Frozen Resolve

Chapter 11 : Stormy desert?

"Hah...hah...hah...Post Town!..." a black quadrupedal called out, his white coat drenched by the rain and covered with mud after running for several days.

Panting heavily, the pokemon ran past the town gate with his last strength as the surroundings blurred past him. "Finally...finally..." he muttered, then his gaze darkened and collapsed on the floor.

"Hey, dude! You feeling alright?"

"Boss! Boss! Some weird dude just fainted at our doorstep!"

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Note: This chapter will include major spoilers for "Red and Blue Rescue Team" and "Rescue Team DX", so stay out if you don't want your experience to be ruined.

(Blossom's POV)

"BAM!" "Argh!/Kya!/Eeep!"

The three of us shot out of bed immediately, still confused by what happened. "Wh-what? What the...what just happened" Randy asked in confusion. "Drip...drip...drip..." some sounds came from our doorstep. "Guess...it's..." Icy muttered. "Raining in a desert?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Ugh...Duff was probably right about it...it's possible since we live very close to an oasis" Randy muttered. "Duff?" I asked. "Never mind"

"Why is my belly fur all wet?" I wondered out loud as I padded off the bed. "Uhh...sorry...I may have drooled on it by accident..." Randy squeaked silently while a blush grew on his face. "What happened, Randy?" I asked. "I kinda...maybe slept using your belly as a cushion last night...since you were grabbing my tail...wait a sec...why is my tail wet too?" he asked. "Guess we're even!"

"What exactly happened last night? I'm so confused" Icy asked. "W-we...Blossom decided to uh...occupy my tail...so I err...did the same with her soft belly?..." Randy stuttered with a deepening blush. "We were having some fun in bed, that's what it was!" I added and felt my cheeks heating up too. "Oh~ so Blossom, were you laid last night?" Icy asked mischievously. "H-huh? N-no! Of course not! W-we were just...we were just..." Randy blurted out. "Making out by sleeping with each other" I continued while Icy gave us a suspicious look. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yes! Of course, I am!" Randy exclaimed. "Yep, we were just making out like always!" I exclaimed. "Hey, we weren't doing it all the time...we didn't make out either! Or I mean...for you of course since you try to hug and kiss me all the time, but not me!" Randy debated and his blush deepened again. "That still counts, Randy" Icy stated. "No, it doesn't!" he argued. "But I won't mind being laid by if Randy wants to make love!" I said and smiled at him. "Wh-what?! Fuck no!"

There was a long period of silence before any of us decided to make another move until another crackle of thunder interrupted us. "So...guess we're not going on any requests today?" Randy asked nervously, trying to change the subject. "I guess so...it should be fine if we stay indoors with our pajamas, sorting out our stuff" Icy muttered. "I'm brushing my teeth, do either of you need the bathroom?" Randy asked. "No thanks!"

"Psst...Blossom..." Icy whispered after Randy went into the bathroom. "What is it, Icy? I'm sure you can say it since Randy's brushing his teeth" I asked. "I can't help but wonder...were you serious about what you just said?" Icy asked. "I guess so" I replied after hesitating for a few seconds. "Oh...my...god...you never cease to amaze me, Blossom, regardless of how well or long we've known each other"

"What exactly did you do last night?" Icy asked. "Well...not much" I fibbed, trying to dodge the question. "Come on, Blossom! I want some details" Icy demanded. "Well...in short, I...invited Randy to take a bath with me..." I could feel my voice trailing off when saying that. "WHAT?!" Icy exclaimed. "Blossom, I can hear you from in here! Why the hell did you have to tell her?!"

"And you joined her?!" Icy yelled at the bathroom door, immediately followed by a fast click of the door being locked. "Y-yeah! What do you expect me to do? She asked...and she's the team leader you know? That's more like...a command!" Randy debated. "Well, as a matter of fact, I did spray water all over him, so he couldn't get out, it was a fun time though!"

"What else did you do last night?" Icy questioned. "Not much" I replied while Randy whistled innocently in the bathroom. "There's always a lot when you say that, Blossom" Icy stated. "Well, guess you're still the one that knows me the most, Icy," I said with a sigh, I could feel the heat creeping up my cheeks again. "N-nothing else! I only gave her a massage and nothing else!" Randy exclaimed frantically. "He also told me to lift my pajamas a bit to give me some belly rubs!" I added. "Belly rubs?!" Icy exclaimed. "Yep! They felt so good! I even fell asleep in the middle of the process!" I said with a grin. "B-Blossom! Y-you could've left that part out!"

"Any weird dreams last night?" I asked Randy as soon as he came out of the bathroom. "Nope, last night's sleep was comfy and extremely refreshing" he replied. "Perhaps because you were sleeping on your girlfriend's belly?" Icy teased, then I could feel my blush rising again while Randy's face flushed into a deep shade of red. "N-NO! My dreams are random! You can't just jump to those conclusions!" he yelled. "Well...if that's the case, you can sleep on my belly every night as long as you tell me before-paw" I whispered in his ear. "Thanks...but no thanks..."

"Oh, Randy~ you didn't deny the part about Blossom being your girlfriend though~" Icy sang. "H-huh?!" the two of us blushed again as we stared at each other awkwardly without saying a word. "I-I just..." Randy tried to come up with a sentence, but no words came out of his mouth when his mouth fell open. "I just forgot to deny it, alright?! AARGH! My brain is messed up and I can't think properly at all!" he yelled. "It's fine if Randy doesn't like me the way I like him, he just forgot" I chimed in. "I doubt that Blossom~ Randy's face says otherwise~" Icy chanted, but our conversation was interrupted by some knocking on the door. "Thank god, the saving grace"

"Hello?" a familiar voice called out from the door. "Kuro? What are you doing here?" Randy asked. "Well, you know there's a huge storm" his voice came from outside. "Isn't that why you shouldn't be here?" Icy asked. "It's boring to be alone in my tree, I can't talk to Duff either since he drilled deep underground to get away from the rain, so I came out for a walk, I'm also here to tell you that none of us are going on a rescue request today unless Ivy has a hole in her brain and decides to head out on her own"

"Oh, 'course it's boring, don't you agree guys? Come in, Kuro!" I exclaimed and opened the door. Rainy wind gushed in as Kuro rushed in and slammed the door shut, darting into the bathroom to give his soaking fur a quick clean-up. "Hey, Kuro! Haven't you heard of washing your paws before entering somemon's house?! Your pawprints are all over the floor!" Randy yelled and hurried to fetch a rug. "I thought guys didn't care so much about hygiene!" Kuro's voice came through the sound of the gushing sink water. "Says you, I'm the one doing the cleaning!" Randy yelled while Icy and I snickered. "It's fine, Kuro...he's only a bit tensed up by the topic we were focusing on before you came in," Icy said at the door. "Oh? What was the topic then?" Kuro asked curiously. "Nothing! Not anything important!"

"So what are you planning on doing here anyway?" Randy grumbled and tossed Kuro a towel to dry himself up after he was done with the cleaning. "Not much, just chilling" he replied. "What do you mean by chilling?" Icy asked. "It means being chill, say...nice air conditioner here, it's so stuffy out there," Kuro remarked. "Icy's mostly the air conditioner in here since she's way cooler than us" I explained. "Neat" Kuro muttered and walked around the place. "Ugh, just say what you're doing here" Randy barked, while Kuro ignored him and explored the house.

"How about a pillow fight?" I suggested. "Oh, you're on!" Kuro exclaimed and threw a pillow at me, smacking me in the face. I quickly got up and threw it at Randy, to which he ducked and hit Icy in her face, soon the whole place was a mess. "Guess we'd better clean up" Randy muttered when Icy let out a tiny sneeze. "So what's next?" Icy asked. "Dunno...by the way, what's with your pajamas, Icy?" Kuro asked. "N-nothing!"

"How about telling stories?" I suggested. "Oh, good idea!" Kuro exclaimed and plopped down on the edge of our bed. "Kuro! Don't sit on our bed when your shorts aren't clean!" Randy yelled. "Huh? I'm sure it's fine since it's only dirty because of a bit of rain" he argued. "It's fine, Randy. I'm sure it's fine for him to sit there" Icy said with a smile. "How about rolling on it?" Kuro asked. "Don't even think about it"

"Who's starting first?" I asked. "I guess I'll start first...I don't have much for myself, but I guess I'll tell you one about Duff" Kuro started. "What's it about?" I asked eagerly. "Well, you know how Duff is obsessed with pretty girls and stuff" Kuro replied and scratched the back of his head. "What about it? Aren't you obsessed with them too?" Randy teased. "Hey! That's called physiological needs, not an obsession!" he argued. "What's the difference then?" I asked. "Physiological needs are upright looking at a mon in public, not trying to hide your desires. Feminine obsession is staring even when you aren't supposed to" Kuro stated. "Doesn't sound like such a big difference to me" Icy muttered. "But at least there's still a difference"

"It all happened a few years ago, Duff and I went to Breezy Meadows to cool off in a hot summer since neither of us could swim. Then we went too deep by accident, finding ourselves inside a dungeon. Back then neither of us was experienced, and we were far from good at battling dungeon pokemon"

"We hurried our way through, trying to get out of there asap, but we were cut off by a swarm of Woobats. We tried to flee in other directions, but we were surrounded, they then fired their Simple Beams at us. I was fast enough to dodge, but things weren't going well for Duff. He was struck by the Simple Beams and turned into a simp, that's why he is the way he is now"

"Wait...is that how Simple Beam works?" Randy asked in confusion. "Yeah, why?" Kuro asked back. "Like...thinking of it, that sounds terrifying, getting turned into a simp after being hit..." Randy muttered. "Just like that? Is there any way to reverse the effect?" Icy asked, then Kuro shook his head. "Not that we know..." he said with a sigh. "But I'm happy that he's my best friend and that's enough"

"What happened next?" I asked curiously. "Well, I was forced to a dead end, then I felt a burst of electricity course through me...then boom! I learned Volt Switch! I slipped out of their way using the move and went back to rescue Duff...who was left there in a simpy state, that's my story" Kuro finished. "Now, guess it's our turn to tell our stories, Icy!"

"You see this scar on my leg?" Icy asked and lifted her robe, revealing her long, fur-less slash wound. "Bloody hell" Kuro muttered. "She got it in a fight against a Barbaracle" I added. "Wow, that's hecking brave, I've never even seen one in my life" Kuro complimented. "I'd...rather not call it a fight, I was...forced to fight against it in a dungeon...twice, and I was rendered helpless, almost getting myself killed both times," Icy said with a shy smile. "TWICE?!" Kuro and Randy exclaimed. "Yep!"

"The dungeon layouts shift every time you go there, but the crevice the Barbaracle lived in seemed to be outside the dungeon range, it was probably there because the dungeon expanded and covered the place," Icy said with a nervous smile. "I'm still...terrified by Barbaracles..." Icy added, then I gave her a gentle pat on her back. "You were still really brave though, how old were you when that happened?" Randy asked. "Six..." she replied. "SIX?!"

"You went against a Barbaracle when you were six?! You went against it with the huge size difference and type disadvantage when you were six?!" Kuro exclaimed. "Not to mention that it was your natural enemy!" Randy added. "Not that I wanted to...I was pretty much forced to go in the second time..." Icy muttered. "She did get herself a good boyfriend though!" I exclaimed and pointed at the back of her pajamas. "B-Blossom!"

"Was that the real reason why you went in?" Randy asked. "N-no! N-not at all! I-I was...the first time I-I got lost because I was spacing out, thinking of what I should give my mom for her hatchday! A-and the second time I-I was forced in by an Armaldo!" she stuttered. "An Armaldo?" Randy asked. "Yeah, big old hulking fossil dude, scary mon, and a strict teacher, but he's overall pretty nice" I replied. "So the second time..."

"We went into the dungeon, me and Spark...Blossom's brother. He was still a Shinx back then...a little timid...okay I mean VERY timid, but he's always brave, and braver than anymon else when he needs to be. A selfless life-saver, he saved my life twice...or maybe not only twice, I think it was thrice? He's kind...handsome and really helpful. He's always willing to help when I need him to be around. He's not the adventurous type...but the caring guy...and he looks kinda hot, that's why I li...I-I mean th-that's why I have a...I-I mean admire him, th-that's all! I admire him! W-we're normal friends and I-I don't like him or anything!" Icy started, followed by a shade of pink slowly growing on her face. "Hot dude, I see, as hot as me?"

"No, he's hotter!" Icy debated, followed by a moment of silence while Randy bit his twitching lips and I buried my head into my covers, making every attempt to stop myself from laughing. "I...see..." Kuro muttered. "Psst...Randy, help! I-I don't think I can stop myself from laughing! Considering it's her boyfriend, she's gonna tickle me to death if I laugh now!" I whispered. "Psst...not like I'm doing any better" he whispered back. "So...can we start with the story now? It's been such a long talk and it's all about the boyfriend topic" Kuro asked. "Oh my god, did he just..." I muttered under my breath. "Uh...Blossom? Do we have a cemetery around?" Randy asked. "No idea, why?" I asked. "'cause somemon's heading there in 3...2...1..." "OOOWWWW!"

"Wow...he was out before he even hit the ground" Randy muttered in disbelief. "Same happened to you last time, I'm sure you remember it," I said in his ear. "Of course, I'm never gonna forget it" he stated, putting a paw on the Emolga's nose. "Great, dude's still breathing, you didn't break his neck by doing that," Randy said quietly. "He's gonna wake up with a huge neck pain though"

"Icy, you want to continue?" I asked. "Well...I-uh...probably not..." she replied as her furious blush slowly died down. "So it should be my turn? My turn...I'm gonna tell you the story about...ugh, why is this so hard?" I struggled to come up with ideas while tossing and turning on the bed. "It's fine if you can't come up with any ideas, Blossom. I'm sure that Randy wouldn't mind" Icy said with a smile. "Yeah, no problem. I'll just tell two of them!"

"Thanks, Randy!" I exclaimed and hugged him. "B-Blossom! No hugs!" he yelled. "Oh~ coming to your girlfriend's aid? You sure got a nice reward for that~" Icy teased while Randy blushed and dodged eye contact in embarrassment. "I-Icy! She's not my girlfriend! We're just regular friends and that's all!" Randy argued. "So what's the story about, Randy?" I asked. "Not exactly a story of my own, it's a story from my world, the author, Marcus Erdmann, claims that it's based on a true story even though the characters are fictionized, the story's a long one though. I don't know if I'm good at telling stories since I don't have much experience, so get snuggled under the covers and feel free to fall asleep"

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Once upon a time, a Wooper named Woopa who dreamt of becoming a Rescuer went for a walk in the nearby forest, soon, he caught something blue on the edge of his eye.

The curious Wooper walked in its direction, and slowly coming into his sight was an unconscious Mudkip.

Woopa, worried about whether the Mudkip was fine or not, ran toward it to check on it, thankfully, it didn't seem like he was wounded.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Suddenly, an earthquake occurred, and the ground under his training ground cracked apart, forming a huge fissure in the ground, Woopa would have fallen in if he chose to stay there instead of coming out for a walk, it all seemed like fate had brought them together.

"Ugh...mom, five more minutes" the Mudkip mumbled and refused to get up. "Thank goodness you're alright..." Woopa muttered. "Huh...? Who...wha? Did something happen?"

The Mudkip got on his feet, to see a Wooper staring at him. "Wow, I can't believe it! A talking Wooper!" the Mudkip exclaimed, leaving the confused Wooper staring at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course, I can talk, isn't that rather normal? Just like how you're talking"

The Mudkip wondered what the Wooper was talking about, then looked at himself. "WHAT?! I'VE BECAME A POKEMON?!" he screamed, confusing the Wooper even more. "What are you talking about?" the Wooper asked. "I-I can't be a pokemon! AAAAUGH!"

"What are you talking about?" Woopa asked. "I'm a HUMAN!" the Mudkip screamed, startling the Pideys in the trees. "Human? But you're obviously a Mudkip, humans don't exist anywhere around here, they're only in fairy tales" Woopa stated. "Th-this can't be real! I get it! I must be dreaming, if I hit my head, I'm going to wake up!"

"Bonk!" "Bonk!" "Bonk!"

"Ouch...that hurt..." the Mudkip groaned and rubbed his head in agony. "Are you feeling alright? You're acting strange, do you need to take a trip to Blissey's?" Woopa asked again. "Th-this is real...but it can't be! It's real, and it's not a dream! I've turned into a Mudkip!"

"What's your name? I haven't seen you around" Woopa asked. "M-my name...my name is Mudar" the Mudkip replied. "Well, nice to meet you Mudsr! My name's Woopa! Woopa the Wooper!" the Wooper introduced in excitement. "Woopa, huh?...great name, nice to meet you too!"

"Aww...come on! That was my training ground!" Woopa wailed as they passed through the forest and went back to town. "Training ground? What for?" Mudar asked. "Well...my dream is to be a part of a Rescue Team...but I probably wouldn't have got into one anyway...the earthquake is probably a sign that I should give up..."

"You're quitting?" Mudar asked. "Naw...not like I want to...but it's impossible" Woopa replied with a sigh. "But an earthquake...do these happen often?" Mudar asked. "They shouldn't be happening too often...or at least that was how I was told when my family moved here...but in recent years, more and more of them have been happening, not only earthquakes but also natural disasters like tornados, floods and landslides...no one knows why..." Woopa replied with a teary gaze. "Gotta figure out how or why I turned into a pokemon!"

"Cuterpie! Cuterpie!" a frantic cry snapped Mudar back to reality. "Mrs.Buttercup! What's happened?" Mudar looked in that direction to see Woopa asking a wailing Butterfree who was covered with wounds, yellow fluids oozed out of her torso while she wept at the edge of the fissure. "My son! Cuterpie! He fell into the fissure and he can't get back up! I tried flying down to save him, but it's a dungeon filled with Rock-type pokemon, I can't make it through!"

"Don't worry, we'll save him!" Woopa said with a reassuring look. "Thanks...thank you, Woopa, I couldn't possibly thank you more...but please, be careful!" Buttercup said with a teary smile. "We'll save him, right Mudar? You're coming with me, aren't you?" Woopa asked. "Excuse me, we?" Mudar asked. "Fine...I guess I can't refuse..." Mudar said with a reluctant sigh, then went down a rugged slope leading to the depths of the fissure. "Please...please find my son..." Buttercup pleaded and watched the two until they disappeared into the darkness.

"Agh!" Woopa cried when he got struck by a Geodude's Rock Blast, they ventured deeper into the dungeon. "Woopa, why won't you fight back?" Mudar asked, he already had several bruises and scrapes over him throughout the trip. "B-because...because I can't! I'm weak and don't know how to fight!" Woopa cried. "If you can't fight, I don't have a clue either! I'm a human, Woopa! I don't have the slightest idea of how to use moves!"

"Woopa! Look out!" Mudar shouted when he saw a big Graveler rushing at him with a Rollout. "AHH!" Woopa screamed and shut his eyes, bracing himself and preparing to take the attack. Just when the Rollout was going to strike him, a jet of water was shot at the Graveler, stopping the attack and sending it tumbling sideways. "I...did I just use...Water Gun?!"

"Wow, Mudar! Y-you're amazing!" Woopa exclaimed, completely forgetting how scared he had been a few seconds ago. "But how...anyway, let's head on" Mudar muttered, not noticing an enraged Rhyhorn charging at him. "Mudar!" Woopa shouted. "Guh!" Mudar yelped in surprise, there was no way that he would have dodged in time, but somehow, the Rhyhorn's legs seemed to be bonded by some torrents, then Woopa lunged at it using Rock Smash, smashing into the Rhyhorn and knocking it out. "You probably aren't as bad as you think, Woopa"

Soon, with each other's help, they arrived at the dungeon's depths. There, a Caterpie was tied up and hung on the ceiling by some strings, while spider webs covered the place. "Mama, help!" the Caterpie cried as a large figure approached it. "Shh..." Mudar whispered as they approached. "Your mama is nowhere to save you now...as for you...you'll be a tasty lunch~" the Ariados hissed. The Caterpie turned pale when he heard that, he appeared to be a young child who had no clue of what danger he was in until then.

"Ahh...crap" Mudar muttered when he stepped on a web. Startled by the sudden noise, the Ariados looked in their direction, spotting the two intruders. "It appears that I'll have a few side dishes for my lunch today" the Ariados hissed and targeted the two with a String Shot. The two dodged just in time and stared the Ariados in his eyes. "Mister, we're taking that Caterpie home" Woopa called out nervously. The Ariados replied with a hiss and darted toward him, Woopa backed up and regrouped with Mudar when the hungry arachnid hissed. "Nothing personal, dude. But seems like we don't have a choice"

(battle start)

The Ariados darted back and forth, using Agility while Mudar targeted it with Water Gun. The Ariados parried it with a Signal Beam and Lunged at Woopa, to which he dodged by jumping and smacked down with a Body Slam.

Woopa got out of the Ariados' attack range before it struck him again with Poison Sting, then bright swords flashed around the Ariados. Mudar then knocked it sideways with a Headbutt while Woopa drenched it with a Mud Shot, covering its eyes with mud.

The Ariados scrambled around and tried to rub the mud out of its eyes, Mudar grasped the opportunity and struck it with a Water Pulse, enraging the opponent. The angered Ariados span around in confusion, then shot Pin Missles all over the place, most of them were flung at Mudar.

The duo cried out in pain when the attacks hit them, the Ariados succeeded in clearing its sight and struck Mudar with a Pursuit. Woopa, terrified by the situation, sent a wave of Muddy Water at the Ariados, which it dodged by skidding onto the walls.

Woopa then jumped up and down, creating a Stomping Tantrum and shaking the Ariados off the wall. The Ariados then targeted Woopa with a Venoshock, which barely struck him when he dodged to the side.

"Hey, heads up!" Mudar called out, the Ariados shot a Fell Stinger at Woopa then looked in his direction, to see him fire a Water Gun at the rocky ceiling, breaking the rocks on top of it and crashing down, trapping it under the rubble.

(end of the battle)

Soon after their victory, they freed the Caterpie, then returned him to his mother. The mother and son thanked the duo and left them with a teary goodbye, then the two of them stared at each other. "Ouch...my butt..."

"My butt...it's hurt and I'm covered by scratches..." Woopa wailed and glanced at his hind, which was struck by the Fell Stinger from earlier. "Haha! You're such a crybaby!" Mudar chuckled. "C'mon, it's nothing more than a scratch!"

Just when Woopa was about to argue with him, he realized that Mudar was covered by more wounds, and most of them were more severe than his. "This dude...he's a hothead, but he's a hero...and of course, he was protecting me the entire time..." Woopa muttered to himself as he looked at Mudar. "Well...Woopa, you're hurt and you're whining, but you never did give up, did you? You fought till the end, that's a good thing, right?" Mudar said with a smile. "Thank you, Mudar, but I must ask you a question..."

"Are you willing to form a Rescue Team with me?" Woopa asked. "Nope, I'm only staying here for a short time and I'm finding out why I turned into a pokemon" Mudar replied. "Please...you were a hero back there! I-I don't know...I don't know if I can find a team-" "You talk too much...make it short..." Mudar cut him off with a sigh. "Let's form a Rescue Team!" "...fine..."

The two tired mons walked back to town, chatting about their differences and heading to Woopa's home, and all of a sudden, 3 figures jumped out of the bushes, consisting of an Ekans, a Medicham, and a Gengar. "Hey, losers! We're Team Meanies!" they shouted. "Team...Meanies?" the two asked in confusion. "Keh, our goal is world domination, bye!" they exclaimed and ran away. "What...? Da heck was that?"

Later, after Woopa's new friend got himself settled, they made their house look like the base of a Rescue Team...Rescue Team Landslide. They then had a simple dinner then went to sleep. However, during the night...Mudar saw some blurry scene in his dreams, he couldn't make out what it was, but it seemed like somemon was there, somemon was calling him..."

The next day, they woke up with a new start. They received a rescue request about rescuing a few Magnemites trapped in Thunderwave Cave, caused by abnormal electromagnetic surges. The request was sent by one of them who was fortunately out of range, the two then quickly headed to town and prepared for their quest.

"Please! Please! I need help!" a voice caught their attention, to which they looked to see a Jumpluff, a Shiftry, and two Nuzleafs in a large group of pokemon. "Forget about it, unless you pay up" the Shiftry growled. "But..but please! My friend is trapped and he needs a gust of wind!" the Jumpluff pleaded desperately. "What's going on here?"

It appeared that Jumpluff's friend was trapped in a dungeon, unable to take off because of the abnormal wind currents, so his friend went to find a team of rescuers to save him. The Shiftry was the leader of a Rescue Team, but the greedy pokemon was unwilling to help unless the Jumpluff paid him enough, then three tall figures showed up behind the Shiftry team. "Rather cold-hearted, aren't you"

The three appeared to be Team ACT, the highest-ranked Rescue Team around the place. "You need a strong wind to save Jumpluff, you could easily come up with a strong current using your leafy arms" the Alakazam stated and took a step toward the Dark-Grass duo-type. "Ach, fine, we'll do it!" the Shiftry grumbled and took off with his two teammates.

"Wow...it's Team ACT! I can't believe it! I want their autographs!" Woopa thought to himself secretly. Mudar had no idea why Woopa was going into fanboy mode all of a sudden, then Woopa did a short explanation about them. Tyler the Tyranitar was the hulk who often handled the physical jobs, Charles the Charizard was the one responsible for the rescue missions in the sky, and Alexander the elderly Alakazam was the one who led the team, renowned for his unmatched psychic powers. As the three passed through the crowd, everymon scrambled to the sides, making a path for them. Alexander seemed to sense something strange and eyed Mudar now and then until he left Town Square.

They then headed to Thunderwave Cave, successfully rescuing the trapped Magnemites and one of them decided to temporarily join their team. They returned home swiftly after the rescue and fell into a deep slumber, yet, Mudar had another of those dreams. It seemed like somemon was trying to contact him, all he could make out were faint noises, telling him that he was a human called to this world for a reason.

The next day, they woke up to see three familiar figures in front of their door, peeping at their mailbox. It appeared to be Team Meanies, this time they did a proper self-introduction before stealing all of their rescue requests. The Genger's name was Genraid, the Medicham's name was Medha, and the Ekans was named Snek. All they could do was watch the three steal all of their requests and bolt away.

"Team Landslide! Team Landslide!...a young pokemon called out when they were heading to town in frustration, it was Cuterpie from before, the first pokemon they rescued. "Please! Please help! My brother...we got separated!" he pleaded. It seemed like the Caterpie's brother, a Metapod named Medard was lost in Sinister Woods, but Cuterpie couldn't find anymon to help him, he didn't have any poke' to pay them either, despite how it was, the two nodded in agreement and went to rescue Medard.

When they arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, they were greeted by the ever-annoying trio, Team Meanies. The three tried to coax Cuterpie into joining them, targeting their goal of world domination, yet Cuterpie refused their offer and decided to stay on Woopa and Mudar's side, they even got into a small fight. Eventually, the Meanies lost and gave up, then the three mons headed in, succeeding in rescuing Medard and taking him back to town with Cuterpie.

The day passed on rather quickly, it was already nighttime when they were finished with their business and got home. They went to sleep again...and of course, Mudar had another of those dreams. This time, he could slowly make out the voice, a feminine voice much clearer than the two times before. "Who...are you?"

"My name is Grace...Grace the Gardevoir...I'm so glad...that I finally got to meet you..."Finally, met me? Did you know me as a human? What about it?" Mudar asked. "Hey! Hey!" a voice whispered in his ear, disturbing his thoughts and opportunities. "I am your...I am your..." the voice trailed off. "Wait! Just another moment!" Mudar shouted as the dream faded away in his disappointment. "Hey! Wake up!"

The two woke up in the middle of the night to see a Dugtrio in their house, asking them to help him rescue his son, who was stuck on Mount Steel. The two decided to ask their Magnemite friend for help, then with their help, the three of them ascended to the top of the mountain.

They then found the Diglett, the child was stuck in a Skarmory nest, imprisoned by her. She stated that the earthquakes the Diglett was somehow causing put her eggs in danger, so she had to keep a close eye on him, while the Diglett desperately begged for help and denied the Skarmory's statement. They then got into a fight, and Team Landslide paralyzed the Skarmory and rescued the Diglett.

The next morning, they were told that the Shiftry who left on a rescue mission hadn't returned yet, so they set out to search for any traces left behind. On their way, they saw a Jumpluff flying away in a gust of strong wind, they felt relieved after seeing it and imagined that Shiftry must have succeeded in rescuing her, but things didn't turn out as well as they thought.

The two saw an enormous yellow hawk pokemon perching there, the two Nuzleafs gazed in horror as the hawk gripped the unconscious Shiftry with its talons. "Gyaohhh!" the hawk pokemon screeched and took off, flying into the sky and vanishing into the clouds, taking the Shiftry with it.

Mudar and Woopa quickly returned to town and saw the Jumpluff frantically telling everymon about the news while her friend tried to comfort her. "According to your description, that pokemon must be Zapdos, the legendary bird pokemon that manipulates thunder at its will, I wonder what Shik did to anger it, legendaries rarely meddle with the lives of mortals like us," a voice full of wisdom said to the crowd. "C'mon, Mudar! This might be the chance for us to get acquainted with Team ACT!"

"I see...you're the newly formed Rescue Team...impressive for some mons at your age" Alexander muttered when he saw the two mons with new team badges approaching them. "Alex, this isn't time for us to waste any time here, we're dealing with a serious situation" Tyler interrupted. "Hey, can I have your autograph?"

"You know kid, we aren't giving those out for free" Charles growled. "H-huh? Wh-what?" Woopa questioned in dismay. "We're not here to waste time, we're going to Mount Thunder, that's where Zapdos is" Tyler grumbled. "Please forgive those two for their abruptness, they are taking things too seriously, allow me to apologize for them," Alexander said with a warm smile. "No problem, can you tell us anything about Zapdos?"

Alexander explained the situation to the two junior Rescuers. Zapdos had been in its dormant state for centuries, only waking up every few hundred years to screech out as a warning, informing other pokemon about an upcoming disaster. Shik's winds had caught the attention of the hawk and disturbed it in some way, the Jumpluff was fortunate enough to escape in time while the Shiftry was held captive. The three feared the power of Zapdos, the electric blasts it generated were enough to crack mountains apart.

The two lizards in the back tried to scare them off while Alexander suggested the two stay back, yet they insisted on helping. They were then advised to be well-prepared before heading out and to stay cautious throughout the entire trip, the last thing they wanted was to lose somemon's life in the process. The two acknowledged Team ACT's warnings and they set out to prepare immediately.

They soon set out on their journey to Mount Thunder, going through a dungeon filled with Electric types wasn't an easy mission for two Water types. It took them a few hours to reach the top of the hill. "Who dares to intrude on this sacred place?!" a voice screeched, followed by a giant yellow falcon descending from the sky. "W-we're Team Landslide, a Rescue Team!"

"I will hold no mercy against intruders, that is the final warning" Zapdos squawked. "You don't think a little electricity will intimidate us, do you?" Mudar taunted. "Courageous words for such mortals...but your attacks are all useless against my devastating thunder!" Zapdos screeched. "You aren't afraid, right Woopa?" the Mudkip asked his partner. "N-no! I-I'm not scared! You don't frighten me!" Woopa shouted. "Such determination...I shall vanquish it with my wrath!"

(battle start)

Mudar jumped into the air, lunging at Zapdos with a Headbutt while Woopa stood there dumbfounded. The attack struck the unprepared Zapdos and sent it flying backward while Mudar clung to her back. Mudar then hit Zapdos using Aqua Tail, and the enraged bird then responded to it with a Twister, sending Mudar flying backward.

"You're too reckless, you can't just attack a Legendary like that!" Woopa exclaimed when he saw electric particles emitting from Mudar's body. "And you? Stop standing here and help me out!" Mudar retorted as he tried to stand up. "Wasn't this part of your dream? Facing danger and rescuing other pokemon? No matter how hard it is? Isn't that what you told me?!"

Woopa sank into his thoughts after hearing what his friend said. "...he's right...I can't be a coward like this...I won't run away...not again!" Woopa muttered to himself. "Besides...I want to become human again, I'll have to find out the reason for all this" Mudar added, then the two exchanged a determined look and lunged at the hawk.

Zapdos, now fully aware of the battle situation swooped down with a U-turn, which Woopa parried with a Rock Smash, it then got struck by a Water Gun fired by Mudar. However, physical contact with Zapdos paralyzed both Mudar and Woopa, slowing them down while they struggled to use their moves.

Zapdos swooped again, this time using Drill Peck at Mudar. Several puncture wounds were stabbed out of Mudar's aching body while he tried to make a move. Woopa then summoned a Whirlpool, dragging Zapdos down and trapping it near the low ground.

Woopa's move didn't keep Zapdos busy for long. Zapdos spun around using Steel Wing, swatting both of them away and breaking the water currents. Despite his injuries, Mudar grasped the opportunity and blasted Zapdos in the face with a Water Pulse, and Woopa smacked Zapdos's head into the ground using Iron Tail.

Zapdos made a desperate attempt to dig her head out of the ground, then unleashed a strong Discharge, destroying the ground beneath them and freeing itself. She then aimed a Zap Cannon at the two stunned pokemon and fired.

Both of them were badly injured, Mudar snapped back into reality first and pushed Woopa forward. The terrified Wooper froze and stood there when the blast of electricity struck the two, creating a cloud of smoke and the ground around them was destroyed. Yet, the two stood there, undamaged by the attack while Zapdos panted in exhaustion. "You should study about type advantages before unleashing such an attack next time!"

(end of the battle)

Zapdos screeched in fury as she prepared to fire another attack. Suddenly, a storm of storms was shot toward Zapdos. Zapdos tried to shield herself with Protect, but several stones already went through and dented Zapdos's wings. "You want more?!" a familiar voice called out. "Charles!"

A Fire Blast was shot at Zapdos, hitting through the weakened Protect and scorching Zapdos's wings, while a proud figure in the sky stared it down. Two figures coming up the hill quickly caught up with the Charizard, all glaring at the defeated Legendary. "You kids have impressed me...take your Shiftry...you'd better be prepared 'cause I won't be holding back next time!" Zapdos screeched, then she transformed into a ball of light, vanishing and leaving an unconscious pokemon lying on the ground. "Shik, you alright?!"

"What...what happened...how...? I was...taken by Zapdos..." Shik muttered when he saw the crowd surrounding him as he slowly regained consciousness. "I'm glad you're safe...sorry that I don't have hands to help you up," Woopa said with a smile. "But...two rookies...young ones to be specific...defeating Zapdos...that's not something we see every day..."

"You're strong for a Mudkip, Mudar...hey Alex, say something" Charles whispered as their leader scrutinized the two closely. "I sensed something strange since we first met...Woopa appears to be a normal Wooper...but Mudar, you aren't a pokemon, are you?" Alex's words left everymon dumbfounded while he and Mudar eyed each other closely. "What...? How do you know?...how do you know that he was a human?!"

"What in the world?"

"Alex...this is a joke, isn't it?"

"Ha! I never knew about your humorous side, Alex!"

"You three, stay quiet while the three of us have a short chat"

"I don't understand why I'm here, or how I'm here, I suddenly woke up as a pokemon and Woopa found me. That's why I'm trying to figure out what I'm here for, so I can get back to my human life...though I don't mind spending a few days here and waiting until my mid-term exam is over" Mudar explained. "Interesting...very interesting..." Alexander muttered and smoothened his beard. "Hey, I've heard that you know everything, Alexander! Do you know anything about his transformation?"

"......"

"Curious...very curious..."

"......"

"...what?..."

"No...I don't know anything about it..." Alexander replied after hesitating for a long while. "Oh...I thought you'd know..." Woopa muttered in disappointment. "However...there are a few legends of humans being sent to the pokemon world...please forgive me for my limited knowledge, that is all I know about humans..." Alexander muttered. "Yet...there is one way to uncover the truth, go to the Hill Of The Ancients...there you will find a pokemon who does nothing else but stare at the sun...he is said to have the ability to see the future...his name is Xabian, Xabian the Xatu, go there and shed light on your puzzling friend" Alexander added. "Thanks, Alexander! Mudar, let's not waste any more time, and that's where we're going tomorrow, let's go home, Shik!"

Soon after the rookies left with Shik, the three members of Team ACT stared at each other, until Charles decided to break the ice. "Alex, you suck. anymon can tell you're keeping something a secret" Charles growled while the Alakazam remained silent. "We don't know what's going on in your mind, Alex...but why are you keeping it a secret even from us?" Tyler added and glared into his leader's eyes.

"Something concerns me...but it shall remain unspoken...for their sake..."

The two woke up early the next morning, setting out for the Grand Canyon, where the Hill Of The Ancients was located, going through dungeon after dungeon, hill after hill, stalked by an unwanted guest.

It was already afternoon when Mudar and Woopa reached the top, there they saw a green pokemon gazing at the sunset. "Hello?" they called out, the green bird didn't respond, they took a few steps closer, but the green bird didn't move an inch. "Dude? Hello? We're here to ask you about something!"

Xabian still didn't respond, he stood there, looking straight at the sun despite the two mons calling him, while the stalking mon hid behind a large rock. No matter what they did, he didn't reply, so Mudar decided to go for a different approach, and Headbutted it, but he still remained motionless. They stood there in confusion, waiting for a few minutes. Until...

"Oh hi...ow ow ow my stomach!" Xabian moaned and clutched his stomach, where Mudar struck with his Headbutt. "Mr.Xabian, we require your knowledge and we're here to ask you a question that only you can reply" Woopa called out, but Xabian remained silent again until a few minutes had passed. "Oh, what question?" he asked. "This is gonna take forever"

"You human?" Xabian's first question struck all the tree mons out of the blue, even the following mon who tried to steal their bags while they were busy. "Yes, how do you know?" Mudar asked while the follower stared at him in disbelief. "The chaos happening recently, and the balance of the world has been tilted, and the reason why you became a pokemon, the reasons are tied together" Xabian muttered. "What do you mean by that?"

"......"

"Say something!" Mudar demanded. "The world's balance must be restored, or the unthinkable will befall our world...I fear it...I dread it...the very destruction of our world!" Xabian screeched. "What? What's that? The destruction of our world? World balance? Is the sun gonna fall from the sky? Or is the moon gonna drop down?" Woopa questioned the bird, while the following mon dropped the work he was doing and ran back to town, howling with wicked laughter on his way back.

Xabian's replies led them nowhere, it only gave them more questions and made them concerned about what kind of disaster would eventually loom upon the world. The two headed to their base after an exhausting day, getting a good rest until an old mon appeared at the door of the house and opened it.

"......"

"...Alexander...? What are you...doing in our house...?"

"There's no time to waste...get yourselves prepared, you're being hunted"

"H-hunted...? By who...?"

"The entire town" Alexander's reply got the two mons out of bed immediately. "What the hell is going on?!" Mudar exclaimed. "I'm not supposed to be here, forgive me for disturbing your well-deserved sleep, but it's not time to linger around, you must set out tonight," Alexander said with a sigh, then the place around them began to shift while they got surrounded by a globe of pink light. "Have you ever heard of the legend of the Ninetales?"

The two shook their heads as the pink light grew more intense. "Ninetales are known to be elegant pokemon who prefer living far away from society. However, a powerful Ninetales lives on Mount Freeze, every one of her tails possessed a unique kind of psychic power, and whoever touched her tails would be cursed for a thousand years...nobody dared to touch them, nobody foolish enough except for...a human...

The human would have been given a thousand-year curse, but just when the spell was cast upon him, a pokemon called Gardevoir...threw herself between the human and the Ninetales, shielding her human partner and absorbing the curse, sacrificing herself in the process.

Taking pity on the Gardevoir, the Ninetales asked whether he wanted to save his Gardevoir friend, but the human had already abandoned his partner and fled. The Ninetales, disgusted by the human's selfishness, made this prediction, "The human will one day reincarnate as a pokemon, and the balance of the world will be tilted, plunging the world into chaos" that's how the legend ended"

"But aren't there good humans and bad humans?" Woopa asked, then Mudar nodded. "The human might have been afraid and fled...and he might have searched for the Ninetales, but just couldn't find her!" Mudar stated, then Alexander stared deeply into his eyes. "Humans...humans think for their kind...I can understand that...yet...look into my eyes and you shall understand everything" Alexander said and his eyes started to gleam with blue energy.

An image came afloat in Mudar's and Woopa's minds as Alexander used his Telekinesis, they were in town, and residents formed a circle around the ever-annoying team, Team Meanies. Genraid was bringing up the topic of the Ninetales legend, and then brought up the fact that the two of them went to the Grand Canyon to consult Xabain, and then told them about the disruption of the world balance, then the crowd chattered anxiously until Genraid came up with the idea to eliminate them in vengeance for the Gardevoir, Mudar and his friend, Woopa along with him...

A town meeting followed, and they came up with the conclusion: if they got rid of what caused the chaos, everything would go back to normal, then they decided to hunt down the two Water types the next morning, then the image changed to Team ACT, they were now the mons surrounded while the two lizards gave their leader questioning looks until Alexander reluctantly promised them that he would help in the hunt as the vision faded away. "So I see...you're supposed to be after us too...even though you're forced...thanks, Alexander..."

"I'm done with this...we should disband the team, Woopa" Mudar growled. "Wh-what? B-but we went through everything together, Mudar!" Woopa exclaimed. "Woopa, I'm the human, I'm the one who's in trouble, the one who they're after, you're just an innocent mon who has a dream, a dream to become a Rescuer..." Mudar yelled. "Alexander...what are the chances of Woopa getting away from this if I turn myself in?" Mudar asked. "No! You can't!" Woopa yelled, tears flowing out the edge of his eyes. "Tell you what? I've been having dreams, Woopa, dreams of me being the human in the prophecy"

Mudar then told Woopa about his dreams, the dream where he met Gardevoir, and that he was the chosen human. Woopa then cried and tried to stop his friend from turning himself in, until Alexander finally spoke. "The odds of Woopa surviving...are near zero" he muttered. "...why?" Mudar asked, trying his best to hold back his tears. "Even if they get rid of you, they'd believe that you entrusted Woopa in whatever you didn't do, that's one reason, the other...even if you are indeed the human in the prophecy, it did not say anything about the curse being broken if the human dies"

"Then what should we do, Alexander?" Woopa asked. "Pack your supplies and get out of here, against all odds, you must run. Run, run, and survive, run until you uncover the truth..." Alexander said and dumped two bags in front of them, filled with dried food, bags of water, and a variety of berries. "Look, Mudar...even Alexander has faith in you...just like me! No matter what happens, I'll never give up on you!" Woopa exclaimed and curled his tail around Mudar like a warm embrace as they smiled bitterly through their tears.

The two set out immediately in the middle of the night with Alexander following behind, they soon arrived at the town gate, where two hulking beasts and a few friends were waiting for them. "Mudar! Woopa!" a small voice called out, then a green mon crawled toward them. "Quite the reunion, don't you say, Alex?"

Cuterpie then told the two that he would always believe in them, and await their return. Medard, the Diglett and Dugtrio they helped before, and the Magnemite who went on a rescue mission with them all told them how thankful they were before they bid a teary farewell.

"From tomorrow, every Rescue Team who sees you will attack you without mercy, including us, anymon who goes with Mudar will be considered an enemy" Charles growled. "There will be no mercy the next time we meet, we shall crush you with our extreme strength" Tyler added. "Good look, Team Landslide, and farewell," Alexander said in the end. "Thanks, everymon! We'll be back! Until then, take care! Especially you, Cuterpie!"

Thus began Mudar's and Woopa's harsh and difficult journey as fugitives. Over steep mountains, and across fields of fire, yet throughout the journey, the two remained faithful and confident and marched on without a complaint. The two marched on, escaping from the pursuing mons, eventually making their way to Mount Blaze, going on a shortcut through a volcano with lava overflowing, bubbling on the insides, and streaking down the sides of the steep hill...until...

"I can hear the screams of the mountain! Its screams in agony! Somemon is causing Mount Blaze to writhe in agony...isn't it you?" a voice squawked, then a flaming hawk slowly emerged from the lava, glaring at the two trespassers. "The mountain's rage is my rage, I'm Moltres, the warrior of fire! There's no forgiving who befouls the mountain! Engard!" she screeched. "No, wait!"

(battles start)

Moltres started by blasting the two with a Heat Wave, immediately casting an Overheat upon them right after, trapping the two wailing mons in a field of flame. The two mons struggled to breathe as their damp skin dried up. "Cough! cough!...can't...breathe...!" Woopa cried out. Desperately, Mudar cast a Water Pulse beneath him and his friend, moisturizing their skin.

Mudar then sent a Mud Shot at Moltres, only to get blasted back by a Fire Blast and badly scorched. Moltres didn't give the two a chance to turn the tables and sent two Fire Spins at them, trapping the two in their places and charging an Incinerate. "Wait! Don't use that, please! We can't afford to lose our berries!"

"I shall give you two a chance, I shall fly still and take an attack from both of you, if either of you lands an attack on me, I shall-" before she finished, Mudar shot a Water Gun at her, however, the attack vaporized before making contact with Moltres. "Let you two leave this volcano...foolish, thinking that a normal attack can strike me..." Moltres finished. "Cough...hey, can I cough-get another...chance?" Mudar asked through breathless coughs. "No matter how hard you try, it won't work" Moltres screeched. "Ever...cough-heard of something called...cough-Rock Slide?"

Moltres looked up when Mudar aimed his Water Gun at the top of the cavern, sending a shot of water at the ceiling and breaking the rocks on top of Moltres. Moltres shrieked in pain when the rocks crashed down on her, sending her down and pressing her on the floor, unable to fly with her wings covered by the rubble. "We did it, Woopa! We did it!"

(end of the battle)

"Hey, you can't just leave me here!" Moltres cried out as the two mons scurried out of the hot volcano. "Or what do you...cough-expect us to do? Help you up and let you attack us again?" Mudar asked while Woopa gazed at her with empathy. "Wait, Woopa! What do you think you're-"

"I'm freeing her from the rubble, she'd be doomed if we leave her under these, and who will take care of Mount Blaze after that?" Woopa replied and destroyed some rocks with his Rock Smash. "Are you insane!? Have you already forgotten how much trouble we went through to get her under this?" Mudar debated. "Mudar, we're a Rescue Team and we save pokemon, our mission now is to save Moltres"

"You foolish mortal...you do know the consequences of removing the rubble on me..." Moltres squawked after Woopa cleared out the rocks on one of her wings. "I...I know! But, this is why I started, to rescue and help other pokemon!" Woopa muttered and smashed another rock. Hearing Woopa's words, Moltres's aggression slowly died down, guilt reflecting in her eyes while the slowly drying up amphibian did his best to help her, soon joined by his partner.

"You're the human from the prophecy aren't you..." Moltres muttered as her wings were freed. "How do you know?" Mudar asked in astonishment. "...we're currently fugitives, to be honest, we're trying to figure out what's behind all of this, and we have to find Ninetales, so we can prove Mudar's innocence" Woopa explained. "I hope your resolve will stay as strong as during our battle...go through Frosty Forest, that's the fastest shortcut...I shall lead the other Rescue Teams away for the time being"

The two thanked Moltres and headed north, welcomed by several waves of freezing air as they approached the borders of Frosty Forest, taking several days to climb up the slopes of the highland, treading through the snowstorm and led by their determination.

An earthquake shook the ground, creating a large fissure behind them as a pokemon in a white coat of thick fur pounced out of the snow. "I-i-it's...an Absol!" Woopa exclaimed and trembled in fear. "Why are you so afraid of this after defeating 2 Legendaries?" his partner asked. "I-it's the disaster pokemon! Wherever it goes...there's destruction! I-it might eat us!" Woopa exclaimed. "E-eat us?"

"What's wrong with you?! Coming through the snowstorm and heading all the way here, even knowing that I, Abe, the pokemon of disasters reside here?!" he yelled. "Psst...he sounds younger than us" Mudar whispered to his friend, while sweat oozed out of their bodies, and got frozen by the chilly surroundings. "H-hi there...I-I mean we didn't...I-I mean we did mean to come here...s-so uh..." Woopa stuttered and shut his eyes. "Wait...a Wooper and Mudkip..."

"Wh-what are you doing?"Mudar asked in confusion, shuddering from the cold and the fear he was trying to hide as the Absol bent down and sniffed him. "You look like a Mudkip...and you smell like a Mudkip...AAAA!" Abe screamed like a little child and shot into the air. "Y-y-you're Mudar!" Abe muttered and shuddered in fear while the two mons gazed at him in confusion. "Yes? How do you know?"

"AAAAHHHH! P-please d-don't eat me! I-I'm not tasty, there's too much fur on me! A-and I'm still a kid!" Abe stuttered and shrank into a large ball of fluff, shuddering in front of the two. "Psst...that looks comfy to lay on" Woopa whispered to his friend. "I'm so confused right now..."

After an explanation, they managed to calm the big child down and ask him about what was going on. Abe then told them about a Gengar passing by a few days ago, and telling his kind about an evil Mudkip and the Mudkip's friend, a Wooper would plan on destroying the world, plus the two evil mons would try to eat them, the two then promised not to eat him and told him that they were trying to prove Mudar's innocence.

Abe then told them about a common misunderstanding that caused his kind to be resented and feared by the other pokemon. Absols could sense disasters that were going to occur soon, how long before they happened depended on how severe the disaster would be. Their job was to warn others before the tragedies occurred, but others misinterpreted it as Absols bringing the disasters with them, and a lot of times, attacking them. They had been suffering the same fate for generations, and yet, they sensed an apocalyptic event in the nearby future that would destroy the world, combined with the Gengar's words and the ongoing rumors, they were easily led to believe that Mudar and Woopa were the mons responsible for it.

After taking a short break, Abe decided to join their team temporarily and help them until they reached Mount Freeze. The two also learned that Abe was a 5-year-old who snuck out without his parent's permission and somehow met up with them as if fate decided so. They went through Frosty Forest, joking about the rumors as they approached their destination with Abe's help, soon, they came across a large blue bird, perched on a large chunk of ice at the center of the blizzard.

"Who dares to interrupt my...what time is it?...anyway, who dares to disturb me when I'm napping?" the big bird squawked and popped an eye open to look at them. "Don't mind us, we're just passing by and heading to Mount Freeze" Mudar replied. "Alright, just let me take a look at your passports and you shall be free to go" the bird muttered with her eyes half-closed. "Passports? What are those?" Woopa asked quietly. "Psst...you need those to get past here, you know? It's kind of the law"

"Abe, what are you doing here at this time?...go home and stop disturbing my naps" the bird grumbled. "Uhh...alright, I'll go back soon, Articuno...please don't tell my parents about it...I'm doing a great job guiding some tourists through the snow..." Abe said with a nervous smile. "Alright...no passports...your names then?..." Articuno asked groggily, letting out another yawn. "It's so cool here...perfect weather for a nap..." she added. "I'm Woopa and this is my friend Mudar, we're a Rescue Team passing through Frosty Forest"

"Mudar and Woopa...snrrff...you look like the mons Genraid told me about...snrrrfff...you have the same names...snrrfff...and you're the same species, are you the...snrff...human from the Ninetales legend...?" Articuno asked through her sleepiness as cold winds surged around them. "Mudar...tell her that you're not..." Woopa whispered in his friend's ear. "I don't know!" Mudar announced. "WHAT?!"

"Oh...snrrfff...alright then...do you have a good...snrrff...excuse?" Articuno asked and the winds grew even stronger, hail buffeted the three mons as they huddled closer to each other. "So even Articuno was fooled by the rumors..." Abe muttered. "Then why won't you tell her about it, Abe?" Woopa asked. "'cause if I wake her up, she's going to tell my parents about me sneaking out...and they're gonna kill me"

"Articuno! Please listen to me, I'm not sure about anything, that's why I have to go to Mount Freeze, to figure out what's going on and whether I'm the bad guy or not!" Mudar called out. "How can a Mudar be causing these anyway? He's just a Mudkip and he hasn't done anything bad to the environment! Those are all rumors, just like the rumor about Absols!" Woopa chimed in. "Okay...snrrff...you may pass...snrfff...bye" Articuno muttered and shut her eyes again. "Well...that was easier than I thought, easier than the past two times. "Abe...snrrff...I'm telling your...snrrfff...parents about you sneaking out by the way...snrrff..." "Shet, I'm dead"

Just when they were about to leave, something large seemed to be dropped into the snow, causing an Avalanche to occur. The three mons froze upon the incoming hazard, screaming and huddling together as they embraced each other in fear. However, when the Avalanche loomed over them, a huge Aurora Veil was cast, forming a wall and shielding them all from the disaster. "Snrrfff...Avalanche annoying...snrrff..." Articuno muttered. "Well, let's get this hell outta here before anything else happens!"

With Abe's help, Mudar and Woopa finally arrived at the bottom of Mount Freeze. Abe wished the two of them good luck and embraced the two as they left on their journey, while Abe on the other side went home to receive punishment from his parents, grounded for the next two days. Just when they were about to head to their final destination, a transparent green figure with a white dress appeared before Mudar's eyes.

"You have arrived...I have been waiting for you..." the vague figure called out with a smile. "Gr-Grace!" Mudar exclaimed while Woopa was confused by the situation and asked him why he was talking to the air. "I am so glad...that we finally get to meet..." she said with a foggy voice. "I can only be seen by you..."

"Mudar, what's going on?" Woopa asked while Mudar gestured for him to be quiet while he concentrated. "Mount Freeze is ahead...jagged...mountain range..." Grace said with a blurry voice. "No good, it's fading away again! Grace! Get to the point!" Mudar yelled. "Inside the peak...Ninetales lives...be careful..." she muttered. "No, wait!" Mudar called out as she faded away.

Mudar then explained the situation to his clueless partner, then they set out on their journey immediately, heading to the described destination. After the long, exhausting journey, they finally reached a place that looked like what Grace just described, which appeared to be a jagged mountain range. Yet, three familiar pokemon were there, waiting for them in the blizzard.

"Team ACT?!" Woopa exclaimed, the two lizards narrowed their gazes while Alexander let out a long sigh. "Alexander...why...?" Mudar called out. "Alex knew you'd come here, so we...talked him into taking us here" Charles replied for him. "I'm...I'm sorry, Team Landslide...I never expected this to be how it turned out..." Alexander muttered with a quivering voice. "Alex, what are you waiting for, just attack already!"

"Alexander, have you seen Ninetales?" Mudar called out again, then Alexander shook his head. "We've been camping here for a week, there's no Ninetales here" Tyler announced. "Surrender and come back to Pokemon Square with us!" Charles growled. "NO!" Woopa yelled. "Then we got no choice but to crush you and bring you back" Tyler snarled then charged toward them, grabbing Mudar before he could react while Charles swooped with a Sky Drop, grabbing Woopa in his claws. "Alex, we're good to go"

"Let go of me!" Woopa cried too, but it only made Charles tighten his grip. "No shot" Charles growled. "Hey, Tyler! There's something I feel like I need to tell you" Mudar said to the hulking green lizard. "What is it then?" Tyler asked. "Psst...it's a secret, I don't want others to hear it but it's important, bend your head down and I'll whisper it in your ear" Mudar whispered. "Ugh...fine" Tyler grumbled and did as he said as a sly grin grew on Mudar's face. "A little closer"

"Surprise mother fucker!" Mudar shouted and fired a strong Hydro Pump out of his mouth, blasting Tyler directly in the face and knocking him unconscious before he knew what hit him. Charles' jaw fell open after seeing what Mudar just did, while Alexader rubbed the tips of his beard and Woopa snickered quietly. "That's it, I'm taking you down here and now!" Charles snarled and flew into the sky. "Behold, Seismic Toss!"

When Mudar shut his eyes and expected Woopa to crash down from the sky, Charles came crashing down instead, slamming to the ground with a loud cry and passing out, while Woopa came after and fell, using Charles' belly as a trampoline and landing with a triumphant grin. "Smacked his head with Aqua Tail at the right time!"

"Impressive!" Alexander called out and applauded with a smile. "Alexander, you better give up or we'll knock you out!" Mudar shouted. "For safety reasons, I set up a Future Sight surrounding the place you're standing at the moment right after arriving here, just in case things turned sour" Alexander announced. "WHAT?!"

Razor-sharp psychic crystals came crashing down from every direction, showering on them like a hurricane. Mudar and Woopa felt their consciousnesses fading away as blood oozed out of their bodies, looking at Alexander only to see him pointing his next attack at them. "Mudar...what did we run all the way here for...? Only to get...hunted down by...them..." Woopa muttered. "Sorry Woopa...you've been my best friend...I never got the chance to say...I never doubted you either...sorry that you have to...suffer the same fate as me..."

"STOP! Cease this at once!" a voice called out, followed by a veil of light engulfing all of them. Suddenly, a yellowish-grey figure appeared in front of them and their pain faded away. The two unconscious members of Team ACT blinked their eyes open and gazed at the scene in astonishment, while a large smile grew on Mudar's face. "Ninetales!"

"Cease the battle at once, Alexander...they are...my guests" Ninetales called out, to which Alexander obeyed and de-materialized his spoons. "Ninetales...forgive my abruptness, but could you tell me whether Mudar is the human from the legend...or if the legend itself is true" Alexander asked. "I don't care about how other pokemon think about my curse...but..."

"Many years ago, I did try to lay a curse on a human, but a Gardevoir, the human's partner dashed in and took the curse instead of him, then the human cowardly fled, and reincarnated as a pokemon...the human still lives on..." Ninetales explained. "Then...the human...could you tell us his true identity?" Alexander asked. "Mudar..." Ninetales muttered. "WHUH?!"

"It's not you" Ninetales finished after waiting for a few seconds. "Fuck you, Ninetales...you scared me half to death," Mudar said with a sigh. "Awesome! That's great! I knew it wasn't you, Mudar!" Woopa exclaimed and tears of joy burst out of his watery eyes. "It is true that I foretold the world's balance becoming unstable, yet...Mudar's transformation and the world's balance are not linked in any way, the calamities exist elsewhere"

"Hey, you! You were wrong about the entire thing! And you better apologize to him right now!" Woopa yelled. "Um...we're sorry?" Charles muttered. "Me too?" Tyler added. "So you're saying that I should apologize right now?" Alexander asked. "YES!" Woopa screamed. "And you're saying that I don't deserve this badge?" Alexander asked. "Yea...I mean...I didn't say that, but..." Woopa muttered, then Alexander slowly knelt. "'I'm sorry for my actions, Team Landslide, therefore, I beg for your forgiveness..." Alexander said and kowtowed. "OH MY GOD!" "ALEX! YOU'RE FRICKING EIGHTY!" "WHAT?! YOU'RE EIGHTY?!" "OH GAWD! GET UP RIGHT NOW!"

"Wait...you were floating the entire time?" Woopa asked when he saw the pink energy keeping Alexander's knees above the ground. "Did you expect me to be kneeling? I have trouble walking with such slender legs" Alexander replied with a smile. "Typical Alex" his two teammates muttered and shook their heads. "As for my badge..."

Alexander then took his badge off and lifted it with his psychic powers, then snapped it in half and threw it in the snow. "Alexander, you are aware that you can be fined for littering in public" Ninetales muttered. "Did anymon bring a phone?" Alexander asked, then everymon shook their heads. "Cameras?" he asked again, then everymon had the same reply. "Great"

"Alexander...what about your badge then?...are you going to stop being a member of the renowned Team ACT?" Woopa asked. "Don't worry, I got plenty of them" he replied with a smile. "YOU ASS!" Mudar yelled and lunged at Alexander, which Woopa did the same, but both of them got lifted into the air by Alexander's Psychic. "Here I thought you were the mons that didn't want to fight," he said with a grin. "Ugh...Alex, despite your age, you're extremely childish at times"

"Mudar, I knew you weren't a bad mon! But...if you're not that human...what are you doing here anyway?" Woopa asked. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, creating a big earthquake beneath them. "The world's crust is shifting, and the disasters are worsening, Groudon, the pokemon who created the land is awakening" Ninetales announced. "Consider it taken care of" Tyler growled. "We shall not let the beast go loose" Charles added. "We shall set out immediately!"

After a short chat, they began their journey back to Pokemon Square. Mudar and Woopa were informed that Genraid was again, making predictions of them creating the world's chaos, which they didn't expect less despite not knowing the reason for it. Later, on their way back, they saw Medha laying unconsciously against a tree, while Snek was tied firmly to the tree's branches. Snek then told them about Genraid knocking Medha out and tying him up, because they were against the idea of awakening Groudon. After hearing his explanation, the two teams changed their course and headed to the Magma Caverns.

A few days passed as they journeyed to the residence of the fearsome beast. However, during one of the nights, the unwanted follower came across them in their slumber, and decided to attack them again, using Dream Eater and dismantling his threat before anything else happened...but his attempt in attacking was blocked when a graceful spirit stood in front of Mudar. Genraid was in shock when the figure glowed and formed in front of his eyes, then fled without having a word with his old acquaintance.

Grace appeared in Mudar's dreams again, informing Mudar about how she became a spiritual agent, and how the curse happened. Yet, how Grace wasn't holding a grudge after her trainer abandoned her bewildered him. Grace herself was confused, too...but she believed that it was her job and she was happy as long as her partner lived on. She also revealed that everything had a purpose...including Mudar becoming a pokemon, he had a job to fulfill, and he would return to the human world after it...then the dream faded away...

The next day, all of them got up early and rushed into the Magma Caverns, defeating every pokemon with Team ACT's help. Soon, they arrived at the depths of the cavern and saw a dark purple pokemon calling out at a slowly awakening titan. "It's time, Groudon! Awaken! Serve me as my slave! Together we shall seek domination and demolish the world!"

"On your guard, everymon! Groudon is already awake!" Alexander warned. "Genraid, why?" Woopa called out. "There was once a human in the legends, who touched the tails of Ninetales and fled after a Gardevoir absorbed the curse for him...THAT'S ME! Reincarnated as a pokemon a thousand years later...I don't know about the curse, but turning me into a pokemon...I would gladly destroy a world where that happens! Now serve me, Groudon! Serve the person who awakened you! Serve your master and destroy!"

(battle start)

"GRROOAAAHHH!" Groudon roared and summoned a row of Precipice Blades at the two teams while Genraid let out an evil cackle. Four of them dodged while Tyler chose to defend himself using Protect, yet the attack was too strong and broke through his shield, striking him in the stomach and leaving a large dent in his abdomen. "Tyler!" the others cried out as he collapsed and blood oozed out of the wound. "Keh-heh! Well done, my servant!"

Suddenly, Groudon shifted his gaze toward Genraid. "GROUDON IS COMMANDED BY NOONE!" he roared and sent a Dragon Pulse at him. "Wha-what do you think you're doing?" Genraid asked frantically, dodging the attack that almost toasted him. Charles then took the opportunity and shot a Fire Blast at Groudon. The attack struck Groudon on his back, but it didn't seem to do much damage through the thick armor plates on his back.

Enraged, Groudon sent a Stone Edge at Charles, Charles flew to the top of the cave and dodged the attack, but Groudon was one step ahead of him and summoned a Rock Slide, crashing onto Charles and crushing him under huge boulders. "Charles!" the remaining mons exclaimed. "I'm...not done yet!" Charles let out a weak snarl and crawled out of the rocks, readying a Flare Blitz, only to knock himself out by hitting his head on Groudon's Stealth Rocks.

"I'm giving you one more chance, Groudon! Obey me and destroy this world!" Genraid yelled, then Groudon turned to face him. Without hesitating, Groudon sent a wave of Ancient Power at Genraid, but just when the attack was about to strike him, Woopa rushed in and pushed Genraid out of the path of the attack, taking the hit instead of him, leaving large bruises on his flanks. "Woopa!"

"Are you...alright...Genraid...?" Woopa asked weakly. "I didn't ask for help" Genraid muttered and brushed the dust off his spiky body. "Yet you helped me...why?" he asked in confusion. "You're...supposed to...help a friend when...they are in danger, right...?" Woopa asked in a shaky voice, getting onto his wobbly feet and looking at Genraid with an exhausted look. "I...I know that look...that was when...Grace..."

"Even more so if...it's a friend you really...like...that's how Gardevoir felt...wasn't...it...? Mudar is...a human...too...but he's still...friends with us..." Woopa continued while Groudon slowly marched toward them, charging a Fire Punch with his right claw. "NO!" Mudar yelled when Groudon swung his arm and struck the two. "How dare you!"

"Mudar, don't be a fool!" Alexander called out, however, Mudar ignored his advice and rushed at Groudon using Aqua Tail, only to get struck and flung back by Groudon's Dragon Tail. Groudon then summoned an Earthquake beneath them. In defense, Alexander summed a Reflect, yet the protection was still broken and the two of them got flung backward. "Hurting me...I may let it slide...but hurting my friends...is something I cannot tolerate"

Fury flashed in Alexander's eyes as he took out a red orb, then the orb vanished in his hand when he used Trick, and in less a few seconds, burn marks started to appear all over Groudon's body. "Wow...that's...magic!"

Groudon roared and tried to shake off the Flame Orb while Alexander readied his next attack, sending a Confusion at Groudon and aiming a Laser Focus after it. He then grasped the opportunity while the beast was dizzily crashing around and struck it with a Psychic, successfully dealing a good amount of damage to the titan.

Frustrated, Groudon unleashed his Precipice Blades in every direction. Reacting to his instincts, Alexander used Teleport and spared Mudar from the impact, receiving the brunt himself and falling to the ground. "Alexander!....urgh...urghaaah!" Mudar yelled in desperation and slammed into Groudon with a Waterfall, but all it did was make a clean spot out of Groudon's outer armor before getting batted away with a Dragon Claw.

Mudar was about to give in and accept his face just when all hope seemed to be lost, then a voice came from the rubble. "I'm not running away from myself anymore..." a voice spoke, then the rocks were blasted open and two figures emerged from underneath, one badly injured while the other had a severe burn mark on his back. "Mudar...Genraid shielded me from Groudon's attack..." Woopa said with a weak smile.

All strength in Mudar and Woopa seemed to be restored when they saw each other, suddenly, Genraid was enveloped with white light. "It's time to attack!" the three of them shouted together. "So you finally got it, huh?... Genraid..." Mudar muttered with a smile, then Genraid flung himself at Groudon, taking Groudon by surprise by striking him under his chin. "Keh-hah! I didn't run away this time, did I Ninetales?"

"Hydro Pump!/Waterfall!" Mudar and Woopa called out, striking Groudon's abdomen with their combined attacks. The beast roared in pain and wobbled, then finally collapsed after their combined attacks. The two Water types fell to the ground in exhaustion, while Genraid vanished into the shade of light, leaving no trace behind as someone looked at the stars with a smile, finally in peace after her partner had his redemption.

(end of the battle)

A few Rescue Teams came after a while, to find 5 pokemon passed out in the cave, while the mons that caused their injuries were nowhere to be seen. Both teams were brought back to town, and Team Landslide was taken care of by their friends after their names were cleared. Woopa was the first to regain consciousness after resting for a few days. Several residents went to visit their team's base and apologized, while a Caterpie and his sibling came to ask for their autographs, it all seemed like the world was finally in peace again and all calamities had finally ceased. Little did they know they were about to face their biggest challenge yet in a few days.

A few days after their recovery, Alexander rushed out of the pokecenter despite his injuries and insisted on holding an emergency town meeting. Not long after, a familiar squawk echoed through everymon's ears, Mudar and Woopa immediately recognized that the voice belonged to Xabian. "Calling all pokemon! Calling all pokemon! From the sky, comes a star! A HUGE, no, GIANT STAR!"

"The balance of the world has been upset because of the approaching star! Something must be done!" Xabian shouted. "Can the star be stopped, Xabian? Can the falling star be destroyed?" Alexander asked. "...there is one way, one way to prevent the collision...you must ask Rayquaza...the pokemon that domains over the sky, known by few and seen by none..."

"How do we get there" Alexander questioned. "You and I, Alexander, will teleport them to the sky...the chosen ones...Mudar and Woopa!" Xabian announced. "What? Us?" Woopa asked. "What will become of them, Xabian?" Alexander asked, responded with a few seconds of silence. "What will become of them, Xabian? Answer me" Alexander demanded. "What will become of them? Even I can guess nothing...they shall depart tomorrow, one last word...it will be dangerous"

"Is this why I came? To save the world?" Mudar questioned himself after Xabian's telepathy faded away. "Mudar...Woopa...you must surpass yourselves, you shall face immense danger at the Sky Tower..." Alexander warned. "Alexander, the fate of everymon depends on us, doesn't it? We're going, Mudar! Aren't we?" Woopa said with a determined look. "Yes! Of course, we are!"

The next day, the two set out on their journey to the Grand Canyon, with the help of their experience, they arrived at The Hill Of Ancients at noon. "I'm glad you two have made your choice" a familiar voice greeted. "Alexander! And Xabian!" the two called out. "Forgive my teammates for not being here today, they still haven't recovered from the battle with Groudon" Alexander explained. "It's fine, Alexander!" Woopa said with a smile. "XUAAAGH!"

"It is made...the Teleport Gem has been made...it will help you on your journey back..." Xabian squawked. "I may ask you one last time...are you ready? The Sky Tower is full of..." "I'm ready, Alexander!" Woopa cut him off before he could finish. "If we can save the extinction of all pokemon, I'm willing to give up my life!" Woopa said with a determined smile. "Since when were you more confident than me, Woopa?" Mudar added with a grin. "Good...now we shall start the process of the teleportation" "WOOSH!"

Covered in two beams of light, Mudar and Woopa had arrived at the Sky Tower, a tower made out of clouds. They began their journey through the foggy dungeon, climbing layer after layer, floor after floor, eventually reaching the summit the next morning after a restless day. "Who goes there?! Who dares trespass upon my sacred airspace?" a voice roared. "Rayquaza!"

"Indeed I am, the ruler of the sky, overlord of the airspace, the almighty Rayquaza! Fuck off my personal property at once!" the voice roared again, then a green serpent descended from the sky. "Hey, the sky is more like a public area, you know? And we're here 'cause we need your help!" Mudar shouted. "Never!" he roared. "Um...is your name written anywhere here?" Woopa asked. "...why do you ask?" Rayquaza questioned. "'cause your personal belongings are going to be destroyed if you don't help us"

"I am a being of the sky, you are nothing but a tiny debris of sand under my rule! For hundreds of millions of years, I have never held mercy against a mortal! Let there be no mercy for those who defy the laws of the legend itself!" Rayquaza bellowed. "Prepare for your end!" "Oh yeah? Try us!"

(battle start)

Before the two could react, Rayquaza rushed at Mudar with a quick Dragon Ascent, striking him in the face and knocking him toward the edge of the cloud, Mudar almost fell to his death, barely clinging onto the edge with his mouth. "Mudar!" Woopa exclaimed, then Rayquaza doubled back to hit him with the same attack, doing the same to him and nearly knocking him off the edge.

Woopa groaned in pain when Rayquaza approached him once more, this time ready to end him by charging a V-create. Using all of his strength, a newfound power coursed through Woopa, then a white, sparkling shockwave of energy was shot at Rayquaza, hitting him on his abdomen. "Foolish mortal, what do you think an inferior attack would do to such a superior life form like me?" Rayquaza roared with laughter, then he stopped all of a sudden. "You are already dead" "NANI?" "CRANK!" "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" "KRINKUSH!"

(end of the battle)

Woopa went to help his friend up after Rayquaza was encased in ice. "Nice Ice Punch you got there, how did you even do that?" Mudar asked as soon as he got back up. "I'm...not sure, you were in danger, and Rayquaza was going to attack me...so I panicked and I did what my body told me to do" Woopa replied. "Great job, now how are we supposed to get him out of that before the meteor destroys the entire planet?" Mudar asked. "Good question"

"Ngh..." Rayquaza groaned when Mudar slowly defrosted him using Scald. "I-I...surrender..." Rayquaza muttered. "Right, now you'd better destroy the asteroid for us, I'm talking about that big red ball on top of our heads" Mudar threatened. Suddenly, the tower began to shake from the huge shock waves caused by the meteor. "Before I try...I need to know your resolve...even if I succeed, you may not make it out alive..." Rayquaza growled and narrowed his eyes.

"That's why we came here, this isn't about our lives anymore, this is about the lives of all pokemon!"

"So shut the fuck up and do it!"

"Prepare for your destiny" Rayquaza roared and a devastating glow of purple energy radiated from his mouth. The planet quivered when the massive Hyper Beam was fired. The beam penetrated the star with a blinding light, but the star was still descending as Rayquaza's beam died down and smoke emitted from his mouth. "Should've eaten breakfast before this..."

The two partners watched as the meteor's outlines crumbled away and slowed down, yet it was still crashing down. "Mudar, propel me with your Hydro Pump!" Woopa yelled. "What?! Are you insane?!" his partner exclaimed. "Thank you for being my partner and supporting me the entire way...I could never have found a better partner than you...but now, for the planet's survival..."

Unable to hold back his tears, Mudar aimed at Woopa when he looked at the collapsing star. "I feel the same, Woopa, thank you for helping me all this way!" Mudar shouted and blasted Woopa with a jet of water, shooting him into the sky and colliding with the meteor with a Rock Smash. A large bang echoed through the sky, and Woopa was covered in a harsh light as the asteroid burst, large pieces of the destroyed asteroid scattered through the sky, while everything became whiter and whiter for Mudar, until everything he knew faded away.

With his mission accomplished, Mudar opened his eyes to find himself on his bed, back in the human world. He wondered if all of it was a dream, then he let out a smile when a badge slipped out of his covers and fell to the floor, the badge of the Rescue Team he was a part of, Team Landslide.

--------------------

"Snff...sniffle...great story, Randy..." Icy muttered through her sobs and blew her nose on her pawkerchief. "C'mon, Icy! You've cried so many times, our blanket is all wet now!" I commented and rubbed my teary eyes. "Blossom, I haven't cried that much! I've only cried four times during the story I think, and aren't you crying too? You can't blame me for easily being touched!" she debated with a smile. "I've only teared up once, and I haven't cried at all!" I argued. "Glad you liked my story"

"But Randy, can humans be that bad? Like Genraid?" I asked. "Believe me, there are much worse humans out there" Randy muttered. "But he changed, I'm sure his partner would be happy after knowing about it, by the way, how did you get to know this story, Randy?" Icy asked. "I just read it, you know? Back in my world...isn't that how stories work?" Randy asked back. "'cause such a thing...or at least something similar did happen in pokemon history" Icy explained. "WHAT?!"

"Randy...does that mean..." I muttered in disbelief. "A human came here...and he went back to the human world...and the same dream things have been happening to me, even though not as clear..." he said quietly. "Icy, do you know anything else about it?" I asked. "Nope, mom and dad used to tell me some pokemon history for bedtime stories, and as far as I know, there is indeed...or was a Rescue Team in the Air continent called Team ACT, even though two out of the three members have passed away"

"So...it's a true story? That's amazing! What happened to Woopa though?" I asked. "I...don't know, the author didn't mention anything afterward, but Mudar...or that's the name he gave himself in the story, he wrote the book because to him, it was a story that had to be passed down, he gave everymon made-up names, then wrote the story, but I'm pretty sure that Woopers can't survive a meteor impact, and we aren't even sure if his partner was a Wooper, to begin with"

"So Randy, you got any other stories?" I asked. "Huh? You aren't satisfied with one?" he questioned. "It was a good story, but the more the better!" I exclaimed. "Ugh...Blossom, just look at the time, how long have I been telling that story? It's almost dinnertime already" Randy argued. "I guess there goes the saying, time flies by when you're having fun" Icy commented. "I do have a few other stories, but I'm not sure you'd understand our human culture"

"What kind of story?" I asked, intrigued by the topic. "Have you ever heard of a story...more like a tragic science fiction called Frankenstein?" Randy asked, then Icy and I exchanged glances.

"What is a "science fiction"?"

"Wait, seriously?"

"And what is a Frankenstein?"

"Green dude, more like a zombie who can think"

"N-no! I hate horror stories!"

"C'mon, Icy! It can't be that bad, it's gonna be awesome! By the way, what's a zombie?"

"You've gotta be kidding me..."

"Hey, what were you guys doing earlier when I was sleeping?"

"Kuro? When did you wake up?"

"I don't know, just now? I don't understand a thing you're talking about"

"Great...so you wanna listen to the Frankenstein story or not? We've got one a gree and one disagree, the vote depends on you"

"Kuro, please say no!"

"Say yes, Kuro! Say yes!"

"Well...why not? I'm sure listening to a story wouldn't hurt"

"No, Kuro! Don't!"

"YAY!"

"Then prepare yourselves, everymon, you're in for a scare..."

"Once upon a time, some...somemon named Victor Frankenstein..."

(note: I would've liked to finish it, but I can't due to copyright issues, and it's hard to make others relate to other ghost stories I know due to the cultural differences, another reason is that I'm close to the word cap)

"I regret my decision..." I muttered as Icy and I cuddled with each other, trembling in fear after Randy finished the story. "I-I'm gonna have n-nightmares tonight b-because of you!" Icy's muffled voice came from under the blanket with her forequarters under the blanket, hugging tightly onto her Furret plushie while her tails were shivering outside. "You told me you wanted to listen to it," Randy said with a shrug. "H-hey, it's just a story, isn't it? Who's afraid of that kind of stuff anyway?"

"You look just as pale as Blossom, Kuro" Randy commented. "P-pale? Who's pale? I have white fur, to begin with," Kuro stated. "C'mon, Kuro! It's alright to be scared" I said with a nervous smile, trying to shake away the feeling. "I'm not scared, you're scared" he argued. "Icy, say something, you look like you're on the rim of passing out," I said in her ear. "That's because I am if you keep this up!" "CRACK!" "KYAAA!"

"Ta-hah! Icy, you should've seen your face when you shot out of the blanket!" Kuro chuckled while Icy stood there with her fur standing up, dazed by what just happened. I tied my best to muffle my laughter by digging my face into the blanket after seeing Icy's reaction to the Thunder I summoned just now, while Randy was holding it with all his might by biting his twitching lips.

"Hey uh...see? The rain's stopped, anymon going out for a walk?" I asked and pointed at the window, with some raindrops slowly sliding off. "Oh, I'm heading out and getting that horror story off my mind" Icy growled. "How about a battle, chief? I've never gone against you" Kuro suggested. "Me?" I asked. "But I'm not that good at battling, Randy's new to it and almost lost to him last time" I stated. "Go for it, Blossom! You've evolved, try out your new power! You've never got the chance to do so, I'll be cheering for you!" Randy encouraged. "How about this? Whoever wins gets a supersized drink from Swanya's?" he added. "Alright, you're on!"

"Ready, Blossom?" Kuro asked as we looked at each other in the clearing behind our house after we got changed. "A pity that Icy didn't join us and chose to go on an evening stroll" Randy muttered.

"Blossom, no hard feelings, okay? It's just sparring, doesn't matter who wins" Randy whispered and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, Randy" I whispered back and tugged him in for a hug. "H-hey, B-Blossom! Not in public!" he yelped and his face flushed red. "Couldn't help it!" I said with a slight blush, then took in a deep breath. "Ready!"

(battle start)

I started the battle by darting toward Kuro with a Quick Attack, which he blocked with a swift Protect, he then swung his Iron Tail at me, which I dodged by jumping over and parrying it with a Double Kick.

Kuro stumbled backward, I took the opportunity and shot an Eerie Impulse at him, disrupting his special attacks. Kuro shuddered from the attack, but didn't hesitate for long and shot an Energy Ball at me.

I yelped in pain, then shot a wave of stars at him with a wave of my tail, using Swift. Kuro then flapped his arms, sending a few Air Slashes and deflecting most of the stars, yet a few of them still went through his attack and struck him.

I then shot a Shock Wave at Kuro while he was still groaning from my last attack, yet Kuro endured it and jumped into the air, summoning some winds and giving him a better hand with Tailwind.

Without further delay, he rushed at me with a Dual Wingbeat, I tried to defend myself by biting him, but with the currents of the Tailwind, he was too fast for me, and the attack hit me on my flanks, causing me to let out a painful groan.

I then readied my Spark as Kuro prepared his next attack. Kuro rushed at me with Acrobatics, while I slammed into him with my attack. We both fell backward, grunting from the impact, staring at each other with a smile.

I sent another Shock Wave at Kuro, which he reacted by sending an Elecro Ball back at me. His attack pushed mine back, hitting me in the chest, flinging me backward, and making me cry out in pain. I then looked at him to see some pink energy flowing toward me.

I tried to repel Kuro's Charm with my Discharge, but I felt the attack flow into me before I released the attack. I felt my heart flutter and my paws go limp for a moment, yet I kept charging my attack.

I released the energy built up inside me around the area, Kuro's eyes shot open when he saw the burst of energy launched at him. He summoned a light screen before the attack hit him, but even with the weakened attack, he was still flung backward and landed on the ground while I panted and tried to catch my breath. "Nice hit, Blossom!"

"Hah...hah...thanks, Randy!" I exclaimed with a tired smile, then turned back to look at Kuro, who was getting back onto his paws while electric sparks from my last attack still trickled over his body. "It's not over yet! Take this, chief!"

Kuro winked and a few pink hearts emerged from his body, swirling toward me in a circle. "What?! You have that?" I exclaimed in shock and quickly shot my own Attract at him, then the hearts collided with each other.

To my surprise, Kuro's Attract won against mine and my attack faded away, the hearts drifted toward me as I fled to the big stone in the backyard, where I stayed with Randy and Icy for the first night...then the hearts followed me all the way here and formed a circle around me, then all of them sank into my chest.

My muscles went limp as a wave of relaxation washed over me. I emerged from behind the rock, then looked at Kuro...he looked so cute...so handsome... "Come here, my Kuro~ Come to me..." I beckoned with a smile, then my mind blanked out and I fell into a pool of relaxation.

(end of the battle)

--------------------

"Blossom! Blossom! Snap out of it!" a familiar voice called out and shook me back and forth as I blinked my eyes. "Huh...? Icy...what...eh?" I muttered in confusion and looked around as my senses slowly returned. "Thank goodness you're awake..."

"Randy, what exactly happened here?" Icy questioned. "Huh? What...uh...long story, You can't blame me for this! Kuro was the one who did it" Randy replied with a dazed expression. "Randy, what's that expression on your face?" I asked. "An expression of shock and pure confusion"

"The last thing I remember is those heart things flying at me, then everything felt so good and Kuro became cuter...where's Kuro by the way?" I asked. "He uh...lost the battle at some point...or surrendered I mean, and he ran all the way home" Randy replied. "I feel so bad for Kuro now" he added with a laugh. "But how? Blossom was hit by Attract...and won?" Icy wondered out loud. "Sorta...more like Kuro was tortured till he finally gave up" Randy replied with a shrug. "Does that mean you owe me a supersized Cheri Berry drink? YAY!"

"Alright...I'll fetch it for you later, what happened after was...you switched to flirt mode and started flirting at him like crazy, then Kuro let down his guard, thinking that he won...and then, you rushed over and grabbed him, hugging him with your dear life and kissing him until he was pleading for release, eventually Icy returned from her stroll and rescued him from his nightmare, it's such a pity that you missed it! Kuro ran all the way home, crying for his mama all the way, that was such a good show!" Randy scoffed, then Icy started giggling while my face burned from a furious blush. "R-Randy! Why did you have to describe it that way?! You're making me sound like a total pervert!" " I'm simply describing what happened!"

"There's still a few hours before it gets too cold, do you have any ideas of what we should do in mind?" Icy asked after Randy went to get our dinner. "Dunno, I'm too tired to do anything else besides having a bit of entertainment" I replied with a shrug, then the idea hit me. "Hey, Icy, you've never officially battled with Randy, how about you have a match before we all go back and get washed?"

"Having a battle? But...all I had was a walk today, I'm not dirty and all I have to do later is wash my paws and get changed before going to sleep" she muttered. "But...that means you're not tired at all, and you won't be sleepy at all later because we didn't do much today" I stated, then she seemed to hesitate for a moment. "But...I don't like battling as a total" she argued. "But...it's more like sparring, not an actual battle, oh I get it! You're afraid that you'd lose 'cause he's a Rock type!" I taunted. "What? No, that's not it! Fine, I'm battling him if he's willing to!" "I'm back!"

"Here's your drink, Blossom," Randy said and dropped a large bag of food from his mouth. "Thanks, Randy!" I exclaimed and hugged him. "Blossom! Don't hug me now! You're gonna knock over all of our food!" he yelped. "By the way, Randy, would you like to have a battle against Icy?" I hugged him closer and whispered in his ear. "Against Icy?!" he exclaimed. "Yup! A great opportunity to see who's stronger since you get pummeled by her all the time!" I said with a grin. "Well yeah sure, 'cause I don't hit girls I'm friends with...and it won't be fair for her cause I have the upper paw in the type matchup" he muttered. "It's fine, Randy, your girlfriend wants some entertainment" Icy teased. "It's "Girl friend" not "Girlfriend", but I'd do it if Blossom wants me to" Randy stated as a light shade of pink grew on our faces. "Alright, let it start then!"

(battle start)

Randy started the battle by hurling a Rock Throw at Icy. Icy reacted quickly and dodged the attack, then sent a few blunt Ice Shards at Randy, hitting him on his flank.

The pebbles on Randy's neck fluff began to glow as he grunted from the last attack, then a good amount of Stealth Rocks were scattered across the place, then Icy's eyes glowed yellow as she prepared her Extrasensory.

Yellow shards of light were sent toward Randy as he tried to run from the attack. The attack still managed to hit his hindquarters and he yelped out in pain. Randy then darted at Icy with a Facade while Icy shot an Aurora Beam at him.

To our surprise, Randy swerved to the left and the Aurora Beam struck something else, it appeared that Randy's Steal Rocks came in handy even when the opponent didn't move. Randy then cut through the gaps between the rocks and struck Icy with his attack, making her stumbled backward with a yelp.

Randy then launched another Rock Throw at Icy, which she managed to defend with an Aurora Beam. Randy then bound into the air, stepping on the Stealth Rocks he summoned and approaching Icy from on top.

Icy then shot another Aurora Beam at him as he dropped down. Randy groaned when the attack struck him, yet he endured it and slowly marched toward Icy.

Icy let out a gasp when Randy's body glowed white, then a flurry of punches was sent at her as Randy attacked again and again. "No way! Randy learned the move Thrash?!" I exclaimed while Icy cried out in pain. "This is bad! He won't be able to stop!"

"Stop? Wait, Icy, are you okay? Sorry! I didn't hurt you too badly, did I ?" Randy stopped his attacks and asked while Icy and I exchanged confused looks. "Randy, how did you stop that?" I called out. "You're supposed to go crazy after using one of those moves!" Icy added. "Am I? Wait a minute, I just learned Thrash! And I didn't get confused because my ability is..." Randy muttered with a smile. "Own Tempo!"

"Thanks, Icy!" Randy called out as they resumed the sparring. "No problem, glad you learned a new attack!" Icy said with a smile. "On top of that, a cool attack!" I exclaimed when Randy launched another Rock Throw and Icy sent a wave of Ice Shards.

The attacks collided, this time Icy's attacks got knocked away and Randy's attack delivered a direct blow in her chest, sending her backward and groaning in agony. Randy then rushed at Icy again, this time darting toward her with a silver gleam on his head. "Icy, that's Iron Head, you can't take that attack!"

Icy shot out her Aurora Beam again, but Randy did the same, dodging and swerving between the gaps of his Stealth Rocks. This time, when Randy approached, Icy went for a different approach, using an attack Randy hadn't known about, breathing out a concentrated wave of icy air at him.

"What? Since when did you have Frost Breath!?" Randy exclaimed in shock as he slowed down, eventually stopping because his paws got frozen on the ground. "Randy, you're gonna regret it if you underestimate Icy's powers, she has a few moves that neither of us knows about, not having the right occasions to use them and having a bad defensive type doesn't mean she's weak!" I called out. "I can tell from her punches!"

"Icy? Wh-what are you doing?!" Randy muttered frantically as a bright-white glow radiated from Icy's eyes. "Well...that's how I lost against her last time!" I explained and shook my head as the winner was decided. A layer of ice spread around Icy, freezing the ground beneath and spreading creeping toward Randy.

Randy let out a scream when the ice devoured his entire body instantly, then silenced as he got turned into a statue. A second or two later, the layer of ice shattered and drifted away with the wind as Randy's limp body collapsed to the floor with a thud, while Icy stood in front of him, panting in exhaustion.

(end of the battle)

"Randy!" I called out and hurried toward him. "I-I didn't hit him too hard, did I?" Icy asked and bent over to inspect Randy's injuries. "Welp, he's completely out cold, that's for sure" I muttered when I grabbed his paw. "I'm starving right now, I need my dinner" Icy said as her stomach let out a huge growl. "Let's move him indoors and have ours, and think of how to wake him up later" I suggested. "Sure...that attack I cast totally wore me out, I'll be turning in early today..."

"Randy, Randy, wake up," I said in his ear and tugged his fluffy tail gently, but he didn't move a muscle, then I recalled how my brother used to wake me up in the mornings and started to lick his cheeks. "Ugh...what happened? I feel like I have a major brain freeze..." he groaned as his eyes fluttered open. "Well, guess it worked!"

"Guess I lost, gotta hone my skills and stuff...wait, Icy used Sheer Cold on me? Hey, that's not fair! It only works if you have a higher level!" Randy barked, but his complaints fell on deaf ears, Icy had already passed out on the bed, purring loud enough for somemon to hear from outside. "That's what happens when you underestimate a girl! Here's your dinner!"

"Arrff...It's...all cold now..." Randy muttered as he took a bite out of his sandwich. "Well, that's 'cause you were out for 3 hours or so, we tried to wake you up, but you didn't even stir the slightest bit" I explained. "Well, guess I deserve it since I got wrecked" Randy muttered and started to devour his dinner. "On the bright side, at least you learned a new attack"

"How strong do you think Icy is in our team? I'm talking about rankings" Randy asked. "I reckon she's either second or third, coming after Ivy, but she's no match against a lot of big guys back home" I replied. "Still, she got lucky beating you back then, she only won because you weren't aware of her moves, I'm sure it won't happen again next time!"

"Aaaand I'm wide awake now, with a major headache, how do you expect me to go to sleep?" he asked. "Well, take a quick bath, and let's play a game!" I said with a grin. "A game? How's that supposed to help?" he questioned. "You'll find out! I always come up with the best plans, don't I?" I purred and hushed him into the bathroom.

"So...what are we going to do now?" he asked as a wide grin spread upon my face. "Randy, do you believe in Sleep Seeds?" I asked. "Not quite, why?" he asked, then I popped a Sleep Seed into his mouth before he could react. "Gotcha!" I exclaimed as the seed dissolved in his mouth. "Blossom! Are you crazy?! That's a strong sedation drug for relieving severe pain! And bleh! This tastes gross!" he yelled. "Well, you said that you had a headache, so I thought this would help!"

"Yes, but that's not how it works! It's for physical wounds, you dum ball of fluff!" he yelled. "I thought you were the fluffier one! And it still works as long as it helps you sleep, now how long do you think you can stay awake?" I asked with a grin. "No shot that the stupid seed is gonna work, it tasted disgusting!" he grumbled. "Well, our game is to see who can stay awake for longer, let's get tucked in!" I exclaimed and popped another one into my mouth.

"You know, Blossom? I think...yawn~probably...just probably starting to work..." Randy mumbled with a tiny voice after a minute or two, his eyes were already half-shut. Despite my slowly deepening sleepiness, I scooted toward Randy, kneading on his back and giving him a gentle massage. "Just give in, Randy! You know...yawn~you're gonna pass out any moment!" I said with a smile. "Heh! No chance! I refuse to...fall asleep! I'm...yawn~winning this time!"

"Well, see who's the winner now, Randy!" I exclaimed in my mind when his eyelids finally slipped shut under the relaxation. I then gently tugged him toward me, hugging him as my large, live, personal plushie as I nuzzled him gently.

(apologies, but the following paragraph doesn't follow the original plot since the partner's words didn't make sense at all)

"You know, Randy...I miss my family in Treasure Town, my brother the most...you got your family in the human world. Was your father all you had? Did you have other friends? Were you close with them? I never had a friend this close except for Icy, since Icy was the cuter one back home and all of the other mons wanted to make friends with her instead of me. They rejected me when I tried to approach them, relationships between pokemon have been getting worse day after day, haven't they? that's when I decided to embark on my dream, then you sprang out of a fairy tale! Somemon I could put my trust in, not just for support, but a true friend! A friend I can do anything with except for taking a bath, that's why it's so fun over here every day! Thank you, Randy, I hope these days will continue. Goodnight, Randy...yawn~sweet dreams...

(end of chapter 11)

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(Sorry, no special paragraphs in this chapter cuz I've hit the word limit)

Thanks for finishing this extremely long chapter and enduring my sucky grammar, hope you guys enjoyed it, and now I got a few things to say...

First of all, you have no idea how long I've been working on this chapter, I had to go through "Ginji's Rescue Team" and "Red and Blue Rescue Team" from the start to the finish just to work on that story, and in this story, Gardevoir wasn't saved, Gengar dies, some of this extends to the lore afterward and I spent a month on this.

Second, kinda experiencing some hardships IRL. So basically, the base design of Randy's family comes from my family, and yeah including that father. This time, my father is facing an accusation that may put him in jail for the rest of his life 'cause he did something REALLY bad(he was up to bad business from time to time in the past, but this time he was caught on camera), and I'm struggling to cope with it. With the heavy school work and the stress my family and teacher put on me, I barely have any personal time, also being one of the causes of why my writing progress is so slow, the recent dad issue isn't helping at all, so a hiatus or a major update delay may happen, I'll notify you if it does.

Third, the story might not be as good as before in the future due to some friend issues. I have...or had a foreign friend who helped me come up with brilliant story ideas, but recently, things between us had gone. In short, she's obsessed with one specific kind of animal, and I made a joke of it, yeah it was totally my fault for doing that, and I got blocked immediately before I could even explain or apologize...so yeah...shucks...(I did try to contact a friend and help me apologize, but she didn't accept it)

Fourth...deleted this part, mainly myself complaining about how heavy the schoolwork is in my country and how busy I am, figured that you wouldn't be interested.

That's all I gotta say, I guess, slow updates and stuff, cya next time!"

2022/12/11 4:52 a.m. gmt+8