Chapter 27

<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>Chapter 27</B>   |   <A HREF="mim28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 28"><U>Chapter 28</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 29"><U>Chapter 29</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 30"><U>Chapter 30</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 31"><U>Chapter 31</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 32"><U>Chapter 32</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 33"><U>Chapter 33</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 34"><U>Chapter 34</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 35"><U>Chapter 35</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 36"><U>Chapter 36</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 37"><U>Chapter 37</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 38"><U>Chapter 38</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 39"><U>Chapter 39</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 40"><U>Chapter 40</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" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanfics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrart/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/a-j/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors A-J</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/k-z/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors K-Z</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/art/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Fanart List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/ffsubmit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit a Fanfic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/fanart_submit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb"><U><B>Message Board</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Chapter 27</I></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making: Chapter 27: Never a Dull Moment</B></div> <bR> <div>     The storm pounded at the tiny little airship, as Zeth desperately tried to compensate for the fierce weather.  Snow and rain and hail randomly splashed against the windows, making it nearly impossible to see or steer.  Fighting the wind all the way, Zeth tried to guide the <I>Skylark</I> up above the storm, but the craft was barely responding.  Suddenly, they reached the edge of the storm, breaking free of the dark clouds.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth glanced back at the storm clouds, now blowing far away.  Leaning back in his seat, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Let's not do that again!"</div> <bR> <div>     Beside him, in the copilot's seat, Zeth's new companion, Destiny, smiled nervously, "Yeah, I agree.  Did you notice how fast that storm came and went, though?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "Yeah, I did.  Kinda weird, if you ask me.  It reminded me of the time that I was on that crashing airplane."  Zeth looked out the window again, then frowned, "Hey, where'd all those clouds go, anyway?  They couldn't possibly have disappeared that fast!"</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny scanned the horizon, "You know, now that the storm's passed, it seems like there's not a cloud in the sky!  I guess today's our lucky day.  It'll be a nice smooth flight until we get to Sapphire."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny turned out to be wrong.  Just a few minutes later, Zeth pointed out the window, "Look!  Another storm is coming!"  Switching to manual control of the airship again, Zeth quickly pulled the craft into a steep climb.  "Maybe we can get over it this time!"  That was not to be, though.  The storm hit them before they could pull up far enough, once again whipping them around.  Lightning flashed past them, nearly striking the airship.  "Hold on!"  Zeth shouted, as a blast of wind sent them into a dive toward the ground.</div> <bR> <div>     Trying desperately to achieve a level flight, Zeth pulled at the control stick.  "Come on, work!" he growled, between clenched teeth.  Then, as if responding to his command, the <I>Skylark</I> leveled out again.  The second storm released them, rolling into the distance so fast that it seemed as if it had never existed.</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny shook her head, "What's going on?  We couldn't possibly have gotten through that as fast as we did!"</div> <bR> <div>     Spotting Sapphire City in the distance, Zeth pointed to it.  "Let's see if we can finish this trip before we run into any more trouble!"</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     They managed to land in an empty parking lot in Sapphire without any more weather problems, but as they were walking to the pokémon center, dark clouds once again blew overhead, showering them with rain.  "This just isn't our day!" Destiny shouted, as she and Zeth ran for the center.  By the time they reached it, the storm was over, but they were totally drenched.  Upon entering the pokémon center, they quickly found out the reason for the strange weather.</div> <bR> <div>     Nurse Joy and a group of trainers were anxiously watching a news report on the center's television.  On the screen, the reporter was talking about a disturbance in the Orange Islands that seemed to be having a profound effect on the rest of the world.  A moment later, the screen switched to a report from the news team on site, which was interviewing Professor Oak for his theory on what was happening.  The professor described some sort of connection between the Islands of Fire, Ice, and Lightning, which had somehow become unbalanced.  After Professor Oak gave his theory, the camera switched to a worried woman who claimed that her son was in the midst of the disturbance.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth felt that he had seen that woman before, but he couldn't remember from where.  He stopped trying to remember her when the screen changed to a different scene once again.  "I don't believe it!"</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny stopped staring at the television long enough to glance at Zeth, "What?"</div> <bR> <div>     "I know exactly why all this is happening now!"  Zeth pointed at the picture on-screen, which showed Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres all fighting each other.  In the distance was a familiar vessel, badly damaged and just about to make a crash landing on Lightning Island.  "That's Lawrence III's airship!  He must be trying to capture those birds, and by doing it, he's somehow unbalanced the weather!  Now, unless someone finds some way to stop him, that legend about the islands is going to come true!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Wait, what legend?"  Destiny turned, and found that Zeth was no longer beside her.  She glanced around, and spotted him at the door.  "Hey, wait for me!" she called, as he dashed out into the streets.</div> <bR> <div>     Allowing Destiny to catch up with him, Zeth ran for the <I>Skylark</I>.  "I got my airship from Lawrence," he finally explained as they reached the craft, fifteen minutes later.  "I'm pretty sure that I get in contact with him from here."  Flinging open the aircraft's door, Zeth turned the flying machine on.  "Computer, contact Lawrence's airship!"  Drumming his fingers impatiently, Zeth waited as the small sensor screen switched to a view of Lawrence sitting in the airship's control chair.  The interior of the airship was wrecked, and there was a huge hole in the wall.  "Lawrence, are you crazy?!" Zeth immediately blurted out.  "You're going to destroy the world if you keep this up!  Don't you remember that line in the legend about the world turning to ash?"</div> <bR> <div>     Lawrence waved a hand in the direction of the camera, not really paying attention to Zeth, "Don't worry, Zeth.  All will be fine.  Lugia has appeared and soon I will have him!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head, "You can't do this!  You've already caused huge storms across the planet!"</div> <bR> <div>     Lawrence glanced at the camera for just a moment, "I'm sorry, Zeth, I don't have time to argue with you.  I'll contact you later."  The Collector pressed a button on the arm of his chair, terminating the transmission.</div> <bR> <div>    "But--"  Zeth glared at the now-black screen.  "Ah, I'm going to get him for that!  Computer, give me a listing of the local television channels."  As the computer complied, Zeth selected one.  "Show the fifth one on the list."  The screen switched to a video of Lugia taking a beating from Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.  The huge pokémon fell back into the sea, while the three birds continued fighting.  A moment later, the video jerked sideways, showing the ground rushing up at the camera before the operator switched it off.</div> <bR> <div>     Another reporter appeared on the screen after a long pause, "Our helicopter has just crashed on Shamouti Island.  We've already received reports that the passengers are uninjured, and we will soon have more footage from the disturbance site."  The screen soon changed to a repeat of the recording of Professor Oak's theory on the reasons for the imbalance in the weather.</div> <bR> <div>     "Come on!" Zeth growled, "Get back to what's happening over there!</div> <bR> <div>     "Getting frustrated isn't going to help anything," Destiny reminded him.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth was flipping through the channels to find out more about what was happening, but after a few minutes of not finding anything, he stopped.  "You're right.  I just feel responsible for what's happening.  If I hadn't been helping you with your quest earlier, I'd be with Lawrence right now, and I might have been able to stop him from doing all this!"</div> <bR> <div>     "It's not your fault, Zeth.  You couldn't have known that this would happen."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, then changed back to the original channel and waited for more news.  Twenty minutes later, the field reporters started filming again, just in time for Zeth and Destiny to see a spectacular live broadcast of Lugia using a Hyper Beam on Lawrence's crashed airship.  Fragments of metal shot out from the battered craft, which had to be totally incapable of flight at this point.  The whole bottom of the airship had been broken off, which meant that the <I>Skylark</I>'s counterpart was certainly destroyed.</div> <bR> <div>     Worried, Zeth tried a few more times to contact Lawrence, but there was no answer.  He hoped that the Collector was all right.  The man was obsessed, not evil.  Switching back to the television channel, Zeth waited to see if Lawrence's defeat would mean that everything returned to normal.</div> <bR> <div>     Anxiously, Zeth and Destiny watched the news reports, which soon showed the three birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres eventually stop their fighting for some unknown reason.  Lugia flew past, as a huge tunnel of water rose into the air.  "You know, I feel like I'm only getting half the story here," Zeth finally said.  "I mean, they were fighting even after Lawrence was out of the picture.  So why did everything suddenly seem to calm down over there?"  As the screen showed Lugia landing and allowing a young boy to ride on his back, Zeth smiled.  "Of course, that explains it."  He turned to Destiny.  "The legend says that Lugia will fail to calm the three titans -- that'd be Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres --  so the world shall turn to ash."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny stared at him in confusion.  "So?  How does that explain what happened?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "Easy.  The kid riding on Lugia's back is named Ash.  That part of the legend turned out to just be a pun on his name."  Switching off the screen, Zeth stepped out of the hopper.  "Everything's going to be fine now.  I'm sure of it."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny pointed back at the blank screen, "And what about Lawrence?  You think he's still alive?"</div> <bR> <div>     Shaking his head, Zeth closed the hopper's door.  "I don't know...  I hope so..."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Returning to the pokémon center, Zeth found out from Nurse Joy that Officer Jenny had been looking for him while he had been away helping Destiny complete her mission.  Wondering what the policewoman wanted him for, Zeth and Destiny headed for the police station.  Once there, Jenny presented him with a small object that she had found.  "Hey, this is my phone!" Zeth exclaimed, looking the small device over.  "How in the world did you find it?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, we recovered it from the Dragon base during our search for stolen pokémon," Jenny explained.  "We thought it belonged to one of the Dragons until your mother tried to call you and got us instead.  I'm glad I managed to get a message to you before you left it behind."</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, thanks, officer." Zeth said, slipping the phone back into his backpack.  "I'm happy that I didn't have to replace it.  So the mission to Dragon Island was successful, then?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Yes and no."  Jenny frowned.  "We managed to recover some more pokémon, but the Dragons had long deserted the base by the time we got there.  Unfortunately, all those criminals are still on the loose.  There's been an even more disturbing report, too.  There was an unsuccessful raid on Pearl City this morning, during the storm."</div> <bR> <div>     "So what's bad about that?" Destiny asked.  "Isn't that a good thing?"</div> <bR> <div>    "It's good that we stopped the raid, yes, but that's not the problem.  This time the raid was made by a team of Dragons and Rockets working together.  It seems that the two groups have put aside their differences and decided to cooperate instead."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth winced, "That's definitely not a good thing.  When they were opponents, they were counteracting each other.  Now they'll be twice as strong."</div> <bR> <div>     "Hopefully, this alliance will not prove to be permanent," Jenny said.  "It could be that the two gangs still have negative feelings toward each other.  If so, then we have to find some way to convince them that this cooperation between them is not benefiting either one of them.  If we can push hard enough, we might be able to set them at each other's throats again."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny nodded in agreement.  "I sincerely hope that someone can find a way to do that."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     "Now this is good news!" Kat exclaimed, as her aide, Loran, finished his report.  "I'm glad to hear that our little project is proceeding so splendidly!"</div> <bR> <div>     "There's something else you should know, though, ma'am," Loran told her.  "Our joint operation with the Dragons was defeated by the Pearl City police.  Most of our operatives managed to escape, but it was a complete loss."</div> <bR> <div>     "No matter, that strike was unimportant anyway.  I'm sure that we can come up with something better next time.  What really matters is Project Genesis."  Kat smiled cheerfully, "As long as it's proceeding as planned, everything else is unnecessary!"</div> <bR> <div>     "You seem to be in quite a good mood today," Loran noted cautiously.  "Is there some reason for that?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, yes, there is," Kat told him, handing him a picture.  "Take a look at this."</div> <bR> <div>     The aide scanned the photo for a moment, "I don't get it.  What's this?"</div> <bR> <div>     "What, are you blind?  It's a gym, obviously."</div> <bR> <div>     "So?  I've seen gyms before.  What's so special about this one?"</div> <bR> <div>     Kat smiled, "This one's ours!  Duke managed to get permission from the pokémon league for the two of us to run a gym.  I'm sure that if the officials knew we were the leaders of Obsidia's Team Rocket forces, they'd have thought twice about that!"</div> <bR> <div>     "But why did you want the gym?" Loran asked, still confused.</div> <bR> <div>     "Because I'm bored!" Kat growled.  "I've barely done any battling since I got this job and I don't want to get rusty!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Ah, that explains it," Loran said hastily, not wanting Kat to be annoyed with him, considering what she usually did to those she was annoyed with.  "Well, if that's all, I'll go find some way to make myself useful."</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, go do that," Taking the picture of her gym, Kat tossed it onto a nearby table.  "You can start by getting the helicopter ready.  Duke and I want to go see the results of Project Genesis personally!"</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     Zeth stared down at the long swimming pool at his feet.  The bottom of the pool was marked with the pokéball symbol found on most gym's floors.  "I guess I know what type this gym leader trains," he commented.</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, so do I," Destiny agreed.  "Question is, where's the gym leader?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Right behind you!"  Zeth and Destiny both spun around, Destiny so quickly that she slipped and would have fallen into the pool had Zeth not quickly grabbed her arm to steady her.</div> <bR> <div>     The gym leader was just a kid, probably only about twelve years old.  Zeth was surprised to find someone so young as a gym leader.  "I'm Scott Miller," the kid added.  "You two here for a gym battle with me?"</div> <bR> <div>     "He is," Destiny said.  "I'm just here to cheer him on."</div> <bR> <div>     "Okay, then."  Scott turned to Zeth, "How's a four on four battle sound?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Great!" Zeth agreed.  "Let's do it!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, then just hold on a minute while I get to my side of the pool."  Scott jogged over to the other end of the room.  Once he got there, he called back to Zeth, "Okay!  I'm ready to go!  My first pokémon will be Lanturn!"  Scott released a blue-and-yellow fish pokémon into the pool.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth tossed a pokéball down at the edge of the pool.  "Time to battle, Florio!  Try your Wine Whip!"  The Ivysaur stretched out his vines in an attempt to hit or grab the Lanturn, but the fish quickly evaded the questing vines.  Jumping out of the water, it splashed Florio down with a Water Gun attack.  Growling, Florio switched to a Giga Drain attack.  This time, he was much more successful, managing to suck away a great deal of the Lanturn's energy.</div> <bR> <div>     Scott called to his pokémon, which was slowly floating around now, "Come on, Lanturn, don't give up yet!  Use your Take Down attack!"  The water pokémon tried to comply, but as it jumped out of the water to slam into Florio, the Ivysaur surrounded himself with a large cloud of Sleep Powder.  Unable to stop in time, the Lanturn slid right into the cloud.  It still hit Florio, but it was asleep before it could get back into the water to wash off the powder.</div> <bR> <div>     "Not bad!" Scott called, as he returned his Lanturn to its pokéball.  "But that's only my first pokémon.  Let's see how well you do against the rest!  Now you have to face Mantine!"  Scott's second pokémon, a large ray, glided above the water for a moment before gracefully diving into the water.  "Mantine, hit him with your Wing Attack!"</div> <bR> <div>     The ray launched out of the water and flew at Florio, dodging the flurry of Razor Leaves the Ivysaur tried to counter with.  The Mantine smacked Florio with one of its long winglike fins, then spun around and hit him again with the other before splashing back into the water.</div> <bR> <div>     "Florio, try using Giga Drain again!" Zeth called.</div> <bR> <div>     "Don't let him, Mantine!  Use Blizzard!"  Florio managed to start up his Giga Drain, but not quickly enough to prevent the Mantine from jumping out of the water and using its Blizzard attack.  An arctic blast washed over the Ivysaur.  Especially sensitive to the cold, Florio fell to the floor, shivering uncontrollably.</div> <bR> <div>     "Good job, Florio!" Zeth returned the Ivysaur to his pokéball, and grinned at Scott.  "That makes one for both of us!  Here's my second choice.  I choose you, Teak!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Come on, Teak!"  Destiny shouted to the Jolteon, "You can do it!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "You heard her!  We're going to win this one!"</div> <bR> <div>     Scott shook his head, "Not if I have anything to do with it!  Mantine, use your Confuse Ray!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Dodge it and take a swim, Teak!"  The Jolteon actually jumped over the sparkling Confuse Ray that the Mantine tried to use on him, coming down to land on the ray's back.  Both pokémon fell into the water with a huge splash.  Zeth laughed at the strange sight, "Yeah, that works too!  Now use Thunder!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth's Jolteon, under normal circumstances, could not yet control the aim of his electric attacks.  In the water, though, such a problem didn't matter.  The Mantine was pummeled by electricity, finishing it off almost instantly.</div> <bR> <div>     "Time for my third pokémon!" Scott observed.  "Let's see you beat Vaporeon!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Shouldn't be too difficult," Destiny remarked to Zeth.</div> <bR> <div>     "Nah, probably not."</div> <bR> <div>     At the other end of the pool, Scott gave an order to his pokémon, "Vaporeon, Acid Armor!"  The water pokémon dove into the water and disappeared.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth looked around the pool, trying to figure out where the Vaporeon had gone, "Then again, this might be harder than I thought!  Teak, use Thunder again!"  Before the Jolteon could comply, he was launched out of the water by the Vaporeon, which had appeared underneath him.  Teak landed beside the pool, scrambling to his feet just in time to dodge an Ice Beam.</div> <bR> <div>     "Teak, use Pin Missile!" Zeth suggested.</div> <bR> <div>     Scott smiled, "Not this time!  Vaporeon, Attract!"  The Vaporeon jumped out of the water and walked toward Teak.</div> <bR> <div>     The Jolteon didn't attack.  Puzzled, Destiny turned to Zeth, "Hey, how come he's not fighting?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth, still watching the fight, shook his head, "She's too cute to beat up..."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny blinked, "Huh?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "We can't fight her.  What if we accidentally hurt her or something?"</div> <bR> <div>     Scott called over to Destiny, "It's the Attract attack.  It makes the opposite gender not want to fight."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny turned and punched Zeth's arm, "Well, snap out of it!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth blinked, then shook his head, "Sorry, I don't know what came over me!  That was weird!"  Turning back to the fight, Zeth frowned, "Too bad I can't go over and knock Teak out of his trance!"</div> <bR> <div>     The Jolteon was still staring at the Vaporeon, which was still making herself look as cute as she possibly could.  A moment later, though, to everyone's surprise, Teak blasted her with a perfectly aimed Thundershock attack.</div> <bR> <div>     "How'd he do that?" Scott protested.  "I've never seen a male Eevee evolution that could resist my Vaporeon's Attract!"</div> <bR> <div>     "He already has a girl," Destiny explained.</div> <bR> <div>     "Fine, then!" Scott called, "If Attract doesn't work, then we'll have to try something else!  Use Haze!"  Scott's pokémon filled the room with a black cloud that made it impossible to see anything that was happening.  Zeth could hear Scott still giving orders, "Now use Icy Wind!"</div> <bR> <div>     The haze filling the room was mixed with swirls of freezing wind as the Vaporeon used the ice attack.  Zeth peered into the blackness, trying to spot his pokémon, "Teak!  Get out of there!"</div> <bR> <div>     The black cloud started to clear up just in time for Zeth to see the Vaporeon fling Teak back into the pool with an Ice Beam.  The Jolteon paddled around weakly, barely making it back to the edge of the pool.  Climbing out, Teak collapsed, panting.</div> <bR> <div>     "Return, Teak," Zeth ordered, choosing another pokéball.  "It's your turn, Eva!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Another Eevee?" Scott asked as Eva appeared.  "Vaporeon, use your Hyper Beam attack!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Try Double Team, Eva!" Zeth called to his pokémon.  The Eevee appeared to split into three different Eevees, each one darting around the Vaporeon, preventing it from using the Hyper Beam.  The water pokémon was smart enough not to waste the energy until it found the real Eva.  The Vaporeon spat a thin stream of water at one of the Eevees, which disappeared upon contact.  The next Eevee jumped over the blast of water, then quickly dodged under it as the Vaporeon tried to counter for the move.</div> <bR> <div>     Believing that she had found her real opponent, the water pokémon unleashed her Hyper Beam, but the Eevee disappeared as the beam hit her.  The third Eevee, the real Eva, rammed the Vaporeon from behind, while she was staring at the empty space in confusion.  Latching onto the surprised water pokémon with a Bite attack, Eva scratched and kicked at her larger opponent.  The Vaporeon managed to shake the Eevee off, but not before she had received a good beating.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth could tell that Scott's pokémon was starting to slow down.  "Eva, use your Shadow Ball attack!"</div> <bR> <div>     The Vaporeon blocked the sphere of dark energy with an Ice Beam, but she tripped as Eva started firing off Swift stars at her feet.  The moment she went down, the Eevee was on her again, knocking her over with her best Skull Bash.  The weary Vaporeon tried to use a Water Gun, but just as she opened her mouth, Eva smacked her in the face with her fluffy tail.  The Eevee followed up with a Take Down attack that finished off the Vaporeon.</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, so far you've managed to beat three of my pokémon," Scott called to Zeth.  "It's time for you to fight my best pokémon, though, and I don't think you're going to beat him!  Go, Blastoise!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth gulped as the huge turtle pokémon appeared, looming over his terrified Eevee.  "That's not good."</div> <bR> <div>     The Blastoise leaned down to look at Eva, then hit her with a Hydro Pump so strong that she was tossed into the pool, actually skipping across the surface twice before splashing to a stop.  Grabbing her pokéball, Zeth quickly recalled her.</div> <bR> <div>     "Who are you going to use next?" Destiny asked him.</div> <bR> <div>     "I don't know..."  Zeth considered his choices for a moment, "Sting is weak against Ice attacks, and I'm sure that Blastoise knows a couple of them.  Blaze wouldn't be any good here, either.  I guess I'm going to have to go with Aqua."  Taking the Shellder's pokéball from his belt, Zeth released him into the pool.</div> <bR> <div>     The Shellder looked up at his huge opponent, who was stomping toward the water.  Squeaking, the Shellder jetted backwards, firing off a glittering Aurora Beam at the turtle, who just ignored the attack.  The huge water pokémon dove into the water and swam towards his tiny opponent.  Aiming his two jets of water, the Blastoise shot a stream of water next to the Shellder, skillfully creating a whirlpool to surround his victim.  The swirling water whirled Aqua around in circles, trapping him in its dizzying spin.</div> <bR> <div>     The Blastoise plucked Aqua out of the whirlpool, then held him in front of one of his water jets, blasting him up to the ceiling with a Hydro Pump attack.  Dazed, Aqua fell back towards the water, then was thrown back up in the air by a Mega Punch.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth could tell that he was outmatched.  Shaking his head, he returned the falling Shellder to his pokéball.  "That's it for me.  There's no way I can win now."</div> <bR> <div>     "Don't feel too bad about it," Scott told him.  "There aren't too many people who've managed to beat me.  Most people don't even get past my second or third pokémon.  Come around again sometime and I'll give you a rematch."</div> <bR> <div>         Unhappy about loosing, but determined to train hard and try again, Zeth nodded, "I'll be back.  Count on it!"</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Ever since the Dragons and the Rockets had teemed up, the Obsidian Rocket base had become more of a joint base between the Rockets and the Dragons, so Loran was not surprised to find Danielle Mason in the cafeteria, working on a laptop computer.  He was interested, however, in what she might be working on.  "New project?" he asked, glancing at the screen, which showed something about the Topaz City pokémon tournament.</div> <bR> <div>     "Not that it's really any of your business, but yes, it is."  Danielle didn't bother to look at him when she responded, continuing her typing instead.  "Since the police found out my identity from Raltier, I've had to hack into quite a few records to delete any information about myself that they might be able to find and use to track me down.  This is the last thing I have to change, and perhaps the most difficult to cover up..."</div> <bR> <div>     "Why, what did you do at the Topaz Games?"</div> <bR> <div>     Danielle stopped typing and stared at the screen for a moment, "I won them...  I was wearing a disguise, but I used my real name.  The problem is, I can change the records to say that my new identity won the event, but I can't change people's memories.  If anyone remembers my name, and somehow connects it to me, then the police might be able to blow my new identity."</div> <bR> <div>     Loran considered that, "So why don't you just leave your old name there, and just make sure that there's nothing to connect your new identity to your old one?"</div> <bR> <div>     "That seems to be what I'm going to have to do.  It's just irritating that I can't do anything more."</div> <bR> <div>     The aide noticed something else on the screen, "Hey, is that...?"</div> <bR> <div>     Danielle nodded, "Yeah, Zeth Raltier, the one and only.  Ironic, isn't it?  I actually battled him once before we ran into each other in Opal City.  He didn't recognize me later, but that was probably because I looked nothing like I did in Topaz.  Back then, I dismissed him as just another trainer who wasn't good enough to beat me.  Funny how things change, isn't it?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, it is."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>    Zeth and Destiny returned to the pokémon center, where Zeth handed over his pokéballs to Nurse Joy so she could give his pokémon a checkup after their battle.  As Zeth sat down in a chair and stared blankly into the open air, Destiny decided to try to cheer him up.  "Don't worry about it, Zeth.  I'm sure that you'll win next time."</div> <bR> <div>     "Huh?" Zeth glanced up at her in confusion, then smiled.  "Oh, it's okay, I wasn't upset -- just trying to think up a new strategy to use next time!  I guess I've been hanging around Sting too much.  She always gets pensive when she looses, too."</div> <bR> <div>     "Well snap out of it, and let's do something fun!  We can always worry about the gym battle later."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "Yeah, you're right.  There's still one of Florio's Gligarman DVDs that none of us has watched yet.  Let's get it out and watch it!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Sure, sounds good to me!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth opened his backpack and found the disc, then turned on the pokémon center's television and loaded the DVD into the player.  As the opening music started to play, he was rather unsurprised to see Florio come flying out of the examination room, with a Chansey running after him, trying to get him to stop.</div> <bR> <div>     {You're not going to watch that without me!} Florio protested, as the Chansey grabbed him and attempted to drag him back, although he was far too heavy for her to move.</div> <bR> <div>     "Fine, sit down and watch with us if you want," Zeth said, rolling his eyes.  "It's okay, Chansey, you can leave him here.  He'll be fine."  The Chansey wasn't happy with that, but she listened to Zeth and walked back to check on her other patients.  "You know, Florio, your powers of recovery are remarkable.  I bet that back when Belkor beat us up, Celebi didn't need to heal you.  You would have been fine the moment you heard the Gligarman theme song!"</div> <bR> <div>     {Mock me if you want to, but remember who paid for this hour of entertainment!}</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny laughed, "You know, you really have an interesting relationship with all your pokémon, Zeth.  I'm glad I came along, or I might have missed all the fun!"</div> <bR> <div>     {Sssh!  You're making me miss the dialogue!} Florio reprimanded.</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny rolled her eyes, "They haven't said anything yet!"</div> <bR> <div>     {No, but they will soon, so be quiet!}</div> <bR> <div>     "Just ignore him, Dest.  He always gets this way when we watch one of these episodes."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     As the Gligarman episode reached its exciting finale, Zeth looked up to find Joy just behind him, watching the screen.  "Did you want something, nurse?" he asked, as the credits started to roll.</div> <bR> <div>     "What?  Oh, yes I did.  Would you come with me for a moment?  There's something I'd like to tell you."  Joy led Zeth to the back, where Teak, Aqua, and Eva were all resting up from their battle.  Sting and Blaze were chatting with Teak, who jumped out of bed and ran over to Zeth.</div> <bR> <div>     The Jolteon was just about bouncing with happiness.  {Did you see, Zeth, did you?  I did a Thundershock and it hit too!}</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, I saw that!  Great job, Teak!"  Zeth congratulated the Jolteon.  "Listen, Nurse Joy wants to talk to me for a minute, so why don't all of you go ahead and go watch TV with Destiny and Florio.  I'll be out in a little bit."</div> <bR> <div>     {Okay!  We'll go do that!  I still have to tell Florio what I did!}  Teak darted out of the room, obviously excited at that prospect.  Sting and Blaze followed him out, as Zeth had requested.</div> <bR> <div>     "Okay, Nurse, what's this all about, anyway?"</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     A short while later, Zeth came back from the back, looking quite cheerful.  Florio stared at him suspiciously, {What's up with you?  You have the same expression you had the time you told me that Talon called to say that he had used my Gligarman comics to build a nest.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, no, no pranks or practical jokes for you this time, Florio.  It's something much better."</div> <bR> <div>     {Is it about me?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head, "Nope, not at all."</div> <bR> <div>     Florio smiled, {Okay, then, what's this all about?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded to Teak, "I assume everyone's heard that he finally managed to use a Thundershock attack by now."</div> <bR> <div>     The Ivysaur rolled his eyes, {We haven't heard anything else since he's come out here!}</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, here's something else for him to brag about.  Better congratulate him again, because he's going to be a dad!"</div> <bR> <div>     {WHAT!}  Florio and Teak both shouted in disbelief.</div> <bR> <div>     "You heard me!" Zeth told them.  "Joy told me that Eva's going to have kits in about eight weeks!"</div> <bR> <div>     Teak shouted something that the translator couldn't translate, but by the giddy way the Jolteon started prancing around the room, Zeth could guess at a possible meaning.  Florio just stared at Zeth in amazement, {But...  but...  how?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned at the Ivysaur.  "Ha!  Now I might have expected Blaze to ask something like that, but you, Florio?  Well, it's like this.  When a boy and girl pokémon love each other very much--"</div> <bR> <div>    Florio covered his ears with his vines, {I know that, Zeth!  You KNOW I know that!  I just meant when... or... uh...  Aw, I don't know what I meant!}</div> <bR> <div>     Teak giggled, tripping over his feet as he bounced around the room.  {Maybe Nurse Joy should check to see if your head wasn't damaged in that battle.  You sound confused, Florio!}</div> <bR> <div>     The Ivysaur finally smiled, watching Teak slip and fall over.  {And you look like you're drunk, Teak!  Maybe we both need our heads checked!}</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Destiny suggested having a party to celebrate, and the rest quickly agreed.  After spending the rest of the evening eating pizza, pop, and all of the pokémon center's chocolate ice cream, they finally decided (after being asked rather nicely by a tired Nurse Joy) to go to bed.  Now that the party and all the excitement was over, Zeth found that he was totally exhausted, not only because of the day's events, but also because he had barely gotten any sleep over the past few days.  Without taking the time to wonder how he had kept going through those days, which would have wasted energy that he no longer had, Zeth flung himself into bed.  He was rewarded by a battered forehead for his haste, having missed noticing Aqua on the bed's pillow.</div> <bR> <div>     "Ow, what are you doing there, Aqua?"  Zeth asked, rubbing his head.  "I think I dented my skull..."</div> <bR> <div>     {Well, that'll teach you to look where you're going,} the Shellder giggled.</div> <bR> <div>     "Yeah, this also reminds me that I should remember to turn off my pokédex when I'm not using it.  I didn't realize I'd left it on."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth was about to rectify that situation when the situation when Aqua stopped him, {Wait a minute, Zeth, I wanted to ask you something first.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth yawned, "Sure, go ahead."</div> <bR> <div>     {Well, I was wondering what you were planning to do when we go back to the pokémon gym.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Aw, come on, Aqua, can't this wait until tomorrow?  It's late..."</div> <bR> <div>     {Please?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth sighed, wondering if he was ever going to get any sleep.  "I was thinking of having a one on one match against that Blastoise using Teak or Florio.  They have the best chances of beating it.  Why?"</div> <bR> <div>     {Well, I was wondering...  Would you let me try again?}</div> <bR> <div>     "You?  But there's no way you could beat that Blastoise!  He's huge, and you're... uh..."</div> <bR> <div>     {Not?  Yeah, I know, but I'm not planning to be tiny when I fight him.}</div> <bR> <div>     Glancing down at his backpack which he had tossed beside his bed, Zeth nodded, "You mean..."</div> <bR> <div>     {That's right.  Would you mind?}</div> <bR> <div>     "Nope, not at all.  But can we do it tomorrow?  I really want to go to bed now."</div> <bR> <div>     The Shellder flipped himself off the bed, landing on the floor with a clatter, {Sure, go ahead.  We'll do it first thing tomorrow morning.}  Zeth nodded, then switched off the pokédex's translator, and threw the device on top on his backpack.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "So what's this big surprise Zeth has for us anyway?" Destiny asked Sting during breakfast.  "Is it something for Teak and Eva?"</div> <bR> <div>     {Better yet, is it something for me?} Blaze asked.</div> <bR> <div>     {Sorry, but I don't know, either,} Sting told Destiny.</div> <bR> <div>     Snow, Destiny's Pidgey, looked up from his bowl of poké-chow.  {I'm sure he'll tell us what he's up to when he's ready.}</div> <bR> <div>     The door opened, and Zeth walked through to find everyone watching him.  He glanced around as everyone stared at him.  "What, did I grow a third ear or something?"</div> <bR> <div>     "We were discussing what you've been up to all morning," Destiny informed him.  "Everyone wants to know what the big secret is."</div> <bR> <div>     "Well, it's not really a secret.  It's just that Aqua and I have been doing some extra training this morning.  We wanted to make sure that we're ready for when we go back to the gym later today."</div> <bR> <div>     "Just you and Aqua?  What about the rest of your pokémon?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "Since It's going to be a one on one battle this time and they aren't battling, I didn't think they'd need it."</div> <bR> <div>     {What?!}  Florio shoved aside his bowl and stormed over to Zeth, {Are you crazy?  All that gym leader has to do is get out his Blastoise and Aqua's history!}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head, "While that may have been true yesterday, it's no longer such a mismatch.  Allow me to present the new Aqua!"  Taking Aqua's pokéball from his belt, Zeth released the clam.  But instead of a tiny Shellder, the ball ejected a gigantic Cloyster, as high as Zeth's shoulders.</div> <bR> <div>     {You evolved him?}  The Ivysaur shook his head.  {Just because he wasn't strong enough to beat a Blastoise, you went and evolved him?}</div> <bR> <div>     {No,} Aqua told the Ivysaur, sounding unusual since everyone was used to hearing his old voice.  {I told Zeth to evolve me!  I figured it was time for a bigger, better me, so I had Zeth get out my Water Stone and use it on me!}</div> <bR> <div>     Florio grinned, {Oh... Well, that's different.}</div> <bR> <div>     "Now, Florio, you know I won't just make my pokémon evolve just because I want them to," Zeth told the Ivysaur.  "I've had that Water Stone sitting in my backpack since before Emerald City, and I haven't even suggested using it!"</div> <bR> <div>     {Well, I seem to recall you once telling me that I should evolve!}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth laughed, "I didn't tell you to evolve, I told you to grow up -- and you still haven't listened, so why are you complaining?"</div> <bR> <div>     {Uh...  Point taken,} Florio admitted.</div> <bR> <div>     Aqua explained the reason for their extra training, {We've been spending the whole morning testing out my improved abilities, seeing just how much more powerful my attacks are.}</div> <bR> <div>     "I see," Destiny winked at Zeth, "So you've been flexing your <I>mussel</I>!"</div> <bR> <div>     {Ick...  It's criminal to make puns that bad!}  Florio insisted.  {Come on, Blaze, you could pass for a police Growlithe.  Arrest this offender!}</div> <bR> <div>     The Growlithe snorted, {Has anyone ever told you that you're obnoxious?}</div> <bR> <div>     {Of course!  That's why Zeth keeps me around!}</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Returning to the Sapphire City Gym, Zeth and Destiny found Scott swimming laps in the pool alongside his Blastoise.  "Back so soon?" the boy asked them.  "I didn't expect to see you again this quickly.  Did you pick out a new set of pokémon to battle me with?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Nope, not this time.  One of my pokémon decided that he wanted a rematch with your Blastoise.  How's that sound to you?"</div> <bR> <div>      Scott pulled himself out of the pool.  "Sounds okay to me.  Blastoise is ready, so let's get started."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth pulled a pokéball from his belt, "Let's go, Aqua!"  The Cloyster appeared in the water, looking eager to battle.  "Start this off with a Blizzard attack!  The Cloyster quickly complied, releasing a powerful icy blast that froze the top of the pool solid as it shot toward the Blastoise.</div> <bR> <div>     "Blastoise, Withdraw!"  Just before the freezing attack hit, the Blastoise pulled itself into its shell, protecting itself from most of the force of the attack.  "Great!" Scott called, "Now use your Seismic Toss!"  The Blastoise swam toward Aqua with surprising speed, lifting the Cloyster out of the water.</div> <bR> <div>     Before the turtle could throw Aqua as it intended, the Cloyster teleported out of its hands.  "Now use Supersonic!"  Zeth shouted, before turning to Destiny.  "You might want to cover your ears!"  Before she could do so, Aqua emitted a powerful high-pitched screech so irritating that it was hard to concentrate on the battle.</div> <bR> <div>     As the Blastoise was distracted, Aqua pummeled it with his new Spike Cannon attack, driving the turtle back by the force of the attack.  Growling, the Blastoise spat a Hyper Beam at Aqua, who closed his shell just before the powerful attack hit him.  Zeth found himself remembering that when Aqua was a Shellder, he would never have been able to withstand a beating like that.  Now that he had evolved, however, it was completely different.  The Cloyster's thicker shell protected him far better than it ever had before.  Still strong, even after that attack, Aqua teleported above the Blastoise, and fell on top of him.  It was the strangest sight Zeth had ever seen, but it seemed to work.</div> <bR> <div>     Except that now, the Blastoise was able to get an attack in.  Knocked underwater by the Cloyster's weight, the turtle pokémon flipped over and kicked up at Aqua, knocking him away.  "Keep it up, Blastoise!" Scott cheered.  "See if you can use your Dynamicpunch!"</div> <bR> <div>     Aqua started to close his shell to block the attack just as the Blastoise swung at him.  Zeth was sure that the Cloyster meant to use his Withdraw attack again, but when he closed his shell, Aqua accidentally caught the Blastoise's paw instead, stopping the attack just a moment before it would have hit.  Realizing what he had done, Aqua pinched the Blastoise harder.  The turtle roared in pain and pushed against the Cloyster with his three free limbs, trying to pull free.</div> <bR> <div>     Then Aqua's spikes started to glow, and the Cloyster unleashed another Spike Cannon attack on the trapped Blastoise.  Groaning, the Blastoise tried once more to free its paw from Aqua's viselike grip.  Lowering its head, the turtle finally knocked the Cloyster off with its Skull Bash.  As the Blastoise waved its battered paw around, Zeth noticed that there was some sort of purple liquid covering it.  At first, he wondered if Aqua had actually drawn blood, then he remembered that Blastoise blood was red and that Aqua had a Toxic attack that he seldom used because it was easily washed off in water, his preferred battle zone.</div> <bR> <div>     This time, though, the Blastoise hadn't been able to rinse off the poisonous liquid, which was now starting to affect him.  The turtle was getting dizzy and sluggish, making it harder for him to avoid the Ice Beam that Aqua shot at him.</div> <bR> <div>     "Stop!"  Scott called to Zeth, "I think Blastoise has had enough of this."  Scott returned his pokémon to its pokéball.  "Your Cloyster is very strong, Zeth.  Evolving him seems to have been a good decision.  He's quite an opponent now!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth grinned, "Yeah, I know.  As you've just found out, he's good in a <I>pinch</I>!"</div> <bR> <div>     Rolling her eyes, Destiny gave Zeth a friendly punch in the shoulder, "And Florio says that I make bad jokes!"</div> <bR> <div>     Scott chuckled, then handed Zeth a small pin, "Here you go, the Wave Badge.  You've earned it by training such a powerful water pokémon!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth glanced down at the badge, which looked like an oncoming tidal wave with a blue gem in the center.  "This is it!  This is the eighth badge I've earned, and the last one I need to get into the Obsidian League!"</div> <bR> <div>     Scott blinked, "Really?  I didn't realize that you were that far along!  If you've gotten seven other Obsidian Badges, then you're an even better trainer than I thought!"</div> <bR> <div>     "Maybe," Zeth shrugged, "Either that or I'm really lucky."</div> <bR> <div>     "Oh, you're definitely lucky," Destiny agreed.  "I think it's a bit of everything, though.  You're a good trainer, have a bond with your pokémon, and things always seem to work out in the end for you."</div> <bR> <div>     "Let's just hope that it stays like that!" Zeth exclaimed.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>