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Pokemon Beya: A Dive into Paradise - Ch. 02

by sonicdash759

sonicdash759
“Now Luna! Psychic! Full power!”

Luna did as instructed, clearing her mind as the power of her psychic abilities soared, an odd aura surrounding. The Gardevoir’s eyes brightened into a heavenly white void as she managed to mentally grip the wild opponent: A wild Gyarados.

The beast screeched as it felt a sharp pain against its body before being thrown backwards into the water, landing with an enormous splash.

Nicole’s tank top, jean shorts, socks, and shoes were soaked but as a marine biologist, this wasn’t the first time she had been drenched with her clothes on. “Ack!” she coughed. “That’s it Luna! Now finish it off with Moonblast!”

The wild Gyarados burst out of the water, attempting to use Take Down on the Gardevoir floating above the water. “Raaaaaa!!” it screeched.

But Luna remained unfazed as she stared her opponent down before charging up energy from the moon, gathering it into a massive ball, and launching it at the airborne water/flying type. “Voir!”

The ball of lunar energy collided with the Gyarados, engulfing it in an explosion. The force was enough to throw the beast off course and into the water below, resulting in another large splash which rocked Nicole’s research vessel.

The young marine biologist and her Vaporeon immediately latched onto the railing as they were nearly thrown overboard!

Luna smiled as she watched the wild beast float back up in a motionless and swirly-eyed heap. (Another victory for us!) she thought before teleporting back onto the soggy deck of the white ship. (oh my...Nicole? Will you need any help with all this water?)

Nicole shook her head. “I think I’ll just take care of it this time. Besides, what’s the point of owning a research vessel if you’re not gonna take care of it yourself?”

Luna nodded before Nicole returned the psychic/fairy type into her Pokeball.

Nicole sighed as she headed inside the cabin to look for a mop and a broom, a wet squishing sound coming from her shoes with every step. “I’m gonna go change into my swimsuit. We’re collecting more samples after this anyway,” she told her water Pokemon.

Aqua nodded. “Por,” she mewed, watching her soaked trainer enter the cabin then close the door behind her. With a sigh, Aqua looked around after some time of waiting, growing bored. But her lack of excitement vanished as her eyes fell on something in the distance. “Vapor?” Curiosity led the water-type to the side of the ship where she now had a better view of the mysterious object.

It appeared to be a large land mass in the distance, all by itself in the middle of the ocean.

An island.

As far as the water type knew, she had never seen any other islands in the area before. It was as if the land mass just came into existence…

Aqua knew that this was something her trainer had to see. “Napor!!” she yelled.

Nicole came bursting through the cabin door, wearing only the bottom half of her bikini in combination with her wet tank top. “Aqua? What is it??” she asked.

The Vaporeon pointed towards the island in the distance. “Por Poreon Vaporeon!”

The brown haired girl walked over to her friend’s side and gazed out into the ocean, protecting her eyes from the sun’s harmful glare with her hands. “Hey! You’re right! It is an island...but if I remember the sea map, there weren’t any islands in the area…” she paused, remembering the odd lights from last night. “Hmm. Maybe those lights we saw last night have something to do with this..?”

Aqua just nodded.

Nicole smiled as her curiosity and sense of adventure took over. “Nonetheless, as a marine biologist, it is my duty to catalogue and record any new findings!”

But Aqua shook her head, not wanting her trainer to lose focus on the task at hand. “Poreon Vaporeon? Vap Vap Vapor Vaporeon, Napor!” she reminded in Poke-speak.

Nicole frowned, realizing the water type was right. “Oh...right. My work is more important. But that island! It’s probably filled with all kinds of fascinating mysteries that have yet to be found. But I don’t want to get on my boss’ bad side,” she sighed, thoughts racing until a lightbulb finally went off. “Ah! Idea! Instead of playtime, we set sail for that island and do some ‘special research’ of our own!”

Aqua was shocked but then began considering what exciting and interesting discoveries could be made on the mystery island. Perhaps some new species of undiscovered Pokemon or even a legendary. Maybe some treasure or a lost city. “Por!! Poreon Vapor, Napor!!” she cried with excitement, bouncing up and down.

Nicole giggled at her friend’s new-found enthusiasm. “Then it’s settled! After work, we set sail for that island!” she announced.

After changing and ridding the boat of seawater, Nicole and Aqua entered the water once again, determined to find more samples.

“Ok Aqua. Dive!” Nicole said through her mouthpiece.

The Vaporeon nodded, obeying command by pulling her trainer down towards the reef. “Vap!”

The two friends glanced around at the scenery before them. Somehow the coral reef looked even better than their previous dive. Brighter colors and more aquatic Pokemon as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking.

Upon finally reaching the bottom, Nicole released her grip on the Vaporeon’s body and began her usual work of taking notes in her notebook before securing it back onto her belt and swimming ahead, beginning her search. “Alright. I’ll be over here. Aqua, try that side! If you find anything, just yell! Got it?” she asked.

Aqua nodded confidently, a smile on her face. “Va Napor!” With a few pumps of her mermaid-shaped tail, the Vaporeon swam off to look for anything that would be worth studying.

Nicole watched her friend go before kicking her legs and looking around when her eyes caught sight of something on the sandy floor. “Bingo!” she exclaimed, swimming down. Upon closer inspection, the girl saw that the object was a long piece of coral with an odd substance covering the majority. “Hmm...interesting! Definitely worth studying!”

Yanking off a sample tube from her belt, Nicole opened the lid and carefully placed her find inside before sealing the container and clipping it back onto her belt.

With a proud nod, Nicole swam onwards, looking around for more samples. “Two more to go,” she said to herself when suddenly, a wild Luvdisc darted past her. “Woah!”

The wild water type swam towards the reef where its friends waited. Nicole’s knowledge on Luvdisc behavior made it apparent that they were indeed waiting as afterwards, the school of water types swam around their friend as if happy to see the newcomer before swimming off together.

Nicole giggled before something else caught her eye, causing her to freeze for just a second.

The silhouette of an unknown Pokemon loomed in the distance. It had a squid-like appearance but as a shadow, it was hard to make out any more features.

Nicole floated in the water for what felt like a few minutes before finally yanking her Pokedex from her belt and pointing it at the shadowy mass. “Wh-what is that…?”

“SQUIDDIM, THE BRIGHT TENTACLE POKEMON

EACH TENTACLE CONTAINS A BIOLUMINESCENT PATCH THAT HELPS IT HUNT IN THE DARKEST PARTS OF THE OCEAN. THESE LARGE POKEMON HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO EXCEED THE LENGTH OF A FULL GROWN GYARADOS.”

Slowly clipping her Pokedex back on her belt, Nicole watched as the large creature slowly approached, now able to make out its features.

A large dark blue body with six tentacles, two of which were longer than the others. Each appendage lined with spots that emitted a bioluminescent glow. Both eyes visible on each side of its head: a yellow eyeball with a bright blue iris. While it wasn’t as large as a Gyarados, it was still large enough to intimidate Nicole

Nicole wanted to scream but knew that any sudden movements might set the monster off. Unable to summon any of her Pokemon or even call for Aqua, the girl’s only hope was that this Squiddim would either be passive or uninterested in her.

After staring at the girl for what seemed like an eternity, the wild Squiddim began to circle her slowly as if studying her, its massive eyes locking with the marine biologist.

Nicole fought the urge to move as her mind began to race. ‘Well...it’s large and it looks powerful enough to squeeze the life out of me...Maybe I can distract it long enough to get away or atleast find a place to hide, but if it grabs me, I’m as good as dead…’

Suddenly, the beast’s patches lit up like a Christmas tree as its eyes widened before extending its tentacles out towards its prey.

Nicole panicked and swam away as fast as she could, realising that the Squiddim recognized her as potential food. With a terrified scream, she looked back to see the Squiddim giving chase, eyes filled with hunger. “Aqua!! Help!!”

The Vaporeon heard it’s trainer’s cry and rushed forward, blasting the dark/electric type with Hydro Pump. “Por!!”

The wild Squiddim maneuvered out of the way just in time before continuing after the two.

Nicole gasped as she watched her Vaporeon receive a powerful Aqua Jet attack, sending the water type in her direction. “Aqua!!” she cried.

The wild Squiddim continued on, propelling its body forward with great force, intent on doing the same damage to the human!

Nicole let out a fearful shriek as she swam out of the way, pulling the injured Vaporeon with her.

The Squiddim darted past but kept going before turning around for another try.

Nicole turned to her friend with a panicked look in her eyes. “Stay strong, Aqua! We’re in serious trouble here so don’t give up just yet!” she encouraged. “Please! I need you!”

Despite the pain, Aqua managed to upright herself and swim in front of Nicole, ready for battle. “P-Por!” cried the water type. Aqua wasn’t going to let her title as ‘Nicole’s #1 Pokemon’ slip away so easily.

Nicole smiled. “That’s it! Now let’s try something different this time! Shadow Ball!” she commanded.

Aqua nodded before charging energy in the form of a shadowy blobby mass then sending it at the approaching opponent. “Vapor!!”

The wild Squiddim suffered a direct hit, finally coming to a halt within feet of its targets. It let out an odd distorted growl before charging at the Vaporeon, its patches generating what appeared to be electricity.

Nicole watched in horror. ‘It’s using Wild Charge underwater?! We’re all gonna be fried!’ her mind raced, desperate for an idea to stop the Squiddim’s attack before an idea flashed into her head. Yanking off a Pokeball from her belt, she quickly enlarged it and threw it forward. “Aria! Use Attract!”

In a bright flash, Aria materialized in front of the two before giving a nod of acknowledgement and rushing forward. Quickly making a few adjustments to her hair, Aria turned to face her opponent before smiling and fluttering her eyes, making charming and rather seductive motions and movements. “Lulla~!” she beckoned before finishing with an imaginary kiss.

Upon locking eyes with Aria, the wild Squiddim’s attack canceled out and all will to fight instantly vanished as love took over.

“That was too close…” Nicole let out a sigh of relief through her mouthpiece before turning back to Aqua. “Ok sis, now that it’s fallen in love with Aria, it’s our chance to take it down...that sounded weird…” the girl sweatdropped before nodding. “Use Blizzard, Aqua!”

The Vaporeon reared back before opening it’s mouth and unleashing a fierce blast of freezing air that engulfed the unsuspecting Squiddim.

Nicole smiled. “Way to “cool” him down!” the girl giggled.

Both Aqua and Aria let out an annoyed groan at Nicole’s terrible pun.

“Oh c’mon! You know it’s funny! Atleast a little!” the girl argued before sighing, knowing deep down that her Pokemon were right. “Nevermind! Aria! Let’s mix it up as well! Use Whirlpool!”

Aria obeyed, summoning a powerful whirlpool and sending it at the wild Squiddim, trapping it in the intense torrent.

Finally the monster came back to its senses as it struggled to escape the pull of the current.

Nicole let out a slight gasp. “Uh oh! We gotta bring it down soon! Aqua! Another Hydro Pump!”

Aqua reared back before letting loose a blast of pressurized water at her opponent. “Va-POR!!”

The blast found its mark but unfortunately also caused the whirlpool to cease, releasing the wild Squiddim. Now free, the electric/dark type charged forward, determined to finish what it had started.

Nicole’s mind raced once again. “...Aria! Siren’s Shriek!”

Aria took a deep breath before letting out a loud ear splitting shriek accompanied by black ominous sonic waves.

Just before it tried to grab Nicole, the wild Squiddim was assaulted by the awful power of the Lullamera’s signature attack. Once it subsided, the squidlike Pokemon floated in the water, dazed and weakened.

Nicole’s face lit up as she uncovered her ears. “It’s weak! Way to go, Aria!” she praised before yanking off a rather strange and unusual Pokeball from her belt. “Hope the lab is prepared for another breakthrough!” she exclaimed before tossing the ball at the stunned Pokemon.

After making contact with the Squiddim, the ball activated, sucking the creature inside and sealing itself shut.

Aria swam over to Nicole with a confused expression. “Lull Lulla Lull Mera Mer?” she asked.

Nicole didn’t need any translation of any kind to know why her Pokemon was so puzzled. “That’s an experimental Pokeball created for the soul purpose of sending back any new Pokemon that are found by researchers and biologist like myself! From what one of my coworkers told me, It’s supposed to be connected to some master computer or something. Once it captures a Pokemon, the ball sends a signal back to the computer and then itself back to where the signal goes to which in our case, is the Marine Pokemon Research Insitute back in Paloma City!” she explained.

Aqua nodded as the information began to sink in. “Por!! Poreon Por Por Vapor?” she asked.

Nicole nodded as well. “Yep! Once...and if...it reaches its destination, the guys back on land take it from there! Pretty cool huh?”

Both Pokemon nodded in agreement before turning back to the Pokeball which had ceased rocking as it sank. After a few seconds, the button on the device flashed green before appearing to dematerialize into nothingness.

Nicole nodded. “And there it goes,” she added before pulling off Aria’s ball from her belt and pointing it at the water/dark type. “Take it easy, Aria. You were amazing!” After clipping the ball back onto her belt, the girl turned to her Vaporeon with a smile. “Thanks for the save, Aqua. I thought I was done for when that thing came at me…” she recalled, shuddering slightly.

Aqua smiled back before nuzzling her trainer. “Por Poreon, Napor!” she mewed.

Nicole giggled before swimming over and hugging her beloved water type. “Did you find any more samples while you were over there? We still need a few more before we can head back up.” she reminded.

Aqua pondered before a smile filled her face. “Por!! Vapor Vapor, Napor!” she answered, urging for the girl to grab on.

Nicole smiled back before wrapping an arm around the water type’s back. “Then let’s go! That island isn’t gonna explore itself!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once on the boat, Nicole, now in a new and dry change of her casual wear, got to work on her collected samples, taking her usual notes while sitting at her workspace with Luna accompanying her.

Meanwhile, Aqua and Aria splashed and played outside in the water while their trainer finished inside. The Vaporeon danced around happily while the Lullamera sang along to a rather edgy and upbeat tune playing on the radio resting on the deck of the research trawler. Aria smiled as she vocalized, often swaying and banging her hips and head to the beat.

(Are you sure you don’t need my help, Nicole? It’s no trouble for me! Really!) the Gardevoir insisted, smiling.

But Nicole was settled. “And it’s no trouble for me either, Luna! It’s my work/career/job. I’m the one who has to take responsibility. I just did some thinking and thought...what good would I be if my Pokemon did all the work? You know what I’m getting at?” she questioned.

Luna nodded, feeling a bit guilty. (Y-Yes. Sorry Nicole.) she mentally apologized.

Nicole giggled. “No need to be sorry! I don’t have anything against you, Luna! I just think I should be more independent instead of letting you and the others do everything for me! But don’t worry! You’re all still my trusted Pokemon and I wouldn’t have it any other way!” the girl reassured before gently patting the psychic/fairy type on the shoulder.

Luna couldn’t help but let out a giggle of her own. (And we’re proud to be your Pokemon. So are we really going to that island today?) she asked.

Nicole nodded. “Absolutely! That’s part of my job after all! A mysterious island that just pops into existence like that has to be filled with something worth seeing! But still...land masses don’t just teleport or appear.”

Luna nodded as well, raising a hand to her puzzled head. (That is true. But there actually is a legend of a vanishing island in the Hoenn region, remember?)

The girl’s face lit up as the words entered her mind. “Hey! That’s right! Mirage Island is what it was called, right? Or something like that...but yeah! Maybe...that island is the same one from Hoenn?” Nicole wondered.

Luna smiled. (It certainly is possible but there’s only one way to find out.)

Nicole nodded before returning to her work.

With a sigh, Luna turned away when a sudden vibe hit her like a bolt of lighting, stopping the Gardevoir dead in her tracks. “...” After coming to, Luna turned back to her trainer to find her still hard at work. (Another dangerous adventure is ahead of us...I hope it’s not our last…) the Gardevoir thought to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon as Nicole finally started the engine of her great research vessel. The motor roared to life as the propellers began to spin.

Nicole smiled as she raised the anchor before putting her hand on the accelerator once she felt the soft jolt of the anchor completing its retraction. “Alright Aqua! This is it! Time to set sail for our mysterious island! You ready?” she asked excitedly.

Aqua bounced with delight, not wanting to wait another second. “Vap! Vap! Vap!” she cried.

With a nod, Nicole shoved the throttle forward and steered the boat in the direction of the distant island, slowly increasing speed. “Land ho!!” the girl laughed, unable to contain her excitement until remembering that she hadn’t prepared for land exploration yet. She then turned Aqua with a look of slight panic on her face. “Aqua! Hurry into my bedroom and fetch my luggage please!”

Aqua nodded before taking off towards her trainer’s room.

Turning her attention back to the sea, Nicole sighed before slowing the boat down in fear of colliding with any other ships or rock formations until a familiar ringing sound filled her ears. Nicole looked back to a counter on which rested her Pokedex with it’s blinking light indicating an incoming video call. “Oh great...did I have to put it so out of reach??” she asked herself before glancing back to the ocean.

The water ahead was clear though the now darkening sky would make seeing a challenge.

Using the circumstances, Nicole shot out of her seat and rushed for her Pokedex before grabbing it but before the girl knew it, she was on the ground with her back against the floor. Apparently she had lost balance after the device refused to budge. After further inspection, Nicole sweatdropped to see her Pokedex plugged into a charging station which was mounted to the counter. “Well, I’m an idiot…” it was then that her attention was drawn back to the water to see a startling sight.

Ahead of the boat was a large rock formation sticking out of the water.

“Shoot!!” Nicole cried before rushing back to the wheel and quickly avoiding the hazard. With a sigh of relief, Nicole rushed back to the counter before pulling the device from its charging station and heading back to the ship’s controls. Unfortunately for the girl, the ringing had long since stopped. After flipping the device open, Nicole was met with a screen of missed calls, feeling incredibly guilty and ashamed of herself. “My mother, River, Netta, Ashley, Trent...MY BOSS?!”

Nicole felt a sense of dread wash over her as while her boss was mostly a carefree man, he didn’t tolerate missed calls or late assignments/missed deadlines for extremely important matters.

Then came another ring.

Feeling fear and panic well up inside, she managed to take a deep breath after slowing the boat. “I hope he’s not too mad…” Nicole gulped before answering and putting the call on speaker. “H-Hello? Y-Yes sir? L-Listen...I-I-I’m really sorry I didn’t answer! I must’ve left the alarm off or someth-” she began to apologize, fearing her punishment or worse until a familiar and reassuring voice came through the speaker, cutting her off.

“Nicole? Honey! There’s nothing to be sorry about, angelfish!” said a male voice.

Nicole’s cheeks instantly turned redder than a rose as she smiled in surprise, placing her Pokedex on a seat next to hers. “Trent!! Omigosh I wasn’t expecting you, Sweetie! I thought you were my boss!” she briefly cleared her throat. “How’s my prince charming been?” she giggled before turning back to the ocean ahead, taking full control once again.

“I’ve been good and busy with work...and thinking about you!”

Nicole’s cheeks went even redder, appearing to even give off a faint glow. “Aw! You’re so sweet! Yeah! I’ve been pretty busy myself out here collecting samples, taking notes, the usual stuff! I even found a little present for you, baby! I can’t wait till I see you again cause you’re gonna love it!!” she exclaimed.

“Really? I got ya a little something too! And not only that, but...remember about the big Halloween bash held every year in Majestad City?”

Nicole smiled, bursting with joy already. “Of course I remember! I still remember the rides as a kid! What about it?” she asked, already having an idea as to what Trent was about to say.

“Well I managed to do some digging and guess what I got us! Two VIP passes which basically gives us a night of endless rides and haunted house attractions!”

Nicole squealed with delight, not expecting the passes to be so fancy. “OH MY ARCEUS!! I love you so much, Trent!! You’re the greatest boyfriend a girl could ask for!!” she thanked, nearly losing control of the ship in her excited panic attack.

“And you’re the greatest girlfriend a guy could ask for! I love you too, my little angelfish! So how’s Aqua been? Has she been thinking about my Umbreon lately?”

Nicole giggled. “I guess so! Yesterday I caught her looking through a Pokemon book I brought with me and she was staring at a picture of...well, I think you can guess!”

“Hahaha! That’s funny! Everytime Shadow and I walk down the beach on our way to work, he always looks out towards the ocean! I guess they’ve been missing each other too! They’re gonna be so happy once they see each other for the big Halloween Bash next week! So what are you up to now?”

Nicole smiled. “Well there’s this island that just...flashed into existence one night. I know it sounds crazy but that’s what I’ve concluded. Anyways, I’m heading for it right now to take a closer look! Hopefully I’ll make some new discoveries and maybe even bring back a sample or two!” she explained, looking out towards the ocean and seeing the island much bigger and closer than it was before.

“An island that just appeared? Sounds like those Mirage Islands in the Hoenn region! You’re probably bound to see some Pokemon that aren’t native to Beya so keep that Pokedex handy as well as a few Pokeballs! You got any other Pokemon with you by the way? It’s always a good idea to have Pokemon with different types cause you never know!”

Nicole nodded, a confident smile on her face. “Really Trent? Really? Of course I do! I always come prepared...most of the time. I’ve got Static, Primrose, and my newest member from Unova! We should be ok!” the girl reassured.

“Newest member eh? I’d like to see it once we meet up next week! Oh...I should get going soon but before I do, did you happen to send in a weird Pokemon with electrical tentacles?”

“Yeah. The Pokedex called it ‘Squiddim.’ It arrived? What happened? Did my boss say anything?”

“Well it certainly was an impressive sight! Squiddim are rarely seen in the wild and the guys are looking for more traces or samples so they’re sending a team over to where you caught it. You basically have more time to yourself!”

Nicole beamed, internally cheering and congratulating herself on a job well done. “Really?! Sweet! More time to explore that mystery island then!” she paused, wondering how she could spend her extra free time. “Hey! I could set up a small camp while I’m there! After watching River do it back in Unova, I think I’ve learned a few things!”

“Sounds good but just don’t stay for too long, Nicole.”

The girl was confused. “What do you mean?”

“If that island does indeed classify as a Mirage Island, it won’t stay there for long. Apparently, once it shows up, two days later it’ll vanish or atleast that’s the longest time recorded. It’s unknown how or why it does this or what happens if anyone stays but I wouldn’t want to risk it.”

Nicole nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks Trent! So I’ll see you next week?” she asked.

“Absolutely! Until then, take care, my little Luvdisc! I love you!”

With a smile, Nicole grabbed her Pokedex. “You too, my Hunk-tail! I love you too!” she then flipped her Pokedex off and placed it back on the seat before slowing the boat down further as it approached the island.

As Nicole finally dropped anchor after turning the engine off, Aqua returned with a large backpack filled with the girl’s essential tools and supplies. “Por Poreon!”

Nicole smiled. “Thanks, sis! Good to know I can always count on ya!”

Aqua smiled back before nuzzling her trainer, purring affectionately. “Por!”

Nicole giggled before kneeling down and wrapping an arm around the water type’s back. “Ok Ok! Hey guess what? Trent just messaged me saying that we have some extra time to ourselves thanks to that Squiddim we caught! Looks like we will be having some playtime after all! Not only that but I also planned us a little camping trip on that island! How’s that sound?”

Aqua beamed with excitement. “Por Poreon Poren Vapor!! Vapor Vaporeon, Napor!!” she cried.

Nicole smiled as well, feeling just as excited. “And you’re the best Pokemon/sister in the world!” she then got to her feet and grabbed her backpack as well as her Pokedex. “Alright! I’m gonna head to my room real quick and make sure I’ve got everything! You can wait for me outside, Ok?”

The Vaporeon nodded before heading for the ship’s main deck to wait for her trainer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a flash of light, Nicole, Aqua, and Luna now stood on the shore of the Mirage Island thanks to the Gardevoir’s Teleport.

Looking around, Nicole’s urge to explore grew bigger and bigger. “Wow...this place looks so beautiful and lush! I don’t even know where to start!”

Aqua nodded with an excited smile. “Por Por!”

Luna however looked around with caution, searching for any potential dangers. (Nicole, please tell me you brought plenty of sprays and medicines. I’m sensing an incredible amount of activity from wild Pokemon...we’d best be aware of our surroundings.) she warned.

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Of course I did! What kind of trainer would I be if not? And where’s your sense of adventure, Luna? Can’t you just calm down for a minute? I know Gardevoir are protective but you Luna...you actually have me kind of worried about you sometimes.”

Luna took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself. (I’m sorry, Nicole. I can try but still...it’s important to be wary of your surroundings when exploring new ground. An adventure is no fun if it’s filled with recklessness and danger after all!) she winked.

Nicole chuckled. “Well I guess that is true. Alright, we’ll keep an eye out. You can take a break Luna! Return!” she instructed, pulling off the Gardevoir’s ball from her belt and sending the creature back in before looking down at her Vaporeon. “C’mon Aqua! Let’s start looking for a campsite!”

Aqua nodded before following her trainer.

Despite the sun mostly below the horizon, the scenery around was still visible. Lush green plants, bushes, shrubs, and other flora filled the area, admittingly making a path difficult. In the distance was the faint sound of a waterfall as well as the calls of many types of bird Pokemon, some familiar and some not so familiar. Large tall palm trees towered high above, adding to the beauty of it all. With fresh moist humid ocean air, the Mirage Island seemed to be a tropical heaven.

After walking for a few minutes, Nicole and Aqua froze as the familiar sound of rustling leaves and plants filled their ears.

Nicole quickly turned to her Vaporeon with a look of confidence and excitement. “Alright! Get ready Aqua! Looks like we got a welcoming committee!” she instructed.

With a quick nod, Aqua rushed in front of her trainer, ready for battle. “Vap!”

Out of the shrubbery emerged what could only be described as a walking humanoid carrotlike creature with large beady eyes, arms and legs, and a long stem on the top of its head with a leaf at the tip. It was rather small and frail looking.

Nicole stared in complete shock. “Sweet Arceus! What in the world is that thing?!” After grabbing her Pokedex from her back pocket, Nicole flipped the device open and pointed it at the creature.

[Photini, the plant swarm Pokemon.]

[Despite it’s small and weak appearance, Photini grow stronger and work better in numbers. They can be found in the wild in different types easily attributed by their main color.]

Nicole looked back to the wild Pokemon which seemed to stare right back at her as if curious. “Color…? That one’s red so it must be a fire type, right?” she paused. “Only one way to find out! Aqua! Use Scald!”

Aqua opened her mouth, spraying the opponent with a jet of boiling hot water.

The wild Photini jumped back in a panic before pointing the leaf stem on its head at the Vaporeon and pelting it with Ember! “Tii!!”

Nicole gasped. “Definitely a fire type! Dodge it Aqua!”

Aqua dove out of the way of the burning embers, barely avoiding the attack.

The wild Photini’s eyes showed anger as it looked to where it had come before letting out a shrill cry.

Almost immediately, two more Photini emerged in the same red coloration as their ally.

“Two more?”

Aqua stood her ground as the wild trio appeared to glare. “Por!”

Nicole frowned. “Sorry fellas but I think I’ve seen enough! Aqua, use Hydro Pump!”

Aqua nodded before blasting the three opponents with a pressurized blast of water.

The wild Photini fainted upon contact.

With a smile, Nicole sighed before walking towards her Vaporeon. “Whew! Nice work Aqua, though they didn’t put up much of a fight, huh?” she asked, petting the water type.

Aqua shook her head with a smile before noticing ten more red Photini standing next to the fallen three, glaring at her and the girl. “Por?!”

Nicole jumped back in surprise. “Woah! Looks like the battle’s not over yet!”

Immediately, the crowd of wild Pokemon aimed their leaf stems at the water type before wildly swinging their heads, causing copies of the leaves to fly at their opponent.

Nicole looked on in horror. “Razor Leaf!!”

With no time to react, Aqua was sliced with the full force of sharp leaves, leaving her weak. “P-Por…” whimpered the water type.

Nicole gasped. “Aqua!” quickly thinking, she decided to switch. “Come back, sis! I don’t wanna risk another Razor Leaf like that!”

Aqua managed to stand back up before rushing to her trainer’s side as one of her Pokeballs flew into the battlefield. “Vapor!”

In a flash of light and an explosion of electricity emerged a rather plump yellow orange mouse like Pokemon with a long lightning bolt tail. A Raichu.

Nicole smiled. “Alright Static! Let’s light em up!”

The electric type grinned as its yellow cheeks began to spark. “Rai!!” it growled.

The wild crowd of Photini stood its ground before repeating another Razor Leaf attack.

Nicole gasped. “Here it comes again!”

Static braced himself as the flurry of razor sharp leaves came down. Despite the massive bombardment, Static powered through the attack with little damage. “Raichu!!”

Nicole pumped a fist in the air. “Way to go, Static! Now let’s show them our special move! Use Thunder Blast!!” she exclaimed, sharply pointing a finger at the crowd of wild Pokemon

Static began charging electricity from the air as a dark storm cloud appeared above. After what felt like a minute of charging up, Static was engulfed in a blinding shroud of electricity. “Rai….”

Jumping up into the air, Static pointed his tail straight up before summoning down electricity from the storm cloud above and finally releasing the built up energy in his body in the form of a monstrous blast aimed at the opponents. “CHU!!!”

Once the light faded, everyone looked ahead to see all the wild Photini on the ground, eyes swirling and bodies black and charred.

With a proud smile, Nicole ran over to Static before scooping him up in a congratulatory hug. “Way to go Static! That was amazing!!”

Aqua bounced with delight, thinking the same as her trainer. “Vapor Vapor!!”

The Raichu, though weak and drained from the excessive charging, smiled as he enjoyed the praise from his friends. “Raichu! Rai Rai Rai!”

Nicole chuckled before looking up and noticing the dark night sky. “Guess fun really does make time fly by! Or atleast excitement…”

Aqua nodded, smiling.

“We gotta find some place to set up camp soon. Who knows what happens out here at night.” Nicole said before turning towards her Raichu. “Ok Static, do you still have enough energy to light the way?”

Static nodded though hesitantly. “Chu…”

Nicole nodded back before setting the electric type down on the ground. “Alright, big guy. Flash,” she ordered.

Static began to charge up again. After a few failed attempts, the electric mouse’s cheeks and tail flickered and sparked brightly before finally lighting up the darkness ahead. “Rai…”

Nicole smiled before walking ahead. “Let’s go!”

Aqua nodded, starting forward before crying out in pain. “Vaporee!!”

The girl immediately turned around and knelt down in front of her friend. “Aqua! You’re still hurting aren’t you? I’ve got some sprays in here so don’t worry!” she reassured before pulling off her backpack and rummaging through for medicine. “AHA! Here we go!”

After a few squirts, Aqua’s cuts began to heal. “Por Vapor, Napor…” she thanked.

Nicole smiled, giving the water type a nuzzle. “No need for thanks! We’re sisters, right?” she asked.

Aqua nodded, smiling back at her trainer. “Vap!” she happily mewed.

Nicole nodded back before standing back up and turning to face the trail ahead only to freeze. “Huh?!”

In their path stood a large humanoid creature that appeared to be made of stone. It had the exaggerated cartoony stature of a bodybuilder with a small bottom half and large mighty top half. It’s head was rather small and looked more like a lump than a cranium. Its eyes were dark with a single yellow glow as pupils. It also had one key feature that stood out. Randomly scattered on its body appeared to be chunks of...solid gold!

Nicole gazed at the creature in amazement. “Another new Pokemon! What does the Pokedex say?” she wondered, pulling her device from her back pocket and pointing it at the wild beast.

[Goldmight, the golden muscle Pokemon]

[Commonly found deep in moist and damp caverns as well as underground mines, they were exposed to rock formation and plate shifting of the planet, eventually forming chunks of pure gold on their bodies. How much this gold is worth is yet to be confirmed.]

Static backed away nervously as the hulking mass of rock and gold slowly approached. “...R-Raichu…”

“Hang in there Static!” Nicole cried before turning back to her water type with an idea in her head. “Aqua! Rain Dance!”

Aqua nodded before moving around and bouncing about as a series of barely visible rain clouds began to form in the night sky, creating a downpour.

The wild Goldmight began to act in a rather cowardly manner before turning to the attacker and frowning. “RAAAAAAAGH!” it screamed before slamming its large fists down on the ground repeatedly, causing a tremor.

Nicole tried to keep her balance as her confident faced turned into one of worry. “Woah!! Earthquake!” she cried.

Aqua tried to fight against the trembling earth beneath her paws but eventually lost balance, and fell into a chasm beginning to form. “VAA!”

Nicole gasped. “Aqua!?”

After a brief period of silence from the chasm, Aqua emerged struggling to climb out before finding herself back on flat ground. “Por!” she cried, still determined to fight.

Nicole beamed. “Way to go, sis! Now let’s show him how we fight! Use Surf!”

Aqua summoned a large wall of water, proceeding to ride it before sending it crashing down on the wild Goldmight. “Por!”

Unfortunately, Static was caught in the crossfire but managed to shake off the drenching.

Nicole sweatdropped, seeing her accidental betrayal on her friend. “Oops! Sorry Static! Return!” Pulling off the electric type’s ball from her belt, she called back her Pokemon before retrieving a flashlight from her bag and using that instead, turning back to the battlefield afterwards.

The wild Goldmight stood back up and glared at the Vaporeon before grabbing a piece of ground from the earthquake and launching it at the opponent. “URGH!”

Nicole gasped. “Rock Throw! Dodge it!”

Aqua dove out of the way just before the slab of earth could crush her

“Ha! Now let’s try Hydro Pump!” the girl exclaimed.

Aqua attacked with a pressurized blast of water only for the opponent to move clear, avoiding the hit. “Vapor?!”

Gritting her teeth, Nicole growled. “Shoot! Missed! Let’s try surf this time!”

Aqua created another large wave and rode it, heading for the wild Goldmight.

In retaliation, the rock/steel type summoned another Earthquake, causing the oncoming wall of water to drain into the ground, ultimately forcing it to cancel out!

Nicole and Aqua were both in shock at what they’d just witnessed. “It just canceled out Surf?!”

Now with the wave gone, Aqua plummeted down to the ground, heading for another chasm opening in the earth. The water type screamed as it fell.

“Use Water Gun at full force! Aim it at the opening!” Nicole quickly instructed.

Aqua did as instructed, aiming down into the chasm before letting loose a powerful jet of water. Amazingly, the force was enough to shoot the water type off course from the chasm and land her to safety with minor damage.

Nicole beamed with excitement. “It worked! Excellent thinking, me!” she chuckled before turning to her beloved water type. “Aqua, are you alright?”

Aqua got back on her paws with a nod, smiling in reassurance. “Vapor!”

Nicole nodded back. “Surf didn’t work...let’s use Water Pulse!”

Aqua summoned a small sphere of water that increased in size before being sent at the opponent, forming into a ring of water before impact. “Eon!”

The wild Goldmight stumbled backward before regaining its balance, starting to stumble and wobble. “Rrrgh…” it grunted.

Nicole smiled. “We’re wearing him down!”

Aqua smiled as well, feeling proud of both herself and her trainer. “Vapor Poree, Napor!”

Nicole giggled. “Of course we’re doing good! We’re a-” she paused, noticing the wild Goldmight going for something. “What’s it…?”

The wild Goldmight grabbed the trunk of a palm tree and began pull, slowly ripping it from the ground!

Confidence turned into concern as Nicole realized what the hulking Pokemon was getting at. “It looks like a rock or steel type so it can’t be Wood Hamm...STRENGTH!” she yelled.

The wild Goldmight grinned before chucking the palm tree at its opponent as if it were a simple stick but appeared to regret its action upon seeing the tree miss the water type, now hurdling right at Nicole! “Ragh?!”

Frozen in place by shock and fear, all Nicole could do was scream and cover her eyes, bracing for the worst splinter ever.

“NAPOR!!” Aqua screamed before using Hydro Pump on the falling palm tree, successfully saving her friend!

Nicole uncovered her eyes and looked back to see the palm tree broken into two by the Hydro Pump, cratered into the ground a few feet behind her. “Wha? Aqua? Was that you?” she asked.

The water type simply answered by running up to her trainer and tackling her playfully, relieved to see her friend unharmed.

Nicole laughed as she fell to the ground, hugging her beloved Pokemon. “Hahaha! Ok Ok! Thanks for saving me there!”

Aqua licked the girl’s face before they both turned to see the wild Goldmight looking away, its face filled with apparent guilt and sorrow.

Nicole stood back up with a frown, feeling sympathy for the wild Pokemon. “Hey there! Don’t be so hard on yourself. Well yes, you did mean to attack but you clearly don’t know your own strength. That’s no reason to look so down! Accidents happen after all!” she approached with a forgiving smile across her face.

The wild Goldmight looked to the girl with an annoyed and angered look as if it didn’t want anything to do with the opponents but froze before turning away.

But being the frown-hating person she was, Nicole was determined to help. “Hey! Quit being such a sour puss! I know it’s weird...humans just don’t suddenly feel for a random wild Pokemon like yourself but I work with them every single day! I love to do it and so does Aqua, right sis?” she asked, turning to face the water type.

Aqua happily nodded. “Vapor!”

Nicole nodded as well. “See? Even though we were fighting just now, you still have friends!” she smiled.

The wild Goldmight grunted before nodding in agreement. “Mrrrght..”

Aqua smiled before nuzzling her new friend. “Por Poreon!”

Nicole rolled her eyes then turned to Goldmight. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to know of any places to camp or make shelter, would you?” she asked.

Goldmight tilted its head, puzzled. “Ragh…?”

“You know! Camp? Someplace to set up a tent or a cave or something?” Nicole clarified.

But still, Goldmight wasn’t understanding her...

Nicole sweatdropped, realizing that this guy was more brawn the brains. “Make. Camp? Make. Sleep?” she simplified, making motions and gestures with her hands as she went.

“Poreon Poreon Vap! Vaporeon! Por Por?” added Aqua.

The rock/steel type finally nodded, eyes going wide as it understood. “Aaaaargh! Gooorgh!” it said before picking up both girls and hoisting them onto its shoulders.

Nicole was surprised. “Whoa!! Hey!! Hold on a second! My backpack!!” she protested.

Goldmight picked up the girl’s bag with its mouth before walking away deeper into the forest with a Vigoroth-like posture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well I guess we won’t be pitching the tent but I’m definitely not sleeping on such a cold floor…” Nicole said before walking over to her backpack and rummaging through for her sleeping bag.

Aqua meanwhile gazed out of the cavern entrance, looking out at the forest below.

Just as the sun had completely set below the horizon, Nicole and her Pokemon had found themselves taking refuge in the mouth of a cavern located near the summit of a small mountain on the Mirage Island. Nicole had managed to start a small fire to stay warm with her Pokemon while Goldmight had gone off to enjoy itself.

Finally, Nicole pulled out her pink rolled up sleeping bag and began laying it out on the rocky cavern floor. “There we go…” she paused, unclipping Static’s ball from her belt. “Hmm….I should probably heal you up shouldn’t I?” she asked before eventually throwing the ball down and summoning her electric mouse once again.

Static looked around, curious as to what was going on. “Raichu? Rai Raichu…” he wondered.

“There there, Static. Just healing you up after that Razor Leaf attack.” Nicole reassured. “I’ve got a feeling you’ll be battling again tomorrow.”

The Raichu nodded before being sprayed by his trainer’s medicine bottle. “Rai…”

Nicole smiled. “There we go. Not much pain anymore, huh?”

The electric type nodded, smiling, “Raichu Raichu!” he replied, sparking his cheeks with renewed vigor and pride.

Nicole quickly stepped back. “Woah! Easy there, buddy!” she giggled before sending the Raichu back in. “Alright. Have a good rest for tomorrow, Static.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh~”

Nicole froze for a second before turning to the mouth of the cavern where her water type still stood. “Wasn’t that...a Lullamera singing…?” she asked.

Aqua nodded. “Por.”

“No scratch that...that was Siren’s Shriek,” the girl corrected herself. “Sounds like a fight going on down there…”

Aqua rushed to Nicole’s side, looking around cautiously. “Vapor!”

But the girl wasn’t as worried. “Relax, sis! It’s probably just a wild battle. And even if we did decide to check it out, by the time we’d arrive, I’m sure everything would’ve already died down.”

Aqua took a deep breath and nodded before walking over to her trainer’s sleeping bag and laying down next to it.

Nicole nodded. “Good call...I’m just about ready to fall asleep too.” she yawned, walking to her sleeping bag and taking off her pokeball belt, beige shoes, and socks, setting them next to her backpack before getting cozy.

Aqua smiled as she gave her trainer a nuzzle. “Por Poreon Por, Napor.”

Nicole smiled back with a chuckle. “Yep. Today was another pretty good day. Let’s hope tomorrow’s just as good if not better!”

The Vaporeon nodded before moving to lay down at Nicole’s legs. “Vap Vapor, Napor…” mewed the water type.

Nicole smiled and nodded back before closing her eyes. “Goodnight, Aqua…” she sighed, drifting off to sleep.

Almost immediately, Goldmight returned to find the two sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb, it found a nice spot to rest in the back of the cavern, also now keeping a watchful eye on the campfire for the two friends’ safety.

Unknown to anyone however, in the darkness outside, someone was watching…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Go Static!”

Faced with another wild Pokemon battle, Nicole had sent out her Raichu to engage.

The electric mouse Pokemon landed on the soft grassy ground before staring down its new opponent which Nicole now had her Pokedex pointed at.

The photo on screen showed a small pony like creature with large somewhat exaggerated cartoonish eyes, a small stubby muzzle, and a somewhat large head in comparison with the rest of its body. The photo then began to change into a different color and hairstyle, then again, and again, and again, showing infinite possible forms. Among the changing hair and color were horns and wings and even a crystalline body.

[Poneigh, the Equestrian Pokemon.]

[Famous for their popularity with young children, they are found in the wild with a seemingly infinite color and mane style combination. Horned Poneighs are capable of psychic attacks, winged ones possess the ability of flight and flying type attacks, and the rare crystalline form is said to use rock and steel type moves.]

The Poneigh in front of Nicole’s pokedex was pink with a crazed, bubbly, and frizzy magenta mane and long tail. It bounced and skipped around happily...perhaps a bit too happily.

Nicole smiled. “Well it is adorable, I’ll give it that! But a battle’s still a battle!” she then turned to the Raichu in front of her. “Alright Static! Start us off with Electro Ball!”

Static jumped high into the air as it began to pile up electricity into a sphere before sending it the opponent. “Raichu CHU!!”

The wild Poneigh stumbled as the happiness was knocked right out of it. “Poneigh!!” it cried before galloping at Static.

Nicole frowned. “Take Down! Dodge it, Static!”

But Static had no time to react as the pink equine Pokemon barrelled straight into him with full force.

Unfortunately, the attack had also damaged the wild Poneigh.

Nicole smiled as she saw her electric type stand back up. “Good going, Static! Now let’s use Dig!” she ordered.

Static began to burrow into the earth at a fast pace, tunneling below within seconds.

The wild Poneigh desperately and frantically glanced around at the ground, looking for any signs of its opponent. “Pon?! Poneigh?!”

Nicole grinned. “Now!”

Static suddenly emerged from below, slamming into the wild Poneigh with great force. “Chu!!”

The pink equine fell backwards before attempting to stand back up.

Nicole smiled. “Huh! This is surprisingly easy!” she chuckled.

But the wild Poneigh had taken it rather personally, it jumped in anger as its eyes appeared to turn red, its mane and tail practically going up in flames with rage. “NEIGH?!”

“Huh?? Wait! No I didn’t mean it like that!! You’re not weak!!” she tried to apologize, the amount of sweat dropping from her head enough to fill buckets.

Though it was clear that the wild Poneigh wasn’t listening as it summoned a multitude of star shaped projectiles and sent them flying at Static. It used Swift.

The attack successfully hit, engulfing the electric mouse in a series of explosions.

Once the smoke had cleared, Nicole was relieved to find her Pokemon still standing, though struggling to do so. “Static! Are you alright?” she asked,

Static nodded, wincing from the pain. “R-Rai…”

Nicole sighed, seeing she had no other choice but to fight fairly. “Well, I don’t really feel like degrading my self-esteem by forfeiting to a cutesy candy colored pony Pokemon so I guess we’ll just have to give it our all too!” she paused, taking a deep breath. “Use Thunder!”

Static nodded before charging up massive amounts of charged energy into its body before unleashing it as a monstrous blast of electricity. “Rai….CHU!!!”

The blast struck the wild Poneigh, sending what felt like trillions of volts of electricity through its body. Once the surge ceased, the normal type stumbled and wobbled before finally collapsing to the ground. “Neigh…”

Nicole smiled before taking off her backpack and pulling out an empty Pokeball. “This one’s definitely coming with me!” she exclaimed before tossing the ball at the weakened Pokemon.

After hitting and sucking the creature inside, the ball dropped to the floor and began to rattle and shake.

...1…
...2…
...3…

The ball ceased rocking, sealing itself and successfully capturing the pink Poneigh.

Nicole gave a quick sigh before walking over to the ball and picking it up. “Welcome to the team, Pinkie,” she smiled, placing the ball in her bag before looking to her injured team member. “Rest up, Static! You did well!” she insisted before returning the electric type into its ball.

After taking a moment to recollect herself, Nicole started for the cavern until an odd series of voices stopped her in her tracks. “...Other people…? Who else could’ve found this island?” she asked herself before following the voices to a hidden location outside what appeared to be a large campsite.

A rancid and horrible smell wafted through the area filled with dirty and rugged tents and sleeping bags. A fire was still lit in the center despite the bright morning sun. Then Nicole noticed something peculiar. All throughout the camp were flags with a skull and flaming crossbone design. Along with that, the area had been destroyed to an extent to make room as evident by the smell of freshly demolished trees, dug up earth, and piles of sand scattered about.

Nicole quickly hid behind some shrubs as she noticed movement nearby.

A man dressed in a black sleeve-ripped shirt, dark red pants, and black shoes strolled by, thankfully unaware of the spying marine biologist nearby. He was then joined by a woman in similar clothing with a skirt and midriff tank top instead. On their clothing was the exact logo as Nicole had seen on the flags: a skull and flaming crossbone design.

Nicole peeked from the bushes and saw that there were more of the same men and women. While they had different faces and skin tones, they all wore the same outfits, much to the girl’s confusion...until a stray memory came to light. “...Team Aqua and Magma in the Hoenn region, Team Galactic in Sinnoh, Team Plasma in Unova, and Team Flare in Kalos...could I be looking at something similar?” she quietly wondered.

*SNAP*

The sound of a twig breaking underneath the girl’s feet caught the attention of a few people who hurriedly approached the location of the noise.

With no time to react, Nicole found herself staring at a man and woman, frozen in fear.

“Well well well! Looks like we got ourselves a spy here! The boss is gonna love this!” the woman said with a sly grin.

But before the two could grab her, Nicole forced herself to move, diving out of the way and taking off as fast as she could. “Oh no!!” she cried.

A few of the men each yanked out a Pokeball from their pockets before throwing them up in the air. “After her!!” they ordered.

From the balls emerged a Mightyena, a Honchkrow, a Talonflame, and a Houndoom. The band of Pokemon landed and immediately followed instructions, chasing after the fleeing girl.

“Hide! Hide! Hide! Gotta hide!! But where??” Nicole asked herself, looking around desperately for anything that would help her until she was suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up.

“Dight!!”

Nicole was relieved to see the wild Goldmight she had befriended. “Goldmight! Am I glad to see you!”

With a nod, the rock/steel type set the girl on its back before heading back to its cavern only to be intercepted by the Houndoom and Mightyena. It glared before swinging its large and mighty fists at the two attackers, sending them flying.

Nicole watched in amazement. “Whoa! That’s worthy of both a treat AND a cool nickname!” she chuckled before a sudden sharp pain on her back forced a pained scream out. Looking back, she saw the Talonflame belonging to one of the men pecking at her and trying to force her off the burly Pokemon. “AAH! Stop it!! Knock it off!!” she pleaded, swiping at the bird Pokemon with one hand while holding onto her uncaptured Pokemon with the other.

Goldmight quickly turned around and grabbed the bird before it could fly out of reach and began to smother and bang it against the ground and the surrounding trees. “Ragh!”

Nicole frowned. “Goldmight! Are you sure you can handle four Pokemon AND protect me at the same time?!” she asked.

The rock Pokemon shook its head, seeing its trainer was right.

Nicole climbed off the Pokemon’s back with a determined look. “Just get their attention and distract them while I head back to the cave! Aqua’s waiting for me, right?” she asked.

The Goldmight nodded.

Then an idea flashed into the girl’s mind, causing her to facepalm at her own stupidity. “Wait a second! Why didn’t I think of this before?! Luna!!” she exclaimed, yanking off the ball from her belt and enlarging it before throwing it down.

In a bright flash of light, the Gardevoir materialized and looked around. (What’s going on, Nicole?) she asked, sensing concern in her trainer.

Nicole gasped and pointed at the now approaching band of pursuing Pokemon. “That’s what’s going on!” she exclaimed.

Luna nodded with a determined look in her eyes. (Say no more! Whenever you’re ready!)

But the girl had other plans. “No Luna! Not this time! I need you to Teleport us! Goldmight, tell her where and fast!”

After a brief explanation on the location of the cavern, Luna nodded, focusing her mind and sensing the air around her. (I’m afraid Teleport can only work if the place in mind is familiar but I can do something else! Prepare yourselves as this might be too much for your minds to handle...at first.)

Nicole nodded before clutching her head.

Luna took a deep breath and began to manipulate the space around her, causing the visible reality in front of her to bend and twist in strange ways. The world suddenly had an odd look to it. Random grooves in the ground, making it difficult to distinguish what was a bump and what was a pit, trees bent and curved, shrubs and bushes with broken proportions, as well as objects that appeared to camouflage and blend in with the scenery around.

Nicole opened her eyes only to be met with the faint sensation of a sudden headache growing inside. “Uh...I-I...wh-wha...Y-y...Huh?!” was all she could say.

The Pokemon who had been targeting the girl froze and looked around in extreme confusion, too distracted by the sudden change in the laws of nature to do anything else.

Luna giggled. (I had the same reaction too when I first used it. Nicole Porter, I believe you’ve heard of Trick Room?)

Nicole nodded, still trying to wrap her mind around the new scenery. “You learned…Trick Room…?”

Luna smiled. (Yes but to an extent. Remember back during our adventure across Beya that I wanted to learn a special move like how Static knows Thunder Blast? Well, this a little something I put together on my own. I like to call it Reality Warp!)

Nicole shook her head to snap herself out of her trance before turning to Luna, catching onto her idea. “Reality Warp...you use your psychic powers to create a real world optical illusion that confuses the opponent!”

Luna nodded. (You never miss a beat, do you?) she joked.

Nicole blushed before noticing the other Pokemon. “Huh? Oh right!! They’re confused so now’s our chance to get away!” she exclaimed, turning to Goldmight. “Let’s go!”

The two Pokemon nodded and followed after their trainer, leaving the pursuing Pokemon behind.
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