Chapter 1- The Agents of Pilaf
"A prophasy stated that four boys would one day appear in this town to take down an evil in this world," a shadow figure stated.
"Your names are mentioned in that tablet, for that reason, you can not go by your names anymore," another person stated.
"Your objective is too take down this evil," the one at the head of the table stated. He pointed the boy across from him. "You are now known as Kater." He pointed at the boy sitting on the right of Kater. "You are Star." To the left of Kater was the next person to receive a name. "You are now Quick." The last boy then became pointed at, "Nice to meet you, Paperfairy. Go to Lenlong through the Woods of Elders. In Lenlong, there will be a hotel called The New Age, go in there. You will leave now..."
The four boys did as they were told and left the room, confused and puzzled. They all followed Kater to a park in the middle of town.
"So, I'm Kater now," said the boy with long black hair and brown eyes. "I have never met any of you before except Wa- I mean Star."
"I am Quick," said the one with curly brown hair and brown eyes.
"Paperfairy," responded the one with spiky black hair and hazel eyes.
"Nice to make your, er aquaintence," joyfully said Star, the on with blond hair and green eyes.
Kater stared into the clouds as if he was pondering something. Then he murmured something that no one heard.
"What did you just say?" asked Paperfairy.
"Leave," responded Kater.
"What are you talking about?" Star asked though knowing the answer.
"Lets leave now... before anything comes up," as Kater said that, he got up and started walking away, towards the Woods of Elders. Speechless, the others ran after him.
"What are you thinking?!" Quick yelled. Kater didn't respond.
"Kater, isn't this is a little rash?" Star pondered.
"We can't even say goodbye to our families?" Paperfairy questioned sadly. Kater still did not reply.
"Sorry, I didn't catch any of that, I blanked out," Kater replied laughing. The rest of the group didn't say a word and just followed Kater. Kater had heard them, he wanted to leave without a trace, and quickly too, he knew the Council of Pilaf would tell their parents about what happened. A lie probably, but tell them. The Council of Pilaf was the mysterious group that ran the city of Pilaf. Kater, Star, Quick, nor Paperfairy ever expected to hear from them. These were the final thoughts of Kater as he exited Pilaf into the Woods of Elders.
No one talked as the group advanced deep into the forest until night broke and Star said, "What will we do for food and shelter?"
"Quick, go gather berries, Paperfairy and Star, go look for a sticks. I'll be here thinking," Kater ordered.
"Why do we have to do your chores?" asked Quick.
"You don't want food?" Kater smugly replied. They all did as told.
About an hour past and the group was lying on a pile of twigs eating berries. Kater once again murmurred something.
"What?" asked Star.
"Name," said Kater. "How about, Team Avengers?"
"I like it...," Star told.
"Avenging what?" asked Quick.
"The people who failed to destroy this team," Kater replied.
"Is this what you have been thinking about all this time?" asked Quick.
"Yes," responded Kater.
"Why didn't you tell us then?," Quick said angerly.
"No one asked," Kater replied.
"I like the name," Paperfairy said.
"Cool, we are Team Avengers," Kater said. Team Avengers fell asleep in the forest wakened the next day by the sun....
Chapter 2: Celebi and the Girl of Time
"Hello," said a deep voice. "Why are sleeping in our forest?"
Team Avengers woke up abruptly to see a girl around their age. She had short, brown hair and green eyes. Next to her was a weird looking creature that looked like it had green hair. It hid behind her upon noticing their gaze.
"Hello," replied Kater uneasily. "Who, or what, is your little friend there?"
"Her name is Ginger and she is a Pokemon," replied the girl.
"And you are?" inquired Quick, gazing at all her features
"My name is Nicole," the girl said in her deep voice, then added, slightly confused; "Why are you looking at me funny?"
"Uh-Uh-Err-Sugh..." Quick stuttered.
"You are funny," Nicole giggled in a deep laugh.
"What is a "Pokemon?"" asked Star curiously.
"You do not know what a Pokemon is?" Nicole asked, looking surprised.
"Evidentially not," replied Paperfairy.
"They are creatures that inhabit this world," Nicole replied. "They all got drawn out of this forest because of the evil Pilaf people."
"Are you talking about the Council of Pilaf?" Kater inquired. For the first time, he had a grim look on his face.
"Yeah, those people," Nicole joyfully responded.
"Why... Why would they...get rid of these creatures?" Star was puzzled.
"What is our true mission... What is the team we are going after trying to do... Who are we working for," Kater asked bluntly. "Are we working for killers of a species who are trying to prevent the people of Pilaf from knowing about it?!"
"Let us make it to Lenlong, then decide..." responded the quiet Paperfairy.
"Oh, so you are traveling through the forest!" Nicole said happily. "Ginger and I will guide you through! You are the first visitors for fifty years!"
"Fifty years!" Star exclaimed, amazed. "How long have you been in this forest?"
"I am not sure, but Ginger takes me all over time!" Nicole replied happily.
"Please elaborate on your story," Kater requested briskly as Team Avengers and Nicole started walking.
"Well, um... When I was really young, I was dropped off in these woods by my parents," Nicole began casually. "Ginger showed me that time. After I was dropped off, Ginger found me, and took care of me. She took me with her through time and I saw tons of cool stuff! I have been with Ginger ever since that day!"
"So Ginger is a sort of parent to you," Star stated.
"Yep," replied Nicole.
"So, Pokemon can understand humans in a sense?" Star questioned.
"You fool. They are creatures, nothing is equal to humans," Quick disregarded of Star's remarks coldly. Kater and Paperfairy ignored them as they started bickering.
"Who came to the forest fifty years ago?" asked Kater.
"Well, people come through the forest all the time," replied Nicole. "You are the first in fifty years to come from Pilaf. No-one goes into Pilaf, either... Fifty years ago, three people came here with extremely powerful Pokemon and captured all the Pokemon in the forest, Ginger showed me. Ginger escaped, though. The people were called The Council of Pilaf, at least that is what their flag said."
"What does this mean?" Paperfairy pondered.
"It means this girl is psycho," Quick snapped. "There is no way Pokemon have abilities that humans do not."
"This entire concept is a bit too much to comprehend," Star murmured.
"Can you control Ginger?" Kater asked.
"Yep," Nicole answered. "When do you wanna go?"
"Fifty years ago," Kater replied. "When The Council of Pilaf took over The Woods of Elders."
"Ginger, can you please take us to fifty years ago, when the Council of Pilaf took over The Woods of Elders?" Nicole asked the little Pokemon.
"Cele-bii," Ginger chanted as it raised its arms. The forest began to change rapidly. Some trees grew smaller, some trees reappeared, the grass grew longer and shorter and alternated between the two several times. Finally, everything stopped changing and everything was still. The trees were smaller, but there were much more here than in the present.
It wasn't long before they saw three people approaching, accompanied by huge, menacing-looking creatures that Kater supposed were Pokemon. The first man, a tall man with long, black hair and dark, green eyes, was sitting on a green, snake-like creature with sharp teeth and fierce eyes. The second, a medium-height man with short, blond hair and silver eyes, was sitting on a red, spiky creature with piercing eyes that stood upright on its hind legs. The third, another medium-height man with middle-length, brown hair and black eyes, was sitting on a blue, fish-like creature that floated a few meters above the ground. All six looked absolutely terrifying, the early, morning sun reflecting their frightening features and greedy expressions.
"Can they...see us?" Quick inquired nervously. Obviously, the sight had unnerved him just as much as it had Kater.
Nicole shook her head. "No," she said. "We are only here as silent witnesses. They cannot see us, hear us, or feel us. And when you try to touch them or other objects, your hand will go right through, too. It is frustrating sometimes that you can do nothing to stop bad things from happening, but I guess if we tried, the future would be all messed up."
The five humans and one Pokemon watched silently as the three creatures and their masters advanced forward. Kater noticed, too, that the people they were looking at were not from the Council of Pilaf that they knew. Team Avengers helplessly witnessed the massive numbers of the Pokemon of the woods getting overpowered by the three huge creatures and then trapped into red and white balls.
"I think we should go back now," Kater said quietly. He'd seen all that he needed to see. Nicole nodded and turned to her Pokemon.
"Back to the present, Ginger," Nicole said.
"Cele-bii," chanted the green Pokemon, raising its hands again as the scenery began to return to normal. When all the trees and grass had stopped and were standing still, they knew they had returned to the future.
"So, Quick," Kater slyly started. "Do you believe she is crazy anymore?" Quick looked away.
"Whoa! How cool!" Star exclaimed, obviously not fazed by the destruction they had just witnessed. "W-W-W-W-We traveled through time!"
"So these creatures possess powers a human cannot," Paperfairy said thoughtfully. "How interesting."
Team Avengers and Nicole traveled as deep as they could into the woods until night came. Nicole whipped up some berries from her pocket and had Ginger go gather twigs. Team Avengers and Nicole ate then slept heavily until the morning.
Chapter 3- The Researchers of the Ancients
"Wake up, you guys," screeched the annoyingly deep voice of Nicole.
"Good mourning, Nicole," Kater said, grudgingly, still half asleep, as he got up.
"Hello, Nicole," Star responded joyfully. "Hello, Ginger." Since none of the others were getting up, Ginger went over and tapped each of them on the head.
"Huh-huh-huh?" Quick stuttered as he woke up. "Oh, that annoying Ginger piece of--"
"Hey, Ginger," Paperfairy interrupted. Kater glared at Quick.
"So, Nicole, where do we go now?" Kater asked. Nicole pointed to Ginger.
"She will take you there, I have to gather some berries for food," she replied.
"Berries again!" exclaimed Quick, sick of berries. Kater glared at Quick again. "Sorry, sorry, berries are fine..." He added with a sigh. Team Avengers followed Ginger into the woods.
"I thought no-one came here," Paperfairy whispered to Quick.
"They do not, you fool," Quick snapped back.
"Well, explain them," Paperfairy resorted, pointing ahead to a group of three people, all men, standing together and facing the other way. The first was short and looked about thirty. He had bifocals, brown eyes and long, black hair. The next had white hair and green eyes and looked around mid-twenties. The last had a long red, cape, short, messy brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be in his early twenties.
"Hey, over here!" Paperfairy called. The three men turned to face them.
"There it is!" the man with the white hair yelled, pointing at Ginger.
"Bii!" the little Pokemon screeched in terror as it began to fly away into the woods, back the way they'd come.
The three men followed it, completely ignoring the four boys. Team Avengers were stunned. They had no idea what was going on.
"W-W-What..." Star stuttered, unable to do little else.
"Those men were after Ginger..." Kater remarked.
"Nice job finding that one out, detective," Quick smirked. "And nice job, Paperfairy. Look what you did."
"I am sorry, Ginger." Paperfairy started crying.
"Quick, stop making fights. It is not his fault," Kater said firmly. Quick ignored him, turning his back.
"Let us... Let us wait for Nicole," Star murmured, though sounding like he'd rather do anything but that.
"She cannot be long now," Kater said quietly. Only shortly after, Nicole appeared behind some trees, walking slowly and nonchalantly. When she saw The Avengers alone, however, she started running towards them, knowing that something was terribly wrong.
"Where is Ginger?" Nicole asked, panting slightly from her abrupt run.
"I... I am so sorry." Paperfairy said, still crying.
"W-What did you do to Ginger?!" Nicole demanded.
"Some men started chasing after her after Paperfairy yelled for them," Kater replied in as calmer voice as he could manage. "They went that way." He pointed her in the direction they had gone. Without a second thought, Nicole sprinted into that direction. Team Avengers followed. As Nicole was running, she yelled; "Give me back my Ginger!" Then, with tears dripping down her face, said; "She is my only family!"
At the pace they were going, it wasn't long before they caught up with the men. They were standing very still, looking in all directions, as though they had lost something.
"The girl," the man in the cape murmured. "I hear her... Mmph!" Nicole ran right into him and knocked him over, surprisingly quite hard. Standing over him, she yelled; "Where is my Ginger?!"
"I-It...got away...Nicole," replied the caped man, almost nervously.
Nicole jolted visibly. "How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.
"He is probably a stalker," Quick whispered to Paperfairy, watching the scene in mild amusement with Paperfairy, Kater and Star.
"We are The Researchers of the Ancients, or R.O.A. for short," the man with white hair stated. "We study ancient time. And since Celebi is a Pokemon of time, and you have tamed her..."
"We wish to use you to control Celebi," finished the man in the cape.
"What is Celebi?" Nicole asked, confused.
"Why, it is the Pokemon that you have befriended," replied the man with bifocals.
"Ginger!" Nicole whined as she punched the ground in anger, just missing the man with the cape's face.
"So you wish to use Nicole just for some free creature, the last one of these woods, too!" Kater yelled angrily. Then, turning to the others, said; "Come on, Avengers, Nicole, let us go find Ginger." Leaving the R.O.A. behind them, The Avengers and Nicole traveled deeper into the woods to find Celebi.
"I am sorry, Nicole," Paperfairy said, still guilty.
"At least Ginger is safe for now," Nicole replied, almost back to her old self.
"We will find her, do not worry," Kater assured her.
The Avengers continued deeper and deeper into the forest.
"Kater, I cannot see anything, and I can barely stay awake," Quick complained.
"Too bad," Kater said, glaring at Quick again.
"I hope they have not caught her yet," Nicole said, her voice sounding very worried.
"The R.O.A. is not even this far into the woods, they could not have," Kater replied encouragingly.
'The R.O.A., The Researchers of the Ancients...' Star thought curiously. 'I wonder what the truth of their past is...'
'What am I doing here?' Quick asked himself. 'It is obvious that The Council of Pilaf is evil.'
'Ginger, it is all my fault, please forgive me,' Paperfairy thought to himself, becoming depressed again. 'How can Nicole even bare to look at me...'
"What is that sound?" Star asked inquisitively, interrupting all of their thoughts.
"It sounds like water," Kater responded. The Avengers and Nicole followed the sound and ran towards it. There, in the middle of the woods, was a clear spring with a Pokemon in the middle of it. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be Ginger.
"Ginger!" screamed Nicole, bursting into tears again.
"It is...dead." Paperfairy had a horrified look on his face.
"Look!" Star exclaimed, pointing. Slowly, out of the water grew a small, plant-like thing. It was brown and had a two little feet. Little stub arms and horn-like things with green bulbs stuck out on the end of them.
"Bii!" a voice called from the water. Ginger was alive. The new creature leapt out of the water joyously and flew into the woods. No-one paid attention to it, though, except Star. Ginger was alive.
"So the thing cannot even drown," Quick remarked. "If you ask me, it is completely--"
"It is alive! Yay!" cheered Paperfairy, interrupting Quick again.
"What was that thing it made?" asked Star curiously, the only one ignoring that Ginger was still alive.
"Heh," Kater was happy, they had found Ginger. Nicole just stood there, holding Ginger in her arms and cuddling it. Shortly after that, they fell asleep for a few hours, tired, though it was only the middle of the day.
"A prophasy stated that four boys would one day appear in this town to take down an evil in this world," a shadow figure stated.
"Your names are mentioned in that tablet, for that reason, you can not go by your names anymore," another person stated.
"Your objective is too take down this evil," the one at the head of the table stated. He pointed the boy across from him. "You are now known as Kater." He pointed at the boy sitting on the right of Kater. "You are Star." To the left of Kater was the next person to receive a name. "You are now Quick." The last boy then became pointed at, "Nice to meet you, Paperfairy. Go to Lenlong through the Woods of Elders. In Lenlong, there will be a hotel called The New Age, go in there. You will leave now..."
The four boys did as they were told and left the room, confused and puzzled. They all followed Kater to a park in the middle of town.
"So, I'm Kater now," said the boy with long black hair and brown eyes. "I have never met any of you before except Wa- I mean Star."
"I am Quick," said the one with curly brown hair and brown eyes.
"Paperfairy," responded the one with spiky black hair and hazel eyes.
"Nice to make your, er aquaintence," joyfully said Star, the on with blond hair and green eyes.
Kater stared into the clouds as if he was pondering something. Then he murmured something that no one heard.
"What did you just say?" asked Paperfairy.
"Leave," responded Kater.
"What are you talking about?" Star asked though knowing the answer.
"Lets leave now... before anything comes up," as Kater said that, he got up and started walking away, towards the Woods of Elders. Speechless, the others ran after him.
"What are you thinking?!" Quick yelled. Kater didn't respond.
"Kater, isn't this is a little rash?" Star pondered.
"We can't even say goodbye to our families?" Paperfairy questioned sadly. Kater still did not reply.
"Sorry, I didn't catch any of that, I blanked out," Kater replied laughing. The rest of the group didn't say a word and just followed Kater. Kater had heard them, he wanted to leave without a trace, and quickly too, he knew the Council of Pilaf would tell their parents about what happened. A lie probably, but tell them. The Council of Pilaf was the mysterious group that ran the city of Pilaf. Kater, Star, Quick, nor Paperfairy ever expected to hear from them. These were the final thoughts of Kater as he exited Pilaf into the Woods of Elders.
No one talked as the group advanced deep into the forest until night broke and Star said, "What will we do for food and shelter?"
"Quick, go gather berries, Paperfairy and Star, go look for a sticks. I'll be here thinking," Kater ordered.
"Why do we have to do your chores?" asked Quick.
"You don't want food?" Kater smugly replied. They all did as told.
About an hour past and the group was lying on a pile of twigs eating berries. Kater once again murmurred something.
"What?" asked Star.
"Name," said Kater. "How about, Team Avengers?"
"I like it...," Star told.
"Avenging what?" asked Quick.
"The people who failed to destroy this team," Kater replied.
"Is this what you have been thinking about all this time?" asked Quick.
"Yes," responded Kater.
"Why didn't you tell us then?," Quick said angerly.
"No one asked," Kater replied.
"I like the name," Paperfairy said.
"Cool, we are Team Avengers," Kater said. Team Avengers fell asleep in the forest wakened the next day by the sun....
Chapter 2: Celebi and the Girl of Time
"Hello," said a deep voice. "Why are sleeping in our forest?"
Team Avengers woke up abruptly to see a girl around their age. She had short, brown hair and green eyes. Next to her was a weird looking creature that looked like it had green hair. It hid behind her upon noticing their gaze.
"Hello," replied Kater uneasily. "Who, or what, is your little friend there?"
"Her name is Ginger and she is a Pokemon," replied the girl.
"And you are?" inquired Quick, gazing at all her features
"My name is Nicole," the girl said in her deep voice, then added, slightly confused; "Why are you looking at me funny?"
"Uh-Uh-Err-Sugh..." Quick stuttered.
"You are funny," Nicole giggled in a deep laugh.
"What is a "Pokemon?"" asked Star curiously.
"You do not know what a Pokemon is?" Nicole asked, looking surprised.
"Evidentially not," replied Paperfairy.
"They are creatures that inhabit this world," Nicole replied. "They all got drawn out of this forest because of the evil Pilaf people."
"Are you talking about the Council of Pilaf?" Kater inquired. For the first time, he had a grim look on his face.
"Yeah, those people," Nicole joyfully responded.
"Why... Why would they...get rid of these creatures?" Star was puzzled.
"What is our true mission... What is the team we are going after trying to do... Who are we working for," Kater asked bluntly. "Are we working for killers of a species who are trying to prevent the people of Pilaf from knowing about it?!"
"Let us make it to Lenlong, then decide..." responded the quiet Paperfairy.
"Oh, so you are traveling through the forest!" Nicole said happily. "Ginger and I will guide you through! You are the first visitors for fifty years!"
"Fifty years!" Star exclaimed, amazed. "How long have you been in this forest?"
"I am not sure, but Ginger takes me all over time!" Nicole replied happily.
"Please elaborate on your story," Kater requested briskly as Team Avengers and Nicole started walking.
"Well, um... When I was really young, I was dropped off in these woods by my parents," Nicole began casually. "Ginger showed me that time. After I was dropped off, Ginger found me, and took care of me. She took me with her through time and I saw tons of cool stuff! I have been with Ginger ever since that day!"
"So Ginger is a sort of parent to you," Star stated.
"Yep," replied Nicole.
"So, Pokemon can understand humans in a sense?" Star questioned.
"You fool. They are creatures, nothing is equal to humans," Quick disregarded of Star's remarks coldly. Kater and Paperfairy ignored them as they started bickering.
"Who came to the forest fifty years ago?" asked Kater.
"Well, people come through the forest all the time," replied Nicole. "You are the first in fifty years to come from Pilaf. No-one goes into Pilaf, either... Fifty years ago, three people came here with extremely powerful Pokemon and captured all the Pokemon in the forest, Ginger showed me. Ginger escaped, though. The people were called The Council of Pilaf, at least that is what their flag said."
"What does this mean?" Paperfairy pondered.
"It means this girl is psycho," Quick snapped. "There is no way Pokemon have abilities that humans do not."
"This entire concept is a bit too much to comprehend," Star murmured.
"Can you control Ginger?" Kater asked.
"Yep," Nicole answered. "When do you wanna go?"
"Fifty years ago," Kater replied. "When The Council of Pilaf took over The Woods of Elders."
"Ginger, can you please take us to fifty years ago, when the Council of Pilaf took over The Woods of Elders?" Nicole asked the little Pokemon.
"Cele-bii," Ginger chanted as it raised its arms. The forest began to change rapidly. Some trees grew smaller, some trees reappeared, the grass grew longer and shorter and alternated between the two several times. Finally, everything stopped changing and everything was still. The trees were smaller, but there were much more here than in the present.
It wasn't long before they saw three people approaching, accompanied by huge, menacing-looking creatures that Kater supposed were Pokemon. The first man, a tall man with long, black hair and dark, green eyes, was sitting on a green, snake-like creature with sharp teeth and fierce eyes. The second, a medium-height man with short, blond hair and silver eyes, was sitting on a red, spiky creature with piercing eyes that stood upright on its hind legs. The third, another medium-height man with middle-length, brown hair and black eyes, was sitting on a blue, fish-like creature that floated a few meters above the ground. All six looked absolutely terrifying, the early, morning sun reflecting their frightening features and greedy expressions.
"Can they...see us?" Quick inquired nervously. Obviously, the sight had unnerved him just as much as it had Kater.
Nicole shook her head. "No," she said. "We are only here as silent witnesses. They cannot see us, hear us, or feel us. And when you try to touch them or other objects, your hand will go right through, too. It is frustrating sometimes that you can do nothing to stop bad things from happening, but I guess if we tried, the future would be all messed up."
The five humans and one Pokemon watched silently as the three creatures and their masters advanced forward. Kater noticed, too, that the people they were looking at were not from the Council of Pilaf that they knew. Team Avengers helplessly witnessed the massive numbers of the Pokemon of the woods getting overpowered by the three huge creatures and then trapped into red and white balls.
"I think we should go back now," Kater said quietly. He'd seen all that he needed to see. Nicole nodded and turned to her Pokemon.
"Back to the present, Ginger," Nicole said.
"Cele-bii," chanted the green Pokemon, raising its hands again as the scenery began to return to normal. When all the trees and grass had stopped and were standing still, they knew they had returned to the future.
"So, Quick," Kater slyly started. "Do you believe she is crazy anymore?" Quick looked away.
"Whoa! How cool!" Star exclaimed, obviously not fazed by the destruction they had just witnessed. "W-W-W-W-We traveled through time!"
"So these creatures possess powers a human cannot," Paperfairy said thoughtfully. "How interesting."
Team Avengers and Nicole traveled as deep as they could into the woods until night came. Nicole whipped up some berries from her pocket and had Ginger go gather twigs. Team Avengers and Nicole ate then slept heavily until the morning.
Chapter 3- The Researchers of the Ancients
"Wake up, you guys," screeched the annoyingly deep voice of Nicole.
"Good mourning, Nicole," Kater said, grudgingly, still half asleep, as he got up.
"Hello, Nicole," Star responded joyfully. "Hello, Ginger." Since none of the others were getting up, Ginger went over and tapped each of them on the head.
"Huh-huh-huh?" Quick stuttered as he woke up. "Oh, that annoying Ginger piece of--"
"Hey, Ginger," Paperfairy interrupted. Kater glared at Quick.
"So, Nicole, where do we go now?" Kater asked. Nicole pointed to Ginger.
"She will take you there, I have to gather some berries for food," she replied.
"Berries again!" exclaimed Quick, sick of berries. Kater glared at Quick again. "Sorry, sorry, berries are fine..." He added with a sigh. Team Avengers followed Ginger into the woods.
"I thought no-one came here," Paperfairy whispered to Quick.
"They do not, you fool," Quick snapped back.
"Well, explain them," Paperfairy resorted, pointing ahead to a group of three people, all men, standing together and facing the other way. The first was short and looked about thirty. He had bifocals, brown eyes and long, black hair. The next had white hair and green eyes and looked around mid-twenties. The last had a long red, cape, short, messy brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be in his early twenties.
"Hey, over here!" Paperfairy called. The three men turned to face them.
"There it is!" the man with the white hair yelled, pointing at Ginger.
"Bii!" the little Pokemon screeched in terror as it began to fly away into the woods, back the way they'd come.
The three men followed it, completely ignoring the four boys. Team Avengers were stunned. They had no idea what was going on.
"W-W-What..." Star stuttered, unable to do little else.
"Those men were after Ginger..." Kater remarked.
"Nice job finding that one out, detective," Quick smirked. "And nice job, Paperfairy. Look what you did."
"I am sorry, Ginger." Paperfairy started crying.
"Quick, stop making fights. It is not his fault," Kater said firmly. Quick ignored him, turning his back.
"Let us... Let us wait for Nicole," Star murmured, though sounding like he'd rather do anything but that.
"She cannot be long now," Kater said quietly. Only shortly after, Nicole appeared behind some trees, walking slowly and nonchalantly. When she saw The Avengers alone, however, she started running towards them, knowing that something was terribly wrong.
"Where is Ginger?" Nicole asked, panting slightly from her abrupt run.
"I... I am so sorry." Paperfairy said, still crying.
"W-What did you do to Ginger?!" Nicole demanded.
"Some men started chasing after her after Paperfairy yelled for them," Kater replied in as calmer voice as he could manage. "They went that way." He pointed her in the direction they had gone. Without a second thought, Nicole sprinted into that direction. Team Avengers followed. As Nicole was running, she yelled; "Give me back my Ginger!" Then, with tears dripping down her face, said; "She is my only family!"
At the pace they were going, it wasn't long before they caught up with the men. They were standing very still, looking in all directions, as though they had lost something.
"The girl," the man in the cape murmured. "I hear her... Mmph!" Nicole ran right into him and knocked him over, surprisingly quite hard. Standing over him, she yelled; "Where is my Ginger?!"
"I-It...got away...Nicole," replied the caped man, almost nervously.
Nicole jolted visibly. "How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.
"He is probably a stalker," Quick whispered to Paperfairy, watching the scene in mild amusement with Paperfairy, Kater and Star.
"We are The Researchers of the Ancients, or R.O.A. for short," the man with white hair stated. "We study ancient time. And since Celebi is a Pokemon of time, and you have tamed her..."
"We wish to use you to control Celebi," finished the man in the cape.
"What is Celebi?" Nicole asked, confused.
"Why, it is the Pokemon that you have befriended," replied the man with bifocals.
"Ginger!" Nicole whined as she punched the ground in anger, just missing the man with the cape's face.
"So you wish to use Nicole just for some free creature, the last one of these woods, too!" Kater yelled angrily. Then, turning to the others, said; "Come on, Avengers, Nicole, let us go find Ginger." Leaving the R.O.A. behind them, The Avengers and Nicole traveled deeper into the woods to find Celebi.
"I am sorry, Nicole," Paperfairy said, still guilty.
"At least Ginger is safe for now," Nicole replied, almost back to her old self.
"We will find her, do not worry," Kater assured her.
The Avengers continued deeper and deeper into the forest.
"Kater, I cannot see anything, and I can barely stay awake," Quick complained.
"Too bad," Kater said, glaring at Quick again.
"I hope they have not caught her yet," Nicole said, her voice sounding very worried.
"The R.O.A. is not even this far into the woods, they could not have," Kater replied encouragingly.
'The R.O.A., The Researchers of the Ancients...' Star thought curiously. 'I wonder what the truth of their past is...'
'What am I doing here?' Quick asked himself. 'It is obvious that The Council of Pilaf is evil.'
'Ginger, it is all my fault, please forgive me,' Paperfairy thought to himself, becoming depressed again. 'How can Nicole even bare to look at me...'
"What is that sound?" Star asked inquisitively, interrupting all of their thoughts.
"It sounds like water," Kater responded. The Avengers and Nicole followed the sound and ran towards it. There, in the middle of the woods, was a clear spring with a Pokemon in the middle of it. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be Ginger.
"Ginger!" screamed Nicole, bursting into tears again.
"It is...dead." Paperfairy had a horrified look on his face.
"Look!" Star exclaimed, pointing. Slowly, out of the water grew a small, plant-like thing. It was brown and had a two little feet. Little stub arms and horn-like things with green bulbs stuck out on the end of them.
"Bii!" a voice called from the water. Ginger was alive. The new creature leapt out of the water joyously and flew into the woods. No-one paid attention to it, though, except Star. Ginger was alive.
"So the thing cannot even drown," Quick remarked. "If you ask me, it is completely--"
"It is alive! Yay!" cheered Paperfairy, interrupting Quick again.
"What was that thing it made?" asked Star curiously, the only one ignoring that Ginger was still alive.
"Heh," Kater was happy, they had found Ginger. Nicole just stood there, holding Ginger in her arms and cuddling it. Shortly after that, they fell asleep for a few hours, tired, though it was only the middle of the day.
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