Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Planes of Existence

Ryu Taylor · Aug 11, 2015

As I specialize in writing, I thought I'd share my current story. Since its first arc already finished its run on DeviantART and Fanfiction.net, updates will be quick here. Also, Pokémon species names will not be capitalized unless it's the actual name a character goes by. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1 – Genesis Day 1507

Pelame had once again finished reading her favorite story, having found a bit of time to while her parents got themselves ready for the Genesis Day Festival. She had already gotten her supplies together, although she wasn’t particularly anxious to get to the festival. Whatever the situation, she always enjoyed reading the story of Jirachi’s Final Wish.
“Thanks again, Grandmother Albero,” she thought to herself as she gazed at the writing in the back cover. The writing read, “To Pelame, my favorite granddaughter. May you solve this book’s mystery and also earn a place in here.” She then placed the storybook in her backpack and went to the front door of her house. Her parents eventually caught up, and the family was ready to go.
“Caught up on some reading, Pelame?” said the mother glaceon to her eevee daughter.
“We’re not that slow, are we?” added the father vaporeon.
“Just a little bit,” Pelame joked. “But there’s no hurry. The festival goes on for nine more hours. Ah, the upsides of having a holiday end at the stroke of midnight.”
“Well, let’s not keep Grandmother Albero waiting. Let’s get going!”
And so, the family of eeveelutions left their home and went in the direction of the forest past the town’s park.

Normally, the forest on the edge of the town of Promised Land was of no interest to the young eevee nor her family. But whenever New Year’s Day was a Monday, it suddenly became a tradition to go there. More specifically, to a clearing Albero loved going to when she was alive. On this special day, known to the world as Genesis Day, Albero’s spirit was allowed to visit the clearing and speak to Pelame and her family. On this day, souls of the dead could communicate with the living ones they were close to. It was one of many ways the world celebrated this sacred day dedicated to appreciating existence itself. And so, Pelame and her family reached the clearing in the middle of the forest, where the spirit of an elderly leafeon was waiting.
“Good afternoon, Pelame,” Albero said. “Are you, Pinna, and Neve ready for a fun festival?”
“We certainly are, Grandma,” Pelame responded. “I just hate having to wait six years for the next time New Year’s is on a Monday, if you know what I mean.”
“Well, there is the occasional time where it’s only five years. But I agree; the wait to see you just about re-kills me. But I can pass the time well enough. Paradise offers lots to do in addition to watching over you, my son, and my daughter-in-law. Although I always feel like I’m missing out on the perks of mortality. The world certainly has come far.”
“Yep, it sure has,” Pinna responded. “I’d hug whoever invented cars for four-legged Pokémon like myself.”
“Yeah, there’s lots of inventors your son would love to hug,” Neve said to Albero.
“Personally,” Pelame continued. “I’m just waiting for a film of Jirachi’s Final Wish to be made. I’d wait until the next Genesis Day after its release just so you and I can go see it together.”
“Oh, you don’t need to wait that long, dear,” Albero responded. “If it comes out, see it. I’ll observe your happiness from Paradise.”
“By the way, I’m sorry to say that I’m not any closer to finding out why the book’s first few chapters are blank. However, I’ve thought about applying at the Llyria Academy. Maybe I could get help from there in figuring that out.”
“That’s an excellent idea, Pelame. You’re such a smart girl, they’d be fools to turn you away.”
Pelame simply blushed and giggled at that remark.
“You’ll go far, dear. I know you will. But for now, you deserve a break. You’ve got a whole Genesis Day to celebrate. I’m sure there’s something at the festival you’ll enjoy.”
“Oh, certainly. There always is.” Pelame then addressed her parents. “Would it be okay if I went ahead to the festival?”
“It’s fine with me,” Pinna said to his daughter.
“And me, too,” Neve added. “We’ll catch up once we’re done visiting with Grandma Albero.”
“Okay. Thanks!” Pelame answered. She then turned back to Albero and said, “Happy Genesis Day, Grandma! I’ll see you again next time!”
“Have lots of fun, Pelame!” Albero said to her granddaughter.

The time was now four o’clock in the afternoon. So as not to cause any section of the planet to miss out or catch sneak previews, Genesis Day operated on one single time zone. Four o’clock PM in the Twilight Kingdom would also be four o’clock PM everywhere else, but only on this day. Each nation had their own method of celebrating this sacred day, and a festival was how the town of Promised Land, located in the country known as the Twilight Kingdom, celebrated it.
It was the year 1507, within which would be Pelame’s ninth year of life. Yet this was the first she was allowed to be at the festival alone, having only been two years old last time Genesis Day happened. This was indeed a special day for her, although the best was yet to come.
It had been heavily publicized that the ruler of the Twilight Kingdom would be attending the festival this year, along with the captain of his guards. For the preceding month or so, advertisements in paper, television commercial breaks, billboards, and even commercials preceding feature films at the theatre had been hyping this occasion up. Pelame didn’t mind the resulting crowds all that much, though she did find herself frequently glancing back at her backpack to make sure she wasn’t pickpocketed. But Promised Land was known to have a rather low crime rate. Still, she liked being safer than sorrier.
Somehow, none of her supplies in her pack included a suitable dinner for her. But she had brought her wallet along, so she was set. She found the food stand with the shortest line she could see, and got into it. The line seemed to take eternities to move mere inches, almost tempting her to just leave and join a longer line that moved faster. It took lots of her will to remain where she was, in spite of her growling stomach. Her patience paid off at last once she reached the stand. She took her wallet out of her backpack. Before she could make her order, though, a sneasel came out of nowhere, running at high speeds. The sneasel didn’t seem to be paying attention to where she was going, so she collided directly into Pelame, knocking her over. She stood right back up and kept on running.
“Look where you’re going!” Pelame shouted toward the runner. “You could hurt someone or yourself!” Somehow, Pelame hadn’t been moved out of the line, so she was still in the right spot to make her order to the employee medicham. “I’d like to have an Oran Berry Salad with an Enigma Berry Shake on the side, please.”
“Certainly. That’ll be a total of 6 Pokéns and 79 Parts,” said the waiter.
It was then that Pelame noticed her wallet was missing. “Go ahead and cancel my order,” she said sadly to the waiter. “My money’s been stolen.”
“Sorry about that, miss,” the waiter responded with pity. “You ought to go see security about that. I’ve heard there’s been a thief on the loose lately. To think a nice girl like you would be targeted like that, and on Genesis Day, of all days. That thief better hope he or she doesn’t run into Captain Keldeo.”
“Thanks, sir.” Pelame then went on her way to the security office.

“And then, when I made my order, I found that my wallet was gone,” Pelame concluded. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice until it was too late.”
“Please don’t blame yourself, miss Pelame,” said the security guard vigoroth. “It’s no one’s fault but the thief’s. Don’t worry; we’ll do all we can. To be honest, we’ve heard of this thief before, the sneasel with the big hips. She’s struck at least four times today already, but we still haven’t caught up to her. But we will. And when we do, we’ll return your wallet to you.”
“Thanks, officer.”
“You’re welcome. Until we catch up to that little big-rumped klepto, try to have a nice Genesis Day.”
“You, too.” With that, Pelame left the office. Just as soon as she did, a young riolu entered the office, bringing with him a sneasel who was tied up and gagged with an Aspear Scarf.
“Officer Vigoroth,” he said. “I caught this one running off with a wallet, among other things.”
“I can see that,” Officer Vigoroth replied. “Thanks a lot, kiddo. Although, you should have left the restraining to us.” He inspected the bound thief and confiscated her possessions. “You sure did a great job, though. Where’d you learn how to do this?”
“Enemy capture techniques as taught by Captain Keldeo,” the riolu boy answered. “That guy’s amazing; I’m learning all his secrets. By the way, could I return that wallet to that eevee girl?”
“Well, sure, I guess. But only because you’ve shown some trustworthiness by capturing this one. And also because she hasn’t gone too far.”
“Okay. Thank you, officer. Happy Genesis Day!” The young riolu boy then started after Pelame to return her stolen wallet.
Officer Vigoroth untied the scarf from around the sneasel’s mouth. “One more day, and you would’ve had a theft spree of four consecutive months. But it’s over now. You’re under arrest.”
“Well, wouldn’t be my first time in jail,” the sneasel retorted as she continued struggling against the ropes binding her. “Though I’m not excited to spend it trussed up like this.”
“Those are staying on until you get to the cell. Then you’ll be wearing a nice pair of PP-Zero Bracelets.”

Just one amigiri roll wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy Pelame’s hunger, but the recent mishap left her no other choice. What was set to be a fun Genesis Day nearly instantly went downhill into misery.
“Hello there,” a voice said to her. She looked up to see a young riolu boy holding her wallet. “Is this yours?”
“It is!” Pelame squealed, taking it back instantly. “Where’d you find it?!”
“In the wrong hands. A sneasel with big hips was running off with it. I just so happen to have tripped her by accident and then I saw all that stuff.”
“Wow, that was lucky and awesome!”
“Well, it may not have been that accidental. I did see her knock you over. But anyway, you don’t need to worry about that big-rumped klepto anymore. She’s in custody now.” Saying that reminded him of something. He then turned back to the security office and gave Officer Vigoroth a thumbs-up to signal that the wallet had been returned. At that moment, an announcement played over the festival’s PA system.
“Attention all festival guests,” Vigoroth said through the speakers. “The kleptomaniacal sneasel with the big hips has been apprehended, and everything she’s stolen is here in the security office for pickup. For this you all have that young riolu boy from the tournament to thank. Be sure to get his name, too, because I foolishly forgot to. Too focused on jailing the little two-claw discount shopper. Happy Genesis Day!”
“By the way, my name is Pugno,” the riolu boy introduced. “What’s yours?”
“I’m Pelame,” Pelame returned the formality.
Pugno developed a moderate smile on his face. “That is an absolutely adorable name,” he mused. “It really fits a little cutie like you.”
“Cutie???” Pelame laughed. “You think I’m cute?”
“Yes, I do. Anyone with working eyesight ought to be able to see that you are. Do you mind if I hang around with you for about an hour? My next match isn’t until then.”
“Sure! I’d love that!”
And so the two youngsters spent the next half hour having the time of their lives at the festival. They rode as many rides, played as many games, and ate as much food as they could in the allotted time. All this fun ended up making the two of them hungry, though. It was dinner time, after all. And as they both knew, meals were a good time to socialize and get to know one another.
“So, what was the big deal about that charmeleon plush you had your eye on?” Pugno asked. “Oh, and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to win it for you.”
“It’s fine, Pugno. As for who that guy is, he’s Taiyang,” Pelame answered. “Have you ever heard the story Jirachi’s Final Wish?”
“I have not, unfortunately.”
“Oh, it’s such a fantastic story! If we only had more time, I’d read it to you right now. But I’ll give you the basic gist of the story.”
“I’m fine, thanks. I’d like to experience it myself.”
“Good idea. But that’s why I wanted that plush so badly. He’s the main character of that story. It’s actually a true story, too. It’s not just a fairy tale.”
“Well, I’ll definitely check that story out sometime.”
“So, do you have any heroes?”
“Ten, actually.” Pugno took a deep breath and listed off his ten heroes. “Seti, Leona, Walton, Sugimori, Patra, Antoinette, Value, Galileo, Hearst, and Captain Keldeo. Especially Captain Keldeo! He’s just about the entire reason I am who I am! You know that special restraining technique I used on that sneasel thief?”
“Did you learn it from him?”
“Yeah. Actually, it’s more like I copied it from a training video he made. But still, he’s the single biggest inspiration to me. I’d love to be a part of the Twilight Kingdom Royal Guard one day.” Pugno had shared his dream. But with time growing short, he decided to let Pelame have her turn. “So, how about you? Do you have any dreams?”
“History. I want to be a historian. See this?” Pelame got out her history book and showed it to Pugno. “This is an anthology of historical accounts concerning the Legendary Pokémon. All kinds of stories are in here. But as you can see, this entire section here is all blank. It has to be the space of four or so chapters.”
“What in the world happened to it?” Pugno couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Was it like this when you got it?”
“Yes, it was. In fact, my grandmother said that every single copy of this book had this happen to them, too. She said she saw it when she bought this copy for me.”
“Wow.” Pugno was just as lost as Pelame was on this issue. “That must drive every historian in the world insane. It would be great if you could be the one to solve this one.”
“You think I could do it? It is the reason I’m going to apply to Llyria Academy.”
“It’s worth a try.”
Their recreational binge was broken by an announcement over the park’s intercom.
“ALL FIGHTING TOURNAMENT FINALISTS PLEASE RETURN TO THE STADIUM. YOUR MATCH IS IN FIFTEEN MINUTES. FAILURE TO ARRIVE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION. REPEAT, THE FINAL MATCH WILL START IN FIFTEEN MINUTES. FAILURE TO ARRIVE WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.”
“And that’s my cue,” Pugno said, finishing his slice of Sitrus Cake. “Wish me luck, Pelame.”
“Good luck,” Pelame responded. “I’ll be watching.”
“You will?”
“Sure. It’s the least I can do to thank you for your help.”
“Then you’d better hurry. Those seats fill up faster than a dodrio’s top running speed. If there’s even any seats left, that would be a miracle. Now let’s go!”
And so the two went in the direction of the park’s Recreation Hall, where the tournament was being held. Luckily, Pelame was able to find an empty seat. And even more coincidentally, Pinna and Neve were saving that seat just for her.
“Hi mom, hi dad,” Pelame said, taking her seat. “How’s Genesis Day been for you two so far?”
“Well, there hasn’t yet been a boring moment of any Genesis Day,” Pinna answered. “Every year tops the prior. Your mom and I have been having a wonderful time, especially when she proved my victory in the game that won us this!” Pinna showed Pelame a plush of a charmeleon. “For you.”
Pelame snatched the doll practically out of Pinna’s paws. “Oh, thank you so much! You’re the best!”
“You’re welcome. Happy Genesis Day.”
“So, how was your day, dear?” Neve asked her daughter. Pelame then explained her experiences.
“To be honest, it didn’t start out that well. I got pickpocketed by a shapely sneasel and was flat broke for a little while, with only the one amigiri I brought with me as my only ration of food. But then things got way better as soon as I met a young riolu boy named Pugno. He’s fighting in this tournament, by the way. He caught that thief and had her jailed, and I got back my wallet. And even better, everyone else got their stuff back, too. He and I spent the day riding rides, playing games, and shopping around. And now, as I promised, I’m here watching him fight his final fight.”
“Well, this certainly was a fun day for all of us overall, then,” Neve responded. “Well, I hope that Pugno boy wins. I’d love to meet him, too.”
“Shush! The match is about to start!” Pinna said.
An exploud entered the ring, bringing no microphone with him. He cleared his throat and made his announcement.
“1507 HAS BEEN A GENESIS DAY TO STAND OUT AMONG THEM! WE’VE HAD QUITE A GREAT SCHEDULE THIS YEAR, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THE HISTORIC VISIT PAID TO US BY NONE OTHER THAN THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM’S OWN MONARCH HIMSELF, KING KANGASKHAN II!!”
At that, every Pokémon in the building gave a standing ovation to welcome their King, who entered on that introductory cue.
“AND ALONG WITH HIM IS HIS CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD AND HEAD OF THE KINGDOM’S LAW ENFORCEMENT, CAPTAIN KELDEO!!!”
The ovation picked up right where it left off as the captain also entered.
“THE TWO OF THEM ARE OUR HONORED GUESTS THIS YEAR, SO LET US NOW MEET THE TOURNAMENT FINALISTS THAT WILL SURELY WOW THEM WITH A GREAT SHOWDOWN! IN THE RED CORNER IS THE FINALIST OF THE RED BRACKET! HAILING FROM PUMBLOOMBERG, OUR NEIGHBOR TO THE EAST, IS THE STRATEGIC AND PRECISE COMBAT OVERTHINKER, WHO HAS EMPLOYED SOME OF THE MOST INTUITIVE TECHNIQUES I'VE EVER SEEN, SPICY!!!”
The infernape standing in the Red Corner waved to the cheering crowd.
“AND IN THE GREEN CORNER IS THE FINALIST OF THE GREEN BRACKET, AND I MUST ADMIT, ONE OF MY FAVORITE FIGHTERS I’VE EVER SEEN IN ALL MY YEARS AT THIS EVENT, LET ALONE THE ENTIRE SPORT OF POKEMON BATTLING!! HAILING FROM OUR VERY OWN TOWN OF PROMISED LAND, THE NEWLY-RISEN PRIDE OF THE PARK, PUGNO!!!”
Pugno waved to the cheering crowd, as well as giving a thumbs-up to Pelame. He briefly did a double-take when he noticed who she was sitting next to.
“Pinna?! Pinna’s her father???” he thought to himself. His mind soon returned to the ring.
“Would you like to give the starting signal, Your Majesty?” Exploud asked. The King nodded in agreement as he accepted the unused microphone from the hammy announcer.
“Citizens of the Twilight Kingdom,” King Kangaskhan II began, addressing his subjects. “You have all made me a proud Pokémon. I would never be who I am without help from all of you. I am honored to have spent this fine Genesis Day among such great company. And so, I am looking forward to seeing a spectacular final match between these two fierce combatants. And as a special prize to the winner, he will receive a chance to engage my very own Captain Keldeo in a special match. Is that okay with you, Captain?”
“Definitely!” Captain Keldeo answered. “Peacetime doesn’t give me much exercise!”
“And now, let the final match begin!”
At the sound of the bell, the two combatants were immediately at it. Spicy began with a Stone Edge attack, which Pugno avoided by jumping over. Upon his landing, he triggered a hard-hitting Earthquake attack. Landing inches in front of his adversary did some heavy damage to the opposing infernape, who wasn’t conceding an inch. He took his chance to strike the young Riolu’s legs with a Low Sweep. As soon as he fell to the ground, Spicy used Stone Edge once more to deal more damage to the boy, knocking him into the air. He got his Flame Charge ready to finish the match with. As soon as the Flame Charge made contact, Pugno Countered it, dealing another heavy hit and knocking him to the ground flat on his back. Exploud, who was also serving as the referee, began his count.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,…”
Spicy was up on the count of six, and the match continued.
“Well, no combat slouch can keep up with me,” Spicy said, complimenting Pugno.
“Same to you, Mister Spicy,” Pugno returned. “The King ought to be proud.”
With those encouraging words exchanged, the two resumed their fight. Spicy took note of Pugno’s Counter, and so decided to start on a special note by using Flamethrower. The flames came too quickly to respond to, putting Pugno in quite a predicament, especially since multiple blasts came one after another. It was risky, but he decided to chance his just-thought-up idea anyway, out of desperation to stop that salvo. He ran directly into Spicy’s Flamethrower attack and aimed an Ice Punch directly at his opponent’s mouth. Spicy’s mouth froze shut, giving Pugno the chance to do a follow-up attack. And with another Earthquake attack, Spicy was down on the ground once again.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5,…”
Spicy was quite persistent. Even now, he didn’t back down, not even with his mouth frozen shut. He had to admit to being surprised that this had worked out so well for his opponent. The ice muzzling him was only remotely budging is response to his body flames. He had only his lowered stamina to blame for not being able to raise the temperature high enough to melt it faster. But there was no time to mull over that. He could still fight with his chosen physical moves. And so he began with another Flame Charge. But Pugno was in overall better shape. He could afford to take another one of those, so he prepared to Counter it. Spicy stopped just before colliding into Pugno, opting instead to do another Low Sweep attack. He did so with such speed that Pugno ended up on the ground with a rather painful landing.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,…”
“Pugno, you’ve got this!” Pelame shouted from the stands. “Get up!”
“9,…”
Encouraged by the young eevee’s words, Pugno rose to his feet one count away from losing. The match was still on. And he knew just what to do. He noticed the ice muzzle on his opponent was weakening, and if it did, the resulting Flamethrower would put an end to his winning streak. He rushed to his opponent to try another point-blank Earthquake attack, which was avoided with a jump. But this was what he was hoping for. He then jumped after Spicy, who had just finally undone the ice muzzle. Just as he got ready to launch another Flamethrower, Pugno connected with another Ice Punch, muzzling him all over again. A Brick Break attack followed it, sending Spicy to the ground, shattering his ice muzzle on contact with the ground. The Exploud referee came forward with the results.
“TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT! PUGNO WINS!!”
The room’s entire attendance erupted in absolute ecstasy at the match. It certainly was a sight for them to have beheld. Pugno could hardly believe it himself. Even Spicy was applauding him.
“Great going, little boy,” he said. “I never thought I’d lose to a kid. But that sure was a great Genesis Day memory you gave me.”
“Oh, thanks, sir,” Pugno responded. “For a minute there, I thought you were gonna beat me.”
“Me, too. If you can, give the King my best regards. And for the record, I used to think Kangaskhans could only be born female.”
“Yeah, that’s usually the case. He’s actually the third Kangaskhan in the entire world’s history to have been born male. But, if I can, I’ll tell him you said ‘hello.’ I’m sure he was impressed by your fighting skills.”
“Not as impressed as I’m sure he was of yours.”
The two shook hands, and then Spicy left the ring.
“AS THE KING PROMISED, THERE WILL BE ONE FINAL MATCH FOR OUR NEW CHAMPION! SO EVERYONE PLEASE RETURN HERE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES! YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS IT!”

“This is the best Genesis Day ever,” Pugno thought to himself as he stretched himself out on the bench outside the Recreation Hall’s front door to rest for a bit.
“Hi, Pugno!”
The young riolu turned his head to face Pelame, whose face was beaming with excitement.
“That was epic!” she complimented. “Where’d you learn how to fight like that?!”
“Same way anyone would, by lots of rigorous training,” Pugno answered. “My parents told me I’d have to if I wanted to be a part of the Twilight Kingdom Guard, so I wasted no time in seeking out teachers to teach me. That, and that training video Captain Keldeo starred in. By the way, Pelame, you never mentioned Pinna’s your father.”
Pelame was confused. “I didn’t?”
“Nope.”
“Goodness, that sure was absentminded of me. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. But with someone like him as your father, I’m sure you’d have been a finalist in this tournament, too.”
“Well, I’m flattered,” Pinna said, overhearing that part of the conversation as he walked by them on his way inside the Hall. “You know of me?”
Pugno immediately hopped off the bench and went to shake Pinna’s paw. “Of course I know of you! Captain Keldeo’s my greatest hero, so of course I’d know of his right-hoof Lieutenant Pinna, too!”
“Me? A hero?” Pinna blushed at the compliment.
“THE SPECIAL MATCH IS BEGINNING IN FIVE MINUTES! EVERYONE, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS! COMBATANTS, PLEASE RETURN TO THE RING!”
“Sounds like you’re up,” Pinna said to Pugno. “By the way, thanks for showing my daughter a great time! And tell my old Captain I said ‘hello!’”
“Will do!”

“AND NOW FOR A BRAND-NEW EVENT! PUGNO, OUR GENESIS DAY TOURNAMENT CHAMPION, SHALL BE TAKING ON THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM’S VERY OWN CAPTAIN KELDEO! ALTHOUGH THIS MATCH HAS NO PRIZE OTHER THAN BRAGGING RIGHTS SHOULD PUGNO WIN, THIS SURE WILL BE ONE TO STAY HANGING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEATS FOR! THIS MATCH WILL STILL ADHERE TO POKEMON BATTLE RULES: ONLY FOUR MOVES OUT OF THE COMBATANTS’ KNOWN MOVES MAY BE USED! AND NOW, THE COMBATANTS ENTER!!”
Pugno entered the ring from the green side while Keldeo entered from the red side. The two met in the center. Pugno had to work hard to still his pounding heart.
“I’ve waited my entire life to meet you, sir,” Pugno said, managing to stay calm. “It’s such an honor.”
“It’s always nice to meet a fan,” Keldeo responded kindly. “Especially one as skilled as yourself. I may be an icon to you, but please don’t hold back.”
“I won’t, sir!”
“LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!” The bell sounded, and the match was on.
Pugno knew his hero well, but he still wasn’t prepared for this. His famous Aqua Jet and Sacred Sword combo got Pugno on the word “go,” knocking him to the ropes. Keldeo sure didn’t become the Captain for no reason, after all. Pugno sure had his work cut out for him. But he had promised not to hold back against his hero, though it was now clear that any less than his best wouldn’t be enough for this fight. So, when Keldeo came back around for another Sacred Sword strike, Pugno Countered it. But that only worked to only remotely slow the Captain down, as he turned around sharply and lashed out with an Aqua Tail attack. Though the Captain’s tail was cut short, it still hurt a lot to be hit by it. Or, it would have if Pugno was any slower than he was. He managed to duck under it just in time, and he then landed a Brick Break attack, hitting the Captain’s rear end. He briefly flinched in pain, giving his biggest fan a chance to land another Brick Break attack on him, knocking him to the ground.
“1,…”
But this was nowhere near adequate enough to win the fight with. And as soon as he got back up, all it took was one Close Combat attack to knock Pugno to the ground.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,…”
“Don’t hold back!” Pelame called again from the stands. “Give him your best shot!”
“9, 10!”
But Pugno couldn’t rise to his feet in time, not after a vicious blow like that. His time was up.
“CAPTAIN KELDEO WINS! BOY WAS THAT AN EXCITING MATCH! ONE FULL MINUTE OF NONSTOP EXCITEMENT! I DIDN’T THINK THAT KID WOULD LAST HALF THAT LONG AGAINST THE CAPTAIN!! HOW ABOUT A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR HIM?!”
The crowd responded accordingly with a loud applause. Both combatants left the ring with high spirits.
“Well, what chance did I have against him anyway?” Pugno thought to himself. “Still, that was amazing!” As soon as he reached the entry hall, someone called out to him.
“Pugno, wait a second!”
Captain Keldeo had followed him.
“Captain? Shouldn’t you be with the King?” Pugno inquired.
“In a sec,” he answered. “I just wanted to congratulate you for giving me a decent workout. It’s not every fan that can last a full sixty seconds in battle against me.”
“Thanks, sir. Though, honestly, you outclass me so thoroughly, an onix has a better chance swimming in Lake Llyria.”
Keldeo let out a small chuckle at that quip. “Well, I wouldn’t put it that drastically. Oh, and by the way, nice shot.” He gestured toward his behind. “I think I’ll be feeling that tomorrow morning.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Like I said, you gave me a decent workout. With more training, you could make it into the Royal Guard easily.”
“I could?!”
“Certainly. Now then, I’d like to give you a special gift for you to remember this day by. Smile.”
Pugno did as told. The Captain then leaned down, smiled, and turned toward a passing furfrou with a Kabuki cut and a camera. “Sugimori! Picture, please.”
“Yes, sir,” responded the furfrou. The picture was taken and printed out the slot on the camera’s front. After about a minute, it developed. Keldeo then took a pen out of his side pack and signed the bottom border of it. He then flipped it over and wrote something on the back of it. He then gave the photo to Pugno.
“For you,” he said, bestowing the photo to his loyal fan. “Happy Genesis Day!”
“Happy Genesis Day to you, too!” Pugno cried. “Thank you so much!” He then gave the Captain a big hug.
“No. Thank you so much!” And with that, the Captain went back to accompany the King, followed by his loyal furfrou guard.

“Well, Pugno, I only just met you today, but I’m already jealous!” Pelame admitted after hearing Pugno recount his meeting with Captain Keldeo.
“Oh no!” Pugno cried. “I forgot to tell him you said ‘hi’ to him, Pinna!”
Pinna simply laughed in response to that. “It’s no big deal, kid. It wasn’t that important.”
“Well, it seems like you two hit it off,” Neve summarized. “Want to exchange phone numbers?”
“I’d love to!” Pugno and Pelame both responded. And so, they gave each other their phone numbers.
“Well, I gotta be going home now,” Pugno said. “Happy Genesis Day!”
“See you later, Pugno!” Pelame called after him. “Happy Genesis Day to you, too!” With nothing else to do, Pelame and her parents returned home. All the way home, Pelame couldn’t get that nice riolu boy off her mind. And on the other side of Promised Land, Pugno couldn’t stop thinking about that cute eevee girl. It sure looked like the beginning of a great friendship.

Ryu Taylor · Aug 13, 2015

Chapter 2 – Off to Lake Llyria

That Genesis Day Festival was one neither Pelame nor Pugno could ever forget. Since then, the two developed an amazing friendship with one another. Though they went to different high schools, they still were able to schedule outings every now and then. This pattern kept up for two years, and on this very day was the day they got back responses from the Llyria Academy.

To Pelame,

The Llyria Academy staff is pleased to inform you that you are eligible to attend our two-week Orientation at Lake Llyria. The Orientation will begin on Seventhmonth 6th and end on Seventhmonth 19th. Details will be explained by the academy president on the opening day. We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
Llyria Academy Staff

As soon as Pelame finished reading the letter, her house’s phone rang.
“Hello?” Pinna said, answering the phone. “Yes, Pelame’s home. I’ll let her on.” He turned to his daughter. “Pugno wants to talk to you. I might just know what it’s about.” He then gave the phone over.
“Hi, Pugno,” Pelame greeted through the phone. Pugno was speaking in a very excited tone on the other end of the line, though Pelame could follow it just fine. “Really?! Me too!!”
“Looks like we’ll be going to the Orientation Camp together, then!” Pugno said in glee. “This is perfect!”
“Just one more week until the 6th, too! We’ll see each other again before you know it!”
“Actually, Pelame, why wait until then? Why not meet up on the 4th?”
“The 4th? Is something special happening that day?”
“Well, of course. I saw on TV a trailer for a certain movie I thought you’d love to see. I’m sure you know of it. It’s called Jirachi’s Final Wish.”
Pelame went completely silent upon hearing that.
“Pelame? You there?”
Then Pugno suddenly got an answer in the form of an excited squeal.
“I’d love that so much!!!” Pelame practically screamed into the phone. “I can hardly wait!!!”
“It’s a date, then!” Pugno responded, though his ears were still ringing. “Is it okay with your parents?”
“Just a sec.” Pelame set the phone down briefly and asked permission from Pinna and Neve. The two responded to their daughter’s query with a joyful and trusting, “I hope you two have lots of fun!” Pelame then picked the phone back up.
“Yep, it’s a date!” Pelame answered.
“Excellent! My parents okayed it, too! All right, see you then!”
“See you then!” Pelame and Pugno then hung up their respective house phones. After that, Pinna called Pugno’s house right back, having gotten an idea.

The anticipated date came at last, after what seemed like multiple eternities. Pelame’s and Pugno’s parents had given them another reason to be excited for the fourth day of Seventhmonth besides the movie. The plan was in regards to traveling to the orientation. As Lake Llyria was over 1,000 kilometers west of Promised Land, it would take half a day to drive there. So Pelame’s and Pugno’s parents had worked out a travel plan to begin driving there after the movie ended.
And so, they had all arrived in town square at their agreed time of 1:00PM, half an hour before the film was set to start. That gave them time to get the tickets for the show and get their seats.
“I thought there’d have been more Pokémon here to see this film,” Pugno said, noticing that the theatre had only been filled to half capacity.
“Others take critics too seriously,” responded Pugno’s lucario father, Jackle. “Either that, or the studio that made this film drove them away.”
“Really? How?” Pinna asked.
“Well, what we’re about to see was made by Sivik-Ripney, the same studio and crew who made the film of Paths of Time. As your daughter knows, that was an absolutely disastrous adaptation of that story, and the critics said that, too.”
“I still enjoyed it,” Pelame interjected. “I mean, it would have been nice if they stuck closer to the story, but for what the movie did, it did it well enough. Besides, I’m willing to give the studio another chance. Maybe they’ll get this one right.”
“Is that why this movie wasn’t even screened for critics?” asked a young paras in the seat to Pelame’s right.
“Maybe.”
The previews had then finished, and the film started up.

The film had reached its climax when a minor incident happened. The paras next to Pelame had been getting more and more apprehensive every time the film’s villain, a parasect named Fungus, appeared. And now that it appeared he’d defeat the film’s hero, a charmeleon named Taiyang, the paras had had enough. He took off running out of the theatre in terror. He had left about six minutes too soon, since everything in the film ended up working out fine, and the film ended on an uplifting note.
“That poor kid,” Pelame thought as the credits started up. The theatre’s small attendance then emptied out.

“So, how did you like it?” Pugno’s tyrogue mother Beltier asked both the kids.
“It was the absolute best!!!” Pelame cried.
“Every bit as great as Pelame built it up to be!!” Pugno joined. “If only we could have a home video to watch in the car!”
“Well, I must admit this was the perfect way to start our trip,” Neve added. “You two ready to travel?”
“We were born ready!” Pelame and Pugno answered in unison.
“Then let’s put some road behind us!” Jackle said.
As Jackle and Beltier had a van as opposed to the sedan Pinna and Neve had, the former was the better choice for a long trip. Now that the movie was over, it was time to get in there and go.
“That’s kinda funny,” Pugno said as he buckled his seatbelt. “I thought the car would’ve been broken into, but then I remembered that that sneasel burglar is still in jail.”
The van was then started up, and they were on their way. The time was 3:50 PM.

The trip to Lake Llyria was too long to take all in one day, so the travelers took a brief stop at a small motel in the small tourist trap town of Pathway. Pathway was a rather small town, but it was known for its sights, which were regarded as some of the best in the Twilight Kingdom. The sights there were topped only by the capital city itself. Pelame had some fond memories of this place, such as the giant climbing tree her grandmother had helped her reach the top of long ago.
“Remind me to take you back here sometime, Pugno,” Pelame whispered to him as they followed their parents into their booked room. “Just in case a semester break comes up and allows us to travel.”
“Will do,” Pugno answered. “I’ve sure got some memories of this place I’d love to revis—”
“Gangway!!” shouted a Pokémon Pugno nearly bumped into. He looked in the direction he was walking and noticed an annoyed chubby pikachu standing there holding a video camera. “Sheesh, I can’t even turn a corner without bumping into someone camera-first??”
“Pardon us,” Pelame apologized.
“Well, my camera’s fine, so there’s no problem,” responded the pikachu. “Sure wouldn’t want to lose the footage I got of my road trip so far.” He then looked down to the ground, filming it. “I saw you come out of that one. You’re traveling, too?”
“We sure are,” Pugno answered. “Pelame and I are going to Lake Llyria.”
“Hey, so am I! What a great coincidence!”
“What are the odds??” The three young Pokémon shared a short chuckle at the lucky circumstance.
“I’m Torden,” the pikachu introduced. “How do you do?”
“I’m Pelame,” Pelame returned the formality. “And this is Pugno. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, you two made a new friend?” Neve asked as she walked by.
“New friend?” Torden asked. “We just met. I’d say we’re at least acquaintances. But I’m open to making it a friendship.”
“Well, that’s very nice. I take it you’re also leading to Lake Llyria?”
“That’s correct.”
“Well, Pelame,” Neve addressed her daughter. “Looks like you just met a future classmate.”
“I gotta go now,” Torden said, rushed. “Dad’s expecting me back in a few minutes.” He then went on his way down to his motel room. “See you tomorrow!”
Neve then went into her motel room, with Pelame and Pugno following her inside. “Tomorrow, we finish the trip. So let’s not miss an hour of sleep.”
“Good night, mom,” Pelame said.
“Good night, Mrs. Neve,” Pugno added. “Good night, Mr. Pinna, mom, and dad.” And so, the four turned in early.

The date was now Seventhmonth 5th, 1509, and the time was now 9:45 AM. It was an ideal time to get going. They’d be at the lake by about 4 o’clock in the afternoon at this rate.
“Everyone ready?” Neve asked.
“Everyone relieved?” Pinna added, receiving a gentle disapproving nudge from his wife.
“Yep,” the kids answered.
“For the record, we are, too,” Pugno’s parents answered. “Like you had to ask.”
“All right, then. Lake Llyria, here we come!” With Pinna’s rallying call, they were off.

Compared to yesterday’s drive, today’s was rather dull. Not much other than highway occupied the remaining path, but once they arrived at Llyria County, it was a welcome sight. At last, the destination, and since there was one day to spare before the orientation started, all the better it was.
“The island in the middle of the lake, as well as all its cabins, is reserved for the Llyria Academy Orientation,” the receptionist solosis said. “But all the other cabins on the shores are available. We had lots of vacancies earlier, but with the influx of Llyria applicants going to the orientation tomorrow, we’re down to only three vacancies. You have a choice between these two, since they’re the only remaining ones that’ll house four or more.”
“That one, then,” Pinna said, pointing to the one pictured on the left side of the brochure he was handed. “For one night.”
“That’ll be 471 Pokéns for the rental, then.” Pinna paid the amount. “Enjoy your stay.” The solosis receptionist gave Pinna the keys to the cabin. “And don’t forget to attend the dinner tonight for Llyria applicants. It’s going to be at 6 o’clock tonight in the Cape Cabin.”
“Will do.”
One more short drive, and they got to their rented cabin.
“And tomorrow, we’ll be helping you pack up your island dorm rooms,” Jackle said.
“Cool, thanks,” Pelame said. “I can’t wait until tomorrow.”
“Me neither,” Pugno added. “Good thing we have a whole lake to entertain us. Wanna go swimming?”
“Sure. But you won’t make it to the water before me!”
“Two legs are faster than four, you know!” With that challenge, the two raced each other to the shore.
“Be back by 5:30 PM so we can all get ready for the dinner!” Beltier called after the kids.

Time flew by at a dodrio’s pace, and it was already time to get ready for the big dinner. As told by their parents to, Pelame and Pugno returned to the cabin to get themselves ready. Pinna and Neve tied Pelame’s favorite white bow onto her right ear and helped her style her neck fur in a fancy look. Jackle and Beltier tied Pugno’s favorite cobalt bow onto his collar.
“Just a sec, I’d like to get a picture of this,” Pinna said, getting out a camera. Under his instruction, the two kids stood next to each other and smiled for a nice portrait. “All righty! I’m starving!”
The four then set off for the Cape Cabin, located at the highest point overlooking the lake.

The Cape Cabin was packed almost to capacity, full of Llyria Academy applicants and their parents. Pelame, Pugno, and their parents were lucky enough to get a spot near the front stage, where the announcements were to be made. The food wasn’t yet served, much to the dismay of Pinna and his growling stomach. It would be time to serve food soon, but the announcements had to be made.
“Good evening,” said the simisage standing in front of a microphone. “Don’t worry; I won’t keep you from food for long.” That comment got a few laughs, as well as a “then get on with it!” from Pinna. The simisage then continued. “I am the Headmaster of Llyria Academy, Professor Kudzu. And on behalf of all the Academy staff, as well as the generous staff of the Lake Resort, I’d like to welcome all of you to what I’m going to call Day 0 of the orientation. And also, kudos to you all for making it in. Now then, with me are the heads of all the educational departments. It’s their turn now.”
“After me, of course,” said a sawsbuck who approached the podium. “I’m Professor Prongs, the Dean of Llyria Academy. Okay, now it’s time for the Department heads to introduce themselves.”
Coming forward were an ampharos, a beedrill, an alakazam, a virizion, a lopunny, a slowking, a dragonite, a swampert, and a zoroark.
“I’m Professor Henry, head of the Technological Science Department,” said the ampharos.
“I’m Professor Spear, head of the Wildlife and Horticulture Department,” said the beedrill.
“I’m Professor Bibli, head of the History Department,” said the alakazam.
“I’m Professor Snapper, one of the two heads of the Combat Department,” said the virizion.
“I’m Professor Adorbs, head of the Psychology and Mental Health Department,” said the lopunny.
“I’m Professor Euclid, head of the Mathematics and Architecture Departments,” said the slowking.
“I’m Professor Caius, head of the Ocean Science Department,” said the dragonite.
“I’m Professor Tectarro, head of the Geological Science Department,” said the swampert.
“And I’m Professor Aramir, the other of the two heads of the Combat Department,” said the zoroark.
“And that concludes the introductions,” Professor Kudzu said. “One more announcement: the orientation camp starts tomorrow at 11 o’clock AM. And now, it’s your long-awaited dinnertime!”
“At last!” Pinna said to himself, taking off like a missile to the serving tables.
Over at the next table, Torden’s manectric father spoke to him as quietly as he could. “You’re free to enroll in any one of those professors’ classes, except Adorbs’s. Understand?”
“Yes, dad,” Torden answered.

A night as fun as this wasn’t to end with a simple dinner. With an okay from their parents, Pelame and Pugno decided to make a date out of this. And so, they rented a paddleboat and took it out on the lake to take in the sights. They paddled around half of the lake’s perimeter, stopping at a sight that excited the both of them. The film of Jirachi’s Final Wish was being screened specially for VIP guests. Even though they’d already seen the film, they decided to see it again. They got out of the boat, docked it, and climbed up to the top of the cape overlooking the inlet where the film was playing. To them, the film was just as great this time as it was yesterday. When the film ended, the two decided not to leave just yet.
“Now that the screen’s off, it’s a lot easier to see the night sky, isn’t it?” Pugno asked. “I just noticed how adorable your eyes look in the night.” Pelame blushed at the compliment.
“It’s doing your eyes wonders, too,” Pelame returned. After that, nothing was said for a little while. Suddenly, the two leaned in close and shared a short but sweet kiss. After they pulled away, they were quite surprised at themselves and each other for this act. But it was a pleasant surprise, the perfect kind to end a fun night with.

Ryu Taylor · Aug 13, 2015

Chapter 3 – Llyria Orientation Camp Week One

All had gone according to the travel plan that Pinna, Neve, Jackle, and Beltier had put together. Now that their childrens’ belongings were unpacked into their shared dorm room on the island in the middle of Lake Llyria, their part was over. After a heartfelt goodbye, their parents left the lake and headed on back home.

“Our birds have left the nest…” Neve said, summarizing the situation. The kids definitely were growing up.

“At long last, it’s US time!” Torden announced with gusto. “No more parents for two weeks! And then after that, give or take a few visits, years! Adulthood RULES!!”

“We’re not adults yet, Torden,” Pugno replied in a deadpan tone. “Not until you turn fourteen years old, and I’m certain you’re nowhere near that age.”

“Hey, I’ve got two years until I turn fourteen. It’s close enough.”

“Could’ve fooled me. Your attitude makes you look younger.”

“I see. Well, your short stature makes you look like a hatchling!”

“Why don’t you tell that to your bulging gut?!”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Pelame interjected. “If you two would like to accompany me to the orientation—which, need I remind you is in one hour?—that would be just great.”

“Very well, then,” Torden answered. “Though I’d like to know who made you my new mom.”

“Sorry, Pelame,” Pugno answered, though his voice wasn’t completely filled with regret. He was more surprised, though, that Pelame had asserted herself, something he’d only seen her do four other times in the two years he’d known her. But he did feel the need to defend his behavior. “It’s just that he seemed so happy to be away from his family,” he whispered to her as they walked to the center of the island. “What kind of an ungrateful brat does that??”

“Well, I agree it’s rude to feel that way about one’s own family,” Pelame whispered back. “But I don’t think he feels that way for no reason. Why not ask him?”

“Ahem,” Torden interrupted. He pointed to his ears, saying, “I love these things. So, to answer your question, it’s not that I’m ungrateful. It’s that I have the worst dad in the world. I’m not allowed to enroll in any class taught by Professor Adorbs thanks to him!”

“Why not?”

“As far as I know and care, no reason! Though I think it’s because she’s a woman, and except for my mom, he doesn’t like women. Or shiny Pokémon. Or basically anyone who isn’t alike to him. He wouldn’t even let me date this gorgeous rattata I knew in high school just because she was shiny and also female!” Then Torden’s tone changed to be upbeat. “But now, he’s not here. So now, I’m free to be the pikachu I want to be!”

Pelame and Pugno had no time to comment on any of this, as the three had just reached the middle of the island, where many applicants were gathered around the plaza. They took the first seats they could find, placing them behind a few applicants that only slightly blocked their view of the plaza, where there was a small stage placed.

“Good morning, everyone!” Professor Kudzu greeted. “I am very pleased to say to all of you that your applications to my academy have gotten you accepted. As I promised in the letter to all of you invited you here, I will now explain the details of the orientation camp.” All of the department heads entered the stage. “You will all be enrolled in special courses taught by each of the department heads. Each daily session will last one full hour, give or take a few minutes depending on circumstances. At the end of the orientation camp, your results will determine exactly what level class you’ll be placed in, as well as a recommendation for a major for you to pursue. On the final day, you will take an overall final test that will factor in your grades for all these courses. Do not worry; low scores will not reflect negatively on your overall GPA, as this is not an official semester. This is all merely a diagnostic so we know where to place you once the new school year officially starts. Think of this as a sort of summer camp, or even a field trip. And most of all, have fun! And I wish you all the best of luck!”

First on the program was a demonstration of technology by Professor Henry, which was held in the computer lab on the island’s western area. Pelame, Pugno, and Torden took their seats.

“Hi there, everyone,” Henry greeted. “I’m pleased to meet all of you.”

“WOOHOO! HENRY, YOU RULE!!” Torden shouted.

“Thanks for that bombastic compliment. Now anyway, have I got an amazing treat for all of you today! See those screen things in front of you? Tell me, what are they?”

Torden enthusiastically raised his hand. To his glee, he was called on.

“These are called computers, of course!” Torden answered. “Whoever doesn’t know what a computer is has no life!”

“Part of me agrees with that,” Henry muttered under his breath. He then continued in a normal tone. “That’s right! But that’s not what I’m demonstrating today. Computers, believe it or not, have been around for close to a decade now, and I was a leading developer on computers for any Pokémon who lacks hands, or fingers, in my case. However, lately, I have been collaborating with a team of professional computer scientists to create a special network. Until now, this revolutionary creation has existed in the comfortable privacy of the nations’ governments as a method to exchange information with one another. But now, we’ve brought it to all of you, the citizens of the world. We call this creation the ‘Internet!’ Everyone, please switch on the computers in front of you. The power switch is on the small tower next to the monitor. That’s for all of you.” All the applicants did as told. “Now then, while we’re waiting for the computers to load, I’d like to introduce a special guest. Enjinkumo, want to join me?”

From the back of the room, a galvantula walked up to the front and stood next to Henry.

“He’s an old childhood friend of mine, and a member of the gigantic team that created the commercial Internet. Some of you may know him as the governor of Denkidako, the technological center of our neighbor to the very far east, Shizazoto.”

“Shizazoto’s one continent east of Pumbloomberg and Tradja, right?” Pugno whispered to Pelame, who nodded in response.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Enjinkumo said. “I must say, it’s refreshing visiting the Twilight Kingdom again. So, is everyone ready to see the Internet in action?”

“Born ready!” answered the entire class.

“Henry, if you please.” On Enjinkumo’s signal, Henry opened up a web browser on the frontmost computer.

“And by the way, note how despite not having fingers, I can still type on this thing,” Henry lectured. “Not to brag, but I helped design this keyboard for fingerless Pokémon like myself. Pokémon with four or more legs, or basically any Pokémon with no hands at all, have me to thank that they can even use computers as well as anyone with hands and fingers. I also took the liberty of installing those keyboards in front of you to suit your needs.”

As Henry spoke of those accommodations, Enjinkumo got to work hooking up a projector to show on the wall what Henry was doing. He was currently on a page where the word “Twang” was shown in big pink letters. Below that giant word was a small box with the word “search” in a smaller box next to it.

“The team got to work on a multitude of websites,” Henry lectured. “And many are still in development. But up and running are sites for shopping, research, games, and electronic mail, or email for short. However, as the commercial Internet is a new invention that launches tomorrow, how will anyone know where to start? Well, that’s what ‘Twang’ is for! This goes into another category we call ‘search engines.’ To demonstrate, I will take suggestions on what to look up.”

At that, everyone’s hands went up in a heartbeat.

“The King’s date of succession!” Pelame suggested.

“Very good,” Henry complimented. He then typed in “King Kangaskhan II” into the search bar. The first result to appear was a history site. “At this point would be a good time to let you know how search results are organized. As more Pokémon visit websites, the Internet itself keeps track of how often each site is visited. The term is ‘hits,’ and Twang organizes search results according to the number of hits. Now then, let’s have a look.” Henry clicked on the first result. “It says here that King Kangaskhan II succeeded King Samurott X and Queen Kangaskhan LXII on Eighthmonth 22nd, 1477. And simple math will tell you that that date this year will be the thirty-second anniversary of his succession.”

“And if you ask me,” Enjinkumo interjected. “He’s the best king this Kingdom has had in a long time.”

“Anyone else want a turn?”

“Sivik-Ripney filmography!” suggested another student.

“My favorite studio,” Henry giggled. As he typed the studio’s name in, he asked, “Wasn’t Jirachi’s Final Wish amazing? I think it more than made up for the disaster that was Paths of Time, huh? Here we go.” He then clicked on the studio’s homepage. “Wow, that’s quite a list. Sorry, but there’s not enough time to read it all. In fact, the last thing I have time to show you is electronic mail. Everyone go to the Llyria homepage. Type into Twang to find it faster.”

After doing what they were told, the applicants stopped in their tracks. The site’s layout was very confusing.

“Yeah, I wish I could’ve made it easier, too,” Henry said apologetically. “I know it’s out of the way, but click on the word ‘student,’ please. Then type in your name in the box labeled ‘name,’ and you’re in. We’ll be updating the site today so that you’ll need a password to get in, so don’t count on it being this easy next time. And once you’re in there, go to ‘inbox.’ There, you’ll see an email from me, which I want you to type a response to. Once you’re done with that, click ‘send.’ And everyone, please don’t badmouth me in your responses.”

And so the applicants composed their responses and sent them back to Henry’s email inbox, taking care not to hurt his feelings. With that, this session was dismissed. On the way out, Henry told the applicants, “Check your email again tonight, everyone! Whichever one of you made my favorite response will hear back from me that way! See you all tomorrow!”

After eight more classes, the day was over. The applicants all had a hearty dinner in the island’s Chow Hall, and then went on the way back to their dorms.

“I bet I know which one was your favorite class today, Pelame,” Pugno said as he and Pelame started walking back to their dorms.

“Me and history go hand in hand,” Pelame answered, knowing who Pugno was referring to. “Of course Professor Bibli’s class was the best one! How could he not be??”

“Yeah, he was pretty neat, but he’s got nothing on Professor Aramir. If only you could stand on two legs, you’d be eligible for his class.”

“Well, Professor Snapper was pretty neat. But her class is for the four-legged Pokémon—”

The conversation was cut short by the sight of a Pokémon near their dorm. It was a familiar figure that neither one was too pleased to see, especially Pugno, who rushed up to the figure and tackled her to the ground.

“If those claws made even the slightest touch on our stuff, you’ll lose them forever,” he threatened. “Now tell us what you’re doing here, Sneasel.”

“Just living here,” she answered curtly. “Did you decide to make that illegal, too, you wannabe cop??”

“Then what were you doing near our dorm?!”

“Your dorm happens to be on my way home. It’s not like I can help passing it by. Now will you let me get up?!”

Pugno reluctantly obliged, but not before softly gripping Sneasel by the throat. “Tell me all that again.” Once she did, Pugno released her.

“Okay, wanna tell me why you strangled me just now?!”

“I wasn’t strangling you. I was feeling for carotid artery movement. If you had lied to me just now, it would have twitched, but it didn’t.”

“What’s all the commotion out here?” Torden asked, arriving on the scene. His attention and focus went straight to Sneasel as soon as she stood back up. He immediately approached her and grabbed her hands. “My word, I don’t think I’ve seen a more gorgeous sneasel in my life.”

Pelame and Pugno couldn’t adequately respond to the advance Torden made on Sneasel.

“My name is Blessing, kiddo,” she responded. “And I was on my way back home. So, I’d like to get going now.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Hopefully not.” With that, Blessing went on her way. Torden didn’t seem at all fazed at the apparent rejection. “Wow. Those big hips of hers sure don’t lie.”

“What was that????” Pelame asked through gritted teeth.

“Whoa, hey, calm down,” Torden replied, sounding a bit intimidated. “I was just joking around.”

“For your sake, I hope you were,” Pugno added. “Pelame and I really don’t take kindly to lecherous remarks like that. You know, maybe that’s why your dad won’t let you near Professor Adorbs. And by the way, we’re not telling you how her class went today. You’d best keep staying out of those classes.”

“Yeah, okay, dad! Sor-ry!” Torden then stomped off to his dorm. Pelame and Pugno then went to theirs as well.

“What is Ho-oh’s job in Shizazoto culture in regards to the emperor?” Professor Bibli asked the class.

“He gives a sacred blessing to the new emperor and wishes them a healthy rule,” Pelame answered.

It was now day five of the orientation camp, and Pelame was passing the History course with flying colors. This was her twenty-ninth correct answer in this class session. It seemed as though there was nothing she didn’t know. And that was why Professor Bibli asked her to stay after class. She had his word that this appointment wouldn’t make her late to her next class.

“Yes, Professor?” Pelame asked, slightly anxious despite having Bibli’s word.

“I’ve only known you for the past five days, Pelame,” he began. “And in that time, I’ve gotten to see that you have a rather extensive knowledge of the world’s history. So far, you’ve never gotten a question wrong during lectures, and you also scored perfectly on yesterday’s test. Why, you’ve even managed to answer the extra credit question correctly, which would mean you’re the only one who knows how many male kangaskhans there were before our current king was born. It’s not just any Pokémon that can catch up to a member of the species that can learn every last bit of history that has ever happened in the world.”

Pelame didn’t quite know what to make of that comment.

“To be certain of my suspicions, though, I have some more questions for you. First off, what was the date of the Twilight Kingdom’s annexation of Promised Land?”

“1442.”

“Date of Pumbloomberg’s turn from Monarchy to Constitutional Democracy?”

“1026.”

“Origin of Pumbloomberg’s name?”

“It came from Pumbloom, the whismur who led the colonization of the land that became Bloomblem, which was renamed Pumbloomberg in honor of his memory when he died.”

“Very good so far, but I’ve been going easy on you. Now see if you can answer these ones right. What was the name and species of the first shiny Pokémon who was born after the Mienshao Dynasty of Shizazoto stopped executing shinies?”

“It was a natu named Fate. Fate then founded the Equal Rights for Shiny Pokémon group in hopes of getting other countries to recognize that shiny Pokémon are not the abominations they were once thought to be, and therefore grant them the same basic rights regular Pokémon have. I actually remember hearing that Professor Adorbs is part of that organization, as well as a few others.”

“Indeed she is. Anyway, what was the reason for the start of the recently-finished Swadfrieg War?”

“Their representative Prime Minister Uriki was assassinated by a rogue skuntank named Mustard, who belonged to the Peaceful Pokémon Haven cult, which was headquartered in the Ville du Soleil Couchant. And since that’s the Twilight Kingdom’s Capital, that was why the Swadfrieg ministry thought we made a preemptive strike and declared war on us. In fact, my father, Lieutenant Pinna, fought in that war. And no offense, professor, but these questions are still a cinch. Are you even trying?”

“My apologies. I didn’t know you wanted a hard question. Lucky for you, I have one, and unless you’ve either committed the entire world history’s text to memory or were there when it happened, you will get this one wrong: though the beginning of Windie the Conqueror’s downfall is commonly attributed to his victory in Daoyin, in which he famously lost his greatest fighters and strategists that helped all of his prior victories, which battle was the actual start of his decline?”

“Honestly? Is that a trick question? Because it was his victory at Kiheto—which is now Denkidako, by the way—that started off his decline that ended up seeing him dead in Goshi three battles later, all because his heir died in that battle. And it was because he lost his only heir that he entered the Battle of Daoyin with less determination than normal, resulting in that famous victory with disastrous results. But it was because of the death of his heir that he began losing his mind and eventually surrendered by taking his own life. If that had never happened, history would’ve been rather different.” Then Pelame suddenly started chuckling. “Sorry, professor, but is that really the best you’ve got? I mean, for goodness’ sake, where do you think the term ‘Kihetic victory’ came from?”

“Yes, yes, I get it.” The professor’s tone then changed to one of impressed acknowledgement. “I have taught at Llyria Academy for close to three decades now, and in all that time, I’ve never met anyone with as much historical knowledge as you. Why, it’s as if you were there for everything! How did you ever amass it all?”

“Well, it all started with this gift from my grandmother,” Pelame answered, taking out her book. “It’s a collection of all the world’s events pertaining to the Legendary Pokémon. But the first chapter is—”

“Completely blank, I know. I have a copy, too, and it has the same problem. In fact, all copies of the book are like this, even the original print.”

“Exactly. It’s driven me crazy for years, so I did background checks in every historical text and document I could get, and I found absolutely nothing. Well, actually, I did end up developing a bigger love of history out of that, but still. My love of history originally started when my dad told me about the war he’d fought in. And then, I applied here hoping I could become a historian so I could solve that mystery myself.”

“Well, I’ll be,” Bibli said wistfully. “To be honest with you, that was my motivation for coming here, too.”

“But it seems you’re also on square one,” Pelame added with a tone of sympathy. “I wonder if this will ever be solved.”

“We must keep trying, though.” He then went back to the topic of academics. “I think you might have a chance. And since you’re so accomplished in historical studies, I’m going to recommend you into the Honors History program.”

This announcement greatly excited Pelame. “You will?? That would be great!!”

“Consider it a treat from me. And that’s all I needed you for. I’m sure Professor Snapper is wondering where you are. I’ve come dangerously close to breaking my word. It’s already 1:57 PM. See you on Monday.”

“See you then. Enjoy the weekend!”

Pelame then left for Professor Snapper’s Combat class. She wasn’t excited to be going there, considering that her performance in that class was the polar opposite of her high marks in history class.

Week one ended on an overall good note for Pelame, Pugno, and Torden. Torden had been spending some time with Pelame and Pugno, hoping to get them as hooked on his video games as he was, though to not as pleasing results as he wanted. And whenever he wasn’t playing his games, he was wasting hours online on the newly-released commercial Internet. Today, he came across a strange result in a search.

“You may want to have a look at this, you two,” he said. “I was looking up information on how I could store up some static electricity away from my fingertips in this hot weather, and then I found this.” He then clicked on the result that got his attention.

“‘Team Static?’” Pugno asked.

The page then loaded up. “Wow, how bland,” he said about the site’s unprofessional look. It looked as generic as an essay on the computer’s document program. He then read it aloud.

“‘Team Static is a group of Pokémon dedicated to the resistance to evolution.’ Well, that’s strange. Who wouldn’t want to evolve? Anyway, ‘Mission Statement: We are Team Static. We are Pokémon who recognize evolution as the curse others refuse to admit it is. We wish to educate the world’s population on how good they have it in the first stage of their evolution, and how awful life will be if they ever evolve. Our goal is to eradicate evolution once and for all.’”

“That’s crazy!” Pelame cried. “They can’t be serious!”

“‘If anyone wishes to join or donate to Team Static, please seek me out. My name is Snivy. I am Team Static’s spokeswoman, treasurer, and advertiser. I am also the designer of this web page. If you have any questions, please type it in the email box at the bottom of the page. Have a nice day.’” Torden then got a great but mischievous idea. “Oh, I’ve got a question for you…” He then began typing.

“‘Are you nutcases really serious? You can’t seriously think you can get away with denouncing evolution as a curse. No one is going to take you seriously, so disband your little group as soon as you can. From, Torden.’,” Snivy read aloud. “I think we upset somebody, sir.”

“That’s to be expected,” said the Team Static leader. “We only started two days ago. We just need some time. They’ll all learn soon enough.”

Ryu Taylor · Aug 16, 2015

Chapter 4 – Llyria Orientation Camp Week Two

Classes had started up again, and things were back to how they usually were. Pelame excelled in History and was utterly failing in Combat. Pugno excelled in Combat and was getting the lowest possible grade in Psychology. As for Torden, he found his groove in Technology, though Wildlife and Horticulture was getting the better of him. As far as Pelame’s failure went, Blessing wasn’t letting her live it down. It seemed as though she invited them to her house (though Torden had to decline) just to poke some fun.

“Sheesh, Pelame, get it together!” Blessing taunted. “For a week straight, you’ve done nothing in Combat class but get your sorry butt kicked!”

“Stop reminding me,” Pelame snapped in an irritated tone. “I just don’t understand the point to violence.”

“Uh, hello?! The world is a dangerous place! Not that you’d know, being as you lived in a nice house in a safe city all your life. Still, suppose you’d lost that house and had to have left Promised Land. And also suppose your parents weren’t around, or weren’t able to fight. How would you defend yourself against Pokémon that wished to do you harm?”

“I’d just run, of course! Ever hear of ‘fight or flight?’ I’d choose ‘flight’ in a heartbeat!”

“Well, I hear you want to be a historian, right?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do—”

“You of all Pokémon ought to know, then, what Pokémon of other countries think of Twilight Kingdom citizens, especially after the Swadfrieg War. Attempts on your life will likely be made, so it’d be good to know how to fight. That sound good to you?”

“I don’t think I’d be in that much danger—”

“Okay, you know what? Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give you a free hit.” Blessing then grabbed a sheet of paper, a red marker, and some double-sided tape. She drew a big target on the paper and then stuck a strip of tape on the back of it, and then put it on the ground. Then she sat on the paper, making sure to land on the tape. She then got on all fours, pointing her rear end with the target taped to it at Pelame. “Hit me with your best shot, Pelame!”

“Seriously, Blessing?!” Pugno interjected. “We were just starting to like you a little bit, then you do this?!”

“Oh, so it’s okay for you to try to help her, but I’m not allowed to?!” Blessing demanded. She hadn’t moved from her spot and wasn’t planning to.

“Well, I don’t tape targets to my butt and wave it at a friend like you’re doing!”

“Well, how do you know that won’t work?!” Blessing turned her attention back to Pelame. “What are you waiting for?? I’m part Ice-type, for goodness’ sake! Your Iron Tail attack will destroy me!”

“…Blessing…” Pelame deadpanned. “I don’t know Iron Tail. Now stop that!”

“If you want me to stop it, then attack me. Any attack will do!” Suddenly, an Aura Sphere hit the bull’s-eye of the target Blessing still had taped to her posterior. She was knocked forward a slight bit, and the target was destroyed. The young sneasel’s posterior throbbed in slight pain, though it didn’t affect her as she stood back up. She still had to slightly rub her behind to alleviate what little pain she was feeling down there.

“You said any attack will do,” Pugno smugly chided. “Let that be a lesson to you. Quit trying to provoke Pelame to violence. Or else you’ll deal with me.” He then rushed up to her and put her in a soft headlock, then he gave her a noogie. As soon as his grip loosened a bit, Blessing took that moment to trip him. The two then began playfully chasing each other through the room, as Pelame joined in on the fun. They exhausted their energy after about fifteen minutes of this.

“Torden is going to be so jealous when he hears of this,” Pugno laughed.

“I wonder why he didn’t come?” Pelame wondered.

“That’s simple,” Blessing answered. “His dad forbids him to be anywhere near my mom.”

“Your mom? Who—” Then Pelame put two and two together. “So, Professor Adorbs is your mother, then? And how did you know Torden’s not allowed near her?”

“Actually, she adopted me when I got out of jail. And I overheard a comment from that argument last week on the night Pugno tackled me. Plus, I suspected as much considering that I never saw him attend any of mom’s classes so far.”

“I see. And by the way, something about you seemed different since we first met.”

“I’d hope so. Sorry for stealing your wallet last Genesis Day, Pelame.”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

“So, tell me something. You love history, correct?”

“…yes. We’ve been over this…”

“So how can you be so opposed to violence? I’m sure you’ve noticed, but the world’s history has many billions of deaths preserved in its memory. Pokémon killed for any reason at all whether it be sexual preference, being born shiny, all that kind of stuff; wars; irresponsible leaders—seriously, Pelame, yet you don’t like violence to the point where you won’t even fight.”

“Don’t start in again,” Pugno warned.

“To tell the truth, there is a reason,” Pelame answered. “I’ve told this to Pugno already, so I can tell you, too. See my left ear?” She turned her head to make her left ear face Blessing, pointing to the little triangular notch cut out of it.

“A part of me wanted to ask about that, to be honest.”

“As you know, my father is former Lieutenant Pinna. His guard and soldier training never left him, and he was allowed to keep a few of his weapons at home. When I was four years old, I got curious one day and went into a forbidden area of my house’s garage. In there, I found a stash of his weapons. I only wanted a quick look at them at first, but curiosity got the better of me, so I grabbed one of the knives off the wall it was hanging on. And when I went to put it back, I’d forgotten how it originally fit, so it fell right back down and sliced this part of my ear open. It didn’t hurt me as much as I thought it would, but it was still painful enough to cause me to scream in pain.”

“Ouch…”

“My dad was there in what seemed like an instant. He quickly took me back into the house and into the bathroom and treated it as best he could. Luckily, this didn’t require a trip to the hospital.”

“That’s good. He likely would’ve grounded you for life in that case.”

“Well, he did ground me for a month. I thought he’d scream me up until I went deaf, but he didn’t. But he was still definitely angry at me for playing with his weapons without permission.”

“A kid your age back then would never be able to get permission to handle a weapon.”

“But when he was lecturing me about it, he seemed more afraid than angry. In fact, I remember him telling me that I was lucky the knife didn’t land in my back.”

“I’ll say. That sure sounds like an okay reason to oppose violence, but I’ll tell you now: you won’t avoid it forever.”

“Deep down, I think I know that…”

Day eight went by with no significant event. Day nine, on the other hand…

“Where’s Torden?” Professor Henry asked. “I’ve never seen him miss my class—”

Suddenly, a vigoroth came in with Torden in hand.

“Hello, Mister Henry,” he greeted. “I believe this student belongs here for the time being.”

“He does.” He then began speaking to Torden directly. “This is your favorite of all the classes, Torden. So what made you decide to try to skip it?”

“I found Snivy!” he answered. “I was just giving her a piece of my mind!”

“By ‘give her a piece of his mind,’ he means he was threatening to attack her,” Vigoroth interjected.

“Well, why shouldn’t I? She’s part of Team Static! They want to stop evolution! Let me go! I can still get her!”

“Kiddo, that Snivy girl has done nothing wrong. Sure, that sounds like a warped ideal to live by, but she hasn’t acted on it. On the other hand, you threatened violence against her.”

“That is a very rash action, Torden,” Henry added. “I’m afraid I’ll have to suspend you from class for today and send you to Professor Prongs. And boy am I glad for your sake that today isn’t a test day.”

“No! Professor, you don’t understand! Snivy’s an evil little—”

“Save it for the dean, kid,” Vigoroth said, starting to leave. “Come along.”

Professor Prongs was surprisingly not that exasperated to hear the reason Torden was now seeing him in his office. But to say he wasn’t remotely angry would be a lie.

“You get it, don’t you sir?” Torden begged.

“No, Torden, I do not,” Prongs answered. “Yes, it’s an odd philosophy to think evolution is a curse. But Snivy has gotten permission from both the lake staff and from the Academy staff to—”

“EXCUSE ME?!! You let that little witch spout her proper—uh, proposi—prap—”

“Propaganda, you mean?”

“Yeah, that. But still, WHY DID YOU LET HER?!!”

“In and of itself, making speeches about personal philosophies is not wrong. She hasn’t acted violently on those beliefs. You, on the other hand, threatened to attack her. You looked as though you were going to act on that threat before Vigoroth caught you. He knows a Quick Attack when he sees one about to be used. That’s why I am going to impose on you a ten-foot restraining order from her for the remainder of the orientation. If you violate it, then you’ll be suspended from all classes for two days. And as this is the last week of the orientation, I’d advise you to respect it. It wouldn’t be wise to risk your standing at the Academy on a petty grudge.”

“With all due respect, sir, you don’t get it.”

“That’s all that will be said on this matter, Torden. Now, return to class.”

As Torden left, he turned around to say, “You’re going to regret going so easy on that little soapbox preacher!”

Day ten was a day that wouldn’t soon be forgotten. After all classes had ended, there was something happening in the plaza. As Torden feared, Snivy was speaking to a wider public audience. She saved the most important part of the speech for when at least half of the applicants were there. Even Professor Spear had seen fit to attend.

“Everyone, we have a problem,” Snivy began. “I want to tell you about a terrible natural plight. How many of you know of the Pokémon species wynaut?”

Everyone raised their hand.

“And does it not evolve into wobbuffet? Tell me, what is the shape and appearance of a wobbuffet’s tail?”

“They’re black, and they have eyes on them,” Pelame answered.

“That’s right.” Snivy paused for a moment upon noticing that Pelame is an eevee. Regaining her composure, she continued. “Wobbuffet… such a painful life full of fear that one leads. You see, as a wynaut, he’s controlled by his own will, even if his tail keeps its appearance upon evolving. The tail is just that; a tail. But as a wobbuffet, that big blue body is nothing but a dead shell protecting the tail, which is where the poor creature’s consciousness is headquartered. Life is so much better for that one before evolving. But what breaks my heart is that this is by no means the only case of a Pokémon suffering because of evolution.” She pointed to Pelame. “Young lady, could you come up here?”

She wasn’t sure why, but she decided to oblige Snivy’s request.

“Your name?”

“I’m Pelame.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Snivy.” Snivy then raised her voice just high enough to be heard by the crowd. “Tell me, have you decided what Pokémon you want to evolve into? You have seven choices.”

“No, I haven’t decided.”

“Pardon me? I heard you, but no one else did.”

“IHAVEN’TDECIDED!” Pelame blurted out nervously.

“That’s good. For your species, it’s a tough call to make. In fact, why even decide that at all? Why not stay an eevee? In fact, why even call yourself a name other than your species name?”

“Well… m…my father named me Pelame—”

“Don’t accept a label other than that your species is called. And also, don’t accept that you must evolve. How much better would life really be for you, anyway? And in some cases, it could make it easier for a Pokémon’s life to end, such as a paras. Oh, goodness, there’s just about no worse case than that poor little one.” Snivy sounded sad to say this. “Everyone, do you understand now? How harmful evolution is? I don’t want your lives to go downhill because of that dreadful phenomenon. You all have your lives ahead of you. And for those of you who have already evolved, you have my greatest sympathies. You had life so much better before you evolved.” Snivy’s tone then went back to its normal passion. “But it isn’t too late. As you know, I am the representative of Team Static, a group of Pokémon dedicated to resisting evolution. In time, maybe we will discover a way to permanently stop it from happening. But as I am only one of two members—my boss being the only other member—we need help. And so, that’s why I’ve come here. Llyria Academy applicants and Resort guests alike, I beg of your help! If anyone wishes to make a donation or even apply to the Team, come up now!”

Unfortunately for Snivy, only one Pokémon came up. It was a scyther.

“Snivy, I wish to join Team Static,” he said. “I’m an exceptionally strong scyther, and it’s bad enough that my strength is at this level at this point in my life. If I were to evolve into a scizor…” He couldn’t continue.

“Say no more,” Snivy replied. “I understand your plight. I will escort you to my boss tonight.”

“Okay. See you then.”

“Everyone, please think about my words. Take a flyer with you, too. And if anyone wants to leave donations, leave them in the tray near the flyers. Thank you for your time, and good night.”

As all the guests and applicants dispersed, Scyther stayed with Snivy.

“Follow me.”

In Team Static’s room on the island, Scyther stood in the boss’s presence.

“This is Scyther,” Snivy said, introducing the applicant. “He wants to join the team, sir.”

“I have no home left to go to,” Scyther said. “And my physical strength is out of control. It’s terrible now, but if I were to evolve into a scizor, I don’t even want to know what I’d be able to do. Please, by all means, don’t let me evolve! I want to be a scyther for the rest of my life!”

“That is a valid fear,” said the boss. “Your strength could be put to good use. I think you’d make a good excavator. There’s a mine somewhere between this lake and the Twilight Kingdom’s capital, according to the archaeology majors at the Academy, and in there are Everstones.”

“Well, I think I could get in there to get at them.”

“Excellent. Welcome to Team Static. I promise you will not regret your decision to join and be rid of evolution. I will care for you like you are my child. What would you like to eat?”

“Well, I’m rather fond of Kee Berries.”

“Then help yourself to them. I farm them here in these Berry Pots. They’re for everyone on the team.”

“Thanks, sir.”

At the end of the day, Pelame and Pugno retired to their dorm.

“Pelame, are you okay?” Pugno asked, noticing the disoriented demeanor of his friend.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered with a faint bit of uncertainty. “It’s just… I didn’t think Snivy was going to put me on the spot like that. I mean, I’m an average public speaker, but when yanked up onstage and placed in front of a crowd…”

She couldn’t finish.

“If it were me, I don’t think I’d fare much better,” Pugno reassured.

“I see…”

As the two settled into their beds and shut the light off, a question popped into Pelame’s head that she couldn’t put off asking.

“Hey Pugno? I want you to be honest with me.”

“Yeah? Is something on your mind?”

“Yeah. You see, remember when Snivy asked me if I had decided what I want to evolve into, and I blurted out that I hadn’t?”

“How could I forget? Your nerves conquered you at that moment. It was kinda painful for me to watch that. Is that what’s bothering you?”

“Well, kinda. It’s more about the topic she brought up when she put me in front of the crowd. About what I’d evolve into.”

She then finally popped the question.

“Pugno, what do you think would happen to me if I were to evolve at all?”

“Hmm… Well, I don’t really know for sure. I think you’d just evolve.”

“But would anything else about me change?”

“Most likely not. I’ve never known Pokémons’ personalities to change upon evolving. I mean, if you were to become a vaporeon, I don’t think you’d suddenly become your dad. I think you’ll always be you. You’ll always be Pelame. Not Pinna, not Neve, and not even Albero.”

At that, Pelame couldn’t help but feel her heart being warmed.

“You know, although you only have one type of Pokémon to evolve into, I don’t think you’ll change, either. Riolu or lucario, I think you’ll stay the same noble Pugno I met back on that Genesis Day.”

At that, Pugno couldn’t help but feel his heart being warmed.

“Good night, Pelame.”

“Good night, Pugno.”

It had been a long two weeks, but time went by quickly with the fun everyone had. It was always certain that they’d all get into the academy. But now that the final test was over, everyone’s futures there were secure. It was then time for the island to be cleared out, and for the applicants to return home until the semester started in Ninthmonth.

Pelame had earned the favor of Professor Bibli, and it seemed certain that she’d gained a spot in his class. The test results would decide that for certain. For now, at least, he had left her his office phone number. It seemed that even he couldn’t wait until the semester started to see her again. And for that matter, waiting would do no favors for Pelame. It stressed her out that she had to rest up upon getting home, therefore adding time to when she could make that phone call. Her reluctant patience paid off, though, and she picked up the phone.

“Hello?” answered Professor Bibli.

“Hello. This is Pelame,” she answered back.

“Yes, indeed. It seems you also couldn’t wait until the semester started before we got another chance to speak to one another.”

“I know, right? That orientation was so much fun! I’ve never gotten to meet an equal to me in terms of historical knowledge!”
“Oh, I agree! In fact, I had gotten back to investigating that missing chapter since you had left, having been inspired by you to pick that back up. It’s very good you called, because I found something you might find interesting.”
“You did? What would that be?”
“Unfortunately, it’s just one term. But in this field, it’s an open door to many more mysteries. The term in question was ‘Alpha Bloodline.’”

Ryu Taylor · Aug 20, 2015

Chapter 5 – Static Surgeon

“Dear Mom and Dad,” Pinna read aloud. “Well, for a final year here at Llyria, it’s been a bit slow. I know it’s only halfway over, but still. The previous two-and-a-half years are tough acts to follow. Professor Bibli and I haven’t gotten too much farther in figuring out what that ‘Alpha Bloodline’ is, but little progress is better than no progress at all. All we know so far is that it’s hereditary, originated from the Immortal Realm, and is unlocked under only a special circumstance. As for that circumstance, we’re still unclear on that.
Professor Spear recently became the head of the Botany Department in addition to Wildlife and Horticulture. Tomorrow afternoon, I’m going with him on a pollination run. He gives extra credit to students who accompany him and turn in a travelogue of the events, so I decided I’d take that chance even though I’m passing the class with a B.
Unfortunately, I’m still going nowhere in Combat class. Thank goodness it’s not mandatory to graduate, but I’d still like to do better than a D. I’m trying everything I can to do better, but I’m kinda at my wit’s end.
But I’ve got some more good news. Last week, I got a job as a History tutor. I’m paid 14 Pokéns per hour for it. Plus, all the students who have me as their tutor recommended me to all their friends. They’re actually thinking of doubling my salary for that.
Anyway, things overall have been going great. I hope to see you during the graduation ceremony.
Love, Pelame”

“Well, isn’t that marvelous?”

“It sure is, honey,” Neve responded. “Just five more months until her graduation. I can’t wait!”

“Me neither. I’m so excited!”

Pugno was in no mood to give up on Pelame. As much help as she’d given him with history, he tried as best he could to return the favor for combat. The Llyria Academy Campus had many great places for combat practice. But no matter where it took place, the result always was the same: Pugno wiped the floor with Pelame. He tried not to hurt her seriously, though accidents have happened. Nothing more serious than bruising had happened, though.

“Want to take a break?” Pugno asked, concerned for his friend.

“No, I don’t!” Pelame snapped, getting frustrated with her poor performance. “Did Windie the Conqueror take any breaks during battle?”

“No, but—”

“‘But’ nothing! Come at me!” Pelame ordered. Reluctantly, Pugno did so. He began with a Low Sweep that Pelame couldn’t dodge in time. The attack tripped her, sending her landing on her chin.

“Whoa, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It just stings a little.” Pelame rubbed her chin, finding there was a small scrape on it.

“You’re bleeding, Pelame. Just a little bit, but still. We’re stopping for today.”

“No, Pugno! I can still—”

“Pelame, that’s final! We’re starting again tomorrow!” Pelame decided it was best to just take that as an answer.

“Pelame, I know you’re frustrated. I really do. But I just don’t want you to get hurt, or to stress out so much about this. Sorry for snapping at you.”

“It’s fine, Pugno. I just can’t understand why I can’t fight. I really do want to know how to defend myself, since anything could happen.”

“Yeah. I’ve actually been thinking this problem over myself. I know it isn’t because you know you’re in no real danger.”

“You’re right about that. I couldn’t even bring myself to chase Blessing when she stole my wallet last Genesis Day. But then, that was the last time I was in something that could be called danger.”

“I think you’d actually have to be in danger for you to try to fight back. Though I will never try an exercise like that on you.” He put his hand on his discouraged friend’s shoulder. “Don’t give up. We’ll find you a way through this somehow. But for now, how about some dinner?”

“Yeah. That would be great, Pugno.”

As usual, the choice for night dining was the local Char Brothers’ Berry Grillhouse, located a few blocks from the Academy. On their way in, they passed by a shiny wynaut who angrily stormed out.

“You’re not going in there, are you?” he asked.

“Of course we are,” Pelame answered honestly.

“Humph. Well then, have fun dining with these Shiny-shunning bigots.”

Pelame and Pugno shrugged in confusion. Not sure what to think of the situation, they put it out of their minds and entered the restaurant.

“Good evening,” the monferno behind the counter greeted. “Welcome to Char Brothers’ Berry Grillhouse. Would you like to try our Enigma Berry Quarter-pounder?”

“Not tonight, thanks,” Pugno answered. “Just the usual Oran and Sitrus half-pounder. One for each of us.”

“Can you garnish one of them with Chople Berry Powder, please?” Pelame asked.

“That’ll be yours, right?” Monferno asked.

“Yes.”

“They told me you’re regulars when they hired me.”

“I see. We’re that well-known here, huh?”

“I guess so. Anyway, your order will be coming right up. Five Pokéns.” Pugno paid the amount. Monferno then left to go cook it up with the other chefs. Pelame and Pugno took their seats near the window. Pelame instinctively ducked when she saw a rock fly in her direction, although it didn’t get through the window. She saw the shiny wynaut from earlier throw another one higher up onto the building. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she assumed it wasn’t nice.

“Sheesh, is it that big a deal?” Pelame heard a magby behind her ask. “Didn’t he see the sign that said blinders aren’t allowed in here?”

“Maybe not,” answered the piplup he was eating with. “Still, this place ought to change that policy. The rest of the Twilight Kingdom’s society welcomes Shiny Pokémon, after all. And by the way, please don’t use that word. Someone could hear you.”

“Well, not to defend exclusion,” Pelame said, entering the conversation. “But this is a small family-owned business. Like I said, I don’t support their shabby treatment of Shinies. But I also support this restaurant. They’re very nice Pokémon, all things considered.”

“Who asked you?” Piplup rudely retorted.

“Yeah, don’t go butting into conversations you’re not part of!” Magby added. Pelame instantly backed down. Pugno was about to snap back, but Pelame stopped him.

“Jerks,” was all Pugno allowed himself to say. Looking back out the window, he and Pelame saw the wynaut talking to a familiar figure.

“Wait, is that…?”

“Snivy??”

Pelame and Pugno got up and left for the door.

“We’reeatingoutside,” Pelame quickly told Monferno on the way out.

“Oh, hello,” Snivy said, taking notice of Pelame and Pugno. “We haven’t spoken in a while. I’ve seen you two these past two years. Team Static still has room for you two.”

“It’d be great for you two,” Wynaut added. “I joined them yesterday, and it’s been just perfect. So, how about it?”

“Sorry, but our answer is still no,” Pelame answered. “But here’s a small donation for you.” She gave twenty Pokéns to Snivy.

“Thank you very much, Pelame,” Snivy responded to the kind gesture. “There will always be a spot open on the team for you. By the way, do you know any other good restaurants around here? Wynaut told me that Shinies aren’t served here at Char Brothers’. They even use that terrible slur.”

“Well, further down the block, there’s a Café Flabébé,” Pelame answered, pointing them in the proper direction.

“But isn’t that a ritzy place that normally only snooty Pokémon go to?” Wynaut asked.

“Yeah, but they serve Shinies there,” Pugno replied.

“How about this? We all go there together,” Pelame offered up. “Want to?”

“But Pelame, we have an order waiting for us here,” Pugno reminded.

“We can eat at both places,” Pelame answered.

“No way. I’m not eating with Team Static members. You go if you want to.”

“Okay, then. You can save my sandwich for me when I get back home.”

“All right then. And Pelame…” he brought Pelame within whispering range. “Don’t let Snivy sweet-talk you into joining Team Static.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t,” she whispered back. “See you later,” she said at normal volume. She then left with the two Team Static members.

The three Pokémon were shown to their seats by the prinplup waiter. They made their orders and then started up a conversation once their waiter went to deliver the order to the kitchen.

“So, why wouldn’t your friend Pugno come with us?” Wynaut asked.

“He feels a bit more severely about your group than I do,” Pelame answered. “Although he at least doesn’t act as passionately about it as my other friend Torden.”

“Who?”

“Torden’s the chubby pikachu I go to computer class with.”

“Oh, yes. I remember him,” Snivy reminisced. “Most Pokémon at least have the decency to walk by me and ignore me. To this day, he’s the only one who threatened to hurt me. Not that I took it seriously, mind you.”

“Does that guy have something against Team Static?” Wynaut asked.

“Well, kinda,” Pelame answered.

“Come to think of it, being a pikachu, he’s already evolved. Could that have something to do with it?”

“Probably. I’d be lying if I said I was perfectly fine with Team Static’s ideals, but as long as no one’s getting hurt by the team, that’ll be fine with me. It’s best to leave it to individual Pokémon to decide whether or not they want to evolve.”

“I agree,” Snivy responded. “In fact, our boss discourages violence of any kind. Although sometimes he says stuff that implies he’s having second thoughts on that.”

“Who is your boss, anyway?”

“Sorry, but I’m not allowed to disclose that. He wishes not to be known yet.”

“Okay then.”

Prinplup arrived with everyone’s food. While the three dined, Wynaut remembered something.

“Say, Pelame? We know you don’t want to join the Team, and we won’t make you,” he began. “However, we could use your help with something.”

“You can?”

“See, about two years ago, we started searching for a place we’d heard had Everstones in it. Well, just two weeks ago, we finally found it. We’ve come into possession of lots of Everstones, and are finding more. But with what we have, it’s enough for an idea I had. I pitched it to the boss and he approved it, but I’ve found no one willing to participate.”

“And you want me to?”

“Do you want to?”

“Don’t let Snivy sweet-talk you into joining Team Static,” Pelame remembered Pugno saying.

“Well, it’s Wynaut asking me this question,” Pelame debated with herself. “Still, this seems a bit fishy.”

“I wish this idea of yours good luck, but I’m afraid I must say no to your offer,” Pelame kindly answered.

“Thanks for the well-wish,” Wynaut responded. “Still, I think this idea would’ve really helped you.” The three were then done with their meal. Snivy paid the bill.

“I still think you’d be right at home with us, Pelame,” Snivy started in again. “Our boss would treat you like his own daughter.”

“Oh, yes, he’s very kind,” Wynaut added. “He even let us have this day off and even gave us the money Snivy just paid a share of for the bill.”

“Well, I hope you two continue to have a good time in Team Static,” Pelame called back as she left toward Llyria campus. “Stay out of trouble!” Wynaut and Snivy waved goodbye to the young eevee.

“Let’s go home now, Wynaut,” Snivy said. At that, the two teammates headed back to their HQ.

“We’re back, sir,” Snivy said as she and Wynaut entered the secret area.

“Welcome home,” greeted the boss. “How was it?”

“After I got kicked out of Char Brothers’ for being a Shiny, it all went uphill from there,” Wynaut answered. “We even treated that young eevee girl Pelame to dinner at Café Flabébé, where we ultimately settled.”

“That’s very nice. I’m sorry to hear you were refused service from your first dining choice.”

“Actually, sir, I should apologize. That is, for my failure to find a Pokémon willing to be the test for the Everstone experiment.”

“Why didn’t you ask Pelame?”

“I did, sir. She refused, though.”

“I see. Well, I’m not pleased to hear that she won’t help, but I am not angry at you for it, Wynaut. You’ll find someone soon enough; just keep looking.” The boss’s back suddenly cramped, prompting him to rub it in pain. Wynaut got to work relieving the pain.

“I will, sir. In fact, I have someone else in mind…”

The next day was the usual fare for Pelame. Although she enjoyed all her classes except for Combat class, she was eager for each of them to end. Tonight was the night Professor Spear offered to let students accompany him on an afternoon pollination trip. No one seemed interested except for Pelame. All of her friends were busy with projects of their own, so she’d be going with him alone. That is until…

“Where are you off to, Pelame?” Blessing asked.

“She’s going with Professor Spear on a pollination trip,” Pugno answered. “Not that it’s of any concern to you. Besides, weren’t you working on an Architecture project with Torden and Simpson?”

“Well, I would be if that stupid slacker would get his lazy fat butt in gear! I mean, Simpson is one hard-working wartortle, but… well, you know how Torden is. So, I guess I have nothing to do. What are your plans, Pugno?”

“Tonight’s the due date of an extra credit project I’m doing for Professor Aramir. I’m performing for him a set of moves and forms I devised on my own.”

“Okay, so I can’t tag along with you. So I guess…” She then looked at Pelame, who had just finished packing her note-taking supplies and some food. “Pelame, looks like we’re going together.”

“What?!” Pelame and Pugno exclaimed in unison.

“Why not? I don’t have anything else to do! Mom’s out having a talk with the manager of Char Brothers’ about their ‘no Shinies’ policy, so I’m officially out of ideas. That settles it. Pelame, you have a tagalong.”

“Well…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t be any trouble.”

Pelame said nothing to that. She looked Blessing in the eye and stuck out her paw. “You’d better mean that, Blessing,” Pelame said assertively. “Don’t shake if you don’t.”

Blessing thought it over, and then shook Pelame’s paw, taking care to cross her claws in her free hand and hide it from view of both Pelame and Pugno. “Deal.”

“Have fun, Pelame,” Pugno wished. “And Blessing, stay out of trouble.”

“Good luck, Pugno,” Pelame returned. With that, the three set out on their paths.

At the edge of the Llyria Forest, Pelame and Blessing met up with the beedrill professor.

“Good afternoon, Pelame,” Spear greeted. “I see you brought a guest with you.”

“Actually, she invited herself,” Pelame responded in a tone of resignation.

“Well, in any case, it’s good to have more company. You’re the sneasel Adorbs adopted, right?”

“Yep, I am. And she named me Blessing,” Blessing introduced. "Kinda thought you knew that."

“Very nice to meet you. Will you be accompanying us?”

“Of course.”

“Okay then. Now before we go, I need to brief you on some details. First off, I am not the only beedrill who collects nectar from the flowers of this forest. In fact, I visit a wild swarm here from time to time and take up the position of captain when I do. Out of all of them, I know which flowers have the highest nectar yield. Therefore, leave all communication with them to me. Also, do not get them upset at you. These are wild Pokémon; they function differently from civilized Pokémon, meaning that they will have no problem attacking you. As for the assignment proper, you will be taking note of everything you see. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, although I’m not even in your class, Mr. Spear,” Blessing answered. “Do I have to take notes?”

“No, you don’t.”

“I’m ready, sir,” Pelame answered.

“Then let’s get going.”

And so, the three entered the forest.

“Ah, perfect. Here’s a Blue Wisteria. I’ll take a few samples from this one while we wait for the rest of the swarm to arrive. Take notice.”

As Spear collected samples, Pelame started taking notes of her observation. As scheduled, the swarm arrived and started taking turns collecting from the Blue Wisteria after Spear was done. Spear then took his spot as captain and started communicating with them.

“…Is he…?” Blessing asked, not believing what she was seeing.

“Yes, Blessing, he’s communicating with them,” Pelame answered in a deadpan tone.

“Wait, beedrills speak with their—”

“Abdomen signals and body movement that could pass for dancing.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?”

Following the swarm, Pelame and Blessing went deeper into the forest. And it was then that Blessing went forward to try something out.

“Blessing, what are you doing?” Pelame asked skeptically.

“Watch and learn!” Blessing answered. She shouted at the swarm to get their attention. Once she did, she turned around. “Now then, I order you all to—” Blessing then started waggling her rear end at the swarm, hoping to send a message. The swarm didn’t know what to make of this.

“Tell me this isn’t happening,” Pelame thought to herself. “This is humiliating!”

Seeing no result, Blessing decided to try a new approach. She got down on all fours and raised her behind as high as she could make it go. She then continued waggling it. Two waggles to the right, one left, five down, and one more left was her message.

“Someone please wake me from this nightmare,” Pelame thought, thoroughly mortified. To check if she was dreaming, she stomped on her own tail. “Please sting her.”

Professor Spear got the swarm’s attention again, instructing them to leave Blessing and Pelame be and get back to work. Once they went back to collecting nectar, Spear gave a disapproving look at Blessing. “Don’t even think of pointing your hindquarters at me,” he scolded.

“Why would I?” she asked as she stood back up. “Those idiots didn’t get my message, so I don’t think you would, either.”

“For your information, you weren’t even saying anything comprehensible to them. If you ask me, you got off easy. For all you know, you could’ve been telling them to poison you with their Twinneedles.”

“Well, why didn’t you tell me that butt-speak was a difficult language?!”

“Because I thought you’d have the common sense not to try something so stupid and immature!”

“Spear. You were talking to them. WITH YOUR BUTT! How could I not try it myself?!”

“This is something only beedrills can do, and vespiquens as well. You cannot! And another thing: the proper term is ‘abdomen,’ but that’s the least of the problem. You’re going to be reported to the Dean for this once Pelame and I are done here. Also, I’m not letting you go any farther than here, so you march yourself home now.”

“Just for having some fun?!”

“Would you rather I told Adorbs?”

“She’ll find out anyway! But fine, I get the message!” She then turned to leave, taking notice of Pelame giving her a livid glare as she left. She stopped once she had noticed that. “And what’s your problem?”

“I think you know well what my problem is,” Pelame seethed. “You looked me in the eye as you shook my paw on the promise that you wouldn’t cause any trouble tonight.”

“Oh, you mean the promise that I crossed my claws while making?”

“…what?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I didn’t promise you squat!”

Pelame advanced on Blessing in a manner that would have looked intimidating were she not around the same size as her target.

“I would love to Iron Tail you where you stand right now,” she threatened. “You’re lucky I don’t like violence, or I would totally break your neck this instant.”

“Ooh, the pacifist is threatening me,” Blessing mocked. “What’ll she do? Will she history lecture me to death?!”

It took all her restraint not to attack the smug sneasel at that moment. “…Get out of my sight before I get that beedrill swarm back here to lodge you on their Twinneedles,” was all she could say.

“Don’t worry, Pelame. I was leaving, anyway.” And with that, Blessing went on her way again. Pelame then caught back up with Professor Spear. It was a great relief for her to be back in the company of a Pokémon she greatly respected.

“I’ve known that rascal for close to three years now, and she’s never gotten me this upset,” Pelame vented. “Seriously, I feel like hurting her right now—in fact, I seriously wish those beedrill had stung her! It would’ve been the prod to the butt she deserved!”

“Well, although that would’ve been hilarious to see, let’s not wish so much pain on her,” Spear reassured. “The Dean will see to her for this, though. She won’t be expelled for this, but this might get her a week’s suspension; not to mention how livid Adorbs will be with her when she hears of this, too.”

“*humph*, even expulsion would be too generous a punishment for that creep.”

“Why don’t we forget about that for now? There’s still a job for me to do right here. Wait here for me.” He joined up with the rest of the swarm and instructed them to return to their hives with their goods. The job was all done. “Looks like we finished early, and just in time for dinner.”

“Great! I’m starving, Professor!”

To their unpleasant surprise, they found Blessing hiding behind a tree. She appeared to be staking someone out.

“I thought I told you—”

“Quiet,” Blessing whispered. “I just saw Team Static heading toward that cave over there. They’re up to something.”

“What? How can you tell?” Pelame asked, lowering her voice.

“A two-time jailbird Pokémon is talking to you right now, Pelame. I know a suspicious group when I see one. A bellsprout was following them, too. And now, so am I.”

“Wait—” Before Pelame could stop her, Blessing was off.

“Is she crazy?” Spear asked rhetorically.

“Yeah,” Pelame answered, despite not needing to.

“Well, despite everything, I can’t just let her get herself hurt on my watch.”

“Who cares? Let her get beat up! Besides, she’s not even ‘on your watch’ anymore!”

“Pelame, there’s no need to be so cold. I’m going.” Spear then flew in the direction Blessing ran off toward. Against her better judgement, Pelame decided to follow along.

“I’m out of my mind,” she thought to herself as she followed.

Inside the nearby cave, Scyther, Wynaut, and a bellsprout had entered a chamber not too deep inside. Wynaut was carrying a small case with him.

“Okay, Bellsprout, are you ready?” Wynaut asked.

“Well, kinda. Mind if you told me more about this Everstone experiment?” Bellsprout asked.

“No. Allow me,” rang Blessing’s voice from the chamber’s entrance. She entered, holding a piece of paper. “Wynaut, you should’ve kept a tighter grip on this thing. Bellsprout, they—”

“Blessing, there you are!”

Spear and Pelame entered the chamber.

“I told you twice now to go back home!”

“Yeah, in a sec.” Blessing turned back to face the two Static admins. “Well, just because Wynaut let this contract slip out of his grip, I know what you two thugs are up to!”

“Huh, I was wondering where that went,” Wynaut said, unfazed. “Can I have it back now?”

“Well, that depends. Ask Bellsprout if he really wants an Everstone surgically implanted into his body. If he says—”

“Wait, is that what the experiment is?” Bellsprout asked, startled by the terms of the agreement. “I don’t want that!”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Wynaut responded. “It would have really helped you.”

“HOW?!” Pelame suddenly blurted out in anger. “I mean, putting an Everstone in a Pokémon’s body with surgery?! I’ve never heard of anything so demented!”

“Demented?!” Scyther demanded. “This is revolutionary! See, with an Everstone within the body, a Pokémon will finally be spared from evolving.”

“At first, we tried using an Everstone the way normal evolutionary stones are used,” Wynaut explained. “That is, grinding it into powder to be sprinkled into a drink or onto food which is then ingested. But Everstones don’t work the same way. Well, it does, but not permanently. Done that way, it would have to be taken in dosages just like with prescription drugs. The body would then eliminate it after a while. Evolutionary stones take effect on a compatible Pokémon in a matter of hours, once the body has digested it. Everstones don’t work that way, unfortunately. Metabolisms treat them differently. And that’s why we at Team Static had been trying to come up with a way to make the effects permanent. And just two days ago, I finally made a breakthrough.” Wynaut then turned to the left and gestured to the side of his head hidden by his arm. He lifted his arm up and pointed at a small surgery scar located a few centimeters below the armpit. “See this? There’s an Everstone implanted here.”

“And in here, too,” Scyther added, pointing to his waistline. “Thanks to Wynaut, neither one of us can evolve now. And neither can Snivy nor even our boss. We are all finally free to remain as we are.”

“I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary harm to any outsiders, which was why the boss volunteered himself to be the first test subject for this procedure. But I needed to be absolutely certain it worked, so I had given Scyther a drink laced with a Metal Coat—”

“With my permission, of course.”

“Yes, that’s right. Even though a Metal Coat is not an evolutionary stone, it works on the same principle. So, after some time had passed, he hadn’t evolved, even though he should’ve. That was when I deemed this procedure a success. Now the boss has dispatched us to find other Pokémon willing to undergo it and perform it on them, so they’d be saved from evolving. And by the way, we were just about to inform Bellsprout about this, but then you all interrupted us.”

“Well, why shouldn’t we have?!” Pelame retorted as bravely as she could. “That has got to be the most barbaric thing I’ve ever heard! Why would you do such a terrible thing to yourselves?!”

“Terrible? Why would you call this kind of salvation ‘terrible?’ Look at yourself, Pelame. As an eevee, you have many choices of Pokémon you can evolve into, but why bother? As a… well, I’m probably wrong, but judging by your physical appearance, you’re thirteen years old, right?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with this?!”

“Well, for thirteen years of life, have you ever once thought of what you’d like to evolve into?”

“Well, sometimes, but—”

“And have you made a final decision?”

“…no, I haven’t.”

“And why should you? Just stay an eevee. My Everstone procedure can help you with that.”

“NEVER!!!!” Pelame suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. Part of that shout came from fear.

“Yeah! It’s Pelame’s choice and right to evolve!” Blessing said, sticking up for the frightened and angry eevee. “And a quack like yourself doesn’t get to just come and take that away!”

“I wasn’t seeking to take it away by force,” Wynaut answered, still unfazed. “I offered the chance to her, and she said ‘no’ to it. I will no longer offer it again to her today. And just so you know, I am an official M.D.”

“I don’t care if Llyria itself gave you that license, you’re not practicing your poison medicine here!”

Without warning, Blessing came swinging at Wynaut. Instinctively, Scyther came forward to fend her off. He then saw Professor Spear pick up the case Wynaut was carrying. As he started to leave the chamber, Scyther jumped into the air and flew after him. Blessing took that time to escort the young Bellsprout out of the cave.

“Those belong to Team Static!” he shouted as he launched an Air Slash attack at the Beedrill professor. The case fell down toward Pelame, who picked it up.

“Run, Pelame!” Spear ordered. “Take that case and whatever is in it away from here!”

“Stop right there!” Scyther commanded after landing a Steel Wing attack on Spear and sending him to the ground. He then held one of his sword arms to the professor’s head. “Bring Wynaut’s Everstones and surgical equipment back or else this evolved abomination loses his head!”

“Scyther, what are you doing?!” Wynaut asked in shock. “Team Static doesn’t threaten violence!”

“I’m not letting your equipment get stolen from you, pal!” Scyther turned back to Pelame. “Well, are you going to do it, or are you going to let your teacher get killed?”

“You wouldn’t—”

“You’re going to tempt me?”

“Scyther, stop it!” Wynaut ordered.

“No! If I follow that order, you’ll lose all your stuff!”

Pelame was terrified. She had never been in a situation like this before, so she had no idea how to escape it.

“Scyther, please don’t hurt him!” she begged. “And don’t hurt me, either!”

“Then give me that case.”

“If I do, will you let me and Professor Spear go?”

“Yes, I will. Now do it!”

And so, she did as instructed. As soon as Scyther regained the case, he released Spear as he had promised.

“Thanks, Pelame,” he responded, suddenly sounding grateful and friendly. “But please don’t ever put us through this kind of situation ever again. Otherwise, I can’t be held responsible for what I might do.” Suddenly, his friendly act dropped. “Actually, you know what, no! No one does that to my bestie!” He smacked Pelame and Spear with his Steel Wing attack. “Wynaut is my best friend, and you almost made off with his most precious items. I’m not letting that slide, even if I end up losing my job at Team Static!” He raised his sword arm into the air.

“Wait, Scyther, you said you’d let us go!” Pelame begged, beginning to form tears out of fear for her life.

“Deal’s off!”

Suddenly, Blessing returned and hit Scyther with an Ice Punch.

“Even I think it’s low to renege on a promise you genuinely made!” she shouted. “At least I crossed my claws when I made a false promise, you lying piece of trash!”

Scyther rose back to his feet, ready to fight.

“Scyther, we’re leaving,” Wynaut ordered.

“But I—”

“NOW, SCYTHER!!”

Scyther growled in response, but decided to oblige. “Fine, then,” he seethed. “This is not over.”

As the two Team Static members left, Wynaut turned back to say, “My many apologies for all that just happened. Though he acted to rescue a prized set of my possessions, I’ll see to it he gets properly punished for these violent acts of his.”

No one responded to that.

“Well, Blessing, though you disobeyed me once again, I thank you for rescuing us,” Spear said. “You will still be reported for your disobediences, though, but I’ll also mention your coming to save us.”

“Fair enough,” Blessing responded. “Are you all okay?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

Pelame was too traumatized to respond.

“Come on, we should all get home now.”

Back in Team Static’s secret hideout, the boss had just received the report of Scyther’s misbehavior.

“Scyther, I am extremely disappointed in you,” he said. “You have known for close to three years that Team Static doesn’t operate with violence except in self-defense. It is noble of you to look out for the interest of a friend and coworker, but that does not justify you threatening to murder a professor of the Academy. Although these days the world is lending less of an ear to peaceful speaking, you still mustn’t act so extremely.”

“I understand, sir,” Scyther replied in great shame. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“I will not terminate your employment with the Team, Scyther. However, I will be placing you on a month-long probation, during which your salary will be reduced by half. And Wynaut will be accompanying you on future tasks.”

“Yes, sir. That is fair.”

Ryu Taylor · Aug 20, 2015

Chapter 6 – Pelame’s Potential

“Well, Pugno, that certainly looks like an impressive form and set of moves,” Professor Aramir critiqued after Pugno had presented his project to him. “However, I can’t give you the full extra credit points this was worth. You’re too tense. Fighting by putting that much strength in each attack is going to tire you out quickly. You need to loosen up.”

“Sorry, sir,” Pugno responded.

“I’ve already decided the results, but would you like to try again anyway?”

“Sure. I do need to relax, after all.”

Pugno then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He faced the Substitute doll Aramir generated for this event and assumed the Crane Stance as his routine started with, and started generating a small Aura Sphere with his left hand. He kicked with his bent right leg, put it back on the ground, and did a Low Sweep attack with his left foot. He finished by releasing the Aura Sphere from his left hand and delivering a Power-Up Punch with his fisted right hand.

“A bit better, but you could still stand to relax a bit more. Here, have a seat.” As his student took a seat in front of him on the gym floor, Aramir did so as well and faced his student. “Is there something on your mind? Anything at all?”

“Well, the only thing I can think of is something Torden said about the upcoming parent-teacher conference week. I don’t know what it is, but it just irritates me how he talks about his father like he’s garbage. I mean, I know he might have his reasons, but… still…”

“I take it you don’t like hearing family members disrespected, then.”

“I guess so.”

“Well, I may not know as much about these matters as Professor Adorbs does, but why not try talking to him about it? I’m sure it’ll make him happy to see someone will listen to him.”

“I guess so.”

The teacher then stood up, prompting Pugno to do the same.

“You know what we need now? Food. Want to go get a bite, Pugno?”

“Sure!”

The two left the gym and went toward the food district in the nearby town. They hadn’t gotten off the Academy campus by the time Professor Spear came back with Blessing and Pelame in tow. Pugno saw that Pelame looked terrified and immediately approached her.

“Pelame, are you okay?!” he asked, concerned and scared for his friend. He then turned to Blessing, giving her a very belligerent glare. “Did you do something?!!”

“What?! No!” Blessing answered defensively. “In fact, I saved her! If it weren’t for me, Pelame would have been sliced to bits!”

“It’s true,” said Professor Spear. “Blessing saved us both. After she humiliated all of us in front of the Beedrill swarm I commanded, though. But her punishment for that will hopefully be reduced for her heroic act.”

“Yep, that’s right,” Blessing gloated. “By the way, what’s to be done about Pelame? The poor girl hasn’t said a word since we got here.”

Throughout all of this, Pelame still hadn’t said anything. The only communication she managed was a small smile once her eyes met Pugno’s.

“Don’t worry, Pelame,” he reassured. “It’ll be all right.” He faced Aramir. “Sorry, sir, but I’m gonna have to cancel our dinner plan.”

“That’s fine with me,” Aramir responded. “Some other time, then. For now, I think Pelame needs you. You should take her home.” Pugno nodded in agreement.

In all the time Pugno had known Pelame, he’d never seen her like this. On the day he first met her, she looked sad when her wallet had been stolen from her. But even that paled in comparison to this. She looked as though she was catatonic in fear. Pugno wanted more than anything to see her happy again. That small smile earlier was a start, though. She had the strength to walk back home with him, but nothing was said between them on the way, as Pugno didn’t want to risk saying something wrong.

Once they got home, he led her inside and got dinner ready. He had learned how to make most all of her favorite foods, opting to go with Chople Berry Soup with a slice of Apicot Poffin. He served it to her (as well as a portion he made for himself) and switched on the TV in time for a rerun of Twilight Kingdom’s Funniest Family Tapes.

“Actually, we ought not to eat while watching a laugh-out-loud hilarious show like this,” Pugno joked, trying to initiate conversation. “We could spit out soup out in laughter. Or maybe we’ll laugh so hard it’ll come out our noses.”

Pelame didn’t respond as she continued to eat. Pugno decided not to say any more immature comments. He then decided to pop the question.

“I know you went out with Professor Spear on a nectar run. Did something happen out there?”

Pelame’s eyes scrunched shut in discomfort. Pugno could see tears forming through her eyelids.

“I almost died!” Pelame suddenly cried out, squeezing Pugno in a tight hug. “Scyther almost cut my head off!”

“Scyther?! You mean the Team Static member?”

“Yes! He went crazy and tried to kill me and Professor Spear! If it weren’t for Blessing, we’d be… we’d be…” Pelame couldn’t say any more. Her tears were just too strong for her to speak through. Seeing this and hearing about why the waterworks were going was making Pugno want to cry along with her. It certainly wasn’t helped by the fact that he wasn’t there when the incident happened, as he had just now remembered.

“Pelame, if I were there, I swear I never would’ve let this happen,” he said apologetically. “I should’ve forsook that stupid assignment. Professor Aramir would’ve understood. I’m so sorry. But from now on, I’ll do everything I can to protect you from those Team Static thugs.”

At that moment, an announcement was broadcast over all campus television sets, radios, and even the computers. The program Pelame and Pugno were watching got interrupted to make room for it. On the screen was Professor Kudzu, sitting behind his desk in the Administrative Office Building. He addressed the entire campus.

“Students and staff of Llyria Academy. I have received word of an incident that happened earlier this afternoon in the forest involving the group known as Team Static. One of its members attacked two students and one of our very own Department Heads. Their identities are being withheld for their protection. Furthermore, I have been told that Team Static has undergone Everstone-implanting surgery to prevent themselves from evolving, and that they seek to do that to other Pokémon. Therefore, I must warn all of you to stay away from Team Static in case they try to convince you to submit to their ludicrous procedure. Pictured here are three confirmed members of the team.”

The screen then showed a picture of Team Static’s very own Scyther, Wynaut, and Snivy.

“Scyther, Wynaut, and Snivy, all three of whom go by their species name as part of their resistance to change of any kind. These three can be identified by a surgical scar located on a various part of their bodies. It has been confirmed that Scyther has his on his waistline, right where the thorax meets the abdomen, and Wynaut has his on his right temple. It is yet to be determined where Snivy’s scar is, however. It is also yet to be determined exactly who they take orders from, as their boss has never been seen in public as of now. I strongly urge all students and faculty to exercise caution around these three individuals. That concludes this important announcement. I bid you all a good night.”

All broadcasts returned to normal at that moment.

“Wait, did he just say Team Static implants Everstones into Pokémon?” Pugno asked incredulously. “And they did that to themselves already?! They’re crazy!”

Pelame’s tears were starting to come to a stop.

“Pelame, I can’t apologize enough for—”

“It’s fine, Pugno. I wouldn’t have wanted you to be in that situation. But thanks for the apology.”

The two then exchanged a friendly hug, which, to their surprise, turned into a kiss.

The next day, Pelame seemed to be feeling fine. She decided not to take up Professor Sparkler’s offer to excuse her from class. She assured the Luxray professor that she was fine. She tried to hide her tension, which became hard to do once it was announced that today was the day the Evasion exercises started. She was partnered with a Meowth named Coin for this activity, in which all she had to do was dodge his attacks.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you,” Coin said. “Look sharp!”

He unleashed his claws and started swiping at Pelame. She dodged every one of his attacks. The exercise was going very well for her.

“Great! Keep it up!” Sparkler complimented.

Pelame kept up her evasive maneuvers for a few more minutes, not taking a chance to counterattack, despite how many chances were given to her.

Suddenly, Pelame had a flashback. From her perspective, Coin suddenly morphed into Scyther. The image of Scyther swiped at her with his sword arm. She let out a small terrified squeal and suddenly jumped forward, Tackle-attacking Coin without realizing it until he stumbled backward. He held his nose in pain and fell over on his rump.

Everyone in class stopped as soon as Coin cried out in pain. Professor Sparkler came to his aid. Coin moved his hands away from his nose, revealing it to be bleeding.

“Coin, what happened?” Pelame asked.

“You dackled be!” he responded.

“I… I did?”

“You’ll be okay, Coin,” Sparkler reassured. “Just hold this over your nose. Stay seated, lean forward, pinch it shut, and breathe through your mouth until Nurse Glee arrives.” He then took Pelame outside the room to question her.

“It was an accident!” Pelame blurted out in defense. “I should’ve stayed home like you offered!”

“Calm down, Pelame. You are not in trouble. Just tell me what happened.”

“Well, I Tackled Coin, as you saw. But I didn’t even know it was him. I thought it was Scyther.”

“How could you mistake him for Scyther? They look nothing alike.”

“Could it be because she was nearly murdered by him?” asked a Miltank who had just arrived at the classroom. “I heard Adorbs’s daughter mention it earlier today. Maybe Pelame was having a flashback.”

“Hmm… that could be possible, Glee. Your patient is inside, by the way.”

Glee nodded and went into the classroom to retrieve Coin.

“I think you ought to see Adorbs about this, Pelame,” Sparkler recommended.

“Yeah, you may be right,” she solemnly responded. “I need help.”

As recommended, Pelame went to see Professor Adorbs in the Health building’s psychology wing. As she had no appointments, and her next class started at 5:00pm, this was an ideal time for her to see Pelame.

“Good afternoon, Pelame,” she greeted. “Have a seat, please.” Pelame did as told.

“Now, Pelame, I want you to know, you are not in trouble. I was told that it was an accident. No charges are being pressed about it. However, it has raised some concerns. You’ve been going to this Academy for close to three years now, and you’ve always been adverse to violence, as your low grades in Combat classes indicate. But just today, you lashed out and hurt someone. Again, you’re not in any trouble, but I just want to find out exactly what provoked that attack. Tell me what happened from your perspective.”

“It’s as I told Professor Sparkler,” Pelame explained. “I thought it was Scyther, the Team Static member, that I had Tackled. One moment Coin was swiping at me with his Fury Swipes as part of today’s evasion lesson, then the next moment I remember when Scyther attacked me. It was like I suddenly started dreaming, because Scyther apparently took Coin’s place, so when I Tackled Scyther, I actually Tackled Coin. And that’s it.”

“I see. I know this will be painful for you, but can you tell me exactly what happened yesterday?”

“I was afraid you’d ask that. Well… I had gone with Professor Spear to observe him during a Nectar run so I could get extra credit. Blessing came along, humiliated everyone—by the way, is she being punished for that?”

“Oh, definitely. I’m expecting she’ll be done with that report on why her body is more than an object to joke about.”

“I see. Well, anyway, she then followed two of Team Static’s members into a cave, and Spear and I also followed her to make sure she was safe. Then a fight broke out when we found out Team Static’s plan, and that was when Scyther tried to…”

Pelame couldn’t finish that thought.

“…and that’s what happened.”

“Well, my sympathies to you for having gone through that. To be honest, I don’t imagine I’d have handled any better if I were in that predicament. I don’t like to fight physically, either. I’d much rather use words.”

“Me too, Ms. Adorbs. I can’t stand the thought of having to hurt someone. Such an idea was rare where I grew up.”

“And where was it you grew up?”

“Promised Land. But actually—do you mind if I explain this? It’s a very long story.”

“Explain away. We could find out more about you this way.”
Encouraged by that statement, Pelame came clean to Adorbs.

“First off, my father is Pinna, the former Lieutenant of the Twilight Kingdom Royal Guard. He fought alongside Captain Keldeo during the Swadfrieg War. I actually was born one year and six months before the war ended, which was why I never knew him for that time. My mom, Neve, raised me by herself. At that time, she and I lived in her hometown of Rogokosoka, which is in Shizazoto. Then, once the war ended and my dad retired from the military, he decided that we all have to live somewhere safe. That was when we moved to Promised Land, where he was born and raised in. I never knew why he hadn’t met me until then until one day…”

Pinna had settled down for a nap, and Neve was out shopping for groceries. In such a safe residence, there wasn’t much danger for a four-year-old Eevee like Pelame to get herself into. She’d seen every corner of the house. In fact, in every house she’d been in, she’d see to it that all parts of it would be seen. A few hosts of those homes were accepting of that behavior (some reluctantly accepting), but some others were offended by her apparent treatment of their homes like she’d lived there her entire life and therefore had the right to go where she wasn’t allowed.

In fact, there was one section of the house she wasn’t allowed in. Her dad had forbidden it. However, her dad was asleep now. No one could stop her from discovering that room’s secret now.

She snuck into the garage and approached the shed-like area with all the warning signs posted on it. She’d found the key to that room earlier that day and used it to unlock the door. Inside, she couldn’t believe what she uncovered. All along the walls were all sorts of firearms customized for use by a four-legged Pokémon like her dad. And there were even explosive shells, none of which were live anymore. But what got her attention was the knives. One just happened to be within her reach after she’d brought in the smallest stepladder she could find. She moved it in as quietly as she could and stood atop it, grabbing the knife in her teeth. She then slid it onto her right paw and swung it around a few times. She quickly determined it not to be any fun, as well as deeming this entire secret a betrayal of expectations. But unfortunately, she forgot how the knife fit in its display hold. As soon as she let go of it, it fell back down and sliced her left ear.

Oh, if only she’d respected the sanctity of this area of the house. If only she’d resisted the urge to see everything.

She let out an agonized scream as she tightly clutched her bleeding ear. Within seconds, her dad was there.

“What happened?!”

Now she was definitely in for it. He instantly picked her up and carried her into the house. He brought her to the bathroom and got out some first-aid supplies. As he got to work washing the wounded area to kill any germs and then wrapping her ear in bandages, he began to scold her.

“Pelame, why did you disobey me?! Don’t you know how dangerous those weapons are?”

“Daddy, I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!” Pelame bawled out.

“For your sake, I hope you won’t!” He had finished administering the bandages, so now he was free to lecture her. “Pelame, accidents like this are why that area was forbidden. You’re lucky that knife didn’t land in your back. You could’ve been killed in there, sweetie.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy!”

“I know you are. Now, I want you to listen to me: please don’t ever go in there again. Something worse could happen to you.” Pinna knew the day would come when he’d have to explain why he’d been out of his daughter’s life for the first one-and-a-half years of it. “Pelame, do you remember when Mommy and you were growing up in Shizazoto?”

“Yes. I miss that place.” Pelame’s pain was easing, so her tears were letting up.

“Me, too. But I think it’s time now for you to know why I wasn’t there for the first eighteen months. You see, I was fighting in a big war.”

“A war? What’s a war?”

“A war is a very big fight. That’s the best way I can put it. Anyway—”

“Then why were you fighting? Were you mad at someone?”

“Personally, no, but most everyone in the Twilight Kingdom was mad at everyone in Swadfrieg. See, it started when some crazy nutcase killed the Prime Minister of Swadfrieg.”

“That’s awful! I hope you caught that guy!”

“No, he was dead before I got stationed there. Anyway, I fought during that war. And while I was fighting, I used more than just my Moves. All of those weapons you saw in that room were used by me during the war. And the enemies had some of their own that were used on me. They’re very dangerous objects, Pelame. They’re made to hurt and kill.”

Pinna’s expression to his daughter turned stern once again.

“And that’s why I don’t want you in there again.”

“Okay. I’ll stay away from there.”

“Good.”

“Thanks for helping me with my ear, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie.” He gave his daughter an affectionate nuzzle. “And just to make sure you obey me this time, you’re grounded for one month for this disobedience. No TV, movies, or video games until then.”

“Aww, but Daddy—”

“Sorry, but that’s that.”

“I told this to Pugno and to Blessing,” Pelame said as she finished her story. “Thing is, though Pugno’s my best friend, I never met him until he had apprehended Blessing during the last Genesis Day. In fact, he’s the first one I actually listened to. I never knew that much about my first friends, since I hardly ever listened to them.” Pelame felt ashamed to confess that part. “…looking back, I really wasn’t a good friend. They haven’t tried to keep in touch with me when they moved away. Despite that, though, I’ve lived a safe life.”

“I see. It sounds like your friendship with Pugno was your first true one.”

“I’m starting to think that, too. After all, as I said before, he was the first one I listened to. He might even be the first one I didn’t alienate. He enjoys listening to me, too.”

Pelame was beginning to come to a realization.

“You know, I don’t recall having any desire to leave Promised Land before that day. I mean, yeah, I did go on family vacations with Mom and Dad, but I always came back home from those trips. But meeting Pugno that day changed me somehow. See, I wasn’t actually going to go through with applying to Llyria Academy, but then I started contemplating it after that day. I made up my mind when Pugno told me he already sent his application in. It seems like he’s given me confidence to see more of the world and crawl out of my sheltered bubble. The last two-and-a-half years have been easygoing, but then the incident yesterday happened… I guess I just wasn’t ready for such a thing. I’m so used to Pugno sticking up for me, although not many occasions have popped up lately. But I had to fend for myself that time, and I… I couldn’t.”

“Well, Pelame, that’s—”

“What if it happens again?! What if I run into someone worse than Scyther?! What’ll I do if either situation happens?! I’d never survive!!”

“Now Pelame, we can’t know that for certain. After all, you defended yourself from Coin today. And from what I heard, you went with Spear into that cave to protect Blessing, just in case she needed help.”

“Of course! I may have been angry at her for that rump routine she pulled, but I didn’t want her killed over it. Although, I wasn’t above wishing she’d have been stung by those wild Beedrill.”

“Exactly. You seem to have the desire to protect close ones as well as protecting yourself.”

“Well, now that things suddenly got so dangerous with Team Static around, of course!”

“I know that feeling. Although Team Static hasn’t yet acted on a wide scale yet, there’s still a chance that they’ll give in to fundamentalism. It happened with the Peaceful Pokémon Haven, and we ended up getting the Swadfrieg War out of that. Now, I don’t like to assume that all groups would go out and be that way, but there have been multiple occasions where that mindset has been proven right. Look at all the Pokémon who have it out for me just for sticking up for the rights of classes society views as not-quite-equal. They want all kinds of terrible things to happen to me. Especially Demetrius. Oh, that guy’s especially passionate in his hatred of me.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that, Professor. I admire you not just for all you’ve done for those mistreated Pokémon, but for being able to have the peace of mind to deal with the fools who try to take their anger at changing society out on you. How do you do it?”

“Well, much like you, I don’t like violence. I’d rather not hurt anyone, which is why any time I had to do a protest, I did so in a peaceful manner. However, I do have combat skill. I’ve learned to fight just in case of the unlikely chance that I’m attacked.”

Pelame gulped. “I was afraid of that.”

“And as you’re majoring in Historical Studies, that field may require you to travel around a lot, putting you in the territory of wild Pokémon who don’t think anything of violence.”

“Yeah… but with this Team Static situation, I’m afraid. I don’t want to get killed, but it looks like they’re going to stop being adverse to that.” Pelame sighed in resignation. “I guess I’m going to have to learn to fight after all.”

“It’s never easy to make a choice like that,” Adorbs clarified. “But ultimately, it may just turn out to be the right one.”

“I feel like you’re right about that, Professor. With the upcoming two-week holiday for Spring Break, I think I’ll have to devote it to training. Though I don’t want to upset a plan Pugno and I made. He and I were to go to Pathway Town for a vacation on the first week.”

“There’s no reason to interrupt that vacation. As I understand, Pugno is a straight-A Combat student. I’m sure he can tutor you.”

“He’s trying to, actually. I’ll just have to see how this goes. Thanks, Professor. Have a nice day.” Pelame got up off the seat.

“You, too. And please don’t be a stranger. I’m always willing to help.”

Pelame bid the psychologist goodbye and left the Health Building.

Over the remainder of the school week prior to the break, Pelame’s performance in Combat class had steadily been getting better. The flashbacks had disappeared once she had gotten it in her head that she was in no danger, and so she had no reason to freak out and hurt someone. Coin had even stopped being angry at her once he heard why she broke his nose, which had fully recovered. Pretty soon, the day everyone anticipated came.

“Fourthmonth 9th, you’re finally here!” Pugno cried in excitement. “Ready to go, Pelame? The bus to Pathway Town will be leaving in two hours.”

“Yep, I’m ready,” Pelame answered as she slipped her backpack on. “I can’t believe it took us so long to finally get around to this trip.”

“Well, things just kept popping up; projects, visits, and even the jobs we were doing for the money we saved for this trip. But we can finally relax now.”

“Uh, Pugno, about that…”

“What is it?”

“If we ever get a moment, would you mind tutoring me on how to fight?”

“Oh, certainly!” Pugno answered joyfully.

With that cleared up, the two were off to the Llyria Union Station, where they’d catch their morning Dodriopower Bus to Pathway Town.. To their surprise, they found Blessing and Torden at the station as well.

“Let me guess: Pathway Town?” Blessing asked.

“Right,” Pelame answered. “I take it you two are going, too?”

“Right!” Blessing and Torden answered.

“Why now? This was to be a private vacation between me and Pugno!” Pelame thought to herself.

“Well, that is, if Torden remembered to bring the bus tickets,” Blessing chided, prodding the chubby Pikachu with her elbow. She drew her right foot back.

“Got ‘em right here,” Torden smugly replied. “I just printed them out last night. You know, I kinda pity you, Pelame and Pugno, for not catching up with the times. You know you didn’t have to come all the way down to this station to get your tickets, right? Dodriopower sells bus tickets online now.”

Blessing put her foot back down. “Well, good for you, Torden. You saved yourself from another butt-kicking.”

“Good. I can still feel the one you gave me for working on the Porygon project.”

“Well, next time, pick a time for that project better than when you were supposed to be doing the Architecture project!”

“Pelame, aren’t you glad we don’t bicker like that?” Pugno whispered.

“Ecstatic,” Pelame whispered back. “Though why’d they have to come along with us? We were supposed to be going alone.”

“I didn’t know they’d be going there, too. But don’t worry; I’ll make sure they don’t ruin our fun.”

The bus came as scheduled, and the four friends boarded, showing their tickets to the Delcatty driver. As the bus was currently in its 20-minute layover time, Torden took this chance to gush.

“This is the first time I’ve ever actually seen a driver’s seat for four-legged Pokémon!” he started.

“But Torden, isn’t your dad a Manectric?” Pelame asked.

“My mom’s a Raichu. She always did the driving,” Torden answered quickly and tensely. “Now, anyway, I’ve always wanted to see one in use, even though I know how it works. See that part of the dashboard that looks like a wheel that can be spun?”

“Ye—”

“The driver uses their preferred paw to push down on it and spin it, and that steers the vehicle. The other paw works the pedals. And unlike cars for two-legged Pokémon, it’s not harmful to press both the brake and gas pedals at the same time. In four-legged drivable cars, the brake takes priority over the gas since a four-legged Pokémon can’t switch pedals as easily. In fact, it’s actually built so that the paw used for steering can press the brake pedal, which also resets the steering disc back to neutral. Oh, and the steering disc is a hollow circle so that the odometer, tachometer, speedometer, and all the other dashboard ‘-ometers’ can be placed there within view.”

“My goodness! You certainly know your vehicles,” said the impressed Delcatty. “Everything you just said is 100% correct!”

Torden blushed at the compliment. “Although the one part I forgot to mention was that a Pokémon as drop-dead gorgeous as you is driving it. I hope we get to Pathway Town soon.”

Delcatty giggled at the pass. “Oh, I’ll miss you once we get there.”

“Torden…” Blessing said in a threatening tone.

“Well, nice talking to you, miss driver,” Torden said, following Blessing to the back of the bus. Pelame and Pugno took the seats in the middle.

“No way am I sitting near those two,” Pugno said. “You in the mood to put up with them?”

“No,” Pelame quickly answered.

The layover ended, and the bus departed for Pathway.

Ryu Taylor · Aug 22, 2015

Chapter 7 – Vacation in Pathway

What was close to a seven-hour drive in a car became a nine hour drive in the bus. Traffic was mainly to blame for that. But it gave Pelame, Pugno, and everyone on board time to rest up. Or, they would be resting a lot more peacefully if Blessing and Torden would keep their mouths shut.

“Ugh, are those two idiots not capable of being quiet?” asked a shiny mienfoo with a slight accent who was walking down the aisle. She stopped at the row Pelame and Pugno occupied. “Is this seat free, by any chance?”

“Certainly!” Pugno offered. The mienfoo then took the last seat of the row, sitting next to Pugno.

“I see you’ve met some friends of ours—”

“Friends, you say?! Oh, goodness, they must annoy you to no end!”

“Yep. Torden’s said that whole spiel about phones for four-legged Pokémon so many times I have it memorized. He’s practically dedicated himself to making it known that he knows that those phones have two stands, one for speaking into and one as the earpiece to be leaned against to hear the Pokémon on the other line, and there’s a number pad that’s used for dialing a phone number—yeah, like I said, it’s infectious. I just quoted that spiel myself.”

“He must be very charismatic, then.” The mienfoo extended her hand for a handshake. “My name’s Wangrey.”

“I’m Pugno,” Pugno greeted, shaking Wangrey’s hand. “And this is my friend Pelame. She had a bit of a rough week, so let’s let her sleep.”

“No problem.”

Pretty soon, Blessing and Torden had run out of things to talk about, so once they went to sleep, so did the rest of the passengers.

And so, at 5:00PM, the bus arrived at the Pathway Station. Everyone on board was relieved to get off.

“I never thought I’d say this, but my headache managed to get even worse,” Pelame heard a disembarking psyduck say.

The Pathway Station wasn’t nearly as big as the Llyria Union Station, but its retro look was refreshing to look at. In fact, this entire section of town was a throwback to an earlier era. It seemed to be a throwback to the exact era when television first became a family room mainstay.

“So, this is what the 1440s were like,” Torden summarized. “I think Henry would love some pictures of this.”

“Uh, Torden, he’s the Technological Science Department Head,” Blessing reminded. “I’m sure he’d know about this era already. He likely lived it.”

“Seeing as how he was born in 1466, I’d say ‘no’ to that.”

“Oh, wow, really? You actually memorized his birthdate? What, are you some kind of stalker?”

“Please don’t start in again, you two,” Pugno scolded. “Remember, we’re here to give Pelame some peace of mind.”

“And… we’re doing that by…?”

“Well… actually, I don’t know yet. But you two bickering is just tensing her up more.”

Blessing and Torden took the hint in Pugno’s annoyed tone.

“So, where’s the motel at?” Torden asked.

“In the Northern District,” Pugno answered. “We can take a local city bus there.”

“Good idea, Pugno. I read online that they offer discounts for students. We’ll only be paying 50 Parts each.”

With the plan set, the four went to the local bus stop and caught a bus to the Northern District. In half an hour, they arrived there. The stop was on a curb near the busier area of the town, about three blocks away from the motel. On the walk there, Pelame took note of the location of the giant climbing tree. Along the way, they came across a sizable amount of Team Static flyers advertising open spots in the team. Pugno took one down and put it in his backpack, figuring it could be important. It was unlike the ones they saw in Llyria.

“Why are they advertising here?” Pugno wondered.

At the traffic light across the street from the motel, Blessing saw an ad for Pathway Tours. She placed that one in her backpack. One crossing of that street later, and the four friends were at their destination. Torden was suddenly awash in memory, as this was where he had met Pelame and Pugno. The four checked in and then set their items down in the room they were given. Room 208 was one of the only ones that would fit four Pokémon. As soon as they were settled, Torden switched on the TV. The rerun of The Squirtle Squad was about ten minutes in with a new episode following after it.

“You know, I heard on an online message board that this episode was bad,” Torden said. “I recognized it as soon as I saw that last part just now, when Bill just turned in that report he copied from Lanette.”

The commercial break started up and played the usual junk Torden wished he could skip. Then suddenly, a certain ad got their attention.

The ad depicted a young dratini frolicking around in a bathtub that was just its size. It looked absolutely blissful just messing around.

“What a great time that cute little guy is having,” an announcer said. “That tub is just the right size for him.”

Suddenly, the dratini evolved into a dragonair. As dragonair was much bigger and longer than dratini, he suddenly didn’t fit in the tub. He tried to wriggle free, but couldn’t lodge himself out.

“But if he ever grew any bigger…”

“No… way…” Torden silently mouthed, instantly recognizing the announcer’s voice as Snivy’s.

As the dragonair continued to struggle out of his tight predicament, he suddenly evolved into a dragonite. Upon this, the poor thing went from barely being able to move to not being able to move at all.

“He’d be in for a lethal squeeze.”

The scene shifted back to the dratini in the tub. A familiar figure was standing next to him.

“Wynaut?!”

“I knew it!” Pelame cried. “I knew from that rhetoric that this was a Team Static ad!”

“Little one, you wouldn’t want to go through that, would you?” Wynaut asked.

“No, I don’t wanna!” Dratini answered.

“Well, luckily, I know a way for you to stay a dratini forever. See, I’m part of a group called Team Static. We wish to get rid of evolution, and I’ve discovered a way to. See this?”

The camera focused on the Everstone Wynaut was holding.

“This is an Everstone. It will stop you from evolving if you hold it. But it’s such a hassle to keep holding onto it, right?”

The scene then changed to a diagram of what Wynaut explained next.

“Therefore, with a quick and painless surgical procedure, I can place this Everstone within your body, making its effect permanent. This will only cost 85 Pokéns, but to save you from evolution, it’s a worthwhile investment. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes! I love being a dratini!”

The scene then shifted to a picture of an Everstone with a small spark engraved on it, which served as the Team Static logo.

“Save yourself from evolution! Join Team Static today!” Snivy announced as the scene shifted to her.

“If you wish to either join or get an Everstone implant, seek me out, or call this number,” Snivy said as a phone number appeared below her. “Have a nice day!”

“Those pieces of junk!” Torden shouted.

“Wow, Torden, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with you,” Pugno added. “How did they get permission to air this propaganda?”

“Wait, isn’t 0151 the area code of Lake Llyria?” Pelame asked, remembering an important detail. “You think that could be where they’re headquartered?”

“That could be possible,” Pugno replied. He then picked up the room phone and dialed the number of Lake Llyria.

“Hello, you’ve reached Lake Llyria Resort,” said the automated message system. “Our hours are 8 o’clock AM to 10 o’clock PM daily, including all holidays. If you would like the cabin booking department, press 1. If you would like the free swim shore, press 2. If you would like the event booking department, press 3. Otherwise, stay on the line for the next available operator.” The busy tone sounded four times before an operator finally picked up. “Hello. This is Solosis. How may I assist you?”

“Hello, Solosis. Listen, I have reason to believe a criminal organization is headquartered on the premises of the Lake. Can you launch an investigation?”

“Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing happening—”

“I just saw an ad of theirs on TV. Their phone number has the same area code as the Lake.”

“That could be coincidental, but we’ll look into it for you. Thanks for the warning.”

“You’re welcome. Have a nice day.”

“You too. Goodbye.” Both Pokémon then hung their phones up.

With that matter settled, the four friends finished watching their favorite show. After the new episode was over, the four friends switched the channel over to the new episode of Charge Brothers.

“Eww, gross!” Pelame said. “You watch that junk?!”

“Junk?!” Blessing responded defensively. “Excuse me, Pelame, but this happens to be the greatest and funniest show of all primetime television!”

“Blessing, no show that had its lead plusle dare his minun brother to shout the word ‘blinder’ in a room full of Shiny Pokémon is any good. Not to mention its offensive caricatures of Shiny Pokémon, and Pokémon from Shizazoto, Tradja, the Twilight Kingd—anywhere, really!”

“Well, Squirtle Squad does that, too! That’s the thing about these satire sitcoms; they make fun of everyone and everything.”

“Not to the extent Charge Brothers does it! The way they do it is so offensive I seriously think the writers are bigoted! I’m going outside!”

Pelame did just that. Pugno followed, despite being able to stand the show.

“Hey, Pugno. I thought you’d be watching the show. You can go do so, if you want.”

“I’d rather not leave you alone,” Pugno answered. “Not when there’s thugs like Team Static around. Besides, I’d rather not watch it with those two.”

“Also, I’m kinda hungry. Want to go get something to eat?”

“You don’t need to ask.”

After dinner at the local Char Brothers’, Pelame and Pugno went to a childhood favorite destination of Pugno’s. They had hiked to the top of the Overlook Plateau, where they could get a great view of the entire town. Pathway was small enough to be seen from just one plateau. But the best part was that, by law, all the city’s lights were to go off for the entire 9 o’clock hour. When that was done, the stars in the sky were visible.

“Hey, Pelame, remember the first date we had?” Pugno asked.

“Oh, how could I forget? Jirachi’s Final Wish is still my favorite movie!” Pelame answered. “In fact, this sky is totally reminding me of the part where Taiyang and Jirachi just stargazed.”

“Yeah…”

The two of them picked out as many constellations as they could see. Then once that was over, Pugno turned to Pelame, looking directly into her eyes.

“Wow… Pelame, your eyes…”

“Yes?”

“They’re like shining emeralds. Really, somehow, your green eyes really are brought out in the starlight.”

“Same with yours, except yours look more like rubies.”

They kept their eye contact going for about half a minute. Then Pugno took a quick look around.

“What? What is it?” Before Pelame’s question could be answered, Pugno suddenly kissed her. She took a bit to comprehend what just happened, and then kissed back once she realized it. It felt refreshing to do this under such beautiful scenery and with a soothing night wind blowing.

“Pelame…” Pugno said once they were done kissing. “I think I just realized something. I… I love you.”

Pelame gasped in shock. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. She got her thoughts together in time to adequately respond. “Oh, Pugno. I love you, too.”

“Really??”

“Of course! You’re the first friend I ever had who revealed a side of me that made me able to keep a friend for longer than a year. I feel safe… and comfortable near you, Pugno. You’re one of the best Pokémon who ever happened to my life.”

“Pelame, you’re the same for me. I think my life completed itself once I met you.”

With all their loviest-doviest babble said, the two kissed once more.

Fourthmonth 10th, 1512 was the date the Pathway Town tour was to begin. Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Torden got up at exactly 8:00 AM to go join the 9:30 AM tour. First on the program was the rundown of the town’s history. All of the visitors gathered in front of the mr. mime serving as the tour guide.

“Greeting, all visitor to our town of Pathway,” he began.

“Shouldn’t he be saying ‘greetings,’ as a plural term?” Pelame wondered to herself.

“On the job, my name is Navigator, so please call me that if you have any question. Do you have any question?” He noticed Pelame was raising her paw. “Yes? How about you?”

“Why are you saying those singular terms that ought to be plural?” Pelame asked. “As in, ‘do you have any question’ instead of ‘do you have any questions?’”

All of the tourists looked back at Pelame in disbelief.

“Just another on-the-job quirk,” Navigator answered. “I’m not like this off the clock, just so you know.” He then returned to addressing the group. “Now then, about this town’s history. This town was built as a rest and restocking stop for spelunker who explored the nearby Mystery Dungeon that used to be everywhere around these part. There was no telling what danger would come out of those many Dungeon, so they needed a safe place to unwind after a hard day’s work. But since the land between those Dungeon was so sparse, the town ended up being a very small size. The Southern District was closer to the Dungeon, so it would get ransacked a lot by the wild Pokémon living in the nearby Dungeon. On the other hand, the Northern District was safe from harm. Then, when all the Dungeon disappeared from the world, the town lost its purpose as a traveler’s pit stop. What few visitor the town would get would stay for a while, admiring the town’s landmark that were left there as the only remain of the Dungeon that used to be all over the place. Word got out, and in five year, the town became the tourist attraction it is today. Since that day, it was named Pathway, having had no proper name before.”

“Wow, that is really confusing,” Pelame lamented about Navigator’s speech quirk.

“And that’s all for today’s part of the tour,” Navigator concluded to the immediate chagrin of everyone attending.

“Seriously?!!” shouted an especially miffed mankey. “I paid 40 Pokéns for a minutes-long second-grader essay about this town??!!”

“Tomorrow, the tour will continue at the Giant Climbing Tree. See you then!” Navigator then created a ball out of Barriers and then rolled away with it. Getting the hint, the tourists all dispersed. As they did, Blessing noticed someone familiar to her.

“Flygon? Is that you?” she called out. Pelame, Pugno, and Torden were surprised to see that she was calling out to a salamence. Their shock grew when the salamence actually responded to that name.

“Why, if it isn’t my pal Blessing!” answered the salamence.

“Pelame, Pugno, Torden, meet Flygon,” Blessing introduced.

“Uhh… Blessing? That’s a salamence,” Pelame corrected.

“…sheesh, Pelame, I can smell the soap drifting from your platform. I know he’s a salamence. His name is Flygon. I met him in jail.”

Pelame and Pugno failed to be surprised to hear that, although Torden was a bit taken aback.

“Nice to meet you all,” Flygon greeted. “I take it you’re on vacation, too?”

“For a week, but yeah,” Pelame answered. “So, why do you have the name of a different species of Pokémon?”

“That’s simple. It’s because my kind should have been called ‘Flygon!’—yeah, just kidding, but there was a time in my life where I really did believe that. And during that time, it was the source of all my anger problems. I ended up accumulating a large amount of property damage and injuries whenever I raged about it, and one day, I was finally caught and jailed.”

“Oh, you should’ve seen how he was caught! It was so hilarious!”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake…” Flygon muttered.

“It was an altaria named Silver who caught Flygon. See, she was Mega Evolved at the time, and Flygon seriously thought he could take her on. He flew right into her and faceplanted directly into her cloudy down! The only part of his body that could be seen was his tail and his butt! For the entire trip to the jail I was at—”

“Klingdale Correctional Facility to be exact.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder, Flygon. Anyway, on the entire trip there—I saw it through an inmate’s binoculars, by the way—he was just helplessly wriggling around, trying to get out of Silver’s clouds! When he landed, literally everyone broke out into laughter, including myself, of course. Oh, I wish I was filming that! I even suggested he be left there so we can watch his butt helplessly and uselessly wriggle around! Of course, my suggestion wasn’t taken, and they also didn’t let me run up there to go kick his exposed seat. They just pulled him out. Well, after slapping a PP-Zero bracelet onto his tail to keep him from using any Moves to escape. But still, it was so hilarious!”

As Blessing was recounting this humiliating event, Flygon’s face grew more and more annoyed. Not to mention red with embarrassment. “…yes, I can tell you were amused. You’ll never forget it, will you?” he snarled.

“I didn’t get to see him all that much, ‘cause he was constantly visiting a therapist about his anger problems. Somehow, he ended up being released before I was.”

“Well, that’s because it was my first time in jail, as opposed to your two times.”

“So, how have you been since then, old pal?”

“Calmer. And constantly searching for work. And only now have I finally found a job. You’ll have me as the tour guide on Thursday, where I’ll be showing the skyline to everyone. Looking forward to it?”

“Oh, definitely!” Pelame answered.

“Good. I promise you’ll like it. After all, no Pokémon flies better than me!” Flygon couldn’t resist adding a smug and confident smile to that remark.

“If this were a cartoon, there’d be a twinkle in his teeth right now,” Torden whispered to Pugno, who nodded in agreement.

“Well, I’ll be seeing you all then! Keep looking forward to it!” And with that, Flygon was off.

“So… now what?” Pelame asked. “Today’s tour was an absolute bust, and we didn’t have anything else planned. So what will we do now?”

The four friends, strapped for ideas, were now just flipping channels on their room’s TV. They all found themselves wishing they were young enough to tolerate what was on each channel at this exact time, since nothing grabbed their attention.

“Nothing on TV, tour ending early, stores and restaurants too crowded, park being rebuilt,” Pugno listed off. “This is officially the most boring day of my life.”

“You preach to the choir there, Pugno,” Torden agreed. “I’d let you all play my Fudapan Pocket Friend, but its batteries ran out. We pretty much have absolutely nothing to do, unless we want to run afoul of Pathway’s tour season laws by checking each landmark out ourselves.”

The four friends sighed in disappointment and boredom, resigned to the fact that this day would be spent doing nothing at all. And unfortunately for them, it was. Not even combat training Pelame eased the boredom.

One aspect about tour season in Pathway that was popular with most visitors was the fact that once a landmark was discussed and viewed during the tour, it was then open and free for revisiting. This didn’t mean much on Tuesday, when only the Giant Climbing Tree was covered. “Whoop-dee-doo,” many a tourist thought at the prospect of only a tree being open for revisits. But it was Wednesday’s schedule that opened up a rather large section of the town. Specifically, the outskirts were now open for free exploration. Pelame and her friends were joined by Wangrey in exploring the outskirts further.

Wangrey was quite the experienced climber. Being the only quadruped in a group of bipeds, Pelame was finding it difficult to make it over some of the tougher climbs in the deserted outskirts. Wangrey had to carry her over those areas.

After some trekking, the five discovered an opening in the cliffside. In front of it was a small vent.

“Here’s something the tour left out,” Wangrey said. “I wonder if this is a leftover Mystery Dungeon?”

“If its interior layout changes upon a revisit, then it is,” Pelame added. “But Mystery Dungeons shouldn’t exist anymore. This might just be a regular cave.”

“Actually, it’s a mine, and you would all best stay out of it if you know what’s good for you.”

The five friends looked around, trying to find who just spoke to them. A small paras approached them.

“Don’t go in there, please. A friend of mine nearly died in there. He dug deep in there and uncovered a chamber full of hydrogen sulfide.”

“Hydrogen sulfide? What’s that?” Blessing asked.

“I remember Professor Tectarro mentioning that,” Pelame explained. “And Professor Bibli mentioned it, too. They both said it’s a hazard that many an explorer have run into. It’s a poisonous natural gas that can potentially kill someone.”

“Yes, and it nearly killed a friend of mine who was mining in here,” Paras explained.

“That’s awful! Is he okay?”

“Luckily, he is. I managed to retrieve him in time to save him. I didn’t allow him in there again until I got a gas mask for him.”

“That’s good. And if you don’t mind my asking, what was he mining from here?”

“My apologies, but I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”

Pelame then noticed something odd about the lumpy space between Paras’s eyes.

“What is that there?” she asked, pointing to the suspicious spot.

“It’s a scar,” Paras answered. “I got hurt long ago.”

The five travelers didn’t know what to make of any of this that had just happened.

“Anyway, it was nice meeting all of you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the tour, and please don’t ever go in there.” Paras then left after saying that.

“What an odd guy…” Pelame noted. She then focused back on her friends. “So, want to go back to town now?”

“Well, I would’ve wanted to explore that mine,” Pugno answered. “But I’d rather not, now that I know there’s poison gas in there. So, sure, I’m up for going back to town.”

“I guess there’s nothing better to do…” Blessing added.

“Well, we could always go to the video store on the way, or the arcade,” Torden suggested.

“Sure, but after dinner,” Pelame decided. “I don’t know about all of you, but I’m starving.”

With their minds made up, the five travelers went on their way back to town. As soon as they reached the general populated area of Pathway, they were stopped by a mime jr.

“There you all are!” he called. “I was wondering where you five went to! I saw you heading out into those badlands and so I went to contact the police.” He turned around to face the three cops behind him. “It’s okay, officers.”

Two of the officer ariados went away grumbling, but one of them stayed. “You kids sure are reckless,” he scolded. “You ought not go that far out there ever again. Rogue Pokémon gather out there, and you could’ve run afoul of them.”

“Thanks for your concern, officer, but I think I could’ve handled myself and protected my friends,” Wangrey responded.

“Against the likes of the brutes out there? Sorry, but that’s not likely. And considering how far out you went, you also could’ve fallen into that poisonous Everstone mine.”

“Excuse me, what was that you just said?” Pelame asked in shock.

“There’s a mine full of Everstones out there,” officer Ariados explained. “It was shut down a while ago on account of those particular Everstones having a harmful and poisonous chemical makeup, unlike all the other Everstones in the world. But there have been reports of a group of Pokémon going into that mine and taking its Everstones.”

Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Torden all had the same thought upon hearing that. “Team Static!”

“Who?” asked officer Ariados and Wangrey in unison.

The five travelers, Mime Jr., and officer Ariados went to the nearby Police Station so Pelame could give her report.

“Team Static is a group of Pokémon who are trying to get rid of evolution,” she explained. “We don’t know who their leader is, but we’ve met his underlings: Snivy, Scyther, and Wynaut. And that paras we met in front of the mine might be yet another underling. But anyway, Snivy’s the spokesgirl, I don’t know what Scyther’s job is, and Wynaut’s their surgeon. He implants Pokémon with an Everstone, and that keeps them from evolving forever! In fact, they already had that surgery done to themselves, which means you can identify them by their surgery scars. They need to be stopped!”

Officer Ariados typed everything he had just heard into a digital report. “That’s one messed up group, I must say. Do you know where they’re headquartered?”

“We think they may be hiding out at Lake Llyria,” Pugno answered. “Their phone number in their ad started with the Lake’s area code. I let the Lake staff know already.”

“Good initiative. All right, I think that’s all I need. We’ll keep an eye on those individuals. Thanks for your information. Stay safe, now.”

Char Brothers’ was a no-go, considering that a shiny Mienfoo was among the group. They were willing to settle for a smaller, cheaper, and unhealthier dinner at Big Poffins.

“Ugh, Poffins…” Torden complained. “And after losing so much weight, too…”

“So, Wangrey, you’re on vacation, too?” Pelame asked to get a conversation going.

“Yes I am,” Wangrey answered. “I’m visiting here from Shizazoto. I must say, apart from a few facilities shunning me for being shiny, it’s been a great trip.”

“I had a feeling you were native to Shizazoto. Your accent tipped me off.”

“Did it now? Well, you sure are perceptive.”

“I’ve been wanting to go there again someday. I may not look like it, but I’m half-Shizazoto and half-Twilight Kingdom ethnicity. Since my dad is Twilight Kingdom ethnicity and nationality, my nationality defaulted to his even though I was born in Shizazoto, per the Twilight Kingdom citizenship laws.”

“Oh, I knew you had a bit of Shizazoto in you, Pelame. I can see it in your ears. That spot near the middle on the side is a little bit thicker than an Eevee of full Twilight Kingdom ethnicity would be, and I’ve known that to be a physical quirk of many quadruped Pokémon from Shizazoto.”

“I see. Can you excuse me for a sec? I need to use the restroom.” Pelame quickly excused herself.

As this was a small restaurant, the restrooms were located in a smaller building outside in the back. Pelame had no trouble finding it, and it was also easy to locate the proper facilities for quadruped Pokémon like herself. After freshening up, she headed back inside when she met up with a familiar face.

“Hello again,” Paras greeted. “Enjoying your meal?”

“I haven’t eaten yet,” Pelame answered. “Before you go, I want to ask you something.”

“Sorry, but I have somewhere to be.”

“I promise this’ll be quick. Can I know more about that scar? Because it looks just like the ones I’ve seen on Pokémon who belong to a group called Team Static…” Pelame caught herself at that remark, then came to a realization. “Wait… you can’t be…”

Paras said nothing in response. He just shut his eyes and smiled.

“How could you?! Don’t you know what a terrible thing it is you’ve done to yourself?!”

“No, Pelame. It’s you who have done a terrible thing to yourself! Seven evolution choices, and you’re leaving yourself susceptible to all of them! I started Team Static to help Pokémon like you, and this is what I get in return?!”

“Wait, what do you mean you started—” Then Pelame understood completely, and the truth terrified her.

“You really are perceptive, Pelame. I’m not just a member of Team Static; I’m the founder and the boss.”

Pelame backed away from Paras in terror.

“I don’t understand, Pelame. Why risk evolving? Do you like being an eevee? Does your friend Pugno like being a riolu? Please don’t be afraid of me.”

“Why shouldn’t I be afraid of you?! Your follower tried to cut my head off!!”

“Oh, thanks for reminding me of that. I’ve been wanting to meet you to give you my apologies for that terrible incident. I’d never want you dead over a simple disagreement of views. But I would like to understand why you think evolution is so great.”

“Oh, I don’t know! Maybe because it’s what lots of Pokémon look forward to doing when they grow up!!! You’re basically taking away their right to mature!!! How do you even sleep at night knowing what you’ve done??!!!”

Paras shook his head in disappointment. “So confused. Those are words of an evolution-loving shill. You know, you seemed a lot smarter that day I met you in the theatre when Jirachi’s Final Wish premiered. Sure, maybe you could prosper if you evolved, but me? Know what I have to look forward to when I evolve?! I get to be a cadaver animated by a mushroom!!”

“That’s not true! Well, not in all cases, but that doesn’t mean you get to take away everyone’s right to evolve! You should’ve seen the end of the movie, when Fungus—”

“SILENCE!!! Do not speak of that monster to me!” Paras was surprised with himself for that outburst. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Pelame, you’re a smart girl, all things considered. So please understand that what I hope to do for the world is ultimately for its own good. And I have a way to accomplish it.”

For some reason, Pelame was suddenly feeling very tense.

“While I was last in that mine about a week ago, I came into contact with a marvelous power. It was incredible. I could feel it flowing through me and making me stronger. I could even hear what it was saying to me. It called itself the ‘Dark Blessing.’ With it, I feel as though I can do anything.”

“…”

“I will finally rid the world of evolution. But in due time, though. Pelame, I don’t wish any harm to come to you, but I can’t promise your safety if you try to get in my way. I tried to be as peaceful as I could, but the world only listens to force and fear nowadays. The Swadfrieg War was evidence of that. I didn’t want to—really, I didn’t—but I’m afraid that I must act without peace. I must act with force, as that’s all the world will listen to anymore.”

Pelame’s temper finally got the best of her, and she let it all out. “You’re out of your mind! No! I’m not letting you get away with whatever you’re planning to do! I don’t care what you do to me! I will not be afraid of you or your team!”

“Pelame, please follow my suggestion. Just go on with your studies and move on with your life. Just remember that it’ll be thanks to me that you’ll be living it as an eevee.” Paras left with those cryptic words.

For this week, even Team Static had been taking a vacation. But now, Paras decided it was time to call it off. He met his followers in the first chamber of the mine. In a safe chamber like this, gas masks weren’t necessary.

“Good evening, sir,” Snivy greeted. “Did you enjoy your dinner?”

“Yes, I did,” Paras kindly answered his underling. “How about all of you? Sorry I couldn’t join you.”

“It’s all right.”

“We saved you a slice of Enigma Poffin,” Wynaut said, offering up the treat. “Anyway, you seem a bit perturbed. What’s on your mind?”

“Pelame.”

“Huh? You mean that eevee I lashed out against? Did you let her know how sorry I am for that?” Scyther asked.

“Yes, I did. By the way, I’m cancelling your probation for that, Scyther.”

“Ooh, thanks! So why is she on your mind?”

“She still embraces the idea of evolving. Plus, she correctly identified me as the leader of Team Static in seconds, all because she noticed my scar. I thought I’d had it hidden better.”

Paras sighed in disappointment. Facing his followers, he gave his announcement.

“In order for the plan to succeed, we need resources that can’t be easily claimed. Llyria Academy should serve our needs well enough. Plus, I think we’ve used that underground hideout at the Lake for long enough. Everyone, it’s time for us to relocate.”

The day was now Thursday, the tour day Pelame and her friends had been looking forward to all week. At sunset, it would be Flygon’s job to fly tourists up to see the town’s famous skyline. Until then, Pelame devoted her time to combat training. This was the first time she ever devoted herself to combat so fully. Although she hadn’t caught up to Pugno’s skill (nor did she think she ever would), she was beginning to finally get the hang of self-defense.

“Well, one thing’s for sure,” Pugno summarized as another of his jabs missed. “You’re a lot better at dodging and guarding. Want to try attacking now?”

“If you’re up to it, then yeah,” Pelame answered.

“All right. I’ll be on my guard now.”

Pelame began by rushing at Pugno, colliding with him before he could do anything about it.

“Wow, Pelame. Guess you just learned Quick Attack.”

“Huh? Is that what that was?”

“Oh, yes it was. Aramir showed my class how to tell the difference between a Tackle and a Quick Attack. I’ve been taught to recognize a wide array of moves.”

With that lecture done, the two got back to practicing.

While that was going on, Blessing and Torden were out on the town. After a stop at the giant climbing tree, they decided to go to the arcade. They kept a close eye on the time, as it was only fifteen minutes away from the next tour time. A worthy distraction came up when they spotted Snivy through the window. She was walking down the street. They walked away from their game of competitive Dodrio Talon Trot and followed the Team Static spokesgirl.

They followed her into the alley, where she entered the back door of a currently closed convenience mart. Despite being closed, the back door was unlocked. Snivy entered, and so did her pursuers. They hid as soon as they heard someone speaking to their target.

“Is the truck here?” Snivy was asked by a familiar voice. Blessing peeked around the wall and saw that Snivy was talking to the paras she and her friends had met yesterday.

“Yes, sir,” Snivy answered. “I paid it in full. I also took the liberty to send a thank-you note to Wynaut’s aunt for supplying us the money to get the truck and our other supplies.”

“Nicely done. Then let’s be on our way.”

Blessing and Torden got themselves ready to intercept the team as they left. As they walked past the doorway, Blessing struck out with an Ice Beam as Torden unleashed a Thunderbolt. To their surprise, Snivy jumped in front of her boss and took the attacks. They got another attack ready, but Paras hit them with a Stun Spore first, freezing the two in place. He then gave Snivy a Cheri Berry to cure the paralysis he accidentally inflicted on her.

“Meet up with Scyther and Wynaut and help them get the truck packed,” he ordered. “And thanks for protecting me, and sorry for paralyzing you.”

“You’re welcome, sir. Understood.” Snivy went off to her duty. Paras then focused his attention on the two intruders.

“I remember you two from yesterday,” he said. “Your friend Pelame was very perceptive to have been able to identify me right away as Team Static’s leader. I presume she already told you about me.”

“Yeah, she did,” Blessing retorted as curtly as she could. “She also mentioned that you were completely out of your mind, too.”

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me to hear how low of an opinion she has of me. She is an evolution-loving shill, after all. I hope you two aren’t following her example.”

“Tough luck, Paras, because we are.”

“Hey, uh, could I have a Cheri Berry?” Torden interrupted.

“Well, regardless, I can’t overlook your attack on my colleague—” Paras continued, ignoring Torden.

“Oh, you mean the idiot who jumped in the way of our attacks?!” Blessing shot back.

“—I can only assume that you mean us harm, and I will not tolerate that. Therefore, you two are coming with us.” With that, Paras shot his Spore attack at them, putting them to sleep. He then grabbed a nearby rope and tied Blessing and Torden up with it, binding their hands and feet together in front of them. He also got some tape and plastered some strips over Torden’s electric cheek pouches, and two more strips over their mouths.

Snivy, Scyther, and Wynaut had finished packing the truck with their supplies.

“Sorry I’m late,” Paras announced as he arrived. “We’re bringing along an extra set of packages. Scyther, if you please.”

“Certainly,” Scyther responded. “No one gets away with trying to hurt you, sir.” He then picked up the two prisoners on the blunt edges of his sword arms and put them in the trailer of the truck.

“Okay, team. We’re off!”

Upon Paras’s announcement, they were off. Wynaut was given the job of driving the truck.

“Hey sir,” Snivy said. “Why not let me drive? I’m the one who bought the truck.”

“I know that, and I appreciate it. However, you’re needed to keep an eye on the map. Now that both this town and Lake Llyria have been tipped off about us, we need to take a different route.”

Snivy wasn’t happy with her lowly new post. Wynaut started up the truck and the team was off at last, with their two prisoners regaining consciousness too late.

“Get ready, world,” Paras thought to himself. “With the help of my Dark Blessing, I will rescue you from evolution.”

Ryu Taylor · Aug 23, 2015

Chapter 8 – Llyria Academy Besieged

The time was now 6:45 PM, Flygon’s time on the punch clock.

“Where in the world are Blessing and Torden?!” Pelame asked, having run out of patience. “It’s our turn next to be flown up to see the skyline!”

“I don’t know, Pelame,” Pugno answered, trying to calm his friend down. As soon as Flygon landed and dropped his current passengers off, Pelame and Pugno had no choice but to go on without their friends. Only Wangrey was there to accompany them.

“Anyone else?” Flygon asked. “I can carry up to ten of you. Doesn’t matter how big or heavy you are. I’m a strong guy.” No one took him up on the offer. “All right, then. Seatbelts on, everyone?”

Pelame, Pugno, and Wangrey buckled themselves into the saddle’s seatbelts.

“Okay, then. Only one photo is allowed, and it is not to be unofficially duplicated and redistributed, under penalty of law upon violation of that rule. I will remain aloft in the air for seven minutes, so make sure your shot’s a good one. If you want to return to the ground sooner, let me know. Also, take note that I will not be able to speak while I am up that high in the sky, as I must secure my oxygen mask tightly so it doesn’t disattach as I fly. I’m allergic to the thinner oxygen of high altitudes; it makes my throat close up, cutting off my respiratory system, and if I faint because of that, we all will crash. And now, we’re off!” Flygon flapped his wings and took to the sky, affixing his oxygen mask to his face on the way. Within a minute, he had reached the appropriate altitude for his passengers to get a good view of the sunset. Pugno got out his camera and took the best picture he could manage.

“Perfect,” he proudly said. “Hey Flygon. Let’s wait out the seven minutes. I’d like to take this in.”

“Me, too,” Pelame agreed. “After all, this is a perfect view.”

“Those two friends of yours certainly will be jealous when you tell them what they missed,” Wangrey said, giggling. Her laughter stopped when she caught sight of something going on down on the ground. “Wait… aren’t those your friends down there?” She pointed downward to the southeastern direction of where they currently were. Pelame and Pugno looked there, too. Pugno grabbed the on-board binoculars and looked through them. He caught sight of Scyther loading Blessing and Torden into the back of a truck.

“Flygon! Land us near that truck!” he commanded frantically.

Flygon shook his head in refusal.

“Land us on the ground, then!”

That was an order Flygon could accept.

“But Pugno, there’s no way we can catch that truck if it’s leaving by now!” Pelame said.

“I believe that’s everyone,” Flygon said after removing his oxygen mask. “Thanks for taking part in the tour, everyone, and have a nice day!” The crowd dispersed after that announcement, excited for the final day.

“Flygon, you need to follow that truck!” Pelame begged. “You’re the only one who can catch up to it! Please!”

“With all due respect, little girl, why should I?”

“Two of my friends have been abducted by the drivers of that truck! We can’t catch up on foot!”

“Then call the police on them. It’s not my problem.”

“I can make it worth your while,” Wangrey said.

“How?”

“I’m very rich. I can pay you many times the money you made on this job. And correct me if I’m wrong, but as this is a seasonal job, and as you’re a one-time convict, your job just ended minutes ago, right? Well, I can solve whatever financial woes you may run into for quite a while.”

“Well, that does interest me. But how do I know you’re not trying to swindle me into being a free courier?”

“Take a look.” Wangrey whipped out a large sum of Pokéns. “Five million Pokéns, just for you, but only if you take my friends to chase that truck.”

Pelame, Pugno, and Flygon were stunned to hear the amount she just announced. Their tourist friend had been rich all along?

“Wangrey, where’d you get that much money?!” Pelame asked.

“From Shizazoto’s treasury,” Wangrey answered. “Being the daughter of Emperor Kentahito has its privileges, although I meant to spend it on travel to the other countries. But I don’t want those rambunctious friends of yours—”

“Wait, did you just say you’re Emperor Kentahito’s daughter?”

“Yes. My name is—”

Pelame felt disappointed in herself. “Jurihito! Oh, goodness, how did I not recognize you?! I know so many things about your home country! I’d love to hear from you about it all!”

“Some other time, maybe. Now, you need to rescue your friends! Here, Flygon, your payment.”

Flygon happily accepted the money. He lowered himself to the ground to let his passengers climb on. Pelame and Pugno did so.

“Thanks, Wangrey—or, actually, Jurihito… your highness,” Pelame said with great happiness. “I’ll never forget this.”

“You can just call me Juri,” Juri said modestly. “Maybe we’ll meet again one day. Now go! Your friends need you!”

“Ready, kids?” Flygon impatiently asked. Pelame and Pugno nodded. They waved goodbye to Juri as the greedy salamence took off. “Now, let me know which truck it is. And remember, I need to keep my mask on, or my allergies will make my throat swell up and asphyxiate me, so I won’t be able to speak to you.” He then put his oxygen mask on, tightening it to form an airtight seal around his face.

“There it is!” Pugno cried. “Down there, ten o’clock!”

Flygon nodded and set off to pursue.

Blessing and Torden had just regained consciousness in the back of Team Static’s truck. They immediately discovered, to their fear and annoyance, that they weren’t able to move. Their dreadful feeling grew when they found out that they couldn’t talk, either. Blessing immediately started struggling against the ropes binding her hands and feet together, as opposed to Torden, who immediately accepted the fact that he couldn’t move nor speak. Blessing wasn’t so quick to give up. She mentally reassured herself that she wasn’t bound by Paras as well as she’d been bound by Pugno on the last Genesis Day. Therefore, it was worth struggling against these bonds, since they’d break at some point.

In the main vehicle, Snivy caught sight of someone in the rear view mirror.

“Sir, there’s a salamence in the sky following us,” she notified in an indifferent tone, still sour about being demoted to navigator.

Paras and Scyther looked out the passenger window and up into the sky.

“I warned her to stay out of our business,” Paras said in irritation. “Scyther, see to them. Wynaut, keep driving.”

“Yes, sir,” Scyther answered, flying up after the pursuer. Once he matched Flygon’s altitude, he launched an Air Slash at the three pursuers. Flygon swerved out of the way, but unfortunately not in time to keep it from slicing the hose connecting his oxygen mask to his on-board oxygen tank. He had to make an immediate landing before he breathed in. Luckily, he was in range to land on the truck’s trailer. He was now free to remove his mask, as he was at an altitude that was safe to breathe. Being able to open his mouth meant he was able to use his Flamethrower attack to retaliate against Scyther. Scyther couldn’t take it; he was down in one hit. Just as he was to land on the truck, a mysterious force caught him.

“Didn’t I tell you, Pelame?” Paras asked as he climbed onto the trailer. “About the power I gained from the mine? And didn’t I also tell you to stay out of my way?” He shook his head in disappointment. “You disobeyed me.”

Flygon launched another Flamethrower, but Paras used his strange new ability to shield himself from it. He then launched a Seed Bomb directly into Flygon’s mouth. Taking the opportunity he just gave himself, he launched a Stun Spore, paralyzing the three pursuers.

“Wynaut, pull the truck over into that rest area,” Paras ordered. He turned his attention back to the three pursuers as the truck pulled over and parked in an out-of-sight corner of the rest stop. “Pelame, you are really trying my patience. Your two accomplices are also ticking me off. I won’t take any chances with you three, although I won’t go so far as to take your lives. I don’t like killing anyone. But I won’t just let you go free. You’re coming with us.” He created an energy shield to scoop up Pelame, Pugno, and Flygon. “Open the trailer. I’m putting these three with the other two.” Wynaut did as told, pressing a switch on the driver’s panel to open the trailer’s door. Paras then loaded the three extra prisoners into the trailer, following them inside as he did so, so as to tie them up and silence them just as he did earlier with Blessing and Torden. He took a moment to redo Blessing’s bindings after noticing that she’d nearly wriggled out of them, and then another moment to confiscate the money Flygon was holding.

“Enjoy the ride,” Paras taunted as he left the trailer, closing its door behind him. The truck then re-entered the highway.

It really didn’t please Blessing to have had her efforts undone. After about five more minutes of trying again, she stopped trying to break out. She had used up a large share of her stamina on her first nearly successful try, but now, she needed to rest. Maybe she’d try again in half an hour. After all, it would take about five or so more hours to reach Llyria County. But while she was resting, she noticed something she hadn’t before. She would have slapped herself in the head if she could for forgetting that Paras hadn’t placed PP-Zero Bracelets on her. All this time, and she was able to use her Moves.

“Okay. Here’s hoping this works…” Blessing thought to herself as she prepared to put her plan to the test. Behind the tape holding her mouth shut, she tried opening her mouth. As soon as she felt her mouth open just a little bit, she let out a small Ice Beam through it, freezing the tape solid. She then hobbled over to Torden and gestured toward his tail. Torden didn’t understand what she was asking for.

“MMMVV MMRN MMG MMN MM MMMPH, MMF FMMMGMM MMPHMMGNMM!” she finally shouted after about three attempts to try to explain. Unfortunately, Torden still didn’t get it. In frustration, Blessing started pounding the frozen tape against the floor, taking care not to be too loud in doing so. After seven strikes, the tape finally broke, freeing her mouth. She then aimed another Ice Beam binding her hands and feet together.

“Now, Torden, use your Iron Tail to break these icy ropes,” she commanded. “Like I was trying to tell you to do with the icy tape on my mouth, you fat brainrot!”

Finally getting the idea, Torden turned his tail into iron and broke the icy ropes with a carefully-aimed swing.

“That’s better, Torden!” she complimented. She quickly sliced the ropes and peeled the tape off of everyone else, freeing them.

“Thanks, Blessing,” Pelame said in relief.

“No problem, Pelame,” Blessing responded. “I’ve gotten out of tighter binds than that in jail.”

“Yet you couldn’t escape when I captured you last Genesis Day,” Pugno chided.

“Well, I’d never been bound that way before. I could’ve figured out a way to escape. If anything, the first one to escape should’ve been Flygon, being as he’s the most physically powerful one here.”

“I was paralyzed!” Flygon responded. “Well, it wore off, but still.”

“So, what now?” Pugno asked. “Should we look for a way out of this truck?”

“Actually, I’ve got an idea,” Pelame interjected. “Why don’t we stay here? That way, we can ambush them once we arrive.”

“Good idea, Pelame,” Blessing complimented. “That’ll work out perfectly. We’ll get to break into their current HQ. I overheard them saying they’re dropping by there to pick some stuff up.”

“Then, we can stop them once and for all, in that case!”

“Looks like it! Wow, Pelame. What you lack in strength, you really make up for in intelligence.”

“Aww, thanks.” Pelame couldn’t help but blush. “…so, what do we do until we get there?”

That was a good question. The five stowaways had no idea how they would pass the remaining four-and-a-half hours until they got to Lake Llyria. Then, Pugno remembered a bit of advice Aramir had given him.

“Hey, Torden? There’s something I wanted to ask you about,” he said. “I understand if you don’t want to, but do you mind telling me why you have such harsh feelings about your father?”

“Oh, now you want to know?” Torden replied. “Mister ‘always respect your family’ is finally going to lend an ear to me?”

“Torden, I promise I’ll listen to everything you have to say before I react.”

“Me, too,” Pelame offered.

“Well, I have nothing better to do,” Flygon added. “Go ahead and tell your ‘my dad sucks’ story. Not like I haven’t heard millions of those in jail.”

Torden took a deep breath and then told everything.

“My dad’s name is Demetrius, and he wasn’t always such a scumbag. Not to me, anyway. It started when he saw me writing with my left hand. He grew up in a time where that was considered a bad thing that leads to the ‘demiri— dilter—”

“Deterioration?” Pugno corrected.

“Yeah, that. The ‘deterioration of written language.’ That’s what he said when he saw me writing with my left. I only did it because I naturally am left-handed. But he wouldn’t listen when I told him that, and he made me learn to write with my right. He put a ball-glove on my left hand to make sure I was sticking to his forbidding of my left hand. Eventually, I learned to write with my right, but it never looked as good as when I wrote with my left. And when it was time for me to go to school, he made sure to send me somewhere that would keep me writing with my right. And he also made sure it was a place Shinies weren’t allowed. He never liked Shinies, going so far as to use that dreadful ‘blinder’ slur.”

Pugno was already regretting the harsh treatment he gave to Torden for his harsh views on his father. He was hanging on Torden’s every word, every one of which made him sadder.

“That school was a dreadful, miserable place. But it was still better than my home life. I always liked my mother better, and I always wanted her to stand up to dad. He treated her like an object. All she was to him was a maid. And she never did anything about it. She never even tried to interject whenever dad was physically punishing me. But whenever dad wasn’t home, she’d console me. She was just about my only friend until I came to Llyria. Oh, and before that, I met a nice Rattata, but dad forbade me from seeing her again just because she was Shiny. It’s a miracle dad even let me come to Llyria. I think he thought they’d actually listen to his ridiculous requests. If they did, I wouldn’t be allowed in classes with girls or Shiny Pokémon. In fact, the first time I disobeyed him was when I signed up for Professor Adorbs’s Psychology class. I’m thinking he wanted me to stay away from her so that I wouldn’t ‘become an affront to society.’”

“She did mention someone named Demetrius when I last saw her,” Pelame said.

“Anyway, that’s why I don’t feel so good with seeing him again during Parent-Teacher Conference Week. But if I have to, then I’m finally going to tell him everything. He’s asked for it, considering that he’s actually bothering to show up this time. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I think he let me come to Llyria Academy because it would keep me out of his life for a few years.”

“Well, Torden, I don’t think it’ll be a good idea to tell him off,” Pugno said. “I mean, not that you don’t have the right to, but why not try making up with him first? Who knows? Maybe time changed him, too.”

“It won’t work. Reason is beyond him.”

“There’s no point in not trying,” Pelame said. “Is it really worth it to remain angry at him for the rest of your life? Torden, I think it would be good if you tried Pugno’s suggestion first.”

“I don’t know…”

“You might not get another chance,” Blessing added. “Look, I know your childhood before Llyria was awful, but at least you had someone taking care of you. Two Pokémon, actually. That’s already more than what could be said of me, someone whose parents ditched her as soon as she was able to fend for herself. That means there’s a part of him that does love you, Torden. So why not try to find it?”

None of the stowaways knew it, but Snivy had been eavesdropping on this conversation from the back of the truck. She’d found a spot that allowed her to hear inside the trailer. That last spiel from Blessing seemed like it struck a chord with her.
“Her parents were just like mine,” she thought.

“All right, fine! I’ll try. But I don’t know if it’ll do any good,” Torden finally relented, to the approval of his friends.

“So, anyone else got anything to tell?” Flygon asked, eager to keep the noise going.

No one answered. It seemed like it would be a silent ride for the rest of the way.

After four more hours, the truck reached its destination. The five stowaways hid as best they could (Flygon had it hardest in that department). As soon as the trailer opened, they got ready. Once they saw that it was Paras, Flygon unleashed a Flamethrower. Torden followed with a Thunderbolt, Blessing followed with an Ice Beam, and Pugno followed that with a Cross Chop. And finally, Pelame finished with a Quick Attack. Paras was down.

“Wow. Good thing we got him before he could Stun Spore us,” Pelame said. “All right, the rest of them shouldn’t be much trouble.”

The five left the truck, bumping into the other three Team Static members.

“Want to try us, too?” Blessing taunted. She turned around, baring her rear end. “Take your best shot!”

“Gladly, hussy!” Scyther retorted. “No more Mister-Nice-Guy!” He launched a Vacuum Wave, aiming at the whole group. They dodged, allowing the attack to destroy a lot of their supplies packed in the truck.

“Nice shot, stupid!” Blessing then came at Scyther with an Ice Punch, taking him down. “Want some of this, Snivy, you little soapboxing—”

“Wynaut, cover me!” Snivy ordered. As Wynaut followed her order, she engaged Blessing in battle, dodging an incoming Ice Punch and countering with an Iron Tail. Pugno tried backing her up by launching an Aura Sphere at the Team Static spokesgirl. Wynaut used his Mirror Coat to reflect the shot. As he did that, Flygon came forth and connected with a Dragon Tail attack. In one shot, Wynaut went down. Now, only Snivy was left. But she was quickly dealt with by Flygon’s Flamethrower.

“Yep, I’m the greatest!” he gloated. “Now then, to get my money back!” He went to the driver’s side of the truck and claimed his stolen money. “Got it! Now, I’m off!”

“Wait, Flygon!” Pelame said. “Why not help us defeat Team Static once and for all?”

“No way! I’ve been in enough trouble today! Besides, I was paid to help you chase them, not defeat them. So, off I go!” Flygon then went to the exit of the hideout, flying off for parts unknown, five million Pokéns richer.

“What a jerk!”

“Yeah, I’ve known him to be that way, unfortunately,” Blessing said. “Come on, we can take Team Static down ourselves.” Seeing Blessing’s point, the group continued inward. “And let’s try to be out of here before Paras gets back up. We don’t stand a chance against him without the element of surprise.”

After a bit of legwork, the four friends reached an important room. Most of it consisted of a giant supercomputer. Torden immediately got to work on it.

“Hey, what’s this?” he asked upon discovering something important. “It says ‘Operation Everstone.’ Wait, isn’t that…?”

“The Llyria Rocket!” Blessing cried. “Simpson and a few of her friends from the Science Scholarship were helping Henry work on it! What does Team Static need it for?”

“I don’t know, but I can look.” So Torden searched the database, but he found nothing. “But look what I did find! Apparently, they have a secret path to Llyria Academy campus from here.”

“Yep. I made that passage myself!” Scyther called from the room’s entrance. “And Paras and Wynaut are on their way to Llyria Academy right now!”

“And better still, all the data from this computer has already been backed up!” Snivy taunted. “It’s with them now, so I can do this!” Snivy then smashed the motherboard with her Iron Tail. “Good luck digging up any more data now! Even your precious Professor Henry will be unable to retrieve anything from this!”

“As for you four, you’re staying right here!” Scyther then brandished the bazooka he had over his shoulder. Snivy placed a gas mask on herself and another one on Scyther. With the blunt edge of his sword arm, he pulled a string connected to its trigger.

“Watch it! That’s a Pester Ball!” Blessing warned. It was too late to get away from it before it released its gas. The four trespassers were instantly paralyzed.

“They filled it with Stun Spore!” Torden said.

“So long! I’ll give Bibli your best regards for you, Pelame!” Snivy taunted. She pressed a button on the doorway and then left with Scyther. A blast door came crashing down, trapping the four intruders inside.

“No! Come back here!” Pelame demanded, trying to move. “Stay away from the school!”

“Once again, you lose, Henry,” Euclid smugly gloated, having won another late-night game of Dodrio Talon Trot against Henry.

“Best three out of five, or it doesn’t count!” Henry contested.

“Well, okay, I’ll be happy to stomp you again.”

The two rivals got back to their game. Elsewhere…

Professor Bibli had found that more writing had appeared on a page that was once blank.

“‘The Alpha Bloodline is hope and happiness. The Dark Blessing is despair and sorrow,’” he read aloud to himself.

“Despair and sorrow, you say?” Paras said, entering Bibli’s office. “Yes, those are powerful feelings. I feel sorrow for the fact that Pokémon insist on evolving, despite everything harmful about it. But I cannot bring myself to despair over it. You see…” Paras got ready to launch a Stun Spore at Bibli, but his attack was predicted. Paras then unleashed an Aerial Ace, scoring a direct hit.

“…I will soon erase evolution from the world. And my Dark Blessing will help me do that. Let me show you what it does for me.” Paras quickly created an energy shield to block Bibli’s Psybeam attack. A dark aura then came out of his back and formed small insect wings. They vibrated to create a harmful sound wave, as if imitating a Bug Buzz.

“Yes, I do know that my kind can’t normally know that move,” Paras continued. “But I have the Dark Blessing coursing through me. If it can grant me access to a share of moves I can’t normally know, just imagine what else I can do with it. With its help, I might even be able to discover a way to reverse evolution.” He then landed a Stun Spore on the History Professor.

“So I hope you understand why I can’t allow any opposition to my goals, because I know what the general thought of my Team is by now.”

“Why shouldn’t they think so lowly of you cretins?!” Bibli demanded. “One of your members attempted to take my top student’s life!”

“Yes, I agree Scyther overstepped his bounds that time. However, Pelame has been vindicating him more and more lately. She’s out of our way for now, and so are her friends. But should they show up once again and get in our way, I will no longer guarantee their survival. As for you and the Academy staff, their lives will not be taken. But I wouldn’t advise you to tempt me…”

A large portion of the Academy’s students were still awake at the late time of 11:15PM, making the most of the break. Simpson, hardworking wartortle she was, had no desire to waste time that she felt could be better spent resting up. But the ruckus coming from all the dorms surrounding hers was not what woke her up. Her dorm was loudly broken into by Scyther, who pelted her with a Pester Ball loaded with Stun Spore. He then tied her up and stuffed her into a bag, dragging her out along with lots of other bags full of the other students. After a few trips, he loaded them into a stolen security truck and drove to the Technology Center. He made his drop off, and then went to the other dorms to claim the other students. He passed Wynaut on the way, who had just arrived with the rest of the teachers. A few minutes later, Scyther returned with the last batch of students. After a few more trips, all the students and staff were dropped off in the Technology Center’s Broadcast Building. Scyther removed each of the bags.

“You’re not gonna get away with this!” Coin said as soon as he was unbagged. “Let us go, or else!”

“Be quiet, lucky unevolved one…” Paras said, entering the room. As he said that, threads made of dark energy clamped Coin's mouth shut. Coin made eye contact with the boss of Team Static, shouting something at him. The other students naturally assumed that they would have heard an expletive term if Coin wasn’t currently gagged. “Please do not speak to me out of turn, or you’ll end up just like that impulsive meowth right there. Now then, I have an announcement to make to the entire county. Henry, please instruct me on how I can do that.”

“Go slice your mushrooms off, you terrorist wannabe!” Henry retorted, firing off a Thunderbolt. Paras blocked it with a dark energy shield. From the other end of the room, a scream was heard. Everyone turned to face the back, seeing that Scyther had his left sword arm to the neck of a young vulpix.

“Don’t you hurt Sixtales, you brute!” Professor Snapper cried. For that, she was immediately silenced by the dark threads.

“I met Bibli earlier today and detained him,” Paras continued. “And I told him that it would be best not to tempt me to do something violent. And that is exactly what you’re doing right now, Henry. So, for Sixtales’s own good, as well as everyone in here, instruct me on how to broadcast to every device in the entire Llyria County.”

With great regret and anger, Henry did so. “That knob right there is to adjust the signal strength. And the buttons next to it control what devices the signal will broadcast to.” As Henry told him that, Paras pressed all of them. With this, his signal would broadcast over television, radio, and computer. “Then you just press the ‘on air’ button in front of the microphone. That will start your stupid broadcast. Press it again when you’re done. There, happy now?! Now release us!!”

“In due time, Henry. Thanks for your help.” Paras then placed a giant energy shield between his team and the captives, fortifying it to even keep sound from coming through it. He then pressed the “on air” button and spoke his message.

Back in the old Team Static hideout, the Stun Spore had finally worn off. Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Torden quickly located the tunnel after powering their way past the blast door. The tunnel had tracks going down it, with a control panel on the frame of the doorway. Torden pressed the button that would call the cart back. While they were waiting, they could hear a broadcast message coming from the Lake Resort above them.

“Greetings, Llyria County. My name is Paras, and I am the leader of Team Static. Close to three years ago, I started this group in hopes of educating the general populace of something terrible that all of Pocketurn has suffered for its entire history. My team has discovered a way to put a stop to it, and I hope one day to be able to reverse it. Although it is true that my team started out kind and charitable, it has become clear to me that the world doesn’t listen to that anymore. Only force and fear is paid any attention, which is why I am claiming Llyria Academy as exclusive property of Team Static. But let me assure you now that no matter what I do, I cannot possibly be as harmful as evolution. That is the terrible affliction I mentioned earlier. Many Pokémon have suffered as a result of evolving. So I sought to put a stop to it. However, I found that many Pokémon embraced it, not caring what would happen to them. That kind of thinking is self-damaging; it’s practically suicide! I assure all of you that what I intend to do is to save all of you. The world will soon be rid of evolution, and you will all be better for it. This concludes my announcement.”

Just as Paras concluded his announcement, the cart arrived. Pelame and her friends quickly climbed in and put it in gear to go to the Academy. Within ten minutes, they arrived.

“The Broadcast Building can send out broadcast signals that reach everywhere in the county,” Torden said. “Paras definitely has to be there.”

“But we heard that broadcast ten minutes ago,” Pugno reminded. “Will he still be there?”

“It’s all we have to go on,” Pelame added. “Let’s get going.”

The four went over to the Technology Center as quickly as they could. They found a security truck parked in front of it. There were scratch marks on the steering wheel.

“Scyther can drive?” Blessing asked in disbelief. She didn’t let herself be distracted for too long. She followed her friends inside the building. They hid for a brief bit while Scyther, Snivy, and Wynaut ran by. Torden led the way to the broadcast room. They could hear Paras from the other side.

“…you will still be allowed to have classes here. All that’s changed is that I have taken Kudzu’s place as the headmaster.”

“Bug off!” one of the students shouted. “I’ll never accept a thug like you as my headmaster!” Pelame recognized the voice as belonging to Kasumi, a totodile who was her favorite classmate from history class.

“Me neither!” another student added. “Kudzu is my headmaster!” Pugno recognized that voice as his favorite classmate from combat class, a chimchar named Weston. “You’re lucky my friend Pugno isn’t here! He’d destroy you!”

“Oh, I saw to him already,” Paras responded. “and Pelame, Blessing, and Torden, too. They’re locked up in my old hideout beneath the lake. They’ll never be found down there.”

“Is that so?” Blessing taunted as she and Pugno broke the door down. “Maybe you shouldn’t have made it so easy to catch up to you!” Pugno then tossed an Aura Sphere at Paras, hitting him directly. Torden and Pelame got to work untying everyone, as Pugno later joined them to help. Try as he might, he couldn’t undo the threads holding Coin and Snapper’s mouths shut.

“Torden, stop that!” Pelame said. “The threads are getting tighter!”

“They are?!” Torden asked for clarification. Suddenly, Torden’s mouth got clamped shut by the threads. His body then got wrapped in a cocoon by even more threads. Another batch of threads attached themselves around Pelame’s neck.

“Enough is enough!” Paras seethed. “I warned you to stay out of my way, but not once have you listened to me. Well, you’re out of chances now! So now, I will make examples out of you, so as to show what happens when someone opposes me this often!”

Paras then strung the dark thread over a sprinkler in the ceiling and hoisted Pelame up by her neck. Her air was instantly cut off as the threads painfully cut into her neck. As everyone in the room was still paralyzed by Stun Spore, Paras would not be disturbed while he attempted to hang his enemy to death. No amount of struggling had any effect. Pugno couldn’t even help his best friend out of her predicament, being unable to break the dark thread. Pelame was beginning to faint from lack of oxygen. With her last ounce of strength, she made a last desperate attempt to free herself. She reached up to the sprinkler to grab a bit of the thread draped to it. She then pulled herself to it and bit down on it. Somehow, that worked. She fell down to the ground, free from the threads asphyxiating her.

“Wait… how?!” Paras said in disbelief and fear. “Those threads can’t be broken by anyone but me! Wait…you can’t be…are you an Alpha?!”

“I don’t know, Paras,” Pelame responded. “But you have gone way too far this time!” She charged Paras with a Quick Attack and then followed with an Iron Tail. With the Team Static leader down for the moment, Pelame took that chance to undo the threads gagging Snapper, Coin, and binding Torden. Paras got back up.

“So what if you’re an Alpha?!” he snapped. “Team Static won’t be stopped by the likes of you! I really would like to see you meddlers dead for all you’ve done to me, but I know a losing battle when I see one! I may have lost control over the Academy, but I got what I came here for! See you next time!” With that, he set off a hidden flashbang and took off running while everyone was temporarily blinded.

“Wow, that was close,” Pugno said, just as his vision (and everyone else’s) came back. “That was great, Pelame! You’ve sure gotten strong!”

“Yeah, that was great!” Torden added. “I thought you were a goner! I saw it all through the threads.”

“I just didn’t want to get killed,” Pelame explained. “And I didn’t want you all to die, either. I knew Paras wouldn’t stop at killing me. I know he’s crazy enough to make attempts on lives at this point. I had to do something to stop him. Something just came over me—I don’t know what it was, but I felt so powerful at that moment I attacked him.”

“Then he may be right,” Bibli said. “You just might be an Alpha.” Upon taking a close look at Pelame, he was surprised. “No doubt about it; you are an Alpha! Look there!” He pointed at Pelame’s chest. When she looked down, she saw bits of golden yellow. She moved that patch of her neck fur out of the way. When she did, she saw a golden yellow-colored sigil shaped like a wheel of some sort. “That’s Arceus’s wheel! The Alpha Sigil!”

“That was never there before!” Pelame said. “Did it just appear now??”

“We should go to my office. We need to investigate this.”

The Pokémon who hadn’t yet left now did along with Pelame, Pugno, and Torden.

“Hey, where’d Blessing go?” Torden asked as they went through the building’s front door. As soon as they got outside, they saw Professor Tectarro and Professor Euclid standing there, looking panicked.

“I overheard your question, Torden,” Euclid said. “I’m afraid Blessing has been abducted by Team Static. But that isn’t all they took—”

“It’s gone!” Tectarro cried. “The Llyria Rocket has been stolen!”

Blessing’s struggling accomplished nothing. In fact, the threads kept getting tighter the more she struggled against them. The Aspear Scarf tied tightly over her mouth kept her from using Ice Team to escape Paras’s clutches. Soon, he got to the old hideout. He found Wynaut and Snivy waiting there for him.

“Scyther is on his way with the Llyria Rocket, sir,” Snivy told him. “I see you managed to capture one of our most consistent meddlers. How did things go after we were sent out?”

“Unfortunately, I lost control of the Academy,” Paras admitted with shame in his voice. “Apparently, Pelame’s an Alpha now, which means she stands a chance against me. My Dark Blessing warned me about Alphas. But at least it isn’t a total loss. I’m still stronger. Plus, with this one, I can send her a message. After all, Pelame values life. She won’t come after us anymore if she knows that I’m willing to do away with this one if she does. Wynaut!”

“Yes, sir?” Wynaut asked.

“Implant an Everstone into this one.”

Blessing felt a surge of fear once she heard that order. She shook her head, seemingly begging to be spared such a fate.

“Gladly, sir. I’ve been wanting to for a while…”

The truck then pulled up. The other members got in, while Wynaut took Blessing to the back. Paras knocked her out with a small Spore spray and undid the threads, opting to tie her up with regular ropes while Wynaut got to work on her. It would be cramped, as most of the space in the trailer was taken up by the rocket. But Wynaut could make do with that. The truck then pulled out seconds before Torden, Pugno, and Professor Adorbs reached the old hideout. There was no hope of rescuing Blessing at this point, so the three discouraged Pokémon turned back.

On the Academy campus, Pelame went with Bibli to his office while the others went to their residences. Pugno, Torden, and Adorbs went to notify the police about the events that had just transpired.

“Just before Team Static attacked the campus, I found this had happened,” Bibli explained, showing Pelame the paper he had read before. “It used to be blank, but now there are words on it. And it looks like even more have appeared since I last looked.”

“‘The Alpha Bloodline is hope and happiness. The Dark Blessing is despair and sorrow,’” Pelame read aloud. “‘Alpha power lies dormant in the bloodline of the Pokémon who was first blessed with a share of this noble power. It awakens in response to a threat from its opposite number, the Dark Blessing. The Dark Blessing is a corruptive substance created by an evil resident of the Immortal Realm. As both of these powers are of Immortal origin, they are the only forces that can hope to stand up to one another in combat.’ And that’s all it says—wait, so, does that mean I’m part Immortal?? Or would that mean I’m related to one of the world leaders? They’re Alphas, too, after all.”

“I can’t be certain of either guess. However, from that explanation, it seems Paras unintentionally caused your Alpha power to awaken. His attempt on your life caused you to act to rescue yourself, as he was unable to act.”

“Then, I guess this means it’s up to me to stop Paras…” Pelame didn’t sound thrilled. One moment, she was a student of Llyria Academy. And now, she suddenly became some sort of destined one. It was a lot to accept. “…I can’t believe this is happening to me…I mean, I really do want to stop him, but…can I really…?”

“I can’t say for certain, Pelame. But just know that if you do decide to go after him, you won’t do it alone. You have lots of support, not just from me, but also from your friends. And as next week is Parent-Teacher Conference Week, I’m sure your parents will be glad to help if you ask, and if they arrive during this conflict. And like I said before, I’ll help out, too.”

Pelame couldn’t help but feel much better after hearing that. She smiled at her favorite professor and said, “Thank you. I sure could use it.”

Ryu Taylor · Aug 24, 2015

Chapter 9 – Team Static’s Preparations

Blessing awakened inside a cell of some sort. She felt restrained, courtesy of the ropes binding her. The Aspear Scarf was still tied over her mouth. A little struggle caused the bindings to tighten, which led her to deduce that there was a dark thread under the ropes. Luckily, there weren’t any on her mouth, though the scarf wasn’t letting her say a word. And nor was the tape under it.

“Ah, I thought you’d never wake up,” Snivy said. “Yep, as usual, I get the boring job. While the men get to do the exciting stuff, I’m stuck here guarding your cell. Sometimes, I hate working for the team.”

Though Blessing was currently gagged, there was no mistaking that she was currently laughing.

“Yeah, laugh it up. At least the team will be amounting to something. In the end, it’s going to be all worth it. Besides…” Snivy then grabbed a small handgun off the wall. “Paras has an idea about how to keep anyone from stopping the team. If Pelame or anyone comes after us, I am to kill you with this. You weren’t awake when he sent out that video.”

Blessing couldn’t help but feel a strong surge of fear when she heard that.

“You know, a part of me is surprised Paras is giving me such a huge job, considering the grunt work I’ve been assigned lately. I mean, if he really wants you dead, he’d cap you himself. Oh well. Que sera sera, as the old axiom goes.”

Everyone in Llyria County tuned into the news, which has showing a special report concerning Team Static.

“Attention all Pokémon of Llyria County, and the whole world, if this tape has reached international news,” Paras said. “I am Paras, the leader of Team Static. I strive to purge evolution from the world. And with the help of the Llyria Rocket, I will do just that. I have located a small mine full of Everstones, and I’ve harvested a large amount of them. I will be loading the rocket full of ground-up Everstone powder, and it will release it into the atmosphere. At that point, Evolution will finally cease to be. Now, onto another important matter…” He moved aside to reveal an unconscious Blessing. He rubbed his back in slight pain. “Pelame, I now speak directly to you, and those like you who have the tendency to be annoying thorns in my side. I will know if I am followed. I know you know where my mine is, Pelame. If I find that I am being opposed once again, I will see to the end of this meddler’s life. I will return her only if Operation Everstone succeeds without a hitch. That concludes my message. Stay out of my way.”

Just when Pelame was thinking she’d had a chance at stopping Team Static, this threat happened, crushing her hopes.

“No…” Pelame sulked. “He wouldn’t…”

“Wait, did he say you know where that mine is?” Tectarro asked. “There are lots of Everstone mines, after all.”

“It’s in Pathway Town. Not that it matters, though…”

“Wait… Pathway Town?!” Tectarro seemed very tense all of a sudden. “I knew Paras was crazy, but to harvest those Everstones takes a special kind of insanity.”

“Why? What’s so bad about those Everstones?”

“They have Pyrite and Fluorite in them, unlike literally every other Everstone in the world. They’re not harmful when intact, but when broken open, they become exposed to oxygen. Once that happens, a Pokémon could end up suffering arsenic poisoning and skeletal fluorosis. The former can cause problems like diarrhea and convulsions in best case scenarios, and a coma and even death in worst case scenarios. The latter causes the skeleton to suffer sporadic fits of pain and can even cause osteosclerosis in the spine.”

“But then, if he releases that rocket…”

“Yep. He’s going to get rid of Evolution, and cause arsenic poisoning and skeletal fluorosis, all in one rocket launch.”

Without another word, Pelame was off to the police station. Tectarro followed.

Though Blessing couldn’t struggle against the ropes binding her body, she still attempted to remove the items forcing her mouth shut. Snivy was in the room, listening to the hostage’s struggling and muffled grunting. This served as no distraction from her balancing the Team Static budget. Even dignifying the hostage with a response wouldn’t ruin her concentration.

“You know, I’m almost interested in what it is you have to say,” Snivy taunted without turning around. “Emphasis is on the ‘almost.’”

It seemed clear that Blessing was getting absolutely nowhere. She then thought she’d make some noise by bashing her Iron Tail against the bars of the cell. With the most meticulous of efforts, she managed to get herself to stand up. After that, she aligned herself so that her tail feathers were near the bars. But when she tried to turn her tail feathers into iron, nothing happened.

“Seems like they slapped a PP-Zero Bracelet on me under these ropes,” Blessing thought to herself. “They’ve thought of everything…”

Seeing no further point in struggling, she sat back down. When she did, she felt a lump on her rump. She glanced down toward there and saw there was a surgery scar to the lower left of her tail feathers. As she feared, she had been implanted with an Everstone, keeping her from evolving.

“Wow, Wynaut,” she thought to herself. “Felt mischievous, did you? Well, at least he put it in my butt rather than up it. Sure is gonna be uncomfortable sitting on the left side of it for a while.”

Suddenly, the phone next to Snivy rang.

“Hello?” she answered. “Oh, hello, sir.”

Blessing could only overhear one side of the conversation.

“Yes, she’s still here. We aren’t being followed. I think our enemies got your message.” Then, Snivy’s mood dropped. “Yes, sir. I’ll keep watch over her while you and the guys are out. Good luck…” She then hung up the phone and turned to face Blessing. “Well, once again, we’re alone. Because apparently I can’t be trusted to go along with the guys when they do the most important things! Seriously!” In anger, Snivy took the gun off the wall and tossed it across the room. “It’s like I’m not even part of Team Static!!”

“Wait, is that gun empty?!” Blessing thought upon noticing the gun didn’t misfire when thrown.

“Maybe after Operation Everstone succeeds, I’ll finally get some respect again…”

“Chief Jolly, have you gotten through yet?!” Professor Adorbs frantically asked of the wigglytuff police chief.

“I’m trying to reach them now,” Jolly answered, dialing a number into the phone. “They haven’t answered yet, and I’ve tried seven times now to contact them. But if they do answer, the number’s location can be traced, and we can find where your daughter’s being held.”

“I know exactly where they’re holding her,” Pelame said, entering the station. “They’re in Pathway Town. There’s an Everstone mine there. Please, you have to get through to Team Static. There’s something important he needs to know.”

“All right. I’ll contact the police in Pathway Town and let them know about this. And I’ll also tell them to keep their threat in mind—”

At that moment, the station’s phone rang. Chief Jolly immediately answered it.

“Llyria Police. How can I assist you? … Oh, hello. You’re the leader of Team Static, I presume?”

At that, Adorbs yanked the phone out of Jolly’s hands. Pelame went to go find a phone for four-legged Pokémon to use.

“Paras, return my daughter to me immediately if you know what’s good for you!” she threatened.

“Not a chance, Adorbs,” Paras curtly responded. “In fact, Pokémon like you are the ones who don’t know a thing about what’s good for them. Operation Everstone is going to solve that problem once and for all.”

“No, Operation Everstone won’t accomplish anything but prove to the world how crazy you are!”

Then the two suddenly heard Pelame on the other line.

“Paras, you have to listen to me!” she pleaded. “You have to call Operation Everstone off right now! You don’t know what it’s gonna do to everyone!”

“Pelame, you naïve evolution-loving shill…” Paras said in a condescending tone. “I know better than anyone what it’s going to do.”

“No, Paras, you don’t! Do you even know what’s in those Everstones you’ve mined?!”

“Everite, of course! You mean to tell me you didn’t know—”

“There’s more in it than that! There’s pyrite and fluorite, too! If you launch that rocket, you’ll poison everyone! You won’t be ‘saving them from evolving!’ Please call your plan off if you know what’s good for everyone, including your own teammates!”

“She’s right, Paras!” Tectarro said from another line. “I used to be a miner there! I suffered the consequences for it! It took years for the back pain to go away!”

For a moment, Paras was silent. After those few seconds, he gave his response.

“Well, I never expected this…”

Pelame, Adorbs, and Tectarro felt a surge of hopeful excitement at what Paras would say next.

“I’ve never heard a more desperate attempt to get me to call my plan off!”

Their hopes were instantly crushed.

“You’ve gotten desperate, Pelame, even going so far as to get a few of your professors to repeat your lie! Did you think you’d actually convince me?!” Paras couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh. For a moment, he strained his back and had to rub it to ease the pain.

“Paras, I’m not lying!” Pelame cried. “Don’t do this! I’m begging you!”

“That’s enough out of you, Pelame!!! Mark my words, if I ever hear of you again, Blessing’s life will end! So be it!” Paras then hung the phone up.

Paras left the call box after finishing his conversation. Scyther and Wynaut were waiting for him outside.

“Boys, get a load of this,” he told his underlings. “Pelame tried to get me to call off Operation Everstone with the most pathetic lie I’ve ever heard.”

“Heh, wow. That’s a new low for her,” Scyther said. “Fill us in! This ought to be good!”

“So, get this: she claimed the Everstones we mined are filled with pyrite and fluorite! And she also said I’d be poisoning the world if I released those stones’ powder into the atmosphere! Oh, and the best part is, she even got Adorbs and Tectarro to repeat that lie!”

Paras was the only one of the three Team Static guys to find that funny.

“Wait, sir, isn’t Tectarro a Geologist?” Wynaut asked. “I remember him being the head of the Geological Science Department at Llyria. He could be right about those stones.”

“Excuse me?” Paras asked in an irritated tone. “Are you implying that she’s right?”

“No, sir. But don’t you think it’s a bit of a big chance to take? I mean, we could always get some Everstones from elsewhere. Why not fill the rocket up with cleaner stones?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, actually,” Scyther added in agreement with his colleague.

“I will be doing no such thing,” Paras curtly responded. “We are proceeding with the plan as-is. Now then, let’s get back to the task at hand. The rocket needs fuel.”

Back at the cell, Snivy had finished balancing the team’s budget. For the time being, Blessing had given up trying to escape.

“Hey, prisoner,” Snivy said. “I’m going out to get some food. Want anything?” Snivy extended her vines over to Blessing, reaching under the scarf to remove the tape. She quickly retracted the vine before Blessing had a chance to bite it. She figured that she might as well tell her order to her captor.

“Vn Orvn Brry Svndwrch,” Blessing said, though the scarf garbled her words.

“All right, then,” Snivy responded. “I’ll be having that, too. Be back in a sec.” Snivy reapplied the tape to Blessing’s mouth before leaving to get the food.

Within half an hour, Snivy was back with two Oran Berry Sandwiches. To Blessing’s surprise, Snivy opened the cell door and came inside the cell. She undid the tape and the scarf and left the ropes and PP-Zero Bracelets intact.

“Here you go, Blessing,” Snivy said. “Lunch is served. Though with your arms tied up, you might have it a bit tough to eat it.”

“No problem, actually,” Blessing answered. “In jail, I’ve eaten food while inmates held my arms behind my back.” She leaned down and tore off a small piece of the sandwich in front of her.

“By the way, where did you get the name ‘Blessing’ from?” Snivy asked. “I’ve always been curious about that. It’s a very unusual name, you know.”

“Wow, are you really that bored?” Blessing taunted. “Here I thought you liked seeing me struggle.”

“I did for a while, but it got old. Besides, the guys are out siphoning rocket fuel, so they won’t be back for a few hours, so I’m going to be here all day. I might as well socialize with you, being as I was told not to make any outgoing calls to avoid the possibility of the phone line being tapped into by the police.”

“You know, maybe you ought to find a better job—”

“So are you going to answer my question or not??”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Blessing finished her sandwich, as did Snivy. “I got my name from Professor Adorbs. She visited me in jail one day and told me she’d adopt me if I behaved myself. So I did, and I was let out early. And once I was out, she adopted me and named me ‘Blessing,’ saying that that’s what I am to her.”

“How nice. But why would she offer to adopt some random jailbird?”

“She knew my biological parents. As soon as she saw me, she recognized me as their daughter immediately.”

“And where are your biological parents?”

“Heck if I know. As soon as I was able to fend for myself, they ran out on me.”

“Wha— geez! That’s terrible!”

“Heh, you almost sound like you care.”

“Actually, I do care! No one deserves to be deserted by their parents like that! Pokémon who do that don’t deserve to have families!”

“Well, I can’t imagine your family being happy with you working for a terrorist.”

“Family? I have no family.”

Blessing was shocked herself for feeling sympathy for her enemy. “Why? What happened?”

“They were never around when I hatched. They were never around for any part of my life. I literally grew up alone until the day I met Paras. I met him just before the last Genesis Day, and his family took me in. Then we started Team Static a few years later and gained more members.” Snivy smiled a little bit. “Team Static… it’s more than just a team to me. They’re more like family to me.”

“But aren’t you angry at them for constantly leaving you out of big jobs?”

“Yeah, a little. But it’s a part of being in a family. Besides, I’m sure Paras will stop being so harsh once Operation Everstone succeeds. He’s been stressed lately, but I think he’ll go back to being the kindly leader he was soon.”

At that moment, the men of the team returned. Snivy quickly reapplied the tape and the scarf and exited the cell.

“Snivy, you forgot to shut the cell door behind you,” Paras scolded. “If the prisoner had escaped, everything could’ve been over for us! Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Sorry, sir,” Snivy said, amid Blessing’s muffled protesting. “How did your mission go, guys?”

“Without a hitch!” Scyther gloated. “Although I gotta admit, something still bothers me.”

“I have to agree with Scyther,” Wynaut added. “I still support Team Static, but I’m not really inclined to doubt the words of a Geologist.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Snivy asked.

“Oh, Snivy, you’ll love this,” Paras said. “Pelame tried to get me to believe that there’s harmful chemicals in the Everstones we harvested from the mine below this shack. Of course, these two seem to think she was telling the truth.”

“Sir, what if they are?” Snivy asked.

“It’s a trick to get me to call the plan off!” Paras suddenly snapped. He soon recomposed himself, rubbing his pained back. “The rocket’s all fueled up. Tomorrow, we’ll harvest more Everstones, grind them up, and fill the rocket up with the powder. And then, Operation Everstone will remove evolution from the world. But for now, why don’t we all take a break?” Paras left for the mine.

“Sir…”

Later that night, Wynaut was online looking up a database about minerals. He never forgot the names of the minerals that were said to be in the Everstones, so those were the first he looked up. He was currently reading a report from one of the other miners who once worked there.

“‘Fluorite is one of the deadliest materials we’ve ever mined,’” Wynaut read to himself. “‘If it gets into your body, it can cause a very painful symptom known as skeletal fluorosis, which causes the skeleton to suffer sporadic fits of pain and can even cause osteosclerosis in the spine.’ Wait, could that mean…?”

As a surgeon, Wynaut had noticed that his boss would periodically strain his back.

“All this time, I thought it was some kind of congenital disorder. That’s what he told me it was. And since the pain seems to have gotten worse lately…” Then, he was convinced. “Pelame and Tectarro were right!” He immediately went down into the mine to see Paras.

“Perfect…” Paras said after grinding down the last of the Everstones harvested earlier that day. “One more batch, and we’ll have enough to fill the rocket.” Once more, Paras strained his back.

“Sir, I need to talk to you about something!” Wynaut said, entering the grinding room.

“What is it, Wynaut?” Paras asked, irritated. “This better be important.”

“It is, sir.” Wynaut got to work treating his boss’s back. “I know what’s wrong with your back. You’re suffering from skeletal fluorosis.”

“Now how could I have gotten that?”

“From fluoride. Sir, Pelame was telling the truth. I think—”

“PARDON ME?!!”

“Sir, you’ll hurt your back again!”

“Don’t change the subject! You’re going to believe the words of our enemies over my own words?!”

“Sir, Tectarro’s a licensed Geologist, and I’m a licensed doctor. What he said matches up perfectly. It’s bad enough that you’re suffering from this condition, but those Everstones will do that to everyone.”

“Nonsense! All I’m suffering from is a congenital disorder made worse by stress!”

“No, sir! It’s neither of those! Didn’t you ever notice you never had these pains until we started mining here? Why won’t you listen to me?!”

“I’ve heard enough of this! Get out of my sight!”

Wynaut did as told, having made his mind up about what he’d do next. He got on the phone and called upstairs.

“Hello?” Snivy answered. What Wynaut told her stunned her immediately. “Impossible…” Then, Wynaut told her some instructions. “Okay, Wynaut. I’ll meet you there soon.” She hung the phone up. After that, she opened the cell and ungagged Blessing. “Sorry I can’t untie you, but I don’t want to make those dark threads tighter. We’re getting out of here.”

“What happened?” Blessing asked. “Some infighting?”

“You could say that. I’d say it’s a case of the boss going nuts. But before we go, there’s someone I need to call…” Snivy went back to the phone and dialed a number into it. “Come over here, Blessing. Once the call goes through, I’m sure your mom will want to talk to you.”

“Hello?” Adorbs answered on the other line.

“Hello, is this Professor Adorbs of Llyria Academy?” Snivy asked.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is Snivy of Team Static. Get Pelame and include her in on this conversation.”

“Why should I?”

“Because your daughter’s freedom depends on it.”

For a moment, Adorbs’s end of the line went silent. Then after a few minutes, an answer came.

“What do you want, Snivy?” Pelame demanded.

“First of all, is Adorbs listening in on this conversation?” Snivy asked.

“Yes, she is.”

“Good, because I want her to know that her daughter will soon be safely returned to her. I’m undermining my boss’s orders and setting her free. I want you and your friends to meet me at the Sing Inn tomorrow afternoon. Scyther and Wynaut will be there, too.”

“How come? Is this a trick?!”

“No, Pelame, it isn’t,” Blessing said. “Paras has gone too crazy for his underlings to tolerate, so they’re going behind his back. They’re going to help us stop Operation Everstone.”

Snivy took the phone back from Blessing and continued speaking. “See, Wynaut looked up those minerals you said were in those Everstones, and he found that you were right. Paras’s back had been hurting like crazy lately, and we think it could be because of the fluoride. He still doubts you, but Wynaut, Scyther, and I don’t.”

“Well, thanks for listening to me.”

“Thank me after we stop this plan. Do you understand what you need to do?”

“Yes, Snivy. See you tomorrow.”

“See you soon, Pelame,” Blessing said. Both ends then hung up.

“All right, Blessing. Let’s get out of here.”

Back at Llyria Academy, Torden had received an email from Snivy, which contained a list of items to bring along. He printed the list out and brought it to Pelame.

“So, we’re to bring all that junk to the Sing Inn at Pathway Town?” he asked.

“Yes, Torden,” Pelame answered. “We’re going to stop Paras once and for all.”

Ryu Taylor · Aug 26, 2015

Chapter 10 – The Right to Evolve

Paras was livid upon reading the note left to him.

“‘To Paras,
We want you to know that we support Team Static and that we also see you as more than just our boss. We see you as a family member. We’ll always be grateful to you for everything you’ve done for us. And that’s why, for your own good, we have no choice but to cease our involvement in Operation Everstone. We don’t want to poison the world, and we beg you not to do the same. Please stop before you become worse than the monsters you fear Pokémon becoming when they evolve.

Sincerely,
Snivy, Wynaut, and Scyther’”

Paras stabbed a hole in the paper after finishing it.

“Very well, then,” he said to himself. “Operation Everstone will proceed with me working on it alone!”

Tectarro’s van served as a perfect means of supply transportation. At promptly 11:00 PM, he arrived in Pathway Town along with his passengers Adorbs, Pelame, Pugno, and Torden. At such a late hour, it was no time to check into any lodgings. Even if it was, none of them had any vacancies. So, there was no other choice but to sleep in the van.

“Sure doesn’t seem like we’ll be in for a comfortable sleep tonight…” Pelame said with unease. A van packed full of supplies left enough room for sitting down during a long drive, but that would hardly be comfortable for sleeping in. But they had to make do with it.

Out of all the travelers in the van, Pelame was the first to awaken. Although she always was an early riser, it was usually in comfort. Quietly as she could, she opened the door of the van and left it. Once outside, she took the chance to stretch her legs.

“Good morning, Pelame,” Pugno greeted. “Getting the cramps out?”

“Yeah…” Pelame said sheepishly. “It was really uncomfortable sleeping in that packed van.”

“Tell me about it…” Pugno got to stretching his legs and arms. “Looks like we’re the only ones awake. Want to go get some breakfast?”

“Sure.”

Some time after Pelame and Pugno left, Torden had awakened. Being as he was the least cramped, he didn’t feel any aches in his body. But he still felt the urge to leave the van and move around. In just a few minutes, Pelame and Pugno were back with some pancakes.

“I was wondering where you two were,” Torden greeted. “Any of that for me?”

“Good morning to you too, Torden,” Pugno responded sarcastically. “We can split it with you.”

“Sure! Thanks!”

As the three friends ate, they took this chance to have a nice, friendly conversation.

“You know, it’s gonna be a bit of an adjustment going back to a normal life after fighting Team Static,” Pugno said. “We’ve still got about two-and-a-half months left until we graduate.”

“Yeah, it’ll be a bummer to return to school,” Torden added. “Although I do kinda miss Professor Henry’s awesome class.”

“Personally, I’d love to get back to school,” Pelame added. “I’d like to know more about that ‘Alpha Bloodline’ Professor Bibli said I’m apparently part of. Not to mention that the curriculum for this part of the semester is to cover the Swadfrieg War. I’ve been looking forward to that all year.”

“Pelame, you probably already know everything there is to know about that war,” Pugno responded, lightly prodding Pelame with his elbow. “Your dad fought during it, after all.”

“Well, I’d like to hear other perspectives on it. Part of being in a group of historians is pooling together collected information. My friend Kasumi is just about my equal in historical knowledge.”

“In combat class, Professor Aramir stressed how important it is to cooperate. He says that if I’m to be a royal guard, I have to be able to work with other guards and soldiers. Weston and I have been working on a side-by-side routine.”

“Well, don’t stand back-to-back with him. Firebutt will burn you,” Torden joked.

“His flame doesn’t hurt unless he’s angry,” Pugno responded. “Also, don’t call him that.”

“Sheesh, it’s just a joke. But anyway, as good a fighter as I am, I think Technology is my calling in life. By the end of the semester, I’ll have released the Porygon Program to the world. No more malware attacks when Porygon gets through them. And also, I’ve been working with Grommet on a website where Pokémon can share videos online. We’re calling it ‘DummyBox.’”

“‘Dummybox’?”

“Well, it’s still a work in progress. Grommet wants to call it ‘Videot.’”

“Wait, Grommet? The shiny gligar who transferred here from Ordoxivia?”

“Yep. And yes, his computer is customized for his pincer-hands. He told me that computer customization was literally the first course they taught tech majors at Kiystrang Insitiute.”

“Honestly, I think ‘Videot’ will be the better name for the site,” Pelame said. “No offense, Torden, but ‘DummyBox’ kinda makes the site sound like it’ll be for fools sharing hidden-camera footage of other fools humiliating themselves. ‘Videot’ does give a bit of a low-intelligence vibe, but not as much. Plus, it’s a better-disguised pun.”

“All right, all right, I get it!”

“So, what will the test video be?” Pugno asked. “I gotta admit, I’m intrigued by this idea of yours.”

“Well, I filmed myself trying to set up that new TV I bought last month, and it was kinda funny.”

“What’s so funny about almost dropping the TV on yourself?” Pelame asked. “You could’ve been hospitalized for that.”

“Someone in the world will find it funny. I’ve known Blessing to laugh at stuff like that.”

At the mention of their missing friend’s name, the conversation suddenly stopped, and then changed to the current situation.

“You know, we’re going to be seeing her in an hour or so,” Pelame said. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

“Me neither.”

As the three friends had been eating and talking, Professor Adorbs and Professor Tectarro had awakened.

“I can’t wait to see my daughter again,” Adorbs said. “Those Team Static employees will—”

“—be given the thrashing of a lifetime!” Torden cried.

“No, Torden. We can’t just go picking a fight with them. To be honest, I want to talk to the Team Static members. They had to be convinced to join Paras somehow.”

“I’ve been curious about that, too,” Pelame responded. “Considering whatever caused them to release Blessing. Although, I’m suspecting a trap.”

“I don’t think any of us aren’t,” Pugno added. “So, are we ready to go?”

“Yep,” Tectarro answered. “Let’s get going.”

At the Sing Inn, the three Team Static admins were waiting along with Blessing.

“Ahh, yes! It sure is great to have that Everstone removed from me!” she said with enthusiasm. “Though I can’t help but ask, why did you implant it in my butt?”

“That was Paras’s idea,” Wynaut answered. “He wanted you to feel humiliated and hurt, considering how deep you and those three friends of yours have gotten under his skin.”

“Joke’s on him, because I hardly felt it even when I sat down. It was nothing like anything I experienced while I was in jail.”

An awkward silence followed that statement.

“Although it never got worse than slapping, kicking, and paddling.”

“…well, your friends ought to be on their way soon,” Scyther said, eager to change the subject. A knock on the door gave him his answer. “Well, that’ll be them now.” When he opened the door, he was immediately hit by a Thunderbolt attack from Torden. Pelame rushed in to undo the dark threads binding Blessing.

“Blessing, let’s go!” he called to her after the hostage was freed. To their surprise, she stayed put.

“Not until these three tell you what’s on their minds,” she responded. “So, mind telling me what in the world you did that for, even though I assured you they could be trusted??”

“Sorry, Blessing, but I don’t trust them.”

“Me neither,” Pelame added. “Because this brute…” she pointed at Scyther. “…tried to slice my head off!”

“…yeah…” Scyther said sadly. “Look, Pelame, I may be angry at you for the trouble you caused for my boss before, but I’d never want you dead for it, even if he ordered a hit out for you. I’m really sorry for trying to kill you that time.”

“That’s nice, Scyther, but I can’t forgive you. I’m not even sure I can trust you.” Pelame’s glare softened a bit. “But I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. I’ll give all of you a chance.”

“Fair enough.”

At that, Adorbs and Tectarro entered the room. Blessing immediately rushed to hug her mother. The Team Static admins couldn’t help but feel their hearts being warmed at the sight of the reunion.

“You look well, mom,” Blessing greeted. “Sorry to have worried you.”

“It’s okay, darling,” Adorbs responded. “I’m just glad you’re alive and well.”

The two embraced each other once more.

“I miss my family life…” Scyther reminisced. “Team Static became my new family after the incident, though. No way I can go back home after…”

Scyther immediately got everyone’s attention with that remark.

“Go on, Scyther,” Adorbs said, genuinely interested. “In fact, why don’t all of you explain why you joined Team Static? Scyther already has the floor.”

“You really want to know?” Scyther asked. “I thought you didn’t trust me.”

“But we’re giving you a chance. Remember?”

“Oh, right.” Scyther took a seat and came clean. “See, I’ve always been abnormally physically strong, even for a Scyther. I found out the hard way, when my dad took offense to my romantic preference. He said I should leave the house, adding that he’d prefer me dead.”

“Well, that was heartless of him,” Blessing interjected. “Seriously, more Pokémon ought to be like my mom. When I came out, she was perfectly fine with it.”

Torden perked up in surprise to that statement. Before he could say anything, though, Scyther continued.

“That makes me happy to hear, Blessing. So anyway, that comment rubbed me the wrong way, and when I lashed out, I ended up knocking him into a five-day-long coma. Since then, I feared my strength, and by extension, I feared how out-of-control it would get if I ever evolved. That’s why Team Static appealed to me. Plus, I needed a job and a family. That’s what I felt like the team was. Paras was like the dad I never had, even if he’s only twenty years old. I owe my life to him.”

“Well, Scyther, that’s nice, but there’s no need to phrase it so dramatically,” Pelame said.

“No, I really do owe my life to him. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve died in that mine. You see, one day while I was excavating in there for Everstones, I dug into a chamber full of hydrogen sulfide gas.”

“Oh goodness, no!” Tectarro cried. “That stuff’s deadly!”

“So anyway…”

“Just you wait, sir,” Scyther said to entice himself. “I’ll uncover the biggest Everstone haul ever. We’ll have more than enough for Wynaut’s idea.”

Encouraged, Scyther devoted more of his energy into digging into the mine. His swords remained as sharp as ever, and he took special care not to chip them. His main motivation was to please his boss. With one precise strike, he brought down a section of the wall.

“Gross… did someone abandon an egg down here? Sure is gonna require a shower to wash the stench off of… me…” Suddenly, Scyther became woozy.

Back outside the mine, Paras and Snivy were briefing their newest member on their operations.

“The important thing is that they decide on their own,” Paras said. “It’s okay to persuade them to say ‘yes,’ but don’t use aggressive force. That will only motivate someone to say ‘no,’ and condemn Team Static as terrorists.”

“Understood, sir,” Wynaut responded. “Once Scyther comes up with those Everstones, I’ll be off to Llyria County to see if I can find a volunteer. The Academy ought to be a good starting place. Oh, and by the way, I think someone left a rotten egg nearby.”

“But we don’t have any eggs,” Snivy said.

“Then I suggest we get away from this vent right here, because that’s hydrogen sulfide we’re smelling, and it can kill us.”

Then, Paras remembered something important.

“No… he couldn’t be…” Paras took off running into the mine without another word, frantic to find his underling. As soon as he got down particularly deep into the mine, he smelled the rotten egg scent, prompting him to hold his breath. He entered the hole in the wall and found Scyther unconscious. He put his foreleg on Scyther’s neck, feeling for a pulse.

“He’s alive,” he thought in relief. He then got out a rope and tied his unconscious and slowly dying employee to himself. With all his strength, he managed to drag him out of the mine, away from the general area of the mine.

“Sir, what happened?” Snivy asked.

“Stay back!” Paras ordered. “Give him some air!” When Scyther started stirring, Paras was greatly relieved. He immediately gave him a hug.

“Sir, what happened?” Scyther asked in a fatigued tone. He let out a few coughs before being able to speak again. “Last thing I remember was that I was digging, then I uncovered a really smelly chamber, and then I fainted.”

“You dug into a chamber full of poisonous gas,” Paras answered. “Wynaut caught a whiff of it and told me what it was.”

“And once I did, the boss was off like a bullet,” Wynaut added. “He went down there to save you, Scyther.”

“Oh, Scyther! I’m so sorry for sending you down there! If you had died down there, it would’ve been my fault! I promise I’ll never endanger you again!”

“No, sir, I’m the one who should apologize,” Scyther responded. “I didn’t find any Everstones yet.”

“Who cares about the stupid Everstones?! For now, let’s just use store-bought ones!”

“But sir, what if we run out? I can get Everstones out of there if I just stay away from the poison room—”

“No! Absolutely not! You’re not going back in that mine until I can get a gas mask for you! That’s an order!”

“Wait, sir, I can—”

“No, Scyther, you can’t! I can’t risk losing you! Don’t you know you’re more than just an employee to me?!” Paras turned to his other teammates. “All of you are more than just workers to me. The way I see it, you’re family. If I lose any of you, it’ll be like losing a sibling. And… well… I don’t know if I can handle that…”

“The boss was really protective of me that day,” Scyther finished.

“From what you said, Paras sounded compassionate,” Adorbs said. “Certainly a far cry from the terrorist who attacked the Academy and abducted my daughter.”

“Wow, even Paras would’ve been a better dad than my actual dad,” Torden thought to himself.

“To be honest, professor,” Scyther said. “I miss the days the boss was such a caring guy. The way he is now…”

“I may not have known him as long as Scyther and Snivy have,” Wynaut said. “But I’ve definitely noticed his change in behavior. I joined the team only because I needed a job, and quite a lot of job sites are hesitant to follow the King’s equal opportunities law.”

“The boss was perfectly fine and calm until about a week ago,” Snivy recounted. “The last few times he had me give public assemblies, the turnouts were really disappointing. We haven’t gained a new member since Wynaut. I never realized that it was getting to the boss so much. One day, he went exploring by himself in the mine, and when he came out, he was different.”

“He used to go out of his way to avoid violence,” Scyther added. “He used to discourage it. He drilled it into our heads to stay calm even when under pressure, and he always stressed how important it was to let a Pokémon choose whether or not they wanted to evolve. He was very adverse to force.”

“And then when he came out of the mine that day, it was like he became a different Pokémon altogether,” Wynaut added. “He started going on about how ‘the world only listens to force and fear nowadays,’ which I don’t believe for a second, mind you.”

“In that case, why did you all still follow him?” Torden asked. “You knew better than anyone that he was going nuts!”

“Because I just wanted him to be happy,” Scyther answered. “Families stick together, right?”

“And that’s the reason in a nutshell,” Snivy added. “And that’s also the reason we fought against all of you when you attacked him that time at our old hideout.”

“So what made you finally realize you were on the wrong side?” Pugno asked.

“Well, actually, it isn’t wrong to oppose evolution—” Wynaut started before being interrupted.

“But it also isn’t right to, either,” Pelame interjected. “But it’s definitely wrong to force everyone to not be able to evolve. That’s the problem.”

“I agree,” Wynaut said in concurrence. “I always wait until a Pokémon gives me a definite ‘yes’ before I implant an Everstone into their body. But that was before I was told what was in those Everstones.”

“We were perfectly fine with Operation Everstone until we found out that you and Tectarro weren’t lying about those deadly minerals,” Scyther added. “The boss’s back pain was a bit mild when Wynaut first joined, but lately, it’s been getting worse. That’s why we believe you about it.”

“I suffered that kind of pain myself when I mined there,” Tectarro said. “I thought no one would’ve been able to locate that place after we buried it. Looks like doing that wasn’t enough to keep Pokémon out of it for their own good.”

“Oh, that reminds me…” Snivy said, getting a checklist out of a backpack belonging to her. “You brought explosives, right?”

“Yep. My van’s just about overflowing with dynamite. I already told the cops that I’m destroying the mine, so they let me through with it all.”

Scyther took a look outside and found Tectarro’s van. “Sheesh, why not just bring a nuclear missile while you’re at it?!”

“I just want to blow up the mine, not the entire county.”

“Okay, so I can check dynamite off the list. How about the gas masks?”

“Got those, too. And some extras in case of emergencies.”

“Check. Then I think we’re ready to bring the boss back to his senses.”

“All righty, then! Let’s get going!”

All the others left except Torden, who looked rather sad. “…Blessing?”

“What is it?” she asked, noticing his expression.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that… that…”

“That what?”

“About your… uh… preference?”

“Oh, that I prefer girls? Well, you never asked. I would’ve told you if you did.”

“…I see…”

“Is that all right with you, Torden?”

“Of course! I’d never think less of you for your preference! It’s just that, well… all this time… I felt like… maybe I had a chance with you. But now, I don’t. Now I feel like I’ve just been some idiotic stalker to you.”

“That is nonsense, Torden. I never felt stalked by you. True, I didn’t feel attracted to you, but I still enjoyed your company. Your friendship is enough for me.”

Torden looked up and smiled at his friend. “…I can settle for that, myself.”

“It’s a deal. Now, let’s go beat Paras!”

“Right!” And with that, the two caught up to the others.

In a deep chamber of the mine, Paras loaded the Llyria Rocket with the last bit of Everstone powder necessary for his plan. Having accomplished that, he went back into the rocket control room that overlooked the launch platform.

“It won’t be long now, Pocketurn,” Paras gloated. “In ten minutes, evolution will cease to be. Then I can focus on figuring out how to de-evolve Pokémon who already evolved.” At that, he started up the rocket’s launch sequence. A timer displaying ten minutes lit up all throughout the chamber, and began counting down. “Just try to stop me now, you traitors!”

The Team Static admins arrived at the entrance of the mine along with Pelame, Pugno, Torden, Blessing, Adorbs, and Tectarro.

“So, why did I have to leave my van all the way back at the rest stop?” Tectarro asked. “You know it’s an all-terrain vehicle, right?”

“You’ll see in just a sec,” Snivy answered. “Blessing, I need your help.”

“What for?” Blessing asked.

“We’re going to knock the mine’s power out. Do you know Iron Tail?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Perfect. Then this’ll work perfectly. Come over here.” Blessing did as told. “This is a trick I learned from ‘Charge Brothers—’”

“Oh, I know where this is going,” Torden interrupted. “You’re going to smash your Iron Tails together to make an EMP. Which is why you had Tectarro park his van far from here, so it wouldn’t detonate his dynamite.”

“Exactly,” Snivy answered. “And Torden, we’ll need you to supply us with an electrical charge to do that with. After all, just striking two Iron Tails together on their own won’t be enough. Ready, Blessing?” Snivy turned her tail iron as she asked this.

“Ready, Snivy,” Blessing answered, turning her tail feathers iron on Snivy’s signal. She got down on all fours, ready to strike.

“Okay, Torden. Aim a Thunderbolt at our Iron Tails.”

“Gotcha,” Torden said, firing off a Thunderbolt. The electric attack hit the targets, giving Blessing and Snivy a bit of a jolt.

“Now, Blessing!” Snivy ordered. On the signal, the two struck their electrically charged Iron Tails together, releasing a wave of electromagnetic energy. They saw the result as the lights inside the mine flickered out. “Perfect. That’ll give us about half an hour before everything starts up again. Scyther, Wynaut, go in there with me and get Paras out. Tectarro, Adorbs, go get the van. Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, Torden, stay here until Tectarro and Adorbs return.”

Everyone nodded in agreement to Snivy’s plan and got to it.

“So, how are you feeling, Blessing?” Pelame asked.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she answered. “I don’t have an Everstone in me anymore, so it’s all good. Although it’s a bit embarrassing having a little bald spot on my butt.”

“Yeah, I deliberately avoided asking about that…”

“It’s kinda weird, though. I certainly didn’t enjoy being held hostage by Team Static, but I felt safer than when I was in jail. In fact, Paras’s threat to kill me was empty all along. That gun was never loaded. Turns out he just said that to get you off his back.”

“And oddly, it was his back that started what we’re doing now,” Pugno said.

“Yeah. Plus, I got to know Snivy a bit, and I found out she had a harder life than I did. Paras literally was her family, as her real family ran out on her before she hatched.”

“Well, I can only hope that they can get through to Paras, then,” Pelame said. “They always were better as a peaceful family unit.”

Down in the launch room, the Iron Tail EMP from above had reached it and shut everything down. Paras immediately exited the chamber, heading for the electric generator chamber. Just ten more minutes, and his plan would’ve succeeded. Now he had to walk all the way to the generator room, located near the entrance of the mine. And now, of all times, he had to suffer an inconvenience? That caused him to arrive at a conclusion.

“Well, Pelame,” he thought. “You sure are persistent. But to think you would actually black my mine out—”

“Sir, you need to evacuate now!” Scyther cried as he and the other former Team Static admins entered the generator chamber.

“So, after leaving me that note, you traitors dared to come crawling back to me,” Paras mused. “You know, it isn’t too late to help me with this operation. I’m open to reconciliation.”

“Sir, you mustn’t launch that rocket. And furthermore, we all need to—”

“Fine, then.” Paras then grew out his energy wings and used his improvised and illegitimate Bug Buzz move with them. While they were stunned, he took the time to toss an Energy Ball at them, knocking them out of the room. As soon as he chased them out of there, Scyther got up to attack.

“This will hurt me more than you,” he said as he landed a Steel Wing attack on his boss. “I’m begging you, sir. Please listen to me. This mine will be destroyed—”

“I’m not interested in anything traitors have to say!”

“Paras!” Pelame called. Paras turned to see that his adversaries had arrived.

“Well, if it isn’t Pelame and her group of evolution-loving shills,” he taunted. “You all seem confident that you’ll ruin everything I set out to do. Knocking out the mine’s power has only bought you time. It has helped you in no other way.”

“I wouldn’t be sure of that, Paras,” Tectarro responded. “I’m blowing this mine to smithereens, so I suggest you leave if you want to live. Dynamite is unstable, you know.”

“I see. So you’d go this far in the name of evolution? You’d oppose me so thoroughly as to make a possible attempt on my life? All to protect the possibility of evolving? You really are all shills.”

“You don’t get it at all, Paras!” Pelame cried. “Do you really think your stance on evolution is our problem with you?!”

“Well, why else would you be fighting me?!” Before he allowed his enemy to answer, he launched a Stun Spore at her and the others. Being as they were currently wearing gas masks, it had no effect on them. However, once the misty powder cleared, Paras was gone. Without needing to be told, Pelame gave chase. Scyther quickly followed.

“He’s heading for the launch chamber!” Snivy said. She and Wynaut had been stunned by the Stun Spore, as they had forgotten to equip gas masks.

Paras hadn’t gotten too far ahead of Pelame, who had covered the most ground out of her traveling crew. Paras took a moment to toss an Energy Ball behind himself, hoping it would hit Pelame. Instead, it hit a support beam on the ceiling and caused a small cave-in, walling the rest of the tunnel off and burying Scyther beneath a large portion of the rocks. Pelame managed to get ahead of it just before it fell, but this meant the others got separated from her.

“It’s up to you now, Pelame,” Pugno said, wishing the best for his friend. He then got to helping pull Scyther out of the cave-in.

“Remember: we’re detonating this once Pelame and Paras evacuate,” Tectarro reminded. “Not a moment before it’s certain they’ll be fine.”

At long last, Pelame reached the end of the tunnel, which was where the launch room was. She was a bit afraid that she’d have to face Paras alone, especially when a blast door shut behind her.

“I can’t turn back, though,” she thought to herself. “I guess it really is up to me.”

Gathering up whatever part of her had remaining courage, she called out to her foe. “You’re out of room to run, Paras! Show yourself!”

As soon as she said that, she was directly hit by a Solar Beam careening out of the darkness. It knocked her flat on her back. As she struggled to her feet, Paras revealed himself.

“Paras, why are you doing this?”

“I don’t need to explain it to you, Pelame,” Paras curtly responded. “I already did once, and it wasn’t enough for you, all because you love evolution so passionately. Clueless and bold morons like you get on my nerves…”

“Yeah? Well… stubborn and violent thugs like you get on my nerves!” She then charged at him with a Quick Attack, striking him in the face. “I had respect for your team back when you were just a motivational speaker group. In fact, I pity your teammates for having to see you become such a cold-blooded terrorist, instead of the father they always wanted!”

“…wh-what was that…?”

“They told me and my friends everything. You used to be an advocate for free choice. You used to let Pokémon choose whether or not they wanted an Everstone to be implanted into them. No matter how you felt about evolving, you never abandoned your priority of choice. But the Paras I see now is none of that. The Paras I speak to now is a terrorist who is willing to force the world to lose the ability to evolve, regardless of the side effects. Not to mention that you’ve abandoned and alienated your teammates— no— your family members.”

“Well, what else was I to do?!”

The power then suddenly came back on. Paras’s confidence returned with it. Without another word, he rushed toward the control room. But just as he was about to press the launch button to restart the timer, his back strained once again. Pelame took that chance to go to the rocket, climb up it, and use her Iron Tail attack on its fuel tank to make it leak its fuel out. She saw no other way to stop Operation Everstone. She had only struck it five times by the time Paras restrained her with some Dark Threads. Being an Alpha, she was able to dispel them immediately. She then got back to work. It was rather difficult to do when Paras was tossing ranged attacks at her. He then grew out his energy wings and used his improvised and illegitimate Bug Buzz to try to stun her with sound. He vibrated them with enough intensity to shake up the entire chamber, making rocks fall from the ceiling. When even that didn’t work, Paras resorted to one final action. He gathered up energy for a Solar Beam and combined his Dark Blessing energy into it.

“Goodbye, Pelame!” he shouted in mad glee. As he launched his attack, his back strained again, messing up his aim. It ended up hitting the rocket’s fuel tank. The force of the attack nearly jostled Pelame off of the rocket. Once she regained her balance, she delivered one final strike. And with that final attack, the rupture was made, and all the fuel poured out, flooding the chamber. While submerged, Paras pressed a button to open the hatches in the ceiling. The fuel was enough to fill the room up to the ceiling, up to the first hatch. The two climbed onto a safe hold. Pelame shook the fuel out of her fur. She looked up and saw Paras on the other side of the hatch, looking shocked.

“How did this happen…?” he asked in resignation. “Operation Everstone… how did it fail…?”

“This is what you deserved, Paras, for abandoning everything that made you who you were. All in the name of resisting evolution, you’ve let yourself become a monster. Just like Fungus.”

At that comment, an unspeakable rage filled Paras. A dark shield covered the liquid fuel below them. Paras ran across the makeshift floor and charged at Pelame. However much he hated her before, those feelings gave way to complete bloodlust.

“You ruined EVERYTHING for me!!!!!” he screamed as he missed Pelame’s throat with an X-Scissor attack. “You made my rocket leak all its fuel, so now I’ll make your body leak out all its blood!!!!!” He jumped onto her back and stuck a Leech Seed onto the back of her head. Before it could grow out and sap her energy, she quickly rolled over, dislodging it and quickly crushing Paras. He then started pelting her with Seed Bombs, not letting up to give her a chance to fight back. As Pelame struggled to stand back up, Paras got his dark Solar Beam ready once again. He fired it at Pelame as she got back on her feet. Caught in a life-threatening predicament, she tapped into her newfound Alpha power and blocked the attack with a shield made of light.

“That’s enough, Paras!” Pelame said bravely. “You’ve already lost!”

“NEVER!!!! If I can’t beat you, then…” Against all his wishes, he began climbing the walls up the long shaft up to the surface. Before he could escape, Pelame placed another light shield over the next hatch.

“There’s no escape. Just give up.”

Paras was still having none of it. In his rage, he hadn’t noticed that his dark force field was waning. It completely vanished just as he tossed another Seed Bomb at Pelame. When she blocked it, it ricocheted and fell into the fuel pool.

“Once that detonates…” Pelame thought to herself, terrified of the result. Mustering up every bit of power she had, she surrounded both herself and Paras in an Alpha-created force field. As she predicted (and dreaded), the Seed Bomb detonated and set off a giant chain reaction. Everything in the mine was completely obliterated in the blast, which created a giant crater in the Pathway Badlands. Luckily, the Team Static admins had earlier been carried out of the mine by Pugno, Blessing, Torden, Adorbs, and Tectarro. Once they heard the giant explosion, they instantly rushed back to the badlands.

“…Pelame…” Pugno said, beginning to fear the worst had happened to her.

“…Paras…” Scyther said, fearing the same had happened to his boss.

“Don’t just stand there!” Tectarro ordered. “Help me dig! They could still be alive! There’s always a chance of survival!”

Agreeing with the professor, everyone except Scyther began pitching in. Scyther attempted to stand up, but his body was too badly damaged by the earlier cave-in.

Back down in the mine, Pelame awakened to find herself buried under lots of burnt rocks. Paras was unconscious next to her. She began trying to dig her way out, using her Alpha Sigil to light the small space. At that moment, Paras awakened. Try as he might, he couldn’t stand up. But he could speak, though.

“What happened?!” he demanded. “Where are we? Are we…in the afterlife? Have we… died?”

“No, Paras, we’re not dead,” Pelame answered. “Your Seed Bomb detonated the rocket fuel, and I can only assume that it set off the dynamite Tectarro rigged the mine with. The mine’s been destroyed, along with the rocket, the Everstones, and everything else in it. We’ve been buried under the collapse, and I’m trying to dig us out now. So please stay out of my way while I do that.”

“Wait, the mine collapsed? Then, how did we survive?”

“I used my Alpha power to shield us from the explosion.”

“You saved me? But…don’t you hate me for being the opposite of an evolution-loving shill like yourself?”

“No, Paras.” Pelame then stopped digging and took a seat in front of Paras. “I’m going to tell you everything, and you are going to listen to me. Understand?”

“…I guess I have no choice now. You already beat me in battle… Get it over with.”

“Paras, I never hated you or your team because of your stance against evolution. I certainly disagree with your views on it, but I don’t think that’s worth violence over. I only started having a problem with it when I heard about that Everstone surgery. Now, I’ll admit that I overreacted that day, but so did Scyther. And then when you stole the Llyria Rocket to use in Operation Everstone, that was the last straw, and the point where I decided that you needed to be stopped. And then, we ran into another problem; you were so completely focused on your plan that you would hear absolutely nothing against it, even if it was testimonial from a licensed professor of geology. And that was where even your own teammates decided enough was enough. And you wouldn’t even listen to them.”

“Well, why should I listen to traitors?! Pelame, how would you like it if one of your friends betrayed you?! How would you like it if your own FAMILY turned on you?! Would you take it so well?!” Paras’s eyes were beginning to tear up, and his voice was beginning to break a bit. “How would you like to lose everything short of your life?! You might as well have just let me die in the explosion!”

“Paras, cut that out! You have not lost everything! You still have Scyther, Snivy, and Wynaut! They never truly betrayed Team Static! Look, the only reason they helped us was for your sake. They never stopped caring about you. They wanted you back; the Paras who treated them like family members. The Paras who took them in when they needed help. They wanted that Paras back. They never wanted a terrorist. Look at it from their point of view; they had to see a Pokémon who mattered to them become someone wicked. But if the Paras they loved could possibly return, they’d do anything for that.”

To her surprise, Paras was hanging on her every word.

“And to be honest, I want to meet that Paras, myself.”

“…but, Team Static…”

“You don’t need Team Static to be a family, Paras. You’ll always have Scyther, Snivy, and Wynaut. Team Static or no Team Static, there’s no changing the fact that you’ve made a great family unit. And as I said before, it’s okay if you don’t want to evolve. Just leave it at not evolving.”

“But if I do that, then all those poor Pokémon will… Pelame, you told me why I was betrayed. So, can you explain to me about evolution? Have I missed something?”

“Considering your species, I completely understand why you fear evolving so much. And I heard your friends state their grievances, too. But on the whole, evolution isn’t harmful. In the case of your species, though, there’s hope for you if you were to evolve after all. Particularly strong-willed members of your species can actually assert their will over the mushroom on their back when they become Parasect. In fact, that’s what the Governor of Promised Land did. And the same is true about Fungus. He thought he was doomed, too, which was why he tried to use Jirachi to give parasitic mushrooms to everyone in the world. But then, Taiyang stopped him and talked him out of his mad plan.”

“…I heard that Jirachi had granted a wish to lose his ability to grant wishes, which was what he himself wanted for a long time…”

“Exactly. That was the wish Taiyang made, knowing it was what Jirachi wanted. Fungus had also learned that evolution hadn’t harmed him at all. And that’s not all. The spoink species is a great case for evolution, too. Their hearts beat every time they bounce. If they don’t bounce, their hearts don’t beat, and they risk death by cardiac arrest. But when they evolve into grumpig, their hearts beat freely. And there’s also the caterpie and weedle species. In both their middle stages, they’re immobile cocoons. But once they’re past that, they become mobile again, and a lot more likely to survive thanks to their newfound power and abilities. But again, it is still up to them to choose whether or not they want to evolve. It’s neither right nor wrong to evolve. That’s what I think about evolution, to be honest. It’s not right, it’s not wrong. It’s just a possible part of life.”

“Then… if I were to evolve…”

“You’d still be you, Paras. Your will is a strong one. Your mushroom will have no power over you. Like Promised Land’s Governor, you could find a cooperative balance with your mushroom. Regardless, you’ll still be you, the one Scyther, Snivy, and Wynaut value as a family member.”

Paras had never heard it put so eloquently before. But now, he understood.

“Is there anything else you want to say, Pelame?”

“Not really.”

“I see. I was hoping to hear more, honestly. You’ve really opened my eyes to a lot just now. I just wish I had the strength to help you dig us out of here. I want to get out so I can let my teammates know how sorry I am.” Then, he got an idea. “Pelame, can you do me a favor?”

“Yes?”

“If possible, can you purge my Dark Blessing out of me? I don’t want it anymore, nor do I need it. I no longer want to have anything to do with it. As an Alpha, you should be able to do it. It was even telling me to ‘beware of you.’”

“Of course.”

Pelame mustered up a large amount of Alpha power, coursing it through herself. She then made contact with Paras. In doing so, she created a conduit to connect her and his souls together. She searched for the tainted part of his soul, and she soon found it.

“Dark Blessing, begone from this poor Paras,” she commanded at the darkness. At once, it retreated. Once it did, Pelame discontinued using her power. The purpose was fulfilled, and Paras was now purified.

“Thank you, Pelame,” Paras said in the happiest tone Pelame had ever heard him speak in. “And I’m sorry for every bit of trouble I caused you.”

Pelame responded to that with a hug. “Everything is fine, Paras.”

At that moment, Tectarro broke through the fallen rocks and reached the two buried Pokémon.

“Finally found you two!” he said. “Let’s get going.”

Pelame nodded and followed, carrying Paras on her back. As they made their way to the surface, Paras helped treat the injuries he had given Pelame in their battle earlier. After some time walking, they finally reached the sunlight. Everyone else was waiting outside for them. Including the police. Paras got off Pelame’s back and approached them.

“I willingly surrender to the law,” he said. “I have done many awful things recently, and I’m ready to repay society for them. I will begin by permanently disbanding Team Static. I know now that I never needed Team Static to have a good family unit.” He looked back toward Scyther, Snivy, and Wynaut. “I should’ve realized what I was doing harmed them, too. Along with everyone else I’ve harmed, they also have my deepest apologies.”

“Same goes for us,” said the other now-former Team Static admins. “We share the guilt of our boss.”

Officer Ariados got to work cuffing three of the four Pokémon.

“Well, with behavior like this, maybe the judge will take it a bit easy on you,” he said. “Besides, it’s good to have well-behaved inmates.” He then escorted them to the paddy wagon. Another officer placed Scyther in an ambulance van. Once the four were loaded inside the respective vehicles, they took off in the direction of the town’s prison.

“Scyther… I’m sorry for hurting you…” Paras thought as he looked in the direction of the ambulance.

“Paras, thanks for returning to your old self…” Scyther thought as he looked in the direction of the paddy wagon.

“All right, so that’s it for Team Static,” Torden said with satisfaction. “When we have our victory dinner, I’m putting something special in my serving.”

“By the way, what exactly happened down there?” Pugno asked. “Just now, Paras seemed to be acting like the nice guy his followers described him as being.”

“I had a talk with him,” Pelame answered. “And I purged the Dark Blessing out of him with my Alpha power.”

“Wait— you can do that?!” Blessing asked incredulously. “That’s incredible!”

“He asked me to purge it out of him, and I decided to give it a try. And it worked somehow. I wanted to help him. That’s all there was to it.”

“I think you did, Pelame,” Pugno reassured. “Whatever you said to him, I hope he keeps your words to heart. If he does, then the future will be bright for him. For all four of them, actually.”

“I think you’re right, Pugno.”

With the mission completed, Pelame and friends saw fit to eat out at Char Brothers for a victory dinner. Torden hit his spoon against his cup.

“Everyone, may I please have your attention?” he asked. “Anyone?” No one was responding. He then decided to sweeten the deal. “Who wants to meet the heroes who defeated Team Static?” All at once, everyone turned to face the table he was at. “Yep, that’s right! We all took those thugs down together!”

Torden’s comment got quite an ovation.

“And to celebrate the occasion, look what I got!” He then took out a plastic bag that had powder in it. He then poured it into his drink and mixed it. “Once my body digests this drink, I, Torden the pikachu, will become Torden the raichu. What better way to celebrate Team Static’s downfall than by evolving? Am I right?” The other patrons applauded. “Now then, a toast to Pelame for defeating Paras! And also, a toast to the rest of us for taking out the mine!” All the patrons drank to the toast. To that, Torden drank the water he just spiked with the ground-up Thunderstone.

“Thanks, Torden,” Pelame responded after drinking her water. “Although that was unnecessary, it was pretty neat. I’m gonna miss seeing you as a pikachu, but I’m sure I’ll get used to you as a raichu.”

“Yep, nothing will change about me. Other than the fact that I’ll gain some centimeters in height… and also some kilograms in weight… to think I lost all that weight for nothing. Oh, well. Oh, and I almost forgot that I’ll gain an awesome new tail! By the way, sorry for using up all that Thunderstone Powder.”

“It’s fine, Torden. I still haven’t decided what I want to evolve into. For now, I think I’ll just remain an eevee.”

“Well, in any case, it’s another bummer that we’re heading back to a normal life soon.”

“I don’t mind that at all. I can do without another crazy adventure like this.”

“Uh, Pelame??” Blessing prodded. “History major? That’s the profession for crazy adventure.”

“Blessing, you and I have different definitions of ‘crazy adventure.’ At least if I go on archaeological trips, there won’t be anything at stake. What we just went through now is like those gigantic quests characters from movies, TV, video games, and even Pocketurn folklore go through. And I’d love to never go on another one of those, thank you very much.”

“I’m with you on that one, Pelame,” Pugno responded. “Although I want to be a royal guard, I’d like to live as peaceful a life as I can. But even if another weird threat pops up, I think you’d be up to the task, Pelame. Not to mention you’ll have my support.”

“Yeah, Pelame,” Blessing added. “You’re the best!”

“I’m not afraid to admit it, Pelame, but you’re awesome,” Torden added.

All those compliments made Pelame blush. “Thanks, everyone.”

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - Planes of Existence

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Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

Ryu Taylor

Eternally loyal to the dub and TPCi

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