blaze . . . and passed right through. He disappeared in the flash of an eye. Light was confused as he saw Blaze quietly dig up behind Sparky. Then he remembered: it was the last Double Team clone. Light knew Blaze had won when he shot a Flamethrower at Sparky's back. It made a direct hit and Luxray fainted.

"Yes, I won the second match!" Nick hollered as Blaze returned to his side.

"That means the one to win this last one wins," Benjamin said, returning Sparky.

Light stepped forward, ready for battle. He glanced at Nick and saw him nod. He would fight on his own. Nick sat down as Light entered the area. Benjamin's Umbreon also entered on the other side. Benjamin crossed his arms as he watched.

The opposing Umbreon started the battle. It raised its head and formed a shadowy ball. Two rings circled the ball. Light jumped to the side as it shot the attack, but watched it intensively. The ball became a beam and the rings multiplied all down the beam. The attack hit where he had been and destroyed the ground. Light moved away further as the Umbreon followed him with the beam. It must be a Dark Pulse.

Light charged in with a Quick Attack as the Umbreon stopped the attack. He got the Umbreon in the side and it skidded across the ground a little. The Umbreon raised his head and a Shadow Ball formed. It shot the ball at Light. Light dodged to the side, yet the ball seemed to follow him and he was hit. Light was blown back by the attack.

Light got up and saw the Umbreon about to use Dark Pulse again. Light knew he couldn't dodge, so he decided to let his new move be known. He stood his ground as it charged up. The Umbreon paused a little, confused as to why Light wasn't moving.

"Light, move!" Nick cried out.

Light felt himself try to hurl out of the way, but he resisted and waited. The Umbreon finally resumed and shot the attack. As it came, Light used Protect. The attack bounced off his light blue shield. Light saw Nick out of the corner of his eye dumbfounded, though he hid it quickly. Light wanted to manically laugh as he blocked the attack.

After he set up Protect, he tried to remember Dark Pulse. The Umbreon had formed a ball and extended the energy in a beam. That should be pretty easy to copy. He opened his mouth and formed his energy into a sphere. It soon came and he saw the two rings form. He was doing it!

As soon as the attack stopped, he let his Protect drop and shot the attack. Both Nick and the Umbreon were startled at the attack. This time, Nick didn't hide it. The attack hit the Umbreon head on and it was thrown back, not preparing for the attack beforehand.

Light formed another Dark Pulse and shot it as the Umbreon tried to get up. It was hit once again, though the Umbreon did a pretty cool trick at the end and finished on its feet. It quickly charged a Shadow Ball and sent it at Light. Remembering how it followed him before, Nick got as close as he could before being forced to use Protect. The attack bounced off just like all others.

The Umbreon charged at Light and hit him as he lowered the shield. As Light skidded back some, he saw the Umbreon also take some damage. Knowing this experienced Umbreon would never let itself miss the follow up, he knew that the attack must have been Double Edge.

Light stretched from the attack, enjoying the good fight. He saw the Umbreon about to charge a Dark Pulse. His first instinct was to shoot one of his own Dark Pulse, but he knew the Umbreon had more experience with the attack, so he didn't. He knew the attack took about two seconds, enough for one fast blow.

Light used Quick Attack and hit the Umbreon right before it let the attack go. The unfinished attack blew up and both Light and the Umbreon were blown back by it. Light got up first and saw the enemy was badly hurt. But then, so was he. He needed to get a blow in first. Now it all depended on this one last move.

The Umbreon quickly charged a Shadow Ball and shot it at Light, who countered with Protect. As the attack cleared, he shot his charged Dark Pulse. However, the Umbreon had already approached and the attack landed. The close proximity with the Dark Pulse sent them both flying.

Light tried to get up, but he couldn't. He had lost his strength. He looked over and saw the Umbreon was in the same position. At least it had been a tie. But he promised himself to defeat that Umbreon if they ever met again.

"What! A tie! No!" Nick cried out.

"Well, all's well that ends well. Good match," Benjamin said, as he returned his Umbreon, "Why were surprised halfway through the match?"

"Actually, to tell the truth, I didn't know Light knew Protect or Dark Pulse," Nick confessed. He held out Light's Pokeball and tried to return Light. Light flipped over and the red light hit the ground beside him instead. Light shook his head quickly, though he was panting. "You don't want to be in the Pokeball? Okay," Nick said, picking up Light, albeit with a little difficulty.

"My Umbreon told me that yours didn't know Dark Pulse before the fight, though it already knew Protect," Benjamin said.

"Light's pretty smart," Nick said, making Light look away, embarrassed, "He learned Bite during a battle also. Protect will stay a mystery, though, as Umbreon don't naturally learn that."

"He may have touched a TM. Are you sure your Umbreon fights on its own? It had some pretty good tricks," Benjamin asked.

"Nay, Light's always fought without commands, or at least commands it used. It was always a step ahead of me, so I gave up trying to help. Your Umbreon was pretty good without instructions, too," Nick said.

"Oh, no, I gave my Umbreon instructions through telepathy. It doesn't work while he uses Psychic, though," Benjamin said.

"Wait, Umbreon can learn Psychic?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yeah, they aren't the best at the move, but all Umbreon can learn it, though only by a TM of course," Benjamin said. "Well I'm going back to the Pokemon Center and then I'll be on my way. We'll see if you're any better if we meet again, bye."

Nick waved as Benjamin left. "Well, Light, it looks like we have our first rival," Nick said to Light. Nick started to walk to the Pokemon Center also. Light completely agreed. He would make sure to beat that Umbreon the next time they met.

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[ryan22424]

Chapter 9: Psychic Problems

Light stretched as Nick took them outside again. He had been healed much faster this time. Nick took them back to the area they had been training at for a while. Light and Blaze sat down as
they waited for Nick to get something out of his backpack. Ace took flight to a nearby branch.

After a while, Nick finally found what he was looking for. "Ah hah, I found it. For a second, I thought I had lost it," he said, pulling it out. In his hand was a disc with a hole in the center, a TM. "This is the Psychic TM. Blaze and I found it early in our adventures, though I haven't had anyone to give it to until now."

Light thought about it. He had seen Mark's Pokemon use Psychic and it provided a large amount of power. He decided he would do it. This move should really help him. He nodded at Nick.
"Good, now . . . um . . . how do you use this?" Nick asked, scratching his head with his free hand.

Light pointed at the ground and Nick put it down. Light was about to put his paw on it, when he remembered that he would lose a move. He needed to decide what move to lose. Hmm . . . definitely not Dark Pulse or Protect. Quick Attack is a normal move while Bite is another dark move. I'll go for variety, Light thought.

As he put his paw on the TM, he concentrated on keeping Protect, Dark Pulse, and Quick Attack, while letting Bite be forgotten. Soon, he felt power being transferred into his paw. He felt a new power in him.

"Uh, okay then, Light, use Psychic," Nick said.

Light closed his eyes and concentrated. He reached inside himself and activated his new power. He felt a sudden freeness as his consciousness left the boundaries of his mind. He felt Nick's, Blaze's, and Ace's presences nearby, but not in the seeing sense. It was more like . . . feeling their presences. He could also feel the objects around him.

Testing his power, he touched a nearby twig with his consciousness and felt it attach to him as though he was a magnet. He tried to move it and it moved. He heard a gasp and opened his eyes. He saw a twig nearby floating in the air, a soft blue glow around it. His excitement bubbled up and he stopped concentrating. The twig fell to the ground again.

"It worked!" Nick yelled. He started his little dance.

Light didn't feel as excited. He had only moved a twig a little bit. He wanted to do more with the move. He closed his eyes and reached out again. He felt the presences around him and started again. He reached for the twig and picked it up. He opened his eyes, but continued to concentrate. He saw the twig once again floating again. He started to move it a little and it moved where he wanted it to.

Suddenly, a headache started and Light lost his concentration. The twig fell to the ground again. The headache soon disappeared. Trying again, he reached for his power. But soon after he activated it, the headache came again, this time a little larger.

Light stopped and shook his head. The headache once again cleared quickly after he stopped. Nick saw him and became concerned, "What's wrong, Light?"

Light tried to think of a way to tell him, but couldn't think of one. He shook his head.

"Well, I guess I should set up a battle with Mark again. This time we'll crush him," Nick said. As they headed for the gym, Nick brought his Pokedex out and pointed it at Light. "So, you now know Protect, Psychic, Quick Attack, and Dark Pulse. That makes three different attack move types and a defense move."

They soon reached the gym. Mark had nothing to do, so they were able to face him then. Light would have preferred to practice Psychic some more, but guess it would have to wait.

Nick and Mark stood at their respective places. The announcer stood up and went through the normal opening, "Welcome, challenger, to the Saffron City Gym. You have challenged Mark to a one-on-one match between two Pokemon. The challenger may at any time return his Pokemon to switch for another. The gym leader may not. Both the challenger and the gym leader are allowed
only two Pokemon each. The winner is the one to first defeat all of the other's Pokemon. Ready? Begin!"

Mark threw a Pokeball and his Kadabra once again appeared. Light stepped up. Kadabra raised its hand. Light felt a presence touch his. He realized that it was trying to use Psychic on him. Light stood his ground, knowing psychic type moves wouldn't hurt him.

Light charged a Dark Pulse and shot it at the Kadabra. Right before the attack hit, Kadabra disappeared. Light looked around quickly and saw Kadabra off to his right. This wouldn't work. He may not be affected by the Kadabra, but he couldn't hit it, either. He needed to prevent it from using Teleport, if only temporary, or match its speed.

Light charged another Dark Pulse and shot it. He quickly stopped it and got ready to spring. The Kadabra once again used Teleport and dodged. However, as soon as it reappeared, Light used Quick Attack. He got to the Kadabra before it could react. He was surprised to see how little defense it actually had. The single Quick Attack seemed to stun it and do a lot more damage than normal.

The Kadabra picked itself up and used Teleport. Light found it on the opposite side of the room. It stood stock still for a while, before its wound suddenly disappeared. It had used Recover. Light was now getting aggravated. This strategy wouldn't work. He wouldn't be able to do more than one attack before it got away and healed. He needed another idea.

Only one idea came to mind: Psychic. He remembered the headaches he had endured, but he couldn't think of anything else. One question left, how did he use it? He had moved the twig, but if he moved Kadabra, he would have to stop before attacking. He needed to blow the Kadabra back, enough to distract it for at least a second. Then an idea came.

Seeing Kadabra didn't seem ready to attack, Light closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the power and started to use it. Instead of searching for something to control, Light blew his consciousness toward Kadabra and opened his eyes. The effect almost startled Light. He saw a ripple in the air blast the Kadabra back against the wall. However, the ripple hit the wall and moved to the side, knocking the announcer away and going past Mark, though he seemed resistant to the attack. A headache almost as bad as the previous one hit him, but he ignored it, focused on winning.

Seeing Kadabra stunned, he quickly charged a Dark Pulse. He shot the attack and it hit the Kadabra right in the chest. It was blown against the wall. After the attack, the Kadabra slumped to the ground, but Light knew it wasn't defeated and wouldn't wait for it to heal itself. Light charged another Dark Pulse and shot it. The Kadabra was only halfway up before the attack hit. This time, the Kadabra fainted.

The announcer looked up from his position from the floor. Seeing the battle over, he quickly got up and raised a blue flag. "Kadabra has fainted," he said. After he lowered the flag, he rubbed the side he fell on.

Mark returned Kadabra and threw out another Pokeball. A lithe, purple Pokemon appeared. It had a tail that split at the end and had a red gem on its forehead. It was an Espeon. Light gasped. It wasn't just any Espeon. It was the Espeon, the one from the Day Care. A small shiver went through Light. He hoped it wouldn't recognize him, but Nick was there with Blaze, and he was still a shiny Pokemon, if not an Eevee. He could see that she recognized him in her eyes.

This Pokemon also didn't need to know its trainer's orders. It jumped at Light and came at him with a Quick Attack. Light was still stunned at who it was and was hit. He hadn't even prepared for an attack, so he ended up sliding across the floor on himself.

Feeling the pain from the hit, Light got up. He needed to concentrate, or he would lose. This Pokemon knew more than just Psychic moves. He prepared himself and started to make a strategy. He knew that the Espeon knew Psychic, or at least she did before, though he hadn't recognized it then. She also knew Quick Attack, which he just painfully figured out. But there were still two unknown moves.

The Espeon came at him again with Quick Attack. Light quickly used Protect and she bounced off it. She stumbled from the unexpected impact. While she was unstable, he used Dark Pulse. He was able to make a hit and the Espeon flew across the ground.

The Espeon picked itself up and her wounds suddenly disappeared. So Recover was her third move. She still had a trick up her sleeve, though if it was a psychic move, it would be worthless, and therefore would remained unknown.

Light had zoned out for a second. He saw something flicker at the edge of his sight and rolled over on his side. The projectile missed him, but didn't hit anything. He looked back and saw it coming again. The fourth move she knew was Shadow Ball. He rolled to the side again and suddenly came up with an idea.

Light saw the Shadow Ball turn to come at him again. He relocated the Espeon and cam right at her. He used Quick Attack to stay ahead of the Shadow Ball. Espeon prepared herself against his attack, but he passed her, much the same as at the Day Care. He saw her confused expression for a second before she realized his plan. But by then it was too late. Her attack hit her and exploded on contact. The best part was that ghost type moves were super effective against psychic types.

While she was still dazed at the attack, Light shot a Dark Pulse and the Espeon was hit. This attack didn't catch her off guard, though, and her readiness prevented her from being flung away from the move. He knew that she would use Recover and he would be back to square one. He had been hoping that the two combined attacks would defeat her.

Frustrated, Light used Quick Attack and got to her before she could use Recover. This move, however, did catch her off guard. She skidded across the ground. Thinking quickly, Light focused on Psychic and grabbed one of her legs. He yanked and she toppled onto her side. A headache worse than all previous ones hit him. He flinched, but focused and used Dark Pulse. The Espeon was unable to dodge and was hit. This move finally made the Espeon faint.

"Espeon has fainted. The challenger has won," the announcer said, raising the blue flag again.

Nick crossed over to Mark as he returned Espeon. Mark shook hands, but remained silent. He even seemed a little troubled. Light came over and sat beside Nick. Blaze also sat, detecting a long conversation.

"Great job, Light. You were like, pow, pow, pow, and then pow!" Ace congratulated.

Light dipped his head, glad for the praise. He then held his head high as Nick and mark started to converse.

"You seem troubled. Is something wrong?" Nick asked.

"Your Umbreon knows Psychic?" Mark asked.

Nick nodded. "I used a TM earlier today, why?"

"Your Umbreon should not use it again until it has been taught how to use it correctly. That ripple was made by it, but that is only a small example of the damage it can do if it isn't taught well," Mark said.

Nick looked surprised. "I didn't know. Wait, you have Pokemon that know Psychic. Could you teach Light?" Nick suddenly asked.

"I could let one of my Pokemon if you don't mind. While it does, you and I can converse about Pokemon on the back porch," Mark said.

"You have a back porch on a gym?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, it's the only area I get to relax, so I made it comfortable. There's a small garden back there, secluded by some walls for privacy. I take by your face and emotions that you agree," Mark
said.

Nick nodded, still stunned. Light didn't understand about what, but then, he didn't understand Nick very well at all. They headed back through a few hallways and came to a back door. Outside, the sun shown down on a small garden with red and purple flowers all along the perimeter of the wall containing it. A large fountain was in the middle with small yellow flowers surrounding it. The place seemed very serene.

Light walked into the garden while Blaze stopped on the wooden porch and Ace flew to perch on the wall. Nick and Mark sat down in a few wicker chairs. Light sat near the fountain. Mark drew a Pokeball and released a Pokemon. It appeared beside Light. He was despaired to see it was the Espeon.

"Wait, isn't that the Espeon Light beat. Didn't it faint?" Nick asked.

"I caught all my Pokemon with Pokeballs that heal slowly over time. Once past the point of fainting, my Pokemon can simply use Recover," at this, Espeon used Recover and all the wounds of the battle disappeared, "and be fully ready for battle again," Mark finished.

"Wow, so where-" Nick started, turning to Mark. At that point, Light tuned them out.

"So, Mark wants me to teach you Psychic correctly, handsome," Espeon said. She touched Light under the chin with her tail.

Light jerked away from the contact. "Just tell me and get it over with," he said, being short with her.

"Well, someone's got a temper, cutey," Espeon said.

"Get it over with or forget it. I'll teach myself if I have to," Light said, annoyed.

Espeon bristled slightly, but stopped when she noticed Ace and Blaze watching, "Fine, there are three fundamentals of Psychic: telepathy, contact, and vibration. Now for telepathy- blah, blah, blah -and that's how you use it for telepathy. For contact you- blah, blah, blah -and that's how to control with contact. Vibration is the hardest and- blah, blah, blah -and that's why only experts use it."

"Anything else?" Light asked. He thought he had more information than he could handle with just the telepathy part, but somehow he retained.

"Yes, can we go somewhere more private where we can be alone together, if you know what I mean?" the Espeon asked seductively, curling her tail around Light's shoulder and putting a paw on his chest.

Light felt like slapping her, but thought of something better. Using his newly gained information, he concentrated on Psychic. He found it much quicker and used the vibrations of the air, as Espeon called it, to throw her back against the wall of the garden with a mighty gale. This time, Light knew how to just concentrate it on the Pokemon and the attack didn't hit anything else. He felt the headache ready to spring, but Espeon told him why they happened and how to avoid them. It was similar to avoiding recoil damage from normal moves.

Mark stood up abruptly when he saw his Espeon get thrown. Nick glared at Light. Light shrugged and used the telepathy part of Psychic to open a channel between him, Nick, and Mark, wanting him also to hear his reason. He felt Nick's mind a little and made sure to remember it.

I just reacted to her trying to seduce me. I told her to stop, even back at the Day Care, Light sent to Nick and Mark. Nick stared, dumbfounded at Light.
"D-did y-you j-just speak?" Nick asked.

Not out loud, obviously, Light channeled.

Mark picked up his unconscious Espeon and looked at Nick. When he saw the expression, he started to laugh. "Light's using telepathy," Mark said. He turned to Light, "Sorry, my Espeon's in heat, so she often . . . comes onto Pokemon strongly."

Light grunted and returned to Nick's side. He lowered the channel to only Nick and him, You will never take me to a Day Care again, or you will definitely regret it, and that's a promise.

Nick nodded, though he still seemed a little stunned. Nick gave Mark a farewell, and then the group headed for the entrance of the gym. At the last second, Nick remembered the badge and ran back in for it. Light shook his head. He would never understand Nick.

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[ryan22424]

Chapter 10: Shy

Light concentrated on making the campfire. He was trying to make it using Psychic only once. He placed the last twig on it and stopped the move. Unfortunately, he forgot about the headache in his celebrations and suffered one for a little.

Once he recovered from the headache, he looked around to locate the others. Nick was still on the first limb of a tree, binoculars up to his face. He hadn't moved for hours and if Light hadn't communicated with him, he would say that Nick had fallen asleep.

Blaze was sitting at the edge of their clearing, but approached as Light saw him to start the fire. Ace was perched in a tree, conversing with three wild Pidgey. By the movements of his wings, Light was sure he was bragging about something.

Light sat down, bored. Nick told them they weren't leaving the Saffron area until he caught at least one more Pokemon. Light was excited until he realized Nick wanted only a certain Pokemon. Not a certain species, a Pokemon with certain looks and was 'cool'. Nick had been searching and searching, but he hadn't found one he liked.

Light didn't know how to help. He didn't know what Nick meant, so he didn't know what to look for. If he did, he could get both Ace and Blaze to help and they would be gone quickly, but at this pace, it seemed like it would take forever. He tried to tell Nick the Pokemon he was looking for may be in another area, but he was too stubborn to consider it.

Blaze started the campfire. Now they needed dinner. Light wasn't about to wait for Nick's hunger to get the best of him. Using Psychic, he pulled Nick off the branch, much to Nick's surprise, and put him in front of the campfire.

He opened a channel to Nick, Dinner first, and then you can stay up as long as you want.

Nick gave him a mutinous look, but dug through his bag and pulled out their dinner. Nick, being himself, had only brought microwave food. So, they had to do with heating the food over the campfire, as Blaze couldn't lower the temperature of his fire or lengthen it to last long enough.

As they waited for the food to cook on a pan above the fire, Light continuously used Psychic to rotate the food to keep it from burning. Even though it was microwave food, a delicious aroma came from it. Ace's head shot around when the aroma reached him. Ace sent the Pidgey away and alighted on Nick's shoulder.

After the last rotation, Light released the move and waited for it to finish. All of them were quiet; the only noise the bug Pokemon starting up in the forest and the fire, crackling as it burned the wood underneath it.

Suddenly, a twig snapped at the edge of the clearing behind Light. He looked at the others and realized they hadn't heard it, intent on the food. Not wanting the Pokemon to run, he touched its mind. It was concentrated on the food. He knew Nick would yell at him for sending a Pokemon away as it might have been the one he was looking for, not that it wanted to eat their food or attack them.

Using Psychic, he grabbed the Pokemon and lifted above his head level. He then brought the Pokemon to Nick's lap, quickly. Nick's attention snapped to the Pokemon as it landed in his lap. He jumped back, startled, and Ace flew off the bumpy perch.

Light looked at the Pokemon. It was a regular Eevee. It was slightly smaller than Light had been when he was an Eevee. It also looked thinner than regular Eevee. Light realized that it must be really hungry.

The Eevee curled up in a ball and hid itself with its tail. It either knew running was pointless with all of them around it, or it was too scared to move. It started to make a low whimpering sound. It was scared.

Nick got up from lying on his back. He stopped as he saw the Eevee and stopped. He stared at it a long while. Finally, he exclaimed, "That's the one I want to catch!"

Blaze and Light moved strategically to block all the escape routes. The Eevee peered out from under its tail to watch them. It saw Light and quickly looked away, but gave Blaze a long frightened look.

Light and Blaze stopped and didn't move once they were in position. They waited for Nick's command. Nick stared at the Eevee for a little, and then crouched down. While crouched, he slowly approached the Eevee with one hand held out. The Eevee tried to back away, but the fire got in the way.

Nick stopped and thought, Light, I need a small portion of food placed in my hand as I put it behind my back.

Light nodded. He had gotten used to opening a channel as soon as battle was imminent. He used Psychic and lifted the whole tray off quietly so that nothing would burn. He then picked a piece off and moved it into Nick's hand without the Eevee seeing.

Nick put his hand back in front of him and held out the food. The Eevee moved its tail away and brought its head closer. It cautiously sniffed the food. It then completely uncurled and approached Nick's hand. The Eevee sniffed the food once more and then took a small bite. Obviously liking it, the Eevee quickly devoured the rest.

As it was eating, Nick reached out and petted it. The Eevee tensed at first, but relaxed after a little. After it was done eating, Nick scratched it on the head and asked, "Would you like to come with us?"

The Eevee darted a glance at Light and then looked back at Nick. It nodded.

"Okay, then, hold still," Nick said. He took a Pokeball out and tossed it onto the Eevee. The ball fell to the ground and started to vibrate. After a little, the Pokeball stopped and a small ding could be heard. Nick leapt up into the air, "Alright, I caught an Eevee!"

He picked the Pokeball up and released the Eevee. The Eevee looked around for a second and then returned to looking at Nick.

"Hi, I'm Nick. What's your name?" Nick asked.

The Eevee tilted its head in confusion before hesitantly saying, "M-my name is Cream." Light sent the answer to Nick.

"Well welcome to the team, Cream," Nick said. Cream looked at him in surprise as he stood up. "Over there is Light, he is Blaze," Nick said. Ace landed on his shoulder again, "And this is Ace. Light told me your name through telepathy."

Cream glanced at Light, though she quickly looked away. "H-hello, everyone," she said.

Blaze nodded and he returned to the tray and got his food.

Ace nodded and said, "Great to meet you. Don't mind Blaze, he doesn't talk much."

"Nice to meet you," Light said.

"Oh, wait, the food!" Nick exclaimed, going past Cream to the campfire. "Where's the- oh there it is. For a second, I thought it was burning," Nick said. He picked the food up and distributed it out
to everyone. Light noticed that Nick shortened his amount so Cream could have some.

After the meal, Light went back to his spot and fell asleep, suddenly tired from using Psychic so much today.

(0)

Light got up and stretched. He looked around and saw the others were still asleep. Early to bed, early to rise, Light thought. Ace was roosting in a tree while Blaze was sleeping in his spot. Cream was sleeping next to Nick's pallet.

Light meditated until Ace awoke. He had expected Ace to wake sooner, as the sun was already up. Ace nodded at Light in a greeting and started to groom himself. So much for a conversation.
Soon, the others awoke. Blaze of course didn't say much, as was expected. Light tried to start a conversation with Cream, but stopped when he saw she was uncomfortable. Nick, as always, was too groggy to talk this early.

Now that Nick had another Pokemon, he wanted to go on to the next gym. Nick wanted to head toward the Fuchsia City Gym. Blaze had told him that Fuchsia City was directly south. Light was really confused when they headed west toward Celadon City first.

Why are we going to west? Wouldn't it be faster to go straight south? Light asked Nick.

"Yes, but we would have to cross a large river, something we aren't able to do right now. We'll pass through Celadon and take a road from there to reach it. There's a bridge that we can use on the road," Nick said. Cream looked confused, not hearing Light's question. Blaze and Ace were already used to it.

Is there a gym in Celadon City? Light asked.

"Yes, there is, but me and Blaze defeated it. We also have already beat Lt. Surge's gym in Vermilion City. Both gyms allowed me to use one Pokemon, so I challenged them first. Also, Blaze and I got lost and ended up on this side of the region so we had to face the gym leaders here first," Nick answered. Cream was looking even more confused.

Light changed the channel to Cream. I was talking to him through telepathy.

Cream jumped as he talked to her through her mind. She glanced at Light but looked away quickly. How many times was she going to do that?

When sunhigh came, Nick stopped and pulled out his Pokedex. He read Cream's moves over lunch. "So, you know Tackle, Sand-Attack, and Tail Whip," Nick murmured under his breath.

Blaze looked at Light, "Well now you have someone to teach."

"What do you mean?" Light asked.

"Cream needs someone to teach her how to battle," Blaze said.

Why can't you? Light said mentally, keeping the channel between them.

Because, I taught you, Blaze answered.

Exactly, which means you're the better teacher. I haven't taught anyone. Also, Cream won't so much as look at me as listen, Light reasoned.

Take it as practice for when you become a father, Blaze teased.

Why don't you take it as practice for when you become a father? Light asked.

For a second, Blaze glared at him. In that glare seemed to be an equal mixture of grief and anger. But it passed so quickly, Light thought he imagined it. Just go and teach her already, Blaze said tersely.

But- Light started.

Fine, I'll teach her, Blaze stopped him, though he looked annoyed.

Blaze took Cream to the side and started to instruct her. Light noticed that she wasn't shy around Blaze at all. Why was she so shy around him? Light sighed, knowing the answer wouldn't come.

"Come on, Ace and Light, let's practice some of your moves," Nick said.

They were just beginning to practice when Blaze stomped over angrily. "She won't listen. She says she doesn't want to battle anyone. She says she doesn't want to hurt anyone," he said with a snort.

Nick looked worriedly down at Blaze, knowing something was wrong. Cream doesn't want to battle or hurt anyone and Blaze is fed up with helping her, Light informed.

"Well, this is a predicament: a Pokemon that doesn't want to battle," Nick said, scratching his head. He turned to Cream, "Well, I can't make you battle, but . . . that's kinda what I caught you for."
Cream suddenly put on a sad, pleading face. "Please don't make me battle, Nick," she said. Light translated for her.

"Alright, then, I won't make you battle. Do you want to go back to being wild then, because I'm going to be battling with the others often," Nick said.

Cream shook her head quickly.

"Okay, then," Nick said.

Light looked at her. He was still a little stunned that she didn't want to battle. He loved to figure out how to beat an opponent, as long as he wasn't battling for his life like with the Nidoking. Cream was certainly a different addition to the team.

What I notice is that I just put links to the next chapter that is right below the previous, so it's kinda pointless. Whatever.

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[ryan22424]

Chapter 11: Fox

"What do you mean I can't walk on the bridge?" Nick asked.

The lady behind the counter seemed to be expecting the outburst. "I'm sorry sir, but this bridge was built for bikers and vehicles only, no walkers," she said calmly.

Nick angrily ruffled his hair and sat down on a nearby chair. They had reached Celadon quickly, but now they were restricting access to them. Light didn't understand. If they allowed bikes, why did they not allow walking? Then again, if they walked they would mostly have to camp out on the long road.

"I'm not going to be able to afford a bike, guys. I guess we'll have to traverse the river by the east route. Come on, we need to hurry to catch up on time. At this rate we won't get there until the fall," Nick said, getting back up.

Light, Ace, Blaze, and Cream got up from the corner they had settled into and followed him out. Light really didn't mind the wait. The longer route would allow him more time to practice. Nick, though, seemed angered at the delay.

Since it was already getting late, Nick decided to spend the night in the Pokemon Center. Light was sure something was up as they entered. Nurse Joy was somehow also here. She was somehow at every Pokemon Center he had been to so far, which was three.

Nick checked out a room and started down the hallway. They paused as they heard shouting from down the hallway. "I don't care, I don't want a Pokemon," a voice said.
"It won't be yours, it will be mine," a second voice replied.

"You know how I feel about Pokemon being captured, now release the poor Pokemon," the first voice said.

"But . . . but . . . This is a rare Pokemon, and can become really strong. Please let me keep it," the second voice pleaded.

"Fine, but I won't be yours then. I won't be with you if you keep a Pokemon captured," the first voice retorted. The person came into view as it finished the statement. It was a young lady with blonde curls.

The owner of the second voice came into view and it chased her. It was a man a little older than the woman. He was slightly shorter and had a pair of glasses on. He had shaggy brown hair, and wore loose clothing. "Wait, please come back, I'll . . . I'll," he said.

The lady continued, not looking at him. Nick and his group watched her until she left the door into the main area. The man stopped by Nick. He was on the verge of tears and was looking around quickly.

He turned to Nick and thrust a Pokeball into Nick's hand quickly. "There, I don't have it anymore, please come back!" he shouted, running after her.

Nick stood there stunned at what just happened. It took a while for it to process in Nick's head. He looked at the Pokeball and then pinched himself. He flinched and Light almost laughed at him. "What . . . just . . . happened?" Nick asked no one in particular.

You were given a Pokemon. Release it and see what it is, Light said.

Nick returned to his senses and released the Pokemon. A small fox like creature appear. It had six tails. It had a reddish pelt while its paws were brownish. It had a tuft of hair on its head that matched its tails in color. It was a Vulpix.

"Wow, a Vulpix!" Nick exclaimed.

The Vulpix looked around, confused.

Nick crouched down in front of the Vulpix. It backed up a little. "Don't worry; I won't hurt you. You were given to me by a man a few moments ago," Nick said.
The Vulpix looked at him suspiciously. It pulled back its lips and tensed.

Nick immediately backed away, part in fright, part in understanding. "Wait, it's true. The guy gave me you when a girl told him to leave unless he let you go," Nick said, moving his hands in front of his face.

At the sound of footsteps, everyone stopped and looked toward the source. It was the man, hand in hand with the woman. He looked very happy. Vulpix looked at him, but he ignored it and continued past them.

When they were out of sight, Vulpix laid down and hid its face with its paws. It tensed as Nick dared to pet and comfort it, but soon relaxed. It recovered after a while and sat up. It looked around at the others.

"I'm sorry Vulpix, but I hope we can become friends. I am Nick. This is Blaze, Light, Cream, and Ace," Nick said, pointing to them respectively.

"Hello," Ace said.

Cream nodded in greeting, as did Blaze.

"Hi," Light said.

"H-hi, my name is Red," she said. Light translated to Nick.

"Well welcome to the team, Red," Nick said, laughing at Red's startled face. "Light can talk to me through telepathy."

Red nodded, now understanding. Every head turned to Nick has he gave a large yawn. Light, Blaze, and Ace chuckled, remembering the reason for his tiredness.

"Well, let's go on to the room and get some sleep," Nick said.

Red sat down in front of Nick, but he started walking down the hall. "Isn't he going to put us back in the Pokeballs?" she asked.

Blaze shook his head, "No, Nick likes to keep us out where we can be with him."

They headed after Nick and into the room. Blaze and Light called the couch at the same time, and finally decided it was big enough for both of them. Red jumped up into a padded chair, while
Cream went to a corner. Ace found a roosting spot on the windowsill. Light fell asleep quickly.

(0)

Light yawned as they walked down the road. They had woken early, as they had for three days now, in order to try and reach Fuchsia City faster. Light would have rather slept in, but Nick insisted, though Light could see bags starting to appear under his eyes.

Today, they would be entering Vermilion City, but they wouldn't even be staying in the Pokemon Center there, as Nick had defeated Lt. Surge already. Light would enjoy a night on a soft cushion.
Light was also itching for a battle. The trainers they had met didn't want to battle Nick, so Light hadn't been able to have an actual battle in a while. Red didn't need any battle training, and actual liked battle, unlike Cream. Unfortunately, no battles meant they couldn't find out how powerful Red was, though she was quick to boast about how strong she was.

As they entered the city, they saw a few people jogging around a patch of bare ground that was fenced off. A few Machop were running after them. Nick laughed and Blaze chuckled. "What's so funny?" Red asked.

Guessing the question, Nick said, "Those people were here four months ago, doing exactly what they're doing now. They say that they're building something, but they still haven't made any progress."

Light chuckled with them. The laughter was contagious and soon everyone was laughing, including Cream.

Soon, they saw the exit of the town. However, a young boy was standing in the exit. He had a twig in his mouth and his cap was pulled slightly over his face. Light thought he may be trying to look cool, but in his opinion, the boy had failed. The boy also appeared to be waiting for someone.

As they were about to pass the boy, he started and stopped them by stepping in front of him. "Hold on. To go any farther, you have to beat me," the boy said, pointing at himself.

The boy's attitude was starting to irritate Light. No one could just push them around. He stepped forward, ready to teach him not to test them, when he heard, "No, Light. I want to test Red's strength. Are you up for it Red?"

Red nodded and scraped the ground, ready for a fight. She stepped forward and took Light's place. The boy threw a Pokeball out and a small brown creature appeared. It sucked a paw and had a mark on its forehead.

Light was wondering what it was when the boy yelled, "Teddiursa, use Slash!"

And the fight began. Red sidestepped the attack and waited for a command. Nick slapped his face. "Uh oh, I forgot to learn Red's moves," he said in a low voice. In a slightly louder voice, he said, "Red, attack!"

Red glanced at him, confused for a second, before attacking. She formed a Flamethrower and shot it at the Teddiursa. It hit and the Teddiursa was scorched in the flame. Before it could recover from the attack, Red disappeared in the ground.

Teddiursa looked around and saw Red gone. Not realizing she had used Dig, it looked around completely confused. Red suddenly appeared under it and hit it. Teddiursa flew back and hit a section of fence. It fainted on contact.

"Teddiursa, return," the boy said. He pulled out another Pokeball and threw it, "Go, Sandslash!" A medium sized Pokemon appeared. It was yellow and brown and had long claws as hands.
Red's tails flew up and six small, blue flames appeared. Soon, the flames went sailing at Sandslash. The Sandslash expertly dodged them, but they changed course and hit it. Instead of doing damage, Light saw they left burn marks where they landed.

"Sandslash, use Fury Swipes!" the boy yelled. Light covered his ears. He had forgotten how loud trainers got when battling. At least Nick was quiet.

The Sandslash lunged at Red. She dodged the first few attacks, but soon started to get hit. She skidded back as the last one hit. Red recovered quickly and jumped above the Sandslash. When she was right over him, she turned downward and started to spin. She then let loose flames down on the Sandslash. Light recognized the move as Fire Spin.

The Sandslash was trapped. The flames enclosed on it and it cried out in pain. When the flames cleared, Sandslash fainted.

Light was sure he heard a curse from the boy has he returned his Pokemon. "Okay, last one, go Mareep!" he shouted. He threw a third Pokeball and a fluffy Pokemon appeared. It had a yellowish coat and a long tail that ended with a ball.

Red started the battle the same as the last, sending out the blue flames. The Mareep dodged them, but as before, the attack changed directions and hit it.
"Mareep, use Thundershock!" he yelled.

The Mareep covered itself in lightning and then directed it at Red. Red tried to jump out of the way, but the attack still hit. Light held his breath, waiting to see if Red had been paralyzed. Luckily, Red seemed to be moving okay after the attack, so he let the breath out.

Red ran around the Mareep until she was behind it. As the Mareep prepared for a back attack, Red used Dig and disappeared underground.

"Watch out Mareep, it went underground," the boy said.

Mareep looked in every direction, looking for where it would appear. Red came up right under it and the Mareep fell to the side, the breath driven from its body. Red jumped back and crouched. She started to use a Flamethrower.

The Mareep started to get up, but didn't notice as Red's attack came at it. The attack landed, scorching its fur. The Mareep tried to get up after the attack, but the effect of the burns started and it fainted.

"Oh, no, Mareep! Return buddy, you need to rest," the boy said, returning his Pokemon.

"So, will you let us pass now?" Nick asked. Light knew if he wouldn't, the boy would get a surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess you can pass," the boy said, walking back into town toward the Pokemon Center.

After he was out of sight, Nick turned to Red and gave her a pat on the head, "Great job there, Red. Sorry about the no command thing. Here, let me check your moves now." Nick pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it at Red. "Hmm, you know Dig, Flamethrower, Fire Spin, and Will-O-Wisp. Well I guess that blue flame thing was Will-O-Wisp."

Red nodded at his praise and sat down, waiting to continue. "Great job," Ace said.


"Yeah, great job," Light congratulated, surprised at how efficiently she had taken down her opponents.

"Good job," Cream said. She didn't seem to be shy around Red anymore. In fact, she seemed to only be nervous around Light now. Once again, he wondered why that was.

Soon, Nick remembered that he wanted to hurry and they set off down the path again.

[Previous]
[Next]

[tymac]

This is a great story so far ryan!

[ryan22424]

Thank you, it feels great when I know that my hours of typing don't go to waste. Glad you like the story.

[ryan22424]

Chapter 12: The Snoring Battle

Light stopped and sat as Nick tried to find a way around. A large, fat, round Pokemon blocked off the road. The worst part was they couldn't find a way around. The surrounding land rose on either side and prevented them from going that way.

Nick beat on the Pokemon's belly, but to no avail. There seemed to be no way to wake it. Large snores could be heard coming from it. Nick was getting desperate in order to move it and get it away. He had even tried to push it with all of them helping, but that didn't work either. The Pokemon was too heavy.

"I know, Light use Psychic to move it," Nick said.

Light sighed and concentrated. He soon activated Psychic and tried to lift the Pokemon. However, the Pokemon was too resisted by the contact method with its weight. Light stopped and shook his head.

Nick sighed and started to ruffle his hair. "Is there no way around it?" he called out to no one in particular. "I know, we'll irritate it awake. Blaze, Red, Flamethrower!"

Blaze and Red sent a torrent of fire at the Pokemon. After the attack, Light saw it was burned, but it didn't make a difference. It went on sleeping.

"Okay, then we'll tickle it awake. Cream, Tail Whip!" he yelled.

Cream regrettably used Tail Whip on one of its feet. The Pokemon shook a little, but remained sleeping.

"What to do, what to do," Nick said to himself.

Seeing Nick was going to be thinking for a while, his Pokemon made themselves comfortable. Nick leaned against the cliff and went into deep thought.

Light waited patiently. He didn't care much as they got to rest. Nick had pushed them and now, at dawn, they had been stopped. Wanting to catch up on his sleep, he rested.

(0)

Light woke as he heard someone approaching from behind. He looked back and saw a figure approaching, though the sun prevented him from making out the figure completely. Beside it, a smaller figure approached.

When they got close enough to recognize, he gasped. It was Benjamin and his Umbreon. He looked at the others and realized that they hadn't seen them yet. Red and Blaze were sleeping, while the others were thinking of a solution.

Light opened a channel to them all and said, Hey, pay attention! Benjamin approaches.

Blaze and Red awoke with a start. Blaze sent him a glare as he got up, until he the statement set in. When it did, Blaze up quickly and looked their way. Red looked toward Benjamin, too, confused on way almost everyone else was excited. Cream, too, looked confused. Ace started to stretch his neck, ready for a fight. Nick simply continued to lean against the wall. After about five seconds, he started and looked in Benjamin's direction. Light almost laughed at his expression.

Benjamin approached and shook hands with Nick. "Hey, good to meet you again. What're you doing here?" he asked. His Umbreon remained silent as ever.

"Well, we were heading toward Fuchsia City, but we don't have a bike for the bridge. Instead, we came this way and now we're blocked by this weird Pokemon that won't wake up," Nick explained.

"That's a Snorelax. They sleep often and rarely anything wakes them," Benjamin said. Nick's posture slumped. "Usually, one uses an instrument and wakes it with music."

"Do you have an instrument?" Nick asked excitedly.

"Nope," Benjamin said. "There is another way: you could catch it in a Pokeball. It may not be completely captured, but you can pass by while it's in the Pokeball," he said.

Nick slapped himself in the head, "Of course, why didn't I think of that? Wait, don't answer that." Nick pulled out a Pokeball.

"Wait, I came up with the idea, so let's battle for it," Benjamin said.

"Oh great, oh about a one-on-one battle with four Pokemon this time," Nick said.

"Okay," Benjamin said.

Nick and Benjamin put a respective position between themselves. As they did, Red asked Light, "Who is this guy?"

"He's Nick's rival. I consider his Umbreon my rival also. We met when we were facing some guy trying to capture a Mew," Light said.

"Wow, you met a Mew!" Red exclaimed.

Light shrugged, "Yeah, though it really wasn't that impressive."

"But still, Mew's a lengendar-" Red started.

"Go, Green," Benjamin shouted, throwing a Pokeball. His Tangrowth appeared.

Light could tell Ace was just itching to beat it, but Nick had other plans, "Red, let's go."

Red stepped forward and the battle begun. "Green, use Vine Whip!"

Red jumped to the side as a vine hit the ground where she used to be. She further dodged more as it used more and more vines.

"Red, use Fire Spin!" Nick yelled.

Red waited until no vines were about to land to open her mouth. A rotating flame appeared and roasted the vines that were nearby. It hit the slow Tangrowth.

"Green, use Mega Drain!" Benjamin said.

Both Green's and Red's bodies began to glow green slightly and strength was drained from Red. Red staggered slightly as her strength left.

"Red, use Flamethrower and follow it up with Dig!" Nick yelled.

Red blasted Tangrowth with a Flamethrower, ending its Mega Drain. She then used Dig and rapidly disappeared underground.

"Green, use Frenzy Plant!" Benjamin yelled.

Suddenly, large vines with thorns appeared from the ground and waved in the air. Red was on one of the vines. Red had already fainted.

Nick returned Red and sent out Blaze as he sent out his Charizard. Blaze started to match by using Double Team. This time, he was able to make eight copies.

"Now, Dig!" Nick yelled.

All the Flareon disappeared under ground. The Charizard looked around, waiting for them to reappear.

"Char, use Fly!" Benjamin said.

Charizard flew up into the air. Light knew Blaze wouldn't be able to reach the Charizard while it was so high.

"Now use Flamethrower!" Benjamin continued.

Char opened its mouth and shot a Flamethrower at the ground. The ground started to heat up considerably. Light wondered how Blaze could stand it. After a while, Char landed back on the ground.

As soon as it landed, Blaze shot up out of the ground and used Flamethrower. Light looked at Blaze impressively. Blaze didn't seem injured by the fire at all. The Flamethrower hit Char and it was momentarily stunned, as was Light. The Flamethrower was much, much stronger than Blaze's normal attack and did much more damage than he thought it should on another fire type.

Light glanced at Nick and saw him smiling. "Now use Flame Wheel!" Nick yelled.

Before Char could recover, Blaze slammed into him with his fiery form. This attack, too, seemed to be multiplied past its original power. Where was it all coming from? Nick, how is Blaze so powerful?

He has the Flash Flame ability, increasing fire attacks when attacked with fire type moves, Nick thought.

"Char, use Fire Punch!" Benjamin said.

Char pulled back an arm and soon, fire surrounded it. It slammed at Blaze and hit him, but the attack didn't seem to do anything. Blaze opened his mouth and used another Flamethrower, this one even stronger than the last. It hit Char in the face
and was sent flying back.

Benjamin frowned as he saw this. Then, Light saw the realization hit him. "Char, no more fire attacks, use Seismic Toss," Benjamin said.

"Use Double Team and then Flame Wheel," Nick shouted.

Blaze's form once again split and separated into eight. Char looked at each one suspiciously. All of the Flareon used Flamethrower and Char was soon covered in flames, both real and fake. When the attack ended, Char was laying on the ground unconscious.

"Return, Char, you deserve a good rest," Benjamin said. "That's one to one. Go, Sand!" he said.

He threw a Pokeball and a large flying creature appeared. It had a long tail that ended with a decorative fin. It had two large wings and some red thing covered its eyes. Nick pulled out his Pokedex and Light heard him murmur Flygon.

"Alright, Ace, you're up," he said.

Ace took flight off his shoulder and flew into the air.

"Ace, use Wing Attack!" Nick shouted.

"Sand, use Sandstorm!" Benjamin said.

Light covered his eyes as the Flygon made a large amount of sand fly around the area. After a little, the sand died down and he was able to see again. Ace was still flying, but he looked like he was almost beat already. However, the Flygon also looked weak. He wondered what had happened during the sandstorm.

"Sand, use Dragonbreath!" Benjamin called out.

Sand opened its mouth and shot out a large amount of bluish flames at Ace. Ace dived under the attack and came up at Sand.

"Use Wing Attack, and then Gust!" Nick shouted.

Ace came up at the Flygon and hit it with a wing. Once he had flown a little bit away, he turned around and used Gust. The Flygon, already weakened, landed on the ground. Surprisingly, the Flygon fainted. Ace stumbled to a landing nearby and almost fainted himself.

Both trainers returned their Pokemon. Light tensed, knowing it was his turn next. Benjamin's Umbreon came forward and faced him. Light prepared himself, knowing that the Umbreon got its commands through telepathy. That gave him an idea, though.

The Umbreon started the battle with a Dark Pulse that Light sidestepped. He focused and used Psychic. Following his idea, Light 'covered' the Umbreon's consciousness with his own. The Umbreon suddenly seemed confused and Light knew it had worked. He had stopped the channel between it and its trainer.

Knowing Psychic would be worthless now, even if he wasn't using it to block telepathy, he used Quick Attack. The Umbreon tried to dodge, but reacted too late and was hit. Before it could recover, Light used Dark Pulse. It made a direct hit on the Umbreon and sent it skidding even farther away.

By now, Benjamin had realized that his Umbreon wasn't hearing the mental commands. "Black, use Shadow Ball!"

Light smiled and stopped the Psychic blockade. He knew that it would be a while before the silent commands were tested since it was the heat of battle. Now he would know what Black was being told.

Light remembered that Shadow Ball followed the opponent and used Protect. Once the attack ended, Light almost stopped Protect, but continued as he saw another Shadow Ball coming. Having never needed to use Protect twice in a row, he despaired to notice the Protect now taking much more energy and almost making him flinch away from using it.

Light barely held up Protect for the second attack and quickly stopped it. He was blown off his feet as another Shadow Ball came. He got up quickly and sidestepped another. Knowing the move would follow him, he used the strategy from when battling the Espeon. He used Quick Attack and outran it. For a few precious seconds, Light couldn't locate Black, but the finally did. Black was by the cliff, making yet another Shadow Ball.

Light glanced back and saw two were now tailing him. Soon, a third one was also tailing him. He ran at Black and leapt over him. Continuing Quick Attack, Light rammed Black back. Black stumbled under the unexpected hit and was hit by two of his own Shadow Balls.

But the third one went over his head and came right at Light. Thinking quickly, Light used Psychic and gripped the attack, trying to control it. However, as soon as he touched it with Psychic, it exploded. It was close enough that the force hit Light some, but not as much as the full impact of the attack.

Black was up now and was staring him down. By his and Benjamin's expression, Light took it that they had the mental connection back. Light tried to cover it as before, but Black had learned and fought back mentally. After a while, light decided to switch tactics and shot a quick Dark Pulse. Focused on Psychic, Black reacted too late and was hit.

Black got back up from where he had landed and charge at Light. Light tried to move, but the cliff prevented him and he was hit by Black's Double Edge. Light fell down, almost fainting. He saw the recoil damage affect him more than he thought and he fell also.

Neither was able to get up and Light despaired to realize that they had ended in a tie again. He snorted and tried even harder to get up, but was unable.

"A tie again? N- wait, I won two of the other matches, I won!" Nick shouted. He started his little signature dance.

Benjamin returned Black and shook his head in laughter. Light was sure the laughter was at Nick's dance. "Okay, okay, the Snorelax is yours," Benjamin said. "But, one more thing, you could also fly over it," he said as he threw another Pokeball. A large gray bird appeared. Light recognized it was a Skarmory. "Let's go, Silver, use Fly," Benjamin said, mounting the bird. The Skarmory flew into the air and disappeared in the clouds.

Nick slapped himself again, "Of course, why can't I think of any good ideas?" He pulled out a Pokeball and threw it at the Snorelax. It disappeared in a flash of red. The Pokeball vibrated a little and then dinged. "Alright, I caught a Snorelax!" Nick shouted and started his dance again.

Light saw Cream approach from the side. "A-are you alright, Light?"

"Yeah," Light said. Maybe I should get hurt more often. She just asked a whole question without being prompted, Light thought, though to himself.

Nick suddenly stopped and rushed over to his Umbreon. "Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I got caught up I the moment. Here let me return you," he said, pulling out Nick's Pokeball.

Do I really have to go in there again? Light asked using telepathy and putting a pleading face on.

Nick hesitated, "Well, I can't carry you, but . . . I do have a potion I could use." He dug through his bag and pull out a small purple spray bottle. "Hold still."

Light almost laughed at the irony of the statement. As Nick used the potion, Light felt his strength coming back, though not much. Light stood up after Nick was done and tested his legs. He would be able to walk farther.

"Okay, now we need to hurry to Fuchsia City and get to a Pokemon Center," Nick yelled, starting to run down the path. Blaze, Cream, and Light ran after him. He noticed Cream ran closer to his side than usual. Maybe he was getting through her shyness.

[Previous]
[Next]

[ryan22424]

Chapter 13: Familiar Face

Light trotted after Nick. After walking a long while for the past week, they were almost to Fuchsia City. Luckily, they had been able to handle the three trainers that had challenge them so far, though one was slightly difficult to beat without Ace's help. The Snorelax was no help. In fact, Light still hadn't seen it awake yet.

Nick trudged along ahead. Desperate to hurry and reach Fuchsia City, they had risen early and went to bed late every day. This had affected him more than his Pokemon. Blaze, Light, and Cream all had more endurance than their trainer, but Nick kept it up. Light had they would have a long night of rest when they reached the city.

Luckily, Nick said they should reach Fuchsia City by the end of the day. However, Light hadn't seen the city yet and it was growing dark. In fact, it was almost sunset. Light was just about to sigh, when he saw a small building ahead. It really didn't make any difference to Light until he saw the sign on the front of the building. It had large letters on the front that read Fuchsia City.

"We're here!" Nick exclaimed.

Somewhere, in each of them, they found a hidden amount of stored energy and they rushed to the entrance of the city. They ran through the building and into the city. Pausing for directions, they headed straight for the Pokemon Center.

They reached it just in time. Nurse Joy was just about to lower the blinds and lock the Pokemon Center. Nick rushed even quicker to the building. Nurse Joy paused as they rushed to her. She let them in and Nick collapsed in a chair while they waited for her to lock up.

Nick handed over his Pokemon, besides Cream, who hadn't battled at all, and checked out a room for himself. Light followed Nurse Joy into a medical room and jumped up into the bed she motioned to. As soon as he laid down on the fluffy bed, he fell asleep.

(0)

Light and Blaze sat on the front desk. They had tried to let Ace and Red out, but Nurse Joy wouldn't allow it unless Nick did it himself. After a while of convincing, Light got her to at least wake Nick. He knew Nick would sleep through the whole day unless someone woke him. Cream would be too nice and timid to wake Nick herself.

Nick came through the door. He yawned greatly and stretched. Cream followed behind him, looking much more awake. Light and Blaze jumped down as Nick picked up Ace's and Red's Pokeballs. He released and sat down in a chair and yawned again.

After Nick had had time to wake up properly, albeit with some encouragement from Light and Ace, they headed for the Fuchsia City Gym. When Nick asked for a challenge, they allowed them to face Koga immediately.

Nick entered and was led to the battling room. Koga was a slightly old fellow. All of his hair was gray or silver, but he held a straight posture and looked extremely fit. The arena was a yellow area with white lines on the ground.

The standard announcer was at the side. He looked as fit as Koga was and looked as if he could take on a Machamp and win. The announcer started the ritual of gym battles, "Welcome, challenger, to the Fuchsia City Gym, run by Koga, master ninja. This battle will be a two-on-two battle between two Pokemon. Both the gym leader and the challenger may not switch their Pokemon at any time. Both may have two and only two Pokemon total. Ready? Begin!"

Koga threw two Pokeballs into the air. A moth like creature and a spider like creature appeared. The moth like creature was a purple Pokemon with wings as large as it. It was a Venomoth. The spider like creature was larger than Light and brought back bad memories. It was an Ariados.

Light wanted to join the battle, but stopped as Nick said, "Blaze, Red, you're up. Let's make this a quick victory."

Light grumbled about being left out of the gym battle. Blaze and Red stepped into the arena together and the battle started. Without being told, the Venomoth used Poison Powder, while the Ariados used String Shot. Blaze and Red both used Flamethrower to burn the spores and sting away.

"Use Flamethrower on them!" Nick yelled.

Blaze shot his Flamethrower at the Venomoth, while Red aimed at Ariados. The Venomoth was fast enough and was hit. The Ariados, however, jumped out of the way quickly and used String Shot again. Red didn't react fast enough and was caught in the sticky substance.

By now, the Venomoth had recovered from the attack and was ready to continue, though it looked as though it was almost defeated. It used Poison Sting at Blaze. Blaze jumped out of the way and used Flamethrower again. The Venomoth was once again hit and fainted.

While Blaze was distracted by the Venomoth, the Ariados had approached and used String Shot again on him. Blaze was completely covered and unable to move as Red was. The Ariados made a clicking sound, sort of like laughing and got ready to easily defeat them.

"Blaze, Flame Wheel!" Nick shouted.

Blaze used Flame Wheel and the strings disappeared as they melted away. Continuing the attack, he charged at the Ariados and hit it hard. The Ariados was stunned and tried to find another
way to capture him.

Blaze didn't allow it time, though, and used Flamethrower again. The Ariados jumped out of the way and prepared to attack. Blaze jumped to the side as it used Poison Sting.
"Double Team, and then Dig!" Nick yelled.

Blaze separated into eight forms and they soon disappeared underground. The Ariados looked around and finally decided the ground was too dangerous and climbed the wall. It continued onto the ceiling and waited. Suddenly, four of the Flareon appeared and shot Flamethrower at it. It jumped to the side and used Poison Sting. All four of the Flareon disappeared.

Suddenly, the other four appeared and shot Flamethrower. However, these four were in separate corners. Light noticed one didn't use Flamethrower at Ariados, but at Red. The String Shot melted away and Light realized that was the real Blaze. By now, the Ariados had shot the others and it was staring Blaze and Red down.

"Flamethrower!" Nick shouted.

Blaze and Red used Flamethrower and blocked its escape. Once done, they moved the attacks to it. The Ariados was unable to escape and took the damage from both blows. The Ariados fell to the ground and fainted.

"Ariados and Venomoth have fainted. The challenger wins," the announcer said, though he had no flags.

Nick walked over to Koga as he returned his Pokemon. He shook hands, though Koga didn't say a word. Nick took the Soul Badge and left. Koga was silent the whole time and Light suspected he couldn't even talk, though that was improbable.

Nick took them back to the Pokemon Center. Since Blaze and Red were unhurt, they didn't go into the medical area, and instead returned to Nick's room with them.

Light sat on the couch beside Nick as he relaxed. Nick had announced the rest of the day and tomorrow would be complete rest days, with no training, battles, or traveling. Cream jumped up on the other side of Nick and they watched some kind of beauty contest. Cream seemed eager while watching it.

Ace perched on the windowsill and started to groom himself. Once done, he hid his head under his wing and fell asleep.

Nick had left the bedroom door open, so Blaze went to it to get a full night's, or technically day's, sleep. Red followed him after a while. She bumped the door and shut it. Nick didn't respond, but slumped further in the couch. Nick closed his eyes and Light was sure he heard snoring coming from him.

Suddenly, a bang hit the bedroom door. Light, Cream, and Ace started at the sound. Nick jumped completely up and looked around frantically until his sight came upon the bedroom door. He seemed to calm down some as he approached it.

He opened the door and Red tumbled out of the room. Light saw Blaze at the bed's edge, anger apparent in his eyes. Light saw heat rising off his body. He was in an offensive position and his hair was bristled. He was baring his teeth and was utterly a low growl.

Red was looking ruffled and slightly bruised on one side. She became frightened as she looked at Blaze's expression. Nick stepped back, unsure of what to do.

Light touched Blaze's mind and almost recoiled at the torrent of feelings Blaze was feeling. You're probable listening to my thoughts, Light. If you are, open the door into the main part of the building, NOW! Light heard.

Light reached toward the doorknob and turned it. The door swung open and Blaze jumped off the bed. Red scooted out of the way as he passed. She even flinched a little. Blaze headed straight for the door and went right out. Now one tried to stop him.

Nick looked from the door to Red and back. He sighed and scratched his head, "I hope Blaze comes back soon. Then we'll find out what all this was about."

Red scampered over to the corner and curled up, avoiding the gazes of everyone else. Ace, Light, and Cream exchanged confused glances.

(0)

Blaze tiredly headed for the bedroom. He was still tired from their journey there and from the exertion of the recent battle. Since it was a complete day off, which was rare, Blaze decided to catch up on his sleep.

His paws slightly dragged as he thought about sleeping. He walked into the room and jumped up onto the bed. He stretched out, enjoying the comfy mattress. He closed his eyes and tried to doze.

He failed, however, as the door shut. He looked back and saw Red in the room. He laid his head back down and tried to doze again, ignoring the Vulpix.

He failed again, however, as the annoying Vulpix sprang onto the bed. He looked up and saw her approaching him. "What do you want?" he asked.

"What? Can't I just be with you?" she asked.

Blaze snorted and curled away from her. He saw her come around him to face him again.

"What's wrong? Don't you like me?" she asked.

"Not right now, no. I'm trying to sleep," he said irritably.

"Why don't you come and sleep with me? You'll be warmer," she said.

"No, I don't think I will. I'm perfectly warm as is," Blaze said.

"Well, then, can we go and do something?" she asked.

"Are you asking what I think you are?" Blaze asked, keeping an indifferent tone.

"Most likely, come on, we can be more than friends," she said, putting her tails on Blaze.

Blaze lost his temper as she did this. He burst out with his head and she went sailing into the door. A loud thump sounded as she hit it. He approached the end of the bed, ready to spring at her again. He let out a low growl.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Red tumbled backwards. Nick had opened the door and stepped back confused on what was happening. Ignoring the shock coming from everyone, he looked at Light out of the corner of his eye. He saw Light looking at him and knew he was probably opening a channel between them.

You're probable listening to my thoughts, Light. If you are, open the door into the main part of the building, NOW! he shouted into his head as loud as possible.

Light looked slightly startled, but the door still opened. Blaze jumped down and went out of the bedroom, snarling at Red as he went past. She flinched and tried to move away. He moved straight for the door and out. No one tried to stop him.

Blaze stormed down the hallway, wishing for something to hit, hard. He went into the common room of the Pokemon Center and realized Nurse Joy wouldn't let him out while he was alone. Blaze instead opted to sitting on a curved couch. He glared as a trainer tried to sit near him. The trainer immediately left.

He looked around after the trainer left and realized that he was alone. Good, he thought. But as he sat there, he couldn't help letting a sob. Then, the sob turned into two, which turned into three. Soon, he was crying into the couch cushion. Why did Angel have to save him? He couldn't bare her death, even now.

Soon, his crying stopped and he simply laid there, his head on his paws. A few trainers came through, either checking Pokemon in or out. None of them paid him any attention. He sighed and tried to get his emotions under control.

He definitely wouldn't be going back to their room anytime soon. He would most likely lunge at Red if he saw her again anytime soon. He huffed and half closed his eyes. He was tempted to go out as another trainer did, but he knew he shouldn't.

Blaze was so unfocused, he almost missed it, but he didn't. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lithe figure walking behind a trainer. The figure had reddish fur and a yellowish mane and tail, definitely a Flareon. However, that was not what had made him stop. It had been the face. It had been her face.

[Previous]
[Next]

[Tenebrae]

I have a lot to read...

[ryan22424]

I have a lot to read...

yep, lots and lots of reading. Best get to it.

[ryan22424]

Chapter 14: Her

Blaze stared at where he had seen the Pokemon. The Pokemon had already slipped around the trainer, but Blaze couldn't stop. He was so sure he had seen her. He was sure he had seen Angel.

But was it possible? He had watched her die.

He needed to find out. Blaze jumped down and headed around to a new position where he could see the Flareon again. The Flareon matched Angel completely. Blaze's jaw dropped, though only for a second.

He padded softly up to the Flareon and said, though it came out as a whisper, "Angel?"

"Hmm, oh hello, who are you?" the Flareon said, turning to face him.

Blaze looked at her face. It seemed exactly the same as Angel's, but something was off. "I-it's me, Blaze," he stammered.

"Who? I don't think we've met," she said.

Blaze's heart sank. It wasn't her. "S-sorry, I-I thought you were s-someone else," Blaze said, starting to walk away.

"Wait, what did you say before?" she asked.

"I thought you were a different Flareon, a Flareon called Angel," Blaze said before heading away.

Before he could however, he was stopped as the Flareon jumped in front of him. "Wait, another Flareon called Angel? What did she look like? Did she look like me?"

The Flareon was starting to rub him the wrong way. It only made it worse with the similarities. "Go away, Angel has nothing to do with you," he said, almost in a growl. He started to go around her.

"Maybe it does," she said, almost whispering.

Blaze stopped.

"I had a twin called Angel, who also evolved into a Flareon," she said, her voice strengthening. "H-have you seen her?" she asked timidly.

Blaze's throat twisted as he thought about it. "Yes," he whispered, tears forming in his eyes. He walked past her and into the hallway to Nick's room, unable to face her. She reminded him too much of Angel. If she was really her twin, then he really didn't want to talk to her.

"What happened?" she called after him.

Tears started to roll down his face, but he just shook his head and continued. He heard pawsteps behind him, but ignored them. Soon, they stopped as he heard a call from the common room, most likely the trainer.

Blaze went back to the room and saw the door still open. Nick was once again sleeping, but the rest were awake. He didn't know about Red, however, as she was curled in a corner. Light, Cream, and Ace looked at him as he entered, but they didn't say anything, thankfully.

Blaze jumped into a padded chair and curled up, ignoring the others. He heard the door close. Nick awake with the sound and stretched. He jumped up and came to Blaze as he saw him. He leant down and softly petted him.

New tears formed and he started to quietly sob again. Nick quietly whispered, "You're sad about her, aren't you, buddy?"

Blaze nodded and continued to sob. Nick rubbed his back some more and continued to comfort him.

"I'm sorry about Red. I'll make sure she doesn't do anything again, okay?" Nick asked.

Blaze shook his head. Now that he had had time to calm down, he realized that he had gone too far. Red hadn't known what he had gone through. She just wanted him as a mate, not to hurt him. He also now realized he needed to apologize, as much as it hurt.

Blaze dried his tears and sat up. He waited for Nick to move before jumping to the floor. He headed over to Red. He noticed she wasn't asleep when she tensed. He took a deep breath and started, "Listen Red, I'm sorry. I went too far with attacking you and everything. I've just had a . . . sad past and I'm not going to have a mate anytime soon."

Red lifted her head slowly and saw he was being sincere. "I . . . I need to apologize too. I shouldn't have come on like that so suddenly. Can . . . can we still be friends?" she asked.

Blaze nodded and felt a small weight lift off his shoulders. One less problem to deal with. He headed back to the chair and jumped up. He laid his head down to sleep, when he heard something at the door.

Light looked toward the door and Blaze knew Light would be interrogated whoever it was. He was surprised when the door opened. Nick was, too. He rushed to the open door. Blaze looked over and saw the trainer from the front desk there, her Flareon sitting at her feet.

"Umm, hello. Can I help you with something?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yes, my Flareon wanted something here, though I don't know what," she said, slightly embarrassed.

Nick looked down at the Flareon and gasped. He looked back at Blaze and pointed wordlessly at the Flareon. Blaze shook his head. Nick turned to the lady, "Umm, does your Flareon's name happen to be Angel?"

The lady shook her head, "No, no, I just call her Flareon, because I haven't found out her name yet. She's only out of her Pokeball because I recently captured her. Why do you ask?"

"It's kind of a long story, but your Flareon looks exactly like a Flareon I've met before," Nick said. "Here, let me ask my Umbreon."

Light looked at Flareon and asked, "What does your name happen to be?"

"I'm called Blair," she said. She started to look around the room.

Light presently sent the information to Nick. Nick's shoulders sagged, "Oh, her name's Blair, not Angel. Would you like to sit down for some appetizers?"

"Well thank you, I would. Maybe . . . Blair will be done by then. Is it okay for her to walk around?" she asked.

Nick looked hesitantly at Blaze. Blaze simply turned away. "Well, I guess," he said, shutting the door behind the lady as she entered.

Blaze ignored them as they headed for the small dining area. He saw Blair came over to the chair and sit down nearby. "Now will you talk about Angel?" she asked.

Blaze sighed, realizing he couldn't escape it now. "One second," he said. Blaze turned to the others, "Please leave for a little, guys." All of them left without complaint, partly because they were extremely surprised with the please and the nice way he asked and partly because how serious he sounded.

"Now, you said you knew my sister," Blair started.

Blaze stopped her, "Yes, but you're going to have to be patient for me. It's hard for me to talk about. In fact, only Nick and I know about it."
Blair nodded and waited.

Taking a deep breath, Blaze started his story. He told of how he had met Angel and instantly liked her and quickly grew to love, though he hadn't recognized it then. He told of how Angel was caught by Nick, but stopped and saved them at the expense of her life. He even forced himself to tell about Angel's confessions. He broke into sobs three times during the telling, but Blair waited patiently.

When he finished, he hid his face and broke down crying again. He heard sobbing coming from where Blair was, also. When he finished crying, he dried his tears and looked back up again. Blair was also slowing her crying. Blaze's heart twisted as he saw Blair's pitiful form from all the crying, though he forced himself to ignore it.

"Thank . . . thank you for telling me. I'm happy to know what happened to her. I hadn't seen her in almost a year now. I'm . . . I'm glad she died doing something good. That was always like her, sacrificing herself for others she loved," Blair said when she could speak again.

Blaze nodded and curled away, not wanting to talk anymore. He had told her what she wanted to know. But he felt much better now that he had shared his story. He heard Blair trying to say something and turned back to her.

"Would . . . would you like to talk about Angel some more?" she hesitantly asked.

Blaze took only a second to decide. He nodded and leapt onto the couch. Blair leapt up onto the couch beside him also, though she left some space between them.

"Well, I don't know where to start, really. We were litter mates for about two months before I was captured," she began, "I had strayed off too far from the den and got captured. If that trainer had another Pokeball, he would have captured Angel as well, as Angel came running after me for a while before giving up. We were best friends as well as twins. We shared most things: our looks, our personality, even our eyes. Even our parents would sometimes confuse us. I'm not surprised you thought I was Angel.

"I remember us getting into so much trouble. From curiosity to trying to get out of punishments, we were a rowdy group. Our parents, a Flareon and Espeon, were very patient, though and took good care of us."

Blaze nodded, glad to hear of Angel's life. Blair started to recall stories of her and her sister. Blaze listened closely, absorbing as much of Angel as he could.

However, the time came when Blair had to leave. Blaze felt his heart start to rip open again as Blair started to go with her trainer. He couldn't stand to lose someone as close to Angel as she had been. "Wait, Blair," he called out, trotting up to her.

Nick had come with the lady to the door to see her out. The others came back in, seeing their conversation was over. Light came up to Nick, ready to translate again if need be.

"Yes?" Blair said.

"Will y-you come with us? Nick would welcome you," Blaze said.

Blaze saw a longing enter her eyes, but she shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I'm owned by my trainer, I can't come."

"But if you weren't, would you come?" Blaze asked.

Blair hesitated, but nodded slightly.

"Light, tell Nick to ask the lady what she would do to let Blair come with us," Blaze commanded.

Light nodded and looked up at Nick. Nick paused in talking to the lady and listened to what Light had to say. "Wait, what do you want me to do now?" Nick asked. Light seemed to want to sigh and then repeated Blaze's message. Nick scratched his head for a second.

"Is something wrong?" the lady asked.

"Well, it seems my Pokemon have taken a liking to Blair. They want me to ask you if Blair could stay," Nick hesitantly asked.

"Well, I guess so if we did a trade, but I don't think you'll have what I'll want," she said.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"Well, this is going to sound strange . . . but I've always wanted a . . . Snorlax," she confessed.

Nick stared at her in shock. Blaze wanted to jump in joy. Was this fate or what? "I-I have a Snorlax. Would you trade for Blair?"

The lady nodded quickly, "Oh, yes, yes, yes. I would love to. Here, let's head to the trade machine now." She grabbed Nicks' wrist and pulled him after her. The rest of them followed the two down the hallway.

They entered a large room with three large machines. Blair waited as the lady returned her. Blaze waited anxiously as Nick and the lady put the Pokeballs on a machine. The machine flared to life and Blaze saw the silhouettes of Blair and the Snorlax on the machine cross the screen.

Nick picked up the Pokeball and released Blair. The lady yelled a thank you as she ran out of the room with her new Snorlax. Blair looked around at her new team members. "Am I going to get a proper introduction, now?" she asked.

Blaze nodded and said, "This is Light, the Umbreon. Ace is the Pidgeotto on Nick's shoulder, while Red is the Vulpix there. Cream is the Eevee there. Nick is our trainer. Everyone, this is Blair."

Everyone nodded a greeting and they started back to the room, Blaze's pelt touching Blair's ever so lightly.

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[ryan22424]

Agh, time to get to the mushy stuff, enjoy. 

Chapter 15: The Tunnel

Light looked at the sky and noticed it was about to rain. He looked around quickly for some shelter. He found a large willow tree that would suffice. Everyone, it's about to rain, take cover under the willow tree, he said mentally, so Nick could understand.

The group took shelter under the tree. About three seconds after they got to safety, the rain started to come, hard. Light was glad he was able to find a good enough shelter fast enough. "Wow, thanks Light, I didn't even notice the clouds," Nick echoed his thoughts.

Light remembered their plans. If the rain let up soon, they may be able to reach the tunnel they were heading for the last two weeks. Nick said humans called it the Diglett Cave because of only Diglett and Dugtrio being in it. Nick wanted to use it as a shortcut to Pewter City to face Brock, their next target.

After that, they would probably be stopping to rest during the Christmas season. Though it was still fall, Nick said that snow came earlier in the northern cities like Pewter and Cerulean. Light couldn't wait to see what snow was and why Nick disliked so.

Light walked over to the roots of the tree and laid down. Ace perched in the tree's first branch. Blaze and Blair went around the tree to be alone, their tails entwining. Nick sat against the tree and started to doze. Red jumped into his lap and joined him in sleep.

Cream looked like she didn't know where to go, so Light motioned the spot next to him. She came over and sat down, though she looked uncomfortable slightly as she did. Light sighed, realizing she was still uncomfortable around.

"You know, I don't bite, at least not since I learned Psychic," he chuckled at his small joke.

Cream smiled a little, "I k-know."

"Then why are you so jumpy around me? You rarely ever talk to me," he said.

"Well . . . umm . . . what do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Light almost cheered. He was starting to get through. "Okay, did you have any family before you joined us?" He regretted the question instantly as he saw tears start to form in her eyes. "I-I'm sorry; you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he soothed, putting his tail on her back.

Cream calmed down some and smiled, "Thanks."

"Okay, what do you think about Nick?" Light asked, changing the subject.

"He's okay. I'm glad he didn't make me fight," she said.

"Yeah, I think Nick's a great trainer. I was born Nick's Pokemon," Light said, smiling at the memory of his entrance.

"D-do . . . do you t-think I'm . . . w-weak because I don't want to fight?" Cream asked, looking down at her paws.

"What? Of course not. I may not understand why you don't fight, but not fighting is your choice. I don't think you're weak just because you don't want to fight," Light said.

Cream looked up at him, smiling a little, "Thanks."

What did I say? Light thought. "Do you think badly of me because I like to fight?"

Cream gave him a horrified look, as though that was an impossibility, but it passed so quickly, Light was unsure if he saw right. "No!" The conviction she put behind made Light think he was correct when he saw the look.

"Good," Light said. He glanced up and saw the rain was stopping. He checked the clouds and they seemed to be finished for now. "I think it's time to move out," Light said loudly, so everyone would hear. He went over to Nick and pushed him awake.

Nick got up and they headed down the soggy path. Red let her thoughts out about the condition of the road. However, Blaze, who usually would have been commenting also, didn't say anything. In fact, Blaze seemed not to even notice the road. He was too concentrated on talking with Blair.

Luckily, they were able to reach the tunnel before sunset and they camped under the overhang of the tunnel. Cream surprisingly laid down next to Light, though he was glad for the warmth. Light was able to sleep much easier for some reason, even though he was on stone, now.

(0)

They headed down the tunnel the next day. Though frequent holes poked the ceiling, Light still took the lead since he could see best. Also, his rings let out enough light for the others to easily follow him. Cream stayed close by his side, closer than usual. He actually found some comfort in that.

The tunnel was long, but they didn't meet up with any trainers. However, they did have to fight several Diglett and a few Dugtrio who wanted to stop them for some reason. As Ace, Blaze, Blair, and Red were all at a disadvantage with the ground type Pokemon, Light had to be the one to take care of it.

Luckily, with his psychic powers, he was able to avoid many of the Diglett and Dugtrio. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Light was never happier to see full daylight, even though it was technically sunset. He was starting to think they would have to camp in the horrible tunnel. He wouldn't be able to protect them all night long and then the next day without rest.

Pewter City was thankfully only a short walk away. However, Nick still opted to stay outside, so they camped under the ledge of the cave. This night, Red came over and slept next to him. He was slightly confused for she had been sleeping with Nick after the incident with Blaze, but didn't refuse.

He was almost completely asleep, when he thought he heard a huff, but when he opened his eyes, he didn't see anything and so dismissed it as his imagination. Soon, he was covered with the veil of sleep.

(0)

They got up early, though Light would have opted to sleeping in later. Nick led them to Pewter City and left Light with Nurse Joy, who Light was really starting to question. How did she happen to show up at every Pokemon Center they went to?

Light was taken back and healed with their machines. Though the process was an itchy, uncomfortable one, he was glad they had a machine that healed him outside his Pokeball. He was soon finished and Nurse Joy left him the counter.

Light was surprised when Cream jumped up onto the counter beside him. "Are you guys back already?" he asked.

Cream shook her head, "No, Nick let me stay here, though I'm not allowed to leave the common room."

Light nodded in understanding, though he didn't understand why she would want to stay. At least she wasn't being as shy as she used to be. They sat silent for a little, watching as a few trainers, newbies by their looks, came to Nurse Joy to heal their Pokemon.

Light finally yawned and decided to get that sleep he wanted. He laid down and closed his eyes. It seemed only a second, before he opened his eyes and saw Nick coming with Ace on his shoulder as usual.

"Hey, Light, are you all healed up?" Nick asked.

Light nodded and jumped down to join Red, Blaze, and Blair. Cream jumped down with him and Nick led them to the room he checked out. Before Light could go, Nick called him over to the two chairs in the dining area. Nick pulled them out and made them face each other. Light jumped up into the chair Nick motioned to and waited.

"We need to come up with a plan. We have to use two Pokemon in three days against Brock. He uses rock and ground type Pokemon, but many of his Pokemon know a few fighting type moves," Nick said. Light nodded understanding Nick was hinting at his dark type weakness to fighting type. "Also, I need two Pokemon. Ace is flying and weak against rock, while Cream doesn't fight. The others are fire types, which makes things harder. Can you think of something? You usually always have a plan."

Hmm, it's a tough position. Ace will definitely be out of the question, as will Blair, as she only knows normal and fire type moves right now, Light reasoned, Blaze and Red are possibilities since both know Dig while I'll be the other choice, since I have three effective moves. What is Brock's signature Pokemon?

"Good question. Most people face his Onyx as the second Pokemon. However, the first Pokemon usual varies," Nick said.

There, Onyx rarely ever learn fighting type moves. I should be able to defeat it. For the first Pokemon you should use Blaze or Red and then have me come up against the Onyx or finish the first one quickly and then go up against Onyx. Blaze would probably be the better choice with both Dig and Double Team. Red could burn them, but that won't be able to affect them fast enough, Light explained.

"Man, you really are good at strategy. You should play chess or something. So I'll use Blaze and you. We should get some training in tomorrow and the next day, then," Nick said.

What's chess? Light asked.

"Never mind," Nick said, getting up.

Seeing he was done, Light jumped off the chair and made his way to his lunch. He ate quickly and went to the couch. No one was on it, luckily, so he got it to himself. Light glanced over and saw Ace was roosting on the windowsill, while Blaze and Red where sleeping together in the corner on a cushion. Nick was heading to the bedroom. Light fell asleep quickly.

(0)

Light woke to the sound of screeching. Light jumped up to see, in the dim light of the sunset, that Cream was fighting with Red. Light was too stunned to intervene. For one, Cream didn't fight, which was surprising at ferocious her attacks were. Also, Cream was a nice Pokemon, but the look on her face was scaring even him. A third reason was Red was a team member, not some enemy. For another, Red was a good fighter, but Cream seemed to be evenly matched against her.

Finally, the shock ebbed away and Light jumped down. He tried to tell them to stop, but they weren't listening. Finally, he shoved himself between them, taking a claw attack from Cream, which he was sure was a Slash attack, and a kick from Red, right in the stomach. Cream and Red jumped away from him as they saw who they had accidentally attacked.

Light stood there for a second, letting the pain stop, before saying anything. However, it was a second too long, as Cream ran under the couch, starting to cry, while Red ran into the corner. Light didn't know what to do. He saw Blaze and Blair watching from the corner. Blair looked particularly scared. Ace was also watching from his perch.

Thinking Blaze might have an answer, he opened a channel to him. Blaze, do you know what that was about?

Blaze shook his head at his question. No, Blair and I woke up and saw them fighting.

Light sighed, Do you what I should do?

No, but I do have some sage advice: do not go to either one, yet, Blaze thought.

What? Why not? Light asked.

Think about it. If you go to one, then the other will think you favoring them. You'll have to let Nick sort it out, unless they come to you themselves, Blaze said.

Light saw the knowledge in what he said and sighed. He jumped into the padded chair and curled up, not wanting to get on the couch with Cream under it. Ace tilted his head at Light. What? Light asked.

Nothing, Ace quickly thought, hiding his head as though roosting.

Light thought he may be hiding something, but didn't push it. It was a long time before he fell asleep this time. The wound from the Slash and the kick were smarting more than they should and Light was sure it was because of who had given them to him, even if by accident. He was glad with blissful sleep finally came.

(0)

Light woke up and saw that it was night. He got up and went over to the window, which was open and empty. Ace must be out for some air, Light thought. He jumped up into the windowsill and looked back. He was confused when he saw that Ace was roosting on the back of the couch.

Shrugging, he turned back and stared at the moon. Ever since he had evolved, he had enjoyed the sight of the moon. He shivered as a slight wind came, telling him it was cold outside. He
wondered why the window had been left open.

As he thought of this, something else came to mind: the fight! He had completely forgotten about it. Now that he remembered that, he also remembered the wounds, which started stinging immediately.

He looked at the slash mark and saw a little bit of crusted blood where it had hit. No wonder why it hurt so much. He hadn't even realized that it had been bleeding. Light shivered when he remembered the attack had been aimed at Red. That was completely unlike Cream.

Light took a deep breathe. He suddenly looked around, sure he smelt Cream, but she wasn't in sight. In fact, he didn't even see her under the couch. He concentrated on the smell and realized that it was coming from the windowsill itself. He jumped back into the room, but the smell inside was staler. That left only one option: outside.

Light wondered why she had gone out. Then he remembered how distressed she had been looking as she went under the couch. Uh oh, Light thought. What if she was running away?

Light jumped through the window with an easy leap and smelt the ground. Sure enough, Cream's smell was there. It went straight away from the Pokemon Center, not a good sign. Light followed it and found the trail easy to follow, as no other Pokemon had passed recently to destroy her scent from lingering.

Light shivered as he heard the ominous cawing of Murkrow in the nearby trees. He shook off the feeling and continued. The scent trail left town and headed into town. It stopped near a cave and Light realized she was in it. He took a deep breath and came around.

Cream looked up, surprised at seeing him. She cowered in the corner of the small cave, barely able to hold Light let alone both of them. She turned her head away and her ears flicked back on her head, as though waiting for an attack she couldn't prevent.

"What's wrong?" Light asked, sitting down near her.

She looked up and Light saw tears were in her eyes. "Everything," she said flatly.

"Now I don't think that's true. Come here," he said. Cream slowly approached him. "Now, what was that fighting about earlier," he asked, making sure not to put any accusation in his question.
Cream turned her head away and mumbled something.

"Speak up," Light said.

"I . . . was fighting because . . . Red wanted to . . . be with you," she said, spitting the name Red as though it was poison.

Now Light was really confused, "I think I don't fully understand."

"She . . . wanted to be your mate," Cream said, starting to get low again. The point that her head was turned away from him wasn't helping.

Light took the information in, making sure not to show any emotions until he had thought it over. He thought about what he knew about mates. Blaze had informed him, as he didn't have anyone else to tell him. Mates supposedly were two Pokemon who liked each other and had an egg, though they didn't always stay together. So that meant Red liked him. That sort of surprised him, though it was a little flattering that she liked him. However, he didn't think he was ready for a mate or anything, yet, especially if he didn't know the Pokemon well. Red had been on the team for a while, but they didn't converse much.

"So . . . aren't you going to ask?" Cream said.

"Ask what?" Light replied.

"Why I fought," she said.

Light didn't understand her at first. Then he did: she had fought over Red wanting to be his mate. Now that seemed unreasonable. "Okay, why?"

Cream continued looking away for a little, before turning to face him, "I-I . . . like you."

Light didn't understand. "Yeah, but you don't have to fight for me or anything. You already told us you don't like to fight, though I must say you were doing well with Red," he said. The last part got Cream to smile a bit.

She then shook her head. "No, you don't understand. I like you, Light. I like you, like you," she said sadly.

"You already said that, Cream," Light pointed out.

Cream sighed, "You can't take a subtle hint, huh. Listen, I like you more than just a friend. I have ever since you saved me from the Nidoking in the forest."

Light started, "Wait, that Eevee was you?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you probably didn't recognize me, for I was covered in dust then, but that was me. You saved me from that Nidoking, Light. You rescued me. That was the real reason I
wanted to join Nick. It's because . . ."

Light waited for her to continue, still trying to get over the point that he had saved Cream. He was glad that he had been able to save her. His attention snapped back to her as she continued.

". . . I love you, Light."

[Previous]
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[ryan22424]

Chapter 16: Is It Love?

It took a second for what she said to sink in. "You love me?" was all Light could say.

Cream turned her head away and nodded. It looked like a large weight was taken off of her shoulders. "That's why I have to leave," she said, though it was in a low whisper.

Light's already stretched attention now snapped to this new statement. "Wait, what! What do you mean you have to leave?" he asked.

"Look at me, I fought. You know how much I dislike fighting. I can't continue with Red there, not with her wanting you, also. I hate hurting Pokemon. All fighting does is bring hurt. Besides, you'll never like me after what I did. I was so obsessed with the fight, I hurt you. I hurt you, just for trying to stop something I don't like," she said, her shoulders starting to shake more and more as she did with tears starting to form in her eyes. Finally, she broke out crying completely. Her shoulders shook as the tears ran down her face in two little lines.

Out of instinct, Light put his tail on her back and started to comfort her. She fell against his side and started to cry into his shoulder. Light winced in pain as she touched the slash marks, but didn't pull away. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay," he said as he tried to sooth her.

She slowly stopped crying and sat back up, long red lines on blood on her side from where she was pressed against him. She started as she saw what she had done, "See, even now, I'm hurting you. I can't do anything right." She was about to cry, when she felt something touch her chin and apply some pressure. She looked up.

Once she was looking at him in the face, Light stopped raising his tail and starting talking, "Stop right there, you do many things correctly. I don't care about the wound. It doesn't feel that bad, really. I've already forgiven you for it anyway, and I won't have you punishing yourself anymore for it. I stopped you from attacking, which means that I took the blow. You weren't aiming for me, you were aiming at Red. She's the one you need to apologize to, not me. Also, you don't have to fight if you don't want to; Red isn't exactly the one to look for them. Just don't start duking it out with her and you won't end up fighting." Light was actually surprised that he was able to give a lecture that long.

Cream looked away from him, "So? Do you think Red will stop now? She doesn't like me at all now. She didn't do anything and I attacked her, it's as simple as that. There's no reason to forgive me."

"From what you said, she talked about me, so I'll tell her to refrain from that while around you. Also, I'll convince her to forgive you; don't worry. Red's not one to hold grudges. Just look at Blaze
and her. They're friends again already after that big fight," Light reasoned.

Cream continued to look away and finally sighed, "Okay, let's go back."

"How'd you get out anyway?" Light asked.

"I got Ace to open it for me," she said.

So that's why he wasn't on the windowsill, Light thought.

They made it back to the Pokemon Center quickly and went back in. Everyone was still asleep, so Light decided to talk to Red tomorrow. He curled up and tried to get to sleep. However, it took a long while before he fell asleep. He still had a question to answer himself: Do I love her back?

(0)

Morning came sooner than Light would have liked. The window was once again closed and Ace back on the windowsill as he awoke. He found that everyone seemed asleep, but with the sun already slightly above the horizon, he doubted that was the case. Using his power, he quickly found Cream, Red, and Ace were only feigning sleep.

Light sighed, knowing he couldn't hide from it forever, though he wished he could. He jumped off the couch and approached. He felt the eyes of Cream and Ace on him as he did. He came up to Red and sat by her. She visibly tensed, waiting.

"You and I both know you're awake, Red," he said softly.

She uncurled and sat up, not meeting his eyes.

Light sighed again, "Look, Red, I've already gone through this with Cream. Don't make this difficult on me. Cream told me what happened, including her attacking first. Trust me; I know what her attacks felt like. She was wrong to attack you, and she recognizes that. She wants to sincerely apologize for her actions. Will you let her?"

Red nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, one more thing. Cream likes me. What made her lash out, were the . . . comments she heard you say about something you . . . wanted to happen. So please don't continue them while she
is nearby, okay?" Light asked.

Red nodded again, still not saying anything.

"Good," Light said with a nod. He turned back to the couch and jumped back onto it.

Seeing he was done, Cream slowly uncurled from under the chair she had slept under after they go back. Cream slowly approached Red. After what seemed an eternity, she was in front of Red.

Cream kept her eyes on her paws as she said, "R-Red, I'm s-sorry for what I-I did to you and w-what I tried to do. It was immature of me. Will you forgive me?"

Red looked up slightly and said, "O-okay, I forgive you. Will you forgive me for saying those things in front of you? I . . . I didn't know you liked Light, too."

Cream nodded, "Yeah, I forgive you."

"Thanks," Red said.

Cream went back under her chair and curled back up, as did Red. Light sighed with relief as he heard them make up. Then he remembered his other dilemma: Do I love her back? Which also created another dilemma: What is love?

Great, he now had a dilemma he couldn't even start to figure out, while the other . . . how did he even start to found out the other? Light wanted to pound his head into the cushions, but didn't want to attract attention.

Finally, he fell into a calm doze. Nick woke him, however, to go and train. Blaze was to come, too, though the rest were staying behind. Light watched as Blaze gave Blair a lick to the cheek before following Nick into the hallway. Maybe he could ask Blaze.

After Nick shut the door, they headed outside. As they walked, Light attempted to find out information. He turned to Blaze and, making sure not to have any teasing tones in his voice, he asked "So, are you and Blair mates now?"

Blaze didn't answer at first, but finally said, "I still haven't decided. I lost the first Pokemon I loved. I don't know if I'm ready for a mate, yet. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well I have this . . . problem, and I need to know what the problem is, before I solve it," Light said.

"And that has to do with me and Blair how?" Blaze asked.

"Well, the problem really comes down to a question, but part of the question, I don't understand. That's what I thought you could help me with. I need to know what . . . what love is," Light answered.

Blaze stared at his feet as they walked for a little before saying, "You're talking about love that you would have for a mate. That's why you asked if we were mates."
Light nodded.

"Well . . . I don't know how to describe it, really. In fact, I don't think anyone could. It's something that can't be expressed in words. Love is joy, life, and happiness and comes in different forms, like the love for family members, the love for a mate, or the love for a kit," Blaze said, "I guess the best way to describe it is the way I feel, or rather felt.

"The first time I fell in love, it didn't last long, not even a day, but I still felt it. It's a burning desire that . . . that keeps you going. It's the desire that, no matter what, you will do what your mate needs to be happy. It gives you the desire to protect. It gives you the strength to protect. It's a feeling that isn't like anything else. It's something you never forget, no matter what. It allows you to accept death in order to keep your mate safe. It's an awesome feeling and only intensifies as it is returned and nurtured. It's something you truly need to be happy with your mate. . . . Does that answer your question?"

"Not answer it, but it does let me understand it. And for it being indescribable, you sure did a good job," Light said.

Blaze chuckled and shook his head, "No, I didn't even come close, Light, not even close."

"So . . . do you have that desire for Blair?" Light asked.

"I'm unsure," Blaze admitted.

"Wait, you just said all that and you can't recognize it?" Light asked.

Blaze shook his head, "There's another factor. I've lost my first love. It may be that my grief is clouding my vision and making me think there's something there that isn't. I also may be making a wrong decision to satisfy a promise to her that I haven't been keeping lately. I don't want to make a wrong choice. So, I have to think about it with a clear head, and try to figure it out. There's also another element, though I'm sure it's not a factor with my decision," Blaze said. "Wait, something else can blind you from the feeling?" Light asked, dumbfounded. How would he keep up with all this?

"Yes, it's called lust. Lust is a feeling that seems like love, but after a little, becomes nothing. It's a horrible, horrible thing to have. It's what humans call one of the seven deadly sins. And yes, lust
is deadly. When you desire for something, but not truing caring for it, just yourself and your gain," Blaze said.

Light wondered how he had missed all these powerful things in the world for so long. Then he remembered he hadn't. He had saw love whenever Cream had looked at him, though that was rare.

He had saw lust in the Glameow's eyes at the day care. He was sure that's what it was now. He would have been blinder than a Zubat to miss it.

"Thank you for this, Blaze. That will really help me," Light thanked.

"Hello? Pokemon to trainer, I need your attention!" Nick shouted, waving his hands. Light was sure that this wasn't the first time he had been yelling. Then Light looked around and noticed that they had stopped.

Sorry, we were too caught up talking, Light thought to Nick.

(0)

Light landed hard on the ground, again.

"Light, if you don't fight back, I might as well use a tree or large rock," Blaze said.

"Sorry, I'm a little spaced out right now," Light apologized.

"Not just right now. You've been spacing out for the last five hours! Don't you hurt from all the times I've hit you?"

Light shook his head. He didn't feel any pain; in fact, he didn't feel anything, really. "Not really. Why?" Light asked.

Blaze looked shocked. "Light, that's the fourteenth time I've hit you with Dig and I've already hit you thrice with Iron Tail. Are you sure you're alright?" Blaze asked.

Light shrugged, "I don't really know. I'm not really feeling anything right now. Are you sure you hit me fourteen times? Also, I don't remember us dueling for five hours."

Blaze obtained a worried face, which really worried Light. "Maybe I hit your head or something. Come on, let's get you checked over by Nick," Blaze said, trotting over to Nick who was reading a small book while sitting on a fountain.

Nick looked up as they got close, "Are you done practicing Dig and your new Iron Tail? Blaze you look worried. Is everything okay?" Nick bent down and looked Blaze in the eye.

He says there may be something wrong with me, Nick. I don't remember being hit with Iron Tail three times, Dig fourteen times, or that we've been practicing for five hours, Light told him.

Nick quickly looked at his watch, "Oh . . . it has been five hours. Man, I've been reading that book a while. Now, Light . . . do you feel something different or something wrong?"

Light shook his head, No, but I have been thinking of something recently, though it's hard to believe that was for five hours. Or . . . maybe it was . . . Oww. The last part came out both mentally and
verbally. Suddenly, in a rush, all of the pain came back. Okay, I remember now. Sorry, I spaced out so much I forgot. I need to pay more attention.

"I'd say," Nick said. "Well, it's time to go back. Actually, it was time to go back an hour ago . . ."

"Light, you amaze me sometimes. You really didn't remember the pain?" Blaze asked, a grin on his face.

"I didn't until now. Do you really have to hit that hard?" Light asked.

"It was training. Besides, you never moved and took each blow head on. Do you know what happened?" Blaze asked.

"Well, I guess what I was thinking on took my mind off my physical ailments for the moment," Light said.

They headed back to the Pokemon Center and Light summarized everything he had been 'thinking' about, preparing him for what was coming next. He had been focused on his dilemma. He had asked himself several times, but now he was sure he had the correct answer.

He had concentrated on every feeling he had had for Cream. Mostly it had been confusion on why she acted. He had started at the beginning, when he had saved her from the Nidoking. He had saved her, but then again, he was trying to save every Pokemon around the area at the time. That had been his instinct to save a helpless Pokemon, not love.

Then he had turned to when she had been caught. He had thought she was a pretty normal Eevee besides when she was being shy, but who was he to judge what a normal Eevee was? He did remember how he had loved talking to her before they had gone into the Diglett Cave. He had loved trying to find out about her, getting past her shyness, but then again, he loved challenges, so he was unsure if that meant anything either.

He did remember his first instincts when he had after her, though. When she started to cry, it had hurt him, at least emotional. His first instinct was to protect, shelter her, and to comfort her. He remembered letting her cry on his shoulder, and trying to soothe her, while trying to fight back the pain of the blow. Then there was the blow itself. He had taken it, but his first thought was to ignore and find out what was bothering Cream. He was instantaneous in forgiving her, and he was unsure if he would have done that for someone else. When he had seen her face then with
tears and pain, it tore at his heart and left a permanent image in his head.

Then he thought about her as a Pokemon. She was shy, at least around him and new Pokemon. She was polite and made friends easily. She was kind and gentle, at least when not being provoked. Whenever she was near, Light felt calm and solaced. She didn't like to battle, but then again, that made him want to protect her all the more. He remembered the fierceness that he had seen when she battled Red. He wanted to make sure she never had to be like that again. He felt an urge to take away her worries and throw them all away somehow.

Cream was pretty attractive. She had long, flowing fur and a wonderfully large mane that shone as the sun struck it. And- Wait a second, where did these thoughts come from? Light thought. He had never considered how she had looked in with his thinking. But some voice in him made him start to consider this. It was true; she had a beautiful coat and a nice shape. She was slightly smaller than him, but he had found out that he was slightly small for an Umbreon, so they were close enough in height. Besides, he wouldn't want Cream to evolve. He liked her the way she was.

Well I guess that only reinforces my choice, he thought as the entered the Pokemon Center.

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[ryan22424]

Chapter 17: The Choice

They headed on back through the hallway to Nick's room. Once inside, Nick immediately yawned and headed for the bedroom.

"He seems as tired as if he had been training," Blaze muttered.

"Maybe reading is tiring," Light said.

Blaze shrugged, "Yeah, but he doesn't have to do it.

"And we don't have to train, but we still do," Light retorted.

"Okay, okay, wise guy, you win," Blaze said.

"See, brawl isn't everything," Light sent back at him.

Suddenly, Blair came up, "Umm . . . Blaze, have you- Oh sorry Light, but could you give us a moment?"

Light nodded, "I've got something to do anyway."

Light headed further into the room while the two Flareon went into the corner near the door. Light looked around, but only saw Red lounging on the couch and Ace on the windowsill. Then he noticed something about the window.

"Ace, could you let me out?" Light asked.

Ace looked around frantically, "Um . . . oh . . . t-the door is over there."

Light gave the Pidgeotto a stare, "I meant could you move so I could go out the window."

"Oh . . . uh . . . that . . . well you see . . . oh, I can't fly in the room," Ace said, finding an excuse.

"Really, well how did you get over to the back of the couch last night?" Light asked, starting to get irritated.

"Oh . . . Did I?" Ace reflected.

"Oh, you right, you must have sleep flew over there, right?" Light said, getting an idea.

"Oh, y-yes that's probably possible that I did, um I think," Ace said, getting confused.

"In that case, I guess you can't fly off the windowsill if you can't fly in the room, right?" Light continued.

"Umm, yes," Ace said, getting even more confused.

"Okay, then," Light said and started using Psychic. It was harder with his eyes open, but he had concentrated while he had talked to Ace. He lifted the Pidgeotto and put him on the back of the couch. Before he could react, Light jumped up onto the windowsill. "There, now you didn't fly, you levitated. Bye," he said, before jumping outside. He shut the window with Psychic, right before Ace flew out. Ace perched on the window and started to try and tell Light something, but the glass prevented it.
Light opened a channel quickly to hear, Uh oh, she's not going to like this.

He cut the channel there and thought, I wonder what she's not going to like. He sniffed the air. Only one smell was recent: Cream. Now he would find why Cream was outside and be able tell her his choice. He followed the trail. It was mostly the same as before and eventually ended at the same cave. Light took a deep breath and came around the corner.

Cream was sitting at the back wall, facing the wall. However, she had noticed him already and, in an emotionless voice, said, "You're wondering why again, aren't you? I told Ace it would be useless to try and stop you."

"Why was Ace trying to stop me?" Light asked.

"To buy me enough time," she said, her back still to him.

"To do what?" Light asked.

"To run," she said simply.

"You didn't look like you were running just then," Light pointed out, avoiding the other question for now.

Her shoulders rose and then fell slowly, as though she had taken a deep breath, "It's the last place that had your scent. I wanted to remember it before I continued."

Seeing nothing else to ask, he sighed and asked, "Okay, why are you running again?"

She slowly shook her head, "I already know you're answer to the unspoken question Light, and I can't live here knowing I can't be with you." She started to break down and her emotions of grief started to show, "I can't stand being near you, but not having you, Light. So I'm-"

"Cream," Light interrupted.

She hesitated for a second, and then said, "Yes?"

"I don't think you really know what my answer to the 'unspoken' question, Cream," Light started. He could see Cream was holding her breath. "Cream, my answer also comes with a question. Cream, I love you and I want to know if you would be my mate," Light started to hold his breath.

Cream slowly turned around. Her expression was one of joy, wariness, disbelief, and the fading grief. She still held her breath as she searched Light's eyes. Finally, she decided that he was being truthful. She let her breath out and came up to Light. Light was distressed to find new tears forming. She stopped in front of Light and whispered, "R-really?"

Light nodded. Some inner part of him took over and he said, "Cream, I'm sorry for not realizing my love for you earlier. This is the first time that I've ever been in love and it took me a little to find that out, but Cream, I love you. I truly love you, just as you are. You're a gentle, kind, fun loving, and beautiful Eevee. But most of all, you're honest, trustworthy, and someone I would want next to me for the rest of my life. You're perfect in my eyes, and I want you to be my one and only lifelong mate."
Cream's eyes started to tear up even more as he finished his little speech.

Oh great, I've messed it all up, Light thought. "Is it something I sa-"

All of a sudden, Cream wrapped him in a hug and dragged him closer. She started to cry into his chest. Not knowing what to do, Light started to soothe her by petting her back with his paw. He brought his head down and licked her on the head.

He sighed. What had he done? Cream noticed the sigh, pressed against him as she was and she backed up, suppressing her tears for a second, "L-Light, w-what's w-wrong?"

"I thought you would be happy if I told you, not cry all over again," he said, holding back tears of his own.

Cream started to laugh, "I am happy, Light. These are happy tears."

"Oh, good, so what's your answer then?" Light asked.

"Wait, can you slap me or something?" Cream interrupted.

"What!" Light exclaimed.

"I want to make sure I'm not dreaming," she laughed.

"Oh, well I'm sure you're not dreaming, though I may be," Light said. "So . . . your answer, Cream?"

A look of pure joy went across her face, "Of course I'll be your mate, Light."

Light pulled her in a tight hug of his own, placing his head on top of hers. "Thank you, Cream. I promise that I will love you forever and I'll protect you with every breath in my body. I love you," Light whispered into her ear.

"I love you, too, Light," Cream answered.

They stayed like that for a while, before exiting the cave. As they did, they were facing the sun as it set. They were on a slight slope and the sight from there was awesome. They sat together and watched the sunset, their tails entwining behind them.
Once the sunset was over, they headed back to the Pokemon Center. Ace was sleeping already on the windowsill with the window still shut.

"How about we make a nest here, under the window so we don't wake Ace?" Light suggested.

"That sounds great, Light," Cream said.

They gathered enough leaves for them both and curled up together. Light wrapped a foreleg and his tail around the Eevee and pulled her close. He gave her a kiss on the head and fell asleep, enjoying the smell of her fur.

(0)

Light woke as the sunlight hit him. He was about to get up when he realized that someone was next to him. Then the memories came back from yesterday. He stayed still to allow his precious Eevee to sleep a little longer. He inhaled her wonderful scent.

Soon, the sunlight awoke Cream. Light moved and let Cream stretch. Once she had, he pulled her in a hug and licked her on the head. They then moved away from the wall of the building and faced the window.

Ace was looking out at the sun and the horizon and had not seen them until they moved. When they did, he squawked and fluttered into the air for a second, waking everyone else. He opened the window and said, "Man, you two gave me a fright. Wait, does this mean what I think it does?"

As he said this, Light opened a channel between the three and heard, They're mates! Light and Cream laughed and nodded.

"What's wrong Ace?" Blaze asked sleepily.

"Nothing's wrong. Something's right. Light-" Ace started. Light cut him off by shutting his beak with Psychic.

Let us tell them, Ace, Light silently sent.

Ace nodded and Light let him go. Ace fluttered into the air and waited for Light and Cream to jump through before landing again on the windowsill.

"What's up, Light? You looked like you just won the Pokemon League by yourself," Blaze said, grinning almost as much as Light.

"By your face, I'd say you know," Light replied, referring to Blaze and Blair.

Blaze shuffled his paws and glanced away, blushing some. This time it was Blair's turn to grin. She gave him a lick on the cheek, "I guess you don't get to tell them. I told you it would be obvious."

"You were right, though, Blaze. Your description didn't even come close," Light said.

Blaze chuckled, "I told you so, Light."

Light looked over at where Red was curled up, right where she was last night. However, the rising and falling of her shoulders were too erratic for her to be sleeping normally. Light touched her mind and knew she was awake.

Cream, who still had a channel open with him, motioned to Red and thought, I think you need to say something to her.

Okay, stay back, though. Try to keep the others busy, too, Light sent back. He slowly approached Red's nest as Cream talked to the others. He sat by her like last time and could barely hear her sobbing into her tail. "Red," he whispered.

Red tensed.

"I guess you know, then. Please don't think anything bad, I just don't have the feelings for you that I have for Cream," he continued in a whispered.

"It's because of me. I'm not good enough," she said, starting to quietly sob again.

"Red-" Light started.

"No," she interrupted, though she continued to muffle her voice with her tail, "I know that you just don't like me because I'm not strong enough and I'm ugly, I know it. I couldn't even beat Cream, Cream!"

"Red," Light continued in a whisper. This time, however, he added much more authority and conviction. "If you speak that way about yourself again, I . . . won't speak to you ever again. I have feelings for Cream, but not because you're not good
enough. You're a beautiful Vulpix with a sleek, shiny coat. You're strong enough to defeat opponents four, if not five, times you're size. You're a wonderful friend, but I just don't feel the same way about you that you do me.

"I surprised you don't already have two or three suitors lining up to see you. Someday you'll meet that special someone that'll balance out your fiery spirit. Once you do, then you'll see that I'm right. That Pokemon will be one lucky, too. They'll
have you, but they can't do that if you keep crying about this, alright?"

Red took a deep breath and moved her tail from her face. "Thank you, Light. That really helped. I'm sorry for that, and I'll promise not to berate myself again. Congratulations, Light. Cream's a lucky Eevee," Red said shakily.
"Thank you, Red," Light said, dipping his head. He went back over to the others.

Blair was looking worriedly over at Red, "Did she take it hard?"

Light nodded, "Yeah, but I calmed her down."

Suddenly the door opened from the bedroom. Nick came out, yawning. He gave them their breakfasts and then sat down to his. After breakfast, Nick did some exercises, the first Light had ever seen him do, and then started stretching.

I thought you stretched before you exercised, Nick, Light sent to him.

"Oh, whoops," he said. "Oh, well, too late now. Are you guys ready to train?" he asked.

Blaze and Light exchanged glances and Light didn't have to read his mind to know what he was thinking. Actually, we kind of wanted this day off, if you wouldn't mind, Light confessed.

Nick's jaw dropped, "Light, are you okay? You just asked to skip training!"

You're funny when you do that, Cream giggled as she thought.

"Wait, who said that?" Nick asked, looking around quickly, his cheeks slightly turning red.

That was Cream, through my telepathy, though I didn't know she could do that. But I'm serious; we really want this day off, Light thought.

Pleeease? Cream thought to Nick.

"Well, I guess you guys deserve a day-" Nick said, interrupted by the cheers of the two new couples.

Light and Cream started to walk away after Blaze and Blair, both couples' tails entwining.

Light felt the realization strike Nick even without the channel open. "Wow, two of them, too!" Nick muttered to himself, though loud enough for most of them to hear.

Light and Cream chuckled together.

Alright, that's how it goes down. There will be a lot of romance and fluff later on, as well as some tension, so bear with me on this story, you'll like it.

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