Chapter 22

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14800640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Beginning):  </B><A HREF="dr_pro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prologue"><U>Prologue</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 1"><U>Chapter 1</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 2"><U>Chapter 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 3"><U>Chapter 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 4"><U>Chapter 4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 5"><U>Chapter 5</U></A></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making:</B>  <A HREF="mim18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 18"><U>Chapter 18</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 19"><U>Chapter 19</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 20"><U>Chapter 20</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 21"><U>Chapter 21</U></A>   |   <B>Chapter 22</B>   |   <A HREF="mim23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 23"><U>Chapter 23</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 24"><U>Chapter 24</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id734.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 25"><U>Chapter 25</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 26"><U>Chapter 26</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection:  </B><A HREF="dr6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 6"><U>Chapter 6</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 7"><U>Chapter 7</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 8"><U>Chapter 8</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 9"><U>Chapter 9</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 10"><U>Chapter 10</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 11"><U>Chapter 11</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 12"><U>Chapter 12</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 13"><U>Chapter 13</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 14"><U>Chapter 14</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Finale):  </B><A HREF="dr15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 15"><U>Chapter 15</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 16"><U>Chapter 16</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr_epi.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Epilogue"><U>Epilogue</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/oldnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Old News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrfic/" TARGET="_top" 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said sarcastically.  "It's not like you like water or anything...  Seriously, though, it's a pretty nice place.  I think it might even be a little bigger than the town on Valencia Island."  Zeth checked his pokédex's information on the town.  "There's supposed to be a pokémon research lab around here somewhere.  Maybe we can check it out."</div> <bR> <div>     {You mean that building over there?} Aqua said.  {The one with the reporters and news vans in front of it?}</div> <bR> <div>     "What?" Zeth asked, finding the building Aqua was referring to.  "Yeah, I guess that would be it," he agreed, spotting a sign in the front yard.  "It's kinda small, though.  I guess there aren't too many people who work there."</div> <bR> <div>     {And they probably don't study anything big, like Gyarados or Onix,} the Shellder added.</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, I don't know about that.  They could always study them outside, you know."</div> <bR> <div>     Aqua clicked his shell once, {Yeah, I guess you're right.  Anyway, let's go over there and see what all those people are doing over there.}  Doing so, they found themselves swept into a jumble of reporters taking pictures and people cheering for something in the center of the mayhem.</div> <bR> <div>     Someone jostled Zeth, nearly making him drop Aqua.  He was fumbling for a better grip on the Shellder when a voice rang out from the center of the crowd.  "All right, back up everyone, please back up!"  Thankfully, the crowd complied, finally allowing Zeth a view of the subject of interest.</div> <bR> <div>     It was a pokémon, something Zeth had never seen before.  It was silver, with a vaguely duck-like head and small swept-back ears, all connected to a rounded body.  Its legs, if they could be called that, resembled two horizontal cylinders.  It didn't use them to walk, though, hovering in the air instead.  The pokémon also had a thin tail, which it was wagging as it observed all the people watching it.</div> <bR> <div>     "What in the world is that?" Zeth wondered aloud, grabbing his pokédex for information.  </div> <bR> <div>     The device beeped once.  "Scanning....  No data is available for this pokémon.  Do you wish to record sighting information?"  Zeth pushed a button, and the pokédex's screen displayed a picture of the strange pokémon, along with its height and estimated weight.  "Pokémon information stored in memory as Unknown Pokémon 1."</div> <bR> <div>     "Ok, that's all good and everything, but I still want to know what it is." Zeth murmured to the screen.  Returning the pokédex to its place on his belt, Zeth worked his way to the front of the crowd.  Before he got all the way there, however, the man who had asked everyone to back up returned the pokémon to a pokéball and clipped it to his belt.</div> <bR> <div>     "If everyone would follow me, we'll go to the testing range and show you all just what this pokémon can do."  the man proclaimed.  Waving the crowd aside, the man headed toward the research center.  Or rather, behind the building, where a large walled area was located.  Opening a gate, the man led the curious people into a grassy field.  "This is where we test out the ability of the different pokémon we study here.  Please, spread out along the edge of the field so everyone gets a good view."  Finally, Zeth found himself free to observe what was going on without having to look over shoulders or between moving people.</div> <bR> <div>     The man continued once everyone was spread out along the sides of the field.  Taking out three pokéballs, he hurled two of them into the center of the field.  "You may be familiar with these two pokémon: Porygon and Porygon 2.  They were the first of a new line of virtual pokémon and quite capable themselves.  Since the release of Porygon three years ago, this new series of manmade pokémon has flourished, as pokémon trainers incorporated them into their fighting teams.  With the release of the Porygon 2 upgrade last summer, the same trainers found themselves with a stronger, more advanced pokémon, even better in the battle arena with the trademark Porygon Conversion techniques."  As the man had been speaking, the Porygons had floated past the crowd, allowing them to get a good look at them.  The Porygon 2 floated past Zeth, and Aqua chirped a hello at it.  The digital pokémon cheerfully beeped back.</div> <bR> <div>     "Now," the speaker continued.  "We at the Horizon Labs are proud to introduce the next generation of digital pokémon, the Porygon 3!"  At this, the man released the silver pokémon once again.  The digital pokémon joined its predecessors in floating around the field.  "This new Porygon is not only faster and more powerful than the first two Porygons, but it also has a new capability that we're certain trainers will love.  Along with the Porygon 3 upgrade, we are releasing a series of type upgrades.  These upgrades will allow trainers to change Porygon 3 from a normal-type pokémon to up to two types of their choosing, and give them a new range of attacks, depending on the types they choose.  Of course, during a battle, the Porygon 3 will still be able to use its Conversion attacks, while still keeping its new type-specific attacks."</div> <bR> <div>     "That's a pretty interesting idea," Zeth admitted to himself.  Pulling a device out of his pocket, the man walked across the field toward the Porygon 3.  As he passed by Zeth, the teen noticed that the man had a nametag on, giving his name as Prof. Callegh.  Thinking back to when he had met Richard Callegh in Topaz City, Zeth briefly wondered if the professor was related.  Probably, since both Richard and Professor Callegh were from Garnet Town.</div> <bR> <div>     "The Fire, Water, Plant, and Electric type upgrades are scheduled for release with Porygon 3." Professor Callegh continued.  "Poison, Steel, Psychic, and Fighting types will follow about a month later.  The remaining types will be released after that."  The professor paused a moment to pull a small black device from his pocket.  "We have prepared a small demonstration to show all of you what these new upgrades can do."  As the professor pressed a button, two clay disks shot into the air from somewhere on the other end of the field.</div> <bR> <div>     "Porygon 3, use Flamethrower on the first disk and Water Gun on the second!" Callegh ordered.  Before he had even finished his commands, the virtual pokémon was blasting out a stream of fire at the nearest disk.  A moment later, both fell to the ground in pieces.  "As you can see, these upgrades allow the Porygon 3 to learn elemental moves it could never learn previously.  But that's not all!"  Waving the pokémon over, Professor Callegh pressed a flat, round device up against it.  The Porygon 3 glowed for a moment as Callegh explained what he was doing.  "This device has two upgrade cards inserted into it, Plant and Electric.  When we created the upgrade cards, we decided that it would be best to make them reversible, so trainers could decide to change to a different set of pokémon types if they desired."</div> <bR> <div>     "We've given the Porygon 3 some all-new attacks as well.  Watch this..."  At the press of a button, two more clay disks spun into the air.  "Porygon 3, use Solar Shot and Jolt Beam!"  Complying, the pokémon unleashed a torrent of bright white spheres at one target, shattering it into dozens of tiny fragments.  At the other disk, it launched a thin yellow beam, with blue lightning crackling around the edges.  That target landed on the ground and shattered, but not before Zeth saw that a jagged hole had been blasted straight through the center of it.</div> <bR> <div>     "Wow!" Zeth exclaimed, as the crowd applauded the Porygon 3.  "I'd love to try a pokémon battle against <B>that</B> thing!"  A man stepped forward slightly, blocking Zeth's view again, so the teen leaned around him to get a better look.  A moment later, something poked him in the back.  Turning, Zeth found himself face to face with the Porygon 2, with Professor Callegh just behind it.  Surprised, Zeth jumped slightly, and the Porygon 2 giggled.</div> <bR> <div>     "So, you're a pokémon trainer?" the professor asked him.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "Yes, I'm a pokémon trainer.  My name's Zeth Raltier."</div> <bR> <div>     "Zeth Raltier?"  Callegh looked thoughtful for a moment.  "You wouldn't by any chance know my son, Richard, would you?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, I do," Zeth confirmed.  "I met him at the Topaz City Tournaments a few weeks ago."</div> <bR> <div>     The professor smiled, "Yes, I thought your name sounded familiar.  You're the one who helped my son capture those Team Rocket thugs at the Topaz Museum, aren't you?"  Zeth nodded an affirmative.  "I thought so.  Richard told us all about that."  Professor Callegh waved a hand at the Porygon 3, which was hovering past the lines of people, heading toward them.  "Actually, I came over because I heard you say you would like to have a battle against the Porygon 3.  Do you still want to?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth's jaw dropped, then he broke into a huge smile.  "Yeah, that'd be great!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, pick your pokémon, then; and let's have a battle!"  Callegh pulled one of the two cards out of his type-changing device, and slipped a new one in.  He pressed it up against the Porygon 3, which glowed again.  "Ok, Porygon, go on out to the middle of the field."  As the pokémon shot away, he added, "We're ready anytime you are, Zeth."</div> <bR> <div>     {I'm ready too!}  Aqua exclaimed from his perch in Zeth's arms.</div> <bR> <div>     "Sorry, Aqua," Zeth said, "but I think I'm going to have Teak battle this time.  It'll be good experience, without anything at stake."</div> <bR> <div>     {I guess that's a pretty good idea,} the Shellder admitted.  {Ok, go ahead and get him out.  I'll just watch this time.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Thanks for understanding."  Zeth pulled the Ultra Ball from his belt and tossed it to the field.  "Let's go, Teak!"  The Jolteon flashed into sight as the Ultra Ball flew back to Zeth.  "We're ready too, Professor."</div> <bR> <div>     "Ok, then, let the battle begin!  Porygon, open up with a Tri Attack!"  Zeth barely had the time to yell for Teak to dodge before the digital pokémon fired off three spinning triangles of energy.  The Jolteon jumped away just in time for the attack to splatter across the ground where he had been standing.</div> <bR> <div>     "Good work, Teak!" Zeth shouted encouragingly.  "Now use Mud Slap!"  The electric pokémon gave Zeth a quick nod, then dove at the Porygon 3.  Landing beside it, he kicked up a large wad of earth, managing to launch it directly into the Porygon's face.  The Jolteon followed up with a Skull Bash that sent the virtual pokémon careening away.</div> <bR> <div>     Professor Callegh called out for the Porygon 3 to use its Jolt Beam attack.  It complied, firing off the unique attack that Zeth had seen just moments earlier.  The energy beam smacked into Teak's shoulder, making him yelp.  The Jolteon's fur stood out from the electric overload, making him look like a giant pincushion.</div> <bR> <div>     "Come on, Teak!  Let's use some of that electricity to your advantage, and try a Thundershock attack!"  The electric fox unleashed what appeared to be more of a Thunder attack than a Thundershock, filling the battlefield with twisting bands of energy.  Unfortunately, the Jolteon still had not mastered his newfound electric powers, so most of the writhing arcs missed the Porygon 3 completely.  Drained of energy, Teak staggered a bit, allowing his opponent to recover from the minor damage it received.</div> <bR> <div>     "Finish it off, Porygon 3!"  Callegh ordered.  "Hit it with a Riptide attack!"  Before Zeth could take the time to wonder what that attack was, the Porygon had already spat out four simultaneous streams of water, each of which hit Teak in one of his legs.  He fell to the ground as the Porygon converged the water into one thick stream and pummeled him with it.</div> <bR> <div>     "Teak!" Zeth called as the water died down.  "Are you ok?"  Battered and soaked, the Jolteon tried to stand, but he was unable to.  "Don't worry, Teak, you did a good job.  Now return and take a nice break!"  Red light from Teak's pokéball flickered over the electric pokémon, drawing him back inside.</div> <bR> <div>     "That was a good battle," Professor Callegh observed, as the crowd started to applaud the Porygon 3.</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, it was," Zeth agreed.  "Although now I think I'll need to visit the pokémon center."</div> <bR> <div>     The professor nodded, "Go do that.  I have to finish this Porygon demonstration, then I'll meet up with you and give you a tour of the lab."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth smiled, "I'll be looking forward to it!"</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Trent hated waiting.  It was always the thing that got to him the most on an assignment like this, although this was more of a non-assignment.  He had been ordered to travel to Garnet Town, and wait for further instructions.  What bothered him was that he might not have any further instructions for days...</div> <bR> <div>     Fortunately for Trent, his waiting was cut short as the phone rang.  He answered it, and was pleased to find that it was Jag Colson, the Dragon second-in-command.  "Trent, we have a job for you, if you feel up to it."</div> <bR> <div>     "I'm always ready for a tough job." Trent replied, smiling slightly.</div> <bR> <div>     "Well you should like this one.  You're going to steal the new Porygon 3 prototype from Horizon Labs.  We already have an agent working there, and the two of you should have no trouble pulling this off."</div> <bR> <div>     Trent grinned wickedly, "Tell me more."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     At the pokémon center, Nurse Joy soon had Teak feeling better, though the same couldn't be said for his ego.  It seemed to Zeth that the Jolteon had been acting a bit gloomy since his defeat back at Horizon Labs.  Finally, the teen decided to say something about it.  "Hey, Teak, what's wrong?"</div> <bR> <div>     Teak had been sitting by a large window, looking out at the mountains to the west.  Zeth had noticed that the electric fox still wasn't totally comfortable with hanging out with him or the other pokémon -- except for Eva, of course.  That was something that they would have to work on...</div> <bR> <div>     The Jolteon must not have heard Zeth walk up behind him, because he jumped in surprise.  {Oh, hi, Zeth.  It's nothing...  Just thinking a bit...}</div> <bR> <div>      Zeth nodded and sat down beside Teak.  "Yes, I've noticed that you tend to do that.  What's on your mind this time?"</div> <bR> <div>     Teak stared at the ground.  {Nothing, really.}</div> <bR> <div>     "So you're spending all your time over here thinking about nothing?"  Zeth patted him on the head.  "It's about that battle, isn't it?"  Teak glanced up in surprise, then quickly glanced out the window again.  "I thought so...  Listen...  Don't worry about that.  I just wanted to see how well you'd do against that souped-up Porygon.  I wasn't really expecting to win or anything..."</div> <bR> <div>     Teak finally turned to look straight at Zeth.  "You weren't hoping to win?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "Well, of course I was hoping to win, but I knew you probably couldn't beat that Porygon 3 yet.  It's not that I don't think you're tough enough, but you just evolved, and you still haven't mastered your electric powers yet.  Not to mention that the Porygon 3 is even better than the last two Porygons; and, from what I hear, they're pretty strong too."</div> <bR> <div>     The Jolteon stared at Zeth for a moment.  {So, you just put me up against that thing for fun?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head, "I did it to see how you would react.  How well you would do against a possibly superior foe.  I've already had a chance to see how the others fight, and I wanted to see you in action.  Maybe come up with some good tactics for you to use.  I also thought the practice would be good for you."</div> <bR> <div>     {So...  You had me fight the Porygon to test me and find out tactics?  I hope you came up with something, because that battle seemed pretty one-sided to me.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, It did seem that way, didn't it?" Zeth smiled.  "Well, from what I can tell, we need to work on getting that electricity in check.  That Mud Slap was pretty good, though, so it's definitely a keeper.  I'll have to see what other attacks you're good at, and make the most of them too."</div> <bR> <div>     {And you do this with all your pokémon?" Teak inquired, still looking uncertain.  "Testing them to see what they're best at?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "Part of being a good pokémon trainer is knowing what your limits are.  You can always push them a bit, but it's not a good idea to go too far, so you have to know what you can and can't do.  For instance, Aqua's strengths are his teleporting ability and his ice attacks, but his Rage and Tackle attacks are a little on the weak side, since he's not very heavy.  Blaze is pretty good with his fire attacks, and physical stuff too, but he's a little impatient and sometimes he doesn't think before he rushes in to attack."</div> <bR> <div>     Teak grinned, {What about Eva?}</div> <bR> <div>     "She's better than I am at battling," Zeth confessed, winking.  "Actually -- and you might find this weird -- she has a good Tail Whip attack."  The Jolteon shot Zeth a confused expression.  "No, really, she does.  All that fur, and she really smacks hard too...  We had a battle right after Ruby City, where I had her up against a Dunsparce.  That was a really strange battle...  She kept smacking it with her tail, and it would jerk back and blink a couple times, then try to fight back.  It tried Dig, Glare, Frustration...  You name it, it tried it; but it was slow, so Eva basically ran circles around it.  It sure was fun to watch, though.  And I think it might have helped to build up Eva's self-esteem after the incident at the Ruby City gym."</div> <bR> <div>     Teak frowned at Zeth, {Incident?  What incident?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "Well, we were having a gym battle, and it was down to her and the gym leader's last pokémon, a Flareon.  Unfortunately, the Flareon flamed her pretty badly, so we lost the match and had to rush her to the pokémon center.  She was all right afterwards, but she felt like she had let us all down.  Of course, she hadn't, but she was still pretty unhappy about that for a while.  She expected me to boot her off the team or something because of it."</div> <bR> <div>     The Jolteon nodded in understanding, {But you didn't, and she's still here and stronger than before...}</div> <bR> <div>     "...and jumping on Moltres' heads."  Teak stared at Zeth questioningly, and the teen laughed.  "You should ask Eva about that sometime.  It's a good story...  Anyway, you're exactly right.  It takes time to get the strength and experience to win.  As a trainer, I have to accept the losses along with the wins, or else I'm just wasting my time trying to train pokémon."</div> <bR> <div>     {Hey, you guys!}  Zeth turned to find Eva trotting towards them.  {What are you both doing over here?}</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, we're just talking about strategy," Zeth said, winking at Teak.</div> <bR> <div>     The Eevee rolled her eyes, {Yeah, right...  So where's Sting in this strategy discussion, hmm?}</div> <bR> <div>     "I don't need her for all my strategy discussions, you know..."</div> <bR> <div>     {Sure you don't...}  Eva sat down beside Teak, and snuggled against his side.  {Well, if you're done with your little pep talk, then you might want to go talk to the guy that's here to see you.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Professor Callegh?" Zeth inquired.</div> <bR> <div>     {I guess so...  He had a pink-and-blue pokémon with him, if that helps.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like him.  Come on, Teak, let's go say hello again."</div> <bR> <div>     {You go on,} Teak told Zeth, {I'm going to stay here a minute and hear that Moltres story from Eva.}  At that, Zeth laughed, then stood and headed for the door.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     He found Professor Callegh in the center's waiting room, along with the Porygon 2.  "Hey, Professor!" Zeth called, as he rushed across the room.  He was intercepted partway across the room by the Porygon 2, so he stopped and patted it.  "Hello to you too, 2!"</div> <bR> <div>     "It seems Porygon 2 has taken a liking to you, Zeth," the professor chuckled.  "So what do you think of my pokémon creations?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "They're great!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, they are," Professor Callegh agreed.  "They're loyal, friendly, and powerful too.  I'd say that they're just about a perfect pokémon for any trainer.  Have you ever thought of getting one?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth watched the Porygon float around for a moment.  "Maybe, but I think I already have seven perfect pokémon.  I wouldn't turn down another pokémon, of course; but I doubt I'll go out of my way to buy a Porygon.  Not that I don't like them, because I do.  It's just that they're still a little bit on the expensive side."</div> <bR> <div>     The Professor beamed.  "Not for long!  Once the Porygon 3 hits the market, the other two will drop in price significantly."</div> <bR> <div>     "Perhaps I'll get one when that happens."  Zeth held up a pokéball, "Until then, I think I'll stick with the pokémon I can catch.  That's part of the fun, after all."</div> <bR> <div>     The professor shrugged, "Suit yourself.  Maybe I can change your mind with that tour, though.  I'll show you all the work that goes into designing the Porygons.  It's pretty interesting stuff, and it's something that most people don't get to see."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth smiled, taking a step toward the door to the center's dormitory.  "Sounds fun!  Let me get my pokémon, and then we can get started!"</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     As the professor had said, it was quite interesting learning about the origins of the Porygons.  While Horizon Labs had not created the original Porygon, it had done a good deal of work on the Porygon 2, releasing it's own upgrade pack just a month after Silph released their version.  Now, with the Porygon 3, Callegh explained, they hoped to take the lead in Porygon design.  After a short time, the professor was called away for something important.  While he was gone, Zeth got to talk with some of the programmers, who showed him some of the concept ideas for the Porygon 3.  One programmer, Terri, told Zeth about some of the ideas that had never made it out of the planning stage, including a feature that changed the Porygon 3's colors, depending on the types that the trainer had chosen for it.</div> <bR> <div>     After that, Terri showed him some of the sketches she had drawn for the future Porygon 4.  "I'm especially pleased with the sketch of the Porygon in black," she told Zeth.  "It looks so much more menacing!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth laughed at that.  "Well, you won't get any argument there.  Maybe you'll actually get to use that one."</div> <bR> <div>     "Nah, probably not."  Terri frowned, "The professor doesn't like the fierce look as much as I do."</div> <bR> <div>     "Then have an option to switch between the cute mode and the scary mode," Zeth suggested.  "Then the trainers can pick their favorite."</div> <bR> <div>     "You might be on to something there, Zeth,"  Terri said, as she placed the sketches back into a folder.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, Zeth?"  Professor Callegh was walking toward them, holding a rather large device in his hands.  "I thought you might want a look at this.  This is a holographic projector that I've been building for a friend of mine who lives in Diamond City.  At the moment, I only have it programmed to show a map of Obsidia, but it will do much more once it's installed in my friend's computer."  The professor switched it on, and a perfect three-dimensional map of Obsidia appeared above the projector.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey!  That's pretty neat!"  Zeth exclaimed, moving his hand through the image, which wavered slightly.  "It's really high quality too!"</div> <bR> <div>     "I'm taking it to Diamond City in a few minutes.  If you're going that direction, I'll give you a ride."</div> <bR> <div>     "Really?  That would be great!" Zeth found Diamond City on the map hovering before him.  "I guess I'll get that next gym battle sooner than I thought!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, professor?" Terri interrupted.  "There's something happening outside that you should see."</div> <bR> <div>     "What?" Prof. Callegh asked in confusion, peering at the nearest window.  "The Porygon 3!  What's it doing out there?"  He hurried to the door, and opened it to look out.  "Hey, Porygon?  Where are you going?"  The virtual pokémon turned around and stared at the professor for a moment, then spun around, floating away again.  "Hey!  Come back here!"  Callegh called, chasing after it.</div> <bR> <div>     The Porygon shot towards the nearby woods, while Zeth, Terri, and Professor Callegh chased after it.  As the runaway pokémon reached the first tree, a figure stepped out and stood beside it.  "Sorry, folks, but I'm afraid the Porygon 3 has to make it's debut -- with the Dragons!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth recognized the familiar face, "Trent!"</div> <bR> <div>     The Dragon jerked slightly when Zeth yelled his name.  "So, you're back to bother me again, are you?  Well this time there's no Beedrill to stop me from defeating you!"</div> <bR> <div>     "That's where you're wrong!"  Zeth yanked a pokéball from his belt.  "I choose you, Sting!  Let's show that Dragon his mistake in coming back for seconds!"</div> <bR> <div>     "I can still take you easily!  Go Murkrow!"  The dark bird appeared on the grass and stared at Sting in mild fascination.  "Use a Faint Attack!"  At Trent's command, the Murkrow launched into the air and immediately dove at Sting.  The Beedrill lifted her stingers to painfully halt the bird's attack, but before it reached her, it suddenly faded from sight.</div> <bR> <div>     "Sting, duck!" Zeth yelled, a split second before the dark-type hit her from behind.  "Get up and try a Toxic attack!"  Sting quickly fired off a round of purple sludge at the Murkrow.  The attack missed, however, when Trent ordered the dark bird to use a Whirlwind attack.  The crow instantly whipped up a raging funnel of wind that blew away all the poisonous liquid.  </div> <bR> <div>     "That's great, Murkrow," Trent shouted.  "Now hit it with a Wing Attack!"  Struggling to keep from being blown away by the still-raging Whirlwind, Sting was unprepared for the Murkrow's attack, which bowled her over.  The bird quickly took advantage of the Beedrill's momentary defenselessness and finished her off with a Drill Peck.</div> <bR> <div>     "Sting, return," Zeth ordered, glaring at his opponent.  "It's your turn Aqua!  Ice Beam attack!"  Zeth's Shellder spat out a gleaming blue-white ray, which the Murkrow quickly dodged.  "Use Supersonic, then try again!"  At Zeth's command, the clam emitted an ear-piercing screech.</div> <bR> <div>     "Couldn't you have used something quieter?" Zeth dimly heard Professor Callegh yell over the noise.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth winced as the noise increased for a brief moment.  "Sorry, but no.  Ok, Aqua, Ice Beam now!"  The painfully high-pitched sound gave way to a wonderful silence, broken only by the sound of another Ice Beam.  This time, the Murkrow was too distracted to dodge, taking the full force of the attack.  Ice crystals formed on its feathers, quickly making it too heavy to fly.  It fell to the ground, where it was hit by a third Ice Beam from Aqua.</div> <bR> <div>     "Murkrow, return!" Trent growled.  "Go, Persian!"  The cat pokémon appeared, cream-furred except for its paws, which were black, and a black stripe running from its nose to the gem on its forehead.  "Use your Fury Swipes!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Aqua!  Water Gun!"  The Shellder obeyed the order quickly, but Trent's Persian leapt over the stream of water, avoiding it completely.  It landed beside Aqua and scratched at the clam, but it's claws just bounced off Aqua's hard shell.  Zeth grinned.  This was almost too easy.  "Aqua, Clamp!"  The Shellder did so, closing his shell on the Persian's outstretched paw.  The cat howled in pain and attempted to dislodge the offending clam, but Aqua had too tight of a grip.  But now Trent was the one grinning, and Zeth wondered why. </div> <bR> <div>     The answer was soon revealed to him, as Trent gave his next order.  "Persian!  Use your Thunder attack!"  Under normal circumstances, Aqua might have been able to avoid the powerful electric attack, but since he was clamped onto the Persian, the electricity flowed directly into him.  Knocked out by the blast, the Shellder fell to the ground.  The cat pokémon gave him one more kick to make sure he was really out of the fight, then sat down to lick its injured paw.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth returned the unconscious Shellder to his pokéball.  "Now it's your turn, Florio!  Use Vine Whip and Sleep Powder!"  The Ivysaur nodded and shot out his vines, wrapping up the Persian so it couldn't move.  Then he dragged the trapped pokémon closer and gave it a good puff of blue powder from the flower bud on his back.  The Persian howled in anger and tried to bite at the restricting coils, but it couldn't twist enough to reach them.  After a few more futile efforts to writhe away from the offending powder, the Persian surrendered to sleep.</div> <bR> <div>     Trent was scowling now.  "Return, Persian.  Come on out, Staryu!"  Trent grabbed his last pokéball as well, "You too, Shuckle!  Use Swift, Staryu;  Shuckle, you use Wrap."</div> <bR> <div>     As the Shuckle tied up Florio the same way the Ivysaur had tied up the Persian, Trent's Staryu began firing off a barrage of shining stars at the trapped grass-type.  "Two against one?  That's pathetic!" Zeth yelled angrily.  "Come on, Blaze, help Florio out by flaming that Shuckle!"</div> <bR> <div>     As the Growlithe appeared and dashed to help Florio, he had to quickly dodge a Water Gun attack from the Staryu, which had apparently decided to get rid of the new threat before he became a problem.  "Florio, try a Razor Leaf on that Staryu," Zeth ordered.  The Ivysaur was too tangled to be able to aim any attacks in the starfish's direction, but when the water-type heard Zeth's instructions, it spun around to make sure it could dodge anything that came its way.  Blaze took advantage of its momentary distraction, jumping on top of it and unleashing a Flamethrower at the Shuckle, which released Florio and ducked into its shell.</div> <bR> <div>     Blaze bit the Staryu, which jerked and twisted, trying to get away.  Finally, it used a Rapid Spin, which sent the Growlithe flying.  Blaze landed hard on the ground, but he quickly jumped back to his feet, only to be met by a blast of water from his opponent.  The Growlithe scrambled to get away, but he couldn't get away from the cold liquid.</div> <bR> <div>     Which suddenly stopped.  Confused, Blaze sat up and looked at his enemy, which was now lying on the ground, its gem core blinking slowly.  Looking around, he found Florio grinning at him, and the Shuckle unconscious just behind the Ivysaur.</div> <bR> <div>     "Great Solarbeam, Florio!" Zeth congratulated.  "Now hand over that Porygon 3, Trent!"  The Dragon looked worried.  After all, he had no more pokémon to battle with.</div> <bR> <div>     "Sorry, but I'm afraid we can't do that.  Porygon 3, use your Scorching Wind!"  Zeth didn't know what was more surprising -- the wave of searing heat that blew past them and hit Florio full force, knocking him out, or the fact that it was Terri who had given the order.</div> <bR> <div>     "What are you doing?!"  Professor Callegh shouted at his assistant in shock.</div> <bR> <div>     "What does it look like I'm doing?" Terri shot back.  "Trent and I are taking this pokémon, and you can't stop us!  The Dragons will once again be victorious!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth pulled the last of his pokéballs from his belt, "Not while I'm here!  Eva, Teak, I choose you!"</div> <bR> <div>     Trent glared at the two pokémon as they appeared beside Blaze, ready to battle.  "That Jolteon again!" he growled.  "Well, I'll just have to relieve you of him once we're finished destroying you in this battle!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth ignored Trent, calling out orders to his three remaining pokémon.  "Blaze, use Flame Wheel.  Eva, Teak, you use Quick Attack.  Go!"  The trio of pokémon dashed away in three separate directions.  Blaze attacked from the front, firing off a burning ring of fire directly at the Porygon's face.  The Porygon retaliated with the same Riptide attack it had beaten Teak with earlier.  Blaze dodged, but one of the streams of water hit him in the foot, making him stumble.  </div> <bR> <div>     "Porygon 3, use Metal Tackle."  The virtual pokémon flashed white at that command, then rammed into Blaze at full speed.  A second later, Eva and Teak jumped through the space where the Porygon 3 was a moment earlier, slamming into each other.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, that sounded like a steel attack, but Porygon's already used water and fire," Zeth protested.</div> <bR> <div>     "I've overridden the Porygon's original programming," Terri explained with an evil grin.  "It has all the special attacks we planned for it, as well as a few other features.  And it's totally loyal to us!"  Terri looked back to the fight as the Porygon 3 fired off its Solar Shot at Eva, knocking her over.  "Good shot, Porygon.  Now use your Phantasm attack!"</div> <bR> <div>     The Porygon 3 seemed to fade out slightly, then suddenly split into five different versions of itself, all partially transparent.  All five of the Porygons rushed at Blaze, who tried to dodge away from them.  He ducked under two, then passed straight through a third.  He barked in surprise, then was thrown to the ground as another one crashed into him.  When he didn't get up, Zeth recalled him.</div> <bR> <div>     However, by that time, Eva and Teak had recovered from their collision, and were racing back to the fight.  They both tacked the Porygon that had hit Blaze, dragging it to the ground.  Eva gave it a good smack in the face with her fluffy tail, while Teak hit it with a Double Kick attack.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth called out encouragement to them.  "You're doing great!  Keep it up!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Porygon 3, Omega Code" Terri stated.</div> <bR> <div>     "What kind of attack is that?!" Zeth couldn't help but ask.</div> <bR> <div>     "It's not an attack, it's a command," Terri informed him.  "Watch."  Zeth turned to regard the Porygon, who was glowing with a bright light.  When the light faded, it was no longer the cute gray pokémon it once was, but was now a sinister-looking black Porygon, much like the picture that Terri had shown to Zeth earlier.  "Porygon is now fully ours.  It has no moral programming to stop it from giving you and your pokémon the thrashing they deserve.  Neither do I.  Porygon 3, use Chemical Blast."</div> <bR> <div>     A small panel on the Porygon's back slid open and fired out a small spherical object.  A moment later, Eva and Teak were hurled back as the ball exploded in their faces, filling the field with strange green smoke.   The two foxes scrambled to get away, their fur smoking in multiple places after getting hit by the bomb's acidic contents.  As the smoke cleared, Zeth could see that all around the renegade pokémon the grass had been scorched and withered by the attack.  "Good, Porygon." Terri called.  "Now try your Mind Warp attack."</div> <bR> <div>     "Teak, try a Pin Missile attack!  Eva-aaahh!"  Before Zeth could give Eva an order, he was suddenly overcome by a stabbing pain in his head.  He fell to his knees, holding his temples as the pain increased.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth dimly heard Trent cheering at his dilemma.  "Nice job, Porygon!  The Master's gonna love you!"  Looking around, he could see that both of his pokémon were in the same condition he was, as well as Professor Callegh.</div> <bR> <div>     Suddenly, the pain in Zeth's head stopped, and he sighed in relief.  Then he noticed that, while his headache had stopped, Terri, Trent, and the Porygon 3 were all suffering what appeared to be the same attack he had just experienced.  "What's that?  How did that happen?"</div> <bR> <div>     Callegh rubbed his temples, probably trying to get rid of the last of his headache.  "It's your Eevee, Zeth."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "Of course...  Her Mimic attack!  Good job, Eva!"  The Eevee's mimicked attack didn't last as long as the agonizing moments that the Porygon 3's original attack had lasted, but it was enough to make Zeth happy.  It also gave Teak the time he needed to recover and fire off a barrage of pin-like projectiles at the distracted Porygon.  The Porygon recoiled from the painful needles, shaking its head as Eva's attack wore off.</div> <bR> <div>     "Finish them off now, Porygon!  Get rid of that Eevee with Solar Shot, then hit the Jolteon with Stone Hammer!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth started to order his pokémon to dodge, but the Porygon 3's quick reflexes allowed it to follow commands as fast as they were given.  Eva quickly fell to a stream of the white spheres that Zeth had seen in the demonstration earlier in the day.  Teak was luckier, dodging the rocky object that cannoned out of a new opening in the Porygon's chest area.  The panel that had covered the opening slammed shut again as the virtual pokémon fired off another Riptide attack, probably since it had beaten the Jolteon with it earlier.  </div> <bR> <div>     This time, however, the tables turned.  As the water raced towards him, Teak released the same unfocused Thunder-like attack that he had been trying to master since had become a Jolteon.  He didn't do any better controlling it on this try, but he didn't have to.  When the water hit him, the electricity was funneled straight into the Porygon 3, flinging it back with incredible force.  It smacked into the trunk of a tree and fell to the ground, finally defeated.  Terri and Trent, upon seeing their champion vanquished, gave each other a quick nod and darted into the woods before anyone could stop them.  </div> <bR> <div>     "I don't believe it."  Professor Callegh said, after a long moment of silence.  "You actually won!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, I guess I did."  Zeth recalled Eva and Teak to their pokéballs and pointed at the twitching Porygon 3.  "You'd better get that back to the lab and see if you can repair its programming before anything else happens.  I'll take my pokémon back to the center.  I have no doubt that they could use some medical help after what they went up against."</div> <bR> <div>     The professor nodded, "You do that, Zeth.  I'll see what we can do to repair our poor Porygon 3."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth turned away from the pokémon center's television as Nurse Joy entered the room.  "Hey, Nurse Joy, how are my pokémon doing?"</div> <bR> <div>     Joy handed him two pokéballs.  "Here's your Growlithe and Beedrill.  They're almost recovered from their injuries.  Your Shellder seems to be doing well, although he's still resting from the shock he took."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "And what about Eva and Teak?"</div> <bR> <div>     The nurse smiled cheerfully at him.  "They should be fine too, although I don't usually have to treat the kind of chemical burns they picked up.  They'll be ready to go by tonight, although by then it will be too late to travel."</div> <bR> <div>     {That's good,} Florio murmured absentmindedly, still watching the television.  He had woken up by the time Zeth had reached the center, and, contrary to Nurse Joy's suggestions, had opted to stay and watch some of his Gligarman episodes with Zeth instead of getting a checkup.  {Now be quiet, this is a good part.} he added, before reverting back into silence.</div> <bR> <div>     Ignoring the Ivysaur, Zeth considered Joy's words, "I suppose this means I won't be able to get that ride to Diamond City with the professor then."</div> <bR> <div>     "Of course you will.  I can wait until tomorrow to leave."  Zeth looked around for a moment, wondering where Professor Callegh's voice came from, until he spotted the man at the window, along with a duo of Porygon 2s.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hello, professor.  Did you manage to fix the Porygon 3?"</div> <bR> <div>     Callegh pointed at one of the Porygons that had come with him.  "You're looking at it, Zeth.  Terri had rewritten so much of the Porygon 3's code that we weren't able to restore its old programming.  Not only that, but it appears that she destroyed all our records of the Porygon 3 in anticipation of the theft.  We were able to make our prototype a Porygon 2 again, but that's all we were able to do.  The Porygon 3 design is totally gone."</div> <bR> <div>     "So you'll have to start from scratch all over again."</div> <bR> <div>     "Yes, we will.  But we will try again, and, with luck, we'll be able to come up with a design that was even better than the last one."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "Just don't make it too good, or we might go through today all over again!"</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>