Hydro Strike
By Mega Mewtwo
Prologue: A millennium ago, fire Pokemon risked everything to get home to an overheated volcano that had
errupted and sent them sprawling out. Char, the head Pyro, led the other Pyro Poke back. They encountered many
hardships during their epic journey, but could they make it out alive? Once home at the volcano, peace was
restored to their lives. But the volcano errupted again, and the fire types are once again on the road; but this time
it''s their children. Then the wars start again when the volcano freezes over, Freezing the Pyros into fossils. Water
Pokemon were living nearby, and herd about everything.
But time flows like a river.....and history repeats.....
Chapter 1: Squirtle
The sea anemones tipped and dipped lightly from side to side. ""I dare you."" demanded Seadra. ""Touch it.""
""Uhh....my Mother advises not to."" I shakily responded.
""Oooohhh, is little Bubbles scared to touch the mean, SCARY sea hedgehog, because her fat, Blastoise mother
says not to?"" Seadra taunted, referring to my mother in a harsh way, as "Fat Blastoise" was considered an insult.
Hi. my name is Bubbles. And at that particular time, I wasn''t too happy. I've faced many hardships in my life, but
I''m going to tell you of my greatest challenge I''ve ever faced.
It was then that they arrived. They just floated down into OUR corral cave, like they owned the place. After I
touched the sea anemone and got shocked by its power, I went to play baseball with my friends. I play shortstop.
The ball sailed over to me with the grace of an Articuno, and though it was seven feet up in the air, I lurched up
and snatched it in my glove.
""Yeah, Bubbles!!!"" Yelled my best friend, Waves. Waves is a Horsea.
""You go, Squirtle girl!!"" yelled Whisperwind, the Vaporeon. He''s SOOOOOOOOOO cute, I can tell you that.
Before anybody could fit any more word in, a group of Dragonairs had bolted in our path, blocking it.
""Hey, intruder!! You just ruined our baseball field!!"" yelled Seadra.
""So? Do you expect us to take mercy on you pitiful, miserly shellfish?"" one of them teased. I stepped forward.
""We live here. This is our home. LAY OFF, BUCKO!!!"" I exclaimed.
They scornfully stared down at me. ""Bucko? You call the Poundin'' Dragons "Bucko"? Our boss will be sooo
mad....oh Missile...."" they called. A humongous Dragonair towered up from behind them.
""You threatening my crew?"" he belched. I shivered. He plucked an unlit bomb from behind him. A homing
missile.
""They don''t call me Missile for nothing."" he said, withdrawing a match. Striking it, he held it up to the missile.
He carefully aimed it at us.
""Wait a sec, you don''t want to do that."" I timidly backed away.
""Yes, I do, 'BUCKO'."" he replied.
Chapter 2: You go, ''Wartortle girl!!''
The explosion sent us sprawling. We landed on a huge island, which I had named Tempest Island. When the bomb
exploded, it scarred us badly----none of us were hurt too badly. Once the smoke cleared, We tried to figure out
where we were.
""Okay, we need to get back to the cave, and FAST!!"" Seadra announced.
""Let''s have the Articuno fly us up to the lightning clouds!!"" Staryu dumbly suggested.
""No, pinhead!! We''re weak against anything electric!!"" Waves laughed. While they were quarreling, I tripped
on a bluish stone. I looked down at it. The blue swirls and curls astonished me. I picked it up....
....and BOOM!! A neon blue light surrounded me as my form and identity changed. When the stage was over, I
looked down at myself. The whole group stared, too. I looked back at them. Not a Pokemon moved...none of their
muscles did either....it was like a magic spell.
Strange things went on that day. The only way we could escape from this chaos was to pass trough the Bugu
Jungle. This jungle was one that a clan of fire Pokemon passed through a millennium ago.
""Well, we might as well make the best of this, while we can, of course. Let''s swing our way through the vines.""
I suggested.
""I have no complaints, blockhead."" Seadra insulted. So we made the journey a little ride----at first.
""Wheee!!"" hollered Waves as she swung through the air on a vine. I hopped onto a vine and swung across a field
of exotic shrubs. Another water Pokemon passed me on a vine. It was Whisperwind.
""Hey, nice idea, Bubbles!!"" he said, winking at me. I nearly turned to jello and slid off the vine, but I stopped
myself and tightened my grasp. This was my chance to impress him.
""Here goes nothing."" I exclaimed, jumping off of the vine.
I caught a nearby tree branch and swung head first off of it. I landed on a rotating stone platform with spiky leaves
on the bottom. This thing had always been called a Tiger-snapper by the early water Pokemon. I jumped off of it
bottom first and landed on a blooping bubble. I bounced straight up and landed feet first at the other side of the
mountain.
""Woah!! Ready to Rumble, aren''t we?!"" shouted Whisperwind. I nearly fainted.
Then, we gazed ahead and saw the ice caverns.
""I read about this place in a book called Flame Rage. The fire Pokemon had to risk a Dewgong in here."" I
explained.
""It''s best we swim under it."" said Waves.
""We didn''t learn yet, Hoss!!"" Seadra remorselessly replied.
""You''re going to learn now."" came a voice from behind us. We all spun around and saw....
"".....An Articuno!! Wow!!"" I exclaimed.
""I''m not just any Articuno. I''m decedent of the great Icebreath. I overheard you talking about Flame Rage. That
isn''t a fiction book. It''s true story. Icebreath, the Articuno, was my great great great great great great great great
grandma."" the Articuno responded.
""But, what''s your name?"" I questioned.
""Icewind."" she replied.
""So, what''s this about us learning to swim, Icy lady?"" insulted Seadra.
""That jungle was like a training course. You are all worthy of the Hydro Gear."" she responded. She flashed a
shiny gold card with a picture of a Blastoise on it.
""Oooohhh,"" we all gawked.
""You can use the Hydro gear to swim, and it allows you to dig.....""
""....and for you fishes,"" she stared at the water tank holding hoards of Goldeen, Seaking, and Magikarp. ""It
allows you to survive out of water."" she equipped each of us with one and was on her way.
""Banana slamma!! WE''RE FREE!!!"" the tanked Pokemon yelled as they broke free of the water tank.
Chapter 3: Close Encounters With the Deadly Kind
Around 12:30, the mist still shrouded our paths. We decided to work our way through the ice caverns. As we
trudged silently over the ice, our little feet made skritching sounds. We were worried about being found by the
Dewgong, or possibly a Kingler. KrabApple, the Krabby in our group, was skittering on some black ice. We had
forgotten how sensitive Dewgongs were.
An angry decedent of the Flame Rage Dewgong slumped onto the ground after us. Waves yelped in pain, as an icy
cold shock split over her.
""Hey!!"" I yelled. I bolted forward to Whisperwind and blocked him. ""Bubbles? What are you, crazy?"" he
stammered. I covered his mouth.
""Why don''t you pick on someone your own size, somebody who''s eaten more BROWNIES!!"" I crowed. The
group snickered.
""Does weight loss mean anything to you?"" I cackled. The Dewgong didn''t get a tickle out of this.
""Okay. I guess you came to pick a fight."" I puffed. This was my chance to REALLY impress Whisperwind.
Almost immediately, I sent a wave force around myself. As I floated into the air, I seemed limp and weightless. A
whisk of electric water formed in the dense air in front of me. I grabbed it quickly and hurled it at the Dewgong. A
cold force of water and ice shimmered over the Dewgong, knocking it into oblivion. I had just preformed my
Luminaire attack.
Whisperwind gawked.
""You never told me about that attack!!"" he gasped. I blushed intensely, but nobody saw, because Wartortles blush
the color of their skin.
Chapter 4: Chaos Castle
We had climbed a beanstalk. Our journey was winding up like a fairy tale. But, yes, a towering beanstalk we did
climb. We made it up to the clouds, and lucky for us, the thunderstorms hadn''t come yet. We were able to hop on
the clouds like in dreams, and up on the clouds was like a fantasy world. A shimmering rainbow castle stood tall at
the beginning of the cloud range. We KNEW that we''d encounter a giant in the castle, but no luck.
As we approached the castle, the detail in the castle walls showed. This wonderful work of art was carved of
Abalone shell. A drawbridge stood open at the entrance, and the moat was filled to the brim with hoards of VINES
and VENUSAURS.
We crossed into the castle and almost immediately, a Clefable emerged. We tiptoed up. The Clefable was made of
stone. A stone Clefable? This puzzled us. The melancholy wrinkles and creases of the Clefable''s skin were
convincing to us that it was real. But no matter how any times we kicked it, it remained hard and lifeless. We
continued on to a vacant chamber ---- or so we thought.
Strange noises echoed through the walls, some friendly, some not-so-friendly. Each sound seemed to be a reply to
the last. Was it that we had watched ""The Blair Witch Project"" too long or was this true-blue reality? A mirror
was sitting unused on the floor. I leered at my refection......but saw much more than just a mirror image of me.
A line of stone figures were bluntly sitting in the corridor. I waved my hand in the mirror, and instead, my hand
went INTO the mirror. I jumped, and to my surprise, I slumped right in. I was like, in another dimension. We
neared the stone figures and noticed that they stone Kangaskhans, bold and unfriendly looking. They gave us the
coldest stares....it was like they weren''t even human!!
We spotted a dark hall of shadows to our left, and a wolf had been slain in the looming doorway, a puddle of blood
surrounding it. With no fear, we strode past the tyrant. But we made a fatal mistake. As we had past this evil
despot, the wolf''s eyes glowed an eerie red, and it gruffly, in an effusive, gravely tone, started to breathe.
""Hehehehe...."" it rasped.
A somewhat bigger stone figure of a Golem loomed over us as we trudged over the red carpet. The statue had been
properly dressed in a cape and crown. Carefully, I removed its crimson cape and golden crown. I dressed myself
like a hokey Queen.
""Hey guys, how do I look?"" I asked, flashing my new clothing. They all laughed and cackled.
""Tempting, but sorry. I''m trying to watch my figure,"" I bragged, acting like a self-centered Queen. Even more
laughs arose from the crowd. I looked back at the dusty statue, but something wasn''t right. The Golem was
GONE. It had vanished from its concrete stand. Our laughter turned to gasps as we saw an empty stand, no Golem
in sight.
""What the heck happened?"" Seadra stammered. And this time, she WAS scared. Our keen ears picked up the
sound of scampering feet in the hallway. We spun around. A small rat skittered over about a yard away from us. It
picked up a breadcrumb and ate it. More footsteps followed. Suddenly, out of the blue, the wolf had burst in and
instantly eaten the rat. The wolf evilly glared at us, and menacingly licked its chops.
It was just like any normal wolf, except when we backed away, its eyes glowed red and it growled repeatedly. I
tripped on something. It was a notice that said: ""No attack will affect the wolf. It hates love, so try being sweet.""
After reading it, I smiled devilishly.
""Come here, Wolfy."" I cooed. The wolf barked.
""Give Bubbles a BIG kiss."" I joked. The wolf backed away.
""You aren''t scared, are you? C''mon, let''s go on our Honeymoon.""
The wolf plugged its ears and howled in pain.
""Smooch, smooch!!"" I gestured. The wolf gave a final howl and disintegrated before us. Everybody cheered.
""How did she----""
""She''s so brave!!""
""HOORAY!!""
""I could have done that.""
Whisperwind strode up to me and smiled.
""You saved us all,"" he dreamily said.
""It was nothing."" I blushed.
""No, Bubbles. It was something."" he assured me. He walked back to the cheering crowds of water Pokemon.
Goldeens freely flopped on the ground with joy.
Chapter 5: Calm as the waters
After the wolf incident, we had restored peace to the castle. The Kangaskhans smiled at us as we passed.
""Top o'' the morning, ma''m."" a Kangaskhan happily greeted us. I waved to him. But, we couldn't get back up
to the mirror portal that we had been dropped from. Suddenly, I had a wonderful idea that would also impress
Whisperwind.
""C''mon guys, climb up that chain."" I commanded. We climbed up a chain that lined the wall, once at the top,
we came to a halt.
""When I give the signal, jump onto the chandelier."" I told them. A while later, I shouted
""GO!!"" I jumped from the chain onto the chandelier. The lights had burned out, and as I landed, the chandelier
swayed gently. I was followed by Whisperwind, KrabApple, Waves, Seadra, ScurvySeel, and Dewgong (one that
WAS on our side.)
We each gracefully bounded of the chandelier and flew aimlessly into the portal. The Clefable that had been a solid
statue was walking back and forth.
""Hey,"" I called. The Clefable spun around. She was middle aged, and looked like she was a guard.
""Oh, hi!! So, it was you who killed the wolf for the two thousandth time. Every year, he returns again and turns us
to stone. After terrorizing the whole castle and raiding the treasure, he then plays dead in the hallway. A warrior
comes and kills him, and the warrior stays here to be treated like a King."" she explained.
""Wow. That wolf must have a few scars."" I gasped.
""Do you want to stay with us?"" The Clefable asked. I smiled and turned to my comrades. After we came to a
decision, I turned to reply to the Clefable, but she had vanished to the shadows from whence she came. I shrugged.
We turned to exit the castle, but a Golem block our path.
""Hey!!"" I shouted, trying to push past. The Golem snickered.
""You don''t get it, do you?"" he mumbled, devilishly.
""The wolf was trying to tell you to get out."" he added.
Chapter 6: Moonlit Mayhem
""Huh?"" I stammered. The Golem''s eyes locked onto mine.
""The wolf was good. WE are evil. The wolf was trying to scare you out of the castle, to save your lives."" the
Golem growled. Everybody exchanged puzzled glances.
""Imbeciles,"" the Golem boomed.
""Guards!! Bring in the axes."" he ordered.
""Got to make a run for it...."" I muttered under my breath. I ran to the exit, but in a split second, the Clefable
blocked me. She clenched her teeth and moaned.
""I lied when I said that the wolf terrorized us,"" she growled. My eyes widened at the spiked club that she
clutched in her hands. ""We terrorize it!!"" she shouted, swinging the club at me. I ducked, and then, without
thinking, socked her in the face. Her hand shot up and she held her cheek. she staggered around aimlessly,
moaning and groaning.
All eyes were on me. Even my friends seemed speechless. Clefable removed her hand. She grinned deviously. She
had no scar or bruise on her face.
""Gotcha."" she growled. She balled her hands into tight fists and faced me. My chest heaved with anger and
determination. Clefable faced toward the faint light that poured through a crack in the ceiling. Somehow, she
absorbed the light, and it glowed around her. She was about to fire her projectile at me, but suddenly she stopped
dead in her tracks.
""Stop!!"" came a voice from the exit. Clefable spun around and was cautiously eyed by a suspicious Mewtwo.
""You''ve been picking on smaller Pokemon. Now it''s time to turn the tables on you!!"" the Mewtwo shouted.
The Mewtwo was getting pumped. She clenched a tight fist and aimed it at a Kangaskhan. As she swung her
violent fist, a neon purple light surrounded her, and she hit the Kangaskhan numerous times. Next, she nailed a
few Arboks, and knocked Clefable into oblivion.
As I watched the fight, I dug my foot into the ground. But, there were words engraved in the stone floor!! I blew off
the dust and read the inscribed words to myself:
""All monsters dwelling here will be destroyed after the 3rd full Moon of the new millennium."" Well, it just so
happened that tonight WAS the 3rd full moon, and it was almost over!!
I deviously grinned and looked up from the carvings.
""Hey, Lunar Lunatics!!"" I shouted. Everybody dropped what they were doing and stared at me.
""I know something you don''t know!!"" I boasted.
""And what is it that you know?"" Golem growled.
""I know that your terrorizing days are over!!"" I crowed, pointing to the rising sun.
The clambers of Kangaskhans and Armies of Arboks regained consciousness and stared up at the light. Clefable
and Golem''s jaws dropped.
""NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"" the castle Pokemon screamed as the sun got brighter.
""Cock-a-doodle-doo,"" I scornfully growled as their bodies dissolved and they disappeared into the shadows from
whence they came.
The Mewtwo smiled as the sunshine poured in on her.
""My work here is done."" she happily stated. In a moment, she was surrounded in bright blue sparkles.
""Wait!! What is your name?"" I called.
""Meru."" She called. Then she started to dissolve slightly, but as she was barely visible, her body glowed pink and
she floated gently up into the sunrise, and a morning sky smeared with purple and pink emerged.
Chapter 7: Tremendous Tragedy
We looked back at the glimmering rainbow castle. Beautiful outside, but innhabated with evil. We had made it out
safely, but unluckily, we had been there too long. The storms had taken course.
CRASH!! A streak of lightning bolted down. Water conducts electricity, and WE were water types. The lightning
bolt zapped us, and as we were chaotically, blatantly shocked, we were steadily losing HP. BZZZZZTT!! The shock
surged through us. We landed back on a cloud, but it disintegrated beneath us and we fell to our doom. Well, not
our doom, but it was doom for one of us.
Suddenly, I regained consciousness. I had blacked out from the fall. I sat up and rubbed the bruise on my cheek. I
hurried to Waves'' side. I shook her awake.
""Waves. Let''s get everybody up."" I told her. She shook the weariness from her head and hovered through the air
beside me. In about 10 minutes, we had everybody up. But something wasn''t right. One of us was still blacked out.
I rushed up to Whisperwind.
""Whisperwind? WHISPERWIND? Are you okay....?"" I asked with no clue hat was going on. Whisperwind
cracked his eyes open. ""We had so much fun."" he moaned.
""Wha----? What are you talking about?!"" I asked with great ambition. ""I can''t go on like this, Bubbles."" he
groaned.
""NO!! Don''t think that. You''re not going to die!!"" I assured him. ""Bubbles, I''m bleeding from the inside. I
have no choice."" he cried. My eyes were flooded with tears.
""We....we can revive you!!"" I told him.
""There''s no revive for something like this. I just can''t hold out any longer."" he convinced me. I looked around.
The world flashed before me. Ever since I had met Whisperwind in Kindergarten I had liked him.
I remembered swinging ambly across the vines over to the the calm cave, Whisperwind by my side. I remembered
the many times we had played baseball, Whisperwind cheering for me. I remembered showing him my Luminaire
attack. And now, my best friend''s life was coming to a halt.
Whisperwind''s eyelids grew heavy. I grabbed his hand and held it tight.
""I won''t let you die!!"" I cried, my throat stiff. My heart was violently being ripped in half, as Whisperwind was
dying in front of me.
""I''ll never forget....."" he groaned. But his voice trailed off as he went to sleep ----
forever.
It was the biggest hardship I had ever faced, to say goodbye tor a dear friend. But for some screwy reason, God had
intended this to happen.
""I''ll never let go, Whisperwind...."" I cried as his life slipped away. Seadra suddenly appeared behind me. I got
up and wiped away the tears from my eyes.
""The Cat-fishy-thingy checked out. So what?"" Seadra blabbed, without remorse. I raged with anger As I swiftly
spun around, I caught that You-lose-you-loser smile on her face. I balled my hand into a fist and smacked her. I
know. I bit the hook that she threw. Seadra rubbed the red part of her face and stared coldly at me.
That night, we settled around a campfire and roasted marshmallows. I sighed unhappily. This wasn''t my style.
Whisperwind was gone, and I just had to face that.
""I have a feeling,"" I started. ""that somebody else will die next. And this time, it couldn''t be funny."" I
continued, staring at Seadra in a blaming way.
Our conversation stopped at a faint rustling of the grass. KrabApple waddled over and shakily pulled away the tall
weeds. ""I......I feel like I''m being watched."" I stammered. We all shuddered and thought about the dangers that
could live in the grass; Coyotes, poisonous toadstools, fang-bearing snakes......
""You guys!! Come see this!!"" ScurvySeel shouted. We bolted to his side and took a peek.
""Woah....."" I breathed as we gazed over the grass. A grassy hill, dotted with an extremely large variety of
flowers, stretched out for a little ways. Palm trees lined the border of a small lake. A rock, blared with detail and
covered with moss, stood starkly next to a strange little hole. A pink light emerged from the trees. As the light took
form, it came to our knowledge of who it was.....
""MERU? What in blue blazes are you doing here?"" I called over the crickets that chirped wildly. Meru spun
around and
""Oh!! I knew you hydros would make it this far!! Please come here."" Meru replied. We stepped lightly, as not to
get our feet cut by rocks.
""Well, I see everybody is fine....wait a second, where is Whisperwind?"" Meru questioned us. My face fell.
""Gone. Forever."" I brought to her attention.
""Oh no.....don''t tell me he''s....."" Meru trailed off.
I nodded. Meru''s face fell, too.
""Oh, Bubbles. I''m so sorry."" she tried to comfort me.
""Not as sorry as I am. I couldn''t help. It was already too late. There was nothing I could do."" I blamed myself.
""Bubbles. More Pokemon will die on your little ''hydro strike''. Not just him."" Meru advised.
""What''s a hydro strike?"" I asked. Meru crouched on a log.
""It''s what Mewtwos and Mews call a journey of water Pokemon. The same way we call journeys of fire Pokemon
''flame rages''."" she explained.
""You guys can stay here if you want to,"" Meru offered. We decided to, and stayed at the Pokemon paradise for
the night. We lounged in the lake, and the superheated water was blazing hot at first.
After we got used to it, we ordered Room service....I mean, lake service. Mewtwo rushed to the lake with Pikachu
A La Mode served on a silver platter.
""Thank you."" I said. I floated over to a dry rock in the middle of the lake, and set the Pikachu A La Mode down.
""Come and get it!!"" I shouted to my comrades. They gracefully swam over and we peacefully munched on the
Mewtwo-served Gourmet dinner.
Chapter 8: In your wildest dreams!!
Somehow, I managed to sleep through the fairies hovering above me. I had the wildest dream. So wild, I almost
know of no words to describe it to you. Two words: Flame Rage. I was a Wartortle trapped in a world of flames and
total chaos.. Right after I fell into a deep sleep under the water (Wartortles sleep underwater,) the dreams flew to
my mind.
I hurried over the rush of lava tidal waves. The glowing red eyes bared by the wolf were hot on my heels like a
homing missile. I had no choice but to take a scorching dive under the torching ocean of lava. My head was
shrouded in molten rock and blasting flames. I couldn''t hold my breath much longer. I had to find a place to get
some air.
Astonishingly, I found an obtuse snail shell filled with air. I paddled into it, and without me knowing so, the wolf
had followed me under the lava. Its head was jabbed in the opening of the shell, stuck tight.
Unable to force its head in any farther, the wolf snapped at my feet. Though under the lava, its teeth gleamed with
razor sharp edges and points. I breathed in a big sigh of air from the aired shell, and headed for a section of the
shell that was weak and giving in. Before the wolf could snap its jaw at me again, I headbutted weak spot of the
shell and made a clean escape. Or so I thought.
I surfaced for more air, but it came to my attention that I had splashed my way to a lava Palace that was above
water level....er, LAVA level. I hopped aboard and tiptoed past the guards. Their limp bodies bored lifeless looks
on their pale faces. I bolted to the Palace entrance. Inside, lava bubbled and made grim "sound effects."
A moat of lava and burning rock surrounded the entrance to a pitch black cavern. I had to make a long jump to the
other side. I jumped very far, and sliced my tail through the air to make the jump longer. Once on solid ground, I
took a deep breath and crawled into the catacombs.
Bats screeched in the west wing. I shuddered shakily and continued on. I crouched in a little gully and listened for
danger. I looked from side to side to be aware that no evils were lurking in the corners and no green eyes of
vampire bats peeped out of small holes. The cost was crystal clear.....no, luicid clear, so I continued walking
cautiously through the rocky caverns.
Suddenly, I heard a faint spraying sound echoing from down the corridor. I followed my ears for a ways, then
paused. Lava rapidly sprayed out of peepholes in the red-rocky walls, then poured down into a pit with a trickle.
At certain times, the lava paused from its spraying cycle. That gave me enough time to shinny on over to the other
side. I hesitated as the lava spewed, but after a moment, bolted to the other side. Clumsily, I forgot about the pit,
and was sent sprawling down to a mini lava lake. With a devastating splash, I was forced under like a cannonball.
I knew I could push against the bottom to send myself to the top, but when I reached down----
I realized there was no bottom.
I was running out of air. I needed to find some air. Fortunately, an underwater.....I mean, underlava cavern was
visible, plain as day. I used the Wartortle stroke to get there faster and without struggle. As I was washed up on a
beach, I coughed and sputtered lava. The beach was made of crimson colored sand, unlike the golden shores that
stretched across the coasts of our island. I was no longer in the catacombs, for the sky, dotted with clouds, loomed
above me like a lava ocean upside down. I made my way over to an ancient looking wooden bridge. If I had only
one word to describe it, that word would be unstable.
As soon as I stepped a foot onto the shaky bridge, It collapsed. I gripped the rails as the wooden planks of floor
gave out. The planks fell aimlessly into the superheated lava and dissolved into smoke. Still gripping the rails for
dear life, I still had an optional move to make. Fall into the life-taking lava and become a deceased Wartortle, or
jump to the other side. I made up my mind (easily) and flung myself over to the other ledge.
What lay ahead of me was astonishing. Whisperwind, my lifelong friend, and Seadra, the snotty bully, had died
and were sprawled on their sides on the ground. I was so scared, I couldn''t talk. Meru crouched next to them and
sighed.
""This cannot continue,"" she determinedly uttered in a moan of sorrow.
""I must stop this before it gets worse!!"" she exclaimed, jumping up.
She sprinted to the end of the ledge, where the ground dropped straight down into a bottomless blunder of pitch
black. She exploded into a glowing pink light and was mysteriously teleported somewhere. I bolted over to the edge
where she had disappeared from, and started into the blood red sky. The menacing clouds twirled above me in the
wind, as if being repeatedly spun in a whirlpool.
I nearly jumped at the sound of footsteps that scraped at the sand behind me. I spun around, and to my horror, the
wolf had trailed behind me the whole way. I tried to scream, but it only came out as a squeak, soft like cotton. I
backed up a little, and came to a halt as I stood at the end of the ledge. I stared the wolf in the eyes, and as I
cowered in its shadow, the eerie red light of the wolf''s eyes glowed brighter. As the wolf came nearer, it pulled its
mouth into a devious grin. ""Hehehehe......"" the wolf laughed softly.
""Bubbles, Bubbles!! Wake up!!"" whispered Waves as she nudged me repeatedly. I shook the weariness from my
head and cleared my face of the dazed look.
""Wha.....?"" I yawned. Was it all a dream? I looked from side to side.
No wolf. No snail shell. No lava. No corpses of departed buddies and or loved ones. Just a pearly purple morning
sky scattered with the scudding clouds, which seemed dazed, too. I smiled.
""I had a dream that you wouldn''t believe,"" I finally spoke.
""Like what?"" Seadra snottily asked me.
""Don''t ask,"" I replied.
""Don''t tell."" Waves advised me.
We wanted to tell Meru that we would be continuing our journey, just so she wouldn''t freak out. We searched fro
top to bottom. Not in the lake. Not climbing trees. Not swinging from vines to find golden treasure. I was getting
seriously worried.
""Hey, you,"" I started as a Pidgeot landed on the velvety grass.
""Did you see which direction the Meru went?"" I questioned him.
He flew away with grace.
""He was no help,"" I muttered. But to my surprise, the Pidgeot made a U-turn in the air and landed on a stubby
tree branch. He perched there without flaw, and replied to me.
""No. That Mewtwo has a way of disappearing into the mist."" he explained.
""You''re the nicest one of your kind,"" he complimented me.
""All the other Wartortles acted brutal toward me."" he finished.
""Thank you..."" I replied, beaming.
""What''s your name?"" I asked.
""Willowing. Well, though I am not of the Articuno family, I am a decedent of Winterwing, an Articuno who, as I
remember, met up with some grass Pokemon a while back.""
""Nice to meet you, Willowing. Since your decedent helped the grass greapers, will YOU help US?"" I asked in a
pleading way.
""Wartortle, I''d be honored. How may I be of assistance?"" Willowing grinned as he faked a salute like a soldier.
""Guys, this Pidgeot wants to help. Come here."" I shouted over the obnoxious uproar of Pokemon voices. They
rushed to see what was up. The sticky scent of the wildflowers that swayed in the cool morning breeze was
soothing. Willowing moved his wings outward so that his downy chest was exposed. As the hydros made it over, I
tried to explain to them.
""Meet Willowing, hydros. He wants to....."" I was interrupted. Kingler started to munch rudely on an orange.
""Ahem,"" I started.
""Bone apetit. I suggest you listen."" I coldly.
""Sorry,"" Kingler burped as he gulped down the remnants of the orange (and whatever else he had scoffed down.)
""Well, he wants to help us. And I was thinking, we could....."" I was again interrupted. ""We could tie flutes to
his wings and make him fly around like a jumbo jet. Get real."" Seadra hissed.
""Get real? Am I fake? But....SEADRA!! You''re a genius!!"" I exclaimed with enthusiasm.
""Duh? What''s a genius?"" she mocked.
""Never mind. Waves, give me your flutes."" I commanded.
""But those are family treasures!!"" she objected as I snatched her two flutes. I found some beaver sinew that
happened to have been on the ground. I used the mildewed sinew as string, and tied the flutes onto each of
Willowing''s wings.
""The deal is,"" I started.
""When you flap your wings, the wind makes sounds through the flutes. Fly over safe places, and if we make it
there, we''ll hear the flute music and know where to stop."" I explained.
""Great. I''ll do that."" Willowing nodded. With a faint whisper, he zipped of into the sunrise.
Chapter 9: A ride through the catacombs
A short while after Willowing had taken liftoff, some shocking.....er, ""scorching"" perdicaments took place. A
rumbling tremor shook the land, and frantic flames burst down the mountain.
""Run!!"" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My comrades followed in terror. All except.....
""KrabApple!! Hurry along, now or you''ll be crab meat, served in a Sizzler restraunt!!"" I screamed over the
busting flames. KrabApple huffed along.
""Have fun...."" he moaned, feeling worn out.
""Stop that talk!!"" I yelled. I rushed over behind him and pushed him forward.
Each hydro was pushed against a faded stone.....no, boulder, which seemed to be ready to tumble over any minute
now.
""Guys!! The hole!!"" I pointed. We formed a long line and one by one, (me last, looking out for the others) we
slid into the hole. The flames poured closer.
""Hurry!!"" I shouted. Faster they seemed, like speeding bullets. ""Down!!"" I yelled. Then, I had an idea.
I grabbed a gigantic stick and wedged it between the boulder and the ground. Waves popped out of the hole.
""Bubbles!! Stop it, and come down here!!"" she ordered. I pried the boulder out using HM04, Strength. The
boulder toppled out of its perch and rolled toward the hole. Just before I was scorched by fire and lava, I jumped
into the hole. The boulder covered the entrance, disabling the flames and magma from spilling in.
""Nice idea,"" complimented Waves. The dark, damp cave bore a smell of coal and stale water. The mushy ground
was all muddy and sodden, and stank to high heavens. Stalactites dotted the ceilings and Stalagmites flooded the
ground. Bats chirped repeatedly and fluttered through the stuffy air.
Our silence didn''t last long, as the magma had created holes and started to seep into the catacombs.
""Onward!!"" I yelled as the lava and fire poured after us. We acted as agile as we could, and slid on our rears
down a steep and sleek slope.
The lava was lingering behind us, but caught up to us again at a high speed. Bats skimmed the air behind us, and
some bats were violently charred to a crisp in the rush of flames and burning rock. A jittery ScurvySeel trailed
behind me.
The narrow pathway that we skidded down was getting thinner by the moment. I had a wonderful idea. I squirted
an ice beam in front of us, and in a raging flurry, we had gained speed and were racing along in the lead. This sort
of nightmarish cave was kind of fun.
Seadra made a big mistake. She lifted up her rear and farted into the flames. She acted like it was a joke, but as the
flames grew bigger and swifter, her tickled pink face turned solemn and somber. I grinned smugly to her in my I
told you so smile, and she glared back. As the flames enlarged again in size, I fumed more ice onto the ground
until I was out of the intensely freezing icy slush.
Surprisingly, the slope raised upward slightly. We were sliding down the sooth passageway fast enough for a
speeding ticket, and stopping at this point was difficult. We spouted upward toward the ceiling, and flew out of a
narrowed little hole between some stalactites.
Chapter 10: On the road
We had come so far, we had entered a whole different time zone. Breathing hard from exertion, I gazed around to
see if everybody had made it. Yes, nobody was hurt, urgently injured, or dead. I flopped on a bed of grass, bearing
a harassed look on my face. The foliage of clouds that littered the sky made it hard to tell if it was dusky or ore
dawnish.
By night time, the moon had became a sliver in the darkened sky, and the cozy little cave that we had settled in
was surrounded in mist. The night was so fogbound, we had to smell our way around if we got up lazily. I groggily
blinked and rubbed my eyes. I was in distress. I mean, with KrabApple and Kingler''s pinchers tickling your
stomach, ScurvySeel''s muzzle on your head, and Waves using your tail as a pillow, wouldn''t YOU be in
destress?
""I''ll rip your head off...."" Seadra snarled in her sleep. Nice, huh? As I moved my arm, I disturbed Dewy the
Dewgong''s swishy tail. ""Grumph....."" he answered my movement sleepily. I sighed and tried effortlessly to
sleep. My poor, chafed body was covered with Pokemon.
As the sun-drenched morning had just taken over, I awoke amidst an empty nest. Everybody had gone. Why? I
asked myself politely. I took a big whiff of the air around me. Swarming with cherry blossoms that drifted softly to
the grass, the sunrise was more beautiful than most anything I had ever seen. A reluctant Bubbles (me,) got up,
finally. I rubbed my golden belly and grumbled.
""How long was it since we ate?"" I asked. Nobody answered. I was feeling emptiness around me, so I started out
of the nest and looked for my friends.
No sooner than I had exited the warm, cozy nest, I spotted my fellow hydros crouched in a circle. I crept forward to
listen in. Yes, I know eavesdropping is rude, but as a child, I had been informed by my mother that interruption
was also rude.
""I never knew Bubbles was so smart. At first I thought she was half asleep and unaware of what she was doing,
but as the boulder toppled over the hole, blocking the lava, I regained trust in her."" Dewy the Dewgong bashfully
admitted. My chest swelled with pride as the sunlight began to pour down on me.
""Myself, I think she was trying to squish us and join the electric types. But her devious plan saved us instead.""
Seadra objected. I drew away, suddenly gloomily.
""Now Seadra,"" Waves shook a rueful finger at her.
""She saved our lives, and the least you can do is lighten up."" Waves finished.
""Excuse me,"" KrabApple cut in.
""Bubbles noticed my struggle and pushed me along to the hole, whereas Seadra pushed her way to the front of the
line, and jumped into the hole first."" KrabApple returned Seadra''s jealous objection, coming to the conclusion.
""Okay, all in favor of Bubbles leading us through the journey, raise your hand, paw, tail, fin, and or pincer.""
ScurvySeel surveyed. Paws and claws bolted up, some frantically waving in the air.
""All in favor of Seadra leading us through our journey, raise your hand, fin.....aw, whatever."" Waves polled us
next. Only one fin shot up, and that being Seadra''s.
""So, looks like Bubbles is out leader,"" Waves happily announced. ""YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!"" The
hydros yelled, dancing for victory.
""BOOOOOOOOO!!"" Seadra shouted greedily.
""You pieces of snail scum know that I am better!! Stupids."" Seadra added in her incompetent ways.
""Well...."" Waves started, clearing her throat. ""If all you can do is rant and rave, Seadra, then.....""
""KASPLASH!!!!"" she was interrupted by a spill of water that whisked by. Sploosh!! It hit Seadra in the face.
Sopping wet, Seadra glared at the culprit, who happened to be Dewy.
""Tyrant."" she uttered in a low sigh.
Chapter 11: The stir of shadows
I retreated back to the nest. Pretending to be dillydallying around, I pretended to snore heavily.
""Hey Bubbles."" Waves "woke" me. I rubbed my eyes and looked at her questioningly. She grinned at me.
""Did you enjoy our conversation?"" she asked. What a blunder I had made. Waves, apparently, had seen me
crouching behind the palm tree. I stiffened and grinned, embarrassed. After Waves had left to forage for food, I
emerged from the nest.
Many distant objects snagged my eye. A piercing violet flower swayed in the frantic wind, its inside swelling with
golden pollen. Amongst the tilted cherry tree, the blossoms swirled cheerfully through the air, and parted into
petals before falling lightly to the ground. I stood meditatively under the shade of a pineapple tree. As I looked up
at the pineapple tree, I spotted a pineapple that looked ready to plunk to the ground.
I thought about lurching up to pluck the plump, round fruit from its secure perch in the tree''s leafy branch. But,
snatching it would "disturb" the force of nature. I let it be and shifted my view to behind me. The sky was sprinkled
about with the most exotic clouds you could ever find. Transfixed on the strange new world around me, I continued
to look from here to there.
For a minute, a minute that seemed like eternity, I gazed downward, off the towering cliff, and spied the meadows
and meadows of clovers. Oh, how I longed to dive in and crawl trough the field. Forming a ring around a faraway
tree, golden poppies were scattered. Another wonder of nature, I mused.
There was never a shied moment nowadays; always something----such as the dragonfly that darted by----to keep
my attention caught. The ripe smell that floated through the air, I could swear, was as if a dream. Sagely, I flopped
on my belly in the tickling grass and stared in awe up to the sky.
As I sat there like a potted plant, I witnessed the golden furred field mouse that scampered by. It gingerly grabbed
up an almond, sniffed it, then scittered off to its home. The clouds that puffed in the sky bore a sort of drawing.
There were no particular clouds that formed anything, as to one took the shape of a Raichu. A distant wind blew
some peach and cherry blossoms in my direction. They sliced through the air cleanly. As a home, this paradise had
captured my approval.
But I had no choice. Sooner or later, it would come time for us to leave. The least I could do was come up with a
name for this place....a name that wasn''t as dull as ditch water. With that thought firmly embedded, it didn''t take
long for me to come up with a name that suited the place just right: Lupine Luxury.
Around midday, as humid as can be, Waves and the gang had returned from hunting.
""Bubbles!!"" Waves called. I arose from my grassy plume in the nest, smelling the air that breezed anew.
""We have to get moving."" Waves continued.
""Why move again?"" I questioned with contentedly.
""Because, we are profitable Pokemon. We need to go home."" Waves continued.
""I want to stay here,"" I refused.
""We can''t,"" Waves moaned with anxiety.
A devastating sound from the grass changed my mind. The eerie breathing sounded infuriated, and the gruff sound
of it sent an icy cold, breezy chill down my spine, making me stiffen up.
""Okay....let''s go!!"" I called, bolting up and running away. As we left, the wolf arose from the grass, eyes
glowing intensely......
Chapter 12: Revenge of the Sun god
Over another chilly spring night, our labor had begun to kick in. I stirred and awoke that morning as the pink glow
of sunlight bloomed over the horizon. I''d dreamt the dream again, about the wolf and the lava world. I balled my
paws into little fists and yawned. That dream would come to my mind every night, and wouldn''t finish until
morning. Butterflies tickled the air as a mean breeze threatened to blow them away.
We weren''t that safe snoozing amidst the open grass, and taking deep breaths of air, I started to fall back asleep.
The still, quiet pond we had settled at was nothing more than tranquil. Limpid lily pads marred its lazy surface,
and a gentle mist remained pouring on the ground. I reached behind me to grab for Whisperwind----but as I
remembered that he was no more, I cringed. I suddenly wondered if the wet, sticky liquid that dripped from my
cheek and rippled to the ground was rain....or something else.
Amongst the midmorning, the air turned muggy. The utter darkness that had overcome my empty heart was taking
advantage of me. Water hoppers skimmed the pond''s surface, scrounging for food. Unnoticeable at first, a frog
squatted on a lily pad, and croaked softly. Then it plopped into the water with a dazed KA-PLUNK and the
morning slowly continued.
I was the first hydro astir, then tried to rouse the others. The sky, desolate and gray, was spilled with the scudding
clouds. Ensnared in the honeysuckle vines, a sleek, golden mouse stirred. The more it struggled, the more tangled
it became. I reached over and cut the vines with my claws. Released, the mouse scampered over and squirmed
under my arm for safety.
""Looks like you''ve ad a new friend,"" Seadra mumbled coldly.
""Yeah. I guess."" I faltered. Flabbergasted, the mouse wiggled its way out and climbed up to my shell. It had been
so long, I had forgotten that I had the ability to carry objects in my shell. The mouse scraped its way in, and once
inside, took a nap.
""Looks like the little guy likes you,"" Waves giggled. Seadra lumbered back to her spot. Not just me, but
everybody, had the notion that we should trundle on back to the sea, but we couldn''t turn back. If we went back, it
would take longer. Waves started to prepare breakfast.
I rubbed my aching belly at the thought of food, and licked my lips. Feeling tired and forlorn, I just had to except
the fact that Whisperwind had perished. Perhaps we would meet again, someday, but it seemed highly unlikely.
Finally, I stood up, a twisted look of dismay on my face. I stretched and headed for the flat, circular rock that we
were using for a table.
""Okay, I''ve slain breakfast."" Waves gleefully informed us.
""What do you mean 'slain'?"" Seadra complained.
""Do you mean to tell us that we''ll be eating something live?"" Seadra moaned.
""No,"" Waves sighed.
""I''m just saying that it''s time for breakfast.""
Halfway done with breakfast, the tranquil pond was turned to chaos. As the clouds covered the sky, the sun only
shone in a pale light. A heavy rain started to fall from above, followed by a rapid cyclone of lightning. Mouths
agape, we watched in horror as the lightning zapped a rotting tree.
We had the intention that the tree would have hurtled over on us anytime, without warning, but as the tree
splintered in half, we fled. The sickening stench of the tree made us go almost paranoid. Lightning seemed to
follow us, zapping the ground. We had no
place to hide.
""Run!!"" I screamed out in warning. I tried to suppress my anger.
""Guys, let''s swim across the pond to the other side."" Seadra ordered.
""Wait!! No, Seadra----"" I trailed off.
""Listen, Bubbles, if we stay here, we''ll be shocked to death!! COME ON!!"" Seadra screamed. Waves looked at
me with a glare. ""Seadra''s right. I''m going with her."" Waves told me.
""So am I,"" Dewy said.
""No you''re not!!"" I corrected him. ""Seadra!! Waves!! Water is a conductor of lightning!! You''ll be shocked to
death!!"" I screamed across the pond. The two were still in the middle.
""Shut up, Bubbles!! I''ll never listen to you again!!"" Waves yelled at me.
My heart beating madly, I started across the pond. I came to a halt. I wouldn''t want to kill myself. I suddenly had
an idea. I gave myself a hard thrust up a palm tree. I grabbed A vine that I had been keeping in my shell. It was
yards long. I grabbed one end with my paw, and snatched the other end, too. I was holding the vine in the position
of a jump rope. I dug my feet into the tree and threw the vine.
It landed with a plunk into the pond and wrapped around Waves and Seadra. Once the vine was securely coiled
around their bellies, I pulled with all my might. I was pulling them back to the shore. I grunted with determination,
my palms growing sweaty. I grabbed the vine in my mouth and wiped my hands. Then I continued pulling
violently.
Waves and Seadra were almost to the shore. I pulled repeatedly, and finally the two came to the shore. But, just as I
unwrapped the vine from them, Seadra bolted back into the pond, thinking there was "still time to save herself".
""No----"" I shouted. But it was too late. The lightning streak zapped down on the pond, and since water is a
conductor of lightning, the whole overgrown puddle was zapped----
Including Seadra.
I was 'shocked'. Why didn''t Seadra trust me? She knew I wouldn''t harm anybody, but she still wanted to prove
herself cool by swimming to the other side.
""No......"" I cried as my voice trailed off. ""Nooooooo.""
Chapter 13: The Final Kick
Waves took this especially hard. The reason being? That''s one detail I forgot to give. Waves and Seadra were
sisters. Waves was the older one, but Seadra had always been trying to prover herself better than Waves. Waves
had loved "little Seadra" deeply, but Seadra had never been as much as nice to Waves.
That morning, rain still fell like bullets of a gun. If we were to exit the safety of our cave, we would be pelted with
the rain, which hit so hard, it felt like acid. We vigorously bit into our chocolate covered bananas. How long had it
been since we had a decent feast? None of us knew, as we were too busy chomping into our meal.
Waves hadn''t eaten a bit. She would raise her food up to her mouth, take one lick, and cry. The whole death of
Seadra thing had hit her surprisingly hard. Dewy Dewgong almost never felt sorry for ScurvySeel, his younger
brother. But the deal with Krabby was, HE bullied Kingler, his older brother. A younger sibling obtaining more
power than an older sibling? I had no idea why this went on.
My older brother, a Blastoise, had died at Water War II. His real name was Sid, but everybody called him
''Spike''. Whenever Mom or Dad (which the Dragonairs were holding for ransom,) called him Sid, he would
simply ignore them or say ""I can''t hear you"" until they referred to him by ''Spike''.
At the Water War, Sid, I mean, Spike, had been hit so hard by the enemy, that he evolved back into a Squirtle, and
only knew Tackle. At this, the enemies roared with laughter, and they immediately murdered him. I had no idea of
what this meant, pity me, I was only level 3 when the news reached my miserable mother and forlorn father.
Unexpectedly, the rain ceased. Just like that. It was still a bleak day, but we shoved ourselves back into business.
Waves lingered behind us, her head drooping. I rushed over.
""You okay?"" I asked.
""You couldn''t save her, could you?"" she snarled.
""Wha, what are you talking about?"" I questioned. I couldn''t BELIEVE what she had just said to me!!
""You couldn''t save her."" she repeated.
""She broke free so fast, I couldn''t try."" I cried.
""Admit it, Bubbles. You WOULDN''T try."" Waves hissed.
""Are you crazy?"" I asked.
""You despised her."" she growled.
""She got on my nerves a lot, but I don''t hate anybody. Maybe the wolf, but not Seadra."" I confessed. I would
never had said that if Seadra were listening.
""Get real!!"" Waves screamed. She drew her arm backward, then slapped me across the face.
My eyes popped open with disbelief. My friend? Hitting me? I rubbed the red part of my cheek angrily.
""Heheheh. You kill my sister, I kill you."" Waves evilly muttered.
""I didn''t kill her!! She killed herself!! I'' not a murderer!!"" I shouted.
""No, you aren''t a murderer. You''re a murderess!!"" she slyly corrected me. I have no idea why, but I then
grinned deviously at her. She returned my grin with another evil smile. It was then that we started to battle.
She started off with a slash long my chest. I billowed bubbles in her face, and the attack froze her. I then pounced
on her immobile body, and tackled her. My temper caused me to grow unbearably hot, and I melted the ice, freeing
her. She kicked me 6 times, and I determinedly glared at her.
""Go ahead. Try and attack."" I hissed.
When she punched me repeatedly, I absorbed the damage. I fired a thrust of water at her, and returned her
punches. She fell to the ground, then pushed herself back up. I daringly uttered a low growl. She Double-slapped
me, and I thrashed my claws in her face, leaving a mark.
I spat freezing water at her, and combined it with some ice and slush. The water circled her, and as she sat
stunned, I formed an orb in the air. I deliberately kicked the orb, and possessed the orb''s power. I used it to kick
and shock her. That special, advanced kick, I had named ""Final Kick"". And it was my final kick, because
Kingler and Dewy broke up the fight.
""STOP IT!!"" Dewy screamed at Waves, who, trying to break loose from Dewy''s grip, was angrily growling. As
Kingler pried me away from our battle ground, I tried to thrash away from him. I glared at Waves, and, more
determined than she, madly started to grind my teeth.
Chapter 14: Proto paranoid
We had broken up the fight, and were huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. Not the Mystic wolf from the
castle, but the wolf from that fairy tale, The Three Little Pigs. We had put the battle out of our minds, and were
heading for a small mountain to our north, atop a great volcano....perhaps the home of the legendary fire Pokemon
of the Flame Rage? I was hard to get that stupid book, Flame Rage, out of our heads.
As we were halfway there, the ground beneath us started to give out. As it caved in, we went down with the large
mass of rock, dirt and mud. The way back up was far out of reach!! We piled on top of each other, but still, we
couldn''t reach our only exit. Our journey was over. Actually, no, it wasn''t. Lucky for us, there was a strange
warp gate shimmering behind a stalagmite.
Our blood chilled. This was deadly spooky. Where would the portal take us? We had no clue. When we got there,
would we cease to live? We had no clue. Would we find an easier way if we looked around this limestone cave? We
had no clue.
We had no clue to what would happen in our future. We decided to take our chances with the time warp. If we
found the new era dangerous, there would have to be a portal leading back to the cave ruins....
I signalled quietly to my comrades to enter the warp. They tiptoed over silently, as not to wake any bats or giant
Weevils. As the time portal opened and we stepped in, we were teleported to a place....
cold, dark, and lonely.
Blue neon lights started to flash before us. The lights turned purple, still glowing, then the end of the warp
appeared. We floated safely to the ground....
and checked our surroundings.
Ruined and sabotaged machinery lay deserted around us. Despite the blunt doldrums that we were amidst, there
was a narrow path cleared through the wreckage and rubbish that nobody seemed to need.
As we emerged out of the muggy ruins, we spied a sign that had been blown over by the crude breeze that threw
itself about. The sign read:
""Bangor Dome"".
Shivering, we trundled to another dome that stood untouched down the path. The sign here still remained jabbed
into the ground. The carefully engraved words: ""Proto Dome"" were fading in the wind. We cautiously entered
the dome, looking from side to side to be aware if danger approached.
In pieces, a robot of a Wartortle had been knocked apart. I drew closer. It was a harmless piece of junk!!
""Wow....a humanoid robot!! How....cool!!"" I gasped. ""It houses all the DNA of every creature that ever
lived......!!"" I added.
""I wonder if I can fix it,"" I mused. I crouched next to it, and examined the damage. ""It''s bad...but I can do
it!!"" I smiled.
Several hours later, the Robot Wartortle lifted its metallic eyelids and stared at us.
""Good morning!!"" I greeted him.
""Good morning....?"" he said in a robotty voice.
""I fixed you."" I announced.
""You? You fixed me? Why, how may I ever repay you?"" he replied, bowing to me.
""Would you like to tag along?"" I offered.
""Is that permitted?"" he asked.
""Yes,"" I returned.
""I would be glad to, miss....."" he trailed off.
""I''m a Wartortle.....name''s Bubbles."" I told him.
""May I be of assistance, Miss Wartortle?"" he questioned.
""Please, just call me Bubbles!!"" I moaned.
""Why, no. That would be rude."" he explained.
""In my opinion?"" I giggled.
""What is your name?"" I asked politely.
""You mean, my model? I am an R-724-950."" he said.
""Hehehehe.....may I give you a better name?"" I questioned.
""Go right ahead."" he offered.
I scratched my head and thought deeply. As I came up with the perfect name, I drew closer to our newfound friend.
""How''s Cyclone sound?"" I asked.
""Cyclone!! What kind of a name is----"" ScurvySeel exploded with laughter and giggles. I nudged him with my
elbow.
"".....Like, nice to meet ya, Cyclone."" he changed his way.
We then headed for an abandoned touch-me-not Factory. With our new friend, and computer genius, Cyclone, we
were going along fine. A green circular pad was used as an ""elevator,"" and worked very well, too. Seven green-blue colored foes, called ""Alkalines,"" were strewn about the unheated metal floor. Quietly evading them, we
headed to an abandoned elevator.
Cyclone seemed to know his way around the factory, and that, believe me, was a good thing. Laugh if you want,
but I started to admire Cyclone. He was smart, helpful...everything I could want in a comrade. Something told me,
now that Cyclone had come, that water Pokemon weren''t in danger of extinction.
Now that Cyclone''s here, everybody''s cheerful,"" I smiled. Lagging behind the group of hydros, I caught up.
""Hey...."" I started. Everybody spun around and listened. ""I, as leader of the hydro Pokemon, nominate Cyclone
as the new leader."" I finished.
""By this, you aren''t trying to tell us that you''re dying.....are you?"" ScurvySeel shivered.
""No,"" I replied. ""I just think he''s more suitable for the job than I."" I smiled. Cyclone beamed and blushed at
the same time.
""We''ll both be the leader."" Cyclone decided. I blushed intensely.
It was so strange, but suddenly, I started to like Cyclone.....I mean, LIKE-like him. I know, a real Wartortle and a
Robot Wartortle, not a good couple in most people''s opinion. But....there seemed something bout him that wasn''t
so....robotty.....so, metallic.
As we stepped into the newly discovered room, Cyclone gasped. ""Them!!"" he happily cried. ""They are my
friends!!"" He pointed. A tidy row of Robot Wartortles stood tall before us, except, their metal bodies were
yellowish gold. ""R6G-946!!"" Cyclone shouted. ""IFL-65, NES-772!! It is I, R-724-950."" he called. He strode
swiftly over and gave R6G a big hug. R6G gave Cyclone a mean shove and glared coldly at him. IFL-65 and NES-772 piled on top of him madly.
""Wha, what are you doing?"" I questioned them. They rudely ignored me and continued to beat up on Cyclone.
Some friends.
""What is the purpose of this?"" Cyclone asked, rubbing the red part of his metal face.
""You must be killed."" they crowed.
""Meaning, please?"" Cyclone questioned with unbelieving eyes.
""You have shamed us!!"" they shouted. ""You are a disgrace to RoboTortles worldwide."" R6G added.
""In what way have I shamed you?"" Cyclone shouted in reply.
""The outsider, Bubbles has reprogrammed you. She Makes you malfunction, as you are meant to serve Lavos, not
a Wartortle."" R6G sighed.
""Mal....functioning?"" Cyclone asked in a weak voice.
""Yes."" IFL snarled.
""I''m.....malfunctioning....."" Cyclone trailed off. He slumped on the ground. His head hung.
A glistening tear formed in the corner of his eye. It trickled down his cheek and dropped to the ground. ""Robots
can cry?"" I thought. I was astounded. Again, the "friends" piled over him. They crashed onto his head and slashed
him, they preformed all of their attacks.
""Stop it!!"" I hollered. But, ignoring my frantic cries, they continued the rivalry.
When Cyclone ceased to move, they assumed he was dead. They lifted him up and hurled him into a nearby
garbage booth. I charged up and shot a Hyperbeam at them. They were hit so hard, they decided to flee at the
moment. ""Cyclone!!"" I yelped. I peered into the garbage booth and gazed lovingly at Cyclone. ""Aww, they
trashed you!!"" I groaned. Motioning for Dewy to help me, I started to pick Cyclone up.
Chapter 15: Something is Loose in the Proto Dome
All night I had been grabbing at loose wires and replacing broken circuit boards and vacuum tubes. The going was
tough, so the tough (me) got going, and quickly fixed Cyclone with some delay. But as the pink glow splashed over
the horizon, triggering dawn, Cyclone was back in town.
""Good morning."" he smiled contentedly as the sunbeams poured in on him.
""Good morning."" I replied. I jumped at him and gave him a tight hug, as I had been more worried about him
than I ever had been worried about Whisperwind.
With a sudden boom, the dome shook and vibrated. With a faint ZZZZTTT, the black lights of the dome burned
out. A piercing pair of red eyes emerged from the shadows. Utter darkness was what we were amidst. The red eyes
glared coldly at us. A howl broke over the dome, shaking us.
The only source of light that remained was the neon green glow of an Exit sign. Below the word EXIT, an arrow
pointed left. I had remembered that you had to follow the Exit signs to escape a burning building if it was dark.
""Hydros!!"" I shouted.
""Bubbles!! What the heck is happening?"" Dewy cried as a clump of the ceiling had caved in.
""I haven''t got a clue, but everyone follow the Exit signs!!"" I shouted over the uproar of destruction.
Following the exit signs in a blunder, I lagged behind the hydros. The crimson glow of the wolf''s eyes trailed
behind me the whole way. If this canine WAS trying to help, like that evil Golem said, then why was it after us like
a Maniac?
""Heheheh!!"" the evil eyes seemed to "say".
""You!!"" I shouted over all the rapid noises that echoed through the metal walls.
""OWWOOOOOO!!"" the wolf howled. It drew closer to me and growled. I could only make out its bleak
silhouette against the shadows, and its lucent red eyes aglow.
I turned and ran, the wolf hot on my heels the whole way. Suddenly, I came to a dead end. I spun toward the wolf
and saw it bound and leap closer. It pulled its mouth into a devious grin and growled. My chest heaved with anger.
My heart beating madly, I frantically searched for an exit. Above me, there stood an open hatch. Waves, Cyclone,
Dewy, and KrabApple watched my deadly dilemma.
""Hurry!!"" Shouted Cyclone as Kingler skattled over to the hatch, a vine clamped in his pincher. Snatching it,
Cyclone frowned and tossed the vine down to me, through the opening. Clasping it in my hand, I forced myself up.
The wolf drew backward, getting ready to strike.
I climbed higher up the vine, stopping to catch my breath.
The wolf grinned toothy smile, its teeth catching a glint of white.
Forcing myself higher, I cried out in pain as my muscles strained.
I glared angrily at the wolf. Turning back toward the exit, I climbed the vine. Almost to the top, I smacked my
hand onto the dusty surface of the earth, then pulled myself up.
The starry night was free of clouds. Just a lucid clear sky, with glistening stars here and there. The Proto Dome,
and the area around it, vibrated rapidly. As every last hydro that escaped scampered to the nearby bushes, the dome
went up in flames.
Like an errupting volcano, flames burst from the dome''s core. The wolf, the blood-red-eyed tyrant, had been killed
with the dome, supposedly. But.....as the flames died and the dust cleared, we spotted the silhouette of that mad,
crazy wolf. Waves backed away, shakily. Defending her, I leapt forward.
The wolf didn''t do as much as flinch, then face the full moon and howl. If tales of Werewolves were fantasies,
then somebody please tell my why the wolf bared razor sharp fangs and walked on two legs, huh?
""Get over here!!"" I grunted, slashing the wolf''s furry chest. Sent sprawling backwards, the wolf staggered over
the wreckage, and the remanent of the Proto Dome that was no more than sabotaged.
The wolf growled gruffly before biting off part of my wavy tail. My tail grew back immediately, since my tail was
made of water. Suddenly the wolf sniffed the air. It yelped and limped away.
Chapter 16: The Flames Strike Back
We spun around quickly to see what the wolf had run from. Flames loomed above us like a wall, forming a circle
around us. Surrounded and about to surrender, our eyes started to water and tear up, the cause being the smoke that
shrouded the air.
""Hydros!!"" I called as the flames grew bigger and enlarged. I slurped up a large supply of water and spat it at the
flame wall. The water killed some flames, briefly allowing us to slip into the forest. The flames rolled over the
remanent of the domes, destroying everything they touched.
Deep in the dark forest, the muggy air bore a sickening stench of rotting mushrooms and mossy glens. A hornet''s
nest that stuck to a tree was "buzzing" with action. Hornets fluttered frantically in the air. We kept low while
crossing their territory, as not to be stung.
A gloomy swamp bubbled ahead and made gruesome "sound effects". But luckily, the rotting lily pads that floated
limply on the swampy surface provided great surfboards. ""To each his own lily pad."" I giggled.
Stepping aboard the limpid lily pad, I wavered my arms at first but got the hang of it. Riding the murky green
waves of the swamp water on a lily pad, it was a shame when I reached the other side of the swamp; as it had been
fun surfing.
Crickets chirped wildly in the exotic shrubs that lined the ground. We took a rest for a while, to stop and catch our
breath. I stood on a mushroom and looked over the forest to sea our whereabouts, but all in sight were the
monotonous trees and.....
My knees started to shake as the mushroom beneath me moved. I sprawled backwards, then scrambled back up.
The mushroom was alive, and wasn''t happy about me using it as a stepping stool.
I won''t get into the gory details of the fight. But after battling and winning against the mushroom, or "Hetake" in
our language, we walked dejectedly down the grassy lanes in the forests.
Chapter 17: The harsh......
We had scrambled our way to the bramble bushes that outlined the end of the muggy forest. Plunked into the
ground was a decaying sign that looked quite old. It read: ""This way to harsh......""
But the ending of the sentence was fading way in the cold rain that showered from the heavens. It was most
peculiar.....
Scrape!! A thorn brushed against my tender skin. ""Skunk slam."" I moaned, cringing. But, rubbing the deep
wound, I slid through the sopping wet thorny vines.
""I will not allow my commanders to suffer in pain."" Cyclone snarled. He extended his fists and cut each vine
down. Unknown dangers we would encounter, but we would be strong and live through.
I looked above myself and spotted a branch that was low enough to grab, and below me, a bottomless abyss of dark
shadows. Thunder bellowed in the skies above, and we then decided to get a move on. ""Careful. The ground could
give out any minute, without warning,"" I whispered.
""The only way across seems to be that branch,"" Waves pointed out.
""Okay. Prepare to swing."" Kingler giggled.
We tiptoed over the shaky ground as rock and soil crumbled and crackled beneath our feet. I trundled to the back of
the waiting line and patiently waited for my turn. When everyone except me had swung across, I shakily started
over the pit, in a quite conciliatory way.
Gripping the branch in confusion, I swung across. I hadn''t used branches for transportation in a long time......so
this seemed new and hard to me. My mind wandering, I lunged off and hit the other side with a devastated thunk.
As I got up and wiped myself off, the ground beneath me crumbled. ""AIEEEEEEE!!"" I screamed.
""Say it ain''t so!!"" yelled Waves, tears springing from her eyes.
""Miss Wartortle!!"" shouted Cyclone at the top of his metallic lungs. As I plunged into the shadowy crevice, I
could just make out
Cyclone''s silhouette against the sun, lunging in after me.
I knew my journey would soon be over. But, surprisingly enough, Cyclone caught up to me. He extended his arm,
signalling for me to take his hand. I reached out and grabbed hold. But, unexpectedly, he pulled me up and held
me close. Then, the falling ceased. We floated toward the safe ground......I couldn''t believe my eyes.
As a crowd of water Pokemon pranced and cheered, I rubbed my eyes to be sure of my surroundings. Yep. Just as
I''d thought. I was safe at the edge of the cliff again. ""I forgot to bring to your attention, Miss Wartortle,""
Cyclone started, ""That I own a pair of jetpacks."" So that was what had caused him to float upward, I thought.
Smiling, I started to reply.
""And Cyclone, the name''s Bubbles."" I said as it started to rain.
But as we climbed the steep slope before us, the bushes rustled. A furry head with a broad, gray muzzle, emerged
from the underbrush. Its evil eyes glowed with the same majestic red.
""Hehehehehe......"" the Wolf snickered audibly, as some leaves and debris blew by in the frantic wind.
Chapter 18: The Nestbuilders
""Fooooood."" I moaned, flopping on the ground.
""Hot digity doggggggsssss....."" Waves chirped.
""Sodaaaaaaa!!"" Cyclone panted.
""Ice creammmm??"" Dewy huffed.
""PIDGEOT!!"" a voice screamed.
""Huh? Who said that...."" I shakily responded. Suddenly, Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, Seaking, and Magikarp burst
out of my shell. ""Wha, what were you guys doing in there?!"" I asked, my mouth dropping open.
""Hiding."" they all replied at the same time.
""Well, you missed a lot."" Dewy recalled.
""But hey!! I said, there''s a Pidgeot in the sky!!"" Starmie shouted. I looked above, and saw a Pidgeot sailing in
the wind. At the same time, so faint, but beautiful music played. I grinned.
""That''s not just a Pidgeot.""
""Huh? What is it with Bubbles today? She''d better wipe that evil grin off her face before I do."" Starmie
whispered.
""KUROOOOKUUU!!"" I shouted into the wind. I had done a Pidgeot call. Immediately, Willowing, the Pidgeot
who we had et earlier, swooped down and made a perfect landing.
""Nice to see you again."" he politely greeted us. Then, he kissed my hand like a gentleman. Cyclone glared at
him, as if to say, ""Hey, you, get away from my girl."" But I could still tell he was jealous.
""These are safe grounds,"" he started, ""Only the best for Miss Wartortle.""
""Wha....."" Cyclone started to say. 'Miss Wartortle' was what he had called me, and how dare that Willowing
impersonate him. What I didn''t know was that the Pidgeot, Willowing, wasn''t our friend.
""Shall I prepare a nest for you?"" he asked.
""Ummm......."" I responded but he interrupted.
""Perfect. I shall have my Ratattas build you all an exquisite nest.""
In a flash, a hoard of Ratattas emerged from the bushes. They formed a tangent line and one of them arose and
saluted Willowing. ""Attention!!"" he shouted. The line of Ratattas stood up straight and saluted Willowing , too.
""I would like you to build one a supreme king-sized nest. TODAY."" Willowing appointed them. ""Yes sir, right
away, sir!!"" The lead Ratatta graveled.
By sundown, the Ratattas had ended their long work on the nest. We all yawned and snuggled up in the safe, cozy
nest. As everybody took his or her place, Willowing gave me a good-night kiss on the cheek. Cyclone snarled.
The only place left in the nest was a spot right next to Cyclone, so I slept there. The wolf-and-lava dream came
back to my mind again, but that time, when the wolf laughed evilly, Willowing swooped down and saved me. But
the dream soon ended.
I lay there next to Cyclone, and yawned to wake up. Cyclone''s steel back was facing me. I tossed and rolled
over.......and was soon screaming. Laying right on the other side of me was a scull, its sunken eyes glowing an
nuclear green, and its toothy mouth grinning with an evil pleasure. ""EEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"" I screamed.
""Woah!! What the----"" Cyclone woke up. ""Miss Wartortle, did you have a bad
dream......AAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!"" he broke into a shrill scream.
Soon, every hydro was up. We exited the nest, frantically, and were again astonished. A bony skeleton lay perfectly
erected on the grass. ""AAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!"" screamed Waves, clinging to a tree. I shushed her.
""It''s lifeless."" I whispered, creeping closer to the skeleton. Immediately, it perked its head up and glared at us.
It shook and opened its mouth before getting up. It staggered nearer to us and slashed with its bony fingers, but
only caught air.
""Willowing----HELP!!"" I screamed as I crept away.
""Hiya!!"" hollered Cyclone. To my surprise, he had leapt over me and was violently attacking the skeleton. When
his slashing ceased and the dust cleared, the skeleton hurled a bone at me.
""URGHF!!"" I uttered a defeated grunt as I hurtled to the ground like a bowling pin.
""HEY, bucko, you keep your bony mitts off her!!"" Cyclone snarled. He then did something that I never would
have expected..........
he abandoned his armor.
As the metal dissolved and was no longer attached to his body, I saw his true form. He was a slender young
Wartortle who looked like a ninja. Before I could say another word, he started to float in the air, as if he were
preforming the luminaire attack, but summoned the sun''s light.
Then, his body glowed with solar power, a lucent, sunflowery yellow. And, taking in more sunlight, punched and
kicked the skeleton. He could punch so fast.....it was like the speed of light.
""Ahhhhhhhhiiieeeee......"" the skeleton squealed before burrowing into the ground from whence it must have
come. Cyclone''s chest heaved with determination.
""Cyclone!!"" I shouted. I dashed up to him and locked my eyes onto his. ""Why didn''t you just show me your
true form in the first place?"" I questioned him.
""Because.....I......I thought you would hate the real me."" he groaned, staring dejectedly down at the ground.
""Are you kidding?"" I asked. ""You don''t have to be a superhero to be cool."" I whispered in his ear.
Chapter 19: The Nest Burns
We clutched torches in our hands and stomped toward the nest. ""BURN IT!!! BURN IT!!! BURN IT!!! BURN
IT!!!"" we chanted. Cyclone and I lunged forward with torches and lit the nest to fire.
Two-thousand torches later, the nest was all ashes. We cheered and high-fived each other.
""Having fun?"" a voice evilly boomed. We spun around and saw Willowing standing on a hill against the
moonlight. ""Hope you''ve figured out my secret----and the nest''s secret."" he laughed evilly.
""The nest holds a secret?"" Waves questioned.
""Ha!! It was built over a graveyard!!"" Willowing roared in laughter.
""YOU!!!"" I shouted. ""You AREN''T on our side!!"" I yelled along with Cyclone.
""My, my!! Aren''t you smart!!"" he bellowed.
""Make a run for it!!"" I shouted to the hydros. We lumbered through the stinging rain and slid down a hill.
""That''s it!! Run away to Mommy!!"" he belched, then broke out in laughter.
We trundled down the hill, but came to a dead end. I spun around and spied a small cavern, but big enough to fit a
hoard of water Pokemon. Just in the nick of time, we squeezed into the muggy little cavern. Willowing was
perched at the top of the hill.
""You won''t get far!! I can tell you that!!"" he shouted over the thunder and rain that poured like the Niagara
Falls.
The only obstacle that kept us from sweet victory was a tremendous boulder. ""HM04 won''t budge it!! We have to
move it."" exclaimed Waves.
""I know,"" I started, ""We could dig around it. Then it would be loose and roll away, allowing us to get past.""
""How can we dig? Does anybody have the TM for it?"" Kingler asked.
""I think I do."" volunteered Cyclone. He took a peek into his shell. ""No!! I forgot it at the Proto Dome!!"" he
shouted in disbelief. Nobody else had the TM. I was their only hope.
""Hyper Beam....Bubblebeam....Psybeam...Solarbeam....Dragon Rage.....Blizzard....Psychic....Thunderbolt.....AHA,
here it is, DIG!!"" I shouted happily.
I started to burrow around the boulder. It toppled loose and a humongous hole was revealed. ""What''s next, cow
tipping?"" I bragged. I stared blankly at the sign that pointed at it.
"This way to The Chasms Of Kero." the sign read. I was startled, for as I looked down into the dark opening in the
ground, I spied a whole different civilization.
Chapter 20: Kere.....what?
""Aaaaaahhhhhh!!"" I yelped as I was sent sprawling into the chasm. BOOM!!!! I hit the ground with a thud. I
indignantly got up and brushed myself off. As soon as everybody landed, noticed a tall, volcano-like
mountain...............
except it spurted water, not lava.
""What the hell is that?"" I whispered.
""I bet it''s not their dirty laundry."" muttered Cyclone. But, the answer lay ahead, and SOMEWHERE in the
chasms, evil was aloft.
""Hey, I''m cold. Let''s go in that ski lodge."" I suggested. It was agreed, and we headed to the doorway.
Shivering in the protection of the lodge''s foyer, we sighed as a wave of relief washed over us.
""Bubbles...."" wailed a voice that seemed far way.
""Wha?"" I gasped.
""Bubbles...."" the voice wailed again, this time somewhat closer, making me jump in astonishment. Suddenly, I
saw somebody stride over to us. My eyes adjusting to the utter darkness of the lodge, I recognized the face, the tail,
the cat-fishy features of him. That 'somebody' was Whisperwind!!
I was just about to sail into his arms, shouting his name repeatedly, ""Whisperwind!! How glad I am to see you!!""
But before I could even shake my tail, Whisperwind''s eyes glowed and eerie green as he stared menacingly at us.
My face bore a startled look as he came closer. I felt like a weighed a ton. I was getting weaker. Suddenly, the
lodge door blew open and light poured in on Whisperwind. ""HHHHSSSS!!"" he hissed, shielding his eyes. He
backed away and his eyes ceased to glow.
The loathsome beast disappeared into the dark, gloomy corridor.
""What the heck was that?"" I screeched.
""I don''t know,"" started Cyclone, ""But I think we''d better leave that door open.
Chapter 21: The Creature''s Lair
I frantically searched for remnants of Encyclopedias and notebooks. We needed a description on this creature.
""I found a diary!! Maybe it has info on that thing."" I shouted. Hydros rushed from every side to see my evidence.
""It''s......locked....."" I grunted, pulling the lock. Finally, it burst off. I read aloud the contents of the leather book:
Date: Friday, October 13, 1999
Entry: It''s all over. This creature is out of control. I have to stay with my mother and father in the light of the fire,
and we are running out of matches. Our flashlight''s batteries are dead. The monster hates the light, and we''re
running out of things to burn. There are no windows for us to break and escape from, and we''re desperate to get
away from the evil that lurks inside this lodge.
- - Damian Dragonair
""Oh, gosh. I have a feeling that we''re in grave danger."" Waves cried.
""There''s more."" I added.
Date: Sunday, October 14, 1999
Entry: We have given this....THING a name, the Ombra. If it comes near, its eyes glow green, and if you look at
them, it saps your power and transforms into you, once you are helpless. That''s why we can''t go out of the light.
The Ombra is always out there....waiting in the darkness for another victim. The fire is low. Our nights are
sleepless, as we have to keep watch for the Ombra. Lord, how I hate the Ombra.
- - Daniel Dragonite
""Noooo!! I knew we''d never return to the sea!!"" Waves screamed. ""We''re all gonna die!!""
None of us knew where the Ombra, that languid creature, had trundled off to now, in this chaotic lodge. Our
'journeying fatigue' was making us more vulnerable to the Ombra''s deadly eyes. Our only source of light was the
lantern that I clutched in my hand. Cobwebs occupied the ceiling like a little canopy.
""Whatever the Ombra is,"" ScurvySeel started in a surly tone, ""I hate it.""
""Tell me about it."" Dewy replied in a tone even more surly.
""Nope. Don''t believe it. This is NOT happening, and I''m going back to the door."" Starmie faltered. He spun
around in a panicky manner, and tried to go back, but........
""KEEEYYYAAAA!!!"" Starmie screamed in terror. A skeleton, entangled in cobwebs, had unexpectedly toppled
out of a cabinet that seemed prehistoric. I handed the lantern to Cyclone and bolted to Starmie. I pulled him away
from the bleak skeleton. Its twisted features stared back at me like a mirror surface.
Cyclone looked in a leery way at the skeleton. He strode over and picked up one of its bones that had popped loose
(but was still embedded in tussocks of cobwebs.)
""Big bag of bones,"" he snarled, bashing the skeleton wildly with the bone. ""C''mon Bubbles, let''s go."" he
finished. Before snatching the lantern, I looked around in a wary way, to be sure we weren''t being hunted by that
predator, the Ombra......or other evil fiends that dwelled.
Suddenly, the lantern''s flame flickered and burned out. That''s when the sounds began to echo around us. And
the bleak silhouette emerged from afar. As it neared us, its eyes glowed that evil, limy green. My power started to
ebb. The Ombra sneered at us, drawing closer. I tried to elude the lucent lime that shone on me.
Still in the same place as before, the Ombra feverishly sneered at me, in a completely scornful way. The relentless
glow continued to brighten. Dropping to my knees, I was about to surrender my life, when......
WHOOSH. Some curtains blew open, illuminating the room. ""HHHHSSSS........"" hissed the Ombra, creeping
away.
""Guys, we had better get in the light of the window, so the Ombra can''t get us."" Cyclone suggested.
""Good idea."" I commented. And, making my way out of the darkness, I tore after him.
Starmie started to whine in the shadows. ""Uuuunnnngghhhh....."" he whimpered aloud.
""Stop that awful din, the Ombra will hear us."" I shushed him. He immediately stopped.
Chapter 22: Killin'' The Creature
Once we were all showered in the dimming light of the window, I spotted a lamp fixture sitting adjacent to a small
table.
""Does that work?"" I mused. Cyclone looked around.
""Cover me."" he whispered. I watched for the Ombra while he checked the lamp. ""Nope. No Light bulb."" he
sighed.
""Maybe we can sneak into the kitchen and grab a bulb."" Waves suggested.
""Not....possible....."" a raspy voice cut it.
""Huh?"" I surprisedly gasped, for, pushed against the wall behind the curtains was......
.........A Dragonite.
""W....wh....who are...you.....?"" Magikarp stammered.
""My name....isssss.....Daniel......"" the Dragonite rasped.
""Daniel Dragonite?"" I started. Before anybody could fit any more word in, the ground below Daniel shifted. He
was being sucked into a sinistrorsal vortex of death.
""De....destroy the Ombra!! Don''t let it become more senile....."" he trailed off as he was sucked into blunder that
sent him....anywhere.
Then, the Ombra appeared in the shadows. It drew closer. We were unsafe......for the sun was setting swiftly.......
As the menacing creature trundled forward, I had a brilliant idea.
""Pokemon forces!!"" I shouted over the dreadful din of the lodge. ""NOW!!"" I yelled. Then, raising my hand
above me, an orb of light materialized, once again illuminating the lodge. I snatched it from the air.
""The prowess of Water, set this sinister fiend awash!!"" I shouted, as the orb glowed cyan blue.
""Grass abilities, spincut this rotten apple!!"" I commanded, the orb turning green.
""Electric minions, fry this tyrant!!"" I continued, the lucent lime now glowing sparkly yellow.
""Psychic sorrows, drain your loneliness into this evil scoundrel!!"" I demanded, a purple glowing orb now in my
hand.
""Fire secrets, shroud this devil in pain!!"" I ordered, the plum purple now glowing red.
""Fighting felonies, steal this senile monster''s soul!!"" I finished, the orb now glowing of the colors of each
Pokemon''s type.
And, a mean ambition about my heart, I hurled the glowing orb at the Ombra. The whole room exploded with the
dancing rays and beams of light. When the light cleared, all that remained was a peaceful lodge, neatly organized,
the fire glowing, The lights turned on, and the 'tranquil tranquilness' of the lodge anew.
And, flapping off into the sunset, I could almost make out a happy Dragonite flying back to where he came from,
his heart overcome with freedom.
Chapter 23: Tempest Caverns
We had found a cave that led into some dark catacombs, behind the ""Fallcano"", the volcano that spouted water.
At the entrance to the caves, there sat words engraved in the stone wall. It said:
ÁÁþþÑÑææÆÆÄÄ........
ÐÐððððððØØßßÿÿþþÞÞççÅÅÛÛûûÃÃÓÓêêéé ææÆÆ,
ÝÝÑÑÝÝððððððååÅÅÞÞþþþþÞÞÜÜÿÿýýÛÛùùÙÙùùÍÍÔÔßßßß.......
""Jibber jabber."" Moaned Waves. I decoded the foreign Pokemon language, and found what it ACTUALLY said:
Tempest Caverns........
Here is gathered the entire world''s bloody history of greed and hatred.....
We entered the catacombs, and, trembling, we looked for signs of demons watching us, licking their blood-thirsty
chops......
Then the ground rumbled and gave out beneath us. We landed in a chafed heap in a deeper, darker part of the cave.
When I finally opened my eyes, all I could see was a heap of bones piled next to me....a pyramid of skeletons.
""AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!"" I screamed, tears springing from my eyes, only to be ripped from my face in
the wind that bore an intense, repugnant stench, that blew all about the area. The rank, corrupt aroma was so septic
and revolting that, with an explosive surge of helplessness, everybody else started to scream, too.
At first, what looked like the puddles of water on the floor, turned out to be puddles of crimson blood. I figured out
that we were trapped in a mutilated, lifeless, decaying entity. As our blatant screams stopped, we struggled not to
breathe in the stale alien oxygen that occupied the catacombs.
I tiptoed my way over to a skeleton that appeared to be clutching something in its limp, lifeless hands. I pulled it
free. It was a note that was scribbled in cursive writing, that read:
What is hidden in the darkness......
tricks full of ill will.......
The lonely shadows hide traps of carnage and butchery......
I looked shakily at Cyclone, who was shivering from head to toe.
""This is awful......."" moaned Waves, who, whimpering and crying, clung to Dewy for protection (Dewy looked
utterly satisfied, quite content at this.)
""C''mon, how can we get a good view around here?"" Cyclone thought aloud.
""Sure, we could climb the nice skeleton stairway. What''s next, Einstein?"" Starmie pouted. ScurvySeel glared
coldly at Starmie, while Staryu corrected him.
""He didn''t mean that......hehehe......"" Staryu shivered, disliking the idea of climbing the skeleton stairway.
""Okay we have a pyramid of bones to climb."" Cyclone decided.
Chapter 24: Bones for Old Crones
Up the towering pile we trundled, whimpering and whining. I tried to hide my scared feelings, but it made me feel
even more scared. Then, not as I had expected, a cold, withered hand snatched at my ankle. I tried to shake free,
but the bony hand, covered in other skeletons, wouldn''t let go.
""EEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!"" I screamed in dismay.
But then, the bleak skull of the skeleton emerged out of the heap of bones, and its eyes gazed feverishly at me with
an eerie red glow.
Before I could shriek again, the pyramid of skeletons started to crumble and fall. My screams had caused an
avalanche.
I fell off the collapsing heap, the skeleton hand breaking off of the arm, but still clinging to my ankle. I surged
backwards, and instead of hitting the ground with a thump, a trapdoor burst open and I was sent sprawling into
one of the cavern''s many basements.
I hit the ground extremely hard, the skeleton hand breaking free of my ankle and shattering into scraps. I caught a
glimpse of the empty, desolate limestone ground, which was also splattered with puddles and puddles of blood.
Then, hurting from my fall, I passed out.
When I finally shook myself back into conciseness, I noticed that the floors were no longer empty, for a skeleton
was laying on its side next to me. I was so horrified, I couldn''t even scream. I just got up and ran.
I bolted down a dark, gloomy corridor. I was at a dead end. But luckily, I spotted a corridor to my left, leading
away from the dead end. I bolted in, but my path was blocked by a skeleton, that was "playing his ribs" like a
xylophone.
The skeleton drew closer, its left eye glowing blood red. Its right eye, quite different from the other, glowed an evil,
glaring green. And, as it, like the Ombra, sucked my power from me, the wolf emerged. He drew closer to the
dilemma, and started to snarl. Immediately, the loathsome skeleton''s eyes ceased to glow.
""Hehehe....."" the wolf started.
Chapter 25: Skeleton Bones, CHICKEN Bones
""Spare her and I will spare you."" the wolf continued, its eyes glowing that evil red again. He leered feverishly at
the bony skeleton.
""Why, Shadowmaster? So you can slay her? How can I trust you? Shadowmaster, you traitor."" The skeleton
snarled. Then, as if in reply, he played a lonesome tune of hatred on his "bone xylophone".
""Hmm hmm. Like I always say,"" the wol.....Shadowmaster started, ""Skeleton bones are about as worthless as
chicken bones, if you can''t eat them, feed them to your dog. And that would be me."" Shadowmaster barked
shrilly.
He lunged at the skeleton and grabbed one of its delicious leg bones in his mouth.
""Mmm mmm, good."" he choked out, as he was too busy feasting. Giving up, the skeleton dug a tunnel into the
ground and fled back to the dwelling grounds of the skeletons.
""You, I thought you were evil!!"" I breathed out, too scared to think.
""Did you think I was stalking you?"" he questioned me.
""Yeah."" I replied, staring at the ground. ""How come your eyes glow red?"" I asked.
""If you want all the details, I''ll tell you."" he beckoned. Eager to know, I nodded my head. ""Okay,"" he started.
""A long time ago, in a barren desert, there lied a forgotten civilization. Or, at least, forgotten by most Pokemon. It
was a kingdom of sniper wolves, or, Pokemon protectors. Pokemon were scared of the sniper wolves, so, after a
long while of fret, they just forgot about them.
""But somebody had not forgotten, and was seeking a revenge on the wolves. The wolves who had defeated him in
a revolt. It was the time of the revolt that fire Pokemon were risking their lives to get home. The pyros had
forgotten, also, about the sniper wolves. You see, these wolves had no abilities at first, but one day.....
""......one wolf was trying to save an Oddish from a Muk that had gone beserk. He saved the Oddish, but the
Muk''s toxins had harmed the wolf, badly. Not that much later, the Muk passed away. It''s abnormal toxins had
mixed with the toxins that a Muk would usually carry, and that created a deadly, fatal virus. Luckily, the Muk died
before the virus could spread to other Pokemon.
""The virus had given that one wolf''s eyes a red glow, and then the virus spread to other wolves. Then after
taking effect on each one, the virus just disappeared. WE CANNOT DIE. Ever since, when we have shown up,
agitated Pokemon have hidden for shelter. And it''s mainly because of....HIM."" Shadowmaster finished.
""Who''s HIM?"" I asked with uncertainty.
""My brother, Shadowcat. He has turned on the sniper wolves."" Shadowmaster growled in a sad tone.
""Was he the one who scared us out of the castle, showed up in the Great Meadow, appeared at the Proto Dome,
AND watched us in the bushes, after I fell into the harsh pit?"" I asked.
""That was him, except for in the bushes, that was me. I was waiting to give Willowing, that oaf, some revenge,
but it looks like your pal, Cyclone, got to him before I could. Oh well."" Shadowmaster shrugged.
Chapter 26: Bone Soup For All, BONE Apetit
I gaped down into the plum purple acid lagoon, in curiosity. Shadowmaster took a rock and dropped it into the
overgrown stream. Immediately, the rock disintegrated in the acid. Vivid purple-puce colored fish surged out of the
raging waters.....umm, acids.
""The Viperfish are to be avoided."" Shadowmaster exclaimed. ""They have a violent ability. They can render a
Snorlax into bones in seconds."" he sighed.
""Is this like a bone temple or something?"" I shuddered.
""If that''s how you put it."" Shadowmaster replied.
There was a revolting engraving on the wall. It was a merely 'graphic' that seemed like a wall spider, its eyes
sunken and extremely skeletal.
""Psst!"" I whispered to Shadowmaster, who was snickering at a rat skeleton, whose bones had been picked dry by
the cloud of black flies that buzzed frantically in the septic breeze.
Shadowmaster strode over on all fours, and I pointed out a small trench that was dug in the crumbly dirt. Then I
looked at it from an angle, and discovered that it went underground. Then, the slight rain showers started. How
can it rain in a cave, I mused. As a fat rain drop hit my hand, I noticed that it was a dark, red substance......
BLOOD.
""Let''s go."" I decided, bearing a distraught look on my face.
""I''m not sure, Bubbles. We don't know where it....."" he started. But, before he could finish, I slid down the
slippery slope. "".....goes."" he finished, punctuating his sentence with a long sigh, before hurtling down the crater
after me.
BOOM!! I sped down the narrow tunnel like a speeding bullet. When I looked behind me, I noticed, wide eyed,
that we were being chased by a cascade of torrential waters, except for one major difference......
the water wasn''t water.....it was blood.
Shadowmaster and I sped up to elude the tidal wave that was hot on our heels. I saw a rock coming up ahead. I
nodded to Shadowmaster and we each zoomed around the rock.
With a skid, we slid off the slope, and over the acid lagoon. As we were momentaneously in the air, the brief
moment halted as we started to fall.
I shut my eyes tight and waited for the Grim Reaper to pay me a visit. But, surprisingly, I was no longer falling. I
opened my eyes, and realized that I had landed in a cave at the other side of the lagoon. But where had
Shadowmaster gone? I spotted him dangling over the ledge. He had barely made it. But then, his grip loosened as a
cascade of small rocks came down and hit him on the head.
""Nooo!!"" I shrieked as he fell. Off the side of the cliff. Then, remembering Seadra''s death, I looked down.
Instead of seeing Shadowmaster, I pictured a bleak image of Seadra, falling ominously down into a pit....a pit of
thunder. I thought that if I could save Shadowmaster......
.....I would also be doing Seadra a favor. I dug my hand into the compartment in my shell, and drew a vine, a long
one. The golden mouse that had decided to accompany me was hanging on the end of the vine. I grabbed him and
held him tight in my hand. Then, noticing a small ledge below me, I jumped.
Landing on the somewhat bigger platform, I hurled the vine down to Shadowmaster, keeping both hands on the
vine (after I had set the mouse down to watch on a rock.) Just before he was about to plunk into the lava,
Shadowmaster grabbed a hold of the vine. I pulled on the vine, and, wanting to pitch in, the mouse started to pull
on my tail.
After struggling not to fall in the acid, I finally managed to pull Shadowmaster up.
""Thank......you......"" he breathed, his chest still heaving from exertion. ""Who''s your friend?"" he smiled.
""Ohhh, I don''t have a name for him, yet."" I muttered. ""I''ve got it, I''ll call him...."" I started.
""Her,"" Shadowmaster interrupted.
""Her? Okay.....I''ll call her.....Ayla."" I decided.
Chapter 27: Stop by Le Skeleton Hotel
""Bubbles, Ayla, look!!"" Shadowmaster pointed out. I gazed over at the catacombs that we had fallen from, and
watched as the blood cascaded into the lagoon.
""Huh?"" I blanched.
The mixture of acid and blood turned the lagoon a sickly green, and it started to rise. To make matters worse, the
acid-blood carried with it, a whole horde of Viperfish.
""Let''s go!!"" I shouted over the crashing waves of acid that poured upward.
""Yeah."" Shadowmaster replied in assent. I charged up a flight of stairs that spiraled up through the ground like a
giant corkscrew, Shadowmaster trailing behind me the whole way.
Then, not as I had expected, the morning light emerged. We had found our way out of the Tempest Caverns. But
something wasn''t right.......
""AAAAAEEEAAACCCHHH!!!"" wailed a struggling voice.
""HELP!!!"" another shrieked.
""Let us go, you chaotic thing!!"" the previous one yelped. I recognized the voices.....ScurvySeel and Cyclone were
screaming for help.....
""HEY!!"" I shouted over the tormenting wind that tore over the surface of the plain. The cattails by the limpid-lily
shrouded pond swayed gently to the rhythm of the dawn. I realized that all of the other hydros were hiding in the
reeds and cattails. The skeletons that clutched my two friends in their grip ignored me, and dragged the Hydros
deeper into their spooky domain, a humongous castle.
Like the Moonshine castle, where we had first encountered the evil Shadowcat, murmurs and chaotic giggles did
reside out of its central core.
Upon further notice, I stumbled upon a glowing statue of a Raichu and Mewtwo on a gold cup. Words were
engraved in the cup. They read:
""In honor of Char, Chuchino, Vine, and Mew. The following Pokemon are protected as long as these two
Pokemon glow.""
""Bubbles!! It''s Shadowcat!!"" I was interrupted by Shadowmaster''s screaming voice. I spun around, and to my
horror, two wolves were desperately trying to kill each other.
""Noo!!"" I shouted, trying to halt the two from rolling off a cliff. But I was too late, for Shadowmaster and
Shadowcat had hurtled off the cliff.
""N....n....ooooo....."" I stammered, peering down the cliff. I leered at the castle as thunder crackled in the skies.
Chapter 28: The Serpent Stays Hidden
The insides of the dark, dank castled were too much for me. The clammy air was rank and muggy, and bats
patrolled the rafters. My foot was entangled in a cobweb, which I shook off. I stared toward the idol hallway in the
distance. Two gargoyle statues were perched, with evil grins, in the corridor. I had to sidle through a narrow
opening between them.
I gazed at the portraits on the wall, that seemed to gaze down at me. In one picture of King Dragonite IIVIIVX,
there were peep holes cut in his eyes. Cyan blue, lucent eyes gleamed back at me. I fled, not wanting the eyes to see
my every move. Valiant Pokemon were honored on the walls, which stretched from near to far. Then, I heard
sorrowful howls in the distant lounging room.
I set foot in the dusty room, but as the sounds had appeared to come from the room, the sounds eerily continued up
a flight of creaky stairs. Then, my thoughts were interrupted by a loud clamor. I peered behind me, and a wolf rose
up from a pile of debris, with an evil pleasure about him. Apparently, the tyrant had been pounding on the ceiling,
trying to break in, and the rafters had given in beneath him.
""Umm....Shadowmaster.......?"" I asked. The wolf''s exited dark eyes began to glow an evil red, brighter and
brighter.
This was not Shadowmaster. It was Shadowcat, getting ready to strike.
""Hehehehehe......."" he snarled icily. This despot was going TOO far. I backed away. I was all of a sudden getting
dizzy. Then, it hit me. Shadowcat was using Hypnosis on me.
Then, though not in reality, it felt like the entire castle was being capsized like a canoe. I started to whimper like a
feeble little Caterpie. Next, I felt like I was afloat in a flood of molten lava and spraying blood. I akwardly crawled
my way up the stairs, Shadowcat hot on my heels like an advanced homing missile. Though my vision was blurry,
and it started to get fuzzy, I could just make out......
......a cell? What was a cell doing in a royal shrine? I rubbed my dazed eyes and recognized ScurvySeel in the cell.
""Help!!"" he screamed. I stumbled and fell backwards and landed on a green button. The bars keeping ScurvySeel
retracted, and Scurvy was set free of the abridged cell. ""Thanks, mon!!"" He said in his accent. ""Here, you can
use some haze."" he offered. And that''s exactly what he did. He used a haze move, and I was no longer a Snorlax-Wartortle.
Chapter 29: Continuing the Chaos
But that nuisance of a wolf was still after us. Then, I smelled a rank, corrupt fragrance, like rotting flesh, and
looked behind me at the wolf. He was losing his fur and skin, and his skeletal features were shown. Soon enough,
we were being chased by not only an evil tyrant overthrown wolf, but by an evil tyrant overthrown skeleton wolf.
I came to a halt when a turn-table trapdoor in the wall spun around, releasing a flame dragon. It, along with
Shadowcat, bolted after us. A heap of rocks collapsed from the ceiling, temporarily halting the two. Another
trapdoor spun around, and I noticed that I had stepped on a blue button. I was ready to kill the evil that appeared
this time.
""Bubbles!! Let''s go!!"" yelled Cyclone, springing from the trapdoor. I stopped charging up for my Bubblebeam
attack. This was no evil, it was Cyclone!! We bolted through the halls, passing portraits and more gargoyle
sculptures. I became more taut and tense as the enemies drew nearer. I winced as a squall of flames lurched out at
us. Suddenly, Cyclone, ScurvySeel and I were sent plummeting into a cold, dark abyss.
Then, light shone out of a gap in the ceiling. I noticed that the plateau of golden sand that we were cowering on
was sinking into some lava.
""HURRY!! Climb up here!! I shrieked, climbing up atop a large pillar. Once we were up, I, along with Cyclone,
billowed streaks of Bubblebeams at the lava (Cyclone, however, using Icebeams). The lava froze into a sheet of ice,
and we scampered down from our pillar.
As we had each set foot on the ice, it cracked. Just our luck. We were sent sprawling into ANOTHER bottomless
pit.
Chapter 30: Reuniting
Cringing, I hit the ground with a splat. I felt a body land on top of me, and a Seel''s tail slap me in the face,
accidentally. It seemed like hours before I got up. I shook a dizzy feeling from my head. Cyclone sat up and rubbed
his rear.
""Owwww...."" he moaned. ScurvySeel snored. It was dark, but we could make out each other''s silhouettes in the
dark. In an instant, a light flashed on. We were in a dark cellar. Waves charged at me.
""I knew you''d make it. Gimmie five!!"" she said.
""Yeah!!"" I retorted, slapping her a high five.
""Look what we''ve got down here!! Food, beds, and DVD!!"" Starmie reported, pointing to Magikarp, Goldeen,
and Seaking, who were watching the Poke Bowl 2000. Upon further notice, I found a long table, dotted with bowls
of delicious foods.
""Oh my gosh!! Cherries!!"" I exclaimed ---- feeling like a familiar Pikachu. ""Peanuts!! Cereal and Pizza!!
Pepsi!!"" I continued.
""And....."" Waves announced, opening an oven. She withdrew platters of food.
""EEEEK!!"" I screamed, amazed. ""Lobster!! YES!! Shellfish!!"" I jumped for joy. But, suddenly, the two
shellfish talked.
""Bubbles?"" one said. It was a Shellder on the platter!!
""Shellshock??"" I gasped.
""I remember you!!"" Waves shouted.
""I thought you died from the Dragonair''s bomb!!"" Magikarp added, gazing up from the movie.
""Nope. I just took a different route. So did my brother and Rage."" Shellshock retorted.
""You mean, Cloystorm made it?!"" I demanded.
""Right here."" said a muffled voice. Then, the other shellfish spit a tomato from his mouth, and floated up off of a
tussock of lettuce.
""I don''t see how Cloyster A La Mode can be served without ranch dressing."" continued the Cloyster.
""Holy Alakazam Scam!! Cloystorm!!"" I hollered, sailing at him. ""Oh, Cyclone, I forgot to introduce you to
Cloystorm!! My mom''s friend, Linda Lapras, adopted him."" I continued.
""Nice to smell ya."" Cyclone mumbled starting to loathe. I turned back to Cloystorm, and continued to chat with
him as Cyclone moped around.
""HEY!! Lemme outta here!!"" wailed a voice. I opened up a closet, and a figure toppled out, laden with soot. He
shook himself, and revealed himself as a Gyrados.
""Yo Ragy!!!! How''s it, man?"" Dewy shouted, as he did his 360O routine. He landed perfectly on Rage''s head.
""Hey Dewy man!!"" Rage retorted, grinning.
Chapter 31: Main Course
For dinner, we were going to choose 1 Pokemon to sit with. I was tied between Rage and Cloystorm, but when
Rage selected Dewy, I started to Cloystorm''s table. I was halted by Cyclone.
""Hey Bubbles, do you want to sit with me?"" he asked.
""Sorry, Cyclone. I''m sitting with Cloystorm."" I answered, pushing past him. I sat down next to Cloystorm. A
disgruntled Cyclone seated himself next to KrabApple, who was pigging out on Boysenberries.
""Aren''t they lovely?"" KrabApple asked, munching and scoffing on the Boysenberries.
""I guess so."" Cyclone murmured, leering at me in a longing way.
39 bowls of berries, 28 servings of cereal, and 13 platters of peanuts later, I broke Cloystorm''s silence.
""Ahhhhh. I feel like Chuchino on a full stomach."" I exclaimed in a satisfied tone. Cloystorm scoffed down more
cereal.
""Ohhhhhh.....I feel like Chuchino on a ROLLER COASTER on a full stomach."" he moaned over a mouthful of
food.
But not long after our delicious dinner, an obnoxious noise sounded out.
""Guys!! Let''s make a run for it!!"" I commanded. But, turning to the exit that lead back up to the lava room, I
noticed that a huge pile of rocks, concrete, and other debris had plummeted down, trapping us in the cellar. I
remembered the chimney and how there were little footholds leading up it. I bolted to the other side of the room,
knocking Cloystorm and ScurvySeel over like bowling pins. Then, I came to a halt. A scrubby, scrawny wolf with a
scrabbly, thin body had just catapulted itself out of the fireplace.
""Umm....Shadowmaster?"" I stammered. The wolf smiled a toothy grin and neared me. It''s dark black, clear eyes
lit up to a bloodstain red. Wrong again!! My head still aimed at the wolf, I fumbled with the gadgets in my shell.
Immediately, another wolf fell out of the fireplace.
""Shadowgate!! Stop!! You''re making a big mistake!!"" he cried. ""....Please....?"" he urged on.
""Two!! NOOOO!!"" Waves screamed.
""Waves!! Shadowmaster is good!! He wants to help!!""
""Help?! Help my patootie!! He probably wants a main course!!"" KrabApple exclaimed.
""Hehehe...."" Shadowgate rasped, nearing me. I locked my eyes onto it. Then, I had an idea.
I created water bubbles in the air around me. I took them in and combined them with some ice sleet. I billowed
them out of my mouth at Shadowgate, and spun my tail in circles, creating snowflakes, which flew at him too.
Shadowmaster grinned and let out a huge roar. Light poured down on him, and his body glowed a sunflowery,
golden yellow. He lunged at Shadowgate, biting his neck, then biting his back. Shadowgate looked like lightning
had just struck him. Cyclone was the next one to grin and attack.
He first roared loudly. He pounded the ground, and the earth below Shadowgate shifted. Rocks fell on him from all
over. The dust and smog cleared. Shadowgate laid there, lifeless. His eyes were still open but no longer glowing.
He wasn''t breathing.
""Come on!! We have to leave!!"" Shadowmaster whispered. The hydros followed him up the chimney, coughing
at the ashes and smoke inside.
I couldn''t take my eyes off of Shadowgate''s dead body. It was sitting there....losing it''s will to live.....
""Bubbles!! Hurry!!"" my thoughts were interrupted by Cyclone, sticking his head out of the chimney. I started up
the chimney. Gripping a foothold, I cringed. What if there were other evil wolves? I stuck my head out again and
gazed at Shadowgate. His dormant eyes suddenly glowed that evil red.
""You imbecile."" he muttered, leering at me. ""Sniper wolves can''t die.""
Chapter 32: Temper Tempest
We''d lived to see daylight. What a surprise. Behind the evil castle was a field of grass that had tuned gold in the
summer heat. Well, although it was summer, grey, eerie clouds dotted the sky, blocking the sun''s rays.
""What does it say?"" Cyclone asked. We had discovered writing engraved in a tree. I could tell it would be
something unpleasant. Something very disturbing.
""Here."" Shadowmaster sighed. He whisked his paw over the ancient writing. His paw glowed green and in an
instant, the words were readable. I looked closer. Reading the words, I thought wryly, ""Bubbles, you''ve just won
a Million dollars.""
""Lemme see....it says.......Evil has reawakened, rendering everything it touches undead."" Waves exclaimed. ""Uh
oh.""
""Guys, something''s not right...."" Cyclone called with uncertainty. I ran individually over to the tree, where a
huge boulder had been discovered. ""Uhhhghhh......"" Cyclone grunted, pulling the boulder to a side.
It toppled off of the tree''s root, revealing pitch black chasms. The root dangled down into the depths like a rope.
Inside, threatening echoes volleyed from wall to wall. I stood there, stupefied at the eerie noise and deadly abyss.
""If you think I''m going down there, you''re insane!!"" Waves indignantly shouted.
""I''m not sure we should enter. It''s trespassing."" KrabApple moaned tentatively.
""Undead."" I murmured drowsily.
""Wh.....what?"" Cyclone queried. The hydros who had been admiring the sunset for a while looked up.
""Undead. Creatures with evil pleasures. Monstrous beings, exiled from the light. Beasts that originate from
darkness and darkness only."" I breathed. Cyclone bolted over. He grabbed my hand our fingers intertwined, and
he stared blankly at me.
""You don''t believe in that stuff, do you? It''s all a bunch of balderdash!! Evil. Undead."" he accented.
""That''s basically what this little trek is made up of, isn''t it? Evil? Undead?"" I pointed out. I turned to Waves.
""YOU''RE insane if you think that the tyrants won''t come back for more.""
Chapter 33: Hybrid Hole
KAPOW. I landed with a thud on the bottom of the cave. My friends were already flung about the rocky floor. I
propped myself up. I shook off my confusion and looked around. Bats were randomly strewn amongst the ceiling,
some of them stirring at the smallest sound.
""Waves...wake up, Waves. We have to get out of here!!"" I whispered. Waves shook herself up.
""Okay.....let''s go wake the others."" she replied. In a few minutes, everybody was awakened.
""So, Bubbles, where are our friends, the evil and the undead?"" Shellshock remarked in an offensive tone.
""Quiet, you."" I growled. It was completely dark, except for some burning torches that perched on the walls.
Strangely, the neon light that exploded from the torches was ice blue. In between the bustling little flames was
another cavern. As our only choice, we entered.
""It will be easy to become disoriented in catacombs like these."" I told the hydros in a voice of realization.
""No duh, Bubbles!! We''re in uncharted chasms!!"" Cloystorm pointed out. In this next cavern, there were rows
of dinosaur legs. But up, just before where the knee would have been, the legs had been cut. Green fire was set
ablaze in them.
The two rows of dinosaur legs surrounded a huge throne-like chair. The ground beneath it looked like it was going
to collapse.
""Come on. Let''s stomp on the throne until the ground gives in."" I ordered. Immediately, hydros shot from all
directions around me, and we tried to break through the ground that held up the throne.
In a split second, we had plummeted down into the deeper caves. There wasn''t much of anything there. There was
an opening in the cavern walls, but it was blocked by a creature''s ribcage. This was a cave of misery, slaughter,
and massacre.....somewhat like to the Tempest Caverns where Shadowmaster had been remaining for quite some
time.
Lady Luck smiled upon us, for there was a huge boulder in the corner. That''s what put the evil grin on my face. I
looked at Cloystorm.
""Hey Cloystorm? Wanna do a little 'Home Improvement?"" I asked, pointing at the boulder. My evil grin stuck to
him.
""Hehehehe!! Sure."" he giggled, picking up one side of the boulder. I joined him and picked up the other side. We
both used Strength (HM04) and staggered along with the boulder.
Chapter 34: Evil Pleasure
On the count of three, we hurled the boulder at that stupid Ribcage. It shattered to fragments, but then we had
another challenge. The pointy little ribs were now jabbing out of the ground like rows of crab pinchers. Our feet
would be easily pronged.
Then, I noticed that Cloystorm had the look of "I have an idea" on his face. I think Cyclone had the idea, too,
because he rushed over before Cloystorm could do anything. Cyclone picked up the boulder, after glaring furiously
at Cloystorm.
""PLEASE. Allow me."" he snarled, water seething through his teeth. Cloystorm gave a disdainful leer back.
He spit a sprig of pressurized water at Cyclone, blinding him temporarily.
""HEY!!!!"" Cyclone exclaimed. He accidentally dropped the boulder on his toes. ""OWWCH!!! DRRRG!!!"" he
yelled. Cloystorm scrutinized the boulder. He grabbed it off of Cyclone''s toes and dropped it onto the nasty ribs.
""No. Allow ME."" Cloystorm thanked sarcastically. ""Now then, Miss Wartortle, you may enter."" he offered like
a gentleman. I tried to climb over the boulder, but it was much too high. Cloystorm shrugged. ""No matter."" he
calmly continued. He kicked Cyclone over to the boulder, and used him like a stepping stool.
Every hydro did the same, until a rather battered Cyclone struggled to get over the boulder.
""What a loser!!"" Cloystorm laughed.
""Yeah."" I chimed. I was afraid that if I didn''t, I would be called the loser. Cyclone lagged behind the long line
of hydros. I was becoming quite worried.
""Are you okay?"" I asked.
""Hmmm.....that''s a tough one. Why don''t ya ask CLOYSTORM?!"" Cyclone retorted in a rampant tone.
""Bubbles, come have a look at this....."" Shadowmaster called. I leapt over and gazed at the smooth wall. It was
that awful, horrid portrait from the Tempest Caverns.
""What the heck is this thing?!"" I asked. The hydros shushed. They shakily walked over to where I stood, next to
the fuzzy, red eyed wolf. Shadowmaster glared up at the evil drawing.
""I don''t know."" he replied. For the first time in this entire journey, Shadowmaster sounded afraid.
""Wait........look!!"" I cried. I reached up and felt around under the gross work of art. There was writing!! Dust
covered it. I gave a vigorous blow of bubbles. The dust washed off, and I read aloud the evil words.
""Evil thrives on blood of young Pokemon, Pokemon that enter catacombs like these, caves of betrayal and
secrecy."" I gazed at Shadowmaster. His mouth dropped open.
""This is no game......""
Chapter 35: .....So Catch Me If You Can
I took my eyes off of the writing. I saw something in the distance. ""Ummm.....guys?"" I called. I bolted over and
closely examined the object. It was a Charizard''s arm, sticking out of a heap of rocks, and it was holding a silver
Masterball. I neared it. The Charizard''s arm was as if it was still alive, blood pulsed through the veins. I felt it.
the arm was still warm. However, the Masterball was frigid. It felt like ice. I grabbed the ball. I looked it over
carefully.
""What is it?"" Cyclone questioned.
""I.....don''t know."" I replied.
The ball rumbled.
""Uhhhh.......Bubbles?"" I don''t think you were supposed to take that."" Cloystorm shakily announced. Still
looking at the ball, I gulped. This would be bad. Well, actually, it wasn''t.
BOOF!! The ball exploded into a sticky yellow goo. I tried to shake it off of my hands.
""I can''t believe it''s not butter. Can you?"" I joked. The hydros broke out in laughter. Everybody was dying of
giggles. Except Cyclone. He strode over to where I was. Everyone shushed. Cyclone smudged some of the goo on
his finger.
He picked a single blade of grass from between some muddy rocks. He rubbed the goo on the grass. The grass
turned brown and wilted.
""Bubbles....."" he sighed. ""It''s not butter.""
""Uh huh. And what is it, Swinefeld? Salt acid?"" Cloystorm giggled, poking fun at Cyclone.
""Okay, Cloystorm. Then where''s the mummy?"" Cyclone shot back.
""Here!!"" Cloystorm replied, pointing at Cyclone.
""Very funny. Bubbles, we''ll have to find a stream to wash that stuff off. It''s poison."" Cyclone sighed.
""Place the poison marker on the Wartortle card,"" Cloystorm exploded, laughing uncontrollably.
""Cloystorm!! ENOUGH!!!!"" Cyclone screamed, shooting rays of water and orbs of ice at him. An astonished
Cloystorm plummeted to the ground.
As we entered a twisting corridor of lonely shadows, two doors swung open. The rusty doors bore that loathsome
picture of the Soul. We entered, and a light cyan glow poured over us like the tide as it comes in. I felt cold and
frozen.
Suddenly, Shadowmaster started to drift upward into a rocky tube. Hydros shot from all directions into the air. I
started to follow, against my own will. The next thing I saw was a musty, dank chamber. Green flames burned
furiously in a small torch bracket above a hideous throne. Wait, I thought as I focused on the blur who sat in the
throne. It was a slender Pokemon....perhaps Kabutops or Mewtwo......
That''s exactly what it was. It was a Mewtwo!! Meru, the same Mewtwo we had encountered at different places in
our journey. Her eyes glinted as they took in some light.
""You....."" she droned.
""Huh?"" Waves surprisedly exclaimed.
""You have sabotaged me......"" she stood up. She looked like an angered wolf. Her eyes furiously glowed like 800
watt light bulbs. Then they turned dark. This Mewtwo wasn''t foolin''.
""You have given Pokemon across the world bad names!! You will pay.....for what you have done to me....."" she
snarled. If you looked hard, you could see purple squalls billowing in her eyes.
"".....to my ancestors......"" she continued.
She cupped her hands, and collected wind that came by. She used her powers to make it into a dark black squall,
sparkles of green, yellow, pink and blue dancing around the squall''s surface. She fired the squall at us. Or it
seemed.
"".......and to my friends!!"" she screamed.
Amazingly, the squall soared at light speed to something behind us. We all spun around an saw that it had hit a
wolf in the chest. Hit it straight on. We turned back to Meru.
""MERU!!!"" the wolf, Shadowgate screamed. ""I am returning to the Wolf Dynamo to power up!! Sniper Wolves
can''t die!!!!!!!!"" Shadowgate snarled.
""Sorry if I startled you."" Meru apologized.
""I was wondering where you were!!"" I shouted. For a minute there, I thought that Meru had gone bad on us.
Chapter 36: Shadowgate''s Decision
The last hydro climbed out of the well. The tunnel opened up to where the exit was a well. So we found ourselves
Climbing up mossy vines.
""Hey Swinestien!! Where can I possibly end up next?"" Cloystorm teased at Cyclone.
""Umm, WE are going up that huge tree."" Cyclone cut in. Cloystorm''s expression changed from upset to super
infuriated.
""Yay!! Me too!!"" I girlishly agreed.
""Bubbles is going? Here I come!!"" Cloystorm exclaimed.
A heavy foliage of leaves made a convenient canopy for us. It was a humid summer day (well, actually it was
dusk,) and we could barely produce much water. Climbing up the unusually tall tree on nothing but leaves, we
were seeing the same old scenery. LEAVES.
The moon was just starting to linger in the sky. Stars stalked over the earth like hungry Labradors. We found a
section of the tree where seven branches reached in to the middle of the tree, creating a platform. Many clans of
hydros could fit onto it.
We settled there for the night. I had a hard time sleeping, for when I looked down, it seemed like I was gazing into
leafy ravines, however when I looked up, it was still was like staring into small vales of leaves.
That morning, the young pearly light cascaded through gaps between some leaves. I was the first hydro astir. I
noticed that others were rising up, too. Shadowmaster''s ears were constantly twitching. He herd something.
Something evil.
""Wait, what is that?"" I shouted. The waking hydros stood stiff, listening for sounds of the killer. Suddenly, my
ears perked up. I heard an echo.
""You....you have put me through such terrible pain.....you have too much power......"" Then there was a pause.
""No.....it wasn''t your power.....it was the power of that Mewtwo.......Meru......""
A red glow lit up, and a slender blue wolf body was formed. The normal colors replaced the black and blue blur.
Shadowgate was among us.
""But now you will pay."" he muttered. It was either fall off the tree and die, or have Shadowgate kill you and die.
I knew there was only one thing to do.
""Shadowgate,"" I started. Shadowgate''s evil grin vanished, simply vanished. ""Why are you after us?""
""I.....am ordered to kill you hydros!!"" he stammered. There was still darkness in the dawn. His eyes terribly
glowed red, burning like coals in the night.
""I know what you''re going through. Your boss puts you to work to hard. But why stay with him?"" I asked.
""I can''t quit!! This is my job!!"" he shouted.
""Shadowgate, listen to me!! Why be a baddie when you can help to kill the baddies?"" I questioned. ""What is
more important to you....your boss.....or....."" I continued.
""....your friends....?"" I queried.
""F......friends.....??"" Shadowgate stammered.
""That''s right, Shadowgate, FRIENDS."" I replied.
The red glow of his eyes ceased. I heard some hydros whispering.
""FRIENDS?""
""What is she talking about?""
""Since when are we his friends?""
""Crazy Wartortle.......""
""Bubbles had better watch that wolf!!""
I looked back at Shadowgate. A tear formed in his eye. He gazed around at the hydros, then locked his gaze on me.
""Friends......"" he repeated, wiping another tear, like he was in a trance. Shadowmaster stepped forward and
stared at Shadowgate.
""Hydros, friends......"" Shadowgate started, clearing his throat, ""The Dragonairs will die.""
Chapter 37: Cloystorm''s Fault
""Bubbles,"" Shadowgate started. ""I''m glad you accepted me to be on your team. There is another wolf out there,
Shadowcat. He wants to help you. He said he''d meet us at the ruins. Problem is, he didn''t say WHICH ruins."" I
thought for a minute. Ruins? My mind went fuzzy. Everything turned bubbly.
""Guys....."" I drowsily started. ""Something out there.....is toying with my mind......."" I moaned. I started to
hobble mindlessly over to an angle. I was all dizzy. I tripped over my own foot and it took me about five minutes to
feel the pain.
""Hey!! I knew we shouldn''t have trusted that wolf!! He''s going to kill Bubbles....!!"" KrabApple reported. But
Shadowgate didn''t seem to be doing anything to me. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
I tripped on a tree root and slid on my stomach hard. While I held onto a branch with my tail, My head dangled in
the air. I could see oceans and forests and deserts.......
""Hang on, Bubbles!! I''ll get ya!!"" Cyclone shouted. He was about to pull me up by my tail when Cloystorm
broke in.
""Yeah!! I''ll get ya!!"" he bullied, pushing Cyclone out of the way. He leapt over and landed on me. The branch I
was hanging on broke, and Cloystorm and I hurtled toward.......whatever we would land on.
Cloystorm had a firm grip on my tail. I swung my tail back and fort, and finally he let go and separated from me,
still falling. I looked up and saw something that looked like a Wartortle coming for me.
It was a Wartortle. A Wartortle with metal wings growing out of it''s shell. It was soaring down toward me with
Two wolves and some water Pokemon on it''s back. Where else would one find twin wolves? There was only one
Pokemon who this Wartortle could be. Cyclone. It looks like he kept some of his metal armor and weapons. I was
relieved to see that he had the nerve to come after me. But then I looked down toward the ground. We were
plunging head first into a volcano.
Chapter 38: Dash To the Boss
I opened my eyes. Tried to get up. I could hardly move my tail. I gazed over at Cyclone, who was lying near a hill
of sand, probably one that he had made when he fell. Cyclone got up and tried to catch his breath.
""Dragonwings......are......in.....pieces........"" he puffed. He trotted over to Cloystorm. ""Cloystorm, are you
okay?"" he queried.
""Ungghhh....Hey!! Get off of me Swinestien!! I''m not dead yet, you vulture!!"" Cloystorm bullied.
""You sure look like road kill to me."" Cyclone insulted under his breath.
""Wow!! This is just like the legends!!"" Waves breathed, looking at the stalactites that reached down at us from
the roof. Little droplets of lava rained down of of them every so often.
""No time to think about that kiddie baby story!! Lets go. Follow me.....er, Miss Wartortle."" Cloystorm offered.
Cyclone''s face turned red. He started to shake with anger. Then he mellowed down. I guess he thought there was
no changing the fact that everyone fed off of his ideas.
""Miss Wartortle indeed......I''ll show you, ya smoldering heap of parrot droppings......."" he mumbled.
""Huh? Fossils?!"" I shouted as I spotted a huge, clear red crystal next to a small lava pool. It looked like frozen
lava, and had fossils of Pokemon floating in it. ""That one looks like a Charizard!!"" I exclaimed.
""Hey, it looks like you, Swinefeld!!"" Cloystorm teased.
""Will you shuddup already?!"" Cyclone yelled, smacking Cloystorm in the face with his tail.
While the two Pokemon quarreled, I knelt down next to the Crystal. I knew what each of the skeletons were. They
looked like a Charizard, a Flareon, a Growlithe a Moltres.......
""EEEEKK......."" screamed Waves. I didn''t see the rest of the fossils. Instead I rushed to Waves'' side.
""What''s wrong?"" I asked. Waves said nothing, but looked up at what looked like.........
""..........A PIRANA PLANT!!"" Waves finished with a scream.
Waves hid behind me, using my shell as a shield. I looked up in terror, as the flaming plant glared down at me
hungrily, its foul, acrid breath pervading through the entire volcano. Hydros hid behind each other for protection.
The plant opened its mouth and was about to jump at me, when a dark figure landed in front of me. It was
Cyclone!! The plant looked confused. It looked from me to Cyclone, deciding which one would make the best meal.
""Hey you!!"" Cyclone shouted. The enraged plant glared at him, its snaky tongue sneaking out. ""I loved you in
Little Shop o'' Horrors!!""
UNFINISHED STORY